Cambridge Science Essay Competition

If you are keen on Science and would like to enter an essay competition in collaboration with a student from another local school, please come to see me - I have details.

DGi

Professional Degree Courses Conference

If you are interested in Architecture, Engineering, Computer Science, Law, or Psychology, you may be interested in attending a Professional Degree courses conference at Magdalen College School on Saturday 7th October from 9.30 to 12.30. There is a general programme exploring these careers for Year Twelves and a more specific one looking at particular case studies for Year Thirteens.  Please let me know asap if you would like to attend as I will need to write home informing parents if you are taking part - and also of course let MCS know.  Cheney students have very much benefited from this event in previous years.

Student Panel for Science Department Review

Dear Y12/13,

The science department is having its biannual review next week, and as part of this the school leadership team would like to canvas student opinion on science lessons and teaching. To this end, could the following students please come to BR31 (the meeting room upstairs) at 11.40 on Tuesday 3rd October for a 30 minute discussion with Mrs J Kirby and some members of the school governing body.

Year 13 Students

Sanjana Narayan

Jithin Varghese

Hannah Wade

Fergus McKirdy

Amaani Rizvi

Elorida Nuzi

Year 12 Students

Habiba Begum

Taklima Begum-Ali

Jack Grayson

Andrew De Sousa* (you have a lesson with KRO and will need to miss the last 20 minutes)

Poppy Lindsey-Cook

Tia Cudd

I have looked at your timetables and you should all be free at this time. I have passed your names to Mrs Kirby, so she knows to expect you. 

Thank you for your help with this, it is much appreciated.

Yours

Ms Elias

Year Twelve Assembly Wednesday 27^th September 2017

Year Thirteen are just completing their Personal Statements for UCAS. The purpose of this assembly is to alert you to a very wide range of amazing free opportunities which can massively enrich your experience of Year Twelve and help you choose the right university course or apprenticeship for September 2019.

Opportunities outside Cheney

1.    The Curiosity Carnival – advertised last week on the blog and taking place this Friday – all the ticketed events are sold out but you could drop into the Curiosity Corner on Broad Street from 12-7pm and see acrobatics, bite-size talks at Curiosity Corner, curiously interesting demonstrations, walking tours, and live music.  See http://www.ox.ac.uk/curiosity-carnival/whats-on

2.    Headington School is opening up a series of very interesting STEM lectures on topics relating to Science and Engineering – you can go unaccompanied by registering for a free ticket at headington.eventbrite.com. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/headington-school-14368608089

A list of the talks can be found on the noticeboard outside L6 – there is a vaccine talk on 12^th October, an Engineering talk on 30^th October, and an Adventures in Science talk on 2^nd November.  If you are interested in STEM then it may well be worth looking ahead to the Year in Industry as a Gap Year possibility – please see http://www.etrust.org.uk/the-year-in-industry

3.    Thank you very much indeed to those who came to the Law talk on Monday, and to those who have signed up for the Law Lecture on 11^th October – I have a few spare letters and places – please see me at the end.  If you got at least 5As and are from a group which is underrepresented at university, you may be interested in the Pathways to Law programme – two Cheney students took part three years ago.  Both very much enjoyed it and are now studying at top universities  https://www.suttontrust.com/programmes/pathways-programmes-2/pathways-to-law/

4.    There are some amazing opportunities to work with staff at Oxford University Museums, with their youth action teams, which I advertised on the blog earlier this week.  This would be a way to get to know some of the finest museum collections in the world, and to engage with exciting and dynamic programmes. 

5.    There is a USA College Day in London this Friday and Saturday if you are interested in going to Uni in the US.  http://www.fulbright.org.uk/events/usa-college-day?utm_source=sprint&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=college-day-reg-2017&mc_cid=734fbaf3eb&mc_eid=[UNIQID]

In the last few years only two students from Cheney have gone to US universities for their undergraduate degree, but you shouldn’t absolutely feel that you have to go to university, if at all, in the UK.  You may be interested in doing an apprenticeship instead of going to university and I hope to have an apprenticeship assembly before half term.  For the majority of you, who are likely to go to a UK university, we will be holding a students and parents information evening on Wednesday 14^th March, and we will all be going to a UCAS Convention with hundreds of universities, employers and apprenticeship providers in London on Thursday 15^th March.  Letters about this will follow shortly – please return them as soon as possible. 

6.    Two weeks today, there will be a presentation in assembly from Oxford Brookes about Brookes Engage, a two year programme designed to help you to prepare for university – any university, not just Brookes. The Cheney students who have taken part over the last three years have very much valued the monthly activities which take place and the summer residential.  You can see some former Cheney students, now at university, and find out more information at https://www.brookes.ac.uk/studying-at-brookes/schools-and-colleges/activities/brookes-engage/

Opportunities within Cheney

1.     There are also many interesting opportunities either within the school or linked to it.  I hope that some of you doing Sociology or Geography will be going to Professor Danny Dorling’s lecture on the costs of inequality which is taking place today at St Edward’s School at 5pm. As you may know, Professor Dorling was at Wood Farm Primary and then Cheney before becoming one of the UK’s most well-known Geographers.  Another former Cheney student, now working for the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Agnes Norris Keiller, is going to lecture to all Geographers, Sociologists, Historians and Economists who do not have a lesson then, on Inequality and Poverty in Britain in the last fifty years during Period Five on Wednesday 12^th October, two weeks today.

2.    In school community service will also open up to you many opportunities to extend your skills, whether in supporting student learning in the classroom, or work on events like set design for the school production.  Please see Art, D&T, English, Humanities, Maths, Music, Science and PE department information for the many possibilities and read the list of extra-curricular activities to take part in or offer help with.  If you want to develop your public speaking skills please feel free to join Cheney Debating Society which re-starts with our Oxford Union coach Rosa Thomas tomorrow week (Thursday 5^th October)

3.    I would particularly like to tell you about the following opportunities:  on Friday 20^th October, there is going to be an all-day Book Slam for Year Seven.  Dr Robinson would welcome twelve helpers to support small groups of students who will be designing imaginary worlds with the guidance of a professional author and a professional illustrator.  The Book Slam is preparation for the Festival of Imagined Worlds on 9^th February, in the week of the school production of Narnia.  Over thirty different organisations, nine authors and four book illustrators will be visiting the school to share their enthusiasm and expertise from 2.30 to 7pm – volunteers to work with them and to help the many hundreds of visitors we expect would be very much welcome. 

4.    On Friday 10^th November, from 2-5pm, there will be a World War One Collection Day run by the University of Oxford in the school library. Cheney students and member of the wider community are invited to bring in their artefacts, family photos and letters and memories about the First World War. Dr Robinson would welcome anyone who wants to attend and also some volunteers to help who would be given training in advance.  There is also an opportunity to work on a project to put a display of the History of Cheney here in the canteen. 

5.    There will be extended assemblies on Tuesday 14^th November (with the Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee) and on Tuesday 28^th November (with the British-Pakistani writer Tariq Ali). We are also very much looking forward to welcoming Caroline Lucas MP, Co-leader of the Green Party, on Friday 19^th January.  She will be talking to the entire Sixth Form and launching a series of green workshops from 3-5pm on that day.  Dr Robinson would like to work with some students interested in raising environmental awareness in advance of the visit – please speak to her directly or to me if you would like to be involved. 

Practical Detail

If you plan to take a resit in Maths or English this November, please see Ms Fischer in her office immediately after this assembly – the deadline for entries is imminent.    

Professor Danny Dorling, Wed 27th September at St Edward's School, 5pm

Lecture: ‘Geography of Inequalities’. Useful for Geographers, World Developers and Sociologists. Please let Miss Rabbitts or Miss Gleen know if you would like to attend.

“The most economically unequal countries in the rich world are now the USA, Israel and the UK. In all three cases sustaining very high rates of inequality is becoming increasingly expensive.”

Professor Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, Oxford University since 2013 and previously Professor of Geography at Sheffield University and worked in Newcastle, Bristol and Leeds Universities. He was at School at Cheney, Oxford.

Pitt Youth Action Team/Ashmolean Creatives/Natural History Youth Forum.

This team meets once a month on Saturday mornings at the Pitt Rivers to work on exciting creative projects - please e-mail katherine.rose@prm.ox.ac.uk if you are interested/to apply to take part.  The Ashmolean has a similar group also on Saturdays - apply to clare.cory@ashmus.ox.ac.uk - as does the Museum of Natural History - contact Sarah Lloyd education@oum.ox.ac.uk.  I think each museum would welcome at least one Cheney student on each group.

Opportunity to Meet Oxford Law Professor

If you are interested in any kind of Law degree, please come to the Library at 8.20 this coming Monday 25th September, for a short talk and question and answer session from Professor Andrew Dickinson of Oxford University.  Please see Mr Gimson (or e-mail him) in advance to register your interest and so that I can ask your Period One teachers to release you for the first half hour of the lesson.

You may also be interested in the High Sherriff's Law Lecture taking place after school on Tuesday 10th October - I have letters to hand out about this. Please return slips to me as soon as possible.  

Pathways to Law

This is a very exciting programme for students from groups under-represented in Higher Education.  It is a comprehensive eighteen month course which supports university legal applications.  A couple of Cheney students now at Russell group universities took the course and very much enjoyed it three years ago.  Please visit https://www.suttontrust.com/our-programmes/pathways-to-law/ or see me for more information.

Curiosity Carnival Friday 29th September

The Curiosity Carnival has a wide range of free events for students interested in Maths and the Sciences - please see http://www.ox.ac.uk/curiosity-carnival for details and sign up.  Very good for UCAS Personal Statements and general interest.

A Level and BTEC Science Textbooks

You will be able to buy textbooks for Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Health & Social Care from the school from Monday next week. You will need to access parent pay and choose the books you want, then see Ms Elias at 6^th Form Science Club to collect them (Tuesday 3pm W9).

BMW Girls go Technical Scheme over October Half Term

BMW GIRLS GO TECHNICAL PROGRAMME
                           APPLY NOW!

Fantastic opportunity for talented young ladies.

We are again running our popular Girls Go Technical Programme, aimed at young ladies between the ages of 15 and 24 (minimum year 11 in September 2017), who are considering a technical
apprenticeship within the manufacturing industry to commence in September 2018.

Participants will experience the day-today challenges encountered by our engineers and technical apprentices in our fascinating world-class factories through this exciting and unique opportunity.

A limited number of places are available on the scheme which will run during the October half term holiday from Monday 23rd October through to Thursday 26th October 2017.

Those attending will be taken on a tour around two of the three manufacturing sites: Plant Oxford where MINI is built, Plant Hams Hall where engines are assembled and Plant Swindon, the Body
and Pressings Plant. Four days will be spent at the heart of our operations, two at the site closest to your home region for in-depth work experience, and two at Plant Oxford.

Upon completion of the programme, participants will have gained:
• An in-depth awareness of manufacturing and engineering processes
• An insight into the range of careers available including technical roles
• Enhanced interview and job application skills.

To apply for a place on the programme, please access:

For the Oxford area: https://bmwgroup.jobs/en_gb/job?ref=170000Q4&default=true

For further information including videos, posts, etc on GGT and other BMW programmes please visit us at: www.facebook.com/bmwcareersuk

Deadline to apply is on Sunday 24th September 2017.

Debating Meeting

If you would like to take part in competitive debating this year, please come to a meeting in L14 at lunchtime on Monday.

Early Applicants and EPQ

All applicants for competitive courses must come to L14 at lunchtime on Thursday for a meeting to establish our next steps.

All EPQ students (except those doing theirs via Classics) must come to a meeting on Friday at lunchtime - venue to be confirmed.

Thursday 7th September

All Year 13's will be starting the new term on Thursday 7th September at 8:30.

During P1 on Thursday you will need to go to see your tutors. Below are the rooms they will be in. Your tutor groups will be the same as last year

13a/Tu1

JET J38

13a/Tu2

DGI J35

13a/Tu3

AKI J24

13a/Tu4

SRE L21

13a/Tu5

LJA M02

13a/Tu6

ERA J03

UCAS Predictor Resits Timetable

Date	Subject	Time	Length
Tuesday 5th September 2017	Sociology	09:00	1 hour 30
Tuesday 5th September 2017	Maths C1	09:00	1 hour 30
Tuesday 5th September 2017	Physics	13:00	2 hours
Tuesday 5th September 2017	Economics	13:00	2 hours
Wednesday 6th September 2017	Biology	09:00	1 hour 30
Wednesday 6th September 2017	History	09:00
Wednesday 6th September 2017	Chemistry	13:00	1 hour 30