Term 3 Newsletter March 2012 - Longfield Academy, Darlington ...

Term 3 Newsletter
March 2012
Welcome to the latest edition of the Longfield Newsletter: we hope you will find it very informative and would
welcome your views and comments.
Please visit our website www.longfield.darlington.uk.com for further information
Dear Parent/Carer
Term 2 has been very busy here at Longfield and in this edition of the newsletter we share with you just a
selection of the exciting and interesting events and activities undertaken by staff and pupils. As always, the
achievement of pupils is our main priority; many year 10 and 11 pupils received outstanding GCSE results in
March and the upcoming June exams promise to be just as successful. Our year 11 pupils in particular are
working extremely hard in order to secure the results they need for their future education and careers,
supported as always by the school‟s committed and supportive staff.
Pupils‟ future aspirations have been a key focus for the last few months and many of our partner
organisations such as Teesside University and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College have visited the school
and helped them to make informed decisions and the best choices possible. Furthermore, all of our year 11
pupils have completed a mock interview with an advisor from various businesses or industries in order to
give them an opportunity to experience a real-life interview scenario; the feedback was very positive and all
of the advisors involved were extremely impressed by the maturity and confidence of Longfield‟s pupils. We
hope that all of our pupils leaving us in June do so with a clear plan for their further education or career path.
At this time of year, we also begin to look forward to welcoming the year 6 pupils preparing to join us in
September. In order to prepare pupils for this exciting time, we invite them to spend a two-week transition
period with us in June. However, year 6 pupils from several of our local primary schools have already been
involved in activities and events at Longfield over recent months, including watching a drama presentation
about joining secondary school performed by Teesside University students. Year 6 pupils have also
collaborated on a creative drama project to deliver a creative dance, drama and drumming workshop. We
hope that this has given pupils an idea of what they can expect when they join us in June.
This edition of the newsletter contains a great deal of information about our recent Enrichment Week – an
action-packed, fun-filled week in which pupils and staff took part in a range of activities outside of the normal
timetabled lessons. The school had visits from many organisations such as the Army, the Royal Marines,
the RAF, Darlington and Durham Fire Service and some of our local colleges and universities. We were
also joined by K9 Pursuits Dog Training, Beamish Museum and Aycliffe Fabrications. Pupils enjoyed in a
wide range of enriching activities and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved.
Several trips also provided pupils with a range of alternative experiences, with successful visits to Austria,
Barcelona, and Kingswood in Wales amongst others; staff worked hard to ensure that the visits proved
enjoyable and the pupils had a fantastic time, representing the school in their usual exemplary manner.
Also in this newsletter, we share with you our exciting plans for a new Sports Hall which will provide state of
the art facilities, from badminton courts to a fitness room, not only for pupils but members of the public.
Alongside the popular 3G pitch, the Sports Hall will ensure that Longfield continues to provide an excellent
service to the local community.
Mrs S Johnson
Headteacher

Pupil Governors
Representing the views of all at Longfield Academy of Sport
Longfield Academy of Sport is pleased to announce the successful candidates in the 2012/2013
Pupil Governor elections. Cameron Wallace, Noori Begum, Daniel Wood and Eric Bowlby
campaigned within school to win the votes of fellow pupils to take their place on the Governing
body. Longfield Academy of Sport places great emphasis on the views of the pupils and believe
that all pupils should be part of the decision making process.
Elizabeth Hart, Chair of Governors believes, “Pupil voice should be important in any school.
Longfield was the first school in Darlington to have pupil representation on the Governing body.
We value their opinions on every aspect of school life and have acted upon ideas put forward
from updating the school uniform to changes within the pastoral system. Student panels are also
involved in interviews for new staff and in selecting school meals providers”.
Pictured: Pupils Governors take their place on the Governing body at Longfield Academy of Sport

Longfield’s Ruth Hansom wins second place
in the National FutureChef Competition at London’s Westminster
Kingsway College.
Serving up a
menu of
Fricassee of
Corn Fed
Chicken with
Spinach
Gnocchi and
a cream and
chive
reduction,
followed by a
Chocolate
and Orange
Fondant,
Ginger ice
cream and
citrus glaze,
16 year old
Ruth Hansom
from Longfield
has cooked
her way
through three previous heats to second place in the National Finals of the Springboard FutureChef
2012 competition.
Springboard‟s
FutureChef is
the top
national
culinary
competition
for young
people aged
12 to 16. 2012
has seen over
700 schools
register and
over 7000
students
participate
nationwide.
By entering,
young people
get the
opportunity to
learn to cook,
develop skills
and gain experience in the catering and hospitality industry.

The final, held on Monday 26 th March was a hugely prestigious event, judged by some of the
industry‟s top professionals including; David Mulcahy, Craft and Food Development Director,
Sodexo UK and Ireland, Frederick Forster, 2011‟s National Chef of the Year and Head Chef at
Nuovo Restaurant, Steve Munlley, Executive Chef at The Royal Garden Hotel and Martyn Nail,
Executive Chef, Claridges Hotel.
Ruth was given two hours to produce a main course and dessert in an extremely busy and hot
kitchen. The place was alive with activity and Ruth did massively well to hold her nerve and focus
on the task in hand. After a tense two hours her dishes began to appear for the spectators to see
and it was soon obvious that she had a massive chance of winning the title, having produced
technically challenging dishes which looked stunning on their plates. Talent spotters were buzzing
around the display table – many of them top chefs from some of the country‟s most famous
restaurants – all of them there to see the young talented chefs showcasing their amazing ability.
The lead up to the announcement of winners was incredibly tense. All twelve competitors had
achieved such a lot to make it to the final and when Brian Turner announced Ruth a runner up we
all realised just how much she had achieved.
Ruth‟s main prize
includes a day of
work experience at
Royal Ascot, where
she will work with
top chefs.
Following a night in
a top hotel, Ruth
will then return to
Ascot as a guest
and enjoy full
hospitality. Her
other prizes include
£100 from the
Worshipful
Company of Cooks
and a Kenwood
Triblade Hand
Blender.
Previous finalists
have secured
placements with Heston Blummenthal, Andrew Fairlie and Michel Roux. Future possibilities for
Ruth are now incredibly exciting and to get second place was a massive achievement and
definitely the result of outstanding ability and effort!
Well done Ruth!
Congratulations to the Year 11 Football Team who reached the final of the Bert Hodgson County Cup,
unfortunately they were beaten 3-2 by St Wilfrids from South Shields. It is a fantastic achievement to
reach the final as there are over sixty schools who compete in the competition.
Good Luck to the Year 9 Football Team who at time of print are due to play Heworth School from
Gateshead in the final of the CIC County Cup.
Good Luck to the Year 10 Football Team who at time of print are due to play St Joseph „s School from
Hebburn in the final of the Londonderry County Cup.
The last time Longfield reached a County Cup Football final was the season 1994-95 so to get 3 teams in
separate finals is a fantastic achievement.

Important Dates
For your Diary
Monday 16 th April Staff Training
Tuesday 17 th to
Friday 27 th April
KS3 Internal Examinations
Monday 23 rd April Year 9 Super Technology Day
Thursday 26 th April Super English Day
Monday 30 th April Year 10 Catch up Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio
Injections
Monday 7 th May May Day Bank Holiday
Tuesday 8 th May to
Friday Wednesday 27 th June
GCSE External Examinations
Monday 14 th May Year 8 Girls HPV Injections
Monday 28 th May Year 7 Rewards Assembly
Wednesday 30 th May Non Uniform Day
Year 7 visit to Beamish
Thursday 31 st May Year 7 Onwards and Upwards Balloon Release
Friday 1 st June Year 7 end of Term Disco
Break up End of Term 3
Monday 11 th June Staff Training Day
Please note year 10 and year 11 GCSE RE and
Mathematics Examinations will be taking place
Tuesday 12 th June School re-opens
Thursday 14 th June Route 1 Parent Evening
Wednesday 20 th June Town Sports
Year 11 Prom
Thursday 21 st June Year 10 QE Visit
Monday 25 th June to Friday 6 th July Year 6 Extended Transition Project
Thursday 28 th June Year 6 Induction Parent Evening
Monday 9 th July to Friday 13 th July Enrichment Week – The Olympics
Thursday 19 th July Non Uniform Day
Friday 20 th July Olympics 2012 Biggest Dance and Song Event
Break up Summer Holidays
Free School Meals
Please Note:
Parents who are in receipt of the “Employment and Support Allowance”
now qualify for Free School Meals.
Please contact Pupil Support for further details.

The Benefits of Taking Advice from cap
The Community Advice Partnership (cap) is a Lottery funded project between Darlington Citizens
Advice Bureau, Age UK Darlington and Darlington Borough Council‟s Welfare Rights Unit.
cap partners provide: free, independent, easily accessible, quality assured, practical legal advice
to Darlington residents.
cap can help you understand and deal with many types of problem that can affect almost anyone
at any time in their lives and which are exceedingly common in the current economic climate.
Many of our clients have received advice from us to help deal with problems concerning:-
Welfare Benefits – Claiming Benefits and Tax / Pension Credits, Housing and Council Tax
Benefits - cap workers can carry out quick and simple benefits checks and help you to challenge
benefit decisions;
Debt – Rent, mortgage, council tax arrears, credit card, catalogue, utility and other debts, Court
proceedings, Bankruptcy and Enforcement Action including Bailiff action and Attachment of
Earnings Orders;
Employment issues – Redundancy, Disciplinary Proceedings, Discrimination, Pay and Entitlement,
Dismissal;
Housing – Mortgage or Rent Arrears, Possession Proceedings, Tenants‟ Rights and Landlords‟
obligations, Anti-social behaviour, homelessness, neighbour disputes.
If you need legal advice on any issue not mentioned in the short list above, please contact cap;
we‟ll do our best to help you. In those rare cases where we cannot assist, we will try to refer you to
another appropriate organisation.
If you want advice about any of the above areas, please contact cap on (01325) 388 087 or at
enquiries@capdarlington.org.uk or write to us at PO Box 254, Darlington, DL1 9JH

At Longfield we are currently working towards securing the prestigious ‘Investors In People’ award as part of
our commitment to being an outstanding employer. The award recognises how successfully people are
managed within an organisation and enables businesses to develop their performance through their
employees. Since becoming an Academy, Longfield has worked hard in order to ensure that systems are in
place to run the school as efficiently and effectively as possible. People management has been a key focus
in this process; beyond the academy conversion the school continues to invest valuable time and resources
in order to ensure that employees are valued and can contribute fully to the school’s success.
As well as providing recognition for excellent employers, the award enables organisations to go through a
thorough self-evaluation, highlighting areas for improvement that can have a significant effect on outcomes.
In the case of Longfield this would be a continued ability to provide an outstanding education and first class
exam results.
Investors In People has been awarded to many successful organisations and businesses over a wide range of
sectors, for example: Nissan, the charity Christian Aid, Tesco and Ofsted. At Longfield, we hope to
successfully complete the assessment process by the end of 2012 and join this long and prestigious list of
Investors In People organisations.
Have you received this newsletter by e-mail?
If not why don’t you register for ParentMail ?
By registering for ParentMail you can receive messages from the school via email
and text and have the opportunity to sign up for +Pay, which enables you to pay for
educational visits and add money to your son/daughter‟s cashless catering account
on-line using your credit or debit card. If you pay via +pay for your son/daughter‟s
lunch you now have the opportunity to check online to see what they have had to
eat. Unfortunately, parents of pupils paying by cash do not have this opportunity.
Please download a Data Capture Form from the Parent Page of Learning Portal or
ask your son / daughter to collect a form from Reception. Once the form has been
returned to school, you will soon be able to receive messages via e-mail and text.

Literacy Leaders
The idea of Literacy Leaders is that if anyone needs help or is struggling in English they have
someone they can go to for help who are around the same age as them. At the moment their
first project/unit is to plan and deliver a literacy activity to either their own year group or a
lower year group. The leaders include: Adam Howell, Beth Lynas, Louise Richards, Kim Noble,
Georgia Craddock, Rachel Venables, Bethany Joyce, Michael Storey, Jasprit Kaur, Gina Bowlby,
Abbie Bell, Rebecca Sanderson, Ashley Burton, Antony Whitaker, Ali Bari, Samee Raihan.
Year 7 Reading Global Passport
The pupils of year 7 took part in the reading global passport organised by Mrs Gooch. They
read a range of books at school and home. Every ten minutes they got their teacher or parents
to tick off the city on their passport. The pupils very much enjoyed this project and said that
it has helped develop their reading skills and their English. They mostly did this in form time,
this went on during February and is still ongoing.

Year 9 Careers Day
Royal Marines, RAF and the Universities
On Wednesday 14 March, Longfield Academy of Sport held a Year 9 Careers Day. Thirteen business
ambassadors attended the event, ranging from the armed services through to Aycliffe Fabrications and
Beamish Museum. Pupils were given guidance on different career paths and were provided with the
opportunity to take part in a number of workshops and find out what will be expected of them as they enter
the world of work. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the event and the ambassadors praised the pupils stating that
the pupils were of „an exceptional standard‟.
Please see below year 9 pupils account of the day:
On the 14 th of March the year 9 pupils had Careers‟ Day where they went around different stations including
K9 Pursuits Dog Training, Beamish Museum, East Durham Houghall College, Aycliffe Fabrications and the
Darlington and Durham Fire Service.
When the pupils visited the series of events they carried out a
number of activities. For K9 they did clicker training which is
where you train your dog in different tricks by getting the timing
right. Therefore, when they do the trick, sit, they have to click
when the dog‟s bottom hits the ground. There were dancing dogs
and cute puppies! K9 train their dogs by positive reinforcement;
this means they don‟t shout at the dog if it does the trick wrong
but give a reward when the dog does the trick right.
The Beamish Museum had different activities including a suitcase
with clothes which pupils dressed up in and found out what it
would feel like to be in the olden days. Pupils learnt what it would
be like to work in a museum and the experience you can get from
it.
The East Durham College had a variety of sculptures including
the ligaments of a horse and dead Tarantulas for the pupils to explore. They gave a lot of information about
the courses you could take and the benefits of going to the college.
Aycliffe Fabrications came in and answered any questions that we had to ask and also gave us a few
examples of job application forms to compare so that the pupils knew how to present theirs in the future.
The fire service had a pair of electronic goggles which made the room look smoky as though you were in a
fire. The pupils‟ task was to walk around the room doing the correct movement and trying to find the baby
who was hidden somewhere for the pupils to find. All of the pupils enjoyed visiting everyone and it was very
successful.
The Royal Marines, The RAF and different universities
including Teesside, Northumbria, Newcastle and Sunderland
also visited. When we visited the different university
departments we were asked to carry out a number of different
tasks like getting into groups and finding out information by
studying the different types of courses which were available.
After we had answered all questions subject to the courses, we
were then asked to present our courses and what they had to
offer. Moving onto Northumbria, Newcastle and Sunderland we
all gathered round in a circle and began to talk about our future
plans and what types of careers we would like to do when we
had left school and began our further education. The university
visitor then started to tell us what courses were needed and
how to go ahead with this. For the RAF officer in the dance
studio, we were asked to carry out some fun but creative tasks
such as simple verbal instructions like jumping over a rope on the right side and staying still when asked.
We were then split into 2 groups and had to stand on a mat while turning it over. The Royal Marines were in
the gym and they built an obstacle course, so we were asked to get into pairs and do different activities
while leading our partner through the obstacle course blind-folded. The day was exciting interesting and
varied.

Your life in their hands
Longfield Academy of Sport: Life Support in and out of the classroom.
The Applied Science pupils at Longfield have been combining their school
studies with real life skills by participating in and successfully completing
an Emergency First Aid Certificate.
The course was delivered by „The Work Place‟ and required all pupils to pass practical
assessments in CPR for: adults, children and babies, choking, putting someone into the
recovery position, bandaging, head injuries and treating people with conditions such as
diabetes, angina and epilepsy.
The pupils involved commented on the experience saying: “It was definitely
worth the time – I now feel much more confident.” Most of the students agreed
that they would not have done this by themselves but that the knowledge
gained would be valuable to them in their everyday lives outside of school.
Another pupil said: “It gives me a qualification that makes me stand out, as not
all pupils have one.” There was a general agreement that holding such a
qualification improved their employability and enhanced their chance of getting
a college or sixth form place.
Here‟s to a future of Health and Happiness – Congratulations!

CLARE FAWCETT ACADEMY OF DANCE
New freestyle/disco dance classes
Wednesday new beginner class 5.30-6.30pm ages from 5yrs
Thursday 6.30-7.30pm ages from 10yrs
Saturday 11.00-12.00pm ages from 5yrs +
All classes are £4 each and are held at Longfield Academy in the
Dance Studio
For further info please contact Clare on 07890108173
Friday Night Football Club
Friday: 7:30 – 8:30pm
Cost: £2 per person
Age: Years 7, 8 & 9
Longfield Football Development Officer, Chris Parkinson, will be
delivering a Friday night football club on the school‟s new third generation pitch. The club will be
charged at £2per person. No booking required. For more information please email:
cparkinson@longfield.uk.com
Longfield Sevens
Easter Football Tournament @ Longfield Academy
Tuesday 10 th April 2012
Age: Years 7, 8 & 9 – 10am Start – 1pm Finish
Age: Years 10 & 11 - 2pm Start – 5pm Finish
Cost: £2 per person
Team application packs can be collected from Chris Parkinson during
the school day or from our evening Receptionists after 5pm.
Entry closes Friday 6 th April
For more information please email: cparkinson@longfield.uk.com
Aerobic Body Tone
Aerobic/cardio warm up then toning for all areas
using Pilates principles for improving core
muscles.
All welcome
£3 per session
Monday 6.15-7-15
If anyone is interested and there is a slot in the
summer holidays on a Monday evening between
7.15 and 8pm
Also a 5 week Pilates course is planned in the
Longfield Dance Studio. Contact:
JATKINSON@qeliz.ac.uk or 07971447981

Facilities for Hire
Have you ever thought of running a class?
We are currently looking for individuals or groups
wishing to hire school facilities on evenings and
weekends.
Facilities for hire include:
Full Size 3G Football Pitch
Music Practice Rooms
Dance Studio
Sports Hall
Class Rooms
I.C.T. Suites
Cookery Rooms
All Facilities are available at a very competitive rate.
For more information or to make an enquiry please
call 01325 380815/6 or
email: bookings@longfield.uk.com
Examination Information
Alison Coleman - NATD Professional Dance Teacher in
Freestyle, Street, Latin American & Ballroom
ZUMBA CLASSES
Every Wednesday @ LONGFIELD Academy
From 6:30 – 7:15
Every Friday @ LONGFIELD Academy
From 6:15 – 7:00
Only £3 per session
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT ALISON
ON
0777 957 0631
or
e-mail: alicoleman7@hotmail.co.uk
GCSE Examination results will be distributed to pupils on Thursday 23 rd August from 8.30am.
If pupils want someone else to collect their results, they must give that person a signed letter of permission.
Staff Training Day and Examinations
Please note there is a Staff Training Day taking place on Monday 11 th June, however, GCSE examinations are still
taking place on this day. Please check your child’s exam timetable carefully to see if they are affected. Pupils who
have examinations should attend in full school uniform.
Exam Pencil Cases
Exam regulations stipulate that only a clear pencil case can be used during examinations. The Exams Office has
suitable pencil cases to sell for £1.50. They come stocked with 2 black pens, 1 pencil, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, a
compass, a protractor and 15cm ruler.

STEM News
Recently Longfield Academy of Sport attended a
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Maths) challenge at the Dolphin Centre. The
challenge was to design a piece of equipment or
clothing for any of the Olympics, whether this be
the regular Olympics or Paralympics. The design
should have fit into at least one of the Olympic
values, and it should have fit into one of the
categories: allowing players with injuries to take
part, making Olympians safer whilst competing or
maintaining and improving the standard and work
rate of Olympians. In the end one of the groups
came in second place winning £100, but everyone
who participated earned a bronze crest award.
On Friday 24 th February, twelve pupils
accompanied by the STEM teacher, Mrs Walker,
went to participate in this STEM challenge. Upon
arrival these twelve participants were placed into 2
groups to compete against thirteen other groups
from other schools. This challenge saw our groups joining up with members from QE and the Darlington College,
improving our communication and social skills. After the groups were arranged, the design brief was given, along with
a fact booklet about future technologies and a business plan. Our groups were to decide on the following roles: project
manager, general manager, design manager, marketing manager and research manager. Once the team was set, we
were ready to compete.
We talked to the two teams to find out more about their ideas and how they came up with these ideas. First we talked
to the team E-foot. “We came up with the idea of the E-foot V1.0; we came up with this by the simple idea that most
Olympians use a shoe. We then adapted our idea to lower the size of the market that we had to cover, this is when we
decided our product would best in the area of running, and best in the sprinting challenges. Since our idea had to
inherit smart tech we took ideas from the group to come up with some of the following: measuring stress in Achilles
tendon, heart rate, how to improve your performance and your maximum potential. We believed our idea was very
good and listening to helpers and the rest of the group, we continually improved and adapted our ideas, which, in the
end won second place. In the end we believed that the healthy competition between the two groups excelled us to do
our very best”.
We then talked to the healthy competitors from the team Endurance. “We originally came up with the idea that a suit
which could be used to monitor a person‟s performance in training for an Olympic
event would be extremely helpful and become very popular. We then developed it
into the idea of a suit that could be used in the triathlon as this event contains lots
of different sports. So if someone wanted to use their suit for swimming or other
events, they could buy our suit. We then improved on the technical side of the suit;
we decided that the suit should monitor temperature, heartbeat, and blood
pressure. We decided since it records 3 things and it is used in the triathlon it will
be called the Tri-suit. It was made of Gore-Tex which is lightweight, durable and
waterproof so can be used for all events and stops people from having to change
costumes for each part of the event”.
We then had to design a board that would show the judges briefly what our ideas
were. We had to make them look good and professional. It would include a
diagram of the product, a design, a business plan and general information on the
product. This was the last activity on the Friday.
On Saturday 25 th February we went back to the Dolphin centre for the judging of
our products. This started with a board of judges visiting our stalls; we had to give
an overall explanation of the product, giving the judges a brief explanation on the
technology used and give them the business plan for the product. Once this was
done the judges went to elaborate on which groups they thought were the best, but
also able to show off their products to all the other groups present. Once the
verdict was given the three groups included E-foot and the two groups from
Hummersknott. We then had to stand up and explain what our idea was, and how
it used the Smart-Tech and tying in with the Olympic values. The judges once
again went on to deliberate for a 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd place team. Once the time for waiting was over, tensions were at an
all time high, until we found out that we were in 2 nd place and had won the £100 representing Longfield.
At the end there was a presentation, telling everyone how it was good that they had taken part and that they had all
earned a Crest award. We all earned a bronze Crest award; a famous person who has a much higher version of this
award is David Attenborough. We asked Mrs Walker how she felt. „I‟m glad that the children had fun - that was what it
was all about. They have done Longfield, me and themselves proud and we are very pleased with them and glad to
see 2 nd place”.

Year 9 Army Personal Development Activity
Monday 20 th February 2012
Megan Handley 9 Sydney
Well, the army was a very tiring but worthwhile experience!. We went to the army knowing that it
was going to be tough, but nobody could have prepared us for what they had in store for us.
As soon as we got there, we were handed overalls that didn't fit everyone to their exact size,
therefore this created a few jokes and some panic. Once we had got changed into these
clothes, straight away we were transported to a wood. We were then told that we had to run 2
miles. We were all very shocked but we were all up to the challenge. They had an efficient way
of running so that all of us could push ourselves yet not be tired out, meaning that we would be
able to do the activities after.
Then we set off on a 2 mile run around the woods. To help us catch our breath but also push
us even more, there were little obstacles around the 2 mile run that included activities such as
sit ups and press ups! These increased our strength and also our motivational skills for
supporting each other.
Once we had completed the run we had a well earned break
on the mini bus on the way back. Our group leaders were
very supportive and motivated us all the way around.
Next up was a more light hearted activity of several team challenges. These
were problem solving and agility. This let us think more deeply into things
and was less strenuous. After talking to everyone else, this was an activity
that they enjoyed. However, they just couldn't wait to do the obstacle
course!
After a short lunch (as we were advised not to eat a lot) we were given army
boots and then headed to the dreaded army obstacle course. As soon as
we arrived we could tell that it was going to be challenging yet fun. As it was
a very windy day, we were freezing and just couldn't wait to get started. There were many activities such as
a rope swings, running through deep water, jumping over obstacles and all of this required a lot of stamina
and persistence.
For my point of view, the worst part had to be crawling through the muddy pit full of water! This is because
it was near the start of the obstacle course and after crawling through the freezing water, you were all
bogged down and your overalls and boots started to become very heavy.
The good thing about the whole course was that we had the army men there all the time to help us and
guide us and they were very supportive. After coming back after what I thought was the best activity, we got
ready into warm clothes, said our thanks to the army people and went home all very tired!
It was a great day where we learned key skills that we will be able to use in the future.
School Olympics
Soon the London 2012 Olympics will begin and in this is the perfect
opportunity for Longfield to get involved and show how much we care
about sport. The school are therefore running a series of mini inter-form
and individual competitive „School Olympic‟ events. Mrs Lees, one of our
P.E teachers at the school, believes that the Olympics will make a really
positive impact saying that, “The School Olympics” raises the profile of
sport at the school and gives the pupils an opportunity to aspire to
something. Some of the events have already taken place, with the
Swimming Gala, Bike Challenge and Table Tennis Competition all being fiercely competed in.
Coming up shortly are the Gymnastics challenge and Mile In May. Enrichment week in July this
year will also be widely centred around Sport with a big focus on the Olympics in London. The
school is extremely happy with the success of the School Olympics so far and hopes that by
engaging the pupils in friendly competition it will help them become more interested in Sport and
possibly consider careers in physical education at a competitive level.

English
English and Maths Revision Sessions 2012
Y10 Dual Awards
E5, 3.15-4. 15pm
Thursday 19 th April Understanding prose:
Jekyll and Hyde exam
skills.(LLA)
Thursday 26 th April Understanding Prose:
Jekyll and Hyde exam
skills (SJa)
Thursday 3 rd May Understanding Prose:
Of Mice and Men
revision and exam skills
(RBe)
Thursday 10 th May Writer’s Voice:
Of Mice and Men extract
analysis and exam skills
(RBe)
Thursday 17 th May Writer’s Voice: Writing
skills and revision (RBe)
Y10 single Awards
E1 & E2, 3.15-4.15
Writer’s craft:
Of mice and men
general revision
(character, themes,
events) (vsh, swi)
Writer’s Craft:
Of Mice and Men exam
skills (NPg, SFr)
Writer’s Craft:
Romeo and Juliet exam
strategy (NPg, VSh)
Writer’s Craft:
Writing skills-
Audience, purpose,
planning (GBr, Swi)
Writer’s Craft:
Writing skills-
Punctuation and
paragraphing (GBr, SFr)
Y11 Dual Awards
E4, 3.15-4.15pm
Understanding Poetry:
Exam skills and revision
(SJa,LLa)
Understanding Poetry:
exam skills and revision
(SJa, LLA)
Mathematics Foundation - C Grade Higher - A to A*
Topic Topic
Tuesday 18 th April Forming and Solving Equations
Solving Equations with x‟s on both
sides
Sequences Quadratic Sequences
Tuesday 24 th April Inequalities, Estimation and Limits Surds
Tuesday 1 st May Ratio and Proportions Trigonometry. Ratio, Sine and Cosine
Rule, 3D Pythagoras. Area of Triangles
(trigonometry) Graphs
Tuesday 8 th May Expanding Brackets, Simplifying
Expressions, Laws of indices
Vectors
The 100 Club Winners
As part of our fundraising activities, we run a small lottery
draw, “The 100 Club”.
This is open to parents / carers, governors and staff.
We currently have a large number of numbers available, if you would like to
take part, please contact:
Mr Collishaw, Finance Director by e-mail - acollishaw@longfield-trust.co.uk
or telephone 01325 380815
The winners of the last 4 draws are as follows
November 2011
1 st Prize £50 Number 78 B Collishaw
2 nd Prize £20 Number 30 Sally Connor
3 rd Prize £10 Number 98 Not sold (rollover)
January 2012
1 st Prize £50 Number 9 J Wood
2 nd Prize £20 Number 61 Not sold (rollover)
3 rd Prize £10 Number 37 Not sold (rollover)
December 2011
1 st Prize £50 Number 89 Jan Guinan
2 nd Prize £20 Number 28 Not sold (rollover)
3 rd Prize £10 Number 66 Not sold (rollover)
February 2012
1 st Prize £50 Number 95 Mrs Heathwaite
2 nd Prize £20 Number 75 Mrs G Smith
3 rd Prize £10 Number 97 Julie Hagger

Enrichment Week March 2012
Enrichment week is a week where the pupils taken out of their normal
lessons and their timetable is collapsed. They do enriched subjects
instead. The theme was the London 2012 Olympics. There were various
trips such as the Holland trip, Barcelona Trip, Austria Trip, Beth Shalom
RE Trip and Kingswood. Year 9 had a career‟s day which involved people
from different jobs to come and talk about what they do, so the pupils will
find out what it takes to do their future job and what qualifications they
need.
Barcelona Trip - Miss Heskett told us about the trip. We found out the
trip‟s weather was
„‟beautiful‟‟ every day and
the temperature was
above 20 degrees. The
trip‟s length was Monday
to Friday. Activities
included a visit to the
National Palace, Olympic Village, the port, beaches, Las
Ramblas (big shopping street) and La Sagrada Familia
(cathedral), Parc Guell. The cost of the trip was £375. They
took a plane because it was easy and faster. The hotel and
food was of a good standard. Miss Heskett said „‟this was a
good and excellent trip, the pupils were outstanding and
good at representing the school.
Austria Trip - We spoke to Mr Clegg and he gave us information about the trip; we found out the weather
was nice and hot. The trip was for 5 days, and they did skiing most of the time. They also went to the
capital city and looked around and then, they went bowling. The trip had involved year 8-11. The cost of the
trip was £600+. They took a bus because it was a lot cheaper than a plane journey. „‟The food and hotel
was very nice‟‟ said Mr Clegg. They would encourage more people to come to the next year‟s trip. A pupils
opinion who went to the trip was „‟Very good! I‟m going next year and want other people to go as well.‟‟
Beth Shalom - On Friday 16 th March 2012 Pupils in Year 9 went on a trip
to the Holocaust Centre in Newark in order to further extend their learning
on Shoah and how the Jewish faith survived the Holocaust. The Year 9
students took a trip around the Memorial Garden and were asked to lay a
stone in a pile in remembrance of the 1.5 million children that were brutally
murdered during the Holocaust. They were then taken around the various
Zones and taught about different aspects of the Holocaust, from Righteous
Gentiles who helped the Jews survive to the vicious Nazi leaders who
instigated the „Final Solution‟. After lunch the pupils were then treated to a
Q and A session with a Holocaust survivor who was able to give them a
deeper and first-hand insight into how the Holocaust felt for the people
who experienced it. Overall the day was a great success for the pupils as
they were able to understand the impact of the Holocaust and how the
Jewish Faith survives.
Kingswood - Mr Marsh told us about his experience at Kingswood, one of the trips during enrichment
week open to only year 7‟s. There were 160 pupils that went in four coaches and a mini bus; it took just
under four hours to get there. The weather was very cold but the pupils were active most of the time so this
wasn‟t a big problem. This trip helped them to develop their own characters and build more confidence in
themselves; this also got them to work as a team and get better at team building, getting them to work
together. There was lots of different activities available. Some of the activities were: rock climbing,
abseiling, 3G Swing, caving, leap of faith, Jacob‟s ladder, aero ball, archery, laser quest, orienteering,
fencing and circus skills. Mr Marsh said “I would definitely recommend this trip; it is something that every
year 7 should get involved with. I can‟t wait to get involved with Kingswood next year!‟

The New Sports Hall
Longfield Academy of sport is pleased to announce that initial meetings have taken
place regarding the building of a new Sports Hall on the school site. As plans are still
at an early stage, there are lots of key decisions which need to be made. However, if
all goes to plan then this facility should be ready to open at the start of the academic
year, June 2013.
It is hoped that the building will house a four badminton sized multi purpose Sports
Hall, together with a Performance Suite ( for Dance / Aerobics / Zumba etc) and a
Fitness room (with lots of specialist equipment including Resistance / Cardio-
Vascular / dumbbells etc), indoor and outdoor changing rooms, classrooms and a
small area for refreshments.
This facility, together with our 3rd generation football pitch, will make us the envy of
many schools not only in Darlington but in the whole of Durham County.
On-line Homework Diaries - Coming soon to a computer near you.
Homework has always been an issue that divides opinion.
Pupils believe they get too much. Parents say the opposite.
In order to make the setting and recording of homework as clear as possible to everyone, the school
has launched on-line homework diaries for all pupils.
knowledge and skills.
Your son/daughter‟s diary can be viewed below their timetable
on both the front page of the portal and on the timetable page.
By clicking on the „pencil‟ symbol the homework instructions or
file will be displayed.
Homework may be offered as a range tasks from completing
work, revision, research or enrichment opportunities to broaden
Longfield has also invested in an on-line games based revision and
assessment system called „I am Learning‟ which staff will be using to set
homework and revision tasks.
Why not ask your son/daughter to show you both this program and their
homework diary?
If you have any queries about accessing or viewing any school based ICT
system please do not hesitate to contact us.

Date Session Components
8 - 15 May All day Art exams
GCSE Examinations 2012
Monday 14 May am Preparation for working life paper
Monday 14 May pm French listening
Tuesday 15 May am Science A: Unit 1
Biology A: Unit 1
Wednesday 16 May pm Design and Technology - Food Technology Unit 1
Thursday 17 May am French Reading
Monday 21 May am Additional Science A Unit 1
Physics A Unit 2
Monday 21 May pm Spanish Listening
Tuesday 22 May am Understanding Prose
Tuesday 22 May am Introduction .to small Business
Food Technology Unit 1
Product Design (3d-design) Unit 1
Wednesday 23 May am PE: Developing knowledge in PE - Written
Thursday 24 May am Science A: Unit 4 (ideas)|
Chemistry A: Unit 3 (ideas)
Thursday 24 May pm Understanding Poetry
Friday 25 May pm Spanish Reading
Monday 28 May am Italian Listening
Monday 28 May pm Home economics: Principles of Child Development – Written
Astronomy - Written paper
Tuesday 29 May am The Writer's Craft
The Writer's Voice
Wednesday 30 May am Building a Business
Italian Reading
Wednesday 30 May pm Additional Science A: Unit 4 (ideas) Higher
Additional Applied Science A 3 (Science Detection)
Physics A: Unit 3 (ideas) Foundation
Additional Applied Science A Unit 4 (Chemicals)
Friday 1 June am Information & communication Technology Unit 1
Monday 11 June am Religious Studies B Unit 5
Monday 11 June pm Maths Non Calculator
Tuesday 12 June am Biology A: Unit 3 (ideas)
Additional Applied Science A Unit 1 (Life Care)
Tuesday 12 June pm History B: Aspects of Germany 1918-45 Written
Wednesday 13 June am Maths Calculator
Thursday 14 June pm Media Studies Unit 1
Friday 15 June am History B: Study British Society 1939-75 Written
Friday 15 June pm Chemistry S: modules c1,c2,c3 Written
Science A: Unit 3 (b3, c3, p3)
Chemistry A: Unit 1 (c1, c2, c3)
Monday 18 June am Geography Natural Environment
Monday 18 June pm Statistics Unit 1
Tuesday 19 June am Personal Development and Relationships.
Tuesday 19 June pm Maths Calculator
Wednesday 20 June am Additional Science A: Unit 3 (b6, c6, p6)|
Biology A: Unit 2 (b4, b5, b6)
Thursday 21 June pm Design and Technology - Electronic Products unit 1
Friday 22 June pm Science A: Unit 2 (b2, c2, p2) / Physics A: Unit 1 (p1, p2, p3)
Monday 25 June am Geography Human Environment
Monday 25 June pm Additional Science A: Unit 2 (b5, c5, p5) / Chemistry A: Unit 2 (c4, c5, c6)
Wednesday 27 June am Resistant Materials Technology Unit 1

Austria Ski Trip
2012
The Austria Ski trip was a
huge success this year
with all pupils having a
wonderful time in the hot
Austrian mountains.
Throughout the entire
week our pupils were
wonderful ambassadors
for the school and we (the
staff) were very proud of
them. The slopes this
year were in excellent
condition with plenty of
snow and many slopes for
swimming and, bowling and visited
the beautiful city of Salzburg. Overall
this was a very successful trip and I
would recommend it to any pupils who
are interested in trying a new sport or
continuing their skiing habit; as well as
gaining a suntan in the process!
all abilities, which allowed for
excellent skiing and many
funny falls. The ski instructors
were excellent ensuring that all
pupils and staff were
progressing their skills in a fun
but safe way. The food
throughout the week, whether
on top of the mountain or in the
hotel, was as good as any top
restaurant and the service at
these establishments was
always very friendly. As well as
skiing, the group had
opportunities to participate in
other activities such as

School Holidays Reminder
April 2012 – July 2013
Date School Closes
for Holiday
Date School Re-opens
for Teaching Purposes
Easter 2012 Friday 30 th March 2012
Staff Training
Monday 16 th April
Tuesday 17 th April 2012
May Day 2012 Friday 4 th May 2012 Tuesday 8 th May 2012
End of Term 3 Friday 1 st June 2012
Staff Training
Monday 11 th June 2012
Tuesday 12 th June 2012
Please note: GCSE Examinations take place on Monday 11 th June
Summer 2012 Friday 20 th July 2012
Staff Training
Monday 3 rd September 2012
Tuesday 4 th September 2012
End of Term 1 Friday 26 th October 2012 Monday 5 th November 2012
Staff Training
Days
Christmas 2012
Thursday 22 nd November 2012
Staff Training
Friday 23 rd November 2012
Monday 26 th Tuesday 27
November 2012
th November 2012
Friday 21 st December 2012 Monday 7 th January 2013
End of Term 2 Friday 15 th February 2013 Monday 25 th February 2013
Easter 2013 Friday 28 th March 2013
Staff Training
Monday 15 th April 2013
Tuesday 16 th April 2013
May Day 2013 Friday 3 rd May 2013 Tuesday 7 th May 2013
End of Term 3 Friday 24 th May 2013
Staff Training
Monday 3 rd June 2013
Tuesday 4 th June 2013
Summer 2013 Tuesday 23 rd July 2013 To be confirmed