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Published 17/04/24
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Read MoreExeter school celebrates the birthday of the bard!
Published 26/04/24West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, celebrated Shakespeare’s birthday this week.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in April 1564. The exact date of his birth is not recorded, but it is most often celebrated around the world on the 23rd of April. Shakespeare also died on 23 April; in 1616, when he was 52 years of age.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust states that:
Shakespeare’s baptism is recorded in the Parish Register at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon on Wednesday 26 April 1564. Baptisms typically took place within three days of a new arrival, and parents were instructed by the Prayer Book to ensure that their children were baptised no later than the first Sunday after birth. This means that it’s unlikely that Shakespeare was born any earlier than the previous Sunday, 23 April. Given that three days would be a reasonable interval between birth and baptism, 23 April has therefore come to be celebrated as his birthday.
To mark the day, Year 8 students at West Exe School explored some of the most memorable scenes from Shakespeare’s most famous plays. The school is also holding a creative writing script competition to discover any budding playwrights!
At West Exe they explicitly teach in depth social and literary contexts to ensure that students have the cultural capital to appreciate how the written word can be used to bring about social change and, more importantly, social justice. The English curriculum is deliberately academic and covers a broad range of contexts that are designed to inform students’ interpretation of texts and ideas, this allows students to explore perspectives outside of their own, to promotes a greater understanding and appreciation of difference and diversity.
Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:
“It was great to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday this week, his plays remain such a core part of young people’s literary journey and I am excited to see the submissions for the creative writing competition.”
Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:
“I was delighted to hear that West Exe School marked Shakespeare’s birthday in appropriate dramatic fashion by exploring some of his most memorable scenes. Learning more about the author is such a helpful way of bringing texts to life for students and helps everything they learn to really stick with them.”
Read MoreExeter school serves up ‘root to stem’ lunch
Published 26/04/24Aspens Services, the catering company at West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, have served up a ‘no waste’ lunch for students this week.
Nothing was wasted in the preparation of the ‘root to stem’ meals which included a variety of dishes that are good for both people and the planet!
On the menu on Tuesday the 23rd of April was:
- Chickpea and vegetable stew
- Arrabiata stew with crispy parsnip and skin on mash
- No waste mince and onion pie and skin on mash
Aspens Services, is a market leading contract catering company specialising in school food and they often put on themed menus to tie in with special awareness or cultural days. Aspens are passionate about serving fresh, high quality and locally sourced food.
Food available at West Exe includes a choice of hot meals each day (including a vegetarian option), a pasta bar, salads and sandwiches, as well as drinks and snacks. A free breakfast is also provided to all students at the school from 8.15-8.30am daily in the canteen. Students can also access Chrome books during this time to allow them to work on any extended practice they may have.
Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:
“It was great to offer up these ‘no waste’ dishes on the lunch menu this week, especially as it was Earth Day on Monday. It’s brilliant for our students to try all sorts of different dishes and anything that focuses their minds on both healthy eating and the sustainability of the planet can only be a good thing in my book!”
Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:
“It’s great to hear that Aspens are doing such great work at West Exe to offer students a range of, not only delicious, but thought-provoking meals. I know they have some really creative chefs that work hard to provide schools with a wide variety of exciting cuisines.”
Read MoreExeter students learn about bright futures in the solar industry
Published 26/04/24Students from West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, attended a solar careers fair this month.
Year 8 and 9 students went along to Exeter College and met with representatives from a number of companies involved in the solar industry.
The students also played a highly competitive game of giant Jenga, took part in a quiz, which one of the Year 9 teams won, and attended talks on the ‘Future of Solar’.
As the world shifts towards a low-carbon future, the demand for clean energy sources is increasing. One of the fastest-growing areas of renewable energy is solar power, which has seen tremendous growth in recent years.
By 2035, the solar industry is expected to support around 60,000 jobs in the UK, that’s up from around 7,000 in 2020 – representing a significant increase in demand for skilled workers in the sector.
Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:
“It was great for some of our students to go along to the fayre and learn all about an industry they might not have considered working in before. At West Exe we want young people to leave us ready for the jobs of the future, so examining careers in the renewable energy sector makes total sense.
“It was also lovely to hear that one of the exhibitors commented that our students asked the best, most insightful and challenging questions of any of the schools in attendance!”
Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:
“At the Ted Wragg Trust we are keen for all local educational institutions to come together for the benefit of young people, as such I am delighted that some West Exe students attended this event at Exeter College. It’s brilliant to hear they were asking some really thought-provoking questions of industry professionals.”
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Read MoreStudent courtroom drama unfolds thanks to University of Exeter Law Society
Published 26/04/24Students from West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, represented the school at a mock trial recently.
The mock trial event was run by the University of Exeter Law Society and hosted by the Maynard School. The students were given some witness statements and then had to prepare and present part of the prosecution’s case against the defendant.
Despite having never done anything like this before, they did a phenomenal job of preparing an opening statement and writing examination-in-chief and cross-examination questions, all in a very short amount of time.
The event was presided over by a retired Circuit Judge, some circuit judges deal specifically with criminal or civil cases, while some are authorised to hear public and/or private law family cases, and some sit across a range of jurisdictions. Others may sit more or less on a full-time basis in specialised civil jurisdictions, such as Chancery or as judges of the Technology and Construction Court. There are currently over 600 circuit judges throughout England and Wales.
The University of Exeter Law Society supports its members from the moment they join their legal community through to graduation and beyond. They support their members through law school with academic, careers and welfare events, and provide an array of extra-curricular activities such as advocacy, mooting, intramural sport and pro-bono volunteering. The Maynard School is the South West's top school & a leading UK Independent Girls School.
Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:
“I am so glad that some West Exe students took part in this mock trial, and I am very grateful to the University of Exeter and the Maynard’s School for enabling them to. I was delighted to hear that the retired Circuit Judge stated that our team was excellent and that we should be very proud of them, which of course we are!”
Read MoreConversation Cafés at WES...
Published 19/04/24Come along to our conversation cafés running through the summer to talk to the team, ask questions, have a tour and help us connect with our community...
Scan the QR code below or click this link https://forms.office.com/e/RBRe7vCyeY to let us know you are coming.
We look forward to meeting you!
