November 2005

Writhlington Selected for Best Practice Business and Enterprise Curriculum

A television crew commissioned by the Department for Education and Science spent the day in Writhlington School this week to film the students taking part in a week of Enterprise activities and interview key staff and students. The school was selected as one of only four schools in the UK to be included in a new film showing how Business and Enterprise activities should be integrated into the school curriculum. This film will be shown on Teachers TV and also issued as a dvd to schools around the country.

Head of Business Studies James Fox was delighted with the opportunity to show the opportunities on offer to students and said:

“This week all of our students are able to take part in realistic business activities which have been devised to stretch their potential and enable them to use both their imagination and their enterprise skills to good effect. In addition we also have several Young Enterprise companies which have been formed by the students and which are linked to the expertise of the students. These include “Brazil-Brasil” based around our Advanced Science students, and “WSBE”, formed by our ICT students, which has already started to successfully recycle computers for the local community.”

November 2005

Gifted and Talented Pupils Conference

All the secondary schools in Bath and North East Somerset were represented at Writhlington this week for the joint collaboration in a national project aimed at stretching very able pupils.

The Challenge Award is the brainchild of Elaine Ricks, School Improvement Advisor for West Berkshire and she was the keynote speaker at the conference organised by Marie Huxtable, Talented and Gifted Co-ordinator for the authority. Elaine was at the school to represent the National Association for Able Children in Education

During the day students from Writhlington also presented some of the work they have been doing in Business Studies and Advanced Science as part of the school’s Fast Track Gifted and Talented Students Programme.

Our photo shows Elaine Ricks Marie Huxtable with delegates from all the schools and Writhlington students.

November 2005

Presentation of Awards

Simon Jenkins from the Learning Skills Council was Guest Speaker and presented awards to Writhlington Business and Enterprise School students at a ceremony held in the school this week. Examination certificates and achievement awards were presented to students in front of a packed Main School hall. The official ceremony was followed by a buffet for the 480 guests who attended the event.

October 2005

Driving to success

Year 10 Writhlington School student Matthew Buckland has been setting his targets high on the racing track this year. Within the last two months he has moved through the ranks to become the West of England Minirod Champion for 2005. At the championships held at Mendips Raceway this month he won his heats beating 30 other drivers and then went on to win the final against stiff competition from other competitors from across the region.

August 2005

Exam Success

Students at Writhlington Business and Enterprise Specialist school continued the year on year rise in their GCSE and A Level examination results. Both sets of results have improved continually over the last 7 years with GCSE results rising from 22% to 62% 5A*/C in 2005. Results at this level are now above the national average and are expected to continue to rise to 66% in 2006 and over 70% in 2007.

At the same time the A level results at the school have risen in leaps and bounds. In 2004 Writhlington students recorded the highest ever number of A Level points score by a state school in Bath and North east Somerset. The 2005 results were again impressive, with the second highest score by any state school in the authority and the best added value indicators.