Last 3 Months

Academic Society
Learning without frontiers

Celebration Day
Speeches and Prize Giving

Spanish Students go green
Spanish Newspaper

Summer Concert
A rich and varied programme performed by talented musicians

Jazz in the Park
The Swing Band at Stanley Park

Evening of Spoken English
Year 7 & 8 pupils display their talent

It all adds up
UK Maths Challenge Success

Veterans Day
Cadets help at parade

Design Centre Day
Local primary school children and teachers enjoy a day in the Design Centre

Geographers visit Manchester
A taste of things to come?

Parents' and Friends' Summer Ball
Parents and friends enjoy Motown memories

Queen presents new Colours
CO and senior cadets view ceremony

Rain, rain .... and more rain!
7O brave the elements at Almond Lodge

Costa Book Awards
The chance to be a Young Judge!

OA Golf Day
It's a Walker win

Prefects' team building
Trust is the order of the day

Aimee reads a Rainbow
The first student ever to complete the Rainbow Reading Scheme

South Shore Community Fun Day
The best family day out this summer

The Italian Job
Classics trip opens young eyes

Tea Time Concert
Featuring musicians from the Lower School

Armstrong Angels at Arnold
Jonas Armstrong fans visit his old school

Results add up
Maths Challenge successes

Fifth Festival is Felixstowe
Be my Baby takes break before Edinburgh

Wall to wall work
Visit adds to work done this term

Sixth Form Leavers' Celebration Evening
Prizes, speeches, tears and laughter

England call up for OA
Oliver Brennand to tour USA and Canada

Girls Choir at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Sing out

Sixth Form Leavers' Barbecue
A happy gathering of students and their parents

Principal’s Debate
Positive discrimination?

Bronze beginners
First expedition goes well

Beaverbrook's 10K Fun Run
Arnold takes to the seafront again

Be My Baby
Production proves successful

The Prefects' Dinner
Top business boss gives timely advice

OA Talks to Telegraph
Richard Halsall is charged with sorting out England's fielding woes

Remploy Citizenship Awards
Pupils put others first again

Drama Dinner
A celebration of Arnold drama at the Clifton Arms Hotel

Academic Society

Armand-Jean du Plessis, Cardinal de Richelieu

Chief Minister of France, 1624 - 1642

Richelieu was certainly one of the greatest statesmen of the Seventeenth Century and arguably one of the greatest ever. He was the architect of the unitary French state and, as an act of sheer political will, he forged the absolutist French monarchy that died bloodily in the Revolution over one hundred and fifty years after his death. In addition, he was a theologian, philosopher, poet, playwright, military tactician and had an interest in science, architecture, painting, sculpture and music. Posthumously, he has also become a Hollywood villain!

That is why we have chosen him as the image of the new Sixth Form Academic Society. His superb intellect ranged freely over every area of learning, sometimes well, sometimes rather less well but he remained a polymath in the best traditions of the Renaissance.

We may not have any budding Richelieu's in the Sixth Form but, as you will know if you attended the recent Celebration Evening, we are keen to provide an opportunity for the most intellectually curious of our older pupils to explore together interesting and stimulating ideas and topics unconstrained by the demands of the examinations.

The Society will meet at least six times in each term and possibly more often to listen to academic papers, enjoy intellectual discussion and explore learning without frontiers.

The Term Card for the Autumn Term of 2008 - 9 is being finalised and will be published in September, once an initial group has been gathered together.

If you have an expertise or enthusiasm that intellectually curious young people might find ‘quite interesting' and would be prepared to come and share it, I should be delighted to hear from you.

Posted by: R E Golding
Date: Tuesday 15/07/2008