Posted on: 9/04/2022Rights Respecting School AwardIn December we announced that we had begun our journey to become a school which is committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and were working towards the first stage of the RRSA accreditation with Unicef UK. I am excited to announce that since then, we have achieved our Bronze Award which means that we are a ‘Rights Committed’ school. This means that we have demonstrated our school’s commitment and shown how we intend to become rights respecting. The next step is working towards the Silver Award and being ‘Rights Aware’, which will involve the school’s activities and work on rights respecting being inspected by a UNICEF RRSA Professional Adviser. Our initial survey of students and staff last term appraised our strengths and current position and helped with our action plan for the Silver ‘Rights Aware’ Award which has been developed in consultation with our Student Voice Ambassadors and other staff members. We have also introduced the Rights of the Child in assemblies across all year groups explaining how and why our decision to becoming a Rights Respecting School is so important. A summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child can be found here. Sharing knowledge with our students to help them learn about their rights and putting them into practice every day is fundamental to the award. As a school we already arrange events and facilitate discussions relating to the Convention, and will continue to raise the awareness of this within lessons, tutor time and in the day-to-day life of our school. The crisis which has unfolded in Ukraine, with devastating outcomes for so many people, including children, who have been forced to uproot their lives, make dangerous journeys and seek safety where they can, has been one topic discussed with students and incorporated into assemblies for all year groups. Article 38 (War and Armed Conflicts) of the Convention states that “Governments must not allow children under the age of 15 to take part in war or join the armed forces. Governments must do everything they can to protect and care for children affected by war and armed conflicts.” This, and the war in Ukraine, has been discussed in a variety of supportive ways with students as part of our RRSA and EfL activities. Students have also been able to contribute to a campaign promoted by the English Department which involves providing support for children displaced as a result of the conflict. View Article
Posted on: 20/03/2024On the Lava Trail - Sicily 2024The 2024 trip to Sicily was an action-packed event for 47 intrepid GCSE Geographers this year, with an itinerary taking in all the best bits of a visit to the Italian island. The first day, of two, included a tour of the Cyclops Riviera in the east of Sicily where students could marvel at the coastal stacks created from ancient lava flows and the black volcanic rock, followed by a short coach ride to the town of Taormina. The Greek/Roman amphitheatre here is steeped in history and with Mount Etna as a backdrop, could not be better placed. The evening meal, after some shopping opportunities, was at a traditional Italian pizza restaurant where all the students made their own pizza! Day two started with what, for many students, was the trip highlight – river trekking. Following the course of a river flowing directly from Etna itself, the cold water and the requirement to jump off four waterfalls presented a great challenge to the students. The highest jump was from a waterfall six metres high! Fortunately, wetsuits and helmets were provided. The afternoon’s journey up Mount Etna via cable car was exciting as the air temperature started to drop. Unfortunately, the cloud cover and weather conditions were too poor to proceed to the summit, however, students marvelled at the barren moon like conditions. And incredible scenery. Overall, it was an amazing trip enjoyed by all! View Article
Posted on: 2/04/2024Education For LifeEducation for Life Mr Millard, EfL Co-ordinator Opportunities abound During the Spring term we held a number of careers-based events, which were targeted towards students in Key Stage 4. On Friday 23 February Year 10 students took part in the 'Mock Interview Day', where local businesses came in and interviewed each student for a job that they had shown interest in. Each student will be given feedback in their upcoming careers EfL lessons. At the end of the day the interviewers praised the students saying that they were 'Engaged and polite... confident and prepared... and professional young people'. The second careers event we held was the Careers Fair, which started with a carousel of activities which the students took part in. These involved a wide range of careers and future education courses, which involved snails, a hedgehog, robots, the police and a stranded submarine to name just a few! Alongside this, students found out about the ever-growing number of apprenticeships which are on offer. After school we held the fair where more businesses, colleges and universities joined us to give the students an opportunity to ask questions and help them with their on-going careers education. To help inspire students to interact with the exhibitors we set up a challenge in which all students could take part. If a student asked a meaningful question to a visitor they received stamp on a bingo card, and after the event three completed cards were selected at random with students winning a brand new laptop. These laptops were given to us by The Careers and Enterprise Company, who put on a parental talk about careers alongside the Fair - there will be another parental talk around careers later in the school year. The laptops were presented to students by Mr Jeckells. Mr Jeckells also awarded another Careers Fair prize to a student who had won an Amazon voucher donated by local accountancy firm Sheen Stickland. Thank you to our these organisations for helping to inspire our students. Health and Wellbeing Spring has been quite a term for ‘Education for Life’ with a number of events and enrichment activities alongside lessons which have covered many important topics. The first of which was a series of sessions run by the fantastic Tj Power. Tj spoke to students and parents about the importance of wellbeing; whilst exploring how our minds worked, students left sessions with small achievable tasks to help improve their mental and physical health. See page 15 for more details on this. These topics were also looked at by Year 7 who have been studying 'Health and Puberty', looking at the importance of sleep and healthy eating, whilst connecting it to mental health. Year 10 have also looked into this theme by finishing off their studies of substance misuse, with the visit of the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation. Students heard the powerful story of the misuse of substances and were given guidance on how to make safe choices.View Article
Posted on: 20/03/2024On the Lava Trail - Sicily 2024The 2024 trip to Sicily was an action-packed event for 47 intrepid GCSE Geographers this year, with an itinerary taking in all the best bits of a visit to the Italian island. The first day, of two, included a tour of the Cyclops Riviera in the east of Sicily where students could marvel at the coastal stacks created from ancient lava flows and the black volcanic rock, followed by a short coach ride to the town of Taormina. The Greek/Roman amphitheatre here is steeped in history and with Mount Etna as a backdrop, could not be better placed. The evening meal, after some shopping opportunities, was at a traditional Italian pizza restaurant where all the students made their own pizza! Day two started with what, for many students, was the trip highlight – river trekking. Following the course of a river flowing directly from Etna itself, the cold water and the requirement to jump off four waterfalls presented a great challenge to the students. The highest jump was from a waterfall six metres high! Fortunately, wetsuits and helmets were provided. The afternoon’s journey up Mount Etna via cable car was exciting as the air temperature started to drop. Unfortunately, the cloud cover and weather conditions were too poor to proceed to the summit, however, students marvelled at the barren moon like conditions. And incredible scenery. Overall, it was an amazing trip enjoyed by all! View Article
Posted on: 10/07/2023Prom 2023On 28th June, the students of Amery Hill School’s Year 11 bid farewell to their five memorable years of education with an extraordinary prom held at the prestigious Audley's Wood Hotel. The evening was nothing short of magical, filled with glamorous arrivals, heartfelt celebrations, and unforgettable moments. The prom night commenced with a red carpet reception, where students descended from an array of transportation options, ranging from tractors to sports cars and even diggers. The students, clad in their finest attire, made grand entrances that reflected their unique personalities and added an extra touch of excitement to the event. Inside the beautifully decorated marquee, the air buzzed with anticipation as the students eagerly embraced the night's festivities. The dance floor quickly became the centre of attention with everyone on their feet throughout the night. There was a really lovely atmosphere, with laughter, joy, and heartfelt goodbyes filling the air, creating a memorable finale for their time at Amery Hill. The Year 11 prom will undoubtedly remain etched in the hearts of the students as a cherished memory of their school years. We are incredibly proud of all they have achieved, as it has not been a smooth 5 years of education for them (thanks to a global pandemic). However, they took this all in their stride and have really done themselves proud in their last few months with us. Everyone at Amery Hill wishes them all the luck in the world as they move forward into the next phase of their lives and start a new exciting chapter in their schooling. Check out the Prom photos 2023 GalleryView Article
Posted on: 26/06/2023Amery Hill School Announces New HeadteacherAmery Hill School in Alton is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Headteacher, Mr Rob Jeckells, who will take up the position, in September 2023, after the summer holidays. Mr Jeckells is a highly experienced Deputy Headteacher from Kings’ School in Winchester. The comprehensive recruitment process included seeking external independent advice as well as involving a broad cross-section of Trustees, staff and students in the school. One of our objectives was to find a Headteacher who understands and shares our outlook, which is rooted in strong values. Throughout our discussions it was clear that Mr Jeckells, not only shares our focus on academic excellence and high achievement for all, but will continue to develop our ethos and vision in the future. We would like to congratulate Mr Mann, our current Headteacher, who has been appointed as CEO of Wildern Academy Trust and will take up his new position in September. Rob Jeckells said: ‘It will be my honour and privilege to lead Amery Hill School. I am a strong believer in the power of education to transform lives, and I’m ambitious to build upon the work of the current Headteacher and staff. The opportunity to lead Amery Hill School and serve the whole community is hugely exciting for me and I’m looking forward to leading the school into the next phase of its history.’ Lorna Vickery, Chair of Trustees, said ‘We are very sad to see Mr Mann depart and thank him for all the hard work and dedication he has shown to ensure the very best for the students at Amery Hill School. Mr Mann has worked tirelessly with the Senior Leadership Team, staff and Trustees over the last five years to strengthen the academic excellence of our school and maintain our caring ethos, whilst steering the school through the Covid pandemic. We look forward to a bright future for the school with Mr Jeckells, whilst wishing Mr Mann every success, health and happiness with his future career.’View Article