– Summer 2019
The Character of Desborough College
Summer 2019
Character Virtues in Action
DESBOROUGH COLLEGE
– Summer 2019
Dear Parents/Carers
This is my final contribution to a Desborough College newsletter and I want to use it, amongst other things, to say a huge thank-you to the parents and guardians whose boys (and sixth-form girls) have attended Desborough during the course of my seven-year tenure as headteacher. Overwhelmingly, your children do you great credit because they are pleasant, polite, courteous, funny, respectful and well-behaved. It is no coincidence that the many, many parents that I have met over the last seven years deliberately instil these qualities in their children and, crucially, model them through their own behaviour. Parental support for Desborough has been central to its successes and increasing popularity.
From a personal perspective I feel genuinely privileged to have played some “I feel privileged small part in your children’s journey towards adulthood. These young people to have played a have shared and enriched my time at Desborough, their many successes filling me with a sense of pride; they have made me laugh and some have made me small part in your feel humble because of the obstacles that they have had to confront and children’s overcome and have done so cheerfully and without complaint; young people journey.” who will make their own significant marks upon the world, who will become decent, kind, modest, unselfish contributors to our society.
I have worked in and visited dozens, literally dozens, of schools over the years and have something to compare Desborough with. Most parents understandably “.” don’t have that experience but you can trust me when I tell you that our school, Desborough, is very special. It has a unique history and counts amongst its alumni peers of the realm, people who have forged national and international reputations in the arts, the sciences, business, finance, law, sport, medicine, politics, industry, the military and education. I am indebted to the school’s Governing Body for trusting me to help ensure that it also has a great future and I am totally confident that this is the case.
Headteachers can achieve very little without the support of excellent staff, teaching and non-teaching, and the staff that I will be leaving behind are collectively the most talented, hardest-working and professional that I have ever worked alongside over a career spanning 39 years. I shall miss them all, of course, but I can retire knowing that exciting, successful times lay ahead for pupils attending Desborough College because the school’s future is in safe hands.
Finally, could I take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful summer break.
Best wishes
Paul Frazer
– Summer 2019
[Type a quote from the document or the summary of an interesting point. We would like to welcome our new staff and wish them well in their new You can position the text box roles. anywhere in the document. Use the Drawing Tools tab to change the
formatting of the pull quote text box.] Seb Alexander, Turnaround Manager from April 2019
Costas Ioakeim, Facilities and Site Manager from June 2019
Teachers from July 2019 Miss Miles – Geography Mr Byrne – Science Miss Lewis – English Mr Summers – History
Teachers from September 2019 Mr Angier – Head of Geography Ms Garcia – English Mrs Cook – Geography Mr Eaves – Music Mrs Walker – English Mr Wootton - Technology Mrs Nwana - Economics
.
– Summer 2019
[Type a quote from the document or It is always sad to say goodbye to members of the Desborough community. the summary of an interesting point. We are enormously grateful to them for the contributions they have made to You can position the text box the school. anywhere in the document. Use the Drawing Tools tab to change the foformattingrmatting of the pull quote text Thomas Myatt, Head of Geography box.]
Since Tom joined Desborough his unending enthusiasm for clearing up and organising things and people never ceases to amaze. His unfailing ability to inspire and encourage the boys with his energy and determination to keep up with their slang has made them laugh and groan in equal measure. It has been a pleasure to welcome him into the Humanities fold and we wish him well in his new adventures.
Ruari Craig-Wood, Deputy Head of English
It is with heavy hearts that the English Department announce the departure of our much loved and hugely talented Second in Department, Ruari Craig-Wood, who is leaving Desborough College at the end of the academic year in order to take on a new challenge in a school, nearer home, in Oxford.
Ruari is a great loss and I know that he will be hugely missed among the team and the wider staff, both as a colleague and as a friend. Over the years he has also become a firm favourite among the boys and I know that his students, past and present, will be very sorry to see him go.
Ruari, it has been my absolute pleasure to work along-side you over the past five years and we all wish you the very best in your next exciting adventure. Your new colleagues and students are incredibly lucky!
– Summer 2019
Mark Bromley – History Teacher
Since Mark joined Desborough in 2010 he has filled numerous roles to support both students and staff alike. When he transferred from Drama to teach History the boys were looking forward to the extra dramatisation of inspiring Churchillian speeches. Alas the daily journey from Oxford has got too much for him and his family and he leaves us to take a post at a school 15 minutes from home. His steadying presence in the classroom will be sorely missed by all of us in Brooks and it is safe to say Lunch Club discussions will never be the same.
Helen Dabb – Head of Economics and Business Studies Teacher
We are sorry to be losing Helen Dabb after just one year as she moves on to new role in Guildford. Helen brought seriously impressive subject knowledge to the role of Head of Economics and leaves solid foundations for her successor to build on for next years' A-levels. We wish her well
Matt Mault – Learning Mentor
This year Mr Matthew Mault leaves us for the second time. Matt was a student here at the school from 2007-2014. After graduating with a Geography degree, Matt returned as a learning mentor and trainee Geography teacher in 2017. Matt has made a wonderful contribution to life here at the school, both inside and outside the classroom. A trip back to university beckons for Matt and postgraduate qualification in teaching. We look forward to welcoming Matt back each year as an Old Maidonian, and also as an ex-member of staff. We wish Matt every success and are all very appreciative for everything he has given the school as a student and as a member of staff
“We wish all our leavers good luck for the future” – Summer 2019
Mr Matt Mault, Learning Mentor & DofE Manager, writes of a wonderful experience for our Year 7 students on the National Enterprise Challenge Day
A fun day, packed with mind boggling activities for our students.
The day was challenging yet rewarding, taking the students out of their comfort zone, experiencing what it was like to be in a business setting. The students worked in teams to create a mascot to use in a short advert – which they had to perform as well!
The event enabled all the boys to flourish in a setting they had never been in before.
They had to work against the clock, delegating tasks between the team, “The event enabled all presenting in front of a large audience and designing, All of these tasks the boys to flourish in enabled them to experience different roles within a business environment – a setting they had without them even realising! never been in before.” One of our teams was successful and will now compete against over 230 other schools, from across the country, in the National Finals on Wednesday 10th July 2019 at the iconic Wembley Stadium, London! Something the students will treasure forever.
– Summer 2019
Congratulations to Jacob Ioras, Nat and James Harlow who achieved Gold in a recent National Junior Sculling rowing event which is a tremendous achievement. It was a very close race stroked by Jacob and they won by .59 of a second! “It was a close The boys also did well in the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head on the race, they won by 18th March with a great race and took second place out of 70 crews in .59 of a second.” their event. Nat rowed at bow, Jacob was the stroke and James coxed the crew. James also coxed the club’s top J15 girls’ crew who came third out of approximately 70 crews in their event.
Nat and James also recently competed at the Junior Sculling Regatta at Dorney Lake. This is a major event of the season and attracts many crews from all over the country. They were placed in second overall out of 22 crews in their morning trial which meant they could take part in the “A” final for the event. The opposition was fierce from their rivals, Windsor Boys School but the boys overtook their opponents in the last 100m of the 2000m course and won, setting a new course record time for their event.
Congratulations to these talented boys.
– Summer 2019
“It was his first We are proud to share the success of our students regatta and he won J13 Quad race.” Congratulations to Henry Curno in Year 8 who took part in his first regatta on 19 May: Maidenhead Junior Regatta and won J13 Quad race. Henry was awarded an engraved tankard by the Mayor of Maidenhead and Windsor, Alan Sinclair (Olympic rower) and Laura Lion (a Maidenhead Rowing Club member who has represented GB). Jimmy Harlow was also in the team and he also won other races as a cox.
Athletics: Desborough v Radley Team Events
Athletics this year has been progressing well with all our teams sitting first or second in their respective leagues. Desborough students visited Radley College to compete in a relay event and a multi-events competition as well as entering the Berkshire Combined Events for the first time.
Congratulations to Javier Fimia who secured the silver medal competing for Windsor and Maidenhead district in the Triple Jump, competing a year above his own.
– Summer 2019
Mr Coughlan reports on Year 9 completing the “Building Future” Programme
Plane Spotting Café and the Future of Construction
A selection of Year 9 Technology students completed the 'Building Future' Programme which took place over the course of 12 weeks organised by MACE. This programme was designed to expose the boys to the varied roles within the construction
industry. The boys were tasked with designing a plane spotter cafe to be situated close to Heathrow airport, working with a “The boys received number of MACE employees throughout the different stages of a Bronze Crest design and development. They also attended a launch ceremony in MACE's Heathrow Training Centre and took part in Certificate” site visits with the MACE Engineers.
The programme came to a close when the boys received a Bronze Crest Certificate from Peter Waddington (Terminals Delivery Director- Heathrow) and Nigel Cole (Director- MACE) during a Year 9 assembly in school. During this assembly a
selection of the boys presented their project to the year group. The feedback from the boys has been very positive and they all enjoyed and benefited from the programme.
– Summer 2019
Mr Craig-Wood shares five ways to have an English summer
Keep your writing and reading skills up to scratch with these ideas!
Aim to be a vocabulary leader next year by practising on Quizlet (search ‘mrraccw’) for 5 minutes every weekday;
Organise a reading group with your friends – perhaps you could complete the LRC’s Summer Challenge;
Create a fictional country or world as a team;
Take pride in your creative writing by showing it to your family;
Write a poem every weekend about what you were grateful for that week.
– Summer 2019
Congratulations to Raja Khan in Year 12 won the U18 Berkshire Schools Triple Jump competition.
– Summer 2019
Young Artists show off their spectacular work
Year 7
Congratulations to Dylan Evans – Elgar and Jake Foster – Constable for joint 1st place. Winners of an Art Pack of equipment and badge.
Congratulations to Firas Naseem – Dickens for 2nd place, Sebastien Sirot – Constable for 3rd place and Aman Sankla – Dickens who was Highly Commended. The boys were awarded certificates and badges.
DYLAN EVANS – Elgar JAKE FOSTER - Constable
– Summer 2019
Year 8
Congratulations to Joshua Presnail – Elgar and Jude Ladell – Brunel for joint 1st place.
Winners of an Art Pack of equipment and badge.
Congratulations to Ajay Verma – Dickens for 2nd place, David Gorecki – Brunel for 3rd place and Ryan Sturgeon – Dickens and Ollie Gittins – Elgar who were Highly Commended. The boys were awarded certificates and badges.
AJAY VERMA JOSHUA PRESNAIL
JUDE LADELL – Summer 2019
JUDE LADELL
“I even had my first professional sound check”
Showtime for Desborough boys.
Artemiy Ilin, Year 7 expresses his gratitude to music legend Nate Simpson
“Nate Simpson visited Desborough College a month ago and arranged a competition to see who had the potential to support his music show at Norden Farm. I was the only Year 7 boy at the event!
After everybody finished their performance, Nate had a lot of thinking to do. And then after a while, we received the good news that myself and Kent were going to perform with Nate Simpson at Norden Farm!
The experience was amazing and a surprise for the audience that we were performing for. I performed a piano piece as I love playing jazz. Although I already had experience performing at music festivals and representing the school at Maidenhead’s Got Talent show, this event was different. I even had my very first professional sound check this time! Every member of the band was so supportive.
Kent was singing one of his favourite songs which he did very well. Nate Simpson and his band were very good and I am grateful for this opportunity for us”.
– Summer 2019
Pharmaceutical Company Lead the Way with Drug Development
At the end of March, Mr Brockett, Head of Biology and his department welcomed Emmeline Hunt, an undergraduate Bioscience visitor from the Pfizer pharmaceutical company, to talk about Drug Development to Year 10 Triple Science students and Year 12 students.
Emmeline described her own career pathway and the steps that led to her being successful in achieving a highly competitive placement with Pfizer. Students gained an appreciation of the academic journey that takes place and the competitive nature of the application process.
The students welcomed an animated video about the role of the pharmaceutical industry which then led onto an activity, a jigsaw style puzzle which the students completed and in the process learned about the key processes of medicine development including discovery, molecule development, clinical trials and manufacturing. This exposure to the idea of ‘From Molecule to Medicine’ is part of the GCSE syllabus and was very well received by the students.
“Students learned about key processes of medicine development”
– Summer 2019
We were delighted to welcome previous Desborough Headboy,The Right Hon. Lord Robert Hayward Lord Hayward spoke for 15 minutes on his long and distinguished career spanning industry, politics, rugby, and charity, in addition to his campaigning for the release of Gulf War hostages and being a high profile advocate for the LGBT community.
The audi ence then had an hour of Q&A, asking detailed, mature and considered questions on a range of topics. His opinion on current UK politics and the Conservative leadership contest, Brexit, the antagonistic nature of political discourse, climate change and the environment, rugby union, favourite Prime Minister, LGBT issues and the nature of the conservative pact with the DUP after the 2017 election were all sought. He was also asked what, from his long and varied career, was he most proud of – the answer being, that he received his OBE honour for charitable services, the only sitting politician to ever win a gong for activities outside of politics.
Many thanks to Lord Hayward for his time, generosity and candour.
– Summer 2019
Situation and
triggers.
Thoughts.
Physical reaction and Emotions and how your body works. feelings.
Behaviours and “You can transform and actions. train your brain
to become stronger”
William Owen in Year 7 shares his views on Mental Health Day
“ This term, we participated in a day full of activities relating to mental health including various discussions, one in particular about CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) which assists people who struggle with anxiety.
We learnt that people who think negatively can often suffer from negative emotions (anger or sadness), which then leads to negative physical attributes (heart palpitations or fatigue) and finally to irrational behaviours such as angry outburst or the ending of friendships. Mental health is like a line of dominoes; if you don’t speak about it, the fall keeps on going. If you change your thoughts from ‘I can’t do this’ to ‘This is hard, but I can do it’ then you will be able to transform and train your brain to become stronger!
Overall, the whole day was extremely beneficial and I now feel confident that I can talk to someone about my thoughts and feelings, as well as being able to help others who are in need”
– Summer 2019
“This year has been an incredibly successful season for us. We entered 2019 winning the British Championships and we managed to qualify for the National GB Development Squad. This resulted in us being permitted to participate in certain GB Squad Seminars and meet several amazing people, including a Russian World standard Coach and the CEO of British Ice Skating. Further to this, we attended seminars where we trained with the current World Champions and last year’s Olympic Silver Medallists from France. We have been preparing for the new season and are planning to attend the Qualifiers for Championships this summer in the hope that we qualify for the Nationals once more in the new category we moved into.
The group picture shows all the participants of the GB Squad at Sheffield recently. The picture to the bottom right is of the current World Champions and there is also a picture of us with the Russian Coach, Igor Tchiniaev”.
– Summer 2019
Feedback on a fantastic trip to the beach By Kai McCann Year 12
“The day started with a long car journey to Poole, where the sun started to peek through the clouds. We took a short ferry ride to Shell Bay. The place we picked to carry out measurements was perfect, giving us a view of the Old Harry Rocks and the fields of Ballard Down. Our measurements were to see how the biodiversity of plants changed as we walked over the sand dunes, away from the sea. Evidently, from the red noses and cheeks the next day, the sun was working at Studland. After taking measurements and collecting data, it was time for ice cream. We parked up at Knoll Beach Café to get the cold treats we had all been waiting for. We were pressed for time, so we quickly finished and headed back on the mini bus. It was a calming day at the beach for everyone and I thoroughly enjoyed it”.
“Our
measurements were to see how the biodiversity of plants changed” – Summer 2019
“47,183 students from 527 schools took part across Challenging Biology By Mr Brockett Britain.”
Triple Science GCSE students in Years 9 and 10 tested their Biology knowledge and understanding in the National Biology Competition. This year there was a record 47,183 students from 527 schools taking part in the competition across Britain. Our students went against the clock to complete a series of complex and challenging questions and gain the highest score. This year’s certificate winners were:
Gold: Alexander Fairbridge, Adam Czarnomski., Silver: Ashad Rahman, Nathaniel Harlow, Aiden Melling, Ioan Evans, Harry Smith, Bronz: Joshua Bird, Elkan Dillon, Max Baker, Sanskar Sandhu
Additionally, 16 certificates were awarded for commended and highly commended awards.
The Biology Intermediate Olympiad (Year 12)
The whole Year 12 Biology class sat the Intermediate Biology Olympiad exam this summer. This is a rigorous international exam that had 8282 students from 466 schools worldwide participating this year.
This year’s’ award winners were:
Highly commended : Kai McCann and Harvey Grayling-Jones Commended : Sampan Krishnaprasad
Well done to all the students who took part in these competitions - they can now register for a free year of ‘BioNet’ membership as a gift from the Royal Society of Biology. This is an online resource for school or college students who are interested in biology and thinking about a future in the life sciences.
– Summer 2019
Year 7 and 8 students joined Emma Fitzgerald, Partnership Development Manager, Ascot & Maidenhead School Sports Partnership in the Year 5/6 Mixed Kwik Cricket Tournament at North Maidenhead Cricket Club
The students were trained by Berkshire Cricket Coaches in the skills of umpiring and scoring this format, and then manned 4 pitches all day between them. It was very hot, but they did a fantastic job and helped us give almost 140 young people a great cricket day out, plus give St Edmund Campion & Holyport Primary the opportunity to go onto the Berkshire School Games finals representing the School Sport Partnership. They were excellent ambassadors for the school!
Thanks to Mr Hamilton and Mr Brar in the PE team for their help and support
The boys that took part are listed below:
Joe Henwood; Felix May; Joe Woodward; Ben Fitch; Armaan Alam; Etienne Alexander; George Swinn; Jaivir Pannu; Ethan Duckworth (Y7); Jowan Goodge (Y7); Oliver Godleman (Y7); Gabe Shaw (Y7)
– Summer 2019
Mrs O’Connor, a parent Trustee introduces Desborough Futures”, a new exciting initiative.
Inspiring our future generations is a key part of the Desborough Way. We want our pupils to leave Desborough equipped with the knowledge and skills ready to embark on their next and exciting chapters. To do this we want to ensure that both our pupils and their parents have access to varied, relevant and practical information about further education, careers and alternative pathways so that all can understand the opportunities available and make the right future choice.
To do this, let us introduce “Desborough Futures” - a new and exciting initiative which joins together Desborough’s values, its teaching and learning with practical advice and experiences for pupils and their parents about future pathways. Desborough Futures is about demonstrating the relevance of subjects and experiences at Desborough to the pupils’ future careers and choices. It is about engaging with pupils at the right stage of their development to ensure that messages are delivered in the most effective way. It is also important that discussions around future pathways is individually focused on the pupil and their needs and aspirations as we understand that one size does not fit all.
Desborough Futures aims to reach out and link universities and colleges, learning and enterprise partnerships, parents and employers with the aim of developing a comprehensive programme of events, network of supporters and practical guidance. We already have an ambitious programme planned for 2019/2020! So far we are planning:-
A half termly sector focused careers advice and experience programme involving local sector employers and organisations. This will include presentations at assemblies or knowledge sharing sessions with the pupils (see below for a list of suggested sectors) A proposed Careers Fair. This will be a chance for pupils and their parents to meet employers, further education providers and other organisations to help you make informed decisions about the way ahead Links, visits and trips to universities
A specific “Future Skills Day” – a day which brings Desborough and the local business community together giving the pupils an opportunity to be attend a mock job interview, hear advice on drafting CVs and preparing for the world of work!
If you have not already done so, please see the Careers Advice page on our website https://www.desborough.org.uk/school-life/careers/. This is a great place to start on your future pathways discussion with your child as here you will find useful links and resources. The key thing is to be involved with your child in this process and guide them into making the right choice.
– Summer 2019
Desborough Futures needs you!
To achieve our ambitious aims, we need the help and support from our parents, employers and organisations. At this stage we are looking to put together a list of individuals/employers/organisations who might be able to:-
Give short presentations as part of our sector focus initiatives either at an assembly or to a small class/group – e.g. “a day in the life of …”. We will be sending out a list of sectors to help with diaries and planning, but please see the list below which might help Provide a blog or “vlog” – maybe a virtual tour around your office or place of work, an interview with a colleague or a short bio about yourself which we could share with the pupils or put on our website Be part of our Future Skills Day – are you in recruitment, HR, talent acquisition or management? Could you help us with interviewing or give practical advice about what employers want from candidates. Can you help with CV drafting Assist us with alternative future pathway choices – do you run apprenticeship schemes or are you or someone you know an entrepreneur? Do you have experience of setting up your own business – what advice could you give? Sponsor our careers day – would you like to be represented at the event? Provide practical work experience to our pupils Be our Futures Champion – might you be willing to act as a mentor? Could you spare some time to answer answering questions our pupils might have about future pathway choices? What would be amazing would be to have a panel of mentors who would be willing to help!
Many organisations have dedicated people or resources to support career and information initiatives like Desborough Futures so please ask colleagues or contacts.
To help us put together an effective sector programmes do you or your organisation work within the following sectors?
o Accountancy, legal, financial, banking, investment o Construction, engineering and design o Technology, telecoms o Leisure, hospitality and retail o Media, Communications, journalism o Public Sector, Politics and Government o Medicine and healthcare o Scientific and pharmaceutical (including research) o Teaching and education o Energy, environment o Others – please say
– Summer 2019
How to get in touch – please email [email protected] with details of how you or someone else could help us. For information as to how your personal information will be used, our Privacy notice is on our website.
If you are unsure about the help you can give, or what might be involved then please speak to us. Assisting does not need to be time consuming and we will work with your organisation or employer to make this work for all. We are incredibly excited about Desborough Futures and being able to achieve the aims for the pupils. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing ideas.
– Summer 2019
Alex Stirzaker, Year 9 shares his success as Berkshire Winner and 3rd Place for Southern Sector
“I gave up active competitions in athletics just before joining Desborough. However, after being made ‘Sportsman of the Year' in 2018 this renewed my enthusiasm for Athletics and encouraged me to join a new club. I went on to join Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow (WSEH) Athletics Club in November 2018 and was encouraged to be part of the multi-events team due to my love for all events. This was the best move ever because with the help of my Lead Coach Tom Presho, I won the Berkshire Pentathlon, alongside the Bronze medal for the Southern England Athletics Competition at Oxford just recently. I am now looking forward to competing at the National Athletics competition in August for the Heptathlon events.
I would again like to say thanks for all the help and encouragement I have received which has helped me to take part in a sport I enjoy. Thank you to Mr Frazer and the PE Department for making allowances to accommodate outside competitions. I “I would like to thank would love for this to continue as it has helped me take a step Mr Frazer and the PE towards achieving one of my sporting goals”. Department for
encouraging sports at Desborough” – Summer 2019
Wayne Dixon, Christian connections in local schools shares his experiences of many school visits over the last 30 years
Over the past thirty one years I’ve had the opportunity to visit many local schools, including Desborough. This has “Thank you for the been for assemblies or R.E. lessons where I’ve memories and I hope contemplated on some of what Jesus said and did as to see some of you recorded in the Bible. I’ve loved it! in town or at school in the coming days One of the many reasons I’ve enjoyed it so much is when and weeks” I’ve been stopped and spoken to by ex-pupils, many of whom are now dropping their own children off at the school gates, who recognise me from their own time there. This has caused me to pause and reflect on the impact we have on the young people we meet. I want to say a HUGE ‘thank you’ to all those currently at Desborough and maybe parents or carers who have been there in the past thirty years.
I’ve been into a number of our senior schools to wish pupils well for their respective GCSE and A-level exams and also spoken to some of our primary school teachers, who are always very keen to know how their previous pupils are getting on. I want to thank everyone in the community for the welcome you give both in school, and increasingly out of school when former pupils and parents come over and have a chat. I am so grateful to have played a small part in their memories of school and wish them all well for the future.
Current and ex Desborough pupils - thanks for the memories and I hope to continue to see some of you in town or at school in the coming days and weeks.
– Summer 2019
The KS3 Drama Club presented their interpretation of the playlet ‘Shirts’ by John Challen at this year’s Star Factor. Showcasing their talents as performers, the cast multi-rolled their way through the action, exploring complex themes in a light-hearted style: the powerful forces of the advertising industry; pressure to follow trends; finding courage to make independent decisions and break free from expectations.
Matthew Reed played Tim, the protagonist who demonstrates courage as he breaks free from the trend of following fashion directives, challenging the influence of advertising and designer styles. Callum Hall and Henry Curno played the controlling ‘Big Brother’ style characters, hidden anonymously and mysteriously behind half masks. The characters identified as regulators who set the next ‘trend’ in a calculating manner, exerting control and influence on society. As market sellers, Nikhil Liyanage and Hayden Moore benefitted from the frequent change of styles, upping the market value of goods to meet commercial demands, enjoying the money-making opportunities. Shabaaz Hafeez, Sabil Ishtiaq, Henry Sheridan, Cameron Levitt, Percy Teeder, Lewis Logie and Nick Galsworthy all presented numerous roles as the consumers, feeling the pressure of confirming, yet unable to find the courage or independence to be free from constraints. On the surface this was a fun performance, but hidden underneath was a serious exploration of individual courage alongside respect for diversity and being different.
Well done to all pupils involved in this performance – your creativity is amazing!
Katie Turner Curriculum Leader for Drama
– Summer 2019
– Summer 2019
Mr Clawson, Assistant Principal and Head of Sixth Form proudly introduces our new Sixth Form Leadership Team
Following a lengthy and rigorous selection process, I am delighted to announce that the following appointments have been made for 2019/20:
Head Boy: Craig Slattery Head Girl: Poppy Jackson
Deputy Head Boy: Kai McCann Deputy Head Girl: Tegan Leonard
These newly appointed leaders will have a strategic role to play in ensuring that all students have a strong voice at Desborough, as well as delivering on the whole-school and Sixth Form improvement priorities they have each championed and committed to. I would also like to commend Ibraheem, Amina, Charlie and Nick who each demonstrated considerable leadership potential, and who I know will continue to make significant contributions to school life in their final year.
– Summer 2019
Mr Brockett. Head of Biology shares the news of our new refurbishment
I am very pleased to report that the refurbishment of the greenhouse is now complete. It has been renamed the ‘Legacy Greenhouse’ to highlight the funding of the refurbishment by the Desborough Legacy group.
Following the removal of the glass last summer, the Year 8 Crest Award group assisted with the initial refurbishment work which involved sanding down surfaces and repainting the woodwork so it was ready for glazing. Replacement twinwall polycarbonate glazing was fitted in place of the glass as a safer and stronger alternative. As a bespoke unit this took many hours to complete, and a special mention must go to our Science Technician, Mr Norris, who worked very hard on the refurbishment. July 2018 before The greenhouse will now be used for growing refurbishment plants for use in teaching and for long term projects by students.
– Summer 2019
We celebrated another successful Sports Day on the 11 July. Boys took part in field and track events throughout the course of the day with Dickens winning overall. Well done to all those students who took part.
– Summer 2019
Star Factor 2019 was such an incredible evening of varied talents from Year 7 to Year 10. I had the honour of hosting this year alongside the judges including Miss Pankhurst, Miss Humphreys and Mr Jamieson who were all generous, but fair with their scoring. We had acts from magic, to acting, to
vocal solos and bands. The overall winners were the Year 10 metal band ‘Deathgrip’ who provided the crowd with an encore and some head banging to match!
See you again in July 2020 for more.
– Summer 2019
We shared an afternoon with parents and students showcasing our stars in Junior Presentation 2019
A very special Junior Presentation took place on a sunny July afternoon.
132 prize winners from Years 7, 8 and 9 were awarded certificates by Mr Frazer for academic effort and performance, as well as for demonstrating the Desborough Virtues of Kindness, Positivity and Teamwork. Their Raising Achievement Leaders, Ms Corrigan, Mr Brar and Mr Gleeson gave parents in the audience a round-up of the academic year including information on trips as well as sporting and extra -curricular activities.
This particular Junior Presentation was made extra special by the impromptu "flash mob" orchestrated by our Head of Music, Mrs McFarlane, at the end of the presentation. Boys from Year 7 each sang a verse about Mr Frazer to the melody of “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, joined by boys from older year groups and staff in the chorus. There was even a guitar solo!!
Mr Frazer was clearly moved as parents gave him a standing ovation. A fitting end to his last Junior Presentation at Desborough College
– Summer 2019
Mrs McFarlane worked tremendously hard with students in preparing and singing a personalised special song for Mr Frazer upon his departure from Desborough . The words of the song are shared below.
Just a Yorkshire man Living in a Berkshire town He took the M1 road down to Maidenhead
Taught English to start Became a Head and followed his heart And this is our song to say goodbye
Never says hello he says ‘ey up’ It's dinner time instead of lunch Our progress never stops, It goes on and on and on
Mr, Frazer! We will miss you very much Thank you, but keep in touch
Mr, Frazer! We want to thank you very much Goodbye, and good luck
Making sure we all dressed sharp Never late and looking the part And getting us to aim for the stars
Talking to boys out in the yard You made us work so very hard We hope you like our thank you song
Sorry, you’re leaving Hold onto the feeling Remember the Desborough way
– Summer 2019
We are grateful to Fraser Miller, a former Desborough student for donating some of his magnificent artwork to the school.
2018 leaver Fraser Miller has kindly donated his A* A Level final piece to the school. Fraser made the gesture to say thank you to the Art Department and staff at the school following his successful graduation from his Foundation Art & Design Course at Bucks New University. Graduating with a distinction, he stated that he is looking forward to starting his Fine Art course at Nottingham Trent University where he continues his exceptional artistic practice.
Miss Rhodes, Head of Art taught Fraser 1-1 during his A Level course and was pleased to see Fraser achieve the first A* at A Level in last summer’s results. His work within the Art Department always demonstrated the highest quality observation, mixed with challenging and sometimes visually disturbing experimental elements – the outcome he has donated to the school demonstrates this perfectly. His piece, a torn and tormented view of the human body portrays a carefully painted rib cage overlaid with melted, burnt and twisted layers of latex and textile pieces. It has become a source of inspiration for the younger artists in the department and Miss Rhodes is very pleased that Fraser has chosen to donate his work. Congratulations Fraser, and best of luck in your new adventures!
The Final Piece