Accent 35 - Ashcombe School

accent
ON ASHCOMBE
ISSUE 35 • SPRING 2014
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CAREERS FAIR
On Monday 16th October, after a lot
of hard work and organisation by Mr
Panting and Mr Mercer, The Ashcombe
School opened its doors to over a
thousand parents and pupils for the
annual Careers Fair.
Students from Years 9 to Upper Sixth
were invited along to speak to
representatives from more than 40
local colleges and national universities
and around 100 local, national and international businesses. A whole range
of sectors were covered including
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Maths), Creative Industries,
Media, Medicine, Transport, Education,
Public Sector and Armed Forces
as well Leisure, Sport, Retail and local
entrepreneurs through to VSO
(Voluntary Service Overseas), Charities
and Social Enterprise.
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THE ASHCOMBE SCHOOL, DORKING
ANNUAL AWARDS EVENING
Given the current success of the motor manufacturing
business in the UK, we had a particular focus on the UK
Motor industry with stands by mass manufacturer Mazda,
Dorking Service Centre, McLaren and Babcock (who organise
apprenticeships for a number of major manufacturers
including BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover and Mazda).
There was also a large emphasis on alternatives to university,
with apprenticeship opportunities promoted by the ALPS
partnership, Jace Training, Babcock, local firms Ansell &
Sons (Builders) and Johnston Sweepers, as well as School
Leaver Programmes promoted by international giants such
as Nestle, KPMG, Cap Gemini and Deloitte.
A huge thanks must go to all the volunteers - we could not
have run the event without them. We would also like to
thank our pupils for the mature manner in which they
approached the evening. Many universities and businesses
have written to us saying how engaged and polite our pupils
were and have also commended the 6th Form
stewards for all their hard work on the night.
We look forward to next year's event.
ASHCOMBE SUPPORTS THE
DORKING ADVERTISER'S
ROUTE TO WORK CAMPAIGN
Ashcombe is backing the Dorking Advertiser's fight to get
more of the district's young people into training schemes
that can help them find a career that is right for them.
With the rise of university tuition fees in 2012, alternative
routes into the world of work have become even more
relevant to school-leavers.
Mr Panting told the Advertiser that the school views
apprenticeships as a vital and often an advisable option for
young people as they plan their futures. He said, "What's
important to us is having relationships with local companies.
Throughout the evening students and parents said how
helpful it was to be able to have a mix of higher education
establishments alongside the Apprenticeship and School
Leaver programmes, as they were able to ask people about
their occupations and understand what they involved and
then look at the training and study options needed to get
there. Pupils and parents were also able to attend seminars
run by businesses and universities on a number of topics from creating your own business to studying abroad and
writing personal statements.
Those employers can then come back and talk to the school
about any opportunities they have. When we build these
relationships it is not only good for us, but it's also great
for the companies because we can recommend students to
help solve their recruitment problem."
Following the Careers Fair, David Ansell of Ansell & Sons
(Builders) kindly came into school to interview some Year
11 pupils for apprenticeships (pictured).
Mr Panting said that although The Ashcombe has not seen
a drop in students applying to university since the new fees
came into effect, the school is keen for students to be aware
of other possible ways forward.
"What we have found is students who would have
automatically gone to university are now seeing apprenticeships as an alternative route into a career. Apprenticeships
don't have to be in trades, they could in a whole range of
different areas - the problem with them is it can be very
difficult for students to organise, so links with local
businesses are crucial."
FUTURE FIRST
Ashcombe has also started to create a bank of former
students who could inspire, work with and provide contacts
for our current student group. This is being done through
an education charity called ‘Future First’ whose main aim
is to enable school communities to extend beyond leaving
age. We already have around 150 former students who
have registered from a range of backgrounds and would
love to hear from others. If you could pass this link onto
any ex-pupils you know, we would be ever so grateful:
networks.futurefirst.org.uk/former-student-search (typing
Ashcombe into the box “Find your school or college”).
VIEWPOINT
It was a personal pleasure to welcome Steve Abbott to Awards
Evening as our Guest of Honour. We met last April for the first
time in over 30 years after studying Maths together, and I was
struck that even though he had been extremely successful in the
highly competitive film business, he still retained the firm
commitments and beliefs he had as a student. And in particular,
a belief in the importance of giving real opportunities to all
irrespective of their background or circumstances. This is very
much in keeping with our approach here, and events such as the
Careers Fair as described in this edition of Accent are a key part
of making that aspiration a reality.
Steve and I have both been fortunate in the opportunities which
have been there for us; Steve has had a great and successful
career living his passion and giving back to his home city of
Bradford and to filmmakers here and abroad. So when I invited
him to be our Guest of Honour, he immediately offered to do a
Q&A session for students here beforehand, which was frank
and informative. He described how his career in film had
culminated in the making of "Brassed Off", which turned out
to be the film he had always wanted to make.
On the last Wednesday of the Autumn Term,
Ashcombe’s Annual Awards Ceremony took place,
which saw over 200 pupils receiving awards for
academic, entrepreneurial and sporting achievements as well as for contributions to the school
community and international dimensions.
We were lucky enough to welcome the TV and
Film producer Steve Abbott, best known for
"Brassed Off", "A Fish Called Wanda" and the
Michael Palin travel series on TV, as our guest
speaker. His address was both inspiring and
entertaining and was enjoyed by parents and
pupils alike. Steve also provided the
opportunity for Drama and Media students to
find out more about the TV and film industry
via a Question and Answer session after school.
Many commented after the evening how they had been struck
by Steve's humanity and the interest he took in the individuals
receiving prizes. This was very much in accord with the ethos of
the school which combines striving towards doing one's best
as an individual and having an awareness of others and the
wider community, with being a decent, rounded person.
D.J. Blow
Headteacher
Picture courtesy of the Dorking Advertiser
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The Awards Ceremony was interspersed with
some beautiful musical performances by the
school orchestra and choir, a speech by the
Chair of Governors and an address by the
Headteacher, Mr Blow, thanking staff, pupils
and Governors for their continued hard work,
as well as the parents and local businesses who
kindly sponsor many of the awards.
BUGSY MALONE
SENIOR CITIZENS PARTY
SIXTH FORM DINNER DANCE
Custard pies, splurge guns, songs and laughter filled the
main hall as over a hundred students at The Ashcombe took
to the stage for this year’s production of "Bugsy Malone”.
The cast was headed up by Dan Ashwood, Ellis Green,
Lucy Burrows and Jo Goddard who put on fantastic
performances as the lead gangsters and molls - Bugsy, Fat
Sam, Blousey and Tallulah.
Ashcombe’s annual Senior Citizens Party was once
again a great success and was enjoyed by all those who
attended. Funds for the party were raised through
Christmas Bazaars held by pupils in the lead up to the
event. On the day itself, Sixth Formers and teachers
collected some of the elderly members of the community
and brought them to the Main Hall so that the festivities
could begin. Our guests were able to feast on a variety
of sweet and savoury nibbles, prepared by Year 10
pupils, whilst enjoying Christmas-themed entertainment.
The day involved a performance from our school
orchestra of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as well as the
angelic singing of the choir, plus a fantastic solo
performance from Zoe Everson. Thanks to the hard
work of Mr Woollett and all the staff and pupils that
gave their time, the Christmas Senior Citizens Party was
a truly pleasant day for everyone involved. One grandparent wrote: "You all brought about an atmosphere so
Christmassy that I left the school in a happy frame of
mind and thinking that the world wasn't such a bad
place after all and that the right values do still exist, with
the right leaders."
On 5th December, 170 Sixth Form students and staff
enjoyed the Christmas Dinner Dance at the Burford Bridge
Hotel. Thanks must go to Mrs Chalmers for organising
such a successful evening. We hope the hotel quickly recovers
from the recent flooding and can put this hugely enjoyable
event on for us again next year.
It really was a whole school production - the chorus,
dancers and Show Band came from a variety of age groups,
while the sound and lighting team was led by Sixth Formers
David Taylor and Philip Ellis. The Food department
chipped in, providing a range of tasty refreshments for the
audience to enjoy during the interval.
We are already looking forward to next year's production
which will be revealed soon!
CANTEEN CHRISTMAS DINNER
Once more, Ashcombe pupils said 'Craciun Fericit'
(Merry Christmas) to Romania through the annual
Shoebox Appeal. This year over 115 shoeboxes were
filled with goodies and over £230 was raised for their
transportation to Romania. The boxes were picked up
by the charity 'Link to Hope' and distributed to Eastern
Europe's poorest children and families for them to enjoy
opening on Christmas Day. Ashcombe students have
supported this charity and other projects in Romania
for decades.
On 12th December, the Canteen staff donned their
festive attire and served up a Christmas feast for pupils and
staff. There were crackers, mince pies and Christmas
puddings galore and Santa even made an appearance.
Thanks must go to Mrs Whitehead and her team for all
their hard work in making this such a special event.
CHRISTMAS SERVICE
At the beginning of December, students, their families, staff
and Governors congregated at St Paul's Church for the
Annual Christmas Service They enjoyed singing well-known
carols and listening to performances from the Jazz Band,
Junior and Senior Orchestras, the School Choir, and singing
groups - "Glee" and "Harmonise". Readings were executed
with precision by the Head Boy and Head Girl, as well as
representatives from each year group. The evening was a
great demonstration of the wealth of talent and broad
interest in making music at The Ashcombe School.
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‘CRACIUN FERICIT’ THE ROMANIAN SHOEBOX
APPEAL
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For more information about the shoebox appeal go to
http://linktohope.co.uk/shoebox-appeal
HOUSE ROUND UP
THE SCHOOL COUNCIL
Throughout the Autumn term, there was fierce
competition between Ashcombe's Houses. York proved
to be the best-sellers at the Christmas Bazaars, gaining
50 points for their efforts. Tudor were not far behind
with 45 points, followed by Stuart (43 points) and
Windsor (38 points). The tables turned when it came to
merit points, with Stuart storming into first place with
100 points. Tudor, York and Windsor were extremely
close behind with 92, 90 and 85 points respectively.
The School Council has been busy so far this year assigning
members to specific committees that will look at improving
particular areas of the school throughout the year. The main
priorities for students are the canteen and toilet facilities.
With the executive committee also growing to include more
Sixth Formers (including the Head Boy and Head Girl) we
are hoping to to give the Council a more visible presence
around the school, finding new ways to increase the
This brought the overall positions to: Stuart - 1st
(143 points), York - 2nd (140 points), Tudor - 3rd
(137 points) and Windsor - 4th (123 points). No doubt
Heads of House, Mr Rayne and Mr Blackband, will
encourage Windsor and Tudor to be hot on Stuart and
York's heels in next term's activities. .
STUDY CENTRE UPDATE
To welcome and encourage our new Year 7s to the Study
Centre, we quickly launched our first competition of the
term - ‘Draw your own Dragon’ - to mark ‘Dragonese Day’
on 26th September. We had some wonderful entries with
some colourful and imaginative descriptions. The chosen
winner was Sam Bowie of 9XS who won a bar of chocolate
and a book about dragons.
We could not of course let the 31st October go by without
a spooky theme. We had a spider web display and scary
books to tempt the students. We also ran another drawing
competition and had some excellent entries from all year
groups. One piece of art work stood out as both brilliant
and disturbing. The artist was Lauren Davies of 10YW who
was very happy with her huge bag of sweets just before the
half term break.
After half term we marked ‘Remembrance Day’ with a
poppy covered display with posters and war-related fiction
books, including Michael Morpurgo's ‘War Horse’ which
has been very popular with pupils. We had a fantastic display
in the Study Centre at the end of November with a life size
Dalek to mark the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who too!
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EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES
YEAR 9 CITIZENSHIP
attended and received treasure when their cards were
complete. The languages covered were impressive in
scope from Welsh and Danish to Arabic, Persian and
Polish. This year saw a record number of pupils taking
part, showing that our younger members of the school
are keener than ever to learn about different languages and
cultures! Staff and students agree that this was the most
successful and enjoyable European Day of Languages to
date, and we are already looking forward to next year!
communication between the Council and pupils. We have
a great group of pupils this year who represent their peers
with gusto and who are keen to make changes that will
improves everyone's experience of school life. We also want
to build on the success of last year (with the steps we made
to improve the Anti-Bullying charter) and continue to work
closely with the Anti-Bullying ambassadors to make the
school a place where everyone feels safe and secure.
Thursday 26th September was marked by a ‘Bonjour’,
‘Hola’, and ‘Guten Tag’ to the 12th Annual European
Day of Languages, which takes place every year on that
date. In honour of this, The Ashcombe School once
again rallied its staff and students to celebrate the
multitude of different European languages and cultures.
The day started with tutor groups having their registers
taken in a foreign language (which proved to be more
challenging for some of the staff than the students!) and
continued in the same vein. Tutor groups were keen to
complete a special European themed quiz, which tested
pupils’ knowledge of European trivia, and which also
brought out the competitive side of many tutors too!
At lunch, staff and students were treated to a special
European-themed lunch in the canteen, which included
traditionally British dishes as well as Belgian waffles and
Ratatouille (traditional French cuisine, of course!).
DEBATING SOCIETY
The Debating Society is proving to be very popular
with the older students, with over 50 attending each
week. The Society was initially for Sixth Formers, but
it has now been extended to include all year groups.
Pupils meet every Friday in R15 and have debated on
a range of topics throughout the term, including:
"Should we ban the bhurka?", "Should prisoners
have the right to vote?" and "Should immigration be
more restricted in the UK?". It is great to see all year
groups involved and listening to each other’s ideas.
However, the big event of the day was the Treasure
Trail, which took place during lunch break. Students
from Years 7 & 8 were invited to participate in a number
of language workshops run by various members of staff
across various departments, and for the first time this
year, also by students from Year 11 and the Upper-Sixth.
The pupils received a stamp for every workshop they
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This term, Year 9 students have been learning about politics,
democracy and how laws are made. A group of lawyers from
Surrey County Council came into lessons to discuss the
differences between civil and criminal law and to inform
students about the laws that affect them. The sessions were
highly successful and our thanks go to Allan Wells and his team
for coming in to speak to us. Further sessions will be run
throughout the academic year as part of "Lawyers into
Schools"and will provide a good foundation to those students
who are involved in the Mock Trial Competition later this year.
YOUNG ENTERPRISE
Young Enterprise 2013 got off to a flying start at the EastMid Surrey Dragon’s Den at City of London Freemen’s
School in Ashtead on Thursday 3rd October. Having only
started two weeks earlier, The Ashcombe put forward both
its 2013 companies: ("Indication" and "Made Easy")
amongst a field of 23 companies from 10 local schools.
Both had to make a one minute pitch of their business ideas
to a panel of three Dragons including the Chief Executive
of MVDC and then had to deal with 3 minutes of
Questions & Answers.
INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES
Ethan Collumbell
Harry Spencer
Munroe Ritchie
The Ashcombe School was awarded a Silver antibullying charter mark in November, following a visit
from the Surrey County Council accreditors. This
accreditation scheme was set up to recognise schools'
commendable work in creating a safe learning
environment for pupils and for effective response to and
management of bullying incidents and peer conflict.
Earlier this year, Loseley Park near Guildford launched a
photographic competition challenging local photographers
to capture the beauty and atmosphere of the Guildford
estate’s ancient Walled Garden and grounds. Keen
photographer Ethan Collumbell in Year 8 entered three
photos, and was astonished to learn that he had won the
overall runner-up trophy after attending an exhibition of
all the entries at Loseley House. One of the judges, a
professional photographer herself, thought he had the skills
to pursue photography as a career... so watch this space!
Harry Spencer of 9YT completed a gruelling 67 mile
sponsored walk around a stormy Isle of Wight in just two
and a half days. He carried out the walk during October
half term, in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund.
Harry should be very proud of both his dedication and
determination.
On Saturday 14th September 2013, Year 11 pupil Munroe
Ritchie, competed in the boys Hammer competition for
South East England at the National School Games in
Sheffield. This was his first time at the School Games and
the final ever event at the Don Valley Stadium (home of
Jessica Ennis) before its demolition.
This was Ashcombe's first accreditation and assessors
explained that it was rare for schools to receive a silver
mark so soon. The assessors were particularly impressed
with the whole school approach to supporting pupils,
particularly relating to restorative approaches and the
‘extras’ that the Ashcombe provide, such as the
Inclusion Room/Supported Learning Centre, Time Out
Club and Breakfast Club.
Indication's idea is to build a labour exchange website
(called ‘Undercut’) for odd jobs with a particular twist on
the traditional auction model. The judges were quite taken
with the business model and grilled Chris Monella on his
numbers.
Made Easy pitched the idea of a Thermochromic Mug
which changes colour as it warms and cools; Danesh Amin
moved into gear and schmoozed the judges into submission
with his command of business concepts. Given the stiff
opposition of ingenious ideas and polished presentations
we were very pleased to have Made Easy come away with
second place and a prize of £50 to get them started on the
capital fundraising they need to start their venture.
The next step was a Business Skills workshop where our
entrepreneurs participated in a series of activities where
they learnt about Accounting and Finance, Marketing,
Promotion and Packaging, as well as the importance of
working well with others, with input from guest speaker
Jason Leech from the Apprentice. Students also learnt the
importance of including VAT in their pricing strategies and
had to think up a disruptive Marketing activity to upset the
plans of a Winter Olympics sponsor. Abby Ramsey’s group
walked away with Gold medals after pitching a strategy for
Subway to parody McDonald’s marketing mix elements
under the banner “I’m Subbin’ it!”.
ASHCOMBE ACHIEVE
ANTI-BULLYING CHARTER MARK
The Ashcombe is committed to developing even further
the good practice we provide here.
Stephanie Killick
Year 8 Stephanie Killick gained third place in the European
Karate Kickboxing competition in Poland last term and has
since been crowned British Champion for her category
(13-16 girls, under 32kg). Well done, Stephanie!
Sam Perrin
Sam Perrin, Year 8, was successful in 50m race at a large
South East swimming gala.
Esme Crowfoot
YOUNG ENTERPRISE STALL
Young Enterprise group, Indication, set up a stall at Gala
night at the beginning of December to raise funds for
their business venture. They stoically set up their stall in
the rain and had a good run on their yuletide candle logs
and jewellery. Their profits were supplemented by a
further day of sales at Leatherhead market the following
weekend.
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On 5th October, Esme Crowfoot (Year 8) represented the
Ashcombe School in the National Schools Equestrian
Eventing Challenge at Merrist Wood College. Esme was the
only rider to represent a state school out of the 150 riders
and managed to come first! As a result, she qualified for
the National Championships in Buckinghamshire where she
competed against 30 other riders from around the country.
She came 12th overall and was particularly pleased with
her 'style' mark which was the second highest of the
competitors (23/25). She hopes to move up the rankings
next year and we wish her all the best in future competitions.
Hannah Ferrett
Hannah Ferrett, Year 11, was recently selected to be a ball
girl for the ATP World Tennis finals at the O2. After
progressing through regional and national rounds, Hannah
was selected from 2500 children to form part of the
30-strong team of ball collectors.
Being a tennis fan - training at Reigate Tennis Club and
playing competitively at a national level - Hannah was
absolutely thrilled to have been selected to help at this tournament, which sees the top eight male players in the world
competing against each other to end the year as the World
No.1.
Hannah had a week's base camp training in Southampton
before going to the O2 where she helped out throughout
the tournament. Hannah certainly celebrated her 16th
birthday in style, being presented a cake by Boris Becker!
Lydia Goodwin
Year 11 pupil and Ashcombe Volleyball player Lydia
Goodwin was recently selected to take part in the Northern
European Volleyball Championships (NEVZA) as part of
the England U17 squad. Lydia enjoyed a significant amount
of court time across the four day tournament which took
place from 30th November - 3rd December in Kettering.
She thoroughly enjoyed the experience of representing her
club and country on a wider stage and hopes this is just the
first of many international appearances to come.
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Eight regions were taking part in this annual national
meeting, so opposition was tough, especially as Munroe
was in his first season in the new age and weight category
– 5kg hammer U17.
In the opening round, Munroe was one of only three
competitors to get a legal throw and lay in second place
with 55.09m. Scotland’s Ciaran Wright threw over 61.71m
and proved to be in a league of his own with two more
throws over 60m and a winning throw of 66.93m. But the
battle for Silver and Bronze went to the wire. In the end,
NW England athlete Jack Mirfin equalled his personal best
with a fourth round throw of 59.29m to secure the silver
medal, and Munroe saved his best throw for last (58.35m)
to secure the bronze medal for SE England.
At only 15 years of age, the youngest competitor in the
hammer event, winning bronze was a fantastic achievement
and something to cherish. Who knows what next year
will bring?
MUFTI
6 FORM HALLOWEEN SOCIAL
YEAR 8 ROLLER DISCO
In November, we held a whole school mufti day to raise money for three different charities. Pupils could pay to
come into school in onesies, moustaches or dressed in blue to support Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
day, Movember or Childline respectively. As you can see, people really went to town with their outfits. Spot the
fake moustache in the photo on the right!
A complete cast of ghoulish characters arrived at the 6th
Form Halloween Social on Wednesday 6th November.
It was less Rocky Horror and more Fright Night as there
was much fake blood and gory make-up. Everyone had a
great time at the disco with DJ Lauren, and the senior
prefects and friends who organised it did an amazing job
in ensuring its smooth running and efficient clear up.
Wednesday 23rd October saw 130 Year 8s celebrate the
end of another half term with a noisy, neon night of
roller-skating at the annual Year 8 Roller Disco. This
was a brilliant way for students to enjoy time with
friends, whilst giving them the opportunity to completely
out-do the tutor team with their skating abilities! This
was an incentivised event, so students worked to ensure
they met the relevant criteria in terms of attendance,
punctuality and detentions in order to gain a place.
A memorable night was had by all!
MOVEMBER
Once again in November, many Ashcombe teachers ditched their
razor blades, and became the “Ashcombe MoBros” to fly the
hairy banner for men’s health. The Movember journey required
much dedication from each of the 15 male members of staff who
took part. Some of the female teachers also played their part by
running the School Cross Country route one cold Wednesday
afternoon. So far over £1000 has been raised by Ashcombe in aid
of research and support of men's health all over the world.
YEAR 7 HALLOWEEN DISCO
On Thursday 24th October, Year 7 donned their
spookiest costumes for the Year 7 Halloween Disco.
There were all sorts of amazing costumes, including
Harrowing Harlequins, Perishing Prisoners, Spooky
Spectres and Wailing Witches, whilst pupils enjoyed a
range of Halloween-themed music and tasty treats from
the refreshments table. The dancing was equally
remarkable, with conga lines, ‘Thriller’, and even a
spooktacular danceoff to the tune of ‘Run DMC’! All in
all, the night was a huge success and everyone went
home smiling.
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"BEST OF BROADWAY" TRIP
A trip to The Albert Hall was organised by Miss
Sampson for music students and the cast from Bugsy to
enjoy a spectacular concert. The evening of songs
performed at this acclaimed venue by four top singers
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra had us dancing
at our seats by the end.
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
The History department ran another successful trip to
the National Archives in November where Upper Sixth
students were able to gain invaluable access to primary
sources in preparation for their coursework on the
Tudor and Stuart period. This year they were lucky
enough to see Henry VIII's will as well one of Elizabeth I's
great seals. Students were a little nervous when given
the opportunity to handle documents that were over
450 years old but they rose to the challenge admirably.
ASHCOMBE SIXTH FORMERS
MEET DAVID STARKEY!
In November, a group of Sixth Formers from the
Ashcombe School were lucky enough to meet the
famous historian David Starkey on a trip to London. As
part of their history course, Mrs Chalmers had organised
for students to attend a conference hosted by three of
the leading Tudor historians in the country. The lectures
provided an invaluable insight into the period that both
AS and A2 students are currently studying. Mr Starkey
was an engaging speaker and after the lecture,
Ashcombe students took the lead in asking him further
questions about Mary Tudor and Edward VI and his
views on whether their reigns had constituted a crisis.
SIXTH FORM POLITICS TRIP
EAST LONDON FIELD TRIP
CONSTRUCTION SITE VISIT
On 18th September 2013, the Ashcombe’s Sixth Form
Politics students embarked on an outing to the epicentre
of UK Politics: the Houses of Parliament in Westminster
and the Supreme Court, London.
On 25th September and 10th October, we took forty year
12 Geographers to East London to evaluate the success of
the 2012 Olympics in the regeneration of the area. The
pupils had a fantastic day in the sun and visited the Olympic
Park, the new Westfield shopping centre, Canary Wharf,
and other areas around the Isle of Dogs. Pupils learnt
important new geographical skills and fieldwork techniques,
including environmental quality surveys and questionnaires,
allowing them to prepare for their Summer Skills paper.
10 Upper School pupils visited the Balfour Beattie site at
Godstone to discover what career opportunities are
available in the world of construction. Pupils were able
to listen to a project overview from the Project Director
and received a talk on “What is Civil Engineering?" by
a Civil Engineer. Pupils also toured the site and were
shown a 3D model by the Engineering Manager.
They were received in the famous Westminster Hall by
a guide who emanated the enthusiasm and knowledge
needed to make the trip especially interesting.
He showed the students around the building, stopping
frequently to explain the historic value of significant
aspects. And he also let them all in on a few snippets of
scandalous gossip from about the Houses. The students
were even allowed to stand amongst the benches of the
House of Commons and of the House of Lords, which
was an exciting part of the tour for everyone.
After the enjoyable tour, the group was led to a Select
Committee room where they took part in the ‘Ask an
Expert’ session with Lawrence Ward, the Sergeant-atArms in the House of Commons. He gave the students
some insightful knowledge of life in the House of
Commons, including how he came to be there and what
the politicians are like professionally and socially. Out
of the day’s events, this was by far the group’s favourite.
After lunch in Parliament Square the group headed to
the Supreme Court and partook in a tour by the Head
of Communications. Here they visited each of the three
courtrooms, learnt about the different types of cases
that were carried out and even got to sit in the Judges
chairs!
All in all, the day was a great success and the entire
group is eager to return when Parliament is session to
watch MPs and Lords debate.
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YEAR 7 TRIP TO DENBIES
Last term our Year 7 students studied map skills in their
humanities lessons. They were able to put these skills into
practise on a short walk through Denbies Vineyard where
they used compass directions, scale, map symbols and
contour lines to understand the landscape surrounding them
and see the map come to life.
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WINTER GAMES DAY
ENGLISH SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY
EARLY SPORTING SUCCESSES
The first round of the prestigious English Schools Cross Country Cup was held at St George’s College, Weybridge on
Monday 7th October. The Ashcombe School entered teams of all ages and featured strongly in each category. The
intermediate (Years 9&10) boys team did exceptionally well coming first against the strongest schools in Surrey.
The Year 7 Rugby team won their first game away
against Esher High 80 – 5 and also by the second week
of the Autumn term, the Year 9 Football team were
already through to the 3rd round of the English Schools
Competition, defeating Coombe Boys (who were
runners up to The Ashcombe in last Year’s County
Cup) 5 – 0. The results of the ‘Derby’ football matches
played against the Priory were also impressive:
As a result, these boys qualified to compete in the regional final at Bishop Luffa School, Chichester on the 9th November.
The team consisted of Tom & Charlie Lowry, Sam Cliff, Joseph Edwards & Luke Brookman. Despite the awful weather
conditions, the boys ran the 4.4km course well. A special must be given to Tom Lowry who managed a top 10 finish
and was in the leading group until the 400metre mark. The winner, Tom Kendrick, is already tipped as a future
Olympian breaking many National middle distance records, so to be up alongside him for so long was a massive
achievement. Ashcombe came 6th overall, with the top three schools progressing to the National Finals in Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday 1st October 2013, Years 7-10 enjoyed their
Winter Games Day, with activities including Basketball,
Hockey, Badminton, Football, Rugby and Netball. The
Houses competed enthusiastically against each other and
their House captains provided fantastic support. The vast
majority of each year group participated which was
impressive and the day involved students from beginners to
school team and county players. It was great to see students
combining their efforts and skills to create a brilliant
atmosphere. A level and CSLA students helped the PE
department to officiate and run the day, ensuring its smooth
running and a very enjoyable and successful day for all!
Stuart
4th
1st
4th
2nd
2nd
Tudor
2nd
3rd
3rd
4th
4th
14
Windsor
3rd
2nd
1st
1st
1st
York
1st
4th
2nd
3rd
3rd
Year 10: Lost 5 – 1
Year 11: Won 6 – 3
YEAR 9 BASKETBALL
Despite no previous experience and needing an emergency
practice session with Mr Blackband to learn the rules, the
Year 9 Basketball Team beat St Andrews, the school
known locally to excel in basketball!
Winter Games Day results 2013
House
Y7
Y8
Y9
Y10
Overall position
Year 7: Won 9 – 0
Year 8: Won 5 – 4
Year 9: Won 12 – 0
U16 COUNTY NETBALL TOURNAMENT
This was the first year (to Mrs Kerry's knowledge) that Ashcombe were represented at the U16 County Netball
tournament. This year it was hosted at Guildford High School on 10th October and the standard was extremely high.
The girls played really well, with a competitive spirit, and came an impressive 3rd. The team were: Lydia Goodwin,
Chloe Hillson, Rachel Higgins, Victoria May, Lucy Watson, Anna Issberner, Tash Bahra and Imogen Broster.
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Ashcombe were 10-4 down and came back to win 14-11.
The boys did incredibly well - pure determination saw
them through. The team comprised of some very athletic
and talented boys – none of whom are basketball players
- so the result was all the more impressive!
DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD SCHEME
DofE has once again proven itself to be a very popular
extra-curricular activity, attracting 160 Year 10 students to
its Bronze programme (over two thirds of the year group).
These students have already been put through their paces
by Ashcombe’s D of E team, attending evening sessions to
equip them with the basics of camp craft, navigation, first
aid and the online system ‘e-DofE’.
The Silver award has also proved popular. 49 students
started the year with a three day expedition to Exmoor,
where they experienced an unusual mixture of glorious
sunshine and disorientating fog. As a result, students had
to use all their navigation skills to negotiate the open
terrain. The students’ enthusiasm prevailed over the blisters
and lack of sleep though and they emerged victorious and
utterly exhausted at the end of the 3 days!
The Gold programme, the final and most challenging
award, will be tackled later on in the year by a number of
adventurous Sixth Formers. Known for the spectacular
terrain encountered and its both physical and mental
challenges, the Gold programme offers students the chance
to push themselves further than ever before; and for those
who are successful, the sense of triumph remains long after
the mud has washed away.
The achievement of previous DofE students was also
celebrated last term with the Mole Valley presentation
evening, which was hosted by the Ashcombe School. It was
an opportunity for previous participants to receive their
certificates and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The
audience was treated to several short performances from
the students, including a tent pitching competition.
To keep updated with DofE news, take a look at
www.ashcombedofe.com
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