Thursday 20 September 2012

Kepier Multi-Sports Camp



Kepier Multi-Sports Camp

Camp Feedback Summary
The camp took place from Monday 20th August through till Friday 24th August, 10am until 3pm everyday. Overall we engaged with 229 children between the ages of 4 and 11 from areas around Houghton le Spring.

The event could not have been as successful as it was without the co-operation from Dave Brennan who where tremendously helpful prior and during the event. I would like to thank the staff for their support throughout the whole week.

Children worked as individuals as well as in group sessions, Keep Kids Active ensured children of the same age participated together, utilising the indoor facilities of the school.
The week finished with an inter group mini Olympics. The children were segregated into their age groups to make the event fair to all. They were then set a round robin of 4 challenges on a point scoring system over a set time period. The winner from each individual age group was awarded a medal in recognition of their achievement. A medal was also presented to the person who the coach felt had achieved the most throughout the week.
All children who attended the event were awarded a” Certificate of Achievement”.
Parents were encouraged to attend the prize giving and we were delighted that around 10 parents experienced the tremendous atmosphere the children created. 

The feedback from parents, children and staff was terrific and a huge testimony to all involved and proof that children “Just love to have FUN”
Children got involved in many events, meeting new friends, trying new sports and in general contributing towards a healthier lifestyle.

Keep Kids Active are passionate about investing in children, as they are our future generation, this was an example of the impact we can have working with children across the region.
These events tick so many boxes i.e.

·         Health
·         Obesity
·         Inclusion
·         Transition
·         Physical Exercise
·         Anti-Bullying
·         Affordable Childcare
·         Healthy Eating  

With regards to our generic feedback form ‘How are we doing’ we received 11 forms via Parents. These forms took into account 12 children as several of the parents had more than 1 child attending.

100% of the children who attended the event documented they would like to attend any Keep Kids Active camps arranged in the near future, this is terrific news to know we have created a captive audience and we, with the support of our colleagues will continue to work together to ensure these events are sustainable.

We relish the opportunity to work within the school and feeder Primaries with regards to physical exercise and support the Academy with any programmes they may wish to introduce in the new term:
·         Gifted and talented
·         GCSE Students
·         Sports days
·         Taster Sessions
·         Curriculum Sessions
·         Breakfast Sessions
·         Lunchtime sessions
·         After School Clubs

We would also like to work with the community in general and on an ongoing basis to set up clubs across the region i.e:
·         Breakfast Sessions
·         Lunchtime sessions
·         After School Clubs
·         Academies i.e. Soccer Schools
·         Satellite clubs
·         Coaching sessions

Keep Kids Active need to expand on the tremendous success that last week achieved and we look forward to a stronger partnership and hope we can be a valuable asset in the region with regards to encouraging children and families to lead a Healthier Lifestyle.

Parents Comments
“Fantastic facility in getting kids active and interested in sports and keeping them occupied during a week in school hols. Great venue and friendly, helpful staff. Superb value for money too. My daughter really enjoyed her time here and would love for the one week of activities to be extended to more days/weeks during the school holidays, as she had so much fun! Thank you.”
Alaine Gray

“Superb value for money, Joseph really enjoyed his week.”
Andrew Hughes

“More than happy overall. Would expect more camps for midterm hols.”
Greg Aniol

“It would be great if this programme is running for a longer length of time (2 weeks) during the school holidays.”
Andy Hui

“My daughter really enjoyed this week. Hopefully have it on again.”
Sara Walker



Former Sunderland Defender Martin Scott Brings His Academy To Kepier


Former Sunderland Defender Martin Scott Brings His Academy To Kepier

Click here to view the video interview at the Sky Tyne & Wear website.




 More information about Improtech Soccer can be found on their website here.



Thursday 13 September 2012

Congratulations to Year 11 Maths Learners

In the recent GCSE Maths exams, 92 of our current Year 11 learners achieved a C grade or higher.  This is great news and gives these learners the confidence to know that they can achieve even higher grades next summer.  It is an extremely competitive  world out there at the moment and our learners need to achieve the highest grades they can.  Well done to all of you!

Monday 3 September 2012

NEW LOOK KEPIER STARTS THE NEW TERM ON A HIGH


NEW LOOK KEPIER STARTS THE NEW TERM ON A HIGH

After celebrating its best ever GCSE year, a Houghton based secondary academy, is set to unveil a first class new look at the start of the new school year.

As a recently converted academy, Houghton Kepier Sports College: An Academy, has undergone an exciting transformation to produce a new identity, reflecting a return to its original name, Kepier, and drawing on the school’s heritage fused with aspirations for the future.

With learners, staff and governors taking an active role in the 12-month process and learners ultimately choosing the final design, the school’s new image will be revealed as learners return to school for the start of the new term.

Kepier's Principal, Mrs Cooper, said: “We are thrilled to welcome in the start of the new school year with our refreshed identity – this represents an exciting new chapter in the development of our school.

“Becoming an academy in August 2011was a great move forward for us and as a result of the recent change in status, we felt our name – Houghton Kepier Sports College: An Academy – did not communicate effectively who we are and where we see our school in the coming years. We are passionate about driving up standards and providing the best education possible for all our learners and our new image reflects us as a vibrant, forward-thinking and successful academy.”

Kepier has been at the heart of the Houghton community for hundreds of years and the school has explored its heritage and connections to Houghton, effectively returning to its roots in a bid to look forward to an exciting and successful future.

The new image reflects a return to the original name of the school, when it was founded in 1574, by Gilpin and Heath and known locally as ‘Kepier’, with the new badge now displaying four leaves from the legendary ‘Gilpin Thorn’ – an historic symbol of the holy hawthorn tree, which was brought to Houghton by Bernard Gilpin, known as Apostle of the North and Rector of Houghton between 1557 and 1583.

Mrs Cooper continued: “We are proud of our connections to the Houghton community –the school is affectionately known as ‘Kepier’ and was also called ‘Kepier’ when it was founded by Gilpin and Heath in 1574. We feel a return to our original name has impact, whilst continuing the local tradition and reflecting where we are as an academy.

“All that our learners have achieved this year fills me with great pride – 92 per cent of all our GCSE learners achieved five A* to C grades and 63 per cent achieved 5A*-C, including English and maths. We are celebrating our best ever year with a massive 10 per cent increase on the previous year and we look forward to a successful future.”

Jack Reay, head boy at Kepier, has enjoyed being a part of the process. Jack, a year 11 learner, said: “I’m looking forward to the start of the new term and all the exciting changes that are taking place at Kepier. My friends and I were involved in picking the final design and I love the colours and creativity of it.

“Our school is known as ‘Kepier’ to everyone in the area already and it was really interesting to find out some new things about the history of the school.”

Mrs Cooper continued: “We are striving to improve our school in line with the new Ofsted framework and our ultimate aim is to inspire each and every learner and offer them a clear identity within their school community – one that will make a real difference.

“We truly believe that returning to the original name of the school, combined with a stronger identity, is not only critical to the future success of the school, but will benefit the hundreds of learners who come here.”