Clarion! Issue 2 - May 2013 by Barton Court Academy Trust

Barton Court Grammar School

CLARION! Summer Term 2013

Bugsy Malone!

Charity news

Meet the new Prefect Team

Meet our Chairman of Governors

Contents 2

Notes from the Editor

Sport Round up

Head Teacher’s Report

The Su on Trust

Sixth Form Report

Gulbenkian Youth Theatre

Governor’s Report

Fundraising for Comic Relief

Goodbye from the Current Head Boy and Head Girl 29

My Life in Italy

Meet the New Senior Prefect Team

Know Your Teacher: Mr Hayes

Gree ngs from the New Head Boy and Head Girl

News from Former Students

Everybody Loved That Show - Bugsy Malone!

Key Stage 4 Drama Performances

Next Year’s Produc on

Sixth Form Art Exhibi on

More Pictures from Bugsy Malone

Sixth Form Art Exhibi on

More Pictures from Bugsy Malone

Photographic Compe

on—The Winners

Deba ng Society

Photographic Compe

on—The Winners

Gi ed and Talented Presenta ons

Photographic Compe

on—Other Notable Entries

Maths Challenge

Photographic Compe

on—Other Notable Entries

Science and Engineering Week

Forthcoming Events

Natural History Museum Trip

Language Day at the University of Kent

Visit from French Students

Geography Field Trip

Trip to the Goods Shed

Taking the Frisbee Seriously

Dancing Dreams

FUTSAL

Notes from the Editors Dear Students, Staff, Parents and other interested par es, This edi on of Clarion! comes as Year 11 are preparing to leave the School and take their GCSE examina ons. Year 13 IB students are in the middle of their examina ons and Year 12 AS and A2 examina ons are about to start. This is a very busy me, with coursework being gathered together and sent off to examiners, final examina on techniques being polished, Revision Booster sessions occurring all over the place, and lots of mo vated students coping well with the inevitable stresses of the exam season. It is also a good me to look back to earlier events in the Spring and celebrate the diverse skills and abili es that Barton Court students always demonstrate so regularly. I was fortunate enough to see the school musical, “Bugsy Malone” and I am pleased that it features prominently in this edi on. There are also features on school trips, deba ng successes, foreign exchange visits and much, much more. This edi on features two new Editors—Pierre Anderson and Emily Swain— who have worked hard to get stories and to present them professionally. I now hand over to them for their comments. Mr Hodgkins

It has been a wonderful opportunity to work with Emily and Mr Hodgkins edi ng this edi on of the school magazine. In this issue, as part of the edi ng team I was able to discover just how much goes on in the School. In this issue you will discover about the science and engineering week, the talks led by guest speakers, and the achievements of the PE department in local tournaments. Also there is a review of this year’s school produc on, “Bugsy Malone”, which was a huge success! Other items include the charity events for Red Nose Day, and much more exci ng news from student and staﬀ. Overall, this issue is able to show us how ac ve the students and staﬀ are in the school, and how they all get involved in the numerous number of ac vi es that have been taking place.

Pierre Anderson

It’s been an ac on-packed term at Barton Court! The students have a ended a number of fantas c trips, experiencing a new culture in France or delving into the fascina on of the Natural History Museum. We’ve discovered the hidden talents of some amazing students and raised a lot of money through Charity events. The School magazine is a great place to celebrate achievements in the School, so why not get involved? Mee ngs are every Monday in Room 17. It’s been great fun pu ng this issue together; there’s been so much going on in the School! Thanks to everyone who sent in ar cles and hope you all enjoy reading this issue!

Emily Swain

Headteacher’s Report Welcome to the 2nd edi on of our new school magazine, Clarion! I am sure you will enjoy reading this edi on which is again packed full of what has been happening in School. First let me thank Mr Hodgkins and our two new Editors, Emily Swain and Pierre Anderson, who have worked very hard to bring this latest edi on to you. Clarion! provides an opportunity for us all to read about our School, the student achievements and the numerous events over the last few months. Some mes, it is easy to forget how much our students do and how much we do as a School and I urge all students (and staff) to get more involved in wri ng ar cles and sharing their success with the magazine. It has been an extremely busy term again at Barton Court Grammar School with students and staff returning in January to mock examina ons. However, that seems a long me ago now as Y13 IB examina ons have already started and Y11/10 GCSE and Y12 AS levels start this week. Students and staff have worked incredibly hard and students deserve every success with them and we wish them well. The whole school produc on of Bugsy Malone was a fantas c event, with students of all year groups working together to make a very successful produc on. Each year the quality of the produc on seems to get be er and be er and this year was no excep on. In my view it was the best yet and I would like to offer my congratula ons to everyone involved. If you missed this then I recommend you make an effort to see the next produc on in the summer term. The new Senior Prefect Team has been appointed with our new Head Boy/Girl – Pierre Anderson and Louise Kendaru. We must first thank the previous team and in par cular Abby Taylor-Bap e and Ieuan Lobban for all their hard work and achievements as Head Girl and Head Boy last year. We now look forward, with an cipa on, as both Pierre and Louise are already having a posi ve impact. So far they have arranged weekly mee ngs with all form captains; are developing a more proac ve approach to student voice; are arranging the Y11 Prom and are helping to set up the new Eco Schools group, these are a few successes in only the first month in office. This year is going to be an exci ng one under their leadership and I am sure they will help mo vate and inspire all students to get more involved in the life of our School. We are very proud of our student achievements with fundraising this year. The five chari es chosen by Student Voice are Kent Air Ambulance, SNAP, Doctors without Borders, Amnesty Interna onal and the BCGS Stage Ligh ng Appeal. The total raised so far, as of 9 May, is £3632.12. In addi on, students have raised for Great Ormond Street - £118.80; Kent Associa on for the Blind - £118.80; Comic Relief - £588.56 and Children In Need - £357.97. The total raised so far for all chari es being £4816.25. Well done and congratula ons to all students and staff who have contributed not only money, but me to fundraising events. It would be a fantas c achievement if we are able to break the £5k mark this year. This year we have launched our new teaching and learning ini a ve: Thinking Schools. We have placed thinking at the heart of our learning and teaching and we are developing a common visual language of Thinking Tools to enable our students to become independent, confident, though ul, life-long learners. We believe that thinking students will be successful in their learning and life beyond Barton Court. We are working with Exeter University towards accredita ons as a Thinking School and this takes approximately three years to achieve. In the last few months we have renovated an addi onal 11 classrooms (Mathema cs and English) as we constantly seek to improve the learning environment for all our students. We are developing our own Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with SharePoint. The Student Portal was launched in January and is now star ng to gain momentum. We are due to launch the Parent Portal to all parents in the next few weeks. Both portals should provide 24/7 learning opportuni es for students as well as improve communica on both inside school and with parents/students at home. It is such a privilege and pleasure to be Headteacher at Barton Court Grammar School where the students, staff, Governors and parents work together for the benefit of our community. The wide range of ac vi es offered and the fundraising events organised by the students is testament to the hard work and commitment of all staff and students in making Barton Court such a special place to learn and develop. I hope that you enjoy reading the latest edi on of Clarion!

Sixth Form Report This has been a very busy term 3 and 4 for Year 13 with IB mocks, A level module examina ons and coursework deadlines. Students have been receiving their offers for university and making arrangements for gap years. Keep up the good work, it is not long now! In March Year 13 students Neil Moyse and Vicky Critchlow took part in the regional Deba ng Ma ers final. Neil Moyse got a par cular men on for winning his debate with a fellow year 12 student. Mr Wood organised a trip to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) for Year 13 and 12 IB History students. Students were able to benefit from the teaching of lecturing staff there and had a small taste of what it would be like to study at SOAS. The March Enrichment Day was for deba ng and ci zenship. Mr Hayes said that George Burns and Grace Lloyd performed par cularly well when they were discussing Great Apes and their rights, and the role of supermarkets in our society amongst other topics. IB Art students worked hard to transform the SFLRC into an art exhibi on space. It is great to see the talent that Barton Court students have. Year 13 students, as well as busily revising, are preparing for celebra ons in the summer. They have booked the Abbots Barton Hotel for their Prom on Friday 24 May. More details are to be announced by the organisers soon. A par cular thanks to Isabel Wilson for taking the lead on this social event. Ms Phillips, Mrs Isaacs and Dr Mansfield would like to take this opportunity to wish Year 13 students the best of luck for their exams and every success in the future. Mr Morgan

Governor’s Report The first me I heard the name ‘Barton Court Grammar School’ was when I had a chat with some of our neighbours. Several children in the neighbourhood a end BCGS and, being interested in educa on, I asked them what they thought about their school. Most of them were very posi ve and told me that they very much enjoyed school, although there were also a few things that they thought might need some re-thinking. The next me the name of the school cropped up was in an email from the University of Kent, saying that there was a vacancy for the posi on of a community governor. I had no idea, what this meant and therefore, naturally, I applied for the posi on. A er quite some selec on process I was accepted and met my fellow governors for the first me. It was very (!) scary….. it seemed that they all knew exactly what they were talking about, whereas I tried to make sense of all the strange words and acronyms like CVA, PAN, SEF and so on. In my defence I need to say that I am originally from Germany and hence had not been exposed to the Bri sh school system. However, I was absolutely sure that the key to success for every student is excellence in teaching. With the help of the ‘new’ Headteacher and some of my fellow governors I was able to make sense of the huge amount of data that was available about school performance and its comparison with similar schools. We no ced a very interes ng point at that me – the School has been a good school, but there certainly was room for improvement. Of course, this was nothing new to the Headteacher, who developed an ac on plan almost immediately a er she started. This plan was hugely ambi ous and, to a certain extent, also controversial. The governors had long discussions about the plan, but we realised that the proposed changes would almost certainly result in be er learning opportuni es for the students. We, the governors, were convinced, the school staff, teachers and support staff were also convinced that we are moving in the right direc on, but what about parents and students? Talking to the BCGS students in my neighbourhood most of them appreciated the introduced changes and a er a while the School even managed to convince most of the parents that by providing a s mula ng learning environment the School is giving every child

the opportunity to fulfil their poten al. Over the last year or so it became very clear that the School has implemented strategies that makes it outstanding in terms of learning provision. All our students are doing extremely well and it is an enormous pleasure to see them flourish. I know that many of the A-level students have the aspira on to go to the best universi es in the country and I am absolutely convinced that they will succeed. Having been a lecturer in Higher Educa on for the last 15 years myself, I know what it takes to be a successful student at university. Students at BCGS are provided with a learning environment that gives them all the skills and quali es to become a success story. Even if some don’t go to university, their skills and their knowledge make them highly sought-a er employees. Having worked closely with the Headteacher, School staff and fellow governors for the last few years I can say that BCGS has been turned from a good school into an outstanding school, a place where learning meets the needs of all its students. It is a place that puts students first, pushing them to achieve their best, but also providing them with the support to reach (and exceed) their goals. Jonas Salk said, “Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them.” I would like to make the very bold statement that BCGS also gives its students roots and wings. Roots to know true values, wings to fly away and be successful and happy. Dr Klappa

Goodbye from the Current Head Boy & Head Girl It seems unbelievable that it was over a year ago that we were given the privilege of becoming Head Boy and Head Girl of Barton Court Grammar School. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and, with the elec on of Pierre and Louise recently, we have resigned ourselves to the fact that we are indeed replaceable, and all that is le to do is to say goodbye. In March last year, the senior prefect team sat down together for the first me to discuss our ideas for the coming year. At this me, we were s ll essen ally just a group of enthusias c individuals who didn’t know each other very well. However, over the year, we have developed into a team of good friends, all commi ed to doing our best for the School. It has been a real privilege to lead that team and we would like to thank the Senior Prefects for their dedica on this year. Looking back, we like to think that we have done more than just sit in SPT mee ngs occasionally ea ng cake, and it would be no exaggera on to say that we have been extremely busy. Between our du es as Head Boy and Head Girl and our school work we have gained a lot over the last year – confidence in public speaking and the determina on to see through our ideas. As Head Boy and Head Girl we have influenced School decision making in a number of ways, par cularly the way communica on works in the School. We have also supported ini a ves such as peer mentoring, to help students by offering one-to-one assistance. We have also worked hard to support the School charity events. Barton Court Grammar School is a great place to study and we are so proud to have been Head Boy and Head Girl for the past year. We are extremely pleased with what we have accomplished and hope that we will be leaving the School with improved inter-year group interac on which was a key aim. Thank you to everyone, pupils and staff who have made our roles such a pleasure. Ieuan Lobban & Abby Taylor-Bap e

New Senior Prefect Team Exci ng mes are ahead as the new Senior Prefect Team have now been appointed. Each pair is assigned to a year group and a House. The roles within this are for the students to make a real impact within these teams, leading from the front and driving passion into their peers. The Prefect team work closely with the Head of Year and contribute within assemblies as well as in house ac vi es and events. You may no ce that the Head Boy; Pierre Anderson and the Head Girl; Louise Kendaru are impar al along side the Head Teacher. They play a more collec ve role whereby they oversee the work of the deputy prefects as well as leading the student voice for the whole school. The Senior Prefect Team will be at the forefront of developments in the School; ensuring charity ini a ves work well, developing peer mentoring and other forms of student support, improving communica on via weekly mee ngs with form captains and ensuring that all students have their voices heard in regular mee ngs with Ms Cardus and the Senior Leadership Team. I am sure you will all agree that we are in for an exci ng and compe

ve year. Mr Morgan

New Team

Team and Year group

House

Louise Kendaru and Pierre Anderson Helena Scullion and Callum Barnes

(Student Voice) Year 11

(Individual and Excel) Year 9

Nigh ngale

Katy Belsy - Dean and Adam Mawardi Lucy Williamson and Callum McManus Katherine Reynard and Alexis Long

(Crea vity and Enterprise) Year 8

Wilberforce

(Interna onal) Year 7

Einstein

( Speciality and Community) Year 10

Pankhurst

Le to right: Helena Scullion, Callum Barnes, Lucy Williamson, Callum Mcmanus, Louise Kendaru, Pierre Anderson, Katy Belsey Dean, Adam Mawardi, Katherine Reynard and Alexis Long. Photograph by Bradley Williams

Greetings from the New Head Boy & Head Girl I am really excited for the year to come! Having been ac vely involved in school life since Year 7, I am ready to take on the role of Head Girl. The applica on process was nerve-wracking, but completely worth it. Personally, I have never experienced a serious, compe ve applica on process so I wasn’t en rely sure what to expect. Having been through it now, though, I would really encourage all current Year 11s to go for it. Having now been announced as the new Head Girl, I couldn’t be happier with the choice of my partner, Pierre, as Head Boy. Especially as Pierre and I already have a working rela onship as he is my manager at the Pilgrims Hospices bookshop, Burgate Books, on Sundays! We are both similarly strong-minded and are par cularly interested in developing the community aspect of our school, both by integra ng the year groups through house events and by encouraging Barton Court students to take a more prominent role within the wider community through volunteering. I would like to end by congratula ng the rest of the Senior Prefect Team; Lucy, Callum, Ka e, Alexis, Helena, Calum, Ka e B, and Adam. We will make an excellent team!

Louise Kendaru

As the new Head Boy of the School, I have many plans to help make it a be er community for everyone, and hope that with the help of Louise and the rest of the Senior Prefect Team, I will be able to make them reality. To start oﬀ with, I would like to say how I feel honoured to have been chosen for this role and I am so happy to have a dedicated and strong team to help support everyone along the journey as Senior Prefects. My main aim as the Head Boy is to help improve community rela ons within the School. I hope to achieve this by increasing the number of extracurricular events, and giving the opportunity for students to host clubs and any other ac vi es. We have already started this by having a Year 11 Prom organised by the students and end of year ac vi es for all the year groups. My only hope as Head Boy is to help the students have a posi ve experience at this school, to allow students to have more independence and a greater say in how things are done, and to make their experience memorable and full of fun! I promise to make this all happen as Head Boy.

Pierre Anderson

Everybody Loved That Show Bugsy Malone! At the end of March, over 50 Barton Court students from Year 7 to Year 12 joined together to perform the gangster musical ‘Bugsy Malone.’ From a er Christmas, if you went into the hall each day a er school, you would see that said group of 50 students rehearsing musical numbers and blocking scenes for about 3 hours in prepara on for the final performances. Students said they gained a lot from rehearsals like learning social skills, performance technique and improving self confidence. This musical was very different to those that Barton Court staged in the past due to the fact that the ac ng wasn’t just restricted to the stage as the School Hall was transformed into Fat Sam’s Grand Slam to make the audience feel like they were really there and I believe we pulled this off really well! With any performance as big as this, you are bound to find something difficult and for the cast, this was no excep on. A lot of aspects of the rehearsal process were found to be difficult such as learning lines, knowing when to come in, learning choreography, staying late a er school, quick costume changes for some cast members and even concentra ng during rehearsals! However, more things were liked about the show than disliked, such as rehearsing and performing the produc on to a large audience and dancing to and learning the songs. Lots of the cast members said how they enjoyed making new friends and performing with students from other year groups and now when we see them around The school, we always find ourselves saying hello to them! A large majority of the cast said that performing the musical has inspired them to do more performances like this in the future. Maybe Barton Court has found some future West End stars! Most of the cast said that the work leading up to the produc on and the produc on itself was much be er than they were expec ng. They liked how everyone helped and par cipated. Some people found the rehearsal process very full on but in the end, it was definitely worth it! Lots of cast members were in tears at the end of the final show but we all had a laugh spraying ‘splurge’ at each other when the curtain had fallen and neither the audience nor the band nor any staff members could see us! Many cast, crew and audience members quoted that it was the best musical that Barton Court has put on yet!

Next Year’s Production By Gemma Davies

Would you like to star in Barton Court’s next musical produc on? If so, here’s what you should do:        

Have fun and enjoy every minute. Make the most of it. Make sure you’re commi ed to the produc on, including rehearsals scheduled during school holidays – this was the case with us! A er you have performed one show, you will want to do another one. Start by playing something small i.e. chorus. This will help build your self-confidence. Be prepared for lots of rehearsals and put in lots of effort into the process. Work hard and remember to smile! Be able to organise your me so you can s ll fit in other school work.

More Pictures from Bugsy Malone!

A mini review from Mr Hodgkins, Head of English: Lively, entertaining and full of great songs, “Bugsy Malone” proved to be a truly excellent school play. The pictures here capture the fizz and excitement that this large cast brought to the stage. Credit must also go the costumes and set design which really captured the glamorous & glitzy 1920’s ambience. The English Department caught the Wednesday performance, and I think it’s fair to say that energy levels were kept very high for the dura on of this very physically demanding play. Overall, hats off to the cast and a special word of thanks to the reless efforts of Miss Brown and Miss Fenn who put in many hours of rehearsals to produce the slick, professional show that we all enjoyed. Bravo!

Photographs by Mr Aus n

Debating Society By Louise Kendaru At the end of February, I was one of six members of the Deba ng Society which took part in the Deba ng Ma ers regional finals compe on in Tunbridge Wells. Barton Court had been successful at the local finals in which Alexis Long (L6) and Neil Moyse (U6) won their debate earlier this year. Now, we were up against five schools all compe ng to go onto na onal finals in London including Queen Elizabeth Grammar. The compe on was divided into two rooms, with three schools compe ng in each room and the winners from each room deba ng against each other. The day began with Vicky Critchlow’s (U6) and my debate with the mo on “physician-assisted suicide should remain illegal”, a challenging topic addressing moral, social, poli cal and religious issues. Vicky and I argued for the mo on, proposing pallia ve care as an alterna ve to euthanasia, raising issues of the value of human life and quo ng the law which prohibits any unnatural ending of a person’s life. However, the opposi on were ready to challenge our arguments, pressing for pa ent autonomy and sufficient safeguards. Ques ons from the judges and the audience were very analy cal, poin ng out fallacies in both our arguments and encouraging us to extend and explain our ideas. It was a demanding topic and we had highly compe ve opposi on, although we did our best, the opposi on narrowly claimed the win. The next debate was between the rival schools in our group. Although we did not take part in this debate, it was extremely interes ng. The mo on was “behaviour change is the best route to sustainability”, touching on topics such as how to implement behaviour change through poli cs and psychology and the development of technology such as nuclear energy. The last debate was between Barton Court and Bexhill College with the mo on “the Bri sh press requires tougher regula on”. Alexis and Neil competed and dominated the debate throughout. Despite being challenged with evidence from the recent Leveson inquiry, they defended their ideas of freedom of speech, democracy and self-regula on. One of their winning arguments included the need to expose the public to a variety of informa on to allow readers to become independent, analy cal and cri cal thinkers. Again, Neil and Alexis worked extremely well together and won the point for Barton Court. Although we did not get through to the final, we s ll involved ourselves by asking ques ons and expressing our opinions during the debate which would determine the winner. The mo on was “trade not aid” and sparked interest and discussion amongst the audience. I asked whether the proposi on thought that a emp ng to trade with less economically developed countries would impose western standards on developing countries. The day ended by announcing the four individual prizes. Prizes were open to any student at the event and rewarded those who were par cularly tenacious, skilled or persuasive in their argument and also those who perhaps did not get a chance to debate but asked inquisi ve and astute ques ons. To Barton Court’s delight, we won two of the individual prizes. Neil Moyse won the third place “Commended” prize for his knowledge of his topic, his ability to ar culately argue his case and his ability to keep calm under pressure. To my surprise, I won the second place individual prize en tled “Highly Commended”. Having been unsuccessful in my debate that day, I was extremely pleased to have come away with an individual prize. I had been voted for my passion for pallia ve care during the debate that morning.

Politics Trip Gifted and Talented To Westminster Hall Presentations By Adam By Mawardi Sam Harlow On Wednesday 19 December, the Gi ed and Talented students a ended a lecture on bioscience and ethics. The main subject of the lecture was immortality and it addressed the ques on of whether or not we should be immortal, and it was led by our Chair of Governors Dr Klappa. From my point of view, the presenta on was interes ng and fun but most of all inspiring. Overall the lecture was a great opportunity for us to learn about that topic and I took a lot away from it, which I will use in the future.

On Wednesday 30 January, a small group of Barton Court Grammar School had the pleasure to meet with Kirs e Williams, Member Highway Fund Team Leader, and Bob White, Civil engineer for Kent County Council. During that presenta on, students had an overview of what KCC has done in the past to improve Transport and TraďŹ&#x192;c in Canterbury and had an opportunity to discuss the current West Gate Tower plans of ac on. Students have also been given career advice and some of our G&T students have found this talk extremely inspiring and may now consider a career in that ďŹ eld. Mr Guathier

Maths Challenge By Holly Perry

In March, the Maths Challenge team from Barton Court set off for Hartsdown Technology College for the regional finals of the UK Maths Challenge. Our team, Wenqi Huang (KK) and I from Year 8 and Tom Harris and Shea Boyle from year 7, started the day with a mixture of excitement and trepida on. None of us had been involved in the UK Maths Challenge before, and although we had prac ced with Mr Salama in the gi ed maths club, we were not sure what to expect. There were about 20 teams altogether from other local schools all in the sports hall at Hartsdown. Each team was on a different table and was assigned a teacher from another school to supervise them. We had the maths teacher from Dover Girls Grammar school, who was very friendly. There were four rounds in the compe on, all approximately 45 minutes each. Our team made a storming start and did very well in the first round, which was to answer 10 ques ons. We were delighted to be men oned as one of the teams who did par cularly well in the first round. So, by now we were all feeling a li le more relaxed, with our ini al nervousness becoming more a sense of compe veness and a desire to try and do as well as we could. The next round was a mini relay which involved working in pairs answering ques ons that allowed the other pair to answer the next ques on, and so on. The cross number round came next which was a series of maths ques ons to fill in a crossword. The last round was the relay race and I made sure it was not me doing the running from one table to another!! We split into pairs again and one pair were on another table – so this is why we were told to bring trainers! In the end, our team came 9th overall and we were very pleased with that, especially as none of us had done anything like this before and we were up against older students. It was an enjoyable day and it felt good to be represen ng Barton Court Grammar School at the compe on. I know that I will be looking forward to next year and hopefully will be chosen again for the team, but if you like maths and love a challenge, why not start coming to the maths club a er school on Tuesdays – it’s good to be a ‘mathlete!!’

Politics Trip Science and Engineering Week To Westminster Hall By Jacob King, Rhys Crane, Elliott Mascart, Lewis Powell

By Adam Mawardi

A er visi ng the ac vi es held during Science and Engineering Week at the school, we decided to write about our experiences as all four of us felt that this was very interes ng and fun. We par cipated in a slime ball experiment, and also the explosive chemistry. We felt that we were very involved and also found it to be very interes ng. During the slime balls experiment we created our own pu y balls and had a compe on to see who had made the best slime ball; the winner was Jacob King. During this experiment we had a demonstra on on some of the proper es of the slime and also shown the reversible reac ons that can be done with it. On Wednesday, students made parachutes and crumple zones which they used to land an egg safely when it was dropped from the fire escape; some were more successful than others and there was some cleaning up to do from the unsuccessful landings! On Friday, going out with a bang, we par cipated in the explosive chemistry with Mr Harvey. During this we were able to blow up some balloons with sodium lined on the inside and filled with hydrogen; the other students were given the chance to light the balloons. We did the hydrogen bo le experiment in which a bo le filled with hydrogen was lit from the bo om, and it then shot up into the air. Also we completed a thermite reac on, which was very explosive plus an experiment involving screaming jelly babies! Overall, the week was great fun and extremely educa onal.

Natural History Museum Trip By Eleanor Austin and Max Goodman

The BCGS Year 9 trip to the Natural History Museum in London was an experience and a half for the students! The whole day was a success with all of the year, being an informa ve and exci ng trip (despite any wait for the coaches at the end!) which both the teachers and the students enjoyed and learnt a lot from. Beginning with a simple coach journey, we arrived at the Natural History Museum and got straight into the ac on, groups going in different direc ons visi ng unique and interes ng exhibits. One such exhibit was the Ex nc on one, where we could find the informa on to answer the ques ons in our booklet whilst playing fun games, looking at fascina ng models of ex nct species and giving our own opinions by s cking leaves on the tree with the animals that we care about. Moving through the museum, we learnt about human biology, the Earth in the past and saw a T-Rex come to life in the form of an amazing animatronic! Through filling in the booklets we applied our new knowledge and this helped us think about what we had discovered in the day, as well as giving us something produc ve to do! As we ventured further into the world of the past, we encountered the dinner hall where we rested, rehydrated and filled our bellies before going to the next exhibit! We enjoyed looking at the illusions in the human biology sec on, before heading out with our newfound knowledge firmly in our brains to the coach journey home. It was an enlightening day, and we hope all the other years enjoyed it as much as we did. We’d like to say a big thank you to the museum and the teachers for giving us this opportunity!

Politics Trip Language Day at The To Westminster Hall University of Kent By Adam Mawardi The IB and AS students studying a language in the Sixth Form were invited by the University of Kent to a end the Sixth Form Conference on Wednesday 13 March 2013. Not only did they have a chance to experience life as a university student but also had the opportunity to a end inspiring lectures that made them reﬂect on the French cinematographic “New Wave”, or learn more about “Spain and the crea on of La n America”, as well as an introduc on to Italian, which appeared to be very popular. They were also given an introduc on to linguis c science, which inspired most of the students and their teachers. Students were perfect ambassadors for the School and made the most of this wonderful opportunity. We all hope they have found the inspira on to carry on with their languages in Higher Educa on. Featured in the photo are Jose Fuentes Saez, Helena Scullion, Leo Marignane, Gabrielle Cherpin, Jade Gilchrist, Pierre Anderson, Mrs R Williams (event organiser), and Mr J Gauthier, BCGS Teacher of French. Mrs Green

Visit from French Students At the end of January we were able to share our school day with a group of French visitors from Brittany. They had come over to experience English way of life and were keen on visiting an English school. When they arrived they were amazed to see our uniform. In France they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to wear uniform, they can wear jeans, T-shirts or even shorts in summer. We also had to explain about our school rules such as no chewing gum or smoking! To begin with, our Sixth Form students showed them round the school using a mixture of French and English. Year 9 then did some activities with them, comparing French and English food. We were amazed to see that more Barton Court students had eaten frogs legs than French students! Some of our Sixth Form students then did a mock presentation of which country to select to host the 2012 Olympics. They managed to do the entire presentation in French and impressed everyone! Year 7 had brought in some board games and enjoyed playing these with the French students. Both groups were keen to win! It seems the competitive spirit lives on after the Olympic summer. We bade them farewell in the afternoon and hope to be able to repeat the experience with more groups in the future. Mrs Perkins

Geography Trip The Geography department took Year 12 Geography students to the Ne lecombe Court field study centre in Somerset for their IB fieldwork. The purpose of the trip was to provide the experience of fieldwork skills, to examine at first hand the topics and issues discussed in the classroom as well as to collect data for their coursework projects. The group was based at the magnificent Leonard Wills field centre at Ne lecombe Park and the course was led by the FSC centre staff. A er an early morning start (6.30am from Barton Court) we arrived at the centre in the early a ernoon, were given a brief tour of the house and had lunch. By 2pm we were in the classroom for an introductory talk to our a ernoon’s fieldwork – river mechanics. Our site was a meander sec on of the river Doniford, a short one-mile uphill/downhill stroll away from the centre, and we spent the a ernoon inves ga ng channel characteris cs and measuring parameters in the pool and riffle sec ons of the river. The students thoroughly enjoyed paddling in the stream (completely risk-assessed) and gained useful experience in various data collec on methods; it was also an excellent photo opportunity! The highlight was definitely following the pretend orange down the course of a river without anyone of the other 52 students from another school stopping it. Then the hail came and we all beat a hasty retreat. The evening classroom session ended at 8.00pm a er which the students had a two-hour recrea on period before bed. The second day started with an early-morning run for the most adventurous members of the group, (Mr Morgan), whilst the rest of us took the opportunity for more sleep. The topic for the second day was coastal management and coastal zoning and was based in Minehead. The students proved to be very efficient data-collectors, measuring all aspects of coastal zoning and managed to get the rebranding sec on in there for good measure too. We managed to have the first sunny day of spring, something we had all missed greatly. Arriving back at the centre there was me for frisbee and football before the analysis of all the data commenced. The evening session was spent analyzing the data, structuring the coursework, before we all headed up the hill to find mobile phone signals. The third day dawned wet, as predicted, but thankfully not the normal torren al rain. The classroom session started with a slideshow of all the photos taken to date which provided an amusing introduc on to today’s work. Urban geography was the theme and involved an examina on of environmental quality and rebranding in Taunton; once again, the students collected the data very efficiently, allowing me for some to fulfil their ambi on of visi ng Primark (Mrs Rothwell mainly) and the rest of the group found Mcdonalds and a box of 20 chicken nuggets! Another batch of good quality data emerged during the follow-up session, allowing sta s cal tes ng to take place in the evening session. The academic day ended just a er 2pm, by now raining hard for the trip back to Canterbury. I would like to report on yet another successful trip during which the students conducted themselves in an exemplary manner at all mes. The FSC staff commented on their enthusiasm and willingness to get involved in every aspect of the trip and their unfailing courtesy. Each day involved long sessions in the field and late classes in the evening but the students completed a great deal of work which should result in some excellent coursework projects. I would like to thank Dan, our course tutor, and Mr Morgan for his dedicated support and infec ous enthusiasm at all mes. We look forward to the next trip. Mrs Rothwell

Trip to The Goods Shed By Harry Harris

Students of Food Technology have been studying Ethical Ea ng, and took a walk to The Goods Shed in Canterbury to ﬁnd out more. The Goods Shed was Britain’s ﬁrst permanent Farmers Market and has very much set a trend for shopping for locally sourced, organic food. Suppliers include an Italian baker, a butcher selling meat sourced around Canterbury, a cheese maker and a sandwich seller. There is also a restaurant and students were pleased to be able to try some Ken sh apple juice and a selec on of pastries. Students worked hard throughout the visit, really making the most of the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom walls and they behaved like perfect ambassadors for the School. The visit was informa ve, inspiring and very useful for design-work.

Taking the Frisbee Seriously By Alexis Long

Many of you may think that Frisbee is just throwing about a piece of plas c in the park, but it is actually a mentally and physically demanding 7 a side game. Since Karl and I first picked up a Frisbee we knew the game was for us and have competed at many tournaments over the last 3 years, along with our good friends Callum and Brad. We recently competed in the Na onal Junior Indoor Ul mate Frisbee Championships and came 5th in the country, the team was compiled of mostly Barton Court 6th formers and the experience was amazing. We trained hard for this and hope to take 1st place in our final year for this age category. As well as this Karl and I will be playing for the Great Britain U20s team later on in the year at the European Championships in Cologne, Germany. Karl is not a newcomer to playing Frisbee Interna onally as he played for the U20s team last year claiming 6th at Worlds. However I will be, as I have not played for the country before this. I am very much looking forward to it and we are currently training hard in hope to come back with a medal for the country. We hope that next me you see someone throwing around a Frisbee you may join in and maybe find an Ul mate Frisbee club near you, it is a really accessible sport and has changed our lives for the be er.

Dancing Dreams By Katie Reynard

I can be found most days a er school and at weekends at DAPA (Dean Academy of Performing Arts). I have been dancing since the age of seven, star ng with Ballet, Tap and Modern at the ‘Woodman School of Dancing’ in Canterbury and have now added Jazz, Street, Irish, Musical Theatre, Singing and Voca onal Studies to my repertoire. I am a member of DAPA’s ‘Spirit of Ireland’ and ‘Street’ Dance Troupes and have performed at numerous events – examples of performances include charity events to raise money for Comic Relief, the Pilgrims Hospice, and the ‘Pink Performance’ for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the Canterbury & Faversham Fes vals, Sandwich Christmas Lights Carnival, Fetes & events to celebrate St Patrick’s Day! Last November, I performed with the Irish Troupe at the ‘Diamond Kids Royal Gala’ to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in front of HRH Princess Beatrice of York at the Savoy Theatre, London. The event included young performers from all over Britain and money raised from the gala was donated to the charity ‘ChildLine’. I appeared in ‘Bugsy Malone’ at the Marlowe Theatre in 2012 and will be appearing there again in ‘Cel c Journey’ in May this year. Most recently (February 2013), I successfully audi oned for a place in the English Youth Ballets ‘Swan Lake’ which is to be performed at the Marlowe Theatre in August this year. Back in 2006, aged ten, I audi oned to take part in their ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ and on that occasion was unsuccessful, however with desire, determina on, age and more experience on my side tried again and succeeded! On leaving Barton Court, my goal is to audi on for one of the top London Dance Colleges and undertake a BA (Hons) degree in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre. A er gradua ng, my ambi on is to perform on the West End Stage and around the World!

Futsal Monday 4 February saw the BCGS girls under 14 team represent the Canterbury district in the Kent Futsal Finals. Having won the qualifying event the team played some outstanding football and came away with a bronze medal. This is an outstanding achievement in the School’s ﬁrst ever entry into this compe on. Congratula ons to them all! The players involved were Bonny Mason (captain), Lilly Mason, Leah Rolls, Millie Hanson and Ellen King.

This term has also been busy with regards to netball, as BCGS entered teams from Years 7-10 into the District Netball Tournaments. All teams represented the School with pride, and showed some skilful and spirited performances against very tough opposi on such as Kings and Kent College. Although we didn’t come away from the tournaments in medal posi ons, the experience was enjoyed by all and the girls were a credit to the School. Colours, which are awarded for outstanding contribu ons to netball, were presented to Olivia Baker and Leoni Boyle from year 8 and Cody Hopkinson and Holly Robson from Year 10. Miss Poole

Politics Trip Sports Round-Up Hall To Westminster By Adam Mawardi Year 7 Indoor Athle cs Tournament. On Wednesday 16 February Barton Court entered two Year 7 teams, boys and girls, into an athle cs tournament at Herne Bay High School. Compe ng in the boys team were Ethan Caldwell, Jon Heasman, Cole Gibbons, Loucienne Brown and Harry Elgar. Ella Dickinson, Leah Towers, Issy Osmond, Megan Pla s, Sylvie Fraser, Eden Sim, Vicky Walker and Katy Woolliscro made up the girls’ team. The events were 2 lap, 4 lap, 6 lap, 8 lap paarlauf, obstacle relay 4x1 lap, 4x1 lap relay, shot, speed bounce, standing long jump, standing triple jump and ver cal jump. The girls team finished 5th and the boys finished 2nd. A week later the Year 8 teams were able to go one be er and due to some strong performances they qualified for the Kent Indoor Athle cs Finals. The School travelled to Medway Park for the event with a very strong line-up, including; Joey Mar n, Finlay Perry, Connor Lamb, Joseph Whitby, Barty Thompson, Wenqi Huang (KK) and Eavan Davies for the boys, and Poppy Smith, Olivia Law, Ellie Holder, Shannon Richards, Dina Tataran, Emmy Bell, Amber Simmonds and Rebekkah Kenne for the girls. The teams ba led it out against 10 other qualifying teams from around the county. There was a large crowd and enthusias c support. This really was a great experience for all students involved. Unfortunately the team weren’t able to qualify for the next stage, finishing 9th of 11th in both the boys and girls compe ons. However, such a good experience and an early start to the athle cs season bodes well for the forthcoming fixtures in the summer term.

Katy Woolliscro

Kent Schools Cross Country The Kent Schools Cross Country Race was held in February. Barton Court had three boys and three girls from Year 7. In the boys race Jonathan Heasman, Ethan Caldwell and Cole Gibbens competed. Katy Woolliscro , Issy Osmond and Saskia De Giles competed in the girls race. In all there were 80 female compe tors and 87 males. The track was very muddy, wet and cold. Katy Woolliscro qualiﬁed for the Kent team which will compete in the inter-coun es race. This is an outstanding achievement and we wish Katy all the best for the forthcoming intercoun es race. Miss Poole

The Sutton Trust By Louise Kendaru

During the summer a er my GCSEs, I began considering what I would like to do a er my two years of 6th form, and one of the considera ons I made was to go to university abroad. I thought that going to college in the USA would be an exci ng opportunity but a er some contempla on, I thought that this possibility would be far too expensive with tui on nearing US$50,000 for a four-year undergraduate course. That was un l I was recommended the Su on Trust USA programme by my friend, Bethan. She was made aware of it but found it was only eligible for non-American ci zens, this meant she did not meet the criteria. I researched the programme and found I qualified to apply: a non-US ci zen, currently in Year 12 at a state school in the UK who has earned 8 or more As or A*s at GCSE and is interested in learning more about US culture and higher educa on, and in par cular the opportunity to apply for undergraduate study in the US. The Su on Trust is an organisa on which aims to combat educa onal inequality by improving educa onal opportuni es for young people from non-privileged backgrounds and increase social mobility. The USA programme is just one of many which the Su on Trust funds. The USA programme provides successful applicants expert support in applying to universi es and colleges in America by holding a number of events during the summer. It advices students with their essays, interviews and admissions tests and takes students on trips either to MIT (Massachuse s Ins tute of Technology) or Yale University in order to experience life on an American university campus. In order to apply for the programme, I filled out an online applica on designed to resemble proper US university applica ons. The difference between UK and US applica on shocked me. In the UK, many applica ons to academic programmes or courses only require you to share your qualifica ons and relevant work experience, whereas in the USA, the applica on process is much more personal. Not only do they consider your academic qualifica ons, but they put a huge weight on your extracurricular ac vi es, hobbies, interests, background and community. For the programme, I was given six mini-essays addressing these areas of my life. One ques on read: “Describe the world you come from: your family, school or community. If you could change one of these aspects of your life, what would you change and why?” and another read: “Write about a me when something didn't go to plan or when you felt challenged. What steps did you take to cope and what did you learn from this experience?” I am glad to say that I succeeded in this sec on of the applica on process. Out of 1200 applicants, I am one of the 200 which have made it through to the residen al weekend in London, which I am currently preparing for. The residen al takes place next week where finalists will undertake mock ACT (American College Tes ng) exams and an interview which will determine the 150 par cipants who will make it through to the final programme.

Gulbenkian Youth Theatre By Nick Pearce

When I started working at the Gulbenkian Youth Theatre last September, I was notoriously shy and any form of public speaking was my worst enemy. However since I have been there, I would definitely say that it has not only boosted my confidence but has also given me a range of opportuni es to perform at various levels. For example, I recently got the opportunity to act in a short film about World War I, which was a truly unique experience. As well as this, I've been able to perform at the Gulbenkian Theatre itself, and I'm currently working with a group of young people who are planning an arts fes val taking place in Canterbury. There were also opportuni es for some GYT members to perform at the 2012 Olympics last year. Every term at GYT is different. At the end of last year, we spent some me looking at Forum theatre, which is when the audience are allowed to stop a produc on at any point and change something about it. Over me, we developed our skills in this type of theatre, as well as in improvisa on, and this led to a public produc on on the Gulbenkian stage. In the last few months, we have been working with scripts, and looking at different ways of direc ng scenes. Because GYT is part of the Gulbenkian Theatre, I have had many opportuni es to work within the Theatre itself. For example, I have had training with the technicians in both the theatre and the cinema, and many of us have been trained as ushers. I recommend going to the Gulbenkian Youth Theatre if you want to escape the stresses of school life from me to me. Even if you are not interested in a career in ac ng, I think going to a youth theatre is a great way of expressing yourself, being crea ve, and making new friends.

Fundraising for Comic Relief By Katie Belsey-Dean

For Comic Relief this year myself and two other Sixth Form students arranged various events throughout the week of 12 -15 March. We put together four events in total; a running event on the tennis courts, a cake sale, an epic dodge ball tournament (teachers vs. sixth formers) and a non-uniform day. Overall throughout the week we managed to raise an amazing £587.11; an excellent contribu on to a very worthy cause! I think the most fun we had was arranging and watching, the dodge ball, as it meant we could get the teachers involved as well as the students in an effort to raise money. We were hoping for a victory and hoping to beat the teachers but a er four games the teachers won 3-1. The cake sale carried over two days and we sold all the cakes which were decorated with a happy red-nosed face, which we thought was highly appropriate considering the cause for our fundraising. For the non-uniform day we asked for people to wear red, and most people throughout the school did. From the non-uniform day alone we managed to raise over £300, our most successful event. The best bit of the week had to be the dodge ball, but finding out how much we raised made us proud to be part of the School and see how successful we were with fundraising for such a great cause. The money you helped us raise has been sent off to Comic Relief this week, and we are glad to know it is going to help others.

Victorious members of the staﬀ team, Mr Hodgkins and Mr Urquhart, engage in light hearted banter with the losing Sixth Form team. They were certainly taught a spor ng lesson, as experience triumphed over youth yet again.

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My Life in Italy By Matteo Ramagli

Italy has been my home country since I was born on 24 February 1996. I decided to come to Canterbury and Barton Court Grammar School to study the Interna onal Baccalaureate in the Sixth Form. I have lived for 16 years in a city called Livorno, which is located in the west central part of Italy, along the coast facing the splendid Mediterranean sea. My city is very important because it is the 2nd port city in Italy a er Genova and is in the top five ports in Europe a er Ro erdam. Also it is a big cruise terminal. The photo that we see on our right captures the most beau ful place of my city called Terrazza Mascagni, which recalls the name of the famous musician Pietro Mascagni. Livorno is one of the most important ci es of Tuscany, the region with the most beau ful countryside in Italy and the region of history and art. Many ci es are well known all over the world, from Florence to Siena and from Livorno to Pisa, the last one famous for the leaning tower. Tuscany is also famous for having beaches all along the coast. Cas glioncello is a VIP loca on, which is considered the pearl of the Mar Tirreno and Viareggio. Every summer it is visited by lots of tourists, especially from the UK. There are some differences between Italy and the UK. As far as I am concerned the first is the weather! But it doesn’t mean that in Italy it doesn’t rain. It rains but not as o en as in England. In fact the weather is quite mild, especially in the ci es along the coast, with not very cold winters and not very hot summers. The other very important difference is the food. I consider Italy the mother of food. It is very famous for the pizza and pasta, and other wonderful tasty and tradi onal dishes, like the Livornese Cacciucco (a fish soup with garlic bread). Typical products such as extra-virgin olive oil and many varie es of wines such as Chian and Brunello di Montalcino are produced in Italy.

Know Your Teacher: Mr Hayes Villa Deliver Thriller! Why Aston Villa? It might not seem to make sense now but at the me – the mid seven es - I chose to support Aston Villa for the same reason that many students now opt for teams such as Man U or Chelsea. I was a glory hunter! As we currently languish in the lower reaches of the Premiership that may seem a bit strange to you, but it would actually seem even stranger at the me since in the year I was born Villa were in the third er of English football, the lowest they had even been and threatened with ex nc on! So where does the glory come in? Was I reading the table upside down? Without boring you for too long, I was a stats geek and had read in my Big Book of Football that at the me - 1977 -that Villa held the record for the most FA Cup wins. Hard to believe now as we haven’t won it since the fi ies, but at the me I innocently presumed that this bumper list of cup wins guaranteed that I was on to a winning team. Forget all those saps who supported United and Liverpool - Villa had the record! Li le did I know I had signed up for a world of pain. First game? I have two memories which are both fairly hazy. A 2-2 Charity Shield draw vs. Spurs at Wembley in which Peter Withe scored both and more memorably my first trip to the Real Stadium of Dreams – Villa Park. three hours in the car each way, two great goals for the Villa and a memorable day all round. Sadly while Tony Morley hit a screamer and the stadium was amazing, the day was somewhat tainted by the fact that Tony Woodcock hit four goals for Arsenal and the Gunners romped home 6-2 winners. Glory hunter I may have been but the hunt for glory was flagging and the wait for my first win was looking to be a long one. The Future? With Villa being perennial underachievers the future seems as uncertain as ever. However, my dedica on will never waiver. Up the Villa!

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News from Former Students Many students who leave Barton Court go on to have very interes ng experiences through Gap Years and other forms of work experience. Below, Julian Steward, who le Barton Court in 2011, tells us more about what he has been doing: From 2005 to 2012 I spent 7 busy years at Barton Court, working hard towards my GCSEs and IB but also taking advantage of other opportuni es, such as being a member of the school orchestra, an enthusias c debater and becoming Deputy Head Boy. Having always had an interest in the natural world and ‘how stuﬀ works’ it seemed inevitable that science would become my discipline of choice so I successfully applied for physical natural sciences at Cambridge university. This course had par cular appeal due to its ﬂexible structure: I studied both physics and chemistry at higher level IB and could not choose between them, so now I can do bits of both! I am currently on a gap year and have just returned from East Africa, where I spent 3 months teaching Maths and English at a secondary school in Tanzania and another 3 months backpacking around Kenya and Uganda. A brilliant experience ,during which I spent most of my me living with local people learning about their lives and culture.

Julian with some friends he’s made along the way and, Bo om le , a view of the bus ng coach sta on at Kampala.

Key stage 4 Drama Performances The end of April saw the Key stage 4 Drama students deliver their performances to the examina on moderator. Although obviously a nerve wracking experience, Miss Brown’s students delivered their 20 minute performances with great conﬁdence and panache. Each piece was based on excerpts from Chaucer's “Canterbury Tales” or the Grimm’s “Fairy tales.” Room 19 was completely full with fellow students, suppor ve parents, and other teachers who were keen to see the plays unfold. The photographs below show the cast of each play. Well done to everybody involved!

The Pardoner’s Tale

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

Ashpu el

Iron Hans

The Lady & The Lion

Hansel & Gretel

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Sixth Form Art Exhibition The end of April saw the exhibi on of Sixth Form Art in the Sixth Form Learning Centre. Many staďŹ&#x20AC;, parents and students visited the exhibi on and were treated to a wide range of subject ma er, styles and materials. Here we have a range of photographs from the event which capture a ďŹ&#x201A;avour of some of the exhibits.

Sixth Form Art Exhibition

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Photographic Competition Judged by Liberty Brooker

Keen photographer, Liberty Brooker, organised a Photographic Compe inspiring eﬀorts from a range of students in the School.

on in April and received some truly

A er careful considera on, Liberty and Clarion editors awarded winning prizes to the following three entries. Overleaf you can see a selec on of other entries from the same three students which were highly commended. Well done to everyone who got involved!

“The leaf

“, by Jamie Powell

Year 7-KS3

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“The river”, by Jerren

Coshall-Burrows Year 13-KS5

“The bee”, by Poppy Reed Year 10-KS4

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Photographic Competition: Other Notable Entries

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Forthcoming Events at Barton Court Grammar School 2013 16 May

Non-Uniform Day

20-24 May

Years 7-9 Examina on Week

17 June

Year 6 Interviews

29 June

Year 5 Taster Day

1-5 July

Sixth Form Induc on

8 July

Sports Day

11 July

Summer Concert

15-19 July

Enrichment Week