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Festive Fun!
Posted on: 17/12/2024

Festive Fun!

The Amery Hill Christmas Fayre took place this week with every student having an opportunity to attend with their year group friends during the school day. Completely organised and co-ordinated by the Student Parliament, with guidance from Mr Severs, the Main Hall was transformed into a festive fayre for everyone to enjoy! With home bakes, tombola stalls, karaoke, face painting, hand-made eco decorations, games and much, much more, the Events and Charity Committee, supported by the Community Committee, pulled off a fabulous day of fundraising, with the emphasis on festive fun! The origins of the Fayre go back to 2021 when the Student Parliament set themselves an aim to improve the sense of community at Amery Hill School, while at the same time, reaching out to support local charities and forge relationships with local businesses. They have certainly achieved that this week and in spectacular style! Our thanks to the many businesses who supported the event with incredibly generous prize donations. This year the majority of the money raised from the Fayre will be donated to the Salvation Army, with a small portion going towards funding the drama production of Grease. Last year the Appeal distributed more than 84,000 gifts and this year, the number of families requesting help is expected to rise yet further as a result of the cost of living crisis. Operating in over 650 communities across the UK, the Salvation Army provides support to those who are facing poverty, for struggling families and for older people in our communities seeking companionship. They provide food parcels to families and toys to children whose parents are unable to afford presents. Our students have again done us proud and reminded us how compassionate they are. A massive well done to everyone involved, and in particular our Events and Charity and Community Committees who have been busy for months to ensure the Fayre was a wonderful and successful event.   View Article
Young Musicians at Royal Albert Hall
Posted on: 2/12/2024

Young Musicians at Royal Albert Hall

Last week a number of Amery Hill School alumni participated in a concert at the Royal Albert Hall which saw the Hampshire County Youth Band perform ‘Gaelforce’, by Peter Graham. Conducted by Jon Cranston, alumni Alex Richards proudly took centre stage for the solo. The Music for Youth Proms concert showcases the brilliance of young musicians from across the whole UK. Known for its electric atmosphere and diverse musical performances, each night, over 1500 amazing young musicians perform on the iconic Royal Albert Hall stage in ensembles, bands, and choirs large and small, performing pieces from all music disciplines. Congratulations to everyone involved in this performance – it was truly brilliant!View Article
Careers Fair a Huge Success
Posted on: 29/11/2024

Careers Fair a Huge Success

This first term of the school year has seen some important positive change to our ‘Education for Life’ programme, as a result of the adaptions to the structure of the school day. Students now have two extended tutor times a week where they cover the PSHE and Careers Programme, which has allowed us to cover more material in greater detail, giving them a real ‘Education for Life’. In this new spiral curriculum, students across the school have been studying similar topics during the autumn term, with various levels of age-appropriate content, to ensure knowledge is built on as they progress though the school and to continue to challenge their views on important topics. The Careers Programme is an important module within our ‘Education for Life’ curriculum. Just before October half term, many of our local colleges, as well as an apprenticeship provider, came into school to help Year 11 apply for their chosen next steps. As the first of the college application deadlines has just passed, it is important that all students apply for a place, if possible, this side of Christmas. If you would like more information around this, please get in touch with our Careers Advisor at careers_counsellor@ameryhill.school Earlier in the term, we were pleased to announce that our Year 10 cohort will be on a week of work experience later in the school year. This opportunity will help provide even greater insight in to the world of work and options beyond Amery Hill, and will hopefully give them experiences that will help inform future choices. Students who have been unsuccessful in finding their own placement have been supported to find a suitable opportunity, but if you still have a concern that a placement has not been found or agreed please get in touch at careersadmin@ameryill.school On Friday 29th November we hosted our annual Careers Fair, in which Year 9 and 10 students had the chance to interact with local businesses and colleges in workshops throughout the school day, followed by a visit to the Careers Fair in the Main Hall. Students took part in workshops as: ‘Seeing is Believing’ with InSync Technology, ‘The Power of Journalism’ with Naked Politics and many, many more. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the Fair such a huge success. We hope next year will be even bigger! View Article
Down on the Farm!
Posted on: 27/11/2024

Down on the Farm!

The traditional annual Year 7 Geography visit to Stubbs Farm took place last week with students able to experience the sights, sounds and smells of a real working farm during a half-day tour. Stubbs Farm, near Kingsley, has been welcoming students from Amery Hill for over 40 years and Mr Stephens and his family made them all very welcome again this year. Situated in the beautiful countryside of the South Downs National Park, Stubbs Farm is a mixed farm with arable and pastoral parts and the teacher-led guided walk allowed students to ask questions about the site, landscape and machinery used on the farm and learn in more detail where their food comes from.  The visit supplemented and enhanced the work the students have been completing on ‘Food and Farming’ in school. The highlight, as always, was the winter quarters of the beef cattle. Here, Mr Stephens took time to explain to the students how the cattle are raised and prepared for market.  Students left the farm with a stronger understanding of farming in the UK, the challenges it faces in the future and how their food is actually produced. The students will be using the notes that they made on the day as part of their next assessed piece of work. A big thank you to everyone at Stubbs Farm who made us so welcome.        View Article
GCSE Results 2024
Posted on: 22/08/2024

GCSE Results 2024

Once again, students at Amery Hill School have done themselves proud! We offer huge congratulations to our ‘Class of 2024’ for their fantastic GCSE results. Throughout their time at our school, the students of this year group have shown grit and genuine commitment to their studies, and have set an excellent example, both through these qualities, and through their kindness and consideration to each other, and to other members of the school community. At Amery Hill, our school motto is ‘Education for Life’. We want our students to leave us as positive and confident individuals, who feel absolutely ready for their next steps in life, and the challenges they may encounter. And, despite two disrupted years of secondary  education as a result of the pandemic, working alongside dedicated staff, and with strong parental support, our students have shown that strength of character, aspiration and determination can achieve. We are delighted by their success and believe that it again demonstrates the importance of the school’s core values of Independence, Creativity, Active Learning, Resilience and Empathy. Our ‘Class of 2024’ is now well placed to move beyond the school gates and is in the very best place to head onto college, apprenticeships or work-based training. Although I have only worked with this cohort of students since I joined Amery Hill in September 2023, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with them, and alongside all members of our school community, wish them the very best of luck, and success and happiness in the future.   R Jeckells HeadteacherView Article
A Time for Reflection
Posted on: 12/07/2024

A Time for Reflection

Two weeks before the end of the summer term, 45 GCSE History students, along with Mr Eaton, Dr Lewis-Vidler, Mrs Stanley and Mr White, visited the battlefields of the First World War in Belgium and Northern France. We went not only to visit the sites of major events in the conflict but also to pay our respects and commemorate those who so bravely put their lives on the line. We visited many locations that students have learnt about in class and our guides were brilliant at taking us to places when men from Alton lost their lives and were buried, such as Hawthorn Ridge and Crater. On the trip we visited many cemeteries and memorials of soldiers and it was extremely touching for us to hear a few of the personal stories of the people who have their final resting place abroad, so far from home. Particularly impactful were the large memorials including the Menin Gate, where we saw the Last Post ceremony take place on the first day, Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Battle of the Somme and Tyne Cot cemetery, which we visited on our final day. It was an honour for us to be able to lay a wreath on behalf of the school. Each student placed their hand on a name of a missing soldier, to take their memory home and ensure that we will remember them. As well as reinforcing classroom-based curriculum study, we also managed to fit in time for some more recreational activities as well on our trip. On the first day, students were able to visit shops selling famous Belgian chocolate, as well as having some time to explore the rebuilt city of Ypres. We arrived at our accommodation on Wednesday just in time to watch the European Football Championship semi-final victory for England together in the Hostel conference room. Students also took the opportunity to visit the duty-free shops whilst waiting for our shuttle to and from the European continent. All of our students conducted themselves in an exemplary manner and both our guides, as well as the coach driver, remarked on how impressed they were with their behaviour. All in all, it was a brilliant learning experience, as well as being fantastic fun for everyone involved! “It was very tranquil at Tyne Cot when we placed our wreath to commemorate the dead.” Ed W “It showed us the footsteps of the people that came before us, so we can prevent anything like this happening again. It brought it to reality.” Toby M “I really enjoyed learning about what the people did and all the different places we went to.” Grace S   View Article
Community, Creativity, Culture
Posted on: 9/07/2024

Community, Creativity, Culture

We have been delighted to participate in this year’s Alton Arts Festival, a 10-day, multi-venue, multi-disciplinary arts festival in Alton. As a not-for-profit enterprise, the aim has been to celebrate the arts, community, and creativity which has provided our students with some fabulous opportunities and new experiences. Our thanks to all of the organising committee for a fabulous festival!  As part of the festival a group of Year 8 students were invited to participate in a series of silversmithing workshops run by Meon Valley Studios. The sessions had been arranged in conjunction with the Alton Arts Festival and the workshops had been funded by 'The Goldsmiths Centre’ which included the cost of silver, so that there was no cost for our students to participate. During the workshops, the students learnt how to make and personalise a silver ring. This included punching a name into it, bending the silver using a ring mandrel and mallet and then sawing the ends off using a piercing saw to cut the shape. They then used a small blow torch to solder the ring closed before filing and polishing the silver. All the students had an amazing time and were so grateful to have been given this opportunity. Their completed pieces looked incredible and were so professional. A huge thank you goes to Olivia at Meon Valley Studios for arranging these sessions.      View Article
It's a bug's life!
Posted on: 4/07/2024

It's a bug's life!

The garden created for the Alton Arts Festival by Amery Hill students was a collaboration between the Eco-Union and the Student Voice Community Committee. We wanted to make a garden that catered for as many insects as possible by creating different habitats. We also wanted to use as much recycled or surplus material as possible. Our ladybird house uses old bamboo canes for legs and pens due to be recycled for the antennae, while our bee drinker is an old lid from some laundry detergent. The birch tree and decaying wood (perfect for woodlice and centipedes) were donated from the owner of a local woodland. The plants themselves are mostly surplus from families associated with the school or from the bargain shelves of local nurseries. They have then been nursed back to a healthier state. Our aim was to strike a balance between beauty and practicality, in terms of creating a garden that caters for many different species, and we are pleased with the final result.View Article
ACAN Ambassadors Lead the Way
Posted on: 3/07/2024

ACAN Ambassadors Lead the Way

The summer term has been Eco-Union’s busiest yet! This term's main event was the Young ACAN Eco Conference. Eco-Union took 14 students down to the Maltings in Alton for a day filled with multiple workshops on environmental topics, all with a focus on protecting our rivers and oceans. Amery Hill was also represented by four of our Year 10 students who acted as Young ACAN Ambassadors, running one of the workshop sessions themselves. The day was a great success and our students were proud to stand on the stage and share their experiences and learning along with students from Eggar’s School and nine other Primary and Junior schools from the local area.  The other focus for the term has been completing our application for this years' re-certification of our Green Flag status. The application involves providing evidence of our Eco activities as a school and the members of Eco-Union have put a great deal of effort into this. We have chosen to focus on three topics for next year; Biodiversity, Litter and School Grounds. Keep an eye out for any changes to the school site in the coming year as we aim to make Amery Hill as sustainable as possible. View Article

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