Thursday 23 May 2024

Headmistress' Introduction

Dear Parents and Carers

Another busy week at AHS.  Sixty Year 9 students left to visit Valencia on Wednesday (pictures below) and tomorrow, forty Year 10 students will be leaving for Iceland. On Saturday 1 June, thirty-three Year 9 students will be leaving to visit the Loire Valley.  We wish them all safe travels and a fantastic break.  Huge thanks to staff who are giving up their half term and to parents and carers for their support.  

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Y12 Biology students went on a Field Trip to the College Lake Nature Reserve near Tring.  The day involved pond dipping for aquatic wildlife, sampling of plant populations and a biodiversity walk to support their A Level Practical Assessement. 

On Wednesday afternoon we welcomed Dr Suzy Imber, a Planetary scientist at the University of Leicester and winner of BBC show 'Astronauts: do you have what it takes?'   Mrs Brittain has written a little more about the event below.  

We are sorry to be saying goodbye to Mrs Kiteley.  In her role as Student Wellbeing Assistant, she has supported Key Stage 3 students for the last two and half years. During this time, she has made valuable contributions to the Health and Wellbeing team and the development of wellbeing strategies in School.  Her work with Young Carers in creating a safe space, which has provided consistent and effective support, an environment where students could come, have fun, and talk about their experiences, has been particularly appreciated by all in our community. We wish her the very best in her future role, which is a promotion to Safeguarding and Mental Health Support Assistant at the Queensbury Academy.  

Images from the Y12 Biology Field Trip this week to College Lake

Y9 students' first day in sunny Valencia

After School

After school the Library is usually open for students to do homework from 3.30pm until 4.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays (students need to book in and out each day). Students can also sit in the dining room or reception until 4.30 pm.  Unless students are taking part in a supervised activity, they cannot be on site after this time, as reception closes at 4.30 pm and we do not have a guaranteed first aider. 

STEM Talk

This week, Dr Suzie Imber from Leicester University, spoke to us about her work in Planetary science and how this led to her combining her love of mountaineering with her work.  She used satellite images of the Andes to map the unmapped, unexplored region of the range, coding, in order to instruct the super computer required to to be able to use the data.  She also explained more about the recent aurora that many of us experienced and how to expect another opportunity.  Finally, she detailed a little of what it takes to be in the BBC reality experience, 'Astronaut: do you have what it takes?' - basically an all rounder & calm in a pressured situation.  Many questions were asked throughout the talk and we would be so pleased if she returned. 

The last STEM Talk of this academic year will be on 12th June and will be given by Mirjam Schilling, who is a Research Scientist with an interest in viruses and innate immune responses. 

Mrs Brittain, Head of Physics

French at AHS

We are continuing our interviews with Heads of Department to help parents get a flavour of our different subject areas.  Today the focus is on French and we have a catch up with Aurélie Aston, the Head of French.  Please also take this opportunity to look at the subject content summary for French, which can be found on our website.

Can you give us an overview of the French curriculum at AHS?

The French curriculum at KS3 consists of topics which help foster communication on a series of basic topics relating to the students' daily life (greetings, food, fashion, free time, House…) and teaching some cultural aspects such as the Francophonie, Québec, School System in France. They are topics that students generally enjoy and each of them includes a little project.  At KS4, we are very much guided by the GCSE specification which is changing next year. The topics will be either an extension of KS3 topics or some new ones (family, friends, relationships, equality, physical and mental well-being, food, sports, social media, future opportunities, travel...). At A Level, the topics are divided in two main themes: the cultural aspects (music, cinema…) and the social aspects (immigration, politics…) of French society and include the study of the book Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan and the Film La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz.

Why do you think this curriculum suits students at AHS?

At KS3, we have designed our resources to match the students' abilities, as we found that the textbooks were not challenging or interesting enough.  Over the years we have also done numerous student surveys and kept the topics they liked the most.  The current GCSE is challenging enough because of the great amount of content that has to be covered and assessed in 4 skills. The A Level course is challenging and interesting: it is really incredible to see how our students progress from the beginning of Year 12 with a basic conversational level to the ability to hold conversations and debate on a variety of issues, such as immigration or the evolution of family.  A Level also enables our students to use some of the knowledge they have acquired in other subjects, such as History, Politics or English, and really develop their critical thinking skills.

What are the recent developments in your curriculum and how have you decided on any changes you have made?

During and after the pandemic, we redesigned our resources to make them all digitally accessible and it includes many more vocabulary learning games, extended reading texts, extension work and listening practice.  We have shuffled some topics so they work better with German and Spanish being taught alongside French.  We are also looking at changing our cultural units in Year 9 so that they include an historic film and a cultural unit on French music.  With the new GCSE, we feel it might be easier because of the way it will be assessed, which is more student-friendly and less content-heavy but it will still enable us to stretch our students and incorporate some cultural aspects. 

How are students assessed in French?

Students are assessed in a variety of ways. They are assessed in all 4 skills over the year with a focus on a particular skill per unit. They are assessed in traditional ways on paper but also with online listening and reading resources, online vocabulary tests, informal presentations, voice recordings and projects.

How does the French curriculum prepare our students for life beyond AHS?

I think that whether you carry on languages post-GCSE or not, languages offer a lot of transferable skills.  To start with, 50% of the English language still originates from French so one can argue that French helps with the English language.  Students often find out the meaning of some English words by learning the French equivalent. Students have said that they think they are better listeners.  They are more able to fill the gaps in conversations where they might not have been able to hear or understand the person they are speaking to.  Students also develop confidence when they can communicate in French and it definitely develops their interpersonal skills.  I think studying a subject with French at University is a great combination, as it opens the job market to you.  People who have studied a language stand out when it comes to job and university application because it is becoming so rare.  It is true whether you want to study languages, business with French or want to be a doctor!  France is also the closest of the UK neighbours so it is so easy to travel there.  I think the French curriculum simply broadens the students’ horizons and skills in more subtle ways other than learning the language itself.

What are the features of the French curriculum that you are most proud of?

I like our KS3 curriculum because we have a lot of input and flexibility and it is generally fun.  I am always proud when something has been memorable for a student and they remember it years after, whether it is the unit on Québec, the film, Les Choristes, a French student talking to them or a song by Big Flo and Ollie.  It is also all the lightbulb moments when students realise they can do something in French they couldn’t before and the turning point when they decide that languages are what they want to do later!  It does not happen for everyone but when it does, it is a little bit of magic and it shows we must be doing something right somewhere!

How can parents help their daughter with French work?

You do not need to be able to speak French to help.  Parents can help their daughter practise their speaking for confidence, they can test the vocabulary from English into French with the lists in vocabulary books and Quizlets.  There are a lot of ideas in this MFL guide.  If you have some French, then speaking together in French, watching films in French with subtitles in English and going to France if possible will also help foster that love of French.

What co-curricular opportunities does the French department offer? 

We offer a French club for KS3 students where we do games, songs, etc. and a KS4 Foreign Film Club on a fortnightly basis. Students can also take part in various competitions: French Flash Story competitions, French pop competition (we had our first entry this year!), Anthea Bell Translation competition and the debating competition run by the French Institute. Our Year 12 students also have the opportunity to do some outreach work in Primary at Turnfurlong Junior.  Our biggest and most popular co-curricular opportunities are obviously trips. We do a trip to the Loire Valley and Futuroscope at the end of Year 9, the French exchange to Bourg-en-Bresse in Years 10 and 12 and the Paris trip for Year 13.  These are always the most memorable opportunities for our students and always feature in their testimonies.  Their language skills and cultural knowledge increase twofold and it is so rewarding to see them really enjoying the culture.

What are you reading at the moment?

Histoire du cinéma français by Jean-Pierre Jeancolas and Michel Marie and The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante.

What do our students say about studying French at AHS?

A lot of good things!

Teacher Training with Astra SCITT

Whether you or someone you know is a recent graduate or potential career switcher, teaching offers a rewarding, challenging and varied career. Aylesbury High School works in partnership with Astra School Centred Initial Teacher Training to provide training for new primary and secondary teachers. Astra works in partnership with over sixty local schools and all courses lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and most applicants also study for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Do contact Astra (hello@astra-alliance.com) if you would like to know more, or contact Sarah Jeffreys at AHS: sjeffreys@ahs.bucks.sch.uk

We offer School Experience Days and would love to welcome you for you to find out more about life as a teacher!

Vacancies

Student Wellbeing Assistant - 7 June

Cover Supervisor - 31 May

 Teacher of Mathematics - Full Time, permanent - Closing date 31 May 

Wishing all a very restful half term and gentle reminder that tomorrow is an Inset Day, although I am sure the students are very aware.

Thank you, as ever, for your support.

Marieke Forster