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Message from Ann Jones, Principal
INSIDEOUT ISSUE
CTC KINGSHURST ACADEMY’S OFFICIAL TERMLY MAGAZINE
In this issue: The Senior Citizen’s Xmas Dinner, The Big Draw, Young
Engineering Club, Family Learning, Remembrance Day, Student
Voice, New York and Washington DC, Air Cadets, DofE Practice,
Visual Arts is a specialism of the
CTC and, as such, we promote
visual arts in our community
and have worked with them in
numerous Art projects to help
them to achieve their objectives
while providing vocational
learning for our students.
The Big Draw is a national event
held every October attracts
thousands of organisations
to stage events. The aim is
to engage as many people
as possible in the art of mark
making! We are one of the first
schools to participate. Here, Art
and Design teacher Vic Elwell
looks back on a fantastic day.
Senior Citizen’s Christmas Dinner
The spirit of Christmas began on the 3rd
December as the CTC held its eighth annual
Senior Citizen’s Christmas Dinner. Post 16
students and staff give their time freely
to enable the event to take place. To read
more about this festive community event
generously supported by Alcoa, please turn
to the centre pages.
Art and Design The Big Draw
It is the first time we have staged
a Big Draw event here at the CTC
and we feel that it has been very
successful, not least because of
the enthusiastic staff from across
college who embraced creative
ways in which to link their
subjects with Art and Design.
We had scientist using Litmus
26
December 2010
CTC Saves Lives!, V Inspired, Community Cohesion, Whats On, Sports
and much more...
paper to create textured pieces
showing the ‘portrait’ of a year
7 student; PE teachers helping
students to capture a variety of
sports activities in paint and even
Miss Jones was involved and
helped to splash paint to create
costumes for a fashion show!
See more on pages 2 and 3
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 eighth Christmas dinner for over 130 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. The Big Draw was an incredible success that enabled
us to use our specialism across the curriculum to great effect.
Sincere thanks to Lee Fletcher, Editor of “Inside Out”, ably assisted by Tori Sutton, 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 2011.

Art and Design The Big Draw
This years Christmas card is
designed by Laurence Hall
in 7 Saxton.
2 InsideOut December 2010
At the start of the day we
designed an outfit for a catwalk.
Later on we chose the best two
designs to make. Two people
were chosen to be models
and we wrapped them in the
marked paper and started to
make the outfit. Nico White was
dressed in a belly dancing outfit
designed by Lucy Gregory. Darius
Hodgekinson was dressed in
dungarees designed by Emily
Robinson. We made the final
touches like tassels for Nico and
a bow tie for Darius and went
down to the catwalk. It was really
fun to see other classes’ designs.
During the morning, I learned
that you don’t have to be the
best artist or “drawer” to draw
and have fun drawing. It was
really fun dressing and designing
the outfit for Nico and Darius.
That afternoon in history we
watched a little bit of film of
the early days of Ghandi. We
looked at the propaganda
posters. We then recreated the
poster using collage. Every
pair had a section to cover in
collage, which then when put
together created a big poster.
I learnt that the world hasn’t
always been so tolerant to
peoples differences or people
with different origins as they
are now.
The Big Draw Curriculum
Day was really interesting
and fun it was great to be a
part of.
Georgina Whatmore,
(8 Dunn)

On Thursday 14th October, our
school took part in ‘The Big
Draw’ – we didn’t do our normal
lessons. Instead, I took part in
science and MFL activities.
The first thing that we did in
Science was to look at different
types of food and then we had to
place litmus paper into the food
that we eat everyday we looked
at fruit, bread and fizzy pop to
find out if it was acidic, neutral
or alkali. This was great fun and
it was interesting to see how the
paper changed colour.
Next we were with the MFL
teachers and we looked at the
work of the French artist Matisse.
We also looked at how you spell
all of the different colours in
French. In general, the day was
brilliant and we learnt lots of new
things!
Andrew Carter, (7 Davis)
The whole Art Department would like to say a big
thank you to ALL staff and students who took part
and helped to make the day a great success.
InsideOut December 2010
3

Young Engineering Club Bloodhound Rocket Car Project
Bradley Reynolds (10 Elwell)
looks back on his Bloodhound
Rocket Car Project that allowed
them to apply their technological
skills.
Our team went to Archbishop
Grimshaw School where we were
shown the project and given a
kit of parts and told to build a car
out of them. At this time, every
schools’ cars were the same.
When we had put them together,
we then took them outside and
tested them by adding a rocket
motor to the car and testing
them for performance.
We were then told to modify
our car to make it faster and
generally improve it. We used
the computers in the DT room to
design a new body and then we
used equipment in the DT room
to make it into a shape that could
be placed onto our car by using
the laser cutter and the vacuum
former. We also made lightened
aluminium wheels to replace the
BTEC Travel and Tourism
Manchester Trip
Year 13 student, Toni Mears looks
back on a very productive visit
to Manchester. It was the start
of the schools project week and
the BTEC Travel and Tourism
group and the BTEC sports
science group were ready to go
to Manchester which was one
of their first of two trips that
week. On this trip we had a tour
around the Manchester United
football ground where we went
into many different private
places including the changing
rooms, press room and the
players’ lounge, and we also had
half an hour to look around the
4 InsideOut December 2010
wooden ones that were originally
supplied.
After six weeks of working in our
young engineering classes for
an hour every week, we went to
RAF Cosford where a solid fuel
rocket was put on the back of our
improved car, the car then went
shooting down the track and
our time was recorded. After this
testing session, we found that
the problem was that our car was
too light and wasn’t producing
a fast enough time as it kept
bouncing around. So next, we
changed the wheels, body and
made it more wedge shaped. We
put wider wheels at the back and
narrower wheels at the front of
our car too, with the back wheels
pushed further back from the
body.
Manchester United museum and
learn all about the history of the
team. After we had finished at
the ground we went for a quick
bite to eat at a small shopping
centre up the road before going
to the huge Trafford Centre
where we had an hour to have a
look around and then heading
home. I enjoyed the trip to
Manchester and I think we would
all definitely do it again.
If you are considering applying
for the Travel and Tourism course
next year please speak to Mrs
Armitage.
The opposition!
Colin Rowe, “The Rocket Man”
He runs the schools rocketry projects.
Our car has a clear plastic
streamlined bodywork and guide
fin. We re-designed the axles and
wheels that have plain bearings
within them.
You can see a video clip of our car testing on:
student pool/teaching areas/engineering/student transfer/all years/YEC!!!!!!

Family Learning - Animation Project
For more information on the next free animation course at the CTC
email: susan.callander@kingshurst.ac.uk or phone: 07570 468141
Halloween Disco Goes
Down Horribly Well
The annual Halloween Disco
for year seven and eight
students was held in the hall
on Wednesday 20th October.
Students arrived at 7.30pm in
all sorts of Halloween themed
costumes ready to dance the
night away. Both IB & BTEC
students hosted the evening.
There was a selection of food
and drinks available at very
reasonable prices. During the
course of the evening the post
16’s arranged activities, such
as ‘Limbo’ in which all of the
students joined in together and
all took it in turns, to see how low
they could go.
Another event included the
‘Dance Off’ of the evening.
Participants formed a huge
circle in the middle of the hall, in
which, a student would go into
the middle of the circle and show
everyone some dance moves.
There were 175 tickets sold that
FIRE ALARM
night and the final profit was
over £300 which helps subsidise
the Senior Citizens’ Christmas
Dinner.
Along with about 20 other
students, Rob Clarke, 16,
studying on the International
Baccalaureate, spent a lot of his
free time organizing the disco,
earning his CAS hours. Rob
managed to gain 17 hours of CAS
points organizing this event.
Rob Clarke concluded that, “We
all spent a good month or so
sorting the tickets, advertising
the disco and purchasing the
refreshments and decorations so
that the night would be one to
remember for the year 7 & 8s”.
Charlie Grant from 7 Saxton,
who dressed up as the character
Scream said, “I enjoyed the disco,
it was fun, I will be attending
future discos at the school”.
IB students Kate Orohoe, 16, and
Alex Deaves, 16, confirmed, “The
disco was a really good night
for students and post 16s. There
were a few technical difficulties
Every Tuesday after school
my dad and I would go to the
ICT rooms. We would make an
animation movie by creating our
characters and scenery. Then we
would film our movie. Afterwards
we would edited the movie by
using software such as windows
movie maker etc…I really
enjoyed when we got to get
hands on with the equipment.
Everyone got really creative and
made some cool movies, whilst
we spent quality time with our
dads or male carers.
I really enjoyed this experience
and had great fun, and the
teachers were great and really
helpful. I learnt a lot about
making movies. I would
recommend it to everyone.
Thomas Dudley, (7 Garland)
but after that was sorted the
night was enjoyable”.
I felt that the atmosphere this
year at the disco was better than
last year.
When I was in lower school
the Halloween disco was great
opportunity to make some new
friends. From my experience in
lower school you mainly stick
with friends in your form group,
so the disco enabled me to get to
know other students in my year.
Beth Evans, 12 Davey
(Media Student)
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.
Did You Know?
AFTER COLLEGE ACTIVITIES
If students are staying in
college after 3:05pm for any
reason (sports practices,
rehearsals, working on projects/
homework) then they MUST
sign in at student reception and
sign out as they leave.
TELEPHONE AT STUDENT
RECEPTION
Students should only ask to
use the telephone at student
reception for emergencies or
when the payphone is out of
order.
A minimum charge of 20p will
be made for each call.
CONFISCATIONS
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 the student at the
end of the college day from
the Head of Year office. On
the third occasion they will be
issued a Head of Year detention.
On the fourth occasion an
Assistant Principal detention.
On the fifth occasion a Vice
Principal detention and on the
sixth occasion privileges will be
withdrawn.
All other items confiscated
can be collected following
afternoon registration on a
Friday from the Head of Year
office.
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 with Head
of Year until 9:15 at student
reception. If they arrive in
college later than 9:15 they
MUST sign in with Victoria
Holloway in the Administration
Office.
All the above will ensure that registers are
kept up to date, which is a legal requirement
and in accordance with Fire Regulations.
InsideOut December 2010
5

CTC
Student
voice
Peer Supporting
Remembrance Day in London
Citizenship co-ordinator Miss
Thomason looks back on “Silence
in the Square” event.
At the eleventh hour on the
eleventh day of the eleventh
month, the Two Minute Silence is
observed on Armistice Day, the
day which marks the end of the
First World War.
The Royal British Legion hosts
“Silence in the Square” events to
give the public an opportunity
to participate in the Two Minute
Silence.
In London, we joined a host of
special guests to help honour
our fallen service people and to
remember those serving today.
The annual event will again be
hosted by television presenter
Ben Shephard, with music
from The Saturdays, Blake and
The London Gospel Choir, and
readingys by Keeley Hawes and
Ben Barnes.
As Citizenship Co-ordinator I feel
it is imperative that all students
take part and understand the
importance of Armistice Day. Rod
Taylor and I travelled to London
6 InsideOut December 2010
CTC
with four students to experience
the Remembrance Day Service.
Due to the success of the trip we
hope to offer it to more students
next year.
“Today was an unforgettable
experience as we visited the
capital city and the remembrance
concert at Trafalgar Square. My
favourite part was participating
in the two minutes silence. My
relatives fought in WW2, I found
it truly wonderful that I was
there to honour them and to
show my gratitude. Apart from
the typical British weather the
overall day was enjoyable and
emotional. I would love to have
the opportunity to go again”
Year 10 student Sam Tranter
“The visit to Trafalgar Square was
amazing! It was a great way to
show our respect to the fallen
soldiers and it was done in a
fun, exciting way! It was a great
experience and we would love to
do it again! “
Year 8 students Josh Williams and
Gemma McNally
Uniformed Services students Laura Pearson and Ria Cheslin outline another important
service to our students.
A group of male and female students took part in a ten week training course which was
run by Nav Pink form the Kingshurst youth Community Centre. Over the ten week course,
we looked at different aspects of peer supporting including bullying and friendship
issues. We were taught skills and given techniques to help us understand and support
students in various situations.
We found the course interesting as it gave us the opportunity to gain skills and
experience where otherwise we could not. We would all like to thanks Martine from
Welfare, Miss Allport and Nav for helping us gain this qualification and for supporting us
through the course.

Germany
Recently I went on a music tour with CTC music department to Bad
Salzig in Germany. We went there as a music tour which is an event
that happens every year. After being on many of the other music tours
I also felt I should go on this one.
After spending a whole day travelling we arrived in Germany. On
the first day we visited various music museums and learnt about the
history of music in Germany. On the night we set up and did a concert
in an inside venue. On another day we visited a theme park for the
whole day and did another concert on the night. The day after this
we went on a boat ride across the river rhine, and spent some time
shopping and enjoying the food. We then did our last concert outside.
Songs we did included ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, ‘Give a Little Bit’ and ‘Ain’t
No Mountain High Enough’. All the concerts were enjoyable and we
gathered an audience who were appreciative.
I benefitted from the trip because I learnt more about the history of
music and had the experience of singing in front of an audience. I also
built communication and confidence skills by spending time with
other musically talented people.
New York and Washington DC
On a cold and wet April morning,
58 students from Year 11 and
Post 16 plus 6 staff from the CTC
set off for the trip of a life time
to New York and Washington
DC. The trip was organized
by Mr Howell and was based
around the media courses that
the majority of students were
studying. Two cities, eight days
to see the sites and immerse
ourselves in all things American!
Whilst we were in New York we
stopped at the Wolcott Hotel,
which is less than 5 minutes walk
from the Empire State building
and which we could see from the
main entrance of the hotel. We
were only in New York for three
days so had a very busy schedule
planned. We visited Time Square,
had a meal at Planet Hollywood,
went to Ground Zero (a very
moving experience - I have never
known 58 students so quiet),
Central Park, Guggenheim Art
Gallery, Statue of Liberty and Ellis
Island and had a tour of the NBC
Studios. We also rode the subway
- a lot! We all walked our socks
off of walking between sites, but
definitely this is the best way to
see “The Big Apple”. Mr Walton’s
group set the pace and more
often than not Miss Smith and
Mrs Harper’s group were miles
behind. One evening we went
to see the show, STOMP! I would
definitely recommend this, as it
was hilarious.
On the fourth day we travelled
to Washington DC by coach,
where we stopped at the
Comfort Inn. On our first night
in Washington we went to see
an Ice Hockey match between
Washington Capitals v Boston
Bruins, Washington won. An
absolutely fantastic experience
which was enjoyed by everyone!
Whilst in Washington we had
a guided tour and visited the
US Capitol Building, the White
House, Lincoln and Jefferson
Memorials, and probably the
best museum complex in the
world the Smithsonian Institute.
We even found time to visit The
Mall, Washington Monument,
had a meal at the Hard Rock
café, visited the International
Spy Museum. The Vietnam and
Korean War memorials were also
particularly thought provoking.
The behavior of all our students
was fantastic and many members
of the public commented on
this. Our last evening of the
trip involved some serious
retail therapy so we spent the
afternoon at Pentagon City
where there many shops and
restaurants. A few students also
wanted to visit the Pentagon,
so we jumped on the Metro and
visited the Pentagon Memorial,
which again, was a very moving
and poignant experience.
During what became an
incredibly busy week, the
students had a fantastic time. We
arrived in the middle of a heat
wave, temperatures in the 30’s.
I’ve never seen students drink so
much water, well most of them.
I mainly enjoyed spending time with the people who went and
performing at the concerts. I would like to thank Aim Higher for giving
me this opportunity and paying for the trip for me.
Lily Enefer, (12 Richards)
Jade Humpherston even resorted
to pouring water over herself to
cool down and all the Year 11
boys had to go and buy shorts
as it was so hot….far too many
white legs on display though!!!!
Brilliant weather, great company
and a group of students who
were just spot on. We saw so
many places in two amazing
cities that will stay with us for the
rest of our lives. Just a couple of
quotes for the record:
Jack Vella: “ This has been the
best experience of my life and I
want to go back as soon as I can”.
Both Hannah’s: “We should have
drunk more water”. We all agreed
with that one!
Huge thanks to Mr Howell for
organizing the best ever trip.
InsideOut December 2010
7

Air Cadets
CTC students were among
50 Cadets and staff from the
Warwickshire & Birmingham
Wing of the ATC have just
returned from a 3 day camp on
board HMS Bristol (A Type 42
Destroyer) berthed at the Royal
Naval Base Portsmouth at Whale
Island (HMS Excellent).
The camp was fortunate with
the weather and the cadets
enjoyed a packed programme.
Visiting HMS Victory (Flagship
of the Royal Navy) , Victory
Experience (new multi million
pound recreation of the ship and
its battles), Action Stations (with
their excellent simulators), Royal
Marine Museum, Submarine
Museum (including spending
almost an hour inside a WW2
Submarine), 2 boat trips across
the harbour , and a visit to Fort
Nelson (a Napoleonic Fort built
to repel the French who never
actually arrived). All visits were
enjoyed by the cadets and will
be remembered by them.
DofE Practice
8 InsideOut December 2010
On all the outside visits, the
cadets were excellent and several
compliments were made about
their smartness and behaviour.
The Commercial Director of
the Submarine Museum was so
impressed he walked to address
the 19 cadets who visited and
told them they were the best
cadets he had seen in 10 years.
That is quite a compliment!!.
The CC Sqn Ldr Coats said, “It is
pleasing to have compliments
made about the cadets but
the one from the Submarine
Museum was extra special. Our
cadets and staff enjoy these
camps and their behaviour
matches that and reflects well on
their units and this Wing. Once
again the `light blue` footprint
has been seen in the heart of the
Royal Navy and shone”.
According to Duke of Edinburgh
co-ordinator, Helen Smail, “I’m so
please at how the students did
on the practice expedition in the
Lake District. Their map
reading skills improved
immensely throughout the time
and they loved being in the
beautiful countryside. They had
such a great time and want to go
back to do their final expedition!”
Year 12s who wish to join the
Silver Duke of
Edinburgh
Award this year will be
able to do so shortly.
See Miss Smail for
further details.
CTC Kinghurst Academy
Community and Family Mentor
We are pleased to announce that we now have a Community and
Family Mentor, Sue Callander, who will be happy to help you with
advice on things like:
Benefits, Returning to Work, Child Care, Activities for your children,
Attendance, Clubs, Finances, Behaviour, Health, Family issues and
concerns and so much more......
Call or text your name to Sue on 0757 0468141 who will call back as
soon as possible.
DROP-IN SESSIONS FOR PARENTS/CARERS starting Tuesday 16th
November 2010 3.30pm-5.30pm. Please come to the Visitor
Reception to meet Sue FOR A CHAT. Then every Tuesday afternoon,
term time only.

CTC Saves Lives!
Altruistic year 13 Art and Design
student, Alice Munro explains
how she helped the CTC support
the National Blood Service.
Every day people at the CTC
do amazing things, but it’s not
often that they will save a life.
Over sixty people at college were
generous enough to offer to give
blood, unfortunately only thirty
six people were able to
participate on November 11th
but that is still an amazing
number and hopefully if it is a
regular event we could have
more appointment slots!
Everyday there is always a need
for blood donors. The blood is
used in many ways, for people
with sickle cell anaemia, victims
of accidents, people with blood
diseases, pregnant women in
child birth and much more. Blood
can be received by any one at
any age and to have the
opportunity for the National
Blood service to come to college
is remarkable.
The initial idea came from when
I gave blood for the first time in
V INSPIRED SETS UP BASE IN CTC!
V inspired is a fantastic
organisation that has helped
many of our students participate
in exciting opportunities
including Sarah Kinsella’s fashion
show featured in this edition.
We are delighted to confirm
that advice will be far easier for
our students now that we have
provided them with a base in the
IC. To find out more, read on.
Hi, I’m Tarryn, the new vinvolved
(volunteering) Youth Adviser for
Solihull.
If you’re 16 – 25 years old and
you’re interested in any of the
following then I’ll be available for
you to come and see me in the
IC on Tuesdays (term time only),
11.30am – 12.30pm:
- if you want to know more about
volunteering,
- if you need support in finding a
volunteering placement,
- if you want to get your current
or previous volunteering
recognised and accredited with a
nationally recognised award,
- if you want to run a project.
January this year, I felt looking
around the room that it just
wasn’t enough and that I could
do more to help. People that
I had spoken to said that they
would give blood when they
got round to it and that they
were keen, but never had the
opportunity. Baring this in mind
I met with Bruce Walton and he
thought it was a great idea for
the Blood Service to come to
college. If people weren’t able to
go out their way, we would bring
it to college and make it happen.
If you’re a member of staff in the
school and you want to know
more about v, have any good
ideas for volunteer projects,
or you want to discuss ways
to accredit young people’s
extracurricular activities, then
you can also come and see me
in the IC on Tuesdays (term
time only), from 10.30am –
11.30am.
If you can’t make these times,
don’t panic! Contact me:
t: 01926 450 156
e: tarryn_samuel@hotmail.co.uk
Look forward to seeing you
there!
At ten past nine on the Thursday
morning the ‘bloodmobile’ came
to college and even the younger
years were inquiring about it and
if they were able to give blood.
It’s really good to see that the
younger generations would do
it and that they were interested.
Teachers Bruce Walton, Victoria
Elwell, and Rebecca Griffith and
Post 16 students, along with the
Principal Ann Jones all gave their
blood selflessly.
Overall the day was a massive
success and the donor carers and
nurses were brilliant and so
lovely. As a college we gave
twenty nine units of blood
and hopefully this amount will
increase!
A massive thank you to everyone
who gave blood on November
11th and to everyone who made
the day a success!
If you missed the chance to do
it this time there is always next
time, if you would like to become
a Blood donor or find out more
information about other types of
donations go onto www.blood.
co.uk or phone 0300 123 23 23
Most people can give blood. If you
are generally in good health, age 17
to 65 (if it's your first time) and weigh
at least 7st 12Ib you can donate. You
can give blood every 16 weeks, that's
approximately every four months.
InsideOut December 2010
9

SENIOR CITIZEN’S CEL
Merry
Christmas
10 InsideOut December 2010
The evening commenced at 2.30
when the Senior Citizen’s arrived
at the college, to be welcomed
by music from the college band.
The guests entered the hall
where they were served minced
pies and tea by students whilst
the band kept them entertained.
When the band had finished
playing the guests left the hall to
go into Santa’s Grotto where they
could have photographs taken.
Once everyone was seated, the
students assigned themselves to
tables and served their guests a
traditional Christmas dinner.
After the plates were cleared it
was time for Bingo and the raffle!
A whole range of prizes were
won with what seemed like the
most wins coming from table
four.
The evening ended around six,
when guests departed with
smiles on their faces and prizes in
their hand.
A Lady from Table four had this to
say “The service was wonderful
and I really enjoyed myself
tonight. I will be back next year
to enjoy the whole event over
again”.
Beth Evans, (12 Davey)

EBRATE WITH SANTA
Thanks to Walkers Bingo for
supplying bingo books, Greggs
for donating £50 for raffle prizes
and Bev Hawkesford for kindly
providing every guest with a
£10 Asda voucher on behalf of
ALCOA. Merry Christmas!
Canteen
Andi Collins
Mike Roberts
Laura Taylor
Pat Causer
Vicky Griffin
Sarah Gowland
Denise Fizer
Linda Farndon
Diane Kong
Sandra Stocks
Karen Sleigh
Santa
Roy Adams
Grotto
Chris Parry
Sandra Reynolds
Tracey Blackwell
Doreen Hall
Bingo
Roz Trudgon
Performing Arts
Ian Rushbury
Stephen Williams
College Band
Helen Dean
Kirsten Pearce
Kelly Davey
Gil Cowlishaw
Laura Morris
Photography
James Howell
Admin
Rachel Flynn
Restaurant
Bruce Walton
Community Links
Clive Adams
Tea and Refreshments
Katie DeSilva
Helpers
Carol Wearing
Richard Jones
Tracy Wyton
Jacquie Oakley
Jo Jevons
Steven Hodgetts
Tracy Constantinou
Matt Grove
Dancers
Oliver Green & Emily Richardson
InsideOut December 2010
11

Community
Students
Participate in
Fordbridge
Activity Week
Back in October the CTC
was invited to help out with
Fordbridge Activity Week. The
week was organised by Alison
Lush, who is the Neighbourhood
Manager for Solihull Council.
Activities that took place to
mark the event included a litter
pick around Bosworth Drive and
Chaplehouse Road, and bulb
planting at Brickhill Drive and
Woodclose Road.
Students from 7 Hewson
spent a morning outside of
their classroom to help out in
Happy Christmas
From
Dave the Dodo
Dave the Dodo designed and
built by BTEC Art and Design
students back in the summer,
for display at this year’s BBC
Gardeners’ World show at the
NEC, is to be featured this year
on the official Solihull Council
Christmas card. Since the end of
12 InsideOut December 2010
Cohesion
Meriden Park. The enthusiastic
group braved the cold weather
to spend time planting local
woodland edge plug plants. The
students were also invited by
Park Ranger Adrian Crowe, to
plant two Black Poplars to mark
twenty five years of Kingfisher
Country Park.
Our year 7 students were able
to learn about plants, wildlife
and conservation as well as
contribute to the development
of Meriden Park. Through
working alongside Park Rangers
our students have been able to
experience first-hand the work
that goes on to maintain and
improve our local parks. The day
was enjoyable and 7 Hewson
are keen to pay a return visit to
Meriden Park to see the results
of their labour, as well as get
involved in new projects.
June, the model Dodo built out
of metal and recycled cans has
been on display to the public in
Solihull Library.
We were formally invited to
a celebration evening staged
at the Civic Suite in Solihull
on 8th September to collect a
silver award for the dodo and
the garden project. The aim
of the evening was to honour
volunteers and highlight
major projects that have been
coordinated
by the
Environmental
Champions
throughout
the borough
of Solihull.
It has been
a great
year for the
Environmental
Champions
with over
eighty
community
based
projects being
completed,
including
our Alice in
Biodiversity
Land garden,
which was
exhibited at
the NEC back
in June.
Fordbridge Activity Week was so successful that plans are already
underway to hold the event again next October.
The Mayor of Solihull Councillor
Ian Courts choose our dodo to
feature on this year’s Christmas
card as he felt that it came from
a significant project which
optimises everything that the
Environmental Champions have
achieved across the borough.
Both the Mayor and Mayoress
are featured on the card that is
due for release on December
1st. Thousands of cards will be
printed with one being posted
to every Mayor in the country.
A card will also be posted to
every significant councilor across
Solihull and Birmingham as well
as to all the groups that the
Mayor has worked with during
the course of the year.
Environmental Champion
Co-coordinator Patricia
Willetts, who works for Solihull
Council highlighted that she is,
“honoured that Dave the dodo
has been chosen for the theme
for this year’s Christmas card.”
BTEC Art and Design Course
Coordinator, Victoria Ellwell,
commented that she is, “thrilled
and very proud of all our
students who put a lot of hard
work in to the project, and
the fact that the council have
decided to feature it this year
on their Christmas card is a well
deserved accolade.”
Caroline Moriarty from 13 Phillips
stated, ‘I’m quite chuffed and I
don’t think anyone in the class
was expecting it. It’s good that
our DoDo has not been forgotten
after the garden show’.
Alice Munro, 13 Wong stated, ‘It
was an extraordinary opportunity
to be a part of the huge project
back in the summer and it was
great that Dave the Dodo has
been made and designed by us. I
am very proud of ‘Dave’, and I am
overwhelmed that the council
has chosen him this year for their
official Christmas card design’.
Andrew Bird in 13 Kennedy
stated, ‘I was shocked and
amazed to find out that
something we have made
out of old cans is going to be
featured on Solihull council’s new
Christmas card. I am proud of our
Dodo and am glad that lots more
people will have the chance to
see it’.
Will Worth in 13 Aslam
concluded, ‘I am very shocked
that how well known our garden
project has become, and I am
please with the recognition that
we have received for our work.
I am extremely proud of our
achievement, although having
said that, I never want to look at
another tin can again’.

BTEC Students
Get Scary
in Haunting
Halloween Event
A group of Year 12 BTEC
Children’s Learning,
Development students met with
Clive Adams at Brueton Park,
Solihull, for a haunting night on
the 31st October.
“Haunting Halloween” has been
going strong for seven years,
and visitors wishing to take part
were encouraged to pre book
their tickets as the event does
sell very quickly. One hundred
and eighty five tickets were sold
to the general public and tickets
were sold out from the first week
of September. This is not unusual
as Haunting Halloween is a
popular fixture on the calendar.
After arriving at 4.30 our students
along with additional volunteers
were given scary attire to get
dressed from head to toe.
At the small price of £2 the
children were able to enjoy fun
and games lasting over an hour
and a half. The ticket holders
were spilt into five groups of 35
children and adults, with the
first group starting the sessions
at 5.30pm and then on going
every 20 minutes with the
last group starting at 6.50pm.
Everyone arrived on time eager
to start a night of fun and games,
all dressed up in Halloween
costumes. To start off the night
one child from every group won
a prize for best costume.
Little did the visitors to the park
know that some of our year 12
students would be participating
in the evening’s ghostly activities.
When the students arrived they
were instructed to hide along the
trail around the park and jump
out unexpectedly in front of the
visitors. Holding themselves back
in their places for each of the five
groups to approach, the students
waited patiently. Along the trail
there were two various stop off
points where professional story
tellers told ghost stories to keep
the children engrossed. One of
these storytellers being
accompanied by
two owls
was
excellent
in helping
to create a scary
atmosphere in the woods. At
the end of the trail there was
an optional craft session held
at the educational centre next
to the café. Here the children
accompanied by their parents
were able to enjoy a hot drink
and cake as well as having fun
making masks and costumes in
the warmth of the classroom.
Sophie Magill, said that “I really
enjoyed the event; it was a laugh
and a good opportunity for us
to visit the park. The time we
spent there has helped us on
our course as we gained hours
for work experience, although
we did spend four hours in the
freezing cold. It was a good event
for the children as they seemed
to have enjoyed themselves a lot.
Some of the children didn’t find
our costumes scary at all, and
thought of us as trolls because
we were stuck hiding under a
bridge.”
Park Ranger
Adrian
Crowe
concluded
that ‘our
students have
helped make this year’s event
more enjoyable for visitors, and it
is really important that they did
take part’.
BTEC course Coordinator
Rebecca Griffith confirmed
that through participating
in Haunting Halloween, her
students ‘have gained practical
experience of being with children
who they have not worked
with before. The girls have also
benefitted through obtaining
more hours for the professional
practice component of their
course’. Students enrolled on the
BTEC Children’s Care, Learning
and Development course are
required to complete a number
of hours of work experience in
order to complete their studies.
Rebecca Griffith concluded that
her students were also able to
bond with each other outside
of the classroom environment,
and as a result. She is keen to
encourage her next intake of year
12 students to also participate
in this fun, community focused
event.
Tickets were available to
purchase by phone and via the
Tourist Information and Arts
complex at the central library
in Solihull. Visitors wishing to
take part in the event were
encouraged to pre book their
tickets as the event does sell very
quickly.
Haunting Halloween is a local
event organized by the Events
and marketing team and park
rangers who work for Solihull
council. The event was a great
success as it pulls the community
together and allows the public to
visit Brueton Park at night.
Solihull council organise a
number of regular events that
you may not be aware of but
may like to take part in. There
is a “Solihull Parks Event Guide
2010” that you can pick up from
the library. This guide contains
information on events for both
adults and children from music
and festivals to educational
activities. For more information,
visit www.solihull.gov.uk/events.
Nicole White,13 Aslam
InsideOut December 2010
13

Superb Shakespeare School Success, Year 13 Media Students
The Shakespeare Schools’ Festival
(SSF) is an annual event in which
multiple schools from all over the
United Kingdom get the chance
to perform a half hour of one
of Shakespeare’s famous plays
in front of a live audience, at a
reputable theatre local to them.
The CTC Kingshurst Academy
was one of the many schools
that took part in the festival
and played “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream” at the Old Rep
Theatre in Birmingham. They
played alongside a large number
of other schools; the event
started on the 11th of October
and finished on the 15th of
October at the Old Rep. The CTC
Kingshurst Academy played on
Wednesday 13th of October at
07:00pm.
The Shakespeare Schools’ Festival
is commemorating its 10th
anniversary since its inception
in 2000. It reigns supreme as
the largest and one of the most
successful, established youth
drama festivals in the UK. The
SSF is a non-profit organisation,
a charity in fact, dedicated to
working with young people and
helping them grow in confidence
and to unlock their potential on
stage. It’s not just the children
that learn however but also
the teachers helping them to
develop drama skills or new ways
14 InsideOut December 2010
of teaching.
There are a vast number of
famous individuals who support
the Shakespeare Schools Festival.
The likes of Kevin Spacey, Jenney
Agutter, and Dame Judi Dench
are but a small selection of the
many patrons.
The Shakespeare Schools’ Festival
is non competitive and is for
everyone; Year 7, English and
Drama GCSE, BTEC Drama, out
of school groups, young people
who have never acted before,
and people with difficulties or
disabilities.
Both the Shakespeare Schools’
Festival and Aim Higher funded
the event, as it is such an
enriching experience. Although
students get nothing in the form
of qualifications, they do get
a certificate out of the project,
which will look outstanding on
any college applications. The SSF
is a very well recognised event.
Next year it is hoped students
will get a qualification in line with
the arts award.
Sixteen students performed, all
taking on a variety of different
roles with the support of four
members of the teaching staff:
Stephen Williams, Becky Smith,
Brenda Sheard and Stephanie
Parker.
This is the first time The CTC
Kingshurst Academy has ever
participated in this project,
Thanks to drama teacher
Stephen Williams the college has
finally got involved. When asked
what encouraged him to enrol
in the Shakespeare Schools
Festival, Stephen commented
on how he has “known other
schools that have taken part in
the project and found it to be
a really useful tool in students
developing confidence.” He
also commented on how
it gave students, “a chance
to take part in something
they don’t get the chance to
very often.” After all, working
in a professional theatre is
“something rare”.
The students performed
“phenomenally well” and
stepping into the spotlight
at “The Old Rep was a huge
thing for them.” Mr Williams
commented on how some
students, “you could physically
watch growing in confidence”
one of the key aims of the
project, showing the success of
the event in only the early stages.
The students all supported
each other, and even came
back to afterschool rehearsals
in order to prepare for their
big date at the Old Rep. One
student commented on how
one her favourite moments
were “probably the afterschool
rehearsals” and the laughs to be
had with the group. This seemed
to be a shared feeling, however
one student seemed more
concerned with the fact he was
told he was a “donkey”.
Although Mr Williams as team
leader naturally had a lot of
input on the project such as
deciding costuming, staging and
set, how the students perceived
and portrayed their characters
was down to the individual. The
students had the freedom to
“find their characters from the
words and make them their own”.
With regards to studying drama
at GCSE level the children
seemed fairly positive towards
the idea of taking it. When asked
if they would like to study drama
in higher education there was
a very positive “Yes!” and all
together the idea seemed to
appeal to a majority of students,
especially after the opportunity
to take part in the play.
Like any successful instalment
there often comes a sequel.
When asked if he would consider
leading
the CTC
Kingshurst Academy again in the
Shakespeare Schools Festival,
Team leader Mr Williams replied
positively stating how he was
“very excited about running the
project again next year”.
In summing up the Shakespeare
Schools Festival, Mr Williams
stated how he had “learned a
lot” himself. After ‘realising how
much of an impact it has had on
both students and teachers, he
confirmed that he wants to share
his new-found knowledge with
another group of students’.
Although this is only the first
time The CTC Kingshurst
Academy has participated in the
Shakespeare Schools Festival,
it’s safe to say the event proved
a roaring success and it is hoped
that participation in the
festival will be “bigger and
better for 2011”.
By Lewis Sayers
We are a Technology specialist Academy situated in North Solihull looking for Engineering volunteers to work alongside our teaching staff.
If you are in a position to provide any of the following support to our students we’d be delighted to hear from you:
1-3 hours per week during school
A live brief to challenge our students
An insight into your career
Can You Help?
An opportunity for work experience
Training on industry standard equipment/software
Please contact: helen.dean@kingshurst.ac.uk

ALUMNI
Kelly Davey
Years 7 – 11 & IB
1994 – 2001
My time at the CTC started as a
student in September 1994 and
is still continuing now as I have
also been a teacher here for the
last 6 years. I remember being
very nervous but also excited
on my first day back in 1994. I
was nervous because not many
friends from my primary school
were going to the CTC but also
excited because I thought the
school building was huge with
lots of equipment and facilities.
I very soon realised that there
were lots of opportunities and
exciting things happening at the
CTC that were not happening
in other schools – my friends
were jealous of our enrichment
programme and all of the ICT
facilities that we had. It wasn’t
a lot compared to the fantastic
range of facilities that we have
now, but we were certainly ahead
of the times in comparison with
other schools. Just the fact that
we had our own college ID cards
Liam Kelly (13 Smail) proudly
provided Troop Aid with a
cheque for over £2000 following
the Uniform Services fundraising
efforts in the summer as featured
in the last edition. Here, Liam
assesses the impact.
On the 6th of June 2010 the
Uniform Services group took
part in an event to raise money
for a local charity called TROOP
Past students make are frequently in touch and as our alumni are perhaps the best advocates for the CTC. Indeed, many
enjoyed their schooling so much that they have returned to teach at the CTC. Here we tell their stories and see how
schooling at the CTC has helped them become teachers.
was a bit of a novelty and made
you feel all grown up!
I always liked the fact that
were treated as a young adults
from day one at the CTC – it
really helped to instil a sense
of responsibility in all of the
students and we had a real sense
of pride in our learning and the
school itself.
Although I had been into music
since a very young age, I had
lots of new opportunities to
develop my skills as a musician
during my time at CTC. In the
first few years I joined the college
band starting with playing the
metallophone and moving onto
playing the piano and clarinet.
I remember sitting at the back
of college band rehearsals with
Miss Jones, with me playing the
metallophone and Miss Jones
playing her guitar! I tried out
playing a few other instruments,
including the trumpet and the
saxophone but I soon discovered
that I enjoyed composing my
own music a lot more than
performing!
I particularly enjoyed composing
Christmas carols. The first
Christmas carol that I composed
was called ‘Christmas Morn’
which I composed in my last year
at primary school (Mapledene
Junior School). The head
teacher asked if the school
could officially rename the song
as the ‘Mapledene Carol’ and
to this day they still sing ‘The
Mapledene Carol’ every year – I
was delighted to be able to take
the CTC Choir to Mapledene
Primary School last year and
they sang the carol along with
the Mapledene pupils. At the
AID. This charity raises money
for soldiers in Afghanistan and
supplies the injured ones with
grab bags. These grab bags
include essentials for the injured
soldiers until they reach the
Queen Elizabeth hospital. These
bags make a huge difference
because without them soldiers
would only have a pair of boxers
and a towel.
After months of preparation we
finally started and finished the
event by doing a 24 hour relay
run with a stretcher. We ran the
CTC I also composed a carol each
year which was performed at the
annual carol service at Birmingham
Cathedral, usually sung by the CTC
choir. The carol service still to this
day one of my favourite events
of the whole school year! I also
composed some pieces for the
college band including a piece of
music inspired by music from the
Star Trek films which I remember
being performed at one of our
concerts (yes indeed, I was that
geek at school and still am today!).
By the time I finished my GCSEs
I definitely knew that I wanted a
career in music but I had really
enjoyed studying a range of
subjects in years 10 and 11. I didn’t
want to study A Levels as I felt
this would narrow the number
of subjects that I could study,
therefore studying the IB at post-16
was ideal for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed studying on
the IB course – it wasn’t easy but
it certainly prepared me well for
university and I was able to take
on a few new subjects that I had
never studied before including
Psychology and Japanese and
Theory of Knowledge (I have
very fond memories of Theory of
Knowledge lectures with Barry
Reece and his ability to go off
on random but very interesting
tangents!).
Music continued to be my main
focus and I then moved on to
study Music Composition at
Coventry University. In 2002, I
was commissioned by the BBC
to compose music for a Radio 4
documentary about the first year
commemoration of September
11th. This was a fantastic
opportunity to finally compose
equivalent of 6 marathons and
raised over £2,000 in total.
I was proud of myself and my
group for raising this amount
of money for Troop Aid and
knowing it will help out our
injured soldiers
means a lot to us
all. Also I would like
to thank everyone
involved in the
run as well as Alan
and Pam Sutton
for giving us the
opportunity to
music for the media (composing
for TV and film has been a life
long ambition!) and it was very
strange to hear my own music
coming from the radio. When
the BBC sent me my payment I
didn’t cash the cheque for about
6 months – I was too amazed to
have a cheque with the official
BBC logo written on it stuck on
my noticeboard!
My time spent at the CTC as
a student was certainly a big
factor in me deciding to pursue
a career in teaching. When I left
university I enrolled straight onto
a PGCE course for music teaching
and I felt incredibly lucky when
I got my job at the CTC. I had
experienced working in a few
other schools during my PGCE
course, but I knew that the CTC
was exactly the kind of place that
I wanted to be part of, but this
time as a teacher.
The number of teachers here
who are also fellow ex-students
is a demonstration of just how
much we got out of the CTC
when we were students here.
I doubt you will find another
school in the country that has as
many ex-students now teaching
as we do! It’s both strange but
also a privilege to be working
with members of staff who were
once my own teachers - Mr
Walton and Mr Bowers included
who were my form tutors in year
11!
Both my brother and sister (Ryan
and Becky Davey) have also been
students at the CTC and so for
the last 16 years there has always
been a Davey here – I hope this
will be the case for a few more
years yet!
show our appreciation of the job
our brave soldiers are doing. We
hope to get more opportunities
to raise more money for Troop
Aid in the future.
InsideOut December 2010
15

Cleobury Mortimor proves a hit once again
At the beginning of the Autumn
term, year 7 students took part
in the annual bonding trip to
Cleobury Mortimor, an activity
centre that enhances children’s
outdoor abilities and broadens
their minds.
The students thoroughly
enjoyed every moment of it,
with diverse social activities
and new experiences keeping
everyone busy all week. The
children stayed at the Pioneer
Centre, which has proven to be a
great location. The bravado and
camaraderie that students gain
during their stay at Cleobury
can be a huge boost to their self
confidence. All of these factors
help to expand friendship groups
and relationships with teachers.
Over a dozen varied activities
were arranged for the year 7s,
and in each of them different
skills and safety tips were
required. Course coordinator
Jason McDermott organises the
event each year and says it is
always a runaway success for the
students.
“I took over an ongoing
programme which was split
over the week with each group
completing two and a half
days. I wanted it to be a more
worthwhile experience for the
students and all involved.”
Twenty year 13 uniform service
students are also taken to
Cleobury as support for the year
7 pupils, which is helpful because
they can relate to what it was like
for them when they experienced
it. But it’s not all fun and games
for the post 16s! An assessment
on practical leadership is carried
out to test their skills and to help
with their course.
Various activities were
organized on the trip, ranging
from Climbing to Fencing. The
favoured activities among many
of the children were the Japanese
drumming and the physical
challenges, including high ropes
and abseiling. One of the many
exciting things about the trip to
Cleobury Mortimor is the team
building that the students get to
grips with. Through helping each
other out during the week, new
friendships can begin to take
hold. The night walk and caving
were useful team exercises in
16 InsideOut December 2010
which everyone had to trust each
other and keep an eye out for
dangers to their counterparts.
The majority of student feedback
on the food was positive. A
cooked breakfast and healthy
portions of food catered for all
appetites and tastes. This kept
everyone’s energy levels to a high
standard.
Each task set for the students
was designed to equip them
with a bastion of skills to help
them become more capable
and confident. As the week
progressed, a strong sign of
improvement in ability and
morale was apparent in most of
them.
Sadly, homesick issues do affect
some children, and is a concern
that can easily play on their
minds. This is usually a short
term ordeal for the pupil and can
be solved with a quick pep talk
with one of the staff or fellow
students. The child can then carry
on and enjoy the rest of their
trip as a beneficial experience.
Jason felt like coming back was
“the worst thing about the whole
expedition.” A disco is provided
for the pupils at the end of the
trip to round off the whole event
and give them a opportunity to
celebrate their achievements.
Jason McDermott has been
organising and participating
in Cleobury Mortimor trips for
several years and took over an
ongoing programme which has
been part of year 7s introduction
to school life for many years now.
Seventeen staff attended the
trip alongside more than 250
pupils. The group were honoured
with two visits from Ann Jones
and Richard Jones offering their
support and encouragement.
Jason says that he has many
great memories of Cleobury and
enjoys seeing the relationships
and friendships build within the
year 7 group that continue back
at the CTC. The centre assess
their own risks for activities to be
of suitable standard for the safety
of all pupils, but the school carry
out their own Risk Assessment
sessions as per HASPEV. Jason
states that “There is always room
for improvement, however it
provides a fantastic facility which
more than suits and supports
our purpose.” Even though Jason
goes every year without fail he
still loves it.
One of the pupils, Jordan
Lipscombe commented that
“the standard of the beds made
it very hard to sleep!” However,
the majority of students gave
positive feedback regarding the
experience of activities and the
discovery of new abilities. Jack
G thought the abseiling was,
“My most memorable moment
of Cleobury” and Brianna Howell
revealed “I learnt how to do
Japanese drumming. Also I learnt
how to use a bow and arrow in
archery and how to use a foil
in fencing.” Ellie-May Checkett
commented that there should be
more time spare to do your own
thing and more time do what the
kids want. One of the students
named George Conan explained
that “Nothing could be improved,
it was too good.”
By Christopher Sheridan (year 13)

To Africa and Beyond
Would you ever fancy Scuba
diving in the Indian Ocean? Or
even come face to face with
an elephant? Well for me these
dreams became a reality during
the summer holidays as students
and staff from the CTC embarked
on a three-week trip to explore
South Africa.
Science teacher Debbe Reilly and
Kit Wong organized the trip as
they thought it would be a great
experience for the students.
Louis Dolan, now in year 12 and
Tom Griffiths, in year 13 said they
wanted to go on the trip, as it
would be a ‘once in a life time
experience’.
Whilst there we spent two
weeks with employees
from South African charity
Operation Wallacea undertaking
conservation research.
After a 40-hour trip from
Heathrow, we landed in Cairo,
Egypt, before an eight-hour
plane journey to Johannesburg.
This was followed by a tiring
bus journey where we finally
arrived at Sodwana Bay. For the
first week we slept in tents at the
‘A day in Africa Lodge’ centre in
Sodwana Bay. Our camp was only
a short distance from the coast.
For some students it was their
first experience under canvas
and they thoroughly enjoyed the
experience.
Some of the students spent the
week participating in an Open
Water Scuba
diving course
with the
‘Sodwana Bay
Lodge Scuba
Centre’, which
resulted in
them gaining
an Open
Water Diving
qualification.
Ben Murphy,
17 said, “Before
the trip I
thought that
Scuba Diving
might be
scary” but then
described it as
the activity he
enjoyed most.
Other students
spent the week
taking part
in snorkeling
during which
they saw many
fascinating underwater creatures
such as whale sharks and sea
turtles.
On day when we were off Scuba
Diving and Snorkeling Kit Wong
embarked on a Quad bike
adventure which lead him to
Lake Sibeya. He stated ‘The Lake
is just stunning and the purity of
the water was amazing’
Each night there was a hearty
traditional South African dinner
cooked and prepared for us. We
all struggled to get to grips with
the food and substituted our
dinner for chocolate and crisps
most nights.
We spent the second week in
Intebane, Swaziland that to us
felt a million miles away from
civilization. We all had the
pleasure of sharing the second
week with students from Kings
College Boarding School in
Somerset. We all got on with
each other really well. Whilst
in Intebane we all took part in
animal conservation work. This
involved surveying particular
areas in and around Intebane to
find out what animals live in the
area. Alastair Gibbons, 18 and
Amy Shakespeare, 17 used some
of the conservation work towards
their IB coursework which they
enjoyed as it was ‘Different’.
Discovering that the Land Rover
that we were touring round
Interbane in had broken down in
the middle of nowhere wasn’t the
best news. We all took it in good
spirit and with help from our
guide we arrived back at camp
safe and sound. We experienced
first hand seeing many different
wild animals such as Giraffes,
Implala, Warthogs and even a
Red Tiger.
The last night in Intebane saw all
of us take part in a presentation
evening to talk about our favorite
animals and why we thought
they were important to the
wild. Then it was time to leave
Intebane and the students from
Kings College and say hello to
Cape Town where we spent
the remaining four days of the
holiday.
We started the second week at a
nature reserve four hours outside
the main city of Cape Town.
Whilst there we went on a ‘game
drive’ which involved the group
having a tour round the reserve
on the back of a truck where
we saw many animals including
Elephant and Rhino.
During that week we all
experienced many once in a
lifetime experiences. At the
Cango Caves we climbed
through a very humid cave. At
one point we all thought we
were going to get stuck in the
cave. We all took part in a high
wires activity that the whole
group found amazing.
At an Elephant sanctuary on the
edge of Cape Town, Bernadette
O’Toole, Jade Convery, Liam
Barrett and Emily Birch took up
the chance to ride an Elephant.
Shortly after Bernadette O’Toole
stated ‘It was amazing; the guide
was extremely friendly and
constantly reassured us that we
were not going to fall off. It was
the experience of a lifetime and I
am so glad that I did it’.
On a visit to an Ostrich farm near
Cape Town, Jade Convery, Liam
Barrett, Jack Mansell, Alastair
Gibbons and Safina Begum
took up the opportunity to ride
an Ostrich, which we all found
very entertaining. The week
ended in Hermanus, a suburb
of Cape Town where we went
whale watching as well as get
a few souvenirs at the local
market. Vuvuzelas were top of
everyone’s souvenirs list and we
sure let people know that we
had purchased them. We also
had time to visit Hermanus coast
where we saw many penguins.
It was then time to say goodbye
to South Africa, as it was time to
head home. During the trip we
had the time of our lives. We all
learned a lot about the cultural
differences between South
Africa and England. The Poverty
was visible as soon as we left
the airport in Johannesburg. I
am confident that we returned
home a lot wiser having gained
more independence from
having to look after ourselves
away from home. Overall the
students thoroughly enjoyed
their experience and were
extremely positive when asked if
they would return to Africa in the
future.
David Watts, Year 13 Media
InsideOut December 2010
17

SSco
Year 13 Media student Emma
Bowe chats to Jane Lowey,
who is a PE teacher, about her
cross college role as the School
Sports Coordinator for the CTC
Kingshurst Academy.
How did your cross college role
come about?
My role as School Sports
Co-coordinator is part of 140
school partnerships throughout
the UK. Over he past few years
162 Million has been invested to
benefit sport within schools.
How long have you been in your
cross college role?
Around seven years, although
I work a lot off timetable with
students in other schools.
What does your role involve?
18 InsideOut December 2010
I work with four SSCOs
throughout seven secondary
schools in the North Solihull
area. We help students in
secondary and primary
schools to engage in more
sports, especially the students
who say they not interested.
We also run leadership and
volunteering courses for
students who wants to teach
lower school children. I also
organize after school clubs and
interschool competitive sports
tournaments, sports that don’t
include Football and Netball,
like table tennis tournaments,
badminton and more.
What projects have you been
working on this term?
We have been working with
key stage 3 and 4, with girls and
boys badminton tournaments.
On Monday evenings a coach
comes in to teach badminton,
which is part of the afterschool
clubs. There have also been table
tennis tournaments and Dodge
ball competitions. As a result
of this three Post 16 students
have gained level 2 certificates,
qualifying them to teach dodge
ball. At the moment there are
a whole range of before and
after school activities including
CTC Volunteers in Nepal
A group of Year 12 students have started preparations for a trip of a
lifetime – to visit our partner school in Nepal in October 2011. Apart
from seeing the amazing sites of Kathmandu and the Himalayas, our
students will be providing much needed assistance in the English
lessons and organising playtime activities for younger pupils. Please
support their fundraising efforts!
tramp lining, gymnastics, and
cricket. PE teachers have bent
over backwards for some of these
opportunities to happen. I have
also been organising basketball
for under 14’s and 16’s. In the
new-year I plan to be working
on an orienteering project for
primary schools, again, providing
an opportunity for older students
to become part of this.
What impact do you feel your
role has on students and the
college as a whole?
I feel that my impact on students
and the college has progressed
over the years; there are over
400 students that have followed
Hockey Club
Marguerite Palmer and Colin
Grafton’s club continues to go
from strength to strength. Here
they provide an update on the
season so far.
Please come and join us on a
Wednesday 3.30-5pm. We would
like Year 7,8,9 boys and girls to
come and play. We have good
support from Year 10,11,12,13
but it would be good to have
some progression planning for
the future. You do not need to
have any experience you will be
taught all about the game. We
start with a warm-up then skills
practice and then a game.
Why not come and watch
our friendly match against
Queensbridge School, Moseley
on the 1st December which is
being played at the NSSC
astro-turf. 3.30-5pm.
We are also very proud of our
5 Year 13 students who gained
the young
leaders
qualification,
the people
who help
younger
students
with sport.
Also I feel I
have helped
students
who have
been known
to act out
and give
them the
opportunity
of the leadership role, and they
have performed outstandingly
in the role. Also there are over
twenty students in college who
have registered for SIS (step
intersport passport) where they
get awarded (bronze, silver, gold)
for their activities within sport.
Also I feel that through my role I
have tried to help students who
refuse to do PE as they don’t like
the compulsory competitive
sports.
their Foundation Hockey
Umpiring certificates and
badges when they were Year
12’s last summer. They were
taught by Jane Sixsmith the
England Hockey Player and
they undertook their practicals
by umpiring the Birmingham
Hockey League matches for
which our students came 3rd
behind Saltley School and
Queensbrige, Moseley.
Bruce Walton will be presenting
the certificates to the students
in the Post 16 Forum on
Thursday 25th. Our warmest
congratulations go to:- Stephen
Bowcott, Zach Jarvis, Luke
Menzel, Olivia McIlraith and
James Wood.

Easykart World Finals
I first got into a proper racing kart
about a year ago now and since
then I have loved every single
minute of it. I’ve always loved
racing but never thought that I
would actually do it for a hobby,
and an expensive hobby at that.
The first time I drove the kart
was quite shocking as you’re not
ready for how fast, demanding
and technical it is, so I didn’t
know quite what to expect.
It’s also very professional
as we turned up expecting
crummy old vans with a gazebo
attached to it with dads and
sons working on the karts but
it was the complete opposite.
There were huge awnings, motor
homes (Winnebago’s etc) with
professional kart teams running
them, so it was very daunting. At
the end of the day the manager
of the team I rented the kart off
came up to my dad and said
“you’re going to have to spend
a lot of money because he’s
one of the best I have seen for a
newcomer” and he immediately
asked my dad if I wanted to join
the ACR Birel team and of course
the answer was, “Yes!”
I carried on throughout the
winter testing the kart in order
to gain the practice I needed
until the season started in March
where I came 10th out of 29 in
my first race against some of
the top drivers in the country.
For the rest of the season I
maintained this level, whilst
gaining the necessary experience
and race craft, and even had 3
top fives and one podium and
pole position. At the end of the
last race about a month ago I
was told that I had qualified for
the world championships in
Italy. I didn’t have time to take
it in because the next day the
flights were booked and I was
on the plane the following week.
I couldn’t really believe I was
going myself as feedback from
my engineer, during the winter,
explained that the expectations
of a novice was not to re-write
the record books but to gain
any experience you can and to
finished between mid-field and
the rear. I was also told that if
I ever managed to qualify for
the worlds, I would be the first
ever novice junior to do it, so
I felt immensely proud of my
achievement.
Once I had actually arrived at
the circuit it was quite surreal
there were TV cameras, world
renowned teams, in the form of
Birel kart racing team, and not
to mention the 100’s and 100’s
of karts with their world class
drivers that I was now considered
one of. However my excitement
was too much so my nerves
disappeared very quickly and
within an hour of arriving I was
out on track along with the other
6 UK drivers. Half of them had
already competed last year so
they helped me a lot in terms of
advice.
My first time out didn’t go so
well and jammed throttle caused
a pretty heavy crash and the
extent of the damage was not
fully realised until two days later
on the first race day. My chassis
was bent heavily which was the
cause for an average qualifying
and explained why I was so much
slower than the other UK drivers
whom I was faster than towards
the end of this season. I didn’t
get any better as for my first
heat my engine failed to start so
I subsequently missed the race.
This meant that with my average
qualifying and heat points added
together, I started towards the
rear of the B-final.
The final day with one more
race looked more promising
as the rain came which helped
me immensely as I perform
very well in the rain but more
importantly as I was 10 kilograms
overweight, due to the Italian
ruling, which translates into
half a second minimum in the
dry, and meant that the extra
weight would mean more grip
in the wet. With my chassis now
fixed, hopefully, and the rain I
shot up from 32nd to 5th with
about a lap to go. I knew that to
progress into the A-final I needed
to finish in the top six so I was
on course to qualify. However
an Italian driver, who I had just
passed, decided that on the
next corner he was going to use
me as a brake and hit me off. I
managed to resume but only
to finish 7th. I went to protest
about the incident but the
stewards wanted £1000 to check
the cameras. I was told before
going out there that there was
cheating amongst the Italians
but I wasn’t sure what to expect.
For example we foreigners had
refurbished karts whereas the
Italians had their own which
makes a big difference. So
obviously we didn’t bother in
the end. The disappointment of
this is that that driver who I was
half a second quicker than is
now classed as 9th in the world
whereas I am 27th as a result
of not getting through to the
A-final.
That aside, I enjoyed the whole
trip immensely; I gained plenty
of experience and I know in my
mind that without the bad luck
I would have finished minimum
top 20 in the world but maybe
could have been a top ten which
for my first year is a achievement
I’m proud of and something I can
build on for the future.
Next year, due to my first year
performances, I have proven
myself to move into the best
championship in the world,
Super 1. It is the championship
every famous Brit racing driver
has come through, Jenson Button
and Lewis Hamilton to name just
two. I will be racing against many
multiple British champions in the
senior class which means it will
be against adults who may have
been karting since they were 10.
To top the whole season off, I
recently won the most improved
driver at the easykart awards
dinner. This, other than actually
winning the championship, is the
best honour I could have asked
for and has made me feel that
I am good enough to achieve
bigger and better things in the
future.
However, none of this would
have been possible if I wasn’t
for my mom and dad. They have
supported hugely; they have
given up their weekends for me
and have paid thousands and
thousands of pounds to help me
progress and also my brother
Aaron who has missed countless
football matches in order for
me to race. He, as well, is a good
driver but no matter what we
say we can’t get him to take it up
over his football. So, like I said, I
want to say thanks to my family
for the huge amounts of support
and I can’t thank them enough
for everything they’ve done for
me.
Lastly as of next year the cost will
be greatly increased as a result
of the new championship I am
competing in so any financial
support would be greatly
appreciated if possible in order
to ease the money worries. It
would also be a great method
of advertising as Super 1 holds
close to a thousand people at
every race meeting and is shown
multiple times on TV every week.
So, any support would be hugely
welcome.
Year 12 student Jake Hughes
InsideOut December 2010
19

Girls Football
The U14 girl’s football team
enjoyed a fantastic season
last year. Megan Leigh Jeynes
(9 James) looks back on last
season’s progress which they
hope to replicate this year.
We played a lot of matches
and are Solihull Plate Winners,
Runners Up in the Solihull league
and Solihull 5-a side Winners.
We also played at the Aston Villa
Cross Country
Year 10 student, Elizabeth Bibb,
looks back on the season so far.
This year’s season has got off
to a flying start. We have only
competed in two races so far
this year but already many of our
runners have earned themselves
district place which allows them
to take part in races against the
top runners around the Solihull
area and further afield.
Kindly supported by
This year our year 9 boys: Nathan
Duque 4th, Marcus Dutton 17th
and Brad Mahood 18th all earned
themselves district places after
coming in the top 20. Dylan
Kennedy just missed out after
Matt Selby Ice Hockey
20 InsideOut December 2010
Academy and on
the Aston Villa pitch.
It was a really good
day playing on the
Aston Villa pitch
and the chance of a
lifetime. We played
really well and it
was an experience
that none of us will
forget.
coming in 23rd. They
look like they could win the
Championships in the spring!
Our new year 7s also did
extremely well with Karys
Amory coming in 3rd and Jamie
Sinnott coming in 47th which is
phenomenal as they both have
only just started at the CTC in
September. Jade Sinnott also
came 18th and Hannah-Mai
Amory came 4th both earning a
place in the district races.
Our next race will be in March
giving everyone a chance to
get plenty of training in which
happens every Wednesday in
the sports hall, 3.05-4.05 with Mr
Fletcher. Please feel free to come
and join us and improve your
fitness.
My name is Matt Selby and I
am currently in Yr 11. I play ice
hockey for Coventry Blaze U16’s
team. I have been playing ice
hockey for around 4 years and
have gradually progressed from
knowing nothing at all about
hockey to recently becoming
Captain for the England U16’s
team. To get to this point I have
had to train extremely hard.
This training has included many
late nights and lots of travelling
around both nationally and
internationally. In May the EIHA
hold a tournament over 3 days
in Hull and selections are made
for England trials. This year I was
awarded with an All Stars Shirt
Year 10 student Elizabeth Bibb
and was on the team of the best
of the entire tournament for my
age group. Another achievement
was making the England U16’s
team a year early which is very
unusual and also being made
Assistant Captain. I am thrilled to
have been selected for Captain
for the squad this year and we
will be going off to a tournament
in Holland with other National
Teams.
If anyone would be able to
sponsor Matt please contact the
CTC.
Year 11 student Matt Selby
We hope you enjoyed this issue of Inside Out. I’d like to thank Tori Sutton and all the students involved who shared their achievements.
If you’ve any comments or suggestions about this issue you can contact me at: lee.fletcher@kingshurst.ac.uk. If any students are interested in
journalism and contributing to InsideOut please get in touch with me.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!