Dear Parents

PARENTS’ NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 7 February 2012

In addition to the usual news there are several important information items in this issue: Safer Internet News (P4) All Things Prom (P6) Future Events in Theatre (P10) Spring Music Concert 28 March 2012 (P11) Eco-News (P11) World Book Day (P11) Article on Parent Governors: Role and Vacancy (P13) Area Board Voice Project (P14) Lots of news on Sport, Music, Drama, Food Technology, India Link etc.

JOHN COOK We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of John Cook who was a School Governor at Bradon Forest for over 25 years and a stalwart supporter of the school and the village. John‟s funeral was held on Monday 30 January 2012 and the school was represented by Mr Spiers (Headteacher), Sue Davies (Head of Key Stage 3), Caroline Cole (Head of Humanities) and a large number of our support staff. A number of retired staff and ex-governors also attended. St Mary‟s Church was literally packed to overflowing which showed the respect and affection in which John was held by many people. Generations of Bradon Forest students will remember the visits to Quarry Farm and sitting on the hay bales whilst John answered the many questions the youngsters had about farming. Over the last few years John had been a principal guest at a number of Awards Assemblies which he thoroughly enjoyed as he was so positive about young people. Many of us will remember John sat with his wife Sue in the front row of the gallery at all of the Awards Assemblies for his three grandchildren. Reverend Judith Wells, who conducted the lovely service, spoke warmly about John, and Ian Perkins, a previous Headteacher of Bradon Forest who also went to with John, gave a moving and humorous tribute to John and his fantastic support for . Our thoughts are with Sue, Emma (Hayden), and all of John‟s family and many friends.

2011 GCSE ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTAINMENT TABLES The annual Government GCSE Performance Tables were published at the end of last month (27 January 2012) As promised in the letter to parents (4 January 2012), which accompanied the Ofsted report, a booklet on the Performance Tables will be posted to all registered parents/carers. This booklet will provide details from the tables which will enable parents to compare Bradon Forests‟ 2011 Results with schools locally, and against national benchmarks. (Booklet scheduled for posting by 10 February 2012). A summary table of data regarding schools within 10 miles of Bradon Forest, (plus key) is included as part of this article, to provide a summary of the „League Tables‟ for our „wider Newsletter audience‟. It is very pleasing that this year, for the very first time, a number of measures in the National Performance Tables are now shown both with and without equivalences at all levels. (Continued)

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As parents will be aware, we have resisted the temptation to inflate our „performance‟ for the National League Tables by running „equivalence‟ courses that attract „points‟. We firmly hold the belief that curriculum decisions must serve the interests of our students rather than the institution. At Bradon Forest we are firmly committed to „education rather than manipulation.‟ We do use some alternatives to GCSE where these are deemed to be the most appropriate learning vehicle for a particular student. However all our students are expected to take a minimum of 8 GCSEs - we choose not to reduce the number of subjects taken or to „inflate‟ our performance by running „equivalence‟ courses specifically to gain points for league tables as we feel this offers little value in terms of student progression. Our continued stance may not serve us well in terms of OFSTED outcomes but it does serve the needs of our students as evidenced by their examination results and the very high proportion of our students accessing Post 16 pathways. (2011 Year 11 Examination Results Day (August 2011)

The shake-up in the performance tables is a result of the 2011 review of qualifications by Professor Alison Wolf, which suggested schools had been tempted to teach qualifications that attract the most points in school performance tables: "Students were doing lots of qualifications which were getting league points for their schools but which, when they went out into the labour market or when they went to college, they found actually nobody valued. So we were essentially lying to kids and that's a terrible thing to do." Professor Wolf The report establishes that over recent years the performance tables system has created „perverse incentives‟ for schools to enter students for equivalence courses (sometimes worth up to 4/6 GCSEs), to boost their places in the league tables. Government officials describe this as "gaming" the system. Government figures show that the use of „equivalence‟ courses has exploded in recent years – from 15,000 in 2004: to 575,000 in 2010: (The 2011 figure is expected to show another substantial rise.) Since the publication of the performance tables last month there have been a plethora of articles in the media providing details of the effect of equivalences on schools results, highlighting the extent of the „equivalences inflation‟ factor. As you will see from the summary table below „equivalence courses‟ have had very little impact on Bradon Forest results. The impact of the misuse of „equivalences‟ at a local and national level over recent years and the „equivalences inflation‟ on schools not running traditional GCSE broad / balanced curriculum can be clearly seen. The GCSE only measures give a more accurate and refined comparison of results and, perhaps put a number of schools‟ Ofsted judgements in perspective, including our own. However we are not complacent and believe any school has areas for development. Ofsted cited our „Self Evaluation‟ procedures as a strength and that leaders at all levels have robust plans in place to address any areas in need of improvement. Bradon Forest is fortunate to have a staff, both teaching and support, who continue to work hard to maintain and further improve all that we do. We are confident that Bradon Forest will continue to develop and be even more successful in the future. (2011 Year 11 Awards Winners (November 2011)

Table and Key overleaf:

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2011 DFE Performance Tables Data for schools within 10 mile radius of Bradon Forest School The English Baccalaureate: Column 1: This is made up of the five GCSE A*-C (higher grade passes) which must be GCSEs in English, Mathematics, Science, Modern Foreign Languages and History or Geography. Points score - Best 8 : Column 2: The capped points score is the best 8 results which must include English and Mathematics. This is worked out by calculating the total number of points gained from the best 8 qualifications for each student which can be GCSEs and

other eligible qualifications and dividing this figure with the total number of students in the Year 11 cohort. For GCSEs, points are allocated as follows: 58 for an A*, 52 – A, 46 – B, 40 – C, 34 – D, 28 – E, 22 – F and 16 – G. Non GCSE courses which are allowed in the tables are converted to equivalent GCSE points. However for the first time, this year‟s measure is also calculated and shown using GCSEs only thus providing a clear indication of the effect of a schools use of equivalences. Average Number of Qualifications Column 3: This is worked out by from the total number of all qualifications taken (which can be GCSEs and other eligible qualifications) and dividing this figure with the total number of students in the Year 11 cohort. % 5+ A*-C including English and Mathematics Column 4: This measure must include English and Mathematics plus three other qualifications (which can be GCSEs and other eligible qualifications). However for the first time, this year‟s measure is also calculated and shown using GCSEs only thus providing an indication of the use of equivalences. % 5+ A*-C Column 5: Unfortunately this measure is still only provided including all qualifications, (which can be GCSEs and other eligible qualifications), and the separate measure showing GCSEs only is not available. It is worth noting that an indication of the National figure is 81.2% when all qualifications are included. If the measure was based on GCSEs only this falls to approximately 55%. In the previous column (Column 4) the two measures for the average number of qualifications does provide an indication of the use of equivalences. If the %5+ A*- C measure was also provided using GCSESs only it would provide an even clearer picture of the extent of the use of equivalences.

Summary table: 1 2 3 4 5

2011 DFE Performance English Point Score Average No of % 5+ A*-C % 5+ A* - C Tables Data for schools Bacc Best 8 Qualifications (inc EN and MA) within 10 mile radius of GCSEs Bradon Forest School. E/M/S/ With GCSEs With GCSEs With GCSEs With GCSEs H or G Equivs Only Equivs Only Equivs Only Equivs Only & MFL England Average n/a 15.4% 338.8 278.1 11.5 7.8 58.2% 52.4% 81.2% 54.9% Average W n/a 20.0% 334.7 298.1 10.9 8.4 60.5% 57.1% 75.1% n/a Average S n/a 11.8% 327.7 278.3 11.8 7.9 52.4% 48.2% 73.5% n/a Gloucester Average G n/a 21.7% 341.6 306.6 10.6 8.4 62.9% 59.5% 79.4% n/a Oxfordshire Average O n/a 18.8% 332.4 295.5 11.0 8.6 57.4% 54.9% 74.0% n/a

Bradon Forest W 245 27% 327.1 319.3 10.8 9.9 57% 56% 69% 68% Greendown S 216 12% 322.8 308.6 11.3 9.3 53% 51% 67% n/a Nova Hreod S 292 9% 306.1 249.3 12.3 7.8 41% 35% 66% n/a Isambard S n/a No End of Key Stage 4 Students ie Y11 in 2011 Wootton Bassett W 229 22% 337.8 318.4 11.1 9.3 64% 63% 80% n/a S 121 1% 317.7 197.9 10.7 5.7 37% 31% 72% n/a Commonweal S 208 21% 343.9 315.1 12.3 8.6 66% 63% 77% n/a Kingsdown S 250 15% 322.2 306.4 10.0 8.4 57% 54% 69% n/a St Joseph‟s S 217 20% 338.8 308.2 13.7 9.0 55% 53% 74% n/a Churchfields S 183 2% 347.8 225.4 12.3 6.1 48% 36% 93% n/a Ridgeway S 231 12% 355.2 316.8 10.5 8.0 61% 59% 85% n/a Dorcan S 237 2% 339.8 252.3 13.7 6.8 54% 45% 79% n/a Highworth Warneford S 188 25% 353.1 335.4 12.2 9.3 63% 62% 77% n/a Cirencester Kingshill G 177 24% 336.3 325.1 9.9 9.2 68% 67% 79% n/a Farmor‟s G 179 27% 358.3 336.5 10.9 9.4 68% 66% 84% n/a Cirencester Deer Park G 213 28% 361.5 323.0 11.6 8.9 68% 65% 88% n/a

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WHOLE SCHOOL SURVEY As parents will be aware, the week before the notification of our Ofsted inspection, we distributed a school survey (Kirkland Rowell) to 50% of the parents. All students filled in a student questionnaire during a Monday tutor session at 8.45am (this was unannounced). Staff, both teaching and support, also filled in staff questionnaires at the same time. The results and analysis were due in January and these were received last week. The outcomes were extremely positive and in line with the Ofsted surveys from parents, students and staff. The Kirkland Rowell survey also compares the results to the full school survey carried out just over two and a half years ago. The 2011 survey results were even better than the previous Kirkland Rowell survey which is very pleasing. Ms Hunter (Assistant Headteacher) has overseen the Kirkland Rowell survey and we will be producing an article for the next Newsletter on both the Kirkland Rowell and Ofsted survey results.

STUDENT VOICE REVIEW OF LEARNING PLATFORM AND SOFTWARE E-Learning Team: Bradon Forest School has used e-learning for many years to engage and extend the students in their learning in all school subjects. We use a range of computing and on line resources including our Learning Platform, SAM Learning and Clipbank to name but three. This is a rapidly expanding area and to ensure we use the best resources, Mr Wright has assembled a new e- team to help him and the school assess what is available in the digital world and what will help the students most. The team has been assembled from students from Year 7 to Year 9, who have shown us that they are early adopters of e-learning as they are already using it across their subjects. The e-team met for the first time in February and reviewed their use of existing software resources and were given a sneak preview of „Learning Platform 2‟. The group will meet regularly and help the Strategic ICT team and all teachers to choose the best resources for next year and in the future. If any parents would like to contribute ideas of on line learning resources they use or have read about, they should contact Mr Wright by e- mail ([email protected]) and he will ask the e-team to review them. The full e-team : Kirsten Harris 9S; Gus Gardner 9Y; Rhian Williams 9Z ;Charlotte Butler 9Q; Grace Bartlett 9Q; Ashleigh Wyatt 8P; Bridgette Mpofu 8W; Charley Hill 8Z; Harry Cook 8W; Danielle Spiers 8T; Ewan Elliott 7Q; Toby Griffin 7T; Habib Ali 7Y; Zoe-Jean Ayrton 7P; Sophie Richards 7Y.

GREEN SLIPS At Bradon Forest we have always used a green slip system to recognise effort, achievement, community contributions etc. Since the green slip system was computerised, students have not received individual green slips from their teachers. In response to student and parent feedback, Mrs Davies (Head of Key Stage 3) and Mr Bray (Head of Key Stage 4), have introduced a postcard system. When a student receives a defined number of green slips, a postcard will be sent home (examples on the left). The Key Stage 4 system was revised a few years ago with letters being sent home. A Key Stage 4 Certificate of Achievement postcard is also being introduced. A number of our faculties already use a “postcard to parents” system very successfully. Student and parent feedback indicates the postcards are really valued. The postcards have been designed and produced in house at minimal cost. The cost of postage is minimal and is more than covered by the savings made using Schoolcomms and Parents‟ Newsletters being distributed electronically. Many thanks to Mrs Purcell, Mr Bray and Mrs Davies for the introduction of our KS3 Green Slip/KS4 Certificate of Achievement Postcard System.

SAFER INTERNET DAY 2012 The 2012 Safer Internet Day (SID) took place on Tuesday 7 February 2012 and was centred around the theme: „Connecting generations and educating each other.‟ At Bradon Forest we have run an „E-Safety Week‟ with Miss Colbert our ICT Co-ordinator leading assemblies for each year group. The assemblies have focused on the „Connecting Generations‟ theme and also emphasise and reinforce cyber-bullying and „netiquette‟ issues. During E-Safety Week, all Key Stage 3 ICT lessons were focused on developing support materials to enable “silver surfers to surf safely”. A competition is being run to choose the best hand-outs/flyers and the winning copies will be reproduced and used with a number of local senior citizen groups to target the “silver surfer” generation.

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Mr Spiers reports: Last year I was interviewed by the SID radio presenter Russell Prue at BETT (The annual British ICT Technology Exhibition) who was broadcasting an internet radio show throughout the three days of BETT. He had asked to interview me as Bradon Forest was the first secondary school in the country to be presented with the 360o E-Safety Quality Mark. On behalf of the Safe Internet Day group Russell was running a radio show from 8.00am – 8.00pm during SID 2011 (last February) and David Wright and I were interviewed live. Russell contacted us again this year and last week pre-recorded an interview for this year‟s SID radio show to be broadcast on 7 February 2012. It is great that Bradon Forest‟s work on E-Safety is being given recognition via internet radio – a very 21st century medium! The box below provides details of SID radio 2012 which will be available online, live on the day and accessible thereafter on the web.

Safer Internet Day Live - the internet radio programme is back – www.saferinternetdaylive.com

The UK Safer Internet Centre will be producing a 12-hour Internet radio marathon for Safer Internet Day – 7 February 2012. The theme for the day will be Connecting Generations, under the slogan – “Discovering the digital world together safely!” Last year tens of thousands of listeners tuned in to our programme and this year we are aiming to make it even bigger and better! You will be able to listen to 12 hours packed full of useful tips, practical information, comments and opinions, resources as well as latest research in online safety. Leaders and experts from around the world as well as leading industry members will discuss how current and emerging online technologies are changing the lives of younger and older generations alike. We will hear from young people and teachers across the country about how they use these technologies safely and responsibly in school and at home. In tune with the theme, this year we will discuss with parents and grandparents about how the Internet is helping them as well as connecting them together. As before, we will devote each hour of the radio programme to a different topic and will be looking for our listeners to tune in and to interact as true participants. You will be able to IM, Facebook, email, text and phone in or tweet and re-tweet about the show, which proved very popular last time around. A new aspect this year is the Eurovision hour! You'll have an insight into how other European countries are celebrating Safer Internet Day as well as hints, tips and tools. www.saferinternetdaylive.com

HOLOCAUST ASSEMBLIES WEEK Miss Mazelin ran a very thought provoking and informative series of assemblies during the week of National Holocaust Day on 27 January 2012. This is the third year that Miss Mazelin has run these assemblies on such an important aspect of 20th century history, highlighting the lessons that should be learnt for future generations.

MUSIC NEWS Swindon Young Musician of the Year February 2012

Miss Groom reports: Time has flown by and once again some of the top musicians in Swindon gathered for an evening of musical entertainment. The variety of performances was extraordinary, even on the same instrument - which was commented on by the adjudicator and compare. All of the students seemed to have a fantastic time including our performers: Grace Bartlett (9Q), Hyun Kim (8Y) and Jake Painter (8T), who represented Bradon Forest School in the junior section. Hyun was placed second and Jake was placed third.

Two students represented Bradon Forest in the senior section: Rei Shimizu (11Z), who is now very familiar with the competition and Hope Steadman (11T). Both girls performed superbly and Rei was given the tough task of closing the whole event. Hope was placed 3rd. Congratulations to all involved!

PRIMARY LIAISON NEWS 13 Our Primary Liaison News Issue 13 will be distributed to our partner primary schools during the last week in February. (This will be available on the website under the „Welcome‟ button, Section 5 or via the Primary Links button.)

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REMINDER: PTA NEWS

“All Things Prom” - Friday 24 February 2012 at 7.00pm in Bradon Forest Main Hall - £2.00 per ticket (see poster at the end of this Newsletter).

This is your chance to browse local businesses dealing in Proms, ranging from limousine hire, suit and dress hire, hair, nails, tanning, accessories etc. Discounts will be available to students who book on the night. This is open to all current Year 10/Year 11 students and their parents. The Bradon Forest Year 11 School Prom will be held on 29 June 2012, so watch out for posters around the school. Tickets will be on sale soon. For further details please contact Emma Hayden on 770570 in Student Services.

INDIA LINK UPDATE The India Link group are working hard with all their preparations for the visit to India during the Easter holiday. After the end of term break the Indian Principals/Headteachers are visiting the UK and will be spending a day at Bradon Forest. This means that the students will have had the privilege of meeting a number of the Principals of the schools that they are due to visit. An article on the visit of our Indian colleagues will follow in the next Parents‟ Newsletter. Following the fundraising evening at the Bombay Lounge in Peatmoor (6 February 2012), the India Link students and staff are running a Valentines Disco for Years 7 and 8 on Friday 10 February 2012. The Art Department is running a six week after school project for the gifted and talented Key Stage 3 Art students. They will be producing art work that the India Link team will take with them to share with the schools and students in India (an article and photographs of the Key Stage 3 artwork will feature in a future Newsletter).

SPORTS NEWS (Due to space a number of other sports articles are being held over to the next issue) Boys Basketball Mr Matthews reports: It has been another busy and successful Basketball season for Bradon Forest boy‟s teams. The Year 8, 9 and 10 squads started training in September in preparation for the upcoming season. Turnout was high for each year group, with everyone keen to work hard and improve their ability. Fixtures started in October, culminating in the Swindon Schools Cup finals late in January. Year 7: The Year 7 training started in November. Unfortunately there is no competition for their age group in Swindon. However we were able to organise a friendly game for them against St Johns in Marlborough in order for them to try out their new skills and help prepare them for the Swindon Schools competition next year. The boys played really well for their first game and comfortably won 26-2. Well done to the Year 7 Squad: Lachlan Beggs, Charlie Britton, Cameron Curtis, Joshua Curtis, Ewan Elliot, Mason Garland, Greg Griffin, Lewis Griffin, Luke Jones, Tyler Lewis, Joe Marshall and Cameron Richardson.

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Year 8: Swindon Champions As there is no Swindon Schools Cup in Year 7 this was the first season of competition for this year group. It was therefore a bit of a journey into the unknown as it was hard to gauge how they would get on. Any trepidation was quickly found to be misplaced as they comfortably beat all opposition on the way to winning the Swindon Schools Cup. The results were as follows: Vs Wootton Bassett Won 29-11 Vs Churchfields Won 45-22 Vs Highworth Warneford Won 70-06 Vs St Johns Marlborough Won 22-12 Vs Ridgeway (Swindon Schools Final) Won 53-20 (Jack Ogley Man of the Match)

Well done to the Year 8 Squad: Callum Bragg, Alfie Griffin, Matthew Hibbs, Jack Hutchison, Miles Jolliffe, Gabe Maddison, Mincili Mbooi, Jack Ogley, Bradley Phillips, Joshua Price, Ryuto Taniguchi and Patrick Whittaker.

Year 9: Swindon Champions and Wiltshire Champions The target this year was to qualify to enter the national cup competition. To do this they had to once again win the Swindon Schools Cup and then win the Year 9 County Cup tournament. Bolstered by some new additions to the squad this year, the Year 9s won the Swindon Cup, and then a week later were crowned county champions having won the County Cup at a tournament held at the Link Centre. Having achieved their target they now look forward to competing in the national cup as the Wiltshire champions. The results were as follows: Vs Ridgeway Won 53-19 Vs Churchfields Won 47-40 Vs Wootton Bassett Won 34-27 Vs Ridgeway (Swindon Schools final) Won 51-32 (Luke Neves Man of the Match)

County Final Winners (Vs St Johns (Marlborough), Matravers (Westbury), Bishops Wordsworth (Sailsbury))

Well done to the Year 9 Squad: Matthew Crosby, Alex Dawson, Sam Haskell, Russell Hudson, Zak Jackson- Parish, Taylum Mistry, Joshua Musty, Lewis Newman, Luke Neves, Jake O‟Neil, Cameron Shaw and William Thorne.

Year 10: Swindon Champions & progressing in National Cup The Year 10s have continued their dominance of Swindon schools by winning the Swindon Schools Cup. In the process they have remained unbeaten in the competition. They have also made good progress in the National Cup competition and at time of writing are one win away from qualifying in their group to progress to the next round of the competition. The results were as follows: Vs Wootton Bassett Won 62-6 Vs Highworth Warneford Won 60-37 Vs St Johns Marlborough Won 71-17 (National Cup) Vs Highworth Warneford Won 50-27 (Swindon Cup semi-final) Vs Greendown Won 81-28 (Swindon Schools Cup Final) (Adam Bradley Man of the Match)

Well done to the Year 10 Squad; Adam Bradley, Luke Cordas, Edward Evans, Ben Jones, Robert Mills, Joe Pettit, Jackson Price, Joshua Riddett and George Wisden.

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2011/12 Basketball Competition Year Summary ( – so far!) Overall it has been another fantastic year for Bradon Forest in the Swindon schools competitions. It is a huge testament to all the teams‟ attitude, effort, commitment and ability. So far 64 boys have represented the school this year and every one of them has been a magnificent and fantastic ambassador for the school. They should all be hugely proud of their achievements. Overall: Played 15 lost 0! Well done to all the squads!

Girls Cricket

U13 Girls Cricket team win Swindon School’s Indoor Cricket Competition Miss Moore reports: The newly formed indoor cricket squad approached the match against St Joseph‟s hopeful but nervous. This was their first game – and a final! We won the toss and put St Joseph‟s in to bat. Our bowlers did a great job of keeping the runs down, and St Joseph‟s finished their innings on 44 – 4. Next it was Bradon Forest‟s turn to bat. Our batters didn‟t let us down, hitting great shots to score off the walls, with Millie Ross scoring the only six of the match. We finished on 67 – 6 as winners! The U13 team now represent Swindon in the Wiltshire County Finals on Tuesday 7 February 2012. Well done to: Georgia Clifford, Melissa De Beer, Danni Dewsbury, Rosie Hannay, Charlotte Humphries, Meghan Larkin, Bryony Lockett, Sneha Patel, Millie Ross and Ayren Walker. The U15 Girls Cricket team have also made it to the County finals and their competition was on 1 February 2012. Report to follow in the next newsletter.

STUDENT NEWS Alisha Garside Rock Climbing Success! Alisha Garside has been climbing for the last four years at The Ridge climbing wall in Swindon. She was part of the Bradon Forest team that won the Key Stage 4 Swindon Rock Climbing Competition last year and also was the winner of the best individual climber (our Key Stage 3 team also won their competition). We were delighted that Alisha won her first Bouldering competition on 26 November 2011 and has been recruited into the squad of the Bristol Climbing Academy. This is the elite squad for the South West. Since joining the academy in January 2012 she has won yet another bouldering competition. Well done Alisha. The picture is of Alisha during her winning climb at last year‟s Swindon School‟s Competition.

FOOD TECHNOLOGY NEWS Student's Enjoy a Fish Fight Talk! On Tuesday 24 January 2012, a group of Year 10 Food Technology students were treated to a visit from Simon Rhodes. Simon is the owner of The Lobster Pot Fishmongers in Hungerford which he opened in November 2010 after being the chef at the Pear Tree in . He is an active supporter of Hugh's Fish Fight (http://www.fishfight.net) and the campaign against the European ruling on fish discards, the law stating we must throw dead fish back into the sea.

Simon led a two hour session with the group discussing the different types of fish available, where they live, how they are transported to him, the importance of sustainability, and how easy and versatile it is to cook with.

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Each student was asked to bring an item of food with them which they thought would work well with fish. Simon then put together a variety of dishes which the students then all got to sample! The dishes included a mixed fish chowder, a thai spiced tuna and marlin with coconut, and a tomato and tarragon sauce with a sea bass. The dishes were awarded 100% satisfaction from everyone who tried them! Student Lewis Reason, a self-proclaimed 'fish lover', said: "I've learnt that one simple ingredient can change the whole dish and that if you reduce the sauce, you get a more concentrated flavour. I've learnt a lot and can't wait to cook with even more types of fish. I love fish!" The students were surprised to enjoy so many different types of fish that they didn't think they'd ever like. Simon commented, "It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning, imparting my knowledge on youngsters that may not have had the chance to experience the variety of fish before. You always get a good reaction too!" Miss Kinsey is hoping to book Simon to come back for a "Ready Steady Cook" session with them in the future: "It was a fantastic morning and the students thoroughly enjoyed the session with Simon. It was great for the students to learn from an expert who could pass on his enthusiasm for the subject. All students were brilliant at trying new foods and the braver members of the group even tried raw Tuna and Salmon which was a new taste to them. The group are currently working on their GCSE coursework and have to make high protein dishes which are low in cost, this was an excellent opportunity for them to learn about less well known fish varieties which they could use in the practical task which they will be doing in a few weeks‟ time”.

DRAMA NEWS Waiting for Dave Mrs Purcell Arts Manager reports: “On Thursday 26 January 2012 and Friday 27 January 2012 the Bradon Forest Theatre audience were treated to the first ever public performance by In For a Penny Theatre Company. The young company consists of three friends who met whilst studying Drama at the University of Aberystwyth; Adam Elliott, who plays Peter, David Reeves playing Chris and Philippa Bradfield who directed the piece.

Philippa has been a regular at Bradon Forest since March 2010 when she came in to volunteer with some Drama classes and get some experience needed for her PGCE. Philippa graduated in 2009 with a degree in Drama. In May 2011 she worked with our Drama Club to devise a very special performance called 'The Importance of Being Arty', a subject that was very close to the hearts of the students! Philippa who started her drama PGCE at Aberystwyth in September. said: "Working in Bradon Forest has inspired me to become a Drama teacher. I've experienced that working with young people in Drama can change their lives and I liked it!"

'Waiting for Dave' has been devised by the three over just two weeks of intensive rehearsals. The story is based roughly on the play 'Waiting for Godot'. Two actors turn up to the first rehearsal for the play. But alas! There is no director. They then spend the next hour amusing themselves with various props and costumes while they 'wait for Dave'. There was a variety of amusing characters, including a pirate, a dancer and an obnoxious father who are all created to help the 'detective' character find out what has happened to Dave. The two actors incorporated some comical physicality which really engaged the audience in to the story. I particularly enjoyed the 'hat- off' and 'dance-off'. Everyone loves a good dance-off!

A very enjoyable piece, especially when you remember the short amount of time it took to create! Advance Notice: Philippa is currently working with our Key Stage 3 Drama Club to create a new piece of drama based on the value of money and what it means to different people. The public performances will be on the 16 and 17 May 2012. Watch out for further details in future issues!

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MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM REVIEW In the December Parents‟ Newsletter we reported on the success of the student production A Midsummer Night‟s Dream. The production ran over five days to very appreciative audiences. The students and staff should be delighted with their success. When we read John Papworth‟s article in “Purton Today” which he edits we thought it worth sharing via our Newsletter (John is a regular visitor to our theatre supporting both visiting professional shows and our student productions). “I loved every minute of it. To stage a Shakespeare comedy is quite a challenge even for a professional theatre, but for a troupe of teenagers it might be thought to be daunting beyond measure. A history or tragedy play involves the players acting out events as they go along, and here they triumphed! It is tempting to start selecting names for commendation from a cast of nearly thirty, but it would lead to being impelled to name them all! For this was a first-rate effort, which was backed by staging, lighting, music and production management of professional standards which made for a first-rate evening‟s entertainment. Bradon Forest School have rightful claim to be proud of their work here and the standards they achieve.” Forthcoming Events in the Theatre: GCSE/BTEC Work in Progress Evenings Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 February 2012 Our GCSE and BTEC students will be performing their current examination pieces. We will be inviting fellow students and family members to come and support the performers as they fine tune their work ready for examination. Publick Transport presents Discombobulated Thursday 1 March 2012 7.30pm Tickets: £5.50 students, £6.50 adults Stop and search experts Malcolm McClosky and Esperanza Vallejo present their take on all matters of security, born out of a lifetime of patrolling airports and being shouted at. Using the mediums of dramatic reconstruction, interpretive dance, tragedy, rock 'n' roll, magic and an incredible non-acrobatic number, they present a clown show so utterly stupid that it might just save your life. Directed by Aitor Basauri (Spymonkey), performed by Angus Barr (Ridiculusmus, Gonzo Moose) and Merce Ribot (beauty contest quarter-finalist, Palafolls, nr Girona, Spain, 1993). Developed and commissioned through Bristol Ferment at Bristol Old Vic.

Folded Feather presents Suitcase Circus Thursday 15 March 2012 7.30pm Tickets: £5.50 students, £6.50 adults Wobulous Discombobulous is an anarchic sock in Folded Feather‟s Suitcase Circus. He presents a line up of extraordinarily talented performing objects, all with their own unique and captivating storylines. Suitcase Circus features the most unlikely of performers including the world's only acrobatic potato sack, a daredevil ski glove, an incredible dancing milkshake straw, the hypnotic tie snake Windsor Knot, and the lovable yet bizarre magical Mexican hat Timrek. As with all quality circuses, they have a wonderfully weird and bizarre musical accompaniment provided by Maurice who must bear the burden of performing alongside such delinquent object theatre. A great night out for all the family!

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Bradon Forest Music Department Presents Spring Music Concert Wednesday 28 March 2012 7.00 pm Tickets: £3 adults, £2 students

This will be a wonderful evening of music featuring our usual variety of performances, but with a special celebration for our Year 11 students as this will be their last ever Bradon Forest concert!

ADVANCE NOTICE: LIBRARY NEWS: WORLD BOOK DAY ON THURSDAY 1 MARCH 2012 Mrs Styles and Mrs Sykes (our Librarians) report: To coincide with World Book Day on Thursday 1 March 2012, a Scholastic book fair will be running during lunch times in the school library. It will run from Wednesday 29 February to Monday 5 March 2012. It's a chance for students to buy popular, recently published fiction and non-fiction books, as well as posters, stationery and gadgets. All students will be issued with a £1 World Book Day token, which can be exchanged at the book fair either for a free £1 book or for a £1 discount off any other book. The school library receives helpful commission from every book sold at the fair, so please send some money into school with your child and help to support their school library. We look forward to seeing lots of students at the fair!

ECO-SCHOOLS NEWS The year so far: Over the last term, our intrepid senior prefects Thomas Hawkins 11R and Gemma Bradley 11X have been information-gathering around the school regarding the nine Eco-schools topics: Energy, Water, Biodiversity, School Grounds, Healthy Living, Transport, Litter, Waste and Global Citizenship. They report that we have made progress on the following: Recycling: – the recycling rota is now well established; thanks to all the tutor groups who have worked so hard this year to ensure that our recycling scheme continues to operate with great success. Litter: – litter-picking by Key Stage 3 tutor groups in tutor time is now a regular activity. Again thank you to tutors and tutees for working so hard to keep our school looking good. Healthy Living: – the food in the school canteen now offers a good choice of salad, fruit and other healthy options at lunchtime and break-time. Eco Garden: – work has started, with many thanks to last year‟s ASDAN group and especially Mrs Vicki Harper from Learning Support, for their hard work in breaking ground. More news on the Eco-garden in a future newsletter. Updates from the last meeting: When the whole Eco-council met on 27 January 2012, they suggested the following projects that students may want to be involved with. Interested students should contact Mrs Ashbee-Dobbins or their Eco-schools representative and we‟ll see if we can make these ideas a reality: 1. Recycling in the school canteen 2. Supporting Water Aid 3. School pond 4. Chickens! 5. Feeding local birds/wildlife to encourage biodiversity

Eco-schools Competition: This month‟s competition is based on the first of the nine themes above – ENERGY. So many of us forget to turn off computer monitors, light switches, etc. Students need to design an A4 – sized poster to encourage teachers and students to save energy in their classrooms. The poster will need to be clear with excellent spelling and grammar! The winning entry will be copied and displayed around the school. Entries to Mrs Ashbee-Dobbins by Friday 2 March 2012. The winner will receive an Enviro-battery kit and the three runners up will receive a Natural History Museum recycled paper writing set (details of both prizes can be found on the Natural History Museum website). The posters will be judged by the Science faculty following the closing date. (Mrs Ashbee-Dobbins, Eco-Schools)

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PARENT SUPPORT ADVISOR My name is Amanda Stuart and I am the Parent Support Advisor (PSA) for both Bradon Forest and Wootton Bassett Schools. My role is to support parents to achieve the best possible outcomes for their children. I can support parents and carers with a range of parenting issues such as teenage behaviour, attendance, family relationships and liaising with school. I can also help to signpost you to other agencies and support such as counselling, benefits advice, courses and returning to work etc. If I can help you in any way, please give me a call on 07786099180 or email me at [email protected].

200 CLUB January 2012 Draw Prize Winners

WINNER MEMBERSHIP PRIZE NUMBER 1 Mrs M Walker, Cricklade 73 £20 2 Mrs H Griffin, Purton 110 £15 3 Mrs N Gee, Cricklade 27 £10

DATES OF FUTURE NEWSLETTERS 2011/12 Newsletters will be issued in week commencing: Issue 8 - 26 March 2012 Issue 10 -18 June 2012 Issue 9 - 30 April 2012 Issue 11 - 16 July 2012

2011/12 ACADEMIC YEAR DATES The dates for this academic year are reproduced at the end of each newsletter to ensure that „end of term‟ closures and all our Teacher Development Days (when the school is closed to students) are regularly highlighted to students and parents.

Term 3 Term 4 Ends Friday 10 February 2012 Students return Monday 20 February 2012 Holiday 11 February 2012 – 19 February 2012 Ends Friday 30 March 2012 Holiday 31 March 2012 – 15 April 2012

Term 5 Term 6 Students return Monday 16 April 2012 Students return Monday 11 June 2012 Public Holiday Closure Monday 7 May 2012 Ends Friday 1 June 2012 Ends Friday 20 July 2012 TD Day Monday 23 July 2012 Holiday 2 June 2012 – 10 June 2012 Holiday 24 July 2012 – 3 September 2012

Remaining Teacher Development Days for 2011/12 (school closed to students)

Monday 23 July 2012 Yours sincerely

L M Spiers Headteacher

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BRADON FOREST SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY A vacancy has arisen for a parent governor position on the governing body and enquiries would be welcomed from any registered parent who would be interested in this support role for the school. The governing body have compiled the memo below to give an outline/indication of the role and commitment. If you are not a parent but might be interested in being a community governor we would love to hear from you via the contact details below.

VACANCY FOR PARENT GOVERNOR: WHAT DO BRADON FOREST SCHOOL’S GOVERNORS DO? What does a governor do? Bradon Forest is a Foundation school, which means that the governing body is responsible for: . Setting the strategic direction of the school, its policies and objectives. . Approving the school budget and monitoring progress against it. . Reviewing the school‟s progress against its objectives. . Appointing, challenging and supporting the Headteacher. Governors are volunteers, usually appointed for four years. We work together and all decisions are shared, which means that we don‟t need to worry about individual liability. In practice, we work with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team at the school to: . Set up and review the school strategic framework, deciding the aims and objectives for the school. . Review students‟ achievements and set targets for improvements. . Approve policies and oversee their implementation. . Ensure the school is well-maintained and that health and safety requirements are met. . Approve the school budget and monitor spend against it.

Who is on the governing body? The governing body is currently made up of a mix of parent governors, staff governors, community and partnership governors and the Headteacher.

Is there much work involved? Governors meet six times a year for governing body meetings and generally four to six times a year for committee meetings (meetings are held in the evening). There is also quite a lot of reading involved. The amount of time for each governor varies, but in a typical school term month you could expect to spend around six to eight hours on governor duties.

What do you get out of being a governor? Everyone is different, but current and past governors have commented that they value the chance to gain a greater understanding and insight of what goes on in the school. It is a voluntary role and governors offer their time, skills and experience to help improve the school and benefit current and future students.

How do I become a governor? We are very keen to hear from any parents who would like to become a governor, or just understand more about the role. If you would like further information, please contact Denise Duckers (Finance/Personnel Manager) at the school on 01793 770570 or e-mail [email protected] or get in touch with Alistair Haney, Chair of Governors, on 07785 778689 or email [email protected]

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