Ex-Student Harry Apps Has Landed a Role in Les Miserables, Touring the UK Until May 2019
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As we come to the end of our first two terms we can reflect on some very positive changes that we have made and look forward to a bright future together. Despite all the fuss in the papers in September the introduction of the new behaviour has been a huge success. We have listened to Student Voice, Staff Voice and Parent Voice which are generally very positive and made tweaks as necessary. The policy is designed to stop low level disruption and improve the learning environment which is exactly what it has done. At the same time we have introduced Show My Homework and our new assessment policy which is based on the very latest research and was praised by the renowned national assessment guru Daisy Christodoulou when she came to the school recently. Sadly two members of staff are leaving us this Christmas. Bill Tucker, our Head of Computer Science, has had enough of travelling from Bath every day and has decided that he will work closer to home and Alex Burns our Mad Dog Rugby Head Coach is leaving to be Head Rugby Coach in a private school in Somerset. We wish them both great success and every possible happiness. In the summer our students yet again excelled themselves keeping in the top 5 schools in Wiltshire at both GCSE and A level/Btec. For the third year in a row we gained our best ever results at GCSE with record numbers gaining the new Strong Pass – a 5 in both English and Maths as well as the Standard Pass – a 4 at English and Maths. Our Year 13 students again beat their average target grade which takes into account every subject and every entry for every student. Those targets were based upon their GCSE results which at the time were the best results that the school had ever had so they were ambitious targets. Congratulations to all those students and a huge thank you to the staff for all their hard work and parents for supporting children so well. This year so far there has been the usual array of success in all areas. House competitions continue and extra-curricular activities happen all over the school. Sporting success has come again with the main focus on netball and rugby with some swimming, cross country and football thrown in. We have had stunning musical performances in concerts and Speech Night. I am looking forward to our end of term celebration assemblies and the Carol concert. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. George Croxford, Headteacher Ex-student Harry Apps has landed a role in Les Miserables, touring the UK until May 2019. Critics wrote ‘Harry App’s emotional performance of Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, staged with beautiful simplicity, highlights the star of the show, that wonderful score written almost forty years ago. Perfection.’ Congratulations to Harry. We wish his the very best of luck for future roles on stage and look forward to hearing how his acting career progresses. This term the 6th Form language groups have been providing weekly support in some of the Key Stage 3 language lessons, helping pupils with their pronunciation, aural and reading. The Year 12 students are gaining valuable experience, which some are using as Duke of Edinburgh Gold evidence or a skill for their UCAS personal statements or school references. We are proud of our students making this commitment and helping younger students to gain confidence in their studies. We are busily rehearsing Beauty and the Beast for performances in February, with pupils from Years 7 to 13. When we come back to school after Christmas, we only have 5 weeks until the show - so please make sure you attend rehearsals if you are involved. Everyone from the Beast to the chorus can be seen on stage all of the time - show off your talent! The lead cast are very dedicated and we have had fun in rehearsals as well as hard work. The 'putting the show together' will happen in January where we will bring dance, drama and music together. Professional West End shows get a 6 week rehearsal period, and we have 5, so there is a lot of work ahead! Please come along and support the show. We keep ticket costs as low as we can as some schools in the area charge £15 a ticket! Our prices are £7 for adults and £5 for students and concessions. Show dates are Friday 8th February at 7pm, Sunday 10th February at 2pm, Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th February at 6pm. RWBA has launched its refurbished form of Student Voice through a completely new School Parliament. Mr Jonathon Hake (Science Teacher and School Parliament Leader) has designed this system to be a wonderful opportunity for students across all Year groups to be able to have their ideas shared and discussed in order to make real positive change in the school. Unlike Westminster, our parliament is not some loud arena of conflict, but instead a cooperative and enthusiastic team who will be looking at issues of the school environment, personal development, well-being, behaviour and safety, and teaching and learning. The new School Parliament is structured very much like Westminster, with Jade Cain (13Wo1) as our Prime Minister and her two Deputy Prime Ministers Molly Lambert (13Be2) and Matthew Warner (13Wo1). This trio lead up their cabinet of Ministers consisting of Chanel Du Toit (13Co1), Veronica Mkrtchyan (12Ba2), Thashania Nulliah (13Ba2), Maddy Sargent (12Wi2) and Josh Johnston (13Be1) and Deputy Ministers elected from each group. Each of these Ministers will oversee a specific committee of Members of School Parliament (MSPs) who will be meeting regularly to discuss their agendas. So far the environment group in particular has had a lot to work on regarding ideas about changes to our recycling practices. This has involved meetings with G4S about what can be done to improve our waste management at RWBA. This state to parliament is a key part in raising the profile of student voice in school. We are also looking forward to students taking an ever-increasing active role in designing and re-shaping our provision for pupils on PD days. The aim of this is to use their knowledge and awareness to plan sessions and invite expert speakers to address modern concerns. It is an exciting time and is a result of the schools ongoing work regarding Children’s Rights, Internationalism and a constant focus on student engagement with the school. Jade Cain Molly Lambert Matthew Warner Chanel Du Toit Veronica Mkrtchyan Thashania Nulliah Maddy Sargent Josh Johnston Year 9 students have been studying Creative Writing in Mrs Weeks’s English lessons. Here are just some of the fantastic pieces of writing they have produced. Well done to everyone – very impressive! I walked, until the path would end… A cacophony of sound entered by ears with anger The plane was shot down, it dived into the sea like a and hatred. A loud mosquito noise, but I could only kingfisher and all I could do at the time was pray he hear one voice. That one voice sounded like it was didn’t die, that he survived. worried, I didn’t know where it was coming from. I miss his voice, his hair, his smile. Nothing seemed Echoing around the empty atmosphere I looked right, everything was out of place, he wasn’t coming around, there was no one to be seen. My ears burst home every day at 5.30pm. He wasn’t taking the dog to into tears. A new tune started to play, I recognised work every Friday for an hour. All I could think about is it. how I didn’t say goodbye. I had to escape… How could I live without him, but how could Loreli – The tune that was playing sounded like a nursery growing up wondering about the man in the pictures rhyme that my dad used to play to me. Where are around the house. you dad? I woke up to a strange aroma entering my Today the beautiful deadly funeral was so heart- blooded nose. I couldn’t breathe for a few breaking. Tears everywhere. seconds. Staring outside, even through the shut window pane the world looked cold. The path finally ended. “Hello dad”. He replied with “Who are you?” It’s been 3 years since the outbreak hit the city. My family was first to get infected. I was sleeping at the time and my brother came in my room screaming, crying and shouting. What’s wrong with mummy and at that moment I know something was up. London streets, usually crowded with business men At the same moment I got up and sprinted towards my and shoppers now empty. Everyone just left. All but parents room, but as I got there I saw blood coating the one. bedsheets. Then my dad started crawling out from behind the bed, bites all along his neck all bleeding, Her yellow coat and black jeans drenched from the painting his pyjamas red. Screaming at me to get my rain stood out against the bleak grey buildings brother to run and never look back. But I couldn’t move, behind her. Every light in every window still on but I had tears running down my face soaking the carpet and nobody inside. It’s like all of London decided to pick my clothes. The moment I saw my mum I ran back to my up and leave, taking nothing with them, not even room and grabbed my brother and ran in the pouring their most beloved possessions.