Wickersley School & Sports College is proud to have raised a total of £1,976.45 for The BBC Children in Need Appeal.

Various money raising ideas contributed towards this total and we would like thank Students and Staff for their contributions to the cause.

Wickersley pupil Nathan Green has achieved success in two categories of the Magna Wildlife Photography competition.

Nathan had his photos voted as the best in both the "Urban and Garden Wildlife Under 16's" and the "People and Wildlife Under 16's" sections and will be attending a presentation evening on the 19th January.

Here is what Nathan had to say on his achievements:

I went to see the ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ exhibition at Magna in the summer and I saw a leaflet about a photography competition set up by Magna and the Wildlife Trust for Rotherham and Sheffield. I realised I had some wildlife photos I could enter, so I completed the online entry form on Magna’s website and attached by photos as a jpeg.

I would like to thank everyone at Wickersley School & Sports College who voted for me, both students and teachers.

Nathan Green 7S

Alex Albiston, 18, gave a cheque for £3500 to Heather Bowen, regional manager of The Teenage Cancer Trust
on behalf of Wickersley School and Sports College.

Each year Wickersley School and Sports College organises a whole school sponsored walk where lower school and sixth formers walk over 16 miles to raise money for a charity of their choice. Wickersley Sixth Form chose to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust because teenage cancer is a cause that is close to our heart; Alex Albiston was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of y12 and still managed to get an unconditional offer from Cambridge and gain 5A’s at A-Level.

However, the day before he was due to leave for Cambridge he heard that his cancer had returned and now he is undergoing another round of chemotherapy. Cambridge University are keeping his place open for him.

Alex has become an ambassador for having an excellent spirit in the face of tough challenges but, due to his altruistic attitude, he wanted to make sure that teenagers like him have access to units in NHS hospitals specifically for teenagers with cancer.

All sixth formers have pulled together and raised £3500, people are still donating via www.justgiving.com/wickersley6thform and we hope that people will still continue to give.
The money will be going towards the new cancer unit at the Sheffield Hallamshire hospital.

Wickersley School and Sports College has signalled its commitment to its pupils by signing up to a new charter that pledges to improve the way technology is used to give pupils an enriched and enhanced learning experience. The Next Generation Learning Charter was launched by Becta, the government’s agency for technology in education.

This means Wickersley School is leading the way and making a commitment to improving learning for pupils through the use of technology (including computers and laptops) in lessons. There is strong evidence to show that when technology is used effectively in schools, it can help to motivate and excite pupils, and raise attainment.

Over the coming months, We will be using the self-review framework – an online tool designed to help schools review their technology use in a structured way, which will in turn help inform their overall school improvement strategy and plans. Using the self-review framework will help us move towards gaining Becta’s prestigious ICT Mark – the national standard in the use of technology across all aspects of school life, including student assessment, teaching and learning, and the development of staff, leadership and management.

Stephen Crowne, Chief Executive of Becta, said:
“Technology in the classroom is no longer a distant dream – technology is part of everyday life for us all, and schools need to ensure they don’t get left behind. The Next Generation Learning Charter will help thousands of schools develop their use of technology across the school, so we have a world class education system where all young people are inspired and motivated”.

David Hudson, Head teacher, said:
“We are delighted to have signed up to the Next Generation Learning Charter. It is a brilliant way for us to show pupils, parents and the wider community that we are committed to using ICT in the best way we can. We know we can do more with technology to help our pupils progress and achieve – and now we have the help we need to get there.”

For more information on the Next Generation Learning Charter go to www.becta.org.uk

Young People’s Area Assembly (YPAA) for Wentworth Valley – Opportunity for students to get their voices heard!

The Young People’s Area Assembly (YPPA) is a group of young people aged 13-19 years old who are keen to make a difference to where they live and the lives of young people. They like to get involved in applying for funding for activities and facilities for young people as well as planning things like skate parks. However, as a group they can get involved in anything which they feel is important and we will provide the group which as many opportunities we can to do just that!

All young people can get involved in the YPAA – we hope to get as many views of young people through consultation as possible and will be organising some big open meetings open to everyone.

We also have a core group of young people who are really important and make decisions on what the YPAA is going to do and are consulted on important matters. We would like to recruit 5 young people from Wickersley School to sit on this group. They must care about improving their community and be willing to talk to other young people in a group setting of about 12 young people. Meetings are currently held once every 3 weeks for one hour after school at Bramley Youth Club or Maltby Linx Youth Club with Wentworth Valley Area Assembly and Youth Services. We would be willing to consider other locations if the group decided they would prefer somewhere else.

YPAA have set up a facebook group to share their views and to share information about activities and events.

Young people can join this group – search ‘YPAA’ in facebook or click here

On Tuesday November 10th 30 year 12 and year 13 pupils visited the Houses of Parliament, accompanied by Mr Hudson, Mrs Alderson, Miss Allen, Mrs Bullock and Jackie Healey who is one of the School’s Governors. The day was a very hectic one which involved leaving school at 6.30 am and arriving back at 9.30pm. In this space of time the group had a tour of the Houses of Parliament, visited the Cabinet War Rooms and the Churchill Museum, participated in a Question Time session chaired by Mr Hudson with the three Rotherham MP’s the Rt Hon. Denis Macshane, Kevin Barron MP and the Rt Hon John Healey and witnessed a debate in the House of Commons Chamber. The culmination of the day’s activities was an opportunity to meet the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons the Rt Hon John Bercow within his own chambers, this was a very rare and exciting opportunity in which the pupils and staff were honoured to be involved. Special thanks go to Jackie Healey who was an integral part of the day and helped organise the activities the pupils and staff were involved in.

The Winner of W Factor 2008 has released her debut single.

Rebecca Guy, who also won the competition Yorkshire's Got Talent, now in year 9, continues to wow audiences with her amazing voice.

Over this last year she has been working hard with Chris Palmer at SoundBytes Media to record and produce her debut single.

Her single entitled 'Over The Rainbow' was released on 2nd November via iTunes. The single contains the title track Somewhere over the Rainbow together with a wonderful version of the Faith Hill hit There you'll be.

It can be downloaded by clicking on the banner below.