Alternative Curriculum Day 2015 Posted on: 13 Nov 2015

The Academy held its annual Alternative Curriculum Day this year on Thursday 5th November.  It proved to be another great success with a range of different activities for each year group.  The day was well supported by staff and others, and the pupils and students were a credit to the academy with their excellent engagement and behaviour.

Year 7

The focus of the day was The Anglican Church in the community. Pupils spent half the day in Whitburn Parish Church to learn about the Rites of the Church, led by four church elders, and took part in a Whitburn Village Trail. The rest of the day was spent developing an Academy Prayer.Y7 Alt Curr Day

Year 8 and Year 9

Both year groups had the opportunity to work for half a day with professional actors. They took part in workshops and interactive performances of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ (Year 9) and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Year 8).  Pupils spent the other half of the day developing their understanding of the plays further through taking part in a ‘Campaign for Hero’ (Year 9) and ‘Verona CSI’ (Year 8).Y8 Alt Curr Day

Year 10                                                          

Pupils were involved in a day of team building and ‘examination success’ activities. Team work activities include making a tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows and crossing a raging river on carpet tiles.  Pupils were also given experiences by group leaders from ‘The Tree of Knowledge’ in being the best they can be; these included coaching and motivational strategies to help them further develop their positive attitude, set goals and to be successful in life as well as in examinations.Y10 Alt Curr Day

Year 11

Year 11 enjoyed a ‘Focus on Revision and Exam Technique Day’ at the Stadium of Light as part of the preparation leading up to their GCSEs, with a lecture delivered in the morning session focusing on post 16 options for higher education. They were asked to dress in smart ‘interview style’ clothes and all looked impeccable.  Pupils also enjoyed a carousel of activities relating to:

• ‘Working memory’ – investigating how the brain works and looking at visual learning techniques;
• ‘Thinking Snacks’ – a tried and tested learning technique;
• Preparing for revision – producing a revision plan;
• Maths, English and Science workshops – how to read and understand exam questions.

The day was again very productive and it was lovely to be able to work in different surroundings; the Year 11 pupils presented themselves professionally and with maturity.

Y11 Alt Curr DAy

Year 12

Our first Year 12 Alternative Curriculum Day took place at Northumbria University.  Students developed their understanding of the benefits of aspiring to attend a university, with a campus tour and various tutorial sessions.  Again, the Year 12’s conduct was exemplary when acting as ambassadors for the Academy.