Year 10 Geography Trip
On Wednesday 8th May the Year 10 Geographers went out to Curzon Street in Birmingham City Centre to investigate the Big City Plan, HS2 and the effects on the local area. This Human Geography fieldwork will go towards 30% of their GCSE. Feedback from some of the students on their visit:
‘We went to Curzon Street to investigate whether the gateway redevelopment is creating enough social, economic and environmental opportunities. To investigate this we used a few data collection methods such as the pedestrian count, the environmental quality survey and questionnaires. However, we went on a day when there was heavy rain and so not many people were around so we weren’t able to gather the most accurate and reliable results.’
‘We did a environmental quality assessment where we rated it from 1 to 5 and the quality of the area.’
‘The weather was cold and wet. We did a people count, the environmental quality assessment and questionnaires to see if the gateway redevelopment was creating enough social, economic and environmental opportunities.’
‘It was interesting to look at the development and changes and see what people thought.’
‘We reduced the time spent in each site due to the rain and cold weather which made it difficult for us to spend time gathering accurate data.’
ASDAN Taster Day
On Thursday 9th May, six Year 10 ASDAN pupils and a Year 11 pupil, accompanied by Mrs Wareham and Mr Thornton, attended a college taster day at South and City College Birmingham, Bournville campus in Longbridge. After an introductory tour of the facilities including the gym and motor vehicle department, the pupils were taken to their first taster session, Art. Here they experimented with impressionism, following in the footsteps of Picasso, and creating some truly memorable pieces of work.
Before lunch we went on a second tour of the campus, exploring its whole expanse this time, visiting the library, the music department, the hair and beauty salon, and the construction building, where everything from gas fitting to decorating is taught. After lunch we moved onto our second taster session, baking. Here the pupils made chocolate concrete, weighing out all of the required ingredients to the exact amount, mixing, baking, decorating, then washing up the equipment they had used and then finally cleaning the kitchen! After a short debrief, the pupils collected their cooled chocolate treats, and we made our way proudly back to school.
A truly fantastic day for all seven pupils, who were given an insight into what college can offer and how it can support them in the future. A massive thank you to South and City College Birmingham Bournville campus for hosting us, especially our guide Katrina, Lee for Art, and Jess for baking, to the seven pupils who were wonderful and Mrs Wareham for her support throughout the day.
GCSE Live!
In February Mrs Hiley, Mrs
Hackett and Mrs Price took 40 budding Year 10 scientists attended the
GCSE Live! event at Birmingham Symphony Hall where they were treated to guest
lectures from famous scientists about their field of expertise. A personal
highlight from the pupils was Robert Winston's lecture about fertility, and Jim
Al-Khalili’s lecture about time travel! Pupils were also able to hear from the
head examiner from last summer's GCSE exams, who gave them tips and tricks of
how to be better at answering questions in the exams. Special thanks to Ms
O'Donovan for her help organising the trip.
Big Biology Quiz at Birmingham University
A group of our Year 10 triple scientists embarked on a trip to the University of Birmingham to participate in the annual Big Biology Quiz. Over 300 students from schools around the West Midlands battled it out by showing off their specialist knowledge on rounds including microbiology, cancer, and adaptations of plants and animals. Pupils were also treated to a lecture by Dr Jess Blair about Superbugs, which was fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. Thank you to Mrs Hiley for organising the trip and driving the minibus, and Mrs Price for accompanying pupils.
Big Bang Fair
The UK's largest STEM fair was attended by 180 Year 9 pupils who are now studying triple science. Pupils got to interact with scientists and professionals from a wide range of STEM careers to find out more about what they do and how they can get involved. There were lots of interactive workshops which pupils participated including using medical equipment such as an ultrasound machine and an ECG, participating in dance workshops, making slime, making Lego robots and playing with drones as well as watching the live stage shows where there were lots of LOUD explosions and stunning science on display.
Year 7 Rugby News
On Wednesday 7th March the Year 7 Rugby Team travelled to our regular rivals KESH in Sheldon. It was a dark, wet and filthy day and handling was especially hard with a muddy ball and cold hands. In spite of playing a more experienced team, the Yardleys students got a foothold in the game and played good rugby to score four tries. Unfortunately, home advantage and that bit of rugby experience meant that KESH scored six tries to edge us out. Especially pleasing was the positive attitude of all the boys who played and how, despite the game being tough and physical, hands were shook after the game. Apologies to the mums, dads and carers who need to wash the kit, it was very muddy!
Stand out performances were from Asif Rashid who neutralised their big ball carrier and ran well with the ball, Elijah Adeyemi who carried on his family tradition of rugby players with an all action performance and the last try of the game, Hasheem and Raheem Sharif who quickly switched on to situations, tackled well and also showed good pace. Zak Yasin also was aggressive throughout and added structure. Special mention must also go to the hard work of Yasir Zaman who made up numbers for KESH and then played well for Yardleys. Man of the Match however was Nauman Ilyas who put in a destructive display of ball carrying and rucking that resulted in two tries.
Plans are already in hand for the rematch at home, the boys are already determined to get their revenge and win that one!
Final Result -
KESH – 30 Yardleys – 20
Badminton News
On 13th February a group of key stage 3 and 4 boys took part in the badminton finals and came so close to bringing a trophy home. Well done to them all for getting to the finals and playing so well in the tournament. Congratulations to the following boys on their fantastic achievement: Ramiz Ahmed, Umair Ahmed, Zachariah Winnicott, Hamza Imran, Zaid Al-Rawni, Luiz Bozu, Mohammed Sulaiman and Mohammed Arshad.
Brilliant Club
This year’s Brilliant Club cohort concluded their studies with a graduation ceremony held at the prestigious University of Oxford. Our successful students worked hard completing a university style assignment and researching 'Can we make our muscles stronger by just vibrating them?' Congratulations to the 10 students who graduated.
Weekend Closure of Reddings Lane
Reddings Lane will be closed during the next four weekends from Friday 8th February. Works will be taking place between 7pm Friday evenings until 6am Monday mornings. For further information please click here.
Basketball news
KS4 Boys Basketball team travelled to Waverley to play a series of league games. The first game was against the hosts Waverley. Yardleys came out playing smooth and consistent basketball and managed to win the game with a final score of Yardleys 28 – 0 Waverley.
Next up was Archbishop Illsley. With Archbishop Illsley hitting 3 pointers and scoring good baskets inside the paint, Yardleys found themselves down 6 points with 3 minutes remaining. After a switch from man marking to a press, Yardleys were able to steal the ball and score a quick basket. There were 2 ½ minutes remaining and Yardleys were down to a 4 point deficit. Some fierce play again from Yardleys and a few missed opportunities from Archbishop Illsley meant that Yardleys were now tied with 2 minutes remaining. Then a foul… Archbishop Illsley had two three throws from the line. First shot taken and missed. Second shot was a score. Archbishop Illsley were up by 1 point with 60 seconds remaining.
Yardleys put on a full court press and managed to steal the ball and complete the basket. Yardleys were up by 1 point. Archbishop Illsley intercepted a pass and started to break. 20 seconds left – As they approached the halfway line, Yardleys hit them with a lot of defensive pressure and forced an error from them. Yardleys attacked and scored a reverse layup to go up by three points. 10 seconds left – Archbishop Illsley attacked at full pace and made a few quick and well thought out passes, the ball in their best shooters hands and him on the three point line in the dying seconds of the game. The shot taken that could send the game to overtime… but it missed. As Yardleys left the court we had two victories from two games on the road. An excellent way to end the evening after excellent team basketball from all. Well done to all players.
The extension is handed over…..
The ground floor extension was formally handed over to the school on 23rd November. We are delighted with the way in which the building has turned out, the multi-purpose hall in particular exceeding our expectations. We would like to publically thank Faithful & Gould who have provided excellent project management support to the school throughout, Tweedale the architects and especially Arthur M. Griffiths & Son Builders Ltd. who have succeeded in delivering the project with minimal disruption to the smooth running of the school.
We will be moving into the extension fully in January when two English staff will take possession of the new classrooms and the multi-purpose hall will begin to be used for a range of activities including lunch service, lessons, assemblies and detentions. In the meantime we are using the hall as an exam venue during assessment week.
We are really looking forward to having a second venue for lunchtime which should help to overcome our students’ biggest concern which is queueing. A range of hot and cold food will be on offer from our new catering company, Aspens, who take over the contract in the new term.
A formal opening of the extension by Jess Philips MP will take place in the new year – watch this space for more information.
Boccia & Kurling Tournament
On 20th November Yardleys pupils arrived bright and early at Birmingham Metropolitan College for a day of competing against numerous schools in a Boccia and Kurling tournament. Boccia is a precision ball sport, similar to bocce, and related to bowls and pétanque. It was a new game for our pupils and they were great at it. They won the majority of their games and gained a fantastic second prize. Kurling is a form of the original curling game, but adapted so that it can be played indoors on any smooth, flat surface, such as a sports hall, rather than on ice. Once again, after a few practice runs, Yardleys pupils found that they were really good, winning the majority of their games, coming a very respectful 4th place.
Both teams won all the schools that are in our Central Collegiate for sport and therefore have been invited to play in the finals in the Birmingham Games in February. Another fantastic day out to look forward to.
Well done to:
Boccia team : Ikrah Mahmood; Malaikah Hussain and Samuel Chowdhury
Kurling team: Rumaysa Ashfaq; Evie-Leigh Berrow; Moiz Hussain and Danyal Hafeez
Children In Need
In November the PE Ambassadors; Juwairiyyah, Ayesha and Muqaddas organised a week of fundraising activities to raise money for Children in Need.
Pupils at Yardleys participated in basketball, cricket, football and other physical activities such as cross bar challenges for a silver coin during lunch times and break. We also sold cakes, undertook sponsored silences and guessed the name of the teddy. It was great to see so many pupils involved in raising money for charity. Many thanks to the Ambassadors, staff that volunteered their time or donated and of course the pupils that participated. Together we raised over £170.00, well done!
Boys Basketball update
Wednesday 5th December was this year’s first boys KS4 basketball match. Whilst the team suffered defeat to Lordswood Boys (previous league winners), they played very well nonetheless. Throughout the game Yardleys were able to display a great variety of basketball skills against a very talented, experienced and athletic opponent. The team should be proud of how well they performed and continue to work hard in training in preparation of our next game.
Girls Basketball update
KS3
The KS3 girls basketball team continued their winning streak this week by winning all three of their games in the Central Collegiate KS3 Basketball tournament yesterday with all girls getting on the score sheet. It is a fantastic win. The girls are now looking forward to the Birmingham Games finals in February. It has been lovely to see the girls growing in confidence and there has been a remarkable improvement both offensively and defensively.
Well done to: Amaani (captain), Sumayyah, Laiba, Amna, Malaikah and Alaina from Year 9 and Renee and Yusra from Year 7.
We look forward to their next fixture.
KS4
This week the KS4 girls basketball team had their first fixture against Bartley Green and they were hoping to start their league with a win like the KS3 girls had previously. Although it was a long trip to get their the girls started with enthusiasm and drive holding off their opponents from scoring in the first quarter and working hard offensively; finishing with a score of 18 points to Bartley Green's 8. We look forward to our next match on Thursday against Shenley Academy.
It was many of the girls' first basketball match and they all played very well. Sabia, the captain of the girls team, was named player of the match. Well done to: Chaimaa, Amal, Maliha, Aliya, Sarah, Aisha, Hafsa, Iqra, Samaviya, Sabia and Aasha.
Update - The Year 11 girls basketball team had their second match of the season away against Shenley Academy. It was a very physical, low scoring game; only three baskets had been scored, all by us in the first three quarters. The girls played exceptionally well, holding off their team from scoring until the last quarter of the game but unfortunately, when the girls from Shenley played a full court press in the last quarter it was just too much on tired legs. Congratulations to Iqra and Aisha who were named the players of the match. We will now be taking a break on fixtures until the new year as the school assessment weeks begin.
Tweedale presentation
A group of Year 10 Design Technology students recently attended a presentation in one of their Design Technology lessons by representatives from Tweedale, the firm of Architects involved with the design of the extension to the school, with Mandeep Mattu who is a Project Technician and Nick Chapman who is an Associate at the company.
Students were able to learn about some of the career opportunities in both architecture and construction and the built environment and to get a better understanding of the different aspects of an architect’s work. The presentation also helped to raise awareness of the opportunities that there are for women in the construction industry which is often considered to be a male dominated sector.
The importance of Employability Skills was also discussed, and student’s awareness raised about the fact that it is not just academic qualifications that employers are interested in they also want people who demonstrate the right attitude to work.
Following the presentation, Nick and Mandeep spent some time looking at the light design project that the students were currently working on and talking to them about their designs. The lights are inspired by modern architecture. Both were very impressed by some of the students’ work and their attitude to learning. Following the presentation, two students who have a keen interest in architecture and design as a career, have asked about the possibility of completing some work experience at Tweedale.
Year 9 Girls Basketball
The Year 9 girls basketball team started their season this week with a fantastic win against Kings Norton Girls’ School. It was their first away game and they started the game well scoring 4 baskets before their opposition was able to score. They finished 10 points ahead of their opponents; Yardleys 30, Kings Norton 20. Top scorers Laiba Malik and Yusra Saeed.
We look forward to their next venture; KS3 Collegiate basketball tournament on Thursday 29th November where they will compete for their place in the School Games Finals, good luck girls!
Reddings Lane Update - 09/11/2018
From mid-morning on Monday 12th November there will be some significant changes to the traffic and pedestrian management in Reddings Lane. In response to observations and based on feedback from users, a system of traffic lights will be installed. This will allow a footway to be maintained on both sides of Reddings Lane.
There will be lights in place outside of Al Furqan Primary School as well as on Reddings Lane close to Weston Lane and on Olton Boulevard. A crossing point will be available outside of the Al Furqan at pick up and drop off times and the crossing outside of Yardleys will remain operational.
We advise that you consider parking away from the school when collecting and dropping off and allow extra time for your journey.
Click here for further information regarding the current roadworks on Reddings Lane, Olton Boulevard West and Weston Lane.
Year 11 Taster Day at SCC Bournville Campus
On Wednesday 24th October, twelve Year 11 students, accompanied by Ms Wareham and Mr Thornton, attended a college taster day at SCC’s Bournville campus in Longbridge. After a brief tour of the facilities, the students were taken to their first activity, making pizza. A huge selection of toppings had been provided including various base sauces, however the pizza of choice was a simple, yet elegant ‘Margarita’, most notably the one that Raiba designed, incorporating one beautifully placed single green pepper.
After lunch, and the consumption of the pizzas, their next activity was split, with half the group attending a health and social care event, while the others tried their hands at spooky ‘Halloween art’. To round off the day, the students took part in several quizzes, the first about the college itself and what they had discovered during their day there, and then a film quiz, as several students had told the college tutor that they were studying GCSE Media.
All in all a very productive day, that gave these twelve students an insight into life during a normal college day. A massive thank you to SCC Bournville campus for organising the day’s activities, the twelve students who were impeccable and Ms Wareham for her support throughout the activities.
West Midlands Police World Café
On Wednesday 24th October, four students attended the West Midlands Police World Café event at Ark Boulton School. Our students joined with others, and delegates from the police to openly discuss the problems in our area, and how we can all work together to improve the community. All of our students were confident and expressed their views maturely and sensibly. Students will now cascade the information to forms, through council meetings and all students will discuss community cohesion and management.
Speaker from SnapChat
On Thursday 18th October, Ed Couchman, General Manager UK for Snap Inc. came into the school to give a presentation about the industry he works in to our Year 11 iMedia students.
The talk gave students a chance to learn more about some of the work that takes place in the social media and media industries, and it also highlighted how the mobile phone has changed our culture and the effect that it has had on such things as TV viewing figures, newspaper sales and the way we communicate with each other.
Students were also reminded how reliant we now are on our mobile phones as a means of accessing information, keeping in contact with people in our networks and in helping us to build new networks.
'It was really interesting to hear from a professional who works for Snapchat!' Safah Year 11 student.
'The talk was interesting and it was good to hear from someone about what it's like to work in the media industry.' Ruby - Year 11 student.
Year 9 Geography Field trip – Brindley Place
Our Year 9 geographers recently went on their first field trip to Brindley Place, here are some of their comments from their visit:
‘’Year 9 had their first geography field trip to Brindley Place to find out if its redevelopment has been a success.’
‘We did a people count in different areas to see how popular it was. We worked in groups and had a photography competition of the whole area. Overall it was a really fun day despite the weather and we learned a lot about Brindley Place.’ - Bisma
‘Brindley Place is a great way to start GCSE Geography. It is the pinnacle of urban regeneration with its structures appearing Victorian but on the inside they are completely modern.’ - Amir
‘The weather was very wet and rainy but we still had a great time’ - Eliza
‘I really enjoyed the trip because we did something different to what we normally do. The best part was when we had a warm hot chocolate.’ - Sabah
‘The bit I enjoyed most was the photo competition because I liked comparing derelict buildings to new, leisure and fantastic buildings.’ - Saahil
Visit to Parliament and Facebook Headquarters
On Thursday 11th October we took a group of year 10 and 11 girls on a trip to London to celebrate the International Day of the Girl. We visited the Houses of Parliament and heard an inspirational speech from local MP Jess Phillips about the importance of the empowerment of women. Pupils were able to ask her questions about her role in parliament and issues they are concerned about. All of the pupils engaged brilliantly and did not shy away from getting involved. We then had the opportunity to go to Facebook Headquarters London, where we heard Nicola Mendelsohn speak about the importance of young girls aiming high and seeking leadership positions. The girls took part in an exciting global live stream and heard the voices of girls around the world discuss the need to actively strive for gender equality.
On 11th October I went to the Girl2Leader event with four other students and two members of staff. I thought the Girl2Leader campaign event was amazing as we got to explore the Facebook headquarters and listen to some inspirational speakers; I thought Jess Phillips’ talk about what it is like to be a female MP, as well as battles that she has had to overcome as a female MP, were fascinating. The event was very inspiring and we got to share our views about the prejudices that women face in their daily lives. I really admire the 23 year old who ran the campaign, she is doing such a huge event at such a young age, which makes me want to be like her when I am older!
Amirah - Year 10 student
ParaFootball Tournament
On October 11th eight pupils represented Yardleys School in a mixed five a side ParaFootball Tournament at PlayFootball in Birmingham.
Our team; Madison, Sammia, Sabha; Duaa, Faisal, Hamzah, Raheel and Danial had a whole day of football fixtures against eight other school teams in a fantastic premier indoor football facility.
The newly formed team fought well against their well established opposition, scoring five goals in their first game and six in the second, narrowly losing by just one goal in each. Then came a fantastic win against Ark Boulton with an amazing five goal lead thanks to some fantastic shooting from Raheel and Faisal, Raheel scored 16 goals over the whole tournament!
As the team won out of the schools that represented our collegiate; they now go through to the next round in the competition, a level 3 tournament at the School Games in February, Well Done!
All pupils had a fantastic day. Their behaviour was exemplary; showing a fantastic display of teamwork, resilience and skill.
Precious Lives
In September, we welcomed PC Rob Pedley to Yardleys School to work with our Year 7 students. PC Pedley delivered the ‘Precious Lives’ session, which focusses on the law surrounding and risks associated with knife crime and the possession of weapons, including the risks to young people who associate with weapons and the law of joint enterprise. The session helps students to understand that there are consequences to all of our decisions and actions and the fact that we are accountable for them. The work that PC Pedley does is a key part of the safeguarding and character development work that we do with our students at Yardleys.
Tapestry visit
We recently welcomed a group of actors from The Play House who worked with our Year 8 students. Our students saw a piece of drama and then engaged in discussion and analysis of what they had seen – the focus of the sessions was extremism and the implications and consequences of extremist activity through engagement with the characters in the play and seeing what happens to them. Students had the opportunity to interact with and respond to the characters directly as well as critiquing the views and opinions of others in a safe environment.
Extension update - Almost there!
We are now in the final weeks of the extension project, with handover due around October half-term. There are a large number of tradespeople working hard to bring the project in on time including plumbers, electricians, decorators and grounds workers. Walls are being painted, toilets being plumbed, data cabling laid and flooring being added.
Carding Mill Valley Trip
On Monday 24th September half of the Year 10 Geographers ventured out of the city to the wilds of Shropshire, to Carding Mill Valley to investigate the Ashbrook and its valley. While a lot of Geography was carried out and important work for the pupils GCSEs was completed, many pupils also made more personal discoveries. Questions were asked and answered and hypothesis tested, questions like "What exactly is a sheep?" or "Why don't wild ponies use a toilet but just go on the ground?" or "Why isn't the water in mountain streams heated?" or "What happens if I stick my head under a waterfall?"
A big thank you to all the staff who supported the visit, to the students for their excellent behaviour and willingness to try new things and to the weather for being so nice. The other half of the year group, who will be going on the coming Friday, have a lot to live up to.
Author Visit - Billy Bob Buttons
An award winning author treated some of our Year 7’s to a lively session on literacy planning; talking about how to write a thrilling storyline to captivate their readers. Author Billy Bob Buttons presented an interactive demonstration which was both humorous and also contained helpful writing tips. The pupils were clearly inspired and listened intently to his plot ideas and his journey about becoming an author.
‘ ..It’s the best job in the world! My mind is full of crazy plots, fantastic settings and wonderful characters: and when I put them to paper, children can enjoy them too.’ Billy Bob Buttons.
It proved a most successful author visit and we look forward to reading his next novel.
Extension news 14th September 2018
Four weeks on from the last report and progress on the extension continues to be rapid. The roof covering is now complete, the concrete floor has been laid and a range of internal works have now started. At the moment there are a range of trades on site including electricians and carpenters. Outside the building external works continue including levelling the ground prior to paving, guttering and fascias.
We are now getting very excited at the prospect of taking ownership of the new rooms, which will hopefully be at the start of November. An official opening ceremony is also being planned – watch this space!
Best ever GCSE exam results for Yardleys School pupils
Well done to our Year 11 pupils who have achieved the best ever GCSE results at Yardleys School.
67% passed their Maths and English with a grade 4 or better. This is above the national average and is a significant increase from the 56% achieved last year.
Overall in all subjects 71% grades were achieved at grade 4 or better and 60% at grade 5. Again these are higher than the national average.
Furthermore 20% of all grades were awarded at grade 7 (A) or better.
This is testament to the hard work of both pupils and teachers and the support from families and friends of the school.
Congratulations to all our pupils and good luck in the next stage of your education and life after Yardleys.
Extension update 23rd August 2018
What a difference a few weeks makes. Rapid progress is now being made on the building of our extension. We now have external and internal walls, a roof and most of the windows have been fitted. This week the concrete screed floor will be laid on top of the underfloor heating pipes and once this has dried then a variety of trades will begin their work inside the building, including plumbers, electricians, plasterers and joiners.
Bugsy Malone
After many months of preparation, auditions and rehearsals, the show finally approached curtain up. Bugsy Malone was really well supported by an extremely committed group of pupils and staff and the show was a huge triumph. Special mentions must go to those members of staff who helped out and without their support; the show could not have been a roaring success.
The pupils enjoyed themselves immensely and deserve all the praise that has been. Many reviews have been received and we are happy to say they are all positive. Thanks must go to SLT for their support during the whole process.
Yardleys Timestable Rockstars
On Thursday 12th July, three Timestable Rockstars from Year 7 competed in the Birmingham “Rock Wrangle” competition at Ounsdale High School, Wolverhampton. They were competing against 150 other pupils from schools around the West Midlands for the chance to take a helicopter ride over the city.
The competition was extremely tough, with the pupils being initially required to battle it out for 11 minutes to gain a top 16 place and entry into the quarter finals. Despite an amazing individual effort of 950 correct answers in 11 minutes, at 95% accuracy, we narrowly missed out a place. Overall, we finished in 11th place of the 50 schools taking part, with two pupils in the top 25, and all pupils in the top 60. A superb effort, and the whole Maths department are extremely proud of the pupils, Om Patel, Hassan Ali and Samuel Chowdhury.
Kew Gardens
In July the science department took 45 pupils on a reward trip to Kew Gardens in London for their excellent effort throughout the year. We had specialist workshops from the experts about adaptations of plants for photosynthesis and how they had evolved to withstand extreme environments such as the arid desert or tropical rain forest. Some highlights of the trip included seeing the giant amazonian waterlilies, scaling the treetop walkway for a view of Kew from above the treeline and marvelling at the Temperate House which is the largest Victorian glass greenhouse in the world, which has just reopened after a £41 million refurbishment. The staff at Kew were very impressed with the pupils knowledge and behaviour and said that they were a credit to the school.
Battlefields Trip
On Thursday 28th June 2018, 104 years to the day of the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, the spark that ignited the First World War, Yardleys pupils’, accompanied by Ms Deakin, Ms Sumerling, Mr Vaughan and Mr Thornton, began to make their way to pay homage to the fallen on the Western Front. Our journey began at 5.15am and by the afternoon we had reached Ypres in Belgium. During the day, we were able to visit preserved German trenches and the location of the first use of gas on the Western Front. After a lovely evening meal in the centre of Ypres, we headed to our accommodation at the Messines Peace Village.
Our second day took us to the Somme, where pupils were able to follow in the footsteps of British troops as they went over the top, culminating in a visit to Thiepval which commemorates over 70,000 missing soldiers from the war. Our evening meal was eaten on the Rue De Birmingham where our pupils tasted French cuisine at its best.
For our final day, after tidying our rooms and packing our cases, saw us back in Ypres for a little ‘RnR’, chocolate shopping, before heading out to the Passchendaele Museum and exploring combat in the First World War. Two pupils were given the opportunity to don the uniforms of an Indian Sepoy and a Queen Alexandra Nurse. Our final stop was at Tyne Cot, the largest British cemetery in Belgium. After laying our wreath and paying homage to the fallen, we began our journey home.
Yardleys Active Community
During our Active Community enrichment sessions we have been doing lot of things to help the community. One example of this was decorating boxes for people to donate food into.
"Our first task was to decorate a box which was going to be sent to i-care food hub for the Sparkbook area. I was team leader and led our group to victory with creativity with the theme of Ramadan." - Kirti Year 9
"These boxes were given to the local food hub which is known is a part of i-care in Sparkbrook mosque… We did this during Ramadan as it is a time to be thankful; reflect on what we have, be charitable and empathise with the poor. There is then a big feast celebration at Eid ul Fitr at the end of Ramadan… however not everyone gets the pleasure of doing this, therefore we provided them with the food". - Maariya Year 10
In total we were able to fill 4- 5 boxes worth of food; some extra items were bought with the £37 raised in a collection. These items went towards supporting the 37 families the hub provides for.
"I found my time during enrichment exciting as it allowed us to help the community and have fun" – Michael Year 9
Extension Update - 11/06/2018
Real progress has been made since half-term. The steel frame is complete, drainage works have taken place and the floor is now being laid. This means that not only can we see the size and shape of the extension, but we can also begin to make out the different rooms and areas that make up the floor plan.
Yardleys Brilliant Club
Students involved in the Brilliant Club visited the University of Warwick recently for a graduation ceremony to recognise their achievements in producing a university style assignment on Cancer Data Analysis with the support of a world class research student. Students had a wonderful experience at the university and their efforts throughout the programme have been outstanding.
National Grid return visit
On June 5th, a team of in-house lawyers returned to Yardleys to work with a group of 20 Year 9 students who have shown a particular interest in a potential future career in law; this time, students covered modules on police powers and the law surrounding social media. As such, students explored the law surrounding stop and search powers and citizens’ rights as well as discussing ways in which the relationship between the police and local communities could be improved; the social media module delved into ideas such as ‘to what extent is state monitoring of social media acceptable?’, ‘what happens if court orders are ignored by social media users?’, the law surrounding defamation and the protection of freedom of expression; this was done through looking at relevant case law and examples. The session concluded with a series of ‘moots’, where students were allocated the roles of either prosecution or defence and then had to research the law and previous court judgements as the basis for their arguments.
All of our students enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to work with a team of practicing lawyers provided a real insight into the breadth and complexity of the law in this country.
Enrichment sessions - Student Report
Through our enrichment sessions we had the opportunity to engage with children from Greet Primary School, with the aim of helping improve their reading skills and boost their confidence. We were prepared by our enrichment teachers who provided us with a booklet containing phonics and stories to share with the children. We discussed the importance of speaking clearly and positive body language. The main task was when we first arrived and the ice-breaking task which helped us to get to know each other. Moreover, what I enjoyed from this enrichment was listening to the children read and being able to assist them so they could improve. One of the things I have learnt is that it is important to help others, as many children need that extra help but may struggle to receive it. This is because they may have no siblings to listen to them read or they have very busy parents. Furthermore, I think that the teachers from Greet Primary School appreciated our assistance very much because we were able to support them with their children’s education. I found this enrichment fun and enjoyed being able to go out of school and do some community work. It also makes me feel grateful for having siblings who can listen to me and help me improve.
Year 11 Exams
Great to see so many Year 11 students picking up last minute tips before their Maths exam yesterday. Thanks to the staff who have worked so hard and thanks to the students and parents who have prepared so thoroughly for this important period.
This set of examinations has been particularly challenging for the many Year 11s who have been observing the holy month of Ramadan and have been fasting and having up to two exams a day. It tells us a great deal about their maturity that they are still performing at such a high level.
Good luck to all our fantastic Year 11's for the rest of their exams that extend past half term. We are all very proud of you!
National Grid Visit
On Wednesday 24th June, twenty of our Year 9 students completed their first session with members of National Grid’s in-house legal team; students spent three hours covering areas including ‘Knowing about the Law’, ‘Equality Law and Discrimination’ and ‘Intellectual Property Law’. Our pupils learnt about and discussed various pieces of case law and a variety of case-studies to explore the differences between criminal and civil law, the contemporary relevance of the minimum ages for undertaking various activities, the link between the severity of crimes and their punishments, how the law regarding discrimination has developed since the abolition of the slave trade and the implications of intellectual property law when considering downloading and sharing music, film piracy and the use of apps.
The session was very successful and our students really valued the opportunity to work with practicing solicitors. After half-term these students will spend further time exploring different aspects of the law as well as having the opportunity to ask questions about how to embark on a career in law.
Message from Birmingham City Council - Battery Way Extension
Battery Way Extension will extend the existing Battery Way, between A41 Warwick Road and Reddings Lane, to provide access to new development sites and reduce congestion on Weston Lane and other local roads. The extension will mostly be built on old industrial land. The junction of Reddings Lane and Olton Boulevard West will be changed from a mini-roundabout to a crossroads with traffic lights and pedestrian and cycling crossing points. Advanced works are due to start on 4 June 2018, with main construction following on shortly after and due to be completed in spring 2019.
To ensure the safety of road users, pedestrians and the workforce, some changes will be made to traffic and pedestrian routes at Reddings Lane/Olton Boulevard West junction. Sections of footway will be closed with pedestrians diverted to alternative crossing points. On street parking will be restricted to reduce congestion during roadworks.
A “Meet The Contractor” event is being held on 24 May 2018 between 2pm and 7pm at Tyseley Community Centre, 280 Formans Road, Birmingham, B11 3BY. This event will provide an opportunity to view the finalised plans for the scheme and talk to the design, construction and customer services team. The event will also be attended by Birmingham City Council Officers. You are welcome to drop in if you wish to discuss these proposals.
Duke of Edinburgh expedition
Over a sunny weekend in early May, 14 adventurers set off on their first ever Duke of Edinburgh expedition – these are the updates that made it through to the outside world:
Friday. AM. Somewhere near Redditch
A great start to the pupils first expedition. Bags on, singing songs (really!) and they are on it. Can't help feeling something is missing, the sky is too dry...
Friday. PM. A field at Blackwell
All Bronze DofE groups have survived their first foray into the wilderness. Sarah is outraged that farmers don’t cut the grass or pick up the cow poo. Ahsan has waved to every passing car and Mohammed H has a never ending supply of spare trousers. Heaven forbid he should get any mud on them!
Saturday. PM. On the edge of Birmingham
The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh team had a tougher second day than we hoped. Despite leaving a spotless campsite behind them, the groups decided to spend part of their morning walking leisurely in circles before being chivvied back onto course.
Despite lunches varying from Sami's plate of cookies to Waleed's whole head of raw broccoli with raw carrots, they made it through the journey across railways and canals, and in one case there, back and there again. While their navigation skills are lacking, their campcraft and teamwork were excellent, and they should be proud of their positivity and resilience.
Sports Relief Update
At the end of last half term Yardleys pupils managed to raise a whopping £326 for Sport Relief. The PE Ambassadors, Mr Cross and Ms Perry organised sports competitions every lunchtime and fundraising activities such as the 'fastest mile' for all year groups, 'marathon challenge' for Year 7 pupils and a Year 8 Bench ball competition. All activities sparked pupils enthusiasm and in many cases their resilience as they competed against their peers. Pupils donated money and many raised through sponsorship, well done to all Yardleys pupils for their efforts!
An extra special well done to our PE ambassadors for their organisation of activities and for giving up so much of their time. They also sold Sports Relief badges, bands and lanyards every break time on behalf of Sainsbury's raising over £100 for such a great cause.
South and City College Visit
On Tuesday 8th May, eight Year 10 pupils, accompanied by Mr Thornton and Mrs Wareham attended a college taster day at South and City College Birmingham, Handsworth campus. The day was all about discovering not only what college is but also what college life is like. After a short introduction the pupils attended their first session, Media, and were set the challenge of completing a photography treasure hunt. Items included something hot, something noisy and even a cloud, which due to the lovely sunny weather seemed quite difficult but was overcome by a quick visit to the library and a look in the Geography section – great teamwork here! The second activity was sport and for an hour we did a warm up, played football, which resulted in a draw thanks to a late substitution, and dodgeball.
A fantastic day was had by all and the pupils were exemplary representatives of the school. A massive thank you and well done to them all.
Ground floor extension project
After a period of heavy rain the recent good weather has brought some real progress with the extension project. The foundations are now almost complete, with 112 lorry loads of concrete (478 cubic metres) with only 30 cubic metres still to be laid.
Today (8th May) a crane arrived on site, swiftly followed by several deliveries of steel work. The steel frame is now being erected and the shape and dimensions of the extension are becoming clear for all to see. The next stage will be the bricklaying which will begin on Monday.
Year 7 and 8 girls football success
The year 7 and 8 girls football team produced an unbelievable display in the Collegiate tournament held at Small Heath. They won all of their games, scoring 5 goals and conceding none. Full credit goes to all of the girls, particularly Sadia Rahman and Mariyah Qaisar who were outstanding performers. Special mention to Mr Smith, who guided the group with an astute tactical master class.
Ground floor extension project
AMG Construction arrived on site on 12th March to begin work on our ground floor extension. Their first job was to set up the site compound on a corner of the playing fields and establish a safe route round the Drama block and through the playground for site traffic. No deliveries will take place around the start and end of the school day to ensure student safety.
Foundations are now being excavated and poured and the next stage will be the erection of the steel framework, at which point the size and shape of the extension will become clear.
Year 7 Indoor Cricket Finals
The Year 7 Cricket team brought home the Runners up medal from Edgbaston in their recent Indoor Cricket Finals competition at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. Yardleys were anchored by the highly impressive Subhan who managed two half centuries on the day as we won 2 and Lost 2 against strong opposition.
Rugby Match Report - Yardleys vs. KESH
On a drizzly and cold spring day the Year 11/10 rugby team took to the field for the last time this season. Most of these students leave us this year, so for many it would be the last time wearing the Yardleys’ rugby top. KESH arrived at school confident as they had beaten us on our last few show downs.
Despite a few players dropping out, the Yardleys Team was full of power and technique. It was clear that with some application a victory was on the cards. This would not be easy though. KESH and Yardleys traded tries in the first half with Victor Adeyemi powering through twice and Captain Ahrdil also weaving his way to score twice. KESH kept hitting back with real venom and structure, not allowing us to break away.
As the rain got heavier, the ball got more slippy and a number of scrummages ensued from the knock-ons. Both packs did not take a backwards step and KESH even scored from one. The game was finely poised at 20-20 as we approached the final denouement.
Through the rain Yardleys started running hard at the KESH defence and keeping the ball safe. The rucking became more percussive and the running became destructive. Mohammed Khurram, Idris Ahmed and Tyreece Reeves particularly smashed the ball into the KESH tacklers. Imani Tenkemenin weaved his way and as ever Kaleem Ali and Armaan were ferocious at the breakdown.
When all hope seemed to be ebbing away as the clock ticked down one more wave of attack began and Yardleys punched towards the try line. Finally Ardale Gordon carried hard into the KESH tacklers and as each fell from him he clattered through and scored the winning points.
A great advert for rugby as both teams played hard and fair. A great advert for the Yardley spirit. We wish these players luck as they approach exams and hope they take the lessons they learn on the rugby field into the exam hall and beyond.
Yardeys - 25 Kesh - 20
Man of the Match - Ardale Gordon - Brutal ball carrying all game, agressive over the ball, team player.
Thanks to Mohammed Gohari for filling in for Kesh and Mr Meddings for supporting us.
Rugby News
On an early Spring day on the school field, the Year 10 and Year 11 rugby team took on their counterparts from St George’s School. What transpired was a good display from the Yardleys boys. Try after try rained in as our side played with controlled aggression and maturity. Although there is much to work on to improve this was a real step forward in performance. Standout performances came from Tyreece Reeve who scrummaged his opposing prop off the earth, Aadam Aflaq who tackled all day and carried well, Kaleem Ali who, as ever pushed over the gain line with each carry. As well as them, Imani "One Hand" Tenkamenin, Victor Adeyemi and Hassan Qaiser also played with real concentration.
Man of the match - Armaan Ahmed - Tackling monster.
Final Result Yardleys - 70 - St Georges - 0
UKMT MATHS REGIONAL TEAM CHALLENGE 2018
On Friday 23rd March 2018 four pupils; Remisha Mahmood 8GRI, Wajahat Saeed 8PYE, Selina Mahroof 9SNR and Mohammed Dean 9WNC, competed in the UKMT Regional Maths Team Challenge.
These four pupils had spent many form times studying for this event, and it definitely paid off with them coming 12th out of 26 Schools, of which 7 were grammar schools.
The competition was based on four complex rounds where their individual strength and their capability to communicate well and work as a team were tested.
The four pupils did exceptionally well considering it was their first time at this event and represented the school fantastically. Well done to the students involved.
Year 9 Indoor Cricket Finals
On Friday 9th March six boys made the journey to represent the school, against some of the best cricketers in Birmingham, at the Year 9 Indoor Cricket Finals at Edgbaston. This was a trip they made last year where they finished runners up. Our boys were ready to rewrite history and come home champions, but first they had to beat all other schools.
The team made it to the finals where they met Tudor Grange in the finals. Tudor Grange went into bat first. They put on a valiant display and finished the twelve overs with a total of 94 runs. A score that could have been higher had our wicket keeper, Junaid Nazeem, not been on such good form. Now the pressure was on. Danny Khan, one of our more proficient batters and highest run-scorer of the day, went out early from a good catch, this did not look good. Yardleys needed 8 per over and after two overs had only scored 4 runs and lost one of our better batsmen. Now it was time for captain Roheel Qamar and the might of Qasim Sohail to get us back on track. That is exactly what they did, after 4 overs we were ahead of our target on points. After Qasim retired, in came Ali Mahmood who put some great runs on the board supported still by Roheel. After Ali’s departure and with the game in sight, Junaid Arshad stepped in to bat. After a long day with lots of games, our boys were tiring and slowing but Junaid had a plan. 4 points were needed to win, Junaid swings big and connects...the ball flies for a 6 and after 9 overs, the game was done. Yardleys had scored 97 in 9.5 overs to take the championship.
Our lads showed great determination and resilience to play on through some tough opponents. Well done to the following boys:
Roheel Qamar (C), Danny Khan, Qasim Sophail, Ali Mahmood, Junaid Arshad and Junaid Nazeem.
ASDAN News – Visit to Midlands Air Ambulance
As part of the first aid course that the ASDAN group are undertaking, they were taken to visit the Midlands Air Ambulance at their airbase within Strensham services, Worcestershire on Monday 19th March.
Here, they were given the opportunity to have a look around the helicopter; not only the cockpit but also the rear area where paramedics and casualties would be accommodated. They also had a quick look around the control room and got to witness how calls are received from the despatch desk and how the crew then deal with the call.
They found out that from the initial call, the helicopter can be airborne within three minutes and normally on site at the scene between five and ten minutes depending on where the situation is.
The pupils were however, shocked to hear that it costs around £2500 for each mission the helicopter takes on. They found out that there is no government funding to run the air ambulance and that it solely relies upon charitable donations in order to continue running. Each year, it costs to £9 million to keep the service going.
Pupils’ behaviour was impeccable and thanks must also go to Mr Tullett for driving the minibus – although it is thought he was a bit disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to fly the helicopter himself!
The creation of the new rugby top
This year the school was accepted on the England RFU All School programme because of the school’s commitment to developing rugby. As a result they have provided us with professional coaches coming into school to teach classes, training for staff and they also gave us the opportunity to design our own kit, which was then made by England's sponsor Canterbury.
Mohamed Firouz explains the design process:
There will several critical steps taken to produce the Yardleys’ rugby top, first of which was the designing stage but more specifically, sketching. Using the various sheets provided the pupils generated initial ideas individually.
Although there were over 40 diverse ideas, the pupils almost instantly were able to agree on a general design style that was going to be used in the next few stages. The general broad design was a basis for the pupils to add to as they desired. This was then applied to the final piece of work in which the schools colour (green) was used.
Armaan Ahmed and Mohamed Usman Firouz shone in the designing process where as Jibran Akram and Zainul Ul-Abideen excelled in the colour experimentation. Jibran, Zainul and Armaan ended up assisting Usman’s final design and together they were able to create an impeccable ‘piece of art’. Special credits go to Mr Ziebeck who also massively contributed towards the project.
Big Biology Quiz at Birmingham University
A group of our Year 10 triple scientists embarked on a trip to the University of Birmingham to participate in the annual Big Biology Quiz. Over 300 students from schools around the West Midlands battled it out by showing off their specialist knowledge on rounds including microbiology, cancer, and adaptations of plants and animals. Pupils were also treated to a lecture by Dr Jess Blair about Superbugs, which was fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. Thank you to Mrs Hiley for organising the trip and driving the minibus, and Mrs Price for accompanying pupils.
