WINTER 2015

Other News Continued... The

Art In Brief Rutherford Our Sixth Form Art and Photography students visited the Victoria & Albert Museum and Tate Britain on Friday 13th November. This trip is an established annual event on the Art Review Department calendar and has an important role in supporting both our curriculum enrichment and the development of work. Term Dates An exciting new mural for MRS Student Monday 4 January 2016 – Training Day Reception is currently in the process of being designed and developed by Year 9 After Tuesday 5 January 2016 - Term Begins School Art Club students. Monday 15 February - Friday 19 February 2016 Half Term Headlines Year 10 Applied Art and Design students Thursday 24 March 2016 - Term Ends As you can see by the Newsletter this has been a successful and busy term created a fantastic set for this year’s and I would like to thank all the parents for their continued support. musical production “Fame!”. This project is Forthcoming Events Year 11 have completed their mocks and the progress of all these students invaluable in providing each student with the Thursday 14 January 2016 - Year 9 Subject Evening is very promising with many of them taking significant steps towards experience of working to a client brief and Thursday 21 January 2016 - OCC4 U Careers Event realistic deadlines. gaining excellent GCSE results this Summer. Together we must ensure all Thursday 11 February 2016 - Year 10 Subject Evening this hard work continues up to and including their last exams. There are Year 11 Art students are producing some fabulous work in support of their coursework Thursday 17 March 2016 - Year 12 Subject Evening many extra sessions to support students so please encourage your son completion with exam preparation beginning Tuesday 1 March - Tuesday 22 March 2016 - Year 11 Academic Mentoring and daughter to get involved. All the evidence indicates if students are A Taste of Cambridge well organised, engaged in all their learning and take advantage of the in the New Year. Wednesday 23 March 2016 - Year 13 Subject Evening Leonardo Buttice, Liam Fensom, Hamish Burns, Kamran Bagol, Kurtis Clements, Lina support they are offered, they will achieve their target grades or higher in Dubbins, Lydia Geronikolos, Elizabeth Headley, Georgina Hodge and Charlotte Anstee, the exams and controlled assessments. had a chance to experience University life when they took part in of Cambridge’s Lina Dubbins Year 11 Mark Rutherford This September we changed our effort grades to an ‘Attitude to Learning’ taster days. School Art Department. Arkwright Scholarship Success grade which significantly raised the bar. Analysis of the first assessment The Year Eleven students, who are part of the School’s More Able and Talented cohort, point shows a very high percentage of students averaging A1/A2 the The Arkwright Scholarship is a prestigious award for young engineers, attended the one day University workshop in order to give them an insight into student top grades. This is a credit to all the students and to all the parents who life. The event was organised by the student outreach team at the School’s link Pembroke named after Richard Arkwright, a man who revolutionised the cotton industry in the UK. support the school and their son/daughter. College, Cambridge. To attain this award there are several areas in which you are assessed, first being the The day involved an introduction session looking at how to apply to University and the application. This involved all sorts of questions like, ‘What engineering projects have you As I stated in my letter to parents early in the Term: academic qualifications required by Russell Group universities which includes some of the been involved in?’ and ‘What university would you like to go to?’. This was probably the ‘We expect students to come to school on time with a positive attitude so that country’s top Higher Education institutions. This was then followed by a college tour with easiest step of the scholarship. In January, the Arkwright Scholarship Trust gave us feedback they are able to learn in a calm, purposeful environment which enables them from the application and told us whether or not we had got through to the next stage. two current undergraduates during which the group had a chance to find out more about to achieve the very best in all their lessons. Students must take pride in their the demands of student life. The students also participated in educational work at the Scott Fortunately enough, I think nearly all students got though to the exam stage! Polar Institute. school and the work they produce at all times. It is this pride that will enable This exam was graded at AS Level while we were in Year 11, so it was tough. It was a test to them to achieve the best results they can. We also expect that they will wear see how you cope with technical problems, how well your solutions are applicable in the real world and how well they would solve the problem. Coming out of the exam, none of us their uniform with pride whilst at school and to and from school, and act in a were confident! Luckily enough, three of us found out we were successful after a long wait courteous manner at all times to all members of the community.’ from January to June. This is our expectation for all our students and we will carry on insisting Careers and Business Partnership The next step was an interview held at a University that supports the Arkwright Trust, these high standards are maintained. At the first Mark Rutherford Business Partnership of the new academic year, our theme I chose Cambridge University. So at 8am, I was on the Park and Ride heading to the Uni, As I say to staff and students in assemblies, there are three key words: was Labour Market information. This sounds a bit heavy, but we had a really interesting where I was first to be interviewed. I brought in a presentation from home and talked about presentation from Ellie Marcham, Borough Council’s Economic Development the skills that I had used to solve a problem. The interview was 20 minutes but it felt like 20 standards, standards and standards! Manager. She always brings along some interesting details about new companies and seconds! It was the most stressful thing I have ever done, my hands were shaking! Finally, I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year. developments that are happening in Bedford. Then there was another long wait to see whether I had passed the interview. There were Mr Millard We also had an additional visitor both at our breakfast meeting and also for our Open Art Success four of us from and we were all a bit pessimistic but when the email Evening. We were kindly lent, by Michael R Peters, a full-size-moving-plus-all-the-sounds- Last year our Year 11 Applied Art students came in I was a scholar! and-gadgets Dalek (including the sonic screwdriver!). The Dalek was a great hit at our Open worked on illustrating a booklet for a local This scholarship gives me £300 a year and partners me with a company that can offer me all Evening, when some enterprising Sixth Formers took photos of our visitors alongside it and charity, the ITP Support Association. Not sorts of great opportunities. raised funds towards the Peru visit. only did they have to learn illustration Written by Omar Choudhry, Year 12 Student Mark Rutherford School wins Our next Breakfast Meeting was on the 25th November, and focussed on Apprenticeships, skills and book layouts, they also had to Education and Business Partnership Award with many training providers and companies being available to talk to our Year 11s and work with a client, sell their ideas and meet Sixth Formers about this possible deadlines. We were thrilled in October to hear that Mark Rutherford Business Partnership won the Education and Business Partnership award for the East of Chamber of Commerce route. This follows on from a very The Chief Executive of the charity, Shirley Awards, and we go forward to the National finals in November in London. This is a very successful parents information Watson, acted as the client for the project exciting result and acknowledgment for our team and rightly recognises the hard work, evening in November with over and came in to view the finished work. support and dedication of our business partners. 50 parents turning out to hear a She was very impressed by the overall standard of the work produced and selected two talk from Anna Morrison from the students’ illustrations to be used for the final booklets. National Apprenticeship Service and The project was scheduled to be completed in conjunction with the opening of the charity’s Simon Naylor, who gave a talk from new headquarters in Bolnhurst. This event was exceptionally well attended with local and an employer’s point of view, and international visitors all of whom expressed interest in the project. brought along a gadget developed by his apprentice Liam Dixon who is Darcey Pryor and Joelleen Holland both had their work selected and received a certificate of an ex-student of ours. thanks and a gift voucher presented by the actor Neil Dudgeon (from Midsomer Murders). There were lots of events going on as part of our careers programme in November: a small group of Sixth Omar Choudhry and Richard Lilley from Mark Rutherford School were awarded a sought-after Formers went to visit the Pathology Arkwright Engineering Scholarship recently at a ceremony. Labs at Bedford Hospital and learn Pathology Lab Trip all about careers in Biotechnology On Tuesday 3rd November, five students and Mr Harris, BTEC Applied Science Coordinator and Microbiology; there were also visited Bedford Pathology Lab for an insight into the work of biochemistry. The day trips to careers events at Millbrook consisted of tours of the different departments, the first being histology/cytology where we and Vauxhall as part of See Inside were shown different organs like the uterus, appendix and even part of a colon all of which Manufacturing Week. The Chamber had been recently removed from patients in the hospital. Some of us less squeamish people of Commerce also organised a huge enjoyed this more than others! We also watched the intricate process of testing for different Future Careers event which a group illnesses. of Year 11 students attended. Department two was microbiology where we made agar plates and discovered whether our More details about the business handwashing skills were effective at removing bacteria – thankfully we all passed the test! partnership and careers programme To finish off we visited two blood science departments, haematology and blood chemistry, can be found on the school website both of which provided us with an insight into the work of the specialists. Overall the day or by contacting the Careers was enjoyable, provided us with lots of information and was a great learning opportunity, Coordinator Mrs Unwin at the especially those considering careers in biomedical science. School. Written by Chiana Khindey, Year 12 Student Rutherford Refurbishments Sports News

Mark Rutherford School submitted 2 applications for capital funding to the Education Funding Agency (EFA). The EFA received requests for more Sports Colours than £1.6 billion for over 3,500 projects by 2,200 academies and I am very pleased to tell you that both our applications were successful. Mark Rutherford Sports Colours have been launched this This substantial amount of funding has enabled us to replace roofs and windows to both the Science/DT and Main block. Total value of both projects September. This reward system aims to recognise those students is £857,688. At the end of these upgrades we will be able to enjoy learning in more sustainable buildings. who have shown outstanding commitment and achievement to school sport. Please see the school website for more information and to see those students who have achieved their half or full Canteen Extension colours for last year already. Our new dining room extension design is complete! The design: • had to keep the alterations to the existing buildings to a minimum Rowing Success • maximise the number of additional seats without On 6th September Molly Simpson and Emma Wrigley represented disrupting the existing seating plan Bedford Rowing club in the Great Ouse Marathon - 22km long from • maintain the external circulation and fire escape route Denver to Queen Adelaide Bridge. from the front car park into the School’s main corridor Competing against rowers in various categories from juniors all the • create something eye-catching and visually uplifting way up to masters, they came an amazing 48th out of 174 overall, for the School that would be visible from the main road. beating a number of older and more experienced crews. Their time was 1:40:20. The ‘wedge’ shape evolved from the third constraint as it was only the shape that maximised the potential new area of Congratulations to both girls! building whilst retaining a footpath to the existing external doors in the corridor. The shape also maximised the opportunity for doors and windows that could open for seasonal external eating, at a future date. The unusual shape led to the concept of extending the idea of ‘the wedge’ as something playful and eye catching, relating to Making a ‘Splash’! food, like a slice of cheese. Jamie McCaffray has had further successes with his swimming over the summer. Here are his latest, incredible The red wall becomes the ‘external rind’ of the cheese and the achievements: circular windows, roof lights and suspended acoustic panels make a play on the holes associated with Dutch Gouda cheese. 1. British Open Water National Championships 1500m 4. Scottish Home Nations 400IM Silver Medallist (Sheffield) finished 12th (Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh) A number of conceptual sketches were created by our talented Architect and when presented, Mr Millard loved the idea. 2. 1500m Open Water Champion 2015 Congratulations to Jamie on these great achievements. It is a serious piece of architecture that combines practical 3. Scottish Home Nations 1500m Freestyle Champion thinking to resolve difficult site and space issues whilst (Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh) simultaneously having a bit of fun to create something distinctive and memorable. The extension was opened to students on Monday 9th November and there has already been lots of positive feedback on this new facility. Other News

Peru 2016 Sixth Form Update In the Spring Newsletter we highlighted the plans for our next expedition for Summer 2016 to Peru. Whilst on the 28 day expedition the students will travel for 4 days (to and from Peru), complete a 5 day trek to Machu Pichu Speaker Assemblies Mock Trial and a further 2 days for travelling between camps. The principal time of 17 days students will be completing This term we have had three sessions for the Year 12 Speaker Assemblies. The first session A small group of students entered a mock family court trial on Saturday 21st November physical project work within local communities, hoping was dedicated to a balloon debate and other activities designed to help students gain the taking on different court roles. Prior to, and during the day, students had to plan a court to make a considerable impact. On expedition our confidence and skills to speak in a large group. Our second session was led by Councillor case acting as solicitors. Preparation involved working with local solicitors as well as students will be helping to construct: Henry Vann who spoke about his career, political life and briefly on the European issue. researching legal cases and writing court documents. The following session saw a visit by Stuart Agnew MEP who gave a presentation about the • outside toilets EU and then fielded several questions. Generously he delayed his departure to speak with • an IT classroom a group who wanted to explore questions in more detail. Both visiting speakers drew in • a children’s nursery and kitchen interested Year 13 students. Our thanks go to both speakers for this year. Later in the year I was lucky enough to travel to Peru this half term to have we have a wide range of guest speakers addressing our students on topics ranging from Enrichment a whistle stop tour of all the camps the group will be religious faith and Europe to the importance of the classical world. These speakers include The Sixth Form Enrichment programme has started positively. We are currently offering visiting and more importantly to visit the local schools Professor Nellis of and Kathryn Thompson of Warwick University. students two new pathways in addition to our usual offer of CREST, Young Enterprise, Sport and villages to see previous projects and those in their and Fitness, Arts Award and Sports Leadership. One is the Advanced ECDL course, for which planning stage. students have already begun to successfully complete assessments, and the other is a gym In order to take part in this extraordinary expedition, the based fitness session. students need to fundraise a huge £4170 each. Thank you Accelerating Physics! for your support already, but we kindly ask you to help us University Entry and Mock Oxbridge Interview Evening Our Year 13 students have recently raise more money by sponsoring us or donating towards experienced what life is like at the As in previous years we are joining forces with other schools to offer students a mock the events we are still planning, such as non-uniform forefront of experimental Physics. interview for Oxbridge applicants. Schools take it turn to host the event and this year it days, cake sales and another quiz night coming up in Setting out at 4.30am on a day trip to was held at Kimberley College. Several students from Mark Rutherford participated. Head Boy and Girl January. Geneva, Switzerland, we visited the Mr Waine, Dr Prosper Grant, Mrs Dalgleish, Mr Nicholls and Miss Romano acted as The Sixth Form Team are If you wish to contact us to discuss any support you may Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. interviewers for students from other schools. Medical applicants have also been supported pleased to announce be able to offer, such as fundraising ideas or raffle prizes, Everyone had a fantastic day full of through guidance given by Dr Rob Oakley who is one of the School’s business partners. that our Head Boy and please call or email: [email protected]. adventure and learning. The School also proactively supports students Girl for this academic applying to other courses. This term we have had year are Liam Sutton and We started with a very insightful talk an assembly from a representative of student Rebecca Smith. They on the history and aims of CERN and finance informing students about the monetary will be in attendance at then visited the Cryogenic Testing support available for degree study. A further whole school events and The Voice of Youth Facility and saw how they test the assembly was taken by a representative of the all subject consultation 15m-long electromagnets. The For the fourth consecutive year Mark Rutherford’s Sixth Form public speaking team has enjoyed University of Bedfordshire who also provided a evenings. They will also highlight was descending 104m to success in the Rotary Club’s Youth Speaks Competition. The team of Lucia Hardisty, Nasreen ‘drop in session’ to help with personal statements. be involved in project the CMS Detector that recently found the Higgs particle and seeing the control D’Agostino and Matt Darby won the local heat and will now compete in the regional level of the Two students, Alex Perry and Lilly Hicks and committee work at rooms and banks of computers that filter the data before it is stored for analysis. prestigious competition early next year. It was a particularly impressive success as Lucia had to successfully applied for a Harpur Trust Bursary a whole school and Sixth stand in at the last moment as Chairperson due to regular team member Thomas Jefferys suffering Getting back to Bedford after midnight meant some tired faces the next day for degree entry this year and join a long list Form level. illness. Matt proposed the Vote of Thanks and Nasreen took the role of main speaker with a six but all credit to the students who arrived on time and worked diligently in all of successes. minute presentation on how to tackle political disengagement in modern Britain. their lessons.