Newsletter Issue 70 - July 2014

Edgbarrow School
Issue no. 70 - July 2014
www.edgbarrowschool.co.uk
From the Headteacher
As we near the end of the summer term I wanted to
take the opportunity to write to everyone to say thank
you very much for your help and support this year and
congratulations to all the students on what I hope has
been a very successful year for each and every one of
them.
So here we are again at the end of another academic
year and once again we have to say goodbye to some
wonderful staff. This year four of our colleagues are
retiring and between them they have notched up 70
years of teaching and 10 years of support at Edgbarrow School. So it is a farewell and thank you to Mr
Fitch, Head of Science for 27 years, Mrs Stapleton
Head of Geography for 26 years, Mrs Bridges teacher
of German and French for 17 years and Mr Blacker
our Design Technology Technician and School Handyman for 10 years.
Mr Fitch has been the most outstanding colleague and teacher and
Edgbarrow School has been truly
fortunate to have him as a Science
teacher for over a quarter of a
century. He joined us in 1987 as
Head of Science and has held that
post throughout his time with us.
Not only has be supported and guided numerous staff
through their careers but he has also ensured that the
department has delivered the best curriculum possible
to our students and enabled our students to achieve
the highest grades possible, with the department consistently achieving some fantastic results throughout
the years. Not only a great teacher but a great personality; a colleague who has always got involved in
the life of the school and we have been the richer for
it. Our best wishes to Mr Fitch as he starts a long and
happy retirement. However, for the first term of his
retirement Mr Fitch will be covering for Mr Orr who
is taking a sabbatical.
Mrs Stapleton joined Edgbarrow in
1988, only a year later than Mr Fitch,
as a teacher of Geography and in May
1997 she was appointed Head of Geography. Since that time she has led
the department teaching GCSE and A
Level to students across the school.
During her time with us she has organised numerous
Geography field trips and more recently run the very
popular Iceland trips for students in Years 10 to 13.
This lady has the reputation of being a stern teacher in
the classroom; but she has a heart of gold. A teacher
with old school values and a teacher that has the only
chalk board left in the school! Mrs Stapleton has been
a wonderful colleague to us all over the years and we
wish her the very best as she starts what we hope will
be a long and happy retirement.
In every school or workplace you
have one or two members of staff
who are quiet, keep themselves to
themselves and get on and do a great
job: unsung heroes. Mrs Bridges is
one of those members of staff, a
great professional who delivers in the
classroom and for the past 17 years
has been a fantastic colleague within the Languages
Department. Mrs Bridges has taught German and
French across the age range but predominantly has
been an outstanding German teacher and played her
part in a Department that has some fantastic results.
During her time she has supported a number of exchange visits and only recently has returned from a
German exchange; her knowledge and experience
helps to ensure that the children to have a fantastic
time on these trips. Best wishes to Mrs Bridges for a
long and happy retirement.
Mr Blacker joined our Facilities Team
in April 2004. During his time with us
he has done a fantastic job in helping
us to keep the school environment
clean, tidy and safe. Lots of the improvements we have made around
the school, both inside the buildings
and to the school grounds, have been
supported or completed by Mr Blacker. Our very best
wishes to him as he retires and we sincerely thank him
for all that he has done to look after the fabric of
Edgbarrow School.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank a most
outstanding Head Boy and Head Girl team for their
hard work and commitment this year. Our Head Boy
and Head Girl, Stephen Tolcher and Sophie Lamden
and our Deputy Head team of Gemma Boucher, Faith Jenkinson, Amy Kent, Alex Moody and Aaron Scardifield have been
fantastic.
The manner in which they have conducted themselves and
worked with students and staff has been superb and an
achievement for which they should all be very proud
In the past few weeks we appointed our new Head Boy and
Head Girl team. So congratulations to Charlie Goswell and
Jess Bollands on their appointment as Head Boy and Head Girl
and further congratulations to our new Deputies - Emily Miles,
Laura Puddy, Alex Wilson, Matthew Raymen and Prabhat Seth.
At the end of this term we will welcome back Mrs Petri, Head
of Languages and we have already welcomed back Mrs Findlay, LSA, who are both returning from maternity leave.
This summer Miss Walton, Head of Art, will be getting married
and will return to school in September as Mrs Stromdale.
● Mrs Hartley has been a teacher of Design Technology at
Edgbarrow for 12 years and is now moving to Down
House School in Bucklebury. An outstanding teacher who
will be sorely missed. We thank her for her time at
Edgbarrow and wish her the very best in her new post.
● Mrs Dobbs has been at Edgbarrow for 11 years in our
English Department. She is moving to Newlands Girls
School to take up the post of Head of English. This
promotion is truly deserved and we wish her the very best
in this new role.
● Mrs Robinson has also been in our English Department
for 11 years and moves to Yateley Manor School. A huge
thanks to Mrs Robinson for all she has given to the English
Department and our best wishes as she starts a new
chapter in her career.
● Miss Gratton has worked in our Science Department for
the past 4 years and is leaving to take up the post of Head
of Year also at Newlands Girls School in Maidenhead. Miss
Gratton has done a fantastic job for us in Science and I
know she is really looking forwards to her pastoral role in
a new school. Good luck to Miss Gratton in her new post.
● Miss Fitt has been a teacher of Geography for the last 3
years but is leaving to take on the role of Senior Admissions Officer in the Education Department at the Royal
Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. She will be a great
loss to the profession and we wish her the very best for
the future.
● Mrs Head has been our PSHEE co-ordinator for the last
3 years and is leaving us to become Head of House at
Yateley School. This is a fantastic opportunity for her and
she leaves us with a huge thanks for all the work she has
done for the school. Best wishes to Mrs Head in this new
role.
● Mr O’Leary has been teaching in our Languages Department on a temporary maternity cover contract since
November 2013. He has been a great replacement for
these two terms and leaves us for a full time post in
South London. Our best wishes to Mr O’Leary.
● Miss Coates has been an LSA since September 2011
and is leaving to train as a Business Teacher. Thank you
and good luck Miss Coates.
● Mr Hill joined us as an LSA in September 2012 and is
leaving to continue with full time study and we wish
him all the best.
● Miss Brock joined us as an LSA in December 2013 and
we wish her good luck for all she does in the future.
● Mrs Parry has worked in Student Support for one
term and is now leaving to train as a teacher and we
wish her well.
● Miss Taylor, an LSA since December 2013, is leaving
us to move to Austria to teach English and we wish her
all the best.
You will find in this Newsletter a section on School Uniform
and our requirements for the new academic year. Please
read this section thoroughly as we have made some changes
to the uniform requirements.
In the last few months, the Local Authority have paid for a
brand new all-weather surface for our football and hockey
pitch. This facility is now fenced on all four sides and the
keys to these facilities are held by the Sports Centre and the
School. This summer students will not be able to use the
pitch on an ad hoc informal basis at any time unless they
book through the Sports Centre Reception.
I would like to make my usual plea that students do not
come onto the school site during the holidays, evening or
weekends to use the playing fields or to sit around on the
school benches. I know for a large number of students this
would not be their option of choice, but a small minority of
students cannot stay away. As you know we do not have
gates to enable us to lock the site and therefore people can
wander into school. Our Facilities Team will be working
throughout the summer and will be vigilant with regards to
site use. I am just wary that we do not want people climbing
onto roofs or hurting themselves in any way and therefore
all activities on the school site must be supervised. Therefore I would ask that students do not come onto the school
site for the above reasons.
As we near the end of term, and even though Year 11 and 13 are no longer with us, school is still a very busy place. Year 10
have just started their Work Experience week and I hear that the programme is going very well. We have had a number of
trips, visits and exchanges over the past few weeks and my thanks to staff for giving up their free time and for accepting the
responsibility for taking children away. I know that this is a really enjoyable experience for students and a time that they
always remember, but, as I am sure everybody is aware, it takes a lot of time to organise. During this final week we have our
two Enrichment Days which the students seem to really enjoy. Although the children do not have formal lessons, the
enrichment experience, I hope, broadens our wider curriculum for the students.
To finish on a positive note, this has been a fantastic year for the students and the school with many successes ranging from
academic and sporting achievements to productions, concerts and the many wonderful trips and visits.
Although a little nervous we look forward to Thursday 14th August for our A Level and BTEC results and Thursday 21st August
for our GCSE and BTEC results. Fingers crossed and best wishes to everybody.
Huge thanks to the staff and students and I wish everybody a happy and safe summer holiday and look forward to seeing you
all in early September.
As the school looks forward to a well earned summer break, it is timely to wish all students the very best of luck for their
examination results when they arrive during the holidays.
As you are all aware the educational landscape regarding examinations has changed this year. Comparisons of school results
year on year will not be on an equal footing. What I can absolutely say to parents and carers is that the school has driven its
strategy regarding examinations to ensure the best possible results for students across the year groups. This relentless
effort to be the best it can be does not happen by chance; school leaders, teachers, support staff, students and, of course,
parents and carers should be congratulated.
The Department for Education has heightened their expectations of School Governors. The Governing Body has three main
functions. To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school. Secondly, to hold the headteacher to
account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils. Thirdly to oversee the financial performance of the
school and make sure its money is well spent. This amounts to a demanding role for the volunteers and staff that make up
the twenty strong Governing Body, but we come together in strong collaboration to do our very best for students and have
established a very healthy working relationship that both challenges and supports to realise impact and strong outcomes for
the school. I would like to thank the amazing team of Governors who give their time, expertise and energy, often after a
full day’s work, to fulfil their responsibilities and support the school in a variety of different ways. You have my gratitude and
admiration for not only what you do, but how you do it.
As in most walks of life the structure of the Governing Body as undergoing some change in the year ahead. A new template
will bring more agility and flexibility in how we work and focus on recruiting Governors with the right skills to carry out
responsibilities. As previously we will always be looking for new Governors; to this end I would welcome any parents,
carers, teachers and support staff to make contact if you would like to know more about being a Governor.
As Governors know, behind every effective Governing Body there must be an expert clerk. Their role is to make sure the
Governors work is well organised and they are the expert in offering advice in meetings regarding the law and procedures
that must be followed. I consider myself very fortunate to have the help and guidance of Celeste Moruzzi; her work often
goes unnoticed and she sometimes does not get the recognition she deserves. Celeste will be taking a break from her
clerking responsibilities whilst she takes maternity leave, I know my colleagues will join me in thanking her for her sterling
input to the Governing Body and wishing her and her family all the very best as they increase their number from three to
four. To cover Celeste’s maternity leave we are delighted to have gained the assistance of Pauline Williams who is an
experienced clerk having recently worked at other schools.
As I sign off from the newsletter could I wish you all an enjoyable summer break. Enjoy the additional time you have together
as families and I look forward to welcoming new students and those returning to a new academic year in September.
Time has really flown by and unbelievably Year 7 are nearly at
the end of their first busy and successful year at Edgbarrow. I
have been delighted with the way the pupils have worked so
diligently in the classroom and have taken the opportunity to
contribute and get involved in all aspects of the wider life of
school, covering everything from pupil librarians to literacy
ambassadors, year group reading challenge, junior maths challenge, inter form and various committees, to name but a few.
The recent grade reports were as always a delight to read,
demonstrating how well the students have become embedded
in their lessons at Edgabrrow. It was a real pleasure to share so
many successes of the pupils at both the Parents’ Evening and
the Celebration of Success Evening. I am delighted with the
progress that the pupils have made and it has been wonderful
to yet again ask Mr Elsey to present so many certificates of
achievement to recognise this hard work and dedication. Well
done Year 7!
A special mention must also go to those pupils who took part
in Sports Day, helping to make it a fun and exciting occasion
with some fine athleticism on display which continued the
excellent standard set during inter-form sport competitions.
Special recognition must also go to the Year 7 pupils who acted
as guides of the Year 6 induction day and to those who have
been ambassadors for the school, going to the various local
primary schools and sharing their Edgbarrow experience with
the Year 6s, thereby illustrating how far they have come over
the past year.
As you will be aware, this term Year 7 have also been working
hard on our Seven Signs of Success Programme, which offers
pupils the chance to be entered into a special prize draw if they
have achieved all 7 targets, covering everything from merit
totals to representing the form, high attendance etc. To
achieve their best it is important that all pupils attend school
regularly and therefore one of our criteria is that the pupils’
attendance is above 95%. All pupils who achieved their Seven
Summer Steps will receive a congratulatory postcard home,
designed by one of our pupils. One of the criteria for this term,
has been to design a ‘Rough Guide to Edgbarrow’, to be shared
with Year 6 pupils, which another way the Year 7s have been
helping the transition process this term.
Our charity committee has also been busy this term. I previously wrote to you all to share that the Year 7s have nominated
the local charity of Daisy’s Dream as their charity of choice and
this term have been busy supporting them through a hugely
successful cake sale. I would once again like to thank all parents
and carers who donated lots of gorgeous cakes for the occasion, which
raised over £300.00 over three days
– a fantastic effort from all involved.
As I write this the committee are
busy organising a final fundraising
event for this year – ‘
– which is sure to be another full filled occasion.
The Year 7s are also
eagerly awaiting our
Year Group trip to Osmington as I write this
piece today, where we
will get involved in everything from aeroball to
raft building, abseiling to
giant swing alongside a
bit of disco dancing in
the evenings. A massive thank you for supporting the trip and
to the staff who have volunteered their weekend to accompany it.
The term will end for the students with two enrichment days,
one offering a trip to Dover Castle and the other an enterprise based activity called Green Dragons, where we will try
and find a future Alan Sugar, followed by our end of year
assembly, all of which will be a fitting end and celebration of
such a fantastic year.
I am extremely grateful to all the Year 7 tutors, who have
supported and encouraged their tutor groups throughout the
year and who have given a tremendous amount of time and
effort which has allowed the pupils so many opportunities and
successes throughout the year. Thank you for all your hard
work and efforts.
The Year 7s were keen to contribute to their Year Group
section of the newsletter so please enjoy the articles they
have submitted about life at Edgbarrow and their reflections
on the year just gone.
I wish you all an enjoyable well-earned rest over the summer
holiday and will look forward to seeing everyone again in
September, refreshed and ready for the challenges that Year
8 will bring.
!
I am the Group Scout Leader from 1st Owlsmoor Scout
group & I thought you would like to know of an achievement by one of your pupils.
James Gardner Yr 7, hiked 25km (16 miles) on Saturday
12 April on the Scouts 3 towers hike
James and two other Scouts completed the hike in a time
of 7hrs 43mins, giving them a GOLD award. This is the
fastest time that Owlsmoor Scouts have completed this
hike in the three years that we have taken part in this
Berkshire event.
I am sure you will agree with me this is a sterling effort
and everyone at his Scout group is very proud of James’
achievement.
The charity club chose to donate to Daisy’s Dream because it is helping people who have lost someone that they love
and need someone to talk to. Daisy’s Dream helps them get through the situation and helps them to handle it well. This
a good cause because there are loads of people in this situation, talking it through and meeting people who are in the
same situation as them will really help them feel better
We had set up a cake sale to raise money for Daisy’s Dream. This went very well and we have raised over £300 in the
cake sale only! This was a great success. We would like to thank the people who made and bought the cakes (and
cookies.)
The charity club has also planned a talent show to raise money for Daisy’s Dream. What we do is if someone wants to
vote they would bring some money and donate it. Doing a talent show was a great idea because loads of people
auditioned and they all were amazing.
We have also got a big duck called Waddles that students rent to take to fun places that they want to take pictures of
with Waddles. This has been a success as well because we did a vote for what the duck should be called and we all
decided to call it Waddles. This also helped people donate to Daisy’s Dream.
Doing a charity club was a great success and we hope it will carry on in the future.
Edgbarrow is a really great place because everyone is caring and they support us if we need help.
It was quite scary coming into Year 7 from another school because there are so many people that I did not know.
At first every one stayed with the people they knew for comfort; but then everyone started to spread out more because
everyone got used to the new school and found new friends that had the same interests as them.
The lessons are so interesting and you learn so much because they teach us in different ways and make the subjects
interesting.
Edgbarrow is such a great place and is not just a school; it is a place where people look out for each other and where
we have fun. There is also a lot of extra curriculum clubs that are not just sport related; there is also I.C.T club, animation
club and Christian club. I love the fact that there are so many clubs that suit different personalities.
This year has been a great time because my friend and I have tried so many new things. Some of them haven’t suited
people, but it is brilliant to have a try and everyone will learn from our mistakes. I have learnt so much at Edgbarrow
and I know my friends have as well. These good memories I will never forget.
A big well done to all those performers who took part in our annual Summer Concert on 26th June! Our
young musicians and dancers performed beautifully with a real mix of musical sounds and styles. We were
treated to exceptional performances from Year 7 singers Lucy Young and Georgina Bell, who was
accompanied by Juliette Sautelle, and our very own Adam Garcia tap dancer: Alex Kranz. Emelia
Riddette-Page and Jacob Smith represented Year 8 and Josie Doyle, Natalie Cox and Lauren Walton, in
Year 9, gave beautiful renditions of Emilee Sande’s ‘Read all about it part III’, ‘I’m not that girl’ from Wicked
and a mash up of current pop songs in the charts. Big thanks to the Choir and String group who give up
a lot of lunch times to rehearse. We were wowed by the professionalism of our Year 10 students, Natasha
Lamden, Rubyann Fawkes and Ben Vince who sang and performed on the piano. A special mention to
Edgbarrow’s very own double act, Chloe Fawkes and Mikey Staines who hosted the entire concert.
Closing the show we had year 12 performing some amazing renditions of popular songs, thanks to Jess
Bollands and Winston Alla, and also Charlie Goswell who performed one of his diploma pieces.
Sadly, we say goodbye to several students leaving Swing Band. We send all those students our very best wishes and luck
for the future. A final thanks to Mrs Evens who helped run the concert and organise backstage.
Wishing you all a fantastic summer break!
At the start it felt like being big fish in a small
pond being moved to the sea and becoming
the little fish! A worry at the start; remembering where the classrooms are etc but you
soon learn and can always ask anyone to
show you as people are friendly. The food is
brilliant and keeps you energised. We have
really loved our time in Year 7.
Our first year at Edgbarrow has been a year
of many changes. It’s been great meeting
new friends and learning lots of new subjects
like Languages and Home Ec. We feel more
grown up as we have many responsibilities
like being organised and doing our homework. D.T.s are tough but we do love our
Paninis and fish and chip Fridays!!
Edgbarrow is a roller-coaster of emotions and a
tornado of classrooms. Everyone’s confidence
grows like a tree and there are lots of experiences
and opportunities for everyone. Everything at
Edgbarrow is better than primary school, including sport, Cucina (chicken, pancakes & waffles).
EVERYONE LOVES EDGBARROW!! If you’re in
7T, you won’t need to flee, because you’ll buzz all
day like a bumble bee :)
Year 7 has been a great year at Edgbarrow.
We have had lots of social clubs, for example
football, cheerleading, netball, rounders and
many more. In our canteen we have amazing
food and a variety of types of meals.
As a form we have enjoyed having a change, for
example we like having different teachers and
new friends. We also have loved all the sporting
opportunities and the fact we have been given
more responsibilities. Most of all 7Q absolutely
love the food. Overall Edgbarrow is epic!!!
Clubs have been a highlight to everyone. Whether they like PE clubs, or science clubs or singing
clubs, there was something for everyone. 7S love
attending clubs.
We all loved ICT. It provided us with access to
computers during school and we were able to
make games using programming.
Making new friends was probably the best thing
this year. We were all sad about leaving primary
school but as soon as we had friends we were
having the time of our lives!
How can we put this? Big, mean, scary. Everything
was changing for us. Big becomes fun, mean becomes happy and scary becomes welcoming once
you have joined the school. We thoroughly enjoy
Edgbarrow School as it is full of great opportunities. We have made new friends and met new
teachers and are taught not only new subjects but
life lessons. Being in Year 7 has been a privilege
for us and we look forward to Year 8. Hopefully,
next year we don’t get as much homework!
Once again it has been an extremely busy term that has seemed to fly by and has culminated in the final grade report of the
year. Our focus and priority this year been to achieve the best we can leading up to an important time next year when we start
to choose our options and so the Tutor team and I have encouraged the students to avoid the “performance dip” by promoting
high standards through the curriculum as well as the extra-curricular pastoral led GR8 Project and the SPEAK project. This
term there has been lots of hard work, both within the tutor team and from other staff members, to support Year 8 and so I
want to give my thanks to the staff.
The recent grade reports demonstrated the excellent progress made by the majority of students and there were many positive
conversations at the Year 8 parents evening that followed. I was able to invite Mr Elsey to meet the students who got all 1s
and 2s and there were so many we had to go over two tutor times for the third time this year which is a testament to the hard
work the students have put in.
I was delighted to be able to invite over 100 pupils to our film night for achieving such excellent grade reports showing high
levels of effort and commitment to their work. We had such a great time with minions, popcorn and fizzy drinks that we have
already booked two more for next year. I hope this will motivate the students to carry on with their successes and I look
forward to being able to invite even more pupils to future events.
As you are aware we have been running the Gr8 project this year designed to encourage all the students
to do the right thing during the year and to get involved with extracurricular activities whenever they
have the opportunities. Our Grand Prize Draw will take place at the end of term and I look forward to
being able to reward the students with some of the donated prizes that we have received. Many thanks
goes to the following companies for their generosity: Frenchies desert parlour, The Mall Camberley,
Coral Reef, The Look Out, Tescos at “The Meadows”, Sarai Hair and Beauty, Zappas , Golden Fry Fish
and Chips, Camberley Arena, Aldershot Football Club and Salon 55. There will be a number of other
prizes to be awarded as well. We have also been running the SPEAK project where the students have been awarded their name
on the board for Success, Politeness, Effort, Above and beyond, Kindness and I am hoping that many of you have enjoyed
receiving your e-postcards recognising the continual effort of your children.
As I write this we have just had sports day where there was a tremendous amount of team spirit and well done to all who took
part. We will have to see who wins the overall trophy for the year with the inter-form competitions, will there still be the battle
and rivalry between 8Q and 8R, or will another tutor group steal the light? This dedication reflects a great participation by Year
8 to all the clubs over the term and year, including Alex Turton who came 4th in the long jump competition at the Districts,
competing with students a year above him, and so well done all.
This year we have continued to support Shooting Star Chase, the
children’s hospice charity and we were lucky enough to have a member
of their staff come and visit us and speak to the year group about where
their money has gone. This year with our bottle competition, selling
badges and cake sale we have been able to bring our running total
including Year 7 to £934. This is amazing and thank you for all your
contributions. I have heard a whisper that we may run a talent show
next year and so will keep you informed.
This term has seen Year 8 participate in a variety of different trips and activities. Luke Taylor,
Jamie Brown, Maia Andrews and Maisie Hamilton acted as fantastic guides to our Chinese
teachers who came to visit us. These four students were not only great ambassadors for the year
group but school as well.
It was my privilege to accompany my year group to Hampton Court with the History department
in relation to their studies in school. Pupils spent the day learning about Tudor life and how the
Georgians adapted Hampton Court. My groups were lucky enough to see meet King George I
and his son, the Prince of Wales and with some quiet prompting by Mrs Hutchinson and me, we
got to ask them some tricky questions that made the King blush!
Miss Knowles took a gigantic 90 students off to Barton Hall,
where great fun was had by all and plenty of water splashed!
Please see the reports below.
I am extremely grateful to all the Year 8 tutors. They have
supported and encouraged their tutor groups throughout the
year and given a tremendous amount of time and effort which
has allowed the pupils so many opportunities and successes
throughout the year. It was lovely to be able to celebrate the
achievements of so many pupils with you at Parents evening and
our recent Celebration of Success Evening.
As mentioned, when we return after the summer break the year group will be focussed on gathering information about the
Option process as they start their journey towards GCSEs. There will be many opportunities during the year to seek advice
from staff regarding choices and I would urge you to discuss the options with staff and your child. It will be an extremely busy
and important year for the year group and I hope they will all enjoy a well-earned rest during the summer so that they return
refreshed and ready for the challenges of Year 9.
I wish you all a lovely summer break with plenty of sun, fingers crossed and look forward to working with you and your
children in the forthcoming year.
Chelsea’s Choice is a play within a play . it starts off
with some students doing a dram programme and that
performance is based on diary extracts they found.
The theme is sexual exploitation of teenagers, focusing
on a girl called Chelsea who meets an older man
called Gary who ends up isolating her from her family
with gifts so she is vulnerable and dependent on him.
He then convinces her to help him. Believe that this
play, although upsetting, is necessary to show young
people as it warns them about grooming and the fact
it can happen to anyone, that this man had a hidden
agenda. It broke down stereotypes that it only happens to girls and older students. I found this play
emotional and I felt very sorry for Chelsea, however it
gets the point across very clearly and although it is sad
to think things like this happen, it was informative and
useful.
We had a fantastic time at the movie night. We
watched Despicable Me 2. We were all treated to
fizzy drinks and popcorn and would recommend it
to the Year group to try and get 1s and 2s next
time on their grade report.
It was a brilliant day
out and was such
fun. I learnt so
much; like how one
of the galleries is
supposedly haunted
by the ghost of
Katherine Howard as she escaped from one of her
guards trying to get to Henry but did not get there in
time. I also learnt about what toys children used to play
with. My favourite part was the rose gardens because
not only did they smell gorgeous but I took some amazing photos there. I also got a photo of Milly Del Nevo
holding up a statue of a man in her hands. I would
encourage all future Year 8s to go on this trip.
I hoped I could describe Barton Hall in one word but unfortunately I couldn’t because
it was so amazing and spectacular. Despite all the tears of water, both rain and from
the lake, heights and even having trust in yourself, most of us
had a go at everything. I think I speak for all of us when I say a
big hand to our “groupies” who looked after us and made the
fun all possible. There was a range of activities including zip
wire, quad biking, aqua fun, canoeing, the crate challenge,
capture the flag and many more. It was one of the most fun weekends I had in my life.
It was great! Every activity was fun and exciting. We did so many things including canoeing, zip
wire and crate stacking. All of the instructors were funny and helpful and I think all had a great
time.
The summer term has been an amazingly busy time for Year 9
and they have had many successes that we have been delighted
to share with them.
Pupils have just brought home their final grade report for the
year and I am very proud that so many of them achieved their
target grades; it is an indication of their hard work and determination over the last three years. Well done to you all. This
progress sets a firm foundation for them as they move into Year
10 and embark on their GCSEs. Over 100 students have received certificates for fantastic grade reports this term and a
special congratulations go to Libby Head and Hollie Piff who
achieved ‘1’ for every subject on every report this year – a
fantastic achievement!
We have just had another very successful Sports Day – well done
to 9Q who were overall winners for the Year Group. Thoughout the year we have had many other sporting successes and
recently at the Berkshire Schools Athletics Championship some
of our year group excelled. Congratulations to Izzy Deacon who
won the U15 girls long jump producing a jump of over 5m, Nick
de Silva won the U15 boys discus with a throw of over 30 m and
Rhiannon Larsen who came fourth in the girls U15 200m.
The pupils are talented in many other aspects of the curriculum.
A number performed in the Summer Concert, at our Celebration of Success evening and in our recent Year 9 Talent Show.
The tutors and I were impressed by the hidden talent within our
year group and congratulations go to Josie Doyle who was
declared the winner of the show. The support and encouragement given to the performers was excellent and we raised over
£170 for the schools in Tanzania that we have been working with.
Throughout the year we have been running our Challenge 9
project and I am delighted that we are in the position to be able
to invite so many students on the reward trip to Thorpe Park at
the end of this term. I do hope that they all enjoyed their day
out.
In June a group of Year 9 pupils joined with other local schools
for a trip to Tirabad. Thank you to Mr Kay who led the trip.
Many new friendships were made and a great time was had by
all. Francesca Brannan describes the trip:
We have had several language exchange trips this term
and pupils have written the following reports:
The Duke of Edinburgh group have worked really well with Mr Laurie-Pile and Mr Fisher this year despite the challenges
of the weather. Jacob Huelin describes some of the activities that they have worked on to achieve their bronze awards.
I am very proud to work with such a fabulous group of people who make the most of the opportunities at Edgbarrow
that without the hard work of their tutors would not be possible. We are saying good bye to Miss Fitt who has been a
fabulous tutor and will be really missed. I have been extremely fortunate to have Miss Fitt as my deputy for the past 2
years. She has given hours of hard work and commitment to the year group and many of the opportunities that the students have had would not have been possible without her time and enthusiasm. I cannot thank her enough for her dedication to the team and her support of her tutor group. We wish Miss Fitt luck and happiness as she embarks on the next
stage of her career.
As the year draws to a close we can look back and be proud of the many successes during the year. It is also a time for
pupils to be reflective and consider how they will improve or maintain success when we return in September and begin
GCSE work. Have a restful, safe summer and I look forward to a fantastic start to Year 10.
Junior maths challenge results
On Thursday 1st May our top set maths students in Years 7 and 8 sat the UKMT maths challenge. This
is a national competition with ‘problem solving’ type questions set around many different areas of
mathematics. Our students achieved gold, silver and bronze certificates and the results are given below:
Year 8
GOLD
Surekhan Punshon* & **
Charlotte Spencer
Felicity Harding
SILVER
Rhys Pullen
David Marsh
Amy Griffiths
Nicole Ngugi
Chiara Imbalzano Hilton
Callum Hailes
Jack Ryan
Caitlin Welsh
Giulia Varischetti
Ketsia Cangy
Milly Delnevo
Oscar Taylor
Oakley Drummie
Emily Whelton
BRONZE
Freya Forbes
Emma Couchman
Alex Dorman
Evan Spanswick
Anna Witchell
Natalie Mulliner
Sam Croft
Josh Huggins
Jenson Hazel
Olivia Clarke
Lia Butterworth
Emma Solomon
James Picker
Polly Forbes
Rory Mackinnon
Amaya Opalka
Ben Torr
Laura Woolford
Lucas Jourdan
Toby Wenman
Year 7
GOLD
James Nichols*
Olivia Atkins
Katie Cox
Struan Hancock
SILVER
Caleb Trainer
Oliver Hall
George Billyard
Laura Yardley
Henry Wood
Ellen Hardy
Marcus Abrio
Iwan Rutter
Stefanie Blaser
Eshaan Silva
Peter Collier
Daniel Millard
Sam Milligan
Zach Barrett
Tom Finch
BRONZE
Harry Nutman
Jake Smith
Andrew Stevenson
Michael Cairo
Isaac Harris
Katie Harris
Georgia O’Hare
Sam Warner
Jaden Froome
Kris Collier
Chloe Crawford
Katie Appelbe
Freya Marshall
** Surekha Punshon also received a certificate for ‘Best in School’.
* Surekha Punshon and James Nichols also received a certificate for ‘Best in their Year’
Surekha Punshon also sat the next round (‘Junior Mathematical Olympiad’) of the maths challenge on
Thursday 12th June. She achieved a certificate of participation.
Cameron Bridport, Will Cooper, Richard Goddard, Ewan Beetham,
Matt Ceaser and Jack Cowley also sat the next round (‘Pink Kangaroo’) of the maths challenge for their year
groups. Cameron achieved a certificate of merit and the others all received a certificate of participation.
Also this term, the top set Year 7 students had the opportunity to get involved
in the maths marathon which is a competition run by the Education Business
Partnership. It involves two rounds of puzzles being completed by everyone
and then nominations are made for round 3, from which our two finalists were
selected. George Billyard and Olivia Atkins were our finalists this year and
they attended the competition on Wednesday 11th June which was being held
at the offices of Bracknell Forest Homes in Bracknell. The event was sponsored by ‘Jacobs’, a global engineering company based in Reading and their
STEM ambassador came along to give a short talk to the students after the
competition. http://www.jacobs.com
Congratulations to George and Olivia who came second in the competition.
The maths department would like to thank all the students who have taken part in the enrichment activities
so far this year and congratulate those that have received certificates.
Well done!
Iceland 2014 was a brilliant trip! We left early on Sunday morning of February half term and
seemed to be on the flight before we knew it. The journey was quick and on arrival in
Iceland we went straight to the Blue Lagoon – a relaxing start to our Iceland Adventure!
We arrived at our hotel and on the first night we witnessed the Northern Lights glowing
green across the night sky. The next few days we saw geysers and waterfalls including the
great Gulfoss waterfall. We walked across glacial moraine to get to the Solheimjokull
glacier snout, some of us even crawled across ice to get there! A fun night out included a
trip to the Volcano House to watch films about past eruptions and to enjoy waffles and hot
chocolate. Our second trip to the Blue Lagoon was more like swimming in the sea in
Cornwall in October, bracing to say the least! We had lovely clear weather every day and
a little bit of snow when we explored Reyjavik. Overall, everybody loved the sights and
sounds of Iceland – a great trip!
The PTA has had another busy year raising funds which go towards the cost of equipment
and activities which are for the benefit of all the pupils.
The final painting and gardening session was held in June and was once again well attended
by parents and members of the Wokingham Vineyard church, making the 6th form and
surrounding area look brighter and fresher whilst saving valuable funds.
This June also saw the PTA hosting the first car boot sale and although the weather was
not kind to us, it was well attended which is encouraging for holding more next year. Also
for the first time Edgbarrow was represented by the PTA at the Crowthorne Carnival in
having a ‘teen area’ consisting of a dunk tank, graffiti
artist and DJ stands. Again this was well received and
a great success, both financially and imbedding Edgbarrow within the community.
Going forward for the next school year, we have the sponsored walk taking place on
September 19th, the PTA will be running the Christmas Fayre / Shopping evening in
November and a quiz evening after Christmas. The PTA does need new members as a
number are leaving, if you would like to help please let us know by emailing;
[email protected] ……. or by coming along to the PTA AGM in September
(please look out for the email giving date and time).
Chairman
We would like to start by thanking you for the fantastic generosity and support we have
received for our JustGiving IT Fund.
The donations received so far, either by monthly direct debits or single one off donations total just over £1500. We have used these funds to replace laptops in the IT Department which will enable the students to access their files much faster than before.
Our next project is to upgrade our Library by introducing new PC’s, Laptops and e-Readers. This entire will cost in the region of £40,000, so any contribution would gratefully received.
If you are able to contribute to our IT Fund the simplest way is to click on this link
which will take you directly to the Edgbarrow School PTA Just Giving page.
Alternatively, you could go to www.justgiving.com and search for ‘Edgbarrow School PTA’ in the ‘give to a charity’ section
of their website.
Once on the Edgbarrow School PTA Just Giving site, simply follow the on screen instructions remembering to tick the gift
aid box when available. Once you have made your one-off donation, or have set up a direct debit, you will receive a confirmation email from Just Giving for your records.
If you have any queries please contact our Assistant Headteacher, Gareth Croxon at:
[email protected]
Thank you for your continued support. If you use the internet to do your shopping please give a thought to making
your purchases through Easy Fundraising. So instead of going directly to a retailer’s website, go to
easyfundraising first and choose the retailer you want to shop with – then everything you spend with that retailer
earns a free donation (average of 5%) for Edgbarrow School PTA. Please register at -
It is the PTA’s aim to raise money for the school to purchase those extra items for the use of your children in their
education therefore please support the school as much as possible and tell your friends.
It has been another incredibly busy term for all Year 10 students since Easter with the majority having external Science and
Maths exams, as well as controlled assessments, coursework deadlines and other classwork and homework. It is fair to say, Year
10 have been worked hard until the very end of term! They have all done extremely well and their conduct throughout was
outstanding. I am sure their hard work will be rewarded both in the August results this year, and next year as Year 11.
Year 10 sporting achievements continue with the Berkshire schools athletics championships. Robbie Wilde (10Q) won the long
jump for the u17 boys, having jumped 6.05m. Alicia Martin (10Q) came second in the u17 girls triple jump, with Olyvia Hall (10P)
came 4th in the same event. Finally, Michael Harrison (10R) came 2nd in the boys u17 javelin throwing over 40m! A huge
congratulations to them all.
Year 10 cricket has also excelled both inside and outside of school. The girls have won through to the Lord Taverners event
regional finals. Well done ladies. Some of the boys have won the county title with their local club side and have been drawn to
play a team from Oxford in the next round of the national competition. Well done, lads. . Good luck to all with your cricket over
the summer.
Continuing the sporting theme, Year 10 participated in their very last sports day on Tuesday 1st July. Both the tutors and I were
really impressed with the spirit in which teams joined in the festivities and were shining role models to the younger year groups.
Overall Year 10 victors were 10S with 10V and 10Q as second and third respectively. Well done to all involved!
The charity reps have been very busy promoting the chosen Year 10 event this year of the World Cup competition. Both
students and staff from across the school have partaken in the event to try to predict the scores, and eventual winner of the
World Cup. This is to support the chosen charity of Macmillan Cancer and Helen and Douglas House, as well as starting fund
to help towards our Year 11 prom. A massive thank you to the organisers Liberty Curtis, Ben Vince, Emily Symonds, Alice Wood
and Emily James for their hard work and dedication.
We were fortunate enough to be visited by a drama production called ‘Chelsea’s Choice’ as part of our PSHGEE work this term.
The production focuses on the dramatisation of a diary, written by Chelsea, about her being sexually exploited. The cast act
out Chelsea’s story through the eyes of other school children reading the diary. The production, although hard-hitting and
thought provoking, allowed the students to ask some incredibly sensible, mature and interesting questions from both boys and
girls.
However, this year has not all been work, work, work. Year 10 have been lucky enough to not only have
the ski trip during the Easter holidays but also 2 other trips, one for the year group and one linked to
History GCSE. Miss Gratton, along with Miss Pilgrim, Mrs Dobbs, Miss Clarke, Mr Laurie-Pile and Mr
Fisher, took 46 very excited Year 10 to Alton Towers for the weekend of 22nd June. The weather stayed
glorious for the whole trip and an amazing time was had by all. The
Trenches trip, run by the History department, took 60 students to visit
World War 1 sites around Ypres and then to the Somme. Although this was
moving and very powerful, all enjoyed the trip and we are grateful to Mr May
for the organisation of the trip and the other teachers who gave their time
to accompany us.
Work experience is now well under way with all of Year 10 learning about
the world of work. In preparation for this the students participated in ‘Skills for life’ during June to help them understand a bit
more of what is expected of them during this week. I hope all students found the weeks work experience valuable and it helps
them with their career choices in the future.
Finally, a huge thank you to all the tutors for all their dedication and hard work with all the students in the year group,
unfortunately we have to say goodbye the 2 of them. Both Mrs Dobbs and Miss Gratton are leaving us to join Newlands Girls
School in Maidenhead. Mrs Dobbs is becoming Head of English and Miss Gratton will be Head of Year. We wish both every
success in their new venture.
Now the summer holidays are upon us make sure you have a restful break and come back to school for your final year as Year
11! Be prepared to work just as hard as you have this year with as much enthusiasm and passion, and make us all just as proud
of you all. Enjoy the summer break, take care.
In recognition of their hard work and effort throughout this year fifteen Year 10 students were selected from their Design
and Technology options and rewarded with a day of making a wide range of silver jewellery with Mrs Hartley. Students
designed and made silver rings, pendants, earrings and key fobs and were able to take them home at the end of the day.
The following high performing students were selected from GCSE Graphics, Resistant Materials, Systems and Control,
Food Technology and Child Development to take part in the day:
Megan Day, Kiara Taylor, Amber Keogh, Wesley Duffy, Hazel Pilszak, Eleanor Bell, Ellie Jade Harris, George Backhouse,
Liberty Curtis, Tom McLoughlin, Harry Musgrove, Mason Williams, Alicia Martin, George Taylor Maziere and Jhovin Sacote.
Well done to all students.
C Rogers
On the 27th of July, I was lucky enough to be selected along with around fourteen other students to spend the
day in the design tech block making jewellery. As I am achieving high grades in Graphics I was picked to take
part, which I was thrilled about because I knew the day would be so enjoyable. The other students who were
chosen were also achieving high grades and working hard in their DT subjects. At the beginning of the day, the
lovely Mrs Hartley showed us what jewellery we would be making and the basics on how to make it and then
the rest was down to us to make our pieces unique and creative. The department provided us with real pure
silver, meaning the jewellery was worth even more. During the day I made two rings; a small and large one
with my name engraved inside. I also made a pair of earrings with the silver that I had left over. Since I take
Graphics I don’t have an extensive knowledge on the tools within the workshops, but I learnt a lot about how
to use new pieces of equipment and machines I hadn’t been able to use in KS3. I really enjoyed the day and I
am very appreciative that I got the opportunity to be able to do this!
By Liberty Curtis
I’m pleased to advise you that we were successfully reassessed for the Investor in Careers quality Award. An
external independent assessor spent the day in school on 30th April and met with a number of staff, governors,
members of the local business community and students. The report was extremely complimentary and highlighted
some key strengths including:
● A strong, whole school commitment to Careers and the principles of Investor in Careers
● A very well written careers programme through PSHE which is delivered to a high standard. The students
have full confidence in the staff that delivers the programme.
● Good use of PTA to help organise and run career events.
● Excellent impartiality shown and a feeling that the students’ happiness is central to decisions that are made.
Along with the above strengths there were also a couple of suggested areas of development particularly from
students and we will be looking at the curriculum for CEIAG over the next few months with a view to considering
how and if it is feasible to implement these.
On behalf of the school I would like to say a big thank you to all those who were
involved on the day and through the whole duration of reassessment, as we
couldn’t have done it without your support.
Edgbarrow once again played host to 4 Chinese teachers for the week from the
National Centre for Language and Literacy at Reading University. Our visitors
spent some of their time observing lessons but also taught students from Year 7
to 13 a range of subjects including Tai Chi, how to use an abacus, calligraphy & caper cutting, ethnicity and also the
Chinese economy. We will be hosting another group during the Autumn term.
A group of Year 10 students had the opportunity to take part in SKILL Reading hosted by Microsoft at Thames
Valley Park. Students worked alongside business professionals to devise and pitch ideas for new products/services
to help develop their core employability skills. Our teams came up with some great ideas on the day.
Year 10s are currently about to undertake their weeks work experience. On 19th June they all took part in 4 group
workshops to help them prepare for their work experience. These workshops covered ‘Interview Techniques’,
‘Health and Safety’, ‘Working with People’ & ‘Dress and Impress’ all of these being vital for both work experience
but also to enable them to develop further the core skills they will need as they progress through Edgbarrow and
any further education and into the world of work.
It is hard to believe that this is the last time I will be writing to you all. The last five years have flown by and as I write to you
for the last time I have many wonderful memories of our time together.
This final term hardly seemed to have started before we were saying goodbye at the leavers’ assembly! The following evening
we all gathered at Blue Mountain for our prom. What a wonderful evening that was, the weather was kind to us and despite
rain earlier in the day, the sun shone for the arrivals. It was amazing to see them all arrive, looking so grown up and
sophisticated! The atmosphere was really warm and friendly and we all had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
We were then left with the final task of revision, finishing off courses and sitting the exams. This all went extremely well and
I am sure all their hard work and commitment will be rewarded this summer. I hope they are all well rested, relaxed and
enjoying this unique period where the pressure is truly off.
I look forward to seeing many of them on results day (Thursday 21st August) when I am confident we will be able to celebrate
the success they all deserve.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being the Head of Year for this group of young people. It has been a pleasure to watch them grow
into the wonderful, young adults they are today. It has been a real pleasure and honour to call myself their Head of Year.
A big “congratulations” to the Year 7,8 and 9 students who
have been appointed as Pupil Librarians:
Angel Buick, Marshall Buick, Alicia Fitzwilliams, Arianne Zabala,
Annalise Park, Ellie Harding, Freya Marshall, Lia Butterworth,
Anna Gray, Andrew Perry, Olivia Dobson, Lucy Rivers, George
Vallance and Emma Ives.
They have been training now for two weeks and will officially
start their duties in September.
Duties will involve shelving books, loan and return process,
searching for resources and preparing stock for the library.
They will join Year 10 pupils Emma Rahmen and Lauren
Charlton who have helped in the library this year.
I think that for many sixth formers, the summer term is a rather odd time. From September you are swimming in
coursework, controlled assessments, exam preparations and all the other gifts that A Levels bless you with, before
all too soon the month of May rears her sunny yet slightly terrifying head and tells you that finally, it is time. Exams
are upon us. All that revision that you have been doing for months on end is suddenly over.
All that is left to do is to walk into the exam hall and greet the invigilators, the majority of whom you feel you have
a close bond with, after knowing them for a good two years now; write down your candidate number that you
(should) know as well as your own birthday by this stage; pick up your black pen – it MUST be black – and do the
darn exam.
And then two hours later, it’s over.
Relief, exaltation, nausea… most emotions listed in the dictionary are felt at the sound of “Put your pens down,
please”, but it is, in my opinion, relief that triumphs. And there is no greater relief than when that sentence is
uttered at the end of your last exam – it’s over! It’s all over!
So after our exams, we all enjoyed a well-deserved break (albeit for just 24 hours if you were one of the lucky
devils doing Maths) before returning to Sixth Form on 12th June, where we began our research for that little thing
that crops up a lot nowadays called the future. By this time the Year 13s had flown the nest, after a BBQ and
festivities run by the newly christened Head Boy and Girl Team – a rite of passage that I feel we were very
successful in, thanks to the cooking expertise of a few exceptionally brilliant people – and A2 courses could begin.
In between university open days and summer concert rehearsals we appointed a new Tuck Shop team who, aside
from having a substantial lack of any food whatsoever after the vast profits of Sports Day, have done a sterling job
at moving in and setting up. Other highlights of the term have included a Deputy Head Boy passing out during a
visitor’s talk about blood donors, and another interesting talk about how to dress for interviews – amongst other
things, we all learned that if one wants to be taken seriously in life, white socks are a no-go.
I think I speak for everyone when I say we are ready for this holiday; I also think I speak for everyone when I say
we are very excited about next year and all the opportunities we have in store. I personally am extremely excited
to face the challenge of organising a prom as successful as the one that the Year 13s had at the beautiful Northcote
House in Sunningdale at the end of June; watch this space! That is, if I return to Sixth Form alive in September – a
group of 26 students are travelling to Honduras next week to undertake some environmental research in the
jungle and on the coast, along with a three of daring members of the PE department…wish us luck!
Please see the links below for updated information on Uniform, Authorised Leave of Absence and the
Behaviour Policy.
●
●
●
On Friday 27th June 2014 we had a non-uniform day to support a charity called ‘The Butterfly
Charity’ who support children in Zambia that have been orphaned primarily due to HIV and Aids.
We were told about this charity by Emma Kennedy who is an Edgbarrow ex-Head girl and who
now works for the charity.
‘As ex Head Girl of Edgbarrow School, it was lovely to have the support of both the
students and staff of Edgbarrow for this fund raising event. I have been volunteering
for The Butterfly Tree both in Zambia and the UK for almost a year now, and have
recently been given the title of Project Manager for The Butterfly Tree. The money
Edgbarrow kindly raised will go towards improving education facilities and resources
for the orphans of the Mukuni Chiefdom.’ The Butterfly Tree is a UK charity and NGO
in Zambia, which supports orphans and rural communities decimated by the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. The charity runs many successful projects in the Southern Province of
Zambia, such as providing housing, improving education and health facilities, malaria
prevention, HIV/AIDS awareness, feeding programmes and safe drinking water. For
more information about the work of the charity, or to donate, please visit their website
at www.thebutterflytree.org.uk or email Emma at [email protected]’.
As always it has been a busy term in the PE department with lots of activities, clubs and fixtures going on. Some of the
highlights include;
Isobel Deacon, a very talented all round sportswoman in Year 9 was entered in to the Berkshire School individual athletics
championships. This is the build-up event to the heptathlon or decathlon and involves completing 75 m hurdles, shot putt,
long jump and 800m. Despite some very strong opposition Issy won the event for the second year in a row. Currently she
is training with a GB squad for pole vault. She is a extremely talented young lady and is a name to look out for in the future.
From a team athletics perspective, Edgbarrow entered a huge squad for the annual District athletics championships which
involved around 60 students from Years 8, 9, 10 and 11. Athletics has really grown in strength and numbers participating in
the past 4-5 years and the results achieved reflect not only this but the high quality teaching going on in PE lessons. The boys’
Year 8/9 team won the district athletics along with the boys’ Yearr10 and 11 team. The girls teams were the first out of the
state schools involved. Over twenty students qualified for the county athletics finals on Saturday 14th June where they put in
some outstanding performances. The highlight performers were:
Issy Deacon - won the u15 girls long jump producing a jump of over 5m and just reaching the qualifying for the English schools
but unfortunately was not selected this year
Robbie Wilde also won the long jump, this time for the u17 boys. He jumped 6.05m
Nick de Silva won the u15 boys discus with a throw of over 30m. He is County Champion in this event – Well done!
Scott Halsted won the u19 boys 1500m smashing the championship record by 5 seconds with a time of 3mins 52. He was
again selected for the English schools athletics championships. Unfortunately he was pipped to second place in this final of
this race but did run a staggering 3,mins 50 secs!
Alicia Martin came second in the u17 girls triple jump, Olyvia Hall came 4th in the same event.
Michael Harrison came 2nd in the boys u17 javelin throwing over 40m
Will Cooper came third in the u17 boys 1500m
Rhiannon Larsen came fourth in the girls u15 200m
Alex Turton came 4th in the u15 boys long jump
The Year 7 district athletics took place a little later in the term and again Edgbarrow had some great success. The boys team
romped home in first place beating the opposition very easily. The girls had a less successful day as a team but still enjoyed
some good individual performances. The following students managed to qualify for the county finals
Aaron Kaupilla 80m
Harry Nutman – Hurdles
Sandra Stapinoiu, Oliver Hall and Max Borgnis 1000m
Charlie Philips – Javelin
James Gardner – Discus
Tom Philpott - High jump
Congratulations to Max Borgnis who finished 3rd in his final. The athletics star of the year however has to be James Gardner
who won the discus competition to become county champion and was then selected represent Berkshire in the event.
James’ work ethic has been excellent all year, he has not missed an athletics practice and he thoroughly deserves the accolade
of County Champion.
Edgbarrow has also hosted a number of Bracknell Forest Athletics competitions for all of the schools in the Borough. This
again has been a great success with a number of students getting another chance to represent the school and compete in
some friendly but stiff competition. Despite some year groups holding back some of their support and involvement in the
event, Edgbarrow generally did very well winning three out of the four competitions through the term. Those that did take
the opportunity really enjoyed it and got lots from the events.
As ever in the summer term we are running cricket teams for the boys and for the first time the girls. Cricket in state schools
is becoming increasingly more difficult to maintain due to, I think, a general fall in interest in the sport and the fact that most
cricket clubs now play junior fixtures not at the weekend but on weekday evenings when wickets are available. Boys and
girls that play club cricket often have clashes between school and club and unfortunately for us the clubs win out. The
weather has also had a significant impact on whether games can be played with more be called off so far this term that have
actually been played!
As ever Edgbarrow are the only school in the Borough to enter teams in to the Berkshire leagues or play any tennis fixtures.
This term we have three teams in Yr 7/8 (2 boys’ teams and a girls’ team) and a yr 9/10 team and they are all involved in the
AEGON schools tennis leagues. This is a county competition to start with and then progresses into a national knock out. The
boys’ Yr 7/8 A team played a number of really good fixtures, getting better every time they played. They reached the county
semi-finals and played Highdown school. The teams were very evenly matched which resulted in a doubles championship
tie break. Edgbarrow were finally beaten 18-16! Although the teams did not go on to win anything outright, their tennis
improved hugely and the experience they have now got, especially the Yr 7/8 teams will help them out hugely next year.
The school has been lucky enough to draw some funding for external coaches to come into school again this term. The two
activities that benefited this term were athletics and New Age Kurling. The impact of these
coaches is significant and, particularly this term, large numbers of students have really
benefitted from both additional time they are able to offer and their expertise. New Age
Kurling is a sport aimed at people who don’t necessarily enjoy the traditional sports such
as rugby and football and provides a chance for them to experience some of the social and
emotional benefits of playing competitive sports. The club has been well attended through
the year and the team managed to progress to the Berkshire schools games, which I will
come to shortly.
Another real success of the Sportivate funding has been the aerobics club. This was
originally a club run and funded through Sportivate. The girls involved enjoyed the club so much they asked if it could
continue after the funding had run out. The club is now well established and runs on a Monday after school and we hope for
this to continue next term!
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Berkshire schools games at Wellington
College with two of our teams, the Yr 7 quad kids athletics team and the New Age
Kurling team. The event has been running for a number of years now but is supposed to
replicate the Olympic games. Each team has to win a local qualifying event to get to the
games so the standard of competition is generally very high.
The results of the athletics have not yet been released but I hope that our teams
performed well across their events. The kurling team had a great day. They played five
games in total winning three and losing two. They made it into the final but the pressure
and the moment got to them and they crumbled a little losing 3-0 to a much older team.
This was however enough to get them a silver medal overall. The team played with great spirit and most importantly
sportsmanship and were a testament to the school.
Through the affiliation to the LTA the school was able to apply for tickets to
Wimbledon through the schools ballot. So on the second Monday I was lucky
enough to take a group of eight team tennis players up to the Championships. We
had a great day a saw Stan Warwinka and the overall Womens’ champion Petra
Kvitova as well as many other doubles games. The weather impacted a little on the
trip but a great day was had by all.
This term has been the busiest at Edgbarrow fot the girls in
the PE department. We have had clubs on every night and
lots of fixtures. The fantastic weather in June has made it
really enjoyable!
We started the term with Years 8,9 and 10 District Athletics.
This was a great event with over 50 pupils attending. The
following girls qualified for Berkshire Schools Athletics: Hannah Bevins (Shot Putt), Josie Doyle (800m) , Alicia Martin
(Triple Jump) and Izzy Deacon (Long Jump). Izzy Deacon
won her event with a jump of ……
Later on in the term the Year 7s got their chance to shine.
Again we had lots of girls doing some great performances Sandra Stapinoiu qualifying for Berkshire School Athletics for
1000m.
Following Sports Day, some very tired Year 7s, took part in
a Quad Kids athletics event. Katie Appelbe, Hanna Fry, Millie
Farmer, Freya Marshall, Natalie Churne, Steph Blazer, Wade
Muttit, Robbie Deacon, Zac Barret, Oli Reeves and Sam
Milligan were all superb and won the event qualifying for
Berkshire School Games.
As in previous years Edgbarrow hosts this event for all year
groups. This is a team event combining both the boys and the
girls scores. Lots of girls did events that were not always their
preferred activity: BIG THANKS!! And due to this we won
the Year 7, 9 and 10 events!!
Well done to all girls involved.
This year lots of talented girls have shown up for practice.
The start of the season was a bit shaky due to the poor
weather, but as soon as the sun came out we were able to
practise. The girls got off to a good start beating Sandhurst
with Hanna Fry, Molly Rafferty and Charlotte Warner making it impossible for the batters to make it past first base. In
a match against Ranelagh, Darcy Hacke-Woods, Isla Withers, Charlotte Deegan and Katie Appelbe had their work
cut out on deep field and showed some fantastic fielding
skills. In the game against Garth the girls showed some
great batting especially Sandra Stapinoiu, Hannah Fry and
Georgia Harding. Millie Framer and Freya Marshall made it
difficult for the batters to make it past 2nd and 4th base.
The current results are:
Edgbarrow Vs Garth 22 - 8.5
Edgbarrow Vs Ranelagh 6 - 11
Edgbarrow Vs Sandhurst 20 - 14.5
The first game we played was not a great success. The girls
were all out in 3 minutes! However not ones to give into to
defeat they trained hard and have improved massively. The
girls are a tight team making it hard for batters to get
through In a game against Wellington Ashleigh Muttit’s
bowling was fast and powerful resulting in lots of girls
unable to hit the ball. Milly Crocker as backstop got the ball
straight to Holly on 1st base getting lots of girls out quickly.
If the batters managed to hit, Abi Holden, Alicia Martin,
Amie Coombes, Natasha Gallotan and Lucy De Cort were
quick to field the ball back to either Flora on 2nd base or
Emily on 4th resulting in an Edgbarrow win.
Edgbarrow Vs EP 5 - 16
The girls took part in the annual Lady Taverners Cricket Competition in Bray yesterday. The U15s were unable to maintain their
crown of Berkshire champions, but indeed played some excellent
cricket with great bowling from the captain Ashleigh Muttit, Ellis
Hawkins, Amie Coombes,
Nicole Jenkins and Izzy Deacon. Great work from our wickky
Hollie Dyes Sheppard in
controlling the insanely fast bowling that was coming her way, with a few fabulous catches off the bowl. The fielding was
complete with excellent performances from Ellie Shill and Hannah Woolf stopping every ball coming toward them preventing
a boundary shot.
The U13s showed mass improvement on warm up games before their input into their First Lady Taverners Competition.
Scoring 75 for 2 in their first match against a strong Waingels team in 8 overs was something the whole team should be proud
of. Excellent bowling from Sandra Stepiniou, Charlotte Warner, Freya Marshall, Emily Whelton and player of the match Molly
Rafferty getting 3 wickets in her first over. Batting was great across the whole team with Hana Fry hitting the boundary with
every attempt in her innings. Amy Griffths and Darcy Hacke Wood were always reliable to show top level fielding with some
excellent catches.
to print the form, print
If you would like to see if you are entitled, please select this
your details clearly below and return either to the address below or one of your childrens
current school.
The form can also be completed online by visiting
Service children are children with one or more parents currently serving in
the British armed forces.
As a school we are entitled to claim additional money for all Service children on our roll under the government’s funding arrangements and this
has also been extended for Service children for up to 2 years after their
parent has retired from HM Forces.
If you are in or recently retired from HM Forces, please would you confirm that
this is the case by filling in the form which you access by select this
and returning it to school reception.
Please also state whether you are Personnel Category 1 or 2 by ticking the appropriate box and indicating where
you are currently based.
Please do not reply to messages from Schoolcomms as they are not received by the school; any emails should be
directed to: [email protected] and they will be forwarded to the relevant member
of staff.
Sandhurst Cricket Club are playing the RMA cricket team on Sunday 20th July at 2pm. To celebrate we are holding
a Family Funday including BBQ, cakes, tea tent, bouncy castle and other stalls.
Free entry.
We would appreciate it if you would advertise this event in your newsletter as we hope it will be a splendid
community event.
rs
and care
parents number
d
in
m
re
lephone
ld like to
We wou ve a dedicated te e whether it be
c
a
n
h
e
se
that w
ing to be
dent ab
rting stu tment or not go
o
p
re
r
fo
in
an appo school.
.
going to
in
by using
er is:
e
b
c
n
m
u
se
n
b
e
fa
Th
advise o g facility on the
can also
in
Parents absence report .
il
bsite
e
w
l
the ema
o
o
sch
Although we strive for high attendance from
our
students, if you know your child is unwell or injure
d
and not fit to be in school please do not send
them.
If a student becomes unwell or injured during
the
course of the school day it is the parent/care
r’s
responsibility to collect their child or arrange
for a
responsible adult to do so. Please ensure that
your
contact details are kept up to date so we
can
efficiently ensure the health and safety of your
child.
periencing
udents ex culties
st
y
an
r
e is fo
l diffi
The Centr onal or behavioura
g.
oti
eir learnin
th
n
o
ct
social, em
e
ff
e
to
an
e
e
m
o
av
h
lc
that may
ts are we
and paren er team directly.
Students
h
d
an
s Guy
be agreed
contact M
ill always
w
s
al
rr
d her
fe
re
Ms Guy an ool
However
of Year.
sch
ad
n
e
ai
H
m
e
e
with th
cted via th 58
ta
n
co
e
b
726
team can
n 01344 7
number o
e any
to tak
dents prescription
u
t
s
r
no nary fo
ent
necess ol (including signed cons e
a
If it is
th
ho
d
c
s
n
m
a
o
in
ation
tion
ded fr
medica s), the medic be downloa Reception
e
t
o
a
medicin form can als e handed in edication
this
ust b
he m
T
m
.
)
ly
form (
e
it
mplete
fe
s
web
red sa ontainer, co
o
t
s
e
he
school
b
c
it will
iginal
tails. T
where sent in its or d dosage de om at the
an
be
l ro
should e expiry date o the medica or a First
t
rse
u
N
with th st to come
e
h
t
.
ort to
t mu
ication
studen d time to rep ing the med
k
e
a
ir
t
u
e
req
efor
Aider b
ical
ny med
could a written in
e
s
a
le
P
be
d can
tments
appoin 's planner an to
d
il
h
e
c
d
r
min d en
you
o be re
h
they als Reception w
t
a
t
u
ir
o
sign
to the
they go ment.
t
in
appo
Parents should note that the school
cannot be responsible for the personal
property of students whilst the
students participate in off site activities
and the school will not be liable for
loss of or damage to such property
should this occur. By agreeing that
your child may participate in the
activity proposed you also
acknowledge and agree that the school
shall have no liability in this respect.
May
w
othe e rem
i
non r visitor nd pare
- sm
nt
s
smo oking that we s and
anyw king is site, the are a
refo
here not p
re
e
ings within o rmitted
or g
u
roun r build
ds.
SOFT
FOO
TBA
LLS
Pleas
e rem
they
in
d
s
s
t
balls hould brin udents th
(n
a
scho ot leathe g soft foo t
ol to
t
play r ones) in at lun
t
chtim o
e.
Items of
lost prop
erty can
reclaimed
be
lunchtime from Reception at
from 1.45
tion
pm onwar
only. Item
It is a serious breach of examina
ds
the PE de s of PE kit are kep
regulations to bring a mobile phone
t in
partment
fo
r
b
the
see
–
a
e
room
fore arrivi
short tim
into an examination
e
ng in Rece
we please
ption. Can
school website for more details.
remind al
l
p
not
do
al
ar
students
that
l
e
ensure
personal
n
Please
effects sh ts that
named an
ould be
bring mobile phones to school
d that un
clai
property
during examination sessions. At
will be dis med lost
the end o
other times mobile phones should
f each term posed of at
.
be switched off and remain hidden
Can students please make sure that
when using the school minibus they
do not eat when travelling in it and
certainly do not leave any litter
behind. Furthermore, please do not
wear dirty boots while travelling in
the bus and ensure that the whole
bus is left clean and tidy after every
journey. This is a fantastic new bus;
let’s make sure we can all enjoy it.
We now ha
ve the faci
lity to offer
students if
the
Paracetam
ol to
via the scho need arises. This can
ol nurse. If
only be acce
the nurse as
ssed
of Paracetam
sesses that
ol is necess
the use
the parent
/guardian fo ary, she will first tele
phone
r consent.
is kept of P
An ac
aracetamo
l use. We ho curate record
enable your
pe that
child
they will be ren to remain in scho this will
ol and that
m
o
re
comfortab
concentrat
le and able
e on their
lessons. W
to
ask you to
e will of co
collect your
urse still
child if they
re
main unwel
in severe pa
l or
in.
If you have
any concer
please cont
ns regardin
act the Scho
g th
ol Nurse o
n 01344 77 is
2658.
Last Day of Term
Friday 18th July (school closes at 12.05pm)
Autumn Term 2014
Teacher Training Days
Tuesday 2nd & Wednesday 3rd September
Start of Term
Thursday 4th September
Half Term
Monday 27th October to Friday 31st October
Last Day of Term
Friday 19th December (school closes at 12.05pm)
Spring Term 2015
Start of Term
Monday 5th January
Half Term
Monday 16th February to Friday 20th February
Last Day of Term
Thursday 2nd April (school closes at 12.05pm)
Summer Term 2015
Start of Term
Monday 20th April
Half Term
Monday 25th May to Friday 29th May
Last Day of Term
Wednesday 17h July (school closes at 12.05pm)
May Day Holiday
Monday 4th May
For further Term Dates/Key Dates please visit our website at:
www.edgbarrowschool.co.uk