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outof theblue
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The Blue Coat School Founded by the Church of England in 1722
ESSA Finals beckon!
Scientific investigations
BCS swimmers have made it to the nationals.
Year 6 projects showcased in Science Fair
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From the study… Whitened by snow, this term has been a blizzard of high profile events. All of them have bolstered my belief that BCS is leading the way across every area of educational development. From the amazing production of Fantastic Mr Fox to the sublime BCS Young Musician of the Year; from the inaugural Year 6 Science Fair to the outstanding sporting achievements, we have presented opportunity and showcased excellence. Drama, music and sport offer our children the chance to broaden their young lives; to express themselves and to co-operate in a creative environment. Looking further afield, we find time and energy to see beyond the site and help those
less fortunate than ourselves. The Charity House days demonstrated the School at its best, raising more than £6,000 for charity. This will be further added to when St Philip’s take their turn next term. Then we assumed the role of main sponsor for the Bournville Book Festival, where more than 2,000 visitors came to hear authors such as CBeebies presenter Ben Faulks and Young Storyteller of the Year, Jake Evans. The highlight for me was meeting the children and discussing learning styles, how teachers help them and what the School can do to make break times even better. We have evaluated some of our practices, and are engaged with our hard-working Friends to improve break times. Noel Neeson, Headmaster
Term Round-Up Despite the best efforts of the ‘Beast from the East’ to play havoc with our activities, we have successfully concluded an industrious and productive Lent Term. This was particularly busy with a number of WOW days to introduce the children to their next topic of study in a refreshing and dynamic fashion. Indeed the children greatly enjoyed these days which included building the Taj Mahal, life during the First World War, a visit to Stone Age and Tudor times, as well as an insight into Mr Neeson’s homeland on Year 1’s Scottish Day! Teamwork was the theme for the first half of term. Thank you to our visiting speakers for their contributions to this topic and to Chaplain and the Prep Staff for their entertaining assemblies on the subject - props such as lilos, bath mats and other incongruous items have become a familiar request on the staff email! Naturally teamwork has its place in the sporting world and our young sportsmen and women have represented the School admirably. BCS Sport is finding its place at a national level and we are delighted to be able to field teams and compete at IAPS and other prestigious English Schools’ tournaments. Please read on to learn of our achievements.
Year 6 displayed maturity and confidence as they acted as tour guides to families at a busy Open Morning. They also helped welcome a record number of applicants to our Year 3 Entrance Test Day. As for our own academic results, we look forward to sharing and celebrating these with you next term, as soon as all our 11+ offers have been collated. This year has seen the introduction of House Charity Days and a greater involvement by pupils in the selection and support of charitable causes. St. Monica’s launched the new concept in style and St. George’s and St. Margaret’s followed with equal enthusiasm. Read more about the worthwhile charities they supported and the imaginative ideas they had to raise money on page 14.
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Creative talents were evident in the work showcased at the Warwick School Exhibition of Young Artists and the SATIPS Art Festival. This year we also entered the National Art Awards and a number of children received awards and commendations, with their work displayed at Malvern St. James School. How lucky we are to have the resources and time to spend on the Creative Arts! Fortunate too to have the wonderful Barber Institute on our doorstep - this intimate art gallery provided the setting for Year 3 to discuss symbolism and imagery in paintings. As for the Performing Arts, Years 3 and 4 captivated audiences with a superb production of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox. The children always delight us with their talents and enthusiasm for learning their lines and choreography and delivering these with such confidence and sparkle, this production was no exception.
The Music Department experienced a busy term with several morning recitals leading up to a grand finale in the BCS Music Festival. With more than double the number of entrants this year, Mr Nicklin spent many hours auditioning the children for the sought after BCS Young Musician title. Our guest adjudicator and Old Scholar, Mr Philip Dukes, Artistic Director at Marlborough College, was most impressed by the standard of playing and singing at Blue Coat. After a busy semifinal programme on 8 March, he ensured that the finalists performing that evening gave a gala concert not to be missed. Congratulations to all the children who took part and to our BCS Young Musician of the Year 2018 - Tristan Wong.
In the Spotlight We caught up with Mr Clancy, BCS Estate Manager, to see how he has settled into his role looking after our beautiful 15-acre site. Mr Clancy joined the team last summer at the start of the AstroTurf construction. Q. Were you doing a similar role before joining BCS? A. Yes, I worked for The Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham looking after both independent schools on the 50-acre campus at Edgbaston. Q. What do you like most about your job? A. I must say that Blue Coat is a pretty special place, the whole school - staff, students and parents, do all come together into what is known as the BCS family. There are not many other places I have worked at that really do have that rather special atmosphere around campus. It makes you feel so welcome and valued as a part of the School. Q. Is there a useful invention that could help you in your job?
A. I’d take my penknife that I’ve had for over 30 years (forget multi tools, that well known Swiss officer’s tool can and has done everything). The second and third things would be my wife and son as family is everything to me. Q. Finally, at this time of year, we must ask what is your favourite type of Easter egg? A. I’m a secret creme egg eater, although I’m not telling you how I eat mine!
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The term crescendoed to an end with a Swimathon for Sport Relief Week, the ESSA National Qualifiers, Easter Services, hosting of the Bournville BookFest, a colourful ‘House Shout’ and the inaugural BCS Science Fair.
Q. What 3 things would you want to take with you to a desert island and why?
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The Young Shakespeare Company led Year 6 in a comical and engaging performance of The Tempest and Mrs Ayub was impressed at how readily and wholeheartedly the children stepped forward to take on various roles in the play.
A. It was History as I had this amazing teacher who responded to my challenge of “what’s the point of this subject?” by presenting me with a boulle that he had found on a battlefield. I still have that boulle and still have a love of the subject.
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Year 5 and 6 have participated in a language exchange with Henri Walton Primary School in Lyon and some of our Year 6 also enjoyed a visit to Hillcrest Lingua Centre to develop their French skills. The Junior Language Challenge has been opened up to Year 1 pupils for the first time and as we go to print there will be many children trying to improve their Spanish vocabulary in readiness for the first round.
Q. What was your favourite subject at school?
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Year 4 Mathematicians won the King Edward’s School Maths Challenge for the second year running and our chess players tried hard but just missed out by half a point at the quarter-finals of the National Primary Schools Chess Championship. Tristan and Ansh have since represented Warwickshire County in the recent Midland Chess Championships.
A. As sad as this is going to sound, I do believe that science is finally catching up with the demands of Estates Managers! If you can imagine how many lights we have on the campus, the ability to know when they stop working and a system that can automatically place an order is nearly there. However, the old battle of words between maintenance and grounds will linger on as to whether a light is a lamp or a bulb!
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Classroom Connection Easter fun Buttons joined Chaplain for a traditional Easter service in the Chapel with songs and Easter stories. This was followed by an Easter Egg Hunt which was very exciting because for the first time the Easter bunny had left eggs in the forest school! The children had fun exploring the natural wooded environment and look forward to future opportunities to visit.
Fee Fi Fo Fum Transition and Reception have enjoyed reading Jack and the Beanstalk. They had fun with lots of cross-curricular activities such as measuring the giant’s footprints on the carpet, weighing the sparkly eggs he left behind and decorating giant beans with paint and marbles. There was a bit of magic too – the beans that Transition had thrown away proceeded to sprout overnight into an enormous beanstalk which reached right up to the ceiling! The look on the children’s faces in
the morning was priceless. But what had become of the giant? Mr Neeson was duly alerted but Reception decided to make ‘Wanted’ posters to put up around the school just in case. Reception were excited to watch and participate in some scientific experiments with ‘Test Tube Tash’ from Mad Science West Midlands. The children sat in wonder as Tash created a giant swirl of toothpaste and gigantic smoke rings. It was then their turn to conduct a mini explosion mixing vinegar and baking powder and to dig through soil to excavate a huge dinosaur tooth.
Och Aye the Noo Year 1 enjoyed a Scottish Day as part of their literacy focus on the stories of Katie Morag. They learned about the different places, traditions and folklore of Scotland, as well as trying some traditional shortbread and Irn Bru. They wrote postcards from famous landmarks of Scotland, skipped and twirled their way through Scottish dances, drew pictures and read stories about the Loch Ness monster. In the afternoon the children interviewed our resident Scottish expert… Mr Neeson! The children were disappointed that he didn’t wear his kilt, but he did promise that he would show the children a photo of him wearing one at his wedding. Watch this space! The day ended with a year-group sing-a-long to My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean with Mrs Evans.
Storytelling, anecdotes and animal noises
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We were delighted to welcome back author Paul Geraghty to Blue Coat. He captivated the children as he shared the inspirations for his books. He talked about his earliest stimulus being the beautiful countryside around his home in Pietermaritzberg, South Africa. He brought this to life by introducing the sounds of the different creatures that he encountered with hilarious tales of how the sounds were amplified at night. He told stories about a new creature he had dreamt up called the Hoppameleon and illustrated his talk with beautiful drawings and even his own made-up language! The day ended with a book-signing and the children went home contentedly to read more of his stories.
Life in the Stone Age Year 3 were treated to a wonderful insight into how the Stone Age people lived. They listened to Dan’s stories from when he lived as a Caveman for a month without things such as electricity and running water, and without the luxuries of an Xbox One or chocolate! The children were able to handle and learn how different tools were made, as well as how to catch an animal and use every part of it for tools, food and clothing. They made fat lamps out of clay. These would have been used to illuminate the caves and the light given off would have made the cave paintings appear to come to life – a prehistoric form of cinema perhaps?
Building the BCS Taj Mahal! Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed a visit from Architecture Workshops to introduce their Humanities topic on Mountains and Monsoons. Over the course of the term the children focused on India, its location, mountain ranges, rivers, village and city life, monsoons, the impact of flooding and its famous landmarks. Pupils learned how the famous landmark, the Taj Mahal, is a great example of Indian architecture and how it was built. They then worked together to create their own structure out of bamboo sticks and elastic bands. They all cheered when they realised that their hard work had paid off and the Blue Coat Taj Mahal stood proudly without any support!
“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” On a rather wet March day, Year 4 set out for Stratfordupon-Avon with the opportunity to join actors of the Royal Shakespeare Company for a workshop on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With the help of the RSC actors, the children explored the main themes of the play through movement, mime, rhythm, role-play and by interpreting sections of the text itself. It was then time to visit Mary Arden’s Farm to be transported back in time to a working Tudor farm. Houses, meals, table manners, bedtimes, preparing fires, spinning, games and pastimes, bird displays – all of this and more were topics for the afternoon, as well as having time to visit the pigs, cows, birds of prey, ferrets, donkeys and horses.
“It was interesting, inspiring and heartbreaking all at the same time.” This was one pupil’s reaction to their World War One workshop. Our Year 6 children gained an appreciation of life for women of Britain during the First World War through the eyes of Winifred Adams. Winifred began by working on a farm, joining the Land Army, making bullet shells in a munitions factory, working for the Postal Service, driving ambulances and finally working as a nurse on the front line. A mixture of active and ‘freeze frame’ dramatic scenes were created to bring the past to life.
succeeding in turning the correct way on command! The children were also surprised to learn how close the opposing trenches were. Soldiers were ill-equipped for the rain (in their woollen uniforms) and in a gas attack only a spare pair of socks might save you…
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Following Winifred’s visit, the children were joined by a WW1 soldier. Everyone was impressed with the chance to see a rifle and bullets and other items of a soldier’s standard issue kit, such as an entrenching tool. Pupils tried to follow basic drill instructions with many even
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Lower School Production Fantastic Mr Fox “Dang and blast that filthy stinking fox!” he said “What the heck do we do now?” “I’ll tell you what we don’t do,” Bean said. “We don’t let him go!” We hope that you never have the misfortune to meet anyone as cruel and disgusting as Messrs Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Those 3 nasty farmers who usually spend all their time eating chicken liver doughnuts, huge chicken legs and drinking gallons and gallons of cider. But now these 3 nasty men are at war, not with themselves but with a rather cunning and crafty fox! Under a huge tree in a wood, lives Mr and Mrs Fox and their 6 little foxes. Living peacefully they want for nothing except something delicious to eat every day. The cunning Mr Fox shops each day for his family until one evening the farmers lie in wait, guns at the ready. As Mr Fox creeps out of his hole he has the fright of his life as the sound of gunfire and bullets hit him, displacing him of his very fine tail!
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Even more irritated now that they have missed the Fox, the farmers plot to rid the family once and for all. Using shovels to dig, they dig down as far as they can but still the fox family elude them. “What now?” they ask. Mechanical diggers will do the job for sure this time.
A hilarious scene opens as two very fine diggers appear and start to dig down deeper into the hole. Always ready for the next move the foxes flee through their underground tunnel to temporary shelter. Surely the fantastic Mr Fox will come up with a plan? And sure enough a plan forms in his head. Taking his children along with him they dig a tunnel to where they imagine the farmers’ farms might be. Here they discover that they can easily gain access to the chicken houses, duck pens and cider cellar. With the help of a few friends on the way Mr Fox and Mr Badger ready themselves for their most exciting adventure yet, preparing a huge feast for all the underground animals. Forgetting that they are tired, weary and starving hungry the animals take as much food and cider as they can carry and Mrs Fox prepares a huge feast for all the animals. What a fantastic fox Mr Fox is! He has saved the day once again!
We must keep in mind that these children are only 7, 8 and 9 years old, but the performance that they delivered was outstanding. Of course no production is staged without teamwork and we are grateful for the many talents of our teachers who give of their time to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Thank you to the whole staff production team who worked tirelessly backstage to make the show happen!
And what of those 3 farmers? They will never give up, whatever the weather they will wait for that fox to emerge! As far as we know, they are still waiting.
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Years 3 and 4 delighted us just before half term with their adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox. The energy on stage from the acting, dancing and singing was simply superb as we were drawn into the world of Mr Fox and his family. The children had been working very hard for a whole half term to produce a show that was full of laughter and fun. From the amazing diggers to the huge tree in the centre of the stage, the lower school children produced a show of amazing quality.
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Musical Notes Looking back over this busy term is an enjoyable prospect. With a full schedule of Morning Recitals and Prelude Concerts, our young musicians have kept us royally entertained. In Pre-Prep, the children have been very busy preparing for various performances as well as exploring the integral elements of music through interesting projects. The Year 2 children delighted in activities such as composing, dancing, acting and playing, using Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice as a stimulus. Through this project, they used ICT to develop their understanding of different instruments of the orchestra. Pre-Prep have had plenty of opportunities to celebrate their wonderful singing with the Year 1 Mothers’ Day assembly, the Pre-Prep Concert and their Easter service. The Year 1 Recital and Pre-Prep Concert highlighted the high standard achieved and diversity of instruments that are learnt in the younger years of the school, but more importantly it offered them an opportunity to demonstrate a love of sharing and performing their pieces.
On Thursday 8 March, we welcomed Mr Philip Dukes, Artistic Director of Marlborough College and Professor of Viola at the Royal Academy of Music, back to Blue Coat. Mr Dukes, a former pupil (1976-78), generously gave his time to hear all 81 semi-finalists during the day and offered them detailed individual feedback. In the evening, aided by Mrs Corinna Gregory, Chair of the Association of Friends, Mr Dukes had the unenviable task of selecting a winner. Tristan Wong played with poise and perfection, finesse and musicality to wow the adjudicators with his outstanding performance of the first movement of J. S. Bach’s towering Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971. Congratulations Tristan – our BCS Young Musician 2018! In the final week of term, the Chapel Choir, supported by the BCS Choral Society and an orchestra of professional musicians, performed John Rutter’s Mass of the Children in a Spring Concert. An appreciative audience was in attendance, and the choirs performed beautifully together. The children’s voices added a brightness and crystal clarity to the adult singers throughout the piece. What an excellent opportunity to sing great music with outstanding musicians; we are fortunate indeed to have the chance to make music to such a high standard.
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Year 2 and 3 enjoyed a Gamelan workshop introducing them to the music of Java and Bali. Sir Francis Drake was one of the first westerners to hear the gamelan - a mesmerising mixture of tuned and untuned percussion instruments, gongs and drums. He described it: “which though it were of a very strange kind, yet the sound as pleasant and delightful”.
We wrapped up the term with the hotly contested ‘House Shout’. This year’s theme was ‘From the Movies’, and we had fun listening to the well-rehearsed singing and appreciating the wonderful choreography. Each year the bar is raised and each year the passion and enthusiasm, not to mention the competitive element, makes this a highlight of the musical calendar.
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Following the inaugural BCS Young Musician Competition in 2017, it was time to find this year’s winner. In total 146 pupils took part in the Music Festival, 50 more than last year. It is a testament to their commitment and hard work that the children were so supportive and encouraging of one another. It was a distinct pleasure too, for Mr Nicklin to hear them all play in the Heats.
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Sports Round-Up The BCS sports programme offers a comprehensive range of experiences to meet the needs of individual pupils and encourage and maximise participation by all pupils. We have increased the opportunities in Hockey and Cricket this term through our extra-curricular programme and we look forward to seeing this pay dividends in future match play. With participation in sport comes the enhancement of the personal qualities of sportsmanship, dedication and team spirit; we seek to enhance all of these attributes here at BCS.
Swimming
Football
What a successful term for BCS Swimming! We have won 6 out of 6 swimming galas against other schools, as well as achieving some fantastic results in an invitational meet and in regional qualifiers. We fielded our U8, U9, U10 and U11 A, B and C teams - a clear representation of the strength and depth we now hold across all ages.
Unfortunately, fixtures were significantly reduced due to the inclement weather, with the U10s being particularly unlucky. However, we have enjoyed some positive results at tournaments, with the U9s winning at RGS The Grange, and the U11s winning the shield at King’s Hawford. Some pupils were given the opportunity to play up a year in these tournaments, which was a great experience. Adam Bashir, William Brett, Oliver Smith, Luke Dolan and Ashley Jindu all represented the School with determination and pride.
On the 26th February, a team of 9 swimmers made up of Skye, Poppy, Neave, Maya, Storm, Alex B, Alex F, Shayan and Kieran travelled to Worcestershire to compete in the Bromsgrove Invitational against over 20 Prep Schools. This was the first time we have entered this competition as a school and what an incredible first outing it was! Our U11 Girls came away victorious in both the Medley and Freestyle relays, and the boys gained a well-earned second place in the same events.
It was a marvellous achievement to win the U9 Festival at RGS as this is a tournament that produces an excellent level of football. The semi-final, although close in terms of score, was pretty one sided with Will Smallwood and Adam Bashir making their presence felt up front. Thankfully, we managed to win 1-0 and save the team from the agony of penalties! It was a real see-saw match where RGS were on the front foot early and hit the post twice. Thankfully a swift break saw Bashir convert and then with time running out and the crowds rooting for RGS a moment of inspiration from Bashir put the game beyond doubt, after he flicked it over the last defender and rifled it home. A massive contribution was made by all players, well done! The U11s had a tough season with the exception of the tournament shield win at King’s Hawford. We were knocked out at the group stages of the ISFA Tournament at Repton School but there were some outstanding performances by Michael Draper and Kairav Singh Dhindsa. The other players fed off their intensity and after four years together, the boys can finish their Blue Coat football careers with their heads held high.
We have just qualified for the ESSA finals for the second year running, and we eagerly await the results of the IAPS qualifying round. These finals will bring together the fastest swimmers and relay teams nationally at Ponds Forge and the London Aquatics Centre.
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Our Performance, Development and Advanced squads are showing considerable improvement and rising to the challenge as their distance and stamina increases during training. Mr Kelly would like to thank the parents and children for their continued commitment.
Tag Rugby For a number of the U8s, their first introduction to rugby has been through the TAG rugby format. Despite the weather and some matches being cancelled, all the boys have progressed well in their knowledge and understanding of the game. They have improved their passing in cold and wet conditions, running forward with the ball, showed good support play and tagging with great determination. All teams have had competitive fixtures against Warwick and West House. We look forward to next season and seeing how they adjust to full contact.
a variety of matches resulting in mixed success but both have gone from strength to strength over the term. There has been notable improvement in many of the girls as they have gelled as a team, passing to each other with ease and control, and understanding their individual roles within the team. The U11As have gone unbeaten within their school fixtures with very convincing wins versus RGS The Grange, Wolverhampton Grammar, Hallfield, Solihull, King’s Hawford, EHS and Abberley Hall. They reached the knock out rounds of the IAPS Netball where unfortunately the only mistakes they have made all season were made in the quarter finals of this competition. Although this was a disappointment, the girls can still be proud that BCS ranks as one of the top schools at netball in the Mercia area. Returning to previous form, the girls proceeded to win all their remaining matches and ended the season with a much deserved victory in the local Prep Schools’ Netball Competition. Congratulations to the girls who have worked hard and applied themselves fully to the game, we hope that they continue to enthuse and engage their love of netball as they move on to senior school.
House Match Results Netball Year 3
St. Margaret’s
Year 4
St. Monica’s
The addition of the Astro has been a distinct advantage in offering a further two courts for the girls to play on. The U8s have been particularly enthusiastic and have shown a great desire to play and learn the game. With limited schools offering competition at U8 level we ran our own U8 Commonwealth Tournament to celebrate the start of the Games, and we were the eventual winners.
Year 5
St. Margaret’s
Year 6
St. Monica’s
Our great relationship with other local prep schools has meant that we continue to get a good fixtures card for U9-U11. This enables us to encounter a range of abilities and experiences and increase the opportunities for all levels to play. The U9s and U10s have played
Year 4
St. Philip’s
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St. Philip’s
Year 6
St. George’s
Tag-Rugby Year 3
St. George’s and St. Philip’s (draw)
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Science Fair “The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he is one who asks the right questions.” Claude Lévi-Strauss Lent Term 2018 saw the advent of the inaugural BCS Science Fair – a chance to put the spotlight on this important subject, and the opportunity for our Year 6 pupils, no longer preoccupied with 11+ examinations, to challenge themselves to some investigative study. Following scientific methods and principles taught and developed over the course of their time at Blue Coat, the children were asked to choose a topic of interest and embark on research into aspects of real world science. They were required to present their findings in a table top display to form part of a special exhibition.
The breadth of investigations was quite remarkable. These ranged from which football performs the best to which is cleaner - a dog or its owner, or which fruit gives off the most electricity to which washing powder produces the most bubbles? We welcomed Dr Maria Pavlidou, School Liaison Officer in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, Mr Mark Davies, Teacher of Science at Solihull School, Mrs Anne Lacey, Head of Science at Edgbaston High School and Mr Ben Weaver, Teacher at King Edward’s School as our guest judges. Each of the 74 individual records of investigation were judged on creativity, scientific thought, thoroughness, skill and clarity. We were extremely proud of the children who answered questions and explained their projects in greater detail in front of our judges. The standard of their investigations, methodology and conclusions has confirmed that we have some excellent scientists here at School.
Head of Science, Mr Isherwood, was greatly impressed at the willingness of the children to tackle an extended piece of research. He guided them and discussed strategies and ideas within the lesson time but the majority of the work was done in the children’s own time. Each idea came from the children themselves and gave them ownership of their research.
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We congratulate all of Year 6 for showing determination, perseverance and flair throughout this whole process. We hope that this opportunity has encouraged pupils to ask the right questions and dig deep within themselves to find their own answers. The whole school community enjoyed visiting the Science Fair and this year’s deserving winner was May Hadley. Also highly commended were: Victoria Lawson-Bennett, Emma Burns, Emily Bongs, Isabelle Clarkson, Flora Gregory, Tilly Richardson and Peter Tomlinson.
World Book Day 2018 World Book Day 2018 was a whole school affair this year. The ‘Beast from the East’ could not deter the enthusiasm of the children and staff, who on a very cold day, arrived in high spirits and came dressed as their favourite book characters. The day was a true celebration of authors, illustrators, books and most importantly reading. Mr and Mrs Neeson joined the staff who this year really excelled with their costume choices from Dr Zeus to Katniss Everdeen!
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In 2P, Mrs Powell was immersed in the strange and marvellous world of Willy Wonka, as more than half of her class turned up as Oompa Loompas! 5D majestically performed their assembly on World Book Day and Pre-Prep children received a visit from a Prep ‘buddy’ to support them in their writing and reading. Meanwhile Transition children were busy making bookmarks and reading stories to each other.
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House Charity Days One of School’s 2017-18 Aims and Priorities is to involve the children more in the selection of charitable causes and fundraising activities. We are delighted that our first three House Charity Days have been a resounding success and were fully embraced by the Blue Coat community. In total an incredible £6,550 has been raised for Action for Children, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and Kids Like Us. St. Monica’s girls got the ball rolling and set the gold standard as they raised money for Action for Children. Each House delivered an informative morning assembly to introduce their charity to the rest of the school and to focus the children on the aims of the cause they were supporting. From activities ranging from penalty shoot-outs, to craft-making to limbo-dancing – break and lunchtimes were a hive of activity. House parents also played a huge part in helping the children to make their day a success.
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Cake sales took on a most professional standard as bakers produced some exquisitely themed cakes including cupcakes adorned with beautiful golden flowers, doggie shaped biscuits, and even penguin faces! St. Margaret’s also offered parents ‘afternoon tea’ in the boardroom and many took the opportunity to stop for a refreshing cuppa.
The Friends of The Blue Coat School
The (pre-loved) Uniform Shop has now become a permanent fixture. We will continue to hold a big sale once a term but if you ever have requests for particular items or would like to donate stock as your children grow then please email Rhoda Fraser at uniform@thebluecoatschool.com.
Fundraising from all recent events is being put towards the following exciting projects: • An Outdoor Classroom in the Blue Coat garden that will be used by all pupils to complement their learning • Outdoor games equipment for playtimes • Camera and video-analysis software for developing sports and gymnastics skills • New games/activities for fundraising events • A significant sum has been ring-fenced towards the installation of the swimming pool timing system
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The Discos were busier than ever, despite the Pre-Prep one initially being snowed off. With sequins and glow galore, dancing competitions and special requests, these are events the children love - especially the Year 3s who, for the first time, are allowed to go without being embarrassed by their parents’ dancing! Much appreciation to Shamaela Ahmed and Andrew Hodge for organising and to all the staff and parents for helping on the nights.
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Messrs Williams and Pemble from the Academy for Misbehaving Parents (aka the Masters of the Christmas Mulled Wine) put everyone through their paces at the Quiz, expecting high standards and an extremely wide general knowledge from their pupils. In the end, the results were close, with the Harry Potter team pipping everyone to the post. Special mention to the ‘Teach on the Beach’ team too, who were proud winners of the wooden spoons - and of course to Charlotte Chandler for organising such a fun event.
Finally please make a note of a date for your diary – this year’s Summer Fête will be held on the afternoon of Saturday 23 June. This year the circus is coming to Blue Coat! There will be jugglers, clowns (only friendly ones!), circus skills workshops, and all the fun of the fair. If you would like to sponsor the event, advertise your business with an advert in the brochure, or take a stall on the day please email thefriends@thebluecoatschool.com as soon as possible as spaces are being taken quickly.
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Traditionally, the Lent Term is quieter in terms of Friends’ events… however we have still managed to fit in a coffee morning, a Quiz, two discos and a uniform sale!
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Whilst we congratulate all of the children on their endeavours and look forward to supporting St. Philip’s House next term, a special mention must go to the entrepreneurship of St. George’s House. In their Magic £5 Challenge, the boys came up with several ingenious ideas to turn their £5 loan into significantly larger sums. Ideas included busking along Harborne High Street, car washing, selling hand-made cards, dog and bone keychains, luxury truffles, a sponsored read, name the puppy, guess the number of easter eggs, a sponsored run, 300 squash court sprints, shoe polishing and not forgetting being paid to be a general dogsbody! Our two canine visitors Nicksey and Benson were obviously paw-fect inspiration for the staggering £2,935 fundraised once the original loans had been repaid. When added to the running total a massive £4,010 was raised for the Guide Dogs. It’s no wonder Mr Hill couldn’t ‘keep calm and carry on!’
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Charity Check Sport Relief To celebrate this year’s Sport Relief, the Swimming Department devised an interesting challenge - a Swimathon was set up to see how far the children (and staff) could swim during Sport Relief week. We challenged ourselves to swim the distance between the School and Buckingham Palace, which is a little over 121 miles. Convert this into metres and our target became 195,900 metres, an incredible 7,836 lengths of our pool! This is an average of 20 lengths for every child in Prep! Using the School as a starting point, Mr Kelly recorded the number of metres swum each day by staff and pupils in Years 1 to 6, and plotted them on a map of the UK. See below for the wonderful contributions made to our grand total: 1F 3,825m 1V 3,875m 1S 3,975m 2M 4,850m 2P 7,575m 2K 8,775m Year 3
37,275m
Year
41, 525m
Year 5
40,950m
Year 6
42,250m
Staff (Mrs Barrowclift, Miss Colvin, Miss Crews, Mrs Newman, Mrs Palmeri and Miss Ward) 12,575m Swimming Squads
18,150m
The challenge proved successful and we swam an incredible total of 225,600 metres which equates to 9,024 lengths! Well swum, everyone!
Key Dates for Trinity Term 2018 Term begins Tuesday 24 April at 8.30am Bank Holiday Monday 7 May
Open Morning Saturday 12 May 9.30am to 12.00 noon (Tours at 9.30am and 10.30am) Half-Term Holiday 28 May to 1 June (school closed)
Term resumes Monday 4 June Term ends Friday 13 July at 11.45am
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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 Email info@thebluecoatschool.com Website thebluecoatschool.com
Follow us on: @bcsbirmingham @bluecoatbirmingham
The Blue Coat School Birmingham Limited is registered in England, Registration No. 8502615 and is a Registered Charity No. 1152244