My name is Mr Hancock and I am the class teacher for Year 9. Mrs Vespa is our teaching assistant, and we work together to provide a well-rounded education for the seven pupils in our class.

In Year 9, we are working towards being the best possible version of ourselves that we can be. We embed and develop skills which will support us with life-long and to become successful in the modern world. We engage with Curriculum for Wales, with the 4 core purposes at the heart of everything we do. Pupil voice plays a major role in shaping what and how we learn to make sure our pupils are engaged and feel empowered with their learning.

Every day, we have the opportunity for physical education and explore strategies for physical, mental, and emotional growth. Through weekly food technology sessions, we have been building our awareness around a healthy and balanced lifestyle; as well as, becoming more independent and planning and preparing a meal. We work closely with Rachel from the Youth Service across a variety of activities to help support our emotional and social well-being. Pupils attend one to one session every Friday and we take part in a group weekly gym session at Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre. 

Through our most recent topic, we have heavily focused on Jamaica. We have researched the history of Jamaica, how Reggae music has shaped and influenced modern pop. The film ‘Cool Runnings’ has been the main stimulus of our enquiries this term. We have looked at how they broke barriers for black/Caribbean, showed resilience in the face of extreme adversity and discrimination and most importantly not everything is about winning. Sometimes we learn more from our loses, than we do winning, what are the chances?