Accent 23 - Ashcombe School

Accent
on Ashcombe
THE ASHCOMBE SCHOOL DORKING
Issue 23 • December 2008
In memoriam
he summer holiday
and Autumn Term
2008 will be
remembered for the
death of James Rosser
and its consequences.
Much has been written
and said about James
and the enormous impact
he had on the lives of so
many young people. For
those in school, there has
been a strange combination of needing to continue with the
everyday life of the school which for many staff in particular
can be nearly all-consuming, together with times of
reflection and remembrance, sometimes personal,
sometimes communal. The Christmas Service was another
example of an event which brought back happy memories
mixed with the sadness that James is not there to create
more. The true strength of an institution emerges when it is
facing great challenge, and there is no doubt that The
Ashcombe is a strong, caring and resilient community.
beyond the call of duty to make sure
that everything continues as it should,
with another Year group joining
Upper School, another Year 11
preparing for their examinations and
the projects (such as the Covered
Area) continuing.
The school would like to pay tribute to the contributions of
so many associated with the school who have worked way
Our thoughts are with the families of these sorely missed
students and colleague over the Christmas period.
T
On page 10 of this issue you will see
how the school responded for Luke
and Ravi. The response for James has
shown enormous generosity from the
community (over £5,000 has been
donated) to contribute to a Memorial
Fund established in his name which
will benefit the above-mentioned
project and the Gorilla Organisation.
Mr Buckingham took part in a gorilla run in London with
over 700 other brave souls to raise money, as well as
presenting assemblies (dressed in gorilla suit) related to
Rwanda. There was also an extraordinary MUFTI day held
in September (see centre pages).
Comment
t seems very appropriate
that the switch to full
colour should coincide with
this special edition of
“Accent on Ashcombe,”
much of which celebrates
James Rosser. James was
full of vitality and energy,
and the remembrance
celebrations earlier this term
captured these aspects of his
character. Having
photographs and video clips, and being able to share
those memories was very important and helpful in
coming to terms with our loss.
I
Although the first thoughts of many will be of a largerthan-life, charismatic person, James was also very
sensitive to how the school should conduct itself, not
seeking publicity for its own sake and with appropriate
restraint. There is a sense of understatement, of allowing
actions to speak for themselves and putting resources to
most effective use which shows itself in many ways. Our
prospectus remains low-key and black-and-white. It was
only when adding colour to “Accent on Ashcombe” was a
minimal cost that we decided to make the change.
James was a keen photographer and he took many
pictures of school events such as from inside a scrum on
Games Day, as well as in Tanzania and on other school
visits. He was always keen to promote such wider
activities, and the photographic record enabled the sense
of fun and involvement to be shared around the school
and in issues of this magazine.
The example of James Rosser and the many, many
expressions of how he had influenced and helped
thousands of young people should stand as a shining
example of what schools and teachers are there for.
Accent December 2008 | 1
Rwanda
An Unforgettable Summer
Daniella John of the Lower Sixth describes the trip
n summer 2008 The Ashcombe ran a trip to Rwanda
giving 12 Year 11 and Sixth Form students the chance to
experience a culture and a country that is literally and
metaphorically 1000s of miles from anything we have ever
known before. Only 14 years ago Rwanda was torn by civil
war and genocide with the scars still apparent today in the
tragic stories of the people we met.
I
Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, was far from what we would
call a city, although there was, much to our joy when we
returned after weeks of rice and plantain, a western-style
coffee shop. The week we spent in Kigali allowed us to
adapt to life. We washed out of a bucket of cold water and
slept in a £2.50 a night dormitory and from there visited
the genocide memorials that were situated in the towns
surrounding the city. It was there that we began to realise
the enormous scale of the genocide and the atrocities that
occurred to the people that were now so hospitable and
friendly to us. The combination of the genocide museum
and personal stories of various Rwandans we met on our
travels really opened our eyes to the injustice and political
errors that meant tragedy to so many.
Pascal, our bus driver (the bus rides themselves were an
experience), took us to Byumba on the Ugandan border
and home to 18,000 refugees. We linked up with the
Mokono Secondary School and spent a day with the
students who showed us typical Rwandan dance. In true
Ashcombe style we embarrassed ourselves teaching them
the Hokey Cokey! Back at the house in which we were
staying we called up our creative sides and had enormous
fun although not much success in making banana leaf
cards and a host of resources for local schools.
One of the most touching aspects of our time in Rwanda
was the day we spent in an HIV/AIDS orphanage for
children who, although living in their own home, had no
parents. Most of these children
suffered from HIV/AIDS and
were looked after by elder
siblings. The orphanage
provided them with food and a
chance to play whilst allowing
those caring for them to work.
We were taken to some of these
children’s homes where we met
their families and felt humbled
by their individual stories.
We were sorry to leave Byumba
not only because it had provided
the only warm working shower
we were to have over the whole
three weeks! However, it was off
to the much talked about
Virunga for the highlight of the
trip. You simply cannot describe
the feeling as you ascend a
2 | Accent December 2008
volcano shrouded in rainforest in order to view a family of
wild gorillas. Not only was it incredible but an adrenalin
rush as well - not once but twice we were charged at by
silver backs and for some of us the rush was even more
intense when the gorillas got too close for comfort.
Alarmingly they reached out and playfully tugged at our
clothes.
After this the remainder
of the trip was more
leisurely with time spent
in both Kabuya and
Chinigi which are small
towns on Lake Kivu. We
trekked through
Nyungwe National Park,
home to kabbalistic
chimps and we kayaked
on the lake before
returning to Kigali for a
day safari in Akagera
Park. All too soon it was
over and our return
journey to the UK
beckoned.
Rwanda
All of us on the trip would like to thank Miss Sothinathan
who was simply indispensable, keeping us laughing and
our spirits high from beginning to end. We also appreciate
Mr Buckingham giving up his place on the Tanzania trip
thus allowing us to continue ours. Mr Rosser had been
thoroughly enjoying the trip and was excited about making
the link with Mokono Secondary School. He hoped the trip
would run again as did we, but events in the nearby Congo
are scuppering any plans we might have had.
tudents who went to Tanzania and Rwanda in the
summer gave superb presentations to their
parents. The Rwandan evening was particularly
poignant and the level of thought that had gone into
the evening was extraordinary.
Mr Buckingham and Kali Sothinathan took the
Rwanda group to an evening of Rwandan culture and
dance at Greenwich Theatre in November.
S
Ofsted Geography Inspection
fter all that we had been through in the months since
July, it really did feel like “the last straw” when we were
rung on the Wednesday before half-term by Ofsted to be
told that we had been selected at random for a Geography
Subject Inspection.
A
Institutional inspections no longer provide time for
inspectors to evaluate individual subjects in detail, except in
the case of some college inspections. Ofsted has to fulfil its
statutory duty to give advice to the Secretary of State on
subjects and other aspects of education.
Subject inspections comprise a mixture of direct observation
of teaching, discussions with staff and pupils, and the
scrutiny of learners' work and documentation, such as
schemes of work. Inspectors evaluate achievement,
provision, and leadership and management using the same
framework and criteria as used in institutional inspections,
but interpreted in subject survey terms.
Mrs Wood, Head of Geography, and the rest of the
Geography Department put in an enormous amount of
work over half-term to prepare for the inspection.
We are still waiting for the formal final letter, but are
pleased that the outcomes were very much in line with our
full Ofsted report last February. The Inspectors’ view was
that this was a good Department with many outstanding
features including A level, use of ICT, students’ personal
development and the Department’s Leadership and
Management
Accent December 2008 | 3
James Rosser: In Memoriam
4 | Accent December 2008
Links with China
urrey County Council have taken a very keen
interest in the way that we have developed
our links with a school in Shanghai since 2001.
S
Our experience has enabled us to work on
behalf of Surrey to take groups of Primary and
Secondary Heads to Shanghai over the past two
years. Mrs Clarke deals with the primary
aspects of the visit and Mr Thompson is
responsible for the Area Links which form part
of a British Council programme for developing
links for UK schools across counties here with
provinces in China.
Senior staff from the British Council, Shanghai, Education Bureau Putuo
Four Surrey Headteachers were involved in the
Shanghai, our link school staff and other senior staff from Surrey schools
latest visit to Beijing and then Shanghai. Peter
Martin, the Elected Member in Surrey County
The result of our work now means that Surrey has almost
Council responsible for Education, came out to Shanghai for
20 schools linked with Chinese schools and 2 senior people
four days to meet key staff.
from Surrey County Council have experienced the extent of
these links first-hand. They are very much on board with the
Mr Thompson spoke on behalf of the UK schools at the
DCSF National Strategy for Languages and the importance
opening of the visit in Beijing and then at the Sino-Foreign
of international elements of the curriculum.
Forum at the Radisson Conference Centre Shanghai two
days later. This last event was organised by the Education
Bureau, Putuo and our link school.
On behalf of the County, The Ashcombe will be
coordinating a visit for education officials and headteachers
from Shanghai to Surrey next Autumn.
We are currently planning our annual exchange
programme for China next summer. The number of
students from this school who will have benefited from our
China links either through visits or exchanges to China
since we became a Language College will be around 150
after next summer.
Ashcombe in China
n July we were visited by Angela Fraser, Chair of
Surrey County Council and Rosemary Colebourn,
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust South-East
Regional Co-ordinator.
I
The visit allowed us to introduce them to our Chinese
guests and to visit Chinese language classes in
International Business Week. Rosemary is pictured
above receiving a gift from the Chinese teachers.
eventeen students and three staff from The Ashcombe
left for the return leg of the exchange on 19th July.
They spent 4 days in Beijing visiting Tiananmen square,
the Summer Palace, the Great Wall and many temples
and pagodas.
S
They then flew south to Shanghai to stay with host
families. They had lessons in the school each morning
and the rest of the stay involved getting to know Shanghai.
Favourite sites were the Bund, the high rise buildings on
the Pudong and the markets.
Chinese Visitors
eventeen students and
three members of staff
from our link school in
Shanghai arrived in early
July.
S
Trips were organised for
the group to Oxford,
London and Brighton. The
Chinese students gave a
series of musical vignettes
and dance as part of the
Summer Concert.
Accent December 2008 | 5
Romania
Romania Summer 2008
ur Romania adventure started at 3am on Sunday, 13th
of July.
O
Arriving in Bucharest 12 hours later, we excitedly boarded
the six hour train to Iasi, after having changed into more
suitable clothing for the scorching
climate! The train journey proved
nothing like our expectations. It was
clean, comfortable and very modern.
However, as we stepped off the train
we realised what a culture shock we
were about to experience. Modern
buildings stood beside crumbling
ruins, and wild dogs roamed the
bustling late night streets. Taxis were
waiting to take us to our new home
for the next nine days. Soon we were
bombing down the roads to our
destination. On arrival, we excitedly
unpacked in our bedrooms, and sleep
hit as soon as our heads touched the
pillow, ignoring even the thick heat
and bugs around us!
The next morning, the group split into
two for different projects. My group’s
first job was at a farm with Mr
Wakeford, picking onions, parsley
and playing with the resident puppies,
which we duly named Onion and
Parsley and they soon became our
Romania mascots!
The next day we followed on from the
other group’s work, building a
polytunnel (a large wooden
greenhouse) for a family living in a
shantytown. Their former flat was
taken when the father was no longer
able to work. The weather on this day
was not nice at all, rather like a
colder, rainier version of a British
autumn. At first this annoyed us, but
later we found that it was to our
advantage. The conditions of the wet
mud made the job of packing the
wooden frame into the ground far
easier, and soon we were sliding
around in a large mud bath, which
was a nice, fun break from the hard
labour!
The next day we were back at the
farm, though this time starting on a
wood store for the owners. The men
who owned the farm housed
homeless boys from Iasi who usually had learning
difficulties, and here they were able to help them to learn
the skills they needed to go out and get jobs. We were not
the only people helping with this project; an Austrian
6 | Accent December 2008
church group aided us and they were very pleasant. The
girls had more trouble working at the farm, as the men
thought we were incapable of even lifting a log. We
managed, of course, to prove them wrong as we proudly
completed a fence for the store.
The day after, the whole group was together once more for
a visit to a gypsy village. Before
Romania, we held a cake sale to raise
money for toys for the children. As
our minibuses pulled into the village,
many children, who seemed ecstatic,
surrounded us, and soon we were
sharing out toys and playing with
them. Our translator Lydia helped us
enormously by communicating for us.
She put us all to shame really as she
was only 16 yet could speak five
languages! We saw the project made
by last year’s Ashcombe group, which
was a playground that the kids
absolutely loved. We made special
bonds with all of the children that
day, and we were very sad to leave.
The next day was Jordan’s birthday
and luckily we didn’t have to work,
Instead we returned to the farm to
participate in a sports day. It was
Romania v. Austria v. England! The
sun was scorching and we found it
difficult even to be outside, but the
boys courageously won the football
tournament, though I am ashamed to
say that the English girls, myself
included, were not the best volleyball
players. I think we came last.
Despite this, the day was amazing.
Through Lydia, we learnt that one of
the girls, who had a shaved head,
had caught a virus from the local
swimming pool that she went to with
her 9 brothers and sisters. She was
very beautiful and we found it quite
distressing to hear how the other
children had treated her since her
illness. Fortunately, she is now in
good health. The day ended with
certificates and a lot of tearful
goodbyes to everyone at the farm,
especially Onion and Parsley. That
evening we went out to celebrate
Jordan’s birthday, first starting off at a
bowling alley with the teachers (which
was hilarious) and there followed a
meal at a restaurant which apparently
had won a competition for the slowest food. We still don’t
know what this meant.
After this, we had to wake up early again to get the train
back to Bucharest. Here it was time to release our inner
Exchanges & Visits
tourist as we travelled round the main city looking at all the
sights. We started with Ceauscescu’s Palace. The building
was enormous. In order to build it 7000 houses, churches
and synagogues had to be destroyed. The tour guide told
us as we walked around, that all of the gold was pure –
even that in the curtains, and the marble and crystals were
all sourced in Romania. The palace was the result of hard
labour of Romanian people and as we were shown round, I
couldn’t help but to feel resentment for the man that had
produced this building. He was vain (putting up a huge
painting of himself and on the opposite wall a mirror), and
he shot every architect after he finished the plan so that no
one could create a building like this again. What is more,
after having seen the poverty in which some of the
German Exchange
e have just completed a successful first leg of
this year’s Exchange. A record 28 German
pupils accompanied by 3 staff have been hosted by
Ashcombe families. It appeared to be a very sociable
time with lots of parties and this was complemented
by lots of language improvement and cultural
activities throughout the week.
W
Visits to Brighton, Windsor and London were enjoyed
by all. The German pupils spent a morning in lessons
at The Ashcombe and an afternoon working with Year
5 pupils at St. Martin’s Church of England Primary
School.
Tanzania
he school’s sixth biennial exchange with Tambaza
School in Dar-es-Salaam took place over the summer
and the return leg in the early part of net year is eagerly
awaited. Mr Buckingham, Mrs Williams and Mr Smallridge
accompanied a group of 17 Year 11 and Lower Sixth
students. They were afforded a truly warm welcome by
T
Romanians lived it seemed incredible that he wasted so
much of the country’s money to fund a palace. At the end
of this day we spent our night in a hotel in Bucharest which
was an interesting experience, especially seeing the ruinous
buildings outside one of our windows!
The next day we walked back to the airport ready for our
journey home. We were so looking forward to seeing our
families after what seemed an eternity! Nevertheless, the
trip was undoubtedly one of the best weeks of my life. The
experiences that we had will never be forgotten and the
laborious tasks that we completed will hopefully aid the
family and farm in ways we would never have been able to
have imagined.
Victoria Baker Upper Sixth
Geography visits
n April the Lower Sixth spent a day in the London
Docklands to look at urban regeneration. They visited
areas around the Excel Centre which have already been
redeveloped, and then travelled to the Olympic site to
assess progress for London 2012. The students were then
able to use the information they had collected in their AS
exam.
I
Last year’s Year 10 geographers went to Leith Hill and Box
Hill to collect data for their coursework. Pupils investigated
the impact of recreation on Leith Hill and listened to the
National Trust warden talk to them about how the area is
currently being managed. In the afternoon the pupils
travelled to Box Hill to collect information on management
strategies being used at this site.
the school and families, enjoying the experience of living
amongst communities very different from those in Europe.
The group visited Zanzibar together, and, following Mr
Buckingham’s departure for Rwanda, Mr Reeves joined the
group for the rest of the visit. We are very grateful to him
for going at such short notice and under very sad
circumstances. There will be a fuller report of the whole
exchange in the next edition of this magazine.
Accent December 2008 | 7
Mufti Day
he school held a
MUFTI day in
September and the
theme of Legends
just seemed
appropriate…
T
8 | Accent December 2008
Mufti Day
Accent December 2008 | 9
Music
Royal Marines’ Concert
e were invited to provide a choir to sing with the Royal
Marines in a concert given in Dorking Halls in April.
Mr Ashwood coordinated the rehearsals of all choirs
involved, including a visit to Portsmouth for a guided tour
and rehearsal. Over 30 pupils of all ages from The
Ashcombe prepared a selection of shanties and sections
from ‘Joseph’ to sing in a massed choir. In addition we were
asked to provide a ‘solo’ item. We decided to sing
‘Quoniam tu solus sanctus’ from Haydn’s Nelson Mass. This
was an ambitious piece, and we were delighted with the way
the pupils performed. This gave the pupils an opportunity to
participate in and hear types of music to which they may not
have previously been exposed. The concert was thoroughly
enjoyed by all, including our special guest Mr Buretta,
Headteacher of Tambaza High School (who also won a raffle
prize – a book about lighthouses in England!)
W
St Martin’s concert
urrent and former music students from The Ashcombe
School gave a lunchtime concert at St. Martin’s Church
as part of the Vaughan Williams Festival. Lindsay Jamieson,
former Head Girl and now studying music at Nottingham,
sang a selection of songs by Vaughan Williams and his
contemporaries.
C
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
The string quartet (Sam Moreland, Nina Kelley, Zena Moore
with Dr Andrew Taylor on cello) played Mozart followed by
compositions from A-level students Alex Crumbie and David
Coughlin, both fusing Eastern and Western musical
traditions. David said “My composition “Fusion Piece” is a
double fusion, with the music combining classical and
Indian elements played on electric guitar (using a sitar-type
technique) and classical string instruments”. Alex and David
performed their own compositions supported by Nathan
Owen and teachers Miss Ashburner and Mr Newbold.
Summer Concert
ur Chinese visitors performed a range of dances,
songs and instrumental works to a large audience of
their hosts and music students.
O
This was followed by pieces for our own students from all
Years including many from Year 7, both classical and light
popular, solo and ensemble. Again there was a lovely
atmosphere. The audience sat ‘in the round’ and on the
stage meaning that all had a good view and felt very
‘involved’. This year, performers were given the opportunity
through an informal interview to talk about their musicmaking. This added to the feeling of ‘community’ as the
audience could get to know more about the pupils and
their ambitions.
he last school year was one of outstanding participation
and completion at all three levels. 140 pupils successfully
completed their Bronze Award expeditions (based locally
around Box Hill and Leith Hill). Forty pupils went to Exmoor
and the Peak District to earn their Silver Award.
T
In July the Gold Award expedition was successfully
completed by twenty students in conditions that can best be
described as unhelpful.
A Year 11 student writes about a thrilling day out
Alton Towers
n Saturday 28th September the thrill-seeking half
of Year 11 rose at an hour most of us previously
did not know existed, ready for a five hour journey to
the biggest theme park in the U.K. After two pit stops
along the way, in which WH Smith seemed like the best
idea ever, we finally arrived at our destination which
glittered in the slightly damp mist like a budget version
of Disneyland, although thankfully without people
dressed as animals trying to hug you. Eschewing the
undoubted delights promised by the Alton Towers Zoo,
the biggest rides were soon engulfed by a stampede of
Surrey-dwellers which continued through the day, with
necessary breaks for buying as much food as possible
and ‘ironic’ trips on the River Rapids. Finally, after hours
of unbearable excitement three coach-loads of soggy
teenagers returned to the glamour of Alton Towers car
park to begin the long journey southwards, complete
with possible whiplash and some lovely memories.
O
10 | Accent December 2008
School & Charity Events
Year 11 Leavers’ Evening
Study Centre
he beginning of May saw Year 11 celebrate the end of
the school year and for some pupils, the end of their
time at The Ashcombe.
s usual this has been a very busy Autumn Term. At the
beginning of the term we were organising the orders
for the free books from the government for Year 7. Each
pupil chose a book from a selection. Year 7 have also been
taking part to find out which tutor group takes out the most
books each half term. This is very popular along with the
list of the top 100 readers in the school who have taken out
the most books.
T
The Leavers’ Ball was, as usual, a very successful event,
with the regular mix of buses, sports cars, limousines and
tanks marking the grand entrance of the pupils. Students
looked extremely glamorous and were happy to eat, dance
and be merry. The ball was filmed by Mr Reeves and pupils
were able to purchase a DVD of the night.
Shoe box collection
hanks to everyone for 211 Christmas shoe boxes! Pupils
throughout the school brought in full boxes or shared in
tutor group efforts to fill and wrap several boxes between
them.
T
The fantastic, colourful mountain of boxes has now been
collected by Link Romania and will soon be on its way to
the poorest families in and around Iasi, north-east Romania
in time for Christmas. Craciun Fericit!
Miss Cammack
A
The main event for last half-term was Children’s Book Week
in October. During this week we held a competition to send
your least favourite book to Room 101, match the music to
a book, make a book related door hanger, quiz and word
puzzle. Poems were put up round the school to celebrate
National Poetry Day which falls in the same week.
This half term we held a book fair which made £368.26.
Two activities were connected to it. There was a poster
competition to design a book fair poster which had 43
entries and there was a chance to vote for your favourite
book from the fair. Ninety-seven votes were cast and the
favourite book for each year was then bought. Also this half
term there will be a competition to design a Christmas/
winter card and to write a Christmas/winter poem.
Miss Page
Luke Holland and Ravi Mattausch
he school community has
responded magnificently to
the deaths of Luke Holland
and Ravi Mattausch this year.
In July we paid tribute to Luke
by wearing football shirts and
raising money (well over
£2000) for the Surrey Air
Ambulance Service, the charity
supported by his father who
came in to an assembly to
speak with Luke’s year group.
T
Above: Ravi’s parents
pictured at the Aerobathon
Students and staff raised a
substantial amount for the
Royal Marsden by holding an
Aerobathon earlier this term.
Sixth Form
he students celebrated the end of their time at The
Ashcombe with the traditional boat trip along the
Thames. The event was very successful with around 20
staff accompanying the 110 students. It was an indication
of the incredibly positive atmosphere housed within the
Sixth Form community that such an evening can take place
without any negative incidents. The Upper Sixth’s last day
was focused around the leaver’s assembly. The senior
prefects produced a superb video commemorating their
time at the school. The Leavers’ Book that accompanied
this video was also incredibly professional.
T
Clergy Links
nce again our thanks go to Nelson Porter who has
kindly arranged the team of speakers for assemblies
this term. We were very sorry to say farewell to Amanda
Johnson from St Paul’s who is sadly leaving the area after
providing much support to the school, especially at times of
great sadness. Her warmth and generosity will be missed.
O
Mrs Reed
PTA
he PTA has benefited greatly from the enthusiastic
leadership of Adrian Hill who has managed to recruit
many new parents to the PTA.
T
A splendid quiz evening was held in Ranmore Canteen and
numbers had to be limited to 160. A Band evening is
booked for the Spring Term (27th March).
Accent December 2008 | 11
Careers Fair
he sixth biennial event was held in September for Year 9 -13 students and their parents. It again offered the opportunity
for one-to-one conversations, workshops and hands-on activities. Over 80 careers were represented and we are
grateful to the local business community, the Services and local colleges and universities that were represented.
T
12 | Accent December 2008
Examination Results
e were again delighted with the results this year,
and especially those at A-level, which were
exceptional.
W
A-level
The average points score for candidates was 373
UCAS points (compared with 357 last year and 347
in 2006) and 940 QCA points (compared with 910
last year and 902 in 2006). We had a 98% subject
pass rate. All but one student gained at least 2 grade
Es. The average score per student places the school
in the top 20 comprehensives in the country. This has
been achieved even though we have one of the lowest
entry requirements onto A-level courses in Surrey.
These results are the best ever since the post-16 exam
reforms in 2002. Over half the grades were “A” or
“B”, and there were many outstanding individual
results, leading to several students gaining admission
to “highly competitive” courses.
Ten students gained 4 or 5 grade A grades: Tom
Lloyd, Ellie Pavey, Anna Yarde, Ed Blunt, Molly
Riggins, Lucy Browning, Becky Gardner, Hannah
Grimes, Douglas Hill and Anna Johnson.
AS-level
Six students gained 5 A grades: Jessica Bincow,
Hannah Brewer, Luke Caldwell, David Coughlin,
Laura McDonald and Anastasia Orme.
GCSE
99% of pupils gained at least 1 A*-G, 98% gained at
least 5A*-G and 93% gained at least 1 A*-C. This is
particularly pleasing because we are a comprehensive
school, we take the full range of ability with no
selection or filtering. There were many outstanding
individual results, with 26 pupils gaining 3 or more A*
grades. The percentage of pupils gaining at least
5A*-C was 75% this year, up on last year’s figure
(73%), and the percentage of pupils gaining at least
5A*-C with English and Maths is 69% this year, up on
last year’s figure (67%).
Particularly outstanding results came from Emily
Tolhurst, Jamie May, Rachel Lawrence, Mike Whetnall,
Louisa Barker, Emma Antonio, James Yarde and
Phoebe Hill, all of whom gained 6 A* grades or more.
Accent December 2008 | 13
School Production
Godspell
008 saw the School’s third production of ‘Godspell’ which
deals with the teachings of Jesus in St Matthew’s Gospel.
The musical play is humorous in its approach and this was
certainly picked up by the cast. The audiences commented
on how “warm” a production this was and how obvious it was
that the performers were really enjoying every minute.
2
The part of Jesus was divided between three performers –
Mike Whetnall, Alex Papworth and Jamie Wilson, and the
role of Judas between Sasha Colvile and Tom Grant. No
one in the cast had more than one main solo song and the
spoken lines were divided up among the cast to make this a
truly ensemble piece of theatre.
It was wonderful that this year the Band was entirely made
up of Ashcombe students.
There was a large supporting network of backstage helpers,
mostly students who kept the
show running smoothly and
who were as much a part of
the team as the cast.
All in all, a vibrant
production from the
costumes to the
performances, the music to
the lighting. Top quality and
a joy to watch.
Miss Goswell
14 | Accent December 2008
Sports
Athletics
Tennis
he District championships were held at Kingsmeadow,
Kingston in May. Individual success was achieved by four
of our students. The following qualified to run/jump/throw
for Central Surrey at the County Championships: Conor
Hider (100m and 400m), Amelia Maugouber (discus), Hugh
Baker (800m) and Sarah Bridgman (shot and 300m).
Sarah won the final and earned her place in the Surrey
team for the South East England Regional Finals.
e entered the top two boys from each year group into
the Surrey Festival of Tennis held at St George’s
College. The Year 8 pair of Henry Hill and Dom Ferrett lost
in the semi-finals to the pairing from Reeds School (Tim
Henman’s old school).
T
Cricket
his year we have combined Year groups together to
create a Year 7 & 8 team and a Year 9 & 10 team. The
Year 7 & 8 team won the Dorking Cup, were runners-up in
the Lords Taverners 20/20 competition and were quarter
finalists in the County Cup. The Year 9 & 10 team lost in
the second round of the County Cup to St George’s who
were the eventual winners. For the first time ever we had a
Sixth Form team that played against Dorking Cricket Club.
T
W
Stella Artois Tennis Tournament, Queen’s Club, London:
We took 31 Year 10 GCSE PE and Tennis team pupils to the
opening day of this prestigious tournament. The trip gave
the pupils the opportunity to watch elite performers,
including Andy Murray, Jamie Murray and Rafael Nadal.
Pupils also experienced contemporary issues such as
sponsorship, professionalism, and the chance to see a top
sporting facility used to develop those in pursuit of sporting
excellence. They were particularly impressed with the
opportunity to gather some autographs on the practice
courts.
Scenes from Games Day
Accent December 2008 | 15
Art
Art Exhibition
arents, staff and students were invited to attend
the first exhibiton of senior students'
examination-level art work which was held in the
Sixth Form Centre at the end of the Summer Term.
The show was opened by John Tiffney, President,
Bookham Decorative and Fine Arts Society.
P
Calendar 2009
JANUARY 2009
Mon 5
Fri
9
Fri
Tue
Thu
Mon
Thu
16
20
22
26
29
Spring Term begins
Y9 Reports to Parents
Sixth Form Preference Forms due
Y10 Progress Reviews to Parents
Y11 Certificate Evening
6.45 Upper School Introduction for Y9
Y7 Progress Review to Parents
9V Parents’ Evening
FEBRUARY 2009
Thu 5
Fri
6
Mon 9
Tue 10
Wed 11
Thu 12
HALF TERM
Mon 23
9W Parents’ Evening
Y11 Reports to Parents
Y11 Work Experience Week
Y9 Options Forms due
Y10 Battlefields Trip
Y8 Progress Reviews to Parents
Saturday 14th - Sunday 22nd February
Charities Week until 27th
MARCH 2009
Thu
Fri
Thu
Fri
19
20
26
27
8X Parents’ Evening
6th Form Reports to Parents
8Y and targeted Sixth Form Parents’ Evening
PTA Band Night for Parents
APRIL 2009
Sat
Mon
Tue
Thu
Thu
4
20
21
23
30
Easter Holiday begins
Summer Term begins
Y11 & U6 Group Photos
7X Parents’ Evening
7Y Parents’ Evening
5
7
8
Y10 Reports to Parents
Y11 Leavers’ Ball
Y11 Leavers’ Assembly
Y11 & L6 Study Leave begins
Thu 14 U6 Boat Trip
Fri
15 Y10 Battlefields Trip
Mon 18 Y7 Open Morning
Fri
22 INSET Day - Staff only
HALF TERM Saturday 23rd - Sunday 31st May
JUNE 2009
Mon
Thu
Mon
Tue
Fri
Mon
Wed
Mon
Tue
1
11
15
16
19
22
24
29
30
Y7 Open Morning
Y7 Reports to Parents
INSET Day - Staff only
L6 Return
Sixth Form Induction Day
European Primary Week
L6 Parents’ Higher Education Evening
New Intake Evening
New Intake Day
JULY 2009
Fri
Mon
Mon
Mon
Tue
Wed
3
6
13
20
21
22
Y8 Reports to Parents
Festival of Music Week
Activities Week
Y9 Progress Reviews to Parents
Summer Games Day
1pm End of Term
AUGUST 2009
Thu
Thu
20
27
A-Level Results
GCSE Results
SEPTEMBER 2009
MAY 2009
Fri
1
Mon 4
Tue
Thu
Fri
Y10 Reports to Parents
Bank Holiday
16 | Accent December 2008
Tues 1
Wed 2
INSET Day - Staff only
Autumn Term begins