Warbler, Issue 12 February 2019

W
Wilnecote
Warbler
Issue 12, February 2019
Tinkers Green Rd
Wilnecote
Tamworth
Staffs
Beauty
Beast
Disney’s
and the
2019
01827 831300
wilnecoteschool
thewilnecoteschool

Welcome
The first half term of this calendar year has thrown us some interesting weather
for the time of year and it has been wonderful to see so many of our students
availing themselves of food and refreshments from our new outdoor food pod and
being able to enjoy consuming it in the sunshine. The pod is only one aspect of the
improvements we have made to our catering provision. Thank you to all our parents,
carers and students who continue to manage our cashless system so effectively and
to our students for supporting the new menus and systems we have put in place. We
will continue to develop this element of our provision as we have s strong belief in the
value of healthy eating during a social lunchtime. Several research studies have shown a strong correlation between
social interaction over food and health and well-being. Put simply, sharing mealtimes is good for your mental health.
Whether it be through sharing experiences with family and friends, winding down in company or just having someone
to talk to, mealtimes provide an opportunity to set aside a specific time of the day to socialise, relax and improve our
mental health. There are three key areas in which the provision of time to eat healthily, relax and share the experience
together can have a beneficial impact:
Psychological - Regular mealtimes which are shared provide a sense of rhythm and regularity in people’s lives.
They offer a sense of containment and familiarity, and can evoke deep feelings of contentment and security. Humans
need structure and routine. Mealtimes offer people the opportunity to stop, to stand still psychologically, to reflect
on their day and days ahead, and to listen to and interact with others. Mealtimes are also a grounding opportunity, a
time when anxieties can be expressed and you can be listened to.
Social - Sharing meals helps to develop social skills in children. Children learn from behaviour modelled by parents,
older siblings, teachers and peers. Mealtimes provide an opportunity where children and adolescents can learn to
listen and learn how to interact in conversation. The ritual of the shared meal continuously reinforces individual
identity. Qualities such as empathy and understanding can be developed as views and perspectives other than one’s
own can be discussed. Importantly, shared mealtimes make people feel connected to others.
Biological - Regular mealtimes are good biologically. They provide rhythm and make us stop and focus on eating in
upright chairs which improves digestion. The act of talking and listening also slows down the eating process. Healthy
eating is more likely to take place in sociable environments where people may come into contact with a healthier
group ethos. It has been proven that eating meals with others enhances dietary variety and nutrient intake.
I should point out that the main impetus for the changes to our catering provision has been our student body. Our
Junior Leadership Team worked tirelessly to obtain feedback and the student voice they collected was instrumental in
brokering a new contract with our catering providers. They went to visit other schools, researched possible solutions
and shared the hard task of taste-testing the goods! I would like to thank them for their efforts (particularly with
the range of cakes!) and congratulate them on the difference they have made to this important aspect of life at The
Wilnecote School.
Music Department
Here in the Music Department students in both Years 9 and 10 who started their GCSE journey in September, are
busy preparing themselves for their first Live Lounge concert at the end of term. Performance is a large part of the
GCSE music syllabus so students need as much practice as possible performing in front of an audience. Many of
our students are already regular performers in concerts and productions but not all, so to help with this and to offer
opportunities to gain confidence with performance techniques various Live Lounge concerts will be held over the
year. Parents of students taking GCSE music have been offered the chance to make up a small audience enabling
students to perform their pieces and share their progress on the course so far.
Again this year the number of students taking part in extra-curricular music tuition has increased, particular favourites
include Guitar and Vocal lessons.
It’s never too late for students to learn an instrument and The Wilnecote School is in the privileged position to be
able to offer lessons on all orchestral instruments – Brass, Woodwind, Percussion and Strings, in addition keyboard,
guitar and vocal lessons are still available. If you would like more information on the instrument lessons we offer as
well as details of the costs involved please see the music section on the school website or contact Mr Hyden, Head
of Music.

Welcome Mrs Ager
Just before Christmas Mrs Ager became Grazier’s new Head of House.
We sent Louise Griffiths to find out more about her new position
How has your new position as Head of House been?
Busy. I was prepared for it to be busy but I didn’t realise just how much students rely on
the pastoral team, there’s something every minute of the day I’m doing.
Why did you want to become a Head of House?
I had a pretty rough time at school. My dad died when I was fourteen and I felt that school
didn’t help with anything to do with that. Then when I was an adult and my sister was a
teenager my mum died and she had a hard time at school as well. I just thought that I care
a lot about the students and my main driving force as a teacher is to make a difference.
What was the process like to become a Head of House?
The main things were an interview and letter. The competition was difficult as there were
some really good teachers but this is something I’ve wanted to do for the last six years of my career so I felt very able to talk
about it.
What was your reaction when you found out you got the position?
I was confused and thought Mr Adams told me I hadn’t got it. I was shocked as the field of competition was so strong but I was
also very happy.
What have you done so far as Head of House?
Dealt with conflict between students, been involved in the first Student Voice meeting of the year and spent time working with
the other Heads of House, Mr Adams and Mrs Hill.
Do you and the other Heads of Houses work well together?
Yes, they’ve both been so supportive and answered all my questions.
Why do you think that it’s important that we have a Head of House?
I think that everyone has an issue every day of the week but some kids they find it really hard to deal with so by having an adult
there to talk to and be their safety net they feel better
What do you hope to achieve as Head of House?
I really want there to be a deeper sense of team within Grazier. I’m a big Harry Potter fan and I love that when they go into school
they get picked by the sorting hat based upon their qualities as a person. However I’m not magic so I can’t create a sorting hat
but I’d like people who come into my house to have certain qualities by the time they leave. But I’m not going to define these
qualities as I want the house to come up with them.
What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Daft, committed and passionate
Do you have any hidden talents?
I’m pretty good a Monopoly and I’m into obstacle course racing.
Do you have any hobbies?
Exercise and training for obstacle course racing. I also love to read.
Favourite book you’ve read in the past year?
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
Who or what inspires you?
Other working mums. I always thought that I’d be a mum who would have kids and carry on working but it’s not been that way. I
had my son and I didn’t want to work anymore so I became part time but it’s only been over the past three years where I’ve felt I
can balance being a mum and working. Also a teacher from my old school Mr Williams who was the Deputy Head for behaviour. He
inspired me and was very nice but also well respected and fair. Career wise he’s the kind of person I want to be like.
If you could spend one day in someone else’s shoes who would it be and why?
Will Smiths wife because I love Will Smith.
If your life was a novel, what would the title be?
The girl who never gave up.
If you could relive one day of your life what day would it be?
The birth of my son because it changed me into the person I am now.
What advice would you give to yourself ten years ago?
It’s going to be hard but whatever you do keep working at it because you’re going to get there.

It’s been a
good month
for:
Migraine Sufferers
A team at the University Hospital of
Amiens-Picardie in France has found
that regular Botox injections lessen
the regularity of migraines by an
average of 1.6 attacks per month in
chronic sufferers.
Teenage Technophiles
Using smartphones, tablets and
games consoles is no more harmful
to youngsters’ mental wellbeing
than eating potatoes, researchers at
the University of Oxford have found.
A study of 300,000 teens showed
that only 0.4% of adult wellbeing is
related to screen use.
Its’ been a
bad month
for:
People who live in flats.
Living in a house with no shared
walls may help protect you from
heart disease, says a team at the
University of Essex. A study of
10,000 people found those living in
detached houses had half the level
of C-reactive protein – a chemical
linked to angina, heart attacks and
strokes – of those living in flats.
Pianists
Engineers at the University of
Cambridge have created a 3Dprinted
robot hand that’s capable of
playing the piano in different styles.
In Numbers
8cm/s
The record speed of a
tawny nurse shark
foetus as it swam from
one uterus to another
(sharks have two
uteruses)
6
The age in months that
babies need to be
before they can
recognise faces in
profile view
Calculators – Please remember that all Y9, Y10 and Y11 students are expected to bring a scientific calculator
to all science lessons. If they don’t, they will be issued with a half hour detention for lack of equipment.
Something worth going to see – As well as been a famous artist, Leonardo da Vinci also contributed
hugely to the worlds of science and engineering. His anatomical drawings were astonishingly accurate considering
the microscope had not been invented when he did them. You can go and see some of his work for free at the
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Derby Museum and Art Gallery until 6 th May.
Y11 Revision – We have now started our revision program with Y11, which will run up to the start of the
exams. We have posted a detailed copy of the schedule on Doddle. This provides the students with a detailed route
through their revision. Revision support is every Thursday after school for any students who wish to come along.
A handy revision website – If you’re struggling to learn all the physics equations try this site for size.
The app can be found in the Apple Store and Google Play so its great for getting on a phone or tablet. The site is
called 23Equations.com and its FREE!

Focus on Careers
We would like to introduce a new feature to The Warbler which is The Wilnecote School Careers
Programme. We are committed to offering all students, from Year’s 7 to 11, any support that
they might require in terms of preparing young people for the choices and transitions in
education, training and employment.
Mrs Abbott
Head of Careers
Mr Handford
Head of Careers
Mrs Talbot
Careers and Work Related
Learning Support
Since starting their roles in January Miss Abbott and Mr Handford have been busy finalising
the programme for the next few months. Some of the key events and activities are as follows:
National Careers Week
this runs between March 4th – 8th with activities taking place during tutor time throughout the week.
National Citizen Service (NCS)
We are a ‘champion school’ due to the number of students who have participated over the last few years! Earlier in
February Year 11 students received an assembly from NCS about the programme. All Year 11’s are now able to sign
up and book on to NCS for this summer. More information is available at www.ncsyes.co.uk
Year 10 Mock Interview Day
This takes place on Thursday 11th April, where the school welcomes local business and other key people to interview
our students. Every student will be interviewed, with interviews expected to last 30 minutes each. Each student will
require a CV and covering letter in order to help them with the day.
Year 10 Work Experience
This takes place between Monday 8th and Friday 12th of July 2019. Booklets need to be completed and returned
as soon as possible. For more information go to the school website or log into www.workexperiencesupport.co.uk

Beauty
Beast
Disney’s
and the
2019
After months of rehearsal The Wilnecote School’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast took
place just prior to half term. For three nights audiences were wowed by a talented group of students
from across years 7-11.
The production was based on the Broadway/West End version of the show which meant students
were performing all the songs and script that were originally performed by professional actors and
musicians.
As ever there were last minute panics including a poorly Mrs Potts for our opening night. However,
the true professional team spirit resulted in an impromptu appearance by Miss Julius as well as
additional songs and lines given to other cast members and it all gelled perfectly. Thank you to
everyone who came along and supported the production, BUT most importantly a huge ‘thank you’
to our talented cast and production team who worked tremendously hard to put this performance
together.
We asked Louise Griffiths to review the show for the Warbler.
2019 saw the return of Wilnecote’s musicals. After two years
Wilnecote took on a tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast.
The show sold out three nights seeing laughter and joy from the
audience.
Auditions took place in September and rehearsals began in October.
For five months the cast rehearsed after school for three hours every
week. Matthew White (Year 9) who played Lumiere said “I enjoyed
working with friends”. After Christmas they started their late night
rehearsals on Friday nights and all day Saturday rehearsals to get
some extra practice before opening night. These rehearsals are the
time when the show really comes together and the cast get to start
using the set and wearing their costumes. Jess Cooper (Year 9) who
played Mrs Potts said that the rehearsals were “really fun, I also love
being able to spend time with people from other year groups”. On
the 9th February the cast did their first tech run. This is when the
final lighting, sound and staging is sorted out and gives them a real
feel of what performing the show will be like. This also gave the tech
team a chance to take photos and videos of the performance.

On Monday 11th February the cast did two dress rehearsals to local
Primary Schools. This was the first time the cast performed in front
of an audience and it was received well as the children really enjoyed
it. Erin Shingler (Year 10) who played Belle said “Performing the show
was such an amazing experience” and “I really enjoy the buzz you
get from performing, there’s really nothing like it”.
Erin played one of the twins in Lord of the Flies last year but this
year she took the lead and beautifully portrayed Belle’s charm
and kindness. “I was so excited to have a main part in the show”
commented Erin.
The Beast was played by Ben Ryan who is in Year 9. This was Ben’s
first school show but he’s taken part in several Music Concerts and
attends Stage It Performing Arts Academy outside of school. Ben
did an amazing job playing the beast and ending the first act with his
emotional solo ‘If I Can’t Love Her’. Ben said “It was an overwhelming
and exciting experience and I was so pleased to be given a main role
in my first school show”
Gaston was played by Sam Martin who is in Year 9. Sam has been
in every school show since he joined the school in Year 7. Last year
he played the other twin in Lord of the Flies and he also performs
in other school events and outside of school. Sam did a hilarious
and excellent job of playing Gaston and showing his evilness. Sam
said “My favourite thing about being in the show is that it allows
students from different years to work together on something fun”
The rest of the lead cast included Jack Ryan (Year 8) as Lefou, Rosie
Reeves (Year 8) as Cogsworth, Matthew White (Year 9) as Lumiere,
Lewis Newton (Year 11) as Belle’s dad Maurice, Jess Cooper (Year
9) as Mrs Potts and Chloe Dore (Year 7) as Chip. This was backed
by an amazing Ensemble who supported the leads throughout the
whole show.
The set design really brought the show to life and included all
aspects of the show. Such as Belle’s cottage, the Beast’s castle
and the woods. Throughout the show projections were used to
enhance the set and the sound effects complimented this. The
costumes were very similar to the films and stage production’s and
really embodied the characters in their iconic outfits.
Highlights from the show included the opening number ‘Belle’,
‘Gaston’ performed by Gaston, Lefou and the Ensemble, the show
stopping ‘Be Our Guest’ which was performed by Lumiere, Mrs Potts
and the Ensemble, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ by Mrs Potts and ‘Beauty
and the Beast reprise’ by the whole Company.
The whole cast are so talented and brought down the house three
nights in a row. It was charming, joyful and above all entertaining.
Lewis Newton (Year 11) who played Maurice said “The show was
such an amazing, and great experience. We all worked together so
well and it felt as if the cast was a second family!”

Library Information
Wilnecote Community Managed Library is located on The Wilnecote School site. The facility provides a library service
to the students and staff of the school as well as the communities of Wilnecote, Tamworth and surrounding areas.
The Library has an amazing selection of resources available and is kept well stocked with non-fiction books and
children’s, young adult and adult fiction. There are also Audio Books and books in large print as well as a careers area
with up to date careers information and prospectuses.
We have 11 desktop computers which can be used by students or adults during public library times.
Students can use the facilities before school and after school. When the Library is open to the public and during
school holidays students must use the external entrance adjacent to the staff car park to enter. Students are
encouraged to use the library to choose and change books, for research, to complete homework or just to sit and
read. We also have a selection of jigsaw puzzles and educational games.
DESIGN A NATIONAL BOOK TOKEN COMPETITION 2019
You & our school could win HUNDREDS of pounds worth of books with the fantastic National Book Tokens DESIGN A
BOOK TOKEN competition.
One lucky winner’s design will be made into a real-life National Book Tokens gift card, to be distributed across
bookshops nationwide in time for Christmas! There are National Book Tokens galore to be won too – just imagine all
those beautiful new books for you and our school’s bookshelves…
To take part students simply have to design a National Book Token with the theme of Share a Story. A panel of judges
will select a winner and runner-up in each of three age categories: up to 8 years, 9-12 years and 13-16 years
Collect the design template
from the Library & return by
Monday 1st April.
2018’s winning design 2017’s winning design
FIRST PRIZE in each age range wins:
* £250 National Book Tokens for the school
* £100 National Book Tokens for the child
SECOND PRIZE in each age range wins:
* £150 National Book Tokens for the school
* £50 National Book Tokens for the child
School * £100 Library National opening Book times Tokens for the library
* £50 National Book Tokens for the library
Monday
0800 – 0900
1200 – 14.15
Tuesday
0800 - 1600
Wednesday
0800 – 0900
1200 – 14.15
CLASSICS to COMICS
0800 - 1500
Thursday
0800 - 1400
Friday
Public Library opening times
Monday
0900 – 1200
14.15 - 1700
Closed
Tuesday
0900 – 1200
Wednesday
14.15 - 1900
1500 - 1800
Thursday
1415 - 1900
Friday
0930 - 1300
Saturday
School Library opening times
Monday
0800 – 0900
1200 – 14.15
Tuesday
0800 - 1600
Wednesday
0800 – 0900
1200 – 14.15
Thursday
0800 - 1500
Friday
0800 - 1400
Celebrate World Book Day and
summarise a well-known story into a
comic format!
To take part and be in with chance of
winning a prize collect a design template
from the Library and retell a classic tale
in comic book style.
The closing date is Friday 15th March
and entrees will be judged by the Art
Department.

Book Reviews
Title: The Ice Monster
Author: David Walliams
Book review by: Isabelle Windsor
What is the book about?
Rating (out of 5 stars)
This book is about an orphan called Elsie who lives in the streets of
London. One day, a woolly mammoth is revealed in the ice found in
the North Pole. As it was 10,000 years old, it was obviously dead
and so Elsie and a professor bought it back to life, then…
…what a daring journey they had to take to get Wooly back home. It
turned out that millions of mammoths lived in the North Pole!
My Opinion:
Brilliant! I enjoyed this story very much. It’s an amazing story to
read if you are fond of animals. My favourite character in the book
has to be Wooly the mammoth.
Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Author: Patrick Ness
Book review by: Miss Bradshaw
What is the book about?
Rating (out of 5 stars)
Imagine you’re the only boy in a town of men. You can hear everything
they think. They can also hear everything you think. Imagine you
don’t fit in with their plans…
Todd Hewitt is just one month away from the birthday that will
make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him.
Secrets that are going to force him to run…
My Opinion:
Fantastic! A really gripping read with lots of twists and turns to keep
the reader interested. I love the characters and the development
of the story.
My favourite part is the mind reading. I love that there are no
secrets yet Todd has to try and keep one.
I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series.
New Revision Area
Come and see our brand new revision area which is stocked with the latest GCSE revision
guides and past exam papers. The Library offers a calm, quiet space for revision and we
highly recommend that our students make use of this space and the resources.

Pastoral
The new year bought plenty of changes to the pastoral team in school with the biggest changes happening in
Grazier house. Mrs Ager is the new Head of House and Mr Farrell is now the form tutor for CG10. Mr Herbert and Mr
Simpson remain in their roles as Head of House for McGregor and Peel. Mrs S Taylor retired from her role as Pastoral
House Manager for Grazier and we wish her well in her new adventures. Mrs Cook and Miss Jordan continue as key
members of the pastoral team, providing invaluable support to the students and Heads of House. Mrs Hill has also
joined the team as Director of Student Standards which is an exciting new part of the pastoral structure and her
role was outlined in a letter we recently sent home. We all work together alongside Mr Adams to ensure a safe and
supportive environment for all Wilnecote students and their families. You can contact any member of the pastoral
team, including the form tutor of individual students, via email using the Contact Us section on the school website.
Attendance at the Wilnecote School is continually improving and we continue to aim for a minimum of 96% or above.
Whole school attendance up to the February half term break is 94.3 %
Which house will finish with the
highest attendance percentage
at the end of this academic year?
You can help your house by simply
coming to school each day and
the current statistics are close
enough that any house can still
win overall.
So many of our students continue
to attend school every day,
arrive on time and make the
right decisions in terms of their
conduct, effort and contribution
to the school community and
for that we would like to say
well done. We look forward to
welcoming so many students to
the end of term rewards before
we break up for Easter in April.
Mr Adams, Mrs Hill, Mr Simpson, Mr Herbert, Mrs Ager,
Miss Jordan and Mrs Cook
Mrs Ager is running
The London Marathon
If completing a Wolf Run last year wasn’t enough, now Mrs Ager has set
herself a new challenge. She has a place in the London Marathon, on Sunday
28th April where she will run 26.2 miles. A distance she has never ran before.
Mrs Ager has been in training since September to ensure that she can cover
the distance and has also committed to raising a minimum of £2000 for her
chosen charity, Kidney Care UK. This is a charity close to her heart as her dad
suffered from kidney failure all his life and her family relied heavily on support
from the charity. Mrs Ager now feels it is her turn to give back and support
the charity that helped her family so much. You can read her full story on her
Just Giving page
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sammie-does-a-marathon

Sportshall Athletics District Competition
As soon as the Christmas decorations are put away our Sportshall athletic teams restart their healthy balanced diets
and return to training on a Wednesday night knowing that the District Championship title is up for grabs once again.
This year’s boys event saw the closest competition amongst the schools with the Year 8 boys missing out on the title
by a handful of points, whilst the Year 7 boys were victorious and enjoyed a nail biting win over the other Tamworth
Secondary Schools.
Year 8 girls are the reigning County Champions so had a lot to prove in their competition. The whole squad were focused
on maximising their performances to make it through as the District Champions once again and onto the County Finals
to retain their title and silverware. They didn’t need to worry …. they smashed it, beating the next highest scoring school
by almost 20pts!
The Year 7 girls followed in their fast footsteps, with all of the squad performing to their maximium they won the District
title and with that to become the third Tamworth Sportshall athletics team to come from The Wilnecote School. A huge
well done to all members of the Sportshall Squads – this is a really impressive accomplishment.