► Coding Club (6-8 students)

Interested in writing your own programs and games? Want to learn more about how it's done? We will be creating programs and games where your imagination will determine what happens next.

Could this be your gateway to a future career in software and games development or testing?

► Green Power Car Race (12 students, 8 of which must be female)

How would you like to build an electric kit car, race against other teams from around the UK and be part of a team that works together to unlock your potential and spark enthusiasm for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths through the excitement of motorsports. Join Mr Fitzsimmons and Mr Mather for 1 hour a week from October half term and design, build and race an electric car.

Could this be your Gateway to a job in Formula 1 or a career in green technology?

www.greenpower.co.uk/

► Ready Steady Cook (12-14 students)

Do you love cooking food? Hate food waste? Think you're Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey? If the answer is yes then put your money where your mouth is. Ready, steady, cook will test your ability to be creative, demonstrate your cooking skills and to think outside the box. With a bag of random ingredients and a general store cupboard you will come up with a dish that stands out, tastes delicious and looks fabulous. This activity will take place in the Spring term.

Could this be your Gateway to Masterchef?

► Book Club ( 20 students)

Do you love cooking food? Hate food waste? Think you're Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey? If the answer is yes then put your money where your mouth is. Ready, steady, cook will test your ability to be creative, demonstrate your cooking skills and to think outside the box. With a bag of random ingredients and a general store cupboard you will come up with a dish that stands out, tastes delicious and looks fabulous. This activity will take place in the Spring term.

Could this be your Gateway to Masterchef?

► Classics ( 20 students)

Ever wondered how we named the planets? Ever wondered what real gladiators were like? Or have you ever wondered what it would be like to look Medusa in the face? In Classics, this is what we try to answer. We’re looking for around 45 students (15 each term) to take part in a weekly, term-long, Classics course. Each week will focus on something that the Ancient Greeks and Romans gave to us: from language to medicine, from mathematics to architecture, from myths and legends to art and religion. At the end of each term we are hoping to take the group on a trip to see some of the fantastic artefacts and sites left behind by the Romans, right here in the North East, and really put what you learn into the real world and not just in the past.

Could this be your Gateway to medicine, law or archaeology?

► Debating Society (20 students)

Debating societies emerged in London in the early eighteenth century, where debate topics ranged from current events and governmental policy, to love and marriage. Debating societies by their very nature, welcome participants from all backgrounds, and provide an environment whereby students develop their speaking, listening and research skills allowing them to really get to grips with some of today's biggest talking points. By the end of the year we would hope that students will have the skills and self belief to compete in academy competitions, building towards local and national events. The year will culminate with a chance of visiting The House of Commons to see real debate in action!

Could this be your Gateway into Politics?

► Drama Club (20 students)

Over the course of the year, the Creative Writing Group and Drama Group will run on a rotation system as shown below.

Autumn Term 1 (September -October)- Creative Writing

Autumn Term 2 (October-December)-Drama

Easter Term - Creative Writing

Summer Term-Drama

Both will take place on a Monday night in E107 from 3-4.

Creative writing allows students to write about virtually anything, encouraging students to write about anything they are interested in, whilst providing stimulus and tasks that may challenge them or help them to write to their creative potential. It also allows students to read out their work if they so wish and get valuable feedback from their peers. There are often competitions to enter and opportunities to work with professional writers. Finally, students who attend the Creative Writing Group are often given first choice to attend any writing retreats that are organised.

The aim for the Drama group is to put on two performances a year: one at Christmas time and one at the end of the year. The performance may be based around a professional script that already exists or there may also be the opportunity for students to create their own piece. There are space for backstage crew as well as actors in roles such as set design, lighting and sound. If students are a little less confident, smaller roles can be found to help build confidence too.

Could this be your Gateway to the stage?

► Japanese Club (20 students)

This club will stretch and challenge students linguistic, art, sport and humanities skills and knowledge and immerse them in one of our most contrasting, yet influential cultures. It is expect that

students will form links with Japanese students.

Could this be your Gateway to global travel?

► GCSE Astronomy (up to 20 students)

Most people are fascinated by the night sky and are interested in stories about our continuing exploration of our Solar System and Universe. This course has been developed to build on that interest and to give an introduction to the subject of astronomy. The course will enable students to understand our position in the Universe, the movements of planets and stars, the cycles in the night and daytime sky, and the way in which we use technology to observe and interact with space. Students will follow an incredible story of how scientists, from ancient civilisations to the modern day, have used their imagination and carefully recorded visual measurement to explore the Universe in which we live.

Could this be your Gateway to the stars?

► GCSE Astronomy (up to 20 students)

Intended to provide an insight into the many and varied ways that maths can inspire us and answer questions about the world we live in; the maths challenge club will provide students with critical skills in reasoning. These skills will complement the academic skills being developed in the classroom, and whilst they may not link directly to exams, they will strengthen resilience and may even answer the timeless question: "when are we ever going to need this". Students can expect to investigate problems and process information to see if they can spot patterns and trends. They will look at logic, and real world applications of maths being used across across numerous scientific, societal and economic areas.

This could be your Gateway to anywhere!

► Music Club ( up to 20 students)

Einstein once said: “Life without playing music is inconceivable to me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music”. And as it turns out, Einstein was onto something: many studies show a correlation between musical training and academic success, in both children and adults. Learning to play an instrument stimulates the brain, improving functions like memory and abstract reasoning skills, which are essential for maths and science. The WRA music club will offer singing, piano and strings lessons in a collaborative group setting. So while you may not see your future on the stage…

Could this be your Gateway to excellence across the curriculum?

The PE Department will be offering a range of sporting activities throughout the school year. These activities will run every week, on designated days between 2.45 and 4pm. Clubs will give students a great opportunity to develop health, fitness, confidence and self-esteem, as well as social and sports skills. Participation could lead to involvement in School Excellence Programmes.

Could this be your gateway to sporting excellence?

► Science Outside The Classroom (6-8 students)

Horticulture - Got green fingers? Enjoy digging around in the dirt? Want to develop life skills? Think you might want to grow your own food, flowers and build things? We will be able to do all of these things and more. This gardening project is very much open to your ideas and will develop along the way, we can tackle anything from growing plants to weaving structures from willow, let’s see where it goes.

Could this be your gateway to a more sustainable lifestyle?

► Science STEM Clubs - Biology, Chemistry and Physics (20 students)

Are you interested in developing your scientific and employability skills? Science STEM clubs will run each half term, giving you the opportunity to explore aspects of BIology, Chemistry and Physics beyond those you normally get to study in lessons. You could have the chance to work as a team, build and test scientific equipment and carry out investigations. You will be engaging in projects to earn yourself a Bronze CREST award, with the aim of higher awards in the future. You will also get the opportunity to see real-life science first hand on various trips across the country. Your scientific knowledge and confidence will improve and you’ll also develop valuable skills such as communication, problem solving, critical thinking, data analysis and creativity.

Could this be your gateway to a STEM career?

The Art department will be offering 6 individual sessions across the school year. These sessions will run from 2:45 - 4:15 and alternate half termly between year 7 and year 8. Students will have the opportunity to explore a range of Art, Media and Photography techniques, each session being bespoke and developing different skills.

Could this be your gateway to your own exhibition at The Baltic?

→ September to Oct Half Term - Ceramics with Miss French.

Sessions will focus on the coiling process. Students will be making a personalised coil pot for use as a pencil pot, a mug, a candle holder or whatever you decide. Once the drying and firing process has taken place you’ll be able to take your personalised coil pot home.

→ October Half Term to Christmas - Printmaking with Mr Jackson.

These sessions will focus on on celebrity mono printing. Students can choose from a selection of iconic and famous faces to produce a range of printed outcomes, completing the sessions with a number of detailed outcomes and a full understanding of the printing process.

→ January to February Half Term - Painting with Mrs Collier.

Sessions will focus on exploring mixing colours to create different tones and shades. Students will explore the use of different types of paint such as watercolours and acrylic.

→ February Half Term to Easter - Drawing with Mrs Gregorio.

Students will explore drawing with different media such as charcoal, chalks, and pencil. There will be an emphasis on tonal qualities and shadows and highlights to create an in depth drawing.

→ Easter to May Half Term - Media/Photography with Mr Mackridge.

Students will learn the lighting and photographic skills required to photograph a range of products/subjects.

Students should leave the session with a series of completed advert templates that use their own photography from the session.

→ May Half Term to summer - Photoshop colour popping with Mrs Clasper.

Photoshop is an excellent piece of editing software to enhance own photos and create completely new images. Colour popping is a very effective technique to make an image/photo black and white, with certain elements of the image bright coloured so that these sections ‘pop’.