News@Com Winter 2008

Shaken not stirred!

WITh the new James Bond movie hitting cinemas across the country Comberton decided to go with the flow

Next year’s Principal’s Ball on Saturday March 7, 2009, will be themed around the exploits of James Bond and it promises to be a real blast!

Everyone will certainly look the part in best dresses and black ties, but to really get you into the Bond mood, try sipping a Dry Martini (shaken but not stirred) in the fun casino, or take part in our competition to find the best Sean Connery impersonation

There are other spy-related activities throughout the night but it’s all a bit hush-hush right now as we are waiting for Q to tell M what U are doing

Mike’s

What we can reveal is that there will be a sumptuous banquet and danceable music from Rockin Revival, who play a selection of Sixties and Seventies music including your favourite Bond themes

Tickets are £27 50 each and are available from Miss Moneypenny in Cb3 (that’s the reception desk in the gym next to the Performance hall not a branch of MI5!)

Proceeds from the event, which is organised by the Comberton Village College Trust, will go towards providing and updating equipment in the Performance hall so that more shows and productions can take place right on your doorstep

Dum de dum dum, di di di, dum de dum dum, di di di da nah, da nah nah

night life

ROCkIN Revival, who will play at this spring’s Principal’s Ball, will feature one very familiar face

Duty site manager Mike Richardson has recently joined the Cambridge-based band, which is made up of ex-professional musicians

Although many of you will know Mike from his day job, he has a long history in the music business.

After signing with the Bob kidman Orchestra at the Dorothy Ballroom in Cambridge (now Waterstones), he turned professional and moved to London where he sang with the Tony Evans Orchestra, a 16-piece dance band in the West End, performing at The Empire

SINGING STAR: Duty site manager Mike Richardson

is very different

Ballroom, Leicester Square, in the afternoon and the Lyceum (Mecca Ballroom) in the Strand in the evenings

After two years of West End life, Mike returned to Cambridge, let his hair grow long, accessorised with beads and sandals and joined a hippie psychedelic band, called Forever Amber, whose music was similar to that of Pink Floyd and the Zombies. The band made 99 copies of an LP entitled the Love Cycle, which is now a collectable and selling for as much as £3,000 a copy. If you were about in the Sixties and can remember this era then check in your loft!

In 1978 Mike joined a University Band called

Out of the Blue, a 14-piece jazz funk band, then in 1979 Mike went to America where he joined various country rock bands in Texas. He returned to the Uk in 1989 when he worked with adults with learning difficulties

While on a training course about working with the aged, he saw the need for some entertainment, as he found they were not laughing at his jokes, but appreciated his singing. So he began to entertain with “A Walk Down Memory Lane”, a collection of music from the Forties, Fifties, Sixties and Seventies.

Earlier this term he performed for The Friendly Circle over-60s group at the college

Working together to combat bullying

LAST month 16 Comberton pupils travelled to The Vine Inter-Church Primary School in Cambourne to help out with the children’s learning as part of the nationwide primary school anti-bullying week

The afternoon started with the 70 Year 5 and 6 pupils listening to an introduction to bullying from the Cambridgeshire Diversity Manager, before going to their classrooms for further activities

The Comberton pupils led workshops in small groups where the youngsters discussed the key concepts of anti-racism,

took part in role play to practise changing their responses to teasing or bullying in the future and were helped to present ideas which demonstrated understanding about what racist bullying looks like and how it can be avoided

Students from both schools really enjoyed meeting each other as well as working with each other throughout the afternoon Everybody, including staff, felt that they had gained new insights into how we should move forward and respect every single person equally no matter what their background is

The Vine’s pupils were interested to find out about Comberton’s PEOPLE scheme (Pupils’ Equal Opportunities Policy means Learning for Everyone) and we have begun to think about how we could take the PEOPLE scheme into primary schools in the future

Lewis Mancer (10O)

HERE WE ARE: Comberton pupils prepare to join youngsters at The Vine

Something new to do

FOR two days each year, normal lessons are collapsed and pupils in each year group have the chance to sample a range of different activities on Curriculum Extension days

This year, Year 7 had one day of science and one

Spanish show is pure magic

DURING Curriculum Extension Days a Spanish theatre group, the Firewalk Theatre Company, visited Comberton and performed an amazing show for the Year 8 pupils and some other local primary and secondary schools.

The production was a play and a magic show all in Spanish and it was very educational.

The plot was about a young girl called Miranda and her father Miranda’s mother was a powerful magician but she died, and Miranda and her father were alone

They tried to perform magic shows on the street in order to earn money and to travel to visit Miranda’s mother’s grave Miranda kept having dreams involving the ghost of her mother and they were sometimes very scary! Towards the end of the play Miranda and her father reached her mother’s grave and Miranda takes on her mother’s magical powers.

of PE, with a range of different sports on offer

Year 8 spent one day doing geography fieldwork at Walton-on-the-Naze and the other doing language-related activities, including dancing and tai chi New this year was a Spanish Theatre production complete with magic tricks

Making trebuchet was another new activity this

JOLLY GOOD SHOW: From the Firewalk Theatre Company

The tricks the actors performed during the show were amazing and the final trick was breathtaking Miranda completely disappeared and then re-appeared in less than a second at the back of the hall!

We all learned a lot and it was very interesting and we all really hope they will come back soon! Chantelle Bates (8R) and Phoebe Rooney (8R)

FIELDWORK: Year 8 pupils on the beach at Walton-on-the-Naze

time as Year 9 focused on Design Technology and maths

Year 10 spent two days working on their English and science coursework, while Year 11 pupils took mock GCSE exams in the expressive arts subjects or studied for other subjects they are taking for GCSE

Ready for battle

PUPILS in Year 9 participated in a day of Design Technology activities

They worked in small groups to complete three different challenge projects two old favourites, Ready Steady Cook and Wind Powered Vehicles, plus the new gladiatorial challenge of building trebuchet that could have broken many a Roman siege

This challenge involved constructing a swinging arm catapult from garden bamboo sticks The motive power for the firing arm was provided by an old cycle inner tube

Testing took place under strict competition rules adjudicated by Mr Rigg

Focus on erosion

JUST before half term, Year 8 went on a trip to Walton

Just like on TV, the Ready,Steady Cook task was to design, develop and prepare a culinary masterpiece from a standard basket of ingredients It was pasta galore as Year 9 produced a variety of Italian style cook chill delights The production of an eye-catching CAD-developed package completed the task Super lightweight engineering coupled to innovative wind-catching devices was the name of the game for the wind powered vehicle challenge One large desk top fan, four wheels, two axels, strips of pine, card and glue! hotly contested, the competition was fierce as these whacky racers roared, well trundled, down the test track It's surprising how far a small buggy powered by a sail will go!

While we were there, we were able to visit some areas that were eroding away quickly and some where it was eroding slowly On the beach we found bits of houses and other things that were originally on the cliff before they had fallen down with the eroding cliff

At lunchtime we ate on the wildlife reserve and talked about why people would and would not want to save it from eroding away People said that it should stay because of the animals and other uses it has, but others also said it does not need to be helped as no-one lives there and it costs too much money to protect the land

After lunch, we visited the tower that was on top of the cliff We all estimated how many years it would take until the tower fell into the sea. Most people said it would take at least 30 years as it was not so close to the cliff edge Everyone had a great time

Tasmyn Huseyin-Sharp (8T)

TREBUCHET CHALLENGE: Pupils work on their model

Biggs deal for Natalie . . .

YEAR 10 pupil Natalie Biggs reached the semifinals of a national competition. She competed in the penultimate round of the Miss Teen British Isles after funding her initial steps towards a modelling career with a g2g card

The g2g card gives youngsters, aged 13-16 from low income backgrounds or who are in care, £40 a month to spend on a range of council-approved activities which they would not otherwise be able to do.

The scheme is run by Cambridgeshire County

Council and Raphaels Bank and so far 1,500 youngsters have received the Maestro debit card. The scheme, launched in April, has already won many plaudits and Natalie (pictured) said: “I’ve used the card to pay competition fees to help me with my modelling career and g2g sponsored me at the Miss Teen British Isles competition I think the scheme is wonderful.”

Natalie’s mum, Angela, added: “I don’t work because I’m disabled The card means Natalie can go out with her friends and it helps pay for her modelling, which has given her confidence.”

Feels like forever . . .

ONCE again Comberton has brought in a superb batch of new pupils and it already feels like we’ve been here longer than a term

From Tutor Boards, a competition won by 7N, we went straight into Spanglovision, where 7E triumphed, and it was still only September Run, whack, and throw! All of Year 7s showed off our PE skills during the inter-form sport competitions By having both a rugby and hockey tournament as well as doing the church run, it was a team effort as well as doing your own personal best

The number of people who have already got their bronze merit award is fantastic, but 7B are the ones to beat for merits with more than 700! There were many people standing to be form representatives so congratulations to the ones who did get chosen and for those of you who didn’t, make sure that you keep trying! The form reps’ first task was to create a presentation for their form’s chosen charity so that all the presentations could then be put together into one big assembly for all the year 7 to watch The results were great and so much of the work had been done without the help of the tutors! Our chari-

ties, Wood Green Animal Shelter and the Teenage Cancer Trust, will be donated a large sum of our earnings as a year group and so it was wonderful to see what each of them actually was before we voted.

Form representatives have also helped organise this term’s social events: our Oscars themed disco and the swimming trip to Bedford Oasis School Council elections also created a real buzz and we were all impressed at the professional stickers and campaigning strategies that all candidates showed After waiting for most of the day, the announcements finally came with Cameron Reed (7M) and myself being elected hopefully we will be able to work together as a team and make sure that we continue the amazing start we’ve had in the year!

Anne-Lucie Bugain (7B)

A question of faith — and science

ThE first of Year 10’s three RE Conference Days covered ‘Religion and Science’ and saw a range of staff getting involved with teaching, including head of Year, Mrs Jones Students studying Philosophy & Ethics for GCSE looked at this issue from the perspective of Islam and to further their understanding of this faith, Mohsin Badat (a Muslim medical student) from the University of Cambridge came to talk about how he views the relationship between science and his faith The rest of the year group looked at a range of views on how science and religion relate This led into discussion of the use of animals in medical research and some video clips helped students understand a range of views on this issue, including

DRESSED TO IMPRESS: Year 7 pupils donned their party clothes for last month’s Oscars Disco

Cashing in for charity

how such an emotive topic is portrayed in the media

In the afternoon, the whole year group came together to listen to a speaker from huntingdon Life Sciences who talked about his view on the value of using animals to test new medicines

Students were able to ask him questions about the work that goes on in the laboratories and how he would respond to people who think it is wrong

Students who study Philosophy & Ethics have the opportunity each year to visit huntingdon Life Sciences and those who went last year talked to Year 10 about what they had seen during an assembly

ThERE was a range of cakes, biscuits, tea and coffee on sale at the Year 10 coffee morning in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Trust After last year Mrs Jones was keen to make this one a big success and we didn’t disappoint, raising £250 Thank you to everyone who came Maddy Winnard (10T) & Sophie Rudkin (10E)

Shot in the arm for geographers!

ThE streets of Swanage and the footpaths of West Lulworth welcomed another 84 Comberton geographers on the annual field trip to the Isle of Purbeck.

The coach journey seemed to fly by and we arrived in the picturesque village of Corfe Castle We soon busied ourselves with note-taking and taking pictures of local amenities to add to our coursework

To make sure we made the best use of our three-day stay, we were then hurried on to Swanage

The geography teachers issued each of us with a booklet and left us free to wonder the streets of Swanage, earning the occasional raised eyebrow from the locals

watching students scampering across the beaches and the pavements taking detailed notes on any discarded wrapping paper or lollipop sticks

We met back outside the heritage centre and it was then when rumours started to escalate concerning the state of the accommodation at the youth hostel Walking up the steep road to our residence, the air was filled with murmurs such as: “What if there are communal showers?” and “I’ve heard that the only toilets are in a shed outside!” played along to the amusement of the geography teachers

A sigh of relief was breathed by all as we discovered the rooms were clean, the toilets were indoors and there were no communal showers The games and TV rooms came as a pleasant surprise and each evening the Victorian-styled youth hostel came alive with loud music and dance there

COURSEWORK: Pupils on the Year 11 geography trip

Words mean money

THANkS to all who took part in the Sponsored Read over the summer holidays, especially Phyllis Armstrong in Year 9, who raised the greatest amount of sponsorship money, and to Highfield Farm Touring Park for their generous donation

We were able to order books totalling twice the value of the money raised, through the generous support of the publishers

Usbourne. The books will be available for loan from the library and used to augment the English department’s Year 9 book boxes

Many thanks also to Jenny Bowles, the parent who conceived and organised the project, without whose hard work none of this would have been possible.

As well as the fun and games, vital research was collected to help our coursework One of the most memorable moments in the trip was when Kenny was ‘shot’ in the arm with a toy gun by the local youths A contradiction to those who claim: ‘There is little to do for young people in Swanage’!

The next day was spent discovering the wonders of Purbeck’s own World heritage Site at Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door To round off the trip we spent the last day on a boat trip visiting Old harry rocks On behalf of the geography students I would like to thank Mrs Conroy, Miss Carr, Mrs Pearson, Mr Evans and the assisting staff for a great trip

Jeff Wilkinson (11E)

MEMORIAL: Part of the Menin Gate

The muddy hell of war

IN October 72 historians in Year 11 visited the First World War battlefields in Flanders, just before the 90th anniversary of the ending of the Great War. The visit focused on two main areas: the Somme, where the British began an offensive against the Germans in July 1916 the first day of which cost the British 60,000 casualties and Ypres, site of three battles during the war, the third of which is notorious for turning into a muddy hell.

During the trip, we visited many amazing sites including Vimy Ridge, with its monolith of a memorial to the Canadian troops who fought there. We saw memorials to British and Commonwealth soldiers who fought in The Great War, such as Thiepval on the Somme, with the names of over 70,000 Allied soldiers whose bodies were never found, and attended The Last Post at the Menin Gate

Comberton teams share second

Despite the rain and wind, we were able to visit many other sites including Tyne Cot Cemetery and walk through some of the muddy trenches

SIX Year 10 pupils, Michael Booth, Chris Knutsen, Will McArdle, Stephen Shawcross, Duncan Edgely and Will Evans, travelled to Coleridge Community College in Cambridge for the Worldwise Geography Quiz

The first round included five stages such as an A-Z about countries and sports, an OS map reading and questions about East Anglia The top three teams moved into the next round and both Comberton teams led the way with The Perse School in third The final round was oral and we felt our questions were harder as we were asked to name a type of Israeli farm, whereas the Perse only had to spell ‘Igneous’ After this round Comberton B were third and the A team and Perse joint first The second part included a group oral quiz in which Comberton B managed to close the gap however, the Perse gained full marks and although the final part included gambling points on questions, Perse held on to win with the CVC teams joint second, ahead of last year’s winners, The Leys Thanks to the teachers who helped train us We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were rewarded with gift vouchers

The trip was a huge personal experience for us, especially those of us who had relatives who fought in WW1

It has given us all a real perspective of war that could never be gained in the classroom

I think I speak for all of us who went on the trip when I say it was a truly an enjoyable, educating and valuable experience for everyone

Michael Booth (10M) and Stephen Shawcross (10V)

William Wilson (11B)

Many changes but st

ONE consistent theme in Comberton Village College’s history has been its growth

The college opened in 1960 for just 240 pupils It has grown in various phases ever since Today, there are 1370 pupils on roll

Given this, it is hardly surprising that a dominating feature of the school site at the moment is the latest building project

It has been a source of great interest for students (and staff) watching this being built up as the large crane has put the main structure in place The new facilities remain on schedule for completion in summer 2009 and thus to be available for use in September 2009

They will enhance general classroom space as well as providing new and much needed further facilities for Art, Music, Drama, ICT and Science We are all greatly looking forward to enjoying use of these new facilities soon

A further key part of Comberton’s on-going development that is now fundamental to us has nothing to do with buildings It is the school’s central position in the school system in working with many other schools in many ways to provide the best possible educational experience and student achievement for all

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE: The changing skyline at Comberton

This stems particularly from the college’s virtually unique position in holding five different official designations (the maximum permitted now to any successful school is three): Sports College, Languages College, Applied

Our key aim is ‘to develop the full positive potential of every individual pupil in our care’

CVC Prospectus 2008

The aim of the school is to provide a sound general education and to encourage creative and satisfying leisure activities

CVC Prospectus 1960

Learning (Vocational) College, Training School

and Leading Edge Partnership School

All of these remits imply working significantly with other schools to help all of us to continue to improve It is thus a common experience for many Comberton staff not just to work within our own school but to work with other schools also

When asked what is one of the distinctive features of Comberton Village College today, there is no doubt that, along with the traditional role of village community college, this working with other schools is one of those features It is crucial in order for us to continue to develop ever-better opportunities for our students

The final important current development has been the creation of the new Comberton Educational Trust This was legally formed in September and the school is now affiliated to it In all the forthcoming developments, this is likely to be the overarching organisation It can hold together all the future developments, whether primary, secondary or sixth form Its fundamental principles reflect the essence of the school’s foundation as a village college, an all-ability school devoted to the highest possible standards of education for all, a commitment to work with others and a desire to ensure a strongly international outlook in all that we do These are the principles of the school today They are consistent with the principles of the school at its outset They will be the guiding principles as we develop into the future.

Stephen Munday, Principal

And even the Warden took to the stage

I HAVE worked at the Village College in the General Office (in various roles) for almost 23 years and there have been a great many changes to school life during that period.

When I first arrived we were a very small team of ancillary staff, still using electric typewriters with carbon paper and stencils or the spirit-based duplicator (which changed black print to mauve) for whole school letters, weekly bulletins and subject worksheets. My current workspace used to be a cupboard but this has now been opened out and incorporated into what is now known as the General Office – which itself used to be the Warden’s (now the Principal) Office and a section of corridor.

One of the benefits for us was the conversion of the Community Education buttery into a separate ‘reception’ area with a (then) modern telephone system and a dedicated ‘meet and greet’ area for visitors and parents. Gradually we were dragged into the age of IT and over the years more sophisticated computers with new programs have been introduced into the office and now we’re totally reliant on them

There are some traditions that have disappeared with the growth of the school. I think the most memorable for me was ‘Christmas at Comberton’ when staff participated in a production, usually written by some of the teachers, and even the Warden took to the stage and joined in.

That was the beginning of Christmas I think the greatest change over the ye acknowledgement that the ancillary st ‘support staff’) are as important as th the success of the school and, happily, division, which was so evident 23 year peared.

CVC is a happy workplace and collea sent almost without exception, have be work alongside. I hope the school con and be an asset for the community.

Pat Gifford ([pic

till the same at heart

DESIGN: The 1960 plans of the college

for lots of us. ears has been the aff (later re-named e teaching staff for the ‘us’ and ‘them’ s ago, has disapgues, past and preeen a pleasure to ntinues to flourish ctured right, bottom)

COMBERTON opened as the last of the Cambridgeshire village colleges in 1960.

It was officially opened by henry Morris, the man who articulated the vision of the village colleges as schools at the heart of their communities

The school was designed to be a school that went beyond ‘just’ being a standard school for young people between certain ages and attended between certain hours This can clearly be seen today

The first two rooms that anyone sees from the school foyer are the Common Room and the Lecture Room

These are not standard classrooms They are not to be seen in most schools up and down the country They provide a resource for all sorts of people and groups to meet, be educated and be trained

The public library remains clearly located at the front of the school with the college buildings It is totally in keeping that the newer Building Society branch is clearly visible and used by many members of the local community

As the college looks to the future and to grow and develop as required by local changing circumstances, the roots of the college are as relevant as they were back at the college’s outset

A new Sixth Form will need to ensure that it meets the appropriate needs of all in the local area and provides a further resource for the local community

The new Primary School at Cambourne to be overseen by the Comberton Educational Trust will have community spaces built into it and be very much a school at the heart of the community

Perhaps most significantly of all, if the new secondary school development at Cambourne is overseen by Comberton Village College (as governors recommend), then it will be clearly designed on the Village College model It will provide a crucial focal point for the local community as well as being a centre of educational excellence

As we move forward in many ways, we will be looking to our past to help to guide us

Stephen Munday, Principal

will fit boys and girls for life in its widest sense as country men and women . . . an education which will not unfit them for life in any sphere

STEPHEN

MUNDAY: overseeing many developments at Comberton

Something magical in the climate

ThREE decades of working as a teacher at CVC have given me a privileged position as both witness and participant in its history

The most obvious change is the growth and development of Comberton into a leading state school whose expansion has taken place alongside, and also been integrated with, an era of revolution in communications This ICT revolution and the influence of globalisation have had a major impact on the mechanics and interpretation of what should be taught and how learning should take place within and beyond the classroom walls

The most significant change here is the infinite capacity for school to be a progressively more exciting and energising place

Other visible signs of change can be seen in school uniform design: sweatshirts have replaced blazers and ties, school trips extend beyond

our immediate environment to include South Africa, Mozambique and Peru Latin went out but has come back and, in addition, pupils have the option of learning, for example, Mandarin or Portuguese Teachers used to give sweets as rewards for learning but thanks to healthy Schools policies we are now a chocolate-free zone!

The pace of the school day has accelerated as have the expectations of pupils; happily, overall standards have kept pace with these expectations to ensure that CVC remains a thriving, outstanding and vibrant place to learn With this proven track record of adaptation to and spearheading change, CVC is well positioned to embark on its next half-century Students who train to teach here often remark on the dynamic creativity and clear focus of pupils and staff and observe also how friendly relationships are and what a wonderful atmosphere exists among all of us This I think is the secret of CVC success –something magical in the climate, which newcomers delight in, long to linger in and which is cherished and nurtured by our whole community

Mary Martin (pictured left, top)

We do seek for every pupil to achieve at the highest possible level in examinations, but we recognise that preparing young people for life involves, much, much more

CVC Prospectus 2008

Education for all COMMUNITY Education has always played a key role at Comberton. And 2009 will see another comprehensive programme, starting on January 12. New classes in 2009 include Alexander Technique: Mon 7 00 -9.00pm; Life Drawing: Weds 6.30-8.30pm; Men in the kitchen: Mon 7 00-9 00pm (8wks); Reflexology: Mon 7.309.30pm (5 wks).

Day Schools usually take place on Saturdays and next month include: Food Safety in Catering Level 2: 17 Jan 9 304 00pm; Indian Vegetarian Cookery: 17th Jan. 10.001 00pm; Photoshop: 17 Jan 10 00-4 00pm; First Aid in Workplace: (Tue) 27 Jan. 9.003 00pm

Full details of all courses can be found on the website

www commed combertonvc org

Henry Morris

Pressure on past champs

ONCE again it has been an exciting year for netball inter-form and I think all the girls in our year will agree that it was one of the tensest, especially for my form, 8T

From the beginning we were feeling a little nervous as we won last year and we needed to do well again this year.

We all worked extremely hard and after a couple of arguments that had to blow over so we could play to our full potential, we ended up coming second to 8V I must admit that V played an excellent game and they were worthy winners, but there was one girl who stood out in my team and that was Lucy Pollard Whenever I needed someone to pass to she was always there in a space ready to catch and when I'd hear the word 'Spencer' I knew immediately she was in a space and ready to receive the ball.

Thank you to our teachers and sports leader

Because of you we had an excellent day even though we didn't win.

Catherine Spencer (8T)

We all did our best

AROUND October half term were the inter-form competitions in PE. Year 8 girls did the Church Run and netball.

You had to play against every form in your half year You took part in four games and also had a break

As I am in 8R, I have concentrated on their competitions.

We started against 8E and won 4-0, which was amazing, but in the next round we lost 1-0 to 8T which was a good game! At the beginning T managed to get the ball down to their end and then Hannah Sabey scored for them. They managed to keep that goal for the whole time we played. We then had a break and in this we went and supported our B team

In our third game we were playing 8N It was hard but we won 2-0 with Selina Leung scoring both in a tricky game against a good team.

In our final game we played 8V. This team was very hard to compete with and the score at the end was 00 It was a tough PE lesson and we all performed to the best of our abilities. We then made our way into the sports hall where the results were announced.

Congratulations to everyone who competed in the inter-form netball!

Chantelle Bates (8R)

Becca stands out

ON Friday November 7, the Y half of the Year 8 girls had their inter-form netball competition. The first game was 8E v 8V Two minutes in and the V goal shooter scored a goal and had three other attempts.

E had more of the play in the centre of the court but failed to score and the game ended 4-0 to V, although Becca Shaw (E, GS) was girl of the match.

Chelsie Orange (8E)

ACROSS THE FIELDS: Girls on the inter-form run from Toft church to Comberton church

Spoils

NEARLY 800 students participated in the recent inter-form competitions

The girls ran the church run, while the boys contested a range of invasion games which they had recently been taught

After half term, the students swapped, with the boys tackling the run and the girls playing invasion games

The conditions were excellent before half-term making for some great performances, but two weeks later the rain created some very tough conditions, although the students showed real determination to succeed and improve

The overall results for the competitions, based on the highest scoring points as a tutor group, were as follows:

7N were top in the girls’ inter-form run as well as the 7Y invasion games competition, while M won the X half C were double winners among the boys, winning the inter-form run

and their half-year invasion games 7R took the Y half title

N also won the Year 8 girls’ inter-form but the invasion game spoils went to B and V, while for the boys it was 8I who landed both the inter-form and 8X crowns 8T won the Y half

The glory was well spread in Year 9 where the girls’ and boys’ inter-form winners were V and N respectively B won the girls’ X invasion games title with E taking the Y title For the boys, 9I and 9E triumphed

All the students involved displayed fantastic support for one another and real determination

Those students who performed particularly well on the run were invited back to running club on a Friday to allow further training to take place This was in preparation for the District Cross-Country championships which were due to take place last week

Sean Sycamore, Head of PE

Runaway regional winners

COMBERTON made an excellent start in the National Under-15 squash competition, winning their regional league against Bedford School and St Peter’s, Huntingdon

ON THEIR WAY: The Comberton squad have reached the national knockout rounds

Not a single match was lost by any of our players, with coach and team organiser Ray Scrivens commenting: “Our players have been in devastatingly good form ” Now they move on to the second stage of the competition which is a knockout against winning schools from other regions aiming to get a place in the finals held at the England Squash National Centre in Manchester

Their next match will be against Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe.

Super six seek glory

SIX Comberton pupils helped Cambridge and District Schools under-15s into the last 32 of a national football competition

Sam Spencer, Max harradine, Ore Famurewa, Charlie Dear, Declan Turner and Bu Cameron all part of the Cambridge squad and they beat halesowen & Stourbridge 3-1 in their third round clash at Cambridge City’s Milton Rd ground last month

FIVE STARS: The Comberton representatives minus Ore Famurewa

Charlie scored twice in the exciting game which set up another home clash, due to be played last week

After a sloppy start, Alfa Balde (Coleridge CC) came on in place of Jake hayden-Smith (Swavesey) his first contribution was to set up Charlie to comfortably hit home Charlie doubled the advantage after the break before Alfa made it 3-0 An own goal gave the visitors a late consolation

In the previous round Cambridge and District saw off South Bedfordshire 5-1 with Ore and Charlie both scoring and Dec going close Good defending by Sam and Max helped ensure the 2-1 half-time scoreline in favour of Cambs was as close as the hosts got

Year 8 storm into semis

AS a

the

8 boys (pictured above) have gelled extremely well and stormed into the semifinals of the County Cup

In the first match the team totally outclassed St John Fisher Catholic School (Peterborough) and won convincingly They then saw off Neale Wade School, from March, gaining revenge against the side who knocked them out last year That earned them a quarter-final match against Stanground, from Peterborough, and Comberton triumphed in a strong physical match to earn a semi-final against yet more North Cambridgeshire opponents, Sir harry Smith.

Comberton: Kieran Gibbons, Guy Kendall, Sam Reynolds, Matt Clark, Rory Thompson, Sam hills, Liam Kivlin, Rukki Djejomoah, harley Godfrey, Josh Majka, Jake Gibbs, Jimmy Cousins, Alex Burford, Owen Edgley, Marcus Wing

Matt Clark (8R)

Race is on

SIX local schools contested the first round of the Primary Schools high Five netball league at Comberton, plus one from the Comberton high Five Club Teams play over two rounds (the second is in March) and those finishing in the top half go forward to play the other top-half teams from similar leagues taking place across South Cambs hardwick and Meridian were strong in both the A and B leagues last month, with haslingfield (A) and Monkfield Park (B) also looking dangerous

BALL

WATCH: Firstround action

Two teams end up with shared titles

THE start of this season for the Year 10 rugby team was a challenging one. We knew we had big games ahead of us such as the Daily Mail Cup, the Huntingdon schools tournament for the first time and playing friendlies at U16s level with teams in the age group above

In the first game of the Daily Mail Cup we were up against a strong Ramsey Abbey team and lost by two points after a great display by both teams Being relegated to the Plate, we played another strong team from Northampton, Wrenn School

After a slightly disappointing game, we were also knocked out

Putting this behind us, we put in a lot of very impressive performances at the Hunts Schools Tournament where we drew three games and entered a threeway tie with Sawtry and Hinchinbrooke.

The big game was against Sawtry, who we have drawn with in the final of this tournament for the last three years In a tightly contested match, Sawtry scored a break away try in the final seconds and equalised. We still, however, drew on points difference with Sawtry and eventually found out that we shared the title with Sawtry.

Sam Spencer (10B) & Richard Tanburn (10C)

n COMBERTON finished as runnersup to hosts Hinchingbrooke in a Year 8 District 10-a-side rugby tournament last month

The team won every game on their way to the final to come up against the favourites.

Having played the full time allocated in the final, they were level at 20-20, having led for most of the match. The game then went to a golden try situation and Hinchingbrooke managed to score to take the title.

The Comberton students showed determination, focus and real commitment as a team throughout they were a real credit to the school in everything they did.

Comberton: Will Cox, Rafael GrahamMosmang, Daniel Jarvis, Matt Clark, Alex Gooding, Luke Webb, Rory Sheppard, Gus Scottoe, Sam Reynolds, Guy kendall (CVC’s nominated player of the tournament), Morgan Young, Jamie Smith, Ed McAuley

Sean Sycamore, Head of PE

football team,

Year

IT'S been a quite momentous term for Comberton Village College in terms of vocational education

We are a specialist Applied Learning School, with a clear aim to make sure that pupils are equipped and prepared for the world of work We chose to develop this specialism to ensure that every young person at the college had the ability to achieve their potential through courses they felt were appropriate and of interest to them

In order to achieve this, the number of BTEC courses has doubled to six

We have continued to build on the strength of the Art & Design, Business, and Sport courses as pupils have moved into Year 11, thanks to the hard work of Mrs Powys, Mr Pollock, Mrs Weston and all the other staff who work with them

More details of what these pupils have been achieving can be found on Page 16, and we are confident that all the indications point towards our Year 11 pupils achieving very highly on these courses at the end of the year

We are delighted to now have Year 10 pupils studying towards qualifications in hairdressing,

Construction and Media

A group of extremely motivated and hardworking girls travels each week to the training salon at Swavesey Village college to learn not only the skills of hairdressing, but also other lessons on personal presentation, appropriate conduct and customer service

Every Monday, 17 pupils spend four consecutive lessons developing their construction skills They have worked very hard this term on their carpentry and joinery skills, working to achieve very tough standards of finish

Finally, Media pupils have worked this term on the key skills of researching in media, and spent a morning with a BBC journalist

It was a delight for me personally to meet so

New BTECs take off Raising cash for charity

PIPEWORK:

Plumbing is one of the areas of study on the new BTEC Construction course

many parents of pupils on these courses at a parental meeting in the autumn, and to hear from them how much their sons and daughters are enjoying the courses; the increase in motivation, interest and enthusiasm these pupils have has carried over into other lessons and increased their feelings of self esteem

Lorna Bateson, Director of Applied Learning

NEWCOMER: Emma

Weston is the new CoOrdinator of Business and Enterprise Education

Looking after business

WE’D like to introduce our new Co-ordinator of Business and Enterprise Education, Mrs Emma Weston.

As well as taking on the majority of teaching for our BTEC Business groups, Mrs Weston is putting her marketing degree to good use selling all her new initiatives to Comberton pupils

From the Student Investors Challenge, to the first ever CVCbay in Enterprise Week this year, Mrs Weston has created a huge number of opportunities for pupils to develop their enterprising skills over this term.

We look forward to the upcoming Year 10 PD Day on Enterprise which she is co-ordinating!

ThE Year 10 BTEC Business groups have created their own mini-enterprise as part of their course They will donate all profits to Save the Children charity

Save the Children is an independent charity especially for children They are currently working in 52 different countries around the world and they respond quickly in emergencies

The BTEC students will be running two businesses over the next few months Anisah Khan said: "We are going to raise money by setting up a small enterprise called Electrified Photography This is where students from CVC can come along and have a high quality photograph taken with friends The photographs will be edited to make them look their best This is an amazing opportunity for friends to have an affordable professional-looking photograph to keep for memories "

n SOME Year 11 BTEC Business students ran a fair trade stall, selling confectionery items to students on the way back from the Africa walk

The stall consisted of Fair Trade produce including cookies and a school favourite; Divine Bars Fair Trade is a foundation that has dedicated itself to giving a better deal for those third world farmers who produce their product This means that farmers from across the globe from Africa to South America will always get a better deal for their produce This in turn means a better life for those farmers and their families The final amount has not been totalled yet as we are still selling goods but we raised over £30 in profit, and this money will go to the Africa fund We would like to thank Mr Dawes for his help in ordering the food for the stall

Matt Starace (11M)

It’s all about money!

The CVC Enterprise Competition is a competition that has been running at Comberton for a few years now.

The aim is to raise as much money as you can between the months of June and December, and the winning team is the one that has raised the most money

The competition began towards the end of Year 9 when we got into teams of between four and six people and came up with ideas for businesses events, selling products or both wrote a business plan, and then pitched to three judges in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ Ms Bateson, Mr Munday and Mrs Jones were the hard to please (with help from Miss Carr) and they decided whether to give the groups the go ahead

Each group had to have a Managing Director, Finance Director, Product

Director and Marketing Director Then, the competition began The last chance to make money was at the Christmas Bazaar earlier this month

We had to complete a review form to confirm how much money we are keeping for ourselves, how much we’re giving to charity and how much to our year fund We had to make a final pitch to show our progress and how much we made The winner was then chosen

The competition has been very stressful at times, but has been very enjoyable for all of us We all have learnt things throughout, from how to hold a successful event (and make it go smoothly), to sales techniques when selling things We all can say we have enjoyed ourselves and learnt plenty of vital things for the future!

Vincent Menezes (10N)

Teamwork is crucial to success CVC’s got talent

FOR the Enterprise Challenge, we formed the group Pixel Productions.

Originally, we decided to make money through running events and producing year specific calendars However, after much research and price negotiation we decided to focus purely on events.

In July, we held a band evening with five bands from the local area By doing this event we learnt how important teamwork is, and how much effort and time has to go into organising and planning an event.

SO PROUD: Year 7 girls with their ‘Oscar’

However, even though planning the event was hard work and also rather stressful, it was extremely rewarding afterwards to receive so much praise from other students and members of staff; and the profits certainly did not disappoint! The event put us under a lot of pressure as a team, and although at times we were stressed, we pulled through to produce a fantastic event that proved popular with many

students in the older years! Pixel’s second event was a Year 7 ‘Oscars’ Disco. It was a very entertaining night.Everyone was dressed to impress and so was the dining hall! Red carpet, photographers and amazingly dressed Year 7s made it a night to remember! The Year 7s enjoyed having their pictures taken and they all had fun (we hope!) at the disco. Although they seemed to be having a good time, we were a bit stressed before and during the disco They are a lot harder to organise than they look! However, it was a great night and made more than £250 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. We would like to thank everyone who helped on the night, including teachers and our parents It was such a fun thing to organise and we made some good money for charity

Sophie Rudkin, Laura Edwards, Belinda Hughes (10E), Holly Gale (10V), and Lewis Mancer (10O)

LAST month our enterprise group held a Year 7 and 8 Talent show

At first everything seemed to be going wrong; the microphones stopped working before the dress rehearsal and we could not figure out how to work the sound system! however, everything worked out all right The night started off with a very lively band, followed by many singers and dancers, At the end we held a raffle with 10 great prizes and we totalled up the judges scores to find out who won Chantelle Bates and Lara McCarthy (Year 8) were third, behind Catherine Spencer and Catherine Brown (Year 8), with Rowanna Soyza, Olivia, Kelly Anne Isaacson, and Yasmin Maio the winners. A percentage of the profits are going towards the East Anglia Children’s hospice’s

Sophie Dyer (10N), Victoria Unsworth, Seraya Yildirim, and Sasha Henry (10E)

Disco delight

BOYS’ NIGHT OUT:

Year 7

pupils at the ‘Oscars’

OUR enterprise group Lilac Jelly, hosted a Year 4, 5 and 6 disco at Meridian School, Comberton

It was a great success and raised just under £200 before we paid for the DJ and food

Just under £100 will be donated to our year fund (40 per cent) and charity

All the children had a great time, especially those who won the best dancer and raffle prizes

Claire Haugh (10R), Rachel Lambert, Amber Osborne (10B) and Micha Thomas (10I)