We will be shortening lessons on Tuesday 19th of July to close to students at 13:05

On the 16th and 17th June, Ely College saw the triumphant return of their Science Festival! This two day event is weeks in the making, as Year 8 hosted their Science Fair on day one and Year 7 families joined us on day two.  With restrictions preventing the event last year, staff and students wanted this year's Festival to come back with a BANG and they certainly exceeded all expectations!

Over the last month of so, Year 7 and 8 students have been working hard in their science lessons to come up with an investigation which they can then plan, test, evaluate and present. There was a huge variety in the projects they came up with including dissections, titrations and 'flying teabags'... with some very interesting results.

These projects allowed the KS3 students to have their first independent attempt at following the scientific method; to take on a whole project that they could take ownership for, from start to finish. It also meant that, for Year 8, they were able to submit their projects for the Bronze Crest Award. CREST is a scheme that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. Find out more here: https://www.crestawards.org/ 

It was so nice to see how proud the students were of the work they had produced and a really nice opportunity for parents to see what they’d been working on; some of them visiting college for the first time. Mr O'Neil, Science Teacher and lead on this year's two day Science Festival event commented: "Verbal feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we hope that the science fairs will be as popular next year."

Mr Warburton who attended the festival each day, engaging students in their presentations and asking questions, commented on the two day event: "It was wonderful to see so many parents and carers give up their time in the morning to visit our science fairs and talk through the students’ projects with them.  It was already a hot day without all the Bunsen burners on, but the students loved being able to show their science investigations to such a wide and expert audience."

"After a period of not being able to welcome parents into college, to see at first hand the quality of the students’ work and their interactions with each other, I was thrilled to see so many visitors.  We will look for more opportunities to invite parents and carers in to College in the future."

Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to families and staff who visited to engage with our students. This is an amazing experience for them and counts towards their PLEDGES record and awards.

Didn't spot your child in these photos? There are many more on our socials. Please head over to @ElyCollegeMT to see photos on Facebook and @elycollege to follow us on Twitter.

Last week the History department, had the pleasure of taking a group of Year 9 students into Ely for a rare shared cultural experience; to meet up with the London based 'Jewish Free School' and learn more about the Jewish evacuees who came to Ely during the Blitz to escape the heavy bombings in the East End. Their own Year 9 students along with staff were visiting the City and the rural communities that hosted Jewish Free School evacuees during WW2.

The day started with a workshop at Ely Museum where students gained an insight into our shared heritage, hearing in-person, the experiences of evacuee Michael Cohen, and considering the challenges faced by JFS students. 

For the Jewish children of the East End back then, it was the first time they had left London and lived outside of their community.  For the people of Ely, a largely Christian community at the time, It was the first time that many of them had ever met a Jew. What followed was a story of friendships forged across the barriers of religion and class.

Later in the day the Jewish Free School students enjoyed a walking tour of the city. They visited the Countess Free Church hall that was given over to act as a Synagogue; which Michael clearly recalls as the venue of the Pesach Seder he experienced during evacuation. They also visited Oliver Cromwell's House which at the time was the home of Mrs Knowles, the vicar's wife, who was instrumental in setting up the Jewish boys' hostel for 70 refugees, as well as the schoolhouse near St Mary's Surgery.

The village of Isleham also welcomed students to view the Menorah that JFS students handcrafted in 1940 and donated to the community as a gift of gratitude. It is still displayed and used in the village church. Today, many members of the Ely community remember the children they knew, and it is wonderful to welcome a new generation of students from the Jewish Free School to maintain a link between our communities.

Being reminded of the importance of 'welcoming the stranger' and how the actions of individuals, such as Mrs Knowles can make a difference seems pertinent given current events. Those at Ely College look forward to continuing the tradition of building a relationship between our two communities, widening horizons and breaking down prejudice and misconceptions about different faiths.

The BBC documented the day as part of a news item marking the commemoration of VE Day on 8th May. We hope some of you manage to see it. The highlights on BBC Breakfast News are no longer on IPlayer.

Lucy Frazer MP welcomed students from South East Cambridgeshire to Parliament last week as part of her annual schools debating competition. 

Ely College Debating Club, joined students from Linton Village College, Witchford Village College, Soham Village College and Impington Village College to take part in two debates as part of the competition. 

The first was ‘This House believes that Scotland should remain part of the UK’ and the second ‘This House believes that animal testing is unnecessary’. 

Having previously visited Ely College for the earlier rounds, it was a momentous occasion for our students to visit Westminster for the final debate.

The competition was judged by Alex Chalk, MP for Cheltenham and solicitor general who offered students practical advice on giving a speech, including how to construct persuasive arguments and the importance of the concluding parts of a debate. 

Year 11 Charlotte was selected as one of the winners, for their overall high standard of debate. Huge congratulations to her, the Ely College Debating Club and all those from local schools who took part.

A big thank you goes out to Mr Burke and Ms Clark-Hope for coaching and organising this regular Session 6 club and accompanying them to London.

Lucy Frazer MP said: “It was fantastic to welcome students and teachers back to Parliament."

“This is the highlight of my parliamentary year, and the arguments and standard of debate by those taking part were very convincing.” 

The winners of Lucy Frazer MP's annual schools debating competition were Reece (L - Witchford Village College,) Charlotte (M - Ely College) and Phoebe (R - Impington Village College). - Credit: Lucy Frazer MP

Read the full local news article here: https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/local-council/lucy-frazer-mp-hosts-schools-debating-competition-8924636

Just before the Easter break a group of year 7 students visited Cambridge University as part of the Insight Discover program. The day introduced the ‘All about me’ project that encourages the students to start thinking about their futures. Throughout the day there were team building activities, including blindfolded Lego tower building. They had a Q&A session with 3 current Cambridge University students which included questions such as ‘How many lessons do you have?’ and ‘ Do you get much homework?’. The day finished with a trip to the Museum of Cambridge.

Find out more about this exciting programme here: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/find-out-more/widening-participation/insight-discover. Big thank you to Mr Fricker for organising this trip and working closely with Cambridge University to offer our students exciting opportunities beyond the classroom.

In the latest in our series of guests for our Year 7 to 9 students we were treated to a fantastic virtual presentation and discussion from Dr Mandisa Green.

Mandisa is a prominent veterinary surgeon and the Former President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Her interest in animals was sparked when a young child living in Trinidad. Mandisa recalls helping her family to take care of their chickens, one breed kept for eggs, and another for their meat; as well as a whole host of pets that included cats, dogs and a tortoise.

Her parents supported her on her journey to becoming a vet. Mandisa’s career began when she moved back to the UK aged 18, ready to start vet school. Mandisa didn’t find university easy but her determination and tenacity got her through. She qualified from the University of Edinburgh Royal School of Veterinary Studies.

Mandisa’s philosophy, that she told the students, is “If you really, really want something in life you have to face any adversity that comes along, but what you mustn’t do is give up on your dream.”

Mandisa was elected to the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons 2014-2022 and became its President in 2020. A theme of Mandisa’s presidential year was Diversity and Equality, to champion a more diverse and inclusive profession with renewed intention.

We thank Mandisa for taking the time to inspire our students to think about their GCSE choices and future options and CMAT for another fantastic Trust-wide livestreaming event!