News@Com Winter 2017

NEWS COM ISSUE 46, WINTER 2017

The Magazine of Comberton Village College

www.combertonvc.org & www.combertonsixthform.org

Comberton sets pace on DofE — Page 15

Working to get it Right!

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Comberton is working towards attaining Level One of the Rights Respecting Schools Award.

The assessment is due in March, a year after the college received a Recognition of Commitment, which is the first award on the path to being recognised as a Unicef (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) UK Rights Respecting School.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child continues to be visible and promoted in all assemblies, in form time and in lessons.

This term assemblies across all year groups have showcased the Rights of the Child which matter the most to pupils and everyone enjoyed seeing what each Tutor Group had created.

There was a rap song, a poem, a presentation on famous people who work for Unicef and even a mini movie!

Work is currently taking place on the School Charter which will be displayed in reception from next term and in time for the Assessment Day. The Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) recognises achievement in putting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s practice to improve wellbeing and help all children and young people realise their potential.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is made up of 42 articles on the Rights of the Child.

The award is based on the principles of Equality, Dignity, Respect, NonDiscrimination and Participation, which align closely to Comberton’s values.

Associate Assistant Principal Marielle Burgess, who is co-ordinating this initiative in Comberton, said: “Thank you to the RRSA Reps, the School Council and the Equality and Diversity group for their work on this and to all pupils and staff at Comberton for their support of the Rights of the Child.”

MAKING PROGRESS: Students are preparing for the Level One assessment in March.

Keeping private information private

Organised crime has been quick to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the internet, particularly the growth in e-commerce and online banking.

Specialist criminal groups target individuals, small businesses and large corporate networks to steal personal information. It is important that students and parents are aware and take measures to keep their private information private.

Social engineering Social engineering is the use of psychological approaches to manipulate people into giving away confidential and personal information. This is often related to computer security. For instance fraudsters may trick people into giving away passwords for online bank accounts.

Identify theft increased by 57% from 2015 to 2016 with more than 85% of the crime taking place online. All indications are that figures for 2017 are likely to surpass those for 2016.

Blagging Blagging used by fraudsters make up a scenario to trick victims into revealing something they

q Why PE Matters — Page 3 q Thinking Ahead — Page 3 q Trust News — Page 4 q Cooking up a Treat — Page 5 q Social Trips — Page 5 q All that Jazz — Page 5

2

would not ordinarily do.

How to minimise the risk of blagging Ensure you have your privacy settings on any social media to maximum, so that fraudsters cannot find information about you such as your date of birth, where you live etc. This is about awareness and vigilance. Be particularly aware of unsolicited texts, emails and phone calls. Do not give personal confidential information away.

Banks will never ask for this information.

Phishing Phishing is normally an email or text messaging scam where victims are conned into believing that they are being contacted by their bank for instance and can give important personal details such as bank account passwords.

How to minimise the risk of phishing Same as for blagging. This is about awareness and vigilance. Be particularly aware of unsolicited texts, emails and phone calls purporting to come from your bank. Do not give personal confidential information away such as passwords or pin numbers. In any case, banks will not ask for this information by phone, email

Contents

q Best Feet Forward — Page 7 q Festive Cheer — Page 7 q Pounds for Pudsey — Page 7 q Science in the Real World — Page 8 q Lessons of History — Pages 8

or text. Do not click on links within unsolicited emails.

Pharming Users are redirected to a fraudulent website that they believe to be genuine because it looks like the real site. For instance you could be directed to a site that pretends to be an online store that asks you for your credit card information.

How to minimise the risk of pharming Check the URL in the web address. For secure websites such as online bank accounts or when you are paying something online there should be a green padlock in the URL bar and the HTTPS protocol.

Shoulder surfing Fraudsters look over the shoulder of users to see what passwords or pin numbers are being typed into the device. This can easily occur at computer terminals and at ATMs. How to risk the impact of shoulder surfing Protection measures: Be aware of who is around you when typing in your pin into an ATM or into a chip and pin device. Make sure your hands are shielding the keys from prying eyes.

q Kids’ Lit quiz — Page 8 q Sixth Form News — Pages 9-12 q Languages Latest — Page 14 q DofE Round-Up — Page 15 q SCSSP Update — Pages 16-17 q Sport — Pages 18-20

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

MAKING A PLEDGE: Conference delegates with their pledges after the Every Great School event.

Why PE really matters More than 70 leaders from primary and secondary schools across Cambridgeshire, including Comberton Head of School Peter Law, attended an event at Comberton Village College to consider the purpose of education and the importance of physical activity in schools in developing well-rounded young people who are physically and emotionally well.

the type of young people we are trying to develop, how schools might do that and the crucial role that physical education can play.

Delegates heard from two high profile keynote speakers, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders and Alison Oliver, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust.

Geoff Barton was elected General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders in February 2017 and represents around 19,000 leaders of state and independent schools/colleges across the UK. Before this, for 15 years Geoff was head at King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds, a comprehensive As members of the Youth Sport Trust Headteacher Alliance, the event, called school of 1650 students aged 11-18.

Every Great School, was hosted by Stephen Munday, Chief Executive of The Ali Oliver is the Chief Executive at the Youth Sport Trust, an independent charity Cam Academy Trust, and Lesley Birch, Executive Principal of Cambridge Primary devoted to changing young people’s lives through sport. Ali was previously Education Trust.

Deputy Director of Sport at the University of Bath and Director of Netball, having Mr Munday said: “We were delighted to be able to host this event. It was on a started her career as a PE teacher. topic that really matters a lot: what is great education and why does PE and sport Geoff got participants thinking about what education is really for and the kind of matter so much in that? young people we are trying to develop in our schools and got the message “We had two of the top speakers in the country giving keynote addresses across that education has to be about more than just results and exam grades together with some great workshops put on by local practitioners. but developing well rounded young people with the necessary life skills to ensure “The overall message was very clear. We need top quality PE and Sport in all of they are happy, healthy and successful in school and their futures. Throughout he our schools for all of our pupils. There are many great local examples of how this gave examples from his time as a headteacher of how high quality physical is happening really well and making a major positive difference to the lives of education and sport can play a crucial role in this and how he sees PE as an young people.” essential ingredient in a school’s success. He went on to urge headteachers to be Supported by the South Cambs School Sports Partnership, Cambridgeshire & strong in their leadership and back what they believed in.

Peterborough County Sports Partnership (Living Sport), The Youth Sport Trust Ali then spoke to delegates about the value of physical education and physical and Cambridgeshire County Council, the event sought to make schools reflect on activity and the impact it can have on young people’s physical, emotional and social wellbeing and ultimately the attainment and achievement of pupils and schools.

Ali urged atendees to understand that PE isn’t just about teaching people sport skills and how to play sport, it’s about helping Year 10 students, who will undertake two them to develop life skills such as weeks’ work experience next summer, had the resilience, empathy and teamwork, which, chance to start thinking about what they might in turn, improve physical and emotional like to do in the future. wellbeing. Ali then went on to ask schools As part of Comberton’s Curriculum Extension to consider if PE in their schools was fit for Days — two days each autumn when the usual purpose or did it perhaps need curriculum is collapsed and each year group repositioning to make it more relevant. undertakes different activities — Year 10 had a Participants at the event also attended careers carousel. Around 15 businesses were workshops on active classrooms, the daily represented and students had the opportunity mile, the relationship between mental to choose who they wanted to listen to and ask health and physical health, active form GETTING ADVICE: Year 10 on the careers carousel. questions about careers and work experience times and the wellbeing of the whole child. opportunities. doing a Languages-based activity of their choice. After One head said: “The guest speakers were On the other day they went on a science-based really inspirational, it was a thoughta morning of activities, which included capoiera, treasure hunt around Cambridge with lunch at Jamie’s provoking morning with some great zumba, craft and language inventors, each group Italian restaurant. Some Year 10 students also workshops.” shared their work in the afternoon. undertook Graphic Design mock exams.

The morning concluded with a call for Year 9 had a Maths day and the other was a mix of Elsewhere Year 7 had one day of scientific schools to pledge what they were going to Design Technology, Food and Nutrition and RPE and investigations and another of PE, and were able to try do following the event to make a History. some sports not usually on the currculum, including With GCSE exams looming, Year 11 students studying difference and increase the physical grass track cycling and fencing. activity levels of their pupils, to help drama, art and music undertook controlled Year 8 students spent one day on coastal geography assessments and catering students took mock exams, improve their overall health, well-being and tasks at Walton-on-the-Naze, which they have been attainment. while the rest of the year group worked on English following up in lessons this half-term, and another tasks.

Thinking about the future . . .

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THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST NEWS

The vision takes shape 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL: An artist’s impression of how the revamped Village College buildings will look.

The schooling situation in Gamlingay continues to develop, moving towards its intended outcome in September 2018.

Gamlingay First School is now a Primary School with pupils up to and including Year 6 in the school. It is currently continuing to operate on its historic site with some capacity created to enable the additional pupils to be accommodated there at the moment.

From September 2017, the Middle School of Gamlingay Village College joined the Trust. The

Trust has committed to continue education for a small number of pupils in the school in Years 6 and 8 for this year only to help with the transition arrangements. This school will then officially close in summer 2018.

From January 2018, pupils currently at Gamlingay Village College will move from their current site into temporary accommodation on the First School site.

This will allow them to access all appropriate services for the remainder of the school year.

This timing is set to coincide with major building work that will take place on the Village College site. This

Schools consider their options

Following the appointment of our Primary Executive Leader, Chris Jukes, who started in January 2017, primary schools have continued to join our Trust and there are now four primary phase schools.

They are all working hard as individual schools and collaboratively to improve further the standards of education for all their pupils. All are making really positive progress. Recent visits to two of the schools from an educational advisor working for the Regional Schools Commissioner’s Office have confirmed this.

Several more primary schools in our local area have asked to discuss the possibilities of joining the Trust and what this might mean for them. We are engaging positively with these discussions as these possibilities strongly fit with the Trust’s stated aims of being both locally based and cross-phase.

Everton Heath Primary School (formerly Everton Lower School), which is just over the border into Bedfordshire and located very close to Gamlingay, is most advanced with this process. This school is now set to embark upon a formal consultation regarding the possibility of joining the Trust.

will allow the premises to be converted into a highquality Primary School that will be a proper permanent base for Gamlingay Village Primary. This work is due to be completed ready for the Primary School to move in before the start of the new academic year in September 2018.

We are very grateful to all those associated with education in Gamlingay for working hard to see through these major and exciting educational developments for the community.

Stephen Munday, CEO

OTHER SIDE OF THE DESK: Staff at the after-school Spanish class.

Spanish teaching project

Thanks to British Council funding as part of the Europe-wide initiative Erasmus+, staff at Cambourne and Comberton Village Colleges and some of their primary schools are learning Spanish.

The LOT project (Learning – Observing – Teaching) aims for most pupils at primary level to reach A1 competence in Spanish by the end of KS2. At secondary level, the FLAME project (Foreign Language as a Medium of Education) aims for all KS3 students to have at least one half-term of learning another curriculum subject through Spanish by 2020.

Some of our European counterparts have bilingual sections in schools in which students have 70% their curriculum taught in English. However, these initiatives are usually only for a small, identified cohort of students. It is our intention to build a modest, but significant, FLAME component into the curriculum experience for all of our students, in accordance with our overarching Trust principle of providing a broad, balanced curriculum their families soon. Jeavons Wood Primary School and delivering high quality education to all of our will be running a pilot with Year 4 pupils. students.

The purpose of this major development is to We have 10 teachers officially involved in the project strengthen further the quality of teaching and and their first priority is to develop their Spanish learning that we are able to offer. knowledge. Project funding supports two intensive study If used well and visits, and in February staff will spend a first week in a appropriately in the partner school in Zaragoza. learning process, such Teachers there are also upskilling to teach their devices can strengthen subjects in English and will visit during 2018. our education provision.

To support the development of Spanish within the Trust, For staff using such Comberton Spanish teacher Paula Vázquez-Valero devices, they can also be an effective way launched an after-school adult Spanish class, attended of sharing more ideas and resources across the by several LOT and FLAME project teachers. The class Trust and so improving further the education we has also attracted many additional staff, who are not can provide all pupils. part of the project.

Sean Sumner, Cambourne’s Deputy Principal, will Up to 20 staff spend a fun hour a week learning be seconded to the Trust two days a week for 2018 Spanish at whatever level they are comfortable with, to take strategic leadership for the IT strategy. from complete beginners to the fluent.

Pushing ahead with IT plan

The Trust is working with all its schools to push ahead with our agreed IT strategy to be implemented in September 2018.

The first phase is intended to introduce personal iPad devices for all Year 8 pupils in secondary schools in September 2018 and to look to roll out further from there.

Details about what will be needed to enable this will be provided in due course. These devices will also be introduced for use in the Trust’s Primary schools but not with the model of one device per pupil in a whole year group.

A crucial next step in this will be to run pilot groups in each secondary school with current Year 7 pupils. Details will be given to relevant pupils and

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

Cooking up a real treat

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Sophie Shaw is through to the third round of a national cookery competition for 12-16 year olds.

The Year 10 student will contest the regional final next month, having come through first the school round and then the local final of FutureChef.

She is now working with a chef mentor for the regional final, from where only the winner will go on the final, national, leg of the competition.

Sophie, along with Year 8 student Megan Clarke, won through the 18-strong Comberton round and last month headed for Bedford College where they had just 90 minutes to prepare a two-course meal on a budget of £7.

A CHEF IN THE MAKING: Winner of the local

All that jazz . . .

round and (right) the top dishes.

For the second year running Comberton’s Jazz Band participated in the Cambridge Jazz Festival in a special day of events at Anglia Ruskin University.

The day incorporated a shared schools’ Jazz Band concert at the Mumford Theatre and a workshop with the internationally renowned British big band ‘Beats and Pieces’.

Preparing a piece selected by the big band,

Comberton’s musicians took solos alongside the professional musicians and provided the rhythm section for the band.

The day ended with a special concert by ‘Beats and Pieces’.

Representing Comberton were Millie Banks, Fergus Cook, Charlie Dryer, Ollie Talbot, Lewis Tudor, Nick Wingate,Tom Woodward, Ben and Jack Lione and Benedict Roberts.

Students show off their bowling skills OUT FOR THE BOUNCE: Year 7 at Xtreme 360.

To celebrate their successful start to the new academic year, more than 140 Year 8 students made their way into Cambridge for an evening of fun at Tenpin Bowling.

With a meal and two full rounds of bowling on offer for each student, there was plenty of opportunity for the Year 8s to pit their bowling skills against one another in the hope of clearing the spare pins, or scoring a strike. Fortunately, the students were far better at knocking down the pins than the teachers, most of whom would have benefited from the assistance of the gutter barriers being in use!

Assistant Head of Year 8 Matt Knight said: “We’re delighted that so many Year 8s signed up to this social, as the fantastic classwork they have produced throughout the first half term merits being rewarded.

“I can’t wait until the next social when hopefully an even higher percentage of students will be in attendance!”

Megan presented a pan fried duck breast with fondant potatoes and seasonal vegetables, served with a jus, followed by chocolate fondant with crème anglais.

Sophie ‘s main course was mackerel fillets with rhubarb jam, samphire and butternut squash chips. Her dessert was lemon mousse with lime and poppy seed shortbread, fresh fruit and sugar work.

Emily Goodson, Comberton’s head of Food and Nutrition, said: “Both worked brilliantly, despite the unfamiliar surroundings and the competition was strong, with pupils from across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire competing.

“The judges were particularly impressed with Sophie’s balance of flavours and textures, and that she filleted the fish herself, and she was declared the winner!

“We are incredibly proud of her hard work and the commitment she has shown. Sophie has really challenged herself in her pursuit for excellence, and she has been suitably rewarded for her efforts.

“We wish her lots of luck at the regional finals in January.”

ON STAGE: Members of the CVC Jazz Band.

Bouncing to a record

A record number of Year 7 took part in their first social since starting at Comberton as more than 95% headed to Xtreme 360, the trampoline park at St Neots.

Any tired legs following the Walk for the World earlier in the afternoon were soon forgotten as students launched themselves through the air into soft foam pits, battled with their friends on the jousting beam, tested their basketball slam-dunking skills and tried their luck at aeroball.

And, of course, they were able to bounce on the trampolines with the year team impressed at the array of gymnastic talent on display.

“We could not wait to start bouncing,” said Thandi Masuka (7M). “It looked like the 95% of us there enjoyed it.”

Deputy Head of Year Grace Healy said: “We hope that the phenomenal attendance rate will continue for our future social events and that all of the year group will continue to make the most of the many opportunities available to them at Comberton.”

ON THE BALL: Year 8 students at the bowling alley.

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COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

ADULT EDUCATION AT COMBERTON, CAMBOURNE & MELBOURN 2018 Please see below some of our courses for the spring term, as advertised on www.combertonadulted.org To enrol please either ring 01223 264721 or email commed@combertonvc.org Most courses start week commencing 15th January 2018 but please check when booking.

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

TITLE Ballroom and Latin Dancing, beginners Ballroom and Latin Dancing, improvers Calligraphy, beginners NEW Photography, Digital Improvers NEW Spanish Language, Intermediate US & Australian 20th Century Art NEW

DAY Mon Mon Tue Wed Fri Mon

Cookery ʹ Dim Sum Glass Jewellery Making Life Drawing, beginners Southern French Winter Gastro Cookery Stained Glass Wired Sugar Flowers ʹ a bouquet Woodwork for Beginners (incl materials)

Sat 27th Jan Sat 27th Jan Sat 27th Jan Sat 27th Jan Sat 27th Jan Sat 27th Jan Sat 27th Jan

SATURDAY DAY SCHOOLS

CAMBOURNE VILLAGE COLLEGE

Basic Life Support, CPR & AED (27th Feb) Breadmaking, beginners Breadmaking, specialist breads (26th Feb) NEW Curry House Favourites NEW English Conversation for non-native speakers IT Skills for Work, improvers Painting and Drawing for beginners/intermediates Play Therapy NEW Sign Language (British Sign Language) NEW Woodwork for beginners NEW

SUNDAY DAY SCHOOLS

TIME 19:00 ʹ 20:00 20:05 ʹ 21:35 11:25 ʹ 13:25 19:00 ʹ 21:00 09:30 ʹ 11:30 13:00 or 19:00

Tue Mon Mon Tue Tue Tue Tue Mon Tue Tue

10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 13:30 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 16:00 18:30 ʹ 21:30 18:45 ʹ 21:15 18:45 ʹ 21:15 19:00 ʹ 21:00 19:00 ʹ 20:30 19:00 ʹ 21:00 19:00 ʹ 21:00 19:00 ʹ 21:00 19:00 ʹ 21:00 19:00 ʹ 21:00

Beaded Jewellery Buying and Selling Online NEW Creative Papercraft and Cards Felting a Purse Henna Art for hands and feet Indian Vegetarian Delights Life Drawing, mixed ability Paediatric First Aid L3 ʹ 2 days 24th & 25th Spreadsheets, intermediate/advanced Springtime flower arrangement (incl flowers)

Sun 25th Mar Sun 25th Mar Sun 25th Mar Sun 25th Mar Sun 25th Mar Sun 25th Mar Sun 25th Mar 24th & 25th Sun 25th Mar Sun 25th Mar

Chinese Cookery, Middle China NEW Crochet, improvers NEW DIY French Language, refresher level Indian Thali (20th Feb) Men in the Kitchen (20th Feb) Pet First Aid (13th March) Thailand dishes (cookery) (21st Feb) Yoga (2 classes)

Tue Tue Tue Tue Tue Tue Tue Wed Tue

MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

WEEKS Weekly Weekly 9 8 9 9 x 2hrs

£30 £35 £21 £40 £35 £35 £35 1 5 5 4 9 10 9 10 10 10

10:00 ʹ 14:00 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 14:00 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 15:30 09:30 ʹ 16:15 10:00 ʹ 16:00 10:00 ʹ 13:00

19:00 ʹ 21:00 19:00 ʹ 21:00 19:00 ʹ 21:00 19:15 ʹ 21:15 19:00 ʹ 21:00 14:15 ʹ 16:15 18:30 ʹ 21:30 10:30 ʹ 13:30 18:30/19:45

COST £4/wk £6/wk £79 £70 £79 £79

£25 £55 £55 £35 £59 £88 £79 £88 £88 £88 £23 £30 £35 £30 £23 £30 £33 £80 £30 £30

4 6 6 10 4 3 1 3 9

£35 £53 £53 £88 £35 £26 £25 £40 £40

Please note that staff are entitled to a discount, teaching staff 25% all other members of staff 50% 6

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Best feet foward . . .

STRIDING OUT: The annual Walk for the World is a social event which provides serious funding for global projects.

Students and staff have raised almost £4,500 for Comberton’s partner schools across the globe.

The annual Walk for the World and associated nonuniform day brought in donations totalling £4472 to benefit not only the schools themselves, but also projects associated with them in Mozambique, South Africa and Peru.

Lessons were suspended one Wednesday afternoon as the majority of the school community set out on a four-mile loop from the college to Toft church, across the fields to Comberton church then back to school.

Sixth formers who did not have lessons on what is usually their enrichment afternoon either walked with

the younger students or helped staff as marshalls along the route.

The money raised will be shared between Escola Secundaria Noroeste do 1 in the Mozambique capital of Maputo, the orphanage at Edendale School in Pretoria, who have been partners of Comberton’s for 20 years, and three orphanages linked to the Lord Byron School in Arequipa, Peru.

This is a recent expansion of Comberton’s link with the Peruvians and is in addition to the exchange programme. Comberton helps to fund specific projects at the orphanages. Previously, Comberton students helped decorate new accommodation for terminally-ill orphans.

Escola Secundaria Noroeste do 1 is a mixed gender

Bringing festive cheer

government school which has very limited resources and more than 6000 students. It is very rare that students from the school travel within their own country let alone have the opportunity to visit another.

Monies from the walk enable us to fund visits to England every two years. This experience has been life-changing for the students and teachers involved and that influence is being now being more widely felt within the school itself.

Rina Prenzler, the former head of Edendale who was instrumental in establishing the orphanage at the school, was at Comberton during a visit to England and was able to see the first group of students set off on the walk.

Christmas is a very special time of the year, as we all re-unite with our loved ones in front of a lovely filling dinner around the table.

Among our catch-ups and joyful chatter, it is very easy to forget that maybe someone in our neighbourhood is suffering or is going through a tough time.

Unfortunately, 1 in 5 people in the UK do not get this chance because of the lack of food.

This year, Year 11 again participated in the Christmas Hamper Scheme which helped 260 low income families last year.

We asked students to bring in a specified set of items, which included festive as well as basic essentials. They were packed into strong bags and taken to the Cambridge City Foodbank.

The bags will then be delivered to selected community centres who can give them out to families. This will make a huge difference for our local community, helping those in need.

Last year the current Year 11 group managed to fill 18 bags. This year we decided to step up our game with not only 18 bags as a year group (two per tutor group) but 90 as a whole school.

We would like to thank every single student who donated even the smallest of the items because you have made someone’s day and you spread an incredible amount of joy among many families. Great change comes from the smallest gestures. A Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you all.

Jessica Paciocco and Vlasios Gourgiotis, Charity Prefects

CHRISTMAS GOODIES: The charity prefects with some of the items which have been donated.

Pounds for Pudsey

Pyjamas and onesies were the order of the day in the Sixth Form while in the main school uniforms were accessorised with ‘tops and tails’ as students raised more than £750 for the BBC’s Children in Need campaign.

There were also yummy treats on sale thanks to a sixth form cake stall, run by teenagers and staff in their nightwear.

Students in Years 7-11 were able to wear their choice of footwear and headgear with their uniforms in exchange for a donation, with many taking up the offer. l More Children in Need — Page 10

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For the love of reading . . .

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Comberton’s Quiz Masters team managed a top 10 finish at the regional round of the annual Kids’ Literature Quiz hosted at the college last month.

They finished ninth as 26 teams from schools across the region keenly battled to reach the national finals at the City of London Girls School. The winners there will head for the world finals in New Zealand in July so there was much to play for.

The contest, for students aged 10-13, is a reading challenge and the questions were as demanding as in previous years with all students rising to the challenges of the multi-round format.

Five authors: Julian Sedgwick, Chris Priestley, Helen Moss, Emma Vieceli and Inbali Inserles, also made up a team and pitched their book knowledge against the students.

They also signed books and chatted to the students.

The quiz originated in New Zealand where it was founded by quiz master Wayne Mills in 1991 and now has national competitions New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, USA, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Comberton would like to thank Heffers for providing and running a bookstall as well as all the teams that took part.

Aylesbury Grammar School’s Relatively Optimistic team were the runaway winners, topping the leaderboard with 92.5 points ahead of Oundle 2 (77) with the White Wolves of Kestevan and Sleaford School for Girls (76) just missing out on a place at the national round. Comberton’s other team, Caterpillars, finished 14th overall.

Julie Peck, Assistant Librarian

Science in the real world TEAM OF EXPERTS: The authors who took on the student teams.

Year 9 had the chance to see science in action on a trip to The Cavendish Laboratory.

When we got there we split up into groups and went to our first laboratory, about Domino. We learnt that Domino is a printing process and that it has marked a range of products. Everyone in the UK has probably used a product labelled by Domino.

For me this was the highlight of the trip as they provided pens and pencils that we could label using an inkjet printer.

After that we found out about Material Science. This was interesting as we learnt about Polymers and their properties. A member of our group got to go to the front and help do an experiment!

Next we changed laboratories to one all about the Atomic Weapons Establishment. We were told about the history of atomic physics and

then we all took part in an activity using laser beams.

After this we learned about Computational Radiotherapy. This was fun as we got to look and hold some of the different parts of a radiotherapy machine. We also got to test real methods on fake data.

Second to last we went to a laboratory about fuel-efficient cars. Now I know how to make a car more fuel-efficient and how to make my bike go faster without any cost.

Last, but not least, we went to another laboratory and learnt about Earth sciences.

We got to look at exciting sectional views of a crater and see real scientific results.

I loved this trip as I gained lots of new knowledge on physics in a fun and exciting way, as we got to take part in experiments and look at real life examples of scientific data.

Abigail Smith (9M) LEARNING CURVE: For Year 9 students.

SIGNS OF THE HOLOCAUST: The star which Jews were forced to wear and the gates to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

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The lessons of history

Over two days last month, 120 Year 9 students went to the Imperial War Museum in London.

The purpose of the day was to visit the award-winning Holocaust exhibition, which traces the Nazi persecution and murder of Jewish people in Europe from 1933 to 1945.

This is a topic that students learn about in their History and RPE lessons in Year 9 and therefore provided a valuable opportunity for them to gain a broader understanding before they start this course.

The day began with a discussion, in groups, from the learning officer, providing a brief introduction to the Holocaust.

Students were then taken around the exhibition with an audio guide, providing them with information to support the different displays.

The students were immediately immersed and were taking their time to study each part of the exhibition in depth.

It was clear that they were not only deepening their historical understanding of the Holocaust, but were also emotionally

invested in their learning.

There was then the opportunity for the groups to have some necessary reflection time and the chance to share their personal responses to the exhibition.

It was fantastic to see so many students sharing their thoughts and reflections of what they had seen and I was so impressed with the maturity that every student displayed throughout the day.

Despite the difficult nature of the topic being discussed, the students developed their understanding of the Holocaust, focusing on important themes such as historical significance, responsibility and survival.

Each and every student who came on the trip showed an impressive level of maturity and the exhibition provided them with a thoughtprovoking overview of the Holocaust, before they start to learn about it in their lessons in the summer term.

Jessica Quick, Head of History

Record numbers flock in

SIXTH FORM

The outstanding results achieved by sixth form students this summer has confirmed Comberton as one of the best in the country.

Not surprisingly, on September 4th we welcomed a record number of Year 12 students for their induction day.

The atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation. It wasn’t long before students from more than 20 different schools were busy forming new

friendships, meeting their academic tutors and preparing for sixth form life.

They were then joined by the returning Year 13 students a day later and lessons began in earnest.

As Christmas approaches the start of term feels like a long time ago and so much as happened since then.

Year 12 students have made a really positive start to their A-Level, BTEC and Pre-U courses and are busy preparing for their mocks in January.

Year 13 are rapidly progressing through their second

Open Evening wows crowds

year of sixth form study and many have now completed their applications for university.

All the students have also enjoyed a range of enrichment and curriculum extension activities such as the geography trip to Malham, debating, charity and community work, art, music, drama as well as a whole range of sporting activities. Now it is time for a well-deserved rest and we look forward to welcoming them all back, refreshed and ready to go, in January.

Lorna Conroy, Head of Sixth Form

On the evening of November 3rd the buzz of more than 1000 voices could be heard around the sixth form as Year 11 students and their parents, from around the county and beyond, attended the Open Evening.

They chatted to current students keen to share their love of the subjects, questioned teachers about Pre-U, A level and BTEC courses, discussed Higher Education support, learnt about the many enrichment opportunities, clarified details of bus routes and toured the sixth form building and performing arts block with the student ambassadors.

The only calm moments came as visitors packed into the Performance Hall, which was filled twice, to listen to a presentation about all the opportunities Comberton Sixth Form has to offer.

The highlight of the presentation came when Lydia Stearn, a current Year 13 student previously of Linton Village College, describe her time at Comberton with such confidence and emotion. This, combined with the music performed by the sixth form ensemble, really made the evening.

One Year 11 said: “I arrived with Comberton on my list of possible sixth forms. I left knowing this would be my No. 1 choice.

“The combination of passionate, lively teachers, consistently excellent results and the bright modern facilities was a winner. Now I just have to work hard to gain the entry grades!”

A parent commented: “What an impressive evening! A really good mixture of the formal — excellent presentations, displays, etc, and very high-quality and informative subject sheets — and the informal - lots of BUSY, BUSY, BUSY: More than 1000 visitors attended the Sixth Form Open very enthusiastic sixth form students talking to visitors Evening last month. and the excellent jazz music.”

Super students bag a top-four finish

IMPRESSIVE: Comberton’s quiz team.

Here’s your starter for 10. No conferring.

Which sixth form team from the eastern region has just finished in the top four at a national quiz competition organised by the University of Lincoln?

If your answer was anything other than Comberton Sixth Form, go and stand in a corner and administer a Paxmanesque reprimand to yourself in the mirror.

For it was indeed the case that, after battling through the regional heat in July, CSF’s team of Amy Selby, Ellen Petre, Joe Wills and George Blackhurst-Patrick, went on to perform brilliantly in the national final of the Lincoln University Challenge in September where, up against 11 other Sixth Form colleges, they just missed out on third place by the very narrowest of margins.

The competition — a general knowledge

quiz fought across 20 themed rounds with questions drawn from a diverse range of categories, including politics, law, sport, engineering and fine art — challenges students to draw on all of their academic and trivia-based knowledge to amass points, with a maximum of 400 available.

The dark interior of the university’s performing arts studio was the setting for the final, lending an air more of Mastermind than University Challenge.

The team, though, was not intimidated and actually held the joint lead after 10 rounds.

However, the questions did not fall so kindly in the second half, leaving the Comberton team mildly frustrated, but able to reflect on a fantastic achievement and a really enjoyable day out at the University of Lincoln’s central campus.

9

SIXTH FORM

GETTING STUCK IN: The sixth form community volunteers.

Volunteers lend a hand

Over the last four months a group of brave and adventurous sixth form students have been venturing through the local community assisting with all kinds of projects to help local residents in Comberton.

We have supported any resident who wanted help, be it a spot of painting and decorating, a bit of gardening or a general tidy up.

We are definitely a dynamic bunch of students with lots of energy and enthusiasm to tackle most things and we were not disappointed by the range of projects that came our way.

We have met loads of lovely villagers in Comberton and learnt more about the

Students take on teaching

As part of the Spanish Teaching Leadership Award, seven sixth form students have been carefully planning and delivering Spanish lessons to Year 7.

This has proved to be a very successful programme this term and the 25 Year 7 students attending the sessions are CLEANING UP: Charity thoroughly enjoying it. The sessions will staff car wash. continue in the Spring Term on Wednesdays 3-4pm.

“You get split into groups and there are normally 3 or 4 people in each group. It helps you a lot, especially with classwork or a test you might need to study for.

“The sixth formers will help you revise for it and make sure you understand. You also get a notebook to jot down any notes or tips you learn during the lesson. It is taught by nice sixth form students and I think this is good because they know how it feels to be put in your position and it makes the lesson even more relaxed.“ Maria Aristodimou (7O) “I had no Spanish in my primary school as it was all French. I wanted to learn Spanish because loads of people speak it. I’ve never done it before so I started going to the Spanish club in a small group TEACHING ROLE: with a Sixth Former and this has really helped me.”

Archie Jones (7C) For Sixth Formers.

community than we would ever have expected.

We have carried out many jobs to help local people, including weeding, clearing up dead leaves, trimming bushes, planting lots of spring bulbs as well as painting garage doors, fences, sheds and window frames.

Our numerous jobs have taken us all over Comberton, visiting various people and we have learnt lots about the skills of teamwork, talking with the general public and appreciating the role of community help.

We will continue our work after Christmas so if you would like any help then please contact the sixth form by telephoning 01223 265470 or emailing us at enquiries@combertonvc.org Jacob Murphy (L6-SC)

Charity cash rolls in

On Friday November 17th Comberton Sixth Form took part in raising a record-breaking £260.96 for Children in Need. This is the fifth year that we have supported this event and yet again there was an outstanding turn-out of supporting students.

Thank you to everyone who helped to supply tasty treats, such as cookies, muffins and chocolate cake which were delicious and went down a treat with very hungry students!

Many people also dressed up in their pyjamas, ranging from unicorn onesies to pink dressing gowns, to support this amazing cause.

A small group of intrepid students also organised a staff car wash to help raise money as well. All the money that we have raised is going towards supporting projects working with disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Maddie Salisbury (L6-JD) and Fran Churchill (L6-CW)

Tragedy explained

On Wednesday 29th November, Mrs Blackford and Ms Hillman very graciously took me and other A-Level English Literature students from Year 12 and Year 13 to London for the English in Action conference on Tragedy.

The series of lectures from teachers, academics and a director were invaluable for our Aspects of Tragedy paper, which is taken at the end of Year 13.

This unit is fascinating and invigorating but also challenging in its scope because it deals with a genre that has existed for millennia. Hearing the various aspects of the unit broken down in approachable yet authoritative sessions made manageable a very complex series of issues.

The lecture on defining tragedy provided a comprehensive overview of the entire tragic genre and its features, and another, which focused on answering exam questions, helped to apply these concepts in an essay context.

Meanwhile, a talk from a Warwick professor on the changing critical perception of tragedy challenged me to push my ideas and knowledge further, and a session delivered by an actor and director on staging and An excellent educational day was had by a group of Year 12 and 13 performing Shakespeare provided an sport students at De Montfort University (Bedford campus) last month. opportunity to look at our Shakespeare text, The Comberton students had the opportunity to see what university Othello, in a fresh and exciting context. life entails with a full tour of the campus and also learned about the This trip was an excellent opportunity for validity and reliability of fitness tests in professional fitness sports everyone studying English Literature, and the science labs. In addition university lecturers explained about student ideas we were introduced to could make the life and course demands. Students had a very enjoyable day and now vital difference between grades in an exam.

Joe Wills (U6-SB) are fully motivated to get their place at university if that is their choice. READY: For Tragdy conference.

Behind scenes at uni

10

‘A truly wonderful trip’

SIXTH FORM

In July 2017, Comberton organised its first exchange with Kobe University Secondary School in Japan.

The aim was learn the Japanese language as well as experience Japanese culture and customs.

Six Comberton sixth formers stayed with host families and attended KUSS for three days where they assisted in English lessons and delivered presentations on Comberton and the UK. Many activities were arranged for our students including Judo, Calligraphy, a Tea Ceremony and Flower Arranging. CSF students also visited Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka and were even lucky enough to have a personal interview with a Maiko.

Here Gemma Shrimpton (U6-MR) describes her trip: “‘Different yet the same’, this is what I was told Japan was like. Although this applies to all countries and cultures, there is something about Japan that truly captures the heart of all those who travel there and I was no exception.

“My love for Japan stems from when I was young.

My step-sister introduced me to anime, and then I fell in love with the language, music and culture. I was worried that travelling to Japan would fall flat against my hopes and dreams of what it would be like. The 2017 Japan trip solidified my aspiration to

live and work there in the future, thus exceeding my expectations. I experienced so many things that otherwise I would not have been able to due to this trip: from the everyday life to exclusively making a sensu fan.

The trip was jam-packed with wonderful, one in a life time activities, not forgetting a room with airconditioning!

“My host family were so caring and accommodating that my experience wouldn’t have been the same without them. Yuna (my host sister) was interested in my life and I in hers. Via exchanging e-mails we quickly got to know each other, and even several months after the trip we still e-mail regularly.

“The Japan trip was truly a wonderful opportunity and I can’t fully express how much I will treasure all of my memories from it, even the embarrassing ones... I fully recommend the trip as not only is it a remarkable experience, it teaches you independence, language and communication skills, and so much more. I will cherish all that I have gained from this trip, especially the lifelong friends that I have made.”

Last year Comberton hosted five Japanese students and another four are due to visit from 22-26 January 2018. Host families are needed so if you can help, please contact Alison Shorten on FORGING FRIENDSHIPS: With students ashorten@comberton.org from a school in Kobe, Japan.

‘Youth can make difference’

Six students from Comberton Sixth Form attended a day of seminars concerning the UN Sustainable Development Goals, hosted by Anglia Ruskin University in conjunction with the Global Sustainability Institute and SEEd. This was a fantastic and valuable experience. We first heard from George Rosenfeld, a delegate from the 2016 UN Youth Assembly on the Sustainable Development Goals. He spoke about his work with WaterAid, which he began at the age of 12, and about other young people who inspire him. This, in turn, was incredibly inspiring for us, because it was very clear to see how youth can make a difference.

In addition, there was an introduction to the Sustainable Development Goals, and how these are categorised in to economics, social, and

environmental goals, but also interlink to create a vision of a truly sustainable future. This vision of sustainability is a large part of Anglia Ruskin’s ethos, and this was outlined in talks about sustainability in their campus, curriculum, research and culture.

In the afternoon, after a lunchtime fair with different sustainability organisations, we focused on Open Space Technology, which is a technique to facilitate conversations. The Comberton students were involved in conversations about education and food sustainability, among other issues. These were incredibly fruitful conversations and gave us tools to reflect on the impact youth can have on our world.

Georgia Davison (L6-RJ)

Sinking to new depths — in a peat bog!

INVOLVED: Comberton students at the seminar.

Early in the morning of Sunday, 8th October, a small group of eager Year 13 geographers congregated outside the front of school, excited to travel to Malham, a sleepy North Yorkshire village in the heart of the Dales, to conduct a fieldwork investigation.

After a long coach journey through rolling countryside and busy city streets, we were met by a duo of minibuses from the Field Study Centre on the bank of Malham Tarn, where we would stay. The superb views, both from the coach and the Centre were the subject of a multitude of photographs.

After being whisked up to the centre, we had no time to relax, as a practice data collection session began, run by our tutor Ellie. The afternoon flew by as we learned how to use infiltration tubes, measure soil depth and estimate the carbon content of trees. The practice was rounded off with measuring the depth of a peat bog — an unforgettable experience for those who got stuck in the muddy, watery ground! After a delicious dinner (or 'tea' as it's called in the north), we spent the evening in the classroom, in preparation for the next day.

Following a good night's rest, a hearty cooked breakfast and morning spent in the classroom preparing our fieldwork enquiry, we spent the afternoon out in the field, collecting all the data needed for our investigation. Armed with equipment, we dispersed in different directions, to the peat bog, the forest, the fields and the streams. Using our freshly-acquired skills, we measured a plethora of water or carbon cycle related factors — soil infiltration rate, stream discharge and the carbon content of soils, to name but a few.

After yet another delicious dinner and hard evening working in the classroom, we had some more time to relax and benefit from the numerous facilities in our Field Studies Centre, such as a pool table, tuck shop and lounge.

The next (and final) morning began with more data collection, after which we said our goodbyes to our fantastic tutor. The long journey home began, and after two tiring days of working, we were rewarded with the opportunity to watch ‘Paddington’ on the coach, which helped the seemingly IN THE FIELD: Year 13 went to Yorkshire for their endless miles go that little bit quicker. Despite this, many of us of made the most of time to get some well-earned shut eye!

George Blackhurst-Patrick (U6-LM) geography A Level investigations.

11

SIXTH FORM

COLLECTING EVIDENCE: Student Crime Scene Investigors get to work.

CSI arrive at Comberton!

On a crisp breezy morning, the Year 13 BTEC Applied Science Crime Scene Investigators stumbled upon a scene of foul play.

Their task was to collect items, which may be evidence, from the crime scene, without contamination. There were fingerprints, discarded notes, footprints and several potential murder weapons.

Passers-by were somewhat bemused by the crime scene tape as the students measured and made observations of the surrounding area.

Recording the collection of evidence in paper envelopes was easier said than done as the wind blew the evidence away; this is a part of CSI that you don’t appreciate until you try it yourself!

Once all evidence was collected it was back to the lab to transform their role to forensic scientists, using microscopes, chromatography, acrylate fumigation of fingerprints and the Kastle Meyer test for blood, as they analysed all the evidence to make assumptions on what the murder weapon was and who the main suspect was.

The joy of BTEC applied science is that we can study science in a different manner to A levels, and

Gaining valuable insight

We had the exciting opportunity to visit Addenbrooke’s Hospital for a joint venture between Cancer Research UK Cambridge and the University of Cambridge.

We had the chance to talk to researchers devising new immune-based treatments for cancer, and view complex machinery such as mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography used to assess the presence of certain chemicals and medication in patient blood plasma samples.

One researcher told us how doctors use infrared spectroscopy in combination with screening to determine the chemicals present at the cancer site.

By using infrared spectrums of orange and lemon transects, he explained that although it is difficult to detect malignant tumours from images, spectroscopy enables scientists to understand more about the characteristics of a tumour than images alone.

For example, the spectrum for the orange showed a large sugar peak, and a smaller citric acid peak, whereas the lemon spectrum showed a much larger citric acid peak, and a smaller sugar peak.

Using this analogy, the researcher explained that the accumulation of lactate is a common feature in malignant cancer cells, so under analysis, cancer can be detected through observing a significant lactate peak on the spectrum.

Subtleties in the spectra can indicate characteristics of cancers, so scientists can devise appropriate treatment.

We also got the chance to become 'surgeons', and we operated on a jelly brain to remove a 'tumour'.

Once the 'tumour' was removed, we applied a wafer and chocolate sauce!

These represented biodegradable polymer loaded with a chemotherapeutic agent and gel chemotherapy medication, both localised drug therapies used in post-operative treatment.

Coralie May Bell (U6-SB)

so can apply our learning in different contexts.

This crime scene was actually part of an internal assessment, in which skills are observed and evaluated, along with a written crime report and witness statement written for a court case.

For those students who excel in research and practical skills it is a perfect opportunity to pursue science beyond GCSE even if assessment by examination is not a particular strength.

For further information on the Level 3 BTEC Applied Science course, please contact Dr Carolyn Meadows (cmeadows@combertonvc.org)

HANDS-ON AT THE HOSPITAL: Students at the Cancer Research and University of Cambridge event.

Creative and vibrant start for students

The A level Theatre Studies students have had a fast-paced start to the year with theatre trip to see Bertolt Brecht’s ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ a satirical parable about the rise to power of Adolf Hitler that was at the same time, both comedic and terrifying; as well as seeing the internationally acclaimed production of ‘People, Places and Things’ by Duncan MacMillan.

This highly stylised and physicalised performance about a self-destructive actress Emma — or is it Nina? or Sarah? — tries to justify her alcohol and drug addictions with a nod to the world, arguing that oblivion is the only sane choice.

They have also had the opportunity to work with the Artistic Director Pete Sayer and members of Gruffdog Theatre company. Pete, an alumni of CVC studied at

12

Oxford before establishing his theatre company, which has now toured productions such as their adaptation of Peer Gynt, and had highly successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe. Now in a creative partnership with the Drama and Theatre Studies department they delivered a workshop that was highly energised, creative and full of physical ideas to create an effective ensemble.

The students looked at how ‘play’ is a vital part of theatre with a key role in the devising process. They had the chance to explore the ways in which Gruffdog Theatre finds playfulness in physical theatre, ensemble story-telling and music as a part of its process, and consider how it might inform their own practice.

A creative and vibrant start to a very full and challenging year.

Leadership opportunities COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

The MFL department runs many opportunities for students at CVC, and International Leaders is one of them. We are your new International Leaders and we are so excited to help out and bring new ideas to the languages department at school.

As part of our role, we will be helping out at events, and organising and participating in making changes to the MFL department.

We will also be running our own languages poetry club for the ‘Mother Tongue Other Tongue’ competition, which will be launching in January 2018. We are really looking forward to this and the opportunities that await us.

Rosanna Poll (10O), Hannah Thompson (10R) and Lucy Smith (10R)

Twenty-Two Year 9 students have been selected to take part in Comberton’s Language Leaders Scheme.

Over the year we will teach Spanish to primary school children three times as well as taking part in student leadership at Comberton.

We normally meet every Wednesday to plan our lessons, but on the Tuesday after half term, we visited Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, for a training day run by Routes into Languages East.

Routes into Languages is the organisation behind the Language Leader Scheme and its main aim is to interest secondary school students in languages.

On the training day, as well as getting shown around one of the University of Cambridge colleges and working on teamwork skills, we were also taught the importance of languages in business. I discovered that the UK is losing over £50 billion every year because of the lack of people that know a second language.

William Woodard (9N) I was delighted to be accepted into the language leader programme. This is a great opportunity to grow and advance particular skills such as speaking in front of people with poise and confidence and also, being engaging. These are the necessary skills for now and later in life.

Additionally, being a language leader means that we take on responsibility for being organised, being committed, being well prepared and cooperating well with your partner. We will have to prepare our own material in pairs, to make a fun and engaging LEARNING TO LEAD: Classroom practice and at the training day.

Spanish lesson. My partner Kate and I decided to do a Powerpoint presentation Students in 7V had privilege of wearing their own clothes for a day while the rest of on food (la comida) and we planned out games the school was in uniform after winning the annual Year 7 Spanglovision competition. for the children to do at All tutor groups in Year 7 learned and performed a pop song in Spanish for the the end.

International Talent Evening with the winners earning the prize of a non-uniform day.

So far, the language Judged by Head and Assistant Head of Year Sean Pollock and Grace Healy on their leaders have had a knowledge of the lyrics and the confidence and fun they brought to their fascinating trip to Murray performance, 7V, taught by Paula Vasquez-Valero and Rachel Hawkes, took top spot, Edwards. We had a ahead of 7T and 7E, with their performance of R. City’s Locked Away. fantastic time there and A busy evening also saw separate performances from the X and Y halves and we learnt so much about included individual readings and poetry in students’ home languages. uni life and why Dr Hawkes, The Cam Academy Trust’s Director of International Education, said: “It additional languages are was not easy for the judges. All groups were very good and deserve congratulating.” beneficial for us to know The evening also raised more than £184 for Unicef’s appeal to help Syrian child and to speak.

EXCITING TIMES: For the new refugees from a raffle among spectating friends and families.

We learnt how many international leaders. languages are spoken around the world (6909!)

Towards the end we did a personality test and I The ‘Mother Tongue Other Tongue’ competition is a multilingual, national poetry found a bit more about competition that celebrates cultural diversity. my partner. It turns out Four Comberton students had poems shortlisted for the competition and were invited to a that we have a lot of the same personality traits national celebration event at the University of Cambridge. which could mean that Huge congratulations to Maddy Parker (9N), Katie Elkington (9C), and Magnus McMahon we will work very well (8B) whose Spanish poems were shortlisted, and Luise Grosche (8R) whose ‘Mother together.

Tongue’ entry was chosen.

Ameera Hamad (9E) The International Leaders will be running a MTOT club this year from January. Look out for more information in the new year!

Luise said: “I participated in the ‘Mother Tongue Other Tongue’ competition. It all started AMONG THE when last year (when I was in Year 7) students in Spanish classes had the opportunity to PRIZES: Two of the write a poem or song in Spanish. four Comberton “In addition, those whose mother tongue is not English were given the option of writing or students researching a poem or song in their mother tongue. I am German so I chose a German folk shortlisted in the song. After finding out I had been shortlisted for the final, I went to a Lecture hall on the multilingual poetry Sidgwick Site where I received my prize. The ‘Mother Tongue Other Tongue’ competition competition. was a great experience and it definitely helped further my knowledge of languages.”

Treat for singing stars

Celebrating languages

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And now for something really silly . . .

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Monty Python’s ‘Spamalot’ is arriving at Comberton Village College in a solid production of classic, wellloved material.

Lovingly ripped off from the hugely successful 1975 film ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail,’ Spamalot is a riotous comedy full of misfit knights, killer rabbits, dancing nuns and ferocious Frenchmen. We join King Arthur as he travels around the land gathering his Knights of the Round Table. This band of hapless adventurers are then tasked with a divine mission to locate the elusive Holy Grail — with uproarious consequences. With comic tunes including Brave Sir Robin, We’re Knights of the Round Table and perennial favourite Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, ‘Spamalot’ audiences are sure to be dancing in the aisles.

The musical first opened on Broadway in February 2005, so our production has had a few slight tweaks to keep it up to date and relevant to the 2017 British audience it is playing to. The cast and production team are working endlessly to ensure it’s quick-paced and well executed and the most is made of each cast member, with only a handful of them playing just one part!

With the cast of more than 50 students performing over 75 different characters, we are now attending to

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Ninety Year 11 students went to Sheringham on the North Norfolk coast with the aim of completing the fieldwork part of our GCSE geography.

We arrived in the morning on the Tuesday and half of us headed straight to the beach to complete the human section, with the other half going to the River Glaven to work on the physical section of the coursework.

While on the beach we completed our environmental quality assessment (EQA) assessing the beach on a number of different factors such as the cleanliness and whether it was congested. This was followed by a walk into the town to complete a questionnaire with 10 members of the public to get a different perspective on whether â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tourism has a negative environmental impact on the beach.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; We then had some free time in which some of us decided to have fish and chips by the sea. We stayed in a youth hostel, which was certainly a unique experience for some â&#x20AC;&#x201D; finding spiders in odd corners â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but it was overall a positive experience.

We then had two lessons, one starting at 7pm in which we completed part of our booklets towards our GCSE. The next morning we swapped locations and headed off to do the activity we had not yet completed. We visited different sites along the River Glaven, going in at different points with some people in waders!

Using a flow meter we measured the flow velocity and discharge. The staff at Holt Hall, the fieldwork centre we were using, were very welcoming and helped us an awful lot, giving us valuable skills that we are very grateful for. It was a great trip and we all arrived back on the Wednesday quite tired but it was certainly worth it!

Imogen Sutherland (11T)

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the chaotic and daft comedic qualities that Monty Python always set out to achieve. Issy Norman shows her strong comedy chops as Sir Bedevere while Ben Smith delivers the classic Monty Python old crone, Dennisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mother, with aplomb.

Oli Wilkinson, as Sir Robin, provides plenty of laughs and delivers a fantastic rendition of You Wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Succeed in Showbiz. Theo Lancaster has great range and comic timing as Fred, who is not yet dead, and Zac Bowyer, as Prince Herbert, is convincing as the showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary ingĂŠnue.

Completing the cast are Ollie Payne, whose King Arthur is a treat, taking himself just seriously enough for us to laugh both with and at him, and Tim Easy as Patsy, hilariously gurning and grumbling his way through the rehearsals.

Overall, this is going to be something very different but something extremely enjoyable â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a very good production of a very silly musical. With iconic lines, beloved characters and all the charm of the original movie, with the added bonus of some brilliant Broadway spoof songs, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d definitely recommend catching this production as, unlike the eponymous meat product, it will only be around for the week of January 24-27th 2018.

Tickets available now from Wisepay, CB3 Reception and Audaciousproductions.co.uk/buytickets Jeremy Frost, Head of Drama

RIVER ANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;BEACH:â&#x20AC;&#x2C6;Students work on their fieldwork investigations.

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Setting hot pace on DofE OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE: Comberton students push the boundaries to broaden their horizons on DofE expeditions.

The Duke of Edinburgh award continues to thrive at Comberton with large numbers of students signing up to complete the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.

The 2016/2017 annual report showed 298 students enrolling for the awards across the school, with 166 awards achieved.

Latest statistics have placed Comberton in the top five secondary schools across the UK for number of

awards completed!

This year, as we begin our launches to the new cohorts, whle preparing students already enrolled for the upcoming expedition season and with 159 Year 10 students signed up for the Bronze award, we are looking forward to a busy year ahead.

The launch of the Bronze award to current Year 9 students takes place in the Performance Hall on Tuesday February 20th at 6.30 with the Silver launch, for current Year 11 students, taking place a month earlier, on Tuesday January 16th in the Sixth

New team members please WILD CAMPING: One of the challenges on the Gold expedition.

Form Lecture Theatre, also at 6.30.

Students interested in the awards can begin to complete their physical, skill and volunteering sections before the launch evenings and can backdate to the start of the academic year.

Details about each section can be found on the DofE website (www.dofe.org/what-is-dofe).

If students would like any help or have any questions regarding the awards, please do not hesitate to contact us via email (dofe@combertonvc.org) or speak to Mrs Protheroe in the DofE office.

Worth the journey

I will turn 25 next week. I signed up to Gold Duke of Edinburgh award in Sept 2015 when I was 22. The deadline to finish is your 25th birthday and with quite a lot of hard work and effort, I have just about made it.

Doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award later in life has been a brilliant experience. I did a lot of walking when I was at school, but I didn’t continue at university.

Signing up for DofE after I graduated was a way of getting back into walking/being outdoors and it helped me to settle in my new job at Comberton. I have been a regular volunteer on the Bronze, Silver and Gold expeditions and working through my Gold DofE award alongside the students has been a really helpful tool to support them (and me) in completing the awards.

For my physical section I have been

Over the past eight years, I have worked as part of the Comberton DofE team.

We have seen staff members come and go as they follow their own career pathways. However, the core of our DofE team exists outside the school walls and includes a bank of volunteers who give up their weekends and holidays to support our expeditions at Comberton.

These are the unsung heroes of our DofE programme!

Coming from a variety of backgrounds including accountants, paramedics, outdoor instructors and even antique restoration, these are the people who I spend my weekends with in the countryside.

I thoroughly enjoy spending time together in the evenings with a cup of tea and cake chatting about our lives, as well as our outdoor experiences. I consider myself fortunate to know these individuals and to be able to call them my friends.

We are always in need to volunteers to support our expeditions, with many of our volunteers offering their help after their own children have completed their awards here.

If you know of anyone or are interested in coming along to volunteer (no experience required) then please get in touch with us (dofe@combertonvc.org).

Jo Pattrick, DofE Co-Ordinator DEDICATED TEAM: Comberton’s adult volunteers.

going to the gym. This is something that I have been doing since I was 16 so this section provided the opportunity for me to be recognised for this. For the volunteering section, I have been helping out with Comberton’s DofE awards. This has helped me further improve my skills in navigation and camping. When completing my own expeditions, I didn’t have the opportunity to go wild camping. Volunteering has meant that I have experienced this and seen even more of the most beautiful places in the country, all while getting to know other people in the school better. It is something that I will continue although my DoE has been completed. Comberton has been offering Spanish lessons to teachers as part of the Erasmus project and I have been attending these as my skill. I didn’t have the opportunity to learn Spanish when I was at school so this is a chance to learn something that will be very useful in the future.

The award requires commitment and determination, the past few months have been challenging to complete all the different sections, while balancing the demands of work. However, I am extremely proud to be able to complete the award and look forward to receiving my official award at the palace in the future. The big lesson I have learned from the award is that it is never too late…unless you are 25…so now it’s time to look for a new challenge!

Lucy Stephens, Teacher of Maths

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Funding a transformation Round-up of the latest news from the South Cambs SSP

Primary school PE could be ‘transformed for a generation’ by new funding.

enhance current opportunities l Introduce new sports, dance or physical activities l Provide targeted activities to support and involve

staff in teaching PE and sport n broader experience of a range of sports and activities offered to all pupils n increased participation in Training for teachers, more varied competitive sport activities, and new equipment to Ali Oliver, Chief Executive of get classes moving are helping to the Youth Sport Trust, said: usher in a ‘once in a generation’ “There is so much potential transformation of PE in primary for what schools can achieve schools. with this extra funding — it Every primary school is set to have presents the best chance we its Primary PE and School Sport have in a generation to really Premium funding doubled by transform PE and harness its government, with the money set to potential to improve be received this term. This funding children’s wellbeing. is ring-fenced for Physical “This generation is facing a Education, School Sport and health crisis as it experiences ENTER MORE COMPETITIONS: One use for the additional funding.

Physical Activity and is allocated to the lowest levels of physical, head teachers and governors to decide how best to social and emotional wellbeing on record. So we the least active children use the money to address the needs of their school must be ambitious. l Enter more sports competitions and young people.

“By 2020, we want to see every primary school l Provide additional swimming provision The average state-funded primary school now has teacher professionally developed to help teach l Embed physical activity into the school day 275 pupils on its role according to the Department of physical literacy with the same skill and passion as through initiatives like active playgrounds and Education’s latest ‘Schools, pupils and their language literacy and numeracy. We know that for all Balanceability training characteristics report’ — this means the average the training a primary school teacher receives, they There are 5 key indicators that schools should school could see up to £18,750 extra funding to help often get very little guidance on how to educate their expect to see improvement across: make PE fit for the 21st Century. pupils in and through movement, exercise and n the engagement of all pupils in regular physical The School Sports Partnership works with 47 primary physical activity. activity — the Chief Medical Officer guidelines schools across South Cambs and is supporting them “Children’s first formative experiences of PE at recommend that all children and young people aged to use the funding wisely and help ensure the primary school have an impact which can last a 5 to 18 engage in at least 60 minutes of physical funding boost has the maximum long-term impact. lifetime. Get it right and we will transform the life activity a day, of which 30 minutes should be in Schools locally have been using the funding to: chances of a generation. Get it wrong and too many school l Provide staff training children will continue to miss out on the benefits that n the profile of PE and sport is raised across the l Hire one of our PE specialists to work with physical activity brings to their health, happiness and school as a tool for whole-school improvement teachers to provide training and mentoring and help wellbeing.” n increased confidence, knowledge and skills of all

Same again as Meldreth bag title hat-trick

Meldreth Primary School completed a hat-trick of victories in the South Cambs round of the English Schools Football Association competition.

And for the third time in a row it was Harston & Newton on the losing side as two of Melbourn Village College’s partner primaries battled for the small schools title (for schools with fewer than 120 pupils in Key Stage 2). The eventual runners-up held Meldreth to a 1-1 draw but then missed out in the penalty shoot-out.

However, both schools qualified for the county finals after a day of intense under-11 seven-a-side competition in three categories.

There was victory for Waterbeach over Hatton Park (Longstanton) in the large schools contest while Swavesey upset Histon & Impington Juniors, winners for the previous four years, to take the girls’ title in a penalty shoot-out. All four teams also go on to the county finals.

Also in the girls’ competition, the Spirit of the Games Award, for team spirit and respect of the referees went to Melbourn.

THE TOP TWO: Meldreth (left) and runners-up Harston & Newton Of the other feeder schools partnered with colleges in The Cam Academy Trust there were top-five finishes for Haslingfield and Year 3 pupils from Cambourne Village Barnabas Oley (Gt College’s partner schools recently enjoyed a Gransden), who were morning of sport as they took part in a multithird and fifth skills festival at the college. respectively in the girls’ Thankfully the weather held out as 120 competition, The Vine youngsters took part in a series of different and Jeavons Wood activity stations, which developed their sporting (both Cambourne), who skills as well as encouraging teamwork, were joint third and fifth honesty and determination. in the large schools The Year 10 and 11 sports leaders from section, while Cambourne VC did a fantastic job in organising Haslingfield were also and leading the activities and it is hoped the fifth in the small event will now become a permanent fixture in schools’ event.

NEW: Youngsters enjoy the first Multi-Skills Festival at Cambourne. the calendar.

Skills on show at new event

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New challenge

Round-up of the latest news from the South Cambs SSP The South Cambs School Sports Partnership recently hosted its first ever orienteering competition and the event was a great success.

SPIRITED: Haslingfield’s orienteeers.

Commitment to sport A record number of 37 South Cambs Schools have recently secured a School Games Mark for 2016-17 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, “I am delighted with the number of schools gaining an award this year. It really is great to see local schools being recognised and rewarded for their hard work and commitment to provide the very best opportunities for their pupils.”

In all 71% of South Cambs schools achieved an award, with six schools gaining a School Games Mark — part of a Governmentled scheme - for the first time and 13 schools achieving Gold.

Schools achieving the Gold award demonstrate a whole school approach to PE and sport, they have the wholehearted support from their headteacher and provide opportunities for all pupils at all levels. As well as this they are a community hub for sport, encouraging involvement from parents and community groups.”

Among The Cam Academy Trust schools and their partner primaries there was gold for Comberton Village College plus Haslingfield, Harston & Newton, Meldreth and Coton Primary Schools. Silver went to Melbourn and Cambourne Village Colleges along with Jeavons Wood (Cambourne), Melbourn, Thriplow, Foxton, Barnabas Oley (Gt Gransden) and Dry Drayton Primary Schools. Schools achieving bronze include Hauxton, The Vine (Cambourne), Barton and Meridian Primary Schools.

120 children from 11 schools took part in the competition, which was open to children in Years 3 and 4 and aimed at those who don’t normally get a chance to represent their school in sporting competitions.

Mixed teams of three took part in three different challenges including a team score competition, netball numbers and find the school games sports. Each challenge involved teamwork and communication as well as running to find markers.

Claire McDonnell, Partnership Manager, said: “The idea behind introducing a new sport such as orienteering was to try and appeal to a different group of young people who may not like your more traditional sports.

“Orienteering is an active outdoor sport that challenges both the mind and body, with children having to work together, devise a plan, find points and make decisions.

“It was great to see a different group of young people getting the chance to represent their school, experience being part of a team and have fun and enjoy themselves!”

The event was hosted at Comberton Village College and leaders on the school’s

Performance Plus pathway in Year 10 supported the event and were involved with leading the activities, supporting the teams and timing and scoring the challenges.

Comberton PE teacher Harriet Shipley said: “The leaders did a fantastic job and the feedback from pupils and teachers was very positive. Lauren Higgins was nominated as the leader of the day thanks to her fantastic support of a pupil with additional needs.

“Congratulations to all of the leaders involved with this competition.”

One of the Linton Heights teams won the team score activity, finding the 10 check points located around the school field in a fantastic time of 16.18mins. Netball numbers was won by a Meridian team, who completed all six courses and got all their sums correct in a time of 10.13mins. Finally the school games challenge was won by a Bassingbourn team, who located all 12 pictures in a speedy time of 4.20mins.

‘Spirit of the Games’ awards were also given out on the day and went to Haslingfield and Bassingbourn.

Haslingfield demonstrated great determination and teamwork throughout the competition and in particular in the netball numbers challenge when things didn’t go to plan initially.

Bassingbourn stopped to help fix one of the control points during the competition despite knowing that it would affect their time.

Pupils race for glory through the mud

WORKING IT OUT: Melbourn Primary School pupils get to grips with the orienteering challenges.

Partner primary schools which work with the secondaries in The Cam Academy Trust were unable to make an impact at the annual SCSSP Cross-Country competition at Wimpole Hall.

More than 800 runners in Years 3-6 took part on a sunny but cold day last month with the conditions proving somewhat muddy as each race was hotly contested

with the first three runners counting.

After the success of last year’s Year 3 and 4 competition it was decided to run it again but this year, to reduce waiting time, girls and boys ran together. The year 5 and 6 competition was run as separate races for girls and boys over the 1,600m, one-lap course.

The atmosphere was buzzing as all the runners were cheered on at the start and finish of the course by fellow pupils, staff and parents who had come to spectate! Every race was very competitive with runners keen to achieve their personal best and do their bit for the school team in pursuit of either the Year 3-4 or Year 5-6 Team Trophy.

Runners from Swavesey Primary dominated the Year 5-6 competition with the first and third-placed finisher in both the boys’ and girls’ Year 5 races. As in 2016, Histon and Impington Juniors were second with Cottenham third.

Linton Heights, who had held the Year 5-6 title, took the honours in the younger competition this time with Histon and Impington again finishing as runners-up with Swavesey third.

Monkfield Park, Cambourne, took seventh in the Year 3-4 team event, a place ahead of Caldecote with Jeavons Wood, also Cambourne, in 12th.

In the Year 5-6 section, The Vine, Cambourne, Monkfield Park and Caldecote finished ninth, 10th and 11th respectively.

AND THEY’RE OFF: The start of the Year 6 boys’ race at Wimpole Hall.

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Trio grab county crowns

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Congratulations to Comberton Squash Academy players Mumin Bilen, Malik Bilen and Casey Miller for being crowned Cambridgeshire Junior champions.

some brilliant court coverage, sealing the title with a 3-1 win.

Casey Miller (L6-RW) lived up to her billing as No 1 seed in the girls’ Under-19 event and secured the title after a comfortable win in the semis and a gutsy performance in the final.

Casey battled back from losing the first game on a tie-break to level the match Mumin (7V) was on fine form, and was then able to find some winning the Under-13s event, great targets to take the lead. where he overcame tough The final game was nip and competition in the semi and tuck but Casey was able to final to win the title. again hit some quality width In the final Mumin’s great and force errors out of her attacking squash and speed opponent to take the game and around court allowed him to get her name on the Under-19 take a 2-1 lead, before trailing trophy for the first time.

7-10 in the fourth game. He There were some great then showed great performances from the other determination and fought back CSomberton players who took to win the next five points in a part. Ellis Miller (10R) finished row to win and take the title. third in the Under-17s, narrowly Older brother Malik (9M) was coming out the wrong side of a also in impressive form over 3-2 battle with older sister the weekend and picked up Casey. both the Under-15 and UnderMilly Prothero (L6-MR) also 17 trophies. In the Under-17 PRIZE WINNERS: County success for Comberton’s Squash Academy. played some fantastic squash event Malik cruised through to beat the eventual winner of his matches to top the group the Under-17 title in the group stage while in the boys Under-13s, younger brother and win the competition in convincing fashion.

Rawdon (7T) recovered from a 3-1 loss in the semi-final to put on a very The next day in the Under-15 event Malik was dominant and eased his way impressive display in winning the third place play-off. It was also great to see through to the final, where he met the No 2 seed from Peterborough. Both boys sixth-form Academy players Dan Chaplin (U6-MR) and Sananth Nair (U6-JM) played at a high pace and hit some superb shots. It was a close match taking part in the competition for the first time. throughout, but Malik’s quality shone through and he was able to pick off his Coincidentally they met in the Under-19 first round with Dan coming out on top, opponent with some fine front court winners and cover his opponent’s attacks with but Sananth’s improvement over the last year really showed.

Girls give rugby a try!

Twelve Year 7 girls went to Cambridge Rugby Club to take part in a taster day.

Girls did not need any rugby experience, but were introduced to both tag and contact rugby by coaches from the rugby club itself and from the RFU. In the morning, the girls took part in activities designed to work on movement, passing and some of the basic laws.

They were then very excited to be able to move on to tackling in the afternoon, conquering a number of tackle bags and “Gladiator”-style challenges.

The girls really enjoyed the day and many wanted to attend the club’s girls’ training. This is open to all girls and runs on both a Wednesday evening and Sunday morning at Cambridge Rugby Club, Grantchester Road, Cambridge.

Teams reach regionals

MAKING A RACKET: Comberton’s KS4 badminton team players.

Medal delight for gymnasts TASTER DAY: A group of Year 7 girls had a go at rugby.

Comberton students represented sessions the club provide, others Comberton Gymnasts Club and came attend both CVC and club sessions. home with a clutch of medals.

It was a calculated risk that the girls were ready to compete against others from clubs across Cambridge & Peterborough, having never been in this type of competition before.

Comberton Gymnastics Club sent 24 girls in total and reaped a fantastic 57 medals from the day.

20 of which were CVC students.

Some girls have only joined the SUCCESS: For Comberton’s club via the exclusive school gymnasts.

Two Comberton teams are through to the regional round of the Sainsbury’s School Games KS4 badminton tournament after winning the South Cambs competition.

The trio of Charlene Goh (9B), Lizzie Carter (10R) and Katie Hartwright (10N) topped the girls’ doubles competition while the boys’ event was won by Zichen He and Ben Wannop, with Comberton’s other pairing, Matthew Peer (11B) and Elvan Goh (11E), finishing fourth.

Head of PE Jane Clarke said: “All students showed great teamwork in the doubles matches and worked tirelessly to move the opposition around as much as possible to try and secure victory.”

Introducing new sports

Four of our sports leaders have been introducing Year 6 pupils to the kinds of sports available at Comberton Village College.

Lily Callaghan, Ella Tomsett, Elly Robinson and Sasha Bottali led a multi-sports club for pupils who may be coming to Comberton next academic year.

This was open to all Year 6 pupils from our partner schools, and we had pupils from four different schools attending.

We hope that they enjoyed the opportunity to try out some different sports and meet other pupils who will be in their year group next September.

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‘Champion of France’

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Benoit de la Sayette has been crowned ‘Champion of France’ after winning the Pony Race Championship at Chantilly earlier this term.

It was a fantastic finale to an impressive summer and autumn for the Year 10 pupil both at home and across the English Channel.

He finished a busy season by partnering the appropriately named ‘I’m Loving It’ to victory by two lengths.

A few weeks earlier, riding his other pony ‘Dough Boy’, the pair raced to victory in a hurdle race and just missed out on a double when he was beaten by a nose in a flat race the following day.

That September success followed a summer of flying high which started with victory on ‘I’m Loving It’ at Pompadour.

Benoit then flew home for the British Racing School’s Advanced Camp a year early for his age and as the youngest rider there was thrilled to be given the ‘most improving jockey’ award. With no time to sit back on his laurels, he flew straight back to France for two cross-country races at the first French Point-toPoint of the season the following day.

This is a very international day with amateur jockeys from both Britain and Ireland competing alongside the French.

Benoit won the first race to fly the flag for Great Britain and then finished ahead of the field again in the second for his first double of the season on a wonderful day with a fantastic atmosphere.

WINNING POST: Benoit crosses the finish line (left) after seeing off the opposition (below left) and flying the flag after point-to-point victory

Year 7 team’s title joy

The Year 7 girls’ hockey team have gone from strength to strength this term, starting with just four players and finishing with 21 — and victory in the District tournament!

They had a number of friendly matches in the lead up to the district tournament, which helped them learn the roles of each position and to familiarise themselves with the rules.

Thanks to the success in increasing squad numbers, Comberton were able to enter both an A and B team into the district tournament, which was held at Bottisham at the beginning of November.

The A team were unbeaten in their group

Fingers crossed for final spot

GIRL POWER: Comberton’s title-winning Year 7 A POISED TO PLAY: The Year 7 and 8 squad (top) and impressive B team. boys’ team.

Hotshot Freddie de la Sayette is waiting to hear if he has a place in next month’s National Schools Pistol Shooting Championships.

He has been named as a reserve in the intermediate section after finishing fifth in a qualifying competition at Ellesmere College, Shropshire, last month. The top four qualify automatically and Freddie, in Year 8, just missed out on a guaranteed place at Milton Keynes on January 17th.

In the opening round which involved five shots on four targets at 10 metres Freddie was in fourth spot with eight going through to the shoot-off where competitors initially take five shots on two targets. They then take

two shots on each target and the marksman with the lowest score each time drops out.

It was the second time Freddie had just missed out as he also came fourth in the first round at an earlier event in Surrey then was pipped in the knockout stage.

Younger brother Marc, in Year 7, competing in the schools’ competition for the first time finished joint 15th of the 62 competitors in the junior section.

The boys’ mum, Sally-Ann, is a qualified coach and has a range in Hardwick. She would love to enter a Comberton team next year so is inviting anybody interested in learning to shoot to contact her at saweatherhead@aol.com

matches against St Bede’s, Chesterton and Bassingbourn, meaning that they qualified top of their section.

They then played against Cambourne, Melbourn and Parkside, who also each won their respective groups. Once again, the Comberton team were unbeaten and finished top of the 16 A teams who had entered.

The B team finished 6th overall and played some excellent hockey with the B team also organising their own subs and positions.

Players of the tournament were Naomi Higgins for the A team and Shaaragh Narendren for the B team. Congratulations to all involved. l As the girls’ season was drawing to a close, the boys were just getting started.

Comberton’s year 7 and 8 team opened with a training game against North Cambridge Academy and were due to face both Swavesey and Netherhall before the Christmas holidays to put their Monday night training into action.

All players, both boys and girls, were invited to attend a try-out day with Cambridge City, Cambridge South and Cambridge Nomads and hope that a number will go on to play club hockey in future.

TAKING AIM: Freddie de la Sayette.

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