The Ashes Cricket series in Australia didn’t go England’s way recently with the home side winning comfortably 4-1. It was an all too familiar story once again with England outclassed by the tenacious Australian team. If you’re a cricket follower (or even if you’re not) why not have a go at the codebreaker below.
Correct solutions can be emailed to r.mcvey@penworthamgirls.lancs.sch.uk or handed to me in person and will be rewarded with a Head’s Breakfast.
Solve the calculations below. Then match each answer to the letter in the table to reveal the cricket-themed words.
Over the past three weeks, Year 7 students have been learning about angles and the properties of triangles and quadrilaterals in mathematics. This unit was taught over four hours each week and placed a strong emphasis on hands-on learning, supported by structured paper-folding slides to explore the properties.
Students following the paper-folding slides to construct triangles.
Isosceles, Equilateral, scale and right-angled
Below is an example of an Isosceles Triangle
Isosceles Triangle
The paper-folding slides guided students step-by-step as they created a range of shapes, including isosceles triangles, equilateral triangles, kites, rhombuses, parallelograms, rectangles, squares, trapeziums and hexagons. These visual and practical instructions helped students accurately construct shapes before analysing their properties.
In Year 7 Set 5, we created our own Izzy the isosceles triangle. This helped students understand the properties of the isosceles triangle in different orientations.
Students following the paper-folding slides to construct the quadrilaterals.
Kite, Rhombus, Parallelogram, Trapezium, Square and Rectangles
Below is the example of a kite
Kite
How the slides supported learning:
Using the paper-folding slides allowed students to:
Measure and compare the size of angles
Investigate side lengths and identify equal sides
Identify parallel and perpendicular sides
Explore diagonals and how they bisect shapes
Discover lines of symmetry through folding
Test rotational symmetry and its order
Understand the sum of interior angles
For example, when folding triangles, students physically aligned angles along a straight edge, helping them see why the interior angles always add to 180°. When folding quadrilaterals, students investigated how diagonals intersect and how the interior angles add to 360°, reinforcing their understanding through direct observation.
Why this approach matters:
The paper-folding slides provided clear structure while still encouraging exploration and discussion. Students were not just told properties, they discovered and justified them, developing confidence in using correct mathematical language and explanations.
We are very proud of the engagement, curiosity and thoughtful mathematical conversations shown by the class throughout this unit and look forward to building on these skills in future geometry lessons.
This unit is taught over a six‑week block and as a result, contains a significant number of key facts and formulae that students are expected to remember. All of these essential details are clearly recorded at the front of students’ exercise books for easy reference.
It is important to note that some GCSE-style questions do not explicitly state whether students should use area or perimeter formulae. Instead, students are expected to identify the most appropriate method themselves.
To support students with this type of multi‑step problem‑solving question, particularly those set in real‑world contexts, we are providing the list below. This will help students recognise which strategies and formulae are required and prepare them more effectively for GCSE examinations.
What mathematics is needed to solve the problem: area or perimeter?
What clues can you identify to help you decide?
Jane wants to cover this area with gravel.
She knows that 34 kg of gravel will cover an area of 1 m2
How much gravel does Jane need?
Clues in the Question
“Jane wants to cover this area with gravel”. The word cover is a huge giveaway.Covering means filling the space inside the shape, not going around it. ➡️ That points directly to area.
📐 “34 kg of gravel will cover an area of 1 m²”The unit m² (square metres) is the strongest clue.Square units are only used for area, never perimeter.➡️ If you see ², think AREA immediately.
🔢 The question asks: “How much gravel does Jane need?”Gravel spreads over a surface, not along an edge. To know how much gravel is needed, you must know how big the surface is.
➡️ That means you must find the area first.
This diagram shows the floorplan of the room:
Shamus is going to put a border all around the room.
Borders are sold in rolls.
The table gives some information about three types of border.
Shamus is going to use only one type of border.
He has a budget of £150
Which of these types of border can Shamus afford to buy?
Clues in the Question
The question describes a border being placed all around the room, which means the distance around the outside of the room is needed, rather than the space inside it.
The measurements provided are the lengths of the sides, and the border is sold in rolls by length, further confirming that this is a perimeter problem.
Students are also required to consider cost and budget, which introduces a multi‑step problem‑solving element. They must first calculate the total perimeter of the room, then determine how many rolls of each type of border are needed, and finally decide which option fits within the given budget.
Recognising these clues helps students choose the correct method and prepares them for GCSE‑style questions, where the required mathematical technique is not always stated directly.
On Thursday 22nd January, all Year 9 and Year 10 students took part in an online webinar featuring Holocaust survivor Paul Sved BEM, organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust. The session gave students the important opportunity to hear a first-hand account of life during the Holocaust.
Paul Sved was born in Budapest, Hungary, in February 1938. He was a young child when the Second World War began. Paul described how his early life changed as anti-Jewish laws were introduced in Hungary. Jewish families were increasingly excluded from everyday life and Paul explained how simple activities, such as travelling on public transport, became restricted.
In 1944, when Germany occupied Hungary, the situation became far more dangerous. Paul and his mother were forced to wear the yellow Star of David and were no longer safe in their own home. They went into hiding and survived by using false identity papers. During this time, they moved between different hiding places, including protected houses and the homes of non-Jewish families. Paul spoke about the fear and uncertainty they experienced and the constant risk of being discovered.
Paul and his mother survived the war and were reunited with family members afterwards. Life in Hungary remained difficult and Paul later moved to Britain, where he studied at Leeds University, built a career and raised a family. He now dedicates his time to sharing his experiences with young people, helping them to understand the impact of prejudice, discrimination and hatred.
Students listened respectfully throughout the webinar and gained a powerful insight into the human impact of the Holocaust. Hearing Paul’s testimony helped bring their learning to life and reinforced the importance of remembering the past and challenging intolerance today.
We are very grateful to Paul Sved for sharing his experiences and for helping to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten.
Our Year 7 students recently enjoyed a fantastic theatre trip to the Liverpool Empire to see Matilda the Musical. The visit, which took place on 17th December 2025, offered students a wonderful opportunity to experience live theatre and enjoy a vibrant, high‑energy production filled with music, humour and creativity.
The students represented the school brilliantly throughout the day, and their enthusiasm made the experience even more memorable. It was a brilliant way to enrich their learning and celebrate the end of term with something truly special.
Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have now submitted their entries to the national ‘Stranger Sagas’ writing competition. Each student created a unique 100‑word story, exploring everything from mystery and suspense to fantasy, humour and the wonderfully weird.
All entries have now been sent to Young Writers, who will be selecting pieces for publication and awarding a £100 gift voucher to their national winners. Every student who took part will also receive a reward for their creativity and effort.
We are incredibly proud of the imagination and enthusiasm shown by our students and we look forward to hearing the results from Young Writers when they are announced.
Why choose GCSE Art and Design or GCSE Photography?
If students enjoy being creative, want to increase practical skills and improve analytical, communication and research abilities, art and design or photography is a great choice. The skills you gain make it a great complement to other subjects. Art and Design and Photography is a way of seeing things and making sense of the world around you. It can help you with further study and prepare you for the world of work.
GCSE Art & Photography offers students a unique opportunity to explore their creativity, develop powerful visual communication skills, and build confidence through hands‑on experimentation. Whether sketching, painting, working digitally, or capturing the world through a lens, pupils learn to express ideas, solve problems creatively, and refine technical abilities that are valued far beyond the art studio. This option opens doors to an exciting range of future career paths—including architecture, graphic design, photography, interior design, fashion, animation, product design, marketing, film and media, illustration, and many emerging creative‑tech roles. It’s an ideal choice for any student who enjoys thinking visually, working independently, and discovering new ways to interpret the world—while building a vibrant portfolio they can be proud of.
We are so proud!
Our Year 11 students have recently had their Art and Photography coursework reviewed, and we are incredibly proud of the outstanding progress they have made. Across both subjects, their visual communication skills have matured beautifully, with students demonstrating increased confidence, creativity, and technical refinement in their portfolios. The dedication they have shown throughout the coursework component is clear in the quality and ambition of their work. As we move into January, both courses will begin the Externally Set Assignment, which makes up 40% of the final GCSE grade. We are excited to see how our students continue to grow as young artists and photographers, and we look forward to supporting them through this next and very rewarding stage of their journey. In July we will proudly display their work in our annual Art Exhibition, to which all are welcome.
On Tuesday 6th January Year 9 and 10 students had a fantastic opportunity to take part in an art workshop with contemporary British artist Ian Murphy, whose work is known for powerful tonal drawings and richly layered mixed-media pieces rooted in observational drawing and experimental processes.
Over the course of the day, Ian guided students through his creative approach, beginning with sketchbook practice and mark-making techniques and moving through to more developed mixed media drawings, introducing a range of exciting materials and processes that encouraged everyone to experiment and think creatively.
The workshop was fast-paced and engaging, giving students the chance to work on multiple pieces and explore new ways of building texture, layering media and composing their ideas, just as Ian does in his own sketchbooks and finished works. Students responded with enthusiasm and focus: they coped really well with the challenge, tried out unfamiliar materials with confidence, and produced some truly fabulous mixed media drawings that showed great creativity and developing skill.It was inspiring for pupils to see Ian’s own artwork up close, hear about his artistic journey, and learn from his insights into creative practice.
The Art Department are incredibly proud of all the students’ efforts and look forward to seeing how the techniques and ideas from the workshop will continue to influence their work in future projects.
