UKMT Maths Challenge
On 7 November 11 of our keenest Sixth Formers studying A Level Maths took part in the UK Mathematics Trust Challenge. They had to answer 25 multiple choice questions which tested their original thinking. Questions later in the paper were worth more marks but also marks were lost for questions answered incorrectly! Thousands of students took part around the UK and we were very happy to be informed that 5 of these students earned awards (and points for their houses) as follows:
Charlotte Bice SILVER, Mia Barlow BRONZE, Alex Whittall BRONZE, Jess Schofield BRONZE, Emily Humphreys BRONZE.
In addition, On the 22nd November Alex Whittall, Charlotte Bice, Jessica Davies & Elisha Gretton took part in the UKMT Senior maths challenge at Solihull College. After taking part in a series of extremely challenging mathematics problems, amongst them a mathematics crossword, they came a very creditable 11th. The members of the Year 12 team are already planning training sessions to get themselves “match fit” for next year’s challenge.”
Mathematical Analysis of Sport
Students attended a lecture at Birmingham University with A Level maths students from other schools around the city. Dr Richard Mycroft discussed many issues surrounding sport such as using the Markov property to analyse the existence of form in sport and a Poisson process to model the progression of a football game to determine the optimum time to commit a foul. We considered the 2010 Luis Suarez red card. We then calculated the time into the game that a player should risk a red card to stop a goal, depending on the probabilities of goals being scored after that point in specific situations. We also considered permutations of teams to decide if a certain ‘unlucky’ draw is rigged. Finally, we discussed Elo ratings and how these can be easily found for players online to statistically determine the probability of outcomes of matches.
In summary, students saw how even complicated systems with many outcomes, such as football games, can be modeled with anything from only a coin flip to an exponential distribution.
Year 13 Geography Field Trip
On Monday 18 September, 11 Year 13 geography students headed to Pembrokeshire for their field trip aimed to support their independent investigation which account for 20% of their final A Level grade. After a long drive, students were introduced to their area of study; Tenby, before working upon their independent titles in the evening.
Day 2 and 3 were spent practising data collection methods. A lovely sunny day was spent in Saundersfoot Bay, evaluating the impacts affecting the coastal system. Students also investigated if regeneration processes had an impact on the identity of Haverfordwest. In the evenings students used GIS to present and analyse the data they had collected from the field and planned their methodologies ready for their day of data collection. Methodologies were tailored to their independent title and skills learnt earlier in the week, were put into practise on Thursday. The team were divided with some focussing on coastal processes down in Tenby bay and others collecting data on regeneration in the town centre. Methods included environmental quality assessments, semi-structured questionnaires and interviews, beach profiles and cliff instability assessments. Students conducted their methods maturely, skilfully and with great enthusiasm and independence. In the evening students collated their data and began statistical analysis. Tenby was a beautiful back drop for what was an excellent field trip filled with many an ice cream and stunning photo opportunity.
The students came away with an excellent basis for their independent investigations and were a credit to the school start to finish. The next step is now the write up of their independent investigation where they will analyse, conclude and evaluate their findings. If you would like to find out more about the field trip, and other geography field trips like it, please follow this link to watch our adventure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R6TAWXQgWI&feature=youtu.be
Year 12 Biology Field Trip
On 19th July Miss Crewe, Mrs Caswell, Miss Rickard and Mrs Bhangal (Bains) took our Year 12 students to Slapton Leys Field Course centre in Devon. The aim of the visit was to support their A-level work that the students had done on ecology at school and to give them a hands on experience of conducting biological experiments in a different environment, and in unfamiliar contexts.
We left KNGS early on Wednesday morning and by 1pm we were on Slapton beach studying succession on the coast. All of the activities counted towards the girls getting a practical endorsement for their A Level Biology. On Thursday we visited East Prawle where we studied the distribution of organisms on the rocky shore line, we saw all manner of organisms living there and could see at first-hand how the different organisms were adapted to survive in different conditions. The data we collected and our observations contributed to larger experiments that the field course centre are conducting by monitoring any invasive species. Friday morning was spent studying the invertebrate life in rivers. All of the data we collected throughout the three days was subjected to statistical tests to allow the girls to increase their data-handling skills and draw conclusions based on their own observations and their own data. The trip was excellent fun, beneficial and enjoyable. The girls who attended would have liked to have stayed longer and completed more field work, whilst there their confidence in speaking about Biology and their work improved, girls who had been quiet were gaining confidence and it allowed them to think of what life will be like when they attend university.
The Biology field trip will be open to the students studying A Level Biology in the first instance but is suitable for students studying any subject to which they need to apply statistical testing. We have begun the planning for our return visit to Slapton Ley in summer 2018 and are looking forward to taking the next cohort already.
EPQ Showcase to Governors
Sixth Form students have the opportunity to take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in addition to their A Level subjects. The EPQ allows students to produce a piece of coursework on a subject of their own choice. Students have to carry out research, plan their project and then either write a 500 word essay or produce a written report and artefact. The qualification allows students to take responsibility for their own outcomes, manage their time effectively to meet deadlines and become independent learners.
In the summer term, Year 12 students took the opportunity to present their work to Governors to show the variety of different projects being studied. Students explained their project titles, research carried out and main findings as well as explaining how the EPQ had developed their study skills. Students producing artefacts displayed their work and explained their research and investigations. Work on show included art work, photograph portfolios, special effects horror make overs, a monologue, a model of an eco building and a book inspired by the work of Tolkein. The Governors were very impressed with the in depth knowledge students had on their projects. Students enjoyed the opportunity to explain their projects and show their hard work.
Guest Psychology Lecture
Professor Ian Apperly of Birmingham University
On the 26th of June, the Psychology Department invited Professor Ian Apperly of Birmingham University to join us for a psychological lecture on his work into theory of mind and social cognition. Sixty students, teachers, and parents attended and all were enthusiastic about the talk and eager to join in with the question-and-answer session that followed.
During the lecture, various thought-provoking discussion points were thrown up, such as ‘Can we truly understand others’ perspectives?’, ‘How do people differ in their ‘mindreading’ capabilities?’, and ‘How do we learn to interpret others’ viewpoints in the first place?’
The talk was very interesting and enjoyable and we hope to organise further talks in the future that will be open for all to attend.
Digital Marketing Workshop
Purity Soft Drinks Present Year 12
Sarah McIntrye, Marketing Assistant for Purity Soft Drinks Ltd visited Year 12 Business Studies students to lead a workshop on digital marketing.
Digital marketing is a new topic on the A Level course and is now one of the main platforms used by businesses for promotion. Sarah explained to the group the importance of digital marketing and explained how Purity use social media to promote their brands.
Winners – St Mary’s Hospice Enterprise Challenge 2017
Over the last two terms Year 12 Business Studies students have been taking part in a community enterprise challenge to raise money for St Mary’s Hospice. Students competed against other local schools to raise the most amount of money.
The students divided in to two teams, allocated team roles and planned ideas to raise money. They presented their idea to a ‘Dragons Den’ panel made up of local business people and were successful in securing £100 initial investment to put their plans into action and fundraise.
Team Unlimited, led by Team Manger Orla Sketchley, raised a total of £529.52 through organising a Year 7 Disco, and a clothes swap. They also worked with Carillion their mentor business to organise a charity jumper day They received The Monica Pearce Award – for resilience and coping with adversity. Although the team faced a number of set-backs they persevered and kept fundraising right up to the deadline.
Team Ambition led by Jessica Davies raised a total of £1859.54, through a sponsored run and a series of doughnuts sales held at Kings Norton Girls and Boys School. They were the overall winners of the competition, raising the most amount of money. In addition to this they also received The Marion Reed Award – for innovation and presentation. This was as a result of the excellent Dragons Den Pitch and negotiating skills.
The challenge provided students with an excellent opportunity to develop transferable skills and apply theory learnt in the classroom to real situations. We are extremely proud of the hard work and motivation showed by our students to raise such a substantial amount of money over a short period of time.
Photo 12 Exhibition, Artefact Cafe
On Thursday 30th March the Year 12 Photography students launched their photography exhibition at Artefact, Pershore Road, Stirchley. The students were responsible for all aspects of the exhibition, curating, publicising and hanging. They agreed that despite the stress involved it was all worthwhile in the end! The event was very well attended and there were many positive comments regarding the students’ work. This is the first time we have staged an exhibition in the local community and we hope this is the first of what will become an annual event.
The exhibition continues until 27th April at Artefact, 1464 Pershore Road, Stirchley, B30 2NT Tues-Sat 10:00-5:00.
Life Support Workshop
On Wednesday 15th February from 1.30-3.30pm in the Dance Studio there was a Life Support Skills workshop delivered by the University of Birmingham, aimed at Year 12 and Year 13.
The purpose of the workshop was to teach students valuable resuscitation skills and was particularly useful to those wanting to pursue a career in any medical profession.
