Newsletter Easter 2010
Issue 5
Easter 2010
A message from Ms Farr ‘Growing together to be the best we can be’
Every break time I walk round different areas of the College and become engaged in conversations with students. During the past week, members of Year 11 have discussed their Leavers‘ Ball with me—What to wear? Which venue? Colour scheme? A boy in Year 10 told me that the re-siting of the bicyle racks has brought about big improvements. Several students expressed their views on the new canteen arrangements, designed to improve the flow of students; they suggested a better system which we are now looking at. Often, students tell me about their activities outside College. One boy showed me the following poem, which I think so aptly sums up our Spring Term.
Commendations Fundraising News
Spring
Partnership with King‘s School Student Leadership
Spring Slips Silent Snowdrops
Content
Page
Message from Head- 1-2 teacher College Vision
3
Ministerial Visit
6
Past Winter‘s iron gate. Then daffodils‘ golden trumpets sounding Victory!
The King‘s School Partnership
8
Worship News
9
Tanzania Update
10
Gifted and Talented News
11-12
Community News
13-16
Student Leadership Team 2010-2011
17-25
All of those students are striving to achieve a second GCSE before the year‘s end which they are on course to do, while some of them, who have chosen to complete the IT Option course, could obtain up to 5 GCSEs in IT. This will be a just reward for their determination and continued efforts over the past few years.
Geography News
26-27
At last we can announce that, in partnership with King‘s School, work will begin on an ‗astro turf‘ pitch, on the Bishop Perowne site. Details are included in this newsletter.
Arts News
29-34
LRC News
35-36
Sports News
38-44
Important Dates for your Diary
46-47
Plus much more ......
Hugo Mayer The snow with which we started the term has been long since forgotten, although bad weather is forecast for later this week. We have much to celebrate as we look forward to the Easter break. We are delighted with the success our students have achieved in ICT examinations. The IT Department are proud of our first set of results this year with over 90% of students from years 10 and 11 achieving A*-C grades.
Once again, the ski trip was an unequivocal success with the hoteliers and tour operator telling us that the Bishop Perowne students are the best they have ever worked with. The same accolade was passed on by the staff of Worcester Cathedral, following Year 7‘s visit last week. Leadership is the theme that has dominated our term. The rigorous process to elect our Year 11 Heads for 2010-2011 is reported in this newsletter. There have been numerous sports leadership opportunities for students in Year 8, 10 and 11; all students have shown outstanding skills. Last Friday, our dance students expertly carried out leadership duties when we hosted a Primary Schools‘ dance festival involving 500 pupils.
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College Community News
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A message from Ms Farr continued ... Our students derived enormous benefits and represented us well in the Magistrate‘s Junior Mock Trial Competition. Jack Barwell, Jacob Dunster, Michael King and Jacob Robinson were runners up, (to King‘s School), in the Regional Junior Mathematics Team Challenge. The term has also brought much success in Sports. Our Year 11 and Year 9 Rugby teams won the prestigious Sixways Tournament 2010 title. We are proud of all they have achieved. Year 11 student Tom Sharwood represented the Midlands versus the North on, Sunday 28th March at Denstone College, Staffordshire. This is a significant achievement, since the next step in representative honours is full England representation. Tom started the game at fly half and put in a sound performance, both distributing and defending solidly, despite the serious injury he had sustained. He also scored his first points at this level, converting two penalties successfully. Many, congratulations to Tom and his family. Staff are giving generously of their time to give an extra boost to Year 11 as they prepare for their terminal examinations. The College will be open to Year 11 throughout the Easter break to enable them to benefit from support from their teachers with their revision. It has never been more important, given the current economic climate, for young people to ‗go that extra mile‘ working and revising diligently, in order to achieve the best possible results. We wish them well. At Easter, we say goodbye to two highly respected, loyal members of staff, who have devoted many years to Bishop Perowne. Mr Wheeler, Assistant Headteacher, joined the staff in 1983. He has worked tirelessly both as a History teacher and our lead on assessment and reporting to bring about the best for our students. Many will never forget his iron age kiln, the Worcester City History Competition and his legendary trips to Worcester Cathedral and Goodrich Castle. He is looking forward to spending more time with his family during his retirement. Mr Townsend took up his post as Subject Leader for Mathematics in 1991. Former students, some of whom have gone on to study maths at Oxford and Cambridge University, have expressed their gratitude to Mr Townsend for the excellent academic grounding he gave them. Many recall the excellent trips to Italy and Spain. Mr Townsend is planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand. Mrs Gilchrist is leaving her role as second in charge of The Learning Support department and teacher of English. She will return after Easter as a ‗one to one tutor‘. She set up the successful Paired Reading Scheme, from which student tutors and tutees at Bishop Perowne and St Barnabas have derived great benefit. We wish them well in the future and thank them for all they have contributed to the Bishop Perowne family. From Easter, Mr Townsend‘s classes will be taught by our new Subject Leader for Mathematics, Mr Hartley, who has spent several years as a successful Subject Leader in Manchester. Mr Wheeler‘s classes will be taught by Miss White and Mrs Gilchrist‘s by Mr Bonnick. Both are experienced teachers. Last Friday, Mr Ross Gurr, our Computer Systems Manager, left us to pursue new challenges in business and industry. Mr Gurr has done an outstanding job, building our computer network and placing us at the leading edge of developments in ICT. His able successor will be Mr Roger Huffadine, who is currently working as our Theatre Technical Manager. During the term, our students have raised over £4,000 for charities, have taken part in interviews for new staff, have participated in innumerable sporting activities, have led worship at the Diocesan Synod and have been offered many opportunities in the Arts. Our term will end, as always, with Eucharist. We are grateful to our chaplaincy team for all they have done to support spiritual growth and worship in our College. We shall be delighted to welcome the Archdeacon of Worcester, the Venerable Roger Morris, who will preside at our Eucharist. On behalf of Governors and staff, I would like to thank students and parents for the support given to us as we strive to grow together to be the best we can be. I wish everyone a joyful Easter.
Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage; hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honour everyone; love and serve the Lord; rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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College Community News
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College Vision
Our Vision We seek to develop a caring Christian community in which we nurture individuals; encourage learning, creativity and endeavour; inspire all to excel and reach their potential and to help all young learners grow into active and responsible citizens who are able to make a difference in the World. To make our vision a reality we aim to: Develop a faith- centred community based on a love of God, neighbour and self. Create a culture of learning and achievement in which study, enquiry, innovation and aspiration are highly valued. Grow together to be the best that we can be. Establish an orderly, happy, safe and caring environment in which all members of the College community can grow in confidence and self-esteem. Provide access to a wide and varied curriculum that is appropriate to students‘ needs and learning styles. Support physical, social and emotional growth. Develop a sense of responsibility and citizenship, and thereby shape the future. In order to bring about the best we shall: Provide excellent teaching, in rich and varied learning environments. Create positive challenges. Assess students learning and progress and report on this regularly to parents. Strive to develop an enriching programme of visits and extra curricular activity. Respond effectively to students pastoral needs. Develop positive relationships between staff and students. Promote good attendance. Build a strong and robust College/parent partnership. Develop effective links with the Church and wider communities. Meet and support the needs of ethnic and minority groups. Celebrate diversities and differences in our community. Work as a team towards our shared vision.
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College Community News
Headteacher’s Commendations Mufassir Megan Mitchell Kieran Mubied Binyamin Zakiyyah Amy Penny Harry Ryan Tom Tom Lucy Belinda Belinda Kriston Lucy Samuel Cameron Shane Jack Hajra Brandon Julia Julia Lucy Matthew Liam Jordan Thomas Joeli Brendan Holly Cohen Christopher Cameron George Demi
Abdul Adams Adams Adams Adbdul Ali Ali Annis Ashmore Aston Atkins Atkinson Atkinson Avery Bailey Bailey Baker Baldwin Ball Barnes Barratt Barwell Basharat Beasant Bellingham Bellingham Berry Berry Blake Blake Blundell Boxall Bradley Bradshaw Braithwaite-Kilcoyne Brayford Brett Bullock Burfitt
Emily Alice Martha Ben Bethany Natasha Robert Laura Shauna Stacie Ryan Matthew Charles Charles Shaun Sophie Martha Jacob Paige Chloe Ryan Sophie Dan Benjamin Rose Sean Jamie Hugh Lucy Bradley Beth Bethany Matthew Ben Stefan Damilola Harry Daisy Kieran Robert
Burton Butler Cambridge Carrier Cheyne Clarke Crowe Dakers Dance Davies Davies Donaldson Done Done Duffy Duffy Dunster Dunster Dutfield Dutfield Dutfield Eastwood Edwards Edwards Eskafi Farrow Field Francis Freeman Frost Fuller Fuller Garrad Garrad Gaskell Gbadamosi George GlynnJackson Goode Graham
Thea Elizabeth Felix Freya Samantha Lydia Constance Shakila Brady Laura-Beth Ryan Bethany Connor Connor Rosie Leigh John Ruby Courtney William Alicia Charlie Rebecca Sonny David Joseph Kate Chloe Isaac Elizabeth Scott Amy Beth Charlotte Lily Liam David Gabrielle Eleanor Nathan
Green Guinivan Hall Hall Hampton Hand Handley Haque Harding Hardwick Harris Haughtey Haynes Haynes Henshall Hewitt Hewitt Hill Hodge Hodges Holland Hooman Hooper Hope Hudson Ingles Irish Jaynes Jeeves Jeynes Johnson Jones Jones Jones Kainey Kearney King Lane Lee Lewis
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College Community News
Headteacher’s Commendations Jackson Lauren Emil Beth Sophia Jade Adam Sam Amber Rhian Shannon Lucy Luke Richard Katherine Joseph Gemma Elizabeth Harry Chloe Mark Rebecca Emma Eirinn Sam Claire Alice Joe Declan Lewis Aaron Bethany Jacob Bronwen Abigail Isobel Benjamin George Ryan Jennifer
Lewis Macdonald Martyr Matthews McLeod Meakin Meek Morris Morris Myers Northcott Page Palmer Palmer Parker Parker Perry Porteous Posborne Postlethwaite Prince Prosser Prosser Quinnell Revell Reynolds Rice Robbins Roberts Roberts Roberts Robinson Robinson Rowberry Rudge Rudge Russell Sansome Scott Senter
Pukar Connor Maria Jessica Oliver Jack Jodie Kieran Peter Anthea Yasra Ruth Jonathan Sydnee-Mae Katy Leonard Joseph Kyle Ella Isabella Laura Elle Istehsan Naomi Hannah Matthew Jamie Molly Emily Abigail Ashley Kathryn Ben Emily Rebecca Nicholas Helena James Claudia Louis
Sharma Sheridan Shipley Skibinski Smith Stevenson Stilgoe Storan Strong Sutherland Tabbassam Tayler Tayler Taylor Taylor Terry Terry Thornelow Tomlinson Tree Trow-Poole Turner Ul-Haque Walker Walker Wallbank Waller Westcott Whatmore Whitehouse Whitehouse Wilkins Williams Williamson Wilson Wilson Wise Wood Woodhouse Woodhouse
James Charlotte
Woods Wynne
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College Community News
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Ministerial Visit to Bishop Perowne The Minister of State for Schools, Vernon Coaker MP, visited Bishop Perowne Church of England College to review the College‘s Science facilities. The College is seeking up to £750,000 of capital investment to transform its existing facilities into state of the art Science Laboratories to include two Computer Science Labs. The Schools Minister, accompanied by local MP Mike Foster, supported the College‘s plans for re-developing existing facilities. The new facilities would enable the College to further advance its curriculum provision. The College is planning to expand its existing Triple Science GCSE provision as well as introduce BTEC Science, a vocational qualification, for their students. The College expressed their desire to see an even greater proportion of students continuing to study Science within Further and Higher Education. Headteacher, Ms Farr stated ―The new facilities would ensure that our students continue to be inspired to become the best that they can be—our future doctors, research scientists and engineers‖. Vernon Coaker, Schools Minister, praised the planned project and expressed his support for the College‘s plans, including investigating on behalf of the College, additional sources of funding that could be accessed in order to turn its plans into a reality. His visit included a tour of the Colleges‘ most recent building development work, including a new Film/TV Studio and two new fully equipped ICT Rooms. The Minister was also briefed on the New Dance and Performing Arts Building which is shortly to begin construction ready for September 2010. Vernon Coaker stated to the Headteacher and Governors ―You have an excellent school with a very positive learning environment. I will go back to the department and see what we can do to help‖.
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Views of Parents/Carers I had a very interesting meeting with a parent last week, who not only offered to help in College as a student mentor, but also put forward several valuable suggestions. I would be pleased to receive your views on the following: Ways in which we can improve the content of the student planner Should we change the College uniform, phasing in gradually, a ‗trousers only‘ rule for girls? (Trousers would have to be ‗tailored‘, not tight fitting nor made from stretch or lycra fabric). You may contact me by email on kwi@bishop-perowne.worcs.sch.uk or by letter via reception.
Every Child Matters: Stay Safe and Safeguarding ‘Staying
Safe‘ is explained in a number of ways, in College: through acts of worship, in lessons across the curriculum and especially in PSCHEE through the content and in drama presentations. It is imperative that every student recognises that it is their responsibility for registering in their tutor base at 8.30am and at 2.50pm(2.30pm on Tuesdays). We would be grateful if you would talk with them about this. Governors give great emphasis to Safeguarding which is a standing item at every Full Board Meeting. A designated Governor checks our single central record on which the enhanced CRB checks of all staff, no matter what their role in College, are registered. Mr Cox, our designated Child Protection Officer has undergone training recently, and will be offering, refresher training for all staff on our Teacher Education day on Monday 19th April. If you have any questions regarding Safeguarding, please contact Mr Cox.
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Community
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The Masked Side of Facebook : Safeguarding Since its launch in 2004, Facebook has reached truly global proportions. With over 400 million active users, 23 million in the UK, Facebook allows ―Friends‖ to connect with others accessing the site in a multitude of ways. Applications let you become Fans of people or places, Chat with Friends, see what others did on holiday, and the most popular Application lets the user play online poker. All sounds harmless enough, but recent events in the press have acutely highlighted the risks associated with social networking sites when a 17 year old girl was killed after meeting a man who had befriended her online. The man involved had pretended to be a teenager and started chatting to her through Facebook. He had created a fake profile with pictures sourced from the internet and over a period of time convinced the girl to meet him in real life. These sorts of incidents, whilst thankfully rare, do occur and must be learned from. In College, social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo are blocked through our internet filters and the Internet usage is constantly monitored to pick-up words which might give us cause for concern. In the unlikely event that the systems detect something which needs to be acted on, staff can deal with it promptly and students can be made aware of any associated risks. IT and PSHE lessons give students the necessary knowledge to be able to use the internet safely and to mitigate the risks that exposure on these sites can bring. While at home or outside of College students may have more access to these sites, and this is where it is important that they are able to be responsible users of the internet. It is important that parents and guardians are involved in ensuring that they are safe. At a time when children are sometimes more powerful users of technology, this can be a daunting prospect for some parents. Suffice it to say that an expert knowledge of all things IT is not required to safeguard well-being on the internet. Simple changes in the way IT is used and monitored in the household can help, such as ensuring that any computers with internet access are based in communal areas within the household or taking an interest in who they are chatting to, or online friends with. Simple actions such as these can lead to conversations to discuss how knowledgeable they are about their online safety. The pervasive nature of technology in every aspect of society has made it almost impossible to shelter it completely. Over 100 million of Facebook‘s users access it through a mobile phone and as the technology improves the need for responsible and safe usage grows. For more advice and information please see the following links: Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation.php Think You Know - www.thinkyouknow.co.uk BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/help/web/staysafe
Partnership BetweenBishop Perowne and The King’s School—New Artificial Pitch We are delighted to announce the construction of an Artificial Turf Pitch which will be built at Bishop Perowne over the next few months. The planned opening date is during September 2010. We are extremely fortunate that the pitch which will be paid for entirely by The King‘s School and is to be sited on the lower of the two levelled pieces of ground, adjacent to the Sports Hall. It will be made of the sand-filled variety of artificial turf and be floodlit. It will be used by Bishop Perowne each morning during term time and by The King‘s School each afternoon. The pitch is available for community use outside these times by sports clubs and other bodies and bookings can be made through the Finance Office at the College. It is planned to use the pitch for hockey, football and tennis, although it may be available for other sports. Hockey represents an extension of the Bishop Perowne PE curriculum and its use for football will allow that sport to be played on a well drained surface. Access will only be allowed at the permitted times and only formal games can take place on it. A great deal of hard work has taken place by both Bishop Perowne and The King‘s School to get the project to this stage. The inconvenience of the construction itself will be more than compensated for, by future use of a wonderful asset, by the pupils of both schools.
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Worship
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Education Sunday At St Barnabas, January 31st saw the appearance by Bishop Perowne Worship Leaders and Simon Bethel from the teaching staff to mark Education Sunday. Simon co-ordinated their response and Charles Done, Joe Robbins and George Sansome shared something of their vision for promoting collective worship and a Christian Ethos, together with joining in with our worship group on the electric guitars they had all brought along. As with the moving Cluster Service that evening on the theme of Candlemas @ St Wulstan‘s led inspiringly by Dominic Melville, the Bishop Perowne students made a real impression on the whole congregation.
Diocesan Synod Bishop Perowne Church of England College hosted the Worcestershire Diocesan Synod on Saturday 6 th March 2010. It gives me great please to report that the Student Worship team were asked to plan and deliver the Eucharist that opens the event. This was a real honour for the students and it was a memorable service. They presented many aspects of the service including the prayers, the Creed, music and readings. To share the delivery of a Eucharist with the Bishop of Worcester and many other members of the Clergy was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Worship Team once again excelled and have since received many accolades. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Student Worship Team for all of their hard work and also special thanks to Rev Peter Haddleton who gave up a lot of his own time and expertise. Simon Bethel Worship Leader.
Bell Ringing at Worcester Cathedral At bell ringing we go up to the tower and practice with training bells. Also, we have bell ringing teachers come in and help us learn more. Bell ringing is a great experience that I think everyone should get a chance at doing. Bell ringing is not just for boys or girls but for everyone. Mrs Johnson runs bell ringing on Fridays after school at the Cathedral. First, we meet up in the office at school, then we take the minibus down. At the moment, we are one of two schools getting this chance and this experience. We only have five people currently participating. Bell ringing is a lot of fun and you also get to make a lot of new friends. One of the teachers, at the moment, used to be Head of Science at Bishop Perowne Church of England College. It will be a lot nicer if we have more students coming to this life changing experience. Not many people get to go up to the tower where the training bells are. By Georgia Robinson 7Y4 F009
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Global Community
Tanzania—An Update There have been many changes at our partner school. Mrs Margaret Jia has retired as Headteacher and a new structure has been put in place. Father George Nawanje is now Head of Rondo Junior Seminary. Mr. Eberhard Mtanda is Headteacher. I have met Father George and Mr Mtanda on both of my visits to Tanzania. They share the strong commitment we have to strengthen and grow our partnership. In the summer examinations students at our partnership school are entered for the Secondary Examination. The results for this year are 5 passes at grade B, 25 passes at grade C and 4 passes at Grade D. The school was placed in 8 th position out of 351 centres entering students for this examination. This is a remarkable achievement given the conditions under which students work. Parents make great sacrifices to send their students to Rondo Junior Seminary and cannot afford any basic materials such as pens and paper. Often the boys have no shoes and this year for the first time parents have been asked to contribute towards the cost of fuel to power a generator for lighting on three evenings a week. This will mean that the boys have lighting to complete homework. To support the school, our first shipment of books leaves Bishop Perowne this week to go to Rondo. READ International is shipping out some of our old maths books for us for use by the students. These will be the very first set of books owned by the school. In February I submitted a bid to the British Council. This application for a Global Curriculum Project Grant, if successful, will fund an exchange of teachers between the two schools in the coming year. Dorothy Robinson March 2010
After School Game of Football
Future Teachers Form 1a
Solar Energy—Excellent News! Father George has informed Dorothy Robinson that solar energy is going to be brought to the school. They have signed a contract with a supplier! Hopefully, this will mean electricity for lighting and computers. Further news in the next newsletter.
The Chapel at Rondo Seminary
Solar Panels soaking up the African Sunshine
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College Community
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Gifted and Talented News March Editorial It‘s been a busy Spring term for the Gifted and Talented students as many of the activities organised in Autumn come to fruition. Since January the students have now participated in many events on a college, shire, regional and national level. Each of these activities is designed and chosen to provide enrichment that compliments our students study. With the year more than half way gone we look towards planning provision for the year to come. To aid this, students have completed a survey, with a survey for parents to be issued soon. Please keep a look out for it in the post, we would appreciate your time in completing and returning the form. As Summer approaches, the school receives information on activities that will run through the holidays. As students are spread out through the Communities and Years, the most efficient way of communicating any opportunities is through the Gifted and Talented noticeboard. Please encourage our child to regularly review this for information on courses that may be of interest to them. Further information on any can always be obtained through myself or Mr Annis. Miss K Muddle
Bishop Perowne Vs King’s Year 7 Debating On Monday 1st March 2010, sixteen students from Bishop‘s and King‘s met for the second Year 7 debating event. Competition heated up with a more formal system of argument reflecting the system used in the House of Lords. This term‘s theme was “This house believes that school should be voluntary”. King‘s opened the argument by clarifying that it was school and not an education itself that was to be optional. Some issues brought to the argument over the next 45 minutes were the cost to keep a school open, the quality of education a student is likely to get from an untrained tutor at home, the impact this would have on future trained professionals, bullying, social development and family relationships. All four teams argued well and passionately. Of the two rounds, King‘s school team For the argument won the first round and both Bishop‘s teams For and Against won the second round. Overall, it was decided that the For team who argued ―This house believes that school should be voluntary‖ had the strongest arguments and pleaded their case articulately and with passion. Despite the nerves of speaking in front of their peers all students had a good time and we look forward now to a return match at King‘s School, Worcester.
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Gifted and Talented News Mock Trial Competition—Worcester Magistrate’s Court On the 20th March a group of our Yr8 and Yr9 Gifted and Talented students took part in this year‘s Mock Trial competition at Worcester Magistrate‘s court. The competition itself required our students to take on the roles of various court staff, including lawyers and compete against other schools, either defending their client or in prosecution of the defendant. This was a really exciting event for our students, who gained a massive insight into the legal profession as a result. As always, our students were a credit to themselves as well as the college and most importantly had a really enjoyable experience, which was very different to anything they had experienced before. Well done again to those who took part!
UK Mathematics Trust Team Challenge : Superb Achievement On the 24th March 2010, Bishop Perowne took part in the UK Junior Team Maths Challenge. We took a train and taxi to Wycliffe College, Stonehouse, near Stroud. Round one was full of difficult questions – ten of them. We had forty minutes to answer them all, and would collect 6 points for each correct answer. We scored 54 out of 60. In Round Two, we split into pairs and were given a crossword puzzle with numbers as answers. One pair was given the across clues, the other, the down clues. Clues were along the lines of ―eleven down minus ten across‖, but some we could do straight away - ―a four digit power of 9‖. In Round three, one pair was given questions 1 and 3, the other pair questions 2 and 4. The answer to 1 was needed for 2, 2 for 3 and 3 for 4. If we got question 1 wrong, the rest would probably be wrong as well. The final round was a relay, where one pair would answer a question, then if it was right, would be given the next question to give to the other pair to answer. Overall we finished 2nd out of thirty teams, beaten by King‘s by 5 of the possible 240 points! Jack Barwell, Jacob Dunster, Michael King and Jacob Robinson
Open Tuesday All parents/carers are reminded ‘Open Tuesday’ Every Tuesday between 3.00 pm-4.00 pm A chance to meet with a member of the Senior Leadership Team without a prior appointment Parents/carers are seen on a first come/first seen basis. The length of the meeting will depend on the number of people waiting to be seen
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Year 7 Subject Consultation Evening: Parental Feedback Many thanks to all of the parents who came into College for Year 7 Subject Consultation Evening on 23 rd March. The large turnout made for a busy event with overwhelming support for the work of our teachers and the progress of students. Many parents commented upon the welcome they had received from subject staff and the quality of the information and advice given. We also received a number of requests asking for documentation to be issued earlier – we will respond to this in future events. One parent anticipated that the Head would open the evening by making a speech. This is not standard practice at Secondary School Subject Evenings because of the staggered nature of parents‘ arrival and departure and the appointment system. As always, the Headteacher and members of the Senior Team were available to answer any specific queries. Our next Subject Consultation, this time for students in Year 10, is to be held on Thursday 6th May between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm. Andy Cox. Deputy Headteacher.
Revision Evening On Wednesday 10th March we held our first Evening Revision Session for students in Year 11 and their parents/carers. Although we were a very select group, the four workshops were active affairs in which both students and parents were able to consider revision techniques; the internet and examination preparation; well being and how best to prepare for Mathematics. Each workshop ran twice, after a brief introduction from Ms Farr and Mr Cox, giving families the opportunity to choose the sessions best suited to their needs. After the Easter break, Year 11 students will continue to be able to access a wide range of revision and booster classes right the way through the examination period in order that our students are well prepared. We wish them all the very best of luck in their final term before moving on to fresh challenges. Andy Cox Deputy Headteacher
Visit to Houses of Parliament At the beginning of March I travelled to London to attend a Parliamentary Reception in the Members‘ Dining room hosted by Ian Stewart, MP. The afternoon was an event organised by the General Teaching Council in recognition of the ongoing commitment by teachers and support staff to continue to develop their own professional learning. Our MP, Mike Foster, came down to talk to me to make sure not only that I was enjoying my visit to Parliament but also to discuss Bishop Perowne. He had been in to College on the Friday before my visit to London so he was able to continue the conversation with me that he had had with Ms Farr. It was a wonderful opportunity to represent all staff at Bishop Perowne. Dorothy Robinson Assistant Headteacher
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Contract for Confidence Megan Hill submitted this contract to myself and Student Council. It will be included in our new Planner. I applaud Megan‘s initiative.
Dear Ms Farr, I have an idea to help students make our College become the best it can be. I have discovered a ‗contract‘ and added my own words – see below. I feel this may help students to be more confident in class, their work, how they behave and how they want to act at College. I, the undersigned, state that I will no longer hide at the back of the class, put myself down, be scared to say what I really feel, or compare myself to others. Also, I agree to love and celebrate everything about myself and be more confident. I understand that self belief comes from inside and that I, and I alone, have the power to turn my negative thoughts into positive ones, and get the most out of every day. Signed ……………………………………… I think this could be seen all year round and maybe be put in the new Planners, or in our Reflective Journals, as part of our form group activities. I hope you will give my idea some consideration and I look forward to your comments. Many thanks.
Megan Hill
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Friends News Dear Parents/Carers We are writing to you with an invitation to join us on the Friends. In the summer, we will be losing at least six members who have students in Year 11 and so numbers need boosting! These include the Chair, Vice Chair and 200 Club Secretary. It is not a huge commitment; meetings are about every six weeks and there is no obligation to come to them all as there‘s never going to be a night when everyone is available. There are times when we are needed for refreshment ‗duties‘, as you‘ve probably seen if you‘ve been to a college production, but we make a rota and share the load as equally as we can. We try and come up with new and interesting events to entice our audiences, as well as our tried and tested ones. There have also been occasions when we were consulted, as parents, about various college policies, such as anti-bullying and sex education, and also our expectations and experiences of college. We take what we do seriously but we don‘t take ourselves seriously. It‘s all about raising funds to provide things that enrich college life, whilst having the opportunity to have some fun ourselves and make new friends with other parents and members of staff. It is probably worth reiterating what the Friends have provided for college over the last few years, ie various monies to PE to help with the rugby tour last year and other fixtures, books for the History Department, various items for Science to name but a few and you will see how these have benefited students already and will continue to do so. By becoming part of the Friends it is one way of demonstrating to your child that you have an interest in college and therefore, by extension, them. We would love to welcome you onto the Friends and help you become involved in your child and college life. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 27th April at 7.30 in the Blue Room (meet in reception at about 7.25), when we will be planning the Summer Fayre to be held on May 22 nd. On behalf of all the Friends, I really hope we can encourage you to join us. Please feel free to contact me, via reception, if you would like to have a chat before our next meeting to find out more about the Friends. Yours sincerely
Claire Rowlands Chair of The Friends
Next Friends Event
May Fayre & Car Boot 22nd May 2010 11am—2pm Bishop Perowne College A family day out for all: Barbeque, Cake Stall, Plant Stall, Soak the Teacher and lots more If you want to do the Car Boot, it is £10 entrance fee.
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Student Panel News : Students as Interviewers We, the student panel have recently interviewed four candidates for a full time dance and drama position at Bishop Perowne College. This is how the experience helped us and showed us a huge array of possibilities that could aid our future encounters with interviewers. Immediately after four, fresh faced candidates had come and gone through our intensive questioning, we knew we had a huge debate on our hands. Not only were the candidates impeccably equipped, beyond what we had firstly anticipated, but nobody could agree on a conclusion. This was extremely far from black and white. We immediately defended our favourite candidates. After a short while, we all agreed to compile the evidence we had gained from our formal interviews. We gained a valid field of data and had a monumental debate as to who we could choose as our favoured candidate and eventually came to a conclusion that was three to one. We sense that the expertise we have gained from this opportunity is immense. Each of us believes that we have gained different understandings of how to approach an interview from both view points; the interviewer and interviewee. The skills we have gained make us confident that we will be able to go to any future interviews and have the ability to impress. Together we have acquired a wide range of awareness about interview processes and have met new people. We have learned valuable social skills that have given us the ability to assess and evaluate personalities and life aspects. We feel honoured to have been invited to participate in such a worthwhile role and feel we had a real impact on the outcome. We have now built a bridge of interview techniques that we thrive to improve on in future interviews. The hardest part of the process was that we had to think of a seemingly infinite array of questions, to keep the candidate talking and to be able to assess which candidate we felt would be best for Bishop Perowne. We had to account for the arrangement of the current staff in each department and found ourselves in what seemed to be an impossible position, having to pick the candidate we felt best suited the Bishop Perowne family. With the school‘s help, we hope to continue our experience by assessing the candidates even further, and viewing their capabilities in the classroom. This will hugely improve the picture we can paint of how he or she would perform in a day to day classroom en vironment. The students carrying out the interviews were:Faruq Gbadamosi Tom Revell Jordan Quinn Katy Taylor Robert Crowe
Issue 5
College Community: Citizenship: Enjoy and Achieve
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Appointment of Head Boy and Head Girl 2010-1011 Our established process for appointing our Head Boy and Head Girl has been acclaimed as an example of best practice of citizenship and democracy in action. Last year, the Worcester News ran a special feature on our College. The process begins with a presentation from Ms Farr in which she describes the role, responsibilities and the person specification. Students then have just over a week to fill in the application form. The next stage involves each candidate delivering a one minute speech to Year 10 describing why they would like the role. This is followed by a student and staff vote. The Outgoing Leadership Team read the applications thoroughly, triangulating them with evidence from the presentations and vote. A shortlist is drawn up by the Outgoing Leadership Team and some students are invited to speak to the whole College and attend a formal tutorial with Ms Farr, Mr Cox, Mr Tyler and the Outgoing Head Boy and Head Girl. It is the Outgoing student team who make the final decision on behalf of the school. Each successful candidate receives a formal letter of appointment and then the induction with Ms Farr and the Outgoing Team begins. Their first task is to deliver a whole College act of worship. This year, we had some outstanding candidates. We wish to congratulate the following successful applicants; we are confident that they will help us ‗grow together to be the best we can be‘.
Student Leadership Team—2010-2011 Position within team
Student
Head Boy
David King
Head Boy
Joe Robbins
Head Girl
Maria Shipley
Head Girl
Katy Taylor
Deputy Head Boy
Emil Martyr
Deputy Head Boy
Sam Revell
Deputy Head Boy
George Sansome
Deputy Head Girl
Beth Jones
Deputy Head Girl
Jess Skibinski
Deputy Head Girl
Ruth Tayler
Leadership Team
Tom Atkinson
Leadership Team
Charles Done
Leadership Team
Jack Stevenson
Leadership Team
Julia Bellingham
Leadership Team
Ruby Hill
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College Community
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Candidate Speeches for Head Boy & Head Girl—2010/2011 Tom Atkinson Hi. For those of you who don‘t know me, I‘m Tom Atkinson. Why do I want to be Head Boy? Well, to start with, this is my fourth year of school at Bishops and they have all been enjoyable, with so many people doing so much for me. I now, want to give something back. To show those who have done a lot for me, friends, teachers, tutors, that I am thankful for what they have done. Also, I wish to be a part of this school getting to better times and improving wherever necessary. There is always room for improvement, better equipment, scientific or sports, recycling more, or cutting down on litter. Finally, I am going to be honest. This speech will not be the best of them all. But if I am given the chance, I will do my absolute best. I will listen to changes you want to happen and will always try to make those changes happen, as long as they are suitable. You are what define the school, as a good school, a great school and I want to help you enjoy your last year here. It would be a shame if we didn‘t make the most of it. Thank you for listening. Charles Done I think that I would be the best Head Boy because I have commitment and I enjoy a challenge. I recently completed an 18 mile charity night hike across the Cotswolds with my Explorer Group and I was the only team member to reach the finish line. The same determination would help me achieve results. One issue I aim to address is careers advice, which I would like to make more available to all students. I‘m sure many of you would like extra help and advice on careers as we seem to be making choices and taking exams earlier and earlier. I would also like to spruce up the appearance of the College. This would be a challenge as it would mean decorating on a minimum budget but would provide a cleaner and fresher environment for us all. I am a good all round communicator and team player and after my years on the student council, think of this as the ultimate reward. Most importantly though, I believe that I can make a difference. It would be great to hear those immortal words of Sir Alan Sugar—you‘re hired. Thank you for listening. Ruby Hill My name is Ruby Hill and I wish to become Head Girl because I would like to be recognised as someone who other people can look up to and be inspired by. Using my common sense and empathy towards others, it would be great to leave the school knowing I have achieved something and made a difference within the College. Making your way into a large school such as Bishop Perowne can be very daunting, and we all need people who can make the experience a little easier and more enjoyable. I would like to think that I could be approachable and that I would listen and offer help and advice to anyone who might need support. In this ever changing and sometimes aggressive world we live in, people are striving to be dynamic, high flying and high achieving. Getting an education does not necessarily need to be all academic. There is also the matter of practicalities of life and the ability to cope in all types of situations. These qualities can be just as important as some of the subjects that we learn at school. My aims would be to stress the importance of patience, empathy and kindness to children who, themselves, feel less confident in their abilities. I hope my speech has made an impression on you and I strongly advise that you consider me as your new Head Girl.
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College Community
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Candidate Speeches for Head Boy & Head Girl—2010/2011 Beth Jones Hi. My name‘s Beth and if I was selected for Head Girl, there would be three areas of College life I would work hard to improve. Since I started Bishop Perowne, I have participated in a variety of activities. Good competition is very important, so I would provide more events in sport and the arts. Giving students these opportunities would be very beneficial, allowing pupils like you to achieve your own individual goals. I feel I have had a really good relationship with my teachers and I trust this will have a positive impact on my grades. Developing this relationship between all students and all teachers could be difficult, but if it is achieved, I am sure it wi ll benefit all. Congratulating students is something the College already takes very seriously. However, having a student known to many in College will only help acknowledge other students‘ achievements. Thank you for listening to my speech. I hope you think carefully about all of my ideas. Dave King Hi, my name is Dave King, and I‘d like to be your Head Boy next year. As Head Boy, I would organise events. I play a lot of sport and music, and could organise a wide range of activities that you ask for and would enjoy. Here I am with my old curly hair!
Some people think that every Head Boy or Head Girl has to be a bit geeky, and just stand up and say things in assemblies, but I would be a Head Boy who you can actually talk to. I want to hear what you want to change, for example what do you think of the one-way canteen system? Finally, I want to make the most of my last year at school, and help us all enjoy Year 11 a bit more. I‘m sure most of you knew who you were voting for before we even stood up today, but if anyone isn‘t sure, as you can see I‘d be very happy to have your vote. Thanks for listening.
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College Community
Candidate Speeches for Head Boy & Head Girl—2010/2011 Joe Robbins Hi, my name is Joe Robbins, but I‘m not just your Average Joe, because I‘m the Joe who wants to be your Head Boy.
Not your Average Joe I believe the College is like a body and we are all different parts of that body, each with a different role to play. Some might be eyes, some might be hands and some might be feet—it doesn‘t matter which part you are—but all are needed for the body to function properly. If I was Head Boy, I would strive to get all the parts of the body working together so that the body was really stacked.
Like Arnie.....
I would do a job properly. Not like this.....
I would make sure it was completed. Where there‘s a will, there‘s a way.....
I would not cut corners. What a Genius.....
I am very approachable and if any of you had a problem, I would do my best to help you out. A helping hand.....
My name is Joe Robbins but remember, I‘m not just your Average Joe.
Not your Average Joe
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College Community
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Candidate Speeches for Head Boy & Head Girl—2010/2011 Emil Martyr ―Hi, I‘m Emil Martyr and I‘m looking forward to you choosing me as your Head Boy. Choose someone who knows the current School Councils limits; which are just new benches in the playground. Choose someone who wants to step beyond these boundaries. The one who wants to make changes that actually affect you and I. Don‘t choose the stereotypical candidate, but choose the one who wants to break the mould. Choose improved teaching, improved student-teacher relationships. But most of all, choose an enjoyable final year at your high school. Choose a better school. Choose Emil Martyr!‖ George Sansome I think that a school is like a bike. A bike must have all of its parts in good working order to be able to move forwards. It‘s hard to cycle with only one pedal, and progress is extremely slow without a chain. Equally, in College, staff and students all need to work together to help us move forwards in our learning. Everyone in our College community has an essential part to play in making the College successful, and a happy place to be. The chain on a bike links the pedals to the wheel. In the same way, the Head Boy and Head Girl should aim to link students and staff in order to ensure that the College continues to develop. They need to show strong leadership skills and strive to unite the College community. I believe that I have the qualities required to be Head Boy. I‘ll work hard on your behalf and seek to represent the College to the best of my ability. Thank you for listening. Maria Shipley I‘ve genuinely had some really good times at Bishop Perowne—there‘s been so many lovely people that I‘ve met and lots of things I‘ve enjoyed doing. Being Head Girl would mean I would be able to give back to the people in this college by offering my time and commitment to the role. I would like to listen to people as well. I‘ve often heard people saying ―it would be so much better if....‖ and it always being just a passing comment. I would like to channel your ideas to where things can be changed. Many of us were a bit sceptical about vertical tutoring, but in my form, I‘ve really got to know people across the years and I know others have also made some good friends in theirs. So, finally, continuing to improve relationships between years would also be something I‘d like to achieve if I were Head Girl. Jess Skibinski Hi, my name is Jess Skibinski, I would like to be Head Girl and here‘s why. First of all, motivation. If you don‘t believe you can do something, you never will, so I would like to be the person to give you that extra push to prove to you that anything is possible. The Good Samaritan treated people as equals. A Jew was robbed, beaten and left for dead. Two people walked past, ignoring him, but the Good Samaritan—who was from a rival gang—helped him. I would like to make everyone in our College like that Samaritan. People should treat others and be treated the same. Who would like to eat this cake? I need some honesty! So, only a few of you then. If I said this cake was covered in salt, would you still eat it then? You had trusted that I hadn‘t made this cake inedible. So, I would like to gain all your trust, and be trusted, over what will hopefully be my year in office. Thank you for listening.
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College Community
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Candidate Speeches for Head Boy & Head Girl—2010/2011 Jack Stevenson Why do I want to be Head Boy? Well, when I told my friends I was considering giving it a go, they said ―you should try this......‖ and ―you know what would be good?‖ These ideas were about the school and all of them were great. It made me think ―these students deserve a good representative for Head Boy‖ and I think I could be that representative. I‘m ambitious, confident and enthusiastic, all qualities which I think a good Head Boy should have. Thank you all for listening, and please, take a chance on me. Thank you. Ruth Tayler Hello, my name is Ruth. I would like to start with a quote from Helen Keller. ‗I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can still do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do’. I love this quote. It tells of how you should strive to use the best of your ability. This applies to our school, everyone should want to show their best. This is why I want to be Head Girl, so I can grow into a better person and see the school and its students fulfil their potential. A Head Girl needs to be a role model, a team worker and an ambassador for the school. I can do this, building on what has been achieved before. A Head Girl needs to represent the students: YOU. I am someone who will passionately articulate your views. A Head Girl needs to help the school build towards a better future. Together we can do that. I am Ruth Tayler and I want to be your Head Girl. Katy Taylor Hi, I‘m Katy Taylor and I would like to be your Head Girl for 3 reasons; To represent students‘ views to the Governors and staff To represent the College to the public, and To contribute towards changes that take account of students‘ views. Over the past few years, we have experienced many changes in school. There was the cancellation of SATS, the introduction of vertical tutoring and then the change to our uniform. All of these affected us, but were made in our best interests. I‘m not going to make any promises, but if you choose me as your Head Girl, I will try my hardest to make sure that any future changes are of benefit to us and that we will have a say in them. I will do this by using my skills to listen to your opinions and take them to the staff and Governors, so that changes can be discussed. I think this is important as I want to make the most of the rest of our time here at Bishop Perowne and would love to give you a brilliant and memorable leavers‘ ball.
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Head Boy & Head Girl Whole School Speeches —2010/2011 Task: Two minutes to talk about someone you admire and suggest what qualities they have/had which you would bring to the role. William Wilberforce William Wilberforce, known to his friends as Wilber, was a man who chose to take on a great responsibility. In 1787, after being approached by a group of anti-slave-trade activists, Wilberforce decided to take upon the role to lead the movement to abolish slavery. It was his skills and attributes that helped him to accomplish his goals. We have chosen three of these attributes to share with you today. An excellent leader—Wilber loved to debate, but he wasn‘t all talk. People came to him with a problem; he listened and took action accordingly. We will strive to listen to you and your opinions. As a team, we believe in what you say and we will do our utmost to make your voice heard. Determined and dedicated—For 26 years, William fought for what he believed in. Even when faced with failure and illness he refused to give up. He continued to persevere despite a series of setbacks including the death of his close friend and ally in the war against slavery, Olaudah Equiano. The determination and dedication that Wilbur showed is something we would aim to bring to the role of Head Boy or Girl. Committed to Caring—William Wilberforce was a Christian whose faith motivated him to care for others and to fight so hard for other peoples‘ rights. This commitment to caring didn‘t just benefit humans, but animals as well as he was one of the founders of what is now the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, also known as the RSPCA. Caring is an attribute which each of us on this team has and wants to bring to the role of Head Boy or Girl. I‘m sure whoever is chosen to be on the Head Boy Head Girl team would endeavour to bring these attributes and many more to the role. Aung San Suu Kyi Julia: Aung San Suu Kyi (Ong San Suu Che) was born in 1945. When she was 2, her father was assassinated. She travelled to England and married Dr Michael Aris. She was elected as Prime Minister of Burma, however, she never took her place as the military took over the country. She has been in house arrest for 14 out of the last 20 years, even though she has never committed any crime. Ruth: Whilst under house arrest, she has been allowed very few visitors. She hasn‘t seen her two sons at all. Aung San Suu Kyi won many awards for leading her democratic party ―The National League for Democracy‖, including the presidential medal for freedom and the Nobel peace prize. Despite the oppressive military regime, her supporters continue to quietly campaign for her release and for Democracy in Burma. There will be an election this year. She will not be allowed to run for office but she remains a symbol of freedom and hope for the Burmese people. Emil: As a group, we discussed her many positive attributes and decided on which ones we would also bring to the role of being Head Boy or Girl. We intend to use similar determination to get what you want. We need to be role models for you, just like Aung San Suu Kyi is for the Burmese. She is also very courageous and charismatic, attributes which are necessary in any leadership role. Dave: What she has done can inspire us all. She was told that she could leave the country, but if she did, she could never return. She could have run away from the problems, but she chose to stay. Caring about her people was far more important to her than having what she wanted. What she chose to do was the much harder option, but it shows that even if things seem hard, you should stick with what you believe in.
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Head Boy & Head Girl Whole School Speeches —2010/2011 Nelson Mandela—Sam Revell, Ruby Hill, Jack Stevenson and Maria Shipley Nelson Mandela was born in the Eastern Cape of South Africa on July 18th 1918. A year after his birth, his father had his land and wealth taken from him on the orders of a white magistrate. Furthermore, when he moved to Johannesburg at the age of 21, Nelson experienced a very discriminative system in which the black population were forbidden to vote, travel without permission, or own land. These experiences made Mandela angry towards the injustices in his country. Mandela became the leader of the anti-apartheids—a movement against black discrimination. Nelson‘s extreme views and activities as the leader of that party angered the white South African government and he was sentenced to 27 years in prison. In confinement, his attitude changed and he patiently waited for his freedom. On his release, Mandela began to peacefully fight to win over the people of South Africa and this approach to protest won him presidency of the country. Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa and served as their leader for 5 years. He achieved this by his extreme motivation and dedication for the peoples‘ rights. He demonstrated reconciliation and forgiveness instead of retaliation and anger towards the injustices of his country. For what he achieved, changing the face of South Africa, he was awarded the Nobel peace prize. Nelson Mandela not only inspires us as a leader, but also as an amazing person. He has shown compassion, confidence and the courage to fight for what is right. These are characteristics we should aspire to; in following his example, we might be effective leaders of the school. But most of all he shows never failing perseverance. As Mandela said ―The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall‖.
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Head Boy & Head Girl Whole School Speeches —2010/2011 Mohandas Gandhi—Joe Robbins, Tom Atkinson, Katy Taylor, Jessica Skibinski Mohandas Gandhi led the Indian National Congress Party, which, in the 20th century, aimed to make India independent from Britain. He believed in peaceful protests and perhaps his most inspiring feat was when he walked 240 miles to the seashore to collect some natural salt in complaint against a British tax on salt. Gandhi‘s first name is Mohandas, but people called him Mahatma, which means ―Great Soul‖. One of his most inspiring quotes can be applied to almost any situation. ―What is faith worth if it is not translated into action?‖ For a lot of his life, Gandhi walked around with nothing on his feet to remind himself of the vulnerability of those he was helping. We thought that we should follow in his footsteps by presenting with bare feet. Gandhi once said ―Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory‖. I may not be determined enough to walk 240 miles to collect some salt, but I am determined enough to work hard, day in, day out, for you. Gandhi stood up for what he believed in, showing the sort of courage that you need to express your beliefs and opinions. I would bring my courage to the role of Head Girl by not being afraid to show initiative and by telling people my ideas. Mahatma Gandhi always found the most effective way to make his point. He had the ability to forge strong bonds with people, and empathised with everyone he helped. I would seek to bring these qualities to the position of Head Girl and form a good relationship between staff and students. Gandhi was always thinking of others and how to improve their lives, which is a virtue that I aspire to. I think that this is essential in leadership and as Head Boy I would aim to make sure your voices are heard and that decisions are made which benefit as many of you as possible. Mahatma Gandhi had the ability to motivate almost everyone he met. Even though he was not the ruler of India, he inspired the whole nation to unite for their freedom. Thanks for listening.
Year 11 Mentoring Group Congratulations to all Year 11 students who are working so hard as part of our Year 11 Mentoring programme. The sessions run twice a week and are an opportunity for students to work towards achieving their target grades in their GCSE examinations. Students are, at present, ensuring that all of their coursework is completed to the highest possible standard, allowing them to concentrate fully on their exam preparation through the Easter Holidays. Keep up the hard work! Jane Price
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Community
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Geography News—Ski Tour 2010 The annual Bishop Perowne ski tour once again departed this year on the Friday before February half-term. Thirty-nine students and four staff, together with five instructors, one entertainments manager and two drivers gathered in the college bus bay to meet our Astons coach. Nearly all the party were in their matching hoodies, giving an immediate sense of belonging to a very special group! As Ms Farr had very generously allowed us to leave college early, we ended up departing during morning break. This meant that not only were we waved off by students‘ families, but also by other students (and some staff!) watching jealously through the gates! The outbound journey to Austria is characterised by anticipation and excitement, combined with a collective sense of endurance. Twenty-four hours on a coach is a long time! However, the journey went without incident, not least because of our two drivers Nick and Spiro who calmly and efficiently drove through the night and into the next day across the continent. An early morning stop brought a new experience for some of us – burger and chips for breakfast. Then we continued on our way south. It was the beginning of a major holiday for both Germans and Austrians that Saturday, so the traffic was inevitably heavy from southern Germany onwards. The final stage of the journey led us up a mountain pass complete with hairpin bends, until we arrived at our hotel in the village of Thiersee. The hotel is a traditional eighteenth century longhouse, the rear portion of which is still serving its purpose as a barn. It is idyllically positioned looking up the valley to the village, with towering snow-covered mountains all around. Our hoteliers, now familiar to us from the previous year‘s trip, greeted us warmly. Reluctantly we had to do an immediate about-turn, without even having a shower or changing clothes, in order to go off to ski hire and collect all our equipment. Consequently, staff and students alike were all the more grateful when we made it back to the hotel to shower, change, unpack and have a proper meal. The hotel provides a three-course meal every evening: soup is followed by a main course and a dessert. Local delicacies (such as pancake soup!) are served alongside more familiar dishes (such as spaghetti bolognese). Most students were very happy to try new things, and those that weren‘t were helped out by one or two human dustbins who we conveniently had with us. As last year, mealtimes were made all the more interesting by the unique hospitality of Sissy, one of our two hoteliers. She was once again overcome by the friendliness of our students and made another emotional speech to us one evening saying how she would remember this moment for the whole of her life. Bishop Perowne remain the only school group of any nationality that the hotel has ever allowed to stay, yet they bend over backwards to make us extremely welcome. Sunday morning began with the daily 7.00am wake up call (which of course meant that the staff were up by 6.30am in order to wake the students!). At the start of the week, students are usually quick to wake and get down to breakfast. The target each day was to be on the coach and setting off by 8.00am. The penalty for tardiness is to act the part of Big Ben on the hour every hour, wherever you are and whatever you‘re doing! This involves holding one‘s arms out at the appropriate angle for the hour and then singing the full Westminster chimes, complete with the correct number of bongs! In short, quite a good incentive not to be late! The first two days‘ skiing were spent at the resort of Ellmau. This provides an excellent mix of everything from beginners‘ nursery slopes to some really very severe red runs. Some of the group were reassured to discover that our senior instructor believed that one particular red run was actually more of a black – and felt duly proud of themselves! All skiers made superb progress the first day, which allowed all four of the ski groups to move on to different skills and different slopes by the second day. Meanwhile, in the evenings our après-ski programme got into full swing. Sunday night featured the traditional Tyrolean evening, which take place in a stunning traditional Austrian village hall, complete with stuffed animals. This evening involves a succession of competitions between the different school groups in attendance, including yodelling, Austrian dancing, four-person skiing and milking a cow. The second evening took us out to a local bowling venue, where the four ski groups (ably assisted by the staff and drivers) competed against one another in the traditional nine-pin bowling. This is made all the more challenging by the lack of ‗bumpers‘ down each side of the alley. It was quite clear that not many of the group were used to bowling without them! The third day‘s skiing saw the group transfer to the resort of Scheffau. The coach journeys to and from the slopes each day were brightened by the unique ―Ski Astons FM‖ – a little known, one-week only pirate radio station. The breakfast show each morning had the task of waking up all the tired coach passengers. This was very successfully achieved on a daily basis by a guest appearance from ―The Reverend‖. This mystery person managed to smuggle himself onto the coach every day and evangelise about the joys of skiing. As a result, the coach, hotel and mountains resounded to shouts of ―Hallelujah!‖ and ―A-men!‖ throughout the week – much to the surprise of some of the other skiers.
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Community
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Geography News—Ski Tour 2010 continued ... Unlike Ellmau, Scheffau requires everyone to board a gondola and make the ascent to Brandstadl, which is spectacularly positioned at an altitude of 1650 metres. Behind it is the beautiful Scheffau bowl, which provides access to hours and hours of skiing potential to skiers of all abilities. This immediately presented the whole group with a new range of challenges, from the various different lifts, through the longer and steeper slopes, to negotiating the many other skiers with whom we were sharing the slopes. In spite of this, all skiers continued to make superb progress, with the expert support of our team of instructors. Scheffau therefore played host to us for the remainder of the week, giving us two full days and two half days of excellent skiing. The entertainments programme continued with a quiz night on Tuesday, which took place in the hotel, giving us all a slightly earlier bedtime. Clearly even this wasn‘t quite enough for some as, by Wednesday morning, some students were almost impossible to wake up in the morning. Even quite extreme measures failed to wake one particular year eleven student (you know who you are!). To give everyone‘s ski legs a break, Wednesday was a half day of skiing, followed by an afternoon spent wandering around the very picturesque Kitzbuhel. This also gave everyone the chance for a little retail therapy. After shopping, the coach took us to the swimming pool at Ellmau, where the slides, jacuzzi, outdoor rapids and the strangely irresistible opportunity to roll in the snow wearing only swimsuits kept everyone entertained for a couple of hours. Thursday evening was our last night, meaning it was time for everyone to bring out their best clothes for the last night disco. The first part of the evening was excellent, but it all proved to be too much for some of our group, who were unfortunately taken ill because of the heat and their sheer exhaustion. This meant taking them to see doctors to be checked out, which gave the rest of the group a slightly earlier night than anticipated. However, it also gave Mrs Boulter the opportunity to get to know one particular ambulance crew even better. By coincidence, she ended up with a crew she‘d already met earlier that day following a student‘s minor fall, and so was on almost first name terms by the end of the evening! Thankfully, all students got a clean bill of health and were able to return to the hotel, albeit rather late in the night. It was tremendously rewarding to witness and watch the progress that all of our students had made by the end of the week. Every single student achieved a qualification on the Skilife snowsports award scheme. The week was a success in every possible way. Everywhere we went, our students were complimented on their behaviour and manners. I would like to take this opportunity to thank sincerely all the instructors, drivers and staff at Astons, as well as Mr and Mrs Boulter, Miss Muddle and Mr Elmougy for giving up their half term to accompany the tour. However, most of all, I would like to thank all of the students who came on the tour for making it a stunning and hugely memorable week. Thanks!
Uniform A reminder to all parents that summer uniform can be worn on our return from the Easter holidays. Summer uniform consists of an open necked, short sleeved shirt displaying the college logo. If a student is wearing a summer shirt they do not wear a blazer or tie. Jane Price
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PSHCCE News : Staying Safe EXPECT RESPECT: Helen Stanbra and Debbie Thomasson have recently trained to deliver the ‗Expect Respect‘ programme within College. The programme focuses on the promotion of safe and healthy relationships and more specifically on the issues of domestic abuse. Helen and Debbie have been working with all the Year 9 PSHCCE classes and involving the staff and students in a workshop style exploration of the issues involved. THE WORCESTER WARRIORS (Anti-Smoking Campaign): Just before Christmas all of the Year 7 students were given an excellent presentation on the dangers of smoking. The presentation was delivered by Peter Hill from the Worcester Warriors and included a range of visual and interactive methods of presenting the facts and information to the students. During March Peter has been back in College working with the Year 7s, during their PSHCCE classes, as an evaluative follow up to his presentation. Students have also completed a whole unit of work based on the information given by Peter and gained an excellent understanding of the issues involved in smoking, on which to base their own decisions on living a healthy lifestyle. ALCOHOL AWARENESS: During May 2010 a team from the South Worcestershire Safety Partnership, lead by Ann Nichols, will be in College to work with all of our Year 9 students during their PSHCCE lessons. These sessions will focus on ‗alcohol awareness‘ and encourage all our students to adopt healthy lifestyles in respect of alcohol use and abuse. SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION: The Sex and Relationships aspect of PSHCCE will once again be supported and enhanced by visits to College by the Cedar Tree organisation. Last year Cedar Tree delivered some excellent sessions on relationships education to our Year 9 students and this year they will also work with all of our Year 7 students. Cedar Tree will be in College during June and we look forward to what is always an excellent opportunity for our students. Helen Stanbra will also continue to deliver her excellent sex and relationships program to our Year 7 students in April. This will further develop the work done on relationships education within the PSHCCE curriculum and, along with the Cedar Tree sessions, will give our students a comprehensive and wide ranging experience of this important aspect of PSHCCE. We wish Ms Allport well as she takes over as teacher in charge of PSHCCE and thank Mr Plant for the excellent job he has done. Mr Plant will now devote more time to Arts College activities.
Student News My Name is Robert and I am in Year 8 in Form D9 and Duckworth Community. I am a Scout at the 1st Worcester Scout Group and have been selected as one of thirty six people from Hereford and Worcester (the only one from Worcester District) to go to the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden in 2011. To be selected, I had to attend a selection day and underwent a number of interviews and challenges such as backwoods cooking, planning a meal and crossing a pond with only two planks and some string. During these challenges, I was assessed on my skills and suitability to be a member of the Hereford and Worcester contingent. I was luckily selected out of 60 people who attended the day. When I go to the Jamboree in July 2011, I will spend three days in Copenhagen to meet up with the 4,000 strong British contingent and then travel to Sweden and spend 10 days at the Jamboree itself, camping within the British camp as the Hereford and Worcester contingent and then once the 10 days and the official Jamboree has finished, I will be spending 3 days in home hospitality in a Baltic Country which will be an experience on its own. I have to raise £1,800 which will allow myself, and contribute towards, a third World Scout to attend the Jamboree. I have kindly been given a donation from the Governors and School towards my total. I will also be carrying out a number of fundraising activities over the next twelve months , both in and outside of school. I would like to thank Governors of Bishop Perowne for giving me such a great start to my fundraising and I hope to represent the school and the Worcester Scout District as best I can. Robert Hurley
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Drama News ‘The Battle of Worcester’ at St Barnabas Primary School. On Friday 5th March the Year 10 GCSE students completed their project on ‗The Battle of Worcester‘ with a performance and workshop at St Barnabas Primary School. The performance, a 30 minute improvised piece of Theatre In Education (TIE), communicated information and facts about ‗The Battle of Worcester‘ to the Year 5 students who had been studying this event as part of their history syllabus. Following the workshop, the students from Bishop Perowne ran a twenty minute workshop in which they encouraged the Year 5s to take part in a drama exploration of what they had learnt from the performance. This was a great opportunity for the students from both Bishop Perowne and St Barnabas to work together and one which we hope to repeat as often as possible in the future. At the end of the afternoon, the staff at St Barnabas were kind enough to ask us back to do some more drama during their ‗One World Week‘ in July. Trips To The Theatre In the past three months more than one hundred of our students, from all year groups, have been on trips to see professional productions at The Malvern Theatres. These have included productions of ‗The Rocky Horror Show‘, ‗Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat‘ and ‗Blood Brothers‘. As well as being a fantastic experience in their own right, trips to the theatre are often used as a means of supporting learning within the curriculum, with many of the productions being used as part of the KS3 and KS4 courses. Both the Year 10 and 11 students who have visited the theatre recently will be using their experiences on which to base their GCSE coursework evaluations.
Eurovision Stars Shine at Bishop Perowne Thursday 11th March saw Bishop Perowne Church of England College host a glittering tribute to the Eurovision Song Contest. Over 85 students from Years 8 and 9 performed in French, German and Spanish at the College‘s first annual ‗Concours Eurovision de la Chanson‘. Hosted in English and French by Deputy Head Teacher, Andy Cox and Modern Foreign Languages and Drama teacher Mary Windows-Yule, this truly European occasion was the brainchild of C and T animateur Dan Morgan, who worked closely with teachers from the Modern Foreign Languages department. Students lipsynced in French, German and Spanish to songs old and new, familiar and unknown, all now truly memorable. In a sophisticated Cabaret ambience, students, parents, staff and governors were treated to a real ‗spectacle‘, as group after group performed, with video introductions and backing. At the end of the evening, audience votes were counted and the Eurovision title was presented to ‗JIFFIES‘, six Year 9 girls who lipsynced to ‘99 Luft Ballons‘, the classic Nena song from the eighties. À la prochaine fois!
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Drama News—Blood Brothers Some more photos from our production of Blood Brothers
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Art Department News Blood Brothers The college production of Blood Brothers was a huge success. Performing to three full houses, the production showed an outstanding quality of drama, choreography, scenery and technical support. Again it was a pleasure to welcome past students to work backstage and give technical support. Thanks and congratulations to all the students that took part for their enthusiasm, professionalism and very hard work. Also to Mr Plant, Miss Alexander and Roger Huffadine, without which, the show would not have happened. C&T The summer term will see C&T‘s schools across the country, teaming up with schools in Australia and The Gambia, to create a series of documentary-drama performances on the theme H2O, exploring the impact that climate change is having on flooding and draught and the way that schools and students are being affected. For more information on how to get involved, speak to Dan Morgan. Eurovision What an evening! 17 acts representing three different countries, compared by our very own Mrs Windows–Yule and Mr Cox, (who even tried out a bit of French and German). Students from year 8 and 9 performed and Lipsynced like professionals in their chosen language, providing an amazing evening of entertainment. Congratulations to all students who took part, performed, backstage and the fantastic Waiters who made the evening run so smoothly. The evening was the final celebration of an Arts Across the Curriculum project, combining dance, drama and music with French, German and Spanish. The event and project was inspired and coordinated by Dan Morgan from C&T.
8Y8 who all took part on behalf of France.
Some of 9Y2 who performed in German.
J.I.F.I.E.S, the eventual Eurovision, Lip-Sync champions with their German song, Nene‘s 99 Luft Ballons (99 Red Balloons)
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Art Department News Konflux Theatre Company and Primary Schools Konflux Theatre Company have been working with Year 10 Drama Students on Theatre In Education techniques. The same Year 10 Drama Students conducted a series of workshop and performance at St Barnabas Primary as has Dan Morgan from C&T. Worcester University Students have been working with Year 7 groups conducting drama workshops on the text ‗Skellig‘ by David Almond. Theatre Visits Mr Plant arranged three theatre trips for GCSE students who had the privilege of visiting Malvern Theatres to see Joseph and The Rocky Horror Show and Blood Brothers. Tremor Theatre Company CONGRATULATIONS to Tremor Theatre Company, (Bishop Perowne Community theatre group) for winning the award for best set in their recent performance of ―Florintines‖ at the Swan Theatre this month. Music Department Older members of the College choir will be performing in Worcester Cathedral on the 24 th March in a performance of the Armed Man by Karl Jenkins. Song Writing Workshops Students in Years 9 and 10 took part in a song writing workshop with Nigel Clark, composing a fantastic song that will be produced to sell, to raise funds for Haiti. County Dance Festival Following huge success over the last three years, Bishop Perowne and the Year 10 dance students have been invited to run the County Dance Festival. Students from year 10, 11 the specialist intake and the Boys dance group will be taking part. Wireboyz performed at No8 in Pershore on the 29th March. Their performance was stunning and highly acclaimed by the professional dancers. New Appointment We are delighted to have appointed Miss Davies to join the Arts Team from September 2010. Miss Davies will be known to many students from her secondment to us this term and her invaluable help with the production of Blood Brothers. Her wide experience of the Arts and theatre will help us in the delivery of the Creative and Media Diploma in September. Creative and Media Diploma As September approaches, plans are being put into place for the delivery of the Creative and Media diploma. The new Television Studio is nearly ready and a white line in the middle quad outlines the parameter of a new Performing Arts space, which will be completed by September.
Leadership Academy David Kling and Ruth Taylor have been busy attending workshops on Leadership, ready for the Summer Festival. They have also completed the first stage of a First Aid Certificate.
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Art Department News Art Department The Art department have impacted on our community work this term with two digital photography workshops for parents and students. Miss Thorne and Mr Hewson have also had an exhibition of their own work at the Boston Tea Party. The exhibition runs until the 8th April. Art teachers at Bishop Perowne Church of England College exhibit their own work.
Both artists use mixed media, combining their own photography, reclaimed materials and vintage ephemera to create their own artwork. Mr Hewson and Miss Thorne use their experience of using a range of techniques and media in their own work and teach these within the Art curriculum at college, sharing and extending their practice as working artists. Partner Schools St Barnabas Church of England Primary, Music technology. A group of 13 students have been working with Mr Tommey this term to learn how to use the Mac computers. They will be using these skills to teach their peers in their own school. Dan Morgan has worked with the whole school, leading drama workshops as part of their Science week on the theme of Space. St Georges Church of England Primary School. A drama group is now running successfully at St Georges, funded by Bishop Perowne Arts College. We look forward to their performance toward the end of the year. Wolverley Church of England High School is now our new secondary partner school. Meeting visits between the two schools have taken place and projects to support each school are now being planned.
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Art Department News Digital Media Workshops Last year, 5 students in Year 7 successfully won a bid from FLOSS to pay for an artist to run 3 digital media workshops using Photoshop Elements 7 and A6 graphics tablets. The first workshop was held on 6th March with students from the college working with a parent or carer. A parent said of the event, ‗All good, interesting and helpful. Just the right amount of information and hands on time‘. The other two workshops will be held on 20th and 27th March, again focusing on basic techniques to improve photographs with Chris Preece, a photographer who lives and works in Herefordshire.
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LRC News Hi my name is Georgia Robinson and I am a librarian at Bishop Perowne C.E College. The library is a quiet place to read books and finish off homework. One of the many things to do in the library is to read books. You can get out up to two books at a time. Also you can study by getting out some of the non-fiction books out (which are the ones on the outside). If you want to just read for fun then the ones in the middle are the books for you. We have got a subject of books for everyone. You can become a librarian in any year but I think starting at the start of my Bishop Perowne journey was better than starting half way through. By Georgia Robinson
Book Review Review of Lyra’s Oxford By Philip Pullman First of all I am very happy that Philip Pullman decided to continue his dark materials for I (and probably other fans as well), always wanted to know what happened after the end of Amber Spyglass. Along with Once upon a time in the north, this book has answered many of my questions, but on the other hand these small but brilliantly written books have created even more questions that need answering. The only fault I can find in Lyra’s Oxford now and again, especially at the back, are things like a map and a page from a directory however, these might be puzzle pieces to a bigger picture as Lyra’s Oxford tells us at the beginning ‗this book contains a story and several other things. The other things might be connected with the story, or they might not; they might be connected to stories that haven‘t appeared yet. It‘s not easy to tell. Over all I think that this is a brilliant book. I would advise everyone to read it. However, to make more sense of the story, I would read some other books in this order: Northern lights, Subtle knife, Amber spyglass, then Lyra’s Oxford and Once upon a time in the north. Review by Michael Schenk Year 7
Author Visit—Paula McElearney On Monday 22nd February we were delighted to share our lunch break author, Paula McElearney. She spoke to us about her book "Lost in Time" which is based on places in our historical Worcester. She told us about smugglers and smugglers caves that really existed below the City, and about how two little girls get "lost in time". Paula also asked our students about their writing and was very encouraging to everyone. The book will soon be on the bookshelves in bookshops and in our College Library. This event was organised by Daisy Glynn-Jackson (Year7) as part of her Reading Champions Challenge. Daisy Glynn-Jackson with Paula McElearney
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LRC News continued... Professor Jean Webb, from Worcester University joined our College for two days and worked with over two hundred students from year 7 to year 10. The sessions included looking at picture books,and how complex and meaningful stories can be told without words, literature and war, and the changing attitudes through the different times and wars, using books and comics, The environment, books from different times and countries were used to demonstrate how authors and illustrators use various colours and designs, often abstract or cartoon to get serious messages across to the reader. Professor Webb brought a number of books from different countries, including Native American, Australian, Belgian and others to show our students. Students learnt a great deal from this experience and following the sessions commented:"I have considered what it might be like growing up in the time of the war" "People are different in a number of ways" "No matter where you live you could be a hero" "There are lots of different ways to tell a story" "There are lots of different opinions on war" "I liked her reading from the book War Horse"
We Are Writers Book Many students and a few staff are submitting pieces of writing for the Bishop Perowne Book, called We Are Writers, which will be published by Scholastic. Parents, friends and family will be able to purchase this book from our College Library. It is not too late to submit something, so if your son or daughter is a budding writer and would like to add something to the book, please send it to Mrs Bromyard. Any piece of writing is suitable from stories, poems, letters, recipes, etc, any length, from a few lines to a couple of thousand words!
Base Jumping Base jumping is where fearless adrenalin junkies jump off fixed objects like sky scrapers, building, antennas and even bridges and cliffs. Some people feel scared and it gives you a big adrenalin rush and after that it feels so good you just want to do it again. Sometimes you get loads of base jumpers that jump together. It is extremely dangerous. Leaping off cliffs at 15,000 feet and 100 miles per hour - this is why crazy people do this. On my first attempt, my body felt excited but at the same time I was shaking but as soon as I jumped out, the wind hit my face and I felt good. I will always remember that feeling. But I will try it again. Carl Blount
First Aid Hannah Walker, y10 and Simon Williams, Y9 have successfully completed their first aid training course at the Worcester Canoe Club.
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Home Access Scheme Get it right first time We‘ve got some top tips for making sure that grant applications are right first time. They‘ll help to ensure that grant applicants avoid the sort of mistakes that could delay their application and prevent them getting their Home Access package as quickly as possible. 1. Look at the school year, not age Check what school year your child is in before applying. Home Access is available to pupils in school years 3 to 9, normally aged between 7 and 14 (and school years 1 to 13 if they are Looked After Children). 2. Choose the package that’s right for you Select your Home Access package carefully on the application form. There are various packages available and you should select your package type carefully as you will not be able to change it, or the purchasing method, once the application form has been submitted. If you have a fit-for-purpose computer but does not have internet access, you can apply for a grant to buy the internet access. If you do not have a computer that is fit-for-purpose (ie is several years old) then you may want to apply for the full package. Do not apply if you have already received a computer from another publicly funded scheme, such as Computers For Pupils (CfP) or the Home Access pilots. 3. Tailored packages to suit the learner All Home Access packages come pre-loaded with Assistive Technology software, including text to speech, text prediction, mind mapping and screen magnification. Additional assistance is available for learners with special educational needs who will be ab le to apply for additional grant funding to cover the cost of appropriate assistive technology. Children with enhanced needs will be evaluated on a case by case basis from summer 2010, but you‘re recommended to send your application form for this in right now. 4. Don’t leave a gap Ensure ALL the mandatory fields are completed on the application form before sending it back. This includes the learner‘s name and date of birth. If any mandatory information is missing from the form, it will be returned and it will delay your grant. 5. Sign on the dotted line Double check that you have signed your application form before sending it back. Unsigned application forms will be returned to the applicant if this is missing. 6. Get your evidence right Children that have been registered for Free School Meals for more than four weeks do not need to provide additional proof of benefits. If the claim cannot be verified this way then supporting documentation will need to be submitted for assessment. Any supporting evidence must be an original, no copies will be accepted. The address on any benefit letters must match the address on the application form. The recipient of the benefit should complete the application form, ie, not the father if it is the mother who claims it. For child benefit evidence, letters dated from 1st December 2008 will be accepted. But, don‘t include it if you don‘t need to!! 7. Shop around When you receive your Grant Card, be sure to shop around. Home Access Grants are delivered to families by a single use Home Access Grant Card and associated PIN number, which can only be redeemed with Approved Suppliers, however there are differences in the offers available from each supplier. 8. Use it or lose it The Home Access Grant Card is only valid for three months. It must be used within this time, and it may only be used once so you must buy everything you need at the same time from the same company. 9. Call if you get stuck The Home Access helpline is friendly! Our Assessment Officers are available between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, and on Saturday from 9am to 1pm to help if you require assistance in filling out the form. Just call 0333 200 1004. W.G.Alloway – Director of E-Learning
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Sports Department News It is always pleasing to recognise individuals who have excelled in their chosen sports, but as the winter months draw to a conclusion it is time to reflect on these teams who have managed to bond together and support each other throughout the year through thick and thin. For example, the present year 7 Boys Rugby Team while being new to the college and each other, have never missed a training night despite the weather and I am pleased to say have shown great progress in every game, winning their last match against Blessed Edward Oldcorne, a convincing 30 points to 10. The same could be said of the Girls Rugby Team who recently qualified for their West Midlands tournament!!! Another example would be the year 10 Rugby Team, who have not always been consistent in training with themselves and staff having other commitments? Having said that, they showed great character against an out numbered and stronger BEO side, holding them to a draw in the first half through solid tackling and support play for each other. The final Worcester District Partnership leagues are approaching their conclusion with most outstanding games all but played. Although, not all of our teams will be champions this year, I am confident that all will have enjoyed their sport through taking part. Presently, the following teams are all looking to finish as Champions or Runners-up? Girls Football U13 and U16 Netball U13, U15 and U16 Boys Football Year 8 and Year 9 Rugby Year 11 Time will tell????????????? SIXWAYS RUGBY TOURNAMENT Bishop's regain their two trophies by winning year 9 and 11. Once again, the college entered all FIVE age groups in this prestigious and eagerly anticipated event. 100 students were involved, competing against all of our local schools. Last year‘s champions from year 8 and 10 will be sought to defend their titles, while the year 7 looked to continue to make progress. Year 7 feedback The squad of 16 players started their campaign knowing that their's was going to be one of the hardest to finish, with more schools entering this age group than any other. The format was a round robin tournament and their first game was a bruising affair against West Acre Middle school which finished in a draw 0-0. Their next game saw them starting to realise that if they passed the ball quickly wide, then their backs would find gaps to run into as Matt Sowden, Dan Jones, Tom Bently, Tom Jeynes, Alex Williamson and Josh Guest did. Their 15-5 victory was well deserved! The next game against Witton Middle School was very close but resulted eventually in a 5-0 loss after a missed tackle. This left them to play the big side of Chantry who tried to bulldoze their way through, only to find our forwards of Iuen Howle, Luke Ford, David Hudson, Jack Passey, Oliver Biddle, Adam Davies, Tom Allies and Kieren Burns were up to the challenge. Unfortunately, they could not hold out forever and were unlucky to lose again 5-0. This meant that in order to finish third they had to win their two remaining games against local rivals CWH and BEO. By now the rain had started and the conditions were getting worse by the minute. However, our players of the tournament Charlie Beesley and Luke Southall kept the team positive and going forward by making breaks and big tackles when needed to secure two victories 5-0. Adam Davies finished as their top try scorer, but I believe they are now recognising their potential as a team, rather than a group of individuals. This side has certainly made progress this year and have been well led by Charlie Beesley at training and matches. ‌........and the award goes to : Last year's Year 10 Rugby Team!!!!! This was the latest in a long line of accolades that last year's, year 10 Rugby Squad gained. The award was presented at the guildhall in Worcester as part of the annual celebration of sport in Worcester. The award was collected by Miss Day on behalf of Bishop Perowne for the Rugby Team in recognition of the team's achievements over the last year, becoming District and County Champions. This is on top of successfully defending their title from year 9 Sixways tournament. Mr Westrip summed it up by saying 'it was no less than they deserved'!!!
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Sports Department News continued ... Stop Press Congratulations again to William Lockett who has been selected to compete in the European Championships for his chosen sport of Sailing. Also to Tom Sharwood who has been chosen to play for the Midlands in his chosen sport of Rugby. I. Brand
Sports Relief On Friday the 19th March, we held a ‗rise to the challenge event‘ for Sports Relief. Students raised money by coming to college in non school uniform. Then throughout the day students were asked to participate in an old fashioned obstacle race. The event included space hoppers, balance beams, hula hoops and egg and spoon! Our students from all years really did ‗rise to the challenge‘, being keen to take part and support their fellow community members as they competed. Even staff were persuaded to compete, adding to everyone‘s entertainment! Our final total is yet to be finalised but the current amount stands at over £800 raised. Congratulations and thank you to all who took part! Jane Price
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Sports Department News continued ... Sports Hall Athletics Year 6 pupils from Claines, St Georges, St Barnabas and Northwick came to join us for our Sports Hall Indoor Athletics Competition. Although this has always been based at school, this year we used Perdiswell Leisure Centre and extended the numbers of children taking part from 4 classes to 7 classes. Altogether 210 young athletes took part in running races, obstacle races and throwing and jumping events. 23 Sports Leaders from year 8 assisted the smooth running of the competition. Claines were the overall winners with 226, with Northwick very close in second with 220. To see so many youngsters taking part with such enthusiasm and support for each other was brilliant and for some maybe the start of a career in athletics ready for the next Olympics! Jill Repton from Worcester Athletics club assisted with the event and previously delivered taster sessions in the primary schools. County Sports Hall Athletics We were privileged to be asked to provide leaders at the Year 7 County Sports Hall Athletics in the afternoon. This was a much different event from the morning with winning being the main focus. Our leaders were fantastic considering they were only a year older than the competitors. They were not fazed by this and officiated with confidence. The leaders were:Lucy Avery Lucy Berry Jordan Blake Thomas Blundell Paul Chapman Emily Dinsdale Raha Eskafi Bethany Fuller Ben Garrard Robert Hurley Joseph Ingles Charlotte Jones Michael King Fiona Morris Joseph Parker Matthew Parkinson Kyle Pugh Conor Sheridan Jamie Smith Jonathan Taylor Katie Wallbank Molly Westcott Abigail Whitehouse
The Leaders
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Sports Department News continued ‌ Year 8 Leadership Team On the 5th of March, 23 Year 8 students spent the day at Perdiswell Leisure Centre, learning about leadership skills. In the morning, a Year 6 event took place. We had to lead different athletics activities. The activities were triple jump, long jump, chest push, relay, obstacle races and speed bounces. All of these activities were lead by Year 8 and some of us judged the races, time keeping and result keeping. The schools that came in the morning were St Barnabas, Northwick Manor, Claines and St Georges. This was basically a practice of what we did in the afternoon with the Year 7 competition, although the Year 7 Herefordshire and Worcestershire Athletics County Final was a lot more competitive! I was helping out on the triple jump, I had to write down how far each person jumped and then give the results to Tom and Joe who added them onto the computer results table. Beth was measuring the distance each person jumped and she did demonstrations on how to do the triple jump. Finally, Ben was explaining to everyone how to do the triple jump properly. I thought all the Year 8s found the day interesting and fun, also the Year 6s and Year 7s enjoyed it too. I would definitely do something like that again! We also had really nice instructors to help us and we received a booklet on athletics. Abi Whitehouse On Friday 5th March, 23 Year 8 students from Bishop Perowne went to Perdiswell Leisure Centre to officiate at an athletics festival. In the morning, four Worcester Primary schools took part. Year 6 pupils from Northwick Manor, Claines, St George‘s and St Barnabas Primary Schools had a morning of jam-packed fun activities. This was followed by the County Finals in the afternoon. Year 7 students from 7 different schools, representing Worcester, Evesham and Droitwich took part in the festival. The whole day was a really great experience, with several track and field events including standing triple jump, standing long jump, vertical high jump and chest push. There were many races going on too, such as hurdles, relay and lots more. The day was great fun for all involved, it has improved my leadership skills and I would definitely do it again.
U13 Girls Football Team The u13 girls football team played in a city tournament at Nunnery Wood High School. Although there were only three teams, it did not spoil the occasion with each school playing each other twice. Bishops started off well, beating Nunnery 3-0, Emily Burton and Shahena Sultana, the scorers. Then beating BEO 1-0 with fantastic goals from Emily Burton in a closely contested game. Bishops striker Abbie Laker pulled her hamstring but insisted on playing on. All credit to her team spirit. In the second round we drew with Nunnery and were on course to beat BEO with a great shot on goal from Emily which would have certainly gone in, (maybe a biased view), but another ball from some lads came across to the goal area and the Blessed keeper went to save. A bit like the situation at Anfield with the beach ball!!! But this time, the goal was disallowed. Luckily, at the end of the day it did not affect us winning the competition. Well done to Capt Abbie Laker, striker defence Charlie Wood and Nicky le Poidevin and Midfield Emily Burton, Shahena Sultana and Abbie Fallon-Wilson.
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Sports Department News continued... Year 3 Orienteering On Friday 19th March, Bishop Perowne hosted an orienteering festival for Year 3 children from St Barnabas CE, St Georges CE, Claines and Northwick Manor Primary Schools. Altogether, over 200 children raced around both the playing fields trying their best to find as many controls as they could. Two girls from Northwick actually managed to find all 30 some achievement! Students from the yr10 GCSE PE and Btech Sports classes were great ambassadors for the school. In pairs, they had responsibility for a group of 20 children. They encouraged and helped the children with the orienteering tasks, taking responsibility and getting fully involved in the event. Well done to:Harry Aston, Ryan Atkins, Julia Bellingham, Stacie Davies, Stefan Gaskell, Nathan Lewis, Adam Meek, Sam Morris, Luke Palmer, Kyle Thornelow, Kriston Bake, Rob Crowe, Hugh Frans, Matt Garrad, Ryan Harris, Charlie Hooman, Rebecca Hooper, Dave King, Harry Osbourne, Liz Porteous, Aaron Roberts, Anthea Sutherland.
Netball Netball at Bishop Perowne this term has gone well, with games and tournaments against other schools in Worcester. The year 7‘s beat Tudor Grange 8-1 in a league game giving us a current position of 4 th in Worcester. They also represented the school at the under 12 Netball Tournament. We were given a difficult pool but were still able to play well as a team and win one game. The year 8 team also went to the Worcester Schools Tournament and have had success in league games, beating Tudor Grange 10-1. Despite some players being selected to play for the year 9s, the team have achieved 5th position in the Droitwich and Worcester City schools league. The year 9s have played three league games this term reaching 7th place in their league. The year 10s have had great success winning all their games including Nunnery 8-5 and Droitwich 8-1, putting them in first position. The year 11 team are also top of their league. They have shown how to balance work and sport well, dealing with GCSE exam pressures and work deadlines. Overall, the term has been successful and we hope it continues both with the summer activities next term and netball again next year.
Girl’s Rugby The year 7‘s played in their first ever contact rugby tournament this year at Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club. The girls did exceptionally well, qualifying for the West Midlands tournament held at five Ways. Led by Shannon Northcott, the year 7‘s managed to come fourth out of the ten teams that had qualified. If the girls continue to commit to training they have the potential to do very well next year.
Rugby Development Day at Nunnery Wood All years recently competed in a rugby development day for girls at Nunnery wood. The key stage 3 team played against both Blessed‘s and Nunnery Wood. With both schools having a number of Worcester RFC players, the girls unfortunately lost, however they competed very well and improved greatly throughout the day. The key stage 4 team led by Megan Burton did exceptionally well winning all their games convincingly. The girls are now preparing for their Sixways Tournament next week.
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Sports Department News continued... Year 9 Rugby Tournament at Sixways This year the nines had high hopes for the Sixways Tournament having been joint winners last year. They made a great start by beating Chantry 10-0 in the first game, having lost to them earlier this year. Unfortunately, during the 1st game, Ashley King got injured and was unable to take any further part in the competition. This was a real blow for the year nine boys as Ashley has been an integral part of the team all year. However, the team pulled together and under very difficult weather conditions, made it through to the final against Nunnery Wood High School. Bishop Perowne started well, putting together some great phases of play. Eventually they were awarded a great team try which was finished off by Ryan Davies. Bishop‘s were then put under a lot of pressure by Nunnery Wood but with some great defence, they managed to hold on to become the Sixways winners. The whole team have been very committed this year to training and have shown great team spirit. They thoroughly deserved their win. Year 9 team Lewis Austin Joe Birbeck Charlie Burton Tom Buteux Brennan Cross Ryan Davies Morgan Hudson Chris Key Ashley King Nick McPherson Harry Miller Jack Moore Anton Preen Ben Russell Andrew Tansell Joe Terry Marcin Zatorski
U16—Year 11 Report from ‘Sixways’ Tournament 2010 60 MINUTES OF RUGBY - PLAYED: 5; WON: 5; POINTS FOR: 34; POINTS AGAINST: 0; LOST TEETH: 2. "The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory.' Vince Lombardi Convincing defeats against local rivals Nunnery Wood High School and Droitwich Spa High School during the season, saw the Year 11 rugby squad approach the annual 'Sixways' festival with more apprehension than ever before. Self belief, determination, commitment and pride were the order of the day if they were to successfully defend their crown, and win the tournament at their final ever attempt. They started well, securing a comfortable 5-0 win against Nunnery Wood High School. Their second fixture saw a hard earned 5-0 victory against a determined Blessed Edward Oldcorne Side. Droitwich Spa High School were up next, brimming with confidence after home and away victories against us during the season. An early try from skipper Tom Sharwood settled the early nerves and despite the loss of Sharwood's two front teeth, the side clung on to secure another one try to none victory.
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Sports Department News continued... Sadly, as a result of his injury, Sharwood could play no further part in the tournament and headed off to seek a good dentist. Meanwhile, the rest of the considerable squad tried to focus on grinding out the required final two victories in games against Chantry High School and Tudor Grange Academy. These duly came - another well earned 5-0 victory was secured against a committed Chantry side, followed up by the last game ever, a 12-0 victory over neighbours Tudor Grange on a deteriorating pitch, in deteriorating light, and in truly abysmal weather conditions. A fantastic final flourish, and a fitting way to mark the end of an era. (4/5 - a pretty good return down the years boys - well played! "You made an old man very happy!") Squad: Sam Ball, Dan Bateman, Robert Patrick, Nat Park, Jack Bonnick, Sam Whittingham, Jordan Haddock, Stefan Vasiljevic, Leonard Terry, Tom 'Sanderson' Sharwood (c), Matty Clarke, Micheal Croad, Josh Smith, Tom Wilkins, Matthew Dobson, Ben Dargie, Naim Uddin, Jed(i) Turner, Shaun Morris, Luke Smith, Ashley Damm, Sean Roberts, Ollie Booth, Joe Burton, John Sansome. PS - Many, many congratulations to those who have progressed to representative honours during the season: Worcestershire and North Midlands: Sam Ball, Micheal Croad and Tom Sharwood. Midlands: Tom Sharwood. PPS - Massive, massive thanks to all parents who have supported these boys throughout their Bishop Perowne rugby careers, and in particular to Mr. Graham Dargie for coaching down the years. Mr Westrip I should like to add my thanks to Mr Westrip for his infectious enthusiasm and total dedication to our team. He has worked tirelessly to bring out the best in them, giving them an unforgettable experience and some fantastic results. Ms J Farr
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Community Leisure : Community Leisure: Community Leisure Do you need: A venue for a conference? A meeting place for you club? A performance/theatre space with a sprung floor and professional quality sound/lighting? Sports facilities? ICT facilities? A dining facility? Bishop Perowne may prove to be the ideal venue Please telephone Mike Betteridge—Bursar on 01905 746806 to discuss your requirements.
College Blazers are now available to purchase from the Friends of Bishop Perowne Prices start from ÂŁ21.50 Please contact the Finance Department on 01905 746802
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Approved Term Dates—Academic Year 2010—2011 Autumn Term Term Starts
Wednesday 1st September 2010
Half Term
Monday 25th October 2010 – Friday 29th October 2010
Term Ends
Friday 17th December 2010 Spring Term
Term Starts
Tuesday 4th January 2011
Half Term
Monday 21st February 2011 – Friday 25th February 2011
Term Ends
Friday 8th April 2011 Summer Term
Term Starts
Tuesday 26th April 2011
Half Term
Monday 30th May – Friday 3rd June 2011
Term Ends
Friday 22nd July 2011
Good Friday Easter Monday May Day
Friday 22nd April 2011 Monday 25th April 2011 Monday 2nd May 2011 Teacher Education Days
Wednesday 1st September 2010 Friday 22nd October 2010 Tuesday 4th January 2011 th Tuesday 26 April and Wednesday 27th April 2011
Easter Building Work As with all holidays, there will be some construction work on the College site this Easter. A new office is being built to the left of the main entrance. This will give welcome additional space for the College Administration team. Groundworks will also be carried out in connection with the construction of a new Performing Arts Building. This building will be located in the central quad and is of the same type as the new dining room, but considerably larger. It will have a purpose built dance studio, changing rooms and an art teaching room. Once the groundworks have been completed, a concrete slab will be laid. Following this, the shell of the building can be erected and fitted out. The building is due to open at the start of the new academic year next September.
We continue to rely on the support of our partner schools and colleges to make the Arts College a success. Many thanks for all they have done so far… Claines Church of England Primary School Northwick Manor Primary School Perdiswell Primary School St Barnabas Church of England Primary School St George’s Church of England Primary School University of Worcester
Merriman’s Hill Road Worcester WR3 8LE
Wolverley Church of England College Worcester College of Technology
Tel: 01905 746800 Fax: 01905 746846 Website: www.bishopperowne.com Email: info@bishop-perowne.worcs.sch.uk Issue: 4 (February 2010) Headteacher: Ms Julie Farr
Worcester Sixth Form College Our business partners and of course the parents and staff past and present who make up:
Important dates for your diary at a glance April Thursday 1st Monday 19th Tuesday 20th Thursday 22nd Monday 26th May Monday 3rd Wednesday 5th Thursday 6th Wednesday 12th Monday 17th Wednesday 19th Thursday 20th Friday 21st Monday 24th Wednesday 26th Friday 28th Monday 31st June Monday 7th
Term Ends Teacher Education Day Return to School on Week A Sixth Form College Information Evening 4.30pm5.30pm Yr 7/8 Gifted &Talented Maths Day May Day Bank Holiday Yr 1 Multi skills pm Yr 10 Subject Consultation 4-6pm Evening of Music 7.30pm Yr 8 HPV Vaccine Reception Festival am Science Booster Day Attendance Letters Issued, Yr 11 Science Module Llanrug Course (for week) Yr 11 Science Module Yr 11 Celebration—Whole College Fundraising, Yr 11 Science Modules, Newsletter Published, Year 11 Last Full Day in College Half Term Return to School on Week A, Yr 11 Study Support Timetable starts, Maths Terminal Exam
We seek to develop a caring Christian Community in which we nurture individuals, encourage learning, creativity and endeavour, inspire all to excel and reach their potential and to help all young learners to grow into active and responsible citizens who are able to make a difference in the world.