On Friday 13th March, 2 teams (an Under 13 Mixed and an Under 16 Mixed team) and 2 teachers headed up to Fenton Manor Sports Complex in Stoke at 6:30am for a very busy day. This would be the first time St Edmund’s has qualified for 2 teams to be at Nationals.

Upon arrival it all happened very fast. The Under 16’s warmed up their individuals at 7:45am to perform at 8:45am. There was lots of anticipation as St Edmunds were to open the competition with their floor routines. They performed incredibly well and did so with huge smiles on their faces. They then moved over to vault where some outstanding vaults were performed and deservedly awarded some impressive scores. For them it’s back to warm up for their trio whilst the under 13’s anxiously waited for their time to perform. 

At 10:00am the Under 13’s took to the stage for their individuals and they too lived up to the prestige of performing at Nationals. They performed some very good routines and performed some amazing vaults which were credited with some very marvellous results. Then they too headed back to warm up for their trio whilst the Under 16’s performed once again. 

For the Under 16’s their trio is their best routine, something they are very proud of. They once again opened the routines for this part of the competition and definitely set a benchmark with their incredible timing and choreography. They could do no more. 

Then the Under 13’s went and performed one of the best trio’s they’ve ever performed and their many hours of practice and commitment clearly paid off. They performed a solid routine that was well timed and together they pulled off a successful routine. They could do no more. 

Finally it was time for the awards; firstly the awards for the Under 13 Mixed team, who were in a tough category with many of the schools full of club gymnasts from outside school. They narrowly missed out on a team medal. Their regional partner for the West Midlands failed to show up and therefore they lost their chances to medal as a part of the West Midlands. Either way a huge congratulations to the team, you should be proud of yourselves and you made the school very proud. Congratulations Karyce Johnson, Ellie Marandola, Pax Katanga and Ewan Cox. 

Meanwhile the Under 16’s Mixed team thought their chances of medalling were slim, in a category of advanced gymnasts most of whom attend a club regularly, their expectations weren’t high. Despite this, something incredible happened as they were crowned National Champions! Having Arden as part of their regional team, who placed second overall, ensured the team also took away the regional champion title too. A massive congratulations to this team, you too should be very proud of yourselves and you made the school very proud. Congratulations Lysia Bayley, Brientony Jeyarajan, Amelia Beet and Rachel Clifton. 

Finally a huge thank you to Mrs Cartlidge and Mrs Swindels for the time and effort you give up for the difficulty of organising, the hours of rehearsal and the days of competitions. The teams could definitely not achieve this without either of you. So, a massive thank you from all the gymnasts.

For the latest advice from St Edmund’s Catholic Academy, part of the St Francis and St Clare Catholic MAC, on the respiratory illness known as coronavirus (COVID-19), please see our information pages.

Year 7 Parents’ Evening Thursday 19th March has been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience.

During the February half term, I was fortunate enough to take part in the BMW Girls Go Technical Programme at the Hams Hall Plant in Coleshill Parkway. It was a very interesting and valuable experience.

I initially applied for the programme on the BMW website, there I learnt about the programme briefly and the activities that would be set for the applicants during the three day work experience. To begin with, mechanical engineering wasn’t my main career choice, however the programme most definitely made me more interested in engine manufacturing.   

The first day, the other girls at the programme and I had a tour and introduction to the plant itself. There I saw various types and sizes of machinery and tools that are used to assemble the BMW engines.

I got more hands-on the next day. I was taught how to build and put together different parts needed for the engine. The manufacturing aspect of vehicles captivated me even more as a result of the activities and even the friendly staff and team that helped the girls taking part in the programme.

On the last day, the Girls Go Technical team at Hams Hall drove us down to the ‘MINI Plant’ in Oxford, where we met all the other girls in the programme from Oxford and Swindon. The ‘MINI Plant’ is where all the parts are assembled and come together to make a Mini road-ready model. We got given a tour of the assembly area where all the parts are put together and also a tour of the paint area where the cars get customized.  

Overall, the experience was very enlightening because of the activities and even the staff, it was a happy and friendly environment. After my participation in the Girls Go Technical, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in anything automotive as it is a vast sector and there are many jobs that are involved in the making of a vehicle.

by Emmanuela Esedebe

At 03:00 on Sunday 9th February, forty excited students and a team of four staff members arrived at school, where nervous parents waved us off into the gloomy prelude to Storm Ciara, praying that our long-awaited flight to the south of Spain would not be cancelled. Thankfully, luck was on our side, as we were able to check in swiftly and board with ease, with only a little turbulence at the beginning of the flight. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our native Spanish “monitora”, who immediately set the tone of language immersion by directing our group to the coach in Spanish, and we set off on our final part of the journey to our home for the next five days – next stop: El centro Arbolar, los Urrutias!

The shock on everyone’s face when we arrived at our destination could be summarised in one word – WOW! 

Our residence was a beautiful, white, purpose built activity centre, in a quiet little Spanish village, right on the seafront! After a lovely three course lunch to regain some energy, we met our other “monitores” (hosts and activity leaders) and played some icebreaker games – in Spanish of course – and some beach sports. In the evening, we had a lovely walk before dinner around the area and then got some well needed rest to prepare for the days ahead.

On Monday morning, after sharing some sunrise photos with our not-so-lucky family members and friends, we had breakfast, and students had to quickly tidy up upstairs as it was time for the first of the daily “inspección” of rooms, before the morning Spanish class. During the week, this really helped students learn an array of new adjectives, such as: maravilloso (marvellous), genial (great) and chupi guay (cool!). We had a busy day of cooking traditional “tarta de la abuela” (grandma’s cake), a team photo scavenger hunt and – a highlight of the trip for many – an outdoor Zumba lesson! The monitores were so impressed with the group’s engagement with the activities that they even asked two students to help lead the group in the Zumba routines – muy bien Raymond y Caroline! 

Tuesday was our first day trip: to the beautiful harbour town of Cartagena, where we were treated to a guided tour of the streets and local churches and, despite just missing out on attending the local mass, our very own Mr White led us in a wonderful spiritual reflection in one of the city’s churches. After lunch in the park, students completed an information hunt in Spanish before being treated to some highly anticipated free time in the town to purchase souvenirs and enjoy the cultural experience with friends. Some of us – staff and students alike – even tried “churros con chocolate” for the first time in a local café! The afternoon session in Cartagena took us to see a fantastic Roman theatre and we learnt much about the history behind the building and the town itself. We arrived back at our residence, were delighted to see and try the delicious tapas for dinner and we spent the rest of the evening having a lot of fun playing team games – and even discovered many hidden talents!

On Wednesday – the last full day of our trip – we had our Spanish class in the morning and then headed over to a nearby street market – where we were able to buy local products and some final souvenirs for family and friends. We were even able to practise our haggling in Spanish – and Jusnoor showed real skill here! In the afternoon we were finally able to do the star activity of the week: water sports! We geared up and split into two groups – sailing and kayaking. This was an absolutely fantastic experience on the sea, where new skills were learnt, teamwork was required and lots of fun was had by all involved – particularly Mr White and Mr Taylor who caused a lot more mischief than any of the students!

I think it is safe to say many students wanted to stay longer and that they had an experience they will not forget in a hurry. I am extremely proud of our students – we have been talking about this trip since they were in year 7 and they did not only impress us with the level of Spanish and engagement in the activities, but also our hosts, who said “thank you for being such an amazing, dynamic group and we hope you return soon!”

Well done to all of the students, and a huge thank you to all of the staff involved in planning and running of this trip – the first of many we hope! 

Miss Rainey