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CVC Dec 15 v12_comberton temp.qxp 03/12/2015 14:37 Page 1

ISSUE 40, WINTER 2015

The Magazine of Comberton Village College

Manhattan Times — Page 3

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Comberton remembers

On Wednesday 11th November at 11am lessons stopped across the school and sixth form.

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: Year 7 students observing the two minutes’ silence on Armistice Day.

Assessment changes

This year Comberton has changed its assessment system in line with the Government’s national educational reforms.

Colleagues have been working for the last two years to develop an assessment system that will enable teachers and pupils to continue to identify attainment and monitor progress. This has been no mean feat!

Staff have been reflecting on what it means to ‘get better’ in their subject areas in order to track and support pupil learning. Alongside a staff working party and pupil forum, Comberton has been liaising with other Trust schools to provide a system that might operate across Comberton Academy Trust.

This has been a challenge that has opened up broad debate about the purpose, nature and regularity of assessment, and continues to fill department, year and whole school meetings!

We have devised a 10-point scale with 3 sub-levels to help us communicate with pupils, parents and carers a pupil’s attainment and to continue to provide the opportunity to design appropriate targets for improved learning. While a key concern of pupils was that our KS3 assessment system was separate to the GCSE grades/numbers (the latter being introduced this year for current Year 10 in English and Maths), we will continue to reflect on GCSE curricula to ensure that our pupils are prepared for national qualifications. This will mean that we will continue to evaluate our internal assessment practices throughout the years in which the new GCSEs for subjects are rolled out.

This will mean that current Year 7s will continue to use the new 10point scale throughout KS3, while Year 8 and 9 will use the scale for the remaining years of KS3. GCSE pupils will continue to use the nationally set GCSE grades (A*-G) and numbers (1-9). The details of each subject’s level descriptors can be found on the school website under the Year Group information for Years 7-9.

q Manhattan Times — Page 3 q CAT News — Page 4 q Training is Success Story — Page 5 q New Cabin Opens Doors — Page 7 q Attendance Matters — Page 7 q Staying Safe Online — Page 7 q Talking can Help — Page 7 q Trips round-up — Pages 8 & 9 2

For two minutes the staff and students in the school reflected on those who had died in war and conflicts.

During the week Mrs Higgs has been leading assemblies to think about why we do this, and how such acts of remembrance are not just about events distant through time and place, but actually very close and personal to us at Comberton.

Kelan Turrington was a Comberton pupil who served his country in the Iraq conflict. Very sadly, on 6th April 2003 Kelan was killed in a gunfight in Basrah. He was 18 years old; the youngest British soldier killed during the invasion at that time.

Next time you are in the school do have a look at the wall to the right of the stage in the dining hall, where there is a memorial to Kelan; the juxtaposition of the photo of him as a Year 7 pupil alongside the photo of him as a proud army fusilier is very poignant. Kelan was awarded a posthumous Mention in Despatches in the Operational Honours published on 31 October 2003 in recognition of the gallantry he displayed during the assault on an enemy trench that cost him his life, and this is displayed alongside the photos.

So on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we paused to consider the peace in which we live and the price at which it has been bought.

The following week, on November 16, Comberton held another minute’s silence, in response to the dreadful terrorist attacks in Paris.

Pupils were reminded that sadly there are on-going conflicts around the world and on Friday 13th November many in Paris and beyond paid the most terrible price for this.

HANDS ON: Prospective pupils visit different departments at Open Evening.

Open Evening is a big draw In October Comberton Village College opened its doors to more than a thousand visitors who were interested in seeing what life as a pupil is like here at Comberton.

The Open Evening for prospective pupils is always a hugely positive and dynamic evening, and this year was probably the busiest.

It is always very gratifying to take the opportunity to visit each department in

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school to see the wide range of experiences and lessons pupils get to have at Comberton.

As ever, the stars of the show were our pupils, who, without doubt, are the strongest advocates the school could have; the fact that more than 200 of them chose to give up their evening to come in to school speaks volumes about them.

Peter Law, Head of School

q Comberton Pipped — Page 10 q Sixth Form News — Pages 11-14 q Science News — Page 16 q Something for Everyone — Page 17 q Students Rise to Challenge — Page 17 q South Cambs School Sports Partnership round-up — Pages 18-19 q Sport — Pages 20-24 News@Com

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Sign of the Times

There are seminal moments in history when we are asked “Where were you when….?”

Student’s musical deserves big stage BIG DREAMS: For the characters in Manhattan Times.

Pictures: Charlie Rayner.

For most people, simply knowing that Manhattan Times had been written by a pupil who at the time was in Year 10 would have been enough to make them go and see it out of sheer curiosity.

But whatever the motivation, nobody could have been disappointed by Adam Pennington's production in which he also played most of the songs and also the male lead role — the latter being something he took over just a month beforehand when the planned lead dropped out.

But if it was complicated for him to keep switching hats from piano to stage, it wasn't apparent to the audience as Head of Music Ben Parker did a great job of taking over on piano for him as and when needed — and I think he also played quite a lot of the rest of the time as well.

The show itself is a comedy and it may have been that Adam was lucky in enrolling the top one per cent of performers in the school. But it was funny, the plot was simple but with a twist and the singing was great. It deserves to end up in the West End one day — hopefully sooner rather than Mary Strickland

In the summer of 1967 a 19-year-old student was asked to write a pop cantata to be performed at his school’s Easter assembly.

He enlisted the help of a friend and so it was that on 1st March 1968 the first performance of Joseph the musical took place in a school hall in Hammersmith.

As we all know, this musical has gone on to be a huge international success, with shows running in the West End, Broadway and touring the country.

On Thursday October 15th, I was at such a moment. The world premiere of Manhattan Times was nothing short of spectacular. It is impossible to choose any particular favourite moments, as the whole show was superb. If I did have to think of one image to epitomise the show, it would be that of Freddie — a New York trash collector and the hero of the piece, singing of his dreams while standing on top of a large wheelie bin with a chorus line of shimmering, besequined singers fawning at his feet.

His fellow garbage collectors provided hugely entertaining comedic foils, whilst the two leading ladies gave powerful and beautifully sung performances throughout.

The whole show was an absolute joy and a pleasure to attend. Every member of the cast and crew earned their plaudits.

Of course, the success is rather more incredible when we consider that the entire show — including 12 original songs — was written and directed by one of our Year 11 students, Adam Pennington, who also performed the part of Freddie in the show after the original cast member pulled out.

He seamlessly moved from the leading role to playing the piano as part of the impressive musical ensemble at, literally, the drop of a hat.

The world premiere run continued for two more nights and those who attended had an excellent night out.

Of course, if you missed it then in a few years’ time you may be able to see it in the West End, but you might have missed an opportunity.

Tickets for Joseph are currently selling for upwards of £80. Tickets for Manhattan Times were £5.

PS — If the site team ask why the lid of their wheelie bin is dented, best not mention this show…

Peter Law, Head of School

BIN THERE: Life in Manhattan is not as glamorous as it might sound.

Record smashed as Year 11 flock to show

Most of Year 11, most of the English department, and a few other staff piled into five coaches to attend a dramatisation of ‘Lord of the Flies at The Cambridge Corn Exchange.

The Corn Exchange was packed with school groups and the largest of these by far, from row four until the raked seating began, comprised a sea of Comberton black jumpers with the venue reporting that the 251 in the Comberton party was the largest single group they have ever catered for. None of those who attended was disappointed.

One of the GCSE English Literature texts, William Golding’s novel, about a group of boys who have crash-landed on an island and have to survive on their own, is a famous tale about the savagery that lurks underneath our civilised veneer.

The Regent’s Park Theatre Company produced an outstanding piece of theatre which Comberton caught on their national tour. The set was based around the broken fuselage of airplane while the sound effects were loud and frightening. Many modern touches helped make the storyline even more accessible to teenagers.

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From the sweet, young ‘Littlun’ to the menace of Roger and Jack, the acting was excellent.

From the outset to the ovation at the end, the audience was rapt with the tension or laughing along with the humour, but maybe it’s best to read the reactions from the students themselves: “It was a great afternoon and a fabulous experience.”

“Amazing to see the book brought to life on stage. . . the slow-motion and tribal aspects were brilliant.”

“I can honestly say that it was one of the best theatre performances I have ever been to in terms of atmosphere and character portrayal.” .

“It was quite an awe-inspiring experience.” .

“It really helped my knowledge of the book.”

“I loved the striking contrast between the lighting and the music to set apart Simon’s vision.”

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Trust welcomes plans

COMBERTON ACADEMY TRUST NEWS

The Trustees of the Comberton Academy Trust will allow Gamlingay First School to join the Trust if its plan to convert to Academy Status and admit students in Years 5 and 6 is approved.

At a Trustees’ meeting earlier this term, which followed a presentation by Gamlingay governors and the headteacher, the Trustees unanimously agreed to the request to join the Trust.

If Gamlingay First School gets the go-ahead, it will become the first primary phase school to join the Trust. It will also develop into a full Primary School and seek to have formalised its plan (as approved in principle by the CAT Trustees) to join the catchment area of Comberton Village College, one of the Trust’s four existing academies.

CAT Chief Executive Stephen Munday said: “The Comberton Academy Trust is delighted that Gamlingay First School (GFS) is set on a path to move to Academy status and join the Comberton

Academy Trust.

“We have liaised fully and carefully with the Governing Body and the Head of GFS in their decision-making process and are very clear about the powerful educational reasons for wishing to take this step.

“We very much look forward to working together to seek to ensure the very best education possible for young people in Gamlingay. The Trust’s stated aim is ‘Excellence for All’ and we are very clear that this is what those overseeing GFS wish to see.”

WORKING TOGETHER: Students from all four of the Trust’s Academies at the Language Leader Training Day.

Students are united in leadership

Year 9 Language Leaders spent the day at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, participating in the first ever Comberton Academy Trust Language Leader Training Day. Students from Comberton, Cambourne, with its first cohort of Year 9 students, Melbourn and The Voyager, who are participating in the Language Leader Award for the first time this year, attended the university day to help them develop their leadership and teamworking skills before going into primary schools to deliver language lessons over the coming academic year.

The Language Leader Award is a prestigious scheme that was created by CAT Director of International Education Dr Rachel Hawkes.

Students develop their language skills as well as their presentation and leadership skills by preparing and delivering at least three language lessons to younger students. Language leaders also assist with events such as Open Evening and the Foreign Language Spelling Bee Regional and National finals, which this year will include the Regional Final at The Voyager, having previously been staged at Comberton.

The day consisted of a series of workshops covering the value of language learning, personality and leadership skills testing and presentation skills, as well

as exercises testing team-working and initiative skills.

After this fantastic start to their language learning careers, the leaders are now busy preparing, either at lunchtimes or after school, their lessons for pupils in feeder primary schools.

Dr Hawkes said: “The leadership day at Anglia Ruskin University, the home of Routes into Languages, a government-funded languages project that supports innovative ways to raise the profile of language learning in this country, was a fantastic start to the award programme.

“It provided us with an excellent opportunity to bring students from our four academies together with a common purpose.

“The Language Leader Award was created with two overriding principles: first, learning is more deeply embedded when you have to know your material so well you can deliver it to others, and second, taking on a leadership role early develops a high level of selfreflection, build resilience, flexibility and the ability to work constructively with other people.

“Our students really enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with students from other schools and they’ve NEW already asked us to provide them with further TRUSTEE: opportunities to collaborate.”

SWCHS head

Experienced head becomes a Trustee An experienced new Trustee has joined the Comberton Academy Trust.

John Hartley, who steps down as head of Saffron Walden County High School and Chief Executive of the Saffron Academy Trust at the end of this term, has become the 10th Trustee of the Comberton Academy Trust.

Like CAT Chief Executive Stephen Munday, Mr Hartley is a National Leader of Education, a role he has held since 2011, and has led and co-ordinated improvement programmes to raise standards in several schools facing challenging circumstances.

His own school, the largest secondary in Essex, was rated outstanding by Osted at its most recent inspection in 2012.

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Making IT work

Over the last couple of years it has become apparent that the need for staff to work across the Trust’s schools has increased.

With this comes many challenges for IT, not least making it as easy as possible for staff to move from site to site and be able to work.

With this in mind we embarked on a massive programme of rebuilding the IT infrastructure across all the schools currently in the Trust.

It was a year in the planning and a further year in implementation, culminating in the mass migration of all 5,000 users from the old network to a new one in the summer.

The aim was to do this so that very little appeared to change and on returning to school at the end of the summer holidays, staff and students across all schools would be able to log in and just carry on working as if nothing had changed.

I’d like to think that for the most part we accomplished that with the odd hiccup along the way.

The benefits are that users can now log in at any school and can now see all staff and students in all schools in the Outlook Address Book.

For staff, it means they can walk into any of the Trust schools and have their laptop automatically connect to the wireless, access their user areas and the internet without needing to see IT and most importantly for all is the increase in mailbox size from around 250 – 500MB to 50GB (5000MB).

Due to the underlying work carried out, we can now start to invest time in improving those services and rolling out some new systems, with the added benefit being that it now only has to be done once for all schools rather than individually across each school.

Paul Middleton, Trust IT Manager

John Hartley.

The move to join CAT co-incides with Mr Hartley’s house move to South Cambridgeshire although he will conintue to work as Executive Consultant for the Alex Hunter Academy in Braintree.

Mr Munday said: “Of all the schools in the area, I would liken Comberton, with its size, its Sixth Form and its outstanding Ofsted grading, to Saffron Walden County High. We already work closely with them as part of the Teaching School programme and we are delighted John has decided to join our Trust.

“He has been head at SWCHS for 12 years and will bring a wealth of experience with him.”

For job vacancies across the Trust, visit the CAT website at www.catrust.co.uk

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Training is a success story

The Cambridge Teaching Schools Network SCITT (CTSN) continues to go from strength to strength, recruiting and training teachers for the local area, including Comberton Academy Trust.

We provide teacher training at both primary and secondary level through our School Centred Initial Teacher Training provision. Last year, we trained a record number of teachers, more than 75% of whom are now successfully employed within our partnership, with more than 90% employed within the South East of England.

Our first cohort of primary trainees have now qualified, and building on the success of our inaugural year for primary training, we are now offering a new salaried (employmentPHYSICS TRAINING: Funded to take place at Comberton. based) primary route in teaching.

This year we have successfully recruited more than 50 trainees across our programmes at both primary and secondary level, making a significant impact on teacher recruitment It was during May that Comberton found it had been successful with two and retention. bids to The National College of Teaching and Learning to develop and Our mission to recruit the best teachers, particularly in shortage subjects, has been deliver courses to teachers who were not specialists in Mathematics or strengthened through our successful bid to offer a part-time salaried route in secondary Physics. shortage subjects from September 2016. We are hoping that this will attract people for The courses allow them to retrain and improve their ability to deliver one of whom a full-time teacher training course is impossible. these subjects. This programme, Teacher Subject Specialist Training, is one Warren Patrick, who trained last year and is now working at Cambourne, said: “This time of a number of initiatives from the Government to address the issue of last year I was a trainee teacher, a few months into my course, somewhat daunted by the shortages of Mathematics and Physics teachers. demands of becoming a professional teacher. I can now say, a year on, it certainly has As The Guardian newspaper reported in September: “The DfE wanted to been the most challenging year in my varied working life. I can also say it has been the recruit 1,055 trainee physics teachers for the 2015-16 academic year: it most rewarding, professionally and personally. managed just 730….That translates as a shortfall of 31% in physics…” and “I found the SCITT structured in way that enabled me to develop the requisite skills to “Education secretary Nicky Morgan has admitted that schools in England teach but also develop my subject knowledge in a manageable way. The staff delivering are facing a shortage of maths teachers, at the same time as the the training are incredibly experienced and knowledgeable and always on hand to support Government has been pushing more pupils to study the subject at school and assist you. and beyond.” We see involvement in this programme as an important “As an NQT I am planning and delivering more lessons, but feel I have been adequately element of our role as a Teaching School to support the development of prepared to cope with the demands of my role. I am also very fortunate to be in an teachers across the local area. incredibly supportive department, and school as a whole.

The Physics programme, which has recruited 20 teachers from secondary “I really enjoying teaching and look forward to my personal and professional development schools across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, has been developed as I face new opportunities and fresh challenges.” using highly experienced and successful teachers and teacher trainers, Another, Comberton science teacher Sally Harding, said: “I trained with the CTSN SCITT who will also deliver it. The teachers will spend seven days across the year, non-salaried scheme. The course was highly individualised and fulfilled my training needs from 12-6pm, at Comberton, developing their understanding of Physics and perfectly. For me, the course was a good compromise between being completely dropped how to teach it effectively and into the deep end, but at the same time giving me the engagingly to secondary age appropriate level of challenge to prepare me for my NQT year. pupils.

“The training days were fantastic and inspiring, I liked the idea The first sessions proved very of being taught to teach by practising teachers. Support from successful and highly regarded by the staff running the course was fantastic, and again very the participants, with comments mush tailored to your individual needs. such as “inspirational pedagogy” “My placement schools gave me a great insight into the and “very enthusiastic, passionate variety of schools in the Cambridgeshire area and the contact and knowledgeable presenters”. we had with various teachers within the partnership schools The Mathematics course has been helped me in choosing the type of school I wanted to developed and is being delivered eventually teach in.

by Mark Dawes, a maths teacher “I am now doing my NQT year at Comberton Village College. and Specialist Leader of At this school there is a programme of weekly after school Education at Comberton. He is meetings for new and NQT staff — which is a great working with 20 teachers from introduction into the running of the school. The science across 14 schools, delivering the department is very supportive, and there is always someone programme at Comberton and also visiting the teachers in those schools to willing to provide help and support if needed.” give them feedback and advice on their teaching. This course has also been To find out more about ITT opportunities with CTSN SCITT please visit our website very positively received, with teachers going back to their schools with http://www.camteach.org.uk/90/introduction ideas they can straight away implement in their classrooms.

We also host a series of Open Evenings specifically designed for people thinking of Both of these programmes are funded by the Government, enabling schools coming into teaching. Forthcoming events are: 26th January at Swavesey Village College, to send their teachers at no cost. We are confident that their success will 2nd March at Bottisham Village College, 14th April at Saffron Walden County High enable Comberton to secure longer-term funding, which will enable us to School. continue to support local schools in addressing the issues raised by CTSN is building secure working partnerships with other excellent schools in the local teacher shortages in these subjects and, importantly for students, to have area. Anglian Gateway Teaching School Alliance, based at Bottisham Village College, the best possible experience of these subjects. and The Cambridge and Suffolk Schools Alliance, based at Linton Village College, contribute very significantly to the quality of our courses through bidding for placements through us.

LEARNING This year we have significantly increased our capacity at senior level, drawing in senior tutors from Anglian Gateway at both primary and secondary level. In this way, we hope THE to further strengthen our provision in the local area, drawing on the experience and ROPES: expertise of an increasing wide, diverse and committed partnership of schools.

Trainee This can only strengthen recruitment to Comberton Academy Trust Schools. teachers Please contact our teacher training information line if you would like to find out more meet at about how you could get into teaching by following this link: Cambourne http://www.camteach.org.uk/67/contact-itt We would be very happy to hear from you. (right and Kath Goudie, Senior Tutor, Secondary CTSN SCITT above).

Addressing the shortages

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New Cabin opens doors The new £850,000 centre for secondary school children on the Autistic Spectrum has opened its doors.

The Cabin is a purpose-built stand-alone building at Comberton and was built with a grant from the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund, as well from range of charitable donations including the Cambridge News after parents, staff and students collected tokens to earn a contribution from the ‘Community Fund’.

Previously students with Asperger’s Syndrome were housed in two dilapidated portable classrooms and for the last year have been using the college’s Lecture Room, at the heart of the school, as temporary accommodation. Other students on the Autistic Spectrum used ‘The Study’, a converted classroom.

Now all have been brought together and the numbers that can be catered for has officially increased from 12 — although Comberton had admitted 20 — to 40 students.

Earlier this term The Cabin invited past and present students and their parents to tour the new facilities which include a kitchen, small classrooms, staff area, changing rooms and toilets.

Peter Allcock, Head of The Cabin at Comberton, said: “We are very pleased to be in it and how it works is exactly what we envisaged.

“It’s already made a huge difference to the experience of students who have both a safe place to go and the level of support to meet their needs.”

NEW HOME: The Cabin at Comberton is open for business.

Attendance can really How talking can help make a difference We have continued to work hard this term to support students with their attendance at school. As you will be aware, attendance is one of the most important aspects of achieving well at school:

Although attendance is really important for academic outcomes, there will obviously be times when illness makes absence inevitable.

Please contact us every day of absence by phone (01223 262503) or the school website (http://www.combertonvc.org/Absence).

If your child is not registered in school and we have not heard from you, we will notify you via text so you are aware and their reason for absence can be confirmed.

To help support your child’s learning, with regards to attendance, we will let you know via a letter when attendance dips below the 96% target. This letter would be for your information to support attendance at school and to highlight any concerning patterns of absence that may be emerging.

Our full attendance policy is available on the school website for your information.

Staying safe online

We regularly remind students of the importance of taking safety seriously online through Computer Science lessons and through assemblies.

We also have regular visits from local police to remind students of key messages about the legalities of what is shared online and where to get help if they have concerns.

We thought it would be good to share such messages with parents to discuss with your child.

1) Don’t post any personal information online — address, email address or mobile number 2) Think before posting any image; people may be able to download it and it’s no longer yours 3) Keep your privacy settings as high as possible 4) Never give out your passwords 5) Don’t befriend people you don’t know 6) Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online; speak to an adult if people suggest this 7) Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are 8) Think carefully before posting online — language, tone, appropriateness, kindness 9) Respect other people’s views, even if you don’t agree; don’t be rude 10) If something online makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, tell a trusted adult immediately

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A kaleidoscope of 150 ‘doers and thinkers’ spent two days together at Magdalene College, Cambridge, considering the theme of ‘Universal Responsibility,' a phrase coined by the Dalai Lama.

The event was hosted by Rowan Williams and put on by the 'Inspire Dialogue' Foundation, to bring people together who had different ideas but a common aim — to look at dialogue as a way of solving some of the big issues that affect us all.

Four former Comberton Village College Students applied and were chosen to join me,a teaching assistant at the school.

Small group sessions took place over the two days, each considering a different topic: Conflict Resolution, Environment, Technology, Education, Freedom, Resources and Health. After each group discussion, the whole group came back together to listen to thoughts from the Dalai Lama and Rowan Williams, followed by questions and answers with them.

The atmosphere was lively there was a mixture of serious discussion and lighthearted laughter, which was often inspired by the comments from the Dalai Lama and Rowan Williams.

There was a wonderful variety of people there, ranging from a Buddhist policeman, academic researchers, students, the ex-director of Oxfam, Booker Prize winning author Ben Okri to British TV producer John Lloyd CBE, (of QI and Blackadder fame).

INSPIRE DIALOGUE: Former students and Janny Kent with Rowan Williams and the Dalai Lama.

Interestingly, many of the dialogues seemed to find their way back to education as being a significant/crucial part of any solution, and as a teaching assistant and mum/stepmum of a large family, this had personal resonance with my own beliefs and observations.

I was asked to help find young adults who would be keen to take part in this event and I found five, three of whom had been to CVC, so the school was well represented.

The fourth ex-CVC student who was present was taking photographs of the event. I think all of us were completely overwhelmed by the goodwill that emanated from these two very special days — the Dalai Lama and Rowan Williams were an inspiring team, and hopefully a great deal more good will happen in the future because of 'Inspire Dialogue.'

Janny Kent

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Insight into life in Berlin

BERLIN SIGHTS: Remains of wall outside Die Welt newspaper offices and the Brandenberg Gate.

Fifty-five bleary eyed A-level and GCSE students gathered in the dark at 3:45am one Sunday in September.

Why? To travel to the notorious city of Berlin with Mr Beamish, Ms Burns, Ms Croft, Ms Quick, Mrs Jenkins and Mr Leggott.

Throughout the three days in the German city, students from History and Psychology GCSE and A-Level were bombarded with all the city had to offer; from the glittering heights of the Reichstag to the harrowing remains of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

Year 11 student Angus Thomson said: “It was an amazing trip, just being in the place where so many major events in history have taken place gave me a new perspective. The schnitzel wasn’t too bad either!”

On the third day students walked by the remnants of the Berlin Wall and were awestruck at the scale and impact that it had on many of the people living in the city during the Soviet era.

Students were also able to visit Checkpoint Charlie and enjoyed posing with the dressed up guards, Abigail Stephenson (Year 13) commented: “We walked miles on the trip! But I’m glad we did as I really got an insight into what Berlin means today for the people living there and why it is such an important place in history.

“Where else can you see glittering towers, derelict factories and soviet towerblocks?”

The Humanities and Psychology Departments hope to run the trip again. Current Year 10s and Year 12s will be offered the opportunity to sign up for the trip soon — look out for more information.

New perspective on Potter

Product Design & Graphics students in Year 10-13 went to The Harry Potter Studios.

We spent the evening exploring the amazing sets, and learning the process of how they were designed, modelled, and then made. The trip began with a spectacular introduction in the Great Hall, were it was fully decorated for a Christmas feast, with special effects showing Christmas puddings on fire.

We then went to explore the massive variety of sets including Harry’s dormitories, Dumbledore’s office, and a demonstration of the Goblet of Fire, revealing Harry Potter’s name.

One of the most interesting sets was a corridor from the shrieking shack. It represented a great example of perspective, as it looks much longer than the actual set. This was due to the angled edges of the model and a small chair at the end.

The best room in my opinion ART IN THE FIELD: Year 10 students sketching in Central was the one full of artistic London and (right) at the South Bank Skate Park. drawing and third angle orthographic drawings of a massive range of different models and houses. My I scribbled the final line of my Thames sketch, stuffed my pencils into favourite by far was The my pocket and ran to catch up with the rest of my group.

Burrow, home to the We, the Year 10 Applied Art Course, were walking along the beautiful Weasleys, due to the riverside, now making our way towards the OXO gallery. This was part complex shape and awkward of a whole day filled with live sketching while looking for inspiration angles. on our current Interior-Exterior theme.

Then we turned our attention At the OXO we visited an art sale. The pieces were anonymous, to the card models, which uniformly priced at £80; the artist — some famous — only to be were astonishing. Almost all revealed after the purchase. I thought that just as ‘you shouldn’t judge of the major locations within a book by its cover’, you shouldn’t judge art by the artist. the film had been modelled ALL THE GEAR: Year 11 students at the Harry Then we moved on to the Royal Watercolour Society, where we saw a to an amazing level of detail Potter studios shop. range of inspiring works, before we reached our final destination, the and accuracy. It was also famous Tate Modern. nice to see the progression from Rather than taking the coach to London, we drawings to a card model and took the train. This provided us with free then on to the screen in a film. natural models sitting casually and still with The end of the modelling section us in the carriage. We were forced to draw was summed up with the 1:24 quickly and from different angles as we scale model of the whole of needed to be discreet.

Hogwarts that took 41 days to Reflections of our Interior-Exterior theme fully assemble. were captured on photographs to be used The trip was a great experience when back at school. On our return we turned and it really summed up why them into folded concertinas, which reflected Product Design is so exciting, many angles of the trip. the process of going from an Not only did we all have a great time, but we idea, to drawing, then a model, learned a lot, being able to get hands-on, and then seeing it in reality is drawing from real scenes and being inspired magical. by the works of many great artists.

SHRIEKING SHACK: A great Janek Trace-Kleeberg (L6-JD) KNIGHT RIDERS: Sixth Maria Mangera-Willeke (10E) formers on the Knight Bus. example of perspective.

Visit inspires artists

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New partnership formed

Comberton has taken its international links to another continent.

SCHOOL LIFE: Choir practice at the Kobe University Secondary School.

As well as partnerships with a number of schools in Europe, Africa and South America, the college now has set up a new exchange programme with a school in Asia.

Following a recent visit to Japan in the summer holidays by Stephen Winter, our Head of Physics, and this term’s tour of Comberton by Atushi Masumi, the school has now established a partnership with Kobe University Secondary School. Plans are now under way for the first group of Japanese students to visit Comberton for a week next summer. A much larger group of 30 students will then visit Comberton in November for a cultural exchange day to promote Japanese culture and school life.

Hosts for the June visit are currently being sought from among the current Year 10 and they will be given priority as one of the 10 Year 12 students from Comberton Sixth Form to go to Japan in June 2017. Once there, Comberton students will have the chance to experience Japanese education, as well as the lifestyle and culture; the trip will also include visits to Hiroshima, Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara.

Any student wishing to register an initial interest in this exciting new venture, and who is willing to host a Japanese student, should contact international coordinator Alison Shorten in her office on the MFL glass walkway or by e-mail to ashorten@combertonvc.org

Living as a Spanish teenager

In September, a group of 26 Year 9 students from Comberton and Cambourne set off for a week in Zaragoza, Spain, to meet their penpals from the Colegio María Rosa Molas and experience life as a Spanish teenager.

The students’ behaviour was exemplary and it was a real pleasure to see them grow in confidence over the week, and start building friendships with their partners.

As well as spending time with families and in lessons with their partners, students experienced a fantastic range of excursions. We visited the historic Loarre castle in the Pyrenees and the impressive stone pillars of the Mallos de Riglos (world famous as a climbing spot), as well as stopping off in Huesca to soak up the atmosphere. Churros tasting and the tapas lunch provided for us by partners on the last day were gastronomical highlights too!

We, in the MFL department ,have also been delighted to hear that so many of our students are still in regular contact with their partners and getting so much practice in on their Spanish.

Claire Jones Here are three accounts from students: “The families were incredibly hospitable and quickly adjusted to our preferences.

“During the evenings they took us to cultural places as well as allowing us to do social activities such as shopping and visiting a theme park.

“They translated when they saw we couldn’t understand, but still allowed us to extend our knowledge whenever possible.

“I undoubtedly had the best time of my life and improved my Spanish far more than I expected. The week in Zaragoza has really given me an advantage in Spanish as well as improving my cultural knowledge of not only Zaragoza but also Spain.

“During the week out partners looked for every opportunity for us to meet our other friends on the exchange, such as playing basketball and going

bowling.

“They ate food we liked and made us feel at home, but also allowed us to try some more traditional dishes such as paella and gambas.

“I would definitely recommend the Spanish Exchange to anyone interested.”

Rowan Tall “On the first day in beautiful Zaragoza, we met our families then the following day we met the rest of the Spanish school as well as our friends.

“At first it was a little awkward to mix with the other students as their lifestyle is quite different.

However, as the days went on I think we all got a bit more confident and we could really use our Spanish knowledge.

“On the third day, we visited some museums then went to an amazing mall. On the way there, my exchange partner, Alvaro, told me the mall is the second biggest and newest in Europe.”

Ted Belger “When we pulled into MM. Rosa Molas, we tried to identify our exchanges in the large crowd of smiling faces.

“There were cries of ‘there he/she is’ or ‘I’m actually really nervous.’ But we eagerly piled off the coach to meet our exchange partners and SPANISH EXPERIENCE: Mosaic making at school and a their families. tour around Zaragoza city centre.

“At first it was a little on the awkward partner was very friendly and understanding. side. We weren’t accustomed to the one-kiss-on-each“We were all very tired after the journey and were cheek twhen meeting people so we were a bit taken relieved to see the beds where we would be sleeping. aback by our partners' families introducing it to us “During our time with the families we all had nice unexpectedly on our arrival! breakfasts including eggs, potatoes and bacon. In the “However, when we all started talking we could hardly evenings we had the opportunity to eat paella and stop. Information about families, hobbies and food tapas and many other yummy foods.” were the hottest topics and everyone’s exchange Ben Jones

Collecting GCSE data is very tiring work . . .

Year 11 geography students set off for a weekend in Sheringham, to do the data collection for our coursework on tourism in the Norfolk town.

We were staying overnight and collecting data for our controlled assessment, worth 25% of our overall GCSE. We arrived in Sheringham at around lunch time, and set off to do our data collection for the day, completing land use surveys, questionnaires and litter surveys, and we were also able to enjoy a fish and chip lunch on the beach.

After completing the rest of our work at around 4.00pm, the groups met up and went to see the seals at Blakeney Point.

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Students really enjoyed getting close to the seals and taking photos, but perhaps not getting splashed by the boat!

After the trip, on Friday evening, we had a short lesson in which we prepared for the next day; this was necessary for each of our individual focuses for which we did more individual data collection on the next day.

For two hours students walked up and down the High Street and down to the beach completing their data collection.

At 2.00pm we headed back to the meeting point and got on to the coaches home, with the majority getting well-deserved sleep on the journey!

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Comberton pipped to win The Kids’ Literature Quiz held annually at Comberton Village College took place last month.

with other regional teams for a place in the World Final in Auckland in August 2016.

Do you think you could have done well? Have a go at some of the questions from the quiz! (Answers at foot of page) The quiz originated in New Zealand 1.What other name is Tony Stark where it was founded by quizknown by? master Wayne Mills in 1991 and 2.In the book Matilda, by Roald Dahl, now has national competitions held what is Matilda’s brother’s name? in: New Zealand, United Kingdom, 3.Which Christian saint is associated South Africa, Canada, USA, with December 25th?

Australia, Singapore and Hong 4.What is the second book in the Lord Kong. of the Rings trilogy called?

Librarians Mrs Hack and Mrs Peck 5.What kind of creature is Firenze in organised the whole event in the RUNNERS-UP: The CVC Watsons with quizmaster Wayne Mills (right) the Harry Potter books?

Performance Hall and it was and two of the visiting authors.

6.Which Enid Blyton series of books spectacular fun as 22 teams from Ransome, from Year 8, and Abbie Masson and Kate featured a dog named ‘Scamper’? various schools around our region, comprising of Walsh, from Year 7, and CVC Watsons, comprising 7.Matt Groening is the creator of which famous cartoon students aged between 10 and 13 years old, took part.

Erin Ferguson, in Year 8, and Shannon Lewis, Aarohi family?

Five authors: Julian Sedgewick, Chris Priestley, Pippa 8.In a fairy tale, what did a materialistic father claim Vira and PJ Webb, in Year 7.

Goodheart, Adele Geras and Inbali Iserles also made that his daughter could do that resulted in her needing All the students rose to the challenge posed by some up a team and pitched their book knowledge against help from a little fellow with a very odd name? very tough questions with outstanding performances, the students! They also signed books and chatted with 9.What did Ariadne give to Theseus to help him particularly from the Kimbolton School team, the the students (and teachers), who were excited to meet navigate the maze?

‘Kimquestors’, who took first place. In a very close them.

10.Whose autobiography is called The Long Walk to second place, was the CVC Watsons. Oundle School The teams answered 100 demanding and challenging Freedom? team, ‘Oundle 2’, took third place. questions on a whole range of different subjects, from Remember, if you’re in Year 7 this year you could still naming Poseidon’s brothers to identifying a very The CVC Sherlocks came seventh, with only four compete next year in our team. You will be able to find smartly dressed 1930s French elephant! points fewer than the winners; it really was very close. out more at the beginning of next year from your We had two teams participate this Year: CVC The Kimquestors will now go on to the National English teacher.

Jaya Hillman Sherlocks, comprising Emma Hayward and Olivia Champions heat in Oxford where they will compete

Top tips for budding authors

At the end of last half term, a local children’s author called Helen Moss came to our school.

She writes mystery stories and, conveniently, the Year 7’s first topic in English was writing murder mystery stories.

Helen Moss’ visit was really good fun.

Furthermore, it taught us lots of skills first hand from an author on how to write a mystery story.

First, she read us a small piece from one of her books so we could see the effect of the mystery techniques in action. Then she went through the techniques she used to make her books so amazing. She even told us her ‘secret ingredient’; think of a burger, and then think of each technique as a different

ingredient in the burger!

I found really this really interesting and helpful in my own writing I particularly enjoyed how we got to hear how the skills we had been learning in class really make mystery stories brilliant to read.

I really believe that anybody can write a really successful book, which is enjoyed by lots of children.

Isabel Juckes (7R)

SIGN LINE: Helen Moss autographs books for students and (right) answers questions.

Student’s words are a real winner

A poetic summing up of the school library by one of Comberton’s students has boosted the stock of books for the blind and visually impaired.

Year 10’s Gabby Borinuoluwa, who was in Year 9 at the time, produced one of a number of superb Comberton entries for the Royal National Institute for the Blind’s Library Carnegie competition which asked pupils to write in one sentence how they felt about the school library.

Gabby’s entry: “It is a place where underdogs win, victory is snatched from defeat and, above all, chances taken turn into a dream come true” was the judge’s favourite and was described as ‘pure poetry’.

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The prize was the complete set of those books shortlisted for the 2015 Carnegie medal in braille and giant print, but the college was lucky enough to receive extra goodies in the form of the 2014 set as well.

Library assistant Julie Peck said: “We were absolutely delighted when we were notified that Gabby’s entry had won.

“This is significant for the school as we now have several blind and visually impaired students. It is also important because the cost of these types of books is prohibitive.

“More importantly however, is that the RNIB are now aware of our needs and are currently sending other stock to us.”

Answers

1.Iron Man 2.Michael 3.St Nicholas 4.The Two Towers 5.A Centaur 6.The Secret Seven 7.The Simpsons 8.That she could spin straw into gold (the little fellow was Rumpelstiltskin) 9.Thread 10.Nelson Mandela

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A flying start It’s been a very successful term in the Sixth Form, commencing back in early September when we welcomed the new Year 12 students to the college for their induction days.

It wasn’t long before students previously in Year 11 at Comberton were mingling and forging new friendships with students from more than 20 other schools.

After a day and a half of induction we enjoyed the welcome barbecue.

It was great to see both familiar faces and new competing in welly — wanging, three-legged races and a tug of war competition — all organised and coordinated perfectly by the Student Vice-Presidents (Sports and Social).

Year 13 students then joined the Year 12s and lessons began in earnest.

INDUCTION ACTIVITIES: Included tug-of-war. A lot has happened between then and now both

Role model Amy shares her prize

Results are excellent

Comberton Sixth Form students have again excelled themselves with both A-level and BTEC exam performances this year.

A hugely impressive 85% of students achieved A*C grades this year, with an equally impressive 61% gaining one of the top three grades.

As encouraging is the fact that the majority of these grades exceeded predictions based on their prior achievement, revealing clear evidence of positive progress.

These notable achievements have enabled progression to both university and the world of work; 85% of students applying to university were offered places at their first or second choice institutions, with a third gaining places at prestigious Russell Group universities, including POSITIVE ROLE MODEL: Amy Bland.

Cambridge.

The range of courses chosen perfectly illustrates Amy has just started studying Theology at Cambridge the varied interests and aptitudes of a greatly University. talented year group and included aeronautical Our very best wishes go with her. engineering, medieval history, theology, architecture, nursing, forensic science and Lane Cox has been awarded a The Scholarships are highly creative writing. sought-after Arkwright Engineering regarded by leading universities The most popular Scholarship that identifies him as and companies and are supported destinations this year were one of the country’s future leaders in by top engineering employers and engineering and technical design. organisations such as Rolls-Royce, Nottingham, Manchester and Sussex.

The Year 12 student, who began the BAE Systems and Microsoft In addition to university process last autumn as a Year 11 Research. entry, a number of student at CVC, learned of his Lane was selected following a students chose the success towards the end of the rigorous process comprising a increasingly popular summer term and was recently detailed application form, a twoemployment with invited to a formal presentation of his hour aptitude exam and an professional training route, award at a prestigious ceremony in interview hosted at a top making the most of London, supported by The Institution engineering university. of Engineering and Technology and He was supported at each stage by opportunities in such areas as retail the Rail Industry, led by Network staff, including Mr Leggott and Mr management, banking, SCHOLARSHIP: For Lane Cox. Rail, Carillion and Colas Rail.

Willder, who provided references biomedical sciences and Lane was presented with his and guidance on the application landscape architecture.

Arkwright Scholarship by principal guest Naomi Climer, President of process.

We are looking forward to the Institution of Engineering and Technology 2015/16.

Lane’s Scholarship was one of only 397 awarded nationally from a He also received a letter of congratulations from Sir Evelyn de pool of over 4000 applicants, a clear reflection of his achievement at meeting them all again at the Upper Sixth reunion in the end of a very competitive process.

Rothschild, founder and chairman of the Eranda foundation which December, hearing tales of Lane is the third Comberton student in two years to win a will be sponsoring Lane’s Scholarship for the next two years. the first term at university, Scholarship and, with the 2016 process already well under way, we During their Sixth Form studies, scholars receive £600 to support gap — year progress and anticipate there will be others wanting to follow in his footsteps. We their technical courses and have access to a range of exciting hope, therefore, to be bringing news of similar successes in the near the first months at work! opportunities to learn more about engineering, such as mentoring Phillip Evans, future. and company visits.

Head of School

Scholarship success for student

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COMBERTON SIXTH FORM

Former Sixth Form student, Amy Bland, was a runnerup in the recent Cambridgeshire “Young Person of the Year” awards for 2015. The prestigious event held at St Catharine’s college in Cambridge saw Amy receive a £100 prize for being a positive role model to young people.

The annual YOPEY awards, which are now in their 10th year, help to raise the profile of the excellent work carried out by young people all over the region.

After receiving her prize money, Amy decided to donate half of it to the local Oasis Elderly Club.

Last year, Amy carried out a wide range of different voluntary activities alongside her academic studies including working in Nepal and raising money for the subsequent Nepalese earthquake.

Her tutor, Richard Waller, who nominated her, said: “Amy was one of the many fantastic students that we have at Comberton Sixth Form who spent their time carrying out voluntary work helping others.

“Amy was exceptional at organising and running a vast array of different voluntary projects.”

within lessons and beyond.

A-level students are close to completing half of their Year 12 and 13 course content, the BTEC students have completed a significant number of assignments and, in between all the hard work, numerous trips, events and activities have taken place.

Charity events have included the Macmillan cake sale, the annual ‘onesie day’ for Children in Need and the Christmas jumper day.

Trips have included geographers investigating sand dune ecosystems in Dorse, the History, Government and Politics and Psychology students exploring Berlin, and Drama students’ regular visits to the theatre.

The enrichment groups have been busy with their many activities including drama, music, advocacy, journalism and mentoring as well as a huge array of sporting and dance activities. All in all it’s been a very productive and enjoyable term.

Lorna Conroy, Head of Sixth Form

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Crowds flock to see CSF ‘A record number of visitors for any event at Comberton’ — that was the remarkable verdict of the site management team after Comberton Sixth Form’s highly successful Open Evening in early November.

And while official visitor figures may not be available, it was difficult to deny the seemingly unprecedented levels of interest in the college as students and parents arrived in droves to take a closer look at the CSF experience.

On the back of another excellent summer of A-level and BTEC results and another year of exceptional achievements and opportunities for its students, the Sixth Form has continued to build on its outstanding reputation, earning everwider recognition for the standard of its provision and attracting ever-greater interest from students across the region.

For those who came along there was a chance to inspect the state-of-the-art facilities on offer and a valuable opportunity to discuss details relating to specific courses with staff and student representatives.

The main talks — repeated during the evening to accommodate the large numbers — offered detailed advice and guidance from Executive Principal, Stephen Munday, Head of Sixth Form, Lorna Conroy and current Year 13 student Hannah Marshall.

Mr Munday celebrated the success that the Sixth Form had achieved in such a short space of time, continuing the tradition of excellence which has for so long been a feature of the educational experience at Comberton Village College, while Mrs

COMBERTON SIXTH FORM

Value of play

The Drama and Theatre Studies students have yet again been involved with a number of exceptionally exciting trips and workshops. A visit to the National Theatre gave them the opportunity to see a phenomenal production of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s ‘Our Country’s Good’; an epic tale set against the background of the transportation of convicts from England to Australia in Georgian England.

The play, a set text at A2, centres upon the convicts’ creation of a piece of theatre, which COSMIC LIFT: for the eventually becomes a tool for reforming their Drama and Theatre characters, giving them a new sense of Studies students. purpose and self-esteem.

In addition, the students participated in a six-hour workshop with physical theatre practitioner Amelia Cardwell, from the nationally acclaimed company, Frantic Assembly. Amelia was one of the choreographers for the National Theatre’s production of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ and she gave a masterclass in physicality, movement and sequenced lifts, which included a range of material that was used in the show.

The students were challenged and stretched (literally), and even collectively raised Mr Frost above their heads to re-create the scene, ‘Cosmic boy’ from ‘The Curious Incident’.

GETTING THE LOWDOWN: Prospective students find out about the courses on offer.

Picture: Charlie Rayner

Conroy was able to confirm that, despite recent reforms, Year 12s starting A-level courses at Comberton would still have the opportunity to begin with four options next year.

Reflecting on the evening as a whole Mrs Conroy said: “A special thanks must go to the huge number of Sixth Form students who helped make the event so successful.

They really were the stars of the show.”

A ‘fantastic experience’

Given less than a week to prepare, the team set out to debate the proposition ‘Violent video games are detrimental to a peaceful society’ and compete against other sixth forms in the area in a debating contest organised by the South Cambridge Rotary Group.

To begin with we set out researching around the issue, both the side we were arguing, against the proposition, and the side our opponents would be defending. Understanding both sides was important as it gave a good perception of what the other side might say and how it could be countered with a tactical point of information.

Next the team began writing out our points with relevant examples in a format that could be read from in the debate, but was flexible enough to be altered around any points made by the opposition.

Finally it was debate day; final rehearsals and timings of speeches were conducted and we set off to The Leys in Cambridge, our battleground. Once the first debate, Hills Rd v Long Rd, was over it was our turn against the hosts.

First was Adam on his proposition.

His execution was flawless however the Leys were prepared and delivered an equally good introduction. Tactically barraging them with points of information threw their speaker slightly, a success for Comberton. Paddy spoke next, edging our dominance over the Leys yet their second speaker was just as good and finally it had fallen to the summary speakers. My nerves were high as I stood to deliver my summary and I cracked under the pressure, leaving the Leys summary speaker to swoop in and save the debate for them, exploiting the holes in my delivery. The winners were announced after an impassioned final debate between Impington and Stephen Perse.

Despite the Leys pipping us to top spot, there was no devastation; the experience was fantastic, the free food stunningly good and we went home knowing that we were the people’s favourites.

Tom Coogan (U6-MR)

More to driving than passing the test

A group of Sixth Formers are producing their own magazine as part of their Enrichment activities. Below is part of an article to be included.

“These days it seems that every nearly-17 year old wants to crack on with learning to drive, to be able to experience the freedom that having a driving licence gives you. Whether it's as a means to get around or as a way to engage in a passion for motoring, more and more young people are choosing to get their test and get driving as soon as possible.

Which is exactly why the flawed process of NEWSROOM: The Magazine learning to drive is a massive issue right now.

It wasn't that long ago that I was sitting in the right seat of a small hatchback, bumbling around the cyclist-filled streets of Cambridge too worried about my clutch control to realise I was doing 38 in a 20 zone.

Learning to drive, for many, is quite a nerve-wracking experience. It's a significant amount of learning to cram into a relatively short amount of learning time, but despite this I feel that, put simply, the process of learning to drive just doesn't teach enough.

Simply learning how to exit a junction and how to reverse around a corner isn't going to do anything to help the freshly-passed 17-year-old who, under the influence of loud music and their mates, takes a damp country corner too fast and launches their

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skinny-tyred hatchback into the nearest grass verge.

And therein lies the problem. If you're only going to be taught how to pass a test, how much good are you going to be if faced with a situation other than those that take place doing 20mph in a built up area? What use is learning to drive if you're going to find yourself all out of ideas when faced with a scenario that, while not trained for, could very feasibly happen to anyone.

So, what can be done about it? As much as I'd love to suggest that all driving schools invest in a drift-prepared machine and their own skidpan, it's group at work. not really a feasible idea. More outside of the car learning would also be a suggestion, but as any A-Level student who made bad option choices will understand, trying to learn something you aren't really interested in is borderline impossible — and not everyone can force themselves to be really interested in cars and driving, I know. So basically, in order to combat these issues, it's down to you — the driver. At your own expense you're going to have to get yourself down to an advanced driving centre and pay out to learn what you should really have been taught by your instructor. But it's worth it. Don't simply be another statistic, or another headline. Learn how to drive, not just how to pass.”

Luke Scambler

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SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE: In the Kruger National Park (left) and at an elephant sanctuary.

Enrichment on tour . . .

In July this year, eight students and two staff took part in a three-week school exchange programme with our partner school, Edendale, in South Africa.

The students spent two of the weeks at the school, getting involved in the teaching of a number of primary school lessons as well as running two assemblies and organising a school sports day.

They also participated in numerous charity projects, including helping in a soup

kitchen, visiting several orphanages, and distributing food supplies using fundraising money to a centre for Alzheimer’s patients as well as a children’s centre.

The trip also included a three-day visit to Kruger National Park, where we had the opportunity to go on a twilight safari to see the ‘Big 5’.

A visit to Cullinan mine, where the diamond in the Queen’s coronation crown was discovered, as well as a trip to a Soweto township, an elephant sanctuary and a lion park made for a fantastic experience, all topped off with a two-day stopover in Dubai on the way back!

Climax of trip is surprise to staff

There was no time to waste on the A level geography field trip to Studland Bay and after dinner we immediately settled down and started to prepare for the fieldwork for the following day. We started by learning about the history of the local area. One of the most interesting facts was that J.K Rowling had named one of her characters ‘Moaning Myrtle’ after Bog Myrtle, a plant she often found walking through Shell Bay when writing her novels.

During the lesson we also covered a very important aspect of any fieldwork investigation; risk assessment.

We identified the risk and judged its severity and likelihood and came to the conclusion that it was safe to investigate at the designated area despite Mr Evans recalling a story of when he stood on a live adder on a previous A-Level trip to Studland.

Before we left the house, everyone was informed that no previous A-level students had reached the Climatic Climax Community (forestry) which was seen as a challenge by many of us!

Shell Beach was beautiful and it was surprising how inviting the sea looked even though it was mid-autumn!

We surveyed the land fo make sure it was safe, as well as MYTH-BUSTERS: Year 12 identifying important visit to Oxford. plants we would

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need to know for our data. Once we had done this we began the fieldwork, starting with the embryo dune. To the surprise and excitement of the teachers, all five groups reached the Climatic Climax Community and gathered 20 sets of data. However, there were some unexpected hazards on the way, namely boggy marshland and lots of water — there were soggy trousers and screeches! Later, we enjoyed fish and chips in the seaside town of Studland.

We neatly recorded the results and consolidated our findings on to kite diagrams and bar charts which helped us analyse our results. Using pH and species type as a representative of abiotic and biotic factors we concluded that our hypothesis was correct and these factors did change significantly along a straight line transect.

students on a

We were part of a group of Lower Sixth students that was invited in October to attend an Access Day at Wadham College, Oxford.

The goal was to learn more about Higher Education and to find out what is involved in studying for an academic degree at a top university, such as Oxford.

On arrival we had a short introductory lecture on the general structure of universities and what to expect during the application process.

We then had the opportunity to attend one of two academic lectures: one on Greco-Roman art and the other on Geoffrey Chaucer. Both lectures gave us a feel of the teaching and learning experience at Oxford and enabled us to reflect on the differences of this style of tuition.

We then had a tour of Wadham College, one of the biggest and most liberal colleges at Oxford.

We had a look at the dorms and facilities and learned more about student life, particularly how to manage the new freedoms that come with leaving home.

We had the opportunity to ask students questions about their lives in the city of dreaming spires and, crucially, we also had the opportunity to gain more insights into the application process, this time from the students’ perspective.

This helped to debunk a few myths, not least in relation to the infamous Oxford interview, and the students were great in general at helping to soften the stereotypes sometimes associated with study at Oxbridge.

We also had a tour of Magdalen College, with its breathtaking grounds and riverside setting.

Although it has a deer park and its own bell tower, it still felt down to Earth and somewhere we could potentially see ourselves.

The whole experience opened our eyes as to what our future might hold and it definitely made us think seriously about applying to Oxbridge. Thanks to Mrs Powell, Mr Leggott and Mr Evans for making this possible.

Kate and Lucy Hall, Year 12

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COMBERTON SIXTH FORM

JUST BEACHY: The Year 13 group on Shell Beach.

Students glimpse into Oxford life

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New academy for cricketers An exciting new Cricket Academy is opening at Comberton for Sixth Form students from September 2016.

Building on the foundations of the MCC Foundation Cambridge Hub already thriving at Comberton, this new venture is supported by the MCC who will audit the high quality of all the coaching available to participants.

Among the coaches will be Cambridge MCC University head coach Chris Scott, who is qualified to ECB Level 4, and Comberton’s resident ECB Level 3 coach Joe Uttridge.

The Academy will be open to any Sixth Form cricketer, male or female, who not only meets the sporting criteria — ideally playing at representative level — evidenced by an appropriate reference but also achieves the admissions standards for their choice of courses at Comberton Sixth Form.

The Cricket Academy will be timetabled into students’ programmes alongside A level or BTEC Level 3 studies and will include use of the indoor cricket school at Fenner’s and occasional visits to the MCC indoor school at Lord’s.

Students will be given support with fitness, nutrition and lifestyle as well as having the opportunity to gain

coaching, officiating, first aid and leadership experience and qualifications.

Comberton Executive Principal and self-confessed cricket fan Stephen Munday said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this new opportunity to Sixth Form students in the area.

“Our Sixth Form already has a strong reputation for high achievement and it is great to be able to offer this sort of sporting opportunity alongside academic success.

“We want to be a hub of cricketing excellence that can see talented cricketers in the area develop their skills fully and be able to play at the best level possible in the future.”

The new academy is the latest step in Comberton’s development as a cricketing centre of excellence. The MCC Foundation Cricket Hub was established in 2013 at two age groups and has expanded to three with squads at under-12, under-13 and under-15 level continuing through the winter and into the 2016 season.

The MCC Foundation hub is solely open to state school pupils who are not currently in their county set-up.

More details about both the academy and the MCC Foundation Cambridge Hub are available from Joe Uttridge, juttridge@combertonvc.org

COMBERTON SIXTH FORM

On the trail of gold . . .

The Gold DofE group, consisting of eight students, has been hard at work since Easter assisting on the CVC Bronze expeditions, which has seen them teaching navigation and camp craft skills to the intrepid explorers in Year 10.

They have been a fantastic help and these trips have allowed them to recap their own basic navigation

skills before they tackle the mountains this year.

After Christmas, students will be preparing for the expedition phase of the award, which will include the following: n Training Weekend including night navigation exercise n Practice Expedition in the Lake District (Easter)

n Assessed Expedition in Snowdonia (Summer)

We will update you on their progress in the summer.

The Gold DofE launch for Year 12 will take place on Tuesday 19th

January at 6.30pm in Sixth Form

Lecture Theatre.

Charities benefit from students’ efforts

Students on the rocks . . .

UP THE WALL: BTEC Sport students scale new heights.

On Tuesday 20th October, the BTEC sport students in Year 13 went to the Big Rock Climbing Centre in Milton Keynes to develop and challenge their skills further following five weeks of climbing sessions on the wall at Comberton.

Students have developed their climbing techniques throughout the term, as well as their belaying and coaching skills.

The instructors were impressed with their performance at Big Rock, which saw students tackling higher walls, more difficult climbs and attempt some bouldering.

As part of the Outdoor and Adventurous Activities unit, students must perform and show improvement in two different activities. In April, students will be going to Grafham Water to complete their BCU 1 star award in Kayaking.

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The period around the national school advertising the event.

Children in Need 2015 event However, we soon realised was a busy time for the Sixth that it was highly unlikely that Form charities enrichment the pupils in the lower school group who call themselves C4, would be able to attend at with various activities being break, which was a big organised to raise money for disappointment as we had this worthy cause. around 20 different cakes to By the end of the day on offer in return for a small Friday 13th November the donation for the charity.

Sixth form had raised a total of We chose to support £220 through a pyjama and Macmillan because it is a very good charity, which helps onesie tax and a wonderfully people and also their family mouth-watering chocolate members, which is very cake sale, which many of the important. sixth formers and staff We were lucky to have a visit undoubtedly enjoyed. from the Cambridge and We’d like to say a big thank Bedford representative and you to all the students who ONESIE DAY: In the Sixth Form. have an educational talk and wore onesies and pyjamas on insight into the Macmillan charity from him. the day, bought cakes from the sale or contributed We had a lot of contributions and the majority of to this cause financially. the cakes were gone by the end of the event which The £220 raised represents an increase from last was amazing. year’s total, and we can only hope that the amount We would like to thank everybody who purchased raised keeps on increasing each year! a cake and we are proud that such a small event n Members of the BTEC Business group held a raise £120.85 for Macmillan Cancer Support which Macmillan coffee morning in the Performance Hall will go to good use in the near future. as part of our recent assignment for the second Ellie Thomas, Daisy-Mei Cohn-Brown, Jess Winter, year of our course.

Ellie Stanford-Reed, Jess Thompson You may have seen some of our posters around

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Insight into career options Eight Year 10 pupils attended a Science, Technology, Maths and Engineering (STEM) Experience Day at Cambridge Regional College last month.

The day started with an introduction to the career options available to STEM pupils, with both Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications. Pupils then attended one of two workshops.

A very enthusiastic Dr Bassam Omar led the electronics session, where pupils built their own amplifier by soldering component parts to a circuit board under the guidance of CRC STEM ambassadors.

Pupils tested their appliances and then were able to keep them.

Michael Stanford thought the session was “interesting and good fun”, and Ben described it as a “great experience”. Nathan Clarke said that the session had inspired him to think about studying Level 3 BTEC Science at Comberton Sixth Form.

The web application session involved pupils writing code to build and design a website which Jack Simmons thought was “quality and fun”.

The careers fair was informative and the tour of the STEM department was very impressive, with £3.2m having recently been spent on fitting out a new building with state-of-the-art equipment. It gave the pupils a very good insight into the career options and courses available to them at the end of Year 11.

Discovering science in the real world

‘I’m A Scientist Get Me Out of Here’ is an interactive website that has been set up to help school children find out about different jobs in science and help scientists with their work.

There are different zones; in each one there are five scientists who have related jobs. They fill in a questionnaire about what their job is for kids to read and learn.

The children can ask specific questions or take part in a live chat to find out even more about the scientist. They then vote for their favourite one and the winner receives £500 to further their research.

This is totally different from anything we have done

Extra loves screen shot

before in Science Club and has taught me a lot about science in the real world.

We have been looking at the ‘Extreme Pressure Zone’ and I have learnt about the Large Hadron Collider, how the tectonic plates

Drama, music and dance enthusiast Emma Robinson was thrilled to be invited to be an extra in the ITV hit series Grantchester.

She joined the cast and crew filming the second series earlier this year and was able to find out how professional actors planned their performances and what it was really like to be filmed on set.

The Year 11 student was bowled over from the moment she was ushered into the costume room where she was kitted out with appropriate skirt, cardigan, shoes, lacy gloves and a lilac beret for a church scene.

Make-up designers then transported the teenager back to the 1950s including 50’S LOOK: For Emma having curlers in her hair.

Robinson.

“This made me feel very important and it certainly gave me an insight into the world of film work,” said Emma. “There were three teenagers and we all stuck together. Interestingly, we looked older than our years because around this particular period the clothing and the hair styles certainly made you look a lot older, which was the impression they wanted to make.”

Then it was off to Grantchester itself and filming a church scene.

“We made our way to the pews where we had to sit and listen to the vicar and look startled at some points,” said Emma. “We moved around the church and the cameras were moving around too catching us unaware, I had to sit and walk with an older male villager; we both had to look upset at times.

“It was also pretty exciting to see the actors perform their pieces and to see how many times they decide to cut and say ‘take two’ and then take different scenes.

“It was just as well the actors had a good sense of humour especially the vicar (James Norton) as they ACROSS THE FIELDS: certainly kept us entertained.

Students on the annual “I am grateful to have been given this opportunity .”

Walk for Africa.

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HAVING FUN: Year 10 students at the STEM Experience Day. move together, extreme explosions on the sun and how different materials withstand pressure.

So far I have been under extreme pressure on which one to vote for!

I have had a lot of fun finding out about these scientists and one of them even answered my own question!

‘I’m A Scientist Get Me Out of Here’ has really changed my view on science and I have discovered that there are thousands of jobs related to science. Just go to http://imascientist.org.uk/ William Gibbens (8C)

Professionals perform CVC student’s composition

A Year 11 student’s composition has been premiered by two musicians from the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Alexia Sloane (11C), who is a composer with the Aldeburgh Young Musicians Scheme (A Centre for Advanced Training) and a member of the Cambridge Young Composer network, was commissioned to write a piece for the Cambridge Music Festival.

The piece, for oboe and violin, was performed at the Cambridge Guildhall last month Alexia was also recently highly commended for her piece entitled Bodhisattva which she entered for the Cambridge Young Composer of the Year competition and which was premiered at West Road Concert Hall in early November.

Some of Alexia’s pieces can be heard via her website at www.alexiasloane.wordpress.com.

Alexia now has an extensive portfolio of compositions ranging from choral to instrumental works including a piece she recently wrote for Charlotte Barbour-Condini, the BBC Young Musician of the Year Finalist in 2012, for Tenor Recorder and Harp. It is in five movements and which will be premiered and performed next term.

She is also working on a big project which includes a Celeste and many other instruments as well as the voices of The King’s College Choristers and the St Catharine’s Girls Choir. l Alexia is also a second time winner of this year’s regional Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition organised by Routes into Languages with her French poem ‘Synesthésie’. Two other Comberton students were also shortlisted; Harry Harland-Mears and Jess Pociocco, who were in Year 9 at the time.

Africa is closer than you think

I was walking to a lesson one Monday morning in September when I overheard two Year 7 pupils wondering how they could manage to walk TO Africa and back on Friday afternoon.

So I just wanted to stress that the walk on Friday September 25th was the Walk FOR Africa where we raise money for our partner school in South Africa and to fund two students to visit Comberton from our partners in Mozambique. This year, for the first time, the money was also shared with Unicef to support the Syrian Refugee Crisis appeal.

The walk took its usual circular route from the College through Toft and Comberton and was enjoyable and successful as we raised £,2,470. A big thank you to the adults at home who contributed and to everyone who took part. Mary Borrett (11I)

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Something for everyone

NEW EXPERIENCES: PE and science challenges for Year 7 on Curriculum Extension Days.

For the final two days before half-term Comberton held its annual curriculum extension days. During these two days, students in Years 7-11 experience different activities and opportunities to their usual timetabled lessons.

Walton-on-the-Naze was again a very successful Year 8 trip and when not looking at the effects of coastal erosion, students were enjoying a multitude of activities in MFL such as Zumba and martial arts.

Year 9 students enjoyed a huge variety of activities — maths, DT, ICT and food technology. In food technology students designed and made a healthy sandwich that could be made and sold in the school canteen. Competition was fierce and some of In Year 7, students had a great time experimenting in science and taking part in the sandwiches were truly outstanding. The winning snack was a lemon chicken different physical activities which reflected opportunities within the extra-curricular bagel designed and made by Emily Lione (9T) and Ana Ward (9N). It went on sale in programme and links with clubs outside school. the buttery from 23rd November.

These activities were rugby, badminton, indoor rowing, cheerleading, led by Cherry Year 10 students had science assessments to work on and the triple scientists had a Bombs Cheer and Dance, Futsal, led by Cambridge United, Street Dance with the biology lesson focusing on habituation behaviour.

Bodywork Company and cricket, with Ross Chandler, of Coton Cricket Club.

There are different types of behaviour, innate and learned; the Students had a fantastic experience and the external coaches behaviour investigated is about how living organisms can develop were incredibly complimentary about their effort and attitude on the habits when a change in the environment is not a threat. day.

In particular, they looked at how long it took for a giant African Science also went down well and here Hyunsoo Jeong, Mille snail's tentacle to fully extend again after being poked Summerfield and Grace Woolmer (7T) describe their science day: continuously with a cotton earbud.

“We had a margarine tub experiment. First, we did the experiment They learnt that the snails will take less time to extend its tentacle by putting an elastic band around a chair and pulled the elastic the more times you poke it in a row. This was because the snail band back with the margarine tub. At first a few things went wrong learnt that the poking was not a danger to its own survival. with our experiment, but after fixing them, the experiment went Overall, the lesson was interesting and very fun! Working with really well. snails was different and students even got to name them and “After break, we drew the graph showing our results.The title of the watch the snails compete in a race. graph was ‘How the distance travelled by the margarine tub varies Year 10 spent their other day reflecting on future career pathways with mass.’ We changed the mass of the tub by adding lumps of and their forthcoming work experience, while Year 11 completed plasticine, 30g at a time.

English work or controlled assessments in art, music and drama.

“After writing our prediction, method, results table, conclusion and The two days were exceptional and students had a fabulous evaluation, we stuck all of them on to our poster and decorated it experience. I would like to thank all the staff for their hard work in with glitter that we brought from home. putting these opportunities together for the students.

“The science day was really fun, and we learnt that adding more SNAIL STUDY: For Year Jane Clarke, Head of PE plasticine led to more friction. Competing against other groups in 10 triple scientists. our form was also really fun!”

All reach final destination!

MAKING CAMP: Bronze DofE students get set up.

Village seeks youth input

Young people living in Hardwick are being asked for their views on the future of the village.

The newly-formed Hardwick Village Plan group are looking for anybody interested to put forward their ideas for how the village should develop over the next 10 years.

Youngsters can either submit their ideas for making Hardwick a better place to work, live

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and play or volunteer to join the committee to make their voices heard.

For more information visit #HardwickVillagePlan on Twitter, Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/1671521923095 813/ Go to www.hardwickplan.uk or scan the code.

In October, 125 Year 11 students from Comberton and Melbourn Village Colleges spent their weekend roaming the Chiltern Hills for their Bronze Assessed Expedition.

Students completed all of their route planning in September and were prepared for the challenge ahead with accurate maps, timings and route descriptions.

Needless to say this didn’t stop some groups becoming lost along the way, but everyone made it to their final destinations on both the Saturday and Sunday.

The weather was extremely kind to the students over the weekend offering dry and sunny conditions, which resulted in lots

of smiling faces at the end.

The trip was a fantastic success and could not have happened without the commitment of the staff and volunteers involved in the DofE programme.

We continue to have fantastic support from volunteers from the local community and are always happy to hear from people who are interested in being involved in the programme.

The Year 10 students enrolled on the course will take part in their Bronze Practice Expedition in March/April 2016 before they complete their assessed expedition in October 2016.

Details will be sent out via email so it is important that students look out for this.

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Schools are on the mark Round-up of the latest news from the South Cambs SSP

A record 21 South Cambs Schools recently secured a School Games Award for 2014-15 in recognition of their commitment to the development of Physical Education, school sport and competition across their school and into the community.

Partnership Manager Claire McDonnell said: “This is double the number of schools that achieved an award last year and I am delighted that local schools are now being recognised and rewarded for their hard work and the excellent opportunities they provide for their pupils to participate in school sport and competition.

“These schools are providing such a broad range of

AWARDS: For a record number of schools.

activities and encouraging all pupils to take part and compete in physical activity and sport as well as developing pupils’ leadership skills. This really is a fantastic achievement.”

The School Games Mark is a Government-led awards scheme where schools can gain a bronze, silver or gold level award.

The following schools in the Comberton Academy Trust catchment achieved an award in 2014-15.

Congratulations to all of them on their hard work and excellent provision.

Gold: Haslingfield Primary School, Harston & Newton Primary School.

Silver: Coton Primary School, Meldreth Primary School, Comberton Village College, Melbourn Village College.

Bronze: Jeavons Wood Primary School, Cambourne, Barton Primary School.

Runners-up Haslingfield book their ticket SPIRITED: Action from Meldreth (green) v Haslingfield and, right, Coton’s Spirit of the Games winners.

Haslingfield Primary School have qualified for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Sainsbury’s School Games Spring Finals after finishing as runners-up in the South Cambs SSP ‘Small Schools’ tag rugby competition.

They were beaten to top spot by Hatton Park Primary School, Longstanton, but both go through to the finals in March.

The champions scored 23 tries on their way to victory including a 2-0 final win, and conded only four, reaching the final with a 100% record, as did Haslingfield, which made for a competitive and entertaining final.

Defending champions Coton edged out Harston & Newton 4-3 in the third-place play-off.

In total more than 200 children participated at Melbourn Village College, with 11 schools competing in the ‘small schools’ competition, for schools with fewer than 120 pupils in Key Stage 2, and a further six in the open competition.

In the round robin open competition Steeple Morden successfully defended their title with four wins and a draw ensuring they topped the group with 13 points.

They were pushed hard though and, having only managed a 1-1 draw against their own second team, needed to beat newcomers The Meadow Primary School from Balsham to guarantee victory, which they did 3-1.

Both teams now progress to the SSP Finals in March, where they will play the winners of the Year 5/6 tag rugby competition at Swavesey Village College in

February to determine the overall South Cambs Champions and decide who qualifies for the county finals.

New for this year’s competition was a special ‘Spirit of the Games’ award which has been introduced to support the work being done in schools across the Partnership to encourage children to think about the lessons that can be learned through sport and the importance of values such as respect, determination, teamwork, honesty, passion and self-belief; not only in sport but everyday life.

The ‘Spirit of the Games’ award recognises the team that has shown good sportsmanship and best demonstrated these sporting values and was judged by the sports leaders and competition organisers.

The winners were from Coton Primary School, a team that played in great spirit all afternoon, giving three cheers to the opposition after every match, thanking the referees and showing great determination to come back and claim third place after a tough defeat in their last group match. Well done to them.

Claire McDonnell, Partnership Manager, said: “Despite the damp conditions it was a fantastic afternoon of rugby with some really good performances and not much separating the top four teams in either competition. We hope events like this inspire and motivate the children to play more sport.

“Thank you to the leaders from Melbourn Village College and Comberton Sixth Form, who did a great job in officiating and ensuring the event ran smoothly.”

Talented sportsmen and women, coaches, volunteers, schools and clubs from across the county were celebrated last month at the annual Living Sport Sports Awards and there was some notable success for the South Cambs area. Emily White, a Young Ambassador and Leadership Academy member, won the Young Community Volunteer of the Year award in recognition of all of the time and commitment she has put into her leadership and volunteering while a student at Swavesey Village College. Runner up in the same category

was Sasha Vail, a student at Cottenham VC and a member of the County Young Coach Academy. Andrew Robb a member of last year’s CYCA and a student at Cambridge Regional College was also recognised as Community Volunteer of the Year.

Histon and Impington Junior School won as School of the Year for the wide range of opportunities they provide for their pupils in PE, extra-curricular and inter-school competition. Congratulations to all of them.

Recognition for South Cambs’ dedicated coaches

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Round-up of the latest news from the South Cambs SSP

Battling into county final

GOING THROUGH: Meldreth’s winners, Jeavons Wood’s girls’ team and Harston & Newton, who were pipped by Meldreth.

There was a great turn-out for the South Cambridgeshire round of the English Schools FA football competitions.

Jeavons Wood made it to the final unbeaten with four wins and a draw, but they were up against tough opposition, with the Histon girls having scored 20 goals in five wins in their group.

It turned out to be a close match, though, with The event for Under-11 school teams included last year’s county champions Histon & Impington three separate competitions — small schools, edging it to take the winners’ shield and a place girls’ teams and an open 7-a-side competition — in the county final for the third year running. with a total of 39 school teams battling it out for In the seven-a-side competition for ‘big schools’, ON THE SPOT: Meldreth take a penalty. one of the titles.

15 teams competed in three pools of five with the The competition, organised by South Cambs School Sports Partnership was hosted top placed school in each pool and the highest scoring runner-up qualifying for the

by Impington Village College with sports leaders from the college assisting with the semi-finals. running of the event alongside a group of Cambridge United FC scholars from In the first semi-final Over beat Histon and Impington Juniors 2-1, while Willingham Cambridge Regional College, who refereed all the matches. saw off Linton Heights 1-0. In the end it was a single goal from Over that earned The three competitions were all played in a round robin format with teams playing them the title. all the others in their pool. The top teams from each pool qualified for the final.

The winners and runners-up in each competition go on to to represent South Cambs In the small schools competition, for schools with fewer than 120 pupils in Key in the County Finals in February where they will compete against the winners from Stage 2, it was extremely competitive. In Pool 1, last year’s runners-up Harston and the other districts for the chance to qualify for the ESFA regional finals.

Newton beat Haslingfield to qualify by one point and set up a final against Meldreth.

Claire McDonnell, Partnership Manager, said: “The event was a great success; it Both teams went into the final with four wins and a draw and a highly competitive really does get better every year. affair did not disappoint. It took the drama of a penalty shoot-out to separate the “We were delighted to have almost 400 children involved. They represented their teams, with Meldreth snatching the title 5-4. schools with pride, showed great respect and sportsmanship and left having had a A record 12 teams battled it out in the girls’ competition where Histon & Impington really enjoyable day.”

Juniors and Jeavons Wood finished top of the two groups.

Taking the lead . . .

Partnership boost to coaches academy

PACKED PROGRAMME: For students in the County Young Coach Academy.

This year’s County Young Coach Academy was launched in October at Anglia Ruskin University with 14 amazing young coaches involved in the programme.

These youngsters are the coaching workforce of the future and our aim is to provide them with the skills and qualities to become the best coaches they can be.

This year our new partnership with ARU means that each young coach has a mentor to help them achieve their goals.

It has been a packed programme from the start for the young coaches with their initial welcome meeting being followed by two days during half-term where they learnt the importance of a warm up and cool down with Richard and Claire from Fit Again Sports Therapy, followed by a FUNdamentals of

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movement workshop where they developed an understanding of Agility, Balance and Coordination and the importance of these key skills in all sports.

The two days finished with some valuable time spent with their mentor to discuss their coaching goals and how they might achieve them.

Their next workshop is a practical coaching one, which will cover the importance of developing a session plan, demonstrating how to plan a coaching session and identifying opportunities for observation and feedback.

We have more workshops booked for the New Year and are looking forward to continuing to work with these young coaches and see them grow.

The South Cambs SSP Leadership Academy has 180 young leaders in it this year, with 33 from Comberton Village College, 41 from Melbourn Village College and the others made up from Swavesey, Cottenham, Bassingbourn and Impington Village Colleges.

During October half term these sports leaders were extremely busy attending leadership and officiating courses to support them in developing their skills, knowledge and confidence to lead and volunteer in school and community sport.

Over the course of the week more than 80 youngsters attended the following courses: Level 1 Award in Hockey Umpiring, Rugby Leaders’ Award, Netball Youth Umpire Award, Inclusive Sport and Junior Football Leaders’ Award.

As well as attending courses they have been busy volunteering at different events, including the Under-11 ESFA Football tournament, South Cambs DC holiday camps and a rugby competition at Melbourn Village College. It is fantastic to see so many leaders volunteering their time and inspiring the younger children they lead.

LEADERSHIP IN ACTION: Rugby leaders.

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Inter-form is hot contest Year 7 The end of the first half term brought about the opening inter-form competition of the academic year. For our Year 7 cohort this is often their first opportunity to be involved in such a competition.

The girls attacked the cross-country run, while the boys celebrated the World Cup by taking to the field for a well-contested rugby tournament.

A change in weather made exciting additions to the cross-country route, adding puddles, mud and a fierce crosswind to the already challenging course.

However, the girls rose to the challenge and, with great grit and determination, were able to deliver some fantastic times.

Abigail Smith (7M) and Lily Goodwin (7E) led their groups home to win the X and Y races respectively.

It was just as competitive in the rugby where there was both an A and B league, with the scores combined to find the overall winner.

It was hotly contested right up until the last game with M and V coming out as winners. An excellent introduction to inter-form competition from the Year 7 tutor groups, with the prospect of some excellent games over the remainder of the year.

Year 8 The Year 8 cohort also held rugby for the boys and cross-country for the girls.

Once again the effort and enthusiasm shown by the runners was excellent, and this was rewarded with some excellent times and some competitive sprint finishes.

Bringing home the X half was Evie Joseph (8B), and leading the Y half was Hannah Williams (8V), though the girls did not have it all their own way, being chased down right until the finish and working hard to achieve the top spot.

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The rugby tournaments again provided an excellent spectacle, with lots of big tackles made, tries scored and flowing rugby on show. Not to be outdone by their younger counterparts, both M and V came out victorious.

Year 9 The Year 9 inter-form structure works slightly differently.

Both the boys and girls completed the cross-country run as well as a games-based tournament which involved Dodgeball, Basketball and Indoor Rowing.

There was a real sense of competitiveness among the runners as this was their final cross-country inter-form at Comberton and many had their sights on a personal best.

The start is always interesting, a gradual incline woven with puddles, tracks and long grass before it begins to narrow approaching the bridge, meaning the front runners had to vye for position to get across with plenty of room.

The course opens back up and snakes through the golf course to the farmer’s field, where the race really became intense. All competitors had eyes on the front runner, and as the Church and finish line became visible in the horizon there was a clear increase in speed.

The glory of first place was there for the taking, and STILL with some excellent finishSMILING: line sprints Alex Smith (9M), Year 9X Mollie Coupar (9E), Oliver girls and Austin (9C) and Adam staff after Lightfoot (9N) won for their a soggy half of the year groups in a crossvery wel-contested race. country Basketball, dodgeball and race. indoor rowing all proved highly competitive with M (girls) and C (boys) winning in the X half. In the Y half, R won the girls’ section, with N and V in joint first for the boys, leaving it wide open for the next round of competition.

Michael Wilce, PE Department

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Getting active in Activities Week

Activities Week in July gave students the chance to opt for a new sport or continue with something they had already experienced.

Twenty of them enjoyed scaling new heights during Climbing Week.

The week was primarily offered to Year 9 students who were about to start their GCSE PE course as a way of supporting their practical performance.

Students started off by learning the basics on our own wall and then they enjoyed three day trips to Big Rock in Milton Keynes and the Pinnacle in Northamptonshire.

The pupils enjoyed learning lots of new climbing techniques and climbing new routes under the instruction of qualified instructors.

While at the two centres the pupils were also busy recording their climbs and being assessed in the new skills they had learnt. Each pupil was awarded a NICAS Level 1 climbing qualification.

To finish an enjoyable and physically demanding week, the pupils and staff enjoyed a cycle into Cambridge and an opportunity to replenish some calories with lunch at Pizza Hut followed by a gentle cycle back to school.

Also in Milton Keynes were 14 lucky Year 8 students who enjoyed the novelty of strapping on a snowboard in the middle of summer.

Each day they set off for Snozone for lessons with qualified instructors.

It's a fact that when you snowboard you fall over. It's also a fact that even experienced snowboarders fall over. There is a lovely saying which goes "The best snowboarders are those who are having the most fun".

Mr Mannas, who led the trip, particularly likes this as no matter what level you achieve or how much you fall over, if you can come off the slope with a smile on your face then you have being doing it right.

After three days of snowboarding everybody needed to rest their weary bones and indulge in some retail therapy.

There is a little rule on the snowboarding trip that anything bought on the Thursday, or "shopping day", should be worn on the Friday. The group had never looked smarter than they did for the final day of what turned out to be a fantastic week.

INCONSISTENT: Tournament finalists but a heavy Schools’ Cup loss for the under-13 squad this season.

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A mix of experienced and novice players signed up for cricket week, which started with a trip to watch Middlesex against Somerset near Watford with the prospect of seeing internationals Eoin Morgan and Steven Finn in action.

Unfortunately the weather had other ideas and the group didn’t get to see any cricket — although they played plenty indoors against two London schools. Students also left with a goodie bag and met a few players towards the end of the day.

ROCK CHALLENGE: Students There was action in the Essex v tried other walls after learning Glamorgan match the following day and during the lunch break Mrs Smith the basics at Comberton. faced some hostile Comberton bowling during the obligatory game in the outfield.

On Wednesday, after a swim in the Comberton pool, students went to help at a Primary Schools tournament.

At the close of the tournament all the pupils were complimented on their knowledge and work throughout the afternoon and plans are in place for the tournament to become an annual occurrence with CVC cricket pupils running it.

Thursday saw the traditional ACROSS Cambourne vs Rest of the World THE WALL: match between the pupils.

Students This year Cambourne were slightly light on the ground so Mr Uttridge practise was forced to bat at the end of the their innings. Our thanks go to bouldering Cambourne CC for providing the technique. ground free of charge.

With energy levels declining after a long week, pupils enjoyed a long session in the pool on the final morning and finished the week by watching the Dance Show in the Performance Hall.

Mixed fortunes for girls

Comberton’s under-13 team won their first round Football League Trust girls’ cup after coming through two penalty shoot-outs, but found the second stage tough going.

Having qualified top of their pool in the six-team event at Comberton, they were in a goalless deadlock against North Cambridge Academy’s A team in the battle to reach the final.

With nobody able to break through and score in the 10-minute match, it went to penalties where the teams were evenly matched until the goalkeepers took the seventh penalty, Comberton edging through.

The final against Swavesey A also went to penalties with Comberton again snatching victory.

Two weeks later they went on to the next round robin against the other qualifiers — Bottisham, Soham and Swavesey. Defeats by Bottisham and Soham and a draw with Swavesey left Comberton playing for third place but a loss to Soham saw them end up fourth overall of the 20 teams who entered.

The under-13s struggled in the English Schools Football Association National Cup where they went out after losing 11-0 to St Ivo. Sasha Tristram was player of the match.

They are still in the County Cup, however, and will play Cambridge International School in the second round after receiving a first round bye.

The under-15s reached round four of their ESFA competition, first by thumping Sawtry 11-0 with Casey Miller named as player of the match and then because Hinchingbrooke conceded the third round tie. They play their first County Cup match in the New Year.

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A new take on ‘selfies’

GCSE Dance Year 10 students were lucky enough to participate in a workshop with the professional dance company, Turning Worlds.

The students also enjoyed the experience with Eliza Chambers commenting: “They came to our lesson to help us with what we were already learning in class which is how to manipulate and develop motifs. They performed to us and taught us short phrases .

“The theme was 'Selfies'. We then The workshop was based on the split into groups to create our own company’s latest project called routines from the material which we #sempahoreselfies and explores previously learned. I thoroughly the signings of the self as part of a enjoyed the experience and found it digital universe that is continually both productive and fun as we got expanding. to learn new moves which could be Among the themes were: “How do performed and relate to a theme.” we present ourselves in still image and moving ‘selfies’” and Sophie Loveridge added: “My favourite part was watching “Understanding how such self representations, as digital one of the dancers perform her solo. It was great. We data, can be manipulated and ‘expanded’ widely both locally learned a lot from her solo such as how much facial and globally.” expressions can liven up a dance and tell your moods or the The workshop involved a contemporary dance warm-up topic of the dance. class, a 'selfies' solo performance by graduate dancer Anna “At the beginning, the dancer started slowly and as the Thorn, followed by the students learning some repertoire theme was on selfies she was making faces and the and combining this into directed group creative work for preparations for a selfie. I thought this was a good way to sharing at the end of the workshop. show the audience that the theme was on selfies. She then Head of Dance, Rebecca Tyrrell said: “It was a valuable sped up the routine, containing many split jumps and turns. experience for the new GCSE dancers to work with a This was my favourite part of her dance.

FREE WORKSHOP: For year 10 professional company and to absorb new ways of exploring “After she was done, we were able to learn some of the GCSE dancers. movement. routine ourselves and it was hard, but really fun. It was a “It is always a pleasure to host visitors and they always comment on how wonderful crazy and lively dance, but I really enjoyed it. I had such a good lesson, which was our students are! It was enjoyable and the students gained a lot from the free very successful, and I learned so much.” workshop!”

Skiier aims to inspire youngsters

IN THE PLACES: Comberton’s Year 8 team finished third in the District tournament.

CVC stack up the plates

Rugby at CVC was again represented superbly by all year groups at the school.

Across the different age groups we had a huge number of boys turning up to practices and participating in fixtures against other schools.

We also saw the beginnings of girls’ rugby at CVC, with a new club running on Tuesday that was enthusiastically attended.

Year 7 rugby had great numbers turning up to practise with Mr Edwards and Mr Wilce. They played some excellent matches against Netherhall and Sawston in the run-up to the tournament, with many students giving strong performances in the team.

In the tournament, the team did not manage to qualify from a difficult group, but went on to win the plate competition.

Year 8 also saw excellent participation, with 25-30 boys regularly available for training and matches.

The team showed excellent promise with comprehensive victories against Bassingbourn, Sawston and St Bede’s at the start of the season.

They went through their group in the tournament undefeated, but narrowly failed to win their next

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two games in the final against strong Bottisham and Netherhall teams, eventually finishing a respectable third in the competition.

The B team did extremely well and managed to win their tournament in a well-contested final against Cambourne. The boys are looking forward to fullsize, 15 a-side rugby next year when they can finally start kicking!

Year 9 had a slow start to the season after being on the receiving end of a heavy defeat by St Bede’s. When the tournament came around and key players managed to turn out, they showed much improved performances, winning the plate competition. l During the season we took 40 students to see Fiji v Uruguay in a Rugby World Cup match at the MK Dons stadium in Milton Keynes. It was a superb atmosphere and an entertaining game which was enjoyed by all. Our rugby season was concluded with the trip to the Varsity match at Twickenham earlier this month for a fun day to round off what has been an excellent season.

Fraser Kelsall, PE Department

The Adventure Club aims to inspire students through outdoor and adventurous activities and, hopefully, bring a renewed, confident attitude from students into school and home life.

Olympic freestyle skiier Ellie Koyander visited CVC to work with Year 8 and 9 Adventure Club members.

Ellie, who, at 18, was the youngest woman to compete in an Olympic Freestyle event in 2010, is a YST mentor working on the Sky Sports Living for Sport project.

She aims to inspire students through her life story and demonstrated that if you are motivated and really want something then you can achieve it.

She was one of only three British freestyle skiiers in 2010 and finished 24th of 27, missing out on the final for the leading 20 competitors.

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Lexi earns national crown Lexi Day is a national champion.

The Year 10 student won the Child Individual class at the English Vaulting Championships earlier this term.

Although she only took up vaulting — best described as gymnastics on horseback — 18 months ago, she took the title against a class including some who have competed for Great Britain.

The individual competition is made up of two parts, both completed on a cantering horse — a set of compulsory moves and a freestyle section where vaulters perform a routine of their own design to music.

Things did not go to plan for Lexi, however, as a mix-up with the music meant the song she had chosen and choreographed her routine to was not played. But she showed real professsionalism to carry on regardless and score 7.8 out of 10, which was combined with the compulsory mark and a score for the horse.

That was not the only success for the Cambridge Vaulting Club GYMNASTICS ON HORSEBACK: Lexi Day won the English individual title. member. She competed with team-mates in two walk classes, a Jade Rouchy, equine director at CWA, said: “Lexi is incredibly self-motivated and trio and a pas de deux, gaining second and eighth places respectively. determined. I am extremely proud of her fantastic achievement, which was wellLexi trains with her club, based at the College of West Anglia in Milton, 2-3 times a deserved after all of the enthusiasm and effort she had put into her training over the week, works hard conditioning at home and also trains once a month with the season. She is already working hard and preparing for the new season next year.“ English Vaulting Squad to support her skills and progression.

Dadds joins team

The Sixth Form Squash Academy has new impetus this year with the introduction of world-ranked Rob Dadds as lead coach.

Rob, from Huntingdon, is presently ranked 259th in the world and regularly competes in top competitions.

Working alongside Comberton Squash Club’s club coach, Andy D’Alessandro, they have put in place a developmental structure from beginners through to elite that looks to create pathways for talented players to progress and reach their potential.

Both coaches work in conjunction with parent helpers Julie Miller and Fiona Davies, who organise the college’s girls and boys teams respectively.

All four are linked directly to Comberton Squash Club and the County Squash Development Officer, Colin Griggs; both club and Colin being active supporters of the school squash infrastructure and Academy.

With clear structures in place it is hoped that squash at Comberton will continue to develop at pace.

Girls win district title

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Comberton’s Year 8 hockey team with their silverware.

Sama and Chaaya Malik were the stars of the show as Comberton became the Year 8 district hockey champions.

The twins won plaudits from other schools’ staff for their efforts at the Cambridge and District Competition as Comberton recovered from a first-match defeat to avenge that and take the title.

It was their strength as a unit and impressive teamwork — noted by every other school they faced — that won through as they bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Chesterton in the opening game.

They went on to beat St Mary’s, Cambourne and St Bede’s 2-0 and drew 11 with Bottisham to reach the semi-finals.

There they faced Bottisham again and won 2-0 before facing Chesterton for the title and securing a 1-0 victory.

Hours of leading pay off

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Team manager Paula Fisher said: “All the girls involved played their best hockey of the season and every school that we played commented on how well they played as a team.”

Squad: JJ Yousif, Elly Robinson, Emma Hayward, Sophie Anderson-Smith, Ellis Miller, Sama Malik, Chaaya Malik, Lauren Bell, Christina Russo, Kimberley Warren, Georgia Colebrook, Mia Hoover Harrison, Katie Hartwright, Cara Chivers.

Elsewhere the Year 7 team showed steady improvement through the season and in the district tournament beat a team they previously lost to.

Year 9 showed great solidarity to win their tournament and make it to the finals. They battled hard in the finals but missed out on victory.

The under-16 team were second in their pool in their tournament at Comberton.

Hours of volunteering are totting up for Comberton’s members of the South Cambs Leadership Academy.

The college is currently in the top 15 nationally on the Youth Sport Trust volunteering leaderboard with almost 200 hours logged since September.

The latest batch of 36 young leaders, now in Year 10, cut their teeth by

NEW COACH: Rob Dadds has joined the team at CVC.

helping out with all the summer sports events — sports days and swimming galas — and are now volunteering at after-school clubs and events to try and achieve the most hours.

Currently clearly in the lead by 40 hours is Harry Newman, followed by Lucy Yeomans, Theo Atherton, Sannah Clay and Casey Miller, who are all vying for second spot within a few hours of each other.

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