Spring 2017 Issue 22
The magazine of Bo sham Village College
Achievement through inspiring, caring, enriching
A message from the Principal We hope you have all had a wonderful break and are ready and raring to get fully involved in the term ahead.
Bo sham Village College Lode Road Bo sham Cambridgeshire CB25 9DL Tel: 01223 811250
Dates for your diary Summer Term 2017 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 - Ac vi es Week Friday 21st July - End of Summer term
Autumn Term 2017 Friday 1st September - Training Day Monday 4th September - Year 7s only Tuesday 5th September - All year groups Thursday 5th October - Training Day & Open Evening 23rd - 27th October - Half-term Monday 27th November - Training Day Friday 15th December - End of autumn term
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Our Spring newsletter captures some of our highlights from last term with Comic Relief being a particular memorable day with staff and students working together, having lots of fun to raise money for a great charity. Year 11 are having an incredibly busy time preparing for their Summer exams. It was very encouraging that so many students signed up for Easter school, accessing many opportunities to work alongside specialist staff to improve their learning further. We have been working on an individualised programme for students in the run up to exams which include a range of masterclasses alongside some well-being activities and opportunities to celebrate their achievements. They are a wonderful year group and we wish them the very best in the busy months ahead. You may have noticed that the Capital build work has now started in earnest after planning permission was approved on the 16th March. The 3G pitch is well underway and should be ready for students and community to use this Summer. Also, building work has started on the left hand side of the school where eventually the new car park and bus park will be situated. Red 2 Green will be relocated in new buildings at the front of the school with the addition of a coffee shop and parking spaces, to allow easier access for the community. This term brings lots of new opportunities and students are busy planning for student leadership interviews, starting their new GCSE options and planning work experience and activities week. Particular events to look out for are parent information evenings, production of The Crucible, Summer concert and art exhibition along with the highlight of the year, the Leaver’s ball. Thank you to everyone who completed a parent questionnaire last term. It is always encouraging to hear your views about areas of the school that you feel are very strong and giving us some very useful feedback on areas we could support further. We will of course update you with everything happening at the college as term progresses using twitter, facebook, the website and our new Instagram feed. I hope you have a wonderful term. Mrs Jenny Rankine
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We would like to thank everyone who supported our events on Red Nose Day. We raised the magnificent total of £1260.69 for Comic Relief. Over 350 cakes sold out in under ten minutes and Miss Ruth managed 19mins nonstop hula hooping! Results of the Hula Hoop challenge Students x Amelie Plaistow - 14 minutes 42 seconds x Nelle Crowgay - 5 minutes 30 seconds x Jodie Halpen Mcdonald - 5 minutes Staff x Miss Ruth 19 minutes 49 seconds x Mrs Rankine 1 minute 32 seconds x Mr Burgess 3 .22 seconds ! Winner of the joke compe on was Maisie Cheverton with “ Simba was walking to slow, so I told him to Mufasa” !! The spacehopper challenge was a huge success with lots of staff and students taking part and being cheered on by crowds of spectators. Thank you to Mr Burgess and the Student Leadership Team for organising the events.
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Students represen ng BVC at East Cambs Youth Consulta on Panel Three students from Bo sham Village College have been represen ng their school community at the East Cambs Youth Consulta on Panel since July 2016. The group – which meets on a monthly basis – gives advice to the police and holds the Constabulary to account on ma ers which affect quality of life issues for young people across East Cambridgeshire. Ella McGonigle, Emily Taylor and Saffron Chambers have been representa ves on the panel, volunteering their me since the inaugural mee ng of the group in July last year. Together they have contributed to transla ng the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan into an understandable format for young people and a none corporate audience. This is the business plan which outlines the strategic aims for your local police over the next four years. The result of this work – which took three months to complete – will be shared across all secondary schools in Cambridgeshire in the new financial year. In the recent half-term holiday Emily and Saffron took the opportunity to visit police headquarters and toured the Tac cal Firearms Unit, Dog Unit, the Force Control Room, and met with both the Chief Constable Alec Wood and the Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite in separate mee ngs. The group was recently awarded a grant of £1750 to invest in social media technology. The purpose of the grant is to help the group to reach out to a broader audience of young people in our region. by Sgt Phil Priestly
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These were just some of the ques ons Year 7s were brimming with following Dr Ratcliffe’s inspira onal Antarc ca presenta on. Just before the half term holiday Year 7 Geographers were fortunate enough to be visited by penguin zoologist Dr Ratcliffe from the Bri sh Antarc ca Survey based in Cambridge. His gripping talk of first hand experiences, scien fic research and keeping warm (!) was par cularly enriching of the current class topic; Antarc ca Adventures. The pupils were spell bound by Dr Ratcliffe’s accounts of gruelling sea journeys to the world’s fi h largest con nent as well as his stunning photos of ice capped scenery. A highlight of the presenta on was definitely the opportunity pupils had to try on Antarc ca ‘survival gear’ from boots to balaclavas! The penguin ‘spy drone’ was another a rac on that enthused the students about Antarc ca conserva on research and generated many insigh ul ques ons. The pupils le with souvenir badges, bookmarks and big smiles. A very warm thank you to Dr Ratcliffe and the Bri sh Antarc ca Survey for such exci ng learning experience. By Miss L White Geography teacher
On the 28th February fi een Year 9 students were lucky enough to be invited on a trip to the Snow Dome in Milton Keynes. We were accompanied by two teachers, Miss Tydeman, who is an experienced skier, and Miss Slipper who had never skied before but was eager to learn! We set off a er school travelling in the school mini bus. The journey was long but everyone was so excited it seemed it was over quickly. When we got there we were shocked at how big the snow dome was and how many different shops there were. It was huge! Most of us had the proper clothing but those that didn’t were offered it. When we were ready we headed up to a restaurant where there was a buffet wai ng for us. We ate for half an hour and then got on the slopes! We were offered ski and snowboard lessons for all different abili es, or if you had been skiing or snowboarding before you were free go on your own. These lessons were very effec ve, and had everyone on the slopes by the end. This was a great way for beginners to learn to ski without having to travel or pay large amounts of money. For those that have skied before it was great to get more prac ce. If this trip was ever offered again I would definitely sign up as it was great fun and helped me prac ce my technique. by Francesca Patche
Visitors from Niger State In early March we welcomed a delega on from Niger State. Members of Niger State Government have been working with the Judge Business School, the Faculty of Educa on at the University of Cambridge and MRL Consultants to help consider the reform of the educa on system in Niger State, Nigeria. The visitors were shown around the college by Mrs Rankine with help from Pralish, Dion, Sophie & Ruby. They visited every faculty and the four students spoke eloquently and posi vely about how wonderful their teachers were, and how all adults in the school ‘wanted the very best for them’. They were an absolute credit to the school and themselves. The visitors were extremely impressed with the school set up, teaching and learning and the a tude of our students and will be taking back many ideas to Niger State.
It was a privilege to be asked to show our visitors around the college and extremely intriguing to find out everything about their home and what their aims were for the schools in their country. However, intriguing as it was, it was also quite sad to hear about the condiƟons and stories of some of their schools. by Sophie Wood, Year 7
Problem Solving, Barcodes, Passwords & Puzzles! At the start of January, fi een students were given the opportunity to a end a mathema cs enrichment day at the University of Cambridge. The trip was hugely oversubscribed with large numbers of students showing an interest in studying maths in the future. The group met at the very impressive University of Cambridge, Faculty of Mathema cs, some at the crack of dawn to sample the breakfast. The day started with a hugely engaging talk by Dr Ka e Steckles, she spoke passionately about mathema cs in the world around us with topics including barcodes, text messages and passwords. Students were then split into smaller groups to a end workshops on a range of mathema cs applica ons. Topics included the art and mathema cs of paper folding, mathema cal games and puzzles, programming using decimals and a problem solving quiz. All the workshops introduced students to new and interes ng mathema cal thinking and gave them opportuni es to collaborate and develop their understanding. The day was very well organised with students experiencing a range of mathema cal ac vi es in varied contexts. There was a frequent focus on developing problem solving skills which was welcome and valuable. By Mr L Hammet, Maths Teacher “During our intriguing visit, we parƟcipated in a vast range of enjoyable group based Maths acƟviƟes and lectures. Throughout the day we learnt various mathemaƟcal tricks which we were eager to aƩempt on our family and friends. It was also helpful to have received advice on the relevance of maths in future careers and the benefits of conƟnuing the study of maths in higher educaƟon from those who presented the event. A huge thank you to Mr HammeƩ and Mrs Clark who were very enthusiasƟc and supporƟve throughout the day.” by Zak Delanoy and Ben Le Maire
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In February, the BVC jazz band were invited to play at a civic recep on at Ely Mal ngs. We played a 45 minute set whilst the dignitaries of Ely mingled, socialised and enjoyed refreshments. The audience appreciated our versions of “Tequila,” “Grooved Pavement,” and other school band standards. They were so glad when we finished that they thanked us with the means to purchase more music. Thank you to everyone who played and to Mr Grisedale for making his first concert with us a good one.
The spring term concert took place on 7th February and showcased both KS3 and KS4 dances, and a wide range of musical performances. The evening was very well a ended and the students, as usual, performed brilliantly. There were several students who were performing for the first me, in an ensemble or as a soloist. The programme consisted of piano solos on the lovely grand piano (some of you will remember the fund-raising to make this purchase!), instrumental and vocal solos, as well as composi ons and ensembles rehearsed a er school. Students operated the ligh ng, sound produc on and back stage management and it was a fantas c evening. Well done to everyone involved. Keep Monday 26th June free in your diary so you can come to the summer concert. Hope to see you there! by Mrs Pam Hall, Head of Music
by Ellie Gaggs
Year 9 and 10 were given the amazing opportunity to travel to ExCel London to a end the “UK’s biggest dance event this year.” We went to school in clothes that were suitable for dancing, signed in then made our way to the coaches. When we arrived, we saw how enormous the venue was with mul ple shops and places to eat at right outside the entrance. Inside it was crowded with dancers, students, teachers and visitors. At one end of the venue there was a main stage that hosted acts like Kimberly Wya , Chrissy and Jonny, Twist and Pulse and various dance schools. In the centre a freestyle stage was home to various dancers figh ng to get through to the next round of compe on. Around these there were numerous dance workshops for different types of ability. In addi on there were many places to get gli er on your face (which was very popular), get henna or buy clothing that could range from sweatshirts to dance leotards. The whole experience was wonderful, it was one of my favourite school trips! Thanks to Miss Pinny for organising it and to Miss Ruth, Miss Bird and Miss Rankine for being there with us on the day. by Pasangi Kularatne
Back in March, the Art Department organised a day’s workshop in school with the Royal Academy of Arts Outreach Programme. This involved drawing the face of a professional model and was led by a tutor provided by the Royal Academy. It was an intensive day, and the students produced excellent quality large-scale drawings using a range of different materials, which they have been able to add to their por olios. GCSE Drama students got the chance to see ‘Metamorphosis’ and take part in a bespoke puppetry workshop at The Mumford Theatre in Cambridge. They used the performance as a basis for the Year 10 GCSE wri en mock exam and the workshop helped the students understand their unique devising process.
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Back in January, six Bo sham students a ended a regional schools judo compe on. Five Medals were won; two silver and three bronze. Owen Bentley and Harvey Porter won silver. Daniel Hames, Ben Shackleton and Jacob Evans won bronze. Oscar Evans fought well but just missed out a medal place. Owen Bentley narrowly missed winning the final and taking gold. A good and skilful performance from all of the Bo sham judoka. by Mr Colin Fordham
We are having a series of Open Door days at various primary and secondary schools in our teaching school alliance.
At Bo sham Village College, we are opening our doors on May 9th & May 10th 9.30-11.30 am. On the 21st February, four Year 10 Kick Ash mentors (Charlo e,Megan,Lydia and myself) got the opportunity to go to a Kick Ash Graffi Workshop in Ely. In the morning we got to go outside and do some team building ac vi es with other Year 10 mentors from other schools in the county. This was great fun and although difficult at me, we conquered on, always trying to find the best solu on to solve each puzzle. At lunch we had some me to relax and warm up a er the bi erly cold weather outside, while ea ng incredibly delicious subways. In the a ernoon, we designed and spray painted on to our two canvasses. Every picture was amazing and very crea ve, encouraging the public to stop smoking. Now every piece made will be displayed in the Public Central Library in Cambridge for anyone who wishes to see them. We would like to give a massive thank you to Mrs Cook and all the Kickash team who made this brilliant day possible! We have also been busy raising money for Cancer Research by holding a cake sale and a teacher dodgeball match. Altogether we raised £161.15.
Our Open Door days will give you the chance to see classes in ac on, meet our students and chat to staff. You will be able to ask any ques ons that you have and see first-hand why teaching is a rewarding career. If you are eligible* to train to teach or a returning teacher and would like to take part, then send a brief statement of interest to our administrator Sheree Forbes, sforbes@bo shamvc.org. Tell us about yourself and your mo va on to possibly become a teacher or indeed return to the profession; and state your preferred date and venue. *
A minimum of a 2.2 Honours degree A 'C' grade or above in English and Maths GCSE or overseas equivalent (secondary); di o plus science for primary.
by Chiara D’Avino, Kick Ash Mentor
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Aspirations fo Careers Week The 6th – 10th March was Na onal Careers Week. Students received a special assembly and the opportunity to a end a talk by our Careers Champions. Career Champions are speakers who are happy to share with students their own experiences and career choices. This year we had an ex-student who is now studying Medicine at Peterhouse College, the University of Cambridge came with three other students to share their personal journeys to University and what University life is like. Mr LeGga shared his experiences owning and managing a livery yard and working in the world of Polo, and Mrs Day gave an insight into working in Local Government and her pathway from school to her current posi on. Each talk was offered to all students, and was oversubscribed. They received excellent feedback from the students, and we hope to offer a chance to a end them again to students who missed out this me. A huge thanks to our Careers Champions who gave up their me to give their talks.
In February, our year 10 students’ PSHE day was on ‘Careers and Employability.’ Throughout the day the students explored different careers, and the importance of engaging with local labour market informa on. They had sessions from business organisa ons to help them to think about the workplace, and the skills needed, including health and safety and financial awareness. They also wrote their own CVs and learned what employers look for in them, as well as star ng to think about interview skills. In the a ernoon each form was visited by a current member of year 11. The students shared their plans post-16, and also gave advice to the year 10s on how to approach their final year at BVC. Thank you to the representa ves from Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, 3AAA training providers, Morgan Sindall and PRS (Pure Resourcing Solu ons) UK.
This has been a busy me for career guidance suppor ng our Year 11 students as they prepare to embark on their next step and also helping Year 9s to think about their GCSE op ons. My focus now turns to helping our Year 10 students prepare for what may lie beyond Bo sham Village College. New beginnings can be quite stressful and we wanted to support students so they feel more confident as they move forward. Our ini al mee ngs provide a space to talk about how the individual can be most successful in their learning and what they may want for the future. We have discussed the op ons that may be available to them and considered what they may need to do to realise their career goals. All our students are welcome to see me at any point on their learning journey, whenever they feel uncertain. We o en talk about different types of qualifica ons, which 6th Form College may be right for them, appren ceships and higher educa on. My aim is always to support their progression, helping them reach their fullest poten al. by Laurie Simpson Independent Career Guidance Counsellor
or the future Year 9: Eyes on the Prize Event
If you would like to help develop our Careers Programme and become a Careers Champion, please email Mrs Oldridge on holdridge@bottishamvc.org We are looking for parents with a wide range of career backgrounds to give group talks, and potentially contribute to making events like National Careers Week even more successful.
On the 18th January we took 215 Year 9 students to visit the Anglia Ruskin University campus to get a feel for higher educa on. Students started the half day programme with an introduc on to the student journey from school to further educa on or training, followed by a campus tour and an interac ve exhibi on. Our students were given tours by Anglia Ruskin Student Ambassadors, who gave the pupils an insight into what being a university student is like. Students then had an opportunity to a end an exhibi on facili es at Anglia Ruskin which featured stands from other Further and Higher Educa on ins tu ons as well as training providers and employers. Paul Dunton, Outreach and Recruitment Officer at Anglia Ruskin, led the programme and said, “This is a crucial me for pupils in Year 9 across our region as they choose the GCSEs and begin to think about the path they are going to take in the future." “Whether they choose to go into higher educa on or not, it is important for them to understand as early as possible the op ons that are open for them. These sessions have given them a chance to learn more about what the future holds and have a lot of fun in the process.”
Year 11 Mock Interviews On the 17th January, all the year 11 students had the opportunity to have a mock interview with a business person. In the week leading up to them, students were guided through the different types of interview they may have in their futures, and were given prepara on advice and ps for a successful interview. The students conducted themselves impeccably, and made an excellent impression on the business women and men: ‘‘I think the students were amazing, it was really inspiring to talk with such ar culate, polite and wellrounded young people;’ ‘good prepara ons have obviously been done by the students;’ ‘Many of them know the qualifica ons they will need to get where they which to go which is good to see.’ They students’ responses were equally posi ve. This is something that we hope to repeat each year- it is an incredibly valuable experience. Thank you to the representa ves from: Natwest, Polkadot Frog, The Cambridge Science Centre, Mundipharma IT services, Aspire Cambridge, Morgan Sindall, Ashtons Lega, West Suffolk College and Cou s.
Did you know… ...that on our website we have a list of useful websites to help give students about employability skills, what employers are looking for and future career ideas?
My experience Recently, I have had a great opportunity to take part in some extra work for the BBC soap EastEnders that mainly involved me being a background character. I am par cularly passionate about performing arts and this experience has inspired me even more to pursue my dream. In September, I joined a drama academy called YAC (Young Actors Company). As well as weekly drama classes YAC is the liaison between EastEnders and young actors like me. They organise everything from the performance licence, that by law you need, to things like transport to the TV studios or set loca ons. You normally have to get up at about 5:00am and it was a long drive to somewhere secret in London, but I am sadly not allowed to tell you the loca on! Breakfast was provided and we got ready for the day. All together I spent 10 days on set. As we are represen ng our agency we have to be extremely professional and listen to all orders, also I have to men on that we are not allowed to approach the actors or film crew. The actors who came and said hello to me were very friendly and suppor ve. Each day you would be taken up to wardrobe to check that every single bit of hair and clothing looked the same for each shoot. I had to wear an ‘EastEnders’ school uniform, with a e, something we don’t wear at Bo sham! Then you would sit in a room that was not being used for filming and wait to be called on. Once the director is ready, you have to do exactly what they say and o en do the scene again and again as even the professionals get it wrong some mes. This means that we have to be very pa ent and do a lot of standing around. Some of the days were freezing and only the really famous actors were given blankets between takes! The day repeated like that, leaving us me to eat lunch and dinner if we had to stay late. Then back on the coach to Cambridge, ge ng home very late! The scenes that I was in aired around 6 weeks a er filming and it was great fun seeing the shots from the camera’s view. There is a catch to ac ng though. You have to work extremely hard to get through the audi ons for the agency and then prove to the chaperones that you have earned your place in the ac ng world. I must say that it can be ruthless at mes and there are a lot of other people my age who also want to be actors so you need a thick skin for this, but on a good note you do get an amazing feeling of accomplishment. Over all this experience has really inspired me to do more things like this for my future. YAC is a really professional agency here are the details for ge ng an audi on. by Mia Harrison
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On the 10th February four intrepid young engineers from Year 7 entered a compe on at Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge. The task was to design and create a model wooden footbridge that could, if scaled up, cross the River Cam. A er some rigorous stress tes ng the bridge eventually collapsed but the judges were incredibly impressed with the team’s design ideas and their ability to budget their resources. Well done to Tom, Bryher, Jake, Kerri-Anne, Max, Sam and Joe. They were a credit to the school and made many fabulous contribu ons to the team. by Mr Tom Lamb,
In March, twelve Year 9 students took part in a three day archaeology event that was organised by the University of Cambridge. This saw Bo sham students working alongside other local schools to try and uncover the secrets hidden below the ground in Histon, helping to contribute to the University’s inves ga on in Medieval se lements. The first two days students completed their own test pits under the guidance of experts from the University. This was a great success with students finding an assortment of artefacts, including items from the Victorian, Tudor and Medieval periods. The third day students le their muddy clothes at home and a ended a series of lectures at Cambridge University. These allowed students to gain a be er understanding of the research into Medieval se lements as well as receiving advice and guidance on applying to University. The three days ended with a tour of Emmanuel College and a chance to see how students lived at Cambridge. by Mr J Synge, Trip leader
Crafty Sew and Sows Red2Green is a Cambridgeshire charity providing services including learning, leisure and work opportuni es for people with a wide range of disabili es, including mental ill health , learning disabili es and au sm spectrum condi ons. From now un l December 2017, under the tle: ‘Cra y Sew and Sows’ they are working with the local community, Swa am Bulbeck Primary School and the college to inves gate lost skills that were either essen al parts of daily lives or commonplace 100 years ago, some of them par cular to the local area. The first dying skill was bread making, something that is built into the landscape of this area with farming and milling. Seven students visited the mill at Anglesey Abbey and learnt about how the mill worked, grinding wheat and flour produc on. The students really enjoyed the visit. Then on Thursday 23rd February the college hosted a bread making day, with 23 students taking part. They really enjoyed the day, learning new skills, and working with and helping the younger students and vistors from Red2Green. Everyone took home their finished loaves and bread rolls for their families to sample and the day was a great success.
Other skills we will be exploring will be x Kni ng x Growing your Own – vegetables, fruit, flowers, kitchen gardens and co age gardens x Making Fires – fire safety, managing woodland, the charcoal industry x Playground Games – encouraging us all to be imagina ve and resourceful, look back at a range of tradi onal games for stepping away from using technology as well as making me for play. How you can get involved: If your family have a tale to tell about any of the skills covered or if you have a skill you want to share related to the 5 themes or if you have surplus wool for re-purposing then please contact us at Red2Green, Harvey’s Barn, Park end, Swa am Bulbeck 01223 811662 Dates for your Diary: Look out for Grab a Skill Days – each skill will have a Community Day where the par cipants will further their knowledge and prac ce of that skill at a range of venues around the area.
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Way back in January we had a visit from Olympic medallist Helen Richardson Walsh. Helen won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics as part of the Ladies Hockey Team. Year 8s listened to a mo va onal talk from Helen and par cipated in a ques on and answer session. Each form group took turns to be photographed with her by the World Tree and to see her medals close up. Some were also lucky enough to wear them! Helen’s message was very much one about resilience, never giving up and how hard work pays dividends.
If you would like to advertise in our newsletter please contact Jennie Smith on 01223 811250 ext 223 or jsmith@bottishamvc.org
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The new entry road being built
Morgan Sindall have been on site for a couple of months and work is progressing well. The first development has been the forma on of the new 3G pitch (more details about this are below). Other enabling works have now begun and these will con nue through to July. These include the construc on of a new car park and bus drop-off area to the east of the site, the forma on of the new entry road, a crossover point from Lode Road into the site and groundwork for the new Red2Green buildings.
Students rewarded with hot chocolate & Easter eggs At the end of each half-term, the students scoring the most reward points in each year group were rewarded with a special treat. In February, they gathered in the Project Area to enjoy hot chocolate and cookies and on the last day of the Spring term they took part in a surprise Easter egg hunt. A big thank you goes to the student council who planned and organised the egg hunt.
The new 3G pitch taking shape
New 3G Football Turf Pitch
Congratula ons to all the students who received these rewards - We look forward to the next event in May.
A new floodlit full-size 3G football turf pitch and tennis courts are due to open this summer at Bo sham Sports Centre. The high quality surfaces will be used by Bo sham Village College for PE lessons, a er-school ac vity, and matches during the day and open for community use on evenings and weekends. The 3G football pitch surface will be made from grass like fibres a ached to a special backing. The pile is infilled with rubber granules. This gives the pitch characteris cs of ball bounce, ball roll, surface hardness, and grip that are associated with playing on a high quality natural pitch but with the ability to accommodate a far greater amount of use. A grant of £265,527.00 has been provided through the Football Founda on’s Premier League & The FA Facili es Fund. Cambridgeshire Football Associa on has also contributed funding and become a partner to help deliver the project’s football development plan. The main aims of the plan are to increase par cipa on, create be er coaches and players, support the volunteer workforce, and to raise standards within the game. Football providers including local charter standard clubs, who offer football for boys and girls from mini-soccer up to veterans, will be able to book the pitch for weekly training sessions. The pitch will incorporate all recommended pitch markings for 5v5, 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11 formats of the game enabling the facility to be used for weekend football matches too. Cambridgeshire FA will host recrea onal programmes including a new midweek 11-a-side league at the site to increase par cipa on. The facility will also be used as a key venue for training of the football workforce by hos ng referee courses, coaching courses, young leader training and CPD events. The facility is due to open in the summer of 2017.
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The Library has had its usual busy me this term. We have had a few deliveries of new books that are always very popular and go out very quickly. It’s good to see students reading so keenly, both at home and in the library at break and lunch. We have also had a couple of very generous dona ons from supporters this term: a full set of the KirkOthmer Encyclopaedia of Chemical Technology (4th edi on,) containing ar cles wri en by prominent scien sts, donated by the parents of one of our students; and sixteen volumes (twenty-three stories) of Charles Dickens published by Odhams Press (London) in the 1900s, donated by a former Bo sham pupil. These vintage, illustrated books will be on display soon. There is a new area called “Shelf Help” which is part of a na onal scheme to encourage teens to learn about their own mental health and well-being. As well as easily accessible informa on books explaining the challenges some teens (and indeed non-teens) may face, there are well-known novels that centre on many of the issues which are not only informa ve but just a really good read. The Scholas c Book Fair was once more hosted by the library and very kindly run for the week by the Student Council – well done all who helped! As part of the Scholas c week we ran a compe on for students to write A4 Author Autobiography posters, which are on display in the library for students to read, along with examples of books by the chosen, recommended authors. Compe on winners were Maisie, Molly, Megan, Leah, Ellie and Kerri-Anne. Ellie received a Reward Cer ficate for wri ng some excellent li le shelf-card book reviews which are displayed on the shelves for you to read. Thanks Ellie!
World Book Day had to be delayed slightly for Bo sham VC, due to needing the Library space for exams. We held our day the following week, with a screen showing book/film trailers, some compe ons with small edible prizes, and a Literary Quiz at lunch me. Fi een teams entered plus a brave young man who chose to enter as a singleplayer… then won! Teams scoring over 40/50 were: The Gaym (Bella and Chloe,) Three Highly Envied But Equine SenƟent Things (Tom, Freddie and Kiyoshi) and The Holy Fish Of Judionamanamaha (Caitlin and Nelle.) The winner, aka team IQ, was Tony Mills.
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We have also started a Carnegie Shadowing Group this term. The CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded every year to a children’s writer of an outstanding book. Students in school can par cipate in Shadowing Groups which do just what the judges do: they read all the books on the shortlist, (shown above), make notes about them, discuss the books with the group, and choose the best. In Cambridgeshire, half a dozen schools do this, then they all get together for a big conversa on at the end, just before the final decision. This year the groups are all mee ng up at Netherhall. The shortlisted books were announced on the 16th March and the groups then started reading and reading and … reading! They have under 6 weeks to read them all and make notes so they can remember the book later. The group gets together for a quick chat about books every Friday morning. The final student decision (overall schools’ vote) is made Monday on 19th June when the Carnegie judges announce their decision. The announcement of the judges’ winner is streamed and we celebrate or commiserate with a drink, some cake, and a photo! Very well done to all the students who cons tute our group and will be represen ng Bo sha m.
Football
Cross country
We have had representa ve teams in all the district compe ons for football this half term. 2 teams went to the Year 8 tournament, with both A and B finishing 9 th in their respec ve compe ons. At the Year 7 tournament, the A team did tremendously well to finish 4th out of 16 schools, but the B team managed to go even be er, winning the B team league and remaining unbeaten in the process.
The English schools cross country compe on took place this year on 18th March in Norwich. Bo sham had three students represen ng Cambridgeshire, all of whom did excep onally well against a tough field. Hugh Dow and Will Newcombe competed in the junior boys event, finishing 270th and 151st respec vely in a field of 345 runners. David Dow competed in the inter boys compe on, finishing a remarkable 20th despite running against many students a year older. Well done to our trio of outstanding runners.
In the District football cups, the Year 11s are s ll unbeaten and in the semi finals at me of wri ng. Can they do the unthinkable and win the District cup for the third year running? The year 10 team, finalists from last year, faced a tough Netherhall team in the first round this year, going out with a 2-0 loss. Finally, the Year 9 team are also in the semi-finals at me of wri ng, and hoping to make their first district final, due to be held this year at the Abbey Stadium, home of Cambridge United. Following their successful cup run last year ending with a final match at Wembley stadium, the Under 14 girls team were entered into the English Schools Na onal Cup this year, playing 11-a-side for the first team. They did remarkably well once again, making it all the way to the quarter final stage before being knocked out by Idsall school from Telford. Well done once again ladies!
Netball Netball season has seen a wave of girls a ending club regularly on Tuesday a ernoons, with around 60 present each week from all year groups. Year 7 and 8 are yet to play their district tournament, but Year 10 finished 8th in the district, and Year 11 7th. Sadly, the Year 9 compe on was cancelled due to poor weather.
Individual successes A huge well done must go to the following students for successes in sport outside of school. Maddox Colby of Year 9 has been selected to represent the England deaf squad for cricket, demonstra on tremendous skill and perseverance to overcome adversity.
A big well done also goes to Olivia Chan in Year 9, winning the U16 county badminton championships in both singles and doubles. Olivia beat many students older than her on the way to winning the compe on. A terrific achievement.
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Roy Burrell District Sports Awards At the Roy Burrell District Sports Awards, we had fourteen Year 11 students receiving medals for excellence and achievement in their chosen sports. The main awards of the night for outstanding sportsman and sportswoman was a hotly contested field, with na onal standard sports performers in both categories. A huge well done must go to Maisey Snaith for picking up 3 rd place in the outstanding sportswoman award for her achievements in athle cs; Maisey is currently ranked 10th for 100m in the U17 age group na onally. A phenomenal achievement. Furthermore, addi onal congratula ons must go to Adam Cross for picking up 1st place in the outstanding sportsman award. Adam is also a sprinter, ranked 23rd na onally for 100m, and beat a world champion taekwondo compe tor to claim first place. The students were fortunate enough to hear from two former winners of the compe on – Tom Westley, professional cricketer and England A squad, and Louis Rolfe CBE, Paralympic gold medal cyclist at the recent Rio Paralympics. Well done to all our students for picking up their awards:
Maisey Snaith – Athle cs and Sportswoman 3rd Place Adam Cross – Athle cs and Sportsman 1st Place Molly Coen – Swimming Alex Chan – Badminton Nic Huckle – Cricket Oakley Colby - Cricket Ellen Fletcher – Cricket Ben Nolan – Football Henry Hall – Football Josh Revell – Football Paddy Cave – Rugby Luke Jarvis – Rugby Charlo e Woolley – Netball Catherine Williams – Netball
Basketball Over the winter months, fixtures turned to basketball once again, and Bo sham con nued our proud tradi on of having boys and girls teams represen ng every age group. The biggest success was the U16 girls team, making it to the final at Long Road, finishing 3rd overall. Well done to all our basketballers this year.
Many sports leadership opportuniƟes will arise next year for Years 8, 9 & 10 students. Will you get involved?
For all informa on on fixtures and clubs over the coming year, follow @BVCPhysicalEd on twi er!