Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself... The Headteacher’s ‘Living the Values’ Award, introduced in 2012 as part of the school’s Legacy commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values, was this year presented by England Rugby World Cup star Heather Fisher to Ben Marshall.
See pages 4-7 for more outstanding prize winners!
1
Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself... Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself. The core values of our inspirational Prize Giving Speaker Heather Fisher (see pages 4-7) resonate throughout this wonderful winter edition of Personal Best. In the shared celebration of our ex-Year 11 students’ record-breaking achievements in their GCSE examinations last summer, but also more widely in the incredible range of activities, opportunities and successes enjoyed by our young people over the past term. These are, as you will see, evident both within and indeed well beyond our school community. Please now enjoy reading more about how the values and qualities exemplified by our amazing students define so much of what they do, in so many different ways. • Derek Peaple, Headteacher
David Campese opens refurbished sports facilities David Campese very kindly joined us in school ahead of our Rugby Legends evening on 12 November to open our newly refurbished sports hall, heating, changing and toilet facilities. The colourful, commemorative plaque was designed and produced by our superbly talented A Level students. Synergy Construction and Property Consultants helped the school gain £750,000 in funding the refurbishments which were put in place with main contractors Woodland Commercial Ltd. The new facilities emphasise our ongoing commitment to sport and exercise as an essential part of our students’ health and wellbeing and will offer external clubs and community groups the chance to let our fantastic facilities. • Derek Peaple
Park House School A Leading Academy for the Whole Community
Personal Best is published by Park House School. It is distributed to students, staff, parents, stakeholders, alumni and friends of Park House School. Issue No 40 will be published in the Summer of 2019. We need the help of staff and students to produce Personal Best – thank you again to all those who have contributed to this issue – we’re sorry if your story couldn’t be included this time.
2
Do you wish to say something positive about school life? Please submit ideas, stories, copy and high resolution photos for future issues to Headteacher, Mr Derek Peaple or Mrs Teresa Jones in the school office.
Park House School, Andover Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 6NQ T 01635 573911 E tjones@parkhouseschool.org W www.parkhouseschool.org /ParkHouseSchool @PHSNewbury
Designed and produced by Waddell Digital Limited WaddellDigital @WaddellDigital www.waddelldigital.co.uk
Australian Rugby Legend Campo entertains students and rugby fans alike David Campese, or Campo as he is lovingly referred to by his fans, still holds the record for the most Australian international tries scored (64) and he joined us on 12 November for some coaching and another of our Rugby Legends evenings – a night of lively discussion, banter with the opportunity for questions and answers followed by selfies. Guests enjoyed a buffet at Newbury Rugby Club’s Kickers Bar and an opportunity to bid for unique sports memorabilia. The event, which was co-organised by Park House and the Club, raised funds to go to further developing grass roots rugby at the school. Prior to the evening Campo coached the next generation of players at Park House in a series of ‘masterclass’ sessions. We are already the alma-mater of a number of high-performing rugby players including England internationals Tom Croft and Jonathan Joseph, and international age-group players such as women’s rugby players, Cerys Cox and Cara Brincatt. Alongside our ongoing partnership with Lewis Moody’s Mad Dog Rugby Academy the event has further inspired the growth of rugby talent. Students are now able to follow traditional qualifications whilst benefitting from professional rugby coaching. However, ever keen to offer students the best opportunities, funds raised from the evening will contribute towards supporting further grass roots growth and opportunities at the school. • Derek Peaple
3
2018 Ex-Year 11 Prize Giving: Celebrating bravery and hard work Rugby World Cup Winner and Olympian Heather Fisher was guest of honour at our annual, inspirational evening celebrating the success of former Year 11 students. Heather, along with Mayor, Councillor Margo Payne, presented awards to students who collectively achieved the school’s best ever Progress 8 results. The results cement Park House’s position as one of the top 100 state schools in the county for continuous improvement at GCSE. Heather was a wonderfully inspirational speaker on an evening which celebrated the equally inspirational achievements of a wonderful group of young people. The honesty, relevance and power of her message about resilience, hard work and self-belief resonated magnificently with a year group which rose so successfully to the demands of the toughest GCSE year for a generation. Heather, an ambassador for Alopecia UK and the OK Our Kids charity, spoke about her core values, “Be brave, work hard, believe in yourself” before presenting awards for achievement, progress and community contribution.
4
Ben Marshall received special mention as this year’s recipient of the prestigious Head Teacher’s annual ‘Living the Values’ Award for the student who best exemplified a commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values. He also received the Paul Barker Memorial Prize for best GCSE results The awards were generously sponsored by Synergy Construction and Property Consultants who recently worked with the school to secure £750,000 in funding to upgrade the Sports Hall where the presentation evening took place. • Derek Peaple
DMA (Dance, Music, Acting) performed Seasons of Love from the musical Rent
Heather receiving a painting by Sabina Collado, Year 13
5
More of our amazing ex-Year 11 prize winners from November
Lottie Bullard
Lucia Collado
Mia Davies
Richard Dobson
Governors’ Shield
English Language The Riley Cup
Art The Nick Lardner Memorial Prize
Food Technology
For outstanding attitude to Textiles
For kindness to others
Amy Evans
Harry Evans-Rusher
Molly Ford
Lilly Gohara
Physical Education
Schneider Memorial Prize
David Clark Shield
Governors’ Prize
For the student who has persevered and succeeded
For significant progress throughout school life
For service to the Community and School
Ella Holmes
Kiara Jones
Phoebe Just
Zehra Kasli-Walmsley
J Roberts Shield
Gemini Services Award
Photography
For officiating in sport
For Excellent work in IT
Music Gordon Clewes Memorial Prize
For Academic progress
Gil Appleby Memorial Prize For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades
6
For service to music
Photo prints available to buy from www.waddelldigital.co.uk/phsprizegiving2018
Well done and congratulations to all of our deserving prize winners.
Sophie Kent
Hubert Krysztofowicz
Reuben Langdon
James Liriano
Textiles David Welch Memorial Trophy
Business Studies
Newbury Oils Cup
BTEC Sport
Boy athlete of the year
Gil Appleby Memorial Prize
Continuous progress throughout the school
For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades
Ben Marshall
Anna Montagne
Henry Reeves
Bo Stewart
Physics Paul Barker Memorial Prize
Peel Cup
Physical Education Neil Jones Memorial Prize
Trevor Fisher Memorial Prize
Girl athlete of the year
For the best GCSE results
For the student who has excelled academically
Gil Appleby Memorial Prize
Gil Appleby Memorial Prize
For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades
For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades
Outstanding attitude to work and school life
Headteacher’s Living the Values Legacy Award
Izzy Sutherland Dance Dawson Prize For the student most deserving of success
Eileen Hanks Cup For outstanding artwork
Gil Appleby Memorial Prize For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades
7
Junior Prize Givings We don’t just wait until students have left Year 11 to formally celebrate their achievements! The following highlights capture our wonderful Junior Prize Giving Ceremonies for Years 7-10 held back in July, recognising the commitment and progress of all our students as they mature within school...
8
Year 7
– now Year 8
Year 8
– now Year 9
Celebrating student achievement throughout the school...
Year 9
– now Year 10
Year 10
– now Year 11
9
Anna is on track for success I have always loved running but it’s only in the last few years since I have been in Newbury that I have been competing for team Kennet, starting primarily in the 100m. I quickly found the 100m wasn’t for me and instead I was reached a reasonable level in the 200m, 300m and long jump. It was only this year, as my first year in the U17 age category that I started multi-eventing. Balancing the training in order to master seven events and my GCSEs was often a struggle, but I found time whilst competing to revise between events. My first combined events competition was the Berkshire Pentathlon in May, where I placed second, meaning I made the Berkshire team therefore advancing to the Regionals in Ashford. My last week of exams came to a close, meaning I was heading down to Ashford, Kent for my first ever heptathlon. The competition was over two days and points are added across the seven events (80m hurdles, 200m, 800m, shot put, javelin, long jump & high jump). I was thrilled to be part of the Berkshire team and the camaraderie between the athletes was amazing – but of course with highs came lows, as is expected when competing across so many events. My first heptathlon was a fantastic experience, and I received the news a few days later that I had done enough to qualify for the English Schools combined events final, held in Bedford in mid September. Once again it was two days of highs and lows, getting a huge PB of 1.62m in the high jump was a definite highlight, but frustrations in both the 200m and 800m shortly followed! This season has made me more determined than ever to improve, and push myself to become the best I can be. I will still be in the U17 category next season, so a second year to progress and see how far I can go in my age group! • Anna Montagne, Year 12
10
Connor reaches new heights in dance... Recently, I was accepted into the ranks of the National Youth Dance Company or NYDC for short. It is a dance company that brings together “the brightest talent from across England to work intensively with Sadlers Wells’ renowned Associate Artists”. It is an amazing opportunity for me, and I am honoured to be only the second person from Park House to be accepted into the company. The first time I heard about the company was at a dance show, not long before the first round of auditions, so I eagerly signed up for them. I arrived at the audition with 30 other dancers and we all waited patiently for the audition to begin. We were told that we were one audition of many others around the country and soon learnt that over 400 people had applied. The audition consisted of learning repertoire from the past NYDC dancers along with improvisation and group choreography tasks.
three days. Later, in December, we will spend a week together to begin to craft the new work which we will tour around the country in 2019 in many amazing venues, with it all coming to a close by performing on the main stage at Sadlers Wells, London, in front of over 1500 people, including our family and friends. Words cannot express how excited and nervous I am leading up to this coming year. I really hope that I can inspire other people to strive for their dreams and, even if it seems impossible, to try as hard as you can for them because you never know where your dreams can take you! • Connor Humphreys, Year 13
Only a few weeks later, I received an email informing me that I had been given a place in the second audition shortlist. We were cut down from over 400 dancers to just 75. At this audition we were able to meet the choreographer for the NYDC 2018-19 residencies, Botis Seva – a dance artist, choreographer and director working within the realms of contemporary dance, physical theatre and hip-hop. He has won many notable choreography awards including the International Choreographic Competition and the Marion North Mentoring Award. At this audition we were able to learn some of Botis’ movement and have some fun getting used to his style. At the end of the audition, we watched the NYDC dance piece created last year and we saw how amazing they all were. It was slightly daunting when I got an email later that month saying that I was in the company, but at the same time it was the happiest moment of my life. I had become one of just 30 new members of the National Youth Dance Company and I really couldn’t be prouder. So far, we have had a small experience working together for three days as a new company in the October Half Term. We got to know each other and become really close in the short amount of time we had over those
11
Encompass II 2018 What I enjoyed about Encompass was the overall atmosphere. I love dance shows and the manic, chaotic mess of costumes, quick changes and running to the stage always slightly late or stupidly early. The feeling of standing in the wings, waiting to go onstage and hearing the audience cheer, is so exhilarating and nerve wracking – it’s the best feeling in the world! It’s really cool to see the older dancers perform as well, and seeing how the movements get more complex. I really loved watching the dance ‘Diseased’, knowing that we will learn it next year. It’s also so inspirational watching the Sixth Formers which makes me hope that one day, I’ll be able to do dances like theirs and maybe even get to do a solo. Everyone was so nice and supportive and made the younger dancers feel welcomed. It was an amazing experience! • Abigail Elliott Year 10 On Friday, at the rehearsals, I really enjoyed watching the older ones perform and it’s made me realise that is what I want to aspire to be. I feel really lucky to be part of such an inspirational, amazing and incredible dance experience. I love how supportive Mrs Mawazini and the other helpers were towards the dancers. In rehearsals, I really felt like we grew as a Park House family. On Friday, I was very excited to perform. I felt very proud of myself. My Mum and Dad and sister were ecstatic with me and couldn’t contain their excitement. This was my third show, as I keep coming back wanting to do it again! It truly is an amazing thing to do and I really recommend it. • Amelia Myers Year 10
Photos from Howard White at www.dzphoto.co.uk
“In rehearsals, I really felt like we grew as a Park House family.”
12
“It’s also so inspirational watching the Sixth Formers...”
13
Veterinary ambitions fulfilled The inset photo was taken on the day of James Bishop and Loran Beeley’s A Level results in 2013, marking the end of their era at Park House. And, the main photo was taken on the day of their graduation in July this year, marking the end of their era at Nottingham Vet School. There are many similar emotions accompanying both photographs; disbelief, relief, extreme pride and a bit of uncertainty for the future but most importantly two very happy young vets who no doubt will achieve great things. James and Lorna write below about their experiences: After having already completed 13 years of education, I achieved the required A Levels to continue another five years of education at Nottingham University where I would study to become a veterinary surgeon. The desire to become a veterinary surgeon started around Year 8 when I realised how much I liked animals, accompanied by a very keen interest in science, from here I gained a multitude of different experiences including working on a chicken farm, working in a pet shop and many nights staying up lambing until 3.00am before going back to bed ready for school the next day! My five years at Nottingham have not only enabled me to achieve my dream of becoming a vet, but it introduced me to many of my now best friends, facilitated me to start up and become President of the University of Nottingham Clay Pigeon Shooting Club and provided me with experiences such as listening to the heart beat of a chimpanzee and helping vets in procedures that brought new life into the world. Having now graduated and achieving the title of Dr, I have started working in a small animal veterinary practice in Newbury. If any students have a similar desire to become a vet, I have given my personal contact details to Mr Peaple and will be only too happy to try and help
14
any of you aspiring veterinary surgeons out… I may even have a suggestion on which University I think is the best! • James Bishop Back in 2013, we both achieved, with the help of many brilliant Park House teachers, a seemingly impossible feat – getting into vet school. There were only seven vet schools in the UK, all of whom ask for at least AAB at A Level as well as many weeks of work experience as you can fit into school holidays. Having no family members involved in farming or in veterinary, I had worked hard at making contacts to gain experience, including lambing, a dairy farm, a pet farm, small and large animal veterinary practices, riding schools and visited an abattoir. Looking back, I cannot believe I managed to juggle my studies and organise these placements at such a young age. Luckily, I knew from Year 9 that my aim was veterinary, so I was able to accumulate work experience in school holidays over several years. Going to Nottingham Vet School was everything I ever hoped for and more. It is a five-year course with many exams and further placements throughout holidays. However, it is also so much fun – how many other courses get to visit the zoo on freshers’ week, meet their housemates on dissection tables or cuddle animals – from alpacas to rabbits – in their holidays? If I could do it all again with the exact same classmates – I would, and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Nottingham is the best vet school in the UK (although I may be slightly biased!). Now, I am thinking towards the future, I am moving to Cardiff shortly to become a small animal veterinary surgeon. Again, there are lots of unknowns and uncertainty, but if the future is half as great as the last five years, I know I will have a brilliant time. Thank you again to Park House for enabling us to achieve our dreams and to anyone currently attending who is thinking about doing veterinary, please do give it a lot of consideration. We cannot deny that it is hard work and if our hearts had not been completely in it, we would not have made it through the relentless challenges over the past five years. You need to choose to do it for you, do not allow yourself to be pressured into it by anyone else. However, if it’s your dream, then please go for it – if we can do it – you 100% can too. • Lorna Beeley
Lighting the way as Get Set Beacons We are now taking part in a nationwide Olympic and Paralympic Legacy initiative to inspire young people across their community to live a healthier, active lifestyle. Park House has been selected to be a Get Set Beacon organisation, helping to promote Olympic and Paralympic ideals by organising sporting events for the community over the next academic year. A fitting accolade, as we were the only educational institution to have been awarded that ‘Inspired by 2012’ mark by The Cabinet Office after London 2012. We are already planning to hold three sporting events, in which we will be inviting local schools to take part. Mr Peaple said: “We’re very proud and pleased that Park House is just one of 45 schools and youth organisations nationally to be chosen as a beacon.”
The school will receive funding from the Get Set initiative to support the events. Get Set is the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association’s youth engagement programme that grew from the London Olympics of 2012. Its aims are to help young people live a fit and healthy lifestyle and to realise their sporting potential. It also aims to spread the Olympic values of friendships, excellence and respect along with the Paralympic ideals of determination, courage and equality which we fully support as a school. •
Race for life Park House saw its fourth annual schools Race for Life take place back in July taking in a multi-terrain route around the school site. All students from Years 7 to 12 took part with a number of our Sixth Form supporting through motivation and encouragement. Our Senior Student Team managed the finish line and presented everyone with a medal. It was wonderful to have the support of our local Newbury Tesco Extra who brought along refreshments and certificates. We have just recently received confirmation and a certificate from Cancer Research UK to confirm that we raised an incredible £1,783 – well done everyone! • Mrs Hawkins, Health & Wellbeing Co-ordinator
15
Horse chestnut tree donated Back in 2008, as a youngster former student and groundsperson James Burton, like many of his generation, played conkers with his grandparents who had many conker trees in their garden. Having a keen interest in arbor culture (now his career) James decided he was going to grow his first tree whilst still at primary school! His plan was to grow it in the family garden and then cut it down if it become too large! However, ten years on he hasn’t needed the chain saw yet as a horse chestnut tree (conker tree – latin name Aesculus hippocastanum) can take time to grow bearing in mind they typically grow about 40cm per year. James felt that with the need to reduce some of the trees within school due to disease or architectural reasons, it would be good to give something back to nature. He therefore donated his nurtured horse chestnut tree to Park House which he planted this term with the help of Mr Peaple. James felt that “trees add value to our environment improving air quality, and supporting wildlife, amongst many other aspects.” Mrs Robinson-Slater said: “We are so fortunate to have a large number of mature trees which makes our campus very special. The planting of the kind donation from James of the horse chestnut will add to our very pleasant surroundings and when this horse chestnut comes into fruition it will contribute to the fantastic autumn colours which we are privileged to work in on a day to day basis.” •
Mayor’s Cadet update My first five months as Mayor’s Cadet have been very exciting. I have met lots of interesting people including local MP, Richard Benyon and the Commanding Officer of RAF High Wycombe, Group Captain Rob Woods OBE. I have attended the HMS Tigris Church service and the turning on of the Newbury Christmas Lights and I read Luke v2 ch8-20 (Shepherds come to see the Christ-child) at the Civic Carol Service on 16 December. I just can’t wait to see what happens in 2019; I wouldn’t trade it for the World. • Joshua Lane, Year 11
16
Coastal and urban field trips Year 12 Swanage Field Trip
Year 9 Urban Fieldwork in Newbury
Seven great people, three adventurous days and one amazing coastline. The A-Level geography trip to Swanage was incredible.
Year 9 students undertook a piece of fieldwork this term and the key question that they were answering was “How has Parkway affected the number of stores and shoppers on Northbrook Street and in the Kennet Centre”. This involved visiting Newbury Town Centre during the school day and then producing a write up booklet full of graphs and analysis once back in the classroom. • Miss Bunn, Geography Dept
We enjoyed every minute from the walk to Lulworth Cove to discuss the formation and measure the beach sediment, being nibbled by goats at Farmer Palmers Farm Park as we looked at rural diversification and going to Sandbanks and Boscombe to look into their coastal defences and collect data looking into the differences between them. For October we had unusually good weather and we even managed to fit in an ice cream stop and carve pumpkins in the evening. Being able to study fieldwork techniques and whilst experiencing the beautiful lithology and geology was really memorable and it will really help us all when we have to do our own fieldwork projects next year. Huge thanks to Mr Davis and Miss Bunn for taking us on this great trip. • Niamh Dorrington and Amy Evans, Year 12
We went to Newbury town centre on Thursday 15 November to do some Urban Fieldwork. Whilst there we had to do a footfall survey which is where you are in groups and one person counts the people walking left to right and the other person counts the people walking right to left. We did this survey at Northbrook Street, Parkway and the Kennet centre, we did this for five minutes each time. We also asked member of the public if they were a local or a visitor and whether they thought the town centre was clean. We did an Environmental Impact Assessment at Parkway and the Kennet Centre which is where we looked around to see if it was noisy, smelly, attractive, safe and welcoming. We are using the information we collected for a project in class this term. • Brooke Robinson, Year 9
17
Let us entertain you This year we have welcomed a new Head of Music, Mrs Cooper. If you are part of her tutor group you will already know the day starts with singing the register. Since joining, Mrs Cooper has held a number of performances with the students. Here she tells us about our students’ recent visits to entertain senior citizens at Age Concern’s Fair Close Day Centre in Newtown Road, Newbury: Earlier this term we were invited to perform for a group of Senior Citizens at the Fair close Day Centre. On our first visit, our Year 9 GCSE Music students were delight to perform a variety of pieces from The Greatest Showman to When Daisies Pied along with solos on piano, voice, bassoon and flute and piano duets with a very well received performance of The Kinks’ You Really Got me. After the performance the students chatted with the Senior citizens and enjoyed cake! Our audience’s comments included “A lovely afternoon the children were very brave to sing for us”, “We hope they enjoyed performing as much as we enjoyed watching”, “We would love them to come again soon…”. And, so, we did... Our first visit had gone so well we were invited back with students from Years 7, 8 and 9 to entertain the day centre visitors again for their Christmas lunch which was also attended by Mayor, Councillor Margo Payne who said “I had a marvellous time!” Well done to all of our brilliant singers and musicians who got involved! • Mrs Cooper, Head of Music
Silence is golden This term I have had many students wanting to take part in sponsored silences in aid of Children in Need. The maturity of the students not only when taking part but to also go round and collect sponsorship has been amazing to see. We have so far raised over £50 for what is such a wonderful charity. They have not thought about themselves but what they can do for others, I’m an extremely proud Head of Year! Well done to Anna Patterson, Tara Fitzgerald, Darcy Birch-Hedger and Ellie Keen, who have been outstanding throughout. • Mr Columbro
18
India’s commitment to training pays off On November 25 I was invited to compete in the British Modern Biathlon National Championships in the Under 14 Girls category held in Leeds. The British Modern Biathlon U14s category consists of a 1600m run and 100m swim. In order to qualify, I needed to get 2000 points across both disciplines or place in the top three in one of the regional qualifiers. I competed in two regional qualifiers, at Basingstoke and Abingdon, and achieved third place in the Basingstoke regional qualifier. The Leeds competition was tough but due to all the training and help from my coaches, I managed to get Personal Bests in both my run and swim, and placed 24th in the U14 Girls category nationally. This is the first year I have competed in a Biathlon. I train with Basingstoke Bluefins Swimming club five times a week and enjoy cross country and long distance running, so I decided to try the Biathlon as it brings both disciplines I enjoy together. Having enjoyed competing in the Biathlons, I have now joined Wessex Wyverns Pentathlon Club and have added Laser Shooting to my training schedule. Next steps are to try the Modern Triathlon (Run, Swim, Shoot), Laser Run (Run, Shoot) and to qualify again for next year’s Biathlon National Championships. I feel very proud of my achievements and this now motivates me to train harder and to try the different events available to me through the Pentathlon GB Organisation. • India Farrant, Year 8 India is totally committed to improving in each discipline and was over the moon with her recent Personal Bests at the event in Leeds! • Mr Elliott - Tutor / PE Teacher:
Max power...
Photo: Steve Hone Max Perry, Year 7 has been racing speedway since he was six years old, in his first year of racing he was crowned South west centre champion and finished fourth at the Nationals. Still riding his 50cc auto Grass track bike he went on to win the North, South, West and East centre titles two years running including two British titles. Max then moved up to the cadet class on a 65cc bike where again he won his third British title. Only staying in the cadets for one year Max said he wanted a challenge so he moved to the junior class on his 85cc bike racing against kids two years older where again he won the British title taking it to four. Max tried for a fifth title this year but had bike problems and missed the top spot by one point. In between all the Grass track racing Max has been
riding his 125cc Speedway bike in the British Young Lions where he has been racing up and down the country and France. This year Max was asked to join the Peterborough Thundercats in the Northern Junior League, where they finished Northern League runners up, NJL fours Champions and NJL best pairs runners up. Max also finished top of the 125cc averages list in his first year beating kids up to the age of fifteen. Max also went onto set 125cc track records at Peterborough, Scunthorpe, Rye house and Redcar. 2019 is set to be a very exciting year and Max is hoping to team back up with the Peterborough Thunder Cats, continue with the Young Lions, try and win another British title and also compete in some more European rounds. • Robert Perry
19
Yuann province students’ visit Following a visit from Year 7 and 8 Chinese students (bottom photo) back in July this year and a cultural visit in 2017 (featured in Personal Best issue 37) a further group of ten Year 12 Chinese students from underprivileged backgrounds in Yuann province in China visited us this month. They engaged with our own Sixth Form students in a question and answer session learning about each other’s culture. Our students were particularly shocked to learn about the length of the Chinese school day – 6.30am to 11.00pm! The Chinese students were impressed by the wealth of options on offer at Park House and both groups gained greatly from the experience and new friendships. • Mr Oxley, Modern Foreign Languages
16
20
Our Ye ar enterta 7 studen ts introdu iners, danc were stee ped ers, ce stud ents to dragons an in oriental The ev cultu dm Chines day th ent, which e cultu artial artis re this te at rm re. ts took sponso really enth Mr Oxley, He over th as Chinese us re ad of e scho Founda d by Jing ed student Langua ol to an s around tion. It gave d Graeme about life in ges describ Aa ed th culture the world an e students rons, foun the Far East, as an “insp de s which a ” d iring rs ta wa is ste of of th a we s ge School , numbe aside from lcome addit how cultu e Anglo-Chin nerously res tw r 79 in ion to a Mr Pe the sc and beliefs Education Ulan Ba inning with ho Si dif tor, M history aple describ ongolia thengile Sc ol’s teachin fer g of glo hool in and Sh China and culture ed the day ba Du inaga as Ed of wa Sc rban, and l opportu ucation Fo China.” He a “fabulou hool in un sly Tokyo. Manda nity for our dation and said: “We ar vibrant int Ye e rin ro Ch Brooke enrichmen ar 7s.” The inese Em hugely grat duction to ba the ef s Unive sc t rsity as lessons in hool also un ssy for prov ul to the An rich pa glo iding Staff ve part of rtn the Co ership with iled plans to this uniqu TOCO and student nfucius e G int th s identify (Tokyo Orga at Park Ho Classr e Embassy roduce ooms us an nis Progra d Oxford schools ways that th ing Comm e have als o be mme. ittee of e To and ed the Ol en working ucation kyo 2020 These ym Ol clo al ym pic establi se Park Ho intercultu shmen pics can ha Games), to ly with ra ve ts acro he having use recogn l relationsh ss Japa a lasting im lp them itio ips been pact in n. featur n in the Fa and learn ed in th ing r e Japa East with th opportunit e scho ies ha nese na ve ol tional press. and Derek earned Peaple •
Far E Inspirastern ation
Samuel Wright, Arnaud Montagne, Gracie Matthews, Josie Piddington, Ella Dunford, James Peaple and Charles Matthews
Champions of Enterprise Our Sixth Form Champions of Enterprise team have just been crowned best in West Berkshire in a Dragon’s Den-style competition which required them to work together and present innovative solutions to ‘live’ business challenges organised by the Education Business Partnership.
Shortlisted for Design Ventura A team of our Year 10 GSCE Design and Technology were recently shortlisted for the prestigious Design Ventura competition and were one of only ten teams pitching their idea at the final held in November at the Design Museum in London. The competition had over 13,400 students participating making the achievement even more impressive. We look forward to the announcement of the winners in early 2019. Our students, Oscar Stephens, Ben East, Luke Rivers, George Keen, Joe Neary and Joseph Cottingham-Mayall, gave a brilliant and engaging presentation of their design concepts for ‘Hold’em’, a shopping bag holder to take the pain out of carrying lots of shopping bags with a strap that helps take the strain. As one professional design observer commented: “I really like this concept. A solid solution to a clearly identified problem.”
21
Current run of Rugby success... The Year 7 rugby team have been outstanding in every sense this season! They have been extremely committed to the rugby programme right since the first training session. They have shown real togetherness and character throughout the season with numbers of 20+ at each training session. The character, unity and desire shown from all of the students during each training session and particularly in matches has been outstanding! We admire this group of individuals when it comes to displaying commitment and determination
“All the team have worked very well and they haven’t moaned or anything to me whilst I have been captain. When I first played it was a bit nerve-racking because I had never played with some of my team mates. When we win games I think the reason is because we have played as a team and that makes me happy. Rugby makes me happy – I can play a sport as part of a team and being captain also makes me happy that I can help and support people.” Edward Bone, Year 7
on the field. The A & B squads have been extremely successful this season remaining unbeaten in the district league with the A squad also remaining unbeaten in the county competitions! Individually and collectively the students have been a credit to the school. Well done to all the students involved! A special mention goes to Seb Chapman and Edward Bone who have shown their leadership skills both on the pitch and off. • Mr Elliott, PE Department
“I have really enjoyed my time as Rugby Captain for Park House. It has taught me some important values like hard work, determination, confidence and given me a feeling of happiness. The Year 7’s are undefeated in the whole of Berkshire which is a great achievement for our rugby team and the school. I have tried to be the best captain I could be. I currently play fly-half and for me that is one of the toughest positions on the pitch.” Seb Chapman, Year 7
Biggs hitter... Year 7 student James Biggs first picked up a golf club at the age of three. In 2015, he joined Wragg Barn Golf Club, Highworth, Swindon where he was part of the Cadet One programme. Over the next few years, James developed the golf bug and one of his coaches, Richard Scarott, said, “Wow! Where did you get that swing from? I wish I had been as good as you at your age.” From March to August this year James has played for the Wiltshire Development Squad and played in the Wiltshire Development Tour where he came second in an Order of Merit Tour. Scott Talbot, Cadet Organiser for Wragg Barn and Secretary for the Golf Union in Wiltshire said that James was one of the best players he’d has seen for his age group. The Cadet Two Championship at Wragg Barn in August saw James shoot an amazing 89 to win the trophy by nine shots and gain an invitation to play in the Men verses Juniors Competition – a proud moment as James was still a Cadet. Three days later, James progressed to the Junior Section and is now playing off the back tees. Since then James achieved first in the Under 13 age group at the North Wiltshire Junior Open on 1 November and has been offered a place on the Wiltshire Under 13s Elite Squad by John Jacobs (the England Boys’ coach). James happily accepted the invitation and to say he was excited is an understatement! James’ ambition is to study golf at a sporting college in the UK or America and his sporting dream is to one day become a PGA Tour Professional and win the Open Golf Championship. • The Biggs Family
22
Photo: www.yoursportswindon.co.uk
Year 7, you’re awesome! Welcoming our Year 7 students and their families I can almost remember my own first day in Year 7 – the excitement and fear. I imagine the same can be said for our cohort of Year 7, many of whom came from very small primary schools where they knew everyone and enjoyed familiarity. This year, our new students settled in well and started their Park House journey with an amazing assembly from Graham Edmunds (Paralympic Gold Medallist swimmer). The students thoroughly enjoyed his extremely inspirational story and also had the chance to meet him and have their photo taken. What a way to start your academic year! Graham said: “It was such a special privilege to be invited to address Year 7 students at Park House on their first day ...I really hope I have inspired the pupils to make the best of their time at Park House’. After this the hard work started for the Year 7s as they went off to undertake their first lessons at Park House. A scary moment for many, with new teachers, classrooms and peers to meet. To say they settled in quickly is an understatement. I patrolled the corridors daily, checking to see if all
was well, and it was! Many students were trying subjects they had never experienced before or had barely looked at. The conduct in lessons was exemplary and the rapport between students and staff started to evolve. For Mrs Chandler, Miss Dewsbury and I, it has been a pleasure getting to know all students and to see all their amazing skills and qualities shine through. A very enjoyable, hard working environment is now established with all Year 7 students fully integrated as part of the school community. On the 10 October we held our annual Year 7 parents’ social evening – a great way for parents to discuss the start of the year with all the tutors and other parents while enjoying a glass of wine. A massive thank you to all that helped make this an amazing evening! The first term is almost complete and I can honestly say, as Head of Year, I’m extremely proud of all students for the progress they are making and at how well they have taken on the Park House values. I look forward to a successful rest of the year and the journey ahead. • Mr Columbro – Head of Learning, Year 7
23
Students meet with the West End’s real-life Jean Valjean Year 8 students received a unique opportunity to see the legendary West End production of Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’ and then to meet and quiz Dean Chisnall, in November. As a school we regularly put on high quality productions at Arlington Arts, giving students a feel of life on the stage and the work that goes into putting on a production such as costume, lighting, stage design and props. However, a backstage tour of a real West End show, followed by seeing the performance, gave the students a chance to see exactly how West End sets are built and the environments that actors have
to work in. The visit gave the students first hand insights into the challenges posed by set features such as a revolving set. After being quite literally ‘shown the ropes’ backstage, the students got to see the set in action, before meeting Dean Chisnall the productions’ leading man, Jean Valjean) to find out more about the production and the life of an actor. Dean has visited Park House and spoken with the students in the past, but seeing Dean in his professional environment gave students a chance to learn more about life on stage, to collect his autograph, and to make life-long memories. • Miss Baron, Head of Drama
“I loved it because it made me feel a range of emotions from laughter to tears.” Sam Knight “I thought the trip was an amazing experience and I would love to do it again and I also thought the actors, singers and acting was amazing!” Lottie MacDonald
“I really enjoyed the show and I would definitely come and see it again. It was a breath-taking experience.” Cerys Durham
“Totally unexpected. I don’t think even Shakespeare could imagine how good this play was – and the performance!.” Izzy Pilkington
24
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award The Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award, was first launched over 60 years ago. Hundreds of students from Park House have participated in the Award which is available to all students from Year 9 and above and is now the world's leading youth achievement award. The award equips young people for life, regardless of their background and physical ability. It is a personal challenge and not a competition against others; it gives young people new challenges and recognises their achievements. The Award can also play a critical role in supporting a young person when they apply for College, University or employment and is highly thought of in the world of work. I have summarised below some recent achievements with our DofE students here at Park House. If you are interested in joining the DofE or have any further questions about the Award please contact Linnhe Lay on llay@parkhouseschool.org • Mrs Linnhe Lay Bronze DofE Huge congratulations to 14 Bronze DofE students who have completed their DofE Award over the Autumn term: Emma Cheshire, Emily Clayton, Georgina Green, Isabel Knight, Emma Layton, Bethan Philp, Emily Robinson, Molly Smith, Oscar Stephens, Emma Thomas, Lowri Thomas, Sophie Thornton-Allen, Emily Valentine, Charlotte Wiles “I thought I would never be able to participate in the DofE as I was convinced that I would not be able to complete the different sections but the DofE has encouraged me to try new activities and gain new experiences, especially volunteering at Newbury Library. The DofE was such a great experience for me and I also met a whole new group of friends.” Isabel Knight Well done to Olivia Popplewell who joined a team of DofE participants from other schools to complete her Bronze mop up expedition. As the only member of the Park House DofE on this expedition Olivia showed the true spirit of the DofE throughout her expedition by making new friends, and she always had a smile on her face even when she was up against the relentless wind and rain! Silver DofE Three Silver DofE Teams challenged themselves through the gruelling wettest and windiest weekend of the year on their Silver DofE practice expedition in September. The teams were not defeated by the horrendous weather and went on to pass their Silver Assessed Expedition in October, in beautiful sunshine! Congratulations to Charlie Ginn for completing his Silver Award Gold DofE Three Park House students have achieved the ultimate, by passing their Gold DofE Award; Grace Norton (pictured right), David Lee and Jack Hygate. These three students will be invited to Buckingham Palace next year to collect their Gold Award. “My Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) experience started in Year 9 when I did my bronze award. When I first signed up for DofE, I never thought that I would continue to gold, but I am extremely glad that I did. DofE has been the most rewarding experience I have ever had. It has expanded my horizons and allowed me to prove that I am capable of feats I didn’t think possible. In short, DofE has allowed me to discover new hobbies, meet new people and grow as a person. I cannot recommend DofE highly enough.” Grace Norton
25
STEM Careers days and STEM Challenge EBP Festival of Engineering The first Festival of Engineering set up by the Enterprise Business Partnership took place on 9 November. This was held at XTrac Transmissions in Thatcham and we were able to take about 40 of our Year 9 students who were interested in STEM careers. Lots of potential employers were there with engaging hands-on activities for the students. Our students got to meet staff from Dyson, Thames Water, Bloodhound (The land speed challenge) Thatcham Research and Ocado Supermarkets. All of the employers were showing how STEM subjects were essential to their businesses. The host of the event was Richard Benyon MP who met some of our Year 9 students. This event was a great success. Downe House STEM Day Early in November Year 11 girls were lucky enough to be invited to Downe House School in Cold Ash for their STEM careers day to explore some diverse areas of science and technology. The event involved sessions understanding the science behind lock gates on canals, research into neurological pathways to provide better medical care, molecular imaging in cancer treatment and a session run by Bletchley Park staff on code breaking, Enigma style! Rutherford Appleton Laboratory In December a group of our sixth formers went to Rutherford Appleton Labs for a STEM science day. We arrived in the morning and after a short introductory talk the students were straight into a hands on activity with Arduino microprocessors. Setting up a simple programmable microprocessor circuit. This was followed by a tour of the data centre, showing the huge storage racks capable of storing the many petabytes (1,000,000 gigabytes) of data that support RAL projects and scientific research on the Harwell campus. Some data is still stored on tape and we were shown how tape storage is used and how reliable it is for storing large quantities of data that is not under constant access at a reasonable cost. From there we went to the Compact Laser Facility where demonstrations using light to analyse materials were shown. The afternoon session was a lecture explaining how our understanding of material structure is essential to our understanding of the Universe and how we interact with it. Big thinking and big science but very small particles!
Bayer Life Science This term, some of our new Year 7s had the opportunity to go to Bayer Life Science in Reading to their BayLab facility. During the morning activity the students extracted some of their own DNA from some of their cheek cells and using some advanced and sophisticated techniques took a sample of
26
the DNA and inserted it into a glass vial and made a necklace with it. Some real gene jewellery, very personal and unique. Plenty of STEM fun going on at Park House throughout the school year and for lots of our different year groups. One common theme throughout was that all of our students were so well behaved on the visits they were an asset to school and a pleasure to take out and inspire. • Ian Miller STEM Challenge On Monday 15 October, four Year 9 students (Josh, Angus, Tom, Patrick T) went to a STEM event at AWE. The challenge was to design and make a submersible vehicle that would compete in four tasks. The boys were assisted by AWE engineering staff and overseen by AWE apprentices, as the submersible was to be built by the students themselves applying the knowledge they had gained during a school visit from AWE staff earlier in October. Despite being joint first after the second task, the Park House challenge tailed off and they finished fifth. Our students enjoyed the day and gained lots of knowledge and skills that they can apply in both school and any STEM-related work they do in the future. • Mr Hale
“We were set a challenge to make a working submarine out of limited materials – plastic bottles, motors, balloons and other everyday items. The first task was to make an accurate design of the submarine we were going to make. Our second task was to make the submarine sink and rise as quick as possible. Our third task was to make the submarine go from one side of the tank to the other in the fastest time possible and our fourth and final task was to try and make our submarine reach a neutral buoyancy. Some of the prizes varied from Lego books to action cameras! We all really enjoyed the day!” Josh Donohoe, Patrick Thorpe, Angus Magee, and Tom Rowe
Thatcham technology inspires again... In early November the A-Level Physics and Design and Technology students got the chance to visit Thatcham Research, a leading not-forprofit researcher into motor safety and security.
The tests are designed to mimic how a car would behave in a real crash. Although for a good cause, it’s quite shocking to see brand new cars with just two or three miles on the clock get written off.
We were hosted by Neil Samuel from Thatcham Research who gave us an introductory presentation into what Thatcham Research does, including the three different types of crash testing they do at the centre (front-left, side and rear). By doing this crash testing, Thatcham Research grades each car model against a five-star rating for safety and a fifty-point system overall. This forms a Euro NCAP rating for the car. Thatcham is the only Euro NCAP certified crash lab in the UK. We were introduced to new developments in safety including a demonstration of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), self parking cars and autonomous cruise control. The students got to ride in a Tesla model S with lots of self driving aids fitted.
Training is vital to ensure ongoing car safety and the Thatcham training centre staff showed us how training programmes are developed for apprentices from many areas of the motor industry. New materials are constantly being developed and it need to be understood how the behaviour of these material affects the way they are body repaired after an accident. The use of extensive carbon fibre in modern high end cars presents new problems for the repair industry. We saw the extensive aluminium substructure of some of the new Tesla model cars. Aluminium requires specialist welding techniques for repairs to be safe. Thatcham Research is unique in that all the tools needed are available on-site, along with classrooms for the theoretical aspects. The final part of the visit was hands on, as a passenger, in an autonomous braking Volvo V40. The car was driven towards a ‘foam car’ and the car braked on its own with no input from the driver, when the cameras and radar sensors detect the parked foam car. Very jerky but saved an impact, the following insurance costs and potential injuries. Just showing us how technology is being used in everyday life to assist with motoring issues. Hands off parking in a LWB Mercedes S class limousine was a very surreal experience.
During our tour of the facilities we looked at the RTC, where new cars are assessed for appropriate repair methods developed in conjunction with the manufacturers. We saw video and real evidence of how safety has progressed over the last 20 years with comparisons from an early ‘90s Rover Metro and a current Honda Jazz model. The differences were truly shocking – occupants in a modern Jazz would have survived an impact which would have proved fatal in the Rover. Chilling. We went to the indoor crash areas, hosted by Tom, a recent graduate engineer. His enthusiasm for his cars and in making them safer was infectious. He explained how huge the forces involved are. Here, cars are propelled on a moving floor sideways into a concrete pillar. The collision happens at the side of the car directly next to the driver’s head to test the side airbags deployment and how the car copes with the impact. Each test takes several weeks to set up as the car must be in the correct position to make every test repeatable and reproducible.
Our STEM visit to Thatcham Research is now a highlight fixture of our first year A Level Physics course. This year we’ve expanded it to involve our D&T students too, they get an insight into the uses of many different materials and their impact on the finished products. The visit is designed to inspire an interest and passion for all things automotive in our students. By the looks on some of the faces here we seem to have hit that target. • Ian Miller
27
House System Update... The House System at Park House school continues to be a tremendous success and positive force for good throughout the school. From Year 7 right through to our Sixth Form, students have been earning House Points by competing in House Events, volunteering their time for the school and community and generally exceeding expectations with their academic performance and efforts. Here are the current points standings:
Cedar 8920 points Oak 8537 points Beech 8514 Elm 7782 The overall winners will have the honour and pleasure of the big House Party at the end of the year, alongside having the House Shield engraved for all to see. In addition to this, we have appointed our House Captains from our exceptional and outstanding pool of talented Sixth Formers. The senior student team (Year 13) have continued in the tradition of their forebears and are already making a wonderful contribution to school life. Two members (Jacob Smith and Bridgett Skinner) have the honour of being our Senior House Captains. We have now appointed eight Year 12s as Junior House Captains. We look forward to another remarkable year of positivity and healthy competition for the four Houses here at Park House.
With some House Sports events already completed (and more to come), we look forward to a raft of events for students to take part in: House Debating, House E-Sports and Sports Day to name just a few we have featured here from last year. If you have any questions, comments or thoughts that you would like to communicate with us then please email any of the following: BEECH@parkhouseschool.org ELM@parkhouseschool.org
CEDAR@parkhouseschool.org OAK@parkhouseschool.org
Or Mr Marshall (House Co-Ordinator): hmarshall@parkhouseschool.org
Cedar House winners of 2017-2018 house competition
Name: Matt Maynard
Name: Kiara Jones
House: Beech
House: Cedar
Likes: Rugby
Likes: Animals, Computer Science and Maths
Reason for wanting to be House Captain: It’s a chance to have a bit more responsibility and be a bit more involved with the school Aims and ambitions for my time as house captain: To help the House System and improve the schools’ system to accommodate everyone who's in the school, the best i can along with the other Captains.
Reason for wanting to be House Captain: I want to extend my leadership skills and cooperation skills Aims and ambitions for my time as House Captain: I want to help build the House System and get more people involved.
Name: Elishia Pryor Name: Lucy Rowe
House: Cedar
House: Beech
Likes: Dance, Drama and Photography
Likes: Science and Football Reason for wanting to be House Captain: I wanted to be more involved in the school community to benefit others, and work as a team to arrange competitions between the houses. Aims and Ambitions for my time as House Captain: My aim is to encourage a healthy competitive House System, with ideas coming directly from students.
28
Reason for wanting to be House Captain: Help and encourage younger students through the years. Aims and ambitions for my time as house captain: To help the House System and develop the schools system to accommodate everyone who is in the school, the best I can along with the other House Captains.
House Cricket Competition
House Drama Competition
Name: Mai Brown
Name: Heather Caborn
House: Elm
House: Oak
Likes: Athletics
Likes: Art, science, veterinary studies and good music.
Reasons for wanting to be House Captain: To help make a difference to the House System and inspire people in every year to be more involved in their House community Aims and ambitions for my time as House Captain: To promote a positive attitude towards your House, as well as wanting to achieve highly.
Reasons for wanting to be House Captain: To encourage expansion of House events Aims and ambitions for my time as House Captain: To get more House events for more subjects along with participation.
Name: Charlotte Phillips House: Elm
Name: Josh Smith
Likes: Science and coffee
House: Oak
Reasons for wanting to be House Captain: I wanted to be House Captain to gain responsibilities and have my chance to help improve the school. I am not only representing my team, Elm, but I am now also part of the House team, working with the other House Captains to bring ideas together.
Likes: Media, Football and Karate
Aims and ambitions for my time as house captain: As House Captain, my aim is to encourage more enthusiasm, teamwork and competition in the House events, as well as holding new events to get students from all year groups working together as one team.
Reasons for wanting to be House Captain: I have enjoyed taking part in House events ever since Year 7 and I really want to be able to assist the school in any ways possible. Aims and ambitions for my time as House Captain: I aim to help organise and introduce a wider variety of house events and competitions for the students here at Park House. I also wish to leave after my A Levels being able to be proud of achievements as Oak House Captain.
29
Lest we forget... Finding ways to commemorate WWI All year groups recently participated in a WWI commemorative project to thank and help remember the fallen. Every tutor group were asked to design a ‘Thank You’ silhouette, to help contribute to this year’s Royal British Legion poppy appeal. It’s so important for the students to stop and take the time to remember not just the dreadful conditions in the trenches, but the variety of people and experiences in wartime. This particular project was aimed at letting the students commemorate in their own words or artistic talents. It was important that all students and age groups participated, so that the next
generation are ready to take ownership of commemoration. The response we had from students was breath-taking. I think it’s really important for schools to take up the mantle of educating young people on the importance of commemoration. The winners of the competition were Joseph Cottingham-Mayall, Year 10; Sophie Valentine, Year 10; and Josh Chalmers-Wells, Year 8. We have also just taken 45 Year 9 students to Ypres to explore the WWI Battlefields of the Somme and Passchendaele, and this has also had a profound impact on the students. • Miss Davis, Head of History
Remembering England Rugby Players’ contribution to the Great War Founder of our Mad Dog Rugby Academy, Lewis Moody has since retirement become the official ambassador for the England RFU’s Great War Commemoration. Lewis has both a rugby connection to the Great War – 27 England internationals gave their lives – and a family connection. He is named after his great grandfather, who with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment crossed the Channel, immediately encountering some of the fiercest fighting. He said: “I hope that everyone involved in rugby will look into their own family, school or club history and learn as much as possible so that we all understand and continue to remember.” With that in mind, Year 12 students Vincent Coffey and Tom Curley have interviewed Lewis about his ambassador role (the video can be seen on our YouTube channel) and joined other Mad Dog students and coaches from Royal Wootton Bassett and Melksham on a successful trip to Belgium and France where they visited the graves of England rugby players including those of the Berkshire regiment. •
30
Battlefields trip On Thursday 18 October we left school at 6am to head off to France and Belgium to visit the WWI battlefields and cemeteries. Ypres was our base for three nights. We settled in and then ventured into Ypres to have a look around and then walked down to Menin Gate to watch the Last Post Ceremony. Two of our students were privileged enough to lay a wreath on behalf of Park House School. On the Friday, the first place we went to was the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. This spectacular memorial remembers the Canadian soldiers who fought in the war but were never found or identified. This was one of my favourite places to visit on the trip because it made me realise the enormity of WWI and the huge loss of life incurred. Also, on that day, we visited the Tank Corps Memorial, Thiepval, Ollivers Military Cemetery, Mametz Wood and The Lochnagar Crater which is massive. Numerous bombs were dropped here to signal the start of the Battle of the Somme – it was so huge, tea cups in London were shaking! On the Saturday we had a tour guide called Simon who was very friendly and told us lots of interesting stories. Our first stop was Essex Farm Cemetery which has the ‘Youngest Known Soldier’ who died in Battle. Next to the cemetery, there were some mini hospitals which were used during the war. The other places we visited that day were the German cemetery at Langemark, St Julien Memorial in memory of Canadian Soldiers, Hooge Crater and Trenches (where we could actually go in the trenches), the Memorial Museum Passchendaele (which was a museum with lots of different trenches) and Tyne Cot Cemetery (the biggest British Cemetery). Overall, Tyne Cot Cemetery was my favourite of the day because, once again, you began to realise how many people died and, seeing a head stone with the coincidence of your surname on it makes you realise that the person underneath you could be an ancestor. On the Sunday, our last day, we left the hotel and visited Flanders Field Museum and Talbot House. When we arrived back at school later that day, everybody was exhausted but we all had memories that would stay with us for our lifetime. • Louise Rowe, 9 Delta
For pure experience and realisation, the Battlefields Trip was by far the best I’ve ever been on. To see the different ways that countries have chosen to remember their fallen was incredible – a real eye opener. To be told stories about certain people and events where they actually occurred was incredible. For me, the best part was the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Bridge as the way people came together was extraordinary. Many different nationalities unite every night of everyday to read out three names of soldiers who died in the war. The way that everyone fell silent in the ceremony was something else and it let you take the time out to reflect on what the soldiers went through in order to create peace for us today. Tyne Cot Cemetery was also a great experience none of the previous cemeteries on our trip were as big as Tyne Cot – there were almost 12,000 fallen soldiers from the British Empire buried there, 8,367 of whom were unidentified. The other places we visited included other cemeteries like Essex Farm and breathtaking memorials like Vimy Ridge, a memorial for the French and Canadian soldiers, and Thiepval, a memorial for the British and was visited by several members of the Royal family ranging from the Prince of Wales to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Going on this trip was a privilege for us all. Our tour guide told us stories about doctors operating on the frontline and about the soldiers’ secret lovers. On top of all this, the fact that we went in the year of the centenary and only a few weeks before Armistice Day was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that all of us will never forget. We got to step outside the modern day life and go back and experience the different ways of life in places where WWI still heavily affects their day to day life. • Thomas Rowe, 9 Omega Miss Davis would like to thank Miss Lewis, Mr Wilder, Mr Oxley and Miss Atraki for coming on the trip and being fantastic group leaders. The History Department would also like to thank Mr Jones in Design and Technology, Mr Noden in Reprographics and our school nurse for helping us prepare for the trip.
31
Drama Celebration Evening Parents and students were invited to a brilliant GCSE and A Level Celebration Evening in the school’s Drama Studio on Thursday 6 December giving our students an ideal opportunity to rehearse set pieces in front of an appreciative audience. A truly wonderful evening. • Miss Baron, Head of Drama
32