HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Ely College student Bryony Brodie who not only attended the England Schools U15 1st round trials, which is a great accomplishment in itself; but was ALSO successful and made the next round squad!!!!

She has been picked to represent South East ESFA U15 team in November for the next round as they play the South West. With her sights set on the English Schools' Football Association 'England Schools Team' we'll be following her progress, but so far what an AMAZING achievement!!! #excellence #PLEDGES

The girls in attendance were from Charlton, MK Dons, London City Lionesses, Tottenham, Essex RTC & Arsenal. The trial was 3 x 30 min match. Bryony played left back & x2 LW and assisted on an only goal. When she was in defence the score was 0-0 for a well played strong match. WELL DONE BRYONY!

On Wednesday 21^st September, Ely College welcomed representatives from both Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs and The Boat Race Company (BRCL) for a day of workshops, competitive training exercises and inspiring conversation.

The College, which is part of Meridian Trust, prides itself on extending the boundaries of learning. Principal of Ely College, Simon Warburton said “our vision is to provide an education that’s inspiring and equips students with the skills they need to succeed beyond the classroom and today has been a perfect example of that.”

Mr Coe said “I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to offer this opportunity to our students and I’d like to thank everyone who’s been involved in making today happen. I’m also delighted that our ongoing partnership with local rowing club, Isle of Ely is proving so successful. Over 180 students so far, have been able to try rowing, thanks to this partnership. Rowing is a sport that most students wouldn’t have ever considered before, so it’s a wonderful opportunity.”

As part of the day, student athletes from Oxford and Cambridge Boat Clubs ran interactive workshops, covering topics, such as achieving a balance between academia and sport and lessons to be learned from success and failure.

Alannah Burdess is a Classics Undergraduate at Oxford University and a Cox for the University Boat Club. “It’s fantastic that students at Ely College are being introduced to rowing at a relatively early age. My advice to them? Keep going and most importantly, remember to have fun. Even at a competitive level, we always try to have fun. Being active every day and working towards a common goal with the squad has undoubtedly had a positive effect on all aspects of my life, so it’s great to be able to share my rowing journey with these students and hopefully inspire them to find a passion for the sport”

The Boat Race Bursary, funded by Gemini has been awarded to the college, enabling Assistant Principal, Jason Coe and his team to immerse students in a sport which has historically been perceived as financially, physically and even mentally inaccessible to most.

Furthermore, thanks to a partnering programme with the local rowing club, Isle of Ely, students have been able to access regular expert coaching and use rowing equipment from the club.

Athletes included Cam Spiers, CUBC (Goldie 2021, 2022)

Elena von Mueller CUBC (Blondie 2021, 2022)

Julia Lindsay – OUWBC Student Athlete (Blue Boat 2021, 2022)

Alannah Burdess - OUBC

Siobhan Cassidy, Board Member of The Boat Race Company Limited and stroke seat of the winning Cambridge Blue Boat 1995 said:

“The Boat Race Bursary, funded by Gemini, is delighted to support Ely College Rowing Club under Jason Coe’s inspirational leadership. The collaboration between Isle of Ely Rowing Club, Ely College and the British rowing community makes this project incredibly special.

“We founded the Bursary to drive projects just like this one. We believe that sport can build a better future for all. We support coaches, leaders and experts in the heart of their local communities to open our sport up to young people who may have never considered rowing before. We would like to thank Gemini for funding this valuable work.

“Oxford and Cambridge athletes swapped stories with the Ely College rowers about their shared experiences both in and out of the boat. We came away from today feeling inspired. It reminded us of how we started out on our own rowing journeys and how far that experience has brought us, together. We look forward to sharing the water with this new generation of junior rowers.”

 

A spokesperson for Gemini said:

“The projects we have chosen to sponsor provide life-changing opportunities to make sport and rowing both inclusive and accessible to young people who would otherwise be excluded. The popularity of the sport has grown tremendously over the years, and we are excited to help grow the sport further by bringing it to a more diverse and inclusive audience.”

Ely played host to the 2021 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, due to concerns over social distancing amid the Covid-19 pandemic. This was the first time the iconic race had taken place outside of London since the Second World War and this lasting partnership shows the legacy of this event in inspiring a new generation of rowers in Ely.

To find out more about Ely College, please visit: www.elycollege.com.

 

Photo Captions:

1. Student Athletes, Boat Club Company & Ely College Staff
2. Cam Spiers – student athlete for CUBC talks to Ely students about his rowing journey
3. Alannah Burdess – Student Athlete for OUBC, overseeing the Erg race
4. Group photo of all involved in the day

We will be shortening lessons on Tuesday 19th of July to close to students at 13:05

On the 16th and 17th June, Ely College saw the triumphant return of their Science Festival! This two day event is weeks in the making, as Year 8 hosted their Science Fair on day one and Year 7 families joined us on day two.  With restrictions preventing the event last year, staff and students wanted this year's Festival to come back with a BANG and they certainly exceeded all expectations!

Over the last month of so, Year 7 and 8 students have been working hard in their science lessons to come up with an investigation which they can then plan, test, evaluate and present. There was a huge variety in the projects they came up with including dissections, titrations and 'flying teabags'... with some very interesting results.

  

These projects allowed the KS3 students to have their first independent attempt at following the scientific method; to take on a whole project that they could take ownership for, from start to finish. It also meant that, for Year 8, they were able to submit their projects for the Bronze Crest Award. CREST is a scheme that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. Find out more here: https://www.crestawards.org/ 

  

It was so nice to see how proud the students were of the work they had produced and a really nice opportunity for parents to see what they’d been working on; some of them visiting college for the first time. Mr O'Neil, Science Teacher and lead on this year's two day Science Festival event commented: "Verbal feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we hope that the science fairs will be as popular next year."

  

Mr Warburton who attended the festival each day, engaging students in their presentations and asking questions, commented on the two day event: "It was wonderful to see so many parents and carers give up their time in the morning to visit our science fairs and talk through the students’ projects with them.  It was already a hot day without all the Bunsen burners on, but the students loved being able to show their science investigations to such a wide and expert audience."

"After a period of not being able to welcome parents into college, to see at first hand the quality of the students’ work and their interactions with each other, I was thrilled to see so many visitors.  We will look for more opportunities to invite parents and carers in to College in the future."

Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to families and staff who visited to engage with our students. This is an amazing experience for them and counts towards their PLEDGES record and awards.

  

Didn't spot your child in these photos? There are many more on our socials. Please head over to @ElyCollegeMT to see photos on Facebook and @elycollege to follow us on Twitter.

  

 

Last week the History department, had the pleasure of taking a group of Year 9 students into Ely for a rare shared cultural experience; to meet up with the London based 'Jewish Free School' and learn more about the Jewish evacuees who came to Ely during the Blitz to escape the heavy bombings in the East End. Their own Year 9 students along with staff were visiting the City and the rural communities that hosted Jewish Free School evacuees during WW2.

The day started with a workshop at Ely Museum where students gained an insight into our shared heritage, hearing in-person, the experiences of evacuee Michael Cohen, and considering the challenges faced by JFS students. 

   

For the Jewish children of the East End back then, it was the first time they had left London and lived outside of their community.  For the people of Ely, a largely Christian community at the time, It was the first time that many of them had ever met a Jew. What followed was a story of friendships forged across the barriers of religion and class.

Later in the day the Jewish Free School students enjoyed a walking tour of the city. They visited the Countess Free Church hall that was given over to act as a Synagogue; which Michael clearly recalls as the venue of the Pesach Seder he experienced during evacuation. They also visited Oliver Cromwell's House which at the time was the home of Mrs Knowles, the vicar's wife, who was instrumental in setting up the Jewish boys' hostel for 70 refugees, as well as the schoolhouse near St Mary's Surgery.

  

The village of Isleham also welcomed students to view the Menorah that JFS students handcrafted in 1940 and donated to the community as a gift of gratitude. It is still displayed and used in the village church. Today, many members of the Ely community remember the children they knew, and it is wonderful to welcome a new generation of students from the Jewish Free School to maintain a link between our communities.

Being reminded of the importance of 'welcoming the stranger' and how the actions of individuals, such as Mrs Knowles can make a difference seems pertinent given current events. Those at Ely College look forward to continuing the tradition of building a relationship between our two communities, widening horizons and breaking down prejudice and misconceptions about different faiths.

The BBC documented the day as part of a news item marking the commemoration of VE Day on 8th May. We hope some of you manage to see it. The highlights on BBC Breakfast News are no longer on IPlayer.