Summer Term 2022
A standing ovation for Wincobank Nursery & Infant School
The Ofsted inspectors came calling in May 2022 and firmly acknowledged the achievements of pupils and staff at Wincobank Nursery & Infant School. Following the judgement that the school continues to be Good, inspectors praised the polite and well-mannered pupils and commented on how much pupils enjoyed learning and how proud they are of their school. Leaders and teachers were also commended for the engaging and exciting curriculum through linked learning and nurturing effective pedagogies.
Executive Principal, Linda Hoyle, commented: “We are delighted with the Ofsted judgement which confirms that all the hard work of pupils, staff and families is paying dividends. We were particularly pleased with the feedback from parents who told inspectors that they ‘value the family feel of the school’ and that ‘staff genuinely want pupils to succeed’ and ‘know each of them as individuals’. We know that there are some areas that still need our attention and are continuing to invest in plans that are coming to fruition.”
Mike Westerdale, CEO, remarked: “On behalf of the Trust, I applaud the hard work and efforts of everyone at Wincobank and the affirmation from Ofsted that this is truly a Good school. The praise heaped on the leaders and teachers across all areas is a testament to their hard work and dedication. As a Trust we look forward to carrying on all the good work and to continue our mission of creating excellence together through a culture of care.”
Highlights from the Ofsted report:
- Pupils are proud to attend this school. They are polite and well mannered. They enjoy learning. Leaders have created a welcoming and calm atmosphere.
- Pupils are articulate and confident to talk about learning. Behaviour in lessons is excellent and pupils also behave well when moving around school or playing outside
- Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. In subjects, such as reading and mathematics, teachers plan lessons which enable all pupils to challenge themselves and be successful.
- Trustees are committed to ensuring that the school continues to improve. They hold leaders to account and look for ways to support staff’s well-being and workload through collaborative approaches with other Trust schools and the use of external support.
- Leaders focus on developing pupils’ confidence to speak and listen. This starts from children’s earliest days at Wincobank.
- Pupils read books which are well matched to their ability and enable them to practise regularly to improve their fluency. Pupils who are finding reading difficult are well supported by skilled adults.
- Pupils have had many interesting opportunities to develop their interests and experiences of the wider world.
A Visit to The Deep
Year 4 pupils from Concord enjoyed a visit to this awardwinning aquarium in Hull which is home to over 5,000 animals. As part of their learning through the Blue Abyss theme, they had a day of marvelling at amazing marine life including magnificent sharks and rays, the UK’s only pair of Green sawfish, a colony of Gentoo penguins, Loggerhead sea turtles and so much more.
Pupils went on a journey through prehistoric seas, past tropical lagoons, into the vast open oceans, down to the darkest depths, through the chilly Kingdom of ice and into the future. The day also included a workshop learning about the effects of plastic pollution on ocean food chains. It was truly magical!
Yorkshire Wildlife Park
The Wincobank Key Stage 1 children recently enjoyed a fantastic day at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. This half term pupils have been learning all about the different groups of animals and on the trip, they marvelled at the close-up encounters with different mammals such as giraffes, polar bears, monkeys and even lions! A memorable day was had by all – despite the heat and the temptation to jump in the water like the polar bear!
Paws, Claws & Whiskers
Linked to this term’s topic about the life cycles of animals, Key Stage 1 pupils were enthralled when Miss Hobbs arranged for an incubator and ten eggs to be the centre of attention at Wincobank. After only five days the chicks started to hatch causing great excitement across school. Children looked on closely as the chicks hatched from their eggs and cared for them for two weeks. Out of the ten eggs hatched, there were nine girls and one boy, they have all gone to live happily on a local family’s farm. It was an extraordinary experience for the young children to explore not only the life cycle of animals but also the difference between living things and non-living things.
Adventures in the Dearne Valley
Concord’s Year 6 children had an amazing two-day residential trip to Kingswood in the Dearne Valley in Doncaster. This fantastic indoor and outdoor activity centre is spread over 50 acres and has interactive activities across grassland, woodland and wetland. The Y6 pupils took on amazing challenges including abseiling, climbing, a vertical assault course as well as staying away from home for two nights. All of the children showed excellent teamwork and collaboration, were tested to the limits and at each turn, they succeeded. They achieved personal and collective goals and their attitude was as on point as their archery!
The Railway Children
Concord was recently visited by M and M productions and treated to a first-class performance of the Railway Children – based on Edith Nesbitt’s classic. This included a fabulous cast, marvellous set and a light show extravaganza. Following the whole school performance, the Y6 children took part in a workshop, where they got to see the secrets of the set and meet the actors up close. All of the children gave brilliant feedback – with some even wanting to be performers themselves!
As part of the Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) curriculum, Year 8 students were excited to visit this fantastic exhibition. This sold-out event was packed full of exciting, interactive activities and was designed specifically with 11–14-year-olds in mind. It really did provide the best careers inspiration, advice and opportunities for young people including the chance for students to meet with real scientists and engineers. Yewlands Academy is so proud of the behaviour, attitude and engagement of students at the event, and the conversations and interactions around careers and aspirations were amazing to hear!
Intrepid Expedition
Despite the weather, 30 brave Year 10 students endured the trials and tribulations of the Duke of Edinburgh May expedition in the Peak District. After months of planning, they showed elements of excellent teamwork and independence, and demonstrated great resilience as they completed this challenging and sought-after award.
Physical & Mental Wellbeing
As we get ever closer to Euro 2022, there was a great display from the Y7 & 8 Girls’ Football teams who showed fantastic attitude and hard work within all the games they played – what a superb showcase for women’s football!
In July, 75 staff, students, friends and family took part in Race for Life, showing determination to complete their 5 laps, an incredible total of £1,100 was raised.
This Girl Can
Miss Sowerby and Miss Clarke took a group of Year 9 students to a This Girl Can event. They had a busy day filled with lots of different activities to promote lifelong participation in sport. Throughout the day the girls got involved in yoga, ice skating, dance and football. They showed great determination and resilience when learning new skills and ended the day in style taking part in the Colour Smash!
E-Sports Taster
As part of the BTEC Sports Course on offer at Yewlands, 30 Year 10 students had the opportunity to attend an E-Sports taster session at Barnsley College. This was an exceptional opportunity to learn new skills and experience what a post-16 course would look like. We know that experiences like this will continue to raise the aspirations of all our young people.
Holding out for a Hero
Every year on Hinde House Heroes Day, the academy chooses new ambassadors for its core values. Each year group has a core value to study, and they find out about famous people who could represent their core value. The students then vote for their favourite one to become the ambassador for the year and each year group practices their oracy skills by presenting their choice in assembly. Here are the academy’s heroes.
Junior House Competition
Every half term the house teams Don, Loxley, Sheaf and Rivelin battle it out to get as many house points as they can for their team. This half term it was the bike competition, and the challenge included a sprint and a team relay. Pupils nominated representatives from their house team to take part in the competition - well done to Don House Team who were the overall winners!
“It was awesome, my chain flew off and Mr McDermott had to mend it quickly! I nearly won the bonus round!” Sahil, Y3 “It was so hard; my legs were hurting, and I couldn’t walk for about twenty minutes!” Helen, Y3 “I had to focus so hard on the finish line to make sure we won.” Malaika, Y4
Leader of the Pack
Thirteen Year 9 students successfully completed the Young Community Leaders project led by CHILYPEP. After 13 weeks of hard work and dedication, the young people had a sharing event in the evening. Invited guests included community leaders, parents and carers, and the Lord Mayor.
The Young Community Leaders’ ambition is to continue working in the community to improve outdoor spaces and tackle anti-social behaviours. The Lord Mayor and all the guests were impressed with the presentation and leadership skills the young people displayed. Subsequently, the Lord Mayor has invited these amazing young people for an afternoon tea at her chambers.
These leaders will now be supported to train others and CHILYPEP are interviewing for a project worker, and three of our students have been invited to be part of the interview panel. This group of Y9s have represented the academy well and made all associated with HHA proud!
Animal Farm
Hinde House Primary are seeing the huge benefits that animals can bring to everyday school life:
- Bella and Crumble, the guinea pigs, live onsite and belong to everyone at primary. They are a great way of teaching responsibility, bring a lovely calming presence to the pupils and are great fun to be around! They are making their way around classrooms and appearances at playtimes - keep a look out!
- Buddy, a very well behaved Goldendoodle, created a buzz of excitement that spread quickly. Buddy can teach children lots of things including patience, care, love and confidence. Buddy will be back in the new academic year! Bailey Smith, and the day culminated with story time with teddies and warm hot chocolate. A wonderful day, celebrating our love for reading!
Sports Spectacular
Y8 & 9 took part in athletics competitions at Woodbourn Road Athletics Stadium. There were lots of standout performances from running, jumping and throwing against all of the other schools in Sheffield.
The Y9 rounders team made their debut to the league with their first game against Handsworth and 10 Y9 students attended the Olympic Legacy This Girl Can event at the EIS. They took part in soccersise, a glow rave, ice skating, yoga and a colour run! They had an amazing time and were a credit to the academy
A Focus on Bridging the Word Gap
As part of supporting the seamless transition between primary and secondary school, and building key academic language across the curriculum, HHA has been working on a specialist programme. As educationalists we know that repeated exposure and explicit teaching of new vocabulary is necessary across the spoken language, reading and writing. Subject specialist teachers will be using the ‘Speak like a pro’ strategy, thereby introducing and bridging words gap.
Research over recent years regarding the gap in vocabulary that many children face shows that this particularly effects children from lower income families and those with English as an additional language. The gap has been widened further by the lockdown due to Covid-19. Most of HHA’s SEND/EAL pupils would be anxious about transition to secondary school more now than ever, and this strategy will help alleviate those anxieties.
The academy has identified 16 SEND/EALY6 pupils and they have been receiving 1-2 sessions a week from secondary school subject specialist teachers. The feedback from staff and pupils has been overwhelmingly positive and the information gathered from these sessions will be used to inform the SEND/ EAL curriculum provision for September 2022. A timetable on a rotation will be put in place involving these subjects: Food Technology; ICT; Geography; History; Art; PE and PSHE.
Creative Arts Show: 28/29 June
This exceptional annual event showcased student work from Art, Photography, 3D Design and Games Design students. A rich variety of work was on display, from large scale oil paintings to architectural 3D designs. “I’m always really impressed with the quality and diversity of work on display and I’m immensely proud of what our students have achieved, especially after the pandemic. Many thanks are due to the Creative Arts staff for making the show such a success” said Rob Barker, Curriculum Leader for Creative Arts.
Career Ready Programme 2022
Following the pandemic, the Career Ready programme is back on track to be a huge success. The Business Academy has 12 dedicated Law and Business students, and the Creative Media academy has eight students. They are all paired with wonderfully supportive mentors from national and global organisations including: SHU, Mittie, Turner and Townsend, Unipart Rail, The Source, Kennedys Law, Sheffield City Council, Arches Housing and Aviva, Laura Page Photography and Yorkshire Artspace. The vast majority of these students have secured 4 week long paid internships in a range of companies where the students will be supported to feel part of a real work team.
University Life
On a glorious summer day in June, 150 students and staff went on a day trip to The University of Hull, the 14th oldest university in England. It has a proud history of academic excellence and creating and inspiring lifechanging research. Hull is the only university to be an Official Partner of Team GB, an exclusive six-year partnership presenting opportunities for joint research and enterprise projects, and career-boosting opportunities for students. The university provided Longley Park students with a wide range of interactive opportunities to sample student life and the courses on offer; from F1 student race simulators, observation of a mock trial, to opportunities to test student designed video games.
At lunch time, students enjoyed a festival style stage, with live music, DJs and free food. There were also tours of the campus, from sports facilities to student accommodation. Students loved the day, making the following comments: “I wasn’t considering university, but this has change my mind” and “this feels so friendly, and the campus is so contained, I might apply here next year”.