Students work with comedian Rik Carranza

21st November 2017Miss K Henshaw

Year 9 GCSE Drama students have been working with professional comedian Rik Carranza to help him develop and improve his one man stand up show ‘I’m a fan’.

12 students are part of a focus group that meet with Rik after school to share their experiences of growing up in the era of social media and through a range of interactive tasks explore themes such as bullying, identity and Star Trek! The sessions are recorded by Rik to help him write and develop the material for his show. Because the students are taking part in this project they are also going to aim for their Bronze Artsaward which is a qualification being newly piloted at the Academy!

Icelandic Adventure

4th October 2017Miss K Henshaw

At the beginning of the summer, a group of 11 students and 2 teachers went on a once in a lifetime trip.  Ask anyone who went on the World Challenge trip to Iceland, and they will agree that it was an incredible experience. For some of us, the trip was like nothing we had ever seen before: a brand new country with a whole host of exciting activities and memories to be made. With a diverse group ranging from Year 8 to Year 13, it was a completely inclusive week, testing our comfort zones and social skills as well as our fitness and outdoor skills. One thing is for sure, without the specific group of people who signed up to the trip, Iceland wouldn’t have been seen in the same light.

Right from the start, people in our group were experiencing new situations, as some people had never been on a plane. It seems that there was something particularly exciting about being in an airport with two excellent members of staff and a group of fellow students. Everyone was filled with anticipation of what was to come. What would the food be like? Would we cope with the strenuous walks? Luckily, every aspect of the trip fitted together to create a memorable week for all thirteen of us.

One detail that made the trip seem risky and exciting was camping. For most nights, we slept in our two or three man tents, a little cold and often exhausted. On the penultimate night we encountered a harsh storm that nearly blew our tents away. As a precaution we found huge stones to hold down the pegs. This ensured our tents stayed in place throughout the night.

In Iceland we had to cook our own meals every day but the first and last. On our second day we got up bright and early so we could go to the supermarket and buy our food supplies that would last us the whole week. We made sure that we had a balance of food, catering to everyone’s preferences with a variety of meals. When we went out for our hikes we made our own sandwiches and at night different people attempted cooking which was rewarding for everyone as people learnt valuable skills and everyone got to eat a nice meal (except for the first night when Joe put too much garlic in his pasta!).

For our rest and relaxation day most of us chose to go to the blue lagoon, there were a few complications with this involving finance and transport, but we came together as a group to resolve those issues. Going to the blue lagoon was one of the best experiences we did, it was a perfect way to end what had already been such a good week. Going into the geothermal pool and warming ourselves up after spending a week camping was especially good. Throughout the week the bonds between us kept growing (Mostly thanks to Mr Palmer’s legendary werewolf card game!), we had all become so close and were so sad to leave each other at the end of the week.

Written by Tess Grewcock, Izzy Cornish and Logan Lidbetter-Smith.

Geography Students Meet John Prescott

3rd October 2017Miss K Henshaw

As part of their recent GCSE Geography fieldwork visit to Hull, Year 10 and 11 students asked local residents for their views on Quality of Life in the city. They received a surprise when they met former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott! He kindly gave them twenty minutes and lots of great information for their studies! Students were a credit to the Academy and proved how well fieldwork create deep learning beyond the classroom!

Dr Korczak’s Example

4th August 2017Miss K Henshaw

Students of the Bosworth Theatre Company performed David Greig’s play ‘Dr Korczak’s Example’ on 25th and 26th of May. The play is set in an orphanage in a ghetto in Poland.

The action takes place shortly before the mass deportation of Jews to concentration camps and focuses on the real life pediatrician of Dr Korczak. The subjects of humanity, tolerance and acceptance in the face of fear and brutality were particularly resonant and important to explore in light of recent national and world events. Students learnt about life in the ghettos and the experiences that people faced at that time.

They explored the different viewpoints on how to resist oppression and how there are no easy answers to this. The students performed as an ensemble with the whole cast multi-rolling different parts.

Students also learnt and performed a song in Hebrew called ‘Hine Ma Tov.’ This literally translates to ‘It is a beautiful thing when brothers stand together in unity’. Students were involved in set design, costume and marketing as well as acting.

Together, the Bosworth Theatre Company produced a wonderful example of beautiful work and ensured that the first year of our Company was a tremendous success. Parents thoroughly enjoyed the play and were very moved by the performances given.

Échange et Voyage Linguistique

28th July 2017Miss K Henshaw

This year, 33 students from Bosworth Academy went to visit our twin School in Rouen “Le Collège Jean Delacour”. Students were involved in a busy activity programme which gave them an opportunity to discover more about the culture and history of France. Students went to visit the memorial of Caen and one of the D-Day beaches where French and British troops fought together.

Students visited Rouen with their French classmates. They learnt about the great Viking ‘Rollo’ who was a common ancestor for both countries. They experienced shopping in town using what they had learnt in class to buy souvenirs, or order food and drink. Finally, they spent one day at the Collège Jean Delacour and took part in different lessons such as PE, Maths, Music and Art in full immersion.

In June, the French students came and visited us. They visited Leicester with a group of our year 10 students and spent a whole day at Bosworth Academy. This exchange has been taking place for three years and it has enabled students to develop strong links with each other. True friendship has developed among the students from the two schools, and they still communicate actively with each other.

An Interview with Dr Stephenson

10th July 2017Miss K Henshaw

I currently teach Film Studies at Bosworth Academy and am also a Moderator for WJEC GCE Film Studies. This means I assess A level Film coursework from schools across the country. However, my experience in research and teaching the subject spans several years.

In 1993 I studied Italian with Film Studies, BA Hons. at the University of Reading. As part of the course I spent a year studying at l’Universita di Trieste, Italy, which was fantastic. I achieved a First Class in my course and developed a real passion for learning. After that I was lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship by the Arts Council to attend a Masters degree in Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick.

This all led to my specialist qualification of a PhD in Italian Cinema at the University of Reading. The title of my 60,000 word thesis was ‘The Soviet Model in Fascist Cinema’. This looked at how Mussolini tried to use cinema as the Communists had in the 1920s. I was fortunate enough to be granted another scholarship by the Arts Council for my PhD. Much of my research was carried out in libraries and archives in Rome. After this, I spent a couple of years lecturing Italian Cinema at the University of Manchester.

In 2007 I completed a PGCE in English and Media Studies and have been teaching at Bosworth ever since then. I feel really lucky to be able to use my cultural and academic expertise on a daily basis working with young people at Bosworth Academy!

A Century of Rememberance

10th July 2017Miss K Henshaw

This year, Mr Mowbray brought learning to life as he took two Year 9 students, Katie McNulty and Ethan Stock, on an expedition to Belgium and Northern France to learn about World War 1 and the importance of remembering the fallen soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom that we all experience 100 years on.

Mr Mowbray, Katie and Ethan got an overwhelming sense of the scale of lives lost during the conflict when visiting battlefields and memorial sites such as Newfoundland Park, Thiepval, Tyne Cot and The Menin Gate. They also managed to find the names of their ancestors and those from the local community who fought and died in the war at these memorials.

The purpose of this enriching and thought provoking journey was for Katie and Ethan to learn about and remember the fallen during the war and to exhibit their findings to the academy and the wider community, to keep the legacy of those soldiers alive.

Doctor in the house

10th July 2017Miss K Henshaw

Each year Desford Medical Centre offers two budding medical students the chance to get work experience with them in preparation for careers as doctors. This year Harsh Patel and Olivia Timperley will take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to see how our health-care professionals operate in a real world context and understand the organisational challenges that they face on a day to day basis. As always we are very grateful for the support and encouragement our local community offers our students in a variety of learning contexts.

“Olivia and I have joined Desford Surgery’s Patient Participation Group (PPG). Being part of the PPG requires us to attend quarterly meeting in which we discuss current matters and ways in which we can improve the surgery. This type of experience is extremely useful as we both intend to study medicine at university.” – Harsh Patel

Recycling Set to Beat Targets

15th March 2017Miss K Henshaw

How can we save the planet?

That is the question year 8 students were asking during the recent environment week at Bosworth Academy. To help answer this crucial question, the academy became a fully recycling school for the first time in its history. Working in conjunction with Veolia, we now have 80 recycle bins around the academy for all paper, cardboard, cans and plastic bottles that we would otherwise throw away for burning or landfill.

The scheme has been a great success, and has helped to inspire all students to consider the positive impact that recycling makes on the local, national and global environment, now and further in the future to ensure the planet has a future.

The Science Behind Sporting Success at Bosworth

14th March 2017Miss K Henshaw

The Academy Under 19s Table Tennis Team has progressed to the Area Final (National Semi-Final) after coming second place in a Zone Tournament! The team’s success could be put down to the science behind sporting success taught by PE teachers at the Academy.

Advice that the Physical Education faculty gives to students is in line with some of the world’s leading athletes and sports heroes, which is to get enough uninterrupted sleep the nights before and after training or matches, as it regenerates the body and mind.

Students are encouraged not to eat or drink prior to sleeping or use mobile devices, or have ‘blue light’ such as monitors or TV screen in bedrooms as these can heavily disrupt their sleep and impair performance.

Nutrition and diet leading up to training or a match is incredibly important. A planned and structured diet ensures that the body is receiving the correct balance of carbohydrates, protein and fluids to reach top performance. Typically, students should eat starchy food (pasta, bread, cereals etc.) prior to a match as these contain slow release energy that will last all day.

In between matches, students are advised to consume sugary food and drinks such as sweets and Lucozade Sport as these contain short release energy for their impending match.

It is also important for students to keep hydrated during exercise as it replenishes fluid lost through sweating. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, dizziness and muscle cramps; which can hinder performance during training and matches.

To achieve success and to be the best one can be demands dedication, resilience and encouragement – attributes the Bosworth Academy Table Tennis team have plenty of.