NEWSLETTER
JULY 2016
Year 11 Prom.
On Thursday 7th July, The Blandford School
Year 11 students held their Prom at
Athelhampton House in Dorchester. The
students all looked very smart and were a real
credit to the school. All those who attended
said it was a wonderful evening and a lovely
way to celebrate the end of exams and the next
chapter in their lives. A special thank you must
go to Mrs Claxton who organised the whole
event and really made sure it was a night to
remember.
The Blandford School Equestrian Team Cantering into
success! On Wednesday the 29th June, the TBS Equestrian team entered into
their first competition at the Dorset School Equestrian Games which was held at
Bryanston School. The competition involved over 190 riders from 35 schools and
was a fantastic experience for all those involved. The team did really well and even
managed to come 5th in the 70-75cm Show Jumping class. Well done to Lottie
Sims, Chloe Dunn, Jessica Scott and Kate Druce.
Dates for your Diary
Friday 2nd September
First day of term for
years 7 & 12
Monday 5th September
First day of term for
whole school.
Drawing the Jungle
Students in KS3 have undertaken a three hour controlled condition drawing
exam during their timetabled lessons, recording natural forms on a „Jungle
theme‟. Students in Year 9 will use this piece of work for the start of their Art
coursework in September. An exhibition of all the still life work from Year 7 to
year 9 to show how students progress in the three years will be put up for the
Open Evening in September. Any houseplants that you would like to donate to
the ongoing Jungle project would be welcomed into the Art Department.
Young Writers Competition
Success
The Blandford School would like to say well done to Lela Cordess and Stephanie
Jones. Year 7 student Stephanie won the Intermediate section of
the Blandford Rotary Young Writers Competition, while Year 11‟s
Lela not only won the senior section, but then went on to win the
district competition which meant she is now through to the
national competition. Both students were presented with
certificates and book vouchers by Blandford Stour Rotary‟s Chris
Grant, pictured to the right with Headteacher Mrs Sally Wilson.
Sixth Form Students
Congratulated
Festival of Words.
Students from The Blandford School participated in
Blandford Forum's 'Festival of Words' on Saturday, 18th
June, which was held at Blandford Forum Parish Church.
Year 7 students (Leah Crabbe, Jodie Kirkham and Jamie
Hall) read poems which they had written in their English
lessons this year and Charles Lill (8) and Lela Cordess
(11) impressed the audience with their poetry recital
skills, having already participated in a school poetry
recital earlier in the year.
A number of Sixth Form students from The
Blandford School took part in counting the votes
in the EU Referendum for the North Dorset
Voting Area. The Deputy Local Counting Officer,
Jacqui Andrews said “ The students all behaved
impeccably and performed extremely well and,
although they were there in their own right, they
were a real credit to the school”. Well done to
Alice Peaty, Ashlea Gale, Florence Bailey,
Cameron McNab, Jaydee Burchell and Emma
Sully, for being wonderful ambassadors for TBS.
School Uniform Policy
Firstly, an enormous thank you to the vast majority of parents who
support our school uniform policy so robustly.
You will find below, details of school uniform requirements and
expectations for the next academic year. Please do not hesitate to
contact the school if you have any queries prior to buying your
uniform, as unsuitable purchases can be very frustrating. We have
decided not to specify one garment with regard to skirts and trousers,
but would ask that parents refer and adhere to the guidelines
provided. Each student must take responsibility for wearing the
correct uniform and allow us to deal with anyone who does not
comply.
One change for this year, due to health and safety concerns and due
to issues arising within PE lessons is that students will not be allowed
to wear any retainers in piercings from September. Students have
been informed of this prior to the holidays to avoid confusion. Should students choose to have additional piercings during the
school year, retainers will not be permitted. One pair of small discreet stud earrings continues to be acceptable.
Students are required to wear a Blandford School shirt (boys) or blouse (girls), Blandford School tie (boys only) and a Blandford
School jumper or cardigan. The reason for supplying these is so that parents can purchase quality items that wash well at a
reasonable cost. A very small contribution goes into school funds to provide students with extras in school which we would
otherwise be unable to afford. Uniform items are available from „Ragtags‟ in Blandford.
Students must wear the following: (Girls may choose to wear either trousers or a skirt)
Skirt: Plain black skirt with no slit. Tight fitting, lycra or stretchy skirts are not acceptable in a school environment. Skirts must be
of a modest fit and length, the hem finishing no more than 10cm above the middle of the knee. Examples of preferred skirt styles
are available on our website.
Trousers: Plain, unpatterned black school trousers, of full ankle length and not tight or close fitting to the ankle. Denim/cotton
jeans-style, corduroy, leggings or stretch fabric and logos are unacceptable. Examples of preferred trousers styles are available
on our website.
Blouse: Girls: A maroon/white striped Blandford School blouse with revere collar worn neatly tucked into skirt or trousers and
fully buttoned. These may not be worn in PE. Underwear should be natural coloured and discreet. No coloured or visible tops
must be worn under blouses.
Shirt: Boys: A maroon/white striped Blandford School shirt worn neatly tucked into trousers and fully buttoned at the collar. A
Blandford School tie worn correctly covering the collar button. These may not be worn in PE. Underwear should be natural
coloured and discreet. No coloured or visible tops must be worn under shirts.
Jumper: A plain black jumper or cardigan with „The Blandford School‟ logo. Should any additional outdoor clothing be required,
this must be in the form of a coat or jacket as non-uniform jumpers or hoodies are not allowed. Uniform must always be clearly
visible.
Name Tags: It is very important that the above items of clothing and the sports kit are name tagged or labelled.
Footwear: Plain, black, low-heeled, leather-style smart school shoes or boots. Boots are only acceptable if worn discreetly and
under trousers. Combat boots and steel toe-caps are not accepted. Sandals, soft/canvas shoes, trainers, open back shoes and
shoes with logos or accessories are also unacceptable. Plain white, grey or black socks. Plain, unpatterned, black or natural
colour tights. School shoes must be worn in all school buildings. Black daps will be issued to students who infringe this rule.
Hair: Should be clean and tidy and of natural colour. There should be no streaks or extremes of fashion or hair accessories.
Facial hair for boys is not permitted, shaved heads and styles shorter than a grade two cut are also unacceptable.
Belts: Must be plain, black and unobtrusive.
Scarves: May not be worn as an accessory without outdoor wear.
Headgear: No hats or caps may be worn in the school building.
Nails: Nails should be kept short for safety reasons. False nails are not acceptable. If girls wear nail varnish, this must be subtle
and removed if requested by a member of staff.
Jewellery: This must be discreet, and only one pair of small, plain studs should be worn with a maximum of one earring in each
ear. For health and safety reasons, any form of stretcher, nose, facial or body piercing is unacceptable. Retainers are also
unacceptable and will not be allowed. Students who do not comply will be isolated. One discreet ring and one discreet necklace
may be worn in addition to a suitable watch. No bracelets or charity bands. Jewellery must be removed if requested for safety
purposes. Any jewellery worn in addition to the above will have to be removed and confiscated.
Make-Up: If girls wear make-up this must be subtle and must be removed if requested by a member of staff.
SPORTS KIT
Students and parents are reminded that the PE Faculty runs an „Always Kit‟ policy, whereby students must always bring their kit
to lessons even if they are injured and have an accompanying note. This is part of the Faculty‟s Effective Participant
Development Plan and any student who does not bring their kit to lessons will receive a concern about organisation in their diary.
2016 Year 8 Robotics Day
On July 4th, 40 Year 8 students took part in a STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths) event to promote careers in
engineering, programming and robotics. Students were chosen to take
part in the day‟s activities based on their aptitude or progress shown
during the year in STEM subjects in school.
During the day, students were asked to design
and build a robot using Lego Mindstorms
equipment. They then had to programme the
robots to navigate around a set course, carrying out tasks along the way. The level of
challenge was very high and students only succeeded by showing resilience and building
on the experience that they gained during the day. Each successfully completed task
earned points, with the prize for the most successful team going to students Rosie Beaven
and Phil Papworth.
Curriculum Guides
Class changes in September
When students return in September to Years 8 and 9 as
in previous years they will find that they may have been
moved classes for some of their lessons.
This year we are changing the groupings for some
subjects to help us ensure that we are able to provide
the very best support and challenge to all of our
students and aid their progress. Throughout the course
of the year we will assess students to ensure that they
are in the right group and that they are making good
progress and where this is not the case we will be able
to intervene accordingly.
If you have any other questions please feel free to
contact Duncan Smith, Deputy Headteacher
([email protected])
Each year we publish a curriculum guide for the parents
of students in Years 7-11.
These guides tell you what your child will be studying in
each subject during the course of the year so that you
can help support their learning by talking to them about
what they are doing, encouraging them to „read around‟
the topics they will cover and flagging up things that may
be related in the news or everyday life.
The curriculum guides for 2016-2017 will be published on
the curriculum pages of our website along with homework
timetables at the start of September, I would encourage
you to download those that are relevant to you. Should
you wish to have a paper copy please contact the school
office.
National Champion
TBS student, Jaydee Burchell from Year 12 ( pictured right) has
attended a National Trampolining Competition in Telford and
won!!! She was competing with her team Spirals who train at
Canford School. This is a HUGE achievement and we are very
proud to have a national champion at The Blandford School,
Well done Jaydee.
TBS Teacher Nominated for Award
The Blandford School's very own Mrs Jill Bailey was nominated for the Teacher Award
at The Netball South West Regional Goalden Globe Awards and Team Bath Netball End
of Season Celebration 2016. The Award is presented to a teacher who has made an
outstanding contribution to netball through delivery in the education environment, outside
of their statutory responsibilities as a teacher.
Netball South West went on to say ' Jill has been arranging residential netball tours for
The Blandford School since 2012, the most challenging and exciting of which was a tour
in March 2015 when squads from TBS went to Disneyland Paris. Since her attendance at
the youth Umpire Award Orientation workshop Jill has supported 34 students through the
course. Mrs Bailey is also planning an INTO officiating course this spring and arranges YNO courses when necessary.
Outside of school Jill has been the club volunteer for North Dorset NC since set up in 2010. She works very closely with
the club and tries to ensure there are always Young Leaders and other volunteers available. Mrs Bailey works hard to
maintain a strong school/club link, examples include students attending junior club sessions and club coaches attending
after school coaching sessions. Jill has extensive knowledge around various Netball pathways and links them in
extremely well to student life in and outside of school. Things are ever changing and Jill is always keen to deliver and
offer the most up to date programmes and events for her students. Jill keeps her students and juniors at the heart of
everything she does; The Blandford School are very lucky to have benefitted from Mrs Bailey's hard work and
commitment.
All the staff and students would like to say well done, congratulations and thank you to Mrs Bailey.
Bowled Over....
Some Year 7 classes have visited Blandford Bowls club in their PE lessons
this term. The students were made very welcome and taught the key
techniques of Bowling. Sid and Joy Steele from the bowls club were helped
by other members in delivering a fun session. Students competed as teams
by doing fun activities involving skittles, jacks and target ramps. Certificates
were then awarded to the best scoring teams and top individual bowlers. If
anyone is interested in joining the bowls club the junior session runs on a
Saturday morning. Please ask Mrs Bailey for details.
County Netballers
Celine Collier and Georgie Bailey (pictured
below) have been selected to play Netball
for Dorset. They recently underwent a
gruelling 3 day selection process that
involved conditioning, fitness, match play
and ball skills. Both girls have now been
invited to train weekly at Canford school
and the David English Leisure Centre in
Bournemouth. They will be involved in
matches against other counties in the South
and South West areas.
Contact Us
If you would like any more
information or if you have a story
that you think could feature in
our Newsletter please contact us
at:
The Blandford School
Milldown Road
Blandford
Dorset DT11 7SQ
01258 451121
[email protected]
Visit us on the web at
www.blandfordschool.org.uk