Goffs Academy Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers and Students,

I am writing at the end of an exceptional academic year. I do not intend to dwell here on the many challenges which so many have faced during that time.

There has been much media coverage which has focused on the many challenges which young people, in particular, have faced due to the pandemic. Regretfully, what often receives less coverage is the amazing way in which so many young people have responded to that.

I commend our students for their incredible response. Throughout the year, despite the many changes and challenges which they have encountered, students have demonstrated their strength, steadfastness, and (crucially) sense of humour. Our students remind us what is important; the joy of working with young minds, to help them to learn and develop every day. Our final newsletter of the year contains so many wonderful examples of that.

I would also like to thank every single member of staff for their work this year. The work we do across our school community is underpinned by strong, positive, relationships. My colleagues around the school have not only done exceptional work, but have done so with a smile. It is a privilege to work with such a team.

Finally, I would like to extend a thank you to all parents. It is my sincere hope, that through the next academic year, my communication with you will focus much more on ‘learning matters’, rather than details of Covid regulations.

To all, I wish you a restful and enjoyable summer break. We look forward to seeing our Year 11 and Year 13 students in August, to celebrate their results, and to welcoming all other students back to school in September.

Mark Ellis

Principal

Firstly, we would like to thank each and every student, parent and member of staff for their continual support with all of the events this academic year, they would not have been as successful without you all. This year has been turbulent, to say the least, but on multiple occasions we have come together as a community to support one another and our school charity – CLIC Sargent.

There were lots of events taking place this half-term, including Goffs Academy’s first Dance-A-Thon, our annual Spelling Bee, and our Summer Fete.

Spelling Bee

Over the course of three days, students from Year 7, 8 and 9 competed in the annual Goffs Spelling Bee! It was a little different to usual, in that the event was run in year group bubbles with a virtual live audience, as form groups logged in via Teams to cheer their House on. It was great to hear each form and House supporting their peers via Teams and echoing through the corridors!

We have some amazing spellers here at Goffs, who managed to spell the words that even the staff struggle with!

A huge congratulations to our winners:

Eva Williams in 7Q from Hawk House

Serena Vaccaro in 8U from Phoenix House

Rhys Ward in 9T from Eagle House

Dance-A-Thon

On Thursday 17th June, we ran the first ever Goffs Academy Dance-A-Thon for Year 7, 8 and 9. The aim was for students to learn and rehearse and variety of dances over a three hour course, and were sponsored for their continuous dancing with the money raised being sent to our school charity – CLIC Sargent. Students were lucky enough to learn dances from our ‘Student Teachers’: Daniella Aslett, Mollie Orton, Katie Arnfield, Jasmine O'Shea and Evelyn Burke – who exhibited amazing skills and patience. Overall, the event raised £1,135.30 for our school charity CLIC Sargent, which was fantastic.

Students were also awarded for the following categories:

Most Enthusiastic:

Year 7- Giantino Bavetto & Ashvin King

Year 8- Keisha Zinzu

Year 9- Grace Gaffney

Greatest Interpretation:

Year 7 - Darcie Parker

Year 8 - Rosie Clowes

Year 9 - Grace Sofokleous-Ames

The Teachers' Award:

Year 7 - Grace Horncastle & Aricia Achilleous

Year 8 - Leila Abid

Year 9 - Taegan Garcia-Buffonge

Best Facial Expressions:

Year 7 - Ellie Buckley

Year 8 - Rowan Wilkinson

Year 9 - Abby Claypole

Best All Rounder winning 10,000 House Points!

Year 7 - Elmaz Fevzi

Year 8 - Emily Savva

Year 9 - Charlotte Evans

Here is what some of the participating students had to say.

I have been asked to inform you all about the Dance-A-Thon which took place on a Thursday after school hours to raise money for our school charity. Collectively, the three year groups (7, 8 and 9) who took part raised £1135.30 to help support families who have a young person suffering from cancer, thanks to Clic Sargent.

During these frightening times, social workers are there for the families in their darkest hour. They help support them through money worries and mental health concerns. So they have been needed now more than ever.

We each split up into our year groups and learnt three different dances in only a short amount of time. It was incredibly stressful with such little time, however we managed to pull it off and performed as much as we could as we knew how it would help people around the UK. With only having a five minute break in between each round/dance, we had limited time to catch our breath and refuel in time for our next dance. In this break we also had time to purchase items from the tuck shop. The money raised there and from our sponsors went to the charity. Although what we collectively made as a school in this particular event seemed a lot, we could only help so many and so I hope we get an opportunity to do this again as it was such a great experience.

This charity makes a huge difference to so many families who are struggling specifically with the stress of a young person experiencing this horrible disease, where every day they are forced to travel miles to get the support they desperately need. Overall it was such a great experience with so much fun and excitement, as well as a hint of competition sprinkled in where we were judged on different criteria.

Everyone who attended worked so hard and although it was tough, they managed to persevere until the end.

Charlotte Evans, Year 9

Summer Fete

As we neared the end of our last half-term for this academic year, the House Team organised and ran the Goffs Academy Summer Fete for Year 7 and 8 on Monday 5th July. It was the perfect opportunity for students to come together as a community and enjoy games, competition and challenges created by their peers. Again, the event was in aid of our school charity – CLIC Sargent – who were thrilled with the donations raised.

Here is what some of the participating students had to say.

On 5th of July 2021, Goffs Academy hosted a Summer Fete in order to raise money for our chosen charity - CLIC Sargent. We had many stalls at the Summer Fete such as: wet the teacher, a chocolate fountain, hook a duck, a tuck shop and much, much more. Many Year 7s and 8s enjoyed the Summer Fete a lot and engaged with the activities enthusiastically. Not only was the Summer Fete a huge success socially, but it also raised a lot of money for Young Lives Against Cancer which can help many young people across the country. I was proud to be part of the team behind the scenes of the Fete and I would look forward to more future fundraising events soon!

Jack Vassiliou-Varney Year 9

CLIC Sargent

During this academic year we have raised £13,500 for our school charity, CLIC Sargent. This is a phenomenal amount of money that is going to do so much for those families that have been effected by cancer.

Alina, our representative from CLIC Sargent has sent the following letter and video to express her thanks and share what the money we have raised will allow them to do.

A Thank You message from Young Lives vs Cancer

To all the wonderful people at Goffs Academy,

Hello my name is Alina and I work at the charity Young Lives vs Cancer (former CLIC Sargent). I am writing today to say a massive thank you to everyone at Goffs Academy for your fabulous fundraising the last couple of years as well as let you know how you are making a difference in the lives of children facing cancer!

During this horrible pandemic, you’ve raised funds with a Halloween Disco, dress down days, Sports-a-thons and Christmas candy cane sales and I must say you guys are just incredible!! Your grand total so far is £13,500 which is absolutely outstanding and so massively appreciated during these trying times to keep our children and young people supported through their cancer journeys.

We, at Young Lives vs Cancer, believe childhood cancer is unfair and we offer those children and their families the support and help they need so they don’t have to not stand up to cancer alone. There are specialist social care teams on hand to help with practicalities of accessing treatment, offering emotional support, getting back into education and accessing benefits. Young Lives Vs Cancer also lobby government to make sure families get the support they need.

Last year, we supported 159 families here in Hertfordshire, over 7,000 across the nation. Your fundraising empowers those families to thrive not just survive the cancer world.

The £13,500 you kindly raised could pay for a Young Lives vs Cancer Play Specialist for 8 months to help children prepare and cope with treatment through play, using toys, books, games, props and craft materials. Despite the name, a play specialist does a lot more than play! They help children express their thoughts and feelings in a constructive way, prepare for procedures and feel less anxious, develop coping skills and build self-esteem as well as debrief after traumatic events and hospital procedures.

Thank you for making it possible we can be there for those children and their families so they don’t deal with cancer alone. We’re thrilled to have teamed up with you meaning we can continue to offer a hand to hold when the Doctor says cancer.

You think you are absolutely fantastic, I hope you feel both happy and proud with what achieved!

THANK YOU SO MUCH I wish you all a lovely summer.

Warmest regards,

Alina and Team Young Lives vs Cancer

Once again, we would like to reiterate our thanks for your continued help and support with the House System and the charity we are supporting.

Miss K King and Miss E Fleet

Directors of Goffs House System

This term has been a very busy term with the celebrations of Pride, and starting on our plans for the coming academic year. During the first week of Pride, we ran assemblies for all the year groups, focusing on why Pride is important to our society today and why it is needed. If you would like to see the assembly, which we ran for the students, please follow the link below:

https://goffs-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/jls_goffs_herts_sch_uk/Eck-A3sIVdVCuLnf9Y-KC0gBZyvff3Yca3x1DngN2AcjBQ?e=D9SlpC

In the assembly, we focused on two main aspects: What is Pride and why do we need to celebrate it? During the assembly, we looked at what Pride means to our students and to people around the UK. We asked students to come up with words they associate with Pride, such as:

Following on, we also considered why it is important that we celebrate Pride in the world, and why it has such an important role in our school community. We introduced students to the laws around the world, which prosecute members of the LGBTQ+ community and what the punishments are. This allows the students to see how different countries approach LGBTQ+ people and how important it is to support people in our community, as some people around the world are not as fortunate.

We also used the celebration of Pride to raise money to support our local area with the support they give to young LGBTQ+ and their families. We decided to raise money for ‘Young Pride – Hertfordshire” as we know the importance of the support which these young people need. We held a bake sale. We were completely inundated with cakes, cookies, biscuits and tray bakes where were able to raise an amazing £115 for ‘Young Pride’.

Thank you to the following students for their amazing cakes and bakes:

Zaccaria Verde - 7E

Gabriel Ahmed - 7E

Aricia Achilleos - 7E

Lousie Lowe - 7E

Rose May - 7E

Samuel Lawrence - 7E

Scarlett Wain - 7Q

Oliver Bowers - 7T

Hollie Neville - 7T

Ellie Buckley - 7T

Jamie Powers - 7T

Sienna Finnie - 7T

Sienna Layton - 7Y

Lexi Nicholson - 7Y

Athena Dee - 7Y

Finnley Taylor - 7Y

Bethan Marston - 8Q

Emily Edgecoombe - 8A

Lucy Fortune - 8T

Over the coming weeks, we will be working hard to make sure that the Wellbeing Team will continue to provide outstanding resources and activities to get students more involved in their Mental Health and wellbeing, as well as all the equality and diversity work we will be working towards.

We hope you have a restful break.

Mr Lewis

Student Wellbeing Lead

For the Cadets it has been a very different 18 months, with training heavily interrupted by the pandemic. However this summer term we have hit the ground running with the launch of our Year 9 contingent, the first Weapons Handling Test and welcoming our newest under officer – AOU Crichton. Normally we would be writing to review the many visits of the year gone by, and we hope that next year this will be the case. However there have been some highlights for the CCF this year:

A new AOU

It was an amazing moment to be joined by a new adult member of staff, as the commitment required to give the time to the CCF is very high, and AOU Crichton’s exceptional skills in terms of field craft and personal determination will be an asset to the CCF contingent. Her amazing commitment is typified by the passing of her first course (safe weapon handling) on her first day away with the Cadets, which is remarkable. AOU Crichton’s positive attitude with the Cadets has already been noted and we are thrilled to have her join us.

Weapons Handling

We will be embarking on Summer Camp 2021 (sadly reduced to 3 days due to the pandemic) and to get our Cadets skilled and ready we were required to attend (and pass) weapons handling training to ensure that we could fire live on the ranges. We are happy to announce that all Cadets who came on the training day complete their tests successfully showing great skill and determination in using the weapons system.

The training includes a high level of knowledge of the weapons system and the many parts that form the rifle. In addition Cadets (and adults) must all be able to pass a challenging safety test that includes loading, unloading, making ready and a sequence of stoppage drills designed to ensure that live fire is not interrupted or dangerous. The cadets handled themselves with great skill and were rewarded with a wonderful lunch at St Edmund’s College and the high praise of Major Gledhill who led the training.

Promotions

In addition, on the training day, two promotions were awarded to cadets – Cadet Townsend and Cadet Nelson-Williams both receiving promotions to Lance Corporal, a stunning event showing their enormous positive attitude and effort since our return to training.

We look forward to returning to training in 2021-22 with the normal raft of opportunities that the cadets are afforded and we hope to see an ever expanding number of cadets as our new Year 9 cadets will also be joined by our new Year 8s (turning into Year 9 next year). The CCF has always been a strong part of the Goffs’ community we look forward to seeing them parade and in uniform at the start of the new term.

We encourage any student who wishes to join the cadets to speak to either 2nd Lt Gill or AOU Crichton when we return in September for further information.

2nd Lt Gill

AOU Crichton

In June, 31 Year 10 students completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Sharon Hood, 10L, shares her experience of the weekend:

On 19th and 20th of June 2021, I went on my Duke of Edinburgh expedition starting from Tring train station and ending up at the Town Farm campsite. Along with other students, my group of four navigated our way through woodland, wandered through fields and climbed up and down hills for over 6 hours in order to complete our 12km of required distance. At times we struggled with our map reading skills and got a little lost, but our teachers were on hand to give us a bit of guidance to direct us back onto the right path. We stopped at checkpoints along the way to rest for a couple of minutes, since we were carrying heavy rucksacks containing various camping equipment, and had a few snacks to give us the energy we needed to carry on walking.

After losing our way a couple of times, my group finally arrived at the campsite just before the rain was set to start and immediately set to work on putting up our tents. We all worked together as a team to set up both tents, before we started to cook our dinner. Keeping it simple, we boiled pasta and added a tomato sauce to it which tasted really great considering the circumstances! Afterwards, we cleaned and dried our used pots, bowls and cutlery, before spending time together in our tents laughing and reflecting on the day’s prior funny moments.

In the morning my group woke up early so we could start ahead and arrive back at the train station on time, taking turns to make breakfast so we could prioritise our morning. We had slightly burnt porridge but it was very tasty nonetheless and afterwards we helped each other take down our tents and repack our rucksacks for our second day of walking ahead. We were assessed on our map reading skills and managed to work out where we were going without getting lost this time, managing to stick to our route and arrive right on time at the train station.

Overall, the expedition was a very fun and memorable experience, and I even made some new friends along the way! It is something I will never forget and am very grateful to have had the opportunity to do, especially given the uncertainty around Covid-19 regulations. Completing the expedition alongside my friends was a massive achievement for me and I’m proud of myself and my group for keeping our spirits high and not giving up even when faced with challenges.

It has been said that “the world belongs to those who read”. A love of books can open up so many opportunities to us: opportunities to learn new things, to expand our horizons, to hear viewpoints different from our own and to visit anywhere in the world we want to (in our imagination at least!).

But being a book-lover can also open up different avenues when it comes to career opportunities. If you’re a bookworm, you might have thought that being an author or maybe a librarian were the only options open to you, but this isn’t the case. The world of books, writing and publishing has many more career options to consider and I’ve outlined a few of these below. This list is not exhaustive, but hopefully it gives you an idea of the range of careers available and gives you some food for thought. I’ve included some websites that will give more information, and might also provide you with some inspiration for the future.

Writer/ Author

Writers, or authors, write books, articles, online content, screenplays etc. This may be developing your own idea into a book, or it may be writing articles based on requests from an agency or publisher. To make this your career you’ll need excellent writing and communication skills and the ambition to succeed in a competitive field. Being a published author doesn’t happen overnight and it does not happen by chance. If this is what you want to do, it will take dedication, determination and lots of hard work. Not everyone will get that elusive book deal, but many will see their hard work pay off in the end so don’t dismiss it.

Proofreader

Proofreaders check and edit text before it’s published to ensure there are no errors. They are the final stage before any book or article is printed, so if you are the person who always spots typos, or who reads and re-reads your work before you hand it in to make sure it’s perfect, this might be a career for you. To do this job you need to be extremely thorough with an eye for detail. You’ll also need good writing skills as well as an excellent knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Journalist

This covers a wide range of careers, from magazine journalism to current affairs and sports journalism (in print and online). This is another competitive field so ambition and perseverance are vital. There are various routes into journalism including apprenticeships and degree courses and employers will also be looking for writing experience, so do all you can to gain this. Try entering writing competitions, get involved in student newspapers or use your own initiative and start a blog on a topic you enjoy and have good knowledge of.

Editorial Assistant

Editorial Assistants can work in newspapers, magazines or with books or online content. They provide support to the editorial staff including with administration, planning and the production of their content. For this career you can study for a degree or there are related apprenticeships to look into (e.g. as a Publishing Assistant).

Archivist

Archivists look after and manage historical documents and materials so that they can be seen and enjoyed by other people. They may work for a museum, the government or a private organisation but will always be responsible for keeping the collections in good order. They may also be required to digitise collections or to make them more accessible to the public. To become an archivist you will need a degree and then a postgraduate qualification.

Translator

Translators work with the written word and it is their job to accurately communicate what is written in one language into another. As well as fluency in another language, you need to be able to work to deadlines and be prepared to research and understand topics you previously knew nothing about!

Conservator

This involves repairing, restoring and preserving historical items, including books and manuscripts. Historic houses, museums and galleries are some of the places that need conservators and of course, it’s not just books that need to be looked after – any historical items such as jewellery, furniture and artworks need to be preserved too. This job is for people who love history but it also combines art, craft, science and technology and is a good choice for people who are looking for variety and to keep learning and developing new skills.

Graphic Designer

When it comes to books, as much as we try not to, we often judge them by their cover. So if writing a book isn’t for you, maybe you could help by bringing someone else’s work to life with the perfect, eye-catching artwork for their book cover. Of course, this career expands way beyond books, with visual branding being so important for products and services of all descriptions. If you’re creative and love design then this is a career to consider.

Hopefully this list has given you a few ideas to look into. There are so many other options out there so I’ve included some websites that will give you more information, including what qualifications you’ll need, how to get into these roles and what you’d be expected to do on a day-to-day basis.

Of course, books and reading are important no matter what career you want to pursue. Even if you’re not a bookworm and being an archivist or a journalist doesn’t appeal to you, you still need to show future employers that you’re the best person for their job. Reading helps develop your vocabulary, your language skills, your communication skills and expands your general knowledge so, no matter what type of thing you like to read, make time to do it!

Helpful Websites

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-categories/creative-and-media

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers

https://getpublished.penguin.co.uk/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom

https://targetcareers.co.uk/career-sectors/arts-and-creative/1014289-how-to-become-an-author

https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/279415-editorial-assistant-job-description#training

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/graphic-designer

Mrs Y Trippier

LRC Co-ordinator

It has obviously been a very tricky academic year with PE provision being impacted quite heavily. From restricting changing for PE, the lack of indoor spaces, remaining in bubbles, and minimal or no extra curricular, it has really meant PE has had to be creative to keep students engaged in their learning.

We were able to start the year with lessons outside with Kick Rounders, Football, Rugby, Netball, American Football and Fitness all happening across the year groups. We introduced a “Wellbeing” unit in Year 9 this year to get the students to be more aware of the importance of a healthy diet, sleep and varying fitness sessions they can undertake to keep a healthy body and mind. Within the practical aspects of this, students undertook walking workouts, yoga and some HIIT sessions in the hope they may consider doing these in their future.

During the isolation periods, the PE staff set some home workouts and sports challenges by recording themselves to inspire the students with some amusing outtakes! The students engaged in these really well and sent in their pictures, videos and logs to prove how much activity they were undertaking. The students who were in school during that time had PE sessions including Dodgeball, Football, Table Tennis and Basketball.

It was so nice to welcome the students back in the Spring and re-start some extra curricular for some year groups. Maintaining students in bubbles meant we put on a night for some year groups with the Fitness Suite being extremely popular. Alex, our personal trainer, was inundated with students trying to get fit and was able to provide free advice on how to improve their health. We even managed to have some fixtures with Year 7, 8 & 9 Athletics events at Wodson Park and some Cricket fixtures against Chauncy School.

I am so hopeful that we can get back to a full extra curricular programme next year with larger numbers and more year groups involved. Our inter-House competitions will be back on too and a regular Sports Day is also on the cards. Extra curricular really is a chance for students to show case their talents that they have developed inside and outside of class in a competitive environment, often against friends from other schools to add an extra bit of an edge to them. I have also been in contact with Inspiresport to organise a Football Tour to Porto in Easter for the current Year 7’s and Year 8’s, it will be great to get this back up and running. There will also be a Netball tour either to Liddington, as we have run annually, although there is also talk about extending this trip to Paris and combining it with an outing to Disneyland Paris.

I am really excited about next year and the fantastic opportunities the students will have to be physically and mentally active. I hope you and your child/children have a wonderful, restful but also active summer.

Mr Ashdown

Associate Assistant Principal

Head of PE

This half term we were given the opportunity for Year 7, 8 and 9 students to go to Wodson Park to represent Goffs in District Athletics competitions. We entered students in a range of events including, Javelin, Long Jump, 1500m and 100m, just to name a few. Students in all year groups were excellent on the day and performed to the best of their ability. Some highlights of the events include Hannah Gibson (Y9) winning the 1500m, Freddie Norman (Y9) coming 2nd in 200m, Lionel Mbakwe (Y8) winning the 800m, Kennedy Alade (Y8) winning 100m, Mia Harris (Y8) winning 1500m, Charlie Williamson (Y7) coming 2nd in 200m and Olivia Judge (Y7) winning 200m.

All staff involved were incredibly proud of the behaviour and effort that students put in to making such amazing memories and outstanding achievements. Well done to all students who took part, we cannot wait to do it again next year!

Miss H Hockley

PE Teacher

On the 15th June, we represented Goffs Academy at a District Athletics Competition at Wodson Park – and the experience was truly amazing!! We were all a bit nervous on the coach ride there but excited to find out when each of our races were and who we were up against. We arrived and were ready to win! We put on our spikes and headed down to the track. What I loved most about the day was how supportive we all were for each other and the togetherness of the team. I felt as if I could talk to and walk round with anyone that was there, we were all giving each other tips and advice for how we could win.

I felt nervous before my race but I was excited. When I was running, I could hear cheers and chants from my teammates and teachers. After stepping over that finish line, the support I received was unreal! Everyone had their hands out for high fives! They all congratulated me, just as we did everyone else on the team and we were all so kind and supportive of each other.

The day was a great challenge, as well as a good laugh! And the way we helped each other and picked each other up when they felt down, was so special.

Well done Team Year 9!!

Hannah Gibson - Year 9

On Thursday 15th July, the Year 7 ACE cohort presented the projects they had been working on throughout the year. The projects were open to any topic with many varied areas that the students decided to investigate. Students were given 10 minutes to present their work in any means they liked. Many chose a Power Point presentation, but it was great to see some additional creativity in the form of a video news report from Isabella Walker, two full working websites from William Battams and Hollie Neville, a cardboard presentation board from Annabel Folarin and an amazing cardboard display with all work contained within in by Lola Harvey.

The topics ranged from racism, discrimination in football and in society, poaching, Greek villains, climate change, cruelty to animals, mythical creatures and self confidence to name a few.

Here are the websites for you to peruse, Isabelle’s new report and some pictures of the cardboard displays:

William Battams – Home | SUSTAINABILITY (wixsite.com)

Hollie Neville - Poaching | Mysite (wixsite.com)

Isabelle also produced an excellent video on Water Pollution

On Wednesday 30th June, the Goffs Maths Department ran the first House Maths Olympics competition. Over 120 year 7, 8 and 9 pupils put their names forward to take part, names were drawn for the final teams and the 48 students were chosen. The year groups competed against each other in their House teams in various head-to-head activities including a Maths in Sport round and a practical building round.

The atmosphere in the hall was alive with Maths and the students really got competitive and stuck into the Maths! There was lots of creative thinking going on and some really amazing, tall structures were constructed using only paper and sellotape. A big thank you goes to Ms Davy and Mr Yelland for organizing it and to all the students that took part.

The Winners are; for Year 7, the Falcon team with 30 points, for Year 8, the Phoenix team with 35 points and for Year 9 the Hawk team with 41 points. Overall Hawk house won with a combined total of 102 points, Falcon came in second with 92 points, Eagle were third with 83 points and Phoenix came fourth with 56 points. Well done to everyone that took part!!

Mrs Collier

Head of Maths

We were so happy to welcome Year 11 student, Clyde Del Rosario back to be our Artist in Residence for 2 weeks at the end of June. Clyde produced a huge body of work during this time, quite exhausting himself in the process! We wish Clyde good luck as he pursues Art at college.

Our Year 12’s completed a 10-hour Mock Exam over the 16th and 17th June. The standard of work they have been producing has been excellent. The Art students were following the theme of Materials and the Photography students were following the theme of Bodyscapes. We are looking forward to seeing the work they produce for their Year 13 Personal Investigations, when they choose their own project direction. Here is a selection of the pieces:

You will have read about our ex-Art & Photography student from our previous newsletter. Morgan’s Photography work had been featured in Umbrella Magazine:

https://www.umbrellamagazine.co.uk/feature/banal-and-beautiful-photographing-londons-a406-north-circular-road

We are thrilled to report that Morgan received a 1st Class Honours for her BA Photography at Middlesex University. Morgan has informed us that she will be going on to study for her Master’s, being advised to apply to The Royal College of Art.

You can also follow Morgan’s journey on Instagram: @morgantbphotography • Instagram photos and videos

Congratulations to Morgan and we wish her all the very best in her future ventures.

Miss Brown

Head of Art and Photography

On Monday 28th June, for our Work Experience within the school we were introduced to the group Fix Up. We had an assembly with them and they discussed what they do and how it can help us. One of the Fix Up team was named Action Jackson and we was a happy and energetic person to meet. He was very helpful in teaching me and my peers about my future and what to expect later on in life. We then met the rest of the crew; they were also very caring and very inspiring to listen to. They also talked about what they do and their own stories. During the ending of the assembly, Action Jackson and Rhianna performed us a song, which was very amusing and was very nice to hear.

Later, after the assembly, we then went into separate classes with different members of the Fix Up team. I got Action Jackson as my first Teacher; he was very happy and was spreading positivity throughout the lesson. He then went onto speaking about jobs and what skills we would require with our future jobs.

After that, we then met Ester who was a calm and cool teacher. She spoke to us about our schedules and how a schedule would help you in your later life. In addition, she mentioned time management and how that would be important, as you may be sacked or you may not get to a specific thing like an interview, which will not set a great example for you.

For our third lesson, we had Rhianna and she was telling us about how to love ourselves and to set goals to reach our future aims. This would be useful because you want to get somewhere in life. In our 5th period, we had a lovely woman named Yvonne. She taught us that if something was to happen to you do not let it get the better of you and still try to achieve that goal or work around it.

On Tuesday 29th June, we went to our lessons were we met a member of SFYP. They taught us about our CV and if you were going into a certain job industry like an artistic industry you could do a painting or a drawing with information about you that you would add in a CV, but you put in short sentences which would catch the eye of the interviewer. This would make them read the paper and maybe contact you but they may contact you to say I was interested may you put it in a formal CV paper. Whereas a person who sees lists and lists of CVs would get bored and most likely not read it until later. Throughout the day, he spoke in depth about the CVs and how they are important. At the end of the day, we had a speaker who talked about engineering.

On Thursday 1st July, we had SFYP again, they spoke to us about employer expectations, this would be to turn up on time, being dressed and also having great manners and having commitment towards the job. They also told us about what jobs there are and if we had any interests in any of them, personally I did not associate with any of those jobs. Some of the jobs were very interesting like being able to take clouds from one place and place it in another place. We then had an assembly from a man who was a medic in the war and what he did when he was part of the Army.

On Wednesday 30th June and Friday 2nd July, on these two specific days, we had catch-up, or we had a lesson, which was like revision but was very useful also very fun, it put me back on track and now I am all caught up.

Callum Coxall - Year 10

Work Experience started with a group coming in called Fix Up and they showed how people could achieve goals that you never thought you could, and they showed all of us a really bubbly and positive attitude. Through their life experiences, they proved that you can do anything you set your mind to. For Tuesday and Thursday, we had normal lessons. In addition, YCH came in on Wednesday and Friday.

The YCH were nice genuine people like the people form Fix Up. The YCH told us about how jobs are in the world and how to get in to certain industries jobs and what skills are required. Work Experience gave me more than just information, it opened my eyes it so many angles that I could not see. It is like a rainbow but with every colour imaginable had just glistened right before my eyes and everything is clear. I would definitely say I’m inspired and it was really interesting and good week.

Emilio Da Rosa - Year 10

On Monday it was my first day at work, working for Clarins. My first day was simple - I did an induction where I had to learn about the site rules, the covid rules, health and safety rules, knowing the one-way system around the site. I started doing some work but not a lot at first.

I helped with contracts; scanning them, filing them into their personal folders and shredding them after they had been filed. I introduced myself to everyone and got to know everyone and what kind of job they do and what qualifications you need and skills to be able to get the job. I was shown around the warehouse, which I couldn’t believe how big it was. Louise, who showed me around the warehouse, was really nice. She taught me how to pack the right products and that the boxes need to have a specific weight, they can’t be over the weight and you are only allowed in the warehouse accompanied if your under 16. If you wanted to work for Clarins you have to be 18 to work in the warehouse if you wanted to. If you go into the warehouse you must wear safety shoes so you don’t hurt your feet and a high vis so people can see you.

On Tuesday my second day at work went well. I did more work on the computer, I worked with the customer services, I packed products into packaging and sticking labels onto the packaging. I loaded orders onto excel by using my Clarins cards typing their order in, address etc. I went into meetings with my notepad, writing stuff down that needs to be done during the week. I printed out some risk assessments for my manger to sign and to scan and be filed. Everyone helped me out as I didn’t know how to add them in as I’m still new to all of this. I was taught more about Clarins - you can’t touch the products that are in our office as they are samples for people ordering them they are the samples that are in stores.

On Wednesday my third day at work went well. I did more on the computer for customer services logging in my Clarins cards into our system. I also sorted out invoices into alphabetical order. I learned more about customer services each day. They are busy but not all the time. You can only receive one call at a time and you have to be nice even if your customer is a rude one, all the girls are still really nice. I was taught more about the building; you have to sign in when you come into the building and sign out when you leave and as soon as you get to work you have to go to security and they check your temperature is ok. If it’s over 39 they tell you to self-isolate or if you have any covid systems they tell you to leave the premises and self-isolate for 12 days.

On Thursday my 4th day at work went better. I had a lot of work to do when I got into work. I finished filing the invoices into alphabetical order, and I also did more of customer services using Clarins 4 me cards. I got through 105 Clarins 4 me cards today plotting the data into Excel. Clarins 4 me cards are when a customer buys a product in store they get stamps on their Clarins 4 me card and when it’s full they can send it in to customer services with an order to the value of the number of stamps they’ve got. I also learnt about e-pro today, e-pro is the system which has all the Clarins training packages on it. I did a bit of that today so when someone starts in store on a Clarins counter e-pro is the training they need to do to be on the counter in the stores. I looked at the training sessions for the hero products and the make-up essentials training session. I also learnt a little bit more about a PA job and what they have to do. A PA provides admin support to a Director and arranges their meetings and travel and keeps their diary and they have their calendar as well.

On Friday my final day at work went amazing. We all said goodbye to someone at work as she is leaving to go to another job, her name is Sophie. Everyone wrote in my logbook goodbye messages then they all gave me a goodie bag to say thank you. My last and final day I did more customer services. I gave everyone a box of chocolates to say thank you for having me. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed doing customer services, and this was a great experience, but I know that I don’t want to do this job in the future. I have another job in mind this was a little rollercoaster that I just didn’t want to have in the future.

Chloe Lodge 10U

On 28th June, I was fortunate enough to visit my old primary school for my work experience placement, and I loved my time there.

Throughout the whole week I worked in the year 1 classroom and I really enjoyed finding out what the teachers do on a daily basis. I carried out a range of tasks such as sticking in sheets into books, helping the children with their work and doing some tidying.

On the first day, I was introduced to the daily routine, which included lots of different lessons, like literacy and maths. I quickly adjusted to this change in my usual routine and found my whole week at my school very enjoyable.

It was really fun getting to know all of the children as the week progressed and it was great getting involved with their lessons, as the children were all very engaged and welcomed me into their classroom.

Overall, I found that I loved the week because all of my activities were extremely varied and I definitely found the whole experience very useful.

Through my placement I have developed a lot of valuable skills such as patience, good communication skills and teamwork. I have also found that primary teaching is definitely a career I am considering in the future.

This is the name of the nursery I spent a week at for work experience. It was a beautiful nursery where I was welcomed very quickly by the staff. I was easily learning both staff and children's names and figured quite quickly there are two janes, one of which I spent my first two days with and she got me settled very easily.

My first day in my opinion went nicely, I learnt where all was and how my week would plan out, I would spend Monday, Tuesday with the children of age 3-4 and switch classes for Wednesday, Thursday with the 2-3 year olds and Friday I had my choice.

During my week there we did numerous activities where I got to see first hand how child development skills associated in PILES (physical, intellectual, language, emotional, social) were being used and developed apon. This included an end of nursery performance practise the 3-4 years olds had been creating of the three little pigs, and I got to experience the rabbit pen they had for the little ones of age 2-3 go in and spend time with nature.

Overall, my week there was a lovely experience and the children were sad to see me leave as I had settled in with them so well! However, I had impressed them so much with my skills and time of play with the children I would be welcome to come back during my time off school to spend time with them more. It was the perfect place for me personally for work experience week.

On the 15th of July, a group of Year 9 and 10 students from Goffs Academy attended the online ‘Amazon Web Service Afternoon Tea’ with 3 guest speakers and a presenter on the panel. Usually, we would have visited Amazon and had an afternoon tea but because of COVID-19 measures, it was an online call. The panel was made up one male speaker and two female speakers, they spoke about ‘women in gaming’ and increasing diversity, they were very inspirational. They spoke about how they eventually worked for Amazon Web Service. It was a great and informative experience that provided different outlooks on working in various sections of technology, such as video games or film production. They each shared their experiences in the field of technology and the journey they took to reach their current positions at Amazon. They answered questions from students; including the various platforms students could utilize to further their knowledge. Some of these platforms ranged from Roblox Studio, to Unity, to Unreal Engine. Even different people in different fields of work could experience the wonders of technology. Writers could write the storyline for a game. Musicians could compose music for parts of a game. Voice actors could voice characters within a game. Many different people can come together to create great things. This panel provided insight to these things through examples.

Another interesting point made clear was the fact that many of them had no idea what career the future would hold for them. When they were our age, they wanted to become things like writers and teachers. Even though this did not happen, because they had creative minds, they were able to succeed in the world of technology.

Student comments:

“One of my favourite points that was discussed was how even though there are many women in technology today; more women need to have leadership roles. 47% of the gaming industry’s audience are female but only 4% of games released have a female main character.” Year 9, Maria Neocleous and Jessica Yardley

“I found the panel extremely inspiring and I am very glad to have gone to it.”

-Riley Bailey

“It was interesting, and it motivated me to continue working towards my goal of working in the animation industry.” Year 9, Sireen Ohene

“Even though it was in a video call it was still a great experience and I gained a lot of information and advice about the job side of video games and how to turn a hobby into a job. AWS Afternoon Tea has now made me consider a job in video games and help increase the diversity in the industry.” Year 9, Annabel Christou 9U

Mrs Nessa

Head of ICT & Computing Department

Year 7 Geography students have been learning about Brazil this half-term. 7W1 Geography were very lucky to hear one of their student’s presentation on the country. Paulo Theodosiou's family is Brazilian and he taught the class about Brazil, including human and physical features and a picture of his family home as the houses look quite different compared to here. One interesting fact is Brazil is the only country in the world which has two lines of latitude passing through.

Along with many other parts of school life our plans for Science Week were thrown into disarray by the second lockdown. Mr Hopwood challenged students to make a battery, a magnet or a buzzer during their time off and asked them to send in a photo or a video of their creation. Elliese Brown in Year 11 realised that in order to make a buzzer you needed the other two items, and decided that that would be her project. Although her attempt to make a homemade battery for her buzzer was only partially successful as she couldn’t get enough voltage Elliese produced an excellent video that showed she has a future in a communication career. This can be viewed below:

Her excitement at achieving what she set out to do was clear, and she was delighted to have achieved in a subject that she freely admits she doesn’t find particularly easy. We were so impressed with Elliese’s video that we entered it for the Big Bang Digital competition this summer and we were delighted when her video was declared a runner up, winning her the sum of £250. The last word should go to Elliese who reflected on her last five years of science learning concluding “If you have your heart set on doing something then you can do it too!”

At a time when work experience is challenging to arrange to say the least, in December we got the opportunity to have a team work towards the Industrial Cadets Gold Award.

A team of four year 12 students had the chance to be mentored by Glaxo Smithkline meeting online with their three mentors on a regular basis. The students were asked to design something that would help GSK minimise waste. After some analysis of the various options and some research into the factors that affected decomposition they suggested a solar powered food composter. Their final design is shown below. They also had the advantage of some insider knowledge from Miss Styles who used to work on the Ware site where the project was to be located.

After 16 weeks students submitted a report which the assessors described as “brilliant and in depth”. They also presented their work online in front of a panel of assessors and while they didn’t win an award all students were awarded their Industrial Cadets Gold Award. I would like to congratulate Keya Datta, Alanna Simmons, Ed Page and Callum Law and thank them for both their hard work and for their professional approach to the project which helped them to develop a large number of transferrable skills as they move towards the next stage of their education. It was a pleasure to be associated with the group.

Mrs L Nicholson

Science Teacher

On 7th July, Mrs Harris and Mrs Rodman took the Year 12 biologists to the FSC to complete their required practical for their A level practical endorsement. It was great seeing the students engaging with nature and having an Ecology specialist go through the requirements.

Here are some comment from our students:

“To start the day we had a practice run using our quadrats and were taught how to do different calculations to use in our sampling, which was really useful as it let us see which calculations work best in different situations. Throughout the day we then used systematic sampling using a transect line and random sampling with the quadrats as part of our required practicals, and it was really interesting as we got to use different equipment like anemometers and penetrometers to measure the different conditions and we loved being outside in the forest counting the plants. Luckily the rain held off so we had a really good day!” - Lucy Smith and Evie Dietrich Yr12

“The Epping Forest trip was an interesting experience. Its fascinating how usually grass just looks like grass, but when we took a closer look with the quadrats we could see all the different species of plant life. It was a really educational event and I especially enjoyed learning to identify the different tree types in the forest.” - Charlotte Horridge Yr 12

I have loved to be a part of Krav Maga, because it was very interesting and has benefitted everyone that has taken part. It was also very helpful in case anything ever happened I would have an idea with what to do and where to go. Some of the things we have learned is how to protect ourselves from dangerous attackers, how to avoid physical fights if not needed and how to protect ourselves against knife crime. I 100% recommend everyone to do Krav Maga, because there are lots of knife crime and gangs around now, so this could potentially save your life.

Amy Brooks 8T

A mixed 11-18 comprehensive Academy with approximately 1450 students on roll, including a thriving and successful Sixth Form. Our Academy is extremely popular in the local area, with an average of over 800 applications annually for the 240 places available, and significant waiting lists for places across the year groups.

Email: admin@goffs.herts.sch.uk
Website: goffs.herts.sch.uk
Location: Goffs Academy, Goff's Lane, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, UK
Phone: 01992424200