Goffs Academy Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers and Students,

As we approach the February half-term break, again I am struck by how quickly the weeks have passed since our return from Christmas. At this time of year, our older students are redoubling their efforts in preparation for exams in summer. I have had the pleasure of holding one to one interviews with several of our Year 11 and Year 13 students in recent weeks, and have been extremely impressed by the drive, ambition and commitment shown by our young people.

Alongside this exam preparation, we continue to run a vast array of trips and other activities. I am a strong believer in the ability of trips and other extra-curricular opportunities to ‘bring to life’ what is being learned in the classroom. This half-term, trips have included an art gallery, a technology exhibition, and a Buddhist monastery. In addition, our Sixth Form scientists have very recently returned from visiting the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, a unique opportunity to learn about work taking place at the frontiers of science and technology.

I am also delighted to see a number of new additions to the books available in our LRC, as highlighted in the article below. As well as being excellent stories, many of these new books recognise and celebrate LGBT+ characters, as part of our ongoing commitment to recognising, respecting and valuing diversity. These books will I hope prove to be enjoyable and interesting reading for all students. Whichever book you choose, I encourage students to take some time over the half-term break to enjoy reading!

Regards,

Mark Ellis

Principal

LGBT+ History Month is celebrated around the world, recognised here in the UK every February. Here at Goffs, our school community is continually working to ensure we provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for all, including our LGBT+ students. LGBT+ History Month UK started life as a project of 'Schools OUT UK', a charity aimed at promoting equality in education.

The aim of LGBT+ History Month is to “educate out prejudice.” At Goffs we want to ensure that we know and value all of our students in all of their diversity. We want our LGBT+ students and their families to know that they are acknowledged and supported. With this in mind we are always mindful of challenging any signs of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia or sexism, and we thank you for your continued support with this at home.

However, LGBT+ History Month is not only about tackling the challenges, but also about celebrating diversity and inclusion. To this end, here at Goffs, we have invested in new stock for our LRC to reflect our own rich and diverse community. We now have a selection of books with LGBT+ characters and story lines, which we hope will indeed help to make day to day LGBT+ stories more visible.

The books we have chosen are recommended reading from Stonewall. Stonewall’s Head of Education Programmes, Sidonie Bertrand-Shelton, recently pointed out that inclusive books are not only beneficial for LGBT+ young people, but “help all students develop an understanding of difference." These books are first and foremost good reads which we hope everyone will enjoy. They also just happen to include diverse people and themes. We hope that all students will choose to borrow these books and along the way, we may be offering opportunities to understand and empathise with others.

So please do come along to the LRC and see what we have on offer. It is a good opportunity for us to remind our students that reading can open up new worlds to us from the comfort of a library!

Please remember to check any books out with a Librarian and remember to bring them back within two weeks.

Yvonne Trippier

Librarian

This young adult book is original, funny and thought-provoking. Rafe is openly gay and has been since he was 13. His family and friends have always supported him and he’s never faced any issues because of his sexuality. But he’s worried that he is only ever known as ‘the gay one’ and he wants to experience how it feels to live without a label. So Rafe hatches a plan and moves to a boarding school in New England on the other side of the country. And he decides not to tell anyone that he’s gay. The characters are honest, likeable and funny and the story will make you laugh and make you think. This is a great book for everyone, because it’s not just about sexuality but it’s also about finding out who you are and learning to accept yourself.

This is a fun story about two children, Nikki and Travis, who move to the countryside when their two mums buy an old Bed and Breakfast in Vermont. Even younger children will enjoy the adventure, as they get mixed up in a mystery involving the theft of a valuable Egyptian scarab from a Boston museum. There’s soon a visit from the local sheriff, followed by a mysterious hiker with amnesia. This is a good old-fashioned mystery, where Nikki and Travis have to use all their skills to solve the crime whilst staying out of danger.

We pride ourselves on ensuring that students are well prepared for future employment, and have a range of opportunities to find out more about different careers.

One such example was the Navigate Your Future Workshops that we ran for Year 8, both in October 2019 and January 2020. The workshops were run by YC Hertfordshire and covered crucial aspects of how what students do now will shape their careers decisions going forward.

Students were extremely positive about the workshops. One student put it best when they said, “it was important for me to have the time to think about what I might do when I finish school.”

We continue to run one key curriculum enrichment activity, each term, for each year group, as well as running a specific work experience week in the summer term for Year 10.

Sophie Enstone

Assistant Principal

Our fourth Super Speakers was a popular event, with over 150 students attending Ms Zloh’s lecture on ‘What makes a psycopath’. The students listened eagerly to the differences between Psychopaths and Sociopaths, and how these differences are noted through personality studies as well as scans of the brain. The last part of the lecture linked these scientific studies to historic American case studies, and how past crimes can be judged to be committed by psychopaths or not. Students left the hall buzzing, with many commenting how much they had learnt about the human mind.

Our next lecture will be hosted by our Principal, Mr Ellis, on ‘How to become an expert at anything!” This will be held on Friday 28th February.

On Tuesday 17th December 2019, Year 12 Art students visited the Victoria Miro Gallery in Mayfair, London. We went to see Grayson Perry’s one-man show, Super Rich Interior Decoration. We arrived at 10:00am for our appointment, the gallery only accepts 10 people at a time due to the small space inside.

Miss Brown was relieved to see that Perry’s large, fragile 3D structures were behind glass, as some of the Year 12s had joked about their own clumsiness! Although the 3D pieces were behind glass, we were able to walk completely around the pieces.

In this exhibition, alongside Perry’s 3D vases, were some other types of works designed by Perry; a rug (designed by Perry and created by a design house in Spain), a tapestry also designed by him, handbags designed by him and created by Osprey, and a large wood block print of his own creation.

The focus of our visit was to gather inspiration for the group’s 3D sculpture and surface decoration designs. Perry is a ‘social commentator’ and we ourselves are working in this style to commentate on subjects linked to ‘our society’, such as identity, mental health, and economy, to name but a few. As part of their project, students are writing an essay about Perry and his context as a ‘social commentator.'

It was an excellent exhibition. Thank you to Mrs Makewell for accompanying us on the trip.

Tiffany Brown

Head of Art

On 23rd January, the Year 9 computer science students were fortunate enough to go to the BETT Exhibition held in the Excel, London. When we arrived, we were all amazed by how big the event was and how many people were there. We were all able to get an insight into careers linking to computer science, along with receiving quite a few freebies from each stall! There were hundreds of stalls showing off different items, which ranged from dancing robots and virtual reality headsets, to exam revision materials. Some of the exhibits were from Lenovo, Microsoft, Dell, RM, LGfL, Microbit, Arduino, VEX Robotics and many more.

We really enjoyed the trip, as we could all see and interact with brand-new technology and find out what companies from all over the world are doing for education.

Mrs Hasina Nessa

Head of Computing

This term, the English department have had numerous theatre workshops and experiences on offer, for students to develop their appreciation of their set English Literature texts.

Our array of trips continued with a visit from Kindred Drama for Year 10 students. The workshop proved to be a superb afternoon of discussion, analysis and performance, improving students’ knowledge of the plot, helping them retain quotations and allowing for a fun-filled and thought-provoking day. Proving, once again, that plays are for the performing not just the reading.

In December, the Religious Studies department went on the first ever Year 7 Buddhist Monastery trip, and it was a valuable experience for all. A lucky group of students were able to see the routines, lives and experiences of monks staying at the monastery and got to take part in some fantastic activities.

The day started with a short trip over to Hemel Hempstead, where we were warmly welcomed by one of the monks. We made several stops, the first of which was the Stupa. For those who have not studied Buddhism at Goffs, a Stupa is a sacred statue with a holy relic inside, and on this occasion, it housed a 6-foot statue of Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha). Following on from the Stupa, students were invited to watch a sacred food ceremony which saw all the residents and visiting monks gather and give thanks for the food prepared by the volunteers. Goffs Academy donated various food items as a thank you, and our students were on hand to make offerings to each of the monks.

Our final stop found us in the temple of the monastery, where we were given a guided tour and shown some of their rituals when it comes to life and the afterlife. Then we were very privileged to be led on a guided meditation by one of the monks, allowing us to focus on ourselves and our own well-being. To finish our visit, the monk who was showing us around went into some more detail of some of the Buddhist teachings.

Overall, the students enjoyed the trip, with a very positive student voice feedback. It was a very important opportunity for students to be exposed to the diversity of British culture, and our multicultural society.

James Lewis

Teacher of R.S.

Paige has recently been accepted onto the Tottenham Hotspur ladies reserve squad after impressing the scouts and coaches. It took Paige only three sessions to show the coaches her excellent talent, and she was deemed good enough to start up front in the very next game! Unfortunately, due to a knock in training, she was unable to play in that game, but has remained a solid feature in the squad.

This is a fantastic achievement, and we are extremely proud of what Paige has managed to accomplish. Her place at Tottenham Hotspurs has come following representing the County football team and Stevenage reserves, so her ability was always there, and it is nice to see that she has been recognised for her talents and hard work by a top club.

We wish Paige all the best in her future career.

Richard Ashdown

Head of P.E.

On Tuesday 10th December 2019, 113 students from Goffs Academy took part in the annual Dance BTEC Show. The BTEC Dance students arranged exceptional choreography for their coursework assessment. The theme around which they created dance pieces was 'Evolution', and this included dances about the relevant topics of homophobia, environmental issues, negative impacts of social media and the evolution of flowers.

All BTEC Dance students gained excellent results for their coursework, as their dances told fantastic storylines that allowed the audience to go on an emotional journey.

The rest of the show was jam packed with a variety of dance styles including street, modern, contemporary and jazz. The show was extremely successful, as students smiled their way through all of their numbers and danced with such enthusiasm!

The BTEC Dance students were responsible for the majority of the choreography in the show and taught younger students in their dance club after school. The students should be applauded for the amount of time and effort which they committed; they should be extremely proud of themselves.

On the show night, refreshments were sold, so that we could raise funds for costumes for the summer show. This was all arranged by the students, which is also testament to their commitment to the department. A massive well done and thank you to the following students, who have been involved in choreographing and leading dance club alongside Miss Ball/Miss Fleet:

Mollie Orton (Year 9)

Danni Aslett (Year 9)

Gracie Gwilliam (Year 9)

Ava Reynolds (Year 10)

Katie Arnfield (Year 10)

Alicia Hall (Year 12)

Abbi Budd (Year 12)

Abi Murray (Year 12)

Sophia Warder (Year 13)

Well done again to all of the performers. They all did exceptionally well and made both Goffs and the audience proud. I am so pleased that we have such talented students, who can showcase their amazing capabilities. I look forward to the summer dance show 'Goffs to the West End!'

Carla Ball
2nd i/c of PE & Community Sport

On Wednesday 15th January 2020, after the one-hour-and-forty-minute drive to Wymondham, the boys spent another 10 minutes walking through the grounds of the state boarding school, past the swimming pool, hockey pitch and classrooms to find their acres of football and rugby pitches. Although the pitches were slippery underfoot due to the heavy downpour the previous night and morning, the boys found a surface they could play on confidently.

It was a cagey start from both teams; Goffs tested the pace of their back four, and Wymondham checked how far their centre backs could kick the ball. Goffs were certainly the more creative side, and after a number of close through balls didn’t lead to anything, there was a great pass to Ben Hinchy, who calmly slotted the ball past their keeper. Emmanuel Onomah was twisting and turning their players all over the place; so much so I think he got lost at points and couldn’t work out which way he was shooting! However, on one of his more successful runs, he released the pace of Olly Stone, who slammed the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0. This was how the score stayed until half time.

I would like to think that a rousing, inspirational half-time team talk spurred the boys on in the second half, but, truly, it was their class, patience and decision making that pushed them on further. Our right hand side was proving a real issue for Wymondham, and Ben Hinchy went on a dribble past two defenders and easily slotted past the onrushing keeper from a tight angle, to put us fully in control at 3-0. However, Wymondham were not giving up and, to their credit, forced the best save of the game from George Hilder. A powerful shot was expertly tipped round the post after a lightning reaction stop from the left hand of Hilder. It truly was a wonderful save, and without it, who knows whether the tide may have turned. With the game more or less sewn up, it was a chance to freshen things up. Henry Steed and Freddie Atkinson started causing problems down the Wymondham left hand side, including a wonderful 20-yard curling effort from Atkinson, which came back off the post.

Onomah was sent back on up front and made the game safe with two goals in the space of 5 minutes. The first was a tap in from a Steed cross from the left, before a venomous drive into the roof of the net from just inside the area. It just left 'Man of the Match' Reece Townley, to curl a fantastic 25 yard free kick into the top corner to complete the rout in South Norfolk.

The boys demonstrated their class on and off the pitch and really were a credit to the school, themselves and their parents. Congratulations to the whole squad:

George Hilder

Leo Holland

Tete Macaulay

Zain Abid

Ronnie Rouse

Taylor Campbell

Reece Townley

Ben Hinchy

Henry Steed

Emmanuel Onomah

Olly Stone

Jake Simson

Freddie Atkinson

Oliver Walters

Richard Ashdown

Head of P.E.

On Monday 27th January 2020 we held an additional non-uniform day, in memory of Laura Connolly. As you all know, Laura tragically passed away in October 2019. The day provided an opportunity for all members of our community to collectively take time to remember a valued, and much-missed, friend, colleague and teacher.

Students were extremely generous with their donations as they entered school, as well as purchasing memorial wristbands. Students wore items of blue or orange, the colours of the Bone Cancer Research Trust, in solidarity of this cause, and observed a minute's silence in Laura's memory. I am very pleased to say that £1,840 was raised on the day, which will go directly to the Laura Connolly Tribute Fund within the Bone Cancer Research Trust, raising vital funds for chondrosarcoma research.

This half term, the House team organised the annual Goffs Got Talent competition. Auditions took place across two lunchtimes with an array of acts coming to showcase their talents to a panel of staff and students.

During the auditions we saw a verity of talents ranging from magic tricks, stand-up comedy, keyboard playing, dancing and lots of singing! It was extremely challenging for us to whittle the acts down to the finalists, as we saw so many promising talents at the auditions stage. However, with some deliberation, we managed to announce our finalists on the Monday before the final.

Our finalists were:

Delia Fartade - Tap dancing

Rowan Wilkinson - Karate

Emily Savva – Dancing

Makeila, Olivia and Sireen – Singing, with Makeila on the piano

Taylor Lannigan – Singing

Daniel Williams – Magic act

Stefanos Nichola – Beat boxing

Many students from across all year groups turned up to spectate at the final on Wednesday 29th January, students generously supporting with charity donations as they entered the hall.

All students confidently performed their acts showcasing their individual talents. Our judges Mr Petrou, Mr Taken, Miss McBride and Miss Huseyin offered feedback to each act and congratulated them on their efforts. Mr Petrou even got to show off his artistic skills when asked by Daniel Williams to draw a picture of his card as part of the magic act.

We were extremely lucky to have two special guest performers, Mrs Preston singing ‘Make you Feel My Love’ and Mr Gill playing his electric guitar whilst singing ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. The students were wowed by both teachers’ talents outside of the classroom!

After all the acts had performed, the judges took a break to deliberate the winners, which wasn’t an easy decision. Lara Wollington, our host for the event, announced the winners:

3rd Place: Rowan Wilkinson – Karate
2nd Place: Emily Savva – Dancing
1st Place: Delia Fartade – Tap Dancing

A huge well done to all that took part in the competition. It was an excellent afternoon watching them perform. Thank you to the House team and the judges for making the event such a success, and giving up your time to help the event run smoothly. Thanks must also go to the spectators, as we raised a pleasing £101 for CLIC Sargent, our school charity, from your donations.

On Monday 27th January 2020, we held an additional non-uniform day, in memory of Laura Connolly. As you all know, Laura tragically passed away in October 2019. The day provided an opportunity for all members of our community to collectively take time to remember a valued, and much-missed, friend, colleague and teacher.

Students were extremely generous with their donations as they entered school, as well as purchasing memorial wristbands. Students wore items of blue or orange, the colours of the Bone Cancer Research Trust, in solidarity of this cause, and observed a minute's silence in Laura's memory. I am very pleased to say that £1,840 was raised on the day, which will go directly to the Laura Connolly Tribute Fund within the Bone Cancer Research Trust, raising vital funds for chondrosarcoma research.

On Tuesday 4th February 2020, the house team ran a bake sale to raise money for CLIC Sargent as this was World Cancer Day. House students baked some delicious treats including cupcakes, cookies, lemon cake, brownies. Two stalls were set up, one in the hall, one in the sixth form common room and students across the school came along at break and lunch to purchase cakes. The bakers kindly donated the treats meaning that the £98.50 made on the day is profit to donate to our school charity.

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