STUDENT SUCCESS CELEBRATED AT 2017 ACHIEVEMENT CELEBRATION EVENINGS

Date Posted: 10th July 2017

Over 300 students across Years 7 to 13 were celebrated at The Brunts Academy’s annual Achievement Celebration Evening at phenomenal ceremonies held on Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th June 2017. 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 for Directors’ Integrity, Headteacher’s Award for Outstanding Achievement and the CEO’s Award for Outstanding Effort and Progress. The audience over the three evenings were treated to 15 different acts which showcased the extraordinary talents of the Music, Dance and Performing Arts faculties. Acts included spectacular solo and group acts including our award winning Swing and Concert bands. The Achievement Celebration evenings were generously sponsored and supported by the local business community including The Evolve Trust, Laing O’Rourke, Pinnacle Security and Sheffield Hallam University. A special mention must be given to the awards presenters who were Martin Rigley, CEO of Lindhurst Engineering, Richard Fuller, CEO of County Battery Services, and Elizabeth Orridge, owner of Elizabeth Orridge Photography. Carl Atkin, Headteacher, said: “Brunts are extremely proud of our students and events like these happen because of our strong vision ‘to open minds, creating opportunities for all to believe in themselves, achieve their potential and develop the skills needed to succeed and enjoy life’. The Academy with the Evolve Trust, will not stop driving for scholastic excellence, ensuring that our students are aspirational and achieve their very best. We are very lucky to have such a talented and diverse group of students and it’s great through these celebrations to see so many students’ academic, pastoral and extra-curricular successes showcased”.

Brunts & its Feeders host Sing Up! 2017

Date Posted: 6th July 2017

The Brunts Academy along with 3 of its feeder schools King Edward, High Oakham and Sutton Road hosted the annual Sing Up! concert live from the Academy's Sports Hall! The quality of performances was excellent throughout and included “True Colours” and “Feel the light”. Both parents, pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed it! A huge well done to all the performers and a massive thank you to Mr Cooke, Mrs Humphrey and the CPA Faculty for organising and delivering a superb concert!  

Brunts is now a Direct Licensing Centre for DofE

Date Posted: 5th July 2017

The Brunts Academy, the lead academy within The Evolve Trust, is proud to announce that it is has become a Direct Licensing Centre for DofE. A huge thank you to Mr Crowley-Volpato and Mrs Humphrey for their efforts in securing this accreditation.

Student Success – Year 7 Rounders

Date Posted: 5th July 2017

Massive congratulations to the Year 7 Rounders team who came 4th in the West Notts PE Rounders tournament on Monday evening. This was the girls' first competition this year and they played extremely well together. The team consisted of: Misha Burrell Emily Bradley Connie Soar Grace Dickinson Isobel Hibbet Sophie Adams-Bachelor Kelly Marie Parkin Emily Keating Grace Haslam Starla Bingley  

Brunts Host Year 6 into 7 Transition 1/2 Term Workshop

Date Posted: 4th June 2017

The Brunts Academy hosted 30 Year 6 pupils, who will be joining in September, for a fun day of 'Getting To Know Brunts' on Thursday 1st June The day saw the pupils carousel around three different workshops: Orienteering  - which enabled them to familiarise themselves with our 40 acre site! Computer Science - which saw them access three different activities - Coding, Programming using BigTrax, and then they travelled to the Moon and delivered a news story! Art - which saw them learn all about Pop Art and produce their own Pop Art poster! The day was a fantastic success and despite a few first morning nerves, everyone ended the day with a huge smile with lots of budding friendships formed too! A huge thank you to Mr Hickling, Mrs Humphrey, Miss Cooper and Harley from an external Arts and Crafts company.  

Brunts secure Governor Mark Accreditation

Date Posted: 4th June 2017

The Brunts Academy is extremely proud to have secured Governor Mark accreditation.  Governor Mark is a national award  which provides external evaluation of the quality of governance in a school.  This is a challenging award. Not only does a governing body need to show that it follows good procedures and fulfils statutory duties, but there is a high value placed on evidence of impact – the difference the governing body makes to a school. Sometimes governors work hard and make a real difference, but no proper record is ever made of this. Governor Mark helps to sharpen practice as well as create the framework through which governor support and challenge can be shown through real evidence. The Brunts Academy is extremely appreciative of the leadership, support and challenge our governors provide.  This demonstrates that all levels of leadership are united in securing our vision - to open minds, creating opportunities for all to believe in themselves, achieve their potential and develop the skills needed to succeed and enjoy life. We are proud that the effective work of our governors has been recognised through this award.  

Save The Date – Achievement Celebrations – 26th to 28th June 2017

Date Posted: 4th June 2017

Save The Date : Nominations are currently being processed for this year's Achievement Celebration Evenings! All Nominees will be notified within the next few days. The wheels are in motion for this year’s awards evening which will take place over three nights at Mansfield Palace Theatre on: Monday 26th June – Years 7 and 8 Tuesday 27th June – Years 9 and 10 Wednesday 28th June – Years 11 and 6th Form    

Brunts Choir perform in the National Youth Choir Concert

Date Posted: 26th May 2017

On Wednesday 17th May, members of the Brunts Academy choir joined choirs from seven other Nottinghamshire schools and members of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain to perform a series of vocal pieces in a concert at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham. Brunts choir was asked at very short notice to sing a piece by themselves after another school was unable to participate. Needless to say they were more than up to the job and were described as the Brunts “Super Choir” by one of the organising team. There were over 150 singers in all and together they learnt 4 songs, from memory, in under an hour. Thanks to our vocal teacher Suzy Fell for her support and enthusiasm for this project. Our choir will continue to be involved in this collaborative project with the NYCGB and Nottinghamshire’s Inspire team.

Student success at Mansfield Track and Field County Athletics Qualifiers

Date Posted: 15th May 2017

A massive congratulations to all students who took part in the Mansfield Track and Field County Athletics Qualifiers on Wednesday 10th May. Please see below the overall results: Junior Girls – Brunts Academy 1st place Junior Boys – Brunts Academy 2nd place Inter Girls – Brunts Academy 1st place Inter Boys – Brunts Academy 2nd place Students who finished 1st in their chosen event have qualified for the County competition on Saturday 10th June @ Harvey Haddon, where they will represent Mansfield as a district. Brunts students have qualified for 30 events on this day which I am sure you will agree is a great achievement. Below are the students who have qualified and their particular event: Adam Saxton Amy Tivey Ben Scott Bethany Gascoigne Caitlyn Elliot Cerys Lamb Chloe Allcock Chloe Allcock Chloe Gillickeral Elliot Cartwright Georgia Graham Hannah Shakespeare Hannah Shakespeare Henry Stevenson Hollie-May Dove Holly Spencer Holly-May Spencer Josh Housley Josh Housley Katie Buchanan Lauren Guarner Megan Foster Molly Stonier Owen Shaw Pierce Craggs Reece Young Sophia Stewart Sophie Graham Sophie Stewart Tom Scott  

The Brunts Academy Musicians rock into Spring Concert

Date Posted: 8th May 2017

This year’s Spring Concert took place on 3rd May and was held at St Mark’s church in Mansfield. The setting was perfect for the Academy’s musicians to perform to friends and family and members of the church’s congregation. The Concert Band, Swing Band and Choir all performed pieces that they had been preparing since Christmas. We were really grateful to Mr Rob Deakin, our new brass teacher, who conducted the Concert Band after only two rehearsals. Soloists included Toby Govan, Rebecca Hardwick, Sam Barker, Emma Govan, Becky Birch, Alana Cranson and Amelia Betts. One member of the congregation was very impressed with what he had heard and expressed his gratitude that the Brunts Academy was helping to keep live music alive in Mansfield and at such a high standard. Finally, we would like to thank Miss Fell, Mrs Wilson and Mr Oakton for their help in preparing the music, and to Mr Walker for his help setting up and taking photographs.

The Brunts Academy and The Evolve Trust launch exciting new relationship with PET-Xi

Date Posted: 5th May 2017

The Brunts Academy and The Evolve Trust are excited to have launched a new working relationship with PET-Xi. PET-Xi offer results-based intensive courses in GCSE & other exams to schools across the country. Please see the website for further details. Carl Atkin, Headteacher, commented “Brunts are always looking for new and innovative opportunities to support our students reach their highest potential. We are really looking forward to working with PET-Xi more closely in the future and look forward to hosting them for English, Maths, Computer Science, Geography and History events over the coming weeks”.

Latest Ofsted Report 2017

Date Posted: 1st May 2017

On 22 March 2017, the Academy underwent its first short Ofsted inspection since the school was judged to be good in April 2013. We are proud to announce that the Ofsted Inspectors agreed with our own judgement that the Academy continues to be good and that the quality of teaching is at least good. Please click here to view the full report.

A-Level Results 2016 – 99.7% Pass Rate

Date Posted: 1st May 2017

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…

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

Date Posted: 1st May 2017

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”.  

Staff win 3-2 v Y13 in a Charity Football Match

Date Posted: 31st March 2017

On Thursday 30th March, staff took the brave challenge of playing against Y13 in a charity football match. The match was a real spectacle with some great skill work shown by the students but impressively by the staff notably Mr Hindmarch! The staff went on to win 3 - 2 with a hat trick from Mr Lucas! Thank you to Mr N Davies for his referring skills! Staff Team Photo (Top Row L-R): Mr L Davies, Mr Dickinson, Mr Hindmarch, Mr Milner, Mr Hickling, Mr Swann and Mr Fenwick Staff Team Photo (Bottom Row L-R): Mr Lucas, Mr Hough, Mr Heartfield, Mr Addison and Callum (Y13).  

Prefects get baking for the Soup Kitchen

Date Posted: 31st March 2017

On Thursday 30th March, the Academy's Prefects made 120 cakes which are going to the Soup Kitchen at Bridge Street Methodist Church.  The Soup Kitchen serves between 20 and 50 local people each Friday evening, some of whom are homeless. This project is part of our Prefects' work to support their local community and is one of a series of projects the Prefects have undertaken.

Brunts Digital travel to the Moon on Global Day

Date Posted: 26th March 2017

Mr Hickling and Mrs Harper went out of Space and travelled the Moon with Year 6 pupils as part of the Academy's Global Day on Friday 24th March. Check out their Moon Landing with the help of some fantastic Year 9s!

Year 6 travel the world at Brunts’ Global Day

Date Posted: 26th March 2017

The Brunts Academy hosted 240 Year 6 pupils from its feeder schools for the first ever Global Day, as part of the Academy’s transition programme. Global Day saw the pupils travel around the world with MFL visiting France and Germany, Humanities visiting places like Rome and London, and with Brunts Digital, the pupils go into Space and trek around the Moon! Attached photo = Mr Hickling with Sutton Road students using the green screen to record a video on the Moon!

Mr Hickling’s Year 7s show Computer Science doesn’t have to be delivered inside!

Date Posted: 26th March 2017

Mr. Hickling's Year 7 took their Computer Science lesson outside and worked with BigTraks robots, programming them to create simple algorithms and learning how to debug them when things didn't quite go to plan. Some excellent demonstrations of the Brunts Academy's Future Me 'Collaborative Learner', 'Resilient Learner' and ' Problem Solver' skills.  

Letter to Parents re Ofsted Inspection

Date Posted: 21st March 2017

Letter to Parents re Inspection

A-Level Food Students host Afternoon Tea

Date Posted: 17th March 2017

A-Level Food Technology students hosted an Afternoon Tea for staff on Wednesday 8th March. The tea consisted of food made by the students on site and included sandwiches, miniature cakes, macaroons and cheese scones. The tea was limited to 50 places and these places were very quickly snapped up by staff. The students offered both a sit-in and delivery staff. A huge well done goes to Jenny May Coupe, Francesca Ward and Abbi Harwood (Year 13) and Chloe Marshall, Tempany Martin, Georgia Evans and Rachael Dubourg (Year 12). The event raised £125 and this was donated to the Princess Evie Trust.

Brunts takes on The Apprentice!

Date Posted: 17th March 2017

Mr Swann's Y11 Business Studies have been showcasing their budding entrepreneurial skills over the past few weeks - in their own version of The Apprentice! The students, as part of their course, have had to set up a business in a team with a limited start up fund of £20. Business projects included homemade cupcakes, staff car wash, chocolate and sweet hampers raffle, pot noodles, throwing sponges at teachers, and hot drinks. The total monies raised was £212.54 of which £120.50 was profit and was kindly donated to the students' Year 11 Prom. Take a look at Brunts takes on The Apprentice in action:

National Careers Week – 6th to 10th March

Date Posted: 6th March 2017

E-Safety Week #3 – 27th to 31st March

Date Posted: 6th March 2017

What does your digital footprint say about you  

Georgia Walker skates to success once again!

Date Posted: 20th February 2017

Congrats to Georgia Walker, Year 7, who competed in the Trophy d'Ecosse in Dumfries, Scotland on the 9th and 10th February. This was Team Silhouettes's final competition of the 2016/2017 season and they won the Juvenile category.

Year 13 ICT run focus groups with Year 8

Date Posted: 16th February 2017

ICT Year 13’s have run focus groups today with the Year 8’s gathering feedback for the Video Games that they will be making for coursework. Both years did us proud – especially as it’s the last day! The Year 13’s were natural teachers and the Year 8’s were really thoughtful and eloquent with their feedback!

A Prestigious Accolade for The Evolve Trust

Date Posted: 1st February 2017

The Evolve Trust and its three academies, Brunts, Beech and Bramble have secured the national ‘Leading Aspect Award’ for Educational innovation. A team of people led by Michael Lucas – Head of Raising Achievement have made significant strides this year on enhancing the professional learning journeys for their staff, which has had a positive on our disadvantaged pupils both academically and pastorally.   Michael Lucas –Head of Raising Achievement said, “Supporting staff to work more effectively with parents and their children has improved attainment and achievement across the academies. It also highlights how the three academies are utilising the Pupil Premium (PP) funding to maximize the impact on our disadvantaged young people”   Opening doors to learning for all stakeholders sets out The Evolve Trusts’ approach for ‘Closing the Gap’ for pupils to achieve their potential and ultimately improve their life chances. It enables staff at all levels to access and contribute to a professional learning pathway.   Claire- Marie Cuthbert – CEO said “I am delighted that the Evolve Trust has been given this prestigious ‘Leading Aspect Award’. It recognises the dedication and commitment of our staff, parents and children to secure an ambitious future for all”   All Academies within the Trust provide outstanding education by creating an inspiring, opportunity-rich learning environment for all. Five hundred and fifty-three children across the three academies have benefited from the professional learning journeys undertaken by staff and this innovative approach will be embedded throughout the academic year and beyond.    

Readathon – 6th February to 3rd March

Date Posted: 1st February 2017

Rock Night 2017 – Wednesday 8th March

Date Posted: 26th January 2017

Tickets are available now from student reception.

E-Safety Week #2 – 6th to 10th February

Date Posted: 25th January 2017

Brunts Digital E-Safety Parent/ Carer Newsletter  

Georgia Walker continues to skate to success!

Date Posted: 23rd January 2017

Georgia Walker skates with Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy (NSSA). Last weekend Georgia skated in the British Synchronized Skating Championships on Saturday and Sunday.  The competition was held at her club's home rink, the NIC in Nottingham. Teams from all over the UK travel to Nottingham for the national finals and it is the biggest competition of the season in terms of number of teams that enter. On Saturday 14th January, Georgia skated in Team Silhouettes, in the Juvenile category. They won with a score of 42.12, 18 points higher than the team in silver medal position. This is the highest score that has ever been awarded to a Juvie team in the UK. On Sunday 15th January, Georgia skated in Team Icetastic. They won with a winning score of 35.48, 7 points higher than the team in silver. The Nottingham teams dominate the sport in the UK, they have outstanding coaches that work so hard to develop complex routines that show case both creative and skating ability. We are extremely proud that Georgia and her team mates are British Champions for 2017. Georgia's next competition is the Trophy d'Ecosse an ISU competition that is held in Scotland in February.

Year 7 Girls Futsal Success

Date Posted: 23rd January 2017

Congratulations to our Year 7 Girls Futsal group who won all 3 of their games, conceding 0 goals, at Garibaldi College. The girls will now go onto represent Mansfield in the Area Finals in February!

Brunts Digital launches project with BBC East Midlands Today

Date Posted: 17th January 2017

The Brunts Digital faculty at The Brunts Academy, lead academy of the Evolve Trust, has launched an exciting broadcasting project with BBC East Midlands Today.  The project will see Year 10 students undertake the task of researching, planning and producing a short feature for an upcoming broadcast of the BBC East Midlands Today TV programme. The feature is to be based on a recent or historical event or news story.  BBC East Midlands Today have produced a short feature to launch the project and give the students some useful top tips and motivation! There are some cameo appearances from Mr Milner and Mrs Harper. Take a look to see what the project entails…. Mr Milner, Assistant Headteacher, said of the project “Brunts Digital, and the Academy as a whole, are always looking for new ways to engage and support our students. This project is really exciting for both the faculty and the students, and we are honoured to have the support of BBC East Midlands Today. A huge thank you goes to everyone at BBC East Midlands Today”.  

Teachers deliver “something different” lessons

Date Posted: 16th January 2017

On Friday 9th December 2016, teaching staff were challenged to "Do Something Different" in their classroom. The rationale behind this was to keep students on their toes in the lead up to the Christmas break! "Do Something Different" lessons included differentiated Pictionary in Technology, silent Business Studies lessons, students leading lessons, and winter weather forecasts in Brunts Digital. Take a look at how this worked in action:    

Brunts’ Prefects raise £433.76 for Framework!

Date Posted: 5th January 2017

On Thursday 15th December 2016, 18 Prefects from Years 7 - 10 took part in the Framework Charity Bag Pack at Asda, Forest Town.  In response to the rough sleeping crisis, the “Off the Streets” campaign will provide a new team based in Mansfield to help rough sleepers across Nottinghamshire where there is currently no outreach work taking place.  The campaign aims to raise £230,000. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and interacted fantastically with the shoppers.  The students received excellent feedback from the customers and staff and were a real credit to our school. Harry Theaker, from Framework, said "The students raised an amazing….£433.76! This is a fantastic total for one day’s fundraising. So once again, many thanks for your efforts".

Brunts host Christmas Spectacular 2016!

Date Posted: 16th December 2016

The Brunts Academy, lead academy of The Evolve Trust, along with 3 of its feeder primary schools held the annual Christmas Spectacular concert on Tuesday 13th December. Organised and hosted by the Brunts Academy, the annual Christmas Spectacular brings together the choirs of Brunts and its feeder primaries. The featured feeder schools were High Oakham Primary School, King Edward Primary School, and Sutton Road Primary School. Each primary school performed two acts which included Run, Run Rudolph and Little Donkey. Performances from Brunts came from its Swing and Concert Bands and Choir with acts including Adele’s Skyfall, Mission Impossible and Mistletoe and Wine. All the acts came together for the finale performance of Reindeer on the Roof. Carl Atkin, Headteacher, said of the performance “Yet again, the concert was phenomenal and I really enjoyed it. All the students were fantastic and were very brave to perform to a 400 strong audience! Many thanks to all staff involved for their hard work and effort in making the concert a success as always”.

Budding entrepreneurs take part in Brunts Market!

Date Posted: 14th December 2016

On Tuesday 13th December, 27 students from Mr Swann’s Year 9 Business Group took part in Brunts’ Market! Brunts Market was launched to support Year 9 students who have just started taking GCSE Business Studies and apply in real life skills they were learning. The enterprise project was ran with Mr Swann’s group and saw students in teams be given £20 to set up their own mini business. The students spent 6 weeks developing their business and products which included hot drinks, home-made cupcakes and cookies, and because a dog isn’t just for Christmas, a dog accessory stall! These products were sold to the waiting audience for our Christmas Spectacular! The students did a phenomenal job and made a staggering £120 after trading for only 45 minutes!

Students get trained up as Anti-Bullying Mentors

Date Posted: 9th December 2016

On Friday 2nd December, 18 students from Years 8 – 11 took part in their Anti-Bullying Mentor training ran by Sarah Taylor from Bullies Out. The training enabled all the students to gain the tools to begin their peer mentoring in the new year and all passed with flying colours! The Anti-Bullying Mentors programme has been launched as part of the Academy's wider Student Leadership Programme. The mentors will use their training to help and support victims of bullying from all year groups.

Year 10 Creative Media Students take part in Digital Day!

Date Posted: 8th December 2016

Digital Agencies attempt to bridge the skills gap   Digital Day is a national initiative on Tuesday 15 November that saw digital professionals head back to school or college for the day, to inspire students and give them an insight into careers in the sector. The Digital sector is growing year by year and digital careers are creeping into every industry, this event was aimed at both inspiring students and enabling them to work on their potential skill sets. The digital skills gap costs the UK economy around £63bn a year in lost income and it has been recently stated that "Digital exclusion has no place in 21st Century Britain," the Commons Science and Technology Committee said. Agencies play a pivotal role in future proofing brands and their propositions, but the pressure to attract and retain quality digital talent is increasing for everyone. Several agencies across the region took part in the day including East-Midlands co-ordinating agency Remarkable.net, Dijitul, Hallam Internet, Fifteen Design and Impression - teaming up with schools such as The Brunts Academy in Mansfield, West College Nottingham in Mansfield and The Dukeries Academy in Ollerton. The participating students were requested to choose from one of three tasks set by national sponsors Cancer Research UK, Standard Life and TATA Communications – from devising digital methods of making young people more aware of obesity, designing a fun game to get young people interested in earning or saving money, to developing a technology-based solution to problems affecting disadvantaged communities. The best entries from each school will be entered into the national Digital Day competition, with the chance to win various prizes for both the school and the team entered. The feedback received by schools from industry professionals and students blows us away every year. Students thoroughly enjoy working on briefs,…

Student Success – Georgia Walker 7MSA

Date Posted: 2nd December 2016

      A huge congratulations to Georgia Walker 7MSA who has been competing at the Winter Cup in Belgium with her team mates from Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy (NSSA). The team skated a fantastic routine and won Gold in their first ISU international competition of the season.

Student Success – Year 7 and 8 Rugby

Date Posted: 2nd December 2016

Congratulations to the following students who attended the U13’s Girls Rugby Festival on Thursday 1st December at Mansfield Rugby Club. Connie Soar Kitty Teal Jess Bingley Daisy Overton Eleanor Robinson Brook Cooper Tania Smith Paris Wilson Tilly Short Ellie Lockhart Emily Bradley 56 students across 6 different school came together to compete in their first tournament. All students thoroughly enjoyed the competitive element of the tournament and learning new skill/rules for rugby. The coaches from Mansfield Rugby Club hope to see some students attending their local training session as a result of this.    

Brunts raise £341.77 for Anti-Bullying Alliance

Date Posted: 20th November 2016

Brunts raise £380.55 for Children in Need

Date Posted: 18th November 2016

12 Y11 Students Gain EDCL Qualification

Date Posted: 11th November 2016

Well done to 12 Year 11 students who have successfully completed the ECDL ICT Level 2 qualification. The qualification is nationally recognised and equivalent to a GCSE grade C and above. The qualification not only develops useful skills but will also assist the students as they start to apply for 6th Form and other pathways. A huge thank has to go to the Brunts Digital and Exams teams for supporting these students to achieve this qualification. Congratulations go to: Joshua JACKSON Georgia MARSH Bethany REID James COPPIN Reanna GRAVES Imogen-Laura WOODWARD Chloe BOOTH Georgina CAMM Natasha DELAMARE Jordan PRICE Anthony SMITH Thomas LOATES

Accelerated Learning – Year 11 take a spin around Brunts!

Date Posted: 11th November 2016

On Wednesday 9th November 2016, 12 Year 11 students had an opportunity  to experience being behind a wheel for the very first time. These students had a fantastic time and now have a head start when it comes to driving lessons. The students were selected based on a number of criteria including attitude to learning, attendance and progress in exam subjects. The next driving school sessions are booked in for December 14th where other Year 11 students will have an opportunity to participate.  

Record turnout for Brunts 6th Form Open Evening

Date Posted: 11th November 2016

Pictured: Mr Davies, Head of 6th Form, delivering the Open Evening to a large audience.   The Brunts Academy, lead academy of The Evolve Trust, is celebrating after over 400 local young people and their parents/ carers attended their 6th Form Open Evening on Wednesday 9th November 2016. This was a record turnout for the Academy with the venue only equipped to accommodate that number of people.   The Open Evening was a great opportunity for existing and also young people from other local schools to meet the 6th Form team and A-Level specialist teachers. Mrs Dickinson, Director of Marketing and Enterprise at The Evolve Trust, briefed the audience on the outstanding careers and enterprise programmes 6th Form students at Brunts can access through the Academy’s extensive links with the local business and education community.   Brunts 6th Form is still celebrating after achieving record A-Level exams results in August 2016 with a 99.7% pass rate – the highest pass rate in Mansfield – and all students going onto secure their chosen destinations. From this cohort, 70% of students went onto university of which 25% were Russell Group universities.   Neil Davies, Head of 6th form added, “It was highly rewarding to see so many students, internal and external, attend this open evening and start the process of applying to 6th Form. A huge thank you has to go to the staff and current students who supported this open evening. We look forward to receiving applications from all attendees.”

Anti-Bullying Week – 14th to 18th November 2016

Date Posted: 10th November 2016

        In honour of Anti-Bullying week, there will be a "Wear Blue" non-uniform day on Friday 18 Nov. £1 donations with monies going to charity. Spot it, stop it! - http://www.bullying.co.uk/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-videos

The Brunts Academy Wins Big Lottery support!

Date Posted: 19th October 2016

The Brunts Academy has this week received £8582.90 from the Big Lottery Fund. This grant is going to be used to purchase equipment and clothing for students to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Led by staff and volunteers from the school, the project has over 80 students recruited to take part in Bronze and Silver awards beginning with a Taster Day in December. Mr Atkin, Headteacher, said “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Big Lottery Fund. This is excellent news which will enable a greater number of students to access this excellent opportunity.” The award is internationally recognised and gives students the opportunity to develop new skills, builds confidence and self-esteem, shows dedication and gives those who have completed it an edge over others.

INSET DAY – FRIDAY 21st OCTOBER

Date Posted: 18th October 2016

The Academy is on INSET this Friday, 21st October, and will be closed to all students.

E-Safety Week – W/C 17th October 2016

Date Posted: 17th October 2016

Brunts Digital's E-Safety Flyer for Parents/ Carers A-Z of E-Safety Protect yourself and your personal information online with top tips from UCAS http://ow.ly/Tf9X303VTjC Your guide to the social networks young people use - http://ow.ly/R9bO305fagz

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.

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…