Issue 11 December 2018

Wilnecote Warbler
Issue 11, December 2018
SPLAT THE TEACHER
Tinkers Green Rd
Wilnecote
Tamworth
Staffs
01827 831300
wilnecoteschool
thewilnecoteschool

Welcome
What a wonderful half term we have had! Our students have taken their academic
studies seriously and we are proud of their conduct and behaviour which
demonstrates their commitment to learning. There have been a number of trips and
visits this term, both curriculum-based and extra-curricular, which are mentioned
elsewhere in this publication. People hosting these events never fail to comment on
the wonderful nature of our students and it makes our staff very proud to hear these
good impressions of The Wilnecote School.
As we enter a new phase in the school’s development we have opened a consultation on our admissions policy for
admissions in the academic year 2020-2021. The full details of where the information can be found is below. We
remain committed to being a true community school in keeping with the ethos of the Community Academies Trust
and the revised criteria in case of over-subscription is in keeping with this value. We have cast the net wide in terms
of consultation, contacting all local schools, nurseries, playgroups and other potentially interested parties, as well as
our own parents and carers, as we want encourage feedback from as wide range of stakeholders as possible. Please
do get in touch with the school via the consultation email address if you have any queries or wish to offer feedback.
May I take this opportunity to thank all the people in the Wilnecote community who play such an important part in the
life of the school and to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
Best wishes
Sian Hartle
In line with the Schools Admission Code 2014, the consultation with regards to changes to the Admissions Policy
for admission into Year 7 at The Wilnecote School in September 2020 is commencing as of Friday 14th December.
The Governors of The Wilnecote School are consulting on the school’s admission arrangements. These
arrangements are for students who will be starting Year 7 in September 2020.
The Governors of The Wilnecote School are the admitting authority and are responsible for offering or refusing
places at the school.
We would welcome your views on the contents of the document ‘Planned Admission Arrangements for The
Wilnecote School for the Academic Year 2020-21’.
The process of the Consultation
Admissions 2020-21
The consultation is being communicated by The Wilnecote School as follows:-
•Notification to the Staffordshire Local Authority and North Warwickshire Local Authority as an adjoining
admissions authority.
•Notification to all existing parents, carers and guardians of The Wilnecote School, via text message, email,
school website www.thewilnecoteschool.com and through the ‘Wilnecote Warbler’ published in December
2018
•Notification to Headteachers/Principals of all schools in the borough
•Notification to Chair of Governors of all schools in the borough
•Notification to all prospective future parents through communication with local nurseries, pre-school and
playgroups providers.
•Through posters in local health centres and supermarkets signposting the consultation
Recipients are welcomed to respond by emailing comments relating to the proposed admissions arrangements
attached to consultation@wilnecotehighschool.org. The purpose of the consultation will be to receive feedback on
the proposed changes, and for the responses to then be collated and presented to the Governing Body for full
consideration.
On conclusion of the Consultation on Friday 25th January 2019, all responses received will be collated and
presented to the Governing Body at their meeting on 14th February 2019 for full consideration. The outcome of
the Consultation will then be notified to all parents by the end of February 2019 and the full report will be posted
on the school’s website.

The Wilnecote School
Celebrates Christmas
On Friday 7th December seven students from The Wilnecote School were fortunate enough to
be invited to perform at Three Peaks Primary Academy’s Christmas Fayre. It was a wonderful
event, organised by the primary school, and we were honoured to be invited to participate. The
students, from years 9 and 10, did a fantastic job and represented both themselves and the
school really well. It was a wonderful opportunity to work with Three Peaks Primary Academy and
strengthen our relationship with the school.
On Wednesday 12th December the Christmas celebrations continued with The Wilnecote School’s
annual Christmas Concert. It was lovely to be back at Holy Trinity Church following their renovations
last year. The church is a wonderful part of our local community and celebrating Christmas there is
always special.
Students from year 7 right through to year 11 participated in the concert which included
congregational carols, Christmas songs and festive readings. Highlights included a wonderful
performance of Santa Tell Me by Matilda Notman in year 7 and the brilliant work done by Caitlyn-
Grace Thompson, also in year 7, who signed the performances to make the event a fully inclusive
one.
All of the students who took part did themselves proud, once again demonstrating the abundance
of musical talent that we are so lucky to have here at Wilnecote. As Music Teacher and Deputy
Head Mr Adams commented “the Christmas Concert always makes me feel like Christmas has
really started”. Well done to everyone who participated in these fantastic events.

It’s been a
good month
for:
Dogs:
People have more empathy for their
dogs than their fellow humans, a
study at North-eastern University
Boston, has found. Subjects who
read about dogs being beaten were
more moved than those who read
similar stories about humans.
The Amish:
A genetic mutation found in some
members of the Amish community
in Indiana USA can help them to live
up to a decade longer than people
without it, A study at North-western
University has found.
Its’ been a
bad month
for:
Fast Eaters:
Taking your time at the dinner table
could lead to a trimmer, healthier
you. A study led by the American
Heart Association has found that
slow eaters are significantly less
likely to suffer from obesity, heart
disease and stroke.
Grammar Pedants:
Researchers from the University of
Pennsylvania have found that the
English language is evolving by random
chance, and is subject to the same drift
found in natural selection in the animal
kingdom.
The Perfect Turkey: Roasting a turkey is tricky because the meat is made up
of different components, all ideally requiring different cooking times and
strategies. Breast meat shouldn’t be heated much above 55°C, to prevent it
becoming tough, whereas leg needs to be cooked to 80°C. The skin needs
to be heated to 200°C to trigger the Maillard reactions that brown the skin
and create the characteristic flavour.
The late Stanford University professor Wolfgang Panofsky used the laws of
heat conduction to come up with the following formula:
TTTT = 1.13 × WWWW 2/3
W = weight in kilograms. Assuming a temperature of 165°C.
In Numbers
Six
Months
The average time it
takes to shed the extra
pounds put on through
the festive period as
estimated by a team at
Tampere University,
Finland
23
Terawatts
The amount of energy
used globally by Bitcoin
miners each year. That’s
just short of the 24.8
terawatt hours
generated by renewable
energy worldwide in
2016.
20 Million
The number of lives
saved worldwide by the
measles vaccine since
the turn of the
millennium, as
calculated by the
Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Don’t miss this year’s Royal Society Christmas Lectures. This year Dr. Alice Roberts
investigates what makes us who we are. The lectures are all on BBC 4:
Boxing Day at 8pm; 27 th Dec at 8pm and 28 th Dec again at 8 pm.

World War One Virtual Reality
On Friday 9th November, two year 9 classes found
themselves in a World War One trench about to
attack, thanks to a Virtual Reality experience provided by
a local Wilnecote company, DevClever. The experience
immersed the students in the First World War for three
minutes. Students started in a dugout before walking
out into the trench and then “going over the top” into No
Man’s Land, accompanied by the sights and sounds of
exploding shells and planes overhead. The experience tied
in with Remembrance Sunday and the Centenary of the
end of World War One, which had also been the theme of
assemblies that week. It also tied in with the GCSE unit
being studied by the classes on “The Historic Environment
of the the British Sector of the Western Front”, allowing
students not only to empathise with what soldiers went
through but also to compare what was shown in the VR
experience with what they had already learnt about the
trenches from other sources. Some of the comments
from the students as they were actually involved in the
experience were…
“It’s weird…. I feel like I’m actually there, walking in a trench,
even though I know I’m not.”
“I’m on top of the ladder… what if I die?”
“Where am I going? I don’t want to go out into No Man’s
Land.”
“Oh my God…there’s dead bodies.”
“I nearly got shot”.
It was clear from the follow up lesson that the experience
had really made the students think about what trench
warfare must have been like.

German Exchange
December 2018
Thirty one excited students from years 7 up to 11 and two intrepid teachers set off for the annual
Bad Laasphe German exchange visit on Monday. After a normal school day in Tamworth, it was
time to board the coach and try to get some sleep before the Calais ferry and the journey through
France and Belgium, to reach friends old and new from our twin school of Städtisches Gymnasium in
the town of Bad Laasphe.
During our four night stay in Germany we enjoyed a project day preparing for an exchange-themed
Christmas Show, a trip to Marburg and its Christmas market and a morning of lessons alongside
our exchange partners. Wilnecote students impressed with their creative ideas and willingness
to try out their language skills in sketches, plays, interviews and presentations all celebrating the
spirit of the exchange programme. A scavenger hunt in the beautiful town of Marburg was rewarded
with a santa hat for everyone (even the teachers!) supplied by Herr Pfahler – the exchange leader
from Bad Laasphe. Then it was time for shopping and sampling some of the delicious food available
on Christmas stalls. Mrs Hill and Mrs Day were pleased by the positivity of our students in the
partner school where they participated in English lessons but also in other subjects such as Maths,
Biology and German. Saturday was our last day in Germany and the Christmas Show was a success.
Afterwards we tucked into seasonal treats and drinks supplied by the German parents and families
Many of the German families were full of praise for the friendliness and openness of our students
and firm friendships were clearly being forged. We were in Germany on the 6th December which is
celebrated as St Nicholas’ Day. St Nick did not neglect his English visitors with many of our students
waking to find their boots full of sweets and chocolates to their surprise and delight!
Our Saturday return trip to the UK ran smoothly despite the rather choppy ferry journey, with
excellent behaviour from all who represented their school in exemplary fashion. Huge thanks to all
our host families, our host school and Mrs Hill who put many hours into organizing this successful
visit. We look forward to welcoming our German friends in Tamworth in the Spring Term 2019.

Children in Need
2018
This year the school held Children in Need week with multiple events taking place to fundraise
money. These events included The Great Pudsey Bake Off, a non-school uniform day and Splat the
Teacher. Students across the years took part in these events and as a school we raised over £1,000
for the charity.
On Thursday, The Great Pudsey Bake-Off took place with teachers and students baking for a good
cause. The lines were out the corridors and the cakes old out by the end of break. On Friday we had
a non-school uniform day. Students brought a pound and got to wear whatever they wanted for the
day. As well as the non-school uniform day we had Splat the Teacher. The event which took place
at form time, was the students chance to get their own back on the teachers. The twelve teachers
who volunteered to be splatted came prepared wearing goggles, bandanas and even wigs and were
greeted with a face full of whipped cream from the students. The event was a sellout and all for a
good laugh and a good cause. Lewis in Year Eleven said “The event was great, I loved it. I also got to
throw something at the deputy head which was a bonus.” Phoebe in Year Seven said “It was such a
good time, so much fun and it all goes to a good cause!”
Over the week the school has raised over one thousand pounds which is higher than the school
ever has before. We’d like to thank the teachers who so kindly took part in the events, the parents
for giving money, the students for taking part in the events and The Junior Leadership team who,
alongside Mr Adams, organised it all.
Article by Louise Griffiths (Year 11)

group of 10 students from year 11 visited Balliol College, one of the 38 colleges that make up
A Oxford University on Tuesday 13th November. For once the M42 was kind (on the way there at
least!) so after many games of “Uno” on the way, we arrived at the college bang on time. The morning
was spent touring the college and having an introductory talk about Oxford and what it can offer. We
then had lunch in the hall – with Miss Jordan very excited that she finally got to sit at the top table!
In the afternoon, a tutor from the college ran a Maths problem solving session with the students.
The students were fantastic, getting straight down to trying to solve the problems, working
collaboratively to do so. The tutor commented herself on how impressed she was by this and the
willingness of the students to try and seek solutions themselves without asking for guidance on how
to. One problem involved trying to predict how a computer would arrange a visual diagram of different
numbers, based around knowledge of Prime factors. Having been shown what the computer did with
numbers 1-59, the students were then challenged to predict the diagrams for 60, 101 and 1001. A
second problem involved trying to organise the numbers 1 to 17 in a line so that each pair of adjacent
numbers added up to a square number. From this the students were then challenged to think whether
they could come up with a system for doing this if the initial numbers were extended.
Having exercised our brains, we then visited University college (the college linked to Staffordshire)
so that students could compare the similarities and differences between different colleges, before
having free time to get a drink/snack before the longer than expected (a less co-operative M42)
journey home.
Mr Farrell (Head of Humanities)
Oxford University

Pitt Rivers GCSE Art Trip
On Wednesday the 14th November, the Art students of Year 10 travelled to Oxford to visit the Pitt
Rivers archaeological museum as part of their GCSE coursework.
The students spent their time drawing from primary resources, gathering information and taking
photographs of many of the artefacts the museum had to offer. Over the course of the three hours,
the students browsed around the museums manuscripts and artwork, some of which date back to
the Egyptian era.
Students said:
“I really enjoyed the trip! There was so much to look at, I felt really inspired when drawing some of the
objects. I especially enjoyed the variety of masks that there were, in fact, I drew one during our time
there. We also got the chance to look through the gift shop and I bought postcards that will look
great in my sketchbook. I feel very confident about my coursework.”
“The Pitt Rivers trip was inspirational for me because it opened my eyes to the history of art and
showed me different styles to use. There was so much to draw, I loved being able to draw from such a
wide variety of resources.”
Article by Lucy Taylor (Year 10)
Cooking Up New Skills
On Wednesday 6th November Year 7’s and 11’s
learnt new cooking techniques. They were joined
by James and Grace from Chart Wells Catering
Company who delivered exhilarating experiences
for the students. Year 7’s were taught how to make
home-made flatbread and hummus. The Years 11’s
were taught how spices can add flavour to a simple
rice dish. The students thoroughly appreciated the
experience and learning new skills. These cooking
classes will be something that takes place every
term to expand students’ knowledge of food and
cooking.

Music Concert November 2018
The first Music concert of this school year took
place in front of packed audience on Tuesday
13th November. The various performances included
singing and instrumental pieces from students who
had just begun their GCSE courses in years 9 and
10 as well as pupils from other years who wanted to
display their musical talents.
Students performed a wide range of material from
ensemble interpretations of ‘Stand by Me’ by Ben E
King to rock guitar pieces and songs by the likes of
Emeli Sande to Drake.
As an added bonus the audience were treated to
a sneak preview of one of the songs from Beauty
and the Beast, Ben Ryan who will be playing the
role of the ‘Beast’, brought the house down with his
rendition of ‘If I Can’t Love Her’.
Mr Hyden said ‘Our regular music concerts have
one simple aim – to provide a platform for students
to share and develop their talents which are then
celebrated. As usual, our performers excelled
themselves with a strong line up, which was well
appreciated by an audience of parents and friends
of the school’.