The winners in April were:

If you would like to make an appointment then speak to your tutor/mentor, who will make a referral, or you can email her at rwarnock9nr2@nsix.org.uk

If you are in the Sixth Form, you can either email or fill in a referral card and post it in the blue box on the Sixth Form office counter.

As part of their GCSE History course, Year 10 spent a day at the Castle Museum. There was a special object handling session on the History of Medicine from the Roman period to the Twentieth Century, where students had the opportunity to test their medical knowledge and identify objects ranging from a Roman scalpel to moles’ feet, used as a lucky charm in the 1900s. As part of their Controlled Assessment preparation, Year 10 investigated the architectural history of the Castle and discovered evidence of it being used as a prison. They also had the opportunity to examine different types of punishment such as the scold’s bridle, stocks and the ducking stool.

In the afternoon, the students were involved in a mock trial recreating the case of James Rush, who was convicted of murder in 1848 and hanged outside Norwich Castle in 1849, before a crowd of 30,000. There were star performances from Dylan Saunders-Mortimer, Beth Cleveland, Callum Parke, Ryan Cromwell, Ashton Drake, Ali Michaels, Olivia Bourne, Joey Allen and Jade Murphy.  Many thanks to all the students and staff for making it such a positive day.

Mrs Kelleway

via hellesdonhistory | HHS History Department.

March 20 saw the annual Design & Technology Sumobots competition for Year 5 & 6 pupils from local primary schools. A total of 10 teams entered from 5 different schools – each team consisted of two pupils who were given the challenge of building a sumo-wrestling robot using electric motors and a selection of gears. The teams were supported in their designing and making by eight HHS pupils.

The eventual winner in each group was decided by a round-robin tournament, the eventual winners being the Lean Lightning Bolt from Firside in Year 5, and Bionic Bot from Horsham St. Faiths in Year 6.

The parents of all the children involved were invited in the evening to take part in a family event, and a seventeen teams – 60 people of various ages – had a great time building buggies and competing against each other. This competition was decided by a knockout competition, eventually won by Ellie Clarke and her family with Clarkey’s Bot.

The schools application outcome letter that is sent to parents on 1 March 2013 by Norfolk County Council explains the legal right to appeal against the refusal of a place at any school they have applied for. Parents wishing to appeal should take note of the timetable below.

• The last day for accepting a place in Year 7 for September 2013 or for lodging an appeal is 22 March 2013
• Appeals Hearings for places in Year 7 for entry in September 2013 will be held in May/June 2013.

It was a closely-fought contest, with some astonishing conjugation skills on show (both teams scored an improbable 100% in the subjunctive round), but the merciless Sixth Formers finally carried off the souvenir pens thanks to a mysterious scoring error.

Many thanks to Mrs Smith for the idea and for delivering the chip hamper, to Mrs Barnes for hosting the event, and to all the staff who were brave enough to dust off their schoolday French and step onto a fairly uneven playing field, even without reigning Champion and top-floor talisman Mr Armstrong.

via Verbs et frites | MFLsdon.