Headteacher’s Newsletter
BISHOP VESEY’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL
End of Term Autumn 2010 Message from the Head As 2010 draws to a close, we look back on so many great moments and achievements, from which we derived great pleasure and look forward with great anticipation and impatience to the year ahead, which promises so much. We have comfortably maintained our academic position in the TOP 100 state secondary schools at 72nd, well ahead of many of the 164 grammar schools and are now poised to improve yet further. We have ‘maintained the momentum’ with the best ever GCSE results both in ‘attainment’ at 62.44% A*/A and ‘achievement’ with the ‘CVA’, Contextual Value Added score, now for the first time over that coveted 1000 mark! A quite remarkable year for which we offer sincere thanks to all members of the Vesey Community.
David Iddon Headteacher Big Chill? No Problem!
Staff News
V Factor 2010
We say thanks and farewell this term to Alison Timms, Director of Music, who, since September 2008, has transformed the provision of Music at BVGS through vision, focus, energy and rigour. We are grateful to her for ‘raising the bar’ and taking students to new levels of performance in so many ensembles, groups and bands, which have enthralled our audiences. We wish her well as she moves on from our school. Equally we applaud and thank James Young OV, inspirational teacher of PE/Games, coaching rugby and cricket. He demonstrated how to ‘turn round teams’ of young players and lead them to great achievements, notably last season with the U15 XV, who made it to the last 16 in the Daily Mail Cup. We wish him well in his move to Denstone College.
On 18 Nov V Factor at BVGS drew the crowds, raising, along with the non-uniform day, over £1200 for charity. The judges and audience applauded the massive step change in quality of performance from previous years. Well done to winner Taleisha Hutton L6 (2nd down on left)
Founder’s Day 2010
Headteacher David Iddon, School Captain, Andrew Cotterill, with the special 1940s archived blazer and Chairman of Governors Clive Richards at the buffet lunch in Old Big School before the annual service.
Season’s Greetings to all members of the Vesey Community
Silent Night at Vesey’s Well done to Year 8 who arrived bright and cheerful, being suitably attired to brave the early morning cold and make it to school.
Memories of warmer days
And then…..action stations, down Boswell Road at 7.10am!
On 9 Dec., our U13 cricketers finally got their hands on this impressive B’ham Schools Shield. It dates back to 1904 and has been won only once before by BVGS. This precious shield must now go back to its B’ham vault!
You missed it? Fear not, this best ever event is now to be repeated by our Sixth Form Charity Committee, supported by the PAC, on Friday 11th February 7.30pm in Big School for Parents and Friends of the School. Tickets £15 (to include hot supper) will be on sale in January for this Gala Charity Night. Book the date! Come and enjoy an evening of Vesey musical talent!
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Year 10 GCSE ICT Upcycling Event This year’s GCSE ICT coursework revolves round organising and promoting an event for a local council. The theme of the event is recycling and upcycling. Students in year 10 have taken the topic to heart investigating ways in which items no longer required for the intended purpose can be upcycled. Students have created short films demonstrating how to upcycle items and regenerate items that otherwise would be discarded. As part of their project they have researched upcycling and recycling companies and liaised with local councils to investigate local authority’s policies. Students will create mathematical models to estimate the costings and potential profit and will generate digital products including a website to promote upcycling.
English Department Theatre Visits
Lest we forget……...
20 Sixth Form students accompanied by Kate Steadman and Jan Townsend watched a performance of Churchill’s “Top Girls” on 3 December in Birmingham to experience the A Level text as it was intended. 30 Year 8 students accompanied by Kate Steadman, Suzi Porter and Suzanne McGuire watched an enjoyable performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare 4 Kidz at the Alexander Theatre in Birmingham to consolidate learning about Shakespeare this half-term.
At 11am on 11 Nov, we continued our tradition of holding 3 simultaneous services of remembrance for all members of the school. We join in marking an important moment in the year, when we pay tribute to Old Veseyans who laid down their lives in the service of others. We also remember all whose lives have been affected by war and reflect on present-day conflict across the world.
Christmas Hamper Competition Following an idea by Onyx Peynado U6 (right), Yrs 7-9 were asked to choose a Christmas theme, having been given a box to fill with Christmas goodies. The finished decorated and filled hampers were taken to Jubilee Gardens Care Home. Some stunning transformations can be seen pictured here. Cheryl Taylor receiving presents for disadvantaged children living in Africa and the Middle East as part of the Samaritan’s ‘Operation Christmas Child’ appeal from our students in year 7 who generously filled and wrapped shoeboxes.
History in the making……or re-making? BVGS will compete,
coached by PE/Games teacher Kevin Doughty, in the U13 Soccer Tournament at Shrewsbury School in April. Probably the first competitive matches in football since the beginning of the 20th Century! SOCCER SPONSOR: Would your company like to help with shirt sponsorship? If so, please contact Headteacher, David Iddon on Tel: 0121-250-5403. A great opportunity to be associated with this new venture and assist our students.
BVGS Geology Department: Steve Baugh would like to thank the TomlinsonBrown Trust for sponsorship for the BVGS Geology Department. This will all be spent on new textbooks & resources for all AS/A2 Geology Students.
Books In
Books Out
Students from 7LO were happy to receive Reece Jones 7BL uses the book their free books courtesy of the national bin in the Library to donate books Booked Up reading scheme. for children in Africa.
BVGS Charitable Donations this term: B’ham Buddhist Centre National Memorial Arboretum MIND DEC Parkistan Floods Readathon Children in Need RNLI Action for Children Sense
- £275.00 - £360.00 - £537.00 - £978.00 - £272.50 - £831.40 - £256.00 -£408.14 - £408.13
Natural High is anti-drugs! Year 7 participated in a special annual presentation by David Graham in Old Big School on 15 Dec. He gave a clear message that life can provide so many ‘natural highs’, if you know where to find them or how to create them. These negate the desire to seek out the influence of illegal substances, particularly narcotics. Thank you to Year 8 students George Bailey, Sam Jones and Umar Khan who presented assemblies about the charity Scholarships for Kids. The charity helps children in some of the world’s poorest areas to attend community based schools. They urgently need books for children 8-16 years.
December 2010
Page 3 Castle Vale Young Person of the Year Award
Sixth Form Interview Jamboree 16 Nov Our annual event to help Sixth Formers prepare for interviews at Oxbridge, Medical & Veterinary Schools and the like was one of the best ever, despite the huge increase in numbers. 53 students were interviewed by Friends of the School throughout the afternoon. We wish our students well as they now await the outcome of gruelling entry procedures for top places at top universities. Sincere thanks to all who supported this event to offer valuable interview practice.
Year 7 go to University
Experts on the Economy
Year 7 attended the Science Christmas Lecture at Birmingham University on 8 Dec. Dr David Evans, who works on the Large Hadron Collider in Cern, gave a lecture on the ‘Physics of Hot and Cold’. The lecture was followed by a tour of Birmingham University campus.
On 15 Nov 4 A Level Economics Students Miten Gohel, John Keighley, Arjun Kooner and Arjun Sandher, supported by team reserve Michael Evans gave a presentation on current and predicted economic conditions in the regional heat of the Bank of England / The Times Interest Rate Challenge – target two point zero. The group recommended that interest rates should remain unchanged and that the Bank should not undertake any further quantitative easing. The judges praised the clarity of the slides in their presentation, their understanding of inflationary factors and the real effort all the team made to deliver their presentation relying on brief notes rather than reading verbatim. A most rewarding experience for all, developing their research, presentation, communication and team-working skills
Training School Outreach
Congratulations to Peter Moss U6, who has been named as Castle Vale Young Person of the Year, for his work on Castle Vale, at BVGS and in the Birmingham Area. Peter has worked with children on Castle Vale for three years, has been an active board member of the Community Environmental Trust, Secretary of the Castle Vale Nature Conservation Trust, has developed the Bishop Vesey ‘environment’ and raised money for charity - notably the EDF Birmingham half Marathon with funds going to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Chess Club
On 3 December at St Stephen’s Primary School, Lichfield Steve Baugh supported a superb day of training for 10 Lichfield primary schools on ‘the creative curriculum’, led by a specialist presenter from Chris Quigley Education.
is in action after school on Friday evenings, including non-uniform days! Janaro Robinson U6, (above right), the young artist commissioned to produce a portrait in memory of the late artist Mark Speight, receiving the ‘Speight of the Art’ Award at B’ham City Council’s first ever Visualise Arts Festival in mid Nov.
BVGS in the ‘Deep Freeze’ but all students safely inside actively engaged in learning. Bleak but hardly the mid-winter yet! School continued as usual despite the abnormal conditions outside. This prolonged ‘cold snap’ tested our stamina as we headed into the final stages of a long but highly satisfying term. Students and BVGS families are to be congratulated on their determination to reach Lichfield Road from across Birmingham and beyond. Special thanks to our early-morning staff, who prepared our site…and Boswell Rd!
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We had not even reached December, when we had to cancel our rowing trip to Evesham Head, rugby pitches were frozen, even the Middle Field ‘all weather pitch’ was out of action! Sport moved indoors……….!
SAILING: Congratulations to Dan Venables 8B who has been selected for the Topper National Junior U15 Sailing Squad of the Royal Yachting Association. Dan, who has been nominated for the Sutton Coldfield Sports Personality of 2010, is pictured left and in action below.
Well done to Navraj Degun L6, who at 17, has made the last 30 in National U18 Hockey, with final trials to come for a place in the U18 England squad.
Dan is now targeting the National and World Championships and Olympics, after a superb season in 2010, including winning the B’ham Schools Regatta in July, beating Sixth Formers and recapturing the trophy for BVGS, last won in 1987! Dan is competing nationwide, travelling thousands of miles, from the Solent to Largs from Pwilhelli to Rutland.
All smiles - BVGS Hockey enthusiasts reunited: Old Veseyan Richard Baker (1980) with his hockey coach Graham Jackson, retired Head of PE/Games on Middle Field, as they watch our talented 1st XI in a comfortable victory over QM Walsall.
Rugby Round-up Princethorpe College below and John Cleveland Coll. were beaten to take us into Round 6 of the U18 Daily Mail Cup. U15 bowed out of the U15 Daily Mail Cup with heads held high in a thrilling match v Solihull School 1417. Saturday fixtures: Adams’ GS had the better of the block fixture but we comfortably overcame Bablake School, 5 matches to 1.
Crouch, Touch, Pause…..Engage!
Hockey Round-up
An outstanding term for 1st XI, with a run of 7 straight wins over very strong sides, mainly from the independent sector. In the Midlands Indoor Competition on 5 Dec. where the standard of play was exceptional, with many European students on show, BVGS narrowly missed out on qualification, finishing with 2 wins out of 4, including a defeat of Malvern College. The 2nd XI started to hit form with significant wins Including Warwick and King Henry XVIII, before the ice halted progress. The Under 15 team are currently unbeaten, which included a 9-0 victory over Loughborough GS. The Under 14s recorded their first victory of the season against Bablake with a 6-0 triumph. A fantastic start to the season across all teams with lots of fixtures to look forward to after Christmas.
Table Tennis
New Training Top
The Seniors enjoyed a strong victory over Solihull School but succumbed to Hamstead Hall’s U19s. U16s and U14s can look forward to matches next term in the B’ham League
2nd XV Hockey in action v King Henry VIII on Middle Field this Nov. before the big freeze!
BVGS Netball players braving the cold at Wyndley
Vice-Captain of 1st XV Rob Russell U6 models this new Webb Ellis training top, available at just £12 (cheques payable to BVGS) from Sue Foster in The Enrichment Office. Published for BVGS by Sharon Weblin, Headteacher’s PA sw@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk. Printed by Jayne Joyce , BVGS Reprographics.