2023-2024

This activity was rewarded to the BTEC Level 3 Sports students for their hard work, determination and being successful in the first term. This was a great way to continue/reward the students' commitment to the course and their overall grades.
 

Ten of our students successfully completed the qualifying expedition for their silver Duke of Edinburgh award at the weekend, which involved camping in the Peak District for two nights and walking 40km over three days.  They also had to navigate their own way across open countryside, pitch their own tents, cook their dinner and breakfast and carry with them anything they used so that they were totally self-sufficient.

Despite two very cold nights and torrential rain on the Sunday morning, they all got on with the job in hand without complaint and kept each other's spirits up.  Everyone stayed on track and showed great teamwork in camp. Their assessor was very impressed with them and said “every student was a credit to the academy over the weekend”.  They worked really hard both in preparing for and over the course of the expedition and should be proud of themselves and the skills they have demonstrated.  There was also lots of fun and laughter along the way! What an accomplishment. Well done all of you!

On Wednesday 24^th April, 40 select students participated in the Redhill Trust Handball Cup at University of Nottingham. We competed against 9 other trust schools, where al students performed to the best of their ability. They showed fantastic sportsmanship across the day and all showed the perfect OAKWOOD student. We look forward to competing in the same tournament next year.

On Thursday 23^rd May, Thirteen Year 7 students went to University of Nottingham as part of National Numeracy day 2024. National Numeracy Day is all about celebrating numbers and encouraging people to improve their numerical skills, no matter what their current level may be.

The students started the day by being fascinated by the size of the campus as we struggled to find the meeting point. The boys in particular liked seeing the sporting facilities that the students have access to.

The day started with the students receiving a welcome talk by Dr Ria Symonds – who has been working at the University for the past 15 years. She spoke about using maths in engineering, science and, in particular, in the real world.

The students listened really well as she explained how maths is all around us and forever progressing through the use of technology and AI.

Following the introductory speech, the students were introduced to the aspect of probability through a number of different scenarios in which they engaged in activities, and you could really see their love for Maths shining through.

They were able to step into the world of data science and discover the magic of mathematics through interactive activities. They explored how maths powers the cutting-edge technologies of natural language processing and natural networks. From decoding secrets hidden in texts to training virtual brains to think, the activities highlighted why maths is the ultimate key to unlocking the wonders of data science.

 

Let's ask the question… “Do you think you could hit five Heads in a row when tossing a coin?”

 

 

Now let's make it more interesting. If you can, then you will receive £1000, if you can’t you just have to give me £30. Now would you take the bet?

This was the theoretical problem that our students were presented with and so the experiment began, Lorenz did come very close to succeeding in hitting his first four as Heads. Which was a great accomplishment at 1/16 chance. The chance of winning £1000 would have been 1/32.

Following this, the students were told about the birthday paradox! The birthday paradox refers to the counter-intuitive fact that only 23 people are needed for that probability to exceed 50%. The birthday paradox is a vertical paradox: it seems wrong at first glance but is, in fact, true.

 

In the lecture theatre there were a couple of hundred eager Mathematicians who wanted to put the theory into practice. So Dr Ria Symonds asked the student at the back their birthday, she said anyone who can match that shout BINGO! And to all of our surprise, the first person had a matching birthday to someone else in the room. So she asked a few more and, amazingly, from the first six people who were asked, three others had the same birthday!! I wonder how many pairs could have been discovered should the task continue?

So how many people have to be in a room for it to be almost 100%? This was the next task for the students, using the idea of probability and 364/365 x 363/365 x 362/365 and so on… in fact, in a room of 75 there's a 99.9% chance of at least two people matching. So, next time you're in a crowded room/ place, ask yourself “I wonder if anyone else here shares my birthday?”

Session 2 was led by Dr Cerian Brewer who explained how she is fascinated in investigating the mathematics of random growth, showing how maths can link with science and geography. She wanted to try and encourage the students to also inspire a love for investigation too and I think this was achieved.

The workshop was set out to model a process of random growth by investigating the construction of pentominoes. Through an interesting approach of “Tumor growth” and polyonminos the students started to look at the different ways in which a tumour can develop, just one cell at a time and provided an interesting avenue for investigation and further analysis, such as the spread of disease or growth of a cancerous tumour

 

*A polyonmino is the name given to plane figures created by groups of squares touching at their edges. Polyominoes are generally referred to in groups, sharing a characteristic number of sides, ignoring rotations and reflexions. For example, the monomino is the trivial group consisting of a single square*

Session 3 was a little different as the students moved into a seminar room to look at the curious patterns created in data sets.

The session itself was led by Chris Hike, a lecturer at the University. He guided them through a process used to analyse a diverse range of data sets to find unexpected regularity in them, a regularity which has been used to detect financial, election and scientific fraud.

 

 

The students learnt that the first digit alone is key!!

In the afternoon, the students finally got a chance to get out and get some fresh air as they were given a campus tour by a student ambassador. Throughout the tour, the students were fantastic, asking some great questions both about studies and life as a student.

At the end of the day, all students were brought back together in the lecture hall where all speakers and contributors to the day were there for a Q and A session. During this time, the Oakwood students came up with some great questions: “what are your favourite topics in Maths?” “What age were you when you decided you wanted to do this?”

“What jobs include Maths?”

“How many digits of Pi do you know?”

The students showed great courage not only in this session but also throughout the entire day, putting their hands up and asking/ answering questions.

Lorenz also had a great joke that he wanted to share: “Why is six afraid of seven? Because Seven ATE nine!”

 

Other Maths jokes heard throughout the day

“Who built King Arthur’s round table? Sir Cumference”

“What is a Mathematician's favourite food? Pi!”

Overall, it was a great day and the Oakwood students were a credit to themselves and the Academy.

 

On the 14^th June, 21 Year 10 students departed on a four-day trip to the World War Battlefields sites of France and Belgium.  The purpose of the trip was to enrich student's experience and understanding of medicine on the Western Front, studied as part of the History GCSE course.  The students were given the opportunity to visit many sites over the weekend at both the Somme and Ypres battlefields.  Students visited commonwealth war graves, memorials to the missing, the site where tanks and poisonous gas were used for the first time and walked in preserved World War One trenches, to mention but a few. 

Students also visited a bunker that had been used as a Dressing Station as part of the chain of evacuation of the wounded, but it was at this place where the famous poem 'In Flanders Field' was penned.  Students were privileged to hear many stories of the heroic soldiers, of whom too many lost their lives and understand the conditions and suffering they faced. 

The Sunday evening finished with students attending the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate, a respectful tradition held nearly every night since the end of World War One, a truly once in a lifetime experience.  The students of Oakwood were polite, engaged and respectful, understanding the significance of the places they visited and were a credit to the Academy, representing themselves and the school exceptionally well.

On Wednesday 19^th June, Charleigh, Sariah, Oliwia, Shray, Holly and Adaeze competed in the 2024 Amey Challenge Cup. The competition was in honour of International Women in Engineering Day and the purpose was to highlight roles in engineering for women. It was an 'apprentice' style challenge where the students had to each take on a specific role such as project manager, commercial manager and construction manager, whilst working collaboratively as a team to create a pitch for a bridge that was to be built in a local community.

The students had to work together to build a model of the bridge, create scale drawings, calculate the cost, establish a timeline for building and consider the environmental impact the project would have. The day culminated in the team presenting their idea to a room filled with industry experts, the four other competing schools as well as a panel of three judges. The girls all spoke exceptionally well in their presentations and did themselves and the school very proud. Following the judges' deliberations and scoring system, the Oakwood team tied for joint first. 

On Wednesday 19^th June 2024, 30 Key Stage 3 students took part in the Redhill Trust Games, held at Tupton School. There were 4 events taking place: tug of war, rounders, rowing and quad athletics, where all students did exceptionally well. The day was filled with amazing events that were run by Year 9 sports leaders. All the students represented the Academy extremely well, showing teamwork, resilience and motivation. Well done to everyone that took part!

The Year 7 and 8 Enrichment students undertook a basic First Aid course today, learning important life saving skills including CPR, using a defibrillator, dealing with anaphylaxis and choking. They also had the opportunity to hear about careers in the Army, Ambulance and Fire service from Matt Hall the instructor. The students were focused and engaged throughout the sessions. Well done for being Opportunistic Oakwood Students!

In July, 90 students from The Oakwood Academy went to Warner Bros Studios in London to visit the Harry Potter film sets.

The students and staff had a fantastic time and were all incredibly thrilled by the experience... You could say it was magical!

We began the trip with a group photograph before Oakwood students were given the chance to push open the doors into the Great Hall. They then explored the film sets, which included the Forbidden Forest, the Hogwarts Express, Diagon Alley and Privet Drive making every single students' eyes widen with awe. 

It was a superb experience and every student expressed how much they had enjoyed the trip.

All the students were an absolute credit to the school and we look forward to visiting the magical world of Harry Potter again very soon. Expelliarmus!

 

Year 10 have just returned from Hornsea to study the extent of coastal erosion and the attempts being made to protect the coastline. Specific questions relating to their fieldwork will feature in Paper 3 of their final GCSE Geography exam of Summer 2025. Thank you to all the students that came. You were all excellent ambassadors to the school.

Mr Wood, Head of Geography.

 

Our Year 10 students did themselves proud last week! Three days of work experience and a mock interview to top it off. We had over 100 students take part along with inviting 10 industry professionals to support the day. It was amazing to see the students give this a go and build on their self-confidence and interview skills. A great experience to support them to build on those important workplace skills in communication, adaptability, and networking to get their career ready for after Year 11.

Our students said…

“This was a great opportunity and I’m so glad I had a go, I feel more confident and know next time to talk more about my strengths.”

“It really helped me build my confidence in thinking on my feet.”

The assessors said….

“The students we’re well prepared, tried hard and set a great example for themselves and the school.”

 

The Oakwood Academy recently held its much-anticipated Prom, and it was a night to remember for both staff and students. Goosedale was transformed into a dazzling venue with twinkling lights and elegant decorations, setting the stage for an evening filled with joy and celebration. Attendees arrived in their finest attire, ready to make memories that would last a lifetime. The excitement was palpable as everyone gathered to celebrate the end of the academic year and the beginning of new adventures.

As the night drew to a close, there was a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. This Prom was more than just a dance; it was a celebration of achievements, friendships, and the bright futures that lie ahead. The staff and students of The Oakwood Academy have undoubtedly created memories that will be cherished for years to come. Here's wishing all the best for their future endeavours, filled with success, happiness, and continued camaraderie.