On the 23^rd January, 35 students from Year 7 & 8 along with Mr McArdle, Mrs Badham and Mrs Ferris went on Retreat to Alton Castle in Staffordshire. They shared their time there with Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in Birmingham and explored the theme ’Who am I?’

They took part in many activities from trekking, bike riding, archery, survival skills, and ventured around the adventure course. They took a tour of the grounds and learnt about the history of John Talbot and Augustus Pugin. The staff were very proud of all the students especially when they attended Mass when some of our student Alter Served, read and took part in the offertory. A good time was had by all and we have already booked for next year.

Ms Buckle, Head of Year 11, arranged for two members of the National Citizen Service to join the Year 11 assembly today to explain how NCS offers students an opportunity to gain new skills and have plenty of fun this summer.

NCS is open to all 16 and 17-year-olds in England and helps build skills for work and life, whilst taking on new challenges and making new friends.  The programme runs in the spring, summer and autumn and brings together young people from different backgrounds. Being part of  NCS  is a great way for students to improve confidence, self-awareness and responsibility. The programme encourages personal and social development by working on skills like leadership, teamwork and communication.  Students taking part will have a short time away from home and will have to develop a social action project to deal with a local issue they’re passionate about.  They will then spend 30 hours putting the project into action in our community.  This is a great example of community engagement.

NCS quote on their website that, “Teenagers will develop the skills that employers increasingly value: confidence, leadership and independence and that NCS is a great addition to a teenager’s CV. In fact, almost three quarters (72%) of NCS graduates feel more confident about getting a job after doing NCS. All NCS graduates receive a certificate signed by the Prime Minister, and moreover, UCAS recommends students put NCS in their personal statement”.

Students at St Edmund’s are being offered the NCS experience at a discounted price of £30 if they complete applications by 8 February 2017.

More information can be found on the following websites:

http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/

https://www.gov.uk/government/get-involved/take-part/national-citizen-service

Update on December’s ‘Bake-off’

St Edmund’s has received a mention in the January 2017 edition of Cake Masters magazine where their ‘Out & About’ article features information about the inter-Wolverhampton schools’ Bake-off which took place in December.  Sam Munger and Isobel Rafferty, Year 9 both took part, coming 5^th and 6^th in the competition, which was organised by staff of a local school, jointly with local Baker, Laura Nolan, owner of The Nuthouse Bakery, Dudley.

S Peter’s Collegiate School and St Edmund’s Catholic Academy are pleased to announce tickets are now on sale for the We Will Rock You Musical.  The show will run from Tuesday 7th March until Friday 10th March.  This will be a spectacular opportunity to see the students showcase their wonderful talents after many months of rehearsals.

Tickets can be purchased from S Peter’s Finance Office or the Performing Art’s Office at St Edmund’s at a bargain price of £5 each.

The What Career Live? and What University Live? show take place in Birmingham in March.  This  informative and FREE event will help school leavers decide what to do next, whether it’s an apprenticeship, training programme or heading to university after A Levels.

Find out exactly what’s opportunities are out there; meet potential employees face-to-face, hear from a range of speakers and put questions to careers experts.

To find out more visit the website: https://www.whatcareerlive.co.uk/

Unison recently held the ‘Stars in our School’ competition and our Head Cook, Pam Dhaliwal, was chosen to share afternoon tea with Mayor Councillor Findlay in the Mayor’s Parlour.

Pam has served students and staff for over 27 years.  She was joined for her celebration tea by her work colleague and friend, Paula Jones, and Bhaksho Raj, our Business Director.

St Edmund’s Catholic Academy likes to keep in touch with former students when they leave. We have wonderful news about James Potts, a student who joined Year 7 from St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School in September 2004.

James progressed into the Sixth Form and left in the summer of 2011, going on to the University of Nottingham where he studied Politics.  He became involved with the Student Union and the Politics Department and worked two part-time jobs whilst studying.  He must have been a very busy student, graduating with a 2:1 degree in 2014.

On leaving University James was offered a post working for an MP in Parliament (his office being just under Big Ben – not as loud within the Houses of Parliament as you would think, we are assured) where he held down a Junior Researcher post for over a year, helping the MP get re-elected, before being made the Senior Assistant in October 2015, responsible for running his Westminster Office.  James was involved with managing the team, writing speeches, handling press coverage and social media amongst other things.

In November 2016 he moved down the Thames to City Hall to work as Researcher and Assistant to one of the Deputy Mayors of London, Joanne McCartney, whose remit is Education & Childcare. James supports her in her capacity as member of the London Assembly.

In his spare time James is an active member of the Labour Party and a school governor.

Principal Maggie Hughes said, “James is moving forward in his career, going from strength to strength, and we are thrilled to know that he is holding down this role.  He will be an excellent role model to invite back to our annual Presentation Evening in September to speak to our existing students about his success”.