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

The Felpham Community College Year 5 primary events have continued this term with great success. In March, FCC welcomed over 80 students from Edward Bryant primary school, who joined the Textiles department to ‘Explore the Magical Powers of Colour’. Then, at the beginning of April, over 80 Year 5 students from Nyewood Junior school ‘Created a Magical Forest’ with our Art department.

The events are a great chance for students to see how a secondary school is different to primary. As well as taking part in the department activity, students are given a tour of FCC by Year 9 students, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions about secondary school life.

Mr Whiffin, Deputy Headteacher commented:
“Most Year 5 students have not ever been in a secondary school. We run these events to give students an opportunity to see a school in action before they have to make some important decisions in Year 6. It has been great to see the Year 5s interacting with our students and their enthusiasm with the activities.”

A huge congratulations to Adam Hughes in year 13 at Felpham Community College, who has been given a special invitation to the Kings Coronation!

Adam has been invited for the work he does with the Scouts. He has been volunteering with the Bognor Beavers and Scouts since he was 13 and is now the District Youth Commissioner for Bognor Regis and District Scouts.

Adam commented:
“I have been volunteering with the scouts for the past 4 years, mainly focusing on 11th Bognor Beaver Colony for the first 2 years. I then started with 11th Bognor Scouts along with the Beavers just after we all came out of lockdown and being able to meet face to face again, which was great. 5 months ago, I dropped attending the scouts meetings every week and became the District Youth Commissioner for Bognor Regis and District Scouts, this means that I now go to different events and meetings in Bognor and the surrounding area which is a great experience. I was really excited to get the invitation – it will definitely be an event to remember!”

Mr Summers, Assistant Headteacher, commented:
“Adam is part of our Sixth Form Student Leadership Team at FCC and has been an amazing link with our year 7 students. He has also led the school Eco Team for a number of years, progressing a number of environmental initiatives, and is part of our Charity Committee and Whole School Council. When he leaves FCC after his exams we will miss him a great deal – he is a firm Face of Felpham!

Alan and Sophia, year 8 students at Felpham Community College, are celebrating winning a ‘Screen Your Story’ national competition.

‘Screen Your Story’ is a UK wide creative writing competition that gets thousands of entries each year. Alan and Sophia were selected as winners in their age bracket and will receive a winner’s pack and an invite to the Celebration gala in London later this year. More information on the competition is available through the link below.

Alan commented:
“We had to write a shorty story based around family. I wrote about divorce and how it can impact on the children in a family, and how some kids had a plan to stop their parents getting divorced. I was not expecting to win anything, we did the work in our English lessons and for homework and it was great to get the news that I have won – my family are really proud of me.”

Sophia commented:
“I redrafted my story quite  a few times until I was sure it was perfect for the message I wanted to get across. I  wrote about grandparents and communication with family, and how it is important to not take people for granted. I am going to go to the gala with my family as I think it will be a fun experience to attend.”

Mrs Chick, Assistant Curriculum Leader for English commented:
“Lots of our students submitted entries for this competition, they worked really hard and had some excellent ideas. It was amazing to read so many creative stories from all students but for two FCC students to win is brilliant and shows the level of what they are achieving – we are very proud of them.”

More information on Screen Your Story.

Congratulations to Miss A Jarvis, Teaching Assistant at FCC and Rights Respecting Schools Award Coordinator, who is 2nd on the agenda for the RRSA spring newsletter that goes out to all RRSA schools across the UK. The article also features on the RRSA website.

Click here to read her account of being involved with the Rights Respecting Schools Award at FCC.

Now we have started the summer term, Miss Jarvis has a number of projects she is currently working on, including organising new starter events for our year 7 September cohort of students, creating the RRSA staff steering group and organising our RRSA Students Ambassadors.

Miss Jarvis commented:
“It has been a pleasure to return to Felpham and support our students in developing the passion, awareness and confidence needed to protect their own rights and the rights of others that will continue beyond their time at Felpham. I am excited to see how our upcoming projects will enable our students to develop personally and have a positive impact on the school and wider community”

On the afternoon of the 29th March, we held a Student Celebration Event at FCC. It was a chance for us to say thank you and well done to some of our students who regularly go above and beyond with their commitment to the FCC community.

Carl Belcher, School Governor, and Ms Kelly, Deputy Headteacher, presented students with certificates and congratulated them all on what they have achieved this year and the efforts they have put in.

The tea and cake also went down a treat with students. Well done to everyone who was nominated, we are now planning on making the event bigger and better next year!

Mr Carl Belcher, Governor commented: “It was lovely to see so many students doing really valuable things to benefit our school community, and for them to be recognised whilst celebrating their achievements!”

Please see below details of who attend and why they were put forward to attend.

Student Leadership Team – For being outstanding in their Leadership Roles and achieving so much:
Lucy Oliver, Head Student
Zalia Ali, Deputy Head Student
Adam Hughes, Assistant Head Student i/c of Charity Action and Year 7 Link
Georgia Robson, Assistant Head Student i/c of Charity and Year 9 Link
Maddie Long, Assistant Head Student i/c of Rights Respecting Schools and Year 11 Link
Ollie Denman, Assistant Head Student i/c of Youth Action and Year 9 Link

Arun Youth Award Nominees – The Awards were held on the 22^nd March, for schools across the locality. FCC students were nominated for:
Adam H – Above and beyond commitment to FCC
Georgia R – Leadership and organising and promoting the charity committee
Oliver DH and Ester B – Volunteering work outside FCC
Tati E, Kiera N, Katie S, Chris S, Josie K – For always going above and beyond with the commitment to the charity committee

Eco Team – For their continued hard work, dedicated and determination at making FCC a greener community:
Adam H, Adam F, Kaleo A, Finley C, Katy P

Arun Youth Councillors – For volunteering to be on the Council and being the young people’s voice for the Felpham area:
Ollie D, Tayla P, Tanisha A, Joe W, Mia B, Luke M, Grace D, Ana-Marie L, Henry M

Sixth Form Student Charity Committee – For their continued support and dedication with the committee:
Georgia R, Heather L, Beth H, Maya S, Tati E, Keira N, Katie S , Chris S, Daisy M, Lucy O, Teagan S, Isabelle I, Olivia V, Adam H, Zalia A, Ollie D, Toby C, Abbie T, Louis S, Ciara M, Natalia C, Miriam S, Anna PH

Student Council – For their on-going hard work and support with leading the Student Council:
Evie G, Sophie K, Dom S, Imran A, Piotr K, Jenny R, Tali S, Matti E, Sam S, Millie T, Harunyan K

Resilience Ambassadors – For running the ‘safe space for everyone’ club and for putting themselves forward to support others:
Talia S, Rory L, Kiera C, Emilia H

Sixth Form Super Support – For going above and beyond and helping with things like first aid, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, playing at school concerts, tours of FCC and volunteering:
Emma B, Zalia A, Daisy M, Teagan S, Millie T, Oliver T, Ruby R, Katie S, Harry C, Mata S

Felpham Community College are celebrating a busy and productive end to the Spring Term.

On Monday 27^th April, the year 7/8 girls football team celebrated becoming East Hampshire Schools champions for the second year running. Following an excellent half term of football, where 17 fixtures across 6 weeks of school were played, the team have celebrated this week coming top of the league overall for another year.

Tuesday 28^th April was a busy day within the textile department – with over 80 year 5 students from Edward Bryant visiting FCC for a practical workshop exploring the magic of colour. These events are run at Felpham throughout the school year, as an opportunity for primary school students to experience what secondary school is like.

On the afternoon of the 29th March, FCC held a Student Celebration Event. This was a chance to say thank you and well done to some of the students who regularly go above and beyond with their commitment to the FCC community.

Also, on the 29^th March, the extra-curricular National Theatre Connections group performed at Chichester Festival Theatre. The FCC performance this year was called Model Behaviour and was based on the model united nations. After months of rehearsals, they performed on the 8^th March at FCC to a packed audience, which included a mentor from the National Theatre and a representative from Chichester Festival Theatre. They then performed at the Theatre on the 29^th March. They were incredible and should be really proud of themselves!

On Thursday 30^th March, the amazing FCC year 13 Student Leadership Team handed over the reigns to the new team who will take over next term. The Team have a wide range of roles within the school community including speaking at events, running the School Council, leading on the Rights Respecting Schools Award, running the charity and community programme of events and also linking to different year groups to support younger students.

Friday 31^st March saw students and staff fundraising for Grandad’s Front Room, a local Bognor based charity, by holding a non-school uniform day. It was also the day FCC said goodbye to their long serving Headteacher, Mr Anstiss.

Mr Whiffin Deputy Headteacher, commented:
“We have had an extremely busy term and it has been excellent to finish the last week with so many events celebrating our students and their achievements, and complete some fundraising as well!  Our students have accomplished so much – from charity events to student council events, PE fixtures to drama performances, on top of all their curriculum achievements – we are proud of them all”.

Felpham Community College ended a busy half term holding a non-school uniform day, fundraising for the Little Princess Trust. Students and staff were invited to pay a £1 fine to wear what they wanted on Friday 10^th February, with sixth form students getting involved and dressing as what they wanted to be as grown ups when they were little.

Georgina Chester, FCC Charity Co-ordinator, commented: “Within the first half term of each academic year, students across year groups vote for what charities we should support each year, through a variety of events. We always try and choose a mixture of local, national and international charities. Since September we have supported My Sister’s House, UK Harvest, The Royal British Legion, Save the Children, Stonepillow, Age UK and now the Little Princess Trust – and we are only half way through the academic year!”

For more information, please visit https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk/

The Felpham Community College year 5 primary events continued this half term, welcoming year 5 students from Bersted Green and Bishop Tufnell.

Bersted Green students got involved developing their spellbinding ideas with our drama department, and Bishop Tufnell looked at Ancient Magic with our Religion, Philosophy and Ethics teacher, Miss Wyatt.

Mr Whiffin, Deputy Headteacher commented:
“It was great to see the students, supported by our FCC Student Helpers, have some fantastic ideas and work so enthusiastically with their activities. It was also an opportunity for them to tour a secondary school and ask lots of questions about how things are different from primary, so that they can start to look forward to it instead of them possibly worrying. Year 5 students from Downview primary school visited us before Christmas, and we are now looking forward to continuing next term with a number of other local primary schools”

Felpham Community College started the new year off continuing their busy programme of charity events, this time co-ordinating a school-wide collection for Age UK. A wide variety of goods were donated, including clothes, books and toys, which were then delivered to the Bognor Age UK donation shop at the beginning of February. 

Lucy Oliver, Head Student, commented:
“We have a packed charity annual timeline at FCC including non-school uniform days, donation drives and sponsored events such as dog walks, quizzes and sporting activities. Students and staff vote for what chairities  they want to support each year and we try and choose a wide variety of local, national and international charities. It is great that the FCC community come together and do so much, we are proud of what we achieve!”

For more information on the charity please visit Age UK.