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Archive: April 2022

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Rights Respecting School Award
Posted on: 9/04/2022

Rights Respecting School Award

In 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
Bar Mock Trials
Posted on: 7/04/2022

Bar Mock Trials

Members of the Jury, I stand before you to deliver the closing statement for the prosecution, my name is Mrs Pretsell and I represent the Crown in the case against Amery Hill.  The charge is that the students of Amery Hill performed brilliantly at the Southern Region Mock Trials Competition, and brought prestige and honour to both themselves and the school.  Members of the Jury, this is an occasion when the only credible verdict you will be able to return is guilty:  they were brilliant. Let me remind you of the facts of the case; our barristers:  Lucy D, Albie P, Isabel P and Chloe S were dedicated and clever lawyers who prepared their cases meticulously and questioned with an unerring dedication to clarity and precision.  They were brutal - woe betide anyone who ever wants to take them on in an argument.  Supporting the barristers were the four witnesses who were questioned in these cases.  The Amery witnesses: Max J, Griff P, Aleya S and Orla T were guilty of knowing all the facts of their stories, conveying their testimony with great confidence and standing stalwart against fierce questioning. Running the court were another two students guilty of brilliance and coolness in the demanding courtroom drama.  Anya F, our court clerk, was peerless and Sophie J (usher) was as cool as a very cool cucumber.  Finally, other schools were kept on their toes by the brilliant and incisive services of jury members Sian L and Hazel R - nothing was going to get past them as they exercised their civic duty with true professionalism. Admittedly, the Amery Hill Team did not win the competition but in mitigation it must be noted that they were Year 10 students and they were challenging teams from 6th Form Colleges.  They are David facing very many Goliaths.  They might not have defeated Goliath but they gave him bruised shins, broken fingers and a nasty suspected concussion. So finally, members of the Jury, as you decide if this team from Amery is indeed guilty of being brilliant, I charge you to remember that these students worked so hard for five months preparing this case, they conducted themselves perfectly and they made Mrs Smith and me feel so incredibly proud to be their teachers.  You must return a unanimous verdict of guilty.View Article
Quiz Night Success
Posted on: 6/04/2022

Quiz Night Success

On Friday 1st April, Friends of Amery Hill held their first fundraising event in a long time with a well supported Quiz Night raising funds for the school; it was a great success in so many ways. It was wonderful to see the hall so busy and everyone really enjoying themselves. We had over 100 attendees, comprising of 14 teams. The cash bar, offering a selection of Prosecco, red and white wine, ale, lager, water and soft drinks was well supported and the picnics brought by individuals looked delicious. A very special thank you to our quiz master, Hannah Fry.  Hannah was amazing and kept the noisy hall of people under control, whilst testing their knowledge with a great selection of questions, some of which had the teams stumped. Many congratulations to the winners, ‘Where’s Graeme and Liz?’ who received a trophy and a small box of Easter Eggs!  The losers, ‘Govs and the Old Govs’, were awarded a very appropriate wooden spoon, carved with an upside-down smile. During the interval, the £1 coin roll brought out everyone’s competitive streak.  After the throwing of many coins, the winner was Fiona Pearce who won a lovely bottle of champagne.  Many  congratulations Fiona! A fabulous £1,106 was raised from ticket sales, proceeds from the bar and the coin roll, which will go a long way to buying additional equipment for the school. We have recently been able to purchase a new PA System for the hall, with remote microphone, sound system and speakers - it certainly proved its worth on Friday night. A big thank you to the parents and staff who helped at the event. We really do appreciate all of your support and this could not take place without you. We do have a few more events planned for the summer term.  Do keep a look out in the weekly parental bulletin for updates. If you would like to become involved with helping at these events please email us at friendsofameryhill@gmail.comView Article

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