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Specialising in Humanities
Open evening success:
The humanities corridor was
full of students at our recent
Year 6 open evening. The
pictures show what is was like
before the students arrived as
teachers waited in
anticipation.
Highlights of the evening included a ‘how tall are you
compared to famous historical figures’, meanwhile in
Geography map skills and
local connections were
investigated. In Religious
Studies some balloon based
investigation took place with
students ‘bursting’ with
excitement at the thought of
coming to Abbeywood.
STAR STUDENT– Will Adjei 8R
Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work and effort so
far this term!
Love & Marriage!
Our GCSE Religious Studies topic of Relationships is raising a few
eyebrows again as students look at a range of issues to do with
relationships such as contraception, marriage and sex. A whole
host of questions always arise around such issues but as always
our students respond with brilliant maturity and excellent
engagement. If students do have any questions then please feel
free to direct them to their teacher who will do their best to
answer their queries!
Quote of the week:
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is
blind” Albert Einstein
Mr Ivey
Tell us about yourself:
My name is Tom Ivey and I am the Head of Humanities
which involves working with the wonderful students and
staff who go to lessons in History, Geography, Religious
Studies, Sociology, Business Studies, Psychology, Law and
Financial Studies. I am also a teacher of History to
students in Years 7 to 11.
Why did you want to be a teacher?
I had a really positive experience when I was at school,
particularly at Sixth Form. I was fortunate enough to be
given the responsibility of being Head Boy. Family and
friends often said “you should become a teacher” and so I
gave it a go and loved it. I also had a couple of
inspirational teachers who made me want to be like them
– a brilliant English teacher and a superb History teacher.
What is the best bit of working at ACS?
The people. I work with some amazing people who
provide a mixture of professionalism and jollity that makes
coming to work so enjoyable. More than this though it is
the students. Being thanked at the end of a lesson is still
one of the best feelings I have experienced. Watching a
student finally “get it” is up there too!
What is your favourite period of history and why?
That is a tough one as there are so many to choose
from! My favourite period to teach about is the Middle
Ages because it was such an important period that shaped
the country and world we live in today. My favourite
period to learn about is the second half of the 20th
Century, in particular the Cold War. I am going to be
teaching about this at GCSE next year and I am really
enjoying finding out about all the political and military
conflicts that shaped the period.
Favourite film
It does depend on my mood but I can watch The
Shawshank Redemption again and again and again!
Favourite book
I am not a massive reader of books (I can read, I promise)
but prefer newspapers and current affairs. However, one
book that has “stuck with me” was The Secret History by
Donna Tartt.
Something we may not know
I support Arsenal. My favourite colour is pink. I love
stationary, in particular coloured biros. My favourite thing
that happens in my classroom is when all the students put
their bags in the cubby holes, without being asked! I play
football (centre midfield). I think one of the best and
easiest things you can do is smile and say hello. And I like
crisps.
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