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Chisokone Fundraising
Leisure Suite Sod-Cutting Ceremony
A grass-cutting ceremony will be held next week to mark the start of building work at the new Chatteris Leisure Suite.
The project – at Cromwell Community College – is a joint initiative by Cambridgeshire County Council, Fenland District Council, Chatteris Town
Council and the governing body of the Community College.
The £1.1m centre is part of a wider programme to improve leisure facilities in Chatteris and follows the completion of an all-weather pitch and
sports pavilion at the College which opened last autumn.
It will consist of a 50-station gym and dance studio, with adjoining reception area and changing rooms. Fenland District Council has provided
£600,000 and Chatteris Town Council £500,000.
The gym has been developed alongside the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme at Cromwell and will be available for community use
when it opens in autumn 2012. The building work is being managed by Cambridgeshire County Council.
The turf-cutting event will be held at Cromwell Community College on Thursday 12 January at noon. Representatives from the County Council,
District Council and Town Council are expected to attend, together with representatives from Kier Construction, the main contractors.
Pictures To Follow
Midsummer Nights Dream Production
Cromwell Community College Presents William Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream on 8th and 9th Feburary
2012 at 7pm. Tickets are now available from the Finance Office.
SUCCEED
An Introduction to Succeed
Succeed is the new name for Aiming High. The Succeed scheme aims to raise the aspirations of our students and encourage them to
achieve their full potential.
Trip to Cambridge University
On Thursday 8th December, 26 Year 9 pupils visited the Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge to learn all about
Bridge Building. The visit introduced them to possible careers connected with engineering, as well as giving them an insight into
university life. Thank you to Mr King and Mrs Searle for accompanying the students.
Click Here to view photographs from the event.
PE Department News
On Thursday December 1st CCC U16 and U15 netball teams travelled to Thomas Deacon Academy in Peterborough to play in the County Round
of the National Schools Tournament. Our U15 has qualified in 2nd place in the District Round and were playing teams who were a year older,
with more experience and a years extra growth! Our girls fought hard, did not disgrace themselves and learned valuable lessons which will
stand them in good stead for next year. Well done ladies.
Our U16’s who had played last year as U15’s (and been a bit over-awed) knew exactly what to expect this time. Their results were as follows:
- V Hinchingbrooke won 7-2
- V Thomas Deacon Academy won 7-2
- V St Bedes won 8-4
- V St Mary’s drew 3-3 (having been 3-1 down at half-time)
- V Perse girls WON 4-2!!
- V Comberton Lost 7-4
- V St Ivo won 10-2.
This fantastic set of results meant that by the end of play we were in joint first position with the Perse. In order to separate the two
teams the organisers had to count back, the Perse pipped us to first place as they had scored 2 more goals than us throughout the afternoon’s
play! We were all disappointed not to have finished top, but as the top 2 teams go through, CCC U16s will be representing Cambridgeshire in the
Regional Rounds of the National Championships on January the 28th at Hassenbrook School, Stanford Le Hope, Essex. Brilliant girls!! We are so
proud of you.
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The teams were:
U16: Cherry Cooke ,Molly Fisher, Chelsea Miller, Fay Mackenzie(Capt), Charlotte Baker, Saffy Saunderson and Lauren Stevenson.
U15: Amy Cooke, Aimee Titford, Izzy Barker, Laura Baker, Sophie Holden, Rebecca Everett,Serena Bailey and Ashley King.
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New SSCO Neweletter
A new version of the SSCO newsletter is now available. This can be downloaded by clicking here.
Learning Resource Centre Author Visit
Year 7 were delighted to meet Seve Parker non-fiction author on Tuesday 8 November 2011.
Steve former member of the Natural History Museum, London is author of numerous non-fiction
books, he writes about the Natural world, Biology, Technology and general sciences. Year 7
were entertained by Steve’s humour and enjoyed his workshops,( how to write under pressure)
they also had the opportunity to ask questions.
Comment from Steve Parker
Just a note to say, thank you for hosting the very well-organized and enjoyable day yesterday.
I had a great time, and I hope the listeners took something away (even if it was which football
team I support, or info on my friend Crypto). I was very impressed with your LRC and the whole
school, what a fine learning environment.
Remembrance Day Non-Uniform Day
On Friday 4th November, the A-level Public Services group were asked if they could involve themselves in leading different
fundraising events to raise money for Remembrance Day, resulting in the amount of money being divided between three charities;
The British Legion, Help for Heroes and Afghan Heroes. As these charities are supporting our armed forces that have fought and
currently are serving our country, it only seemed appropriate that the group of four A-level Public Services students should plan,
organise and present the fundraising events that would encourage students in the school to take part. The students gave up some
of their free time to work on the different activities, to make sure it could be completed effectively to raise the most amount
of money they could. The different ideas that the A-level students came up with proved to be popular with the other year groups,
these were:
- A cake sale
- Guess how many sweets there are in the jar’
- ‘Beat the keeper’ competition
- ‘Who’s that baby?’ This consisted of having baby photos of some teachers, the students would then be able to pay and guess who the baby photos were to win a prize.
With these events and the non-uniform day that took place combined, Cromwell Community College has been able to raise £918
overall for the charities, which has been divided equally and will be awarded to the founders of the charities by the A-level
students in a presentation on Friday 11th November.
MFL Presentation Evening
On Thursday 3rd November, over forty students and their parents celebrated achievements in modern foreign languages. Twenty-nine
students received the British Airways Flag Award for schools. This qualification mirrors the one done by British Airways staff to
demonstrate their competence in dealing with foreign passengers and staff. During their time in year 9, they had prepared hard to
be able to deliver a public announcement in French, carry out a general conversation and conduct role-plays with particular reference
to situations in the forthcoming London Olympics. The British Airways Flag Award is a recognised workplace qualification and places
for schools are limited.
A further group of students had worked hard on their French and Spanish during the winter months after school last year participating
in the Cambridge University Language Programme. Cambridge students or staff wishing to learn French or Spanish outside their degree
studies do the same course. Our CULP students came from a variety of yeargroups in the College so an additional aspect was the chance
for students to study with people they could not normally work with. The language programme also included two whole-day sessions,
including one at the University. Students who had completed the study sessions received a certificate from the University of Cambridge.
The awards were presented by David Barron Esq, the Head Teacher of Lionel Walden school in Doddington and a strong promoter of languages
in primary schools. After being welcomed by Mr Terry, vice principal, and Mr Thomas, head of modern languages, he spoke to students and
parents about the growing importance of learning a foreign language and how well language study fits with a whole range of other jobs and
interests.
Year 9 ECITB Presentation
Year 9’s were treated to an amazing performance by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board on Tuesday afternoon.
They were promoting an industry that is sometimes overlooked yet employs some 100,000 UK workers who design, project manage,
construct, install, test, commission, operate and maintain the plant infrastructure of this group of economic sectors that make
up about 20% of our economy.
Engineering construction is a specialist £16 billion a year super-business operating at the heart of some of our key industries.
They include oil and gas, power generation, nuclear energy, renewable energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, water treatment, food and
drink, steel, glass and paper making and the industry is growing quickly so therefore urgently need the future generation to be aware
of this very lucrative area of the world of work.
Pupils have the opportunity to choose a working life that can help make the world a better place. Do they want to get paid good money
to learn skills the world really needs, and then go and use them? Do they want to be part of an industry that really matters? Do they
want to be part of the future? That was the powerful message this high octane road show was presenting.
Post 16/18 Convention
This has been yet another successful Post 16/18 Convention, with 34 educators and employers who have travelled from all over the Country.
This demonstrates how important Careers Education and guidance is and is still highly valued not only in Cromwell but by the many exhibitors
here. With cuts in budgets and unemployment at its highest for many years, our pupils need to have the opportunity to gather and absorb as
much information and ideas as possible. They need to understand the importance of further and higher education so they can join the working
World with the best chances to reach their aspirational goals. We have given them the opportunity to ensure they make the right decision now
so that any pathway they may wish to follow is not closed to them later. We always recommend that if they wish to go to University, for
instance, they need to find out now what qualifications they will need to access their chosen course.
We have also again opened the Convention up to year 6 pupils from our local feeder schools. This gives them a chance to interact with the
experts which will hopefully trigger some ideas about what they might want to do in the future.
Photos will follow shortly.
Year 8 Hunstanton Trip
Year 8’s recent trip to Hunstanton was a really good day. The students took on the roles of detectives and were set two mysteries to solve.
- 1. Why was there a shipwreck on the beach?
- 2. Why are residents on seaview road so worried.
All of the students successfully collected the evidence and solved the mysteries! At the same time the students really enjoyed the bracing walk
on the beach from New Hunstanton to Old Hunstanton and were literally blown away by the beauty of the cliffs and the beach at Old Hunstanton!
Mr Kennedy was heard to remark that “the whole group were a pleasure to take out for the day and all of the students represented the college in a
very positive and exemplary way”! Well done year 8!
Jeans For Genes Day 2011
Cromwell Community College took part in this year’s Jeans for Genes Day on Friday 7th October 2011. Jeans for Genes is the national charity raising money for children with genetic disorders,
to fund the care and support they need now and the research which could change their futures. In the UK, one baby in every 25 is born with a genetic disorder. Although individually these
disorders can be extremely rare, together they are the biggest killer of children aged 14 and under.
Everyone took part on the day wearing non uniform but part of this was wearing their jeans, and in turn they paid £1 donation and the College raised £879.
New 2011/2012 Prospectus
The college's new 2011/2012 Prospectus is now available online.
NVQ Level 2 Beauty Therapy Evening Course
Cromwell Community College is running the Level 2 Beauty Therapy Course again for the 3rd year running.
The course includes:
- Facials,
- Manicures,
- Pedicures,
- Waxing,
- Eye Treatments,
- Make Up
- Spray Tanning
On Completion of the above course successful students will be fully qualified and be able to run their own Beauty. The course with
run on Tuesday and Thursday evening, subject to demand, at Cromwell Community College from 6pm to 9pm.
If you are interested, or require further information regarding costs and content of the course please email
Mrs S Morton or contact the college on 01354 692193
Summer 2011 GCSE Results
This year’s GCSE results are not only the best that the College has ever achieved; they mark a significant leap over
any results that have gone before. The figure for 5x A* - C, including English and Maths has risen by 12% over our previous
best taking us to 62%. This is a tremendous achievement and surpasses the target set by the Local Authority by over 4%.
The old benchmark figure for 5x A* - C GCSE passes also shows a significant rise of 20% over the 2010 record, taking the
College to almost 80% of our Year 11 pupils leaving with five or more higher grade passes. There are notable individual success
stories within these fantastic results. Three pupils achieved 9 or more A* or A grades, they are: Leanne Robinson, James Surtees
and Megan Hall.
As a Principal I am immensely proud of the pupils’ achievements across the board. For the third year running all of the pupils
who completed their full time education here at Cromwell left at least one GCSE qualification. Clearly success like this, coming
only a week after a very good set of ‘A’ Level results, is only possible with a great deal of hard work and dedication from the
pupils, their parents and all the staff here at Cromwell.
Congratulations to everyone who played a part in this superb achievement – especially the pupils.
Inter District Championships
The following students were selected to represent the Isle of Ely District at the annual Inter District Championships at Peterborough Athletics Track on Saturday 11th June. All students represented Cromwell in an exemplary
fashion and were a credit to themselves and the school.
Sophie Holden: Javelin
Anna Flemming: Discus
Adam Escott: 100m, Triple Jump and Relay
Dale Browne: 80m Hurdles, 200m, High Jump and Relay
Ivo Nooteboom: 800m
Matty Nooteboom: 1500m
Casey Fresher: Long Jump
Saffie Saunderson: 300m
Faye Mackenzie: 800m, 80m Hurdles, Relay
Nikita Prior: Long Jump
Tom Russell: 400m, 1500m
Shaun Cooper: Shot
Joe Bradshaw: 3000m
Brandon Simpson, Sophie Billings and Molly Fisher also qualified but could not attend the event.
As usual the competition was excellent as was expected with the step up in standard. However the vast majority of Cromwell students competing performed Personal Best times and distances which was an excellent achievement.
Placing’s for the next round of the event are still being finalised however it is expected that Dale Browne, Adam Escott, Joe Bradshaw and Faye Mackenzie will represent the County next Saturday at Norwich. It goes without
saying that we wish you all the best!
Well done to all that attended you should be very proud of yourselves!
Battlefields Trip 2011
Forty Five Year 9 pupils visited a number of First World War Memorial sites, cemeteries and trenches in France and Belgium on the 9th and 10th of June. Their behaviour was
excellent and many found the experience very moving. A highlight was when pupils laid two reefs at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, joining in a ceremony that included veterans
from various wars, including a regiment from Canada. The pupils also had the opportunity to go into original war trenches and examine artefacts from the period.
Race For Life 2011
On sunny Saturday 14th May Mrs Redman and Miss Vere took on a 10K challenge. Both ladies decided to run the Stamford Race For Life in the hope of raising money for cancer
research. 10K is about 6.2 miles which is a big challenge especially considering that before February Mrs Redman “refused to run for a bus”.
It was a beautiful day with plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy. Both ladies finished well before the days close with Miss Vere coming in first out of the
two teachers at 1 hour 6 minutes with Mrs Redman close behind with 1 hour 15 minutes. All together they raised just over £350 for cancer research.
Ely Cathedral Trip
The RE Department visit to Ely Cathedral on the 9th May was exceedingly successful.
During the visit the students had the opportunity to learn about the history and religious practices of the Cathedral through a Multisensory Experience in a tour of the
Cathedral using the five senses. It included incense, bread and grapes at the High Altar, looking at vestments, lighting a candle etc and it allowed students to respond
directly to the Cathedral and its story without the prior interpretation by the Guides.
The visit also included the opportunity for the students to experience a ‘Day in the life of a monk’ involving the students dressing as monks, taking vows and experiencing
the daily round of prayer, work, meals and meetings that would have been the feature of the life of a Benedictine monk at Ely Monastery. Although historical in nature, it gave
the students an insight into the commitment and the living out of belief in daily life, which is central to an understanding of faith.
Perhaps the most satisfactory element of the visit for the teachers involved was that ordinary visitors to the Cathedral felt moved to comment on how well the students behaved
and how interested they appeared to be. The Cathedral staff echoed these sentiment and were profuse in their praise. ‘if you have anymore like these, you must certainly bring
them.’
Chisokone Charity Challenge
Year 7 pupils at Cromwell spent their latest Brainwave Day, planning a fundraising event for our two partner schools in Zambia. The day began with a presentation abut
Chisokone Basic School and Riverview school. Cromwell pupils were introduced to some of the children there and learned a few useful phrases.
The rest of the morning was spent devising activities and planning how they would be run. Some of the activities include ‘I’m a pupil get me out of here’, penalty shoot
out, guess the name of the Easter Bunny and the cream cracker challenge. The pupils all responded very well to the challenge and enjoyed working with new people.
On Friday 8th April we will be holding a big fundraising lunch hour and hope to beat last years £1000 which will be spent on providing some basic equipment for the two
schools.
Schools Make Music 2011 Concert
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On Thursday 31st March 2011, the annual Schools Make Music concert ended with rapturous applause for yet another year. This has long been an event that children, staff
and parents want to be a part of due to its continued success. We owe a huge amount to the Rotary Club for organising this event year on year.
Children from Benwick, Kingsfield, Glebelands, Lionel Walden, Manea, Thomas Eaton and Cromwell Community College rehearsed meticulously for months before the concert
took place to ensure that the concert maintained its high standards of singing and musicianship.
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On the day, the 200 strong choir began rehearsals from 10am and practised the massed items as a whole group for the first time followed by individual school
rehearsals to ensure everything was in place for the evening. The children were delightful and extremely well behaved – definitely a credit to each of the
schools.
The concert was as smooth running as ever – the children unbelievably didn’t show their nerves unlike staff that were sitting on the edge of their seats
with fingers secretly crossed! Our Head Boy and Head Girl were fantastic throughout the night introducing each school to the stage. James and Ellie – you were
both very professional for the duration of the evening and great hosts!
Cromwell Band and Totally Tuneful worked as hard as always in the run up to the concert with two rehearsals a week for choir. It is incredible to see a group
of pupils pull together in order to get performances ready for a concert – their drive and enthusiasm never ceases to amaze me. Thank you to members of these
ensembles – you know who you are!
My special thanks go to Tom Harlock for managing the sound desk for the day and night, the Site staff for preparing the hall, our Head Boy and Head Girl for
their fantastic compering of the evening and the Rotary Club for their continued support of young talents. Finally, huge thank you’s to the older members of
Cromwell band who stepped in at the last minute to boost Cromwell’s rendition of Walking on Sunshine!!!
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Crucible Production
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The drama department took on their biggest theatrical challenge for a few years, and decided to put on Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’. With students in year
13 down to year 7 involved, it was very much a whole school affair. Mrs Rudd and her team designed the set, organised the lights, publicity, sound and costumes.
The acting team meanwhile spent many months mulling over the language in the play, and then bringing the characters to life. We were very pleased that we had
lots of good comments about the play, and I was very pleased that I was able to appear in it!
Looking forward to our next venture…
Mr. McWilliams
Director
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Red Nose Day 2011
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Delighted students at Cromwell Community College in Chatteris have raised more than £900 for comic relief - and Barclays bank have agreed to match their effort
The students - decked out in fancy dress - held cake stalls at break time, completed sponsored silences and even had pies thrown at them to help boost their
fundraising and the bank’s generous donation has pushed the total up towards a staggering £2,000.
Jackie Harding, from the school, said: “They had a very good day and we raised much more than we expected to. The students really took it on board and we are
delighted that the bank have given us that bonus.”
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Year 7 Exodus Day
All of year 7 were gathered in the South Hall for the launch of their latest Brainwave Day. Imagine their shock
when an email from the Lord Mayor appears on screen telling us we have to evacuate Chatteris because it is going to
flood as a consequence of global warming, Imagine when Mrs Newell who was representing the Mayor arrived to reinforce
the message and ask for our help.
Pupils spent the rest of the day trying to devise anew sustainable lifestyle for the people of Chatteris who were
going to move to a remote island in a secret destination. Groups worked on making a water wheel so we could generate
our own electricity, preparing food from the produce we knew would grow in our new home, designing houses and planning
how to keep us warm. Other groups created anew national anthem, a flag and a set of rule for our new lifestyle
The day culminated in the Grand Exhibition when each group presented their plans. We were joined again by Mrs Newell
and members of the Rotary club who helped us to assess the work and then to vote The winning country was HP Source (H
for Hope, P for Power). The year 7 should be congratulated for all of their hard work during the day: they certainly
learned that they are the future and that unless we do something about Global Warming and change the way we live then
maybe one day there will be real email form the Mayor telling us to evacuate!
Year 11 English Results
For the first time, year 11 students had the opportunity to sit their English Language GCSE in November, six months
earlier than usual and this produced some fantastic results. Our current pass rate for English Language is at 63% which
is a considerable rise from last year. We are immensely proud of our students for their hard work and determination to
succeed and would like to say a huge congratulations to them.
Children In Need 2010
Cromwell Community College raised a massive £921.05 for Children In Need 2010, which will help improve the lives of
disadvantaged children and young people across the world.
Cromwell Remembrance Service 2010
On Thursday 11th November 2010, Cromwell Community College held there annual Remembrance Service,
which was held in the South Hall. Please click on the links below to view the service programme and
photographs.
Year 8 PLTS Day
Cromwell College's year 8 students undertook a PLTS Day on Wednesday 10th November. The day started on an
aircraft travelling to different places in Europe. They had an aircraft simulation with teachers acting as
air hostesses. Throughout the day each group travelled to a different country:
- 8C went to Italy
- 8D went to Austria
- 8E went to Germany
- 8G went to Greece
- 8K went to Scandinavia
- 8P went to Poland and the Ukraine
- 8S went to Spain
- 8T went to France
- And selected people became the press for the day.
In their countries they had to create a travel company and logo and design a holiday to show
off the culture of that city. The learning outcome of the day was to use their PLTS skills in
order to advertise their travel company and encourage people to vote for their country to be the
country of culture. Each country had a variety of different activities to make the information
accessible and to create their display board to be judged.
The press group visited all of the countries to learn about the tasks taking place. They created
a newspaper account as well as a news broadcast that aired at the end of the day whilst the votes were
being counted.
The overall winner was France (8T)
Please click below to view two articles produced by Cromwell's Year 8 Press people.
Grease Production
In October 2010 Cromwell were proud to present our annual musical ‘Grease’, directed by Miss Rudd. A cast
of 30 from years 7 – 12 had great fun rehearsing for 5 months for this successful production. We had
a large team of set builders, painters, costume designers, lighting technicians. Mr. King made the
‘Grease’ lightning car, which when we performed to primary schools, caused a gasp from the audience.
Mrs. Smallman designed various aspects of the set also. For the first time we had some sponsors for
our program which raised £200. the live band, led by Mr Chapman and Mr Harlock helped things go with
a swing. Back stage Miss Todd ran a tight ship, and contributed a lot to the various stages of the show.
Our next show is the Crucible in April 2011, which has been cast and is being worked on at present.
Please click here to view the program.
Jeans for Genes Day
Cromwell Community College took part in this year’s Jeans for Genes Day on Friday 1st October.
Jeans for Genes is the national charity raising money for children with genetic disorders, to fund the care and support they need now and the research which could change their futures.
In the UK, one baby in every 25 is born with a genetic disorder. Although individually these disorders can be extremely rare, together they are the biggest killer of children aged 14 and under.
Pupils and staff were invited to wear their jeans on Friday 1st October to help Jeans for Genes reach its target of £2.5 million. Everyone took part on the day wearing non uniform but part of this was wearing their jeans, and in turn they paid £1 donation and the College raised £935
Cromwell Awarded IQM Quality Mark for Inclusion
Cromwell was awarded the IQM Quality Mark for Inclusion in December 2009.
This is an important award to get as it recognises Cromwell’s inclusive approach
to education for the young people of Fenland. It recognises that as an institution
we provide a curriculum that is accessible to all and that we provide the five
strands of the Every Child Matters Agenda. As the report states,
“Cromwell Community College is an inclusive college. Staff and pupils are friendly,
welcoming and proud of their community and the place of the college within that community.
It was seen as a strong and reliable institution, one to which many student’s parents and in
some cases, grandparents, had attended. There was a pride in the achievements of
the college and college member’s, which was universally seen as reflecting the work
the college had put into providing for the community as a whole".
Please click below to view the IQM Report
Chisokone Update
To update our partnership with Chisokone, I can tell you that at the end of last academic
year we had helped to the tune of £2000.
A bumper effort by year 7 students helped Cromwell raise £1067.40 for a school in Africa. The whole college
participated in a non-uniform day on December 17 to raise money for the Chisokone Basic School in Zambia.
Cromwell has been raising funds for the school since October 2007, providing money for basic equipment, such as pens,
pencils and stationary. The year 7 students planned a fundraising lunchtime as part of an Exploration Day when
they learned about Chisokone and the problems faced by the youngsters who live there.
Currently we have some £1500 in Chisokone funds, and it is still quite early in the fundraising year; we will be having other events
before the academic year ends. As is usual all financial arrangements will be carried out through CAMFED.
Fundraising for Haiti
We raised £1230 for the Haiti Earthquake Appeal by holding a non-uniform day at Cromwell.
Some students also did additional activities such as a cake stall, bring and buy sale, loose change
collection and nail painting.