Literacy Star

Year 7 and 8 pupils participated in a workshop at Kepier run by the Lit and Phil Library in Newcastle - the largest independent library outside London. One poem, 'A Haunting Memory' written by a Year 8 pupil was particularly moving. 

Armistice day

In September, Mr Forsyth and two learners from Y10 visited the battlefield sites of Ypres and the Somme. This year marks the 100 anniversary of the second battle of Ypres.

As well as visiting the town of Ypres and several World War One cemeteries, the learners from Kepier also took part in the remembrance ceremony at the Menin gate which has taken place every night at 8pm since 1927.

They were lucky enough to contribute to the Belgian government’s art project to create 600,000 clay soldiers which will form an installation in November 2018 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the end of the war. Each clay soldier represents a real soldier who died fighting on the Ypres Salient.

On the final day, Mr Forsyth, Luke and Ross visited Thiepval which was being made ready for the commemorations next year for the anniversary of the battle of the Somme. The Thiepval memorial has 72,195 names inscribed to remember those soldiers whose bodies were never found after the battle.

As well as visiting Tyne Cot, the largest British cemetery in the world, to lay a wreath of remembrance, the learners and Mr Forsyth visited Langemark a German Cemetery with a distinctly different way of remembering those killed in conflict.

Tyne Cot Cemetary

 Langemark

14th October 2015 - Year 11 Information Evening

14^th October 2015

Year 11 Information Evening

This evening was the Year 11 Information Evening, the focus of which was Maths, English and Guidance. Staff from the Maths and English Departments were on hand to talk to parents about important course information and the GCSE examinations which the learners will be taking.

The Guidance Department arranged for over 20 training and education providers to attend for Year 11 learners and their parents to find out about the variety of options available after Kepier, and to apply for any that they may be interested in.

The evening was a real success with many of the parents reporting that it was very helpful to have the providers on hand to answer questions. The learners were pleased to have so many options available to them, and some reported applying for programmes that they had not considered initially.

The providers all commented on the great atmosphere of the event, and how helpful it was to be able to meet so many parents to clarify the routes available after Year 11.

Thank you to everyone who attended and made the evening such a success. Watch out for the Year 10 Information Evening on Wednesday 11^th November!

6th October 2015

6^th October 2015

Upcoming singer/songwriter Rich Cottell, from Devon, came to Kepier as part of an Online Safety and Cyber Bullying themed school tour.  Rich performed a selection of songs, described as feel good indie pop, for the learners and delivered an online safety message. 

The performance was fun and interactive. The information was relevant and the learners could relate to Rich, so they fully engaged with the message. They all said they loved that they were given the opportunity to participate in the performance and many of them said it had made them think about their gaming and social media use.

Welcome Back!

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone has had a great summer break.

Welcome back to the Guidance Hub. There are lots of activities planned for the school year, with guest speakers coming into school, as well as trips and visits across all year groups. I will be coming into assemblies to let everyone know when there is an opportunity for your year group, so make sure you keep an eye out for me.

For Year 11, this is an extremely important year. You have your GCSE exams as well as having to make decisions regarding your future. We are here to help you, with colleges, sixth forms and other training providers visiting school to talk about what they can offer and to help you you’re your applications.

You will all receive a Guidance Interview from either myself or Kelly Woods from Connexions so please try and do some research before attending. If you have any questions or need extra support, PLEASE ASK! We want to make this transition as smooth as we can for you.

Miss Watson

6th October 2015

6^th October 2015

Today, a group of 15 Year 7 learners went to Nissan for a ‘Discovering Engineering’ event. The event was held in conjunction with the Government’s ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ programme  to inspire young people to consider careers in advanced manufacturing and engineering, and to challenge negative perceptions about the UK’s manufacturing industry. Engineering plays a major part in every aspect of our lives, and this event demonstrated its importance to Nissan. The event included a chance to see all models made at the Sunderland plant, but in particular the 100% electric Nissan LEAF. Learners were also given a tour of the production line so they could see the cars being assembled. The group really enjoyed the visit and were a credit to Kepier!

Primary Year 6 Rugby Day

On October 1st Kepier hosted a 'Rugby World Cup Day' for Year 6 children in our partner primary schools.

The day consisted of the children being split into 19 groups, and each group choosing a country to represent; designing a flag and t-shirt for their country; being taught how to do the haka, and then coming up with their own version; and then all taking part in a tag rugby event on the afternoon.

Vice Principal at Kepier, Donna Walker said "It was a fantastic day for all involved, not just the 200+ learners from the primary schools who attended, but our staff and the learners from across all our year groups who supported the day. The Rugby World Cup has caught the imagination of the country, and we felt it important to use the event to give these young people a taste of this".