March 2024 Edition 18 Skiing Passion in Italy Twelve of our students at Pembroke joined the Federation Ski Trip over February half term, having a fantastic time both on, and off, the piste! The trip included 75 students in total, with Witham and LSST 6th Form students making up the rest of the group. We travelled to Andalo, in the Dolomite region of Italy, and enjoyed 6 days of ski tuition. All students developed their skills incredibly over the week, moving quickly from struggling to get their feet into the boots to parallel turning! Skiing is a physically tough sport, especially when getting up from a fall(!), but there was great passion shown in being resilient and listening to the instructors guidance. There were many highlights of the week, including ice skating and a pizza night at a local restaurant, but everyone enjoyed skiing under floodlights on the Friday night, something that the staff who accompanied the group have never done before! What an opportunity! If you are interested in the Ski Trip, look out for the letter being sent home in the coming few weeks for next year’s trip.
Wisely Supporting Our Primary Schools As ever our primary work doesn’t stop at Pembroke. We have yet again offered 120 places to students in year 6 for September and have many on the waiting list. A triumph to how effective our engagement with our feeder primary schools really is. Since I last wrote about all our primary work, we have been sharing art & DT skills with year 3 and 6 from Cherry Primary, year 5 from Reepham and year 4 at Carlton Academy. Year 6 at Cherry have been introduced to Futurism and the work of Boccioni in particular. A very complex art movement inspired by speed, technology and industry in the early 20th century. With a lot of vital subject specific vocabulary explained as we discussed his work, Mr Thursby’ s class embraced the challenge within the tasks with gusto. We created our own futurist artwork using modes of transport and discussing where the dynamic movement and speed lines would best be placed. We finished the topic by creating some card relief futurist cyclists which the students very much enjoyed making. Year 5 from Reepham walked up to Pembroke each Tuesday afternoon last term to explore their art topic of landscapes, which was very much riven by experimenting with processes rather than looking for a final outcome. We discussed the work of many artists such as the Shoreditch Scribbler, Neil Whitehead and Deborah Shapiro who work in inks, paint and collage. Mrs Pryce’s class really enjoyed the exploratory journey and did make successful decisions on how to best capture their own choice of landscape image. Year 3 from Cherry have also had some of their art lessons this term in the Pembroke art room. The ‘figures’ topic included looking at the complex anatomical sketches of Da Vinci. Again, a really high-level artist who theories of proportion were put to the test by Miss Green’s class. After talking about Da Vinci and how he learned all about the body back in the 1800’s, we measured each other to see if his theories were right. We then drew parts of the skeleton at Pembroke and also produced some very effective skeleton string prints. The topic finished with tin foil modelling of figures which again encapsulated what the children had learned about the proportions of their body. Year 4 at Carlton Academy required some support with their D&T topic which was making a slingshot car. I started them off with a timeline of car design which was rather nostalgic for the staff and me at times. We then created the chassis, a net for the form and actually raced the final products to see how far they went with the kinetic energy from the elastic band mechanism. This was great fun to do, but a challenge with 60 children each Tuesday afternoon. Cassie Cooper in year 9 (an ex-Carlton student) helped me and the children each week and has thoroughly enjoyed the busy practical classroom environment. She supported them with measuring skills and glue gun use. After Easter we are teaching year 6 at Carlton all about Impressionism, year 5 at Cherry about architecture and also their year 1 class will enjoy some jungle themed creativity. Our transition work also starts around May so its going to be a very busy summer term with so many children to visit and teach.
Curious Trips And Visits On 16th Jaunary, a selection of year 10 and 11 GCSE Citizenship students went to London for a tour of the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court. Students had the unique opportunity to sit in on a Supreme Court trial and listen to the law in action. We then went on to tour the Houses of Parliament. We were able to get an insider’s view of the workings of Parliament and we even got to sit in on a debate happening live in the House of Commons. We also participated in a law making workshop where Miss Harty got to be the ruler of the Country and the students were able to recreate the law making process. To finish the visit off, the MP for Cherry Willingham - Sir Edward Leigh, addressed the students who then had the opportunity to question him on important matters such as immigration, the XL bulldog law and his voting history. On 19th January, took to the stage in a performance at the Lincoln arts centre. Thirty students from year 7 through to year 11 ran their very own show. They worked on pieces, rehearsed, planned lighting, set up equipment, ran the sound, and put on a show to wow an eager and excited audience. two hundred parents, friends, teachers, relatives and the general public filled the auditorium to watch a superb show that had something for everyone, We had soloists playing flute, singers, small groups and bands, pianists and presenters. it was truly an awesome evening of entertainment and once again showcased the huge wealth of talent we have at the academy. The event has only been made possible by working closely with Lincolnshire one venues on a partly funded project linked to the university of Lincoln. The staff of the Evolve team conducted weekly workshops, organised visits to the venue for students to plan the event and even took us all to a live performance at the venue. Finally, students completed a diary and reflection on the event with the hope of being able to collect their bronze arts awards, a nationally recognised certificate in the arts. ‘Voice it’ was a new opportunity for us which involved a visit to the Showground on 24th January. The annual music workshop and industry day gave the students an opportunity to beatbox, sing, learn about rap and poetry, plan events as well as participate in a range of large group performance pieces. The day was led by top music industry specialists including the singer who performs on BBC's strictly come dancing, a well known published author and famous Choir director. Mr Baker was in his element in the Beatboxing workshop taking part in a beatbox off against one of our year 7 pupils. Singers were trained how to sing four part harmonies, led by a world renowned choral director. and we watched groups perform some fantastic work in the end of day showcase. One highlight for a number of pupils was the song writing workshop, students found out how to write songs and a clever method for when you cant find the words. All in all it weas a fantastic day out and certainly one that wont be forgotten. In continuing to offer exposure to aspirational post-16 and post-18 pathways, we took 10 year 11 students to the Lincolnshire Oxbridge Conference at LSST on 15th March. The day was jam-packed with useful information, from how to pass the Medical Aptitude Test for our aspiring doctors and vets to what it’s like to study philosophy, to the college system and more. Eyes were certainly opened and passions for further study and career paths cemented. On 8th March the GCSE Drama class went to watch ‘Bouncers’ at The New Theatre Royal. Whilst this was a funny show with excellent acting, its one they had to pay attention to so they can write about it for their exam. It was a clever production, starring only 4 actors and minimal set, but the script was so well written which made their change of character easy to follow and thoroughly enjoyable. Don’t forget to follow our stories daily on social media.
Passion & Wisdom For Books In January, we welcomed author Darren Simpson who gave a funny and inspiring talk to all of year 7 and 8 about being a writer and his books with a particular focus on The Memory Thieves. Darren’s books are all different and each take you on a thought-provoking as well as exciting journey. We took part in a memory-related game, asked lots of questions about the writing process and plenty of books were signed. March saw a lot of book-related fun. During World Book “Week,” many students engaged with lunchtime and lesson activities such as House quizzes, bookmark making, creative writing and the now-famous Book Character Balloon Debate on World Book Day itself. So much passion and courage was on display from each of our speakers, who ranged from Willy Wonka to Valkyrie Cain to Hermione Grainger but the victorious pair who convinced our critical audience that they should survive were Kai G and Reece H as Wallace and Gromit. In lessons every period 3, all students were played videos of staff reading the openings of exciting new fiction titles, with copies available to win for the most enthusiastic listeners. We topped off the week with a trip to Waterstones for some year 8 students, where new books were chosen for the Reading Room, following a survey of year 8 forms who wanted more books on “fishing, netball and planes, please!” We returned to Waterstones on the 22nd with a group of equally eager year 7 students. It was lovely to see them all return to school asking staff ‘Do you want to see what I bought?’
Generous Time For Clubs & Competitions Our clubs during lunch and after school still thrive and its our mission to maintain this. Every year we induct almost 130 year 7 students who just can’t wait to get involved with the different clubs and opportunities we offer as part of Pembroke’s enrichment. This term we invited Jen Jackson back from Triple9 Frist aid to train up ten year 7 students who wanted to learn how to save a life. Jen provides all sorts of first aid training from baby first aid to mental health first aid. For the cost of £10 the students learned all they needed to know about administering first aid services in an emergency and received a First Aid certificate at the end of the session. Craft club has continued since Christmas with Miss Gibbs. Her group of crafters are taking on plant pot sculptures this term to enter into the Cherry Willingham flower pot festival taking place on 4th & 5th May. We can’t wait to see them placed around the village that weekend for all to enjoy. Its so nice to have an active community to get involved with. World Cooking is still very popular. Every fourth Tuesday of the module is when Miss Gamble and Miss Gonzalez invite students to join them cooking interesting recipes from across the globe. The food room smells amazing and everyone who attends takes home tea for the rest of the family. What is nice about this club is that its all year groups together and a chance to make friends with older/younger students too. Our MFL team love their food and eating out, so are very passionate to ensure this opportunity stays on our club timetable. Harry, Thomas and Connor from Chess club spent their Saturday morning on 9th March competing at the Priory Chess Tournament, held at LSST. It was a tense but friendly morning, with all three boys representing themselves and Pembroke incredibly well. Harry finished as the highest placed Pembroke player on 12 points and just behind the third placed players. All had a great time, learning new strategies and showing lots of courage and passion. These boys and others attend chess club with Mr Evans every week. Finally all of year 7-10 have explored the theme of ‘Time’ during British Science Week (11th-15th March). Mr Wilson launched a challenge in assembly which involved the students being able to make an accurate timer lasting 1minute. They had resources such as sand, water, cups, tape, marbles and paper to create some form of 1minute clock. Year 10 had to up their game though as they also had to create a 5 minute timer. The science labs were buzzing with experimentation and all students rose to the challenge. It was a competition so winners from each class received a prize and house points went towards the house cup.
Courageous Sport News Since the new year, its been an extremely busy term with fixtures. We have a round up for football, badminton, netball and cross country. The year 7 boys played on 30th January, hosting Priory City of Lincoln Academy. Pembroke went in 6-1 down at half time, but put in a much better performance in the second half to score 4 and only concede 1, pulling the score line back to 75. Another 10 minutes, and we might have managed it! They could’ve easily just stopped and dropped their heads, but they didn’t! Great grit and courage shown by the boys, with lots to take from the game. Final score: Pembroke 5 vs 7 PCLA The same team were at Will Farr on 21st February, in a 5 aside indoor football. After their 2nd place finish in the qualifier back in January, they made it through to the ‘Champions League’ final night, against the other two qualifying schools. Being a finals night, the three teams in front of us would prove to be difficult competition. Pembroke opened their night with a 2-0 win against the North Kesteven Academy with a brilliant team performance. Losses to the excellent teams of Sir Robert Pattinson Academy and Will Farr meant Pembroke finished in 3rd place overall in the Lincoln and Gainsborough school sport zone. A great achievement from the boys. They went again on 27th February against the Branston Community Academy. We were 1-0 down for about 15 minutes, initially struggling to get into any sort of rhythm but then started to get the ball on the deck and create some chances. Some fantastic goals scored, especially by Ryley Andrews and Jack Wilkinson who both linked up well on the pitch, and another outstanding performance at the back by Jacob Graves. They came away elated with the result. Final score: Branston 1 vs 11 Pembroke Onto year 9 who began their array of matches on 26th Feb playing in a league match at the Sir Robert Pattinson Academy. A Pembroke team facing challenges this year with absence of players from last year’s successful season, but a strong performance left them with plenty of positives to take from the game. Wise, solid performances once again from the Pembroke captain Oliver Neal, Carlton, and the Phillipson boys who lead the less experienced players. Special mentions go out to Dominic Bagnall and Jacob Thorpe, both boys made their debut for Pembroke played brilliantly. It was great to hear the positive comments from their PE teacher, who praised the behaviour and attitudes of our team. Final score Sir Robert Pattinson Academy 3 vs 2 Pembroke They played in their second competitive league match in that same week on 28th feb, this time at the school over the road at the North Kesteven Academy! The boys made a good start and got at them straight away and it wasn’t long before we opened the scoring through a nicely worked goal from Finnian. We struggled to deal with their forward though, he was tall, strong, technically gifted and quick. They had him running in behind on a few occasions and it took the fantastic reflexes of our keeper AJ to save a ball inches around the post with the toe of his boot, brilliant save to keep us at 1-0. It was only a matter of time though and he was soon in front of the goal again, but nothing AJ could do to stop it. 1-1. We needed more in the midfield and needed to get hold of the ball and take control. Jacob showed courage when asked to step into the back 4 allowing Ollie Neal to get into the midfield and straight away the captain lead with his feet, he dribbled deep into their half shrugging off plenty of physical battles from their defenders and somehow managed to thread the ball through the tightest of angles into the bottom right. 2-1 to Pembroke. We held on for a while but an equaliser came from their star man once again. 2-2 at half time. Within a minute of the second half, we conceded to make it 3-2 to the hosts, but in true Pembroke fashion, our boys never dropped their heads. Lead by Ollie, the experience of the side (Asher, Carlton, Finnian, Tom) got things going. We had more of the ball and just needed to create a moment of magic. Playing some nice triangles together, with intelligent play through the lines, opened the opposition up and when the ball came out to Jayden Ford on the edge of the 18 yard box, he waited for it to bounce and caught it with all he had behind him to volley it into the top left. WHAT A GOAL JAYDEN FORD! The team sprinted the length of the pitch to celebrate with him, they were elated for Jayden! 3-3, game on! Pembroke had their second wind now, full of confidence and battled for everything. Carlton was fouled just inside their half. Asher lofted an inviting ball into the box. It was flicked on, dropping into the path of Finnian who headed the ball over their keeper and all of a sudden, 3-2 down had turned into a 4-3 lead! Ollie desperately wanted to be back upfront where he spent so many games last year, so we went with it. The Phillipsons were on the ball a few more times as the game came to a close, threading Ollie running through on goal to slot the ball into the net to complete a great captain’s performance with his hattrick and the match ball. Final score: North Kesteven Academy 3 vs 7 Pembroke And onto the girls: Our year 9&10 girls took to the field on 6th Feb to play in the quarter final of the National cup against Ripon Grammar school. From the starting whistle the girls were going in hard and with a quick tempo. There were chances at both ends before a ball played over the top from Oceane put Katie through, who then rounded the keeper to put us in the lead. The opposition didn't let their heads drop and managed to grab a very good goal to equalise a few minutes later. Then the rain came down with some force. Pembroke kept pushing and were awarded a free kick just outside and to the left of the box. Rosie stepped up to take this one and wow, what a goal she scored! The second half was just as good.
Courageous Sport News With 10 minutes to go Katie came short and received the ball from Ruby, barging the defender away from the ball, before then knocking past another defender and drilling the ball into the far corner. We had a two goal lead and just needed to hold on. The opposition made a few tactical changes and were now putting everything into their attack. Some very good feet from their number 8 saw her take the ball past 3 of our girls and slot the ball past Hope in goal. There were 2 minutes left on the clock and we had a chance to grab a forth before the opposition went down the other end. If it had not have been for Hope pushing it out for a corner, we would have been going into extra time. There were seconds left on the clock and just the corner to clear. The ball came in and Melody gets there to clear. It falls to their number 8 looking for a hat trick, but she sliced her shot wide of the goal. The full time whistle went with the final score Pembroke 3-2 Ripon Grammar. The girls are through to the semi final of the National Cup, the last four in the whole country which happened on Friday 22nd March. On 1st March our year 8 and 9 girls over to Queen Elizabeth High School to compete in the Lincolnshire County Cup. The conditions were very difficult with heavy rain making the pitch slippy and heavy to run on. For the first 15 minutes we found ourselves pegged back in our half before a well placed pass sent Maisie through on goal on a counter attack, who calmly slotted it in. Unfortunately, the ref called it back for offside (it wasn't) and we had to go again. The girls heads were starting to drop as the ref was not giving any decisions our way. The hosts then grabbed a goal just before half time. The girls came in at half time with mixed emotions. Angry, sad and a feeling of unfairness from the referee. It was time to refocus and discuss the things we can and cannot control in football. We went out and the host grabbed a second goal straight away. We were 2 behind now but finally had woken up and began to work hard and be the first to the ball. With 10 minutes to go, Melody Pease took the ball down the left wing, beating her defender before knocking the ball under an on rushing goal keeper and into the net. Just a few minutes later and Melody found the ball again, this time playing Maisie though on goal who rounded the keeper to slot in the equaliser to an empty net. We now dug in to see out a late onrush of attacks from a tiering QEHS before the final whistle. Penalties soon followed. Hope made a great save on their first penalty to keep us in control before Melody slotted home the last one to win us the shoot out and progress through to the quarter final! There has been a lot of badminton. We started on 1st Feb against Lincoln Castle Academy. The year 7 boys, 9 boys, and 11 boys teams were in action and turned up with some excellent performances on the night, with Pembroke winning all 18 games. On 5th Feb our year 9 boys, 10 boys and 9/10 girls played in another badminton league match last against Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough. Some very good badminton played by both sides. On Wednesday 7th Feb the year 9 girls badminton team headed down to KGGS in Grantham to take part in the National Badminton qualifiers. With several schools in attendance we knew this was going to be a long hard afternoon. There were 50 games in total played across the afternoon. Our girls were superb and really did show great courage in a big event. We had a slow start against LSST losing 3 games to 2. A bit of a wake up and straight into the next round of games. The games came quick and fast with no breaks in-between. Pembroke were tied first with LSST and KGGS. As a qualifying event, we needed one team to go through. We were all tied on league points won. We were all tied on matches won. We were all tied on individual games won. We were tied on points scored. They had to do the maths on all 3 schools for the total difference of points conceded from the amount scored. Unfortunately, KGGS had the most and we were awarded the bronze medals. An incredible achievement for the girls, but a bitter one to take given we beat KGGS. From Burghley House in Stamford on 3rd Feb, for the regional English Schools Cross Country Championships to Pontefract Nationals on 16th March. Asher and Finnian Phillipson have had quite a journey. Both were competing against Cambridgeshire, Northants, Suffolk and Norfolk. As part of the Lincolnshire team in the junior boys race, they finished with outstanding results (Finnian finishing 8th and Asher finishing 16th overall). Both boys finish as the 3rd and 4th ranked runners in Lincolnshire and were to progress to the English Schools Cross Country Championships National Final where the highest level of runners in the country will compete, in Pontefract. The conditions in Pontefract were ideal for running. In just over 11 minutes Asher finished 111th out of 343, and Finnian finished 138th. Outstanding achievements from both boys. 3.2K in 11 minutes is swift!
Generous To Share Our Favourite Books? Our students & staff have some recommended reads for you... ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ series by Derek Landy The new year 9 book craze is a 19-book genredefying series by author Derek Landy. A casual recommendation from Mr Float in year 8 English to one student has, a year on, turned into an infatuation amongst a large group of year 9s. The series is about the living skeleton detective, Skulduggery Pleasant, and his young partner, Valkyrie Cain, solving magical mysteries, taking down the bad guys and entering parallel dimensions. There are alarming plot twists a plenty, multiple cliff hangers and many laughs. Yr 9 For your chance to WIN a £20 Amazon gift card—send your answers to the following five questions on an email by Monday 15th April, with your name and address to: Pembroke@prioryacademies.co.uk. All correct answers will go into a draw and the winner will be announced on our school facebook page on 16th April. 1. Year 4 at Carlton Academy were making what in their DT lessons? 2. On what date did the GCSE students visit Westminster? 3. What was the score in the year 9 football match against NK? 4. What project are craft club working on at the moment? 5. Which 2 members of staff went on the Ski trip? Don’t forget to follow our stories daily on social media. ‘The Whitby Witches’ by Robyn Jarvis Whitby is one of my favourite places in the UK to visit and last time I was there I saw this book in the Abbey gift shop. I love the idea of witches and fantasy fiction, so I had to buy a copy. It’s a lovely story, made all the more magical when you can see the places described in the text because you visit the place regularly, even down to the 199 steps and cobbled streets. It’s the story of 2 orphans (Ben and Jeanette) moved to live with 92 year old Alice who isn’t quite what she seems. Ben is gifted with ‘the sight’, which gives him the power to see things invisible to other mortals. He soon encounters the mysterious fisher folk who live under the cliffs and discovers that Alice and her friends are not quite what they seem. It’s a real page turner and I can’t wait to read more by this author set in my favourite place. Miss Neal ‘The Vintage Teacup Club’ by Vanessa Greene A touch of easy reading this one! Three women meet at a car boot sale having seen a vintage tea set they would like to purchase, each for a different reason. They decide to share it. Jenny can't wait to marry Dan. Then, after years of silence, she hears from the woman who could shatter her dreams. Maggie has put her broken heart behind her and is gearing up for the biggest event of her career - until she's forced to confront the past once more. Alison seems to have it all: married to her childhood sweetheart, with two gorgeous daughters. But as tensions mount, she is pushed to breaking point. It’s a really loveable story as each character builds a friendship with the others over dramas and issues you can relate to. A really nice story to read with a cup of tea! Miss Neal ‘Mbappe Rules’ by Simon Mugford. I really liked how his journey came from just being a normal kid to becoming one of football’s greatest players. Mbappe was born near Paris and started playing for his local club, AS Bondy, and then went to train at the French national institute for elite football players. He then signed for AS Monaco, one of the youngest players in Ligue 1. Two years later, Monaco won the Ligue 1 title and so Mbappe moved to rival club, Paris Saint Germain. He played for France at the 2018 World Cup where he was only second teenager after Pele to score a goal in a World Cup Final. Mbappe’s career is very inspiring to me and if you like football, you will love this book (and all the others in the series). Lincoln Atkin The Power of a Graphic Novel I used to hate reading, but since I came to Pembroke, I now love it. This is mainly because we have such a good selection of books and that has inspired me to give reading another chance. My favourites so far have been the Five Nights At Freddy’s books, the Pokemon books and One Piece, Naruto and Haikyu. I also really love my reading lessons, especially when we do silent reading because it is a free choice! Our library has a vast array of manga (Japanese) and manhwa (Korean) novels, my current most favourite being the series Solo Levelling. It’s the story of how an underdog rises up, with beautiful artwork and a brilliant storyline. Give a manga or manhwa novel a try! Jack Wand, & Anon ‘The Castle of Tangled Magic’ by Sophie Anderson This story begins with a normal morning for Olia. She sees her Ba busy a wobbling through the meadow, her papa cooking and her Mama holding her sister Rosa close to her heart. Olia has always wondered about her Castle Mila’s magic. How it works? Where is came from? The spirits have never been found so no one knows. Olia wants to find th emagic, but finding it sets it free. One night there is a terrible storm as the magic tries to protect the castle, she steps into a new magical world. She must now save her family but also the inhabitants of the new world she discovers. I think this book is brilliant that will leave you gripped as you turn the pages. Lexi Cooper
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