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The News Magazine of Melbourn Village College, an Academy of The Cam Academy Trust
iPads launch — Page 2
Spring 2022
MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
Launch pad for iPads!
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Year 7 pupils now have iPads to enhance classroom and home learning. Year 7 pupils are coming to the end of their first term of lessons with personal iPads. The tablets have been leased to pupils in the youngest year group as part of The Cam Academy Trust’s programme to roll out the electronic devices across their secondary and primary phase schools in South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdon. It is hoped other year groups at Melbourn will be offered iPads in future in a roll-out similar to Cambourne Village College, where all year groups now use them routinely as part of their learning. At Melbourn the initial reaction from both students and staff has been very positive. Jack said: “I like the way that teachers put work on the apps because this makes it really easy to see. If you are at the back of the class, sometimes you can’t
see the interactive whiteboard very well and have to wait for it to be zoomed in. Having the iPads, I feel like I am much more independent with my learning.” Eva commented: “iPads really improve learning even though some people say devices are ruining your education. It was a lot easier to revise for my Science test. I would recommend it, particularly when using Seneca Learning.” And Brandon thought it was very helpful: “I find writing in a book a bit tedious, and my handwriting is not the best, so I like using the iPads because it is easy to type on them.” Maths teacher, Liz Neville remarked: “Using the iPads in maths meant I could get instant feedback on how well the pupils were understanding the lesson.” The rollout of iPads to Year 7 follows a positive pilot
project at Melbourn before the Covid-19 pandemic, and allows pupils to have a personal device for home and school learning on a three-year lease. The college has systems in place to ensure that all pupils are able to have a device, with support available to families who need it. Principal Simon Holmes said: “It’s early days but we have been really pleased with how the first term has gone. “The Year 7s have been really excited about receiving their iPads and the teachers are enjoying trying out new ways of improving and enhancing the learning in their lessons. “We hope it won’t be too long before every pupil in the school can benefit.”
High tech meets ancient art Year 7s have been using their iPads in Mrs Ward’s art lessons to assist them in producing a visual brainstorm based on Ancient Egypt in art. Alongside teaching the basic principles of shape, three dimensions, tone, pattern and colour, pupils have individualised their designs with the use of their iPads. Mrs Ward is proud of their achievements and said the pupils have produced some fantastic results.
ART WITH IPADS: Pupils use their devices to help with their Ancient Egypt topic.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE q Support for Ukraine — 3 q Celebrating 150 Years — 3 q Going Solo — 4 q Focus on Food — 4 & 5 q Governor dies — 5 q New Activities Start Up — 6 q Next Steps Plan — 6 q Focus on Careers — 7 2
q Adventure Calling — 8 q Trio on the Run — 8 q Phone Upgrade — 8 q Garden’s Growing — 8 q Trust News — 9 q Spotlight on Science — 10-12 q Poetry Winners — 13 q Actors Help with Coursework
— 13 q Expert Support — 13 q Charity Car Run — 13 q Art Attack — 14-15 q SCSSP round-up — 16 q Sport — 17-19 q Sports Centre — 20
MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
Show of support Students requested a non-uniform day so they could show their support for those suffering due to the war in Ukraine. They approached Principal Simon Holmes, who agreed to their request and on March 11, very impressively, almost £1500 was raised for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal . Many thanks to everyone who donated
to the appeal, which will support DEC charities and their local partners who are providing aid for fleeing families in the form of food, water, shelter and medical assistance. Some pupils and staff wore blue and yellow to represent the colours of the Ukrainian flag. A group of Year 8s also tried their hand at cooking traditional Ukrainian food (see below).
Cooking for Ukraine! Year 8 pupils helped raise funds for Unicef UK’s Ukraine appeal by cooking up some traditional dishes from the eastern European country. Head of Art, Food and Technology Joanne Giles donated to the Just Giving page set up for #CookForUkraine https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cookforukraine All the proceeds go to Unicef UK, which works to keep children worldwide safe from danger, and has set up a Ukraine appeal to support children and families. Pupils at Melbourn made sweet sochniki and deruny — cheese cookies and potato pancakes. They worked in pairs to produce the dishes and many said they had a fun lesson. They tried what they had made and commented on how tasty they were — having never had cottage cheese in a cookie before. The Sochniki were served with a drizzle of honey and the deruny with sour cream. Pupils also said they would like to do more cooking at home and will donate too! Miss Giles said: “It was a lovely lesson to support.” #CookForUkraine started off as an idea between friends with a mutual love of food and a desire to help those in need. Little did they know that their simple
VISIBLE: Some pupils wore the colours of the Ukraine flag on nonuniform day.
hastag would be the start of a global movement. #CookForUkraine aims to increase awareness of the humanitarian crisis the world faces right now, as well as raise the funds needed to aid children and families in Ukraine who have been displaced by the current situation. Since its inception, hundreds of people from different backgrounds and nationalities have reached out and shown their solidarity by joining this initiative — including top chefs, award-winning food writers, restaurant owners and home cooks — cooking, baking and sharing Ukrainian and Eastern European inspired dishes at their restaurants with their guests, at home with their friends and across social media with their family and followers. #CookForUkraine also provides a platform for Ukrainian families and their supporters to share recipes with each other, along with the stories behind those dishes. The team behind #CookForUkraine previously founded #CookForSyria and raised more than £1m for UNICEF.
TOPICAL COOKING: Year 8 pupils made traditional Ukrainian dishes.
Celebrating 150 years of school This year marks the 150th Anniversary of the first Government-funded school which opened in Melbourn in 1872. The size of the grant depended on attendance and the subjects taught. Much as today, a condition of the grant was that annual inspections were carried out. However, at this time, attendance was very irregular as it was not compulsory and children were often kept at home to help in the fields! In the summer of 1873, there were 84 students on roll, but only 30 were attending school! However, the first record of a school in Melbourn is much earlier and comes from the notes of the Bishop of Ely in 1596 (435 years ago!). The College logo depicting three keys originates from the Deanery of Ely Coat of Arms.
This, in turn, is thought to have been the arms of Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester (912-984), who was instrumental in establishing Ely as a Benedictine Monastery in 970. That eventually became Ely Cathedral in 1109. Æthelwold himself was a teacher at Winchester and his pupils regarded him with great respect and affection. His writings are believed to have played an important role in the development of Standard Old English. Æhelwold’s Keys were first used by the Priors of Ely (at that time the background was gold and the keys were blue, ie the reverse of MVC colours). It was only later, following the Reformation, when the Priors became Deans, that the Arms were taken to represent the Deanery of Ely and the colours changed to gold keys on a red background.
THROUGH THE AGES: The keys in Melbourn’s logo were first used (left to right) on Æthelwold’s Coat of Arms, the Prior of Ely Crest, the Deanery of Ely Crest, Ely Cathedral’s current logo, MVC’s previous logo and the current one.
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MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
CHINESE NEW YEAR: Pupils try traditional activities including cooking and making paper decorations symbolising ‘spring’.
Year of Tiger celebrated Pupils celebrated Chinese New Year by taking to Twitter and the kitchen! Those on the Mandarin Excellence Programme were invited by the British Council to present their New Year blessings — marking the arrival of the Year of the Tiger — to Chinese people around the world, and their message is available on Twitter alongside those from other schools across the UK where Mandarin is taught. The Year of the Tiger is associated wih the animal’s attributes of bravery, confidence and strong will.
As part of the celebrations, Head of Languages Frank Fan again donned his chef’s hat and apron — his home cooking videos were a feature of lockdown —- and joined Head of Art, Food and Technology Joanne Giles to teach Chinese cookery to GCSE pupils. They learned how to roll and cook a spring roll, boil dumplings, flavour cabbage and make sweet and sour chicken and stir fry. The pupils loved tasting the dishes they created and Miss Giles was delighted to have Mr Fan’s expertise
to add to the authenticity of the experience. GCSE pupils were already looking at global cuisine and flavours so the chance to have authentic Chinese cooking on site was too good to miss. l The Luna New Year is also known as the Chinese Spring Festival and Year 9 made a 3D paper model of the word spring 春, using traditional red paper and clever folding and cutting techniques.
Flippin’ fantastic effort Jubilee food! Pupils in Year 7 made some delicious creations for Pancake Day and showed skill at tossing pancakes too! Head of Department Joanne Giles said that some pupils had not made or tossed pancakes before and she was very impressed with their first attempts. Leo (Lewis 7) reported that he was very happy and so pleased he was able to make pancakes successfully and was very proud.
PERFECT PANCAKES: For some Year 7 pupils, it was their first attempt at making the traditional pre-Lent treat.
Three Year 9 boys finished third in a county-wide cooking competition. Edward, Alexander and Samuel (all 9 Hawking) represented 1st Orwell Scouts at the Hertfordshire District competition after winning the Royston round a few weeks earlier. They had to prepare a menu based on the brief of 1952/Queen’s Jubilee to feed four people on a budget of £20. Their menu of Coronation chicken (with homemade mayonnaise), beef stroganoff and poached pears in spiced tea earned them 213 points from a possible 220 and put them in third place. Well done to all involved. ROYAL BRIEF: Jubilee-themed menu.
Going solo Keeley gave a solo performance of ‘Feed Me’ from the Little Shop of Horrors as part of her adapted Drama qualification. She also made the costume herself and it was amazing.
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ON SHOW: An impressive performance for a Drama qualification.
MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
New food room plan This summer will see the next stage of Melbourn’s facilities improvement programme. The main focus will be an extended and redesigned food and nutrition classroom, to support the excellent work done that already takes place in somewhat cramped conditions. The new room, which will incorporate the current IT2 EXPANSION PLANS: For Melbourn’s Food and Nutrition department. classroom as well as the IT enjoy food lessons. Head of Department Joanne appliances and a dedicated space to teach theory workshop and adjoining offices, will have brand new Giles said the much-needed food and futrition room lessons,” she commented. equipment, new larder fridges and all new cookers. would create a positive learning environment. We hope to be able to announce further details of This extended space will enable pupils to continue to “I am particularly looking forward to having new this development in due course.
Appealing to the taste buds . . . Year 11 pupils taking GCSE Food and Nutrition have been exploring presentation techniques and how best to present dishes to be appealing. This was preparation for their three-hour practical exam (see opposite page). In the first session pupils worked in teams to present meringues and pastry tarts creatively . Head of Art, Food and Technology Joanne Giles said: “I think they really engaged with this and realised that less is more!” She was really impressed with their approach to this task and how well pupils worked together to plan their plates. In the second session pupils presented a basic pasta and tomato dish. They again impressed with swirling techniques and utilising the different pasta shapes available.
LOOKING GOOD: GCSE Food and Nutrition pupils have been learning about making food look appetising through presentation.
Exam cooking delights ‘well-fed’ assessor! Year 11 GCSE Food and Nutrition pupils demonstrated very high skills in their food practical exam. Head of Department Joanne Giles said: “They all did very well and made me proud of their skills in a three-hour exam. These ranged from making ricotta pasta,
filleting fish, boning chicken, making breads, pastries and marinates to making lemon meringue and berry tarts.” As an assessor, she evaluated 60 meals over the course of the week, and said she had been very well fed! “They did super super well and I am so proud,“ she EXAMPLES: Of the GCSE practical exam dishes. said.
Long-serving Melbourn governor dies Earlier this term Melbourn lost a staunch supporter of education in the village. Principal Simon Holmes and Head of PE Kelly Coghlan represented MVC at the funeral of former college governor Andy Smith. He was a governor at the school, as well as at Melbourn Primary, for 30 years, including a long stint as chair. As a long-time resident of the village, he brought not only valuable local insight but a wealth of scientific knowledge and experience to the Governing Body. He was latterly the link governor for PE and for Health and Safety.
Mr Holmes said: “Andy was meticulous and thoughtful in his work and a staunch supporter of the college. He helped to shape education in the village and, as such, is owed a huge debt by a large number in our community. “Our thoughts are with his wife Lorna, his sons Daniel and Matthew (who both attended MVC) and their families.” Donations in Andy’s name can be made to the Arthur Rank Hospice at this link: https://www.peasgoodandskeates.co.uk/donate -in-memory/
STAUNCH SUPPORTER: Andy Smith was a governor at both MVC and the primary school for 30 years.
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MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
BATTLE READY: Pupils prepared their armies then battle commenced.
New activities start up Extra-curricular clubs were back in full swing after Christmas with lots of new options to choose from. These included table tennis, football, art, Minecraft, Warhammer, running club, basketball, show band, creative writing and electronics. Assistant Principal John Barnes, who oversees the
enrichment programme, said: “We are especially delighted that the Warhammer club has started! “Pupils have been building and painting their characters, ready for the games to begin.” We are grateful to the Warhammer shop in Cambridge who kindly donated the model kit. Within a couple of weeks, the Warhammer armies
were assembled and battles commenced. Pupils from the Warhammer Club will be given the chance to attend sessions at the Cambridge Warhammer shop and, at the end of the year, there will be a trip arranged to Warhammer world in Nottingham.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: Table tennis and Minecraft were among this term’s new clubs.
Oldest pupils plan their next steps . . . With the GCSE exam season and the end of their time at MVC rapidly approaching, Year 11 have been busy preparing for the next chapter. All have completed their post-16 applications to local colleges and sixth forms for a wide range of courses or to move straight into work through apprenticeship schemes. As well as looking at A-Level and BTEC options, pupils have been applying for apprenticeships in various sectors including Law, Business, Finance, Engineering, Retail, Advertising, Construction and Hair & Beauty. Pupils had an assembly about the post-16 arrangements and options and have been attending interviews and guidance meetings depending on their chosen path. There has also been plenty of support for the forthcoming exams with a range of after-school help available, which will continue until the exams start. For Year 11 Design & Technology pupils, the technology unit is open for use every day after school, while during half-term teachers Kate King and Sarah Hallam offered GCSE English Literature revision sessions via Teams. Topics covered included ‘Macbeth’, ‘An Inspector Calls’, ‘A Christmas Carol’, essay-writing skills and poetry techniques. We would like to take this opportunity to wish our Year 11 pupils all the best with their forthcoming exams and their futures beyond MVC.
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WORK IN PROGRESS: the technology department is open every day after school for Year 11 DT students.
MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
What’s my line of work? Year 7 pupils were joined by a group of volunteers from Form the Future earlier this month to learn more about the world of work. In a ‘What’s My Line’ session they were challenged to find out what each of the professionals does for a living. They asked a series of well thought-through
questions aimed to bring them closer to guessing the profession correctly. Though the session is designed to feel like a fun and easy-to-play game, it also provides an opportunity to let young people know about what jobs and careers are out there. This enables them to expand their horizons and
potentially inspire them to aspire toward a goal throughout their educational journey. Form the Future is a social enterprise based in Cambridge, connecting schools and businesses. Thank you to the volunteers for spending time with our pupils.
GUESSING GAME: Pupils asked questions to work out what job each volunteer does.
Dispelling some myths around university Pupils in Years 9 and 11 enjoyed presentations and a workshop about university as part of National Careers Week. First Year 9 pupils gathered in the hall for a presentation by Sandy Mills from Cambridge University about study skills. He worked with all of year 9 to explore what they knew about going to university and to explode some myths. The year group responded very well and some of them were very surprised by what Sandy had to tell them! He said he was not there to persuade anyone to choose to go to university, but was there to make sure that all of them knew the facts and so could make appropriate plans for their own futures. Deputy Principal Niki Smith said: “Sandy will be back to run workshops with this year group as they progress through the school, and we hope to take many of the pupils to visit a real university, so they can get a flavour of what it would be like.” The following day Sandy returned to run a stretch and challenge session with some of our Year 11 pupils entitled: ‘Thinking like a University student’. The session started with some background on applying to university and the importance of post-16 subject choices if a pupil wants to do a specific course at
university e.g. anyone wanting to do medicine should study at least two sciences and maths at A level. The funding for university was also discussed, where pupils were shown what proportion of a cheesecake they would end up repaying based on prospective jobs after graduating from university. The slice was small! Pupils then explored one of six questions as part of a group. The one rule they had to abide by was “YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION”. The aim was to, in fact, explore the question; why it was being asked, how you would go about answering it and what the question actually meant. The questions were: l How many cups of tea could you make from the water of a 50m swimming pool? l If human beings no longer existed, what would become the most dominant species on the Earth? l What is the best way to cross a 50ft chasm using only items from your local high street? l If the punishment for parking on double yellow lines was death, and therefore no one did it, would this be a just and effective law? l What makes something a work of art? l How much can we actually claim to know about what happened on any given day of history? Assistant Principal Euan Willder said: “Our Year 11 pupils were fantastic — they really demonstrated strong thinking skills, and embraced the ability to think freely. “The buzz in the room was infectious. We hope the session will inspire pupils to think more about university and the options open to them.”
Software career insight
UNIVERSITY INSIGHT: From Sandy Mills of Cambridge Univ.
In the Army now Pupils in Year 10 were given an insight into what life might be like if they joined the Army, when soldiers talked to them about the different routes into the service, the training, travel and career opportunities.
CAREERS TALK: From the Army.
Year 9 pupils were fortunate to have a visit from Matt Lees, the Software Group Lead at MBDA Missile Systems in Stevenage. He talked to them about his career in software engineering and gave an insight into some of the different products that use software and how software engineers often work in
teams and in countries all over the world. He also spoke of how the demand for software engineers is going to increase with some great job prospects for those interested! A huge thank you to Mr Lees for giving up his time to speak to the pupils.
CAREERS TALK: From Software engineer Matt Lees.
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MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
Adventure calling . . . Forty year 11 Melbourn pupils have signed up for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something different during their extended summer holiday. This followed a talk earlier this month from Kris and Jack from Hear2Listen, who deliver the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. They explained that NCS offers the opportunity to develop skills and take on new challenges to set teenagers up for adult life after the end of their exams, and more than 30% of the year group have already opted to give it a go. Two-week programmes, worth around £1200, will
take place in July and early August 2022. They aim to help teenagers realise their potential by offering them the chance to join a structured fortnight of events at a cost of £50 (with reductions for those on Pupil Premium). This summer’s cohort will spend five days and four nights tasting independence through living with a group of friends in en-suite rooms in student flats at the University of Essex in Colchester, where activities include rock-climbing, raft-building and kayaking. There will also be skills workshops on topics like business enterprise, driver safety awareness and
emergency first aid. After a weekend at home, they will spend a nonresidential week working in their local community on a project of their choice. As a group they will plan and deliver a social action project, which will give back to their local area in some way, whether it’s working with a food bank or increasing biodiversity to save bees. There is then a ‘graduation event’ for the presentation of an NCS Certificate, which is recognised by UCAS. An information video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GdEWASv2Os
FINDING OUT: Pupils learn about the opportunities available through the National Citizen Service summer programme.
Phone system upgrade Over the Easter holidays a new new VOIP (Voice Over IP) phone system is being installed at MVC. The new phones have some fantastic new features which staff will be able to benefit from. This new modernised system will be more reliable and convenient for staff to use. Each classroom and office will be getting a Fanvil X3U phone, featuring a colour screen to
Garden’s growing!
display incoming call ID and quick dial features. Reception will have two of the larger Fanvil X210 sets with pre-programmed quick dial to each room, incoming number display, multiple voicemail options, and the ability to handle multiple lines to streamline incoming call handling. The phones also support the use of Bluetooth headsets to facilitate hands-free and more ergonomic use.
NEW SYSTEM: Easter phone upgrade at MVC.
The Eco Group’s Gardening Club got out in to the garden for the first time this year to prepare the vegetable area and plant peas and herbs.
RUNNING MEN: Three members of Melbourn staff completed the Cambridge Half Marathon.
Trio complete Cambridge race
HARD AT WORK: Pupils prepare the soil.
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Three members of the Melbourn staff ran in the iconic Cambridge Half Marathon earlier this month - with very different reactions. Geography teacher Andrew Kennedy said: “Running doesn’t come naturally to me and I don’t find it easy, but like most things in life if you work at it and put in the preparation then you can achieve some surprising and satisfying results! I am proud of the fact that I achieved my goal of finishing the half marathon in under two hours and would really like to thank all of the people who came
on the day to cheer us all on! I definitely needed your support.” PE teacher Richard Barlow said: “I got a personal best of 1.32, but it was heavy going at the end in to a headwind! “I have run it three times now, love the city and it's quite a flat and fast course.” Cabin TA Will Hall commented: “Running the half marathon was great fun, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a running project!”
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST NEWS
Working together! New sixth form to build close links Planning has begun in earnest for the potential opening of a new Sixth Form at Cambourne Village College from September 2023. This will happen next year as long as we receive final confirmation from developers and planners that the necessary new facilities can clearly be completed within the required time frame. Fundamental to the approach taken with the new Cambourne Sixth Form will be a close partnership with Comberton Sixth Form. This is important and makes a great deal of good sense, because of the relative geographical proximity of the two Sixth Forms. It can mean that students at both Sixth Forms can benefit as the provision at both Sixth Forms can potentially be available to students regardless of which Sixth Form is attended. This will build on, and take much further, some of the partnership work that has been in place this school year between St Peter’s and Comberton Sixth Forms, enabling some courses to be accessed by students at St Peter’s that are run out of Comberton. Effective IT use, partly enabled through lessons learnt about this through the pandemic, has enabled this to take place.
PREPARING FOR A SIXTH FORM: The first phase of building designed originally as a sixth form is set to be extended before the post-16 facilities open.
Primary partnership to realise mutual benefits
PARTNERSHIP LEAD: Shelley Desborough (right).
One of the fundamental purposes of having a Trust of schools is to gain benefit from working in close partnership and collaboration with each other. We are all better off by doing this compared to each school ploughing its own furrow. Some of the Trust’s primary schools are beginning to work in particularly close partnership to realise mutual benefits. The West Villages Partnership (made up of Offord, Everton Heath and Gamlingay Primary Schools) has recently confirmed the appointment of a Partnership Head, Shelley Desborough, who will help to lead the three schools into a much closer way of working that allows staffing capacity and expertise together with other resources to be shared effectively across the schools. Moving forward, the Trust is looking to work with both Hartford Infant and Preschool and Hartford Junior School to support more integrated working between the two schools to ensure the best possible use of resources and a seamless educational experience for pupils who progress through these schools.
Focus on environment
The power of IT
The Trust now has a section clearly identified in its development plan named as ‘Demonstrate proactive leadership in the area of sustainability and the environment’. Across all our schools we recognise the fundamental importance of environmental education for all pupils and seeking to make all our facilities as environmentally friendly as possible. A member of the Trust Board now has a named responsibility in this area. The Ground Source Heat Pump project at Comberton Village College continues to progress and remains on schedule. The project has quite rightly attracted considerable press and media interest given its scale and significance. The plan is that by the end of September, the school will be able to move over to ground source energy for its heating and no longer have to use oil for this. The benefits of this on several fronts are very clear. The Trust has funded some development work from staff in the area of environmental education. We hope that this can help to support and encourage further developments in environmental education for pupils in all schools in the Trust.
The Trust’s IT strategy pre-dates the pandemic. We have held a view for some time that it is crucial that we seek appropriately to harness the power of IT to strengthen the education process in our schools as well as to ease and improve administrative functions. The pandemic accelerated this process and enabled school communities to be much clearer and more confident in the various possibilities. Several of our schools have significantly developed the use of personal IT devices (iPads) during this school year. This has been aided by the Department for Education’s scheme in providing devices for schools. Schools also purchased iPads and devices have been rolled out using a financial package for families to make them as affordable as possible. The Trust is also providing iPads for staff in some schools . We hope this rollout will strengthen learning and improve access to educational resources for all pupils. We also want to continue to look to develop further possible uses of IT where appropriate. For example, we are interested in the possibility of piloting the use of Apple watches to strengthen Physical Education possibilities.
DRILLING: At Comberton.
For the latest job vacancies across the Trust go to www.catrust.uk
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MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
Inspired by science On Wednesday 9th March, a group of Year 10 and 11 pupils went to listen to scientists talk at GCSE Science Live, at Cambridge Corn Exchange. When we arrived, the first scientist to speak was Dr Anna Ploszajski, a material scientist at Cambridge University. She spoke about her swim across the Channel and how the structures of materials such as sugars and polyesters had helped her on her journey. A pupil from year 10 said how interesting she found the talk and added: “It inspired me to think more about the materials that we use in everyday life.” Professor Lord Martin Rees from Trinity College, Cambridge, talked on the topic of Mars and Beyond. Would you travel to Mars? What would that teach us? Professor Lord Robert Winston then talked about his pioneering work with IVF. Another pupil from year 10 said that she found it inspiring. Dr Hannah Critchlow, a neuroscientist from Magdalene College Cambridge, spoke about how we can influence our brains. Professor Andrea Sella, from University College London, spoke about the unique properties of water and how that related
to Climate Change. In between each talk, a chief examiner came on to speak about different aspects of the GCSE exams. He told the pupils about ways to gain extra marks, from making sure they understand the command words, to how to make sure they set out work correctly. Rebecca, a Year 11 pupit, said: “I found the whole day really inspiring. The most interesting speaker was Dr Hannah Critchlow. Finding out about how the brain worked was the most interesting.” Assistant Principal Jo Boniface said: “It was a fantastic trip for the pupils to go on. They represented the school brilliantly.” David Wilson, Head of Science added: “The speakers were inspiring for the pupils to listen to and I also enjoyed listening to them.” He was particularly delighted when Professor Lord Robert Winston went and sat next to him at the end of his presentation, but sadly missed the opportunity for a selfie!
When the going gets cold . . . Year 7 geographers and scientists were given an insight into what ‘cold’ really means as part of their topic ‘life in cold climates’. They were treated to a very interesting and exciting talk by Naomi Griffiths from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Naomi is an ex-teacher, who retrained as a programmer, and is now responsible for the
database of all goods and materials that go to the South Pole on the RRS Sir David Attenborough research ship. She talked about climate change, the Antarctic environment, and some of the research carried out by BAS. Pupils learned that penguins only live at the South Pole, and how they can survive in such
EXPERTISE: Pupils heard from leading scientists, including Lord Robert Winston (right) and GCSE chief examiners.
hostile environments. To demonstrate just how cold the conditions are for researchers, pupils got hands-on with some of the many layers of clothing needed to keep warm. They then enjoyed watching Dr Wilson getting fully kitted out in all the gear (and he admitted he looked like a sweaty Tellytubby!)
LIFE IN COLD CLIMATES: Pupils hear from an expert and then see Dr Wilson layer up in appropriate clothing!
Getting creative with creatures!
As part of the same cross-curricular project, Year 7 pupils have been designing their own animal for a cold environment. Pupils have demonstrated amazing creativity and imagination. Head of Science David Wilson said:“This is just spectacular work! I’ve never seen anything like it.” These creatures are certainly worthy of a place in JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts!
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CUSTOM-MADE: Animals by Year 7.
MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
SCIENCE WEEK: Activities included building a ‘Mars Lander’ and finding answers to a quiz in books!
Pupils ‘fired’ across hall MVC has really embraced Science Week (14-18 March) this year. Key Stage 3 pupils have been taking part in lots of activities during their lessons on this year’s theme of Space. First they had the chance to design a ‘Mars Lander’ using recycled materials to build a machine that could land a Pringle on ‘Mar’s without it breaking. One pupil in Year 8, even made a ‘Mars Lander’ at home, and attached it to a drone. He was able to control it with a remote control and even land it accurately! Tracey Mayhead, Second in Science, said: “All the pupils did an amazing job designing the landers. Who knew there were so many different ways of landing a Pringle safely on a hard surface?” Pupils then enjoyed a quiz, written by science teacher Nayim Rahman, that was ‘Out of this World’. They had fun using books from the library to look up the answers.
Grace, in Year 8, said: “I really enjoyed doing the quiz, it really challenged me.” Another pupil commented that they didn’t know there was so much information in books! Other sessions included designing machines to do a particular job such as assisting with homework, helping to get dressed in the morning and even an automatic Mandarin homework completer! Everyone who won in each class was given a chocolate egg as a prize. On Friday, staff from the Cambridge Science Centre visited school to work with Year 7 and 8. In the morning they had an assembly called ‘Into Space’. Mario, the Science Centre Facilitator, talked about how to get into space, explaining that to travel we need to know about forces and fuels. He demonstrated this by making an exploding bottle move across the floor and blowing the lid off a Pringle tube. Elsie and William, in Year 7, were pushed across the floor on a hoverboard and thankfully caught by Mandarin teacher Frank Fan. Elsie said: “It was really fun being pushed across the floor on the hoverboard. I am really pleased that Mr Fan caught me before I crashed into the wall though.” Mario then went on to explain how people can live in space, what they eat, how they exercise, sleep and even how they go to the toilet! He also discussed how we come down from space, which is quite different to going up! A year 8 pupil said: “Finding out about what it was like to live in space was really interesting. The best bit was the hoverboard.” After the assembly, Mario carried out workshops with each of the Year 8 science classes on the theme of ‘Go Ballistic’. Pupils listened carefully as he explained how human cannon balls need to carefully work out where to put the net to catch them when they are fired out of the cannon. The pupils then got a chance to fire mini cannons and work out where the ball would land so that they could attempt to place a net in the correct place, to see if they could catch their cannon ball. Dr Wilson, the Head of Science, said: “What an amazing week Science Week has been. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed all the INTO SPACE: A pupil helps to demonstate the fuel and forces required. hands-on, interactive sessions and I am pleased that we were Pupils then had a chance to fire mini cannons and work out where to place a able to hand out so many prizes to so many talented pupils.” net to catch the cannonballs.
Space presentations really impress
POWERPOINTS MEAN PRIZES: Some winners.
The Space theme for Science Week spilled over into IT with another cross-curricular project. In the preceding week Head of Maths and Computer Science John Holder and his team gave Key Stage 3 pupils the opportunity to create bright and engaging PowerPoint presentations on a range of topics related to this theme. These ranged from ‘Our Solar System’ to the ‘James Webb Space Telescope’ and ‘Journey to Mars’. Pupils created some brilliant work showcasing human ingenuity and amazing science facts. Head of Science David Wilson was very impressed and WINNER: Examples of the work. handed out 29 prizes in all.
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UNSUNG HEROES: Some of the preparation done by science technicians, including newest recruit Aneira Santoso.
Spotlight on technicians
The work of Melbourn’s science technicians was highlighted on national #technognition day — an annual celebration of technical support staff in schools and colleges. #technognition, which took place on March 4, recognises the importance of their essential roles in school and college education. Over the last decade there have been several national surveys which have had one significant outcome — that school leaders, the government and the wider public do not fully understand the role of technical staff in schools and do not fully recognise
their important contribution to education. On the day, all technicians in education are encouraged to upload photos to social media of themselves doing one or more of the varied tasks they undertake behind to scenes to help teachers bring their lessons to life. In the week culminating in the celebration day, our science technicians were busy preparing equipment and making solutions for the many practicals students have been undertaking in lessons. These included growing bacteria for investigating which antiseptics are the best at killing them; trialling
the effect of pH on the activity of an enzyme, and setting up the burettes for titrations of acid-alkali reactions. They also started to help get things organised for Science Week. The MVC science technicians are a three-strong team comprising Pam Jones, Jeanette Dyer and newest recruit Aneira Santoso, who started at the college in September. Their least favourite job is washing up after the pupils although even that has the reward of returning shiny glassware to the labs!
Pupils’ rocket count down
Leading the way
Pupils at one of Melbourn’s partner primary schools are counting down to a rocket launch. Barrington Primary School has been lent the college’s rocket kit following a visit by MVC Head of Science David Wilson. Dr Wilson went to talk to Violet class earlier this term armed with lots of equipment, including a telescope, infared camera, the rocket kit, globe and orrery, and also asked the pupils lots of questions. They were studying Earth and Space and Dr Wilson was impressed with their knowledge of the solar system. So as well as leaving the rocket kit for them to use when the weather improves, he talked to them about the science involved in moon landings, living on the moon, our galaxy and black holes. At the end of the session, pupils wrote a paragraph to their grandparents or penpals VISITING SPEAKER: MVC Head of Science David about what they had learned. Wilson talks to pupils at Barrington Primary.
Pupils are MVC are leading the charge with online learning. With more than 82,000 points, they are top of the Cam Academy Trust leaderboard on Seneca Learning with almost twice as many points as Cambourne Village College. Comberton are third with just over 11,500 and St Peter’s a distant fourth. Seneca Learning is used primarily by the science and history departments at MVC to boost pupils’ understanding of topics at both KS3 and GCSE level. It puts content in a game scenario and gets pupils competing against each other, while learning at their own pace in a ‘learn, recall, test’ format. It claims to be the ‘funnest’ and ‘fastest growing homework and revsion platform in the UK’ and says its ‘smart learning algorithms are proven to make you remember topics better.’ It is certainly proving popular at MVC and Head of Science David Wilson said: “I’m very proud of our pupils and how they are interacting with Seneca Learning. “As part of our MAT, MVC are leading the charge with online learning. It is for all year groups and although it’s primarily science and history that use it here, other subjects are covered.” Access to the platform is free for students, teachers and parents.
Anti-gravity chocolate and other fun science
PHYSICS IN ACTION: Dr Wilson’s daughter experiments!
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Due to Covid restrictions on having multiple year groups in one area, STEM clubs were not part of Melbourn’s enrichment programme during the Spring term. But the good news is that they will be back for summer now that the rules have been scrapped. To bridge the gap, Head of Science David Wilson introduced STEM Club — Science@Home. These were a series of science-based activities for pupils to get involved with at home. The first was creating an origami hexagon based on the James Webb Space
Telescope’s primary mirror, which is constructed of 18 tessellating hexagons. This was followed by pupils being invited to take part in the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and to prepare for it by making or buying bird feeders to fill with nuts and seeds and putting out drinking water in a sheltered spot. Pupils were also encouraged to take photos to share. And during half-term pupils were able to try some romantic science activities, including anti-gravity Maltesers and Singing Paperclips, with the help of the Institute of Physics’ ‘Marvin and Milo’ animated series.
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Poetry winners chosen Poet and author Ash Dickinson had the tough job of judging a Year 7 winter poetry competition, but he has made his decision. Caitlin (7 Lewis) was announced the winner for her poem ‘Snowflakes’, with Isla (7 Darwin) and Lottie (7 Darwin) also picking up certificates and copies of Ash’s poetry book ‘Show Cats in Transit’. The winning poems can be read at this link: https://mvcy7bookguide.wordpress.com/student-poetry/winter-poetry-competition/ Ash told English teacher Martin Bacon, who runs the Year 7 Creative Writing Club and organised the competition: “It was a delight and pleasure to read your pupils’ words.” Of Caitlin’s work he said: “Lovely description permeates the poem, language appealing to the senses, chilling them or making them soar. “This is a very poetic poem, making magic and light out of what is ostensibly the simple act of snowfall reminding us — as good poetry should — that we are surrounded by natural wonder and that we ought to stop and take a moment to breathe it in and be in it…perhaps even be compelled to write it down, document its balletic dance.” Mr Bacon added: “Having read all the poems myself, I would say you are all winners and I certainly didn’t envy Ash having to choose just three!” He also reported that the Creative Writing Club is proving very popular, with around 20 pupils attending each week. “It is wonderful to see their passion and enthusiasm for writing,” he said. “Pupils have been writing lots of stories.”
WINNERS: Mr Bacon hands out books and certificates.
These are available on the Year 7 reading blog at https://mvcy7bookguide.wordpress.com/ He added he was delighted to see students back in the library, being able to borrow books after the Covid pandemic.
Actors help pupils with their coursework! As part of their AQA GCSE Drama exam and AQA Drama Unit Award, pupils in Year 10 and 11 visited Comberton Village College on 17th March to see the theatre production of ‘DNA’ by Dennis Kelly. The main themes of the play are bullying, gang membership, social responsibility, morality and leadership. These themes are explored using a mixture of short dramatised sequences, narration and talking head-style interviews in which the characters remain in role, commenting on the events of the play and their role in what has taken place. After the play pupils from Comberton, Melbourn and Cambourne took part in a Q and A session with the actors. They asked
lots of great questions and teacher Cat Nicholls said: “Pupils really enjoyed the performance. As part of their course, they have to write an evaluation of a piece of live theatre and they made the most of this fantastic opportunity to learn more about the production and engage with the actors.” The performance was part of a school tour by the excellent Quirky Bird theatre company — https://www.quirkybirdtheatre.com/ and the pupils horoughly enjoyed it. Within the Q and A the actors spoke not only about the production but also how they trained, and gained employment. It gave a real insight for our pupils to see how the actors prepared for their roles.
INSIDE INFO: Actors answered questions to assist pupils with their coursework.
Expert support . . .
SAVING LIVES: Year 11 pupils learn CPR.
One of the things that we are proud of at MVC is our support staff. Teachers often get most of the headlines, but we are very lucky that we have wellqualified support staff with excellent specialist knowledge. This term we have used this expertise in some of our Key Stage 4 PSHE lessons, with contributions from both our pastoral team and first aiders. Year 11 pupils had lessons around themes preparing them for the futue including healthy choices, sex education, consent, online safety and a chance to learn about and practise CPR. The Year 11 pupils conducted themselves fantastically. Many thanks to the staff involved, Jenni Goldsmith for delivering the CPR training, and to the pastoral team for helping with the sessions. In their PSHE lessons, Year 10 explored topics around the theme of ‘Exploitation’, learning about the dangers, warning signs and preventative measures they can take in relation to County Lines and child sexual exploitation.
Charity car run also benefits college Cambridge & District MG Owners’ Club held their 16th Annual Snowdrop Run in support of The Teenage Cancer Trust. The run started at Melbourn Village College and, after a trip through scenic rural areas of East Anglia, they finished in Bury St Edmunds. In addition to charity, the Club decided to donate £200 to the school. Thank you! Roger Plummer, Snowdrop Run Coordinator for Cambridge and District
MG Owners' Club thanked MVC, on behalf of the Club and all the Snowdrop Run entrants, for hosting the event. He said: “The delicious breakfast rolls, tea and coffee are greatly appreciated by all of us and receive so many favourable comments. “The weather did turn somewhat wet later in the day, but all good fun, with some arriving at Bury St Edmunds not quite as dry as others!”
START LINE: MG Owners started their Snowdrop Run at MVC — and donated £200 to the college. Pictures: Des Chalk
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Eyes on the serpents too A Rainbow Serpent is an animal in the Dreamtime or creation stories, which many of the indigenous people of Australia believe created the mountains, rivers and lakes. It features in stories, cave paintings, carvings and artwork. Year 8 pupils have been creating their own versions of this dreamtime creature using water
colours and pencils. Meanwhile, Year 9 have been studying the incredibly vibrant eye paintings of the German artist Svenja Jӧdicke. They have been experimenting with ink intense drips, colour fades and expressive painting. Head of Art Sarah Heeks said: “Their work is amazing!”
CREATION STORIES: Year 8 pupils have been creating rainbow serpents.
IT’S IN THE EYES: Year 9 have been looking at the vibrant paintings of Svenja Jӧdicke and experimenting with their own work.
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Final work to go on show The exam pieces produced by Melbourn’s Year 11 Fine Art GCSE pupils are due to go on show later this year. The cohort have been working on their final compositions under exam conditions this month, working hard to develop their ideas for the crucial work. This will all be exhibited at the college’s annual art exhibition, which is due to be held at the
Melbourn Hub — a new venue for the display — at the end of July. Parents and carers will be able to see their child’s work in person but there will also again be a virtual exhibition which will be accessible from the college website. We are really looking forward to showing you the wonderful work our pupils always produce.
HARD AT WORK: Pupils focus on producing their final exam pieces.
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Round-up of the latest news from the South Cambs SSP
SILVERWARE: Melbourn’s pupils finished second in the Panathlon Challenge at Cambourne Village College.
It’s super silver for MVC Pupils from Melbourn’s Student Support Centre are celebrating success at a Panathlon Challenge. The team finished runners-up to Comberton in the event at Cambourne Village College earlier this term and came home with a team trophy and individual medals. Panathlon is a national charity which gives thousands of young people with SEND the opportunity to take part in competitive sport. The pathway begins with local events, leading to county, regional and finally national finals at prestigious Olympic and Paralympic venues.
Pupils competed in a variety of adapted sports, including boccia, basketball, target practice, bowling and kurling and although only the winners went on to the county finals last week, the Melbourn team had a brilliant time. Primary schools have also been getting involved in the Panathlon Challenge and 13 schools have taken part in multi-skills events with teams of 6-8 participating in a carousel of inclusive activities including boccia blast, new age kurling, basketball, parachute popcorn, precision beanbag and skittles. At each activity schools had the opportunity to gain points for their school.
Congratulations to Steeple Morden and Bar Hill Primary schools, who managed to accumulate the highest scores, and were presented with the gold medals. They went forward to represent South Cambs at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough School Games Disability & Inclusion Festival in March. Participating schools which feed into the Cam Academy Trust secondaries of Comberton, Melbourn and Cambourne were Gamlingay Village Primary and Hardwick and Cambourne Primary School.
RUNNERS-UP: Meldreth were pipped in the final of the Year 5 and 6 Quicksticks Hockey tournament.
Meldreth edged out in ‘golden goal’ thriller There was an action-packed day of hockey as the South Cambs School Sports Partnership welcomed 40 teams to their annual Year 5/6 Quicksticks Hockey competition. With so many entries the event, held at the University Sports Ground on Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, was split into morning and afternoon competitions. Teams from the 22 schools taking part were organised with their A teams playing in a ‘Cup’ competition and B and C teams playing in a ‘Plate’ competition. Teams then played in a round robin format, playing all the other schools in their pool in 10-minute matches. There were plenty of competitive matches and close-scoring games in the ‘Cup’ competition as the 4-a-side teams, made up of two boys and two girls, gave their best effort to do well for their school. In the morning it was the teams from Meldreth and Fen Drayton primary schools who won their groups and qualified for the final. With the score 1-1 at the end of normal time the final went to golden goal. It was Fen Drayton who scored the all-important strikel, clinching victory and the winners’ medals, which were deserved after five wins out of five. The final of the second ‘Cup’ competition, played in the afternoon, was contested by the teams from Histon Brook and University of Cambridge Primary with both teams playing some great hockey in the round robin stages and winning all their matches on the way to the final. The team from Histon Brook were the better team in the final though, winning the game 4-1. In the ‘Plate’ competitions meanwhile, it was The Meadow B and Bassingbourn B who won their groups in the morning event with Bassingbourn coming out on top in a closely-fought final match. In the afternoon competition it was Coton B and Histon Brook B who made it to the final. With both teams unbeaten it was always going to be a closely fought
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match and it didn’t disappoint with Histon Brook claiming a narrow 2-1 win. There was also recognition on the day for those teams who had taken part in the ‘Spirit of the Games’ and demonstrated good teamwork and honesty in their performances. There were lots of nominations for these awards, which was great to see, and the winners were Pendragon, Cottenham, Bar Hill and Meldreth, who were all nominated for being supportive of their teammates and the umpires, and showing great teamwork and fair play towards other teams. Also taking part were Comberton Village College feeder schools Dry Drayton Primary and Barton Primary, Melbourn Village College partners Harston & Newton, and Hauxton and Cambourne Village College feeder and fellow Trust member Jeavons Wood Primary Claire McDonnell, South Cambs SSP Partnership Development Manager said: “It is great to be back running events like this and seeing the fun and enjoyment it brings to the children. “They have missed out on competitions like this over the last two years; they were so excited to be there and to be representing their schools, playing with their friends, and developing those social connections. It was such a positive day with lots of competitive matches all played in really good spirits.” Junior hockey continues to grow across Cambridgeshire and it was nice to be at Wilberforce Road where Cambridge City and Cambridge Nomads train and play matches. It was great that Arthur Meadows, one of the coaches from Cambridge Nomads Juniors, was at the event to speak to the children and encourage them to try out hockey at a local club. Ms McDonnell added: I hope some of the children who took part went home and asked their parents to take them along to a training session to give hockey a go.” More info on the junior clubs in the area can be found on the SCSSP website, http://www.scssp.co.uk/information/community-club-contacts/
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District runners-up Melbourn’s under-16 team finished in second place at the district basketball finals at the new Northstowe Secondary College. In the four-team showdown, they beat St Bede’s to set up a final against Chesterton, who ultimately proved too strong. Perse were the other finalists. It was another strong showing from the year group, with many of the players also involved in MVC’s run to the quarter-finals of a national football competition (see Page 18). After not being able to play their cluster fixtures against Comberton, Bassingbourn and Cambourne — who have all been beaten by MVC in the past — the other schools nominated Melbourn to go through. PE teacher Richard Barlow said: “To be pititing our wits against the likes of Chesterton, Perse and St Bede’s is a testament to the progress our boys have made, having been chosen to play ahead of Comberton, Bassingbourn and
Cambourne. “This team went one better than the under-14s (who lost their semi-final to eventual winners St Bede’s), only to lose in the final against Chesterton. “Some of the boys have shown how talented they are, with many of this team also representing the school football team which reached the last eight of the ESFA Cup.” Melbourn: Joe, Kai, Alan, Charlie, Levi, Harrison, Ryan, Elias, Jack, Callum. Melbourn’s Year 8 teams competed in a home tournament against Cambourne and showed some exceptional play. There was also a chance for sports leaders and GCSE PE pupils to shine as they assisted with organising players, officiating and providing lots of encouragement. All involved were excellent ambassadors for the college.
IN ACTION: Comberton’s under-16s on their way to victory over St Bede’s and (right) the Year 8s face Cambourne.
New cup success Fifteen Year 7s travelled to Comberton last month for the inaugural Cam Academy Trust Dodgeball Cup. It was a fast-paced and frantic afternoon with plenty of dodging, ducking, dipping and diving! The boys team came second overall and the girls third against Comberton, Cambourne and St Peter’s. Well done everyone who took part!
UMPIRING ROLE: For Year 10 sports leaders at a primary netball event.
Primaries shoot it out Six primary school teams enjoyed a fantastic evening of netball when Melbourn’s Year 10 sports leaders hosted the second round of the Bee Netball League. The sports leaders took charge of umpiring duties as two teams from Thriplow, two from Foxton and one each from Melbourn and Meldreth battled it out for glory. Due to Covid restrictions earlier in the term, most of the teams had only managed a couple of training session. But there was still some excellent play on display. Congratulations to all who took part and especially Meldreth, the overall winners on the day. All teams will qualify for one of three finals. lastfinal week of this term at Impington Village College with the A team Plate and Shield finals scheduled for the end of April at Comberton Village College and Impington respectively. At the finals, the teams from the Melbourn regional round will play teams who finished in similar positions in their divisions from competitions also being held at Comberton, Impington & Cottenham, Bassingbourn, Linton, Swavesey and Cambourne Village Colleges.
Table-toppers
ALL NEW: Melbourn’s Year 7 teams took part in a new dodgeball competition.
Sixteen pupils from Years 9, 10 and 11 travelled to Cambourne for a doubles table tennis tournament. The seven Melbourn teams played all six Cambourne teams with each win worth one point. Melbourn came away victorious, winning 26-15. Excellent work and play from all the pupils.
BAT-MEN: Table tennis players in action.
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FANTASTIC CUP RUNS: Melbourn’s under-16 team reached the quarter-finals nationally, while the Year 10s (right) have reached the final of the County Cup
Fantastic football . . .
Melbourn has enjoyed an amazing term of football with two of its teams. The under-16 team enjoyed a superb run to the quarter-finals of a national cup competition, while the Year 10s have reached the county cup final for the first time in many years. The under-16s bowed out in the last eight of the English Schools Football Association (ESFA) Small Schools Trophy after a battle in Hastings proved their undoing. They lost 7-1 to Buckswood School in Sussex after producing Melbourn’s best run in the competition for years. Along the way they racked up an impressive 20 goals in the previous rounds including five in one game for Henry as they came from behind to win 5-4 at the Laureate Academy in Hemel Hempstead, although that victory owed much to the defending of man-of-the-match Levi. In previous rounds they saw off King James Academy 5-0, The Stephen Perse Foundation (Cambridge) 3-1 and Debenham High School (Suffolk) 7-2. PE teacher Richard Barlow was delighted with the run. He said: “Many of the boys represent local football teams at the weekend and have developed their skills in a range of football competitions and in a range of positions. “I have asked them to adapt to different positions and systems for their school team and they have adapted well. tThis cup run had a profound effect both on and off the pitch.” Meanwhile the Year 10 team are still involved in the hunt for silverware. They will play either Longsands Academy, from St Neots, or North Cambridge Academy in their County Cup final after Easter. They booked their place with a 4-2 victory over Impington Village College on Melbourn’s new astroturf pitch. Showing great resilience after conceding an early goal, they bounced back to level before the break then surged through to the final thanks to a hat-trick from Callum. In previous rounds they beat St Peter’s 3-0, after quickly adapting from playing matches on grass last term, thanks to goals from George, Callum and Joseph.
They went on to reach the semi-finals with a 5-2 win over The Perse. Callum reported: “the goalscorers were George with 2, Ashton, Ty and Jack with one each. Man of the match was Thomas with some very strong defending and stand-out tackles to help the team secure the win. “A special mention to Mr Kennedy for his inspirational team talk.” Between cup games, the team also posted a 4-3 win over neighbours Bassingbourn. Year 9 made it a double as they followed up a 2-2 nine-a-side draw with Cambourne with an impressive 6-1 victory over Bassingbourn in their first 11-aside game. Captain Aeron scored a hat-trick and was backed by goals from Nearijah, James and Fletcher. They then narrowly lost 5-4 to Cambourne in an end-to-end eight-a-side game, giving different players an opportunity to represent MVC. Year 8 have shown a marked iimprovement despite losing 2-0 to Cambourne where Annabel, the only girl selected, showed some neat touches as a forward and hit the post late on. Theo was strong in defence with some tenacious tackling. They went on to be the last village college team standing at the quarter-final stages of the County Cup - but that is where their involvement ended as they were beaten 4-1 by St Peter’s, from Huntingdon, another school which is part of The Cam Academy Trust. Covid isolation hit the proposed girls’ games against Comberton and we ended up with only a Year 8 team and a Year 7B boys’ team. It was a good experience for all. A combined Year 7 and 8 team then went on to face a tough and experienced Cambourne in atrocious weather. More important lessons were learned and the girls are looking forward to their next outing. Player of the match was Poppy in Year 7. Around 150 pupils have now represented the school football teams this year, an impressive achievement for a school of Melbourn’s size.
Working towards equal opportunities for girls Eleven girls aged 13-15 attended a national Barclays Go Lead launch for football. They joined almost 100 other girls from schools in the Cambridge and District Schools Sports Association at the event at Comberton Village College. The goal is to give girls equal opportunities in football by 2024. Pupils took part in a range of team-building and interactive challenges to develop their leadership skills. PE teacher Chloe Evans said: “We hope eventually that their training will have a profound impact on girls’ football at MVC. “We are in a great position as we have a fantastic new football facility and a new under-13 girls’ team. “We hope those who attended the launch can help us grow girls’ football.” Year 9 and 10 Girls Football Activators teamed up with Cambourne VC to continue their journey towards The Youth Sport Award, while ensuring girls in England have equal access to football in schools. The girls practised their coaching and leadership skills, as well as focusing on their role to market and deliver a new extra-curricular opportunity to FOOTBALL FOCUS: At the launch (top) and as activators. empower their peers through football. Well done to all involved.
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Melbourn’s got talent! At Melbourn we are always delighted to celebrate the achievements of our pupils, both in and outside school. Here we feature four pupils nurturing their sporting dreams away from Melbourn. If you would like to tell us about your sporting life, please email Mrs Forrester on hforrester@melbournvc.org and we will include your story in a future edition of MVC News.
Making the grade
HOTSHOT: Melbourn basketballer is looking at how best to further his sporting career.
Rising star looking ahead! The sky is the limit for Year 10 basketball player Elias. Although he’s only 15, he’s being watched by coaches from the USA with a view to continuing his basketball journey after finishing sixth form. He’s also under the watchful eye of coaches from Charnwood College in Loughborough, whose academy is supported by Loughborough University and Elias’ current club Leicester Riders. They are keen to recruit Elias to their sixth form. It has been a whirlwind rise for the teenager who started playing basketball when he was nine. He represented Cambridge Cats at under-11, under-12 and under-13 level and was chosen to represent his county. From there he was selected for Basketball England’s Aspire Development Programme. In 2020 he successfully trialled for the Riders,
Aliya has just achieved her blue belt in Taekwon-Do just over three-and-a-half years since taking up the martial art. The examiner at her 4th Kup grading commented on how good her balance was when kicking and praised her knowledge of the patterns of more than 30 moves. The Year 9 pupil has been attending weekly sessions since her club, Joint Royston and Melbourn Taekwon-Do, opened although during lockdown she took part in two or three sessions a week via Zoom. A very determined young lady who is working hard to achieve success, Aliya now has just three more gradings before gaining a black belt.
one of the leading clubs in the country, and now plays for their under-16 premier team as part of their academy. He trains twice a week in Leicester, getting home at 11.30pm, and matches this season have included trips to Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham! Last summer he attended an under-16 England boys training camp, one of only 24 nationally and one of only two 14-year-olds. Elias’ sporting influences are the late Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose, who both reached the highest level in the NBA. He is inspired by their hard work, dedication and sacrifice and his goal is to continue his own efforts and The dream of becoming a professional ultimately play rugby player is driving Year 9 Jude. professionally in the He has just been selected for the 35USA, Europe or Asia. strong Northampton Saints DPP (Developing Player Programme) for Hunts, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire. At the end of the season, after a schedule of training and further selection processes, a team will be chosen to represent the region against the three other regional Saints DPPs. As well as this, Jude is also playing regularly for his age group team at Cambridge Rugby Club and is a regular in the starting line-up, having switched from Dunstablians for the challenge of a bigger squad of players. ON TARGET: Melbourn was represented at the nationals. Jude originally started playing rugby for Dunstablians aged five and went on several tours with them, one of which Sharpshooting Hannah, in Year 10, performance at the East of England included a training day with top club represented Melbourn VC at the Exeter as well as forming the Guard of qualifying round in the autumn. Schools’ National Championships Honour on match day. Although she finished just outside just before half-term. That really cemented Jude’s love of the the top 20 at the nationals in a very She qualified for the showpiece of game and his desire to make a career tough competition, she thoroughly the British Shooting Schools Pistol of it. Championships after an impressive enjoyed the day. His inspiration is Wasps’ Jack Willis,
On the national stage
SUPER BLUE: After success at a grading event.
Player has pro dreams
PROFESSIONAL AMBITIONS: For teenage rugby player. who as a flanker plays the same position as Jude. The teenager enjoys seeing the physicality and determination he puts into every game he plays.
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MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE
MELBOURN SPORTS CENTRE news Fitness suite offering a variety of membership schemes A 20-metre swimming pool (kept ever so slightly warmer than most!) A comprehensive swimming lesson programme, catering for all ages and abilities Upgraded multisports courts for hire including tennis, football and squash courts Water sports courses and activities Traditional and modern exercise classes Access to Melbourn Village College sports hall and gymnasium for activities such as trampolining, badminton and basketball Supervised sports and pool parties LOOKING BACK AT WINTER 2021-22 T ovid swimming lesson programme as well as utilise the new Astro Turf pitch (see below!) and welcome back our popular trampolining activity in the form of p more during the darker nights. -introduced the Healthy & Active For Life scheme with the support of South Cambs District Council, and are pleased to have Emma working hard to ensure the centre can offer the best support for locals with this exercise scheme. We also welcomed new members of staff to MSC, who are both already shaping up to be great assets to the team, as well as Alice undertaking a training programme for intermediate to advanced swimmers on Monday nights.
NEW ASTROTURF PITCH -anticipated full size Astro Turf Pitch is finally completed! Clubs and organisations are lining up to make good use of this fabulous facility addition to the Melbourn site, including local team Melbourn Dynamos. For more information on how to book the pitch, and for prices, please contact robbie@mc-sport.co.uk. TEEN TRAINING SESSIONS so many MVC pupils take advantage of our daily Teen training sessions, which take place midweek Monday Friday 1500-16.30. These sessions are a brilliant way to keep fit and healthy and assist with mental preparation for exams. For further details, please contact Reception.
SPRING INTO ACTION AT MSC April 2022 children can enjoy trampolining, swimming and creative crafts. Other holiday activities include a Swimming Crash Course. NB. These activities do require booking, as spaces are limited.*
May 2022 We welcome back the outdoor sports and tennis season this month. And for all you budding Wimbledon stars, courts can be hired mid-week and at weekends. to coincide with the Whitsun holiday, with Play Scheme and a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities available. *
June 2022 For something a bit different this Father s Day, how about treating your Dad to his own gym membership or get fit! Plus, why not start planning your summer sports early this year, Sports Camps and Swimming Crash Course on offer? Bookings taken from June onwards. Other activities available this spring and summer include: Our usual popular swimming lessons, both group and private A range of aquatic exercise classes including Aqua-fit and Swim-Clinic (pool training session) Indoor and Outdoor Court Hire
smaller ones, are struggling to survive, but with your help and patronage, we will continue to thrive! For further details on memberships or any of our activities, please call 01763 263313 or go online at www.mc-sport.co.uk. You can also follow us on our Facebook page (melbournsports). We look seeingThe you! Melbourn Sports Centre, Theforward Village to College, Moor, Melbourn, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 6EF 01763 263313 01763 263313
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