Uplands Community College

Latest News

World Book Night

As part of World Book Night, Mr Collins applied to be a book giver to encourage reluctant boy readers to read. He chose Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, as it was a book he loved and he felt that it would a story that would engage boys in reading. Eighteen boys from Year 10 were chosen and they were given their books today at break. Two more have been given to the Uplands library for all students to enjoy.

Our hope is the boys enjoy the book and it helps them regain a love of reading.

The Aims of World Book Night are:

To raise the profile of reading through a mass engagement project which works at a grass roots level to inspire those who don’t regularly read to do so
To place books into the hands of those who don’t regularly read
To raise the profile of reading for pleasure through a series of celebratory events
To improve literacy in the UK and Ireland
To bring communities together

More information on World Book Night and how to be a giver next year can be found here http://www.worldbooknight.org/

(Article published on 25/04/13 at 20:25)

Uplands Success in National Writing Competition

We were very pleased to hear that one of our Year 9 students, Jake Dow, has been shortlisted in a national writing competition, Write On, run by the National Literacy Trust.
As a result of this, he and a guest will attend the expenses-paid celebration event in London in May. At this event he will take part in a performance master class from one of the Write On professional poets, before performing his entry for the rest of the guests.
The competition asked entrants to consider ideas about the experiences of young people today and issues between the generations. Jake wrote his poem ‘Oh, I Understand,’ following workshops on this in our Year 9 Gifted and Talented English option lessons.
The organisers told us, ‘The judges said loved Jake’s poem and commented that the 'stand-alone' nature of the first and last lines had a very powerful effect.’ Jake commented, ‘‘I was inspired to write the poem by young people and how they see and understand these issues. I was really excited, and dumbfounded when I found out I was nominated.’

OH, I UNDERSTAND

Oh, I understand. It’s easy to say isn’t it?

Oh, I understand you need your freedom.
Freedom to be back by nine,
To call if we are going to be five minutes late,
To have our every movement tracked, where we go,
Who we see, how we are getting there.
Oh, you understand all right.

Oh, I understand you are doing fine at school.
It’s ‘fine’ to be talked down by the teachers.
They forever tell us to be ‘independent’ learners,
Whilst doing as we are told!
I guess you never win,
Oh, you understand all right.

Oh I understand, you have your identity,
Your own tastes, your own dislikes.
Where’s those nice tops that I bought you?
You need to get yourself a haircut
And turn that rubbish down!
Oh, you understand all right.

Nobody really cares, nobody really understands...

Jake Dow Year 9

(Article published on 19/04/13 at 19:55)

Record GCSE Maths Results

Uplands would like to offer a huge congratulations to our Year 11 students who today massively outperformed our previous record on GCSE Maths results, with 79% of students gaining A* to C passes. We are also extremely proud of the 22% of students that gained A* or A grades.

(Article published on 18/04/13 at 07:08)

Uplands Equestrian Team Latest Results

A number of our riders attended both practices and competitions during the Easter Break. Results are as follows:

Show Jumping Results 10th April

60cm class – Anna Cox 5th

70cm class – Hannah Williams 3rd, Anna Cox 4th, Eva Cox 5th, Lauren McKnight 6th

Show Jumping Results 11th April

90cm Individual Class – Esther Akehurst 4th, Hattie Bunday 5th, Jack Smith Clear Round

90cmTeam Class – Team 5th (Liz Allen, Esther Akehurst, Hattie Bunday, Jack Smith) Impressive performances by Liz and Esther particularly

Many thanks to Miss Bennett and Miss Sharp who supported students at these events in my absence due to the ski trip.

Our competition season starts in earnest this term so I hopefully we will have more great results to share with you in the next few weeks/months.

(Article published on 16/04/13 at 18:55)

Parent Governor Vacancy

There is currently one vacancy for a parent governor. For further information and to stand for election please download the following letter and nomination form.

Parent Governor Vacancy Letter

Parent Governor Nomination Form

(Article published on 15/04/13 at 07:20)

Year 9 Tests Information Leaflet

Our parents and carers information leaflet for the Uplands Year 9 Tests is now available to download.

Year 9 Tests Information Leaflet

(Article published on 27/03/13 at 20:44)

Congratulations to the Year 7 netball team

On Wednesday 6th March the girls represented North Wealden at the winter school games at Lancing.

The girls were awarded a bronze medal after winning 7 out of 9 games.

Team-
Betsy Grigson, Fenella Rose, Becky Lond, Alice Morley, Juliet Robinson, Chiara Vidal, Katie Oneil, Hollie Churcher and Melissa Thomas.

(Article published on 26/03/13 at 19:31)

Creative Arts Evening 2013

Tom Conlon writes
‘Thursday 14th March saw the triumphant return of the Uplands Creative Arts Evening; a night that showcases the very best talent that Uplands has to offer. The impressive variety of acts from Y7 to Y13 ensured everyone had a great evening and the professionalism and efficiency of the 40 Sixth Formers working onstage, back stage, doing the refreshments and selling the tickets meant that the evening ran without fault.

In total £900 was raised for our four supported charities: Walking with the Wounded, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, The Blue Cross and Male Cancer Awareness Campaign (MCAC). All students that performed should be extremely proud of themselves and it was, without doubt, one the best Creative Arts Evenings yet; next year will be a tough act to follow. ‘

(Article published on 26/03/13 at 12:09)

Year 12 Tom Conlon wins Wealden Debating Competition

On Friday 8th March 2013 St Bedes School hosted the Wealden debating competition . The event was led by Charles Hendry MP with guest judge Sky News presenter Adam Boulton. Josie Wilson in Y12 had originally made the final in the previous rounds, but was unable to attend through illness. Tom Conlon deputised for Josie. Tom, with his debating partner, went through two challenging rounds, before becoming the overall winners. Tom’s prize is to have lunch at Westminster and watch Prime Ministers Questions.

Well done Tom and Josie for representing Uplands so well.

(Article published on 21/03/13 at 20:33)

Parents Guide to Revision

Revision is somewhat of an art form that some GCSE students naturally pick up and use successfully. For those that do not, the act of revising for GCSE exams can be an ordeal that puts them at a disadvantage. Revising for an exam is vital to ensure that the student is fully prepared for the knowledge that is being tested. Parents and guardians can help in many ways to ensure that their child is making full use of the time available before exams to prepare.

Download our Parents Guide to Revision

(Article published on 18/03/13 at 21:01)

School Meals - Horsemeat Update

East Sussex County Council has been seeking assurances from Chartwells that no contamination of beef products has occurred in food served in East Sussex Primary, Special, and Secondary Schools and Academies within the group contracts. To date we have no reason to believe that any of the products served have been contaminated.

The Council has released the following statement on the school meals page of our website:

‘East Sussex County Council has received confirmation from key contractors and suppliers that none of its beef is affected by the recent horse meat scandal. Our school meals service is run under contract by Chartwells and our Meals in the Community contract is run by Apetito. We work in partnership with both companies and carefully check the traceability and provenance of the ingredients used to produce meals for our residents. The Council will continue to monitor this situation.’

Chartwells have released the following statement:

‘The traceability and quality of our food is our top priority. All of our nominated suppliers have to meet strict food quality and safety standards and they regularly undergo independent audits to ensure these standards are upheld. In addition we have asked all of our meat suppliers to re-confirm their compliance with the required traceability, testing and hygiene processes. We have received this confirmation from all of our current UK nominated meat suppliers, who have also verified that all of our meat products adhere to the required standards and specifications.

In light of recent events, we have taken the decision to use only processed beef products where the beef has been sourced and processed in the UK and Ireland, for the foreseeable future. As a result of this decision, we have withdrawn a small number of processed beef products from our range. We have also begun a comprehensive and independent DNA testing programme across all of our processed meat products.’

I understand the DfE has issued some guidance directly to schools on this matter. More information and further updates can be found from the following websites:

http://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/monitoring/horse-meat/

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2013/02/horsemeat/

Background Information and Timeline

The FSA tests have established that horsemeat DNA has been found in 1.1% of 2,501 tests

According to the FSA there is currently no known risk to public safety or health

On 15 January 2013 the Food Safety Authority of Ireland reported that a number of burger products contained horse DNA. The majority of samples that tested positive for horse DNA only contained very low levels, however, in one sample from Tesco, the level of horse DNA horse meat accounted for approximately 29% of the total meat content of the burger.

On 16 January, North Yorkshire Trading Standards investigated the Dalepak plant on the request of the FSA.

On 7 February, the FSA contacted 28 councils to ask them to undertake a rapid sampling programme to test for horse and pig DNA.

On 8 February, the FSA formally contacted all councils to alert them to the developing issue.

On 12th February, the FSA and police entered two meat premises, one in West Yorkshire and the other in West Wales. The FSA suspended operations at both these plants.

On 14 February, at Farmbox Meats near Aberystywth, Dyfed-Powys Police arrested two men aged 64 years and 42 years, and in a simultaneous operation police arrested a man aged 63 at the Peter Boddy Slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.

On 15 February cottage pie delivered to 47 schools in Lancashire provisionally tested positive for horse DNA. The product has now been withdrawn from kitchens.

Also on 15 February, the FSA received the results of 2 501 tests. Of these, 2472 (almost 99%) were negative for the presence of horse DNA at or above the level of 1%. The remaining 29 positive results all relate to products that have already been reported and where the food business and the FSA have already taken appropriate action to remove the products from sale and notify consumers

On 17 February LGA Chairman Sir Merrick Cockell appeared on the BBC 6pm and 10pm news to respond to comments from the chief executive of Iceland supermarkets that local authorities are responsible for driving down food standards. Cllr Mehboob Khan, the Chairman of the LGA’s Safer Communities Board also appeared on Channel 4 News and ITN News. The LGA stated:

"The Chief Executive of Iceland seems a little confused. The law is 100 per cent clear that it is the responsibility of the manufacturer, supplier and retailer to make sure the product they sell us is what they say it is. There has been a major supply chain failure. That's not the fault of consumers, councils or hospitals. The companies that supply our food need to take responsibility and focus on getting their house in order. The vast majority of retailers, caterers and manufacturers are doing this. Iceland should do the same."

On 18 February Sir Merrick also joined Ministers and senior industry representatives to reflect on the interim outcome of the testing programme announced by the FSA, and how food businesses might take a stronger lead domestically in demonstrating to consumers their responsibility for their products.

We will continue to monitor the situation and update you should any significant changes to this position arise.

(Article published on 18/02/13 at 20:22 and updated on 27/02/13 at 20:23)