Dear Parents/Students,

I would like to welcome you to this edition of the School newsletter which should give a good flavour of some of the events that have been taking place over the course of this very busy half Tony Rushworth term.

Headteacher It has been an incredibly busy first term with lots packed in over the last 14 weeks or so. The end of term is proving to be just as busy as the beginning, with the Year 11’s getting their first practice of INSIDE THIS ISSUE mock exams (with Sixth Form to follow in January), drafting of Year 9 options booklets and planning for the January pathways events on our return. As well as this we have recent and continued Year 7 leaders successes on the sports field; especially the emergence of the Year 8’s who seem more than able to hold their own against virtually any school around. The list goes on, not forgetting our first school Year 8 leaders production, which was held on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 December. School of Rock Performance The Year 7’s have settled in really well at and it is a pleasure to see them working so well on a daily basis. They also seem to be benefiting from the separate lunch period ONB County Camp which has helped them to get used to a new school environment which is quite different from Commemorating the First World War primary school. It has also helped us as senior staff on lunch duties to quickly learn their names, get to know them and see their strengths, especially on the table tennis tables at lunchtimes etc. English Department News Mathematics Department News Selection of Head Boys, Girls and Deputies for each Year group… Accelerated Reader We are delighted that the following students have been selected as student leaders in their year Duke of Edinburgh Award Presentation groups. Congratulations to all. Other year groups to follow soon… Staff Profile Year 7 Year 7 Boys Rugby vs Head Boy - Harry Farrance Year 8 Rugby District Champions Deputies – Olly Gerrow, Jack Pickwell Year 8 Rugby Head Girl – Elysia Thompson Year 9 Boys Basketball vs Warrinor Deputies – Alice Wilkinson, Tia Carpenter-Tiwari School Year 9 Rugby Year 8 Head Boy – Adam Newman Year 9 Boys Basketball Deputies – Nathan Ejiogo, William Barker Year 9 Boys Rugby Head Girl – Abi Starkey Year 11 Football - North Oxford Academy Deputies – Abby Cladingboel, Ella Stevens Year 11 Football Under 19 Basketball House Points As always, lots of students are earning their house points, with many already well on their way to a Senior Basketball Team Bronze award. Remember, 1000 points for Bronze and 1750 takes students all the way to Platinum. For Year 11 there is the additional prize of earning sufficient points to go to the end of Year Prom.

May I wish all our parents, students and staff a really happy Christmas break.

Yours sincerely,

December 2017 Tony Rushworth Headteacher Year 7 Leaders

Harry Farrance 7.4 - Harry is a hard working student who is consistently towards the top of the House Point earners across Year 7. Harry is well-liked amongst his peers and has represented the school through sport. He is the Captain of the Year 7 Rugby team and has led the team to multiple victories. Harry will do a fantastic job as Head Boy for Year 7.

“I will make a good head boy because I am committed and I understand the roles and the responsibilities that come with the job. I also listen to people's problems and always look for ways to solve them, although if it starts to get out of hand I will forward the problem on to the teachers out on duty. I will not spread any secrets or concerns that people may have and I am looking forward to what the job in hand shall bring”.

Elysia Thompson 7.6 - Elysia is a well-liked girl amongst her year group and works extremely hard throughout all of her lessons in Year 7. She has represented the school at sport including the Year 7 Hockey Team. Elysia is going to do a fantastic Megan Wood job as Head Girl for Year 7. Head of Year 7 “I am the new head girl. I will definitely be good at this as I have had some experience with something similar to this in primary school. I will certainly try my best at being head girl and I will come up with great ideas. I love doing things like this so I'll make the most of it. I'm so excited to be head girl”.

Jack Pickwell 7.1 - Jack is a well-liked young man amongst Year 7. He has the ability to work in a team and listen to his fellow peers in Year 7. He is hard working and committed to achieving his best. These skills will mean he will do a fantastic job as Deputy Head Boy for Year 7.

Oliver Gerrow 7.3 - Oliver has made a very positive start to the first term in Year 7. He is hard working and this shows in the large number of House Points he has received. He is well-liked amongst his peers and does a brilliant job of working as part of a team and shown this whilst representing the school in a Swimming Gala. Oliver will make a fantastic Deputy Head Boy for Year 7.

Alice Wilkinson 7.2 - Alice is a popular young lady within Year 7. She is well respected amongst staff and students alike. She has recently supported the organisation and planning of the Year 7 Charity Disco. She will be an excellent Deputy Head Girl of Year 7.

Tia Carpenter-Tiwari 7.5 - Tia has made a fantastic start to Year 7, this is shown through her positive attitude in lessons and the display of multiple House Points she has been awarded. Tia is brilliant at working as part of a team and this can be demonstrated in her listening skills. This will benefit Tia when taking on the role of Deputy Head Girl of Year 7. Year 8 Leaders

Adam Newman 8.2 - Adam is a hard working student who is consistently towards the top of the House Point earners across the whole school. Adam is well-liked amongst his peers and has represented the school in sport and more recently in the School of Rock performance. Adam will do a fantastic job as Head Boy for Year 8.

“I feel I'm going to make a good Head Boy because I will be supportive of all my peers and would like them to all enjoy school as much as I do.”

Abi Starkey 8.8 - Abi was awarded the Student of the Year award for her outstanding work and contribution to the school in Year 7. Now in Year 8, Abi still makes such contributions, notably this year delivering a fantastic speech at The Bicester School Open Evening. Abi will bring a maturity above her years to Mr Hume this role and steer the student body into making some key decisions. Head of Year 8 “I am looking forward to being Head Girl because I am productive, forward thinking and always keen to challenge myself.”

Nathan Ejiogo 8.6 – Nathan is a well-liked young man amongst Year 8. He has the ability to listen to all his peers and then make smart decisions. This skill will mean he will do a fantastic job as Deputy Head Boy for Year 8.

“I think I would be a good candidate because I have a loud voice and if people get hurt, need help calming down, or just want someone to talk to, I'm here.”

William Barker 8.5 - Last year William was awarded the Wider Contribution award for all the extra support he provided in whole school activities, such as Open Evening, uniform sizing events and Parents Evenings. William will do a sterling job in this role with his positive and willing attitude.

“I have helped out at many school events such as open evenings and now in this role I’m going to encourage more pupils to support events.”

Ella Stevens 8.7 - Ella is a popular and well-mannered young lady. She is well respected amongst staff and students alike due to her positive spark and enthusiasm she brings every day to school. She will be an excellent role model for the remainder of her year group.

“I am most excited about this role because I have plenty of new ideas to put forward to Mr Rushworth and Mr Hume, such as having more assemblies led by students themselves to engage the other students.”

Abby Cladingboel 8.4 - This year Abby has led the way with house points earned in her tutor group and now gets this opportunity to lead the way for the entire year group. Her peers look up to Abby as an excellent example of the work ethic needed to achieve at The Bicester School.

“I feel I am responsible and compassionate and I hope to make an impact on the school.” School of Rock Performance

It has been many years since the Bicester School has been able to put on a school production and this December we brought them back with a bang!

In July the newly-established Creative Arts team started auditions for ‘School of Rock’. We had a huge number of very talented students auditioning for parts and we were lucky enough to be able to ensure that no one missed out. Since then, students and staff have been rehearsing twice a week after school, as well as Saturdays, in preparation for the performances which took place on 15th and 16th of December.

Rheanne On both nights, in front of packed houses, students and staff did themselves proud – the show truly did justice to ‘the power of Sanders rock’! Both performances were huge successes – parents, staff Head of Music and students all enjoyed the show and we were pleased to receive so many positive comments about the professionalism of the event and how well everyone had done.

This was a huge undertaking and could not have happened without members of staff throughout the school supporting the event; designing the promotion, painting the set, selling tickets, supervising students, and selling mince pies and gingerbread for the ‘Sarah Day charity’. The PTA did a fantastic job of providing a bar with drinks and snacks.

We are especially grateful to the members of the community who also came to help us with the lights, sound, hair and makeup. This was a team effort and everyone involved has worked extremely hard. We are truly honoured to have the privilege of working with such talented and dedicated students and staff, who did themselves and the school proud – we cannot wait for next year! Activate Learning

Our MAT Development Fund Projects

This year our 5 MAT schools are working collaboratively on 3 school improvement strands that we have jointly funded. These are:

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Kerri Knibbs from The Bicester School has been seconded into this project to lead on some specific school improvement themes. These include supporting UTC Oxfordshire in history and geography subjects; UTC Reading and UTC Swindon in Business and helping devise a best practice approach to supporting NQTs. Part of this project involved us running our English and Maths conference in October for heads of these subjects. Next, I hope to see subject conferences for humanities subjects and for science. I was delighted to be able to drop in on the English and Maths conference and was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly the group bonded and began sharing ideas and learning from these new subject specifications. Hopefully, this has fed through and is impacting on our teaching practice with learners. Lee Nicholls Activate PIXL Learning Our second development project has been a MAT-wide subscription to PIXL and PIXL6. Already all 5 Heads/Principals have attended a PIXL conference and this has been followed up by subject leaders from each school attending subject-specific conferences. So far, this has involved Maths and Science. The Science group will now be our pilot group to establish a MAT-wide virtual area on MS One Note to help share resources, ideas and best practice.

Middle Leadership development

In the New Year we will be running a MAT middle leadership programme for subject leaders and possibly aspiring school leaders too. This programme will run over 18 months and follow the ILM Level 3 programme, leading to accreditation by the ILM. As an Apprenticeship Levy payer, we can recover the costs of this programme through our Levy contributions, making it cost neutral. I am sure Tony will be approaching some of The Bicester School staff to see if they wish to take up a place on the programme and meet like-minded individuals from other schools.

These are just some of the ways that we are trying to progress school-to-school improvement initiatives – the main reason we work together in these MAT families of schools – in my view.

ALET personnel changes

I am delighted to say that Andrew Stone (The Bicester School site manager) has moved to become an employee of Activate Learning, widening his role to oversee the various sites in Banbury and Bicester. In his new role Andrew will ‘look after’ The Bicester School, Bicester Technology Studio and the Banbury & Bicester College sites. Please join me in wishing Andrew all the best in this role.

In January Kiran Birk joins us as the ALET Data Manager to help standardise our approach to using Progresso and SISRA data tools across the MAT. This standardisation will assist in reporting out to parents and other stakeholders and, importantly, increase the level of scrutiny we can give quickly to our assessment and examination results, allowing us to plan student and cohort interventions much more swiftly and effectively.

We also say goodbye to Karen Stoneham in HR. Karen leaves us to take up a high-flying post as HR Director at a company in Witney, reporting directly to the CEO. Well done and best wishes Karen!

Happy Christmas!

That just leaves me to say – have a Happy Christmas and a healthy 2018. Please do take a well- earned break and enjoy time with friends and family.

Lee Nicholls Deputy CEO and Executive Director ONB County Camp

Earlier this term Georgia Usher and I were lucky enough to be invited to the Oxfordshire and North Buckinghamshire ASA’s (ONB) county camps at Stoke Mandeville. I (and my Mum) thought that we had been selected by our Club but Miss Jenkins (PE teacher) told us that ONB do the selection so it was an honour to be asked.

Evidence of the 2016 Olympic Games was everywhere – Wenlock and Mandeville statues and Olympic memorabilia greeted us in the foyer to the Sports facilities and 2012 flags marked the pool. As I was the only swimmer from my club I was quite nervous, but as we began the day in the pool there wasn’t a lot of opportunity or energy left to chat anyway and by the time we got out for lunch, we’d made friends in “our lanes”.

Parents were invited to a talk by a leading sports psychologist who spoke about changing their focus of encouraging us to improve our personal best times (PB) - the outcomes - and encouraging us to focus upon the process instead. Therefore if we focus upon improving our technique (start, turns, finish etc.) then the PB’s will follow. Just as well really as my Mum only knew one of my PBs (and that was because I’d gone “below” a certain second so she remembered) – not sure she even knows that many Caitlin now as I’ve improved. However the psychologist also told our parents not to reward us for PBs etc. – Laverick not sure I agree with that bit! Year 9 At Bicester we are lucky in that Craig, our Head Coach, is also the County Coach, so I knew him at least, but he had ensured that I wouldn’t be coached by him that day giving me the benefit of two other Coaches expertise.

We also listened to the psychologist who gave us lots of things to think about. She used the example of an Olympic swimmer who, having finished her final, didn’t look at her time for 45s after her race (that’s the second thing I do - after taking a deep breath). The swimmer when asked said that she reflected on the race first – was her start good? Tumble turns? Stroke technique? Only when she was happy that she had done all she could did, did she look at the clock – to find she had won gold. I am trying to use what she said but most of the time I look at the clock before reflecting – it’s a very hard habit to break. I think if I reflected on my race I would perhaps not be so disappointed if I didn’t get PB because I would already know what had gone wrong (and you can’t PB every time) or not.

I finished the day tired (four hours in the pool) but encouraged by what I had learnt both in the pool and out. There were many parallels from the day which I can use at school. If I work hard and focus and do what I am asked, then the results will follow. I can also begin to reflect after tests. Rather than “I did so badly” I can think about what I did and make a more reliable judgement as I think about what I did well also.

Caitlin Laverick Year 9 Commemorating the First World War

Once again the History Department and History students have participated in the Royal British Legion’s campaign to remember the fallen of the First World War, and have had a poppy ‘planted’ at the Menin Gate, close to the Flanders fields in Ypres, Belgium.

The Bicester School poppy was planted alongside thousands of others in the 2017 Flanders Field, close to the area that saw the heaviest fighting and where many of the British soldiers would have marched past on their way to the front line. It was here that the flowers continued to bloom, despite the shelling and fighting, inspiring one of the most famous war poems ever written, ‘In Flanders Field’ by John McCrae.

Jordanna Riches Head of History

The Menin Gate memorial is the only place in the world where the fallen of the First World War are remembered every day throughout the year. Each night at 8pm the traffic is stopped while members of the local fire brigade sound the Last Post under the memorial’s arches.

The Memorial to the Missing marks the route that tens of thousands of men would have taken as they moved to the front line. The walls of the memorial are inscribed with the names of 54,395 men who fell and whose graves are not known.

The History staff and students have chosen the following inscription to be included with their poppy:

‘For those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, with gratitude. May we never forget’ English Department News

We have had a busy first term in the English department. Here is a flavour of what students have been studying:

- Year 7 are reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol - Year 8 have been reading Phillip Pullman’s play version of the classic text Frankenstein - Year 9 are enjoying John Steinbeck’s 1930s novel Of Mice and Men - Year 10 hit the ground running with nineteenth century novels - Year 11 have been studying twentieth century literature including Lord of the Flies, An Inspector Calls and DNA

Year 10 and Year 11 Macbeth, English Literature GCSE Revision Guide Available To Buy

We are selling an excellent revision guide called “The Quotation Bank” which is available for you to purchase from us at a reduced fee. The guide focuses specifically on quotations from Macbeth, a core English Literature examination text. (The examination on Macbeth contributes 20% towards the final GCSE grade.) The guide takes 25 of the most important quotations from the text and provides detailed Fran Pollard material for each quotation, covering: Head of English • Interpretations • Literary techniques • Analysis • Use in essays

Also included is a sample answer, detailed essay plans, revision activities and a comprehensive glossary of relevant literary techniques. Please return the letter (given in class).

Accelerated Reader News

This term has seen an excellent start to the AR course. Year 8 have carried on from where they finished in July with many of them ready to do book quizzes in the first week back. Year 7 have made an extremely positive start; well done to all!

Our word millionaires, so far: Year 8; Abby Cladingboel, Megan Fitzmaurice and Joseph Catling Tear 7; Theo Biggs and Ruby Manellari

There have been some notable achievements this term, and not all are based around the figures. Sometimes the greatest achievement can be a change in attitude towards reading.

The next step is to ensure all students are reading for 20 minutes every day. It is important that this is their AR book as the levels are set to improve reading skill, speed and understanding. Any book outside of the set level range will not have the same impact on progress. If students have books at home that they wish to read, they can check the book level here: http://www.arbookfind.co.uk/default.aspx

Struggling with gift ideas for your child this year? Here are some recommended reads for over the Christmas holidays:

Goosebumps, R.L Stine – B.L 2.6 - 4.1

The 13 Storey Treehouse, Andy Griffiths - B.L 3.9 Billionaire Boy, David Walliams – B.L 4.1 Candyfloss, Jacqueline Wilson – B.L 4.5 Girl Online/Girl Online on Tour, Zoe Suggs – B.L 4.7 Murder Most Unladylike, Robin Stevens – B.L 4.8 Alex Rider Series, Anthony Horowitz – B.L 4.8 - 5.4 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, Jeff Kinney – B.L 5.2 - 5.8 The Hunger Games Series, Suzanne Collins – B.L 5.3 Journey to the River Sea, Eva Ibbotson – B.L 5.6 War Horse, Michael Morpurgo – B.L 5.9 Harry Potter Series, J.K Rowling – B.L 6.0 - 7.2 Mathematics Department News

In the run up to Christmas we are coming out of the first round of mock exams for Year 11 students in all subjects. For the first time in Maths, all students have sat all 3 of the new 9-1 papers in the hall in preparation for the final exams in June. Teachers and students have now had the opportunity to analyse papers with each student receiving a clear breakdown of marks for everything, including highlighted areas for further improvement and revision. Students should be using these analysis sheets to aid their revision with their revision workbooks that have been provided for everyone and MathsWatch. All login information has been shared in class, with handy cards provided to all students, but if you have difficulty, a reminder is here:

Website: https://vle.mathswatch.co.uk/vle

i. Username: your initial, surname, the year when you started as a year 7, then @bicester (no gaps), e.g. Tom Smith, a student who was a year 7 in September 2013 would be tsmith13@bicester ii. Password: tbsmaths Katrina Nash All students in Years 7-11 have been provided with these so everyone now has access to this way of Head of Maths revising Maths.

Revision is in full swing within the department through Morning Maths and Wednesday P5 sessions.

Many thanks to all the students’ enthusiasm and teacher’s dedication to the subject for making these run so smoothly and Miss Le Brun for coordinating them all between subjects. Morning Maths 2nd round has just started with the 3rd due to commence in February. Please speak to your Maths teacher to find out more details. Tutors will have this information as well. Wednesday P5 sessions are taking place in-between Science, Geography and History so we will be having different groups for revision each week. Please look out for notices around the Maths department informing students of where they need to be for sessions.

Over Christmas and thereafter all students will be receiving a round of 3 practice papers every fortnight to complete in lessons and at home to aid revision. This is definitely one of the most beneficial ways of revising Maths and we strongly recommend incorporating these into every day revision from now until the main exams in June. Maths teachers are always at hand to answer any questions or queries students may have so please feel free to approach teachers with papers during lessons or designated support sessions on Thursday lunchtimes in Ma06 with Mrs Nash. We will be incorporating exam practice in the hall into lesson time from January, also with more details to follow.

The Sixth Form are also now in the build up to their own mock exams in January with our Year 13 mathematicians sitting 2 papers, their current C3 module and 1 of their retakes from C1, C2 or S1. Year 12 will be looking at the new specification content in a Pure 1 paper and Year 12 and 13 further mathematicians will be sitting a new specification Further Pure paper. All students should be using topic lists, chapter reviews, recent in-class assessments and their own class notes to be aiding their revision. We also recommend the use of MyMaths for both content from the old and new specifications. A reminder of login information:

Website: https://www.mymaths.co.uk

i. Username: bicester ii. Password: parallel

Celebrations this term are in full swing especially for our Year 13 and Year 12 mathematicians. We are proud to say we have received our best set of Senior Maths Challenge results for a number of years with 7 Year 13 successes and 1 Year 12. Our congratulations go out to Jodie Harris (13) gaining Best in School, Best in Year and a Gold, Louis O’Connell (13) Gold, Rebecca Clamp (13) Silver, Sanju Ghale (13) Bronze, Ben Shan (13) Bronze, Robin Skerrett (13) Bronze, Antony Fixter (13) Bronze and Chiara Brown (12) Best in Year and Bronze awards. These tremendous results have led to Jodie and Louis qualifying for the next Kangaroo round which they have both sat this week and we are awaiting results. Good luck to both.

Finally, our sixth formers have kept on displaying their enthusiasm by taking place in the Senior Team Maths Challenge last month against some of the top schools across the county. Congratulations to Louis O’Connell (13), Sanju Ghale (13), Chiara Brown (12) and Thomas Horseman (12) for their fantastic contributions to the team and for representing the school and department in such a positive light. Mathematics Department News

Name Title

Katrina Nash Picture (L-R): Sachina Sunar, Rebecca Clamp, Ben Shan, Sanju Ghale, Louis O’Connell, Jodie Harris, Head of Maths Robin Skerrett and Antony Fixter. We are now looking forward to our next round of challenges in the spring term with the Intermediate Maths Challenge for Years 10 and 11 and the Team Maths Challenge for our Year 8 and 9 students. We wish everyone the best of luck.

Due to the increase in student engagement with our range of challenges offered throughout the year, Miss Stone’s ‘Maths Challenge Club’ for Year 7’s has made a great start this Autumn for anyone wishing to practice more of these skills in preparation for opportunities that may arise throughout the year. This runs on a Thursday lunchtime week A in Ma08. Please feel free to come along and see what it is all about. We would love to see you there.

Numeracy awards will be commencing from January with everyone in Years 7 to 10 aiming to achieve a Level 1 distinction in Years 7 and 8, and a Level 2 distinction in Years 9 and 10. Mrs Laverick will be arranging results and awards for all students across the year groups based on results from the first 2 terms diagnostic assessments which take place at the end of each term.

Levels of achievement will be awarded at Level 1 and 2 with: • Level 1: o Grade 2/3: Pass o Grade 4: Merit o Grade 5+: Distinction • Level 2: o Grade 4: Pass o Grade 5: Merit o Grade 6+: Distinction

We are looking forward to our first round of awards in the New Year.

Problem of the Week is one way in which numeracy skills are challenged as a whole and has already made a fantastic start to the year. Why not have a go yourselves. Problem number 15 will be: Accelerated Reader

“Children and young people who use Accelerated Reader tend to enjoy reading more, do it more often and think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use Accelerated Reader. They are also more likely to see a link between reading and their successes.”

Dr Christina Clark, National Literacy Trust

Fran Pollard We use Accelerated Reader (AR) within Key Stage 3 to promote a positive reading culture, to provide Head of English reasonable challenge to students when selecting personal reading, to monitor reading progress and to improve Literacy skills in all curriculum areas. It is an expectation that all students in KS3 read independently for 20 minutes per day, and the AR systems allow this reading to be supported and monitored.

Children who read regularly are able to widen their working vocabulary, improve their spelling skills, develop greater empathy and broaden their understanding of the wider world. We value reading and provide many opportunities for students to develop their skills during the school week.

We are delighted that, at this early stage in the year, 5 students have already become 'word millionaires.'

Their names are: Year 8; Abby Cladingboel, Megan Fitzmaurice and Joseph Catling Tear 7; Theo Biggs and Ruby Manellari Duke of Edinburgh Award Presentation

On the 13th November yet another inspirational group of young people were awarded the bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh award in front of delighted parents and friends.

Alice McLinden, our Operations Officer from the SE region based in Windsor, presented the badges and certificates saying how each participant had shown persistence, commitment and personal development over the past year or two, resulting in gaining the world’s leading achievement award for young people, recognised by employers and universities alike.

Each participant was asked to say a few words about their journey and it was clear that the expeditions were high on their “likes” list along with learning new skills and being with friends.

Mrs Claire Shepherd the Deputy Head recognised that “all the students had experienced things outside their comfort zone and had come out feeling a sense of achievement.”

As the schools D of E Manager, I informed parents how the award had helped participants give something back to the community, how confidence had been gained and compassion shown. Both Lesley Brady parents and the volunteers were also thanked for their support. D of E Co-ordinator The evening concluded with an opportunity for reminiscing and chatting with friends.

Bronze and silver award holders with volunteers

Silver award holders and volunteers Staff Profile

I grew up in Cambridge, where I had a very musical upbringing. I was fortunate to have been able to learn three instruments, the clarinet, saxophone and piano and I took part in numerous musical activities both in school and out.

I then went on to do a degree in Music at The University of Birmingham after which I completed my PGCE at The University of Leeds.

I began work as a qualified teacher at another secondary school in Oxfordshire where I worked for 15 years. During this time, I held the positions of Head of Music, Head of Year and then latterly, Head of Creative Arts.

At The Bicester School, I work as a Teacher of Music and Head of Year 10. It is a privilege to look after a year group and to get to know the students in a pastoral setting. Jackie Tansley Head of Year 10 and Music Teacher Year 7 Boys Rugby vs Sibford School

With a full squad, the Year 7 boys travelled to Sibford School for their semi-final and were full of confidence ready to fight for their place in the District Cup Final.

The boys started well and it was apparent it was going to be a tight fixture. Jack Hardcastle and Conner Calver were working hard to try and breakdown the Sibford defence but unfortunately we were caught on the counter attack to give Sibford a 5-0 lead at half time. The boys were disappointed but knew they still had a great opportunity to progress. Frankie Oliver continued to inspire the rest of the team with some huge tackles and mesmerising runs.

TBS threw everything they had at Sibford showing their determination and team spirit but it was not meant to be. Sibford went on to score a try in the dying seconds to finish the game 10-0 winners.

The Years 7’s deserve so much praise, their work rate and desire to succeed has been incredible and Daniel Courtney these boys have a bright future. Keep your heads held high and bring on next year. PE Teacher Team sheet: Connon Calver (C) Harry Farrance, Jack Hardcastle, Thomas Pollard, Frankie Oliver, Josh Chigogora, Morgan Atrill, Jonjo Reck, Alfie Weedon, Leo Veresa, Sam Williams, Cake Carter, Henry Campo, Teddy Brylewski-Cooper, Malik Chouib, Manasseh Rodrodro. Year 8 Rugby District

The Year 8 Rugby team returned to the district final with the aim to replicate last year’s success. The team were up against a familiar MCS team and fell behind early by two tries.

The team were brought back into the match by a fine performance from Captain Finlay Elliot. He drove the team forward with some good runs holding off many defenders on the way.

The second half began similar to how the first half ended and Bicester piled on the pressure. The try of the game came from a well worked play with driving runs and good offloads and was smartly finished by Rhys Panting. The boys held of some late pressure by MCS and won the game 9 tries to 6.

Congratulations to the boys on becoming back to back District Champions.

Michael Hume Head of KS3 Year 8 Rugby

On Thursday 2nd November The Bicester School sealed their place in the District Rugby final for the second year running with a dominant performance against Banbury School.

Both teams were physically advanced considering their age group, and it was a physical encounter from the first whistle. There were some crunching tackles from Jacob Nave, Harry Heslop and Devon Weldon, really putting the opponents onto the back foot from the off.

Tries then came as Banbury kicked away possession, leaving space for the Bicester runners. Tries came from Devon Weldon, Jacob Nave, Josefa Kava, Jake Miller and Dylan Furlong.

The Bicester School ran out winners 45-5.

Matthew Wootton Head of PE Year 9 Boys Basketball vs Warriner School

The Year 9 boys travelled to for their second basketball fixture, looking for their first win of the season.

The team were full of confidence even though they were missing a few key players.

The Bicester School started brightly by taking the lead when Andre scored his first points for the school. Every offensive play looked promising and James Bloxham put Warriner on the back foot by scoring back to back lay ups.

Defensively we looked nervous and let our opponents back in the game going into the break at 10-10.

A top team talk from Ben Foster motivated the boys and gave them some great guidance. TBS dominated the second half, restricting Warriner to only scoring one basket. They added a further 10 points to seal the victory. Daniel Courtney Well done boys and bring on our next opponent: Marlborough. PE Teacher Year 9 Rugby

On Tuesday 7th November The Bicester School sealed their place in the District PLATE Final with a physical performance against Chenderit School, winning 17-5!

Both team’s handling was exemplary considering the pouring rain, lack of light and the fact it was two teams who could easily have been finalists.

Two Year 8 students (Jacob Nave, Finley Elliot) played up a year and easily fitted in to the side playing with composure and flair throughout.

There were some crunching tackles from Lucheus Lawrence alongside Cam Fearne who also both scored (Cam 2, Lucheus 1).

Chenderit scored a late try to cause a nervous final 5 minutes however; the boys consolidated their Edward Roberts lead and held out to be worthy winners. PE Teacher Year 9 Boys Basketball vs Marlborough School

The Year 9 basketball team travelled to Marlborough for their fourth basketball fixture, looking to build on their first win of the season last week.

The Bicester School started poorly going down 0-6 but quickly responded through James Bloxham breaking to bring the score to 4-6.

David White did well to control the ball and was also successful at points with his shooting.

Every offensive play looked promising but ultimately TBS lacked the ability to put the ball in the basket which Marlborough capitalised on.

At half time the score was 10-14 however; the Marlborough squad depth became a distinct advantage and they played well to ultimately come out 18-28 winners.

Edward Roberts Well done boys & Kini for a spirited performance, played in the correct manner. PE Teacher Year 9 Boys Rugby

On Thursday 16th November the Year 9 boys travelled to Banbury Rugby Club to represent The Bicester School in the district final against a very strong Warriner School.

As a team we knew we were the underdogs but were determined to cause an upset.

From the first whistle we were organised and determined, hitting every tackle hard, getting numbers in the rucks and fighting in every scrum. This was led by an outstanding performance from Ed Turner.

TBS took the lead with a well worked try with Matt Hornby breaking through the defence to score. This mentality continued and by half time TBS had increased their lead to 12-5.

The second half was end to end, Warriner determined to overcome the first half deficit. TBS fought hard and right to the final whistle but the fairy tale ending was not meant to be, with the end score finishing 29-25.

Daniel Courtney The boy’s mentality was fantastic and even though they did not bring the trophy they deserve so much PE Teacher praise.

Well done! Year 11 Football

On Thursday 2nd November The Bicester School senior squad travelled to North Oxford Academy to play their second round ESFA fixture under the lights. The squad was depleted with injuries due to a Year 11 game the previous night and some illnesses.

The boys put in a really good account of themselves. The Bicester School fell two goals behind midway through the first half due to a lack of communication. Louis O'Connell fired a long range effort home just before half time so the lead was cut.

The second half saw The Bicester School settle into a much better flow and Louis O'Connell equalised after a well worked passage. In search for winning goals we ended up conceding two late goals meaning NOA ended up victorious.

With such a small squad available the boys did really well and put in a good performance, man of match Owen Latty. Michael Hume Head of KS3 Year 11 Football

On the first day of November heart break was delivered to the Year 11 football team in the form of a penalty shoot-out. The Bicester School are quickly developing a reputation similar to the national teams in regards to penalties. The fixture was a tough one as we faced a team that made it to the last 16 of this competition last year.

The boys were so resilient in defence, led by Will Tyrell, and managed to hold on to a clean sheet. This was helped by Frazer Kernan's effort levels in midfield. The game went straight to penalties and just like the Year 8 team we ended up losing 5-4 on penalties. Man of match Will Tyrell.

Michael Hume Head of KS3 Under 19 Basketball

The senior season has begun in what will be the final campaign for much of this experienced squad. Game 1 was away to the unknown MCS in front of a very lively crowd.

The Bicester School fell behind early as the team gave up some early baskets. Bicester slowly felt their way into the game through the shooting from senior Lewis Mannerings and Year 10 Ben Foster. Sanju Ghale and Elliot Hale then produced some shut down defence and The Bicester School began to take control.

Late in the game MVP Sanju Ghale scored some crucial baskets with excellent dribbling and driving to the hoop. Bicester ran out 35 - 29 winners.

Top result boys let’s build some momentum!

Michael Hume Head of KS3 Senior Basketball Team

During the week of 4th December the senior basketball team played their second county league fixture and this time travelled to play d'Overbroecks.

The key to the game was making a faster start than we did last week, and we most certainly did with Sam Rosoman and Sanju Ghale scoring early baskets. Throughout the game The Bicester School played some strong defence and made scoring for the home team very difficult. This alongside some creative offence, in particular Liam Gregor showing great range and Elliot Hale going from one end of the court to the other.

The Bicester School finished 36 - 18 winners and go into the Christmas break unbeaten.

MVP: Elliot Hale

Michael Hume Head of KS3