Below is a collection of some of the events that have taken place during the 2010-2011 academic year; further events are included in the Academy newsletter and on the Facebook page.

Thirteen intrepid Year 10 geographers, accompanied by Miss Goodman and Mrs Spencer, spent half a day in wildest Bedford enthusiastically carrying out research for their coursework to investigate if Bedford is accessible, safe and attractive! Students also visited the traditional High Street to draw conclusions over whether it is in decline and what factors may be contributing to this. Traffic and pedestrian counts were carried out, public transport routes investigated and questionnaires, assessments, bi-polar and land surveys conducted. The geographers are now busy collating their data ready to start writing up their findings; next year, geographers can look forward to field trips to Bedford river and a British coast.

Year 10 and 12 Academy students enjoyed an informative visit to the Tate Modern and National Gallery on 8th July 2011. Exploring various thematic levels at Tate Modern, students were asked to study a piece of work by three different contemporary artists; students were able to examine the work first hand identifying, in detail, the brush strokes, application, surface structure, scale and true colours (all vital to high-level understanding!) Notes (and photographs when allowed) were taken and information gathered from leaflets, information plaques and various publications. On the journey to The National Gallery, students explored old parts of London city; once in the gallery, the work of key historical artists was explored and student findings recorded. All work will be expanded upon and elaborated in student sketchbooks once back in class, enabled an informed and highly-researched basis upon which highly inspired final outcomes can be produced.

One-hundred and thirty Academy students took an action-packed trip to Parc Asterix in France on 15th July 2011. Accompanied by thirteen members of staff, the group enjoyed a fantastic day out that was in recognition of student's excellent attitude and exemplary behaviour throughout the year!

Everyone on the trip managed to remain excited and upbeat, despite the overnight coach travel! As expected, behaviour was commendable throughout the entirety of the trip and all students  represented the Academy impeccably. Thank you to all staff and students for making the trip such an enjoyable and successful experience; we are already looking forward to next year's trip!

Mr Cox and Sixth Form students Ermal Dida and Emma Darby were lucky enough to travel to Kenya with the BBC to film a documentary detailing the link between Bedford Academy and Bishop Okiring School. The Bedford Academy team met at Terminal 5 Heathrow on 8th July 2011 for the long journey to Nairobi. Having landed and stayed the night, the group flew to Elrdoret (North-West Kenya) before commencing upon a four-hour car journey to Kimilili at the slopes of Mount Elgon, the Academy's base for the next four days.

Visiting Bishop Okiring required a two-hour 4x4 vehicle difficult terrain trek up the mountain by 4 x 4 vehicle; no one expected the school to be so remote! Upon arrival, the Bishop Okiring students gave a wonderful welcome by lining the entrance and performing traditional song and dance. BBC Filming directed the next three day's filming, with Emma and Ermal constantly in front of the camera taking part in activities, lessons and interviews. Mr Cox and Mr Okadie (Principal of Bishop Okiring) were in charge of exchanging culture boxes that contained ten items representative of their community, country and town. Each country presented a mystery item for the other school to guess; our item was an 'egg and soldiers' set that the Bishop Okiring staff and students were thoroughly amused by! After four days, an awe-inspiring closing ceremony was delivered by Bishop Okiring with dancing, singing and the exchange of gifts; Mr Okadie was very pleased to recieve his Van Persie Arsenal shirt!

The group departed at 2.30am the next day for a four-hour drive to Iten, where the high altitude training camp for Kenyan long-distance athletes is located. Here, the Academy students were lucky enough to meet our link athlete, and former Bishop Okiring student, Moses Masai who will compete for Kenya in the 10,000m event at the London Olympic Games in 2012.

The following day, the group set off early for Nairobi; the bus ride took in the brilliant wildlife of zebras, gazelle, warthogs and baboons! In Nairobi the group visited the National Athletics Stadium to watch the Kenyan National Athletics Trials, where athletes would be selected to compete in the World Championship later this year. World athletic running legend, Kip Keino, was at the trials and kindly offered to be interviewed by the Academy students! Once again, the group were also lucky enough to meet our other link athlete, and former Bishop Okiring student, Linet Masai who won her heat of the 5000m race!

Overall, an amazing trip with many life changing moments! Bishop Okiring is a special school, with staff and students achieving despite the lack of facilities and poverty in the area. We at Bedford Academy are proud to be linked with them and look forward to broadening our link further next year. All students are welcome to contribute to the link through International School Enrichment every Tuesday with Miss Lee in HU42. Make sure you watch the incredible Kenyan journey on the BBC later this year!

Almost two-hundred Year 8 students sampled life as a Bedford Academy student on Thursday 14th July. Starting with an assembly by the Prinicpal, where students were introduced to the high standards and expectations that the Academy holds for our students, the students soon commenced their 'Space - the final frontier' themed day.

The Maths & Business Learning Village kicked off proceedings with a spherical challenge! Students did an amazing job, quickly discovering that the secret of the spheres was that it was a model of the solar system! Next, students met their Learning Village Leaders (in charge of pastoral care) and took the opportunity to become acquainted with the other students in their Learning Village. The Humanities Learning Village then led a creative design project that enabled students to portray their ability to take the concept of 'Being Human' to another level; the quality of their work proving a testament to the Humanities' staff and our fantastic 6th Form volunteers!

After an exquisite lunch from our Chef, the Arts & Sport Learning Village led an astronomical range of sports for Year 8 students to try out. From Gaelic Football to Martial Arts, the students sampled a wide range of activities which showed them what opportunites were available here at the Academy. Opportunity and excitement did not end there; Year 8 students all entered the Learning Village Literacy Competition to be innovative with the chance to win an iPod Shuffle!

Thank you to all Learning Villages, our excellent 6th Form volunteers and fantastic Year 8 students for making our first Transition Day a huge success; we look forward to seeing you all in September!

Trained professional actors descended upon the Academy in July 2011 to deliver drama workshops based on healthy relationships and sex education to year 9 students. The event enabled students to ask relevant questions of the performance characters based on the choices that they had made in their relationships; workshop staff were excellent at answering the questions from the perspective of young people needing to make informed decisions and to do what is appropriate for them. The performances were very well received and feedback from the workshop was all positive. We look forward to hopefully seeing the team again soon!

Thirteen Year 9 students enjoyed a spectacular trip to the Chemistry in Action event at the Science Learning Centre in Milton Keynes in July 2011. The event involved eight thirty-minute lectures on honey bees, horses, rockets and space, oil engineering, the role of hormones – fight and flight, forensics and poisoning. All of the students had a great day out, were very well behaved and were keen to answer questions put to them to show their knowledge and understanding of Science.

The event was a great opportunity for the students to see how important Science is to numerous and diverse industries. The favourite lecture, by far, was that on the horse; a couple of students were initially scared of the horse but, following the lecture, were keen to feed and stroke him.  Kalebh Stewart, in particular, was very keen on the Physics lectures and impressed lecturers with his vast knowledge of space and the universe.  

On Wednesday 6th July 2011, the Academy held its first 'Parent to School Day' for parents of Year 9 Communications and Maths & Business Learning Village students. Parents enjoyed a thorough tour around the Academy building, lesson participation and witnessing first-hand the Academy in action. The majority of visiting parents had been students at the predecessor school, John Bunyan, making it a wonderful day to hear them reminisce about their old school days, visit old classrooms and hear stories about their teachers and lessons.

During the tour, parents visited Miss Panayi's Food Technology lesson and sampled tropical fruit bars made by year 10 students, which the parents unanimously agreed were delicious. Next Mr Donald's History lesson was visited, presenting parents with the opportunity to help students compile responses to examination sources on Hitler and Nazi Germany. 

Parents expressed interest at experiencing first-hand how teaching has changed since they were at school and pleasure at seeing the generous support provided for students requiring additional help with their learning in our Access department. Feedback from the parents was all very positive and we very much hope that more parents will join us at our next Parent to School Day to see the Academy in action.

The Academy held a well-received Community BBQ for local sheltered housing residents on the 6th July 2011. Complimentary BBQ food was provided by our Chef in the warmth and comfort of our Academy Restaurant as the good old British weather unleashed an almighty downpour! Mr Twigger and Academy Year 10 student Jordan Hill kicked off the evening of entertainment with Anelle Antoine's heart-warming solo performances delighting the audience. Year 12 (6th Form) student volunteers worked tirelessly to serve everybody a selection of delicious meats, healthy salads and delectable desserts, ensuring that the day was a big success!

Bedford Academy proudly provided support to Harrowden Middle School's Culture Week by sending Academy staff to run workshops and give students a taster for Academy life!

Miss Greenacre, Media Teacher, visited on Wedneday 6th July 2011 and led a two-hour workshop for a group of ten enthusiastic Harrowden students in Drama Performance and Film Creation. During this time, Miss Greenacre introduced the students to the world of film-making and demonstrated how to use a camcorder. After impressing Miss Greenacre with their camera shots and movement skills, students were set the challenge of filming their drama performance to produce an interesting and engaging film. Students worked in small groups, taking turns to be the camera man/women, director or producer. The outcome was very pleasing and showed that the progress made in two hours produced three different, yet creative, films of the performance. Overall an enjoyable workshop which the students really did enjoy.

Miss Powell led a superb Street Dance workshop for Year 7 students, where they learnt the 'Honey' routine that was performed in the Academy’s first cultural showcase. All students were involved and really enjoyed the challenge of the routine. Year 7 were then tasked with choreographing the last section of the dance in groups of six; this was then performed to the rest of the class. It was pleasing to see how supportive the groups were of one another’s work. Overall, the workshop was really positive, students chereographed some fantastic routines and met the challenge of the fast paced routine that they were taught.

The Academy held a Sod Turning Ceremony on Tuesday 5th July 2011 to celebrate the commencement of building works on its £22.5 million New Build. Mayor of Bedford, Dave Hodgson, turned the first sod of Earth on the Mile Road site where the state-of-the-art construction will be located, replacing the former John Bunyan Upper School building. Guest of Honour, MP Richard Fuller, delivered a speech on the significance of the new build to the local community and the important opportunities that it will bring to students in the local area.

The new 12,634 m² Academy building, designed by preferred bidder Willmott Dixon, Bond Bryan Architects and the Academy, will feature the latest technology and educational solutions and be ready for occupation in September 2012. Offering the joint specialism of Science and Technology, the academy will focus on scientific excellence and technological advancement. Principal of Bedford Academy, Claire Smith, says: ‘We are extremely pleased by the real community buzz over our exciting New Build and the impressive facilities that it will have to offer! The Academy has been inundated with community input and support and looks forward to welcoming local residents and their children to view the New Build in September 2012’.

Chris Tredget, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon, says, “As someone who lives in Bedford, along with many fellow colleagues at Willmott Dixon, we are proud to have the responsibility to create this wonderful new building for Bedford Academy. As with all our projects, we will look to use local businesses where we can, as we recognise the importance of making sure the ‘local pound’ from these big projects really does have a positive impact on the community. As a locally based company, we are excited to be starting construction work.”

Jeff Stibbons, Director of Bond Bryan Architects, stated, “Today’s ceremony is a significant step towards seeing the inspiring and practical designs for the new Academy become a reality.  With a triple height glazed atrium flooding the Academy with natural light, the entire community will appreciate the ‘wow factor’ that the Academy design will deliver; we are proud that the design will soon play a vital role in the education of local people.”

Chief Executive of the Bedford Charity, David Russell, commented, “The Academy opened in its old buildings in September and has made fantastic progress in all areas of school life, including improving the attainment of its pupils.  Today marks another crucial milestone as we see the beginning of the construction of the new buildings, which will be wonderful environment for teaching and learning and a real asset for local people.  It is a very exciting time for the Academy and the wider community.”

Year 10 Sports Leaders Eden Washington, Sasha James, Ryan Barton and Jordan Maxam delivered a softball training session for Year 8 St Gregory's students in July 2011 ahead of the Middle School Softball Tournament. The Academy students ran a warm-up skills session and ninety-minute game, which finished with three cheers for Bedford Academy. Our students praised the behaviour and effort of their St Gregory's tutees; Eden and Sasha proved particularly strong Sports Leaders, with Ryan and Jordan perfectly explaining drills. Graham Millie, St Gregory's, said: 'Huge thanks for arranging the Sports Leaders to take our Year 8 Softball group this afternoon. I was very impressed with the four leaders and the children thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Please pass on my thanks and praise to the leaders!'

Sports Leaders also paid a visit to Willington Lower School's Sports Day on Friday 24th June to assist in the smooth running of the event. The day was a huge success and both Sports Leaders and Willington Lower students had a fantastic time.

Thirty Bedford Academy students enjoyed the experience of a lifetime when they were presented with the opportunity to meet and train with double-Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes and a team of Elite Athletes at the University of Bedfordshire on Wednesday 29th June

The day was organised by Dame Kelly Holmes’ charity, the DKH Legacy Trust, and put the talented young sports performers from Bedford Academy, All Saints Academy, Barnfield South and Barnfield West Academies through their paces. Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes and her team of elite sports athletes delivered a day of unique workshops for the youngsters as well as their coaches, parents and carers. Sessions included circuit training, communicating with the media and mental skills training with the aim of inspiring young people to fulfil their potential. 

Coaches and tutors for the day included two-time rowing World Champion and Olympian Toby Garbett, six-time World Champion canoeist Anna Hemmings, International Ironman Triathlon athlete Cathy Wood, International rowing star Charles Cousins, England and GB hockey player Purdy Miller, England rugby player Fiona Pocock, badminton Olympian Donna Kellogg, International kayaker Kate Forgione, Olympian sailor Paula Reinoso and Jenna Downing, World Champion in extreme inline skating.

Dame Kelly said: “Unlocking Potential in Bedfordshire was a fantastic event and we at the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust are grateful for the University of Bedfordshire’s support. We hope that the event really inspires these youngsters because they already have the talent to succeed.”

Sixty Bedford Academy and Harrowden Middle School students joined forces with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and Bedford Olympic Opportunities Support Team (BOOST) for a Business & Enterprise Day where they discovered what it takes to run a pre-Olympic Games training camp.

Working in teams of five, the students were asked to form a company and fulfill certain requirements, such as transport demands, to prove to LOCOG and BOOST that their camp would be able to host the Olympic and Paralympic teams. Mood boards were created and budgets checked before the teams pitched to a board of judges, including Katie Huane (LOCOG), David Russell Chief Executive of the Harpur Trust, Derek Batchelor (BOOST board member, Chair of Badminton England and Chair of the Parabadminton Europe Confederation) and Claire Smith (Bedford Academy Principal).

Judges were overwhelmed by the quality of the pitches, each of which portayed a strong message of the equal importance of both Olympic and Paralympic events. The winning team (Bedford Academy students Joseph Turton, Kelly Wharton and Sean Whiting and Harrowden Middle students Kane Honour and Haarjirah Hussein) presented deligent paperwork, accurate budgets and a passionate pitch.

A fantastic day was had by all, with students gaining an increased awareness and excitement of the 2012 London Olympics and the huge part that Bedford will have to play in the lead up to the games itself. Graham Simpson, Team Beds And Luton (County Sports Partnership) said, 'I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the youngsters. There was plenty of talent and enthusiasm within the group and a few natural leaders who were very task focused but managed to take the rest of the group with them which impressed me immensely!'

Read more on the event at: http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Students-get-visit-from-Olympic-committee-27062011.htm and at: http://getset.london2012.com/en/the-games/news/archive/2011-Jul/bedford-academy-is-living-the-olympic-and-paralympic-values

Sixth form students Nicole Basran, Sonia Chopra, Nooria Mangal and Poonam Masih portrayed their excellent volunteering skills by helping to run activities at the Family Fun Event held by Kingsbrook Children's Centre.

    Lisa Caimino, a Kingsbrook employee, advised: 'The National Family event was a huge success and we could not have managed so well without the help of the students from The Bedford Academy! ...we were so impressed with their patience and ability to talk to both parents and children with ease... they were brilliant, I wish I could have given them all more of our time but we were so busy, they worked really hard... it was a huge success, over three-hundred families came to visit us, and the girls were very professional in their approach, they worked virtually unsupervised with only occasional checks from myself or other members of the team. I would happily have the girls back to work within the Centre and hope we have inspired them to volunteer in the future. I look forward to having other students if they wish'

Sonia Chopra, who volunteered for the event, expressed  'my job was to assist the children at the Arts and Crafts area where I helped to make paper ladybirds for them with lots of different materials! There was also a bouncy castle, football and exotic animal’s area where the children and I had lots of fun! I wanted to help out at this day activity because I knew I would enjoy spending time with the children and it was also something very different to what I would normally do. During the day, I learnt that I love devoting my time to children and I would really love to take up this volunteering in the near future. It also helped me to think about other career options I had not considered before, such as a Child Care or being a Social Worker'.

 Dance Enrichment students Charlotte Wray, Eden Washigton, Stefana Taverna, Eden Anderson, Keturah Howell, Shannon Beardsey, Abigail Ford, Bethany Bond and Sasha James attended Cotton End Lower on 18th May to deliver a dance workshop to students.

    Two one-hour sessions were held, the first for years 1 and 2 who Miss Powell taught Street Dance and partnered Rock&Roll to and the second for years 3 and 4 who the academy students taught. The workshop ended with a show to the Reception students where all year 1, 2, 3 and 4 students performed the routines that had learnt. Our Bedford Academy students then performed one of their routines from the Easter showcase as the finale.

    The feedback received was all very positive from the survey questionnaire given to all students who took part; 87% expressed that they had fun and thought that it was really good, 83% said that they enjoyed Dance and 96% stated a desire to take part again.

A wonderful time was had by all at our Community Breakfast on Friday 13th May. Parents, students, sponsors, governors and community leaders alike turned out in force to enjoy a complimentary breakfast in early celebration of International Families Day (Sunday 15th May 2011). The Community Breakfast marked the official opening of the academy’s Breakfast Club, which runs every weekday morning from 7.30am to 8.20am and offers a range of nutritional breakfasts available for purchase. All students are welcome; booking is not required and staff are always available to assist with any queries.

Thirty-seven academy students were given the fantastic opportunity to gain a three-year accredited Essential First Aid qualification with St. John's Ambulance for free!

All students covered Emergency Life Support procedures for adults, children and infants including resuscitation, treatment of severe bleeding, treatment of an unconscious casualty, chest pain and choking. We are happy to report that all thirty-seven students passed the course. Special thanks to Tracy Knott at St Johns Ambulance who delivered the training and commented "It was a pleasure to train the children last week – they were well behaved and I felt that they all fully participated and took the information on board. I hope that the training will prove beneficial to them!"

Summary of Student Feedback

A survey questionnaire was given to all students who attended the course and the following summarises their feedback:

• 41% attended the training as they felt that it was a useful skill and could help save someone's life and a further 41% attended as they believed that it would earn them a valuable qulaification
• Overall enjoyment, learning and career-beneficial skills were rated highly
• Students felt confident in using the information and skills learnt in the case of an emergency

Students were asked to sum up some of the positive aspects of the course; these were some of their responses:

• It made me think about difference between life and death. It encouraged me to help people and that can make a difference in their life. It made me think of the advantage of being a First Aider.
• It made me think of going deeper into it as a career. It made me feel that helping people is great. It was really interesting.
• It was interesting, a good experience with good information and a good speaker.
• I understood everything the teacher said, she took her time with explaining. I learned a lot from the day. I will benefit from the training later in life.
• It is really beneficial to have on your C.V. If ever there was someone in need of medical attention and there was no-one else about and no-one had a clue what to do, I would have an idea and it could help save a life. The training could be very useful to me at times or in the future especially if I decide to change my career.
• It was really fun and interactive. Content was excellent. It was very interesting.
• The course was very useful and I feel very important to learn for future reference. The course was also very enjoyable.
• I learn more about helping others. I now communicate better. It will help me in the future.
• It was easy to understand. The dummys/dolls made it easy to try the practical side of the course and build my confidence. The tutor was good at demonstrating the course.

Further Opportunities

The Academy vision is to transform educational outcomes by providing exciting, new and different opportunities for learning and applied learning. We are fully committed to provide such opportunities to enhance our student’s learning through qualifications and courses such as the Essential First Aid course. Next year we hope to provide even more opportunities for students to gain additional qualifications.

On Thursday 12th May our Safer Neighbourhood Team visited the academy in the Mobile Police Unit to security mark property, listen to local concerns and offer advice. Police also highlighted their 'Immobilise' Service, a secure, online property register where students can store details of their personal property.

The Academy continued in its commitment to community work last term, holding a Tea, Cakes and Bingo event for residents of Mile Road’s Windsor Court. Student volunteers spent the evening helping with refreshments, playing bingo with the residents and playing the part of bingo caller! We are currently in the process of arranging another event for our community’s older residents before the summer holidays.

Congratulations to the winning team, which included academy staff members Mrs Quaile, Mr Jarvis, Miss Webb and Mr MacLennan!

The Academy held a successful Christmas Dinner for residents of our local Sheltered Housing on 6th December 2010; residents were delighted by the musical interludes, complimentary dinner and festive raffle prizes. A summary of the feedback received from the BPHA Sheltered Housing residents is as follows:

• 100% of those who responded enjoyed the event
• 100% enjoyed the entertainment
• 100% enjoyed the food

A summary of comments received follows:

• Thank you - congratulations to Stephanie Hopkins and Ebony Brown for this bright idea, it was well organised. Staff and students very helpful throughout the whole 2 hours.
• Please thank everyone - it was a lovely evening
• Congratulations to the Principal, Claire Smith, her staff and pupils for organising a really wonderful evening. If stars can be issued, one must be given to the young girl and boy who entertained us with their singing on arrival and a gold star to the chef and his staff for the wonderful meal. Sincere thanks to all.
• Had a lovely time, thank you all
• Great night for all
• It was a very, very good night. I hope you do it again - thank you all very much
• They did a great job from start to finish, thank you all
• I hope they do it every year, it was so good
• A wonderful evening, the children were so attentive and made us feel very welcome, it was a lovely evening, thank you
• Great meal, great company - thank you all for making it possible
• A lovely event, hope you do it again next year?
• My sincere thanks to everyone who made the evening possible, I had a lovely time, thank you
• The school can be very proud of the children, they organised a wonderful event, my thanks to all