The yearly trip to the Ardeche has been running for many years now at Northgate. Back in July another groups of students had the chance to enjoy the experience. Reanna Denson-Smith, Year 9, was one of those pupils and she shares her experience with us here. ‘I went on the Ardeche France trip with Northgate in the summer and I wish I could go every year! Looking back on this mazing opportunity I can confidently say on behalf of everyone involved in this trip, that it is great fun and something worth doing.
On the Ardeche trip you are able to try so many different activities such as rock climbing off the natural surroundings, caving through beautiful caves, raft building, water activities and kayaking on a lovely river near the campsite. This is as well as a rewarding 2 day canoeing trip where you have a camping experience under the stars. You are also able to visit the local town for some shopping where you can use you French knowledge to talk to the locals and even order an ice cream. I found this trip improved my French drastically because I was using it more so it was easier for me to learn.
As well as being able to do these amazing activities you get to experience the naturally beauty of the Ardeche following you wherever you are, you are also always with your school friends, teachers and the fabulous staff at Acorn – they are always really positive and fun to be around. They motivate you to overcome the personal challenges you may face. At the campsite there are multiple villages which is the school’s designated area where you sleep in tents with your chosen friends on proper beds. Due to the lovely weather in the Ardeche, you don’t have to worry about being too cold or hot at night, however during the day make sure to wear loads of sun cream because France is very hot in July which is nice as it makes the experience better.
The only bad bit about the trip I when you have to come home! Even then, the long trip there and back is enjoyable as the coach is luxurious and you are able to sleep on it. It has a tv and loads of room and the drivers are really friendly! The food in the Ardeche is also really tasty so you will definitely have enough energy to participate in all the great activities. There were also activities in the evening which included using the swimming pool at the camp site, going down to the river, treasure hunts and walks into the town.
I would definitely recommend you go on this trip as you are unlikely to get such a great opportunity again. There is not one thing I could fault about the trip and it is genuinely one of the best things I have ever done and if I get the opportunity I will go again without hesitation.
Beth High and Ruby Dagless, Year 8, also went to the Ardeche and give their take on the experience.
First up is Beth who said, ‘On the Ardeche trip we did climbing, a two day canoe trip and we ate frogs legs and snails! The frogs legs were delicious, they tasted like chicken! The best part about the Ardeche trip was the evening activities because they were calm and enjoyable. I would recommend the Ardeche because it’s a wonderful experience and worth the cost.’
Ruby commented, ‘I am very pleased that I went on the Ardeche trip. We sailed in boats, climbed up rocks, clambered through caves and I slept under the stars for one night. We also went in the rivers a lot and I swam down the rapids and experienced frogs legs for the first time!’
Sounds like a fantastic trip – pupils are already signing up for next year!
Mrs Green in the PE Department explains what the Sports Leadership course is all about. In Year 10 pupils get invited to complete a Sports Leadership Level 1 course which they are able to gain a qualification in. They complete it in one of their fortnightly core PE lessons. It involves a small amount of coursework and towards the end of the course they get the opportunity to go into local Primary Schools to put their newly acquired skills into practice. It is a real confidence builder and a great opportunity to show their leadership skills, working with Primary School pupils, sometimes helping to run their sports days. There are around 55 pupils taking part in the programme this year.
Rosie Hindle is one of the Sports Leaders and tells us about one of her visits:
King’s Park Infant Sports Day.
‘On the 20th June a group of Year 10 Sports Leaders went to King’s Park Infant School to help run their sports day. It was a good and fun opportunity as we were able to experience what it was like to lead a young audience in sporting activities, using the knowledge and skills we have gained over the course. It was a great day as we got to teach young children different skills like dribbling and throwing and they were able to take part in a fun, traditional sports day competition, even letting the Sports Leaders join in – the boys sprinting and the girls doing an egg and spoon race! Overall it was a really good experience and I can’t wait to do it again!’
Northgate High School has a wide range of facilities available for hire on a individual or a block booking basis. Our aim through our facilities is to create a community hub accessible for the Mid Norfolk area and wider area.
To find out more or to book a slot please contact our Scott Emmerson on 01362 697033/07771 942446 or email communitysports@northgate.norfolk.sch.uk. One off holiday and weekend bookings are also welcomed.
You can click here to read more about each facility we offer.
The Solana Schools growing competition was launched 6 months ago with the idea to get our students to understand more about the quality of yield and skin on potatoes.
On Wednesday 19th September, Solana Seeds held a judging ceremony at the Walking With The Wounded (WWTW) offices to both judge the best potatoes and support the charity.Â
Duncan Slater (Ambassador of Unity Education Trust) spent time meeting and talking to our students. A lovely lunch was provided and goodie bags (sponsored by Solana) were handed out. Students also received a tour of equipment used within the potato industry. Lastly, Duncan and the WWTW team gave an inspiring presentation, before the winners were announced.
We are delighted to announce that Northgate won the overall result of the competition for growing the finest quality and quantity of potatoes. A sample of our potatoes have been kept as they are keen to investigate the success of growth – a few farmers commented on not seeing such quality in years! Well done to Mr MacDonald and students involved.
Mr MacDonald with Duncan Slater and some of the Year 11 MAP group.
The Solana Seeds potato competition.
Northgate’s winning trophies!
The Year 11 MAP group have been the main source of assistance throughout the growing of the potatoes and the outstanding students during this time have been Hanna Adams and Cameron Williams. They just get stuck in and are certainly not scared to get their hands dirty. This is also a clear indication of their interests for the future – Cameron enjoys working with his hands and would like to go into construction. Hanna loves horses and would also like to continue this with a place in the future at college. The Year 11 MAP group really enjoy spending some of their lessons in the ELF and have supported younger students during their time there, an example of this is during transition.
Hanna and Cameron with the Regional Schools Commissioner.
The ELF has always provided a fantastic platform for outdoor learning at Northgate and within the community. We have recently been supporting a group of students from Fred Nicholson School, who have embarked on a 10 week volunteering project of outdoor learning supported by Mr MacDonald.
The success of produce does not stop with the champion potatoes, we now move onto enterprise. We have ended up with a bumper crop of green tomatoes, which have now made their way into the Food Tech department for the first production of Northgate ELF Chutney. Our Year 7s are designing a label in a competition and Year 10 GCSE group are making the Chutney, then the jars will be available on Open Evenings.
The ELF has built up a fantastic reputation during the last couple of years. This includes receiving a Certificate of recognition from Cultivation Street and Celebrity gardener David Domeney, a level 5 star Award from the RHS (proudly displayed in the foyer), a Certificate to Mr MacDonald for his contribution to schools gardening and only recently overall winners for growing potatoes in Norfolk schools. It does not stop there, On Friday 22nd September, Mr MacDonald has entered two teams of Year 8 pupils for the RHS ‘Green Plan It Challenge’. This will be a 10 week project for the teams to work with a mentor from the RHS and design a garden area for our school – ideas have already been put forward for a “mindfulness area”. We have also welcomed the Regional Schools Commissioner to the ELF recently to see what goes on.
While many students and staff were enjoying a relaxing break over the summer, a number of our year 7’s were getting stuck into life at Northgate and joined us for our Flying Start Summer School.
75 pupils, 10 sixth form helpers and 7 members of staff came together for a week packed full of activities. There were a large variety of sessions that covered many areas of the curriculum including English, Drama, Maths, Science and PE. These are just some of the activities that students took part in:
Writing a diary entry from a cell.
Solving a Maths murder mystery.
Building rockets (and breaking the school record for the furthest distance a rocket has travelled.)
Creating volcanoes and learning all about natural disasters.
A QR code Maths hunt around school.
Learning about new sports (handball and dodgeball) and playing those we were already familiar with (football).
Working as a team to create a performance based on the theme of ‘lost and found.’ Some brave students even performed their piece to parents at the end of the week!
Competing in a mini-Olympics.
Creating a painting to show the things they couldn’t live without.
Designing book covers.
And so much more…
At the end of the week, pupils’ parents and families joined us in the ELF for a celebration of all the hard work the students done- a great way to end a fantastic week!
We got some comments from some of the pupils who attended as to why they attended, whether they enjoyed it and whether they would recommend to new Year 6s. Lexi, said ‘it really helped me understand the school better and boosted my confidence’. Lewis commented, ‘It is interesting and enjoyable plus you meet new friends’. Finally, Daniel said, ‘you get to learn cool stuff and have lots of fun. I enjoyed it a lot and it has made me more confident’.
A great week from all those involved and a really positive start to life at Northgate – well done!
The yearly trip to the Ardeche has been running for many years now at Northgate. Back in July another groups of students had the chance to enjoy the experience. Reanna Denson-Smith, Year 9, was one of those pupils and she shares her experience with us here. ‘I went on the Ardeche France trip with Northgate in the summer and I wish I could go every year! Looking back on this mazing opportunity I can confidently say on behalf of everyone involved in this trip, that it is great fun and something worth doing. 
As well as being able to do these amazing activities you get to experience the naturally beauty of the Ardeche following you wherever you are, you are also always with your school friends, teachers and the fabulous staff at Acorn – they are always really positive and fun to be around. They motivate you to overcome the personal challenges you may face. At the campsite there are multiple villages which is the school’s designated area where you sleep in tents with your chosen friends on proper beds. Due to the lovely weather in the Ardeche, you don’t have to worry about being too cold or hot at night, however during the day make sure to wear loads of sun cream because France is very hot in July which is nice as it makes the experience better.
Beth High and Ruby Dagless, Year 8, also went to the Ardeche and give their take on the experience.
