Saskia, Year 7, is part of the Northgate News Team. She decided to interview Miss Martinez who is currently acting Head of Drama and Dance. Here’s what she had to say in response to Saskia’s questions.
What is the best thing about teaching at Northgate?
I love the students’ energy and it’s very rewarding.
What do you like about being head of the department?
It’s a new challenge and I enjoy bettering myself as a teacher.
What’s a fun or surprising fact about you?
I am a fully qualified scuba diver which I started at age 12.
What do you enjoy most about teaching drama?
I love seeing the students’ confidence grow and watching them fall in love with the subject. Every day is different with a new challenge and a new opportunity to be creative.
What do you find most challenging about teaching drama?
When students say they are not good at it and helping them see that actually they can do it and they become great at it.
What makes a good drama lesson in your opinion? A lesson that is fun, engaging, joyful and most of all creative.
What skills do you think students learn in drama that help them in other subjects? Communication, group work, problem solving, creative and critical thinking just to name a few.
Do you have a favourite play, musical, or performance?
It is definitely too hard to pick just one so I think I’ll have to choose multiple; Funny Girl, West Side Story, Hamilton, Wicked, and The Sound of Music.
What’s a memorable moment you’ve had in a lesson or performance? Watching everybody perform the Wizard of Oz as it was my first solo show and I am very proud of what we achieved.
If you weren’t a teacher, what job would you like to have?
A makeup artist.
If you could be in any play or film, which would it be and why?
Hedda Gabler because she is one of the most interesting female characters of all time.
How can drama help students in everyday life?
It can help with confidence for everyone.
Quick Fire Questions:
Chocolate or sweets – Chocolate
Fruit or vegetables – Vegetables
Cat or dog – Dog
Summer or winter – Summer
Birthday or Christmas – Birthday
Vacation or Stay-cation – Vacation
A big thank you to Miss Martinez for taking the time to answer Saskia’s questions. It is always interesting to find out a bit more about our teachers here at Northgate. We look forward to finding out who is next.
Jasmine, Year 7, is part of the Northgate News Team. She decided to interview Miss Orford who is part of the RE and Citizenship Department and started working at Northgate in September. Here’s what she had to say in response to Jasmine’s questions.
What are your hobbies outside of school?
I enjoy travelling to different countries and cities and spending time with my horse.
Describe Northgate in 3 words:
Friendly, Interesting, Supportive
If you were not a teacher, what job would you like to have and why?
A solicitor – I really enjoyed the laws modules that I studied at university.
What inspired you to become an RE and Citizenship teacher? My A-Level Philosophy teacher,
What do you enjoy most about teaching your subjects? The debates and discussions. It allows students and me to be part of it.
Is there a particular topic or theme you enjoy teaching the most each year?
– Does the existence of evil prove God does not exist?
– Medical ethics
What is the most rewarding part of your job? When something clicks for a student and that previously they didn’t understand
What’s a book, film, or quote that has really inspired you? The little book of sloth Philosophy
If you could take your students on a field trip anywhere in the world, where would you go? Rome: Vatican City, Basilica and the Colosseum
Quick fire questions:
Ethics or philosophy? Ethics
Discussion or essay? Discussion
Debate or presentation? Debate
Book or film? Film
Classroom or field trip? Field trip
Group work or independent work? Group work
Sweet or savoury? Savoury
Spring or Summer? Summer
Vacation or staycation? Vacation
A big thank you to Miss Orford for taking the time to answer Jasmine’s questions. It is always interesting to find out a bit more about our teachers here at Northgate. We look forward to finding out who is next.
We are pleased to introduce our April bulletin. It’s certainly a bumper edition this month with so much having gone on in March. In our bulletin this month we are celebrating lots of successes of our students. There’s updates from Science Week, World Book Week, sporting updates and lots more.
We hope that you are able to take some time to have a look at all the goings on at Northgate from the last month and enjoy seeing what we’ve been up to. Please share with your friends and family via our Facebook and twitter pages.
Miss Theobald (School Council Coordinator) + Northgate School Council.
We love to showcase the amazing work of our students from the Art and Design department and so would like to share some of the work produced over the last half term. We hope you’ll agree, we have some very talented students at Northgate!
Year 7 sunset paintings focussed on warm and cool colours, Year 8 packaging paintings focussed on tints and shades, Year 8s produced some Moroccan tile inspired lino prints, Year 9 biro drawings focussed on tone and mark making and finally, Year 10 produced some lino prints as part of their GCSE course. You can some of our students’ work below by scrolling through the gallery.
We look forward to sharing more work with you in the coming months, particularly when our Year 11s showcase their GCSE coursework and exam pieces.
Max, Year 11, is part of the Northgate News Team. He decided to interview Mr Jewell who is our Design Department Technician. Here’s what he had to say in response to Max’s questions.
What is your role in the wood technology department, and what does it involve?
My role as Design & Technology Technician involves a great deal of tasks. These include:
preparing and setting up resources for practical lessons across the department
maintaining machinery and equipment and repairing if necessary
helping students with their designs for practical projects and realising them
assisting teachers with preparation for classes throughout the day
These are just a few of the various duties I perform from day to day.
What made you want to work in wood technology and in a school environment? I have always enjoyed designing, making, repairing, and creating all sorts of things using as many tools and types of machinery as I can. I also enjoy passing on knowledge that I have gained through experience and if this can help students with their projects and interests and teach them skills for their future then I am more than happy to help.
What kind of work did you do before coming to this school? I was a full-time dad for a while, looking after my children and before that I worked in retail and retail management.
What is your favourite part of working in a workshop? Seeing the end result of something that has been designed and realised from start to finish, either by myself or students.
Do you have any hobbies? I love spending time with my children, designing and making things, going for bike rides or walks and Geocaching. I have always loved movies, especially sci-fi and I do like gaming.
Have you worked on any personal projects? If not, would you like to? I have completed many personal projects, from home DIY, to log reindeers, to hollowed out tree trunk lamps, to 3D printing and furniture to name a few.
What advice would you give students who are thinking about a career in wood technology or something similar?
If you enjoy making things, keep at it, keep practicing, try new ways of making things. If you have ideas running around your head, build them! There is nothing better than seeing and feeling something you have imagined and made real with your own hands.
Do you watch any sports or do you support a team?
I don’t follow sports at all, I enjoy taking part in a few different sports here and there.
What do you enjoy outside of school?
I love relaxing at home or getting out and about doing different things with my family, but always having a laugh and not taking things too seriously.
What’s a book, film, or documentary that has influenced the way you think?
I love sci-fi and new technologies so I like to aim for the future in the things I do, try to find better ways of doing things or more efficient ways. I think this started when I saw my favourite movie – Aliens, so I think this has influenced the way I think more than anything else.
Who was a teacher or role model that inspired you when you were younger, and why?
I would say my dad is a role model for me as he was not particularly an academic person, but he could make anything from computers to buildings, from cars to gadgets for home. I joke and say he was able to make a flying tank from a bean tin and a lolly stick.
What’s a fun or unexpected fact about you?
A fun fact is, I love a good party and am usually the life and soul of it.
A big thank you to Mr Jewell for answering these questions and obviously for the valued support he is able to offer the Design Department and students.
This World Poetry Day, the Tree Council want to celebrate childrens’ love of trees and nature with our own ‘po-e-tree’ competition.
Taking place on 21 March 2026, World Poetry Day celebrates one of the most treasured forms of expression that helps people understand and appreciate the world. The Tree Council wanted to hear childrens’ thoughts, feelings and hopes for trees, nature and our environment.
They therefore launched a po-e-tree competition which we opened up to all Northgate students. The poem could take any form and could be about a favourite tree, dreams of a tree-filled future or just capture a beautiful moment.
We had lots of entries from some very talented students, including some from our creative writing group. It was very difficult to judge them, based on such a high standard. Congratulations to our winner Jessica S (Year 7) and runners up Lewis E (Year 9) and Saskia O (Year 7) who all reeived prizes for their efforts.
All of the poems have been entered into the Tree Council’s national competition. You can scroll through the entries below.
Saskia, Year 7, is part of the Northgate News Team. She decided to interview Miss Martinez who is currently acting Head of Drama and Dance. Here’s what she had to say in response to Saskia’s questions.
Jasmine, Year 7, is part of the Northgate News Team. She decided to interview Miss Orford who is part of the RE and Citizenship Department and started working at Northgate in September. Here’s what she had to say in response to Jasmine’s questions.
Max, Year 11, is part of the Northgate News Team. He decided to interview Mr Jewell who is our Design Department Technician. Here’s what he had to say in response to Max’s questions.
