Warlingham News - April 2017

News Warlingham School

ISSUE 4 2016-2017 APRIL 2017 In this edition FROM the headteacher

2-5

Chelsea Football Club / Great gatsby conference

6-7

#Redout

8-13

Gamelan workshop at the southbank centre

14-17

Extras in Catherine Tate sketch!

18-21

sixth form trip to eton

22-25

music trip to the school of rock

26-29

primary cross country cup

30-33

geography pages

34-35

geography pages (iceland trip)

36-45

geography pages (Norfolk trip)

46-51

UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge

52

A Level history Conferences

53

Red nose day

54-55

Where are they now? - Dale Songhurst

56-59

FEATURE: Gamelan Workshop FEATURE: Extras in Catherine Tate sketch!

FEATURE: Geography Trip to Iceland

FEATURE: Red Nose Day

Wide Horizons High Aspirations

FEATURE: Where are they now? - Dale Songhurst

From the Headteacher...

prepare their students. This term we I am sure all the students and staff will held a special Year 11 parents’ evening on 7 March to provide targeted revision be looking forward to a well-earned in subject areas where students were Easter break after a hectic Spring under-achieving. Parents of Year 11 Term. Of course, Year 11 and Sixth Form students will be using the holiday students also attended an evening event led by Elevate Education on 27 to get down to serious revision in March, to find out how parents can preparation for the upcoming exams. support their children through this very We wish them luck over the coming important time. weeks but our message will be that if During this half-term Sixth Form they have worked hard and prepared students held their charity fundraising well then they will get the success RAG Week (20-24 March 2017) they deserve. Many students will be attending revision sessions during the culminating in Red Nose Day on the holiday period and I would like to thank Friday. the staff for giving up their time to help Page 2 Dear Parents/Carers,

In the run-up to Red Nose Day, a number of Year 7 students took part in the YouTube event with popular ‘YouTubers’ Josh Maynard and Jack Pieters whilst on the Friday of RAG Week a group of Year 13 students appeared on the BBC Red Nose Day TV show (further details of both events can be found later in the newsletter).

During the week, students raised a fantastic amount - over £1,500 for Comic Relief and over £900 for the School’s chosen charities (Cancer Relief UK and St Christopher’s Hospice). This is a great effort and well done to all those involved.

of disadvantaged students. We had already reviewed these two areas and have action plans in place.

We were extremely pleased with the responses of the staff, student and parent questionnaires that “expressed their pride in the School”.

The inspectors also recognised the good progress made since the last inspection with regard to effective challenge and feedback making more demands on students to improve their work.

The Inspection Letter also praised “an open culture where everyone works together to improve progress As I am sure you are all aware, on for all pupils and students”. The Tuesday 21 February the School safeguarding procedures in the School received an Ofsted Inspection and the were also highly commended and it report has been sent out to all parents was clear that students “know how and is available on our website. The to stay safe and know who to turn Ofsted judgement was that the School to if they have any issues”. Most remains a ‘Good’ school. Whilst importantly, during the inspection the we were really pleased and proud inspection team witnessed high quality about many of the positive aspects teaching and learning and behaviour. of the inspection we are in no way They also spoke to many students (in complacent. There are areas that we a wide range of subjects), all of whom must improve if we are to complete were able to explain their strengths, our journey to ‘Outstanding’ and weaknesses and the progress they in fact the inspection team praised had made. It is important that we now our ability to identify and action build on these strengths to ensure the those areas. The inspection team School continues to improve in the highlighted 16-19 provision to offer future. more effective challenge for all abilities Continued on next page... and to reduce unauthorised absence Page 3

From the Headteacher...

In recent weeks you may have read and heard much about the proposed National Funding Formula (NFF) for schools and the serious concerns that many schools have about the inadequate amount of funding and the ‘postcode lottery’ of its allocation. On 21 March, Surrey Headteachers joined 13 other counties in writing to their local MP to outline our concerns and the possible consequences for our local schools. A copy of my letter to Sam Gyimah, MP can be found in the Letters section of the school website.

I, like all the other headteachers in the area, have already had to make a number of difficult decisions to maintain the financial security of the School. These decisions have and will continue to lead to staffing cuts, increased class sizes, reduced number of support staff, cuts to external support services and restrictions to the depth and breadth of the curriculum. Of course, we realise that these are times of financial austerity and Surrey Heads are proud of the fact that we have so far managed to sustain our outstanding provision whilst maximising value for money across the system. However, you will probably be aware that some schools in the country receive between £2,500- £3,500 more funding per Page 4

student than Warlingham School. The proposals being put forward in the new NFF would provide only a very minor improvement in this situation and would clearly leave students at Warlingham disadvantaged in comparison to schools in other parts of the country. The National Audit Office recently produced a report stating that the Government is expecting “mainstream schools to make £3 billion in efficiency savings by 2019-20 against a background of growing pupil numbers and a real-terms reduction in funding per pupil.” The report goes on to state that “Funding per pupil will, on average, rise only from £5,441 in 2015-16 to £5,519 in 2019-20, a real-terms reduction once inflation is taken into account.” It is clear that further cuts will impact on the quality of education being provided for our children and I would urge you to join this debate by contacting your MP and stating your concerns with the current situation.

I hope you all manage to have a relaxing Easter holiday and we look forward to welcoming students back to school on Tuesday 18 April.

Mr N Bradwell Headteacher

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Chelsea Football Club / Great Gatsby Conference As well as the business side of the tour, we also got to see interesting bits of the stadium that spectators would not get to see such as: the home and When we got to Chelsea Football Club away changing rooms, the dugout and the press room. we split into two groups. One group At the start of the tour we were given went to the museum first whilst the identification lanyards and a booklet to other went on the tour and then we complete as we went around on the swapped over.

In the museum we saw all the trophies tour. We completed the booklet with key information that we were given and awards the club had won by the tour guide about finances and throughout its history and we got to sponsorships. watch some short videos about the Year 10 Business Studies students went to Chelsea Football Club in January for the ‘Business of Football’ tour.

Once the tour was finished, we were On the tour we were shown all around given a chance to ask any extra questions and then we were allowed the grounds of the club and we were able to ask lots of questions. We learnt to visit the megastore and to purchase souvernirs. about the finances of the company Overall I really enjoyed this trip even and where the main incomes of the thought I am not a football fan. club come from and where the main expenditures go. We also learnt about Estelle Agrippa (10N) how the clubs get their sponsorship deals and how much they are worth. background of the team.

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On Wednesday 1st March 2017, two Year 12 English classes went on a joint trip to a Great Gatsby Conference in Central London and we all had a really good time!

When we arrived in Central London, after getting a train and walking a considerable distance, we weren’t really sure exactly what the day had in store. But after seating ourselves on the pews in a beautiful Church, where the conference was going to be staged, we were ready and excited for the day ahead. It turned out there were to be four lectures on different areas of The Great Gatsby novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and each were to be brought to us by different lecturers.

The first lecture was on the subject of Fitzgerald and his personal life, which was very interesting with the most fascinating section being the revealing of Fitzgerald as a misogynistic figure who believed women were weak – a thoroughly surprising (and disappointing) fact for everyone involved. The second lecture was on women in The Great Gatsby, followed by lunch where some of us very excitedly managed to visit the Natural History Museum which was amazing and so absorbing! The third lecture was on the American Dream and the fourth lecture was on possessions and wealth. All four

talks had something in common: they were all brilliant.

All in all, the day was excellent with very informative content presented to us in a thought-provoking and enjoyable way, courtesy of very professional and enlightening lecturers!

A big thank you to the English department and in particular Mrs Christie for organising the trip and to Miss Forde for organising the trip and taking us there!

Millie Preston (12N)

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#RedOut

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Some very lucky Year 7 students at Warlingham School were involved in the filming of a YouTube stunt to promote Red Nose Day.

Two YouTubers – Jack Maynard and Josh Pieters – downed tools and took part in a #RedOut for 24 hours across their social channels to raise awareness of the injustices faced by vulnerable young people.

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#RedOut

Both channels then came back online at 6pm on Monday 13th March with videos that were filmed at Warlingham School. The videos, which can be viewed on Josh and Jack’s YouTube channels, show the two YouTubers Page 10

competing against each other in two challenges, with a team of five Year 7 students each. 100 Year 7 students formed an excited audience.

Laura Wilson, Comic Relief’s Schools Engagement and Fundraising Manager

said: “We were absolutely thrilled to work with Warlingham School on this special project. Warlingham have been huge supporters of Red Nose Day in the past, and have lots of great fundraising planned for this year. Red

Nose Day really is a great opportunity for schools – the whole school can come together, have fun, and make a difference to lives both here in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries.”

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#RedOut

As one of Comic Relief’s top fundraisers, Warlingham School is part of the Super Fundraiser programme.

Amelia Hill was one of our Year 13 helpers on the day and wrote about her experience:

Mr Bradwell said, “We’re very proud to be part of Comic Relief’s Super Fundraiser programme. Being invited to be part of the programme is a real tribute to the fundraising efforts of all our students. Our Year 7s had a really fantastic time participating in the filming for the stunt and will remember the day for a long time.”

“On 28th February, Warlingham School took part in an exciting and unique event for Comic Relief. The school was visited by the popular YouTubers, Jack Maynard and Josh Pieters.

Lucky Year 7 students were selected to take part in a series of games with them, and a further one hundred students received audience passes.

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The first game played was a giant inflatable swinging arm which the players had to jump over and not get knocked down, the last team standing would win. After, the players moved to Dash and Grab where they ran to retrieve balls from the middle of a bouncy castle, whilst being tied to the walls by a bungee cord! All the players tried valiantly but at the end of the day the red team led by Jack Maynard was crowned victorious.

The students got to see a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of what we see

on the internet, with the cameramen patiently filming retakes and making sure everybody got in shot. There was help from various sixth formers selling red noses, escorting students to and from the field and searching high and low for a tarpaulin! There was also lots of help and support from the organisers and staff. The day was a huge success and the students were delighted by the once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

There are two different videos. To view them, click the links below: Video on Josh Pieter’s YouTube site Video on Jack Maynard’s YouTube site

Melanie Filmer B&E / Marketing Manager All photographs courtesy of Victoria Dawe Page 13

Gamelan workshop at the Southbank Centre

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Thursday 16th March saw twenty lucky Year 7 students embark on a trip to London’s Southbank Centre to further develop their knowledge of Gamelan music, a topic they have been studying this term.

Gamelan is the traditional music of Java - an island in Indonesia - and tends to use percussionbased instruments to make up an ‘orchestra’. This relies on everyone playing collectively to create its unique sound.

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Gamelan workshop at the Southbank Centre CONTINUED

The students were engaged from the beginning and after some warm-up activities that involved singing and dancing, they found themselves seated at various parts of the Gamelan.

Students were then taught about the delicacy of the instruments and how each one was to be played. Already familiar with the instruments, students had no trouble learning how to play each one and were then taught a traditional Gamelan song.

With every student playing their respective part at the right time it

The trip allowed students to further learn about and play these amazing instruments.

A last minute change to the line-up saw the ever-so-kind Miss Billings step in to accompany the students. The trip got off to a slow start, with the London traffic on a weekday morning, but when we finally arrived, we were greeted by the friendly and charismatic David who was running the session, and having studied Gamelan in Indonesia he certainly knew his stuff.

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sounded fantastic and contributed to an overall unique and interesting sound, unlike that of anything in Western music. The students were taught the music by numbers instead of musical notes, with each part of the instrument being assigned a number.

With every part of the song, students swapped to play different parts of the Gamelan.

complex set-up.

The trip was a great success and every student I spoke to said that they had enjoyed the whole experience.

Tom Kedge Music and Media Technician

The two-hour session sped by and before we knew it we were back at the school just in time for Period 5.

On the trip, every student was immaculately behaved and engaged, whether by asking questions or having a go on various parts of the Gamelan’s Page 17

Extras in Catherine Tate sketch!

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Ten very lucky Year 13 students at Warlingham Sixth Form got to be extras in a sketch with Catherine Tate that was broadcast live by the BBC on Friday night as part of the Red Nose Day show.

In the sketch, Lauren Cooper (Catherine Tate) meets Sir Lenny Henry and Warwick Davis and lets them know - without mincing her words - exactly what she thinks of Comic Relief!

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Extras in Catherine Tate sketch!

CONTINUED

The students - Tom Anderson, Jed Arno, Shauna Burke, Maia Cooper, Amelia Hill, Dan Hill, Keji Kamoju, Serena Rossetti, Sam Shread and Abby Stephens - travelled to the O2 at the end of a very busy week of fundraising activities for Red Nose Day, St Christopher’s Hospice and Cancer Research UK, as part of the Sixth Form’s RAG Week.

including: Joe Lycett, Micky Flanagan, Greg Davies, Rob Beckett, Miranda Hart, Rag’n’Bone Man, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Joel Dommett, Jonathan Ross, Ed Sheeran and of course, Warwick Davis, Sir Lenny Henry and Catherine Tate who were all in the sketch.

Along with students from a school in London, the excited students got to see all the backstage excitement up close. They saw many celebrities,

Mr Scott, Head of Sixth Form said “We’re very proud of our Sixth Formers, who were chosen based on their contribution to the fundraising

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The sketch can be viewed online at the BBC’s Youtube Channel - click here.

Of course, as Warwick Davis said, Comic Relief is not all about getting on the telly, and we were grateful to be part of such a huge fundraising event.

But I have to admit meeting the stars there was definitely a massive bonus.

A big thank you to Mrs Standen, HR Manager, who helped me accompany Speaking to the likes of Lenny Henry, the students to the rehearsal at the O2 Warwick Davis, Mickey Flannagan and and Mrs Howe, Head of Year 13, who (my personal favourite) Val from The Great British Bake-Off was a brilliant helped me accompany them on the experience. Catherine Tate herself was night itself. lovely, coming back to our dressing Melanie Filmer room afterwards to take selfies. The B&E / Marketing Manager 18 year-olds of the group then went on to the late section show to be part of Overall, the only way to describe the the live audience. night would be incredible. From the moment we arrived we were star Ultimately, it was a once-in-a-lifetime struck, and getting our costumes and experience, and won’t be forgotten going to hair and makeup seemed soon! surreal. effort in the run up to Red Nose Day. We’re so pleased that they were given such a fabulous opportunity as a thank you for their commitment and dedication.”

Amelia Hill (13N)

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Sixth Form trip to Eton

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On Thursday 16th March a group of Warlingham Sixth Form students set off at 7.45am for Eton College.

This has been a biennial trip for the last few years to support the A Level PE course in the history of sport and it was also an opportunity for the PE BTEC students to look at how certain sports have originated and developed.

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Sixth Form trip to Eton

The M25 was kind and we made good progress. We arrived in Eton High Street where our students started to gain an understanding of the size of the school and some of the cultural differences; the school uniform being an obvious one. The Warlingham students also had an insight into the reversibility of our school minibus – but that is another story!

Our trip started with a visit to Eton rowing lake, where Katherine Grainger won her Gold medal in the 2012 Olympics. Our students were surprised by the sheer size of the lake. We then met Glen Pierce, a PE teacher at Eton, who gave us a guided tour of all of the facilities. He started by showing us the beautiful courtyard and the origins of Eton Fives against the Chapel wall. This was followed by walking into the elegant and stunning Chapel where the Eton boys meet each morning. The beauty and history of these magnificent buildings are breathtaking and we heard from Glen about the traditions of the staff in ‘Chambers’ and managed to take a peek at the Headmaster’s teaching classroom. Our students were surprised to hear that in certain areas of the school, graffiti was actively encouraged – where Eton boys had Page 24

carved their names into the woodwork!

Then came the active part of the day. The students were split into two groups and they were given the opportunity to play Eton Fives and Rackets. Here they were able to enjoy two very contrasting games but both requiring very good hand-eye coordination and reaction times. All the Warlingham Sixth Form students did very well in these activities.

After the Rackets and Fives sessions, our students were invited into the languages department, a recently developed area of the school, where the students had the chance to question Glen’s wife, Kate, who is Head of German.

Lunch followed for our students, who then had some free time to explore the sights of Windsor and Eton.

Meanwhile, Mr Scott and I were invited in to the Master’s Dining Room which is also a very different and interesting experience.

The afternoon session involved a further tour of the school which took us to see where the Eton Wall game was played and we also had an opportunity to interview a very tall Year 10 Eton student, who was charming.

Our final destination was to see the

beautiful art studios where the work on getting an informative tour of the main building and seeing the lifestyle of display was inspirational. other students.” - Callum Ledger (12M) The purpose of the trip is not only to support the syllabus of the A Level PE course but also to gain some insight in to the different types of schooling that are available and to see first-hand what is perhaps one of the most well-known public schools in this country. It also is a great starting point for a debate.

Here is what two of our students who came on the trip said: “I really enjoyed visiting the original Fives court, and then going and getting a taster of the sport itself. Both Rackets and Fives were extremely enjoyable to play. Also, I enjoyed

“I most enjoyed the Headmaster’s classroom, the Eton Fives and Rackets activities, Eton Wall game and the ‘Where Eton Fives started’ on the side of the Chapel as I thought they were the most interesting things.” - Lucy Hughes (12M) We would very much like to thank Glen and Kate Pierce and Eton College, for the time they gave us.

Mrs Salem (PE Teacher) & Mr Scott (Head of Sixth Form)

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Music trip to the School of Rock

The Talented Musicians’ programme at Warlingham is in full flourish, and those students who are considered to be our exceptional musicians were invited to go and watch The School of Rock at the New London Theatre.

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Music trip to the School of Rock Dewey Finn (played by Jack Black in the film) is a depressed rock musician who was kicked out of his own band.

Dewey is sharing an apartment with an old band member, Ned Schneebly, who is now a substitute teacher.

Dewey is four months behind in his share of the rent, and Ned is about to kick him out. Needing money and a job, Dewey answers a phone call for Ned, and then he pretends to be Ned Schneebly. Dewey accepts a job as a 5th grade substitute teacher at a snobbish private school.

back in rock.

The students were mesmerised by the fantastic talents of not only the adults in the show but the cast of 9-12 year old students who could all act so well, but also play their instruments live on stage! Their ability to act, play, sing and jump around the stage was a real inspiration to the students.

If this has inspired them to practise Dewey then forms a rock band with a little bit the kids in his class in an effort to win the $10,000 prize money offered by a harder, local band contest. He must do this in and a little secret so that the school principal and bit more, the students’ parents know nothing of then that’s only a his plan. If Dewey can win the Battle of the Bands’ competition, it will solve massive his financial problems, and put him

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encouragement for us and them!

The students were exceptionally well-behaved and a real credit to our school. They had an amazing time.

Rebecca in Year 10 said: “I was so taken aback by the kids – they were so talented – I wish I had practised harder when I was younger, because that so could have been me on that stage!

Actually Mr Duff so wanted to be Jack Black and jump on stage and lead the class, and Miss Frayne wasn’t far

behind as she wanted to be the school principal!

We would love to do this as a school production!”

Will in Year 7 said, “That 9 year old kid on the guitar was awesome – but when he started playing his guitar behind his head whilst sliding around on the stage on his knees, well, that just blew me away!

All the kids in the show were just so talented – they really made me jealous!”

The band were phenomenal, even they stopped to listen and to cheer on the kid band on stage!

Thanks to Mr Kedge for organising the trip and to Miss Frayne for joining me in accompanying the students.

Mr Duff Head of Music

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Primary Cross Country Cup

On 14th March, we hosted our annual Primary Cross Country Cup. Eight local primary schools came to compete for the two cups, with individual runners competing for the top five places in each race.

Cross Country is a sporting spectacle which demonstrates the raw talent of endeavour, resilience, power and speed. There were some fabulous runners in this event and it was wonderful to see the least Page 30

experienced pushing themselves together with the more regular runners.

The ethos behind this event is for our CSLA Sixth Formers and Young Ambassadors from Key Stage 3 to demonstrate their leadership skills together with being positive role models to the younger primary participants. Warlingham School has a wonderful group of students who did a fabulous job in the numerous

roles they took on during the afternoon. Many thanks must go to the CSLA students from Year 12: Rebecca Adams, Taylor Beck, Ross George, James Gordon, Lucy Hughes, Zac Kellaway, Callum Ledger, Taylor Leech, Hannah Lewis, Joe Moore, Issy Player, Aimee

Rocke, Reece O’Flaherty, Emma Stanford, Ellen Umukoro and the Year 9 Young Ambassadors: Jack Garner, Jack Coyne, Jack Honey Green, Nieve McKenzie, Katie Burn, Amy Hodgetts, Emily Holvey, Sarah Howie, Amy Kennison, Hannah Sparks, Olivia Tucker and Emily Wilson.

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Primary Cross Country Cup the route.

Two of our Warlingham Sixth Formers commented:

These events are community events and would not have been possible without the help of the Primary Teachers and the Primary parents, Pam Mutter in Repro, Fiona Delaney, the Site Team and the PE department.

I would also like to say a special ‘thank you’ to Tracy Rayner, Cleaning Manager, who was our First Aider and Jessica Stevens from the Sixth Form who came and took some photographs throughout the afternoon.

We were also very grateful to the de Stafford PE department for lending some wonderful stakes to help set up Page 32

“My role in cross country was on the results table.

Although it was stressful at some points, I still really enjoyed the role because it has developed my ability to work under pressure and get things done in a short amount of time.” - James Gordon (12M) “I had a great day helping out at the Cross Country Event, being stationed at the finish line meant that I was able to see the determination of many children that were running.” - Callum Ledger (12M) Finally, the primary school students enjoyed receiving their medals and certificates from Headteacher, Mr Bradwell.

Vanessa Salem PE Teacher

The Results Year 3 & Year 4 Cup Woodlea Year 5 & Year 6 Ian Simpson Cup Whyteleafe Year 3 & Year 4 Competition 1st Woodlea 2nd Hamsey Green 3rd Audley 4th St. Francis 5th Whyteleafe 6th Marden Lodge 7th Warlingham Village 8th St. John’s Year 5 & Year 6 Competition 1st Whyteleafe 2nd St. Francis 3rd Hamsey Green 4th Audley 5th Woodlea 6th Marden Lodge 7th St. John’s

Top Five runners in each race Year 3 & Year 4 Girls 1st Olivia Ryall (Woodlea) 2nd Alexa Hodge (Woodlea) 3rd Teason Westmelder (Audley) 4th Isla Bullen (Whyteleafe) 5th Chi Chi (Audley) Year 3 & Year 4 Boys 1st Harry Steptoe (St. Francis) 2nd Anand Nithuan Christiansen (Hamsey Green) 3rd Carter Grant (Hamsey Green) 4th Luke Deighton (Whyteleafe) 5th Oliver Hercock (St. Francis) Year 5 & Year 6 Girls 1st Amy Deighton (Whyteleafe) 2nd Lauren Hodgson (Whyteleafe) 3rd Olivia Vickers (Audley) 4th Evie Lindsell (St. Francis) 5th Danielle Taylor Bone (St. Francis) Year 5 & Year 6 Boys 1st Chris Hodgetts (Whyteleafe) 2nd Jonny Lee (Whyteleafe) 3rd Ethan Booker (Hamsey Green) 4th Junior Eccleston (Whyteleafe) 5th Sean Flaherty (St. Francis)

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Geography Pages

Easter already! It’s very hard to believe that a term has already passed since the last edition of the Geography Pages was issued…

Lots to squeeze in this time; as we entered 2017 and weather improved, the Geography department “trip season” officially opened in truly

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spectacular fashion with our first ever journey to the wonderful country of Iceland. Our feet were then very firmly planted back on the ground by the Ofsted visit, followed by our annual Year 10 visit to the North Norfolk Coastline.

Meanwhile, we also managed to

Trekking on Sólheimajökull

teach some lessons to Geography students! Since January, our Key Stage 3 students have been badgering away as follows: • Year 7 students have been completing their work on Map Skills and have now become burgeoning explorers as they start their work from Pole to Pole; • Year 8 students moved from

flooding to look into other Extreme Weather events that affect our planet – ranging from Ice Storms to Hurricanes; and • Year 9 students have just emerged from a full-on study of the country of Brazil, looking in-depth at issues such as Favelas and the rights and responsibilities of those affecting the Amazon Rainforest.

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Geography Pages (Iceland Trip) Our Year 10 and 11 classes continue to work on their GCSE skills; Year 10 students have recently completed their work on Coasts and are now looking back over the Fieldwork techniques that they honed on their trip to Norfolk (more on that later).

Year 11 students are in the final stages of their Controlled Assessment work, which will shortly be sent off to the Exam Board for marking (gulp!). Then revision starts!

In Key Stage 5, both Year 12 and Year 13 students are preparing for their AS and A2 exams. Our February half term trip to Iceland was a nice distraction - albeit rich in geographical content - before the breathless approach to study leave. Sessions will be arranged over Easter and after school for students to support them as they do so.

Massive thanks to all!

I’ll stop now and hand over to three of our dedicated Geography students all of whom were more than happy to volunteer their personal time to write up reports of their recent exploits in spectacular Iceland and, ahem, exotic Norfolk.

Wishing you all a chocolatey break, and looking forward to carrying on the learning afterwards!

Mr Gardner Head of Geography 



Iceland Trip 14th to 17th February 2017

This trip was an optional “awe and wonder” trip open, initially, to None of this would have been possible Geography students in Years 12 and without our committed department 13. I plan to run it every two years staff. Mrs Lilani, Ms Eveleigh, Mrs (to allow time for students to save up Nathan and Mr Kinder continue to – this year the cost was £799), but it ‘churn out’ excellent lessons to keep would be possible to run the trip more everyone entranced in our weird and often if there is a demand for it. wonderful world of Geography, and a The itinerary from this incredible trip special mention has to be given to Mrs can be seen following the article which O’Dowd, without whose tireless efforts Jack Perry from Year 13 has very in the office none of our amazing kindly agreed to submit. trips would ever get off the ground.

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Hallgrímskirkja “This February year 12 and 13 students went on an awe-inspiring Geography trip to Iceland which I’m sure they would all agree was one of the best school trips we had ever been on.

On the first day we set off for Gatwick from school to start our three days of adventure. After a short journey we arrived at our cosy accommodation in Reykjavik and, after dropping off our bags and having dinner, went on a walk to discover the beautiful city.

We visited some shops on the high street and saw the famous church Hallgrímskirkja, lit by floodlight.

The next day we saw some incredible sights including the volcano Ejyafjallajökull, two breath-taking waterfalls and an incredibly picturesque black sand beach. In addition, we got to experience a glacier hike on which we climbed nearly to the top. To top the day off we managed to get the once in a life time opportunity to see the northern lights which were truly amazing. (See photos on the last pages of this article.)

On Day 3 we visited a huge crater in the ground which had been created by a giant volcanic eruption in history and also visited Iceland’s largest geysers Page 37

Geography Pages (Iceland Trip)

which made for a fantastic sight when they erupted, despite the smell!

We also managed to squeeze in Iceland’s largest and most incredible waterfall followed by a walk between the tectonic plates which cover the whole of Europe and North America.

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The mighty Gullfoss

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Geography Pages (Iceland Trip) The final day was another great one with stop offs at volcanic lakes, geysers and the blue lagoon. The blue lagoon was the highlight of this day and possibly the trip because we swam in naturally heated hot springs which was a real treat. After three full hours of swimming and bathing we were all exhausted and after a short coach journey to the airport we were on the flight home after what can only be described as a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime trip.”

Jack Perry (13M)

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Sólfarið (Sun Voyager) sculptu

ure alongside ReykjavĂ­k harbour

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Geography Pages (Iceland Trip)

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Getting up close and personal with Skรณgafoss

Itinerary Tuesday 14th February Transport from school to Gatwick Fly to Reykjavík, meet guide and settle into hotel; walk around Reykjavík (weather dependent).

Wednesday 15th February South Shore Day: Seljalandsfoss – waterfall that you can walk behind Eyjafjallajökull Erupts – small museum and video about the eruption Skógafoss – huge waterfall that you can climb up alongside Reynisfjara (black sand beach) Sólheimajökull – crampons on and a climb up one of the outlet glaciers of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap Night drive up to Laxarbakki to see the Nothern Lights Thursday 16th February Golden Circle Day: Hellisheiðarvirkjun – visit to a working geothermal power station that supplies Reykjavík with its electricity and hot water Kerið - an ancient volcanic crater Strokkur Geysir – the world-famous (and quite punctual!) geyser that erupts every 5-8 minutes to heights of over 20m Gullfoss – the “queen of Iceland’s waterfalls”, dropping twice over 32m into a canyon Þingvellir – the place where you can ‘walk between’ the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates Friday 17th February Reykjanes Peninsula: A drive around the peninsula made from lava – including the Hafnarfjordur Elf Town, Kleifarvatn lake, the Krýsuvík geothermal mudpools, Grindavík fishing village and The Blue Lagoon Return flight to Gatwick.

A huge thanks to Rondo Travel for their organisation and support during the trip.

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Geography Pages (Iceland Trip)

The Aurora Boreal

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Walking behind

lis from Laxarbakki

d Seljalandsfoss

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Geography Pages (Norfolk Trip)

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This trip “replaces” our annual data collection for the GCSE Controlled Assessment; instead, pupils will have to answer fieldwork technique/ results/analysis questions in their exam – making this trip an essential

part of the course.

“We left school at 10am on Wednesday 8th March after the coaches were delayed by our legendary M25 traffic on the way to us, but the journey to our first

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Geography Pages (Norfolk Trip) stop was quick and we were able to stretch muscles and have a nutritious breakfast – ‘Tossd’ and ‘KFC’ were a big hit with our Year 10 peers!

The remaining part of the journey also flew by, and we were soon at Overstrand Hall, our home for the next few days. We put our bags into the Tudor Room and were given a tour of the hall and grounds – being shown things like the lunch hall, games room, our bedrooms and the Knights’ Table.

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Our first lesson was an Introduction to Coasts. This was a recap about the various Shoreline Management Plans in the area and what processes worked on and against the coastline.

There was then a methods session with practice to see what we had to do the next day and to get used to the equipment we’d be using.

In the evening we had our first look at the sort of food we’d be getting, and it didn’t disappoint: sausages, Yorkshire Puddings and onion gravy!

This was followed by a Fire Drill to get used to our escape routes, and an Aeroball session for our group.

This is basically four trampolines with four basketball hoops: teams of two face each other and try to get the balls into the opposition’s hoop. Maria and Sam were overall champions! We also played a few rounds of Monkey Football before getting some free time to explore, unpack our rooms and make our beds.

The next day started with a cooked breakfast, followed by getting

onto coaches for our day’s trip.

We started at Cley for our first experiments, split into our teaching groups. We did a Fieldsketch of the beach, an Environmental Quality Assessment (bi-polar – scoring things on a scale of +5 to -5), Pebble Analysis, Beach Profile and finally a wave count.

This was all done in order to find out whether or not there would be Constructive Waves (as we thought, because we were along a Spit), but they were Destructive on the day we were there, due to the damage

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Geography Pages (Norfolk Trip) caused by Storm Doris earlier in the year. Our hypothesis about pebble size was correct as the size of it grew as we walked up the beach. Pebbles nearest the sea had been eroded and made more smooth by attrition. There was also evidence of where the cliffs used to be – there was a mix of clay and silt under the shingle of the beach, showing how fast erosion can be in this area.

following day. Then off to bed.

Our final day was based around our stop in Norwich. We walked around the Castle area, through the Marketplace (one of the biggest in Europe) to find out how many people went to each area (popularity) and land use – including number of floors – to work out how each area needed regeneration. We had a packed lunch again…although we would have Our next site, Weybourne, was similar. preferred a sweeter apple than the one We did the same experiments, but we had! there were cliffs here as this was where Then it was back to school – once the Spit begins. Cley had no cliffs again via the service station for a quick as the whole beach was made from healthy snack(!) – and, by a miracle, we deposition. We predicted destructive managed to get around the M25 and waves (as we were still near cliffs) and back for 5pm! we were right.

Overall this was a really good trip Lastly, we visited the town of because the accommodation was Sheringham. The tide was in by this good – both the food and rooms – the point, so we did our experiments from activities were a great laugh and the the top of the Sea Wall. This was the staff at the centre and from school best site because we had free time were all fun. The centre we stayed (organised by Mr Gardner to get chips!) at made all of us feel right at home. to get food and ice cream!

Going to the beach was fun – it was We returned to Overstrand Hall for great spending time with our school data analysis then dinner (curry) friends outside of the normal school followed by Nightline (doing a team day. Although it was a bit windy!” blindfolded obstacle course!) – which Adam Dunn and Millie Bundle was fun – then some information in (10N) a classroom about the methods the Page 50

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UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge

On Thursday 2nd February, some of our Year 10 students sat the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge – answering questions like:

problem-solving skills.

Congratulations to Katie Bentley who certainly succeeded in both, scoring highest out of all of our students and gaining a Silver certificate.

The combined age of Alice and Bob Congratulations also go to Jess is 39. The combined age of Bob and Clare is 40. The combined age of Clare Dartnell, Mia Sloane and Charlie Trzcinski who all received Silver and Dan is 38. The combined age of Dan and Eve is 44. The total of all five certificates and Adam Dunn, Ryan Stone, Sam Coole, Matthew Howie, ages is 105.

George Watchorn, Lucie Scott, Oliver Which of the five is the youngest??

McGowan and Jessica Maynard who A Alice B Bob C Clare D Dan all received Bronze certificates.

E Eve The maths challenges aim to stimulate mathematical thinking and enhance Page 52

Mrs Scott 2i/c Mathematics

A Level History Conferences On 27th of February and 23rd of March the Year 12 and 13 A Level History students went to the London Irish Centre in Camden for a series of talks on the courses they are studying.

The days were split into four lectures, with breaks in between and two question and answer sessions to find out what the lecturers’ opinions on the topics were.

The first talk was on The Wars of the Roses where Professor John Watts from Oxford, Dr James Ross from Winchester and Dr Glenn Richardson from St Mary’s spoke of the Wars from Henry VI to Henry Tudor. The day was a useful revision tool and gave more insight into the topics – such as Richard III’s motto “Loyaulte me lie” (Loyalty binds me) which was rather ironic when Richard was betrayed and killed at the battle of Bosworth. We even found out that Professor John Watts would have killed the Princes in the Tower if he was Richard III!

from the successful tsars, which meant Russia did not revolutionise at the same time as the rest of Europe.

The speakers also recommended an interesting project taking place one hundred years after the beginning of the October revolution: Project1917. com using letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents to tell the story of the revolution day-byday, even keeping you informed on the weather in Petrograd and Moscow!

The trips were a great way to recap and look deeper into the courses studied at History A Level and the question and answer sessions let the students get involved and understand their own queries about the events.

Amelia Hill (13N)

The second day followed Russia from the Tsars through the 1917 revolution and the power struggles afterwards, with speakers Simon Dixon from UCL and Daniel Beer from Royal Holloway.

We were introduced to interesting viewpoints of the revolution such as the complacency of victory stemming Page 53

Red Nose Day

On Friday 24th March, students in Years 7 to 11 could come in dressed in red-themed mufti as long as they donated at least £1 to Comic Relief.

We decided to hold the mufti day to coincide with Red Nose Day this year, rather than having it on the last day of term.

We had a very successful fundraising effort this year, with money raised from mufti, sales of red noses, a cake raffle (an amazing cake, created by Dawn Saffery), cake sales and the mannequin challenge competition.

The mannequin challenge competition was a competition in which forms had Page 54

to raise a minimum of £60 in order to be filmed, doing a mannequin challenge. Four forms raised over £60.

Well done to: 7W, 7L, 8N and 9M! We’ll be judging the best entries as soon as the videos have been finalised by the A Level Film Studies class - who very kindly filmed the challenges - to determine an overall winner, who will receive a pizza lunch.

In total, the school raised over £1,500 for Comic Relief, which is an amazing effort! Individual students also did some fundraising for Red Nose Day. Ridley Hutt (7G) raised £75 by doing a sponsered cycle.

Alex Moore raised more than £500 by being sponsored to have all her hair cut off! She then donated the hair to The Little Princess Trust - a charity that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair through chemotherapy and other illnesses.

Alex says, “The wigs themselves cost £350 to make but the family, who get the wig pay absolutely nothing. You may think that a wig doesn’t really matter but it makes children less self-conscious about themselves, builds their self-esteem and feel more like a normal child. The trust itself was launched in 2006 by Simon and Wendy Tarplee, who lost their little girl Hannah in June 2005 to cancer.

Hannah was a normal girl, she liked

pretty clothes, new shoes, the colour pink, and dancing, but that all changed in her first term at junior school when she was diagnosed with cancer. Many of her friends wanted to help, but there was no way to. When chemotherapy caused the loss of her hair, obtaining a wig in a child’s size was also very difficult and expensive.

When she died, her family, friends, and school donated money to create The Little Princess Trust.”

Well done to all of you who raised such a phenomenal amount of money!

Melanie Filmer B&E / Marketing Manager

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We caught up with ex-Student Dale Songhurst and asked him about what he’s up to now.

I left the Sixth Form in the summer of 2011 following the completion of A Levels in Mathematics, Physics and Design and Technology (Product Design). In September of that year, I began my next academic adventure at the University of Nottingham where I studied for a four-year integrated Masters Degree in Mathematics.

Following lots of hard work and an amazing four years, I graduated with First Class Honours.

I have always had a keen interest in the military and this was developed during my time in the Air Training Corps from the age of thirteen until I left Sixth Form. As such, a career with a military aspect has always appealed to me.

Mathematics has also been another passion of mine ever since I began studying it more seriously during my time at the Sixth Form. In particular, I remember studying Mechanics during my AS Level and thinking how fascinating it is that we are able to describe the world around us using symbols written on a page. This feeling amplified significantly during my time at university and led to me to wanting to pursue a career in Engineering.

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Coinciding this idea, together with my interests for the military, directed me towards applying for a summer internship with BAE Systems in the penultimate summer before my graduation. I was successful in the application process and carried out a three month internship with the

Dale on Graduation Day with his father.

company in their Military Air and Information (MAI) sector.

During my internship, I worked with a group of engineers known as the UK Lighting Integration (UKLI) team.

Their job is to integrate a logistic and information system, which may be found onboard the new F35B Joint Strike Fighters, with UK information systems, networks, processes and organisations. The F35B is the new fifth generation combat aircraft to be jointly flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy (RN) onboard our new Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carriers.

At the end of my summer internship, I underwent a review on the work I had conducted and received the news that, if I chose, I could be fast tracked through a large proportion of the application procedure necessary to join the BAE Systems Graduate and Development Framework (GDF).

I accepted this offer and following the completion of my Masters Degree, rejoined the company on their graduate scheme a year later. I chose to join the Maritime Services sector upon my return because I felt that Maritime Services would provide me with plenty of opportunities to use mathematics within my career. My time on the graduate scheme has thus far been extremely enjoyable and I’m fortunate

enough to be able to be sent on plenty of courses to enhance my understanding of engineering. The company is also sponsoring me to pursue my engineering chartership (CEng) through the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET).

I have worked at various BAE Systems sites across the country and am currently based on the Isle of Wight, where I work with fellow mathematicians and engineers to enhance some of the capabilities of the Artisan 3D radar system. This radar is utilised onboard the Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigates and shall also see service onboard both the Queen Elizabeth and

The Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight

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The Needles, Isle of Wight the Prince of Wales aircraft carriers.

Following further training, my job will sometimes require me to go on board these ships for radar integration and testing purposes. I have already been Page 58

fortunate however, to have been on board one of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers, HMS Dauntless.

Outside of work, I enjoy travelling and participating in a range of outdoor

activities. In particular, I enjoy hiking and regularly go on long walks around the Isle of Wight. In May for example, I’m looking to complete Walk the Wight (a 26.5mile one day walk from one side

of the island to the other). I also plan on sometime doing the Isle of Wight Challenge (a 65.9 mile walk around the entire perimeter of the island over a two-day period).

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Wide Horizons High Aspirations

Warlingham School Address: Tithepit Shaw Lane, Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9YB Tel: 01883 624067 Fax: 01883 624026 Email: info@warlinghamschool.co.uk Website: www.warlinghamschool.co.uk