MAGNUS CHRISTMAS 2015 - Great Baddow High School

MAGNUS
@GtBaddowHighSch
CHRISTMAS 2015
Website:
www.gbhs.co.uk
The Newsletter of Great Baddow High School
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD - RECORD NUMBER OF SHOEBOXES DONATED
In October, Mrs Williams, Mrs Wicker and myself started
involved.
the campaign with a series of assemblies with the hope
final number of
that we would enthuse and motivate students and staff to
boxes that left
support Operation Christmas Child. We discussed what it
Great
means to the child receiving the box and how they would
o n
usually not receive a Christmas present and what the
November
impact their gift would mean to a child living in poverty.
615. The van
We suggested that if each tutor group could make seven
driver
boxes
them
between
that
we
The
Baddow
2 5
collected
t h
was
who
the
L to R: Mrs Wicker, Mrs Williams and Mrs Burdon
boxes told us that he had never collected this many boxes
would match last
from
year’s total of 327.
before.
staff
on the morning and
early in the year
we
and
of
helped load the van
for us as a team is
when
school
Lots
students
The starting point
Saturday morning sorting and wrapping session
with volunteers
one
there
grow
was
a
real
community spirit in
plants and sell them
the
to staff. All of that money is used to help fund our
playground
as
campaign and we buy lots of goodies for the shoeboxes
and try where possible to have some items donated. We
have been very fortunate in our support from local
businesses. Sainsbury’s at Boreham once again donated us
left over Comic Relief items, Abercorn Nursery in Great
Baddow sold us some winter woollen sets at a much
we moved the boxes out
of the conference room
and they were stacked in
the van ready to be taken
to
the
w a re h o u s e .
reduced price and several national seed companies
donated seeds earlier in the year towards the plant sales.
Without their support the project would be much harder to
put together.
We also asked the students to try to spend the money
they would normally spend on a bag of sweets or crisps on
something for the boxes instead.
We have been
overwhelmed this year by the response from those
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Continued on next page...
Christmas 2015
The mammoth task of loading the van begins!
that our school will have helped Operation Christmas
child reached their target - #oneinamillion.
We would like to make special mention of Miss
Hotchen’s 8E1 class who made forty boxes as a tutor
Amanda Burdon, Linda Williams
group and who will keep Minnie Mouse our shoebox
and Kerry Wicker
mascot for the year, to Mr Van Os and Mrs Tucker for
their tutor groups winning for the third time running and
to the Eaglesfield family who donated twenty boxes
between them.
Several staff members also gave up their Saturday
mornings to help us run a couple Several staff members
also gave up their Saturday mornings to help us run a
couple of packing mornings. We had a lot of fun during
these sessions and would like to thank all those
involved. Mrs Perry (and her granddaughter), Mrs
Radford, Dr Ghoneim, Mr Willis and Mrs Brittain.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to make
this year so successful, like throwing a stranded starfish
back into the sea – you have all helped make a
difference to a child’s life this Christmas and we hope
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Headteacher’s Letter
The final days before we break up for Christmas are
attendance. A small number of students from each
always enjoyable – even when everyone concerned
year group also receive prizes for their attainment
has to dig deep into their energy reserves to make
or progress. We are extending the celebration of
it all happen!
outstanding academic standards by introducing a
Our catering team served 450 Christmas dinners
Key Stage 3 Awards Evening in July.
and if, like me, you’re entertaining a crowd this
We have a very committed Governing Body who
year, we can count ourselves lucky that we
give
(probably) won’t have to peel 275 lbs of potatoes,
development of the school. Mrs Sally Clifford has
10 bags of parsnips, 66 lbs of carrots and 44 lbs of
been Chair of Governors since 2010 but is now
sprouts.
stepping down from that role due to her own work
On the same day we held our Carol Concert at
Chelmsford Cathedral. This is always a lovely event
and this year was no exception. With Mrs Evans on
maternity leave, Miss Lynch stepped into the role of
choral director and Mr Fussey led the whole event
for the first time. This is a major event with a very
large audience of families, friends and members of
the community and all our singers, readers and
musicians created a magical evening.
their
commitments.
time
to
support
the
on-going
Mrs Clifford was an outstanding
Chair who cares deeply about the educational
experience of our students, so I am delighted that
she will continue to serve on the Governing Body.
She has been replaced by Mr Andy Oades, formerly
Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee who
has two sons at the school and is equally
committed to our school.
Gary
Tutor groups have again been competing for the
Springett, one of the original cohort of pupils who
best attendance this term. The winning tutor group
joined the school on its opening in September 1965,
in Years 7, 8 and 9 are rewarded with their own
was one of the readers, and the link with the
non-uniform day.
school’s history continued this week
with Chris
support the attendance – we are maintaining above
Simkins, from the same year group, as our guest
national and Essex average results. We particularly
speaker for Presentation Evening.
thank you for not booking holidays during term
Presentation Evening is an annual celebration of
Thank you for continuing to
time.
academic achievement with the main focus on last
year’s sixth form leavers, the majority of whom are
now at university.
Continued/...
The names of all our prize
winners and the destinations of last year’s sixth
form leavers are included in this edition. The Mayor
of Chelmsford presented some awards and many
members
of
our
Governing
Great Baddow High School
3
Body
were
in
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
We say farewell and good luck to a small number
Finally, as well as enjoying reading about all the
of teachers: Miss Reed (PE) has been with us this
experiences and achievements of your sons and
term as a maternity cover teacher; Miss Chimes
daughters over the last half-term, please also
(English) is moving to another local school and is
remind yourselves of the factual information about
also getting married over the Christmas break. She
uniform, safe parking and other matters included in
has also led literacy activities across the school and
this edition.
has been an energetic, enthusiastic and creative
contributor
to
the
excellent
English
Faculty.
With very best wishes for Christmas and the New
Year,
Mr White (PE) has secured a head of department
role and will also be missed.
He has thrown
Carrie Lynch
himself into the incredibly extensive extra-curricular
sports programme and has led the annual rugby
tour and co-ordinated the programme to support
gifted and talented sportsmen/women.
HEADTEACHER’S COMMENDATIONS AUTUMN TERM 2015
Year
Group
Student
Year 7
Lucy Kerwin
Dan Berrett
Jake Marouane
Year 9
Jamie Degge
Victoria Manwaring
Ioan Williams
Andrew Strutt
Sophie Leven
Chloe Hall
Josh Hassall
Chris Wassell
Sonny Dutton
Date
Reason for award
October 2015
Outstanding work in maths
December 2015
Outstanding work in science
Excellent work in History
October 2015
Tamsin Baker
Cian Willshire
Anja Buttifant
Callum Tucker
Year 10
For an outstanding volcano cake in geography
Alex Norton
November 2015
Excellent work in Design Technology
Carys Parrott
December 2015
Design for school’s Christmas card
Great Baddow High School
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For outstanding work on volcanoes in
geography
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
IMPORTANT MESSAGES
SAFETY NOTICE

The zebra crossing in Duffield Road has been put installed to protect our students and the local
community (including younger children walking to and from local primary schools) so inconsiderate
parents dropping off or collecting their children endanger other people when they park on the
zig-zag lines by the crossing. This is also illegal - even if you stop for just a few minutes to allow
passengers to alight.

Parents are also reminded that they should not be driving on to the school site or turning in the
drive way for similar safety reasons.
Punctuality
permission. Year 7 students are required to be
A small minority of students are late to school. All
collected from reception.
students should be on the school premises by 8:40
Reporting Student Absences
am. Morning registration starts at 8:45. Arriving
punctually to lessons is also very important to
enable lessons to start on time. Students who are
late for school without a valid reason may be given
a 30 minute detention to be served after school.
Please ensure a clear detailed message is left on
our 24 hour absence voicemail system by 9.15am
each day. If you wish to speak to a member of
staff regarding your child’s reason for absence
please make a separate call and speak to the
Signing-In
appropriate member of staff. Unfortunately we are
If your child is late for school or late due to
unable to accept emails as a method of reporting
attending a medical or other appointment, they
student
must have a note signed by you.
Failure to
arrangement.
produce a note could result in your child receiving
Attendance
a late detention. Late arrivals must always sign in
As you may have seen in the media, fines continue
at student administration.
to be levied for parents taking their children out of
Signing-Out
school for holidays during term time. Please do
If your child needs to sign out of school, for
example
to
attend
a
medical
or
dental
appointment, they must have a signed note from
absence
unless
this
is
by
specific
not put the school in the embarrassing position of
having to refuse requests for leave during termtime.
you which they must also ask their tutor to initial.
Your child must then bring the note to the student
administration office in order to sign-out. Students
M Copping
Assistant Headteacher Behaviour and Safety
are not allowed to leave the school site without
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
ACADEMIC AWARDS 2014-15
Carol Buck Prize for Special Effort and Achievement: Callan Taverner
Charles Cottey Prize for Services to the Community: Tia Hanlon
Linda Law Memorial Award for Services to the Library: Emily Bird
Sam Child’s Memorial Award for Services to Sport in Year 7: Sinead Murphy
Carlier Bowden Memorial Award for Courage and Determination: Hannah Barlex
Governors’ Prize for Leadership in the Sixth Form: James Braddy
Overall A Level Prize - Female: Lucy Gardner
Overall A Level Prize - Male: George Brewer
Art Prize: George Brewer
Biology Prize: Lucy Gardner
Business Studies Prize : Jordan Campion
Chemistry Prize: Allia Ruggiero
Design and Technology Prize: Emily Felton
Drama Prize: Alice Comport
Economics Prize: Patrick Wilkinson
English Language Prize: Jessica Ellinopoulou
English Literature Prize: Nick Roxby
Geography Prize: Ben Caleno
German Prize: Laura Smith
History Prize: Dominic Freedman
I.T. Prize: Ben Smith
Mathematics Prize: Harvey Wood
Media Studies Prize: Jonathan Foulston
Music Prize: Connor Devonish
Physical Education Prize: Louise Corfield
Physics Prize: Joshua Cormack-Butler
Psychology Prize: Flora Campoccio
BTEC Art Diploma: Emma Buck
BTEC Sport Diploma: David Clover
I.T. Nationals: James Paton-Smith
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
YEAR PRIZES FOR ACADEMIC ATTAINMENT
YEAR 7
Nathan Thwaites and Natalia Wells
YEAR 8
William Griffiths and Katie Troubridge
YEAR 9
Daniel Ritchie and Katie Bennett
YEAR 10
Josh Foot and Emily Bird
YEAR 11
James Corfield, Asel Kitulagoda, Anna Carter and Josephine Worsley
YEAR PRIZES FOR ACADEMIC PROGRESS
YEAR 7
Dominion Eno and Chloe Tozer
YEAR 8
Drew Kuma and Sapphire Paul
YEAR 9
Alessandro Dal Cin and Alex Cogan
YEAR 10
Tomasz Lakatosz and Caitlin Teixeira
YEAR 11
Alex Clark and Amy Gair
SPECIAL AWARDS FOR EXCEPTIONAL PERSONAL ENDEAVOUR
YEAR 7
Beth Saveall
YEAR 8
Rhianna Bird
YEAR 9
Rachel Bruder
YEAR 10
Lucy O’Connor
YEAR 11
Alex Clark
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
SIXTH FORM STUDENTS WHO HAVE MOVED ON TO HIGHER EDUCATION
BALDOCK, Jessica
University of Lincoln
Psychology with Forensic Psychology
BIRD, Emma
University of Manchester
Politics and Social Anthropology
BREWER, George
Royal Holloway,
Film, Television and Digital
University of London
Production
Canterbury Christ Church
Media and Communications
BUNCE, Andrea
University
CALENO, Benjamin
University of Kent
Business and Economics
CAMPION, Jordan
University of East Anglia
Business Economics
CAMPACCIO, Flora
University of Reading
Chemistry
CAVANAGH, Lewis
University of Essex
Economics
COMPORT, Alice
University for the Creative Arts
Acting and Performance
COOK, Lawson
University for the Creative Arts
Interior Architecture and Design
COOK, Samuel
Loughborough University
History and International Relations
CORFIELD, Louise
Loughborough University
Sport and Exercise Science
CORMACK-BUTLER, Joshua
University of Southampton
Aeronautics and Astronautics
DALE, Bryoni
University of Essex
Biological Sciences
DECLOQUEMENT, Fidel
University of Essex
Economics
DEVONISH, Connor
Oxford Brookes University
Music
ELLINOPOLOU, Jessica
University of Reading
English Language
ELLIS, Lloyd
University of the West of England
Quantity Surveying and
Commercial Management
FELTON, Emily
Liverpool John Moores University
Product Design Engineering
FOULSTON, Jonathan
Norwich University of the Arts
Film and Moving Image Production
FREEDMAN, Dominic
Canterbury Christ Church
Primary Education
University
GARDNER, Lucy
University of Essex
Biomedical Science
GRIFFITHS, Joe
Southampton Solent University
Sport Journalism
HALL, Jak
University of Brighton
Computer Science
HAQUE, Muhammed
Medway School of Pharmacy
Pharmacy
HOCART, Sarah
Queen Mary University of London
History
HUNT, Lauren
University of Exeter
Mathematics with International Study
LARNER-HOSKINS, Megan
Southampton Solent University
Film
LEY, Kathryn
University of Chichester
Psychology
MAERZ, Sarah
University of Hertfordshire
Film and Television
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
MUKADAM, Zahra
Coventry University
Fine Art and Illustration
PADDON, Daniel
Manchester Metropolitan
Sport and Exercise Science
University
PATON-SMITH, James
Anglia Ruskin University
Network Infrastructure and Security
PENKMAN, Alexander
University of Essex
Biological Sciences
PODD, Virginia
University of Stirling
Sport and Exercise Science
PUNT, Dominic
Southampton Solent University
Sport Journalism
ROLFE, Emma
University of Winchester
Vocal and Choral Studies
ROXBY, Nicholas
University of Bristol
History
RUGGERIO, Allia
University College London
Biochemical Engineering
SEYMOUR, Jordan
University of Buckingham
Criminology Psychology
SMART, Ryan
Canterbury Christ Church
Business Studies
University
SMITH, Benjamin
University of Essex
Computer Science
SOMERS, Amy
University of Portsmouth
Criminology and Criminal Justice
TODD, Harvey
Loughborough University
Mathematics and Sports Science
TSANG, Lily-Mai
Canterbury Christ Church
Business Studies with Human
University
Resource Management
WARE, Tanya
Anglia Ruskin University
Business Management and Finance
YATES, Samuel
University of Nottingham
Chemical Engineering
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
50th Anniversary Carol Service
Chelmsford Cathedral, Wednesday 9 December 2015
As you know, the school celebrates its 50th anniversary
given by Mrs Lynch and sixth form prefects, Olly and
this year and the ‘Headteachers’ Logs’ give us interesting
Tabitha.
information about the history of the school.
Having
Music was provided by: the orchestra and smaller
started with just one year group of 227 pupils in 1965,
ensembles led by Mr Fussey (Head of Music) and Ms
by 1968 there were four year groups attending and the
Loze (strings); choirs, including the Year 7 choir, led by
Headteacher’s Log for December includes this entry:
Miss Lynch; the signing choir led by Mrs Farmer and Miss
Wheeler; and individual items by Katie T (Year 8), Maisie
‘The first major event of the month was a most
S and Clare K (Year 12).
successful carol concert held in the cathedral by kind
permission of the Provost. Nearly one thousand people
An incredible amount of work went in to the preparation
were in the congregation and choirs and all enjoyed
for and organisation of this prestigious event. Students
themselves hugely. It is to be hoped that this may
showed great commitment to the music department and
become an annual event.’
to one another during the rehearsal period and the
quality of the work produced was of an exceptional level.
We are delighted that this has been so and it’s certainly
one of the highlights of the school calendar, and
The staff team was supported by a number of colleagues
Wednesday 9th December saw – and heard – the school
helping, including Mr Phillips who is covering Mrs Evans’
community joined in instrumental music, carol singing,
maternity leave and Mr Terry and Mr Hull (school
bible readings and prayer in the beautiful environment of
governor) who both joined the orchestra.
the Chelmsford Cathedral.
This was Mr Fussey’s first Cathedral Concert since taking
Gary Springett was one of the first group of students in
over the role of Head of Music in January and he and
1965 and he joined us to do a reading. As he had done
Miss Lynch, who stepped in with the choirs in Mrs Evans’
the same things when the school celebrated its 25 th
absence, did a fantastic job!
anniversary, this was very fitting. Other readings were
All photographs by
Charlotte C of Year 11
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Great Baddow High School
11
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Great Baddow High School Governing Body
At the recent meeting of the Governing Body, Mr Andy Oades was elected as the new Chair of Governors.
Mr Oades succeeds Mrs Sally Clifford who has been chair of governors for the past five years. We would like to
thank Mrs Clifford for all her support during her term of office. Mrs Clifford will remain on the Governing Body.
Membership of the Governing Body is now as follows:
Mrs L Alderson
Parent Governor
Member of Audit and Finance, Premises and Personnel
Committees
Mrs J Beaumont
Community Governor
Member of the Finance, Premises and Personnel
Committee
Mrs A Bell
Community Governor
Member of the Curriculum and Finance, Premises and
Personnel Committee
Mr J Butcher
Staff Governor (teaching)
Member of the Curriculum Committee
Mrs S Clifford
Community Governor
Member of the Curriculum, and Finance Premises and
Personnel Committee
Mrs C Colledge
Community Governor
Member of the Finance, Premises and Personnel
Committee
Mrs B Davidson
Parent Governor
Member of the Curriculum Committee
Ms C Evans
Community Governor
Vice-Chair of Governors
Member of the Pay, Audit and Headteacher’s Review
Committees plus Governors’ Responsible Officer
Ms C Garcea
Parent Governor
Member of the Curriculum Committee
Mrs L Harding
Parent Governor
Member of the Audit and Finance, Premises and
Personnel Committees
Mrs S Hollingsworth
Community Governor
Member of the Curriculum and Finance, Premises and
Personnel Committees
Mr J Hughes
Parent Governor
Chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Finance,
Premises and Personnel Committee
Mr J Hull
Community Governor
Chair of the Curriculum Committee and member of the
Pay Committee and Headteacher’s Review Committee
Mrs C Lynch
Headteacher
Member of all committees
Mrs T Metson
Community Governor
Member of the Curriculum Committee
Mr A Oades
Community Governor
Chair of Governors
Chair of the Finance, Premises and Personnel Committee,
member of the Audit Committee, Pay Committee and
Headteacher’s Review Committee.
Mrs C Shepherd
Staff Governor (non
teaching)
Member of the Curriculum Committee
Clerk: Mrs P Bonner, C/O Great Baddow High School
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
HISTORY CLUB
Mr Andrew has been running the history club recently
and the students are currently making model spitfires.
The club will be doing lots more of this in the future as
well as watching films and doing other historical related
activities. The club is held during lower school lunch
break on Thursdays and all are welcome.
UKMT Senior Maths Challenge
Regional Finals
Four sixth form students represented GBHS in the
UKMT Senior Maths Challenge Regional Finals.
The team comprising James C, Asel K, Leon R and
Toby M, did very well, coming twenty third out of
the thirty seven schools that participated.
DRAMA NEWS
In November, pupils
from Years 8, 9 and
10 performed the
tragic
story
of
Titanic to a sell-out
audience. Pupils had been working for eight weeks on
their characters, with Year 10 GCSE Drama pupils
having the extra pressure of the performance being
their first Controlled Assessment unit. This was a great
experience for everyone involved and Mrs Moon and
Miss Lynch both received feedback from parents,
governors and staff to say what a fantastic evening it
was and how lovely it was to see pupils performing
with such energy and commitment to the role.
In the Spring Term, we have eighty
pupils from Years 11, 12 and 13
performing their exam pieces to a
live audience in preparation for their
practical exams. All are invited.
The students will also now be preparing for our 50th
Anniversary Production, taking place in the Summer
Term. We look forward to seeing you there.
Mrs Moon, Head of Drama
No auditions took
place
for
the
performance so it
was a wonderful
e xpe rie n ce
f or
those involved to
work together and
learn from each
other.
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Parents and carers play a
key role in supporting
children in learning about
how to stay safe online,
and they are the first people children turn to if things
go wrong. It can be difficult to stay on top of the
wide range of sites and devices that young people
use as technology develops so fast, so if Santa brings
new digital devices into your home the following
advice may help:
1. Have ongoing conversations with your
children about staying safe online.
2. Use safety tools on social networks and other
online services, e.g. Facebook and Twitter
privacy settings.
3. Decide if you want to use parental controls on
your home internet.
Understand devices and the parental control tools
they offer in the Parents' Guide to Technology
It has been brought to our
attention that a number of
students in another Chelmsford
secondary school have been
receiving inappropriate
messages via Facebook and
Facebook Messenger.
These messages are not coming from other
students in the school or from individuals who
are personally known to those students. They
are, however, persistent and have been sent to
a number of people.
Essex Police have been advised of this online
activity.
We would like to advise you and your son/
daughter to block messages and/or ‘unfriend’
individuals whom they do not personally know.
We would also like to take this opportunity to
encourage all students who use social media
sites to utilise the profile security settings to
ensure that they do not receive unsolicited
messages. Students should take care only to
befriend individuals whom they know in person
and be wary about what personal information
they share online. We would advise them only
to post information that they would be happy
to see on display around the school. A public
post is just that – anyone in the general public
can see it, can copy it, and can use it.
available from UK Safer Internet Centre at this URL:
http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-andresources/parents-and-carers/parents-guide-totechnology
Computing and ICT Club
All students are reminded that they are welcome to attend
the club after school Tuesday to Friday in M18 from
3:15pm to 4:15pm. The club is open to all students from
all years to help with:





ICT GCSE Coursework
Computing GCSE Coursework
Exam revision
KS3 Rainbow test support
Homework help
Great Baddow High School
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Many congratulations to Year 9 student
Jessie R, who has received a Positive
Progression Award from the YMCA.
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
RoQA (Recognition of Quality Award)
for Careers Education Information,
Advice and Guidance
Excerpts from the Assessment Report

The school has a number of highly enthusiastic
staff passionate about PSHE and CEIAG and
through events and schemes of work ensure that
students’ needs in these areas are met.

There is a wide range of events and dedicated
careers lessons for all years including a bespoke
careers fair for Great Baddow students.

Students spoke maturely regarding their CEIAG and
WRE activities and have an understanding of
employability skills.

Students spoke highly of the support they receive
from Deborah Anderson, the Independent Impartial
Adviser.
Background
RoQA supports excellence in various aspects of Careers
Education Information Advice and Guidance and Work
Related Learning and was created awards to guide and
then acknowledge high standards in these key aspects of
the school curriculum. These awards are recognised by
Ofsted as a good indication of excellent provision of
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance and
Work-Related Learning. The award is validated by Careers
England’s Quality in Careers Standard.
Great Baddow High School is proud to announce it has
been accredited with the Recognition of Quality Award
(RoQA) for the excellent provision of Careers Education,
Information, Advice and Guidance. The external assessor
was impressed with the portfolio of evidence and with the
positive response from both staff and students she spoke
to.
Staff and students attended a celebration event at County
Hall on Thursday 26th November to receive the award
(see article and photo below.)
The assessor was particularly impressed with the students
she met during her visit to the school. “I would like to
make particular mention of the students that I met. They
were selected from Years 7 to 13 and were great
ambassadors for the school. They all participated actively
in our discussions and their comments showed an
impressive level of understanding and maturity.”
Deborah Anderson
Careers Adviser, Directions IAG Ltd
Careers Award for Great
Baddow High School
Great Baddow High School has been
awarded the Recognition of Quality
Award (R0QA) for the excellent
provision of Careers Education,
Information, Advice and Guidance
(CEIAG).
Staff and students
attended a celebration event with
other schools in the county at the
Essex County Council Chambers.
The assessor was really impressed
with the staff and students she spoke
to and with the portfolio of evidence.
Careers education and guidance
happens all around the school and
many staff are involved directly and
indirectly so it was great to be able
to pull all of this together to show Front Row - Peter Cook; Essex County Council, Maisie R; Year 11, Anne Chant; Canterbury Christ
Church University, Grace B; Year 10, Deborah Anderson; Directions Careers Adviser,
what Great Baddow does to prepare
Andrew Barker: Careers Senior Leader and Head of Sixth Form.
and support students for their future.
Back Row - Daniel C, Badriya C and Regan B; Year 9 students.
Thank you to everyone who helped
achieve this award and in particular to Andrew Barker; Senior Leader for CEIAG and Head of Sixth Form, Sian Field; PD
Coordinator and Jools Butcher; Flexible Learning Manager.
Deborah Anderson
Careers Adviser, Directions IAG Ltd
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Literature Comes to Life for Year 9 Students
During the first half of the
Autumn Term several Year
9 groups studied the
Californian classic Of Mice
and Men. John Steinbeck
wrote movingly about the
lonely lives of farm workers
who travelled constantly
from farm to farm to find
work in the depression hit
1930’s USA. Barely earning
enough to survive and with no family ties, their security
only lasted as long as their job.
Our main characters, George and Lennie, have a dream
of saving enough to buy a small homestead where they
could grow crops, raise animals and not answer to
cruel bosses.
just four weeks old, into school
so Year 9 could understand
Lennie’s obsession with these
tiny creatures.
Everyone enjoyed the visit and
the babies were surprisingly well
behaved. Perhaps the challenge
now is to choose visitors who
can bring some of our other
texts to life. Our other Year
Groups are studying Sherlock
Holmes, Charles Dickens,
Treasure Island and Oliver
Twist.
English Department
Lennie, in his childlike way, dreams of ‘tending the
rabbits’ on his own farm and this gentle metaphor runs
through the story symbolising safety, security and
innocent pastimes.
On the last day before half term a member of staff
from the English Faculty brought some baby rabbits,
Year 7 Visit to Colchester Castle
On Monday one hundred and twenty Year 7 students
visited Colchester Castle. Although we spent some time
in the dungeons, all of the pupils left the castle
unharmed!
They were able to build a Roman house, try on some
Roman armour and try Roman weapons for size.
Students were able to visit the dark dungeons and
examine some ancient artefacts. Down in the vaults of
the Roman castle they heard the exciting story of
Boudicca and were able
to see some of the
burnt remains of her
actions in Colchester.
The guides at the
castle were impressed
by our students and
their attitudes. They
were a credit to the
school, themselves and
their parents.
R Pilsworth
Head of History
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Sixth Form News
Year 12 Enrichment Activities
Every Wednesday during Period 5, Year 12 students enjoy several
different activities as part of their ‘enrichment’ curriculum. On offer
this term are cookery, art, music, magazine editing, football, squash
and snooker. It is a chance to get away from academic studies and to
relax with fellow students.
Mr Barker- Head of Sixth Form
Sixth Form Prefects
On 6th November, Ms Bousfield welcomed the new Year 12 Prefects and introduced them to the vital role which
prefects fulfil at GBHS. She discussed the importance of being a role model for both their fellow sixth form students
but also for pupils in the main school. An updated ‘code of conduct’ for prefects was discussed. Their first duty came
the very next week, at the Sixth Form Open Evening, where prefects (and several other sixth form students) acted as
guides and classroom helpers, showing Year 11 students and their parents around the school site and demonstrating
the level of work required for BTEC, AS and A Levels.
We would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the outgoing Year 13 Prefects. You have conducted yourselves admirably
over the course of the year and
have been excellent ambassadors
for the school and the Sixth Form.
Well done.
Mrs Fellowes – Sixth Form
Administrator
Sixth Form Charity Events
November 2015
Sixth Form students got actively involved in a number of charity
events during November. On the 13th, Tutor Group 12E held a cake
sale in Gordon Block to raise money for Children in Need. They
raised £163. Other students, in fancy dress, collected donations during the
day. Overall, the students raised a grand total of £342. Well done.
Operation Christmas Child was well supported by Sixth Form students who
donated thirty nine shoe boxes filled with goodies. The prize winners were
12B (with 10 boxes) and 13D (with 12 boxes).
Let’s see if we can beat that total next year!
Mr Bracken – Assistant Head of Sixth Form
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Gepp & Sons Annual Legal Debate: Weds 18th November 2015
judge.
Last
month,
three
incredibly
brave
students from Year 12
participated in the Gepp
& Sons Legal Debate at
Anglia
Ruskin
University, in front of
many
distinguished
members
of
the
community – not to
mention a High Court
Sadly, we did not progress to the final round and
students from King Edward 6th Grammar finally claimed
the title (for the second year running.) However, we are
all more than proud of Oli, Ella and Will. They
showcased their ability to speak and argue articulately,
even in the most nerve-wracking environment.
Congratulations all.
R Goodman (Miss), English Department
The students who participated were Oliver L, Ella F and
Will M. They were tasked with proposing the statement:
This House would raise the age of criminal intent from
10 to 14 years. Each student developed the overall
argument, raising points that considered the background
of a child who commits a crime, as well as biological
factors, such as brain development. This aspect of the
debate lasted for eight minutes – two per speaker.
The opposing team, from Brentwood school, then put
forward their views. Our team listened intently and
managed to raise a
strong
point
of
information against
them, challenging
their argument well.
Even the judges’
questions,
which
ended this round of
debates,
were
handled well by our
team.
Movember
Some of the teachers
(mainly from the maths
department) who
participated in “Movember”
which is a charity focusing
on men's’ health.
Left to right: Mr Atkins,
Mr Wells, Mr Lewis, Mr Barton,
Mr Peterson, Mr Dexter,
Mr Willis, Mr Simpson,
Mr Andrew and
Mr Rigglesworth.
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
LIBRARY NEWS
Here is a small selection of eBooks taken from the long list we have available for you to borrow
free from the library:
Great Baddow High School
19
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
LIBRARY NEWS
Andrew Hammond
“AAARGH!” a scream pieced the air. It took me a minute
to realise it was mine.’ Mia
At the end of October, the author Andrew Hammond
visited GBHS. He talked to all Year 7s about his CRYPT
series of books, stories about a group of talented
teenagers (Covert Response Youth Paranormal Team)
who solve the supernatural crimes which the police
cannot.
Each of Andrew’s books are set in real locations. ‘Mask of
Death’ links to the plague island of Poveglia near Venice
and ‘Blood Eagle Tortures’ is set in the lost village of
Dunwich in Suffolk. Andrew told his audience how he
uses real events and people as the basis for aspects of
his stories; he described to them a particularly scary and
gory incident which happened to him when travelling on
the London tube as a child.
‘Impatiently waiting in the line, a member of staff walked
up to me, ‘There’s no queue at queue number 4. I’ll
serve you.’ His face crinkled and creased. He went over
to the counter, he barged into everything and everyone in
his way. My order was placed; everyone in the diner
looked puzzled, some smirked; I didn’t know why though
…’ Erin
At the end of his talk, many students purchased one of
Andrew’s books and had them signed.
Andrew also led two creative writing workshops. To build
tension in stories he encouraged the students to ‘show
not tell’ and to focus the description on a very small
section and then gradually move the focus of the
description out. He talked about making every page,
paragraph and sentence have impact.
‘Another day finished, another piece of homework I have
received. This had been an extremely hard day to
concentrate as the sun had been beaming on me.
Slowly, my friend and I walked home. When weirdly
something caught my eye; something orange, skinny and
hiding under the orange crunchy leaves. Not wanted to
make a scene, I said nothing. I reached home but that
frightful sight stayed with me right until I went to bed.
Tired, I clambered onto the soft mattress and laid my
head on the pillow. What was that? There it was again.
It was the sound of a squeaky floorboard; someone or
something was coming up the stairs. Slowly the door
creaked opened. I was terrified. I couldn’t breathe. I
turned round and …’ Mackenzie
Everyone had a great time meeting Andrew:
Students in Mr Amato’s groups had the opportunity to try
these techniques. Here are a couple of examples of their
work.
‘I was alone. Flaky wallpaper coated the room, leaving
trails of white crust encasing the floor. My hands felt
clammy. They shook. The music, once happy turned to
deadly and spooky. I looked at my pale face in the
mirror. But something was wrong. The face that looked
back …cat like eyes, his smile spreading up to his ear.
Great Baddow High School
20
‘He was inspiring and made me think about writing my
own stories.’
‘He gave great tips for writing and I enjoyed when he
was reading his book to us.’
‘He was gripping and thrilling. He also helped us learn
how to write a horror story.’
‘It felt more one to one rather than him talking to the
whole class. He shared his opinions and I loved it.’
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
LIBRARY NEWS
Books to read this Christmas
Snuggle up with a good book and a nice warm drink this Christmas.
Here are some of the top teen books for 2015.
Life is hard for Mikey. He's frightened of open spaces and would much rather curl up in his room
and avoid the world outside. So going to a noisy, public place is a big deal - but with his sister
Meggie by his side, it should be safe. And Mikey is determined to overcome his fear. But things go
badly wrong when he encounters a gang and witnesses something terrible. To make matters
worse, they know where he lives, and now they want to see him . . . This time,
there's no hiding place for Mikey . . .
This characteristically powerful novel follows eighteen-year-old Cody Reynolds in
the months following her best friend's shocking suicide. As Cody numbly searches
for answers as to why Meg took her own life, she begins a journey of selfdiscovery which takes her to a terrifying precipice, and forces her to question not
only her relationship with the Meg she thought she knew, but her own
understanding of life, love, death and forgiveness.
School should be a safe place for Jess, a refuge from her difficult home life - but thanks to Kez and
her friends, it's everything she dreads. Despite being beautiful and popular, Kez's life isn't any
sweeter. She clings to the fact she is better off than Jess - or so she thinks. . . Told from the point
of view of the bullied and the bully, this is a taut, powerful story of two girls locked in battle with
each other and themselves, spiraling towards a shocking conclusion.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS READING
CHRISTMAS DINNER
Our wonderful catering staff
who prepared, cooked and
served 450 Christmas dinners
for students and staff. Thank
you ladies for all your hard
work.
Great Baddow High School
21
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Anja wins National Showjumping Competition
When I was informed about Anja winning the National
Amateur Showjumping Championship on the 25th
October 2015, as her tutor I could not have been more
proud.
I have always admired Anja’s dedication, not only to her
riding but to her studies in school as well. Since joining
the school in 2013 Anja has proved to a valued member
of the tutor group and we look forward to hearing about
the competitions she has been involved in.
To be
so committed to her studies and her show
jumping at such a young age has shown her dedication,
strength and motivation to follow her passion and to
strive for higher things.
I wish Anja all the luck in the world in continuing to be a
positive ambassador for the Great Baddow High School.
Miss R Lynch
9S2 Tutor
Great Baddow High School
22
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Sports College News
This has been a very busy term with a large number of
smart, particularly when representing the school. Can I
fixtures having been played. It has been fantastic to see
take this opportunity to reiterate the need for kit for
so many pupils involved.
every PE lesson, even if your child is ill or injured? This
is even more important during the winter months when
We continue to try to improve the way in which we
school uniform could get muddy or wet if pupils are in
communicate with you regarding fixtures but there are
outdoor lessons. Please ensure that all your child’s kit
often last minute changes that are unavoidable.
and uniform is clearly marked with their name and
Recently a number of fixtures have been cancelled on
tutor group. We have so much lost property, some of it
the day by opposing schools. I can appreciate how these
brand new, which cannot be identified and returned to
last
its rightful owner.
minute
changes
may
affect
families’
travel
arrangements, etc. and apologise for this. Please ask
your son or daughter to get into the habit of checking
On a sad note we say goodbye to Mr White and Miss
the screen in the Sports College reception daily as this
Reed. Both are off to permanent posts in January. We
contains all up to date information about the week
will still however see Mr White as he takes up his new
ahead.
position as Head of Boys’ PE at Boswells. I am sure you
would join me in thanking them for their efforts in their
There will be a few changes to the club timetable in
time with us and wish them all the best for the future -
January so please ask your son/daughter to look out for
except when they play us of course!
the new sheet.
Thank you again for your continued support and please
The reports from Mr White (Acting Head of Boys’ PE)
do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
and Miss Ball (Acting Head of Girls’ PE) outline many of
or concerns.
the extra curricular activities. I have been exceptionally
pleased by the uptake of clubs by all year groups and
particularly our new Year 7s who have turned out in
P Shears,
Acting Head of Physical Education
their droves.
We continue to stress the need for a high standard of PE
kit. The new style of boys’ jacket that came out in
September has proved very popular and looks very
Dear Parents
Please could we respectfully ask that when collecting your child from clubs or fixtures that you arrive
promptly by the end.
Very often staff are having to supervise students while waiting for parents to
arrive, and this can be anything up to an hour late. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation.
P Shears
Great Baddow High School
23
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Girls’ Physical Education
This half term has been full of exciting fixtures and
students completing our water confidence sessions and
excellent results against other schools.
we hope by the end they will be awarded their 25 metre
The netball season has started well with all ages
competing in the district competitions, with some good
results. These games are fantastic for our team
badge.
With thanks to our swimming instructor, Mrs
Clayden and to Mrs Enever, our medical officer for her
help and support.
development. The U16 squad represented the school at
Badminton club continues to attract a large number of
the county round at New Hall School on Sunday 15th
students and they are encouraged to develop their fine
November.
girls
skills. We are very fortunate to have the services of a
unfortunately narrowly missed out on qualifying for the
specialist who comes in to lessons and passes on his
national round in January.
knowledge to the students.
Our football season is also in full flow with all age
We have a large number of girls who are competing for
groups
MESSA
our county, region and even country. Well done girls -
competitions and our U16 team is still competing in the
keep up your hard work and dedication to sport. We
Essex Cup where they have played great football against
always encourage training as a team as this is essential
some tough opposition. We wish them good luck in the
for success.
Despite
competing
a
fantastic
extremely
well
game
in
our
the
next round.
We all look forward to the New Year when we will
Basketball fixtures are now coming thick and fast with
continue to train hard and compete successfully in all
most age groups already having played in many MESSA
competitions.
fixtures and our upper school teams preparing for Essex
and national fixtures.
We should like to take this opportunity to wish you all a
very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and thank
Again in the swimming pool we have made a fantastic
you for your continued support.
start. In competitive swimming we have taken part in a
number of MESSA galas with some excellent results for
a number of different age groups. We also have several
Great Baddow High School
24
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
L Ball (Miss)
Acting Head of Girls’ PE
Christmas 2015
GBHS Student selected as Captain of U16 England Basketball Squad
Great Baddow High School student, Charlotte E (age 15)
two hours on a Thursday evening, and makes use of the
was ecstatic to be selected to play for the U16 England
facilities at Great Baddow High School whenever she
Basketball squad at the European Championships in
can.
Portugal this year with the additional accolade of being
chosen to captain the team, a year younger than the
Great Baddow High School has been very supportive, by
normal age group.
offering her the use of the Sports Hall whenever she
needs it and she has lots of support from all her school
Charlotte is completely dedicated to her sport and trains
friends and trains both with Sixth Form students and the
every day of the week, both in the morning and after
younger year groups. In fact, she trains each break with
school and more often than not can be found training in
student and friend, Katie B, who has also been selected
the sports hall during her break times as well. Getting
for the England U15 Development Squad this year and
up at 5.30 in the morning to undertake strength and
sometimes her sister, Charlotte B who has been chosen
conditioning training before she leaves for school, she
for the England U18 squad.
also plays for Southend Swifts, with whom she trains for
GBHS Students jump at the chance of meeting Great Britain’s
Long-Jump Champion
Great Baddow High School has a long association with Sky
Sports for Living and regularly welcome mentors from the
scheme into the school to inspire and motivate its students.
When the opportunity arose to meet GB Long Jump champion
JJ Jegede, students across the school jumped at the chance,
literally.
Initially JJ Jegede met the Year 12 BTEC students running the
GBHS Sky project when he was bombarded with questions
about his inspirations, role models and biggest achievements.
“The Year 12 Great Baddow High School Sports Leaders were
great to speak to today and hopefully they learnt a lot.”
JJ Jegede
“JJ was a very inspirational guest to the school and a good role
model who combines his talent on the sporting and academic
field. We are looking forward to having him back to the school
on 17th December to work with our sports readers.” Mr Chris
Persey, GBHS Sports College Co-ordinator,
JJ is currently 2014 British Indoor and outdoor champion
with a personal best of 8.11m. He has competed for
Great Britain at the European Championships,
Commonwealth Games and is striving for gold at the
2016 Olympics.
During the lunch break he worked with some of the school’s
Year 9 girls and boys, giving tips and advice on sprints and
jumps, using some explosive strength work and giving guidance
on how to improve their performance. Students across the
school lined the long jump track to watch JJ in action and some
of the Year 10 GCSE students made sure they got the
opportunity to quiz him about performance analysis, as this tied
in with their current studies.
“The key with long jump is your speed on release by not
slowing down when you reach the board – you need to be
running off the board, so don’t run to the end of the board but
past it! The only way to get better is to increase your speed and
your strength.” JJ Jegede
Despite missing this season due to injury, he is focused on
being back jumping by Christmas and will be training for the
Olympics next year and competing on some smaller events
beforehand as well as the British Trials in June.
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Boys’ Physical Education
It has been yet another incredibly busy half term to take us through to Christmas. We have played a vast
number of fixtures, both during the week and at weekends, with lots of excellent results.
The Saturday morning extra-curricular programme allows large numbers of our pupils to compete against
numerous other schools.
The new dome has really come into its own during this half term, for a number of reasons: Firstly with
the nights drawing in and it becoming darker much earlier, we are still able to keep our clubs running
until 5 o’clock, ensuring that the pupils still get the quality which is required to continue to improve.
Secondly, within lesson time it has been a fantastic facility to use if the weather is really poor and has
allowed high quality lessons to continue to take place throughout the year.
The basketball season is now in full swing with the games coming thick and fast. All year groups have
had a positive start to their Essex Cup seasons, and we have also had teams competing in the National
Cup. Lower School attendance at clubs has been excellent and this has allowed us to have B teams
alongside the A teams in a number of fixtures. Having large numbers attending the vast extra-curricular
programme is something which we pride ourselves on as a school, and encourage all pupils to attend
clubs.
The school has run a number of events over the course of the year so far. Our Year 12 and 13 students
have been delivering activities to many of the local primary schools as part of the
School Sports Partnership programme. These have been really successful and
have maintained the excellent links Great Baddow has with the local schools.
There is also an upcoming trip to a West Ham match which a number of pupils
will have the benefit of. This has come about as a result of the growing link
between the school and West Ham United. We have also had a coach from West
Ham helping out in a number of lessons and clubs. This is a really positive
association which will build as we move forward.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the PE staff for the time and commitment that they
put in, and thus the opportunities they create for our pupils.
This has been a really long term and the Christmas break will hopefully provide a well-earned rest for the
department ready start again in January.
With very best wishes for Christmas and the coming year.
J White
Head of Boy’s PE
Great Baddow High School
26
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Regional Round of the National
Trampoline Competition
successful in qualifying for the next round. However,
we had the largest number of competitors qualifying
for the zonal round ever.
On 29th November Miss Reed and I took nineteen
students from Years 7 to 12 to Hitchin Boys School for
the regional round of the National Schools Trampoline
competition.
The U14 boys’ novice team (Blair, Josh, Louis and Pat)
have qualified for the fourth year running, with Blair
and Josh also qualifying as individual competitors. This
is the first time we have had competitors who are
taking on a dual role within this competition, as
individuals and as part of the team. The U19 boys’
novice team (Travis, Tom and James) has also
qualified. Although they have all qualified as part of a
team in the past, this was at a younger age group and
they are very happy to have moved up an age and still
have qualified, which is something that the school has
not managed before. Adam has also qualified for the
zonal competition as an individual competitor for the
second year running, which is another great
achievement.
Each competitor had to perform two 10-bounce
routines. The first was a compulsory routine, where
every competitor performed the same routine to show
how they compared to the other competitors. The
second routine was a voluntary routine, which
comprised a combination of moves of their choice.
Each move has its own difficulty score and this is
added to the execution score, which can help a
performer to move up the leader board.
In this round of the competition the boys were
competing as individuals in their gender, age and
ability group. If there were three or four from the
same school in their group, they would also be entered
as a team. The students competed as individuals and
teams for the U14 and U19 Novice for both boys and
girls. We also had individuals competing in the U14
boys’ and girls’ elite and the U19 boys’ elite category 2.
Each competitor performed incredibly well and
managed to hide their nerves. The number of
competitors in each group varied, but with one
hundred and five girls competing in the U14 age
group, this was by far the biggest.
I am very proud of the competitors and their support
for each other at the competition and during their
training sessions. They are training hard for the zonal
finals which are to be held in Cardiff on 23 rd January
and I know they are hoping to be successful in order
to qualify for the national final in March. I wish them
all good luck.
Mrs A Cooper
Teacher in charge of Trampoline
In order to progress to the next round of the
competition students had to finish in the top three
individual placing and/or the top two teams’ placing.
Our students tried their hardest and performed really
good routines. Unfortunately not all competitors were
Great Baddow High School
27
MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015
Artwork: Olivia Plumpton Year 13 using imagery gathered on an art trip to London
Great Baddow High School
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MAGNUS NEWSLETTER
Christmas 2015