Students and Staff at Wymondham College are celebrating after another clean sweep of passes in their recent life saving examinations.

Wymondham College is one of a small number of schools nationally that is a Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Approved Training Centre (ATC) and has held this status for the past 5 years.

The accreditation means that the College can train their own lifeguards and can also train members of staff in aquatic rescue skills which in the past they have had to do elsewhere.
The National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), involves 39 hours of training with an examination at the end of the course which is conducted by external RLSS assessors. The course is made up of a water skills section, cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) first aid and the theory that applies to all of these. The qualification is recognised abroad as well so very useful for gap years & working overseas. As a life skill this is an impressive qualification to have on a CV.

At the College the already trained lifeguard students (of which we have over 40 at the moment) have the opportunity to train every other week to keep their skills current. Our student NPLQ’s (along with a member of staff) regularly act as lifeguards at boarders swimming sessions at our pool, an important part of pastoral care, interaction & responsibility development.

Every year the College as an Approved Training Centre is externally verified by IQL the Institute of Qualified Lifeguards, which is a professional body of the RLSS. Last year the College got 100%.

Jackie Glenn – Marketing Officer Wymondham College

01953 609000

Glennja.ad@wymondhamcollege.com

THE SIR BERNARD LOVELL LANGUAGE COLLEGE

North Street, Oldland Common, Bristol, BS30 8TS

COVER SUPERVISOR

32 hours per week, TTO

Salary: H9 £14,515 – £16,438

To oversee lessons for absent teachers. The teachers will plan and mark the work. Your role will be to liaise with the teacher before and after the lesson and to ensure a calm and purposeful working atmosphere by implementing the school’s policies and a range of positive behaviour management strategies.

Cover Supervisors need not be qualified teachers, though they may be
retired teachers, or graduates wishing to gain experience in a school
setting before embarking upon teacher training.

Applicants will have a desire to work with young people in the 11-16
age range, be energetic and have excellent communication skills.
Those appointed will be fully trained, and integrated into the role
gradually. They will be well-supported by school managers, and may
well use the experience as a springboard for further career
development.

Closing Date:  12 noon on Monday, 6^th September, 2010

All details are available on the school website www.sblonline.org.uk

Students at Prior’s Field  celebrated the school’s best ever A Level results. Nearly half of all grades were A* and A, with over three quarters A*- B and well over 90% were A*- C.  Sophie Valentine gained 3 A* and 2 A grades and twins Cherry and Celine Chan knotted up 8 A*/A grades and 2 B grades between them.

Head Teacher Julie Roseblade commented: “The day they left, these students put up a sign saying “7 Years of happiness: Priceless”. That’s what matters, and is undoubtedly why they  they worked so hard and were motivated. We are extremely proud of them

For more information please contact Amanda Lay on 01483 813 402 or via email alay@priorsfieldschool.com

www.priorsfieldschool.com

01483 810 551

After the success of last week’s A-Level results, the Maynard School has achieved another outstanding set of results at GCSE level.

GCSE results 2010

Percentage of students gaining A* Grades 48%

Percentage of students gaining A* or A Grades 85%

Percentage of students gaining A*, A or B Grades 97%

18 students scored straight A* or A Grades, with four students achieving straight A* Grades.

Bee Hughes, Headmistress, commented:

“This year’s Maynard students have once again performed outstandingly well at GCSE, with exceptional achievements at A* and A Grade. All students should be very proud of their achievements and all deserve our hearty congratulations.”

Please contact Joanna Conway, Marketing and Development Manager on 01392 355980 or marketing@maynard.co.uk for more information.

The Maynard School, Denmark Road, Exeter, EX1 1SJ

www.maynard.co.uk

Nottingham High School is celebrating its best ever GCSE results!

Almost 47% of the grades achieved were A* and over 81% were either A* or A grades, making it a record year.

In addition 52 boys gained at least 10 A*/A grades whilst 80% achieved seven or more passes at A* /A grade.  Just under 96 %of the passes were at A*, A or B grades and 100% of the pupils gained 5 or more A* – C grades.  Furthermore, 100% of the Maths and English papers sat were at A*- C grade.

Amongst the star performers were Chris Houlton who achieved an outstanding 11 A*’s, and Matthew Green and Daniel Turner who both achieved 10 A*s.

“I am absolutely delighted with our superb GCSE results, said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School. “They are the best results the school has ever gained at GCSE level.   This is the result of a great deal of hard work by the boys concerned and the staff who have taught them.  These are quite simply stunning results.”

“I’ve been working really hard and have been hoping to get as many A* grades as possible,” said Chris Houlton. “I am delighted with my results. I will start to study for my A Levels in September, after which I hope to go on and study medicine.”

“I am so pleased that my hard work has paid off. I am thrilled with my results, they are fantastic,” said Matthew Green. “I now plan to study geography, history, economics and German at A Level. My ultimate goal after A Level is to study law at university.”

Prior’s Field students achieved record results with 63% A*/A grades and nearly a quarter of all girls getting straight A*- A’s. 88% of all grades were B and above. Head Teacher Julie Roseblade commented “The girls worked incredibly hard for these results and were motivated by talented and enthusiastic staff. They fully deserve their success”.

Harlington Community School students were celebrating their GCSE results today, with a 7% increase on last year’s results, up from 53% last year to 60% this year.

Among those celebrating were Ashlyn Stackhouse, who attained 9A*and 2 A grades, Balkaran Gill, who achieved 7A* 3 A and 1 B grades,  Abinav Talwar, who attained 7A* 2A and 1 B grades, Avishen Thondrayen who achieved 3A* and 8A grades and Tahlia  McKinnon who attained 3A* 2 A and 6 B grades.

Results in sciences and the arts were particularly pleasing this year, with results exceeding 90% A* – C in many disciplines, including Art & Design, Biology, Chemistry, and Drama. In total 11 subjects achieved more than 70% A* – C.

Ashlyn Stackhouse “I am thrilled with so many A* especially in English & Maths. I am definitely staying on for A Levels at Harlington and would like to go on to study medicine”.

Balkaran Gill “Never under estimate Harlington. The teachers here push you to get the very best grades.  Hard work really does get results!”

Tahlia McKinnon “I am stunned and particularly pleased with my A* for Drama. I hope to stay on to study Film, Media, English and Drama at Harlington. “

Avishen Thondrayen “I have hardly stopped smiling since opening my results envelope. I am staying on at Harlington to study Business Studies, Geography and Maths and hope to go take Economics at University.”

Abinav Talwar “I worked really hard and its obviously paid off. It just goes to show if you put your mind to it you can achieve anything”.

Liz Horrigan, Headteacher

“We are once again delighted with the efforts and achievements of our students, and looking forward to many of them joining our 6^th form in September”.

Harlington Community School A Level Students celebrated their successful results today, with a 99% pass rate, and offers from universities at home and abroad.

The new A* Grades were awarded to students in Business Studies, Mathematics and Textiles, and 75% of all passes were A* – C grades.

Sciences and Medicine courses feature highly in this year’s destinations, with Priyanka Jeganathan reading medicine at King’s College London, Trishant Umrekar reading Biomedical Science at St George’s London, Abuzar Mohammad accepting a place at University College London reading Chemical Engineering and Alan Cooper reading Physics at Royal Holloway.

In a first for the school, two students have been signed up by American Universities including Anil Kapur who has started at Upper Iowa University as a semi professional footballer, and Harley Coldman, who was awarded a football scholarship to read Business at Thomas Edison State College, Newark.

Bouran Sohrabi was the school’s top achiever, obtaining 3 A’s and 1 A* in Biology, Chemistry, English and Mathematics.

Priyanka said “I am really glad to be going to King’s to study medicine – thanks Harlington!” whilst Abuzar said “I am really happy with my A Level results, and a huge thank you to all my teachers at Harlington”.

Liz Horrigan, Headteacher said

“We are delighted that so many of our students achieved such exceptional results. Our 6^th form goes from strength to strength, due to the hard work and dedication of the staff and students. We are immensely proud of all their achievements.”

Seaford College, near Petworth, today announced yet another year of impressive GCSE results, with 87.5% of students gaining five or more passes at grades A*-C – slightly up on last year.

Two students gained 10 A*s and A grades – Jamie Sims from Chiddingfold, Surrey, with 9A*s and 1A and William Whitwell from Fittleworth with 7A*s and 3As.

Eleven students gained six or more passes at A* and A – a good result from a school which is non-selective and admits a high percentage of pupils who require learning support.

Headmaster Toby Mullins said: “This was another good year for Seaford, where our academic results are generally improving year upon year.

“Seaford College has an outstanding reputation for its work with students who require learning support and these results are testament to the fact we are able to ensure each pupil attains his or her potential in all aspects of life.”

Badminton School in Westbury on Trym, Bristol is top in the South West based on this year’s GCSE results, it was announced today.

100% of the pupils passed at the school, with a staggering 87% gaining all A*s and As and 57% of students achieving all A*s.

Top GCSE marks go to five girls: Anastasija Bates, Philippa Jones, Alice Gargan, Alexandra Uren and Charlotte Carter.

Top swimmer, Anastasija Bates from Redland, who has been chosen for the Great Britain Training and Development Synchronised Swimming Squad and hopes to represent Great Britain in the 2016 Olympics, has also managed to gain 2A*s and 7As in her GCSEs.  Anastasija, who is a member of Bristol Central Swimming Club, has swum recently in the British Championships where she swam a technical duet with her partner Charlotte Frost.  She has taken part in an open competition internationally and won the Winn Cup for commitment to sport at Badminton.  Anastasija intends to train as a full time athlete before going into medicine and this summer is undertaking work experience at the BRI.

Said Anastasija:  “Fitting in my synchro swimming commitments has been a real challenge but the staff at Badminton have been really supportive.  If I manage to get into the senior Great Britain world competitions, I receive funding from the Lottery and British Gas, but it is not much, so I will need to work part-time lifeguarding.  However that doesn’t put me off – I am really ambitious.  I train every day and eat more than my Dad!  I am lucky to have swum extensively, not only in Badminton’s pool, but also at Crystal Palace where Tom Daley trains, as they have a deep diving pit which we need for lifts, and at the High Performance Army Centre in Aldershot.

Philippa Jones, from Wotton Under Edge wants to be an investment banker and is well on the path to her dream having received a stunning 9A*s in her GCSEs.  Captain of both the netball and hockey teams at Badminton, Philippa, aged 16, is one of the youngest girls playing for Clifton Ladies U18 Hockey Team and plays four times a week.  She has been awarded both the Vitrix Ludorum and Ovation Cups for her sporting achievements and is also a keen fencer.  A grade 5 violinist, grade 5 singer and a member of the school choir and Schola Cantorum, Philippa has also undertaken work experience at an investment bank, a law firm and worked as a classroom assistant in her local primary school.  Philippa is aiming to read Economics and Management at university and would like to be involved in investment in renewable energy.

Alice Gargan from Clifton is also aiming for a career in medicine and would like to work in genetics following gaining a tremendous 9A*s.  She will be spending her summer undertaking work experience in the genetics department at Bristol Children’s Hospital and has also spent time in the paediatrics department and in A&E.  Alice is a keen synchronised swimmer and came third in the national championships in 2009 and first in the club championships.   In 2008, she came first in the nationals and first at the South West regional finals and swims five times a week at Bristol University and Filton.  Alice is also plays Goal Attack for the school netball team, Defence in the first hockey team and is also a member of the rounders team.  She is a grade 5 pianist and grade 3 saxophonist and has won speech and drama awards.  She has just finished her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, helps coach the juniors in rounders and athletics and loves art, especially textiles.

Academic scholar, Alexandra Uren from Stoke Bishop, has had a difficult year with the death of her Grandmother in the middle of her mock exams, but that has not stopped her from gaining 7A*s and 2As.  Alex, who is a grade 5 violinist and grade 3 singer is also grade 7 in speech and drama.  She plays Wing Defence in the first netball team and Centre Back in hockey and also plays hockey for Old Bristolians.  A keen sailor, Alex has also completed her Level Two RYA powerboat course and has a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.  She has been awarded both the Junior Vitrix Ludorum price and the junior sports prize.  As she is interested in a medical career, Alex has undertaken work experience at the Bristol Children’s Hospital shadowing an orthopaedic surgeon and over the summer has been working in the immunology department at Taunton Hospital with AIDS and HIV sufferers and in the pathology department at Southmead.  She intends to work at a care home next year and do Chemistry, Biology, Latin and Religious Studies and Philosophy for her A Levels.

Clay pigeon shooter, Charlotte Carter from Purton, who is a boarder at Badminton, has hit the target with 7A*s, 1A and 1B in her GCSEs.  A keen scuba-diver and kick boxer, Charlotte has a bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award and is a great swimmer.  She won the Iris Murdoch Senior Award this year for creative writing and is planning a career in neuroscience – brain surgery in particular.  She is doing work experience at St Georges Hospital in London with a neurosurgeon over the summer and is taking Biology, Chemistry, English and Maths for her A Levels.

Badminton School has achieved the top results of any school in the South West for the past fifteen years and is currently one of the top schools in the country.

Commenting on the impressive results, Badminton’s Headmistress, Jan Scarrow said:  “Badminton is an expert in educating girls and understands not only how girls learn but also how to provide the emotional support they need to achieve their full potential.

“We have some inspirational staff at the school who provide a stimulating and happy environment which is ideal for learning.  Coupled with small class sizes and plenty of individual attention, it is not surprising that students here are able to achieve some pretty impressive results.

“However, it is the girls themselves who really make the difference and our congratulations go to all our students who have worked so hard.”

Cadbury College has had another fantastic year of results at A Level, with over 100 students gaining four Grade ‘B’s or better.  The College is particularly pleased that one in four ‘A’ Grades awarded were the new ‘A*’ Grades – with ten students gaining more than one. Twenty four A Level subjects achieved a 100% pass rate.

As usual, Cadbury College students will be moving on to a huge variety of higher education courses and universities, but some of our students have done particularly well:

• Emma Kelly from South Birmingham gained straight A* grades in three subjects, and it is a sign of the (economic) times that Emma has turned down a place at the University of Oxford in preference for a place at the University of Birmingham, so that she can continue to live at home
• Nicole Foyle gained straight A grades in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology and goes on to study Dentistry at the University of Birmingham
• Hasnain Kanani was awarded straight A grades in Maths, Chemistry and Biology and will study Pharmacy at the University of Aston
• Nathaniel Brown gained straight A grades in Physics, Mathematics and Further Mathematics and, not surprisingly, will study Mathematics at the University of Manchester
• Duncan Wallace gained A Grades in Biiology, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics and will now read Medicine at the University of Nottingham
• Chris Dugmore gained two A* (Chemistry and Maths) and two A Grades (Physics and Biology); and Thomas Cullen gained two A* (History and Geography) and two A Grades (English Lit. and Government and Politics) – both will be studying at the University of Warwick
• Hannah Robertson gained on A* (English Lit.) and two A Grades (Chemistry and History); and Matthew Forest gained two A* (History and English Lit.) and two A Grades (Law and Government and Politics) – both will be moving on to study at the University of Oxford.

Principal Jeremy Rogers said: “All of our staff at Cadbury College are committed to continually raising the standard of what we do – our central objective is to be on an academic par with the best sixth form colleges in England, and this is not easy when we are maintaining our mission to be a non-selective college.  Some of our students come to us with quite low GCSE scores or with undiagnosed learning difficulties which we uncover and provide help with.

So Cadbury College continues to add great value to the previous (GCSE) results of its students. Their hard work and determined attitude, combined with the excellent care and teaching that we deliver, is what makes the Cadbury experience so fulfilling for our students.”

Cadbury Sixth Form College provides A Level courses for 16-18 year olds from over 100 local feeder schools in the Birmingham area. It is currently completing (for September) a major capital works programme to create: new facilities for music teaching; a new performance theatre and teaching space; a completely refurbished library that has been doubled in size to provide 100 new IT workstations; and an extended and fully refurbished student restaurant and social area.

The outstanding Upper Sixth at the Maynard School have once again achieved exceptional A-level results for 2010.

A Level Results 2010

A2 pass rate                                                                    100%

Percentage of students gaining A* or A Grades               71%

Percentage of students gaining A*, A or B Grades          92%

27 students scored straight A* or A Grades, with four students securing places at Oxbridge.

This year’s students have achieved in a diverse range of subjects which defy the national trend for choosing less challenging subjects. Amongst the many success stories are first-rate scientists, linguists and mathematicians, all “difficult” subjects which have seen a drop in popularity nationally in recent years. A high percentage of girls achieved an A* in one or more subjects, a grade for students achieving over 90% in the A2 section of the examination. The star grade A has only been introduced at A-level this year.

Success stories include:

Venetia D’Arcy, from Newton Abbot, who scored 5 A* Grades and has a place at Cambridge to read Medicine.

Antonia Mattos, a member of the Head Girl Team and talented sportswoman, from Cullompton, who scored 4 A* Grades and has a place at Cambridge to read Natural Sciences.

Lottie Ashford from Poltimore, who gained 3 A* Grades and has a place at Queen Mary, London to read Medicine.

Zoe Wiles, from Chulmleigh, an outstanding contributor to school drama and member of the Head Girl team, gained 3 A* Grades and has a place to read English at Liverpool.

Caroline Clements, from Exeter, who scored 3 A* Grades and 2 A Grades and has a place to read Medicine at Bristol

Sammi Rosser, from Clyst St Mary, who scored 3 A* Grades and has a place to read Biological Sciences at Oxford

Abigail Wesson, a keen rower from Crediton, who scored 2 A* Grades and 2 A Grade and has a place to read Biochemistry at Oxford

Sophie Whitehall, from Christow, who gained 2 A* and 2 A Grades, and has a place to read Mathematics at Imperial College London

Qi Qi, an International student from PR China, who gained 2 A* and 2 A Grades and also has a place to read Mathematics at Imperial College London

Anna Foster from Bradninch, who scored 2 A* and 1 A Grade and has a place to read History at Leeds

Talented Musician Sophie Reeve, who scored 3 A* and 1 A Grade and has a place to read Medicine at Birmingham

Florence Templeton, another very talented actress, who gained 2 A* and 2 A Grades and has a place at York to read English.

Bee Hughes, Headmistress, commented:

“Once again, I am absolutely delighted with the performance of all our students at A-level this year. This is an incredibly talented yeargroup, who have performed stunningly despite the uncertainty of university places and the debate regarding the validity of grades. The results are absolutely outstanding – 71% of students gained A* or A Grades – and I am very proud of all their achievements, and of the Maynard staff, whose academic and pastoral support inspires the girls to work hard and to achieve brilliant results year on year.”

Nottingham High School is celebrating the success of its students’ achievements in this year’s A-level exams.   Over 19% of the grades achieved were at A*, the new grade introduced for the first time this year – the national figure is 8% – and over 36% of the students achieved at least one A*. In addition almost 54% were either A* or A, and over 80% of grades were A*, A or B.

“We are delighted that many of our students have succeeded in getting this new A* grade as well as achieving other excellent grades,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School.  “It is a challenging year for students, trying to secure places at university with many of the top institutions requesting A*s, but the vast majority of our students have managed to secure places at their first choice university.”

Amongst them is one boy who gained 4 A*s in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and General Studies as well as 2 As at AS level in Further Maths and Physics.  This has secured him a place to study Biochemistry at Imperial College, London.

Other top performers included Simon Berry who got 3A*s in Biology, Chemistry, Maths, and 2As in Spanish and General Studies, as well as an A at AS level in Further Maths, and Chris Heining who got 2  A*s and 4 As.   Both boys have secured highly coveted places to study Medicine – Simon plans to read Medicine at Sheffield, whilst Chris is going to Birmingham.    “I am really happy about my results” says Simon. “I’m ecstatic but also maybe a little surprised.  I am now looking forward to going to university.”

Another 11 students got at least 3A*s, amongst them:

• James Harrison: A* in History, English and General Studies, and an A in Economics – going to study History at Magdalene College, Cambridge
• Oliver Perkins: A* in English, Geography and General Studies, and an A in Economics – going to study Law at New College, Oxford
• Christopher Thomas: A* in Biology, History and General Studies, and an A in English – going to study History at Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Badminton School, Bristol is among the top schools in the country, based on this year’s A Level results and has consistently topped the South West for the past fifteen years.

100% of the pupils at the school passed, with a staggering 24% gaining the new A* grade which was launched this year (compared to the predicted national average of 5% and the average for private schools of 16%).  97% of the girls at Badminton gained grades A*-C, 87% grades A*-B and 61% gained all A*s and As.  The average UCAS points per candidate was 433.4* which is up 4% on last year.

Head Girl Natalie Smith from Stoke Bishop will be following in the footsteps of acting celebrity and ex Badmintonian Rosamund Pike (Bond girl in Die Another Day opposite Pierce Brosnan, Love in a Cold Climate and An Education with Keira Knightley) by taking an academic degree before going onto drama school.

Natalie, who achieved A*, A and C in her A Levels is hoping to study Business, Mathematics and Statistics at LSE.  However, perhaps Natalie is better known as a talented Bristol actress having played lead roles not only in school productions such as Muzzy van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz but also for top Bristol youth theatre group Bristol Musical Youth Productions where she has starred recently at the Redgrave Theatre and Bristol Hippodrome as Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables, Ariel in Footloose and Dorothy Brock in 42^nd Street.  Natalie is also an advanced ballerina, a grade 8 cellist, has a diploma in musical theatre and Gold LAMDA Award.  She plays Goal Defence for Badminton’s U19 netball team and helped set up a company at Badminton as part of the Young Enterprise Scheme.  Natalie has been spending her summer taking a two week musical theatre course at Guildford School of Acting followed by a season acting at Disneyland Paris.

Said Natalie:  “I love the theatre and would very much like to work as a professional actress in the West End so am aiming to go onto drama school after university.  However, as I am also academic and really enjoy the logical nature of maths, I wanted to take a first degree in an academic subject to keep my options open.

Sports Captain Anna Coveney from Clevedon has secured a place to study combined social sciences at Durham University after gaining one A* and two As. Anna is a county netballer, plays hockey for north Somerset, is a member of the school tennis team and has achieved her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.  A qualified life saver, Anna has won netball, hockey and tennis colours at Badminton and been awarded the Vitrix Ludorum junior, middle and senior awards.  Anna is also a keen traveller.  She spent six weeks on a school exchange programme to South Africa where she spent some time working in an orphanage before going onto Zambia and aims to spend her gap year in Malawi with Africa Asia Venture teaching and coaching sport.  Following her time at university, Anna would like to train as a pilot and fly helicopters for the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm division.

Talented musician Catriona Stoddart from Sneyd Park is off to read medicine at Imperial following gaining two A*s and two As at A level.  Rio was Head Girl at Badminton.  She was also a finalist for Young Musician of the Year and is a member of the National School Orchestra for which she has to audition every year to keep her place.  She currently coaches children in the National Children’s Orchestra, helping them read music, follow a part and understand the more difficult rhythms.  Rio is a grade 8 viola player, grade 8 singer and grade 6 pianist. She swam for the county, plays tennis and has gained her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.  To help prepare her for a medical career, Rio has been working at Weston Hospital where she spent time on the wards shadowing consultants and also at Southmead in the research department, seeing how clinical trials are run.  Rio is hoping to spend her summer with one of her friends in Hong Kong and travel with her sister to Egypt.

Amy Harrison from Wotton Under Edge is set to study veterinary science at Cambridge University after achieving two A*s and one A at A Level.  Amy, who was commended this year in Cambridge University’s prestigious Peterhouse Essay Competition, was brought up with animals and has spent many of her holidays undertaking animal-related work experience.  She spent two weeks working in veterinary practises in both Australia and the UK, a week on a dairy farm in Yorkshire where she milked and organised the herds and a week lambing at a farm in Cumbria.  She also worked at Paradise Wildlife Farm in Hertfordshire where she helped the keepers with feeding and cleaning the animals.  Amy moved to Badminton from Cambridge as a weekly boarder and explained that although she was initially very scared, she felt immediately at home as on her first day the girls were friendly, open and welcoming.  She is a grade 6 pianist, grade 5 singer and has taught herself how to play the guitar.

Said Headmistress, Jan Scarrow:  “Just looking at what these girls have attained just shows what a rounded education we offer here at Badminton.  Not only have they gained excellent results, these girls have been empowered to achieve personal excellence and really follow their dreams.

“Here at Badminton we want to enable young women such as these to have the life skills they need to pursue the careers of their choice and to go onto top universities.  Small class sizes, inspirational teaching and a supportive environment really makes the difference and being surrounded by other bright, interesting young women makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.”

Ten students from Bebington High Sports College, along with over 450 other students from other primary and secondary schools across Wirral, recently joined together at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, to take part in a fresh and engaging artistic project supporting the Pegasus Children’s Trust, called ‘One World’.

The Pegasus Trust is a charity which was formed by Judy Westwater over twenty years ago, to feed, clothe & educate over 4,000 street children based in seven shelters scattered throughout South Africa.

Mrs Westward, who was thought to have been the first white ‘street’ child in South Africa, used her experiences, memories and vision to persuade the Cape Town authorities to instigate a programme of performing arts to help heal traumatised children running away from abusive families, human traffickers and boy soldiering.

The dance performance was an exciting opportunity to bring students together through the performing arts, whilst learning to understand the problems that young people face around the world.  Bebington High Sports College students had the task of choreographing and performing an Irish dance piece.  So, in full costume, with rainbows painted on their faces, the students created and performed a dynamic, high-energy and colourful dance.  Months of training before the event was evident as every perfectly paced spin, leap and click in their performance electrified the audience.

The hard work, energy and commitment from the students was fantastic to watch and, with their impeccable behaviour and effort, they proved a real credit to Bebington High Sports College.

More than half the students at Sutton Valence School near Maidstone achieved A*, A and B grades in results unveiled today (Thurs August 19).

One in six attained at least one of the new ultra-tough A* grades, introduced by the Government for the first time this year – including three students in the Lower Sixth who took their A-levels a year early – reflecting the school’s ongoing commitment to academic improvement.

At the end of his first academic year in post at the independent day and boarding school, Headmaster Bruce Grindlay said he was very pleased to see the results were on a par with last year’s best-ever grades.

Mr Grindlay said: “Yet again, these results are a credit to the students and staff who have worked hard together to maintain the standards set last year, when we achieved our best-ever results.

“The number of A-C passes has improved consistently now for 10 years and herald even greater academic success in the future.”

A total of 53% of candidates attained A*, A and B grades, with 79% gaining A*-Cs.

Among the successful students were Luke Ellmers from Hunton, who gained 2A*s in Spanish and German and 2As, enabling him to take up a place at Merton College, Oxford, to read French and Spanish, Tom Champneys from Tunbridge Wells who obtained 3As, admitting him to the University of Bath to read Engineering, and Matilda Tasker from Headcorn who is looking forward to a gap year, safe in the knowledge she holds 1A* and 2A grade A-levels.

Top scoring subjects were Modern Languages, where all students sitting French, Spanish, German, Chinese and Russian obtained A*-B grades, as did students in Further Maths and Art.

For further information, please contact:

Helen Knott, Sutton Valence School, Tel: (01622) 845271 or Jane Shotliff Tel: (01622) 870272

Staff and students were jubilant at Seaford College, Petworth, today as the College unveiled its best ever set of A-level results.

Eight students attained at least three straight A* and A grades with 10% of candidates obtaining at least one of the new, ultra-tough A* grades, introduced by the Government for the first time this year.

A total of 62% of A-level candidates obtained A*- B grades and 80% A*-C, with 319 being the average number of points per candidate.

HMC scholar Cornelia Roibu from Moldova gained 710 UCAS points including 2A*s and 2As, plus a distinction in her Cambridge Pre-U exam in economics.  Cornelia, who came to Seaford College on a one-year scholarship but enjoyed it so much she remained for two, now goes on to read Biochemistry at Oxford.

Fellow Oxbridge candidate Rose Stavely-Wadham from Tillington also gained 2A*s in English and RE, plus 2As in History and French, and did not drop a single mark in any of her AS and A-level English papers – a remarkable achievement.  Incredibly, Rose was turned down by Oxford but now goes on to read English at one of the country’s other top Universities, Durham.

Other successful students included Robert Mitchell, from Borden, who gained 3As and takes up a place at Liverpool to read Medicine, Ben Cavanagh, from Chichester, and George Lywood from Kirdford, both with A*AA, and Miriam Guo from Hong Kong, with 520 points including 3As, and two of the College’s foreign students Chris Lau and Sina Thomas.

Sina, from Ratingen in Germany, racked up an astonishing 690 UCAS points with 2A*s, 1A and a distinction in her Cambridge Pre-U economics. Chris, from Hong Kong did even better with 710 points with 2A*s 2As and he too gained a Distinction in Pre-U economics.

Delighted Headmaster Toby Mullins said: “It has been our ambition to raise standards in the Sixth Form to a level where we are on an academic par with some of the best schools in the independent sector, which is quite a feat given that we are a non-selective school and many of our students come to us because they are dyslexic or need other learning support.

“We have striven to improve our academic results year upon year and this is a truly outstanding set of results of which the students can be justifiably proud.”

Mr Mullins added: “This year’s results are by far and away the best set of results we have ever had and are a testament to the hard work and determination of our students, combined with excellent teaching, which ensures every student is able to reach his or her potential.

“Seaford College has been applauded in the past for the added value it gives to its students. Today’s results show without any doubt that we can deliver, not just once, but time and time again.”

Seaford College is a co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 11 – 18, set in 400 acres of parkland on the outskirts of Petworth. It has gone from strength to strength since Mr Mullins took over at the helm 12 years ago and last year opened a new Preparatory School on the campus for children aged 7-13.

Building work is currently underway on a new boys’ boarding house, which will be followed by a new indoor swimming pool and sports complex.

Do you remember your first gold star at school?  To receive one makes a pupil feel very proud and special – and they often rush home to share it excitedly with their parents.

These days it is well known that pupils of all ages love to be praised; and that rewards boost a child’s confidence and inspire them to try even harder. As a result, stickers, badges and wall charts are regularly used as motivational and behaviour management tools in the classroom.

So how do you differentiate your praise from that of your teacher colleagues?

Clearly the very fact that it is praise given by you, the Head Teacher, will add weight and importance. But at Superstickers we have come up with a way of making your praise really stand out.

Our sparkling certificate. A certificate that actually sparkles and twinkles the words: ‘Head Teacher’s Award’.

So for a special reward to show your pupils just how much you recognise their outstanding efforts, take a look at our sparkling Head Teacher certificate.

According to reports from the exam board Edexcel, the overwhelming majority of students who underachieve in exams requiring extended written answers do so because they do not know how to plan for an answer.

To help teachers deal with this concern Model Learning have produced “Saving Reluctant Writers”. Taken from their LearnWise study skills course for students, “Saving Reluctant Writers” is a free three step resource which reveals how you can help students to organise and sequence their ideas for easy writing.

This graphic organiser can be used across the curriculum to tackle dyslexia, planning for writing, raising boys’ levels of writing, revision skills, study skills.

Because “Saving Reluctant Writers” is completely free it can also be forwarded to colleagues so that it can be used across the school.

You can obtain “Saving Reluctant Writers” by visiting www.modellearning.com/ideas/ideas-powerpoints.aspx

You may also want to download some or all of the other 15 free powerpoints offering practical techniques for effective teaching, learning and leadership. Feedback from over 2000 subscribers shows they find the majority of them very beneficial.

There’s a couple of assurances I can give as well.  First, if you want to stop receiving the occasional free resources from us then you just click the unsubscribe button and you will be removed from the list.  Second, your details will never be released to anyone else under any circumstances.

If you have any questions about the resource please do email us at info@modellearning.com or you can call 01277 202812

Nine-year-old Sam Grindlay has won a prized chorister scholarship to the world-famous Westminster Abbey Choir School.

Sam, who is currently at Sutton Valence Prep School, will be a chorister for the next four years, and will board at the school in the Abbey grounds.  There are 30 choristers in Westminster Abbey choir, which as well as singing services at the Abbey broadcasts regularly on Classic FM and BBC Radio 3.

The choir has also recorded a number of CDs and has been invited to tour many countries around the world, including the United States, the Far East, Spain, Poland and Australia.  It is perhaps most famous for its royal connections, and has traditionally performed at Coronations and Royal Weddings.   On the day Sam went for his second audition, the boys were preparing to have lunch with the Queen.

To win his chorister place, Sam underwent a series of singing tests as well as playing pieces on the piano and ‘cello.   He also spent a day at the school, which gave him the chance to meet the other boys, and find out what life at the Choir School is like.

Sam, who is the son of Sutton Valence School Headmaster, Bruce Grindlay, and his wife Lilla, decided to audition for the choir because he had enjoyed singing in both in school choirs and the Kent County Junior Singers.  Apart from singing, he enjoys computer studies, science and art.  He says he is “very excited” to be going to Westminster Abbey – but hopes he will still have time for his hobbies of golf and Lego!

HOLY TRINITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Not just a school … a total education

HTIS is a popular and highly successful school.  We seek an enthusiastic and well qualified Full time Nursery Assistant to join the busy Nursery / Kindergarten from September 2010 or as soon as possible.

The Nursery is open all year round; the post carries 5 weeks holiday a year.

Further information about the above posts can be obtained by telephoning the Headteacher’s Secretary Mrs Karen Roth.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and child protection screening will apply to this post.

01562 822929     www.holytrinity.co.uk

Birmingham Road, Kidderminster, Worcs. DY10 2BY

Registered Charity No. 517893

Nottingham’s oldest schools joined forces for a Year 9 Writing Conference for Gifted Pupils. Nottingham High School’s English Department invited colleagues and pupils from The Nottingham Bluecoat School to join them at the High School’s third summer writing conference.  The event is held for pupil delegates showing particular flair with their writing.

This year the school was delighted to welcome author and BBC documentary film maker Andrew Williams as the key note speaker for the main journalistic writing workshop.  Mr Sasha Leech, a teacher in the school’s Art department and practising artist, provided a stimulating close to the morning when he offered writing inspiration via a series of paintings. The pupils’ work from the morning has been used as a spring board for GCSE creative writing next year and delegates will be submitting writing inspired by the conference to a joint competition.

The conference started with Andrew Williams talking about the nature of life as a writer and exploring his career route from behind the scenes in television journalism, to becoming a documentary writer and creator of historical novels.

Pupils were invited to criticise the work of journalists and comment on how the audience is engaged when watching documentaries or reading news articles. They were then let loose in teams on their own news stories. The outline of events was provided but the mixed groups, which comprised delegates from both schools, were then tasked with writing articles worthy of the front page.  In the plenary section of the activity Williams took up the mantel of editor in chief, offering hints and tips for how the budding journalists’ writing could be even sharper. He was invariably suitably impressed by the standards, declaring ‘Print it!’

After a short break the delegates unleashed their creative sides even further by producing short narratives inspired by works of art.

“Our two schools share common ground as both were originally founded in the porch of St Mary’s church in the Lace Market through charitable donations,” said Claire Sanford, an English teacher at Nottingham High School.  “Our respective English Departments now look forward to extending this new link next year and to forging the connection further.”

The High School is preparing to celebrate 500 years in 2013, whilst The Nottingham Bluecoat School celebrated its tercentenary in 2006.

This is the first time the department at the Crosby School has entered the esteemed competition under the leadership of Head of Department Mr Gioseppe Bonfante, and three medals is a fantastic achievement. Mustafa Farooqi and Mrudul Bhatt came away with bronze medals and Mark Quigg took the top award and walked away with a gold.

The future health of the nation is in good hands as all three bright sparks also have offers to study medicine this coming September; with Mustafa and Mrudul with coveted places at Imperial College and UCL respectively, and Mark planning on attending Newcastle.

Mr Bonfante said: “1000s of students from the best schools all over the country enter the Olympiad so for us to have won three medals including gold is a great achievement and the boys should be really proud of themselves.”

Pupils at Nottingham High School have departed for an exciting rugby tour to South America.

The squad will be going to Santiago De Chile in Chile, Montevideo in Uruguay and Buenos Aires in Argentina where they will be playing against local teams.

In addition, the boys will also have the opportunity to explore the countries they will be visiting and enjoying excursions.

“The boys have been looking forward to the tour and have been training very hard,” said Stuart Whitehead, director of rugby at Nottingham High School. “It will be an experience of a lifetime for them and I am sure they will respond well to the challenges the tour will bring – both on and off the rugby field.”

The boys, staff, parents and supporters raised over £20,000 to support the tour through a variety of fundraising initiatives.  From this they were able to purchase kit, cover the costs of excursions as well as donate a significant amount to their chosen tour charities, Toybox and Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

Back in April the Crosby football team won the AJIS knockout competition for the first time ever, defeating Bolton Boys’ School in the final 2-0, both goals scored by Captain Sam Moore. Soon after, the rugby sevens squad faced a gruelling week with three competitions in five days, but came home not only with the AJIS Sevens trophy but having emerged victorious in Budge Sevens at Rossall.

At the end of June the determined boys did it again and made it a solid three by picking up the cricket trophy too after the U11 team played Birkenhead at Kings Chester.

Having only won it once before in 1993, the boys stomped home to victory scoring 97-2 in 15-3 overs with Alex Rankin clocking up an incredible 41 not out closely followed by Charlie Byrne on 26 and Sam Moore on 18. Birkenhead batted first and scored a very respectable 95 for 8 in 20 overs.

Great bowling was also demonstrated from Sam Moore, Jack McComb and Alex Rankin.

The boys football team, many of whom also play in the rugby and cricket teams, have been undefeated this year. After the boys had received their medals midfielder Sam Stubbs put the team’s success down to, ‘great passing and movement, because when we did that it led to chances and some wonderful goals.’

Merchant Taylors’ Sports Coach Mr Lyon said: “The team winning the AJIS treble is a fantastic achievement but what is even better is the sportsmanship the boys have demonstrated throughout all of the tournaments. To be able to show such genuine respect to the other teams without losing their competitive spirit on the pitch shows how mature and talented these boys are.”

This caps a great 12 months for the school with major successes in several sports. Last summer the swimming team were National Champions and the boys followed this outstanding success by being top AJIS Boys’ school at the Sefton Triathlon.

Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School Saxophonist Maddy Makepeace’s musical talents took her all the way to Buckingham Palace this July as she marched down the Mall with the CCF National Band as part of its 150^th Anniversary celebrations. Over 2000 cadets attended and Maddy was a guest at the Queen’s Garden Party afterwards.

The ambitious Year 10 pupil at the School in Crosby also gained a place at the highly prestigious National Youth Wind Ensemble which accepts young musicians between the ages of 15 and 21. The ensemble states a minimum requirement of Grade 8 distinction yet Maddy impressed so much she secured a place despite not having taken her exam yet.

She is also working towards Grade 7 on the Piano, Grade 6 Voice and Grade 5 Clarinet. Maddy is a member of Senior Orchestra, Senior Choir, the Merchant Taylors’ Saxophone Quartet, the Jazz Ensemble and Clarinet Group. She also won the Schools’ Senior Music Competition 2010.

Maddy said: “The best thing about being a part of the bands is the opportunity to meet all sorts of people. The intensity of the courses means that we all become very close and I’ve made some great friends. The music we play is hard but it’s pushing myself that makes it feel so worthwhile.”

Another Merchants Taylors’ Girls’ School pupil, Singer Natasha Agarwal, recently won the Lower Division of the Warrington Competition for Young Musicians beating off fierce competition from a range of instrumental musicians. She has been taking singing lessons with Kirsty Ligertwood an Old Girl of Merchant Taylors’ who entered her for this competition.

The competition, which is run by the Warrington Arts Council Initiative for the Development of Music attracts gifted competitors under the age of 19 from all over the North West. It has been running since 1998 and many previous winners have gone on to have successful careers as musicians. This is the first time that Natasha has entered it and Kirsty was delighted that her talent was recognised by the prestigious judging panel.

An astonishing 15 of all of the School’s 67 Year 13 have been successful in the most competitive of all university admissions procedures.

Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Marie Peppin, put the success down to passion, commitment and intellectual ability.

She said: “Girls have excellent academic profiles, are passionate about their vocation, have a variety of hands on experience and voluntary work, and can demonstrate outstanding caring qualities. They have all the attributes medical schools are looking for.”

All the girls are looking forward to the constant challenge that the courses will provide and are anticipating combining their love of science with their strong desire to help people.

Three girls from Class 4B at Stanfield Mixed Infants and Junior Girls’ School in Crosby have forgone their usual birthday gifts from their friends and asked them to contribute the money to charity. After enjoying the joint birthday party, the philanthropists, Harriet Oakes, Ellen Jones and Charlotte Pickthall donated over £440 to the Waterloo Partnership which will provide enough money for four vulnerable children in the Waterloo area of Sierra Leone to attend school for one year.

The money Harriet, Ellen, Charlotte and their friends raised will cover uniform, educational resources, school fees and a small amount for maintenance. This will really change the four children’s lives and give them the opportunity for a brighter future away from poverty.

The Waterloo Partnership, created in 2005, links the people of Waterloo, Merseyside and Sierra Leone to promote the building up of both communities; safeguard the dignity of persons and support those struggling to achieve basic human rights.

Stanfield, a member of the Merchant Taylors’ family of Schools in Crosby, has had previous links to the charity as Deputy Head Mrs Jane Roberts is heavily involved. Headmistress of the Senior Girls’ School, Mrs Louise Robinson, also visited Sierra Leone, the second poorest country in the world, in February of this year.

Being aware of the benefits of their own education, the girls are now hoping that other people will follow in their footsteps and raise money to help children around the world gain more access to education and work towards a better future.

Year 10 pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently attended the “Your Future Your Choice” conference at Manchester University.

The pupils took part in the conference which was designed to highlight future opportunities for Black and Minority Ethnic Year 10 pupils. The aim of the event was to raise the aspirations and motivation of the pupils by showing them the benefits of progressing to university whilst at the same time enjoying themselves and having fun.

Six pupils who are considering a university career were involved in the day along with other schools from the Manchester area. They participated in workshops focusing on their aspirations and how to overcome barriers to success. The pupils also took part in team building activities and discussions about their future ambitions.

The pupils met and worked with university student ambassadors throughout the day, so they were able to find out about university life from the people who know best!

“Our pupils really appreciated the opportunity to attend the “Your Future Your Choice” conference at Manchester University,” commented Ms Nuala Conway from Saint Paul’s. “It was good for them to see that there is a world of opportunities available to them. Life at university can be exciting and, whilst enabling them to gain important qualifications, it will also introduce them to new people and new experiences and give them their first real taste of independence.”

Ms Conway added “What you have learned from your education and how you use those opportunities, sets you apart from the rest and can widen your career opportunities immensely.”

“The conference gave our pupils a taste of university life and allowed the youngsters to explore some of the possibilities open to them,” said Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s.  “Education is a doorway to a better future and we hope that this experience will inspire and motivate them to think about their future career ambitions.”

High flying pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently attended the Big Bang North West (UK Young Scientist and Engineering Fair) at the World Museum in Liverpool.

The Big Bang is a focal point for the efforts of the science and engineering community to excite and stimulate young people and encourage them to consider a future career in science and engineering.

The Year 9 pupils took part in a music technology workshop, they went on a flight simulator and had the opportunity to explore many areas of the museum.

The pupils from Saint Paul’s had prepared for the event by investigating the carbon footprint of pH indicators. They worked independently to identify a question to investigate, then to plan and carry out the investigation, followed by collecting the findings and formulating conclusions. It was this work which was then showcased at the event.

“Our pupils had the opportunity to look at many highly innovative aspects of science and engineering and explore the exciting opportunities on offer in the sector; it could be that inspiration from this event will give them the determination to aspire to greater things,” commented Ms Amanda Spenceley, a Science teacher at Saint Paul’s.

Ms Spenceley added: “The pupils have gained enormously from this experience and they are really inspired and enthused about the amazing things they have seen. It has been a fantastic learning experience.”

“This was an inspirational event which will I am sure fire up the minds of our pupils with the limitless possibilities of science,” said Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “We hope that events such as this will motivate the youngsters, who we may then see as future leaders in the fields of science and technology.”

Bournemouth’s Portchester School has indoor rowing teams who have won an unprecedented eight out of a possible 10 Concept 2 National Schools Indoor Rowing League titles this year. Their other two teams both finished runners-up! No mean achievement in a competition involving around 500 different schools including some heavily funded public schools renowned for their on-water prowess.

Newly elected Head Boy Ashley Williamson added to this astonishing list of honours by placing 3^rd in the under 16 section of the Concept 2 Challenge, a nationwide series of 7 monthly time trials open to all-comers.

As a further accolade, Portchester School’s indoor rowing program was shortlisted with 5 other schools for the prestigious Times Education Outstanding Sporting Initiative award.

At an award ceremony held at the school the student squad members were presented with their trophies and medals by Tony Bernard from the Steve Bernard Foundation, the foundation which supports youth sports projects in the Bournemouth area. In turn, Portchester presented Tony with a £200 cheque for the foundation raised from its own “Row the Channel” fundraiser.

Portchester have gone from strength to strength since purchasing their first indoor rowing machines 3½ years ago. Over 300 students take part in the annual school championships and 2 years ago Portchester produced a world record holder in Tom Clark. As a result of this the Steve Bernard Foundation kindly provided funding for two Concept 2 rowing machines. This enabled the school to broaden its training and competition base, win 4 National Schools League titles in 2009 and then further improve to this year’s amazing tally of 8.

Tony Bernard said, “Portchester’s indoor rowing program is a fine example of the type of project our foundation is looking to assist. It provides great grass roots support for youngsters to get involved in an activity whilst at the same time providing a pathway for talented performers to compete at the highest level. We are very pleased to further support Portchester by funding two more rowing machines”.

Head teacher Chris Bradey added, “I am absolutely delighted with the success of our indoor rowing activities both at the elite level and within the school as a whole. It has helped to raise our students’ aspirations in all areas of school life and their achievements go hand in hand with the considerably improving academic results we have enjoyed here at Portchester in recent years”.

PORTCHESTER’S RESULTS 2009/10

Bebington High Sports College is running a summer multi sports camp to provide superb opportunities in a range of sporting activities for young Boys and Girls during summer.

A team of fully qualified, CRB checked, specialist Community Sports Coaches will assist youngsters in each of the range of activities on offer with an emphasis on fun, participation and experiential learning.  Students will enjoy safe, progressive, recreational multi sports sessions including football, basketball, cricket and many more.

The camp will run between 16^th – 19^th August inc, from 9am – 3pm and will accommodate children between the ages of 4 – 7 yrs.

HOWEVER, PLACES ON THE CAMP ARE LIMITED AND WILL THEREFORE BE ALLOCATED ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS!

For more information or to book a place contact Craig Nall on 07856 284 752 craignall08@yahoo.co.uk or by phoning

The students at Washwood Heath Technology College again raised thousands of pounds for charity with their annual summer fair.

In total £2330 was raised for Acorns over the course of the day from a variety of stalls and games including food, electronics, books and bric-a-brac stalls and a variety of games of skill and luck.

The most popular game was without doubt Soak the Teacher for which Mr Singh and Mr Mabey bravely volunteered to be pelted with wet sponges for the whole day.

Mr Singh, Head of Chamberlin House who were behind this year’s event said

“It was a fantastic day, with a great buzz. All the students and staff really got behind the summer fair, donating lots of items and making sure they brought lots of money to spend. The highlights of the day had to be the Soak the Teacher stall and the Penalty Shoot Out. We look forward to adding new and more exciting stalls next year and beating the amount raised this year.”

Thanks must go to Zolfo Cooper, Pak supermarket, Tesco and Pizza Hut who supported the fair by donating their time and goods and to Young Chambers for funding the mini farm and Octoplus Cluster who funded other activities, all of which helped the fair be the success that it was.

Nottingham High School pupil, Daniel Lin,17, has just returned from Cambridge University where he took part in the annual five day Senior Physics Challenge.

Daniel was put forward to take part in the prestigious event, for which places are highly competitive and selective, by his Physics teacher Peter Hortor, after he achieved excellent AS results, and demonstrated a superb attitude towards his physics studies. He also took an online maths and physics test.

The challenge consisted of a range of lectures, practical lab activities and ‘life in Cambridge’ experiences such as punting. Daniel also met top physics students from around the country.

“Only top physics pupils from around the country are eligible to take part in the five day event” says Peter Hortor “and Daniel thoroughly deserved his place in this select group.”

The Senior Physics Challenge, SPC, is a university access initiative directed at AS physics students, or equivalent, in schools across the UK. It aims to demystify and make physics more accessible to a wider range of students.

Pupils at Nottingham High Junior School have been celebrating after coming runners up in the English Primary Schools Chess Team Championships at Pontins at Brean Sands in Somerset.

The school had two teams of six qualifying for the finals – an U11 team and a U9 team – who successfully competed against over 170 schools that initially took part in the competition.

The U11 team, which finished in second place, consisted of Michael Fletcher, Harry Croasdale, Tobias Schroder, Saaras Mehan, Nikhil Sahdev and Henry Murray. The boys won a large trophy together with individual silver salvers.

The U9 team included John Croasdale, Hari Solomonides, Sahrin Ahluwalia, Will Hammond, Will Atiomo and Will Stewart and finished in a very commendable sixth place.

“I am so pleased with the boys’ efforts. To finish second in this prestigious tournament is a great achievement,” said Eddie Jones, Deputy Head at Nottingham High School. “It has been a reward for their years of dedication to the game. I speak for the whole school when I say we are delighted with the performance of our U9 team too. Each boy played brilliantly and I am sure that given their abilities, they will progress  even further in this competition in the coming years.”

Students have set themselves the goal of bringing the World Cup to Plymouth – by designing their own football stadia.

The students have been working in teams to develop their ideas with the help of teachers before putting all the designs on display at Drakes Circus shopping on Wednesday 21 July.

They hope to use the display to encourage shoppers to back the bid for the 2018 World Cup to be staged in England, with Plymouth Argyle being one of the host cities.

Teacher Robert Galley said: “Students recognise the importance to the local economy that a successful bid to bring the World Cup to Plymouth will have on the whole city.

“This was an excellent opportunity for them to develop their designs skills at the same time as raising the profile of the 2018 bid to the public of Plymouth.”

The students’ football stadium designs will be on display in Drakes Circus throughout the day, but they are also visiting the University of Plymouth where they will work with staff and students there to further develop their ideas.

They will also be joined by a number of Gifted and Talented pupils from one of the college’s feeder schools, Stoke Damerel Primary.

For those teachers and finance managers who are thoroughly fed up with the cost and inconvenience of replacing broken or damaged chairs…. the answer is YES  it is possible.

Not only is it possible but these chairs,  which have a TEN year “fair wear and tear guarantee” are made  here in the UK.

Designed to be more comfortable for students as well as durable enough to withstand the rigours of a classroom  (they are manufactured from a single mould of polypropylene….. so no screws or rivets to be unscrewed  or vandalised ! ) they are available in a wide range of colours and sizes, all to the latest EN specifications.

If you’d like to know more about these chairs then call Central Educational Supplies Ltd.,  on 020 7515 1797  or check out their website:  www.centraleducational.co.uk

Pupils from the Gifted and Talented group at Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently set forth on a science focused residential trip to London.

The pupils visited the Science Museum where they immersed themselves in Lauchpad, the museum’s “hands-on, brains-on” gallery which is full of interactive exhibits from the world of physics; they then watched the IMAX film “Dinosaurs Alive” which involved a journey with palaeontologists as they hunt for dinosaur remains in New Mexico and the Gobi Desert.

Next day included a tour of London where the pupils got to visit Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace where they watched the Changing of the Guard. It was then on to the Natural History Museum to interact with nature like never before in the state of the art cocoon tour.

In the cocoon, the pupils were able to discover real specimens from huge tarantulas to metre-high plants, some of the plant and insect collections they viewed dated back 400 years to when the museum first opened.

“The pupils had a great time in the Science Museum’s Launchpad gallery which is all about asking questions and making sense of the way things work,” commented Ms Anita Keegan, a Science teacher from Saint Paul’s who is responsible for the school’s Gifted and Talented group. “The “Dinosaurs Alive” experience was like going back in time and seeing the prehistoric creatures from the earliest beasts of the Triassic to the giants of the Cretaceous.”

Ms Keegan added “The pupils were able to take part in lots of hands-on interactive activities exploring science and nature at the same time.”

“The pupils gained a great deal from this visit, they were able to enjoy their time in London and see many of the major sites,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “Their visits to the two museums enabled them to experience the world of science in a fascinating and inspiring manner, they saw some incredible displays and engaged in some state of the art interactive activities.”

Bebington High Sports College recently hosted a year 5 Primary Festival of Sport for pupils from 8 local primary schools.

The event was run by Bebington High Sports College PE staff, community coaches and young leaders from Bebington High Sports College.

The festivals ran on Thursday 8^th and Friday 9^th July 2010, in which 330 year 5 pupils were provided with a range of sporting activities to participate in, these involved, dance, trampolining, taekwondo and basketball.  Afternoon activities also included football, kwik cricket, high 5 netball and indoor athletics.  All pupils were involved in competitions to score points for their school, as well as achieving individual awards for best performer and best effort throughout the day.  All points gained were tallied together to create a final league table.

To make the day more special for the year 5 pupils, parents, headteachers and other guests joined the primary pupils in the main assembly hall for a Celebration of Sport ceremony, where former Great Britain Taekwondo Champion, Richie Saunders, was on hand to present certificates to all the participants.

It was a fantastic event for Bebington High Sports College, which promoed our aim to encourage youngsters to participate in sport, and celebrate their achievement.

The ceremony also included two dance performances, a digital sports presentation and a closing speech by the Headteacher, Mr Brian Jordan, and Wirral’s Partnership Development Manager, Mr Kevin Byrne, both of Bebington High Sports College.

The winning schools, Devonshire Park Primary and Brackenwood Primary school, both received medals and winning trophies, and all schools received participation certificates for their contribution throughout the day.  Director of Sport Debbie Jennings said “Bebington High Sports College were delighted with the brilliant feedback from the primary school pupils, staff and parents, who said it was a well organised, enjoyable, exciting event”.

St. George’s School

Ascot,

Berkshire SL5 7DZ

Tel. 01344 629900    Fax. 01344 629901

e-mail:  office@stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

website:  www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

Boarding and Day School for 300 girls aged 11 – 18

Part-time native speakers of French and Spanish

Required from October 2010 to May 2011

To assist our Modern Foreign Languages Department with the preparation of our A level and GCSE candidates.  Working on a one to one basis or in small groups.

10-12 hours a week during term time, mainly between the hours of 4.00pm and 6.45pm although some hours could be arranged during the school working day.  Pay will be £10 per hour.

Training will be provided on the specific exam criteria needed to be covered

For further details and an application form please go to our website www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

St George’s School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.  The successful applicant will be subject to an enhanced CRB check.

Closing date Monday 6^th September 2010

Prince’s Trust Team programme trainee Aaran Davids spent two weeks on work experience with Pimlico Plumbers’ team of experienced technicians – and on his last day took home a cheque for £4,000 for the youth charity.

The 19 year old from Walthamstow was on board at Pimlico – London’s largest independent plumbing and service company – learning the ropes as a carpenter, and, after grafting hard on the tools, collected a £4,000 donation for The Trust.

The money was raised by the Pimlico Plumbers Band, from sales of a charity CD released after they won a BBC One talent show – Tonight’s the Night.

The Prince’s Trust Team programme gives disadvantaged young people the skills, confidence and work experience to find a job.

During Aaran’s work placement he helped out with the refurbishment of the Pimlico depot, and also travelled around London working with the Pimlico technicians on the road, using his newly-gained skills.

Never Mind the Ballcocks, the Pimlico Plumbers band was formed by heating engineers Stuart Dunne (lead vocals and guitar) and Robbie Glanfied (bass guitar and back-up vocals) with carpenter Billy Kikidis on drums.

The work experience is part of Pimlico’s ongoing support of The Princes’ Trust. Managing Director Charlie Mullins is an Enterprise Fellow of The Trust, which involves helping to motivate and inspire disadvantage young people to become entrepreneurs.

Aaran, who went to Warwick School for Boys in Walthamstow, said: “The two weeks at Pimlico have been excellent experience; going out with the guys was great. I have been interested in carpentry for a while and The Prince’s Trust has given me the start I needed and it’s certainly positive for my CV.”

Charlie Mullins, Managing Director of Pimlico Plumbers, said: “Supporting The Princes’ Trust gives me the opportunity to help young people like Aaran. It is important that they gain practical experience in the work place.

“Aaran is the latest Prince’s Trust trainee to come to Pimlico, and he’s certainly been one of the best. Everyone he’s worked with has commented on how keen he was to learn and how he turned his hand to anything they threw his way. He really is the kind of lad who deserves the chance to gain skills which hopefully will lead him in to a successful career.”

“Pimlico Plumbers is a great supporter of our work, helping us to change young lives across the UK,” says Julian Barrell, director of fundraising, The Prince’s Trust.

“This support is more important than ever to help thousands of unemployed young people into jobs.”

More than three in four young people on Prince’s Trust schemes go onto work, education or training.

SHOW THE VIDEO FOR THIS STORY ON YOUR WEBSITE – FULL VERSION WITH HIGH RES PHOTO AND WEB VIDEO LINK: http://www.recognitionpr.co.uk/journalistarea-story.asp?id=8581

To mark the end of summer term, on Tuesday 6 July Staines Prep School’s Year 6 performed their own special version of 1001 Nights, an ancient collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories.

From the school’s Main Hall, the cast comprising of all 25 members of Year 6, whisked audiences off to far away Arabia – to a land of beautiful princesses, gallant princes and greedy viziers.

The script was based on original Indian, Persian, and Arabic adventure stories, romances, legends, fables and fairy tales, such as Sinbad, Aladdin and Ali Baba. The magical mood was intensified by intoxicating sets designed by the ADT teacher Kim McDougall, and atmospheric sound and lighting created by parent Steve Durrell.

Mr Malcolm Amiss, Deputy Head said, “This year has ended on a real high. The evening was such a success thanks to everyone involved, including the children, parents and staff.”

A team of four intrepid friends are busy packing their kit for a gruelling  10,000-mile drive in an ambulance across Europe and Asia.

Old Suttonians Henry Coyle, 22, from Sutton Valence, and Ben Pearson-Clarke, 22, from Tunbridge Wells,  Lizzy Drake, 22, from Hunton and Louise Flower, 21 from Purley, will be setting out from Goodwood Race Course, Sussex, on July 24, in a mission to take cash and practical aid to some of the poorest people in the world.

Without support crew, recovery vehicle or any mechanical knowledge, the quartet are part of a major international mission to raise the profile of the charity Mercy Corps, which is currently helping the starving and suffering in Mongolia.

Teams will be joining the 500-strong convoy in Madrid and in Rome, gathering wide publicity en route, as well as at the start and the finish.

Henry said: “It’s a very unusual charity event and an awesome opportunity to be involved in an exceedingly worthy cause and an exciting international event.”

The Mongol Rally is a growing annual event, which passes through 17 countries, five mountain ranges, two deserts and over a third of the world’s surface.

Henry is hoping local companies will contribute to the cause, either directly or through sponsorship.  Sponsorship packages start from just £50.

He said: “Mercy Corps’ mission is to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. In Mongolia, the focus is on education, civil society, natural resource management, small business independence and economic development, in both town and desert communities.”

As well as donating the ambulance, money and provisions, Henry and his colleagues will be staying on in Mongolia to do some voluntary work with homeless children.

Henry, who has just graduated in economics from York University, said: “Mongolia has a fascinating history but today is largely forgotten. The country has been left sorely neglected, with much poverty, suffering and starvation.”

To sponsor the Mercy Corps or to learn more about the mission, visit www.flightofthemongols.co.uk or contact Henry on 07896 535581 or Ben on

07795 364149. Donations can also be left at Sutton Valence Post Office, where Henry’s father Gary is postmaster.

Relatives of world renowned author, poet, playwright, essayist and literary critique D H Lawrence, who originated from Eastwood and was a pupil at Nottingham High School from 1898 to 1901, have recently visited the School.

Tony Lawrence, great nephew to D H Lawrence and himself a former pupil of the school, paid a private visit to the school along with other members of the Lawrence family.

Making the special trip from the US and Canada , the family members were given a tour of the School, as well as meeting headmaster Kevin Fear, and viewing photos and other archive memorabilia from Tony Lawrence’s and D H Lawrence’s time at the school. In addition, they also sampled a school dinner in the school’s new dining hall, giving Tony a chance to compare school dinners from the 1940’s and the 2010’s.

“We were delighted to welcome D H Lawrence’s relatives to the school,” said Kevin Fear, Headmaster at Nottingham High School. “He is one of our most famous pupils, and, as planning gets underway for the celebrations to mark the 500^th anniversary of the school in 2013, their visit couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Three Year 9 pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe have been busy broadcasting their own radio show on Wythenshawe FM.

The boys, Leonardo Vieru, Lewis Parry and Elliot Robertson, have a show every fortnight 4pm – 5pm where they play music, review games and movies and discuss items of current interest. Their programme is broadcast throughout the Wythenshawe area.

The show is so effective and enjoyable that it was voted the Best Youth Show on WFM.

The radio show provides the youngsters with the opportunity to develop skills of enquiry and communication through research and selection of material to broadcast. At the same time, the pupils are able to develop their skills and sense of responsibility through negotiation, decision making and participation in running the radio programme. When designing the programme they carefully considered the effect of their chosen music and transcripts upon their audience and take responsibility that the choices they made were appropriate and suitable to the target audience.

“I am really grateful that I have been lucky enough to get this opportunity,” said Lewis Parry. “It has allowed me to learn first-hand all about radio broadcasting.”

Elliot Robertson added: “It has been a fantastic insight into the communications world.”

“We have learnt a great deal from this experience, it also enables us to get our voices heard in our own communities,” explained Leonardo Veiru. “It has boosted my confidence and given me valuable experience of working in a broadcasting environment.”

“This has been a great way for the students to learn not just radio skills but to gain confidence in speaking publicly and to get their voice heard across Wythenshawe.” said Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s.

A young Kent schoolboy is riding on the crest of a wave after winning the UK National Mirror Dinghy Championships for 2010.

Eddie Bridle, 12, from Hawkhurst, a pupil at Sutton Valence School, sailed to victory with partner Chris Rush, 18, despite tides and winds conspiring against them in the six races at Brightlingsea Sailing Club.

Eddie and Chris were competing together for the first time and revelled in the challenging conditions, however, and went on to win three of the races.

The final results showed that their consistent sailing had paid off and that they had sailed home with a two point advantage over their nearest rivals – and well ahead of most other contenders.

Eddie has been sailing two-man boats with his father Graham from the age of six and last year the duo came fifth in the much faster Cherub class.

His skills were spotted by Chris, who is the current European Mirror Class Champion, and invited to help crew the dinghy ‘Complete and Utter Chaos’ – which clearly belied its name in the national event.

Eddie and his father spend most weekends in training at Brightlingsea, when they are not competing in other scheduled meetings up and down the country.

And when he is not all at sea, sportsman Eddie is a keen footballer at Sutton Valence, where he is about to embark on his second year. Elder brother William, 15, also at Sutton Valence, also enjoys the occasional sail – but only for recreational purposed, while mum Claire is an avid spectator.

Although Eddie’s performance could make him a prime contender for the World Championships later in the year, the time, travel and logistics make it an unlikely option for both Eddie and partner Chris; the World’s take place in Perth at Christmas!

Mr Bridle said: “Eddie is still very young to be competing in this type of event. Most people enjoy success from the age of 16 and upwards, so there is plenty of scope and opportunity ahead.”

Plymouth diving sensations Tom Daley and Tonia Couch were the star guests at Stoke Damerel Community College’s annual Sports Personality of the Year awards night.

The teenage divers took a break from their hectic training schedules to hand over awards to some of the college’s leading sports stars at a special presentation event held yesterday (Thursday 8 July).

Around 100 students were presented with prizes covering a whole host of sports which they had all excelled in, both as part of their studies and outside school, over the past year.

Parents and staff were also invited to the event, which was staged in the school hall and is one of the most high profile award nights on the school calendar.

As well as presenting the prizes, both Tom and Tonia were happy to take questions from the students about their diving endeavours and life in the sporting spotlight.

Dan Cole, curriculum manager for PE at Stoke Damerel, said the children were extremely excited about their two star guests.

“To have two such great sporting stars join us on the night was a huge privilege for everyone at the school and we cannot thank them enough,” said Dan.

“Both Tom and Tonia are great ambassadors for both their sport and Plymouth, and hopefully it will inspire some of our sporting students to emulate their achievements.”

Lucky students from Stoke Damerel Community College will be taking a step back in time when they head to the Land of the Pharaohs for an exciting educational trip.

The 17 students, from Years 9 to 12, are taking a journey around the sights of Egypt in a £15,000 trip that they have funded themselves through a series of money raising events and activities.

Over the last few months the students have taken part in bag packing, held sponsored walks, plus a host of other activities to hit their target and make the chance-in-a-lifetime trip possible.

Teacher Simon Kelly, who is leading the seven day trip from 15 July, said it will be a journey of discovery that the students will never forget.

“They have worked so hard to get the money together for this visit and now all that hard work will be rewarded,” said Simon.

“It will give them a wonderful insight into the geographical, historical and cultural aspects of life in Egypt, benefitting not only their studies, but helping them to develop as individuals too.”

The students will travel by coach, air and rail to Egypt where they will take in the leading sights and visit some of the historical treasures that make the country so famous.

Trips are planned to some of the most famous tourist attractions in the world, including the ancient pyramids, the temples at Luxor, the High Aswan Dam, as well as visit to the capital Cairo.

Pupils at Sutton Valence Preparatory School ended term with a grand finale: a show-stopping production of the colourful and comic ‘Wind in the Willows.’

Based on the book by Kenneth Grahame, the story tells how Ratty, Mole and Badger try to take the errant Mr Toad in hand and curb his enthusiasm for motor cars – but to no avail.

Toad ends up in jail for stealing a car, makes an escape dressed as a washerwoman only to find that a band of stoats and weasels have taken over Toad Hall in his absence. It’s then up to our four main characters to claim it back!

The show included all children in Year 6, who put on three lively and inspired performances over three days for parents and friends, with some jovial songs and dances along the way.

Faced with such a hectic schedule, some of the parts were shared, giving Elliot Stirling and Robyn Smith each a turn at playing Toad on different days. Likewise, Ratty was played by Sebastian Shaddick and Annabelle Blake, Mole by Millie Browning and Ella Capaldi and Badger by William Potter and Matthew Jones.

Drama teacher Kate Foster said: “The children practiced very hard throughout the term and gave some magnificent portrayals, which had the audience in stitches. It was an excellent end to the summer term and something the children – and their parents – will remember for a long time.”

For further information, please contact:

Helen Knott, Sutton Valence School, Tel: (01622) 845271, or Richard Harvey Tel: (01580) 763605 or Jane Shotliff Tel: (01622) 870272

Pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe took centre stage to showcase the achievements of the Expressive and Performing Arts faculty in a packed venue. The evening was filled with music and dance from a variety of genres. During the interval the extensive range of work produced in the art department was projected for all to enjoy.

In particular, the dance involved in this year’s showcase demonstrated a culmination of a variety of styles, in which the BTEC Performing Arts students were marked for their Dance unit. The styles varied from Contemporary dance to The Charleston, each being very different. The evening was a superb opportunity for Saint Paul’s to showcase the talents of its pupils and was well received by all.

The event was especially important for the BTEC Music class as it also acted as their Assessment.

Head of Performing and Expressive Arts, Ms Ellie Brookes, added: ‘I am so proud of all the pupils involved in the showcase as each pupil has worked so hard for their performance including some pupils who had never performed before. I am immensely proud of my year 11 students and their achievements, they are a credit to this school and will be greatly missed.’

“The showcase was a joy to watch with some amazing singing and dancing performances,” said Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “The production was imaginatively directed and sparkled with creativity and energy. The success of the show could be measured by the spontaneous and genuinely heartfelt applause of the audience.”

More information about Saint Paul’s Catholic High School can be found at www.st-paulshigh.net or contact Jane McAuliffe-Hall (Marketing and Publicity Manager) at j.mcauliffe-hall@st-paulshigh.net or on 0161 437 5841 .