Skip to content ↓
Ely College

Ely College

Latest News

All the latest News from Ely College

Page 14

Archive

  • ROBOCON 2018

    Published 20/04/18

    Months of hard work and preparation paid off for our keen science club last weekend. Staff accompanied four students to Robocon 2018, hosted by Hills Road Sixth Form. One of the most exciting robotics competition to take place in Cambridge, Robocon 2018, was sponsored by Cheffins and included eight teams from schools across the region, putting their robotics and engineering skills to the test on the 14th and 15th April. 

    The rules of the much-anticipated competition were released at the launch event in November and the teams have been busy building their robots in preparation for the two-day competition. The teams were required to demonstrate the skills of their robots within a bespoke-built arena, provided by fit-out and design company, COEL. The robots had to pick up cubes and place them in designated areas of the arena. A robot that controls a cube will earn their team one point, two points if the robot puts a cube in the designated area and five points if the cube is placed in a bucket. The team with the most points won!

    Ely College student said “The competition was an amazing experience as well as an excellent opportunity to check out the sixth form and meet fellow STEM students. It's always great to see the varied and innovative approaches that other teams have used with their designs and the strategies of their robots to best complete the required tasks.” 

    Teams of between 4 to 8 members from the following schools took part in Robocon 2018: Comberton Village College, Ely College, The Perse School, Collyer’s (Sussex), Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School (Herts), Hazelwick School (Crawley), Haydon School (Hillingdon), Longsands Academy (St Neots), St Peter’s School (Huntingdon), The John Warner School (Herts) and Hills Road Sixth.

    We’re pleased to say that the Ely College team made us proud with their Dr Who themed robot and represented the college exceptionally well all weekend (especially in costume on the sunday!)

    The winning teams were:

    First Place – Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
    Second Place – The Perse School, Cambridge
    Third Place – Richard Collyers College, Sussex

    Read More

  • Political Careers Event

    Published 28/03/18

    Ely College, King’s Ely and local political representatives come together for careers event

    STUDENTS from Ely College. Bishop Laney and King’s Ely joined forces for an innovative Political Careers Event. The event on March 23rd saw Year 9 and Year 12 students from both schools coming together to engage with local elected political representatives and to participate in a task exploring Government spending.

    The event took place at Ely College and was attended by South East Cambridgeshire MP Lucy Frazer, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor James Palmer and local councillors Lis Every, Sheila Friend-Smith, Anna Bailey and Tom Hunt.

    The guests were asked not to represent any particular personal or party political viewpoint, but they all spoke briefly to the students about their careers and different roles in Government. This was followed by a Q&A session. The pupils then broke into assigned groups before undertaking a Government spending task, where groups of Year 9 students from both schools, accompanied by a Sixth Form student, were asked to allocate Government spending according to how they believe spending should be distributed. It proved fascinating to see which areas of Government expenditure each group deemed priorities.

       

    MP Frazer said: “When considering future career choices, secondary school pupils often consider careers that they have some knowledge of - jobs they are familiar with because they know family members or friends of their parents who have these jobs or because they are common place on our TV screens and part of our everyday world. Politics may seem a bit remote. Not many of us will grow up knowing an MP or someone active in Politics and often Politics is not a subject we learn much about at school, at least not until the later years. It occurred to me that initiating a political careers event, inviting local political representatives at most levels of Government to address 13-14 year old students ahead of GCSE would give them an insight into both local and national Politics and would be a worthwhile and exciting thing to do. I am delighted that both King’s Ely and Ely College embraced this idea and that the vision has become a reality. Their idea to also hold a workshop to teach students about the role of Government was a brilliant one. I hope that today’s programme of events will give those present a better understanding of the world of Politics and an insight into Politics as a potential career choice.”

       

    Vice Principal Academic at King’s Ely Senior, Jane Thomas, commented: “The Year 9 pupils from both schools relished the opportunity to grapple with real world issues. They were all thrown into unfamiliar groupings and rose to the challenge of working as a team to provide well thought through solutions. Each group had a Year 12 facilitator, who played an important role in assisting with the discussions. Thank you to all the young people for their positive engagement with the event.”

    Principal of Ely College, Richard Spencer, said: “We were delighted to host the Political Careers Event in partnership with King’s Ely. The morning provided a unique and invaluable opportunity for our pupils to learn first-hand about Politics and Governance in the UK and to hear from key speakers, including councillors and politicians from their own constituencies. The day will be unforgettable for many of our students and will encourage them to engage with Politics throughout their lives.”

       

    Read More

  • Ely College calls out for votes to bag a share of Tesco’s bag fund

    Published 12/03/18

    We’d like to encourage everyone to do their ‘big shop’ at Tescos for the next few weeks and to put the blue token into the box dedicated to Ely College!

    We were thrilled to have been offered this opportunity which, could, result in either £4,000, £2,000 or £1,000 being awarded to us and our PE Dept project to “get students rowing” working in conjunction with the Isle of Ely Rowing Club.

    More here:

    Ely College calls out for votes to bag a share of Tesco’s bag fund

    Ely College P.E department is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

    Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores awarded to local community projects.

    Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

    Ely College is one of the groups on the shortlist.

    They hope to run a project that aims to offer a more varied approach to physical activity within the school setting, with a greater links and focus around local sports clubs in order to ensure clear pathways for progression and retention into clubs.

    Jason Coe, Curriculum Lead in Physical Education at Ely College said “The project will focus on Rowing and will aim to engage a greater number of students taking part in this unique physical activity. Ely, with the Great River Ouse running through it, has a history that we are keen to become a part of and we are looking to launch our own competitive youth team in collaboration with the well-established Ely Rowing Club.”

    Voting is open in all Tesco stores throughout March and April. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

    Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £43 million to more than 10,000 projects up and down the UK. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.

    Alec Brown, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for March and April. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see these come to life in hundreds of communities.”

    Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “We’ve been thrilled to see the diversity of projects that have applied for funding, ranging from outdoor classrooms, sports facilities, community gardens, play areas and everything in between.

    “We’re looking forward to learning the results of the customer vote and then supporting each group to bring their project to life.”

    Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp.

    Read More

  • Easter Revision Sessions

    Published 12/03/18

    As we approach the Easter and Spring break, we would like to make you aware of a selection of Booster Sessions on offer for Year 11 students during the w/c 2nd and w/c 9th April at Ely College.

    Please can we ask that students report to the main reception area in time to be collected by their teacher for the start of the session. Students staying for both a morning and afternoon session will need to bring a packed lunch.

    Details regarding sign up will be going home soon. We hope you find these revision sessions helpful.

    Read More

  • SCHOOL IS OPEN - FRIDAY 2nd MARCH

    Published 01/03/18

    Buses are currently running. Usual allowances apply. Shoe wear will not be challenged but normal uniform rules apply. Wear your coat when travelling in and be careful on your journey. Site is clear, with the situation monitored throughout the day. All SESSION 6 and afterschool events will be cancelled for a prompt 3pm exit.

    More information here:

    Read More

  • Trips and Student Exchanges

    Published 06/02/18

    🌍See the world! Travel & explore as you learn! 🗺️

    Last few places on the Battlefields, French Christmas Market & Spanish exchange trips are being snapped up. Get your permission forms in quick! Wonderful trips organised by our passionate staff who feel these trips could really benefit any student studying languages and history!

    Check out the letters send home on our website here: http://www.elycollege.com/letters

    Our German exchange to Italy is leaving THIS WEEK and we look forward to reporting back to you the successes of the trip.

    What do the following have in common?

    Llama trekking

    Tobogganing

    German Karneval celebrations

    Venice masks and costumes

    They – and more! - are all part of the exciting programme which the German Exchange students will be enjoying shortly.  Ms O’Reilly-Turner is taking a small group of students from Years 9-11 to Bozen (Bolzano) the capital of South Tyrol, a German-speaking autonomous region in northern Italy.  We have partnered with the Sozialwissenschaftliches Gymnasium in Bozen which is a German-speaking secondary school which specialises in social sciences and tourism.  They will all be staying with host families and enjoying the sights, sounds and experiences of life lived in the German language, but taking place in Italy.  The students will also be attending lessons in their exchange partner school for a couple of days. 

    Watch out for regular updates on their adventures! Check out Facebook for regular photos!

    Read More

  • Pancake Day

    Published 06/02/18

    Ely College has a flippin' good time on Pancake Day!

    Pabulum will be serving pancakes with a choice of toppings in the school dining hall. Have a delicious treat to celebrate in style. Only 70p.

    We will also be running an Inter House pancake flipping competition in the Technology catering classrooms. Join in the fun and win glory for your House team! 

    Thursday lunchtime! PLEDGES points for competing and its going to be flippin' fun!

    Read More

  • Year 11 Matters update

    Published 01/02/18

    #Year11Matters

    The updated revision sessions and support timetable is now live on the website. Check out the 'Examinations and Revision' tab for some great tips and advice.

    Read More

  • Year 9 STEM Days

    Published 01/02/18

    Ely College joins forces with Anglian Water and the RAF Youth Engagement teams to give students an insight into industry.

    Students at Ely College have had their eyes opened to future career opportunities through nation-wide Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) programmes, which have included visits to the school from Anglian Water and the Royal Air Force (RAF) Youth Engagement Team.

    On Wednesday 31 January Anglian Water visited Ely College Year 9 students to work through real world challenges faced when working in the public utilities sector.  Students completed the Water Supply Challenge and Lego Build Time Trials by working in small teams to design, build and test their own ideas to solve the issues at hand, putting their STEM skills and knowledge to the test.  

    As part of a series of STEM days across all year groups, students were also visited in October by the RAF Youth Engagement Team. They build structurally efficient towers, investigated kinetic speed cars, explored the world of robotics and learnt basic coding. Inspired by their centenary anniversary, the RAF workshops also offered some interesting historical context to their innovative advancements in technology to inspire students to pursue a career in the service.  

    Sam Craven, Science Curriculum Leader, said of these STEM partnerships, “Ely College is committed to ensuring that our students are prepared for the world of work, and that they understand the careers that can be available for them. Particularly in the case of STEM careers, they are aware of the skills and qualification they will need.

    “We work with organisations like Anglian Water and the RAF Youth Engagement Team to connect with industry and provide our young people with opportunities that enable them to apply theory into practical experiences, helping them to understand that working hard during education can lead to a rewarding career further down the line.”

    The dedicated STEM days build on the diverse curriculum already offered at Ely College, as the school seeks to create the next generation of digitally smart students to support the growing technology led world we live in. These active enrichment workshops allow students to simulate real life engineering missions using their design technology, maths, science and engineering skills as well as personal, learning and thinking skills.

    Richard Spencer, principal of Ely College, said: “Through the experiences, projects and placements that take place in STEM programmes, our pupils can put their creative thinking into action and learn vital skills such as time management, team work and problem solving. By collaborating with partners and agencies, our students are learning more about local employers and national industry.

    “We would like to say thank you to Anglian Water and the RAF Youth Engagement Team for visiting Ely College and giving our students a taste of working in these industries.”

           

    Read More

  • Rock Painting Inter-House Challenge

    Published 26/01/18

    Read More

  • Physical Education Survey

    Published 24/01/18

    Physical Education Survey

    Can parents / carers please direct their child to the following online survey.

    We are interested in hearing about your healthy active approaches to life and how we can potentially support those who currently don’t engage highly in school, after school or local sports clubs.

    Please help Ely College PE department shape your experiences both in school and out of school by completing the following survey:

    https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ECAhealth201

    The survey looks at health and physical activity levels in our students and responses will help to shape our curriculum and extra-curricular offer.

    You responses will help us to decide on the sports that we prioritise moving forward and where we look to establish local school sports links.

    Deadline is Friday 9th February. Thank you in advance for you valued input.

    Read More

  • PLEDGES & Futures Day

    Published 23/01/18

    PLEDGES and Futures Day - 22nd January 2018

    We had an amazing time yesterday for PLEDGES and Futures Day. We hope students were able to take alot away with them regarding making healthy choices and the support available to them concerning their physical, mental and sexual wellbeing.

    A huge thank you goes out to all our guest speakers and outside agencies who made the day such a success. Each of them offered something new and insightful to engage with students in a meaningful way.

    PLEDGES challenges have gone from strength to strength in school, beyond the classroom and are incorporated into the 'Session 6' afterschool programmes. They are a vital part of the changes that Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust bring to all schools in their family.

    Similar to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, PLEDGES help students develop character and responsibility that can be taken into their adult life. They encourage students to get involved with the wider experiences the college has to offer them.

    In the evening we opened up the converstion on mental health to the public as we hosted a pop up cafe with Talking FreEly, guest speaker Nastasha Devon MBE and the Bishop Laney student council. It was an inspirational event!

    Here are a few highlights of the day:

    Read More

Cookie Policy