NEWSletter
Queen Elizabeth School
Christmas 2008
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SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
CONTENTS
Headlines
A message from Headteacher Chris Clarke
Noticeboard
Important notices, announcements and policies
3
Reports from around the school
7
Educational trips, visits, excursions and expeditions
9
On site
Off site
Arts focus
Coverage of the school’s dance, music and art activities 15
Focus on
In-depth articles about the life of the school 18
Learning matters
QESA news
Advice for parents of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils 20
Introducing the new parent/teacher association 21
Sports desk
A round up of autumn sports and games 22
WHAT’Son
DIARYdates
Dates for your diary
Spring Term 2009
Term starts
Half term holiday
School closes for Easter
Tue 6 Jan 2009
Mon 16 – Fri 20 Feb
Fri 3 Apr
Summer term 2009
Term starts
Bank Holiday
Half term holiday
School closes for summer
Mon 20 April
Mon 4 May
Mon 25 – Fri 29 May
Thur 16 July
Results Days
AS and A2 Level exam results
GCSE exam results
Thur 20th August
Thur 27th August
Enrolment
6th Form enrolment for 2009-10
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QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
1
Thur 27th August
Find out how QES works to
support a wide range of local
community arts activities and
events. Ask for a copy of the Kirkby Lonsdale Arts Scene booklet.
Contact Mandy Crossley
on 015242 71275 or email
[email protected]
THANKS to
Thanks to all contributors to this issue of the newsletter.
Apologies to anyone left off the list!): S Armitstead, F AstburySmith, S Bennett, M Brummitt, Charlotte Bunting, Paul Burch,
Alexander Callaghan, C Clarke, J Clarke, R Davies, S Dent, C Falcus,
Kiva Fishwick, Alistair Fleming, Rebecca Harper, Ginni Hartley,
J Hartley, Nathalie Hill, P Hooper, Owain Houghton, J Hovell, A
Hughes, J Jackson, Connor Launder, D Lequitte, S Lomax, H Martin,
R Mayhew, C McGregor, Anna McMinn, M McNulty, Claire Millington, Poppy Morch, H Pakeman, Edward Pike, A Rawson, Benedict
Rickards, Johnny Riley, P Shaw, F Sheldon, J Sparrow-Niang, George
Twiname, S Weber, Emma Whitehead, Jo Wilkin-Oxley, D Williams
HEADlines
Dear Parents
‘Mind-blowing’ was the response of Ofsted inspector,
Moira Fitzpatrick, to her day
spent leading the recent visit
to QES. An uncharacteristic
reaction, perhaps, from the
usually guarded and traditionally sober Ofsted camp, but a
genuine reflection of an overwhelming day. I must say it was
a pleasure to welcome a lead
inspector who was prepared
to engage warmly and openly
with the philosophy and practice of our community and
who understood that you get
the true measure of a school
by looking as much at its care,
guidance as support as by scrutinizing its data and observing
a handful of lessons. Providing
‘scholarship and care’ has been
the QES mission since 1591
and the QES students of 2008
were effulgent in telling the inspectors of their fondness and
regard for a staff whom they
declared will “go the extra mile”
for them.
In truth we knew the inspectors would endorse the judgement that QES is ‘outstanding’
in every regard, that it has no
weaknesses but retains the capacity and relentless commitment to improve still further.
I hope you feel that in general we wear that ‘outstanding’
badge discreetly, that we are
modest (certainly compared to
some!) in trumpeting achievements and I hope you can see
that there are many, many
ways in which we are committed to continual improvement.
However, in the three years
since the last inspection we
have moved on immeasurably
in so many fundamental ways.
QES is a far better school than
it was then.
Attainment at all levels and for
all groups of students is very
high so that whether a child is
bound for Oxford or working
with Learning Support they
will make the kind of progress
at QES that they would only
at the very best schools in the
country. Our tracking processes are far more rigorous
than they were and it is now inconceivable that an individual
would remain undetected if
they weren’t making sufficient
progress. Our support mechanisms for intervening to ensure
that progress is maintained are
a lot more formal and robust
than they were three years
ago. The QES curriculum is
more diverse now and our
commitment to a personalised
provision for every individual is
evidenced in innumerable case
studies. Our concept of ‘the
QES learner’ is now firmly embedded and forms the basis for
a revitalised Year 7 curriculum
designed to promote a skill-set
for the 21st Century. The 2008
inspectors had no difficulty in
finding evidence of ‘outstanding’ teaching, testament to a
clear focus on how best children learn and make progress.
Think of our seven Awards
ceremonies a year and the
recognition given to so much
achievement and progress
in so many different ways.
Three years ago we hadn’t the
commitment to ‘encouraging
global citizenship’ or the specialism in modern languages
which helps give that latest
QES value tangible expression.
We weren’t a Training School
with the drive to nurture and
develop the best equipped,
the most adept, the most fulfilled workforce.
If all this progress suggests improvement in the ‘scholarship’
domain, what about our focus
on ‘care’? Well, it’s true that
QES has always had a deserved
reputation for superb levels
of care but I’ve not witnessed
before this last couple of years
such remorseless yet sensitive,
deft handling of a wide variety
of issues from the relatively superficial to the almost intractable. Whether it’s the some 120
individuals a year who find immediate access to therapy with
our school counsellor or the
dozens of pupils who give up
lunchtimes to meet with staff
in IT6 over work worries or to
get ‘sorted out’ and re-focussed
on an almost daily basis, the attention to individuals is stunning. We’ve now a Director of
Health and individual, formal
plans for those struggling
with health issues. Our Inclusion Manager shepherds those
whose behaviour in particular needs constant attention
if they are to learn effectively
themselves and avoid disrupting the progress of others and
is an invaluable and much appreciated support to some har-
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SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
assed parents. Pastoral teams
work tirelessly to link the care,
guidance and support function with the new tracking and
monitoring of individuals to ensure everyone makes progress.
We’ve even a new programme
of Personal Development lessons and a new structure for
delivering the kind of learning which helps develop the
‘whole’ person. What’s more,
attendance is monitored much
more closely and issues dealt
with rigorously; the ‘tightening
up’ on uniform has really improved smartness and reduced
fashion pressures; and behaviour generally has never been
better. Our Extended School
provision, negligible three
years ago, is now vibrant. And
as for the expanding range of
activities outside of the curriculum….
2
A lot of people who know ‘of’
the School but don’t know
it well believe it to be an ‘exclusive’, somehow privileged
place and I suppose in some
ways it has that cachet. However, a colleague who works with
some of the most troubled
youngsters in the area, told
me recently that she believed
QES to be the most ‘inclusive’
school she knew. Certainly, I
think this is an area which has
shown extraordinary development over the last three years.
Some of you, I know, would be
very surprised at the scope and
scale of some of the problems
manifest in our most troubled,
vulnerable and deeply saddened youngsters. Such individuals rarely have their stories
told and never publicly in the
pages of newsletters. What
QES has done in the most crea-
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
tive, thoughtful, sensitive and
relentless fashion, often with
the support of key individuals
from a variety of agencies is to
‘wrap’ care around them, devising interventions which help
them to stay safe, find some
semblance of shape and security in their lives, even to make
progress in their learning but
most especially helping them
to feel that in one place at least
in their fraught lives, people
actually do care for them.
In the end it all comes down
to the QES values which over
the past three years we have
given more and more expression to and, I think, to greater
and greater effect. Our belief in
a school with ‘moral’ purpose
has undoubtedly intensified,
fuelled by a growing awareness of the difficulties experienced by many in a world with
elusive moral bearings. When
things go well at QES, we see
it as a result of subscribing to
our values; when occasionally
things go wrong we chase the
cause back to a failure to uphold a particular value. It’s a
powerful means of achieving a
common understanding in our
community, an understanding
which forms the basis of our relationships with each other and
thereafter creates our ethos
and informs all our work.
So, looking back over the last
three years, the progress made
has seen us really consolidate
our position as an ‘outstanding’
school. However, the journey
doesn’t end here. We’ve ambitious plans to restructure our
curriculum from 2010; we’ve
a major focus on ‘outstanding’
teaching and learning, stretch-
ing our most able, embedding
‘creativity’ into all subjects.
There’s lots to do on global
citizenship; we’ll be starting
a new phase of building; and
then there’s the ‘Partnership
with Parents’ initiative which I
launched earlier this term. But
underpinning it all will remain
that commitment to those
QES values and the warm and
purposeful relationships which
they engender. I hope you can
have a peaceful Christmas and
a Happy New Year, comfortable
that QES is providing the most
profound of educations.
NOTICEboard
Goodbyes
This term has seen the retirement of
two key members of our support staff.
John Howard was appointed
fourteen years ago as the first
QES Business Manager when
the school became grant
maintained. Not only did John
set up all our financial systems
and controls and help maintain
the school as a highly efficient
business but he also managed all of the major building
projects since 1994. Having
done so, John has retired leaving behind tangible evidence of
some committed and creative
work - a school site both functional and attractive, a physical
expression of our ethos and
values. John was very much
liked and admired not only
for his professional work but
also for his basic decency and
friendly demeanour.
Carol Bettridge retires at
Christmas after twenty years
hard labour as the Headteacher’s PA. Carol is held in enormous esteem at QES and has
throughout the years worked
closely with a variety of staff
in key areas of development.
She is very much regarded as
the consummate professional
- totally trustworthy, highly dependable and thoroughly efficient. The quality of her work
as the Head’s PA will be evident
in January when Mr Clarke will
no doubt be seen wandering
aimlessly around the cricket
field, distressed and forlorn.
Carol, meanwhile will face the
retirement challenge of spending more time with Graham
Bettridge, former Rector of St
Mary’s Church and ex-Chairman of the QES Governors.
The morning meleé
We are working with St Mary’s
Primary School and the Police
at the moment to improve
safety at the front of school
in the mornings before start
of school. Parents of pupils at
both schools are advised that
the lay- by outside the primary
school is only for buses and
they shouldn’t pull in there to
drop children off or park there
at all.
Parents dropping children off
at QES can pull into the turning
circle or, even better, drop off
children at Booths from where
most pupils can easily walk into
school. Parking outside Booths
is free before 9 am.
We are working with the “Better Ways to School” team on
long term solutions to traffic
problems around school and
hope to create safe paths onto
the school site amongst other
improvements but for now
please help us to keep children
safe by giving yourself enough
time to avoid the need to use
the lay- by illegally.
At the moment the neighbourhood policing team are advising parents but if the problem
persists they will need to look
at enforcement.
A.Hughes
Deputy Headteacher
Christmas Carol Service
As you are probably aware,
QES keeps Christmas traditions alive by taking the entire school down to St. Mary’s
church in Kirkby Lonsdale for
special school Carol Services
on the last day of term, which
this year is Friday 19th December.
Pupils are walked in an enormous crocodile through the
town to the church, accompanied by staff and marshalled
by supervised teams of sixth
formers who do a fantastic
job on the kerbs and crossing
points to keep pupils safe.
It is always a delightfully festive end to the term and your
children always do you credit
by behaving impeccably and
joining in the Carol singing!
We will be holding the services
on the last day of term as usual
this year.
We ask for your permission to
take your child along and if
we don’t hear from you then
we will assume that we have
it. Please contact me at school
if there is any problem with us
taking your child along to the
service or if there is anything
about our arrangements you
wish to clarify.
It is helpful if pupils are warmly
dressed on that day. Unless it is
very cold or very wet the fleece
pullover should be adequate.
Please help us out also by ensuring that your child comes
to school dressed for a church
service i.e. no tinsel in the hair
or festive trimmings !
Thank you in anticipation of
your help with this. Have a
good Christmas.
A.Hughes
Deputy Headteacher
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SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
School bags on-line
Students of QES feel very
strongly about the fashion industry’s use of labour in developing countries: a group of students here have actually made
an internationally acclaimed
film about the issue called, “
Slave Label”. We want to support them by making school
a place where the high street
fashion retailers don’t have
much of an influence. We have
worked hard to establish a uniform that is free from fashion
pressures and we would really
like to achieve that with school
bags too. We do not allow the
“Jane Norman” or “Warehouse”
shoulder bags in school for
that reason. By the same token
we do not allow large handbags which are being used as
fashion statements by some of
our students.
The other crucially important
issue with bags is of course a
health one. The best way to
carry heavy bags of books is
to go for a bag which is carried so that weight is evenly
distributed: ideally a two-handled rucksack type bag with
properly adjusted straps. This
sort of bag also offers the best
weather-proofing for those
all important school books of
course.
In order to help parents under
pressure we have been fortunate enough to enlist the help
of a local company, Coniston
Corporate who have created
an on-line school bag shop you
can access directly from our
school website. The selection
of bags in the on-line shop all
meet school rules and school
do not make any profit on any
of the sales so that you can be
sure you’re getting a good deal;
it really is just there to help.
Why not put a proper school
bag under the Christmas tree
this year? It won’t be the most
exciting present, but it’ll probably be the one that gets the
most use!
A.Hughes
Deputy Headteacher
Invigilators needed for examinations
We need to continue to expand
our team of invigilators this
year and would like to recruit
more people who are reliable,
flexible, punctual and patient.
The work requires an ability to
concentrate and occasionally
the need to remain calm under
pressure or during unexpected
circumstances.
Invigilation
takes place in pleasant surroundings and is very worthwhile, supporting young people at a very important time in
their lives. As invigilators become more confident we invite
some to progress to be Lead
Invigilators, with additional
responsibilities for the smooth
running of the exams.
4
There is scope for flexibility in
the number of hours or days
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
worked but we need people
who can work hours tailored
to meet the exam timetable
rather than the general school
timetable. Exams in the morning can range from 1 hour to
over 3 hours if you are invigilating sixth form exams with
special arrangements.
a minimum of 20 hours invigilation over a year.
The afternoon follows the same
pattern, often over-running the
end of school, although if you
are limited to working school
hours only (for instance if you
need to pick up children), we
can often arrange your hours
to suit finish times of shorter
exams.
We are interested in hearing
from parents and friends of the
school, former staff, former students. The rate of pay is currently £7.65 per hour for a Standard
Invigilator and £9.18 per hour
for a Lead Invigilator. If you
know of anyone who would be
interested please pass on these
details and ask them to contact Mr David Martin at school
on 015242 71275, or via email
on d.martin@queenelizabeth.
cumbria.sch.uk.
Because of the requirements
for police checks and the related costs that we incur, we have
to ask invigilators to commit to
It is helpful for us to manage the intricacies of booking
invigilators if they are easily
contactable by phone during
the day, or able to respond to
emails.
FIXED TERM EXCLUSIONS: FAQ
We have listened to quite a lot
of parent feedback about fixed
term exclusions and have created this digest of Frequently
Asked Questions in order to
help parents when they are
reeling a bit from the news
that their child is going to be
excluded for any reason. We
believe it’s helpful to everyone
in our community to know
more about the sanction and
the processes that surround
it. We always include a copy
of the FAQ with the rather official letter we need to send
out about exclusions now in
order to reassure parents that,
whilst the sanction is a serious
one, the decision to exclude is
always made in the best interests of the child and the school
community.
Hearing that your child has
been given a fixed-term exclusion by school can be upsetting
and worrying. You are bound to
have lots of questions you want
to ask. We are hoping that we
can answer some of the most
obvious ones here for you. Of
course, there will be plenty of
opportunity for you to speak to
staff in school to clarify issues
and to discuss the appropriate
support for your child too.
Why has my child been given this sanction?
Unfortunately, your child has
made a poor decision of some
kind and has done something
that undermines the QES Values (see box at end of this
article) and related code of
conduct. We need to have serious sanctions like this in order
to keep our community happy
and healthy, to safeguard
everyone associated with the
school and to help pupils to
learn from their mistakes. Usually, pupils who receive crisp,
clear responses to poor behaviour soon put things right,
move on and succeed. Because
they are children they are allowed to move on positively
as soon as the sanction is over.
At QES we try to intervene as
early as possible when we are
aware that a child is getting
themselves into trouble so that
they can learn quickly and get
back on the right track with our
help.
How do I know that my child
has been dealt with fairly?
Any incident or behaviour serious enough to warrant a fixed
term exclusion is fully investigated by more than one member of staff and, wherever it is
possible and appropriate, written statements are taken from
the pupil concerned and any
other pupils and staff who can
help to give details or points of
view. The decision to exclude is
made by the Head or Deputy
Head, in consultation with the
Year Head and often key people like our Inclusion Manager
or Head of Learning Support.
Some parents are alarmed that
they weren’t asked to sit in on
any discussions with their child
about the issues but this is unnecessary anxiety: we are not
the police, a school sanction
is not a criminal punishment
and, to be very technical for
a moment, we only need to
demonstrate that a pupil has
done something wrong on the
balance of probabilities, not
beyond reasonable doubt as
in a court of law. Anything that
draws out and complicates
school’s response to poor behaviour is counter-productive:
wherever possible, children
need to experience the sanction very close to the misdemeanour if they are to learn
from it….and this is our main
objective.
Will the fixed term exclusion
go on my child’s record and
have an effect on their future?
The related paperwork will sit
in your child’s paper file and a
record of the exclusion will be
stored electronically by school
too. These records will be archived once your child has
completed their education but
will not be shared with other
agencies unless they are needed for child protection purposes. No other agency will keep a
record. The exclusion will not
be mentioned in a reference
and will never be mentioned
again by us unless we need to
resort to further serious sanctions in the future. In that case
we will review your child’s file
in order to design the most appropriate support package to
prevent further exclusions or
permanent exclusion: in other
words, the only use we have
for the information is to safeguard and support your child.
We never bear grudges and
we don’t hold any child’s mistakes against them: your child
will not be at any disadvantage
whatsoever in future because
of this sanction.
Why does the Educational
Welfare Service have to be
informed?
Their job is to make sure that
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SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
6
pupils are being treated fairly
by schools. They will query any
fixed term exclusion they feel
may be inappropriate. Some
parents worry that the EWS will
keep records that will somehow disadvantage children in
the future: this is not the case.
ant exchanges with school
staff which is a shame because
those relationships need to be
repaired afterwards so that the
child can move on positively: it
is so much better for you and
your child if you follow the appropriate procedures.
What is the table at the bottom of the letter for?
This is simply a data collection
exercise undertaken by the
EWS on behalf of the government. The data is anonymous
and simply records trends and
patterns as part of local and national monitoring procedures.
Some parents find the wording
of the categories alarming but
these are the ones the Department for Children Schools and
Families require us to use and
pupils’ behaviour doesn’t fit
neatly into categories! The best
thing to do if you feel strongly
about the wording on the table
is to have your concern recorded on the readmission record.
Don’t worry though: the table
will never form an official part
of your child’s personal record.
How can I support my child
during this process?
The most important thing is to
stay calm. If you really feel that
the school hasn’t done things
properly, you must follow the
advice given above rather than
make the situation worse by
coming into conflict with staff
at the school. Remember that
school really does care about
your child and wants the best
for them but sometimes the
best thing is for your child to
have a clear message from
all the adults responsible for
them that we don’t condone
their behaviour, whilst we still
respect and like them as individuals. It really helps if you can
refer to the QES values which
we believe are a template for
living a decent life now and beyond school.
What should I do if I feel that
proper procedures haven’t
been followed or that the
sanction has been inappropriate?
If your concerns are minor you
can have them recorded at
readmission. If they are more
serious you can ask for a meeting of the Governors’ Discipline
Committee. This group of
governors will review the incident and hear your concerns
before deciding whether or
not the school has acted appropriately. Unfortunately at
times parents understandably
become very emotional and
rush into conflict and unpleas-
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
What’s the point of giving
them time out of school – it
doesn’t seem like a punishment to me?
Sometimes parents tell us that
excluding children is like giving
them a holiday and are critical
of the sanction for interrupting
learning but that’s looking at
the issue from the wrong angle
we’re afraid. By giving a fixed
term exclusion we are sending
a clear message that a pupil has
lost the right to be part of the
school community temporarily
because they have done something to undermine its values.
Children need to understand
that education is a right that
comes with responsibilities to
behave appropriately and that
right can be forfeited at times.
You will see from the letter
that your child should not be
in a public place during school
hours when they are excluded
and you can incur a fixed penalty if they are caught by the
police or the education welfare
service. Many parents support
school by insisting their child
studies quietly or undertakes
chores at home.
Why does school sometimes
impose sanctions for things
that happen out of school?
The law changed in 2006 to
allow schools to deal with behaviour off the school site and
out of school hours that in any
way compromises the school.
We will get involved whenever
we are aware that pupils have
acted in a way that affects the
welfare of other members of
the QES community. This is
part of our pledge to work in
partnership with parents and
the community to promote
our values and safeguard pupils wherever possible.
The QES values
Being decent to other people
Looking out for others
Being polite, friendly and courteous
Working hard and doing your best
Getting involved
Respecting the past and its traditions
Caring for the environment
Understanding that life is about more
than money and material things
Caring about others less fortunate
than ourselves
Becoming global citizens
ONsite
Virtual Paris
Mark Céan
Friday 26 September was ‘European Day of Languages’ and
we once again held a ‘Virtual
Paris’ day at QES when our Year
7 pupils experienced a day in
Paris - without leaving QES!
Marc (pictured below, right)
came into school on Monday
10 November to hold workshops with those year 8 pupils
who will be going to Paris in
June. Each group learnt a different song to perform with
Mark at the concert in the
evening. Marc had composed
a special song for QES, including elements of the Paris trip.
The day began with a French
breakfast of fresh croissants
and ‘chocolat chaud’ provided
by Café Q (picture, top right),
ordered in French and served
by sixth formers. There then followed a series of workshops as
pupils made their way around
the ‘sights’ of Paris. They learnt
about the city, the currency,
how to order ice creams, and
played boules on the field, as
well as singing French songs
and playing typical French children’s games in PE. Classes and
registers were taken in French
for the other year groups.
Lunch menu that day was of
course French, and at the end
of the day pupils were enthused to see Paris “for real”,
equipped with the knowledge
and skills to appreciate it, as
well as having enhanced their
understanding of the French
language and culture.
In the run up to Friday, there
were lunchtime taster sessions
in Chinese, Swedish, Japanese,
Danish, Arabic, Portuguese, Italian and signing. Some of these
were run by staff and others by
the pupils themselves. Café Q
supported us during the European week with an Italian Day,
a British Day and a French Day
where everyone had the opportunity to experience the
cuisine of these countries.
Hayley Martin
The concert was a great success with lots of “audience participation”, as well as some of
Marc’s personal compositions.
The children had a very good
introduction to French singing and to Marc, who will be
the courier for one of our Paris
groups. We’re already looking
forward to it.
M.Brummitt
Marc’s song
for QES
This is the chorus of Marc’s
song for the QES Paris trip:
C’est à PARIS
Que l’on s’est fait des amis,
Sur les Champs Elysées,
Ou dans les musées.
La vie est belle,
Et la Tour Eiffel
Nous a fait dominer …..
Le tout Paris.
Avec mes amis, nous avons
visité
Montmartre et son quartier,
Versailles, le château,
Le Stade de France, les
bistrots,
Et la Seine en bateau….
Au fil de l’eau.
Spanish Results
Summer 2008
We were all delighted by the
Spanish results at GCSE and
AS/A2 this year and would like
to say a very big ‘Well done’ to
all those students for all their
hard work in preparation for
the exams. Particularly pleasing was the fact that pupils
achieved over 90% A* to C and
a fantastic 48% A* alone! Well
done everyone!
Sarah Armitstead
Head of Spanish
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SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
Charity Team report
It’s another year, and the Charity Team have all been working hard to make this year’s
events bigger and better than
last year, as we are hoping to
raise a record amount for charity. So far this year’s team has
already been hard at work with
projects such as selling water
bottles for Water Aid around
school, collecting active citizenship money and running
stalls at the summer fair.
But the year officially started off
with Stars in their Eyes in October, in which pupils auditioned
to perform in front of a large
audience as their favourite
singer or pop group. This was
an extremely successful event
and raised a total of £1,253 for
Breath for Life. Congratulations to all who took part - you
were great!
QES Pink Week started at the
beginning of October, which
went tremendously well. The
whole community took part in
raising lots of money for Breast
Cancer Awareness. Thanks to
everyone for showing your
support and buying pink bands
and ties and to everyone who
either attended, performed or
read at the church service that
was held in Kirkby. This raised
£785 and there are still pink
pots to be totalized.
8
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
More recently we held the
most popular (well with the
girls at least) charity event Man
O’Man, where a group of 12
sixth form lads battled it out
to be crowned Man O’Man ‘08!
The boys attended rehearsals
for weeks, mastering dances,
perfecting chat-up lines and
memorizing their song lyrics,
all to prepare themselves for
the evening. The event raised
a total of £1,361 for breast
cancer charity, and calendars
of the boys are still being sold.
So congratulations go to all
the boys who took part, but in
particular to our Man O’ Man
’08 John Whitaker (pictured
top left) who took home the
crown.
Another recent triumph was
the school Christmas Fair, as
we saw our very own Santa
(left, second from top) strut his
stuff all in aid of charity. Thank
you to all the year 12s who took
part running stalls and collecting as much money as possible
for AIDS charities.
We hope to continue raising
even more for charity with your
help, so watch out for events
happening after Christmas,
especially Unplugged, which
will be held on the 13th February. This is one of the more
special events, pupils singing
acoustically without backing,
giving more of a natural feel,
making it a great night. Also
look out for QES Talent Show
which will be in the spring, and
our last event of the year. I look
forward to updating you again
with everything that the charity team is achieving, but for
now, thank you to everyone
who is helping and supporting
us, as we ‘bug you for cash’.
Kiva Fishwick
QES Charity Team
Year 7 Summer Drama Festival
On Friday 4th July 2008 all 7
forms in Year 7 took part in the
Year 7 Drama Festival. Each
form took a fairytale and acted
it out for an audience made
up of all the other forms in
the year and some teachers.
Everyone had a great time and
all the plays were fantastic. Although it wasn’t a competition
there was a bit of friendly rivalry between the teachers - they
all wanted their class’s play to
be the best!
Each form had to go through
the painful process of choosing the play, sorting out the
script and characters, learning
the words, getting costumes
together, making scenery and
much more. A lot of hard work
went into these plays and the
end result was fantastic.
The original idea was that each
form would turn a fairytale into
a play, but many of the forms
had their own ideas....
7Q: Cinderella - A true fairytale, they stuck to the original
story. Brilliantly acted.
7E: The Jeremy Kyle Show
- not quite a fairytale, but an
amazing play that incorporated many fairytales into it.
7S: Puss in Boots - we didn’t
get to see this one but I imagine it was wonderful!
7K: The Pirates of the Caribbean! The movie, transformed
into a fairytale!
7L: Hood vs. White - This form
made up their own fairytale,
Little Red Riding Hood versus Snow White, a good idea I
think.
7W: The Weakest Link - The
TV show, but with fairytale
characters as contestants.
7M: Struwwelpeter - this was
a collection of German poetry
well acted out by the class.
They even had their own band.
My form, 7K, spent a lot of time
choosing their play and quite
a while writing the summary.
Then we were split up into 7
groups - one for each of the 5
scenes, one for the rap and one
for the spell. We then sorted
out characters and costumes.
This took a very long time and
we even had to give up some
of our lunchtime to make sure
we had it perfect. Once we received the script we only had
two days to learn it and then
it was straight onto the acting.
With only half an hour in the
Harlequin, one day before the
show, to test the sound and
lighting it was quite worrying.
Were we going to be able to
pull it off? Was it all going to
work out okay? In the end it
went fantastically well and we
were all relieved when it was
over!
All the forms did really well.
They all deserve a big round of
applause.
Poppy Morch
9
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
Work-related Learning at QES
experience.
Once again
this was a
fabulous
event through which many
of our students were offered
part-time jobs or had excellent
feedback from employers.
Year 11 have had personal interviews with their tutors and
the Connexions career advisor.
During the academic year
2007/8 the Work-related Learning, Enterprise and Careers
programme played an active
part in getting QES students
ready for the transition into
further education and into the
world of work. The programme
has supported the full and enriched curriculum devised to
educate our students to become successful and socially
fulfilled adults.
10
Year 7 experienced a “going to
work with my parent” day. All
the year 7 had a wonderful time
and have presented a range of
excellent projects. Those students who stayed in school
had a wonderful day exploring
the catering world, with a session in Café Q, (pictured above)
making biscuits to sell in aid of
charity and with the help of Mr
Hill and Miss Falcus making a
three course lunch for visitors.
Costing, preparation, making
and evaluating all came into
the educational package.
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
Year 9 went through the Options process, received careers
advice and made visits to colleges and universities.
Year 10 followed a “Work
Ready” programme. They experienced five workshops
(picture, bottom right) in May
which supported their Asdan
Level 2 Career Exploration
Programme. The work shops
covered interview skills, the
changing world of work, team
building, a gender workshop
and CV writing/application
forms. The workshops prepared
the students for their mock interviews which followed two
days later. Thirty employers
interviewed the students individually and gave feedback of
their performance. All employers were very impressed by the
mature and responsible manner our students displayed.
The students were very nervous before the interviews but
pulled it off brilliantly. Year 10
then went off to do their work
It has been an eventful and
fabulous year and I will miss
putting together WRL/ENT
and Careers exploration programmes and watching QES
students flourish and grow
through these experiences.
Over the last four years I have
been very proud of the performances demonstrated by
our students. I am going to
miss these wonderful people
and wish all QES students success and happiness in their futures. I leave the WRL/ENT and
Careers in the capable hands of
Mrs Harrison. Thank you to Mrs
Dixon for the excellent support she has given me over the
years and for the superb job
she does setting up the Work
Experience programme.
C. McGregor
7Q signing in
Pupils in 7Q have been learning to sign. Everyone in the
class, including form tutor Dr
Whitely, now has a good idea
of some key signs used by
people with communication
difficulties. Although people
may use electronic communication aids, these are not usually loud enough to be heard
in a school corridor so signing
can be a very useful ‘low tech’
way of communicating if you
have speech difficulties. This
signing is only any good if people around you understand
the signs! On the left are some
commonly-used signs. From
top to bottom they read:
OK, Whatever, Cool, Work and
Bullying.
Clare Millington
Camera action
A budding film maker from
Year 13 had his work aired
on BBC2 last week as part
of a national talent spotting
competition for directors.
Years 8 and 9
Reading Club
The club has had a great time
this first term! We have been
looking at lots of different
books and have played some
very ‘interesting’ games.
Some of the games such as
Book Pictionary were extremely fun with some very
hilarious pictures. All members of the club agree with
the fact that it is a wonderful club where you can make
good friends and have plenty
of fun, play games and (occasionally) eat sweets. What
everyone likes about reading
club is that it is very exciting
and there is lots of variety
every week!
It is a recommended club for
anyone who likes reading,
books and great fun. However…only join if you love
reading loads!
Edward Pike 9Q
Year 7
Reading Club
Michael Railton was named
as runner-up in the music video
category for a competition run
by Blast, the BBC2 series that
aims to inspire and support 13
to 19-year-olds to get creative.
Year 7 Reading Club is a club
where Year 7s can come
and have lots of fun! It takes
place every Tuesday during
lunch and is run by Charlotte
Rickards in Year 11.
The BBC judges praised the
technical skill and creative
flair of Michael’s film, which
he originally made for his AS
Media Studies coursework.
Activities include writing
stories, acting and playing
games like wink murder and
lots lots more. We can talk
about books we’ve read and
it’s good to meet up with
other Year 7s. We think that
it is great!
Benedict Rickards 7S
Alexander Callaghan 7S
Michael’s film is on the BBC
Blast website as well as on
iPlayer.
M.McNulty
11
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
OFFsite
Barcelona Trip 2008
Leaving a foggy, rainy Manchester airport on Sunday
29th June, 40 pupils and 4
teachers excitedly awaited
their impending arrival in Barcelona. And what was to greet
us wasn’t disappointing! Museums, a cathedral, a monastery,
stadiums and a theme park
were just some of the exciting
activities in our jam-packed
stay. My favourite visit was to
the Sagrada Familia because
it was so different. I think that
it will be very beautiful. I especially enjoyed going right
to the top of the tower in the
lift – the view was amazing! I
have learnt lots of new Spanish
phrases, which I wouldn’t have
learnt if I had not gone on the
trip. It has helped me to apply
my knowledge of Spanish in a
real situation, which has been
very valuable for me. I had such
a brilliant time in Barcelona; it
was so much fun and I loved
seeing all the sights! I would
recommend it to anyone!
Libby G
As I tend to travel to cold countries, I found it hard to adjust to
the sweltering heat of Barcelona. The Nou Camp Football
Stadium was a welcome reprieve after walking down the
Ramblas. The Sagrada Familia
was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Admiring its
beauty and the fantastic aerial
view of Barca was amazing.
Harriet S
12
We had a brilliant time and
visited Barcelona’s main attractions including la Sagrada
Familia, Parc Guell, Montserrat
monastery and less educational places such as Port Aven-
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
tura and Parc Aqua-Leon. The
weather was brilliant and the
temperatures even reached 35
degrees C! I would recommend
that any pupils in year 9 next
year, who have the opportunity, should definitely go!
Matthew L
Despite the fact that everything
was one hour’s drive away
from our hotel, Barcelona was
excellent. It was an amazing
and memorable experience. It
was an absolute privilege to be
able to visit la Sagrada Familia
as it was magnificently huge
and it is somewhere I would
like to visit when it is finished.
I would like to go back and see
more of Barcelona. Of course
we did use our Spanish ...most
of the time!
Marnie C
During the first two days we
visited landmarks like Gaudi’s
church and Las Ramblas. The
best part though was spending a week with your mates
playing cards or swimming
in the pool. It was, in short, a
fabulous time.
Matthew P
We did lots of things during
the week and learnt about the
Spanish culture. The group was
very friendly and the hotel was
very nice. I enjoyed the theme
park and walking down the
Ramblas the most.
Laura W
The trip was amazing. This is
because there was a variety
of things to do each day. The
night entertainment was good
and interesting. It was really
hot so it was really nice to go
back to the hotel and have a
swim after a long day.
Natasha W
I found Port Aventura and Nou
Camp the best parts of the trip
because they were both massive and exciting. I have learnt
that Spanish people are more
enthusiastic than us.
Peter H
The hotel was good and the
food was delicious. Evening
activities included flamenco
dancing (so much fun!), a
beach market and a disco. Our
tour guide was great.
Janet W
The teachers were very nice
and I learned a lot about the
culture and language.
Pip B
South Lakes Wildlife
In April a group of Year 9 students attended a performance of The Woman in Black.
At 7:30am we hopped on the
coach to London. On reaching the capital, Miss Dowding
proceeded to give us a tour
guide commentary on the
sights – the Post Office Tower,
London Zoo, etc. Upon reaching the theatre, one of the cast
came out to welcome us, and
we were in!
Having only ever had experience of the Christmas Pantomime, I must admit that at
first I was sceptical about the
performance. These misgivings were shattered as the two
actors put on a breathtaking
performance, full of surprise
and visceral horror. The performance was so convincing
that, following a particularly
shocking occurrence of random screaming, fully half of
the audience responded with
screams of their own; and I
must admit, by the end of the
performance my ears were
ringing due to the almost constant barrage of high pitched
screams. All on a high from the
performance, we boarded the
coach and were soon on our
way back to QES.
Alistair Fleming
In October, the Year 10 Leisure
& Tourism group visited the
South Lakes Wildlife Animal
Park. The Sixth Form Travel &
Tourism group organized everything for one of their projects
and on the way there they had
made a booklet of things to
do at the park, including word
searches, crosswords and some
notes pages.
At the park we saw lots of different animals: giraffes, spider
monkeys, tigers, lions, lemurs
and white rhinos. When we arrived we had a quick talk about
health and safety and then we
all moved onto the class room
which was right next to the
giraffe enclosure and which
had all the snakes in it. While
we were in the classroom a
lady came in to talk to us, and
told us all about the marketing
techniques the park uses and
its history. She also talked us
through customer service and
how important advertisement
and word of mouth is.
Overall, the day was great and
we saw lots of different animals
which was an amazing experience. Everybody in Year 10 Leisure & Tourism would also like
to thank the Sixth Form Travel
& Tourism Group for organizing the day.
Ginni Hartley 10L
We Are Sailing...
In October 2008 a group of
six children went sailing on
Windermere with Mrs Gibson,
Mr Gerrard and Mrs Shaw. We
took our lunch and stopped on
an island in the middle of the
lake to eat it. All of the children
were kept very busy, and took
turns in pulling the ropes, balancing and steering the boat. A
great but very cold day!
P.Shaw
13
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
ARTSfocus
The Michelangelo Project
QES is currently taking part
in an unique, groundbreaking cultural project with
partners from across Europe.
While art from some European
countries is well known all over
the world, the artistic heritage
of other countries is less well
known.
At a meeting in Florence in
January 2008, the University of
Cumbria, together with other
partners, decided that there
was a need to promote the
knowledge of all European fine
arts. To respond to this need
the European Commission
has funded the Michelangelo
Project.
The project is aimed at students and teachers at secondary school level and above. QES
was invited by the University of
Cumbria to be one of only 5 in
the UK to be involved in the
project. Other schools involved
are in Bulgaria, Germany, Italy
and Poland. The QES Art Department have been working
on the project since May 2008.
ists or artworks that reflect
the most typical features of
art in their own country over
the past ten centuries. These
artists, and reviews of on-line
resources about them, have
been uploaded onto a common website which allows
teachers and students to study
and make comparisons of art
across the whole of Europe
from the 11th to 20th centuries. This material can be seen
at http://michelangelo.pixelonline.org and is being used
for the next stage of the project
which is testing the website in
the classroom and writing an
interactive on-line educational
training pack.
The project continues, in
Spring 2009, with transnational workshops and virtual meetings between the European
schools and culminates in a
major conference in Florence,
in September, to explore Art
History Education and ICT.
P.Hooper
So far, all schools have researched examples of key art-
Street Dance Club
A Street Dance Club has been going on for Year 10 and 11 boys and girls. It has been
running for a couple of weeks and is run by Jennifer Mayor. She has been teaching
us lots of routines, moves and freezes to Hip Hop music.
We need more people for the club to run permanently. Come along on a Tuesday
3.30pm – 4.30pm in the Drama Studio if you’re interested. If you need any more
information please see Miss Jackson or Anna McMinn, Nathalie Hill and Rebecca
Harper of 11K for more details. We enjoy it, hope you will too!
14
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
Anna McMinn, Nathalie Hill and Rebecca Harper
SNAPshots
Above, Washington 2008
Clockwise from top left: outside the Obamas’ new house; striding down the Mall; joining the breadline at the Roosevelt Memorial
Below, Work Experience 2008
Left to right: Hannah Winetrobe at Flowers by Arrangement; Adam Riley at Capita Symonds; Stephen Holl at Network Rail Manchester
15
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
DESIGN&TECHNOLOGYshots
A small selection of
the AS and A2 level
projects from the 2008
examinations
Clockwise from left:
Jewellery by Vicky Walbank
Shelves by Alastair Taylor
Art Deco clock by Georgina Metcalfe
Pod seat by Louisa Biggin
Patio chair by Robert Sedgwick
Jewellery box by Christy Davenport
Decorative panel for restaurant by
Jennifer Schofield
16
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
17
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
SNAPshots
Clockwise from top left: Stars in Their
Eyes; Becky Taylor from Cafe Q during
Pink Week; boys’ relay; the patient multitude; girls’ relay; starting lineup
18
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
Roy McMechan
Concert
On Thursday 9th October, Dallam School hosted the annual
Roy McMechan memorial concert, which traditionally features the best performers from
schools around the area, from
Sedbergh to Windermere and
everything in between.
QES was represented by Fay
Lockett (Year 13) on the cello,
and Alex Hilton (Year 9) on the
piano. Both performers played
very well and showed that musicians at QES can hold their
heads up high amongst the
very best that the South Lakes
area has to offer.
J. Hartley
Clarinet &
Saxophone
Festival
Musical Medley
Brass Festival
The Brass Festival, revived
after some years of not running, was a huge success, with
some stunning performances
by trumpeters, cornet players,
trombonists, and French-hornists. Expertly accompanied by
Mrs Morwood as always, some
of these performers were giving their first ever public recital, and in one or two cases this
was after only a few weeks of
learning their instrument! Now
that’s talent (or great teaching
by Mr Shields). Charlotte Tomlin and Jack Wilkinson held up
the grade-8 end of things with
two very well polished pieces.
To our disappointment, Mr
Shields had left his instrument
in the car, so we couldn’t have
an impromptu encore by the
maestro himself. Next time,
next time.
J. Hartley
Callum
Crombie
Running annually since 2005,
this festival has become one
of the highlights of the dreary
half of the longest term, getting everyone in the mood for
the rash of concerts to come in
December.
It never disappoints us with its
variety of skilful playing, in all
manner of styles, including cool
jazz, relaxing classics, movie
favourites and rock numbers.
Not only are the players versatile, but the teachers are as
well! Well done to all performers; you really are the stars of
the school. Looking forward to
next year’s already.
J Hartley
Charlotte
Tomlin
Review 07-08
Some of Mrs Hartley’s reports did
not make it into our last newsletter, so here they are now!
Upper Strings Festival — Jan
Well done to everyone who
performed in this concert. It
was a fantastic event with a lot
of very high-quality playing,
including performances from
beginners right through to
Year 13 veterans. Thanks to Mrs
Killip for preparing everyone.
Piano Festival — February
This was the usual civilised affair, with a huge variety of music played by all year-groups.
Some performers had only
been learning since the beginning of this academic year!
Very impressive. The addition
of a jazz quartet to the programme (obviously including a
piano, or that would have been
gratuitous) ended the concert
in an uplifting and unusual
way. Congratulations to everyone who participated, and to
their teachers, Mrs Morwood,
Mr Glanville and Mr Pfeuti.
Double Reeds Festival — Feb
Double reeds instruments
(oboes and bassoons) are not
widely played, and therefore
to fill a programme with pupils
from one school (and a couple
of pupils form St Mary’s) is a
great credit to the teachers,
Miss Pelling and Mr Foster.
Some beautiful playing on
some tough instruments, and
some lively numbers as well!
One boy had only had three
lessons before the concert…is
Mr Foster a wizard?
Children’s Society Concert
— March
A charity concert with performances by members of several
19
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
20
schools, this event was slightly
more exciting than we wanted
it to be in the end, owing to a
late arrival that saw us getting
off the coach and straight onto
the stage! This actually made
the performance by our main
choir and two 6th-form choirs
brilliant because they were
fuelled by adrenalin! People
commented on how lively and
committed the performances
were, especially the gospel
numbers by the main choir.
Lower Strings & Harp Festival — March
This concert had some excellent performances, some by
very young pupils who had
not been learning that long.
It’s great to see so many harpists and cellists in our school,
and many at such a promisingly high standard. Well done
to everyone who played, and
thanks to Mr Milner and Miss
Thompson for preparing them.
Easter Concert — March
This huge event took place
in the Main Hall, packed with
audience and overflowing
with performers. There were so
many people in the Wind Orchestra that they didn’t fit on
the stage, and had to be more
cramped than a tin of vertically
stacked sardines. Some exciting performances by this group
(including 80s hits and the well
known and loved Bolero by
Ravel (think Torvill and Dean if
you think you don’t know it), as
well as by the Full Orchestra (a
sizzling and heroic symphonic
piece), Jazz Band (very hard
rhythms indeed), Flute Groups
(always perfect under Mrs Milner’s direction) and everyone
else who participated.
Year 13 Recital Night — April
In the wonderfully atmospheric Harlequin Theatre, all the
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
A level and some of the BTEC
Performance students gave a
concert of their exam pieces,
the former in preparation for
the real thing the following
week. If their performances
that evening were representative of how their exams went,
they must have blown the examiner away! Well done to all.
Hipperholme Grammar- Apr
The Barbershop Group, our
all-male 6th-form choir, was
invited to sing at Hipperholme
Grammar after the headteacher
there heard them at a concert
and thought they might be an
inspiration to the male pupils
at his own school. Another
concert to which we arrived
breathless and just in the nick
of time; another performance
with that edge of excitement
and some truly wonderful
singing. The long, long coach
journey provided a great opportunity for warming up (I do
recommend it) and a perfect
sleeping time for those exhausted by their own brilliance
on the way home. We were
treated to refreshments and
an enormous CAKE! Plans are
afoot for a joint venture with
their newly inspired group.
Flute Festival — May
This was, alas, not the usual
sunny evening I have come
to expect for Flute Festivals,
but clouds became unimportant when Mrs Milner’s well
rehearsed and perfectly tuned
flautists started to play. A very
Alice Leaf
full programme with some
magnificent performances!
Vocal Festival — May
As usual, Mr Carleston and Mrs
Penwarden-Allen
produced
some excellent performances
from their students, including
Disney numbers amongst pop
songs, classical delights and
numbers from musicals. Highlights included three songs by
Flanders & Swan (very amusing
words and exceptional performances by Robbie McEwen,
Alastair McPhail and Laurie
Diaz-Steptoe) and two fantastically accomplished pieces sung
by the new all-female Octet,
Otto Regazzi. To hear Renaissance polyphony in the Recital
Room was certainly special!
Guitar Festival — May
This was a fun programme with
some well loved popular numbers, some great rock playing
from younger and older pupils
alike, and some neatly performed classical pieces. What
a versatile bunch these guitarists are! To end the concert, M.
Lheureux and Mr Kellett gave a
surprise performance, with the
accompaniment of Michael
Butcher on saxophone and
Harrison Wood on bass. Well
done to all performers.
Choral Soc. Concert — May
The Aeolian Quartet, a 6thform jazz outfit formed of Julian Vicary on piano, Harrison
Wood on bass, Michael Butcher on saxophone and Hector
Barnicoat-Hood on drum kit,
played two sets in the Choral
Society Concert in St Mary’s
Church. They were a great addition to the programme and
the highlight of each half! Well
done, you four; they are available for events outside school,
and play regularly in The Borough in Lancaster.
FOCUSon
Countryside Activities
Considering the location of QES it is hardly surprising to find that many of
our pupils are involved in traditional countryside activities. Here, three of
them talk about their particular interests.
Recently my dad broke a couple of ribs, which gave me
chance to hunt the hounds to
cover for him.
Hunting the hounds at age
15 is a very big responsibility. Most huntsmen are usually
aged 30 or 40 before they even
consider this stressful and responsible job.
The first hunt was for the Vale
of Lune Hunt at the Swan Inn
at Middleton, near Barbon on
Wednesday 12th November.
Luckily school gave me permission to have the day off.
I set off onto the fells with
the hounds - 27 of them that
day. Dad and I had set trails
all around the area first thing
that morning. The trail is made
I got my hawk on the 10th
of February. She is called
Bomber because she prefers to bomb rabbits from a
height rather than chasing
them a couple of feet from
the floor.
I go biking with her and she
sits on my handlebars. I also
have taught her how to hunt,
how to soar and how to fly to
feed from my fist.
Birds of prey have always impressed me, especially raptors.
A couple of years ago my mum
said that I could get one only
if I read lots of books about
falconry. So 5000 pages later I
with a rag soaked in fox urine
bought from America. Most
trails last for about two or three
miles and you would have
three or four trails in a day.
The huntsman’s job is to lay the
hounds on the trail. This is quite
difficult when there are roads,
sheep, cattle and all sorts of
problems. Imagine having thirty pet dogs and losing them all
in the middle of nowhere - it’s
quite hectic at times.
gets all the mucky jobs back at
the kennels.
There is a good side to it. I don’t
know what I would do without
hunting. However, it has its
downsides, at 6 o’ clock in the
morning, facing hard graft!
Johnny Riley 11M
The huntsman also has to look
after the hounds and horses at
the kennels. We have six working horses and around fifty or
sixty hounds.
The ‘whipper’ has to keep the
hounds together, making sure
there are no stragglers and he
was allowed a Harris Hawk as
my first bird. My dad rang up
Lowther Falconry Centre and
they had one bird left. I was
delighted!
George Twiname
Year 10
British Horse Society exams
at Myerscough College.
Equestrian
qualifications
have been studied and
undertaken by Charlotte
Bunting, Vicky Brooks, Natasha Bissell, Ellie Prescott
and Jenny Winetrobe. In association with South Lakes
Federation and Holmescales
Equestrian Centre we have
undertaken an intensive 12month course, which commenced in September 2007,
and culminated in our taking
British Horse Society examinations in riding and horse
knowledge and care.
Charlotte Bunting 11M
21
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
Around the grounds
In his book, Appleby Grammar
School — Chantry to Comprehensive, Edgar Hinchcliffe
traces the development of the
school from its earliest days to
the comprehensive which it
had become by the 1960s. He
mentions sporting fixtures between AGS and other schools
in Cumberland and Westmorland including Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Kirkby
Lonsdale, as it was then.
On one occasion an Appleby
pupil, a contemporary of mine
at the school, was knocked
down as he crossed the A65
to play rugby. He simply got
up, dusted himself down, and
played the game. I suppose the
theory was that if he could survive being hit by a bread van,
the opposing pack shouldn’t
cause him very much of a
problem!
During my time at AGS, the
Groundsman, George Whiting,
had a novel way of indicating
to students whether or not
they were allowed to go onto
the field at break and lunchtimes. He would hoist a red
bucket from the gymnasium
wall to act as a signal. We have
adopted a similar system here
at QES. We fly a green flag with
the school logo incorporated
on it on days when pupils are
allowed on the field. If there
is no flag flying then the field
is out of use. Thanks to Mr
Howard and Mrs Sharratt for
providing us with the flag.
One question frequently asked
of the groundstaff here is:
what do we do in the winter
when there is no grass to cut
and other aspects of the maintenance schedule slow down
somewhat? The answer is that
we do the jobs which we don’t
have time to do during the rest
of the year. Last year, among
other things, we did the preparatory work on the new
picnic area outside the Maths
department. Also we replaced
the floor in the pavilion with
plywood salvaged from the
main hall, painted the exterior
and repaired the window.
One job which I particularly
enjoyed was laying the hedge
near the cricket field, which
has created a stock-proof barrier which looks much more
pleasing to the eye, and has rejuvenated the hedge. During a
spell of inclement weather Tom
Wynne and I constructed some
bird nest-boxes and put them
up in the woodland near to the
astro-turf pitch. We made some
with standard entry-holes and
others with rectangular letterbox openings to try to cater for
all tastes.
In early summer we were
thrilled to find that two of
the five boxes had families of
young inside them - one family were blue tits and the other
were great tits. We observed
the parents going in with food
more than once a minute.
We would like to put some
nest-boxes up in the Victorian
garden and Mr Davies and Mr
Rogers say it may be possible
to set up a camera to film the
birds. So look out Bill and Kate,
QES could soon be launching
its very own Springwatch!
Steve Dent
Life as a Student Librarian
Being a Student Librarian is very enjoyable for me as I get a lot of pride from doing it, as I really
take pride in all of the work I do. When I walk in and see it all neat and tidy it makes me feel really
happy as I know I’ve helped it to look like this.
I have learnt a lot of things because of this experience and everybody has been really helpful.
Thanks to our main librarian Miss Dowding as well as Miss Sosnowski - always there to help.
22
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
Owain Houghton 7S
Trips on two wheels
Mountain
Biking Trip
My Cycling
Adventures!
We all met in Learning Support. Mrs Shaw and Miss Jackson went to sort out putting
the bikes on Mrs Shaw’s car.
Mrs Shaw took the bikes, Imogen, Briony and I went in Miss
Jackson’s car. We listened to
the Mamma Mia CD and sang,
which was fun!
In the summer of 2008 my Dad
and I did a bike ride all the way
to London. It took us five days
and we covered almost three
hundred miles, averaging
about sixty miles a day. I was
on my road bike which is a Trek
Madone 4.5.
When we got to Cartmel Priory
school we were given a helmet
to wear and then we had to get
a bike. We all went for a practice
ride round the school’s fields to
get used to the bike. We then
had a talk about safety and
skills for mountain biking.
We then set off on the bikes.
We started the ride on a road
and then we went off road next
to a river, which I nearly rode
into! We cycled round Cartmel
racecourse and then through
some woods. We then got to a
hill which Imogen, Briony and I
walked up! I left them for a bit
but then waited for them.
Then we got to a very steep
hill. Mrs Shaw, Imogen and
Briony walked down it but I cycled and Miss Jackson followed
me. We then got to a farm
where we had to get off and
walk through. The next bit was
a big stream which we had to
cross. Miss Jackson, Mrs Shaw
and other teachers from other
schools went over the bridge
(wimps!) but I went through
it! We then cycled back to the
school.
Emma Whitehead 8Q
I have always enjoyed biking
and last year, in May, my Dad, a
family friend, his wife and their
ten year old son and six year
old daughter rode the Rievers route from the North East
to the North West of England,
covering one hundred and
seventy one miles in only five
days.
I have done the E2E Land’s End
to John O’ Groats on a tandem
with my Dad which took us
twelve days, including two
days of rest. We did this one to
raise money for a charity called
‘Maddie’s FUNd, which is a
charity for a family friend who
died at the age of twenty from
cystic fibrosis. We raised nearly
£3000!
with my team mate Jack Saddler from Wheelbase. We are
the youngest pair to have ever
done this journey by bike.
We are planning to do the
Land’s End to John O’ Groats
route again with a group of ten
people, cycling ninety miles a
day over ten days.
I thoroughly enjoy cycling and
the challenges that go with it.
I have had so much support
from friends and family, for
which I am really grateful. I
am very proud of my achievements and will keep you posted on future challenges!
Connor Launder 8S
In October 2006 when I was
only ten I rode coast to coast
across the North of England,
doing one hundred and fifty
seven miles in four days. Again,
this was done with my Dad. I
was on my mountain bike for
this one.
At the age of eight I rode from
Walney Island to Wear in 5 days
covering one hundred and
fifty miles in five days. I did this
23
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
LEARNINGmatters
New ways of working at QES
meeting them it seems my
skills are expanding, and my
interests widening! Although
initially I was intimidated by
the prospect of alphabetical
shelving for fiction and the
mysteries of the Dewey system for non-fiction, now I find
nothing more exciting than a
lovely new pile of books ready
for labelling, or a clean section
of wall awaiting a display!
Upon being offered my post
at QES, I was informed that I
would be an “experiment” and
would be filling a rather individual role. Under the newly
coined title of “Adult Learner”,
I now attempt to straddle the
gap between student and
staff member, attending my
A2 English Literature classes,
whilst also working part time
as a Library Assistant.
My first day in this new role
was transformed from potential nightmare, to hugely
enjoyable experience, by the
warm and friendly welcome I
received from all the staff, and,
in particular, my two new colleagues: Miss Dowding and
Miss Sosnowsky. They immediately set about initiating me
into the impossible complexities of Librarianship, and remained cheerful as I gawked
with incomprehension at the
systems in place. Their approach helped me to relax
and enjoy myself, whilst also
making me feel needed and
valued. In short, the reception
I received helped me feel like I
was ready for anything.
24
The challenges of my new job
have been consistent but in
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
The most enjoyable aspects
of my new job are the human
ones: my colleagues, and the
younger students with whom
I come into contact. Both “Miss
S” and “Miss D” were honest
with me from the beginning:
“the kids are the best part of
the job”. I agree entirely. The
atmosphere, the vibrancy and
the fascinating range of personalities present in the main
Library, is such that I can quite
sincerely say that I regret not
going in there more often during my disreputable youth!
So I am still a student, but I am
also a member of staff, and
this seems less strange now.
It is a concept perhaps most
aptly summed up by the pupils, who, in many cases, refer
to me not as “Mr Burch”, but as
“Mr Paul” - a nice compromise,
I think. The school that helped
me grow into an adult is now
helping prepare me for the
adult world, and I’m sure that
I will be more ready for it. As I
said at the start of this article, I
was told I was to be an “experiment”. As far as I am concerned,
the experiment is working and
I am truly grateful to be acting
as a guinea pig.
Paul Burch
KS4 Parents’
Learning Forum
Year 10 parents were invited
to an evening dedicated to
helping their child through the
GCSE years. About 100 parents
attended and heard from staff
about various topics including the assessment tracker,
the English department’s early
entry policy, work experience
and good study habits. The
feedback was largely positive,
with lots of parents telling us
that they found the information useful in closing the “information gap” between home
and school. Parents went away
clutching a blue A4 booklet
entitled KS4 Parents’ Forum:
Helping Your Child Prepare for
GCSEs 2008-10. Not the catchiest of titles, but a vitally important source of information
like coursework deadline dates
etc. Parents who didn’t get a
booklet on the night should
have been brought one by
their child by now. Let us know
if you haven’t received one or
download your own from the
school’s website.
Several parents of Year 11 pupils thave since told us that
they’d have liked something
like that themselves so we did
a special Year 11 version with
a yellow cover and sent that
home with pupils. Again, let us
know if it never made it, or you
can download a copy from the
parents’ section of the website.
As always, please let us know
how we can help you to help
your child with their learning:
we are determined to work in
real partnership with parents
and value your feedback.
QESAnews
200 Club
If you don’t feel you can spare
the time at present to get
involved in the hands-on activities of QESA then do please
consider joining the 200 Club.
What is it? The 200 Club is a
very easy way for parents to
support the fundraising efforts of QESA without having
to feel committed to attending
meetings or getting involved
in events.
It works like a small lottery,
where you pay a yearly subscription of just £15 and are
then entered into regular draws
throughout the year. Individual
prizes of up to £100 can be
won in each of the draws, but,
as they say, you have to be in it
to win it!
To join the 200 Club or to find
out more information please
contact the school office.
Forthcoming
Parents’ Evenings
Year 8
Wed January 7 2009
5:15 - 8:15
Year 9
Tue March 3 2009
5:15 - 8:15
Year 10
Thur April 30 2009
5:15 - 8:15
Year 11
Wed January 21 2009
5:15 - 8:15
Year 13
Thur February 12 2009
5:15 - 7:15
Introducing the QES Association
We would like to introduce ourselves as your new co-chairs,
welcoming all of the parents
and carers of pupils who have
joined the school this year.
As parents and staff members
at the school we are able to
see things from both perspectives. We aim to carry on with
the usual activities and events
that a PTA would be expected
to do, such as fund raising and
supporting social events, but
are keen to relaunch the existing PTA with new ideas, including ‘Partnership With Parents’
as an important aspect. We are
planning to update the QES
website on a regular basis to
include details of forthcoming
events, keeping you informed
and in touch with us in school.
It’s early days but we feel that
we have the energy and expertise to get things moving in a
positive way. We will, of course,
be relying on you for your help
and support for future events
in the calendar.
The Association relies on parents who volunteer their time
to help raise money for items
and resources within school
that benefit your children and
their learning. We all have busy
lives, juggling work and time
with our families and we understand that any spare time is
very precious. However, there
are many ways that you could
help without feeling obliged
to become actively involved
as a member of the committee. The more names we have
on our list of volunteers, the
less pressure there will be on
our existing members to do
all of the work. Even if you are
unable to help out at our functions, please come along and
support the events, donate
prizes, buy some raffle tickets
or join our 200 Club (See left
for details).
So, if you are a new parent with
new children in school, please
consider supporting our Association in any way that you
can and bring along some new
ideas to make this and future
years an ongoing success.
Finally, we would like to say a
huge thank you to all of the
parents and existing committee members that have worked
so hard over the past few years
to make QES Association such
a success.We look forward to
seeing you all at future events.
D.Lequitte and F. Sheldon
Í
Look for our
link on the QES
website
www.queenelizabeth.cumbria.sch.uk
25
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
SPORTSdesk
Rugby Report
Team Played Won Drawn Lost
U12
6
3
0
3
U13
18
13
0
5
U14
11
6
0
5
U15
9
7
0
2
U16
2
2
0
0
1st XV
8
5
1
2
2nd XV
6
3
0
3
From this season, all the QES
Rugby results go on the web
at www.schoolsrugby.co.uk, a
site used by the vast majority
of schools around the country.
The site not only has fixtures
and results, but team stats and
league tables for all teams. At
the time of writing, the U13
side are currently ranked at
No1 in the North of England!
Parental and community support is always welcome so, if
you get a chance, come along
and cheer on the boys’.
U13s Go from
Strength to Strength
Having finished joint 1st in the
Cumbria round of the State
Schools’ Tournament, and 5th
in the North West of England,
you would have thought the
U13 boys were having a good
season. However, they haven’t
stopped there. The U13A side
won the South Lakes Schools’
‘A’ Team Tournament for the
second
consecutive
year
(amassing 104 points and conceding 0), with the U13B team
winning the ‘B’ team section,
defeating Dallam in the final.
Role on the County Cup!
26
U14s Mixed Season
The U14s are having a vey different season to last, with five
losses in nine games, compared with only two losses
recorded for the whole of last
season. However, they showed
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
their resilience in the recent
NW Finals, captained by James
Atkinson, finishing 5th overall,
and only losing to the eventual
winners 5-0. They also won the
South Lakeland District Festival
at Dallam without conceding
any points. We have to hope
that they manage to find their
form in the upcoming County
Cup match against QKS, to lift
the spirits amongst this very
promising team.
First Full Season for 2nd XV
Until this year, a 2nd XV at
QES had largely been a ‘touring only’ affair. However, this
season, under the guidance
of Mr Lucas (previously 1st XV
coach at Tadcaster Grammar), a
2nd XV from QES can be found
most Wednesday afternoons
competing on the school playing fields of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, or even the
Isle of Man. There have been
ups and downs, with as many
wins as losses. However, both
the commitment and comradeship shown by all those
involved is evidence enough
that 2nd team rugby at QES is
here to stay.
1st XV Strong Season
Resolute in defence, decisive
in attack, the 1st XV are showing how rugby at QES can be
played. It’s 15-man rugby and
it is beautiful to behold.
It took a little time to get under
way, with defeat in the opening two games, but the seeds
were sown through the massive commitment shown by the
players on the training ground.
Since that second Wednesday
afternoon, the side have gone
unbeaten, including a draw
against an Isle of Man Schools
1st XV, and wins against sides
from King William’s College,
Ripley St Thomas, Morecambe,
Blackpool 6th Form College
and Sedbergh.
QES Player captains
Newcastle Falcons U16s
Getting in a side as prestigious
as a National Premiership Club
is an incredible achievement
of both ability and commitment. Being selected captain
of that side is also a measure
of character. For Leo Mercer to
achieve this is a fantastic testament to this young man, and
to the values that have been
instilled within Leo, and all the
students, during their time at
QES.
Leo was first selected and made
captain for the Falcons pre-season tour of Holland, which included victory over the national side, and following that, for a
weekend tournament against
other Premiership U16 sides.
Leo both played and captained
in all of the matches.
Hopefully Leo can follow in the
international footsteps of QES
Old Boy, Phil Whitfield. While
at QES Phil captained the England A side. While international
honours have eluded Phil since
being given a rugby scholarship to Sedbergh, he has been
given the honour of being
made 1st XV captain at the
school. Well done Phil. Character makes captains, and we
would like to think QES played
its part.
Mr Mayhew and Mr Williams
Isle of Man trip match reports
U14 v Castle Rushton U14
After a long journey QES were
straight into their first match
against a strong Castle Rushton side. The early exchanges
bore an ominous message as
the powerful Castle Rushton
pack created a chance for them
to score on the blind side.
Basic errors cost QES possession and territory. Brave
defence earned the ball back
but a failed clearance kick led
to Castle Rushton’s second try.
QES steeled themselves and
from the kick-off they had
their most positive spell of the
match so far and barged their
way over in the corner to keep
within touching distance of
Castle Rushton’s lead.
another try and Adam Flowers
was sent off. QES didn’t have
much time or energy left. It is
a credit to the team’s spirit that
they battled to the end and,
with seconds left in the match,
Isaac Dennis scored a try in the
corner. Final score: Castle Rushton 29, QES 15.
A.Rawson
They say a team is most vulnerable when they have just
scored. As if to prove this, QES
panicked from the kick off,
bundling the ball into touch
and then losing the lineout.
The Castle Rushton jumper
flopped over for a soft, but potentially vital, try. QES conceded once more before half time,
the score 24-5 at the break.
U14 Vs King William’s U14
The traditional fixture against
the host school didn’t materialise in the way anyone had
really hoped. With many of the
Islanders involved in a very important football cup final, King
William struggled to put out a
side. In order to give those who
were in attendance a game,
the QES subs made up the
numbers of a depleted King
William side.
A further blow to the QES
chances came when Tom
Crackles’ injured knee forced
him off early in the second
half. Despite this, the forwards
redoubled their efforts and
worked enough space for
Jed Armitage to score a dazzling solo try. Thoughts of a
fightback were unfortunately
quenched soon afterwards.
Bad luck allegedly comes in
threes and after Ross Towers
hit the crossbar with the conversion, Castle Rushton scored
The match included everything: flowing rugby, determination, physicality, committed
tackling, players playing out of
position… and Ross Towers falling off a wall! (he was okay, and
immediately trotted back on to
the pitch with a huge grin on
his face). With tries from James
Atkinson (2), Jed Armitage,
Ross Towers and Tom Thatcher,
QES had something of a positive result to take home. Final
score: King William 12, QES 31.
A.Rawson
Above: Year 8 and 9 squads
Back Row: Will Clarke, Joe Atkinson, Stephen Taylor,
Richard Sayer, Ross Towers, Adam Flowers, Josh Maddock,
Tom Crackles, James Atkinson, Dan Maguire, Isaac Dennis,
Henry Treverton, Joe Malloy, Jake Taylor, Jed Armitage,
Louis Morris, Tom Thatcher
Front Row: Jake Nicholson, Josh Norman, Joe Barker, Josh Nicholson, Connor Launder, Lewis Horner,
Brendan Cleary, Ben Wilson, Callum Sheldon,
Henry Holburn, Jarred Collis, Josh Hayton, Chris Berry,
William Wilson, Simon Woof-Dwight, Tom Jackson,
Ed Clarke, Arthur Bridgeman Quin, James Mason.
Year 9 QES Castle Rushton scrum
Black Head Guard - Joe Atkinson, then from left to right:
Josh Maddock, Louis Morris, Dan Maguire
James Mason
running with the ball v King William School
27
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
Sports Day action
Girls’ Football
So it was one of the greatest
comebacks of all time - the
Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul, May
2005 and Liverpool were losing
3-0 at half-time to AC Milan in
the Champions League Final.
Second-half goals from Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso made
it 3-3 and ensured the game
went to extra-time, then penalties. We know what followed!
Perhaps it was one of the greatest comebacks - that is, until
Tuesday 14 October 2008. For
Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso,
read Taylor, Wilson and Marland. So it wasn’t the Ataturk
Stadium and it certainly wasn’t
the Champions League Final
but wow, what a game!
This was the U13 girls in the
first round of the County Cup.
They travelled to a very wet,
soggy Dowdales School in
Dalton. The weather was atrocious and it was debatable as
to whether or not the match
would go ahead. The first half
got under way and a very
strong Dowdales team took the
game to QES, scoring 4 goals in
quick succession to lead 4-0.
We managed to pull one back
just before half-time to leave it
4-1 with 25 minutes left on the
Netball
28
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
A great start to the netball season. Well done to all girls who
have turned up to practices
and matches and to parents
for supporting them. Both the
U16 and the U14 netball teams
were runners up in the District
tournaments.
Well done girls.
H.Pakeman
clock. After a rousing team talk
QES started the second half
much brighter and with some
good play from Lydia Taylor on
the right wing, pulled it back
to 4-4. Dowdales then took
the lead again twice before we
scored twice to even it up at
6-6. Finally with a few minutes
remaining we took the lead 76! At last we’d overturned the
deficit and were leading for the
first time in the game.
It didn’t last long! A few moments later Dowdales equalised, making it 7-7 and setting
up a very tense finish. There
must have literally been seconds left on the clock when
Lydia Taylor scored after a fine
run to put QES back in the lead,
8-7. We were willing the referee
to blow the whistle. Finally he
did. After being 4-1 down at
half-time, goals from Georgia
Wilson, Anna Marland and
Lydia Taylor ensured we won
the game 8-7 and progressed
to the next round of the County Cup where we meet Trinity
School from Carlisle. What a
thriller! Needless to say, the
bus journey home wasn’t a
quiet one! Well done girls on a
fantastic performance!
Miss Jackson
Liverpool
Biathlon
Congratulations to pupils
who represented QES in this
swimming and running event:
Rachel Bellemy (7W) was 23rd,
her brother Michael (9S) 11th,
Amy Kerr (8W) 30th, and Kate
Donovan (12L) 11th.
A great effort. Well done.
H.Pakeman
EXTENDEDservices
QES is part of a cluster
of local schools in Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedbergh
and Dent with the aim
of extending the services on offer to local families and
young people. This is a very basic digest of the regular newsletter produced by cluster co-ordinator Jane
Sparrow-Niang. For the full newsletter contact Jane on
078877 94093, [email protected]
or download a copy from the QES website.
News Round-Up
The One World Orchestra
Recital Room, QES, Kirkby Lonsdale ,Wednesdays 4.30 – 5.10pm
An exciting opportunity for children aged 8-12 from local schools to become
members of a new orchestra. Contact Jane Lawrence on 015242 71275 or
email [email protected]
A World of Song
Recital Room, QES, Kirkby LonsdaleWednesdays 5.20– 6.00pm
An exciting opportunity for children aged 8-12 from local schools to become
members of a new vocal group. Contact Jane Lawrence on 015242 71275 or
email [email protected]
The Green Tree Schools Award
This scheme rewards schools for their participation in learning events, projects
and initiatives provided by the Woodland Trust. Schools can register at www.
naturedetectives.org.uk/award
New Websites
Internet safety
www.thinkuknow.co.uk/cybercafe. A website enabling 5-16 year-olds (separate areas for 5-7s, 8-10s and 11-16s) to learn about internet safety through a
“cybercafé”has been launched by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection
Centre (CEOP).
from April 2009 to support short breaks for children and young people with
special needs. Local meetings will be organised for families to provide information and support.
New course from The Open University
The Open University is offering a new course called Family Meanings focusing
on what family means in our everyday lives. The next start date for the course
is April 2009. See the Open University website for more details: www.open.
ac.uk/courses
Uk Council for Child Internet Safety
Internet safety experts and leading children’s charities have joined forces with
the Government, parents and young people in the new UK Council for Child
Internet Safety (UKCCIS). to deliver recommendations from Dr Tanya Byron’s
report‘Safer Children in a Digital World’about protecting children in the digital
age. www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview
Creative Futures Cumbria
Creative Partnerships is now called Creative Futures Cumbria - a merger of
Creative Partnerships Cumbria and Creative Arts in Education www.creativefuturescumbria.org
Enquiry Schools receive funding for a one-year creative learning programme
targeted at a specific group of pupils and staff. Change Schools receive longer
term funding for an intensive programme that supports creative development
across the whole school.
Creative Development Programme: Small scale funding is available through
the Creative Development Programme to support schools, colleges and other
community groups to engage creative practitioners in learning projects.
Cumbria Development Education Centre
The Department for International Development has granted further project
funding to CDEC, until 2010, for ‘Get Global in Cumbria ’to introduce critical
global awareness into schools across Cumbria. Development Education seeks
to explore links between our own lives and those of people throughout the
world. Contact Cumbria Development Education Centre Tel/Fax: 015394
30231.Email: [email protected]. See www.cdec.org.
New Publications
Teenagers
Parent Know How Service Directory
www.gotateenager.org.uk. Parentline Plus is offering a helping hand to parents of teenagers with the launch of this new website. The site includes an
online dictionary to help mums and dads who are struggling to understand
their teenager’s colloquialisms.
New Parent Know How Service Directory for teachers and other people working directly with parents. Download the directory at www.dcsf.gov.uk/parentknowhow
Relationships
Kirkby Lonsdale National School & St Mary’s
Church of England Primary School: A Portrait
Relate has launched an online initiative to allow parents to get help quickly
www.relateforparents.org.uk . The One Plus One organisation offers parents
online relationship support at www.thecoupleconnection.net.
This limited edition book spans 150 years of memories from Kirkby Lonsdale
junior schools. Price £9.99. All proceeds to St Mary’s C of E Primary School.
015242 71334
New Resources
Short breaks funding
Children & young people with special needs: New funding will be available
Real Meals Cookbook
The government has published a new free cookbook for all 11-year-olds to
help them learn how to cook healthy versions of favourite dishes such as spaghetti bolognaise. The Real Meals Cookbook can be downloaded from www.
teachernet.gov.uk/publications.
29
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591
30
QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOOL
SCHOLARSHIP AND CARE — SINCE 1591