End of an era - Ashcombe School

Accent
End of an era
on Ashcombe
THE ASHCOMBE SCHOOL DORKING
Issue 25 • June 2010
he end of an era indeed… Miss Goswell’s dramatic
legacy is legendary and her farewell production gave
hundreds of people who have worked with her the
opportunity to celebrate her achievements. A special final
day of two performances of Oliver! was a fitting tribute to
her contribution to the school.
T
Evan Davies, ex-Head Boy of The Ashcombe and now a
BBC presenter, spoke fondly of his involvement in the
productions and Miss Goswell was delighted to meet up
again with him and many past performers.
See inside (pages 8-9) for photographs.
Annual Awards Evening
he Annual Awards Evening in December was a splendid
occasion in the Hall with a packed audience of parents
of prize-winners, governors and sponsors. Students
performed music and this added to the sense of celebration
of achievement.
T
The special guest was John O’Callaghan, who heads up
the Leadership Partner Schools Programme. The school
had gained this second specialism during the previous
academic year.
Amongst the many prizes awarded, Hugh Baker and Ruth
Luckins shared the GCSE prize for outstanding results, and
Laura McDonald and Luke Caldwell shared the prize for
overall performance at A level.
We are very grateful to those individuals and companies
who sponsored the awards this year: there were over fifty
donations made. We also recognise the role of the PTA in
supporting the event in so many ways.
Accent June 2010 | 1
Sixth Form
he Sixth Form have had a very active
year… without mentioning the
examinations and the disruption of
learning through inclement winter
weather.
T
The photographs from various social
events, including these Halloween ones,
give evidence to the vibrancy of The
Ashcombe Sixth Form and are a real
tribute to the energy that the staff put
into this sector of the school and the
tremendous response from our students.
2 | Accent June 2010
Sixth Form
Sixth Form Christmas
Mr Stock and the Sixth Form about to sing…
... and in the act of singing at the first official Sixth Form Carol
Singing Festival held in Bradley Quad.
All Lower Sixth tutor groups were involved in putting together
Christmas hampers for the elderly people of the area and
volunteers took the produce out in the school minibus.
The spirit of Christmas really hit the Sixth Form. They
must have had a premonition of the bad weather
about to hit the UK…
Charity Sleepout
group of staff and sixth formers had the bright idea of
sleeping rough for charity one night. The venue was
the Bradley Building quad area and cardboard boxes and
sleeping bags were the items permitted for protection from
the cold. Money raised was donated to the housing and
homelessness charity, Shelter.
A
Accent June 2010 | 3
Charities Week
harities Week 2010 was held
immediately after the February halfterm break.
C
The superb organisational skills of the
Lower Sixth team, ably led by the
Batmanesque Mr Woollett, produced a
lunchtime programme of activities that
packed out the Hall. Students and staff
volunteered their musical and creative
skills in various displays of expertise whilst
the sound and light shows enhanced the
atmosphere greatly.
The takings from MUFTI day on the Friday
enabled the money raised to top £3000.
The proceeds go to supporting the
Romania and Tanzania Funds and the
Royal Marsden Hospital.
4 | Accent June 2010
Duke of Edinburgh Award
he Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has more participants at
each level than ever at The Ashcombe this year. We
currently have 150 students undertaking their Bronze award
(all in Year 10), 47 students participating in Silver (all in
Year 11), and 25 students have just enrolled at the Gold
level (all in Lower 6th).
T
Year 11 have already completed a damp and soggy
practice expedition to Exmoor, and will have tested
themselves in the beautiful countryside of the Peak District
by the time this is published. We hope the weather will
have been kinder! Bronze participants have completed
after-school training sessions, and also developed
navigation and outdoor cooking skills during training at
weekends, all in preparation for their expeditions around
Box Hill and Leith Hill during the Summer Term.
Our Gold candidates faced some gruelling challenges in
Snowdonia, where they developed their mountain skills
before they undertake their stringent assessed expedition
amid the stunning scenery of the Lake District in July.
All the participants have been very grateful for the efforts of
the many staff who have given up time to help support
them through their training and expeditions, and we are
particularly grateful to all those who have helped to ensure
that Bronze D of E becomes wheelchair-friendly!
Accent June 2010 | 5
School Trips
Sixth Form Trip to USA
hirty six students and three staff spent part of the Easter
break in the USA. Their visit to the White House
coincided with the Easter Egg roll, at which President
Obama and thousands of guests were present. After
visiting the Museum of Modern Art, Ground Zero and other
T
famous sights of the Big Apple, the group moved on to
Washington where they visited the Senate and the Vietnam
War Memorial. The only dull part of the trip according to
Mr Robinson, was a tame basketball match between
Washington Wizards and New York Knicks.
Battlefields trip
s part of their GCSE History course, 49 pupils, led by
five staff, visited the battlefields of the First World War
from 10th to 12th February. They first travelled to Ypres in
Belgium. Aside from a brief period in October 1914,
Ypres never fell into German hands but suffered a heavy
toll during its defence, some 250,000 allied soldiers dying
from 1914-18. Students visited a number of British and
German cemeteries before then experiencing a British
trench system and the Cloth Hall in the centre of Ypres
which houses the impressive museum 'In Flanders Fields'.
A
The school party attended the moving Menin Gate
ceremony where three girls were able to take an active
part in the event by laying a wreath in the name of The
Ashcombe School. Every night of the year, without
exception, policemen close the road to traffic at 8.00 p.m.
6 | Accent June 2010
and then stand at the salute while buglers from the Ypres
Fire Brigade play "The Last Post".
When visiting the Somme, in Northern France, the party’s
travel arrangements were blighted by heavy snow and as
a result could not get to the planned locations at Thiepval
or Beaumont Hamel. Instead, at short notice, the group
had a guided tour of the memorials and trench system at
Vimy Ridge near Arras. The battle-scarred terrain from the
shelling and the frequent warning signs keeping visitors
from still dangerous areas continue to bring the war and
the sacrifice back to life.
Other than the travel disruptions, the trip was certainly
successful, and staff are looking into incorporating some
of these weather-induced changes into the itinerary for
next year’s visit.
Exchanges
French Exchange
he first Sixth Form exchange for Ashcombe
students of French took place in the Spring
Term.
T
Miss Solomons organised a link with the Lycée
Fresnel in Bernay, Normandy, where she used
to work! The students had an official welcome
and reception at the Mairie, spent a day in Paris
and a day in Rouen, and visited the D-Day
Museum and a cider distillery during their stay.
The French group, pictured with their English
hosts, visited London, Oxford and Brighton.
Spanish Exchange
he Spanish exchange took place over the months of
January and February this year. Whilst the Spaniards
miraculously escaped the rigours of the English winter, the
English did not enjoy the usual late winter sunshine of the
Spanish capital.
T
However, there was much to be gained for the students
from the visits to Real Madrid’s stadium, the Prado
Museum and the Queen Sofía Centre for Contemporary
Art in the city itself, and visits up in the sierra to the
Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen gave opportunities for
some clear mountain air as well as culture.
The hosting families in both countries are to be thanked
for their wonderful hospitality and tremendous efforts in
making the exchange such a pleasant event.
Accent June 2010 | 7
Oliver!
iss Goswell’s attention to detail was
evident everywhere. The
programmes contained lots of useful
background information to help
audiences contextualise the production.
She added a farewell note in the Oliver!
programme that we re-print below.
M
I joined the school when it opened as a
comprehensive in 1976.
By the autumn of 1977 Ian Mellor and I
found ourselves producing the first major
Ashcombe production, “Zigger Zagger” in
the then Lower School Hall. Rehearsals
were often by torch and candle light
thanks to the miners’ strike and electricity
being switched off for hours at a time, and
the football terrace we erected was built of
scaffolding running from the balcony (now
the music office) to the Hall Floor.
Times have changed, but what was started
then has become one of our Ashcombe
traditions – the November Production.
Thanks to fantastic staff – musical
directors, assistant directors, backstage
and technical helpers, we have had a
show in nearly all of the intervening 32
years. It is impossible to count the pupils
who have taken part but the number must
run into thousands – all talented,
dedicated and committed to making this
one…….. the best!
I am very proud of our achievements –
‘our’ being the operative word because it
is the whole team effort which brings
success as has happened again this year
in ‘Oliver!’ For me personally the “big
production” has been the highlight of each
year. I shall miss it very much but it is my
sincere hope that Ashcombe productions
will continue to give enjoyment to
participants and audiences alike for many
years to come.
8 | Accent June 2010
Mr Thurley, who took over as Head of Drama in January, has been speedy in
keeping The Ashcombe theatre-visiting world going, taking groups of students to see
performances of Hedda Gabler at the Richmond Theatre, and Woman in Black and
Six Degrees of Separation in London.
Oliver!
Accent June 2010 | 9
Sports Highlights
Extra-curricular provision has seen large
numbers taking part in a range of
different activities at lunchtime and
after-school clubs.
Swimarathon
ur Speed Team (James Gartland, Seb Fox, Alice
Wearn, Katherine Hall, Alex Pratt and Georgie
Chapman) completed a brilliant 99 laps of 50m.
O
Special thanks go to Alex who stepped in at the last minute.
Alex, Seb, Katherine and Georgie then stayed on to swim
with all the other Ashcombe swimmers for a further hour.
(Alex also joined another team later on for another hour –
all after a two-hour training session in the morning!)
A fantastic effort from all 32 swimmers clocked up an
overall total of over 24km – that’s the distance from
Dorking to Redhill and back: well done!
Surrey Schools Swimming Competition
Congratulations also go to Georgie Chapman (Lower Sixth)
whose impressive time in her 100 metre freestyle in the
Surrey Schools Swimming Competition ensured her place to
represent Surrey Schools against Kent Schools.
Netball
he Year 7 netball team played some fantastic netball to
gain second place in the District Tournament held at
Rosebery School. After remaining undefeated all afternoon,
the team of Victoria May, Hannah Beresford, Lydia
Goodwin, Imogen Bowles, Lucy Watson, Meg Quinn, Anna
Issberner, Hannah Price and Grace Keen narrowly lost out
in the last match of the afternoon.
T
Year 8 girls went into the Surrey District tournament with
high expectations after such a successful season last year.
The turnout was very strong but the girls held their own
beating Howard of Effingham and Greenacre on their way
to joint second place.
Congratulations to Beth Bridgman, Esme Bathe, Eve
Bradley, Ellie Rowlands, Jess King, Alice Goodwin, Abbie
Johnson and Rachel Farmer.
Cross Country
he Surrey Schools event was held at Priory Park, Reigate
in January. As always a very strong field was present
and we were well represented. Top ten finishes were
achieved by the following:
T
Michael Alwin in the Senior Boys, Jack Wyllie in the Junior
Boys, and Daniel Ashwood and Charlie Wyllie (who
finished first) in the Boys’ under 13 race.
Congratulations to Jack Wyllie who represented Surrey at
the English Schools’ cross country event.
10 | Accent June 2010
Rugby
Even with the inclement weather curtailing several events,
there have been some notable achievements. The highlights
have been the Year 7 Rugby team that remained
undefeated in league matches and reached the Surrey
Schools’ Semi Final. Blenheim School organised a Sevens
rugby competition for local state schools and our Year 7, 9
and 10 teams won their groups with Year 8 finishing
runners-up.
Congratulations to Fraser Mosley and Bill Rowlands (Year
10) on their selection for the Surrey under 15 Rugby team.
In addition, Fraser was also selected to attend a week’s
training over February half-term with the London and South
East under 15 development squad.
Trampolining
he Ashcombe have successfully set the standard at
recent competitions, which are new to the Mid-Surrey
School Sport Partnership calendar. The competitions
involved three disciplines, including Body Management, Set
Skills and a Set Routine. Our Year 8 Girls’ team won their
competition, the Boys’ team were also victorious and the
Year 9-11 Girls’ team came second. They all showed great
enthusiasm, practising at lunchtimes and after school, and
we look forward to retaining the titles next year!
T
Girls’ team (Y8): Holly Jennings, Amy Risbridger, Jess
King, Annabelle Terry, Beth Bridgman and Charlotte Smith
Boys’ team (Y8-11): Tom Holmes, Nick Harris, Marcus
Dell, Alex Fyffe
Girls’ team (Y9): Katy Griffiths, Jo Goddard, Louise
Chiverton, Hermione Hill
Girls’ team (Y9-11): Tati Orme, Grace Shopland, Becky
Prior, Georgina Welton.
Sportshall Athletics
he Ashcombe is beginning to get a reputation as a force
to be reckoned with at this annual event, after winning
the Mid-Surrey Schools’ competition with ease. The team
consisted of seven boys and seven girls who went on to
compete for the title of Surrey Champions. Each pupil is
permitted to take part in three running events and two field
events which include speed bounce, vertical jump, shot putt
and standing triple jump for the field and long and short
distances, relays and an obstacle course on the track. For
the finals, the boys and girls were competing for separate
trophies and from the start we dominated almost every
event. There were nine teams competing and our closest
rivals were Collingwood College, Camberley. When the
final results were read out we had won both trophies and
the pupils all received medals and certificates for their hard
work. The proud Surrey Champions are Lucy Watson, Laura
Amos, Rachel Higgins, Victoria May, Imogen Fuller, Imogen
Broster, Lara Evans, James Bennett, James Stone, James
Kressinger-Dunn, Charlie Wyllie, Dan Mahony, Tobias
Barnett and James Ashford.
T
Sports Highlights
Gym and Dance Evening
he Ashcombe School PE Department’s annual evening
of Gymnastics and Dance took place in January.
Throughout the Autumn Term and early part of the Spring
Term extra-curricular clubs covering the aesthetic sports
were open for all pupils of all years and abilities. The
pupils attending these clubs had one shared goal: that they
wanted to work towards choreographing routines and
sequences that they could perform in an evening of
aesthetics presented to family and friends.
T
Displays during the evening were solo, duet and group
sequences ranging from street dance to jive to gymnastics
apparatus pieces. Group sequences included a
cheerleading squad, a trampette and a vaulting routine.
Some of the dances performed were part of pupils’ GCSE
work, others were extra-curricular work. It was particularly
pleasing to see our gym squad perform for the first time.
The Year 7 and 8 squad of Amy Risbridger, Holly Jennings,
Nick Harris, Ollie Fyffe, Tobias Barnett, Charlotte Smith,
Victoria May, Meg Bowie, Grace Keen and Rhianna Burgess
won the Mid-Surrey Schools’ Partnership Competition. The
Ashcombe took first place after scoring the overall highest in
the three disciplines of body management, vaulting and the
floor piece.
Mole Valley Youth Showcase Awards
e were delighted to be asked to put forward an act for
the Youth Showcase Awards in February. Dom
Nicholls, Jack Whetnall, George Clarkson, Nick Harris,
Holly Jennings and Amy Risbridger had rehearsed most
lunchtimes in the lead-up to the performance.
Unfortunately Nick suffered an injury (not gym related!) and
was unable to perform. The rest of the gymnasts continued,
making the adjustments needed and with a guest
performance from Miss Dobson the show went on and was
received warmly by the audience.
W
Mole Valley Schools Twenty 20 Tournament
t John’s School, Leatherhead hosted an under 15 Twenty
20 cricket tournament for Mole Valley Schools as part of
The Forty Club’s* contribution to the Chance to Shine project.
S
Pupils from The Ashcombe School, Howard of Effingham
School, Therfield School and St Andrew’s School
(Leatherhead) took part in the tournament.
In our morning game we beat Therfield off the last ball and
in the afternoon we scored 146-1 in beating Howard of
Effingham. The Player of the Tournament Award went to The
Ashcombe captain, Harry Keay, who scored over a 100 runs
on the day with 70 (not out) of them being in the final.
*The Forty Club is the second largest private cricket club in the world. The aim of the club since 1936 has been 'to take cricket to the
schools' by organising tournaments and offering schools fixtures against experienced cricketers. The Chance to Shine programme was
launched by the Cricket Foundation in 2005 with the objective to take competitive cricket and its educational benefits to schools.
Accent June 2010 | 11
Links with China
Historical Links!
China in London
e have recently discovered that The Ashcombe's links
with China go back further than 1998 when we made
our first tentative foray into South East Asia. In fact, the link
goes back as far as the 1940s
n February, a group of
Year 11 pupils were
privileged to get a guided
tour of the British
Museum's Chinese
collections from China
specialist James Trapp,
followed by a quick visit to
London's Chinatown.
W
As a student at Dorking Grammar, Archie Barnes learnt
Chinese from his RE teacher who had been a missionary in
China. Archie went on to be Professor of Chinese at
Durham University. Keith Pratt (pictured with Dr Munford)
was Archie's first student and Keith himself later became
Professor of Chinese at Durham. Theresa Munford then
graduated in Chinese..... from Durham University... and is
now Mandarin teacher at The Ashcombe!
China Exchange
he annual exchange to China took
place at the end of the Summer Term
and the group visited Beijing for four days
before heading south to stay with exchange
partners in Shanghai. The group is
pictured in the Forbidden City and in our
link school in the Putuo district of Shanghai.
T
12 | Accent June 2010
I
Fundraising Events
Sponsored Walk raises £14,528
anesh Amin of Year 8 proudly shows off his bicycle that
he won thanks to having raised the sum of £270 in
sponsorship for the Sponsored Walk in the Autumn Term.
The incentive to raise money was perhaps enhanced by the
offer of the bicycle from the West Street Head-for-the-Hills
bike shop, to whose owner, Dan Webb, we are again
grateful.
D
We would like to thank those families and friends who
supported the event.
The money has been put to excellent use. Some has been
used for the Covered Way project – the last phase of which
will be completed over the summer break – whilst a portion
will be used to help us begin what we hope will be a
longstanding charitable commitment to a community in
Uganda which is supported by the UK charity Build Africa.
More on this will appear in the next edition of this
magazine.
Sport Relief
n Friday 19th March Year 7 pupils participated in their
very own sport-a-thon. Competing in a variety of
sports, they attempted to record the best score in beating
the keeper, racing the hockey slalom, hula hooping and
much more. They demonstrated their sporting prowess by
creating a wonderful atmosphere by raising £77 for Sport
Relief. The pupils had a great time and it was brilliant to see
so many of them rising to the Sport Relief challenge.
O
New Nursery School
he building of the new Chatterbox Nursery was
completed earlier in the year and it opened for
service after the Easter holidays. Chatterbox
manager Jan White is absolutely delighted with the
new premises at the top of Ranmore drive.
T
“It’s just brilliant – lovely play areas inside and out,
little toilets, sleeping area… just fantastic.”
The nursery is a tremendous asset to the school,
enabling staff with small children to leave them
carefully supervised during the day.
Some of the PE staff are shown here taking part in an afterschool event organised for Year 8 pupils also to raise money
for Sports Relief.
Lepra Health
t the end of the Spring Term Year 7 took part in a
workout during their Whole School Tutor Period in an
effort to raise money for Lepra Health in Action. The pupils
had a presentation about the charity’s work. They collected
sponsorship money over the holidays. The money has
gone towards detecting, treating and curing communities
suffering with leprosy in India and Africa.
A
Accent June 2010 | 13
School Events
Mock trial competition
group of thirteen Year 9 pupils had first-hand
experience of how a Magistrates’ Court works when
they took part in the Annual Citizenship Foundation Mock
Trial competition at Kingston Magistrates’ Court.
A
Mrs Poleviou and Miss Davidson pictured with
The Ashcombe team
The team played the role of defence and prosecution
lawyers, witnesses (including a very convincing defendant!),
usher and legal adviser, giving them a real flavour of how
cases are argued. The Year 9 team consisted of Harry
Baker, Johana Knowles, Andrew Trezise, Oliver Seymour,
Jenny Chaplin, Natasha Lock, Emily Ford, Lucy Lott, Caitlin
Burge, Zoe Everson, Yasmin Bahra, Phoebe Creswell and
Isabel Budleigh.
The pupils had spent several weeks analysing witness
statements from a case in which a youth (the defendant) is
found with a knife in her possession following a fight.
The Ashcombe team finished second in the competition and
received much praise by the judging magistrates, with
comments such as “a seemingly natural (performance)”
and “(they) presented their arguments well and picked up
the difference in evidence.”
As part of the experience, they also had the opportunity to
see “real life” cases the week before when visiting Kingston
Court as part of an organised school trip. Thanks go to
Mrs Poleviou who led the team for the event.
STEM Careers Event
Maths Challenge
n 18th March we held a specialist Careers Evening for
Sixth Form students who take Science, Technology and
/or Maths. Over 30 contributors from businesses in the
south east came to the event which provided a superb
opportunity for students and their parents to learn about
possible careers related to their subject areas.
ongratulations to the following students for their
achievements in the 2010 national Maths Challenge
competition.
O
Apart from one-to-one advice from specialists, Carol
Davies, principal hydrogeologist at Hyder Consulting (UK)
Ltd, gave a short address to parents and students. She
stressed how vital the role of people with scientific and
technological knowledge had been following the recent
disaster in Haiti, its importance in developing the London
Olympics site and generally in the world of
telecommunications and transport.
The Ashcombe’s next biennial Careers Fair for students in
Years 9-13 and their parents will take place from 6-9pm on
Thurday 23rd September.
World Book Day
o celebrate World Book Day (4th March) a number of
events and activities were planned for the week. The
main event was a talk to the Year 7s by the author, Peter
Corey. As usual he delivered a very enjoyable talk that had
the Year 7s riveted. Staff and pupils were invited to vote for
their favourite book of the decade on a library “wall” which
is now nearly full. Other activities included guessing the
music from books made into films, a second hand 10p
book sale, make a super hero book mark and a quiz to
match the book character to their address. Pupils also
received a £1 book voucher and a free book mark for
every book issued. For Easter there was a competition to
design an Easter egg.
T
Displays this term have included winter reads, vampires,
dragons, drawing, music and war.
14 | Accent June 2010
C
Senior level Gold awards: Hugh Baker and Rachel
Lawrence; Silver: Rob Johnston, Celine Kerslake-Sim, Jess
Ede, James Smith, Laura Price, Eve Powell, William Isted,
Gareth More; Bronze: Charlie Treadwell, James Yarde,
Rebecca Cannon, Kristian Hook, Sarah Bridgman.
Intermediate level: Dinah Rodell, Jack Whetnall, Julian
Buckland-Wilson will go forward to a European competition for
top achievers; Gold: Rob Bradbury, Lucy Howard-Comber,
Patrick Rice, Emma Yarde, Beth Rudd, Dominic Pollard, Joe
Moran, Reece Lunstone; Silver: Tom Coffey, Dylan Wakerly,
Lawrie Switihinbank, Will Taylor, Jodie Hutchison, Gavin
Morrison, Seb Fox, Dougie Baldwin, Ellen King, Tom Trier, Lydia
Hudson, James Fox, David Taylor, Philip Ellis; Bronze: Laurence
Crumbie, Bhavisha Patel, Jack Allsop, Michael Foskett, Elise
Parish, Theo Robertson-Bonds, Hugh Arnold, Max Simon,
Catherine Spurs, Owen Lynch, Liam Hawkins, Isabel Budleigh,
Yasmin Bahra, Harry Baker, Will Stone, Caitlin Burge.
Film Nights
number of Year 7 pupils have enjoyed some film showings
in the Study Centre and Hall where our very own cinema
has come to life. The big screen and popcorn has made for a
good social activity for pupils and tutors.
A
Study Centre
uring the Spring Term the Study Centre held a number
of events and activities. In the first half of the term we
held a Valentine’s Day quiz and two drawing competitions
based on two of our displays - dragons and vampires. The
drawing competitions were very popular with 54 entries.
There were some very good entries.
D
School Events
Science and Technology
n May a group of Year 9 pupils worked with scientists and
technologists to gain an insight into the world of work by
constructing a mini wind turbine to produce electricity. The
day was organised by the Design Technology department
through the STEM organisation which works to encourage
pupils to participate in science, technology, engineering
and mathematics.
I
Spring Concert
Music
arely had the snow disappeared than it was time for a
concert employing ensembles and soloists to usher in
warmer breezes and conjure up snowdrops from the frigid
ground.
B
The evening took on a relaxed mood but the performances
demanded much of our students who demonstrated a real
enjoyment in communicating through the various styles.
Leith Hill Music Competition
With a fabulously condensed organisation / rehearsal
period behind us what followed was a widely applauded
concert noted for the consistently high standard of
performance and engaging variety.
he Ashcombe School Choir entered this year’s Festival
Competition, and were congratulated for a musical
performance, in particular in regard to a Japanese Lullaby
“Aka – Tonbo”.
Ensembles included solo voice with string and harpsichord
continuo, jazz band, vocal quartet, Orchestra, “Cuban”
acoustic set, piano duet, flute and piano. The broad
programme followed examples from the sixteenth to
twentieth centuries.
Twenty four students from Years 7 to Upper Sixth turned out
on a Saturday afternoon and gave us all a chance to
experience an event such as this. Parents of pupils were
delighted that we had taken part, and we have useful
feedback for next year!
T
Choir at Senior Citizens’ Party
Accent June 2010 | 15
Geography
Field Visits
n March the Year 12
Geographers examined
river processes on the
Tillingbourne and visited
areas of regeneration in
East London, including
the Olympics site. The
group were highly
praised by their tutors for
their knowledge and
ability to engage in the
geographical issues.
They will use these
fieldwork experiences to
complete a summer
examination.
I
Slapton Sands
n October 2009 I took part in a trip to Slapton Sands,
Devon, with the Geography department to improve our
understanding of a selection of skills that we could use for
our January examination. We stayed at the Slapton Field
Study Centre for five days, which enabled us to have three
full days for investigating three different projects. The Field
Study Centre is used for preserving the National Nature
Reserve, which comprises a maritime shingle ridge, the
freshwater of the Ley (lake), the deciduous woodland and
the animals that live in these areas.
I
16 | Accent June 2010
On the first day we walked a stretch of the coastline in the
sunshine and collected data on coastal processes.
Subsequent days were for studying succession and rural
environments. Upon returning back to school we have
been able to write up the full investigation of our chosen
project. We will then be able to answer questions relating
to the investigation and use it for revision purposes for
our January examination. Thank you to Mrs Stanford and
Mr Ravenhill.
Charlie Bruinvels, U6