News Warlingham School
ISSUE 1 2014-2015 OCTOBER 2014
In this edition
from the headteacher
2
EXCELLENCE IN EXAMS
4
Geography outstanding student award
8
activities’ week special feature
10
Year 11 Trip to Ypres
42
cricket report 2014
46
Book Review Competition
48
Important Information for Parents
50
FEATURE: Excellence in Exams
Geography Competition
FEATURE: Activities Week
FEATURE: Year 11 trip to Ypres
Widening Horizons Raising Aspirations
FEATURE: Cricket Report 2014
From the Headteacher... Dear Parents Welcome to our first electronic newsletter. We hope you enjoy the new look but of course we welcome any feedback to make sure that the newsletter continues to improve and develop over the coming months. We are still printing a few copies for parents who don’t have access to computers but we anticipate that over the year we will save over £4,000 on printing costs. We have also changed the way we carry out all printing and photocopying in the school by removing small desktop printers and replacing them with large, more cost-effective printers/ copiers around the school. Again, we estimate a saving of about £3,000 this year which at a time of education funding cuts will be extremely important in maintaining high quality teaching and learning resources. It has been a hectic start to the new year but a very pleasing one. The new Year 7 have settled in very well and the new Year 12 students have also made a positive start to life in the Sixth Form. I would like to thank all those students who took part in the recent Open Evenings. The Year 8 and 9 students who acted as guides for parents at the Year 6 Open Evening on 15th Page 2
September really were outstanding ambassadors for the school. In the days following the Open Evening I received numerous phone calls and emails from parents wishing to thank and congratulate our students on their helpfulness and enthusiasm. It certainly made me feel very proud to be Headteacher of the school. I would also like to thank all the parents for their support in making sure all students are adhering to the uniform expectations this term. Students arriving for school in correct uniform and properly equipped for lessons sets the tone for a successful day of learning ahead. The main theme of this edition of the newsletter is to reflect back on the hugely successful Activities Week that took place at the end of last term. I think it reflects our commitment at the school to ‘Widening Horizons’. This term has already seen the Year 11 History trip to First and Second World War sites in France and Belgium and the French exchange trip to Bordeaux. Many of you will be aware that the Government has asked schools to develop new assessment systems to replace the use of National Curriculum Levels at Key Stage 3. This is an exciting opportunity to develop a
more coherent and straightforward assessment system across Years 7 to 11. It has been a frustration to many that students have been assessed in Key Stage 3 using levels and then switch to GCSE grades in Years 10 and 11. Schools have been given the freedom to create their own systems and it is our intention to introduce a new assessment structure in September 2015. Like most schools, we are planning to adopt a system that uses GCSE grades from Year 7 through to Year 11, to give students and parents a more clear link to the attainment of final, external examinations. An added complication is that GCSE grades are just about to change from A* to G, to 9 to 1, beginning next September with English and Maths GCSEs and in September 2016 for all other GCSEs. Obviously, our marking and reporting will need to change to replace any new assessment system we put in place. To enable us to get
the views of parents on this important change, we will be launching an online questionnaire (on Survey Monkey), which we will communicate by email. The questionnaire will cover our current reporting system and ways to improve it. We are also going to hold a Parents’ Forum on this subject at 7pm on November 20th. If you would like to attend, please indicate this at the end of the questionnaire, or contact Jeanette Atkins on 01883 621903 or via email j.atkins@warlinghamschool. co.uk Finally, I would like to draw your attention to a letter from the DfE at the back of this newsletter which sets out the changes to Special Educational Needs provision that have been introduced at the start of this academic year and one from the NHS about protecting your child against Measles and Mumps. Mr N Bradwell Headteacher Page 3
Excellence in Exams GCSE Results well above national figures. There were also great achievements across a huge range of subjects we deliver, which is testament to the high quality teaching and learning at the school. I am extremely proud of this particular group of students as they have had to contend with a number of changes to the examination system and still produced such fantastic results. Congratulations to all of them.� Warlingham School is once again celebrating an excellent set of exam results at GCSE. With a few results still to be checked, 66% of students have achieved five or more A*-C grades including English and Maths. Mr Bradwell, Headteacher, was delighted that the hard work of students and teachers has been rewarded with such outstanding results. Speaking on results day, he said, “It has been great to see so many excited students and proud parents this morning. I am particularly pleased that we have seen a huge increase in the number of A*/A grades this year which mirrors a similar success last week at A Level. Our English, Maths and Science results continue to be Page 4
This year’s top performing students were Lewis Sullivan who gained 11 A* grades and Charlie Knight who achieved 8 A* grades and 3 A grades, whilst Francesca Alston, Ellie Bean and Catherine Easto all collected 7 A* grades and 4 A grades. A further eight students achieved 10 A* and/or A grades each.
66% of students achieved 5+ A* - C, including English and Mathematics.
Achievement: GCSE 5A* - C (including English & Maths)
80
% Achieving
70 60 50
Warlingham
40
England
30 20
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014* Page 5
Excellence in Exams A Level Results We are delighted to announce another excellent set of A Level results this year and would like to congratulate students on their outstanding performance. The A*-E pass rate achieved was an impressive 99% and the A* – C grade % was over 70%. Especially pleasing was the large number of A* grades achieved this year by our Russell Group cohort of students, including three students who have all successfully achieved the grades required to take up their places at Cambridge University (pictured bottom right). There are a number of excellent individual successes including the following students all of whom achieved A* or A grades in their A levels: Josh Du Plooy A*A*A*A* Hollie French A*A*A* Dariya Nikitin A*A*A*A Ella Ovenden A*A* A Headteacher, Nick Bradwell, said: “I am absolutely delighted with the outstanding results, and particularly pleased that our number of A* grades has increased and our percentage of A*-B grades has held up when the top grades nationally have fallen this year. Page 6
He paid tribute to all the students for the hard work and commitment shown by a very dedicated year group. Assistant Headteacher and Head of Sixth Form, Rob Scott, was also delighted: “I would like to congratulate the students. I am particularly impressed with the significant progress students have made from AS to A2, and also by their wider commitment both to the school and to the local community as part of their Warlingham Graduation qualification. In addition to working incredibly hard to achieve these fantastic results many of our students still find the time to help and support many worthwhile causes within the local area; a significant aspect of the 6th form that has been commended by Ofsted.” Due to their excellent results many Warlingham students are now looking forward to studying at a number of the top Russell Group Universities. Students celebrated their success with their family and staff at a Graduation Ceremony which was held at the Hilton Hotel, Croydon on September 9th.
99% pass rate with over 70% achieving A* - C
University Successes Josh Du Plooy: Natural Sciences at King’s College, Cambridge Hollie French: Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge Dariya Nikitin: Natural Sciences at Homerton College, Cambridge Ella Ovenden: Law at King’s College, London Annika Davda: Biomedical Science at St Georges Nick Kyriacou: Chemistry at York Amelia Duncan-King: English at Roehampton
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Geography Outstanding Student Award Are you interested in a FREE trip to Iceland? Yes! The trip is FREE! Here is your chance to win FIVE places for a five-day trip to the Land of Ice and Fire. Once again, the company Discover the World (who organise amazing school trips all over the world) have teamed up with the Geographical Association (GA) to offer a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to Warlingham School students. This exciting annual award is open to Year 9-11 students only and is a national competition. Students who enter are in with a chance of winning FIVE places on an incredible four-night trip to Iceland. The winner will also receive a GA certificate, which will be presented at the association’s annual conference in April 2015.
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Last year we had strong interest from students who wanted to enter. This year we want to increase participation and get as many of you as possible entering. If you are interested in finding out what the essay questions are, viewing last year’s winning essay or getting more information about the competition, visit B-Block Corridor where there is a wall display with all relevant information OR see Mr. Fraser who can talk you through it all. Alternatively, you can visit the website at www.outstandinggeography-student.com The deadline date for entry is 19th December 2014. Get writing!
How to Enter
In order to enter you will be required to submit an essay (approx. 8001000 words) answering one of a series of questions. Essay questions relate to study aid classroom resources (available from Mr. Fraser): • Iceland • Norway • Azores
The Prize
The top prize for this competition allows the winner to get off the beaten track and discover some of Iceland’s top hidden locations, in addition to discovering key geographical sites.
In addition to the essay, in no more than 200 words, you will need to submit a personal statement, explaining why you should win the award, how you will benefit from the experience and how you will use geography in later life.
Trips will be located in the South and West of Iceland and will feature waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, hot springs, volcanic landforms and much more.
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 7s: Maths Challenges The week of Monday the 7th of July 2014, Year 7s (now Year 8s) took part in lots of activities. During this funfilled week we participated in various games run by different departments, including a Maths day. Many students probably recoiled when a Maths day was mentioned but on the contrary it was the best day of the entire week! Included in the numerous tasks were: • Tangrams - where you rotate different shapes to create many different pictures. • Creating word searches - filling out a table for your partner to complete (hiding words to do with shapes). • Computer building blocks - on the computers we got the lucky chance to have a go at building different 3D and 2D buildings on a special piece of software! Lastly, my favourite task was the treasure hunt! This was amazing, everyone got to work in teams together to work out the different answers to the tricky and braintwisting questions and once we found out the answers each team got a clue
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A Tangram given for where the next question was hidden! My teacher, and I quote, said I was very “Keen”, excuse the pun, to get on with the activity! The week was a success and anyone that I spoke to about the Maths day told me nothing but great things! I have always loved Maths and I always will!
Lucy Keane (8A )
Activities Week: Monday
Year 7s: Talk by WW2 Evacuee On the Friday of Activities’ Week, Year 7 students had a talk by Mrs Cochrane, who was an evacuee in WWII and is Mrs Fuller’s mum. Mrs Cochrane was evacuated twice, once at the beginning of the war to the Suffolk Coast and the other time just before the Blitz, to South Wales. The first time she stayed in the home of the Lady of the Manor, along with two other girls. After nine months she was sent back to London due to fears of the coastline being invaded, but in a few weeks, she was evacuated again, this time to South Wales. The second family were not nearly as well off but they were kind. Due to Mrs Cochrane being ill, after six months, her mum took her back to London where she stayed for the rest of the war. I have learnt a lot more than I knew about life as an evacuee in the Second World War and I hope to have a chance to have another experience like this again in the future as it was great.
Karoline Lincoln (8H)
At the start of the day I never thought I would be so moved and involved with living history, finding out about what it was like living in fear of war and living in the reality. What if you were a child of just six years old and you were forced against your will to leave your family and friends and change your whole life? Well that’s what Mrs Cochrane went through. At the age of six she had to lose everything but she was one of the lucky ones, so many others lost their lives in the Second World War.
Molly Hartnett (8H)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 7s: Summer Camp About Summer Camp Year 7 Summer Camp is based in the beautiful Langdale Valley, Cumbria. The campsite is owned and run by the National Trust and provides students with a truly outdoors experience. The activities are run by Keswick Adventure and include Ghyll Scrambling, Abseiling, Canoeing and a ‘Mountain Walk’. However, the trip is about much more than just the activities; the desired outcome is that all students fully involve themselves in ‘camp life’. This means that they share in responsibilities, including helping erect and dismantle their own tents, preparing food and cleaning up. On the first day we travelled seven hours to get there, entertaining ourselves along the way. After a long and tiring journey we finally arrived but, because the coach wasn’t able to drive into the campsite, we walked a short distance. When we arrived we had to set up our tents. It was a worthwhile and great
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experience even though it was difficult and tiring. We unpacked our clothes and sleeping equipment and then had a nice dinner whilst chatting to our friends. When it started to get dark we got ready for bed attempting not to get eaten by midges! You would expect that we would have stayed up but because we had a tiring journey we all went to bed. In fact most of the nights were like that! In the morning each group would have arranged breakfasts then make their sandwiches for the challenging day ahead.
Anna Wainwright (7R)
Activities Week: Monday
When we first got to the campsite, we had to set up our tents by pushing in the pegs to keep them in place. Soon after, we all went inside our tents with all of our sleeping bags and all of our other belongings. We couldn’t be too messy as we were sharing tents with seven other people! Afterward, we had dinner. We were called up tent by tent, but because we were Tent 18 we were the last that night! Luckily it was rotated so we weren’t the last to dinner every night! After dinner we had to wash up our own cutlery. Soon after we showered, if we wanted one, brushed our teeth, dressed in our pyjamas and went to bed. At night we were allowed to talk for a while then, when it got later, we had to whisper. It was cold at night so we had to wrap up extra warm! In the morning, we had to get up and have breakfast at 7. Breakfast also rotated so sometimes our breakfast was at 7.30. It was hard waking up for breakfast when we didn’t have an alarm so our group leaders always came round to wake us up on time. After breakfast, we made our lunch: a
sandwich, crisps and fruit. Soon after, we had to be ready for the activities. The campsite had very pretty scenery with the mountains in the background and wildlife everywhere you looked. My friends and I found a little stream behind the tents and every night, before we went to bed, we would go and dip our feet in. There was a Trim Trail in our campsite and everyone was on it. Also there was a swing that no-one could keep their hands off. It was peaceful there and very calming because of the fact that no-one had any phones. There were also little rabbits running around.
Sascha Webber (7L)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 7s: Summer Camp Whilst at camp we had many experiences both good and bad. When we slept in our tents it was often very, very cold. After we managed to warm up we started to hear spooky strange noises. But, at last, we managed to drift off to sleep. In the morning we HAD to get up around half 6 to be ready for 7. After our tasty breakfast we had to wash and dry up our bowls which I found really dull. Nearly all activities were really fun (avoiding the walk!) but the worst thing was that it made us really tired. After getting back from activities we went back to camp and we always had time to play whilst the food was being made. The dinners were lovely but some were a bit plain. Before we had to go to bed we needed to clean our teeth. The showers were very basic but good to use. The surroundings were full of bunnies. I enjoyed the trip and I enjoyed the coach trip (full of sleeping).
Daisy Calthorpe (8R) Page 14
The camping trip was so much fun. We did lots of activities but my favourite activity was the Ghyll Scrambling. I had so much fun on that activity but I got soaked through! Other activities we did were abseiling, raft building, canoeing and the hike. For Ghyll Scrambling we had to wear wetsuits so we wouldn’t get cold and helmets to protect our heads. The water was freezing! It went into my shoe. We were splashed by the instructors and we fell into the water. First of all we had to walk up the hill to get to the top of the river and then we got in the water that was ankle high. We had to slide down some rocky rivers and had to jump into deep water.
Naomi Bexley (8W)
Activities Week: Monday
There were lots of enjoyable activities during Year 7 Summer Camp. These included: abseiling, hiking, canoeing and raft building.
My favourite activity was Ghyll Scrambling. This is mainly because of the exhilarating experience I had. It was such a boiling afternoon that I could not wait to get started and drench myself with water. We had to hike, roughly about 15 minutes, until we reached our desired destination. Although we were all exhausted and overheated it was definitely worth it. Before we started we were allowed to have a drink of fresh water followed, shortly after, by us sliding rapidly down some ragged rocks. We went down thousands of obstacles before ending the challenge with a humongous death drop. What a fun day that was! A day I will never forget…..
My favourite group activity was Ghyll Scrambling where we had to walk, slide, jump and dive down rocky streams to make our way down to the bottom of the mountain. To do this we were put into groups by our instructors, and we were given our wetsuits and helmets. We then had a short “10 minute” walk (it was more like 30!) until we reached the mountain where the stream started.
Katie Rogers (8A)
My favourite activity that we did in the Lake District was Ghyll Scrambling where we climbed down rocky rivers wearing wetsuits. The instructors (Hazel and Matt) taught us about sliding rocks safely. I found this really fun as we also got to dive into the water, which was refreshing. Raft building was also exciting because we got to do some team work.
Lola Baird (8A)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 7s: Summer Camp
My favourite activities at camp were canoeing and raft building, which were both on the same day.
I really enjoyed the canoeing because I have never done anything like it before in my entire life.
First, we started the raft building. We had four big barrels, lots of rope and six long wooden poles. The groups had different strategies on how to make it float but we both ended up with rafts which looked alike. Sadly, our raft sank and we got soaked when we fell in!
We had to work hard and everyone worked hard (except Cameron).
After that we had lunch and then prepared to go canoeing. We rode a long way to get to the island where we played lots of games. We finally rowed around another island to arrive back at the start where we were able to play around the lake.
Katie Stanford (8L) Page 16
We should have won the race in our canoes but the other team cheated. There were six people in a canoe and it was hard to paddle in sync.
Josh Pine (8W )
On one of the days, the first activity was canoeing. We psyched ourselves up for the dangerous voyage of two miles to the island and back; it was to be Mission Impossible 8!!!!!!!!! First, we had to put on a buoyant vest in case we fell in. We then had to pick paddles that were appropriate to our height. In groups of six, we got
Activities Week: Monday
into two canoes bound together with a plank and a thick rope. Before we set off we had to lift our canoes into the murky depths of the water so it would float. When we got going, the paddling was difficult but as we got further out it became easier and we got a pace going. Then the instructor told us to stop to do challenges. The first challenge was to do a 360 degree turn, then we dropped our paddles into the water and had to catch them.
Olli Kelha (8R)
One of the activities which many of us dreaded painfully was abseiling. For those who aren’t familiar with the activity, abseiling is an activity where one is clipped to a harness and guided, usually down a wooden wall. However in our case it was a steep, rocky, cliff face. The journey was approximately an hour, and as we got closer to our destination, the adrenaline pounded faster through our bodies. We soon reached the forest, and despite being nervous we were also ecstatic.
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 7s: Summer Camp After a few small shuffles, we realised we were dangling on the edge of fright. It was a struggle to get our feet gripped onto the rock; however we managed and slowly descended to the ground. After our feet touched the dry mud, below us, we were so proud of our achievement- however we will have second thoughts next time!
Joanna Mubenga , Emily Sadler & Hollie Sackett (8W)
Every one of us took a quick glance at the cliff face, shocked at how tall it towered over the forest. As we looked down at the 20ft drop, a funny ray of emotions filled with air we breathed, mutters of ‘I’m going last’ and ‘you go before me’ had also echoed around us. As the instructors asked who wanted to go first only some fearless people offered…and we were off! Walking over to the adventurous guides our stomachs churned in worry, and despite being coated in numerous amounts of protective gear, we still feared for our lives. Page 18
The camping trip was an amazing trip and we had so much fun! My favourite activity was the hike because I felt like I had made a
Activities Week: Monday
massive achievement – once I had done it! It was long, and hard and UPHILL all the way! But, at the end, we had completed about 8 or 9 miles! The views were beautiful because we were walking up mountains. Some of the time people were a bit nervous because we were so high up, but they soon got over their fears, took in and appreciated the nature around them. I have to say, when we started walking downhill, and we were heading to the campsite, it was a relief because I didn’t think my legs could carry on anymore! It was a great day!
Harriet Preston (8L)
Although the tents weren’t very warm our sleeping bags and clothes made up for the cold. Also, as the tents were not soundproof we could hear all sorts of funny sounds like owls, wind rustling through the trees and people shuffling to get comfortable. The food was nice and the shop sold camping essentials if something was forgotten.
Ethan Gomm (8A)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 7s: Docklands Trip When the Year 7s went on the Docklands trip, they visited two very different museums. The first one was about how the docklands were bombed in World War Two. The Year 7s that went on this trip found the museum fascinating and some even said it was like they were actually there, being bombed. The reason for this was that they got to explore the Anderson and two-man shelters themselves. The students particularly enjoyed this activity as it let them use their imagination.
students were in for a surprise when they followed the teacher into a movie theatre. In the theatre, the students sat down and watched the future on film. The movie was about what the population will be like in a few years’ time. Some of the students were quite scared at how the future is going to end up. The movie wasn’t just about the future as it also described how people are living now and what the
The second museum they visited couldn’t have been more different, as it was about the modern future. The
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Activities Week: Monday
concerns are if we carry on living this way. It taught us about some of the catastrophic worries of the future. As well as a film, there were many interactive activities for them to take part in. For example, we had to generate power by using our bodies and pressing buttons to make the leaks stop in the water fall. There were also fascinating things to watch, for example there was a video on a screen which showed a young girl growing up and when she got older how the world had changed. By the end of the video she was an old lady explaining how her children and grand-
children are living in a world that was very different from her life when she was their age. As you can see, both of these museums are very different, while one focuses on the past, the other focuses on the future. As well as visiting the museums the students also saw some boats and got to walk over the river Thames on the famous bridge used in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1’. Overall, all of the Year 7s had an enjoyable day out where most of them learnt something new and all arrived back at school in one piece!
Amie Carter (8L), Harriet Roberts (8L) & Morgan Radmall (8W)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 7s: Trip to Thorpe Park
On Tuesday 8th of July, Warlingham school Year 7s went to the tremendous Thorpe Park! Most of Year 7 was on a camping trip but those who did not go went to Thorpe Park.
were nervous. Finally, we arrived! The teachers took a register and everyone RAN FOR IT! We were screaming and shouting because we were all so excited. Waiting in line for the rides took a long time but… it was worth it.
First, we all took a LONG coach trip that lasted about an hour and a half. Everyone sat with their friends and everyone had fun. But, unfortunately some people coming had not been to Thorpe Park before so a small number
There was one ride called Tidal Wave. This ride goes very high, shoots down and SPLASHES into a huge pool of water! Another unbelievable ride was called… Stealth. This ride lasts for only about 14 seconds but it goes up,
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Activities Week: Monday
up, up and up and… DOWN! There are only a few ups and downs but it is AMAZING! Our favourite ride of all was Colossus. Everyone wanted to go on it and we all waited in line for so long, and as soon as we got there… the ride was broken! But all of the other rides were great. Overall, Thorpe Park day was amazing and we would all love to go again!
Phoebe Leighton (8W), Jaheim Kubeyinje (8W) & Charles Trzcinski (8R)
During Activities Week we went on a trip to Thorpe Park which was brilliant. At the start of the day we all went to form as usual, after that we all trotted outside, smiles on everybody’s faces. I was a very ecstatic person because it was my first ever time going to Thorpe Park and only my second time going to a theme park. After spending a good few hours on the coach we arrived and
received our cards for Thorpe Park. Then we moved on to the entrance where we scanned our cards to get in. When we were with our groups we all set off. The first ride, my group went too was the swarm, it was huge! To be honest I was really scared. Next we went on a water slide and that was tons of fun. After we had some ice cream and went to the gift shop we went to go and have some lunch. We also went on Vortex twice; we then left and got back on the coach to go home.
Deanna Fisher (8R)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature
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Activities Week: Monday
Year 8s: Trip to Puy du Fou
On the 7th of July 2014 we arrived at Warlingham School at 7:00 to depart at 7:15. However the coach didn’t arrive until 8:30 so we left at around 8:45. The ferry left at 10:30 from Dover, and we arrived at 12:30 in Calais. After this, we had an eight-hour coach journey.
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 8s: Trip to Puy du Fou We frequently had toilet stops, around every 4 hours. We arrived at Château de la Flocelliere a lot later than we were meant to, so instead of eating at the scheduled time we ate around two hours late!
Tuesday
We went to the Château de Tiffauges, which is an old French castle. At this castle we watched one main show and afterwards we were allowed to roam around the castle grounds and look around the old ruins of what used to be the castle. Out of the whole morning most of the girls’ favourite part of the show was a French boy named Yavin! Lunch: French bread with tuna, egg and salad with cheese, ready salted crisps and a peach. On Tuesday afternoon we went to the hypermarket. Here we were given tasks to do then after we got to buy whatever we wanted for ourselves.
Wednesday
In the morning we went to the aquarium. Here there were some really strange animals but it was a small
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aquarium so we walked around slowly. Lunch: French bread with cheese and ham and the same as above with slight variations of dessert. After lunch we went to the swimming pool. This was one of the best ones in my opinion; there was an outdoor and an indoor swimming pool with flumes and rips.
Thursday
We spent the whole day at Puy du Fou; we went round with the school and watched five big shows. They were very interesting with lots of horses and wild animals and each showed a different part of history at Puy du Fou.
Activities Week: Monday
ice cream. And who doesn’t love ice cream? After this we went to the Cine Sine this started at 10:30 and finished at 12:30 but unfortunately we didn’t watch the whole thing as it was pouring down with rain and we were seated in an open-air seating area. What we saw of it was incredible and I would have loved to have seen the rest.
Saturday Dinner: it was Lucy’s birthday therefore we got chicken and mash, with birthday cake and éclairs for dessert.
Friday
We spent the whole day at Puy du Fou but this time we only had to watch one of the shows that we missed and for the rest of the day we went round by ourselves. For lunch we had a sandwich which was a unique and acquired taste: salad and mayonnaise. That night, we went to the restaurant. We had a slice of chicken, chips, baby food (apple puree), apple juice and
We went back on the eight-hour coach ride but we all were either asleep (if you were lucky) or sitting quietly. We got on the ferry at 9:00 and got off the ferry at around 9:40. On the ferry we all got a breakfast of our choice and whatever drink we wanted. The trip overall was an amazing experience and I would highly recommend it to the current Year 8s. We would like to thank all of the staff who went on the trip with us: Miss Bouilloux, Mr Oscoz, Mr Derby, Mrs Chapman and Mrs Stock.
Charlie Wicking (9A) & Daisy Millington (9W)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature
Year 8s: Forensic Science Day During Forensic Day for Science, Year 8 students had to solve a crime scene that involved Mr Gibbons – one of the science teachers. Mr Gibbons was taken hostage and beaten up by a mystery man. We were given snippets of information about three possible suspects: Mr Cole, Martin Marmoset and Gilroy Gibbons. Each suspect had their
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own motive: Mr Cole harboured jealousy towards Mr Gibbons and he wanted to achieve the best out of everyone. Martin Marmoset was the elder brother of Mr Gibbons’ girlfriend, and he was angry that Mr Gibbons hadn’t proposed to her after 13 years (which is pretty mean). Gilroy Gibbons was Mr Gibbons’ brother, who’d moved out after they had an argument.
Activities Week: Monday
With the stories and motives given, we had to investigate the crime to find out who was guilty and who was innocent.
chairs. Once they lifted the prints we all came to the conclusion that they were Martin’s fingerprints.
Firstly, we were made to wear blue aprons so we could do a fingerprint test. We tested by applying our own fingerprint to a piece of glass and then we added a very thin layer of silver powder which would make the finger prints show up. Next we got some sticky tape and we transferred the fingerprint from glass to tape. We placed the sticky tape onto black paper so they would show up, and the best people were selected to test the fingerprints on the crime scene
The next piece of evidence was the coloured pen on the ransom video envelope. We tested the colours using chromatography with each of the coloured pens on the suspects and once again Martin was top on the list of suspects. Sadly for Martin all our evidence pointed towards him including the blood stains which matched and the mud on his shoes. This guilty man was found thanks to the Year 8 Crime detectives!
Lucy Redman (9M)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 8s: Forensic Science Day
During Activities Week we had a day of Forensic Science. This day was probably my favourite because it showed a completely different side to Science. We had to do many different experiments to try and find the culprit of who had done the crime.
was at the scene of the crime; this was followed by many different activities such as finger printing, hair samples, blood samples and much more.
We started off the day by watching a clip of all the evidence we needed in order to find the person.
My favourite experiment was probably the pen sample where we had to use different pen to find the one used. We had to tap the pen onto a piece of paper and then dip it into water until it smudged into the colours used.
The first experiment was a soil sample where we had to find the soil which
This day included using the crime scene and drawing the main points of
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Activities Week: Monday
what had maybe happened. We had to wear not very fashionable scientific clothes over our school uniform. The room was trashed and had a few key evidences here and there such as blood. We needed this to identify the blood at the crime scene and the
victim’s blood. Another experiment we had to do was finger printing; this one was probably my least favourite as the powder got stuck to everything including uniform.
Lauren Carter (9M)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 8s: Creative Arts’ Days The two Creative Arts’ Days were organised by the Art, Drama, and Music departments.
drawings on the bottom which acted as outlines for where the paint was going to go.
I particularly enjoyed the two art lessons where we designed the bottom of a skate board and then painted them with luminous paints. The style of art was based on street art, which is the art involved in the making of graffiti or street-like art. It was a very enjoyable experience and everyone was taking pictures of their work.
In the second lesson we painted our skateboards with luminous paints. These are brightly-coloured paints which stand out and are usually greens, reds, pinks and blues. After we finished and the paints were dried we were allowed to take them home after the teachers had photographed our work. In the first lesson we had a little background information on street art and were briefed on the task. We also started our skateboards with pencil
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Overall it was a very fun experience and we all enjoyed it.
David Stevens (9N)
Activities Week: Monday
Year 8s: Harry Potter trip
When we had Activities Week we did a lot of new things. One of these was the Harry Potter studio tour. It was amazing, all of the props, costumes and sets were there, from the triple decker bus to the wands, and everything was there. It was all great but they definitely saved the best till last, a model of Hogwarts
School and grounds that was bigger than everyone. It was great; I brought a few things from the gift shop and then went back to school. I didn’t think that I would have enjoyed it because I don’t like Harry Potter but I was wrong; I had an amazing day.
Helen Staveley (9N)
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 9s: Team Challenge
While nearly 90 of the Year 9s were away on PGL, the remaining students were involved for the first few days of Activities Week in ‘Team Challenge’. Team Challenge is a three-day event designed to develop teamwork and leadership skills.
During ‘Calendar Wars’, the students work in teams of five to produce, market and work out the break-even point for a calendar to be sold to raise money for one of three charities: the NSPCC, Oxfam and the WWF.
On the first day the students experience ‘Calendar Wars’, which is based on a task from BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’ or ‘Takeover’, which is loosely based on the board games of Risk and Diplomacy. On the second day they swap so that they get to experience both activities.
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Activities Week: Monday
For ‘Takeover’, they are in teams of 8-10 and have to create a strategy for the success of their nation state, negotiate treaties with other teams, be subject to action by the United Nations and design a national flag, national costume etc. for their nation.
On the third day, the teams got even bigger for ‘Enigma’! They were in teams of 18-20 on the field. Each
team had to undergo a series of mental and physical challenges that relied for their success on good teamworking skills.
The students really enjoy the different style of learning and the variety of different activities they get to experience over the three days.
Melanie Filmer B & E / Marketing Manager
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 9s: PGL 90 Year 9 students went away to PGL Boreatton Park, which is located in Shropshire. Over the course of the week, they participated in a variety of different activities, including watersports, climbing, quadbiking and zipwire.
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Activities Week: Monday
Year 10s: Work Experience Work Exerience in the Canteen
Eight days to find out about the world of work... The majority of students managed to find themselves work experience this year and from 7th – 16th July Year 10 found themselves at work!! The employers were very pleased and many sung praises for the student they had taken under their wing. There have been several offers for Saturday jobs and a few offers to take students back when they have finished their education. Employers also commented that, once past the initial shyness of being in unfamiliar
surroundings, students settled in and worked competently as part of the team. That they were “a credit to themselves and to Warlingham School” was also a phrase that appeared on the Employer Feedback Form. Well done, Year 10! As usual the placements were in a wide variety of job areas. Travelling and getting up at the crack of dawn didn’t seem to be a deterrent either. London was a destination for quite a lot of students, giving them the chance to witness how some of the larger multinational employers operate. Some students didn’t have to travel so far, doing their placements very close to home, even in the school’s canteen. Many thanks to all the staff who went out to visit the students at their placements and also to Mrs Pay for delivering the Vision to Learn Leisure & Tourism course to those students who remained in school.
Mrs Stawman WEX Coordinator
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 12s: Work-shadowing and UCAS from Apprentice-winner Yasmina Siadatan. Yasmina talked about setting up our own businesses and about her life on the Apprentice and working under one of the biggest businessmen in the UK, Lord Alan Sugar. During Activities’ Week, the Sixth Form students were involved in a workshadowing programme for two days, during which they worked with people in a profession that they would like to go into. Some who had not been able to find external workshadowing placements did an internal placement. This involved them helping at the school with the lower years’ activities, like “Takeover”. When we returned to school we attended three days of seminars which were to do with either our application to a university course or an apprenticeship course. These seminars included talks from past Warlingham students who are now at university, a student that studies abroad in the Netherlands and a talk
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We were also able to start working on the first draft of our personal statements with the help of our tutors and a checklist of what to put into our personal statement and what not to as well as a talk from an admissions officer at the University of Sussex who explained to us the way that universities look at prospective students’ personal statements. After the seminar, with the former Warlingham students, we were able to talk to the students who gave us advice about applying to university and what student life is like at university. This gave us a different perspective on student life compared to those that we have heard about on the open days for universities. The students also gave us advice for our last year at school and how best to apply our time.
Activities Week: Monday
Apprentice-winner Yasmina Siadatan talks to Year 12 students in the Sixth Form Common Room During this week as well we were able to have one-to-one discussions with teachers about the courses that we would like to take and if we did not know what we wanted to do then the Sixth Form staff gave us advice to help us choose options that suited the A Level courses that we were doing or
what we liked to do outside of school. At the end of the week we were treated to a BBQ cooked by the Sixth Form staff as a reward for the hard work that we had all done over the previous three days.
Dan Pogson (13L )
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Activities’ Week 2014 Special Feature Year 12s: DofE Gold Expedition
For a total of eight nights across two sessions in what seemed to be a completely alien world to several Year 12 students - Megan Bailey, Amy Billups, Lucas Johncey, Jonathan Hill, Charlotte Bleakley, Beth Adam, Elizabeth Brooks, Sam Berke, Will Morris and John Hamer - we hiked over many mountains and hills in order to complete the arduous task of travelling 60 miles in four days. After the four-hour minibus journey, we arrived at the only campsite that we would see twice and met our Gold
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Assessors, a lovely couple who seem to have been born in the mountains. Eating our bulkiest meal on the first night to make our task that little bit easier we felt fully prepared for what lay ahead and decided to get a good night’s sleep to build up our strength. For our first day of walking we would be going through a valley between two inclines, over a stream and then begin the initial uphill climb. The sense of achievement at reaching the first summit was unbelievable and so encouraging for us and the rest of our expedition, clearly time for a photo opportunity. The descent was a breeze, and a great chance to truly appreciate the stunning views that our country has to offer and the struggle all seemed worth it. On a tiny patch of grass we pitched our tents for the second time, but this time we were without the other group for entertainment, not that much was required because as soon as we had cleared up the several packets of Uncle Ben’s we all headed straight to bed.
Activities Week: Monday
Throughout the following three days walking, we met up with our Mountain Leader on several occasions for him to check up on how we were doing. It was always a relief to know that we were still heading in the right direction. Over the course of the expeditions we encountered several points of interest, such as the lakes which spanned over a kilometre in length, the pitch black tunnels and of course stepping stones across the rivers, all of this added to our excitement. My group remained positive the entire time, even breaking into some Disney classics on the more challenging climbs to boost our motivation. Helped by the fact that we
had virtually uninterrupted sunshine, the entire expedition was an incredibly memorable experience which none of us are going to forget for a very long time and I couldn’t imagine doing it with a better team. We would like to thank Mr Jackson and Mr Burdett for driving us to the Lake District and back (twice!) and for their organisation skills for the whole event and thanks also to Mrs Hubbard and Miss Campbell who gave up their comfy beds to accompany us. Without all of this support, our achievement would not have been possible.
Mary Tobin (13L )
4th - Friday 8th July 2014
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Year 11 GCSE History Trip to Ypres On Thursday 25th September, Year 11 History classes met at school at the unbearable time at 5:30 to go on a residential trip to Belgium and France. We arrived in France at 10:00am after travelling on the shuttle and stopping off at Maidstone to collect the guides (and so Mr Weston could have his breakfast). Our first visit was the Lijssenthoek British Military Cemetery. It was very sad and overwhelming to see just how many lost their lives to fight for our country.
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After that, we went to the Bayesnwald German trench system That was very interesting to see how they built them and why they did. People really enjoyed the trenches especially Immy Ardley who was running round pretending to shoot people. We then went to Essex Farm Dressing Station where we saw some more graves of soldiers. There are over 100 British cemeteries in Belgium alone! Also we learnt about a boy called Valentine Strudwick who entered the war at only 14 years of age and died just a year later.
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Year 11 GCSE History Trip to Ypres The next stop was Vancouver Corner Canadian Memorial where the German Army launched their first use of poison gas in 1915. Then it was Langemarck German Military Cemetery which had a totally different, more sombre atmosphere to the British ones. Last but not least was Tyne Cot British Cemetery, where it was just so overwhelming to see how many died. Most of the 12,000 graves there said “Soldier of the Great War. Known unto God.” This was because their bodies were never recovered from the mud of the Battle of Passchendaele. The names were on the wall at the top of the cemetery or the Menin Gate. There were nearly 100,000 names in total! Then it was Mr Rumsey’s favourite time of the day: dinnertime! We ate at the Ypres Restaurant and had a lovely chicken and chips. We then went chocolate shopping where there was so much to choose from but we only had limited time because we needed to go and see the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate. Although we couldn’t see that well, the atmosphere was incredible - everyone paid their respects. Nathan Stone was chosen to lay a wreath down on behalf of the school and he said it was very emotional. Page 44
We then went back to the hostel to relax and prepare for the next day. The next day we were up at 7:30 after a lovely breakfast and we were off to Cassel. We walked to the top and looked out over Belgium; there wasn’t much to Belgium other than corn crop fields and cemeteries. We could imagine the devastating Blitzkrieg of the German armies in World War Two. Then we went to Pecker Bunker and Cassel Hill where we learnt more about the fall of France 1940. We then arrived in Dunkirk at 1:00 and learnt about the evacuation of the British soldiers and what happened when they were bombed. Afterwards, we went to Bray Dunes, which was a lovely beach in a lovely square however it was very sad to learn about all the casualties that took place there.
We then went to the Dunkirk Museum and saw lots of interesting artefacts and watched a short movie in their cinema room. Last but not least we went to the Dunkirk Cemetery to see the grave of Mr Dicks’ Grandfather and three students Ellie, Leah and Abbie bought flowers to put on his grave. Mr Dicks was very appreciative of this gesture. It was then time to depart from Dunkirk and head home. We all had such a lovely time on the trip and learnt lots. A special thank you to Mr Weston, Mr Dicks and Mr Rumsey for making this trip happen and Mrs Scott, Mrs Curt, Mrs Perry, Mrs Tompson and Mr Toop for coming along and helping.
Charlotte Dawson (11A)
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Sports Feature Cricket Report 2014 The Year 7 Cricket Team haven’t had the best of starts to their Warlingham career losing all but one of their games. However, the enthusiasm has always been there and with many students attending cricket practice after school, there are many keen players who are trying to turn that around. With Jess Kelly at the helm, the team are starting to make progress in their batting and bowling and runs and wickets are being registered at a much swifter pace. Devan Parmer has managed to curb the run outs and posted eight runs in his four games including one not out. Steady play from Matt Howie has seen him rack up twelve runs with Jess and Arslan Ali both contributing fifteen runs but with Arslan achieving that in only two games with some big shots. Sammy Addison has been the most productive with the bat, hitting eighteen runs, including some great work on the offside. The bowling has been getting much straighter and this has led to more wickets. George Watchorn and Matt have both picked up a double each in their games but Sammy has managed to pick up three wickets with some Page 46
consistent bowling. The stand out bowler though is Jess having collected nine scalps in her four games. A special mention also to Charlie Payne who has been very sharp as wicket keeper taking two edges off the bat and always looks for a stumping. Next year looks promising. The Year 9 Cricket Team have carried on bulldozing schools this year with captain Tricki Wilson bowling with real Jimmy Anderson pace, backed up with the excellent batting of Mark Bartholomuesz. The team are undefeated this year with the stand out win against Beacon with both Tricki and Mark recording a huge partnership before retiring on 51 and 53 respectively. A tight bowling side with Connor D’Addio, Max Santana and Regan Valle always looking threatening for a wicket and well backed up by Matt Alston and Billy Locke, there is always a threat the game will be over quickly! The bond in the side is also strong with two students, Ross George and Max, both returning after trips to the doctors to make it back for games rather than letting their team mates down!! Another great year, chaps!
The Year 10 Cricket Team have been unfortunate with their fixtures this year after their first game was rained off and they clinched a nail biting victory over Trinity by one run after a great batting display by Oli Baker (45) and Glen Malyon (26). The boys, and girl, were excellent in the field too keeping runs to a minimum for Trinity including a great and accurate throw by Tom Clayton to gain a run out. Some good catches in the field too by bucket hands Nat Gollin and another scalp for Tom helped peg Trinity back. Three wickets from Shayan Patel also marched Warlingham forward for their victory. Chris D’Souza bowled straight also gaining a wicket. Camellia Kelly bowled with her usual efficiency restricting the runs for Trinity also in a
really good team effort. The team play against Reigate next and finish the year with a mouth watering friendly against the Year 9 team!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed taking this team for cricket games over the four years and I will miss their sportsmanship, decorum and general attitude to the game. They are a great bunch of chaps and lass!
Mr Ashdown Head of PE
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Book Review Competition Winning Book Review The Hunger Games is a must-read book! I think many other people would agree with me. The reason that this book is officially the best, is because of its amazing quantities of emotions. I can tell instantly what each character’s personality is like! What also makes the Hunger Games such a good book is that the relationships between the characters are so unbelievable. As well as this, the action is one of the main features. The action really sets the stage and puts you into the character’s shoes (not literally)! The Hunger Games is a wonderful book with so much detail that you would be crazy not to read it. The book is about a girl called Katniss who volunteers as ‘tribute’ after her sister Primrose is picked, which shocks everybody! Soon after Page 48
arriving at the city to practise, Katniss earns a name as the girl who was on fire! Why? Because at the opening ceremony she was set alight (fake flames)! In conclusion, I end my review by saying you have to buy the Hunger Games and see how good it is! Mockingjay Pin (It’s lucky)!
Holly Dunnett (8G)
Holly wins a £5 Amazon Voucher for her book review.
Last Term’s Winner
Shleena Coulson (8N)
for her review of ‘Girl, Missing’ by Sophie McKenzie
The Reading List The aim of the Reading List is to encourage students to read, therefore the list includes different genres and styles; there is something for everyone.
Book Review Competition Having read one of the books on the reading list, students should write a short book review. Each half term, the writer of the best review receives a £5 voucher and house points, as well as being published in the next newsletter. All book reviews will be displayed on the reading list noticeboard.
The book titles come from a range of sources, many having been suggested by the English department, others come from the Independent newspaper’s list: ‘50 books every child should read’. We recommend students purchase kindle editions wherever possible. The staff in the Learning Resources Centre (LRC) will endeavour to stock these books and there is also a swap box in the LRC office. Once a student has read a book from the list he or she can bring it in (assuming the condition is good) and swap it for another book in the box. Page 49
Important Information for Parents Medical and dietary requirements forms the necessity to re-submit information which has not changed. Staff that are organising a trip will be responsible for asking parents / guardians to check that the information we hold is up-todate. Parents and guardians will then be able to login, view and update the information if applicable. It will remain the responsibility of parents / guardians to check that the information is correct. In the past, whenever a student went on a school trip, a parent / guardian was asked to complete two copies of a paper form, with emergency contact details and medical and dietary requirements. We decided to review the way in which we collect this information so that parents / guardians do not have to complete the same details over and over, each time a student goes on a trip. As a result of the review, we will be launching an online version. This can be accessed by parents / guardians from home and will save Page 50
The lead parent / guardian (whose email address we have on file) will be sent an individual email containing their new username and password. Once they have this they can enter / check the required information. As a security measure, before any information updated by parents is stored on the system, administration staff will cross-check it against any information we already hold and if necessary, raise a query with the parent.
Mr Seward Assistant Head
Letters for Parents
Newsletter Arrangements As announced in the last edition of the newsletter, this edition is being published online only.
Please note that there is an important letter from the NHS about protecting your child against Measles and Mumps. The letter can be downloaded from our website, www.warlinghamschool.co.uk, where you can find it on the letters page, alternatively, please click here.
The Department for Education has written a letter which they have asked us to communicate to parents, The letter concerns new arrangements for supporting children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. The letter can be downloaded from our website, www.warlinghamschool.co.uk, where you will find it on the letters page, alternatively, please click here.
Parents who have signed up to Informe will have received an email notifying them that the newsletter is now available, together with a link. If you are not currently signed up to Informe and would like to be added to the circulation list, you can subscribe via our website (click here) and in the ‘Recipient’ dropdown, select ‘Informe Subscription’ or, you can email: informe@ warlinghamschool.co.uk. You will receive an acknowledgement reply with the date the next Informe e-mail is due to be sent and a ‘catch-up’ email if appropriate. If you have not already requested a paper copy and woud like to receive one, please let Yvonne Street know by email (y.street@ warlinghamschool.co.uk) or by phone 01883 624067 ext. 2015. She will need to know your name, the name of your child and your child’s tutor group. The paper copy of the newsletter will be delivered in the usual way by ‘Student Post’ so please make your child aware that he or she will be expected to deliver it to you at home. Page 51
Widening Horizons Raising 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