CVC Dec 14

ISSUE 37, WINTER 2014

The News Magazine of Comberton Village College

The Spirit of Christmas — Page 3

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Have your cake and eat it Fifteen frantic minutes was all it took for Comberton to raise more than £160 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Cakes made and sold by students and staff from The Centre for the Macmillan Coffee Morning earlier this term sold in a frenzy with just a few left by the end of break.

“We had sold out bar the odd cake by the end of the break. So not bad work for 15 minutes!” said Centre manager Sarah Spencer.

Bazaar draws festive crowds Hundreds of people flocked to the Performance Hall for the annual Christmas Bazaar.

There was a huge range of stalls to choose from; a mix of those run by various groups within Comberton and by members of the community offering local produce and gifts. There were plenty of activities to choose from including Santa’s Grotto and the Grand Raffle.

The prizes for the Grand Raffle were hampers created

by Year 7 families and donations from local businesses.

Sean Sycamore, who was in charge of organising the event, said: “I would like to personally thank the following companies for their generosity and the Friends of CVC group for their support in collecting these very special prizes.”

Donations came from Luke’s Traditional Fish and Chip shop, Burwash Food Hall, Cuckoo Burwash Manor, Dragonfly, Gift Smith, Homestuff with History, Inside Out, Leech & Sons, Persian Tribal Rugs, The Manor Florist, Sterling Designs and Cost Cutter Store.

Mr Sycamore added: “The event was very well attended and enabled the school to raise money for the Year 7 Beaumanor Hardship Fund.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who contributed to making the day such a success and to those who attended to experience the festive spirit at the event.”

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GOING BATS FOR HATS: Members of Comberton’s knitting club with some of the Innocent Smoothie hats.

If the hat fits . . .

Comberton’s new knitting group really rose to the occasion with their first challenge.

Formed this term, they decided to join the Big Knit, which involved making tiny hats to fit on Innocent Smoothie bottles.

This is part of a national campaign that raises money for Age UK’s Spread the Warmth campaign. In the spring donated hats are put on bottles of Innocent Smoothie drinks and for each one sold, the company donates 25 pence to the Age UK campaign, which helps older people during the cold winter months.

The group not only had to learn to knit, but also to make the hats.

Helped by donations from staff, parents, grandparents and members

of the wider community, Comberton was proud to contribute more than 300 hats to the campaign — and those that weren’t quite finished in time will form the basis for next year’s efforts.

Some were simple, colourful bobble hats, while others were highly imaginative. These included a postbox, Christmas pudding, bluebird and penguin to name just a few. One of the teachers even knitted hats in the school colours, which spelt out Comberton Village College.

The staff and students involved in the knitting group would like to thank everyone who contributed to their Innocent Big Knit and they are looking forward to starting a new project next term.

FEELING FESTIVE: The Performance Hall set up for the Christmas Bazaar.

Contents q Spirit of Christmas — Page 3 q CAT News — Page 5 q Poetry Emotion — Page 6 q Third in the Country — Page 7 q Working for New Teachers — Page 8 q Mutual Support is Key — Page 9 q New Careers Event is Hit — Page 10 q Sixth Form News — Pages 11-14

q Life-Enhancing Experiences — Page 15 q Top Marks for Exchange — Page 16 q Life as Spanish Teenager — Page 17 q Poignant Centenary Visit — Page 18 q Countdown to Les Mis — Page 19 q South Cambs School Sports Partnership round-up — Page 21 q Sports Latest — Pages 22-26 News@Com

This term 9M have been planning wonderful things inthe build-up to Christmas.

We decided to do this as the theme of our tutor group assembly was Christmas.

When we heard this we thought we would like to look at the real meaning of Christmas and to try to do nice things for those less fortunate than us, to realise the true spirit of Christmas To start with, our amazing form tutors (Miss Norman and Miss Dear) went to the Grafton Centre in Cambridge and took away lots of the Heart Radio Giving Tree giving labels.

They then gave them to us to go and buy presents for children around Cambridgeshire who would not get a gift this Christmas.

It was very humbling when we were given our tags and we were all determined to buy lovely gifts for these children.

Secondly, our assembly celebrated the joys of the festive time by finding out the true meaning of Christmas.

Miss Norman and Miss Dear put in so much effort so that it would be a success, along with the help from the rest of the form.

We have also helped Oxfam by raising money in our form and buying lots of essential items for people in need around the world.

We have bought things that range from £5- £30 so far. These include chickens and chicks for a family, clean water for families, mosquito nets to keep people safe from

disease, and goats.

All around the school, teachers and students from all different year groups have been wearing red ribbon pin badges. These badges are raising money for HIV and AIDS, to show awareness to everyone to show what it can do to people. We were keen to show our support for this worthwhile cause (thanks Mr McKenna for raising awareness of it).

Finally, it's not just us helping others. All Year 9s are donating to Guide Dogs for the Blind, to help the charity and to raise awareness for the help that Guide

Dogs give to someone who is unable to see. Visually impaired people may value a Guide Dog to help them get to places and so that they can do things that they couldn’t do before. We are proud to help this charity and also sold Christmas cards from the library on their behalf.

9M hopes everyone has a very Merry and festive Christmas!

Chloe Hall and Annie Hilton (9M)

FESTIVE GIVING: Members of 9M with the presents they collected for underprivileged youngsters.

Duo win prestigious scholarships Jack White and Jonathan Xue have each been awarded a sought-after Arkwright Engineering Scholarship that identifies them as among the country’s future leaders in engineering and technical design.

The pair, both students in Year 11 at Comberton when they began the process last autumn, learned of their success towards the end of the summer term and were recently invited to a formal presentation of their award at a prestigious ceremony supported by The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

The renowned Arkwright Engineering Scholarships provide students with a £600 financial award to enhance their A-level studies and a range of activities to enhance their understanding and experience of engineering.

The Scholarships are respected by leading universities and companies and are supported by top engineering employers and organisations such as Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and Microsoft Research.

Jack and Jonathan had to successfully complete a rigorous selection process consisting of a detailed application form, a two-hour aptitude exam and an interview hosted at a top engineering university. They were supported at each stage by staff from Comberton, including Mr Leggott, Mr Law and Mr Rocks, who provided guidance on WINNER: Jack White is awarded his Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. applications, organised a visit from Arkwright’s regional liaison officer and carried out mock interviews.

Dr Martin Thomas, Chief Executive of the Arkwright Scholarships Trust said: “I The aptitude exam tested candidates’ flair and originality in solving am delighted to see students from Comberton Village College secure this engineering design problems. At the in-depth interview, candidates were asked prestigious accolade. Clearly, there is considerable technical talent in the about their career aspirations and had to discuss an engineering project they South Cambridgeshire area. With the competition for rewarding jobs becoming had conducted. ever-more fierce, the receipt of an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship can help During the interview day the candidates took part in a team exercise to solve a dynamic young people at the start of their journey to be the country’s future hands-on engineering problem, working with students they had never met leaders in engineering and technical design.” before. Candidates and their parents also toured the engineering facilities at The 2015 process is already well under way and several CVC students have the host university and explored the diversity of engineering and related applied, hoping to follow in Jack and Jonathan’s footsteps. We hope therefore design careers and their importance to the UK economy. to be bringing news of similar successes in the near future.

News@Com

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The spirit of Christmas

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News@Com

CAT

A symbol of identity The Comberton Academy Trust has a new logo to start the new year.

It has been designed by Comberton’s Head of Art and Design Greg Dean, who also designed the logo for Cambourne Village College, Comberton Sixth Form and Voyager Sixth Form as well as revamping Comberton’s logo.

He explained: “When the Comberton Academy Trust began I received an email that asked me to stick the school logo next to the name. By lunchtime!

“This rather hasty logo stood for a while and was appropriate given that the first schools to become part of the Trust were very much 'Comberton'.

“As the Trust grew, however, it became clear that simply having the CVC logo next to the name was less appropriate due to the evolving relationship of the Trust and its schools.

“The new logo aims to provide a flavour of the Comberton brand while also projecting some different values. The three heads are now overlapped and reshaped into crescents, hopefully reminiscent of both the Comberton Sixth Form and Cambourne logos.

“The position of this new shape is placed to suggest sails along the top of the logo.

This provides the idea of the movement and direction that the Trust provides. The position also suggests the over-arching nature of the Trust.

“The logo has been through many designs over the last few weeks but we have finally ended up with something that everyone appears to be happy with. Luckily I hadn’t agreed to finish this one by lunch!”

Working together

Moving on

Students from all four schools have been part of a new way of working together.

It is designed to create the conditions for meaningful discussion and deep conversations, both by creating games to structure deep engagement in a marketplace of ideas and in the Space for Dialogue alternative to conference.

At a series of cross-Trust events facilitated by URock Arts practitioners (dance theatre and creativity) young people experienced partnership working, co-creating a sustainable model to allow them to work out what the meaningful questions are, as well as finding answers to the questions that are meaningful in their lives in school.

Implicit in that is improving their confidence and risk-taking as they are being challenged beyond their comfort zones in new settings.

This is being supported by Norfolk and Norwich Festival Bridge and the model is being used in schools across Norfolk. Students from the Trust are designing and running a student-led consultation event with health service, local authority and business leaders in Peterborough.

There will be a chance for students from Trust schools to also roll this out, inviting students from their primary schools to participate in their own event.

One participant said: “Head Teachers should know that students can take control of their learning and do it effectively. Seminars and conferences like this are useful for building teamwork, life skills that can be transferable in the rest of your life.”

Another commented: “When we work together we can create ‘life as a subject’ – students writing the curriculum,” while a third said: “Lessons with an octopus would be swimming, but how would you understand the teacher?”

Partnership Leader Rosalind Scott is leaving to pursue her political ambitions after four years in the Trust promoting inclusion and partnership working.

She will continue to work with all four schools, coordinating schools-led partnership for school improvement and leadership development with the CfBT Education Trust.

Rosalind would like to thank all staff, students and their families and say how much she has enjoyed all the opportunities and the joy of working together. She said: “I firmly believe a school is at the heart of its community and now I am ready to take on a different role in my local community, as a politician.”

TEAMWORK IS KEY: Games with meaning for students from all the academies of the Trust.

Trust ideas go global Rainbow Home and School is an anti-bullying initiative funded by the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship programme of the European Union.

The best practice of Trust students in preventing bullying has been celebrated and acknowledged at a conference in Brussels.

Two films made by students were premiered to an audience of educators, activists and MEPs and the ideas are to be taken up across organisations from countries as varied as Bulgaria, Basque Country, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK. Voyager Academy students have designed and started a programme

where students, families and school can really work together.

They are taking their film and programme into the primary schools before transition. As one student remembered: “The first day it was like you were an ant, something small, and walking around with giants!”

Comberton Village College shared their experience of Pupils’ Equal Opportunities Means Learning for Everyone, PEOPLE People, in peer support and restorative practice.

Students explained their passion for equality and respect for diversity and difference.

NEW WHEELS: Cambourne’s minibus

Driving a hard bargain Two new top-of-the-range minibuses have just been delivered to the Comberton Academy Trust.

The 64-plate 16-seat Ford Transits have been given the livery of Cambourne and Melbourn Village Colleges after Finance Manager Mark Norman secured a very attractive two-year lease deal for the new model.

He even managed to get £1,500 for each of the old buses — Melbourn’s 1997 vehicle and a Comberton hand-me-down which has served Cambourne since it opened in September 2013.

News@Com

CENTRAL ROLE: Using a pipe cleaner ‘person’ to help voice feelings.

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Alexia’s poetry emotion!

Year 10 student Alexia Sloane is a triple winner.

She has scooped top prizes in three recent peotry competitions — winning the Year 10 ‘Other Tongue’ category for the Routes into Languages Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition, the 14-and-under category of the Stephen Spender prize for Poetry in Translation and the 12-17 section of the Beds, Cambs and Northants Wildlife Trust’s wildlife poem competition to celebrate National Poetry Day. Although Alexia has won vouchers, money and a bat

punt safari, she is most proud of receiving a commendation in another competition completely.

Her honourable mention came in the Cambridge Young Composer of the Year competition where she received a commendation for her first instrumental composition, called Meditation.

Judge Ewan Campbell said: ”This piece stands out as the most earnest attempt in the competition at something original.”

The judges in the poetry competitions were equally fulsome in their praise with the Wildlife Trust judges

commenting: “An extraordinary demonstration of mature form and poetic sensibility in Alexia’s use of words, made even more extraordinary by the fact that Alexia is blind.”

Her poem, Synaesthesia, can be read by following this link. www.wildlifebcn.org/PoetryCompetition The other two competitions built on Alexia’s linguistic ability as she is already fluent in English and French, has taken AS Spanish, GCSE Latin, Italian and Chinese, and is currently studying German.

Winning verse Rojo y blanco El campo de batalla se extiende Boquiabierto, lleno de mentiras.

Y ahora los soldados llegan Montados a caballo El espanto se nota en los ojos De aquellos animales.

El cielo resuena sus lamentos, Las flores se van retirando Sin embargo, las pezuñas de los caballos Golpean y siguen golpeando.

El estrépito de una pistola sin piedad Arranca al hombre del caballo Y ahora ni siquiera los profetas Oyen palpitar a los corazones.

Un niño, atemorizado, observa La escena desde lejos Y entónces le susurra al campo ‘Para qué sirve la guerra ?’

‘Nunca lo entenderás’, Contesta el vacío, ‘Pero no te preocupes,

Tu corazón sigue latiendo Asi que cierra los ojos’.

PRIZE POETS: The Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy with Alexia Sloane and winners of the Mother Tongue Other Tongue categories.

Veis, habitantes del mundo, Como la guerra es capaz de matar a la luz Asi que teneis que escaparos, Salvar a los niños Y en vez de vestiros de rojo Vestiros de blanco.

Red and White The battlefield lies open Its mouth a hoard of lies.

And now the men come riding Terror is the horses’ eyes.

The heavens thunder their lament, The flowers, they retreat.

But still the hooves, they pound And beat and beat and beat.

Tears horse and man apart.

And now not even prophets hear The beating of a heart.

A child observes from far, His eyes are filled with awe.

And then he murmurs to the field, “What is the purpose of war?”

The clatter of a merciless gun

“You will never understand,” The emptiness replies.

“But don’t worry: your heart beats So you just close your eyes.”

See, people of the world, How war can kill the light?

So save the children, save yourself And instead of red, wear white.

Hey big Spender . . .

Alexia Sloane’s first attempt at translating a poem proved time well spent as she picked up £100 for her winning effort in changing the poem in French below into English.

She explained why she selected ‘I have Read that Poets in China’ for her entry into the Stephen Spender Prize for Poetry in Translation.

“I chose this fairly unknown poem by the Belle Epoque Belgian poet who wrote under the pseudonym Jean Dominique because I have a particular interest in Chinese culture and language.

I came across it when I was searching for poems with a Chinese element,” she said.

“Through this poem, and while I cannot see as I am totally blind, I felt totally transported to China and could experience fully the atmosphere of the landscape the poet is depicting.”

Original poem J'ai lu que les poètes, en Chine, sont très doux.

Et qu'il y en a un qui est mort de la lune; Et les Chinois ne disent pas qu'il était fou Car c'est, chez eux, une aventure assez commune.

J'ai lu qu'ils s'enivraient de vin et de la lune, Et leurs vers se balancent comme de longs bambous Entre l'eau de leur cœur et les brouillards de plume Qui s'accrochent, dans leur pays, un peu partout.

Leur âme frêle et sombre, printanière et fidèle, Fend le ciel et le fleuve comme un vol d'hirondelle, Et les larmes qui glissent sur la soie de leurs manches, Sont des feuilles de saule, fines, longues et

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tendres.

Peut-être est-ce un Chinois qui m'a mis dans le cœur Cette chanson de l'eau, de la lune et des fleurs, Et ce doux paysage en noir et en couleur D'un jonc qui tremble au vent dans la main d'un pêcheur.

Peut-être que mon cœur est un peu bien chinois Et mourra de la lune un beau jour comme un autre...

Et qu'est-ce qu'on dira, et qu'est-ce qu'on dira De l'aventure, dans un pays comme le nôtre?

Translation I have read that in China, poets are very gentle.

And that one of them died because of the moon; And the Chinese don't say he was mad As, over there, it is a fairly common occurrence.

I have read that they become intoxicated with wine and the moon And that their verses swing like long bamboos Between the water emerging from their hearts and the mist of their quill Which, in their country, clings to almost everything.

Their frail, dark, faithful and spring-like soul, Splits the sky and the river like a flock of swallows And the tears which trickle down the silk of their

READING ALOUD: Alexia Sloane at The Stephen Spender Prize awards. sleeves Resemble slim, long and tender leaves from a willow Maybe a Chinese person has filled my heart with This song about water, the moon and flowers, And with this gentle landscape, in black and in colour Of a rush held in a fisherman's hand and trembling in the wind Maybe my heart is quite typically Chinese And will one of these days die because of the moon...

And what will people say, what will they say About this occurrence, in a country like ours?

News@Com

Chris D’Lacey revisited Comberton to talk to Year 8 about his new books — The Unicorne Files’ In the first book of the series a boy called Michael sees a lost dog on the edge of a cliff and is determined to save it.

However, the way he does it befuddles him and those around him. After that the secrets of an organisation called UNICORNE unravel . . .

After Chris talked to us about his new series, we had the opportunity to ask questions — it was very exciting to be able to talk to a real author!

Holly Jones (8R)

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE: Author Helen Moss talks to Year 7.

Earlier this term Year 7 gathered in the library to listen to Helen Moss talk about her new series of books.

Teachers and students gave up their lessons to meet this popular author.

Helen Moss told Year 7 plenty of interesting things — but the most interesting was definitely that she’s releasing a new series!

It’s called Secrets of the Tombs and the first book is called The Phoenix Code.

It’s about a girl called Cleo and a boy called Ryan. Ryan is very superstitious, yet Cleo is very factual.

Helen Moss gave us a quiz to see if we were more like Ryan, or more like Cleo. It was really funny finding out how superstitious (or rational) we really are!

It was very exciting to have a visit from a famous author, and an inspirational way to end the day.

Rosanna Poll (7O) and Mary Pimblott (7M)

ENTHRALLED: Year 8 with Chris D’Lacey.

Third in the country!

The Riders maintained their composure and were first across the line as Callum buzzed in with the correct answer.

The key speaker, Anthony Horowitz, presented The Dragons with their trophy and commended their efforts. He certainly added to They won the three-way tie for the grandeur of the occasion and third place on the buzzer as the made it something that none of top 18 schools from around the the competitors, parents or country battled it out for the teachers will forget. The Dragons’ coveted title. trophy now has pride of place in The regional winners had the CVC trophy cabinet. gathered at King’s College Both the English department and School, Wimbledon, earlier this the library would also like to month attemtping to become the extend a special thank you to The national champions and earn a Friends of CVC Trust Fund, who trip to Connecticut, USA, for the covered the entire cost of The international event.

IT’S OURS: The Dragon Riders with Anthony Horowitz, Comberton librarian Dragons competing in the finals.

Competitors included former Jane Hack and English teacher Ann Roberts and their trophy.

Such valuable opportunities make winners, The City of London CVC a rich and unique School for Girls, who went on to environment for our students and become last year’s International I would urge you all to put their DEEP IN champions. next fundraising event in your Dragon Riders, Erin Ferguson, THOUGHT: diaries; ‘The Auction of Promises’ Callum Martin, Anna Ward and Teams at the on March 7, 2015.

Jack Walsh, weren’t intimidated, Ann Roberts, English Central however. Acclaimed author, Department England Lyndsey Barraclough, escorted Last month Comberton hosted the round at them into the illustrious hall Central England regional where quizmaster extraordinaire, Comberton. competition for the first time after Wayne Mills, fired 65 questions many years at Kimbolton School. at them across five rounds.

Twenty teams of Year 7 and 8 students gathered in the Performance Hall with quizThe quiz is described as ‘The Sport of Reading’ and The Dragon Riders certainly master Wayne Mills again in charge of proceedings. took up the sporting challenge. Like Mo Farah they weighed-up their competitors in The Dragon Riders retained the title won the previous year with just one change to the opening three rounds, moved up the inside lane in the fourth and finished with their winning team and were followed by Aylesbury Grammar School and an impressive sprint in the fifth. This stealth resulted in a sudden death tie for third Queenswood School. place with Portsmouth Grammar School and the St Thomas of Aquin’s School. The The authors’ team of Katie Dale, Adele Geras, Chris Priestly, Mark Robson and tension was positively palpable as Mills challenged them to ‘name the author’ and Julian Sedgwick achieved 100/110 while virtually all of the school teams won book declared that the first correct answer on the buzzer would result in being awarded prizes donated by Walker Books for excelling in individual rounds. the hallowed third place. Portsmouth were quick off the mark, but an incorrect Heffers bookshop, from Cambridge, ran a stall during the event and donated some response resulted in their elimination. of their proceeds to the Quiz.

Comberton’s ‘Dragon Riders’ snatched a topthree spot in the national Kids’ Lit quiz competition in a frantic sudden-death finish.

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Delight as authors announce new series

teaching school

Working for new teachers training of staff and support for other schools.

There were 15 schools nationally involved in this pilot.

To be re-designated, we had to confirm that we had worked appropriately in the required areas and had a clear, positive impact in doing so.

teachers on the PGCE course. However, the biggest area of development is through our new 'SCITT' (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training) programme.

Through this organisation, that we run directly in It was one of the first wave of such schools to be partnership with others in our Teaching School designated nationally.

Network, we now have a There are strict, high significant number of places performance criteria each year with further required of any school to expansion planned. be designated. In addition, There are both Primary and there must be an effective Secondary places, both track record of working with salaried and non-salaried, other schools and training that we now provide. A good new teachers together with number of new teachers in providing professional the local area will come from development for existing this training programme in teachers. future years. we hope that Since designation, this will contribute to the Comberton has worked as quality of education for us all. an Alliance with other Earlier this term, our new schools to make a reality of SCITT was inspected. the remit of being a Following a long and rigorous Teaching School. process, the work being This Alliance includes all under-taken was judged Academies in the already to be good with many Comberton Academy Trust A PLACE TO LEARN: For trainee teachers as well as Comberton students. outstanding features. and some other close partner schools. The Alliance The outcome has recently been officially confirmed.

This is obviously encouraging and it enables us to has further developed into a wider Network where we The good news is that Comberton Village College is continue to develop and to expand our provision as work with other designated Teaching Schools now officially re-designated as a Teaching School. we had hoped to do. It does mean that, together with (notably Saffron Walden County High School, Histon A particular area of work in our Teaching School our professional development work for existing staff and Impington Junior School and Swavesey Village Network relates to the training of new teachers. This and our contribution to supporting other schools, we College) and their Alliances. This allows us to make a is part of a move nationally to see more Initial believe that we are very much doing our bit to ensure real impact in the key areas of work.

Teacher Training overseen directly by schools. that not only is education of a high standard at Last summer, Comberton was asked to 'pilot' a new We have done this partly through working with the Comberton Village College and at all the Academies system that Teaching Schools might be required to Faculty of Education in Cambridge and allocating in the Comberton Academy Trust, but that we can go through after a certain time (approximately four some training places with them on their PGCE course contribute to educational standards across the whole years) to be re-designated for a further period to be through so-called 'School Direct' places. of the local area. allowed to continue with the designation and lead on Some staff work with the Faculty to help to train Stephen Munday, Executive Principal

Comberton Village College has been designated as a 'Teaching School' since summer 2011.

Global spotlight . . .

RECOGNISED: Stephen Munday collects the certificate for the Comberton Academy Trust.

Trust thanked The Comberton Academy Trust has been presented with a certificate for its ‘Passion, commitment and determination to raise standards and improve the education of pupils in the Eastern region’.

This was signed by the new Regional Commissioner for the East of England and North East London, Tim Coulson.

It was presented at an occasion in Downing College where the Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge spoke and then presented the certificates to representatives of the Trusts that were invited to the celebratory occasion.

It was all to acknowledge the work of Trusts, such as Comberton Academy Trust, that are seeking now to work as groups of schools in order to improve the education of young people right across the region.

Stephen Munday, Executive Principal, who was presented with the award, said: “It is good that our work in seeking to raise educational standards in a range of schools is recognised and rewarded. We are committed to working in this way as we believe that it is the right thing for young people’s education as the school system develops into new landscapes.”

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Comberton took on the role of Expert Centre in the Global Learning Programme last term.

The GLP is a five-year, government-funded programme which aims to create a national network of schools committed to equipping their students to make a positive contribution to a globalised world.

More specifically, the aim is to develop children’s critical awareness of global issues by delivering effective teaching and learning about themes such as development, sustainability, poverty, and social justice at Key Stages 2 and 3.

An Expert Centre is essentially a lead school, a ‘hub’ that creates a network of schools for the purposes of developing good practice in Global Learning / Development Education. Currently there are 140 Expert Centres, and 1450 schools registered to the programme.

Guy Martin, the college’s GLP co-ordinator, will run twilight sessions for the network of GLP secondary and primary schools locally, focusing on developing our practice. Attendance at the network twilights gives structured support and momentum to schools that might be wanting more ideas to develop global learning in their schools.

In addition, schools who join the network receive £500 of e-learning credit for professional development on global learning. Involvement in the GLP also provides valuable supporting evidence when applying for the International Schools Award.

Work begins in January on the programme. All CAT GLP CO-ORDINATOR: schools and their partner primaries are invited to be Guy Martin involved.

Rachel Hawkes, Associate Deputy Principal of the Comberton Academy Trust, said: “The Global Learning Programme provides another powerful way for our schools to work together to deliver on one of the Trust’s core principles, namely to provide education with a clear and strong international dimension.

“A particular strength of this programme is that it involves primary and secondary schools working together. There is such a lot of excellent work on global learning going on in schools in both phases; having the opportunity to share our practice will be really exciting.”

News@Com

A really n-ice social to start

SMILES ON ICE: A group of Year 10 at the ice rink.

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For our first social of Year 10, we were given the amazing opportunity to go to ice skating in Peterborough. As soon as the school day came to an end, we quickly prepared ourselves for the coach journey to the ice rink.

Skates on, the speed-hungry instantly made their way in, effortlessly shooting round the rink, whilst the first-time ice skaters clung to the sides for dear life, keeping close to the exit.

By the time we stopped, feeling cold, all of us were off the sidelines, skating happily alongside each other (with the exception of Mr Goulding who, unfortunately, never got to grips with the ice).

After a few slips and falls, we rushed to the warm canteen for our choice of burger or hot dog, feeling the heat as if we came out of a mass-scale refrigerator and walked straight into an oversized oven.

Stomachs full, we still had the time to carve up some ice before leaving. When the end of the day came, we boarded the coach with happy memories, forgetting about our numb hands and tired feet.

Our time at Planet Ice was unforgettable and, as a year group, we thank Mrs. Barcz-Morgan for organising the trip and as well as all other staff who helped make this event possible. We look forward to all our other socials coming up in the near future.

Evren Uygun (10M)

Mutual support is key The Comberton Academy Trust is one of only seven groups of schools nationally that have been working with educational experts at the Centre for British Teaching (CfBT) in co-creating and piloting a school-based peer review system.

CfBT have used their extensive experience of the educational sector and international research to develop a framework for reviews which schools will be able to purchase in the future.

The criteria used align with OFSTED where relevant, but extend beyond this in terms of the aspects which

contribute to successful education.

As one of the original pilot organisations, CAT senior staff have contributed to that framework and received training as peer reviewers.

Over the past year teams of Senior managers, each led by a Head of School, have visited each CAT school and conducted a review of various aspects of their practice.

Evidence has been gathered from a range of sources including exam data, lesson observations, meetings with staff and students. OFSTED-standard criteria have been used to feed back findings to staff and Governors and the whole process has been extremely valuable in moving all the schools forward with schools offering support to each other in their

own areas of expertise.

In addition to the benefits for the school being reviewed, the experience of finding out about how a school works has led to each team taking back ideas to their own school.

Melbourn Principal Simon Holmes said: “The major difference for me between this review and an OFSTED visit is the feeling of co-operation and support.

“Difficult and challenging questions were, quite rightly, asked, but at the end of the process there is a willingness to work together to help move the college forwards.

“This sense of mutual support is one of the main benefits of joining the Trust.”

Art in the real world

OUT AND ABOUT: Art and Design students at Kettles Yard

Play keeps audience on edge of their seats Selected English students from Years 9, 10 and 11 went on a theatre trip to see George Orwell’s 1984 at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.

In preparation for the trip, we attended an insightful seminar by Mr Ryall which gave us some background to the novel and an impression of some of the key ideas and themes that we would be encountering.

The performance itself was full of a psychological horror and the entire audience were on the edge of their seats in intense anticipation for its duration.

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It portrayed the novel in an interesting way, which gave us an insight into the oppressive, Governmen-controlled society of the novel, where even your thoughts are strictly controlled.

We were simultaneously fascinated and repulsed by the action playing out on stage, and we all left reflecting on what we had seen.

We would like to Mr Ryall for organising such a fantastic trip and look forward to taking part in others similar trips in the future.

Mary White (11E)

Applied Art and design means learning how to use art skills in a vocational setting. How can you design the next eco-plane or become the next Galliano — if you do not understand from the start what to do to make sure that your designs make it in the real world?

We try to link art skills with business acumen in this GCSE programme — and trips are an important part of putting the two together.

Our first foray into the world of design in Cambridge began a visit was to the House at Kettles Yard.

It was a beautiful day — ideal for looking up, where the interesting part of Cambridge is, and sketching on the go through town on the way to the Gallery.

We had an hour to sit on the longest sofa ever in Kettles Yard, listen to the story of the place and explore the collection of art in a home setting.

Everyone was inspired to use the shapes, shadows and light in the house in their future interior designs.

Very soon it was lunchtime — the highlight of the day. Most of this was spent in McDonalds, but some in Café Nero with cake.

There was a reason for this! We had to gather primary source material in the form of drawing for coursework. Some sketches were even made using said cake.

There is a Scandinavian Design shop in Cambridge called Nord. We called in to contrast the modern, colourful furniture and space design with that of Kettles Yard. The Manageress was lovely, explaining the provenance of some of the cool products, and I think she gained a few new customers in the process!

Finally, off to look at the stencilled walls of the Church on Jesus Lane.

William Morris is responsible for the amazing interior of this church and it is always a pleasure to see. This time though, we discovered a dressing-up box at the back, full of top hats, cardinal hats, straw hats….

In no time, Ryan played the Parson marrying Hannah and Leanne at the Altar. The Cambridge Ceramics Society, who were in there as well, couldn’t stop laughing at the improvised play. They thought we were a theatre group!

All in all, great fun — with lots of group bonding achieved.

Nicola Powys, Head of BTEC Art and Design

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New careers event is hit Earlier this month, Year 9 welcomed a wide range of experts who had come to speak to them about their future careers.

It might seem early to be thinking about jobs, but with options on the horizon, there’s no time like the present.

The stage was set, the Performance Hall filled with tables, and at each a specialist in their field — ready to pass on their wisdom to a keen audience. Despite being plunged into darkness for the first 10 minutes (don’t you love a good power cut?), the event seemed to get off to a good start.

During conversations, it was clear that students were learning a lot about the different fields which were represented. These ranged from careers in IT and media, through to the arts, green energy and uniformed services.

There were also professionals whose specialism was to support people in finding their direction and performing well at interview.

PSHE co-ordinator Sean McKenna said: “ I was pleased to see that these were popular

choices, as it is exactly this kind of key life skill which helps to make an individual stand out in the labour market. “There was a real buzz around the room, and table after table of attentive faces told me that a lot was being taken in. It was the first time that we’ve attempted an event like this. The change was brought about by our shift to timetabled PSHE lessons.

So I was glad to see that it seemed to work well for pupils and volunteers alike. “Having professionals from industry to join us was a real bonus and I cannot express enough gratitude to those parents and members of the wider Comberton community who joined us. I must also thank Anne Bailey, of the Cambridge Area Partnership, who helped put us in contact with some really valuable volunteers.

THINKING “I hope that we can continue to AHEAD: build good links with local Year 9 at industry to make sure that our students receive the best and the most relevant careers careers education that we can provide.� event.

Finding out first-hand about the world of work During July, I had the privilege of visiting current Year 11 students at their work experience placements. They were still Year 10 then, and it all seems a very long time ago.

What I saw on my travels, was a group of young people who were gaining a great deal from a wide range of working environments.

I made visits to all manner of fascinating places, from nurseries and schools, to car dealerships, building sites and airfields. The great variety of placements which pupils had found is testament to the broad talents present in the year group.

What struck me more than anything else during these visits, was the maturity

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and professionalism of our students. In each work place I was met with young people who seemed to have taken on their roles with a real sense of responsibility.

There were many occasions when I was told by employers that a student had contributed to a project, or had even developed an innovation.

Without exception, our pupils seemed to have really engaged with their placements and were fully involved with the work of their different institutions.

The whole experience only confirmed for me the importance of work experience. Time and again I found students whose experience had been expanded and whose future plans had been influenced. This may have simply been a confirmation that they didn’t want to work in an office, but this in itself is valuable.

I know that this year’s Year 10 will also find an enormously diverse range of placements and I hope to learn of the great things they achieve whilst they are on work experience. If a student puts in the work to find the right employer, this time can be truly transformative and inspirational.

Sean McKenna

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10

WORK EXPERIENCE: Students worked in a wide range of settings.

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sixth form

CSF win title again Comberton Sixth Form achieved an unprecedented hat-trick of victories in September as the college’s debating team defeated all-comers for a third successive year at the Peace Day debates.

SHAKESPEARE IN ACTION: A scene from Twelfth Night.

Unravelling Shakespeare!

For Year 12 students doing English literature at A level, ‘Twelfth Night’ can be pretty daunting; complex characters, complicated story and it’s all written in Shakespearean language.

This year, each student has to present two essays, which go towards 25% of our overall AS results. Therefore, as you can imagine, when the opportunity came around to watch the play, rather than spending lengthy periods staring at pages of our text books, many of us leapt at the opportunity and bought tickets.

Fifteen of us stood shivering in the door-way of the Cambridge Arts Theatre with an excited Mrs Roberts and Mrs Lefroy. With Mrs Lefroy’s encouragement we snuck forward to great value seats closer to the stage.

Soon after the play began many of us breathed a sigh of relief as there were subtitles, which for many of the songs, allowed karaoke. “Rain it raineth everyday, with hey, ho the wind and the rain”, now a personal favourite.

Three hours later, we all agreed that the play was brilliant and it really helped to reinforce the depth of the characters and the storyline. The actor playing Sir Toby used a range of exaggerated movements to create a hilarious performance. It has also made many of the comedic features easier to comprehend, such as the use of disguise. I am happy to quote that I now ‘No Fear Shakespeare’…… well Twelfth Night anyway!

Thanks to both teachers who gave up their Thursday evening for a truly enlightening evening!

The event, organised by the Rotary Club of South Cambridgeshire to mark World Peace Day, involved teams from six Cambridgeshire Sixth Form colleges debating motions in the British Parliamentary style, with each tied to the theme of peace.

The Comberton team of Amy Leete, Alex Crockford and Lydia Watt was required to oppose the motion, ‘It is 100 years since the beginning of the war to end all wars: This house believes that, whilst we may remember, we have learned little’.

A support team of staff and fellow sixth formers helped to prepare the team in the short period leading up to the event with a mixture of advice, research data and open discussions of the motion, all of which then needed to be shaped into coherent lines of argument.

Undaunted by the pressures of performing on stage and in front of a large audience, the team gave an excellent account of itself, eventually winning out in the face of stiff competition from Hills Road, Stephen Perse, the Leys, Parkside and Impington to retain the champions’ title yet again.

The judges, including a debating expert and a visiting peace scholar from Nigeria, praised the team’s active engagement with the live experience, highlighting their versatility and their ability to challenge, adapt and respond to the points raised by opponents and members of the audience during the debate.

The team wishes to thank the Rotary Club for organising the event as well as Mr Leggott, Miss Gadd, and the fellow students that helped in preparation for the debate, along with those who turned up to support on the night.

LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM: Year 13 at the British Museum’s Gothic Literature exhibition.

Getting to grips with Gothic Maths gold for Alistair

Year 13 English literature students had the privilege of participating in the Gothic Literature exhibition at the British Library in London.

While we were there, we took part in various activities such as individual research, group work and then a presentation at the end.

We were also lucky enough to see some of Mary Shelley’s original copies of her famous Frankenstein, where her hand writing was frighteningly similar to Miss Blackford’s!

It was great to experience Gothic Literature outside the classroom environment and the exhibition was extremely useful in helping us get to grips with gothic themes and ideas present in the novels we are currently studying.

Overall it was an inspiring and fun day.

Honey Lyons (U6-MR)

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PRIZE WINNERS: At the Rotary Peace Debates (left) and Year 13 Lydia Watt (above), from CSF.

Karen has three times the number of cherries that Lionel has, and twice the number of cherries that Michael has. Michael has seven more cherries than Lionel. How many cherries do Karen, Lionel and Michael have altogether?

A 12 B 42 C 60 D 77 E 84 This was one of the puzzling questions on the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge that was completed earlier this term by a group of Sixth Form students.

Twenty students took part and thirteen gained a certificate, with silver being awarded to Amy Bland and Dmitry Tupikov in Year 13 and Joshua Longstaffe in Year 12.

Particular congratulations go to Alistair Sheppard in Year 12 on being best in school and gaining a gold certificate.

The correct answer for the cherries question was D 77.

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sixth form

Sixth Form just keeps on Another extremely successful year for Comberton Sixth Form was rounded off in style over the summer as the college posted record-breaking results at A-level and Level 3 BTEC. Building on the already remarkable achievements of the previous year’s inaugural group, the class of 2014 had much to celebrate in August as they reflected on a string of exam successes, both collectively and individually.

The results cemented the ‘outstanding’ judgement of the Sixth Form recorded by Ofsted in 2013 and once again painted an incredible picture of the progress made by students at Comberton when measured against the popular ‘value-added’ standard.

At A-level, an overall pass rate of 100% included an impressive 90% of grades awarded at A*-C, with 66% achieved at A*-B. These outcomes placed Comberton proudly within the top 25 all-ability colleges in the country, according to the recently-published ‘Parent Power’ list in The Sunday Times.

For those students who had arrived with at least 5 A grades at GCSE, the pass rate of 98% at A*-C was simply stunning, again reflecting the unparalleled progress achieved so widely by Comberton Sixth Form students.

Level 3 BTEC students also secured a 100% pass rate across both Sport and Business, with 89% and 80% of students awarded a Merit or higher in those subjects respectively, another fantastic set of achievements. The proportion of grades awarded at

READ AND DIGEST: That nail-biting moment when students find out their grades.

Distinction or higher was also significant, not least in Sport where a remarkable 78% of grades were attained at these top levels.

Unsurprisingly, many found themselves in a very strong position as they embarked on their next steps in life.

More than a hundred students have since taken up places on degree courses at university, 95% of whom secured their first or second choice of institution and more than 40% of whom have gone on to Russell Group institutions.

A further 11% are currently enjoying a gap year with the intention of starting at university in 2015, with another 11% taking up positions of employment.

Among these are Lara McCarthy and Oli Richardson, who secured coveted and highly sought-after management training positions with the prestigious finance firms Ernst & Young and Deloitte respectively.

Behind the headlines were some notable individual successes.

Nickie Dailly, who was already in receipt of an unconditional offer prior to results day, confirmed her

Insight into immunology Five Year 12 students attended the Babraham Institute Sixth Form Conference The conference – ‘Immunology: From Research to Health’ – explored the scientific, ethical and commercial aspects of this exciting and ever-evolving area of biomedical research. Building on the sixth form curriculum it explored immunology from the basic concepts and current research to its implications in healthcare and industry.

Students had talks on Immunology and Cancer Research, Autoimmunity and Gene Expression, workshops on Flow Cytometry, Microscopy and the use of Animals in Immunology Research as well as a tour of the Babraham facilities.

Over lunch students had the opportunity to talk to academics and industrialists about careers in science and the possible career pathways.

This was followed by a discussion about the relative merits of working in academia vs industry and the day ended with a talk from Peter Openshaw about governmental responses to flu epidemics.

The students found the day inspiring and informative. The next opportunity for Year 12 students to visit Babraham will be the Schools Day in March when students will get hands-on experience carrying out two projects in the laboratories using up-to-date technologies. Information about this trip will be given out at the start of next term.

Jane Dean, Science Dept

NIGHTWEAR: Onesies and pyjamas were the order of the day.

Pudsey collects PJ tax The Children in Need period was a busy time in the Sixth Form, with the charities group, known as C4, overseeing various activities to raise money for this worthy cause.

By the end of the day on Friday November 14 the Sixth Form had raised a total of £210, mainly through a pyjama and onesie tax and a wonderfully mouth-watering chocolate cake sale, which many of the Sixth Formers and teaching staff undoubtedly enjoyed.

We’d like to say a big thank you to all the students who wore onesies and pyjamas on the day, bought cakes from the sale or contributed to this cause financially. The £210 raised represents a slight increase on last year’s total, and we can only hope that the amount raised keeps on increasing each year!

Luke Scambler, C4 Sixth Form charities group

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CONFERENCE: For Sixth Formers including five from Comberton.

Freshers fun for Year 12 Earlier this term Comberton Sixth Form held a social event for the new Year 12 students to welcome them and to help new friendships form.

The evening of October 8 saw 170 Comberton sixth formers descend on the Cambridge Junction for a fun-filled ‘freshers’. DJ Max Hopkins, from Nottingham University, entertained the students with a variety of club house remixes.

Luckily the next day was a staff training day so the students were able to have a lie in! Management at The Junction complimented the students on their impeccable behaviour. Special thanks to Sarah Sanderson and Ciara Tierney (Vice Presidents of sports and social) for organising this successful event.

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place at Fitzwilliam College, the UCAS process now well under Cambridge, to read Natural Sciences; way, there has already been Aneesh Sharma’s clutch of 3 A*s, encouraging news for some of our along with an A* in the Extended early university applicants as a Project Qualification (EPQ), saw him steady supply of offers and comfortably fulfil his offer to read interviews begins to arrive. Among Medicine at UCL; and Abi Lord’s these are our aspiring Oxbridge achievement of straight starred candidates, each of whom has Distinctions for the BTEC Business entered the process on the back of Extended Diploma earned her a place an excellent summer of AS-level at the University of Loughborough. success.

The progress achieved by so many Regarding the outstanding outcomes students en route to their final of the summer, Executive Principal successes was again a notable Stephen Munday said: "We are all feature of the results. The prior absolutely delighted with these really attainment data of all our Sixth Form excellent results by the second ever students is statistically analysed at cohort of students to pass through the beginning of Year 12 by the Comberton Sixth Form.

University of Durham, which then “Last year's results were impressive, provides the college with projected but this year they are notably higher grades for each individual based on against every type of measurement. the typical attainment of students who This includes not only the very high share an identical profile at GCSE. results and the very high levels of CHECKING IT OUT: Students pore over their A-level results.

Using this national measure, Daniel value-added achieved, but also the Burton was forecast to achieve only extremely impressive progress to group. three C grades but emerged with grades of A*A B; higher education and employment.

Looking to the future the current class of 2015 can Oscar Relf, predicted on this same independent “It is no surprise that, against these measures, the feel extremely positive, having made their own mark measure to achieve a relatively modest B B C, performance of Comberton Sixth Form places it so in the summer with a set of AS-level results that collected A*A* B; and James Baker, Jocelyn Davies prominently in national newspaper listings. Very many showed the highest level of value-added progress and Abi Hutchings, all projected to achieve three B congratulations to all students and staff for achieved by any Comberton Sixth Form cohort to grades, each picked up an A* and two As. It was a establishing Comberton Sixth Form so quickly as a date. pattern that could be seen widely across the year very high-performing centre."

They will no doubt be eager to build on this and, with

A Level Results

A*-A

A*-B

A*-C

A*-E

Students with at least 5 B grades at GCSE Students with at least 5 A grades at GCSE

31%

66%

90%

100%

53%

89%

98%

100%

BTEC Results Sport Business

Distinction*Distinction 78% 49%

Merit Pass

11% 31%

11% 20%

Out in the field . . .

TAKING A BREAK; Year 13 students find time to relax at Studland Bay.

Year 13 studying Geography went on a field trip as preparation for a summer examination on the application of fieldwork skills.

We went to a place called Studland Bay on the Dorset coast, in the south-west of England, about four hours drive from Cambridge.

This beautiful part of the English coastline is both a World Heritage Site and a Site of Scientific Interest. This made it perfect for our investigation into how abiotic and biotic factors change along a sand dune transect. Or in other words, how things like wind speed and percentage ground cover change as you move inland from the sea.

We spent one day out on the dunes collecting data, while the rest of the time we were learning the other skills, such as how to graphically present the data and justify our choice of data collection methods, required for a good geographic investigation.

Overall it was a fantastic trip, even if a little tiring, to a great place to set the scene for our A level field work.

Ben Myers (U6-LM)

The consequences of driving under the influence . . .

All students in the Sixth Form found out what it was like to get ‘Wasted’ — without taking anything.

Both Year 12 and Year 13 students watched a production of ‘Wasted’ by the Huntingdon-based Walking Forward theatre company.

Wasted is a 50-minute powerful and groundbreaking educational drama which explores driving under the influence of drugs.

It uses a mix of film and theatre to address some of the moral issues linked to drug-driving.

Wasted tells the story of friend Frankie, Jay and Andy. Clubbing, football and hanging out with the girls are among their favourite hobbies. So when

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Frankie’s girlfriend, Stacey, and best friend Lucy agree to join the boys for one of their ‘big nights out’, arrangements are made to guarantee a good night is had by all. Time to call on Ezee, a friend with contacts who can ‘sort things out’ in order for this to happen.

However, their evening soon takes a tragic turn when Andy crashes his car en route to a club. In the aftermath, friendships are tested and questions asked, as the group struggle to deal with the consequences of an accident that should never have happened.

It has been performed to schools and colleges

across the country by a team of three professional actors and a full set, including plasma screen.

The Walking Forward website says that “Wasted seeks to educate and inform its audience that driving under the influence of drugs is highly dangerous and costs lives. Wasted portrays how drugs can have a dramatic effect on driving ability, with after-effects lasting for many hours, sometimes even days.”

The importance of passenger responsibility is also addressed and audiences are invited to question whether they would feel safe getting into a car with a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

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sixth form

getting better and better

sixth form

There’s a giraffe in our café Comberton has had links with Edendale School, Pretoria, South Africa, for more than15 years.

This year, seven other sixth form students (Aneesh Sharma, Caitlin Marks, Jack Coupar, Ciara Tierney, Georgia Darby, Katie Rossiter and Martha Watson) and I were chosen to spend three weeks in South Africa, with Mr Willder and Mrs Blackford, working in a school and an orphanage, and helping out at community projects.

Before leaving for South Africa 18 boxes of blankets were donated by staff, students, their families and the wider community. These were distributed by the Comberton students to two different crèches, both run by volunteers and caring for underprivileged children. We were rewarded by seeing the immediate positive impact that we could have on other people’s lives, as the children were delighted to receive the blankets as in winter temperatures can drop to below freezing during the night.

We visited a lion park and had close encounters cubs, although they appeared cute and cuddly, their claws and teeth were surprisingly sharp; only later did the keepers inform us that the cubs were over an GROUP GATHERING: Comberton students at one of the crechés for hour late being fed! underprivileged children where they distributed donated blankets.

Our drinks in the café were interrupted by an unexpected visitor… A giraffe! The very next day it was elephants that we were stroking. As it was my 18th birthday I was allowed to feed them — an unforgettable birthday!

We visited Soweto. We were given a tour by a local who was able to give us inside information about the history and continuing existence of Soweto. It was interesting to be able to walk along the street where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived, along with visiting the Hector Pieterson museum which told the story of the 1976 Soweto uprising.

We were lucky enough to be able to go down a working diamond mine, where the Cullinan diamond found on the crown jewels was mined.

South Africa has many amazing views, some of which we saw at the Blyde River canyon, where we explored an unusual geographical landscape of naturally occurring potholes and were able to see the Three Rondavels.

Visiting Kruger national park was one of the highlights of the trip, where we experienced a dawn walk and a sunset drive as well as exploring the park on our own. Staying at Edendale School we helped in the primary school, teaching lessons we had planned and prepared ourselves.

We also organised a sports day for all the primary school children.

In the high school we attended lessons with the students and gave a presentation on tourism in the UK. We each stayed with different host South African students from the high school for a weekend. All the families were very friendly and welcoming; I was taken paintballing and the family laid on a traditional South African braai (a BBQ).

Overall the trip was extremely enjoyable and enlightening. I was able to engage in real and worthwhile projects for Edendale School and the surrounding UNUSUAL CUSTOMER: A giraffe wanders into the ‘Lion’s Café’ communities, while also having the opportunity to see many South African attractions.

Karl Chandler

SPORTS FESTIVAL: Organised for Edendale pupils.

ONE OF THE BIG FIVE: An elephant in the Kruger National Park.

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MINING: Comberton students visited a diamond mine in South Africa.

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International PACKED OUT: Classes at both the senior and junior schools are very basic but are full to bursting with students eager to learn.

‘Life-enhancing experiences’ During the summer six Comberton girls and two staff relaunched the exchange with Escola Noreste in Maputo, Mozambique.

It was the trip-of-a-lifetime, which also took in Swaziland and South Africa, and gave students, who had just finished Year 11, the opportunity to reflect on the differences and similarities between two very different countries through working on common projects which have been integrated in both schools’ curricula.

We spent the first five days in our partner school where we attended lessons and spent lots of time learning songs, dances and Mozambican games from the languages and sport leaders.

We also taught English at the local primary school and were treated like celebrities.

The children asked for autographs, wanted to stroke our hair and to take photos with their English visitors.

The CVC girls also organised an extremely well-attended sports festival. Each activity started with around 30 children with each Comberton teenager, but more and more just joined in until there were hundreds of smiling faces all round.

Obviously the immersion was such that we could not miss the differences in quality of life which were evident. If you thought Comberton VC was a big school, think again: Escola Noreste has around 7,000 students; so many that the day is divided into morning, afternoon and evening shifts. Classes have easily 100 students and every student is responsible for their own education, realising that in order to get out of poverty, time needs to be invested in their studies.

During the stay, the CVC girls formed life-long bonds with the Noreste students. And to quote Mrs Powys “Everyone fell in love with everyone else. We were danced with, sung to and hugged frequently.” Email addresses were exchange and, on departure, tears were shed on both sides.

From there we went to the kingdom of Swaziland. The experience there was very different from Maputo. Here is how Mrs Powys described it: “It is difficult to describe our stay in Shewula Mountain camp in Swaziland — you had to be there! If I tell you that we spent afternoons sitting on a rock staring at the incredible view into South Africa and the evenings lying on the rock staring at the Milky Way. That we were in bed and asleep at 8.30 most evenings and up with first light at 6am. That there was no WiFi signal and so no phones, Facebook or internet and noone minded. That we were fed like kings on local Swazi food that we shared with different visitors who came and went. That we spent the mornings hacking at the bush

with machettes — you probably wouldn't get the life-enhancing experience that it was. Like I said — you had to be there!”

We also visited a unit for students who found it difficult to access education either because of twhere they live or because they need to work to help their family.The idea was to get them up to the level of their peers to rejoin mainstream education.

Next year we are planning to be a bit more active and take part in projects to help the local community.

Finally for the last three days we went to Kruger National Park in South Africa and spotted the Big Five: Elephants, Buffalos, Lions, Leopards and Rhinos as well as lots more animals such as antilopes, monkeys, crocodiles, zebras, hippos, etc. We drove around in an open-top Jeep through a park the size of Wales and it was wonderful to see the animals in their natural habitat. We also went on an early morning bushwalk at sunrise with armed rangers who taught us a lot about tracking skills.

Carole Scibor, Trip Leader

A WORLD OF COLOUR: Watching the sun set over South Africa (left), tribal living in Swaziland (below, left) and parachute games in Maputo, Mozambique.

Next eight gear up for their African adventure Eight Year 11 students are gearing up for a threecountry African adventure next summer.

But ahead of the two-week trip to do charity work in Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa, each student needs to raise £2350.

So far they have done two cake sales and provided food from a variety of cultures at this term’s International Talent Evening and ran two stalls at

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the Christmas bazaar.

On top of the group fund-raising events, individuals have organised their own ways of raising money from raffles to discos.

Next term they plan to bag-pack at a couple of leading supermarkets and a fashion show is inh the pipeline.

When in Africa, the students will work in schools in

both Mozambique and Swaziland, teaching lessons and planning sports days for the students. In Swaziland, because the teachers are volunteers from the village, if there isn’t a volunteer available to run the lessons, the pupils won’t have a lesson that day. We will also be doing community work within the village, which could include helping to build wells or huts.

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international

Top marks for exchange The lively university town of Angers is the capital of the ancient county of Anjou and stands majestically on the banks of the Maine river.

success and everyone got the chance to see how chocolate is made, sold, bought and missed once eaten.

On the penultimate evening our French exchange partners organised a group party where all the families got together for an evening of food, drink and lots of spoken French.

Collège St. Agustin were as thrilled as we were with the exchange, so much so that we all had t-shirts given to us to commemorate the inaugural first-leg of the exchange.

Suffice to say Angers proved to be a wonderful place to experience a bit of real France, enjoy French culture and speak French.

The exchange with Collège St. Agustin was a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding educational experience.

We are very much looking forward to returning the outstanding hospitality of our exchange partners in May 2015 when we will have the pleasure of welcoming them to Cambridgeshire.

Duncan Broe, Trip leader

This French medieval city boasts World Heritage sites, an imposing castle, a stunning cathedral and the 100 metre long ‘Tapestry of the Apocalypse’ which has survived intact since the 14th Century.

As of October this year, Angers can add ‘Comberton Village College Exchange’ to its list of impressive accolades.

This October, 21 Comberton Village College pupils were fortunate enough to go on the first ever French exchange between CVC and our brand new partner school in France, Collège St. Agustin.

The trip saw a wonderful group of Year 9 and Year 10 pupils travel by coach, across the Channel Tunnel and accompanied by me and Madame Jarry from the Modern Languages department.

The exchange lasted for a full week during which time the students spent every evening with their host families and were lucky enough to have a truly immersive experience of life in France.

Pupils spent two days at ‘Collège St. Agustin, experiencing life, lessons and school food the French way. We also spent a full day in one of the world’s most popular theme park ‘Futuroscope’.

The park boasts a huge range of exhibitions, films and cinemas that demonstrate the very best of cutting edge cinematographic technology. The day was filled with glorious sunshine and the grey drizzle of Cambridge was but a mere memory as we visited 4D cinema after 4D cinema.

Both Comberton pupils and local business owners were thrilled that one of our activities involved a morning shopping in Angers.

We all had a thoroughly enjoyable day feeling like we were doing our bit to boost the local economy. Later that day we had guided tour of the stunning castle and tapestry. It was fascinating to learn that the castle was once home to an English king and the castle was used as a prison!

Our visit to a chocolate shop was, unsurprisingly, a huge ALL TOGETHER NOW: The French and English students on the inaugural exchange.

‘A great time was had by all’

MEMENTO: A Comberton student with the ‘tour’ T-shirt.

After a day long journey we arrived at ‘Collège Saint Augustin’ in Angers where we were paired up with our host families and went home with them to eat and get a well-needed rest.

But that was not for long because we needed an early start the next morning because we were off to Futuroscope, a world-renowned theme park in Poitiers.

It wasn’t a traditional theme park because it had no roller coasters or rides of any type. Instead it was based around simulations, 4D shows and an amazing arcade. Some of us spent half of the day in the arcade, spending loads of money!

The weekend was spent with our host family and we did whatever they had planned for us. Some went to watch sports, to the beach, or to other homes. Overall everyone had a really good weekend.

We spent Monday and Tuesday at the school with our exchange partners but on Tuesday we spent the morning looking round the ‘Chateau d’Angers’ which was a castle. It was huge and had played a big part in

France’s history and at one point had been the home of the king’s second son who was the ‘count of Anjou’.

Whilst we were there we also saw the ‘Apocalypse Tapestry’ which depicts the apocalypse from the book of revelations. It was huge!

On Wednesday we were exploring Angers and even got to visit an amazing chocolate factory. Someone even spent €60 on Chocolate! There were lots of free samples which were all gone by the time we left. After the chocolate factory we were allowed to independently look around which was great fun. Then we went back to our host families’ house and spent the afternoon there. Some of us met up at a laser tag centre as a farewell party and Aaron won both games by a country mile.

After a great week in Angers it was time to leave thankfully no tears were shed, by the English, but the same can’t be said for some of the French We are looking forward to when they come over here but until then, Au revoir!

Alex Turtill (9N)

ON THE GO: International basketball match (left) and Comberton students at the Chateau d’Angers.

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LARGER THAN LIFE: Comberton students with the ‘gigantes’ ready for a festival in Zaragoza.

Life as Spanish teenager . . .

At the end of September, a group of Year 9 students set off for a week in Zaragoza, Spain, to meet their penpals from the Colegio María Rosa Molas and experience life as a Spanish teenager.

The Comberton students behaved in an exemplary manner and it was a real pleasure to see them grow in confidence over the week, and start building friendships with their partners.

As well as spending time with families and in lessons with their partners, students experienced a fantastic range of excursions.

We visited the historic Loarre castle in the Pyrenees and the impressive stone pillars of the Mallos de Riglos (world famous as a climbing spot), as well as stopping off in Huesca to soak up the atmosphere.

We were also allowed to get up close and personal with some of the gigantes that were to feature in festival celebrations later in the month!

Bonds between Comberton and Rosa Molas students were sealed over cups of authentic Spanish hot chocolate, and piping hot churros in the chocolatería, where we also heard a little from the owner about the origin and history of chocolate; and in the discovery of new creative talents in craft and technology workshops to make traditional instruments and our own boxes, decorated with washi tape.

Students also had the chance to visit the Zaragoza aquarium, where they learned about the animals living in and around the Ebro river; the city hall and a Moorish palace.

On our last day we were treated to a fantastic homemade tapas feast that all the host families had contributed to, which was a lovely way to round off the week and bid a fond (if slightly tearful!) farewell to partners, until they return for the Comberton leg of the exchange in the new year – we are looking forward to it already!

Claire Jones, MFL Department

We are so excited about our brand new Year 8 ‘Brussels & Opal Coast’ trip during Activities Week.

This trip will be run jointly for pupils at Comberton and Cambourne Village Colleges.

It has been designed to enhance the awareness of Francophone culture and countries within a European context, the various activities during the trip will be based on food, culture and European links.

We shall start off with Belgium: visiting the ‘Mini Europe Park’, enjoying a stroll taking in the typical atmosphere of the most beautiful European towns of the old continent with its 350 models.

Then we shall go to the European Parliament: a fierce defender of Human Rights as well as democracy, freedom of speech and free and fair elections.

Finally let’s not forget one of the most renowned Belgian products: chocolate! What a wonderful opportunity to learn all about chocolate and, of course, have a taste of the product!

Tasting, tasting, well… who will have a taste during our next visit in France to ‘Les Escargots du Bocage’? A snail farm where will learn interesting facts about how the snails are farmed, prepared and cooked.

The pupils (not the teachers!) will have the opportunity to try a snail along with a drink of lemonade. How lucky for them!

If this tasting session sounds rather peculiar; the others are really tempting and mouth-watering: sampling freshly-baked baguettes and croissants made by a traditional baker family and enjoying our own pancake with jam or chocolate sauce with a glass of orange juice.

You are envious? Well, we promise, we will bring a marzipan souvenir to the school made by the French ‘patissier’.

We’ll finish off our five-day trip with a few hours on the Opal Coast beach and a morning in a typical French market, walking around the stands and soaking up the atmosphere of new foods and culture.

All these activities will offer us a fascinating insight into the Francophone world out there! Who’s coming? I’ll be there for sure!

Alexandra Jarry, MFL Department

‘Time of my life’ The Spanish exchange was the most enjoyable thing I have done in my life.

The pupils in Spain were amazing and we were all very tearful when we left.

I would recommend it to anyone who is considering Spanish GCSE, but I would also recommend it to other students that haven’t decided what to do as a language GCSE. I will happily admit that I didn’t enjoy languages before this exchange, but as Ms Jones said while we were in Spain, ‘when you have an experience, which is good, of a language, that love will stay with you forever’.

All the students who went on the exchange have kept in touch with the Spanish pupils and all of us cannot wait until April 2015 when they come to England”.

FOOD THEME: Plenty of opportunities to try French and Belgian cuisine on the new Nick Hall (9C) activities week trip. Any takers for snails?

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international

New trip has the F factor — food

international

Poignant centenary visit In September a group of Year 11 History students had the opportunity to visit Belgium and France over a three-day period to visit the historical battle sites of the First World War.

This was a poignant year as this year marks the centenary of the start the First World War. We left school early on the Thursday morning and travelled by coach and Eurotunnel, eventually arriving in Ypres later that day.

Our first stop was to visit Langemark German Cemetery, which is only one of a few cemeteries where German soldiers are buried.

As this was our first visit to a cemetery, it was quite a moving experience and caused many of us to reflect on the massive loss of life, more than 44,000 soldiers were buried here.

In the centre, there was a mass grave, where thousands of German soldiers were buried together, their names engraved on simple stone plaques around the site.

After a good night's sleep, the next morning we set off to France to visit the Passchendaele Museum. This

WAR-TIME REMINDERS: The trenches at Bayern Wald and the memorial at Thiepval, which commemorates the missing.

museum had lots of examples of the weapons used in the First World War. As well at this, there was an underground trench experience. Following this, we went to Tyne Cot Cemetery. This was a deeply moving experience and the sheer number of gravestones was staggering, 11,954 Commonwealth soldiers are buried here. Some of the soldiers buried here, could not be identified, this meant that their gravestone simply had "A Soldier of the Great War" engraved, plus their regiment, if that was known.

Later that day, we visited the Menin Gate, for the Last Post ceremony. This is a daily ceremony where those who gave their lives, are remembered.

During my visit to the Menin Gate, I was fortunate enough to locate the name of one of my relatives, who had served in the Great War and had lost his life serving his country. I was able to pay my respects and thank him for the sacrifice he made.

The following day, we headed to Sanctuary Hill Museum, where we had the opportunity to experience the trenches first hand. These were very realistic, very muddy and wet, so it was possible to imagine the conditions that the soldiers had to endure.

Our final stop was Ypres where we visited the In Flanders Field Museum. We had the opportunity to freely explore the museum, including free time to explore Ypres itself.

This was by far the best residential school trip I have been on and I came home with a greater understanding of what really happened in the First World War. I would recommend this trip to anyone who has an interest in History.

Tom Upton (11V) l The Year 11 Flanders trip has now been replaced with a Berlin trip in October 2015 (further details will be published in the 2015). The opportunity to visit the WW1 Battlefields is now offered during Activities Week to Year 9s.

Historical activity . . .

During Activities Week, a group of (then) Year 9s set off to Northern Europe as part of the battlefields trip.

This was a three-day tour of some cemeteries, memorials and museums in France and Belgium.

Our first day across the channel began at Bayern Wald, a trench system which had been preserved and opened to the public. Following this, we visited both a German and English cemetery en route to Ypres, where we went to the 'In Flanders Fields museum' and the Menin Gate.

There we observed the Last Post ceremony, a daily service commemorating those who fought in World War 1. Three of our group were able to a lay a wreath at this service on behalf of the school.

The second day was just as busy. We began with a walk in the Somme during which we discussed the tactics of war. After this, we visited two more English cemeteries, followed by Lochnaegar Crater, a huge dip in the earth caused by the English army when they set off a large quantity of explosives under German trenches.

After this we went to Newfoundland Memorial Park, run by Canadian students and the Thiepval Memorial, designed to commemorate the missing.

Our third began with a final cemetery visit and a tour around Wellington

VIMY RIDGE: On the itinerary for the Year 9 Activities Week trip.

Quarry, a labyrinth of tunnels created by the British and concluded at the Vimy Ridge, a memorial to Canadian troops run by the same people who run the Newfoundland Memorial Park.

This was a brilliant end to a trip which was an amazing experience. The whole group were very thankful to our two tour guides who accompanied us as well as Mrs Davidson, Mr Broe, and Miss Burton who, in addition to others, gave all their time and effort to ensure this trip was as brilliant as it was!

George Blackhurst-Patrick (10M)

Data collection is an exhausting business All Year 11 geography students set off for a weekend in Sheringham to do the data collection for our coursework.

We stayed overnight and collecting results over two days concerning our individual hypotheses.

Ssmall groups of students dispersed among the streets of Sheringham, with people counting traffic, asking locals questions, evaluating environmental quality and more. When all the data collection had been done for the day, we were exited to find the various fish and chip shops located around Sheringham. We were able to enjoy a fish and chip lunch on the beach and promenade looking out over the sea to the wind turbines.

On Friday evening, in classes, we had a short lesson in which were prepared for the next day; this was necessary for each of our individual focuses for which we

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did more individual data collection on the next day.

The following morning there was another lesson where students were asked to create a plan of what they were doing that day to assist them with there individual data collection. Then year 11 set out to see the seals. Three coaches full of excited geographers hastily headed towards the docks. Once on the boat, students were driven out to view seals in natural protected habitats. The majority of the students quickly pulled cameras out and were gasping over the sights.

Then it was straight back to data collection as students spent two hours walking up and down the high street and down to the beach completing suitable work for their hypothesis. It was no wonder the majority were asleep on the coach home.

Anna Norgett (11B) and Ella Heslop (11M)

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MOVING: Students at The Holocaust Centre.

Lessons with a difference

Following hot on the heels of a very successful production and tour of The Odyssey to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, we pleased to announce that the tickets for the next production by Audacious Productions’ Les Misérables, (School Edition) are now on sale.

Audacious Productions bring this West-End smash hit musical to Comberton Village College. Featuring I Dreamed a Dream, On my Own, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables and Do you Hear the People Sing, this show is packed with misery, treachery, revenge, redemption, love and the hope of a better tomorrow. The ingredients that go into making the show such a hit is, of course, the music - full of drama and pathos, a perfect combination of heart-wrenching ballads, strong choral themes and fall-offyour-seat comedy.

The music will have audiences humming to themselves long after they have left the theatre. With a cast and crew comprising more than 70 students, they have thrown themselves into the production with all the energy and effervescence in a way that only young people can.

Shows will be on every evening from Wednesday January28-Saturday January 31 2015, including a matinee performance on Saturday at 2:30pm.Tickets are available via Wisepay, www.wegottickets/evenue/3764 or from Comberton Sports and Arts reception, priced between £5 and £8.

Please select carefully as there are multiple options and refunds cannot be given. Tickets will not be issued for online payments, or for cash/cheques paid at the finance office.

With the show now only a few weeks away, the cast well-rehearsed and the set and the costumes ready to be delivered this will be a production you will not want to miss.

The Production Team

Every year the Comberton curriculum is collapsed and students enjoy looking at subjects in a different way during the two Curriuculum Extension Days.

Year 7 spent one of their days in PE and teacher Nathan Rogers said: “ “This year’s PE days, were a great success. The year 7s engaged positively all day while experiencing six sports that feature in our extra-curricular programme.

“A particular favourite was the Golf Extreme session, run by our local golf Professional Adrienne Engleman. The other activities were, Dance, Rowing, Handball, Dodgeball, Rugby and Smash up Badminton (a modern mix of badminton challenges, and sociable games, with the added extra of music while playing).

“Well done to the Year 7s for putting so much enthusiasm into the two days. Hopefully we will see all of you at the clubs.”

Every year the Year 8s have an MFL day and teacher Morag Gillings said: “This year was one of the best ever with students being really enthusiastic to try out something new linked with language learning or a foreign culture.

“The students had a choice of learning Japanese, making some international craft, creating their own language, learning a Zumba routine, performing the Maori Haka or learning the martial art of Capoeira. They had specialists in these fields work with them up until lunch and then performed their chosen activity to the rest of the year in the afternoon.

“It was a delight to watch their performances in the afternoon and see how much they had learnt in such a short space of time. Well done to the Year 8s for their good behaviour and enthusiasm.”

Students Anna Kirby and Sarah Kilby explained one Thursday, March 12, 2015 seems a long way off when writing this but opening night of the Year 9 options. “We of Comberton’s production of Oscar Wilde’s comedy Lady Windermere’s Fan will be had the opportunity to upon us sooner than we expect. create a mathematical and Rehearsals have been happening Mondays for many weeks and the show is taking geometrical painting. They shape already. From small groups focusing on the text, to larger afternoons of call this ‘geo-art’. We used blocking 20 actors and actresses for the ball scene, rehearsals have been varied. many methods to create The cast have been impressive with their commitment even several months before one geometrical piece of opening. Many of the cast are enjoying their first piece of straight theatre, since they art. One important method are coming from a background of musical theatre; a few remarked that there is still that contributed to our the occasional tendency to break into song, but we’ll reserve that for Les mathematical knowledge Miserables. was using a piece of string Sophie Johnson says of rehearsals:It’s a real challenge playing so large a part as and a pencil to create the Lady Windermere, but I love trying to convey her character’s innocence in a play so perfect circle. full of gossip and manipulation.” She also remarked that the two-hour rehearsals are After the group transferred strangely relaxing and much, much different to her curricular GCSE drama lessons. their patterns on to large Heinrich Verwoerd, who plays Lord Darlington, has enjoyed relating to his character boards, the paint got ART AND MATHS: Year 9 combined the (which maybe a worry for some of us). While enjoying the early rehearsals, he’s involved . . . letting 14two subjects in ‘geo art’. more excited about getting into costume and on to the stage nearer opening night. year-olds loose with paint Reuben Smith loves the idiosyncratic humour of his character, Cecil Graham, who doesn’t sound like the most logical thing to do! In fact the group of students Wilde partly modelled on himself. Claire Hough says she’s enjoying her role as the pulled together to create beautiful and mathematical art work.” mischievous and intelligent Mrs Erlynne.

Year 10 Philosophy and Ethics students spent a day learning about the The comedy itself is about the enigmatic Mrs Erlynne, who has turned London Holocaust and the implications it has for theology. On the Thursday one group visited Beth Shalom (The Holocaust Centre) in Nottinghamshire where they spent society on its head with her sudden arrival, while the prim and proper Lady Windermere is going to take a stand against such immoral women at her 21st time with Eva Clarke, a Holocaust survivor. One of the most poignant moments for staff and students was contributing to the memorial to the children murdered birthday party.

Despite the scandal, chatter, and flattery, she will soon learn a lesson that the during the Holocaust. distinctions between moral and immoral people aren’t quite as definite as she once Simon Murray a student on the trip, commented: "The day helped me to realise believed. that events such as the Holocaust have an impact on people living today, even though it happened so long ago. I found Eva's story very emotional and it helped Lady Windermere’s Fan, is a play so full of ‘Wilde-isms’ that he has two characters me to think about the problem of evil from a more personal perspective." On the playing versions of himself and they don’t even deliver the play’s most quoted lines, Friday, the other group of students visited the Imperial War Museum and caught such as “we’re all in the gutter but some of us are looking up at the stars,” and “I can resist everything except temptation.” a glimpse of the display for Remembrance Sunday at the Tower of London.

Gemma Bateman, a student on the trip to the Imperial War Museum, commented: As director, I feel this play is simply superb: its dialogue, its humour, its humanity, never tire for me. Usually once an afternoon, I find myself apologising to the cast for "It makes you really get a better idea of what happened in the past when you my laughter disrupting the flow of the scene. Hopefully you can join us for an actually see artefacts from the time. It makes it more 'real' to me." evening of humour and support our budding comic actors.

Many thanks to the staff who organised the trip especially Humanities Mike Ryall administrator Ms Titchmarsh.

Wilde night in prospect

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news

Countdown to Les Mis

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community ed

SCSSP

Round-up of the latest action from the South Cambs SSP

Ace coaches’ national call Four teenagers have been chosen for the Youth Sport Trust National Talent Camp 2014 at Loughborough University from 19-22 December.

Liam Hunt, Harmony Hennessy and Laura Mott from Comberton Sixth Form and Jack Bevis, from Hills Road Sixth Form College, were chosen after being recognised as talented young coaches through their involvement in the County Young Coach Academy (CYCA) programme and the local Leadership academy programme before that.

They have shown huge commitments to their sports of swimming, athletics and football undertaking countless hours of voluntary coaching in community clubs and demonstrating the drive to push themselves further.

The National Talent Camp is a unique four -day residential, bringing together 350 of the most talented young athletes, coaches and officials from across England. The camp will see 200 coaches, 100 athletes, and 50 officials participate in a multisport, multi-role camp, to increase individual aspiration and ambition, and develop empathy.

CHOSEN: The Comberton Sixth Formers.

Through the camp, young people will be stretched and challenged to be ambitious and achieve their sporting best.

Claire McDonnell, Manager of the South Cambs SSP and the CYCA said, “I am absolutely delighted for them, it is such an exciting and unique opportunity. I would have loved to have had something like this when I was their age. They have

Coton top it

all put so much into their leadership, coaching and volunteering work over the last few years they utterly deserve this. I know they will have a great time, it will be four long and testing days but they will learn so much from it. It will definitely be worthwhile.”

The Youth Sport Trust said: “Working with National Governing Bodies of Sport, sports coach UK and Sports Officials UK, the camp, which is funded by Sport England, and presented by Loughborough University, will offer our most promising young coaches, athletes and officials the opportunity to learn and share valuable experiences in their pursuit of sporting success.

“The seven NGBs who will each have a range of young coaches, athletes, and officials representing them at the camp include athletics, boccia, cycling, football, swimming, table tennis and volleyball.

Throughout the camp, young people will be actively encouraged to dream and be ambitious on where their talent can take them, develop a holistic view of their own performance and understand how they will deliver when they are back in the environment of their own sport.“

Change for good

The Change 4 Life club at Meridian Primary school is Coton Primary School claimed run before school on a Tuesday and has targeted a their place in the mix of children who lack a bit of self-confidence, who Cambridgeshire & Peterborough need help focusing, who can’t access other out-ofSainsbury’s School Games school sports or who are learning about teamwork.

Spring Finals by winning the South Cambs SSP ‘Small A typical meeting sees the the children gather in the Schools’ tag rugby competition hall in their school uniform and trainers to do a warm Schools in the South Cambs area in some style. up, followed by some dynamic stretches to wake are celebrating after being awarded Their mixed team of Year 4, 5 their bodies up. They then discuss what exercise WINNERS: Coton pupils for their commitment to PE and and 6 pupils played five, and they had done in the previous week to help them school sport. won five matches, scoring 18 tries along the way. More than 250 become healthier. A homework task might be to try Ten schools have received School children took part in the event at Melbourn Village College with 10 and think of healthy food that they like.

Games Mark accreditation as part of schools competing in the new ‘small schools’ competition, open to Games follow to increase heart rates and boost a national scheme run by the Youth schools with fewer than 120 pupils in Key Stage 2, and another 12 teamwork before a cool down and discussion about teams in the open competition. Both competitions were split into two Sport Trust. Those schools that the importance of stretching muscles after exercise. pools with teams playing each other and the winners of each group allocate two hours a week to Participants are those who wouldn’t necessarily mix progressing through to a final, which saw Coton edge Fowlmere 3-2. in the classroom or playground. Asked what they curriculum PE, demonstrate a high Both finalists will represent South Cambs at the Cambs and liked best about C4L, one said: “working together level of involvement in inter-school Peterborough Sainsbury’s School Games Spring Finals. with different children and becoming a team” All were competitions, develop young leaders In the open competition Steeple Morden beat Harston & Newton 6-2 to smiling and succeeding and it set them up for a and show a commitment to the reach the SSP finals on March 5 at Swavesey Village College. better day at school. development of school sport across Organiser Claire McDonnell said: “It was a fantastic afternoon of If you would like to run a club in your school or would their school and into the community rugby. Congratulations must go to all of the players who took part as like to attend a deliverer’s workshop on January 8 are rewarded. well as the leaders from Melbourn Village College and Comberton 2015, 4-6:30pm at Comberton Village College, you Sixth Form who did a great job in officiating.”

Comberton Village College and can find further details here at www.scssp.co.uk Harston & Newton Primary School achieved the gold standard, with Melbourn Village College among A record number of primary schools from across South Schools FA under-11 football competition for small schools, those recognised with silver Cambridgeshire took part in the district round of the English girls’ teams and an open 7-a-side. accreditation.

The competition, organised by South Cambs School Sports Claire McDonnell, manager of the Partnership, attracted 35 teams. In the small schools South Cambs School Sports competition, last year’s runners up Harston & Newton qualified Partnership, said “I’m delighted that from Pool 1 ahead of Meldreth and in the final they came up against Elsworth, who scored a’golden goal’ in extra-time to these schools have been recognised snatch victory. and rewarded for the commitment to Ten teams contested the girls’ competition with Histon & the development of PE and school Impington and Coton topping the groups. Last year’s county sport and I hope they will inspire champions from Histon edged a competitive final with a single more to apply for similar awards in goal to reach the county final for the second year running. the future. It’s fantastic that Harston Swavesey and Willingham made it to the final of the 13-team and Newton have been able to open event with the former winning 2-0. maintain the gold standard they The three winning schools now represent South Cambs in the achieved last year; they are one of a County Finals in January where they will compete against the handful of schools in the county to ON THE RUN: Action from Meridian (blue) other districts’ winners for the chance to reach the ESFA against Jeavons Wood. achieve this level of award.” regional finals.

On the mark

Three teams win through to county round

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sport

National progress

MUDDY BUT SMILING: Year 9 girls after their inter-form run.

Girls set pace The minor girls set the pace at this year’s district cross-country competition held at Netherhall schoo,l finishing in fourth place overall.

Year 7 Eleanor Davies had a superb run, leading the team home and finishing in fourth individually to qualify for the county round, where she will represent Cambridge and District against Peterborough, Fenland and Ely schools.

Julian Shellard also had an excellent debut in the minor boys race, finishing in 14th place and also qualifying for the next round of the competition at King’s School, Ely in January.

Adam Lightfoot (Year 8) and Tom Whinney (Year 7) also had excellent races, finishing in 15th and 16th place and they are currently waiting to see if they are going to be selected.

COUNTY FINALISTS: Comberton’s under-14 (front row) and under-16 netball teams.

Comberton’s girls’ under-19 squash team are through to the second round of the National Schools Championships after victories over Leeds Grammar and hosts Lincoln Minster in their opening games.

The team of Charlotte Davies, Casey Miller, Katie Reynolds, Ellis Miller and Izzy Broadbent won both matches 5-0 to secure their place in the second round, which will be drawn in the new year.

The majority are of the team are the same players who finished runners-up in the National Plate event as under-15s two years ago.

Sisters Casey, ranked 23rd nationally at under-15, and Ellis, ranked 26th at under-13, both also played for Comberton’s current under-15A team who, with Millie Prothero, MIllie Banks and Tess Clippingdale, overwhelmed the Comberton B team of Sarah Snelling, Josie Allen, Maya Hellin, Faye Hawkins and Zoe Norgett, but found Kenilworth too good.

With two players ranked in the national top 15 at under-15 level, the visitors were too strong for both Comberton teams, winning 3-2 against the A team and 4-1 against the B side.

So close to finals

Congratulations to the Year 9 boys’ tennis team who qualified top of their league in the summer having not dropped a match Overall Comberton took 30 athletes to this event all term. and congratulations must be passed on to all of This meant they went through to the regional rounds against the runner who represented the school. some of the best tennis schools in the country.

The Comberton girls were selected after the Sadly the summer break had taken its toll and the boys inter-form run, which the Year 7, 8 and 9 girls tackled just before half-term and the Year 7 and couldn't quite snatch a win from in the penultimate round 8 boys did theirs earlier this month, having taken before grand finals.

The boys finished in the top 48 of schools in the country part in inter-form rugby previously.

Well done to all the KS3 pupils who represented which is a fantastic achievement. Well done to Charlie Taylor, their form in either the inter-form games or the Jamie Segal, Marcus Mayfield and James Mikelson. run. Every event was very successful with many The tennis season starts again in the summer term so watch stand-out performances. Year 9s completed both this space and fingers crossed the boys can go even further the run and a games tournament, where pupils next year. could choose to compete in either football, badminton or various fitness challenges.

In the summer term year 9 will have a further chance to represent their form in a mixed Comberton’s senior climbing team travelled to Swavesey competition with both boys and girls working Village College to compete in their first ever climbing fixture. together to show their form's sporting dominance! A team of seven students competed in pairs, challenging Swavesey climbers to various climbing routes.

Each participant who completed the climb scored a point which were then totalled up for the end result.

Swavesey were the winners at their home venue but they were due for the return fixture at Comberton this week.

The team consisted of Year 11s Aaron Marcus, Charlie Raynor, Alvin Au, Owen Baker and Year 10s Liam Clark, Amy Beswick and Daniel Moss.

The fixture was organised by Year 12 student Laura Mott, who joined Comberton Sixth Form this term after completing her GCSE exams at Swavesey.

A climbing first

Teams show battling spirit Last month, the Under-14 and Under-16 netball teams competed in the County Schools Netball Finals.

Both teams had performed exceptionally well in their district tournaments last season to qualify for a place in the county rounds.

It was a cold, drizzly day, but both teams approached the tournament with positivity and confidence and had convincing wins in their first games, the younger team beating King’s School and the under-16s defeating The Peterborough School.

The Under-16s unfortunately went on to lose their next two games, but they were very closely

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contested against St Mary’s and Stephen Perse.

The Under-14s also lost against St Mary’s, but managed to work together and beat Longsands.

To finish the day the Under-16s had a very convincing win over Hinchingbrooke, Huntingdon, but Kimbolton beat the Under-14s.

Competition on the day was fierce with some very accomplished teams as opposition. The girls played exceptionally well and showed great sportsmanship and team spirit. Well done to all UP THE WALL: Members of Comberton’s climbing who played.

Jane Clarke, Head of PE team.

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George Segrave, a year 11 pupil at Comberton Village College and Laura Mott, previously of Swavesey Village College and now at Comberton Sixth Form were presented with trophies and certificates after shining during a three-day Talent Inspiration Programme (TIP) as part of the Sainsbury’s School Games.

George (young athlete) and Laura (young team manager) were chosen out of 200 aspiring young athletes and 50 aspiring young Team Managers from across the UK for the top awards after being put forward by the South Cambs School Sport Partnership.

In total eight students from local secondary schools were selected to take part in the Youth Sport Trust event which was held in Manchester and ran in parallel to the Sainsbury’s 2014 School Games.

During the TIP they attended workshops, observed high level competition, and took part in a number of practical sessions designed to challenge and test their determination and hunger to achieve in RECOGNISED: The award winners at the Talent Inspiration Programme. sport.

Six awards were given at the closing ceremony for determination, honestly, Parents of the athletes were also invited to participate in a workshop -specifically designed to showcase the role parents can play in supporting their child. passion, respect, self belief and teamwork.

George said his highlights over the three days included the opening ceremony Finally, there was an overall athlete award for showing all of the above and this (which involved a David Beckham video message), watching the track cycling at was awarded to George, who received a certificate and a cycling shirt signed by Sir the Manchester Velodrome.

Bradley Wiggins.

Medal doubles for trio Three Comberton boys, George Segrave, Oli Calvert and Matthew O’Leary, travelled to Braintree College in Essex to take part in the Regional Panathlon School Games.

They were representing South Cambridgeshire, along with the Granta School from Linton, after winning the Cambridgeshire school games at the Cambridge University Sports Centre earlier this year.

The games included sports such as new age curling, table cricket, boccia, precision bean bag throwing, indoor javelin, seated shot put and relays.

Each of the three students came away with two medals each from gold to bronze.

Everyone had great fun and Matthew and Oli even managed to make a TV appearance on ITV regional news talking about the games. Matthew also appeared in the Cambridge News.

ON TRAIL OF GLORY: Members of Comberton’s under-13 squad.

Team targets place in national quarter-finals Comberton have the chance for revenge thanks to a second half goal from Romy McGee. as well as the opportunity to reach the The team, who are having a fantastic quarter-finals of the English School FA National Cup at the start of the next term. season, are due to face Cambourne in The under-13 girls will play St Ivo in the the third round of the County Cup next sixth round of the national competition, term as well as three more rounds of the Cambs FA Grand Prix, having lost out to the St Ives where two teams will school on penalties in the semi-finals of the Cambridge compete in the next competition in the new United League Cup. The Comberton team made year.

The Under-15 girls have their way through the rounds of the ESFA compeititon found the going tough, with victory over Alameda losing to Freman College 5-0 in the national Middle School, Bedford, competition and 14-0 to Chesterton and Hinchingbrooke (11-0) to set Nene Park in the County up a last 32 trip to Thorpe St LEADING LIGHT: The Cup. Casey Miller was Andrew High School, named player of the under-15 player of the season.

Norwich, which they won 1-0 season.

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ROSETTES ALL ROUND: Members of Comberton’s new equestrian team.

CVC ride into the mix The Comberton equestrian team was only set up this term and last month around half of those who have joined took part in their first National Schools Equestrian Association (NSEA) show-jumping competition at the College of West Anglia at Milton.

There were a number of creditable performances but the hightlight for Comberton came in the 80cm class where the four-rider team collected sixthplaced rosettes in a huge class of 12 teams, There will be the opportunity to enter more competitions, not only in show jumping, in the new year and it is not too late to join the team. For more information, please see Mrs Czylok in her new office opposite ML 3.

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Students take top awards

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Twickenham big day out PHOTO CALL: For Comberton, Cambourne and Twickenham Academy students.

A group of 60 Comberton rugby players attended a great trip to Twickenham.

In the morning the Year 7, 8 and 9 teams all played fixtures against Twickenham Academy. The Year 7 squad played some excellent rugby but ultimately lost their game 30-15. Thomas Burke and Toby Pym were very impressive throughout the game and as a result they achieve a joint award for player of the match.

Year 8 showed some quality structure and skill in their play and were comprehensive 60-10 winners.

Tom Dawes scored four of the Year 8 tries and showed excellent skill from scrum-half in a great player-of-the-match display. The Year 8s also welcomed Theo Raynor back into the fold after his recovery from injury.

The Year 9s came up against an unbeaten Twickenham Academy side, who had recently won the Colin Bosely Shield, so it was always going to be a tough challenge against them. They performed admirably in a 25-5 defeat. They played some excellent rugby with a particular highlight being a great run from Abe Raymond.

All the boys who played had a great time testing their rugby skills against a school from outside of our catchment area and should be proud of their performances.

The morning games had the pupils buzzing on the bus as we headed to Twickenham Stadium to watch the Varsity match between Cambridge and Oxford Universities. The boys loved the atmosphere and there was much fun had by all with cheering,

whooping and Mexican waves particularly prevalent during the game.

The game itself was dominated by a skilful and physical Oxford side who were superior to Cambridge for the majority of the game. It was a great experience for the boys to see rugby played at such a good standard and reinforce the values of fair play and sportsmanship shown by the university players on such a prestigious occasion. We hope that the experience of the day will inspire the boys and spur them on to even greater achievements in their rugby careers.

Many thanks to all the staff who attended to support the trip and in particular to Sean Pollock for his efforts in preparing for the day.

Team target place in the County Cup final Comberton’s Year 8 side are aiming to build on their third place in the Cambridge and District Tournament by reaching the final of the County Cup in the New Year.

They have a semi-final to look forward to after Christmas after an impressive term of rugby. More than 40 boys have represented the school in competitive fixtures against local schools.

They have played some excellent rugby and are developing into streetwise, skilful and knowledgeable players.

At their tournament the A team came third after losing in the semi-final to a last-minute try against St Bede’s. The B team won 4 of their 5 games to come second in their tournament.

Both are very impressive achievements and bode well for the future.

Kayde Sylvester was named Player of the season for ON THE RUN: Rugby action. consistent impact, skill and commitment to the team , while Dennis Wheland and Elliot Noble were the most improved players.

Overall the year 9s have made the most progress this season in playing as a team unit.

With the additions this year of Brandon Stein in the forwards and Arthur Connolly in the backs, the team has gone from strength to strength, allowing them to play more creative rugby but also to work hard at the simple fundamental skills.

The players of the season were Brandon and Toby Carmichael with Harry Harland-Mears and Josh Searle the most improved players.

The Year 7 boys made an excellent start to their rugby careers. In the squad there is a good mix of experienced players and newcomers to the sport.

Attendance at training has been excellent and there has been genuine competition for places in both the A and B teams.

Results haven’t always reflected performances, but finishes of joint fourth for the A team and joint third for the B in the district tournament are a good base to build on for future years.

Toby Pym was named as player of the season with Louis Ripper, Tom Burke and Daniel Bates shared the Most Improved Player award.

Some great rugby has been played all term by the Year 11 boys, who have represented CVC with great credit - winning 5 out of 6 matches! In doing so they scored plenty of tries, eight by Louis Neal, with many converted by Adam Mackenzie in the old fashioned way, without a tee.

Player of the term was captain Ben Freshwater.

Lots of debuts made this term for the Year 10 team, and some interesting and exciting matches against local opposition. Well done to Louis Gun, Bob Wahedi and player of the term Angus Thomson.

ALL TOGETHER NOW: THe Year 11 rugby line-up.

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England chance for Sam CHRISTMAS came early this year for Year 11’s Sam Roach.

The teenage goalkeeper has had two reasons to celebrate right from the start of the festive season.

He has just been offered a scholarship at his club Leyton Orient for when he leaves school next summer — and he has recently spent two days at an England under-16 training camp.

Although Sam has been with Leyton Orient for three seasons and is their first choice under-16 goalkeeper, it was the success of last season’s Cambridge and District Schools team which really propelled him into the limelight.

He was one of three players from Comberton — along with Anthony Scully and Dan Anderson — who were in the under-15 team which reached the finals of the English Schools Playstation Inter-Association Trophy.

The Caldecote-based player was named player of the match in the first leg of the final at Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium, which Cambridge eventually lost to Liverpool Schools after the second leg at Everton’s ground.

Sam, a West Ham supporter whose hero is Manchester City and England FULL STRETCH: Sam Roach in action.

Picture: Cambridge News. keeper Joe Hart, has always wanted to be a goalkeeper.

He started between the sticks as a six-year-old for Cambourne Rovers, moving after trials at the London club. on tto Cambourne Eagles then the Histon Academy and Colchester United.

Alongside studying for his GCSE exams, Sam spends two days a week training with The family moved to Spain where he played for Costa Unida in Estepona and was Orient’s existing scholarship players and the first team, now knowing he will be one scouted for Malaga, but they returned to England and he was snapped up by Orient of them next season.

Rebecca tops the rankings Year 11 swimmer Rebecca Burton tops the under-16 national rankings and is the county and regional record holder at 50 metres breaststroke.

The Modernians, Bedford, club member took gold at the open age group East Regional Championships at Luton earlier this month, breaking the regional record as well as her own Cambridgeshire best in the process.

It means Becky, who was 16 on Sunday, now holds the regional and county 50m breaststroke records at senior and junior level.

Her best time of 32.30 sec not only makes her the best in the country at her age but also puts her in the top 20 of any female swimmer nationally for 50m breaststroke.

At the same competition Becky was second in the 100m breaststroke in senior and junior category in 1 min 11.31 sec and was third in the junior 50m butterfly.

NO 1: Rebecca Burton is top of the under-16 national rankings.

Comets duo are flying high Two Comberton students have finished in the top five of a new trampolining league.

Year 9 pupil Georgia Berry and Year 7 Evie Joseph finished fourth and fifth respectively in their section of the finals of the National Trampolining League, which ran for the first time this year.

Competitors had to compete in at least two of the four qualifying rounds across the country and were then ranked on their two best scores.

The top 24 from each division — Georgia and Evie are both in Division Two for bouncers at National C level — then

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went through to the finals at Huntingdonshire Regional College earlier this month.

In the preliminary round there, Evie was fourth and Georgia sixth, with the top eight invited back for the final decider the follwing day. There the places were reversed with Georgia finishing fourth overall and Evie fifth.

To get to the finals the girls, who both bounce for Cambourne Comets, each did two competitions.

Georgia finished second in Cardiff where Evie was seventh and was also runner-up in Liverpool, while Evie’s other event was at Gillingham where she took silver spot.

AIRBORNE: Georgia Berry and Evie Joseph both finished in the top five of a national competition.

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