Mandeville Life by FSE Design

Issue Date October 2017

Mandeville Life

Telephone: 01296 745400 Website: mandeville.bucks.sch.uk Principal â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mrs Andria Hanham

Ellen Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 8ES

The Principal’s Message I write this following the summer holidays reflecting on a busy and productive summer term of activities and school events. We are generally pleased with our Year 11 and Sixth Form results this year with some marked improvements made in several areas. Of particular note are the English GCSE results after the demise of coursework. The assessment via linear examination has not depressed our percentage of around 60% of our students achieving a C or equivalent with the new 1 – 9 system of grading. A number of our students in both English subjects English language and English literature plus mathematics managed to secure the highest levels of 7, 8 and 9. This demonstrates that we are able to get the best out of brightest students and achieve as good as other schools at the ‘top end’. We will continue to work with students of all abilities however because of our comprehensive ideals rooted in enabling all of our learners to succeed. We began the term with two very busy Inset Days welcoming twelve new members of staff to our teaching team. All have been appointed following a full selection process and will bring skill, experience and new ideas to Mandeville. Our incumbent staff welcomed them into the fold with their usual optimism and positivity. Our new school day is working well with double periods for Years 9 onwards operating very successfully indeed. The coupling of lessons is enabling us to organise more opportunities for formal assessments in individual departments but also in larger cohorts such as for ‘walking talking’ mocks.

Looking forward, this term will see us beginning the planning of our Enrichment Week in 2018 which will be in the final week of the year. While it seems a long way off, there is much to put in place and we want to get our various camp experiences booked up for Years 7 – 9 quickly to as to secure as many places as possible for our students so that they can have a great residential experience to close the year. Mr Emsden, co-ordinator, already has ‘irons in the fire’ and students will be hearing the proper launch in assemblies coming up. We are really going to focus on our new rewards system this year. Excellent behaviour and contribution to school life will be recognised and congratulated but using our new points ladder that includes SLT and Governor nominations and also in public assembly. We have so many wonderful students at Mandeville who should be recognised for their participation in school life. I will continue to write to you every fortnight to keep you informed about Mandeville matters. Please do continue to direct feedback about our school to me either by office or via my PA Angela Cobb. We do listen to your views so that we can improve further but it is also nice for me to be able to pass on pleasant feedback (which it mostly is!) to my staff. It is good for their well-being and makes their efforts all the more worthwhile. Enjoy your reading and I am sure that you will be proud if your child gets a particular mention. We are!

Andria Hanham, The Principal

Year 7

students joining her as their Year Leader for Year 8 this September. She already has them ship-shape Taylor-style.

Firstly, may I say a huge thank you to all parents of last year’s Year 7 for your continued support over the last academic year? It has been a pleasure being able to work with some amazing students along with very supportive parents.

June and July were very busy with a two-day transition programme, seeing The Mandeville School welcome our new Year 7 cohort, comprising over 180 children. They have now ‘properly’ arrived and have settled into the school. I look forward to further working with both my new students and parents over this coming year.

A warm welcome to Year 7 from your Year Leader Mr Hatton

As we came to the end of a long term and academic school year, and prepared to have a restful time over the summer break, we reflected on what has been a very busy period in the year group. This saw many challenges for our students, having to adapt to the changes from primary to secondary school. In addition to this, I officially handed the year group over to Miss Taylor in preparation for the

Mr Hatton, Year Leader for Year 7

Re-Launch of The Mandeville School’s House System

The summer term saw the re-launch of the House System when we appointed House Captains and Vice House Captains in Year 9. We felt that we had a cohort of students who would be able to make that step up in the school’s student leadership system as opposed to sixth formers who more ‘traditionally’ hold these roles. The application process was tough and rigorous which included candidates speaking

in front of the whole of Year 7 explaining why they would be suitable for the post. The students who were successful now have a coloured tie to match the colour of their House alongside a shielded badge which states their role. An exception to this is the House Personal Assistant, Ryan Hobbs, who has his very own bespoke tie with all of the House colours on it. Ryan’s job is to maintain the points system

through his self-formulated spreadsheets and to keep the notice board up to date. The students are very proud of their role and have been excellent ever since they were appointed into post guiding visitors including Governors and distinguished guests and chaperoning at Open Events.

House

Captain

Vice-Captain

Hartwell

Josh Childs

Rachael Hungwe

Rothschild

Rose McNulty

Aaron Hussain

Windsor

Joe Slater

Tara Heyburn

Verney

Thomas Davis

Hannah Surman

Chequers

Adisa Kwamena

Chris Sinclair

The House System has, in this very short time, created a competitive edge environment and drawn students’ attention to who is currently winning. Before each event we have announced the current standings which has created a much more competitive environment bringing out the best in the students.

With points being added to each House for these competitions it has continually been changing the scores creating great anticipation amongst the students. The competition in just a few weeks during the summer term was to the highest standard, and will continue to be so in the new term.

students from Years 7 to 10 will compete for the final points available to create a final league table. The trophy will be presented to the winning House in front of the whole school by The Principal at a celebration assembly on the final day of the school year in July 2018.

And so, looking forward, this makes this year’s House cup look very exciting with lots of subjects hosting House competitions. Many more points will therefore be up for grabs. It will also play to many more students’ various strengths and talents! Finally, the year will culminate at the end of Enrichment Week in a whole school Inter-House day where all

The winning House for 2016-17 was Hartwell. We will have to wait and see if they retain their title as cup holders!

education. Everyone was involved in climbing, raft building, kayaking, dragon boating, laser-tag, giant swing and leap of faith over the course of the week. Our students embraced the challenges of the activities, supported others and did their best to push past fears. We all recognise greatness and those moments where the best performer emerges – however, I believe that our Year 7’s recognised the students that overcame their fears and pushed when things became difficult. This is a wonderful quality to see in our youngest students and a characteristic that bodes well for the future.

conversations had with different students whilst walking, the Mandeville staff were stopped by passers by. They commented on what polite and respectful students they were meeting and enquired as to which school we were from. For me, this was simply the normal attitude that our students showed over the week - the same positive attitude that instructors at Longridge commented on daily - What a positive reflection of our school!

Historically the House Cup has just been based upon athletics events. We have now added more competitions to the House Cup which includes the traditional inter-house sport but also a multi-sports festival, a 6R poster challenge, reward points by House and also attendance by House members.

Year 7 Longridge Trip – June 2017 Our second year of camp materialised to be as memorable as the first and the weather was certainly on our side this year with lots of sunshine. A total of seventy students signed up for residential this year and like last year they began the process of organising tents, sleeping bags, torches and an array of camping equipment for the week ahead. We had a number of staff returning for their second venture to camp in addition to the new members of the team who all gave up their time to make the whole trip possible. I would like to use this opportunity to again thank all the people involved in making this experience a reality. Like last year, parents and students came to Longridge to set up camp on the Sunday evening to prepare for the week ahead. After a peaceful night’s sleep the staff were ready to travel to school to meet all the students and embark on our journey. By 10am on Monday morning students were meeting their activity leaders ready to begin the fun and outdoor

The week continued in much the same fashion with even stronger bonds formed and fun being had. Our ‘Mandeville’s Got Talent’ on Wednesday evening will be a memory that will stick with me for a long time to come!! After a conversation with all the staff that attended Year 7 camp it was obvious that there was a collective pride in the Mandeville students at how they embraced the challenges that arose throughout the week. One final moment that was a lovely way to conclude the venture came during the hike. Apart from the numerous articulate and entertaining

Mr Harnett, Year Leader for Year 10

Mr Emsden, Camp Leader

Year 8 Bushcraft Trip – June 2017 Enrichment Week 2017 saw a group of resilient Year 8 students venture deep into the woods of Cheshire to spend two days surviving - Bear Grylls-style - in the Bushcraft camp in the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle. Soon after arrival (which was just before noon) it became clear to the students that they would not get to eat until they had made a fire and cooked their own lunch (lamb and vegetable kebabs) ‘from scratch’ themselves. Accompanied by Mrs Gould and Mr Cockroft, the eighteen students had a whale of a time and learnt skills ranging from archery to fire-lighting, and from camouflage techniques to salmonfilleting. Having learnt how to place an injured

Year 9 Barton Hall Trip – June 2017 Day 1: Wednesday 14th June – 7am Year 9 departed for their first ever school residential. The destination was Torquay. A large PGL site called Barton Hall was awaiting the students which was full of exciting activities. The students were very much awake and excited on our departure. We arrived to a sunny Torquay and a warm welcome from the PGL staff and the sea could also been seen from the centre making it a picturesque location. There was no hanging around as the students went straight onto activity. The first round of activities varied from raft building, sensory trail, team games and aero-ball. Following the afternoons activities the students were given their room keys and started to unpack which looked like two weeks’ worth of clothes (and sweets)! Once the students had managed to fit their bed sheets we headed down for some dinner. This offered a couple of great options such as chicken curry, stuffed mozzarella mushrooms or a vegetarian lasagne followed up with a lovely bowl of ice cream, a complimentary salad bar was also on offer which was very popular amongst our students which was great to see! Our evening was a combination of free time mixed in with a game of capture the flag.

person in the recovery position students were not expecting to have put their new-found knowledge into practice quite as quickly as they did. In the middle of a nature walk, students were startled to stumble across the smoking wreckage of a plane. Staggering dazed, bleeding and confused was Mrs Gould, who pointed to further casualties still inside the cockpit. Students quickly swung into action, ‘gently’ dragging a semi-conscious Mr Cockroft out of the cockpit before the plane exploded, placing him in the recovery position and consoling a distraught (and unconvincingly made-up) Mrs Gould!

rabbit, making tent pegs and survival bracelets and even suffering a bee-sting! As a group, the students’ engagement was impeccable and all activities were characterised by their thirst for knowledge and their collaborative approach to learning. The organisers said we were one of the best schools they had ever worked with and praised the students’ politeness and the responsible way in which they managed themselves – they said Mandeville were an absolute pleasure to work with.

Mr Cockroft, Trip Leader

Star of the visit for his Risk-taking had to be Jed Stansfield who absolutely relished all of the things he did for the first time, which included building and sleeping in a shelter, skinning a

Day 2: Students must have been very tired from the activities and early start or they didn’t get much sleep or… it could have been a combination of both but Mrs Lloyd, Mrs Tofte and myself had to give all rooms a wakeup call! A fully cooked breakfast with fresh fruit awaited the group which was well received! Activities for the day were mountain biking, quad biking, team games, aero ball, sensory trail and raft building. Two activities were completed within the morning sessions before we then took a lunch break. Students then went on to complete two further exciting activities.

quiet with lots of sleeping from the majority of our students, in my opinion this is a sign of a great venture. Well done to all the students who went on the trip. You did yourself, your parents and finally the school very proud. It was mentioned many times to Mrs Lloyd, Mrs Tofte and myself what a fantastic group of students we have. Well done to everyone Involved.

Mr Harnett, Trip Leader

The students got themselves washed and headed down for some much needed dinner which was then followed up with a game of football and a visit to the gift shop where fun was had all round!

Day 3: The final day was filled with activities that were yet to be completed by other groups. For the final day as the group leader I wondered around the groups and it was clear to see all students were having a fantastic time. Following the two final activities the students were given burger and chips for lunch before getting onto the bus and heading back to Aylesbury. The coach was very

And all of the staff deserve a huge “Thank you” from me for giving of their time and enthusiasm. The Principal

Year 10 - June 2017

Student Leadership is Year 11 Gets a Revamp We held our Gold Tie Selection Day on 19th June 2017. Many students applied for the positions available and all of the students who attended the Selection Day applied themselves with gusto and a finesse to be proud of. Since this incredibly successful day, Mrs Hanham and I met to discuss the ways in which we can

As such we will no longer be having Red Ties as we believe they represented an old Mandeville and didn’t sit harmoniously with the new and improving image of the School. As such all Year 11 Student Leaders have been issued with a Gold Tie.

Tie is now associated with another year group to help support the Year Leader with its smooth running. They have additional responsibilities, such as leading assemblies and mentoring younger students; two Senior Gold Ties are also now responsible for strengthening links between Key Stage 4 and the Sixth Form so that there is a vertical seam.

As with previous years, there are twelve students who have stood out above their peers; these have formed the Senior Gold Ties. Each Senior Gold

I am proud to announce the following students have been promoted to the esteemed position of Senior Gold Tie:

develop the leadership within Year 11.

Student

Year Group Connection

Bethany Harmes and Marina Barbanta

Year 7 led by Mr Hatton

Cameron Batt and Jessica Godfrey

Year 8 led by Miss Taylor

Luke Hammond and Amy Greenlees

Year 9 led by Mr Robinson

Emily Jones and Bailey Bateman

Year 10 led by Mr Harnett

James Robertson and Kacey St John

Year 11 led by Miss Cobb

Hannah Lancaster and Toby Ayling

Sixth Form led by Mr Cockroft

Working alongside the Senior Gold Ties are the following Gold Ties who have worked tirelessly to be awarded this position.

Students Chloe Acres

Hassan Hussain

Humaira Shafiq

Bilal Ahmed

Bethany Jackson

Rebecca Simmons

Inshaba Akram

Chloe Lake

Robbie Smith

Jake Anderson-Green

Aisha Mahmood

Molly Stansfield

Morgan Baldwin

Alaina Mahmood

Sam Stone

Eloise Bendelow

Riona Mason

Yuquan Wang

Millie Bowness

Grace Muller

Georgia Welland

Mollie Buczak

Angela Nave

Mary Yubuco Cacho

Maddy Bushell-Smith

Danniel Nave

Georgia Trodd

Hannah Carr

Molly Scott

Leah Dewick

Charlie Carter

Molly Cleaver

Millie Haines

Lauren Cato

Jessica Crawford

Katie Hawes

Courtney Chapman Mandley

Emma Croft

To mirror previous years, Gold Ties and Senior Gold Ties will be under constant scrutiny with regards to their behaviour, punctuality and attendance. Should they perform in a manner which does not represent the 6Rs then they run the risk of having either part or all of their positions revoked. There will be an opportunity for additional students to join this elite group of Gold and Senior Gold Ties in October, when we undergo our first ever Mandeville School Performance Management. Please be on the look-out for official notification of the next round of appointments.

Prom 2018! As I am sure many of you are aware, we have already been planning our Prom for June 2018. Meetings have occurred in order to discover exactly what our students want from their Prom. Having taken this information on board, both myself and Mrs Cregan visited a number of venues to obtain the best for our students. I can therefore announce that we have an amazing venue which ticks nearly every box requested by the students themselves.

Invites for the Prom will be handed out posthaste to build up enthusiasm for the event. I have no doubt that this year will be the best Prom Mandeville School has ever seen! And that is saying something as they have been wonderful events to date.

Upcoming Mock Examinations Hopefully some of the ‘eager beavers’ out there used the summer holidays to prepare for their

next round of examinations, I can confirm that you should expect a set of mock examinations at the end of October. We will be testing our senior students regularly so that they learn from mistakes and are fully prepared for ‘the real thing’ next year. Please do not hesitate to speak to your tutors for further support in preparing for your exams and a massive pinch of good luck from me!

Miss Cobb, Year Leader for Year 11

Year 11 Leavers Day – June 2017 Friday 16th June was the last day of school for Year 11 and it was celebrated in the traditional way with shirt signing, a rousing leavers’ assembly and finished off with an evening of dancing at the Prom. For the Year 11 students it was an emotional day - students were given the opportunity to sign each other’s shirts and spend their final time together as a year group out on the school field. They were then welcomed into the school hall for an assembly of awards, speeches from tutors and myself as their Year Leader and videos of their time at Mandeville. A highlight for me was the videos seeing many pictures of the year group back from Year 7. It really showed how far and how much the students had grown up and changed.

Some highlights of the awards given were: • • • • • • •

Most caring student – Tom Moslin Most positive student – Genesis Dela Cruz Mandeville musician – Lau Newman Mandeville artist – Zaina Abbas Mandeville athlete – Tyler Parker Most likely to become famous – Tyrone Lewthwaite Most competitive – Jamie Jellis

The Prom was a chance for the Year 11 students to get dressed to impress with some very show-stopping arrivals and impressive outfits with the boys all suited and booted with a sunglasses trend to top it off and the girls looking stunning in some amazing dresses! The venue was announced as the Oxford Belfry, and students were whisked away on coaches to the venue, the weather really was on our side and allowed for welcome drinks and pictures to be held in the Hotel gardens. The students’ behaviour was impeccable and exceptionally mature all evening, students enjoyed a very civilised three course meal, with numerous students opting to wait till sunset to eat due to respect for those observing Ramadan. Following dinner, the dance floor was well and truly getting its use. I have never witnessed such a year group of movers, with unlimited requests and a great playlist from the hired DJ allowing all to dance the night away. There were two awards voted for on the night Prom Queen and King. All students and staff in attendance voted and it was a close call with numerous popular nominations - all definitely deserved. However, the 2017 Prom Queen went to Macy Bone-Gell and Prom King to Tafa Manjengwa!

Ms Taylor, Year Leader for Year 8 (previously Year 11)

Sixth Form – June 2017 Young Enterprise Annual Report Introduction Young Enterprise is the UK’s leading charity that empowers young people to harness their personal and business skills. They make connections between schools and the world of work, enabling young people to develop the knowledge and attitudes they need to succeed, building on eight key skills; communication, confidence, financial capability, initiative, organisation, problemsolving, teamwork and resilience. They offer something for every year of education from Primary Programmes to Secondary Programmes (including a year-long Company Programme) to the university-level Start-up. They are the UK’s leading figure in personal and business skills and they work with 3,482 educational centres across primary and secondary, delivering over 4 million learning hours each year. They have a dedication of 6,000 volunteers across the UK mentoring young people, assist in delivery of their programmes in school or are part of the local volunteer boards that help Young Enterprise across the country. Since Young Enterprise was established in the 1970’s 3.8 million young people have taken part in Young Enterprise programmes in the UK. One million of these have run businesses for a year on their Company Programme. Ed-U-Kate has been proud to be part of the one million people running a business via the company program.

Introduction: Ed-U-Kate Ed-U-Kate is a company program business which has been funded by Young Enterprise so that a group of individuals have the chance to experience the world of work. We were assigned four members of Young Enterprise when we first started out in October 2016. As most of the other companies started in September 2016 we needed all the motivation and support from

peers, Young Enterprise volunteers and school staff. The four members of Young Enterprise consisted of two business advisers from different working backgrounds. The other two members were part of the Young Enterprise Area Board which were there to get us set up and going.

Our Journey In September 2016 one of our Sixth Form support staff but also our Centre Lead, Mrs Karen Tofte contacted them to see if we were able to experience the world of work, with the support and guidance from Young Enterprise. From her initiative and determination to help the students take part in the Young Enterprise program, we were able to bring together a team of twelve people. Once we had formed the Young Enterprise group we were swiftly brought into the company program which would allow us to form a real business and trade in Buckinghamshire. We had the support and guidance from the two business advisers and school staff to catch up on the other companies. When we first started our company program with Young Enterprise in October 2016 we came together as a group and had the idea of a children’s book which would inspire children into healthy eating in a fun and innovative way. The idea was brought up at our weekly General Meeting (GM) which would be held at a specific time every week were all company members and business advisers would come together to discuss the progression of the company. Over the next few months, we were able to raise capital which enabled us to fund our business both with the adequate resources and the production of our first book “Nothing Like Teamwork”. A couple of months later we started to produce our second book through the sales of our first. The second book was called “Nothing Like Friendship” which was a follow on from our first book.

As the next few months went on, the sales were gradually increasing and coming to the end of the Young Enterprise process. In May 2017 we were invited to a presentation evening at Buckingham University, were there were all the finalists from the Young Enterprise Area Finals. Ed-U-Kate amongst other companies was proud to say that we surpassed the Area Finals and advanced onto County Finals! At the County Finals, we gave a presentation which we was scored by the judges. After the presentations, they moved onto the awards and Ed-U-Kate won the Environmental Award which we were very proud of. We did not win the County finals. Nevertheless, it has been a wonderful experience and we have met some amazing people like the CEO of Snaffling Pigs. Now with just a final AGM to hold we thank everyone for their support throughout the process and a special thank you to all our shareholders, we would not have been able to make it without you!

Recommendations The Young Enterprise Programme has been such a success: we started almost two months later than other companies and we have achieved more than what they had done in the first two weeks. During the Young Enterprise process, we learned a range of new skills which we can now put on our CV’s and develop into our future careers. Young Enterprise is a well-known organisation which employers recognise, making us stand out amongst the crowd. We at Ed-U-Kate strongly recommend that if you get the opportunity to be in a Young Enterprise company, it is well worth it as, not only does it give you vital skills for the future, but you get to meet some amazing people. It is an experience you will never forget.

Ed- U-Kate Team

Sixth Form Cabinet The first week of June saw a very important election taking place (no, not that one!) - the election of the new Sixth Form Cabinet to replace the Year 13 incumbents who were, by then, in the midst of their examinations. The candidates had already undergone a rigorous interview with The Principal and Sixth Form Leader where the questions included what they would do to make the school even better and which leaders they most admired and why. Answers to the latter question were diverse, including controversial historical figures, modern-day politicians and family members. What was clear from the students’ answers was their shared pride in the school, desire to support younger students and their passion for further improving the learning environment of the William Harding Sixth Form Centre. The next stage of the process was for the students to deliver a speech to their electorate – the rest of the Sixth Form and selected members of staff including the Principal. For some this was more daunting than the interview but again, the students’ belief in the school and their drive to improve it further shone through.

One candidate spoke about her work with the school’s Anti-Bullying Committee and others spoke of their pride in being a part of the Sixth Form’s Young Enterprise success in which The Mandeville School beat other local schools including Aylesbury High, The Royal Latin School and Waddesdon to progress to the next round of the contest. Another common theme of the candidates’ speeches was of the importance of learning from mistakes. After listening carefully to all of the speeches, the electorate cast their votes. Hassna Zabir-Khan was elected Principal Girl and Jack Reed Principal Boy by the student voice and this was ratified by the staff panel including The Principal. They are supported by Vice Principal Girl, Charlotte Haines, and Vice Principal Boys, James Ashby and Josh Watkins. The Cabinet is already busy planning their assemblies to the lower school, selecting resources to improve the Sixth Form study room and canvassing students’ views about other improvements they would like to see.

Mr Cockroft, Sixth Form Leader

Mandeville School Sports Partnership Since 2014 The Mandeville School has been the hub site for The Mandeville School Sports Partnership. Under the guidance of its School Games Organiser, the school works with School Sports Coordinators based at The Mandeville School, Aylesbury Grammar School, Aylesbury High, The Grange and John Colet. Initially charged with supporting primary schools to deliver 2 hours of PE to all its students and up skill primary teachers, the School Sports Partnership is now responsible for organising primary school sports competitions. This year the Sports Partnership has delivered 62 competitions to 5,232 primary school children. This includes multi school festivals for every child from Reception to Year 4, the historic Year 6 games and Bucks School Games qualifying competitions in seventeen sports including the traditional sports of netball and football as well as new sports such as cycling and handball. In order to run the festivals which can involve between sixty and two hundred primary school students, the secondary schools rely on their students to act as sports leaders. This year over a hundred students from Years 7 to 14 have been involved as Mandeville Sports Leaders and have enabled the primary school students to experience competitive sport in a fun and safe environment. Twenty one primary schools have signed up to the Sports Partnership for 2017 and the team are aiming to provide even more competitions to event more children this year.

Mrs Kelly, Partnership Development Manager

Sporting Activities Multi Skills On Thursday 6th July The Mandeville School hosted the The John Colet Liaison Multi-Skills Festival. Over two hundred and thirty Year 2 students from Stoke Mandeville, Aston Clinton and John Hampden schools attended

this huge event. The size of the event meant that many Mandeville students were able to gain some invaluable leadership experience. With the warm conditions present the Year 2 students were kept focused and on task by our excellent performing leaders, who encouraged, motivated and enthused the young children. Many teachers from the attending schools praised our leaders and the quality they had shown. All in all - a fantastic day for all involved.

Tennis Tournament On Friday 7th July The Mandeville School’s Sports Leaders took part in a Level 3 Tennis Tournament as the competition’s umpires. As a renowned and prestigious tournament, Mandeville Leaders needed to be at their very best. They had been trained and coached by James (a member of the Lawn Tennis Association and the Tournament Leader) on a number of occasions leading up to the event giving the students the skills they required to be effective umpires. The leaders arrived early to put up all of the banners as well as set up the courts for the competitors. Once this had been completed and the primary school students arrived it was time for the first games to commence. Mr Robinson was thoroughly impressed with the leaders’ enthusiasm as they carried out their duties perfectly. It was an extremely assured performance, which had caught the eye of many primary school teachers who complimented their skills. Another invaluable leadership experience was gleaned for our great students.

Year 6 Games Letters Following the successful Year 6 Games we received the following letters of thanks: “Dear Mrs Kelly We would like to say a huge thank you from our Year 6 class at Stoke Mandeville Combined School, for letting us participate in the Year 6 Games. I really enjoyed playing football with my teammates from different schools. And the whole of my class enjoyed the sport that they were playing. This was made possible by your amazing team of sports leaders and teachers.We would also like to say a huge well done to everyone involved. From Bobby”

“Dear Mrs Kelly Thank you for inviting us to the Year 6 games. We had lots of fun, we really enjoyed ourselves. I participated in the football. Also I was lucky enough to be on the winning team. I would like to thank all of the sports leaders, who did a fantastic job. All of my class mates had a wonderful time. In addition we made lots of friends who are going to the same school as us in September. From Matthew” Mr Robinson, School Sports Coordinator

Interhouse Sports On Friday 30th June, 11am, Mandeville’s finest athletes were seen lining up outside the sports hall. Here, they were met by their Head of House, eagerly waiting to ‘psych’ their squads up in order to be successful at the athletics tournament. Would Mandeville be painted Hartwell Blue again? Students were given instructions on the how the

event was going to be ran, and then soon made the short journey to Stoke Mandeville Stadium. The atmosphere leaving school was excellent, all students were wanting to do well for their leader, do well for themselves and make a positive contribution to their House being victorious. All female students began on the throwing and jumping events, and the boys started on the track. Following a short break, the boys moved onto the field events and the girls started their running races.

I am incredibly proud of how the day went. We wanted to try something new and raise the profile of Inter-House Athletics under the new and improved House System, and I feel that we certainly achieved it. I want to say a big thank you and “well done” to the following students. These are our House Sports Captains who did an amazing job in sorting the teams out and making sure everyone was organised:

Gabriella Hall

Olivia Brookes

Lily Read

Clarisse Gayondato

Amy Dix

Lewis James

Rhys Plumley

Mohammed Zaheer

Bailey Bravington

Alfie Hutchinson

Paige Bateman

Sydney Lewis

Mackenzie Gurney

Alexis Kadejo

Jess Gomes

Ryan Frankland

Jigar Sandhu

Faris Mohammed

Tom Maciejewski

Sam Greenlees

Suzie McGrath

Chloe Tippins

Jamie Ferguson

Keira Marley

Imani Ruiz

Kyle Scott

Ben Terry

Nathan Ferguson

Jacob Green

Alex Meachen

Bethany Harmes

Alicia Tomczuk

Kacey St John

Chloe Acres

Amy Greenlees

Cameron Batt

David Oyibo

Jake Anderson Green

Ryan McNamee

I also want to say a huge “well done” to all of the students who attended the competition. With close to 300 students at the stadium, the atmosphere was amazing, as was the behaviour and effort levels. Finally, to all of the Heads of Houses and PE teachers who helped to make the day so fantastic – the day would not have been successful without your efforts! I am looking forward to next year’s event already!

Mr Crowther, Subject Leader for PE

Staff v Students Softball On Thursday 13th July, eleven staff and thirteen students took the field for the first “Staff v Students Softball Match”. The student team comprised of eleven Year 9 and two Year 12 students, whilst their opposition would be represented by a mixture of teachers and support staff. Under the watchful eye of our Principal, five innings of batting for each team would ensue. It would be accurate to say that the game started off with both teams matching each other in both batting and fielding. It would be during the fourth innings that the student’s knowledge of the game, through far more training sessions than the staff would shine through and a lead would began to appear. The competition was settled in the fifth innings with a 10 – 7 win in favour of the students.

The game will be remembered for the enjoyment of seeing students and staff enjoying each other’s company in an afternoon of sport… the staff however, are already planning next year’s rematch.

Mr Emsden, Teacher of PE

Thoughts from the Senior Leadership Team There is no such thing as a quiet start to an academic year, and his year is no exception. At the beginning of my third year at Mandeville I have been given the responsibility of leading on the curriculum, assessment and data aspects of the school. Over the last eight months a lot of hard work has gone into planning for the new timetable, changes to the length of the teaching lesson from one hour to 50 minutes, an increase in the number of lessons to six per day, a two-week timetable, and the introduction of daily mathematics and English for all students in Years 7 through to 11. Initial views from both staff and students are immensely positive in terms of how the term has commenced in these areas and I look forward to fine-tuning these over the next term to ensure that we maximise the impact of the changes to raise student progress and attainment across the board. Another strand of the changes we have made has been on successfully bedding in our exciting two and three-year Key-Stage 4 for the current Year 9s and 10s respectively. The marked transformation in the attitudes of the students in both year groups has been wonderful to observe as they move on to what is the most crucial part in their educational journey thus far. In some subjects we have merged the Year 9s and 10s into one class with the intention that the challenge for Year 9 is raised by being taught alongside Year 10, whilst an added level of competition is brought in for Year 10. In so doing we have managed to save a number of what are traditionally referred to as arts and practical subjects from being scrapped, which unfortunately

This September brings me to the end of my first full year at The Mandeville School and I have enjoyed every minute of working here with our wonderful students. I am excited to continue our plans into the new year with the new Achievement Point System at the forefront of my mind. The students and staff have been so positive about the new system and around 5,000 achievement points are being given out each week! I can’t wait to celebrate as the term goes on with all the students who have had such a positive and successful start to the term. This also links to the positive end of last academic year when the students reduced the number of behaviour points that were given by 30%. I’m pleased to say this has continued this term with the school absolutely buzzing with positive learning environments in every class I have visited. Well done to all the students and staff for such an inspiring start to the term and to our parents and carers for all the support and encouragement of their children.

Mrs Tongue, Vice Principal

has happened in other schools across the country and instead inject them with a renewed sense of vigour and enthusiasm. The buzz in lessons where students are working alongside their peers from a different year group is palpable! I have had the privilege of not only popping in to see how all students are getting on in their option subjects, but also being fortunate to teach the Fast-Track English group. The attitude to learning of all students has improved tremendously and the level of challenge in lessons has increased. The Principal dropped in to class and was impressed with the level of sustained challenge. Furthermore our new ‘Study Lessons’, made of up of both ‘walking-talkingmocks’, study skills and sessions on aspirations and careers has started well. Staff and students alike are becoming used to the format of this part of the curriculum and I am confident that these will prove to be a huge success in raising the attitude to learning of all students has improved tremendously and the level of challenge in lessons has increased. Our new ‘Assessment for Learning and Homework Policy’ has also just been approved by the school’s board of governors and this will provide us with a renewed focus on how we use assessment to diagnose exactly what students need to do to progress rapidly, providing feedback which includes therapy to make the changes happen, and further testing to ensure the student has made the necessary progress. The cycle will then begin again, both in classwork and through independent study/homework as we work tirelessly to push our students to succeed beyond their expected target grades.

Mr Rogerson, Vice Principal

The new term has seen a number of staff joining ‘Team Mandeville’ and learning new structures and procedures that will help them to support the students across all departments and year groups. Established staff have seen all of these new staff teach and the overwhelming feeling is of positivity that the entire staff body will be able to really push the students to achieve the very best that they can. This is not without challenges - new examination specifications, a revised marking methodology and changes in a number of subject areas but we are trying to harness these evolutions to help us deliver to the best of our ability. Learning walks have taken place early this year and we are seeing a real ‘step up to the plate’ from a large majority of the student population, none more so that the Year 9’s who have grabbed a three year Key Stage 4 ‘by the horns’ and have settled into lessons with the ‘senior’ students very successfully. A good start that we will all be working at to embed as the year continues.

Mr Miles, Assistant Vice Principal

September starts and the school gates open for another academic year. It’s so nice to see all the familiar faces back for another year. A little bit older and hopefully wiser. There are lots of new faces and names to learn as we welcome the Year 7’s to our community. They have made a brilliant start. Everybody looks smart wearing the Mandeville uniform with pride – I hope this approach continues and emanates in to all the work the students do. Our rewards system has been launched fully and students are collecting achievement points that are linked to the 6 R’s as we strive to create a ‘believe and achieve’ attitude where every student is being ambitious and taking every opportunity we provide to grow academically and personally. I have a feeling it is going to be a brilliant year and I look forward to working with all our stakeholders in making it the best year yet!

Miss Thompson, Assistant Vice Principal

School Shop Thank You Event Earlier this year, The Mandeville School opened its first stationery shop, selling essential items of stationery, for a fraction of the cost in the high street. A group of Year 8 volunteers kindly gave up their break and lunchtimes to run it, and so far the shop has seen amazing success. To thank these students for all their hard work, they were invited to a film screening in the Library on the afternoon of Tuesday 18th July. The attending students chose to watch the Dreamworks classic How to Train Your Dragon. Feedback from the students says it was an enjoyable afternoon, and they enjoyed the treat of watching a film on the big screen, while munching on as many sweets as they could carry! We look forward to welcoming the new Year 8 shopkeepers to this opportunity this term.

One item we will be selling that is new is the purple pen for ‘perfecting’ which will be used for students to self and peer assess their work. It is an essential item of our equipment and not optional because it is part of our Marking Policy that is followed by all departments. Every student in Years 7 – 13 has been given one as their first purple pen. Once this is used, they will be able to purchase their next one, along with other required resources, at the stationery shop at a very competitive price.

Miss Evans, Librarian, Reprographics Manager, Teacher of Drama

Gardening Club The Mandeville Gardening Gurus have been hard at work around the school site this term. We decided that The William Harding Centre was looking a bit bland at the entrance and needed an injection of colour, so we drew up a plan for a House colour scheme and planted summer flowering bulbs in colours to reflect this. This hard work will continue in the autumn, when they will be planting spring flowering bulbs so that there is colour there all year round. We have also added other insect-friendly plants to encourage bees and butterflies to the area.

The Gardening Gurus have also been growing vegetables in the garden of The House. Potatoes, garlic and broad beans have been harvested already with the addition of tomatoes, runner beans and peas yet to come. A very busy horticultural time! If you would like to join The Gardening Gurus, please speak to Mrs Doolan or Miss Mock for more information. We meet every Tuesday from 2.45pm 3.45pm in S5 all year round.

Miss Mock, Gardening Club

Celebration Event Celebrating an outstanding attitude to learning, attendance and effort for a whole academic year! The summer term closed with a ‘Golden Ticket’ event for the students in Years 7 to 10 who had demonstrated the 6 Rs in abundance for the entire academic year. An afternoon of fun and team challenges were had by all. The obstacle course and egg and spoon race created a lot of laughter and even the year leaders attempted the cargo net crawl!

After ice creams to cool down, a formal assembly concluded the event with Mrs Hanham presenting certificates to recognise the students for their positivity in ‘Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow’. I look forward to celebrating outstanding commitment and effort with more students in this coming academic year and challenge every student to be there by doing their very best, every single day in every lesson and taking every opportunity to ‘shine’.

Miss Thompson, Assistant Vice Principal

Work Experience On 5th June twenty four Year 10 students embarked on a two week work experience placement as part of their ASDAN/Child Development courses. They were lucky enough to experience some very stimulating and interesting working environments, including several retail outlets, a vets, garages, a golf course, school/early years/childcare, equestrian and catering.

During their placement they were able to demonstrate all of The Mandeville School’s 6Rs. •

They were extremely ‘Resourceful’ in finding solutions to many of the problems they encountered in a real working environment.

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They were ‘Resilient’ in bouncing back a number of times and overcoming hurdles and setbacks.

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They were ‘Risk-takers’ each and every one of them were completely out of their comfort zone, meeting and working alongside people they had never met before and trying new things that they were not sure of.

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They were ‘Responsible’ in carrying out all of the tasks asked of them by their employers, even though some of the tasks they did not particularly enjoy. They were responsible for creating a brilliant impression out in the community of Mandeville students. They did Mandeville proud!

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They were ‘Respectful’ – behaving impeccably in their placements, showing respect for their environment, their co-workers, customers and their own performance.

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They were ‘Reflective’ in being able to now plan for their further education after Year 11. Some now have a clear idea of what they would like to do and what they need to do to get there. Others were able to reflect and are certain that they do not want to pursue that career path.

The experience was invaluable in helping them to develop countless skills that employers want to see in a young person.

Mrs Hogston, ASDAN/CoPE & Work Experience Coordinator

students who might like to apply.

ABC The ABC are pleased to welcome Sixth Form student and Vice Principal Charlotte Haines as their lead senior student on this initiative. Both staff and students recognise the importance of young people being able to share their concerns with other young people and why it can be difficult to approach adults. The aim of the group remains for it to be student-led supported by staff members, and anyone and everyone is welcome. Charlotte has said that she wants the ABC to offer a safe and welcoming environment where young people can come to complete work or play games with other young people and for it to be a safe area where the young people can be open with their experiences, and share their own problems as well as their views and opinions about the school. The ABC is solution-focused aiming to help young people find their way forward through a problem rather than dwelling on it. The ABC have recently had the opportunity to redesign the Anti-Bullying page in the Mandeville Manual making it more student friendly. The ABC have also successfully bid for funding to support thirty students to train to be ABC Ambassadors. In September 2017 there will be a job description available and an interview and selection process for those

Anti-Bullying week will be 13th – 17th November 2017 when the ABC will be in assemblies highlighting issues and reminding students of the support available to them. This year’s theme is All Different All Equal All Welcome, which is now the motto for the ABC. The School has signed up to be an ‘All Together School, united against bullying’ The ABC aim to be more visual around the school at break and lunchtimes and going forward would like to do a presentation to both staff and parents. The Anti-Bullying Alliance website has a lot of information for parents, students and staff along with an online training opportunity for all to have a better understanding of signs of bullying and how better to support young people. The ABC now meet in the library on a Monday after school from 3pm to 4pm, as the area is more accessible to all.

Mrs Tofte, SEND Caseworker, ABC Adult Facilitator

Building Update

Works carried out during the Summer Holidays The summer break has been a very busy time at Mandeville. Repairs on the Sports Hall have finished: it is now freshly decorated and has a new roof and we look forward to seeing our students benefitting from this fantastic ‘new’ facility, especially Mr Crowther! These works were carried out by the County Council and their contractors and I am sure you will agree the end result looks fantastic We have had new windows put in the Tower Block, so these should now protect us from the elements as the inclement weather in winter arrives, as well as being fit-for-purpose in terms of ventilation should we enjoy the summer sun for a few more weeks. In addition, the caretaking staff have painted the Tower Block from top to bottom in ‘Mandeville burgundy’ and it now looks a fresh inviting place for our students to learn. We are having new boilers fitted in the New Block. Works on this started over the summer and are due to be completed the second week of September. So, should we get cold weather during the autumn and spring terms, staff and students in science, business studies, computing and languages will be able to learn and be taught in comfort - and not require numerous layers of clothes, or portable heaters as in previous years. We have also welcomed a re-design of classrooms from design, technology and textiles to create two new geography classrooms at the end of the practical block enabling all humanities subjects to sit together. In conjunction with our catering provider Alliance in Partnership, we are looking to create an additional outdoor food provision. This should be delivered and fully functional by October half-term, offering students a further area to purchase food and drinks during the day. Watch this space for further updates on this. The final major piece of works that started over the summer is a new IT Solutions Provider in School. We have signed a new contract and are working with the new provider on improving the IT performance within the school, with a wide ranging programme of IT works being carried out and managed. This has commenced with the installation of a new Broadband facility which is currently being tested and will be rolled out in the next few weeks. In conjunction with this we are working to install more Wifi access points with a long term view of having site-wide Wifi access which will enhance learning and opportunities in the longer term.

Appeal for Funds All school funding is facing cuts, and increasing costs. The Mandeville School is no exception. There have been significant changes to address this over the last few years but we have, at times, not been able to undertake some of the investment that we would like to have. These funding issues in education are set to continue. To address this at The Mandeville School we have looked at all areas of income and expenditure: • • • •

Maximise the use of our facilities by external groups in the evenings and weekends (lettings) Reduce staffing costs without compromising on the quality of education for our learners Reviewing and renegotiating all supply contracts Looking at efficiency savings

1: Site Security

2: Doors and Windows

To ensure the safety of our students and staff, we need to review and implement some better secure access arrangements to the front of the site. We have had a number of instances of trespassers accessing the site out of hours and causing damage, to which there is an associated cost. We want to install new secure gates at the front of the site to keep students safe during the school day and trespassers out. We have upgraded and moved CCTV cameras so we now have the ability to see and recognise unwanted and unwelcome personnel on site and are able to pass this on to the Police. However, these measures need to be enhanced.

Due to the age of some of the buildings on site we need to consider replacing and maintaining doors and windows in a number of our blocks.

3: Temporary Sports Hall In raising standards, we carry out continuous assessment of our students, we need the space to do this. Having an area that can be used for examinations on a more regular basis, means we do not have to disrupt the PE timetable or renege on out of hours letting agreements for our sports facilities. Therefore we kindly request that you help us with these funding challenges.

It All Adds Up £5 per month = £60 per year – from approximately all students is equivalent to £55,000.

Easyfundraising.org

Whenever you buy anything online - from your weekly shop to your annual holiday - you could be collecting free donations for our school.

There are a variety of ways you can make a gift to The Mandeville School:

There are over 3,100 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation, including Amazon, John Lewis, Aviva, thetrainline and Sainsbury’s – it does not cost you a penny extra! Full details on how to use easyfundraising.org can be found on the fundraising page.

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Finally…

Making a Gift to Our School Fund Appeal

Making a regular donation

Regular gifts can be made monthly, quarterly or annually for as many years as you choose, this helps the school plan ahead and make good use of the donation income. Direct Debits can be set up and a form will be available in the open evening packs, which can be completed and returned, or is available on-line to download. Visit the “Fundraising” page on the website. By cheque made payable to “The Mandeville School“, or cash if you could return either in an envelope clearing marked ‘School Fund Appeal’

We are very grateful to all those who can donate to the school and help us out in any way, however small. Every single contribution makes a difference. Thank you.

Upcoming Dates for Mandeville October 2017

Monday 2nd - Open Morning for September 2018 Entry, 9am-11am Tuesday 10th – Year 10/Sixth Form photographs Monday 23rd – Friday 27th – Half Term Monday 30th – Inset Day – school closed to students Tuesday 31st – School opens to all students

November 2017

December 2017

Saturday 2nd December – Christmas Fayre Tuesday 19th – School closes for Christmas break (early closing at 12.20pm)

January 2018

Wednesday 3rd – Inset Day Thursday 4th – School opens to all students

Wednesday 22nd – Sixth Form Information Evening for September 2018 Entry

Parents’ Evening Dates

Wednesday 4th October – Year 11 (1), 4pm-6.30pm Wednesday 1st November – Year 7, 4pm-6.30pm Wednesday 15th November – Sixth Form, 4pm-6.30pm Wednesday 10th January 2018 – Year 9, 4pm-6.30pm Wednesday 17th January – Year 10, 4pm-6.30pm Wednesday 31st January – Year 11 (2), 4pm-6.30pm Wednesday 14th March – Year 8, 4pm-6.30pm

Telephone: 01296 745400 Website: mandeville.bucks.sch.uk Principal – Mrs Andria Hanham

Ellen Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 8ES

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