School News

Sherborne’s Ted has successful summer

Congratulations to Fifth Former at Sherborne School, Ted Hunt for having come to the end of a highly successful career with his two 13.2 ponies. Ted took on a new project during lockdown 2020 - a complete novice 14.2 pony who he successfully partnered to second place in the 2020/21 British Show Jumping Southwest League, and qualified for the British Show Jumping National Championships this summer, where they achieved second place in the Discovery class. They then went on to win the Newcomers at Aintree International. Ted’s aim now is to qualify for the Nationals at this level next year, as well as the Scope Festival and Bluechip Championships.

Soldiers’ Support with Lateral Flow Tests

Blandford Camp must be congratulated for their exceptional support during September in helping Blandford School with lateral flow testing of students. Mrs Sally Wilson, Headteacher, said “I’m delighted not only with their support of this initiative but also the ongoing partnership work between the Camp and The Blandford School. Over the course of two days, Signallers volunteered to help the school with the testing of students. Their assistance in undertaking this vital work in support of keeping our community safe helped us to ensure a smooth start of term for all. It was a delight to work so closely with the Signallers.

Headteacher is appointed for Dorset Council’s SEND school in Shaftesbury

Katie Charles has been appointed as the Headteacher of Dorset Council’s new school for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Katie has worked as a professional scientist before a career in education, with experience of both mainstream and special education. Katie is looking forward to welcoming the students. She said: “Our new school is part of a family of amazing special schools in Dorset and I look forward to joining them in providing even more high quality education provision to meet growing needs.” The new school is a central part of the Dorset Centre of Excellence project on the former St Mary’s School site in Shaftesbury. It will open in 2022, with an initially small cohort of children, which will grow to around 280 students over the next five years. The Dorset Centre of Excellence will also offer training and courses, making use of stateof-the-art facilities, including provision for arts, culture, music and sport. The school will be recruiting staff as it grows. Jobs will be advertised on the Dorset Council Jobs website in the coming weeks. Dorset Council took the step of securing the extensive site to meet the growing need for more high-quality special education provision. The new school is part of the council’s wider £37.5 million plan to improve the lives of Dorset children with SEND.

SCHOOL NEWS

Sturminster Newton High School win the Surfers Against Sewage competition

Sturminster Newton High School are extremely pleased to have won the Surfers Against Sewage WUKA competition. Entering the competition prompted students to talk about the impact of the school on the environment and what the school could do to improve. Staff and Students were excited by winning the competition - not only for the fantastic prize their menstruating students will be receiving, but also because it has led to the revival of the school’s Eco Group. Sturminster Newton High School have not had an Eco group for a couple of years now, as the lead teacher retired and COVID disrupted school life. Although changes were made around the school to become more environmentally friendly (no more laminating of resources, recycling stationery, crisp packets, milk bottle lids, no more plastic cutlery being used in the canteen...) the momentum certainly had slowed down. When the opportunity to enter the competition arose, quite a few of the school’s students and staff were excited by the idea of potentially receiving a pair of period pants, an ecofriendly reusable sanitary product (currently taxed at 20% as a ‘non-essential’, something both students and staff felt strongly about).

Plastic Free School

The school are looking forward to working towards becoming a Plastic Free School and are feeling energised about facing the challenges ahead. Emily van de Geer, Surfers Against Sewage, said “We were so impressed with all the entries but our winners, Sturminster Newton High School, put together 2 incredibly strong letters to government on removing the tax from period pants and on the amount of single-use plastics in schools across the UK. We particularly loved the pupil’s incredibly powerful poem and we hope they recognise just how powerful their voices are in helping to drive this necessary change.” This competition has opened up a discussion within the school about their role within the environment, as well as discussions about periods and sanitary products. These are all topics the staff and students feel open discussions about are important to have.

Cheselbourne Village School launch the new ‘Elmer exhibition’ at the Dorset County Museum.

On Thursday 14th October, the Cheselbourne Village School and Preschool trip opened the newly refurbished section of one of the most prestigious museums in Dorset. The new Headteacher, Mr C. Perry, received the unique invite that was just too good to turn down. The children had an amazing time experiencing how David Mckee came up with his very first ideas and how the illustrations were so key to his thoughts. They designed their own Elmer characters in the form of a mosaic and even got to meet ‘Elmer’. Mr Perry said “We inspire our children to experience a love of lifetime learning and believe that all our experiences achieve this. Being a small rural school is so special and always has a lovely family atmosphere, but it’s really important that the pupils have opportunities to ‘get out and about’ to help them to learn in different ways”

Discover the Colourful World of David McKee Exhibition is at Dorset Museum 13th October to the 9th January

A wonderful winter wonderland of entertainment for little ones.

The whole farm gets a fabulous festive makeover by the top team of Elves, and right in the middle of the park the enchanted ‘Christmas Experience Barn’ takes centre stage. Meet Mrs Claus, the snow fairy, donkeys and the main man in red, the one and only, Mr Farmer Christmas. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without a few extra surprises! Come and enjoy a truly magical atmosphere at Dorset’s number one attraction for children aged 0-8years. The ‘Farmer Christmas Experience’ is running 11th–23rd December, with additional Twilight Events from 20th–23rd (see ad below for further details). Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park is open Wednesday to Sunday in November and the first week of December, then seven days a week until the 23rd. There are adorable animals to meet each day, bouncy bumpy tractor rides, buckets full of indoor and outdoor play and a warm welcome from the friendliest team in Dorset. The Hen House restaurant serves delicious homecooking, with the most tempting cakes and biscuits! Breakfast, lunch and roast dinners with all the trimmings served on Sundays. All visits to Farmer Palmer’s MUST be pre-booked online; book early to avoid disappointment. Safety and comfort are always a priority, and in the event of a lockdown all pre-booked tickets will be refunded. Please check out our latest news for everything Farmer Palmer’s this festive season. We can’t wait to see ‘ewe’!

BOOK A MAGICAL ‘FARMER CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE * ’

at Farmer Palmer’s this December

FULL DETAILS ON THE WEBSITE *GREAT GIFT INCLUDED

DAYTIME EXPERIENCE

Simply book your admission and ADD-ON a Farmer Christmas Experience Ticket for each child who’d like to meet ‘the man in red’ 11th – 23rd December inclusive

tickets from bookings.farmerpalmers.co.uk TWILIGHT EVENT

Experience the farm park under the twinkling Christmas lights 20th-23rd December (23rd SOLD OUT) tickets from shop.farmerpalmers.co.uk/

www.farmerpalmers.co.uk email. shop@farmerpalmers.co.uk Wareham Road, Organford, Poole, BH16 6EU - 01202 622022

13yr old Gryphon student Ben volunteered for 50 hours and raised over £1,000 for Wildlife Rescue

Shaftesbury Primary went to the polls on Thursday 21 October to elect this year’s School Prime Minister. Children and staff cast their ballots for the four Year 6 candidates standing to lead the School Council – a pupil group which contributes to important decisions across the school. In the run up to election day, the candidates and their campaign teams gave speeches to every class and put posters around the school, making their case for leadership. With a very high turnout, Sophie (6 Apple) won a tightly contested election with 30% of the overall vote. Ava (6 Apple), Rudy (6 Juniper) and Tobias (6 Juniper) provided hot competition and gave a very good account of themselves. Shaftesbury Primary is extremely proud of its four young leaders for putting themselves forward and generating such democratic fervour within the school! Well done, and good luck to Sophie in her important new role.

Ben Molineux has been fundraising as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. He has been collecting donated items and selling them at Car Boot Sales, as well as collecting donations from the local community. The Bronze awrd volunteering requirement is for one hour per week for three months (12 hours in total); Ben managed over 50 hours between July and October. He set up a JustGiving account with an initial target of £250. After an appeal on social media for items to sell, Ben spent time collecting, sorting, and selling them to raise much needed funds. He also handmade popular dog toys by upcycling fleece blankets and created bags of dog biscuits, hay, straw, and bird seed to sell. He created several upcycled bird feeders, using unwanted ceramic items, to sell locally. The total on Ben’s Just giving account is currently £1092.78. Ben has decided to continue fundraising and being an advocate for Secret World Wildlife Rescue. He has set up a permanent information point and collection tin in his local village café. Ben successfully completed a Wildlife First Aid course during September, in a step towards become a wildlife first responder when he turns 18. During half-term Ben met with the fundraising manager and a team of volunteer wildlife keepers. He spent some time with the Birds of Prey and resident wildlife, followed by a tour of the Newly Built Wildlife Hospital at their East Huntspill site. Secret World rewarded Ben with a Hedgehog Adoption to say thank you for his sterling efforts in fundraising. This Duke of Edinburgh challenge has sparked an enthusiasm for fundraising and for supporting our native species of wildlife in Britain. Ben hopes to continue helping animals in need, whilst also developing community awareness of the charity and it’s aims.

Secret World Wildlife Rescue is a Somerset-based rescue centre for orphaned and injured British wildlife.

SCHOOL NEWS

Wimborne St Giles First School in a Variety Show in aid of Red Cross’ Afghanistan Appeal

Children from Wimborne St Giles First School took part in a Variety Performance at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne in aid of the Red Cross’ Afghanistan Appeal. Due to decades of conflict, years of extreme drought, and weeks of heavy fighting, 18 million people in Afghanistan need urgent humanitarian help. With the youngest on stage just four years old, the children performed the songs ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ to a packed audience, including family and friends. Mrs Hill, Headteacher said “The children sang so beautifully and with such confidence - we couldn’t be prouder of them all. We always tell the children that they can make a difference in the world, no matter how young they are and this was such a wonderful opportunity for them to help raise money for such a brilliant cause.” To find out more about the Red Cross’ Afghanistan Appeal please click here

The school warmly welcomes families looking for a school place for September 2022. To book a tour, or find out more about the school, please contact 01725 517347 or visit www. wimbornestgiles.dsat.org.uk

Lost at the End of the World book illustrated by Sandroyd children

An illustrated children’s book, ‘Lost at the End of the World’ by local teacher Rupert Attlee has been illustrated by Sandroyd children. Appealing to 9-13 year olds and inspired by real-life adventures, it tells the story of four children, who are shipwrecked while going round Cape Horn. Clinging to a life-raft, they are swept onto the shores of Patagonia, one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. But they soon find they are not alone… The reader then travels in their footsteps as they come face to face with extraordinary animals and landscapes, and experiences their journey of survival, selfdiscovery and ultimately friendship. “Patagonia is a place dreams are made of – magical, mythical and at times just plain weird,” says author, Rupert Attlee. “While it is perhaps a place you would not wish to be lost in, I cannot think of a better backdrop for a children’s book. The adventures of the children mirror are own, when we also found ourselves Lost at the End of the World. Rupert is an English teacher and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He is also the author of ‘The Trail to Titicaca’ which was long-listed for the Thomas Cook Travel Book of the Year and became a recommended GCSE English literature text. “It has been a real team effort” said Rupert “The book features illustrations by 19 talented young artists from Sandroyd School, and my pupils have also been a constant inspiration and sounding board.” The book was published in October and is available at all indy bookshops, or Waterstones.