Churcher's College Focus - Spring 2018

the great debate rocks churcher's

alsO inside: oxbridge record breakers and happy birthday to the nursery!

SPRING 2018

C OL L E G E CHURC HER ’S

the political issue

Breaking news!

Churcher’s College found itself thrust to the forefront of politics this term when a packed hall of 500 guests gathered for a Brexit debate. Guest speaker Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg MP released a copy of his speech prior to addressing the audience, attracting the attention of the national press; cameras and journalists proceeded to descend on the school. Political furore aside, the stimulating evening gave Churcher’s students and parents the opportunity to hear and question his stance, and to form their own views on a crucial topic. Mr Rees-Mogg is the elected Conservative MP for the constituency of North East Somerset and, within Parliament, sits on the Exiting the European Union Select Committee, which scrutinizes the work of the Department for Exiting the European Union.

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FOCUS Senior Brussels

With Brexit dominating the news there was no better time for 25 A Level Economics, Business and Politics students to visit the heart of the European Union. The students learned about the history, workings and impact of the EU by visiting the EU Parliament, Parliamentarium museum and the House of European History.

They also saw the impact of the EU on trade by visiting the Port of Antwerp and the Coca Cola Factory. The students had a guided tour of the production and bottling, and a talk on the marketing and corporate social responsibility of Coca Cola. Finally, the students also had the opportunity to visit the Central Bank of Belgium to understand the importance of monetary policy and how it has changed with the introduction of the Euro.

Martin Hill

the Great Debate

The Senior School was given a taste of suffrage this half term as it took part in Churcher’s first ever ‘Great Debate’.

Four Sixth Form Politics students: Roberta Barrett, Matt Crane, Ella Bozdag and Charlie Gaisford gave speeches to the amassed Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Form pupils, debating the issue ‘The vote should be extended to 16 and 17 year olds’. There was plenty of thought-provoking and rousing rhetoric from the lectern for the eager ears of the newlyenfranchised electorate, before the students themselves were asked their own opinions. The result was closer than many had expected with ‘Yes’ to extending the vote winning by a margin of 60.6 – 39.4 %.

Patrick Cheshire

FOCUS • 3

GEOGRAPHY

In November nineteen Lower Sixth Geographers and the five members of the department returned to Dorset for a long weekend of residential fieldwork based at the PGL centre in Osmington Bay. The purpose of the trip was twofold: to practise data collection techniques in preparation for the A Level Independent Investigation, and to experience some key coastal management case studies first hand.

On Saturday we investigated differences between managed and unmanaged beaches at Lyme Regis, surveying beach transects and measuring the size and shape of beach material, before heading along Chesil Beach stopping at West Bay (Broadchurch!) and Chiswell to look at coastal management schemes.

On Sunday we explored variations in the concept of place between six distinct locations in Weymouth, considering land use, pedestrian counts, environmental quality and visitor perception.

As it was Bonfire Night we were able to enjoy the view of the Weymouth fireworks across the bay from around our own firepit at Osmington.

Monday found us on the beaches at Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove, looking at the role of geology in the process-landscape relationship in these textbook coastal case studies. The students’ behaviour and focus throughout the trip were exemplary and, although the north wind blew, the sun shone and the local fish & chip and ice cream vendors enjoyed unseasonal spikes in sales.

David Nighy

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FOCUS Senior

FOCUS • 5

HISTORY

Holocaust Educational Trust

It was an honour to be chosen to represent the school at the Holocaust Educational Trust and it’s an experience we will never forget. We flew out to Krakow in early November for a day with schools from all over the South East to be witnesses to the horrors of the Holocaust. The sites of both Auschwitz and Birkenau left us utterly speechless. It was harrowing to see the scene, and structures of such evil and brutality, and we found it difficult to comprehend the thought that human beings could commit such atrocities towards each other. The ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project therefore aims to ensure the Holocaust and its events are never forgotten. We are looking forward to giving our assembly when we can expand upon our experiences and give our testimony about the millions murdered and persecuted by the Nazi regime.

Charlie Gaisford and Rosie Botham

we will remember them

Over half-term Churcher’s headed to the World War I battlefields. On Day One of our trip we visited three cemeteries: Lijssenthoek, Langemark and Tyne Cot. At Lijssenthoek pupils had their first view of memorials on the Western Front. They visited the grave of Nellie Spindler, the only women to be killed in the Ypres Salient. At all three sites pupils had some time to move around the cemeteries in contemplation of the numbers of men who died there, either identified or ‘known unto God’. After dinner, we made our way to the Menin Gate to listen to the Last Post ceremony. We awoke the first morning in our hotel to a blanket of snow which was beautiful, but slightly problematic! Unfortunately, we were ‘snowed off’ the Somme, but our guide Peter did a fantastic job of adapting our plan. We stayed in-and-around Ypres for a fantastic snow-filled day of Hill 66, chocolate shops and epic snow ball fights. Our last day visit to Vimy Ridge was exceptionally beautiful, and the sun came out to greet us. Our Canadian tour guide took us below ground to the tunnels in which men sheltered during bombardments and then up into the trenches. As the shadows of our pupils fell on the snow covered ground, it was hard not to imagine the men whose footsteps they walked in, in the freezing cold.

Lisa Buttar

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FOCUS Senior

Could it have worked?

Constitutional Monarchy in France 1789 - 1792 By Emeritus Professor William Doyle

CCALs LECTURE

We were immensely privileged to welcome back Emeritus Professor William Doyle, a world authority on the French Revolution. He delivered an excellent and informative lecture on the reasons why constitutional monarchy in France ended in failure with the execution of Louis XVI in 1793. He had a packed audience of Churcherian historians, as well as students from Godalming College, Reigate School and Reading Bluecoats. They all wrote copious amounts of notes having enjoyed the delicious cake beforehand!

Wednesday 22nd November 2017 4.30 - 5.30pm

Helen Jolliffe

Churcher’s College Lecture Theatre.

Quantum theatre

Quantum Theatre returned for a second year to give the Third Year pupils a splendid hour of theatre and music of the First World War. They performed ‘Your Country Needs You’ which drew on original source material that illustrated the politics behind the outbreak of the war through to the battle of the Somme. They masterfully interwove songs, sketches, poetry and prose to examine the effects of war on those directly involved at home and at the front (both German and British). Pupils thoroughly enjoyed it and it fitted in very well with their History curriculum this term.

Helen Jolliffe

FOCUS • 7

English Is the British nation obsessed with diet?

Does it matter that we exaggerate too much?

Is the pen mightier than the sword?

These were just some of the topics up for debate as Churcher’s College hosted the West Sussex heat of the English-Speaking Union’s Public Speaking Competition. Our two teams competed against Ditcham Park, Mayville High, Portsmouth Grammar, Seaford College and St Philip Howard Catholic High School.

In Heat One, Fourth Year student Zoe Blackburn won Best Speaker for her passionate bid for fewer standardised tests and more scope for creativity in the British education system. She was ably supported by Anqi Stenning, Tommy Howells and Will Bentley but in the end the team was crowned runner-up to St Philip Howard, who were very worthy winners.

In Heat Two, Fifth Form student Molly Steele asked the audience, ‘Are we growing into an ever more angry society?’, impressing with her confident manner and ability to think on her feet when questioned by members of the opposing team, as well as the audience.

Maddie Macey and Annabelle Smith had the task of chairing and questioning the guest speaker from Ditcham Park on the intriguing topic, ‘Should we follow Nike’s advice and ‘Just Do It?’ and their experience in the competition really shone through.

The Fourth Year team progressed to the next round where they appeared at The Bishop’s Palace in Chichester. It was hard to choose a worthy winner from the narrowed field and that was the end of their journey…for this year.

Penny Harper

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500 words

Award-winning Young Adult author Matt Whyman visited some of our Fifth and Sixth Formers to launch our own 500 Words story competition for the Upper School. He explained the creative process he applies when approaching a short story and is looking forward to judging the submissions.

Dawn Greenall

500

WORDS COMPETITION

Award-winning Young Adult author y uncle’ Former ‘agon

LAUNCH EVENT:

FEBRUARY 5 2018 4.15PM IN THE GARDEN ROOM Receive helpful feedback on your entries!

Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.

GUEST JUDGE

MATT WHYMAN

5TH YEAR TO UPPER 6TH ONLY churcherscollege.com

FOCUS Senior

languages Meet the assistants

Bonjour !

Je m’appelle Elodie. Après avoir été stagiaire en marketing à Churcher's College, c’est en tant qu’assistante de français que je reviens cette année ! Je viens de Toulouse dans le sud de la France, autrement appelée la ville rose. Après avoir passé 4 ans à étudier les langues étrangères à l’université, je trouve qu’aider les élèves à découvrir le français est quelque chose de passionnant. J’aime beaucoup ce partage, et apprécie mon travail.

Churcher's College est une école fantastique, et je suis vraiment heureuse de passer cette année ici avec vous !

german film day

On Thursday 8th February three German A Level students attended a German Film and Literature Study Day in London.

They enjoyed total immersion into the German language by listening to lectures on the film ‘Das Leben der Anderen’ and the text ‘Der Vorleser’ which they study at A Level. Guidance on useful exam revision was also given, equipping them for their film and literature essays and, hopefully, ensuring they will now write their pieces exceedingly well!

Ariana Broomfield

日本の クラブ Hallo!

Mein Name ist Georg und ich bin dieses Jahr Sprachassistent für Deutsch am Churcher’s College. Ich bin 26 Jahre alt und ich komme aus Österreich. Ich habe Englisch und Biologie studiert und möchte Lehrer werden. Die Arbeit mit den Schüler/innen und dem Lehrerkollegium macht mir große Freude und es ist wunderbar zu erleben, mit welcher Begeisterung die Schüler/innen einer anderen Kultur und Sprache begegnen. Die Möglichkeit als Sprachassistent, die englische Kultur und Sprache quasi „hautnah“ zu erleben, ist eine unglaubliche Bereicherung und eine Erfahrung, die ich nicht missen möchte.

Our new Japanese Club takes place on Tuesdays, run

by Fifth Year student Kyne Devenish and supported by enrichment teacher Mrs Lawrence.

Our pupils are enjoying their journey into this fascinating language and rich culture. すばらしいです

FOCUS • 9

music

Senior Cabaret

Senior students thoroughly entertained packed audiences with a huge array of performances. Due to the overwhelming number of pupils wanting to be involved, each evening featured different soloists covering all manner of genres, from barbershop to musical theatre to jazz!

NCERT

LUNCHTIME CO

Academy of Contemporary Music

The A Level Music and Music Technology students took a trip to the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM), allowing them to explore what it’s like to record in a studio, guided by a top industry producer. They recorded two tracks, one featuring Grace Moran, and one with Frances Flannagan. The students were then guided in how to edit, mix and master a recording which they then took home with them.

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FOCUS Senior Recitals

Save the Children Concert

The Junior and Senior Recitals are an opportunity to showcase not only the up and coming talent but also the more established musicians in the school.

The senior event offered a chance for pupils to perform solo items with a few ensembles such as the Guitar Group and Senior Brass Group performing. It was a wonderful evening’s entertainment with, as they say, something for everyone!

The junior evening was also a great success. A variety of soloists performed alongside the Junior Strings and Junior Chamber Choir. The evening closed with the Junior Choir getting into character and singing ‘Revolting Children’ from the musical ‘Matilda’.

ICE CAROL SERV

Rock School/Singer Songwriter Evening

The annual Rock Show showcases the school’s talented rock bands as well as its up and coming songwriters and Blues Group musicians. The first half of the evening showed an impressive array of song-writing talent, from upbeat pop to soothing ballad. The Blues Group raised the energy levels and played three numbers, wowing the audience with their solos. After a short interval, the bands played a twelve song set spanning five decades, finishing the night with a HUGE version of Boston’s ‘More Than a Feeling’.

FOCUS • 11

sixth form GAP year in China

Elizabeth Little who left Churcher’s Sixth Form last year is now on her GAP year. She is in China with Africa & Asia Venture (AV). She spent four weeks learning Mandarin before enjoying a well-deserved break for Chinese New Year before starting the teaching phase of the programme.

Elizabeth is thoroughly embracing Chinese life and is getting stuck into exploring and understanding the local community.

Leadership Day

In January, eighty-seven Lower Sixth Formers took part in a Leadership Training Day put on by Future Foundations, an independent company that specialises in inspiring young people to achieve their full potential and become successful leaders. The day was designed to challenge the pupils to think about their leadership styles and to look at how to become effective leaders. The students really performed well; they pulled together as a team and, as always, they grasped every opportunity to learn a little more about themselves and others.

It was a privilege to listen to ‘who they admire and why’ with many choosing to name relatives rather than famous celebrities. It was certainly enlightening, and a privilege, to listen to the open and honest discussions which pervaded the day.

Future Foundations certainly delivered a different way of looking at leadership; our thanks go to the company for putting on a superb day of engaging activities.

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FOCUS Senior Record Breakers!

Churcher’s pupils who applied to Oxford and Cambridge are celebrating their offers which came in on the 10th January. Ten pupils have been offered places, which is a school record!

Those who applied to Cambridge were made the following offers: Archie Moffat to read Veterinary Science at Selwyn College; Amelia Kelson to read Natural Sciences (Biological) at Robinson College; Emily Giffin to read Spanish and French at Trinity College; Tim Higginbotham to read Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, and Emilia Gibson to read Mathematics at Newnham College.

Oxford offers are as follows: Gareth Waters to read Engineering at Keble College; William McCathie to read PPE at Queen's College; Evie Fleck to read English Literature at Wadham College; William Chamberlain to read German and Russian at Somerville College, and finally Robert Chamberlain who has now secured a place to read History as he applied after his A Level results.

Helen Jolliffe

When Science met Religion

On the 6th February the Upper Sixth R&P students were treated to a circus of experiments

by Mr Hoe, to help them visualise John Hick’s pluralist hypothesis. Light is often thought of as being wave-like and we tend to consider electrons to be particles. Mr Hoe demonstrated that to fully understand the nature of light under certain conditions it needs to be considered to be particle-like and that to fully understand the nature of electrons under certain conditions they need to be considered to be wave-like.

Oxbridge workshop

Luke Maw, Admissions Officer from St Edmund’s Hall, Oxford came to Churcher’s to talk to our Oxbridge group. He gave the students helpful advice about the best way to prepare for an interview and allayed any pre-conceived concerns about the process. He stressed the importance of articulating ideas and being receptive in the interview, so that the interviewer could ascertain a student’s potential in their tutorial system.

He further engaged the students by doing a practical task with stimulus graphs. All in all, a helpful hour to set our students on their way to a successful interview!

Hick calls this the “wave-particle complementarity in physics” and considers it an empirical analogy to how the properties of the ‘Real’ are experienced in different ways depending upon how the observer (and in the case of religion, the practitioner) acts in relation to it. Although not using it as an argument, Hick also used the reality of a rainbow, which Mr Hoe also demonstrated, as pedagogical metaphor: “The rainbow, as the sun’s light refracted through rain drops into a glorious spectrum of colours, is a metaphor for the refraction of the divine Light by our human religious cultures.” (Hick, The Rainbow, x).

FOCUS • 13

Outrageous mud Strong catapults Crazy rain Amazing fun This new cohort started in style with plenty of rain, wind and mud but there were lots of laughs and screams as I glanced over the field and witnessed a real catapult war!

Knots aplenty, Angel Delight in great quantities, chariots galore... there is always room for more fun at OSCA. Nicole Sparks

14 • FOCUS

FOCUS Senior

Charlton Chase

Charlton Chase: a brutal, destructive trial of the elements that thrives on pushing you to your physical and mental limits.

The challenge in Charlton Chase is unlike anything I’ve experienced previously and stems from three key factors: the lack of sleep; walking with few breaks, and the mud.

Humans are not nocturnal and most people would rather be asleep in a comfy bed during the night. This pushes you to the limits of insanity, as you constantly drive to keep yourself awake by consuming a high number of calories.

Walking on Charlton Chase is different from walking on DofE for one key reason: the lack of breaks. You have a time limit and you must finish within those bounds.

Therefore, throughout our journey we took a total of two breaks, each one no more than five minutes long, at designated zones where the clock could be paused while we regained some form of comfort.

But the ultimate challenge is the mud.

Throughout the night our whole team either slipped, tripped or skidded at one point or another. The mud was everywhere and by the time we reached the end point, we were completely and utterly covered. However, after a bacon sandwich and a coach ride home, I came to the conclusion that although it was a painful and exhausting journey that made me wish for home, it was absolutely worth it.

Oli King (Charlton Chase Survivor)

FOCUS • 15

Ski trip 42 students, 6 staff, a very knowledgeable PGL rep and a lot of snow descended on Saalbach resort in Austria early in the New Year. After a long coach journey filled with DVDs, crisps and sweets we arrived at our hostel. After a quick explore of the resort we got our ski kit and we were ready for the slopes.

The first morning was beautiful and everyone was out on the mountain, however we had warnings of a storm descending. At lunchtime the high winds hit, and visibility was lost, so we bundled down the mountain to try get a few more runs in safely.

The rest of week brought the highs and lows of learning a new skill. After working their legs hard in the day we had evening activities of skittles, quizzes and a traditional Austrian spa.

It was a fantastic week of sun, snow and laughs and everyone just about came home in one piece! Thank you to all the staff and students for making the trip so successful.

Laura Howe

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FOCUS Senior

FOCUS • 17

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success outside school Ben Kay

of 5R has recently been selected as part of The Lambs U16 National Squad. The Lambs are a selected rugby squad from all independent schools across the country so it represents a significant achievement. Ben will now enjoy a series of fixtures against some very tough opposition including the Boys Club of Wales, Worcester Warriors and Gloucester. We wish Ben every success with this fantastic opportunity.

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James Troughton

has recently returned from competing in the Rome Open Taekwondo Competition.

Third Year student James flew out to Rome with high hopes of success and he certainly did not return disappointed, winning a gold medal for his sparring. This represents an excellent achievement for James as he was up against a large field of very strong competitors. We wish him continued success in his future events.

FOCUS Senior swimming gala

There was some record-breaking action during the Senior House Gala where Drake came away with the victory, just edging out Nelson into second place. Rebecca Adler and Abi Mason, who joined this year at Sixth Form, were joint winners of the girls’ ‘Star Swimmer Award’ having both set two new school records. Ben Williams took the title for the boys, also setting two new school records, one of which was snatched from his older brother Dominic!

Water Polo is continuing to go from strength to strength and the new goals extending the pitch to twenty have changed our game. Having beaten a young Winchester College team 14-5 we were confident coming up against Charterhouse, but lost a close match 5-2.

Mr Herman has done a terrific job in developing the Water Polo and now we look forward to hosting our first two matches against club opposition - Basingstoke and Portsmouth.

Peter Beard

Lottie Jackson

of 1D was crowned Hampshire County Champion for her age group in 100m and 200m Butterfly at the Hampshire County Swimming Championships held in Portsmouth and Waterlooville. She also won silver in the 50m Butterfly & 200m Individual Medley events and Bronze in the 40m Individual Medley and 50m Backstroke events.

She has worked incredibly hard this season and the results are testament to her dedication in the pool this year.

She trains two hours a day, six days a week.

FOCUS • 19

Sport Science Sky Sports

The GCSE Fifth Year students visited the Sky Sports studios in London. They were shown around different studios and were able to see how and where their favourite sports shows are filmed. They then got to create their own report and take on a role behind or in front of the camera. The end result was certainly entertaining but their skills may need a little more refining before they get on the network.

On thin ice: the application of science

by Simon Wickes

Wednesday 6th December 2017 4.15pm - 5.15pm

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Churcher’s College Lecture Theatr

on thin ice

In December, Human Sciences professional Simon Wickes delivered a talk to students interested in STEM, as well as those studying A Level Sport Science. He spoke about how he and his team at Qinetiq were able to support James Cracknell and Ben Fogle on their race to the South Pole, and the eighteen months of preparation that preceded it. It was a fascinating talk looking at the selection process for Ed Coats, their third team member, and exploring nutrition, the challenge of sleeping in constant daylight, team dynamics and the physiological pressures of pulling a 70kg load over snow and ice for 450 miles in sub-zero temperatures.

20 • FOCUS

testing times

The A Level students ventured to Cardiff Met to try out the physiology and biomechanics labs.

FOCUS Senior

think pink!

PINK WEEK

Churcher's enjoyed a colourful seven days of fundraising for Breast Cancer UK. Students and staff aimed to raise awareness of the charity’s work, with Sixth Form PSHE lessons during the week focusing on breast cancer and prevention of the disease. Pupils wore pink fancy dress at lunchtimes and participated in dodgeball competitions. A pink mufti day raised around £2000 for the charity.

walk with the wounded

On a very cold night in December, six girls (Kate Bosher, Liv Shaul, Ciara Chestnutt, Giselle Conran, Kirsty Partridge and Lizzie Rose) along with two members of staff, took part in a fifty mile walk to raise money and awareness for the charity 'Walk with the Wounded'. Six weeks prior to this, these girls got together and started raising money for this worthwhile cause. The walk started at 21:30 at the Cenotaph, central London and ended around 16:30 in Petworth in West Sussex.The group walked at a good pace through the early hours of the morning and saw some wonderful sights and sounds of London. It was gruelling, yet throughout the whole experience the girls never stopped smiling and cheering each other on through the pain and blister-covered feet. The girls were very much outside their comfort zone, but each of them walked as many miles as their bodies would allow. The three who crossed the finish line were not only plucky, but completed it in great spirits.To date, the girls have raised over £3000, which is just a fantastic achievement.

Matt Strachan

FOCUS • 21

IN OTHER NEWS...

SATRO

In February Churcher’s took three teams representing each of the KS3, KS4 and KS5 cohorts to George Abbot School in Guildford. As in previous years, a problem was presented to the teams which involved them having to apply their knowledge but also to think originally and attempt to arrive at a solution. They had about ninety minutes to plan, construct and test their models. Details of the problem are not to be disclosed because the competition is still open to students in other areas.

Each team came up with excellent solutions but unfortunately on this occasion were not among the top contenders. However, all the students gained valuable experience in creativity and collaborative working.

Rob West

Computer Hardware

Our Third Year students who chose to study Computing instead of ICT learnt about how Computer Hardware works by dismantling and (mostly) rebuilding computers in their lessons.

BBC micro:bits

Our First Year Computing students have been having fun using the BBC micro:bits to write and test programs that control the micro:bit LEDs (or headphones) using the various built-in sensors.

Andy Sangster

Air Cadets

Amy Brown and Sophie Carrick are all kitted up and ready to go on their first Air Experience Flight with the RAF Section of Churcher’s College CCF. The RAF Section have approximately ten flying days allocated to them a year with cadets flying, on average, twice a year with 2AEF at Boscombe Down.This is an amazing experience with cadets learning how to fly and having great fun finding out about how aerobatics are done, whilst experiencing G Force. In addition, there are visits throughout the year to active RAF Flying Stations and the opportunity to attend an annual camp in Cyprus.

Kirsty Verney

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FOCUS Senior The Fifth Year Flips Out!

Half of the Fifth Form took over Flip Out in Chichester to celebrate mock successes or bounce away any mock woes. Thank you to the Heads of House for coming along.

Laura Howe

CAREER BITES Our ‘Career Bites’ session that focused on careers in conservation was hosted by Old Churcherian Penny Banham. Penny, who left Churcher’s College in 2013, presented a highly informative and fascinating talk about her conservation work and how she achieved her role. Penny completed a Masters in Biodiversity Conservation Management at Oxford University last year and prior to that a BSc in Animal Science at Nottingham. She has spent the last six months working for the Southern Tanzanian Elephant Project (http://www.stzelephants.org/) in the Ruaha National Park, Tanzania running a research field station in the bush and collecting data on the elephants of Ruaha.

She has realised that many of her life skills were learnt at Churcher’s with the support of teachers like Mr Saralis, who believed that a mixture of art and science was a positive one, and Mrs Jamouneau and Mr Knowles in the Biology Department who made her believe in scientific capabilities. She also feels the World Challenge projects gave her the confidence to tackle the challenges of field work that are now part of her daily life and which, at times, can be both exhilarating and difficult!

In November, Ricky Tavares from The Medic Portal visited Churcher’s College. Ricky spoke to an audience of twenty-five pupils from the FourthYear upwards about how to succeed in making an application to Medical School. He presented a huge amount of highly relevant information about how to select your course and prepare yourself to make a successful application. The presentation was very well received by all those attending and provided significant food for thought and a clear idea of what needs to be achieved to secure a place on this highly competitive course.

Kirsty Verney

FOCUS • 23

reception nativity On a cold and crisp December morning, the children of Churcher’s College Nursery gathered outside to present to parents, siblings and teachers their very first Nativity play. Dressed as angels they sang ‘Away in a Manger’ whilst passing a little baby Jesus amongst them. Donkeys’ ears were worn for ‘Little Donkey’, and a sparkling star was lit in the ‘stable’ in the Nursery garden for ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. Happy Hanukkah was also sung to mark the Jewish Festival of Light, whilst one pupil held a handmade menorah. The performance was brought to a cheerful close with children and parents joining together to sing ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’. Parents were served mince pies and hot drinks in Honeypot Hall in the Nursery to warm up after the children’s sparkling outdoor performance.

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joseph assem

24 • FOCUS

FOCUS Junior

a miracle in town

The Infant Department performed their Nativity ‘A Miracle in Town!’ to a packed Studio of parents, grandparents, family, friends, the Head of the Junior School, Headmaster and Governors.

From the twinkling stars, animals and beautiful dancing angels, to the main characters of Mary, Joseph, three wise men, their camels and King Herod, every child spoke with confidence. The narrators told the special story whilst the servants, villagers, innkeepers and innkeeper’s wife, shepherd and shepherdesses all played their parts in acting out this Christmas play. The children learnt numerous songs to accompany this story of the very first Christmas.

A gratefully-received retiring collection of £362.50 has been sent to the organisation ‘Help for Heroes’ to support injured British servicemen and woman.

trip to the

er studio

harry pott

FOCUS • 25

good citizens visiting Number 10

Year 6 were lucky enough to see what lies behind the famous black door at Number 10. The visit to Downing Street was part of their Citizenship Week.

After posing on the front step, the children were welcomed into the Cabinet Room.

The children sat around the famous green table, some even had the opportunity to sit in the Prime Minister’s chair! They learnt all about some of the important decisions that have affected British life that were made and discussed in this historic room.

Next they walked up the Grand Staircase installed by Sir Robert Walpole when he took up residence as Prime Minister in 1735, past portraits of previous Prime Ministers including Churchill, Macmillan and Blair.

They then entered the study, a favourite place in which Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron used to work. Now it hosts the table that was used for the G8 meeting held in Ireland in 2013. Perhaps there is a future world leader in our class?

essionals in

medical prof

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year 2

FOCUS Junior

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nursery co

FOCUS • 27

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historians myths and legends

The Year 4 children visited Southampton Art Gallery as part of their STEAM week work. After a brief gallery tour they enjoyed a workshop with Jo, one of the museum’s resident artists. She gently guided the children through making a Medusa head out of clay, complete with writhing snakes for hair. This activity linked in with the work they have been doing this term in History on the Ancient Greeks. With this in mind the pupils were very anxious to see the Perseus Room at the gallery, which exhibits twelve enormous paintings by Edward Burne-Jones depicting the famous legend. This trip is always fun and worthwhile and, for many, it is their very first experience of an art gallery.

great scott!

Class 1 had an exciting week learning about the Antarctic and about the race between Captain Scott and Amundsen to be the first person to reach the South Pole. We packed our sledges and made our way to the South Pole. Like Scott and his team, we were very disappointed to find a tent with a Norwegian flag and a letter from Amundsen already there. Captain Scott travelled through some awful snowy conditions in the race to the South Pole and we had our own British weather to overcome as it rained and hailed on our journey.

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FOCUS Junior Victorian day

Class One journeyed to Guildford and back in time to the Victorian age to find out more about what it was like for children 100 years ago. Having met the school mistress, the children all changed uniform, adding waistcoats or pinafores worn by Victorian children. In the school room they had to sit on their hands, in silence, whilst the teacher talked. Later, in the playroom, there was a chance to play with a vast array of wooden and metal toys, including handmade rocking horses from the richest of Victorian homes, to hoops made out of barrel metal and skipping ropes made from window sash pull ropes.

milestones Year 6 were transported back in time when they set off for Milestones Living Museum in Basingstoke. Soon they were wandering through Victorian streets - along the cobblestones and peering into the windows of shops to admire the new gadgets and fashions which would have been on sale at the time.

The children enjoyed using the audio guide to find out about Victorian transport, houses and homes, people and shops.They enjoyed riding on the tram and dressing up in Victorian clothing.

The children met Amy who took them into her Victorian ‘back to back terrace’ and some of them took a visit to the outside privy!

Of course the highlight of the day had to be exchanging our coins for old pennies and having a go on the penny arcade slot machines especially when there were sweets to be had!

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urt

anglo saxon

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FOCUS • 29

charity 'fun'draising!

ay from ted Mandy M pupils presen ue for £1235.The il nc ou C l Schoo cheq ch runs a rms charity a The Kings A a Petersfield charity whi l young is ca s lo lp rm A he Kings es to s and activiti eir worth. range of club r potential and know th thei people fulfil h a variety of raised throug , including: as w n tio na ol do The charity e staff and pupils at scho ing Year 6 ur th activities by lling 2018 calendars feat school carol e se th d at an e g ad in m mak donations k; king’ on the or us tw ‘b ar ns s children’ ol musicia ho sc ere Christmas om m fr le s concert; fund & Nursery stall at the Has ool & Nursery l ch Junior Schoo s raised at the Junior S ber. nd em fu ec d D an d , 2n re y Fay da ayre on Satur Christmas F

HAIR RAISING! CCJS pupil Jake Barnes said farewell to his long locks for two children’s cancer charities and has raised over £675 so far in doing so. The hair itself has been donated to The Little Princess Trust and the money to Children with Cancer UK. Jake was inspired to help followin his friend’s cancer diagnosis last year and wanted to do something to make a difference. The Little Princess Trust makes wigs for children having cancer treatment, and Children with Cancer UK raises awareness, conducts research and supports young cancer patients and their families.

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GET SHIPSHAPE!

‘Get Shipshape’ is an exercise programme for mums and babies run by highly experienced teachers from Churcher’s College. The money generated by the sessions is going to The Kings Arms.

FOCUS Junior

WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT Ten 'Little Skippers' went on a ‘Bear Hunt’. After reading the classic story by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, the children hunted for clues throughout the sensory garden before following the bear's footprints. The bear was eventually found inside the Nursery and the children were rewarded with hot chocolate and bear-shaped cookies.

READING FAIRY A new programme of classes for babies and children was introduced at the 'Parent Time' event in February. The aim is for families to share the magic of reading using exciting activities, from sensory songs and storytelling to fun phonics, first words, book time and more.

happy birthday!

In January, Churcher’s College Nursery celebrated its first anniversary! It is one year since the brand new Nursery opened its doors and welcomed in its first children. To mark the occasion an apple tree was planted in the front garden by Simon Williams and Ffion Robinson, Headmaster and Head of the Junior School respectively.

FOCUS • 31

music junior recital CCJS held their first Junior Recital Night to provide a platform for the school’s many ensembles and older musicians, in a more formal setting, in order to continue to develop their performance skills. The audience was treated to some confident and polished solos as well as a wide range of ensembles: Wind, Brass, Strings, Ukuleles and Glee Choir.

It was heartening to be able to see how the dedication, perseverance and practise of all the musicians has given them the skills to be able to demonstrate their well-deserved talent! Thanks again to everyone who took part and for the support of family and friends.

Hamish Newport

32 • FOCUS

FOCUS Junior

Beatons Volunteers from Years 5 and 6 came to the rescue of a local charity event, that had a last minute shortage of singers. Beaton’s Tea Rooms, who were hosting the event, sent out an urgent plea for singers who could perform a speciallywritten song which commemorates Petersfield Town.

Children from CCJS eagerly put themselves forward and the resulting group of singers gave a superb performance. Beaton’s Tea Rooms thanked the performers for not only saving the day, but also for rehearsing the special choir to perfection. We were also very grateful to the parents and grandparents who came along and supported local charity FitzRoy so generously.

Carol Service

The c superb hildren in Ye ly a was an at St Peter rs 3 to 6 pe rforme ’s Chu gelic a d rc as eve n ryone d the readin h. The singin came g g s m ean tog Christm ether to cele ingful brate as.

Well d musicia one to the s in ns, an d tha gers, read and organisMrs Pendry nk you to M ers and r Ne for ati it was on. The par their directio wport ents c a love n and om ly e atmos phere nd to the te mented how rm in th us to h ave a e church e and the nabled truly m ag to Chr istmas ical start .

Success outside school

Shoshana Yugin-Power from CCJS has

been selected for the National Children’s Orchestra (NCO) 2018 to play the flute.

Shoshana auditioned alongside 1200 children for a place, and was thrilled to be successful, with flute places being one of the most competitive instruments. Shoshana has played the flute for just over four years and is currently preparing for Grade 8. She has been taught by peripatetic teachers at CCJS, Sally FOCUS • 33 Shillabeer and Simon Diggens.

the great outdoors

campfire

For our first campfire event, Year 3 had the perfect cold and crispy January afternoon. A fantastic parent turnout, campfire songs, cooking sausages, hot chocolate and of course a great big log fire made for a perfect end to our Anglo Saxon Day.

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FOCUS Junior

Weather Experts

In Geography, Year 3 have had great fun creating their own rain gauge to investigate rainfall over time.

As is often the case at this time of year, we were lucky enough to have experienced plenty of rainfall to make sure our measuring skills were well tested!

FOCUS • 35

maths and science

light and shadows In the Year 3 Light and Shadow topic, we investigated that light is required for vision and we demonstrated the movement of light in straight lines using our homemade light boxes.

gOPHERS ARE go!

counting cu

pcakes!

Year 5 enjoyed a fascinating afternoon of science at the Senior School. The Year 7 children acted as hosts and took the children through a series of experiments. One of the favourites was writing a secret message in lemon juice and then revealing this writing by ‘wafting’ the paper through a naked flame - too long in the flame and the message went up in smoke! Among the other investigations, the children created rainbows by mixing different densities of coloured salt solution, and made their own slime. Science Coordinator Mr Nathan Rushin and Year 5 pupils would like to thank Ms Mandy Westwood and the Y7 Gophers for making the afternoon such a success!

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FOCUS Junior

maths outdoo

r learning

interactive

whiteboard

FOCUS • 37

all

year 3 netb

all

year 6 netb

by Year 4 rug

38 • FOCUS

FOCUS Junior

football

CCJS hosted the annual U11 7 a-side Football Tournament. With 11 teams taking part the stage was set for a fantastic event - it didn’t disappoint! With a total of 55 matches being played in a round robin format, the podium-placed teams changed on regular occasion and, going into the final round, there were 4 teams in contention for the win.

In the end it came down to the CCJS A Team beating Alton School in their final match to confirm Prince’s Mead as the overall winners, with Churcher’s in 2nd place and St Edmunds in 3rd. Putting in an excellent performance, the CCJS B Team held their own and in customary fashion held the CCJS A Team to a 0-0 draw!

rugby

It is always nice to welcome back the same familiar faces to a Churcher’s sporting event, but it’s even better to welcome some new ones. This year, the CCJS U11 Rugby 7s was a packed-out affair and saw 12 teams competing for the medals. Both groups were well-balanced and provided some excellent matches in the build-up to the playoffs. The new additions, Dorset House, proved very strong and topped Group 1, with the usual face of Aldro topping Group 2. The CCJS A Team finished 2nd in Group 1 to secure themselves a place in the 3rd and 4th place play-off, conceding only 2 tries in 5 matches.

The final matches saw Aldro just edging ahead to finish 1st, Dorset House 2nd and CCJS A beating Oakwood A to finish 3rd. What a fantastic afternoon of rugby!

FOCUS • 39

An audience with

chris packham bbc springwatch presenter and wildlife expert

friday 27 april 2018 7.00 - 8.00pm followed by a book signing

Tickets £5 (free to Churcher’s pupils)

available through WisePay via the parent zone: churcherscollege.com