Newsletter December 2014

DESBOROUGH COLLEGE

DECEMBER 2014 SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:

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UPDATE FROM SPONSORS & GOVERNORS THINKING

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DRAMA

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RADLEY COLLEGE SIXTH FORM LECTURE

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YEAR 12 THEATRE TRIP

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ARMY DAY

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PSYCHOLOGY TRIP

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HAWK EYE INNOVATIONS LECTURE

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HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT TOUR

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TRIP TO BRASENOSE COLLEGE IN OXFORD

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TRIP TO BELGIUM

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BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP

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SAFE DRIVE

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AACHAN TRIP

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WINCHESTER SCIENCE CENTRE TRIP

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SIXTH FORM PRIZE GIVING

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SPORT

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STAR WARS READS DAY

NEWS FROM:-

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MUSIC, TECHNOLOGY & ART DEPARTMENTS

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DESBOROUGH LEGACY

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GOLF

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MEDIEVAL STORYTELLING—YEAR 7

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INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Dear Parents and Carers First of all, I will take this opportunity to thank you all for the tremendous support and encouragement that you have given me personally and the staff generally throughout 2014.

I think that 2014 has been a largely successful year and I am confident that we are on track to be judged an outstanding school by Ofsted when they next visit. Certainly, examination results will continue on an upward trajectory because the staff here are totally committed to delivering a first-class education to every single boy. The improvements that have taken place at Desborough are largely attributable to their dedication and determination and I am fortunate to be the headteacher of such a talented collection of teachers and support staff.

2014 has seen Desborough College make great strides forward in sport with many more opportunities available to boys in all year groups in a variety of sports. The Performing Arts continue to thrive and I have sat in the audience and seen some sensational performances this year, more latterly in our new drama suite, The Jacoby Studios.

The school site has benefitted from investment by the sponsors, The Education Fellowship, and the hard work of governors and there are now improved dining, sporting, study and leisure facilities for the boys to enjoy thanks to their generosity and hard work. I am grateful, too, for the contributions made by the site staff who work “under the radar” but who make the school environment such a good place to work.

Radley College has been a generous partner throughout 2014 and there is no doubt that their input continues to accelerate our progress as a school.

2015 will, no doubt, bring its surprises and challenges but, working together, we will make it a great year for our school. In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas.

Paul Frazer

Desborough College is proud to be an 11 to18 Education Fellowship academy, committed to excellence in education, leadership and employability.

An Update from our Sponsors, The Education Fellowship Dear Parents/Guardians/Staff and Pupils What an exciting academic year it has been so far and I am sure that the Christmas break is being welcomed for many reasons.

Desborough's Ofsted inspection, the first of our Fellowship Forums for this year, a brand new and exciting Drama hall and workshops - the list goes on and on.

Desborough is on a journey to outstanding and I am sure none of you would doubt that and I know you share my determination to achieve not just an outstanding school but outstanding with sustainability.

Thank you for your considerable efforts and commitment - you are creating change. Thank you in advance for the efforts, the extra miles we have yet to face on this journey. A special thank you to our Principal for his example to us all, showing his unrelenting focus for our customers. Paul achieved, as Principal in our Ofsted inspection what a number of his predecessors failed to achieve. Thank you Paul.

Desborough is part of the family that is The Education Fellowship. Families grow together, disagree together, support each other, share with each other and win together. We are seeing that working and enabling at our Fellowship Forums and Council in an increasingly exciting way. Desborough is one of our family who has "just made good" and is certainly going on to do great things for our customers - so that they too can go on to do great things - That's why we are called the Fellowship and why we are Fellows.

Let's look forward to 2015 with enthusiasm and let's make it a year that breaks even more records.

Lizzie Rowe Deputy CEO

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Governors’ Thinking

Introduction We are introducing a new section to our Newsletter in this edition, one which will become a regular feature explaining the work of the Academy Advisory Board (previously called the Governing Body).

The Academy Advisory Board meeting allows us to challenge the Principal who provides a comprehensive report across all school activities including absence, punctuality and discipline but also importantly the way we use additional Pupil Premium funding. This term we discussed the outcome of the Ofsted inspection even though we were prepared for our Ofsted inspection we were all disappointed that Ofsted chose to come just a couple of weeks into the new academic term, giving our new teachers little time to really get to know their students or for all the improvements enacted at the start of term to be fully operational. Nevertheless Paul Frazer is the first Principal of Desborough College to achieve an Ofsted “Good” rating and was disappointed that we were so close to being judged “Outstanding”. Now we have to wait more than 2 years for Ofsted to come back to acknowledge that we are an outstanding school.

The “Curriculum, Teaching & Learning” (CTL) working group convenes at least once every half-term and this term they reviewed the results of the Summer exams and to meet with Heads of Department who present and explain their individual subject results. We ensure that they have plans to improve and are responding to the results of each Data Collection taken at the end of each short term. We want boys to be encouraged to go beyond the lesson objectives, whilst offering extra support to catch up or to consolidate understanding. We call this intervention and encourage staff to get these extra sessions underway early in the year to avoid extra pressure on boys as exams and revision draw nearer.

In the “Facilities” working group, we reviewed and check that Summer projects are closed out and completed. This year we built the new Drama Studios, replaced old oil-fired boilers with new and efficient gas boilers and completed the external covered dining area in the quad including a 6th Form coffee bar area. One of our main tasks was to prioritise the next projects, so we can prepare bids to our sponsors for funding to make these improvements.

In summary, the Desborough governors’ first priority is our students and to give them the very best possible start in life. In conjunction with our sponsor, The Education Fellowship, we work with the school to help, support and robustly challenge at all levels to improve the outcomes at Desborough. We firmly believe that Desborough is on track to become an outstanding school and the governors are determined to build on our “good” judgement at the last Ofsted inspection and convert that to “oustanding.” We also acknowledge that this is not possible without the dedication and hard work of the staff at Desborough and we would like to take this opportunity to say “well done” and wish them all a Merry Christmas.

Nigel Cook—Chair of The Academy Advisory Board Doctor Dan Jacoby—Member of The Academy Advisory Board

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Drama: A2 Performance Exam—A Chilling, Challenging Evening On Tuesday 18 November, the Year 13 Drama students performed their inspirational devised pieces to an audience of parents and staff in our new Jacoby Studios. After months of relentless research, rehearsal and script writing, the students were able to showcase their many talents. The first performance, Neknom, explored the dangers of the current internet craze neknomination and how this can link to cyber-bullying, obsession and entrapment. The second performance, Prisoner 3465, examined the Stanford Prison Experiment that took place in 1970 and exposed mankind’s instinct to conform and the cruel depths to which humanity can reach.

In terms of performance style, the students’ main inspiration came from Antonin Artaud and his theatre of cruelty where audiences are confronted with disturbing and challenging subject matter. This was certainly the case judging by the emotional reaction from the audience who were stunned into a shocked silence during the interval. Below are some perceptive reactions from Miss Napier and Mrs Brewer.

‘It was amazing last night. The hard work, care and attention that went into it shone through in the performances and is a testament to how much the students enjoy drama.

A couple of things really stood out for me. The diction and projection of the boys across the board was superb; I didn’t struggle at all to hear or understand. Not once did I see any of them lose their character. As much attention was put into the transitions between scenes and characters as the scenes themselves. Scenery, costume, lighting and sound was used to great effect, including some lovely subtle nuances.

Voice, body language and posture were really convincing. Discussing the artistic decisions behind aspects of performances such as the staging with the boys revealed really astute understanding of the whole craft. I could go on!

And that’s not even to mention that the boys wrote the scripts themselves. I was blown away. Mission accomplished on the intentions to shock and disturb! Everyone should feel incredibly proud.’ - Miss Napier ‘I think everyone who attended would agree the atmosphere of tension created by the boys was truly chilling! The boys are an absolute credit to the school and I left full to the brim with pride and admiration.’ - Mrs Brewer A massive well done to all the performers who are now able to reap the rewards of top band marks across the board.

Mrs Turner – Head of Drama

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Drama Photos

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Drama Photos

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Sixth Form Lecture from Ian Yorston , Radley College Ian Yorston, an ex electronic warfare expert and now Director of Digital Strategy at Radley College, gave a very thought-provoking talk on the merits of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) mobile device strategies to Sixth Form students on 14 October 2014.

It really made you think about how, in such a short amount of time, we have come so far in terms of computer technology and that computers according to Moore’s Law, will become 10 times better every 5 years. We, as humans, have come to rely on things which are controlled by computers, including things that we very much take for granted such as the cars we drive, mobile phones and various other items around a modern home. We have, in the short time that computers have been around, become so reliant on them that in the not too distant future if we are not careful we simply will not be able to function without them.

Mr Wakeling - Senior ICT Technician

Year 12 Theatre Trip The Taming of the Shrew—William Shakespeare Our Year 12 English Literature pupils enjoyed an evening at the theatre recently to support their study of William Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew. The performance, a one-night-only special by the Immersion Theatre Company, took place in the rather charming Kenton Theatre in Henley-on-Thames. The pupils really enjoyed the evening and they all agreed that it has hugely increased their appreciation and understanding of the play.

Miss Hutchison—Head of English

“Kenton Theatre Henley-on-Thames”

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Army Day for Sixth Form

YEAR 12 PUT THROUGH THEIR PACES! On the 19th October, all of our Year 12 students were put through their paces by a large team from the Army, who came to us to give the ‘troops’ a taste of problem solving and team working and some of the skills to develop these essential ingredients to effective working.

The Photographs tell the story I think::.

Mrs Sansom—Careers Advisor/Sixth Form

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Psychology Trip to Royal Holloway—14 October On a Tuesday night 10 dedicated Psychology students made their way to Royal Holloway, chauffeured by Mr Elliott under the google maps directions of Mrs Gerber.

We mingled amongst students from all over the country, all hopeful for a glimpse into student life studying Psychology - and we were not let down! Three fascinating lectures hit us, one after the other. Topics covered laughter and how we measure it, starting from listening to rats laughing; when teenagers are more susceptible to developing disorders; and why teenagers act differently in front of social peers? The evening passed quickly and, bowled over by the impressive campus which quite frankly staggered us with its facilities, we headed home.

Mr Elliott was pleasantly surprised by our students’ knowledge of 70' s music and we all arrived back to school with Boom Town Rats singing in our ears and hopefully one or two inspired minds!

Mrs H Gerber – Head of Modern Foreign Languages/Psychology Teacher

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Hawk Eye Innovations Limited—Sixth Form Lecture Programme We were delighted to welcome Dr Paul Hawkins to the school on 19 November.

Doctor Paul Hawkins OBE is the founder of Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd , the technology best known for its use in football, tennis and cricket as an aid to the umpire. Less well known is that Hawk-Eye is also used as an officiating aid in AFL, rugby, baseball, NASCAR, NHL, and Gaelic sports. Andre Agassi described Hawk-Eye as “the biggest thing to happen in tennis for 40 years”. The core of the Hawk-Eye technology is camera based tracking, capable of tracking a ball to 2-3mm. In football it can achieve this even when it is largely obscured by the players.

Paul gave an inspirational talk to our Sixth Form students, as part of our Sixth Form lecture programme. This was the first lecture to be held in our newly opened Drama Studio.

Paul spoke eloquently about his school life and his early attempts at commercial enterprise, which involved packing cardboard boxes! He very soon learnt that he could earn more money by paying other people to pack the boxes while he spent his time doing what he loved best: sport!

He also talked about the growth of his business, the challenges, the hurdles on the way, and the successes, and how he eventually sold out to Sony Corporation.

His lecture reminded our students how they should follow their passion, and never be scared to make mistakes. He talked about people who have inspired him throughout his life, for example Steve Jobs of Apple, and Diana Nyad, a woman who swam from Florida to Cuba without the aid of a shark cage: an amazing achievement!

After the lecture there was a question and answer session, and it was soon obvious that the students had so many questions that we could have happily kept Dr Hawkins there all afternoon, but unfortunately lessons called and we had to bring the lecture to a close. An excellent lecture and a great opportunity for the students particularly at the time they are beginning to make their further education choices.

Mrs T Jones—Business Manager

Houses of Parliament Tour On Thursday 30 October I was lucky enough to accompany Charles Smith, the Labour Parliamentary candidate, on a visit and tour of the Houses of Parliament. The guided tour was organised by Charles, as a way to get young people in Maidenhead and Twyford interested in politics. The Houses of Parliament is one of Britain’s most prestigious buildings and is steeped in history with a whole host of traditions and formalities that particularly intrigued me. We were lucky enough to sit in on both chambers and this further fuelled my enjoyment and desire to stay politically engaged. I would once again like to thank Charles for this wonderful opportunity.

Simran Rai— Year 13

Trip to Brasenose College in Oxford for Sixth Formers We started our trip with certain expectations about the city, the college and the students. It turned out that some of them were true, and some were not exactly what we had in mind. We arrived at the college, Brasenose (BNC for short) and met our guide, Joe (Dr Organ). The college was neither huge nor small, though from the outside it looks old and dramatic. Inside, we talked with Joe about our future goals, personal statements and other sides of University and Oxford life that proved really useful – we even got the chance to have a look at personal statements of students who got into BNC. Then, four students arrived to answer our questions and tell us what their lives are like. It seemed that science students have a busy timetable, since there were 3 language students and only one Medic. We expected that Oxford students would do nothing but study pretty much all day, which - to our surprise - was not the case. They also had a wide range of sports, activities and hobbies that they attended - describing to us how there is so much to do that activities such as watching television is no longer enjoyable. After they showed as round the college and even their rooms, we gathered in the dining hall for lunch. Afterwards, we sat in on a student's Philosophy tutorial with Doctor Leal, an hour full of confusion and thought provoking ideas - his main question was what is the logic in induction, a question posed by David Hume: what, if any, is the basis for relying on the past and experience as a way to predict things in the future?

Our day ended with a tour of another college (Keble) which was very different: slightly like Hogwarts, perhaps, but more modern (only 140 years old), spread over a bigger area, and an interesting contrast to Brasenose.

Manolis Mantaropoulos - Year 12

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Trip to Belgium for History Students On the 21st day of the10th month of the 2014th Year, 34 Desborough College students, from Years 10, 11, 12 and 13, began a journey visiting First World War memorials and graves in France and Belgium.

Setting off at 6.30 am on the 21st day of the10th month of the 2014th Year, there was a tired but excited atmosphere as we left the school grounds and headed for Folkestone. After taking the Eurotunnel we made our first stop in Langemarck, a German WWI cemetery, containing nearly 100,000 burials including a mass grave of 48,000 in the centre of the cemetery. After this we boarded the Banta Bus. Our driver with an inability to read a map, on the third attempt, took us to Tyne Cot Cemetery successfully. This cemetery in particular had a very subduing effect on the entire Desborough Squad. There are over 11,000 burials in Tyne Cot including an ex-Desborough squad member, George Whitmill. Our Head Boy, Simran Rai, and Deputy Head Boy, George Weston, paid their tributes to the former Desborough College Student.

On the last visit of the first day, we explored Passchendale Museum. After a half hour of attempted parking, we finally gave up on parking and all exited the bus to enter a museum of recreated dugouts that left all the students in awe. We spent an hour underground, discovering what the conditions of the dugouts were like and then above ground, we had the opportunity to walk around some trenches. Whilst we were waiting to board the banter bus, Ed Hill decided it would be entertaining to climb on a hammock, only to unbalance himself and fall face first into a large muddy puddle below. This produced great laughter which was soon silenced by Mr Reilly’s signature ‘Just Shaataap’.

Refreshed from an evening of food and table tennis, we set off early for the Somme on Wednesday. Arriving at Vimy Ridge, a Canadian Memorial in Northern France, produced another chance for Mr Reilly to show off his photography skills. Following this, we then went to Thiepval Memorial where members of Year 10 placed a poppy cross for a relative of Mr Nicholas. Also, we had a tour underneath the arched memorial explaining how the memorial’s structure was damaged by the old fashioned drainage system and then an explanation of horticulture around the graves. This involved the length of the grass, height of the flowers and the special mulch lawn-mowers, all of which was showed the passion and dedication of the staff, especially Bob. Our geographically challenged driver then found his way to the Newfoundland Memorial where we were shown real trenches and remains of ‘No Mans Land’ by a passionate volunteer guide with a strong Canadian accent. After a journey that was a full hour and a half longer than expected, we arrived home just in time for dinner before leaving again for the Menin Gate Ceremony. Here Simran, George and Sports Prefect, Michael Spandley laid a wreath at a public ceremony on behalf of the Desborough squad.

Having had two hours of shopping time on Thursday, where the Year 12s and 13s bought birthday presents for squad leader Mrs Murphy (who preferred the Year 12 presents!), we made our way to the final two stops of our trip: Croonaert Wood consisting of replica German trenches, much to Mr Reilly’s disappointment, and Sanctuary Wood, where the real, original British trenches were. Here Khalid Omar experienced a very deep shell hole, full of stagnant rain water.

On our journey home, we stopped at the Eurotunnel, having successfully negotiated passport control although one student,who shall remain nameless, decided it was the perfect time to use the facilities in the terminal. As a result, our bus driver was forced to drive rapidly round the narrow lanes to make the train before it left us in France. Overall, this mystical, fascinating adventure was not the typical school trip but was a good mix of relaxation, education and bants.

Oliver Malik & Scott Prince - Year 12

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Students’ Encounter of the Belgium Trip In Belgium we visited the internationally respected landmark called the Menin Gate. We arrived for the daily memorial for the fallen soldiers in the World War that scarred the world. While the service was taking place everyone bowed their heads in respect. We went to a reconstruction of a German trench and also original British trenches . I found this interesting because I enjoyed looking at the comparison of the two. The English trench was very muddy and wet whereas the German trench was very clean and dry. Although the German trench was a reconstruction it still was a good representation of what they were like.

Harry Messitt - Year 10 Last term Years 10-13 went on a History trip to France and Belgium, staying in a small town called Ypres, just inside Belgium. On the first day we went to the Tyne Cot Memorial. It was incredible to see the number of graves there, over 11,000. It was almost guaranteed that you would be able to find your surname, as many of the students discovered. Another example of this mass slaughter was at Vimy Ridge, where there is a colossal memorial to commemorate thousands of Canadians who gave their lives to capture the ridge. The next landmark we visited was the Thiepval Memorial. We met two people who worked there and the most intriguing thing was their passion. They are so enthusiastic about their jobs because they care so much about preserving this great landmark. Our final morning was spent shopping around in Ypres which had every kind of shop, but we had to visit the chocolatier. We soon left the beautiful town and we went to Sanctuary Wood, which was heavily shelled during the war.

However the trenches still lay there and the public are allowed to walk through them. It gave me a real insight into how poor the conditions were for these brave men. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and I have gained more knowledge than I would have if I was sat in a class room, but I would like to end on this: A man’s destination is not his destiny Every country home to one man And exile to another Where a man died bravely At one with his destiny, that soil is his Let his village remember Jonathan Evans - Year 10

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Photos of the trip to Belgium

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Biology Field Trip—7 November A group of 10 Desborough Students have recently completed their week long residential Biology Field Trip. The group made their way to Nettlecombe Court in North Somerset by school minibus (thanks Billy) and were straight onto their field work on the Monday afternoon.

The temperature dropped to 7oC which was a shock, but overall the weather was reasonable for the time of year.

Each day was long with lessons and fieldwork starting at 9.30am and the day finishing at 8.00pm. Fieldwork took place in all weathers and the students experienced terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, carrying out practical’s and eating their packed lunches in incredible landscapes. A highlight had to be walking through Exmoor to reach a stream. In the evenings, the students had a chance to relax and interact with students from other schools.

One of the main objectives of the trip was for the students to design an independent investigation and then collect their own data to write up for their A2 coursework. To this end, all the students worked tremendously hard and there was a real sense of achievement on our return to Desborough. A special mention must go to the course tutor, Tom, who did a great job providing first class teaching, support and challenge to the students.

Mr E Brockett – Head of Science

“Desborough Boys hard at work in the field”

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Biology Field Trip

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Safe Drive Stay Alive Event for Sixth Form Students On the 10 November 2014 Desborough School Sixth Form, along with many other schools, filled Hexagon theatre in Reading for an event we will always remember, ‘Safe drive stay alive’. When we arrived, the theatre was filled with sixth formers listening to music, socialising and having a laugh, however as soon as the first speaker walked on stage, the room was filled with silence. Throughout the whole presentation a short film was being played and paused at relevant moments and a different speaker would come on the stage to tell their story. At first people laughed a few times and the atmosphere was quite relaxed, however as soon as the car crash, involving four teenagers happened, everyone fell silent. The worst thing about this moment was that it was realistic and it could happen to any one of us in the room. It really made me think twice about my safety on the road when I start driving and also the consequences of getting in someone else’s car and I’m sure it had the same impact on many other students there.

The speakers came on stage and told us about what they do as a profession and their experiences. We had speakers from the various emergency services, people who had been victims themselves and families of loved ones who were involved in a car crash. As I’m sure you can imagine that was very hard-hitting, especially because they weren’t afraid to go in to specific detail; this brought tears to some people’s eyes. The thing I felt was most effective in getting the message across, was listening to real life stories. This really made people engage and listen to someone who had been through the pain and emotion that it causes. There was one woman who really stood out for me; I thought she was truly inspirational, as she told her story about how her son had died a few years back due to a car crash, and how this affected her life and that it always would. Her son was a young lad but very sensible, she was always telling him to stay safe whilst driving and not to do anything stupid. Unfortunately one night he did get in someone else’s car-and sadly that was the last time he got in anyone’s car. That night he, along with a few friends, all died in a car crash due to speeding. After hearing this I had to just sit for a moment and think about how that must have affected his family, his friends and how your life can be turned around at a click of a finger. A young boy, out with his friends, doing what all teenagers do, having fun, but little did he know his life was coming to an end that night. To see his mother stand up on stage and express the pain and emotion she felt really made me thinkM what if that was my mum up there?

We have discussed what we saw together in the common room and we all felt what a moving, shocking and incredibly worthwhile event it was.

From this presentation I have realised how important it is to wear a seat belt, never be afraid to tell your friend/family to slow down if they are speeding and to drive safely. From the bottom of my heart I really do believe all teenagers should be made to watch this presentation because for most it will really help give them a brighter future.

By Rio Norris - Year 12

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Aachan Trip—4 December Once again Desborough Boys and Newland Girls teamed up for our trip to Aachen, Germany. After a smooth coach trip through 4 countries (which amazed the students) we arrived punctually and fighting fit for our walk into town. We split into mixed groups and made our way to our designated cafe where the students practised their German skills by ordering a hearty breakfast. Our sixth form played a supportive role in helping and modelling what to do. The groups then ventured on to survey the people of Aachen in German and collate their results and again students impressed with their enthusiasm and German communication skill. A quiz of the town was followed by a meet-up at the cathedral which once again wowed us with its magnificence. Lastly, the long awaited treat of the Christmas markets was upon us where boys and girls alike shopped at the magical Christmas stalls, soaking up the atmosphere. We then rested our weary legs and enjoyed a traditional German meal together, Schnitzel proving very popular. Before we knew it it was time for the coach journey home. Despite our tiredness we chatted merrily through to the tunnel and we arrived home in good time, arms loaded with Aachen market goodies for friends and family.

A huge thank you from the MFL department to the boys of year 9 and sixth form who represented our school so outstandingly - Danke!

Mrs Gerber—Head of Modern Foreign Languages

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Year 8 Science Trip to Winchester Science Centre On the 5 December we took Year 8 students to Winchester Science Centre for the day. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the trip, which involved an amazing planetarium show all about the universe, lunch, and a chance to play with some of the centre’s interactive science exhibits.

The best part of the day was the planetarium show which astounded everyone with stars, planets, and galaxies, as well as the prospect of extra terrestrial life. The Year 8 students offered up some great questions at the end for the resident space expert, who did his best to answer as many as possible, although they could have spent all day quizzing him.

The staff at the centre and shop were impressed by the boys’ behaviour, especially how polite they were– one member of the public even praised them to the teaching staff who were there. At the end of the day we all came back to Desborough thoroughly worn out but with some positive memories, and for some of the boys a science toy or two to put into use what they had learnt!

Miss J Moore— Science Teacher

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Sixth Form Reunion and Prize Giving Evening

7 November Inspiring speeches; enthusiastic teachers praising the achievements of their students; proud parents; delighted prize winners and students returning after their first term of university to swop stories and first impressions of their ‘new world’ - another happy sixth form Speech Night!

Mrs Sansom—Sixth Form Co-ordinator/ Careers Advisor

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Prize Winners for Prize Giving Evening Year 13 Prizes

GCSE PRIZES Special prize for Excellence in Mathematics Imad Rashid Winners

SUBJECT

WINNER

Art

Joseph Beel

Biology

Bilaal Ahmed

Hasan Alam

Shane McKenna

Jack Hillyer

Imad Rashid

Business Studies

Pawan Julani

Thomas Judd

Bilal Shazad

Chemistry

Thomas Henley

Oliver Malik

Ross Taylor

Jake Piper

Manolis Mantaropolous

Jack Tedham

Design and the Built Environment Economics (sponsored by the Maidenhead Thames Rotary Club) English Geography

Alex Cross

Geology

Thomas Henley

History

Haroon Hussain

ICT

Pawan Julani

Mathematics

Aidan Milston

Photography

James Cox

Physical Education

Lewis Morgan

Physics

Dominic Firth-Smith

Politics

Simran Rai

Psychology

Manish Seth

Spanish

Zaki Mohamed

Theatre Studies

Owen Blackmore

Leavers Summer 2014 Prizes PRIZE Art & Design Biology Business Studies Chemistry Economics English Geography Geology German History ICT Mathematics Photography Physical Education Physics Politics Spanish Theatre Studies

WINNER Mark Spokes Matthew Davis Luke Thomas James Herron Luke Thomas Daniel Barnard James Craft Tom Gibson Kieran Patel Luke Thomas Amrit Bhara Eoin Duffill Oleksiy Popov Lewis Lloyd James Hoare Samantha Cox Gabriel Aleidi Andreu Daniel Barnard

Special Prizes Louise Alexander Trophy (Drama) A.E. Brooks Prize (Academic And Sporting AllRounder) The Devlin Prize (For Initiative) The George Griffith Prize (Achievement In Games) The Maconochie Trophy (Outstanding Endeavour) The Old Maidonians Prize (Head Boy) L.C. Reynolds Prize (All Round Achievement In School) A.E. Richards Prize (For English) Sir George Young Memorial Prize (For General Academic Achievement) Rotary Club Of Maidenhead Prize (For General Service Above Self) Derek Wolford Prize (For Deputy Head Boy/Girl) G.R.J. Murray Prize (General Service To The School)

Winner Jack Tucker James Craft Jack Page Lewis Lloyd Jack Nichols James Herron Matthew Davis Oleksiy Popov Eoin Duffill Matthew Mault Jasmeet Chagger Tim Greengrass

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Naveed Iqbal

George Weston

Desborough Dominate Local Rivals Claire’s Court Rugby Match—12 November This term saw the annual David Course Memorial Match held between Desborough and, local independent school, Claire’s Court. The day kicked off with the Year 9 side’s going into battle. The final score of 57-17 was testament to the strength of the Claire’s Court side but hinted at the spirit and potential of the Desborough squad who fought bravely throughout.

The 1st XV fixture kicked off at 3.30 pm and the impressive form of the Desborough squad continued from that time until the final whistle. Within the opening minutes Desborough were pounding away at the Claire’s Court line. The game was characterised by uncompromising defence from Desborough who picked off the runners from Claire’s Court with ease forcing their fly half into kicking the ball away. The final score of 29-3 represented the dominance that Desborough had over their rivals with the side ultimately disappointed that they hadn’t put them to the sword even more.

Desborough were clearly delighted at the final whistle to regain the trophy that has eluded them for the last 3 years. The side continued to set high standards from themselves with tough tests and have faced strong competition in the National Cup against Aylesbury Grammar school. After the highs of the week before against Claire’s Court this match proved one step too far with the Desborough side going down 45-5. The hard work and commitment continues to pay off, for all rugby players within the school. All sides have recorded victories this half of term with the Year 7’s coming 8th overall in the county tournament (out of 35 schools), the Year 8’s drawing 26-26 with Borlase and the Year 7 B’s thumping Claire’s Court B’s 46-5. An outstanding term for all sides.

Mr J Allen 1st XV Coach

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Photos of Claire’s Court Rugby Match

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Cricket News The 2nd Desborough Indoor Premier Cricket League (DPL) tournament for Year 10 and 11 has been a triumph for all 6 teams who have experienced ups and downs throughout the term. The Super Kings, Super Stars, Knight Riders, G.G,s, Robin’s Empire and Square Box teams all wanted to be tagged as the best indoor team for the rest of 2014. However it was Knight Riders who emerged as victorious, beating the previous champions in a tense and thrilling final, which was watched by a partisan and sporting crowd. G.G’s batted first and posted a surprisingly below par score of 55 for 4, mainly due to the excellent bowling from Saif Ahmed, Nandit Sondagar and Aman Sangha, who only conceded 21 runs between them and took the valuable scalps of Duncan Brown and Sean McCormack. A steady first over put the Knightriders on 12 for 1, however they were soon in trouble after an amazing second over by Patrick Hull (2 for 5 runs), left the Knight Riders languishing on 17 for 3! Surely the G.G.’s were going to win again? It is at moments like these that heroes are spawned and in stepped Rayyan Madarbukus and Owais Butt. In the next over they smashed 25 runs to all parts of the sports hall, sending the crowd into frenzy.

With only 14 runs to win, they continued to bat with aggression and with almost 2 overs to spare, victory was secured in style with a thrashing 6. The Knight Riders triumphant victory was well deserved as they remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. In the third and fourth place play off, it was Robin’s Empire, who against the odds defeated a strong Super Kings side. All teams and individuals had their moments of glory throughout the 8 week tournament, which included 2 hat trick overs from Shohaib Ahmed and Aman Sangha and a Square Box team who improved throughout and in their last game came within the final ball to winning their first match.

Mr S Elliott – Deputy Principal

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Football With the fantastic rugby season coming to an end it brings us to the start of an exciting football season. This year provides us with an action-packed schedule with every year group entered into a league or cup competition. The boys will be playing a variety of schools such as Altwood, Cox Green, Bulmershe, Holyport College, Furze Platt and Claires Court. All year groups will be training once a week:

Year 7 8 9 10 11 12,13

Day Monday Thursday (Monday from January onwards) Wednesday Wednesday Tuesday Tuesday

WW1 Christmas Truce Match To kick the football season off, the Year 11 squad played a Christmas Truce Memorial Match against Windsor Boys School on Saturday 6 December at Maidenhead United’s football ground. This match took place to commemorate the moment British and German soldiers laid down their weapons to play a game of football during the first Christmas of WW1. It was a fantastic occasion with many supporters from the school attending. The boys behaved impeccably and demonstrated great sportsmanship. Such is the interest in this event filming was carried out by the BBC and CBS. The BBC have said they will feature this in their Friday scheduling for the news and CBS will let us know when it will be shown on Sky TV. Please see below the link to the Maidenhead Advertiser’s website for the full article: http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/News/Areas/Maidenhead/In-pictures-Christmas-truceof-1914-marked-at-commemorative-football-game-08122014.htm

Mr Furmage—PE Teacher & Mrs Eaves—Assistant Principal

Desborough College: Year 11 Football Team In WW1 Uniform

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Photos of WWI Football Match

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Star Wars Reads Day We celebrated all things Sci-Fi in October to support Star Wars Reads Day. Year 7 and 8 student enjoyed break and lunch-time in the library making origami Yoda’s and entering the national Design a Sith competition to win Star Wars Lego and books.

Everyone had a great time talking about science fiction and using their creativity to design some amazing Siths. In the library we like to encourage boys to use the library as a vibrant exciting space as well as for quiet study and reading, and days like this can encourage discussions across year groups unifying everyone under their love of a genre. We hope to be running a Harry Potter event next February to give new and existing fans a chance to share the enjoyment of J K Rowling’s fantastical, magical stories.

Mrs Hallissey—Librarian

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Music Masterclass On Wednesday 19 November the Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils were visited by professional Musician, Musical director, Producer and Composer Philip Braithwaite. He came to talk to the pupils about life as a session musician and what the reality of the music business is like. He also demonstrated his skill on the electric guitar to ripples of applause. The pupils all enjoyed the master class and were keen to ask questions to find out more knowledge on the music industry and how to practise well to become a good musician. This master class was particularly useful to the Btec Level 2 music class as they have an examination in January linked to the music business.

The afternoon was a success and was a great opportunity for the pupils to interact with a professional musician and enjoy a high standard performance.

Well done to all the pupils involved for their thought provoking questioning and mature listening.

Harry Reader, Conor Giangreco, Jacob Bark, Sam Hoxley, Nathan Willis, Owen Guerin & Will Palmer with Guitarist Philip Braithwaite providing the Masterclass

On December 17 the music and drama teachers and pupils will be hosting the Christmas Celebration at the Methodist Church in the High Street in Maidenhead. The evening starts at 7.00pm and promises to be a festive and enjoyable event. There will be musical items from pianist Lawrence Eaves, Thulani Pilimie and an accordion solo from Will Cairns. We will hear the vocal skills of Tapanga Hales and a saxophone solo from Frazer Marchant-North, amongst other musical items.

The Drama Club are providing ‘Mr Wilson finds Christmas’ this year showcasing some budding actors of lower school. We would love to see you there on the 17 December to get you in the festive spirit and also support the talented pupils of Desborough College. Mince pies and refreshments to follow.

Miss Smith-Phelps—Head of Music

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Technology Department News We have had a very busy few months in Desborough’s Technology Department. Plans are in place to make it even busier! We are very close to buying our own Laser cutter which will be a major addition to the department. Follow us on Twitter to see these developments! @DesboroughDT. Tech club has got off to an exciting start with 15 students from year 7,8 and 9 joining us on a Thursday evening to undertake some personal projects. We started by breaking the land speed record with our balloon powered cars. Projects are now being decided by the students and they have made their own mobile phone docking stations. More to come!!

The year 12 class and a couple of boys from year 10/11 took a trip to London University to work with five well known designers including Wayne Hemingway, Pascal Anson and Sebastian Bergne. Look them up very interesting people! A wonderful and truly inspirational day out!

Year 10/11 Bricklaying Coursework Group One finished this week. Well done to them! The boys stayed back after school every Friday for 10 weeks, even coming in on other school evenings!

Work ethic has shown amazing results. Very proud! Tutoring with Satro and materials kindly provided by Gibbs and Dandy, the generosity of the community in helping us deliver this opportunity has been a wonderful experience. Two more groups to go!

Miss Kelleher—Head of Technology

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Art Department News The Art Department has a great deal to celebrate this term, with students excelling in their creative activities.

The Year 12 Art students have made quite an impression on Twitter, with their work being re-tweeted and shared amongst other Art Departments across the country. Their current project, “Surface and Texture” encourages them to explore contemporary artists in a variety of experimental and keenly observed outcomes.

Olly Metz and Laurence Jones demonstrate their strong observational drawing skills and experimental painting styles in their two pebble and surface studies – highly complimented upon by other teachers and students. You can follow and support the Art department on Twitter at @ArtDesborough.

Year 10/11 have been steadily producing work of excellent quality - with a special mention to Emil Yousofian (Year 11) who created an incredibly detailed study of an artichoke in colour pencil. Also, the talented James Garner (Year10) created this textured biro line drawing of a lotus flower head to develop his natural form project. We are stunned by the meticulous attention to detail in these drawings and are looking forward to many more in the future! It has to be said, the dedication amongst Year 10/11 students to catch up on coursework this term has been excellent – there is still a way to go, so keep attending the sessions boys!

Finally, Year 7 have been giving us high quality homework as part of the takeaway homework initiative being trialled in the department. Takeaway Homework details are included on the school website for 7,8,9 and around the department at school. As part of the homework tasks, the Year 7 boys could write a poem on the work of abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky. From all of the outstanding entries, this one in particular from Rafe Lyons was exceptional. Well done Rafe.

A Russian Artist who aspired to paint But entrance to Art School had to wait Desperate to make a good impression Were followed by years of severe depression Claude Monet provided inspiration Made him paint - no explanation Notes on a keyboard - colours were compared Painting bold and bright as he dared.

A lover of both colour and shape But not to him figures and drape Straight lines here, dots and circles there All mapped out with geometric flair.

Fauvism and cubism - fine for time.

But abstract he preferred - point and line.

Blue Rider was formed and led the way For other painters of the day.

From Russia to Munich where Bauhaus thrived Disbanded by Nazis - we were deprived So much he left us to view And it all started with the colour "blue".

Wassily Kandinsky, the art world's answer to music's Stravinsky!

Rafe Lyons -Year7 Miss Rhodes

Curriculum Leader for Art & Photography

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Photos of Students’ Work from the Art/Photography Department

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Desborough Legacy Desborough has always had a group of parents and staff beavering away in the background, supporting the boys and the school and raising much needed extra monies as “Friends of Desborough”.

The change to becoming an academy has enabled the next generation of enthusiastic parents and staff to relaunch our charity and fundraising under the banner of DESBOROUGH LEGACY. A small group has met several times since last March and even managed to raise the first £1,500 from a Quiz Night, donations at Sports Day and through the Summer Fete.

Now that the new academic year is under way and having better organised ourselves, we are ready to inform and invite more parents and staff to join in and support and help.

For more Information, please contact : Pauline Moore (parent) at legacy@desborough-college.net

Desborough Legacy is a Fundraising Charity for Parents & Staff whose purpose is to raise donations and gifts to provide the extra equipment and facilities that benefit the pupils and students at the college.

We want to improve and enrich the lives of our children and the students attending Desborough College by enabling them to have the use of equipment that the college simply cannot include in their budgets from the monies government provide.

Desborough Legacy is an opportunity for every parent and family to join in with their son’s college life, offering their particular skills and services and participating and helping, in our community of parents and staff.

Because we are a registered charity, we are able to claim “Gift Aid” on donations and gifts, where the tax man will give us £500 for every £2,000 we raise ourselves (or 25p per £1).

If you are self-employed and your business pays business tax, then you can claim exemption for donations and gifts to a registered charity. Why not give this tax to your son’s college via Desborough Legacy and not the tax man. Your accountant can advise you.

If you work for a company or organisation, they too can donate to charity and receive the same exemption from business tax. Help your son’s college by encouraging your company to help us and not the tax man.

Donate to Desborough Legacy to improve and enrich your son’s college life.

There is more information about the organisation and events on the website pages www.desborough.org.uk/Desborough-Legacy Charity Commission Registration Number : 1113365 Dr Jacoby—School Governor and Mr Ayres-Turner—Site Manager

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Stoke Park Golf Scholarship On a cold wintery Wednesday night the Desborough Golf team was hitting balls under flood-light at the driving range when Nandit gets a phone call, a call he had been eagerly awaiting for several weeks.

Nandit started playing golf just before I joined Desborough College back in 2012 and I could see that he had a huge passion for the game and bags of potential. He joined his local club Wexham Park where he gained his first handicap of 26.

A couple of seasons later he managed two wins and two second places on the “Nike Futures Tour,” third place at Fulwell GC Junior Open and victory in the Brooks Cup at Maidenhead GC. All achievements which have contributed to his handicap being slashed from 26 to 10.8!

The selection process for a Scholarship at Stoke Park Golf Club began on Saturday18th October.

Nandit alongside 25 other young golfers met on the range to show off their skills in front of the Stoke Park professionals before taking to the course. If the pros weren’t convinced by Nandit’s talent/ ability already then I am sure they were when he produced a hole in one on a 178 yard par 3! A unique achievement amongst us amateurs of the game!

Nandit was then placed on a shortlist of 7 youngsters invited to attend a formal interview at Stoke Park with Stuart Rank (Head of Instruction) and the committee. Weeks passed and still no news but then on that Wednesday night the call came in, Nandit had been successful in gaining a position on the scholarship scheme at the prestigious Stoke Park topping off a successful season for the young golfer.

Nandit says- “Being awarded this scholarship deal is amazing! Stoke Park is an awesome place and I can’t wait to use all their wonderful facilities. I get to play the course, use the health club and even get unlimited golf balls on the range!” Not only that, Nandit will have regular golf coaching, personal training sessions and kitted out with Stoke Park clothing and equipment!

His passion and dedication to the game is a winning recipe for success and this scholarship deal is a huge stepping stone in his pursuit in becoming a professional golfer. Congratulations and good luck for the 2015 season!

Mr A Hall—Raising Achievement Leader for Year 9

Brooks Cup 1st Place

178yrd Par 3 (hole in one hole)

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In ac on on the Nike Futures Tour

Medieval Storytelling for Year 7 Students On two days this December, four Oxford University postgraduate students came to our Year 7 base to run their Medieval Storytelling workshops.

Each English class was treated to at least one medieval story, from a selection ranging from Vikings to werewolves. These were told from memory in a style that is similar to how they were told originally, up to 1200 years ago!

Year 7s posed some difficult questions, happily taking the chance to pick the students’ brains!

The boys were then given ideas for creating their own medieval style stories and some were challenged to see if they could pick up the skills needed to tell a story in the same way.

Great fun was had by all and we look forward to welcoming Hannah, Emily, Gareth, and Alex back again soon!

Mr R Craig-Wood – English Teacher and Deputy Head of Sixth Form

Information for Parents The Youth Services provide many opportunities for young people aged 8 – 19 or 25 with SEND across RBWM including the Duke of Edinburgh award, Youth Ambassadors programme, summer programmes, Project nights, Ice Music Workshop, drop in sessions and Esteem projects amongst a whole range of services. It is important for us to reach as many young people as possible to increase awareness of what is available to them. I will continue to send your school information valid to you, however if you could help us establish a direct link through social media this would be hugely beneficial to us.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

The details are – Facebook: RBWM Youth Service Twitter: @youthRBWM Website address: www.wamster.org.uk

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Further Information for Parents Free £400 for Lunchtime Hot Meals If you are in receipt of state benefits or you work less than 16 hours per week with a family income below £16,190, your son may be entitled to free schools meals.

This can provide you with more than £400 per child for free lunchtime meals in school.

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.

To complete an Application Form on-line press ctrl and click on the link below:-

https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/mwschools/ If you have any further questions, please contact the Finance Office on 01628 634505

Cashless Catering for Students Recently, Desborough launched our new look dining room. We have new caterers, the Catering Academy, and we have also introduced Cashless catering for all our students and staff.

Desborough College is 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 son is registered for our cashless catering system just follow the instructions on our website for the sQuid online payment system, and your son will be able to buy food in our dining room without the worry of remembering to ensure he has cash with him. 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.

http://www.desborough.org.uk/sQUID-Online-Payments

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 23 January 2015 from 8.30 am until 11.00 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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