Issue number 20
March 2016
Lunch was provided in a grand Harry Potteresque hall
with pupils from other schools and university
students .
The afternoon began with a tour of the campus from
current university students and concluded with a
tutorial session with their PhD tutor. The year 7s and
8s learnt about British History through time and the
year 9s and 10s had an introduction to Psychology and
the workings of the human brain.
Overall it was the start of an exciting programme for
the pupils who behaved impeccably and were a credit
to Crispin.
The day began with a long coach journey, leaving
Crispin at 7.30am. On arrival, the pupils were met by
their tutor who will work with them up until Easter.
The first lecture they attended was a lecture on skills
sessions.
I wish them the best
of luck on their
forthcoming scholars
programme.
Mr Cornish
Gifted & Talented
Coordinator
www.crispinschool.co.uk
On Monday 22nd February, 22 pupils visited Lady
Margaret Hall, Oxford University where they learnt
about University life, took part in a tutorial and had a
range of lectures on extended writing skills and what
universities are looking for from candidates.
Tel: 01458 442714
Brilliant Club Scholars Programme
Message from the Headteacher
It has been an extremely busy first term at
Crispin School and it is very hard to believe
that, at the time of writing, there is only about a
week to go. There have been a myriad of high
points over the last three months. I am sure all
of you who had the good fortune to attend the
production of the Arabian Nights will agree that
the quality of the production was extremely
impressive. The students were a real credit to
the school and particular thanks must go to
Mrs Wilson and Mrs Baumgardt for their
inventive direction. It was great to see so many
members of the local community in attendance
the evening I went. Another highpoint has been
the opportunity to meet all the students and
particularly praise those who have received
good reports (I read every one), been
commended by their teachers for their effort in
class or participated in other noteworthy
activities at the school. The numbers have
been so huge that I am struggling to see every
student before the end of term.
I am well underway with the process of
meeting every member of staff at school to ask
them about their experiences at the school.
With a week to go this term I think I still have
three teachers to meet and I am starting to
work my way down the list of non-teaching staff
as well. The process takes a very long time,
but I believe that it is time well spent. I have
also really enjoyed the opportunity to see my
teaching colleagues in action - it really helps
you to get a flavour of what goes on in the
lessons and watching students learn is what
we are all here for, so again that is time very
well spent. Working alongside colleagues and
students to maximise learning should be at the
very core of everything we do at school. I
always feel very privileged to have the
opportunity to see students learning and
amidst the hurly burly of headship it can be a
real oasis of calm.
I am pleased that so many of our students are
a real credit to the school and are polite, active,
agentive learners. Where students fall short of
our high expectations we will support them to
improve their efforts. It is crucial that the
learning of all students is maximised so that
they can achieve the best possible in all areas
of school life. It is good that so many of our
students are really ‘sharply’ turned out for
school and there have been some
improvements in that area, but it is important
that parents and carers support the school to
ensure that the attire of students is always as
impressive as it can be.
It is a particularly important time for year 11
students as they approach their GCSEs in the
summer. As stated previously, it is crucial that
all students ‘do their best’, they want to be able
to look back in August and think ‘I did as well
as I could have done’. Students should be well
into their revision and it is important they work
on this through the Easter break but also take
time to relax before the busy few weeks
coming up when they return to school. As I
have said to all the students I have talked to,
they should be spending at least two hours on
homework and revision a night. Recently year
11 students have had the opportunity to
participate in a revision conference at the
school and the feedback was really positive.
For students taking General Studies I have put
a range of resources on OneDrive along with
the Case Study for 2016 on ‘Patterns of
Modern Crime’ - a topic I am luckily very
interested in.
All that remains for me to say is that I hope all
students, colleagues, parents and carers have
a really good Easter.
Paul Reddick, Headteacher
Arabian Night
On Thursday 10th to Saturday 12th, the performing arts characters, summoned forth from strange and magical
department performed 'Arabian Nights' to packed worlds populated by giant beasts, singing trees and
audiences.
crafty thieves. Can the power of storytelling save her
life?
The storyline:
It's the wedding night in the palace of King Shahrayar. The production, adapted by Dominic Cooke by
By morning, the new queen, Shahrazad, is to be put to arrangement with Nick Hern Books Ltd, was directed by
death like a thousand young brides before her. She has Mrs Wilson and produced by Mrs Baumgardt. The show
was an amazing spectacle with stunning performances,
the one gift that can save her: the gift of storytelling.
beautiful costumes and an amazing set.
With a mischievous imagination and silver tongue,
Queen Shahrazad paints a dazzling array of stories and Well done to everyone involved.
Review by Sandra Gray
If you are superstitious about umbrellas opened indoors, beware Crispin School’s
colourful and lively production of Arabian Nights at Strode Theatre. They
provide the motif behind many of the quirky tales, becoming flapping birds,
jewelled fountains or the craggy entrance to the 40 thieves’ lair. The sizeable
company filled the stage with a multitude of talents, including tumbling acrobats
and swirling dancers, interspersed with puppetry, signing, and joyous camp
humour.
The leads play several roles each, bringing the short tales of jealousy, greed and
deceit to life. Toby Turley provides a sensitive portrayal of the King, Issy Todd is
excellent as his faithless first wife. Lydia Lakin beautifully portrays the
resourceful storyteller Shahrazad whilst Amelia Chinnock-Shumann spins
expertly through the “dance of the dagger”. Harriet Cameron is enchanting and
Luke Carpenter channels his inner Monty Python, as a sari clad crone in this
accomplished cast. It all ends, with a crowd-pleasing dance routine. An evening
enjoyed by performers and audience alike.
ParentPay
Crispin School uses the online payment system
Parentpay to take payment for pupils' school trips,
activities, resources and non-uniform fundraising
days.
From 3rd March parents must have a verified email
address as their username to log in. This is a
security and communication requirement.
If you have not previously logged onto the school
Parentpay system please do so as soon as
possible.
If you require a reminder of your log on details
please email [email protected] or
contact the finance team (9am – 2pm).
Stocks & Shares Challenge
teams prepared to go the extra mile and hone
their research, team working and communication
skills even further. 10,000 teams took part in the
challenge with only the top 500 teams securing a
place in the semi-final.
We are extremely proud, excited and happy for
the eight Crispin school teams who have secured a
place in the semi-final.
The teams are: Underdogs, GoApeGorillas, Bacon
Pancakes, Shadows, Silence, Finders Horses, BHJE,
YOLOSWAGMCFLURRY.
Keiran Reeves & Louie Woodyatt
Mr Crutchley and Mrs Gray entered some pupils
from years 9, 10 and 11 into the IFS student
investor stocks and shares challenge.
They were taught the strategies that could help
them to trade and then they picked a team of four
to work in. The competition involved teams
investing virtual money on the London Stock
Exchange. Students needed to keep their portfolios
healthy by following the ups and downs of the
market, judging when to buy and sell in order to
make a profit. Pupils needed to demonstrate their
ability to understand and navigate the complex
world of stock market investing. At the semi-final
stage, the competition will only become fiercer as
a place in the national final beckons for those
The 'underdogs' team (Keiran Reeves and Louie
Woodyatt) came 17th out of 10,000 teams. The
top 500 teams now get entered into the semi-final.
We also have seven other teams that have made it
to the semi-final stage. If they make it into the top
three they could win a trip to New York or cash
prizes for themselves and the school.
Such an amazing achievement! I wish them well in
the final part of the competition. Keep up the
great team work…New York, New York!!
Mr Crutchley
and Mrs Gray
Brilliant Club Assignment
Year 8 student Emma Salmon-Harris
submitted such a superb piece of
homework towards her Brilliant
Club qualification that her lecturer
Amy King a Freelance Journalist and
PhD student thought it was worth
sharing.
“I thought it was really excellent. She's really understood
the sources she was given to support her arguments,
and produced a brilliantly written piece of work. I'm so
impressed!”
Amy King
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period in time when Europe went through an enormous change in
economic, agricultural and manufacturing growth. There were two stages to the Industrial Revolution; one
was the introduction of basic water/steam powered machines. This first stage lasted from approximately
1760-1850. The second stage of the Industrial Revolution was the launch of more exceptional technologies
like the internal combustion engine along with electricity.
During the Industrial Revolution in Britain, wages for ordinary working people increased, and from 18401910, in the space of only 70 years, many of the wages more than doubled. As the wages rose so did the
wealth of the country and this also happened throughout Europe at this time.
As the Industrial Revolution progressed, the impact on Britain’s people and on the countryside was very
significant. There was lots of change in a relatively short period of time, some positive and some negative.
It is generally agreed that the standard of living (this is how well people live, their wealth and health) of
most people went up during this period of history, as the invention of machines made life easier, and there
was more wealth from employment in factories. However, not all historians agree that the working people
actually benefitted from increased wages as lots of other factors need to be taken into account.
From 1730 to 1850, the mean height of an average English soldier dropped a few centimetres (in 1730 the
mean height for an average soldier was 172cm but by 1850 the mean height had dropped to 168cm.) Many
people believe that the cause of this was due to unsteady economic growth. This unsteady growth led to
periods of more unemployment and this meant that families would have less money to buy nutritious food.
The agricultural growth was quite a way behind the country’s economic development; that meant that the
cost of food increased during a period when the transport was slow and food could not be preserved for
long. It has also been proved that people who lived in the cities where shorter than dwellers in the
countryside. This was due to the lack of fresh food, that people could buy/produce/find in urban areas.
There is a similar pattern between the height story and this one; the “expectation of life at birth” is
measured by looking at other family members’ death details. If you know the scattering of family’s death
you can guesstimate an age that a person will live to. This is what historians have been doing. They figured
that the 1860’s was the period of lowest life expectancy. The lowest life expectancy in the 1860’s was in
Liverpool where an average person lived up to around 25 years!
The Industrial Revolution was a really significant event in Europe’s history. It was a period of time when
there was great change, lots for the better with the invention of machinery which could do the job of many
people in a faster time, and economically Britain became a very wealthy country. The changes were not
always good. Whilst the Industrial Revolution was changing people, it caused some to lead a better life
than others. EP Thompson, an historian from the 1960s felt that the fast pace of industrialisation had
caused problems in people’s lives. However, it is correct saying that the Industrial Revolution was an
enormous turning point in the country’s and Europe’s history.
BBC Micro:bits
Crispin has received its first batch of BBC Micro:bits this
week. These clever bits of kit are pocket-sized codeable
computers with motion detection, a built-in compass
and Bluetooth technology and can be programmed to
do all sorts of weird and wonderful things. Here we
have Aaron programming the Micro:bit to display a
scrolling message.
The micro:bit is the BBC's most ambitious education
initiative in 30 years, with an ambition to inspire digital
creativity and develop a new generation of tech
pioneers.
MND Tombola
Staff at Crispin School
raised £401.79 this
term with a Tombola
to raise funds for
MND (Motor Neurone
Disease).
MND is an incurable fatal disease that affects the brain and
the spiral cord.
Fund Raising
Inspired by reading the novel 'Stone Cold', Miss Nicholson's 9m2
English class decided to raise some money for the homeless charity,
'Shelter'.
On Thursday 11th February they baked and sold many delicious
cakes and ran a penalty
shootout competition
against Mr Walby
during lunchtime.
The class made an
impressive £51.97 in total, all going to a very worthy cause. A huge
thank you to all who took part and donated money!
Art Gallery
Will Price-Lockyer
Year 10
Amber Payne
Year 11 Coursework
Dulcie-May Taylor
Year 10
Connor McAfee
Year 11 Coursework
Hope Downing
Year 7
Ellen Bowman
Year 10 Self Portrait
Public Speaking Competition
On Saturday 27th February our public speaking team
progressed on to the district final of the Rotary Club's
Youthspeaks Competition. Having won the earlier round
held at Crispin School, Florence Nicholson-Lailey, Emma
Laureano Andrews and Lydia Lakin were up against
some talented competition from schools and colleges
that stretched as far as Bath.
The girls conducted themselves beautifully offering
engaging and humorous dialogue on the topic of
plagiarism in a speech entitled, 'You heard it here first'.
Congratulations to all competitors for a battle wellfought. Although we have not progressed any further in
the competition, the judges went to great lengths to
emphasise how few marks separated all the teams
competing.
Thank you Florence, Emma and Lydia for all your efforts,
you have made the staff and pupils of Crispin School
very proud!
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
D
aisy Wonnacott in 8M2
created
this
amazing
model
of
Auschwitz as part of her homework for the
‘Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas’ module.
World Book Day
Music Department
As mentioned in the last newsletter, the choir entered
their first competition on 11th February at Queens
College in Taunton as part of the Taunton Music
Festival. A number of other schools were involved and
Crispin won their category. The choir were awarded an
outstanding, an exceptional performance both
technically and artistically.
The adjudicator made comments such as 
A super opening with a lovely rich sound.

Good intonation when in parts.
On Monday 7th March a
mixture of 100 pupils
and staff went to
Bristol Hippodrome to
watch the musical
Hairspray.
Edna
Turnblad (John Travolta
in the film) was played
by Tony Maudsley, whose films include Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix, Vanity Fair and Sleepy
Hollow among many others.
Velma Von Tussle
(Michelle Pfeiffer from the film) was played by Claire
Sweeney. As many of us may remember, Claire played


The ensemble is always good and the ensemble is
always very tight.
An extremely well prepared performance for this
wonderful choir, with a fantastic vibrant sound.
Well done to the choir who not only performed
beautifully but were a real credit to Crispin in their
behaviour and professionalism.
Mrs Turner
Head of Performing Arts
Lindsay Corkhill in Brookside and has also starred in
many TV programmes such as Clocking Off, Merseybeat
and Candy Cabs. Claire has starred in many West End
roles as well. Wilbur Turnblad was played by Peter
Duncan (Christopher Walkden in the film). He joined
the Blue Peter team in 1980 and has made many TV and
stage appearances.
I think the highlight was the duet with Edna and Wilbur
– a real comedy duo. The show was extremely bright
and vibrant and everyone really enjoyed the upbeat
and feel-good musical.
Mrs Turner
Head of Performing Arts
Music Department
Other composers to be performed were Jerry Goldsmith
– Alien and the end titles of Star Trek: Nemesis.
Another favourite composer which some pupils heard
previously at the Royal Albert Hall in October was
Michael Giacchino. This time the orchestra played Star
Trek XI and Star Trek Into Darkness.
Just over a week later GCSE music students, orchestra
members and a few year 9 pupils went back to Bristol.
First we had a meal at Za Za Bazaar, all you can eat
buffet, so we all staggered out feeling rather full to then
walk to the Colston Hall to hear the Bournemouth
Symphony Orchestra performing Heroes and Aliens
music. The epic galactic soundtracks came from seven
film composers starting with John William’s Star Wars
theme tune – what a way to start the concert.
The orchestra also performed Stu Phillips’ Battlestar
Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Trevor
Rabin’s (originally in the prog rock band Yes),
Armageddon and the final piece that we heard was the
Dr Who theme.
The concert ended with another John William’s
favourite, the Superman theme. What an amazing
concert of sci-fi music - you certainly can’t beat
hearing live music.
Mrs Turner
Head of Performing Arts
Other William’s music performed was E.T. more Star
Wars music – Across the Stars, from Attack of the
Clones, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and War of
the Worlds, (the Tom Cruise film).
We also heard James Horner’s music including the
beautiful theme from Apollo 13, Aliens and the battle
music of Avatar.
Music Department Events
Friday 6th May
Spring Concert held in Crispin school hall, 7.30pm. Everyone involved.
Art & Photography Trip
On the 18th March we took just under 90 Art and
Photography pupils to Bristol Zoo to do some drawing
and take photos to kick start the beginning of their
Natural Forms coursework project. After a beautiful
Spring week in school we were looking forward to some
lovely weather and possibly the first ice-cream of the
year. However it was absolutely freezing and not quite
the weather I had booked! (It didn't stop some pupils
having that first ice-cream though!)
Despite the cold weather, the pupils worked hard and
many took hundreds of photos. The drawings were
done in the warmer areas such as the butterfly and
reptile houses.
The pupils had a good day and they thoroughly enjoyed
the education session; some were even brave enough
to hold a Madagascan giant hissing cockroach.
Returning to school pupils have the task of creating a
zoo booklet, part of this will be done over the holiday
and the rest when they return after Easter. The
deadline will be the 29th April and there are prizes to
be won.
Mrs Maxfield
Head of Art & Photography
Saturday School
Art and Photography pupils have had the opportunity
to come to Saturday school this term to get some extra
work done before their exams started on 14th March.
Over the 2 Saturday morning's, 40 pupils attended and
ate 300 donuts and biscuits between them as well as
working extremely hard for 3 hours! Hopefully their
grades in the summer will reflect this extra effort.
Peer Supporters
Fifteen of Crispin’s fully trained Anti-Bullying
Ambassadors have decided to develop their role by
having a Peer Link with a year 7 or 8 pupil in school.
peer when they are not comfortable talking to an adult,
and that they are another friendly face in and around
school if they ever have any problems.
The pupils have now met each other and will continue
to meet every Friday during tutor time in the dance
studio. This will be an opportunity for the Peer
Supporters to get to know their link pupil, offer a
listening ear and give advice and support whenever
needed. Pupils will know that they can speak to their
The Peer Supporters have already shown great
maturity and dedication in setting up this support
system. We look forward to these links developing
over time, as another way to support younger pupils in
our school.
Since January, G6 has been opened up at lunchtime for
years 7 and 8 to use. This is a room where pupils can
listen to music, hang out, or play chess. It has become
very popular and our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors are
there to support any issues, alongside Miss Charles. If
you are in years 7 or 8 and ever want to come and join
us, you are very welcome anytime!
ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
Attendance to 22nd March 2016
Year 7
95.6%
Year 8
95.8%
Year 9
95.8%
Year 10
95.0%
Year 11
95.2%
The Importance Of Regular Attendance
The target for every pupil is a minimum of 96% attendance.
The attendance of pupils at Crispin is monitored on a regular
basis. Attendance can have the following effect on pupil’s
attainment and future life chances:
GOLD

97%: Less than 6 days absence a year
Excellent attendance - These pupils will almost certainly get the
best grades they can, leading to good prospects for the future.
These pupils are also in the habit of attending school.
GREEN

95%: 10 days absence a year
These pupils are likely to achieve good grades and form a habit
of attending school regularly. Pupils who take a 2 week holiday
every year can only achieve 95% attendance.
AMBER

90%: 19 days absence a year.
Pupils are missing one month of school per year.
difficult for them to achieve their best.
It will be
RED

85%: 29 days absence a year
The government classes these pupils as ‘Persistent Absentees’.
Pupils are missing 6 weeks of school per year. It will be very
difficult for them to keep up with work and they are unlikely to do
their best. Parents of these pupils could face legal action from
the Local Authority.
Our total percentage
attendance this school
year is: 95.5%

80%: 38 days absence a year
It will be impossible for these pupils to keep up with work.
Parents of these pupils could also face legal action from the
Local Authority.
175 pupils have 100% attendance so far
this year!
OUR ATTENDANCE TARGET is 96% MINIMUM!
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY - Summer 2016
Monday 11th April 2016
Term starts - Week A
Thursday 14th April 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Wednesday 20th April 2016
New York Parents’ Information Evening
Thursday 21st April 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Thursday 28th April 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Monday 2nd May 2016
Bank Holiday
Tuesday 3rd May 2016
Year 7 Parents’ Evening 4 - 7pm Hall
Thursday 5th May 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Friday 6th May 2016
7.30pm Spring Concert - Hall
Wednesday 11th May 2016
Non-uniform Day
Thursday 12th May 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Friday 13th May 2016
Year 10 reports issued
Thursday 19th May 2016
Year 10 Parents’ Evening 4 - 7pm Hall
Friday 20th May 2016
Year 9 reports issued
Monday 23rd May 2016
21st to 25th May - Paris Trip
Thursday 26th May 2016
Year 8 reports issued
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Friday 27th May 2016
Year 11 Leavers Ceremony
Finish for half term
Monday 6th June 2016
Term starts - Week B
Thursday 9th June 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Friday 10th June 2016
Year 7 reports issued
Wednesday 15th June 2016
Morning - Sports Morning
Thursday 16th June 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Thursday 23rd June 2016
INSET day
Friday 24th June 2016
INSET day
Monday 27th June 2016
INSET day
Thursday 30th June 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Friday 1st July 2016
Performing Arts Show - Strode Theatre
Monday 4th July 2016
Non-uniform Day
Wednesday 6th July 2016
Year 6 Induction Day
7pm New Parents’ Evening - Hall
Thursday 7th July 2016
7pm Sports Awards Evening - Hall
Monday 11th July 2016
8.35am - 10.00am Celebration Assembly - Hall
Thursday 14th July 2016
4 - 5.30pm SLT Surgery
Wednesday 20th July 2016
Last day of term