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Diversity. Diversity of opportunity. Diversity of talent. Diversity of achievement. It’s all about what setting a Personal Best means. And it’s also the central theme of this end of year edition, celebrating the many, varied and singularly wonderful actions and activities of our amazing young people. Enjoy the journey! Derek Peaple, Headteacher
Ben Smith’s revisit ahead of next marathon effort Ben Smith’s first visit in 2016.
Ben met with 180 Year 10 students and regaled them with tales of his teenage years and the events that inspired his challenges. He explained the importance of being true to who you really are and how, if you don’t know who you are at 14 or 15 years old, that’s ok. Ben’s new 50 marathons in 50 states challenge aims to raise £1M for two mental health charities; the 401 Foundation and The Youth Sport Trust. Ben will run the 50 marathons, cycling around 17,000 miles between each of the marathons in just 104 days. Ben needs to raise £150,000 to fund his USA 2020 Challenge and part of his fundraising included a ticketed evening event at Park House where Ben shared the story of his inspiration and the original 401 Challenge. In the run-up to Ben’s USA 2020 challenge, he will be working with the Youth Sport Trust to roll out an Ofsted-approved programme involving 4,000 schools on the four pillars of wellbeing covering various area of the curriculum. Park House hopes to roll out this program to students later this year through our well-established Character and Values lessons.
Three years ago, Park House students ran the first mile of the 65th consecutive marathon run by Ben Smith. Ben went on to run a further 336 marathons in the 336 days that followed and is still the only person in the world to have run 401 marathons in 401 days. Now, as Ben Smith prepares to run again – 50 marathons in 50 states around the USA – he revisited students at Park House, many of whom he met on his first visit three years ago. In that time, Ben’s world has changed, having clocked up 401 marathons, raised £330,000 for charity, and won the 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Helen Rollason Award. And, the students who met with Ben on his last visit to the school are now taking GCSEs to ready themselves to make their own impression on the world.
Mrs Hawkins, our Active Wellbeing Coordinator said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Ben back to Park House for an update on his 401 Challenge and what has happened behind the scenes since his last visit, leading up to the start-up of the 401 Foundation. Ben’s talk was from the heart and kept our Year 10 students’ attention and interest from start to finish.”
Ben Smith talking to students in May this year.
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 41 will be published December 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.
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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
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CRS M&S, JFK, JPR... the truly great are known simply by their initials.
CRS enjoying our Charity Run and Fun Day in 2016.
CRS with Derek Peaple after recognition for her 38 years’ long service with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
So it is with CRS. It is impossible to succinctly capture Cate RobinsonSlater’s immeasurable contribution to the life of Park House over the last twenty years. Suffice to say she has been its heart and soul, and it has been my pleasure and privilege to share the last sixteen years of our community’s journey with her as my Deputy. Nothing that has been achieved during that time would have been possible without her and I know that, as she retires, she is going to be greatly missed by staff, students, parents and Governors alike. A picture can say a thousand words but I’d need more than just a picture. Care. Respect. Student-focused. Thank you, CRS. • Derek Peaple
CRS with staff during the Dressed by Kids fundraising day in 2017.
CRS at Buckingham Palace this year for our students’ Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award presentations – see back page for more.
We are family...
presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his commitment to Football and Young People in Berkshire; previously coaching both Theo Walcott in football and Jonathan Joseph in rugby.
In February, schools, sporting organisations and individuals converged on The Hilton in Reading to celebrate Berkshire’s achievement in sport and physical activity at the Get Berkshire Active Awards, now in its seventh year.
Derek Peaple said: “I couldn’t be more proud of all our Get Berkshire Active Award Winners and nominees. We are a very special community united through a commitment to the lifelong skills and confidence that sport can equip you with.”
Park House dominated the evening with an impressive array of awards and nominations for students, coaches and former staff. Current Year 10 student Ben East, a javelin thrower, won Junior Sports Personality after winning five championships last year and holding six records including his 70.66m throw at the Wessex Young Athletes League – the longest throw in the world for his age. Ben also became the first person under 15 in the UK to throw over 70m. Colin Fox, who runs Newbury Gymnastics club based here at Park House won a Lifetime Achievement Award. The school’s Sports Leadership programme, co-ordinated by Jake Rowell and James Mandry, was nominated for the Youth Engagement Award and Doug Cook, a former Park House PE teacher was also
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Pick up the pieces The 2019 Year 7 and Year 8 Chess Tournament would not have been possible without the kind gifts of chess boards from Park House families (following a request for donations earlier in the year) along with donations provided by Mr Crabbe and Mr Noden and of course those supporting and running the lunchtime sessions, especially Mrs Zeta-John who said: “Many of the students only started playing this year – their progress and enthusiasm has been amazing.” Everyone enjoyed making news friends whilst learning and improving their chess strategy and a PHSA contribution of a badge-making machine to our Design and Technology department enabled students to create some wonderful and unique badges for all the players. The delighted winners were presented with their trophies at a celebratory social gathering to mark the end of the tournament. •
“I am so happy and amazed that I even got past the semi-final and I’m very proud of myself.” Cameron Sparkes, Year 7 – runner up
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“I really enjoyed the experience because we all got closer as friends and it made us all better at chess.” James Slade, Year 8 – overall winner
“The whole competition was amazing. I love playing chess. I tried really hard and have really enjoyed every second of it.” Maya Mouzouris, Year 7 – most improved player
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A Woman Scorned Last term some of our Year 12 Drama students took to the stage to perform their own original, devised piece “A Woman Scorned” which they had been writing and rehearsing since September. And, all their hard work did not disappoint! Their play told the stories of five different real women from history, all linked by one desire: revenge! The piece explored the
varying ways these women got what they wanted and for some of them, the less desirable consequences of their actions. Influenced by the theatrical techniques of renowned theatre company “Frantic Assembly”, the students created a visually breathtaking, beautifully crafted piece of physical theatre, intertwining each of the women’s stories that spanned from Greece in
335BC, to Vietnam in 43AD to France in 1324, Spain in 1504 and Ireland in 1550. To find out more about the women who influenced the creation of the piece head over to Google and look up the fascinating stories of The Trung Sisters, Timoclea of Thebes, Jean De Clisson, Joanna of Castile and Grace O’Malley. • Miss Baron, Head of Drama
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All white now
In February 49 students and six members of Staff left school to head off on the Ski Trip to Artesina in Italy. The coach journey took a little over 26 hours, but the time passed by in a flash and before we knew it we were getting measured up for skis and boots and preparing to get on the slopes!
The weather for the week was simply superb – sunshine every day and temperatures to match. All the layers we had packed were not needed as we basked in the sunshine and made the most of the near perfect conditions. The snow just managed to last until the end of the week. The whole experience was enhanced by the awesome behaviour and attitude of all the students. They worked hard on and off the slopes and were a delight to spend the half term with. Great credit must also be given to the staff: Mr Tree, Mr Holland Mr Thorne, Miss Bunn, Miss Calloway and Mrs Kirby, who gave up the half term with their families and children to ensure that students are able to experience new challenges in a supportive and vibrant environment. • Mrs Kirby
I was excited for my first day, when we learnt how to snowplough although the highlight was when people kept falling over!
On day two we went up the nursery slope and all the way back down in a snake. In the afternoon, we had to be assessed in groups. We went up the mountain on the ski lift with stunning views. This was the first time I had been up a mountain! Our instructor was Andreas; he was good and let us do jumps and other cool things. Everyone in my group was good at skiing, which made it easy and quick to move on. When we went night skiing the teachers tried to trick us by telling us to wear sun cream because of the moon! • Ned Atkins Year 10
How many times did you fall over Miss Calloway? And how many times did you drag Mr Holland down with you? But that doesn’t matter, as Mr Tree said “The more times you fall over, the more progress you are making...” The trip started with a surprisingly enjoyable, yet long, nearly 30-hour bus journey consisting of many movies, hours of sleeping and bad jokes from all the teachers. After a few days for the beginner groups on the magic carpet, which included many falls, wipe-outs and immense progress; they braced the ski lifts and before the third day were on to the red slopes! The evenings held the most laughs through many crashes while bumboarding, hitting the high notes at the karaoke evening, indulging in pizzas, going donutting and even having the chance to go night skiing. After many falls, laughs, improved skiing ability and memories that will last a lifetime it’s safe to say we had a week to remember with an amazing group of people! • Emily Valentine Yr 10
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Design & Technology students on top form at Design Ventura Final
Back in January, six of our Year 10 Design & Technology students attended the final of the prestigious Design Ventura Competition, run by the Design Museum and Deutsche Bank. The competition attracts entries from over 400 State and Independent Schools UK wide each year, so to make it into the Top 10 (for the second time, after our successful Plane-A-Pult entry, back in 2014), says a good deal about the calibre of our creative subjects and students at Park House.
Although not winning overall, our students received a Commendation for Innovation for their brilliant entry, Hold ‘Em – a multi bag carrier, and had a fantastic day, with talks from Kickstarter and two conceptual designers, before a masterclass on Problem Solving and Function Following Form. The team of Joseph Cottingham-Mayall, Ben East, Luke Rivers, George Keen, Joe Neary and Oscar Stephens all represented the school splendidly. Well done to all of them! • Mrs Hayes, Head of Design & Technology
Teentech Hampshire Event In June, ten of our Year 9 Design & Technology students took part in a multi-workshop day at the Hampshire Court Hotel in Basingstoke, run by Teentech which was founded in 2008 by Maggie Philbin and Chris Dodson to help young people understand STEM career opportunities. The students were all involved in a variety of activities during the day, including an Innovation Challenge, where they designed a system to produce electricity through exercise, as well as visiting exhibition stands to gain an insight into potential future careers.
They were then involved in two problem solving workshops with Air Products – building a gas pipeline with various penalties if gas supplies ran short – and Fujitsu – looking at their futuristic Digital Annealing Computer System and how it can solve complex problems in milliseconds using computer teamwork, but with human involvement still required to ensure the decisions made are compassionate. The students enjoyed the day, showing excellent teamworking skills while having fun at the same time! • Mrs Hayes, Head of Design & Technology
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Heather in the sunshine on the Southbank celebrating her first day at work with EdComs.
Building on Park House Values beyond graduation It will come as no surprise to many of you that one of my first memories of Park House centres on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Mr Peaple stood up in front of the assembly hall of new Year 7s, and announced to us proudly that we were an “Olympic Year Group”. I started Park House in 2008, almost exactly coinciding with the Paralympic Games in Beijing. This was a hugely exciting time for sport in Great Britain; our medal performance at the Beijing Olympics was our best in a century and the profile and visibility of parasport was on the rise and, most excitingly, we would be the next nation to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Heather at her graduation with her sisters.
I am, unsurprisingly, not an Olympic or Paralympic athlete, but the idea of training hard to reach a goal resonates with me. What the Olympics and Paralympics stands for goes, of course, far beyond the world of sport. In fact, my very first experience of Get Set, was an enterprise competition, and my role as a volunteer Games Maker at the London 2012 Olympic Games was centred on making the Olympic Park an entertaining and welcoming place for families from around the world. Underpinning Get Set are the Olympic and Paralympic Values of (deep breath…): Friendship, Respect, Excellence, Determination, Inspiration, Courage, and Equality. Regardless of what you are aspiring to, these values, I came to learn, are invaluable tools. World-class sport was never my goal, but I, like the athletes from whom I was learning, experience set-backs and losses of confidence, periods of excitement and success, and times when I have to rely on those around me. The Olympic and Paralympic values sat at the heart of my time at Park House career. With these values I gained a place at Oxford University to study English, and it was by carrying them with me through my time at Oxford that I graduated this summer with a First Class degree. I was very lucky to have access to the opportunities which Park House’s involvement in Get Set, and other similar initiatives, provided me. But, making the most of opportunities isn’t just about turning up – you have to take risks, and give it your all.
FREE COVER
Not only did I start Park House in an “Olympic Year”, but my year group also started Year 11 – the crucial moment for GCSEs and post-16 decision making – in 2012. Back in that first assembly, I think that’s all I took from Mr Peaple’s words was that 2008 was an (albeit, kind of cool) accident of dates. However, through my time at Park House, and beyond, I have come to understand much more of them.
DISC
PLAY LOUD >>
School can be hard. For whatever reason, we all struggle at times. But in drawing that affinity between our learning and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Mr Peaple offered us the most incredible model for aspiration and achievement. This model sits at the centre of Get Set (the official youth engagement programme of London 2012), an initiative in which Park House has been enthusiastically involved.
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A night with the stars...
Through my work with Get Set, I met Nick Fuller, Head of Education at London 2012. Nick invited me to speak at the 2016 Festival of Education, about my experience of Get Set and the Olympic and Paralympic Values. From this, I learnt about EdComs: a leading agency in the education and learning space, co-founded by Nick. EdComs shares my belief in the power and importance of education, and so I approached them about an internship which eventually led to a full-time job in business development, which I started in August 2018. I love my job, and I love the range of projects on which I work and which we as a company deliver, to the tangible benefit of young people across the UK and internationally. The Olympic and Paralympic values are crucial tools for me and will remain so throughout my life. • Heather Barr, Business Development Analyst, EdComs Clare Balding joins our stars at Prize Giving
See pages 2–7 and centre pages for more!
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From Gap Medics in Tanzania to Medical School at St Andrews Scotland In September 2018, after being accepted to study medicine at St Andrews, I set off with my car packed to the gunnels ready to begin the six-year course to become a Doctor. I arrived in jeans and a T-shirt, exhausted after the eight hour journey knowing no-one. Yet by the time Mum and I had hauled all my gear up the four flights of stairs to room 4018 in Halls, I had made two new friends, one from New York and the other from Vancouver.
When I first visited Tanzania with Gap Medica I witnessed life and death from day one in a somewhat chaotic and unsanitary setting. On my first day in the dissection room at St Andrews – a state of the art facility – we were solemnly introduced to a dozen cadavers with the university chaplain at hand. The donation of a body so that medical students can learn is phenomenal and later in the year I was privileged to attend a church service honouring these people attended by all their families, which was incredibly moving. I have found my first year of study exhilarating, with weekly dissection sessions, patient communication workshops, lectures by globally renowned professors and biannual placements in local GP practices. Working alongside me are students from eminent private schools – Eton, Downside, Harrow – yet I have found that the skills Park House instilled in me; the ability to work independently, manage my time, establish my best method of revision, are second to none. My Professor of Genealogy is the most engaging lecturer and reminds me of being taught epigenetics and punnet square diagrams in Biology by Dr Wilcox who has a similar teaching style. I also have a lively Welsh lecturer who teaches all first year medics molecular biochemistry and reminds me so much of Dr Davis and her Chemistry lessons. Perhaps this is why I never feel homesick? I have made some great friends and next year will be sharing a flat with a fellow medic called Mildred, who is a great musician and sings in the University choir. My first year wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun if it weren’t for our 3am tea drinking parties after hours of study, pier jumps during the day and sea swims during the night – activities we do weekly.
Every ten weeks or so we have exams – both academic and practical. The practical exams are called OSCEs and are a Legends... set of situations created by doctors to test your ability to take a patient history, assess a situation and make a diagnosis. These can be real patients or actors/actresses playing the part of the patient. These exams can be stressful, you are isolated from your fellow students and given a very short time between the eight “stations” and are critiqued at the end. So from the first week (freshers) you have a family to eat with and socialise There is a section of my degree, I think in year four or five when I will get a with. I was fortunate to be adopted by Harry during a community gardening choice to go and study at another hospital (an “elective”) in another country if session, he is from New Hampshire and soon introduced me to my “academic I choose. I hope to return to Morogoro in Tanzania as a Gap Medic again but Mother” Jo (French but lives in Singapore) and the rest of my siblings. maybe with some more useful skills than I had on my Year 11 visit. I love the cultural diversity of My advice to any students at Park House going onto university in the future St Andrews, I am the only English would be to make the most of your first year (it only gets harder). Take part in member of my academic family with anything offered and find what you love whether that’s mountaineering, siblings from Australia, the States and athletics, cooking or dancing and you will find your people. • Luke Barlow, Poland. pictured below when he revisited Park House with his A Level Award Freshers weeks was frantic, with a from January’s British Education Awards. round of parties that are a rite of passage. For me the joy of freshers was experiencing new societies and finding friends who enjoyed doing similar things. I took part in Chinese tea ceremonies with my oriental friends, joined a yoga class, a community gardening club, attended ceilidhs and, much to my parents distress, joined the mountaineering club (as my brother Joe had before me). St Andrews has a method of integrating new students, a sort of buddy system, whereby you get adopted by “academic parents”. Two students from the year above you will befriend you (usually during a try out of a club of some sort) and take you under their wing. They will adopt a few of you and these other fledglings will become your “academic siblings.”
The Headteacher’s ‘Living the Values’ Award, introduced by Mr Peaple in 2012 as part of the school’s Legacy commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values, was this year presented by All Black legend Zinzan Brooke to Luke Barlow.
See pages 4-7 for more outstanding prize winners!
Read Luke’s account of his trip to Tanzania on page 12!
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St Andrews is famous for its Raisin Weekend event, so called because students traditionally gifted a pound of raisins to their academic parents as a way of thanking them for welcoming them to St Andrews. I can’t recall whether raisins were involved, but there was a lot of shaving foam (I am the idiot in the yellow wig covered in foam in the photo below) and other shenanigans, followed by a sobering plunge into the icy cold sea.
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Howzat? These girls can! It has been a pleasure overseeing the U13 girl’s cricket team this season. My article in Personal Best last summer highlighted the fact that I had never had a mixed cricket team and this year has again been another first for me having a girls cricket team competing in the boys district competition. We are very fortunate to have some incredibly talented, experienced cricketers who have been joined by girls that are new to the sport who have flourished into fine cricketers. Our journey this year has taken us to Middlesex Indoor Cricket School where we represented Berkshire in the U13 Lady Taverner’s Finals. We played some outstanding cricket in the county and regional rounds of this competition and performed brilliantly on the day beating Sussex and narrowly losing to Surrey and Kent. The girls have been extremely committed to the
U13 girls district cricket competition In July we took part in the annual district cricket competition which we hosted here at Park House. Girls took part in the competition from JOG, Theale Green, St Barts and Park House and all of the girls involved were a credit to their schools. An excellent standard of cricket was played by all of the girls and it was lovely to see some experienced cricketers showcasing their skills but more importantly girls who were playing for the first time really enjoying themselves and performing really well. The competition was won by Park House and St Barts who both won two games and then drew against each other. Well done to all of the girls who represented the school – Megan Varney, Issy Gimingham, Lottie Eaton, Matilda Pike, Louise Kervella, Jessica Upton, Caitlin Gordon, Rebecca Gray, Millie Carter, Carly Chisolm, Tara Fitzgerald, Millie Underwood, Anna Paterson, Myah Josey, Ellin Young and Cat Muldoon. •
cricket programme throughout the indoor and outdoor season and shown real togetherness and character at all times. In the boys district competition we have been very competitive and the students have been a credit to the school. One of our aims for the season was to improve our run rate and I feel we have made real progress in terms of our batting but the highlight had to be creating history by beating Kennet and winning our first ever hard ball game. An outstanding achievement! I don’t think I can highlight anyone individually in terms of performances because every single girl has been fantastic! I admire this group of girls when it comes to displaying commitment and determination on the cricket field. Thank you to all the students that have given up their time this season. I hope that you continue to enjoy your club cricket during the summer and look forward to seeing you develop again next season. • Mr Elliott
What a season! This year the girls have taken to the cricketing stage by winning games in our county division. This took us to the regional finals at Middlesex Indoor School where idols such as Eoin Morgan train. Kent, Surrey and Sussex schools were all there and overall we did really well! After our performances last year we were entered into the Year 7 boys league. We played an incredible four matches including a historic win against Kennet! Thank you to Miss Beesley for supporting the team and a massive thank you to Mr Elliott for training us every week; also having the courage to take us on a train to London! Well done girls for an amazing season – I can’t wait for next year! • Holly Rider Park House and St Barts pictured below after coming joint first in the U13 district competition.
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Students give staff a lesson in putting the boot on the other foot... The popular, annual staff versus Sixth Form football match took place in May and it didn’t disappoint with the Sixth Form out for revenge after the staff winning the previous four fixtures. The teams were stacked full of talent (not necessarily footballing talent I should add) and it was a very competitive fixture. Mr Gook (Pierluigi Collina) was in his element as the referee although not a lot of the players agreed with his decisions throughout the match. This was made evident when he gave a dubious penalty decision to the students when Mr Rowell was alleged to have fouled Dan Roch; Mr Gook clearly wanting the attention. Dan Roch took the subsequent penalty and completely missed
the target and gave the staff a lifeline. They capitalised on this by a fantastic individual goal from Mr Thorne giving Henry SandysLumsdaine no chance. The staff rallied through to half time with strong defensive displays from Mr Rowell, Mr Columbro, Mr Elliott and Mr Keatley to lead 1-0. The second half started brightly with the students clearly out to try and break down the resilient staff defence. They didn’t need to do much because Mr Wilder (butter fingers) came to the rescue with conceding a silly penalty by fouling Luke Donohoe after dropping the ball. Luke stepped up and unlike Dan Roch buried the ball home sending Mr Wilder the wrong way to make it one each. The Sixth Form then scored
two quick goals in succession to shock the staff team with a great team goal finished off my Sam Robinson followed by a tame shot trickling past Mr Wilder. The staff were shocked and tried to get back into the game but were thwarted by good saves from Henry who understood what it is like to be a goalkeeper. The students finished the rout with a breakaway goal by Luke Donohoe again to finish off the game and the Sixth Form winning 4-1. It was a competitive game and brilliant to see so many staff involved this year plus those who came to support along with the Sixth Form who deserved the win. Well done to everyone involved and next year the staff will be looking to get revenge! • Mr Holland, PE Department
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PH6 Exploring the Future As the end of the school year creeps up we’ve crammed in careers days, workshops and a university trip to Reading University. Reading University Trip On the first day of July, we had the chance to explore Reading University’s campus and learn more about student life at the university including the many societies, student finance, UCAS and how to approach our personal statements.
STEM Workshops On 2 July, we were privileged to have a team from AWE come in to talk to us about STEM careers. We took part in workshops that involved designing, constructing and problem solving. The activities varied from cryptology, designing and making a rocket model, building a circuit to create a mobile amplifier and finally experimenting with the Rochester Cloak technique. Not only did we enjoy these workshops very much, but we also gained knowledge and skills for the future and learned about potential STEMrelated careers.
Careers Day On 3 July, we welcomed local and national businesses to our common room. We had the opportunity to discover a wide range of apprenticeships, future job prospects and work experience offers. A very informative day which ensured Year 12s were openminded and positive to a variety of future career paths.
Shell Workshop Finally, on 8 and 9 July, a selection of students signed up for the Shell skills workshop. We took part in the programme ‘NXplorers’, involving ‘Food-Water-Energy’ which is designed to bring about positive change. We were set tasks and exercises throughout the workshop which included the five nexus thinking indicators – the big picture, connections, perspectives, the future and change. We discussed issues at a global and local scale in groups to find solutions to issues we face involving food, water and energy. Over the two days, we were able to gain many important skills such as; teamwork, problem solving, thinking outside the box and decision making. You can read more on this from Mr Miller on page 27. We all benefited greatly from these workshops and opportunities – they have helped Year 12 discover different job prospects, work experience opportunities and inspiration for our personal statements. • Zehra Kasli-Walsley – Year 12
Careers day.
PH6 Induction Having sat their final GCSE exams just weeks before, our prospective Year 12 students joined us for an induction into PH6. The day started with a welcome from Mr Peaple and Mr Hawkins to an assembly hall packed with enthusiasm. The young people then met with their tutors and found out some general information on post-16 life. Students then followed a bespoke timetable in their selected post-16 subject classes.
Induction day.
Over lunch, the students were given the chance to socialise with the current Year 12s including a question and answer session with our senior student team. In the afternoon, students were given information packs before heading home (to begin their summer work of course)! Our future sports academy scholars remained in school for an introductory session to their academy programmes and coaches. It was fantastic to see so many returning faces as well as being able to welcome so many new faces. We look forward to seeing everyone again on Results Day on the 22 August, and very much look forward to welcoming everyone back on 4 September. • Mr B Hawkins, Director of KS5
Induction day.
Peer Educator Programme Mental Health problems can affect one in four people in their life time. The Mental Health Foundation have organised an incredible programme which has enabled some of our Sixth Form students to teach other students about the issues. We have been taught about mental health and how to inform younger students about such a serious issue. By planning and teaching lessons, we will be able to educate the rest of the school hoping to improve their understanding of their own mental health and the wellbeing of themselves and others. • Izzy Sutherland, Year 12
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Peer Educator Programme leaders.
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New starts at PH6 Seedorf Attah Most people might ask why I would wake up extra early to spend almost an hour on a bus every day to get to school. Well the answer is not straightforward, I chose to come to Park House because I wanted to play football at a high level and pursue an academic pathway through A Levels. The transition from living and attending a school in Andover to then travelling to Newbury to a new environment and juggling meeting new people on the football pitch as well as through my academic subjects was daunting – a constant panic before my arrival – how am I going to adapt in this new environment? Am I going to fit in? Will I cope? But, those thoughts were immediately eroded away through the warm welcome I received from students and staff. The teachers I have encountered genuinely care about the wellbeing of students. I have formed really good relationships with teachers and pupils which has made the transition from another school easier and thoroughly enjoyable. So perhaps the answer to my original question isn’t that I adore the facilities Park House has to offer but the amazing, bright and welcoming individuals who call Park House their place of work and studies who make the hour-long journey worth it.
Ed Gavin I moved from the Downs School, Compton to Park House for my first year of Sixth Form and was extremely happy with how I fitted in with the school. As I am a member of the PHS Mad Dog Rugby Academy I found a supportive and fun friendship group at the school through my attendance of preseason training, this meant that when my first term started I already knew members of the school population and as a result achieved a fairly well-managed introduction into the school. However, as the term moved on further bonds were made with the other academy students and other members of the school through extracurricular activities such as the environmental education day, as well as meeting new members of the school in lessons. As a result I felt that I slipped into Park House life easily and was accepted quickly. The teaching, coaching and support staff of Park House have allowed me to feel comfortable within myself and the wider school quickly. This allowed me to have the confidence to run for a Senior Student Leadership position as well as gaining a leadership role within my rugby team.
Lucy Rowe Before I moved to Park House in Year 10 I had always thought that I would go on to college, however the structure of the school and the Sixth Form here completely changed my mind. Along with everyone else in PH6, I have enjoyed having more independence around my studies, and many places to do so. Although there is a lot more to learn in each lesson, the teachers are enthusiastic, and they have the time and patience to answer any questions you may have. The common room is a popular room among many to socialise with friends and take time away from studying. There are also many ways in which we are able to become a part of the wider school community- which is something I have taken full advantage of. I am one of the House Captains for Beech, helping to keep the House System running- from handing out badges to helping run events such as Sports Day and the House Party. I believe that being a part of Sixth Form has brought out the best of me and I feel like a valued member of the school community.
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In the pink: Health and Wellbeing course The brand new Health and Wellbeing course was introduced in September 2018 for all Year 7 and 8 students with the aim of promoting physical, mental and social wellbeing for students. The course, delivered by members of the PE department, has been a great success. Students have been guided through the process of exploring a range of activities which can help them to make healthy choices which achieve physical vitality, social satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment and personal fulfilment. Students have experienced a range of topics including fitness, nutrition, hygiene, health, happiness, relationships, positive emotions and mental health, all of which contribute to a fulfilling and meaningful lifestyle. Some lessons have been physically active, some discursive or creative and others have involved the development of social skills, working in groups to build confidence and promote interaction between students. All of these skills have aimed to increase awareness of how a person can improve their psychological and physical wellbeing. The course has been a great success and we will continue to build upon this as we move into the second year when the students will extend their learning, deepen their understanding and fully embrace the activities which lead to lifelong wellbeing and fulfilment. • Mrs Mawazini, Health and Wellbeing Course Leader
James Cousins Masterclass Since leaving Park House and then graduating from London Contemporary Dance School in 2010, James Cousins has worked extensively as a dancer and choreographer. He is also the artistic director of his own company which he formed in 2014 after he won the inaugural New Adventures Choreographer Award, which culminated in a sold out showcase performance at Sadler’s Wells in 2012. The James Cousins Company tours extensively, having undertaken four national tours, two runs at the Edinburgh Festival and performed globally. James’s first work for the company, Within Her Eyes, is currently on the GCSE dance syllabus. As a freelance choreographer, James has been commissioned to create work for companies around the world including National Ballet of Chile, Royal Ballet of Flanders and Scottish Ballet as well as working commercially for brands including Impulse and Jigsaw and pop sensation Anne Marie. On 3 and 4 July, James Cousins visited us to create a new dance work especially for the Year 11, 12 and 13 dancers to be included in our forthcoming Dance Show Encompass III on Saturday 13 July. James worked the dancers intensively and created an exciting and challenging work for the students. • Mrs Mawazini, Head of Dance Photo of James: Camilla Greenwell
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Sports Day a perfect finale for House Competitions What a fantastically exciting year we have had! So far this year we have had some incredible events and activities designed to build community spirit within the school, as well as raise money for charity, develop student character and grow healthy competition.
As you may have heard, Beech won Sports Day again this year but only by two points. That’s three years in a row for Beech now. A few years back, Oak had a four year run – will Beech match it next year? If Cedar had just one more participant for an event they would have taken it but came a very close second. Oak ultimately ended up in third. Elm actually had a huge number of first and second places, but a lack of entries for some events really cost them and they ended in fourth. In fact, ELM placed first in the Junior Section (Years 7 & 8), so we can expect to see some great things from them over the coming years! Finally, thank you to our PHSA for the lovely new gazebos in House colours. • Mr Marshall, Head of Houses Photos: Jack Pearce, Year 12
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Art you experienced? Yet again our Year 12 and 13 Art, Photography and Textiles students wowed visitors at this year’s Art Exhibition which one visiting designer described as being on a par with Foundation level or first year degree in some cases. The exhibition also drew the attention of visiting artists from outside the area including Swindon-based painter Caroline Day along with renowned aviation artist David Bent who had, with his studio manager Carole, his wife, previously helped one of our students directly with his personal study. We were truly delighted to get this feedback from one parent: “I skulked in and out of the art exhibition last night so I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. I thought the work was of a very high standard again this year and the show so well put together. You must be really pleased with the diversity of your students’ work. I know how much our Charlie has enjoyed studying under you and your colleagues over the last few years and she has learnt and grown so much thanks to your guidance. So thank you!” Thank you indeed, especially to the students who worked hard to make this show one of our best to date and to the parents who have supported them throughout. • Mrs Waddell, Head of Art
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Real World Geography Year 10 Studland Bay Fieldwork Year 10 Geography students visited Studland Bay again this year as part of their GCSE Physical Fieldwork. Throughout the day students collected data in order for them to answer a key, course question. Once back in the classroom we used the data to write up the information which they will then need for their fieldwork exam next year. • Miss Bunn In June we went to Studland Bay to study sand dunes for our Geography fieldwork. While studying the sand dunes we carried out measurements on the slopes and counted the number of species in different areas. • Ollie Glenn and Jack Dymond We carried out a series of experiments which included measuring slope angles, wind speed, plant species and distances between ranging poles. This was a lengthy process as we had to measure in increments of ten metres. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed collecting the data and had great luck with the weather! • Ruby Bridges and Euan Sherlow The trip was great for our GCSE fieldwork. The weather was great so we also got to enjoy an ice cream once we finished our work. We learnt how to measure sand dunes and what type of plants grow on a sand dune. • Rebecca Sheldon, Isobel Knight and Charlotte Wiles On the Studland Bay trip we formed smaller groups and measured data throughout the day. We began by measuring the data on the sand dunes such as the ground cover, number of species, soil depth, temperature and wind speed. We then moved on to measuring slope angles by lining up ranging poles and then using a clinometer. This was harder than it looked. After finishing our data collection as it was such a nice day we paddled in the sea and had an ice cream. Miss Bunn also took us to see a blow out in the sand dunes which was beautiful and we learnt about its formation. • Emma Cheshire and Ellie Blackhurst
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Year 8 Rushall Farm visit Year 8 students visited Rushall Farm to coincide with our topic on rivers. Students spend half the day learning about the workings of an organic farm and half the day investigating the River Pang. Once back in class we analysed all the data collected. • Miss Bunn When we went to Rushall we put waders on and then used nets to catch creatures in the river. We also learnt how to measure the width and depth of the River Pang. • Alan Avison At Rushall Farm we saw lambs which were really cute. We also went into the river. I did not catch any fish, but I looked at the fish that other students caught. We also went on a tractor ride and saw a field of poppies. I really enjoyed the day. • Callie Twyning Rushall Farm was a really fun experience. The river investigation was my favourite part even though my waders leaked! • India Farant It was a great day – the best part was learning about the animals on the farm and getting to see the lambs. • Matthew Oberholzer
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Geography Association Quiz
Quiz rounds ranged from Geographic Information System maps, flags, Italy, railway station maps and landmarks of the UK.
In February, two teams from Park House took part in the Geographical Association Worldwise Quiz at Reading School. Each team comprised one student each from Years 8, 9 and 10 and the idea was to encourage teamwork as well as a love of Geography.
It was a great evening with school teams from across Berkshire. Well done to Harry and Samuel from Year 8, Ed and Thomas from Year 9 and Kirsten and Rachael from Year 10 for a 4th and 18th place. We are very proud and look forward to competing again next year! • Miss Bunn
Hammer time... In March the Warhammer Club went to Warhammer World in Nottingham for the semi-finals of the schools Warhammer competition with Mr Froom who runs the club. Students got the chance to play against other schools who had made it to the semi-finals and got a chance to look in the exhibition hall. The day started with each student playing three games against other students. There was stiff competition and the students managed to draw some battles. There was then a mini battle where our students were in mixed teams and competed as a group. Our students did not get placed this year but this was the first year that they have entered and some are fairly new to Warhammer so it was a great effort and they are looking forward to competing next year. Well done to Elliot, Cameron, Connor and Jen. • Mr Froom
“It was really
“It was fun –
“The store was
fun, we got to play battles and we got some really good practice against other schools”
the walls of the hall were made to look like a castle. I was really impressed with it all.
amazing. The handcrafted exhibitions were exciting. The battle on Prospero was my favourite!
Cameron Tiley
Connor Edwards
Elliot Sowden
Talk to the Animals In April some of our Year 10 Psychology students went to Marwell Zoo to take part in a workshop on animal communication. The students took part in an interactive session which consolidated their understanding of how and why animals communicate and they even completed a behaviour study on rats – working in groups to monitor the behaviour of each animal. Well done to the students involved who all applied themselves admirably throughout the afternoon. • Mr Rob Elliott
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My Experience as an RAF Air Cadet I have been an Air Cadet for 7 months now and I wouldn’t change any of it. Cadets really helped me a lot with my confidence and self-esteem. I may have my ups and downs in future but the experience will stay with me forever. Earlier this year I did a presentation to Year 8 students about Air Cadets, which I really enjoyed and later this month I will doing another, this time to the Year 7 students. This year I did my first shooting course at Radley College, Oxford Abingdon, I got to meet other cadets from Thames Valley Wing and got to shoot an L14A1 rifle with them, which was incredible. Air Cadets provides different activities and courses such as shooting, gliding, rock climbing and much more. I would always be happy to talk to any students about Air Cadets. • Neha Mahilall, Year 8
Musical Magic (& fairy lights) This academic year has brought much change to the Music Department at Park House. We welcomed Mrs Cooper as our Head of Department in September and at the October half term she was joined by volunteer music specialist Mrs Spaak. Together they have made the department a location that students fill with music, creativity and discussion before, during and after school. During the Autumn term a group of students went with Mrs Cooper to Fair Close Day Centre and played for the residents, it was such a success that they were invited back and at Christmas, a cross section of year groups joined Mrs Cooper, Mrs Spaak and Mr Peaple at Fair Close to play and sing carols during their Christmas lunch. Our Christmas concert was a ‘tour de force’, with lights, lights and more lights (Mrs. Cooper believes that there is no such thing as too many fairy lights!) giving the stage, the band and the Christmas tree a truly seasonal feel. It was fantastic that we had a very funny skit from some of our drama students and the Stage Band were able to accompany one of two dance performances we were treated to. In January our school choir was taken over by Josh Robinson from Berkshire Maestros and in February Mrs Spaak started an a cappella group. We celebrated our Year 11 GCSE students with a recital of their music at Easter and were delighted that we could also showcase some of our emerging talent with contributions from Years 7 to 13. The weather that night was truly awful, however the way into the Music Dept was lit up brightly and true to form, twinkling fairy lights abounded in the performance space. As we move toward the end of the year it is heartening to see so many young people being drawn towards our extra-curricular activities and as the Summer Concert comes into view, even though it is being held on the lawn outside the Sixth Year Common Room, Mrs Cooper is working out where the fairy lights can go... • Music Department
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Black belt brilliance!
Emma Cheshire with chief instructor, Sensei Sahota at her Black Belt Grading and all of her belts below!
Recently I passed my black belt for karate at a grading in Maidenhead – a big achievement for me as I’ve spent many years training for this. I started Karate in September 2012 when I was nine-years old because I was going through a tough time and wanted to learn a new skill to boost my confidence. It has taken me 18 Gradings to get to my black belt with three to six months between each belt. For this most recent grading however I had to train a minimum of an extra twelve months. The grading itself was in April but, before the actual grading began, we had a three-hour course which would help us during the grading. After the course we had a written exam. Questions included translating Japanese words to English. Finally, we had the physical which was the hardest bit as you had to remember everything you had been taught over the last six years. In total the grading involved performing karate for five hours! The day after the grading, at my normal training session, I was called out and congratulated and afterwards I had to teach warm ups to our class of five to fifty-year olds which came as a shock! This proved to me though how far I have come over the last six years. I would never have imagined teaching karate to a group of more than 30 people. Towards the end of the session I became more confident and even started to count in Japanese when doing the kicks. The next grading for my second dan black belt will be in around three years’ time but for now my next steps are to begin helping out the lower gradings and start training with a Bo – a long wooden staff used in high level karate. • Emma Cheshire, Year 10
Pass the Dutch teams on the left hand side...
Louis Bissessur, delighted with his performance in the 2019 Holland Cup.
Louis with Berks Elite FC Academy U12s
I play for Berks Elite FC Academy U12 and I went on my first football tour with them over the Easter weekend to Holland, to play in the Holland Cup 2019.
It was a long ,hot and tiring day. We got back to Centre Parcs and headed straight to the pool which was really fun with all my team, our coaches and the two Berks Elite U11 teams.
It was an early start on Good Friday as we got our coach and headed to Dover to catch the ferry to Calais. We then had a five-hour drive to Amsterdam to the Center Parcs where we were staying.
On Sunday we played at a different venue. We played five games and although we didn’t go on to win the Holland Cup, we came sixth overall out of 34 European teams!
The weather was very hot all weekend and on Saturday we headed to one of the four tournament venues to play our first day of football. In the first game I scored twice in a 4-0 win, the second saw me score a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw and the final game we won 2-0. We were undefeated at this point and won our group and qualified for the cup on Easter Sunday.
We all got a medal, and again we went straight to the pool, then had dinner and then went to the fun bar to celebrate with the other teams and have fun in the arcades. It was a great experience to play against other European Teams and I’m already looking forward to next year’s tour; possibly to Barcelona. • Louis Bissessur, Year 7
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Gabby Logan and Sir Chris Hoy inspire students at Vodafone on International Women’s Day Twenty of our students from Years 8 and 9, and the Sixth Form joined over 600 Vodafone employees to enjoy a unique event to mark International Women’s Day back in March. As part of the company’s campaign theme of #BalanceforBetter, the group listened to an inspirational conversation between TV presenter Gabby Logan and six-time Olympic Cycling Gold Medalist Sir Chris Hoy where they reflected on their own careers and
the importance of promoting gender balance both within and beyond the workplace. After the presentation in the company’s Pavilion, the students had the opportunity to meet the celebrities as a group before enjoying a Pizza lunch and tour of the campus. Thomas Rowe from Year 9 said, “it was great to see two people who have taken different routes in life come together to talk about one aim in life. It was very inspiring to listen to Gabby Logan and Sir Chris Hoy
share their experiences with us and it has made me want to change the world in a positive way like they have.” And, Sixth Former Mia Davies added, “I came away feeling inspired by the talk and motivated to achieve my goals.” Year 8 Cycling Champion Georgina Pasmore especially enjoyed the added bonus of meeting one of her idols – Sir Chris Hoy – who was also very interested to learn about the school’s launch of a Cycling Academy. •
Park House Literati Carnegie Awards Book Club In April, an intrepid band of enthusiastic young readers came together to form Park House’s very own Carnegie Shadowing book club – Park House Literati. Over a number of weeks, aided and abetted by Mrs Horsell, Mrs Bird and Mrs Dolton, they have read the eight short-listed books. The club met once a week on a Tuesday lunchtime, where the time was spent discussing the various titles and characters, driven by Mrs Horsell’s tireless passion for reading. It was an absolute pleasure to listen to the students’ mature and articulate opinions and to celebrate the joy of reading. Our Park House Literati are: Izzy Pilkington, Rebecca Gray, Holly Rider, Elisa Collado, Megan Varney, Maria Naylor and Amelia Pearce.
Sarah Benham of the PHSA with Mr Peaple making the PHSA draw.
PHSA update Yet again, this year the Park House School Association has supported the school at many Parents Evenings, the Spring and Summer Music Concerts, Ex Year 11 Prize Giving, Open Evening, New Year 7 evening and the recent Induction Evening for our rising Year 7s, serving refreshments and fundraising along the way. We are very grateful to the PHSA for all their help and support and to all families for supporting these PHSA activities. The Grand Draw and the Bag2School collections also added to the contributions collected. Perhaps you have some ideas and suggestions for raising funds in the future? Maybe you would like to meet with other parents of students in your child’s year? If so the PHSA would love to receive your input or why not come along to our next meeting on 10 September? You can be kept in the loop of their upcoming activities and calls for helpers by emailing PHSA@parkhouseschool.org
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Hard work pays off with podium place for Georgina
Anna’s successful triathlon season Anna Patterson’s recent triathlon events have included racing in the cyclocross series in Newbury in the U13 girls category and Twyford junior triathlon where she won by a massive 56 seconds! She is doing well in our regional series on a current score of 3994 points and after the recent triathlon at Bowood she is hoping for more regional qualifying events. • Jenny Patterson
Georgina (pictured right with her bronze medal) did us proud this year, placing third in the National Schools Hill Climb event. Georgina also placed fourth in Bristol in a National Road Race just missing a medal place. Georgina is a regular cyclocross rider competing at Hartham Parkand in the Newbury Summer cyclocross series – a series of six weekly races, with further races in the National Youth Series and Grand Prix events. • Vicki Pasmore
Oliver cycles 153 miles in four days
Strictly Ballroom Congratulations to Erin House (left) and Alice Evans (right) who have qualified once again to dance in the National Association Teachers of Dance Medallist of the Year Competition to be held in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom on 6 and 7 July. For the third year running the girls will compete in the individual competition for their Ballroom and Latin and will also compete in the All Girls Competition which will be held over two days. • Debbie West “We are both really excited and can’t wait to have the opportunity to dance in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. We take part in quite a few competitions during the year and had to qualify at a competition in Crawley to dance in Blackpool. We put lots of time and effort in which has once again paid off.”
Year 8 student Oliver Clayton spent his Easter Weekend riding in support of his cousin who was taking part in the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race – one of the worlds toughest endurance events at 125 miles on the river. My husband had decided that he would support my niece by cycling the route alongside her canoe and at the very last minute Oliver decided that he would join his Dad. Despite not having trained to ride this far he completed the 153 mile cycle route. Thankfully he is strong due to his ballet and said: “It was quite easy because it is all flat. The only tricky bits were lifting the bikes over fences along the route.” A massive achievement for a an adult let alone a 13 year old. • Julie Clayton
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Frew flew at sports presentation evening On the evening of 27 June we welcomed Steve Frew, Scotland’s First Gymnastics Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, to our student Sports Personality of the Year evening where he entertained and inspired us all brilliantly! Congratulations to our Sports Personality Winners: Ben East – Year 10, Tilly Gudgeon – Year 10, Angus Magee – Year 9, Izzy Dodridge – Year 9, Frank Southwold – Year 8, Grace Cussans – Year 8, Seb Chapman – Year 7 and Anna Patterson – Year 7.
Photographs courtesy of ex-student Isobel Loveridge available at: isobelloveridgephotography.pixieset.com/parkhousesportspresentationevening/ Password: ParkHouseSports2706 – use your own email as login
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Mad Dog year one This year brought the Mad Dog Rugby Academy to Park House. A successful preseason set the team up nicely for a very positive 2018/19 season, in which the team was able to clinch victories over high calibre teams including Reading Blue Coat School.
attending Roselyn Park and playing on the first pitch, which meant that we were filmed for broadcast in front of a national audience. While some of the more exclusive extra-curricular activities included trips to Twickenham to watch University Varsity Rugby.
The team was not only focused on winning games but also teamwork. We attended many inter-Mad Dog events in which we played with the other Mad Dog Academies from Royal Wootton Bassett and Melksham which has led to many new friendships being formed.
Mad Dog also emphasises the importance of good academic focus and further education and supports players through a careers day at Twickenham and an exclusive trip to Bath University.
Mad Dog also provided us with many memorable experiences both on and off the field. Our biggest on-pitch experience as a team was
All in all the first year of Mad Dog has been a huge success both on and off of the pitch leading to great friendships and memories being made. • Ed Gavin, flanker, vice-captain for 15s and captain for 7s
Mad Dog PHS in blue shirts with players from the Mad Dog academies at Royal Wootton Bassett School (burgundy) and Melksham Oak Community School (green).
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Sail Away Back in May fifteen excited Year 8 students boarded a Park House minibus to take part in their last journey on dry land (well, for five days...), swapping the usual transport and sleeping arrangements for life on board Prolific, the Ocean Youth Trust South’s sailing boat. Our young people arrived full of enthusiasm and the Park House crew got under way quickly and sailed round to Gosport. Next morning, the young people were asked to make a choice: the weather meant that sailing to France was a possibility but there were also good arguments for staying on this side of the channel where there was more chance of sea breezes versus the light winds across the channel. They also weighed up the merits of two long passages versus lots of short passages, visiting more places with sails up and down more often, and so on. In the end the majority choice was to head west rather than south, so we fuelled up in Cowes and then sailed to Poole. We had a lovely sail in Poole Bay, and then when we arrived in Poole, the skipper Holly’s boat parking manoeuvre drew a round of applause from a bystander! Next day we enjoyed a glorious sunny sail to Weymouth, arriving in the evening in time for ice cream, games on the beach then more games on board. Next day we went ashore for showers and set off at lunchtime for a big sail back to Southampton, with the young people involved in the pilotage through the Solent. A late arrival saw the team in bed for 02:30, only to get up again at 07:30 to clean the boat and pack their gear showing great effort and motivation from the student crew. The voyage ended after 142 nautical miles with all 15 young people earning their RYA Start Yachting certificates. Big thanks to sea staff Holly, Mark, Andy, Josh, Cathy and Amy. • Miss Hutchings
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Thomas makes the most of sailing prize My sailing trip this year was a very different experience from last year’s but still enjoyable. I was on Prolific without my usual friends as I had won another voyage through the Chris Ellis Award. At first, it was quite daunting but once I was on the boat, I settled in and got to know everyone. The people on the boat varied a lot in personalities and it made it fun as we got to be with people we’d probably never choose to be with. It also helped with boosting teamwork and confidence which are good skills for everyday life. On day one, we set off to Cowes after being taught about different ropes and rules as some people hadn’t sailed before. The next day, we sailed to Poole but, due to the choppy sea, half the boat fell sea sick before we made it onshore. The next morning, we set off to Lymington so that our return to Southampton could be broken up into a few shorter stints instead of one big journey. On the last day of sailing, we went back to Cowes and had some onshore time so that we could do some night navigation back to Southampton. We got back after midnight with everyone still full of energy and we stayed up for a while talking about how we’d all enjoyed the week. It was a very unique and fun experience that I would love to take part in again if I had the chance. • Thomas Rowe, Year 9
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STEM update Rutherford Appleton Labs (RAL) at Harwell In March some of our Year 12 physics students went to a Particle Physics Masterclass organised by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The lectures served to enhance their A level lessons as the aspects of particle physics are a core component of the syllabus. On top of this our Year 12 physics students were given the opportunity to visit the Diamond Light Source at Harwell and receive tuition from world leaders in their field working at the UK science park. This showpiece experiment releases electrons into a high velocity storage ring, they whizz around at 99% of the speed of light in the ring. As they are manipulated around the ring with a magnetic field they lose energy. Because they are travelling so fast this energy is emitted as X-rays, a very energetic form of light. This light is then used to probe matter to see how atoms are arranged. This is useful for analysing medical proteins and developing new medicines and for analysing the structure of metals to develop new uses for them as well as discovering how the materials behave in different conditions. Recent studies have been into developing a light, honeycomb, metal structure for the turbine blades in Roll Royce jet engines. This has led to stronger but lighter blades being used leading to reductions in fuel consumption and fewer harmful emissions. The Diamond Light source is funded by the STFC and Wellcome Trust with more information available at www.diamond.ac.uk The day closed with a lecture on the advances in cancer treatment using particle accelerators to destroy tumours. Using particle physics in this way has improved the survival rates for some cancers to 95%. It is particularly effective with tumours of the eye. A beam of particles is fired into the eye and
zaps the tumour. Fine focusing minimised damage to surrounding tissues and helps reduce the side effects of treatment. Well worth the investment in science.
Oncology at Oxford University
Following the success of this visit a much larger group of Sixth Form students took the opportunity to visit the Oncology Centre at Oxford University. This showcased leading edge research programmes at the Oncology Centre. The second half of the day was a careers fair covering all aspects of STEM careers that will be open to our students if they choose technology subjects. Our students had some challenging questions for the hosts and good advice was on hand for those looking for interesting scientific university courses.
Faraday Challenge Our younger students entered the Institute of Engineering (IET) Faraday Challenge in January. During this activity a small group of our more able and talented (MAT) Year 8 students entered a competitive arena to problem solve and create innovative solutions for scientific problems. They performed well and were commended for their team approach. Another creditable group of young scientists and engineers from Park House. More events are being planned all the time with a planning and design challenge for our Year 8s and a virtual reality day for Year 10 students to come before the end of the school year. More reports and photos of these events will be in our next issue of Personal Best. For up to date news and comments please like the school’s Facebook page where you can see what we get up to as it happens. • Ian Miller, Head of Physics, Careers Lead and Director of STEM
NXplorers Early in June small groups of Year 9 and 10 students engaged in a two-day NXplorers skills programme funded by Shell. The programme centred on thinking and problem solving. The students were tasked with tackling a global problem and had to come up with some innovative solutions dealing with the nexus between energy, food and water and meeting the needs of an increasing global population. The skills used ranged from viewing the ‘big picture’ to refining their ideas and resolving conflict between solutions. The students were encouraged to think about the diversity of their groups and consider the benefits of having a diverse population with a variety of opinions. Delivered by the professional training company EdComs using the Shell resources, our students were able to identify issues, funnel them into smaller problems, use techniques to step back from a problem, identify possible outcomes and the consequences of those decisions. The groups worked together exceptionally well showing the benefit of vertical integration between Year 9 and year 10 groups. A senior manager from Shell commented that he could not believe that this was a group of 14 year olds – they worked so well together and were clear in their communication and thinking – a real asset to school. We are all so proud of them and their efforts. These students really gave their Personal Best! • Ian Miller, Head of Physics, Careers Lead and Director of STEM
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Year 5 Taster Days In June of this year Park House became home to over 600 Year 5 students who each joined us for one of our four Taster Days. This year we continued our Japanese themed activities opening up a world of language, food, art and sport to our young guests. Each day was supported by our Year 8 and 9 Peer Mentors who, dressed in kimonos, welcomed, guided and helped students through the day. We are immensely proud of these outstanding ambassadors for our school. This was a wonderful showcase for our school Values and it was great to see and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere this created. Reflecting on the day with parents and students alike, we said ‘sayonara’ to our new friends leaving them a good taste of life at secondary school and an appetite to see us again at our Open Evening next term. • Mrs Chandler
Preparing students for Year 7 Our Induction Day in July for all the Year 6 students joining us in September is a hugely important day for all of our new students and we were delighted to see everyone so happy and settled here. The day allowed plenty of time to get to know new friends, meet the Year 7 tutor team, enjoy a guided tour of the school and even launch some rockets in to the sky above their new school! It was lovely to see new friendships and old come together as a new community and so many happy faces leave us at the end of the day. With summer ahead, it is great to feel that our new Year 7 is ready and excited for a great start to their Park House journey. • Mrs Chandler
Our Japanese friends in Shinagawa
Friday mornings in Newbury and Friday evenings in Tokyo are a time of friendship and cultural sharing as Park House students meet via Skype with their friends in Shinagawa. Getting together in this way has created a fantastic opportunity to share and compare life and experiences. Students discuss everything from
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food and music, holidays and travel, festivals and holidays or sometimes simply just chat about the week at school. Seeing the way these friendships have evolved over the weeks and years has been so rewarding and we look forward to seeing this cultural enrichment grow and thrive in the future. • Mrs Chandler
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Aston
Tess
My first year was different, very different. The first two weeks of school is like starting a new chapter of a book, you never know what’s going to happen next, it’s like stepping into a whole new world, a bigger world with a range of different opportunities. It is a lot bigger and very different to primary. You have to switch classes. I was worried I would get lost which I did a couple of times but there was always someone to help me. Everyone is so friendly.
Year 7 at Park house has been amazing. There have been so many opportunities to represent the school and to just have fun. Palmer Park was my athletics highlights of 2019 – what’s not to like about doing events all day with your friends?
All the teachers are amazing. All the lessons are fun. My favourite lessons are PE because its fun and the teachers are nice and funny, and English with Mr Gook who is amazing. He will make all of you laugh, and he is a huge Shakespeare fan, so if you’re in his class you will probably read a Shakespeare play. At the moment I am reading the Merchant of Venice with him. It’s fun and we get to act it out as well. My Head of Year, Mr Columbro is always there to help and support me if needed. I have made so many new friends and cannot wait for Year 8. • Aston Pottinger
Out of all the new subject I have been doing, art is definitely my favourite. The lesson has a wide range of activities to do including clay work, 3D designs and painting, drawing and sketching. The teacher I like the most is the legendary English teacher, Mr Gook! He makes learning so fun. This term we have been reading the Shakespeare play, The Merchant of Venice. The courtroom scene was brought to life – literally. Mr Gook set up the classroom to look like the court and students acted out the characters. The other teachers are great too. Thanks to them, my end of year exams went really well and, with their help, hopefully so will my GCSE’s. • Tess Marston
My Park House –
Anna This year has been great! Although the year has gone past so quickly, it has still been really fun.
Year 7, one year on
At the start of the year most of us didn’t know many people but because we have tutor groups we soon got to know each other. After a couple of months we had some tests and got put into sets which was fun because we got to know people in other tutor groups. The sports at this school are amazing and the best part is that there is a club for nearly every sport! I love doing House Sports as it gives you an opportunity to do sports that you’ve never done but you don’t have to be great at. Overall this year has been amazing and not as scary as I predicted.
Lucas
My time at Park House so far has been very enjoyable. My favourite lesson is PE.
I like PE because even though it might be an activity that you don’t necessarily enjoy at first, the lesson still turns out to be great fun. English can also be enjoyable especially as sometimes near the end of the summer term we might be allowed to watch a film or we might do a fun activity the whole class can get involved in. Mr Gook is a very good English teacher and could be a great headteacher one day. He makes every lesson fun and is a legend to everyone. • Lucas Chick
The teachers are wonderful and they will help you if you are worried or confused. I look forward to Year 8. • Anna Patterson
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Road to Rouen In April we had a three-day French experience in Rouen, the capital of Normandy famous for its cathedral and Joan of Arc. Travelling on the Eurotunnel was an exciting first for some of us. Our hotel was comfortable and the rooms were perfect for us. Our visit to Monet’s house and garden was unforgettable! It is not surprising his beautiful gardens inspired him to paint such valuable works of art. Fabuleux! We will also remember our visit to Rouen for our French
lessons as well as the delicious food. We ate in different restaurants each night including a crêperie (which had savoury pancakes as well!) and a Moroccan restaurant. For most of us eating from tagines was a new, albeit delicious, experience! The Joan of Arc museum was a fantastic multimedia experience in an old building. History was brought alive in front of our eyes in the city where Joan of Arc met her end... ...or did she? This trip brought us all closer together. We have some great memories and learnt a lot from exploring the town and our French lessons. • Emily Valentine and Rachael Willis
Barcelona – one of the best trips ever! “The visit to Barcelona was an experience I will never forget” was just one many excited student reactions after five action-packed days in Barcelona. A mixture of culture including Gaudi’s famous incomplete cathedral – Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell; the Picasso museum, Parc de la Ciutadella, sightseeing at Camp Nou and adrenalin at PortAventura theme park left the students in awe! It was also an opportunity to learn new Spanish phrases and complete the supermarket challenge (el reto en el supermercado). We can’t wait to go back! ¡Vamos a volver! • Mr Oxley
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Learning from History in Germany and Poland In February the History Department took 38 students from Years 11 to 13 on a six-day trip to Poland and Germany where they were able to experience firsthand the beauty of the continent as well as learning about the horrors of war.
Cathedral as well as at Wannsee, just outside Berlin. Here the students were given an extremely well-informed and well-presented lecture about the key individuals who played the most important roles in the Holocaust and the National Socialist system.
Exhausted from our long journey to Krakow we spent the evening wandering the beautiful streets of one of the oldest cities in Poland, before settling down to a much anticipated dinner at the Hard Rock Café.
A highlight of the trip was the tour of the iconic Reichstag building in Germany, which served as the home of the German parliament until 1933 when the infamous Reichstag Fire provided Hitler with a convenient pretext to suppress dissent, marking the end of Weimar German democracy and paving the way for the Nazi dictatorship. Furthermore, the Topography of Terror helped students to see the magnitude of the hold the SS and Gestapo had over the German people and acted as warning from history about the dangers of dictatorship. This was cemented further by a visit to the DDR Museum which depicts life in the former communist East-Germany.
The following morning it was with a sense of great emotion and foreboding that we arrived at the gates of Auschwitz I. The sense of anticipation amongst the students and staff was obvious. In groups we entered the camp and soon passed through the infamous entrance with its notorious wording ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ – ‘Work Makes Free’ clearly visible. Auschwitz I
Travelling thousands of miles with 38 students is always going to be a challenge, but I have to say that this year’s students were a credit to themselves, their parents and the school. They were able to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany in a way that no school textbook ever can. Special thanks to Miss Davis for all her efforts in organising the trip, and to Mrs Hawkins and Mr Jones for accompanying us, as well as the four Year 13 students who helped out in so many ways during the trip; Katy Jones, Joe Lardner, Ali Fraser and Dan Roch. • Miss Lewis, History Department
We were accompanied by experienced and knowledgeable guides who explained, step-by-step, the fate of the camp inmates. Moving from one wellkept block to another we learnt the scale of the camp complex, its purpose and history and this helped us all gain a much clearer understanding of the camp itself and its place within the whole Nazi concentration camp system. Actually seeing the photographs and exhibits, the personal effects, the suitcases, shoes, human hair from the victims, the baby clothes and the artificial limbs revealed the magnitude of the awful tragedy that befell the Jews, gypsies and others classed as undesirable. The people were systematically humiliated, starved, mentally and physically tortured and then murdered. Roughly 1500 prisoners endured the indignity of stripping naked, having their hair shaved and being led to the gas chambers every 15 minutes. As horrendous as these facts were to hear we all felt a responsibility to bear witness to the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust. Every single one of us left the camp with a new perspective on life. The visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was further enhanced by our exceptionally knowledgeable tour guides at the Gestapo Headquarters and Wawel
On the steps of the Reichstag.
Houses of Parliament Visit A group of 20 Sixth Form students had the opportunity of visiting the Houses of Parliament in January for a guided tour of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. During the tour the students were able to ask questions about the history and procedures of the ancient institution. We then had the opportunity to have a question and answer session with our MP, Richard Benyon. The students grilled him on both local and national issues that ranged from Sandleford to Brexit.
The students then enjoyed a short walking tour of central London, looking at key institutions and the branches of Government. In this tour we also had a short trip to the UK Supreme Court, and were able to consider its significance to our modern democracy. The Sixth Formers really enjoyed this opportunity to experience these institutions firsthand which has inspired many of them to study Politics and International Relations at university. • Miss Davis, Head of History and Politics.
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41 Bronze, 15 Silver and 5 Gold – another successful year for our
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Bronze Award presentations.
Our Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Awards Presentation Evening in March was a fantastic, well attended celebration and to top that off three of our students, Grace Norton, David Lee and Jack Hygate accepted invitations to the DofE garden party in Buckingham Palace in May to be presented with their Gold awards. Grace tells us of her experience: “My DofE experience started in Year 9 when I completed 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.
Silver Award presentations.
“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.” Five Bronze Teams and three Silver Teams have passed their expedition this year despite challenging weather for the Silver Teams! We currently have 55 Bronze, 25 Silver and five Gold students participating in the Awards. If you are in Year 9 and above and would like to participate in the DofE Award, contact Mrs Lay. • Linnhe Lay, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Coordinator – email: llay@parkhouseschool.org
We have one of the highest DofE completion rates in the UK with 85% of participants gaining their award; the National average is 50% Grace Norton, David Lee and Jack Hygate at Buckingham Palace to collect their Gold Awards.
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