BVC News Autumn 2016

Autumn/Winter 2016 Issue 21

The magazine of Bo sham Village College

Inside this issue x Exam Results x Children in need x Capital Build x Open Evening x Careers news x Sports News x Plus lots more news

Achievement through inspiring, caring, enriching

A message from the Principal

Bo sham Village College Lode Road Bo sham Cambridgeshire CB25 9DL Tel: 01223 811250 Fax: 01223 813123 enquiries@bo shamvc.org

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Spring Term 2017 Tuesday 3rd January - Start of spring term 30th January - 10th February - Year 9 OpƟons fortnight 13th - 17th February - Half-term 2nd - 10th March—Year 11 Mock Exams Friday 31st March - End of spring term Summer Term 2017 Tuesday 18th April - Training Day Wednesday 19th April - Start of Summer term Monday 1st May - May Day 29th May—2nd June - Half-term Monday 5th June - Start of Exam Season 3rd - 14th July - Year 10 Work Experience 10th - 14th July - AcƟviƟes Week Friday 21st July - End of Summer term

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Happy New Year!

We hope you have all had a wonderful holiday and are ready for the busy term ahead.

As the new Principal of Bottisham Village College, I feel incredibly privileged to be leading the college into the next part of an exciting journey, building on its outstanding track record and leading the college into the next exciting stage of its development.

Over the past twenty years as a member of staff at Bottisham I have enjoyed working with young people in my various roles and firmly believe that all students should feel safe and have access to an outstanding, appropriate curriculum, taught by inspiring teachers, in an ethos of ‘every child matters’. Ambitious targets should demonstrate the highest expectations for the outcomes of our students, challenging and supporting where necessary, closing the attainment gap between vulnerable groups and other students. Every Bottisham Village College student should be fully prepared for the world of work with the necessary confidence, qualifications and skills, allowing them to meet the challenges of further education and adulthood.

It is clear to see that Bottisham Village College is in a unique situation; A founding member of a Trust, Lead school in the Anglian Gateway Teaching School Alliance and now successful in gaining a £16.7M capital expansion programme. The challenge is to continue to provide an outstanding education, embracing new opportunities and keeping true with the Henry Morris vision and the special ethos the College has developed.

I very much look forward to working together with parents, staff, students and the local community in the very near future to bring this vision into fruition.

Have a wonderful term.

Mrs Jenny Rankine

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Exam Results 2016 As many of you will know, the class of 2016 achieved some wonderful results in the GCSE examina ons. Some of the highlights can be found below: x 77% of all students achieved 5 A*-C inc English and Mathema cs x 81% of students achieved A*-C in both English and Mathema c x 45% of students achieved the EBACC Qualifica on

An outstanding set of results that are significantly higher than the na onal picture.

Recently, we were able to share this success with students at the annual Cer ficate Evening and we were delighted to offer our congratula ons to them all. As ever these excep onal results helped to enable our students go on to a range of post-16 opportuni es and we wish them all the very best with their endeavours.

Changes to GCSEs

KS3 Assessment at Bottisham: Changing the Conversation

The class of 2016 were the last year group to take these old style A*-C examina ons, with the move towards the Reformed GCSEs. Our current year 11 will be taking the Reformed English and Maths GCSEs, with year 10 si ng Reformed GCSEs in most subjects.

More details on these changes can be found here: Year 11 English and Maths -h p:// bit.ly/9to1grades Year 10 GCSE Subjects - h p:// bit.ly/9to1subjects

In 2014, the Department for Educa on announced a new curriculum that moved away from the assessing and repor ng of Na onal Curriculum levels. This shi soon became known as “Life a er Levels”. In essence, the new curriculum was designed to focus on specific areas of the curriculum and to ensure deep, secure knowledge and understanding of these specifics.

In the Bo sham context, we are very clear that we wish for students to have an awareness of how to improve in granular aspects of each subject rather than become obsessed with a meaningless, arbitrary number.

For example, rather than a year 9 student saying “I’m a level 5C in English”, it is our belief that they will make more progress in the subject if they discuss more specific aspects: “To improve, I need to comment more on the writer’s choice of language and the effect it has on the reader.”

To that end, in years 7 - 9, we shall be using Departmental Progress Grids rather than the old style levels as a means of tracking progress. These will be used in lessons and available for parents to see online using our Parental Intranet. On these grids, you will be able to see: x The skills and knowledge your child has demonstrated in all subject areas; x Whether they are “on track” to meet expecta ons, given their ability level; x The next stages in their learning; x Links to helpful resources to help parents engage with the assessment process.

Very clearly, it is our belief that this new approach will benefit all Bo sham students, giving them a live snapshot of their learning and helping them to rapidly improve in areas of need. In a short me this term, we have already seen the benefits of such a subject specific approach.

by Mr Ed Compton, Deputy Principal

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From BVC to CUFC

In September this year, when all of my friends were returning to school a er the Summer break, I flew out to Rio De Janeiro with my family to spectate at the Paralympic Games. My brother Louis, who is 19 years old was there represen ng Great Britain as a Paracyclist.

Louis was inspired to try to become a Paralympian a er we went to the games in London 2012, at that me he was a compe ve swimmer.

Louis a ended a trial with Bri sh Cycling following the London Games and was awarded a place on the GB Development squad in 2013.

BVC is very proud of two of its ex-students. Harry Darling and Tom Knowles who le in 2015, have both joined Cambridge United’s Youth Teams.

Harry has signed his first professional contract with Cambridge Utd Football Club and commi ed his future to the U's un l June 2019. He first joined the U's Academy at Under 13's level. The following year, Harry decided not to con nue in the Academy but returned to Cambridge United's youth system and was selected for the Shadow Scholarship while playing for Newmarket Town. A number of impressive pre-season performances with the Youth Team earned him the offer of a full - me Academy scholarship.

Recently, the 17-year old centre back played a key role in Cambridge United U18's strong start to the Youth Alliance League season, captaining the team and producing a string of impressive performances. Cambridge United Academy Manager Mark Bonner commented: "Harry has made huge strides in the past 15 months since the beginning of his scholarship and it is a real credit to him that the Football Club is backing his poten al. Harry has so much development le in his game both technically and tac cally and is s ll a long way from fulfilling his physical poten al, but he has an enthusiasm and drive which will propel him towards his desired target."

Tom joined the Shadow Scholars on leaving BVC and in February 2016 he was asked to play permanently for the Cambridge Utd Youth Team.

The innova ve Shadow Scholars programme offers outstanding footballers the chance to receive regular professional coaching from UEFA level coaches, and study for a BTEC in Sport at CRC – opening the door to a wide range of opportuni es, including university.

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As a family we have travelled to some beau ful loca ons to watch Louis compete, including Venice, Rome and Pisa in Italy and Ostend in Belgium. Louis won a World Championships bronze medal this year in his favourite event (3000 metres individual pursuit) as well as winning a gold medal in his team event (Team Sprint) Although this was a fantas c achievement it didn’t guarantee that he would be selected as part of the team for the Rio Paralympic Games, so we had a very tense Summer of wai ng to find out if he had made the team or not!

When his place on the team was announced we were all so excited, it was an amazing opportunity to travel to South America and I read about Rio before we set off to see what else there was to do there when we were not at the Velodrome! I think we managed to ck all the tourist must see boxes before we started watching Louis compete. The cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain was spectacular, as was the ascent of Corcovado to see the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. Rio is a stunning loca on, we stayed in Copacabana one block back from the beach, it was a really beau ful loca on.

Watching Louis win his bronze medal on his first day of compe on was just the most thrilling experience, it was hard to believe that it was my brother in the GB kit flying around the velodrome! Two days later when his team broke the world record in their qualifica on race for the team sprint we were jumping for joy. We waited nervously all a ernoon to see if they could take the tle from the current champions, China. When they took to the track the me went by in a flash, they broke the world record twice that day and were crowned Paralympic Champions. Watching the Union Jack raising while Louis stood on the podium singing along to the Na onal Anthem will stay with me forever, what an experience ! by Holly Rolfe 10.7

Children in Need has sadly drawn to a close again this year and I think many of us agree it was a huge success as it always has been. This year, students and staff enjoyed a range of ac vi es, all focused on making the most money possible for Children in Need.

To kick things off, on Thursday lunch me the Sports Hall was home to 16 daring dodgeball players, selected from the talented staff here at BVC. The atmosphere was tense and compe ve, made all the more so by the chan ng crowds with hundreds of students pouring in to support their teachers. A er 5 tense games, Team B was pronounced victorious. It was a hugely popular event, with bigger numbers than ever before.

On Thursday evening, a rather special event took place, and T2 was transformed into the famous ‘Bake Off Tent’ (though less bun ng) and was the place where dreams were made and cakes were burnt! 8 budding bakers took up the challenge to be crowned this year's Star Baker. There were some fairly spectacular cakes produced, all to a very high standard, making it hard for BVC’s resident Paul Hollywood, Mr Synge, to make his final decision. Overall, Miss Slipper was crowned Star Baker for her excellent Pudsey inspired traybake though many of the other teachers were hotly on her heels.

All these excellent bakes were available for sale the next day, alongside many gorgeous dona ons that students had baked at home, at the break me cake sale. The sale was packed this year, as it is every year, and all the cakes were soon sold out. Finally, on Friday lunch me, the Main Hall hosted the Children in Need concerts with some stunning performances from the GCSE music students. This was enjoyed by all and it was fantas c to see so much of the talent here at BVC. During the day, Pudsey toured the college and students donated to guess who was wearing the famous suit. For those who didn't guess it was Mme Larrieu.

by Imogen Trump, Student Leadership Team We are part of a singing group called Rock Choir and we were asked to sing at the BBC as The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge arrived at the end of their long journey.

We arrived at the BBC in the late a ernoon and, a er being given refreshments, we went into the boardroom to rehearse our song ‘Hold My Hand’ with all the other Rock Choir singers. This was then followed by a sound check outside the TV Studio. A er a dinner break we were led outside again to cheer, clap and shout as presenters Alex Jones and Patrick Kielty introduced the start of The One Show. Once again, we went back inside to wait for our very exci ng performance.

When the me finally arrived for us to go outside to perform, we had to wait another ¾ hour and it was very cold! We were all very nervous being surrounded by the cameras, lights and lots of people moving around giving instruc ons. Finally we sang, and it was an amazing experience performing at such a brilliant event. Seeing children, less fortunate than others, work so hard and combat difficult situa ons to ride from Jedburgh (Scotland) to London to raise money for Children in Need was very moving.

We feel very proud and honoured to have been able to take part.

by Alison Hudson (TA) & Liz Loveridge (Finance Office)

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TB4 – The “Roosts” of Success TB4 (Tim’s Brilliant Bird and Bat Boxes) is a “pop-up”, in-school enterprise with Tim White (Year 11) as its Chief Execu ve. Tim is taking a number of OCR qualifica ons in his final year covering a range of topics including maths, ICT, manufacturing and ge ng involved with a local charity.

In discussions with Tim at the start of term we thought that running some of these separate OCR modules in parallel within one learning package might be both more efficient and fun. Thus was TB4 formed and it is now in full produc on with its first orders already completed and delivered.

TB4 designs and then manufactures a range of bird and bat boxes in the school workshop. Learning Support staff were the first to place

orders and, as word spread, Tim soon had numerous commissions from other people. Tim’s order book rapidly filled up and he has had to decline new orders so that he can finish the ones he already has!

Four nest boxes are des ned for a member of staff at St. John’s College in Cambridge. Within BVC, Mrs. Gates, Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Rankine were among the first customers to receive their products.

Mrs. Gates’ specially-commissioned product, a tawny owl box, provided Tim with a few unusual problems straight away because of its sheer size.

Tim runs his company on proper business lines. He calculates material and labour costs, income and profit and regularly reviews the produc on schedule to keep the orders on track. The company has a 4-page brochure describing TB4 products and their prices as well as ps on where to site and care for the bird and bat boxes. Through his company Tim has the addi onal challenge of raising at least £100 for a school-supported charity. The order book value has already passed this target.

So, when you see Tim in the workshop next term do ask him how the company is performing.

by Mr. Howell Learning Support

The Dutch exchange 2016 was a memorable experience. We started our trip, with an early morning. This didn’t make us happy. However, a er 8 long and ring hours we finally arrived at Anna Van Rijn College. A er ge ng of the bus and collec ng our bags, we nervously waited to meet our exchange partners. Everyone was full of excitement and couldn’t wait for the rest of the week.

Our first two days were spent together as a school. We went to Amsterdam and saw the Anne Frank House and Nemo museum, which were both learning experiences that we will never forget. Our second day in Amsterdam was spent at Kröller-Müller Museum, where we wandered around the sculpture garden and did lots of fun ac vi es. We then got on our bikes and went to a pancake house, where we had tradi onal Dutch pancakes.

On Saturday, we had our family day. Holly and I spent the day together shopping in Utrecht and then going for a delicious meal. We took the challenge of climbing 465 steps up the Dom, to see the amazing views from the top. Sunday was our last day and the most emo onal. With another early start, we said goodbye to our new friends and got on the coach for the 8 hour drive home.

We all had an amazing me on this trip and made memories that we cherish and never forget. We would all like to say a big thank you to Mrs Cook, Miss Lindsey and especially Mr Seeley, for keeping us entertained on the coach and looking a er us whilst we were there.

by Jodie Lawler 9.5 & Holly Woolley 9.4

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OPEN EVENING Prospec ve students and their parents or carers were invited to our Open Evening on Thursday 6th October.

During the evening there was an opportunity for guests to look around the College and visit all the dierent facul es. The facul es put on a wide range of displays and ac vi es including science experiments, cookery demonstra ons, compe ve rowing and drama performances to name just a few, allowing them to see the wealth of opportunity that is on oer here at Bo sham VC. Students from all year groups were on hand to act as guides and to support within facul es, providing an opportunity for them to talk about everyday life here at the College. They were able to demonstrate the extent to which they are so immensely proud of their school.

True to form, the site was a hive of ac vity and we were overwhelmed by the number of visitors. Guests listened to speeches by the then ac ng principal, Mr Russell, Execu ve Principal Mrs Kate Evans and four students from years 7 & 11. Visitors were invited to write comments on a label and e them on the World Tree sculpture. These included some really posi ve messages about the evening and the college.

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First Aiders make the grade Seven students have completed the ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’ course this term. Congratula ons to everyone! Two of the Year 10 students completed the course as part of their ‘Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme’ skills sec on.

There will be another course next term on Tuesdays a er school. Sign up through the Extended Schools booklet if you are interested.

by Mr C Fordham, First Aid Instructor

Judo Club News There have been some new students a ending the a er school Judo club on Mondays and two students now also a end the main judo club that is held on Wednesday evenings. Some gradings have been held this term - a grading is where a change of belt colour occurs - the first step to a black belt. Boys and girls of all sizes and ages can enjoy judo so come along and enjoy this fascina ng and exhilara ng sport. Sign up through the Extended Schools booklet.

Thank you to Ben Shackleton for helping out at Judo club and congratula ons on his two gold medals at a recent Regional Championships - one in the Youth category the other in the Adult category.

by Mr C Fordham, Judo Instructor

Back in November, some students from BVCwent to watch the Jasmin Vardimon Company perform Pinocchio at The Junc on, Cambridge. They presented a brand new adapta on of the classic tale, and it brought to life the famous puppet as he embarked on a fantas c journey to become a human boy.

Vardimon’s adapta on combined physical theatre, quirky characterisa on, innova ve technologies, text and dance to examine the idea of what it means to be human. The show also explored themes including innocence, morality, peer pressure, tempta on, crime and retribu on. With insigh ul humour, engaging drama and an acute observa on of behaviour, it took us on a wonderful journey of discovery through the parameter of this beloved fable. However, some of the ac ons are difficult to follow unless you know the story well and key elements of plot and character are lost in the over-extended dance sec on. But despite that the performance overall was very enjoyable to watch and most of the people who went on the trip had a good me experiencing something new.

by Amy Taylor-Hodgson 10.3

Oscar Evans from year 10 has recently won the Na onal Film Club “review of the week compe on” for his reflec ons on the new Ghostbusters movie. His review has been posted on a na onal website and he has received a DVD and movie related items as a reward for his efforts. Well done Oscar!

by Mr R Mitchell Here is his review: Handling a classic property is always an interes ng prospect and in my experience it generally goes one of three ways : 1. The owner of the property decides to leave the property alone, and the fans are happy that it is respected.

2.They reboot, remake or return to the property in a way that respects or even surpasses the original, and the fans are le happy.

3.Somebody tries to cash in on the property, and the fans are le upset un l they forget and move on.

Unfortunately, the new ghostbusters is probably the later of the three. the film seems to call back to the first with forced cameos and surface level call backs. For example Bill Murray is in the film for a small scene and puts in li le effort.

The film is a comedy but many of the jokes last for just too long. Many of the improvised jokes just halt the flow of the film, making you painfully aware. As an example there is a scene where Chris Hemsworth talks about his dog called my cat but it's not actually called my cat and it lives at his mums house. see how confusing this is …

The ac ng in the film is horrible - Chris Hemsworth plays a character who is supposed to be stupid. He acts so over the top and ridiculous it worsens the jokes. The villain of the film is awfully predictable and stereotyped. The performance of the rest of the main cast was more of the same story.

Something that surprised me when watching the film was the special effects. The computer effects were alright but nothing standout. However the physical effects were bad; the slime was really fake looking. It didn't help that the slime was used for gross out humour.

Overall I really don't recommend this film to anybody. Just go read up on the Internet drama instead it will be a much more enjoyable story.

by Reece Blows 7.6

First Rate Debate Back in early December, Ed McCann and Ruby King travelled up to London to take part in the final of a deba ng compe on at the Houses of Parliament, organised by our MP, Lucy Frazer. Having made it through a tough in-school round and chosen by Lucy herself to represent Bo sham, they were up against speakers from three other local schools. This year, they were being judged by Lord Daniel Finkelstein, who currently sits in the House of Lords, and has previously been chairman of the think-tank Policy Exchange, as well as Execu ve Editor of The Times, where he is now a regular columnist.

Hiphop workshop In November, GCSE dance students and any Year 9s were invited to join a hip hop master class led by Manny Tsakanika. Manny, who trained at Bodywork Company Dance Studios, works with some of the most pres gious dance companies in both the UK and Europe.

All of us strongly agree that it was an amazing lesson and two hours well spent . In GCSE class we want to venture out and discover new dance styles and cultures. I personally love hip hop so was very excited about this special lesson but I know that a few other students weren't as excited as me and were even nervous! By the end of the two hours everyone was worn out but very happy and thoroughly enjoyed it, whether they thought they would or not.

He started by making sure we were all warmed up by learning some basic hiphop moves. We all picked it up pre y quickly and enjoyed learning new things. He then started to teach us a small rou ne including the basic movies we started off with.

We enjoyed learning this rou ne because it was fun but s ll a challenge. Manny taught us in small parts and then put it all together which really helped us all learn it. We finished off the lesson with everyone taking part in the rou ne and we gave it our all. We were then able to ask Manny some ques ons about where he trained and how he got to where he is now. Manny was very inspira onal and, personally, I thought he mo vated me to carry on with dance further in my future. When Manny spoke about his training he helped us all to think about what we will do a er school.

Altogether I really loved this lesson and really appreciate the opportunity that I was given. I would say that if something like this comes up again, it is worth doing it as everyone respected the hard work Manny put in to give us a good me.

by Evie Hyland 10.6

The mo on they were discussing was: This house would make voƟng compulsory. A very topical and thought-provoking idea!

Both students were fantas c; they spoke clearly, with great flair and did not give the other debaters an inch. They fought hard and in the end, the Opposi on were judged the winning side (Ed’s team) and overall, Ruby was voted as the second best speaker out of the eight par cipants, narrowly missing out of the top spot to a superb candidate from Impington VC. Congratula ons on a superb effort from both students, also, a massive thank you to Ellen Thorne for accompanying us.

by Miss B Turner, English Teacher

The Normandy trip was well organised and fun, with a full programme of ac vi es to keep us entertained and having a good me for the en re week. It was also a great opportunity to prac se speaking French and improve our understanding of the language.

We visited Mont St Michel and went to see the Bayeux Tapestry, and learnt about some of the history of the area. We also tried lots of new foods, some of which were delicious, others not so much. We went to a cider farm and saw the processes of how cider was made.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to try any, but we did get some apple juice.

We also learnt lessons that will stay with us throughout our lives, about friendship, independence and the importance of trying new things. I would definitely recommend going on the trip if you get the opportunity, as we have all come back with many great memories that will stay with us forever. We would all like to thank Miss Dimelow, Mr Cedeira, Mrs Hannah, and Mr Gavigan for making it all possible.

by Anis Wrench 9.6

Extra-curricular activities

FRAMLINGHAM CASTLE It was on the 21st November 2016, when I went on the Year 7 trip to Framlingham Castle.

Soon a er we arrived we were split into groups, with each group going to different, interes ng areas of the castle. Some went around the castle’s moat and then planned an a ack on it, while some went to the training grounds and acted out what it was like in William the Confessors reign. We went in the castle and learnt about which kings and queens stayed at Framlingham Castle and adventured on top of the castle ba lements. During the day we were able to go to the gi shop and buy something to remind us of our great trip to this fantas c castle. My favourite part of the trip was planning an a ack, because it was interes ng and I could act as if I was an actual general.

Once again we were warmly received at Holy Trinity Church for our Christmas concert. Eighty students walked to the church for the morning set up and rehearsal, and the varied programme and wonderful performances were enjoyed by all. The candlelit concert put everyone in the Christmas mood, a lovely end to a busy term in the music department. Well done to everyone who took part

by Mrs Pam Hall

At the end of November, Bo sham Jazz Band performed in the Cambridge Interna onal Jazz Fes val at Mumford Theatre.

We started off the concert followed by two other schools - Parkside Federa on and Comberton Village College - all of us had very different styles which made it all the more diverse and interes ng. Lead by Mr Burgoyne, we played four pieces: The Chicken, Pick Up The Pieces, On Broadway and Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing - all of which sounded incredible!

We had a rehearsal in the a ernoon before the concert where we got to listen to the two other schools rehearse. Parkside had two singers and the rest of the band - saxophones, electric guitars, bass guitars and drums - played backing for the classic funk/jazz tunes sung brilliantly by the singers. Comberton had more of a freestyle approach which was certainly different…

It was a great experience to be part of this jazz fes val again. Thanks go especially to the talented Mr Burgoyne who prepared us and led us very well, both in the run up and on the day. We will all miss him very, very much as he heads North (towards the promised land) to Sheffield and we wish him every success in these years ahead.

by Hazel Van Der Walle 11.1 & Ross Van Der Walle 9.5

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CEIAG News Our Careers Educa on, Informa on Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) Programme is developing for all year groups.

This term the Year 7 students have been taking part in a ‘Staff Careers Quiz,’ finding out what careers our staff members have had. These have ranged from a DJ, a Disney performer, a Broker of Accounts, to working in the Government’s Cabinet Office.

Capital Build Update We are con nuing to make excellent progress with our major capital build project. A group of staff has been working very closely with Morgan Sindall, the appointed contractors and their team of architects, to ensure that the final designs of the buildings will meet the needs of our school well into the future; we are now at the stage of looking at the specific requirements of each new space, room by room, whilst at the same me firming up the details of other areas that will undergo significant refurbishment.

Planning Applica ons have been submi ed and we await the outcome of these in the New Year. Assuming approval is granted we expect the first stage of the project to begin in Spring this year, with the development of a new 3G pitch and tennis courts, as well as the reloca on of the Red2Green facili es to a dedicated new area at the front of the school site. The main part of the project will then begin towards the end of the summer term 2017, when work on the main new building will commence and last for approximately one year. This new facility will include : x

English & maths classrooms

x

Specialist music and dance facili es

x

Auditorium/performance space with ered sea ng

x

Extensive new dining facili es with views overlooking the school playing fields.

The schedule indicates that this wonderful new facility will be available for us to move into from September 2018. The major refurbishment phase will then commence, with an an cipated final finish date for the whole project in early 2019.

by Mrs Kate Evans, CEO Anglian Learning

Our Independent Careers Guidance Adviser, Mrs Simpson has been focussing her work on our Year 11 students as they make their decisions about their next steps a er leaving Bo sham.

She has been conduc ng 1:1 interviews and all students who have requested an appointment have been seen. She has also launched Careers Surgeries on Monday lunch mes and Careers Workshops every Tuesday. Students can sign up for the workshops in the Project Area and they are on topics like ‘Interview Skills’, ‘Is an appren ceship right for me?,’ ‘Careers in science’, and ‘Wri ng an effec ve CV.’ A le er has been sent out to all parents, invi ng them to become ‘Careers Champions,’ an opportunity to support our CEAIG program and develop our students’ understanding of the range of qualifica ons and career paths there are. We are excited about the prospect of developing this role, and we are invi ng local businesses to contribute too. Please email me to register your interest.

Spring term will be a busy one in our calendar as Year 9 students will consider their op ons for GCSEs and Year 11 students will have submi ed their UCAS applica ons for College and be looking at Appren ceships. Year 11 students will prepare for a mock interview in January and both Year 9 & 10 will have a ‘Careers and Employability’ collapsed curriculum (PSHE) day in February. March is also an exci ng month as we have Na onal Careers Week from the 6th to the 10th.

We are working towards gaining the Cambridgeshire CEIAG Quality Award, an accredita on enabling us to demonstrate excellence in raising student aspira ons, achievement and progression. This meets the ‘Quality in Careers Standard’ na onal valida on, and we have been working closely with the Skills Service to review our provision so far.

Our aim is for us to support our students in the choosing of educa on and employment pathways whilst considering individual skills, a ributes and beliefs. We aim to enable our students to fulfil their poten al and to achieve a successful future.

by Mrs H Oldridge (holdridge@bo shamvc.org)

Huge thanks to the RSC The school is grateful to have received a dona on of 25 Fujitsu i7 desktop computers from the Royal Society of Chemistry. The equipment will be used to replace and augment exis ng student-focussed desktops in various places on the site. Having more machines that provide this kind of power will enable us to make more processor-hungry applica ons available to students. This will increase student so ware repertoire, as well as improving produc vity within the curriculum.

by Richard Mayer, ICT Systems Development Manager

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NEW REWARDS SYSTEM M The Local Governing Body of Bo sham Village College plays an important part in the running of the school. It is crucial to have parents as members of the LGB, and we need at least one more parent governor.

Bo sham Village College constantly strives to ensure that it provides the best educa on possible for pupils, parents and the local community. Having parents involved in governing the school is a vital part of this, ensuring that the views of parents are heard and that the school is responsive to those views. If you are interested in the governance of the school that plays such a central role in the learning opportuni es of your child, and if you would like to help the school in a tangible and posi ve way, then please consider becoming a parent governor.

We all want the best for our children and to support them in their educa on. Playing an ac ve part in the running of your children’s school is an excellent way to do this. By joining the LGB you can demonstrate to your child that school is something that merits both commitment and direct involvement. You will have a chance to learn more about how the school is run, to become involved in making important decisions, and to make a real difference.

Governors do not need to be experts to tackle the range of responsibili es expected of them. Help, advice and training are available from various sources, and the LGB is both friendly and inclusive. That said, governors with skills and experience in relevant areas (educa on, HR, or finance for example) are obviously especially welcome.

Typically the LGB meets twice a term at 6pm. This is not a huge obliga on in terms of me, and it is acknowledged that other commitments will some mes mean that you have to miss a mee ng. In return for your me, views, and ac ve involvement you can expect to find out in detail about the challenges and opportuni es involved in running an outstanding, over-subscribed school with an excellent team of teachers.

Educa on is important, and our children only get one shot at it. If you have the me, interest and ability to support your local school then don’t hang back! If you are willing to consider becoming a parent governor then please contact the chair of the LGB Amanda Askham, AAskham@bo shamvc.org. If you would first like to discuss the role of parent governor with someone who has direct experience of the role then feel free to email me, Ben Nichols, bjn000@gmail.com, or a current parent governor, Sarah Richardson, Richardsonbodsthefirst@hotmail.com.

I have been a governor for 4 years now, during which me my three children have all completed their GCSEs and moved on to sixth form. Being a governor has meant that I have come to understand why the school is how it is, where it is coming from and where it is going in the future.

I have met teachers, discussed many different aspects of the life of the school, and come to appreciate what a great job they are doing in circumstances that are not always easy.

by Ben Nichols, Governor

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Back in September we launched a brand new reward system for students. Points are earned through excellent effort or progress in class, being helpful, a contribu on to the college outside of lessons or persevering through challenging situa ons. Automa c points are awarded for a ending school con nuously for 4 weeks or having zero nega ve behaviour entries logged over 4 weeks. Since September over 32,000 reward points have been allocated and a large number of students have progressed through the levels and some have now reached level 4.

To reward those students who achieved large quan es of reward points over the Autumn term we invited 61 students to enjoy a free Christmas lunch. The selected students had the highest reward totals from each year group.

By Mr D Fullman, Assistant Principal

The Library has seen a few changes this term. It is now very much a quiet study area used for homework, reading and similar pursuits, but is s ll a very popular break and lunch me retreat - something which is bound to con nue as the colder weather approaches! I have been busy pu ng up seasonal displays and running compe ons for Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas.

Students entering the Halloween poetry compe on received small prizes for their poems and five winners were chosen overall: first prize went to Lexy Cave, joint second to Harriet Bush and Imogen Collier with joint third being awarded to Henry Aspin and Kyle Hill. All the poems entered are available in the Library for you to read.

A number of students have received reward points this term for their excellent use of the library facili es and for their considerate behaviour towards other library users.

Doubtless there will be many more to award in the term ahead – well done.

The compe on to write a Bonfire Night *haiku poem was judged on 5th November and prizes awarded the following Monday. The five finalists’ poems have been tweeted by @BVCLib for you to read. The overall winner was Harriet Bush in year 7 whose poem was felt to capture the spirit of the haiku and the moment of awe when witnessing a firework display.

You may no ce one or two cinema posters appearing around the library as, where we have the “book of the film,” we would not want students to miss out on trying the original or having the chance to compare the two. The film books are proving popular. Our three copies of “A Street Cat Named Bob,” for instance, were all taken out within ten minutes of the library opening and “Fantas c Beasts” went even quicker!

The Scholas c Book Fair was held this term and run at lunch mes by willing volunteers from the Student leadership Team: Imogen Trump, Harry Winchester, Pralish Satyal, Ed McCann, Sophia Abbo and Ruby King. I was most grateful for their assistance .

The Christmas Short Story Compe on brought out the talents of several young writers and was, as ever, a tough job for the judge. Kaisha Halpin (8.7) was declared the winner with her story en tled: “Ruby” about Rudolph’s daughter’s quest to earn her antlers The runners up were Megan Jones and Bella Swann (10.7) with their joint entry “A Christmas to Remember” about family life at Christmasme. Well done to all students who entered and for all their imagina ve and engaging ideas. Everyone received a small reward for their effort, in the form of a dip or two into the Library “Prizes Box.” There was also a Christmas Clearance Book Give-Away in the last two weeks of term. Freebies always prove popular and this was no excep on, with students crowding around the table to find the best books on offer. It was a delight to see students reading the blurbs and discussing which book was best, as well as finding books to take for family members to read too. We hope many of you will have an enjoyable quiet read over the holidays.

Fireworks bursting Colours flying through the night sky Whizzing sparks singing * A haiku is a tradiƟonal form of Japanese poetry. Haiku poems consist of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme.

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Hockey & RugbyAthlete Inspires Students Olympic Hockey and rugby season began again in September, with Bo sham having teams represen ng the school in every district tournament. Highlights in hockey include the Year 8 girls finishing in fourth place overall, and the Year 9 girls finishing fi h.

Also, well done to all the Year 7 girls represen ng the school for the very first me.

In rugby, we had consistent high performances from many year groups. The Year 7 boys finished fi h overall in their first ever tournament, and the Year 9 boys finished fourth. Special men on goes to the Year 8 boys who came joint third in their tournament, losing only one game to St.Bedes in the process. Well done to all our students who represented the school this Autumn.

Football Following success in recent district tournaments, we entered two teams into na onal football cups this year to test them out against new opposi on. The Year 11 boys, who have won the district cup two years in a row, progressed to the third round of the na onal cup, only to face Netherhall once again, the team they beat in the district final last year.

In what was an incredibly close game, Netherhall came out eventual winners, but it took a penalty shoot-out to separate the two teams.

The U14 girls team, fresh off the back of their Wembley cup run last year, have entered into the na onal cup for the first me. So far they have managed to progress all the way through to the sixth round, bea ng schools from across the south east in the process with some terrific scorelines, including a 12-0 and two scores of 7-1 in the most recent rounds. With tough opponents, including the reigning na onal 11-aside champions remaining in the compe on, the girls are wai ng to find out who they will play in the last 16.

The girls performed their own ‘mannequin challenge’ to celebrate!

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Primary Basketball Fes val Every year, Bo sham runs numerous primary school PE fes vals, with primary school children from its feeder schools coming together to meet new people and take part in lots of physical ac vity. This year is no different, and the first fes val of the year was the Year 4 basketball fes val. Over 100 primary school students from Burwell, Fen Di on and Teversham came to Bo sham to take part. They had the chance to have a go at lots of different ac vi es in a circuit, developing their dribbling, passing and shoo ng skills around a series of sta ons.

A big thank you must go to all the year 10 GCSE students who acted as sports leaders for the event. They were very encouraging and suppor ve of the young students, ensuring that they went back to their primary schools having had a fun morning. Well done!

Many more sports leadership opportuniƟes will arise next year for Years 8, 9 & 10 students.

Will you get involved?

Cross Country Years 7, 8 and 9 completed the cross-country course once again in their PE lessons this term and, as ever, we had a remarkable number of successes displayed on our wonderfully colourful “personal best” board. Students who managed to beat their previous best me received a personalised star with their name on it, placed on the PE no ceboard. As you can see, we were inundated with hundreds of PBs! Also this year, we incorporated these successes into the new school reward system, with students earning points for their sensa onal efforts. A handful of students even managed to achieve three PBs from three runs, a truly spectacular achievement. Well done to all our students who took part in the cross-country for their lessons this year.

The District cross-country took place on 6th December on a cold a ernoon at Netherhall. We took a full team of 40 students and had some terrific individual performances with five students finishing in the top 10 of their respec ve races. This grants them qualifica on to the next round at Kings Ely on 21 st January. A huge well done to Scarle Keates, Hugh Dow, Will Newcombe, David Dow and Beth Irving, and best of luck in January!

District Badminton Eight Year 10 and 11 students represented Bo sham in the district badminton tournament at Netherhall School in November. Two boys pairs and two girls pairs fought valiantly against compe tors from Netherhall, St Bedes and Parkside, ending up as the winners of the combined compe on. A special men on must go to girls’ pairing Sophia Abbo and Eloise Nash, who remained undefeated for the dura on of the tournament.

For all informa on on fixtures and clubs over the coming year, follow @BVCPhysicalEd on twi er!