ASPIRE

Issue 03, Autumn 2013
The news magazine of Manor College of Technology
ASPIRE
New
appointments
Congratulations to this
year’s Sports Captains
PERFORMING ARTS
YEAR 7 TRANSITION
LANGUAGES

02 ASPIRE
The news magazine of Manor College of Technology
03
Former pupil wins media award Star performers
The 100% Club
RHYS Stevens, who left us in 2011, won
the RTS Young People’s Media Festival
Entertainment Category with his film
Skyhigh. This is a prestigious award and a
highly competitive field.
Rhys said: “I could never have achieved
this if it weren’t for the drive, dedication and
the motivation of all the staff in the College
to help me get to where I want to be.”
Sally Pickford, Media Studies teacher, said:
“The judging panel, including Foz Allan, an
executive BBC producer, recognised the very
high production values of Rhys’ music video.
We are thrilled.”
Watch Rhys’ winning entry on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLSizE
H0T3I&feature=player_embedded
WELL done to the following pupils for their
achievements over the past year:
l Rebecca Richardson, Year 8, for her
charity work;
l Christopher Gregory, Year 9, for his
achievements in English and Maths;
l Jordan Harlow, Year 11, for her academic
performance and charity work;
l Matthew Hughes, Year 10, for his
academic achievements and excellence
in sports, particularly in water skiing at a
national level.
Engineering the future
MANOR recently welcomed ICE (Institute
of Civil Engineers) into College to host a
STEM activity.
Groups of 20 pupils from Key Stage 3
and three of our feeder primary schools
worked together to construct an 18-metre
long cable-stayed bridge. Afterwards,
they were given the opportunity to find
out what life as an engineer is like.
It is predicted that in five to ten
years there will be a huge skills shortage
in this area due to a retiring workforce.
The aim of the event, therefore, was to
raise the awareness and aspirations of our
young people.
Mrs Vipond, an ICE volunteer, said:
“There really were a lot of great pupils
who are natural engineers.”
CONGRATULATIONS to the following
pupils for achieving 100% attendance in
2012-2013. A brilliant achievement!
Annalise Briscoe
Sommer Goldsbrough
Graham Lightfoot
Phanphasa Meephan
Thomas Pearson
Ian Stitt
Rebecca Watkins
Cameron Weegram
Harry Wood
Connor Allison
Dominic Amerigo
Owen Baker
Joe Burrell
Jack Byers
Amy Clark
Lorna Cosgrave
Taylor Hastings
Bradley Hoad
Georgia Hutchinson
Declan Kelly
Katie Nugent
Amy Louise O’Connell
Katie Richardson
Nathan Stenson
Shelby Swinbourne
Megan Taylor
Ewan Thompson
Jordan Winship
Hannah Young
Calum Baker
Jessica Bates
Courtney Blake
Rebecca Brookes
Lewis Muldown
Lewis Pringle
Christopher Smith
David Taylor
Matthew Waller
Liam Wilcox
Bradley Hill
Ryan Hurst
Joshua Ridley
Alex Todd
Daniel White
Jack Wood
Thank
you!
WELCOME to the third edition of Aspire
magazine, which showcases the talents
and skills of the Manor College pupils.
In May we appointed our new Head Boy
and Girl team. Many congratulations go to
Head Boy Jack Blackford, Head Girl Aimee
Booth, Deputy Head Boy Luke Verrall and
Deputy Head Girl Robyn Bruce. Also Lauren
Measor and Michael Storey have been
appointed as our Sports Captains.
I would like to take this opportunity to
thank parents and carers for the excellent
support they give to Manor College; the
encouragement you offer our children
really does make a difference.
Anne Malcolm, Headteacher
Taste of
university life
Ready 4 Work
PUPILS Chloe Lord and Olivia Farrell talked
to Aspire magazine about their recent visit
to Newcastle University:
“The whole day was really enjoyable
and, educationally, very beneficial. We
worked alongside ambassadors and
interacted with young people from
different schools and a wide range
of backgrounds. We were split up to
encourage us to make friends with
people we wouldn’t normally talk to.
Altogether, the day gave us a really good
idea of university life. Many thanks to Mrs
Greig for taking us!”
DURING the past academic year, pupils have taken part in a wide range of ‘Ready 4 Work’
activities, which have been arranged by Mrs Greig, our Careers Adviser in school.
In January, on Guidance Day, there was a careers event in Grange Hall, during which
local colleges, employers and Teesside University provided information to parents and
pupils on different progression routes into training and employment. Other activities
included visits to Heerema, TTE and NETA.
Last December, the first Skills Event in Tees Valley was held in the Riverside Stadium, a
hands-on event that highlighted the different routes into employment.
Visitors to the College included the Army, the Royal Navy (RN) and Marines ‘Fit for Life’
team, and RN chefs.
Meanwhile, in Year 10, pupils have the opportunity to attend taster day visits to
Hartlepool 6th Form College and Hartlepool College of FE, as well as local universities
including Teesside, Sunderland and Newcastle.

The news magazine of Manor College of Technology
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05
Spotlight
on e-safety Past masters
Acts of discovery
DISCOVER is a combination of Geography,
History, RE and Citizenship, providing an
alternative curriculum for Pascal pupils in
Years 7, 8 and 9.
It allows pupils to use investigation
and questioning skills and promotes the
development of literacy skills and higher
order thinking.
Each pupil is given regular written
assessments and a marking grid, which has
been specially designed for literacy skills.
The grid is colour coded; red for writing tasks,
green for reading tasks and blue for speaking
and listening tasks.
Pupils take pre- and post-tests for each unit
and are given progress charts to colour in.
IN early July, the College hosted its first
e-safety event for parents and guardians.
Simon Finch, an e-safety specialist
from Northern Grid for Learning (NGfL),
ran sessions throughout the day, which
covered areas such as cyber-bullying,
passwords and the consequences of
online behaviour for Further Education
and employment.
For further information, check out
www.esafety.northerngrid.org
Leisure and
Tourism reports
AFTER working tirelessly for eight months,
Year 11 Leisure and Tourism pupils
have finally completed their controlled
assessment into the facilities available at
Hartlepool Maritime Experience.
All reports are of a high standard and
many have been presented in a very
professional fashion. Pupils will soon have
the opportunity to impress employers, such
as Hayes Travel, with their findings – one
or two fortunate pupils may even earn a
place on an apprenticeship scheme.
THE History department has recently
provided pupils at Manor College with
some exciting opportunities, including
an overnight trip to London in March
for Year 11 pupils where they visited the
Science Museum. The trip was such a
success that it will run annually.
The History department will also be
running a trip to visit WWI battlefields
in November 2014 to commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the outbreak
of the war.
Meanwhile, with 107 pupils opting for
GCSE History last year, Year 10 Gifted and
Talented pupils have the opportunity to
study for an extra qualification – GCSE
Classical Civilisations.
Stage set for ‘Oliver!’
TRADITIONALLY, the next College production remains a
secret until launch day. So, it was with some excitement
that 150 eager pupils gathered in the Drama Studio on
28 th June to find out the answer.
Coincidentally, it was also Induction Day, resulting in
30 new Year 7 pupils taking part in the day’s auditions.
After showing participants a range of
props to give them the opportunity to guess
which musical had been chosen,
staff finally announced that this year’s
production is Oliver! And, if the
audition song of Consider Yourself
is anything to go by, it is set to be
another showstopper.
The production will be staged from 10 th to 12 th
December, inclusive, in Grange Hall at 7pm.
Tickets will go on sale in pupil services at the
beginning of November.
Field day in
Whitley Bay
A FIELD trip to Whitley Bay, Tyne and
Wear, gave 60 GCSE Geography pupils
the opportunity to collect primary data
for a local area study – a specific,
controlled assessment requirement – in
response to the question: Is Whitley Bay
a seaside resort in decline?
Soon after arriving, pupils began
finding out how many visitors had
travelled to Whitley Bay that day,
where they had travelled from, and
how long they were planning to stay.
However, with only four hours to collect
information, we still managed to
squeeze in time for fish and chips.
Returning to College, they began
the long process of presenting and
evaluating the data collected.
THIS has been an excellent year for pupils opting for one of the five GCSE courses
offered by the Humanities faculty. Since its introduction in 2010, GCSE Humanities,
which consists of the holistic study of History, Geography, RE, Citizenship and Sociology,
has been growing in popularity.
Many pupils have taken it in conjunction with other Humanities GCSEs. The current
Year 10 class consists of 28 highly motivated and talented individuals.
Pupils will be required to demonstrate high levels of awareness of the world around
them as they investigate case studies from pre-historic hunter-gatherers to current affairs.
In
good
faith
High five
RELIGIOUS Education at Manor College is becoming increasingly
popular. The GCSE uptake for the academic year 2013-14 is an
impressive 58 pupils.
Once again GCSE results for RE were notably high, with many
pupils achieving A*-B grades. Congratulations to last year’s Year
11 pupils on all their hard work and the very best of luck to the
incoming Year 10 pupils.

The news magazine of Manor College of Technology
06 ASPIRE
07
Congratulations Year 7
Primary pupils make a happy transition to Manor College
THE way the Year 7 pupils conducted
themselves throughout our induction period
in July was inspirational. They demonstrated
Care, Courtesy and Consideration while
making new friends.
It was fantastic to see our new pupils
getting involved with all the activities on offer
during our two induction days. They truly
received a taster of life at Manor College.
I very much look forward to supporting
these pupils and playing a part in nurturing
their success.
Well done Year 7. Here’s to being the best
attending, most punctual, well-behaved and
highest achieving year group in the school!
Mr Barron, Year Leader
The English and Maths departments have
launched an Easter and Summer School
programme. Pupils from the current Year
7 have accessed out of school learning,
aimed at building upon the excellent
progress made in class. As part of the Easter
School, pupils designed fictional holiday
resorts, creating exciting destinations,
including holidays to remote desert islands
and Candy Land. Those involved were
exceptionally proud of their achievements
and expressed the desire to attend ‘Easter
School’ the following year. To continue this,
a ‘Summer School’ for our future Year 7
pupils included an exciting programme of
school-based learning, field work and trips.
In our summer term, a selection of Gifted
and Talented English pupils from our feeder
primaries had the pleasure of spending the
day with Year 9 and 10 pupils in a session
which introduced the Year 6 pupils to higher
reading and writing skills.
The morning session saw the Year 6
pupils learning about Charles Dickens,
Shakespeare, Michael Morpurgo, poetry
and general reading skills courtesy of our
GAT English pupils. The Year 6 pupils were
actively engaged by our older Manor pupils;
there was definitely some ‘outstanding’
mentoring going on. The afternoon session
continued to demonstrate a positive
learning atmosphere.
Since 2000, Manor College of Technology has run
a Summer School for Year 6 pupils to aid their transition
into secondary school. During summer 2013, 27 pupils
attended for a week at Space to Learn. This year’s
theme was space and activities included:
l Building a 6 metre tetrahedron
l Designing and making a product to make space
travel more comfortable
l Firing rockets and air propelled rockets
l A courtroom scene to debate on the existence
of alien life
l A trip to the Life Centre at Newcastle
l Virtual Day
l Solar System Day
The activities promoted higher order thinking,
creativity, team and social skills, and having fun.

The news magazine of Manor College of Technology
08 ASPIRE
09
Design
for life
THE summer term provided our
talented Key Stage 3 pupils with a
challenge to design and make a
product that could be used by a
company for promotional purposes.
Pupils developed a wide range of
artefacts, including kites, soft toys,
novelty biscuits, pastry products and
stationery holders. The standard was
fantastic. Planning sessions allowed
pupils to model ideas and practise
techniques before making their product
independently. Winners for the best
design folder and product were awarded
prizes and the title ‘Designer of the
Year’. This experience gave the pupils a
valuable insight into how products are
manufactured in industry.
Journeys into Science
YEAR 7 pupils have shown both enthusiasm
and dedication this year in Science.
During their investigations into
alternative energy, they built some superb
model wind turbines and explored new
Science-related TV programmes and
websites. Reliving the Dark Ages, pupils
also created ‘wanted’ posters for Galileo
and Copernicus who went on the run for
being true to their science.
During the summer solstice, we tried
to watch the alignment of Mercury
and Venus, but cloud cover made this
impossible. However, for one pupil who
THE annual Primary Maths Challenge took
place on 19th April, with Year 5 pupils from
Golden Flatts, Kingsley, Fens, Rossmere,
Greatham and Grange primary schools.
The pupils were placed in small groups,
where they worked alongside Year 7
pupils from Manor. Under the guidance of
was in the West Country, clear skies
enabled her to take some amazing
photos, which she shared with other pupils
on her return.
Other activities included testing particle
theory by instantly freezing water with a
super-cooled bottle. We also studied the
impact of humans on polar bears and
enjoyed finding out about pizzly bears,
which are a cross between polar and
grizzly bears.
For our final project this year, we looked
at the technology behind the proposed
mission to land on Mars.
Mathematical whiz-kids
pupils from Year 9, each group was
given a series of number and shape
problems, for which they were awarded
points for finding the correct solution
and for teamwork.
A group of pupils from Golden Flatts
were the overall winners.
Parlez-vous Français?
Modern Language pupils excel
YEAR 7 pupils at Manor College have attracted national
interest with the quality of their French, thanks to a project
called Phonemia.
Each week pupils learn a new French phoneme and
practise their pronunciation throughout the lesson.
Observers at Manor’s MFL department have been
impressed by pupils speaking French to explain why new
words match with certain pictures and then practising
French tongue twisters.
A regional languages expert who saw Manor pupils in
action recorded them speaking and has since used the
videos at nationwide languages events.
One pupil commented: “I feel more confident now
when I speak French.”
YEAR 7 French pupils joined the first round of the North
East Modern Foreign Languages Spelling Bee competition.
The winners from each class took part in a final eliminator,
which whittled the team down to Katie Steele, Jessica
Crannage, Brynley Hudson and Liam Everett.
The regional final took place at Sunderland University,
where more than 20 schools from across the North East
were represented. Our competitors stood in front of
hundreds of people and spelled words against the clock –
in French.
Mrs Welsh commented: “Although we didn’t win, I was
very proud. Katie was our best performer with ten words
spelled correctly in one minute.”
Musical
medley
THE Music department had two successful
evenings this term.
Firstly, our Summer Concert on 4 th July
gave some of our Year 11 Music pupils the
opportunity to perform for the last time.
Emma Simpson, Natalie Henderson, Callum
Rayment and Bethany Collin all sang solos,
and Matthew Napper and Amy Wilkins
played guitar. We had two lovely duets from
Anna Llewellyn and Alex Todd in Year 10,
and Year 9 pupils Josh Wright and Lehi Reid,
and a wonderful performance of Hedwig’s
Theme by the String Group. We also had
performances by both Senior and Junior
Choirs. We finished the concert with a very
challenging arrangement from Les Misérables.
Manor’s Got Talent was also a great hit
with both pupils and parents. Our winners this
year were: Alisha Young and Olivia Crawford,
Year 7, Abbey Cowan, Siobhan Horton and
Sarah McKie, Year 8, Erin Hanson, Year 9, Demi
Apedaile, Amy Grylls and Holly Parkinson,
Year 10, and Hollie Nelson, Year 11.
A DOZEN fortunate Year 8 boys took part in ‘Languages for
Lads’ in June at Newcastle United FC’s St James Park stadium.
The annual event is organised to highlight the opportunities
that studying languages can create.
It was a fabulous day. Activities included a tour of the
stadium (with French questions), an Italian taster session,
talks from pupil ambassadors currently studying MFL at
university and, the highlight of the day for most pupils, a press
conference with a professional French footballer.
Particular thanks to Andrew Foster and his staff at the
Newcastle United Foundation and Simone Santabarbara and
his team of pupil ambassadors.

The news magazine of Manor College of Technology
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Excellence
in English
From subject ambassadors
to theatre trips, Manor
College pupils have
access to some exciting
opportunities in English
l SIXTY Year 10 pupils recently took part in a stimulating workshop with a touring theatre
company, who were staging a production of Romeo and Juliet. Afterwards, pupils
from Years 8, 9 and 10 went to Hartlepool Town Hall theatre to see a performance of
the play.
l MISS Clark and her ‘GAT army’ have produced some impressive work with our
partner primaries, and in the advertising videos produced with the assistance of
Mr Hindhaugh.
l OUR new ‘English Ambassador’, Mr Donkin, has begun working with pupils who have
struggled to meet their target grades in English.
l IN July, pupils and staff embarked on the annual trip to London, where they were
privileged to see the multi-award winning War Horse at the National Theatre, and to
visit the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio.
l WE are confident that our new English curriculum for Years 7, 8 and 9, which was
launched this term, will help to drive standards of teaching and learning even higher.
Commercially minded
TWENTY-SEVEN Gifted and Talented
English Year 7 pupils have given the
contestants of The Apprentice a run
for their money! As part of the English
GAT army, the pupils embarked
enthusiastically upon their Product and
Advert Mission, which involved creating
a product with a unique selling point for a
particular target audience.
Summer
of fun
The pupils worked diligently,
independently and innovatively to create
amusing TV advertisements using green
screen technology. They presented their
products and adverts to fellow pupils,
parents and teachers.
We’re eager to see what these talented
individuals can achieve in their second
year of English GAT army.
IN July, 76 pupils enjoyed a
four-day summer camp at Moore
House Centre. We’re proud to
note that centre staff commented
on how friendly, positive and
willing everyone was.
Pupils were split into groups
and took part in team challenges,
climbing, tomahawk throwing,
abseiling, kayaking, mountain
biking and survival skills. This
encouraged massive amounts
of teamwork. Pupils were placed
into ‘unfamiliar comfort zones’
and responded well to different
heights, water and ‘nightline’
activities. It was clear that each
pupil developed as a person over
the four days.
Manor goes
to Paris
YEAR 9 pupils visited Paris in July. Saturday
was spent cramming in all the sights
including a visit up the Montparnasse
Tower to enjoy fantastic views. Pupils also
saw the Eiffel Tower, enjoyed a relaxing
boat ride on the River Seine and visited
the Champs Elysee and Arc de Triomphe.
Finally, they visited Montmartre and the
beautiful 19th century Sacre Coeur church
before taking a trip to Disneyland.
State of
the
School of Dreams
THIS year, Year 10 pupils were given
the opportunity to attend our first Art
Summer School. Exploring the theme
of ‘Old Hartlepool’, they worked
alongside practising artists in a medium
of their choice.
In early July, pupils spent a day on
the Headland collecting primary source
material by sketching and taking
photographs. They focused on structural
MANOR College is excited to announce that it has recently become a
host school for Honda’s prestigious School of Dreams programme. The
college, together with two primary partners, is going to take part in a
two-day programme of events in November.
These activities have been designed to inspire and motivate children
to make a positive difference in their local community. There will be
more information about the Honda School of Dreams in our next issue.
images: St Hilda’s church, street lamps,
carvings on buildings and statues. They
also looked at rocks, seaweed, driftwood
and wildlife.
Afterwards, they worked in either: clay,
to produce ceramic vases and pitchers;
acrylic paint, to produce a montage
of Headland images; or mixed media/
textiles, to explore found surface textures.
There will be an exhibition in October.
Tree of Knowledge
TREE of Knowledge is a programme that Year 10 and 11
pupils and staff will be taking part in to raise aspirations,
achievement and the motivation to succeed.
In July two highly engaging presenters worked with
the pupils to look at how an understanding of comfort
and stretch zones, positive thinking and visualisation
can lead to greater success in examinations. They did
this through a stimulating mix of presentations and
challenges for the pupils.
Tree of Knowledge will return to Manor in October
to work with Year 11 pupils and staff.

ASPIRE
Manor College of Technology
Owton Manor Lane, Hartlepool TS25 3PS
Tel: 01429 288338
Email: info@manorcollege.org.uk
Website: www.manorcollege.org.uk
Annual
Sports
Awards
ON 18 th July, Manor’s PE department
hosted the College’s Annual Sports
Awards, in celebration of one of the
greatest sporting years the school
has enjoyed.
The event showcased the
achievements of our pupils at district,
county, regional and national level
across a wide range of sports, including
gymnastics, table tennis, swimming,
karate, basketball, cricket and golf.
The event, in its fourth year, was
linked to the legacy of the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games,
and we were pleased to welcome
rugby player Katy Storie as our guest
of honour.
This year’s Sports Personality, Connor
Allen, received his award from last
year’s winner, Jade Walton. The other
nominees for this prestigious accolade
were Cameron Wallace, Emily
Attwood, Keaton Bentham and
Luke Wallace.
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