The Prudential Regulation Authority trip took place earlier this month where sixth form students had an exciting day ahead of them. The day started with a three hour drive and students had the opportunity to gain a lot of new ideas that were very much related to economic theory, more widely to the real world as well as their course.

Once in London at The Prudential Regulation Authority, they were taken to the lecture theatre following a thorough security check which included their bags being x-rayed.  The day taught them about a wider context of economics, such as the euro crisis as well as many other real world economic headlines.

Students were privileged to be taught by some of the world’s best economists from the London school of Economics, including Ian Begg. This was also exciting as Ian Begg was on ITV news the previous evening which enforced the high calibre of the speakers. It was a challenging day and students found it interesting to be exposed to degree standard lectures. Overall, it was a very educational trip finished off with a lovely Turkish meal.

A group of Year 10 girls spent the day at University of Birmingham on 17^th June, participating in an Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Law taster day. The day aimed to introduce pupils to campus life and featured sample lectures, such as an examination of the place of morality in the law system. The girls were shown around the University’s facilities, including Chancellor’s Court, the Great Hall and the famous clock tower.

The day was inspiring, both academically and in terms of career paths, as well as giving pupils the confidence to aim high in their future aspirations.

This week St Edmund’s has welcomed Year 5 pupils from Catholic feeder schools around the City. Pupils from SS Mary & John’s Primary Academy, St Teresa’s Primary Academy, St Micheal’s Primary Academy, The Giffard Primary Academy and St Christopher’s Primary School were invited in to St Edmund’s to experience taster sessions of some of the subjects taught here.

 

 

Year 10 undertook their Soli House retreat on 11^th and 12^th June, which this year took place at SS Mary and John church in Wolverhampton. They spent the day with volunteers from the Catholic Youth Service’s Soli House group to examine various aspects of identity, faith and personal development.

Their reflections included both practical group work and quiet reflections, including discussing the inspirational stories of role models, and a highly inventive ‘auction’ of human qualities which examined the value of things such as kindness, patience and goodness.

Do you teach Yoga, ICT, Languages… or maybe you need a room to hire for your weekly meetings? If so, here at St Edmund’s a number of classrooms are available to hire throughout the year.

If you are looking for somewhere convenient during the week after school, to accommodate your needs – then contact ethomas@stedmunds.org for more information.

Last Thursday, we warmly welcomed Dan Freedman, sports journalist and best selling author of the Jamie Johnson series, to our Academy. He delivered an inspirational speech and presentation to our Year 8 pupils in the morning, followed by a book signing and workshop sessions in the afternoon.

During his presentation, Freedman recalls how he had always wanted to become a footballer, but when he realised that it wasn’t likely to happen, he turned his passion to writing.

“I was never really good at writing, often got into trouble at school and didn’t like being told what to do. However, as I read more, my writing improved and I would devour every word.”

Amongst meeting David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand to name but a few, Dan also shared his greatest memories of having the opportunity to stay with the England football team in their hotel during the 2002 World Cup.

The Year 8’s thoroughly enjoyed Dan’s visit with many of them eager to ask questions about his career and experiences; the best questions enabled students to win a signed football and a free copy of the ‘The Kick Off’ book which was won by Sam Coleman!

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Year 8 & 9 pupils have begun to study Latin as part of an extra curricular after school club. A grant from the Roman Society and the school’s Gifted and Talented Fund has meant the Modern Foreign Languages department can offer the new club which will look at not only the language of Cicero and Julius Caesar but how life was like under the Roman Empire.

The group will be following the Cambridge Latin Course, which teaches the subject through the life of a merchant family in Pompeii, before the catastrophic eruption in 79AD which preserved the town in volcanic ash. It is hoped that if successful the group will go on to study for official qualifications in the language.

Mr Joglekar, curriculum leader for languages, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to learn an ancient language. We hope learning Latin will support their French and Spanish studies as well as boost their English grammar and vocabulary. It will equip them with useful general knowledge for other subjects as well.”