January2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS

We hope that you have all enjoyed a happy and restful Christmas holiday and are now refreshed, ready for the challenges of a new school year.

We apologise for the delay in publication of this issue, set back by last term‟s OFSTED visit. This delay enables us to publish the outcome of our recent OFSTED inspection. We are delighted that the school has been judged to be ‘OUTSTANDING’. Last year only 17% of schools, nationally, were given this accolade and, needless to say, we are all very proud.

The report is a credit to the school‟s hardworking and talented staff and the positive attitude, pride and sense of ownership of the school by the pupils.

The full report may be accessed via the OFSTED link from our school area of our website: www.rodborough.surrey.sch.uk

Inside this Edition Music News Prefects Reading Challenge Public Speaking Books & Authors Heritage Filming Languages Focus Cyber Bullying Happiness Survey School Council Healthy School Charities News „Guys & Dolls‟ Maths Challenge Beauty Day Young Carers Emergency Services Pupil Round-up Art Club Boys‟ Football Rugby, Year 9 Sports Coordinator Netball Focus Basketball JSLA Girls‟ Football

2,3,4 3 5 5 6 7 8 9 10,11 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 15 16 16 19 19 20,21 22 23 23 24

Dates for your diary

Would you like to contribute an article to The Chronicles?

The deadline for the Spring issue is the end of February.

RODBOROUGH CHRONICLES

VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1

*19 Jan 5pm RS Factor Semi finals *20 Jan 4:30 Y11 Parents Evening *27 Jan Mock oral GCSE F & De * These dates have changed!

21 Jan Billy Elliot trip Y8&9 28 Jan 4:30pm Y8 Parents Evening 29 Jan Box Clever Theatre Y7&8 2 Feb Poetry Live Trip Y11 3 Feb 7pm RS Factor Finals 8-12 Feb Year 11 Work Experience 9 Feb Year 9 First Aid Training 10 Feb Nation Theatre Trip 13-21 Feb Ski Trip 15-19 Feb Half Term 22 Feb INSET 25 Feb 7pm Y9 Options Evening 4 Mar 4:30 Y10 Parents Evening 5-16 Apr Easter Holiday

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Insight Course

Reporter Tom Archer During October half term Max Hayes, Patrick Ellis, Chris Ford and I attended an Insight Course at the Royal Logistic Corps Band (RLC) in Deepcut, Camberley. We were first taken to the band room where we joined in with their rehearsal and met the band members over tea break. We started to have a great time once we got to know each other and then settled in to our rooms.

Each day brought new experiences as we tried out all the different aspects of being an army musician. Daily band practice was only one discipline, as we also enjoyed many evening activities designed to help us get to know each other better.

These included bowling, rock band, PS3 night (rock band) and were very successful. New friendships were quickly made.

One day we travelled to London to watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Whilst many of us had seen this before, on this occasion we were allowed inside the gates to watch the guards assemble. Changing the Guard is one of the jobs required of an army musician and the RLC band had this honour 3 times recently. Later on in the week we all practised marching. This was mainly successful; however, some were better than others (it‟s really hard to march whilst playing the trombone)! It was a great experience as most of us hadn‟t marched before.

We found out during Insight, that beneath the discipline and the high levels of respect you must give to people of higher rank than you, everyone likes to have fun! We all enjoyed playing hockey with some of the band members and things got very competitive!

We also played football on the camp pitches. Every day, we would go over to the food block/canteen where brilliant food was served and also very kindly pre-paid!

By the third day we could all spot the different characters and had met the different band members. Rock band was one of the main events that brought us together. At the start of the evening we introduced ourselves and said our name, instrument, hobbies and our claim to fame. Honestly, none of them were very impressive. Most of them consisted of my mum‟s, uncle‟s, neighbour‟s, daughter‟s, dog‟s old owners…. It was a fun night listening to the band and we all joined in for a few songs!

Throughout the week, we all learned more and more about how to be, what its like to be, and what you need to be like to be an army musician. When we visited Kneller Hall (one of the first places you would go for an audition), we joined in with the band / training musicians and we were shown a presentation about the job of an army musician. This presentation really opened our eyes to what this job entails and many of us couldn‟t pick out any bad points!

We‟d all like to thank Mrs Yeadon because, if she hadn‟t offered this to us, we would never have experienced the amazing things we did. I am seriously considering this as a career and I know some of the others are too!

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Carol Concerts

Reporter Mrs Howick As if the Music Department hadn‟t been busy enough with „Young Musician of the Year‟ and the first heats of „RS Factor’, they also treated us to two Christmas concerts this year. The first was an informal concert on Wednesday 9 December, in The Capital.

A wide variety of acts, including the Staff Choir and Jazz band, entertained an enthusiastic audience. Did the OFSTED inspectors enjoy the music as they concluded their day‟s business in Mr Smith‟s office? The refreshments, including mince pies and mulled wine, served in the music room after the performance, were enjoyed by all.

The second Christmas Concert was held one week later in Milford Church. The church soon filled as friends and relatives braved the extreme cold to join our service of music and readings. The Christmas Story was retold in installments by readers: Tom Simons, Annie Simons, Grace Terry, Chris Waters, Tom Rathbone & Katie Beckett. Acer Stephens & Josie Cannon read from Charles Dickens‟ Christmas Carol and Frankie Davis & Bethan Jones read John Betjeman‟s poem, Christmas.

Musical interludes catered for all tastes with a capella renditions of Silent Night and, less traditionally, Mamma Mia; Stephen Draper‟s Why Christmas? from the Staff Choir; the „Vicar of Dibley’ version of The Lord is my Shepherd by Howard Goodall and John Rutter‟s Angel’s Carol from the vocal group along with rousing seasonal numbers from the Jazz Band, who also accompanied Carols for the Congregation to sing.

The Jazz Band‟s busy December schedule included entertaining crowds in Godalming and Upper and Lower School Assemblies on the final day of school. Who could argue with one Year 11 who was overheard remarking to a friend afterwards, „The Jazz Band really are fantastic!‟?

Awards & Certificates Evenings

Our annual Awards Evening took place in November.

Pupils from last years‟ Y7-Y10 received awards ranging from progress and endeavour, academic and sporting excellence, and subject proficiency through to service to the community.

The evening was punctuated by commentary by pupils and rousing music from the Jazz Band.

Our ex Year 11s attended their own Certificate Evening where prizes were awarded by Geoff Peppiatt, Chairman of our new school catering company, Innovate.

Mr Peppiatt gave a short address advising us all to take part in as many extra-curricular activities as possible in order to become interested and interesting people.

Prefects – Thank you for your help this year!

Prefects have had a busy term performing a variety of jobs around the school. The dayto-day tasks of supervising lunch, looking after departments, helping with homework clubs and peer supporting have been augmented by running School Council meetings and, on a lighter note, decorating the Christmas Tree in Reception.

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Young Musician of the Year

Reporter Theo Puddephatt This year‟s Young Musician of the Year competition was hotly contested, with 15 nervous young hopefuls playing in turn before the terrifying judges; Ms Moyler and Mr Loveday.

There were two sections; one for Years 7, 8 & 9 and another for Years 10 & 11. I had chosen to play Gilbert & Sullivan‟s ‘Sorry her lot who loves too well’ on trumpet. Other instruments included saxophone, drums, piano and even a harp! Despite the nerves every performer played confidently and professionally and, when we broke for refreshments between Lower and Upper School performances, it was difficult to guess what the judges were thinking as they made their deliberations.

With refreshment break over we were able to take our seats and, with our own performances behind us, relax and enjoy the older students‟ performances; safe in the knowledge that we had done the best we could!

The level of talent in both age categories was staggering with the appreciative audience erupting into thunderous applause after each performance.

A second short interval allowed the judges to make their final decisions before we assembled in the Hall for the final time. Whilst every performer knew that there could only be one winner and that the standard had been phenomenally high, we all agreed that, „It‟s not the taking part that counts but the winning!‟ We listened eagerly as the judges gave all contestants supportive comments together with constructive criticism to to help them improve. By this time we were on the edges of our seats, holding our breath for the results. Runner-up for the Lower School was Poppy Jackson‟s breathtaking recital of CPE Bach‟s Solfeggietto and I couldn‟t quite believe my ears when I heard that I had won the Lower School section (and a cash prize)!

The Upper School section was next to be announced. Runner up was Sammy Jones, who had blown the audience away with his saxophone rendition of Mozart‟s Rondo in D. Claudia Nunn‟s sensitive flute interpretation of Bach‟s Andante took the Upper School prize.

Now all attention was focused on the overall Rodborough Young Musician of the Year 2009 title, which was awarded to the hugely talented Thomas Archer for his surprising drum melody.

Although many people did not win prizes, everyone enjoyed themselves and I hope to see even more competitors next year. Thank you to Miss Stirling, Mrs Yeadon, Ms Moyler, Mr Loveday, Mr Smith and the many others who helped to put this evening together.

RS Factor!

Reporter Ms Moyler Thank you to all those who auditioned for the RS Factor. This year the standard has been very high and the number of entries has greatly increased. The following students have been successful and are now through to the Semi-Final, which will be held on Tuesday 19th January 2010.

Solo performers will need to provide backing tracks recorded onto CD. Tickets for the Semi-Final will be on sale from January, priced at just £2.50.

Please come and support your friends and make RS Factor 2010 a success.

Solo Acts Groups Megan Hurley Bea Richardson Un decided The Sweeties Francesca Ho Matt Shorrock Rebecca & Charlotte Break the Tide Grace Terry Jade Jones The Alfies Tom Smillie‟s Group Owen Morgan Deanna Walker G2 John & Zoë Kate Amy Ryan Kirby Take This Annie Simon‟s Group Lauren Jordan Annie Simons

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Year 8 & 9 Reading Challenge

Reporter Toran Nicoll 9LK

This year, Years 8 & 9 are taking part in a contest to see which Year, Form and Individual can read the greatest number of books from the widest range of genres. It is very simple and can earn you a LOT of house points for just reading a book or two every week. Prizes for the highest scores are awarded every half term to the highest form in each year and the highest person in each year.

To enter, just log in to the Rodborough website and go to Subjects, English, Year 8 & 9 Reading Challenge and click on “Book reviews”. By adding your own review (in answer to the four prompt questions) you can earn up to five house points! Alternatively, you can fill in a paper review sheet during tutor time.

The first half-term‟s winners were 9LK with 54 points and 8EW with a staggering 110 points! These are the forms to beat! The students who earned the most points were myself, with 40 house points and, in Year 8, Caleb Rowan of 8LM, who earned himself 20 house points through the scheme. Good luck everyone and keep reading!

Rotary: „Youth Speaks‟

Reporter Mrs Kemp

Congratulations to Grace Terry (9LK), Chris Waters (8PC) and Acer Stevens (9FS) for coming second in the Rotary‟s public speaking competition, held at Charterhouse School on Thursday, 19th November.

After securing their places in the team by preparing and presenting a persuasive speech, the three students had to choose a topic and put together an engaging and memorable presentation.

As the chairperson, (responsible for opening the speech and introducing her fellow speakers) Grace had to speak for two minutes, followed by the main speaker, Chris, who had to speak for a further six minutes on the team‟s chosen topic of „Alternative Medicine‟.

The Public Speaking Team

Acer then had to propose the vote of thanks, speaking for two minutes and closing the team‟s speech. All three students worked extremely hard and dedicated much of their spare time to writing and practising their speeches; they thoroughly deserved their success.

…charming the audience with their sparkling personalities …

On the evening of the competition Grace, Chris and Acer spoke clearly and eloquently on their topic, using humour to engage their listeners and charming the audience with their sparkling personalities! Despite fierce competition, the team secured second place in the intermediate competition, winning book tokens and featuring in a Surrey Advertiser article.

All three students should feel very proud of their achievement!

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The Cherub Series by Robert Muchamore

Book Review by Ed Hornby

Cherub is a fiction series about teenage spies who go under cover in gangs or terrorist groups. Cherub‟s agents live on Cherub Campus when they are not on missions. Here they train in advanced martial arts as well as training exercises to hone their skills before their next missions.

“The Recruit”, the first book in the series, was the first book I ever read from front to back but, before I read it, I absolutely detested reading! On my Year 6 Rodborough introduction day I was encouraged to read a book over the summer. I went home with this book and moaned to my Dad that I had to read it. He made me and I‟m glad he did because I‟ve never looked back! I have since read all eleven of his books and they were all just as good as the first. I only have one more to read and I‟m really looking forward to it.

It is crucial that you read the series in order otherwise you will not understand the story at all. I suggest you order the first book as quickly as possible. I promise you it will be fantastic and you won‟t be disappointed one bit!

Check out the Cherub Series in the Library. Can you remember the first book you read ‘from front to back’? Tell us about it in the next edition of The Chronicles.

Mrs Howick

Gaby Halberstam Visit

Reporter Lorna Greenham, Year7

th

On Friday 16 October some Year 7 students travelled to Broadwater School to listen to author, Gaby Halberstam, speak about her books, Blue Sky Freedom and The Red Dress. When the other lucky Rodborough students and I arrived we were swiftly shown to our places. Gaby started by showing us a presentation of family and animal pictures illustrating her privileged childhood home in South Africa. Then she linked this with her books and explained her inspiration for writing. Gaby told us that the story, Blue Sky Freedom, was inspired by South Africa, the place where she used to live when she was a little girl. It was all very interesting, and also very shocking. She told us of the different ways that black and white people were treated in South Africa during this period of apartheid. We were then able to ask questions. Mostly they were about the stories but a few questions slipped in about her childhood and about the racism that existed in South Africa while she was there.

We also asked her questions about her career as a writer. After a while the question asking thinned out and one of the Broadwater teachers announced that we could buy some signed copies of Gaby‟s books from a table set at the back of the school hall. Sadly, we couldn‟t stay forever so we said our final goodbyes and set off to go home. Overall everyone had a smashing time!

Thank you Mrs Goldsmith and Mrs Howick for organising the trip and Mrs Bullen for driving us.

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Heritage Filming with Julian Richards

Reporter Alex Currie

On 20th and 21st October, Year 9 historians were given the exciting chance of working with freelance archaeologist, Julian Richards. We were to work on a heritage film linked to last year‟s work on the memorial garden and Witley camp. To secure our place on the team each of us had to submit our reasons for wanting to be part of the project. The lucky team members chosen were: Alex Currie, Alex Bignell, Harry Chase, Gemma Flew, Tom Rathbone, Jemima Webster, Olivia Smith and Elliot Thornton - all aided by Year 11 camera man, Laurence Pearson.

Julian set us straight to work brainstorming ideas for the film. We poured over WW1 & WW2 maps of the local commons and worked out which were the most promising areas to look for evidence of the massive army camps. Before long we were off – one party on bikes and another party in the minibus to rendezvous at Milford Cemetery – one place we could guarantee to find evidence!

After filming several shots from the cemetery, we began to look around Milford Common to try and uncover evidence of the camps‟ existence. The search was disappointing, revealing only a few bricks here and there, so we decided to regroup at an area to the north of Webb Road where the WW1 Officers Quarters were shown on one of our old maps. It was here, on the outskirts of the common, that our luck changed. The area surrounding the Officers quarters could still be made out as earth banks had been constructed around the quarters, and the ground to the south of the quarters was terraced. It was within the banked area that Elliot found a ginger beer bottle dating back to the First World War. We have since researched this bottle and found it to have been made by a company from Guildford.

On day two we decided to spend our time on the furthest north of the three commons. We all felt it was important to try to discover the site of the original Rodborough School, which took over WW2 buildings on Rodborough Hill, the other side of the A3 from Webb Road. We were dropped off at Borough Farm Road, which had formed the central track of the enormous Algonquin WW1 Canadian Camp. Searches for remains of buildings from this camp proved frustrating as the camps were very well dismantled after both wars.

We then began our search for the site of the first Rodborough School. This proved very difficult as almost all traces had been removed. It took us most of the day but we finally found conclusive evidence of the school. This came in the humble form of a „third of a pint‟ milk bottle, which many parents may remember were given to children of all ages until about 1980. This was a very important find, as it gave us the proof that the old school really was based at the spot we‟d been searching. A few minutes later there was more excitement as the girls discovered a broken cup and saucer bearing the unmistakable NAAFI logo! This gave us proof that troops had also been on this site.

Pleased that our day‟s toil had not been in vain we just had time to explore one other area that we‟d identified as having potential. Navigating across the common using our World War 2 maps we tried to locate the position of the 30 yard firing range.

A boundary on the old map led us to an area where a large garden cuts into the common. Here, next to the garden, the firing range remains in surprisingly good condition. Some of us had ridden bikes over the slopes of this range but had never guessed its origins! So, with two successes under our belts we ended day two filming the range and unsuccessfully exploring the bank at the back of the range in the hope of finding stray bullets! We hope that, once complete, our film will be good enough to be used to used in Godalming Museum. We‟d all like to thank Julian for his brilliant help and advice throughout the project; all the members of the team have come away from this project having learnt something new about our local history and also about the process of making films. We also now realise just how much you can learn from discarded „rubbish‟!

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Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome!

Reporter Mrs Culbert

The Modern Foreign Languages Department opened their doors to welcome prospective Year 7 pupils on Open Evening to show them what learning languages at Rodborough is all about. Current students gave up their evening to demonstrate how much fun learning a new language can be.

They compèred interesting games on the interactive white board and entertained visitors with French and German drama presentations.

Their quick Europe quiz went down very well (we suspect the prospect of sweets for the winners may have been a factor)!

The evening was very successful and we hope that we may have inspired our prospective pupils with positive thoughts about learning languages when they come to Rodborough.

Languages Week

Reporter Mrs Culbert

Bonjour, Guten Tag, Geia Sou, Maido, Namaskaar, Pryvit!

Do you know the countries that say „hello‟ like this?

Languages week was celebrated all around the school this year.

Pupils were greeted by teachers of all subjects in a variety of languages, some maths was learned in French or German and special assemblies conducted on world themes.

The Year 8 Dance Group were especially popular, making guest appearances at all year group assemblies with their Jai Ho (a dance song with 4 different languages). Merci to Miss Horne for organising this.

Merci/ Danke /Grazie/ Gracias/ Go raibh maith agaibh to all staff and pupils for entering into the spirit of the week! Years 9 &10 also experienced a thought-provoking assembly about the importance of languages from Dr. Marley from the University of Surrey.

Gingerbread Houses

Reporter Mrs Culbert On 10 December, Year 9 pupils gave full rein to their artistic talents when they entered Gingerbread House, or Hexenhaus, Competition. Each team purchased a kit containing everything they needed to assemble and decorate their Gingerbread House.

Some enterprising teams also brought additional decorations to give their Hexenhaus the edge. Everyone had a fantastic time and the resulting houses looked fantastically festive!

There was a keen competitive spirit between many of the teams, so the judging was eagerly anticipated!

The innovative decoration, together with the detail of Santa Claus climbing down the chimney swung Mr Smith‟s decision the way of Phoebe Ploegaerts, Tom Rathbone, Michaela Grammer, Sean Thomson & Scott Walker‟s delighted team.

Many of the competitors then set off to Cologne for a tiring but exciting weekend at the German Christmas Market.

Thank you to all the staff who, having suffered two days of OFSTED, still had the energy to accompany the students on this trip!

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Campaign against Cyber Bullying

Year 8 have been investigating the unpleasant topic of Cyber Bullying.

by Year 8

Kate Stevenson 8PC Best Girl

Cyber bullying, whether through social networking sites, e-mail or mobile phone is a modern form of bullying and is just as upsetting as traditional poison pen and verbal taunting.

The posters produced in response to this investigation are now displayed around the school.

James Carter 8ECS Best Boy Annie Simons 8RE Runner Up

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Happiness & Participation at Rodborough

Our findings, by Miss Spencer Several pieces of work were undertaken during the Summer Term 2009 to determine whether pupils were happy, safe and took part in school life. An area of focus for Rodborough has been improved communication regarding bullying matters. We needed to find out pupils‟ and parents‟ perceptions and how far we have succeeded in improving communications.

The work was carried out in three ways: 1. Research by Peer Supporters 2. Surveys of pupils in Years 7-10 3. Survey of Parents

“I enjoy the clubs at Rodborough because you can make lots of new friends there”

Peer Supporter Research The research by Peer Supporters usefully identified potential „bullying hot-spots‟. Pupils are now advised by the Peer Support Prefect Team to avoid those areas of the school that are out of bounds as these areas are not supervised by staff. Feedback also highlighted the difficulty of spotting duty Peer Supporters. This has been addressed by the implementation of conspicuous badges. Peer Supporters now have a „duty walk route‟ to take in other „hot-spot‟ areas. Please do stop them to talk if you are experiencing difficulties.

Pupil Survey The Pupil Survey was completed via the school website: A very large majority of pupils from all year groups told us that they were happy at Rodborough and the overwhelming majority have good friends here. Pupils have positive relationships with most of their teachers and the vast majority enjoy coming to Rodborough and attend as often as they can. In July a small minority of pupils felt that there was no one at school they could talk to if they had a problem. At that time only 50% of Lower School Pupils were aware of our trained Peer Supporters. Hopefully, the publicity campaign by our Peer Supporters in Assemblies during September and October, and our new „on duty‟ badges will make this process easier.

Whilst a large majority of Year 7 pupils take part in clubs and activities at school during lunch or after school, this participation drops as the pupils get older with just less than half our Year 10 pupils doing so. Many of our older pupils do, however, take part in activities out of school. Happily a very large majority of pupils in ALL year groups felt that they belonged to the school community and feel safe at Rodborough.

“There is more freedom than our old

school and more opportunities” Y7 Bullying at Rodborough We also asked pupils whether they had ever been bullied at Rodborough. A small minority of pupils across all year groups told us that they had. Most of this bullying had been verbal (deliberate teasing to cause upset). A small minority of the bullying was social (being excluded from social groups to cause upset) and a very similar proportion of this bullying was physical (being hit or assaulted not as part of a game). 7 – 15% of the bullying reported in this survey had taken place in the month previous to the survey.

We then asked this small minority who had experienced bullying at Rodborough who they had reported the bullying to. Whilst around half of this group had reported the bullying to a parent or to a friend, and a quarter had reported to a teacher, only 5% reported to Peer Supporters and a few didn‟t report the bullying to anyone. Of those who reported the bullying, the bullying stopped or things improved for the very large majority.

“Have a box where people can write letters.”

Many thanks to all who participated in these surveys.

We look forward to the results of the Kirkland Rowell survey to set our results into a national perspective.

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In response to the pupil survey we have: Introduced a system where pupils may „self-refer‟ to Lea Newbery, our Eikon Youth Worker, for help with bullying issues. There is a post-box in reception where requests may be left.

Held Peer Supporter assemblies to publicise their role and made them easier to spot.

Improved the Information about where to go for help to sort out bullying in the new school planner.

Improved communication with families, feeding back actions and consequences as appropriate.

Agreed to further consult Parents & Pupils in re-drafting Rodborough‟s Anti-Bullying Policy Prioritised a focus on Manners for 2009-2010 (as a result of pupils saying they could speak more kindly to one another).

Continued our focus on building high levels of self esteem through our Praise & Reward Policy so that pupils have the self confidence and resilience to deal with and report bullying.

Significantly improved our dining facilities (over 200 pupils made this request)!

Parent Survey Our Parental Survey was designed to find out about pupil participation, happiness and experiences of bullying. It was conducted online and sent out to a high proportion of families whose children had either reported bullying or whose children had experienced bullying. 320 families (including 80% of the pupils who had been involved in bullying incidents this year) were asked to complete the survey concentrating on their youngest Rodborough child. This survey is not, therefore, fully representative of average parental views of Rodborough.

Despite this, well over 90% reported that their child had been happy at school during the past year, enjoyed the activities on offer and had positive relationships with most teachers. These parents agreed that Rodborough offers their child(ren) a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. Over 90% told us their child(ren) had good friends at Rodborough. 98% told us that they felt their child was safe at school. Whilst only 28% (despite the weighted survey sample) told us that they had reported bullying to the school during their child‟s time here, 94% of these respondents told us that the bullying had been resolved effectively. Parents told us that most bullying incidents took place either between lessons or during social time and that bullying also took place on the way to or from school, in the community and over the internet / mobile phone. The very large majority of parents surveyed were confident in Rodborough‟s ability to deal with bullying and the majority were prepared to have a say in the updating of Rodborough‟s updated anti-bullying survey.

Parents also suggested a number of ways that our control of bullying might improve.

“Positive programmes to deal with offending pupils, ie.

Extra support and attention” suggestion from a parent The results of our Parental Survey were very positive, demonstrating the progress that has been made in ensuring pupil happiness, safety and satisfaction. The survey did, however, highlight a number of areas to work on: There is confusion about „what constitutes bullying‟. More work is required through all aspects of school life including assemblies and the tutor programme etc.

Most bullying is verbal in nature and takes place between lessons in crowded areas. Staff to be encouraged to have a greater presence between lessons. Would a one-way system in the main building help? School Council to be consulted about this.

Continue to use as many staff as possible on duty during social time.

Clarify lines of communication for reporting bullying.

Ensure that all staff pass on all reported bullying to Heads of Year and Form Tutors.

Continue to provide appropriate feedback to the target of the bullying and to the family.

Brief new Year 7 parents about reporting procedures for bullying at Rodborough.

Use School Council to find extra-curricular activities for pupils who don‟t participate in clubs or sports.

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School Council Minutes December 2009

Report by The Senior Six

School Council System More time is needed for agenda call sheets and for feedback of minutes If agenda call sheets or minutes go missing please get new ones from Senior Six or Reception Make sure that agenda call sheets are placed in white box BEFORE School Council meetings School Council badges will be handed out in Assemblies Planners We have new planners from a different company this year. They are cheaper.

Problems Positives Pages fall out easily – poor binding Useful content & Good pictures Lines too small Whiteboard + Traffic Lights help lessons Periodic table is wrong More space to write homework Expensive to replace Useful Attendance Page Improvements for next year‟s planner: Page for House Points and House Point Chart for Lower School Contents Page to make finding additional information easier Please ask your forms for more ideas.

Toilets More soap and electrical hand dryers needed 2 sinks not working properly Please all flush toilets and keep them clean Don‟t force food down the sinks Bus Stop Area The money raised during last summer‟s activity afternoon will be spent on improving this area.

The theme is „Technology‟.

Design The area between the bus stop and the gate will have 30 posts of differing heights to reflect the Rodborough logo „swoosh‟ and to keep cars off the grass The area to the left of the bus stop will be levelled to reduce mud Wooden sleepers will be carved to make seats. Others will include poems and / or pictures pertinent to the school Flowering Cherries will be planted, flanked by large „nuts & bolts‟ Large sculptures reflecting the Technology theme will be erected e.g. Huge Hammer & Nail / Giant Computer Mouse / Giant Art Palette & Brush (all potential sculptures need to have health & safety considered before commissioning). More ideas for sculptures welcome – please use white box in Reception.

GOVERNORS’ NEWS

from the Clerk, Mrs P Ward Following a recent Parent Governor election, Mr Huw Hallybone has been re-elected for a four year term of office. Mr Stephen Pugh has been re-elected as a Community Governor. Congratulations to both of them and we look forward to working with them over the next four years.

The Governors, at their meeting on 4 November 2009, decided that Part 1 of our Full Governors‟ Meetings should be open to the public as in previous years. If any parent wishes to attend a meeting they should inform the Clerk (Mrs P Ward in the school office) beforehand so that the necessary arrangements for catering and seating can be made.

Have you noticed that we are tweeting?

Keep right up to date by following us on twitter: Look for Rod_Tweet Twitter was the most reliable communication method during the recent cold snap!

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Rodborough re-designated „Healthy School‟

Reporter Miss Spencer

Rodborough has just been re-designated a „Healthy School‟ in view of our work to promote healthy lifestyles, emotional health and well being, physical activity and participation in school life. The peer support work and support for young carers was particularly singled out for praise.

The feedback report recognised that, „Pupil voice is at the heart of all developments and changes. A huge amount of time and effort is put into gauging pupil and parent perception; these findings are then used to direct initiatives and highlight areas of need.‟ „Rodborough are not complacent and are striving to support all pupils – there are thorough processes in place to identify, support and map the progress of able, vulnerable and disaffected pupils. Time and money have been invested in a huge overhaul of the canteen and school meals service. The school operates a cashless system and pupil choices can be tracked. There has been a considerable increase in the uptake of school meals. Parents have access to the school menu and can view pictures via the school web-site.‟ This has been positively received by all parties; developments will continue to be made in light of further pupil, staff and parent surveys. „The school makes effective use of information and closely monitors a wide range of pupil data, including the number of times pupils are sent out of lessons, awards pupils receive and achievements they have made. The Assistant Headteacher regularly meets with Year Leaders to monitor pupil developments. These stringent measures have enabled the school to significantly reduce fixed term exclusions. Attendance panels are set up to investigate and support pupils whose attendance falls below 90%‟ The panel were impressed with our submission and we have received a certificate and plaque to celebrate our achievements as well as the opportunity to prepare for „Enhanced‟ Healthy School status, the next level. Watch this space!

Charity Round-up

This year has already seen a great deal of work raising money for different charities. Over £1,500 was donated to Children in Need. Cake sales by 11CS, 8ECS, 8LM and 7CD alone accounted for more than £200. Not to be outdone, the Staff Room had their own cake sale (delicious cakes provided by Mrs Jansen).

7KB, 7CG and the DT Department made and sold Pudsey Bear Badges. 11KT held a Wii championship and other classes held penalty shoot-outs, netball shooting, lollypop sales, donut sales and sponsored silences.

Mufti money totalling £872 benefited a local Multiple Sclerosis charity, one of this year‟s School Council charity choices.

Over 90 shoe boxes containing Christmas Gifts for children were sent off to Hungary and students have also been supporting Blue Peter‟s Send a Smile campaign by converting donated T shirts into hospital gowns for children who need operations to correct cleft palates.

Others are in contact with Chennai Challenge, working to improve the lives of orphaned Indian children in Chennai.

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Guys and Dolls

Advance notice from Mrs Bearman Rodborough‟s Summer Production for 2010 will be: „Guys and Dolls‟

(Music and Lyrics by FRANK LOESSER, Book by JO SWERLING and ABE BURROWS)

This is a very exciting show as it includes lots of interesting characters and some amazing songs and dance routines. It is described as a musical fable of Broadway based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon. Pupils are very enthusiastic about being involved and are busily preparing their audition pieces and songs. Auditions are due to take place on January 5 th, 6th and 8th 2010.

As this will probably be the schools‟ most ambitious show to date, we are asking for as much support as possible. We will need help with: Prop making Hair Prop collection Lighting Stage make–up Sound Set design Publicity Set building Front of house Costume design Refreshments We are also keen to explore the possibility of tiered seating.

If you think that you can help in any way, no matter how small, please contact Mrs Bearman or Mrs Yeadon as soon as possible. Please help this to be a great show.

Performance dates will be 8th 9th and 10th July 2010 Image from guysanddollsmusical.com

Senior Mathematical Challenge

Reporter Jason Bowen Every year, Rodborough receives several Maths Challenge papers from the UKMT with which to test our students‟ Mathematical skills. The UKMT (United Kingdom Mathematics Trust) started in 1996 and is a registered charity aiming to enrich and advance students‟ mathematical learning. They are extremely successful, organising the biggest maths competitions in the UK. UKMT mainly targets the 11-18 age group, though it publishes several maths books for almost any age.

This year, for the first time, Rodborough‟s Year 11 students sat the Senior Mathematical papers.

This was a twist as usually this paper is reserved for those doing A levels, but several pupils fancied the challenge. Unsurprisingly, these 8 students did well. Luke Bewley, Jan Siebert and Nicole Browning all earned Silvers Medals, with Jan achieving the highest Rodborough score.

Congratulations to everyone who participated!

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Make Yourself Beautiful Day

Reporter Zoe Smith 10HM

Way back in July we spent a day in the Rodborough Beauty Salon.

Rachel, the beauty expert, gave us a brilliant demonstration of how to do a professional manicure. We then paired up and took it in turns to transform one another‟s nails. Using lots of different colours and nail-art techniques guided by Rachel we soon all looked fabulous!

The afternoon was spent making bracelets, necklaces and handbag charms from coloured beads. We thoroughly enjoyed making the jewellery and found hidden talents as we devised our own unique designs and patterns.

We all really enjoyed spending the day learning new skills and being creative and would like to thank Rachel and the other staff who helped us.

Reporters Naomi Hall & Andrew Mayne Young Carers Rodborough has had a Young Carers group running for the past few years but this year has been the first year they have appointed Young Carers Prefects (Naomi and Andrew). Our role is to run the young carers group which takes place every other week. The group is a chance for us all to get together and chat about our roles as young carers.

There is always someone to talk to if you have any problems and as you know everyone is a young carer you feel you can talk about things that you wouldn‟t necessarily talk about with your friends.

Once a year we go on an outing, which gives us a break and a chance to do things we might not get the chance to do otherwise.

Reporter Jason Bowen Emergency Services Day This autumn, Rodborough was visited by the Emergency Services; the Police, Ambulance and Fire Brigade. Though the day was exclusively for Year 11 pupils, the arrival of the services sparked interest amongst everyone. Indeed, it went very well, with one comment from a pupil stating that it was “even better than expected”.

Throughout the day, pupils were taught a variety of skills including first aid, road awareness and various safety aspects. This was augmented by a heartbreaking personal story told by a mother whose daughter had been killed locally on the road. We were also shown several films and clips to take the points further.

Some elements of the day proved very emotional for some students, but the objectives of day were met in that it brought home the importance of safety on the road.

There were, however, many humorous and more enjoyable events during the day. In one instance, pupils were asked to role play one of the three emergency services, witnesses or journalists in a mock-up crime scene featuring actors from local colleges. Whilst not completely realistic, with all the journalists and witnesses packed tightly in the police car just to take pictures or statements, there was an authentic feel of how a real car accident would be handled by the emergency services. In my own view, it was some of the best acting I had participated in!

The event was concluded by the fire brigade using heavy tools and devices to cut through a car. This was a spectacular way to end the day and most of the pupils came away commenting that they had enjoyed the visit.

Special thanks are due to the Surrey Police, St. John‟s Ambulance and Surrey Fire and Rescue Service for their help in setting up and running the event.

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Pupil Round-up Dream comes true for Josh Josh Smith couldn‟t believe his luck when he visited Chelsea with his dad, Mark, to cheer on Chelsea for the FA Cup Final against Everton.

After the match Josh was taken to the players area and allowed to hold the cup! „It was absolutely fantastic, but I don‟t think my friends will believe me when I tell them that I actually got to hold the FA Cup!” They will now that they‟ve seen the picture, Josh!

Josh also appeared in Surrey Life Magazine!

Representing GB in Buenos Aires

Matthew Shorock, from 8RE, was selected for the National Junior Squad for sailing and has spent a warm Southern Hemisphere Christmas competing for Great Britain in the Junior World Championship, Cadet Class.

So far Matt, partnered by fellow Frensham sailor Abigail Croft, have had mixed fortunes with 7th place in Race 4 and, in Race 8, Abigail & Matthew managed to find good breeze on the 2nd beat to climb to 4th place.

Well done and good luck in the races still to come.

Clear out the shed!

An appeal from Mrs Yeadon

The Music department is looking for the following items in order to expand our school STOMP band: Metal Dustbins Lengths of Plastic drainage pipes (about 1m long) Large Plastic planters Short lengths of metal piping.

Please bring items to Reception.

Thank you.

Art Club

RODBOROUGH CHRONICLES

Reporter Mrs Willis In Art Club last term Years 7 & 8 Art Club members have been busy creating some wonderful multi–media designs. The group spent the first few weeks collecting images before sketching and manipulating them using Photoshop. The next step was to enlarge the images onto A3 using the „gridding up‟ process used by old masters. The paintings were finished just in time for Christmas. Lucky friends and family!

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Are you interested in hiring one of our facilities?

Log on to our website and view what we have to offer you! www.rodborough.surrey.sch.uk (click school website then click community on left hand list) See below for some of the classes held and locations used: Bootcamp Fitness All Weather Court & Lights For further Information please contact Mark Raynsford 07970 521848 mark@surreybootcamp.co.uk www.surreybootcamp.co.uk

Moves Fitness

Main Hall For further Information please contact Lisa Winfield 07812 605551

Slimming World

Room 800 (double classroom) For further Information please contact Debbie Samson 07956 218989 or 01483 548692 dsslimmingworld@btinternet.com

Adult & Community Learning Courses Spring 2010 Spanish – Level 3 – Term 2 Monday Evening 11/01/10 – 22/03/10 7.00pm – 8.30pm

Curtain Making & Soft Furnishing – All Abilities Wednesday Evening 13/01/10 – 24/03/10 7.00pm – 9.00pm

Italian – Level 1 – Term 2 Tuesday Evening 12/01/10 – 23/03/10 7.15pm – 8.45pm

Spanish – Level 1 – Term 2 Thursday Evening 14/01/10 – 25/03/10 7.00pm – 8.30pm

Curtain Making & Soft Furnishing – All Abilities Tuesday Evening 12/01/10 – 23/03/10 7.00pm – 9.00pm

French – Level 1 – Term 2 Thursday Evenings 14/01/10 – 25/-3/10 7.30pm - 9.00pm

Drawing Intro Painting – All Abilities Tuesday Evening 26/01/10 – 23/03/10 7.15pm – 9.15pm

Oil Painting – Introduction – New Course Saturday 06/02/10 10.00am – 4.00pm 1 Day Course

French - Level 2 – Term 1 – New Course Tuesday Evening 12/01/10 – 23/03/10 7.30pm – 9.00pm

Modern Art Painting – Taster Day – New Course Saturday 13/02/10 10.00am – 3.30pm 1 Day Workshop

Italian – Level 2 – Term 2 Wednesday Evening 13/01/10 - 24/03/10 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Drawing & Painting Workshop – New Course Saturday 20/03/10 10.00am – 4.00pm 1 Day Workshop

For further information on these courses, held at Rodborough, please contact Karen Warner on 01483 518 552 RODBOROUGH CHRONICLES VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1 PAGE 17 OF 24

Eduprint

Did you know that Rodborough now has its very own print shop?

We can print your photos, artwork, posters and more onto a variety of mediums including photo paper and canvas. Sizes vary too – right up to HUGE banners!

So, if you have a printing job in mind, give us a ring for a quotation – you will be pleasantly surprised!

Extended to 2010 RODBOROUGH CHRONICLES

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Rodborough Football Results 09/10 Year Versus

Score

MOM

11 10 9 7 8 7 9 10 8 7 9 11 7 8

Won 5-0 Lost 2-4 Drew 3-3 Won 6-2 Won 2-1 Won 1-0 Won 3-0 Won 3-2 Lost 3-6 Drew 3-3 Won 8-0 Lost 0-5 Lost 3-4 Won 4-0

Dan Ferguson George Dale Joe Ferguson Tom Berrill Liam Beswick Sam Brashaw George Tomes Mark Lyall Liam Beswick Jacob Pink George Tomes Adam Rogers Seb Cheek Andy Ayerman

Broadwater Broadwater Broadwater Broadwater Broadwater St Peterâ€&#x;s Woolmer Hill Woolmer Hill Kings College Woolmer Hill Kings College Glebelands Glebelands Glebelands

Mr Farrell

The Year 10 Football Squad

Year 9 Rugby

Reporter Hugh Brashaw

After winning the SWSS rugby tournament last year the Year 9 rugby team did not want to let standards slip.

Our first game of the season was against Guildford County. They proved easy opposition as we put in an excellent performance. The final score 69-0. Good performances include: Tom Hothersall, Ollie Whiteman, Alex Kiddier, Joe Ferguson, Liam Cole, Matt Wythe, Harry Barney, James Ward and Will Powell.

Next up was Howard of Effingham. They have always been tough opposition. However we stepped up to a whole new level by beating them 42-0. Excellent performances included: Max Onabanjo, Torin Davies, Sam Gravestock, George Tomes, Charlie Butterworth, Tom Rathbone, Robbie Campbell, Sean Burton and George Dukes.

We have made a good start to the season. Can our winning streak continue?

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Sports Co-ordinator’s Report

by Miss Horne Last term was a busy one in terms of the opportunities available for our students within the Sports Partnership and working with our local feeder schools.

Here at Rodborough, we hosted the Sports Partnership Years 10 & 11 Badminton Competition. This was attended by 6 local secondary schools and the competition was fierce. Rodborough Boys‟ team were placed in a really hard group and, despite a brave effort, finished in 5th place.

Our Girls‟ team of Katherine Sharp, Lila Flint Roberts, Jessica Waters and Harriet Standing worked really hard and, with some top performances, finished a well deserved 2nd place.

Our talented Badminton players from Year 9 entered into their age group competition; held at Broadwater School. The Girls‟ team of Molly Blagden, Phoebe Ploegaerts, Gertrude Petherbridge and Micaela Grammer demonstrated some great badminton shots and worked really hard to finish in 2nd place.

The Boys‟ team of Liam Cole, Ollie Welch, David Brooke and Joshua Heslop did well to finish 3rd.

Weydon were overall winners of the Girls‟ competition and Ash Manor of the Boys. „Well done,‟ to all those that took part!

A number of children from our local Infant schools attended Tag Rugby Festivals in October in the Rodborough Sports Hall. There was a festival for Year 1 children and a separate one for the Year 2s. Matt Bray, the community rugby coach, ran the event with the help of our Junior Sports Leaders. The children were taken round a number of stations where they worked on different tag rugby skills. This was a great experience both for the leaders running the stations and for the children taking part .

About 50 girls and boys from our Infant schools also came to Rodborough in October to take part in a Cheerleading Festival run by students from Years 8 up to Year 11. Once put into small groups, the leaders then taught the children a routine which they performed to their parents as a finale.

The Years 5 & 6 students from Chandler took part in a Cluster Hockey competition held at Broadwater School. This was the first ever hockey competition for our Junior children and it was a huge success. Eight teams took part, culminating in a very close final between Chandler and Park Mead with Park Mead emerging victorious by 1 goal. Park Mead now progress to the next round of the competition.

“The children had so much fun and have not stopped talking about it since!”

Our 2 local infant schools, Milford and Witley Infants, came to Rodborough

one afternoon to take part in a Multi-Skills Festival run by our Junior Sports Leaders. The children were split up into groups so they got to know other children as they rotated through the stations.

Activities included “Run the Gauntlet” and Rugby Relays, with challenges at each station to encourage each team to score as highly as possible. After the event one of the teachers from Witley told us, “The children had so much fun and have not stopped talking about it since”.

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Sports Co-ordinator‟s Report cont …

Reporter Miss Horne

Years 3 & 4 students from St Edmund’s took part in a Bisi Badminton Festival. They completed challenging badminton skills on a number of stations. All the children involved really enjoyed taking part in a new sport and in the event itself and are keen to play some more badminton.

At Rodborough we held a Play and Activities training course for lunchtime supervisors and playtime helpers from our Sports Partnership Junior and Infant Schools. After a busy morning of fun and games all those who attended the course were able to take a large bag of play equipment back to their schools containing great resources for them to use during play times.

Our two new Young Sporting Ambassadors, Francesca Davies and Tom Simons from Year 10, are now in place.

They have already met with sporting ambassadors from other local schools to discuss plans for this year.

They hope to inspire children at Rodborough and our feeder schools to take part in different sports and enjoy physical activity. They aim to provide greater sports opportunities for all; both in school and in the community.

December saw our much anticipated annual Junior Gym & Dance Show where our feeder schools brought their gym & dance acts to Rodborough to perform in front of a judging panel.

There were many strong performances and it was tough for the panel to choose the top 3: JLS Dancers from St Edmunds, Cowgirls from St James‟ and Busbridge gymnast, Abbie Gould. These three acts will perform at Rodborough‟s Gym & Dance show on Wednesday March 10th 2010.

Two of our Year 11 students, Sophie Major and Kirsty McGregor, are already running auditions for the dance acts. The standard is very high and the show will be well worth attending!

Rodborough‟s Gym & Dance Show will be Wednesday March 10th Reserve the date in your diary!

The Year 9 House Netball Competition saw a great turnout with some very close games and exciting attacking play. The overall winners were 9RH with the girls in 9HT receiving the certificate of endeavour awards.

Well done all of you!

Goodbye and Good Luck in Australia to Miss Horne Thank you for all you have done for us

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This year‟s Junior Sports Leaders have been busy helping at numerous festivals, events and training sessions in school and working up the scale of Bronze, Silver and Gold „leadership hours‟.

They are an enormous asset and are a credit to the school. Keep it up!

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Netball Focus

Reporter Miss Shephard

The Year 11 Netball team played their last ever Rodborough netball tournament at Broadwater. They were missing GA Chloe Harding but a re-shuffle allowed them to enter the tournament with strong „A‟ and „B‟ teams. The „A‟ team beat Broadwater and Glebelands comfortably.

A tight game v George Abbot was set to be the tournament final with the winning team taking the title. Rodborough had most of the possession in the first half but were unable to put all their goals away. George Abbot came back strongly in the second half sneaking a goal in the last minute to win 4-3 and steal the crown from reigning champions Rodborough, who had held the title for two years. The „B‟ team did very well and, as the only „B‟ team there, had to play all of the others schools‟ „A‟ teams (including Rodborough‟s).

The „B‟s put up a strong fight resulting in a highly contested game between the two Rodborough sides with the „A‟s emerging victorious. The „B‟s then gave George Abbot a good battle, doing Rodborough proud and even looked as if they might cause a big upset. Eventually, however, they tired allowing George Abbot to snatch the match back. Well done girls, a valiant effort!

Rodborough now have to focus on the newly formed District League. Their first game, … would their increased strength… against Glebelands, gave them the perfect start with a 20:4 make the difference? win.

Year 8s have also had a good start to their season with a 26:7 win against the Royal School and a 17:1 win against Kings‟ Year 10 students! In their match v Glebelands our „A‟ team won 30:25 and the „B‟s also won 4:2.

Year 10 Netball girls have been training hard and have made a good start to the Netball League beating both Woolmer Hill (28-0) and The Royal School in the first games of their season. Netball is a popular sport for Year 10s, both in lessons and for our Sports Leaders. The challenge of training with Year 11s has raised their game and they had their sights set on the District League. Current title holders, Guildford County, beat them by a single goal last year. Would their increased strength, together with the opportunity of playing as host team this year, make the difference?

The first games, against King‟s, Glebelands & Broadwater returned comfortable wins bringing them face-to-face with their old adversary, Rachel and Ellen kept County‟s GA right out of scoring range…

Guildford County, for the decider.

Tactics were going to be crucial. Knowing the strength of County‟s GA, Rachel (GD) and Ellen (WD) kept her right out of scoring range by combining their strengths to double-mark. Amber‟s strong defending intercepted passes to County‟s GS and Rodborough Centre, Annabelle interrupted County‟s passes around the D. With such a strong defence, County‟s progress was severely impaired. This game was not all about defence, however. WA Hollie, GA Frankie and GS Amy were also on top form, repeatedly turning strong defence and turnovers into goals. The final score 16:7, in Rodborough‟s favour, was a triumph and demonstrates the persistence, determination, perseverance and hard work of the team.

Well done girls – you are a credit to the school!

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Basketball Surprise

Reporter Miss Shephard

Years 10 & 11 Netball teams were surprised by a change to their training programme one week in Attack like Netball…

November. We applied our netball attacking skills and tactics to the game of basketball, and … Defend like Football drew on our defensive tactics learned from football.

The girls enjoyed the challenge and agreed to a basketball match v George Abbot. Despite their meagre 50 minute training in this new sport the girls all played well. Whilst the Year 11 girls were soundly beaten, the Year 10s amazed the George Abbot coach by playing brilliantly and winning their game! Well done to you all.

Year 11 Girls’ Basketball

Reporter Lila Flint Roberts

On Wednesday 9th December, the Year 11 Girls’ Basketball team made their way to their final basketball tournament for Rodborough, at George Abbott. The team consisted of Kat Sharp, Nikki Browning, Louise Rose, Emma Ketteringham, Harriet Standing, Chloe Harding, Jess Waters and Lila Flint Roberts.

Our First match was against the hosts, George Abbot, who had beaten us the previous week. After this defeat, we knew their weaknesses and had worked on a plan of defence during our training sessions. Strong defence from Kat, throughout the game, kept our side strong and put off the opposition. With amazing goals from Louise and Chloe, the score was 12-18 to George Abbot; a great improvement on the 8-22 score from the week before! Our plan of defence was clearly effective!

Our second match was against the Year 8 George Abbott Boys, who had stepped in at the last minute to replace two teams who had pulled out, also at the last minute. The match was good practice for our attacking, and the boys did put up a good fight! In the end, with great defence from Emma and attack from Nikki Browning, the score was 18-6, a good win for the Rodborough girls!

… and the boys did put up a good fight!

Our final match was against Broadwater, who last year put up a good fight! With this being the deciding match, we knew we needed to win to get second place. So, after the usual inspirational pep-talk from Miss Shephard, we were in high and positive spirits for the match. Throughout the tournament we decided to „stick to netball‟ as we knew the nature of the game much better than basketball. This tactic was very effective for this match, and the score, 18-6 to Rodborough at full time, reflected this to make Rodborough the tournament runners-up.

We would all like to say, “Thank you” to Miss Shephard for being the most enthusiastic teacher...ever! Also to Mikey, for driving us all over the place for tournaments and matches.

Sports Leaders

Reporter Miss Shephard

The JSLA award, open to Year 10s, is running well. The leaders, lots of them this year, are keen and enthusiastic. They are getting stuck into lessons and extra-curricular/ primary school festivals. Leadership hours are already notching up with many of leaders having already achieved their bronze awards! The quality of sessions led in lessons has been excellent and I have high hopes for this year‟s cohort.

Well done leaders, keep going!!

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Girls’ Football Roundup

Reporter Miss Shephard U16 Girls got off to a nervous start in their league match v Woolmer Hill. Both teams played a scrappy first half, with Woolmer Hill scoring the first goal.

After a half-time team talk, Rodborough pulled together as a team and started some lovely passing football. Several opportunities failed to find the back of the net until Frankie Davis was able to equalise off Melika Jackson‟s corner.

With everything to play for, Rodborough now kept the ball in Woolmer Hill‟s half. Melika‟s free kick, following a foul against Sophie Levack, found Shelly Maclachlan, whose cheeky lob sealed victory. Well done to the team – especially to guest players Sophie and Helena (from Year 8).

U16 Girls also took two sides to the County U16 6-a-side qualifying tournament. Coming to the tournament as last years‟ beaten finalists gave them a reputation they were keen to live up to. Rodborough „A‟s first game, v Weydon, ended 0-0 after Rodborough hitting the post despite there being a mistake with pitch size.

By the second game all pitch sizes had been corrected, allowing good football to be played. Rodborough won all of their next games playing some lovely football and scoring good goals. Unfortunately, as a result of that first draw, Rodborough came through as group runner up so had to play the winners of Group 2, Broadwater. The game was tense with both sides sharing possession. Opportunities came and went for both sides, leading to the game going into extra time in an attempt to break the deadlock. The first half of extra time followed the same pattern with no goals scored. A lapse in Rodborough‟s concentration in the second half of extra time gave Broadwater the opportunity to sneak in a deflected goal and win the game 1:0 and throw Rodborough out of the tournament. The „B‟s did well, drawing a couple of their games but had to forfeit their last game as the Year 11 girls had to leave early.

This is the first time that we have entered the U16 Surrey Girls’ 11-a-side Cup and the girls were excited by the prospect of new opposition and visiting new schools. Our first match was a difficult draw against last year‟s semi-finalists, Magna Carta, who were fielding a number of strong academy players from London sides. Excellent football from both sides, and a few near misses made this an exciting game but spectacular finishes from this polished side sealed the match 3:0.

The U14 Girls, largely comprising Year 8s, played their first game v Broadwater. Despite playing incredibly well against this strong team they lost 3-0. During training this term they have improved enormously and are looking forward to their next games. Many of the Year 8 girls have joined the newly formed Milford Pumas Girls which runs on Saturday mornings 9.30-11.00 at Milford Green.

This has been through our school/club links initiative. Pumas welcome new players and are looking to establish an U13 girls‟ team together with other age categories if they have sufficient players. For more information see Miss Shephard.

CLUB CHANGE! Year 7 Girls‟ Football is now on Wednesdays after school. We could use a few more of you, so come on, get your boots on and get on out there!

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