An Interview with Dr Stephenson

I currently teach Film Studies at Bosworth Academy and am also a Moderator for WJEC GCE Film Studies. This means I assess A level Film coursework from schools across the country. However, my experience in research and teaching the subject spans several years.

In 1993 I studied Italian with Film Studies, BA Hons. at the University of Reading. As part of the course I spent a year studying at l’Universita di Trieste, Italy, which was fantastic. I achieved a First Class in my course and developed a real passion for learning. After that I was lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship by the Arts Council to attend a Masters degree in Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick.

This all led to my specialist qualification of a PhD in Italian Cinema at the University of Reading. The title of my 60,000 word thesis was ‘The Soviet Model in Fascist Cinema’. This looked at how Mussolini tried to use cinema as the Communists had in the 1920s. I was fortunate enough to be granted another scholarship by the Arts Council for my PhD. Much of my research was carried out in libraries and archives in Rome. After this, I spent a couple of years lecturing Italian Cinema at the University of Manchester.

In 2007 I completed a PGCE in English and Media Studies and have been teaching at Bosworth ever since then. I feel really lucky to be able to use my cultural and academic expertise on a daily basis working with young people at Bosworth Academy!

A Century of Rememberance

This year, Mr Mowbray brought learning to life as he took two Year 9 students, Katie McNulty and Ethan Stock, on an expedition to Belgium and Northern France to learn about World War 1 and the importance of remembering the fallen soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom that we all experience 100 years on.

Mr Mowbray, Katie and Ethan got an overwhelming sense of the scale of lives lost during the conflict when visiting battlefields and memorial sites such as Newfoundland Park, Thiepval, Tyne Cot and The Menin Gate. They also managed to find the names of their ancestors and those from the local community who fought and died in the war at these memorials.

The purpose of this enriching and thought provoking journey was for Katie and Ethan to learn about and remember the fallen during the war and to exhibit their findings to the academy and the wider community, to keep the legacy of those soldiers alive.

Doctor in the house

Each year Desford Medical Centre offers two budding medical students the chance to get work experience with them in preparation for careers as doctors. This year Harsh Patel and Olivia Timperley will take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to see how our health-care professionals operate in a real world context and understand the organisational challenges that they face on a day to day basis. As always we are very grateful for the support and encouragement our local community offers our students in a variety of learning contexts.

“Olivia and I have joined Desford Surgery’s Patient Participation Group (PPG). Being part of the PPG requires us to attend quarterly meeting in which we discuss current matters and ways in which we can improve the surgery. This type of experience is extremely useful as we both intend to study medicine at university.” – Harsh Patel

Recycling Set to Beat Targets

How can we save the planet?

That is the question year 8 students were asking during the recent environment week at Bosworth Academy. To help answer this crucial question, the academy became a fully recycling school for the first time in its history. Working in conjunction with Veolia, we now have 80 recycle bins around the academy for all paper, cardboard, cans and plastic bottles that we would otherwise throw away for burning or landfill.

The scheme has been a great success, and has helped to inspire all students to consider the positive impact that recycling makes on the local, national and global environment, now and further in the future to ensure the planet has a future.

The Science Behind Sporting Success at Bosworth

The Academy Under 19s Table Tennis Team has progressed to the Area Final (National Semi-Final) after coming second place in a Zone Tournament! The team’s success could be put down to the science behind sporting success taught by PE teachers at the Academy.

Advice that the Physical Education faculty gives to students is in line with some of the world’s leading athletes and sports heroes, which is to get enough uninterrupted sleep the nights before and after training or matches, as it regenerates the body and mind.

Students are encouraged not to eat or drink prior to sleeping or use mobile devices, or have ‘blue light’ such as monitors or TV screen in bedrooms as these can heavily disrupt their sleep and impair performance.

Nutrition and diet leading up to training or a match is incredibly important. A planned and structured diet ensures that the body is receiving the correct balance of carbohydrates, protein and fluids to reach top performance. Typically, students should eat starchy food (pasta, bread, cereals etc.) prior to a match as these contain slow release energy that will last all day.

In between matches, students are advised to consume sugary food and drinks such as sweets and Lucozade Sport as these contain short release energy for their impending match.

It is also important for students to keep hydrated during exercise as it replenishes fluid lost through sweating. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, dizziness and muscle cramps; which can hinder performance during training and matches.

To achieve success and to be the best one can be demands dedication, resilience and encouragement – attributes the Bosworth Academy Table Tennis team have plenty of.

New York, New York

Finance, Culture and Commerce.

Over 50 Sixth Form students at Bosworth Academy gained valuable first-hand experience of the commercial, financial, and cultural aspects of one of the world’s most fascinating and important global cities.

The business studies trip to New York included visits to the famous financial district around Wall Street, as well as gaining an insight into the commercial operations supporting Macey’s department store. The cultural aspects of the trip included a tour of the Museum of Modern Art, as well as visiting Ellis Island – bringing to life the historical background behind the growth of the USA through immigration from around the world.

Student Lifeguard leads the way in safe swimming

Bosworth Academy Sixth Form student Lauren Bailey combines her passion for swimming with her extended learning qualifications to help keep swimmers safe in the Academy’s pool.

As part of her extended learning qualification, Lauren identified a need to improve safety information in the swimming pool environment. Using strict academic rigour, Lauren produced a research methodology to help her understand more how the public views and responds to safety information in the swimming pool environment.

The resulting analysis of her research helped her understand the real issues, and to inform the creative design of a new range of safety posters in the pool area. The project involved working with a professional design and communications agency to produce a range of information and safety posters for use in the pool.

“Safe behaviour in the swimming pool is much more than just avoiding accidents, if you follow some simple guides then not only will you be safe, you’ll have more fun swimming!” Lauren said.

Outside of her academic studies, Lauren is a qualified lifeguard at the Bosworth Academy Pool. After completing her A levels, Lauren is planning to go to Loughborough University and to continue her career in sports education.

The Bosworth Academy Pool is open to the public, click HERE for details.

Bosworth at The Great Big Dance Off

On Monday 6th March, a group of Year 8 and 9 students attended the second round of The Great Big Dance Off, where they competed in the West Midlands Dance heat. They were against 12 other schools within the region and performed their Contemporary piece ‘Alessia Cara – Scars to Your Beautiful’ based upon self-image and confidence. Students have worked hard on Monday nights in rehearsals running up to the competition and managed to secure 2nd place at the competition, meaning they will therefore be going through to the National Finals in Oxford in July.

Students involved were: Eleanor Sharpe, Ellie Lewis, Madison Rudkin-Boam, Morgan Yates, Shylea Griffin, Abigail Chown, Caitlyn Van Heerdan, Jenna Pamar, Jenna Wildbore, Ella Tonks, Isobel Wiltshire and Jemma Halpine.

A massive well done to the girls involved and good luck for the finals!

Year 7, 10 and 12 Excellence Celebrations Evening

Simon Brown flat cropped

“We know that our students at Bosworth Academy understand the importance of education and life-long learning. I am delighted that we can recognise and celebrate their great achievements. These students have embraced tough challenges, shown resilience under pressure and have valued the effort required to achieve this success.” – Mr Brown, Head of School

In considering the criteria for recognition in these award celebrations, tutors from the various subject areas have reviewed the students’ attitude, effort and work output, and results.

In addition, consideration has been made as to the broader characteristics displayed of the ACHIEVERS ethos that being; Aspiration, Courage, Healthy, Independent, Enthusiasm, Values, Expectations, Reflective and Social Skills.

The students nominated should be proud of their individual success,at the same time as recognising their responsibility as role models for their peers and fellow students across the whole of the Academy.

Students nominated:

Year 12
Abbie Elton Harsh Patel Maisie Boorman
Becky Horne Jacob Cummings Nicole Walker
Beth Olner Jack Hickie Nicole Webster
Bethany Tugby Willden Jess Hazell Pav Kaur
Bhagveer Panesar Joseph Alderson Rahil Morjaria
Billy Ames Josh Clelland Ryan Basra
Chaymae Tahiri Keiron Morris Sam Flatt
Curtis Hewins Lauren Freer Sam Foster
Georgia Proffitt Lauren Jameson Thomas Lindop
Geogia Turner Magnus Barker
 .
Year 7
Armaan Dohara Hemie Parkerpayne Ria Gilbert
Aurora Carter-Ford Jessica Moss Roshan Ali
Benjamin Green Judith Mupuda Rowan McCarthy
Caleb Ball Kacper Micek Ruby Barns
Chloe Chan Keira Parkinson Sharanjit Kauldhar
Cordelia Singh Barmi Kian Chapman Sophie O’Dwyer
Eleanor Essex-Moore Macie Rodgers Sophie Smithurst
Ella Priestley Megan Lee Tia Bains
Georgia Satchwell Neely Gale Tia Chapman
Grace Buxton Owen Brooks
 .
Year 10
Adam Tsang Josh Love Olivia Finch
Aleisha Patel Lauren Pettitt Riya Mistry
Benjamin Taylor Lily Watson Ruby Holmes
Christina West Lucy Davies Samuel Owelle
Edward Groocock Megan Hatley Sean Purewal
Freya Charlton Millie Walker Seth Newberry
Heather Dakin Natasha Smith Simone Jain
Jack Payne Niamh Gratton Val Beaujot
James Bartlett Nick Fixter Zoe Crowson
Joseph Edge Oli McCarthy

Well done to all!

Google Expedition Pioneers

Virtual Reality brings learning to life for the students and staff of Bosworth Academy by allowing them to explore the world from the comfort of the classroom.

 
The Academy has recently trialled the Google Expeditions Virtual Reality App, evaluating its benefits and how virtual reality can be used to enhance the learning experience. Using virtual reality headsets, students are immersed in a virtual learning world controlled by their teacher using a tablet. This makes it possible for students to visit and learn about a diverse and extensive range of topics such as; the Great Barrier Reef; Jerusalem; the human body from the inside, the literary world of Roald Rahl; and many more places without having to leave the classroom.

 
This opens up an innovative and exciting method of learning about the wider world that will enhance the rich experience for every student.

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