June 2013 - Honiton Community College

Honiton Community College
SUMMER TERM 2013 MAGAZINE
It’s that time of the year again
when I reflect over the last five
months and assess just how well
our Ten Tors team has done. I
always wonder whether those
students who put themselves
forward for the Ten Tors
expedition have the stamina,
commitment and determination
to make it through five months
of
gruelling
training
on
Dartmoor,
practising
their
navigational and camping skills
and their teamwork in every kind
of weather that the moor can
throw at them and then tackle
an even more gruelling 35-mile
Ten Tors expedition.
It was the chance for six of them
to prove to their friends, parents
and, most importantly, to
themselves that they could
successfully
take
on
the
challenge of a 35-mile expedition
across Dartmoor in less than 34
hours carrying everything they
needed to survive in rucksacks
weighing around 35 lbs.
The team, consisting of Lauren
Hunt (team captain), Morgan
Davy, Carys Lilley, Sam Clouter,
Andrew Appleby and James
Craig, arrived at Okehampton
camp on Friday 11 May. The
weather was only marginally
better than the day before when
70 mph winds and torrential rain
did its best to prevent myself,
Mr Stone and Mr Tobin’s efforts
to set up a base camp.
Contd . . . . inside
Ten Tors 2013
The 35-mile team successfully completed the Ten Tors Expedition in what were the most
appalling weather conditions for many years.
The Principal Writes
Whilst I sit at home and compose this article, the sun setting on what is almost
the longest day of the year, outside I notice our resident pair of blackbirds
completing another lengthy day of foraging for food for their young. Such
dedication, together with a song that is arguably the most beautiful and best-loved
of any British bird, makes them my favourite breed in the whole world. What is
significant are the comparisons that can be drawn between the blackbird and parents/carers of all
young adults today. Let me explain. Recently, I heard of some research into what factors might further
enhance the achievement of school children. Not surprisingly, the biggest influence on overall success
in College is the support and interest shown by parents/carers outside of College. With over 80% of a
student’s week spent outside of school it is obvious parents/carers have a significant role to play in
making sure their child is successful. This knowledge reinforces the need to build and foster a strong
and supportive relationship between the College and home, so that, together, we can secure progress
for them in their education and on into adult life.
National exams will be over by the time this newsletter goes to print and I would like to take this
opportunity to say a massive thank you to all our staff for their hard work and dedication. This year we
have worked harder than ever before to make sure all our students are well prepared for their exams.
Students have played their part too, and the vast majority of them have adopted a mature and
conscientious approach to their studies. They have made my staff and I particularly proud.
It has been another exceedingly busy year. In addition to the numerous activities the College provides
on an annual basis I would just like to acknowledge some more recent initiatives, including: students
visiting Ethiopia to develop sport in our partner school, the introduction of a residential for Year 7, our
first ever Spanish exchange, mock interviews for jobs for Year 11 students (a very valuable experience),
adult computer courses run by College Sixth Formers, our delivery of leadership development and
outstanding teacher programmes as part of a national network on behalf of the National College of
Teachers, Positive Parenting courses, the new parent forum (an open invitation to every parent/carer to
come in and meet the College leadership team and discuss topical matters), a big eco drive targeting
the reduction of landfill as well as the introduction of solar panels to reduce energy costs, and most
recently our move to an on-line booking system for subject evenings (trialled by Year 7 parents).
Honiton Community College is a dynamic and forwarding thinking College and this is just a flavour of
what we offer for our students and increasingly more so our wider community.
I have some more staff changes to make you aware of. Leaving us are: Mr John Phillips,
Miss Kathryn Blaszkiw, Mrs Jenny Habbal, Rachel Wakefield, Mrs Rosie Love, Claire Erskine,
Anthony Dimond, Jenny Burgess, Peta Goodman and Dee Knill. We wish them all the very best of luck
for the future. Joining us will be: Rachel Smith (English), Aimee Morgan (Psychology), Mrs Nerys Wintle
(Director of Additional Needs) and Stephanie Schmitt (Deputy Head of MFL).
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to say good-bye to those students who are leaving us this
summer; and thank you for your contribution to the rich tapestry that is Honiton Community College.
To those of you returning next September (or joining us for the first time) I wish you a happy holiday,
and look forward to working with you in 2013-14.
Glenn Smith
Principal
World Challenge
sounds of Central America.
In July 2014, twelve
students from Honiton
Community College will be
going to Costa Rica and
Nicaragua to take a trip of a
life time.
The trip will last 21 days and
they will be undertaking a
community project, a
gruelling trek as well as
experiencing the sights and
Part of the experience for
these students will be
raising the funds for the
trip. Due to this in the up
and coming months the
students will be holding
individual and group
fundraising events. Any
assistance with this
fundraising would be
gratefully received.
There are a few students
missing from the photo but
this is the majority of the
group.
Miss Wyatt
Mayor Making
Rowanne Small and Andrew Adams represented the College at the Mayor Making Ceremony and
presented the Mayor with hampers which were then later distributed to the Honiton Food Bank.
Woodland area
The woodland area here at the
College has been secured with
fencing and a hedge has been
planted to shield the area from
the road (which will grow in
time). In the meantime, there
will be screening in place to
protect the area from the road.
The area has been made safe
from falling branches and as a
result there are piles of branches
and logs laying around the area
which can be used for a variety
of purposes.
A water supply has been
connected and a storage shed
has been assembled
shortly, a pond has been dug out
but needs to be lined and
finished/landscaped and a
chicken pen has been
constructed and the chickens
have been moved from the New
Science Block to their new home.
There is a lot of land in the
woodland and it is expected that
we can split it up into different
areas. In addition to the already
constructed chicken run, pig
enclosure and pond other areas
could include:
- Bird watching area
- Camp fire
- Art and poetry corner
- Composting area
- Science land, and
- Woodcraft and nature area.
Mr Wills
Princess visits College
Princess is 11 months old and is a British Lop
Eared pig, which is a traditional rare breed. I
bought her from a breeder in Cornwall 7 months
ago and she has been living with other pigs on my
small holding in Newton Abbot ever since. I
brought her into College in early May whilst she
was pregnant and soon due to deliver (farrow);
she had her piglets - 14 of them (but only 10
survived) soon after.
There are only 235 British Lops in the UK and this
makes them one of the rarest breeds in the
country - which is why I decided that this was the
breed that I wanted to rear. Another reason is
that they originated in the Devon/Cornwall region
and I wanted to stay local.
Mrs Salter and her group of students have agreed
to look after Princess and her piglets during their
stay at the College which, if all goes well, should
be until the summer holidays, after which time
they will return to Newton Abbot with me.
Staff and students are welcome to come and visit
Princess but can I ask that visits are pre-arranged
by contacting Learning Support or myself for
access to the woods. Once we see the demand to
visit her and her piglets we shall see how to
maximise the number of visitors without
impeding College life too much.
Mr Wills
Name a piglet competition?
The winners of the ‘Name a Piglet’ competition and their chosen
names are:
WEST HAM
James McLachlan (10MCU)
MOINK
Teisha-May Alexander (7VWR)
SPIDER PIG
Richard Kinsman (7VWR)
LADY OINKINGTON Evie Fowler (7KLA)
PINKY
Kattre Voznjuk (8SWA)
BABE
Kirsty Adams (12SFL)
SPICE
Lucy Wilson (8BGU)
TING
Liz Blackmore (11GKI)
PEPPER
Scott Eveleigh (10CSM)
PORK CHOP
Mrs Turner
Beliefs and Values
Year 9 Gypsy visit
This year a particular focus in Year 9’s study of
religion, equality and prejudice was the gypsy
community, particularly their experience of the
Holocaust, their history and culture. Lizzie Isaacs
from Devon Racial Equality Board, herself a
member of the gypsy community, spent two days
with us teaching and answering questions from
students.
Year 9 found this experience edifying and interesting. Happily word spread and a significant
number of Year 11 students asked to join them.
Students were very inquisitive and open and
Lizzie’s pleasant, kind and candid approach
ensured an excellent rapport ensued. Hopefully
we can repeat this experience in years to come.
Lizzie certainly enjoyed her visit and was very
complimentary about our students.
Miss Guscott
“I learnt lots of new things about the Roma Gypsy
community including the difference between Irish
Travellers and Roma Gypsies. The account of the
gypsy experience of the Holocaust and the power
point was very moving, it must have been terrible
to go through that experience and not be believed.
It wasn’t until 1984 that Germany officially
acknowledged that gypsies had been specifically
targeted for extermination. We also looked at the
way the media portrayed gypsies in “My Big Fat
Gypsy Wedding” and recognised how scenes like
“grabbing” were misrepresented.
Lizzie’s visit slightly changed my views, although I
did not have anything against them and never
believed they should be treated badly. I think she
should be invited back as her message that we are
all equal and as valuable as each other; rather
Eva Clark and her mother
than looking differences in each other we should
accept that there are things that make us unique.”
Anna Bacon (Year 9)
Visit from Holocaust survivor
Year 9 students welcomed Eva Clark to College
who was born in a concentration camp at the close
of the World War II. Eva spoke movingly telling
the story of her mother’s fight for survival during
one of the most barbaric and tragic events in
history.
Students had studied the events of the Holocaust
during Beliefs and Values lessons and it was an
excellent opportunity to consolidate their learning
and made the events more real.
Each year there are fewer survivors and many
students were very aware that this opportunity
was available to very few schools. Fortunately,
Honiton has established a good relationship with a
number of survivors who are happy to return to
talk to us. Eva was once again impressed by the
searching questions asked by students and the
exemplary behaviour and friendliness of our
students.
“I think everyone in the school should have heard
this talk, because the more people that hear the
story of a survivor and it makes it seem more
realistic as we hear real stories and memories.”
“Hearing her tell us about this makes it much more
real than just a lesson. Some of the facts were
very surprising, like her mother stills respects
Germans even after everything that she went
through.”
Mrs Guscott
French Exchange - Strasbourg
Eight students, together with Miss Theeten,
Mr Dagger and Mr Smith visited Strasbourg in France
as part of the Exchange programme. Here is an
excerpt from Sophie Land’s diary for the week:
SATURDAY: The TGV train was really fast . . . It’s a
shame no-one could look out the window because it
was dark, I think those of us who hadn’t met our pen
friends in England were the most nervous . . . on our
arrival we were whisked away by our wonderful
families.
SUNDAY: We took a boat trip, I haven’t travelled
much but I can certainly say that Alsace is one of the
most beautiful places I’ve ever seen!
MONDAY: We visited the first museum of the week,
`Musée des Arts Décoratifs’ – the beautiful palace
where the Emperor Napoleon stayed!
TUESDAY: Off to the unmissable cathedral which we
were guided round by the wonderful Veronique. The
whole scale of the cathedral was difficult to take in.
WEDNESDAY: I feel, was quite solemn to start with
because we visited Struthoff Concentration Camp.
The experience was altogether very interesting but
incredibly sad . . . The weather up in the mountains
was bleak and it was snowing so the weather
somewhat set the mood as we walked around the
camp.
THURSDAY: Our last day - we spent the morning in
school with them. We had lunch in the school
canteen . . . We went to another museum, ‘Musée
Historique’ where my personal highlight was watching a holographic video . . . We tried on helmets and
medieval dress . . . Finally, it was time to go home . . .
the day we’d been hoping for and dreading. It was
time to say goodbye to Strasbourg and to our
penfriends and catch the 9:46 train back to Charles
de Gaulle, then on the plane and back to England.
Finally, thank you to our wonderful host families for
making the whole trip . . . AMAZING!
The College is hoping to undertake another trip at
the end of November this year, as part of the
exchange programme to visit the Christmas
markets, which are the oldest and most traditional
in Europe. The exchange will then involve our
French partner school visiting us for a week in
Spring 2014, from 22 to 28 March.
The overall cost of the trip is £375, which includes
all travel, insurance, accommodation, meals and
visits. Travel will most probably be by train or
coach although once numbers are finalised we will
look into the cheapest option, which may include
flying. If anyone is still interested please contact
me as soon as possible.
Mrs Theeten
Trip to Butlins
On the morning of Monday, 23
April, three staff and nine young
people set of on the bus to
Butlins, Minehead. After waiting
for a tardy bus we embarked on
the bus journey lasting roughly
two hours.
When arriving at Butlins the
group had to wait another
couple of hours for the keys to
our chalet before embarking on
the week.
Primary Sports Festival
College students from Year 8
hosted 130 primary students as
part of their PE lessons.
The Year 8 students spent three
lessons preparing activities for
the primary pupils, and then
hosted the Year 1s for over two
hours in the sports hall and on
Allhallows playing fields.
The Year 1s experienced 14
different activities across the
morning, from hockey to
hurdling and tennis to tag rugby.
Primary students attended from
six primary schools from across
the local area, and the Year 8
leaders can be very proud of the
energy and care they displayed
throughout the multi-skills event.
Mr Gillon
School Sports Coordinator
The week in itself involved many
trips to the shows to see tribute
acts
and
dance
troupes,
swimming, sports, a trip to
Minehead town centre for
shopping and a trip on the West
Somerset Railway on a steam
train. The week culminated in a
trip to a restaurant on the
Thursday evening for a lovely
meal.
During the week, we all took
shifts in the washing up and
other chores that needed to be
doing as the week was
self-catering, as well as all
supporting each other when
those inevitable moments of
need arose.
Finally, encountering more waits
then a gym work out, the group
had another wait for the bus
home, concluding a fun but tiring
week where a valuable experience was had by all. The young
people learnt valuable independence skills and benefited from
those experiences, sometimes
painful, of being away from
home. Everyone who made the
trip had an enjoyable experience.
Mr Lane
Governor Interview
We were given the opportunity to interview
Mr Rob Loader, a College Governor and asked him various
questions about his reasons and specific role in this
important job. Our questions were:
Q. What made you want to become a governor?
I began governing at a primary school because my children
were at that age. As my children grew older, the Chair
of Governors, Lynda Price, approached me and asked if I was
interested in becoming a governor for a secondary school.
As an accountant, I was very interested in the role of the
head of the Finance Committee.
Q. What was your role as a governor?
I was Head of the Finance Committee which was made up of
five members and in that I had to monitor the finances and
cooperate with Mr Wills to ensure that the budget was
correctly presented. This involved handling an average
expenditure of £4 million a year for the College. I was also
part of the Campus Committee which ensures that the
College is safe and also challenges school developments, for
example, looking over the plans for a new school building.
My final role was being part of the Main Governing
Committee which mainly involved asking about possibilities
that other governors had put forward.
Q. Do you feel like you have made a difference?
I do feel like I have made an impact as I have been involved
in recruiting new staff, including Mr Smith, the Principal. I
feel that the College has a much more positive atmosphere
and have been very proud to be involved in how the school
is run.
Q. Why have you decided to resign?
I’ve really enjoyed my role but I feel that it is difficult to
balance work, home and governing. Being a governor for
8 years, I feel that it is time for someone else to take my
place and make a difference in the school. I’ve seen a huge
amount of change in the school and want to pass that onto
someone else to experience.
Mr Loader is resigning at the end of this academic year.
Mr Loader was interviewed
by Caitlin Russell and Madison Rogers
Rob Loader
I worked with Rob in the health
service before he became a
governor and have always been
impressed by his good sense and
intelligence, added to which he is
a nice guy. It has been good to
work with him over the years as
the Chair of the Finance
Committee where he has been a
real asset to the Governing Body.
Now that we are an Academy
there is a stronger emphasis on
managing our own finances and
Rob’s experience as an auditor
has been extremely beneficial as
we keep “our house in order”. I
am very sorry that due to the
pressure of work he is no longer
able to serve as a governor after
July and I am sure that I speak for
all my colleagues when I say
“thank you for your contribution
Rob and we will miss you very
much”.
Lynda Price
Chair of Governors
Sports Day
Position
Boys
Girls
Overall
Tutor
Points
Tutor
Points
Tutor
Points
1st
KLA
264
RCO
281
RCO
501
nd
JMR
243
VWR
264
VWR
490
rd
VWR
226
JMR
209
JMR
452
4
th
RCO
220
WCO
188
KLA
447
5
th
WCO
213
KLA
183
WCO
401
1st
KTA
294
RWA
227
RWA
491
2nd
BGU
274
DDA
217
KTA
475
3rd
RWA
264
KTA
181
DDA
453
4th
DDA
234
SWA
177
BGU
438
th
SWA
189
BGU
164
SWA
366
1st
JPN
309
DKU
277
DKU
498
2nd
KHE
228
DCL
258
JPN
480
rd
DKU
221
KHE
246
KHE
474
4th
CBN
220
CBN
174
DCL
453
th
DCL
195
JPN
171
CBN
394
YEAR 7
2
3
YEAR 8
5
YEAR 9
3
5
Sports Day
New Sports Academy
Sports Academy
From September, the College will
be introducing a brand new
initiative, the Sports Academy
(SA). The SA has been designed to
increase the provision already in
place for outstanding young
athletes at Honiton and has been
divided in to two areas: the SA and
the Junior SA. The SA allows
students to combine their
academic and vocational studies
with a comprehensive training
schedule mirroring that of a
professional athlete.
The SA is for Years 12/13 and as
part of this new scheme students
will be provided with a brand new
kit line to the value of £100 per
student in order to create an
identity for the SA around College
and to be able to train in suitable
clothing. They will have 2 hours
per week timetabled for sports
conditioning sessions. They will
also receive training diaries
designed to identify their training
needs and to monitor and record
their strength and conditioning
programmes. In addition, these
students will have regular
meetings with the Mr Skelding
(Head of SA) in order to monitor
their development. We will also
be holding SA sessions for
1½ hours per week after College
for rugby, netball, basketball and
football. These sessions will
involve some external coaches,
including Exeter City coaches for
football, Level 2 coaches for
netball, Exeter Eagles coaches for
basketball and an ex-professional
for the rugby.
Junior Sports Academy
As has been recently publicised,
the secret to player development
is to create sports academies and
‘Striving for excellence’
to talent identify from an early age
and this is what inspired the Junior
Sports Academy (JSA). The JSA
applies to Years 10/11 students
(with some exceptions from
younger years) and is aimed at
identifying and supporting young
athletes within Honiton and
providing them with an environment, in which to flourish. The JSA
will take on 3 tiers with varying
levels of provision; at the top will
be 8 students from Year 10/11
who will receive a scholarship
including £50 worth of SA kit,
which can be worn in core PE
lessons, SA sessions, conditioning
sessions and GCSE PE practical
lessons. In addition, they will
receive a training diary and a
conditioning programme and
sessions. They will also have
regular monitoring sessions with
Mr Skelding. They will also attend
the SA sessions after College if
they fall under rugby, football,
netball or basketball. If a student
is in the top tier but not under
these 4 sports, then they will
receive everything except for the
Academy sessions. Middle tier
students will have access to the
Academy session after College and
some conditioning sessions. They
will also receive training diaries
and ALL will have the option to
purchase the SA kit range through
the College VLE. The bottom tier
will have access to after College
Academy sessions and will have
the option to purchase the SA kit
from the College VLE.
The list of JSA students is currently
being compiled and covers a range
of sports and activities in order to
include all of our talented
students, once this has been
completed and announced, the
students will be invited to apply
for a scholarship through an
application form. These will be
shortlisted for interviews with
Mr Skelding, Mr Taylor and
Mr Holt.
This new scheme has been
designed to inspire the next
generation of young sports people
to strive for excellence. Our goal
is to create the best possible
environment for our talented
young sports stars to achieve their
potential.
Access to one Academy session
per sport per week.
Option to purchase Academy kit
that can be worn to Academy
sessions, core PE and GCSE PE
practical lessons.
Opportunity to gain a JSA
scholarship which provides player
with strength and conditioning
programmes, nutritional advice
and monitoring plus termly
mentoring meetings.
Students
will
apply
for
scholarships through a written
application and an interview with
Mr Skelding, Mr Taylor and
Mr Holt.
There will be 4 JSA scholarships
from Year 10 and 4 from Year 11;
this will break down to 2 girls and
2 boys from each year.
Decisions on scholarships will be
based on a number of factors.
An opportunity to gain recognition for outstanding effort in your
sport and to maximise your
potential.
The chance to build an Academy
identity and to be a role model for
the rest of the College.
Mr Skelding
Spanish Exchange
Twenty-three students from I.E.S. Manuel de Falla, near Madrid came to Honiton in April in the first leg of
our newly launched Spanish exchange. They stayed with their English exchange partners from Years 9, 10
and 11 for the whole week and took part in organised activities as well as socialising together as a group
in the evenings and at the weekend.
On the Monday, the students were welcomed by Mr Smith and then given a chance to sit in a lesson with
their exchange partner. After break, they visited Exeter and had a guided tour of the Cathedral.
On Tuesday they visited Tintagel Castle on a misty and atmospheric morning and were impressed by the
beauty and history of the village and its legends.
Wednesday saw another chance to observe a class and then there was a joint Laser Tag activity involving
both the English and Spanish students.
On Thursday, the Spanish students spent the day in Bath and on the Friday they visited Dartmouth, with a
steam train ride and a river cruise.
The Spanish students and staff were ever so complementary about the College and the Honiton area and
many of them didn’t want to leave. There were quite a few tears shed on the Sunday afternoon.
The next stage of the exchange involves Honiton students travelling to Spain in the last week of June to
stay with their Spanish host families and to take part in an equally busy schedule of activities in an around
the Madrid area.
We very much hope that the Spanish exchange will become an annual event and we will be inviting
students for the 2014 exchange to sign up from September onwards. Exchanges are an incredibly
enriching experience and there is nothing like them in terms of the insight they provide into another
culture and language. For more information about the Spanish Exchange please contact Mr Hall.
SCIENCE WEEK 18-22 March 2013
GEOGRAPHY
Visit to Exeter University
Twenty geography students from Year 10 visited
Exeter University as part of Science Week. The
focus of the day was Climate Change and the
students heard from physical geographers in the
morning who are helping to monitor and explain
the (well established) changes that are occurring as
our use of fossil fuels starts to change our world.
First up was a lecture from a dendrochronologist,
who studies past climates through the growth rings
of trees. This was followed by a practical session
lead by a glaciologist, who explained how glaciers
are changing as the atmosphere warms up. The
students were able to model the changes using
'glacial goo'!
All students had the opportunity to work alongside
the diabetic nurses and understand why we take
specific measurements in order to understand how
to treat and prevent such problems in the future.
The students had their blood glucose measured
using biosensors, BMI measurements taken and
finally their blood pressure measured. In all an
excellent day for all concerned.
Mr Parker
In the afternoon, it was the turn of the human
geographers to explain the difficulties of convincing a sceptical public of the dangers we all face in
the future. The students took place in a role play
exercise and put their elders to shame by overwhelmingly embracing the idea of a 'low carbon'
future.
Staff at the university were full of praise for the
students, who took part in the sessions with
enthusiasm and represented the College in a very
positive way.
Mr Williams
BIOLOGY
Peninsula Medical School
This was an excellent opportunity for our Year 9
students to have access to the work typically being
conducted at the Peninsula Medical School. A very
hands on event where in groups they extracted the
DNA of banana, worked with liquid Nitrogen and
discovered some of its uses and dramatic effects
especially on flowers.
SPORTS SCIENCE
Sport psychology, biomechanics and nutrition
A group of Year 10 GCSE PE students attended a
Sports Science Day as part of Science Week
recently. The group learnt about student life as
well as attending seminars on Sport Psychology,
Biomechanics and Nutrition.
Highlights included George Catcher belting a
football as hard as he could, Will Tyers working
continuously on an exercise bike and Steven
Turner missing lots of putts at golf! As always, the
students behaved perfectly and really enjoyed the
day.
Mr Robson
SCIENCE WEEK 18-22 March 2013
BIOLOGY
Biofuels at Exeter University
Year 10 had the opportunity to spend quality
practical time in the first class facilities at Exeter
University. The students had first hand information
on the innovative research being conducted at the
University in relation to the extraction of oil from
algae which could be a potential alternative fuel
source to the present use of fossil fuels.
Students conducted practicals on algae under
different light conditions to establish the most
effective algae to use and establish the ideal
conditions for photosynthesis to occur. In the
afternoon, students were given a brief on where to
establish a company to generate the oil from algae
and had to present this to third-year students who
provided a high quality but critical analysis of their
work.
Mr Parker
PHYSICS
Visit to Exeter University
During Science Week, a group of Sixth Form Physics
students and aspiring A-Level Physics students from
Year 11 went with myself and Mrs Shorter to the
Physics Department of Exeter University.
We took part in practical work on low temperature
physics using liquid nitrogen and in work on
resonance and electronics in the actual undergraduate laboratories in the department. After lunch
we enjoyed a lecture on exo-planets from a leading
researcher in the field.
All of those who went had a great day and it was an
excellent opportunity for our students to see what
science is like `one step on’ from what they are
studying now.
Mr Maplesden
PHYSICS
NASA Competition
All Year 7s took part in a competition that was
started in Science Week. They had to help NASA
decide which ‘maximum absorbency garments’ (or
nappies as we know them better), would be best
for astronauts to wear on space walks. After all,
there aren’t any toilets in space!
All students designed and carried out an
investigation before presenting their conclusions.
The overall winners, Becky Hunt and
Victoria Kennell, were chosen by Mr Smith and
have gained a Principle’s Commendation each for
doing so. Well done to all students as the standard
was very high.
Dr Murch
BUDDY THE NEW RECRUIT
PC Hayley Taylor brought in the Police dog puppy,
Buddy, to help his socialisation skills. He was a
welcome and very popular visitor to Learning
Support.
Year group news
SIXTH FORM
Triathlon for Comic Relief
The Sixth Form has been raising
money with sponsored silences,
three-legged lessons, a basketball match and a static triathlon.
A team of 30+ completed the
12-hour Static Triathlon,
Organised by Dale Kingston and
his team, by cycling, rowing and
skipping continuously for 420 km
which represents a distance
equivalent of Honiton College to
Calais!
Athletes involved:
Year 13: Ali Brent, Adam Greenland, Chris Hack, Dale Kingston,
Katie Hawkins, Maddie Cox, Tara
Drew, Lewis Gillingham, Amy
Keitch, Charlie Pym, Alice Burnell,
Sam Netherway, Beth Norris,
Molly Perham, Dan Stevens, Josh
Tatlock, Charlotte Bolton, Alex
Jackson, Andy Moth and Kate
Storey.
Year 12: James Ball, John Gorick,
Teresa Henry, Richard Layzell,
Ebony Lacey, Sam Johnson, Dan
Olive, Ione Pidgeon, Ben Rogers,
Katie Webb, Alice Bissell, Alice
Catcher, Jake Phillips and
Helen Grendon.
Non-uniform day
Students donated to support two
of the charities who helped in
the fire in Lee Close: the
Firemen’s Benevolent Fund and
Devon Air Ambulance - the final
total was an amazing £800, so
thanks if you were a collector,
cake seller or donor, and thanks
to Charlotte for organising. We
heard some incredible news
about Rosie, Andy and Harvey
too: their families were unselfish
enough to have agreed to their
organs to be donated: Rosie
carried a donor card. So, it now
seems that nine people have
benefitted from their organs,
including a baby and a 50-year
old man. That helps to make
their tragic deaths seem a little
less futile.
Dr Bawn
YEAR 11
Leaving Celebrations 2013
Our Year 11 students started
their study leave on 24 May and
as you read this will have already
finished their exams. We wait
with baited breath and crossed
fingers for the results and wish
all the students the best of luck
with what they hope to do next.
The tutors, Miss Ledward and I
will miss them greatly, they have
been a tremendous group of
young people to work with.
It is very encouraging that so
many have signed up for the
College Sixth Form and we look
forward to seeing them in
September.
surprises and brilliant videos (see
the College website’s YouTube
channel). The student’s responded in fantastic fashion and
behaved immaculately throughout the final weeks of their time
with us. All the best, Leavers
2013!
PS. I would like to offer my
sincere thanks to the tutor team:
Miss Ledward, Mr Stones,
Mr Woodward, Miss Jenkins,
Dr Kirby, Mrs Duncan,
Miss Wyatt (and previously
Miss Carnell and Miss Ricketts)
for all their hard work and
support of the year group. Also a
huge thank you to Nathan Riggs
and Shelagh Andrews for their
help with the Leaver’s Assembly.
Mr Robson.
YEAR 10
Congratulations
To MTH who are the overall
winning tutor group for the year
and will be celebrating with a trip
to a destination of their choice
later this term.
Year 11 Leaver’s Wall of handprints
Our leaving celebrations involved
three celebration breakfasts, a
wall full of hand prints and a
leaver’s assembly packed with
James McClachan
Year group news
James is a Winner
James McClachlan won the Open
Pony and Horse Section at the
Jnr. Winter League Finals on his
pony, Clover Jess.
Introducing the new Prefects
Bea Bandyszewska and
Lauren Hunt
Academic Mentoring Prefects:
“We are here to offer you
support especially with school
work, but any other problems
you may have as well.”
Victoria Price
Wellbeing Prefect.
William Tyers
Enrichment and Clubs Prefect:
“I am always around to take any
suggestions for any new clubs or
if any clubs need to be improved.
Also, I can be there for you to
talk to if you have any problems
or issues.”
Mr Williams
second lowest amount of C
points in the year group. Well
done also to all students across
the year group who are trying
hard to get P1s and have no C1s
at all – they are;
Well done James Craig for
being the first in the year group
to get 70 praise points and his
silver certificate.
Luke Heaven, James Craig and
Gabriel Parker-Gifford have
excelled themselves again and
have been awarded badges and
vouchers for the number of clubs
and activities they take part in.
The Activity Passport is a great
way to record your enrichment
activity participation. Well done.
Praise is also needed for Tom
Olive JPN who, to date, has not
had a single day’s absence since
starting in Year 7! Congratulations also to Annabel Kane who
has only had 1.5 days off in the
last three years!
Don’t forget that all of these
points add up to work out the
overall winners of the year inter
tutor. This year the winning tutor
plus 10 other lucky students will
be going on a trip on 4 July.
Details to follow.
YEAR 9
Well done to KHE who are our
winners of the inter-tutor
competition for the last half
term. They now have a welldeserved non-uniform day on
the 14 June. It is also worth
mentioning DKU who have the
Guinness World Record
Ashley Wallis has been very busy,
firstly breaking the World Record
for the most number of forward
rolls in one minute! Then, not
content with that he went on to
get a Gold Medal in the over-14
boys’ pairs with Adam Fullick, at
the South West Championships.
Well done Ashley! When do you
ever rest?!
DUX Award
On the 2 June, James Craig and
Gabriel Parker-Gifford were lucky
enough travel up to Edinburgh
university accompanied by
Mr Henman as winners of the
DUX Award, an award given to
students who are the top
academic achievers in the year
group. The prize of a day at a top
Russell Group University began
with a stay in a University accommodation block on the outskirts
of the city and after a hearty
Scottish breakfast the boys and
Mr H walked to the main campus
in the city centre where they had
an intro and a campus tour.
Following this they took part in
two workshops in Informatics
and Computer Science (including
an interesting session looking at
Year group news
very expensive robots playing
football) and Philosophy. Student
discussions and a session on
applying for University were
interesting and informative. Both
boys reported that the
opportunity to discuss unusual
topics with like minded people
afforded them a glimpse into
higher education and University
style lectures.
Getting to and from the
University enabled them to see
some of the Edinburgh sites
including Edinburgh castle and
the buildings on Princes Street.
The boys travelled home tired
but having had a thoroughly
enjoyable but brief time in
Scotland.
On the 28 June there will be a
trip to Exeter University for 28
students from across the year
group. Letters to follow.
Year 9 students have been working with the Year 10 and 11
prefects on a ‘Stop Bullying’
campaign. As a result of this
there is now an email address
stopbullyng@honitoncollege.
devon.sch.uk where students can
email in any concerns they have
regarding issues surrounding
bullying. Well done to the Year 9
girls who set this up. They wish
to remain anonymous to ensure
confidentiality.
Miss Carnell
YEAR 8
Gold Award
James Adams has received a
Chief Scout Gold Award - the first
to be awarded in Colyton in 18
years.
Finally, thank you to Mrs Bown
and Mrs Fawcett for standing in
as Head of Learning during my
absence last half-term - they did
a wonderful job.
Mr Phillips
YEAR 7
It doesn’t seem over a year ago
Congratulations
SWA won the inter-tutor competition for the last half-term and
celebrated with a non-uniform
day on 14 June.
RWA who are overall winners of
the inter-tutor competition,
together with students with
100% attendance will be visiting
Paignton Zoo on 9 July as a
reward.
Heather Prince (RWA) is the first
student in Year 8 to receive 100
praise points and will receive an
extra 10 points for her tutor
because of this. In total she has
gained her tutor an 30 extra
points as she has been the first
student in Year 8 to reach
bronze, silver and gold award.
Well done Heather.
Thank you and congratulations to
all our students that have shown
commitment to learning and
positive behaviour during Year 8.
We welcome you all back in
September as Year 9s where your
GCSE pathway will begin and
hope that you return with the
same positive attitude which will
enable you to succeed.
that Mrs Smith and I were visiting
the current Year 7 students at
their primary schools. The group
have settled in really well and
have had an excellent first year
at HCC, it is a pleasure working
with them.
We have had many highs during
the year which have been mentioned in previous newsletters
but recent successes include:
Chloe Howard who took part
In the national show jumping
final in Wales during the Easter
holidays and came first out or
more than forty contenders
winning a gold medal.
Rebecca Hunt who was the first
student in the college to achieve
100 praise points.
Jake Matthews who won the
Super Brainy Competition’
Year group news
Inter-Tutor Competition
Congratulations to 7JMR who
won the overall Year 7 tutor
group competition. They will be
going to Crealy Park on Thursday
18 July as a reward, along with
Teisha-May Alexander, Tegan
Anderson, Abigail Brown,
Kimberley Jones, Victoria Kennell, Richard Kinsman, Jake
Matthews, Ben Moulton, Sam
Olive, Steven Thompson and
Ryan Woollacott who all
achieved 100% attendance up to
the end of the spring term. Also
joining them will be fifteen students who gained 70+ praise
points. Well done to all of them.
‘What’s My Line?’
Year 7 had some great careers
input on 13 June. Five guests
who were dressed in casual
clothes joined Year 7 in assembly
and talked about their education
and hobbies; from this students
attempted to work out what
their occupations were. The
guests, who were an engineer, a
vicar, a firefighter, a farmer and
a haematologist then changed
into their work clothes/uniform
and visited tutor groups to talk
about their occupations and
answer questions. It proved to
be a great session and my thanks
go to Mrs Andrews for giving up
so much time to help organise
this.
Sports Day
A great performance from all the
Year 7s who took part; we were
not only impressed by their
sporting prowess but also their
dancing skills when the
Macarena was played on the
sound system! Congratulations
to 7RCO on being the winning
tutor group in Year 7 , a
well-deserved victory.
Thoughts from Year 7
In closing, we asked some Year 7
students to give us their
thoughts on their first year at
HCC and whether they had any
advice to pass on to the current
Year 6 students who will be
joining us in September – here
are just a few:
 Daniel Nicholas: ‘I was
worried about getting lost but it’s
okay as there is always someone
to help you find a room.’
 Charlotte Holdsworth: ‘I was
the only girl from my primary
school, so I was very nervous
about moving up. I now have lots
of friends and the school staff
are very helpful and polite
and are always around if you
need help.’
 Melissa Tipping: ‘My favourite thing on my first day at school
was being able to still be with my
friends but also make new ones
too.’
 Ben Mills: ‘I was a bit
worried about moving from
primary to HCC. You don't need
to worry - everybody at school is
really helpful and it's a great
place to make new friends.’
 Daniel Mottram: ‘Coming
from Stockland I was a bit
worried about going to a big
secondary school, but after a
couple of weeks I had no worries
and it had turned into routine, I
enjoy school very much!’
Mr Browne
Devon Schools County Athletics Championships
8 June 2013 at EXETER ARENA
The following athletes were selected to represent Exeter and East Devon schools at these Championships.
It was a dry, sunny day but also very windy. Athletes competing on the track, particularly the sprinters
were running into a very strong wind. All the Honiton competitors gave of their best, particular mention
to Ameerah who was a late call and made sure she arrived at the venue on time.
Inter Girls
Junior Boys
Isla Cloke
Ameerah askew
Ashley Wallis
Jake Sellick
Charlie Wright
Blake Freemantle
Shot
High Jump
Long Jump
High Jump
Shot
200m
6th
5th
4th
5th
3rd
3rd
A selection meeting took place on Sunday, 9 June. Charlie Wright achieved a County Standard in his shot,
only 30cm off the national Entry Standard. Charlie and Blake have both been selected to represent Devon
Schools at the South West Regional Championships at Exeter Arena on Saturday, 15 June.
Well done to all those who competed.
Mrs Baden
Summer is here!
Hopefully we can now look forward to long sunny days!
Below are a few reminders for uniform for the summer term:

Skirts knee-length please! Tight-fitting skirts will only be
tolerated until the end of the academic year but must be
knee-length and stay knee-length all day!

Short-sleeve shirts are acceptable for the summer term
(long-sleeve as standard again in September).

Footwear must still be sturdy, able to be polished and cover
the foot (to be safe in technology and science lessons).
BOOK AMNESTY
Bring your library books
back!
Currently, there are 300
student (and staff) overdue
books from the Library.
For more information please see the Behaviour Policy on the website.
As you are moving around the College please remember . . .

Blazers must be worn in the College buildings.

Be considerate of others sitting exams.

Sunglasses are a good idea to protect your eyes during bright
days but should not be worn or visible in the College buildings.

Drink plenty of water and apply suntan lotion on sunny days.
Getting the points above right, allows us all to focus on learning
and enjoy the weather.
Miss Adams
Assistant Principal
The Library is presently closed
because some re-labelling
work is taking place, but if you
have books to be returned
you can still come in and place
them in the returns box.
Mrs Tancock, Librarian
TRAMPOLINING
At Honiton Sports Centre in April, a friendly competition
was held between different trampolining clubs in the area
including clubs from Newton Abbott, Okehampton,
Ashburton and Totnes.
From the College a total of seven students took part
entering in different categories. All competitors did
extremely well achieving the following results:
Club I under-15 Vanessa Jackson, 8DDA 2nd place, Abi Morris, 8BGU 6th place
Club H over-11 Flossie Parker-Gifford, 8RWA 5th place, Alice Catcher 12JHU 9th place
Regional G under-15 Toby Pym, 8DDA 1st place
Regional G Over 15 Ella George, 10ATA 1st place
GMPD Jessica Prangley, 12SFL 1st place
Miss Bowles
with older people.
Year 12 students have been busy
helping to teach older people in
the Honiton area about computers as part of a joint initiative
with Age UK.
Student volunteers (Alessandra
Cobban, Lorna Cresswell, Emily
Wadman, Ollie Fuller, Jake Tree
and Naomi Curtis) have been
giving up their free time to teach
older people computer skills on
a one-to-one basis which has
greatly
increased the number
of learners that have been able
to take advantage of the
scheme.
Both learners and students
benefit from the scheme: the
learners are being taught a
variety of skills such as mouse
work and how to use Facebook
and Skype in order that they can
stay in touch with loved ones;
and students
receive training
from Age UK on how to engage
The scheme has now proved so
popular that not only learners
from the Honiton area, but also
Seaton and Axminster are
attending. The scheme runs in
term-time and is taught in blocks
of six lessons.
The scheme, although only a
pilot at the moment, has worked
out so well that it is hoped that it
can move into other areas in the
future. All in all, this project has
been a brilliant way of bridging
the gap between the generations
whilst helping our students to
gain confidence.
Mr Robson
Free Solar Panels
The College has been successful
in a bid to receive free solar
panels supplied by the
Generation Green Scheme which
is run by British Gas. There are
many benefits to the school solar
panel installation:

Schools can use the solar
panels to generate their own
free electricity, cutting their
annual electricity bill by as much
as 20%.

Solar Panels help schools
meet their carbon reduction
targets, reducing emissions by
up to 1,400 tonnes per year
(equivalent to taking almost 400
cars off the road)

Cutting down on energy
costs bring sustainability to life
and is a valuable lesson for
students, teachers and parents
on how greener energy can help
the environment.
We have been awarded a 50KW
system that has now been
installed on three roofs on
site. The locations are: roof over
Maths and IT classrooms facing
the sports pitch; English Block
roof facing the small playground
and the Dining Room roof facing
the Leisure Centre.
Mr Wills
College Debating Team
The team did an excellent job at the Regional
Finals in Bristol in February and although they
didn’t manage to get through to the National
Final, they thoroughly enjoyed the day and put on
a solid performance.
Jack Fry and Amy Keitch won their debate against
Brimsham Green School, Gloucestershire, arguing
that ‘We should build on the green belt.’
Andy Moth and Sam Johnson lost only narrowly
to Exeter College, arguing against the idea that
‘Neuroscience
can
transform
criminal
responsibility. ‘
Devon Model United Nations
A mixed team of Year 11,12 and 13 students had a
fantastic day at the Devon Model United Nations
at County Hall in Exeter, debating global action on
climate change.
The students acted in role for the whole day as
diplomatic delegations from China, France, Nigeria
and Bangladesh as they sought to forward their
countries views.
The day began with each nation presenting a
position statement on its stance on climate
change followed by a period of intense lobbying
where each country sought to gain support from
other countries for its views and to win support
for amendments to the draft resolution. After
lunch, the draft was debated and voted on clause
by clause until the final resolution was passed at
about 3pm. Devon MUN will now be sending this
to the real UN in New York.
Teachers present from other schools and the
organisers all said how impressed they were by
the knowledge, eloquence and passion of the
students, not least HCC students, of whom Mr Hall
was most proud!
Students involved were:
FRANCE - Andy Moth, Ella Symonds, Jessica Hall,
Katy Burnell and Beth Norris;
BANGLADESH - Charlotte Miller-Ratcliffe and
Dan Nellist;
NIGERIA - Sam Johnson and Conor Murphy;
CHINA - Jordanna Broom, Auriel McShaw, Harry
Prince and Shania Mills.
Mr Hall
Department News
MATHS
World Pi Day
A few weeks ago many students
took part in World Pi Day. Many
people find Pi to be a fascinating
number and our students took
on the challenge of memorising
it (it goes on for ever). I was
stunned by the results. Students
were given two days to
memorise Pi.
The College champion was
Jake Heard (Year 11) with an
incredible 80 decimal places!
With a special mention to the
following students who took
part: Year 11: Jordan RoeLavery 32, Usamah Elmaghdy 41;
Year 10: Theo Zimbler 24,
Buster Bright 16; Year 9:
Jazmin Chester 59, Sadie Pike 57;
Year 8: Grace Zimbler 64; Year
7: Amber Ford 55.
Mr Kumar
ART
Mask Making
Mr Dormand’s Year 8 Art group
has been busy making masks
that represent themselves.
to come and join us on the
second Thursday of every
month.
Tom Hembrow (Year 11)
CAR CLUB
MGB Restoration
The MGB restoration group
re-started on 9 May and soon
got to grips with the new body
shell that was kindly donated by
Torquay Motors.
All the usable metal and panels
have been cut from the original
to repair the donated body shell.
The engine has been stripped
down into its individual
components and we now await a
trip to local garage in Tipton St
John to get the engine
machined.
A sand-blasting cabinet has now
been built to enable us to clean
up any panels needing repair. So
progression is taking place and
we welcome any new volunteers
ART
Pottery
This term Mr Dormand has been
busy making stoneware pots
with his Year 9 art groups. The
pots are inspired by the work of
potter Lucie Rie.
Department News
They won the Gold Medal at the
South West Championships in
the over-14 boys’ pairs. They
travelled with their coaches from
Honiton Gymnastics Club and
gymnasts from other Devon
schools.
ART
Message in a bottle
Year 8 have been studying
African Art this term and have
decorated recycled water bottles
in the style of the Ndebele Tribe
from South Africa.
They were trying to raise awareness of the water crisis in Africa
and were asked to donate any
spare pennies to support
charities who provide clean fresh
water supplies, and pumps to
the African people. Students
filled their bottles with loose
change over the Easter holidays
and the funds raised were
divided
equally
between
WaterAid and our partner school
in Shashemene Ethiopia.
Miss Hichens
GYMNASTICS
National Finals at
Stoke-on-Trent
Ashley Wallis, the new World
Record Breaker for the number
of forward rolls in 60 seconds -75
rolls, and his partner Adam
Fullick represented the College,
Devon Schools and South West
schools at these Championships.
Adam and Ashley performed
with confidence in each other
and displayed each move with
strength and style to make sure
it was an aesthetically pleasing
performance. Not only was it
good to watch , it was the best
and won the competition. They
were awarded a gold medal and
a magnificent trophy. The
trophy is now displayed in the
College awards cabinet for the
next twelve months.
Congratulations to Adam and
Ashley on their success, they
both worked very hard to
achieve this standard.
Mrs Baden
ART
Tate Modern and Britain
On 21 May, a group of Year 10
art students went on an organised trip to London to see
'Lichtenstein - A Retrospective',
an exhibition at Tate Modern.
The gallery visit was a great
opportunity for students to
witness first hand a huge collec-
Department News
tion of international modern and
contemporary art with a chance
to make observations in their
sketch books. The students were
able to learn more about the
work of major artists and in
particular Roy Lichtenstein - one
of the great American artists of
the twentieth century,
renowned for his works based on
comic strips and advertising
imagery.
Ben Williams said, " thank you
very much for taking us on the
art trip it was thoroughly enjoyable especially the boat trip. Of
the two galleries, I preferred
Tate Britain and was really
impressed by the Turner
collection, in particular his boat
paintings".
For some, the trip was their first
visit to London and they enjoyed
taking in the views of some of
London's most iconic
landmarks whilst travelling
by boat along the River Thames
to Tate Britain.
The Tate Britain holds a
huge national collection of
British art from 1500 to the
present day with some pieces
surprising the students. Tara
Steward commented, " I really
enjoyed the trip, I didn't expect
some of the work at Tate Britain
to be classed as art. I was
surprised by some of the art
installations especially the
audio / visual art"
We all had an enjoyable day,
albeit a very long day! With so
much to see and take in with lots
of walking there were a few
students nodding off on the train
journey home!
Miss Hichens and Mrs Creed
TEXTILES
Eco bags
Year 7 textiles technology class
have been using the paper
cut-out work of Henri Matisse ,
basic sewing machine skills and
applique techniques to make an
Eco bag. With the obvious
implications to green issues and
science.
Mrs Duncan
MGB Renovation
Car Club
Liam Crawford and Tom Hembrow
receiving a cheque from the Crash
Box Car Club for £1,000 to go
towards our MGB Renovation
Project.
The newly formed boy band ProjeKt Weekend are
currently on tour in Devon and Cornwall and have
been trained up by the anti-drugs charity DARE to
deliver an anti-drugs talk to schools which they
deliver throughout their UK tour.
"The afternoon performances were a memorable
success, students were totally captivated by their
presence whilst the underpinning message was
made loud and clear".
Devon County Show
On 17 May, one hundred and eleven Year 8s
followed the College tradition and spent a day at
the Devon County Show. Wellies and raincoats
were out in force in expectation of the usual rainy
weather that accompanies the County Show; but
the sun shone for most of the day with only a brief
thunderstorm in the afternoon. The funfair and
sweet stalls proved to be the highlight of the day
for most of the Year 8s, with many proudly
brandishing inflatable hammers that they had
won! The big attraction in the main arena was
After their great performance the band members
visited Radio HCC, the College radio station, where
they were interviewed by members of the
radio team Lisa Campbell and Lamara Blackmore
who spoke to them about their career and
ambitions and their involvement with drugs
charity DARE.
Diggerland’s JCB stunt team with their incredible
display of ‘dancing’ diggers’. There was also the
usual display of livestock and animals ranging from
cattle and sheep to alpacas and rabbits. Many
thanks to everyone who organised the trip.
Miss Baker
Drugs awareness
The College had a recent visit from newly formed
boy band ProjecKt Weekend.
Mrs Duncan the PSHE Co-ordinator explained that
as part of our KS3 Life Skills lessons on Personal
Wellbeing and healthy lifestyles she was offered
the unique opportunity for ProjecKt Weekend to
visit the College and perform some tracks for our
students and deliver a drugs awareness talk. I felt
it important to complement the work we do in the
classroom and the message could be delivered by
someone which the students could relate too".
Denize Creed who helps run the station at the
Radio HCC said that the students are always
looking for interesting content to feature in their
morning broadcasts and to have an
inpromptu visit from ProjeKt Weekend was a great
opportunity for the students to practice their
interview and production techniques and I was
very proud of Lisa and Lamara and the way
they put together a really slick interview in a short
period of time and Matt Jackson and
Coral Cheshire, with their technical support, really
impressed me with their professionalism!
Mrs Creed
Some were thrilled with the results and some
were a little disappointed to learn that pinhole
photography can be a bit hit and miss sometimes! George, Luke and Kerys from
Awliscombe Primary said afterwards, " It was
interesting and fun doing the darkroom
photography", "I found it fun taking photos
with the pinhole camera. I enjoyed this a
lot", "This was great, we had educational fun,
EPIC!".
Mrs Creed
ROSIE’S RUNNERS
Primary Photography Workshop
This term, small groups of children from local
primary schools took part in a photography
workshop lead by Mr Dormand.
The Year 5 students had the chance to learn about
pinhole photography. They enjoyed taking their
own photos outdoors using tin cans. We were lucky
with the sunny weather giving us ideal lighting.
The children were then amazed to see their pictures
developed in the darkroom and afterwards were
shown the process of turning their negative images
into positive images.
College staff will be taking part in the Race
for Life at Westpoint on Sunday, 30 June to
support cancer charities. They have decided
to run because two members of the Learning
Support Department are currently
undergoing treatment for cancer. Running
(or walking) are:
Misses Bradbury, Carnell, Cox (and
daughter), Fawcett, Gurney (and daughter),
Hunt, Lale, Love, Lowes, Miles, Nelson (and
daughter), Norman, Pidgeon, Price (and
daughter), Rees, Stace, Venn and Woollacott.
Please sponsor them by logging on to:
www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/rosiesrunners4
RACE AT YOUR PLACE
As part of the National Schools Sports Week
and to help raise money for cancer research
the College held a Race for Life event in school known as a ‘Race at your place’.
This was held for Key Stage 3 on Wednesday
26th June.
Mrs Bown
Ten Tors 2013
. . . . contd from front page
The team went through the
routine kit inspection, briefing
and route planning and all was
looking good when Sam Clouter,
an absolute stalwart of the team,
unfortunately could no longer
take part due to illness. Sam was
taken ill on Thursday night and
we had all hoped that it was a
24-hour bug that would pass.
Sadly this was not to be and by
late afternoon on Friday it was
apparent that Sam was too ill to
start the expedition. Luckily our
ace up the sleeve, Cerys Little
AKA ‘super sub’ arrived that
night and the team was back on
track.
At 7am. on Saturday along with
2,394 other young people the
team crossed the start line.
Weather conditions were still
pretty poor, wind and rain
reduced visibility and river levels
were rising making some rivers
extremely difficult to cross, but
despite the weather the team
managed to reach the fifth tor by
the end of the first days walking.
A brief respite from the rain on
Saturday meant the river levels
dropped on Sunday and after an
all too short spell of sunshine the
high winds picked up again and
continued to blow in bands of
heavy rain reducing visibility
even more. In these conditions
the team had to battle their way
to the finish line where a group
of staff and parents were now
anxiously waiting to see the team
appear over the hill. Visibility
was appalling, it was cold and the
driving rain made it pretty
miserable for all. So I am sure
that you can imagine the delight,
and relief we all felt when the
team appeared at 3.30pm an
hour ahead of their predicted
time.
As you may have probably
guessed by now the weather this
year played a major part.
Brigadier Piers Hankinson sums it
all up: “As Director Ten Tors, I
wish to congratulate every
participant, team manager and
the many military and civilian
personnel who contributed to
Ten Tors 2013 and Jubilee
Challenge. They were undoubtedly very tough Challenges. This
year Dartmoor showed that it
can be a particularly inhospitable
with some of the worst
conditions
that
we
have
experienced for many years. In
particular, I wish to congratulate
all of this year’s participants for
the moral fortitude that they
displayed, not just during the
Event but also during the
training.
Although fall-out figures are
higher than in recent years, they
are not unprecedented; some
550 participants fell-out, primarily for reasons of time rather than
endurance.
And even when
considering this number, the
reality is that more than 3 of
every 4 participants completed
the Challenge, despite the
severity of the conditions. This is
full
testament
to
their
preparation, ability, endurance,
team work and determination”.
So now, reflecting on the last five
months I’ve realised that the
resilience and the grim determination that these brilliant young
people show never ceases to
amaze me. Well done team - it
was a remarkable achievement
that you will remember for the
rest of your lives.
Of course none of this could have
been possible without the help of
the organisers who run the event
in a way that only the best
Armed Forces in the world could.
I would also like to thank all the
College staff who assisted me
throughout the training and the
parents for the support they
have given to the team.
A special mention should go to
John Lilley and Warren Oak
Jubilee Challenge 2013
whose contribution this year has made a huge improvement in enabling me to deliver the training. But
most importantly, huge congratulations Lauren, Morgan, Carys, Cerys, Andrew and James who proved to
all that they did have the skills, stamina, determination and commitment to get the job done.
Mr Robson, Ten Tors Team Manager
The Jubilee Challenge is a trekking expedition on northern Dartmoor designed specifically for young
people with special needs, both physical and educational. It is organised and run by the members of
Exeter University Officer Training Corps (volunteer undergraduate officer cadets who are members of
either Exeter or Plymouth Universities) on behalf of 43 (Wessex) Brigade, the sponsors of the Ten Tors
Event.
Jubilee Challenge entrants take on routes of up to 15 miles across North Dartmoor in a single day,
handling the same pressures, weather - and pride - as the Ten Tors teams!
This year, four students along with Mrs Salter and Mrs Price attempted Route 1 (7.5 miles) and two
students along with Ms Burgess, Ms Bowles and Mrs Flynn attempted Route 3 (11 miles).
We all camped on Dartmoor on the Friday night and after a collapsed tent and very little sleep were
woken at 5am. to very loud music blaring all over the camp. After a hearty breakfast, we were all bussed
up to the start. The start was delayed but at 8.15am. after a prayer from the Archbishop of Crediton and
a short speech from the Brigadier, we all set off on our chosen routes. The weather conditions were
against us. It was very windy and the rain/hail was heavy. Whichever way we turned the wind always
seemed to be in our faces. However, the students were fantastic and did not give up. All students and
staff made it home tired but elated after a gruelling but exciting challenge.
Mrs Salter
News from the Finance Office
meaning there is only a short walk with all those
shopping bags. There is a charge but profits come
back into College.
Do you qualify?
First, check if you qualify - it is not just if you are
unemployed, so please look at the list below:
 Income Support
 Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
 Income-related Employment and Support
Allowance
 Support under Part VI of the Immigration and
Asylum Act 1999
 The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
 Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled
to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income
(as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) that
does not exceed £16,190
 Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ -the payment
someone may receive for a further 4 weeks after
they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.
Students can also register for Free School Meals if
they get any of these benefits themselves. Come
and talk to us if you’re not sure.
Registering is really quick and easy - if you think
you qualify, contact Mrs Clements at the College
(01404) 42283.
Activities Week
Thank you to all those parents who have already
completed their payments. For those who haven’t
yet made the final payment the deadline is 17
June. If you are unable to pay online please
contact the Finance Office to discuss alternative
methods of payment.
Parentpay
Don’t forget that you can log in to Parentpay to
see what your child has been eating at College.
You can still open your account and log in even if
you choose not to pay online. This way you can
also check your current balance and check for any
new trips/events.
Parentmail2
We are delighted with the uptake for Parentmail2.
Already we have seen a significant reduction in
printing and postage costs. As part of the
registration process Parentmail2 will send you a
verification email. You must click on the link in this
email before you are able to receive messages. If
you think you have registered but are not receiving
emails please contact your SWC. If you have not
yet registered and would like to take advantage of
the system please contact College.
Room Hire
Car Parking
If you like to spend your free time in the town
centre don’t forget that the College car park is
available to use at weekends and during College
holiday periods. The car park is centrally located
Outside of school hours we are able to hire out our
rooms for any event. This includes classrooms,
drama hall, dining room and IT rooms and also the
tennis courts and playing fields.
Mr Wills
ROYAL MARINES VOLUNTEER CADET
CORPS AT LYMPSTONE BARRACKS
Term Dates
2013
26 July
15 August
22 August
5 September
21 Oct - 1 November
20 December
2014
2 January
17-21 February
4 April
22 April
5 May
26-30 May
Summer term ends
AS/A2 Exam results
GCSE Exam results
First day of Autumn term
Half-term (2weeks)
Autumn term ends
First day of Spring term
Half-term
Spring term ends
First day of Summer term
Spring Bank Holiday
Half-term
SKI TRIP
RMVCC Lympstone accepts boys and girls
between the ages of 8½ and 14, who can
serve until their 18th birthday. Boys and
girls enter as a recruit and having 'passed
out' at the end of their basic training
become a cadet. The unit meets each week
on Mondays 1845–2100 and Thursdays
1850–2030 at the Commando Training
Centre Lympstone. Any students who are
interested please see Mrs Andrews for
details.
INTER-TUTOR RESULTS
The winning tutor groups for last
half-term were: 7JMR, 8SWA, 9KHE, and
10MTH and they all celebrated with a
non-uniform day on 14 June.
Saturday, 15 to Sunday, 23 February 2014
Zell am See in Austria
6-days skiing
£695 which includes:
Travel
 Full board
The winners of last term’s Fantastic Four
Gino competition, both in Year 10, were:
Josh Loud who has won a Gino Apron,
and Beth Lyne who has won a Gino cook
book.
 Accommodation
 Ski lift pass
 Insurance
 Ski lessons
 Equipment hire
 Evening activities
If you are interested, please speak to Miss Wright
Available to Years:
Bell ringers
St Paul’s Church Honiton is looking to
recruit new bell ringers. Anyone who is
interested please go and see Mr Ballard
or Mr Hitchcock at the Honiton
Allhallows Museum.
Tickets are on sale from
the College Reception for
this year’s musical production, “Schools Will Rock
You” (presented by permission of www.schools
willrockyou.com). The
show is an official adaptation of Queen and Ben
Elton’s West End blockbuster, “We Will Rock
You” and features all the
great Queen hits of the
1970s and 80s, including
“Crazy Little Thing Called
Love”, “We Are The
Champions”, “Another
One Bites The Dust”, “I
Want To Break Free”,
“Somebody To Love” and
of course, “Bohemian
Rhapsody”. The show
tells the futuristic and
somewhat implausible
tale of how the world
might evolve, centuries
from now when there is
no live music, and all
entertainment and human
interaction is governed by
a controlling internet. It’s
a love story and a battle
between good and evil,
it’s a spectacle of dance,
drama, pyrotechnics and
song, it’s a celebration of
some fabulous rock music and, it’s here at Honiton Community College for four performances only:
Thursday 18th July at 7.00; Friday 19th July at 7.00; Saturday 20th July at 2.30 and 7.00.
Tickets are all priced at £5 and they are going fast. I would urge anyone connected with Honiton
Community College to come – students, staff, parents - not least because it will be the final opportunity
to watch some of the most prolific musical theatre students the College has ever had: Alex Jackson,
Beth Sillitoe and Beth Hibbert, stars of so many of our previous productions, for whom this will be a
swansong, are leaving HCC at the end of term. It is rare that students of such immense energy and ability
come along; to have three of such calibre at the same time has been incredibly beneficial for the College.
Their shoes will be difficult to fill. This is not to detract from the fact that this is very much a team
production, and indeed students from all years throughout the College will be singing, dancing and
playing to bring you great entertainment. As the posters say, “Schools Will Rock You – It’s More Than a
Title: It’s A Promise”.
Mr Carter (Head of Music)