Recent News Articles

Lifesaving Legacy

The following article was published in the Sunderland Echo on 23/01/2014

Youngster In Need

As part of Kepiers ongoing commitment to raise funds for a variety of good causes, both locally and nationally, a variety of events were organised in the run up to Christmas 2013 to raise money for both Children in Need and Save the Children. These included learners and staff paying £1 to wear a onesie or Christmas jumper for the day; learners and staff baking cakes at home which were then sold in school; and a 'man v food' competition for both staff and learners which took place in our main hall, with those taking part having to see how many dry crackers, jam donuts or pies they could eat in two minutes.

 

Phill Turton, Guidance teacher and Charity Coordinator for Kepier said, "I am always overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the young people at Kepier when we ask them to support these events. They do not just take part, but will come up with their own ideas of how to raise more money. A big thank you to all of them, and all our staff who supported and contributed towards raising this fantastic amount".

 

The total amount raised, which will go to Children in Need and Save the Children, was £1722.05.

Recent Article from the Sunderland Echo on 20/01/2014

Kepier Strikes Gold

Kepier becomes the first Youth Sports Trust Gold Partner in Sunderland.

Kepier Celebrate a remarkable year of sport

Recent Press Articles for Kepier

The Sunderland Echo 23rd May 2013

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The Sunderland Echo 17th June 2013

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Jay J Boxing

Jay-J, one of our Year 7 learners, was part of a delegation from Houghton Boxing Club, with whom Kepier have formed excellent links, to be invited down to meet various celebrities, including Simon Cowell and former world super middleweight boxing champion Chris Eubank, at an awards ceremony in London to celebrate The Health Lottery.

Jay-J had a fantastic day, and Kepier wish him well with his boxing in the future.

Kepier pupils find their voice

The above article appeared in the Sunderland Echo on 21/01/2013

Kepier in the news December 2012

 Kepier in the news December 2012

Sunderland Echo - 03/12/2012

Seaham and Houghton Star - 05/12/2012

Sunderland Echo - 10/12/2012

Latest Newspaper Articles from the Sunderland Echo

Kepier coverage in the Sunderland Echo this week :-

SLIDESHOW: Sunderland’s efforts for Children in Need (From Sunderland Echo)

Sunderland ECHO readers have sent in photographs of how they helped Children in Need raise a record amount.

The event made £26,757,446 for youngsters who need it most, and an impressive £1,313,396 of that was raised in the North East and Cumbria.

Colleges and schools across Sunderland were among those who took part.

At Sunderland College, a Pudsey Bear decorated training plane, face painting and fancy dress were just a few of the activities held to boost funds.

Staff and students at all the college sites got into the spirit of the day by arranging more than 25 fund-raising activities.

Travel and Tourism students decorated their training plane in spots and simulated a safety check, take-off procedure and sold raffle tickets and Pudsey Bear merchandise from their cabin trolley.

Lots of young people at the Washington campus took part in a £10 challenge, which coincided with Global Entrepreneurship Week. The students had to raise as much money as possible with £10 and all the profits went to Children In Need.

Laura Mitford, enrichment officer at Sunderland College, said: “Every year we do all we can to support Children in Need.

“This year the students came up with some very creative ideas.”

At Kepier Academy, in Houghton, the staff and students held a host of activities and raised £400 for Children in Need.

Students at the Dairy Lane school were encouraged to wear something spotty, they held a penalty shoot out and sold cakes at lunchtime. Female members of staff, including principal, Nicky Cooper, were sponsored to remove their make up.

To help raise money for Children in Need, pupils at The Venerable Bede School in Sunderland did not bother getting dressed and made a donation to wear their pyjamas for the day.

This article was copied from the Sunderland Echo website see http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/education/slideshow-sunderland-s-efforts-for-children-in-need-1-5149101

GCSE Computer Science

Tom Mayer, our Head of ICT, has been working with our GCSE ICT learners -

on GCSE Computer Science, which is a new initiative that, rather than just educating children about how to use computers teaches them how the software that we use in them works.

As part of this, the learners have to conduct practical investigations into software, and Tom has been working with them on designing and developing a phone app which will work on any Android phone - this is not just in theory, the learners will use it on their own phones to test it and ensure it works.

Recent press Articles from the Houghton Star and Sunderland Echo

Recent press Articles from the Houghton Star and Sunderland Echo

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.

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.”