DESBOROUGH COLLEGE
INDEX:-
Desborough Legacy
Ice Skating Success
Sailing Success
CREST Gold Award
Biology Challenge 2017
The Royal Society Young Person’s Book Prize 2017
Ski Trip to Austria 2017
Physics A Level Trip to Royal Holloway
An Invitation from Oxford
Trip to Cadbury World
Spectroscopy Workshop
Visit to Braywick Court School
Trip to Radley College for Music Department
Young Enterprise, b.right
Student Accepted a Place at London School of Ballet
Desborough Hockey
May 2017 Dear Patents/Carers A Review It has been a superb half-term, one of the busiest, most rewarding since my appointment (over five years ago now! ) with some excellent new teaching appointments to replace those colleagues who are leaving and to accommodate the additional numbers arriving next September. Plans are already in place to ensure that Desborough College continues to improve on all fronts and there is certainly no danger of complacency setting in. A Prediction I am confident that public examination results will improve again this year at both KS4 and KS5, GCSE and A Level, making it the fifth year in succession that our examination performance has improved. There are only a couple of weeks until the examination season ends and I am looking forward with confidence to Thursday 17 August and Thursday 24 August when the results are due to be published. An Innovation From September we will be trialling Latin and Mandarin Chinese in our curriculum for the first time with a number of teaching groups and are hoping to expand provision over the next three years. Exciting plans are in place to establish Desborough as a centre of excellence for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and we are looking to further improve our sporting facilities. A Request. I looked yesterday at Parentview, the website used by Ofsted to measure parental satisfaction, and while it is overwhelmingly positive there are only 10 respondents so, if you have 5 minutes to spare it would be helpful if you could go on–line and answer the 12 questions. A Suggestion
Drama Report, Year 11
Drama Report ,Year 12
Art Department News
Technology Department News
Information for Parents
I recommend the school's FaceBook page as a way of keeping up-to-date with the many interesting things that happen at Desborough College. An Invitation To all ex-Desborough students, irrespective of when they attended, why not join The Old Maidonians? Details of how can be obtained from me. Simply e-mail me at paulfrazer@desborough-college.net. Finally, I hope that you all enjoy a sunny, safe and restful half-term break. Regards,
DESBOROUGH LEGACY DESBOROUGH COLLEGE EMAIL: legacy@desboroughcollege.net
DESBOROUGH LEGACY CONTRIBUTION FORM 2016-2017 Desborough Legacy (PTA) is a fundraising charity run by parents and staff to provide extra equipment and facilities that benefit the students at the College. We are now starting a drive to provide lockers for the boys starting with the younger age groups. Please consider making a small monthly donation to the Legacy. The donation amount is entirely discretionary, but we encourage parents to arrange a monthly standing order or regular payment to provide us with a regular flow of funds which is easy for us to administer. (If unable to give monthly, one-off donations are of course welcome). If you are a UK tax payer, please complete and return a Gift Aid form to enable us to boost funds by reclaiming tax on your contribution at no cost to you – send an email to the address below and we can send one by return. Donations can be made in one of 3 very simple ways (see below). For any option please include your son’s name as a payment reference. 1. ONLINE OR MOBILE PHONE: Set up a standing order donation(s) directly to the Desborough Legacy bank account below. Log in, set the frequency, start date and monthly payment date. Our Bank: Account Name:
HSBC Desborough Legacy
Sort code: Account No:
40-31-05 90559261
2. YOUR BANK BRANCH: In your branch, complete and submit the Bank’s Standing Order Form 3. BY CHEQUE payable to “Desborough Legacy” and send to the school office for the attention of Nuria White. Please include a note of your name and your son’s name. Please return this completed form to the school office For the attention of Nuria white or scan it and email to NuriaWhite@desborough-college.net
Thank you so much for your assistance! – keep an eye on our activities and projects on our Facebook page, including our drive to raise money for the provision of lockers
Desborough Legacy charity status number: 1113365
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Student’s Success with Ice Skating “My figure skating carrier began on the 7 of January 2016 but my sister and myself only started taking it seriously somewhere in the middle of that same year. It began because my mum encouraged me to try out a six-week course at Slough Ice Rink so I tried it out just to keep my sister happy and it might be something that I would enjoy. I was twelve when I started and my sister was ten and the surprising thing was that we were developing extremely quickly. Both my sister and I managed to land an axel, which is a jump with one and a half rotation, in just over a month which takes most skaters over a couple of years to land. Our coaches were also astounded about the fact that we were developing so quickly but then Slough Ice Rink closed for refurbishment and so we moved to skate in Bracknell. Bracknell felt a lot different. It was an Olympic sized ice rink so it was much bigger and it was a lot more colourful. The atmosphere also felt a lot better and it had kinder and more helpful people than there were in Slough. That was the first time we started skating before school at 6 o’clock in the morning and then we started to kick in a little more. Slough Ice Rink was opened again and so our coaches went back but we didn’t want to as we felt that Bracknell was a lot better in all respects, so we decided to stay. After that, we got 3 new coaches, two dance coaches (who were also a couple) and one free coach. From that point on, we really started to improve. My sister and I were put together as couple skaters and our free skating was improving drastically. We were already doing complicated spinning positions and we were already landing double toe-loops and double loops in just under a year since we first started skating. Then we got our first pair of new skates at Christmas and that’s when we really started improving drastically. Continued on the next page ..
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Student’s Success with Ice Skating Continued .. My sister and I entered our first couple competition which was held in Bradford Ice Rink on Wednesday the 29 May 2017. Our friends were also competing and this was our first competition. Unfortunately, we did just miss 3rd place and came 4th place in our category of the competition which was Beginner Couples. My sister and I were still upset as we only missed out 3rd place by 2 points but we were still happy that we came 4th in Beginner Couples in the UK. It was our friends who came 3rd place but we did get a participation medal and we had a great time for our first experience in a dance competition. Now that my sister and I knew how everything worked, we were a lot more confident for our next competition which was an international competition in Belgium on Sunday 23 April where we came 1st, receiving two trophies each for two events, again in the same category, Beginner Couples. The best part is that our dance coaches think we can get into British Championships by the end of the year so we will see how that goes. We also do some work outs at the rink and at home, and sometimes I practise lifts with my sister for our free dance programme on our trampoline if the weather is nice. We are skating roughly 23 hours a week and every day we wake up at 4.00 am and go to the ice rink in Bracknell just before 5:30-6:00 am, sometimes earlier. We still don’t know how we are surviving these ridiculous times but we somehow manage and occasionally we might have one day off but other than this, that is our basic routine.” Alex Fairbridge—Year 8
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Sailing Success for Desborough Students Leo Wilkinson—Year 8 It is wonderful news that Leo has been selected for the GBR Squad to attend the Irish Nationals. Selection was based on the results of two recent national series 2-day events. He’s had a very successful few weeks. He’s had 1st and 2nd places at all his South East events, so is currently leading the South East Traveller Series. He won an Albacore (large 2-handed boat with his 7ft tall helm) Open, beating the national champions, who are 3-4 times his age, and came 3rd in the Eric Twiname Championships last month, in which the South East team won overall. Nathaniel Harlow and Jacob Ioras—Year 8
Their Junior Under 13 coxed quadruple scull raced their way through 3 heats to reach the final of their event. After a nail-biting race, Nat’s crew overhauled their opposition from Great Marlow School to lead with about 50 metres of the race remaining. Unfortunately, one of the crew then caught a huge ‘boat stopper’ crab which allowed their opposition to pip them to the post. Jacob had an amazing day! He was originally selected to cox, (i.e. steer and command) Nat’s crew. On the day, one of the visiting clubs needed a substitute and Jacob ended up racing for them. His crew ended up reaching the final of the Junior under 14 coxed quadruple sculling event which they sadly lost. One of the Maidenhead Junior Under 13 crew fell ill after two races and Jacob switched from coxing the crew to racing at bow for their semi-final and final races. As detailed above the crew did lose their final race but both Nat and Jacob acquitted themselves really well in their first event.
Mr Snell—Raising Achievement Leader
Congratulations to our talented boys
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CREST Gold Award Five Year 13 students, namely Monty Teeder, Craig Renwick, Julia Anywanu, Anaida Sherali and Neha Tandon have been awarded the prestigious CREST Gold award following a rigorous assessment interview last week. The A-level Biology students carried out a joint project to investigate the antimicrobial properties in traditional healing plants used against multi-drug resistant bacteria Escherichia coli. This required considerable planning followed by 4 weeks practical work where the students had to learn and successfully carry out the correct aseptic techniques to grow bacteria safely and without contamination. This involved training by the Biology technician and using the Biology department’s specialist laminar flow cabinet to prevent contamination of samples. Following extensive investigation, Ivy and Lavender were found to be particularly effective in inhibiting microbial growth. The investigation was extensively written up and presented to the CREST assessor who found the experiment very interesting and worthy of the Gold award. Mr Brockett – Head of Biology
Biology Challenge 2017 During Science Week in March, Year 9 and Year 10 Triple Science students tested their Biology knowledge and understanding in a National Biology Competition, run by the prestigious Royal Society of Biology. This year there was a record 40,000 students taking part in the competition across Britain. Our students went against the clock to complete a series of complex and challenging questions and gain the highest score. Overall, there were 7 students who scored enough to obtain certificates and a further 17 were highly commended. Certificates winners were: Silver- Hasan Shazad; Bronze- Sean Gobbett, Fionan Dunne, Daire Sutcliffe, Oliver Hammond, Nick Rowe and Tom Hodgson. Well done to all students who took part - they can now register for a free year of ‘BioNet’ membership as a gift from the Royal Society of Biology. This is an online resource for school or college students who are interested in biology and thinking about a future in the life sciences. Mr Brockett – Head of Biology
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The Royal Society Young Person’s Book Prize 2017 Desborough College have been chosen to judge the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2017. A group of budding scientists in Year 7 (as decided by the head of science) will read all of the shortlisted books and judge them following the criteria. Our results will be passed on, along with all the other panels’ results, with the winner to be decided in November. The short-list of books will be announced in half-term and we look forward to receiving our pack when we come back.
Carnegie Shadowing
We are storming through the eight books that are on the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal ready for judging in June. At present our favourite appears to be a tie between Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys and The Bonesparrow by Zana Fraillon. The full list of books can be found at: http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk
Alison Hallissey School Librarian @DesboroughLRC
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Ski Trip to Austria —Easter 2017 In the Easter holiday 42 Desborough boys, along with six staff, ventured off to Saalbach/Hinterglemm in Austria for 6 days of Skiing. The cohort was split into ability groups by the Ski instructors before hitting the slopes for the first session. The intermediate and advanced skiers went off with their Ski Instructor and Miss Anderson, (the most experienced staff skier) and the rest of the boys were divided up and practised on the nursery slopes before heading into the mountains for some serious skiing! As the week continued the progress of all boys was outstanding. Boys that had never skied were cruising down the red and blue slopes like it was a walk in the park! It was really rewarding and great to see. Once the sun went down and the skis were resting in the boot room, the fun didn’t stop. Evening entertainment included a night out to an ice cream parlour, Bobby’s Bowling Bar for an evening of bowling and arcades, quiz night, pizza night and my personal favourite, an ice hockey fixture between two local rival teams. Desborough Ski Trip 2017 was a major success and enjoyed by all. The boys were fantastic ambassadors for the school and conducted themselves impeccably well. To be fair, I wouldn’t expect anything less. I would just like to thank all the staff for giving up there time to support the trip. It couldn’t happen without them. Also thanks to the boys themselves for making it, in their words; “the BEST TRIP EVER!” Mr Hall—Raising Achievement Leader and Trip Co-Ordinator
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Physics A Level Trip to Royal Holloway On the 20 of April our 5 Year 12 Physicists visited the Physics Department at Royal Holloway University for a particle physics master class. Students from lots of different schools in the area participated and joined us for a series of lectures on the fundamental building blocks of matter and the mysteries still plaguing the standard model of particle physics. These included how to combine gravity with quantum theory, what dark matter and dark energy really are and how to find new particles. The Year 12 students also got to take part in several short workshops, teaching them to identify particles by their tracks in detectors, like ATLAS at the LHC. They also looked at real “Higgs Events”, collisions thought to have produced a Higgs Boson, which provided some of the evidence that led to the announcement of the particle’s discovery in 2012.
Figure 1 Higgs to Gamma Gamma decay candidate For example these tracks show two photons being picked up (the large green lines), this is one way that the Higgs particle can decay and if the energy of the photons is measured they are found to add up to the predicted energy of the Higgs particle. The Higgs is important as it is thought to be responsible for mass, without it nothing in the universe would have a mass. Our students were able to learn more about this fascinating particle, and get a taste of what studying physics at university is all about. They thoroughly enjoyed the day. Miss Moore – Joint Curriculum Leader for Science and Curriculum Leader for Physics
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An Invitation from Oxford On Friday 28 April a group from Year 9 and 10 went on a trip to join the Oxbridge group at Newlands. We were split into year groups and then did the two parts and swapped. The Year 10s started off with a workshop and got to know each other before being split into smaller groups to discuss what we think causes stress at this time in our school career. We then regrouped and further discussed this point and shared ideas and potential solutions to any of these issues. The final part of this half of the trip was a fun activity where we had to work together to make the highest tower out of 20 pieces of spaghetti, a roll of masking tape and a pair of scissors. We then swapped with the Year 9s and we were given a talk from a university representative, Doctor Organ. He talked to us about different courses available at the different Oxbridge universities around the country and what different careers they might lead to. Overall, this trip taught us a lot about universities, how they can help us in future and how to get into them as well as how to deal with exam stress and what the school can do to help us. I am looking forward to future trips of this sort so that we can learn more about what we can do to help ourselves. Tom Hodgson—Year 10
The next AMA trip will be for the Year 10s up to Brasenose College, Oxford
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Trip to Cadbury World On Wednesday 10 May, the Business Studies Department led another successful trip to the Cadbury Factory in Bourneville, Birmingham. The purpose of the trip was to allow our Year 10s, who have been studying production and operations management in class, to contextualise their learning, and consolidate their understanding; it therefore had absolutely nothing to do with the copious quantities of chocolate on offer! Our day started with a fascinating insight into the history of the brand, as well as information on the more recent changes to the company’s structure. Our talk also covered the quality assurance processes in place in the factory, as well as the standards in place for customer service. A great question about ‘fringe benefits’ came from Ali Moursy, who was keen to learn more about the perks of working for Cadbury. Following some 4D wizardry in the Cadbury World Cinema, it was time for our exhibition/ factory tour, where more was learnt about the chocolate making process, and the firm’s marketing successes. The boys finished their day spending parents’ hard earned cash in the world’s largest Cadbury gift shop, where time was spent wondering just how long it would really take to consume 1kg of chocolate. Not long is the answer. Thank you to the staff that gave up their time to accompany the trip, and to the boys who always represent the school so well when out and about – I’ve come to expect nothing less. Mr D Clawson—Curriculum Leader for Business Studies
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Spectroscopy Workshop On Tuesday the 16 May 2017, A-Level Chemistry students were honoured with the presence of Katie and Jasmine, a lecturer and PhD student from the University of Reading, who were to give a two hour workshop on spectrometry; mass spectrometry and infra-red, carbon n.m.r. and proton n.m.r. spectroscopy. These are techniques that are used in forensic science, and several murder cases have been cracked as a result of mass spectrum analysis. Along with a fabulous presentation and some worksheets, the university representatives also brought with them an infra-red spectrometer, which we had the pleasure of using. First was a brief explanation of what spectrometry analysis was and how it was used in research and also in forensic investigations. Particular focus was on infra-red spectroscopy, which measures the vibrations of atoms in a molecule in the presence of infra-red light. The results of I.R. spectroscopy are then fed into special software on a computer which converts the results into an I.R. spectrum graph which is easier to analyse. From the graph, functional groups can be determined and hence the structure of a molecule. Following some ‘warm-up’ questions to identify molecules from different spectra, the other nine students and I were allowed to use the infra-red spectrometer. Whilst this was rather exciting, there was a sense of apprehension as it was made clear that the machine was worth £13,000. A challenge was set to identify all eight molecules correctly to win a set of highlighters, the prize proving to be quite an incentive for ten students with imminent examinations. After two hours, the workshop ended and we were presented with pens, and a large copy of the periodic table. Although most of the content was not new, I do feel that I have gained a new respect for the massive role that chemistry plays in society and my confidence in this topic has greatly increased.
Shoshana Shearing – Year 12
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Year 7 Boys Mentor Year 2 Class at Braywick Court School On the 17 May, thirty Year 7 Desborough students, along with Mr Gleeson, Mrs Eaves and Ms Hallissey, made the short journey to Braywick Court School to meet their Year 2 buddies to help them prepare for their SATs exams. Having already met their buddies on Braywick’s visit to Desborough before Easter, both sets of students got the chance to have a catch up over lunch before an exciting tour of the Braywick Court School site. With great enthusiasm, the Desborough boys were tasked with helping the Braywick Court children plan, structure and type a newspaper report about our visit to their school and what life was like for our boys making the transition between primary and secondary school. Our boys were grilled with tough questions along with a mini photo shoot of the buddies working together to be later added to the newspaper report, many of which have been printed and will be displayed in the Year 7 block. Overall, it was an excellent opportunity for our Year 7s to again work closely with their Year 2 buddies and provides a wonderful chance for them to add to their PIXL accounts. Finally, a massive thank you to Mrs Donnelly and her staff for making all of us most welcome at Braywick. Hopefully it will not be the last time our Year 7s will be meeting their buddies and a firm friendship will exist between Desborough and Braywick Court students throughout the coming years. David Gleeson – English Teacher
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Photos Braywick Court School Visit
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Photos Braywick Court School Visit
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Trip to Radley College for Music Students I was fortunate enough to take 4 Sixth Form pupils to visit Radley College in Oxford on 20 May. The purpose of the visit was for the Sixth Formers to have a taster recording experience day at our partner college. They arrived at Radley to warm up in the Silk Hall, where they played on the lovely Steinway grand piano. Thulani, Will and Philippa all enjoyed the acoustics of this great performance space. The pupils practised their individual solo composition pieces for a short while, getting used to the piano and warming up properly. Connor was playing acoustic guitar and singing. They then had to help Max, the Radley Videographer set up equipment, which was pretty impressive. Each pupil then performed to the camera their musical piece, they played beautifully and showed what great musical talent we have at Desborough. Connor even helped out with using the moving camera to record with Max. Max said he was a natural and he may use him for help again! The pupils then were treated to lunch and taken on a tour of the college by Radley pupils, including the Music Studio and the Library where they have a real snake! Thulani wasn’t too happy about this. We had the treat of a lovely violin trio concert during lunch time by staff members, which was of such a high standard it was a pleasure to sit and listen. We then returned to watch and see Max edit some of the earlier footage. Myself and the pupils are really looking forward to seeing the finished new Desborough College video in the summer to see and hear their wonderful musical contribution. Mrs McFarlane— Curriculum Leader for Music
Philippa Russell Thulani Pilimie Will Palmer Connor Lee
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Photographs from Radley Visit
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Young Enterprise Success Have you been following the fortunes of our Young Enterprise team ‘b.right’, who entered the Company competition on behalf of Desborough College for the first time? Last newsletter we told you their future was bright but it turns out it was dazzling (or was that just the shine off the array of trophies?!) The team won almost all of the trophies at the area finals in Slough and then presented at the regional finals at the beginning of May, carrying off the prize for Best YE Company in the whole of Berkshire. Their company report wowed the judges who said it stood out for both its presentation and content.
L to R: Ateeq - Admin & Logistics Director, Elsie - Marketing Director, Pippa – Managing Director, Abdullah – Finance Director
‘Eat right, feel bright’ encourages people to make the right food choices for their lifestyle. Packed with anecdotes telling us why the recipes are important to those who entered them, it encourages young people to get involved in making their food and urges families to make time to enjoy food together. It prepares them for later life. Managing Director of b.right, Pippa Russell said, “We didn’t imagine getting this far – there was a lot of tough competition out there. We think it’s our brand message that’s strong and compelling.” Certainly the judges thought so and they applauded the group for their future plans as well as their current successes. The cookery book is soon going to be stocked in Maidenhead’s Craft Coop, bringing the team into the High Street retail market. Finance Director, Abdullah Ihsan said “Financially we’ve done well, with terrific growth in shareholder value. We’ve learned the lesson that taking a calculated risk is key to entrepreneurial success. We printed more books at the risk of being left with stock, but this enabled us to increase our profit and value.” The whole team talk enthusiastically about the tremendous importance of this kind of ‘real world’ learning. Editor, Elsie Cairns said “We’re in the National Finals – come on school, get behind us!” ORDER YOUR COPY NOW from any of the YE team in school or from Ms Neal. You can also contact the team on b.right@desborough-college.net. Please send the boys in with cash or cheques made out to b.right but if you’re not sure that younger students will make it in with cash, email us and we’ll send you details for a BACS transfer. “Great recipes and AND a good read!” ...Mrs P
Ms S Neal—Business Studies Teacher
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Young Enterprise Success Continued ..
Desborough Student Accepted a Place at London School of Ballet Congratulations to Jake Milston in Year 11 who has accepted a place at Central School of Ballet. Jake will be starting his degree course in September. Dance has always been Jake’s main love. He decided when he was quite young that he would like to do ballet professionally and he has worked so hard since, and most importantly is still enjoying it. He is very much looking forward to his new venture in September.
Well done Jake!
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Desborough Hockey Term 5 & 6 usually means no hockey at Desborough, however, our extremely lucky Year 7 and 8 players have been given the chance to be coached by ex and current international players. We are half way through our 6 week ‘elite player programme’ which gives boys who, we feel, are shining in hockey the chance to be coached by some of Britain and the world’s elite players. Hockey is predominately a sport dominated by fee paying schools, however, with support from local clubs such as Maidenhead, Marlow, High Wycombe and Slough we are aiming to change this trend and this programme represents our hope to make this happen. Exciting plans lay in the pipe line for Hockey at Desborough and we are striving to give boys every chance possible to succeed. Pictured is the group with Lee Morton (Scotland & GB international). Who knows, we may be looking at a Desborough Olympian like Matt Daly! Keep on striving to be the best boys!!
Mr Brar – Raising Achievement Leader and PE Teacher
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Drama Report— Year 11 Year 11 have just completed the drama GCSE with a practical exam in front of the examiner this term. The boys have been rehearsing the plays since January and worked energetically through after school, evenings, weekends and holidays to produce such high quality drama. The plays were “Up and Under” performed by Ollie Hull, Rahul Chawla, Jay Luxton, Stanley Lavender, Marcel Blank and Drew Prince, “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” performed by Joe Brookman, Adam Leigh, Haris Karim, Ehsan Mahmood and Harley Jones, “Government Inspector” performed by Adam Borowski, Zander Dumas, Ben Gill and Arvish Sunkur and “Lord of the Flies” performed by Michael Bell, Jonathan Nankivell, Sami Boulos, Jake Milston and Raza Rashid. The boys performed their work to their parents in the evening and the event was a huge success. These students have been one of the best year groups that I have ever taught in my 11 years here at Desborough. They are polite young men who each have their individual ways of working showing focus and commitment to the course. They are funny, caring and diligent and it has been a pleasure teaching them over the past two years. I will miss them terribly and I wish them all the success on results day. Mrs K Holyoake—Raising Achievement Leader and Drama Teacher
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Drama Photos—Year 11
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Drama Report— Year 12
I am a human Year 12 Drama students recently presented their drama ‘I am a human’ to a receptive audience as part of their A Level coursework assessment. The piece was a result of many weeks of research and rehearsal, resulting in the formation of original devised theatre and an accompanying script. ‘I am a human’ is inspired by the true tragedy of the Syrian refugee crisis, focusing on a traumatic escape story where innocent victims try to flee the fighting and conflict. The performers took the audience on their protagonist’s journey, through the emotional stages of being torn apart from everything he’s known in the hope of something better. Some of the dramatic intentions were to shock the audience with the severity and truth of the story and to contrast shocking statements of prejudice at the start with statements of hope and acceptance at the end. The performers were also inspired by the theatre practitioner Steven Berkoff (known for his role as the villain, General Orlov, in James Bond‘s Octopussy) and his dynamic, presentational Total Theatre where he seeks total immersion from the audience. He achieves this through confronting his audience with often uncomfortable and complex social / political issues that are psychological truthful yet presented in a non-naturalistic style. With a focus on the importance of the Chorus ensemble, the Year 12 performers expertly used skills of monologue, precision mime and slow motion to tell their story. The protagonist Vikas, played by Alex Pocock-Stillman, lists all the things that are wrong with his life using the format of a Kvetch (meaning to complain all the time) to fit the storyline: ‘We all live under the shadow of the bomb…Fear to jump off a boat…Fear of disease…Fear of death.’ His pivotal monologue showed him searching his soul for spiritual enlightenment and evoked strong emotions. One aspect that is fundamental to Berkoff’s Chorus ensemble is the use of stylised mime sequences to communicate collective attitudes. The performers achieved this in the drowning scene as a boat full of refugees capsized; the news report scene as refugees fled from the fighting; and more subtle precision mime showing love and routine in Vikas’ home. Another intention of the Chorus ensemble was the manipulation of door frames to create different locations and sets. The performers worked in unison as they built the set around the protagonist, using the frames to create the refugees’ boat, the family home, the bomb explosion, a moving van and train and, significantly, the doors of opportunity at the end. These frames were fundamental throughout the devising process and performance. Congratulations must go to Justin Bowry, Victory Mabungu, Elio Mandozzi, Alex Pocock-Stillman and Pippa Russell for their group collaboration and creativity throughout the whole assessment process, resulting in some outstanding marks for C1 assessment. Marvellous work! MrsTurner—Curriculum Leader for Drama
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Drama Photos— Year 12
I am a human
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Art Department News
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Miss C Rhodes—Curriculum Leader for Art 28
Technology Department News Year 7 Students have continued their Technology studies by learning about the properties of different plastics and woods. They are now making their own toy aeroplanes. The boys have designed their own planes so they vary a lot which is really exciting.
Year 8 Some Year 8 classes undertook the James Dyson Cardboard Chair Challenge, and pictured here is the winning chair. Great STEM challenge with more to come next term! Year 8’s are also working on their steady hand game with some really amazing designs coming together.
Year 9 Year 9’s have taken inspiration from GCSE coursework and designed their own passive speakers. They are currently in the manufacture stages and are making some really exciting products!
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Technology Department News Continued ‌ Year 10 Our Year 10 students have been working extremely hard on the manufacture stages of their Design and Make Challenge. It has been a really exciting term and the products are really coming together. Well done boys! Here is an update on their work!
We also have a really exciting trip sponsored by Shell to a design festival in London on the 26 of May! Exciting summer term ahead! Will share pictures from the day on Instagram and twitter!
Year 11 and 13 Our exam classes have almost finished manufacture of their exam coursework pieces. Products range from speakers, to tables, desks and shoe storage solutions!
Follow us on Instagram @desboroughdt to see the latest in events, projects and trips! Miss Kelleher— Curriculum Leader for Design Technology 30
Information for Parents Our mobile App is live on both Apple and Google Play Stores; you can stay in touch with our Events, News and receive free push notifications from us!
To download visit the Apple or Google App Stores and use the Username: Desborough Pin/Password: 6345
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Information for Parents Continued ..
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Information for Parents Continued .. Parentview Gives you the chance To tell Ofsted what you think about Desborough It would be helpful if you could share your views of Desborough College with Ofsted. Please visit the website below even if you have done this previously.
http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/
School Uniform Desborough College now has a tracksuit available to pupils to buy from Goyals in Maidenhead. This can be used during PE sessions, particularly when the colder weather arrives and as part of the boys’ team kit when they compete. If parents have any second hand uniform, in good condition and would have no objection to donating this to the school, please contact Nuria White in Student Services. Thank you.
Homework Club All students are welcome to attend Homework Club which takes place Monday-Friday from 3.15 until 5.00 pm in Room B10. Maths Sixth Form Tutors attend the session every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
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Information for Parents Continued .. Free Hot Meals For Students If you are in receipt of state benefits or you work less than 16 hours per week your son may be entitled to free schools meals. We believe that the FSM is a crucial entitlement to help ensure that all children, independent of their family income should be able to get a nutritious meal in the middle of the day. They also have important health and educational benefits for the children that receive them. All school providers are encouraged to introduce cashless systems so that children in receipt of FSM get this funding automatically. This was one of the reasons to improve our catering service. If you have any further questions, please contact the school on 01628 634505
Cashless Catering for Students Desborough has a cashless catering system in place for all our students and staff. We are working in partnership with Catering Academy to ensure a healthier delivery of food to all its students and staff. Our dining room is open from breakfast onwards and offers hot and cold drinks, snacks, and home cooked meals created by the chef on our site. Samples of the Catering Academy menus can be found on the school website. Once your child is registered for our cashless catering system he/she will be able to buy food in our dining room without the worry of remembering to ensure they have cash with them. The cashless facility has allowed us to provide the students with a quicker service as no money and change is being handled. Please be aware that there is no cash facility at the tills. In addition parents can pay for trips and take advantage of other offers available on-line. Desborough now has a brand new sQuidOnline portal that is quicker and easier to use with a whole host of new features. From 20 October 2016 parents will no longer log in through the old system and will be able to access the website through https://portal.squidcard.com/loginPortal/ To download the sQuid App go to squidcard.com/app. If parents require further information please contact the school.
Next Principal’s Surgery Parents wishing to have a private conversation with me about any issues relating to school are invited to attend my Principal’s surgery. The next one will be held on Friday 30 June 8 am to 11 am. These sessions are 10 minute slots. If you wish to have a longer conversation then please book a separate appointment via Nicola Humphries on 01628 762521.
Desborough College Shoppenhangers Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 2QB Tel: 01628 634505 Fax: 01628 639263 E-Mail: info@desborough-college.net
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