A GROUP of BTEC National Diploma Media (Moving Image) students from South Essex College have entered a short film into a competition at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival that takes place next month. The strict rules of the competition, called Straight 8, meant that the three minute 20 second film had to be filmed on a super 8 cine film camera with no editing or post production, so was all filmed in-camera.
Team Manager and Palmer’s Sports Teacher, Stuart Munday, said: “The 2nd X1 had an amazing season and are worthy winners of the Palmer’s Team Award. They improved throughout the season and are one of the best teams I have coached in my seven years at Palmer’s. It has been a privilege to manage them and I am glad they have been rewarded for their hard work and commitment.”
Thurrock’s cabinet member for education, Cllr Diana Hale, has told the borough’s primary schools they have her best wishes for this week’s SATs examinations. “I would like to wish all the pupils and primary schools the good luck this week,” said Cllr Hale.
Huw Derrick, Vice Principal at Ormiston Park Academy came up with the idea. “After hearing a vast amount of stories from parents whose children had voiced their concerns of dealing with more challenging work as their main worry about moving up to Secondary school, it was imperative I found a way of aiding these obstacles. Therefore providing children with an opportunity to read literature on a savvy gadget throughout the Summer holidays in preparation for Secondary school was the perfect solution to help set them off on the right foot.”
EVERY event has a sense of celebration at Quarry Hill primary and so the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton was no exception. On Thursday afternoon, the whole school went down to the lower field to take part in a number of activities climaxing in the release of hundreds of red, white and blue balloons.
The past few days have seen the young people working with professional historians to form a ‘Young Roots’ research team with the objective of producing a DVD that will help them to understand and share the story of their British royal roots, and their school sites royal roots.
TWO OF Quarry Hill primary schools' most loved dinner ladies served up their last school meals after almost seventy years of loyal service. Margaret Read has worked at the school for forty two years and Val Carter, twenty seven.
As part of the consultation a one-day public meeting is being held on Wednesday, 4 May, between 2pm and 7pm at the school in Bark Burr Road, Chafford Hundred.
WHEN YT came to visit Treetops headteacher, Paul Smith, he was up on the roof, tending to some repairs. Last time we interviewed him he was out coaching football. A quick change and he is back in his suit. He checks his diary and he has ten minutes for us as he has a number of tours for prospective parents.
Perry Harding, 17, from Grays is one student who has benefitted from the course. He said: “Before I started at South Essex College I wasn’t doing anything because I didn’t get the grades to get onto the college course that I wanted to do. I saw this course and thought anything was better than doing nothing but I didn’t realise just how much I’d get out of it.
NATASHA Danvers won the bronze medal at the 400 metre hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was one of the special medals for the British team at the games because few believed Natasha would even get into the final. Infact due to her injury plagued year, some thought she shouldn't be on the team.
PUPILS AT Grays School and Media Arts College, recently took the opportunity to meet famous novelists such as Melvin Burgess at the Thameside Theatre. But the question is; What do they read? Mice and Men (a set text) appears to be very popular but what else is in there.
The competition has captured the imagination of over 40 schools across the East of England, with around 4,800 Year 7 pupils battling it out to spell the highest number of words in French, German or Spanish. Stanley Stefanowski from Chafford Hundred School came third in the German section while Steven Veizi from Gateway Academy came fourth in the Spanish section.
THE POLITICAL war between the local education authority (LEA) and the government over academy schools has entered the next level as the government rejected the LEA's plans for Thameside Infants and Juniors to amalgamate as a community school.
