New Assessment Framework – September 2015

7th September 2015L Dickinson

As you may have become aware through reports in the media, National Curriculum levels to assess students’ progress in KS1, KS2 and KS3 are no longer being used. Schools have been given the responsibility to develop assessment methodologies which they believe are best suited to meet the needs of the children that they work with.

Over the last 18 months we have worked closely with Newminster and Rothbury middle schools, our feeder First Schools and the High School, to develop an assessment framework that does just that. The focus of the framework is very much on identifying what children can currently do and what steps are needed to enable them to progress further.

Further details about the new assessment framework and how we will be reporting on this will follow in due course, but in the meantime the following links may be helpful in providing you with some additional information about the context of this national change.

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A starring turn

4th September 2015L Dickinson

peter panFollowing on from his lead role in ‘We Will Rock You’ earlier this year, Year 8’s Lucas Jones spent his summer starring as John Darling in Whitley Bay Play House’s rendition of ‘Peter Pan’.  Lucas attended auditions for the show back in May along with over 130 other children and successfully won the role.

Although the story of Peter Pan is a much loved classic, the show featured original songs and stunning dance routines.

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Morpeth Town Art Competition: The Winners

3rd August 2015Mrs K Shutler

IMG_8570On Wednesday 8 July, Strutt & Parker hosted the final showcase of their 40 shortlisted entrants and revealed the winner and runners up of the competition.

Congratulations to:

  • Sophie Thomson (Y10 at KEVI) who won first place for her acrylic on canvas painting of Morpeth Clock Tower. She was awarded a £100 Amazon voucher.
  • Well done also to Caitlin Scott (Y10 at KEVI) and Danny Lilico (Y8 at Chantry) who were the runners-up, winning £50 Amazon vouchers each.
  • Furthermore, 6 students were awarded a highly commended award (£10 Amazon voucher) and these were Thea Viernes and Maddy Stewart (Newminster), Leon Smith and Michael Smart (Chantry) and Phoebe Hoggan and Emily Brannigan (KEVI).

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Morpeth Art Competition

16th July 2015L Dickinson

art2Pupils and parents were invited to a lovely event at Strutt and Parker Estate agents in Morpeth on Wednesday 8th July to view the fantastic array of short-listed Morpeth paintings.

The winner and runners up were awarded with Amazon vouchers from the Estate Agents and Highly Commended students received vouchers from the Cheviot.

Thank you again to Strutt and Parker for hosting such an event and for the printmaking equipment donated to the schools.

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National Science & Engineering Competition Finals

15th July 2015J Edwards

M&S NSEChantry Year 7 students Miriam Cummins and Stephanie Shek have qualified for the National Science and Engineering Competition finals, which will be held in Birmingham in March 2016.

The girls took part in the regional heats of the competition during their recent attendance at the Big Bang North East Fair.

During the heats, which involved hundreds of students from across the North East, the girls wowed judges with their detailed work “Investigating How Well Chewing Gum Removes Plaque”.

The project work of Ronan Gascoigne and William Lister, “Testing the Effectiveness of Plant Food”, was also highly commended by the judges.
It is the second year that Chantry students have been nationally recognised for the quality of their Science investigation work. The whole school congratulates them on their hard work and success.

Championship Title Match: Rebecca Hudson v Emma Lawson: 1-6

15th July 2015J Edwards

finalYear 7’s Rebekah Hudson and Emma Lawson, seeded 8 and 3 respectively, faced one another in this year’s championship match. The tournament this year was mixed and the pair sailed through to the final with ease beating all of their Year 8 male counterparts on the way.

The sun came out for the afternoon and centre court was flooded with Year 7 and Year 5 spectators.

The girls are without doubt two of the most talented players we have ever had grace the final. Their shots were powerful and accurate with both Rebecca and Emma favouring play from the baseline.

The match got off to a steady start with both girls winning their opening service games. However Emma broke service in the third game and although there were several deuces in the following games, Emma proved the stronger competitor on the day winning 6-1.

Miss Said would like to thank all competitors for a fantastic championship. She would also like to give a special thank you to the ball boys and girls who helped out this year and to Mr Nicholson for co-umpiring the final.

See you in 2016 for another enthralling top tennis tournament!

The 5th Mini Literary Quiz

15th July 2015Mrs K Shutler
IMG_2969

Chantry A round winners: Jess Hawkins, Helena Marley, Stephanie Cartledge and Morgan Brown

The 5th Mini Lit Quiz, written and produced in-house, was even bigger than last year’s – there were more schools, more teams and more prizes! Thirty teams from Tyne and Wear, Teesside and Northumberland took part and, with an additional four schools pledged to join us in 2016, the contest seems set to grow.

Our Quiz is modelled on the Kids Lit Quiz (UK) with both individual and team prizes, but has five rounds instead of ten and its own unique style. Each round of ten questions follows a particular literary theme but, unlike the KLQ, there is also a Pictionary round featuring picture clues and between round elimination competitions for cash prizes.

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