Developing The Future Talent Across The Evolve Trust

Date Posted: 13th September 2016

Michael Lucas, Head of Raising Achievement launched The Evolve Trust's’ innovative and cutting edge seven week NQT and RQT professional learning pathway on 12 September at the Evolve HQ. The focus of the first programme was Accelerating Learning in the classroom for pupils. 11 teachers joined Michael in the pedagogical approach to teaching and learning with planning and implementing classroom strategies to engage and enthuse all students at The Brunts, Beech and Bramble Academies being at the centre of the action research project. The sessions run fortnightly and the teachers will now be working in pairs to showcase their work which will be presented at the fortnightly programmes. A teaching and Learning bulletin will also be produced monthly to demonstrate the excellent practice our teachers are employing in the classrooms Our future talent teachers are: Katie Pashley (English) Charlotte Wardle (Health &Social Care) Amy Glover – Year 1 at Bramble Academy Steph Dickinson (Science) Jamie Hough (Maths) Sarah Turner (Science) George King (Modern Foreign Language) Caroline Hunt (Information, Communications Technology) Becky Lane (Science) Jess Wadsworth (History) Jess Brunt (English) We wish them every success for this term and beyond.

Student Success – Luke Mason

Date Posted: 12th September 2016

A huge well done to Luke Mason, Year 10, who has been supporting John Eastwood Hospice with a range of fundraising opportunities to support the Charity. This week, Luke has received a thank you letter from the Hospice Manager for his contributions over the past months. Luke through his own activities, some of these have been held in school at Brunts, has raised £64.93 - a great achievement - and Luke isn't stopping there! The Hospice ran a Garden Party at the end of August which Luke supported and the day raised £5, 716.69! The Hospice have asked Luke to support an upcoming event in November - and Luke is very eager to do so! We wish Luke every success with his continued support of the Hospice and as an Academy, will support Luke to do so.   Pictured - Luke with his thank you letter

Student first day back arrangements – Tuesday 6th September

Date Posted: 25th August 2016

All students must be on site for 8.40am. The start of the day will run slightly different with a welcome tutorial running 8.45am – 9.05am. Lessons will then run as timetabled from 9.05am. Year 7: Students to report to the Sports Hall. All Year 7 tutors to meet and greet students from here. Years 8 to 11: Students to report to their tutor in their tutor base as listed on the attached. Students will be issued their timetables and planners. Post 16: Students to report to the new Post 16 Common Room (the old Learning Zone upstairs in Dalton). Year 13 should arrive for 8.30am and Year 12 at 9am.   Photos for Years 7, 9, 11 and Post 16 will also be taken during Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th September as timetabled below: Year 9: Tuesday P2 and P3. Year 7: Tuesday P4 and P5. Year 11: Wednesday P1 and P2. Post 16: Tuesday P6 and Wednesday P3 onwards.

GCSE exam results up on 2015 with even more students securing 5+ GCSE’s A*-C including English & maths

Date Posted: 25th August 2016

In picture: Mr Atkin with students   Students and staff at The Brunts Academy, Mansfield’s largest and oversubscribed secondary school, have worked incredibly hard to ensure that even more students achieved 5+ A*-C grades including English and maths. The percentage of students achieving this indicator this year has risen by a further 6%.   For this year’s cohort: 171 students achieved A*- C in English 192 students achieved A*- C in Maths 163 students achieved A*- C in English and Maths 249 students achieved 5 or more GCSE passes   Carl Atkin, Headteacher, commented “We are proud that once again we are above last year’s national averages and that we continue to effectively support our students in achieving their aspirations. This is testament to the hard work of staff and students, and we look forward to welcoming so many students back in September as part of our Sixth Form provision”.  

A-Level Results 2016 – 99.7% Pass Rate

Date Posted: 18th August 2016

In picture from left to right:. David Hall, Oliver Featherstone, Carl Atkin (Headteacher), Cally Lambert, Phoebe Rowe and Oliver Bray Students and staff at The Brunts Academy have worked incredibly hard to ensure the best opportunities for achievement for all. In doing so, students have once again been highly successful in securing places to a wide range of Higher Education institutions to further their studies and achieve their long term ambitions. University destinations include; Oxford University to study Bio-Chemistry, The University of Warwick to study Engineering, The Royal Northern College of Music to study Popular Music, The University of Sheffield to study Medicine, The University of Liverpool to study English Literature and The University of Reading to study Agriculture. In addition, several students have secured Higher Apprenticeships and employment with organisations such as Laing O’Rourke and The RAF. Our students have performed exceptionally well with a 99.7% pass rate. Oliver Featherstone who achieved A*, A*, A*, A* in Maths, Physics, Chemistry & Biology and who will be studying Biochemistry at Oxford University, said “I will definitely be celebrating my results and am looking forward to my next steps”. David Hall who achieved A*, A*, A*, A, in Chemistry, Maths, Physics, plus AS in Further Maths and will be studying Engineering at The University of Sheffield, said “I’m so pleased... my results are better than I expected!” James Cooke who achieved A, C, C in Music, Maths and Physics and will be studying Popular Music at The Royal Northern College of Music, said “I’m thrilled to be able to study a subject that I am so passionate about” Ella Heath who achieved A, A, A, in Biology, Chemistry, Maths plus A grade in Extended Project and will be studying Medicine at The University of Sheffield, said “I’m really overwhelmed right now…

The Great Brunts Bake Off

Date Posted: 15th July 2016

The overall results of this week’s Bake Off - 1st – Libby Jones (Y7) with the lemon and white chocolate button cake 2nd – Fiona Cawley and Gabriela Chrusciel (Y9) – Kit Kat and Smarties cake 3rd - Sophia May Tennison (Y8) – Chocolate Orange Cake The prize for the tutor group raising the most money goes to 7-JLM. Thank you to everyone who baked and for all those who supported Hope for Children by buying cakes. Prizes will be available on Monday for the winner’s, runner’s up and 7-JLM

Adam Bean (Technology Technician) wins Best in Schools award

Date Posted: 22nd June 2016

Adam Bean, Technology Technician, won the Technology Award at the Chad's 2016 Best in Schools Awards Evening on 21st June 2016. The award was about how a staff member introduced technology into the learning environment to encourage cooperative learning and student collaboration. Adam was nominated by the Technology faculty because he isn't just a Technician - he's the go to person of the faculty and others in the Academy. Adam supports in lessons and has been instrumental in giving students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to real life tasks - this has included supporting the site team with painting and decorating a new classroom as part of the students' course. Adam has a great work ethos and is adored by staff and students alike. Sarah Bland, Director of Learning for Technology, said "Adam absolutely deserved to win this. He goes above and beyond all the time and is extremely supportive with the students (and us staff!). He's so modest too but we'd be lost without him!".

Student Success celebrated at annual Awards Evening

Date Posted: 22nd June 2016

Over 300 students were celebrated at The Brunts Academy’s annual Celebration of Achievement Evening at phenomenal ceremonies held on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st June 2016. The Academy, lead academy of The Evolve Trust, held their celebrations at Mansfield Palace Theatre where students received awards for academic, extra-curricular and pastoral achievements and efforts over the past year. 9 students were also presented with special awards which recognised them for Directors’ Integrity (sponsored by The Evolve Trust), Janice Addison (ex-CEO and Executive Principal) Award for Outstanding Effort and Progress and the Headteacher’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. The audience over the two evenings were treated to 14 different acts which showcased the extraordinary talents of the Music, Dance and Performing Arts faculties. Acts included spectacular solos of Les Miserables’ ‘I dreamed a dream’ and Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ and the award winning Swing and Concert bands. The awards evenings were generously sponsored and supported by the local business community including Dalmatian (organisation support), Crystal Knitwear (sponsor of Technology), Mansfield Town Football in the Community (sponsor of PE), Hays (sponsor of Humanities), Ransom Wood (sponsor of Science), Remarkable.net (sponsor of ICT),Teachers UK (sponsor of English), The Evolve Trust (sponsor of the Directors’ Award for Integrity and organisation support) and TIS (sponsor of Maths). A special mention must be given to the awards presenters who were Malcolm Hall, MBE, of Hall-Fast Industrial Supplies, Richard Fuller of County Battery Services, Nathan Dijsktra of Laing O’Rourke and Philippa Smith and Yos Iwanczuk of Hays. Carl Atkin, Headteacher, said: “Brunts are extremely proud of our students and events like these happen because we strongly believe it is important to and we pride ourselves that we recognise and celebrate the successes of our students. Brunts is very lucky to have such a talented and diverse range of students…

Year 7 win the Town Cup final!

Date Posted: 2nd June 2016

Players arrived at the One Call stadium, Quarry dale stood in the way of them winning the town cup final. All players arrived 45 minutes before kick-off, to go through a thorough warm up and talk through the formation they would be playing. Brunts were going with a 3-4-1-2 formation, trying to exploit the space in the Quarry dale team. Parents and friends of the students gathered in the stands ready to cheer on the lads in their final game. Brunts got the game under way and settled into their rhythm, with some early chances coming to Will Heather who hit the post on several occasions. Goals from Charley Clarey, Jed Ducker x 2 and Ben smith, finished off a very convincing performance. The game finished 4-0 to Brunts, the lads deserved to win the game, with everyone putting in 100% effort. Speaking to a students after the game Will Heather said “I felt nervous before the game but as soon as I stepped on the pitch it was a great feeling and of course we won the trophy”.

Students get peer mentoring training!

Date Posted: 19th May 2016

42 Year 8 students, identified by our peers as potential student leaders, accepted the invitation to be part of a peer mentoring project relating to smoking prevention. We attended a two-day training session, led by youth workers, during which we were given a great deal of background information about smoking, whilst, at the same time, taking part in activities to build our leadership skills and self-confidence. We have follow-up sessions in school to check how we are able to share information with our peers.  What some of the students thought:  ‘I enjoyed it very much.’ ‘I feel that my leadership skills have improved dramatically.’ ‘The two days were very interactive.’ ‘Throughout the course we learned several facts.’ ‘The leaders helped us learn in an interesting and exciting way.’ ‘I really enjoyed the course.’ ‘I felt welcomed and was given an equal chance to contribute.' ‘Everybody was included in all the activities.’ ‘This was really fun.’ ‘We have learned a lot of important facts about smoking.’ ‘It was a good experience which has benefited me.’ ‘a really fun and enjoyable experience’ ‘extremely informative’ ‘The mentors were very friendly and organised’ ‘I have really enjoyed learning.’ ‘I really enjoyed the two days.’ ‘The ASSIST programme is a brilliant thing for young students to participate in. I feel more confident and aware of the outside world.’ ‘My leadership skills have improved immensely and my confidence has grown also.’ ‘All the mentors were very kind and informative.’

Student Success – Chloe Allock

Date Posted: 19th May 2016

Chloe participated in the Nottinghamshire County Championships at the Harvey Haddon Stadium on Saturday 14th May.  Also jointly alongside this was the Derbyshire County Championships.  Her starting jump was 1.40mtrs with subsequent jumps of 1.45mtrs and 1.50mtrs, which saw most competitors leave the competition.  At the final was a Derbyshire athlete and Chloe both jumping at 1.53mtrs which both failed on first and second jump.  The final jump Chloe cleared easily, equalling her personal best, but the Derbyshire athlete failed on her third and final attempt.  Chloe then went on to raise the bar to 1.57mtrs which she cleared first attempt giving her a new personal best and becoming County Champion. Chloe Allcock has qualified for the English Schools Athletics competition which is a fantastic achievement. The event is to take place in Gateshead in July 2016. Well done Chloe and good luck :)

The Brunts Academy Musicians rock into Spring Concert

Date Posted: 9th May 2016

Students from The Brunts Academy showcased their musical talents at their annual Spring Concert on Wednesday 4th May 2016 at St Peter’s Church, Mansfield. The Concert Band opened with a medley of Queen songs which set the stage for a “wonderful diversity of music” as described by the Rev. David Fudger. The Swing Band, Choir, a cappella group “Vox Humana” as well as soloists and duos all performed to a very high standard. The diverse programme concluded with a powerful John William’s medley to mark “Star Wars Day” with the iconic brass fanfare of the Star Wars theme ricocheting around the church much to the delight of the large audience. This has been a busy time for the Academy’s musicians who in April came First and Second in the Mansfield Music and Drama Festival. The Swing Band have been invited to perform at the Winner’s Concert on Sunday 8th May. David Cooke, Head of Creative and Performing Arts, said of the event “St Peter’s is a wonderful venue and it has been a pleasure to bring our brilliant young musicians to perform there. A huge thank you to all the students and staff for making this another superb event.”

Brunts Academy Summer Art and Technology Exhibition

Date Posted: 28th April 2016

Lucy skates to success!

Date Posted: 28th April 2016

Lucy Ward, Y7, won her skating competition on Friday 22nd April! She got a massive score of 30.62 overall, with a technical score of 14.37, meaning she has exceeded the (technical) qualifying mark of 12.5, so she will be competing at The British Championships in December! Lucy`s moved to Level 6, so will miss the next competition in May to give her and her coach time to add the new required elements and extra 30 seconds on to her routine. She will next compete at Deeside and Coventry, which are both in June. In the Easter holidays, Lucy competed at The Blackpool Ice Skating Festival - gaining 2nd place in her level 5 class. This was the first time skating a new routine so Lucy was very pleased to be placed 2nd out of 19 skaters! It was a nice skate but not perfect, however she still managed to exceeded the score needed to pass the next level, so after her April competition she will be competing at level 6 with a longer programme of 3 minutes. She was only 0.64 off of qualifying mark for the British championships, which with a good skate next week we are all hoping she achieves.

Y11 Easter Holiday Workshops

Date Posted: 24th March 2016

Please be aware that staff are coming in voluntarily during the Easter break to support Year 11 students Date Sessions Tuesday 29th March GCSE Art (10am - 3pm in the Art block) GCSE Business Studies  CA Clinic (10am - 1pm in Room 4) GCSE Graphics (10am - 2pm in Tx1) GCSE Health and Social Care (10 am until 3pm in Room 1) GCSE PE (10am - 3pm in the Learning Zone) Wednesday 30th March GCSE Business Studies  Exam Revision (10am-1pm in Room 10) GCSE Science (9am  - 1pm Lab 6) GCSE Health and Social Care (10 am until 3pm in Room 1) GCSE Product Design (Blue Group in DT1/ITD) Thursday 31st March GCSE Product Design (Red Group in DT1/ITD) GCSE Additional Science (Biology) in Lab 5 Weekend Monday 4th April GCSE Computing (10am - 3pm in Room 1) GCSE Geography (9am until 12.30pm) in M2 Tuesday 5th April GCSE Computing (10am - 3pm in Room 1) GCSE History (10am - 1pm in Rooms 17, 18, 19) Wednesday 6th April GCSE Dance (11am - 4pm in the dance studio) GCSE PE (10am - 3pm in the Learning Zone) Thursday 7th April GCSE Dance (11am - 4pm in the dance studio)

DofE Training Weekend – March 2016

Date Posted: 21st March 2016

On 19th and 20th March 2016, 35 students took part in a DofE Training weekend at The Mill Adventure Base. 9 students participated as part of the Silver programme and 24 followed the Bronze programme. The weekend consisted of the students learning basic camp craft skills, first aid, navigation (grid references and bearings), how to put a tent, a navigational walk. The Silver students walked in the Peaks and the Bronze walked around the local woods. On the final day, the students planned out their routes for their practice and final expedition walks. For the photos of the weekend, please see our Facebook page. For more information on the DofE programme, please see www.dofe.org

Y9 Rugby Success

Date Posted: 18th March 2016

Huge congratulation to the Year 9 Rugby team who on 18th March won their last group game in the County Cup beating Samworth 64-14! Great games from all the boys with standout performances from Ben Smith, Joshua Gentry and Oliver Smith.

Brunts’ students run a mile for Sport Relief

Date Posted: 18th March 2016

On 18th March, students braved the cold and ran a mile in aid of Sport Relief. Students were fantastic and some decided to go the extra mile and dress up with students completing the mile in their PE lesson. The Academy raised £732.00. Please see our Facebook page for all the photos!

Y12 Performance Studies

Date Posted: 10th March 2016

The YR12 Performance Studies students performed their examination pieces on Thursday 10th March to an audience of family and friends. The students had to create a thirty minute piece based on the Hall Homeless Project, they composed the music, devised the stories and choreographed the dances. Tony Lee, the chairman of the charity, spoke to the audience at the end of the performances and congratulated the students on successfully showing the audience the plight of young homeless people in Mansfield. The performances raised £130 for the charity. Thank you to all those who generously donated.

Brunts Student Network Event – 3rd March 2016

Date Posted: 8th March 2016

Bridging the Gap Between Students And Employers The inaugural Brunts Student Networking event was hosted by The Director of Marketing & Enterprise, Berni Dickinson from The Evolve Trust and organised by their Intern (and Brunts Student) Cally Lambert. Sponsored by Mansfield 2020, the event welcomed 25 employers and professionals from the Mansfield and Ashfield areas, providing students aged 16-18 with the unique opportunity to showcase their skills in an authentic business networking environment. The group were welcomed by Mansfield 2020 Chair and Partner from Fidler and Pepper Solicitors Russell Jones and Brunts Academy’s Head of School Carl Atkin. As well as enjoying 4 minute networking sessions, Mansfield 103.2 broadcast their breakfast show from the event welcoming both employers and students to interviews, marketing themselves live on air. The event had excellent feedback. Heidi Duffy MBE Traffic Manager for Nottinghamshire Police, commented “the students were all amazing. A room full of ‘radiators’ not a ‘drain’ in sight…. The future is safe.’ The Director of Marketing & Enterprise from the Evolve Trust Berni Dickinson commented, “It is overwhelming to see just how well the students adapted to a brand new situation and impressed the businesses involved. We at The Evolve Trust are extremely grateful for the time and effort everyone put in to making this event such a success.’ Special thanks go to Cally Lambert for organising the event and ….. Irvin Robinson (Mansfield 2020), Russell Jones (Mansfield 2020 / Fidler and Pepper), Laura Hemmings (HS Presents), Pete Topley (Mansfield 103.2), Matt Freeman (Mansfield 103.2), Katie Trinder (LuKas At Work), Lucy Trinder (LuKas At Work), John Morley (Elite Contractor Accountancy), Elizabeth Orridge (Elizabeth Orridge Photography), Elaine Hopkins (Nottinghamshire Hospice), Pete Hopkins (Royal British Legion), Heidi Duffy MBE (Nottinghamshire Police), Jane Box (IPDL), Richard Taylor (Pinewood Lettings), Michael Asher (Natwest Bank), Jo Plowright…

Brett Wilkin, Y10, honoured at Courage Awards 2016

Date Posted: 7th March 2016

Brett Wilkin, Year 10, joined other young people from local schools, colleges and charities in being commended at the 25th Courage Awards organised by the Rotary Club of Mansfield on Tuesday 1st March. More than 180 guests including dignitaries, Rotarians from neighbouring rotary clubs, sponsors and proud family members filled a packed-out Eastwood Suite at Portland College. Brett was nominated by Mrs Bailey-Wiles, SENCO, because: Brett has undergone difficulties linked to his SEN of ASD and OCD but has coped exceptionally well throughout the difficult period. Brett had an accident where he fell, broke part of his front tooth section and had to have an operation to repair which was very frightening for him and massively shook his confidence. He needed significant support from the ASD team due to heightened anxiety but Brett is still smiling and looking forward to work experience with the site team this year. ] He has developed as a student and also a person since Year 7, he is kind and funny, all of the staff in the Well-Being team and all of Brett’s teachers think he is wonderful. He has a unique personality and shows commitment to his education, his love ICT allows him to demonstrate his abilities and he also wants to help others which is a truly admirable quality to have. Presenting the awards were Mansfield Rotary Club president Phil Richmond, Mansfield Mayor Kate Allsop, leader of Mansfield Independent Forum Councillor Martin Wright, and Russell Jones, a partner at Fidler and Pepper Solicitors and chairman of the Mansfield 2020 business network. Other VIPs included Rotary District Governor Dr Roger Summers, chief executive of Mansfield District Council Bev Smith and Miss Mansfield and Sherwood Forest Amy Beilby. As this was the 25th anniversary of the awards, the organisers also invited previous winners over the last…

Year 8 Netball Success!

Date Posted: 3rd March 2016

Massive congratulations to the year 8 Netball team who finished 3rd in the West Notts PE Netball tournament on 29th February 2016.   The girls were drawn in pool B against: Selston Samworth A Samworth B   Results= Brunts 0 - 0 Selston Brunts 7 - 0 Samworth B Brunts 2 - 1 Samworth A   Students finished joint top of pool B alongside Selston. Students competed in a very close penalty shoot out to progress through to the semi-finals as runners up of pool B. In the semi-final Brunts were drawn against winners of pool A; Ashfield School. It was an extremely close game with lots of fantastic netball. The final score was Brunts 0 - 3 Ashfield. Therefore, Brunts secured 3rd place overall. This is a fantastic achievement for the girls who were: Olivia Henry Isabella Rigley Paris Cooper Eloise Place Julia Chilczuk Katie Buchanna Naimh Harman (year 7)   Well done!

Attn Y11: Discover your future at #ShineBright on 21st March

Date Posted: 3rd March 2016

Student Success – Caitlin Elliott

Date Posted: 21st February 2016

  Congratulations to Caitlin Elliott who took 3rd place overall for the cross country season 2015-2016 within the Notts Mini-League Sutton, Mansfield, Retford, Rushcliffe, Notts, Worksop under 13 girls).  

NSPCC’s Number Day – 12th February

Date Posted: 13th February 2016

On Friday 12th February, a week after the national event, KS3 students supported the NSPCC’s Number Day and got involved in some extraordinarily fun-filled activities in their maths lessons in a bid to raise the profile of the NSPCC.  Amongst the many things, students were tasked with trying to identify teachers’ favourite numbers and their reasons for this.  In another activity, they had to use data collected from the maths faculty and analyse it in order to draw a picture of what the average maths teacher looks like.  Students and staff were fundraising all week guessing the number of jelly beans in the jar, guessing the weight of the cake, competing in a mathematical quiz and bake sales at break time. The winner of the cake competition was Ms Saunders and the winner of the jelly bean competition was Daisy Thomas in Y7.  We’ve raised nearly £140 and it was great to see so many students getting involved and supporting such an invaluable charity.  

Brunts win coveted NCS award

Date Posted: 13th February 2016

The Brunts Academy in Mansfield, lead school of The Evolve Trust has been awarded ‘Champion School’ status by National Citizen Service (NCS) due to its commitment to the youth programme to date. The academy was selected from thousands of schools participating across the country by National Citizen Service, the UK’s flagship youth programme for 16 and 17 year olds, and is one of only 20 in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire to receive this award. The academy has excelled at motivating students to take up extracurricular activities, specifically encouraging young people to attend the programme during their term breaks, leading to an increased interest in volunteering. On NCS teenagers meet other young people from different schools and stay in university style accommodation while they learn more about their community and how they can make a difference through social action projects. Following this, the young people spend 30 hours dedicated to executing their own social action project in the local community. To earn ‘Champion School’ status, a teacher must take on the role of ‘Champion Teacher’, whereby they spearhead the programme within the school and encourage students who would benefit most from NCS. Mr Dickinson, Year Progress Leader for Y11, was key to earning the academy’s new status. Mr Dickinson, Year Progress Leader for Y11, said: “It’s a great achievement to be given Champion School status at Brunts. Our commitment to the programme reflects the amazing feedback we receive from our students and the noticeable difference we see in their attitudes when they return from the programme. The NCS programme is an initiative we are publicising continually with older students with NCS attending our recent Y11 parents evening to raise the awareness of the programme to parents/ carers also.

Specialist Craft Front Cover Art Competition Update

Date Posted: 5th February 2016

A huge well done to the following pupils who has produced a design to be submitted to the Specialist Craft Front Cover Art competition. These pupils have submitted their entries in the hope of winning £200 to spend with Specialist Crafts as well as the prestigious opportunity to feature their artwork on the front cover of the Specialist Crafts Catalogue. These pupils attended after school sessions to craft their pieces and have worked incredibly hard. Well done and all the best of luck to Verity Taylor, Rebecca Hardwick, Georgia Newstead, Louise Barker and Charlotte Rope! Mrs Solly

Nottinghamshire Your Future Careers Fair – 17th March 2016

Date Posted: 5th February 2016

Brunts are encouraging our students (aged 14-24) to attend a Your Future Careers Fair on Thursday 17 March 2016 at The Nottingham Conference Centre, Nottingham NG1 4BU. This is part of government funded national project to deliver 250 events through Chambers of Commerce, attracting over 70,000 young people across England. The Your Future Events are for young people aged 14-24 to inspire, enthuse and motivate them to think about possible careers, the employment options available to them and to make the most of their remaining time in education. Available at the Your Future Careers Fair will be careers information from local businesses, ‘Have a Go’ activities, ‘Get Involved Workshops’, information on Apprenticeships and much more! For more information, please see Mrs Barnard.

Inside the Mind of a Soldier – Understanding WW1

Date Posted: 5th February 2016

Student Success – February 2016

Date Posted: 5th February 2016

Caitlin Elliott - Saturday 30th January 2016 Caitlin Elliott competed in Loughborough on Saturday for the midlands cross country and came 27th out of over 50 competitors. Yesterday she also went to Grantham and represented Nottinghamshire in the sports hall regional finals and our under 13 girls team came 3rd out of 5 and Caitlin won the 6th lap out of Leicestershire, northamtonshire, Derbyshire and Loughborough. Lucy Ward - Ice skating practise and test Lucy is currently very busy practising her jump combinations - double salchow / double toe loop. The competition season begins in April, and Lucy will have 4 competitions to try and qualify for this years British Championships held in December.      

Y13 hold sell out concert!

Date Posted: 4th February 2016

On 4th  February, Y13 students held a concert to raise money for their Year 13 prom featuring student acts from Bisou, The Oxford Rejects and Outlaw. The night started with a DJ set from Outlaw also known as Ellis Buckinger.  This was promptly followed by five-piece pop punk band The Oxford Rejects with Charlotte Martin on vocals, Oliver Featherstone and James Cooke on guitar, Nadia Butts on bass and Elliot Needham on drums. The concert was played out by a final set from Bisou, an indie rock band whose music ranged from Royal Blood to The Wombats. Lead vocalist was Phoebe Rowe, Madeleine Shepherd as the bassist and backing vocals, James Cooke on guitar and Toby Humphrey on drums. The concert gave the students an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of their peers and families, raising over £170 in the process.

Brunts Academy’s Musicians Rock The Night!

Date Posted: 2nd February 2016

On Thursday 21st January, bands from the Brunts Academy took to the stage at the Academy’s Community Arts Theatre. A full sound and lighting rig, complete with dry ice, ensured that the students and audience experienced a professional showcase of their talents.   Students from all years took part including drummers, guitarists, keyboard players, brass players and singers. Some of the older students, who played songs by the Keiser Chiefs, The Killers and Green Day amongst others, started their musical careers as beginners in year 7. Two Post 16 students will be leaving the academy in the summer to study music at some of the country’s top universities and conservatoires.   David Cooke, Head of Creative Performing Events, said of the event “The students were fantastic and should all be proud - true professionals - and a great evening! A huge thank you to everyone who was involved”.   Pictured: Oliver Featherstone, Charlotte Martin, James Cooke and Nadia Butt

Brunts performs well regionally!

Date Posted: 22nd January 2016

Important reminder re mobile phones

Date Posted: 21st January 2016

Many thanks for your support with our rules re the use of mobile phones  - it is massively appreciated. Any student found using their mobile phone on the school site will have their device confiscated. Failure to comply with basic expectations will result in sanctions being applied including exclusion where appropriate.

Teenz (11-18 year olds) African Drumming & Ubuntu

Date Posted: 20th January 2016

Date:     Saturday 6 February 2016 Time:     10:30am till 3pm Venue:  The Ear Foundation               (83 Sherwin Road, Lenton, Nottm, NG7 2FB) Come and join us for this fantastic opportunity to learn some African Drumming; a fun, sociable and musical workshop. We will be joined by BeatFeet, who will be running the workshop and providing everyone with their own drum. Please bring a packed lunch. If you would like to join us, please email me to confirm your attendance: rachel@earfoundation.org.uk   Teenz dates for the rest of 2016: 23 April: Multi Sports Day with Tennis 2 July 1 October 3 December

Brunts’ Post 16 help The Hall Homeless Support Project

Date Posted: 20th January 2016

Post 16 Performance Studies students at The Brunts Academy presented a cheque for £229.55 to The Hall Homeless Support Project. The cheque was presented to Tony Lee from The Hall on Tuesday 19th January with the funds having been raised by the students’ The Snow Queen performances in November. Tony delivered a master class informing the students about The Hall and showing them a video highlighting the work The Hall undertakes. Following the master class, two students signed up as volunteers to work at The Hall on Monday mornings with a third already volunteering there. The students will now use the information they learnt from Tony to devise their Community performances. The Hall provides a safe environment for homeless young people to get support, advice and guidance. Carl Atkin, Head of School, said “The Hall provides fantastic support to young people in the area and as an academy, we have supported The Hall for a number of years to help them continue this work. A huge thank you to Mrs Dubowksi, Mr Morris and the students for raising these funds”. Pictured left to right: Becky Birch (student), Carl Atkin, Tony Lee and Georgia Mace (student).

Brunts host Christmas Spectacular 2015!

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

Brunts and its feeder primary schools held the annual Christmas Spectacular concert on Wednesday 16th December. Organised and hosted by the Brunts Academy, the annual Christmas Spectacular brings together the choirs of Brunts and its feeder primaries. The featured schools were The Brunts Academy and The Bramble Academy, both of the Evolve Trust and the latter performing in its first spectacular, High OakhamPrimary School, King Edward Primary School, Mansfield Primary Academy, and Sutton Road Primary School. Each school performed two acts which included Christmas Calypso, Twelve Or So Days Of Christmas, A Starry Night, Winter Wonderland, What Christmas Means To Maand Christmas Ukelele. All the acts came together for the finale performance of Deck the Rooftop. Carl Atkin, Head of School, said of the performance “The concert was fantastic and I really enjoyed it. All the students were excellent and very brave! Many thanks to all staff involved for their hard work and effort in making the concert a success”.

Parental Consultation

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

The Evolve Trust are seeking views and comments (between the dates of 14 December 2015 – 15 January 2016) from parents and carers in connection with exploratory talks with Kirkby College to join the Evolve Trust. Further details can be found by clicking on the following link: - Click Here

KS3 Trampolining

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

Key Stage Three students took part in a Mansfield School Games trampolining competition at Manor on Wednesday 12th December. George Close participated in the Level Three entry, Sophie March and Hannah Dunkley participated at Level Two and Lucy Keating, Lucy Hitchcock and Bailey Bowles participated at Level One. The team performed well at the competition and took Silver in the School Games competition. They were a credit to the Academy.

The Snow Queen casts a spell on Brunts

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

It was a sell-out performance for this year’s school production at The Brunts Academy. Y10 and Y11 GCSE Performing Arts and Post 16 BTEC Level 3 Production Arts students completed a sell-out three night performance of a musical version of The Snow Queen. The production, which ran from Monday 30th November to Wednesday 2nd December, was part of the students’ examinations. The Snow Queen is an original fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen which centres on Gerda looking for her lost friend Kai, who has been kidnapped by The Snow Queen. The tale was adapted by Mrs Dubowski and featured songs from film favourites Frozen, Anastasia and South Pacific. Carl Atkin, Head of School, said of the performance “We have very talented students at the academy and The Snow Queen showcased the extent of these talents. The students were fantastic and should all be proud of their performance – true professionals and a great production! A huge thank you to Mrs Dubowski, Mr Morris, Mr Green and Miss Cox for supporting the students.” Monies raised from the production have been donated to The Hall Homeless Support Project.

Y7 do Countdown!

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

On Monday 23rd November, a Countdown competition was held for all Year 7s. The event was intense and you could see the concentration on the participant’s faces! When it came to the end, the winners were 7-JHH (Mr Hough’s tutor group) and in joint second place were 7-GFB (Miss Baker’s tutor group) and 7-JLC (Mrs Cammilaire’s tutor group). It was really fun and everyone enjoyed it so all in all it was, I think, and amazing and worthwhile event. By Oliver Rose 7 - GFB  

Y7 Rugby Team win the District Cup – 23rd November 2015

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

A huge congratulations to the Year 7 Rugby team who won the district cup on 23rd November 2015 and will now be competing in the County Championships in March 2016! They scored 15 trys and conceded only 1, winning every game a fantastic fashion.   Great result and great sportsmanship! Well done to the team and good luck for the County Championships. 

Y10 Girls PE get ‘Hula-Hooping’

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

The Year 10 Girls have been doing ‘hoop dance’ in core PE over the last two weeks. ‘Hoop Guy’ came in to teach the girls how to ‘hoop’ effectively. He got the girls ‘hooping’ using their waists and arms and incorporated elements of dance into the lessons. The sessions were fun and engaging with majority of the girls enjoying the additional provision that we had put on.

Y7 & 8 Support Shoebox Appeal

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

The shoebox appeal is run by the Samaritan's Purse organisation. The idea is that each shoebox gift is transported to a child in a less advantaged country. Each box is filled with a range of small gifts that students bring in, for example toiletries, soft toys, art equipment. Year 7 and 8 students have been putting together shoeboxes in tutor time, with some students creating their own boxes. We have delivered over 80 shoe boxes to the charity this year, creating 80 additional smiles at Christmas across the world.  

Y9 Netball – 18th November

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

Massive congratulations to the year 9 Netball squad who played in the Central Venue League (CVL) on 18th November.  Two victories under their belts - beating Samworth 4-2 and AllSaints 3-0. Brunts still sit at the top of the table and so far are unbeaten in the league this year. Well done :-)  League table below:  Mansfield School Netball CVL - Yr. 9                                         WIN =3 DRAW=1              LOSE = 0                                                                                                                               Played Won      Lost        Drawn   For         Against GD          Points                   Position Round 2               18/11/2015                                                                                                                                                         ALL SAINTS                         2              1              1              0              2              4              2              3                              2ND BRUNTS                               2              2              0              0              7              2              5              6                              1ST SAMWORTH                       2              0              2              0              3              6              -3            0                              3RD

Yr 10 Pupils win Runner’s up in Keepmoat Hoarding Competition

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

The artwork was commissioned for the Brownlow Road Extra Care Scheme building works being done by  Keepmoat and Mansfield District Council. Keepmoat challenged students to produce art work/signs to be displayed on the hoardings around the building site. The art work needed to incorporate the new street names (Flanders Close, Foresters Close, Court, Liberty Close) and include imagery linked to these names.  Students came up with the initial designs and then worked alongside a local Graffiti Artist to learn the art of Graffiti, and to produce the art work/signs which were displayed on the hoardings around the building site. The designs were also then entered into a national competition. Brunts students secured the runner up position.  The following pupils were presented with a trophy and medals as well as a goodie back for coming runners up: Harry Butler Matthew Collins Thomas Dickinson Jacob Elmhirst Kai Healy Erin Jenkins Callum Johnson Thomas Lester Ethan Long Georgia Marsh Harry Parkes Kallum Pilgrim Aleisha Redfern Jack Richardson

Football Success!

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

Year 7 vs West Bridgford Year 7 travelled away to West Bridgford in the third round of the County Cup looking to continue their unbeaten run. The Year 7 team are currently unbeaten this year and went into the game with high spirts. Brunt’s kicked off and went on the attack. The pitch was very boggy and was hard to pass the ball around. Brunt’s were battling against the wind and a slight slope in the pitch. Jed picked up the ball and played Peace through on goal who calmly finished. Second half and Brunt’s were battling hard to cling on for the win, some good tackles by Jak and good goalkeeping by Josh meant Brunt’s held on to win the game making it 5/5 wins. Brunt’s are now through to the Quarter Finals of the County Cup.   Year 8 Vs Meden A Year 8 team took on Meden in the County Cup first round. Brunt’s dominated possession throughout the game and punished Meden in the first half from Pierce shooting from outside the area. Into the second half and Henry played a ball over the top of Meden defensive and an oncoming Elliot controlled the ball and calmly finished slotting the ball past the keeper. Brunt’s won a corner late into the second half and Jack met the ball heading into the back of the net. Onto, the second round of the cup for Year 8. Year 10 Vs Jo Whit Year 10 team looking for their first win after losing a couple of weeks ago in the County Cup took on Jo Whit in the first round of the Town Cup. Brunts dominated the game and Casey took the ball on the edge of the box and finished into the top corner. Ollie then took the ball…

Y9 Rugby Success!

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

The Y9 team travelled to Ashfield School last week for the second game in the group stages of the County Cup. The first half started well with Brunts attacking through great breaks by Josh Kenzie and Joshua Gentry then Ashfield came back into the game! With a half time score of 17-15 to Ashfield and some words of wisdom at half time, Brunts came back out flying scoring twice through Captain Oliver Smith who’s kicking was fantastic throughout the game. Try’s followed through Adam Saxton, Joshua Gentry and Toby Govan, and finally a 90m sprint for the line resulted in a try for Y 8 Daniel Clements. Final score 42 -17 and Man of the Match was Toby Govan! Great game with a fantastic result! A huge well done to the team. The next game is Tuesday 17th November against Tuxford at Brunts.

Brunts Academy students attend the 2015 Careers & Apprenticeship Fair

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

4th November The annual Mansfield Careers & Apprenticeship Fair took place on Wednesday 4th November 2015 at the John Fretwell Centre.  240 KS4 students from Brunts took the opportunity of networking with a wide range of local employers, training providers, FE colleges and higher education institutions. This year’s event was organised by the Director of Marketing & Enterprise for the Evolve Trust with support from Mansfield 2020, The National Careers Service and Ryan Calvert-Cousins, a 6th former at Brunts, who is currently completing a Post 16 Career Internship for the Evolve Trust as an events co-ordinator.  The Careers & Apprenticeship Fair enables young people to find out more about their post 16 options from local providers, including their own academy and employers.  The emphasis is on impartiality and supporting young people to gain the knowledge they need to make an informed decision about what they will study after finishing in year 11. Luke Dickinson – Head of Year 11 said “We feel it is important to allow students to explore a broad range of pathways to continue their education and lead them towards rewarding careers. The careers fair supplemented our existing careers work in the Academy and offered our youngsters valuable information about the options open to them. Students were able to reaffirm their existing plans for after Year 11 or generate new ideas to shape their futures”

Y9 Parents’ Evening – 4th November

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

Please note our Year 9 Parents’ Evening re GCSE Options Process is to take place on 4th November.  Message from Mr Hindmarch, Deputy Head for Curriculum: During the evening there will also be an opportunity for parents to attend a presentation on the GCSE Options Process and also to ask any questions. The presentations will be in U2 and run at the following times:  4.30pm 5.30pm 6.30pm  Please feel free to drop in to any of these sessions.

Y9 Netball – 21st October

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

Massive congratulations to the girls listed below who attended the West Notts Year 9 Netball competition on Wednesday 21st October:   Chloe Allcock Olivia Brewster Kira Finlay Georgia Graham Libby Plant Sophia Stewart Molly Stonier Amy Tivey   The girls stormed through the group stages beating Manor 6-0, Joseph Whitaker 3-1, Samworth 2-1 and drawing 1-1 against Quarrydale. Finishing top of their table and qualified for the semi-final against Ashfield. With a strong start the girls comfortably beat Ashfield 4-1 to progress through to the final.   The final was against Quarrydale. Brunts had the majority of the possession during the game and a number of shooting opportunities. However, at full time the score was 0-0 and the game was taken into extra time. In the closing seconds of extra time Quarrydale manage to break through the Brunts defence to score the goal which won them the match and tournament.   Massive congratulation to all of the girls for securing runners up in the competition giving them the title of second best school (out of 9 schools) in West Notts.    

Democracy in Action

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

Years 7 – 11 have recently held their Head Boy/ Girl elections, giving all students first-hand experience of democracy in action!   Our Year Progress Leaders have spoken of their pride of not only the candidates but all students during the process.   Year 7 We had a fabulous assembly on September 23rd where all 8 prospective candidates presented their pitches to be year 7’s Head girl/boy. The assembly provided an excellent starting point for Year 7 students to get first-hand experience of democracy in action. The atmosphere was fabulous and all the candidates had prepared speeches with some even coming with PowerPoints to show. The year 7 cohort listened respectively and intently to the ideas and thoughts of the presenters who all displayed tremendous courage and confidence.   Head Boy and Head Girl for Year 7: Peace Olaoti & Ana Smith Deputy Head Boy and Head Girl = Josh Gundel & Erin Thrall   Year 9 They presented in assembly with their views and the actions they wanted to motion at the meetings. Everyone in the year group voted on paper and put in a ballot box as they left the assembly after all the presentations. It went very well and we had 10 candidates in all! Democracy at its finest!   Head Boy and Head Girl for Year 9: Jake Davies & Sophia Stewart   Year 11 Students were elected to be their tutor representatives by the members of their tutor group.  They formed the year council and had the opportunity to be elected to Head Boy and Girl.  The students in Year 11 had the opportunity to cast a vote for their choice of Head Boy and Girl from the tutor representatives, this formed 50 % of the overall vote and was done via the portal.  The…

Army visit The Brunts Academy

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

19th October Students were put through their paces with a meet and greet from the Army! The visit was kindly organised by Mr Hodgkinson and taught students about health and wellbeing, army careers and opportunities to support injured veterans.     Pictured: Mr Hodgkinson with the Army speakers.

CHANGE OF INSET DAY ARRANGEMENTS

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

19th October 2015   Dear Parent/Carer RE: CHANGE OF INSET DAY ARRANGEMENTS  Towards the end of the last academic year we published to parents details of the holiday and INSET pattern for this academic year (2015/16).  This letter is to inform you of a change to our scheduled INSET arrangements.  It was our intention to hold an INSET day on Tuesday 5th January 2016, however, we are now cancelling this date and rescheduling this INSET day to Thursday 10th December 2015 to focus upon Assessment Without Levels.  This means that your child will return to school on Tuesday 5th January 2016 following the Christmas holiday. As you may be aware, the government has removed the use of national curriculum levels (these are currently reflected in your child’s report as a 5A or 3C etc.) and has delegated the responsibility to schools at a local level of developing a method by which to measure your child’s progress throughout their education.  The tracking of students’ progress is particularly effective and the timely support that students receive throughout the school is an important factor leading to maximising their full potential.  To this end, we have brought forward the scheduled Assessment Without Levels INSET programme to 10th December to enable us to undertake the final preparation and training required in order to transition smoothly to the new assessment system from January 2016. The remaining holiday and INSET arrangements for this academic year remain unaffected. Please note Y10 parents evening will now take place on Wednesday 9th December 2015. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause and be assured that your child’s achievements and outcomes remain a key priority of the Evolve Trust. Thank you for your continued support. Yours faithfully Janice Addison, Chief Executive Officer

Y9 and Y10 Netball Success

Date Posted: 19th January 2016

14th October – Y9 and Y10 Netball Success   Massive congratulations to both the year 9 and year 10 Netball squads yesterday who competed in the first rounds of Mansfield Netball Central Venue League. Year 9 were up against Manor, Samworth and All Saints schools and managed to win two of their three games (results below): Brunts 5 v Manor 0 Brunts 2 v All Saints 1 Brunts 2 v Samworth 3 Year 10 played two fixtures against All Saints and Meden. The first game against All Saints was extremely close with end to end Netball which resulted in a 9 all draw. The second game against Meden saw Brunts strive to victory with a 12-4 win. Massive congratulations to all the girls who represented Brunts Academy who were: Year 9 Olivia Brewster Hollie Caygill Kira Finlay Georgia Graham Sophia Stewart Mollie Stonier Amy Tivey Katie Buchanan (year 8) Year 10 Ava Burton Hollie Cannon Ellie Fowler Adele Parr Lauren Whysall Temitayo Adetomiwa Sophia Stewart (year 9)

Student Success – Autumn 1 2015

Date Posted: 14th October 2015

Autumn 1 2015 Lucy Ward - Year 7 Lucy is a skater and is training every Monday and Thursday after school in Sheffield! Mrs Aveyard is proud to announce that Lucy has the potential to skate for Britain and certainly enter the British Championship. Good luck Lucy! Natalie Dawson – Year 9 Mrs Reed would like to showcase Natalie’s excellent piece of extended writing. Here is an excerpt of Natalie’s work….. The cathedral windows were staring down at her and she shuddered under their glare. Chillingly, the graveyard sat in a cloak of silence, tombstones leaning like rows of crooked teeth. Even the stones that stood tall and straight seemed to wither away from the looming glare of the massive stained glass window. Tendrils of wispy fog slipped through the cold air, carrying the scent of decaying corpses. A fresh one lay in its open grave, disfigured by the insects and putrefying in the dark. She lay her hand on the icy railing; midnight had arrived and the only noise was the silent screams of the dead. With ease, she pulled body over the iron fence and landed with a muffled thud on the other side – inches away from tumbling in and joining another body at the bottom of a hole. Taking small steps, her feet carried her between the newly dug ground and the stones that had been there for so long they were in shambles. A shovel rusted with ice was speared into the earth. Next to it, a grey tombstone stood sentinel; a poorly constructed thing with shallow and badly carved writing. By the next winter it would be unreadable, if it still stood. Finally, she approached two fresh, finished graves. On the left grave the tombstone was crackled diagonally down the centre, spiders scurrying between…

Laing O’Rourke deliver careers master class to Y13

Date Posted: 13th October 2015

28th September Laing O’Rourke delivers inspirational Careers Master Class to Year 13 Brunts Academy Students. Alan Clucas, Director at Laing O’Rourke shared the company’s vision and career opportunities for graduate and apprenticeship routes into the business with a group of year 13 students at The Brunts Academy.  The business is expanding and they are looking to recruit a number of employees over the next 5  years. Five of his recently recruited graduates accompanied Alan and took to the floor to talk about their individual career journey into the company. The Brunts students were very impressed with what they heard, especially the information on the training and development and terms & conditions. David Hall, a sixth form student said “The graduates really opened my eyes to the wide range of jobs available and it was interesting to hear this type of careers information from young people employed by the company.  I am hoping to secure a Post 16 Career Internship with Laing O’Rourke”

Brunts Academy celebrates GCSE success

Date Posted: 12th October 2015

20th August - Brunts Academy celebrates GCSE success The Brunts Academy is delighted to celebrate the success of an increased number of its students this year following the release of this year’s GCSE results. Of this year’s cohort: · 156 students achieved A*- C in English · 190 students achieved A*- C in Maths · 148 students achieved A*- C in English and Maths · 241 students achieved 5 or more GCSE passes at A*- G Carl Atkin, Head of School commented “We are delighted with how hard our staff and students have worked so that students have been able to move onto their next stage of education, employment or training. We now look forward to welcoming an increased number of students into our Post 16 provision in September”.

6th Form exam results continue to secure top university places and higher apprenticeships!

Date Posted: 12th October 2015

13th August - 6th Form exam results continue to secure top university places and higher apprenticeships! 6th Form exam results continue to secure top university places and higher apprenticeships! Our students have performed exceptionally well with a 98% pass rate. Neil Davies, Head of 6th form - “It’s very satisfying to see so many students achieving such positive results which in turn have allowed them to progress on to their chosen destinations in Higher Education, employment or training”. University destinations have included; Oxford University to study Theology and Religion, Bristol University to study Veterinary Medicine, The University of Nottingham to study Maths, Loughborough University to study Physics with Astrophysics, The University of Leeds to study Fashion Marketing, Central School of Speech and Drama to study Acting and The University of Birmingham to study Sports and Exercise Science. In addition, several students have secured Higher Apprenticeships and employment with organisations including, Fiddler and Pepper, The Beech Academy and the Inland Revenue.

Brunts welcomes its new Y7 students after a great transition week!

Date Posted: 12th October 2015

10th July – Brunts welcomes its new Y7 students after a great transition week! What a busy week at Brunts welcoming our new Y7 students! Students took part in a wide range of curricular and creative activities including a Sports Day. On Wednesday 8th July, Mr Atkin, Mr Heartfield and the Y7 pastoral team welcomed parents/ carers and students for a ‘Meet the Tutor’ evening. Settling into a new school quickly and happily is an important building block for future success, and the purpose of the induction week was to support students familiarise themselves with the school site and routines, and begin to form new friendships ready for September.

Brunts’ Entrepreneurs WIN in 3 categories at Junior Enterprise 2015 Awards Evening!

Date Posted: 12th October 2015

8th July – Brunts’ Entrepreneurs WIN in 3 categories at Junior Enterprise 2015 Awards Evening! Mr Swann and Miss Dickinson are proud to announce Brunts’ Junior Enterprise 2015 team ‘Made in Mansfield’ won in 3 out of 7 categories at the Junior Enterprise 2015 Awards Evening! A huge congratulations to Matt Sullivan, Josh Ashall Smith, Anna Jevons, Kelly Nyland, Lauren Whysall, and Alice Adams for winning in the following categories: · Most profitable product · Most community related product · Best radio advert

KS3 students take part in Junior Enterprise 2015 Market Day Competition

Date Posted: 12th October 2015

1st July – KS3 students take part in Junior Enterprise 2015 Market Day Competition 6 Key Stage 3 students braved the hottest day of the year and took their homemade candles to market, competing against 12 other teams from Mansfield and Ashfield! Our fantastic entrepreneurs were Matt Sullivan, Josh Ashall Smith, Anna Jevons, Kelly Nyland, Lauren Whysall, and Alice Adams. Huge thanks to Mr Swann and Miss Dickinson, and to local businessman Mr Fuller for supporting our budding entrepreneurs throughout the entire competition! Junior Enterprise is an annual competition organised by Mansfield Area Partnership which involves local youngsters creating a team where they set up a business, write a business plan, complete market research and create their own product. The aim of the competition is for participants to develop an understanding of how to set up a small business enterprise to sell a product, including the costs and responsibilities involved. All teams are to be celebrated at an awards evening at the John Fretwell Centre on Wednesday 8th July.

Rock Night

Date Posted: 30th June 2015

On the 21st May, "Rock Night" took place at the Community Performance Centre at the Brunts Academy. Several bands made up of students in years 7 to year 12 performed songs that they had been rehearsing with Mr Oakton who runs the Academy's rock workshops in after school sessions each week. There was a full lighting rig and sound rig under the direction of BTEC Production Arts students ably led by Mr Green. The supportive audience made a lot of noise too in response to some sizzling performances by the bands. We hope that the accompanying photos give you a sense of the electrifying atmosphere and we hope to see you in the audience next year. Special thanks to Shaun Heslin in Year 14 for his support running the rock workshops. [gallery]

Mansfield Music and Drama Festival

Date Posted: 19th May 2015

The Academy Concert Band performed to a full audience at the Mansfield Music and Drama Festival on Sunday 10th May. They performed two pieces – Aladdin and Sponge Bob Square Pants – which went down well with the adults and students in the audience. Katie Temple and Chloe Morris represented the group and were presented with the Mansfield Town Trophy for the best vocal or Instrumental group in the festival. Thanks to Gavin Brown from the county Instrumental Music Teaching Service who directs the group. Students taking part were Hannah Barry, Sophie Bennett, Jess Brownley, James Cooke, Rebecca Hardwick, Toby Humphrey, Hannah Jones, Chloe Moody, Chloe Morris, Katie Temple, George Tyler and Beth Williams.

Mansfield Music and Drama Festival

Date Posted: 5th May 2015

The school concert band and a cappella vocal group Vox Humana performed in Mansfield Music and Drama Festival last Monday evening. Both groups received some excellent feedback from the adjudicator who acknowledged the limited amount of rehearsal time that school groups have and how hard the students and staff have to work to ensure the quality of performance delivered on the night. The concert band have been awarded the Mansfield Town Trophy for the best vocal or instrumental group in the festival, and have been asked to perform at the winners concert on Sunday 10th May at the Palace Theatre.

Brunts Spring Concert

Date Posted: 23rd April 2015

Members of the Brunts Concert Band, Swing Band, Choir, Clarinet group and the A Cappella vocal group ‘Vox Humana’, as well as soloists, performed their annual Spring Concert at the Old Meeting House on the 1st April. The church was full and the audience were very appreciative. The secretary of the Old Meeting House has described the concert as ‘amazing’ and said that the congregation are ‘always in awe at the very high quality the Academy delivers’ and noted that ‘Such high standards are only attained by devotion and countless hours of practice.’ [gallery]

The Challenge of China

Date Posted: 25th March 2015

Nine of our Year 10 students have taken part in the Challenge of China at Nottingham University. They spent the day in different workshops: calligraphy, etiquette, language tasters, geography and food tasting. Alongside this they had to work with students from other schools in teams on a business challenge. At the end of the day they were asked to sell the product that they had made for a Chinese teenager to the other groups and Nikita was in the winning team! The students were exceptionally well behaved and really got stuck in with the day's activities. [gallery]

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Date Posted: 24th March 2015

On Thursday 19th March a group of our Year 7 students went to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham to see The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas which they study as part of their work in Year 7.

Sports Hall Athletics

Date Posted: 17th March 2015

Last Thursday 12th March, a group of Year 8 boys and girls visited Manor Academy to take part in the Mansfield Sports Hall Athletics competition. The girls team consisted of Chloe Gillicker, Sophie Graham, Georgia Graham, Katie Buchanan, Mollie Stonier and Amy Tivey. While the boys team included Lewis Edmunds, Oliver Smith, Josh Kenzie, Josh Gentry, Lewis Ogden, Ty Short and Ben Scott. Both teams represented the school very well, achieving 2nd place and narrowly missing out on 1st place by only a few points. Brunts dominated in the track events, especially in the relay races. [gallery]

Sixth Form German students practise their translation skills

Date Posted: 10th March 2015

On Thursday February 26th, four A2 German students attended a translation workshop at Nottingham University where they worked with acclaimed German poet Ulrike Sandig and members of the Nottingham University German department to produce translations of Ulrike's poems. The students found the level of language challenging but were supported by senior academics and final year students and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Hoorah for Hollywood

Date Posted: 5th March 2015

Yr10 performed extracts from films in Hoorah for Hollywood on Tuesday 24th March as their first examination piece for GCSE Performing Arts. The evening consisted of 24 extracts performed by the students and guest artists including Suzy Fell, Pia Schneider, Jamie Radford and the Boys Dance Group. evening started with a look at Disney with Aladdin, Mary Poppins and Tangled and ended with a tribute to The Sound of Music. The evening ended with ‘So Long Farewell’ initially performed by the Yr10 with the rest of the cast joining in on the final chorus.

Brunts and Fountaindale students play with the BBC Concert Orchestra

Date Posted: 3rd March 2015

The Fountaindale iPad orchestra project working with The Brunts Academy and BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Duncan Chapman. Showcase 2015 was arranged by The County Youth Arts as a way of bringing together different types of music played by people of varying ability. It brought together three different ensembles : The Fountaindale iPad Orchestra, The Brunts Academy Concert Band and several members from the BBC Concert orchestra. The project began on 5th December with a full day rehearsal, the students started by working out which notes they could use in the scale set by the Fountaindale group. From this they began to piece together ideas they could use to accompany the orchestra, this included a short motif and creating different effects with their instruments. For instance, a pulsing effect where 8 of the same note were played short and together before moving on to the next note in the scale, in a cyclic nature. They went on to develop ideas for their individual piece they would also perform at the concert. Following this rehearsal, the students came together for a second practice on Thursday 22nd January where they further developed their concepts, added a second half to the previous motif and created a running order for their nine ideas. This helped them to be more easily identified in future rehearsals and during the actual performance. Next, students went for a full day rehearsal at Fountaindale school on Wednesday 11th February where they developed their ideas to ensure the synthetic and instrumental sounds complimented each other, ensuring all groups would be showcased to their full potential. Finally, there was a brief rehearsal before the concert on Thursday 22nd February where all of the students got accustomed to their surroundings and finally, they did a rehearsal combining The Brunts Academy Concert Band,…

Year 8 Handball winners

Date Posted: 24th February 2015

Congratulations to the Year 8 Boys Handball team, who won the Mansfield competition on Monday evening. They beat All Saints 5-1 and Samworth 7-0 to book their place at the Sainsbury's Winter School Games at the end of the month. The team members are Jack Wall, Andrew Johncock, Oliver Smith, Josh Kenzie, Lewis Ogden, Alex Brunton, Josh Kenzie and Ben Scott.

Living for Sport

Date Posted: 24th February 2015

On Thursday 12th March the Sky Sports Living for Sport group were visited by Andrew Bridge, a former GB basketball player. The scheme this year aims to increase participation in this lunchtime club and develop the students' skills in Handball. This has started successfully, with over 20 students attending regularly and the team selected for the fixtures this week qualifying for the Sainbury's School Games. Andrew shared the key initiatives of the Living for Sport campaign and his basketball expertise with the group.

Bouncing into second place

Date Posted: 29th January 2015

A Key Stage 3 Trampolining competition was held at the Brunts Academy on 28th January. Eleven teams entered in total from schools across Mansfield and Nottinghamshire. The Brunts team consisting of George Close, Ava Burton, Abigail Eardley, Annie Bowman, Katie Bowman, Kayleigh Sellars and Hannah Dunkley came 2nd, missing out on first place by just 0.3 of a score. A massive well done to them all.

Year 12 and 13 biology trips to the University of Nottingham

Date Posted: 27th January 2015

On Tuesday 20th January our Year 12 biologists were treated to a day of practicals, workshops and lectures at the University of Nottingham. Activities on the day covered a range of topics relevant to the A-level course, but the main link was cell division and cancer. The students prepared slides from garlic root tips and were able to see the cells dividing by using a light microscope, but they were also shown the University’s far more powerful electron microscopes which are used to view cell structure in much greater detail. Another activity developed the students’ practical skills when they had to perform an immunoassay to test for the amount of a particular protein in a sample using antibodies. The students were so enamoured with the technique that they have been begging me to buy the equipment so we can do more of it in school! An enlightening talk on how problems with cell division lead to cancer and how knowledge of this can be used to create more effective treatments rounded off the day’s events. The students displayed exemplary behaviour, and their enthusiasm was noted by the university staff. On the following day the Year 13 biologists had their turn and the best efforts of the snow couldn’t keep them away. The day may have been much colder, but a few shivers didn’t stop the event from being useful for the students. The main attraction was an absolutely enthralling talk about monitoring populations of rare butterflies in South Sinai, Egypt. The professor’s decision to model the mark-release-recapture technique using Smarties may have played a part in maintaining the students’ rapt attention! The students were also let loose in one of the university’s animal behaviour labs, designing experiments to test the reactions of Drosophila (fruit flies) to light. To their credit,…

Harvey’s story

Date Posted: 27th January 2015

Here is an update on the progress being made by Harvey, the Guide Dog puppy. Our student council organised fundraising events throughout the school to raise money for his training.

Year 9 Textiles Technology

Date Posted: 27th January 2015

Year 9 ‘s have just completed a new project introduced to Textiles this year ‘The decorative Cushion cover’. The students had to create a design using as many decorative techniques as they could and here are some of the results.

A German Christmas Market

Date Posted: 13th January 2015

Thirty-eight of our students, accompanied by Miss Baker, Mr Rodriguez, Mrs Smith and Miss Swinfield took part in a Christmas market visit to Cologne, Germany at the end of last term. [gallery]

Sixth form students help The Halls Homeless Project

Date Posted: 18th December 2014

Suzannah Dubowski and Rachel Schofield accompanied Mrs Dubowski to The St. Peters Centre to present a cheque for £250 raised at the recent performances of ‘The Downfall of Alice’ for The Hall Homeless Support Project and fifty pounds in cash raised by the sixth form on Christmas Jumper Day. There were a number of homeless people tucking into a hearty Christmas dinner and one of the men gave away a beautiful inked drawing that he had done.

Visit to Warner Bros Studio

Date Posted: 18th December 2014

Forty- three student visited the exhibition of Harry Potter films with Mrs Dubowski, Mrs Bush, Miss Cox and Mr Morris on Tuesday 16th December. The students learnt about costume design and application, make-up- particularly the creation of mythical creatures, set design, model making and special effects amongst a wide range of other aspects of film production. The students in Btec Production Arts and GCSE Performing Arts have greatly enhanced their knowledge and understanding through the visit. One of the highlights was learning about green screen and either riding in the Ford Anglia chased by the Hogwarts Express or riding a broom through London. A memorable day was had by all. The Back Lot – Hogwarts’ Bridge Excitedly queueing for the magical experience [gallery include="1139,1140"] The Great Hall The making of the goblin masks [gallery include="1141,1142,1143"] Scale drawing and model making The Weasleys’ Joke Shop Riding a broomstick on green screen [gallery include="1144,1145"] The final exhibit – giant model of Hogwarts in the snow White card model

Random Acts of Kindness

Date Posted: 10th December 2014

On Wednesday 10th December we were pleased to welcome representatives from The Hall Homeless Project who came into school to collect items of food and toiletries donated by staff and students of the Academy. These donations were part of our Random Acts of Kindness Day and will be made up into food parcels. Next week some Brunts students will be going along to the Halls to help serve Christmas dinner to local homeless people. All in addition to the £250 raised for the project at last week’s performances of ‘The Downfall of Alice’!

Textiles students at The Clothes Show Live

Date Posted: 9th December 2014

On Friday 5th December Miss Cox along with Miss Wainwright, Mrs King and Mr Lewis took 49 Textiles students to the Clothes Show Live at the Birmingham NEC. The main aim of the trip was to gain an insight into the fashion industry and possible career opportunities as well as visit the University stands, speak with the course lecturers and have a look at degree standard work. Below some of the students are looking through the degree portfolios and watching the graduate catwalk show. This was a fantastic opportunity to see the standard of practical work from some of the leading fashion universities. [gallery include="1122,1123,1124"] We then took our seats for the main catwalk and fashion exhibition; the 45 minute show was a fantastic performance with fashion dance and music rolled into one…..oh and not forgetting the appearance from Peter Andre. [gallery include="1125,1126,1127,1128,1129,1130,1131"] The dancers and models were amazing, it was exhausting just watching them. However we managed to muster up some energy to look round the rest of the exhibition, sample the freebies and of course a little bit of shopping and celebrity spotting!!

Bouncing to Success

Date Posted: 20th November 2014

On 19th November two Key Stage 4 teams attended a Trampoline Competition at Tuxford Academy. The standard of competition was extremely high and the 12 students represented the academy exceptionally well. Brunts A Team took 3rd Place and Brunts B Team took 6th Place. We are very proud of their achievements. Miss Lockwood

Netball News

Date Posted: 19th November 2014

Big congratulations to both the year 9 and 10 Netball squads who won the Central Venue League tournament tonight. Year 9 results: Meden 4 V Brunts 6 Brunts 1 V Allsaints 1 Year 10 results: Brunts 3 V Manor 2 Brunts 3 V Samworth 0 And to our Year 7 and 8 netball teams who recently both came second in their tournament.