Students across year groups and staff at Felpham Community College celebrated the end of a busy half term by holding a non-uniform day, fundraising for Great Ormond Street hospital, on Friday 26^th May. Sixth form students were invited to get involved by wearing something pink!

Toby Clegg, Head Student at FCC commented: “We hold a number of charity events throughout the school year including a non-uniform day at the end of each half term. Students vote each October for which charities they wish to support for the academic year. This year we fundraising for My Sisters House, Save the Children, The Little Princess Trust, Grandads Front Room and Great Ormond Street Hospital. We are also starting the arrangements for our big youth action week next half term which is a great week in the school calendar, fundraising and having fun at the end of the school year. Thank you to our students, parents and staff for their continued support with our community and charity programme each year.”

Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The mathematics department at Felpham Community College, and year 10 student Sam Shelton, are currently celebrating Sam achieving a prestigious mathematics award.

Sam, like a number of students at FCC, took part in the Intermediate Maths Challenge earlier this year. This competition is run annually and is open to all secondary schools through the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust.

Sam achieved the gold standard in the Intermediate Challenge, and was then put forward to take part in the Hamilton Mathematical Olympiad. This is a 2-hour exam consisting of 6 problems requiring full written solutions. 600 students nationally were invited to take the Hamilton Olympiad this year. Sam did extremely well and with his results, was placed within the top 100 students – receiving the Bronze award.

Mrs Arnold, Curriculum Leader for Mathematics at FCC commented:
“This is so exciting! I have been teaching for over 17 years and have never had one of my students do so well at this level and achieve the Bronze award. Sam is brilliant, he has a natural talent for Maths – especially as he is still only year 10, competing against students both his age and in the year above.”

Information on the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust is available here.

Information on the Hamilton Mathematical Olympiad is available here.

Congratulations to Maya Siddall and Holly Woodruff, year 13 students at Felpham Community College, who attended an awards event at Buckingham Palace on the 19^th May.

Held in the grounds of the Palace, the afternoon recognised the Duke of Edinburgh Awards programme, congratulating young people across the UK who have received the Gold Award this year.  

Maya and Holly commented:
“We completed our Bronze Award in 2019 and our Silver in 2021 as part of our Explorers group. We took part in a number of group and personal challenges for them, including hiking and camping.

As one part of our Gold Award, we completed a 4-day canoeing and camping expedition in Wales, canoeing down both the River Severn and River Wye.

Going to the Palace was a brilliant experience. There were a number of speeches, including from Prince Edward and Jill Scott. It was great to meet with other young people with similar interests to ourselves. We have learnt some really valuable skills over the years doing our DofE, we would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking about applying for it. The scheme has been great fun, as well as learning new things and getting out into different environments.”

Click here for more information on the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

The Felpham Community College sixth form charity committee went out into the local community on the afternoon of Wednesday 17^th May, to volunteer with some local CIC’s (Community Interest Companies) and spend time with some local care home residents.

A group of students went to Grandad’s Front Room, to support them in refitting the shop before their grand opening. Another group went to Eco Swap, to organise pre-loved stock and to find out about all the amazing community projects and charities the shop links with. The final group visited Autumn Lodge Care Home, to play games and socialise with the residents.

It was a great chance to get out into the community and to appreciate that community support is just as important as fundraising.

Isabelle Isitt, Sixth Form Leadership Team i/c Charity, commented:
“Thank you to Eco Swap, Grandad’s Front Room and Autumn Lodge for having us. It was a really enjoyable afternoon. The CICs were really interesting and we were surprised to find out just how much they are both involved with. The projects they support and the charities they link with are vital in supporting the local community. Autumn Lodge was really good fun. Since COVID we haven’t had the opportunity to get out into the community and this was a lovely afternoon of playing some games and socialising with the residents – they were great fun and very competitive!”

Grandads Front Room
Eco Swap
Autumn Lodge

On Friday 12^th May, a group of students from Felpham Community College from years 7,8,9,10 and Felpham Sixth Form took part in a Rights Respecting Workshop.

During the day, students learnt about article 28 and 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – discussing and researching the right to education. A guest speaker worked with the students with exploring children’s rights and in the afternoon, students were able to design their own human rights campaign, creating an eye-catching fabric panel.

Students left the workshop with an increased awareness of the rights all children have to education, and the issues many children face around the world in accessing this right.

Alice Jarvis, Rights Respecting Schools Co-ordinator commented:
“Well done to all the students who took part. They were insightful and enthusiastic, coming up with some really good ideas. The students who attended are amongst our Rights Respecting Schools Ambassadors, working across FCC to further explore the UNCRC with students and the school community.”

Convention on the Rights of the Child