Important dates for your diary
- Start of the Summer Term for students: Wednesday 19th April
- PD Days for staff - school closed to students on:
Tuesday 18th April
Friday 7th July
- Year 10 Parents Evening: Thursday 27th April
- Year 8 Parents Evening: Thursday 18th May
- Year 7 Parents Evening: Thursday 22nd June
- Year 6 Transition Days: Monday 3rd July and Tuesday 4th July
- Year 6 Parents Evening: Tuesday 4th July
And some other dates:
- Late buses - leave school at 4pm on most Thursdays between the following dates:
Thursday 20th April to Thursday 15th June
- Summer Concert: Thursday 4th May at 7pm
- GCSE Exams start: Monday 15th May to Wednesday 21st June
- Year 11 Record of Achievement: Thursday 15th June at 2pm
- Year 11 Prom: Friday 7th July
- Activities Week: Monday 17th July to Friday 21st July
- Work Experience Week (Year 10): Monday 17th July to Friday 21st July
- Last day of term: Wednesday 26th July
- Year 11 GCSE Results Day: Thursday 24th August
Jon Lawrence - Headteacher
There are two big issues facing schools. The first is funding. The second is whether or not to become an academy.
Funding
I have written a number of times to parents/carers and Scott Mann, MP, about the parlous state of school funding, but it’s not just me writing letters. Headteachers representing some 3,000 schools in England have written to their local MPs and ministers calling for a rethink on school finance plans.
There are two issues to consider; firstly, the amount of money the government is putting into the national education pot; and secondly, how that money is distributed to schools (this bit is called the national funding formula or NFF).
The Department for Education keeps on saying school spending is at record levels, but they cleverly forget to mention this is because there are many more children in schools. The reality is that over the next few years just about all state schools will be hit with real term cuts to their funding. The government has chosen to ignore inflationary cost pressures and other increases to overheads that all schools are enduring. Ministers are expecting schools to make efficiency savings. By 2020 Sir Jim's can expect to lose over £200,000 in funding. This will not be possible without cuts to subjects, staff, activities, facilities and resources. School leaders simply want a reasonable settlement that sees every child in every school adequately funded.
Here at Sir Jim’s we were hoping the proposed new national funding formula would lead to a small increase in funding. Historically, Cornwall’s schools have been funded less generously than schools elsewhere. Unfortunately Sir Jim’s will not benefit; even Scott Mann confirms we will be worse off. Recently published research by the Education Policy Institute suggests every state school in England will see budget cuts before 2020, even after the NFF proposals are put in place.
More than a dozen Conservative councils have written to Prime Minister Theresa May to warn of their "alarm" at inadequate school funding in England. Other Members of Parliament, across the political spectrum, have expressed their concerns that schools in their constituency are to lose out. And in some areas parents/carers have organised and led protests. It does look like the current historical unfairness will remain locked into future funding which will mean children in our large cities being worth more than children in rural areas like North Cornwall.
If you would like to find out more please click on the link below.
To be an academy or not to be
You may be aware that the government wants all schools to convert to academy status. This means they are independent of the local authority and are funded by and accountable to the Department for Education in London. To help speed up conversion, the government has appointed eight Regional Schools Commissioners. Their job is to look after existing academies, forcibly convert schools that fail Ofsted inspections and ‘encourage’ remaining schools to become academies and join a Multi Academy Trust (MAT). The pressure to convert is growing.
In Cornwall the majority of children at primary and secondary school-age already attend schools that have chosen to convert or, due to poor Ofsted inspections, have been forced to convert. Sir Jim’s and most of our partner primaries have not yet converted but we have reached the point where this is now almost inevitable. Delabole and Tintagel became academies a couple of years ago.
Five schools in our area have decided the time is right to consider joining together in a MAT and have written to parents/carers. The North Cornwall Learning Trust (NCLT) will replace the current Co-operative Trust arrangement. To find out more please click on the link below:
After Easter, parents/carers will be invited to a public consultation. This will provide an opportunity to find out more about our plans and what it might mean for Sir Jim’s and how schools in this area are organised, financed and governed.
Academic Review Day (ARD)
For a number of years now, parents/carers, students and tutors have met to discuss how things are going in what has been called an ‘Academic Review Day’. For the first time this year, every student in the school had their appointment on the same day and the meeting was deliberately held back until the beginning of March.
There were a couple of reasons for doing things differently this year:
- Rather than having days of interrupted timetables as each year group had its ARD on a different day, having the whole school involved on the same day has reduced the disruption across the school.
- Waiting until the mid-way point in the academic year meant there were two pieces of assessment data to be reviewed, making it possible to comment on progress so far this year.
With such a major change to how things are done, it was always going to be a concern; how would it work out in the end?
I’m delighted to say that the feedback from everybody concerned has been great. An incredible 93% of SJS parents/carers made appointments and helped their children arrive at targets for improvement for the second half of this year. Lots of useful feedback about how SJS is doing in the eyes of its parents/carers was given and there will be all sorts of things which will be the focus of discussion amongst SJS teachers and staff with a view to doing even better in the future. From homework to extra-curricular opportunities to online resources, we are always looking to see if what we do can be even more effective.
Many thanks to all those offering encouragement and support to the school; the ARD really proved to be an opportunity for the SJS community to come together and is certainly something we’ll be looking to do again next year.
The challenge now is to make sure that the information gathered on the day is shared to best effect amongst everybody in the school and given to parents/carers so they can continue to support their children through the rest of the year.
Kristien Carrington - Deputy Head
Alex Quinn – British F4 Rookie Champion 2016
Year 11 student, Alex Quinn has been crowned British F4 Rookie Champion for 2016. Competing at some of the most famous circuits in the UK, Alex was one of the youngest drivers to be racing in the single seater championship.
The championship was contested over 10 weekends and each weekend comprised of 2 practices on Friday, Timed Qualifying and a Race on Saturday and 2 races on the Sunday. The Sunday races were televised.
In just his 4th race, Alex took outright victory in the rain at Donington Park beating over 20 other drivers to the line. Moving on to Knockhill circuit in Scotland, another overall race win was earned. Towards the end of the season, Alex took a commanding lights to flag victory at the famous home of motorsport – Silverstone circuit. In total, Alex had 3 overall race wins, and 6 overall podiums.
As well as having success in the main championship where he finished 7th overall, Alex competed in the Rookie Cup which was a separate championship for drivers’ new to single seater racing. Out of 30 races, Alex stormed to victory with 16 wins and 26 overall podiums.
The 2017 season is just around the corner and Alex is in the final stages of negotiating his drive for the year. He hopes to start the season at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 1st/2nd April.
Attendance
Attendance
Just a reminder about the procedure to follow if your child is absent:-
Parents/carers should phone the Attendance Officer, Lesley Grills, on the morning of absence on 01840 214150. There is an answer phone so please do leave a message if there is no answer. Alternatively they may email:
attendance@sirjamessmiths.cornwall.sch.uk
If your child is absent for more than one day, we would appreciate a quick call each morning informing us of this. This is for safeguarding reasons which we take seriously.
All students should aim to have 96% attendance or above. Home and school need to work together to ensure attendance is as high as possible because there is a strong link between good attendance and success in exams.
Bag2School
We are arranging another Bag2School collection on Monday 8th May. The bags will be handed out after Easter, or alternatively you can use an ordinary bin liner. You can start bringing them into school as soon as you are able.
WHAT THEY COLLECT
They accept the following ‘good quality’ items for RE-USE:
- Men’s, Ladies and Children’s clothing
- Paired shoes (tied together or elastic band around)
- Handbags
- Hats
- Bags
- Scarves and ties
- Jewellery
- Lingerie
- Socks
- Belts
- Soft toys
- Household linen
- Curtains
- Towels
- Bedding (bed sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers)
They DO NOT accept:
- Duvets and blankets
- Pillows and cushions
- Carpets, rugs and mats (including bath, shower and toilet mats)
- Soiled, painted, ripped or wet clothing
- School uniforms with and without logo
- Corporate clothing and workwear
- Textile off cuts, yarns or threaded material
With thanks, Linda Macleod
Design Technology
Year 7
Year 7 students are currently developing Desk Tidy’s in their Design Technology lessons. The product gives the students a variety of different wood working skills using comb and dowel joints. The students then developed the phone holder using the laser cutter which cut and engraved their design onto live edge acrylic. They then formed the plastic into shape using the line bender.
Year 11
Year 11 GCSE project work is now being completed and there are some excellent examples here from Tom Connolly, Faith Robinson and James Venning who has developed a telephone chair from old pallets and restored them to create this unique and eye catching design.
Drama
School Production
This February, we performed After Juliet as our school production. The story, set in a turbulent Verona, starts weeks after Romeo and Juliet’s sad demise. We follow the story of Rosaline. Spurned by Romeo and grieving, she is intent on gaining power for herself and revisiting Verona’s violent past…
We were keen to involve as many of the school community as possible in the production of this play. Nearly 70 students were involved in all aspects of the production – 48 in the cast, 8 creating the music and a multitude building set, working backstage and running the technical aspects.
Set design, fairy lights, scaffolding, chiaroscuro lighting and incredible live music from our very talented bands created the brooding, intense atmosphere on stage. GCSE Drama students were fully involved in creating and directing the performance. A physical theatre workshop with Frantic Assembly formed the start point for including impressive lifts and movement in the pre-show and during some of the musical numbers.
Bryony Alderman - Subject Leader for Drama
Being a lead in the school production was great. When you put months of work into something so big, you get a huge sense of pride at the end. Being on stage with all the parents focusing on you and seeing your name in the programme – it’s so fulfilling.
Caitlin Colman (Benvolio) – Year 11
The rehearsals were a great way of socialising with people in different year groups and learning new skills. I enjoyed being in the play because I really love acting and I thought I could lay foundations for the future. I loved the choreography and I was so excited to get a speaking part! I enjoyed watching the older years act and do the big physical theatre pieces – especially the pre-show with the amazing lifts. I really enjoyed being part of my first school production and thought that After Juliet was a great play to be in.
Bethie Hewett – Year 7
Exams
Year 11 GCSE Exams
You should now have a copy of your GCSE timetable for the summer as well as a summary of the exam rules and a revision planner. Please visit our website for the full version of ‘Exam Guidance’ – it is important that you are aware of the rules and regulations that govern GCSE exams, as well as, for example, what to do if your child is ill on the day of an exam. If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the Exams Officer on 01840 214153.
When the exams are running
The exams will run from 15th May to 21st June. Please keep your exam timetables handy as these tell you which room your exam is in, what time the exam starts, and which seat you will be sitting at. It is important that you arrive at your exam room 10 minutes before the exam is due to start. This allows you to put your bag away safely, find your seat and listen to the invigilator instructions about the exam.
Please make sure that you are aware of the exam rules – these are on the school website under ‘Examination Guidance’. The most common, and potentially devastating, breach of rules is accidentally taking mobile phones into the exam room. Students must ensure phones, and any other electronic devices, are safely stored away outside the exam room.
The school is, once again, offering free exam breakfasts to students who are sitting morning exams. A menu has been sent out to students and there is a copy on the school website and exams noticeboard.
If you have any enquiries during this time, please don’t hesitate to come to the Exams Office.
Results Day
GCSE Results Day will be on Thursday, 24th August. You can collect your results from school between 9.30am and 12 noon. All uncollected results will be posted to your primary home address by second class mail that afternoon. If you wish for someone else to collect your results, you must complete an authorisation form and return it to the Exams Office before 23rd August – please ask in the Exams Office or Main Reception. Without this, we cannot release your results to anyone else.
After Results Day
We expect GCSE certificates to arrive at the school by the end of November. We will contact you to let you know where and when to collect your certificates – these must be signed for on collection.
If you have any concerns or anxieties, parents/carers and students alike, please don’t hesitate to email, phone or knock on the Exams Office door. We are here to help.
Finance
Free School Meals
Did you know…just registering your child for Free School Meals means that the School gets extra money for all our students? Register now to make sure we don’t miss out.
The Government is giving money to schools to help children from lower income families do their very best. This funding is called a ‘Pupil Premium’.
Sir James Smith’s Community School receives £935 for each child registered for Free School Meals.
With this money we could arrange one to one tuition, provide a range of intervention programmes and provide a wider range of enrichment activities. If you are registered for Free School Meals you could also receive subsidised Music lessons and Post-16 Bursary funding. There may well be a range of other benefits available.
Please register to make sure your child and others in their class don’t miss out.
How does it work?
- First, check if you qualify – it is not just if you are unemployed, so please look at the list below.
- Registering is really quick and easy – if you think you qualify complete the on-line form at www.cornwall.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/school-meals/.
- If you want your child to have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime that’s great – they will get the free meal (saving you more than £400 a year), extra benefits and the School gets £935.
- If you don’t want your child to have the school meals they can continue as normal – as long as you qualify and are registered, the School still gets £935 extra.
No one will know you have registered and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming. The Cashless Catering System will, on a daily basis, automatically allocate the appropriate accounts with the free meal amounts. Students with Free Meal Entitlements remain anonymous at all times as all account types are accessed in the exact same manner regardless as to whether paid for or not.
Do you qualify?
You can register your child for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA-IR)
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
- Working tax credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working tax Credit.
Students can also register for Free School Meals if they get any of these benefits themselves.
Come and talk to us if you’re not sure.
How to Register
- Go to Cornwall Council website - www.cornwall.gov.uk
- Click onto Education and Learning
- Click onto Apply for Free School Meals
- Fill in Free School Meals Eligibility
- Submit form
If you do not have access to the internet at home, please contact us and we will arrange for you to use a School computer.
First Aid
Managing Medicines
Our Managing Medicines Policy states that all parents/carers wishing their child to have medication in school, e.g. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen etc, must send in a letter of authority, together with a box containing the medication required. Any medication from the GP must come in the original container with the correct dosage labelled as dispensed. Could I also remind you that under no circumstances should students carry their own pain killers with them.
If changes occur to your child's health, please could you let us know in writing so that we can keep our records up to date.
'Mop-Up' Injections
Year 8, Year 9 and Year 11 students
The School Nursing Team will be coming back into school on Friday 23rd June for a ‘mop-up’ Session. If your child was away when the School Nursing Team previously came in, could you phone to let us know that you would like your child immunised.
- Year 8 girls - HPV
- Year 9 girls - HPV
- Year 9 girls and boys - Men ACWY/Dip/Tet/Pol
- Year 11 girls and boys - Men ACWY
Please download the appropriate form by clicking on the link below and send back to reception, or alternatively send your child to reception for a paper copy of the form.
Old Bank - Camelford
If you haven't visited us yet, come in person or visit facebook or the website of The Old Bank, Camelford.
We have transformed the old NatWest building into a community hub and have lots of clubs and events going on. For example:
- Films on the second Saturday of each month - children's in the afternoon and adults in the evening
- Zumba Gold on Mondays from 12pm to 12.45pm
- Photography and Model Making Groups on Monday evenings
- Walkers meet on Thursday lunchtimes
- Youth Cafe on Thursday evening from 7pm to 9pm
There's lots more information on the website or the posters in our windows.
We also hire out rooms; so if any volunteers out there would like to run their own activity, please get in touch: theoldbankcamelford@gmail.com
Hope to see you soon!
Modern Foreign Languages
Adopted Students
The MFL department at Sir James Smith's are delighted to welcome our new “Adopted Students” for this year, and we are lucky enough to have three!
Anita Kabambe and Chloe Miller are both students of French at the Universities of Plymouth and Bristol, and Meg Bryan studies German also at the University of Bristol. They are currently spending time abroad in the third year of their studies, in order to improve their language skills and experience life in a foreign country.
Anita is on her French placement in the French town of Nantes and Chloe is in French- speaking Geneva, whilst Meg is in the German city of Hamburg.
All three students are keeping in touch with us and sending us updates about their experiences to share with our students here at Sir Jim's. We wish them all the very best for their year abroad and hope that they will visit us in September on their return.
Caroline Willson - MFL Teacher
Paris by Metro
Music
Wednesday Night is Music Night
Each Wednesday Sir James Smith's School becomes the music centre of North Cornwall when musicians here are joined by players from as far as Padstow and Kilkhampton.
What a fantastic evening it was on Wednesday 15th March when over 140 musicians came together to give a superb concert. This included Sir James Smith's Year 7,10 and 11 students plus Budehaven school choir, Triggshire Wind and Strings and Atlantic Strings. The audience were treated to a wide range of styles and performances including orchestral pieces, choral and solo singing and a class performance including piano, guitars and ukuleles.
Both school choirs joined with Budehaven and Trigg Wind for a final grand finale and it was an appropriate ending to what had been a fantastic evening of collaborative music making and sharing.
Janet Elston - Cornwall Music Service Trust
Pony Club
Western Hunt Pony Club Competition
The SJS equestrian team had an early start down at Colraine Equestrian Centre for the Western Hunt Pony Club schools team show jumping competition on Saturday 11th March. The team arrived nice and early which gave them a chance to enter the clear round jumping to warm up their ponies and settle the nerves.
The team then competed in the 60/65cm jumping rounds. Lucy Musgrave jumped first on her pony Rosie, followed by Jess Beckford on Tammy. Both Year 9 students did extremely well and jumped clear rounds. Isabelle Smith was next; unfortunately this was not Ronaldo’s day. The arena was full of scary monsters and both he and Isabelle were eliminated for three refusals. Charlotte Harris (Year 7), was the last to jump in her first competition representing SJS. It was vital that she got round the course for the team to stand any chance of remaining in the competition. It was a fantastic performance from Charlotte and Jet, with another clear round for the team!
After a lengthy wait it was on to round two, the 65cm timed jumping round. Second clear rounds from Lucy, Rosie, Jess and Tammy gave the team a good start. Another unfortunate elimination for Isabelle and Ronaldo and all eyes were back on Charlotte and Jet. Again it was imperative for Charlotte to complete the course or the whole team faced elimination. Charlotte and Jet made it around the course, but two unlucky poles down gave them both 8 faults. We then had an anxious wait to see how the other teams would do.
Whilst waiting for the results, both Lucy and Jess competed in the individual jump off. A timed round for all team members who had jumped two clear rounds. Both girls performed exceptionally well. A particularly speedy round saw Lucy and Rosie gain an individual second place! Jess and Tammy jumped clear again and were awarded sixth place.
It was then time for the team results. We waited anxiously to find out if we had been placed. Mounts Bay was announced as first place with zero faults. Then it was Poole with 4 faults. There were two other teams as well as us on 8 faults. Unfortunately for us they had jumped the timed round faster, so Penair and the Tretherras Tigers were awarded third and fourth place respectively. We were however delighted to gain fifth place on our first outing, and overall the team came away with 6 rosettes which were proudly displayed!
Polly Day - Science Teacher
Quiz
Year 11 Prom Quiz
On Friday 24th February, a very successful and closely fought general knowledge quiz was held at Bowood Golf Club. Nineteen teams competed over 6 rounds of diverse questions ranging from sporting trivia, 2016 to collective nouns!!
In the end the top 3 teams were as follows:
- Infamous Five - 60 points
- 100% + one F - 56 points
- Tintagel Totties - 55 points
Displaying academic excellence was not the only reason for the quiz; through many kind donations and a well-supported raffle, nearly £500 was raised for the Year 11 Prom.
Thanks go to the many people involved with special mentions for the M.C. Mr Carrington, the Question Master, Steve Brown and Heliena and Lesley for collating the scores.
Let us hope we can repeat the occasion next year.
Sailing
Camel Sailing & Powerboat Centre
There is an after-school sailing opportunity with the Camel Sailing & Powerboat Centre in Rock on Thursdays from 4-6pm beginning on 27th April at a cost of £12 per session.
All equipment is provided. Just bring swimmers and a towel (or bring your own wetsuit). All levels welcome.
Please call the centre for further details and to book your slot as spaces are limited. 01208 862881.
Scouts
The Chief Scout Award is the highest award achieved in Scouts. To earn this badge scouts must have completed, and been awarded, nine challenge badges in the following categories: World (get involved in the community and international events); Skills; Outdoor; Teamwork; Team Leader; Personal Challenge; Expedition; Adventure; Creative.
Some examples of what these lads have undertaken to achieve this:
Hikes - over 25 hikes including - Morwenstow to Morgan Porth- 70 miles of coastline in 6 days, camping overnight; Padstow to Pentwen 32 miles in 16hrs and 31min; Expedition from Bodmin to Bowthick; Camel Run (x3) - an overnight hike testing navigational and pioneering skills.
Fires - every good scout knows how to build and light a fire! These lads have built fires in every situation from camping to Wassails, the bigger the better. Also built a fire in a tin can and boiled an egg, whilst on the move!
International and Community- they have worked in the community, in various ways and made new friends with scouts across the world at Jamborees.
Camping - over 35 nights under canvas everywhere ...on a beach, in the woods, in a field; using their pioneering skills to build the best camp gate Cornwall Scouts had ever seen! Undertook the survival camp challenge where they were dropped into the woods with a backpack containing a sleeping bag, knife and bottle of water.
All three are part of 1st Camelford Scouts.
Sport
The Easter term at Sir Jim's has been quite quiet on the sports front . However, the performances that have been going on have been of real quality.
The main team sports have been Hockey and Football, with the season still progressing as we go to press.
Cross Country
Away for the team events, SJS runners entered the Cornwall School cross country championship in January, held at Newquay sports centre. All athletes performed well with notable performances coming from Chris Lowe finishing 21st in the Year 7 boys and Harry Page finishing 16th in the Inter Boys.
The stand out performance, however, was Mia Beard who finished 14th in the junior girls category. This performance led to her being selected to represent Cornwall Schools at the English Schools National Championships in March.
Travelling with the team across to Norfolk, Mia performed really well on her National debut and finished a creditable 316th in a large, high quality field. This is a superb result and the school is delighted to have had another county athlete compete at this standard.
Football
The school football season started late this season but a flurry of fixtures have been taking place for the Year7/8 combined team and the Year 9/10 combined team. Following real commitment and dedication to training, both teams put in great performances in their first games of the season. The junior side beat Wadebridge 6-1, with a tremendous show of passing football and clinical goal scoring. The senior side had a real battle against a very strong and combative Wadebridge team. SJS turned around at half time 1-0 to the good. However, in light of a strong offence eventually succumbed to a 1-2 defeat.
The second round of fixtures saw a Year 7 side take on Bude, followed by a Year 8 side. Both these games were keenly contested on a bitterly cold evening at Stade de Camel. In the end both sides fell to defeat but not before Callum scored a wonder volley for the Year 7 side!
Further fixtures against Launceston and Wadebridge are planned, with further updates and photos in the next edition of Headlines.
Hockey
Hockey club has proved popular this year with numbers growing from 15 students in September to around 30 this term. Although they have had a mixed bag of results, the girls’ have shown real grit and determination to continue to work hard and learn important lessons from matches where they have been unsuccessful. They are also able to take pride in matches or parts of matches that have gone their way. Their hard work has really paid off and it is easy to see the improvement in the quality of their technical and tactical play.
The Year 7 students in particular have shown real grit and enthusiasm throughout all of their matches. This teams strength really lies in their ability to keep calm in adversity and offer support to all team members no matter what the score. Imogen Sandercock and Hannah Slade have proved to be a real asset to the teams defence, with Christina Merritt and Anna-Maria Gomez providing support and back up where needed. Imogen in particular has made great leaps in improvement when it comes to her tactical and technical play. Progress has been made too in the teams attack with Rachel Hicks, Amy Hearnden and Amy Sanders getting stronger with every match they play. These three in particular work well together to bring the ball up the pitch; practice is now needed to turn that hard work into goals. Ellie Gregory, Liberty O’Neill and Maddie Jones are all also members of the club.
Year 8 dedication to Hockey training has been a little disappointing, however, Isobel Ward, Ruby Musgrave and Roxy Hewitt have shown real commitment to attending training most weeks. Due to the lack of a full team, these three girls have slotted into other teams from Year 7 and Year 9. Their final game against Launceston proved to be a tough one for these girls as they were playing against older and much more experienced students. It was a physical game with a few minor injuries, however, despite this they continued to play showing the right attitude throughout.
The Year 9 and 10 team had a positive start to the season, winning their first match against Wadebridge. They unfortunately ended the season with a loss against Launceston. Emily Ward and Emilie Carr in particular have shown real dedication to training this year. Unfortunately Anna Sanders suffered an injury early on in the season which meant she was not able to participate; she came back for the final game as a defender and secured player of the match.
The girls who play for the hockey team really are a credit to the school. Teachers from other schools often comment on their politeness and willingness to accept that sometimes things just don’t go our way. Their ability to not let their heads drop when things look bad is just one of their many strengths.
We have plenty to work on for next year and hopefully all teams will continue to grow in strength and confidence. Well done girls!
Show Jumping
On the national front, Harry Page and Jasmin Greenaway qualified for the Pony Club Winter Triathlon British Championships held at Milton Keynes. This consists of running, swimming & shooting.
- Jasmin came 45th with a personal best run & swim - 1500m in 5mins 45 secs & 7 lengths in 3 mins for the swim.
- Harry came 12th overall; he also achieved a personal best run - 1500m in 5mins 1 sec & 6th placing and a personal best swim - 7 lengths & 23m in 3 minutes.
This is a superb achievement by our students to be competing with the very best national athletes and a huge congratulations to both Jasmin and Harry.
Sky Sports
Students from Years 7, 8 and 9 were selected to take part in a Sky Sports programme morning with Modern Pentathlete and Olympian, Heather Fell.
After a fun warm up which released all the nerves, Students were able to have a go at two of the events included in the modern pentathlon, fencing and pistol shooting. Students gave their all while practicing the fencing drills by learning how to lunge to beat their opponent. There was also time at the end for a quick competition to see who had the fastest reactions within each group before learning how to and having a go at shooting a laser pistol. Year 7 were even lucky enough to see and have photos taken with Heather’s Silver medal, which she won at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
All students who took part really enjoyed the experience although some said that they wished they could have had longer than an hour.
Heather will be back with us in May to work with the Sky Sports Club for a day. The club will run for 6 weeks after the Easter holidays and is aimed at building self – confidence and team work skills as well as focusing on the six keys of the Sky Sports initiative.
Camelford Leisure Centre
Thorpe Park
Key Stage 4 Reward Trip
On Friday 24th March, 58 students from Years 10 and 11 visited Thorpe Park as part of the rewards programme. It was an early start for staff and students and we were on our way by 4:30. After missing the turning for the theme park we arrived full of energy and ready for the day ahead. We made the most of our time being the last school party to depart Thorpe Park.
Well done to all the students who have achieved so well in their HERBs. We look forward to this hard work continuing over the summer-term.
A selection of photos from the day are shown below.
Thorpe Park Photos
Uniform
NEW P E Kit Item – Ladies APTUS Full Zip Training Top
It was decided to change from the Ladies Micro Fleece top to the Ladies APTUS Full Zip Training Top since it was brought to our attention by Student Council that the girls were unhappy with the level of warmth given when wearing the micro fleece.
The new item ‘APTUS Training Top’ is now available from the School Shop priced at £14.90 for the smaller sizes and £19.10 for the larger sizes and can be purchased via the Schoolmoney website on the link below, using your usual login and password.
Present students will migrate to the NEW Aptus top as and when they grow out of their micro fleece.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Summer Term
Term Dates
2016 to 2017
2017 to 2018
Weeks A & B
Credits:
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