Farra News 17 - Sunderland Learning Hub

FARRINGDON COMMUNITY SPORTS COLLEGE 

CONTENTS 

2-Heads Welcome 

3-Community Day 

4-SALPS 

5-Challenge and Success 

6-Student Council News 

7-Charities 

8-New York Trip 

9-Assemblies 

10-BBC and Tyneside Winners 

11-Filming Projects 

12-Governors Awards 

13-Pride of Wearside 

14-Anne Frank Exhibition 

15-Geography Litter Survey 

16-Christmas Pantomime 

17-Ex-Students News 

18-Art Department News 

19-MFL Christmas Treats 

20-Trips coming up and BEC 500 

21-Prom Fashion Show 

22-Y5 Enterprise and Mill Hill 

23-Mill Hill (continued) 

24+25-East Herrington Primary 

26-Farringdon Primary 

27-Jubilee Centre News 

28+29-Bede College 

30+31-ASP Dept News 

32-Science and Fire! 

33-Top 10 Christmas films—ever! 

34+35-Sporting News 

36-38-Library news 

39-Library cont. and visiting chef 

40-Recipes and Jokes 

41-Box Youth Project News 

42-Christmas cartoon 

Its your newsletter- Give us 

suggestions for things you 

want to see in future issues 

-we’d love to hear from you. 

DONALD 

ONCE 

AGAIN 

WISHES 

YOU A 

VERY 

MERRY 

XMAS!!

2 FARRA NEWS CHRISTMAS 2011 

THE HEAD: have a good Christmas 

A CHRISTMAS 

WELCOME 

Welcome to the Christmas issue of “Farra News” which remains 

the best student-led newspaper in the world!! Mind you it mustn’t 

be easy being a reporter when there is so much going on. 

At this time of year thoughts turn to those less fortunate than ourselves 

and I am proud of the contribution that our school and individual 

students make to both our local and our national community. 

This term alone students and staff have raised money for 

Breast Cancer, Cystic fibrosis, Poppy appeal, East Africa Famine 

appeal and the RNLI. These are tough economic times but the 

generosity of our community has been awe-inspiring, thank you! 

I would like to also commend the efforts of several of our young people who give their time so willingly 

to help others. John Burn and Nicole Shipley both won awards at the prestigious “Pride of 

Wearside” awards in November. Several students were trained up as Anne Frank ambassadors to 

guide students and members of the public through the story of Anne’s life – this was a moving and 

inspiring event made all the more real by the empathy shown by Farringdon students. 

Many of our students took part in an Art Exhibition at St Chad’s church in celebration of the 50 th 

anniversary of the church. The artwork was on display for a month and was seen by hundreds of 

local people. 

We have two groups working on Media projects which address challenging issues (domestic violence 

& anti-social behaviour) – these have given our students the chance to showcase the views of young 

people and I applaud them for their sensitivity and creativity around these difficult subjects. 

17 students attended an Anti-bullying conference and are now trained up to support others who may 

find it difficult to talk about issues. This is a great example of students looking 

out for each other and their work in school is very valuable – thank you. 

With so much goodwill abounding at Farringdon it merely remains for me to 

wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We wish you 

peace and warmth this festive time. God bless. 

Howard Kemp, Head Teacher 

MEET YOUR 

NEWS TEAM 

NEWSTEAM: what a hardworking bunch! 

The news team grows ever bigger—this time we’d like 

to introduce ourselves by telling you our favourite 

things about the festive season: 

Abby Brown 7B-likes to put the decorations up 

Isabella Taylor 8A-likes to sprinkle Reindeer Dust 

Amy Watson 8E-Likes homeless unicorns flying 

through the air (AKA Santa) 

Emma Stubbs 8B-Likes getting the family together 

Katherine Eastaugh 8E-Likes Gingerbread men and 

Candy Canes 

Connor Peverley 8A-likes lots of presents and different 

traditions 

Rebecca Haswell 9A-likes surprises 

Chelsea Jobling 9H-likes family time 

Alex Sayer-Copus 9H-likes everything 

Rachael Eastick 10G-likes to watch her dog open the 

presents(!) 

Savannah Lindley 10G-likes seeing her family 

Matthew Lawton 10G-likes to watch Christmas Films 

Sarah Barton 11G-Likes mince pies 

Jasmin Mustard 11A –Likes the food and atmosphere 

Mrs Bird Media– Likes the holidays for a rest!!

CHRISTMAS 2011 FARRA NEWS 3 

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AT FARRA 

Back in September we had our 1 st Community Day which was just as 

much fun as usual. Community Day is now firmly established on our 

timetable and it is great having the positive experience of working with 

so many local providers. Here’s what each year did: 

Y7 - Followed the theme of healthy lifestyles for example doing table 

tennis, a healthy eating session in food tech, swimming, cyber coaching, 

Trampolining, handball and football on our new 3G pitch. 

Y8 - did an enterprise challenge, their theme was the ‘F-factor’. They 

created their own bands and had to come up with logos, merchandising and more and present all 

their work on stage to the three judges at the end of the day. The winning band was Reflection in Mrs 

Bell’s class. The year group were also helped by a number of Y9 girls who had carried out the same 

enterprise challenge last year and worked on other projects to raise £200 for the Autistic Society and 

Breast Cancer Charities – representatives came in from each charity to collect their cheques. 

Y9 –spent half of their day in their forms, and followed an Olympics planning theme, then, they 

worked with EDF energy. In the last lesson they went in the dining hall to do their final presentations 

in front of their year group. 

Y10- focussed on Staying safe. They worked with the local police, Box Youth Project, Respect, the 

fire service, Wearside Women in Need, Sure Safe and Gentoo. 

Finally, Y11 – focussed on Progression. They spent half of the day at a careers fair at the Metro Radio 

Arena in Newcastle and the other half back in their form classes writing their CV’s – essential to 

help them apply for college / a job. 

It may be very different from the usual teaching day here at school but it is quite an 

experience for us all!


S.A.L.P’s—WHAT’S THAT! 

In late October, the school council teamed up staff to go into classrooms 

and what they were doing was a learning walk, where they went into 3-4 

different classes. School council members had to write down, what the 

class were doing to check on the quality of learning taking place, they then 

feed back in their meetings, what they have learnt/seen in the learning 

walk. 

One of the student council members on the news team told me that what 

you would look for in a typical lesson is WALT, WILF and TIBS. Also there 

should be examples work of different grades to help students achieve a 

better grade. She said they had to look and see if these were displayed on 

the walls. They also had to look at the behaviour and comment on how it 

might be affecting learning. Overall they found out behaviour was pretty 

good and the lessons were well constructed. 

Two students spoke to the school governors and some of the senior staff 

about these learning walks and whether they were a success or not. The 

presentation went well and these students will do another presentation to the governors at the end of 

the year to report back with (hopefully) a glowing report! 

MS REAY: SALPs co-ordinator 

To find out even more about this initiative I (Connor Peverley) was lucky enough to interview 

Ms Reay who is in charge of the SALPs programme: 

Q1. “What made you choose school council for the learning walk, and not others” 

A 1. “ You've got to start somewhere. School council are your representatives and that’s why we 

wanted them involved. In time we may involve others.” 

Q2. “What does 'SALP' mean” 

A2. “Students as learning partners.” 

Q3. “ What will this change in school” 

A3. “It will mean that students will have a more informed idea what teaching and learning is all about. 

They will also have opportunities to ask staff about what they've seen.” 

Q4. “Would you like to improve anything about the learning walk” 

A4. “Its early days we will be developing this work over the course of the walks.” 

Q5. “How do you feel about the learning walk, and why do you feel that way” 

A5. “ Very positive. The students enjoyed it. They were perceptive about what was happening in 

classrooms. The SALPS's will be feeding back to tutor groups and teachers will also get feedback. 

Q6. “Why is the learning walk a good idea” 

A6. It’s a good idea because it gives staff and students’ information about what goes on in all classes 

and not just their own. 

Interview finished. So, it seems like the School council found it interesting, and that they're working 

hard, we hope this continues. As you see I found out a lot of information interviewing Ms Reay, and 

when it comes to involving anyone with the learning walk, I hope to be investigating myself, by trying 

it out. 

I also interviewed Megan Story, Y8 who participated with the Learning walks: 

“ Hello, thanks for letting me interview you” 

Q1. “What did you need to do on this learning walk” 

A1. “I needed to go into different classrooms, to see what their behaviour was like, and to see what 

they were doing. “ 

Q2. “How did you feel about it” 

A2. “I feel it’s a good way to help the school, to find out about pupils behaviour, learning and more... “ 

Q3. “ How long does it take “ 

A3. “ About 20-30 minutes, it doesn’t seem that long.” 

Q4. “ Would you like to do it again “ 

A4. “Yeah, because it was fun and interesting.” 

Q5. “Who were you with” 

A5. “ Callum Longhurst and Miss Ashplant.” 

“Ok, thanks. “ 

So, I have found out a lot of information, and it seems this learning walk was a great success.


STRATEGIES FOR 

SUCCESS 

DISPLAY: This poster about mentoring can be seen in 

reception 

Challenge 

for 

Learning 

IMPROVING RESULTS: This is the notice board in the Staff Room 

which focuses on Mentoring 

This term Y11’s have completed maths and English 

GCSE’s. In order to prepare for this they have attended 

morning tutor groups, after school revision 

sessions and an English and Maths day at Pavilion. 

On the morning of their exams, they even attended a 

breakfast revision session, which started at 7:15am. 

All of Y11’s have worked incredibly hard, in preparation 

for their exam, and we’re hoping that this pays of 

in January, when the results comes in. 

Mentoring for success began this term, where every 

Y10 pupil has their own mentor, who they meet 

monthly, to discuss their academic progress. This has 

had a fantastic start, with most pupils receiving postcards 

home to say that they are on target in all subjects. 

Well done Y10 and keep up the good work. 

In January, we will be extending our intervention to 

include Y7, Y8 and Y9, supporting our pupils and 

helping them achieve their full potential. 

For many years out students have experienced success 

in their studies and have tried their best in both 

classwork and exams, but we always hope that they 

will go that one step further to exceed their targets! 

Over the next few months we will be focusing on 

Challenge in the classroom at Farringdon Community 

Sports College—creating a determination to aim high and then aim Higher! Our staff CPD has already 

begun to develop new ways of working in the classroom, incorporating Higher order thinking 

Skills and a wider range of Questioning Styles. 

Here’s to an aspirational New Year!


STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS 

We would like to 

welcome our new 

year 7’s to Student 

council. These 

students were elected 

by their forms. 

From 7A Jed 

McDonald and 

Jayden Tucker, 7B 

Abby Brown and Amy 

Leigh O Donnell, 7C 

Olivia Davison and 

Jordan Stoker, 7D 

Connor Fazakerly 

and Connor 

Jenkinson, 7E Adam 

Blakelock and Kaytlin 

Hanson, 7F Niall 

Hodgson and Jodie 

Surtees, 7G Freya 

Charlton and Jack 

Turner. Thank you for 

representing your 

classes we look forward to working with you over the next 5 years. 

DEBATE! 

STUDENT COUNCIL: Y7’s putting on 

their best smiles 

At the end of November some of our Y9 students accompanied by Mrs Harris went to the 

Young peoples State of the city debate which was held in the council chambers in the civic 

centre. The students got to sit in the council seats and discuss topics. They pressed a light 

when they wanted to make a contribution to the discussion. One of students made the point 

that they felt that it was important that parents were involved in discussion about sex education 

in school so that they could support students at home. At the end the students got to vote 

on what issue they felt was the most important to students currently living in Sunderland. The 

issue which young people felt was the most important was careers closely followed by sex 

education in school. 

ANTI-BULLYING—HAVE YOUR SAY! 

17 Y8/9 students went to City’s Anti Bullying 

Conference being held at Sandhill View School 

on Wednesday afternoon 12 th October. Some 

people who went to the Anti Bullying Conference 

was Angel Hedley, Tiegan Spence, Sophie 

Goodchild, Kennedy Cummings and loads more 

y8 and 9 students. Rebecca Haswell from our 

News Team interviewed Angel Hedley and these 

are some of the questions she asked her: What 

did you do when you got there She replied we 

were talking about what would you do if someone 

came needing help, What would your answer 

be I would talk to the victim then the bully separately 

then ask them both to come round to meet 

me at a place in the yard and find similar things in 

each of their stories. How long did it take This 

Anti Bullying Conference took from after lunch 

12:45– end on school 14:45. Did you wear 

something to represent who you are The antibullying 

team have to wear badges to represent 

who they are, on the badge it has A-Team which 

is short for Anti Bullying team. Did you enjoy the 

Anti Bullying Conference The A-team learned 

a lot more than they already knew from going to 

this Anti Bullying Conference, and Why is the 

Anti Bullying team is a good idea The antibullying 

team is a good idea because if you don’t 

want to go to a teacher, you can go to a a team 

person who has been trained and someone who 

is roughly there age are more knowing to what 

the people are like and who they are.


SUPPORTING CHARITY 

MOUSTACHES: we’re sure you’ll agree some fine face furniture moved in for the month of Movember! 

Early in October, Staff at Farringdon Community Sports College participated in a charity, this charity 

is called “Movember” and about 6-8 Members of staff took part. They needed to keep a Moustache 

for 1 month. Personally myself, I think they didn’t enjoy it, but they had to do it to raise money. I interviewed 

Y 8 manager, Mr Horsley who participated in this to find out more information. 

Q1: -What made you participate in this 

A1: “Well, after doing some research into the number of young, men are affected by male cancer. I 

thought the more awareness that was gained the better that would be. 

Q2: “Did you like to participate in it or not, and why” 

A2 “Yes until near the end where it got on my wife’s nerves and mine!” 

Q3: “What did you think of this idea” 

A3: “I think it’s a great idea to draw attention into getting people talking about cancer.” 

Q4: “Would you like to change it, and why” 

A4: “No, it’s all fine and good.” 

Q5: “What would you find better about it” 

A5: “perhaps incorporating it with a wear a blue day to raise money for 

male cancer research.” 

Q6: “What was the worst part about it” 

A6: “The itchiness and keeping it trimmed.” 

So although it seems having a moustache might not be too pleasant it is 

definitely worth it to raise awareness for the cancer charities that 

continue to fight the battle against a disease which affects 1 in every 3 

people at some stage in their lives. 

OFFERING MORE SUPPORT ... 

Money raised this year for other charities so far: 

£155 for this year’s Poppy Appeal through poppy sales in assembly and around school. 

There was a collection at Governors Awards on Wednesday 23 rd November in memory of Andrew 

Cantle. £127 was raised on the night and more since. Andrew’s parents have also donated an 

award for Governors’ Awards. 

Miss Gibson offered thanks to all the staff who supported her tutor group in their sponsored silence 

for Children in Need – they raised over £30. 

We held two non uniform days – one for Wear in Pink (breast cancer) and one for our nominated 

school charity for cystic fibrosis which raised over £400 

And finally the East Africa Famine Appeal, our collection for this is ongoing leading up to Christmas 

so we don’t have a final total yet!


NEW YORK, NEW YORK 

This October Farringdon Pupils Went on a trip of a life time to New York. 32 pupils and 36 teacher 

took off on a 9 hour plane ride to the big apple, where they stayed in Manhattan, Soho. On their first 

day they went to time square to explore the heart of New York City, here they explored the famous 

shops before having dinner in Bubba Gump's Shrimp Restaurant. The next day they set of on a ferry 

to the statue of liberty, then Ellis island were they could look up any relatives that immigrated to 

America, then in the evening they walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night and saw New York’s 

bright lights. On the third day the group went to Central Park, luckily on the hottest day they had. 

They hired boats and went on the lake, saw the famous home alone bridge, lay on the green grass of 

the sheep field and saw the Central Park Zoo, then in the evening they dressed up and went to see 

phantom of the opera on Broadway. On the final day it was time for souvenir shopping in some of 

NYC’s famous shops such as MAC, Bloomingdales and Tiffanys, then it was back to the hotel to 

pack and return to England, with memories that will last a lifetime. 

FACTS ABOUT NYC—DID YOU KNOW: 

NEW YOUR HAS 772 MILES OF SUBWAY TRACKS! 

THE NAME ‘THE BIG APPLE’ WAS COINED BY MUSICIANS MEANING ‘THE BIG TIME’


REMEMBERANCE ASSEMBLY 

VISITORS: 109 and still lookin’ good! 

CARE: Showing our love for the heroes! 

CREATIVE: telling a story through a dance routine 

SPEECHES: Our Y11’s spoke on our behalf 

On Remembrance Day we sat down and remembered 

the treasured people that we miss and love, 

the people who gave their lives for our country, the 

people who died in World War II. We watched an 

extract from 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas' It 

showed up how bad it was for a Jewish child in 

those days. The children and adults were gassed 

and killed just for being Jewish. We also watched 

another extract from 'The Pianist' This short clip 

showed up the friendship between two men, even 

though from a different religion a heroic man decided 

to keep the Jewish man in a small hide out 

helping him with food and water and warmth. This 

shows even though you may have a different religion 

it does not mean you cannot be friends. We also had 

a two minute silence in the morning to remember our 

loved ones who died for us. We then gave another 

two minute silence at 11:11 on the 11/11/11 as a 

sign of respect. We raised approx. £155 for the 

poppy appeal. 

Mr Kemp also recently received a card from the staff 

and residents of Sycamore Care Centre to say 

thank you for inviting then to the Remembrance 

Assembly. 

HARVEST FESTIVAL 

Harvest festival was 

held at the start of 

October, Students 

were asked to contribute 

at least one 

tin, can or packet of 

food for a local 

homeless shelter. Mostly everyone 

brought in a packet, can or 

tin and by the end of the week 

the front of the stage was full! 

We donated all of the food to a 

local homeless shelter. 

YEAR 10 & 11 CHRISTMAS ASSEMBLY 

In a more recent assembly Mrs McNaught and Miss Ramshaw 

held a fun Christmas assembly 

for KS4. They gave presents 

to tutors to thank them 

for their hard work and did a 

quiz for which chocolates 

were the prize. Some of the 

lucky students also got to 

sample Mrs McNaught’s special 

home-made sprout truffles 

– yes, sprout – see Mrs 

McNaught if you’d like the 

secret recipe!


FILM FANATICS 

PROUD: David Griffith, Jasmin Mustard, Sarah Barton 

In October three of our students Sarah Barton, 

Jasmin Mustard, David Griffith entered in the 

first annual young Tyneside film competition, 

there challenge was to create a short film 

around the theme Halloween. The trio worked 

fro 3 weeks producing their film ‘How to survive 

a horror film’ and got short listed out of 100 

films. They were invited to a premier red carpet 

evening where all the films were shown on the 

big screen, where the team’s film was loudly 

applauded. After the screenings there was a 

Hollywood esc. after party where classic horror 

films were screened and the young film makers 

were given a chance to meet each other. Unfortunately 

Sarah, Jasmin and David did not win 

but they have not let that kill their spirits and 

plan to enter again next year, from the Farra 

team we wish them good luck. 

BBC VISIT 

In September the Y11 and Y9 Fast Track Media 

students went on a trip to the BBC Newcastle 

building where they were given a tour of the TV 

and radio station. Tour guides handed out special 

passes allowing them to enter the backstage areas. 

Once inside they were taken through the silent 

halls to the editing sweet where they saw all the 

equipment used to finalize what we see on TV. 

They got to sit on the sofa where the morning 

news is done and even do the weather. They were 

taken to see the inner workings of TV stations 

and observe how radio shows work. Once the 

tour was over the group preformed and edited 

their own radio show. Jasmin Mustard said “ it 

was a great experience getting to know how everything 

worked, I would definitely go again” 

FILM, CAMERA, ACTION: Media 

students get to experience the BBC


BIG VOICE PROJECT 

ANTI-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROJECT 

This term 10 Media students have been working 

with Mrs Bird and Kelly Henderson from Wearside 

Women in Need on an advertising project to 

highlight the dangers of abuse within teenage 

relationships. They have become involved as it 

was felt that the best people to get a message 

across to teenagers in the right way are teenagers 

themselves. They are aiming to create a 

work pack that can be used by other schools 

and also by the end of the project, which goes 

on until February, to create an advertising campaign 

that may be used locally (maybe even nationally!) 

An article will feature in the Sunderland 

Echo just after Christmas. Watch this space as 

the project progresses further. 

Throughout November a team of Y11 script 

writers have been working with 5 film students 

from Teeside University to film their entry for 

the Big Voice competition. Last year they wrote 

a script based around anti-social behaviour 

(drinking on the streets) and they won the opportunity 

to film it. The film will be shown on 

the BT/Get Set Olympics website and also 

showcased on city screens around the country 

in the lead up to the Olympics. The script writers 

had to cast the production (thank you Charlotte 

Gibson, Vicky Beaney and Eden Fowdy 

for being our cast) and also find the locations 

(again a big thank you to the Allendale Road 

butchers and to Danny Foster’s nan as well as 

the local city council and local police who also 

gave us interviews!) The team from the university 

was led by Peter Rigney and our students 

had a great experience acting and filming with 

them. We look forward to seeing the finished 

product. 

The image featured left has been designed based on 

ideas from the group of a ‘bruised heart’ - the idea is 

that domestic violence cause pain you can’t see as 

well as the bruises you can see.


THE GOVENORS AWARDS SPECTACULAR 

On Wednesday 23 rd November 2011 our annual 

award ceremony, the Governor’s Awards took 

place at Bede Sixth Form College. You can receive 

a Governor’s award for academic or personal 

achievements within school. Many parents 

and students were present at the awards. There 

was around about 100 students who were recognised 

in some way for their achievements at Farringdon. 

Peter Gibson, chairman of the Governors and 

Mr Kemp, both spoke at the ceremony and 

awards were presented by a number of exstudents 

who have gone on to achieve great 

things: 

1.Scott Borthwick, England and Durham cricket 

player 

2.Dr Emma Clarke, doctor 

3.Tony Jeffries, Professional Boxer 

4.Claire Wallace, Farringdon Primary School, 

Assistant Head Teacher 

These ex-students presented our worthy students 

with their awards. Our school helped these 

four people be who they are today. There was 

also an inspirational message from Olympic 

boxer Tony Jeffries who also wanted to join us 

but was busy celebrating his recent wedding on 

honeymoon in Dubai. 

Our new Head boy and new Head girl, Nathan 

Gaffney Rhianna Hetherington were also present 

to see these students collect their awards. They 

also spoke at the end of the ceremony. The 

Head teacher’s award went to Jonathon Foggin 

Y10 and Emily Piercy Y9. 

There was a really exciting surprise when Mr 

Gibson, Head of the Governing Body and Mrs 

Glynis Hossack revealed that there was to be a 

prize draw for two Netbooks! Two lucky 

students names were drawn from a huge trophy 

the two lucky winners was Desta Ross and 

Callum Flisher, well done to them hope you enjoy 

your amazing prize! 

Well done to all students who attended the evening 

and got an award. Farringdon is proud of 

you and we hope you are proud to be a part of 

Farringdon. We look forward to celebrating 

even more of our wonderful students’ achievements 

next year! 

WE APOLOGISE 

NO PHOTOS 

ARE AVAILABLE 

OF THIS FABU- 

LOUS NIGHT 

BUT HOPE TO 

HAVE THEM ON 

THE SCHOOL 

WEBSITE 

SOON. 

SMILING WITH PRIDE 

Mr Andrews and his 

partner Lisa both 

attended the local hero 

awards earlier in the 

year with Sun fm which 

was held at the 

Stadium of Light. They 

had to present an 

award to the most 

inspirational child. The 

award was won by a 

young girl who was hit 

in the face with a fire 

work, she did not let 

her injuries stop her, 

and in fact she went 

BRIGHTLY SHINING: Sun fm out and started to raise 

money for charity and 

has raised lots of money for local charities. They are pictured here with Simon Grundy and Marie 

Gardiner co presenters of the morning show on Sun fm.


TRIUMPH AT THE PRIDE OF WEARSIDE 

NOMINEES: featured on screen at the ceremony 

On the same night as our own 

Governor’s Awards Mrs Bird and 

Mrs Harris had the pleasure of 

attending the Pride of Wearside 

Awards at the Stadium of Light. 

Three of our students were 

nominated: Alex Sawyer-Corpus for 

Sporting Achievement; John Burn 

as Student of the Year and Nicole 

Shipley for Child of Achievement. 

After a delicious meal (complete 

with table magician!) the awards 

began and we were very lucky as 

both John and Nicole were winners 

in their categories. 

The awards were hosted by Brian 

Moore from Metro Radio’s breakfast 

JOHN BURN: student of the year 

show and Rob Lawson, editor of the 

Sunderland Echo. SAFC stars 

Connor Wickham and John O’Shea were also there and gave autographs to the kids and posed 

for photos. It was a lovely and very emotional evening. Our winners received a trophy and featured 

in the Echo the following day and on the Echo’s website. Everyone received a certificate for 

being short listed. 

NICOLE SHIPLEY: child of achievement 

ALEX SAWYER-CORPUS: sporting 

achievement


Anne Frank - A Tragic Story 

ANNE FRANK : student gathered to show their support to the cause 

During the course of a week the school got to see Anne 

Frank’s life close up. Anne is famous for keeping a diary during 

WW2 during her time in hiding. Her story is moving and 

tragic as her teenage years were spent forced into hiding, 

when she should have been enjoying life and friendship. She 

was eventually taken to a concentration camp but a few days 

before the camps were closed she died. Her father was given 

her diaries and decided to share them with the world and 

they have been an inspiration ever since. 

Student ambassadors have been working on learning about 

Anne for some time and some of them have already worked 

with the primary schools. Now they got to teach other 

HELP THE CAMPAIGN : Beat Genocide 

students about what they had learnt 

and on the evening of Tuesday 22 nd 

November the exhibition they had 

set up was opened to the 

community and a visitor named 

Musa Hassan Ali came in to talk 

about his experience as a survivor 

of the genocide of Rwanda. The 

students, supported him as well as 

Miss Mills and Ms Jackson who 

organised the event. 

TEACHING : Y11 student, Emily Wright showing Farringdon students 

around the exhibit


Hold It, Keep It, Find a Bin!!! 

Litter Survey by pupils and Mr Bishop 

In Geography the pupils completed litter surveys in school. 

They have mapped where we have found litter around the 

school and have identified litter hotspots. The pupils will 

also produce posters about the problem. One thing the 

pupils found most disgusting was the amount of chewing 

gum squashed into the ground. They also loathed was the 

dive bombing of the sea gulls as they rushed to get food 

dropped by pupils. In one lesson we found that seven pupils 

in the class when in the yard at break time had been 

hit by the bird excrement (poo) or guano. 

Guano is the excrement (faeces and urine) of seabirds. 

Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels 

of phosphorous and nitrogen and also its lack of odour. It 

was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder. Mr 

Bishop took a direct hit in the yard where he had guano on his head, glasses and clothes and his 

white shirt could not be cleaned by any known detergent and is now in the bin. 

LITTER: students work showing problems with litter 


LITTER BUG: highlighting the problems that come with 

litter 


The message is to stop dropping food and litter so we 

can all live in a more pleasant environment.


CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME 

Once again, Farringdon staff came together, to perform a great pantomime, which will bring a smile 

across everyone’s face. I am writing on the day they perform for the first time to an audience, after 

rehersing for weeks. The show this year is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. 

They will be performing it 7 times in total and will deserve a good holiday after that! To add to a 

performance for each year group and an evening performance for the community, they also performed 

for primary schools on Tuesday and the primary students did have a smile on their face. 

They watched it all through without talking, and participated in the speeches that were given for them 

to “Shout”! 

In the pantomime there is always a bit of interaction—boo at bad and so on. This is something that 

everyone always looks forward to go to see. These pantomimes are staff pantomimes and are great. 

I’d rather go to see this than go to along to a cinema. They do themselves very proud and I hope 

they know it. The teachers can make themselves look daft and I would bet loads you all enjoyed it 

too. 

CAST: A group get together at the end 

PANTOMIME : getting married 

Over Christmas, often you might be looking for something to do. 

Well, how about a visit to one of the local theatres – here is our top 3 shows in the North 

East (not that they’ll come close to being as fab as our staff panto!) 

No.3: Durham Gala Theatre: Jack and the Beanstalk runs from the start of 

December to 7th January. 

No.2: Newcastle Theatre Royal: Sleeping Beauty 

29 th November-22 nd January and The King And I 

which is on from the 24 th -28 th January. 

No.1Sunderland Empire: Controversially this year 

instead of a pantomime Sunderland are showing the 

west end musical, Legally Blonde but people who have seen it are saying it is 

well worth watching. 

Let us know if you see any of these performances and want to send us a 

review!

CHRISTMAS 2011 FARRA NEWS 17 

OUR EX PUPILS 

EACH ISSUE WE HOPE TO BRING YOU TWO OR MORE 

STORIES FROM EX-PUPILS TELLING YOU WHAT THEY 

ARE UP TO NOW. 

A WORLD OF ADVENTURE ... 

Ex- pupil Tom Fowdy popped in to visit us recently to tell us about 

his great A Level results (2xA*/A levels.) Tom went to St Aidens 

6 th form when he left us 2 years ago, and as you can see he did 

really well. And now even bigger events are on the horizon for 

Tom as he is off to Perth in Australia. Tom is going to Perth for 2 

years doing missionary work for his church. After he comes back 

from Perth he hopes to go to university, maybe to study theology. 

Tom also recently helped with the ballot boxes in local/national 

elections (he was even shown on TV with the boxes!) His politics 

class at St Aidens also got to participate in a political debate forum 

at Durham City Hall where they came second. 

Tom told us he enjoyed his time at Farra, he thanked staff for 

support and said they were helpful, and being at Farringdon 

helped him to figure out what kind of person he wanted to be. We 

wish him luck as he heads off on his adventures down under. 

OFF TO PERTH: Tom Fowdy off to Perth 

SEE OURWEBSITE FOR MORE 

ABOUT THIS DEAL 

SCHOOL GOVERNOR TELLS US MORE ... 

Its a long time since I left Farringdon - 1988! I was there from 83-88 and these were some of the 

best years of my life! If I had the chance to go back and do it all over again I would. One of my best 

memories from my days at Farringdon was representing the school at the TSB Rock School Competition 

in Wakefield. Our group got through to the regional finals and we coached it down to the Rooftop 

Gardens which was a nightclub at the time. (Its probably shut and 

gone now!!). We came 3rd on the day but the result didn’t matter - we 

all enjoyed the experience and loved the coverage we got back home in 

the Sunderland Echo. 

Farringdon was a great experience for me and I loved every minute of it 

(although I may not have thought that at the time). Its right when people 

say that you become part of the ‘Farringdon Family’ as I still feel that 

way. 

When I left in 88 I started my A levels but left after 3 weeks and got a 

job in the Architects Department of Sunderland Council. I studied to 

HNC level and then moved into the Housing Department - and for a 

while worked out of the North Moor Housing Office, which borough back 

the memories of the school! After a tour of the region with a couple of 

jobs and doing my degree at Newcastle, I am now working for a construction 

company based in Gateshead called Morrison - where I head 

up the regional new business and customer experience side of the business. 

My time at Farringdon and everything I learned helped me get to 

where I am today - along with the support of some fantastic teachers! 

I am also back at Farra!! I’m a school governor and am loving giving 

something back to the school that helped me on my career path and 

supported me for 5 very enjoyable years. And its funny seeing some of 

those teachers from 88 still here, still working hard - and looking a little 

bit older!! You know who you are!! 

-Gavin Brown BA FCIH 

GAVIN BROWN: Gavin Brown now and then


THE ART NEWS 

Peace at St.Chads Church 

Y9 pupils from the last academic year worked together 

to produce some superb artwork for the 50 th 

anniversary of St Chad’s church. Reverend Jeremy 

Chad was overjoyed with the pupils’ efforts; 

which included paintings, murals, and some amazing 

stained glass style pieces, which made the 

church glow with colourful light. This work was 

displayed in the church and still is still being displayed. 

A celebration of the pupils’ artwork took 

place on a Friday. 

PEACE: The students with their peace signs 

Competition Winners! 

Once again, there were a lot of fantastic entries for this 

years Christmas card competition. Thank you to all who 

entered. The winners chosen were Lauren Scrafton and 

Julia Williams who produced two magnificent Christmas 

cards, which were merged together in Photoshop! 

They both win a prize of vouchers. 

Washington Arts Centre art exhibition 

ART: Our students taking pride with their brilliant art work 

Pupils from our school, alongside some other schools in Sunderland had their work exhibited. The 

artwork included work in sculptures, Photoshop work, paintings and drawings. Congratulations to 

all pupils who had their artwork entered, but in particular to Kate Ferguson and Sally McDonald 

whose work was selected as winning entries in their category and go on to the Stadium of Light at 

Sunderland to the next round. More fantastic achievements for pupils at Farringdon Community 

Sports College.


CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY 

Christmas in Germany can be very traditional. 

They start out with the advent season. 

Its like our advent calendars, leading up to 

the 25th of Christmas; though behind each 

door there can be chocolate or just a picture. 

They sometimes give little presents leading 

up to the 25th as well! It is also traditional to 

buy a Christmas tree (pine or fur). In most 

German cities you will find a market where 

you can buy ornaments (and lots of other 

things), eat sausages and baked potatoes. It 

typically goes for three days, 24th, 25th and 

26th. Each family does it a little different, but 

one day is for exchanging presents and the 

other two is for seeing friends and visiting 

church. Each day though they have a big 

meal. 

GOOD AND BAD: Père Noël and Père Fouettard. 

M.F.L. 

BRIGHT LIGHTS: This is a market in Frankfurt, Germany, one 

of the biggest, oldest Christmas markets in Germany. They like 

to use lots of light, as you can see! 

CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE 

In some parts of France, the Christmas starts on the 6th of December 

la fête de Saint Nicolas. 

Traditionally, Children put their shoes in front of the fireplace hoping that 

Père Noël (aka Papa Noël) will fill them with treats. They also have a 

man called Père Fouettard who spanks all of the naughty kids, just as 

our Santa gives bad children coal. In 1962, a law was passed decreeing 

that all letters written to Santa would be responded to with a postcard. 

So when a class writes a letter, each pupil will get a response! Mistletoe 

is hung above the door during the Christmas season as it is though to 

bring good fortune throughout the year. 

Le Réveillon 

Le Réveillon is a symbolic awakening to the meaning of Christ's birth 

and is the culinary high point of the season, which may be enjoyed at 

home or in a restaurant or café that is open all night. Each region in 

France has its own traditional Christmas menu, with dishes like goose, 

chicken, capon, turkey stuffed with chestnuts, oysters, and boudin blanc 

(similar to white pudding). 

CHRISTMAS IN SPAIN 

The Christmas season in Spain starts at the beginning of 

December, when towns and cities all over the country 

are decorated with Christmas trees, lights and nativity 

displays (naciemento/belen). December 22 is when they 

are let of from school to go on holiday. Christmas eve is 

the time for eating, drinking. Each region of spain had 

their own Christmas specialty for example roast lamb 

and suckling pig is popular Castilla León. On Christmas 

day, the kids get small presents and sometimes the 

adults exchange presents. However, Spain is starting to 

go to all of the big presents. Truthfully though, Christmas 

is about being able to see and spend time with your family 

and friends. 

NATIVITY DISPLAY: Christmas is a deeply 

religious holiday in Spain.


Visits Coming Soon... 

This year at Farringdon we have had many trips already happen 

and there’s some great ones coming up... 

London – There is a London trip coming up in March which will be 

for Media and Performing Arts Students, organised by Mrs Bird, 

they will get to watch Shrek the Musical and do a workshop with the 

cast, go on the London Eye, go to the 

BBC Television Centre, Madame Tussaudes 

and have a meal at the Hard 

Rock Cafe. 

Paris – There is a Paris trip for Art 

students and Textiles students in July organised by Miss Gibson 

– students will visit a fashion 

show and various art galleries as 

well as Parc Asterix. 

France- finally there is the annual MFL trip organised by Mrs 

Leyson which will take place in July to the Opal Coast region of 

France. The trip will include visits to Aqualud, a water park, a 

shopping trip to one of the larger towns such as Boulogne, a 

Chocolate Factory and a Boulangerie to see how croissants 

are made and of course Euro Disney. 

BEC 500 – What’s that then 

This is for the Y11 students – it is a 10 week project to encourage them to have a high level of punctuality 

and attendance and to keep up to date with their course work.This is to be able to achieve the 

BEC certificate which is recognised by local employers and all the skills listed are ones that employers 

value highly. Every student who attended their careers interview appointment with Connexions 

advisor, Sandra Quigley, also got the opportunity to be interviewed one to one in a mock interview 

situation. 

Y11’s were also given the opportunity to attend the North East skills careers convention at the Metro 

Radio Arena back in September. This allowed them to see many of the different types of jobs available 

to them. We are also hoping that on Community Days throughout the year all Y11 pupils will 

produce CV which they can use in future college and job applications. In addition pupils who do not 

have a bank account, will have the opportunity to open one. 

Miss Pratt also told us, “I have taken over the role as Y11/12 transition tutor for Bede College. This 

will involve making sure that our students are settled in at Bede and are enjoying what they have 

chosen.” She told us her role also involved working with school liaison counsellors from the college 

who give guidance so that Y11 students can make informed decisions to choose a course that will 

lead them on the path to a suitable career. 

And the path is just beginning for Y10’s in April they will be going on work experience and they are 

currently trying to arrange their own placements.


PROM FASHION SHOW 

On the 1 st December 

there was a 

prom Fashion show 

for the Y11 students. 

The girls taking part 

in the fashion show 

went to Reds and 

had their hair done 

for the event. The 

girls dresses were 

by Encore and the 

boys suits were by 

Greenwoods. At 

The fashion show 

the students could get information on outfits hair beauty accessories 

and limos. In the break Miss Dolphin and her classes had 

made biscuits and handed them round with glasses on nonalcoholic 

wine or fruit juice. Also there were leaflets handed 

round with various discounts. All profits made on the night went 

towards the Y11 prom this year. 

COOKERY CLUB 

Cookery club is on every Monday From 3-4.30 in D16 with Miss Patterson. 

To join go and Miss Patterson in D16.Here are some of the things they will make in the term coming 

up: 

January 9th-Cornish Pasties and Brownies. 

January 16th-Fajitas and shortbread 

January 23rd-Spaghetti and Meatballs and Cheese Cake 

February 6th- Savoury Rice and Rich Biscuits.


Y5 ENTERPRISE ADVENTURES 

ENTERPRISE DAY: smile for the camera 

On 16 th November Mill Hill and Farringdon joined 

us to take part in the first of a series of visits for 

Y5’s. Our aim is to show them the best of Farringdon 

and make them feel really comfortable 

about coming here. On their first day they took 

part in an ‘Apprentice’ style challenge where they 

MILL HILL TELL 

US MORE ... 

had to make chocolates, design the product 

name, slogan and packaging and also make an 

advert for their product. The day went very 

quickly but the students (and staff) got really involved 

and some great ideas came out. 

On Wednesday 16 th November Mill Hill Primary School visited Farringdon Secondary School to take part 

in the Fun Enterprise. When we got there we walked into a big hall and got split up into groups. The groups 

were called Twix Toppers, Malteser Mixers, Picnic Packers, Double Decker Dunkers, Boost Bouncers, Kit 

Kat Killers, Galaxy Galatics, Dairy Milk Devils and Monster Munchies. We had to answer some questions 

in a booklet then we went off in our groups. 

All groups did the same but we went at different times. My group made sweets first. The sweets were flavoured 

creams, marshmallow crispies and chocolate fudge. In our group there was six people and two people 

made each sweet. 

After lunch we went to a computer room to make an advert for our sweets. We had to write a little bit about 

the sweets and then we videoed it on the computer. Then we picked a song to go in the background. Then 

we added some pictures, the end one was a picture of our group. Later on we made 

a box for our sweets. We had do to a logo, slogan and then colour it in. Then we 

took it back to school to finish my box looked great! When we finished we walked 

back to school and took our sweets and boxes with us. At school we shared the 

sweets between our partners then we got to eat some at school and take the rest 

home. 

Written by Hannah Oxley, Y5KM


MILL HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL 

Y5 TRIP TO THE HANCOCK 

When Y5 went to the Hancock Museum*, 

we saw: animals, fossils and even a 

mummy. 

This term we were learning about the Egyptians, 

so we went to an Egyptian 

Exhibition. The Egyptian Exhibition was 

good because there was a computer which 

let you convert your name into hieroglyphs. 

The mummy dated back two thousand five 

hundred years ago. There was pottery—a 

replica of the Rosetta stone, which has 

three languages: Greek, the early form of 

hieroglyphics, and hieroglyphics. 

The animals were amazing, there was– 

Giraffes to Geese and mice to mammoths 

there was everything, and there was even 

live snakes too! 

There was Roman pans, armour and there 

was a small replica of Hadrian's wall which I 

think was the best bit of the exhibit. 

The shop, has everything from sweets to 

science experiments. There is also, a café 

that has cheap drinks and good food. 

When we got back to school in English we 

were doing leaflets, and we all wrote a leaflet 

for the Hancock museum and we put 

everything we learnt from the Hancock museum 

into them. We liked the Hancock museum 

we hope if you go, you will too! 

By Niall Urwin Y5– Mill Hill, 

Primary School 

*The Handcock has recently changed its 

name to The Great North Museum 

ANIMALS: From Giraffe to Geese; 

Mice to Mammoths


EAST HERRINGTON 

PRIMARY SCHOOL 

DERWENT HILL VISITS 

In Y6, the first week of the school year we went to 

Derwent Hill! It was an amazing experience. We had 

to wear bright red waterproofs which stood out from 

everyone. The dorms was like a normal room but with 

more bunk-beds. The activities were exhilaratingly 

fun. The death swing was terrifying, canoeing was 

soaking, shelter building was assiduous, the gladiator 

was provoking, orienting was perplexing, the low 

ropes course was unsteady, the night line was dim 

and the mountain walk was breath captivating! We 

learned how to be independent and not rely on our 

parents. We had to make our own beds and tidy our 

rooms for a score out of ten. I was in catbells, a room 

with space for four people. Our third night we did a team challenge. We were in eight groups, four girl 

groups and four boy groups. My group won. There were team challenges like put as many clothes as 

you can, sing and dance, wear a harness, make a paper object and stand with four points of contact 

out of six people. It was the best holiday ever. 

By Alice Jewitt 

At the end of September Y5 went to DERWENT HILL!!! It was so fun. We did lots of things that were 

good, like canoeing. That was really cool because we got to jump in and we got soaking wet. Gorgewalking 

was amazing; we had to walk on slippery rocks and some people nearly fell over. Also the 

gardens were the best part! We had a small bit of lawn, but it had a big part at the side of the house. 

That’s where we stayed! The dorms were wicked and the one I stayed in was Derwent (the biggest 

girl’s dorm). The other dorms were Catbells, Ashness and Brandelhow. The FOOD was mint. When 

we just arrived at Derwent Hill we had a hot dog. 

By Pardis Farahi 

TRIP CRAZY AT EHPS! 

As part of Y6’s WW2 topic they attended a visit to the Victoria tunnel in Newcastle. 

This trip included a mesmerizing visit into the biggest air raid shelter in the North 

East. The Victoria tunnel was used during WW2 as a place to shelter if an air raid occurred. 

They experienced a once in a life time opportunity to attended the Victoria tunnel. 

They not only went in the Victoria tunnel; we got the opportunity to visit the oldest 

stable in Newcastle it has been running since 1892 and is still in good condition now. 

We also met a man called Neil who showed us some lost belongings from the past of the Victoria 

tunnel. We then made up some fiction stories and performed 

them to the rest of our groups. 

Y5 attended a visit to the Life Centre! It was terrific; we did 

loads of cool stuff. First we went to the Wallace and Gromit 

workshop where we headed straight to the computers; it was 

so fun. Then we went to the pharmacy and one of the employees 

nearly burnt his hand off. He tested a mind teasing experiment 

which looked like a whirlwind. After that we went on 

the 3D motion ride which was a little bit scary. Finally we went 

Ice Skating! Some of us were falling over like mad, but some 

of us were sliding and gliding. This was one of the best trips 

ever! 

By Matthew Walters Y5 and Sam Robinson Y6


MORE FROM EAST HERRINGTON PRIMARY... 

SPORTING 

SUCCESS 

Since the start of September, Y6 have been taking part in lots of various 

types of sporting events ranging from football to athletics. Everyone who 

took part in these events had great fun and were all amazing representatives 

of East Herrington Primary School. 

One of these events was an athletics tournament that took place on the 8 th of 

November at Farringdon Community Sports College. Along with East 

Herrington, two other Sunderland schools took part in the event, Newbottle 

Primary School and St Mary’s RC Primary School. Overall, East Herrington 

won the tournament but all other schools that took part were also very good 

and were very good sports. 

Along with that, competitors in the Farringdon competition that had the best 

scores altogether were picked to go to the Tyne and Wear Sportshall Athletics 

County Championships. Five teams from Tyne and Wear competed in the 

competition: Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead and 

Newcastle. There were two winners in the tournament, one for the girls and 

one for the boys. In the boys’ category, South Tyneside came out on top and 

for the girls, Gateshead. Sunderland boys came 4 th and Sunderland girls 

came 4 th ; everybody tried hard and worked very hard in the tournament. 

In other news, a group of girls from East Herrington Primary School went and took part in a football 

tournament representing our school. The event took place at Houghton Keepier and some other 

schools competed. Berned Gilpen came in 1 st and East Herrington came 2nd. By Charlie Delap 

SINGING STARS 

On Thursday 17th of November East Herrington 

Primary School Choir proudly took part in the 

switching on of the Sunderland Christmas 

Lights. This fabulous event was held at the Civic 

Centre which didn`t only host the switching on of 

the Christmas Lights but also was followed by a 

spectacular firework show and overall the choir 

were thrilled by the experience. 

Children believe that choir is a great to take part 

in and they enjoy the fabulous events which they 

have the choice to attend. 

The EHPS Choir have been the overall winners 

of the Sunderland City Sings 2010 and were the 

winners of the Primary Section in 2011. This 

year, like every school choir, EHPS has been 

practising hard for The City Sings 2012 and are 

now glad that they will sing in the finals along 

with the other finalist choirs of Sunderland. The 

finals will be held at the Sunderland Empire 

Theatre. 

Choir Pupils are now tingling with excitement for 

the next City Sings Competition as every year it 

always gets harder but choir students aren`t too 

fussed about winning as it`s taking part which 

really counts. 

‘Choir is a 

spectacular 

place to be 

for young 

musicians 

and singers.’ 

‘Children can 

freely express 

their 

emotions in choir!’ 

The choir will soon sing at Rainton Meadows 

Arena where a massive balloon release will be 

held. 

The students and teachers of EHPS are equally 

delighted by the choir`s effort and loyalty to their 

teacher, Mrs. N. Hair. 

The children believe that Mrs. Hair is a fabulous 

music teacher and are proud to be taught by her. 

Mrs. Hair is an idol to the children and inspires to 

them to go far in all of their musical endeavours. 

What could we do without her 

By Emma Smith


FARRINGDON PRIMARY 

SCHOOL NEWS 

WWII ALL OVER AGAIN! 

History was made at Mill Hill Primary School on Thursday 20 th October 

when World War II started for the Y6 students. The year 6 pupils 

(dressed in early 1940s clothes) attended their first day at school as 

World War II evacuees. 

Maths began with the children reciting the times tables up until 10 o’ clock when the air raid sirens 

sounded telling the children to flee the classrooms and take cover in the makeshift bomb shelters 

(which were placed outside of the junior hall). When the bomb threat was over and the all clear 

sounded, the chorus of ten green bottles could be heard ringing throughout the vast school corridors 

while the year 6 evacuees marched proudly back to their themed classrooms. 

As the morning continued, the children copied Wordsworth’s poem Daffodils in their neatest cursive 

handwriting. After the lesson the “evacuees” sat down to eat their lunch out of: brown paper bags; old 

newspapers; brown cardboard boxes tied with string and even old fashion styled tins. 

This was followed, in the afternoon, by knitting, clippie-matting and gas mask making. At half past 

two the gas rattle went off and the children had to put their homemade gas masks on, until yet again 

the all clear sounded. After some confused knitting and some very good clippie-matting the day was 

just about over, and the evacuees journeyed home with their gas masks in one arm and bags in another. 

It was time for VE hour. By Aaron Grierson (Y6TK) and Oliver Royal (Y6FC) 

CHRISTMAS AT FARRA 

This term we have been practising Christmas 

Plays which we have been working very hard on 

to perform in front of parents and the rest of our 

school. KS1’s play is about an angel who is very 

tidy and doesn't like anything thing to be messy. 

KS2’s play is a Farringdon twist about a man 

called Scrooge visited by three different who 

showed him how he used to enjoy Christmas. 

Also this term we will be having our Christmas 

parties. The whole school will be bringing in their 

party clothes and be having a special party for 

their year group. We will also be having Christmas 

dinners in school to celebrate Christmas 

with our friends and teachers. 

By Jessica Laverick and Ellie-Mae Percival 

FUNDRAISING DAYS 

A lot of fundraising has been happening this term. Year six 

recently held a fun day for children in need. All day we 

hosted activities such as face painting, tombolas and jumble 

sales. We invited the whole community to join us to 

raise money for Children in need. We all worked together to 

show our sports and raised over £500! 

The whole school also hosted Niall’s Mile and had a special 

visit from Craig Gordon, Samson and Deliah. We completed 

a mile circuit around the school grounds and raised 

over £500 in sponsorship. 

PERFORMANCE: K31 do their Christmas play 

GOOD TO BE GREEN 

Our whole school topic this term has 

been Good to be Green, we have 

looked at our local environment and 

discussed how we can improve and 

protect our environment. We have 

looked at our carbon footprint and set 

up recycling boxes in 

school to encourage people 

to think about how they 

dispose of their rubbish.


THE COMMUNITY CURSE AT THE JUBILEE! 

BOO :we’re out to get you !!! 

LAUNCH PAD 

The Launch Pad has been very busy over the last few months. Over 500 

young people attend the Youth Club every month. The Lunch time club 

has also been popular with over 600 students attending. The Launch Pad 

has a Volunteer Programme where young people come along and help 

with activities. In October, 10 volunteers helped with the South Forum 

event at the Jubilee Centre and also with the October half term activities, where 130 young people 

attended and had a great time. The highlight was the Halloween party, with some fantastic costumes 

and lots of spooky games and food to enjoy (see photo above.) 

JOB START MENTORING PROGRAMME 

This programme is available to local people who need support to get back into employment or training. 

Lisa Hunter is the Job Start Mentor and since the start of the project has successfully helped 221 

people back into work. 

The Job Start Mentor can: 

• Produce a personal CV 

• Help with job research 

• Give help and advice with filling in job application forms 

Give advice on training and interview techniques 

There are job clubs held in the Jubilee Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Information on job vacancies 

is also available within the centre. The centre is also running Learn Direct Courses in conjunction 

with CSCS Health and Safety Test Training. Anyone who completes and passes a literacy 

or numeracy course in six weeks, the centre will pay for their Health and Safety Test and if they go 

on and pass two courses, the centre will pay for their card. For more information about the Job Start 

Mentoring Programme contact Lisa Hunter on 0191 5228447 or pop into the centre and make an appointment. 

LEARN DIRECT COURSES 

This project supports learners who want to update their skills to improve their job prospects. 

The courses are FREE and can be done from home or within the centre. This is a great chance to 

update skills and help towards getting that ideal job. The courses on offer are Literacy and Numeracy 

Level 1 and 2 and Information Technology Qualification Level 1 

and 2 (this includes computer basics, word processing, spreadsheets, 

presentations, email etc)


With the end of term fast approaching and the New Year just around the corner, I’d like to take the 

time to share some of the highlights of fantastic year at Bede Sixth Form. 

2011 has been another year of record success. We’ve stayed top of the A-level league tables for the 

third year in a row, maintained a 99% pass rate and continued to deliver high quality education that 

saw us ranked number one in the region for student satisfaction. 

For all of us the New Year brings new challenges, new experiences and new opportunities. 

For year 11 pupils this means making final preparations for GCSE 

exams whilst deciding on the path to take after school. 

Whether that’s going to university, learning a trade or heading straight to work, our 

range of A-level, vocational courses and apprenticeships well as our comprehensive 

support age can help them reach their full potential. 

But before that decision there’s the festive season, a chance to recharge batteries, 

enjoy the company of friends and family and look forward to what the future may 

bring. 

THE BOSS : 

Judith Quinn 

Enjoy your holidays and I hope to see you at one of our open evenings next term. 

Judith Quinn – Head of Bede Sixth Form at Sunderland College. 

STUDENT SUPPORT AND WELFARE 

The college has a wide range of support services in place to help students throughout their time at 

College, these include; advice and guidance, tutorial, counseling and many more. In addition, we 

have created the Bursary Scheme, our replacement for EMA, designed to help with the cost of attending 

college. Through this scheme, students could receive up to £1200 a year to cover their transport,meals 

and other costs. To find out more about the services on offer, call the Welfare Team on 

0191 511 6589. 

HIGH ACHIEVERS 

Our High Achievers programmed is designed to help A-level students aiming to get the highest 

grades earn a place at a Russell Group* university. The programmed is open to students who get an 

average grade B or higher at GCSE. 

As part of the High Achiever programmed students will take part in a range of extra activities designed 

to prepare them for entry to a Russell Group university. 

Last year we helped 846 students go on to university with many getting in to institutions such as University 

College London, Oxford and Cambridge. 

To find out more about our High Achievers programmed, contact Andrew Calder on 0191 511 6221. 

*This group consists of 20 establishments that set very high entry requirements and includes Newcastle, 

Leeds, Warwick, Oxford and Cambridge. 

OPEN EVENINGS 

If you’d like to find out more about Bede Sixth Form or courses at 

our other Sunderland College centres why not join us at one of the 

open evenings coming up, listed on the next page...


OPEN EVENINGS 

COMING UP 

SOON ... 

Location Date To discuss 

St Peter’s Campus Thursday 19 th January A-Level courses 

Usworth Campus Tuesday 24 th January A-Level courses 

Bede/Headways Campus Wednesday 25 th January A-Level courses 

Shiney Row Campus Monday 30 th January Vocational courses 

Hylton Campus Wednesday 1 st February Vocational courses 

Usworth Campus Tuesday 7 th February Vocational courses 

Bede/Headways Campus Wednesday 8 th February Vocational courses 

St Peter’s Campus Thursday 9 th February Vocational courses 

MEET ANDREW—GUIDANCE OFFICER 

NEED SOME HELP : 

Talk to Andrew 

Andrew is your Educational Guidance Officer and link to the College. If you 

have any questions about college courses, how to apply or where you want to 

go after school he’s here to help. Andrew will be stopping by your school next 

term, but you can also call him on 0191 511 6221,email Andrew.calder@citysun.ac.uk 

or tweet him @asksuncollege 

STUDENT SUCCESS 

Phillip Layford from Farringdon is now studying 

Chemistry & Bio Medical Sciences at the University 

of Newcastle. He says: “I found the teachers 

friendly and helpful. They were always approachable 

if I needed any support” 

Emily Johnson from Farringdon is now studying 

Primary Teaching at Durham University. Emily 

says: “The College has helped me to gain a place at 

my first choice University” 

PHILLIP : Science Success 

2011 and Sunderland 

College in Numbers ... 

EMILY : learning to teaching 

99% - Our pass rate for A-levels and vocational courses 

1 - Our position in the student satisfaction tables 

846 - The number of students progressed to university 

36 - The number of A-level courses on offer


ASP NEWS 

ASDA to be distributed 

to the 

homeless, elderly 

and families in 

need this winter. 

We had a fantastic 

response from our 

school community 

DONATE A COAT 

On November 21 st 2011, ITV programme 

‘Daybreak’ launched an appeal in conjunction 

with ASDA and the Salvation Army, encouraging 

viewers to Donate a Coat. 

The appeal was aimed at encouraging people to 

rediscover their community spirit, without the financial 

burden. We asked for support for the 

campaign in donating your unwanted coats to 

help spread the warmth to those less fortunate 

through the winter months. 

Within Farringdon School, the AS Provision acted 

as a ‘collection’ point and the students helped to 

collect them, sort them out and transport them to 

and received 

MANY coats that 

will give someone 

in need some 

warmth this winter. 

Thank you for your 

support for this 

worthy cause. 

CONTINUED SUCCESS FOR ALEX 

COMPETITIVE: Alex with his younger brother at a 

competition last year 

Alex travelled to Dublin in October to represent Washington 

Judo Club in the Irish Judo Open. Alex is a blue 

belt at Judo and has already experienced many successes 

in different competitions. On this occasion, 

because of his height, he was put into the seniors 

category and competed with two 17 year olds who are 

both brown belts. He fought them both twice and won 

twice, securing him the silver medal!! 

Because of his success, he was nominated by his 

year manager, Mrs Harris, for an award at the Pride of 

Wearside awards. He attended the ceremony with his 

parents and his younger brother, who is also a Judo 

competitor. They had a wonderful evening and he received 

a certificate for his nomination. We are sure 

this will not be the last we hear of Alex Sawyer-Copus 

in the sporting world! 

See page 13 for more on the Pride of Wearside 

Awards 

ANYONE 

FOR TEA 

On Friday the 9th December the department held a social afternoon with 

tea, coffee and cake. It was an opportunity to get together and relax before 

the weekend, it was also an opportunity for some of the Y10’s to sell 

the home-made Christmas cards that they had been making. Thanks to all 

those who took the time to attend and support us.


YEAR 7 AND YEAR 11 PROVISION 

INTERVIEWS!!! 

Chelsea Jobling has been interviewing Year 7 

students about how they have found their first 

term at Farringdon ASP: 

Cameron Grant says, “There’s no better place 

because no other school has a better AS Provision. 

The people are very helpful in here because 

they can help with homework. My favourite 

teachers are Miss Holt and Mrs Allen 

because I’m friends with Miss Holt’s son Nathan 

and we share the same hobbies.” 

INDEPENDENCE: Farringdon lets me do things 

Although they didn’t want to be pictured they told us: 

PROVISION: No better place 

Liam O’Brien says, “I like the 

books in the library. I like Free-time 

Friday [our lunchtime rewards system]. 

The people here are very 

nice. They don’t help because they 

know I can do it and that makes me 

feel independent. My favourite 

thing to do is read because its 

sometimes not so quiet in here and 

it some times calms me.” 

Chelsea also interviewed some of our Year 11s about how they feel 

about being the first students to go through 5 years in the AS Provision 

and be the first leavers next summer: 

Bethany Sanderson says,” I am going to miss all my friends and teachers. I’m a 

little excited to leave but sometimes want to stay but know that I can’t stay because 

I have a future ahead. The first thing I liked about school was the friends I have 

made. The things I am going to miss most is my time here and my friends. When I 

am older I may want to be a teaching assistant for autistic children as I have a good 

understanding of autism as I have it myself. I would like to say thanks to Miss Holt 

and Mrs Allen. Thanks for being there for me when I needed you.” 

Danny Foster says, “It’s sad that I am leaving. I’m going to miss everyone. I’m the 

AS provision’s favourite comedian. The very first thing I liked about this school was 

the friends I have made like Connor Golightly, Morgan, Caitlin, Brandon and Shannon 

etc. The things I’m going to miss are all my friends and the teachers. Aaron is 

going to the same college as me after graduation so there will still be a fragment of 

the past. I have one thing I want to say to everyone and that is, ‘See Ya!’”


FIRE BRIGADE VISIT 

ON CALL: The fire service visit Farringdon to help with learning 

The 11 th of November marked a special 

visit for all Y8 students in Green 

pathway and several students from the 

ASP. The Fire brigade came in to educate 

the children on thermal imaging 

and to discuss the important role of the 

Fire Service in the community. It was 

a fabulous day and many of the children 

enjoyed learning about the thermal 

energy and testing it out the cameras. 

Exploring the fire engine and 

beeping the fire horn was a superb 

experience for all the children and everyone 

thought the visit was a great 

success. 

IN OTHER VISITS ...Our KS3 green pathway visited the Centre for Life on Monday 5 th December 

and our KS4 green pathway visited on the 6th December. 

THE PLANETARIUM 

Life is home to the biggest planetarium in the North! As well as being 

able to offer traditional planetarium shows, they offer both a 2D 

and 3D submersive cinematic experience. Sounds good but what 

does that mean Well, like a cinema, it has a screen onto which we 

project a film, but unlike a cinema, the 10 metre wide screen is overhead 

and dome-shaped, so you get the feeling that you are truly 

immersed in the action. And did we mention how comfy the seats 

are 

THE MOTION SIMULATOR RIDE 

Plunge to the ocean depths to search for whales, giant squid and other 

creatures of the deep. This is eco-tourism in the extreme. Follow a Sperm 

Whale diving to its feeding grounds at bottom of the sea and observe 

some bizarre and rarely-seen residents of the deep. Can this be the day 

we spot the mythical Giant Squid Can you handle the pressure 

WALLACE AND GROMIT …. CRACKING IDEAS 

By public demand this hands-on exhibition continues until Sunday 22 

January 2012. Step inside 62 West Wallaby Street (the home of Wallace 

& Gromit) to explore a fantastic world of innovation. This interactive exhibition 

appeals to all ages, using the much loved Oscar winning characters 

and their famous 62 West Wallaby Street home to showcase how innovation 

contributes to everyday life, while looking more closely at some fascinating 

inventions from our history. 

Each room in the house is full of hands-on activities, fun and games: pop into the living room to experience 

the Oscar® winning duo’s very own creation -the Tellyscope II; step 

back in time in the 1960s kitchen to experience familiar brands and adverts 

and belt our your favourite songs in the bathroom’s karaoke shower. 

You can see the life changing creations that grew out of the simplest of 

ideas- and the half-baked ideas that never got off the ground (“chocolate 

tea pot Gromit”) 

THUMBS UP: a great time had 

by all! 

ICE SKATING@LIFE 

Every winter, Life hosts the region's favorite ice rink on Times Square, 

right outside the Science Centre. We enjoyed a skate and only fell over a 

few times!!!


Top 10 Christmas Films 

Media student, Sarah Barton, recommends 10 Christmas films that are a definite must-see! 

1. The Grinch – My personal favourite, The Grinch who tried to steal Christmas, with a heart two 

sizes to small is a heart warming story of friendship, holiday spirit and love. 

2. Home Alone - Home Alone has heart, big laughs. Kevin McCallister accidentally left behind 

by his family during the holiday rush, must fend for himself over the holidays. A truly brilliant 

slap sticks comedy. 

3. Miracle on 34 th Street - The film follows St. Nick and his dealings with Christmas outside the 

North Pole, where he encounters cynicism and disbelief. When Kringle fulfils one little girl’s 

greatest Christmas wish, get ready to feel warm and fuzzy inside. 

4. Muppets Christmas Carol - A holiday list must always include at least one adaptation of 

Charles Dickens’ immortal Christmas classic. Henson’s one filled with wonderful sights and 

sounds, and memorable songs. Dickens’ tale is told with panache and occasional bursts of gutbusting 

humor. 

5. The Polar Express – One of the best animations cinema has seen, The Polar Express remains 

a holiday favorite primarily because, as one character in the film states: “It’s just so Christmas-y.” 

which captures the hypnotic, essence of Christmas right down to the docile sounds of holiday 

tunes playing over the radio. 

6. It’s a Wonderful Life - You can’t go through the holidays without experiencing George Bailey’s 

unexpected, even bizarre, holiday awakening—an absolute classic! 

7. Santa Clause – It’s ever child’s dream to go to Santa’s workshop, and Charlie has hit the jackpot. 

After causing Santa to fall from his roof, Charlie persuades his Father to put on the red and 

whiter suit, to save Christmas they a magical journey of belief and childhood dreams, this is a 

Christmas must see. 

8. Elf - rambunctious comedy, as Buddy, flees his North Pole sanctuary in an attempt to bond 

with his New York-based father. The plot revolves around Buddy’s endeavors to save his dad 

from Santa’s naughty list. A modern classic that lights up the holidays. 

9. The Nightmare Before Christmas – Jack Skellington attempts to combine Christmas with 

Halloween with hilarious results. Wait…no horrible results! Jack is the pumpkin king who is 

board of Halloween, and then he stumbles upon Christmas land and becomes enchanted. He decides 

to hold his own version, with disastrous results 

10. Scrooged – Another variation of the classic dickens story, this time taking the role of scrooge 

is loveable but jaded executive Frank cross. Scrooged relocates the story to New York where 

Frank is working himself into an early grave, until he learns the true meaning of Christmas.


ARE YOU 

READY 

RAISE A CHEER: Farringdon look forward to the torch relay 

Farringdon Community Sports College has been 

awarded a grant of £8,800 (the maximum award 

we could apply for) towards the ‘Get Set’ Olympics 

education programme, a scheme for the 

2012 London Olympics. Farringdon is 1 of 125 

school awarded the grant out of over 600 schools 

who applied in total. The aim of the money we 

have received is to support other schools in our 

area to get involved in the London 2012 events. 

Farringdon intend to use the grant to deliver assemblies 

to teach children about the Olympics 

and Paralympics as well as supporting the delivery 

of a city wide torch relay to build up to the 

Olympic Games. The torch relay will bring together 

all the schools in Sunderland, each school 

will design then run with their own torch, so far 

over 40 schools have signed up to participate 

which shows the strong spirit of partnership 

across the city. Sporty and inspiring—this event 

is bound to turn heads and be great fun. 

KEEP ON RUNNING ... 

Well done to Cameron Vincent, winner of the Sunderland Schools Cross Country Championships. 

James Lane also deserves a big congratulations as he was the winner of the Y8/9 Championships 

and Y11 student, Nathan Rowley came second in the Y10/11 Championships. 

Holly Conlin, Eleanor Edmundson, both of Y7 and Lauren Pattinson and Ellie Turnbull finished in the 

top 8 and all have been selected now for the County Championships.


VISITING RUGBY STAR 

INSPIRES GIRLS 

Katie Storie, a well known British Rugby 

league player, came in on the 14th of November 

to talk to our talented footballers 

about professional sport. From period 

three, through the start of period four, the 

group of Y7’s, 8’s and 9’s worked hard. The 

session was part of the Sky Living for Sport 

Programmes and most of the girls at the 

session attend the girls’ football club on 

Thursdays after school. It was a great 

chance for those girls looking into professional 

sports to follow in the footsteps of 

local sporting heroes Tony Jefferies and 

INSPIRATION: Katie tells the girls her story 

Jordan Henderson, who previously attended 

Farringdon when they were younger. We hope the girls had a fantastic day and for more 

information about the girl’s football club contact the sports department, all members welcome. 

SPORTING SNIPPETS 

Well done to the KS3 Trampolining Team who are Tyne and Wear schools champions 

now. The team are Kyle Knight, Luke Thompson and Ethan Boyce, Ethan was 

also 3rd in the individuals event. 

Ex-pupils Liam Agnew and Andre Bennett (class of 2011 leavers) have both made 

excellent starts with their respective footballing careers at Sunderland and Middlesborough 

and ex-pupil Mark Beck is leading goal scorer for Carslile AFC youth team. 

In other footballing news the interform tournaments have recently taken place with 

the following winners (year groups not mentioned called off due to bad weather—to 

be rescheduled): Y7-7B; Y10-10C; Y11-11C 

Mr Robinson recently took part in charity boxing 

match, his opponent was Anthony Elliott, an exstudent. 

Finally more football news ... 

Well done to the Y11 football team who, at the time of writing, have reached 

the quarter finals of the county cup after a 5-0 victory against St Aidans, Darlington. 

Goal scorers were, Sam Robinson (3 goals made him man of the 

match too!), Elliot Miller and Joe Boyers. 

Sam Robinson, Adam Frame and Kyran Whitehead have also reached the 

second stage of the Sunderland college football trials. 

Connor Gilbert, Jake Fenton, Karl Southern and Bradley Lilley, all of Y10 are 

all now representing the Sunderland Schools FA under 15 team. 

Y7 girls, Hannah Donkin, Jessica 

Brown, Katie Richardson 

and Amy won the 

Sunderland 

Schools Table Tennis Championship and now go o n to compete in the 

North East Championships at Sandhill View at the end of this week.


OLD AND NEW BOOK REVIEWS 

Ties That Bind, Ties that Break 

Ties that bind, Ties that break was published in 1999. It is set in 

1911-A young girl called Ailin is living in a time of great change in 

China. A headstrong, determined child, Ailin rebels against the 

horrifying ancient tradition of having her feet bound. As a result, 

the family of her future husband immediately breaks of the engage 

ment. 

Ailin grows up realising just how powerless a girl is in Chinese soci 

ety. But then she is offered an opportunity that shocks her already 

estranged family and Ailin has to make a difficult life-changing deci 

sion. 

Foot Binding 

Feet binding originated in China in the 10th cen 

tury, it usually began somewhere between the ages of 

four and seven. A bandage, ten feet long and two 

inches wide was wrapped tightly around the foot forcing 

the four small toes under the sole of the foot. This 

made the feet narrower ;but at the same time it made 

the feet shorter .The tiny narrow feet were consid 

ered beautiful and made a woman's movements 

more feminine and dainty. But this horrific tradition 

would cause the girls/women’s feet to become deformed 

and prone to infection-breaking bones etc. 

This would be extremely painful. 

TRADITIONS: This is what foot binding 

looked like-as you can see it was painful 

Review 

I thought that Ties that Bind, Ties that Break was an amazing book. It made me think more 

about the awful foot binding tradition;and it also contained a few pages just informing me on 

it. Ties that bind, ties that break is educational and has a great twist to it. The book keeps 

making you wonder, will Alin ever get her feet bound And what job can Alin get in a Chinese 

society where women.are powerless. I can garuntee that this book willl take you on a 

rollercoaster of adventures! 

Booked Up 

Booked Up is a national programme that aims to give a free book 

to every child starting secondary school in England. The programme 

is run by the national charity Booktrust, an independent 

charity dedicated to encouraging people of all ages and cultures to engage with books. It is funded 

by the Department for Education and generously supported by children’s book publishers. To find 

out more about Book trust visit www.booktrust.org.uk 

This year our year sevens once again chose a book out of a range,to find out which books they 

could choose from visit. http://www.bookedup.org.uk/coordinators‐space/the‐books/


Old and New Book Reviews (Continued) 

Diary of A Wimpy Kid 

Diary of a wimpy kid is a realistic fiction novel about a young boy 

called Greg hefflley,who joins middle school and realises that it’s nothing 

like primary. Greg has to face the bullies and cliques in order to 

climb the popularity ladder and get the girl of his dreams, Holly Hills. 

Review 

I think that diary of a wimpy kid was a great book and a delight to 

read; it has bucketfuls of comedy,exitement and suspense. This book 

can also relate to kids in school who also have popularity issues, in 

addition this book keeps you hooked from the first page. Will Greg become 

popular Will Greg finally talk to Holly Read to find out! 

Accelerated Reader 

The schools accelerated reader groups 

are well under way, accelerated reader is a 

programmer is a computer program that 

helps manage and monitor children’s independent 

reading practice. Students pick a 

book at his/her own level and reads it at 

his/her own pace. When finished, students 

take a short quiz on the computer. (Passing 

the 

quiz is an indication that students have understood 

what was read.) AR gives both children 

and teachers feedback based on the 

quiz results, which the teacher then uses to 

help kids set goals and direct ongoing reading 

practice. AR is fun because instead of 

being assigned a book, students pick their 

Guessing Game 

Can You Guess Who these book loving teachers are Write down names and 

give to Miss McCarthy by the end of January and there will be a prize—a copy 

visiting author Harriet Goodwin’s novel ‘Gravenhunger’.


HARRIET GOODWIN—AUTHOR VISIT 

We were so lucky again to have an Author visit our School 

during the Northern Children’s Book Festival. 

Our visiting Author was Harriet Goodwin. Harriet took 2 

groups of 30 Year 7 students for creative writing workshops 

in which they explored openings to stories, characterisation 

and the art of getting writing to “spring off the page”. 

Harriet has written 2 fantastic books for children. Her first 

Novel, The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 is about a boy who 

falls through the surface of the Earth and finds himself in 

the Underworld…the place where the Dead wake up. Harriet’s 

second book Gravenhunger is a ghost story and an 

adventure story rolled into one. 

A copy of Harriet's book Gravenhunger can be won by 

entering the Guessing Game competition the previous 

page. 

AUTOR VISIT: Harriet Goodwin talks with pupils about her work 

AND THE LIBRARY ISN’T JUST USED FOR READING—SO MUCH 

MORE GOES ON WITHIN THE LIBRARIES WALLS! 

COMMUNITY DAY 

Comunity Day was a huge success again.. The Library had sessions running over the day on Sexual 

Health. Rick Stifter, from Sunderland Sexual Health Team, and The Box Youth Project Peer Educators 

were in school delivering an excellent Sexual Health session to 5 groups of out Year 10 Students. 

MOCK INTERVIEWS 

Lots of preparation sessions paved the way for our Year 11's to take part in the Mock interviews 

again this year. This service is offered to schools through the Sunderland Education Business 

Partnership co-ordinated by Lynne Pace and Melanie Lawson. 

Preparation sessions were held to allow the Year 11's to fill in 

application forms and gain lots of valuable information about 

the whole process of applying for a job. The Year 11's were 

then invited to a formal interview. People from businesses 

around the Sunderland area came into school to hold the 

interviews. 

This can count towards the BEC 500 certificate too! A real 

positive experience!


Heroes series of Books For Boys 

HEROES is a new series of short, original fiction books (novels and plays), created with series 

editor Frank Cottrell Boyce. They are books boys will not be able to put down from epic 

stories of villains, crime, horror and adventure! 

The HEROES series expertly weaves captivating fiction with state-of-the-art digital teaching 

resources to inspire even the most reluctant reader. 

Ghost Game by Nigel Hinton 

Danny and his Dad have barely begun unpacking in their rented 

Victorian house when Danny feels the deathly chill of an evil 

presence. It's the last thing he needs after the recent deaths of 

his brother and mother. Increasingly terrified by freezing rooms, 

slamming doors and ghostly footprints in the carpet, Danny 

turns to the next door neighbour, a weird old woman who claims 

to have 'The Sight'. 

A haunting tale of terror unfolds. Danny must enter his dead 

brother’s favourite computer game to do battle with the malign 

forces that haunt the house, and his family. 

Nigel Hinton was born and educated in London. After two years 

in advertising, he worked as an English 

teacher for nine years. His first novel, 

Collision Course (winner of the Dutch 

Silver Pen Award) was written as a result 

of a challenge from one of his pupils. He began teaching parttime 

and also worked as a professional actor before concentrating 

on his writing. 

Nigel is the ever-popular author the Beaver Towers series of stories 

for primary school readers (which has been adapted for TV), and, 

for secondary school readers, he wrote the Buddy trilogy. His novel 

The Finders won him the Federation of Children’s Book Groups 

Award. 

Nigel has most recently written a book for the series 

'Heroes'. Ghost Game, the first book of the series. 

The Heroes series of books are available to borrow from the School Library. 

VISITING CHEF FOR 

FOOD TECH 

In November 14 th 2011 the GCSE food technology class 

had a visit from Bob Arora who owns Sachins restaurant in 

Newcastle. Bob created a Farringdon curry and made 

some spice potatoes and rice to go with it. The student got 

involved by looking at the vast range of spices and also by 

preparing the ingredients alongside Bob. 

He told the students about some of the celebrities such as JLS who had visited his restaurant and 

what they had ordered, but we are all sworn to secrecy. Bob also told the students about his career 

journey and that he had gone to Bede School so he knows Sunderland well. The highlight was that 

the students all got to take the delicious dishes home.


HERE ARE A FEW RECIPES THAT Y5 MADE 

ON THEIR ENTERPRISE DAY—THEY’D 

MAKE SOME NICE FESTIVE TREATS! 

Chocolate Fudge 

25g margarine 

225g icing sugar 

50g chocolate 

Method 

Melt butter and chocolate in microwave 

or over a pan of hot water. Once melted add icing 

sugar and stir until well mixed. Knead and place in tin to 

set. Cut into pieces and decorate. 

Marshmallow Crispies 

60g Marshmallows 

1-2 drops of vanilla essence 

25g butter 

45g Rice Crispies or Coco 

pops. 

Method 

Place marshmallows, vanilla and 

butter in pan and heat gently 

until melted. 

Remove from heat and stir until 

all marshmallows are blended in. 

Add cereal and any additional ingredients such as extra 

marshmallows, chocolate chips or dried fruit. Shape into 

heaps and leave to set. Decorate with melted chocolate. 

Jokes 

What do elves learn at school 

The elf-abet 

What do you get if Santa goes down a 

lit chimney 

Crisp Cringle 

What does a cat on the beach have in 

common with Christmas 

Sandy Claws 

What do you call people who are afraid 

of Santa Claus 

Claus-trophobic 

What is a parent’s favourite Christmas 

Carol 

Silent Night! 

How do Christmas trees keep a fresh 

breath 

They have orna-MINTS 

What do vegetarians wish on Christmas 

Peas on earth and goodwill to men 

Flavoured Creams 

100g Icing Sugar 

2-3 TBSP of Condensed Milk 

1-2 drops Flavouring 

1-2 drops Colouring. 

Method 

Sieve icing into bowl. 

Add drops of flavouring and colouring 

Add condensed milk and stir until mixture 

all sticks together. 

Roll out on a lightly sugared table with a 

rolling pin and cut out with shaped cutters. 

Leave in a cool dry place to set. 

Decorated with coloured icings or 

melted chocolate.


BOX YOUTH PROJECT 

The Box Youth Project is a voluntary youth organisation 

that provides a range of leisure and learning 

opportunities for 8-19 year olds living in the south of 

the City. It is open to all students of Farringdon. 

Manager Lisa wanted to tell you about something 

the project is currently doing. She told us, “I’ve just 

returned from the most rewarding experience of my 

life. I have spent two weeks volunteering in the Gunjur 

region of The Gambia where I was involved in a 

number of different community projects. 

You can see from the photographs that some of the 

work we did was with primary school children. We 

spent a half day delivering arts and crafts activities 

in Kassa Kunda, a school based out in the bush. 

Children here are very disadvantaged and would not 

normally have the opportunity to make masks, puppets 

or flags. They were delighted with the things 

they made and even more so when we told them 

they could take home the things they had made!! 

While there we also trained 98 people in emergency 

first aid. Of the 98 people 17 were adults that included 

teachers, community health workers and 

volunteers from AFNOW, an organisation that provides 

for the welfare and education of orphaned 

children. 81 young people were also trained in 

emergency first aid techniques with the aim of them 

being able to pass on their knowledge and skills to 

their peers and family members at home. addition to 

delivering first aid we also painted (inside and out!) 

a newly constructed health clinic. This is just the 

start of what will be a long term commitment to supporting 

the people of the Gunjur region. 

In October 2012 (during half term) we plan to take a 

group of 6 young people (aged 16-19 years) to The 

Gambia, Africa where they will be involved in volunteering 

activities within local schools and within the 

local community. 

In the months leading up to the visit members of the 

group will be expected to: 

• Complete an OCN peer education qualification 

(L2) that will equip them with the skills 

and confidence to deliver learning activities to 

other young people in a Gambian classroom. 

• Assist with the planning and organisation for 

the visit. 

• Engage in fundraising activities to raise the 

funds needed for the visit (approx. £7,000) 

After the visit members of the group will be expected 

to: 

• Complete a learning portfolio for which they 

will receive a Platinum Youth Achievement 

Award. 

• Prepare a presentation of their experience 

and deliver the presentation to other groups 

of young people in schools, youth clubs etc. 

The proposed visit to Gunjur in the Gambia will provide 

our young people with a life changing experience. 

Practical work experience in local schools will 

provide opportunities for young people to further 

develop their skills as peer educators, and develop 

their understanding and awareness of intercultural 

issues. Young people will experience traditional life 

in a Gambian village; they will have opportunities to 

take part in African music and dance workshops and 

visit local places of interest. 

The Gambian Experience will inevitably have a positive 

impact upon the personal and social development 

of the young people that take part. They will 

return to the UK with a different outlook on life and 

hopefully with a desire to take their place as responsible 

global citizens of the 21st Century. 

For further information please contact: Lisa Wilson- 

Riddell, Manager, The Box Youth Project 

Tel: 0191 5225051 Email: theboxyouthproject@googlemail.com

RINGDON COMMUNITY SPORTS COLLEGE WISHES YOU A HAPPY CHRISTMA 

DESIGNED BY OWEN KING, Y8—MERRY CHRISTMAS FARRINGDON!

Farra News 17 - Sunderland Learning Hub

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