Celebrating Project 80

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This project has been supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

In association with:

This publication has been produced as part of the activities of Project 80, a heritage project celebrating Bottisham Village College. Š Copyright Bottisham Village College, published by Bottisham Village College

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Project 80 A heritage project celebrating Bottisham Village College

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Introduction

This publication documents the activities of Project 80, our heritage project marking both the 80th anniversary of our school and also the opening of a new building on our school site. Our project was funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund, and we are very grateful to National Lottery players for making this possible.

We have welcomed the opportunity this project has given us to look both to the past and the future, and to learn more about our school: this is a very exciting time to be a student at Bottisham Village College.

We are delighted to have been part of the group working on Project 80 and we hope you will enjoy reading about the many different activities which have contributed to our project.

Communications Team, Project 80

Bryher Basher

Grace Fridd

Wiktoria Janueszewski

Benjamin Westcott

October 2018

Sophie Wood

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Welcome from the Principal Jenny Rankine, Principal, Bottisham Village College

Project 80 symbolises all that is wonderful about our college: a coming together of the school community; a celebration of the arts; respect for the history of our local community and surroundings; and perhaps, most importantly, an opportunity for our students to self-manage and realise their own exciting learning journeys in a supportive yet challenging environment.

The college has changed remarkably over the past 80 years: the new building, shimmering in the summer sunshine as the final bricks are being laid, demonstrates clearly the physical changes to the school site over time, something I know the students involved in the project have been researching with great interest. What has never changed, however, is the original vision of our founder, Henry Morris, who instilled in the local community a sense that education is about lifelong learning; the idea that a community learns together, grows together, from its roots to its tips, and continues to recognise and nurture all within our locality, whilst also being outward-facing and valuing the wider world around us.

The Capital Build project itself is incredibly exciting for us all: not just from an architectural perspective, but more importantly due to the space and resources it will afford the college as we continue

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to grow and support more young people in the future. We are particularly excited about the new performing arts facilities, which will match the talents and hard work of our young dancers, actors and musicians. Never forgetting Henry’s ethos, these resources and facilities, including a wonderful new community library, will also be used to support our adult learning programmes and, we hope, become a real hub of inspiring learning and discovery for all members of the community.

We are incredibly grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the funding award which has enabled this project to take place and also to our project partners, The Henry Morris Memorial Trust and RIBA East, for their commitment and support in ensuring the success of this project. My personal thanks also go to all the very many people who have supported our project in any way, from former pupil and filmmaker Peter Harmer to the staff and pupils at Impington and Linton Village Colleges who kindly hosted our visits, the archivists at Cambridgeshire County Council and the Cambridgeshire Collection and the architects from the Cambridge Association of Architects, as well as the many Bottisham Village College staff members who have been involved in this project.

Finally, I have been incredibly impressed with the work the students have produced as part of their Project 80 briefs. Whether it be intelligent and creative architectural designs, cutting-edge filmmaking, historical analysis, ground-breaking journalism or performance, it is clear that they have been inspired by the rich history and, indeed,

the exciting future of our wonderful college, and we are incredibly proud of the work they are doing to inspire future generations of the Bottisham community.

I hope you will enjoy learning more about this project in this publication.

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The Project Lead Dan Griffiths, Former Deputy Principal, Bottisham Village College

It has been a great privilege to be initial project lead for such a valuable and rewarding project. During early planning discussions back in September 2017 with my colleagues in the Leadership Team and Creative Design Faculty, it was clear that the passion to deliver a truly creative and student-led project was shared amongst us all. In my own mind, I have been clear from the outset that not only should our students have the opportunity to understand and reflect upon the history of their college, but they should also be provided with a platform from which to launch their new-found knowledge, shaping their creative output under the guidance of truly exceptional professional project partners.

Project 80 is a genuine heritage project: students’ experiences in architecture, design, archiving, journalism and contemporary performance art allow for true insight into the professional workings of each of these industries. Nothing demonstrated this more clearly to me than when I was asked recently to give a short interview for the final showcase documentary: the students’ preparation and knowledge of the filmmaking technology and equipment, along with their etiquette and charm when conducting the interview, were truly remarkable. The arts and technology are such an important aspect

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of life at Bottisham Village College: we firmly believe that an enriched curriculum is key to students’ success and happiness. Giving our young people an opportunity to showcase their creativity in reflective, innovative and inspiring ways is something we continually strive to do; we are committed to ensuring Project 80 is no different, and I very much look forward to experiencing what will be a wonderful end-of-project celebration event.

Well done to all involved with the project, students and staff alike; it has been a pleasure working with you all!

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The Project Launch We were delighted to welcome Phillip Venning from the Heritage Lottery Fund to the school in March 2018 for the launch of Project 80. Phillip Venning was joined by Peter Hains, former principal of the school and now Chair of the Henry Morris Memorial Trust, one the school’s project partners, and Delyth TurnerHarriss, Partnerships Manager at RIBA East, another project partner, as well as practitioners, staff, project participants and their families. Students organised the event and gave an overview of the project in an excellent presentation.

‘There was a lot of preparation in order to make this event happen. We had to plan a PowerPoint presentation for the event and a script to go with it. On the actual day we made sure we knew our lines.

As this was a special occasion we also provided refreshments and snacks. These were made by the Year 8 Student Council and the Communications Team. We spent two hours baking with Mrs Minaeian and made scones, blinis, lemon and orange traybake and cookies. We also made fruit kebabs and had watermelon.

The event went extremely well. We had parents, teachers and the community gather in the hall for the launch of Project 80.’

Sophie Wood, Communications Team

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The Project Partners The Henry Morris Memorial Trust It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in Project 80 from day one. It has been so positive to see the way that students have developed their understanding of the work of Henry Morris, and their understanding of the positive effect this has had on members of the college’s community, and the positive effect it is still having today, for example through the building of the new community library at the college.

One of the objectives of the Henry Morris Memorial Trust is to perpetuate the memory of Henry Morris and his philosophy and values. Undertakings like Project

80 are the perfect way to achieve this objective, especially when the architecture of the college is an important focus, for this was one of Henry’s passions: he said that ‘architecture is the silent educator’, an adage that is no less true today.

We are very clear that very important lessons have been learnt by the participants in this project, and Trustees are very glad that we were able to contribute to its success.

Peter Hains, Chair, Henry Morris Memorial Trust

The new library will be a wonderful community resource.

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RIBA East The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body driving excellence in architecture. We serve our members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Being inclusive, ethical, environmentally aware and collaborative underpins all that we do.

Architecture has a role in all of our daily lives. It is the places and spaces we live and work in.

It is the buildings, streets, squares and odd little corners that make up our daily environment.

One of our main aims is to engage young people with architecture, design and the built environment - to reveal what makes great architecture, old and new, and, in doing this, we hope to inspire, to inform and to excite!

Although each RIBA East school outreach project is different, there are some common ideas running through them, such as the celebration of good quality architecture, sustainability and a sense of place, and the RIBA is also keen to introduce young people to the option of a career in the built environment.

It has been a pleasure to work on this project. I would like to thank all our volunteer architects who have given considerable time and thought to the project and to the other built environment professionals who provided help, expertise and time.

Most of all I would like to congratulate the young people involved on the high quality work they have produced.

Delyth Turner-Harriss, Partnerships Manager, RIBA East

We were delighted when we learned of Project 80 and had the opportunity to get involved as a project partner. The plan to look at both the original 1937 school buildings and the new building under construction and then to consider these in the wider context of village college architecture locally presented an ideal learning opportunity.

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The Project Strands essence of education.’ Believing that the village colleges should exist to ‘confer significance’ on a way of life, Morris also thought that this should begin with the design of the buildings, which he saw as the ‘silent teacher’.

Lesley Morgan, Arts Development Manager, Bottisham Village College

When I started working at Bottisham Village College in September 2017 I realised I had arrived at the school at a very exciting time. The second of the village colleges to be founded by the visionary educator Henry Morris, and having opened in 1937, the college was now exactly 80 years old.

And, as well as this anniversary generating cause for reflection on those past decades, the college was, at the same time, also about to embark on a new era, with the scheduled opening of a new building and extensive refurbishment of existing buildings taking place across the school site.

This coincidence of an anniversary and the prospect of a brand new building presented an ideal opportunity for the school to take stock and so, with a project idea emerging, the next step was to develop this further. The Student Council were key in this, with their discussions leading to a plan for a project with four different but connected strands.

The first strand would be architecture, with the 1937 and 2018 buildings and those in between offering scope for exploration of the development of school buildings. This seemed a fitting focus since architecture was also of great importance to Henry Morris, who, in a speech to RIBA in 1956, said, ‘Here let me state a belief which arises out of a lifetime spent in public education… that architecture is part of the

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The study of school architecture would then also lead into uncovering the history of the school more generally. This would be done through studying archive materials and through the collecting of people’s memories of Bottisham Village College, captured on film. To further support this documentation of findings, there would be a communications strand, formed of a team charged with covering all the project strands and making the project publication you are reading now. In addition to this, there would also be a performance strand, which would work to reflect the project findings through dance, drama and music.

This arts focus is pertinent as Harry Rée writes in his 1973 book Educator Extraordinary that, for Morris, ‘The arts remained, throughout his life, a form of nourishment without which he would have starved.’

Having devised a plan, and in order to make the project a reality, the Student Council then wrote letters showing their support for the project to accompany an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

We were delighted when the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded funding to our project and we were able to get started.

With the project running outside school time, the commitment of the students involved in the different project strands has been impressive, and their work outstanding. Henry Morris, I like to think, would have most definitely approved.

Dear Heritage Lottery Fund

Dear Heritage Lottery Fund I think the project, as discussed in our Student Council meeting, is very important for the pupils in our school, and we would be very grateful if you would support it. We would benefit from it in many ways, and the pupils would learn a lot, such as learning about our school’s history and learning new skills by researching and exhibiting the past of our school.

I would really like to get involved in looking through our school’s archives and making Dra ma and Dance performances linked to this work as I could benefit from this and learn many new skills, such as good communication.

Our school is preparing an application to you to look at the history of the school and the school buildings, and opening this to not only the students but also the wider community would benefit everyone greatly.

I hope that you choose to support this project as it would be great for our school and its wider community.

Many thanks Maddy Houghton

The project we have been discussing with the Student Council in regards to the school’s anniversary and the opening of the new building has had some overwhelmingly positive feedback. This project would involve not just the students but the whole of the Bottisham community. There will be many opportunities opened up for people if we can go through with our project, such as new clubs and trips.

I would love to be involved in the interviewing part of this project, as it would allow me to find out what the school was like 20 or 50 years ago. Learning about the history of our school is really important, as it teaches us to respect how hard people worked to build up our school and community.

We would be very grateful if you would support our project as we know it would benefit everyone involved.

Kind regards Jade, Student Council

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The Architecture Strand

The Architecture Strand Delyth Turner-Harriss, Partnerships Manager, RIBA East

The workshop series for this strand involved four volunteer architects, who are part of the Cambridge Association of Architects and from local Cambridge architectural practices.

The workshops were designed by the architects to engage young people with design and the built environment, and the architects worked closely with students to help them understand the process of creating a new building or space and the development of communities.

They explored the architecture of the original school buildings and compared it with other Cambridgeshire village colleges to understand the changes that have occurred in design over time. This included a tour and talk at the wonderful, rare example at Impington – a modernist college designed by Walter Gropius. Students were also able to tour the new extension of Bottisham Village College while still under construction, with

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the scheme architect and contractors leading the tour and discussing the practicalities that influenced the design. The concept of ‘Form and Function’ was considered, as well as factors such as sustainability in terms of materials, construction, how buildings impact on the environment and the changing use of technology.

Building on this knowledge, students were asked to imagine and create interventions that they believed would improve Bottisham Village College. This involved making a 3D scale model of the school buildings, understanding and reading plans, gaining an understanding of CAD, drawing to scale and designing in 3 dimensions.

The workshop series produced a wide variety of different responses from students. Each group produced their ideas for how the current school building could be improved. They produced 3D models showing their ideas, and drawings and posters to explain them.

We hope that, through this project, we have given young people tools to more fully understand the spaces and places that we live in and what is meant by a good quality built environment.

This has been a great project. I have enjoyed it immensely and so have all the young people I have spoken with. When such opportunities present themselves, I would strongly recommend getting involved.

Bobbi Greig, Architecture Strand Lead and Administrative Assistant, Bottisham Village College

I was very pleased to have the opportunity to help with the architecture strand of Project 80, and what an opportunity it has been. Right from the very start the students and I learned so much from the practitioners, architects and teaching staff working with us on the project. We learned about how the school looked when it first opened and also about all of the changes along the way.

I decided to get involved in this project because, as a member of support staff, I do not often get to work with students, and I thought this was a fantastic opportunity.

The thought of being part of the 80th anniversary celebrations excited me and, with the help and support of the architects, I knew the project would be a great success.

I have been working with 22 students, all of whom have shown great enthusiasm and interest for architecture and the possibility of finding a future career in an associated field. During this time the students have learnt many architecture-related skills, such as designing buildings, working to scale and using computer programs such as SketchUp. Also, they have benefitted from working in teams, learning to communicate with each other effectively and making decisions collaboratively.

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The Architecture Strand

‘Project 80 represented a great opportunity for architects to engage with young people in order to discuss design and raise awareness of the built environment. This project challenged the students to look at their college, to understand its qualities and to think how they, as users, could improve it.

Myself and fellow architects, Ann, Sabin and Quratulain, wanted to be involved with the project because working with young people is always inspirational.

The project gave both architects and students the opportunity to ask the question, ‘what would the school be like if it was designed by the students?’.

Each group took a close look at the college and selected an area they thought could be improved. They worked together to analyse their selected area or building and thought about how it could be re-designed to improve their experience at college. Through sketches, 3D computer visualisation and physical models, the students created an alternative college which brought together all their ideas into one campus-wide model.

We have seen them really become involved in the college environment, think about design without the constraints of reality and begin to understand the impact architecture and design can have in shaping their environment.

We hope the students have gained a greater awareness of architecture and the built environment and take this forward into their adult lives.’

Brian Scally, Blue Ink Architecture

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‘The building that will form the village college will be so new in English architecture, and its significance so great, that the design and construction of the first village colleges should be very carefully provided for. For we are in measurable sight, if we use imagination and have administrative courage, of giving to the English countryside a number of fine and worthy public buildings. The schools of rural England are nearly always bad and seldom beautiful - never a form of art, as they might and ought to be.’

Henry Morris, Memorandum, 1924

Touring the New Build In March we were pleased to be able to tour the new building at Bottisham Village College to see how work was progressing. We met Graeme Jenkins from Morgan Sindall, the manager of the site, who told us all about the rules and regulations for being on a working site and then took us on a tour of the building. We also met architect Gemma Loving from DLA Architecture Ltd who designed the new building. It was interesting to learn what needs to be considered when planning for a new building and also to know that the architect was conscious of Henry Morris and his values in thinking about the design.

‘This project presented DLA Architecture with a wonderful opportunity to contribute to Bottisham Village College and serve the school’s inclusive, aspirational and community-orientated educational ethos. The new interventions, both new build and refurbishment, seek to enhance and draw attention to the character of the original 1930s building and to reinforce its significance as the heart and centre of the school. They achieve this, in part, by locating the new Assembly Hall enface to the original Hall, so that pupils in each can look out across the oval Principal’s Courtyard via and through the World Tree sculpture, the emblem of the College, to see and recognise the other.

A parallel and complementary aim of the project was to enrich pupils’ experience of the beautiful surrounding landscape. The new school wing provides vistas of the site to north, east, south and west, previously not seen from interior spaces. The new Dining Hall, a u-shape in plan, offers a panoramic view of playground, playing fields, expansive sky and, in the distance, the silhouetted, tree-lined, site boundary.’

Gemma Loving, Senior Architect, DLA Architecture Ltd

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The Architecture Strand

‘During the course of constructing the new extension to Bottisham Village College my team and I were very pleased to welcome some of the students on to site to see the works progressing.

This is our industry, and we sometimes forget to step back and appreciate what we do. Having young people look at our work helps us to see it with fresh eyes, and it is a great experience for us as well as, hopefully, for them.

We were taken by how engaged all of our young visitors were, not just on this visit but on all of the visits we hosted during the build.

This sort of occasion is where young people can see what the real world has to offer them and learn that the construction industry offers not just a great career but also a way of looking at the world that is bigger than they might expect. It is something Morgan Sindall loves to be involved with as it gives us a chance to shine a light on careers and routes into employment that are often not discussed.

Hopefully the young people involved could also see how communicating and working as part of a team can be rewarding and fruitful personally and professionally.

On top of all of this, Project 80 will give people an insight into how Henry Morris has had such a wonderful impact on so many lives - even after his death. It is a smashing thing to have been part of.’ Graeme Jenkins, Senior Site Manager, Morgan Sindall

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‘The difference between good and bad architecture is more often the difference between a good design and a bad design, rather than the difference between cheap and costly material. Assuming that good material will be available for a village college, the important thing is to see that it has a significant design. Such a design must be simple, but it could be beautiful. Using our imagination, let us say to the architect: ‘Education is one of our greatest public services and one of the most widely diffused. Every year we spend on it some 80 millions.

Every town and every village must have its educational buildings. Education touches every citizen. We have a conception of a new institution for the countryside, an institution that will touch every side of the life of the inhabitants of the district in which it is placed. Will you think out a design for such a building, a village college?

A building that will express the spirit of the English countryside which it is intended to grace, something of its humaneness and modesty, something of the age-long and permanent dignity of husbandry; a building that will give the countryside a centre of reference arousing the affection and loyalty of the country child and country people, and conferring significance on their way of life?’ Henry Morris, Memorandum, 1924

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The Architecture Strand

From the students Over the past few weeks my group, JOTSO, has been creating 1:200 scale models of the school.

We have also designed individual buildings that will benefit the school after the new building opens.

Our group has redesigned the former dining hall and made it into a horticulture classroom and a Zen garden, because the new building is providing another dining hall. At the start of our project, we toured the construction site of the new building and learned about different architectural features.

Our group is designing a building for an unused space. We hope to maximise this space by designing a building that will fit into its surroundings. It will be very practical, meaning that all students will be able to use the resources and free spaces.

Tom Wilson

I think this project was fun. I enjoyed drawing up possible ideas for a new science block and seeing the ideas come alive in the form of several models. Our group worked well together throughout the project. We listened to each other’s ideas and did not argue. Overall, I think the project was both interesting and challenging.

Leah Swift

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Architecture Strand of Project 80. I liked visiting Impington and Linton Village Colleges.

It was interesting to see the difference between modern and older style buildings. I have learnt a lot more about architecture and how to scale buildings.

Toby Borley-Evans

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I have enjoyed the freedom I have had when using different materials and thinking of different designs.

I liked working in a group because of how quickly you can get certain things done and I think I did well as team leader when our team was falling apart, as the next week we were back on track. When we came back together after working online we doubled the size of our design.

During this project, our group has redesigned the main hall and round room into our own unique design. Our building will contain multi-functional spaces and classrooms for all years. During this project, we visited Linton and Impington Village Colleges. The original building at Impington was designed by Walter Gropius and Maxwell Fry. I have enjoyed working with my friends to produce a model of our design and a poster to explain all our ideas. We used many different materials to create the model, including cardboard, tissue paper and card.

Sam Criddle

Josie Riches

Andrea Inte

Time line of the development of Bottisham Village College 1937 Bottisham Village College opens.

1940s Our guess is that there was very little building then because the war was going on.

1950s The school dining hall is built; the first addition to the college.

1960s We know for certain that the gym was built during this period.

1970s There must have been a lot of building in this period because the school increased in size by at least one third. The drama studio was definitely built then, and a roof was added to the swimming pool.

1980s The Humanities and Modern Foreign Languages block were added to the school, but we do not know precisely when. When it was first built, English was taught there.

1990s In 1996 there was a lot of building work. The library was built then, and the Brereton Court, along with some other parts.

2000s There was not much building in the 2000s.

2010 The English block was built, and all the mobile classrooms that had been used were destroyed.

2018 Major building project and reconfiguration of the school site takes place.

‘The village college would provide an opportunity for creative architecture. Our State system of education has not yet produced noble architecture on the same scale as that of all the other great movements of the national spirit. And there has been no public architecture in the English countryside since the Parish Churches were built – that is, since the Middle Ages.’

Henry Morris, Memorandum, 1924

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The History and Film Strand

The History and Film Strand In the History and Film Strand of Project 80 students researched the college’s past, learning about this through research of the archive materials within the school and at the Cambridgeshire Archives and Cambridgeshire Collection. In addition to this, they interviewed people involved with the school and met with members of the community to hear their recollections of school days. They also recorded all interviews and project activities on film, learning about interviewing techniques and the key stages of film production, as well as filming equipment, through doing this.

Annie Camp, History and Film Strand Lead and History Teacher, Bottisham Village College

Project 80 has been a really exciting time for Bottisham Village College. When the project was first announced I was interested to see that we would be focusing on the history of the school – which I was so keen to be involved with as it is my specialist subject! It has been a superb opportunity for both me and the students to get to know more about the origins of Bottisham Village College. The school and the village have got such an interesting history, and it has been really lovely to try and incorporate some of this knowledge into my teaching about the school. It was also really nice to be able to give Year 8s a genuine chance to do some real archival work at the Cambridgeshire Archives. It is normally quite difficult to explain how a degree in history works for the younger students, so it was great to be able to show them how real historians investigate the past.

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Chelsie Irvine, History and Film Strand Assistant and HR Apprentice, Bottisham Village College

I really enjoyed supporting Project 80 and getting to know the students involved in the project. It was also very interesting for me to learn about the history of the school and about filmmaking. The students have taken part in lots of different activities and it will be great to see their hard work presented at the final celebration.

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The History and Film Strand

film and history group have been brilliant, and I am sure they will take great pride in the film we have produced together.

Peter Harmer, Lead Filmmaker, Stories – Projects in Film

As a past pupil of Bottisham Village College I was thrilled to be invited back to the school to work with the students on the production of a documentary film to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the college. I enjoyed my time as a pupil at Bottisham Village College very much. When I left in 1996 I knew that I wanted to work in the creative industries and more specifically with the moving image.

I have no doubt that the inspiration I got from art and drama at Bottisham played a significant part in that. The year after I left Bottisham I offered to film and edit the Bottisham Leavers’ Ball DVD for following year groups and, to my delight, the newly appointed Principal of the school, Peter Hains, agreed. At 17, I was selling my work: my career as a filmmaker had begun.

Today I am still as passionate about filmmaking as I was back then and work on a wide range of film projects all over the world for broadcast, documentary and commercial clients. However, I have always enjoyed working with young people, introducing them to the process of film production and sharing my passion for it with them. This is one of many Heritage Lottery Funded projects I have been involved with, but having such a close affinity with the school has made this an extra special experience for me. The students in the

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The new build and changes to the site bring with it great opportunities for students today. But I would also like to acknowledge what has not changed; the fun, supportive and creative environment that made Bottisham Village College such an important part of my life and set me off on a career that I love.

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The History and Film Strand

Henry Morris

Henry Morris (centre) with the then Prince of Wales (right) at the opening of Sawston Village College in 1930.

Henry Morris (1889-1961) was Chief Education Officer in Cambridgeshire from 1922 for more than 30 years. In 1924 he produced a memorandum on ‘The Village College’, which was his blueprint for a new type of school.

‘The village college would change the whole face of the problem of rural education. As the community centre of the neighbourhood it would provide for the whole man, and abolish the duality of education and ordinary life. It would not only be the training ground for the art of living, but the place in which life is lived, the environment of a genuine corporate life. ...

There would be no ‘leaving school’! – the child would enter at three and leave the college only in extreme old age.’

Henry Morris, Memorandum, 1924

At that time, most children in rural communities were taught in all-age schools in one classroom by one teacher. Morris’s vision was to have the school sit at the centre of the community and serve the

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whole community from ‘cradle to grave’.

Morris understood the importance of the design of buildings and, for him, education was far too important to be in the hands of administrators. He believed: ‘The proper architects of education are philosophers, artists, scientists, prophets, and scholars, operating in freedom.’

Henry Morris (to the Association of Directors and Secretaries for Education, 1941.)

He attended the opening of later village colleges but cut a sad figure at the opening of Comberton Village College in 1960. By this stage he was already ill and he died in December 1961.

Henry Morris played a huge role in education and, whilst celebrating the school’s 80th anniversary, it is fitting that we also mark the huge debt we owe him for his perseverance and genius in creating the village college.

The Communications Team

The first village college opened at Sawston in 1930, followed by Bottisham and Linton Village Colleges in 1937 and Impington in 1939.

‘In May 1934 the County Education Committee decided to build three more Village Colleges; Bottisham, Linton and Impington, with agreed budgets of £20,944 for Bottisham, £22,274 for Linton and £34,135 for Impington. Henry, after all his struggles, felt that if there were four colleges the whole scheme would be firmly established.’

David Rooney, Henry Morris,The Cambridgeshire Village Colleges and Community Education, 2013 These first four village colleges, which opened before World War II, went on to serve as important examples for the work done in reconstructing the education system following the war.

Henry Morris retired just after the opening of Bassingbourn Village College in 1954.

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The History and Film Strand

Bottisham Village College Bottisham Village College opened in 1937, the second of the village colleges.

The original buildings were designed by Cambridgeshire County architect, S.E. Urwin (1892-1968), who also designed Linton Village College, which opened in the same year as Bottisham.

This is the college site in 1937.

The college was officially opened on 6 May 1937, and in its early days it functioned as a secondary modern, with students learning the skills necessary for a rural life. At the same time, it also offered a wide range of evening classes, as well as Saturday night dances.

This photograph shows some of the original 1937 staff at Bottisham Village College.

Loughnan Pendred (1902-1980), third from the left, was a woodcarver and the craft teacher at the school. He was commissioned by Henry Morris to make the wooden panel, the Harvest Panel, to celebrate the college’s opening and it still hangs in the school today.

The three metre-long oak panel represents the different stages of harvesting in the 1930s. A section of the panel is shown above.

Apparently, each of the students at the college in 1937 took a chip out of it.

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Education in 1937

Andrew Gee, Assistant Principal and History Teacher, Bottisham Village College

In 1937 the vast majority of students left school (and full-time education) at 14.

Most parents were keen for their children to start work as soon as possible, so that they could contribute to the family budget.

The vast majority of jobs available were low skill: working in factories or working on a farm. These jobs were not well paid.

Girls were taught domestic science: how to be good housewives. Most students left school without taking an exam.

To become a teacher you needed to go to teacher training college: married women could not be teachers.

The emphasis of the curriculum was on what were called the 3Rs: reading, writing and

arithmetic. Students also did compulsory Religious Education, learning only about Christianity. Most assemblies had a religious theme, and students would sing hymns during them. A lot of the learning was by rote, and many of the classes, particularly in rural schools, were mixed age.

Many schools were fee paying; most of these were grammar schools. (Some were free.) Clever students from poor families could win scholarships to these schools by passing entrance exams. Their fees would be paid for them, and sometimes they would have help paying for their uniform or their transport to and from school.

Richer families could afford to send their children to these schools, whether or not they were clever. The richest families sent their children to public schools such as Eton or Harrow. Boys who attended grammar school or public school would go to university and would end up doing a highly skilled professional job, which involved them working with their brains rather than their hands. These jobs were well paid. Grammar schools and the public schools tended to be single sex. About 10% of students went to grammar schools. It was very rare for a child who did not go to grammar school to go to university.

In grammar schools the students received a broad education, being taught English, languages, science, the humanities, PE and classics (Latin and Greek). In many schools teachers would wear gowns.

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The History and Film Strand

Learning in the 1930s was different from today. Here are some boys spending lesson time digging out the tennis courts.

Behaviour was generally very good: children were rarely disruptive and were usually silent in lessons. Corporal punishment was allowed, and teachers were often physical with their students, cuffing them round the ear, or throwing chalk at them. The early ‘Punishment Book’ at Bottisham Village College lists those students who were caned, along with their offences.

The Punishment Book: This page lists boys who were ‘insubordinate’ and boys who ‘broke hedges’.

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A female student from the 1930s remembers the college as follows: ‘I remember wearing the school uniform which was a grey gym slip with a grey cotton blouse trimmed with a red collar and red cuffs. In the summer we wore print collar dresses in our choice of either red, blue, yellow or green. I don’t believe that school uniform lasted too long as shortly afterwards there was a problem with the clothing coupons during the war.

I remember the teachers, in particular Miss Marshall, the attractive Gym teacher, who wore a blue Grecian tunic and sandals: supposedly she was a participant in the Olympic Games.

Miss Gill was the stern Maths teacher.’

During World War II many of the staff went off to fight, and the school grounds were dug up to grow cabbages. There was an American airfield nearby, and the Americans held dances at the weekend in the school hall: one of these ended in a fight and the police had to be called.

School dinner was in the main hall, with the teachers eating on stage. Students took it in turn to serve the teachers.

The students tended pigs which were then slaughtered for school dinner.

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The History and Film Strand

The staff at Bottisham Village College in the 1950s. Mr Cash (back row, first right) taught woodwork. Apparently he used to throw mallets at children who misbehaved in his lessons.

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One student describes the rules in the 1940s and 1950s: ‘No one was allowed to fight, run in the corridors, walk with hands in pockets, chew gum, or be inside the building at playtime until the bell went. The cane was used if you were guilty of stealing or fighting and the slipper if you were caught running in the corridors or were rude to teachers. You got lines for chewing gum and detention for cheek or other minor offences and, most of the time, as I can remember, parents went along with teachers on this.’

Mr Brereton In 1954, Henry Morris appointed Charles Brereton as Warden of Bottisham Village College. (Henry Morris used the term ‘Warden’ rather than ‘Headmaster’ for the person appointed in charge of the village college as he wanted to indicate that this was a new type of leader with ‘higher status and of superior calibre’. (Henry Morris,

Memorandum, 1924.)) In post for more than 20 years, Brereton remains Bottisham’s longest serving Warden and, during his tenure, he oversaw a period of great change, involving the school becoming a comprehensive and new building works as the school increased in size to 850 students.

‘My great great uncle Charles Brereton (as in Brereton Court) was Warden here and would be proud to see the standards that the school is setting.’

Thomas Harrow, Project Participant

The Rose Garden was the pride and joy of the school and was tended by two groundsmen.

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The History and Film Strand

Here are some of the misdemeanours recorded at school in the 1960s.

In 1968, there was a competition to design a new logo. This design is one of the entries.

In the 1960s, as a reward for being a prefect, you were allowed to use the Rose Garden.

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Some 60s and 70s Facts • In the 1960s and for the first half of the 1970s Bottisham Village College was a Secondary Modern school.

• Students who failed the Eleven Plus exam would attend; this was 80% of the students who took it. The other 20% would go to grammar school in Cambridge.

• Children who went to a Secondary Modern were not expected to go on to university and have professional jobs.

• Most students left at 14, though this changed in the early 1970s with the raising of the school leaving age to 16.

• Many of the male students followed a curriculum based on agriculture. In the 1970s one of these students stole a tractor, and had to be chased round the school field by the teachers.

• Most of the staff were smokers. Students who went up to the staffroom reported that there was a cloud of smoke from the room that went halfway down the stairs.

Some of the staff even smoked in lessons.

• In 1975 Bottisham Village College became a Comprehensive School – the biggest change in its history.

• Adult Education continues to thrive, with the school running a vibrant programme of classes.

This is the entry for the log book the day Bottisham Village College became a Comprehensive School.

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The History and Film Strand

There was lots of new building in the 1970s, including the swimming pool. The funds for this were raised by the community. Later on, money was raised for a roof.

Some 80s and 90s Facts • Bottisham was a Comprehensive School: everyone in the catchment area could attend.

• In the 1990s, in Years 7, 8 and 9, you would have a lot of your lessons with your form.

• GCSEs were introduced in 1987: before that you would do O Levels or CSEs.

This is a photograph of the Bottisham Village College staff in the 1970s.

• The first computers were used in the 1980s; whiteboards came in the 1990s; the first interactive whiteboards arrived at the turn of the millennium.

• The current Bottisham Village College uniform was introduced in 1997; green was chosen because no other local school had that colour. At one point it was going to be compulsory for girls to wear green tights.

Red2Green This is a lesson taking place in the 1970s.

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Bottisham Village College is proud of its association with Red2Green, a disability charity based on the school site, which was started in the early 2000s. The charity exists to provide a learning, work and social experience for those who have disabilities, are disadvantaged or vulnerable, supporting people to maximise their potential.

This was the Bottisham Village College staff in circa 1983.

In 2004 the college became a Humanities Specialist College, which allowed the school to broaden its teaching in these subjects.

The school was then recognised with a High

Performing School status and in 2009 was invited to apply for Applied Learning status.

In 2012 the school was rated ‘outstanding’

by Ofsted. Bottisham Village College then became the lead school in the Bottisham Multi Academy Trust, which then in 2016 became Anglian Learning.

As is evident here, the school has continued to thrive and grow. However, constant throughout all these changes has been the school’s commitment to the values of Henry Morris, and we look forward to remaining true to these as we move forward towards an exciting future.

The Communications Team With thanks to Andrew Gee for support in compiling this information.

Bottisham Village College Wardens/Principals 1937-1940

Mr DW Phillips (In 1940 Mr Phillips left to fight in the war.)

1941-1944

Mr GD Edwards

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Mr SC Western

1945-1954

Mr NCP Tyack

1954-1975

Mr Charles Brereton

1975-1992

Mr Martin Gent

1992-1997

Mrs Pat O’Shea

1997-2005

Mr Peter Hains

2005-2016

Mrs Kate Evans

2016-2017

Mr Jonathan Russell (Acting)

2017- present Mrs Jenny Rankine

2018 Opening Current Principal Jenny Rankine will be joined by past Wardens/Principals to open the new building on 3 November 2018. The new building will, very aptly, be called the Morris Wing in memory of the school’s visionary founder.

Meanwhile, the new hall will be named the Evans Auditorium to acknowledge the impact of former Principal Kate Evans in recognising the need for the village college to grow and in securing the initial funding for the building project.

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The History and Film Strand

The Archive, the Interviews and the Community The college archive contains important documents about the history of the school. Its most precious items predate the founding of the college in 1937: they are the log books of the primary school that was founded in the 1870s, and they cast a light on a very different time, when the school was shut because one of the students had scarlet fever, and when students were given time off to help with the harvest.

The bulk of the archive consists of thousands of photographs, which were last fully displayed during our 75th celebrations, when former staff and students pored over them, trying to find earlier, younger versions of themselves. The photographs show how

fashions have changed over time, with the most interesting hairstyles being in the 1970s; they also show what lessons were like before the ICT revolution (very similar to now).

All in all, the archive is a fantastic reminder of the past of Bottisham Village College, and of all those who have contributed to its successes over the years.

Andrew Gee, Assistant Principal and History Teacher, Bottisham Village College

We interviewed lots of former students and former staff to find out a lot more in-depth information about how the school used to be and what it was like. While interviewing Mrs Aves (who used to be the headteacher’s PA and who worked at the school for a very long time) I found out that students used to have to have at least one teacher at their table while eating lunch. This disturbed me as I would never even think about sharing a table with a teacher while trying to eat my lunch.

Jacob Armitage The Filmmaking Strand held a tea party with some community members and people that used to work or be involved with Bottisham Village College. Firstly, we laid out snacks and drinks on tables for our guests to have. Once they arrived, we greeted them and sat them down at various tables. We then all had a chance to ask them a range of questions and ask them about their past at the college; for example, what was their involvement with the college. I found out many things about what the school used to be like. One of the things I found out was that one of the people I met was part of the office team, and there was only one printer in the whole school. Because of this the teachers could not individually go there all the time to collect work. So in regards to this, the lady I met did all the printing, and the teachers relied on her. In conclusion, the tea party was a very interesting experience because I found out many things that I did not know.

Louise Scutt-Maury

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From the students We spent a day in Cambridge and we visited the Cambridgeshire Archives and the Cambridgeshire Collection; it was a day full of learning and discovery. At Cambridgeshire Archives (in Shire Hall) we looked at lots of interesting records from the past: pictures, items and more. This evidence helped us to compare Bottisham then and now and we were amazed by how many sources they had kept over the decades. I learned that people come there to find out about the past of their families.

They showed us how they stored all of the archives. Most of them were put in boxes and drawers.

I enjoyed Project 80 a lot. I liked learning about camera angles, shots, zoom, and editing. I enjoyed this as becoming a filmmaker was one of the careers I was thinking of pursuing as I love filming and editing. Another reason I enjoyed Project 80 is that we got to meet and work with a successful filmmaker in the industry and learn more from his experiences. Finally, I am looking forward to getting the Bronze Arts Award as it will help me on my CV and maybe even in getting a job when I am older.

Overall I have really enjoyed taking part in Project 80 and I feel it has been a great experience.

Then we walked to the Cambridgeshire Collection which was located at the library in the Grand Arcade. When we arrived we were welcomed by tables laden with lots of historical pieces, such as journals, newspapers and brochures. Then we were taken in groups down into the basement, where most of the sources were stored in sliding cupboards which helped them make more space.

Oliver Blackburn

Denise Chan

Arts Award As part of this project participating students have been completing the Bronze Arts Award. The Bronze Arts Award is accredited through Trinity College London in association with Arts Council England and supports young people to develop both practical and leadership skills.

Through doing Project 80 I have learnt many thing like different camera shots (close up, mid shot and wide shot). I have also learnt about panning and how to make a photo shoot or interview look better by only adjusting the lighting. We also learned how you can change the focus on the camera by twisting the lens in one direction to get sharper definition.

Connor Jarvis

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The Communications Strand

The Communications Strand The Communications Team was set up to document the progress of the project, noting all the key events over its duration. This team has also been involved in the interviews which have taken place as part of the project, and have produced regular reports and updates on the project for the school website and publications. Finally, this team has also been responsible for running events, such as the Project 80 launch event.

Cameron Hawes, Communications Strand Lead, Head of Learning Year 9 and English Teacher, Bottisham Village College

I have been privileged to be working with very talented students this year as part of the Communications Strand of Project 80. Over the course of the project, students have been offered an insight into the world of journalism where they have exercised a range of key media skills in order to document the process.

It was the Communications Team’s role to devise interviews with past and present

members of staff, write termly report updates on the progress of the project and, of course, compile, edit and publish this book, our Project 80 publication.

The students have worked tirelessly throughout the project and shown a passion and enthusiasm for their work, which has been admirable to witness and an inspiration for their peers.

We are incredibly fortunate to have had such dedicated students working so diligently throughout the process and perhaps we even have some budding young journalists in the making. Project 80 has been an amazing experience to be part of, and I am proud to have led a team who I am certain have a bright and prosperous future ahead of them in whatever future path they follow.

From the students During the process of Project 80, I have been fortunate enough to experience life skills that not only will prepare us for the future but will also have a positive effect on our school life today. I have also met so many new and important people that have helped to make this project the best that it could be. I especially enjoyed interviewing former principals of the school as it gave us an idea of what school was like for past students. I also loved completing and designing my Arts Award book step by step as this allowed us to present our personalities through our work and to document our weekly Wednesday sessions. Overall, I am very pleased and grateful to have taken part in such an informative and entertaining project. Project 80 has given me the confidence to talk to important interviewees, and I have gained skills which will support me in the future.

Grace Fridd

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My experience of Project 80 was exciting.

I had lots of great times and made some memories that I will keep for the rest of my life. I went on exciting trips to different schools looking at their architecture. I was extremely proud to be able to interview Mrs Evans, Mr Gee and Mrs Rankine. Also, I got to talk about Project 80 in the end of year assembly. I am very proud to be completing a Bronze Arts Award and to be part of the opening of the new building. It was a privilege to be part of this project.

Project 80 has been great. It has been good to work with professionals and go on trips, such as to the Cambridgeshire Archives.

Reporting on what the other strands have been involved in has been fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about the history of our school and about Henry Morris, the founder of the village colleges. Through all of this, I have learnt how highly Bottisham Village College is valued by all associated with it.

Project 80 was a rare opportunity. Taking part was not compulsory but I am glad that I did as it has given me the chance to try new things and to use skills we will use once we leave school. The Communications Team has had lots to do and try. This has included, for example, interviewing senior members of the college, visiting the Cambridgeshire Archives, writing reports and taking pictures. And our jobs continue as we plan the celebration to mark the culmination of our project and the opening of the new building. The new building comes with many new opportunities and gives students more space. I think everyone is looking forward to seeing the school continue to transform over the next few years.

Wiktoria Januszewska

Bryher Basher

Benjamin Westcott

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Project 80. It has been a really interesting experience and has helped me develop a lot of skills. For example, it has really helped me develop my interview techniques. Before Project 80, I was not as aware as I am now of the different interview techniques that I can use whilst being filmed; putting the question in your answer and making sure that you do not look directly into the camera. It has also helped to prepare me for what life will be like when I have to get my own job - as we have had a lot of tight deadlines that we had to meet. Not only this, but it has taught me a lot about time management. With Project 80, you need to balance homework and your work from the Project equally. Although this can be quite a struggle at times, I managed to push through!

One thing that I have not mentioned which has shown up a lot in this project is fun! We have had to work very hard but the end product is definitely worth it. I will be very sad to see the end of this Project.

Sophie Wood

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The Performance Strand

The Performance Strand Katy Ruth, Performance Strand Lead and Drama and Dance Teacher, Bottisham Village College

The main focus of the Performance Strand of Project 80 has been looking back at our past and the ways in which we can reflect it artistically. Together the students have been using their performing and research skills to create short pieces of work which reflect different eras and aspects of the school.

The performance strand offered a number of challenges; predominantly the wide and varying skill base of the students involved.

I wanted to ensure that all students were able to showcase their skills in a range of different disciplines whilst maintaining a sense of unity between the performers.

The early stages of this strand involved students researching different time periods, both generally and in specific connection to Bottisham Village College. This research informed their creative process, which includes reflecting the changing atmosphere of the classroom, popular culture and school architecture. Students then each chose a performance discipline and a topic

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with which to work. This allowed students to really focus on their performing and teamwork skills. In performance this will also give each student a real moment to shine, which is more difficult to achieve in a larger ensemble piece. It has been wonderful to be able to have students working collaboratively and independently in this way because it has allowed me to mould and shape the performers’ work but ultimately have them be the creators of it.

The final part of this strand has been the creation of the climatic performance in the new main hall. This is a celebration of 2018, looking not just at the past but to the future. This has been particularly enjoyable as it is the topic to which the students could most relate. They have been able to contribute fantastic ideas with no research needed because it is the world in which they are currently living.

The students involved in this strand have shown absolute dedication to their craft and displayed their abilities in a range of ways.

They have truly challenged themselves as performers and especially as creators. It has been a real joy to watch them work, and I know their final performance will reflect both their wonderful work as performers and also the fantastic environment in which they have been creating.

From the students My Project 80 Performance Strand experience has been really enjoyable so far. I have been doing drama (in the Performance Strand) for the past few months and I cannot wait to perform it at our event. However, I am quite nervous about standing up in front of all those people and showcasing our work. In my group (myself, Sophie W, Sophie B, Elizabeth A and William U), we have been making classroom scenes from two time periods: the 1940s and 1990s. If I had the choice, I would prefer to live in the 1990s rather than the 1940s because the discipline is a lot less harsh and there is not a war going on.

Taking part in Project 80 has been an amazing and enjoyable experience. As a dancer, I have been working with Miss Ruth and my fellow performers to create individual performances, as well as a big group performance for the celebration.

Every week when we step into the dance studio it is like we are travelling through time, dancing the Charleston, rock and roll and to the iconic Fame! We are all excited to show what we have created to the visitors and staff of Bottisham Village College at the celebration event.

Honey Budd

Kiera Darley

Students from a performance in the past.

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The Project Trips During the course of Project 80, there were two trips: one to the Cambridgeshire Archives at Cambridgeshire County Council and to the Cambridgeshire Collection in the Central Library, and a second to Impington Village College and Linton Village College.

Cambridgeshire Archives and the Cambridgeshire Collection

On 14 May 2018, we visited the Cambridgeshire Archives and the Cambridgeshire Collection to find out more about the history of Bottisham Village College.

At Cambridgeshire County Council we were welcomed by Public Services Archivist, Sue Sampson, who had prepared a wonderful display of materials for us relating to schools in Bottisham and to Bottisham as a village more generally.

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We looked at books and photographs and were able to find out more about the differences between early school curriculums as compared to the present day. There were also lots of architectural plans of the college, including the original floor plans and several extensions and new buildings built since 1937.

We also found out more about Henry Morris, who was Secretary for Education for Cambridgeshire and the founder of the village college movement. We saw

an early typewritten version of Morris’s memorandum on the Village College with ‘Confidential’ typed in the top left hand corner.

During our visit we learned about the complexity of storing archives, and we were able to visit some of the rooms in the basement of Shire Hall, the County Council building, to see the archive storage system there.

We then went on to the Cambridgeshire Collection, which is in the Central Library in Cambridge, where we met Caroline Clifford, a Local Studies Librarian. Caroline had prepared lots of different materials for us to look at and explained that the Cambridgeshire Collection stored publications which have originally been produced in multiple copies, like newspapers and magazines. This is different from the Cambridgeshire Archives which holds documents like hand-written record books, of which there are no other copies. This means that in the Cambridgeshire Collection we were able to look at old school magazines and other publications, such as brochures for adult learning courses. We were also able to see where the archives are stored there and how the bookcases move to provide greater storage space. From the publications we were able to look at in the Cambridgeshire Collection we felt we gained an insight into key events in the history of Bottisham Village College and so we came away with a greater knowledge of our school.

‘It was a pleasure for Cambridgeshire Archives to welcome students and staff from Bottisham Village College and a great opportunity to share with them the wide range of historical plans, photographs and documents we hold about the college and the earlier history of schooling in the village. This is a great project and we were delighted to have the opportunity to help engage students with their heritage.’

Sue Sampson, Public Services Archivist

The Communications Team

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Impington Village College and Linton Village College

On 24 May, we visited Impington and Linton Village Colleges to learn about the architecture and history of the buildings on these school sites.

We began our trip at Impington Village College, where we focused mostly on the history of the school and the buildings.

When we arrived, we had a tour around the original buildings, which was very interesting.

It was great to consider the architecture of our two schools and also to find out about the influence of Henry Morris on these buildings. After this, we then went to the library, where we had a talk from Head of Art, Alison Elmslie, and Charmain Hawking of Beacon Planning. Both were very knowledgeable.

They spoke about Walter Gropius, a German architect. He was founder of the Bauhaus School of Architecture in Germany and is considered to have been one of the pioneers

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of modernist architecture. Henry Morris met Walter Gropius in London after Gropius had fled Nazi Germany. Morris knew Gropius would be the ideal architect to design Impington Village College and persuaded him to do this. Gropius worked with English architect, Maxwell Fry. Impington Village College opened in 1939, two weeks after the outbreak of World War II and was the fourth village college to open after Sawston, Bottisham and Linton. The ‘Years later, Nicholas Pevsner, another refugee from fascisim, wrote that ‘Impington Village College, 1938, by Walter Gropius and Maxwell Fry is one of the best buildings of its date in England, if not the best.’’

David Rooney, Henry Morris,The Cambridgeshire Village Colleges and Community Education, 2013.

school as it opened in 1937, the same year as Bottisham Village College, and there were clear similarities in the original architecture of the two schools. A major new building programme had already taken place at Linton Village College and so it was very interesting for us to see how the architect had worked to integrate the old with the new. design for Impington was very different from the earlier village colleges, and Impington Village College is the only example of Gropius’s work in Britain. Today, the original Gropius building is Grade 1 listed.

Henry Morris wanted to provide education for all and so, for him, the community aspect was very important. This meant that the school had to be designed to be able to cater for both students and adults.

Once we had finished at Impington Village College, we went on to Linton Village College, where we continued to learn about architecture. We were keen to visit this

At Linton, we had a tour of the school led by some Year 8 students and, as they knew the school so well, they knew exactly what they were talking about. The school was very big.

As well as touring the school and learning more about it, we also did some sketching of the buildings, trying to make detailed drawings with 3D proportions in order to make them accurate.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable day, and everyone learned a lot about Henry Morris, about the architecture of schools and about the concept of the village college.

The Communications Team

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The Project Participants Below, some of the project participants reflect on the importance of Project 80.

Without the history of the school being documented, future students will not be able to track the progress of the school. It is important to look back and see how we have developed as a school.

I think it is a time for us to think about how Bottisham Village College has had generations of students and how we are lucky enough to be part of that now.

Louise Scutt-Maury

Darcey Banks

My grandmother attended the first-ever year, and she is still alive at the age of 93. It is good to know that people who go to Bottisham Village College lead happy, fulfilling lives.

It is a unique event and it gives us a great chance to reflect upon the school’s past achievements and also allows us to look towards the future.

Leah Maslen

Toby Borley-Evans

I think it is important for us to celebrate the school’s 80th anniversary because we should celebrate the ongoing development of the school with its new buildings. The project strands are largely dedicated to the arts, which was one of the passions of Henry Morris, the founder of Bottisham Village College, and it showcases the passion the school has for this.

Sophie Blakemore

It is important to celebrate the college’s 80th anniversary to recognise all that Bottisham Village College has achieved to date and to look forward to continued success.

Tom Wilson

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It is a time to think about our school now and to look forward to the new building. I think we should celebrate all the brilliant things the school has accomplished as 80 years is a huge milestone.

It is good to reflect on where we have come from and to see what we have achieved in 80 years. It is good for us to remember the principles on which the college was founded, and it is nice to have some insight into the college’s history.

Sam Criddle

Hugh Saunders It is important to celebrate the college’s 80th anniversary because we should remember all the people who have been part of the school. There are over 200 students in each year group. There are five year groups, so there are over 1,000 students currently at this school. If we think of the 80 years of the school’s existence, even if the school was not always as big as it is now, it still means many thousands of people will have been part of Bottisham Village College.

Josie Riches It is important to celebrate the college’s anniversary because it is a great way to show how far this school has come and to acknowledge all of our achievements. I also think it is a good time to thank everyone who has worked with our school and helped us get to where we are now.

Emily Graves

It is important to celebrate the college’s 80th anniversary to reflect on how the college has changed throughout its time, and how it will change and evolve in the future, which is exciting.

It is important to celebrate the college’s 80th anniversary because it gives us a chance to think about how the college has made a difference and helped lots of students fulfil their potential. It is also the perfect opportunity to think about how the school will continue to help in the future.

Faith Brand

Molly Hinkins

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It is important because it shows how vital the school is to the local community.

Matt Marsh

80 is a big birthday and so it is right that we celebrate this achievement through Project 80.

Eva Thomas

It is important to recognise and celebrate what has gone before. By understanding what has gone before, you will recognise the hard work that has brought you to this point. It is also important to look forward to consider what another 80 years might look like.

My grandad attended Bottisham Village College and so did my uncles. My cousins also attended the college. I am the third generation of my family to attend this school.

Elijah Streeter It is an amazing achievement that should be celebrated not only by staff and students, but also with the rest of the community to show how outstanding this school is.

The 80th anniversary will celebrate both current and past students of the school. It is a fantastic opportunity for both groups to come together and learn from each other.

Leah Swift

Elizabeth Andrews

The college is part of a community and it has come a long way since it first opened.

I think it is important that we celebrate the 80 years: the college has educated a lot of people, including family members, such as my grandparents, parents, cousins, aunties, uncles and my sibling.

Skye Wilson It shows how far we have come as a school and community.

Project 80 is a way to express ourselves and to show everyone what the students at Bottisham Village College can do.

Aryah Jolley

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Project 80 will bring people together for different activities, and it will allow them to reflect on just how long the school has been running and its many achievements.

Ellie Goldson

It shows we take pride in this great achievement of having provided valuable educational services for 80 years.

Olly Turner

The fact that the school has been open for 80 years is a cause for celebration.

Alyssa Harbert

This is a special anniversary, and it is also an opportunity to invite others to join in sharing the school’s success.

Elizabeth Hamilton Smith

Project 80 will allow us to learn about the school’s past and, at the same time, also find out about the school’s future plans.

Celebrating the 80th anniversary helps to underline the importance of the school as a key part of the local community.

Joe Belzar

Alex Oates

This college has been open for 80 years and, since 80 years is a long time, it is important for us to celebrate how far we have come as a school. Soon it will be our 100th anniversary.

Bottisham Village College has provided outstanding educational facilities for generations, and it is important that, through Project 80, the students and the community can celebrate this.

Tasnia Rahman

Tolis Karavitakis

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The Sculpture Trail Sculptures have been commissioned or given to Bottisham since 1937. The idea for a Sculpture Trail arose in 2008 when Trustees of the David Urwin Arts Award offered to commission a new sculpture for the college.

Details of the artworks currently forming part of the Trail are given below.

HARVEST PANEL by Loughnan Pendred Loughnan Pendred (1902-1980) developed his career as a wood carver alongside that of a craft teacher. He joined Bottisham when the Village College opened and was commissioned to create the Harvest Panel as a gift from Henry Morris. During his career he created a number of memorials and carvings, such as ‘The Pelican in her Piety’ in the Great Court of Corpus Christi, the rood screen at Stretham, and the sculpture of the Virgin and Child at Great St Mary’s, Cambridge.

A portion of the Harvest Panel

In Memoriam George Edwards

QUIESCENCE by Hideo Furuta Hideo Furuta (1949-2007) was a Japanese sculptor who studied art in Tokyo and then worked with granite as part of a year as a stonemason. He came to Britain in 1985.

In all Hideo’s sculptures you can see how his philosophy is completely embedded in Japanese tradition. There is a deep respect for the stone and its aesthetic possibilities which follows the traditions of Japanese gardens: a place of rest, calm and contemplation.

In Memoriam GEORGE EDWARDS by Steve Swales Steve Swales was born in 1948. He won a scholarship to take A levels at Marlborough College and gained a degree at Birmingham College of Art. After teaching in Birmingham he was a highly successful sculpture teacher at Bottisham from 1974-85. His memorial to George Edwards, an early warden at the college, was the first time he cast his work in bronze.

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Quiescence THE BOTTISHAM STONE

by Glynn Williams Glynn Williams was born in 1939. He went to Wolverhampton College of Art in

1955 and in 1961 won a prestigious Rome Scholarship in Sculpture. In 1991 he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Art and a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. He was Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy of Art for many years.

The Bottisham Stone has a number of strong images: the oak is a symbol of strength; the mother with her young child represents protection.

The World Tree Matt has also recently offered to loan the school his sculpture Berserk for a period of time. It has been placed on a high plinth and situated between the new building and Modern Foreign Languages.

The Bottisham Stone CELL and WORLD TREE by Matt Sanderson Matt Sanderson was born in 1973. After a 3D Design degree in Newcastle and an MA in Silversmithing at the School of Jewellery in Birmingham, his company began making sculptures. He has become well known for creating highly crafted sculptures placed in original settings, and has already created over fifty permanent works, including the chronophage on the top of the Corpus Christi Clock in Cambridge.

His sculptures are made from a range of industrial materials. He enjoys exploring different design possibilities, as well as the building of his sculptures. Matt has created two outdoor sculptures for Bottisham Village College: Cell 2003 and World Tree 2010, which is now the school’s emblem.

Berserk ALIGNMENT by Christine Fox Christine Fox was born in 1922. She studied sculpture at Corsham, now Bath Academy of Art, was a lecturer in Sculpture at Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology from 1964-88 and a founder member of Open Studios in 1974. Her sculptures, in a range of materials, can be found in many places in the UK.

Alignment

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The Print Project Bottisham Village College has a reputation for excellence in the arts and was therefore delighted to forge a relationship with The Arts Society Newmarket through the group’s Young Arts representative.

The Newmarket group, which has been in existence since 1976, is part of the National Association of The Arts Society and aims to bring people together through a shared curiosity for the arts. It does this through a monthly lecture programme, focused study days, holidays and trips. It also supports young people’s engagement in the arts through its Young Arts programme, and

Bottisham Village College was delighted to 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 National Association.

This funding allowed the school to undertake an associated project to create an artwork for the new school building.

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 look forward to engaging professional artists to work alongside students to make an artwork 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.’

Creating an artwork for the new building Students from Year 7 enjoyed taking part in the Arts Society-funded print project with artists Ricki and Cary Outis to make an artwork for installation in the new building.

The work, which will comprise suspended printed banners, takes as its inspiration the architecture of both old and new buildings on the school site and also features some images from the school’s archive.

The students created their printed pieces through screen printing, working from black and white photographs of architectural features from around the school. They removed either the black or white coloured

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areas from their images to create a stencil for printing. Once they had made their initial print, they then took a ‘blot’ of this so they could create a further layer with a ‘spot’ colour to add interest and detail. The prints created by students are modernist in style, which reflects well the architecture of the original buildings.

The school is grateful to Young Arts representative Lynne Kemp, who secured funding from Newmarket Arts Society and the Patricia Fay Memorial Fund to allow this project to take place.

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Acknowledgements This Project was supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

We are very grateful to National Lottery players for making this possible and for the funding award for this project.

We would like to thank: The Bottisham Village College students who were involved in this project. These included: Elizabeth Andrews, Jacob Armitage, Darcey Banks, Bryher Basher, Joe Belzar, Polly Bennett, Oliver Blackburn, Sophie Blakemore, Toby Borley-Evans, Faith Brand, Honey Budd, Denise Chan, Atalanta Collison, Sam Criddle, Kiera Darley, Annie France, Grace Fridd, Olly Gibson, Ellie Goldson, Emily Graves, Samuel Greaves, Elizabeth Hamilton Smith, Alyssa Harbert, Thomas Harrow, Molly Hinkins, Maddy Houghton, Andrea Inte, Wiktoria Janueszewski, Connor Jarvis, Aryah Jolley, Tolis Karavitakis, Kerri-Anne Mackness, Freddy Marsden, Matt Marsh, Leah Maslen, Milena Michielin, Emily Norcott, Alex Oates, Joseph Plant, Lucy Quilter, Tasnia Rahman, Josie Riches, Hugh Saunders, Louise ScuttMaury, Samuel Strachan, Elijah Streeter, Leah Swift, Eva Thomas, Olivia Tulk, Olly Turner, William Ucan, Benjamin Westcott, Skye Wilson, Tom Wilson, Sophie Wood, Cleo Wrench, Amanda Wright and Edward Youlden.

The Principal of Bottisham Village College, Mrs Jenny Rankine, and the governors and staff at the school, in particular former Deputy Principal Dan Griffiths, Assistant Principal Andrew Gee and Arts Development Manager Lesley Morgan.

The Project Strand Leads: Annie Camp, Bobbi Greig, Cameron Hawes, Chelsie Irvine and Katy Ruth

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Our Project Partners: The Henry Morris Memorial Trust, in particular Chair, Peter Hains RIBA East, in particular Partnerships Manager, Delyth Turner-Harriss We would also like to thank: • Peter Harmer, Lead Filmmaker from Stories – Projects in Film • Mark Mountford, Assistant Filmmaker • the Cambridge Association of Architects and in particular those architects involved in the project: Brian Scally, Ann Bassett, Sabin Anca and Quratulain Hafeez • Graeme Jenkins, Morgan Sindall • Gemma Loving, DLA Architecture Ltd • All the past principals and staff, and community members, who participated in the interviews and activities for this project • Sue Sampson, Public Services Archivist • The Archives Team at Cambridgeshire County Council • Caroline Clifford, Local Studies Librarian at the Cambridgeshire Collection • Kate Thompson, Consultant Archivist • The staff and students at Impington Village College who organised and hosted our visit, in particular Christopher Gee and Alison Elmslie • Charmain Hawking, Beacon Planning • The staff and students at Linton Village College who organised and hosted our visit, in particular Helena Marsh and Karen Stamper • Gary Jobson, Graphic Designer

Bottisham Village College Alumni Network Are you a former student of Bottisham Village College?

Find out how you can join the Alumni Network by contacting enquiries@bottishamvc.org.

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Project 80 is a heritage project supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Project involved students at the school exploring the history of Bottisham Village College through archives research, interviews and the study of school architecture. This publication documents the process and findings of the project and accompanies the film made as part of the project activities.

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