Netherhall Senior Leadership & Management Team.

Ever wondered what happens in the studio to get a radio programme on air? Ever wanted to see what a television studio looks like? Three lucky Netherhall sixth formers were invited to BBC Cambridgeshire on January 24th 2011 and got a privileged glimpse of the production processes behind local radio and television.

The three sixth formers – Rifah Ahsan, Rashida Haque and Radakrishna Pyneeandee – were invited to visit the station as part of their prize as runners-up in the 2011 Youth Speaks Challenge by BBC Cambridgeshire producer David Harvey, one of the judges of the competition. And, as the team’s coach, I got to accompany them.

Upon arrival, we were treated to a tour of the building, including some of the recording rooms, the editing suite and studios. David took us into the BBC newsroom, which we instantly recognised from local news bulletins. What we didn’t realise, however, was just how much technology is required to create the programme. Dozens of lights are suspended from the rig covering the ceiling of the studio and an impressive array of monitors and cameras fill the surprisingly small space.

We then spent half an hour watching the production of the live mid-morning show with Andie Harper, seeing how the team developed a running schedule whilst fielding emails, texts, phone calls and breaking news.

During one of the songs, Andie kindly invited us into his recording studio to show us the equipment he used during the broadcast. We all agreed that you not only need a silver tongue and the ability to think on your feet, but also some pretty strong multi-tasking skills too: Andie sat surrounded by a huge semicircle of monitors, sliders and even pedals, to access and operate everything required for the show.

Next, we joined the news team’s morning meeting and came away with a good idea of how they select and start to develop initial ideas for stories into broadcast items.

Our final stop was a discussion with David Harvey about how young people could begin a career in broadcasting. If students choose to go through university, David stressed the fact that practical experience can be equally as important as the helpful good qualifications. He recommended that people write for college magazines and volunteer to help out at the local or campus radio station. He also recommended that students do their best to develop a portfolio, taking advantage of modern technology to create an online presence. David suggested using YouTube, blogs and uploading work to personal websites, as well as submitting work to existing paper and online publications.

Essentially, if you want a career in journalism or the media, get writing!

The students and I would like to extend our warmest thanks to David Harvey and his colleagues for making us so welcome and giving us the chance to gain such an interesting insight into the world of broadcast journalism.

Mrs Williams, English Department

The award recognises the school’s success in developing the strategic use of ICT in both administration and across the curriculum. It also confirms that Netherhall’s students attend a school at the forefront of using information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance their studies. It also demonstrates the excellent ICT management and teaching in the school.

Principal Caroline McKenney commented “On behalf of the Netherhall School, I am delighted that we have been awarded the ICT Mark. It recognises our positive approach to ICT and the benefits it brings to our students. We believe that ICT can be used in every aspect of learning and that it is essential our students are equipped for the modern world.

Bernadette Brooks, Naace General Manager, said “Netherhall thoroughly deserves the accolade of an ICT Mark accreditation. They clearly demonstrate how important it is to take a whole school approach to using ICT in schools. We look forward to working with Netherhall to demonstrate how ICT can have a substantial impact on learner outcomes in the future.

The ICT Mark is a quality award designed to develop and recognise schools with a visionary approach to ICT. It has been developed by NAACE (National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education), NCSL (National College for School Leadership) and Becta (British Educational Communications and Technology Agency). It is intended to promote a strategy for the use of ICT which enhances teaching and learning and which provides opportunities for the school community to develop ICT capability. It is a nationally recognised standard that includes criteria specified by the DfE (Department for Education) and OfSTED (Office for Standards in Education).

In order to be awarded the ICT Mark schools need to show that they use ICT in an e-confident and capable way to meet specified ICT standards in:

• Leadership and Management
• ICT vision and strategy
• The curriculum
• Learning and Teaching
• Assessment, Recording and Reporting
• Influencing pupil outcomes
• Extending opportunities for learning
• Resources – provision, access and management
• Professional Development

The lead member of staff, Alastair Wells (Director of eLearning) involved in ensuring the school was ready for ICT Mark assessment, commented:

“I am really pleased that the presentation of this award shows recognition of the excellent ICT work that is taking place at the Netherhall School. Applying for the award really brought into focus the ICT work that we are doing each and every day. All the students and staff deserve credit for this achievement.”

Every year in December of the two most prolific universities in England wage war through sport. Oxford and Cambridge battle out their differences on the pitch at Twickenham. As one of the world’s largest rugby venues, Twickenham is arguable the first home of the sport and our students from Netherhall were awarded the privileged of attending the varsity match. Furthermore, three photography students obtained access to Photography Press Passes for the day in order to record the match, this years lucky few where Tommy Banham, Oliver Wheddon and Isidoros Lapsatis.

The photography students’ work experience consisted of them having access to the pitch side, the press photography room, and the award ceremony. Perhaps most importantly it allowed them to be challenged in a real life situation to take professional sports photos that tested their knowledge. It also expanded their learning of how to operate the camera, shutterspeed and aperture. It also gave them the opportunity to work along side, and converse with, professional sports photographers from companies like Getty Images.

Oliver Wheddon spoke about his experiences,

“My day at Twickenham was an unforgettable experience. It first hit me what we were about to do when we entered the coded entrance to the photographer’s room, I was surrounded by professional photographers with cameras bigger than me! After signing in and having de-brief from Ms Conroy and the head of press relations, we were taken to the pitch side. For me this match was the first time I have ever watched rugby at such a prestigious venue and that in its self was incredible to see, all the professional sportsmen going all out to win. During the match I took some brilliant action shots and some atmospheric pictures, which together made a great collection of photographs for my portfolio. What I enjoyed most about the match was when the players were right in front of us competing for the ball, you could hear them smacking into each other fighting for the ball whilst mud, grass and even sometimes blood flew through the air. My favourite part of the day though was straight after the match when we made our way round to where the after match celebrations were happening and we were able to photograph the players celebrating, lifting the trophy, spraying champagne, and capturing the losing teams disappointed on camera. During these few minutes we were within touching distance of the players and you could feel emotions of both teams and see how much it meant to them. Overall I had an amazing day at Twickenham. I enjoyed the experience of being a sports photographer and I was able to get some tips from some of the real professionals as both Getty images and Sky where there. I’ll not forget my day there and I think it’ll give a real edge to my CV.”

The damp cold weather could not quell the general buzz of excitement over the proceedings, despite the loss that Cambridge suffered at the hands of the opposition. We felt part of the electric atmosphere and were so close to the action at times we managed to take shots that reflected not only the match’s play but also the emotions of the players. As Oliver said it is an unforgettable experience.

Ms Conroy
Photography

The event is packed full of activities to enthuse, educate and entertain! There are a wide range of creative and critical thinking workshops for the children and young people to take part in, from Curiouser and Curiouser to Secret Agents, Maths Pirates, Story crafting and Splat!

Whilst the children attend these fantastic sessions, the parents have a chance to go into our ‘Parent Matters’ workshops, which aim to provide practical guidance, advice and strategies to use at home to support their child. Some of the themes being explored in these sessions will include Stress and Anxiety, Handwriting and Homework.

Why not take a look at the programme for further ideas?

If you would like further information on how NAGC’s Pupil Premium can pay towards to cost of your families attending, please contact us on 01908 646433.

A team of three talented sixth form speakers from Year 12 have won second place in the local Youth Speaks Sixth Form Challenge.

On November 24th, Rifah Ahsan, Rashida Haque and Radakrishna Pyneeandee represented Netherhall in this demanding competition run annually by the Rotary Club and hosted by the Perse School.

Most adults would baulk at the challenge of delivering a ten-minute speech, but our team did the school proud, speaking with confidence and flair on their chosen topic of ‘Embarrassment’.

The judges, including Lady Cass and the Radio Cambridge DJ Dave Harvey, struggled to reach an agreement on the winners, and our team were just pipped at the post by the speakers from Kings’ Ely, who spoke on whether computers could ever truly think creatively.  The host team from the Perse came third.

The Netherhall team won £25 book tokens each and were also invited to spend the day at Radio Cambridgeshire by Dave Harvey.  He has kindly offered our students the chance to discover what it’s like behind the scenes at a radio station and what pressures people face when they have to talk for a living.

Although the topic was ‘Embarrassment’, our team certainly didn’t experience any on the night! Congratulations, Rifah, Rashida and Rada.