Ipswich School and the community

Passionate about supporting people School Core Values

Care: For each individual. For the community. For each other. For others. Potential: Within each individual, our pupils and our staff, to grow and excel in all that they do. Passion: For our subjects and activities. For the transforming power of education to realise potential. Communication: Clear, comprehensive and timely.

Cover photo shows pupils and staff from Ipswich School and Ipswich Prep School with the amount raised by charity in the autumn of 2015 - see page 8 for details

2 iPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 www.ipswich.school/community Community involvement at Ipswich School

Community involvement is a central feature of life at Ipswich School and of our core aims. We want to encourage our pupils to consider moral and spiritual values, to understand their place in the world and to develop a spirit of service within the community. Pupils from the Prep School to the Senior School have the opportunity to take part in a range of activities and charity fundraising, and the school is proud of the contribution it makes to the local community. This is the second booklet we have published, outlining just some of the ways in which the school, its pupils and staff are passionate about supporting people.

“Pupils show a generosity of spirit and appreciate the circumstances of those less fortunate than themselves. Their strong commitment to community service is evident with high levels of participation in volunteering and charitable fundraising.” Ipswich School ISI Inspection Report, November 2014

For up to date information about our community activities and charity fundraising, visit the Ipswich School website: www.ipswich.school/community www.ipswich.school/community IPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 3 Working in the community

A very wide range of Montessori School, Pat Lait individual costumes to primary organisations and groups Dance Group, Quilling Club school children for theme days hire our facilities via our [card craft], Rushmere Dance such as Victorian, World War trading company, Ipswich Club, Rushmere YM Tennis 2 and Tudor history days. The School Enterprises Ltd, Some Club, Small World Kindergarten, department also gives unwanted of these facilities are hired Wildlife Trust, Triangle clothes, bags and shoes to at concessionary rates, Motorcycle Club, YMCA Junior charity shops. considerably below the Rugby. A number of computers are commercial rates, providing Our Catering Team has loaned donated to charity each year as excellent value for money for catering crockery and cutlery part of the school’s IT renewal community groups. to Bramford Scout Group for policy. This summer around 100 Groups supported in this way their annual AGM dinner, have computers no longer needed by include: Belstead Singers, CRUSE provided free tea and coffee for the school will be donated to Heartbeat (Art Class), Ipswich an Ipswich Children’s Book Group an Ipswich-based charity, Tools Bach Choir, Ipswich Chamber event and have lent equipment with a Mission. Music Society, Ipswich Maritime to a fundraising event for the We donated 12 old power Society, Ipswich Orchestral African Children’s Choir. supplies, 12 microscopes and 4 Society, Ipswich Scout Group – The Drama Department loans laboratory scales to Lab Aid. Gang Show, Ipswich Sequence props, costumes and scenery to Dance Club, Ipswich Vintage 20 organisations – schools and Motorcycle Club, Meadows theatre companies – and also

Keyboards find a new home When the New Music School was built and kitted out, a number of electronic keyboards which were not needed were donated to a local primary school in the town.

4 iPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 www.ipswich.school/community Kissing it Case Study Better

Ipswich School’s Community Service Drama students have worked on an exciting new project, in conjunction with Ipswich Hospital and a dementia charity, Kissing It Better. The project involved around 15 pupils from Years 9 to 13, who visited Ipswich Hospital on a Thursday afternoon. They talked to patients and sang, performed drama scenes or read poetry to them, as a way of brightening up the patients’ hospital stay. Drama teacher, Mrs Pitt, worked with the pupils on the project and said: “It has been a great opportunity for the pupils to practise performance skills, in a very different setting to that which they are used to We have received performing in. I think it has so much positive been important for them to feedback, with understand how they can use their passion to inspire others, patients saying it has and also to help people in their made their day, and local community.” with hospital staff She added: “It has often been saying they have very emotional, for the pupils, noticed a change in the staff at the hospital and their patients for the the patients themselves. We better. have received so much positive feedback, with patients saying it has made their day, and with hospital staff saying they have noticed a change in their They have been to a variety of patients for the better.” wards and have enjoyed the All the students received special opportunity to both perform training from the charity, and and to talk to others, mainly are now ‘dementia friends’. older people. www.ipswich.school/community IPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 5 Ipswich School has provided a Orwell Housing Association were not able to use the army’s free venue and refreshments for have a free booking in the facilities at Wattisham so were events in the BooksEast Festival. Sports Hall at Henley Road offered the school pool free of every Monday evening, enabling charge. Suffolk Ornithologists, people involved with the Neighbourhood Watch and association to play football and Larchcroft Education Trust badminton free of charge. have benefitted from free or reduced rate rooms for events, The Army Air Corps have used fundraisers and Annual General the school swimming pool to Meetings. complete their pool drills – they

Free minibus use has a positive IMPACT Through links with a teacher at Ipswich School we have been able to support a local charity IMPACT, loaning them the use of one of the school minibuses to take young people from Ipswich away to the coast. Trips have included a day at Felixstowe (pictured) and a visit to Blackpool. The school received very positive feedback from the charity: “I just wanted to thank you for allowing IMPACT the use of the minibus. We had a great time. “The young people surmounted fears of dark places (we went down a mine) and rides (we went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach). They relaxed, had fun, had made to them is immense. the Ipswich School minibus, adventures, walked in the was similarly appreciated by the countryside and had time “We, as volunteers, are really young people from the hostel. away from the difficulties they very grateful for the use of the They ate sausages, watched face living in the hostel. minibus. We have very limited fireworks, sat by a bonfire and funds so your kindness made a “These young people toasted marshmallows. One significant difference to us.” are probably the most of the girls said to the charity disadvantaged in our town and A trip organised to watch workers: “I will never forget this the difference a trip like this fireworks at Waldringfield, using night.”

6 iPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 www.ipswich.school/community Ipswich School goes the whole (hedge)hog Gardeners at Ipswich School are possible in the boarding house habitat in the centre of town doing their bit to help Suffolk grounds. – but we’d love to encourage Wildlife Trust’s campaign the surrounding streets to get to make Ipswich the most Suffolk Wildlife Trust aim to involved too. hedgehog friendly town in the recruit ‘hedgehog champions’ The creation of Hedgehog UK. to help provide areas of gardens where the mammals can live Highways – ground level fence The two members of the in safety, hoping to reverse the holes around the size of a CD school’s Grounds Team, Paul major decline in their numbers case – are the perfect way of Cole and Terry Gillam, have which has occurred over the past giving hedgehogs access to been working hard to create a fifteen years. gardens, and will go a long way habitat which is appealing to in helping them thrive in a town hedgehogs, making the most of Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s hedgehog environment.” the woodland and wildlife at the officer for Ipswich, Ali North, Pupils from the school also carry Ipswich School boarding house. visited the site to see the work at Ipswich School. out work in Christchurch Park They have created six hedgehog on a weekly basis, assisting with houses, as well as many log She said: “It’s brilliant to have conservation activities in the piles, which provide a perfect Ipswich School on board with park. In addition, the Foodshare habitat for a hedgehog’s our project – hedgehogs can community service activity favourite food, insects. The roam around 2km in a night, sees pupils growing herbs and team have also made some gaps so need large expanses of vegetables in an allotment at in fences to allow hedgehogs connected habitat to survive. the Ipswich School boarding to pass through so that they The Ipswich School boarding house - these are shared with St have as wide a foraging area as house provides some excellent Elizabeth Hospice.

www.ipswich.school/community IPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 7 Fundraising to support charities Thanks to the generosity of the whole Ipswich School community, over £11,000 was raised during the autumn of 2015 for local, national and international charities. Events such as a Refugee Week Campaign and a Christmas Hamper Raffle in the Senior School, and collections for the Prep School’s appeal to raise money for an orphanage in Africa, brought in a total of £11,574 which was distributed to charities including the Red Cross, Unicef and East Anglia simpler lunch of rice, lentils and lonely this can be for them. The Children’s Hospices. vegetables, special assemblies school regularly goes to visit to with speakers from Suffolk entertain with singing or poetry Headmaster Nicholas Weaver Refugee Support, and English reading, or just to have a chat. said: “Care for the community classes writing poems about outside Ipswich School is one Head of Ipswich Prep Amanda refugees in response to the of our core values, and it is very Childs added: “We are very lucky issues raised. pleasing to see this embodied to be part of such a generous in all our pupils and staff, and In the Prep School, food was community, but our charity work those in the wider school family, collected for the local charity is not just about the amount of who have given so generously to Families in Need (FIND) who money raised, it is also about our fundraising efforts. I know provide a food bank for families helping our pupils understand that this will make a difference in Ipswich. The children have that there are many people to so many people for whom also learnt about older people in the world who need our life is challenging in one way or in the local community who live support.” another.” in residential homes and how As well as raising money for “Older pupils reflect upon personal and topical various charities, the Ipswich School campaigns have provided issues and develop a strong understanding of opportunities for pupils to learn what life is like for those less fortunate than more about some of the issues themselves. Through their support of local and facing the people supported by international charities they develop a deep the charities. The Refugee Week empathy for the world beyond their school.” in the Senior School included swapping lunch choices for a Ipswich Prep School, ISI Inspection Report, May 2013

8 iPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 www.ipswich.school/community Prep School pupils support Soma Leo appeal The fundraising efforts of pupils from Ipswich Preparatory School to support a school in East Africa resulted in a container of clothes, toys and school equipment being shipped to the Soma Leo School in Kenya. Families donated new and good second hand books, toys and clothing to the Soma Leo appeal, with additional funds of over £2000 being raised at the Prep School’s bazaar and whiteboards, pens and pencils, The children attending the other Christmas events and along with a selection of story Soma Leo School will also have concerts in 2015. books and a large box of Lego. new rucksacks and book bags This money was used to buy The school will also be receiving in their school colour which essential school equipment some second hand computers have been printed with the including calculators, donated by Ipswich School. Soma Leo logo.

In the 2016-2017 school year, almost £3000 was raised for the African Children’s Choir before their visit to the school. £3890 was raised for Macmillan Cancer Support, after an idea from a Sixth Form pupil, included a charity hockey match as well as cake sales, charity collections and a Christmas Jumper non-uniform day. Senior School pupils selected were selected by pupils as their two charities nominated charities. to support As well as raising just over through a link £5000 through non-uniform up with Suffolk days, a barbeque and disco, and Community collections after chapel services, Foundation. pupils were encouraged to Ipswich Housing donate items such as flannels, Action Group soap, pasta and cereals which and Suffolk could be given to the two Young People’s charities to pass on to people in Health Project need. www.ipswich.school/community IPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 9 Supporting sport in the community

We have agreed long term We support Suffolk Sport in their tournaments hosted by Ipswich and regular use of our sports organisation of Suffolk School School – one for Year 7 pupils facilities by a local hockey Games events, using the facilities and one for Year 8 pupils. club and netball club, and our at ISSC Rushmere and our Sports Schools are able to use Ipswich football pitches are used by Leaders – pupils who are taking School facilities at little or no local clubs for adult and junior a sports leaders qualification as cost, with options for sporting football. part of our Thursday afternoon activities including use of the Sports facilities are hired by Community Service activities. Henley Road site swimming groups including: Pupils from eight local pool and after-school hockey Badminton Clubs secondary schools have clubs run by Ipswich School’s Adastral, Corinthians, Drakes, been invited to play in rugby experienced coaches. Suffolk Juniors Clubs Achilles, Brantham, BT, Capel, Fruitful links with Copdock Castle, Copdock and OIs, Clacton, Dedham, East Bergholt, and OI Cricket Club Felixstowe, Hadleigh, Mellis, Ipswich School has Mistley, St Margarets, a long association Stowmarket, Suffolk Seniors, with Copdock and Wivenhoe OI Cricket Club. Football Clubs One of our BT Bibway, Burhill Logistics, coaching staff Chantry Grasshoppers, Ensors, assists the club Ipswich Exiles, Ipswich with free coaching, Wanderers (U13), Little Kickers, and the club uses Kesgrave Kestrels, Marriot, cricket facilities at Westerfield United, Witnesham the school’s Henley Wasps Road site. This Hockey Clubs included holding Ipswich and East Suffolk, a cricket training Ipswich, Suffolk Junior Hockey camp for young Academy, Suffolk Hockey people in the Association Christmas holidays Natwest Showcase Event at Netball Clubs which was promoted by the Easter, completing a range of Birketts, Ipswich, Ipswich Ipswich School Sports Centre important projects to get the Hospital, Ipswich Ladies, Prettys development team. club ready for the new season Members of the school alongside cricket stars community also attended a Mike Gatting and Alastair Cook.

10 iPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 www.ipswich.school/community Playing hockey at Rushmere Hall Primary School

Pupils from Years 3 and 4 at One pupil, Olly from Year 4, Rushmere Hall Primary School explained about his hockey played hockey in an after experience. “It was really school club during the autumn exciting to play on the astro and spring terms, coached by because it was our first time “I am pleased that our children Heather Dixon, the Ipswich not playing in the playground have benefited from a quality School Sports Centre (ISSC) at school. I enjoyed the slap after school club provided by Sports Development Officer. move we did. I usually do the Ipswich School Sports Centre.” pass and push move – when I For most of the pupils this The after school sessions were started I had no idea what itwas. was the first time they had offered at a reduced rate to I have done extra hockey in the played hockey, and they the school as part of Ipswich holidays and joined a club now.” enjoyed developing new School’s community outreach skills in the weekly sessions. Paul Stock, Rushmere Hall head work, making them very ISSC supported the pupils teacher, added: “Promoting affordable for parents. The and a teacher to attend a sport and out of school activities club is now in its second year special training session on is very important to us at at Rushmere Hall. the astroturf at the Rushmere Rushmere Hall. We know that centre, so that they could the skills learnt through sport experience hockey on a high- can impact on all areas of class playing surface. learning.

The after school sessions were offered at a reduced rate to the school as part of Ipswich School’s community outreach work, making them very affordable for parents. www.ipswichschoolsportscentre.co.uk www.ipswich.school/community IPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 11 Sharing a passion for performance

The Prep School’s Director of Prep pupils visit various The Britten Faculty of Music lent Music has worked with a local residential care homes to sing a local choir 40 Carols for Choirs primary school to arrange to residents – involving around books at Christmas, and pupils specialist music teaching and 25 pupils on a regular basis. In from other schools may take workshops. the Senior School, 18 pupils take their music exams here. part in the Community Service The Prep School also arranges Music activity on Thursday a summer strings course for afternoons, and have performed younger players, inviting them at Anglesea Heights, Thornbank to learn performance skills with Residential Home and in various other musicians of a similar schools. ability. From school hall to concert hall The annual Ipswich School and experience live music – to under 18s and those in full Festival of Music has an many of them for the first time. time education for all evening education programme The photos here show The concerts. at its heart, bringing Swingles leading workshops Over 600 young people inspirational live music from during the 2016 Festival of each year find the Festival is top professional musicians Music a vibrant, noisy, fun way to to children from schools in Reduced rate student tickets explore music. Ipswich and beyond. costing just £5 are also offered Pupils are invited to attend workshops, masterclasses and concerts, so that they can learn the skills of performance

12 iPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 www.ipswich.school/community Supporting local schools

We have made our minibuses and drivers available to help four local primary schools with transport to activities, including events being hosted by Ipswich School – sport, music and maths challenges. We have also helped transport pupils from five primary schools to an event in Ipswich. Our extensive Community Service programme involves weekly visits by over 50 pupils to local primary schools and special schools, so that they can help pupils in the classrooms in these Primary schools. We continue to support Halifax school maths Primary School by arranging for its pupils to use our swimming competition pool free of charge on one afternoon per week for two Young mathematicians from ten Ipswich Primary Schools put their terms each year. thinking caps on in March as they battled it out to win the Ipswich School Maths Challenge event. A number of members of staff are governors at local schools or The teams of pupils competed in several challenges aimed at testing work with charities, with Ipswich their knowledge of Key Stage 2 Maths and beyond, and took into School enabling them to have account speed, accuracy and mental maths skills – not a calculator time off to fulfill their duties or in sight! to share their expertise. The favourite round for most of the competing teams was the final maths relay where speed and accuracy were needed in equal part. After some hard fought maths, the Rushmere Hall Primary School pupils were named as the victorious mathematicians, with St Helen’s Primary coming second and St Margaret’s taking the bronze spot. Fiona Robinson, the Ipswich School maths teacher who organised the event, said: “It was great to see the teams working hard to solve the maths problems, and having so much fun while they were doing it. Many congratulations to Rushmere Hall and to all the teams who took part – we hope they’ll be back next year for more challenging calculations!” www.ipswich.school/community IPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 13 Supporting science in schools

The school runs science events Northgate High School, for primary schools including a running a stand making regular science experience day optical spectrometers for Year 5 pupils and a paper- for youngsters. rocket building morning for Year 2 pupils at a local primary A public lecture, Dark school, led by the Head of Matter and Hidden Physics and Sixth Form pupils. Dimensions, was hosted in Little School Sixth Form students supported and attended by the PhysicsFest event at members of the public and pupils from other schools. Eggsellent Eggsperiments! As part of our Science outreach programme, 30 Year 6 pupils and An eggshausting but their teachers from Handford Hall Primary School visited for an eggshilerating time extended Chemistry lesson. was had by all! The theme was eggs and there was a series of analysis tasks for pupils to identify the metal and non-metal component of egg shells. This involved very popular flame tests and precipitation reactions. An egg was also made ‘naked’ by immersing it in concentrated acid. Pupils then dyed eggs using plant dyes. As a finale, an egg was made silver by coating it in carbon and submerging under water and another was pushed into a bottle using atmospheric pressure using a burning taper to lower the pressure inside the bottle.

14 iPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 www.ipswich.school/community Supporting learning and personal development

Pupils have links to other faith communities through the PRE department and make visits to local mosques and churches, whilst the learning of Prep pupils from the Nursery upwards is supported by visits from members of the wider community including the police and fire service. The Nursery team at the Prep School are supporting two medical students who visit each week to observe child development, and have a Ipswich School welcomes applications from potential student who is doing a university pupils from all backgrounds, and offers financial degree for three days a week whilst working at the Prep as assistance where applicable. well.

To enable young people to reach their full potential, we offer Local secondary school pupils fee remission of 75% and above to those pupils who have the hoping to study medicine at appropriate skills and aptitude for learning, as part of a means- university are invited to attend a tested bursaries scheme. We also provide additional support for careers day each year to explain travel, lunches and examination costs as appropriate. more about the profession, and the entrance tests that they will For the 2015-16 academic year, 10.9% of Senior School pupils encounter. received means-tested bursaries . 12 of these pupils were assessed at 100% remission and a further 5 at over 90%. The amount spent on The School has offered the bursaries in 2015-16 was 15.9% higher than in the previous year. opportunity to students from local sixth form college One to We also aim to recognise high academic potential, or the ability to have a mock Oxbridge interview. excel in co-curricular activities, by providing scholarships offered at age 11, 13 and for entrance to the Sixth Form. In 2015-16 the value of scholarships held rose by 19.5%.

Updates on Ipswich School’s charity and community work can be found online: www.ipswich.school/community www.ipswich.school/community IPSWICH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 2017 15 Ipswich School and the community Passionate about supporting people www.ipswich.school/community Published November 2017