SS News - CTC Kingshurst Academy

INSIDEOUT ISSUE
23
CTC KINGSHURST ACADEMY’S OFFICIAL TERMLY MAGAZINE
December 2009
In this issue: The Senior Citizen’s Xmas Dinner, A Health & Social Care Focussed Alumni, Zambia 2009, Community Links and much more...
TwentyTwenty rock the CTC!
On Thursday 26th November,
the CTC was lucky enough to be
visited by the up and coming
band ‘Twenty Twenty’. Twenty
Twenty (aka Sam, Jack & Sonny)
are a three piece rock band who
played two performances for us,
one for lower school and one for
upper school.
The band are touring the country
Young volunteer coach leads
session with England legend
Ray Clemence
Message from Ann Jones, Principal
at the moment and they will
be performing at Birmingham
O2 Academy 2 on 26th January
2010.
The band had a question and
answer session with each
audience and they really liked
the response they had from the
students. Sam (lead vocalist
and guitarist) said that he was
Post 16 International
Baccalaureate student James
Devesey has made a massive
impact in grass roots sport. Here
he highlights his remarkable
achievement:
I was nominated for an award
from the F.A. for my volunteering
work. The venue was the N.E.C.
Grassroots show and was
presented by F.A. officials and
football celebrities Chris Kamara
and Steve Claridge.
impressed with the students’
behaviour and that he would
love to come back and visit the
CTC again next year. The students
who attended had a fantastic
time and they all left with a smile
on their faces and a signed flyer
from the band.
Students from 7 Hewson were
thrilled with the visit:
My Award was called the football
workforce and i was presented
my award for doing over 300
hours of volunteering in football
which i am extremely proud of,
the Award was in the category of
open age, which made it a better
achievement for me.
I also received recognition for
getting through to the 100
sports leaders that go on a week
long national course run by the
F.A. that takes place at Warwick
“Even though I was at school, I
felt like I was at a real concert!”
Charlie Nicholls.
“I really enjoyed TwentyTwenty
coming into CTC. At first I
didn’t know who they were but
then they started playing and
they were brilliant! You rock
TwentyTwenty!”
Marshall Givens
“I have never seen a proper
band play before. I also got an
autograph!”
Kieran Green
“It was one of the best
experiences of my life because
I got to see a real performance
from a real band which I have
never seen before”
Jordan Adelana
University along with my two
friends that work with Street
Games.
According to Principal, Ann
Jones, “Volunteering and
putting something back into
the community is extremely
important to us. James is a
superb example of a young man
whose enthusiasm and work
ethic is helping provide young
people with more opportunities
in their leisure time.”
This is another first rate edition of “Inside Out” which is packed with articles highlighting the successes of students and staff over the past few months. Special thanks to everyone who was involved in organising
our seventh Christmas dinner for over 170 senior citizens – a thoroughly enjoyable event and a tremendous achievement on everyone’s part. Our sports teams go from strength to strength, as do our performing
artists who have not stopped providing excellent dance, drama and music for a wide range of events over the course of the term. Our Carol Service at St Phillip’s Cathedral in Birmingham was one of our most
impressive in recent years and saw over one hundred and fifty students and staff performing together.
Sincere thanks to Lee Fletcher, Editor of “Inside Out”, ably assisted by Ian Sullivan, for producing yet another outstanding newsletter. As we come to the end of a very busy term I would like to wish you all a very
happy Christmas and a peaceful and positive 2010.

Aachen 2009
On Thursday 26th November,
36 students and 4 members of
staff took a trip to the Christmas
Market in Aachen, Germany. After
a long and noisy coach ride and
a rough ferry trip overnight, we
arrived on Saturday morning,
grumpy, tired and rather hungry!
We then had a short walk to the
centre of Aachen.
Aachen is a typical Medieval
German town, with cobbled
streets, traditional buildings like
the town hall and a lot of hills!
The market took over the town’s
main square and sold Christmas
ornaments, candles, glasses,
clothes, jewellery and loads of
typical German foods. While
we were there, we had a much
needed breakfast of bread rolls,
croissants and hot chocolate.
We visited the cathedral, the
chocolate shop, the old town
centre and the market. After an
eleven hour stretch of the legs,
we got back on the coach on our
way back to sunny Birmingham.
Our fondest memories are:
• the miserable woman in the
German toilet (you have to
pay to use public toilets in
Germany)
• Mr Bowker singing (badly),
while we waited for the ferry
• attempting to speak
German
• getting warm in Starbucks,
who must have made a
fortune out of us that day!
• losing sweets in Ryan ‘tree’
Williams’ hair.
It’s definitely one to do again.
Bring on Germany 2010!
By: Holly Atkin, Stacey
Combellack, Olivia McIlraith, Matt
Dagnall, Steve Hannaford, James
Malley
2 InsideOut December 2009
Curriculum Day
Similar to Performing Arts, this
years curriculum day was also a
massive success with students
enjoying every minute.
Curriculum Day co-ordinator
Mrs Hewson said “This year we
experienced one of the most
succesful curriculm days to date,
there was a vast array of activities
available for students to enjoy,
these include bollywood dancing
through to forensic science.”
Bollywood Dancing
“I personally think it is good
because it is different and fun.
It is also creative so it should
or could be an enrichment
or an after school activity. In
conclusion I think this is a good
activity. Daniel Mitchell-Oram (7
Payne)
Year 10 Health and Social
Care
For year 10 Health and Social
Care, we had a day to learn more
about the Early Years service.
We had to pretend we were
working for the local council &
had as much money to spend on
a nursery as we liked. We had to
focus on all areas of this subject
from the layout of the building to
the daily routine of the children.
We also looked at what the
children would be playing with,
and during this we had a short
time to play with some toys.
We had a chance to see if the
toys were educational & safe for
the age range of children our
nursery would be looking after.
We presented our findings to the
class at the end of the day. We
found the day really useful and it
will benefit us for Health & Social
Care in the future.
Darriane Rhodes
& Sian Davis (10 Jaggers)
Aboriginal Art
Today in the Aboriginal
Art session we looked at
Aboriginal Art from Australia
and particularly the way they
use dots within their work. We
worked on a boomerang shape
and had to paint an image based
on the work of Aborigine artists.
We could include an Australian
animal within our work such as
a kangaroo or a Koala bear and
we used a cotton bud and thick
runny coloured paints in red,
yellow, green, blue and black
to apply our design onto the
boomerang. Jodie McDonough
and Drew Wilson (7 Cornelius)
Meditation
When we entered the room we
were told to take off our shoes.
We put them in the corner with
our bags and sat in the middle
of the floor. Incense sticks filled
the room with a relaxing smell
and peaceful atmosphere. We sat
with our legs crossed, eyes closed
and listened to the sound of our
breathing. Miss Thomason told
us to imagine we were sitting
by a stream under a tree. We all
felt relaxed and peaceful as if we
were asleep. Another meditation
involved us imagining we were
in the woods which was covered
with flowers. We could imagine
any animals we wanted. We were
very relaxed. When the activity
was over we all said how much
we enjoyed it and would like
to do it again. Abbie Lenihan (7
Parfitt)
On Curriculum Day we did
Meditation. We took off our shoes
as we went into the classroom.
There was insence sticks burning
and a large candle. The room felt
very cosy and relaxing. We had to
close our eyes and listen to our
heart beating and our breaths.
We were then asked to imagine
a place with trees and creatures.
We still had to keep our eyes
closed, and then we were told
to imagine being near to a river,
and icy water was running over
our feet. It felt very realistic, like
we were actually there! When we
opened our eyes everyone felt
at ease and relaxed. Everyone
wanted to have another go
because we enjoyed it so much!
Ellie Dudley (7 Parfitt)
As well as being Curriculum
Day, it was also Remembrance
Day. The Academy impeccably
observed the two minute
silence at 11am. Well done to all
involved.

ASDAN Dream Team Experience
The ASDAN course continues
to offer students fantastic
opportunities for personal
development. Here Jodi Douglas
10 Askari describes an exciting
project she has undertaken as
part of her course.
On the ASDAN course we were
invited to go on a canal boat trip
and experience what it is like to
be a resident on the canal. We
started from Braunston Junction
by Rugby and finished at the
south of Braunston junction
This trip was part of one of our
modules called working with
others.
We had the experience of
working the locks on the canal
and it was hard work!
This experience was great and
enjoyable. We now appreciate
how hard it is for the residents of
the canals and how hard it would
have been to work on the canals.
On this trip we also learned that
we need to work together and
not leave it down to one person.
We also noticed that Mr. Walton
purposefully soaked his feet in
the canal but he didn’t know we
saw him; this was him breaking
the rules!
During this experience we all
learnt a lot and we would do this
trip again. But the best thing is
that Mr Walton bought all the ice
creams!
Proud ASDAN co-ordinator Tom
Collin said, “The students were
all fantastic ambassadors for the
college and learnt a great deal
about working with each other
and respecting the environment
they were in.
My favourite part was beating all
of the students at Go-karting.”
Year 13 Geography Field Trip
On the 9th October twenty
budding young geography
students arrived at college, laden
with around 100 bags, ready for
a weekend trip to Llanberis in
Wales. The group went to Wales
to obtain data for IB geography
coursework via soil samples
from the sand dunes and various
other tests to see whether the
soil quality increased the further
inland we went.
On arriving at the campsite the
sun had officially set, the rain
was pouring and the wind was
horrendous; nevertheless after
only a small time, all of the tents
were put up securely and spirits
stayed high within the group.
When everyone had sorted their
pitch the idea of going into
Llanberis for fish and chips was
too good to pass up on, so all of
the students boarded the minibusses
and headed off into town,
praying that the tents would stay
up!
After a long night of the
elements attacking the tents and
for some of us a very late arrival
from one of the students (Holly)
who had better things to do with
their Friday night, we all awoke
neither bright eyed or bushy
tailed and followed Bruce and
Emma’s lead to the local café for
a big breakfast a cup of steaming
hot tea to start the day.
Once the group was re-fuelled
we set off to the Isle of Anglesey
to obtain our coursework data.
After Bruce had run through the
necessary techniques to get our
data we set off in small groups
and completed the fieldwork
quickly and efficiently.
When the fieldwork was
collected we visited the town of
Canaerfan; the castle here was
amazing and so old all of the
students had a walk round and
the more resourceful among us
found a KFC outlet nearby.
When we awoke on Sunday
it was to find the rain lashing
against the tents. Everyone
donned their waterproofs and
the takedown of camp began. I
think it’s fair to say we brought
most of the rain water back
with us in the college tents. The
planned trip to the slate mines
was cancelled much to the
disappointment of Bruce and
the delight of the campers and
we all, soaking bags and soggy
socks, descended on the local
café again where it seems the
whole of Llanberis was trying
to escape the downpour. After
another big breakfast each and
cups of tea we all boarded the
mini-bus for the last time and hit
the road. Despite a few wrong
turns and our crossing of the
welsh boarder so frequently we
got home safe and sound if not a
little soggy.
It was a fantastic weekend and
much enjoyment was had by
all who went, many of us who
attended have in fact planned
to go back next year, when it’s a
little warmer though.
InsideOut December 2009
3

Performing Arts
Performing Arts is always an area within college that experiences massive success every year and this year was no different.
Mr Rushbury said that “This year has been really important for performing arts and has given the school a really good reputation with everyone
who has seen the numerous performances throughout the year. Not only does performing arts give students goals to strive for but it also
helps them to develop skills and then demonstrate these skills”. There are still a number of shows to be performed throughout the coming year
including the tour of the Rhine, Germany in late June.
Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors is an
upbeat musical set on the
downtown area of Skid Row.
Mushnik’s Florist is struggling
and close to bankrupt until
Seymour Krelborn discovers
a plant currently unknown on
this planet. The plant thrives, as
does Mushniks bank balance,
but at a cost. Seymour learns
that the plant does not eat usual
plant food, but instead, feeds off
human blood, a tricky substance
for Seymour to come by.
Meanwhile, Audrey, the florist’s
assistant, begins to fall in love
with Seymour, without having
any knowledge of the dark
secret he is hiding. As the plant
continues to grow and Seymour’s
business flourishes, what will
On 4th November, the music
department presented their
latest concert with the theme of
‘Motown’.
Various ensembles performed in
the concert including favourite
regulars: Senior Band, the CTC
Choir, College Band, The BTEC
Allstars and ‘The Saxophonics’.
Other ensembles included the
Girls Vocal Ensemble, Boys Vocal
Ensemble and Year 10 GCSE
Music students.
The music department was
pleased to have so many
new students and acts taking
part in the concert, including
members of 7 Morris who gave
a fantastic performance (with
choreography!) of ‘ABC’ by the
Jackson 5 and the newly formed
maths band who are all teachers
from the maths department
aptly named, ‘Pythagoras and
the Theorems’. Songs included
‘My Guy’, ‘Stop, in the Name
of Love’, ‘Sir Duke’, ‘You Can’t
Hurry Love’ and ‘Reach Out’.
The evening concluded with
a finale performance of the
song ‘Aint No Mountain High
Enough’ performed by all musical
ensembles who had performed
throughout the evening.
4 InsideOut December 2009
happen to the residents of Skid
Row and who will be the plants
next victim?
According to teacher Miss
Phillips, “The production went
superbly well, the students
excelled themselves and the
general consensus from all who
attended was that it was the best
college production for years. We
are extraordinarily proud of the
students’ achievement and hope
that they will all audition for
future performances.”
Students involved: Sam
O’Gorman (yr10), Thomas Hubble
(yr10) Matt Beale (yr10), Ashleigh
Woodall (yr9), Shelley Poole (yr9)
and Chelsey Steward (yr8)
Music Department presents ‘Motown Magic!’

CTC
Student
voice
CEI Conference ’09!
On Thursday 12th November,
ten science students from year
11 set out to a 5* hotel for a
National Health and Safety at
Work conference. They spent
the day in luxury grounds,
visiting workshops and speednetworking
events to use their
knowledge on Health and Safety
with some of the best delegates
from the country! They enjoyed
refreshments and a three course
meal after taking part in a “buzzquiz”!
This involved a CTC girl’s
team, a CTC boy’s team and a
“Delegate” team, consisting of
With Technology being one of
our specialisms at the college,
the Design and Technology
Department works hard to forge
links with industry to enhance
the education of our students.
Here we look at some exciting
work being undertaken under
the guidance of Mr Bickle.
WHS Tools
CTC
Design Technology
Year 12 student Ben Mason
highlights his group’s visit to
WHS tools
In September we went on an
industrial visit to WHS Tools in
Water Orton, where we had
a tour of the factory and the
production line facilities during
which we saw how lots of various
parts were assembled and made.
the top national Health and
Safety experts, playing against
time to answer a question with
the quickest “buzz”! This proved a
real shock to the delegates after
the CTC won them 14-1!! The
science department would like
to thank the CTC students for a
successful and entertaining day.
Natasha Jones from 11 Lucas
said, “It was a great day and
I really enjoyed it! I am really
pleased with winning HMV
vouchers for the quiz and I’d
definitely go again!” Ayse Sanal
11 Lucas
We came across an injection
moulding machine (shown in
the picture), as you can see the
machine is big enough to fit a
person inside, this machine has
a force of 1000 tons when being
used. An injection moulding
machine is used to produce high
volume production of plastic
mouldings, all that is needed is
the mould (which can be very
expensive to produce) to form
the shape of the required part
and then the plastic is heated
up and forced into the mould,
when it cools down you have the
perfect moulding.
WHS Tools produce lots of
parts for car Industry, when
we visited is was mainly gear
knobs for Toyota cars that were
being produced; they were
also producing parts for Triton
showers. We found the visit
very informative and interesting
and it will be of great benefit in
helping us with our BTEC Eng
Assignments.
According to DT teacher Garry
Bickle, “Industrial visits to
companies like WHS Tools are a
vitally important part of the BTEC
Engineering National Diploma
VLE Update!
Do you want to know what’s
going on in YOUR College? Do
you want to be a click away
from the latest updates? Do
YOU want a say in how your
College is run? Well, now you
have the perfect chance. A few
student voice members have set
up a website through the VLE
learning programme which can
be found from the CTC website
to keep you informed of what
is happening throughout your
College.
There’s a chance for you to join
secure discussions and read
our weekly blogs. With a simple
click, you can find out the latest
updates in the Student Voice
group and give your suggestions
on ideas that have been put
forward by the council. If you
course. These visits give students
valuable experience of Industrial
Manufacturing processes, which
is not possible to deliver through
the classroom environment.”
BTEC National Diploma
in Engineering
Year 12 BTEC Engineering
students have been working on
Unit 21; Finishing and Secondary
Processes, part of the BTEC
National Diploma course. The
Unit focuses on traditional and
non-traditional engineering
machining techniques and
processes, such as turning,
have a concern, or need advice,
you can ask through the VLE.
You can even become familiar
of who is part of Student Voice
and find online resources to help
you through college... all with a
simple click.
How to find us!
1.
2.
Log in to your VLE learning
platform. You should have
been given your log in and
password, if not, you can
visit the IC for a log in.
There are 5 main tabs.
You should see a “learning
spaces”. Click this, and a
scroll bar will appear for
student voice.
Please appreciate
what an opportunity
this is for students
to have a say in their
college and we look
forward to you being
involved in your
college.
So, get browsing! Ayse Sanal 11
Lucas
milling and grinding.
Our budding engineers need
to have a good practical
understanding of these
techniques, so in the first half
term the students have been
concentrating on developing
their lathe turning skills. The
students have been creating
candle stick holders out of
aluminium.
They have responded in a
positive and creative manner,
which will stand them in good
stead for developing their own
individual machining skills over
the forthcoming months.
InsideOut December 2009 5

Practical Science
At the CTC it is compulsory
that students study science
throughout their time here. In
year 10, students have the option
to take up further sciences such
as Biology and Chemistry, but all
have the chance to participate
in practical tests no matter what
options they choose. In the
picture you can see Kit Wong
engaging with the students
in a heart and lung dissection.
Kit went on to say, ‘It’s good to
do practical exams as it allows
students to see things in real
life, they also allow students to
see how body organs work and
it also helps them with their
studies’.
Science Club
The science club is proving to be
an extremely popular club that
contributes to the varied menu
of activities that students have
the opportunity to take part in.
Here Inside Out reporter Stephen
Bowcott (12 Harris) talks to club
organiser, Miss Pearce, “Students
so far have really enjoyed the
new science club and their
commitment has been fantastic.
So far they have been on some
interesting visits and have taken
part in some really interesting
activities”.
The group has participated in
many projects and attendances
at the club have been excellent.
The Scalextric project has been a
great success. According to Miss
Pearce, “Students really enjoyed
putting together their own
Scalextric cars and they were
really pleased with the finished
6 InsideOut December 2009
Book
Review:
Twilight
Ayse Sanal
(11 Lucas)
kicks off a
new feature
of Inside
Out in
which she will review
a book each edition that may
appeal to CTC students. Here she
begins with “Twilight” which as
you will see, should prove very
appealing.
“Twilight”, is the first book of a
series of 4 by Stephenie Meyer.
It follows the life of an ordinary
girl named Isabella (Bella)
Swan, who falls in love with the
forbidden, mysterious vampire,
Edward Cullen. This story follows
the classic route of “forbidden
love”, but attracts the reader by
product, students then began
to race their cars against one
another and next they are going
to personalised their own cars
and give them their own unique
identity”.
The passion for this popular after
school club is clearly evident
when discussing the club with
the students. Here are some
views from members of the club:
“Science club is a brilliant idea
and one that I have thoroughly
enjoyed so far. Science club
allows us to express our own
ideas and we also learn a lot
of interesting and valuable
information”
“I have always been interested in
science and now I have a special
club in which to carry on and
build upon my enthusiasm for
the subject”
“All the students and teachers
within science club are really
friendly and I feel happy when I
enter the happy environment of
the club, the club also gives me
something to focus on outside of
school”
showing how it really feels to
fall in love. “Twilight”, marks the
beginning of the story between
Edward and Bella, and marks the
first of all sorts of complications.
The story shows how Edward is
proceeding through a journey, a
journey in which he has to learn
to put his family’s needs before
his own, and learn to fight the
need for Bella’s scent. Bella’s
life is always at risk around the
Cullen's. If any of them were to
lose control, lose their strength
and give into their temptations,
she would be dead. The story
is not a typical one in which all
ends well, this story shows how
two extremely different people,
from different backgrounds
fall in love and face numerous
issues. A major one in this book,
is when another vampire, places
Bella’s life in danger when he
tracks her down after a dispute
with the Cullens. Although Bella
“Thanks to science club I have
learnt new information and the
best part was when we met
Charlie Duke, an astronaut and
the 10th man who walked on the
moon!”
Science Club meet the
tenth man to walk on the
moon
Amy Welch (9 Pearce) updates
us on one of the Science Club’s
most popular ventures.
On the 20th of November
our Science and Engineering
club was lucky to be chosen
as one of only nine clubs from
schools across Britain to go to
the Leicester Space centre to
meet Charlie Duke, the 10th
man to walk on the moon. Eight
students were picked to go to
the centre for a day of activities
with two teachers; Miss Pearce
and Miss Aslam. After arriving
at the bubble like building we
went into the main building and
saw parts of rockets at the front
desk. In the room next door there
were two actual rockets, one
Russian and one English. There
were three activities: The first was
about how to control Lego robot
rovers (space buggies) over the
“Mars surface” and finding aliens
and special rocks by controlling
it via a programme to send the
controls to the main rover. The
second was learning about what
rockets are made of by filling
out a test sheet and actually
may seem an average girl, with
nothing spectacular about her,
“Twilight” gives the beginning
insight of the many sacrifices
made for the one you love. “
"About three things I was
absolutely positive: First, Edward
was a vampire. Second, there was
a part of him–and I didn’t know
how dominant that part might
be–that thirsted for my blood.
And third, I was unconditionally
and irrevocably in love with him.”
Bella
The book has recently been
made into a movie, and has
become a phenomenon all over
the world. "This book is suited to
all age groups, including the oler
generation. It is more so written
for females, however a few males
may enjoy it!"
There are many copies of this
book available for loan in the IC.
touching some of the materials
used for a space craft like the
inner past of the shell of a rocket.
Finally the last one was called
“Space and why bother?” which
was a workshop where we made
telescopes out of a ruler and two
different thicknesses of glass.
After all the workshops we sat in
the lecture theatre where they
played a video called “We are
astronomers” with David Tennant
as narrator. As the pictures
moved and turned it felt as if you
were actually moving as well.
It told us about the different
centres and what EADS Atrium
and NSC planned to do with
people and travels into space.
It explained what astronomers
were.
To finish the day we talked to
Charlie Duke. He was
the 10th man on
the moon during
Nasa’s Apollo 16
mission and was
a communication
commander for
Apollo 11, speaking to
Neil Armstrong as he made his
first steps. We watched a video
about his time in space. Then
we had a question and answer
session. Our question was “Do
you believe in aliens?” His answer
was no, but he believes there
may be something. The day at
the National Space centre was
so much fun, we recommend
visiting it when you can as we
had tons of fun.

CTC Kingshurst further develops its links
with Mungu Basic School, Zambia
The CTC values International links
and their capacity to increase the
life experiences of our students
and to raise awareness of global
issues amongst the school
community. Amy Haywood (13
Cowlishaw) was lucky enough to
be involved in the recent visit to
Mungu Basic School with which
we have long enjoyed excellent
links. Here she looks back on the
trip of a life time.
In July 2009, 8 post 16 students
and 2 members of staff – Kelly
Davey and Clive Adams took
a trip to Zambia to further the
links between college and our
partner school, Mungu Basic
School in Kafue, Zambia. The
link between the two schools has
been in place for over 6 years,
and this year’s trip was the third
successful adventure to embark
from the CTC.
Mungu Basic School has
nearly 1000 pupils but limited
classrooms and resources. In
some classrooms, teachers have
to teach up to 90 students at a
time and most students can only
attend school for part of the day
as there is not enough room for
all students to attend at the same
time. Over the last few years, the
CTC has helped to provide two
new buildings for the school.
These buildings will contain
much needed new classrooms
and also a DT style room for
teaching Industrial Arts. The
school will also soon have a small
ICT suite and more teaching and
learning resources, thanks to the
fundraising that we have been
able to do at college.
Whilst visiting Mungu Basic
school, the post-16 students
(including myself, Jessica
Timmins, Zoe Marklow, Nadine
Hassell, Michael Bevan, Jacob
Sutton, Matthew Hall and Samuel
Boulton) got involved delivering
a range of activity sessions to
pupils of all ages throughout
the school. Activities included
football, music, dance and
outdoor games.
We spent a total of 7 days at
Mungu School working with
staff and pupils. The rest of the
days on the trip were spent
visiting and experiencing some
the fantastic sights in Zambia,
including Victoria Falls and a
4-day safari in the Lower Zambezi
National Park.
On safari we were able to see
elephants, hippos and crocodiles
in their natural habitat. We
canoed down the Zambezi river
which was scary at first, but we
got used to it very quickly!
Kelly Davey, the trip co-ordinator
said: “I was so pleased with the
hard work from the students on
the trip. They enjoyed working
with the pupils at Mungu School
and we were all very tearful when
saying goodbye! I really hope
that we will be able to continue
this project and hopefully we can
return in 2 years with another set
of post-16 students”.
InsideOut December 2009
7

SENIOR CITIZENS CELEBR
As a part of Post 16, we and
many others volunteered
to help out with the annual
senior citizens Christmas party,
an event that is exceedingly
popular and of a great nature
for all that come along. The part
that the Post 16 students played
was to help out whenever
needed and was to get into
the festive mood and put on
a welcoming face to all who
arrived. We all planned for the
event to be as enjoyable as
possible as we knew the senior
citizens look forward to this get
together all year long.
During the evening, we
welcomed the people with an
excellent array of dances, music
performances and a short piece
of drama. Once the events in
the hall had finished, the senior
citizens were given chance
to have their photos taken
with Santa, which were then
printed off and given to them
as something to remember the
night by.
The turnout for this year
was the highest recorded,
so it was vital that we
turned up in numbers
in order to help out
and let them have
a great time,
the canteen
was turned
into a
somewhat
controlled
chaos
with all
the diners
seated ready
for their Christmas dinners.
Without the help of the kitchen
staff the night wouldn’t go
ahead and their excellent
cooking went down really well
with our guests.
8 InsideOut December 2009
Once all had finished their meals
we all gave out a bingo card to
each person and we played for
money! A lottery draw followed
this with prizes ranging from
chocolates to cash prizes, with
all winners left delighted.
After all had left it allowed you
to feel and understand how
lucky you are and how only a
small bit of effort can leave a
smile on someone else’s face.
The night was an overall success
in which the senior citizens
acknowledged all the hard work
that had been put it from all
members of staff and students
alike.
The event was described as
‘The best so far’ by teaching
and canteen staff alike. Bruce
Walton also went on to say
that ‘it was a great effort by all
Post 16 students who made
the night fantastic’, the school
chef also known as Marco Pierre
Mike said that ‘the event ran
like clockwork’ and ‘that it was
obvious that the citizens enjoyed
the night’. Pat and Laura
(kitchen staff) jokingly added
‘the event would have
been much better with
a better chef!’ From
doing the activity it
has enhanced our
team working
skills and
also
enabled
everyone
in the CTC
to work
together in
order to achieve
the goal of satisfying the elderly
community around Kingshurst.
We are confident that it will be
a great success in years to come
and hope to have an even larger
turnout next year.
To all the kind people for asking me to the
lovely party, thank you all for the nice time I
had, I was so grateful. Merry Xmas, Happy
New Year.
“Thoroughly enjoyed it, was worth while,
and made me feel good for helping the
community”.
Matt Dagnall
“I would li
you for the
on Friday D
do apprecia
that you an
catering sta
so successf
“I enjoyed the experience and
enjoyed the chance to interact
with the senior citizens.
Sarah Dear

ATE WITH SANTA
“I felt privileged to be involved in such a
worthwhile cause and enjoyed the hands on
approach in regards to helping the senior
citizens”
Adam Tongue
ke to say a huge thank
wonderful afternoon
ecember 4th. I really
te all the hard work
d the students and the
ff put into it to make it
ul”
June Lee, guest
n
“I really enjoyed helping out and
making the elderly happy; felt it
made the IB students become closer
together”
Laura-Kate Parkes
“I enjoyed contributing and helping
out and I surprisingly enjoyed it”
Luke Merriman
Canteen
Andi Collins
Pat Causer
Laura Taylor
Michael Roberts
Diane Kong
Denise Fizer
Santa
Roy Adams
Grotto
Chris Parry
Sandra Reynolds
Tracey Blackwell
Bingo
Sharon Clift
Performing Arts
Ian Rushbury
College band
Helen Dean
Kirsten Pearce
Katie DeSilva
Kelly Davey
Laura Morris
Gil Cowlishaw
Fiona MCCanalis
Photogrpahy
James Howell
Admin
Rachel Flynn
Jacqui Oakley
General assistance
Debbe Reilly
Tracy Wyton
Jo Jevons
Bruce Walton
Richard Jones
Joanne Armitage
Vicky Griffin
Doreen Hall
Thanks to Walkers Bingo for
supplying bingo books, Jo
Carnall and Birmingham City
for donating a shirt that was
raffled to help pay for gifts, Jamie
Wood’s father for the bouquet
and everyone that donated raffle
prizes. Merry Christmas!
InsideOut December 2009
9

Community
Links
As an outward looking school, responsive to the needs of our
community , community links play an important role in the life of
the college. Here Richard Yates (12 Smail) and Sam Taylor (12 Aslam)
discuss the latest links with Clive Adams.
Kay Greene, Abbie Hastings and Toni
Houston helping to transform land into a
new garden that residents can be proud of.
Fordbridge youth
council help out with
Brickhill Drive project.
On the Friday before half term,
year 10 students from CTC,
Grace Academy and Archbishop
Grimshaw worked together to
transform some unused land
into a communal garden area
which had become a centre for
anti social behaviour. Authorities
from Solihull council and Solihull
community housing worked
with the 70 students to turn the
scruffy land into a garden to be
proud of. Karen Ballard from
the Kingshurst and ford bridge
neighbourhood team said:
“The project shows what can be
achieved when the community
rallies together over issues that
concern them,” Well done to all
those involved for transforming
the garden!
Project Kingfisher
update
During the enrichment lessons
on Tuesday afternoons 12
students from years 7 and 8 have
been working with a park ranger
to help clear up land just off
Yardley Green road, fortunately
this year students were able to
10 InsideOut December 2009
work in t shirts and shorts due
to the unusually warm weather
we had during September
and October. This is the 10th
year running that the CTC has
participated in the Kingfisher
project. We would like to thank
the local council for funding the
agency and we hope that we
will be involved with many more
projects in the future.
Students on the Kingfisher project
cleaning up Yardley green road by
hunting for stray tires.
CTC to participate
in Solihull UK Youth
parliament elections
Next February students from the
CTC will vote in the UK youth
parliament elections which is
set up and run by young people.
The young the people in the
parliament help to address many
issues that affect young people
in their community. Before
voting all CTC students will
watch DVD’s that features all the
candidates and describes their
policies. At the moment it is still
possible to put yourself forward
as a candidate for the election.
At the moment 2 students
Jack Barlow and Toni Houston
have volunteered themselves
as potential candidates. The
students will soon start to
prepare their campaigns and
think about the policies they are
going to adopt. Everyone at the
CTC wishes them the best for the
elections.
IB students to work
with the Warwickshire
association of youth
clubs
David Bates from the
Warwickshire association of
youth clubs has met up with
year12 IB students who are
interested in volunteering. The
charity does a lot of work with
young people who are struggling
with their education. The WAYC
are partners with V inspired
and they plan to work with our
year 12’s on a range of different
projects from tree planting to
pond cleaning.
The IB students who volunteer
should be able to reach 50
hours of CAS through attending
every meeting and volunteering
in every activity. On the 28th
of November some of our IB
students volunteered to help
plant trees and clean the pond
in Brueton park. On the 12th
of December the students
will return to Brueton park to
help rebuild the nature centre.
Planning is currently taking
place to try and organise a
project which will see the CTC
students having the opportunity
to meet local elderly people
and accompany them for a trip.
The WAYC is a great way for our
students to meet new people
and gain new skills and the CTC is
looking forward to working with
them in the future.
As Clive Adams has been so
instrumental in the Community
Links project we decided to meet
him and ask him why he is so
passionate about it.
“I went to Whitesmore School
and moved away. I remembered
what the area was like from my
youth and the problems that
existed then still exist now. At
the moment there are a lot
of young people getting into
trouble like there was back then
but hopefully things will change
due to the new 5 million pound
youth centre which is going to be
built in the area. The youth centre
will be larger than our new C
block and will be used to try and
prevent crime and keep kids off
the streets. Community links
gives people the opportunity to
see what’s happening to help
out. The area has had a bad
reputation for of late but people
don’t realise that there are good
people in the area trying to make
things better for younger people.
Kids can still learn even when not
in a classroom which is what it’s
about. Community links has to be
better promoted in schools and
learning outside is just one of
many ways of doing it.”
Need Our Help?
We are keen to have the
opportunity for our students to
get involved in all aspects of the
local community. If you have any
projects, or community events
that you feel would benefit from
the assistance of our students
please get in touch with us!
You can contact either Lee
Fletcher or Clive Adams at lee.
fletcher@kingshurst.ac.uk or
clive.adams@kingshurst.ac.uk
respectively.

Intercultural Dialogue Project
Here, budding young reporter
Richard Yates (12 Smail) meets
Clive Adams and finds out about
one of the latest community
projects.
Intercultural Dialogue is an
on-going project that started
in the summer. Our year 12
Media students spent a day
photographing post 16 students
in C20 whilst asking them various
questions about cultural identity.
The students documented the
responses by capturing them
on camera and by recording
them on audio. Hundreds of
photos were taken and then
the students involved chose
the ones they liked the most,
with some being group photos
and others individual portrait
shots. The photos selected
were then manipulated by the
Students of CTC Kingshurst
Academy are real World Record
breakers. The Academy now
holds the official Guinness World
Record for the greatest number
of people simultaneously yoyoing.
Students at the Academy
students using Photoshop, and
taken to commercial printers
to be enlarged and printed for
exhibition purposes.
The first Intercultural Dialogue
exhibition took place at college
with the students work being
displayed in a tent put up in the
quad. This event was the first in
a series of exhibitions which will
see the photos travel around
the country as well countries
in Europe including Bulgaria
and Poland. The events have
two purposes, firstly to display
the photographic material,
and secondly, to gather more
feedback from visitors in relation
to their views on cultural identity.
The photos are being used as a
vehicle to stimulate discussion on
a whole range of issues on how
people see themselves in terms
Students of CTC Kingshurst Academy are real
World Record breakers.
smashed the previous record
of 434 people simultaneously
yo-yoing by over 200 people. All
monies raised from the event
went towards the £6000 raised
by the Academy for Comic Relief.
The CTC is one of Comic Relief’s
of their own identity and the
communities in which they live.
Throughout this project our
Media students have been
working with artist Brendan
Jackson, who has assisted
with photographic techniques
and concepts, as well as in the
organising of the showcase
event. Brendan belongs to
LAUNDRY; a collective of local
multi disciplinary artists based
here in the West Midlands. These
artists work with young people
on community based art projects
on a regular basis.
The photos taken by our Media
students will be featured
alongside others of young
people from Europe published
in a book due out in the spring.
Some of the comments collected
from the travelling exhibition
will also feature in the book. This
biggest educational supporters.
Here we meet Ms Trudgon to find
out what inspires her to support
the charity and her future hopes.
When interviewing Roz Trudgon
you could see she had a real
passion with regard to fund
raising events such as Comic
Relief.
The effort put in helps to raise
the school’s profile as well as to
raise over £6000 for charity. This
therefore makes the CTC one of
the top 5 fundraising schools in
England. In her own words she
described why she believes it’s
important to fund raise and why
she does it.
Roz also went on to say that
by using the yoyo’s it allowed
the students to have fun, feel a
sense of achievement but also
minimising the cost which would
maximise the funds raised. Roz
finished by saying “The CTC is
simply the best when it comes to
fundraising”
book which is being published in
Poland will creatively document
the concept of cultural identity.
In the age of the mobile and
Internet chat-rooms, this project
has proved that more traditional
forms of media can be used in
to engage young people into
encouraging them to be more
thought provoking. Students
have been given the opportunity
to question who they are, where
they live, and how they see
themselves in the wider context.
More information on the
intercultural dialogue project,
LAUNDRY, and black country
artist Brendan Jackson can be
found on the following websites
www.laundryline.co.uk
www.interculturaldialogue.net/news
www.brendanjackson.co.uk
Truth Finders
Year 12 student Ross Pittaway
speaks to Kathernine Shand.
Year 11 students Katherine Shand
and Beth Martin run their own
after school club that is open to
all students, Truth Finders. The
club is part of the C.U. which
stands for Christian Union which
is what the sessions are based on.
The club takes place on a Friday
in G72, and it runs from 3pm until
3-45pm. It includes discussions,
debates and fellowship about the
Christian faith and who God is. It
is open to any age and belief and
any faith. All people are welcome.
For any more information speak
to Miss Lewis, Katherine Shand or
Beth Martin.
InsideOut December 2009 11

ALUMNI
Carly Murray
BTEC Health and Social Care
Course
2005-2007
Hi, my name is Carly Murray and
I completed the BTEC Health
and Social Care course at CTC
in 2007. I achieved a grade of
MMM and subsequently enrolled
on a BSc Adult Nursing Degree
course at Birmingham City
University where I am currently
still studying.
It was always my ambition to
become a nurse and the BTEC
Health and Social Care course
enabled me to pursue this dream.
The course is extremely beneficial
to students wishing to enter into
the care sector, whether that is
nursing, midwifery, child care,
social work or any number of
other care-related careers.
I really enjoyed the course
modules as they were relevant
to health and social care and
enabled me to develop a solid
knowledge base in all aspects of
the care field. I also enjoyed the
placements as they provided me
with practical experience, dealing
with real people and enabling
me to realise I was following the
right path.
I massively appreciated all of the
support and encouragement I
received from the course leader,
Marguerite Palmer. She was
always there to offer guidance
and one-to-one tutoring and her
door was always open whenever
any of us ever had any concerns.
I never felt alone on this course
and Marguerite’s support was
invaluable to all of us.
The course provided me with
the knowledge, experience and
12 InsideOut December 2009
In this section we highlight the achievement of some of the Health and Social Care department’s alumni. Marguerite Palmer and
her team of dedicated teachers have helped many students achieve their ambitions and establish their careers.
confidence to go on to study
nursing at University and I can
only recommend this course.
That is why I often return to CTC
to offer advice and support to
current students based on my
own experiences of the course
and university experience.
I know that next year’s course will
include two extra modules; one
in anatomy and physiology and
the other being research-based.
I know from my experience on
a nursing degree course that
these will benefit the students
enormously, especially if they
too go on to study a care-related
degree course at university.
The BTEC Health and Social Care
course is a fantastic opportunity
for anyone interested in any form
of care and it should be grabbed
with both hands as it can open
up many doors to your future
career options.
Sareece Randall
BTEC National Diploma in
Care course
2004-2006
Hello, my name is Sareece
Randall. I was a student at
CTC from 1999 to 2006. From
2004 to 2006, I followed the
BTEC National Diploma in Care
course. I have now gone on to
Wolverhampton University to
become a BSc adult nurse. I am
currently waiting to start my
first job as a staff nurse at St
Thomas’s hospital in London on
an orthopaedic and breast care
ward.
To be honest when I started
the course I had a vague idea
of what I wanted to do in life; I
had an idea of being a nursery
nurse or midwife but because the
course is so broad, you feel very
prepared for anything. I chose
the course ultimately because it
had many job opportunities at
the end of it and was coursework
based which meant no exams!
I really enjoyed the course
as it offered a wide range of
job opportunities to follow
once finishing the course but
ultimately enabling you to have
enough knowledge and UCAS
points to follow any health/
teaching related course at
university. I particularly enjoyed
the BTEC course because it
is course work based and
allowed me to widely read
around subjects and apply that
knowledge fully. I predominantly
enjoyed my one day out on
placement as I felt it prepared me
for placements at university. It
also allowed me to interact and
develop my communications
skills with people of all ages, so
ultimately I did not feel in the
deep end at university.
I eventually decided to follow
nursing as my time in nursery
nursing felt very samey. I did
not think that was my niche
encountering screaming babies,
toddlers, and pre scholars! I did
not choose midwifery as I felt
I did not experience life fully
enough to tell someone older
than me that I am their midwife
at 18. So ultimately, I chose adult
nursing so I would experience
all walks of life and allow me to
develop and grow maturely in an
adult environment.
I felt the course prepared me very
well because Marguerite always
drummed it into our heads
to critically analyse and write
in more detail, which I found
very difficult to do in all our
assignments and dropped down
to the certificate to cover all core
modules. This worked out better
for me as I still went on to do a
degree.
I recently came back to CTC to
speak with the new BTEC Health
and Social Care students and
basically to show them and to
explain that no matter how hard
it is now it’s worth it in the long
run. I also wanted to show them
that even if you drop down to
certificate in the long run it does
not scupper any chances of
further education.
Stephanie Baker
BTEC Health and Social Care
Course
2007-2009
I took the BTEC Health and Social
Care Course with the hope to
come out with a qualification
that would get me into university
to study special needs teaching.
I started the course not knowing
what to expect and what people
would be on it. The first day
made me feel a bit nervous,
but as soon as I met the other
students and the tutors I realised
the next two years would be a
good laugh and we would all
help each other through. The
support I received from the
tutors and the students was to
a very high standard and the
tutors really helped me prepare
for university, and pushed me
to ensure I achieved the best
possible grade I could get.
While on the course I completed
work placement in two different
settings, I worked in a Special
Needs School and Heartlands
Hospital on various wards.
These Placements benefited
me in many aspects and built
my confidence a lot over time.
I met some great people while
on placement, and I learnt a
lot about myself while I was on
them. Some days were tough,
but it prepared me for what it
was going to be like in every day
life when I started out on my
career. The certificate sessions
were very valuable to me, and
I learnt a lot from these and
gained three qualifications in
First Aid, Food Hygiene and
Health and Safety, which was
also a bonus to put on the UCAS
application for university and
it also helps when applying for
jobs. By the end of the course I

had changed my career pathway
away from Special Needs
teaching, to Social Work, as I had
seen so many different scenarios
at my work placements that I felt
Social Work was the profession I
wanted to be involved in. From
the course I gained a National
Diploma in Health and Social
Care at grade DDD, which got me
into Birmingham City University
to study a degree in Social Work
for three years.
At the moment I am just settling
into university, it is very different
to college and involves a lot of
work and individual research. I
have met lots of new people and
the tutors are really helpful, all
I hope for now is to do my best
with the degree and qualify as a
Social Worker.
Parental
acknowledgment for
department’s efforts
The department’s efforts are
appreciated not only by the
students but their families too.
Here, Debbie Hunter, mother of
Kurtis Hunter who BTEC Health
and Social Care Course 2007-
2009 gives her heartfelt thanks
to the effort of staff who have
helped provide him with the
platform for future success.
Helping your child make the
all important decision of what
to do after high school, can be
a difficult time for both parent
and child. As an external student
CTC made the decision and
transition easy for both of us.
Together we chose the BTEC
Health and Social Care Course;
Marguerite, along with her
team, then guided, helped,
supported and cajoled both of
us over the following two years.
From a parent’s point of view it
gave me great peace of mind
knowing she was in safe hands,
working within a team of people
who wanted their students to
succeed. Our daughter is now at
Derby University studying for a
BA Honours in Education thanks
to the successful teaching regime
at post 16.
Views from the
classroom
Our present cohort of students is
well placed to assess the quality
of the education they receive.
In this section they give their
verdict on the department.
Year 13 View Point
Sam Morris – BTEC Health and
Social Care course has been a
good course to take as it has
opened my eyes to the career
opportunities available to me.
Amy Masters – The Health and
Social Care course has helped me
a lot with what I want to do when
I leave. It has also made my
teamwork and confidence grow.
Kayleigh McKeon – The Health
and Social Care course has
helped me decide what I want to
do in the future. Marguerite has
pushed me to do the best I can
Hollie Basford – The BTEC Health
and Social Care is a course I
enjoy and it has made me realise
I would like to go into primary
school teaching.
Sammy-Leigh Phillips – The BTEC
Health and Social Care Course;
has helped me in many ways as
it has helped me discover who
I am and who I want to be in
the future (Macmillan Children’s
Nurse)
Alysha Lees - BTEC Health and
Social Care course has helped
me discover my future career;
primary teacher.
Year 12 View Point
Aynsley Payne – Health and
Social Care is a great course as
you get to go on trips as part of
your coursework.
Shauna Meadley – I thoroughly
enjoy this course as it gives
me a lot of opportunities and
experience for my future career
to become a social worker.
Jordan Paling – Health and
Social Care is a good course, it is
interesting to learn new things
Eleanor Tyrell – I am enjoying
this course as I always learn
something new.
Charlotte Barratt - BTEC Health
and Social is a really good course
to do as it is very interesting and
is very likeable.
Keeley Norris – I really enjoy this
course because we get to go out
on trips and visits.
Jonathan Rodney – The lessons
are productive.
Kirsty Drew – Health and Social
Care is a good, structured course,
but if you fall behind it gets more
difficult to catch back up, but is
worth while.
Kirandeep Sandhu – I am really
enjoying this course, it is very
interesting.
Shannon Clifford - I like Health
and Social Care because we get
to do placements.
Should you wish to apply for a
course, please feel free to speak
to Marguerite Palmer or collect
your application form from
Medina Griffiths for the post 16
course. As with Kurtis, we also
welcome applicants for post 16
that may have studied elsewhere
prior to embarking on the course.
Did You Know ?
? ?
AFTER COLLEGE ACTIVITIES
If students are staying in college
after 4pm for any reason (sports
practices, rehearsals, working on
projects/homework) then they
MUST sign in at reception and sign
out as they leave.
TELEPHONE IN GENERAL OFFICE
Students should only ask to use
the telephone in the General
Office for emergencies or when the
payphone is out of order.
A minimum charge of 20p will be
made for each call.
CONFISCATION BOX
The use of mobile phones and
MP3 players is NOT permitted in
college.
Should a student have a mobile
phone confiscated it MUST be
collected by a parent or guardian.
All other items confiscated can
be collected following afternoon
registration on a Friday from the
Senior Tutor on duty.
FIRST CALL HOME
A reminder that if your child is
not going to be at college, for a
legitimate reason, then parents
need to contact the college by
8.00am at the latest, on the day of
absence on 0121 329 8300.
When college is closed, messages
can be left on the answering
machine. Switchboard is open
from 7.00am.
If students are late into college they
MUST sign in at Reception or in the
Registrar’s Office (G36).
All the above will ensure that
registers are kept up to date,
which is a legal requirement and in
accordance with Fire Regulations.
FIRE ALARM
The Fire Service bravely put their
lives on the line to ensure public
safety. False alarms can lead to
their resources being stretched
and delay them reaching life
threatening situations. There will be
a £50 charge imposed should any
student maliciously set off the fire
alarm and waste the Fire Service’s
valuable time.
InsideOut December 2009
13

c SS o News
Canteen Success Story
A recent survey of current
students states that overall the
popularity of school meals has
increased after the introduction
of new head chef Michael and
changes in canteen services.
Survey results showed that
the majority of our students
believe that the meals have been
improved since the last academic
year, and that they now enjoy
the food which the school has
to offer. In past years many have
complained that school meals
were becoming ‘boring’ with
little choice, which according to
survey results is now a changing
opinion. Although on the whole
the reputation of school meals
has increased some believe there
is room for more variety of foods
on the menu. Caroline Evans, 12
Mayes said ‘School meals are a lot
better than they used to be; there
is far more on offer and you don’t
get the same meals everyday. I
also love the new chicken wraps!’
Let’s hope that our school meals
continue to improve under new
head chef Michael.
Lauren Carroll and
Emily Bird 12 Aslam
Mrs Loewy secures
funding for Orienteering
Scott Reynolds, Jade Convery,
Sam Suhr and Ian Johnston
were not as lost as they look
in Hay Wood, Warwickshire on
Sunday 15th November. We have
been competing in some of the
Octavian Droobers Orienteering
Club local events and map
reading skills are on the increase.
The students are getting more
and more competitive with each
14 InsideOut December 2009
other. The next event is Sunday
17th January at Sutton Park. All
events are free for our students
due to a Sport Unlimited bid
and transport is arranged to and
from the venue leaving college
at 9:30am. All interested students
should contact Mrs Loewy for
details or go to:
www.ocatviandroobers.org
Uniform Services
Orienteering Challenge
Uniform Services students took
part in a three day orienteering
course which challenged them
to a three killometre walk where
they had to reach thirteen points
in order to complete the task.
Ria Cheslin, 12 Cooper took part
and said she found the course
‘good fun, and it was helpful that
at each point you had to press
a timer and therefore you could
see how long the whole course
had taken you’ she also had some
memorable experiences getting
up close to nature where she
saw a deer. The course was not
only a personal experience for
the students but also could be
used to increase their uniform
services grade to a higher level.
Jade Convery, 12 McDermot said
that it was fun but challenging
at the same time; it was good
experience to have and I
would definitely go on another
orienteering course in the future.
Emily Bird 12 Aslam
Students help with
Primary Schools
Athletics Competition
Katy Warren (9 Nixon) describes
CTC students recent involvement
in athletics. Five students from
the CTC headed over to Norman
Green sports centre to assist with
the primary schools athletics
competition. As some of you
may remember, this event is
highly anticipated by all the small
children of the Solihull primary
schools. The sun shone down on
us all day long, making sure it
was enjoyable day of athletics.
Five year 9 students from the
CTC were chosen to help out
at the event. These were Shelly
Anderson, Daniel Wood, Katy
Warren, Katie-Rose Stevens and
Liam Mannix. The jobs were
allocated and ranged from raking
the sand on the long jump pit,
fetching the balls that were
thrown, sorting out the high
jump pole and deciding which of
the eager sprinters had earned
1st, 2nd and 3rd.
The sunny Tuesday morning
consisted of just three small
schools competing in a range
of events all in a bid to become
the Solihull small school athletic
champions.
The afternoon was a competition
between the big primary schools
of Solihull. Eight schools in
total competed in this fierce
contest, all wanting to become
the winners. It was a fun and
enjoyable day for us helpers and
it gave us an experience of what
it could be like working with
children in sport.
Primary School Links
Initiative
Some of the younger students
of the college have been actively
involved with primary school
within the area in order to help
teach them sports skills such as
running throwing and jumping.
Young sports leaders were
sent to various primary school
over a number of weeks where
they have worked with year 2
students.
Alisha Hussan, 7 Parfitt took part
and thoroughly enjoyed being
able to teach basic sport skills to
the younger years, when asked
whether she would do it again
she replied, ‘yes, definitely it has
been fun getting to work with
children from primary schools
and seeing how we can improve
their running and throwing in a
short amount of time.’
Emily Bird 12 Aslam
Lucy Munro: Golfing for
Gold!
Lucy Munro has won the
Lea Marston Junior golf
championship in Sept & in Jan we
are going to a dinner & dance so
she can collect her award she has
also been asked to do some extra
coaching with the Warwickshire
county golf partnership
supported by England golf at
Shirley golf club.

Hockey Update
Year 10 student Daniel Wood,
Captain of the hockey team
assesses the hockey season so far.
This is the first year that there
has been a winter hockey league
and we were really happy to be
invited to play. There were 9
teams who registered but only
6 turned up to play. All matches
were played at the Muntz Street
Astro and were 7 aside.
The matches were for Key Stage
4 but we were allowed to play
Year 9s as I am the only Year 10
player. Mrs Palmer snuck in two
year 8 players – our goalkeeper
Luke Tolley and Dylan Kennedy.
The other members of the team
from Year 9 were Chris Bunce (
vice-captain) Liam Pegg, Liam
Cross Country Success
It was another successful year
for the CTC’s cross country
team. Managed by Lee Fletcher,
they have had a successful year
bringing through new runners
and continuing to bring through
the long serving runners. Bailey
Ralph of 7 Cornelius has had a
particularly good year for the
cross country team. Despite
only starting at the school in the
summer, Bailey has already come
2nd in both of his races this year
but he hopes to win a race over
the next year. He said “ ive come
2nd in both races that I have
Franklin, Dan Cornack, Bradley
Walker, Wyl Parkes, Jordan Reed
and Bradley Reynolds.
We played some tough matches
but overall we played well and
practising at hockey enrichment
and hockey club helped us play
as a team. We came third overall
which was very respectable,
especially as the teams who won
were Small Heath and Golden
Hillock (whom we beat).
They are planning to have a
league playing full 11 aside
matches after Christmas and we
have all said we want to play.
Thanks as always to Mrs Palmer
for training, organising and
ferrying us to and from matches.
We did you proud Miss!
taken part in thus year, hopefully
over the next year I will be able to
win my first race.” He also stated
how he enjoys the training side
of cross country as well saying
that it was “really good fun”.
The cross country team train
every Wednesday in the sports
hall from 5-6 and run the bleep
test,(where the record is held
by Liam Barett in year 11 with
an impressive level 13) followed
by games of badminton and
table tennis. Training is open to
everyone and is free to enter.
Air cadets
Schools are increasingly looking
to enhance opportunities
for young people in their
communities. In this feature,
year 12 student Stephen
Bowcott had the pleasure of
meeting Mohammed Aftab and
finding out about the exciting
opportunities that are provided
by the Air Cadets. The air cadets
officially started in 1914 and
since then have gone from
strength to strength. The local
air cadets’ base in Kingshurst
has been running in Archbishop
Grimshaw School since 1971.
The cadets now need your
support and attendance and they
are specifically looking for people
within the age range of 13 years
and 3 months up to 16 years
of age. If you fit within this age
range then the air cadets may be
just right for you. They offer so
much more than just a weekly
club, valuable life skills can be
learnt and once you become a
member and you can progress
to the armed forces, becoming a
cadet is also a valuable addition
to your C.V.
As a college we always take pride
in our support of charities and of
people who are worse off than
ourselves.
We participate in our annual
Operation Christmas Child
project as it helps kids all around
the world to have some kind
of present that they wouldn’t
otherwise get. Each tutor group
has a shoebox that they are
required to fill with goods that
the child receiving would enjoy
The cadets parade every Tuesday
and Thursday evening between 7
- 9:30 pm and membership to the
cadets costs between £6 - £7.50
a month, this also goes towards
the upkeep of the uniform that
all cadets receive. As I am sure
you will agree that this is a great
price when you consider all the
experiences and activities cadets
participate in, some of these
have included:
• Trips to Germany
• Regular trips to official; RAF
bases around the U.K.
• Flying, gliding and shooting
activities
All cadet staff and personnel
have all the relevant
qualifications and CRB checks
to ensure they can make pupils
experiences of the cadets as
positive as possible. For more
information on the Air Cadets
please contact:
Mohammed Aftab
Email: mohammedaftab492@
hotmail.com
Tel no: 07757 829766
Operation Christmas Child
and could make some use out
of, the sort of things that were
included were:
Cuddly toys, Notepads, Picture
Books, Hats, Pens, Small Toys and
some sweets.
Operation Christmas Child is a
Samaritans Purse project that
aims to meet the needs of victims
of war, poverty, famine, disease
and natural disaster.
The project is always a success
and this year shoeboxes were
collected in numbers again, Ms
Parker also went onto say ‘On
behalf of the college we hope
that this project will help enrich
the lives of those less fortunate
than ourselves’.
InsideOut December 2009
15

KINGSHURST SPORT Kindly supported by
Boy’s football
Congratulations go to year 7 who
so far have had a fantastic season
winning nine games out of nine.
The team are also in the sixth
round of the National Cup thanks
to good consistent performances
from everyone. A key player to
the team is Bailey Ralph who has
already scored bags of goals with
the majority of the season still
to go.
Year 8 have also done well this
season, they are in the 2nd
round of the Solihull Cup. Their
latest game was a spectacle and
resulted in the year 8s being
comfortable winners in a 5-0 win
over Hereford.
Year 9’s season has so far been
plagued with injuries to key
players, however they are still
in two cups and consistent
performances from players like
Carlton Mckenzie, Patrick Devlin
and James Williams will hopefully
build on their success.
“The Year 10 boys football
team have made good
progress throughout the term.
They have produced some
excellent individual and team
performances consistently. They
have only lost once this season,
in the Birmingham Cup so no trip
to Villa Park this year. However
they are now into the last sixty
four of the National Competition,
which is excellent considering
that nearly one thousand teams
entered. It would be fantastic
to see them reach the final as
it would acknowledge all the
hard work that they have put
throughout their school years. A
huge thank you to the College
for its support of the team and all
staff for that have been involved
with the team.” - Mr Curran
Year 11 have had a steady
start to the season but were
unfortunately eliminated in the
2nd round of the West Midlands
Cup by Sheldon Heath. Things
were going well until an injury
resulted in the team going down
to 10 men. This unfortunate
event was capitalised on by a
Sheldon and year 11 eventually
lost. They are still in the
Birmingham Cup and are steadily
progressing after wining their last
fixture 5-0 against Lode Heath
Boys. Year 11 team manager
Nigel Nixon said, “Teamwork has
been better this season” and he
also thanked all the players that
have stepped up into the team
to replace other players with
outside commitments.
Year 12 can boast a good run
in the National Cup and their
great team spirit has lead them
to the quarter finals of the West
Midlands cup. Some of the teams
most consistent performers
include: Steven Hannaford, Tom
Bowker, Scott Reynolds and
Lewis Parsons.
Girl’s football
The under 13s are currently 2nd
in the league and are in a strong
position as they wait for their
season to restart in February. In
order to carry on their success
the under 13s will need good
performances from key players
like Stacey Mulholland and Beth
Delaney.
The under 15s are currently
top of their league after some
excelent team and individual
performances, Joe Elliot has been
marked out by Miss Dunlop as an
excellent player.
The under 16s are progressing
well in the league and they are
also in the quarter finals of the
Midlands Cup; congratulations
goes to all the team but
especially to key players like Katie
Potter and Leah Seivwright.
Finally, the under 18s progressed
to the quarter finals of the
Midlands Cup but unfortunately
lost to Thomas Telford; Miss
Dunlop has marked Amy
Shakespeare as a key player.
Key stage 4 Physical
Education
Key stage 4 physical education
has undergone some significant
changes this year. In a bid for
students to take ownership of
their learning, a purely option
based system is now in force. We
talked to Mrs Wright about the
changes and the positive impacts
they are having already.
During year 10 students study
themed blocks like Games,
Health and fitness and well
being to name just a few. Due
to the broad range of these
areas most students would
eventually have to participate
in an area where they may have
been fully interested in, with the
purely option based structure
though every student can now
participate in a P.E lesson that
they fully enjoy and also cover all
of the mandatory themed blocks
as well.
New sports have also been
introduced to the key stage 4
curricular, these include: Girls
Basketball, Mixed Golf, get
fresh and swimming as well
as many more. There are also
greater rewards for students
who complete specific themed
blocks e.g. the roles in sport area
gives students the opportunity
to complete a recognised
sports leader qualification
so an accreditation can be
achieved through core P.E. The
engagement programme in year
11 allows the P.E. department to
give student positive experiences
of P.E. this is aimed at ensuring
healthy physical activity is
sustained across college and is
carried with students when they
leave college as well.
So far the feedback from year
11’s has been extremely positive,
especially for the new activities
recently introduced:
Badminton: “Badminton was
good because you felt more
compelled to join in because
it was something that you had
chosen to do”
Golf: “It’s been great to get out
of school and do something
different”
Girls get fit: “I really enjoyed
doing girls get fit because it
was fun and enjoyable. I think
going out of school for P.E. is
a great idea because it made
me want to do P.E. with a more
positive attitude. I am enjoying
my current P.E. lessons so much
I have chosen to carry it on next
term as well.
Finally Mrs Wright said “The
driving force now at key stage
4 is to provide students with
opportunities; to cater, where
possible, for all students interests;
to encourage healthy physical
education that can be sustained
throughout college and to create
links with local facilities that
will cater for our students in the
future.”
We hope you enjoyed this issue of Inside Out. As staff, we feel it is very important to recognise our students
achievements in order to help motivate them further. Occasionally, we are left in the dark about their
achievements and they may not have received the publicity they deserve. If this has been the case I would love
to hear from you and work towards highlighting their achievement in college and in the local media. I can be
contacted on lee.fletcher@kingshurst.ac.uk or 0121 329 8300. Finally, I’d like to thank Ian Sullivan and James
Howell for their technical assistance. Merry Christmas! Lee Fletcher, Editor.