Cherwell School Winter Newsletter 2021

WINTER 2021

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page

Dear Parents and Carers It is a pleasure to write to you at the end of another calendar year. The period since September has flown by and it has been great to bring back so much of the wider school experience that has been missing in the period from March 2020.

Our school is always an optimistic place and we are glad that we have been able to offer many opportunities during the autumn (lots of which you can read about within the newsletter). At this point last year I did write of my hope that we would be once again running visits, trips and events as we moved through 2021 and it is very uplifting to read about such things here.

One of our main whole school priorities is to support the personal growth of our students. Extracurricular Sport is a key component of this and we are delighted that we are continuing to grow this as we move through the year. You can read in detail about this on pages 42 - 49 and you can remain aware of our regularly changing offer here https://www.cherwell.oxon.sch.uk/455/clubs-activities.

Exactly the same is true of Music and Drama. We were pleased to be able to hold our evening for KS3 students earlier this week. It was a very uplifting event and so important for our young people to get the experience of performing again with an audience (even a socially distanced one). We are already looking forward to being able to have our first whole school play since 2019-2020 with Antigone already in rehearsal for March 2022. It is experiences of this type that we know our students have missed out on and I do thank the staff for their shared commitment to bring these features back into our school at the earliest opportunity.

As parents and carers will know, one of our biggest challenges remains our facilities. As a school we continue to do all we can to improve things for our young people. Those of you who travel along the Marston Ferry Road will have noted the significant construction work to create our new floodlit 3G football pitch. We know that this will be of huge benefit to our own students and to our local community. The grant we received from the Football Association of almost half a million pounds has allowed us to finance this scheme and we do hope this is the first of a whole range of bigger projects that will improve our facilities. Within that context I remain incredibly grateful to the Friends of Cherwell (our charitable Trust) for everything they continue to do in support of our school. Most notably this term we have been able to open our brand new North Site Fiction Library which is proving incredibly popular. If you do feel you can support the Friends you will find their details here https://friendsofcherwell.org/ or alternatively scan the QR code on the next page.

Looking back at my newsletter piece from a year ago at this time I was writing about the issue of remote learning and you will remember that the period from January until March 2021 was, for most students, a time where they worked from home. One of the reasons that did go well for most students was because of the additional provision of chrome books –a big number of which were paid for directly from the Friends.

Immediately after Christmas we are back into the world of mass testing. You will have received the details of this already. As previously we will seek to test all students on the first day of term (Thursday 6th January) which we believe is both the safest course of action and one which also minimises the loss of learning time for the students. Given our student roll of 2065 this will be a huge undertaking and I thank, once again, the team of support staff, parents and volunteers who will be undertaking this task. Parents/Carers may also be keen to know that the school will be opening across the Christmas period to allow the community to have their booster jabs.

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Inside this issue:Welcome Page:Page 2 & 3 Tabonuco Tree

By Matt Barnard:Page 4 - 5

Careers Convention Advert:Page 6 Cherwell Gives Back Event:Page 7 Year 11 Mock Virtual Interviews:Page 8 & 9 Geography Dept News:Page 10 & 11 English Dept:Page 12 & 13 Science Enrichment:Page 14 - 16 Junior Leadership Team Advert:Page 17 Oxfordshire Teacher Training:Page 18 MFL News:Page 19 - 21 Food Technology News:Page 22 & 23 Performing Arts:Page 24 & 25 Cherwell Enrichment:Page 26 - 35 Year Team News:Page 36 - 41 PE Dept News:Page 42 - 49

Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

As always at this point 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 continued to give so much managing the complexity of the continued pandemic while at the same time doing everything they can to make school enjoyable and rewarding for the children. I would also like to thank once again our Parents and Carers for their ongoing support and willingness to work in partnership as things have continued to evolve this year. As always, pride of place does need to go to our students. They are a truly amazing group of young people who show such adaptability, commitment and kindness.

The very last word does need to go to our former Headteacher, Martin Roberts who sadly passed away in November. Martin was an amazing man and a visionary educator. He gave so much to this school and to our community. He will be greatly missed by all those who knew him and we will be thinking of Martin’s family during this time.

Best wishes

Chris Price Headteacher

Beyond Cherwell students designed cards to thank speakers who have delivered lectures during term 1 & 2

Art by Alice Hands (Year 12) December 2021

Friends of Cherwell if you're thinking of making a donation this year, why not think about Cherwell? Join us this year in the school’s bold mission to support personal growth for every student. Your gifts will support Cherwell’s young people to grow not just academically but as confident citizens, able to make the most of the opportunities around them.

We have some fantastic projects to support this year across the whole school.

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 3

By Matt Barnard - Lead School Counsellor Hurricane Maria was considered the worst natural disaster to impact Puerto Rico in 2017, causing widespread flooding and devastation.

Much of the lush habitation on the island was destroyed except for the Tabonuco tree, that withstood the strong winds and rain. Not only had the tree evolved to dig deep roots too anchor itself, but the roots also intertwined with other neighbouring Tabonuco trees to create a network of roots to support one another and share nutrients.

The surviving four hundred year old Tabonuco trees represents a powerful reminder of the importance of how we can support one another as we weather the pandemic storm.

The covid crisis has illuminated different aspects of human nature, as we navigate our way through this threat. Most of us have experienced feelings of anger (fight), anxiety/fear/panic (flight) and hopelessness (freeze/collapse), all of which are an evolutionary response to threat. Very useful millions of years ago, when a hostile tribe or a predator was going to attack our group. Not so helpful today where such a heightened physical response is not only unnecessary but unhelpful. But our body still responds in the same way.

What we are facing today in the pandemic is an ongoing, sustained threat. One way our huntergatherers ancestors responded to danger, was to form a greater unity to our tribe. It makes a lot of sense, to pull on the available resources and support one another. A bit like the Tabonuco trees. The downside is that we are at risk of not holding diverse perspectives, becoming less autonomous and be dominated by groupthink (blindly following our identified group). We can feel threatened by anything that represents ‘otherness’ leading to further polarisation (Us vs. them), scapegoating (find someone to blame), and in some cases become paranoid (chronic experience of threat we can’t get rid of).

In my work as a school counsellor, I’ve noticed that there has been some feeling of hopelessness and a fatigue from sustaining ourselves for such an extended time during the pandemic. We’ve built up a sense of hope that life will return to how it was before the pandemic, and the recent news has made holding on to that ideal, increasingly harder. So instead of engaging in feelings of fight or flight, we might feel powerless and become depressed, anxious and maybe find unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol, or unhelpful eating habits to manage these unbearable feelings. The problems may not manifest as being about the pandemic itself, but it’s certainly an underlying contributing factor.

Undoubtedly the threat response, which is what I have been talking about so far, is biological hardwired into the human experience. Today, we are sophisticated enough to not allow our innate reactions to dominate us, as we are capable of being calm, peaceful, empathic and compassionate towards others. I hope that this way of thinking about the threat, has given you some further insight into what you might be witnessing in yourself and those around you.

Continued…/

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

I was incredibly impressed by our group of peer listeners this term, who felt that the Mental Health First Aid training they received, would not only be helpful for the Year 7s, but their fellow Year 13 friends. They reminded me of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, as students support fellow students. Being on the receiving end of an empathic, compassionate listener can make a world of difference when you feel isolated with your own problems.

Talking to others and sharing experiences can help us regulate our own emotions. Keeping those feelings fight/flight/freeze or collapse responses at a manageable level. At the same time, in being the listener you can gain insight into your own perspective, and I must say, I learn something new each time I meet with a young person for a session; it’s what’s been sustaining me throughout this difficult time.

I would like to thank the Psychotherapist Ana Gomez, who during a Zoom conference from Colombia, told the story of the Tabonuco tree. It’s meaning has been shared from a small island in the Caribbean, to Latin America and on to our small island of the UK. It’s this network of connections (root system), that has allowed me to pass on this piece of knowledge of how we can weather this storm together.

The Peer Listeners become Youth Mental Health First Aiders This term the Counselling Service had the pleasure of delivering the Youth Mental Health First Aid training to the Year 13 Peer Listeners. They are now equipped with some listening techniques to support a young person’s mental health, spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues, have the confidence to reassure and support a young person in distress and have strategies to look after their own mental wellbeing.

By Matt Barnard and Donna Brunstrom

Back row, left to right – Ella Myers, Cristina Garcia Rapoport, Luke Wright, Grace Whitty, Matt Barnard, Stacey Haziri, Leanne Elias, Theodore Colbert, Harry Lawal, Oscar Graham, Samuel Cooper and John Boyd.

Front row, left to right Raphaela GoeldnerThompson, Beatrice Vincent-Ratti, Bea Quinney, Grace Chaikin, Sarita Bray, Donna Brunstrom, Linnea Hopfenbeck, Siana Jacob, Alexey Savelyev, Jose Villarroel and Imogen Eve.

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 5

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

CHERWELL GIVES BACK EVENT - DEC 2021 Year 12 were fantastic in Social Wellbeing and all got super involved in the Cherwell Gives back event on Friday 10th December.

Research suggests that all acts of giving and kindness however small, are associated with positive mental wellbeing. Giving our time to others in a constructive way helps us to strengthen our relationships and build new ones, and of course, relationships with others also influence mental wellbeing. This year students worked in small groups to prepare a box of donations.

They chose one of two local organisations to support: 1) Providers - supporting people going through mental health crises and who are staying in a mental health ward by providing practical items and items that can bring some comfort.

2) Oxford Mutual Aid - an organisation that started during the pandemic and is currently supporting 8000 vulnerable members of our local community (of all different ages) every week.

We made over 80 boxes which will make a difference to those individuals at what can often be a challenging time of year. Well done Year 12 and we hope that you enjoy a lovely break.

By Ms Dorn

Katie Brunwin from ‘Providers at Christmas’ takes delivery of some of the charity boxes

I can't thank you enough for your hard work in collecting and wrapping donations for 'Provide'. Everything was so beautifully done and so much care gone into it. I really loved the Christmas messages you wrote as well. You all deserve a medal!

This year we have had enough gifts to provide for 54 patients at the Warneford, your work has blessed many people in hospital this Christmas. Please thank anyone who donated.

This is our 4th year collaborating together! We could not have done it without you.

All have a wonderful Christmas you have earnt it and blessings into the new year Katie Brunwin © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 7

Year 11 Mock Virtual Interviews All of our Year 11 students had the chance to ‘dress up’ and take part in a mock virtual interview in October, during World of Work week. Students prepared their CVs in advance and local employers and trainers (boosted by our fabulous Cherwell parents) gave up their time to hold short virtual interviews with our students and provide them with verbal and written feedback. The interviewers were overwhelmingly positive about their experience, see some of their comments below: Mark Massingham - BMW The students were of very high standard, I was very impressed and had some great conversations with them.

Laura Jones – Lucy Group It’s been a fantastic privilege to meet your very talented students today, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process.

Daniela Petrovic – Telecom Research & Development They are all smart young people with a lot of potential, which is a great testament to Cherwell School.

Steph Stansbie – Little Tiger Press This was such a rewarding experience - thank you!

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

By Mrs L Dale, KS4 Administrator

Grateful thanks to our interviewers: Mark Massingham, Prof John Parrington, Steve Hartley, Andy Pillidge, Caroline Angelow, Squadron Leader Julie Fell, Raquel Au, Laura Jones, Matt Bryant, Carmen Bohne, Matt Collett, Mark Wells, Sam Danquah, Andy Batt, Shivani Gupta, Aliysa from Lifts and Sprints, Daniela Petrovic, Tony Skowronski, Sally Andreou, Deepika Tatineni, Mark Vingoe, Heidi Black, Sarah Watson, Kingsley Ugwu, Sue Morris, Sev Gunes-Lasnet, Sarah Marlow, Sally Green, Stephanie Stansbie, Dr Carmel Kent, Alessia Gargiulo, Helen Johnson, Dan Gibbons, Poly Smart, Karen McDonald, Nicola Dunstan, Annette Gautrey, Evie Bennett, Elaine Johnstone, Stuart Murray, Tehmeena Ajmal, Kasey Watson, Dr Nick Starkey, Juliet Mumby-Croft, Prof Dani Prieto Alhambra, Simon Clarke, Alexandra Bailey, Dr Blanca Rodriguez, Eileen Modral, Alison Woodhead, Claire Hutchings, Saranga Ranasinghe, Atreya Chaganty, Emma Baxter, Mohammed Hamid, Aoife O'Neil and Cherwell staff Mr Price, Mr Davis and Mr Hilton. And thank you to Jamie in IT support!

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 9

GEOGRAPHY DEPT NEWS: CHERWELL HOST PROFESSOR DANNY DORLING FOR A LECTURE ON ‘LEVELLING UP’: ’Cherwell geographers were very privileged to host Professor Danny

Dorling for a lecture on 'Levelling Up' in the North Site Hall on Tuesday 9th November 2021. Prof Dorling has now delivered a lecture to our students two years running, but to have him here in person rather than on Zoom was brilliant! We also hosted students from around the city and county as part of the Oxford Geographical Association series of lectures, and students and staff alike were taken on a journey through both global and UK inequality, with key evidence highlighted and some suggestions proposed for how to tackle these issues, which is both topical and relevant to the A Level specification. Thanks go to Prof Dorling for giving up his time to support our students, and we look forward to hosting him again when he is able to.

By Mr Littlewood Head of Geography

YEAR 12 & 13 GEOGRAPHERS EXPERIENCE OXFORD GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION LECTURES AT ST EDWARDS SCHOOL:

Year 12 and Year 13 geographers have made the short trip to St Edwards twice this term for Oxford Geographical Association Lectures. We heard from the President of the GA, Alan Parkinson on Space and Place, and then most recently from the acclaimed author and commentator Tim Marshall, who spoke to us about his latest book ‘The Power of Geography’, all about global geopolitics. Fascinating speakers which took us well beyond the curriculum, and more lined up for next term! Thanks to Mr Huck and Miss Pearson for accompanying myself and the students.

By Mr Littlewood Head of Geography

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

YEAR 13 FIELDTRIP: WYTHAM WOODS & CITY OF OXFORD - On a snowy morning on Monday 29th November 55 Year 13 geographers em-

barked on their long overdue pilot study day to prepare for their Non Examined Assessment for their A level courses. The day first went to a very picturesque Wytham Woods, where students practised techniques relating to the carbon and water cycle, and learnt about the significance of these woods from Dr Polgreen, who had generously given her time to support the students.

Wytham Woods, Oxford

We then drove to the centre of town, and the students undertook a variety of different mini studies around the city centre, from the Westgate to the Blavatnik School of Government. As well as thinking of the possibilities of using these in their own projects, students also critiqued the methods, and even learnt about collecting data via apps and using GIS to then analyse it spatially.

Blavatnik School of Government

Thanks to all the staff: Miss Pearson, Miss Alexander, Miss Colcutt and Mr Harrison who rose to the challenge so professionally, and to all the staff in school who helped the trip to run via cover or other support. Let’s hope the next fieldwork is done in slightly warmer conditions!

By Mr Littlewood Head of Geography

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 11

ENGLISH DEPT NEWS: Creative Writing Club Thriving in the Winter Season!

The Cherwell Creative Writing Club is having one of its best years ever, with a record number of students attending. Students from every year group have been actively writing and sharing their work in a supportive and exciting environment.

Many students this season have also had the satisfaction of having their work published (many for the first time). The Cherwell Creative Writing Club has its own featured section in the newly published book: Whispers of Winter II, an anthology edited by Oxford writer T.L.Williams. Well done writers!

Students are encouraged to join the Creative Writing Club and write in any style or on any subject they wish.

All ages invited! Sessions are held every week, Tuesdays from 3:15 - 4:15 in room 5.

Students of Years 7, 8 and 9 are invited to meet at reception on South Site just after school on Tuesdays to walk under the underpass with Mr Strickland.

Writers: now is your time!

Mr Strickland

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Key Stage 5 English Department News:

Year 13 trip to Strawberry Hill House the ‘birthplace’ of Gothic Literature

In October, 56 Year 13 English students set off on a sunny autumn day for the Gothic delights of Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham, the artistic expression of Horace Walpole’s Gothic vision. We were treated to small group tours of the house and a very informative lecture by James Lesslie from St Mary’s. We had the gardens and house to ourselves for the day and it was a fantastic place to enrich students’ knowledge of the Gothic genre, a key component of their A Level course.

By Mrs Eve

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 13

SCIENCE ENRICHMENT As always, we have continued to provide a variety of science enrichment activities for our students.

Some highlights are detailed below.

YEAR 9 BUBBLE SHOW: In term 1, Year 9 classes were treated to the ‘Bubbles’ show, allowing them to discover some of the mysteries of gases and to observe the unexpected behaviour of bubbles that float and sink, grow or shrink, burn and even explode!

KS3 SCIENCE CLUB: We have been delighted to re-start our KS3 Science Club on a fortnightly basis with activities, starting off with some invisible ink making – much more to come next term!

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

ROYAL SOCIETY YOUNG PEOPLE’S BOOK PRIZE 2021: We are thrilled to have been selected again to be part of the judging panel for the Royal Society’s Young People Book Prize – a group of Y7 judges have been meeting fortnightly to discuss their insightful reviews of six shortlisted books. We look forward to submitting our final scores and judgement on our winning choice in January 2022!

YEAR 7 STATES OF MATTER SHOW: To end the year with a bang, we were pleased to be able to finally offer all our Year 7 students an opportunity to attend an interactive practical Chemistry demo exploring the three states of matter. Our pupils were able to model the behaviour of solids, liquids and gases and witness some truly magical science!

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

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 15

SIXTH FORM SCIENCE TALKS As usual, a focus for Terms 1 and 2 is our exciting series of weekly talks for our sixth formers. We are always exceptionally lucky in being able to attract highprofile 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, and to be willing to engage by asking probing and challenging questions of experts on topics ranging from superconductors to social behaviour in bacteria.

Notable speakers for this year have included: Prof Yadvinder Malhi on the Metabolism of Planet Earth

Prof Cecilia Lindgren on Big Data & Obesity

Prof Neil Ferguson on COVID 19

From Ms Ghaffar, Science Enrichment Coordinator; follow us on twitter: Cherwell School Science @Cherwell_Sci Prof Cath Green on the making of the Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine Page 16

Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Junior Leadership Team Would you like to join the Junior Leadership Team?

What is it? 

It is a group drawn from the student body designed to provide additional leadership for the Cherwell School.



It works with a variety of partners including teachers, support staff, parents/carers and local community members.

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The group is chaired by Headteacher Mr Price and The Co-chair for 2021-2022 is Linnea Hopfenbeck (13HN)

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The group meets on a fortnightly basis on Friday Lunchtimes

We are looking for students across the school (Years 7 to 13) who are: 

Prepared to give up their own time within school to benefit the community

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Excited by the prospect of working in a team made up of students from across the school

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Open to thinking strategically about ways to continually improve the school



Keen to communicate with the wider student body especially via tutor time or assembly presentations (training will be provided)

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Willing to act as representatives for the school in a variety of different settings (e.g. Parents evenings) and with different partners (e.g School governors)

How to apply: 

P r

You should write an application of no more than ½ a side of A4 paper (about 250-300 words) setting out your interest in the post, any relevant experience, and a brief summary of what your aims would be during the year if appointed.



This should be sent to Mrs Lynda Dale ldale@cherwell.oxon.sch.uk



Applications to be submitted by start of Term 3 – Friday 7th January 2022

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 17

"The Cherwell School has been a wonderful place to spend this first half-term, thanks to its friendly staff and students as well as the great team of passionate and committed teachers I collaborate with. The feedback I receive day-in day-out from my mentor and colleagues is incredibly constructive and the teaching I have observed is of the highest standard. In addition, the school-centred approach of the Oxfordshire Teacher Training has been an invaluable opportunity for me to get substantial classroom experience from the beginning of term in a truly outstanding school. I can see every day how the vibrancy and the sense of community of Cherwell school together with its wide range of extracurricular activities benefits the academic success and emotional fulfilment of every single student."

Yasmine Saberi (MFL Associate) " I can’t believe we are approaching 3 months with the SCITT at Cherwell. Where has the time gone?

I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying the course. It’s definitely a challenge, no one day is ever the same! but I’m learning so much.

I really like the combination of being in school three or four days a week and then being in my SCITT hub for the remaining time (whether on-line or in person, the SCITT sessions are invaluable).

Caroline Slater, my mentor at Cherwell, has been very supportive and has guided me from my first half hour of teaching to the busy and full timetable I’m teaching now. Everyone in the Humanities department has been incredibly supportive and patient as I have learned about the work of the department and the school as a whole. The experience has offered me the opportunity to really understand how the faculty works and the staff have very generously included me in virtually all aspects of its operation. This has even included an invitation to the Faculty Christmas party, which I’m particularly looking forward to and will hopefully help mark the end of a thoroughly enjoyable two terms in the SCITT and at Cherwell School.

Many thanks to all the staff at Cherwell for making me so welcome and answering the many questions I have fired at them over the past 3 months! I’m very grateful."

Iain Wakefield (History Associate Teacher)

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

MFL DEPARTMENT NEWS

By Mr J Mehrabian Earlier on in the term, the German Department was invited to a sixth form Oktoberfest event at Radley College. Students had an opportunity to meet and speak to other sixth form German students and completed a quiz on German culture. Traditional German food was consumed and students very much enjoyed the event.

More recently, the German Department welcomed Mr Sebastian Plewe, an English and PE teacher from IGS Einbeck Comprehensive school who stayed in Oxford for two weeks. Mr Plewe was able to support Year 11 students in the run up to their speaking mock examinations and did some revision classes on the play Andorra with our Year 13 class. Mr Plewe was also able to introduce the topic of Education with our Year 12 German class and explained the different schools that exist in Germany. Students took part in a debate on the pros and cons of school uniforms in German and our visitor was able to chair the debate and decide on the winning team! We very much hope that we can establish further links with IGS Einbeck in the near future. In March, we will be hosting another visiting teacher; Mrs Renate Esber-Trost who will be able to further support our students in the run up to final speaking examinations.

Lastly, our large Year 13 French cohort was fortunate to have had two in house lectures to revise key themes regarding the literary and film elements of the French A Level course. Our huge thanks go to Professor Hannah Thompson, who is a French lecturer at Royal Holloway University and Professor Nikolaj Lübecker, who lectures at the the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford for giving up their time so freely.

Professor Nikolaj Lübecker, who lectures at the the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford

Professor Hannah Thompson, who is a French lecturer at Royal Holloway University

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 19

MFL DEPARTMENT NEWS

By Mr J Mehrabian

Mrs Saberi has been working with some of our sixth formers to create our first ever Languages magazine entitled the Global Dispatch. Students have contributed articles about topics that interest them in several languages, adding to the pre-existing multicultural environment at Cherwell.

We hope you will enjoy reading two of these articles: The first article in Spanish deals with the topic of deforestation in Rainforests, whilst the second article written in Arabic talks about the benefits of reading.

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

MFL DEPARTMENT NEWS

By Mr J Mehrabian

Sobre La Deforestación - By Leyla Mignon Arabic talks about the benefits of reading By Aia Sadullah © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 21

FOOD TECHNOLOGY Mrs S Williams

The food room has been very busy in terms 1 and 2 making up for not cooking. It would be impossible to include all the food photos that are worthy of sharing but here are a few examples.

Year 9 students have really enjoyed being in the kitchen making a range of meals but I managed to capture a few of the kebabs.

Year 10 students have been mastering a variety of sauce making techniques and cake making methods Joe Crosskey made a flawless Roux sauce and used it to make a Macaroni cheese. I only just managed to get a snap before it disappeared!

We turned our attention to different cake making methods next. I managed to get a few photos of the product of the rubbing in method before they were scone!!!

Year 10 scones

Eleanor Holloway’s fruit scones Page 22

Joe Crosskey made a flawless Roux sauce and used it to make a Macaroni cheese

Finbarr Jennings’ scones

Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Year 11 students practiced their bread and pastry skills in term 1 and produced some stunning results.

Lily-Lim Holmes - cinnamon swirls

Humaira Khan’s – seeded rolls

Robbie Barnett’s latticed apple pie, making good use of seasonal produce.

Kristen Domingo - plaited bread

Seph Falce – chocolate pastry twists

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 23

PERFORMING ARTS: We have been delighted to resume some of our extracurricular activities with a particular focus on Key Stage Three to begin with. Students in KS3 worked really hard towards the KS3 Performing Arts Evening, preparing drama, dance and musical numbers which took place on Wednesday 15th December on the North Site in the main hall.

The evening was truly spectacular and a testament to all the hard work the students put in. Congratulations to each and every one of you. Please see photos on the next page.

On the North Site, we have enjoyed virtual recitals from Year 12 and 13 students and rehearsals have started apace for our KS4/5 production of Antigone in March. The Cherwell Scholars Violin Club has resumed with students from Years 7-12 participating each Wednesday. This term, students in KS4 and 5 have auditioned for Antigone and we have gathered together a very strong cast. Rehearsals have begun for the performances in March and we are looking forward to seeing our students on stage again in a school show.

Both Benji and Jack Heron (Year 13) also participated in a Masterclass Recital with Russian Concert Pianist Gala Christakova in November at St. Edward’s School, and, on the strength of their performances, have been invited to participate in an international piano summer school in Italy next year. Roan Thornton from Year 13 was a commended runner up in The Oxford Chamber Music Festival Composers' Competition. Two students in Year 11 and Year 12, Orli Wolff and Rose Heelas, have successfully auditioned for lead roles in MYCOS production of Legally Blonde which will be held at Oxford Playhouse in April 2022.

We were also very proud to hear of one time Cherwell music and drama student , Jake Halsey-Jones who not only auditioned successfully for Hamilton in the West End, but later became understudy for the lead role of Alexander Hamilton. Earlier this month he even took to the boards in the lead on “understudy night “ to great reviews and acclaim.

Emily Coatsworth, one of our alumna musicians, sang in a stunning choral evensong from Clare College, Cambridge, broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Our Year 13 Theatre studies students also attend- We’ve also been really delighted by the success ed a live streamed performance of Wuthering of operatic -comedienne ex-student , Amy WebHeights by Wise Children from Bristol Old Vic. Stu- ber, with her one woman singing keyboard comedents brought in cosy cushions and treats to make dy show across the north of England. it a lovely event.

Further afield, ex-student Bertie Baigent was one of six finalists in the International Conductors’ Competition in Rotterdam, managing to combine this with plans to conduct NHS Tokyo Symphony Orchestra next year and more locally as Musical Director of Waterperry Opera Festival over the summer, conducting Donnizetti’s L'Elisir D’Amore.

Next term, we look forward to our Key Stage Three reward trip for our talented ensemble students, further recitals from Year 12 and 13 musicians, a Year 10 and 11 Drama trip to the Woman in Black, Students have enjoyed performing their devised dancers in Years 10 and 11 visiting Pineapple exam work this term. These were outstanding. Par- Dance Studios in London and a workshop inviting ents and students enjoyed the evening and there students in all years to learn the new organ at were some wonderful comments.

Cherwell, with an opportunity to start having lessons with Dr. Nicholas Prozzillo, Director of Music “I was blown away. It was so lovely to come in and have the at St Giles’ Oxford. opportunity to see it and soak up the atmosphere! Wow!”

“What a performance - so sophisticated. A visual feast and at the same time stomach churning.”

We are very much looking forward to celebrating and finally being able to share the achievements and talents of our students in Performing Arts.

From all the Performing Arts Faculty, we wish you a joyous Christmas and a happy holiday!

Other successes include Year 12 composer Benji Gronlie winning the Robinson College, Cambridge Young Composers competition. Benji also recently, and most impressively, performed the entire Bach Ellie Hollindale, Faculty Leader Performing Arts Goldberg Variations in aid of the new pipe organ at and Kate Wigham, Head of Drama St Giles’ Church, Oxford.

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

EXTRA-CURRICULAR DRAMA

Students in KS3 worked really hard towards the KS3 Performing Arts Evening preparing drama, dance and musical numbers which took place on Wednesday 15th December on North Site in the main hall. The evening was truly spectacular and a testament to all the hard work the students put in.

Congratulations to each and every one of you. Please see photos on the next page.

This term students in KS4 and 5 have auditioned for Antigone and we have gathered together a very strong cast. Rehearsals have begun for the performances in March and we are looking forward to seeing our students on stage again in a school show.

WeCherwell are very much looking forward to celebrating and finally being able to share the achievements and School talents of our students in Performing Arts.

Presents

Antigone

By MrsMarch Wigham 2022 Head of Drama

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 25

Beyond Cherwell Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org) All students in our sixth form have the opportunity to participate in our optional Beyond Cherwell enrichment programme and award. Beyond Cherwell is designed to give students the space and support to connect with other students in different subjects, to explore their own developing interests and to consider options beyond school - whether university, apprenticeships, travel or the workplace. Students receive a weekly bulletin of opportunities and activities within school, in Oxford and through virtual links and a themed weekly interdisciplinary challenge that goes beyond the curriculum. There are opportunities for individual and small group mentoring for independent projects and academic competitions, the chance to publish academic writing and ideas in the student-led Cherwell Journal, personalised guidance for work experience, careers and university or college applications, volunteering opportunities, pastoral support and help with study skills.

This term, the programme has included: Tuesday after-school seminars with a range of guest speakers: 

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20 Years On: 9/11 Attacks, Global Security and International Relations with Dr Edward Howell (University of Oxford) Dante: Reimagining Heaven and Hell with Professor Nick Haveley (University of York From Eye To Brain: How We See (Or Don’t) with Professor Holly Bridge (University of Oxford) Medical Ethics: Euthanasia and End Of Life Care with Professor Dominic Wilkinson (University of Oxford) Marginalised pasts: Jews and Muslims in the History of Europe with Professor Abigail Green (University of Oxford) Practical Ethics and Responsibility with Dr Ben Davies and Liz Sanders (University of Oxford’s Uehiro Centre) Why is North at the Top of the World Map? with Professor Jerry Brotton (author and broad caster, Queen Mary, University of London) Thinking About University and Student Finance with Precious Ejimonyeabala, Uni versity of Bristol Tokyo: Art and Photography with Clare Cory (Ashmolean Museum) The Price of Life with Dr Padraig Dixon (University of Oxford) Sleep with Dr Manuel Spitschan (University of Oxford) Art by Ava Rourke

Art by Jaina John, Dec 2021

Beyond Cherwell students designed cards to thank speakers who have delivered lectures during term 1 & 2

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Beyond Cherwell Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org) 

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Project work, such as the ‘fashion and sustainability’ challenge with Low Carbon Oxford North and Oxfam, working with students from Oxford High School and St Clare’s to create new fashion from old clothes before modelling them in a special photoshoot at the Natural History Museum and sharing them with Oxfam as part of their anti-fast fashion drive.

Mentoring with University of Oxford researchers, such as the tutorials and ‘critical friend’ mentoring around practical ethics.

Peer mentor volunteering through our informal ‘ask a student’ scheme and through our extended team of 20 Year 13 peer mentors.

Early UCAS application support A group of 60 Year 13s putting in early applications to university through UCAS (for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry) have been working together on Fridays after school to help them think creatively, flexibly and independently about their chosen subject areas.

The programme started with advice on choosing courses over the summer before guiding through forming personal statements, making connections between subjects, approaching unfamiliar subject material, preparing for admissions tests and interviews and getting a first exposure to universitylevel teaching. We have drawn extensively on the generous support of our school community, bringing in twenty former students to act as mentors and over thirty University of Oxford academics to provide small-group tutorials and subject-specific seminars (and reading suggestions and tasks around these) and to give every student a subject-specific mock interview! Regardless of the outcome of their applications, we hope that the process has been an enriching one. We certainly know that they will go on to brilliant things in the future and we look forward to bringing them back as alumni guests in future years, too!

To find out more about the Beyond Cherwell programme and to receive the weekly bulletin as a parent or supporter, please contact Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org).

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 27

Beyond Cherwell Goes International European Parliament Ambassador School (EPAS): Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer

European Youth Event In July 2021, we gained accreditation as one of the first UK schools to be awarded status as a European Parliament Ambassador School. The EPAS scheme is designed to promote international collaboration, political advocacy and active citizenship, empowering young people to take a proactive stance in discussing and shaping their future beyond local boundaries. Being an EPAS school gives us the opportunity to connect with political, business and academic leaders across the continent as well as to make links with other students and schools abroad.

We received a grant to take a group of students to the biennial ‘European Youth Event’ in Strasbourg - a huge conference of thousands of young people from across Europe, this year on the theme of ‘the future of Europe’. Whilst Covid travel restrictions prevented us from going in person, 30 students in Year 12 and 13 came into school on Saturday in October to join the conference virtually. We recreated the European Parliament in the sixth form centre, with our very own hemicycle attempt, and took part in a range of activities, including:     

Live virtual talks on themes of the environment, social mobility, political narratives and the media.

A ‘balloon debate’ on the UN’s sustainability goals A school audit on an issue important to us Work in preparation for COP26 Group project work on chosen specialist areas, including COP26 and sustainability, trade and borders, democratic structures and human rights, and science and Covid responses.

Students shared their ideas with each other in school before voting on the most pressing issues to feed back to the ‘European Youth Event’ team in Strasbourg.

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

Beyond Cherwell Goes International European Parliament Ambassador School (EPAS): Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org)

EPAS Ambassador Work We were asked to lead a training session for schools across the UK to launch the European Parliament’s 2021/22 EPAS cycle. Rowan, Ava and Rayan (Year 12) were fantastic ambassadors for the school and for the EPAS programme, sharing their experiences of being involved in EPAS through their debates, their Key Stage 3 ‘takeover’ lessons, their Cherwell Journal articles and the various visiting speaker talks and Q&A sessions.

Euroscola Conference We won a prestigious competition for some of our EPAS Junior Ambassadors to represent the UK as the national delegation at a Euroscola Conference, a virtual meeting of the 27 partner countries (and selected non-EU partners!). We began with an early morning European continental breakfast buffet before meeting virtually with the President of the European Parliament (David Sassoli), interviewing one of its Vice Presidents and advocating to the Head of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (Mychelle Rieu) in an ‘innovation lab’. We were delighted that - in addition to our pre-recorded question - Noah (Year 12) was one of three students across the continent to ask a live question (even if his question was met with a rather politician ‘acknowledge but avoid’ answer…). Students finished the event with a wide-ranging discussion with Mr Hilton (Deputy Headteacher), feeding back their ideas to the school’s leadership and thinking about ways to take forward in school some of their priorities.

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 29

Beyond Cherwell Goes International Finland 2022 Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org)

We are excited to announce that we have won a government Turing Scheme grant to provide a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity for a free fully-funded international trip to Finland and Estonia for 32 Year 12 students for two weeks in April 2022. The trip is entirely free: all costs, including food, activities, transport and accommodation, are covered by our Turing Scheme grant.

This is a unique opportunity for educational and adventure travel, to take students beyond Cherwell and to forge new international connections. Our trip is themed around ideas of sustainability and collective responsibility, working in partnership with a Finnish school to consider innovative approaches to the environment and our use of its resources. We’ll move from cutting-edge developments of Helsinki to the remote geographical challenges of Lapland and the Arctic Circle. We’ll learn the complex cultural

and political history of the region through working with the European Parliament in Helsinki and visiting Tallinn in Estonia. Our time will be spent on a mixture of group project work, activities, educational trips, adventure trips (aurorae-hunting in the forests of the Arctic Circle), school-based observation and joint community projects with Finnish and Estonian students. Students will continue their work back in school, finding ways to share their new experiences and give back to our community.

We look forward to sharing updates on our preparatory programme as our students begin to get ready for the trip next term. To follow along and see our progress, keep an eye on our Twitter feed - @CherwellEnrich.

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Cherwell Journal Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org) The Cherwell Journal continues in full force, with students submitting their research, writing and illustrations on a range of non-fiction topics that take them beyond their school curriculum. Articles this term have included:

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Spyware, objects and the truth behind Bond.

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A green manifesto for Cherwell

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Persephone and the pomegranate

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The ethics of vaccine passports

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How to lose yourself in a good book

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Are our rivers safe to swim in?

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A guide to coming of age films

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COP26 and green capitalism

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Jeanne Demessieux’s chorale preludes

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Kintsugi and valuing the broken

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Trade, borders and the EU

Key Stage 3 Journal Club

Students can submit writing at any time but some of our Key Stage 3 contributors gather on Wednesday lunchtimes to work together on their ideas, working with the mentorship of our sixth form editorial team to collaborate and share their enthusiasm.

Some of our students have also enjoyed one-to-one mentoring with researchers from the University of Oxford’s Uehiro centre and practical ethics team. After an initial virtual small group tutorial, students drafted articles and submitted them for feedback, meeting again individually with their research to act as a ‘critical friend’ before publishing their final piece - with some then invited to guest publish on the University’s own blog.

If students have ideas for a project, a niche interest they’d like to explore or an area in school they’d like to think more deeply about, we’d love to guide them and help shape an article. To find out more, contact Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org).

In 2021, we published a total of 162 articles from 146 student contributors: can we match this total in 2022?!

To read the Cherwell Journal: Years 12 and 13: https://thesixthformreview.wordpress.com/ Years 10 and 11: https://thekeystage4review.wordpress.com/ Years 7, 8 and 9: https://thekeystage3review.wordpress.com/ © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 31

Wytham Woods Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org)

As part of our pastoral enrichment programme, we took a group of Year 10 students and a group of Year 12 students on a residential trip to Wytham Woods. Students spent 24 hours in the woods including a night in a tent - getting to know each other, pushing their comfort zones and discovering new settings. They took part in a range of activities, including: Nature walks with an ecologist       

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Photography and sketching session Badger watching Bat detection Campfire building Cooking (including an excellent BBQ and apple crumble) Marshmallow toasting Workshops on the research including the world-famous tit studies Whittling and bushcraft skills

The students showed some impressive resilience to rain, cold and wind and they were a real testament to themselves and to the school.

Badger watching

Kim Polgreen tweeted It was a privilege to hang out with @CherwellEnrich’s wonderful students @WythamWoods.

The badgers came to clear up after you’d had gone to bed

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‘Dante Festival’ Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org)

We were delighted to collaborate with the University of Oxford’s Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) for their ‘Dante Festival’ - a celebration of 700 years since Dante’s Inferno. We invited students to creatively ‘reimagine hell’ for the modern age and we were delighted that 35 students took up this challenge! They met with Professor Gervase Rosser, who gave a talk in school about ‘Dante and the Age of Celebrity’ and shared some of the highlights of the exhibition he has curated, and with Professor Nick Haveley, who looked at how Dante has inspired visual culture to the modern day. Students then produced their own work in response - with short stories, poems, animations, illustrations, canvases and even a 2m sculpture installation of nine descending circles of hell! They exhibited at a special ‘After Hours’ event at the Ashmolean Museum, taking over Gallery 31 and sharing their pieces with members of the public over three hours (alongside a world exclusive performance of Ai-da, a robot poet..!).

Congratulations to all the students who took part; we’re sure it’ll be the first of many successful exhibits in the future!

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 33

‘Write on Rivers’ Competition Academic Enrichment @CherwellEnrich Contact: Miss Richer (cricher@cherwellschool.org) We were delighted to receive so many fantastic submissions for our autumn term school competition: ‘write on rivers’. Students were challenged to respond to the theme of ‘rivers’ in either a creative or non -fiction category and we received nearly 50 entries taking a huge range of approaches, from poems, short stories, art work and commentaries, annotated maps, scientific reports, local histories and personal reflections.

The judging panel was made up of teachers from different subject areas across the school: Miss Richer, Ms Moyse, Mrs Garton, Mrs Parish, Mrs Fogden, Ms Alexander, Mr Hibbert, Mr Moss and Mr Littlewood. We were delighted to read students’ work and we had lots of animated discussions debating our favourites. It was very hard to reach an overall decision!

The winners are: Creative

Non-Fiction

Year 7

Sissi Feng

Gabriel Richmond

Year 8

Olive Scott

Jane Westenskow

Year 9

Sharin Poongaran

Year 10

Iris Coleman

Year 11

Sophie Meredith

Kenzy Aly

Year 12

Jaina John

Rowan Hector-Turnbull

Year 13

Rand Al Muqham

Emily Meredith

The panel also wanted to give special commendations to three of their favourite entries that didn’t quite make the winners’ list:

Year 7: Manupa Ekanayake (Non-fiction) Year 10: Saskia Weiss (Creative) Year 12: Aman Kumar (Non-fiction) We look forward to rewarding all contributors in our end of term celebration assemblies!

The ‘write on rivers’ competition is also our first River Learning Trust collaborative competition and we are delighted to nominate our winners to go up alongside the other seven secondary schools across our academy network, with a celebration event with the University of Oxford to follow.

Keep an eye on our Twitter account to find out the outcomes: @CherwellEnrich.

Miss C Richer Year 7: Manupa Ekanayake

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Sophie Year 11

Sissi - Year 7 Krish - Year 7

Rowan - Year 12

Saleem Nassar - Year 11

Madeeha Mohamad Imran - Year 7

Alice - Year 7

Gabriel Richmond - Year 7

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 35

YEAR 7 NEWS

Mr Madden & Mrs Goble Head of Year 7 & Deputy Head of Year 7 Well done Year 7! We are now nearing the end of our first full term together at The Cherwell

School. Year 7 students have transitioned into secondary school with great success and are settling in well to the daily routines and starting to show their individual strengths in different areas. We have been impressed by how well students are showing a consistent, excellent attitude towards their studies and are starting to take responsibility for their actions. It is a pleasure to see them all growing up into such polite, young individuals.

During our Year 7 students first term, we have been extremely pleased to see the return of extracurricular clubs after such a long absence. Both the boys and girls football teams have been equally successful up to now with some stand out performances coming from Lazar Rosic and Eleanor Wye respectively. We have also seen a number of students taking part in further extracurricular activities such as Netball, Fit4Fun, Science club, Creative Writing club and most recent of all, Cheerleading. It is really nice to see so many students taking advantage of what we have to offer here at Cherwell and we look forward to challenging more students to take up the opportunities they have. Well done to all involved!

Looking ahead, we have had an outstanding number of students in Year 7 who have and are in the process of signing up to the Venture award. The Venture award is yet again another amazing opportunity in which students can show off their talents. Students in Year 7 will also be taking part in a reading initiative by reading a short story once a fortnight in form time with their tutors. Here at Cherwell, we value our reading at every opportunity and again, this is something we hope all students will embrace and appreciate moving forward.

Overall, it has been a pleasure to see our Year 7 students settle into Cherwell life and we hope you all have a well-earned rest over the festive period.

We would like to wish you all a Happy Christmas and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

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

YEAR 8 NEWS

Mrs Hodkinson & Miss Evans Head of Year 8 & Deputy Head of Year 8 It’s been fantastic to get back to (almost) normality with Year 8 this term. Students have thankfully had access to much more of the school site, and enjoyed lessons that they couldn’t do last year such as Food Tech, practical science lessons and library lessons. Students have also loved taking part more in school life in extra-curricular activities - we have a rich diet of things that students can now do after school from performing arts, sports, robotics club and Mock Trials. Year 8 have been developing our culture of personal growth and continue to do so; we hope that every student gets involved in some way in an extra-curricular activity either in or outside of school. We are really excited to be launching The Venture Award, which is a pre-Duke of Edinburgh style award that will teach our Year 8s so much about themselves and the world in which they live. Many students have applied to join the Award and we can’t wait to get started!

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Alongside our lessons and extra-curricular activities, Year 8 have also enjoyed the normality of having regular weekly assemblies, and we’ve really enjoyed hearing whole school messages and notices together. I hadn’t realised quite the impact that not having assemblies during the last year would have, and have greatly missed getting the group together to talk about really important issues. Assembly topics this year have included bike safety, wellbeing, how we learn, homework, peer on peer abuse, safeguarding in school, Remembrance Day, online safety and LGBTQ+ bullying. The messages from these assemblies aim to go beyond our remit of educators to teach the academic subjects and stretch out to form our year group as decent, mature young people who learn how to manage themselves and others around them in their community.

One of my favourite things this year has been seeing student-led initiative and activities. It is through student leadership, amongst many other things, that we build confident and well-rounded individuals at Cherwell, and I am very proud when I see students taking the lead on things. This was true of many of our students who were involved in the discussion and planning of activities for World Afro Day, where all students came off timetable to watch a world-wide assembly seeking to educate and celebrate Afro hair, culture and identity. This has also been seen in a club that Year 8 have set up for those interested in Robotics and coding. Two students came to me to ask if I could help them set up a club, so I did! The two Year 8 students run it now, and I have asked them to write about it in a separate article in this newsletter so you can hear their story – I’m very proud of them!

We look forward to more opportunities for the personal growth of students, alongside all their incredible hard work in classrooms. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mrs Hodkinson & Miss Evans Head of Year 8 & Deputy Head of Year 8

Robotics and Coding Club: It all started as an idea in Year 7 - I

thought about it for many months but because of COVID we couldn’t have any clubs. This year, I decided to go for it, so I asked Mrs Hodkinson (Head of Year 8) if I could start a Robotics and Coding Club for Year 8.

She helped us get some adults and two Year 13 students who could supervise, which took a while to organise. We planned and planned but eventually, I was finally able to start it! I created and put up posters on South Site and they got a lot of positive attention from students. Then, one of my friends, Isaac Upcroft, asked if I needed an assistant and I was very open to it! On the first session of the club we were not expecting so many people to come, however there was a room full of students passionate about Computing/Robotics!

We’ve now got a full class of aspiring engineers – at the club we create computer games, 3D models, make robots and much more! We have our own Google Classroom where Isaac and I set work and challenges for anyone who wants to take part. I give out R3s to the most engaged students and Miss Nolan, our adult helper and Mrs Hodkinson also help us. Some of the most outstanding pupils include: Daniel Walker, Finley Hampson, Olive Scott, Oscar Mac Niocaill, Shirhan Shirani, Sameer Appleby-Alis, Marco Young and Meguel Abraham. These are just some of the many awesome people at our club. Sometime, we also hope to see some of you who are reading this – it’s on after school for Year 8s in ICT3 3-4pm Mondays!

With many thanks to Ms Nolan, Mrs Hodkinson and our two Year 13 students, Alexey Savelyev and Ben Holmes.

By Isaac Upcroft 8CS and Den Upton 8RC © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 37

YEAR 9 NEWS

Ms Bristow, Mrs Kidd & Ms Wiggins Head of Year 9 & Deputy Heads of Year 9

Congratulations to Year 9!

In what seems like the blink of an eye, we are now the oldest on South Site and we are proving to be excellent role models for the younger students. I cannot begin to write this newsletter without mentioning the consistent excellent attitude that the year group has shown over this past term. It has been a pleasure to see them all growing into well rounded, polite and thoughtful young people.

Over the course of the term, we have been pleased to see the return of extra curricular clubs and competitions. Boys football has been particularly successful with special mentions to Louis Griffiths (MOTM) and goals scorers like Bertie KarimjeeWright, Percy Bove and Henry Myers. The boys have represented the school brilliantly. We are also pleased to announce that The Netball team beat The Swan School 24-0 in the recent Netball match. Wow! Looking ahead, we have had an astounding number of students in Year 9 who have signed up to The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, with over 180 students wanting to take part in such a prestigious award. We also have a large number of students taking part in Mock Trials and showing dedication and commitment to the competition with after school practises and thoughtful deliberation at home ready for their next debate.

This year, there has been a small number of boys in the year group who are working together to build skills outside of the classroom. This term we have been reading Marcus Rashford’s biography “You are a Champion”.

They have been reading out loud to each other and showing real kindness and consideration when others are reading. It has been a pleasure to spend time with these boys and to see the commitment they are making to their education and experience of school.

At lunch time, the table tennis tables have been busier than ever and the students in Year 9 have been starting their own tournaments at lunch time. Some of them are proving to be quite the players. It is great to see them sharing resources, supporting each other and developing new friendships around the tables.

I hope that Year 9 all have a well earned and well deserved rest over the festive period. I would like to wish everyone a healthy, safe and happy Christmas and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

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

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YEAR 10 NEWS

Mr Hopkins & Ms Wells Head of Year 10 & Deputy Head of Year 10 Dear Parents and Carers, The first two terms on North Site really have flown by with several positive moments to share with you.

Overall, I have been delighted with how Year 10 have taken to the new site and the heightened expectations at this early stage in their exam courses. As well as the students growing in height over the summer, growing in maturity, independence and responsibility have also been evident since our return to school. I am grateful that we have returned to a longer registration period in the mornings allowing additional time for wider pastoral work to be built into our day. As always, we are keen to explore different ways to capture the students voice as well as being appreciative as ever for the feedback from parents and carers.

Our wider pastoral work this year has included a range of learning activities around Black History Month, Making a Positive Contribution and most recently COP 26. It has been brilliant to see such a wide range of information and resources from different colleagues which the students have embraced and shown a real enthusiasm towards. The tutors have played a huge role in capturing a positive learning environment in the morning with many students completing independent study during this additional time.

I hope that the recent Parents and Carers Evening was a useful and informative event, which built upon the information around attitude to learning and teacher attainment grades shared with you via progress review 1. I must also say how grateful I was to receive so many wonderful emails and calls which I had following this event and look forward to seeing the students go from strength to strength as we prepare towards PR2.

We wish you a fantastic Winter break and look forward to the remainder of this exciting academic year.

Mr Hopkins & Ms Wells Head of Year 10 & Deputy Head of Year 10

Interested in Youth

Cricket?

Click below

http://wolvercotecricketclub.co.uk/

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 39

YEAR 11 NEWS

Ms Kelbrick & Mrs Knight Head of Year 11 & Deputy Head of Year 11 I’m so proud of the way our Year 11 students have started their GCSE year. The feedback from teachers is so positive, it’s a real testament to their maturity and resilience, especially after such a turbulent year.

Our Year 11s got involved in school life in a variety of ways right from the beginning of this year.

In September the whole school took part in World Afro Day and two of our Year 11s, Andreea Okoye 11BSd and Claire Yindom 11JSh were key to the planning of the event. They have also led follow up assemblies with Key Stage 3 and 4 which were based on feedback from students.

Our new Key Stage 4 library is now busy being used by our Year 10 and 11 students. Several of our Year 11 students helped set it up and they’ve done a great job.

The Year 11 mock interviews were a great success, (see the special section in this newsletter). Students were prepared and interviewers were impressed. It was great to see students buzzing with confidence after the experience.

We had a record breaking event in July which happened too late for our Summer Newsletter.

Akeem Brown 11KS, Lewis Currie 11KS, Brayden Daniel 11KS and Max Hillier 11KS broke the 28 year record for the boys for the 4x100 relay.

They ran the race in 49.06 seconds where the previous record set in 1993 was 50.46. What an achievement!

Year 11 is a big year in terms of exams as well as thinking about post 16 options. We have a whole programme of information and support which runs throughout this year. I want the Year 11 students to work hard, listen, reflect and look after themselves. Their tutors, teachers, Mrs Knight and I will be right behind them.

Akeem Brown 11KS, Lewis Currie 11KS, Brayden Daniel 11KS and Max Hillier 11KS broke the 28 year record for the boys’ for the 4x100 relay.

Ms Kelbrick, Head of Year 11 & Mrs Knight, Deputy Head of Year 11 Page 40

Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

SIXTH FORM NEWS

Miss Rapson Head of Sixth Form & Mrs Fowler , Head of Year 12 Miss Howse, Deputy Head of Year 12 & Mrs Fisher, Deputy Head of Year 13 When I take time to reflect about our sixth form students, I am always amazed in their abilities to maintain and build on superb academic achievement alongside their commitment to such worthwhile extra-curricular activities.

Over the last weeks, Year 13 have managed a heavy timetable of revision and exams, alongside UCAS applications, careers interviews and careers information on interview technique. Year 12 are now immersed in their A level courses, already learning new knowledge, applying this in test scenarios whilst also thinking about EPQ research and work experience.

Our sixth formers have still found time to organise charity events, including raising money for BBC Children in Need. Huge thanks to Alexia Cortes in Year 13, who has tirelessly promoted the charity over her time at Cherwell. For her final Children in Need at Cherwell, Alexia organised a Bake Sale on South Site and encouraged the whole school to wear ‘Spots, stripes and yellow’ on the day.

Amy Oliver has also come up with the inspired idea of a reverse advent calendar in which each tutor group across the school has been encouraged to get involved with. Rather than ‘getting’ a picture or a chocolate all key stages opened pictures of the most wanted items by local foodbanks and were encouraged to ‘give’! We are always trying to promote the 5 ways to wellbeing in the sixth form and ‘giving back’ has been well received by our sixth form community.

The Year 13 peer mentors continue to do great work with their Year 7 tutor groups. This dedicated bunch of 30 students have regularly attended Year 7 registration and supported our youngest students through their presence, offering advice and guidance on how to manage being at secondary school. They all had a great day with our School Counsellor learning about mental health as part of their peer mentoring role.

Our biggest aim this year is growing our already strong extra curricular provision so that we can offer our students a rich and rounded experience at Cherwell. Year 12 had an inspiring assembly with encouragement from the PE faculty, Arts, Drama, Music and the Duke of Edinburgh award to think about getting involved in activities for their own well being as well as broadening their horizons. As part of this we were delighted to introduce our new sixth form lead students. These students were successfully appointed from a very competitive field and we are sure they will make a huge difference in promoting key aspects and issues within our community. They are Diane Dewan: sixth form Lead for Freedom from Sexual Harassment and Violence Daria Budris: sixth form Lead for Sport Freddie Buchanan: sixth form Lead for Dance Evelina Venslovaite: sixth form Lead for Performing Arts Kayan Ali: sixth form Lead for Diversity and Inclusion Juliana Gois: LGBTQ+/ Diversity and Inclusion: Library Acquisitions Leader Fievos Fry: sixth form Lead for Wellbeing Grace Whitty: sixth form Lead for Sustainability and Biodiversity Tiye Salgado Swabey: sixth form Lead for Sustainability and Biodiversity Flora Holloway: Sexual Health Ambassador

We are really excited about working with these students in term 3.

Can I take this time to wish you a peaceful and relaxing holiday and we hope that all of our students enjoy their time with family and friends.

Miss Rapson, Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Fowler, Head of Year 12, Miss Howse, Deputy Head of Year 12 and Mrs Fisher, Deputy Head of Year 13 © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 41

PE NEWS

Mr Wallington & The PE Team

YEAR 7 GIRLS FOOTBALL The Year 7 girls football team have made an excellent start to their football journey at The Cherwell School. We have had almost 30 girls turning up to training and they have been keen and enthusiastic about representing the school in future matches. So far, the Year 7s have had one National Cup match in which they faced Wallingford School. The game started fairly close with both teams having chances but it was not long before Anna Griffiths opened the scoring with a great goal. On the day, Eleanor Wye and Georgia Calvert also got their first goals for Cherwell and the game finished 5-0. Round 2 of the National Cup takes us away to Didcot Girls School. We also have an upcoming friendly against the Swan School followed by the start of the County Cup in the new year. Well done to all of the Year 7s who have been regularly turning up to training since the start of the year!

By Miss Cox

YEAR 8 GIRLS FOOTBALL The Year 8 girls have had a fantastic run in the National Cup getting through to round 3. The team beat both Oxford Academy and St Helen and Katherine. Eloise Beauchamp has been the top goal scorer and has been very consistent in front of goal. Unfortunately they lost in round 3 to St Peter’s High School in Gloucester. Amalia Posetti-Anger who is Year 7 was given man of the match, she has proven herself to be a very agile goal keeper.

Defensively we have seen some brilliant tackles and interceptions from Molly Weiss, Raechel Fatima-Cameron and Mary Martin. In the middle both Jess Crosskey and Saoirse Nic Niocaill have been controlling the play and providing excellent passes to the attacking player.

The team are still in the county cup after beating Wallingford 3-2, they face Marlborough in the next round.

By Mrs Cooper

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

PE NEWS

Mr Wallington & The PE Team

YEAR 10 GIRLS FOOTBALL The U15 girls football team did not get the chance to be celebrated properly last year as they became joint National Champions! Unfortunately, the pandemic put a stop to their journey to the National Cup Final and due to the circumstances they were crowned joint National Champions. The team were clearly disappointed not to have the chance of playing in another national final but their commitment and dedication to getting there was exceptional.

This year, the team had a delayed start after receiving a bye in round one of the National Cup. They then got back to winning ways against Sir Herbert Leon Academy in round 2. Round 3 was a challenge for the girls as they faced Great Marlow School. After a close game, they managed to get through with a 3-2 win. The girls continue their National Cup Run with an upcoming match against Marlborough School in round 4.

By Miss Cox

YEAR 11 GIRLS FOOTBALL The Year 11 girls have shown fantastic commitment from Year 7 all the way up to Year 11. Having reached the quarter final stages twice before, they hoped to continue on a long National Cup run.

Things looked promising as they had a strong 9-1 win over Henry Floyd Grammar School in the early stages, however, they came up short against Chesham Grammar School who progressed through to the next round. Although the National cup run was shorter than usual, the team should be proud of everything they have achieved since Year 7.

By Miss Cox

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 43

PE NEWS

Mr Wallington & The PE Team YEAR 7 BOYS FOOTBALL It has been a great first year for the Year 7 boys football. They have dominated so far in the National Cup and have impressed with large numbers of highly skilled players at each training session.

Their campaign started off with an impressive 9-1 win against Bicester School with Lazar Rosic scoring 5!

The next game took the team on their first away trip to play against Trinity School in Newbury. The boys came away with a solid 1-0 win to qualify them for the 4th round. Next Game is scheduled against a very strong Gosford Hill team who we hope our boys can topple. We also have the County Cup fixtures starting after Christmas and with the addition of an external coach to help development at training the boys have a great chance.

By Mr Surrage

YEAR 8 BOYS FOOTBALL

After not being able to compete in any cups last year the Year 8 boys were raring to get out there and start playing some fixtures. They played really well in both cups and were really unlucky to miss out on progressing further. When the boys travelled to Reading in the National Cup the game was really close. Dara Akinpelu produced an outstanding goal in the last minute of the game to secure the win and progress into the 3rd round. Unfortunately we came up against a very strong team in the following game and could not make it to the next round. In the County Cup the team came up against a challenging Gosford Hill side. Our boys reigned supreme and won the fixture against this local rival 3-0. The next game saw us knocked out by Wallingford School. The team confidence grew massively after each game and with their continued weekly training they will be pushing for greatness in their next season.

By Mr Surrage

YEAR 9 BOYS FOOTBALL The boys have had a fantastic season already this year. They made it to round 5 in the National Cup which represents the top 64 school teams in England. In the 5th round they came up against the current National Cup champions and gave them a really tough game. With the score 2-1 to the opposition in the second half, the game could have gone either way with Cherwell School having all of the possession. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite catch them and the game ended 4-2. With the county cup coming up after Christmas we are quietly confident that we have a very good chance of doing well.

By Mr Surrage Page 44

Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

PE NEWS

Mr Wallington & The PE Team

YEAR 10 & 11 BOYS FOOTBALL: The boys teams in Year 10 and 11 have been attending weekly session led by Mr Hopkins and Mr Wallington.

The sessions have been well attended by enthusiastic students who have shown an excellent attitude and commitment to developing and refining their football skills.

Each session has seen progress in technical skills such as ball control, passing and finishing with plenty of practice dedicated to becoming more confident and competent with their weaker foot.

It has been fantastic to see the boys show such enthusiasm towards their tactical understanding of the game and adapting positively to a range of problem solving tasks within adapted game scenarios.

Both year groups have competed in National Cup fixtures with many students making their first appearance for the school side this year.

We look forward to seeing the numbers of students attending increase particularly with the exciting prospect of the artificial pitch later in the season.

By Mr Hopkins

YEAR 7 AND 8 NETBALL: After a turbulent year or so, I am so pleased that we have been able to get netball club running again on a regular basis. We have a good number of students who turn up every week to develop their knowledge and skills in this brilliant game.

Considering many of our students have had either little or no experience of netball, I am so proud of how much they have developed over such a short time. We are looking forward to playing in our first fixtures which are coming up soon and starting our City Schools league after Christmas - I know the students are very excited about this and will represent our school with pride.

I have high hopes for our Year 7 and Year 8 netball teams and I know that with their motivation and dedication to succeed, we will carry on improving and enjoying the game (and hopefully celebrate a win or two!)

By Mrs Green

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PE NEWS

Mr Wallington & The PE Team YEAR 9 TO 11 NETBALL - TERM 1 The netball squad have played some fantastic netball already this season. We have seen the club grow in numbers from week 1 and now have over 4 teams of students attending every session. In preparation for the netball league in January they have shown a commitment to making progress in shooting and defence by working hard to improve and refine their skills and tactical play. We have been trying out new drills to strengthen our shoulder passes and ability to transfer the ball with power and speed across the court. This made a huge difference to the Year 9 team who competed in the Oxfordshire County tournament and came 3rd in their group, beating Lord Williams’s School on Saturday 13th November.

The Year 10 and 11 students are starting to work on their ability to umpire. They have learnt the rules, signals and regulations when umpiring on a court and have been practicing every Monday. They will join us at our next fixture against The Swan School where, they will umpire their first official game. Keep up the great work everyone.

By Mrs Campbell

Year 10 student

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Year 10 and 11 students who are undertaking training to be netball umpires.

Year 10 students

Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

PE NEWS

Mr Wallington & The PE Team KEY STAGE 3 FIT4FUN Fit4Fun is an afterschool club that doesn’t focus on just one sport or activity; it is, as its name suggests, all about promoting being fit, active and enjoying the activities we offer.

Every session starts with some kind of ‘fun’ game such as benchball, dodgeball, corner football, kicking rounders. The emphasis is always on fun and participation and not on the skills themselves. The second half of the club is ‘free play’ where students are allowed to safely use some of the gymnastic equipment such as the ropes, wall bars and spring boards. This allows students to ‘have a go’ at some movements that they wouldn’t normally get to participate in or perhaps lack the confidence to do so.

As the club is open to Years 7, 8 and 9, we often find that students can build friendships with others in different classes and/or different year groups which promotes their self confidence and overall well being so I am very proud to be running this club at Cherwell.

I hope that this club gives some of our students the opportunity to invest in an extracurricular activity that they wouldn’t normally do and will help them to build confidence, self esteem and their understanding that to be fit and active doesn’t always need to be about being in a school sports team.

By Mrs Green

Year 11 is very proud of Hannah Newhouse 11KCx who has been selected for the RFU U18 women’s England Centre of Excellence Programme.

The Centre of Excellence is the next stage in the Women’s Performance Pathway from the County program and prepares young women for moving up into a First team environment at a Premier 15s club or the England U20 team. The focus is to develop players across all components of performance – technical, tactical, physical preparation, mental wellbeing and overall lifestyle.

We wish her luck and can’t wait to see what she achieves next.

By Ms Kelbrick, Head of Year 11 © The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 47

PE NEWS

Mr Wallington & The PE Team

U15 GIRLS BASKETBALL The U15 girls are yet to have any fixtures due to their first scheduled opponent pulling out of the league. In the meantime, they have been working hard during training in the run up to their first game which will now be after the Christmas break.

U15 BOYS BASKETBALL The U15 boys team have gone unbeaten in what has been a fantastic regular season! In all three fixtures the team did a good job of seeing the floor and opting for fast-breaks for easy buckets, utilising the post players and running hard!

Scores: Vs The Oxford Academy 53-12 (W) Vs D’Overbroeck’s 59-28 (W) Vs Warriner 37-30 (W) All players have shown great composure throughout. Bring on the finals!

U16 GIRLS BASKETBALL The U16 girls squad had a rocky start to their season, falling short to Cheney and King Alfred’s but have finished the Autumn term with a well-deserved win over The Oxford Academy.

Scores: Vs Cheney 6-58 (L) Vs King Alfred’s 19-40 (L) Vs The Oxford Academy 28-22 (W) The team have one last regular season fixture after the Christmas break - Watch this space!

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence

PE NEWS

Mr Wallington & The PE Team

U16 BOYS BASKETBALL The U16 boys still have one game to play against John Mason to finish their regular season, currently standing at 1-1 with a huge win over The Oxford Academy and a loss to King Alfred’s.

The team have done an amazing job at recognising their opposition’s strengths and weaknesses and then adapting their defence accordingly. Their ability to be aggressive in 1-on-1 situations has contributed massively to their points and led to 5 players being in double figures against The Oxford Academy!

Scores: Vs The Oxford Academy 96-34 (W) Vs King Alfred 51-59 (L)

A NOTE FROM COACH LIBERTY “I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to develop the talent that Cherwell’s basketball programme has to offer and coach at the school that I once played at. Every single player across all four of the KS4 teams has worked incredibly hard, listened and executed and most importantly improved - not to mention juggled GCSE mock exams alongside!

I’d like to say a big thank you to those students who helped do the scoring at their peers’ games and to Miss Street for organising the fixtures in rapid time! A huge shout out to Noel for refereeing some of the fixtures - how brilliant to have one of our students assisting with the officiating!”

By Liberty Morris, Year 10 and Year 11 Basketball Coach

© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 49

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Winter Newsletter 2021 © The Cherwell School, Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence