KEPIER ELITE FOOTBALL ACADEMY U13's PROGRESS IN ESFA CUP

It was the U13s turn last week to take part in the ESFA National Competition, playing at Acklam Grange School in Middlesbrough.. The weather had not been kind to us that week and as we were playing on grass were unsure as to what we would see when we got there, however the surface was good and had held up despite the rain.

Kepier started well, keeping the ball and putting pressure on Acklam Grange's defence. This paid off with Jack Patterson scoring after only 7 mins. Almost straight from kick off, a ball that was won in midfield was played neatly through by Grace Ede, resulted in another goal for Jack Patterson on 9 minutes. Acklam Grange started to find their target man and with kicking down the slope, seemed to be having a lot of the ball, and scored two goals in quick succession resulting in the score being 2-2. With 5 minutes until half time both teams were pushing to take the lead, and with a bursting run from Jack Patterson he completed his hat trick, leaving Kepier leading 3-2 at the interval.

With a change of ends Kepier were kicking downhill, but the grass pitch was becoming hard to play on and this lead to a series of unforced errors. Kepier kept possession well however, passing the ball swiftly around. Acklam Grange, although they tried very hard to intercept forward balls, failed to cut these out and Joe Naylor worked tirelessly to score twice.

As the game was reaching its conclusion Acklam Grange never gave up and continued to press the Kepier goal. Dylan Taylor pulled off some great last minute saves to ensure the score line remained 5-2 to Kepier.

They will now progress into the next round which will be drawn on the 8th September.

BLESMA VISIT KEPIER

It was with great pleasure that Blesma came in on 15th November 2018 to present their Community Programme and the work that goes on behind the scenes with Generation R and resilience to some of our learners.

The Charity was represented by Darren and Owain. Key principles behind the Programme focused on overcoming adversity and developing the resilience to get back up and face obstacles that life can throw at you.

Blesma is dedicated to assisting serving and ex-Servicemen and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss or the loss of use of a limb, an eye or loss of sight. The charity work supports these men and women in their communities throughout the UK and overseas.

Blesma does not receive any government funding, so rely solely on public support to enable them to help our injured veterans for as long as they need them on the long and difficult road ahead.

Contextually, Darren was a young soldier when he lost both legs above the knee and two fingers in a bomb blast that was concealed whilst in Northern Ireland in the early 1990’s. He talked emotionally, honestly and graphically about the blast and how it initially changed his life in a negative way.

Darren knew he needed to make changes in his life and with support, he overcame these by:
• Taking a step back and realising that he could overcome adversity.
• Developing resilience.
• Taking on extreme sports and activities to push himself to be the best.

During the time Darren was speaking the learners were completely absorbed in his life story. To follow, they completed a team exercise where they were given problem scenarios and then talked about coping strategies when life’s problems get in the way of following the right path.

Many thanks to Darren and Owain for coming into Kepier and working with our learners; it's an experience that they will never forget.

KEPIER WELCOME JONATHAN WOODGATE AND PHIL HUDSON

KEPIER ELITE FOOTBALL ACADEMY SUCCESS

Kepier's Year 9 Elite Football Academy were victorious this week in the initial round of the U14's ESFA Boys Playstation Elite Schools Cup.

At a sun drenched if cold Kepier; a far cry from the dreadful weather experienced by the U15's the previous week; Kepier took on Acklam Grange School from Middlesbrough.

In a highly competitive match, Kepier started quickly, and raced into a 3 - 0 lead after 15 minutes thank to two goals from Parkinson and one from Lanning. However, Acklam Grange came back strongly, with Noyce and Khadri replying to make it 3 - 2 and causing nerves amongst the Kepier players.

Kepier settled again and started to move the ball around, and before half time Parkinson and Stanton added further goals to give a 5 - 2 scoreline at the interval.

If Kepier thought Acklam Grange would fade in the second half they were wrong; despite the scoreline, they continued to press in all areas of the pitch, and when they came under pressure defended heroically with their keeper pulling off some great saves.

As the half wore on, however, space began to open up in midfield and Kepier took advantage to break down the Acklam Grange defence, with Parkinson (2) and Lanning (1) adding to their tally to give a final scoreline of 8 - 2, which doesn't reflect the closeness of the match.

Kepier will play Notre Dame High School from Sheffield in the next round.

Well done to the players from both teams for a highly entertaining game!

KEPIER ACHIEVES GOLD AWARD FOR CAREERS EDUCATION!!!

Kepier has achieved the Quality in Careers Standard Gold Award for careers education, information, advice and guidance provision within the school. The award recognises the hard work and dedication of the staff to ensure all learners are equipped with the skills required and valued by employers.

Careers Guidance Officer Miss Watson said "the process was long and very thorough with three stages; Bronze, Silver and finally the Gold award. At each stage a number of criteria had to be met and robust evidence provided to prove Kepier was achieving the requirements.

At Bronze stage, an audit of the CEIAG provision was carried out and a plan for development produced. The Silver stage was to ensure that the plan was being implemented and data recorded accordingly. At both stages, paperwork was submitted to be scrutinised by an assessor from Inspiring IAG, the awarding body for the Quality in Careers Standard.

To achieve the Gold Award, an assessor came to Kepier and over the course of a day spoke to learners, staff, external partners and parents to get an insight into how CEIAG is delivered within the school. A file of evidence was inspected and staff with responsibility for CEIAG were interviewed. The day was intense and assessment rigorous, however due to the immense effort and comprehensive detail that goes into making CEIAG delivery a success, Kepier achieved Gold.

It’s great news for learners and prospective learners as they can be confident that they will gain the support and advice they need when making decisions about their future and develop the skills that will help them be a success in the world of work."

Congratulations to Miss Watson and thank you from everyone at Kepier; staff and learners; for all her hard work in gaining this award!!!

Kepier Supporting SNCBC

Kepier are extremely proud of the work we carry out with a range of community groups both in the immediate area and further afield, supporting them in any way we can to benefit local communities.

One of these groups is Sunderland North Community Business Centre based in Town End Farm, who for many years have been using our facilities to deliver youth sessions.

Wendy Cook, Youth and Community Manager for SNCBC, said "Sunderland North Community Business Centre deliver Friday night football at Kepier Academy. The aim of the session is to reduce youth anti-social behaviour, encourage young people aged 11-19 years to engage in a positive, safe and structured activity whilst having fun and socialising with their peers.

"The young people are supervised by qualified Sports Coaches and Youth Workers who are also on hand to lead discussion based work-shops which can include information on smoking cessation, healthy lifestyles, sex and relationships, drugs and alcohol etc.

"The sessions have allowed the young people to build friendships and develop their football skills. Those attending come from across the Coalfields area to use the session. Youth anti-social behaviour has reduced within the area on a Friday evening as a result of the sessions, and the sessions can attract up to 100 individuals. The sessions are funded thanks to the Big Lottery Fund - Youth Investment Fund until April 2020.

"We are extremely grateful to Kepier for their support with these sessions, and look forward to many more years of successful partnership working."