Royal Docks Academy Newsletter March 2018

Part of

Issue 1
March 2018

Message from Mr Blaney
Executive Headteacher

We have come to the end of a very busy It was a delight to meet with many of our
term indeed and I really would like to future pupils who will be joining us in Year
thank you all for your support. It is 7 in September, I look forward to welcom-
through working together that we can ing them on our transition day on 28th
achieve great things for your sons and June 2018. There will also be an oppor-
daughters at Royal Docks Academy. tunity for new parents to come at the end
I have been so impressed with the attitude of the day and meet key staff including the
and behaviour of the pupils here. I am so Head of Year and form tutors. These key
proud to see them arriving in proper staff play a vital role in the life of a pupil
school uniform and looking so smart here at Royal Docks and are the first point
throughout the day, this really sets them of contact for your child.
up with a positive attitude for learning. I
have also been so pleased with how they I hope the newsletter gives you a flavour of
are participating in lessons and also in all what takes place here over the course of a
of the extra-curricular activities that are on term. There are a wide range of activities
offer to them. This term they have had the that our pupils get involved in and I know
opportunity to participate in various activi- that the extended learning that takes place
ties including some fantastic visits and ac- here will enhance their progress and at-
tivities in science week, the many field tainment.
trips including their trip to Walton-on-Naze
with the geography department, the ca- I wish you all a very Happy Easter. School
reers fairs and lectures that take place in will re-open for pupils on Tuesday 17th
school and of course our Year 10 pupils April and the summer term will end on
really rose to the challenge during their Wednesday 18th July. Please note that
work experience. I have been delighted to due to staff training there will be an early
receive so many positive comments from closure for pupils on Monday 25th June,
members of the public about how well our details of which are included in the end of
pupils behave when they are on school term letter.
outings. I am sure you would join me in Best wishes
thanking our staff who give up so much of Mr J Blaney
their time preparing such wonderful oppor- Executive Headteacher
tunities to enhance the learning of your
sons and daughters.

FRONT PAGE: Message From Mr Blaney, Executive Headteacher
Pg4: Year 10 Citizenship Houses of Parliament Trip
Pg 5: The Year 8 Students Visit to the National Maritime Museum
Pg 6 - 7: Year 10 GCSE Fine Art Work
Pg 8 - 9: British Science Week at the Royal Docks Academy
Pg 10 - 11: Design Technology - Textiles and Hospitality
Pg 12 - 14: Design Technology - Resistant Materials & Graphics Products
Pg 14: Year 10 Events Operations
Pg 15: Mathematics News
Pg 16: Modern Foreign Languages News
Pg 17: Debate Mate, Physical Education & EMA News
Pg 18: - 19 Resources Provision News
Pg 20 - 21: Geography Year 11 Field Trip to Walton on the Naze
Pg 22: Computing News
Pg 23: Ramira Arts Visit to the Drama Department
Pg 23: Year 9 Visit to THE Real Estate Investment Company
Pg 24-25: Year 11 Exam Timetable & Easter Exam Timetable
Pg 26: Year 7 Achievement News & Year 11 Prom News
Pg 27: Year 10 News from Ms Turle
Pg 28 - 30: Year 9 News from Ms Tinsley
Pg 31: Alumni set to visit Year 9 students
Pg 32: Medical Message plus more…….



Citizenship

Year 10 Citizenship Houses of Parliament trip February 2018

Students watched over live debates in the Houses of Parliament as part of their
lessons.

Year 10 citizenship and history students from Royal Docks Academy, in Newham,
took a trip to Parliament to bring their learning to life.

Students were given tours of both Houses of Parliament and took seats in the
public galleries.

In the House of Commons, they listened to part of the back bench business de-
bate and in the House of Lords heard part of a debate on the NHS.

They also saw –

The statue suffragettes chained themselves to and had to be sawn off from, the
plaques in Westminster Hall marking where historic figures such as Charles de
Gaulle, Nelson Mandella, Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II have made
speeches, the hand delivery of a bill from the House of Lords to the House of
Commons and learnt it is called a Ping Pong.

Students took part in workshops in the House of Commons education centre
where they made arguments in favour of different methods of protest.

Mr McGoldrick, Head of Citizenship, said: “All groups presented their arguments
well and the group arguing for petitions won the debate by linking their method
directly to the role of Parliament.

“Students had time to briefly take in some of the surrounding sights, including
Westminster Abbey, an under-renovation Big Ben, as well as witnessing a real
protest about BREXIT.

The RDA students were a real credit to themselves and to the school with their
work and behaviour

Student Enock Kintu said: “It was an eye-opener to see how seriously people in
Parliament take their jobs. Everything is very traditional there and it was good to
explore Parliament.”

Citizenship at options evening

Some of the recent issues being discussed in Citizenship lessons were voted on by Year 8 & Year 9 students at the options
evening. Statements being discussed and voted on included - The UK should vote again on BREXIT’, Donald Trump should
be banned from visiting the UK, Zero hours contracts should be banned and Internet access should be a human right.

A wide range of views were expressed clearly and passionately by our Year 8 & Year 9 students!
Well done from Mr McGoldrick & Ms Tinsley

Do you agree or disagree? slips

4

Young historians took a trip to learn more about the consequenc- History
es of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The Year 8 students from Royal Docks Academy, visited the Na-
tional Maritime Museum as part of their 18th and 19th century
studies.

Students were able to examine original written documents from
slave plantations and the records of slave slips and slave auctions.

They discussed what use the documents have in helping to under-
stand the attitudes and actions of those involved in the trade, as
well as handling museum artefacts.

Tricia Molloy, head of history, said: “Students also worked in
groups to do their own research in the Transatlantic Gallery to
answer specific questions given to them, creating an electronic
mind map of their findings.

“Royal Docks students impressed the museum curators with their
knowledge and ability to make inference sand connections form
the evidence they were able to examine.”

English News

500 Words Competition!

Well done to all Year 7 and 8 students who entered the Radio 2 500
Words story writing competition!

Within their English lessons, students were taught about the art of
story-writing, description and structuring a narrative. This culminated
in the creation of some superb short-stories that were entered into
the National contest. Pupils could write about anything that they liked
and we saw some brilliant writing. Stories included moving accounts
of the life of an immigrant, imagined tales of a King, and many more!

The 500 Words Final will be broadcast live from Hampton Court Pal-
ace on BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans Break-
fast Show, on Friday 8th June. Let’s
hope that The Royal Docks Academy
has a winner!

5

A collection of “Fine Art” GCSE
Year 10 work looking

specifically at Assessment objective 2 :

Exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with
appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes.

The students have taken the opportunity to differentiate between a variety of different
media while exploiting the potential of the selected media.

Through their discovery students have demonstrated work in progress of a highly developed
ability which shows them becoming more reflective thinkers with enquiring minds.

From their experiences they have become more confident at taking risks finding solutions
with increasing independence.

Soft pastel pencils, by Laura Chayka 10E

Watercolour pencils, Katrina Saposnikova 10E

6

Soft pastel pencils, by Mark- Narcis Marariu 10E

Acrylic paint , Fatima Sheikh 10E

Colour pencils, by Connor Thorne 10G Oil Pastels, Carolayn Espinoza 10G

7

This year’s British Science week started with year 7 students “Thank you and well done to the RDA team. The project and
making fizzy sherbet, with the aim of finding the best sherbet their presenting skills were amazing. Truly deserving winners.
maker. The activities included making sherbet, designing the Glad it went well and everyone enjoyed it” – Francis Collins,
packaging and costing. Director of Science BMAT.

Some quotes from students The science department opened its doors to year 5 and 6 stu-
dents from neighbouring primary schools on Thursday 15th
“Honestly it was amazing! At first I was like ‘Oh No’ but we March. The Science Open Evening was one of the most spec-
made sherbet, To be honest I didn’t even know what sherbet tacular event held! Parents, carers, students, primary schools
was, but I cracked on with it and I found it amazing. We and the rest of the community were invited to attend this free
mixed citric acid, bicarbonate soda and icing sugar! Hope we event. They were able to experience all sorts of demonstra-
do it next year” tions and participate in breath taking shows. The event hosted
different themes. A dissection room where hearts, kidneys, fish
“During science week I enjoyed creating sherbet. From mak- and eyes were dissected giving open heart surgery a run for its
ing sherbet I have learnt you have to work in a team other- money.
wise you won’t go that far. We made it with citric acid and
baking soda and icing sugar”. -Lola belle The Physics disco room displayed the properties of light and
waves. The GP room informed all about health and diet. The
During science week, I really enjoyed creating our fizzing sher- Royal Docks Talks hosted presentations from various groups of
bet, as it was fascinating to see how different elements react our students sharing presentations on practical experiments
with each other (such as bicarbonate soda, citric acid, icing they had completed during Science week as well as sharing
sugar and water.) Not only this, I enjoyed the science trip as some of the career aspirations within the field of Science and
we were able to see different body parts and create slime of course, the most exciting room was the fire starter! Students
which enabled us to see more about how chemicals react. - and adults carried fire on their hands and watched hydrogen
Chloe Collins rockets propel into the air. And lastly, a sweet ending with
marshmallows and a ping-pong prize draw for our lucky win-
Year 9 students worked on various investigations including ner.
making a chromatogram. Year 10 and 11 took part in a quiz
competition aimed at finding the next Einstein in the trust. Friday saw 30 students and staff travelling to NEC Birmingham
for the Big Bang UK’s Young Scientists and Engineers Fair. It
There were various pop-ups at lunch times and It was an ex- was an opportunity for our students to interact with scientists
citing time for both the students and staff. and engineers, and to explore the world of science outside the
classroom. It was a dream come true and a huge inspiration for
On Tuesday 13th March, a team of six year 8 students were most of the students who are aspiring to lead science-related
selected to represent the science department at the 1st in- careers in the near future. They visited various workshops. At
terschool competition that took place at Burnt Mill Academy. the OR Society’s Lego Furniture Factory, the students had to
The aim was to find the best KS3 Scientists in the trust. The design miniature Lego furniture using maths, science and oper-
other schools in the competition included the host school, ational research; at The Heartwize workshop, they worked with
Burnt Mill Academy, Epping St Johns and Forest Hall. Royal medical students on processes involved in saving a life, to men-
Docks Academy team’s investigation was based on finding tion a few.
the best insulator. Our students were enthusiastic in pre-
senting their investigation to the other teams and impressed On the same day, a group of students from years 7 to 9 and
the judges with their composure and confidence, as well as staff headed for the Royal Astronomical Centre, where they
their good subject knowledge of the topic. heard talks from 2 female astronomers about what their jobs
entail and the qualifications they obtained. The students later
“They knew that to become winners will require not just hav- watched a Movie called ‘Hidden Figures’ about 3 African Amer-
ing good science knowledge and understanding but also the ican females who worked with NASA and their achievements
confidence to present their investigation eloquently before a despite all the prejudices against them. The students were real-
large audience. Really proud of our students and a testament ly inspired and it will definitely help to boost their confidence.
of what they are capable of”
Royal Docks Academy teachers’ quotes:

“Amazing experience – the kids loved it and it brought the
whole school together” – Mr. Mahmood

8

“It was a fantastic, action-packed week full of eye-
opening activities which brought smiles upon many fac-
es!” – Mr. Khaliq
“Bang, pop, whizz. Not forgetting the stinky fish” – Ms
Sumner
“It was an amazing week with so many activities that ex-
plored the creativity of Science. All students and staff
thoroughly enjoyed the week. “One message shared
amongst all. I love Science” – Mr Miah
“An inspiring, thrilling and winning week for the science
department! It doesn’t get any better when it is all about
the students – won’t swap the smile on their different
faces for anything else. Highlight of the term #teamwork.”
– Miss Essien
“Science is the most intriguing subject any student can
study.” – Mrs Shu

Team RDA are the champs today,
They took that trophy without delay.
They presented magnificently and spoke with pride,
Despite the huge pressure, they enjoyed the ride.
The other schools never stood a chance,
Team RDA led them a merry dance.
A very eventful and proud afternoon,
One that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Miss Sumner

9

Design Technology

Dt Year 7 Textiles
Beanie Hats Project
Another rotation with year 7 Textiles. Well
done to the groups who have already fin-
ished. You have learnt how to research,
make and evaluate your Beanie Hat prod-
uct. All of you now know how to use a sew-
ing machine too! Excellent!
Here are the amazing
examples of your work!

DT Textiles year 8

Ugly Dolls project

Year 8 should be really proud of them-
selves as they created some fantastic
Ugly Dolls!

Some of their final Ugly
Dolls could be bought in a
shop because they paid
attention to the quality of
their product while mak-
ing it!

Have a look at the pic-
tures of your work here!

Ms Kitouni

Year 10 students at Royal Docks Academy, are studying industry, which brings more than £1bn to this country every
for qualifications in event operations for the first time. As year. The idea is to facilitate our students to look at careers
part of the course, they have already organised a Christ- within this industry. We are very proud to be able to show
mas market and are now preparing to host a fashion the skills students are learning in their course. When all the
show. With the theme of cultures, students are research- learning comes together, like with the Christmas market, it is
ing and planning outfits and food to celebrate the acade- absolutely fantastic.”
my’s diversity.
As part of their planning, students will learn about event in-
They will also interview potential models from Key Stage surance, risk assessments, health and safety and marketing
3 and train them to walk along the catwalk for the event. from outside suppliers, such as the Hilton Hotel. The 40-
minute show will be held during lunchtime on March 28 with
Nadia Kitouni, design, technology and art teacher, said: fellow students paying to attend. They will give feedback on a
“The fashion show will include costumes from students’ customer survey, which all forms part of the course.
backgrounds and will give them an opportunity to repre-
sent their home countries. They will include African, Latin Any money made from the fashion show will go towards a
American, Eastern European, British and Asian clothing. travel fund, which will enable students to visit the school’s
Students will look at the different cultures we have within sister school in India next year. Students are looking to also
the school and celebrate them. organise an event for older people to spend an afternoon at
the school dancing and playing games at a tea party.
“This course is all geared towards careers in the event

10

DT Textiles year 9
T-Shirts/Bridget Riley inspired designs’.
The year 9 have been discovering the work of
British artist Bridget Riley. They researched her
amazing pictures and were inspired by her geo-
metrical paintings. Most of her work contain’s
Optical illusions which year 9 used for their own T-
Shirt designs. Well done year 9….you truly en-
joyed your project and your work shows!

Year 11 Hospitality
All of the year 11 Hospitality students have finished
their practical exams! Well done to them!!!!
They served more than 80 hungry customers in 4 differ-
ent settings. The food prepared was delicious and fan-
tastically presented! The quality of the dishes and ser-
vice was at restaurant level……so I have only one thing
to say to my lovely year 11 Hospitality group…. FANTAS-
TIC!!!!!!...you make me so proud to be your teacher.
Here are some of your events photos.
Ms Kitouni

11

Design Technology

12

13 More on the next page

Continued from the previous page

Year 10 Events Operations
Fashion Show “Cultures”

28th of March 2018
The Theatre Hall 12.50 to 1.40 pm

All welcome!

Please buy a ticket in advance to ensure you have a place!

Your ticket is £1.50 and includes drink and Food!!!!!!!!
The year 10 are organising a Fashion Show part of their Events Operations GCSE assessment.
So far, the main focus of their studies has been the Event Industry, what it is and how it works.

At the moment the year 10 are working hard to make sure the
Fashion Show Event is a success!!!!

See you all at the Event!!!

We hope you enjoy it!!!!

Mathematics

UK Intermediate Mathematical Challenge
21 students from years 9 - 11 have done the school and
themselves proud on this year’s UK Intermediate Chal-
lenge, a very difficult paper.
Congratulations to the following students who showed
that they are among the brightest mathematicians in their
age group in the country.
Year 9

Shaeann Mcleod (Silver Award and best in year 9), Erica Tobi Ibrahim (Gold Award and joint best in school), Milot Dvorani
Dumitru (Bronze Award), Gemma Benjamin (Bronze (Gold Award and joint best in school), Darral Boye-Moses (Silver
Award) and Risha Talokder (Bronze Award). Award), Jordan Moore (Silver Award), Mahraz Abdullah (Silver
Year 10 Award), Yulin Zhou (Silver Award), Harry Bruns (Bronze), Hussain
Gondal (Bronze), Mahim Chowdhury (Bronze) and Chanelle Calli-
Andy Vong (Silver Award and best in year 10), Raymond son (Bronze).
Hoang (Silver), Mohammed Rah- GOOD LUCK to Milot and Tobi who have progressed to the next
man (Silver), Petru Macrineanu level which is the European Maths challenge
(Bronze), Billy Munro (Bronze),
Mya Pinnock (Bronze) and Year 11 Master classes at New Vic College
Malali Khan (Bronze). The maths Department is very proud of the behaviour and attitude
Year 11 to learning of the students who are attending the Mathematics
master classes at New Vic college. The students are currently focus-
ing on the grades 8 and 9 topics in order to have a better under-
standing of these topics at the GCSE level and to be introduced to
the demand and rigor of the topics which will be needed for those
who are thinking of studying mathematics at the A-level.

Year 11: All students should be revising for their final www.mathsgenie.co.uk, www.mymaths.co.uk,
examinations in May/June 2018. Please make productive www.connect.collins.co.uk (See shared area for login de-
use of the revision sessions offered to you in the morn- tails)
ings (before lessons), lunch time, after school. During the
support and intervention lessons ensure that you are All years 10 and 11 are required to attend after school re-
making full use of the opportunities given to you by the vision maths sessions.
maths department. Saturday classes from 9 a.m to 12
p.m are on for those targeted students and those who The after school revision sessions are as follows:
think that they need more support to improve their Year 10 on Tuesdays from 3:15 p.m to 4:00 p.m
maths grade. Year 11 on Mondays from 2:40 p.m to 3:40 p.m
Years 7 -10
Tuition sessions are being offered to those year 11 stu- Well done to all students on the positive attitude you
dents who maths teachers think will benefit from addi- have been demonstrating in your lessons. Please ensure
tional one to one support/ small group support. that you continue to revise at home. Remember to contin-
ue to use Hegarty Maths to aid your revision.
Useful Mathematical websites: www.hegartymaths.com,
www.corbettmaths.com, Please remember to always have your equipment ready for
www.mrcartermaths.com,www.mathsbot.com, your lessons. These are calculator, mathematics set, pens
and pencils.

15 Mrs Mittal, Head of Mathematics

BBC filming in MFL

The Modern Foreign Languages department
was visited by BBC London on Wednesday 3rd
March. BBC London were interested in our Community Lan-
guages programme, through which pupils are entered for a
GCSE exam in their home language. It is a highly successful pro-
gramme which celebrates the diversity of our school popula-
tion and its varied cultures and languages. Rather than seeing
language as a barrier, this gives students the opportunity to
earn an extra qualification.

Last summer, 50 students took exams in their home language,
with 88% achieving A*-C grades and 74% securing the top
grades of A* and A.

Pupils can gain a GCSE in a variety of different languages: Ara-
bic, Bengali, Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), French, Ger-
man, Greek, Gujerati, Italian, Panjabi, Persian, Polish, Portu-
guese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Urdu.

The BBC filmed and interviewed a group of Y10 and Y11 pupils
about their Russian, Turkish and Italian GCSEs, as well as Mr
Russell (Community Languages Coordinator) and Mr Ross
(Head of School). Miss Soból’s Year 8 Spanish lesson was also
filmed. The report is due to air on BBC London News.

What better way to learn about French culture than to make chocolate croissants and eat snails – in France.

Year 7 to 10 students from Royal Docks Academy, in Newham, took a two-day trip to northern France to indulge in the culture and to
practise their language skills. During the trip, the 41 students visited a market in Lille, had a picnic in Boulogne and rolled up their
sleeves at the Boulangerie Le Fournil in Wierre-Effroy and tried their hand at making bread and croissants. They also went to P&J
Chocolates in Calais where they learnt about the production of chocolate and watched a demonstration and visited a hypermarket.
Back at their chateau accommodation, brave students sampled snails and made pancakes. Spencer Russell, head of modern foreign
languages, said: “It was a truly memorable experience for students. “The focus of the trip was on the culture as well as the language.
While out and about, students were challenged to use the language while taking part in an i-spy competition to get them engaged in
their surroundings.”

Royal Docks Academy is giving its students to put onto their college or next steps applications. Those
achievements are to be celebrated. “It is about making sure
a unique opportunity to gain extra GCSEs that every child matters.” Students are assessed and inter-
viewed in Year 9 with a view to putting them forward for
in their home languages. their GCSE exams in Year 10. A total of 18 per cent of the
whole current Year 10 group will secure an additional GCSE
The diverse community surrounding Royal Docks Acad- qualification in their home language a year early. They have
emy, means students come from a wide variety of just completed their mock exams in a range of different lan-
backgrounds, with many having English as an additional guages – Bengali, French, German, Italian, Polish, Urdu, Chi-
language. Rather than seeing language as a barrier, the nese, Russian, Persian, Portuguese and Turkish. John
school gives students the opportunity to earn an extra Blaney, executive headteacher, said: “This really is a further
qualification. Last summer, 50 students took exams in sign that, within the Trust, we value diversity. Languages
their home language, with 88 per cent achieving A* to C have always been important to us and so it is essential we
grades and 74 per cent securing the top grades of A* have the opportunity to recognise our fantastic multi-lingual
and A. Spencer Russell, in charge of community learn- children. What better way to recognise this than with a
ing, said: “We are equipping students with extra GCSE GCSE in their home language.”
qualifications. It particularly benefits those who join the
school mid phase who have no or little English to still
achieve grades. They are able to achieve a good grade

16

A newly acquired debating skill is earning youngsters “A mentor from DebateMate comes in and challenges
success. Year 7, 8 and 9 students at Royal Docks Acad- them in a range of games and activities to improve their
eloquence and ability to put forward their arguments in a
emy, in Newham, have professional way.
won through to the next
stage of the DebateMate “In the competitions, students are given the topic five
tournament. minutes before they debate. They are not allowed access
to their phones and I am not allowed to help them pre-
Having won two debates in pare. The debate club is about thinking of ways of giving
the first round of the De- valid arguments, even if you are not completely informed
bateMate League at the Lister Community School, the on the topic.
students will now debate again at the end of February.
“I am really proud of what they are achieving, especially
The success comes just months after the school those who are a little reluctant and are using this as an
launched its after-school debate club. opportunity to improve their public speaking. To see
them compete against other schools and win is fantas-
Teacher Jane Langley said: “Students battle it out at tic.” Students from the debate club will also take part in
the debate club each week to earn their place on the the East London tournament at the University of East
competition teams. We can only take 12 students to London in March.
each competition.

Physical Education

The Royal Docks Academy year 8 Boys football team recorded their biggest win of the season this week with a 9-1
victory over Oasis Academy. Goals from Emmanuel Arosomade, Emmanuel Osabuohien, Reece Hicks, Dayshaun
Lebaga, and Jayden Elliston sealed this emphatic Victory. Well done also to Jiscard Kelekele, Telmo Leitao, Rio Shaw,
Hakim Hadjah, Archie Mosely, Joshua Ayeni, Youssef Boulhaltite, Freddie Cottis, and Tiago Nunes Miranda for the

part they played in a very good team performance

Congratulations to the year 11 Boys Football team on making the semi-finals of the London Cup, date to be
announced. Good luck to the year 11 Boys Futsal team in the Essex finals tournament (24.03.18).

News from the EMA tening skills. They have become confident speak-
department: The following pu- ers and are now able to contribute to class discus-
sions and speak in front of the class expressing their
pils made excellent progress over the point of view and arguing/debating opinions.
term and graduated into mainstream: They have also become confident writers being able
to plan and write short stories using a range of vo-
Viktor Vasilev (7S), Jeferson Cadavid (7G), Stefan cabulary, key words, paragraphs and apply the cor-
Cerbu (7T), Faija Uddin (8S), Denisa Barladeanu rect punctuation.
(8W), Shabab Ahamed (8A), Elisaveth Mahu (8G),
Muna Kazi (Son) (8G), Aleksandar Biserov (9T) They have settled really well in their new classes
and have engaged in a range of activities in English,
All the above pupils have made excellent progress Science, History and Geography.
improving their writing, reading, speaking and lis- Crina Petrescu, Head of EMA

17

Resourced Provision

In N26, Cooper and Niaz both in Year 10 had the opportunity to go on
work experience in February. Both students enjoyed the experiences and
made the school proud by showing good behaviour and working hard fol-
lowing instructions. Cooper, worked at Royal Docks Learning & Activity
Centre where he helped setting up the main hall for various activities as
well as interacting with the elderly. Niaz worked at Docklands Equestrian
Centre, where he cleaned the barns and groomed the horses.

It has been an exciting learning time in NO8 this term. Pupils have had various opportunities to engage,
discover and take active part in different practical activities, pupils used technology to enable curriculum ac-

cess . Pupils senses were stimulated in an engaging and fun the learning experience,
all lessons delivered using a multi- sensory approach.

18

In KS4 We have been learning about chemicals compounds and mixtures. Pupils thoroughly enjoy
conducting a variety of scientific experiments to reinforce their learning and enhance their knowledge
and understanding. Below are some of the experiments that fed the pupils’ curiosity and discovery

Maneeb and Megan separating iron Separating
filings from the flour using magnets. using a
sieving
method

Cooper, Saif, Chelsy and Niaz separating
using a filtering process

Observing change of state when two
ingredients are mixed together.

19

Geography

Walton on the Naze Year 11 Geography Field Trip

The first time we attempted the year 11 Geography field trip to the Essex coast a snow storm prevented
us. Which is of course a Geographic hazard. The second attempt was more successful. Although I would
not actually advocate a day spent measuring a beach on the east coast in March.

We experienced an easy journey on a luxury coach basking in the morning sun. However it slowly dawned
on us that the countryside was a lot colder than East London. For a start there was still snow on the road-
side verges and ice clung to the bleak, blackened hedgerows.

As we gazed at the steely North Sea our cheerful driver mentioned pleasantly that it was very cold today
in Essex. As we descended from our warm coach for many of us city folk the horrible realisation hit us that
a cold wind was blowing. And that was not a metaphor.

After picking up equipment we staggered through the gale force winds to a particularly exposed piece of
beach, which bore the battle scars of the storm from the previous week. The students set about measuring
the elevation of the hostile shore whilst I tried to find cover. A bit like Cary Grant in the crop field in North
by North West.

We had only been outside for about 45 minutes and had another task to do before we returned to base.
Tragically at this point Ms Reeks insisted I return to the warm café with a student. Obviously I was very
disappointed. To this day I still do not know what the other beach was like. However, as we sat in the
attractive cliff top café drinking hot chocolate we tried to make the best of our situation. Outside the
biting east wind was driving black clouds across the sky.

After about an hour our companions returned for lunch. They were cheerful. Surprisingly so as they had
been caught in a sudden rain squall. Many of the students chose to spend a happy 15 minutes trying to
clean off the mud that clogged their footwear and trousers.

It is fair to say that after the post lunch session most of us were glad to see our friendly coach driver.

Overall I was impressed by the
spirit shown by RDA students.
Character was tested on our field
trip and mostly our students held
onto their good humour. A day in
the cold east wind showed that
our city kids were a match for ad-
versity.

I think I can conclude that les-
sons were learnt on our Geogra-

20

phy field trip to Walton on the Naze.
Nicola Osborne
Learning Support Department
This is an extended metaphor:
“There's an east wind coming all the same, such a
wind as never blew on England yet. It will be cold
and bitter, Watson, and a good many of us may
wither before its blast. But it's God's own wind
none the less and a cleaner, better
stronger land will lie in the sunshine
when the storm has cleared.”
Arthur Conan Doyle

21

Computing

This half term year 7 have looked at the different parts of a computer, and compared each computer part to the part of a human body
which does a similar function. They have also understood how binary numbers work and used
this to decode a message written in binary. One aim of this unit was to give year 7 students
their first exposure to the inner workings of a computer.

The binary message which students had to decode.
Year 8 have worked on a unit called Grand Designs where they have used a Gantt chart to
plan out the timings of a project, Google SketchUp to design the outside and inside of a
house, and Excel to look at costings.

Year 9 have been coding web pages using HTML, the programming language used to create
web pages.

Design of the outside and inside of a house produced by a student using Google SketchUp.

A student has used the HTML code
on the left to produce the web page
below.

Computers were pulled apart during a school lesson – all in the name of education.

Year 8 computer science students at Royal Docks Academy got to grips with the inside of a machine.
During studies on the inside of a computer, students were challenged to take one apart before piecing it back together with the
use of a worksheet to help them to identify the parts.
Ms Atoyebi, second in charge of computer science, said: “The practical session was about developing a good understanding of
the components of a computer. Students were able to visualise what they had been learning about.
“The students were really excited. It is one thing reading about the process, but another being able to dismantle an actual com-
puter themselves. They had carried out the research and so were keen to get on and investigate further independently.
“They now have the skills to build their own computer, to expand the memory of a system and to understand when a computer is
overheating and to identify what could be affecting the speed, such as the processor size.”

22

Theatre in Education is a high impact child-centred performance specifically targeted at a school audi-

Drama ence. Theatre groups create performances which are designed to inform students about a current topic
or theme. On 28th March 2018, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ramira Arts to our school. They per-

formed a Theatre in Education piece to our Year 10 students called “My Choice, My Voice”. This play

follows the lives, loves, lusts and losses of a pair of star crossed lovers from London. The performance

dispelled myths and rumours around sexually transmitted infections, empowered the audience to

make informed and educated choices and celebrated those living with HIV/AIDS. There was something

for everyone in this thrilling, action packed romantic comedy. The Year 10 students where actively en-

gaged and learned a lot about making the right choices when it comes to relationships. Tyger, (a year 10 student) was the

first to volunteer to be a part of the performance. He played a version of ‘Deal or no Deal’ which highlighted the risks of

making bad choices in relationships. Faridat (another Year 10 student) also volunteered and she played a version of Who

Wants to be a Millionaire in which she answered questions based on the play she had seen. She won with flying colours

thus proving the effectiveness of the performance as a whole. The Year 10 students handled this personal subject with

maturity. They are to be congratulated for their approach and participation. They now have the opportunity to use some

of the techniques that they have learned to help them to prepare for their own version of a Theatre in Education piece

which they will be sharing with Year 7 students after Easter. Well done Year 10!

At the end of Year 11, Drama students will sit a final exam pa-
per which is worth 40% of their final mark. As part of this ex-
amination they will be asked questions on their set
text ‘DNA’. In order to help students to prepare for this
examination, on 27th February 2018, two members of
the National Youth Theatre, Bryher Flanders & Anna
Piper came to Royal Docks Academy to run workshop
on ‘DNA’. Year 10 and Year 11 drama students worked
collaboratively to explore the text and create some
meaningful interpretations of the performance. They
were particularly impressive when exploring one of
Leah’s monologues. The students worked well and are
to be congratulated.

On Thursday 8th February 2018 Year 9 students in 9E where given the opportunity to enter the business world of work. They
spent the day at THE Real Estate which is one of the largest Real Estate Investment companies in the world. They were given
industry insights and set business challenges. As part of the experience, they were divided into teams and asked to create a
business plan to develop a piece of Real Estate into a retail outlet. They had the opportunity to consider all aspects of their
business adventure including location, target customers, marketing and finance. Students in 9 E rose to the challenge. They
were truly excellent ambassadors for the school. They presented their ideas competently and with passion. The associates of
THE Real Estates were thoroughly impressed by their ideas and presentation skills. They truly were a credit to the school and
tey are to be congratulated.

9
23

Year 11 Exam Timetable

Date Start Length Board Subject
Monday 14 May 08:30 01:30 OCR
Computer Science: Computer Systems
Monday 14 May 13:40 01:45 AQA Religious Studies A P1-3
Tuesday 15 May 08:30 02:00 AQA Christ P1-5 Islam
Tuesday 15 May 13:40 01:45 AQA
Tuesday 15 May 13:40 01:15 AQA French List/Read Test Tier F H
Wednesday 16 May 08:30 01:00 OCR
Wednesday 16 May 08:30 01:00 OCR TS Biology Paper 1 Tier F H
Wednesday 16 May 08:30 01:00 OCR
Combined Science Trilogy Biology P1F H
Wednesday 16 May 08:30 01:00 OCR
Wednesday 16 May 13:40 01:45 AQA Persian: Writing Written Paper
08:30 01:45 AQA
Thursday 17 May Portuguese: Writing Written Paper
AQA
Thursday 17 May 08:30 01:15 Turkish: Writing Written Paper
OCR PE GCSE: Physical Factor
Thursday 17 May 13:40 01:30 AQA Affecting Performance
Friday 18 May 08:30 01:15
WJEC Religious Studies A P2A Excl Text
Friday 18 May 13:40 01:30 OCR
Friday 18 May 13:40 01:00 TS Chemistry Paper 1 Tier F H
Combined Science Trilogy Chemistry

P1F H
Computer Science: Algrthms &

Programming

French Writing Test Tier F H
Drama Component 3
Interpreting Theatre

PE GCSE: Socio-Ctrl Issues Sprt Psych

Monday 21 May 08:30 00:50 OCR Portuguese: Listening Written
Monday 21 May 13:40 00:50 OCR Persian: Listening Written
Monday 21 May 13:40 00:50 OCR Turkish: Listening Written
Tuesday 22 May 08:30 01:45 AQA English Literature Paper 1
Tuesday 22 May 13:40 01:30 AQA Geography Paper 1
Wednesday 23 May 08:30 01:00 Pearson/Edexcel
Wednesday 23 May 13:40 01:45 AQA Applied Business Financial Records
Wednesday 23 May 13:40 01:15 AQA TS Physics Paper 1 Tier F H
Thursday 24 May 08:30 01:30 Pearson/Edexcel
Friday 25 May 08:30 02:15 AQA Combined Science Trilogy Physics P1F H
Friday 25 May 13:40 02:00 AQA Maths Non Calculator (F) (H)
English Literature Paper 2

D & T: Textiles Technology Unit 1

Monday 04 Jun 08:30 01:30 AQA History Paper 1A Option B 1B Option D
Tuesday 05 Jun 08:30 01:45 AQA English Language Paper 1
Tuesday 05 Jun 13:40 01:30 AQA Geography Paper 2
Wednesday 06 Jun 08:30 02:00 AQA
Wednesday 06 Jun 13:40 01:30 OCR Spanish List/Read Test Tier F H
Wednesday 06 Jun 13:40 01:00 OCR Music: Listening and Appraising
Wednesday 06 Jun 13:40 01:00 OCR
Wednesday 06 Jun 13:40 01:00 OCR Persian: Reading Written
Thursday 07 Jun 08:30 01:30 Pearson/Edexcel Portuguese: Reading Written
Friday 08 Jun 08:30 01:45 AQA
Friday 08 Jun 13:40 01:30 AQA Turkish: Reading Written
Maths Calculator (F) (H)
English Language Paper 2
History Paper 2A Option A 2B Option C

24

Monday 11 Jun 08:30 01:45 AQA TS Biology Paper 2 Tier F H
Monday 11 Jun 08:30 01:15 AQA Combined Sci ence Trilogy Biology P2F H
Monday 11 Jun 13:40 01:15 AQA
Tuesday 12 Jun 08:30 01:30 Pearson/Edexcel Geography Paper 3
Wednesday 13 Jun 08:30 01:45 AQA Maths Calculator (F) (H)
Wednesday 13 Jun 08:30 01:15 AQA TS Chemistry Paper 2 Tier F H
Thursday 14 Jun 08:30 01:15 AQA Combined Sci Trilogy Chemistry P2F H
Thursday 14 Jun 08:30 01:30 WJEC Spanish Writing Test Tier F H
Thursday 14 Jun 13:40 02:00 AQA
Friday 15 Jun 08:30 01:45 AQA Film Studies Paper 1
Friday 15 Jun 08:30 01:15 AQA D & T: Resistant Materials Tech Unit 1
Friday 15 Jun 13:40 01:45 Pearson/Edexcel
TS Physics Paper 2 Tier F H
Combined Sci Trilogy Physics P2F H

Citizenship Paper 1

Monday 18 Jun 08:30 01:45 Pearson/Edexcel Citizenship Paper 2
Monday 18 Jun 08:30 02:00 AQA German List/Read Test Tier H
Monday 18 Jun 13:40 01:15 WJEC Hospitality & Unit 4 Written Paper
Tuesday 19 Jun 08:30 02:00 AQA D & T: Graphic Products Unit 1

Wednesday 20 Jun 13:40 01:00 WJEC Film Studies Paper 2
Thursday 21 Jun 08:30 02:00 Pearson/Edexcel Statistics (H)
Thursday 21 Jun 08:30 01:15
AQA German Writing Test Tier H

Y11 Interventions programme (Summer Term) 4/4/18 - 11/5/18)

Year 11 Easter Revision Programme

25

Year 11 School Prom:

The year 11 Prom is to be held on the 13th July at the Hilton
Hotel Canary Wharf.
Tickets will be on sale after the Easter break, the theme for the
prom will be Gatsby.

A remainder that we are operating a three strike system and
that those pupils failing to adhere to the school rules on 3 sepa-
rate occasions will not be allowed to attend.

College interviews and appointments:

The protocol for being granted leave to attend interviews is
as follows:

At least a day before the interview you must bring in evi-
dence of the interview to be copied by the office along with a
letter of permission written by your parents stating they
agree with your release to attend said interview. This letter
will then need to be taken to Mr Davison to sign or you will
not be released.

As we approach the final stages of your exam preparation
please do your very best to arrange for interviews and ap-
pointments to be scheduled after the school day.

Year 7 News

Celebration of achievement from September 2017 to date

100% Attendance

7A Carmen Lupan , Umar Bbaale 7E Aqeel Mohammed Ali, Taiba Huque 7G Thea Callender, Dylan Moore 7S
Jessica Bright, Maria Campo, Dea Haxhiu, Syeda Haydar, Viktorija Prikule, Ashleigh Jadah Southcott 7T Samson
Bukenya, Florin Chirila, Kulthum Omar, Abiodun Oyetunde 7V Khadija Abdullah, Bianca Ferreira, Robert Mali-

novskij, Semona Tesfu

Highest Achievement Points in year group,

Callum Foley 7V 39 Points, Tanvir Ahmed 7E 37 Points, Taiba Huque 7E 35 Points, Maisha Tasnia Hossein 7V 35
Points, Muizz Ali 7A 33 Points, Ali Shani 7G 33 Points, Anita Stoyanova 7G 33 Points, Zara Bahay 7G 31 Points

Star of the week 12-03-2018 to 23-03-2018

Elise Lowe 7A (Excellent in every way)
Furqan Owosho 7E (Mature, diligent, hardworking and always willing to help others).
Samson Bukenya 7T (Model student who completes each homework to a high standard)

Farhan Samif 7G (Outstanding achievement in Maths and English tutor activity)
Sukhraj Singh 7S (For consistently behaving well and putting
in a lot of effort in both classwork and homework.)

Brittany Waite, 7V (Always being punctual and ready for any activity and always demonstrating a
positive attitude towards school and towards others)

26

Year 10 News from Ms Turle enjoyed working with children and I want to become a primary
school teacher in the future’.
Work Experience 2018
Abimbola Akorede 10A said, ‘I found working in a solicitors
It has been an exciting and busy term for year 10. In Janu- office really interesting, I also enjoyed working with my col-
ary, year 10 made their last preparations in order to be leagues. This experience has made me consider if an office job
ready to attend their work experience placements. Many is right for me in the future.’
pupils were required to attend their first ever interviews
with their employers and the year 10 tutor team worked HeadStart- Dealing with Stress
hard to ensure that pupils were prepared for this.
From February 5- 9th Year 10 were out of school on their Year 10 can be a stressful time for pupils and we understand
work experience placements and were placed in 80 differ- that the pressure of exams and preparations for leaving
ent establishments across Newham and wider London. school at the end of year 11 can make many pupils feel add-
Royal Docks Academy pupils were in a large range of work ed levels of anxiety. In order to support
places including, primary schools, nurseries, hospitals, year 10 and promote mental health
pharmacies, riding schools, gyms, retail shops, law offices, awareness, they have been working on
estate agents, banks and hotels. the HeadStart Project during tutor time.
Pupils have been looking at strategies to
Ms Turle (Head of Year 10) said, ‘Visiting pupils during their support their wellbeing. Last week pupils
placements was so rewarding. It proved that the hard work, looked at building positive and sup-
preparation and planning that had gone into organising work portive relationships. They discussed
experience week had been more than worth it. It was an op- where they can get extra help and support if they are feeling
portunity for pupils to apply what we had spent months dis- overwhelmed or stressed.
cussing in assemblies and tutor times. I was extremely proud
to see pupils excelling in the world of work. Many pupils began Pupils also discussed strategies to ensure that they are looking
to look like adults in the work place. The way that they spoke, after themselves such as getting at least 8 hours sleep a night,
held themselves and communicated with their employers was doing physical activity a couple of times a week, having friends
mature and confident. I was so impressed with year 10 and and family members that they can speak to and staying organ-
feel very lucky to be leading such a fantastic and focussed year ised and on top of school work.
group’.
Members of school staff carried out visits to pupils during Pupils have been encouraged to speak to their teachers, tutors
their work placements. Teachers at the Royal Docks Academy or Head of Year if they are feeling worried or overwhelmed.
were extremely impressed by the attitude and work of the
pupils that they visited. The feedback from many of the em- Head Boy and Head Girl
ployers showed how hardworking and diligent our pupils
were. Some of the fantastic comments that our pupils re- At the end of this term Ms Turle and the Senior Leadership team
ceived are; will be holding interviews for the new Senior Prefect Team. With
year 11 heading closer towards their exams it is now year 10s
The experience proved invaluable for the pupils with many time to take over the prefect responsibilities within the school.
beginning to make decisions about what careers they’d like to We are looking for the next Head Boy and Head Girl and a small
pursue in the future. Some pupils realised that the job that
they had wanted to do wasn’t for them and others found a group of other year 10 pupils to act as prefects. The suc-
new focus and drive to succeed in order to follow a particular cessful applicant will do the following;
career. This has meant that many year 10s feel better pre-
pared to make decisions about their future and their post 16  be a role model for other pupils
education.  have excellent attendance and punctuality
 have an outstanding attitude to school
Hayleigh Larkin 10T said, ‘I found work experience has really  be making good progress in all of your lessons
helped me. I feel more confident in making decisions about  be proud of your school and want to promote it
what I might do once I finish school. I know that I really
Their roles and responsibilities will include
tutoring year 7, 8 and 9 pupils, meeting
with Mr Ross and Mr Blaney to share
student’s views, present some assemblies,
assist at parent evenings and promote the
key values of the school.

Could it be you?

27

Year 9 News from Ms Tinsley

This Term has been very exciting for Year 9, as the students have been choosing their GCSE Options. In Tutor time, they have been

investigating which qualifications are needed for different jobs by using the BBC Careers website and listening to the experiences of
professionals in a range of different industries and careers. We have a number of new GCSEs and GCSE equivalent qualifications on

offer this year, so the students have many excellent opportunities available to them. It was wonderful to see so many students and
their families at the Options Evening on the 8th March and the teachers were very impressed by the questions they were asked

about their courses. We hope that as many students as possible get their top choices.

Well done to the following students that have maintained a Well done to the following students for attending
perfect Pastoral record so far this year (no referrals, 100% every day possible this academic year, despite the
attendance and 100% punctuality): recent snowy weather!

This is an outstanding effort by Benas, Theresa and Eylem
– they should be very proud of themselves, as we are
proud of their achievement

We are also very proud of these Year 9 students
that have received no referrals this academic
year:

An excellent punctuality record has been maintained by these
students, well done:

An excellent punctuality record has been
maintained by these students, well done

28

This Term, Year 9 students have been working hard to Progress in Maths:
make good progress and a number of students are now
achieving above their target grades in English, Maths and
Science (Teacher Assessment 3). This is fantastic to see –
keep it up!

Progress in English: Progress in science:

Continues to next page

29

Continued from previous page

Progress in Maths:

Progress in Science:

We have many more students who are currently on Please
target in at least one of the three Core subjects: keep it
up!
Progress in English:
30

Former students of Royal Docks
are being called upon to inspire

the next generation.

Royal Docks Academy is working with Fu- take them and people being successful is
ture First, a charity which helps schools to even more powerful. A big part of this
keep in touch with leavers, to reconnect programme is showing students real ca-
with former students. reer pathways; that is very aspirational.”

The school would like to find out what its The school already has about 750 former
alumni have done since leaving school and students signed up to its alumni pro-
to invite them back to share their experi- gramme, but is keen to build on that.
ences and advice with current students.
An alumni board in the school reminds
It is hoped former students will talk to Year students of the success their predecessors
9 students about choosing GCSE options, have had.
to Year 11 about exams, revision and
choosing a post-16 route and will let stu- Andrew Ross, head of school, said:
dents know what the first year after school “Having been a part of this school for
is like. many years, I am very aware at the large
numbers of students who have left here
Shelby Baum, alumni co-ordinator at Royal and gone on to be successful in life.
Docks, said: “We would like former stu-
dents to come in and take part in enrich- “We would absolutely love for them to
ment days or help students with producing come back and to tell their stories to our
their CVs. current students.”

“The idea is to get our students thinking Year 11 students are being signed up be-
about what they can achieve in the future fore they leave the school.
and showing them examples of success.
Our alumni programme enables us to Sign up to the alumni community at fu-
demonstrate to students what people from turefirst.org.uk by submitting information
the same background as them have about GCSEs studied, whether you went
achieved. to college and / or university and where
you are now in your life.
“We tell our students they can do anything,
but to show them where their courses can

31

Any student having to take To All Pupils,
medication during school hours, Parents and
must hand it in to Medical, in its
original packaging with a Carers
completed Medication Agreement From
form which must be signed and The Royal
completed by their parent/carer, Docks
at the beginning of the day. Academy
Enjoy your
If the medication is prescribed by the GP a Easter break.
note should also be put in their planner
stating what time of day the student needs to
go to medical in order to take the
medication.

No student is allowed to carry medication in
their pockets or in their bag except Inhalers or
Auto injectors (EpiPen/Emerade for Anaphy-
laxis).

The “only” over the counter medication au-
thorised by the school without a prescription
is Paracetamol which must be in its original
packaging. All other medication must be pre-
scribed by a GP.