On Sunday a group of our CCF Cadets travelled to the Lake District to take part in the annual Cadet Camp. After travelling over the pupils enjoyed a rest before waking up on Monday morning to the beautiful sunshine, a hearty breakfast and of course challenges for the day. Heading out onto the lake the pupils had the chance to take part in some canoeing having fun and splashing around. After lunch it was up into the trees for the High Ropes as our cadets channelled their inner monkeys to swing between the vines before heading to the canteen for a smashing dinner and to plan the next days expedition. Finally there was just time for a game or two of volleyball before retiring for the evening. 

On day two our cadets were extremely excited to get the chance to meet Coniston Mountain Rescue volunteers as they explored the equipment, processes and requirements to both be a part of the team and to ensure that when expeditions are completed they are done safely. There was lots of opportunities for pupils to try out harnesses, stretchers and even have a go with the lights and sounds of the rescue jeep. 

In the afternoon the cadets had the chance to complete the expedition they had previously planned, with a few amendments after the volunteers suggested adaptations. The team were fantastic and their map reading skills really came into use. Teamwork and Communication were at play underpinning our Employability curriculum. 

On day three our pupils split up with Group A having the chance to get stuck into rock climbing as the navigated a path up the mountain to achieve stunning views of Coniston Water. Not to be outdone Group B spent the morning Gorge Walking getting some fantastic pictures before having fun in the water with the canoes. After all of the excitement there was just time for an Ice Cream before retiring for dinner. 

On Monday a small team of our Year 10’s completing their work experience were lucky to be the first Etoner’s to step foot on the ground of the new build site. Fully kitted up with their safety gear and informed of all safety aspects the pupils had the chance to explore the recent structural developments, see plans for the site and find out a bit about the machines on the project and the jobs that surround it. Showing the full range of Employability Skills our partner Alcema were able to provide some food for thought on a very successful first day. 

Year 7 had a lighting start to the week as they joined Science for a day of fun as they explored what life was like in the world of Engineering. At Etone College our curriculum is broad and balanced, whilst our usual timetable lessons provide access to all areas, we also look to provide opportunities to further enrich. On Monday this is exactly what our pupils had the chance to do as they took part in workshops which enabled them to consider the many different careers possible in the world of Energy and Engineering. 

Taking part in the Energy Quest workshops with a team of fantastic facilitators our pupils had the chance to create circuits, use conductors and test out multiple materials to grow their understanding of electrical currents and energy. With the pupils able to consider the full process it takes to solve scientific problems. Starting with defining the problem, imagining, and planning a solution, creating and testing to finally sharing with the wider audience. Our pupils had a fantastic time and we would like to take the opportunity to thank Energy Quest for the fantastic day.

For Year 8 their Enrichment Week started with the fantastic opportunity to explore what life as an author is like when they were visited by Matt Gantry. 

Whilst Matt is a published author his inspirational story began in 2007 when his life changed forever following a serious HGV accident, resulting in multiple surgery and server nerve damage. In the following eighteen months Matt had to re-learn how to speak, walk and most importantly write again. 

Showing resilience and self belief, like our Etone Learners, Matt did not let his accident become the defining moment in his life and in 2012 he released his first novel on Kindle. With critical success and particular interest tin his story Matt decided his future would be as a writer. Starting to research his first paperback novel, The Gamer in 2018, Matt made contact with the US and UK law enforcement agencies to develop the themes of his story. Finally in 2021 Matt released his first paperback novel to success. 

Most recently Matt is working on his sequel, The Gamers whilst delivering inspirational talks to schools and colleges. It really was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to hear such a heartfelt story and consider what a career as an author could be like.

Sweden, Italy, Peru

We are delighted to announce that, for the third year running, Matrix Academy Trust has had another successful Turing bid.

The Turing Scheme is the UK government’s programme to provide funding for international opportunities in education and training across the world. It supports Global Britain by providing an opportunity for UK organisations from the higher education, further education, vocational education and training and schools sectors to offer young people  life-changing experiences.

This year, pupils in Year 8 from across Matrix schools will be visiting Sweden. Year 10 will be exploring ancient history in Italy. Year 12 students will be travelling around the world to Peru.

We chose ‘Far From Home’ as the name of our 2023-24 Turing project because we are committed to promoting an international outlook with our pupils. For our young people to be successful, we need to do whatever we can to broaden their horizons – and one way of doing this is to take them ‘far from home’. We will be making sure the pupils who are selected to go on these visits will be those that will benefit most from them.

More information about these opportunities will be shared in September.

Read our report on last year’s Matrix visit to Japan here: https://matrixacademytrust.co.uk/japan/

Find out more about the Turing scheme here: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk

On Tuesday part of our Maths Enrichment Week activities involved our Year 7 pupils showing their Resilience and Numeracy Employability Skills as they took part in a challenge to build the tallest towers out of straws and masking tape.

The groups were very competitive with House Points on offer and Mathematics glory. As a result there were some extremely impressive efforts including our very own ‘Etone State Building’ inspired by the ‘Empire State Building’. With the clear winner below it was great to see the enthusiasm for Maths our pupils have. We can’t wait for the tomorrow.

As part of Enrichment Week our pupils have been working on the “four chord trick” in Music. Did you know a large number of the most popular songs are made up of the same four notes/ chords. A trick made popular by the band Axis of Awesome some of the worlds finest including ‘It’s My Life’ by Bon Jovi, ‘Paparazzi’ by Lady Gaga and of course Disney’s ‘Let It Go’. Whilst trying out a full range of hits our pupils also had the chance to  work on their on Teamwork and Resilience Employability Skills as they have tweaked their performances to deliver the best. 

On Thursday 13^th July our Year 10 pupils were given the opportunity to celebrate the end of the year with our annual trip to Drayton Manor. At Etone College pupils get the opportunity to earn House Points in everything they do. By achieving in lessons, attending extra-curricular clubs or taking part in student leadership roles there is a chance for everyone to earn success. For this year where our pupils had exceeded expectations and have had extremely positive inputs into their House and the school they received the chance to attend the trip as a reward for their efforts. With discounted rates for other pupils there was the chance for everyone to attend as a year group as they said goodbye to their last days as Year 10.

During the day there was fun a plenty and despite a packed out park our pupils were able to enjoy the full experience, get on all of the rides and relax in the sunshine. It was lovely to see our pupils interacting both with each other and the wider community and showing all Etone Values in the process. Particularly poignant is how supportive our pupils were of each other throughout the day, ensuring no person was left alone on a ride and everyone was having a good time.

Of course there was also the opportunity for pupils to ‘encourage’ staff to join them on a ride. For some reason the most popular ride the pupils requested were the water rides, with the Splashtastic Log Flume the ‘people’s choice’. Despite the name the teachers were surprised by just how drenched they got, although there were no cross faces – Well not form the pupils at least. 

The trip was another great success and it was a lovely treat for the pupils as they prepare to enter their final year in KS4 and with that the build up to their final exams. We would like to take this time to wish our Year 10’s a happy summer, to stay safe and remind them we are excited to see them again as we start their journey through Year 11 together.

On Wednesday our Go Lead girls football team continued their program as part of the Disney Festival of Football. During this section of the course, our pupils delivered their caching sessions to pupils in KS1. Leading and coaching Disney-based football activities as part of a Football Festival our pupils showed Employability Skills by working as a Team and Communicating the strategies that pupils would be using to play football. 

The program is dedicated to increasing the involvement of girls in football from an early age, providing playing and coaching opportunities for them which will build them for a successful future in and setting. We were immensely impressed by our team who put the effort in to ensure the sessions planned were engaging and pitched just right to our young hopefuls. The event is an important part of Etones’ strong links with our primary schools, so it was fantastic to see the hard work pay off.

The staff from the primary schools complimented the girls on how well they did, showing the full range of our Etone Values with an emphasis on this terms focus of ‘Being Supportive’. The team was amazing and we are very proud of them all. We can’t wait for the next one!

·        Connie R

·        Layla B

·        Eunice O

·        Maggie K

·        Poppy C

·        Isabelle M

·        Hollie K

·        Summer M

·        Diya P

·        Evie U

·        Constance N

As the first full academic year of the Warhammer Club comes to a close, it is time for reflection on what has been a fantastic time.  The attendees at the club have grown in number, with many students trying the hobby of Warhammer for the first time and others being able to practice their hobby at school.

At the end of the previous academic year, we, as a club, contacted White Dwarf Magazine, the official Warhammer magazine to let them know how we had progressed as a club during our first year.  At the start of this academic year, White Dwarf got in contact with us to ask if we would like to be featured in the August issue of the magazine.  We then sent an explanation and some photos of the club and the miniatures that the students have been working on.  Following the efforts of staff and students, we are very proud to say that the Etone College Warhammer Club are to be featured in the August issue of White Dwarf.  Well done to all of those involved with the club, this is an incredible opportunity to be featured in an internationally distributed magazine.

This year has seen the students playing games of Warhammer 40,000; Kill Team, a skirmish game where at least two different factions engage in a battle to control the battlefield by rolling dice to determine the success of various actions.  The club provides different prebuilt Kill Teams for the students to use, covering a number of different factions across the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  The students have grown in confidence with the game mechanics over the year, and have started setting up games when they arrive to make sure they have as much time as possible to play.

Over the previous summer, we set up a library section of the classroom, and this has been actively used throughout the year with students using the previous issues of White Dwarf for painting scheme references and some have borrowed the reading books to learn more about the Warhammer lore.

In May, we launched a staff painting competition where all of the staff at Etone College were offered the opportunity to build and paint a Warhammer miniature, specifically a Stormcast Eternal.  12 miniatures were submitted by the deadline of 30^th June 2023, with names for the miniatures, and then the students and staff were then asked to vote on their favourite design.  In total, 453 votes were cast, with a number of the positions changing over the course of the week.  By the time voting closed the following positions were finalised; third place being awarded to Mr Barnes, second place being awarded to Mrs Geddes, and the winning miniature being painted by Miss Phillips.  A massive congratulations to them and to all that took part, the Warhammer Club are looking forward to what can be produced next year…

To summarise, the Warhammer Club would like to say a massive thank you to all of the staff and students that have taken part in some aspect of the Warhammer Club this year, be it attending the club or taking part in the painting competition.  We look forward to starting a fresh in the new academic year, with new adventures to be had in the worlds of Warhammer.  We hope that you have a restful Summer break.