April 2012 ISSUE 5

PLUS: What we think about our lessons: see P10-11

NewsletterCommunity

LOOK SMARTDress to achievePAGES 8-9

STUDENT REPORTERS

Many sections of this newsletter have been written by the students themselves. They also researched the materials.

It is intended that as many students as possible contribute to forthcoming newsletters.

We will be using a different set of students each time.

Georgia

IT’S amazing to think we have only been in The Dearne ALC for just over a year and the fifth newsletter contains yet more success stories than ever!

I’m really looking forward to some exciting community

events scheduled in June. Look out for them and join in the fun!

Mr Peter ShawAssistant Principal:

Director of Specialism and Community

2 Community Newsletter

Georgia

Jak

Sam

Nicole

The Dearne ALC, Goldthorpe Road, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, S63 9EW

Don’t miss the exciting events

Best results for Maths

Focus on pride ........................................................P3Improved achievement .................................... P4-5Pedal power ............................................................P6OFSTED Inspection ..................................................P7Attendance on right track P8-9

What we think of lessons ...............................P10-11Big slab of history ............................................P12-13Green shoots of recovery ....................................P14Team building ...................................................... P15School Holidays ..................................................... P16

Mr Neil ClarkThe Principal of

The Dearne Advanced Learning

CentreWELCOME to the latest edition of the Dearne ALC Community Newsletter, the second edition of this academic year, 2011-2012.

It has, as always been a very busy term for us. A term which has seen our first Ofsted Inspection in our new building and a term where our Year 11 stu-dents in particular, are working hard in preparation for their final GCSE examinations which will take place during the next half term. I am delighted to report that we have already exceeded our best ever GCSE Maths re-sults with over 46% of our current Year 11 students already having ‘banked’ a Grade C or above.

We look forward to sharing their further successes with you in the future ….

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone an enjoyable Easter break. I am sure we are all ready to see some spring sunshine.

INDEX

Community Newsletter 3

Best results for Maths

Focus on pride ........................................................P3Improved achievement .................................... P4-5Pedal power ............................................................P6OFSTED Inspection ..................................................P7Attendance on right track P8-9

What we think of lessons ...............................P10-11Big slab of history ............................................P12-13Green shoots of recovery ....................................P14Team building ...................................................... P15School Holidays ..................................................... P16

Focus on pride in picture contest

The rules 1. You�must�be�aged�11�to�18�

to�enter�

2. You�can�create�an�image�of�anything�you’re�proud�of�in�Barnsley�

3. Maximum�picture�size�A3�

4. You�can�use�any�medium�–�paints/crayons/�photos/�fabric/collage�

�

5. Make�sure�you�include�your�name,�age�and�address�on�the�back�of�your�picture

be proud of Barnsley

Dan Jarvis, MP for Barnsley Central, is very proud to represent the people of Barnsley. �He�hopes�young�people�in�Barnsley�feel�that�same�sense�of�pride.���Dan�is�sponsoring�a�competition�to�find�out�what�makes�young�people�in�Barnsley�proud�of�their�town.��All you have to do is create a picture that reflects your pride in the town – one that shows anyone who looks at it what a great place Barnsley is.

� Winning pictures will be selected in October by a judging panel to include Barnsley artist, Ashley Jackson

� The prize for the overall winner will be a day trip to London to see their picture mounted and displayed in the House of Commons

What�makes�you�proud�of�Barnsley?��� Is�it�the�people?�� Is�it�the�

landscapes?�� Is�it�the�

buildings?�� Is�it�your�

school?�� Is�it�your�family�

or�friends?��Think�about�what�makes�you�proud�and�put�your�feelings�into�a�picture.��

Send your entry to ‘Proud of Barnsley’ FAO Dan Jarvis MP Corporate Mailroom

PO Box 634 Barnsley S70 9GG

c�o�m�p�e�t�i�t�i�o�n

GEORGIA Anderson, along with other students from The Dearne ALC, entered the Proud of Barnsley picture competition organised by Dan Jarvis MP for Barnsley Central.

Georgia was shortlisted as one of the 10 finalists in the competition.

She is photographed at the Awards with her entry along with local artist Ashley Jackson. Georgia was a runner up.

STUDENTS in Year 11 are achieving the best results in the history of the school, continuing the trend that has taken place over recent years. This year we have set our targets on increasing the proportion of students who achieve at least five A*-C GCSE grades (including Mathematics and English) from 32% (2011) to 42%! There is no doubt that our students in Year 11 have the ability to succeed in taking The Dearne ALC’s GCSE outcomes to the next level.

46% of Year 11 students have successfully achieved C grades in Mathematics through early entry examinations. This

is already the best performance that the school has ever had in Mathematics, beating 39% from last year.

There is still an opportunity for

even more students to pass their Mathematics GCSE in the summer, setting the current Year

11 well above all year

groups that have come before! We are aiming at 50% as a minimum! Many of the students who have achieved C grades already are now working hard towards B, A and A* grades. Indeed, we already have 20 students with B grades, 9 with A grades and 2 with A* grades!

Students must be getting good grades across the board, as well as in Mathematics. The English and Mathematics faculties are collaborating to ensure that students are achieving the best possible grades in both subjects, rather than just in one or the other.

There have been more

Community Newsletter4

Achievement is on the up and up

Haydn Lee - has secured a C grade in Maths and is on track in English (3 levels of progress in both). He attended additional support sessions in both subjects and is now benefiting from not being un-der pressure as the summer examinations approach. When asked about his success, Haydn stated: “If you don’t have a dream, how can you have a dream come true?”

Kayleigh Baker has a Merit in BTEC Sport (4 levels of progress) and is on track to achieve a C grade in English (3 levels of progress). She has a D grade in Maths (3 levels of progress) and is well on track to get a C! Brandon Noble has a C grade in Mathematics (3 levels of progress).

Jodie Darby has secured a C grade in Mathematics and is on track to achieve a C in English (3 levels of progress in both).

Macauley Stocks has secured a C grade in Mathematics and is on track to achieve a C in English (3 levels of progress in both). He is now enjoying having the freedom to focus on the subjects that he enjoys the most as the final examinations approach.

Community Newsletter 5

opportunities than ever before for students to gain support with their achievement. Examination preparation days have been organised, with students working with their subject teachers as close to examinations as possible to ensure skills and knowledge are fresh. Students have had extra time to make accelerated progress in Maths, English and Science on Week B Fridays. As final examinations and coursework deadlines approach, this is being extended to other subject areas. Holiday learning opportunities have been provided by numerous

subject areas, ranging from completing coursework and controlled assessments through to preparing for approaching examinations. These have been well attended by students who are keen to achieve. However, we urge students who have not taken advantage of these opportunities to do so to boost their grades! Key Stage 4 Intervention sessions are available every morning in numerous subject areas, with students enjoying a free breakfast for coming into school to do extra work. When we return from the Easter holidays the popular ‘Food for Thought’ evenings will start again in the run up to the examinations! More staff than ever have been recruited to work with Year 11 students in Mathematics and English, meaning that all students can benefit from more personalised help and support.

Many Year 11 students have already completed qualifications, having met or surpassed their target grades. The photos on this page highlight a small number of them. Opportunities are being put in place to ensure that these students use their gained learning time from completed subjects to either improve their grades in other subjects or to complete additional qualifications, enhancing their academic profiles.

Achievement is on the up and up

They have the ability to succeed‘ ‘

Jodie Darby has secured a C grade in Mathematics and is on track to achieve a C in English (3 levels of progress in both).

Macauley Stocks has secured a C grade in Mathematics and is on track to achieve a C in English (3 levels of progress in both). He is now enjoying having the freedom to focus on the subjects that he enjoys the most as the final examinations approach.

Nicholas Hardwick has secured a C grades in Mathematics (3 levels of progress), having been on an E grade in November!

Marta Kwasniewska has already secured an A grade in Maths (4 levels of progress) and is on track to secure an A* grade in English (5 levels of progress).

Community Newsletter6

WE are The Dearne ALC cyclists. This summer we are cycling from London to The Dearne ALC, that’s over 200miles. We will be raising money for the Macmillan cancer charity.

We are raising money so that people with cancer can have a better life.

This challenge will have an enormous impact on our lives. It is a long way to cycle as we are all 16 years of age and have never undertaken such a huge challenge. This is massive because we

need to be mentally and

physically fit. We are looking to raise over £1,500, and this will go to Macmillan Cancer Research.

As we are still studying we have to balance learning and training around each other.

We find it quite hard as both are im-portant and it is taking a real effort to keep up with the training.

We would love you to sponsor us.

To do this please log on to www.justgiving/dearnecyclists

Pedal powerOur 200-mile bike ride for charity

Enormous challenge ... The Dearne ALC cyclists.

www.justgiving/dearnecyclistswww.justgiving/dearnecyclistswww.justgiving/dearnecyclistswww.justgiving/dearnecyclistswww.justgiving/dearnecyclistswww.justgiving/dearnecyclistswww.justgiving/dearnecyclistswww.justgiving/dearnecyclistsSponsor us at:

AS many will be aware, The Dearne ALC was inspected on the 7th and 8th February 2012. A copy of the Ofsted Report has now been published on the Ofsted website and is publicly available to the wider community.

There is much in the report to celebrate and as a community we can all be very proud of the very many positives. In partnership with our students and our parents/carers, we have made real progress in many areas.

The Inspection team have recognised that: GCSE results have improved Irrespective of their starting points, students at the Dearne ALC make the same progress as stu-dents nationally in respect to 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths Our students are increasingly ambitious for themselves and are co-operative and willing to learn The majority of the teaching at the Dearne ALC is good Our intervention strategies are well targeted and highly valued by students Behaviour has improved since the move to the new building Students are safe in school and incidents of bullying are dealt with swiftly and appropriately Attendance is improving and is now in line with the national average There is a culture and climate of high aspirations Appropriate and well-chosen strategies are in place to continually drive forward the quality of teaching There are rigorous systems in place to identify student underachievement and to intervene appropriately Our curriculum is well matched to the needs of our students The Governing Body both supports and challenges in equal measure, the leadership of the school

The Inspection Report on balance paints an accurate picture of where we are on our journey and mirrors our view as to the key areas we need to improve upon.

We need to build on the significant progress we have

made in ensuring that our stu-dents receive the

highest quality teaching.We need to build on and accelerate the progress

we have made over recent years in

respect to

Up for the challenge

Community Newsletter 7

www.justgiving/dearnecyclists

student achievement. The percentage of students

achieving 5A*-C including English and Maths in 2008 stood at 22%. In 2011 that figure had risen to 32.4%. This is still not good enough.

Our current Year 11 students are on track to achieve the best outcomes for themselves and for

the school in our history. As we approach the final

examination period, 45% of our students have achieved a C in Maths.

The percentage of students making expected progress in Maths has already exceeded our previous best.

We need also to ensure that

all students, particularly those for whom secondary education brings with it a number of challenges, are supported to realise their potential.

As a school we are determined to accelerate the progress students make and bring about significant additional improvements swiftly.

We look forward to strengthening our partnership with parents/carers and the wider community as we prepare for the next stage in our development.

We look forward to further developing a culture of high aspiration for our students who deserve the very best.

We are, with the support of the Governing Body, the staff, parents and carers and most importantly in any school, our students, determined to address the key areas for improvement, to build on the significant acknowledged strengths and to further develop a school that we can all be increasingly exceptionally proud of.

We are looking forward to further developing a

culture of aspiration ‘ ‘

Prom dress rehearsalCommunity Newsletter8

Megan Elliott, Year 7: currently on 305 pointsI think the reward system isreally good and the prizes available give me something to aim for.

Michael Guest, Year 7: currently on 300 pointsI am very proud to be one of the top achievers in my year group.

Declan Moore , Year 7: currently on 301 pointsI really love to play football and I am very excited to be able to purchase an Adidas football with my points next week.

Coral Greaves, Year 7: currently on 308 pointsI think that the rewards system is very good because students are rewarded for doing their homework and you can buy cool stuff with your points.

Kyle Davies, Year 7: currently on 302 pointsThe more points I get the better prizes I can buy. All you have to do is listen to your teachers, be good in your lessons and complete your homework.

Courtney Parton, Year 8: currently on 305 pointsI am proud to be a good role model in The Dearne ALC and this makes me excited and I am really looking forward to receiving my Nintendo DS lite.

Chloe Tattershall, Year 8: currently on 363 pointsComing to school in full uniform, completing my homework and following teachers instructions gets me lots of prizes, so it’s really good.

Curtis Lister, Year 8, currently on 341 pointsI am proud to be one of the top achievers in my year group and my parents will be really proud of me.

Will Cadman, Year 8: currently on 356 pointsI think the reward system is a really good idea. Giving students rewards makes them more positive about their education.

Visitors to the Dearne ALC will regularly comment on the positive conduct of the students attending the ALC and will particularly mention the smartness and good standard of uniform.

Throughout the ALC there is a pride in wearing the uniform which enhances the sense of belonging and a visual reminder of what the uniform represents ; aspiration, ambition and achievement. However, we are coming to the part of the school year where

parts of the uniform may need replacing. General wear and tear plus inevitable growth spurts of our students all contribute to the purchasing of parts of the uniform.

Items of uniform, includ-ing jumpers, cardigans, ties and PE tops – in a wide range of sizes - can all be ordered and purchased through our Student Services.

Our Expectations – How Parents can Support Purchase any item of new uniform through the ALC. It is of good quality with the

correct colouring and logo. When buying new footwear for school please ensure that it is all black. Shoes are preferable totrainers. Buying shoes overcomes the issues over footwear that have white stripes, coloured logos and vibrantly coloured soles or laces. For boys and girls, all trousers must be tailored. The wearing of leggings and black jeans are, of course, not appropriate for school wear.

Our say onRewards system

Attendance on the right track

”We have pride in our school uniform

Attendance ... A big improvement

Community Newsletter 9

WE all know there is a direct link to good attendance and good academic progress.

As parents and carers you will be pleased to hear that attendance at The Dearne ALC is well on track to hit National Average (93.5%).

The attendance team have been working tirelessly to offer parents/careers and students ideas and advice to further im-prove attendance.

These are just a few sugges-tions from our attendance team.

Have a copy of your child’s timetable. Try to notice patterns of illness or complaints. Being ill before a certain day every week may mean they are unhappy about a certain subject. If in doubt send your child to school. Often illness and complaints are forgotten about once your child gets to school. If we think your child is ill we will make contact with you. Talk about your child’s school day. Ask your child to think of at least one positive from their day. Ensure that they are prepared for school the night before. Reinforce the need for a qual-ity sleep. Playing games consoles before bed stimulates the mind and makes it difficult to sleep. Allow enough time in the morning for the journey to school. Talk to your child about the value of attending school. Every lesson they miss is a potential

barrier to a future college course or job. Discuss the need to be on time to school. Colleges and employers will ask the school for a comment on attendance and punctuality.

Privilege pass January saw the launch of the Y11 Privilege Pass. Students who received the Pass have the entitlement to leave site during their lunch time if they so wish.

To be issued with a Privilege Pass the students have to: Have satisfactory, good or outstanding attendance (above National Average 93.5%) Have a proven track record of good punctuality to school and to lessons. Be a positive role model. Model our rights and responsibilities.

The Pass promotes regularattendance as only those students who have 93.5% attendance or better (above National

Average) are entitled to a pass. Those students who inherently have been late back after lunch have not been issued with a pass.

From a Positive Behaviour for Learning perspective our students are recognised for their response to our rights and responsibilities.

Attendance on the right track

Praising Positive Behaviour for Learning and Raising the Profile of Attendance

Over 350 students and their families recently received a postcard in the post recognizing each

student’s good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. Mrs Foster in Student Reception, who is

also responsible for the upkeep of our vast array of reward items, will now be sending the postcards to

all those students who have achieved more than 40 achievement points per half-term.

New initiatives

Outstanding Attendance96.2 %– 100%

Good Attendance95.1 %– 96.1%

Satisfactory Attendance93.5 %– 95%

Inadequate Attendance93.5% ( Below National Average) Privilege ... Students can leave site at lunch time

Community Newsletter10

What we think of lessons at school ...

Nine Students talk about the good Learning and Teaching experiences they have at The Dearne ALC.

1. What does good teaching look like?

Beth Morgan McKenzie Y10: Good teaching is when teachers ask you whether you understand the work and then if you say ‘no’, then they explain it all to you. It’s also about the way they teach the lesson, there will be lots of different activities and sometimes activities where you stand up and move around.

Louis White and Liam Price Y10: A good teacher is someone who helps you when you are stuck and where they teach lessons where you are not constantly writing. We like it when we watch clips of videos and where teachers show us things so we can understand. We like visual teaching.

Haydn Lee Y11: When we do lots of activities, teachers are involved, its physical, and we use the whiteboard, that’s good teaching.

Jake Burnett Y11: A good teacher asks questions, listens to students, gets you up doing things and sets lots of tasks.

Jodie Darby Y11: Good teachers look professional, support our opinions, actually help as we’re doing things and then try other ways to explain it if you don’t get it.

India Leak Blunt Y8: A good teacher wants you to do well, listens and gets you to listen. In the lessons you understand that you must behave.

Rhiannon Kelly Y8: I think it’s good teaching when teachers let us do group work and we can choose who to work with. I like it when teachers look like they enjoying it too.

Jake Myers Y8: A good teacher is someone who explains things if you don’t get it and doesn’t stay at the front, but helps everyone.

Ryan Petty Y8: A good teacher will help you if you need help.

2. What does good learning look like?Beth: I know I have experienced good learning because at the end I can quote things I’ve learned.

Louis and Liam: Good learning is when you’ve had something explained and then you understand it well and don’t forget it.

Haydn: When everyone is engaged and taking in the teachers words, or working in groups following instruction, that’s good learning.

Jake B: A good learner listens, co-operates with teachers, and gets on to do the work.

Jodie: Good learning is listening, doing what your told, and getting on with your work.

India: Good learning is where everything is organised, everyone is listening, and we get down and work.

Rhiannon: When children are enjoying it it’s good learning. Doing work and having fun!

Jake M: Good learning happens when everyone is listening and

Interested ... Jake gets to grips with learning.

Community Newsletter 11

focused on what teacher is doing.

Ryan: I learn well when I am asked questions, then I answer it, and at the end I know it was right.

3. In a week how often do you come out of a lesson thinking “that was good learning”?

Beth: All my lessons have good teaching and learning

Louis and Liam: Our Maths lessons are always good. In other subjects it changes depending on what we’re doing.

Haydn: I think about 15 out of my 20 lessons in a week are good, especially Maths, English, ICT, PE, French, and RE.

Jake B: I think 15/20 lessons in a week are really good. I always feel I have learned well after Drama, Graphics, Art, and Maths.

Jodie: I think that 17/20 lessons a week are good.

India: I think 15/20 of my lessons in the week are good.

Rhiannon: I think 15/20 of my lessons in a week are good.

Jake M: It depends each week, on average I think 15/20.

Ryan: 15/20 lessons a week are good.

4. Tell us about two examples of good learning you have experienced recently?

Beth: In a Humanities lesson we

were doing coursework, we used lots of different resources like using the internet, textbooks, own knowledge from other lessons and our teacher’s knowledge. In a French lesson we were finishing off work from a unit, our teacher gives everyone their own post-it of information on what they had to do. This really helped me as an individual to work on my own targets.

Louis: In a History lesson, recently, we were learning about Versailles and the teacher explained it really well so I under-stood it. I like History lessons.

Liam: In Geography last week we did a lesson where the teacher explained what we were doing at the beginning and then there were lots of tasks that meant we understood the work.

Haydn: In an ICT lesson I got really good help from my teacher, just helping me for 15 minutes. It meant I really knew how to improve and moved on lots.

In Maths we have lots of staff in our group at the moment. It means that if you put your hand up someone is there straight away to help you.

Jake B: In Drama, recently, we had a lesson where we madeimprovements on our improvisations. We were really co-operating and had lots of chance to input our own ideas. In Graphics we spent time talking through tasks, then we were given

sheets with lots of guidance. Our teacher really cares about what we are doing.

Jodie: In French and Science we did a mock exams in silence, this was really good to help us prepare for our test, but the best learning was after it when we went through the questions and saw the right answers and how they were marked. In French we then revised the difficult vocabulary.

India: In Drama, just now, we were all acting in our groups to create a scene. It was good group work. In English we have just finished our assessments on a film review, I got a good mark on my assessment because in the lessons before we had been taught all the right stuff.

Rhiannon: I like Art, my teacher

gets you to do work by making a nice atmosphere, we have quiet music. At the moment we are doing perspective drawing buildings, it’s different to work we have done before. In PE all the groups have been together on the trampolines. We’ve learned how to stop and do different jumps.

Jake M: In RE just now we were in circle, we could only talk when we held the elephant, everyone really listened to each other’s opinions.

Ryan: In Maths we were doing co-ordinates, we were given 50 questions to do and I got 45 out of 50. In my English assessment I got 5a, this was because I had listened in my lessons and I could use what I had learned in my assessment.

Engaged ... Students get down to work at The Dearne ALC.

Big slab of history in our communityCommunity Newsletter12

One of the first stages of The Dearne ALC’s National Lottery Heritage Funded Project is nearing completion, with the laying of seven engraved paving slabs within the new public realms works in Goldthorpe. The ‘next steps,’ are already being planned to…

Heritage Trail Paving Slabs set for production

The seven engraved slabs were designed and submitted to local councillors and BMBC planning and highways, by the young people within our community. The Dearne ALC has produced three of these and Goldthorpe Primary, The Hill Primary, Gooseacre Primary and Lacewood Primary the remaining four.

We are very grateful for the extensive support from members of the Thurnscoe History Society who visited the schools and helped to provide some of the ideas for our young people to base their designs on. Members were able to work with all four schools. The Dearne ALC Y7 History club produced two slabs celebrating our community’s contribution during the Second World War and the heroism of the now legendary local fighter pilot- Grumpy Unwin.

Marta Kwasniewska (now quite famous in artistic circles… due to her contribution to the ALC’s much

publicised graphic novel – Fool’s Gold) designed a special slab, at the request of the BMBC culture department to commemorate the community’s strong contribution to the now much aligned mining industry.

The Hill and Gooseacre both focussed on the importance of 1937 to Thurnscoe, whilst Goldthorpe and Lacewood concentrated on details relevant to Bolton and Goldthorpe.Further designs for environmental improvements

Future plans include the design of a steel sculpture for Goldthorpe High Street, mosaics and street banners and 25 brass plaques denoting places of historical interest. A series of visits to the Yorkshire Mining Museum have been booked

during May for our Y8 art students and our Y10 BTEC arts students will be working with professional metallic sculptors at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in May and July 2012.

Volunteers and parents are welcome to attend these visits on a cost free basis to include refreshments. The visits will enable our students to design mosaics, street banners and a steel sculpture that will then be commissioned for production by professional artists and sculptors. We are therefore grateful for the

continued support from the Strategic Housing and Highways departments who have worked with us to meet appropriate health and safety standards and for quality assuring the cultural and community validity of our young people’s ideas. Re-Enactment Weekend

We are delighted to have the support of a local medieval re-enactment heritage group. They are organising a medieval re-enactment day at The Dearne ALC which is open to everyone on 23rd June 2012. Construction Partnerships andApprenticeships

As well as helping with The Dearne ALC Heritage Project, Barnsley Council Strategic Housing Department have also helped strengthen our partnership work with Keepmoat.

Colleagues from Barnsley MBC and Keepmoat will be working in The Dearne ALC in ‘The Street’ on Friday 11th of May in the after-noon. They will provide informa-tion/criteria and opportunities to apply for Construction

Go on cost-free visits‘ ‘

apprenticeships.

Big slab of history in our communityCommunity Newsletter 13

You fought bravely ... ...so that we could have freedomYou watched our skies... ...so that we could sleep soundlyYou worked in the factories... ...so we could sign upYou dug for victory... ...so that we could have plentyYou fought fires... ...so that we could live in safety

Wing Commander George “Grumpy” Unwin, who has died aged 93, was one of the most successful fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain. He was twice awarded the DFM; he was one of only 60 men to receive the double award dur-ing the Second World War.

In August 1938 Unwin was a sergeant pilot serving on No 19 Squadron when it became the first to

receive the Spitfire. He was one of the original RAF

pilots to fly the new fighter and in the early days, he flew

regularly as Douglas Bader’s wingman.

The son of a Yorkshire miner, George Cecil Unwin was born on January 18 1913 at Bolton-on-Dearne. He was educated at the local grammar school, where he was a fine footballer (he later turned out for the RAF). Determined not to join his father in the mines, he answered an advertisement offering apprenticeships in the RAF. He joined as a boy clerk when he was 16 and trained at the air force’s apprentice school at Ruislip.

One of the most successful pilots

Community Newsletter14

THE Dearne ALC Horticultural Group led by Pauline Mc Dougall and Shirley Criddle ‘grows’ from strength to strength… Well publicised reductions in funding from government have not dampened their hard work and

entrepreneurial spirit. Students and teachers at The Dearne ALC are constantly finding income and resources from a wide range of sources and the

gardening outcomes are reaching new heights of success. As part of the ‘RHS Campaign for School Gardening – Bench Marking

Scheme’ we have already completed up

to Level 3: Growing and Diversifying and are now evidenc-ing Level 4.

In the

meantime, we have received free potatoes from the Potato Council to plant and grow as part of the

‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ campaign.

There is a competition attached to this campaign for the greatest weight of potatoes grown.

Let’s hope we win…! The Dearne ALC has also been

selected for the Miracle-Gro project to grow crops for the

Miracle-Growers

Vegetable

Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Miracle-Gro has supplied the seeds and compost and we hope to grow the plants success-fully and progress to the next stage where our plants will feature on The Miracle-Gro Show stand at Chelsea. In early May we will submit photographs of our best plants and displays for judging. 6 fruit trees, seeds and a hosepipe have also been acquired through Morrison’s Let’s Grow campaign.

Mr Shaw, Assistant Principal: Director of Specialism and Community recently applied for a £500 community grant from Keep Moat and was delighted to hear that it was accepted. The money will help pay for further gardening tools and materials for the Horticulture group and in return The Dearne ALC will supply seventy five pot plant arrange-ments for the new Seasons’ housing estates in Thurnscoe. The Horticultural group have also now bid to pay for a trip to RHS Harlow Carr, Harrogate to take part in a gardening workshop.

Green shoots of recovery

AS part of the Year 10 BTEC Dance course students have to experience a dance from other cultures.

The workshop that took place was provided for students to learn about how important

dance is in everyday life in Africa. They learnt a celebratory dance taught to them by a Qualified African Dance Teacher from ‘Drum-mers United.’ This ran alongside a question and answer session where students got an in-

sight into how African Dance plays a major role in their lives. They learnt about how the people of Africa have dances for different events that occur throughout their lifetime such as, weddings, funerals and the birth of a child.

Drumming up support for dancing

Community Newsletter 15

Team building through sport

OVER the last term The Dearne Physical Education Faculty has been involved with our primary partners in several different ways. At Highgate, Year 6s have been developing their football skills through the Brazilian game of futsal.

This game is played with a heavier ball to develop close control skills. Also at Highgate, students from all year groups have taken part in dance lessons aimed at improving their co-ordination and team working skills.

At The Hill, Year 4 students have also been working on their co-ordination skills through the development of invasion games.

This provision culminated in the launch of the Olympic House system for primaries. Students from The Hill, Gooseacre and Highgate all split into four Olympic themed houses to compete in several sporting challenges. This was done during the last day of term and was a fantastic way to begin a half term break.

Sky’s the limit for studentsThirteen students from Year 9 have this term embarked on the Sky Sports ‘Living for Sport’ project. This is the second year we have run the highly popular project aimed at raising

aspirations of students in our school.

To launch the project The Dearne ALC was visited by current world number one and World Champion Extreme Inline Skater Jenna Downing and captain of the Sheffield Eagles Challenge Cup winning side Paul Broadbent.

Jenna is local to Barnsley and really enjoyed spending time with our students discussing what it takes to become world number one in a sport and the determina-tion she has to succeed. Paul, on

several occasions during the day, commented upon how great the school ethos was and that he was overcome by the politeness of our students from the minute he walked into the building.

The project this year has the aim of developing leaders, so the students involved will be working closely with Mr Horbury and Miss Gordon to develop these skills before embarking on delivering their own after school clubs to students in the younger years and possibly to some primary schools.

Star visitors ... Jenna Downing and Paul Broadbent talk to students.

Project aims to develop leaders‘ ‘

Green shoots of recovery

Contact us

The Dearne ALCGoldthorpe Road

Goldthorpe Rotherham

South YorkshireS63 9EWS63 9EW

Tel: 01709 892211Tel: 01709 892565Fax: 01709 891514

If you would like to visit, set up a community partnership, or take advantage of our outstanding facilities during the day, extended hours, weekends or holidays, do not hesitate to contact The Principal nclark@barnsley.org, or Assistant Principal: Director of Specialism and Community pshaw@barnsley.org

© Copyright The Dearne ALC, Goldthorpe, S63 9EW.

School breaks Easter Break Start back Monday 16 April 2012May Day Monday 7 May 2012Start back Tuesday 8 May 2012Half term break 4 – 8 June 2012Start back Monday 11 June 2012Summer break 23 July – 31 August 2012

The Dearne ALCAspiration Ambition Achievement