CCS Review of 2011 2 3

guess that we will look back on 2011 as a year of change at Caroline Chisholm School. This is the I year in which we became an Academy. This is the year in which we became the largest single-site school in Northamptonshire. This is the year when the children who joined our first ever reception class moved into secondary phase in Year 7. And the children who joined our first ever Year 7 got all the way through to Year 13. Changing to become an academy has proved a success so far—we are on a stronger financial footing, we have more flexibility in rewarding staff and we have a stronger Contents voice in managing our admissions procedures. Howev- Parents in Partnership 4 er, the process of becoming an academy took its toll on Young learners in action 5 our school—too much time was spent arguing over detail and some legal processes became too drawn out. I Year 4 residential 6 was extremely grateful for the support of the school’s Year 6 residential 7 Governing Body in getting us through that process and in Year 5 and 6 Ballroom Dancing 8 particular for the responsibilities taken on by Gill Amos, In memory of Alice 9 David Atkinson and Christine Sullivan (Our Chair and Vice Secondary learning highlights 10 Chair of Governors, and Chair of Finance Committee). I really appreciated the trust shown by parents, staff and Sixth Form Life 14 students that we were doing the right thing. Governing Body and CCS Friends 16 Support is vital to us if we are going to keep developing The Australia Connection 17 our school and provide excellent resources for our Shakespeare Schools’ Festival 18 children. CCS Friends Association provided us with a Performing Arts highlights 19 great range of fund raising activities last year and I am most grateful to Paul Cross and the Friends’ Committee CCS visit to 10 Downing Street 21 for all their endeavours. Business and Enterprise 22 The pages following this capture some of last year’s Innovation Week 24 highlights and illustrate the range of experiences that we Expedition to Jordan 25 want for our students. However, last year was also World Challenge India 26 marked by tragedy. The death of the Ding family Big Health and Happiness Week 28 shocked all of us. We have included a page in memory of them and some details of the steps we are taking to Sports Highlights 29 remember them. I hope you enjoy reading these highlights. They remind me how lucky I am to have such a fantastic staff and how fortunate we all are to be working with our students 4

Parents in Partnership Highlights

Over the past year we have been developing our community work to provide regular opportunities for parents to engage in and support their children’s learning more effectively. Feedback from parents has highlighted the success of various events, in particular, the Summer Celebration open afternoon and evening, the launch of on-line reporting and the Mathematics Workshop for parents which was very well attended, where together, parents and teachers tackled the CCS approach to calculation.

Summer Celebration At the end of the summer term we held our first Primary Celebration Day when the school was open from 2-7.30 pm for parents to visit. Thank you to everyone who attended– we have received much positive feedback about the opportunity to meet new teachers, visit classrooms, see and take part in learning including art, cooking, ICT, PE & Spanish. Everyone enjoyed The Early Birds and Primary Choir performances and the performances of children who have peripatetic music tuition at CCS. The Art exhibition was a real highlight and it was great to see parents working alongside their children in the still life workshop.

Foundation Stage Stay & Play Session

Parents were invited to come into school and spend time with their child in the Reception learning environment. Parents joined in with the learning activities and experiences and gained a valuable insight in to life in the Reception Year.

Foundation Stage & KS1 Phonics Workshop

The mysteries of systematic, synthetic phonics were unpacked during a very well attended parents’ workshop. Parents learned about the schools approach to teaching phonics, including , the alpha- betic code and the skill of seg- menting and blending phonemes. 5 Young Learners In Action

Children learn best when they are actively engaged in heir learning. Here are some of the highlights of the opportunities for children to learn from first hand experience both on and off-site. After a very long wait the Foundation Stage outdoor learning area was completed. The children were very excited with the new deep sand pit and the opportunity for large construction on the new all-weather, grass safety surface. The Friends of CCS also provide a pergola for imaginative play and 2 large planters for YR crops!

Mathematics has been the focus of improvement over the past year. Reception children learned the concept of ‘heavier and lighter than’ while Y5 students fine tune their understanding of units of measure.

The school continues to appreciate the generous support of parents in enabling the school to provide a rich variety of day trips which help bring the curriculum and learning to life. Year 4 children’s visit to Sulgrave Manor provided an excellent insight in to life for a Tudor child which helped the children to appreciate the advances of modern technology! Y3 benefited from a visit to the Birmingham art gallery where they were able to experience the ‘wow’ of the scale and detail of original paintings.

Business & Enterprise is a distinctive feature of the CCS curriculum and Y5 students demonstrated their skills through their Home Learning Challenge which was a collaborative project to invent a new product. The Hamster Grooming Tube was an ingenious design consisting of a tube and two nail brushes! Meanwhile outdoor learning has been a focus for development with the introduction of the ‘Forest School’s’ initiative in Reception Y1 & Y2. 6

Year 4 York Residential

City Walls Walk

Year 4 started their journey in the city centre, near to Bootham Bar, where they saw one of the most important defences.

Roman Fort A fantastic opportunity to travel back in time and to experience becoming a Roman for the day! The children, in role, completed different activities around the fort including a drill session, guard duty, dummy weapons practice and general household duties. Jorvik Centre DIG A virtual experience that A great experience to get into transported the children character and become an back in time to the Dark archaeologist for the morning! The Ages. They travelled children took part in an excavation around a mock Viking ‘digging’ for real artefacts found from village and used their different time periods, including the senses to hear, see and Romans and Vikings. smell (!) what Viking life was like.

Team Building As this is the first time many our children have stayed away from home there is plenty of opportunity to build teams and affirm many friendships. 7 Year 6 Residential—North Wales

The Year 6 Residential Visit was the highlight of the final year in KS2. The week was an action-packed experience in the great Welsh out-doors. The Bryn-y-Moel Centre is set in heart of the Snowdonia National Park surround by majestic mountains and breath taking beaches. A memorable week was had by both students and staff. Here are some of the week’s highlights.

During Bushcraft the students learned all about survival! They learned about plants that are safe to eat and the art of fire making which was a particular highlight of the session! The groups worked together to build a waterproof (well almost!) shelter by constructing a sturdy frame and insulating with suitable vegetation.

Everyone enjoyed the archery session in which the students learned to handle a bow and arrow successfully. By the end of the session they had quite a few bull’s eyes under their belts and great fun was had by all in the ‘Mission Impossible’ team challenge involving a Mars bar! Kayaking on the estuary was a new experience for many and despite a number of capsizes everyone was still smiling at the end. Can you spot the Vice Principal, thinking that something might be missing to achieve a successful kayaking lesson?

The overnight expedition proved to be the overall ‘Wow’ of the week. Each group walked for nearly three hours before arriving at their campsite for the night. The challenges included: driving rain, plague of midges and noisy bullocks. No-one got much sleep that night. Fantastic!

The beach BBQ was a great evening of fun, freedom and lasting memories as the sun set on a wonderful week in Wales. 8 Schools’ Sports Partnership Ballroom & Latin Dance Champions—Strictly Sensational!

Y5 & 6 students entered the Daventry & Southwest schools’ Ballroom Dancing Competition after 6 weeks of learning in school with an expert dance teacher from the Step by Step dance school. The children thoroughly enjoyed learning the steps and were all fantastic sports, happily pairing up into mixed couples and giving their all. The students learned the waltz and cha-cha-cha dances and it was wonderful to see the students working together o effectively and rising to the challenges of co- ordination and concentration! Two teams were chosen to represent CCS in the competition at Roade Sports College on a somewhat cold and rainy Saturday afternoon in early March. The teams really excelled with their smart appearances and fabulous footwork and made it to the final four teams. CCS was thrilled to be awarded the championship trophy which was finally won by our Y5 team. We are all very proud over their achievements.

Y6 host a Tea Dance for the community

During the Year 6's 'Movement' Learning Theme, Y6 learned about the impact of World War II on the lives of children who were evacuated. As part of their learning our enterprising students hosted a 1950's style Tea Dance and invited their own grandparents, great grandparents and also residents from local care homes along to join in the fun! The class researched all the aspects of a Tea Dance and using their enterprise skills, they worked together in groups to plan and put on the Tea Dance as the way out point from their learning theme.

The invited guests arrived and spent a wonderful afternoon dancing, singing and enjoying the delicious tea and cakes that Year 6 had prepared and served to them. This enterprising project enabled the students to put in to practice all the they had learned including their ballroom dancing skills! It was a wonderful opportunity to involve their own families and members of the local community n the fantastic learning that Year 6 had been involved in. All of the students took on their roles of responsibility with great enthusiasm and worked extremely hard together to produce a Tea Dance for all to be proud of.

Overall, the tea dance was a memorable occasion where it was a joy to see the students interacting and dancing with our elderly guests with such confidence. Everyone involved commented on how much they enjoyed the afternoon.

Our guests said,

“ We enjoyed it immensely. An unforgettable afternoon!”

9 In Memory of The Ding Family

In April 2011 the school and its community were deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Alice Ding and her entire family. Alice joined Caroline Chisholm School in Year 2 in 2005 and was a student in Y7 at the time of her death. Alice’s mother, Ge Chui, also taught Mandarin Chinese at CCS at post-sixteen level. Alice and her sister Xing, who attended Northampton High School, were exceptionally gifted students, both academically and in their shared love of playing the violin.

In July a special concert was held at CCS to celebrate the life of Alice and her family. The County Junior Orchestra, of which Alice was the lead violin, joined with students, staff and members of the local community in a moving tribute of music and poetry to honour the lives of a much loved family who will be sorely missed by all.

Young Life Cut Short

Do not judge a biography by its length, Nor by the number of pages in it.

Judge it by the richness of its contents Sometimes those unfinished are among the most poignant…

Do not judge a song by its duration Nor by the number of its notes

Judge it by the way it touches and lifts the soul Sometimes those unfinished are among the most beautiful…

And when she has enriched your life Alice Ding 1998-2011 And when her melody lingers on in your heart

Is it unfinished? Or is it endless?

A music scholarship has been set up in Alice’s memory. Each year the scholarship will provide free tuition for the CCS student showing the most promise in music. In Spring, friends of Alice will plant a tree in the school grounds in her memory. Yellow was the family’s favourite colour and the anniversary will be marked by the arrival of yellow spring flowers in the gardens at the front of school, in celebration of their lives. 10 Secondary Phase learning highlights from 2011

Year 7 and 8 science students study a range of life-science topics. Year 7 students study different types of cells [right]. Year 8 students, led by Mrs Pearmain, learn about ecology and conservation, aided by some hands-on experience with some of the scari- er members of the animal community!

Technology students study five different specialist areas in years 7-9, led by a team of eight specialists. Here, our Year 8 students demonstrate their manufacturing skills in food, resistant materials, textiles and electronics. 11

CCS Fashion show The Fashion show has become a regular highlight of our summer term in the last few years. Involving students form years 7-10 working with our Business-Enterprise sponsors, Arcadia, students source, create, make and showcase their designs on the catwalk. The 2011 focus comprised a number of collections including ‘Masquerade’, ‘Flourish’ [below left] and ‘Efflorescence’ [ below right]

Society in good hands Our Children’s Care and Development and our Health and Social Care sixth form students, led by Mrs Worthington, study a range of units which prepare them for work with children and in the health care industry in the real world. Highlights in the past year have been work with Primary Phase children, designing, making and producing a puppet show [right] and working with health professionals, learning skills such as medical observation, dietary advice and working with infirm patients.

Media Studies Rock Challenge Led by Miss Sherwin, sixth form CCs has been a regular contender for national rock challenge awards students study of a range of me- for several years now. In 2011, the event was held in the guildhall at dia including film and magazines Southampton. Led by Miss Still, CCS was represented by all of years 7- and design their own artefacts as 13, finishing 4th out of a large number of schools taking part. part of the course. [above] 12

About Britain... As part of their GCSE and A-level studies, Geography students visit a range of locations to support their studies. Led by Mrs Kimberley, Year 10 students visit the Yorkshire Dales National Park and investigate the impact of geology on land use [left] whilst sixth form students study coastal processes and landscape formation on the Dorset coast.

...and Europe. Led by Mr Carr, GCSE History students study a range of periods of contemporary history. Amongst their favour- ites is undoubtedly the study of World War I, which includes a residential visit to the battlefields of Belgium.

Art and Design Led by Mrs Wilkie, Art students of all ages develop their creative skills in the classroom. However, they are also encouraged to exhibit their work and develop an understanding of the work of other artists. Below left, Mrs Rob- erts puts together an exhibition of students’ work for examination assessment purposes , whilst below right, students visit the Saatchi gallery in London to study the work of contemporary professional artists. 13

Off to pastures new

No, these are not trials for a new CCS uniform. It has become the tradition for Year 11s at CCS to make a special effort to dress up on their last day of compulsory education in May before tackling their final written exams.

Great news for A-level students Delighted Year 13 students share great news of their A-level examination results in August 2011 with friends and parents. Our best ever results have taken our students on to courses in higher education or employment. In all, over 90 students headed off in September for 51 different institutions of higher education 14 Sixth Form Students provide Artwork for St Sixth Form Life Andrews new Adolescent Unit at the Na- tional Brain Injury Centre On a visit to CCS Les Groucott, Quality Manager at St An- drew’s, commented on how impressed she was with the artwork around the School and a new project for our Year 12 students was born. With plenty of empty wall space to fill, students were commissioned to produce artwork to reflect the theme of summer holidays to hang in the new Elgar unit. The Elgar unit is the first dedicated brain injury rehabilitation service for adolescents and was opened on 5 July by Professor Nick Alderman, Consultant Neuropsychologist at St Andrew’s. Two of our students, Laura Parker and Ellie Barker, were accompanied by Mrs ICT Students get business advice Wilkie and Ms Haines to present the first CITI, the successful project management consultancy based pieces of art to Tony in Milton Keynes, gave A2 Applied ICT students a master- Griffiths, Hospital class in how to set up and manage a project from start to Director. Since then, finish. St Andrews have Ten students visited CITI’s offices to take part in a seminar used artwork by Sky with Principal Consultant Peter Collins. They examined key Holmes and Laura elements of project control and were given an insight into Parker for their publi- some of CITI’s latest research into project management cations; a piece by practice. In this challenging economic climate our young Sky Holmes is shown here. We hope to build on our links with people gain greatly from links with local business. We hope Elgar through music and drama workshops to support the to continue to work with Peter Collins and his colleagues at young residents in the unit. CITI and are very grateful for his commitment to education. Psychology

Biology

A Level Biology students go to the Pembroke coast to carry During innovation week, Year 12 students had the rare out research for their coursework projects. It’s a week of chance to work with a psychiatrist for a whole morning. Dr field studies, exploring the flora and fauna along this part of Colin Ridley from Birmingham introduced us to Family Thera- the Welsh coastline. py and the students discovered the power of role-play for exploring various issues that arise in families. They engaged with the activities thoroughly and Dr Ridley was extremely impressed with their participation. This activity was just one of many that week which looked at different kinds of therapy. The students visited the Occupa- tional Therapy Department at the local university where staff laid on a powerful experience. Students had the opportunity to experience life from a different point of view including wheelchair experience and, for one brave volunteer, from being dangled in the air by a hoist. The university staff were very welcoming and really put themselves out for us. 15

Goodbye Year 13

The first group of students to go all the way from Year 7 to Year 13 left us in summer 2011. They joined the school when building work was not even finished and helped us by joining in and helping to make a success of all our events and activities. It has been a pleasure to watch them grow into mature young adults and go on to take up university places or start their careers.

Outcomes and destinations

Our Year 6 children completed their SAT exams in May. We were keen to know how they would get on, as this was the first year group to join us in reception when school opened in 2004 and go all the through to Year 6. Our SAT results were the best we have ever had and we were very pleased that such a hard working and supportive group stayed with us and are all now doing well in Year 7. They finished Year 6 with an excellent final concert, which recalled their adventures on Year 6 residential, included some highlights from the ballroom dancing and ended with a lovely gift from the children to Mrs Patterson. GCSE students completed their exams in June. A key figure for us is the number of students who become NEET (Not in Educa- tion, Employment or Training) - we were very pleased that following their compulsory school years, fewer than 1% of our Y11 students were in this depressing situation, - the national figure is 20% for 16-24 year olds. 70% of the year group stayed on to join CCS Sixth Form. 28% went to Northampton or Moulton College. The remaining 2% took up apprenticeships or joined other schools. While the destinations were successful, we were disappointed with some aspects of our GCSE results. There was a major issue with the marking of GCSE English and school complained to the exam board. We succeeded in securing higher grades for 39 students - but we still felt that students were short-changed. Further steps are also needed to ensure that all students make enough progress over years 7-11 and for this reason, improving GCSE results is our key objective for this year. A Level results in summer were our best ever. All bar one of our students who applied for university places were successful in gaining a place in a university of their choice. This was against a national background of 1 in 7 applicants failing to get a place. In total just under 100 higher education places were secured - the result of hard work by the students themselves, effective support from parents and considerable effort from the Sixth Form team. Our NEET figures for this year group were, once again, less than 1%. A number of students secured employment directly from school; we are keen to build our support for young people choosing this option and we held our first business breakfast to introduce students to employers—an event which led to a job offer on the spot for one student. AS Level results were also excellent in summer, which bodes well for A Level results in summer 2012. As the year turned, three of our current Y13 students were offered places at Cambridge Uni- versity so we have high hopes for the continuing success of our Sixth Form. 16 CCS Governing Body

School Governors had an extremely busy year in 2011. The year began with a major consultation with parents—should CCS become an academy? The Governors recommended this course of action and the consultation echoed that view. The legal work that followed took up many hours of Governors’ time. The Caroline Chisholm School Trust is now a registered company and charity and holds a 125 year lease for the school site. Gill Amos, Chair of Governors, and David Atkinson, Vice Chair of Governors, played a key role in the negotiations with Northamptonshire County Council. Christine Sullivan, Chair of Finance Committee, helped us to get to grips with the financial complexities involved in setting up a company and to achieve a fa- vourable financial settlement. Everyone on the Governing Body helped us to consider the issues carefully before making the change to academy status. Has it been worth it? So far, things have gone well—school is in a stronger position financially, we have more flexibility in rewarding staff and we have more say over admissions criteria here at CCS. The hardest task Governors faced was supporting school through the difficult weeks following the tragic death of the Ding family. Gill Amos knew the whole family as friends and neighbours. David Atkinson knew both children through his work with the County Music service. As well as supporting school events commemorating the family, Gill worked with relatives of the family to organise the commemorative service at Kingsthorpe Baptist Church. David led the congregation at this event, which brought together CCS, the Girls’ High School, the Music Service, friends, neighbours and relatives. The year ended with another consultation! This time the Governors were seeking views on the best way to manage our admissions so that we keep our community of Wootton, Wootton Fields, Grange Park, Courteenhall and Quinton together and build even stronger relationships with our cluster schools—Wootton Primary School, Preston Hedges Primary School and Woodland View Primary School. Governors remain very keen to keep our school at the heart of the community—a view echoed by parents in their responses to the consultation.

We are a group of parents who organise school events to raise money to enrich school resource provision, such as the primary pergola, assembly hall projection and sound equipment and refreshments at various events. In 2011 we had a great year and raised over £2,500 which we will put towards some new primary playground equipment and which is the current focus of fundraising. In 2011, our first Pamper Evening was greatly enjoyed by the many ladies that took part. We held our very popular quiz and had a successful Bags to School collection. We contributed to the hutch and indoor cage for the Year 6 guinea pigs, Daisy and Cookie. We began our Friends Fridays – cake or ice pop sales on the last Friday of the month and had a hugely popular Friends Fun Night. Another first was to provide assistance with the hot drinks and milkshakes at the Reception Mince Pies & Milkshakes Morning for parents and we also to provided refreshments at the Foundation Stage and whole school Christmas Celebrations. We produced our first CCS Friends Calendar with photos of all primary phase children taken by their birth month, we also arranged a popular fundraiser where the primary phase created their own unique Christmas Cards. Students from throughout the school were involved in both the Christmas and Summer Fayres with their ever popular tombolas, bouncy castles and new for 2011, a very successful BBQ! Our final event of 2011 was our colour themed hamper raffle. Years R to Y8 made a fantastic effort this year to produce some really beautiful and innovative hampers. Some of the best hampers are shown below. CCS Friends would like to thank parents, staff and students for their valuable support which enriches pupils’ learning experience and makes their time in school so enjoyable.

Best Hamper Prize 2CB - White 3JC - Orange Y7 STT & 7JHN - Pink & Purple 17 Australian students visit CCS

At CCS, learning extends beyond the classroom, with staff dedicated to developing global and international opportunities and experiences for students.

This approach has enabled us to develop a strong partnership with Caroline Chisholm Catholic College (CCCC) in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

The partnership began in 2009 and has gradually strengthened with both staff and student exchanges taking place on a regular basis.

In October 2010, a group of 12 CCS students spent a fantastic few days at CCCC, as part of a 2-week trip to Australia.

They received an warm welcome and took part in a wide range of activities. Staying with student families provided them with a real taste of the Australian lifestyle.

The partnership continues to prosper and last year we were delighted to welcome students from CCCC to Northampton as part of their European excursion. The Australian guests were shown fantastic hospitality by our students and their families. They really went the extra mile to ensure that the guests enjoyed a quintessentially British experience, visiting amongst other things, Stratford Upon Avon, MK Snowdome, Warwick Castle and a local fish and chip shop! Students were able to spend time at school, taking part in lessons and trips to local attractions such as Stoke Bruerne. They were also taken to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Northampton Town Centre, to see where Caroline Chisholm herself was christened and married.

Our guests ended their visit by preparing and hosting a delicious ‘Farewell Cream Tea’ as a way of thanking the teachers and students families.

One of the main benefits of these exchange visits has been the opportunity for students from both schools to learn more about Caroline Chisholm—’The Immigrant’s Friend’.

In Australia, the face of Caroline Chisholm has already graced stamps and currency, however her incredible achievements are barely known in the UK. The more we have learned about her work, the more important it has become for us to celebrate her legacy in the town of her birth.

2011 saw the launch of a fundraising project with CCS, CCCC and The Church of the Holy Sepulchre working together to create a ‘The Caroline Chisholm Commemorative Window.

As a Business and Enterprise School, our students have an impressive record for developing innovative ways to raise money for great causes. It is hoped that this project will strengthen our partnership, whilst highlighting the achievements of this pioneering Northamptonshire woman who improved the lives of so many people across the world. 18 hakespeare Schools’ Festival

S Stantonbury Theatre MK A group of CCS students drawn from years 9 to 13 took part in the 2011 Shakespeare Schools’ Festival, performing a cut version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to an audience of 300 at the Stantonbury Campus Theatre.

The Shakespeare Schools’ Festival is a national event - schools taking part are invited to perform their work in a professional theatre alongside other schools and companies.

The production began as an Innovation Week activity and a ‘rough-cut’ version was performed on the last day of that week. Rehearsals picked up again after summer with performance in October.

The production was directed by Ms Wright, with help from Mr Downing and Mrs Lamb.

Students who took part in the production were:

Yusif Nelson ; Ashley Scott ; Jasmine Ives ; Fran Guardo ; Kate Swanson ; Olivia Naismith ; Bethan Davidson ; Josh Smith ; Olivia Foan ; Olivia Byfield; Dan Franssens; Stef De Luca; Esther Taylor; Anna Brophy ; Millie Flavin ; Ellie Griffin ; Lauren Jellis ; Olivia Marr ; Harriet Mather-Lamb ; Katie Cornish. 19 PERFORMING ARTS Trips & Opportunities Our annual AS/A2 residential trip to London took place in June. Students were treated to a fantastic tour of the Globe Theatre followed by a performance of ‘Hamlet.’ Students followed this up on the second day with the musical experience of ‘Legally Blonde.’ They had a fabulous time! (And plenty of research for their A2 examination.)

Much Ado About Nothing

A party of 53 staff and students visited London to watch David Tenant and Catherine Tate in a fabulous production of ’MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING’ Definitely a ‘wow’ moment for the year.

Drama in KS4 & KS5

From January to March students were working on a multitude of performance pieces in preparation for their exams which culminated in two days of GCSE performances and three nights for A level. Audiences were treated to an array of scripts ranging from ‘Abigail’s Party to Sheelagh Stephenson’s ‘Five Kinds Of Silence’. We were extremely proud of the results from both year groups

Primary Phase Music Developing a love of singing continues to be a strong feature of the primary curriculum where every child is encouraged to find their voice! Every child deserves the chance to sing as singing improves learning, confidence, health, social and emotional development. Singing has the power to change lives and help to build stronger communities. We teamed up with ‘Sing-up’ to ensure our children benefit from expert vocal tuition which proved to be an excellent specialist opportunity for all.

Bugsy Malone

Preparations for our whole school production Bugsy began in September with round upon round of auditions from primary and secondary phases. The production is a fantastic opportunity for students of all ages to work together. Students have been rehearsing intensely since then. We look forward to the final production on 27th,28th and 29th June 2012!

Awards Evening

July saw the launch of our first CCS awards evenings. The audience were treated to a range of performances across all three Art forms. The evening was a celebration particularly for those students who were in their final year at CCS. Main awards went to Charlie Pointer and Ryan Vernel who have continued to develop their passion for the Arts at University. 20

Christmas Celebration

Staff throughout primary and secondary phase had an extremely busy time with The cluster Christmas Celebration and CCS Christmas Concert which was a beautiful celebration of performance work from all phases, The Early Birds Choir, Primary choir, Vocal group, Year 5 and 6 performance work and CCS orchestra. An extremely entertaining evening!

One of our most popular external musical events is Young Voices. Children joined forces with thousands of others at the LG Arena in Birmingham to sing in one of the largest mass choirs in the country. They were also treated to performances from talented artists such as Randolph Matthews, Urban Strides and the highly acclaimed Connie Talbot. Concerts

Several music concerts were held throughout the year, including GCSE and A level performances. ‘A walk in the park,’ ‘Summer Fayre,’ CCS Christmas concert and Cluster carol service.

Music students have been busy sharing their work in a number of assemblies throughout the year. The ‘Luminites ‘ pop band paid a visit in October!!

Workshops

Students and staff across all phases had a range of workshops including Zumba. Year 12 students had an intensive workshop from The Central School of Speech and Drama focusing on audition technique for University and Stage School.

Dance

During the last year dance has been lucky to be included in not just the Performing Arts faculty but also PE. The PE department held a Sports award evening where 2 Dance awards were given out. These awards were for Performance Technique and Leaderships skills and Contribution.

The students are also now fortunate to be studying technical dance grades supplied and regulated by the Imperial Society for Teachers of Dance. This allows them to begin the qualifications needed to audition for professional dance colleges and fulfil the requirements needed to train to become a registered dance teacher.

All of the students that have participated in the dance department have showcased their skills in a fundraising capacity. Events have raised money for World challenge and more recently to raise funds for a new dance group founded to com- pete in events around the country. The fundraising has also began to raise funds towards our first dance only showcase the end of this academic year. 21

Caroline Chisholm School visit 10 Downing Street

In March 2011, a group of our students received a very exciting invitation; to visit 10 Downing Street and take part in a Youth Cabinet with the Prime Minister, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Sir Peter Jones, founder of Enterprise UK.

The students were asked to take part due to their involvement in Tenner Tycoon—a national initiative, run on an annual basis, by Enterprise UK. The project is designed to encourage young people to launch and develop their own business ideas. Participants are given a start-up fund of £10 and over the course of 1 month, must grow their enterprise and make as much profit as possible.

Throughout March 2011, our school was a hotbed of enterprise activity with students working hard to launch a wide range of initiatives including car washes, recycling services and newsletters. Some ideas really took flight and some very healthy profits were made, with some students turning their tenners into more that £300.

On arriving at 10 Downing Street, the students and staff were greeted and given refreshments before being seated at the table in the Cabinet Room.

They were introduced to Vince Cable and Peter Jones who were very interested to hear about their Tenner Tycoon activities and the business and enterprise opportunities available to students at CCS. They were also delighted to hear that our students had donated their profits to charity.

The students were then introduced to the Prime Minister himself who told them all about the new Enterprise Zones; a government initiative being launched that same day . These dedicated areas, which include Northampton Waterside, will aim to boost local economies and create over 30,000 new jobs by 2015. He then gave our students the chance to question him about issues that interest or concern them. They were not the least bit daunted and made the most of the opportunity, asking the Prime Minister a wide range of questions concerning his plans for tuition fees, support for young people following non-traditional routes of employment and the lack of young women in the cabinet.

They were then taken outside for photographs outside the world-famous door. Sue Rose, Business and Enterprise Director at CCS said ‘I’m really proud of the students. They were fantastic and really enjoyed the whole experience’. 22 Business and Enterprise

In 2011, our Young Entrepreneurs won a national competition to bring Claire Young (The Apprentice 2008 Finalist) to CCS for a 5-day Enterprise Masterclass.

This was a brilliant opportunity for both our Primary and Secondary students, who took part in a series of fun and challenging workshops.

Claire was really impressed with our student and is continuing to work with CCS to launch a in-school business.

Continuing our success at the annual regional Dragon’s Den competition, 2 teams from CCS reached the 2011 finals. The teams were praised by the judges who praised their innovations of a Homework Planner and a Milkshake Bomb

CCS was one of only 50 UK schools selected to take part in the B-Live Employability Programme; a series of projects designed to provide young people, across the year groups, with experience in a range of different careers.

The programme was sponsored by a number of high profile businesses, including Phones 4 U, BT and Superdrug.

As expected, our students threw themselves wholeheartedly into the programme and produced work of a very high standard, which caught the eye of Jo Mackie, HR Director of Superdrug.

She came to spend an afternoon with our Year 9 students who had taken part in their HR and Recruitment Project. She was very impressed with how the student teams had managed the project and the amount of research they had undertaken.

Our Year 7 students also excelled when asked to transport themselves to 2050 and design homes and offices of the future, to be built in outer space.

A team of CCS students reached the B-Live finals and were rewarded with treated to an all-expenses paid trip to ECO-BUILD—Europe’s largest construction exhibition.

Their plan was turned into a 3-D model by professional designers and displayed at the exhibition, where they met Professor Brian Cox, who spent time with them, discussing their design.

A group of our Year 9’s took first place at the Phones4U ‘Sweet Sell of Success’ - a competition to design a new app, which would then be created and made available to buy.

They were required to give a professional presentation to a group of industry judges who were very impressed with the girls’ design and entrepreneurial flair. As winners, they all received brand new SMART phones. 23

Following the success of last year’s event, the Main Hall once more became a trading floor, as Year 10 students were asked to ‘speculate to accumulate’ the most money.

The ‘Stock Market Challenge’ encourages students to work in teams, with each member taking on specific roles and responsibilities. The aim is to use the information and ‘news’ provided to development the most effective investment strategy.

This is an exciting and incredibly fast-moving challenge and staff were incredibly grateful to the year 12 volunteers who gave their time to man the busy trading desks. It was an incredibly successful day, which has inspired a number of students to investigate a future career in the Stock Market.

Our annual Transition Days took place in the summer term, with the Year 6 students visiting the school and taking part in an enterprise challenge.

Working in mixed groups with students from other feeder schools, they took part in the ‘Northamptonshire’s Got Talent’ challenge. They were asked to develop an exciting image for a band and help launch them with posters, CD designs and merchandise.

This has proved to be a brilliant way for students to develop enterprise skills , whilst getting used to their new surroundings and making new friends.

Earlier this year, whilst in Y11, student and budding product designer, Aaron Westgarth received an award at the regional ‘Unleashing Enterprise—Next Big Thing’ competition.

Aaron, who is a keen cyclist who competes at national level, developed the ‘Racemate’ - a portable bike stand. The judges were particularly impressed with his innovative design and his ability to combine creativity with concern for both environmental and social welfare.

Our relationship with Arcadia continues to grow in strength and we are incredibly grateful to the team for their willingness to share knowledge and expertise with our students and helping them to develop their business and enterprise skills.

In the summer, a group of high level Arcadia representatives spent the day with our Year 12 students helping them ‘to stand out from the crowd’.

Students participated in workshops looking at how they could use their time at school to enhance their CV in preparation for entering the graduate job market.

Katrina Nurse, Finance Director for Top Shop, was amazed by both the quality of work produced by the students and the diversity of their skills and interests.

Arcadia also offer our Year 12 students work experience opportunities and place- ments. During the summer holidays, a select number of our students spent time at the Top Shop Head Office, shadowing executives from a range of key departments including Marketing and Buying.

Katrina Nurse also kindly agreed to address parents and students at our annual A-Level Celebration Evening and present awards to those deserving special recognition for their achievements. 24

nnovation week is a chance for school to extend students’ learning to some of the parts the National Curriculum I cannot reach!

Innovation week gives our students the opportunity to try something different, learn something new.

In 2011, 150 children travelled abroad (to Madrid, Salamanca, Paris and the Belgian battlefields) while over 1,000 children took part in 25 projects in school. 25 Jordan 2011

Y9 CCS students took part in a short haul expedition to Jordan during two weeks at Easter 2011. The main objective of the trip was to develop the leadership skills of our students and embark them in a transformational experience that would change them from followers into leaders. For 12 days we covered the length and width of Jordan visiting Petra (one of the 7 Wonders of the World), spending time in the Wadi Rum (the desert), sharing food and stories under the stars of the desert with Bedouins, visiting the place where Moses looked over to the Promised Land, floating on (literally) and having a mud bath in the Dead Sea and snorkelling in the Red Sea in Aqaba amongst many other adventures. The trip was exciting and challenging and our students took control of the day to day running of events from booking accommodation and transport to making sure that we had enough food and water for each day. Our students loved the experience and many of them are already thinking about taking part in the long haul expedition. 26 NDIA World Challenge I Expedition 2011

Two teams of students and four members of staff took part in a month-long expedition to India in Summer 2011. But the planning and preparation almost 2 years before the departure date from December of 2009. All the challengers took part in a variety of fund-raising events including the CCS Talent Show, the Bollywood Asian Night and a live music event featuring an auction at the Black Bottom Club in Northampton.

The Journey there

The departure day of any expedition is always one of heightened emotion and this was no different. Build-up day at the school involved a busy 7 hours of checking and re-checking, packing and re-packing, tears, last minute fears and anxieties but above all else, excitement and laughter.

The arrival in Delhi was an experience that none will forget; for some it was the heat, for others the smell, for all it was the taxis. Delhi was a city that we were excited to see because it meant that the expedition had truly begun but it was also a city that we were keen to leave behind as we promptly started our journey into the Himalayas.

The Project Phase

The second phase of the expedition involved working with local schools and proved to be an incredibly humbling experience for both the students and staff. The challengers were warmly welcomed by pupils, teachers and local villagers and the group felt humbled by their exceptional generosity and hospitality. Both teams worked closely with the community sharing stories, songs and games in what was without doubt an extremely rewarding and memorable experience. Improvements to the buildings and exterior of the schools were appreciated by the parents of pupils and donations of sports and school equipment were gratefully received. This phase served to provide a true insight into how some very deprived communities happily exist in remote locations with only the most basic resources and facilities. 27

The Trekking Phase Planning for the physical challenge of a 14 day trek at high altitude involved intense fitness routines and a sound knowledge of the risks involved. Challengers left the Himalayan city of Manali with food, equipment and provisions accompanied by local guides, cooks, horsemen and their 19 horses. A steep climb and steady walk for all in the first days of the trek saw the group moved upwards from an altitude of 2100 metres to 4200 metres. The views of the snow-topped mountain peaks, glaci- ers and distant passes were breath-taking and most certainly worth the aching muscles and exhaustion suffered on the way. Setting up camp in wild and remote areas had additional challenges; privacy, hygiene, clean water and shelter from the sometimes extreme weather—all had to be considered. On the descent into the Kuloo valley and eventually amongst civilisation, the group were met with curi- ous glances from locals who were very surprised to find such an unusual cluster of young Europeans arriving in the local area. All challengers felt an overwhelming sense of achievement in the knowledge that the team had overcome extreme physical demands of this 150km journey through the Humachal Province and looked forward to the recreational phase of the expedition. Our visit to the Taj Mahal at the end of the expedition was one that everyone had been looking forward to throughout the expedition and it didn’t disappoint. The teams had a brilliant day exploring the famous building and enjoying the grounds, it was definitely a great way to round off the expedition. There is no doubt that this experience has changed the challengers forever. They have grown, become more mature, more culturally aware and more inde- The World Challenge India Blog—a sample pendent as a direct result of their experiences over the 18 month build up and expedition. In every element they were a credit to themselves and the school. Wednesday 3rd August

Written by Zara

We knew today was going to be one of our longer days, so with a 6:15 alarm everyone was awake with tents down ready for breakfast of porridge and toast with honey or jam. At 8 o’clock we were ready to begin. The trek started through a forest going through loads of trees, up little water falls; it was beautiful scenery which took our minds off our tiredness. After lunch we began trekking steeply in rocky fields before reaching the camp site at quarter to 4.

The campsite was really beautiful. It was at the end of the valley with two waterfalls on one side and a river running in from another valley on the other side. This was the sort of sight that we had all come to see and we were really proud that we had made it here. 28 Big Health and Happiness Week 2011

BBH&HW takes places every year in term 1. During the week learning is focused on the science, PSE and physical education elements of curriculum. All children in primary phase took part in a range of health and sporting activities as part of Big Health and Happiness Week. These activities included football coach-

ing,

tae-kwon-do lessons and a visit from Boots opticians, to name

but a few. We were very lucky to have community coaches from the Cobblers football team coming to run workshops in Key Stage 2 and the ballroom and Latin dance lessons put a smile on everyone’s face and a spring in our step!

All the children visited the Life Education Bus to learn about aspects of keeping healthy and safe with the help of Harold the giraffe. The children also enjoyed a choice of the ever popular ‘IT’ activities on Thursday afternoon including, Stack -T, Dig -T, Cook-IT, Ace-IT and Olymp-IT. Children had the chance to choose their activity and as a result we all felt happier and healthier!

Caroline Chisholm Cluster Olympics 2011

The Caroline Chisholm Cluster school began the road to London 2012 in 2010 with our first Olympic event held at Bedford athletics stadium. In 2011 we continued to build on the huge success of the first event. Year 5 & Y6 Students were selected to be part of the Olympic squad during trails earlier in the year. Training got underway and the students aimed to be the best they can be! The CCS 4 By 100 m Relay Team took the gold medal atmosphere throughout the afternoon of sport was electric as competitors were cheered on by the spectators The Caroline Chisholm School Olympic Squad made up of students, staff and parents from CCS, Preston Hedges. Wootton and Woodland View Primary Schools.

A full day of competition and a very enthusiastic and supporting crowd made the day hugely enjoyable. The hard work of the primary teachers and PE staff at CCS preparing the pupils for the event made the competition of a high standard. The secondary sports Leaders took responsibility for most the events and it was a great team effort. The final prizes were handed out to the successful athletes by each of the school’s leaders during the closing ceremony. 29

Year 7 Netball Campion travelled to CCS for the first league match of the season. Due to the amazing competition for places in the CCS Year 7 netball squad, the selected team were excited about representing Caroline Chisholm for this match. The game started off very evenly with E Walters, H Faraday and E Blincow very strong in defence. E Burnham and J Parker shot well and at the end of the first quarter the score was CCS 3 Campion 0. In the 2nd quarter, due to an injury, CCS had to make some changes and O Frimpong came on as GK and was outstanding, working well with E Walters and E Blincow in defence. L Nash played energetically at WA and created lots of space. Once again the shooting was superb and A Wyeth fed the ball well into the circle. Half time - CCS 9 Campion 3. Year 7 Update – The Year 7 netball team have continued The third quarter did not see many goals but lots of centre with their success and to date have not lost a match , with court play with E Walters, A Wyeth and E Burnham, the further league victories:- backbone of the team, working really well together. CCS CCS 16 Sponne 3 10 Campion 3 In the final quarter, N Warren at WA passed into the Danetre 0 CCS 24 circle really well enabling J Parker and E Burnham to Kingsbrook 0 CCS 36 increase the CCS lead with J Kenny having a solid game at WD. Final Score CCS 15 Campion 4 And victories in the friendlies that have been arranged:- Moulton 1 CCS 38 Players of the Match: - E Walters and E Burnham, although CCS 11 Quinton House 3 congratulations to the whole squad for such a fantastic game, played in great spirit and some amazing netball! CCS 21 Pitsford 4 CCS 23 Magdalen 1

Primary Sports Festivals 2011—2012

CCS secondary phase PE Department regularly organise primary sports festivals with the help of our secondary Young Sports Leaders.

 There have been over 13 Primary festivals, run by the Sports Leaders during 2011

 78 Year 10 students have qualified for the Level 1 Sports Leaders Award in 2011

 20 Year 12 students have qualified for the Level 2 Community Sports Leaders Award in 2011

 40 Primary students have completed the Young Leaders award from our Family of schools

 20 Year 7 students completed the Young Leaders award at CCS in the Leadership club.

30 A Surprise and Congratulations - Year 7/8 Girls Football Team - May 2011

The 2010/2011 County Cup Football Final was held at Kislingbury FC on Wednesday 4th May. Fifteen teams from across the county had entered and Caroline Chisholm and Northampton School for Girls had successfully got through to the Final. On the day, NSG proved a little too strong for CCS but it has been a fantastic achievement for this CCS team to get to the final, bearing in mind only one player actually is a member of a football club, outside school.

This squad have regularly been attending and Miss Greenmore commends their excellent attitude and commitment throughout the season. CCS battled so hard in the final and deserve to be county cup runners up. Many congratulations girls!!! The surprise? Connells Estate Agents had kindly agreed to sponsor the girls’ football at CCS and managed to have their new pink kit, ready for our team to wear so when they arrived at the match, it was all displayed, ready for them to put on for the final. We would like to express thanks to Connells for their continued support of this team, and other school teams at CCS. It is very much appreciated by the PE Department and students within the school.

County Athletics Championships —June 2011

The county athletic championships were held at Corby on Saturday 11th June with several Caroline Chisholm students representing South Northants having qualified from District Championships. Congrat- ulations to all of the following:- B Goddard and G Henry (Year 10) ran for the under 17 South Northants girls’ team with B Goddard finishing 4th in her 1500 metre final (5m 09s) and G Henry finishing 5th in her 200 metre final (31.7 seconds). F Anyaoha (year 10) is now County U17 100m champion with a time of 13.4 seconds and she was part of the relay team which finished in 2nd place. She now goes onto represent the County at the Inter Counties Event in Birmingham. M Love (Year 11) completed her U17 800 metre final in 2m 31s – finishing 2nd overall and she also goes on to represent the Northamptonshire. Well done to you both and good luck! The U15’s were very well represented with 2 CCS students N Goddard (Year 8) who broke the South Northants 800 metre record at the start of the month and ran a personal best of 2m 29.1s to secure her place as County Champion. E Sobers (Year 9) also ran a personal best of 27.7 seconds in the 200 metres, finishing 2nd overall and will now go through to represent the County. She also finished 3rd in the 100 metre final and was part of the successful relay team.

L Williams (Year 11) was also selected to represents South Northants in the 100 metres, however he was unable to run at the County event. Good luck to all of the athletes who go through to the Inter Counties Event and we, as a school, are very proud of all of our athletes’ achievements. 31 Ski Trip— February 2011

On Saturday 12th February 2011, 32 students from Year 10 and 11 and 4 staff embarked on a 20 hour coach journey (with no DVD player on the coach!) to the Aosta Valley in Italy for a week of fun in the snow. After getting kitted out with all the relevant ski gear, the students travelled to the summit of the mountain to start their snow sport tuition. For some students this would be the first time they had ever held skis in their hands, let alone have them attached to their legs! The students were split into working groups depending on their previous experience on the slopes and would re- ceive 5 hours of lessons a day. Many students were being assessed throughout the week in relation to their GCSE PE course.. Students also improved their Italian and this was evident in communication with Italians through the course of the week - “prego”. Students were also provided with an extensive après ski programme which included bowling, pizza night, disco, and the eagerly anticipated presentation evening. All students progressed extremely well and by the end of the week all students were skiing/snowboarding, the whole mountain – a real achievement! The students behaved exceptionally well throughout the week and were a pleasure to be with and CCS can be proud of the maturity levels shown by all whilst on this educational visit..

A level PE trip to the English Institute of Sport at Bisham Abbey — June 2011 The Great Britain Olympic team, GB rowers, GB hockey, GB cycling and GB canoeing are based at Bisham Abbey and CCS had an exclusive day pass to the whole site! There are a number of Elite sport training sites around the country preparing the best sports people in the UK for the biggest sporting stage there is The Olympic Games. As part of A level PE students study Centres of Excellence and everything associated with preparing athletes for the major events. The day included a tour of state of the art facilities and an inside look at the British Olym- pic rehabilitation centre where athletes go for intensive training following injury. Students saw the support services available at elite level, including physiotherapists, nutritionists, sport psychologists, physiologists and lifestyle performance. After the tour students went to a presentation from one of England Hockey’s lead strength and conditioning coaches, who told them about how to plan training. This will stand the students in great stead for their major coursework piece in year 13, the Development Plan. Students enjoyed lunch in the athletes dining hall before taking part in some fitness testing used with the top hockey players. Jump height was measured to test eccentric and concentric muscle strength and then the real hard work began with some running tests outside! Sprint tests and an inter- mittent shuttle bleep test provided a good measure for students to compare themselves with the elite. The group were lucky enough to watch the Great Britain Canoe team training, with the female canoeists managing to do just a few more chin ups than Mr Colman!! The whole day was fantastic preparation for students’ A2 course and future career choic- es. A huge thank you to the staff of Bisham Abbey for hosting us and providing such a superb experience for students and teaching staff. 32

CCS Sports Day — July 2011

The rain held off for this year’s secondary sports day on Wednesday 13th July 2011. In the morning, the usual format of team events took place. All Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students completed a practical circuit of various athletic and fun sport activities on the field in tutor groups (with the tutors joining in!) Each event gained points for the various tutor groups and these points were added together with the Sports Day quiz scores to give a total for each tutor group at the end of the morning.

In the afternoon the elite races took place with the whole school watching. The races included 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m and relay and there were many close and exciting finishes. Students were also aware that the “Spirit of Sports Day” certificates were to be awarded for those forms (not necessarily the one with the most points accrued but with the best attitude and effort during the whole day). The Year 10’s were able to take part wearing fancy dress in the morning as this would be their last CCS sports day. There were some excellent examples of fancy dress, in particular 10DJ dressed as zoo animals and 10WP as life guards – complete with yellow t-shirts and red shorts. Individual highlights include:

NAME EVENT TIME J Ward 100m 13.07 J Orosz 100m 12.64 T Orosz 100m 11.56 S Hans 200m 31.38 S Greenwood 200m 26.97 A Howard 200m 26.30 J Schampier 300m 46.75 T Yarde 400m 1.1.34 E Broom 100m 13.17 E Sobers 100m 12.61 J Doherty 100m 13.04 A Skirrow 200m 31.44 K Morton 200m 31.16 N Goddard 300m 49.28 M Rice-Jones 300m 51.03

The overall sports day winners were:- 7PC, 8PB, 9DMN and 10DJ

Winners of the Spirit of Sports Day certificates presented by Mr J Moss (Connells Estate agents) were:- 7BB, 8PB, 9SBE, 10JF

Thanks to those parents who came and supported the event and also to the PE team for their hard work in organising the day’s events. Thanks also to Connells Estate Agents for their continued support throughout the year and for organising the Spirit of Sports day certificates. 33 Year 7 East Midlands Rugby Union Success — November 2011 A 16 player squad was selected to represent CCS at the annual county rugby festival, held at Northampton Casuals Rugby Club. Twelve schools from Northamptonshire entered the tournament including schools from Wellingborough, Kettering and from across South Northants.

CCS were the first team to arrive and began an early warm up to focus on the challenge ahead. The team, captained by J. Tapp, were placed in a tough pool that included strong teams from Campion, Wrenn, Guilsborough and Sponne. Confidence was high going into the first game, and despite being 1 try down within the first minute, the team rallied and scored 3 unanswered tries to win 3 tries to 1. (Scorers;- I.Hashmi, E. Roberts and M.Sharpe). The influential captain, J.Tapp had to leave the field with an injury and the captaincy went to E Roberts who led by example throughout the rest of the tournament. The second group game was against Sponne and a very physical game it proved to be with CCS winning 2 tries to nil (Scorers:- F. McColgan, I. Hashmi). In the third group game, CCS faced Campion; a team that they had already lost to this season. A very close game insued, with both defences on top, until C.Woodfield charged over the line from close range to score the game’s only try. With CCS now top of the group, they played a talented Guilsborough team knowing that they had already qualified for the knockout stages. A lack of concentration at the kick off led to a first minute Guilsborough try however a very strong attacking performance from both the CCS backs and forwards led to a 4 try to 1 victory. (Scorers;- C. Woodfield, I. Hashmi, E.Roberts and M. Sharpe).

Injuries began to take their toll and C.Calver was unfortunately unable to play any further part in the tournament due to a thumb injury. To remain unbeaten throughout the group stage was a very good achievement, especially as the team con- sisted of some players who were making their debut’s (H. Boddington and T. Whitmore) and they certainly added further strength to an already talented team. There were other stand out performances during the group stage by O.Candlin and J.Wilson who carried the ball extremely effectively over the gain line during each game. A special mention should also go to the Front Row players (N.Coles, E.Fernando, C. Calver and C Woodfield) who got through the high intensity “unseen” hard work in the Scrums, rucks and mauls throughout the tournament.

In the knockout stages, CCS faced Moulton in the Quarter Finals. The 1 try to nil score line to CCS was in part thanks to the excellent aggressive defence displayed by the backline, particularly from M. Sharpe and J. Thorman. J.Tapp managed to recover from his injury by the Semi Final’s where CCS were drawn to play Guilsborough in a rematch of the group game. With confidence high, CCS stormed to a deserved 2 try to nil victory with try’s from M.Sharpe and the reinvigorated J.Tapp .

EMRU Northants U12 County Rugby Final – CCS v’s Sponne.

With the light fading, CCS were faced with another re-match, this time against Sponne. Although bodies were tired, the players were determined not to fall at the final hurdle, saving their most convincing performance for the final match. Ex- cellent defence combined with a strong running and passing game led to a 4 try to nil victory with scores from J.Tapp, C. Woodfield and also fantastic individual scores from E. Roberts and A. Blore, who were a constant threat to the opposi- 34 Rugby Tour Manchester and Leeds Report—November 2011

The Year 9 team had a successful tour in Manchester, the boys played against Altrincham Grammar School and Sale Grammar School. On Friday the 11th November the boys were a credit to the school demonstrating the 2 minutes silence maturely on route to Manchester. On arrival to Altrincham the boys were fully focussed and had a very committed warm up and run through prior to the game. During the game the boys were clearly attacking and played some very well drilled rugby. The scrums were more sturdy than previous games. With the lineout winning good ball and the backs being on the front foot there was some link up play and continuity. Unfortunately F. Penula Traub had an ankle injury and was therefore unable to play on the rest of the tour.

Altrincham vs CCS WIN 32-12 Man of the Match: A. PEARMAIN

In the evening the boys celebrated well and enjoyed their group cohesion at bowling and meal at Frankie and Benny’s.

Sale Grammar School, Saturday morning was a tougher test. The boys were showing signs of tiredness after their previous performance. Sale took an early lead which boosted their confidence and our heads dropped. We matched them in play having most of the possession and territory however was unable to make the correct decisions in play to capitalise on this. Sale played some very clinical expansive rugby and made the most of their chances.

Sale Grammar School vs CCS LOSS 24-19 Man of the Match: O. NEWSHAM

Picture Below: Sale Grammar school vs. CCS.

All the boys were a credit to the school throughout the tour and made it a very pleasurable and memorable experience. They continued to have high spirits in our Hydrotherapy session and Laser Quest. The final day the boys were given a VIP tour of Leeds Carnegie stadium with John Bentley (Ex British Lions Player). The players were lucky enough to be in the changing rooms whilst the first XV team were out warming up and also then had a question and answer session with USA international Mike MacDonald. I hope the boys will continue to develop their rugby and have gained valuable life skills from the tour, learning some valuable lessons from their question and answer sessions with the international players that they met in Leeds. An inspi- ration to us all!

Quote of the tour: “We feel like a real team now… we’re all a group of great friends.” 35 36