Out of the Blue - Spring 2017

CO AT

THE BL UE

22

17

BIRMING HA M

SPRING 2017

L OO CH

outof theblue

S

The Blue Coat School Founded by the Church of England in 1722

Shakespeare Rocks!

Inaugural Music Festival

Year 3 & 4 take to the stage

109 entries for our Young Musician competition

PAGES 6 & 7

PAGES 8 & 9

Head First Of course, you will want to read on and to re-live an exciting term, but I must detain you for a few seconds to say what a source of pride - and a privilege - it is to have experienced it all first hand.

This has been a remarkable term on so many levels. Academically I am delighted with the hard work of the children. The teachers too, must be congratulated for their efforts.

Strong senior school results have acted as a tonic.

Like Shakespeare’s Cleopatra, we can claim ‘infinite variety’, and this magazine showcases diverse achievements. From amazing drama performances to an inaugural Young Musician of the Year gala, to reaching the national netball finals; we have had a memorable term.

Aiming high, BCS is on an upward trajectory. Gaining the planning permission for our new astroturf and pavilion reinforces our drive to be the number one Prep school in the country.

But that is for the future, please do not let me hold you up any longer…

Noel Neeson, Headmaster

Term Round-Up The rewards this term have been plentiful, with medals and successes abounding; the children have excelled in many areas. It all began on the sporting front with a win in our first gala of 2017 against EHS. A partnership with City of Birmingham Swimming has given our performance squad swimmers an added boost and we have had an unbeaten run in the pool. In winning the Bromsgrove Swimming Invitational our girls broke a 20-year old free-style relay record held

by The Dragon School and Blue Coat were the overall winners of this prestigious trophy. Ending the term on a high, both our boys’ and girls’ teams qualified for the English Schools National Swim Finals.

THE BL UE

22

17

BIRMING HA M

2

S L OO CH

CO AT

On to drier pastures, the U11s won the Plate at the Winterfold Football Tournament conceding only two goals in total and winning 6 out of 7 games. Early signs of strength in Netball came in a thrilling 19-18 win over King’s Hawford. This was the first time our opponents had lost a competitive match in 4 years! Fitting then that our U11A team went on to the IAPS National Finals and secured a place in the top 40 out of 326 schools. Mr Neeson took our runners to the Hallfield Cross Country Tournament and yet more medal ware was collected! A first place for the U9 and U11 girls, with individual wins for Oliver Smith and Sofia Knight.

Pursuits of a different kind, as we hosted the quarter final of the National Primary Schools’ Chess Championship with 3 out of 4 of our teams qualifying for the semi-finals in May. The U11As finished second place overall and were awarded silver medals. It was a very close-fought affair with the U11Bs narrowly missing qualification by a matter of 3 or 4 points.

Further flexing of the grey matter showed how rounded Blue Coat children’s talents really are. Congratulations to Rufus Powell in Year 6 who came 20th out of 4,500 students nationally in the SATIPs National General Knowledge Challenge. Also in this year’s Primary Maths Challenge Final we achieved a staggering 11 medals, a Blue Coat record!

In the Spotlight We caught up with Mrs Helen West, Assistant Head – Teaching and Learning (Pre-Prep).

Q. How long have you worked at The Blue Coat School?

A. Almost 10 years! I joined as a Year 2 teacher in January 2008.

Q. What inspired you to become a teacher?

Some beautiful pieces of work were showcased at the Warwick Arts Festival including ceramic Gaudi-inspired tiles and footprint artwork

by Transition. The children were excited to take delivery of the Big Sleuth Bear and have now got their thinking caps on to come up with an innovative design.

A. As a teenager, I used to help out at a local church as a Sunday School teacher and through college I volunteered at a Primary School one afternoon each week. It seemed the right career path to take.

Blue Coat was host to a celebration of reading as we welcomed author Andrew Lane on World Book Day. We were also proud to sponsor this year’s Bournville Bookfest which saw nearly 1,000 visitors to the school. Nick Cope entertained a younger audience with his interactive musical show whilst older visitors enjoyed a writing workshop with Piers Torday and drawing with Jonny Duddle, illustrator of the children’s Harry Potter series.

A. It may sound clichéd, but I really enjoy seeing the children progress. It’s such a great moment when children have a ‘wow’ moment and realise that they can do something that they found difficult in the past. The Blue Coat School is such a lovely place to work. I drive in each morning and can’t fail to be impressed by the grounds. They change each season and, at the moment, the spring flowers are beautiful.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

Q. What was your favourite subject at school?

A. I enjoyed English. I wrote imaginative stories and I always had my nose buried in a book. I remember reading Nancy Drew Files, they were a firm favourite.

Q. How do you think school life has changed since you were a child?

A. I certainly didn’t use iPads, Interactive Whiteboards and Chromebooks when I was at school. I remember being amazed by an electric pencil sharpener!

Q. What do you like doing in your spare time?

More will be said later of the Music Festival which culminated in an exciting finale in which we found our BCS Young Musician of the Year. This followed a successful Choir Tour to York and the fantastic experience of singing at Ripon Cathedral. Our young choristers were a real credit to the school and drew many compliments from the congregation.

External candidates sitting our 7+ examination arrived in huge numbers in February, a pleasing indicator of the level of interest to join us at Prep. Meanwhile our own Year 5 pupils were signing up for before and after school 11+ tuition in readiness for senior school examinations later in the year.

The Friends continue to be a huge source of support and have organised a superb quiz and discos for Pre-Prep and Prep this term.

The new stopwatch by our playground trail and various playground toys for the newly refurbished Early Years’ playground all funded

by The Friends are most gratefully received and make a valuable contribution to school life.

A. Spare time! What’s that?

I have a labradoodle, who has lots of energy, so as a family we spend a great deal of time wearing wellies and trekking though woods, fields and parks. I enjoy a good shopping-spree too!

Q. Do you have any plans for the Easter holidays?

A. Last Easter I took my daughter to see the lambs and chicks at Becketts Farm and I intend to do that again. I’m also hoping to book a last-minute holiday with my family.

THE BL UE

22

BIRMING HA M

17

S L OO CH

CO AT

And so, a short Spring Term comes to a close. We look forward to the warmer days of summer and wish everyone a relaxing break.

3

Classroom Connection Learning at Blue Coat is ‘Out of this world’

Buttons get wowed

Transition and Reception have thoroughly enjoyed their topic of “Shooting Stars”. This has covered a range of exciting activities including fabulous space-station and rocket role-play areas, making moon rocks, moon sand and rockets, investigating far off planets and learning about space travel.

Reception children have produced some fantastic art work and have recreated space themed stories such as Whatever Next where they zoomed off to the moon in a cardboard box rocket! In the final week, they have been thinking about reaching for the stars – learning about perseverance and practising to learn new things and achieve their ambitions.

Buttons Nursery, along with the rest of the Early Years, enjoyed a performance of “Wow!” said the Owl by the Little Angel Theatre Company. The children loved watching the owl discover all of the colours of the daytime world, followed by the colours of the night time sky.

Time travel to 1666!

Year 2 children time travelled to the bad old days of 1666!

Master Craig introduced the children to the events which led to the Great Fire of London and everyone was soon immersed in the occupations of the time. These included the delights of being a rat catcher, chandler, baker, weaver, leather worker, barber surgeon or apothecary.

THE BL UE

22

17

BIRMING HA M

4

S L OO CH

CO AT

After lunch, the children returned to work as archaeologists unearthing artefacts from a soil-filled box. Using only a pastry brush they then had to deduce the occupation of the household before reading documents which gave clues as to how many people lived in the property and what happened to them as a result of the Fire. There were lively discussions about the writing of that time and the modern-day translations were a great help.

I love you mummy Our Year 1 children rehearsed unstintingly in an effort to show how much they loved and appreciated their mothers at a special Mother’s Day Service. In a ‘Mother’s HalfHour’, they reported about the history of Mother’s Day, interviewed various mothers from the past, and tested the audience’s general knowledge about fascinating animal mothers. Their presentation was interspersed with bright, cheery songs, a thoughtful drama and an entertaining poem that reminded us how grateful and indebted we should be to our amazing mothers! A lovely time was enjoyed by all, but the widest smiles were on the Blue Coat Mothers’ faces as they left the Hall!

Year 3 get creative!

Year 3 have been working on a textile project with a special focus on wool. They have discovered how fabric is constructed and looked closely under the magnifying glass to see the warp and the weft threads of a woven cloth.

The children created a felted cushion by firstly laying wool fibres on to prefelt; then using a wet felting process to produce a piece of fabric which they then sewed together to construct a lovely present for Mother’s Day. The actual felting method involves much hard work as each piece has to be rolled 400 times!

Concurrently, each pupil has learnt how to use a French knitting loom and has greatly enjoyed producing brightly coloured cording, from which some have made Mother’s Day cards or coasters. Pupils have had the opportunity to purchase their own bobbin and Mrs Lynn

has been delighted to see around 65 pupils now enjoying this in their spare time. One pupil has been very inventive and created a pair of slippers from their cording and another, a beautiful snood! Well done Year 3, power to your elbows for your perseverance and hard work!

A day of Tudor festivities

Richard Oastler lives on!

The pupils of Year 4 were transported back to an era of doublets and ruffs, long-bows and cross-bows, stately masked balls and strange-looking Plague doctors.

Our visitors from Gloriana Tudor re-enactment company told the story of Sir Henry Unton, an Elizabethan nobleman, who lived in the 16th century.

The name of Richard Oastler may not mean much to workers of the 21st century, but to the thousands of men, women and children who toiled in the mills and sweatshops of Victorian England, he was known as ‘The Factory King.’ Year 5 found out why thanks to a thought-provoking afternoon spent with The Lunchbox Theatre Company.

Sir Henry, along with his wife, Lady Dorothy, and two servants, were brought to life by the children who donned beautiful Tudor costumes in order to act out scenes from the painting.

Under the expert tutelage of Lady Julia, Master Saab and the Wise Woman - Mistress Pamela, we learned about the different stages of Sir Henry’s eventful life, from his birth in Farringdon to his untimely death in France, as depicted in his memorial portrait which now hangs in the National Gallery.

S L OO CH

CO AT

This drama workshop was a fantastic way to introduce our Year 6 Shakespeare project. The children went on to study the different themes of the play, as well as looking at the different characters, their actions and their motivations.

BIRMING HA M

THE BL UE

No sooner had our Tudor ladies and gentleman departed than the School Hall was readied for its next performance. The grand hall hosting stately dances was now the home of Elsinore Castle in Denmark as we were joined by The Young Shakespeare Company. These young actors gave us a thrilling, modern day performance of Hamlet, ably assisted by the children who played some of the roles and provided vivid

sound effects. They all watched agog as the tragedy unfolded; our school hall now the scene of murder, mistruths and madness, of retribution and revenge, of denouncement and deceit.

22

To be or not to be?

Dressed in shawls, caps, aprons and waistcoats, they felt very much a part of the group of factory workers who joined Richard Oastler’s campaign for a ‘10-hour day with no less pay’. The children may not have marched in the streets of Manchester, but they did march round the playground, banners held high, protesting against the long working hours and appalling conditions endured by those who suffered to make their employers rich. It took 18 long years before Queen Victoria (yes, she joined us, too!) finally signed the Parliamentary Bill of 1847, known as The Factory Act.

17

The children danced a stately Pavan, complete with masks, at his party, listened to the musicians’ instruments, compared weapons and armour, and learned about the superstitions that surrounded illness and death.

5

Lower School Production Year 3 & 4 Present

by Steve Titford As the first half of term drew to a close, Years 3 and 4 treated family and friends to a comical retelling of the life and times of William Shakespeare in the Lower School Production of Shakespeare Rocks.

16 & 17 February 2017

The show opens with Aubrey, the director of the Rough Shakespeare The School Hall Company welcoming the audience to his exclusive adaptation of 6.30pm William Shakespeare’s secret diary. Will, played expertly by Jaya Kanda, is furiously ranting to his family about a bad review he has recently received. He vows to rebuff his critics by becoming a writer so famous that school children will be forced to study his work for centuries to come!

THE BL UE

22

17

BIRMING HA M

6

S L OO CH

CO AT

We move to the theatre where auditions for the female roles prove quite a difficult process as no women were allowed to perform on stage at the time. Will entrusts the loud-mouthed, arrogant star of the theatre company, Richard ‘Burley’ Burbage, brilliantly played

by Flynn McLoughlin, to take on the task. A farce ensues when a group of Men-Dressed-As-Women with beards and hairy chests try to quote some female lines. The scene gets more ridiculous as a group of Women-Disguised-As-Men-Dressed-As-Women try to infiltrate the audition. Burbage’s trusty loud American assistant Nic (Daisy Drake) steals the limelight as she demonstrates how to identify the real women in the room!

The show quickly moves to the grand opening of The Globe Theatre, as Queen Elizabeth 1 takes a tour around the newly built theatre, unfortunately the lack of “comfy” seats could be a bit of a problem for the royal rear!

Rehearsals of ‘The Scottish Play’ turn into chaos as the actors try to avoid saying the play’s real title for superstitious reasons. Danny Le Quelenec gives a fine performance as Macbeth. We then cut to the burnt-out theatre where star struck lovers Romeo and Juliet (Phoebe Hughes and Storm Henshaw) are performing a touching duet.

BIRMING HA M

CO AT

THE BL UE

S L OO CH

22

We congratulate all the children for their superb singing, dancing and acting. The entire cast worked incredibly hard to produce a wonderfully warm and funny portrayal of William Shakespeare. The energetic songs and wry dialogue will be resonating in the corridors around school for some time to come. Thank you to our Directors Mrs Roberts and Mrs Jennings, and to Mr Nicklin for his musical

direction. A huge amount of work goes on behind the curtains with scenery, prop changes, sound and lighting, costumes and make-up; sincere thanks to all the staff and Year 6 helpers for playing their part in the show’s success.

17

In the final scene as Will retires to bed weary, he strikes upon a newfangled pencil which inspires one of his most famous quotes; “To be or not to be”. The rest as they say is history!

7

Musical Notes As well as our usual fare of concerts and recitals and music examinations, this has been a term of firsts in the Music Department; four to be exact. The Chapel Choir had a mini-tour to York and Ripon, we held our inaugural Music Festival, one of our Year 6 pupils became the first BCS Young Musician of the Year and finally, we had our first choral performance in Edgbaston Old Church.

The Chapel Choir, accompanied by Mr Neeson, Mr Nicklin, Mrs Redfern and Miss Stefanowski set off on a mini-tour to York on Sunday 5 March. The primary objective of the tour was to sing Choral Evensong in Ripon Cathedral where Mr Harper, our former School Organist, is now Assistant Director of Music. We decided to make a weekend of it and visit the excellent Jorvik Dig exhibition on the Sunday to find out a little about what it is like to be an archaeologist.

Our guides really gave the children a great insight into Viking York and they spent a very happy couple of hours scraping around in simulated dig sites, discovering the hidden secrets of the past.

Lunch, a run around the adventure playground and then back on the coach for the ten-minute trip to Ripon, ready for Evensong. After a guided tour of the Cathedral and a quick rehearsal it was time to sing.

It was lovely to be working with Mr Harper again. His sensitive and eloquent accompanying of the Choir was as wonderful as ever. The children sang their hearts out, leading the worship with poise and concentration. We received many compliments from the congregation and Mr Nicklin was an extremely proud Director of Music.

In a new venture, we introduced the BCS Music Festival this term. In a great celebration of individual musical ability and talent, some 109 pupils took part and auditioned gaining points for their House which will contribute to the end of year tally. The standard of musicianship was of the highest order.

Mrs Cousins, formerly Director of Music at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Wakefield, and an experienced festival adjudicator, joined us for the semi-final round. She heard the children play throughout the day and selected the class winners to go forward to the Gala Concert that evening. Our excited finalists were able to call home to let their parents know that they had made it through! Mrs Cousins gave each performer feedback after they had played, often suggesting a few tips and tricks to help improve their performances in the future. She was delighted that many of the children had taken these on board when they performed later.

The Choir visited York Minster later that afternoon to attend Choral Evensong. It was the perfect opportunity for the children to hear the ‘professionals’ sing; it also gave them the chance to follow the service and understand the very technical requirements, both musical and liturgical that needed to be mastered. The singing in York Minster was outstanding and was led by the Girls’ Choir. Incidentally, York Minster was one of the first major cathedrals to introduce a girls-only choir in the late nineties - a very radical step at the time. At Blue Coat, we have had a mixed voice Chapel Choir for about the same length of time but it wasn’t so long ago that girls were not allowed to be in the Chapel Choir!

After a short evening rehearsal, the children settled down to watch a DVD before turning in for a good night’s sleep.

THE BL UE

22

17

BIRMING HA M

8

S L OO CH

CO AT

On Monday morning, the Choir set off for Fountains Abbey just outside Ripon. A ‘Day in the life of a Monk’ sounded exciting although the children had not anticipated that they would be dressing up as monks for their visit! Our guides were excellent and gave a wonderful insight into the day-to-day workings of the Abbey. As ever the children behaved impeccably, listening carefully and asking thoughtful questions. There was even time to sing a little monastic plainsong on the site of the altar – a pretty special moment!

The School Hall was buzzing with anticipation as the curtain rose on our Gala Concert featuring the winners of the individual classes.

There was an air of excitement as our adjudicator, Mrs Karen Cousins, prepared to announce the winner at the end of the concert.

Whether in the heats, the semi-finals or the final, the children gave their all and it was by no means an easy decision to choose the winner.

The children’s enthusiasm, support and encouragement of each other was befitting of our School values and they are to be commended.

We have an extremely talented pupil body and the standard of musicianship is equal to many a senior school.

The term ended with the House Shout which was a feast of fun and singing. Each House prepared one song on a common theme of ‘colours’ and went head to head in a sing-off.

THE BL UE

BIRMING HA M

22

S L OO CH

CO AT

In this busiest of terms, a term of firsts, suddenly one realises that every pupil in Prep has been involved in a host of musical activities, some serious, some less so.

Pre-Prep too have wowed audiences at their own recital and concert with some fine performances. Mr Nicklin would like to be the first to congratulate all of the children for their wonderful musicianship and enthusiasm. Well done!

17

Katie Baker was selected as The Blue Coat School Young Musician of the Year 2017. Katie played with an eloquence, a sense of musicianship, and a musical understanding above and beyond her years; indeed, Mrs Cousins was quite moved by Katie’s passion for, and enjoyment of, the music she shared with the audience.

With two weeks left of term there was no rest for the Music Department! The Chapel Choir, bolstered by the BCS Choral Society performed John Stainer’s magnificent ‘Crucifixion’ at Edgbaston Old Church. This dramatic retelling of the Passion story was attended by an appreciative audience. The Year 6 Chapel Choir pupils read modern adaptations of the Passion story, each sensitively evoking the Easter message reflected in the music around it. Our organist, Mr Hardie, accompanied the massed ranks of singers in this very dramatic and inspiring work.

9

Sports Round-Up At BCS we believe that sport is vital for all pupils, channelling their boundless energy and providing the chance to compete, to win and to lose – mirroring the real world in a safe and supportive way.

Whatever their strengths or weaknesses, our pupils are encouraged to achieve their maximum potential in a friendly, safe environment.

We believe in the value of sport, not just in terms of the relationships they build with each other through playing, but also the personal developments that each individual makes. Our extensive Fixture Calendar which includes matches and House events is indicative of the large part sport plays in school life. Thank you to parents for their support which is most welcome at home and away.

Rugby Our U8s have been relishing the chance to play Touch Rugby with 8 fixtures. The boys love the opportunity to run and score points for their school. They are showing good promise and will enjoy the rugby term starting in September as they enter Year 4.

Swimming

Netball The girls continue to flourish and Netball is now one of our most successful sports. Our fixtures include games for A & B (and C & D teams where possible) for all ages from Years 3 to 6 and number some 45+ matches over the term. The inter-house tournament is a chance for everyone to get involved and foster some inter-house competition.

We were very excited to partner with City of Birmingham Swimming and begin early morning training sessions for our performance squad. We now have depth across all age groups and a large number of keen swimmers, many of whom compete at local competitions or above. We have not lost any competitive gala since September at any age, male or female! Our girls have broken records that have stood for decades whilst our development swimmers enjoyed their recent gala at KES and KEHS. Our success at the English Schools Swimming Championships and qualification for the National finals at U11 is testament to all the hard work and time our pupils are spending in the pool.

In the Independent Association of Prep Schools’ Regional Cup (U11), we qualified for the National Finals held in Essex and our U11s are now one of the top 40 schools in England. They have gone unbeaten all term in head to head fixtures against tough opposition including King’s Hawford and Bromsgrove. The U10s are also going from strength to strength and have only lost one match this term when changes were made due to pupil absences.

Football

THE BL UE

22

17

BIRMING HA M

10

S L OO CH

CO AT

BCS has fielded 12 football teams in nearly 50 fixtures against the likes of King’s Hawford, RGS The Grange and West House, all of whom have Academy players. The U11A team have been successful at tournaments winning The Plate at Winterfold, and reaching two semi-finals. In the Independent School Football Association Cup they produced some outstanding football to reach the semi-finals for the first time. The U9s in particular are a formidable force for the future with strength and depth in their year.

Cross Country Blue Coat returned triumphant after a very successful Cross Country Tournament at Hallfield. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams had some very young runners with little experience of larger cross country competitions. Nevertheless, the girls held their nerve at the start and all ran a very good race. The U11 girls won the team event with an individual win for Sofia Knight and 3rd place for Maia Noonan.

Not to be outdone, The U9 girls also won their competition with a 2nd place for Bea Neeson and 3rd for Phoebe Jones. The boys’ race followed and they had a trickier start. Oliver Smith held on to an early lead with Felix Iliff gaining 3rd place. The U9 boys finished second overall. The U11 boys all put in good performances with a depleted team and showed courage to complete the course with just enough runners to complete a team.

CO AT

TH E B L UE

BIRMING HA M

22

L OO CH

17

S

The Friends of The Blue Coat School

The Friends’ annual quiz got a make-over this year and teams were challenged to come up with a theme for their table. Contestants did not disappoint and went all out with dressing their tables and in some cases themselves! Themes included Best Blue, Flower Power, Skiing, Morocco and ‘Shaken, not Stirred’.

Mr Morris, who has earned a fine reputation as our Quizmaster Extraordinaire, had prepared a number of taxing questions including a new karaoke round! Who knew that if you eat a certain species of turtle, you can actually say it tastes of chicken? Fortunately, the delicious food prepared by Mr Gladwin and his team did not include any reptiles, nor any Wunderpus photogenicus (a type of octopus as teams learnt during the course of the night).

Thanks to recent fundraising by The Friends, the School has been able to purchase new stage lighting which has already been put to good use in the Lower School Production, plus a number of items for the playground including a weather station, solar powered stopwatch and a garden centre playhouse and a ‘Bob the Builder’ shed for Buttons Nursery. We thank Corinna Gregory, Chair and her team of enthusiastic helpers for all their dedication and hard work.

As we look forward to the Summer Term, there are two more exciting events in the calendar. The Mad Hatter themed Summer Fête will take place on Saturday 17 June. There are sponsorship and advertising opportunities for businesses and stalls available on the day. Email thefriends@thebluecoatschool.com as soon as possible to reserve your spot.

Congratulations to the impressive winning team, with Vice Chair, Anita Poole flying the flag for the Friends’ committee. A huge thank you to Quizmaster Morris and Charlotte Chandler for organising such an enjoyable and fun social evening.

THE BL UE

BIRMING HA M

22

S L OO CH

CO AT

Finally, the bi-annual Summer Ball will be held on Saturday 1 July at the Hyatt Hotel. Tickets always sell out extremely quickly and waiting lists build up so please start planning your table of ten. The Friends do ask that tables are filled with Blue Coat parents only due to restrictions on numbers and thank you for your understanding.

17

Mid-term saw dancing fever hit Blue Coat with the Pre-Prep and Prep discos. The children bopped and glowed the night away and revelled in the rare opportunity to guzzle as many sweets as they could afford! With a great DJ to add to the party spirit, there were congas, dancing competitions and plenty of special requests. Thank you to all the teachers and parent helpers who gave their time to support these two events.

11

Charity Check Underwear Appeal for Jan Jan Bureh With temperatures just above freezing, Mrs Jubb and Mrs FletcherJones led a whole school assembly in hot weather, African-style dresses! Mrs Jubb wanted to tell the children about the Jan Jan Bureh Nursery in Gambia which she and Miss Barrett are due to visit to help train and support teachers.

Mrs Fletcher-Jones told us about how she first met Head teacher Tida Manka and how the project has grown. It is clear from Mrs Jubb’s photos that a day in a Blue Coat Transition class is very different from one in Jan Jan Bureh Nursery.

With the proceeds from the sale of old school desks last year we have already helped to build a toilet block, one toilet for the girls, one for the boys and one for the staff. These facilities were much needed in a school of 200 pupils.

This term Blue Coat children have been helping to support the pupils of Jan Jan Bureh in a rather unusual way. Although many families have managed to buy their child a school dress or school trousers,

many are unable to afford underwear as well. We decided as a school to start a collection of new pants and vests to pass on to the children.

The response to our appeal has been overwhelming, with over a thousand pairs of pants of all colours and designs, along with vests, socks and other gifts. Thank you to everyone for their wonderful donations. These will be making their way by container to Gambia very soon and we know that the teachers of Jan Jan Bureh will be thrilled to pass them on to their families.

“Put a Nose on It!” On Friday 24 March, hundreds of red nosed children and staff gathered for a Whole School Assembly led by St. Margaret’s House.

The assembly started with a show stopping ‘Put a nose on it’ House dance. Complete with rapping, dabbing and dancing everyone was thoroughly entertained.

It was then time to invite pupils to a ‘Pick your teacher’s nose competition’. Four members of staff entered the hall heavily disguised and sporting a red nose, but who was hiding behind it?

Thanks to the clues given, we were able to identify Mr Hill, Mrs Jefferson, Miss Keeber and Mr Darby!

we set our hearts and minds to it. Ikmatu helped to transform her community through her hard work and dedication to cleaning the streets and telling others how to prevent the spread of disease through better hygiene.

Amid the laughter and fun, the important lesson of the day shone through. Listening to the story of sixteen-year-old Ikmatu from Sierra Leone, we were reminded that we can all give to others if

A total of £986 was raised for Comic Relief through our non-uniform day and The Friends’ cake sale. Thank you to everyone for their delicious donations and support of this worthy cause.

Key Dates for Summer Term 2017 Term begins Tuesday 25 April at 8.30am Bank Holiday Monday 1 May

Open Morning Saturday 6 May 9.30am to 12.00noon (Registration at 9.30am and 10.30am) Half-Term Holiday 29 May to 2 June (school closed)

Term resumes Monday 5 June Term ends Wednesday 12 July at 11.45am

THE BL UE

22

BIRMING HA M

17

L OO CH

CO AT

The Blue Coat School, Somerset Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B17 0HR S

The Blue Coat School Founded by the Church of England in 1722

Telephone 0121 410 6800 @bcsbirmingham

Email info@thebluecoatschool.com Website thebluecoatschool.com

The Blue Coat School Birmingham Limited is registered in England, Registration No. 8502615 and is a Registered Charity No. 1152244