Dear Parents
PARENTS’ NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 7
March 2012
This issue is yet another bumper edition featuring lots of school news and information about student successes.
Below are a number of items we would like to draw your attention to:
In Memory of Mr Thomas (Page 2)
India Link News (Page 3)
ICT Third Millennium Award (Page 4)
National Animation Award Success (Page 11)
Lots of Sports News and Successes! (Pages 5-7)
Readers Digest Competition Winner (Page 4)
Ex Student News (Page 4)
Parent Support Adviser Contact Details (Page 14)
Plus lots of news on Maths, Music, Drama, Art and Food Technology
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE END OF TERM. On the last day of term (Friday 30 March 2012) school finishes
at the normal time of 3.25pm. Students return on Monday 16 April 2012 at the usual time 8.45am.
INTRODUCTION
As you are aware Term 4 started with the sad loss of Chris Thomas. Page 2 contains a tribute to Chris and
news regarding a memorial fundraising day to support his family‟s nominated charities. Overall Term 4 has
been extremely busy with Year 9 students and parents going through the GCSE options process, Year 10 work
experience and Year 11 completing their applications for college. All three year groups have been a credit to
the school in the way they have approached these key milestones in their education. Due to the school‟s
success with ICT and E-Safety, we were invited to be assessed for the new 3rd Millennium Learning Award
(please see Page 4). In the next few days we say Bon Voyage to our India Link students who embark on the
trip of a lifetime and also to our Year 11 students who depart for an activities holiday in France. Our World
Challenge Morocco students are also gearing up for their fantastic trip in July. We are very fortunate to have
staff who are willing to give so much time to the organisation, preparation and leadership of these valuable
experiences for our students. We have just received some fantastic news regarding Emma Bessent (10W),
and Harley Viveash and Billy Bodin - ex students (see Page 4).
RADIO WILTSHIRE – SCHOOL OF THE WEEK
Many of you may have heard Bradon Forest students being
interviewed by Graham Mack on his BBC Wiltshire/Swindon
breakfast show in the first week of March.
Mr Winward was interviewed live in the studio at 7.45am and
Graham Mack came into school later in the morning to record
discussions with a number of our senior students. These were
broadcasted Tuesday – Friday. He even recorded the students
singing impromptu radio jingles. (Not many of the students are
members of the Bradon Forest School Choir!)
The morning went well and Graham is very keen to do follow up
interviews with our students on their return from India and later
in the summer - Morocco.
CHRIS THOMAS
The school community was extremely saddened at the passing of Chris Thomas in February. Chris had been
undergoing treatment for cancer for some time and his untimely death at age 34 was still a shock to staff,
students and parents. Chris started his teaching career at Bradon Forest in September 1999 and was an
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excellent Mathematics Teacher and Tutor. Chris was promoted several times and was 2 in Faculty:
Mathematics and our Out of Hours Co-ordinator. He specialised in taking upper school groups and was very
popular with the students. Due to the support and kindness of colleagues and friends of the school, over 35
members of staff were able to attend his funeral in Bristol.
Students were supported on their return to school and a memory wall was set up in the school hall which
proved to be an excellent way for the students to celebrate and remember Chris as a teacher and a person.
The memory wall was used to form part of the condolence books that were organised for staff and students.
Reverend John Railton kindly came into school to offer his support to members of staff and families affected by
this very sad news.
A large number of ex-students contacted the school wanting to express their respect and appreciation for Chris
as a teacher, tutor and all round “good guy”. The colleges ran condolence books for Chris‟s ex-students and
tutees and the messages, both in school and from those that have left, were a real mark of the affection and
respect the students had for Chris - or „Mr T‟ to many of us. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the
many members of the Bradon Forest community (past and present) and the many Purtonians for their kind
messages of support at a sad and difficult time for the school.
The slide below was created by Miss Colbert, for use in Tutor time on the students‟ return to school. It is a
terrific reflection of Chris as a „Bradoner‟; he got involved with so much – trips (home and abroad), concerts,
going to virtually every play since he started. Chris worked hard on our Out of Hours provision (OOH) and was
a great support. He started the Rock School, organised OOH buses and led the accreditation to gain the QiSS
Award. He was also instrumental in starting up the Extended School project for the area and was a Teacher
Governor for a number of years before he stood down due to his condition. The photographs below are a lovely
reflection of Chris – his smile, his sense of fun, a great sense of humour and sharp wit, his „sartorial colour coordinated „ fashion tastes …….and his trademark beanie hats!
CHARITY FUNDRAISING DAY IN MEMORY OF MR THOMAS MONDAY 14 MAY 2012
A number of Chris‟s close friends on the staff will be organising a day of activities to which former students will
be invited. Chris‟s parents and family will be joining us on the day. The event will be focused on celebrating
Chris‟s wide ranging contribution to Bradon Forest and raising money for the charities. His parents have
nominated in his memory - the Prospect Foundation and the Bristol Hospital Oncology Ward.
Further details to follow……
STAFFING NEWS
At the end of this term we say farewell to Mr Hayward a member of our ICT support team who is retiring and to
Miss Gill (English) who has covered Mrs Slee‟s maternity leave. I would like to thank both Mr Hayward and
Miss Gill for all they have done during their respective times at Bradon Forest and wish them both well for the
future. Miss Cole, Head of Humanities begins her maternity leave at Easter.
With Mrs Slee‟s return from maternity leave and Miss Cole starting hers, a number of timetable changes have
been required. Letters will be sent to students/classes affected and parents notified by SchoolComms later this
week. I would like to thank Miss Maunder, DHT, Mrs Marion HOF English, Miss Cole HOF Humanities and
Miss Wilkinson DHT, for all the hard work they put in as a team in these re-timetabling exercises which
provides all classes affected with specialist staff. Mr Wright (Humanities/ICT) is increasing his teaching load
and we look forward to welcoming Ms Wills who is joining the Humanities Department after Easter.
INDIA LINK NEWS
Visit of Indian ‘Link Schools’ Principals
During
week
commencing
20 February 2012 we were fortunate to be asked
to host a number of visiting Principals from India:
Rajendra
Prasad
Dobhal
(Assistant
Commissioner, NVS RO Chandigarh), Mrs
Sushma Goswami (Principal, JNV Kangra), Mr
Gurjinder Singh Gareeb (Principal, JNV Patiala),
Mr Ashwani Kumar Jain (Principal JNV
Nahenergarh), Mr Jasmer Singh (Librarian JNV
Karnal Lucknow/Patna Cluster). Several of the
visitors had met Miss Shelley and Miss Beet on
previous visits. They spent a day at Bradon
Forest and St Sampson‟s meeting staff and
students and getting to know a little more about
our schools and English education. In the
evening the party had dinner at the Maharaja
restaurant in Purton. Khalique Ali and team provided a fantastic dinner. Khalique is a stalwart supporter of
Bradon Forest and yet again the Maharajah did the school proud. Miss Shelley also accompanied the
Principals on a day in London, which by all accounts was a fantastic whistle stop tour of the main attractions,
although a little exhausting!
India Link Year 11 Bag-Packing. Our Year 11 students have been working incredibly hard over the last 12
months to raise funds for their trip to India in March. The last two months has seen them bag-packing at
Sainsbury‟s and Asda and the team raised an amazing £1760 over five weekends. Well done to those students
involved!
India Link Year 7 and 8 School Disco. Miss Beet reports: Our India Link Disco on 2 March 2012 was a
fantastic success and students and staff had a great evening! A top class disco was provided by John Milne of
Déjà vu Productions and everyone danced the night away to some awesome (and very loud) music. The disco
raised an amazing £300 for India Link and it was certainly a fun way to round off the fund-raising efforts of our
Year 11 students. A special thanks must go to the PTA for their help with refreshments and to John Milne for
the disco.
Bon Voyage. Miss Shelley, Miss Beet, 11 Bradon Forest students and the St Laurence party leave for India on
28 March 2012. The itinerary is fantastic and they are visiting several schools in different areas of India which
are many miles apart. We really look forward to hearing about their trip in a future issue of the Newsletter.
ITINERARY
28 March
29 March
30 March
31 March
1 April
2 April
3 April
4 April
5 April
6 April
Depart London Heathrow
Arrive Delhi /Transfer to Amritsar
Depart AmritsarTravel to Taran Taran JNV
Depart for Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Depart Dharamsala Travel to JNV Bilaspur
Depart Bilaspur Travel to Jalandhar
Depart Jalandhar Travel to Amritsar
Amritsar to Dehli to London Heathrow
The Golden Temple, Amristar
ICT NEWS
As a three times ICT Quality Mark holder, Bradon Forest has been invited by Naace
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(the ICT Association) to trial it‟s new prestigious 3 Millennium Learning Award. Bradon
Forest was selected because we were one of the first schools to achieve the ICT Mark
as long ago as 2005.
The aim of the 3rd Millennium Learning Award is
to enable successful “ICT Mark” schools to
demonstrate how they are providing an education
fit for the 21st century. It celebrates schools'
achievements in creating an environment and
curriculum that stimulates more and better
learning, making full use of the opportunities
presented by technology.
Naace hopes and expects that by sharing the
experiences of schools the extent and quality of
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3 Millennium Learning will significantly raise
achievement of students and results will spread
and grow. Bradon Forest has always shared its expertise and experience with local and national schools and
organisations, so we look forward to sharing our ideas with a wider audience through Naace.
Mr Wright and Mrs Purcell are working with a large number of staff and the student E-Team to produce the
video about ICT at Bradon Forest that forms the main part of the assessment. This is a really useful exercise
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and successful 3 Millennium videos will be shared with other schools nationally. At a future date we will put
the finished video onto the Learning Platform and provide updates on our progress with this prestigious national
award.
Pictured above are some of the 2012 Bradon E team The full ‟E-Team‟ comprises: Habib Ali (7Y), Zoe-Jean
Ayrton (7P), Grace Bartlett (9Q), Charlotte Butler (9Q), Harry Cook (8W), Ewan Elliott (7Q), Gus Gardner (9Y),
Toby Griffin (7T), Kirsten Harris (9S), Charley Hill (8Z), Bridgette Mpofu (8X), Sophie Richards (7Y), Danielle
Spiers (8T), Rhian Williams (9Z) and Ashleigh Wyatt (8P).
STUDENT NEWS
Congratulations to Emma Bessent (10W) who has just won the 12-18 Years category of the Readers Digest
100-word story completion. This means that she has won £500 of high-street vouchers of her choice, and £500
for Bradon Forest School, too! Readers Digest received over a thousand entries in the 12-18 Years category, Well done Emma.
EX STUDENT NEWS
Harley Viveash – Oxford offer to read English
Harley came into school recently to share his fantastic news that he has been offered a place
to read English at Oxford University next year. Harley gained 11 A*s at GCSE at Bradon
Forest and was a terrific all round student, but will be remembered by many for his fantastic
contribution to Drama.
Billy Bodin : Wales U21 win European Championship Qualifier
Billy Bodin (ex-Bradon Forest) scored twice to help the Wales Under 21s to a 4-0 European
Championship qualifier win over Andorra recently. The 19 year old opened the scoring in
nd
the 22 minute and grabbed his and Wales' second just 11 minutes later. The goals were
Billy's first for the Under 21s. He is currently on loan from Swindon Town plying for Crewe
Alexandra for remainder of the season.
Jenny Medland: Oxford Undergraduate providing Higher Education advice
It was good to see the photograph (right) in the Swindon Advertiser featuring
Jenny Medland (ex Bradon Forest, who went to Oxford University to read
English) helping out at a recent Swindon Higher Education Student Fair. Jenny
achieved 7A*s,2As and 2Bs at GCSE in 2006.
ALL THINGS PROM NIGHT
On Friday 24 February 2012, the PTA
hosted the first 'All Things Prom' night for
our Year 10/11 students. The evening
boasted two fashion shows, featuring a
variety of beautiful dresses from Gowns of
Distinction and a range of suits from Moss
Bros., all modelled by our own Year 11
students! There were also a number of stalls
from local providers of prom related
paraphernalia, giving students and parents
the opportunity to book/hire everything they
would need for a successful prom night.
Discounts or tasters were offered on
corsages, beauty treatments, hair styles,
fake tanning sessions and jewellery as well
as a chance to meet the actual Prom
night photographer Graham McCallion.
The whole evening was a great success and many students were able to secure bookings for the
prom. Organiser Emma Hayden said: “Thank you to everyone who supported this PTA event. Special thanks
must go to the students who agreed to model the outfits in the Fashion Show – they all did a fantastic job! We
raised approximately £150 for PTA Funds and had brilliant fun in the process. Here‟s to the next one!”
The PTA will be planning another 'All Things Prom' night later this year. The date is likely to be in November so
that we can take advantage of the new season's dress/suit releases. Watch this space!
SPORTS NEWS
U13 Girls Indoor Cricket
Miss Moore reports: Bradon Forest represented Swindon
in the County round of the Lady Taverners Indoor Cricket
Competition and the Year 7 and Year 8 girls learnt a
great deal from the experience. In all of the games the
girls lost the toss and batted first, scoring 40 for 8 in their
opening game against Lavington. Lavington went on to
win with a score of 68 for 4. The girls worked on running
between the wickets during the next game against South
Wilts Grammar School and finished 47 for 3. South Wilts
batted well and won 77 for 4. In the final game against
Devizes the bowling was very accurate from both teams
but Bradon Forest scored 27 to their 24, winning by three
runs to finish in fifth position in the County.
Very well done to all of the girls, who improved with each
game.
Wickets were taken during the competition by Danni Dewsbury, Georgia Clifford, Ayren Walker, Bryony Lockett
and Rosie Hannay. Catches were made by Georgia Clifford, Bryony Lockett, Rosie Hannay and Meghan
Larkin. Our only „four‟ was hit by Georgia Clifford. This has been good practice for the Term 5 and 6 cricket
competitions.
Well done to the U13 team: Georgia Clifford (8Q), Melissa de Beer (8Z), Captain - Danni Dewsbury (7X), Rosie
Hannay (7Q), Charlotte Humphries (8Y), Meghan Larkin (8Q), Bryony Lockett (8Q), Sneha Patel (8Z), Millie
Ross (7Q) and Ayren Walker (8Z).
Badminton Wiltshire Champions!
Miss Moore reports: I am delighted to report that we have two teams of Wiltshire Champions. The Key Stage
4 girls and the Key Stage 3 boys badminton teams.
As winners of the Swindon Schools Key Stage 4
Competition, the girls were full of confidence at the Wiltshire
finals in Tidworth. During the warm up session the girls put
some of their GCSE PE theory into practice by analysing
the opponent‟s strengths and weaknesses. Their first
match was against St Edmunds, and the analysis clearly
worked as the girls had a clean sweep winning all five
games. The next match was against St Laurence. This
was a little tougher but again the girls won all five of their
games to become Wiltshire Champions!
Sian Towler (11X), Jemma Bradley (11X), Polly Whinfrey
(10P), Helen Conway (10R) and Nicole Farmer (11S)
This is the second year running that the Key Stage 3 boys have
entered this competition. Last year they won the Swindon
Schools competition and finished as silver medallists in the
Wiltshire finals, so they were keen to triumph at this year‟s
competition. Their hard work and determination paid off and
they played brilliantly against St Augustine‟s, Stonehenge and
Devizes schools, dropping only two games out of fifteen. They
became Wiltshire Champions and will now join the Key Stage 4
girls in representing Wiltshire in the South West Regional
Badminton Finals in Exeter on Thursday 15 March 2012.
Congratulations to both teams; we are so proud of you!
Charlie Ilsley (9W), Russell Hudson (9W), Josh Musty (9Z), Ben Hares (8T) and Cameron Shaw (9S)
Cross Country
Mr Hartley reports: The start of
2012 has kicked off with a bang,
there has been so much going on
in the PE department in area and
regional sport. January saw the
Regional Championship of the
cross country competition. With
Euan Hutcheson Year 7, Luke
Neves Year 9 and Adam Bradley
Year 10 all qualifying from the
November trials.
So let‟s fast forward to a cold crisp Saturday morning in January at Grittleton House School. The lads were well
prepped and with pasta loading the night before and filled with energy drinks they were ready to compete. The
standard was extremely high and the Bradon Forest School team were competing against previous national
champions. I am pleased to report that the team came in a respectable top half finish.
Year 7 Indoor Football Regional Finals Champions!
Mr Hartley reports: The Year 7 indoor football team competed in late
November in the Swindon Schools indoor league and I am pleased to
report were very successful and won the competition. The winning team
are automatically then selected to represent Swindon Schools and
compete at the next level at the English Schools Football Association –
Regional Final.
The lads packed their bags and on a snowy Saturday in February travelled
down to Torquay Leisure Centre. The competition was extremely tight and
the standard would have had the English First 11 worried. Bradon Forest
meant business from the start winning their opening four games.
Unfortunately they lost their last game. However at this point it didn‟t
matter as the lads had qualified for the semi finals.
The lads at this point had played five games and were feeling the effect of the hard work they had put into the
previous games and worked hard to prepare for the semi-final game. After working their socks off unfortunately
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they were pipped to the post and lost, finishing 3 overall. Well done lads!
Year 7 Squad: Lachlan Beggs (7S), Charlie Britten (7Z), Lewis Griffin (7P), Greg Griffin (7T), Euan Hutcheson
(7S), Luke Jones (7S) and Joe Marshall (7S)
Year 8 Swindon Schools Football Indoor League Finals
Mr Hartley reports: The team, having had the previous year‟s experience,
were ready and prepped to go. They had played in their league tournament
nd
and had finished overall 2 best qualifying team which was enough to earn
their place in the Swindon Schools indoor league final at St Joseph‟s
School.
At this stage of the competition every game counted and the lads played
th
and worked extremely hard finishing 4 in the Swindon Schools Indoor
league final. Well done lads!
Year 8 Squad: Canberk Benning (8W), Matthew Hibbs (8W), Joe Hooper
(8Z), Jack Hutchison (8Q), Miles Jolliffe (8W), Brandon Watts (8T) and
Patrick Whittaker (8Y).
Year 9 Swindon Schools Indoor League Football Champions!
Mr Hartley Reports: The Year 9 team had competed in their league round
and after nearly not making it to their league night at all (they played in a
Basketball Tournament in the afternoon – oh and they won too!) managed to
arrive as their first game was about to start. But this didn‟t put them off at all,
in fact if anything it fired our lads up for the win.
Through skill, determination and grit
the lads had a clean sweep of results
to comfortably qualify for the Swindon
Schools Indoor League Football final.
On the finals night at St Joseph‟s
School the lads were on time with fresh
legs. They played some fantastic
football to win their semi-final game which placed them comfortably in the
final against Warneford School. The lads came out ready for the final and
from the starting whistle out gunned the opposition from the start easing
in three goals very comfortably to seal victory and win the title of
Swindon Schools Indoor League Football winners 2012.
Year 9 Squad: Will Thorne (9S), Cameron Shaw (9S), Lewis Newman
(9Q), Conor Cleary (9T), Nouman Farooq-Bhatti (9W), Luke Neves (9X),
Adam Godsell (9X) and Jack Telling (9T).
Luke Neves as the Year 9 team captain stepped up to receive the trophy
and made a fantastic acceptance speech! The team was crowned
Swindon Schools Indoor league football winners 2012. At the time of writing the 11 a side domestic season
has started and going to press the Year 7,8,9,10s have all qualified to the next round of the Swindon Schools
Cup. More to follow!
ART NEWS
Mrs Cooke reports: A busy time has been had again in the Art
Department since our last report: Friday 24 February 2012 and
Saturday 25 February 2012 saw our annual, brilliant, “Artists Days”
for Year 10 Art & Design students. 44 students took part in five
workshops over the two days. We welcomed to the school Ron
Holmes, a local sculptor/artist who ran
a clay heads sculpture class; Geraint
Evans, painter/artist came over from
Cardiff and ran a painting with textures
workshop; Richard Thorne, a local
stained glass artist ran a workshop for
students who completed a glass panel
of their own design and Andrée Slade,
a local printer/artist who ran a printing
with mixed media workshop. Mr
Martch-Harry also ran a workshop with
students carving two 6ft polystyrene
blocks, producing an ice-cream and an
Easter Island head. These will be
placed in the school grounds at a later
date. A great time was had by
students and staff. Thank you to everybody who helped and
supported the two days, we are already looking forward to next year!
The Year 8 Gifted & Talented Sculpture Club after school on
Thursdays is progressing well. Students are carving a giant
polystyrene block inspired by fossils. This block will also be
displayed in the school grounds on completion.
The Year 7 Gifted & Talented Clay group with Mrs Cooke have now
finished their piggy banks. They have since made birds for the
garden and are now working on coiled sheep.
Mrs Holmes has recently started a new workshop on Tuesday
lunchtimes for Year 8 Gifted & Talented students. They are designing and printing postcards using an etching
technique in conjunction with the India Link project. The cards are going to be sent to India.
Congratulations to our Key Stage 3 „Artists of the Term‟ who are:
Year 7
Cameron Curtis 7Y
Ellie James 7X
Hannah Saunders 7T
Leah Thoebald 7Z
Year 8
Conor Gibbens 8P
Megan Hartley 8T
Hyun Kim 8Y
Danielle Spiers 8T
Phoebe Tyler 8W
Ayren Walker 8Z
Year 9
Elisha Horgan 9W
Emily Fitzpatrick 9S
Chloe Stollery-Clark 9P
Anna Witka 9P
On a final note, our Year 11 Art & Design students are in the middle of preparing for their important practical Art
examination which will take place at the end of April. We would like to encourage maximum support from home
with preparing and developing their work for the examination. Thank you from the Art Department.
CHARITY NEWS
STOP PRESS! We were delighted to hear that 9Y (Mrs Marion‟s tutor
group) have raised £130 through cake sales and a film showing (when
they sold out of popcorn and cakes!!) to purchase a gift for Africa. The
charity they are supporting is “Send a Cow” which is an extremely
valuable way of supporting families, providing them with livestock. Well
done to 9Y!
The following response was received from “Send a Cow”:
“Hi Class 9Y Bradon Forest School, We can't believe our luck. Thank you for our gift of a cow. This will change
our lives. We will drink the milk and be more healthy. We will sell the surplus at the market and won't need to
be hungry. When our cow has a calf we will give it to another family in the village so they can share our good
luck. Thank you for thinking of us.”
(There will be a detailed article on charity news in the next Newsletter. This has been held over due to
pressure on space in this issue.)
FOOD TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Inspiring School of the Month
We are delighted to have been selected as Inspiring School of the Month by „Love British Food‟. Reproduced
below is the article from their newsletter, which can be found at: http://www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/teacherzone/inspiring-schools-of-the-month/inspiring-schools-of-the-month-march-2012
Swindon Schools Cookery Competition
At the beginning of March we held cook-offs after school to choose the semifinalists for the forthcoming Swindon Schools Cookery Competition. The
theme for this year‟s competition was the Olympics and the entrants all had
their own twist on the theme. We assembled a staff judging panel who tried
everyone's dishes and chose the winners. Here are some comments from the
judges:
“What a delightful selection of food on show - as a judge I took my role very
seriously and made sure I went back and re-tasted all the mains and
particularly the desserts. Thanks girls, not only was the food delicious, I didn't
need to make dinner when I got in!”
“I was really impressed with the level of presentation of the food, I was
expecting a Jackson Pollock and got a Constable instead!”
"This pie is bloomin' awesome!!" "You'd be pleased to be served this in a
restaurant, it's delicious!"
Lisa Smith 9X and
Abby Akerman - Spencer 9W
The winners of the Year 7/8 group were Charley Hill (8Z) and Jasmine Learmouth (8Z) and the winners of the
Year 9/10 group were Rhian Williams (9Z) and Emilia Sando (9W). The judging was really difficult, especially
in the Year 9/10 category where something from every group could have gone through to the semi-final. The
girls are therefore working as a larger team to make sure that Rhian and Emilia can get tips from them to help
with their final dishes.
The competitions will be held at Swindon College on the 20 April 2012 and 27 April 2012 - keep your fingers
crossed for both groups!
New Ovens We were delighted to be able to upgrade the ovens in the main
food room earlier this term. The new ovens have been put to great use and the
Year 11's are doing their practical GCSE coursework final dishes as I type.
Here are some quotes from students who are using them:
"They work much better and heat up faster, and much better to clean"!"They are
better as they are fast"
"We like using the new ovens as they make our practical lessons run more
smoothly, as we dont have to wait for so long for them to get hot"
"I like cleaning them"!!
Rhian Williams 9Z
(Pictured)
UK MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE
On 16 February 2012 a number of keen Mathematicians in Years 9 and 10 voluntarily took the UK Mathematics
Challenge. This is a very intense one hour examination which challenges students to use efficient and carefully
thought out techniques in order to complete unusual and challenging mathematics problems within the given
time. We are very pleased to report that the following students gained the awards listed. Well done to all
involved. Certificates will be handed out to the students during the end of year assemblies.
Gold Awards
Ben Jones (10R) Best in School. Elliot Gunton (10R), Emma Hobbs (10R), and Joseph Pettit (10R).
Silver Awards
Emma Bessent (10W), Adam Bradley (10S), Kirsten Harris (9S), Eleasha Kell (9Q), Sufia Ruhomaun (9S),
Oliver Smith (10R), William Thorne (9S), Elliot Willoughby (10X), Anna Witka (9P) and Joshua Wolfsohn (9Q).
Bronze Awards
Yamin Ali (9S), Jonathan Archer (10P), Hannah Curtis (10R), Kirk Dusting (10P), Sammy Evans (9Z),
Ben Hares (9T), Samuel Haskell (9W), Robert Mills (10S), Alice Mulley (9S), Aaron Moody (10Q), Hamish
Murray (9P), Daniel Phillips (10S), Beth Richards (10S), Cameron Shaw (9S), Lucy Taylor (9W) and
Max Taylor (9Y).
TEXTILES NEWS
With the Olympics only months away the Year 7s
have been getting into the spirit of things by
designing merchandise which could be sold at the
Olympic Games. Here are two fantastic examples
of the students‟ work:
Mascot by Dannisha Prosser (left)
Handkerchief by Rebecca Knowles (right)
CURRENT STUDENT NEWS:
BRITISH FILM INSTITUTION AWARD WINNERS:
Sammy Sangha (10Y) and Joe Pettit (10R) have been involved
in a group called 'Evil Twin Education', who were awarded
funding from First Light Movies to support local young people
with stammers to create an animated short film called The
Stammurai. The short film was created after months of hard
work by young people with stammers under the expert
guidance of industry professionals from Swindon and
London.The Stammurai is set in feudal Japan and is about a
young samurai in training who has a stammer. His disability
draws him into conflict with an evil samurai master where he
must conquer his fear of stammering in order to survive.The
film was premiered at The Empire Cinema, in Greenbridge,
Swindon
on
the
13 February 2011. (Photo right)
If you would like to see the film then you can find it on YouTube at the following address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFoHUhDlNKM
As part of the animation team, Sammy and Joe were also nominated for an award by the British Film Institution
and went to the Awards Ceremony in London on Monday 5 March 2012. The group were successful and won
the award. Congratulations to Sammy and Joe for this terrific achievement!
http://www.swindonlink.com/news/swindon-stammerers-win-top-animation-award
The following extract and photo are taken from an article that appeared in the Swindon Link Magazine. The full
article can be accessed by the above link.
The Stammurai, an animated short made entirely by young people from Swindon, has won the First Light Best
Animation award 2012 at the British Film Institute London. The annual First Light Awards showcases the
creative talents of young people across the UK. It is an inspirational event that celebrates the next generation of
British filmmakers. The winners were chosen by a host of industry judges including Academy Award winners
Danny Boyle, Director of Slumdog Millionaire & 127 hours, and Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty and
the new James Bond film Skyfall.
After months of hard work by young people who
stammer, under the expert guidance of animation /
iphone developers evil.twin.artworks, The Stammurai
fought of stiff competition from hundreds of films from
across Britain to win the coveted Best Animation award.
Mark Carroll, Director of evil twin artworks said: “It has
been a great journey for the young people, they have all
worked so hard, and to see them receive the award was
a fantastic way to wrap things, they have all learned so
much and I look forward to see what they do next”.
Matthew Kilford and Peter George Rowe from Dacoit
Studios delivered all the audio sessions for „The
Stammurai‟ project helping the young people create,
sound fx, vocal tracks and music Matthew Kilford said: "I'm so immensely proud to have been a part of the
Stammurai and helping these young filmmakers bring to life, something i could tell straight away meant a lot to
them. Hearing stories about the new found confidence some of them now have in everyday life makes it all so
much more worth while."There are more than a few talented students in that bunch with a bright future and I'm
sure if they did not realise it before they do now. They better remember me when they're working at Pixar."
This project has been supported by the lottery through the UK Film council‟s First Light initiative.
BRADON FOREST PRIMARY LIAISON NEWS Issue 13
Issue 13 (April 2012) was distributed to all our partner primary schools for
pupils and parents in Years 4, 5 and 6. This issue covers the Bradon Forest
Book Fair to mark World Book Day, news of a second day of Science WOW
Show performances, netball at Oakhurst, our new community choir and lots
more. This issue can be accessed on our website via the following link
http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupID=140529
MUSIC NEWS
Congratulations to the students who took part in the Swindon Music Festival
during the week commencing 19 March 2012 at the Arts Centre in Swindon.
The pianists all played brilliantly with Lewis Griffin (8Z) and Sophie Egerton
(8Y) finishing joint third in their class and Molly Griffin (9S) and Emma HinesWragg (7P) finishing second in their classes. James Keen (8W), Dominic
McBratney (9Z) and Sufia Ruhomaun (9S) also performed extremely well and
were awarded with merits in classes. Below is a report from Molly Griffin.
We had to get a program, go into the theatre and take a seat. We waited for the last player of the group
before our group to perform. It was then just a matter of waiting for my turn. I was 8 thto perform out of 11. I
was playing Whirly Bird by Pamela Wedgwood. Once everyone had finished playing the judge finished his
assessment of our performances and announced the winners, 3 people were in 3rdplace, I came 2ndand a boy
who played mission Impossible came 1st. He was awarded a medal. All together it was a lot of fun and I really
enjoyed myself. At first I was really nervous but once I played I realised how fun it was. I can’t wait for the
next concert! Molly Griffin 9S
THEATRE NEWS
Discombobulation!
Last week we had the pleasure of hosting the lovely Publick
Transport in with their latest show, Discombobulated. PT's
Artistic Director, Angus Barr, is a regular at Bradon Forest
(having both performed with Gonzo Moose in the past, and
toured the last three PT shows here) and on this occasion he
was joined by the delightful Merce Ribot. The pair played members of airport
security staff who were giving a demonstrative talk on security procedures and
why they are important. After a brief and stern introduction from Malcom
McClosky (Barr), the presentation quickly declined in to a competition between
the two to either perform or inform the audience.
Varying dance routines, luggage tussles, flour fights, magic shows, Tommy
Cooper impressions, Shakespeare excerpts and a role playing session led to the
finale, which had to be seen to be believed. Somehow the two security officers
end their presentation in an impromptu 'two man band' performance of Eternal
Love... whilst covered in flashing lights... with confetti cannons. A brilliant bit of
silliness, perfect for a Thursday evening!
Guest Review: Folded Feather's Suitcase Circus
On Thursday I watched Folded Feather produce a unique puppet show called Suitcase Circus performed by
“some very talented rubbish!” (Their words not mine!)
There were only two men doing the show, one was the main puppeteer and the other played a variety of
instruments to add to the atmosphere. Surprisingly, the ringmaster was a sock called Wobulous
Discombobulous. He introduced most of the acts which included a dancing milkshake straw; the world‟s only
acrobatic potato sack; a singing teapot who sang a Kylie Minogue song badly; Limbardo, the tightrope walking
Italian driving glove; Windsor Knot, the hypnotising snake and Timrek, a very sick frog!
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Suitcase Circus. It was hilarious. My favourite act was a fearless daredevil ski
glove called Dan Der Uras. He was shot out of a cannon and caught by a baseball glove. The puppeteer and
the musician were world-class. If you get the opportunity to go and see Suitcase Circus, take it! - Alex Duffell
I have to say, I agree whole heartedly with Alex! Suitcase Circus was a delightful show, with a wide variety of
creative puppets. It was quite amazing how two people can create tension from a glove with a baseball for a
head, flying across the stage in slow motion! Most enjoyable. Thank you Folded Feather. We look forward to
the next time!
NB. Alex is from one of our feeder primary schools, and is fast becoming a regular reviewer at the Bradon
Forest Theatre!
BUSINESS STUDIES TRIP TO LONDON
Year 11 Trip to London 13 and 14 February 2012
Day 1
On 13 February 2012, 39 Year 11 students and 4 members of staff set off from Bradon Forest in search of the
Metropolis. After a two and a half hour journey by coach, and the dulcet sounds of Epic Sax Guy (a recurrent
saxophone motif introduced by Daniel Gallagher), we arrived at our destination, London. With some time to
spare we managed to locate the Olympic Stadium and took a brief look at the progress being made as well as
some photographs to mark the occasion.
Next we headed over to the 02 Arena to encounter the British Music Experience, an interactive exhibition
chronicling popular British music. For those daring enough, they could participate in one of twelve dances from
the past sixty years and see themselves performing on a virtual stage. Ms Shaw and Mrs Hawley were not
averse to a bit of fun and generated quite an audience from their moves.
From here we took the Clipper down the Thames and viewed some of the sky-scraping marvels of the financial
sector, the London Eye and Westminster. Not the best weather for a boat journey with a murky sky and
drizzling rain, but nevertheless a great experience.
Fifty minutes later we disembarked and proceeded to walk through St James‟ Park past Buckingham Palace
and eventually to Park Lane to The Hard Rock Café for some supper. All thanks go to Ms Shaw for getting us
there with her excellent navigation skills and her bullish approach to walking.
At 6.30 pm prompt, our coach driver, who afforded us no inconvenience whatsoever, a real marvel, picked us
up and drove us to The Dominion Theatre for the highlight of our day, We Will Rock You, a futuristic musical
featuring the hits of Queen. The story is set in the future in which the land is controlled by a wicked leader, The
Killer Queen whose attempts to supress rock music and plug everyone into the internet, forces a break-away
group to go underground and keep rock music alive in secret. Of course, good wins over evil and by the end of
the performance, rock music re-asserts itself.
Day 2
After a satisfying breakfast, our
trusty coach driver picked us up and
we headed off for a touch of
shopping on Oxford Street. Whilst
the students were beckoned by the
large retail outlets of Oxford Street,
Ms Shaw, Miss Marshall and Mr and
Mrs
Hawley
recharged
their
batteries with coffee and cake.
And finally to Wembley Stadium, a testament to the architectural
advancements of our time. The 45 minute tour took us into the press
room, dressing rooms, stadium and hospitality areas. The tour guide‟s
wealth of knowledge made the tour both interesting and entertaining.
The tour could not have been a success without the dedication of
staff: Ms Shaw; Miss Marshall; Mrs Hawley and Mr Hawley, but above
all it was the great company of the students and their impeccable
behaviour that made the tour such a success.
BOOK FAIR
Our Library Learning Centre has recently celebrated World Book
Day with their annual book fair. A wide variety of books, both fiction
and non-fiction, were shipped in to the library for a week long sale
during school lunchtimes. All students were given a £1 book token
which they could either redeem against a full price book of their
choice, or choose one of the six options of £1 short stories.
St Mary‟s Primary School were also invited over for the Book Fair
and two groups of Year 6 pupils had the chance to browse the
options and enjoy some quiet reading time of their new purchases!
Bradon Forest librarians Mrs Sykes and Mrs Styles said: "The Book
Fair was a huge success. We had a fantastic time, and a big thank you to everyone who came. We took over
£500 in sales, which means we'll get over £200 to spend on new books for our library!"
PARENT SUPPORT ADVISOR
Dear Parents/Carers, My name is Amanda Stuart and I am the Parent Support Advisor at
Bradon Forest School. I can support you by providing confidential and impartial advice
and information across a range of issues, with the ultimate aim of improving your child‟s
school experience. I can also help you to access support from a variety of agencies and
learning groups; including parenting courses.
Parenting can be one of the most rewarding experiences but it can also be the most
challenging. If you think you may like support from a friendly, listening ear then please
contact me on: Mobile: 07786 099180 or email: [email protected]
BRADON FOREST SCHOOL 200 CLUB
1
2
3
February 2012 Draw Prize Winners
WINNER
Mrs J Greenhill, Sparcells
Mrs S Groom, Shaw
Mrs J Spiers, Bradon Forest School
MEMBERSHIP NUMBER
38
31
14
PRIZE
£20
£15
£10
DATES OF FUTURE NEWSLETTERS 2011/12
Issue 9
Issue 10
-
30 April 2012
18 June 2012
Issue 11
-
16 July 2012
2011/12 ACADEMIC YEAR DATES
The dates for this academic year are reproduced at the end of each newsletter to ensure that „end of term‟
closures and all our Teacher Development Days (when the school is closed to students) are regularly
highlighted to students and parents.
Term 4
Students return
Ends
Holiday
Monday 20 February 2012
Friday 30 March 2012
31 March 2012 – 15 April 2012
Term 5
Students return
Public Holiday Closure
Ends
Holiday
Term 6
Students return
Ends
TD Day
Holiday
Yours sincerely
L M Spiers
Headteacher
Monday 11 June 2012
Friday 20 July 2012
Monday 23 July 2012
24 July 2012 – 3 September 2012
Monday 16 April 2012
Monday 7 May 2012
Friday 1 June 2012
2 June 2012 – 10 June 2012
Remaining Teacher Development Days for
2011/12 (school closed to students)
Monday 23 July 2012