SHC13401 Bosworth College News Issue 1_Layout 1 02/04/2014 11:24 Page 1
Bosworth
2014
THE NEWSLETTER OF
INDEPENDENT COLLEGE
www.bosworthcollege.com
part of BroadwayEducation
Every year an awards ceremony for the most outstanding CIFE students takes place at the House of Lords and this year we are proud to announce the top prize went to a Bosworth student.
Stanislau Yatskevich, Belarusian
The CIFE Gold Award has been awarded to Stanislau Yatskevich from Belarus. Stas followed a two year A Level course at Bosworth College and achieved A* in all five of his A Level subjects – Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Russian. He is currently studying Medicine in Melbourne Australia but has been accepted to read Biochemistry at Oxford from September 2014. His main passion is the area in which biology and chemistry overlap and his stated aim is to understand how life works at the molecular level. Stas is also fascinated by history and is a published author of a historical novel. He has used his knowledge of physics to design and patent two medical devises on pumping of blood and laser scalpels. Alongside all of this Stas also found time to play football, work at the summer school and generally have fun and make the most of his experiences in the UK. He is an outstanding young man both personally and academically. Bosworth College is very proud to have been able to facilitate his success. For more on the CIFE awards please see pages 4-5.
This term, we welcome John Perry who has joined Broadway Education as Assistant Director of Marketing & Admissions. John was previously the Admissions & Marketing Manager at Padworth College and prior to that was the Business Development Manager at Newbury Hall School. John will be supporting the expansion of international interest at Bosworth Independent College and our sister school St. Michael’s School in South Wales. John has extensive experience of working with agents/families in Russia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Eastern Europe. We wish John well in his role with Broadway Education.
Some of our boarding students took the opportunity to visit Warwick Castle which is one of the oldest surviving castles in Britain, dating back almost 11 centuries, first built in 914 and expanded in 1068. The students explored the castle dungeons, watched the castle soldiers use medieval weaponry, walked around the castle towers and watched the birds of prey perform their show in the grounds. They enjoyed experiencing first hand a piece of British history and imagining how life would have been many centuries ago.
you will find all the latest news on our website www.bosworthcollege.com
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The Chemistry Olympiad runs from January to July, consisting of Rounds 1 and 2 then into the international final which takes place in Vietnam during the summer. Over 5,680 students took part across the UK in round one and the international final will have more than 70 countries entering a team. In round one, students have to complete a challenging written test and are marked out of a possible 65 points. Those who make it through to round two will be invited to attend a selection weekend, on which they will take part in both theoretical and practical testing. From this selection weekend the final team to represent the UK will be chosen. The overall idea of the Olympiad is to challenge and stimulate students to expand their knowledge beyond the A Level syllabus and to encourage them to continue further.
Pictured left to right, six of the seven silver medal winners; Jin Zheng, Omolemo Monyatsi, Joann Nguyen, Weng Yee Wong, Cliff Chung and Tony Tse.
For round one we achieved the following medal successes: Silver – Cliff Chung, Jin Zheng, Amir Mazloumi, Joann Nguyen, Tony Tse, Weng Yee Wong & Omolemo Monyatsi Bronze – Lillian Ntsinyane, Archie Nthayi, Ernesha Foo, Gaone Koma, Adam Khoo & Alvin Chan Well done to all who participated, Mrs Maria Johnstone (Head of Chemistry) believes,
“Our students' enthusiasm for Chemistry and dedication to their studies always impresses me. Not only that they are happy to spend a Friday evening sitting the RSC Chemistry Olympiad paper, but they are looking forward to getting involved in the RSC Bill Bryson Prize 2014 and to the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge 2014. These activities are backed up by many hours of learning and preparation that the students are prepared to fit in already very busy timetables. Our silver award candidates are in the top 24.2% of participants in the RSC 2014 Olympiad and our bronze candidates in the top 29.8% of participants.”
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Each year at Bosworth, students have the chance to take part in various Olympiad competitions. This time it is the Biology Olympiad which runs from January to April, consisting of Rounds 1 and 2 then into the final which takes place at Warwick University. Over 5,000 students took part across the UK and the final round at Warwick will result in the selection of a team to represent the UK against more than 60 countries in the International Biology Olympiad, this year to be held in Bali. In round one, students have to complete a 2 hour online test answering multiple choice questions; of which there are 90 in total. In round two, entrants have to sit a 90 minute written paper and for the final, entrants will take part in practical assessments and an additional written paper. The overall idea of the Olympiad is to challenge and stimulate students to expand their knowledge beyond the A Level syllabus and to encourage them to continue further. For round one we achieved the following medal successes: Gold - Cliff Chung, who has qualified to go through to the next round Silver – Samson Law, Liza Olkhova and Faria Jan Bronze – Wei Qiang Lim We also had four students who received Highly Commended and six students who received Commended certificates, this was across both year groups AS and A2. Well done to all who participated, in particular the AS students as a lot of the questions on the test are still to be studied. Dr Judy Fitzsimons (Head of Biology) believes,
‘The Olympiad is a great experience because it recognises student achievement and encourages young people to challenge themselves.’
Our medal winners, pictured from left to right; Wei Qiang Lim, Faria Jan, Cliff Chung, Liza Olkhova and Samson Law
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Bosworth Independent College is a member of the Council for Independent Education (CIFE) this is a national organisation of independent colleges which specialise in preparing students, home and international, for university entrance. Every year an awards ceremony for the most outstanding CIFE students takes place at the House of Lords and this year we are proud to announce the top prize went to a Bosworth student, as shown on the front cover, the CIFE Gold Award has been awarded to Stanislau Yatskevich from Belarus, pictured left. Lord Lexden hosted this Annual Academic Awards Presentation on behalf of CIFE of which he is Honorary President. The Awards Ceremony took place in the Cholmondeley Room, House of Lords, accompanied by Afternoon Tea. Pictured right, Mrs Carter (Principal), Mr Maine (Host Parent to Munir), Munir, Teresa and Baba with his mum.
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Baba Bob-Soile, Nigerian Andrew Osmond Maths award winner Joined Bosworth College in September 2011 to follow a 2 year A Level programme. He achieved 600 out of a maximum 600 marks for A Level Maths and 599 out of 600 for Further Maths. He also received gold certificates in 2011 and 12 in the Maths Challenge and a merit in the Kangaroo Round. He was a crucial part of the team that won the regional maths challenge, he received a silver award in the Physics Olympiad and successfully completed an Open University course alongside A Level study. When not competing in mathematical competitions, Baba plays basketball where he was a vital part of the Bosworth team. Perhaps more importantly, he was always very happy to help others, both in and out of the classroom, and was one of the most popular students within the student body. He is presently studying Engineering at St. John’s College Cambridge.
Teresa Zhaoxi Wang, Chinese Andrew Osmond Maths award winner Took an eighteen month A Level programme at Bosworth Independent College and achieved A* in Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics and an A grade in Chinese. She dropped just 9 marks in all 12 Maths units. She hopes never to have to take another IELTS exam as long as she lives, as getting the brilliant maths results was child’s play in comparison to 7.0 in each English skill at the same sitting. However, her determination got her there and she is presently studying Actuarial Science at The London School of Economics. Teresa described herself as ’composed’,’ logical’ and ‘determined’ in her personal statement – in our reference, we described her as ‘ambitious’, ‘intelligent’ and ‘talented’. She is also kind, spirited and a good friend.
Munir Jamal E Abukhder, Libyan College award winner Joined us in January 2012 to follow an eighteen month A Level programme. He achieved A* in A Level Maths, A in Biology, A in Chemistry and C in AS Psychology, and is presently studying Medicine at Birmingham University. Prior to coming to the UK, Munir worked as a volunteer in the main hospital in his city during the peak of the Libyan revolution and saw and dealt with situations many seasoned doctors would have struggled to cope with. Despite having to put his education on hold for a year and arriving late because of visa issues, he started his A Level course with enthusiasm and conviction. We are very proud that Munir has received the CIFE College award.
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During February half term Bosworth students went on a trip to the National History Museum. This London museum housed in the beautiful architecture of the Waterhouse building first opened to the public in 1881. The museum has a vast number of items, built up over the past century of donated or bought collections, to give you an idea it houses 55 million animals, including 18 million insects and 9 million fossils, as well as a life sized replica of the largest creature on earth the Blue Whale. The students had numerous galleries to view, to name just a few: volcanoes & earthquakes, treasures in the Cadogan, dinosaurs, mammals, images of nature, creepy crawlies, the vault, visions of earth, the cocoon and the Attenborough studio. These galleries offer students first-hand experience, allowing them to see the scale of many creatures as well as the similarities and differences between species. The Dinosaur gallery was among the most popular of the day, the students were fascinated by the large Diplodocus skeleton (affectionately nicknamed Dippy) which was located in the main hall and the animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex that replicated how a T-Rex would act when hunting for prey. The students came back with renewed enthusiasm for science and ready to tackle their mock exams at the end of March.
As part of the GCSE Geography course, students complete a study visit to London in which the focus is on urban regeneration and sustainability. This is a full day’s activity visiting the university district of Bloomsbury, Oxford Street and the Crossrail site, China Town and Trafalgar Square, the Siemens sustainability exhibition (the Crystal) in Docklands and Greenwich Millennium Village, giving the opportunity to travel by train, bus, tube, cable car and the Docklands Light Railway. In Bloomsbury and Oxford Street students record changes to the central business district of the city including the new Crossrail and cycle hire scheme. Both
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GCSE students from Bosworth participated in the National School First Aid Competition organised by St. John Ambulance and held annually. The students had been preparing for the competition for weeks at an after school club, learning the essentials of first aid and crisis response. The aim of the competition is to develop the students’ first aid knowledge and to increase their confidence if they were required to save a life. The competition was separated into three different rounds; firstly the students had to operate in pairs to respond to a simulated accident, where the victim was played by an actor who feigned one of the injuries that the students had been learning to treat. Secondly, there was a question round whereby the students had to demonstrate their knowledge of first aid terms such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation. Lastly, for the final round the students had to operate as one single team and respond to an accident in which there were multiple casualties. The students narrowly missed out on third place but gained a potentially lifesaving grasp of first aid.
of these developments are relevant to the urban transport section of the examination specification. They also walk through Greenwich Millennium Village, a new sustainable urban community next to the River Thames, recording as they go the aspects that make the district more sustainable than other areas. The fieldwork booklet that they keep and update will help them answer examination questions on the topics in the future. Mr Alan Mawer (Head of Geography) believes such field trips are invaluable, ‘I hope the students take on board the more innovative sides of the city. I think seeing things in reality; gives a sense of scale to these projects and aids with memory. I think it is important they can see for themselves the different environments and how they continue to develop. ’
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Princess Ebi, one of Bosworth’s current A2 students, was selected to attend a day at Goldman Sachs, a leading global investment banking, securities & investment management firm. It is a massive achievement to be selected as it is a national competition and Princess had to submit her CV and cover letter as well as answer a round of questions to qualify. Princess’s particular interest is in the 10,000 women programme, where money is donated to women in developing countries to set up their own businesses. She managed to meet one of two women that she knew of in Nigeria who had been helped by this scheme, one runs a bead making company and the other a catering company. She was able to discuss this in her application. Goldman Sachs aim is to encourage female students to be more involved and aware of the ever-changing world of finance with their Girl’s Inspire A-Level programme. The participants have the chance to spend a day at the London office on Fleet Street, with the aim of achieving an insight into the world of financial services. Students were able to meet with industry professionals and develop skills to aid their transition from school to university and also from university to the world of work. They were also able to find out more about the career opportunities available to them across the various divisions and given very useful help and support in CV writing. Furthermore, all participants of this event will be able to apply for an internship with Goldman Sachs, and once at university students can apply for a 2 week internship in the spring of their first year or for a 2 month internship in the summer of their penultimate year. Princess enthused about her experience, ‘No matter what your interest or career path this programme is extremely worthwhile as it gives a real insight into a large corporate organisation and they have opportunities available in all departments. Goldman Sachs also has its own university and will train new employees in all disciplines, so they will consider most degree paths if the candidate fits their criteria. I am excited that I have the opportunity to apply for an internship and I hope that I am successful and I would strongly encourage future students to apply for this programme.’ Princess Ebi is currently studying: Economics, English Literature & Sociology at A2 Level, with Psychology already studied to AS Level, and Princess got all ‘A’ grades at AS Level. Princess is looking to study Politics, Philosophy & Economics at university. Her long term intention though is to work for a development agency to help establish entrepreneurial businesses for young females in sub Saharan Africa.
One of Bosworth’s recent weekend activities involved going rock climbing to the Pinnacle climbing centre in Far Cotton. All climbing is undertaken with the help of qualified instructors and students are guided on the colour climbs. The wall offers a variety of climbs for a variety of levels, with routes of up to 16 metres. Indoor climbing offers students the chance to have a really positive, physical and mental challenge and it encourages them to help and support each other. The feedback from the students was that although ‘a little scared’, it was ‘amazing’ and ‘fantastic’.
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www.bosworthcollege.com Bosworth Independent College • Northampton • 01604 239 995 • info@boswothcollege.com