Students Wow Audiences with Outstanding Les Misérables Performances

Newsletter: Issue 14 Christmas 2018 Students wow audiences with outstanding Les Misérables performances

One Day More….! Was the cry of the cast when we finished our two night run of performances last week. Everyone had been so immersed in bringing together the spectacular that was Les Misérables that it came almost as a palpable shock when it was over. The pas- sion and professionality that was brought to the stage by our young cast created a performance of a quality well beyond their years. The company comprised of a range of performers from year 7 through to year 13 in starring roles; I have never before worked with such a concentration of immensely talented young people. With overwhelmingly positive reviews, the cast should be extremely proud of what they have achieved. Les Misérables is no mean feat and for many it was their first experience of a college production. For our year 13s it may be their last major production with us and what a way to go! There were for me many highlights: Eponine’s death scene on the barricade always made me cry, the innocence of little Cossette contrasting with our bad guys the comic Thenardier’s, the emotion of Empty Chairs and Javert’s final goodbye was theatre magic. That said, the devil was in the detail; the ensemble reactions, the back ground action that kept the stage alive, was what made this not just a college production, but a production worthy of twice the ticket price and a place in any professional theatre. Hats off too to the orchestra, our excellent student musicians held their own amongst the professionals and performed with great maturity adapting to the demands of a live performance. The overture always sends shivers of excitement that it’s show time and this was no exception. Plans are already culminating for the next show, but for now I’d like to sign off with an extract from my letter to the cast… “Keep the memories of the last 12 weeks safe and, if ever you doubt yourself, look back on this experience and remember just what you are capable of.” Anne-Marie Conroy—Head of Expressive Arts.

www.facebook.com/bidefordcollege www.bidefordcollege.org 2 Dr Claire Ankers - Acting Principal

A warm welcome to the Christmas edition of the Bideford College newsletter! As you will read in the following pages, our College community has a great deal to celebrate as we approach the end of what has been a very busy term. It started on a sound footing with the publication of a pleasing OFSTED report which acknowl- edged the improvements that are being made at the college. This reflects the hard work and commitment of all our students and staff. This half term we have celebrated the successes of our current and former students at our annual awards ceremony, been inspired by the talents of the cast in the production of ‘Les Misérables’, warmly welcomed prospective Sixth Form students from schools across North Devon and cheered on a number of successful sports teams. We are very proud of our sporting youngsters a number of whom have showcased their skills locally and further afield this term. All of this is in addition toa range of extra-curricular trips, expeditions and enrichment activities that our students have had the opportunity to get involved in. A special mention must go to our Year 11 students who have just received their mock GCSE results following over two weeks’ of exams. It is important that they now use these results to help prepare for the months ahead as they approach their final GCSE exams which start in May. They will have the opportunity to assess their progress to this goal at a second mock exam season which starts on Monday 25th February. It is also timely to wish our Sixth Form students good luck with their mock exams which take place on our return after Christmas. We are delighted that later this year we will take ownership of a defibrillator purchased in part by the proceeds of a number of fundraising activities including a non-uniform day. This will be sited on external wall so as to allow full access to the local community. Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to wish all members of the Bideford College community an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas break. I look forward to seeing all students rested and ready to learn on Monday 7th January 2019.

Dr Claire Ankers

H C O O U L S E E R I C D U G P E

www.facebook.com/bidefordcollege www.bidefordcollege.org 3 London trip

On Friday 7 December, 34 students headed to London for an exciting weekend away. It was a jam-packed two days! Students visited the Science Museum, walked the length and breadth of central London, watched award winning musical Wicked at the Apollo Theatre and finished the weekend rubbing shoulders with famous and infamous at Madame Tussauds.

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Our 15 Early Help for Mental Health student ambassadors have now finished their 10 week training. In their final session they gave a presentation to the staff at Bideford College on their Mental Health manifesto and the changes they would like to make next year.

In the first instance, Bideford College staff will be undertaking “Normal Magic” training to help better support our young people with their mental health and wellbeing.

The students will continue to work together in 2019 to implement the projects they have come up with.

Mrs Southern - Mental Health Coordinator

www.facebook.com/bidefordcollege www.bidefordcollege.org 5 Year 7 Wii Tennis House Competition

Well, it is safe to say that Wii tennis on the big screen was a smashing success! Whilst being cheered on by fel- low year 7s across all five Houses, the selected competitors battled it out to win those -all important house points and tried to come out on top. But, before all that, the chosen two from each House had to prove their skills to become the House champion. Who would then venture on to represent their House in the fiercest encounter the Devon Hall has ever wit- nessed? Day 2 saw a dilemma; some players did not return to claim their racquet! With the Arthur champion nowhere in sight, Mimi Giles stepped up to the mighty challenge that is Wii tennis and was victorious against Brunel. The crowd sat in awe as Farwell champion Fin Haste, after defeating his twin sister, battled against Sophia Wallace from Coleridge in a 3-game showdown packed with nail-biting deuces, with Sophia claiming victory.

Jed Clements had to step up for Brunel and despite utmost effort, motion controls were not in his favour. Day 3 saw Hepworth’s Kia Sharkey overcome some tough opponents to claim some victories. However, it was Coleridge who came out on top overall, closely followed by Farwell then Hepworth then Ar- thur, and Brunel taking 5th place. A great big thank you to Mr Cope, Ellen Keirle, Joe Spencer, Ted Emery, Barney Evans, Alfred Stains-Byrt and Molly Munro for giving up their lunchtimes to help run the event.

Katie and Peter Rowe

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Wow, what a long, jam packed term for everyone at Bideford College. There has been trips to Exeter and London, presentation evenings, parent evenings, Sixth Form evenings, mock exams, carol services, residentials, plenty of sporting trophies won and a superb school production and not to forget a successful Ofsted visit on top.

I feel that everyone has earnt a good rest and the opportunity to put their feet up in front of Christmas television and to re- charge the batteries. Having said that, Christmas is also a great opportunity to visit family and friends, so make sure you look up from your phone and engage in some conversation…I’m sure my wife will be giving me the same advice!

I would like to say well done to Ellie Braunton and Megan Athey who have been appointed the Charity Leaders for Arthur House, already they have launched an initiative to collect everyone’s loose change to support our chosen charity Chemo He- ro. The Year 11s have had the excitement/trepidation of collecting their mock results. In true GCSE fashion, they collected their results on mass and had to open them together in true results morning mock up. Now, the key is, that this is a ‘wake up’ call for some and for others just a helpful reminder that they are on track. I’m in my tenth year of teaching and unsurprisingly the students who worked hard, got good results and the ones who were lazy got bad results, such a simple equation, but unfortunately for some, the penny won’t always drop until they are in their ninth Maths re-take at Petroc in 2022. I would like to take a moment to mention the Arthur House students who were awarded at the presentation evening. Maisie Shaw in 10AW was nominated by the English department for her unique ability to interpret different texts. Barney Evans in 10TB was nominated by both the Science and MFL department, with both subjects commenting on how hard he always works. Danny Cashmore in 10AW has been nominated by the Expressive Arts department for his contribution with both his acting and singing. This has led to him performing one of the lead roles in the school production of Les Misérables, where I saw first- hand that alongside Zsofia Droppa they were both superb. Kornel Malinowski and Andras Droppa, who were both Arthur students last year, picked up the big awards of the night. Kor- nel being awarded the Principal’s Award and Andras the Governor’s Award. Both of them are outstanding students and I’m glad they got the recognition they deserve. Anyway, I hope you all have a great break. See you in the New Year. Mr Skinner - Head of Arthur House

In recent news Arthur has been going strong regarding House points especially those of you who are at 100% attendance (I sure am) as those 100 house points really make a difference, also Bideford College also won the year 10 rugby recently so well done to those people who supported us there.

In other news some Arthur students took part in the school production Les Misérables congratulations to Danny Cashmore for a great performance. All these things have led to Arthur having plenty of not only top students but students with hun- dreds of house points so hopefully we win the cup.

Overall a very good half term for Arthur house hopefully the new journalist will have plenty to comment on as I have, I am relinquishing my role as House Journalist, so the role will be available after Christmas, please enquire with your tutor about applying for the role.

Have a very merry Arthur Christmas.

Jake Holding - House Journalist

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As we are nearing the end of our first term I am proud to say that we are still the house with the most house points awarded in lessons! The students in Brunel have pretty much led the way since the beginning of the term which, I believe demon- strates their determination to succeed as a team, a quality which will get them a long way in life and a step closer to winning the house cup!

There are lots of exciting things to celebrate this half term, 8JS and Megan Hare raised over £30 for Children in Need with their sweeties in a jar competition , Zach Ernest in 8KS came 2nd in the Spooky Story Competition and Brunel came 2nd in the MFL competition. In addition, Liam Martin in 8JS was a key player in the Year 8 Football Team who have reached the Devon Cup Final, I believe he scored in every match and Jacob Stevenson in 10SL was instrumental in stopping West Buckland from scoring and contributing to the college winning the year 10 North Devon Rugby Cup.

Well Done to all the Brunel students who have taken part in competitions within the college or indeed represented the college this term. Other activities which Brunel students are currently competing in include the design a subject postcard for Bideford College competition, the Year 7 Wii competition, the design and make a gingerbread house competition and finally the inter house rugby for the boys and indoor football for the girls, I am looking forward to hearing how we get on in all of these competitions!

In our most recent house assembly we learned about the importance having a defibrillator nearby and on Friday 7th Decem- ber we held a non school uniform day to raise money to buy two defibrillators, one for the main site and one for Kingsley , these will be an invaluable resource to the college, and the wider community, 270 children die in the UK every year after suffering a Sudden Cardiac Arrest at school.

I am also hopeful that all of the Brunel students will take part in a reverse advent calendar where they bring in a non perish- able good from home to donate to the local food bank, in order to support people less fortunate than themselves over Christmas.

So, that just leaves me to wish you a Restful Christmas and a Happy New Year! I Iook forward to seeing you all in 2019.

Mrs Luke - Head of Brunel House

Merry Christmas! Finally, the Christmas holidays have arrived and now we have two weeks to enjoy Christmas time with family and friends. We have had many important things happening including the Year 11 practice mocks which finished in No- vember, congratulations on finishing them. We’ve had the Year 8 History trip to Exeter, where I’m sure they learnt many wonderful facts. Now that 2018 is very close to finishing and 2019 is near, what would you like to achieve next year that you already did great this year? maybe some new things.

In 2019, maybe it’s time to be thinking about some new years resolutions, like maybe a certain grade, you would like to change in school or possibly a skill outside of school. Have a great Christmas Holiday, have fun and be ready for next year with many new discoveries and opportunities to indulge in. I hope to see more House Cups for Brunel next year with many more house points to be earned and great attendance from all – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Caleb Hayward-White

House Journalist

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Merry Christmas to all who read this - from everyone in Coleridge House.

After a long term it’s certainly time to get the mince pies out, put the slippers on and enjoy the break – or whatever the equivalent of a rest is for you!

Swiftly moving on to something that is certainly no laughing matter - The House Cup. This term it’s a tough one to call and it could be anyone’s! I have seen Mrs Luke telling Brunel that they are in a strong position while Mr Cross thinks Hepworth are nailed on Champions – bless their naivety, but credit to them for being ambitious. Seriously, Coleridge have had a sound term with some great achievements and we are in a good position making sure as many of you achieve a 100% attendance will really help. Please aim for this as a new year’s resolution – it makes all the difference to the House and your education.

This half term has seen some real success stories and congratulations to all the sports teams that have represented the College. I have had the privilege of managing the Boys’ Year 8 football team and they scooped the North Devon Trophy and are progressing well in the Devon Cup. Finlay Newton – Charmers and Henry Cox were flying the Coleridge flag in this team. Equally, at the time of writing this I can hear the dress rehearsal running for Les Misérables, the 2018 production – good luck to all involved. Jack Burnett plays a lead role, as he did last year, and as his Head of House, I look forward to seeing him in the West End.

With a tenuous link to the dress rehearsals, this has also proven to be a crucial week for our Year 11 students. All students opened their envelopes and received their mock exam results; these results often give a clear indication of how much revision is required ahead of the real performance in May 2019. I will be working tirelessly over the next 6 months to help, support and guide them to help shape their futures. Well done to everyone who gave these exams their best – that’s all we ever ask from you.

Finally, this half term included the Bideford College Celebration Evening and I was honoured to organise this event. The evening gave us the opportunity to acknowledge our best students at the College in addition to hearing from some inspira- tional speakers. Thomas Williams, Sam Vanstone, Caitlin Haughton, and Chandler James were all representing Coleridge nominations. A special mention should go to Hannah Esau. Hannah returned to College from her apprenticeship to collect the ‘most progress despite adversity’ award from last year’s Year 11.

Merry Christmas to all and your families. Think Coleridge – Think Gold!

Mr O’Donoghue

Head of Coleridge House and Associate Assistant Principal.

The half-term has nearly come to an end, and I think it’s safe to say that lots has gone on since September. We’ve had trips to London, non school uniform days, and important finals matches. Last weekend, several members of staff took a group of students up to England's capital, to see the sights and have lots of new experiences. Friday the 7th of De- cember was the day that we had all been waiting for - or maybe just me - non uniform day. Students were invited to wear their own clothes for the day, for a very good cause. The funding from non uniform day should now enable us to be able to buy two easy to use defibrillators. Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th were the nights of the prestigious school show, this year being Les Misérables, with several Coleridge students appearing in the cast. This has been a fantastic end to the school year, and we’re all excited for the Christmas holidays. We look forward to coming back happy and rested in the New Year. Wilbur Mason—House Journalist

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Farwell House News

Pictured: Jill & Eddie Farwell and their children

Time really does fly! It’s amazing to think that we are almost at the end of the first term. I have been really impressed with how Year 7 Farwell students have adapted so well to life in secondary school – so different to what they have been used to in their first six years of education. Once again this year, I have asked Farwell students to think about other people on the approach to Christmas. Very kindly, some students have been making a reverse advent calendar, where they have brought items in to school to take to the local food bank to help and support other people. Many thanks to all of these students who are thinking of other people less fortunate than themselves over the Christmas period.

On 5th December, Year 11 students received the results from their mock exams which they sat earlier this term. Students need to set aside some time over the holiday period to review where things went well and where they need to make improvements, continuing with a revision programme for their forthcoming exams. This is a crucial time in their lives and whilst they need time to rest, they should also set aside time to ensure they are making progress towards the summer exams.

This year’s presentation evening saw the Devon Hall packed with parents and students who had been lucky enough to be nominated by teachers for an award. Farwell were well represented with Adam Williams nominated by Maths, Jasmine Birch nominated by both Science and Humanities, Austen Dymond also nominated by Humanities, Oliver Ross nominated by MFL, Tarzan Quennell nominated by Vocational and Technology, and Fran Ducros receiving a nomination from Expressive Arts. Well done to all of you.

As I always mention in the newsletter, good academic achievement goes hand in hand with good attendance – well done to Farwell House and to parents for your efforts in the first term. There is, however, always room for improvement and tutors will be promoting good attendance during term two. At the time of writing, 58 students in Farwell have 100% attendance this year, well done!

Many thanks to the local businesses listed below for sponsoring our rewards assemblies at the end of each term. The Big Sheep, Milky Way, Quince Honey Farm, McDonalds, Subway, Costa Coffee, The Royal Hotel, Nike Factory shop, New York Nails, Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, BJ’s Value House, Exeter City Football club. If you are a local business who would like to become involved in helping with future student rewards, please contact Mr Gibbins at the school.

To everyone involved with Farwell house, parents, students, carers and their families, have a peaceful, relaxing Christmas. Enjoy spending time with family and friends and come back ready to face (and overcome) the challenges that 2019 will hold. Mr Gibbins - Head of Farwell House

Christmas time got off to a great start for Bideford College, with both teachers and students full of the festive spirit and looking forward to the holidays yet to come. Within the first days of December we began the month with a non-school uniform to raise money to buy the school some new defibrillators.

During December, students’ awareness of the importance of these machines was publicised through assemblies and over £1100 was raised – well done everybody. Having this equipment will make the school safer for everyone.

Rhys Wassall - House Journalist

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News

“Holidays are coming, holidays are coming, holidays are coming…” It’s that time of year when Mr. Cross has his yearly argument with the Christmas lights and his son says, “…just buy some new ones daddy” and Mr. Cross’ reply is “…one day you’ll understand it’s a dad thing!” What an incredibly busy half term this has been. First of all well done to our Year 11’s after completing there mock exams and having their mock results day. I’m sure they all found it to be an experience; one which ever way their results turned out, should be used as a springboard to the summer exams. Be the best you can be, put the work in and get the results you deserve! Another well done to all the Hepworthers who were part of the College’s ongoing sporting successes! I was privileged enough to watch the Year 10’s beating Park School, my old haunt, in a stunning show of skill and panache! It was great to see the team spirit and to see many of you guys in a different setting from my science room! Well done to the recent tennis success at the Tarka Tennis Centre and also to the Bideford College Year 10 rugby team. All these teams having been made up of many students from Hepworth House! As the festive season approaches I hope that Hepworth House is also thinking of the many people who maybe not as fortunate as we find ourselves and encourage the house to bring in items for the “Reverse Advent Calendar Food Bank Appeal”: a great cause and something simple that can make a big difference for a lot of local people. Can I take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the students in the house and the fabulous tutor team in helping me throughout this term: helping me settle into Bideford College and into Hepworth House, you’ve all been fantastic! I hope the house wins the first House Cup of the year, which it richly deserves, but even if we don’t we all know we’re still the best house! Wishing you all seasons greetings during this festive period for all faiths or beliefs you hold true! Merry Christmas! Mr. T. Cross - Head Of Hepworth House

This term I have chosen to change the theme of my section of the Hepworth newsletter and give you all some behind the scenes information from the cast members and director of Bideford College’s Christmas show Les Misérables . In my opinion I have really enjoyed being part of the acting , singing and stage design of the show and wanted to share this enjoyment with the Hepworth house. Director A Conroy has said "I have found the development of the show exciting! It has been great to be able to give the cast the opportunity to do something special, however there have been some ups and downs in terms of co-ordinating so many people in the right place at the right time, measurements for costumes have also been stressful but we pulled through and they all look amazing! I also spoke to some of the main characters to see how they have been enjoying being part of the show. Molly Harris playing the part of Fantine says "the most enjoyable moment in the show in my opinion is when I die because it’s really emotional and powerful for the audience to watch” Josh Garrad playing Thenardier says "performing Master Of The House has been my favourite part of the show because it’s fun with movement, costume and music, you are all able to let out your inner stingy bar man. I have taken part in all the school productions previous and Les Misérables is such a fun and powerful show with such a wide range of characters that is inviting to any type of actor. I think that Mrs Conroy and Mrs Chappell have done an amazing job with directing and or- ganising such an amazing show!" The cast have done an amazing job learning lines and lyrics to all the songs and it will be sad for it all to be over, however we have all really enjoyed being part of such a huge, amazing musical and the final product looks and sound amazing ! Hope you all have an amazing Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Mayson Gosling House Journalist

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Learn 2 Live

Year 12 recently attended a very moving presentation called Learn 2 Live, which details the dangers of getting into a poten- tially fatal car accident. The presentation was an eye-opening experience, with many heart wrenching, first-hand accounts of road traffic accidents. We felt the event was very important, and made us think about our safety in a more careful and considered manner. Our age group are at the biggest statistical risk of road traffic accidents and therefore Learn 2 Live was a very useful presentation for us all. Jack Berry Torrage Review

Currently, a number of the Sixth Form are participating in a thoroughly enjoyable and fulfilling project: Torrage. Torrageis an event, occurring every Friday, where elderly members of the society are welcomed into the Kingsley building to enjoy tea, biscuits and a good chat. However, Torrage also aims to improve their skills and safety whilst using technological devices. Throughout the few weeks that Torrage has been up and running we have already seen a great improvement in their ability to use tech. To add on to this, it does seem that all of the participants are enjoying themselves , however this could be because of the tea and biscuits! Whilst Torrage is set to end at Christmas, there will definitely be plans to repeat this great experience in the future. Axel Morgan

Sixth Form football

On the 19th of November the Bideford College Year 13 football team went head to head with the neighbouring team at Kingsley school. The match took place on the away pitch and was a fantastic victory for our squad. As a result of some outstanding team work and beautiful goals Bideford won the game 4-1. Man of the match, James Seaman, scored two goals in the first half with conviction. Closely followed by a wonderful header from Harvey Fenton into the top corner and finally, a perfectly timed and placed shot from Arthur Souch into the bottom left of the goal. With credit to Ben Blake for his un- matched reactions and speed in goal. This victory has paved the way for more games against other teams in the future and the success stories are expected to come rolling in. Well done to the entire squad: Ben Blake, Harvey Fenton, Alex Beer, Charlie Johns, Arthur Souch, Jack Pomeroy, Charlie Croker, Max Gale, James Seaman, Sam Cairns, Tom Guymer, Ash Dobby, Jack Knight and Harry Carr.

Great Torrington school Sixth Form promotion

This half term, 5 students and 3 sixth form staff visited Great Torrington school, to be a part of their careers and further education event. During this event we were allocated a stand and able to promote Bideford College Sixth form to secondary school students who will soon be making the decision about A levels and colleges. Parents and students alike spoke to us and many seemed enthusiastic in finding out more about our sixth form. The best thing about the evening was that, as students and members of the student leadership team we were able to talk about the college, showing how we are part of a community, and are proud to represent our Sixth form. This was in addition to a presentation by SLT about our Sixth Form at Great Torrington school. We spoke about opportunities on offer and the fantastic facilities we are lucky to use, including: the kitchen, Gym and common room (not forgetting the vending machine). It was a good experience for us to talk to new people to improve our public speaking skills and also a great opportunity to help the year 11s at Great Torrington make an informed decision about their futures. Victoria Townsend

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Year 12 Exeter University Visit

In November, the Year 12 students had the opportunity to visit Exeter University and have a look around the facilities and the courses they offered. For some of the students, this was the first taste of university life they have experienced and therefore was vital in deepening their understanding of higher education and gives them an insight on where they want to go after completing their A-levels. Exeter is a Russell group university – meaning that it is primarily research led. Exeter is also a campus university; therefore unlike many big universities such as Imperial College London or Bristol University, the majority of classes and facilities are located on-site and consequently easier to access. After the bus journey the ensemble were ushered into a lecture hall, where essential information about the university, ac- commodation and bursaries was delivered. An extensive tour of the university and their faculties preceeded the presentation, with the on-site ‘halls’ featuring at the end. The group then enjoyed a light lunch before returning to the lecture hall to end their day out. The day was organised and led by a group of students who were currently studying at the university themselves; they work part time as ambassadors for Exeter University. Working for the university is one of the many way students can earn money while studying on their course. Curtis Wilford, a student who went on the trip, said: “It gave me awareness of the environment I may be studying in, in the future. To have a Russell group university so close is a fantastic opportunity. Callan McDonald Year 13 mock interviews

On Wednesday the 5th October the students of year 13 who have opted for the employment route as an alternative to university took part in an independent “mock interview” with the rotary club. This was a useful experience, to help those involved to develop their future prospects and learn the skills required in an interview. It was an interesting and beneficial process which allowed students to gain feedback on their CVs and receive tips and constructive criticism on their articulato- ry skills and attitudes in the interview environment. Maya Blackmore Sixth Form Open Evening

The Sixth Form open evening was held on the 29th of November to give Year 10s and 11s from schools across North Devon the opportunity to talk to subject teachers about their future A-level options and take a look at the fantastic facilities that we offer. There was a huge turnout of potential applicants, as well as current Sixth Form students delivering tours of Kings- ley and the whole college, and also representing various subjects and departments. A huge thank you to everyone who helped out, and a reminder to current Year 11s that online applications are now open on the Sixth Form website! Jacob Spencer

Children in Need

As a Sixth Form we organised a last minute fundraising event for Children in Need. Some of us came in wearing yellow or spotted clothing and thanks to the generous donations of our sixth form students and teachers we raised £100 plus £25 from gift aid resulting in a grand total of £125. What a fantastic result! Jacob Spencer Mock Interviews

For those applying for undergraduate courses in medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry or to study at Oxford or Cam- bridge, mock interviews were organised in collaboration with West Buckland. This vital practise prepared our high achieving students for their interviews. Many thanks to those who helped to organise it. Jacob Spencer Suit up Sixth Form

Whilst the rest of school dressed down in non-school uniform, the 6th form students dressed up for “Suit-up Sixth Form” to do our part in raising money for two defibrillators. We all arrived looking dapper and enjoyed the new look so much we plan to make it a regular event.

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Every year the Library gives every Year 7 student a free book as part of the BookTrust’s Bookbuzz .

Bookbuzz is a reading programme from BookTrust that aims to help schools inspire a love of reading in Year 7 students.

Participating schools give their students the opportunity to choose their own book to take home and keep from a list of 17 titles suitable for 11 to 13-year-olds. They are all carefully selected by a panel of experts to ensure quality, suitability and to encourage reading for pleasure.

7L3 receive their books

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Humanities

On Wednesday 5th, Friday 7th and Tuesday 11th of December all of Year 9 went on a Geography trip to Affinity Shopping Centre. We went to ask the question ‘How successful has the rebranding been at Affinity (formerly Atlantic Village)?’ We collected data to help us answer this question. One of our tasks was to find out how many people would walk past us in 5 minutes, we did this both outside and inside to see how this compares. This data is now going to be used in our Geography lessons and will be analysed to help us conclude whether the rebranding has been successful. We all enjoyed ourselves and had a nice time doing something out of school. Lizzie Cook-Martin

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Senior Maths Challenge

The Senior Maths Challenge was, well, challenging! With 25 four mark questions, a mark deducted for every wrong answer, and only 90 minutes to finish it, the paper was most certainly taxing. The atmosphere in the room when the paper was first opened was, however, not one of despair, but of determination. Even so, after the gruelling 90 minutes had passed, and everyone’s pencil was set down, the minds in the room did not stop working through the problems, as proven by the heated discussions over questions that raged after the challenge was over. Then there was the Kangaroo Challenge. Only two mathematicians made it through to this stage, one from each year group. Needless to say, this contained some of the most challenging maths I have ever encountered. Yet there was a subtle beauty to this maths, an intricate simplicity that, when discovered, was at the same time ob- vious and complex. Despite the time constraint, this section of the challenge was rather enjoyable, and certainly eye-opening to the level of thinking required for further education in mathematics."

András Droppa—Year 12

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Amie McMurray—Judo Silver Medallist

Year 9 student Amie McMurray has earned herself another British National Championships Medal. Amie who won Gold in 2017 followed this up in 2018 with an amazing performance to win a Silver Medal. Whilst Amie will certainly feel disappointed, she should be proud that she was a double national finalist for two years running. Amie powered through her preliminary rounds winning her contests with her trademark Newaza (ground work). In the final she faced Amelia Alder from Witley JC. The contest was very evenly balanced, Amie took early control with a strong grip and attacks but Amelia was looking to counter any mistake and she certainly knew the danger if Amie managed to control the Newaza. As the fight continued both girls produced great opportunity to score and with a final push Amie was only 1 second from securing her hold-down and a win but the time run out and the fight moved into Golden Score. Amie was working really hard in a lung busting final which went into the third minute of extra time always looking to score and take advantage in Newaza. Unfortunately Amelia just managed to counter one of Amie throws and this was all she required to score and win the gold and leave Amie heartbroken with the silver. But what a privilege to be able to say see was once again a National Championships finalist and medal winner. I’m sure Amie will become stronger from the experience and continue towards winning a 3rd National medal in 2019. Congratulations Amie. The final was so good it even got a mention on the British Judo Website front page. Mr McMurray.

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Junior Golf Champion Lewis Ross wins four top awards!

Year 11 student Lewis attended Saunton Golf Club Junior AGM on Sunday 2 December and picked up the following four awards for 2018. They are as follows: Order of Merit Cooper Cup Boys Junior Champion Half Term Cup Jacobs Bogey Cup Lewis was presented with three silver cups and 4 glass awards Well done Lewis!

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Year 10 Football Champions!

Amazing! amazing! What a performance the boys put in on 22 November. To put this in context; we lost to Park in the group stages. We had never lost until that game and the lads were in shock. They were men, we were boys; finally a team that could compete and more!

This game was an important one. Pride was at stake and revenge would be sweet. We made a few tactical changes; Ol- lie Haste played centre back to strengthen our defence, Matt Lewis played centre midfield to make sure Park couldn’t win the physical battle. That left James Hayter up front on his own, playing the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation. I told the lads to come out of blocks like Usain Bolt and not let up until the final whistle. Well, it worked. We were relentless, playing at an intensity that Park could not handle. The quality of football and some of the goals we scored were just sheer class.

We went 1-0 up in the first 5 minutes and then 2-0 up, minutes later. Park did pull one back to remind us how good they are, but then Matt curled a free kick around the wall to make it 3-1. We were even better in the second half and put the game to bed, with the final score 6-1.

It was a brilliant team performance, but I must make a special mention regarding the following players: James Hayter for scoring a brilliant hat-trick. He was so strong physically and his finishing was top class. Matt Lewis for covering every blade of grass on that Astro, at least 3 times! Nathan Colley for threading one of the best weighted passes you will ever see, after skipping past 2 players, to James so he could score his 3rd. Lucas Wood for only playing his 3rd game for the team and Dre Beer, who did a great job standing in for Keith Law.

Mr Bloxham

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Year 10 Football

November 2018 Congratulations to the Year 10 football team who have qualified for their 4th North Devon Final. They beat Braunton 4-1 in a rather wet encounter. Fortunately, the pitch was not effected too badly by the weather. This helped us to play some decent football and not become drawn into a physical battle, which would have played into Braunton’s game plan.

The boys won 5-0 on November 1st. It was a straight forward win, but an important one as we are now through to the semi-finals next week. Goals scorers: Oli Haste, Matt Lewis, Charlie Mugford, James Haytor, Callum Deemer. Special mention to Keith Law who had a blinding debut as left back. He was a real added strength to our defence and really quick and powerful. Mr Ashcroft, Mr Palmer...get him in the rugby team! Keith Law Reece Cook Charlie Mugford Dre Beer Nathan Colley Billy Pearce James Hayter Lucus Wood Sam Picillo Callum Deemer Oil Haste Barney Evans Matt Lewis Ben Pomeroy Ben Seaman Will Walkey

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Devon U14 Batsman of the Year

Congratulations to Year 10 student James Hayter on be- coming the Devon U14 Batsman of the Year. James has also been selected to play for the Devon U15s in South Africa in February 2019.

Well done James and good luck!

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Year 10 Rugby Champions!

The Year 10 boys won the North Devon Schools’ Rugby Cup on Wednesday 5 De- cember, defeating West Buckland School 14- 0 under floodlights at Bideford RFC. Matt Lewis and Ollie Haste scored in the first half and Adam Leworthy converted both. A penalty kick was missed just before half time and West Buckland put on a good spell in the first five minutes of the second half but Bideford played all of their rugby in West Buckland’s half, soaked up all of the pres- sure and kept tackling and winning the ball back when it was crucial to do so. The core of the team in attack and defence was Matt, Lewis Ollie, Haste, Louis Mathers, Sam Picillo, Kai Pett and Jacob Stevenson but to stop West Buckland from scoring (and most of the time to stop them from looking like they were going to score at all) was a great team performance. There were lots of proud parents watching and a very proud coach – Mr Shuttleworth! Mr Ashcroft.

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Our thirty-two Bronze and twenty- one Silver Duke of Edinburgh are well on their way to completing their award. These students are currently volunteering within the community, completing physical recreation by participating in a range of sporting activities and are developing a variety of skills within the skills section. Students have also attended a number of classroom-based sessions to sharpen up their navigation and expedition skills. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an internationally recognised award and is held in high regards by universities and many employers.

SILVER students on their day walk on SILVER Dartmoor students on their day walk on Dart- moor on Brat Tor.

BRONZE students practicing emer- gency procedure drills

SILVER BRONZE th Next event: Friday 5 - Sunday Next event: Saturday 9th th 7 April 2019 March 2019 Location: Exmoor Location: Hartland Day Walk Time: 09:00- 17:00 (meet at college) Time: 08:00- 17:00

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Organised by the Army from Headquarters South West and assisted by the Navy and the Royal Air force, the Ten Tors Chal- lenge is considered to be the largest and most highly respected outdoor walking event held nationally for young people. On the weekend after the May bank holiday (10- 12 May), 2,400 individuals set out on this challenging overnight expedition, which many past participants have described as a ‘life changing experience’.

The Ten Tors training season is well underway. Our year 10 and 11 students have made a fantastic start and are currently re- fining their skills in preparation for the actual event. The training so far has enabled students to develop their navigation and team work skills which will be necessary to be successful within this event in May. Students have so far completed four training day walks on Dartmoor which have certainly given them a flavour of what it has to offer in terms of weather and tough navigation conditions. Training will continue after the Christmas holidays- see schedule below.

Photo: Ten Tors Training Team on Brat Tor. Photo: Ten Tors Training Team having a quick break in the mist.