The Cherwell School Spring Newsletter 2022

Spring 2022 CHERWELL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

The beautiful magnolia tree in the school grounds Year 12 students visiting Estonia and Finland this April.

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page

Inside this issueWelcome to our Spring Newsletter It is lovely to write to you after two busy and exhilarating terms since the Christmas break The pandemic has continued to throw up a whole host of challenges in school. The withdrawal of some of the measures has understandably led to an increase in cases.

Staff absence (largely due to Covid) has been at an unprecedented level. When I remarked to an experienced colleague last week that the number of staff out was higher than at any point since the start of the pandemic, she said she hadn’t known anything similar ever in the past and on reflection in my 29 years at Cherwell this has been the case.

That said, I am delighted that the opportunities that the school prides itself on have continued unabated. At the time of writing we have just waved off over 30 Year 12 students on a two week visit to Finland. This trip has been funded via the DfE “Turing Scheme”. Our grant has allowed this group of students a life changing opportunity that so few others across the country will have (only about 100 grants were awarded to schools). You can read about the visit on pages 18-21.

As always the optimistic feel that deeply permeates the fabric of the school has always helped to get us through the winter. The positive relationships that staff and students build help to keep us moving forward and never allow us to feel sorry for ourselves. Indeed, much of the time this term has been about the wider world. Our “day of care for others” was incredibly well supported and you can see some of the results of the fundraising to support the humanitarian relief work in Ukraine on page 44.

Our students relish the opportunity to show responsibility. We feel that this is particularly embodied within the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme that is now operating on an unprecedented scale within the school - most obviously in Year 9 where over 170 students are currently working towards the completion of their Bronze Award (see pages 46-47).

Those of you who were able to attend Antigone will recognise it as a particular highlight of this term. This Ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles with its story of power, family and loyalty felt very contemporary. The quotations from some of the cast that you can find on pages 32-33, show how much they gained from this. Equally the stunning entries received for the annual Dan Hemingway Prize delighted the judging panel. The winning collection of poems on the theme of “Home” were beautiful and moving, especially in the context of the challenges of the past two years (see pages 52-53).

We currently have almost 40 different clubs and societies running across the school.

The updated list for each term can be found here, https://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/455/clubsactivities We honestly believe there is something for everyone and where there isn’t we will always look to add it in. If you are worried that your child isn’t making the most of these opportunities then do contact your child’s Year Team (link here, for contact details) https://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/422/year-leadersdeputy-year-leaders and they will always provide a supportive nudge.

One of the reasons behind the optimistic feel to the school this term has been due to the great amount of work that has gone into helping our young people to think about their future selves and their lives beyond school. This has ranged from presentations to our youngest children in Years 7 and 8 up to the sixth form - This week, almost 300 Year 12 students have attended the national Higher Education Conference in Winchester. We are not aware of any school nationally offering something on this scale. You can read about the work of our Careers team on pages 12-13.

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Welcome Page JLT:Page 2 & 3 The Secret Mental Health Service:Page Page 4 - 6 Cherwell School Counselling Service Staff Update:Page 7 - 9 Geography Update Year 7 History Update:Page 10 Social Wellbeing Drop Down Days:Page 11 Careers Update:Page 12 & 13 Cherwell’s Sustainability Update National Tutoring Programme:Page 14 & 15 Cherwell Oxbridge Offers (Enrichment):Page 16 & 17 Cherwell Enrichment Finland Trip:Page 18 - 21 English News Festival of Reading New North Library And Creative Writing Club:Page 22 - 25

MFL News:26 & 27 Performing Arts:28 - 33 Science Update:Page 34 - 41 Maths News:Page 42 & 43 Other News:Page 44 & 45 Duke of Edinburgh:Page 46 & 47

Year Team News Page 48 - 51 Dan Hemingway Award 2022 Trip to Winchester University EPQ UpdatePage 52 & 53 PE Dept News Workshops in the Woods Flintlock Theatre:Page 54 - 64

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022© The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Parents and Carers will know that one of our current school priorities is reading. We believe strongly that the more children can read widely and fluently the more opportunities open up. Our two-week Festival of Reading at the start of this term was our biggest and most successful yet and you can read about the rich and varied experiences on pages 22-24.

We continue to think deeply about the curriculum we offer our students. Just a reminder that you can always stay fully informed of what your children are studying in class by using the curriculum tab on the website https://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/416/curriculum-overview. The KS3 booklets provide a very detailed insight into how the learning for students is shaped. We have been focussed since Christmas on helping our younger students in particular to fully understand how they know and remember more in their subjects. This idea (we like the acronym KARM) is explained here so do please take a look. https://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/1905/learning-1

It has been wonderful over the past few weeks for our students to begin to use our new 3G football pitch. It really is a stunning addition and, as you will see from the comments on pages 54-55, it is already making a significant difference to the experiences of children in school. We are looking forward to the whole community benefitting from this new resource as we move into the Summer months.

I wanted to pay a particular tribute to those students in Year 11 and Year 13 who will be spending some of the Easter holidays deep in preparation for their final GCSE and A Level exams. We know that they are working exceptionally hard and have coped incredibly well with the challenges throughout their courses over the past two years. Matt Barnard, our Lead counsellor offers some brilliant wide- ranging advice on pages 4-9, much of which I think is particularly relevant for all of us supporting children in their final revision over the next couple of months (I have a son in Year 13 and a daughter in Year 11 so I do understand the challenges at first hand!). As we are supporting the children through the emotional ups and downs of revision please do note the superb revision advice materials that can be found here https://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/426/revision-information as well as Mr Hilton’s video which offers a clear summary of how examinations have been adapted for this current group.

Do have a wonderful break

Chris Price Headteacher April 2022

MESSAGE FROM THE JUNIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM (JLT) JLT is the Junior Leadership team and we meet fortnightly with Mr Price, Headteacher.

JLT is comprised of students from Year 7 through to 13. Because of the wide range of different ages it enables us to tackle a large selection of topics and issues that arise.

We run for a whole calendar year to increase our maximum impact, and this year we have been having a focus on:

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Site improvements for both North Site and South Site. For example, the catering company changed just after Christmas and whilst they are still adjusting, they have been quick to act on our suggestions and improvements.

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An important topic that we have also been focusing on is how to change our curriculum, to include a wider selection of literature and a larger range of voices in history.

We want to make sure that everyone has their voices heard and that we act upon the changes that the school community wants, so if you have any suggestion, find someone in your year that is in JLT and let them know.

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 3

The Secret Mental Health Service Matt Barnard - Lead School Counsellor Late into the night there are numerous mental health conversations taking place on Snap Chat, Insta’, Discord or Messages that are nothing short of life saving. Young people are supporting other young people with their mental health every day. This unrecognised, much valued by its users is a secret mental health service doing phenomenal work in bedrooms across the catchment area and beyond.

I know first-hand the experience of feeling alone in the fight against depression or anxiety or both, and the value of having a sounding board for the dreaded spiral of late-night overthinking! In the isolation that often comes with mental ill health, knowing that there is someone out in the world holding you in mind and available at the end of a message; is an incredible feeling! So, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all those young counsellors out there on behalf of all those that they are helping.

It can be a difficult balance when sending a message where you want to convey that you care and is not then open to being misunderstood. A few emoji’s can help convey something of what you mean, but there’s nothing like talking in person to keep things as you intended. If you are supporting someone in need, whether it’s your best friend or your child, here are a few things that we have learned over the years in the counselling service that might help you out.

Listen A bit obvious I know. But with many things competing for our attention you might have to say to yourself, I am going to make a conscious effort to really listen and do nothing else. Being present is a skill, so practice not thinking about what’s for dinner, what homework you’ve got outstanding, or what’s on Netflix. Also, keep an eye on your urge to provide a fix. Hold on to that urge, listen and see what happens. You’ll be surprised how most people kind of already know what they need to do.

Judgement I know many of us enjoy it, let’s be honest, but it’s not kind. It helps us to feel good about the parts of ourselves we’d much rather see in other people than ourselves. Judgement leaves people feeling bad about themselves, and stops them from speaking more freely about what’s bothering them.

I feel sorry for you You might think you are being helpful, but it’s not helping you connect with the other person. ‘Empathy drives connection, whereas sympathy fuels disconnection’, according to the shame guru Brene Brown (check her out - www.brenebrown.com). She talks about how hard it is to bear difficult feelings as the listener, and so we try to silverline or fix things in the face of our own uncomfortableness. So focus on the emotions, work out with the person how they are feeling. What are they conveying or unable to say? Be curious, but not over bearing.

You’ve let me down…

When someone tells me, ‘I didn’t self-harm in ten days’. I want to jump up for joy and say, ‘give me a high five, well done’. I hold it in. Because I know that maybe one day they may self-harm again, and I don’t want them to feel that they have let me down which can so often feel shaming and filled with feelings of guilt. Or withhold, as they fear my reaction. If you don’t believe me think of the times when your parents have said to you, “I’m not angry with you, just disappointed”. Oh that use to work on me every time because I felt ashamed! Shouting never worked. It just turns your brain off and you can’t think.

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Blaming It might feel satisfying to point the finger at others ‘he shouldn’t have spoken to you like that’, or ‘the problem is they can’t take a joke’. As a therapist once told me, ‘you might not be able to change people, but you can change how you respond to them.’ So encourage the person to think about how they could take a step back and reflect on what’s happening, work out what psychologically belongs to you and what belongs to the other person. Remember, you never know what someone else is carrying in their life.

Minimising or Comparative Suffering We hear this a lot, where people feel they are wasting our time by coming to see us. They might say, ‘I don’t want to waste your time, there are people much worse than me’. I think this an indication that the person is struggling to be vulnerable, they can’t allow themselves to be taken care of or even take themselves seriously. So the best way to respond, is to model for them by taking them seriously. If it’s important to them, it’s impacting their life negatively, then they need help.

What to say when you don’t know what to say Well say exactly that, be honest! The person who is in distress is being vulnerable with you in sharing their most private, shaming, embarrassing, painful aspects of themselves. The least you can do is meet them on that same level. It’s okay to say, “It sounds really difficult right now, and I don’t know what to say to make it okay for you. But I’m here with you.” The truth is no quick fix strategy will heal the pain that has resulted in us from the pandemic, war in Ukraine, the loss of a loved one or the heartache that comes from being rejected by the person you’ve been longing for. Learning to tolerate unbearable feelings until they pass, it’s the best we can do sometimes. To avoid and pretend everything is fine and dandy, or using unhealthy coping mechanisms is going to do nothing but store up problems for the future.

Keeping yourself Safe Before an aeroplane jets off to your holiday destination, the flight attendants will instruct you to “put your oxygen mask on first,” before helping others. Why is this so important? Because if you run out of oxygen yourself, you can’t help anyone else with their oxygen mask of course. In the same way, you’ve got to take care of your own mental health before you can help someone else with theirs.

If you find that you are worried about the person you are helping long after you’ve been in contact with them. You are unable to concentrate on your school work. You’ve got unwanted images in your head as a result of what you’ve heard. You start to dread the familiar ding of a notification on your phone. You are struggling to sleep. You feel triggered by their behaviour. Then now is the time to speak to a member of staff about your concerns. Knowing your limits, asking for help and taking care of yourself is what good mental health professionals do all the time. You can’t help someone with their brain if your own is frazzled, panicked or anxious.

Keeping the person you are supporting safe If you get the feeling that something isn’t right. Perhaps they say something about wanting to give up or not wanting to wake up in the morning ever again. I know some of you might feel like you are being disloyal by speaking to your parents, calling the parents of your friend or speaking to your year team in school. However, in our experience all people who recover from mental health difficulties, we’ll be glad you stepped in and made sure they were safe. Don’t be afraid to ask the question - ‘are you thinking of taking your own life?’ Ask yourself, What’s the worst that can happen by asking this question? They will either laugh it off and you’ll feel a bit daft for a minute. Or they’ll respond feeling utterly relieved that you are not judging them and can bear the pain of what they are going through.

Ideally you would speak with your Deputy Year Leader or your Head of Year. But any member of staff you feel comfortable speaking with, will take your concerns seriously and take action to help keep your friend safe. You may not know, but over a one hundred staff members have attended Mental Health training. We spend at least four hours learning about how to reduce the risk of suicide. So they’ll know what to do. © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 5

Services that are available 24 hours a day Below is a list of services that you could suggest when having those late-night conversations. As a helper it can sometimes be hard to hear this but you are not the only person your friend can talk to. They will have other friends and family members who care. So, help them to identify who those people are and suggesting these services can be helpful too.

Shout - Text Shout to 85258 Childline - Call 0800 1111 or visit their website for alternative services - https://www.childline.org.uk/ Samaritans - Call 116123 If they need more ongoing help Abingdon Bridge (aged 13 - 25) https://www.theabingdonbridge.org.uk/ Riverside Counselling Service for Young People https://www.riversidecounsellingservice.co.uk/young-people/ NHS - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Support (CAMHS) Team or Mental Health Support Team contact the Single Point of Access - https://secureforms.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/mhst/

Adults Where Are You? Young people helping other young people is nothing new. Although, I do think young people are turning to each other far more than they ever have. If you’ve watched Sex Education, you’ll know that the main character Otis provides a somewhat professional sex and relationship advice service to his peers. Albeit his clinic is often in the grotty off-limits toilet block, abandoned due to asbestos! Having grown up with parents as therapists, Otis has picked up a few tools along the way and his young clients soon come to trust (in Season One) his words of wisdom. Although, the whole show does seem to predicate itself on exploiting stereotypes for humour, it is reflecting something of the relationships between adults and young people. In fact, I am beginning to think some young people do not trust us to understand their difficulties, not to overreact, not to be judgemental, and to respond in a way that leaves them feeling understood. It’s not everyone’s experience, but it’s definitely what we are hearing in the counselling service.

The pandemic seems to have left young people stuck somewhere two years ago and are now suddenly in a world where everything has become incredibly controlled, serious and the decisions that they make are perceived as having fixed lifelong consequences. Whether that’s their GCSE choices, completion of ordinary homework, the use of single use plastic or what they sent online. They’ve missed out on valuable prep time to get them ready for adulthood. This Easter holidays, seize the opportunity to be playful and if the relationship between you and your young person has drifted, remember these wise words from Otis…

“I realised I still... I still behave like a child most of the time, and I pretend to be so grown up. [But] I still need you.”

By Matt Barnard, Lead School Counsellor

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The Cherwell School Counselling Service

By Matt Barnard and Donna Brunstrom Matt Barnard and Donna Brunstrom are the School Counselling Service, Here they say a little more about themselves and the work they do…

What is counselling?

Counselling means different things to different people, and that includes counsellors themselves. In this article, I am going to explain what to expect from our service. It’s important to begin by saying that each person accessing the school’s counselling service uses the sessions in different ways. Some come and just want to talk and for us to listen and understand. It helps them to reduce their anxiety and feel less isolated with their problem. Some have no idea why they are feeling the way that they are and need us to truly listen and ask questions to help widen their perspective and deepen their understanding. Others know exactly what they want from meeting us, and we are there to help think through a question or a dilemma that they are facing.

Fundamentally, counselling is about making sense of an emotional or psychological distress. We focus on what underlies the symptoms in order to gain insight. By gaining insight, we can reflect on our own experience, feel a greater sense of control and have enough distance in our own mind, to then make decisions that are what we truly want. Rather than being avoidant, fearful of something and consumed by negative thoughts and emotions.

Who are the counsellors?

The counselling service is led by Matt Barnard and Donna Brunstrom. We work together very closely, to offer the very best service, which is continually adapting to meet both the needs of the students and respond to the availability of support outside of the school.

Matt’s first training is in Psychodynamic Therapy, which has its origin in Psychoanalytic Theory. The approach works on the principle that we hold on to painful memories and experiences in our unconscious that influences our behaviour and emotions in the present. In the session, the aim is to make unconscious material conscious and therefore bring about insight free from defensive behaviours.

There is a focus on the therapeutic relationship, free association and offering interpretations or a potential hypothesis to account for what’s happening in the person’s life. Matt has continued his professional development, by completing further postgraduate training in family and systemic therapy which takes a more external, rather than internal perspective. Systemics, recognises the impact of the systems that we live and the influence it plays on our mental health, whether that be society, school or our family. Finally, Matt is in the process of becoming an accredited Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing therapist that is an evidence-based approach to processing trauma.

Donna trained at the Banbury Counselling Academy where she gained a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. Using an “integrative” approach, means that she draws upon a variety of resources and methods so that she can tailor the therapy to each person and their circumstances. Recognising the courage that it takes to come and attend a counselling appointment, Donna has a focus on the relationship between herself and the client. She will always go at your pace to explore what’s going on in your life, in a way that is safe, confidential and without judgement. Donna is also a teacher of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which is an evidence-based approach to help people with a variety of mental health conditions.

We are also joined by some amazing counsellors on placement who are in the process of completing their training courses to become fully qualified. They are highly supported through clinical supervision in and outside of school or through their training institution. Paula O’Connor, Heidi Mercer and Lucy Cunningham all join us from The Banbury Counselling Academy and are working towards becoming Integrative Therapists. Kirsty Mercer and Sophie Elliot join us from the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education. Mel Macro is completing her Master’s in Psychodynamic Practice at Oxford. Melissa Handy will be joining us after Easter from Chrysalis that takes place at Oxford Brookes. Continued../

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What is The Cherwell School’s Counselling Service?

Regardless of our therapeutic approaches, we know, that it’s the relationship between ourselves and the young person that’s going to make the difference. Counselling is a two-way process, in that both the counsellor and the client (student) will need to work together to bring about change. It’s an equal relationship, and often young people are surprised that we are not there to tell them what they should do, but offer suggestions and work through what suits them best. Another example of how counselling means different things to different people. We try to empower young people to make changes, where possible, for themselves.

The school’s counselling service is not about giving advice, or telling the young person what to do.

Some people’s definition of counselling is that we are about giving strategies, and I guess insight can bring about a strategy but what we are offering is something unique and specific to that individual. If someone is looking for psychoeducation about how to improve sleep, manage procrastination or how to revise better they are best placed speaking with a member of the pastoral team or a member of staff that they feel comfortable in speaking with. Over one hundred members of staff have now attended the Mental Health First Aid course, and so are equipped to have mental health conversations and provide direction to appropriate services and self-help resources. I think in the first instance, this is the best first step in getting help from the school before thinking about contacting the counselling service or other agency.

Counselling is a short-term intervention in that it has a specific goal in mind, in which there is an aim to achieve. It is of course supportive, but we are unable to offer ongoing support in the same way that say a member of the pastoral team can, like a tutor or Deputy Year Leader.

What is the process and what can you help with?

Students aged thirteen and over can refer themselves without consulting their parents or caregivers or the school in the first instance. We do strongly encourage that they do, but unless we have any concerns for their safety, or the young person gives us permission, we will not let parents know. If the child is under thirteen, we will seek permission from parents/caregivers first before meeting with them.

The self-referral form is accessible from the School Intranet Homepage, that can also be accessed from home by signing in to a Chrome browser and pressing the homepage button. We believe that this approach is helpful in ensuring that the young person wants to access the service, rather than being sent or told to do so. Just as with adults, the effectiveness of the sessions will only work if the person wants to be helped.

In the first session, which is usually with Matt or Donna, we may ask a lot of questions. Essentially, we are trying to understand what the problem is that the young person needs help with, and whether counselling would be of help or to consider another service that may be more appropriate. The first session, will feel very different to subsequent sessions as the counsellor is less active, and will use a personcentred approach by taking the lead from the young person.

There are many variables that may influence our decision to offer counselling or recommend an onward referral. It’s why we assess and make decisions on a case by case basis. It’s not possible to fully define what we work with and what we don’t. We take in to account the problem itself, the preference made by the young person, the severity of the problem and consider the timely manner in which they could be seen by another service if we make an onward referral.

We may recommend making a referral to the Mental Health Support Service (MHST), which is part of CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service). Their Education Mental Health Practitioners can come in to school or offer appointments remotely. It is a low-level intervention, of the same level as the counselling service, but takes a very different approach by focusing on the symptoms rather than what lies underneath the problem. This is very useful when someone is feeling low, with no obvious cause or are experiencing low level anxiety, like feeling worried about friendships or upcoming exams. It’s also useful for those who want to take an approach that is very much about the here and now.

They use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Behavioural Activation, Worry Management and other evidence-based methods. If your GP has made a referral to CAMHS, it is possible following a review of your case, that MHST is offered.

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Understandably GPs may suggest the school counselling service, but we are no substitute for the multidisciplinary approach of CAMHS. So we would recommend that any young person who is at risk of harm or who has harmed, is experiencing eating difficulties or is in need of a diagnosis, that they contact their GP for a referral to CAMHS. In addition, we may suggest other wellbeing services in school such as At The Bus Service, the School Nurse or the support that is offered by the Special Educational Needs Department in school. Or external services like the Safe Project, Aquarius, Autism Oxford or See Saw.

Updates Please do keep an eye on Ms. Magenty’s Wellbeing Newsletters to hear about how we are working collaboratively to respond to the mental health needs of the students as we come out of the pandemic, and through our partnerships with local GP services, charity led and statutory services.

STAFF NEWS In an incredibly busy term, we'd like to pay tribute to all our staff and particularly those who are training with us, our Early Career teachers and those in our teams who are supporting them. This year so far we have supported 23 people to take their first steps into teaching.

If you would like to find out more about training to teach with Cherwell and the SCITT (school centred initial teacher training) programme, open link here https://oxfordshireteachertraining.co.uk/ programmes/

Cover Teachers These amazing staff are the teachers that cover lessons when the class's regular teachers are away. They consistently work to ensure that students experience as much continuity as possible in their learning and we want to pay particular tribute to the work they have done as a team this term.

Mental Health First Aiders Fourteen more staff have trained this term to become Youth Mental Health First Aiders, bringing our current staff total to nearly 100.

These are people who are all committed to supporting the young people in our school by listening, signposting and encouraging take up of further support using the ALGEE framework.

By Mrs Parish AHT - Staff Wellbeing

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 9

GEOGRAPHY DEPT UPDATE

By Mr Littlewood This term in the Geography Department we have been focussing on embedding two different things into our lessons: Guided Reading and Virtual Fieldwork. These two different strategies are having a really enriching effect on our curriculum, and enabling many more students to really get the most out of their lessons and become better 'geographers' at the same time.

Guided Reading is a process by which an article is read in a very specific way in class, with the teacher acting as the reader. They share the key vocabulary with the class in advance, and then give a clear explanation of what the article is about. The students then follow along as the teacher reads, and in some cases highlight or underline relevant information for the task that will follow.

There is also a visual aid for students for each part of the article to help them to access the content.

Students then use the knowledge in some extended writing or comprehension questions to demonstrate their understanding of the topic. Using this technique, students in Year 7 have learnt about how physical and human features of Africa influence each other, while Year 8 have learnt about the impact of migrant workers on the population structure of Qatar in the build up to the World Cup. Year 9 students have explored the different types of volcanic eruptions and what impacts they have on contrasting places in Hawaii and Guatemala.

Virtual Fieldwork allows the students (and the staff!) to practice real world geographical research and techniques in places that we would never normally be able to visit. The students have been introduced to environmental quality surveys, participant observation and land use surveys, and have got the chance to immerse themselves in different environments via the internet and virtual reality, while taking geographical measurements and then analysing the results and evaluating the techniques. As well as enhancing geographical understanding, these experiences also prepare the students for their fieldwork projects that they will do at Key Stage 4 and 5. Year 7 students have visited two contrasting areas of Nairobi in Kenya, to compare inequality, while Year 9 students have got the chance to walk through lava tubes and the erupting volcano of Kilauea in Hawaii.

If any parents or carers have any geographical experiences which they would be keen to share with the students, from photos to videos, to written or verbal experiences, please do not hesitate to get in touch as we would love to hear from you. Email is best - rlittlewood@cherwellschool.org Happy Easter to all Mr Littlewood, Head of Geography

HISTORY DEPT UPDATE

By Mr Hibbert EXPLORING THE SILK ROADS IN YEAR 7 Year 7 students have been exploring an exciting new unit of work focussing on the Silk Roads this term. The unit was inspired by Peter Frankopan's superb book The Silk Roads (also available in an excellent young person's edition). The unit seeks to broaden their picture of the past as well as taking a more global approach to ancient and medieval history. The students have learnt about the spread of Islam, Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan and the Mongols! The unit finishes with an exploration of how Baghdad became a centre of learning and knowledge. Feedback from both students and teachers has been extremely positive and we are keen to continue to develop the unit in the future.

Mr Hibbert Head of Humanities

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SOCIAL WELLBEING DROP DOWN DAYS

By Miss Dorn In January 2022 we launched a new and exciting approach to our Social Wellbeing Drop Down days, involving the wider staff body. We wanted to ensure that students across Year 9, 10 and 11 who had missed some wellbeing days as a result of covid were receiving high quality education on some of the most pressing issues and so have been running Drop Down days for these three year groups covering the following topics

1) Peer on Peer Abuse and Sexual Harassment 2) Pornography Literacy 3) Safer Sex 4) Managing Risk - Drugs and Alcohol 5) Healthy Relationships These resources have been put together by the Social Wellbeing Subject Leader and RS/PSHCE and Social Sciences Faculty Leader, drawing on their extensive experience in this area and also recent research and up-to-date guidance on effective PSHE teaching. We know that students are more likely to stay safe when they are informed and have a safe space in which to explore these issues and the complexities around them. We are also encouraging our students to think deeply about these issues whilst also developing a broader vocabulary to help them articulate themselves effectively too. Like all lessons, students are provided with models and scaffolding to help them access and engage with this work.

We are really excited to have now developed an extended Social Wellbeing teaching team, including members of staff from across all departments in the school, including members of SLT. These staff are co-delivering these sessions alongside teachers from the RS/PSHCE and Social Sciences faculty. Members of this team have attended training and received materials to ensure that we are providing students with the highest quality learning opportunities. This is building up a brilliant culture where at a whole school level, we are recognising the importance of this subject for young people both now and in their futures. Parents and carers have also had access to these materials and we hope this may support them in any dialogues they may have at home. Students have been provided with comprehensive handouts and specific signposted sources of support so they know where they can get further information. Student behaviour and engagement in these sessions has been exemplary and demonstrates a maturity to sensitive but highly important topic areas. Many students have shown gratitude for these lessons and are able to recognise and cite some of the key take away messages.

“I really liked the scenarios in the peer-onpeer abuse lesson because they made me think about how someone would feel if this was happening to them and what they or their friends could do about it. Also, it can happen to anyone so we need to look out for each other” (Year 9)

“The pornography literacy lesson made me realise how people do actually change their behaviour in real life based on what they watch. I think it was good when we saw that clip of someone talking about their experience of it as people need to know this.” (Year 10)

“I found the safer sex lesson so helpful because it gave useful videos and links to places where we can get information, like Brook. For example, I didn't know anything about the CCard before and now I do.” (Year 11)

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NEWS FROM OUR CAREERS DEPT

By Mr Davis & Mrs Dale National Careers Week - 7 to 11 March 2022 We invited all students to pause and think about Careers they are aiming for during that week. Each year group received an assembly themed around Oxfordshire Labour Market information (LMI). We also wanted to get Careers in the Curriculum too, so we invited teachers to join us and play small video clips at the start of their lesson which explained what jobs are linked to their subjects.

We invite you to watch the Oxford LMI video clip as we believe you will be amazed about how brilliant Oxfordshire and the amazing companies we have here in our county. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5FcJAfeXWc or type into you tube ‘Your Fabulous Future in Oxfordshire’

Year 7 and 8 STEM Event The Year 7 and 8 students had a brilliant time with the STEM roadshow 2022. This event has become an annual event which Cherwell has now hosted for the previous three years.

This year the STEM event showcased 'magnetism' with engaging and inspiring demonstrations from the RAF and Royal Navy speakers.

The hall was filled with excited students who were highly engaged throughout the interactive presentation.

Thank you to the Year 7 and 8 students who were fantastic throughout the event!

Careers page on school website

Our Careers Page on The Cherwell School has changed https://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/1739/ careers The diagram (you might need to click the link to get it enlarged) shows our Futures Programme which has a range of Career events, activities and some of these involve employers ‘employer engagement’. Again we invite you to look at this new programme.

Visit from Oxford Direct Services

Oxford Direct Services will be coming into school on Thursday 7 April. They plan to talk to Year 11, 12 and 13 students who are interested in an apprenticeship with them. They are offering 12 apprenticeships. It is hoped that some of our students will be lucky to get an apprenticeship with this fantastic local employer. th

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NEWS FROM OUR CAREERS DEPT

By Mr Davis & Mrs Dale 1:1 Meetings

Jason Davis, our school Careers Adviser, has continued his 1:1 meeting with students making sure they are prepared for the future (careers and options).

Members of the Senior Leadership Team have carried out over 200 individual support and guidance meetings with every student who applied for Cherwell sixth form

Upcoming Events Year 7 (Term 6)

Learn Career Stories from Local Employers. Local employers come to school to talk to students about their careers

Year 8 (Term 5)

Human Library Employers come into school and (using a carousel format) talk to the students about their career area

Year 9 (Term 6)

1 Day work experience (to be confirmed)

Year 10 (Term 6)

Mock Interview Day. Local employers come to school to hold mock interviews with our students, in their chosen career area

Year 11 (Term1)

One week Work Experience. 10 to 14 October

We want to hear back from you? 

If you watched the Your fabulous Future in Oxfordshire video, what did you think?



Were you surprised with how many great companies/ organisation are in Oxfordshire?



If you looked on our Careers Page on the Cherwell School website, what are you feeling towards our Futures Programme?



And finally can you offer support and give your time to help with some of these employer engagement activities or maybe give your time to talk to students about your career?



We need your help – We are looking for someone who has Business Start-up experience (entrepreneur).

Contact Jason Davis, Careers Adviser jdavis@cherwellschool.org

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 13

The Cherwell School’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy 2022-2025

By Mr Cappleman

Over the past decade our school has taken a number of positive steps towards sustainability with the help and support of many students, staff, governors and community partners. During this year we have been really pleased to be able to restart plans for a coordinated and comprehensive sustainability development strategy after the delays caused by Covid. Our new three year strategy aims to help us form a clear vision with achievable but ambitious targets that will enable us to tackle our contributions to climate change and meet our responsibilities to help halt biodiversity loss. We hope this strategy will ultimately move our school towards the goal of being fully sustainable over the next ten years.

The historic context of our sustainability work

den, various flower beds and a massive bug house that supports pollinators and other insects, alongside the benefits to student and staff wellbeing. Our parent and student garden volunteers have also been active in the enrichment of those gardens along with the ongoing restoration of the Humanities Garden on North Site. In education, we have developed strong learning opportunities across the curriculum and support that with increasing extra-curricular provision through programs such as Beyond Cherwell and Social Wellbeing. In 2018 we were awarded Eco-Schools Green Flag status in recognition of the work we have done.

How we are evolving our strategy:

To push forward our work further we have brought together a central working group led by our Over the past twelve years with the huge support headteacher Mr Price with four sub-groups. The of CTAG (Cherwell Travel Action Group) we have groups are co-led by key staff and four Sixth Form been able to pursue a sustainable transport strate- students to ensure student concerns and priorities are fed into the process. Each group has been gy that has had a transformative impact on the tasked with developing targets and delivery plans way students travel to and from school. Through in the following areas: the winning of grants and inward investment we have been able to install numerous bike sheds • The development of our sustainability educaacross the site, host safe cycling initiatives and tion provision (knowledge and skills for a suswork with the council to ensure cycle lanes are tainable world and green economy); well maintained and clear in the immediate approaches to the school. This means we have become a national leader in sustainable travel with • The development of sustainable buildings the highest number of students (58.4% and rising) (prevention of energy loss, new methods of who regularly come to school by bike. Our cycling heating and mitigation of the effects of climate rate is 20 times the national average and along change); with 15.7% travelling by bus and 14.8% walking that adds up to a total of 88.9% who use sustainable means of travel, and just 11.1% who come by • The development of external areas and encar. Over the past decade we have also been hancement of their biodiversity (mapping the working to lower our carbon footprint through varinature on our site, developing its better use ous actions. In 2012 and 2014 the financial supand embedding biodiversity into any developport of the local charity ‘Low Carbon Oxford North’ ments by forming plans for tree planting, enabled us to install substantial arrays of solar PV hedgerow growth etc) panels firstly on our North and then South Sites.

The green electricity produced has been used by the school ever since or been uploaded to the grid • The development sustainable day to day opermaking the school a micro generating station. ations (effective recycling, sustainable supply Most recently we have been undergoing a gradual chains and energy supplies etc) replacement program of our old single glazed windows in order to prevent energy loss and we were incredibly happy to win a grant to install LED lights If you have skill in any of these areas that you across the school ready for the autumn term last could offer to support the school in this work we year, a measure that we hope will have a signifiwould be very grateful to hear from you, cant impact on our carbon footprint. To support email: sbeauchamp@cherwellschool.org biodiversity we have installed a whole new garPage 14

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022© The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

NATIONAL TUTORING PROGRAMME

By Miss Overbeck

There have been some very hard working Year 11’s taking part in the National Tutoring Programme provided by Pearson on the Bramble Platform. We successfully secured 43 blocks which comprised of three students a block. The week beginning 1 March 2022 welcomed the students with a starter pack of headphones, notebooks, folders and an eagerness to take on the Maths and Science help being offered. We’ve braved the 8 am starts and later ends after school, fuelled with biscuits and juice. Maths are tackling Essential Number and Algebra and Essential Geometry and Measure, whereas Science are taking on Bonding and Metals for Chemistry, Drug development, Plant and Animal Systems for Biology and Newton, Momentum and Waves for Physics. When supervising the sessions I have been so impressed by the level of engagement and questioning of the students. I am so proud of how they have taken on the opportunity!

Miss Overbeck There have been some wonderful comments/feedback already about the programme: “It's going very well to help me to build on weak areas and stabilise those areas with key knowledge.” ~

Chris

“Very helpful so far, I think it will prove to be good preparation for the real exam.” ~

William

“It's been going good my tutor’s been really nice :)” ~

Poppy

“I wanted to take the opportunity to let you know that I am hugely impressed with your students!

They are enthusiastic, engaged and excellent at applying their knowledge in new contexts. I am really enjoying teaching them and it's great to hear them thinking aloud as we work through the tasks together. They really are a credit to you and your School” ~ Science Tutor

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 15

RECORD OFFERS FOR CHERWELL STUDENTS AT OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE Twenty two Cherwell students have received offers from Oxford and Cambridge in a diverse and eclectic range of subjects, from Engineering and Natural Sciences to Japanese and Music.

Students in the sixth form are encouraged to participate in our academic enrichment ‘Beyond Cherwell’ programme, a bespoke programme designed to develop students’ thinking beyond the curriculum, introduce new ideas and provide a supportive environment for structured reflections, debate and personal development. Students take part in masterclasses, talks, team projects, forums and trips.

Students are guided by a team of supporters including staff, former students and visitors from the local universities and community. The ‘Beyond Cherwell’ programme is led by a team of specialist teachers with years of experience guiding students through applications and we are privileged to make use of our location in Oxford to draw on academics to deliver masterclasses and talks. Whether students go on to university, apprenticeships or gap years, we are proud that they leave the school suited to the demands of their future environments.

22 students have received offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge:

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Chinese) Cambridge Biology - Oxford Economics and Management - Oxford Engineering - Cambridge Geography - Cambridge Geography - Oxford History - Cambridge

Human, Social and Political Science - Cambridge Japanese - Oxford Law - Oxford Mathematics - Cambridge Modern Languages - Cambridge Music - Oxford Music - Cambridge Natural Sciences (Chemistry) - Cambridge

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Mae, who studies A Levels in English Literature, French and Spanish and received an offer to study Modern Languages at Cambridge, said: “The ‘Beyond Cherwell’ programme inspired me to start actively thinking about my next steps and encouraged me to try new things.

Participating in the challenges and attending lectures opened my mind, helped me discover what I wanted to do in the future and allowed me to learn a lot of new things on the way.”

Sabraan, who studies Economics, Maths, Further Maths and History, said: “When I told my parents I got into Oxford my mum wept with joy while my dad said ‘cheers’ and hung up the phone. My own initial reaction was simply just shock but studying Law at Oxford is an opportunity I get more and more excited about as the days go on. I can’t wait to put forward my ideas and engage in intense discussions with some of the best professors in the world and of course challenge them with my wild ideas.”

During Year 12 and Year 13, students were encouraged and supported by a team of former Cherwell students who now study at universities across the country.

Songhwi, now in her first year studying English Literature at the University of Cambridge, shared her inspiring route with current students. She arrived at Cherwell in Year 11 with little English and had to rapidly adjust to a new country, new subjects and a new education system. Songhwi said: “At first I didn’t even consider the prospect of applying to Oxford or Cambridge but my growing love for English literature throughout A Levels inspired me to have a shot at it - because why not?! All the myths about Cambridge being exclusively for prodigies and geniuses are wrong. With genuine enthusiasm, motivation and love for your subject, you already have more than a chance! Just believe in yourself.”

Arthur, now in his third year studying Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, supported students by sharing his experiences, introducing new mathematical problems and mentoring students.

Arthur said: "I was very impressed with the range of ideas the students had on unconventional interview problems. It was a pleasure to work with them and I wish them the best of luck for the end of this year!"

English teacher and Academic Enrichment Coordinator, Charlotte Richer, said: “We congratulate all the students who put themselves forward, took risks and embraced challenge and, regardless of the outcome of their university applications, we know they will go from strength to strength in all their next steps beyond Cherwell.”

For more about our ‘Beyond Cherwell’ academic enrichment programme https://sites.google.com/ cherwellschool.org/6th-form-virtual-open-evening/BCAEP Photos of the Seminars taking place in school in preparation of Oxbridge applications

Miss Richer Enrichment Coordinator © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 17

Press Release: Date : 05/03/2022 Press Enquiries Charlotte Richer: cricher@cherwellschool.org; 07866 168 292

PRESS RELEASE:

Transformational Baltic and Nordic Study Trip for 32 Cherwell School Students Year 12 students from Cherwell School, Oxford are preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime fully-funded international experience to Estonia and Finland this April.

After two years of lockdown restrictions, funding from the Turing Scheme has enabled the chance for a transformative, unique adventure and study opportunity. A group of thirty-two Year 12 students for whom travel would not normally be possible will be funded to spend sixteen days in Finland and Estonia. Cherwell School will partner with local schools in Tallinn, Rovaniemi and Helsinki to learn about sustainability and culture. Given the developing geopolitical and humanitarian situation in Ukraine and Russia, learning about the complex historical and cultural context of the Baltic region is particularly prescient.

The Turing Scheme is the UK’s global programme to study and work abroad enabling students to develop new skills, gain international experience and boost their employability.

The trip is designed to help students develop personal skills through group travel. Students have begun a preparatory programme, researching a specialist theme of their choice and completing a series of sustainability and personal growth challenges. After the trip, students will complete a legacy programme, using their experiences to teach younger students about the region and continuing their international partnerships.

Academic Enrichment Coordinator and English teacher, Charlotte Richer, said: “We know that learning outside the classroom can empower students, unlock their potential and help them to embrace (safe) risk. We are excited that this trip will inspire new interests, forge new connections and give students the impetus, belief and investment they need to thrive in their A Level studies too.”

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Molly, 16, said: ““I haven’t left the UK before so I’m looking forward to simply being exposed to a new and different culture, meeting Finnish students, connecting with new landscapes and travelling by so many modes of transport! I won’t take any moment for granted.”

Kaiden, 16, said: “I’d love to see the Northern Lights - though the temperature will be challenging! I’ve never stayed away from home for long, so I hope this trip will show me that I can push myself to do new challenges.”

During the trip, students will spend time in Finnish and Estonian classrooms working alongside local students on joint projects themed around sustainability, education and politics. They will hear from staff at the Finnish and Estonian embassies, study at local libraries and complete self-guided tours.

The Turing Scheme grant covers basic cost of living, travel and accommodation but it does not include trip activities. In order to give students unforgettable experiences unique to Finland and Estonia - such as lake swimming, aurorae hunting and sampling traditional food - the group are seeking sponsorship and donations from individuals and businesses (contact: cricher@cherwellschool.org).

Timon, 16, said: “This feels like something from the movies! It’s a whole new experience, a whole new lifestyle and I cannot wait to see what I’ll learn about myself from the trip.”

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 19

Cherwell Students Meet the Finnish Ambassador On London Study Trip In preparation for their international study and adventure trip to Finland and Estonia this April, thirtytwo Year 12 students from the Cherwell School explored London, grilled the Finnish Ambassador and uncovered the global links of universities.

Funding from the Turing Scheme, the UK’s global programme to study and work abroad, has enabled a transformative, unique and fully-funded adventure and study opportunity. In a two day preparatory trip to London, students began to develop new skills, gain travel experience and boost their knowledge of Finland.

Students were honoured to be given an audience with the Finnish Ambassador to the UK, Jukka Siukosaari, and senior specialist for universities and science, Birgitta Vuorinen. Over 90 minutes, students learned about the cultural, social and political characteristics that make Finland unique. Students were fascinated by its sustainability innovations, its egalitarian ambitions, the diversity and parity of educational routes and its national character as a “problem solver” not a “trouble maker”.

Students took the opportunity to grill the ambassador on the pressing issues of the day: national responses to the Covid pandemic and Finland’s role in the conflict in Ukraine. After giving context to Finland’s historic resistance to Soviet oppression, the ambassador inspired students with a message about resilience to discomfort, self-determination and doing what you can, within your moral compass.

Noah, 16, said: “Meeting the Finnish ambassador was enlightening and inspiring. I was especially interested by his impressive commitment to transparency, which really contrasts our own country, as well as his openness and honesty. I also loved the Finnish attitude to coalition politics and its deep rooted culture of compromise and trust.”

Students were thrilled to explore three London universities as part of their trip, with a library workshop and talk on endangered languages archives with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), lunch provided by the London School of Economics (LSE) and an afternoon coffee at University College, London (UCL).

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Students developed their independence, group work, initiative and planning skills, crossing central London by foot in a geocaching challenge - before walking even further in a night walk tour after dinner.

Ella, 16, said: “I’ve surprised myself this trip with the amount of patience I’ve had when I’ve been around people 24/7 and I don’t have my usual spaces. There was so much to do that I wasn’t on my phone the whole time and I actually paid attention to all the new things around me!”.

Students toured two London museums, exploring the collections of the Wellcome Collection and the British Library.

Each student selected one object to share in a ‘balloon debate’, with Emma ultimately triumphing with her defence of a Japanese silver memento mori figurine, used to remind people of the transience of life and material luxury, principles the students felt captured the ethos of their adventure trip and travels.

The preparation London trip was made possible by the generous donations of the Friends of Cherwell, including local business Scale Coach. The Turing Scheme grant covers basic cost of living, travel and accommodation but it does not include trip activities. In order to give students unforgettable experiences unique to Finland and Estonia - such as lake swimming, aurorae hunting and sampling traditional food - the group are seeking sponsorship and donations from individuals and businesses (contact: cricher@cherwellschool.org).

Miss Richer, Academic Enrichment Coordinator and English teacher said: “We are thrilled that the students embraced our London trip so enthusiastically and with such determination. We know that they will be brilliant ambassadors for Cherwell and UK schools when they reach Helsinki, Rovaniemi and Tallinn next month and that it will be an enriching experience for everyone involved - students and staff!”

By Miss Richer, Academic Enrichment Coordinator and English teacher

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 21

After a break due to the Covid pandemic, the 2022 edition of our annual Festival of Reading has been the grandest ever. It’s theme was inspired by environmental activist Greta Thunberg’s famous speech, ‘Our House Is On Fire’. These words resonated with the Book Club members in several ways, inspiring questions such as: if our house is on fire, what are we ready to do to save what means a lot to us? And what would we save, in particular? What would we change, instead? The books we chose to discuss during the library lessons provided possible answers to these questions. The protagonists embrace radical changes or take radical decisions to protect the things or the people they love, or to transform their home (be it their country, their family or their community) into a more welcoming and inclusive one. Three of these books have now been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, don’t we have an eye for good books?!

The book club addressed all the authors involved in the Festival asking: While writing a book, have you ever felt that you were leaving your comfort zone? What was it like and what did you do about it? We received wonderful responses, which you can read in our South Site library blog, The Library Tales: https:// thelibrarytales.wordpress.com/2022/03/28/writersout-of-their-comfort-zone/ There are two things of which I am particularly proud about this Festival: it involved North Site as well as South and there was something for everyone! We hosted three amazing authors: Lucy Atkins, Sam Pope and Eve Chase. Each of these encounters were absolutely inspiring and we are so thankful to these writers.

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We discussed books, dressed up as our favourite book characters, learned how to make beautiful crafts, enjoyed tea parties in the library, had a go at illustration, blackout poetry and listened to live music, played by both South and North Site students!

Music - South Site

Staff - North Site

Music - North Site

Staff - South Site

Craft making We hosted Daunt Books for a Book Fair, we sent books and messages on bookmarks to our friends (and members of staff!) through the library and won gifts and books.

Staff and Students dressed up as their favourite book characters

‘I’ll miss coming to the

library every day to see what’s on! Can’t we have the Festival of Reading all year long?’

A Year 7 student

“I got a badge from the library for exchanging a book which really brightened my day.”

A Year 11 student. © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 23

Year 9 students were asked to imagine that a library containing all the stories in the world was on fire, but that they had the possibility to save a single story from destruction. Which one would they save?

There were students who saved stories contained in books, in songs and movies, others saved stories from their own life experiences, or the lives of family members. The result is a wonderful collection, the Library of Saved Stories, and it will soon be available for everybody to browse.

Year 7s and 8s have started a Reading Marathon called Readathon. Promoted by the charity Read for Good, Readathon is a way to raise money for the children in UK hospitals while reading. It’s all about setting up a reading challenge, identifying a sponsor among family members and friends and starting raising! The Cherwell School has run Readathon for years now and with exceptionally good results!

Please bring back your sponsor cards when we are back from the Easter holidays, on 25th April. Thank you to all the readers who are taking part in this!

Dr Bonsaver

A New Fiction Library For North Site!

Last December our brand new North Site Fiction Library finally opened. It is a beautiful, quiet and inspiring place, with wooden bookcases, comfortable armchairs and a vast collection of books. We needed a place such as this, to enable us to welcome readers and nourish a true love for literature on North Site.

It used to be an art room, and it has been transformed into a library thanks to a collective effort involving Mr Price, the English Department and the Premises Team. However, nothing would have been possible without the financial support and the determination of the Friends of Cherwell. We are immensely thankful for their generosity and their constant support for several projects that have been having a strong impact on our students’ school experience. The new fiction library is certainly among these.

Every day there are students spending their time in the new library, reading or simply browsing the shelves and borrowing books. Small groups of students, supervised by a teacher, study English and Modern Languages there, enjoying the beauty and the atmosphere of this unique place.

We have a book club run by Mr Wade on Wednesdays, and a number of volunteers looking after the library after school twice a week.

New books are constantly being purchased, often requested by the students. Our collections span across a variety of genres: from the most recent YA novels to classics and the latest Booker Prizes, from the most sophisticated graphic novels to contemporary poetry.

The potential of our new library is enormous. We are constantly involving GCSE and A-level students for new ideas and initiatives, and we are so excited to see the impact of this wonderful space grow every day. (See photos on the next page).

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Our New North Site Library

By Dr Bonsaver

It has been an active and exciting year for the Creative Writing Club so far. Recently, a range of Creative Writing Club members of various ages have contributed to the Young Writer’s latest anthology: Twisted Tales. In this collection, student writers created brief stories from the side of the villain. Students have found new ways to explore characterisation, plot and perspective–and get published!

Other interesting events included a recent visit by best-selling author Eva Chase and a discussion/ workshop on writing during the Cherwell Reading Festival.

It is our most well attended in its ten-year history, and we hope you will join us. Creative Writing Club meetings are held 3:15 to 4:15 each Tuesday afternoon in Room 5 on the North side. All ages are welcome! This is a great chance to explore unlimited approaches to creative writing with other artistic people like you. All abilities and styles of creative writing are welcome: poetry, short stories, songs, screenplays. You name it; we explore it and write it!

Again, all years and ability levels are welcome. We hope to see you there!

You can contact Mr Strickland if you have any questions: bstrickland@cherwellschool.org

Best-selling author Eva Chase

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 25

By Mr Mehrabian This term has been a particularly busy one for the MFL department!

On the 27th January, lecturers from Warwick University gave a talk to the whole Year 9 cohort and discussed how students can extend themselves by studying languages - both at school and university but also beyond. The lecturers explained how students can combine languages with other degree subjects and discussed the many benefits of learning languages. The lecturers also gave examples of what some of their recent graduates have gone on to do with languages. Our sixth form German students were given a lecture on the topic of Media and some background information was given on the ‘Lateral Thinker’ movement and how protests against Covid-19 measures have been on the rise in Germany. Year 12 French A Level students were also given an introduction to the French resistance, which is a topic which they will study in depth next year.

On the 14th February, 27 Year 9 German students were involved in a creative translation workshop.

The two undergraduate students discussed the difficulties that often exist for translators before students were asked to come up with a polished translation for the story of the ‘Flying Robert’ by Heinrich Hoffmann.

On the 2nd of March, the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at Queen’s College, Oxford held a Year 9 Modern Languages Day for a further 7 Year 9 students, in which students were encouraged to consider a future with languages. Students were given a short talk on what languages are and how we learn them, learnt the basics of the Polish language before getting the chance to subtitle a short film in German. At the end of the afternoon, undergraduate linguists were on hand to talk to students about their experiences of learning languages.

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Year 9 Modern Languages Day at Queen’s College, Oxford

In other news, the German Department was delighted to learn that one of our Year 12 students Hattie has been awarded a fully paid scholarship to Dresden. This will allow Hattie to spend several weeks at a school in Dresden, thus giving her the opportunity to improve her German language skills, experience life in one of Germany’s most beautiful cities; whilst also making new friendships. We wish Hattie well with her preparations for this exciting venture.

Finally, over the last 2 weeks, the German Department has welcomed Renate Esber Trost, a visiting teacher from Aalen in Germany as part of the continued support given to us from the UK German Connection. Renate had this to say about her time at Cherwell:

‘I have enjoyed the chance to spend the last two weeks at your school. It was an amazing experience to have a look at the differences but also the similarities of the British and the German school systems. I have met so many lovely and welcoming people who gave me the opportunity to get an insight into English teaching methods and everyday life at school. A big thanks to Mr Mehrabian who arranged my timetable which allowed me to observe German lessons alongside French, Sociology, Psychology, Economics and Business Studies lessons.

I will always fondly remember my time discussing the main themes in the film ‘Goodbye Lenin’ with Year 12 German students. The students showed real interest in German culture and history and it was amazing to note how good their German was.’ (Renate Esber Trost) © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 27

Mrs Hollindale and the Performing Arts Team

After the success of a Key Stage 3 Performance Evening in December, we were really pleased to embark upon rehearsals for the upper school play, Antigone. We were so impressed by all the students who participated and who managed to navigate rehearsals alongside mocks and practical exams. There was a great sense of teamwork and camaraderie amongst the cast and crew. Donations from the programmes raised money for Save the Children Ukraine. The performances were compelling, fluent, and with a beautiful sense of ensemble, capturing the original spirit of the Greek chorus, alongside themes still relevant today. (Please see photos on pages 32 & 33)

Extra-curricular activities continue apace, amidst all the busyness of Year 11 and 13 Dance, Drama and Music coursework, with most of our prepandemic clubs up and running and a new and exciting opportunity for a composition club run by one of our talented Year 13 students, Roan.

A composition recital showcasing their most recent work is to be held in the final week of this term.

Year 13 Drama students enjoyed a fantastic trip to see The Rocky Horror Show at the New Theatre in January with Mr Sullivan in full scientist costume. Year 12 and 13 Drama A Level are now hoping to see the productions of Persuasion and Glee at the Oxford Playhouse in April and May. Year 10 and 11 GCSE Drama students also attended a terrifyingly brilliant production of The Woman In Black in London’s West End.

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Mrs Hollindale and the Performing Arts Team

We were delighted to watch numerous high-quality live performances this year from both GCSE and A-level drama students in the form of monologue performances due to the COVID restrictions after Christmas.

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 29

Mrs Hollindale and the Performing Arts Team

We were thrilled to return to live music recitals having had our 12 and 13 ones online for the last two years. Firstly our brilliant Year 12 musicians organised their recital with a fantastic and varied programme.

Following this, a superb final mock recital from our Year 13s. A very French programme of Messiaen, Ravel, Debussy and Faure with some Frank Zappa and Mozart for good measure. We reflected on how far the students have come - several of whom we have taught since Year 7.

We then enjoyed great sounds from Jericho Youth Choir, Cherwell Key Stage 3 Choir and wonderful to see ex-student Ella de Villiers conducting brilliantly and playing her flute. So nice to see these ex-students in their element. Well done to all the current choir and we look forward to the choir participating in Evensong at St. Barnabas Church in the last week of term

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Mrs Hollindale and the Performing Arts Team

Year 9-13 dancers really enjoyed their trip to @pineappledance London in February. They were buzzing on their return, thoroughly inspired by the visit.

The students completed a musical theatre workshop and a contemporary workshop led by two West End professionals. Students got to learn a preferred number from the musical, “& Juliet”, and a contemporary piece, where dancers got to showcase their own choreography.

Twenty-eight students from across the school have participated in two organ workshops from Dr. Nicholas Prozzillo. He was so fascinating in his talk on the history of the organ dating back to 3 BC, as well as giving the students super hands ( & feet) on training. Enthralled students, and brilliant demonstrations by talented Year 12 organist students, Benji & Year 11 Saleem. Thanks to Dr Prozzillo & Viscount Organs who generously donated the organ to our school. Dr. Prozzillo will be taking the students to Merton College, Oxford where they will be able to hear the magnificent pipe organ and have a chance to play it themselves.

We are very excited to hear that two of our students who were encouraged to enter the National ORA Composition Competition, have made it into the final ten students selected from schools across the UK. We will announce their names in due course.

Next term there are plans to perform at the National Music Teachers Association conference at St Edwards’ School in May, performing a brand-new Bob Chilcott Cantata, and with the London Jazz Choir in July. We will also be running more workshops in orchestral instruments to provide students with further opportunities to learn these instruments which may have been missed during the pandemic at primary school.

Finally, we have news of further alumni student success including Bertie Baigent who has taken up the post of assistant conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - one of the top orchestras in this country, Anya De Villiers has a lead role in the West End in “ The Play that Goes Wrong”, and Emily Coatsworth has performed in a debut album of stunning Icelandic choral music as part of Clare College, Cambridge Chapel Choir.

Do keep up to date with our events by following @CherwellArts on Twitter. We wish you all good holidays and look forward to the forthcoming summer term.

Mrs Hollindale, Faculty Leader Performing Arts © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 31

Rosie ‘It was a good experience and I made new friends with other people from different year groups. The audience was packed and the feedback was great’.

Julian - 10KW - “The process took a lot longer than I expected but it was a really interesting learning experience to see all the other cast members from different year groups. I really enjoyed being in costume and the people in the cast were brilliant. I would definitely be in another school show" Page 32

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022© The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Angela - 10KM ‘I liked the character I was playing because the lines really intrigued me especially as they were from ancient Greek Theatre. I liked how the words sounded so sophisticated really loved being in the dances’

Grace ‘I felt so grateful to be part of this school show in my final year at Cherwell especially after such a long time without any school productions! The sense of community and friendships we built working in the rehearsals was very special and it felt like the perfect way to end my drama experiences at Cherwell, and now me and Tilly are off hopefully to drama school here’s to the future whatever it may hold for us!’

Mabel - 10ABN ’I really enjoyed getting to work with other year groups as we don't often get to mix with them. I really enjoyed doing the show at the end of the process’.

Photography By Mr Coatsworth

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 33

SCIENCE FAIR 2022 Ms Ghaffar - Science Enrichment Co-ordinator

Terms 3 and 4 have once again seen a wealth of science enrichment opportunities on offer for students, from running various competitions for KS5 students to the annual whole-school science fair.

Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize for 2021

In January, we submitted our final entries for this year’s book prize. Our panel of Year 7 judges are to be commended for their commitment to this project and their incisive critical reviews of the 6 shortlisted books. The final winning book, I Am a Book. I Am a Portal to the Universe was firmly amongst their favourites, although the favourite was 100 Things to Know About Saving the Planet! Many thanks to: Sissi (7KSR), Benjamin (7AC) Manaupa (7AFN), Gabriel (7ERD), Sophia (7MI), Yara (7KSR) and Krish (7KG).

KS3 Science Club

SCIENCE CLUB

Thanks to Mrs Simpson, we have been able to run our science club weekly in terms 3 and 4. Every Monday, we have had a core group of students involved in a huge variety of science related activities, from making spaghetti towers to creating lava lamps! We look forward to continuing next term with more weird and wonderful science.

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SCIENCE FAIR 2022 We were delighted to be able to hold our annual Science Fair again this year. We had over 80 students submit projects, and as always our judges were hugely impressed with the scientific knowledge, research skills and creativity on display by all our participants. Photos on pages 38-41.

Prizes: Congratulations to all our prize-winners (although of course they are all winners for taking part!), and special thanks to Grace and Tiye, our sixth form sustainability reps, for judging the environmental prize (and to Mr Cappleman for funding this).

•

Individual winner - James - (11HW) Electromechanical Encryption

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Individual runner-up: Victor - (7ERD) Can we use magnetism to create a door security system?

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Group winners: Benjamin -(7AC), Dominic - (7KG), & Alexander - (7AC), Newton's 3 laws of motion

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Group runners-up: Leah - (7TB), Sissi - (7KSR) & Yara - (7KSR) How different coloured lights affect plants

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Environmental prize winner: Gabriel & Mahmood (7ERD) Advantages of not relying on animals for food

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Environmental prize runner-up: Balthazar - (7AFN) Are We Being Electricked

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Environmental prize runner-up: Ethan - (8MD) If all sharks disappeared, what would be the impact?

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Environmental prize special commendation: Amelia, Catriona & Lucy - (7RHY), Power of the bee & how to help the growth of their population

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Public vote winners : Finley - (8MD) & Sameer - (8DBS) Relativity and everything about it

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 35

SCIENCE FAIR 2022 Ms Ghaffar - Science Enrichment Co-ordinator

STUDENTS ON THE SCIENCE FAIR 2022 Anna - (7KG): “I think that partaking in this year's fair unlocked new knowledge tunnels in my brain, whether that was looking at other's projects or hearing tips from those who viewed ours. The whole experience was wonderful”.

Benjamin - (7AC): “Taking part in this science fair was fun. It brought up a lot of new challenges, like

creating a project ready for the judges before the deadline, but also was a great deal of fun to be a part of! Telling everyone about my project was also fun. I loved that I got an opportunity to be part of an amazing event, and I had a load of fun whilst doing so”.

Yanxi - (7KSR): “Taking part in the science fair was a great opportunity to share ideas and use teamwork together either making old friendships even better or get to share or do something that you enjoy. This year's fair is a great opportunity to let your ideas flow”.

Tudor - (8NS): “I most enjoyed the great interest of others to see what our Science Fair Project was about because I didn't expect so many people to be interested”.

Natalia - (8MD): “I really enjoyed meeting new people throughout the different year groups and learning about the topics that they are interested in”.

Catriona - (7RHY): “I think it was a very fun opportunity and I had lots of fun with my friends. It was also interesting learning new facts about the things that we were researching”.

Ethan - (8MD): “It was a brilliant opportunity to research and share my love for sharks and our oceans with the school! I loved talking to many different people in school and outside about my research and teaching them about ecosystems. It is a big commitment but completely worth it to see your project and everyone else's amazing displays come together at the fair”!

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PHYSICS YEAR 12 CHALLENGE We had number of successes at this year’s Physics Challenge • • • • • •

Aaron - Gold Matthew - Silver Noah - Bronze Beanie - Bronze Lou - Commendation Paulius - Commendation

YEAR 13 BRITISH PHYSICS

Many congratulations

OLYMPIAD

to Victor who has been awarded a Gold award in Round 1 and Round 2.

BRITISH BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD— MARCH 2022

This year we had a record number of 40 students taking part in the remote online competition, involving advanced problem solving for A-level Biologists, and we are delighted to announce the following awards:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Katrina - Gold Raphael - Silver Sara - Silver Rowan - Silver Halyna - Bronze Kaela - Bronze Rand - Bronze Isbah - Highly Commended Abi - Highly Commended Arthur - Commended Aman - Commended Noah - Commended Isabel - Commended Frances - Commended

From Ms Ghaffar, Science Enrichment Coordinator; follow us on twitter: Cherwell School Science

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 37

SCIENCE FAIR 2022 Ms Ghaffar - Science Enrichment Co-ordinator

SCIENCE FAIR

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SCIENCE FAIR

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 39

SCIENCE FAIR

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SCIENCE FAIR

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 41

Cherwell students have been enjoying taking part in a range of different maths competitions recently.

MATHS FEAST - From Mr Nollett On Monday 21st March, two teams of four Year 10 students went to the Maths Feast 2022 competition hosted at Wheatley Park School. Schools from across the county were involved in this four round competition. Huge congratulations to our teams for finishing in 1st and 2nd place. Well done to Weijean, Sophie, Sandra, Imogen, Bruno, Alex, Luke and Kiefer.

The competition included some excellent mathematical problems which all team members thoroughly enjoyed. Here’s one of the questions for you to try.

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RITANGLE COMPETITION: from Mr Majithia Two sixth form teams competed in Ritangle this year, a competition designed for teams of 16-18 year olds who study A-Level maths anywhere in the world. Last year, Cherwell’s Year 13 team won the competition, so as defending champions the teams were keen to put in a good performance.

October marked the start of the competition with one question released every week, but as the days shortened the pace quickened. By mid-November a question was released each day, every answer spitting out a code letter to be deciphered and used to unlock the final question. 32 questions and two months for an opportunity to answer the final big question, this competition is not for the fickle or unambitious. A testament to their determination, skill and ingenuity, both teams managed to get to the final question and submitted quality answers. A special mention should go to Mr. Dyer, Mr. Nollett and Mr. Majithia for their contribution in encouraging and guiding the students through their own love of maths.

And just for fun, here is one of the questions from this year’s competition.

New Look For Math’s staircase The Maths block on North Site has recently been transformed, with a variety of mathematical images and information decorating the walls and stairs. Themes range from sequences of numbers and geometric shapes to real world application of maths.

By Mr Jamieson, Mr Nollett and Mr Majithia

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 43

Working with artist Dionne Freeman and the Bodleian library Cherwell students have been exploring and responding to the John Locke Unlocked Exhibit at the Bodleian. We have been experimenting with philosophical ideas through a range of creative activities from stencilling on wood, experimental drawing with bike lights to marbling and windmill making! The exhibit focuses on philosophy and students have used the activities to investigate and unpick key questions like can we identify objects just through vision or touch? What makes you, you? And, how do we know what we know? There are 6 key ideas in the exhibit and the workshops explore one idea per session. Students have been producing fantastic artwork which is being shared and celebrated at the Bodleian library alongside the exhibit.

By Dione Freeman

Thank-you for your generous donations to support Ukraine! Students have been working hard to bag up donations ready to deliver to Carterton Leisure Centre.

Cherwell students wore blue/yellow on Friday 18th our day of care for others! #DayforUkraine

By B Beard Photo below: RAF collecting the parcels to take to Carterton

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This year, Mr Jarvis and Mrs Hodkinson have been working on a new and exciting launch of the AntiBullying programme Equally-Safe. It is a programme funded by the Department for Education that is run

by Equaliteach and means we are working alongside around 250 schools across the UK to embed best practice when it comes to preventing and tackling identity-based bullying at Cherwell. We asked all parents, students and staff to complete a questionnaire back in November, and have been working with the brilliant staff at Equaliteach to look at our policies and practices to work out long term differences that we can make to stamp out identity-based bullying.

In January, we trained up fifty students for a whole school day to be 'Ambassadors for Change' and they were fantastic! 10 students from each year, across Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12, came together on South Site to consider what we do now and how things could be changed for the better. The students were trained by Equally Safe facilitators to learn what bullying is, how to identify it and prevent it from a whole school perspective. Our students had some brilliant feedback about the school and ideas to make it better.

Mr Jarvis and Mrs Hodkinson are continuing to work on whole school approaches and will be helping to make more of this training, both for students and staff, to ensure that we support the reporting, handling and education around identity-based bullying to prevent it altogether.

Mrs Hodkinson, Head of Year 8

Our budding astronomers made observations of the moon through a telescope, saw the stars appear in the night sky, and used the patterns they recognised to find north. We put into practice the theory we've learned in GCSE astronomy, and had a lot of fun.

By Mr Lorimer

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 45

A year on from the founder and Patron of the Duke of Edinburgh Award’s death, the Duke’s legacy the DofE - is needed now more than ever. At this time as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Charity are reflecting on the impact The Duke made to millions of young people’s lives through the DofE, at The Cherwell School we are doing the same.

There are 4 sections to complete, we don’t just go camping, at Bronze and Silver and 5 sections at Gold. They involve helping the community or environment, becoming fitter, developing new skills, an expedition and for Gold only, working with a team on a residential activity.

We have grown the award massively, taking on 374 new students this year. We have also introduced the Venture Award as a “warm up” to the DofE for Years 7 and 8 that will kick off after the holidays.

BRONZE AWARD - Our Bronze Award has the biggest intake ever with 172 students! They

have started doing some amazing things for our community and environment too, litter pickers are out weekly, homework help for neighbours is taking place and some charity shop work has begun. While we are also preparing for our expeditions in May and June with weekly training sessions on map work, country code and campcraft.

SILVER - has also seen an increase with 66 students taking part from across Year 10 and 11.

Where independence is needed more in Silver and they are left to get themselves sorted, we have fewer training sessions with them picking up intensity towards their expeditions in July.

GOLD -

has just completed their Practice expedition in Wales, we all had a fantastic time and were incredibly lucky with the weather. The students, and teachers, learnt a great deal when out with BXM, and covered a lot of ground (25km on one day to be exact!) We are so proud of them and know how well prepared they are for their expedition in July.

“As I look forward to my long-awaited Golds Award in May, I have been reflecting on the highs and lows of being in DofE with Cherwell school on Bronze and Gold. I went to Bronze DofE with a pack of girls who always got lost (it’s a team effort) but had fun along the way. I also tried new things such as Zumba at the local gym, drama club and volunteered at a Fairtrade shop and enjoyed getting stuck in alongside school to mix my days up a bit and I learnt a lot about the background of running a shop which helped me in future summer jobs! I also did Gold because I enjoyed Bronze minus the blisters I had (they only last 3 days afterwards!) Gold is a learning curve in the expedition as I had made lots of mistakes in a bad condition (remember beast from the east 2.0 that’s when I did the practice one) and woke up in the tent to snow and wet socks, my advice is to pack lots of socks plus wool socks which I took to the real one and I was buzzing full of energy by the following day after the expedition because I had no blisters. You definitely learn more about your friends and yourself in expeditions and weather you would be up for getting stuck in, it’ll become a memory to reflect on with your friends throughout life. Every DofE experience is unique and my stories are different to yours”

Josie (past pupil)

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By Alison Moor Operation’s Officer

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award South East Regional Office

I have been working with The Cherwell School for over 3 years and I have seen DofE thrive, with a wonderful team of staff delivering the programme and many students taking part. As a parent myself I think that DofE has become more relevant than ever over the last couple of years, and it is fantastic to read and hear about the activities that students have been doing. I look forward to supporting staff and students in the future and offering every young person the opportunity to take part.

The DofE - Developing young people for life and work © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 47

YEAR 7 NEWS

By Mr Madden & Mrs Goble

It is a pleasure to see Year 7 continue to show great maturity since their transition from primary school. Students have shown great resilience and focus in their lessons, leading to many rewards given by their teachers.

This term we have seen the introduction of form class mega-merits which has proven to be a success. Each week, form classes have a different focus and classroom teachers reward the tutor group, if they have met the target in the lesson. Over the last 6 weeks we have seen 5 different form winners which is great competition within the year group. Winners have received a prize each week!

In addition, extra-curricular clubs have been well received and we are currently experiencing high numbers of students attending these clubs. Mrs Goble and I would like to encourage all students to make the most of the opportunities given to them in school, especially as we enter the summer term.

I would like to thank all staff who lead extra-curricular activities in the school to enable our youngsters to grow and develop into well rounded individuals.

We would like to wish you all a well-deserved break and look forward to seeing what you further achieve moving forward into the Summer term.

Mrs Goble and I are extremely proud of everything that has been achieved by the Year 7 students so far.

Happy Easter to you all!

Mr Madden and Mrs Goble Head of Year 7 and Deputy Head of Year 7

YEAR 8 NEWS

By Ms Hodkinson & Ms Evans

Our Year 8s have enjoyed branching out this term, with more extra-curricular clubs, external speakers, World Book Day, the Science fair, music concerts, extra assemblies on STEM subjects and more freedom around school. All of this alongside working hard in lessons and raising money for various charities and benefits - Year 8 have been Superstars!!

We started off the New Year in assembly thinking about how we wanted to challenge ourselves to be the best person we could be. This was evident this term as our Year 8s felt passionately about helping others less fortunate than ourselves and those in Ukraine. Year 8 had lessons on the history of Ukraine and what was happening there at the moment, and students wanted to raise money and send items to those in need. Many students approached me to see what we could do and it was a huge thanks to Aditya’s idea and advertising campaign that we ran the whole school Karolina (8NS) Day of Giving Back that raised a huge amount of money for Ukraine and Comic Relief. A wonderful group of students also baked furiously in order to run a very successful cake sale! The photo below shows Maddy (8NS), Summer (8DBS) and Karolina (8NS) who did the baking, and Hannah Day and Mariah (8LBR) supported on the day to raise a whopping £110. Well done all!

We are really enjoying seeing so many of our students want to help others and hope this continues. We wish all of you a very happy Easter and a restful break.

L-R: Mariah (8LBR), Summer Mrs Hodkinson and Miss Evans Head of Year 8 and Deputy Head of Year 8

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(8DBS), Maddy (8NS) and Hannah (8LBR)

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022© The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

YEAR 9 NEWS

By Miss Bristow, Mrs Kidd and Miss Wiggins Happy Easter to Year 9! Another term has come and gone. Year 9 continue to show excellent resilience, focus and engage across their subjects and lessons. It has been a pleasure to see them being so thoughtful and enthusiastic about their options and the prospect of transitioning over to North Site and Key Stage 4.

This term we have seen the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award start and students are building new skills in their after-school sessions. They have learned to read maps, understand contours, use a compass successfully and work as a team. We are excited to see how they do on their expeditions in the summer term.

Extracurricular clubs continue to be a success in Year 9. The netball team have proven to be fierce competitors against other schools in the county and the football teams continue to do well at a national level. It is not only their skill and ability level within these sports that make them so successful, but their sportsmanship and camaraderie as a team that make them so amazing. Thank you to the staff who are providing our young people with these opportunities to develop and grow into well rounded young people.

Our budding Scientists also presented their projects at the Science Fair this March. The effort and contributions that these young Scientists have made is remarkable, they worked excellently as a team, were thoughtful in relation to their questions and theme and resourceful in their research. All of these are skills that support them on their journey through school and beyond.

As Year 9 look ahead into their final summer on South Site, I would like to wish them all the best in selecting their options, transitioning to North Site and starting their GCSE courses. I could not be prouder of the young people they are all becoming. I wish you a well-deserved break and I look forward to seeing what you achieve this Summer.

Miss Bristow, Mrs Kidd & Miss Wiggins - Head of Year 9 and Deputy Heads of Year 9

YEAR 10 NEWS

By Mr Hopkins & Ms Wells

The Year 10 students continue to impress us on North Site after the initial transition phase of starting the GCSE courses. This term we have seen a change to our pastoral programme in registration with the introduction of weekly 'current affairs' and 'futures focus' sessions. The feedback from tutors and students has been extremely positive.

The term 3, Dry January Competition was another huge success with an impressive 168 students receiving an R4 for their organisation, positive learning behaviours and effort. We also recognise that the vast majority of students who didn't receive the award were only a single C3 away from completing the challenge. Congratulations to everyone who was successful.

The new 3G Football pitch has been incredibly popular within lessons, after school clubs and during lunchtimes with Year 10 having the highest number of students participating on the surface throughout the day. If you have any unused studded/moulded football boots which you would like to donate to the PE department, please do let us know.

We have recently launched the 'are you on the bus' reward trip to Thorpe Park. This reward is a thank you to the students in recognition of their hard work and commitment to school. We have decided to invite the whole year group and shared with them the criteria for maintaining their invite. We look forward to seeing Year 10 continue to be brilliant in the second half of the year.

Mr Hopkins & Ms Wells - Head of Year 10 and Deputy Head of Year 10 © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 49

YEAR 11 NEWS

By Ms Kelbrick & Mrs Knight

Year 11 is a year of milestones and choices: students turn 16, they take their GCSEs and they make big choices about their future….it’s intense! We do recognise this and we do our best in school to make it a year where they develop the life skills to manage both academic achievement and wellbeing which can sometimes feel at odds.

We’ve had a number of assemblies and tutor periods where students learn about post 16 options. All students have had at least one meeting with our careers advisor, and those who have applied to join our sixth form have a guidance meeting with a senior leader or one of the sixth form team. This process helps support students to make informed decisions about their next steps.

Our spring mocks went smoothly. Teachers have commented that students’ behaviour during the exams was ‘outstanding’ and our behaviour data shows a mature cohort of students, absolutely ready to take their exams in the summer. But before then we have some events to plan….

The Celebration Evening on June 30th and the Year 11 yearbook each have student planning committees.

Our yearbook is shaping up well, and students are fundraising for our Celebration Evening decorations and activities with various ideas such as selling doughnuts and organising dodgeball games lower down the school.

Eight Year 11 students performed in our school play, ‘Antigone’. If you saw it I know you’ll agree it was amazing: ambitious and compelling. The students learned their lines, attended rehearsals all while revising for their mocks.

James - 11HW won the overall science fair prize this year with his (working) replica of the Enigma machine. What an achievement!

James’ replica of the Enigma machine

It’s going to be a busy few months and we’re proud of how our Year 11s have built on their Cherwell experience, year on year, so that they are in a great position to take on the many and varied opportunities waiting for them next year.

Ms Kelbrick and Mrs Knight Head of Year 11 and Deputy Head of Year 11 Cherwell has a commitment to providing the very best extra-curricular opportunities for our students and we are proud to continue our work with the National Citizen Service (NCS). Their two-week summer programme aims to support Year 11 students in their transition into work or further education. The first week provides students with a residential week giving students a sense of independence whilst building confidence and developing key skills such as teamwork, leadership, and communication. The second week of the programme gives students the opportunity to plan and deliver their own social action projects with a focus on benefiting their community through their efforts.

This year, 39 Year 11 students have signed up to take part in the summer programme. They will collect their government signed certificate upon completion which is recognised by UCAS and employers nationwide. By Mrs Kelbrick, Head of Year 11

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SIXTH FORM NEWS Ms Rapson Head of Sixth Form

It has been another amazing term for the sixth form. It has been a busy term for both year groups with Year 13 revising and taking their mock exams and Year 12 preparing and then delivering EPQ presentations. This alongside their commitment to such worth-while extra-curricular activities are a testament to the fantastic students we have.

Over the last weeks, Year 13 have managed a heavy timetable of revision and exams. Their commitment to their own learning, with outstanding attendance at all exams was exemplary. They managed their time effectively and throughout maintained such a positive spirit and good humour. Year 12 delivered superb EPQ presentations. All supervisors were delighted by the high-level quality of research, the confident delivery and attention to detail with power-points, posters, and handouts. These presentations showed how lucky we are as a school to have such dedicated students who are both interested and interesting!

In September we asked our sixth formers to apply to become sixth form leads; supporting the school community on key areas within our school. Our current leadership team were selected from over 70 applications and our sixth form leaders are growing into their roles. Lead for Dance, Freddie Buchanan is now regularly working with key stage 3 running dance sessions after school with great success.

Evelina, lead for performing arts, is heavily involved with key stage 3 Orchestra and our Sustainability Leads, Grace and Tiye have been meeting School Governors and Mr Price to put forward plans for sustainability at Cherwell. Diane and Kayan ran a successful bake sale, raising over £100 in one morning for their respective charities supporting Inclusion, Diversity and Freedom from Sexual Harassment and are planning to get the sixth form involved in 'Denim Day' in April. Again, the commitment of students involved with all our enrichment and extra-curricular activities reflects their willingness to be involved and to lead our sixth form community.

We hope all our students have a relaxing and well-deserved Easter holiday, and take this opportunity to say good luck and ‘Turavallista Matkaa’ (safe journey in Finnish!) to our intrepid 32 Year 12 students and 5 staff going to Finland and Estonia through the Turing scheme.

Ms Rapson Head of Sixth Form

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Huge congratulations to Linnea in Year 13 who won the school’s annual

Dan Hemingway award, which recognises and rewards creative potential in any field broadly within the arts.

Home Linnea’s entry was a beautifully crafted collection It’s hard to explain of poems entitled ‘Home’ (an extract from her It’s a bundle of feelings title poem) which wowed the judges with their The smell of the cold air in your lungs ability to evoke a sense of time and place..

The taste of early morning coffee Your fingers going numb in the snow The £350 prize is open to all final year students All of those feelings at the school. Students are invited to demonWrapped up into one strate their creative potential by entering one piece of work in any medium they choose. This Into a thing I’ll always call home. year we had a vast array of differing styles including SFX make up, work in textiles, a short

By Linnea black and white film, fine art and poetry. Our Year 13 judges were delighted by the most amazing and varied creative potential, and thoroughly inspired by our young writers, artists, and poets. We had an intimate ceremony at school to hear the judges’ comments for each candidate, and not only were we amazed by the quality and creativity of the entries, but also the support our Year 13 students offered each other and their delight in each other’s success.

The judging was carried out totally independently of the school by our judges, Sue Hemingway, Miles Waters and Will Wiles, who I would like to take this opportunity to thank for their efforts and expertise every year, but also for their constant encouragement of our students over the last 20 years.

The annual prize at The Cherwell School was established in memory of Dan Hemingway who was a student at Cherwell School from 1985 -1990. The prize is one small encouragement to other young people who have the promise and ambition (like Dan had) to make a lasting contribution in the field of creative arts. Our Year 12 students have watched a brief video of the awards ceremony and as they have now submitted their EPQ’s we are actively encouraging our diverse and talented students to get involved with the award this year. Over the past years our winners have submitted film, ceramics, graphics novels, poems, music composition both classical and modern, fine art, a ‘zine’, and photography. The award is open to ANY of our Year 12 students and we’d love them to get involved. Our judges are particularly keen to mention that this is an award for potential, so students are encouraged to submit work at any stage of the process.

Painting by Siena Jacobs

We really look forward to seeing the entries for this year and congratulations again to Linnea for her inspiring win!

Ms Rapson Head of Sixth Form

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Dan Hemingway Award Entries 2022

Felt entry by Gwen

Painting by Grace

This term we took most of Year 12 on an inspirational trip to the Higher Education Convention at Winchester University. Students were able to speak to representatives from hundreds of higher education providers and attend a variety of interesting and informative talks run by UCAS. They could attend subject specific talks in a very wide range of areas such as Midwifery, Social Sciences, Engineering, Law and Medicine, as well as many others. As well as subject specific talks they could also attend sessions on choosing a course, student finance and writing personal statements, all run by experts from UCAS. All our students represented the school well and they got a lot out of the day. They were able to gather information on of all the options available to them once they have completed their A levels so that they can start planning for their successful futures. We all had an excellent day and students will now have social wellbeing sessions to support them with further advice and with any applications they make in Year 13.

By Miss Green.

This term saw students in Year 12 finishing off their extended projects with a presentation of their findings and what they had learnt from the process. There was a huge buzz around the sixth form centre as the students practiced in preparation for this. They engaged incredibly successfully with the materials designed to help them improve this important skill, and as such the quality of presentations was commended by the EPQ team.

Mrs Lygate, Extended Project Co-ordinator © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence SPRING NEWSLETTER 2022 Page 53

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Mr Wallington & The PE Team This school year has been a year of increasing the opportunities available to the students at Cherwell.

We have added specialist coaches and new clubs to the PE Department extra-curricular programme, but the largest and most significant development has been the opening of the new 3G football facility.

Cherwell’s new 3G football facility On Monday 14th March at 09:00am we opened and by 4:15pm 190 students had played football on the state of the art surface. The surface, built to a FIFA quality standard, provides a consistent and quality playing surface with excellent playing characteristics, including ball bounce and ball roll. This enables skills and movements to be taught without barriers to acquisition for our students. The expansive space and state of the art goals also give more options for sessions which enable students to be taught in a variety of settings. Our KS4 football scheme of work for example has been able to focus in depth on both core and advanced skill development alongside strategic and tactical understanding.

“It is brilliant! Completely transformed our football lessons, we work on far more structured things now”

Paolo (Year 10) “The quality of games has improved so much already” Ahmed Fadlallah (Year 10) Page 54

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Our football clubs have also felt the early benefits of being trained on a pristine surface. Working with coaches from Oxford United FC, we have seen a significant increase in participation and the ability to split groups up so that each student can get quality training tailored to their needs. After Easter break we will be continuing football clubs for the first time ever into the summer term and all year groups have an allocated slot.

“Football training is now like a football club and like more lessons that are more fun at the end of the day. It’s brilliant!”

Isabelle - Year 7 “I like that football training now feels like I am getting better at football. I think it’s because more people are coming now and we always have a good session” Phillip - Year 11 An unexpected but brilliant outcome of opening the facility has been the numbers of students using it at lunchtime. Every single day we have more than 50 students playing football and spending their lunchtimes being active.

“It has made me way more active at lunchtimes. I used to just sit around with friends”

Aiken - Year 10 Due to opening in March, when most football fixtures have been played, we have only had one competitive game so far. Our U15 boys team played Cokethorpe School in the County Cup and the first competitive goal was scored by Reuben in Year 10.

The 3G pitch fits into our intent to give students a “fresh experience of physical education” in Key Stage 4. We have another new facility, the multi-gym, and a scheme of work which introduces new sports like Badminton, Volleyball, Softball and Lacrosse to the curriculum.

We are in a perfect position to give students in all key stages both a broad range of activities and sports as well as the space and facilities to develop competence and perform effectively.

Mr Wallington Head of Physical Education Faculty.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION Mr Wallington & The PE Team Congratulations to our brilliant U13 Girls Football Team who swept away Lord Williams’s to win the Cup.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION Mr Wallington & The PE Team

This year the PE department has strived to increase the opportunities for all. Part of this ambition has been facilitated by using professional coaches to supplement our provision for existing clubs and to allow us to open up new club opportunities.

FOOTBALL We use professional coaches from Oxford United and Youth Dreams Project to supplement our football programme. This has led to no training being cancelled if the PE teacher is taking a fixture, and smaller groups being coached both by coaches and the teacher responsible. We have therefore increased and maintained participation numbers compared to previous years which has led to lots of new students representing the school teams.

RUGBY Working with Oxford Harlequins we have provided training sessions for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 pupils since October. These sessions are being run with the aim of increasing participation and providing rugby with a view to creating school teams to enter local competitions from September.

HOCKEY We are lucky to work with Oxford Hawks Hockey Club to provide sessions for our Key Stage 3 students on Friday afternoons. As the participation increases we would like to develop this link further to have these sessions hosted on the Oxford Hawks facility, a short cycle ride from school.

VOLLEYBALL Volleyball has expanded this year and has been open to all year groups. Our expert coach Mr Ballance has once again worked wonders with the students to create a competitive and fun environment.

After Easter there will be a session dedicated to Key Stage 3 students on Fridays 3:15 - 4:15.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION Mr Wallington & The PE Team BASKETBALL We were very privileged to have worked with Oxford Hoops Basketball Coach Liberty Morris to increase our basketball provision. We have had teams represented for male and female across ALL year groups and all teams have competed locally.

We saw a huge rise in participation as the sessions developed and were so impressed that we hired Coach Liberty to work in the department full-time as our new technician.

CRICKET We have partnered with Oxfordshire Cricket on their mission “To develop and protect the future of Cricket by making it the sport of choice in Oxfordshire” and will be running 3 dedicated clubs after school in terms 5 and 6. Key Stage 3 will be on Tuesdays and Key Stage 4 on Wednesdays. These are open to all, but we are also including a dedicated girls cricket club on Thursdays led by a professional coach.

We are also installing a brand new cricket strip on South Site over the Easter break and are entered into both the U13 and U15 cricket leagues.

We have joined forces to offer a sailing club after Easter with the Oxford Sailing trust. Details will be released around the Easter break as to how to join this club, all classes will be completely free of charge and Miss Woodcock from the PE department and Hannah Abbas from our sixth form will be taking a leading role in this exciting opportunity!

Also……we will be adding Rounders, Athletics, Badminton, Softball and Tennis to our Summer extra-curricular activities as well as continuing with Football. Finalised programme in next week's bulletin.

Mr Wallington Head of PE Page 58

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U12 AND U14 BOYS FOOTBALL NEWS The U12 boys had a good run in the County Cup. In the last 16 game they played against a very good Marlborough school which they dominated and took away a 3-1 win. They progressed to the quarter finals hoping to continue their winning form. Unfortunately, they came up against a very skilled Wood Green team and couldn't quite get a handle on the game, which in turn saw the U12 team knocked out of the cup. They will look to continue training on the new 3G facility over next term and prepare for the U13 season and the challenge and victories it may face.

The U14 boys team have had a strong start to their County Cup campaign with a 7-0 victory over Larkmead School. We are looking forward to the next fixture which will be played away on Monday the 4th against Blessed George Napier School.

By Mr Surrage

U15 BOYS FOOTBALL NEWS The U15 boys have been training hard and have enjoyed moving onto the new 3G surface. It has been brilliant to see the growing numbers of students attending the Monday football with a record high last week of 35 boys playing.

This week the boys were brilliant in a narrow defeat to Cokethorpe in the County Cup Competition.

Each of the boys selected to play had attended a minimum of four sessions prior to the game.

We will aim to continue to grow the weekly club and arrange some other fixtures later in the year for the boys to compete against other local schools.

Mr Hopkins

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YEAR 7 & 8 NETBALL Netball Club has welcomed more players in terms 3 and 4 which is great news! The students are improving every week and we have been proud to have experienced some wins against other schools in local competitions.

The Year 8 team won the City Netball League beating the likes of TOA and Rye St Antony and will represent Oxford City in the County Schools’ Competition; the Year 7 team finished a respectable 2nd in the City League. Both teams and all the players have learnt a lot from these matches and training sessions and we hope to continue improving when netball returns next year! Mrs Campbell

Year 8 Team

Year 7 Team

YEAR 9 NETBALL The Year 9 Netball squad have had an incredible season. They have won the Oxfordshire City League and will go through to the Oxfordshire final in April. We have seen Rebecca and Jonia dominate in defence demonstrating reflex responses to every ball fed into the circle.

Bhavani has been confidently executing some superb shots on goal as goal attack and her partnership with Kate and Sophia continues to strengthen.

Vita’s calm captaincy and ability to motivate her team has meant the team have continued to develop and progress. We are very proud of all of your hard work. Good luck in the final!

Year 9 Teams

By Mrs Campbell

YEAR 11 NETBALL This term saw the Year 11 Netball Team compete in 2 matches in the City Schools Oxfordshire League. In both matches the team showed their skill and passion for the sport by beating the other schools on both occasions. They now go through to the next round of the league to represent the city.

Miss Woodcock Page 60

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YEAR 7 GIRLS FOOTBALL The Year 7 girls had a great run in the National Cup Competition and since Christmas, played in round 4 beating St Peter’s Catholic High School who had comfortably won their previous games. Round five (last 16 in the Country) took us away to Gordano School in Somerset. Gordano started the game as the stronger team getting a couple of early goals. Cherwell began to find their feet in the second half but couldn't quite get it back. Although their run in the National Cup has come to an end, Cherwell have had some excellent results in the County Cup. At the end of term the girls will face King Alfred’s in the semi-final

By Miss Cox

YEAR 8 GIRLS FOOTBALL The Year 8 girls had a close semifinal against Didcot Girls School in the County Cup. The game finished 3-2 after scoring a penalty in the last minutes of extra time which saw them through to their first County Cup Final!

By Miss Cox

YEAR 9 GIRLS FOOTBALL The Year 9 girls have had a fantastic year so far. They have shown a positive attitude towards representing the school and as a result, they reached the quarter final of the ESFA National Cup Competition. This is a magnificent achievement and one in which they can be extremely proud of. The girls still have the Oxfordshire School County Cup Competition to play for which kicks off this week and I wish the girls the best of luck in their pursuit of the County Cup. Well done everyone!

By Mr Madden

YEAR 10 GIRLS FOOTBALL The Year 10 girls can be proud of their efforts this year as they have yet again shown their great footballing ability as a team by reaching the Quarter Final of the National Cup for the third successive year running! There have been times throughout the year where we have been struggling for a team but with the addition of some Year 9 students, the team has grown in strength and this has put the team in a good position for next year! Well done to the Year 10 girls!

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION Mr Wallington & The PE Team BASKETBALL The focus this term has been on our KS3 teams, with Year 8 and 9 entered in the County’s School Basketball League. It has been great to see across all teams, a consistent group of players turning up each week to train and improve their skills and knowledge of the game.

YEAR 7 BOYS BASKETBALL Our Year 7 Boys Basketball club has proven very popular, with over 30 students attending every session. The sessions have been run by coach Leslie (U12 NBL coach at Oxford Hoops Basketball Club) and for many of our students, this has been the first time playing basketball under a professional coach.

“It's been a great start to the Year 7 Basketball Club, with great attendance. The club is open to all abilities and we hope to schedule some games against other schools in the near future” - coach Leslie

YEAR 7 GIRLS BASKETBALL The Year 7 girls have shown up on a consistent basis, with an eagerness to learn. This term there has been a particular focus on scoring from layups, passing and playing man-to-man defence correctly.

Although not entered into a league, they have played in many game scenarios during training and have excelled, performing confidently and showing no fear when playing up against the Year 9s!

YEAR 8 BASKETBALL The Year 8 boys and girls have been training hard since the start of the year and lots of improvements have been made. The boys have played one game and had an impressive win over Oxford Academy.

The girls have played two games, missing out by 1 point to a tough Cheney team but then following up with a 30 point win against King Alfred’s. Both teams are hoping to make it into the county semi-finals and hopefully progress further. Well done to everyone who keeps attending regularly!!

YEAR 9 GIRLS BASKETBALL Our Year 9 girls have fallen short in both of their games so far (against Cheney and King Alfred’s) but with one game remaining, they remain positive and are hoping to finish their regular season with a win!

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YEAR 9 BOYS BASKETBALL Our Year 9 boys have made significant progress since training began in January. They have turned from a group of students all with an interest in basketball to a team, showing rapid growth as individuals and as a collective whilst supporting and helping one another to improve each training session.

After suffering a loss against Oxford Spires early on, they used this as motivation to strive for better and have since worked incredibly hard. The team has been let down by their remaining two opponents who have had to forfeit their games and award the win. The good news is they are now through to the semi-finals which will take place shortly after the Easter break. Let the great work continue!

By Miss Morris - PE Technician/Basketball Coach

External Opportunities

Over the weekend of Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th March, Cherwell Students took part in a Workshop in the Woods, led by Oxford Company Flintlock Theatre and internationally-renowned Haida craftsmen, carver and filmmaker, Gwaai Edenshaw. The

workshops were part of Gwaai and Flintlock’s exchange exploring their shared relationship to colonialism via the Star House Pole: the Pitt Rivers Museum’s iconic centrepiece. In July 2019, Flintlock (Anna Glynn and Robin Colyer) travelled to the original site of the pole in Masset in Gwaai’s homeland of Haida Gwaii in the northwest pacific, in so doing completing in reverse the journey taken by the pole when it travelled to Oxford in 1901.

As part of Gwaai’s return trip in 2022, in the stunning surroundings of Wytham Woods, students aged 14-19 tuned into nature through games and challenges, explored Haida culture, investigated how museums tell stories that belong to communities thousands of miles away and considered how contemporary artists find and develop stories for sharing with the aim of provoking thought and change. Flintlock’s Joint Artistic Director (and former Cherwell pupil) Anna Glynn said of the weekend “It was incredible to work with young people who were prepared to throw themselves into activities they may not have encountered before and to consider complex issues like the legacy of colonialism with such maturity, clarity and curiosity. It was a real highlight of the exchange.” Gwaai and Flintlock’s collaboration is ongoing, with ambitions for a shared creative project and more teaching and engagement opportunities for Oxfordshire students. Watch this space!

By Anna Glynn Photo credit: Anna Glynn; Description: student wearing Haida mask carved by Gwaai Edenshaw for his feature film Sgaawaay K'uuna (Edge of the Knife)

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