BVC News - Summer 2018

Summer 2018 Issue 26

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The magazine of Bo sham Village College

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TripǗ & Foreigǔ ǟchangeǗ Celebratioǔ daǜ & LeaverǗ’ Balǒ New BuilDž Updatdž Projecǘ 80 & Alumnnj SportǗ & ArtǗ NewǗ PluǗ lotǗ mordž newǗ & informatioǔ

Achievement through inspiring, caring, enriching

Messagdž froǓ thdž Principaǒ

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

DateǗ for your diarǜ Autumǔ TerǓ 2018 Monday 3rd September - Training Day Tuesday 4th September - Training Day Wednesday 5th September - Year 7 only Thursday 6th September - Start of term for all other year groups Thursday 4th October - Training Day 22nd - 26th October - Half term Friday 30th November - Training Day 1.25pm Wednesday 19th December - End of autumn term

Sprinlj terǓ 2019 Monday 7th January - Start of term Friday 15th February - Training Day 18th - 22nd February - Half term Friday 5th April - End of spring term

Summer terǓ 2019 Tuesday 23rd April - Start of term Monday 6th May - May Day 27th - 31st May - Half term Wednesday 24th July - End of summer term

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Welcome to our Summer Newsle er. We hope you will enjoy reading through some of the highlights of this term and informa on about next year.

We have been welcoming our new Year 7 students to Bo sham, as part of our transi on programme.

We have been thrilled by their enthusiasm and mo va on, and look forward to them joining us in September. Of course, as well as welcoming new students, we have said goodbye to our year 11. A er a long, arduous examina on period, it was a joy to see them relax and enjoy their friendships at our annual Leavers’ Ball. We wish them well on the next stage of their journey.

Thank you to those of you who completed our ques onnaires earlier in the year as these responses supported the development of our mental health provision and well-being in school. Students have embraced this work and have been volunteering to be trained in suppor ng others and using their knowledge by working with younger students in our feeder primary schools ready to roll out to Year 7 and 8 students in September . Our new student leadership team were par cularly impressive in presenta ons they gave at the Cambridgeshire Heads conference. I was extremely proud of their achievements and the passion they showed for suppor ng other students.

Our capital build (Phase 1) is coming to an end and is on track to open for September (with great excitement from all of our school community!)

This will allow students to access the large performance hall, new dining facili es, music department, dance studio and English and maths classrooms. Students will have new maps and guides for the first week back to ensure everyone knows where they are going (including the staff!)

Please note that the new bus bays will be open and that recep on, first aid room and student support will all be located in the mobiles (behind Red2Green building) from September to April 2019 as the next and final part of the refurbishment of the college takes place. This includes the main hall becoming the new community and school library, and a new recep on and conference space.

As always we are sad to see our much loved colleagues leave Bo sham but understand that there may be lots more adventures to be had elsewhere. We would like to wish them all the best for the future especially colleagues who have been involved with the school for many years and who have had huge impact on the lives of young people. A special thank you to our CEO Mrs Kate Evans from all staff in the Trust for her great contribu on and a warm welcome to Mr Jon Culpin who will be taking over as CEO in September.

I wish you all a wonderful summer and thank you all for your support this year.

MrǗ Jennǜ Rankindž

New SLT selecteDž Back in May, Year 10s were busy applying to be part of the next Student Leadership Team. The team meet regularly with Mrs Rankine and Mr Griffiths and work with other key members of staff, to help organise key events; for example Open Evening and end of term assemblies. These mee ngs also provide an opportunity for the team to discuss key issues of interest or suggest areas for development in the College.

Following their le ers of applica on, the applicants were narrowed down to 13. These students were then invited to a formal interview with members of the College Leadership Team, and also undertook a public speaking ac vity. A er much delibera on, Jodie, Summer, Claudia, Annabel, Jade, Grace, Joe and Louis were the successful candidates.

Well done to everyone who applied and congratula ons to the final eight.

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Remarkably, it is that me of year again when we say farewell to our wonderful Year 11 students a er what has been a gruelling and tes ng period of examina ons. What has par cularly impressed us all this year, is the way in which students have taken this in their stride: showing posi ve a tudes towards their exams, and a mo vated yet calm and measured approach to their individual revision programmes. They deserve excep onal outcomes and we look forward to celebra ng their successes on August 23rd.

Two wonderful events which bookended this year’s examina ons season were our Celebra on Day and Leavers’ Ball, both events showing what a sophis cated and diverse bunch our wonderful Year 11 students are. Whether it be clad in kilt or spor ng the latest in Hawaiian fashion, it was wonderful to see such personality shine through in the students’ choice of ou it for each event.

The students’ Celebra on Day in May marked the end of a fantas c five years at Bo sham, and culminated in a wonderful concertcome-talent show, the highlight of which had to be the performance of magic supremo, Tom Powley, with his quite astonishing display of card trickery: the room fell silent moments before the ‘big reveal’ followed by minutes of rapturous applause,

for, what can only be described as, a minor miracle.

We were blessed with beau ful summer sunshine during this year’s Leavers’ Ball which was held at the end of June. As always, the streets were lined with eager onlookers, here to celebrate with the students as they walked the red carpet. The BVC paparazzi were out in force (there are some wonderful pictures on the college website), and there were even aerial shots being taken via BVC’s first drone flight! With the sun se ng and the music pumping, the central marquee was the place to be, and all students in a endance (and some staff!) expressed themselves in all manner of celebratory ways on DJ Cumminz’ dancefloor. A truly great night had by one and all; a huge thank you to Mrs Cook and the Year 11 Ball Commi ee for organising the event.

It just remains for me to say a massive well done to Year 11 for what has been a brilliant five years, and here’s to a successful and happy future for you all!

Mr Griffiths, Deputy Principal

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Trip to the Somme Ba lefields Back in May, around eighty Year 9 students a ended the annual school trip to The Somme Ba lefields. The trip consisted of mul ple stops to significant loca ons along the 18-mile front line, extending our knowledge and understanding of the catastrophe.

The introductory site was The Thiepval Memorial, which is the largest memorial on the western front, towering a colossal 140 feet high.

The memorial offers 72,000 names (Bri sh and South African) to those that died on the Somme, but were given no grave, primarily recognised as the missing of the Somme. The next site we visited was The Newfoundland Memorial Park, a ba lefield preserved by the Canadian government. The park allowed us to understand the interna onal scale of the war, and a close representa on as to what the experience of trench warfare consisted of. Next to visit was the Lochnager Crater, the result of the Bri sh explosions. The crater was incomprehensibly vast, demonstra ng the scale of weaponry, thus reflec ng the number of possible deaths in such small area. The penul mate site was the Fricourt Cemetery, one of eight German cemeteries for the ba le. The cemetery stresses the importance of remembering those that died, non-dependant on what na onality, and today many French lay flowers for the Germans that died for their country, demonstra ng their love in the present and not the

hatred they once felt. Finally, we visited the Devonshire Cemetery.

Here, we followed the true story of a soldier who, knowing his death was near, resulted in him wri ng a poem about his feelings. The poem, we understand, conveyed fear and the unknown, yet an element of hope remained, demonstra ng the mental challenges, we o en don’t perceive, the soldiers addi onally ba led against.

The school also laid a wreath here, showing our respect to the soldiers that fought for the future of their country. Overall, the trip converted sta s cs into reality and we learnt what the soldiers were forced to confront; the horror and nightmares that are impossible to comprehend without such visual representa on, the large-mass scale of the ba le, how many people lost those that they loved and the huge numbers of children growing up, unaware of who their fathers were.

Thank you to all those that organised and led the trip.

by James, Year 9

Opportuni es for students with For three days in May, eleven students had the opportunity to take part in the Independent Learning Archaeological Field School (ILFAS) run by the University of Cambridge. The aim of ILAFS is to raise par cipants’ educa onal aspira ons and develop a range of transferable skills. Students par cipated in a series of ac vi es including digging an archaeological test pit in a local village and visi ng the University of Cambridge to analyse the results and piece together the history of the se lement.

A report by one of the par cipants is below “During the first two days we were based at Histon where in small groups we excavated various sites to help with the universi e’s research. Amazingly we found quite a lot within a small area, treasures such as a Victorian coin, many shards of decora ve po ery and both small and large pieces of bone. The excava on helped to give us an insight into the past. On the final day we visited Cambridge University archaeology museum containing collec ons discovered in many local villages, including Bo sham. As well as being able to visit the museum we also were able to visit Jesus College and have a delicious lunch. Going to Jesus College was very helpful as we learnt a lot about different parts of the University and what it is like. Just like the students at Cambridge University we a ended a lecture to help with wri ng our report. Wri ng the report was a great opportunity as It is assessed by the University and you are given back a mark to show how well you did. I definitely recommend going on this trip if you get the chance as it is a great opportunity and loads of fun.”

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Back in June, eight Year 9 students went to The Fitzwilliam museum in Cambridge to a end ‘CLIL at the Fitz’. CLIL stands for Content & Language Integrated Learning. This was an event run by trainee language teachers from the University of Cambridge. This exci ng day trip was an incredible chance to learn about art and history and also expand the student’s French vocabulary.

Students said —”We took part in two different workshops during the day. One was based on the Egyp ans, the other on portraiture. It gave us the opportunity to expand our French in a fun and interac ve way out of the classroom. In the portraiture workshop, we looked at Dutch pain ngs and thought about the lives of the people in them, asking and answering ques ons in French, with dressing up and a compe on involved. In the Egyp an workshop, we learnt about symbols and their meanings, hieroglyphics and Egyp an culture all through the language of French. Some of the words we learnt from the Egyp an workshop were un cercueil, which means coffin, un bijou, meaning a piece of jewellery, and un trésor, meaning treasure.”

by Amelie, Kaisha, Leona, Nelle & Tom

During the first week of Easter 76 students from Years 8 and 9 along with 10 staff travelled a long 28 hours on a coach to Bormio, a picturesque Italian ski resort. After heavy traffic fic and snow, everyone was very glad to arrive at the hotel!

On the ski trip, the majority of pupils and some of the staff ff were total beginner skiers and therefore day 1 was a bit of a shock - the aching legs and spectacular falls from the first day were not quite what some pupils were expecting!

In the evening on the first day, we had private use of the huge ice rink in Bormio and everyone swapped their skis for skates. It was amazing how many amazing skaters we had on the trip - a lot of pupils were significantly better skaters than they were skiers! The atmosphere and sound of laughter in the ice rink was definitely a highlight of the trip as everyone was relaxing, getting to know each other and having a lot of fun.

On day 2 everyone was aching and tired in the morning, however all pupils started the day with a smile and after the second day of skiing, the majority of students had graduated from the beginner slope and were competently and confidently skiing down, therefore able to challenge themselves on higher level parts of the mountain. By the end of day 2, all of students were really enjoying skiing and had progressed an amazing amount since the start of the trip; some had definitely caught the ski bug!

In the evening on day 2, everyone was very tired and needed some down time. Therefore, pupils had a few hours of free time to relax in the hotel or to explore the lovely town of Bormio. We then had a quiz after dinner ran by Mr Andersen, ending with the winning team getting some welldeserved Easter egg prizes.

Day 3 was another beautiful day with perfect sunny skiing conditions. All groups had left the beginner slope by this point and were starting to really progress quickly on the steeper more challenging runs. We had a few injured pupils sitting out during this day however even they had smiles on their faces being entertained by the teachers with a variety of games in such a beautiful setting!

The skiers were all feeling the pain by this point but everyone was having too much fun to give in to the ache in their legs. In the evening students had free time in the town again (due to the popularity of the gelato shops), and we then went into town for dinner at a local pizzeria.

Ski Trip 2018

On the 4th day, the snow arrived making the skiing condition slightly more challenging but a lot more fun!

Although the visibility was not ideal, the snow conditions were amazing due to the arrival of the fresh snow meaning that the high ability groups were having a great time playing around on the red runs at the top of the mountain.

As it was our final evening in the hotel, we had an awards and disco night. Many silly awards were given out as well as trophies for well-deserved awards such as Scarlett for Most Improved, Anna and Jacob for Queen and King of the Mountain, and Edward for snowplough King. It was a lovely evening with a brilliant atmosphere and an excellent way to mark the end of a fabulous week.

During lunch on the 5th and final day we met another school and challenged them to a snowball fight - Cambridge vs.

Sheffield. I’m not sure there were any winners or losers in this match as everyone from both schools came back covered in snow but with massive smiles on their faces.

The conditions on piste on the final day were absolutely amazing and the weather stayed dry for us which was perfect. We had a very quick shower and dinner and then left on the coaches for our return journey back to Bottisham.

The trip was a massive success as all staff and students came back telling funny stories of spectacular falls and ski jump successes. I am sure it is a trip that all students will remember for many years with fond memories from their time at Bottisham.

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CURWEN PRINT

FUSION THEATRE FESTIVAL

On Friday 22 June, thirty Year 10 GCSE art students took part in a printmaking workshop at the college. Professional printmaking tutors came from Curwen Print Studios to deliver the workshop where students learnt ‘Extended Dry Point’ prin ng techniques and ‘Chine Colle’. The tutors commented on how focused the students were and the quality of their experimenta on and outcomes. The work can be included in their GCSE por olios and they could con nue to extend this learning as part of their independent study in year 11.

Since BVC’s performance at the Netherhall Shakespeare Fes val, the Year 9 performance group have been busy working with Miss Williams and professional theatre company Temper Theatre to prepare for the show at The Junc on on Saturday 23rd June. On receiving the script, we quickly realised that BVC were to bring to life the start of an epic play about climate change, with the other schools involved (Sawston, Chesterton and Parkside) performing the 3 further sec ons. The play had two main characters throughout and different schools playing them, therefore students had to understand that to get the message across to the audience they would need to work hard on making their input very clear. Pulling four separate schools together in a performance of an original play is a tricky task. However, the live performance of Uprising was a true example of dedica on and commitment from all those involved. I found the piece incredibly moving and the ac ng ability from all schools very inspiring. A big well done to all those involved and I am looking forward to the Year 9s moving up to take on the challenges of GCSE Drama.

CREATIVE DESIGN @ BOTTISHAM

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by Miss Pinny

Dance Showcase Back in June, Bo sham parents, students and friends were treated to an evening of dance. Students from across all year groups were involved in demonstra ng a range of fantas c pieces in a range of styles. The evening included examples of class work, exam pieces, extra-curricular club dances & choreography that students had independently created themselves. During the interval the audience enjoyed a fantas c performance by BVC’s cheerleading team; this went down a treat and a number of audience members decided to show off their own back flipping skills before returning for the second half! The students performed brilliantly and demonstrated excellent professionalism on and off stage. It was lovely to see both seasoned performers and those for whom this was their first experience of stepping into the spotlight; with some students performing in up to 5 different dances! The students really shone and thoroughly enjoyed the experience: “I have had so much fun performing in this year’s dance showcase! Well done to everyone who performed. I'm looking forward to another showcase again next year!” said one year 9 student.

A huge thank you and well done to all staff and students involved who made Bo sham’s first ever Dance Showcase an absolute triumph to behold. by Miss Ruth

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SUMMER CONCERT

BVC Awarded Gold Certificate by the ISM Bo sham Village College has been awarded the ISM / ISM Trust’s Gold Cer ficate for the second year running. This means that more than 20% of all the school’s GCSE students achieved an A* to C in GCSE music, pu ng them in the top 58 schools across England.

In its third year, the ISM/ISM Trust GCSE cer ficates recognise schools’ achievement in music and celebrate their commitment to music educa on shown by the high uptake and achievement of their pupils.

Deborah Anne s, Chief Execu ve of the ISM – the professional body for musicians – congratulated the school, and said: “Music is a valuable subject, it brings value in itself to pupils as well as suppor ng achievement in other subjects. Music also opens doors and generates educa onal opportuni es for pupils from all backgrounds. We are delighted that Bo sham Village College values music within their school curriculum and as the professional body for musicians and a subject associa on for music educa on, we are delighted to recognise this high level of achievement with this cer ficate.”

Mrs Jenny Rankine, Principal says: Music is a very popular subject in all year groups with students filling prac ce rooms during break and lunch me and joining a er school clubs to enjoy making music and preparing for performances. Our new music facility and performance hall which opens in September, will only support this further and we are very excited with the opportuni es we will now be able to develop for students of all interests and abili es.

ART & TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION On Monday 25th June a private exhibi on for all year 11 art and technology students took place in the project area. Parents were invited to view the work and clearly enjoyed seeing a diverse range of responses to an ini al star ng point.

The art work ranged from sculpture to pain ng, drawing, printmaking and mixed-media. Sketchbooks were also included and helped to show the journey students took before crea ng their final pieces. The technology exhibi on included a range of outcomes including clocks, storage and tableware. Products were created using tradi onal construc on methods in carpentry and metalwork and also modern technologies such as 3D prin ng. The work reflects the culmina on of students research and experimenta on in response to a set brief.

CREATIVE DESIGN @ BOTTISHAM

Bo sham students entertained a packed hall with their wonderful performances and talent. The varied programme included music of all genres, performed by students from all year groups, many of whom were performing for the first me. The stage management, sound and ligh ng crews ensured everything ran smoothly and there were many memorable performances. Mrs Rankine said thank you to Mrs Hall and Mr Griffiths as it was to be their last concert before leaving the school at the end of term. It was also to be the final concert in the main hall as the new performance space will be ready next term. Exci ng mes ahead!

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New 3G pitch officially opened by 101 year old supporter The official opening of our wonderful new 3G pitch took place during a very cold and rainy day in April. The pitch was officially opened by 101 year old, Mr John Shannon, FA Respect Supporter of the year. Mr Shannon made a short speech highligh ng how impressed he was with the College’s new football facility and how much it means for the local community. The new facility was made possible thanks to investment from the Premier League & The FA Facili es Fund, which is delivered by the Football Founda on. The all-weather pitch will be used by our students as well as partner club Bo sham FC, other local grassroots clubs and the Cambridgeshire FA. Addi onally, professional clubs Norwich City FC and Cambridge United FC both plan to use the facility to deliver community outreach sessions, such as holiday camps. The pitch was well-used on the day with footballers of all ages compe ng in tournaments run by Cambridgeshire FA. Principal, Jenny Rankine, said: “This exci ng new facility

will greatly enhance the PE and school sport experience for all the students of Bo sham Village College and its wider community. The state-of-the-art floodlit 3G AGP will allow us to expand our curriculum provision and will be used by students in and out of lessons during the day. Furthermore, it will allow us to further par cipa on in the local community and develop opportuni es to inspire all ages and ability levels to be physically ac ve.

We have a strong tradi on of football success and we look forward to strengthening and developing further partnerships with local clubs and con nuing to raise standards of grassroots community sport. We would like to thank the Premier League & The FA Facili es Fund for their contribu on towards this scheme and providing such a wonderful facility, accessible to all.”

We are excited to announce the launch of the first BVC alumni! From September, the college will be seeking to recruit further partners as we see our alumni grow and develop during 2018-19.

If you are former student of our wonderful college and would be interested in joining the BVC alumni, especially at such an exci ng for the college with the culmina on of our capital build project fast approaching, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. It may be that you have a skill or professional experience that you are able to share with our students and staff, or simply that you wish to remain close to the heart of the Bo sham community. In either case, we would love to hear from you.

Please get in touch with us by contac ng jsmith@bo shamvc.org

New

Buildings open for business!

As many of you will know Red2Green have been lucky enough to have a garden at Bo sham Village College for many years.

Due to the expansion of the college Red2Green has now moved to its new purpose built site at the front of the college.

The building now includes a café which will give their learners the chance to get involved in preparing and serving refreshments and home-made snacks whilst learning social, educa onal and business skills which in some cases may form the building blocks for preparing for work experience, volunteering or employment opportuni es. The garden gives the Red2Green clients the opportunity to take part in hor cultural and retail ac vi es providing work experience, training and fun. The new sensory garden is also being developed and clients are busy growing a wide range of vegetable and salad crops for use in the café. They also grow bedding plants and plant up hanging baskets to sell locally.

Ini ally the café will open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am - 2pm serving tea and coffee, and simple homemade fare such as bread, scones, soup, salads and cake, increasing the selec on as the team’s skills develop. Red2green are grateful to 'Awards for All England' from the Big Lo ery Fund for funding towards the Hearts and Cra s Café project which will provide relaxing inclusive cra ing ac vi es for all.

Their Open Day back in May was a lovely occasion which showcased their new developing gardens and café.

Building Project Update

Whilst it may not look it from outside, the new building has made great progress and Morgan Sindall are on target to hand over to the school at the beginning of the summer holidays. This will give me for the classrooms to be furnished ready for the start of the new academic year in September. The new building will house the new Main hall, Dining Hall, Dance studio, Maths, English and Music facul es and we are very much look forward to having these new fabulous facili es open.

During Ac vi es Week, Morgan Sindall took possession of part of the central circula on area which allowed them to complete the demoli on of the old and start on the new play areas. At the start of the summer holidays the next phase of the building programme begins with the refurbishment of the front sec on of the school.

Access to these areas will be closed at the end of term so our recep on and student support offices will be situated in the mobile classrooms from September to Easter 2019 while this work takes place. From September, the new bus bays will be open at the far end of the site by Red2Green and visitors parking on site will need to use the gravel car park situated behind the children’s centre. Our aim is to have the new library in use for the second half of the Autumn Term..

We will be having a grand opening of the new facili es on 3rd November 2018, watch out for more informa on in September.

Morgan Sindall endeavour to ensure that they keep any disturbances to a minimum, but if you haveany ques ons or concerns, please contact a member of the Morgan Sindall Team.

This year, we have been celebra ng 80 years since the college first opened its doors with our arts award project en tled: Project 80.

Over 30 dynamic Year 8 students have been taking part in the project which focused on four different strands: architecture, communica on, film and performance.

Students have been mee ng up once a week to learn new skills in their selected strands and have been taught about the complex nature of the film industry, how to devise architectural plans, interview techniques and a variety of choreography – all linked to the celebra on of the college’s 80 years of teaching.

With their growing knowledge in their respected fields, the students have been crea ng their own architectural

models, a film documentary and a publica on of the project with insigh ul interviews from past and present members of staff, project leaders and members of the Bo sham public.

The students have also embarked on trips to Cambridgeshire Archives and Cambridge Library where they learnt about the heritage of the college stretching back to 1937. This was a valuable opportunity and one in which was not only informa ve but offered the students a real sense of apprecia on for the college and its history.

We are now looking forward to November 3rd when we will be celebra ng the comple on of Project 80 in our wonderful new building which is symbolic of the effort, innova on and collabora on of all the hard-working and diligent students that par cipated in the project.

This year Bo sham Students have had loads of opportunity to explore Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural aspects of life in their educa on. in this COSSMIC bulle n, students share some of their reflec ons on what they have learned this year.

Cultural Educa on In my lessons, there has been a lot of cultural influences.

In English lessons, we have been learning about Sherlock Holmes, and how the Bri sh Empire has had an effect on the rest of the world. In Science, we have learnt about how cancer affects people and that smoking is causing a lot of lung cancer in our culture.

We have learnt a lot about French culture, studying the book and film of Le Pe t Prince (The Li le Prince), which was wri en by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and has since become a large part of French culture. In our German lessons, we have found out li le bits of German culture during the year.

In Geography we have found out about ways that different cultures around the world func on, such as with slums in Kibera, Kenya. As part of our topic on WWII in History, we have learnt about why the Japanese culture of not surrendering played such a big part in the use of nuclear bombs

Moral Educa on

to end the war in the Pacific. In REP we have learnt about how our culture sees religion because of the media, and what problems that might cause.

Year 9 drama has been heavily influenced by a culture of criminal ac vity. Our first rota on was about the punishments people get for being involved in crime as a youth, and the second rota on was about a woman who refused to speak, with some implica on that some crime may have taken place, such as the woman having been beaten up, or possibly worse. This shows the side of our culture which we o en try to hide and ignore, and so has been really interes ng to study.

In PE, we have covered a lot of sports from many different cultures, such as Cricket from Commonwealth countries, Handball from most European countries and Football, from almost everywhere across the Earth.

by Tom, Year 9

Morals, a key part of human society and school life. Every subject has their own special and individual moral. One of these morals is “Prac se makes Permanent” which we are told constantly by our amazing maths teacher.

This phrase is a modern twist on the common moral: Prac se makes perfect. The reason Mr Phillips changed the moral is because he strongly believes that you can never perfect a skill, there is always something to improve on.

Another moral is from all different subjects across the school which is: It’s alright to ask for help if you need it. This is important as more than likely someone else in the room is in the exact same posi on as you. So, you are helping them and teachers are there to teach you and develop your understandings, so it’s their job to help and make sure you understand. Overall, every individual moral helps us to learn and grow confidence in ourselves. We have loved this school year and can’t wait to improve even more next.

by Issy, Lea and Keira

An Bullying Ambassadors Bo sham Village College proudly hosted a training day by the Diana Award Programme for 16 would be An -Bullying Ambassadors. Staff and students from five other secondary schools a ended the event, which provided students with the knowledge and knowhow to become An -Bullying Ambassadors for their individual schools.

The day consisted of various workshops and ac vi es and covered everything from cyberbullying to bullying in the classroom and workplace. Students were taught to recognise the signs of bullying and what to ac on to take if they spot someone falling vic m to bullies. Students from all the schools worked together using role-play scenarios, prac cal sessions and by sharing their own experiences.

Mr Fullman, Assistant Principal at Bo sham Village College and event organiser said, “At Bo sham Village College, we are proud to be able to offer this vital training to staff and students. Our students are incredibly excited to start an An -Bullying campaign. They have already delivered an assembly to all year groups and have been busy developing a survey for students to complete and posters to display around school. The students are considering how they as a group can support the targets of bullying.

There is a lot of work to do, but they are really looking forward to implemen ng their ini a ves in the autumn term”.

BVC Students teach primary children about Mental Health & Wellbeing Back in June Ke lefields Primary School enjoyed a ‘Resilience Week’ which included a climbing wall, a Mental Health day and ended with Sports Day. Pupils and staff all took it in turns to have a go on the climbing wall and had to be ‘have a go hero’s’ and ‘keep it up captains’ as they problem solved their way and challenged themselves.

On the Tuesday, Mrs Melling and our Student Leadership Team joined Ke lefields for a ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing’ day. There was a whole school assembly which the students helped with and presented to the children. There were social, emo onal and mental health workshops in each of the classrooms and BVC students ran some resilience ac vi es which the children thoroughly enjoyed!

Children had to collect le ers in the game to form an inspira onal message ‘Dream Big!

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Celebrating Success

We are excited by the successes here at Bottisham and there are many! Below are the stories of eight students who have achieved great success in various fields.

Year 10 student Mia Biggs has qualified for both the Royal interna onal Horse Show at Hickstead in July and the Horse of the Year Show at the NEC in October.

She has been riding since she could sit up and has owned her 8 year-old Connemara pony, Stradone Prince, for three years. Prince hadn't done any jumping when Mia purchased him and Mia has brought him on slowly, produced him herself and is now compe ng him at the top level in Working Hunter Classes. She recently became champion in her class at the Royal Norfolk Show.

Alongside Prince Mia also owns a 4 year-old Connemara called PJ who is following the same path and will hopefully be contes ng the same qualifiers in the near future.

It is a massive achievement for both pony and rider to qualify for these events and we wish them the best of luck.

At 5.50am on Monday 25th June, five BVC year 11 students, Jack Darch, Chris Berridge, Zak Delanoy, David Dow and Ben White, set off from the foot of Ben Nevis for the Na onal Three Peaks Challenge. This involves climbing up and down the three highest peaks on mainland Britain: Scotland (Ben Nevis), England (Scafell Pike) and Wales (Snowdon) within 24 hours. The total walking distance is 23 miles with an overall ascent of 3064 metres (10,052 ) and a driving distance between the peaks of 462 miles - The boys successfully completed this in 23 hours!

The challenge was supported by The Henry Morris Memorial Trust that funds young people aged 13-19 in Cambridgeshire for ‘projects with prupose’. The trust awarded them £100 funding each. The boys did the marathon hike in aid of ‘We Are Macmillan Cancer Support’ and they have raised over £2500 for the charity - The boys said “many thanks to everyone who sponsored us. This expedi on would never have been possible without our fantas c support team Robbie Dow and Starchie and we would like to thank them for driving us such great distances before, a er and during the challenge; ensuring we got to all the mountains safely and in good me.”

Year 11 student Ben Knight has taken one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a professional footballer by signing for Manchester City. Ben has been at the Ipswich Town academy since he was eight years old and had ini ally been offered a scholarship by the club when he leaves Bo sham. However, the lure of a Premier League club proved too good to turn down. He has had many successes in recent years, represen ng Ipswich at U23 level and England at U16 level. Ben has been an outstanding student at Bo sham and shown incredible determina on and work ethic to make it to this point. We wish him the best of luck in this exci ng new chapter.

Dance student Lowri Davies has recently been awarded a full scholarship in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre at Bodywork Interna onal. Lowri started a tots ballet class as a toddler and took part in her first compe on aged 4. Lowri progressed to ISTD double na onal championship for under 6 the following year and a total of nine other na onal championship tles followed a successful compe ve career. Lowri was taking a combina on of group dance classes and private lessons between 2 and 3 mes a week, and then also joined NOMADS to develop her love for musical theatre and ac ng. At one point, Lowri would travel as far as Wolverhampton at weekends for lessons, and Bedford mid-week to prac ce with a partner.

At the age of 12, Lowri started training at Bodywork Cambridge in Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Tap, Commercial and singing in the choir. She took lessons every day a er school and on Saturdays, and is now training for an average of 15 hours in classes every week outside of school. In addi on to this she prac ces on her own at home or in a local studio to improve her strength and flexibility. Lowri has gained dis nc on in every RAD ballet exam she has taken, being awarded the top marks in her class for the last three years.

For post 16 educa on Lowri applied for Bird College, The Urdang Academy and Bodywork Company Interna onal. Each audi on required her to take part in Ballet, Jazz and Commercial workshops, sing a solo and perform a monologue and have an interview. For Bodywork, she also had to choreograph and dance a solo piece. Lowri was offered places at every college she audi oned for - o en the youngest at the audi on (she was only 15 when the process began last Autumn).

At the end of the recent Urban Styles Showcase in June, the Principal of Bodywork Company Interna onal announced that they had awarded Lowri a full Bodywork scholarship for the three year course. Fees for this level of training are in excess of the usual university degree and not eligible for student loan funding, so to win this scholarship has enabled Lowri to follow her dream to train in professional dance and musical theatre.

Lowri has been a consistently dedicated, enthusias c and posi ve student in both her GCSE Dance and Drama and we look forward to hearing how her future develops in her inevitable career in performing arts.

Well done Lowri!

Further info and images at: h ps://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/na onal3peakschallengers

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German Exchange

This year a group of students from years 8 & 10 par cipated in the German Exchange, in which we were partnered with German students of similar ages. A er signing up, we completed a personality form where we put our interests and characteris cs to be paired with another student (of the German variety). A few weeks later, and we were told who are partners were, and began talking immediately. In mid April, we flew to Dortmund from Luton, and then took a coach to Kempen, in the west of Germany near the Dutch border where we met with our host families.

At about 7am in the morning, we got up to go to their school (The Erich Kästner Realschule) for 8 am. We had five 45 minute periods - I had German which was their equivalent of English literature and language, double drama, and double Biology. Their English was a lot be er than our German, because they began learning earlier, so we understood about 50% of what they said in lessons. When school finished, our German counterparts gave us pizza and we posed for some photos for the local newspaper.

School finishes at around 13:00 normally, so we went back to our host families and, in my case, went into town for a tour.

At the weekend, we were given a taste of German culture with our host families. On

Saturday, I went with my host family to an industry park - an abandoned power plant in Duisburg, about 30 minutes away from Kempen. On the Sunday, we went to Dortmund and went up the TV tower to get great views of the city. Other people did a variety of trips to places around Western Germany - some even went to The Netherlands across the border.

On the Monday morning, we met with our friends at the bus stop, before ge ng on the coach for a day trip to the Roman town of Xanten. We walked around the site, seeing the ruins and playing in a wooden fort (because we act our age)!

A erwards we went to the town next to the ruin site and got ice-cream because surprisingly enough it was pre y hot.

The next day we all went on a trip to Cologne, which involved scaling the hundreds of steps to get to the top of the towers (which didn’t go without a fair amount of complaining from most of the group), followed by a couple of hours free me for shopping for tradi onal German souvenirs like H&M floral shirts! Our final day involved us saying goodbye to our partners, before ge ng on the coach for Dortmund, where we went shopping for any final souvenirs.

A er that, we spent some me in the park, before heading off to the airport. We arrived back at about 9pm, and despite our redness, we s ll felt really good about the trip.

Then came the home leg of the exchange.

We collected our German counterparts from the bus bays, and took them home to get reacquainted. The following morning we took them to school for a normal day (star ng much later for them but las ng much longer). We had the whole bank holiday weekend to spend with them, taking them to London, to the beach or around the local area. On Monday, most of us took our partners to Reach fair, where they experienced the excitement of life in Reach.

On Tuesday, we went to Cambridge with them, where we got a tour of the University and learnt about its history, with free me following that. On the final day, we brought them to school, and by period 3 we had said our goodbyes and they had got onto the coach for the return journey.

All in all, the exchange was a great experience to take part in, and personally it helped my German no end, so I’d recommend it to anyone curious about Germany’s culture and anyone who wants to stretch themselves in the language.

With huge thanks to the teachers that made this possible: Mr Midgley, Miss Dimelow and Miss Ma hewson.

by Ben , Year 10

Dutch Exchange - Part 1 On Wednesday 6th June, we welcomed sixteen Year 8 students, from Anna van Rijn College, to take part in the 2018 Dutch exchange.

A er mee ng up with their partners and se ling into their homes, on Thursday, the students par cipated in an insigh ul session by Mr Gee which was all about the history and heritage of the college. A erwards, they embarked on a day-trip to Anglesey Abbey where the Dutch students marvelled at the size of the grounds. The next stop was Cambridge, and on Friday the students visited the Fitzwilliam Museum, toured the colleges and took in all the tourist hot-spots. A er a busy day of sight-seeing, the students returned to their host families homes. They enjoyed some free me on the Saturday with their families before returning home to the Netherlands on the Sunday. It was great to see our Year 8 students flourish in the company of their Dutch counterparts and revel in such a cultural experience. They now look forward to the return leg of the exchange which will take place in October.

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Hello everyone!

There has been lots going on this term and students have par cipated in a number of career-related ac vi es. Year 10s have been looking ahead to their op ons beyond Year 11.

They have explored the Post-16 applica on process on PSHE day and visited 6th Forms and voca onal Colleges. Many have received career guidance interviews to consider what they want as individuals and how they can be successful moving forward. As I write, they are engaged in work experience and I hope they have a happy, informa ve me.

Careers guidance is my passion and I am delighted to have been appointed the Careers Leader at Bo sham Village College. This role will enable me to oversee the strategic development of careers work at the College, a very exci ng prospect! Plans include making sure we meet the requirements of the Government’s Career Strategy to provide an effec ve careers provision which supports students’ development and employability. I am also working with our Media Manager, crea ng a new look to our careers webpage. There will be sec ons for parents and careers, informa on on appren ceships, current opportuni es, post 16 op ons, work experience and useful websites. You will be able to see our Careers Programme and view our Careers Policies. Statements of intent explain how we will inform and involve parents and carers, students and staff.

We are very fortunate to have secured the services of an Enterprise Adviser to help us to develop a careers plan that gives students mul ple opportuni es to learn about work. Graeme Jenkins is a Project Manager with Morgan Sindall and with his support and exper se, I envisage exci ng projects ahead. A new addi on to team Careers is Julian Fox who has been appointed as the Partnership Development Officer. In addi on to his teaching role, he is also able to bring a wealth of industry experience to this new venture. His main role will be to establish and consolidate business links with the College.

Field Trip for Hor culture students Eleven Year 10 Hor culture students recently visited ‘G’s Fresh’ the salad crop producer based near Ely, a field trip in every way!

At the propaga on unit they observed the produc on process from seed to the field, which is all done by machines and computers. The unit is staffed by only 5 people but is based in a greenhouse just under 5 hectares in size (that’s almost 7 football pitches!) It grows 130 million plants a year, mainly le uce.

Students then went to a field near Shippea Hill to witness the plan ng process, which is a mixture of mechanical and hand plan ng. This makes sure the le uce have the best chance to grow, but are planted quickly.

The last stop was to watch the harves ng of Li le Gem le uces for Waitrose. The students climbed on to the rigs to survey the machine in ac on and to see the final product all packed ready to go onto the shelves in the shops. It was a really interes ng and informa ve day for the students.

by Mrs Williams, Hor culture Teacher

To express our desire to provide excellent careers educa on, informa on, advice and guidance we will commence the ‘Quality in Career Standard Cambridge County Council ‘Inves ng in Quality’’, a Standard which will require the support of the whole College community. We would value your comments and views on our careers provision, including our programme, as they would help us to ensure we provide a high quality provision. Your support with our programme would be very welcome. For example, this could be cha ng to a small group of students about your job role or possibly talking to a few teachers about your industry area.

If you would like to help, please do contact me on: lsimpson@bo shamvc.org Many thanks for your me and best wishes Laurie Simpson

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Bo sham Village College Adult Learning We have lots of new courses and Saturday workshops star ng in September

Visit our website www.bo shamvc.org/adultlearning to view our full range of courses and for informa on on how to enrol

Funding Award from The Arts Society Newmarket Bo sham Village College has a reputa on for excellence in the arts and therefore we are delighted to have forged a rela onship with The Arts Society Newmarket through the group’s Young Arts representa ve, Lynne Kemp.

The Newmarket group, which has been in existence since 1976, is part of the Na onal Associa on of The Arts Society and aims to bring people together through a shared curiosity for the arts through a monthly lecture programme, focussed study days, holidays and trips. It also supports young people’s engagement in the arts through its Young Arts programme, and Bo sham Village College is delighted to have become a beneficiary of this, having been awarded £1,000 from The Arts Society Newmarket and a further £500 from the Patricia Fay Memorial Fund, a fund managed by the Na onal Associa on.

This funding will allow Bo sham Village College to undertake a project to create an artwork for the new school building which is scheduled to open in the autumn term. Principal Jenny Rankine, who accepted the award on behalf of the school said, ‘We are delighted to have received this funding award from The Arts Society and will look forward to engaging professional ar sts to work alongside students to mark the opening of the new building and to complement the art work already on the school site. We are extremely grateful to the Arts Society for affording us this wonderful opportunity.’

BOTTISHAM CARPET BOWLS CLUB Bo sham Carpet Bowls Club was formed back on the 21st January 1988 and this year we celebrate our 30th Anniversary. During this me our home venue has always been Bo sham Village College, with whom we con nue to have a special, close working rela onship with. The seed was sown by well respected village member, the late John Humphreys, placing a no ce in the ‘Cresset’ to see if enough residents were interested in star ng Carpet Bowls in the village. An ‘Open Evening’ was arranged with Swa am Prior showing us how the game was played.

Over the years members have come and gone, many for the wrong reasons.

Long standing Chairman and inspira on was the late Charles McCartney who spoilt us all with his excellent Christmas buffets, always good value for the price we paid.

For many years we have fielded 2 teams with modest success. However, increasing age and health problems has taken its toll and in the last couple of years we have only fielded one team in the league.

With a current membership of 27, each with various years of experience, the 2017/18 season has seen us win promo on, having finished 2nd to Colne, to the top division.

Carpet Bowls is a game for ALL ages which requires skill, planning and ability to deliver the wood with accuracy to achieve the right result. We always welcome new members so please get together with your friends and come along to our Wednesday evening club nights for a ‘free’ 4 week trial period.

All equipment is provided so why not give us a visit?

Our new season will start in middle to late September in the new ‘Main Hall/ Auditorium’ of the college.

We welcome your interest and look forward to mee ng new members very soon.

The Arts Society Newmarket’s lecture programme runs from October to July, and the group meets on the first Monday of the month at 2.00pm in Newmarket Catholic Church Hall.

Lectures last one hour, are delivered by experts in their fields and are followed by tea and cakes. Membership costs £40.00 per year, and the group is open to new members.

Please contact Lynne Kemp at grahamlynne@b nternet.com or by phone on 01638 780784 for further informa on.

Lectures coming up include: Monday 1 October 2018 Monday 5 November 2018

by Richard Nichols, Club Treasurer For further informa on please contact Mrs Nora Watson 01223 812121 or email: nora@gandnwatson.uk or myself on 01223 812158 or email: rlla.bell@b nternet.com

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Monday 3 M December D 2018

WINSTON CHURCHILL – THE ARTIST An insight into the restora ve power pain ng played on one of our greatest leaders.

Claire Walsh TURBULENT TIMES: RUSSIAN HISTORY AS DEPICTED BY 19th CENTURY REALIST PAINTERS Presen ng to UK audiences the rela vely undiscovered work of the Russian realist ar sts.

Sir Anthony Brenton SINGE WE YULE Performing carols, music on the harp and readings for an atmospheric medieval Christmas celebra on.

Sarah Deere-Jones

Rounders There has been a great turn out to Rounders club and fixtures over the summer term from all age groups. There has been a series of matches and tournaments in which all years did extremely well showing great teamwork and commitment.

The Year 10 Rounders team came 4th overall in the district tournament with a close finish. Well done to all the girls involved, your eort was incredible.

The Year 9 team came 2nd in the district tournament and qualified for the Cambridge and Peterborough School Games compe on at St .Ives. The school games was a fantas c day where the girls played numerous teams. They came an amazing 4th overall in the tournament in an extremely high field. A highlight of the tournament was Kelly making some amazing catches!!

The year 8 team also came 4th in the district tournament. All of the girls involved in this showed excellent ba ng and fielding skills to win many of their games.

The year 7 tournament is upcoming and the girls are all working hard at training to improve their skills and prepare for the district tournament.

Rowing Emillie, Madison and Emma from Year 9 competed at the Eaton Dorney Olympic Lake and won the gold medal for WJ14 coxed Quad sculls.

They won their heat and qualified for the final with the fastest me of both heats. Out of the 6 crews taken from schools and clubs in the southern region of the country including some top London clubs the girls won their final by a length.

Well done girls! A fantas c achievement!

Cricket

Well done to the year 8 boy’s cricket team who took part in the district tournament at Babraham. They played against Parkside and North Cambridge Academy and won both games comfortably to win their group!

follow@BVCPhysicalEd on twi er!

Football The U15 girls got through to the final of the PlaySta on na onal cup. We travelled to Reading to play at the Madjeski stadium playing Stanley Park School. The whole day was a brilliant experience for all, using the grounds training and changing facili es.

During the first half Becky made a number of excellent saves, one of them being nominated for save of the tournament. In the first half Amy took an excellent free kick hi ng the cross bar in the process. They were 0-1 down at half me and went 2-0 down half way through the second half. At 80 minutes Amy scored giving the girls a boost and changing the score to 2-1. A er some changes during injury me we went down to 4-1. The girls were fantas c on the day and throughout the whole process.

Bo sham Village College came 2nd in the tournament. The girls have worked very hard to get here and we are very proud of their achievements.

Primary School Festivals

Athletics The Jubilee Cup was a fantas c day for all involved. Both athletes and sports leaders were incredible in very hot condi ons. The sports leaders were an asset to the school and showed excellent knowledge in the running and officia ng of each event. All athletes had great team spirit and were very suppor ve towards each other. Many athletes stepped up to do events to fill in some gaps and earn extra points for the team. Years 7, 8 and 9 came 2nd in their year groups, Year 10 5th and BVC an amazing 2nd overall.

School records were broken in the following events: Nell Westbrook – Year 10 Shot (8.83m) Billy White – Year 8 Shot (12.30m) Jack Heider – Year 9 300m (42.00s)

Netball The Year 7 Netball teams played their District tournament at the very start of the summer term at Netherhall School. Both teams played extremely well in the very hot weather and showed excellent team spirit! The A team came 3rd and the B team came 4th overall. Well done to all the girls involved in the tournament.

This term we have hosted a large number of Primary School Fes vals. Many of our sports leaders from years 7-10 have been involved in the organisa on and running the following events: x Year 3 mini Olympics x Year 5 & 6 Pentathlon x Year 2 Mul Skills Fes val x Year 1 Tennis Fes val x Helping out at Primary School Sports Days x Year 8 and 9 sports leaders a ended a primary school cricket fes val at Histon Cricket Club. It was a fantas c a ernoon which allowed students to demonstrate their cricke ng knowledge through umpiring and scoring games.

All students had a fantas c a ernoon and really enjoyed working with younger pupils.

Thank you for all your help and support with these events!