News

Two teams from the Sixth Form College were winners last week in the Winners Take All
2011 Business Challenge organised by the Chartered Management Institute and
Ashcroft International Business School-Anglia Ruskin University. The objective of the
Challenge was to find the best innovative and workable solutions to a funding stream
gap which has hit the local homelessness charity CHESS and enhance the students
understanding of key business concepts in all aspects of enterprise and entrepreneur-
ship. The event provided two days of business briefings and tasks covering all aspects
of running a company, with mentoring and advice as the teams worked to very tight
deadlines. Rob Saggs, Operations Manager of CHESS, gave students a passionate
overview of the human stories of some of the 100 homeless people they help to take
off the streets in Essex. The event culminated in each team presenting their ideas to a
panel of local and London based leading business professionals with marks given for
creativity, understanding the market position, negotiating and marketing skills and
identifying sustainable and financially viable solutions.

Plume School won the main prize of £500 for ‘Winners Take All’, together with the
‘Best Innovative & Sustainable Business Solution’ awarded by CHESS. AIBS-ARU
won the prize for ‘Best Management Team’.

A group of eight year 8 Aim Higher students attended the Higher Education Field Academy Archaeological ‘Dig’ at Writtle led by Carenza Lewis of ‘Time Team’ fame. There were also other Archaeological experts on hand to identify and date findings.

Students learnt how to excavate a site correctly using mapping techniques, taking soil samples every 10cms, recording accurately each layer dug including diagrams and bagging up any finds securely.

The first two days involved a practical ‘dig’ on farmland, private gardens and the village green. The students teamed up with several other schools to work in small groups and I was proud at how Plume students represented the school with great enthusiasm and commitment.  Several key artefacts were found which will be used by Cambridge University to plot various settlements across all ages.  Examples range from medieval pottery and bones, a lead musket ball, a figurine of Red Riding Hood and a Victorian medicine bottle for consumption.   Amongst these, large amounts of clay tiling, pottery and coins were discovered – some groups literally had bags of finds. 

The students showed a real interest and delight in the activities.  It seems a genuine enjoyment of archaeology has been instilled – perhaps even an archaeological degree might be on the cards one day.  I will not forget the excitement when some students suspected that they may be digging into a cess pit, perhaps even one dating back to the Black Death!  All too quickly it was time to pack up the equipment and re-instate the ground!

The final day took place in the Archaeology Department at Cambridge University where students and staff evaluated their findings. Students then had a tour of Cambridge University to round off the whole experience. They are expected to do some follow up work on their findings for Carenza which I am sure they will do with as much enthusiasm as they have shown throughout the ‘dig’.

One of, if not the best trips I have ever had the opportunity to take part in. 

Thank you all.

 Miss D. Hodgson (History Department)

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