The Cherwell School Winter Newsletter 2020

WINTER 2020 CHERWELL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Early Morning Sunrise at Cherwell

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page

Inside this issue:Dear Parents and Carers Looking back on previous newsletter pieces I have written at this point each year, they have tended to be reflective reviews of the previous 12 months from the perspective of the school. I have no doubt that over the next month there will be a huge range of retrospectives reviewing what, of course, will be remembered as an epoch-defining year.

Therefore I have decided to use this opportunity not to look back, but to look forward.

Despite the challenges, schools are wonderfully optimistic places and that encourages a desire to look and plan ahead. With that in mind I wonder what we will be writing about at this point in December 2021?

We have come a long way in terms of blending in-school and remote learning this year. Our first steps into this world at the start of the initial lockdown were tentative as we all learnt to get to grips with new technology and approaches. All of us now are far more confident and the feedback from students who have unfortunately had to self-isolate recently, has shown how we can integrate in-class and at home learning effectively. We are seeing this as a long-term change that will have a lasting impact beyond the current pandemic. ‘Blended’ learning of this type opens up a whole host of opportunities which will be fully embedded and integrated as we move through next year. As we know, investment in IT comes at a cost and we have been so grateful for the help of the Friends of Cherwell in providing us with additional funds for chromebooks that have been a lifeline for some students.

I am confident that at this point next year I will be able to reflect on the successes of our Year 11 and 13 students in their GCSEs and A levels.

We have all felt particularly strongly for these students whose two year courses have been so disrupted this year. That said, as with all of our students, they have responded magnificently from the moment they were the first year groups allowed back into school in June. During the last few weeks it has been great seeing so many Year 13 students having their university interviews remotely in school, (you can read about this on pages 24 & 25) we are thrilled for them that they are planning towards some fantastic courses and we know this is helping them to look forward with genuine excitement.

Equally we know our school is at its best when we are able to offer education that also takes our students beyond the classroom. It has been tough not to be able to do the range of activities and enrichment we usually do.

That said, there has been some wonderful innovation that you can read about in the newsletter. I genuinely hope and believe that at this point in 2021, I will be in a position to reflect on a whole host of visits, trips and events our students have been able to take part in. I especially feel for our Year 7 students who haven’t fully tasted the opportunities at Cherwell yet and these will be our priority moving forward.

Continued../

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Welcome Page:Page 2 & 3 Cherwell School PTA:Page 4 Friend of Cherwell Cromebooks:Page 5 Cherwell Lights Up :Page 6

Appreciation from Hedena Health:Page 7 Cherwell Provide PPE, Cherwell’s Covid Response:Page 8 & 9 I’m Listening - Matt Barnard, The Amazing Cherwell Community:Page 10 & 11 Year 11 Work Experience/ Careers Week :Page 12 & 13 Oxford Teacher Training (SCITT):Page 14 - 16 Friends of Cherwell:Page 17 Geography Fieldwork in a Global Pandemic: Page 18 Maths News:Page 19 Science Enrichment:Page 20 & 21 Cherwell Enrichment & Collection of GCSE Certificates:Page 22 - 25 Other News:Page 26 - 28 Year Team News Creative Writing advertisement:Page 29 - 32 PE News:Page 33 & 35

Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

As a History teacher, I know that the past shows us that great social change almost always follows major world-wide events. We have witnessed the huge support for our National Health Service and I know there is a similar affection for our schools. We do need to protect and nurture our key institutions and I hope that at this point next year I am able to write about how we have benefited from the additional investment that has been promised.

We feel proud that we have been able to do our little bit to support other institutions this year and you can read about some aspects of this collaboration within the newsletter.

Equally as a school, the current crisis has made us reflect on our own values. This is something that will continue throughout 2021 and will involve all of us in school (especially the students). We know we will always want to provide opportunities for young people and we always want to fire their ambition. We value equality, inclusivity and diversity. We always want to act with integrity and humility. We believe in the importance of empathy. It is the values that always sustain us especially during difficult times.

Within a piece where I have focussed on looking forward I do need to make sure I give time to offer my gratitude for the exceptional efforts that have been made this year. The staff have given so much and I know the letter we received from the PTA (which is reprinted here) meant a great deal to them. They have shown an amazing collective resilience to provide such a rich and consistent education for the students especially in the period since September where we have all been challenged by the different ways in which we have had to work. I would also like to thank once again our Parents and Carers who have continued to show such faith in the school and a willingness to support our initiatives and projects. As usual, the last word does need to go to our students. They have shown such adaptability and offered the enthusiasm to make the most of their opportunities even where these have been different to normal Finally, the thing that was so tangible during the first lockdown period was that all of us (especially our students) missed the ‘certainty’ of school. We all know that schools can be demanding, complex and challenging places but they do provide that stability and certainty that helps young people to learn and grow.

There is a lovely little section in The House at Pooh Corner: Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.

“Pooh!” he whispered.

“Yes Piglet?”

“Nothing”, said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw, “I just wanted to be sure of you.”

It is such a beautiful image reflecting the connection we all need at times. After a year none of us will forget, I wanted to finish by saying that we will be here at this point next December, reflecting on another year for our school and hopefully a successful 2021.

I hope you enjoy the newsletter.

Best wishes

Chris Price Headteacher

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 3

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Winter Newsletter 2020 Š The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Click on this link to donate https://friendsofcherwell.org/

Š The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 5

CHERWELL

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LIGHTS UP!

Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Appreciation from Hedena Health – Cherwell provide lab goggles during Lockdown 1 It was the end of March 2020 and the Covid Pandemic was accelerating rapidly across the world including the UK and Oxford. Daily changes in protocols were being announced at Downing Street briefings which we had to absorb overnight and implement the next day. At the same time friends, family and colleagues were either getting ill or having to stay at home self isolating so the numbers in work and able to implement these changes were dwindling or changing all the time.

cure all our PPE and went straight down to collect boxes full of new and used eye protection. This was fantastic on a number of levels.

On a practical level the Cherwell eye protection allowed us to feel safer while working at the community Covid clinics, and also helped protect our practice nurses and GPs, who continued to see face to face non-Covid patients at the practice throughout the entire lockdown. Later on we also received donations of face visors made by local firms with 3D printers and fitted with acetate Personally, we had our own drama at home trying sheets, like we used to use for over-head projecto get our 19 year old Cherwell graduate home tors in the old days. This meant that we could urgently from a Gap Year adventure that got shut share our Cherwell goggles with the care homes down by Covid. Amidst all of this the GP surger- we provide medical care for. ies across Oxford were coming together to run clinics for people who might have Covid 19. We Just as important in many ways was the psychoneeded PPE and we needed it fast. We had lim- logical importance of Cherwell School's generous ited supplies of scrubs, gloves, aprons and surgi- act. It made us feel part of a community and that cal masks but knew we would need eye protection someone was helping us at a time of great uncerwhich was just not available anywhere; even the tainty and stress. An act of practical help and DIY shops had sold out. As a last resort I emailed support was also an act of kindness and commuMr Price to ask if we might be able to use any of nity. It is impossible to know how many Covid the lab eye protection from school. He immedicases were prevented with Cherwell safety gogately replied saying there were some lab goggles gles, but I, and the whole Hedena Health team, we could have, which was great news. Our facili- would like to say a big thank you to Cherwell ties manager Julio had been working hard to seSchool for supporting us when it really counted.

Wood Farm branch surgery waiting room transformed into the Covid 'hot hub' clinic

The unassuming piles of stuff in a corner is our little 'donning' station, with the box of Cherwell goggles.

We would like to give Chris and the team at Cherwell school a massive clap of appreciation as they provided us with the goggles so we could go about and check patients with potential Covid infections, safe in the knowledge that the PPE provided was really making a difference to our staff. It gave us some comfort that it was helping prevent the virus spreading and at the time goggles were not available to purchase anywhere on line. Again many thanks from the Hedena Health team

Member of Staff in gear at the surgery

Š The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 7

Cherwell Provide PPE Science goggles to NHS Unsurprisingly, this year has been the most difficult of my 20 plus years working in the NHS. Despite this, what has been clear throughout these challenging times is the unwavering support we have received from the public and our local communities. As the days and weeks have passed, the care shown to us, whether through the banging of saucepans on Thursday evenings or delivery of hot meals to hospitals created a wave of emotions but most importantly they were a real boost for our morale.

the school held a stock of protective goggles for science lessons. An email to Chris Price asking him if we could possibly tap into these was quickly responded to and within 24 hours, the entire stock of school goggles were boxed up, collected and making their way to our PPE distribution Hub where they were then despatched to those that needed them.

Whilst we have not yet beaten this virus, it has just been announced that vaccines are nearing the stage where they will hopefully be approved.

People will have read that in the early days of the A national vaccination programme will undoubtpandemic, health and social care services faced edly create new pressures for us, but we are very real challenges in getting Personal Protecready and will continue to work night and day to tive Equipment (PPE) to staff working in both keep our communities safe and provide the best hospital and community settings. During these care that we can for you and your families. In my initial stages, we had to adapt and think outside experience, one of the most important ingredients of the box, we used every contact and relationfor staff to be able to deliver compassionate care ship that we had to make sure that we got what is for them to feel valued and cared for by those was needed to keep people safe and make sure around them, thank you Cherwell School for your that care and treatment for those that needed it help when we needed it and for showing you could continue. One relationship we were able to care. draw on was with Cherwell. As an ex-pupil and now parent of children at the school, I knew that

Friend from the NHS

Cherwell’s Covid Response The sudden closure of the school in March as we went into the first lockdown was certainly a strange time for us all. Were any of us prepared?

Very soon the lack of PPE nationally became quite apparent and concerning, but thankfully the ethos of normal people pulling together to help in whatever way they could also showed what we are all capable of in adverse times.

community to see how we could help. Very soon we were working with an umbrella group of local charities and unions to produce a range of PPE products. Thanks to a number of donations, including a substantial investment from the school, we were able to purchase two additional 3D printers, which were put straight to work.

Across the country the maker community rallied and started to fill the void by producing PPE and distributing it where needed, from school children with a 3D printer at home producing a few visors, to seamstresses of all abilities creating surgical scrubs. As a school, we also donated some of our PPE from the Science department to aid in the effort.

With a well-equipped Design and Technology department and highly skilled staff, I reached out to both the school and my contacts in the maker Page 8

Winter Newsletter 2020 Š The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Materials were hard to source, and most of the designs available within the maker communities were a stop gap, designed for anyone to help, but we knew we could improve on them with our resources and skills. Government guidelines were ever changing, so we had to adapt. As an army of two technicians, we quickly became the research and development team for the local effort. We tried and tested numerous designs, modified them and created our own. Finally, a design came along that was suitable for laser cutting and we prepared for the big push.

We encountered some horror stories as we went, visor supplies being stolen from wards in the hospitals, key workers fearful of going to work due to poor PPE and some individuals being unable to find PPE that fit them. Thankfully we were able to help in these situations – including our ability to customise PPE for the individual.

As the need for visors was met, we turned our skills to developing other items to help such as handsfree door openers and mask extenders, we even 3D printed aids for seamstresses to create the folds for surgical masks. We worked all throughout the lockdown, making and distributing our PPE to Hospitals, Care Homes, across the RLT in preparation for the return to school, and even the team developing one of the Covid Vaccines.

All in all, we made and distributed thousands of our visors, extenders and openers across the county.

With all the development work already done, we can respond again rapidly should the need arise. As a personal journey, we learned so much as we progressed and it was rewarding that we were able to help in such a significant way.

By Olly Duffy and Wells Small Š The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 9

‘I’m Listening...’

‘Hello Seattle, I’m listening…. if you can feel I can heal.’

(Dr Frasier Crane, Frasier, US Sitcom)

By Matt Barnard, School Counsellor I’m often amazed by the impact of a first counselling appointment. The young person walks into the room feeling apprehensive, nervous, suspicious or ambivalent about meeting me. But more often than not, what begins as a trickle of words, soon becomes a flood of stories, fears, anger, worries and insecurities.

anxious is then felt by you. Doing something, taking action, is a way you might get rid of that horrible feeling. By simply listening, taking in and metabolising what has been said, will leave someone feeling less alone and more understood.

If you’ve ever felt truly listened to, you’ll know what that feels like. I’m sure you know what it’s In these moments I sit calmly, try and take in like when you don’t feel listened to. Unfortunately, whatever they bring, digest it, feel what they feel that happens a lot in our busy lives. I am sure and hold everything in mind. Go wherever they you’ve all experienced a time where you are trying want to go in the conversation. I nod, have just to tell someone who is distracted, more interested the right amount of eye contact, check that I have in talking about themselves or believes that they understood and give all the non-verbal communi- know better than you. You probably spoke louder cation I can muster to show that I am listening. I to gain their attention or become withdrawn and try to keep my questions open, so as not to sound quieter. I always shudder when someone dismissjudgemental and hope it helps them to be more es someone’s behaviour as ‘attention seeking’. curious about themselves. I don’t tell them what Imagine not having an impact on the world? they should do, give advice or strategies. I alSpeaking but not being heard. Having to have a ways think of the late Nick Luxmore in these mo- tantrum, steal something, scream, fight or ghost ments, a school counsellor himself who would someone online in order to be noticed or missed. say, ‘whatever you do you’ve got to get them to come back next week’.

Listening, gives you a sense of feeling attuned to another. I’m sure we have all had the experience Before I see them again, I might bump into their of talking to a family pet, and felt utterly underDeputy Year Leader who is keen to update me - ‘I stood as the dog, cat, lizard, chicken, horse, looks don’t know what you said to Fred, but he can’t at you just in the right way, just at the right time wait to see you again.’ I usually smile and say and almost seems to say - ‘I know’. I spoke to a something vague and aloof so as not to give any- friend recently, who had noticed since she had thing away of the content of the session. I know it been working from home, her dog will sometimes wasn’t necessarily me that he wants to see again. knock the phone out of her hand. It’s not only time It’s more likely, he benefited from being heard and for walkies, it’s a reminder that she’s getting tired understood or at least have someone try. and it’s time she took a break! Some people might say that it’s nothing more than a projection Listening can often feel like you are doing nothing. of ourselves, and others may feel that pets are Bearing that feeling of not taking action, saying completely attuned to their owners. But either what you think someone ought to do or if all else way, the lack of verbal communication did not fails, start telling them about what it was like when stop my friend from feeling understood. you were at school! It’s difficult not to do. Plus, you might be left feeling like you’ve let your friend, student, child, colleague or partner down because you can’t fix it. Often, the very feeling that they are experiencing, like being a failure, depressed or

Continued……..

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Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

During the Mental Health First Aid Courses, we often find that people by far prefer the listening skills exercises. Often people fear that they might say something wrong, and that fear is so strong, it silences them. I often say, just by being there, listening and trying to understand is helping more than you realise. If you have to say something, it’s best to be honest than give glib advice. It’s incredibly important that you simply sit alongside someone in their difficulty and validate their feelings. On the course I often make reference to Josh Connolly, a mental health campaigner who says that we have it all wrong when it comes to helping people with their psychological distress by saying that people should learn to open up.

Rather, he says the responsibility is for us is to learn to listen better.

I think what we have all learned this year, amongst other things, is the importance of maintaining a connection to each other. We have had to bear not knowing, struggle with uncertainty in the most horrendous way. We’ve learned that not everything can be explained neatly, be instantly fixed and nor is it necessary to pretend it will all be alright. I’ve been encouraging you throughout this article to listen to benefit others. I would also encourage you to listen to young people for their wisdom, as it will benefit you. They have much to teach the not so young, about taking care of the environment, not being a bystander to discrimination, being charitable, challenging beliefs about gender, sexuality and being other.

What we have all learned in 2020, will stay with us for a lifetime

The Amazing Cherwell Community It is true that when times get tough, strong communities pull together and our Food for Families project has been both inspirational and heart warming.

Whether your donation was £2 or £500, many thanks to everyone who contributed to support families who do not quite meet the threshold for Free School Meals to make sure they have a good Christmas. Your support and generosity is overwhelming and has also enabled us to support families in other ways too – for example by providing IT equipment so that students can work remotely if needed.

Staff have also been donating Christmas treats and so we will make sure these go to the right families too. Vodafone have given 20 SIM cards with 3 months free data which will also help families stay connected.

As one parent said

“This is brilliant that you are doing this. It makes me proud to be part of the Cherwell community” Merry Christmas everyone Ms B Timms Deputy Headteacher

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 11

Year 11 Work Experience Week in October morphed into Year 11 Careers Week...

Year 11 Work Experience Week in October morphed into Year 11 Careers Week as we tried to think what we could do for our students in the current situation. Firstly, we asked our students to produce their first CV – and we got a real insight into the breadth of experience and different kinds of outside activities many of our youngsters have. We arranged two mornings of virtual interviews with several employers/ training providers who had kindly agreed to help us. Despite a few technical hitches, the interviews went really well and had positive outcomes. The students were incredibly nervous going into their interviews and invariably came bouncing out of the room, feeling elated and positive about the experience. Our employers were very impressed and praised our students – see comments below:

Anna Hartley, Ministry of Justice: I really enjoyed the experience. It was great to speak to the students who all represented themselves really well and were polite and courteous throughout.

Dr Carmel Kent, Head of Educational Data Science: Thank you for the opportunity to meet and speak with the lovely bunch of students.

Henry Coke, Cheltenham Magistrate’s Court: You have some high performing quality kids. Testimony to your school and the quality of teaching.

Alex Pickering, Goethe Institute: Congratulations to you and the team on organising and delivering this virtual event – a logistics challenge!

I hope the students appreciated it.

Students arrive for their interviews looking smart and professional

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Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Grateful thanks to our interviewers: Anna, Philip, William, Hannah, Henry , Alicia, Elaine and Josie ( Ministry of Justice), Y11 parents Lucy, Aiden & Carmel, Mark (BMW), Louis (NHS), Janet and Poly (Oxford Direct Services), Dr Piers Nye (Balliol College), Matthew (W Lucy & Co), Tanya (Darke & Taylor), Daryl (MoD), Patrick and Matthew (SAE Institute), Steve (Greenes College), Evie (Oxon CC), Yvette and Mark (Engineering Trust), Alex (Goethe Institute), Maria (Abingdon & Witney College), Ore (Oxford Brookes), Maria (Oxera) and Mr Price, Ms King, Mr Jason Davis, Ms Kavanagh, Miss Richer (Cherwell Staff) Reported by Mrs Dale Š The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 13

Oxfordshire Teacher Training is an accredited provider

of School Centred Initial Teacher Training, based at The Cherwell School. We have been running our highly successful School Direct programmes since 2013 and in that time have trained hundreds of fantastic teachers in Oxfordshire schools. In December 2017 we were graded Outstanding in all areas in our first Ofsted ITT inspection and we were so pleased to see that the report reflects our commitment, ethos and passion for education and improving young people’s lives.

We offer a wide range of high-quality programmes across nursery, primary, special and secondary education which suit applicants of all backgrounds and circumstances. Our programmes all lead to Qualified Teacher Status – the professional teacher qualification – and our Associate Teachers (trainees) also have the option to add a master’s level PGCE to their programme.

Please visit our website for more information.

Update from a Primary School Associate Teacher and Ex-Cherwell School Student

wanted to invest and develop us as 17-18 year olds before we left for the world.

By the time I’d finished a degree in Politics and Philosophy I was even more convinced that it was teaching, not the House of Commons, that I wanted to have a crack at. Having started now, it is a real privilege (and a battle!) to do a job whereby I am helping to lay foundations that will set these children up for the rest of their lives.

I’m 10 weeks into my training programme with There is no escaping the hard work that goes into Oxfordshire Teacher Training and absolutely lov- teaching, however when you see a child grasp a ing it. I am in a primary school teaching, a mixed concept for the first time, when you see them class of Year 4/5, which is keeping me on my growing in confidence and being proud of themtoes! selves, it is always worth it.

It has been wonderful to get excellent classroom experience from the beginning of term and being able to have time to plan and deliver lessons 810 hours a week is really developing, challenging and stretching me.

My school is so supportive and is constantly ensuring I have enough biscuits and tea to keep me going during my training year! I have weekly meetings with my mentor, which is great to touch base, to get helpful feedback and to check in that everything is going well and if there are issues, we work out solutions together.

Teaching is a complicated, multifaceted joy! It has been something that I have considered for a while. I saw how passionate teachers at my Sixth Form were (particular mention to Mr Garton and Miss Dorn!) and how much they genuinely Page 14

Sarah Proctor Associate Teacher - Horspath C of E Primary School Attended The Cherwell School 2014-16

Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Update from a Primary School Newly Qualified Teacher and ExCherwell School Staff After working at Cherwell for 10 years, last year I finally took the plunge and started my teacher training, with Oxfordshire Teacher Training SCITT. I can safely say it was the best decision of my life. I am now teaching Year 4 at New Marston Primary School and absolutely love it! Having supported students, in a wide variety of different subjects, over the years at Cherwell I have observed so many great teachers. I feel this has helped me hugely, with developing into the teacher I am becoming today. The teacher training experience was absolutely fantastic! I learnt so much from the combination of learning in a placement school setting, combined with the exceptional training from the OTT SCITT. I would highly recommend this route to anyone, who may be considering teaching as a career.

Katie Henderson – Year 4 Teacher, New Marston Primary School Member of Staff at The Cherwell School 2009-2019

Oxfordshire Teacher Training celebrated the first birthday of its podcast on 19th November this term. Starting off with the aim to support trainee teachers and their mentors, the podcast quickly gained a reputation for excellent guests and thought-provoking explorations of some of the most important topics in education. Host Matthew Coatsworth (Maths teacher at The Cherwell School and Oxfordshire Teacher Training’s Quality Assurance & Safeguarding Officer) said, 'I've been thrilled to talk with some key figures in education nationally, but equally to spend time discussing with colleagues within Oxfordshire. It's been wonderful to see how the podcast has been picked up by the NASBTT - the National Association for School Based Teacher Training and by SchoolsWeek, who chose it as one of their podcasts of the week after just four episodes. I'd urge anyone interested in the world of education to have a listen.'

Guests on the podcast have included the Director of Secondary Education at RLT and Ex-Cherwell English teacher Tom Boulter to discuss effective teaching processes with a particular focus on vulnerable children; Kat Lygate, Cherwell science teacher and NQT Induction Co-ordinator; Sally Price, Oxfordshire Teacher Training’s Wellbeing & Support Officer and Ex-Cherwell MFL teacher to discuss the release of her book on Mental Wellbeing & Self Care (more below) and coping with the lockdown; and Patrick Garton, SCITT Director and Assistant Head at The Cherwell School, to discuss his book on Behaviour, as well as national figures such as Afua Hirsch, Professor Sam Twiselton OBE and Tom Sherrington. © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 15

Two Members of the SCITT Team had Books published this Year!

Sally Price ExCherwell MFL Teacher & Oxfordshire Teacher Training’s Wellbeing & Support The start of 2020 saw the release of Sally’s book, ‘Mental Well-being and Self Care’, which is one of Critical Publishing’s ‘Essential Guides for Early Career Teachers’. Critical but also practical, the text guides the reader through research-based concepts and reflective tasks central to positive mental health and well-being, supporting early career teachers as they develop their teaching skills and techniques.

Sally’s work on wellbeing has gathered national significance over the past few years, and this book allows even more to benefit from her wisdom, care and support.

Patrick Garton Cherwell Assistant Head & Director of Oxfordshire Teacher Training Behaviour is often the number one concern for teachers in the early stages of their career, ideas and approaches to support are explored in Patrick’s book ‘Understanding and Developing Positive Behaviour in Schools’, published November 2020 by Critical Publishing.

In addition to his roles at The Cherwell School and the OTT SCITT, Patrick has lead roles within the Oxfordshire Teaching Schools Alliance and the River Learning Trust. Prior to this he held a number of teaching and leadership roles in primary and secondary schools, predominantly in London and Oxford. He is a trustee and trainer for NASBTT and a passionate advocate of high quality and coherently focused initial teacher training and early career development which prepares teachers for long and rewarding careers. He has always maintained a regular teaching timetable to ensure that everything he does has relevance to the world of the classroom. His virtual book launch attracted an eminent audience from all over the country along with many teachers new to the profession.

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Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Good progress to report on our fundraising to refurbish the school libraries. Here's an update from Cherwell's school librarian Dr Caterina Bonsaver: 'I see at first hand every day the value and importance of reading to help stimulate young minds. I'm so pleased that this week we can now start to refurbish the South Site Library. The painters are ready to go and the new carpet and blinds are on order. Thank you to The Friends for providing the funds for this and for your gift of £2,000 to spend on books for the two libraries. That almost doubles our annual budget for library books! Our focus this year is on non-fiction to expand understanding of classroom subjects, and books tailored for reluctant readers. Thank you for all your support.

The challenge to reorganise the school during the pandemic slowed us down a little, and now we've had to pack away the books, but we've been making great use of pop-up libraries - taking books to where the students are on both sites.

When it rains, I can take cover under the cycle sheds which is also a good way to draw attention to the importance of reading. We still need more funds to buy new chairs and library furniture, plus more books and hopefully Chromebooks too. So please keep the support coming.'

Dr Caterina Bonsaver, Librarian Cherwell School

The Friends have also set up a special discount for the school with Daunt Books in Summertown to help make the new book budget go even further, and to support our new local bookshop, encouraging students to browse for the books they might like to read.

Sincere thanks to all our

Friends who have already given so generously through one-off or regular monthly donations.

There's always much more to do, please consider becoming a Friend.

Just £10 a month adds up to a very meaningful £120 over a year – plus Gift Aid takes it to £150. donate button

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 17

Geography Fieldwork in a Global Pandemic

Topics ranged from carbon content of woodlands and green spaces, to social inequality in Cowley and regeneration in Botley

In the first week in October, Year 13 Geographers would usually be heading off to South Wales for the 4 day residential field trip to carry out fieldwork for their Independent Investigations. However, due to the global health emergency, the trip had to be cancelled and alternative arrangements made.

With the Rugby Club on South Site as our base, Year 13 Geographers spent 4 days discussing and collecting data for local based projects on Oxford and it’s suburbs. A pilot day introduced the students to a plethora of different techniques, and they then planned and collected data for their own independent projects.

These ranged in topic from carbon content of woodlands and green spaces, to social inequality in Cowley and regeneration in Botley. Students were very resourceful and managed to get a larger number of surveys from the public than normal in many cases, despite the difficulties and inability to collect these in person. Many projects were of interest to the local communities and we received many expressions of interest in the students’ work and support from members of the public.

The students did a brilliant job despite the circumstances, and should be congratulated on their efforts. I also want to thank Mr Harrison, Ms Alexander and Mr Huck for all their efforts and support before, during and after the trip. We are looking forward to next year, when hopefully we have a more traditional trip and experience for the students.

By Mr Littlewood, Head of Geography

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Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Maths News:

Despite the various restrictions in place, our maths students have been busy taking part in competitions.

UKMT Maths Challenges:

By Mr Jamieson & Mr Dyer

The UKMT have been working hard to keep their mathematical challenges running and November saw over 200 of our sixth form students sit the Senior Maths Challenge. The format of the challenge was the same as previous years with the added option of being able to sit the paper online.

Last year, the UKMT had invited students to submit questions, and several Cherwell students did, including Dylan Haynes, from last year’s Y13 whose question was chosen to be included in this year’s paper. Here it is for you to have a go at:

18 students qualified for the second round in early December including 2 students invited to sit the British Mathematical Olympiad. Congratulations to Tatsuto Yamamoto and Francesco Carraro for their fantastic scores in the first round, with a special mention to Francesco who scored a maximum 25/25 The results for the 2nd round will be available soon.

After much covid-induced delay, the results of the second round of the intermediate maths challenge for years 9-11 arrived nearly 9 months after the event. Congratulations to Katrina Kirby and Matthew Mason, both now in Y12, for excellent scores in the Maclaurin Olympiad, and well done to James Atkinson, now in Y11 for the Best in School performance in the Kangaroo paper.

Ritangle: The Ritangle competition involves 24 thought provoking maths questions re-

leased over time building up to one final question involving all of the answers to the previous 24 questions. Several teams of Cherwell sixth form students are taking part in the competition. Unfortunately we have been unable to host the sessions in school this year as we usually would do but it’s been fantastic to see so many students forming teams independently to then share their brilliant thinking in tackling many of the questions. The finale is on the 8th of December and it will be exciting to see how the teams get on during that final day. If you fancy attempting one of the questions yourself, you can find question 8 below. More questions can be found at https://integralmaths.org/ritangle/.

MathsCareers 'Maths Outside' contest: Our congratulations go to Adiba Zaman in Year 11 who was the winner in the Year 9 to 11 category for the Institute of Mathematics Summer competition, 'Maths Outside'. Her poster on Common Garden Snails will appear on the Maths Careers website.

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 19

SCIENCE ENRICHMENT: We have continued to provide a variety of science enrichment opportunities throughout Terms 1 & 2, albeit adapted to fit the current circumstances!

SIXTH FORM SCIENCE TALKS: Once again, a highlight of our year is the offer of an exciting and rich series of weekly talks for our sixth formers, this year delivered both in person to Year 12s and virtually via video recordings to our Year13s. We are always exceptionally lucky in being able to attract high-profile speakers and this year has been no exception – it is great to see so many of our students take advantage of the academic excellence at our doorstep.

Matt Baker is a Design Leader in the Connected Innovation team helping BP transform the way it innovates. He is focused on human experience design (HUX), as well as exploring alternative methods of user based research. With a background in startup companies, he has used this experience to be a part of the transformational community within BP, coupled with an agile mind set and a strong technology background.

He has extensively travelled, having worked in too many countries to count in his 29 year career in IT. From timber logging camps in Northern Ghana to tech avenue in Austin, Texas, the one aspect he will always focus on, the user and the term Steve Krug highlighted, “Don’t Make me think!”

Matthew Baker Design Lead – Innovation & Engineering Sixth Form Science Talk: Wednesday 16th December Period 5 in Psych 1 & 2 All Y12s welcome!

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Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

ROYAL SOCIETY YOUNG PEOPLE’S BOOK PRIZE FOR 2020 This year, we have been delighted to be on the judging panel for the Royal Society’s Young People Book Prize – a group of Year 7 judges have been meeting fortnightly to discuss their insightful reviews of the six shortlisted books. We look forward to submitting our final scores and judgement on our winning choice in January 2021!

YEAR 9 CHRISTMAS STEM LECTURES An annual event for December, we were delighted to be able to take nearly 40 of our Year 9s to the University Natural History Museum for a morning of lectures and an opportunity to have a look at some of their wonderful exhibits. We had a quick run through several selected insect orders (from Lepidoptera to Coleoptera!) - including an ode to the humble Scottish midge by world-renowned entomologist Greorge Magavin - plus an opportunity for various activties, and an introduction to evolution by nataural selction as exemplified by the famous peppered moth. Congratulations to Jasmine Marshall (9CTY) for winning the Christmas competition and for now being the proud owner of a fluffy dodo!

From Ms Ghaffar, Science Enrichment Coordinator; follow us on twitter: Cherwell School Science @Cherwell_Sci © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 21

CHERWELL ENRICHMENT: Key Stage 5 Enrichment Challenge: Year 13 were invited to complete an enrichment challenge: to explore, research and present a topic or question of your choice beyond or outside your curriculum (not a topic you have directly studied in your A Levels or EPQ). Many used it as a chance to test out their interests in advance of university applications, to find new ones, think deeply and prove their independence and motivation beyond the curriculum.

WINNER: Ben Ryan & Robert Emslie for their video documentary ‘Food of the Roman Soldier’ RUNNER UP: Sebastian Wilkinson for his video lecture ‘Quantum Computing and Ion Traps’ RUNNER UP: Rosie Ihringer for her essay on ‘Voluntourism’

The standard of the entries was phenomenal: the panel reviewing the submissions were blown away by the care, academic rigour and creativity of the work. So many students pushed themselves out of their comfort zone and we know that they will go from strength to strength as they continue to pursue their scholarship through Year 13 and beyond!

COMMENDATIONS:

Ahmed H: ‘Objective Morality and Medical Ethics’ Desmond M: ‘The Economics of Sweden’s Covid-19 Response’ Elizabeth B: ‘The Yazidi Genocide’ lecture Ellie P: ‘The History of the Second Amendment’ Faith V: ‘The Science of Skin’ Freddie M: ‘Agroforestry’ documentary lecture Heather R: ‘Bone Fractures’ Katy W: ‘Quantum Computing’ Kento C: ‘Ramanujan Summation’ Mai T: ‘Racism and Climate Change’ Sahar S: ‘Quantum Computing’ Sofie Y: ‘Jane Eyre and the Victorian Woman Victoria M: ‘Jane Austen’s Novels and their Social Climate’

Publication: ‘LITMUS’ In Common with the University of Cambridge Following a series of workshops with a writing team from Trinity College, Cambridge as part of the ‘LITMUS’ festival, we are delighted that our students have been published in the final anthology of work. The book of poems, short stories, illustrations and essays is in our school libraries for anyone to read and students have their own copies – signed with a personal note by awardwinning author Ali Smith - to keep and share.

The project was built around the theme is ‘In Common’ and students were invited to submit any form

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of writing based around the words. In her forward to the anthology, Ali Smith drew particular attention to Year 11 Ava R’s submission saying: “Ava’s story magics a deft narrative union out of a momentary fragment and in a meeting of different voices against all the odds, examining the way time can shift and a quite different world is made possible – just by saying the word hello, to someone you don’t yet know.”

Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Cherwell Journal: This term saw the launch of the inaugural Cherwell Journal – an academic journal of student-written, student-edited articles, essays and illustrations.

Students have been challenged to think deeply about the world – whether a ‘big question’, a niche interest, an idea coming out of something they

   

have learned in school or a social issue they want to address.

Students have been working remotely, via a ‘hub’ on Google Classroom, to research and write their pieces, with over 100 students submitting proposals for articles.

A biography challenge A ‘words and etymologies’ challenge (demonstrated by ex-Year 13 student, Emily C) A cancer research challenge (mentored by University of Oxford researchers) An art challenge (designed and guided by Year 12 student, Ella M)

The project will be brought together into a final publication by our Year 12 editorial team, who will be working hard behind the scenes to pull together the articles, give support and guidance and work on the final design.

There is still chance to be involved in the project if you haven’t already: contact Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org) to find out more.

Ella M’s Cherwell Journal submission on art (‘Titian at the National Gallery: The Master of Love, Desire, Death’):

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 23

CHERWELL ENRICHMENT: Preparing for University: Oxford and Cambridge Support Group Since September, Year 13s have been thinking ambitiously and purposefully about their next steps beyond school. For many, this has involved applying to university and we have been working with students to help them prepare competitive applications through weekly support sessions.

We have been privileged to be able to draw on the expertise, enthusiasm and generosity of our wider school community, welcoming in former students, parents, neighbours and visitors from local businesses and the universities.

The term started and ended with a wide-ranging Q&A session with former students, ‘zooming’ in remotely from Cambridge and visiting from Oxford to give open, honest and reassuring advice and share their experiences. We were joined by Izi, Zakkai, Alfie, George, Eleanor, Flora, Dan, Ella, Arthur, Weiyi, Ellie and Greg and loved hearing about how well they have been getting on since leaving us!

Former students, Dan and Alfie, also put on a virtual seminar on ‘democracy’ for Year 13 through Google Classroom, taking us on a global and historical tour of political theory and its application in context to put a new twist on a familiar idea.

Continuing with small group subjectspecific seminars, we were delighted to welcome guests from the University of Oxford and local companies to challenge, develop and inspire students to think far beyond their curriculum. Students were guided through university-style problems and challenged to apply their knowledge in new and interesting ways.

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Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

For some students, university applications require admissions tests and we were able to support students with their preparations for these, with guided practice under the supervision of teachers and visiting academics, including Dr James Munro who worked with mathematicians on the Mathematics Admissions Test.

Applicants to Oxford and Cambridge sit interviews as part of the admissions process (this year, remotely through online platforms) and students worked together to prepare for these. Dr Sos Eltis gave a reassuring talk about admissions, with a ‘live’ demonstration and commentary on an English interview, answering questions from students with humour, generosity and warmth. In addition to general sessions, we were delighted to be able to draw on our parent body to provide every applicant with a subject-specialist mock interview experience and individual feedback. Whilst a nervewracking experience for students, we know that they found it incredibly valuable and rewarding – both as practice and as an opportunity to discuss and learn about their subject with an expert!

With the restrictions on travel and physical distance, this admissions cycle has thrown up some unusual challenges for university applicants and they have been superb at showing resilience and patience to work through these. Regardless of the outcome of their applications, we are so proud of their commitment, their ambition and their purposeful scholarship and we know that they will thrive on their academic journeys, wherever they take them. Good luck – and congratulations - to everyone!

If you would like to offer support for next year’s applicants – whether as a parent, a former student or as a supporter from our wider community – please get in touch with Miss Richer: cricher@cherwellschool.org)

Miss Richer Enrichment Co-ordinator

COLLECTION OF GCSE CERTIFICATES On Wednesday 9th December, Former Head of Year 11, Ms King, returned to North Site to catch up with her ex-students. Year 12 (exCherwell) students formed orderly queues to collect their GCSE certificates.

Ms King, pictured here with Juliana Gois, said “It was a really special moment to celebrate with our Ex-Year 11s as they received their GCSE certificates today. It was lovely to catch up and see how well they are doing in the Sixth Form, and how quickly they have settled into life there. They are continuing to impress staff with their hard working attitude and maturity, and it was a real pleasure to see them again”.

By Mrs Dale

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 25

Other News:

Cherwell Technicians get Creative in Lockdown 1

To inspire students (and teachers alike) we technicians like to come together and create some inspirational items.

Duffy’s exacting requirements on colour palette and squishiness, but the end result is both beautiful and ridiculously comfortable.

We faced quite a few challenges during this combined project and we certainly learned a lot and made quite a few mistakes along the way, but we won’t mention those! It looks so inviting by the pond in the garden on North Site, if only we had the time to relax in it!!!!!!

Over in DT, Mr Duffy created a Muskoka chair using CAD and painstakingly built it from upcycled materials – scaffolding planks, an old metalwork shelf and quite a few pallets. Not a nail or screw in sight, this chair is held together with only glue and hand-crafted wooden dowels. The footstool tucks away in the back of the chair when not in use.

After visiting the Art department and falling in love with the chair, Miss Brovtsyna worked tirelessly to hand felt some cushions, using rescued seat pads from the Base and materials from old project scraps which were rubbed and moulded by hand to create a new single piece of fabric. These were quite a challenge, not made any easier by Mr

By Mr Duffy & Miss Brovtsyna We wanted to thank the Tomlinson family for their generous gift of one thousand face coverings

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Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Thank You‌..

By Mrs T Parish

As term 2 finishes in school I want to send a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in our SCITT (school centred initial teacher training). We currently have 9 associate teachers training with us, on salaried and part-time tuition fee routes, and they have all done a brilliant job of passing their first assessment point in perhaps the strangest of years to train to teach. A huge thank you too to the mentors, subject specialists,visiting tutors, central team and every colleague who has welcomed and supported our staff during this time.

If any parents, carers and readers are interested in finding out more about training to teach and the range of programmes and options available, please visit www.oxfordshireteachertraining.co.uk

Road Safety News

Good news! A new Vehicle-Activated-Sign has been installed on the Marston Ferry Road near to the school entrance. The busy entrance is very dangerous at the start and end of the school day, and we hope that the new sign will help drivers to be more considerate, and to help our pupils stay safe on their journeys to and from school.

The money to pay for this sign was generously donated by parents and carers in response to a sponsored cycle ride completed by Mr Dyer in July last year. Thank you all. If you missed the event at the time, here is a link to the Oxford Mail article from last year : https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/17833351.cherwell-schoolteacher-supports-marston-ferry-road-cycle-safety/ Mr Dyer

We were thrilled and delighted to hear Emily Coatsworth perform on BBC Radio 3 in Choral Evensong. Emily is a first year member of the chapel choir of Claire College, Cambridge.

lovely to hear her perform in such an illustrious setting in this year of limited choral music making and continuing her fantastic musical career.

The podcast can be heard here: https:// The performance included works by Stanwww.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pp7c ford, Judith Weir and Vaughan Williams with a socially distanced choir. It was such a joy to hear Mrs Hollindale - Performing Arts Faculty Leader these performances, when choirs haven't been able to be operational.

Emily was always a brilliant musician and student at Cherwell, participating in all the choirs, ensembles small and large and orchestras, with verve, expertise and enthusiasm and a real leader for other students both in her own age group and further down the school.

She performed as the Shepherd Boy in Tosca as part of our partnership with Oxford Opera Company after which she was awarded the Michael Pendred award for excellence.

Emily is much missed here at Cherwell but it's Š The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 27

Flu Jab vaccine offered to Cherwell staff This year the River Learning Trust provided free Flu Vaccinations for any member of The Cherwell School staff requiring one. Two separate Flu Clinics were held, one on North Site on 1st December and one on South Site on 7th December. First in the queue and leading the way was Chris Price, Headteacher followed by over 90 staff taking up the offer to receive a vaccination. Staff were very positive about this initiative; it is great to know that we are appreciated by the Trust.

Sally Carr The Cherwell School Administration Manager

AUSTRIA CALLING‌.!

In the absence of any foreign trips for the foreseeable future, the German department has been trying to look for other possibilities to enable students to practise their spoken German outside of the classroom. Over 30 students will shortly be paired up with an Austrian student from all corners of Austria and will be able to speak German, find out about the Austrian culture and even learn about the slight differences between Austrian and German vocabulary.

Watch this space!

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Winter Newsletter 2020 Š The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

YEAR 7 NEWS As we look forward to the Christmas holidays we take time to reflect on what a busy and exciting first full term in Year 7 has been. Students are now settled in to their classes and fully in the flow of life at Cherwell. They have had plenty of opportunities to try new things such as sports clubs, drama club, creative writing, being on a Science book panel and working on the Cherwell Journal. We are hoping that as time goes on we are able to offer more clubs and activities for our students to try out. It has been lovely to see students making new friends across the year group and accepting others into their friendship groups and we are especially proud of how much they have done to raise awareness and money for good causes. Year 7 raised £32.25 for the Mental Health Foundation by wearing yellow, £31.12 for ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ by wearing red – see picture, and contributed to a huge £701.65 raised by the whole school for Children In Need by wearing stripes and spots. In all of this, amidst the challenges of starting at a new school during a global pandemic, our students are working hard and are learning huge amounts in their time here.

Well done Year 7!

Ms King - Year Leader Mr Ormrod - Deputy Year Leader

YEAR 8 NEWS Congratulations to Year 8! This year's Winter term has been like no other, they have conquered new rules, bubbles and a successful return after nearly six months of no school. The resilience that the year group continues to show, never ceases to amaze us.

Over the course of the term, each form has created a quiz and taken part in the quiz every Friday morning. We have had quizzes about football, space and some really obscure general knowledge (the students often show their form teachers up with such a breadth of knowledge). We look forward to being able to award the Masterminds of the year group on the last day of term.

This term, Year 8 was also the first year group to conduct the virtual Parents’ and Carers’ Consultation Evening. It was great for teachers to finally be able to share the excellent achievements within the year group and to also be able to give some constructive feedback in order for everyone to develop further. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of staff who helped to make the PCE evening so valuable.

As a school and as a year group we will continue to focus on the routines that keep us safe, give us calm starts to our lessons and a focused environment that is essential for learning. The commitment to learning and motivation we have seen from the year group is one to be commended.

We hope that Year 8 all have a well earned and well deserved rest over the festive period. We would like to wish everyone a healthy, safe and Happy Christmas and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Ms Bristow - Year Leader Mrs Kidd and Ms Wiggins - Deputy Year Leaders © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 29

YEAR 9 NEWS I am delighted to be able to write our extract for the Winter Newsletter having returned to school for Terms 1 and 2. Since our return to school, our aim has been to induct students back into all aspects of school life and to train them on the changes which have been brought in to keep our school community safe.

We will continue to embed routines and habits of excellent behaviour which we know are essential for constructing an environment conducive to learning. Interestingly, the feedback gathered directly from the students also highlights these processes as continued areas of development. The high expectations we demand of each other are fitting with the aspirations we have for this group of youngsters.

One of the incredible opportunities within Year 9 is the introduction of the Duke of Edinburgh award led

by Miss Overbeck and her team. It was fantastic to see a record number of students committing to this award which will teach them endless transferable skills for life. I have every confidence that the students involved will have a brilliant experience and make the most of this opportunity.

Looking ahead, the GCSE options process I am sure is on all of our minds. I am looking forward to this exciting time ahead where the students lay the foundations for the next chapter of their life. The collaborative approach of home and school will be essential for enabling the students to make the most informed choices possible and achieve their full potential. There will be lots more to follow with this after the Christmas break.

Another date for your diary will be the Year 9 Parents’ and Carers’ evenings towards the end of February. Again, there will be lots more to come here in preparation for receiving feedback from each of your child's subject teachers.

I must also take this opportunity to thank the key colleagues who have been instrumental in the success of Year 9 through the pastoral support which they offer each day.

I hope you all have a safe and happy break and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Mr Hopkins, Year Leader Ms Wells - Deputy Year Leader

YEAR 10 NEWS This has been a term like no other and our Year 10 students have a lot to be proud of. They have started their GCSE programmes, which is daunting enough, but they are doing it within restrictions which are new to all of us. Based on feedback from teachers and parents, as well as progress data, students have adapted really well and are making the progress we want to see at this point in their Key Stage 4 journey. After a short time, where we were able to offer a few after school clubs, we have had to pause most of them for now. However we still have a Tuesday lunchtime Book Club and a virtual Creative Writing Club run by our own Year 10 tutor, Mr Strickland. We also launched the World Challenge 2022 trip with record take up, so there’s lots to look forward to.

Mrs Knight and I hope you have a happy and safe winter break and we look forward to seeing our Year 10s engaging in more opportunities in the New Year.

Ms Kelbrick - Year Leader Mrs Knight - Deputy Year Leader

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Winter Newsletter 2020 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

YEAR 11 NEWS Despite the ongoing challenges Year 11 have faced returning to school in September, they have settled back very quickly into Cherwell life and we could not be more proud of them!

During tutor times we have been inclusive in sharing the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ (developed by the New Economic Foundation) as a helpful reminder that balance and perspective is incredibly important for personal wellbeing and mental health when it comes to times of tough academic rigour for our young people. We know that there has to be a balance between hard work and rest, so as ever there have been plenty of things going on at Cherwell to meet that balance! In addition, tutor time has been extremely useful this year as we are unable to lead whole group assemblies. Tutor time has been a really important part of the school day for students and has enabled us to share important notices with students and support them with their GCSE Mock preparation.

Although we cannot offer extra- curricular clubs at the moment we are hopeful this may change in the New Year. We continue to have a number of students studying Astronomy as an additional GCSE course this year along with the ongoing DofE programme that we are looking to complete when we can.

Work Experience has had a different format this year where students had the opportunity to partake in virtual interviews. Students were able to talk to employers online about potential career pathways in specific areas of interest. Students worked incredibly hard, and gained a great deal of experience in many different fields of work. The feedback from both employers and students was very pleasing and I would like to thank Mr Jarvis, Mrs Dale, Mrs Goble and Miss Wiggins for making this possible.

All of this combined, we are extremely proud of Year 11 and we wish all the students a well-earned Christmas break and look forward to seeing them return to school in the New Year happy and healthy.

Merry Christmas.

Mr Madden - Year Leader Mrs Goble - Deputy Year Leader

YEAR 12 NEWS -

Year 12 have made a superb start to their sixth form careers in their academic success, attitude to their learning and involvement around the school.

We were delighted by the recent Progress reviews reports which indicate that the majority of students are working well in their lessons and handing in work of a high standard. This is such fantastic news and we are delighted that after a very difficult few months out of school, students have already readapted to school life.

Tutorial time has been very successful, with Year 12 reflecting on their PR reports and current academic achievements, and setting themselves targets to further improve on this. We have also been using tutor time with Year 12 to start thinking about the future and possible career options, and how to access ‘virtual’ work experience. We have also introduced them to the UCAS ‘exploring careers’ website. This is an ongoing process, so please do continue to support students in this research.

Despite really tricky circumstances, making sure we observe social distancing, many of Year 12 have thrown themselves into the school community. Thanks to the work of Tom Blake and Roan Thornton we had a huge turn-out for the inaugural Year 12 Debate Club and hope that this is the start of a regular fixture.

After such a busy term we wish Year 12 a very Merry Christmas and relaxing New Year ready for Term 3.

Ms E Rapson - Year Leader Mrs H Fisher - Deputy Year Leader © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 31

YEAR 13 NEWS Following the disruption to their studies last year, Year 13 have adapted well to being back in school and have had a busy term preparing their UCAS applications and completing their November combine tests. They have shown excellent commitment to their studies and future plans and we were delighted by the recent Progress Review Reports which indicate that students continue to work well in lessons. Tutorial time has been focused around planning for post-18 pathways and in particular on writing personal statements and preparing for university interviews. Students have engaged brilliantly with this and tutors will continue to support them with finalising their post-18 pathways in the new year.

Before half term we received some outstanding entries for the Dan Hemingway Award and we are thrilled to be able to provide entrants with an awards ceremony in the last week of term. We would usually celebrate this as a whole year group but this year's event will be on a smaller scale in order to comply with current COVID restrictions. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 16th December so watch this space!

We wish Year 13 a very Merry Christmas and encourage them to have a genuine rest and enjoy time with family over the break.

Mrs Fowler Year Leader Miss Howse Deputy Year Leader

Here are two entries for the Dan Hemingway Award

Creative Writers: Join Us! It has been fascinating and inspiring to see how Cherwell students have adapted to the changes they have faced this year. Not willing to miss out on a chance to be creative and explore creative writing in many forms, students have been taking advantage of the new online version of the Creative Writing Club each week. Some remarkable writing has been shared in these sessions and students have been remarkably supportive of each other and are clearly enjoying the process. While there was a very enthusiastic response to our in-person sessions the first weeks of this school year, the club moved to a virtual approach successfully soon after and we will continue to do so each week for the foreseeable future. Students of every year are welcome each Thursday from 3:15 until 4:15 through Google Meet. Every Student Bulletin will include the latest link that students use to enjoy the Creative Writing Club online. See you there!

Mr Strickland

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Winter Newsletter 2020 Š The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

It has been a difficult, strange, but brilliant term for Cherwell PE. Very difficult having to change the organisation of PE for all year groups, and react to the constantly changing local and national picture. At the same time it has been incredibly strange not having after school clubs and fixtures.

The reaction from the staff and students to these changes has been exemplary and made everything so much easier. It has been a real team effort, and this term has felt like all stakeholders are working together like never before. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you all for the support that the department has received.

Without any fixtures to discuss this newsletter is focusing on the excellence we see in the PE department and some examples of students excellence shining through outside of school. I hope you enjoy. We would like to feature examples of all our student excellence across the school, if you would like your child to be highlighted in the future newsletters, please contact your child’s PE teacher/team coach so they can include it in the next publication.

Thank you all again for everything this term, it has been a pleasure.

Mr Wallington, Head of Faculty – Physical Education

PLAYER IN FOCUS SCOTT ASPLEY - Year 13 TENNIS

Scott started playing tennis at the age of 7 and has played competitively for 6 years.

His greatest achievement was being placed 1st in the U14 Oxfordshire County Final. Since then he has won multiple county and regional tournaments and his technique continues to improve. He took part in the National Road to Wimbledon Junior Qualifiers where he played against number 3 in the country. Here he gained great experience and became motivated and inspired to play with the best again.

Scott was awarded the David Lloyd Doubles Champion medal in 2018 and believes this was down to maintaining a strict training regime (5 times a week) as well as competing in tournaments once every 2 weeks. Coupled with this he attends at least one strength and conditioning session a week to supplement his skill work in training. He has dedicated around 468 hours a year to the sport and has done a fantastic job of balancing his passion for tennis with his three A Levels (Sport Science, Biology and Business Studies). Scott said that “one of the greatest things about playing tennis is that I love the satisfaction of hitting a powerful forehand/backhand as a clean winner past my opponent.”

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 33

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Winter Newsletter 2020 Š The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Š The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2020 Page 35

Dear Friends Thank you for your support over the past year.

Season's greetings and very best wishes From all of us at AT The Bus info@atthebus.org.uk www.atthebus.org.uk

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Winter Newsletter 2020 Š The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence