Inside Bredon - March 2021

InsideBredon ISSUE FOUR | March 2021

FEATURED INSIDE:

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Easter activities What to do and where to go!

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Cooking talent thriving Bredon School Chef of the Year

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Down on the farm It’s been a busy time of year

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CCF Moving forward A stand-alone contingent

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Old Bredonian Q&A with Robert C

Welcome from the Headmaster With a phenomenal effort from all of our pupils over a number of different time zones, extraordinary input and dedication from all of our staff and fantastic parental support, our remote learning programme was hugely successful and I am extremely proud and grateful of the way this team effort worked.

From Monday 8th March, pupils transitioned back to face-to-face teaching whilst demonstrating great resilience, enthusiasm and maturity, and they quickly and seamlessly transitioned back into school. Following the Department for Education’s Schools Coronavirus Operational Guidance together with extensive planning, we made the reopening of school as smooth and as safe as it possibly could be.

Pupils completed three cycles of in-school testing under the supervision of our fully trained nurses, Jill and Carey to whom I extend

my heartfelt thanks. With nearly 600 tests completed, without a single positive result recorded, pupils and staff have now moved to twice weekly home testing.

Spring has finally sprung at Bredon with the school a hive of activity as the lawns are mown, the new season’s lambing gets underway and the school swimming pool is filled and prepared for the Summer Term.

Daffodils, snowdrops and blossom line our gardens, pathways and fields and the numerous projects within the grounds are in full swing.

Looking ahead, interviews are underway for the appointment of three new Day Housemasters/mistress, the field for which

has been exceptionally strong and thus we are sure to appoint exceptional individuals to fill these integral roles from September 2021.

These appointments are key to our ongoing effort and commitment to provide sectorleading pastoral care across the school. I look forward to sharing with you full details of these appointments in due course.

Once again, I thank parents and guardians for their continued support and understanding during the course of the term and wish all of our pupils and their families a very happy and safe Easter. We look forward to welcoming returning pupils together with a number of new faces when we return for the Summer Term.

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The first signs of spring arrive on campus During the February half term, beautiful clusters of snowdrops appeared all over the school grounds, followed by daffodils and trees full of blossom. With the arrival of baby lambs and a calf on the school farm this month, it’s safe to say that spring is now well and truly upon us.

Stuck for activities to keep the children busy this Easter?

Bredon School is delighted to feature on the Muddy Stilettos website, providing the inside guide to everything from things to do to eating out, from education to local culture in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

This Easter the team at Muddy have put together an exclusive guide of things to do in the Easter Holidays which can be found using the following link here and using the password MUDDY21.

A bright future... university offers roll in Pupils at Bredon School are celebrating academic success with numerous offers from first choice universities. Here are just a few examples: Congratulations to Charlie who receives a conditional offer from the University of Wales to study Computing (Networking and Security). Commenting on his offer, Charlie said; “Bredon School has helped me develop the skills needed to get to university. Knowing I have secured plans for my future is a huge relief.”

Congratulations also go to Alan who receives a conditional offer from the University of Leeds. Alan said; “Bredon has helped me in ways I didn’t get in other schools. Being dyslexic has never held me back at Bredon. It is so amazing to be offered the opportunity to continue my art at University. I cannot wait to start the next stage of my life – all thanks to Bredon allowing me to develop my creativity!”

Double congratulations to Adam who receives an unconditional offer from the University of Falmouth and an interview to study Graphic Illustration at the University of Gloucestershire. Adam, our current Head Boy, suggested; ‘Thinking about going to university is exciting and scary at the same time but using all my training and self-confidence I have gained from the Photography and Art teachers has helped me overcome my obstacles and given me a belief in myself to achieve things I never thought I could.”

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Unsung heroes Whilst many of our pupils and academic staff continued to embrace remote learning, the support staff kept the wheels turning on campus.

BRILLIANT

The Groundsmen have been busy ensuring that our playing fields and pitches are in prime condition in readiness for the reopening of school. The time of striped lawns and pitches is upon us for all to enjoy.

The school greenhouses are full of a whole host of plants getting ready to enhance the flowerbeds around the campus courtesy of the school Gardener. In addition, the spring bulbs planted earlier this term have started to make an appearance putting a spring in all our steps. Vegetable plots have all been prepped and are now awaiting pupils to start planting.

Ensuring the safety of our community, the Accommodation Services Team have diligently continued to sanitise and clean our classrooms, common rooms, boarding houses and bathrooms.

Their work is greatly appreciated by all.

The Maintenance Team have rarely been seen without a paintbrush in hand – the Sports Hall has had a makeover and is now looking refreshed with a bright Sporting England approved blue, the old farm classroom has been renovated to provide an additional space for academic subjects as well as clubs to use as a breakout space and general exterior painting is also underway to add to the fresh spring feeling.

World Book Day

The race was on!

Pupils Celebrate at Home.

Over the half term break, our Inter-House Challenge ensured that the race was well and truly on.

This year, World Book Day took place during lockdown, and with all of our pupils still at home the usual activities were unfortunately unable to take place. That being said, many of our pupils and teachers still made the effort to wear a costume for their virtual sessions, and many lessons centred around the theme of reading.

Pupils and staff of Bredon School were challenged to safely walk, cycle or jog (within government guidelines) to contribute valuable miles for their houses in order to cover the distance from school to the start of Hadrian’s wall, along its entire length (90 miles) and back to school.

Year 9 spent time listening to an audiobook on YouTube and completing some fun writing tasks such as spy files and mission plans. Whilst at home, Joe in Year 9 helped to create this brilliant Harry Potter themed window display for his local primary school’s ‘world book day trail’.

There were some fantastic efforts from pupils across all of the houses. Sharp took the early lead on the approach to Chesterfield and despite being closely challenged by Jarrett, Thomas and the Junior School were crowned the winners. Congratulations to all who contributed.

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Healthy body, healthy mind Wednesday mornings at Bredon School can only mean one thing … ‘Smoothie Wednesday!’ Each week breakfast on a Wednesday morning looks at little different with boarding pupils being able to create their own smoothies from a choice of fresh fruit and vegetables. A superb way to start the day.

But that’s just one of the many initiatives and activities provided by our dedicated catering team. Prior to the half term break, boarders were treated to a fantastic afternoon tea spread, complete with a selection of delicious cakes, freshly cut sandwiches and assorted finger foods.

Enticing pupils to try something different and to bring a taste of the Caribbean to Bredon the catering team transported the boarders to a tropical island with mocktails served at the Tiki Bar, Levi Root chicken curry, jerk chicken wings, plantain chips and sunshine salad – certainly not your ‘usual’ school dinner.

In celebration of St Patrick’s Day the team added some seasonal specials to the lunchtime menu including Emerald Isle colcannon soup, soda bread, Killarney lamb stew and Irish spicy hand pie before rounding off the term with a spring BBQ with plant power! Plant power burgers and brownies together with a meat feast ensured that there was something for everyone.

Photo: Plant power foods available at our recent BBQ

Stepping away from the screen!

Photos: St Patrick’s Day inspired lunchtime delights

During the course of lockdown, the Science department ran a STEM challenge for pupils to complete at home, enabling them to have time away from their screens whilst trying something new.

Challenges included making an oobleck and getting it to dance, making coloured rock candy, designing an aluminium boat and taking part in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Big Garden Birdwatch.

There were two outstanding winners, Jacob H (Year 7) and Joe C (Year 9) who will shortly be receiving their prizes.

In addition, the first week of March marked National Careers Week and to celebrate, pupils in Years 9 to 13 attended a STEM virtual careers fair.

Pupils had the opportunity to learn more about a career in STEM and take part in virtual activities run by 25 national employers such as the BBC, Royal Air Force, IBM and Google.

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Cooking talent thriving at Bredon The challenge to becomeBredon School Comfort Food Chef of the Year was met with great enthusiasm and energy with a significant number of pupils (and staff) donning their aprons, getting creative and cooking some mouth-watering dishes.

The school was delighted to announce that Jamie May - Head Chef at Two-Michelin starred, Tom Kerridge owned ‘Hand & Flowers’ pub - would be our guest judge for the competition. Jamie commented that he “was blown away by the standard across the board!

Huge well done and great effort by everyone.”

May advised that it was a “tough decision with lots of back and forth” but the overall winner was Joseph W with his Chicken Pie followed by Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce. Our judge commented...

The pie is a perfect colour, with a generous filling, the sauce has a great consistency and every element of dessert is homemade.”

Photos: Winning entries by Joseph W

The runner up was Jazzy C who created his very own special curry followed by lemon drizzle cake.

May commented on the “colourful and healthy curry” and admitted he “loves the use of lemon because it gives a moist texture.”

The award for best savoury comfort food went to Joe C with his version of Chicken Curry and homemade Naan Bread. Jamie commented; “Amazing effort for homemade curry and naan bread and lovely presentation with coriander” The award of best sweet comfort food went to Elizabeth B for her Banoffee Pie which was “perfectly presented, very precise and neat.”

The following were highly commended: Phoebe K, William A, Eddie K, Harry T, Miriam M and Oliver S. The staff entered a separate competition which was won by Philippa H who created a family favourite, Toad in the Hole with Lemon Poppy Cake to follow. The staff runners up were Jenny P and Elaine S.

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Down on the farm It’s a busy time of year down on the School Farm, keeping our Farm Manager on her toes and always thankful for the support our pupils are always willing to provide.

The school’s flock has started lambing, with half of them outdoors and half inside our purpose built farm buildings. Pupils have loved getting back to the farm after the latest lockdown and watching new life being born. Pupils have been involved with feeding, bedding, tailing, castrating, numbering ewes and lambs and moving them to their turnout paddock.

Routine farm work continues to keep our pupils and staff busy with most of the animals inside whilst the ground outside remains quite wet but we are looking forward to the spring when the lambs will certainly enjoy having the sun on their backs.

Finally, there was huge excitement last weekend with the arrival of the first calf of the year.

Pupil volunteers at local farm Over half term, Amalia (Year 10) worked with a local farmer and helped with the delivery and nursing of several dozen lambs. We are always so proud to see our pupils taking on extra-curricular projects and helping their local community. Well done Amalia!

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Bredon School CCF moving forward After ten years of being attached to Malvern College, the Bredon School Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is now able to advance by setting up a standalone contingent – these are exciting times for our CCF. Our existing dedicated staff team will be supported by a number of new staff and volunteers. In recognition of the school’s dedication to the provision of CCF at Bredon School, interviews have been taking place in recent weeks for a School Staff Instructor (SSI). The SSI will act as the main point of contact with school for all of our cadets whilst supporting the existing staff team to deliver an outstanding training package for the forthcoming academic year and beyond.

The school is delighted to be able to offer pupils even more opportunities including dedicated field days, increased access to equipment and the ability to send an increased number of cadets on an annual camp at the end of the academic year. The school’s relationship with other units will continue to ensure that we are able to provide the extensive adventure training we always have whilst also exploring the possibility of growth in the area.

Sports Roundup

With the launch of the new cadet syllabus together with our new structured approach to promotions within the CCF our now seventy plus cadets can look forward to an exciting year ahead.

It was fantastic to welcome our pupils back to school enabling them to benefit from our extensive sporting provision even if it was only for the last three weeks of term. With the sun shining, there have been lots of rosy cheeks and smiles while running to find Orienteering markers, racing around the Mountain Biking challenges or developing skills in Football and Netball.

The arrows have been finding gold on the range, climbing skills have been shared on the wall and the legend of Mr Barnicoat’s fitness session remains. In Clay Pigeon Shooting, pupils have quickly returned to form.

Top scores of 44 out of 50 have already been reached by Jason (Year 12) and Ted (Year 12) with the rest of the team not far behind.

We look forward to embracing our Summer Term sport and activity sessions after Easter.

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Boarding roundup Stable House There is no doubt that it has been a fun term for the girls in Stable House. Despite the creation of separate bubbles (one being Stable House and the other Tyndale House) the girls have not stopped, embracing nice walks and the great outdoors, face painting, hair braiding and a lot of badminton.

In other news from Stable House, the girls incubated some Indian Running Ducks which have now hatched with “Sir Quackalot” and his team of ducks thriving in the trusted hands of the girls.

Led by a member of the boarding team, an Open Doors Policy has now been introduced three times a week giving the girls a quiet and safe environment to talk to a staff member about their days, and the girls are thoroughly enjoying the independence of it.

As spring begins to appear on our beautiful campus and the sun begins to shine on Stable House, the girls are spending more and more time outside which is lovely to see. We hope to spend even more time enjoying the great outdoors when we return for the Summer Term.

Tyndale House Tyndale House has flourished during the second half of the Spring Term and there is no doubt that friendships formed throughout lockdown and the opening of schools will stay with the boys forever. We have even grown in size, with three new boys joining us and we look forward to welcoming more new additions in the Summer Term.

It is amazing to watch the resilience and energy that the boys in Tyndale have. Whilst our usual activities programme has been a little hampered as a result of the lockdown the boys have thought on their feet from setting up a volley ball club to the older pupils engaging with the younger boys and getting very muddy playing rugby.

With the evenings getting lighter and the warmer weather tempting the boys outside, scooters, skateboards and bikes have been in constant use. The school Gym has also been fully utlised by the older boys, a facility which has seen significant investment recently making every penny worth it.

Photo: Tyndale House boys playing volleyball in the evenings

The boarding team are so looking forward to the Summer Term, nice weather, the swimming pool and hopefully some trips.

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9 Reasons to choose boarding for your child The decision to send your child to a boarding school is life changing. As parents we all want the best possible start to life for our children including the best possible education, environment and support to ensure not only the very best academic outcomes but ensure good mental health and life skills too.

It is all too easy for parents juggling hefty working commitments alongside hectic family lives to rely upon electronic devices and screens which have become a huge challenge for many in recent years. The solution to which may be very simple. Just one of the advantages of boarding schools is that it provides an engaging, activity packed environment for your child from the time that they wake up to the moment the lights go off in the evening.

But there are so many more…

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Round-the-clock education

Pupils attending boarding school have access to additional support from their teaching staff and house staff ‘after hours’. This means that after all of the ‘Day’ pupils have finished school and gone home, your child will continue to have support from high calibre teachers as they complete their homework in ‘Prep’ sessions. Being around classmates in the boarding houses also means pupils can continue to work together on school projects after the school bell rings

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Extra-curricular opportunities

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Built-in social life

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Access to facilities

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Independence

Of course, parents are able to source and organise extra-curricular activities for their children outside of school, boarding pupils can access an extensive list of activities that they can take part in on any given day.

At Bredon pupils take part in organised extra-curricular activities ranging from horse riding to jujitsu. Having these opportunities is not only integral to the personal development of your child but will also contribute to the success of their university application.

Although we can’t promise that every night will feel like a sleepover, there are certainly social advantages to boarding life. Friendships formed at boarding school are often life-long. Shared experiences and time to be together allows for relationships to grow and develop.

What is more, relationships at home can benefit because the time together during the holidays is not taken for granted.

A benefit of living within a school campus, such as Bredon you have access to facilities that you most likely wouldn’t have at home, such as a swimming pool, a fully equipped gym, and acres of gardens and woodlands. Full size rugby, football, hockey and cricket pitches and tennis courts are all in your ‘back garden’ if you are a boarder at Bredon.

By sending your child to boarding school, they will get to experience life outside of their family unit, and are given more independence. Most children don’t experience this until they have to leave home and attend university; by attending boarding school children learn to be independent much earlier, enhancing their preparation for life beyond education and developing their levels of maturity before entering the ‘adult world’

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Preparation for Adult Life

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Expert Pastoral Care

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Structure

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Discover New Interests

Photo: Birthday celebration in Stable House

Boarding life promotes key characteristics such as self-resilience and responsibility, and teaches pupils useful life skills such as organisation, cleanliness and time management. Living in close proximity to their peers will challenge your child to sharpen their social skills, interact with others and step outside of their comfort zone. A boarding experience helps to develop well-rounded individuals with a strong ability to make decisions for themselves.

By sending your child to boarding school, you can feel safe in the knowledge that they will have the best pastoral care throughout their educational experience.

Whilst boarding, your child will embrace a strong set of core values such as determination, ambition, and confidence; they will have to learn to adapt to various rules and build their interpersonal skills. Your child will have an extremely strong support network, from members of teaching and house staff, to a dedicated pastoral team who are employed to maintain a consistent high level of pastoral care. Boarding staff are able to give a level of attention and support to each child that simply may not be possible to match at home due to work commitments and busy schedules.

Children crave structure and routine. Life in a boarding house can be full on, but there is always a clear and strict daily structure which helps pupils to feel secure. A clear structure instils a sense of organisation into pupils and helps them to manage their time well. Set rules such as limited screen and/or device time also helps to promote different interests and encourage children to explore various hobbies and engage in conversation with their peers.

By socialising with friends and taking part in a varied range of extra-curricular activities, your child is far more likely to discover a range of interests. Discovering an activity that they are passionate about can lead to an earlier choice of career path, and a better sense of happiness and wellbeing. At Bredon, boarders are often given the opportunity to listen to visiting speakers who have achieved great success either in their career or vocationally - these speakers are able to share their advice and/or lead a workshop with pupils and spark conversation around various new topics.

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Old Bredonian profile Robert C (2004-2011) Photo: Buckinghamshire New University Graduation 2017

I moved with my family from South West London to come to Bredon in September 2004 as a Year 7 pupil. As a very shy individual upon arrival I found my passion for Information Technology and grew in confidence.

Bredon’s unique approach to helping every child thrive and succeed gave me the confidence to build and develop both socially and academically making me into an a well-rounded individual.

What subject did you study at Bredon?

Apart from the key core subjects, I studied IT, Environmental Studies, Resistant Materials and Geography.

What have you done since leaving Bredon?

After Bredon I studied IT at South Worcestershire College in Evesham after which I progressed and completed a BSc (Hons) in Computing at Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe.

What is your current career / job?

I am currently an IT System Support Technician and have worked in several large national companies including Zebra Technologies Europe Ltd and the NHS as well as several small to medium service outsourced providers in the business and education sectors.

What are your favourite memories of Bredon?

I particularly enjoyed being the pupil face of IT, helping younger pupils and showing them how to do the basics. But the highlight of every year at Bredon was Founder’s Day, where during my seven years at Bredon I was awarded various awards including Farmer of the Year, Young Countryman, Environmental Studies GCSE Subject Award and the Sugar Bowl for Entrepreneur of the Year.

Calling Old Bredonians Could you be our next Old Bredonian to feature in Inside Bredon? Email marketing@bredonschool.org.uk

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Bredon School Pull Court, Bushley Tewkesbury Gloucestershire GL20 6AH T: 01684 293156 www.bredonschool.org Part of the Cavendish Education Group

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