Warbler February 2019

WARBLER 

NEWSLETTER 

THE WILNECOTE 

SCHOOL 

February 2020 

Issue 18 

1

WELCOME 

WELCOME 

Wilnecote Warbler 


Welcome to the first Wilnecote Warbler of the 

Spring term. It should be published close 

to the Feast of St Valentine on February 

14th. Whilst I have never been a great fan of the 

commercialised version of Valentine’s Day, it does 

offer us an opportunity to show or tell those around 

us that we care. Given the stresses and strains of 

modern life, finding such a moment is often difficult. 

So thought I would tell you what I love about The 

Wilnecote School. It will obviously be the edited 

highlights as the list would be endless but here we 

go.. 

• I love the sense of stability and permanence within our community. When 

parents have come here,and then send their own children here we create an ongoing 

connection with and our students develop a sense of place and belonging. 

The addition of those staff who have been here as students and have come back to 

remain part of the Wilnecote family or members of staff who have chosen the school 

for their child binds us together as a family. We are part of something important. 

• I love the enthusiasm of our students for life and laughter. There is 

nothing like seeing groups of students enjoying each other’s company (particularly 

without the interference of a mobile phone.) Building strong relationships with 

teachers and peers, discovering new things and gaining a sense of achievement all 

help to ensure that students enjoy being at school. I know this is not always true 

for every child all the time but it should be. We want our school to be a beacon 

of academic achievement but also the sort of place which students actively look 

forward to attending, feel valued and where the right thing is rewarded. I am in 

my job partly because I loved school as a child and I would like as many people of 

possible to experience that joy. 

• I love the randomness of our building. It makes each day just a little bit 

better when you find well over half a dozen routes to the same room. Who knew 

staircases, corridors and connecting rooms could be so much fun? And It does help 

you to put in your daily steps. 

May I take this opportunity to wish you a good half term holiday and I look forward 

to the half term ahead. 

Best wishes 

Sian Hartle 

2



WELCOME 

PASTORAL WELCOME 

And just like that, another half term has 

finished. We are already six weeks into 

2020 and halfway through the school 

year; it seems to have flown by. 

The New Year always brings a feeling of 

optimism, with students and staff alike ready 

for a fresh start, and we have most certainly seen that with the number of detentions across 

the school dropping and students making good choices both in lessons and when around the 

school. Research shows that many people give up on their New Year resolutions by the 17th of 

January, but this doesn’t seem to be the case for Wilnecote students, with so many working 

hard in lessons and representing the school so well. As you receive monitoring reports for your 

children, you should see this level of hard work reflected in the comments you see on there. 

As well as a new year for making changes to individual behaviour, the new year makes way for 

different aspects of the school calendar: the school play, more sports fixtures and year 11 Prom 

to name a few. These offer more opportunities for Wilnecote students to shine, share more 

of their personalities and to represent their school with pride. We are so very proud of each 

and every one of our students and we look forward to celebrating all their achievements and 

milestones with them as they occur. 

Mr. Herbert, Miss. Julius & Mrs. Ager 

OLIVER 

Read all about our successful 

production and more 

photographs in our next issue 

3

ART 



ART VISITS PITT RIVERS MUSEUM 

On the 24th of January the Year 10 Art, Graphics and Photography students visited 

the Pitt Rivers Archaeological Museum in Oxford, which offers an impressive 

collection of artefacts, photographs and manuscripts from all over the world and 

from all periods of human existence. 

This was an excellent opportunity for students to enhance their GCSE coursework by 

drawing from primary resources, taking photographs and gathering information. The 

museum collections include jewellery, amulets, masks, weaponry and even shrunken 

heads! 

It was wonderful to witness students understanding how important it is to study objects 

and artefacts firsthand and to experience and explore the environment they now belong 

to. 

The Art department look forward to seeing how the students respond to this wonderful 

place through their sketchbooks, designs and photographs. 

4



MUSIC 

MUSIC SHARE CONCERT 

During the Autumn Term, the Wilnecote School were delighted to host and partner 

the ‘Music Share - Singing for Schools Concert’ which involved local primary schools 

participating in one of most successful national singing outreach projects under 

the direction of the Lichfield Cathedral School. 

Last year Music Share worked with over 200 schools and it recently won a 2019 Times 

Educational Supplement for this project. 

The purpose of the concert was to establish and formalise music links with local schools 

and give students the opportunity to perform a variety of songs from around the world 

with professional musicians. 

Iridium, the band formed by Wilnecote School students James Bartholomew, Ben Ryan, 

Ben Jones and Sam Martin ,also performed for the visiting schools - receiving a rapturous 

applause from the audience. 

Mr Hyden, Head of Music at the Wilnecote School said ‘This was a great opportunity for 

local schools to get together and share the joy of singing and music making. I’d like to 

thank Cathy Lamb from the Lichfield Cathedral School for organising the event and for 

offering us the opportunity to work in partnership to celebrate music in schools across 

the area. It was a joyful experience to see so many youngsters from local schools enjoying 

their music making and I hope we were able to showcase and inspire music study at 

secondary school.’ 

The Wilnecote School has already agreed to host and support the project with additional 

workshops and CPD for primary school non-music specialists next year. 

5

HISTORY 



GCSE HISTORY - SPANISH ARMADA 

At the end of last term/start of this year 10 studied the threats to Elizabeth I from 

both within England and abroad. As part of this, they looked at the declining 

relationship with Spain which led eventually to the Spanish Armada. 

All sorts of myths and legends surround the Armada, partly due to Elizabeth’s own 

propaganda which put forward the view that the Armada was defeated because God 

was on England’s side! 

To understand the real reasons for the Armada’s defeat and to be able to evaluate the 

most important reason, year 10 re-enacted the Armada in a role play. With students 

playing the parts of the Spanish fleet; the English admirals like Howard and Drake; the 

Spanish army waiting in the Netherlands under Parma and the Dutch rebels, each student 

took up their starting position. 

The Armada, formed in a crescent formation which made it difficult to attack, shuffled 

slowly (to represent the slow-moving Spanish galleons) up the English Channel. The 

students representing the English strode after them (to show how much quicker the 

English fleet was) but they were unable to stop the Armada despite the number of shots 

they took (throwing paper at the Armada students to represent cannonballs). 

Needing to get a message to Parma, the Armada students then “docked at Calais” 

(shuffled into a small section of the room) but at this point they became vulnerable to 

English tactics. One student was set on fire (not literally! They were given a fire picture 

to represent the English fireships) and then “sailed” into Calais. Panicked by this, the 

Armada students fled out into the North Sea no longer in formation. At this point the 

Battle of Gravelines began (lots more throwing of paper) but the Armada students were 

told at this point about some disadvantages their ships had that handicapped them in 

the battle (can your son/daughter explain what they were?). As a result, the Spanish ships 

were picked off one by one before a “storm” blew what was left of the Armada north. 

The lesson has given the students a clear sense of why the Armada failed, as was 

demonstrated in the exam question they were able to tackle successfully in the following 

lessons. 

6



MATHS 

TIMES TABLES ROCK STARS – YEAR 7 

Our Times Tables Rock Stars competition has been sizzling nicely throughout this 

half term, with the times tables Rock Legend’s “Zoey Van Halen” (Mrs. Davies) and 

“Godzilla Pop” (Mr. Mulhall) battling it out for Top Teacher’s spot. 

During this half term our Headliners, Rock Gods, Buskers and Unsigned artists have been 

competing for the status of fastest speed and highest earner within their math’s classes. 

Students are given times table questions at random through timed practice sessions in 

the Studio or Garage. Students can also take part in Rock Festivals and Rock Slams in 

order to improve their times and earn more coins, as the program learns their strengths 

and areas for individuals to improve upon. 

Our Year 7’s average speed has improved to 0.49 seconds faster than last half term! 

They are also 75% accurate with their answers. This has also increased by 13% since last 

half term – Whoop Whoop! Parents please encourage your budding rock stars as the 

competition is hotting up! 

After half term, Year 7 will be invited to a special assembly where our winners will be 

revealed, certificates given out and our Rock Star Super Stars treated like gods! The 

Math’s team are soon to invite our year 8’s to take part as well, with more Times Tables 

Rock Stars to be born! 

7

PASTORAL 



V 

MEET YOUR NEW STUDENT AMBASSADORS 

Well done to all the students that put themselves forward to be interviewed for 

the new positions of student ambassadors at The Wilnecote School. All of the 

candidates were extremely strong and made the process tremendously hard for 

the Heads of House. 

This new student body is made up of 9 students from across the houses in school. They 

will be working on projects that will make a real difference to day to day life for all students 

at the Wilnecote school. It is a great opportunity for these students to demonstrate their 

leadership, communication and team work skills. We are extremely excited to start working 

with the new student ambassadors and see them put in to action some of fantastic ideas 

they all discussed in their interviews and application letters. 

We now have three layers of student voice at the Wilnecote School: Form Champions, 

Student Ambassadors and the Junior Leadership team. Each strand is aimed at making 

sure the voices of all students are heard and, most importantly, listened to. 

8



ENGLISH 

READING POSTCARDS 

Our LITT (Literacy in Tutor Time) sessions have continued to go well this year. Students 

have enjoyed a range of activities, including poetry, word games and making these reading 

postcards. Students were asked to recommend a book they have enjoyed, so that others can 

read their recommendation and decide whether they might like to try that book themselves. 

On March 5th, it is World Book Day. Students will each be given a £1 book token to spend, and 

there will be quizzes to take part in on the day. If you have any books at home that you no 

longer need, please bring them to school before Thursday March 5th - or on the day itself - so 

that students can take part in a book swap at breaktime. Any good condition donations (including 

magazines) would be greatly appreciated. 

9

SCIENCE 

SCIENCE NEWS 

Stuff you didn’t know you didn’t know! 

Why don’t spiders get caught in their own web? 

Spiders only put glue droplets on some of their strands of silk, 

and they tend to avoid these as they move around their web. 

Spiders also only touch the web with the tips of their feet 

(‘tarsi’), which have a non-stick coating. In addition, a special 

claw on the end of each foot grips the web and pulls it against 

springy hairs. When the claw is released, the springy hairs push 

the web strand away, stopping it from sticking. 



Calculators - Please remember that all Y9, Y10 and Y11 students are expected to bring a 

scientific calculator to all science lessons. If they don’t, they will be issued with a half hour detention 

for lack of equipment. 

Y11 Revision - After half term we begin our revision program. Each student has been given a 

program and this has also been assigned to them on Doddle, just in case they lose it. Additionally, 

a parent version has been sent home via the text link service. You will need to ask your child which 

science group they are in. 

This revision program does not in any way replace the revision they should now be doing at home, 

but it will give them a structure to follow which may help. We are also running revision intervention 

after school every Thursday. These sessions will focus on the work covered that week. 

23equations.com - This is a great app, 

available for free in the App store and on Google 

play. It gives tutorials and revision quizzes for all 

the equations used in the exam - a great way to 

revise. 

4BPM 

In Numbers 

The heart rate (in beats per minute) of a 

diving blue whale, measured by a team at 

Stanford University. 

80% 

The percentage of children worldwide, 

aged 11 to 17, who get less than 1 hour per 

day of exercise, according to the World 

Health Organisation. 

23 Teaspoons 

The amount of sugar found in some festive 

drinks sold in high-street coffee shops. 

10


February 

PARIS 2020 

M.F.L 

40 students across years 9-11 enjoyed a long weekend 

in Paris from the 10th-13th January and, although our 

time there was short, we certainly packed a lot into the 

trip! 

After an early departure on Friday morning, we arrived in 

Paris at our accommodation: the Château Grande Romaine. 

The PGL team got the students straight to work with a ‘photo 

challenge’; students then settled into their rooms as we had 

a very busy day ahead of us the next day. 

Saturday morning started with a trip to the Eiffel Tower, which 

many of the students have said was their highlight of the trip. 

Most of the students climbed the 674 steps to the second 

floor, where they were able to enjoy some beautiful views of 

Paris. With tired legs, we then enjoyed a boat trip along the 

river Seine and saw many landmarks and tourist attractions, 

among them Notre Dame Cathedral. After a little stop for 

lunch and shopping, we ended our day in Paris with a visit to 

the Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre. Many of our students took 

an interest in the artist square, choosing to have portraits or 

caricatures (after some haggling in French!). 

After a very busy day in Paris, we were making crepes – we 

were impressed with how they turned out and had a variety 

of toppings to try, from classic lemon and sugar to the more 

indulgent Nutella! 

Sunday was our trip to Disneyland and Disney Studios. The 

students enjoyed many of the rides…including the Tower of 

Terror, which was indeed terrifying. They also had pictures 

taken with Disney characters and enjoyed exploring the 

parks. Many Mickey and Minnie ears were bought. 

In the evening, snails were on the menu. Opinions varied but 

many have now tried the delicacy…even if it was the first and 

last time! 

We finished the trip with a campfire – a wonderful evening 

- and toasting and eating marshmallows was definitely a 

highlight. 

We managed to squeeze a little shopping in at the 

hypermarket on the way home. 

Throughout the trip our students were a credit to our school 

and many commented, including the PGL staff, on the 

maturity of our students. We would like to thank the students 

for being such excellent representatives of The Wilnecote 

School and to the students and parents who gave such 

positive comments and feedback on the trip questionnaire. 

Mrs Hill would also like to take the opportunity to thank Mrs 

Day, Mr Savage and Mr Beck for helping to make the trip 

such an enjoyable experience and for their hard work during 

the trip. 

11

M.F.L 



12



PARIS 2020 

13

COUNTY P.E 


December 2019 

County Badminton Finals 

After a clean sweep winning every match in the 

recent District finals The Wilnecote School Key 

Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 girls badminton teams 

arrived at Clayton Sports Centre to represent Tamworth in 

the County Badminton Finals. 

Both teams were very excited but incredibly nervous, as 

they were well aware that up to now they had not faced 

any real challenge and they knew they would have to 

face highly experienced County players who represent 

Staffordshire regularly. 

The Key Stage 3 team of Phoebe Hepburn, Evie Gledhill, 

Paige Dixon, Chloe Powers and Tammy Powers may be 

a year younger than their opponents, but have huge grit 

and bags of enthusiasm. All the girls played their best 

badminton to date and whilst just one more point eluded 

them, they finished ranked 5th in the County - an extremely 

impressive result. 

The Key Stage 3 girls have another year in this competition 

and have already started their preparations for next year’s 

event with renewed determination. 

Phoebe performed exceptionally well, causing the county 

coaches to gather around the court to watch her play and 

inviting her to attend the county selection and training. 

Well done Phoebe, you fully deserve this recognition. 

Meanwhile, the Key Stage 4 team of Abbie Hitchman, 

Emily Lowe, Jo Reynolds, Tali Davis and Georgia Davey 

stormed the competition, creating a ripple of excitement 

and expectation when they knocked out two schools who 

were expected to play in the semi finals, as their teams 

were made up from Staffordshire players. 

As the news spread across the badminton hall, the pressure 

rose as they blew away last year’s finalists to win through 

to the final and the opportunity to take the county crown 

and go onto represent Staffordshire in the regional event 

at the Midland’s Final. 

Each of the 4 matches of the final were highly competitive 

and enjoyed by the audience as each player performed 

out of their skin. Although the girls lost out in the last 

match, to be ranked 2nd in the county is a truly incredible 

feat. We are extremely proud of them and are pleased that 

3 of the players are only in year 10 so will have another 

opportunity to challenge for that county title next year. 

14



COUNTY P.E 

County Cross-country 

Lottie McLaren and Oliver Goldsworthy were in district 

cross-country action in the County Championship held 

at Betley Court in Crewe, on an extremely exposed and 

hilly course. 

Both runners represented the district with their usual 

resilience and perseverance and proved once again that 

they are fast becoming key members of the team and for 

Staffordshire. 

This course was exceptionally challenging; the very windy 

weather made some sections even more difficult as they 

worked hard to maintain balance and speed. 

To their credit, Oliver finished in 17th place and Lottie in 7th. 

Lottie’s top level performance sees her being selected 

for The English School Cross-Country event in Liverpool 

on 14th March, which is a well-deserved achievement and 

reinforces the progress and potential she has. We wish 

her every success in what will be a highly prestigious but 

challenging event. All our positive thoughts will be with you, 

just keep away from those dangerous traffic cones over the 

next few weeks. 

15

At National Online Safety we believe in empowering parents, carers and trusted adults with the information they need to hold an informed conversation about online safety with 

their children, should they feel it is needed. This guide focuses on one topic of many which we believe trusted adults should be aware of. Please visit www.nationalonlinesafety.com 

for further guides, hints and tips for adults. 

P.E. 

It can be challenging for parents and carers to know whether 

children are spending too much time on their devices. Furthermore, 

it’s even more of a challenge to know whether a child is addicted to 

the internet and social media. As technology is becoming more 

pervasive, children and young people are experiencing tech - related 

dependencies. Do we as parents and carers have the knowledge to 

identify and support children and young people who may be 

developing an addiction to their devices? 

What parents need to know about 



SCREEN ADDICTION 

47% 

of parents 

said they thought their 

children spent too much 

time in front of screens 

HEALTH & 

WELLBEING 

Children as young as 13 are attending 

‘smartphone rehab’ following growing concerns 

over screen time. There are now help centers in 

the UK which deal with screen addiction for 

children and adults showing the seriousness of 

device addiction. The World Health Organisation 

(WHO) has officially recognised gaming addiction 

as a modern disease. The condition was 

confirmed as part of their International 

Classification of Diseases (ICD) which serves as an 

international standard for diagnosing and 

treating health conditions. 

LACK OF SLEEP 

7 out of 10 children said they had missed out 

on sleep because of their online habits and 

60% said they had neglected school work as a 

result. It is important that children get the 

sleep they need in order to focus the next day. 

LIMIT SCREEN TIME 

In today’s digital age, technology is an important part of 

a child’s development so completely banning them from 

their device will mean they are missing out on a lot, 

including conversations and communication with their 

friends. Rather than banning them from using their 

devices, we suggest setting a screen time limit. Work out 

what you think is a suitable and healthy amount of time 

for your child to be on their device per week. Remember 

that your child may need to use devices for their school 

homework so only set screen limits on recreational time 

on their device. Once you have established this, have the 

conversation with them to discuss why you are 

implementing a screen limit. There will be others in your 

child’s friendship group who will not have screen limits 

set and will be sending messages when they do not have 

access to their phones. 

ENCOURAGE ALTERNATE 

ACTIVITIES 

It may seem like an obvious solution, but encouraging 

children to play with their friends, read a book, or playing 

outdoors will help them realise they can have fun 

without their device. Playing football, trampolining, 

camping, going for a walk or swimming are all healthy 

replacements for screen time. Try to join them in their 

Outdoor activities to show your support. 

LOSS OF INTEREST 

IN OTHER THINGS 

Your child may become less interested in 

anything that does not include their device. You 

may notice that your child is missing school time 

and generally being less engaged with other 

activities in the home. It is important to discuss 

this with your child as soon as you notice a 

behaviour change. 

Top Tips 

for Parents 

LEAD BY EXAMPLE 

Children model their behavior on their peers, so if their 

parents are constantly on their device, they will see this 

as acceptable. Try limiting your own screen time and 

follow the same rules you have set for them. If you have 

asked your child to not use their device at the table, make 

sure you don’t. Try setting house rules that the whole 

family abide by. 

LESS TIME MEANS 

LESS EXPOSURE 

There are many risks associated with devices, such as 

cyberbullying, grooming, sexting, viewing inappropriate 

content etc. Less time spent on a screen means that a 

child will be less exposed to these risks. 

MOBILE-FREE MEAL TIMES 

Have you tried to settle your child by giving them a tablet 

at the dinner table or restaurant? This may seem like a 

quick fix to calm them down but in reality, it is 

encouraging them to use their device as a distraction 

from conversation and dealing with their emotions. We 

suggest removing all technology from the dinner table 

and having conversations with your family about how 

their day has been. 

The Children’s Commissioner report ‘Life in 

Likes’, explored how children aged 8-11 are 

using social media today. It showed that 

children are using their devices to speak to 

their online friends about their problems and 

seek acceptance and support, removing face to 

face interactions. 

STATISTICS 

CONFIDENCE, 

SUPPORT & ADVICE 

APPS CAN BE 

ADDICTIVE 

Apps have been designed with ‘psychological 

tricks’ to constantly keep grabbing your 

attention. One example of this is on the app 

Snapchat, where you can gain ‘streaks’ when 

interacting with your friends. If you don’t 

respond, you lose the streak. This addictive 

nature of apps aims to engage children and 

keep them coming back for more. 

REMOVE DEVICES FROM 

THEIR BEDROOM 

Setting a rule about removing devices from bedrooms 

will help your child to get the sleep they need and be 

more focussed the next day at school. 20% of teenagers 

said that they wake up to check their social network 

accounts on their devices. Even by having a device 

switched off in their bedroom, they may be tempted to 

check for notifications. 

52% of children aged 3-4 

go online for nearly 9hrs a week 


go online for nearly 9.5hrs a week 





Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2018 

SOURCES: 

https://www.independent.co.uk, Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2018: https://www.ofcom.org.uk, http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-app-developers-keep-us-addicted-to-our-smartphones, Journal of Youth Studies: 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/one-five-kids-losing-sleep-9653986, University of Leeds: https://medhealth.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/1296/lack_of_sleep_damaging_for_children 

16 

www.nationalonlinesafety.com Twitter - @natonlinesafety Facebook - /NationalOnlineSafety 

Users of this guide do so at their own discretion. No liability is entered into. Current as of the date of release: 12.06.19

Warbler February 2019

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