School designs and 3D prints gadgets

A team of pupils from Birches Head Academy in Stoke-on-Trent will be designing and 3D printing their own gadget for KMF’s 2015 Young Engineer of the Year (YEOTY) competition. KMF and Birches Head’s appointed sponsor, the engineering group Goodwin, donated a Makerbot Z18 3D printer to the school to help its pupils get to grips with the innovative technology and experiment for themselves.

The KMF competition is designed to tie in with the school’s STEM curriculum. After giving students the chance to revamp a fully-functioning race car last year, KMF has now challenged the 25 participating teams to design and 3D print a concept gadget. To encourage creativity and lateral thinking, no additional stipulations were imposed on the students, the only limitation being the capabilities of the printer.

“Birches Head Academy is starting to consolidate its portfolio of innovative engineering projects,” explained Roisin Maguire, head teacher of Birches Head Academy. “Last year, our pupils set up a radio station, a hyperlocal news website and a hack lab, not to mention they designed and modified a race car for KMF’s YEOTY competition.”

“We try to take the STEM curriculum out of the text books and transfer it to real world applications that develop our pupils’ practical skills. We know from experience that projects like KMF’s YEOTY competition capture our students’ imagination, while also growing their engineering, business and interpersonal skills.”

Currently, the Birches Head Academy students are working on outlining the concept for their gadget. The team has already submitted the idea, alongside some market research, a feasibility study and details of the manufacturing process.

The Birches Head Academy team is composed of seven students: Zakhir Hussain, Lewis Atherton, Yousaf Ahmed, Mohammed Abubakr, Charlotte Holdcroft, Mohammed Riaz and Katie Moayedi-Arazaour.

The next will be a Gadget Show meets Dragon’s Den event that will take place at the Britannia stadium on March 12, 2015. Selected teams will get a chance to exhibit their project in a stand and pitch it to a panel of judges, made up of local business people and industry bodies, such as the Royal Academy of Engineering. Final judging will take place on June 18, 2015. The project’s advocate, Jason Bradbury, of Channel 5’s The Gadget Show will make the final decision.

Exploring the great outdoors

During the summer break Stoke-on-Trent high school Birches Head Academy teamed up with The Bushcraft Company to hold a three day residential course. As part of the school’s summer learning programme, students from primary and secondary education, aged between nine and twelve, took part in a range of outdoor activities between July 21 and July 23, at Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire. 

Alternating between lectures and fun activities, the course consisted of content linked to the National Curriculum, but being taught in a context outside the conventional classroom environment. Taken out of their comfort zones, students worked in groups of ten to fifteen, developing new skill sets in an outdoor environment. Over 100 students camped in shelters and bell tents on the castle grounds.

"Students don’t just visit different environments; they are immersed in them. Whether they are cooking river trout over an open fire, climbing to a mountain summit or sea kayaking, our outdoor adventures are as real as you can get," explained Alice Hicks - co-founder and sales and marketing director of The Bushcraft Company.

In an effort to build leadership and teamwork skills, attendees of the course were required to be resourceful whilst in the wilderness. Activities ranged from camp craft, shelter building and first aid to swimming, camouflage and fire-side night time games.

Birches Head Academy believes that activity like this supports the overall building of a child’s character and the promotion of general well being. This is something that Tristram Hunt, the shadow minister for education has recently commented on.

“These are very hard-edged skills young people need to gain,” explained Hunt. “The teaching of resilience and self-control and character is more and more important to develop, not only in terms of academic attainment but also in terms of the outcomes you need to improve your life chances, employability and all the rest of it.”


“These activities enabled students to really get to grips with life in the outdoors,” commented Karen Healey, headteacher of Birches Head Academy. “The great thing about working with The Bushcraft Company was that together, we found a way to encourage children to learn and interact in a unique environment.

“All of the food for the residential course was fresh and homemade by Bushcraft - the students were very well looked after! Throughout the week the sun was shining and it was the perfect opportunity for the students to learn about the wilderness.

“As we watched the children return to their parents, we could see a real sense of achievement and a new level of confidence in the great outdoors. Working with The Bushcraft Company is certainly something we will consider doing again next year,” she concluded.

Grow it, hack it, make it happen

~ Joan Walley MP impressed by Birches Head Academy visit ~

Stoke-on-Trent MP, Joan Walley, has officially opened Birches Head Academy’s new polytunnel. The unique structure was built by the school to teach students about healthy eating and encourage them to grow their own fruit, vegetables and herbs. After the official ribbon cutting ceremony, Joan Walley went on a tour of the school, during which she met the engineering team and the students. 

The MP had a chance to share her passion for horticulture with some of the school’s gardening group members, including pupils, staff and parents. The school’s gardening project has grown exponentially over the last two years and now includes a polytunnel that houses fruit and vegetables. There are also several cultivated plots of land that pupils individually care for, a bug hotel and even a small allotment with flowers from the Rod Wood Coronation Meadow.

During the ribbon cutting ceremony that officially opened the polytunnel, Walley offered to help the school arrange visits from relevant high profile speakers, in the hope of encouraging more students, parents and grandparents to get involved.

The polytunnel project started two years ago and is currently growing its second batch of fruit, vegetables and herbs. Last year, some of the harvest was used in the school cafeteria and the surplus was taken home and enjoyed by the members of the Grow It gardening group. Birches Head Academy is currently working with the local fire brigade to implement a water irrigation system in the polytunnel.

The next stop on the MP’s itinerary was the school’s engineering team, currently working hard on the final modifications to a race car, donated by local firm KMF, which they want to make faster and more eco-friendly. The Birches Head team is set to race its car in July at Darley Moor race track, in the Greenpower national competition. The young engineers discussed why their car should win, emphasising they had done all the work as a team and spent countless hours improving its design and testing it.

The visit ended in the Birches Head Academy’s hacklab, where Joan Walley met some of the school’s most talented IT students. The pupils were keen to explain why coding and creativity go well together and showed the MP how they use technology in innovative ways. Several students also mentioned they were hoping to pursue an IT career and thought the hacklab was an excellent place to get useful skills.

“There are many positive initiatives at Birches Head Academy,” commented Walley.  “Pupils and staff are obviously passionate about what they do and the range of activities available caters to a variety of students. I hope to see these initiatives grow in the years ahead. Every project I’ve seen today empowers and equips students with useful skills for the future.”

Summer excitement for primary school leavers

This summer, Stoke-on-Trent high school Birches Head Academy, will host a range of summer schools to ease the transition between primary and secondary education. The summer schools, named Groundwork and Time4Sport, were specifically designed to help break down barriers for children who are nervous about moving on to a new school. 

The first summer school, which is run by Groundwork West Midlands, opens with friendship and teambuilding activities, as well as a tour of Birches Head Academy. Throughout the week, students will take part in activities such as creative arts, baking and orienteering. The final day of Groundwork will draw to a close with a circus skills workshop and circus show, enabling each student to walk away with a personalised certificate.

The Time4Sport programme will be held at Birches Head Academy everyday between 9am-2pm from Monday, August 11 until Wednesday, August 13.  Time4Sport will be packed full of activities to help children develop fundamental movement skills.

As part of the programme, each child will also receive information on other sports services within the local area, as well as the chance to win various prizes presented by the Time4Sport team.

“Time4Sport offers a range of fun, exciting games to help build confidence, and improve levels of fitness,” commented Karen Healey, headteacher of Birches Head Academy. “The programme will allow students to make new friends, have fun and learn what exciting facilities that Birches Head Academy has to offer.

“During the camp week, all children will take part in a healthy lifestyle quiz, which will give an insight on how physical activity and healthy eating can have a positive effect on everyday life.

“Not only does Time4Sport ease the transition period, but it also develops skills, boosts attainment and gets children where they need to be this summer – in the outdoors,” joked Healey.

Children who haven’t already signed up for Time4Sport can contact Rob Smith on 01782 233595.

Climb aboard the Beesty Bus

Birches Head Academy is holding a fundraiser in memory of former pupil and trainee teacher, Matthew
Beeson. The event will take place on Friday July 25 at Baddeley Green Working Men's club and will help raise money for a new school minibus, already christened  the 'Beesty Bus'. 

The evening has been organised by the Beeson family and boasts an array of entertainment including a disco, raffle and Bodyshop stand selling popular products. There will also be a charity auction with items donated by local businesses. Amongst the items up for grabs is a microlight experience, tickets to Alton Towers and Emma Bridgewater pottery.  

Matt Beeson was a teaching assistant at Birches Head Academy until he was diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, sadly passing away in 2011, at only 28 years of age.

A great supporter of Birches Head Academy, Matt was particularly passionate about taking part in extracurricular projects, such as field trips and sporting events. However, he was less enamored with the school's minibus, which he affectionately nicknamed 'the bone shaker'.

With the Birches Head bone shaker's retirement long overdue, the school has been collecting donations to the Matthew Beeson minibus fund. The new minibus will be called the 'Beesty Bus' in dedication to bone shaker’s biggest fan.

"A reliable minibus is essential for a school, it allows the children to learn and take part in extra-curricular activities in stimulating environments away from the classroom," explained Karen Healey, head teacher at Birches Head Academy. "Matthew's family and I want to create a lasting legacy for the school and the wider community. We can think of no better way than dedicating the new minibus to a much-loved former pupil and member of staff."    

The doors open at 7:30pm and tickets can be purchased at the door on the night. The entrance price is £5 and under 14s are free of charge but must be accompanied by an adult.

Pupils build and race eco-friendly car

Stoke-on-Trent school Birches Head Academy has started its preparations for KMF’s Young Engineer of the Year (YEOTY) Race Day. The race will take place on July 9, 2014, at Darley Moor race track near Ashbourne. The Birches Head Academy team has been working hard over the last few months to build the fastest eco-friendly car this year. 

The team has a chance to win a number of prizes on the day, including Best Designed Car, Fastest Lap or KMF’s Young Engineer of the Year award. In addition, the Birches Head Academy students will meet Channel 5’s Jason Bradbury, the official host and one of the judges on the day.

The race car was donated by precision sheet metal manufacturer KMF as part of the company’s YEOTY campaign. KMF is working with 18 local high schools to engage and inspire the next generation of young engineers. The purpose of the project is to address the skills gap in engineering and equip young people with the competences they will need once they leave school.

Birches Head Academy was also allocated a local sponsor. IFB Logistics has provided the racing team with much-needed tools, equipment and overalls.

The Birches Head Academy team has already tested its car in the trial runs at a Greenpower event held at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire last month.

The Greenpower Educational Trust encourages participants to build green, battery-powered cars. Its mission is to inspire, develop and promote students’ understanding of design and engineering. Greenpower holds events up and down the country for secondary schools to attend and was the obvious partner for KMF to work with on this year’s project.

Birches Head performed particularly well at Rockingham. Out of a class of 46 cars, they were nominated for the best engineered car. Following their success, the students have continued working on the car ahead of the big event in July. “I have really enjoyed the task of making changes to our car,” explained the team captain, Morgan Degg. “I’ve always been really passionate about cars and racing, but I never thought I’d have the opportunity to open up an actual race car, understand how it works and even make my own improvements to it. These last months have definitely taken my interest to another level. I’m seriously considering automotive engineering as a career option.”

“The initiative has been very successful among our students and the support we’ve had from our partners has been indispensable,” commented Karen Healey, head teacher of Birches Head Academy. “Being able to take engineering out of the classroom and into the practical and exciting environment of a race course has definitely inspired and motivated our students to do their best.  Birches Head Academy is always open to innovative learning initiatives and takes pride in offering students extracurricular activities that reflect their hobbies, while also equipping them with future-proof skills.”

The race organiser, KMF encourages participants to build green, battery-powered cars. Their mission is to inspire, develop and promote students’ understanding of design and engineering.

A reading revolution

Birches Head Academy in Stoke-on-Trent has started using the Accelerated Reader software to improve reading skills among pupils, preparing them for their GCSEs. The initiative offers a personalised program for each pupil, tailoring the reading recommendations to individual interests and reading abilities.

The trial has been in place for a few of months and is currently only used by year seven students, with the ultimate aim to expand the programme across the rest of the school. The initiative is designed to nurture pupils’ love of books and help them feel successful and motivated when reading.

The Accelerated Reader software, designed by Renaissance Learning, a company that specialises in the development of assisted learning programs, runs on a simple, yet effective format. Each pupil takes an initial test that scores their reading age range. From here, the software recommends a list of age and skill-appropriate books for the pupil to try.

The reading lists encompass fictional and non-fictional titles alike. So far, the most popular authors among the pupils have been David Williams, Darren Shan, Tom Gates, Suzanne Collins, Jacqueline Wilson, Jeff Kinney and J.K. Rowling.

The pupil then selects a book from the lower spectrum of the list to read. After finishing the book, there is a short quiz designed to assess the reader’s understanding of the story and any challenging vocabulary. After passing the test, the pupil is encouraged to move on to the next book. The most successful and enthusiastic Birches Head Academy pupils are also given rewards in the form of book vouchers.

“The programme has had good results so far,” explains Katie Dixon, vice principal at Birches Head Academy. “It has started to change our pupils’ attitudes towards reading. Accelerated Reader helps them have a bigger sense of accomplishment when they finish a book and you can see they’re more excited at the prospect of starting a new volume.

“At the moment, we’re devoting one hour each week to the program and encouraging the pupils to take their books home with them,” continues Dixon. “Parents can easily check the progress their children are making. By getting the parents and staff involved, we’re hoping to develop a culture of reading and to stimulate our pupils to grow up loving books.”