DESBOROUGH
DESBOROUGH COLLEGE
COLLEGE
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
Dear Parents/Carers CONGRATULATIONS TO DESBOROUGH STUDENTS BIOLOGY REVISION SEMINAR FOR YEAR 12 STUDENTS SCIENCE WEEK
FUTSAL COMPETITION SPORT RELIEF SHOOT-OUT WRITING FOR TEENAGERS CONFERENCE
It has been an excellent term for a number of reasons, the latest being the appointment of four new teachers who will be starting their teaching careers at Desborough College in September and who will strengthen our physics, chemistry, PE and geography departments. All of them come with excellent qualifications and references, and all of them will enhance the quality of education that our boys will receive and are entitled to. The governors and sponsors are committed to driving up standards and these new teachers have important roles to play in our pursuit of an “outstanding” Ofsted judgement. Our January iGCSE examination results in maths were very pleasing with 97% of the 43 boys entered achieving the higher grades: 12 A*’s; 10 A’s; 10B’s; and 10C’s. Well done to the boys themselves and to their teachers who worked tremendously hard in the build-up to the exams. These results are, of course, in addition to those achieved in November in English and maths. Despite Mr. Gove’s intention to publish only the results of the first examination taken when the school performance league tables are published in the Autumn Term (in a cynical effort to dissuade schools from early and multiple examination entries) I WILL continue with my policy of entering boys for examinations early. I don’t see why young people should be denied two bites of the examination cherry; it’s unimportant WHEN they pass in mathematics and English so long as they do pass them.
GEOLOGY TRIP
SPORTING TRIP TO NORWICH DESBOROUGH LINGUISTS VISIT RADLEY LEAVE A LEGACY DAY CHESS TOURNAMENT BEST OF BRITISH CONCERT
The examination season is almost upon us and there is a huge amount of intervention and revision going on after school and at week-ends. Indeed, there are teaching staff coming into school on most days during the Easter holidays to give additional support to boys taking examinations over the next few months. If you, as parents, have a boy in Y11, Y12 or Y13 I would urge you to help him organise a revision programme to follow. Be mindful, too, of the pressures that exams exert on young people and ensure that they maintain a sensible exam work/life-balance. I had the pleasure of attending The Old Maidonians’ Annual Dinner last week, with over 80 ex-Desborough boys enjoying the company of their old school friends, reliving fond memories and catching up on the news of former class-mates. Colin Cutler does a superb job organising the occasion and I would urge any exDesborough students to attend future events. Incidentally, Colin is being interviewed by the BBC during the last week of this term. Radio Four are making a programme about the many changes that our school has undergone since 1944 and Colin will be making a major contribution.
DONATION FROM DESBOROUGH TO ECPAT UK CONGRATULATIONS TO A DESBOROUGH EXSTUDENT
The news that there had been a 64% increase in the number of parents of Y6 boys making Desborough their first choice secondary school for next September was pleasing confirmation that the many, many improvements that have taken place here are gaining recognition amongst the Maidenhead community. In practical terms it means that we have had to create an additional two classes to accommodate them in the Y7 Base and recruit some new teaching staff. Interestingly, I have already given tours of the school to parents of a number of Y5 boys.
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS FREE SCHOOL MEALS PRINCIPAL’S SURGERY
After the Easter break boys will be able to take advantage of our new IT room which contains almost 80 brand new pc’s. Eventually, this will be opened for boys to use after school so that they can use the resource to help them complete homework. The governors, and in particular Colin Cox, have worked tirelessly on behalf of our school to ensure that Desborough boys have access to the latest technology and I am extremely grateful. The next time that I shall be writing to you all, the examinations will be well underway so I shall take this last opportunity to wish the boys the best of luck and all of you a wonderful Easter break. P Frazer
Well Done to Desborough Students
Congratulations
January Maths GCSE Results
43 Entries 22 A* – A’s 10 B’s 10 C’s
Biology Revision Seminar for Year 12 Students The Biology department organised for both our Year 12 and Year 13 boys to attend the annual Keynote revision conferences on the 19 and 26 of March respectively. The venue was the ‘Rock Tower’ in Tuffnell Park, an expertly converted church which provided the perfect environment for a hard day of revision. There, the boys had a series of engaging talks, delivered by well-known and respected Biology teachers who are also experienced examiners and/or authors. The sessions covered key concepts of AS and A2 Biology at a rapid pace. The most important feature was the consistent references to exam skills which gave insight into how examiners award marks. Armed with revision tips and techniques, the boys left feeling more confident and ready for some serious revision…… Mr E Brockett—Head of Science and Mr McInerney—Science Teacher
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Science Week On Thursday 20 March , Year 8 were called to the hall to take part in a Science challenge. Our challenge was to create a structure using spaghetti and mini marshmallows. We were put into our houses and split into groups of four. The rules were to make a tower and not just any tower, one that was 20 cm or higher, otherwise you would be disqualified. The person/team with the most points would be the winner. The teams would add up all their points for a final total. The winners were Dickens. By Salah Mahmood and Muhammad Bhatti—Year 8
“Science is Fun” “Desborough Students show off their creative talents.”
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Futsal Competition In a recent Berks and Bucks FA Futsal competition which took place at Bracknell Leisure Centre the Desborough College U12 team finished in fourth position in their group and the details can be found below:-
The U16 A team qualified again for the Regional Competition, whilst the U16 B team finished in third place after an excellent performance against the league winners.
Well done to those who took part— a fantastic performance by all teams. Mr Ravetta—PE Teacher and Raising Achievement Leader
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Sport Relief Shoot-Out On Friday 21 March, three Desborough students organised and delivered a "Beat the Goalie" lunchtime football challenge for Sport Relief on Friday 21 March, as a fund-raising activity. They set up four goals in the Sports Hall and invited members of staff to take on the challenge by becoming the goal keepers for the boys to take shots at! As it was for charity, of course the boys had to pay for the pleasure. The three Desborough Young Ambassadors - Craig Renwick, Will Cook and Patrick Hull, all from Year 10, are sports leaders nominated to take on additional responsibilities to support school sport and PE in their own school and encourage their school community to be as active as possible. They form part of the Ascot and Maidenhead School Sport Partnership's team of Young Ambassadors in secondary schools across the Partnership. They come together and meet half-termly and receive training and guidance, plus the opportunity to volunteer at Berkshire School Games sports events. The boys did really well and in one lunchtime managed to raise ÂŁ34.50 - and encouraged their fellow students to do something active at lunchtime! - CONGRATULATIONS!"
Mrs E Fitzgerald— School Sports Co-Ordinator
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Writing for Teenagers Conference Desborough College took some year 9 and 10 boys to enjoy a writing conference at Leighton Park School on 7 March. We were treated to an array of talks and question and answer sessions with some young adult authors Chris Priestly, Sita Brachmari and Sally Nicholls. There were also writing workshops in the afternoon with the authors and with the editor Sarah Lambert. The boys thoroughly enjoyed the day. Sally Nicholls’ workshop had everybody working hard as she guided us through a 20 minute creative writing session. I think we were all surprised by the imagination in our heads pouring so easily onto paper. It left us with many techniques to use back at school. Ms Hutchinson is running a creative writing class for all boys on Fridays after school if anyone would like to join the boys already going. “The Writing for Teenagers Conference was a great day. There were several different talks by the authors that were there. Chris Priestley gave a talk on the process he goes through when writing his books, then Sita Brachmari talked about all the inspirations and experiences in her life to help her to write her books. Then there was a break for biscuits. After the short break, the librarian at the school gave an interesting talk on censorship as Anne Cassidy was ill and couldn’t make it. We then had a wonderful lunch of fish and chips. After lunch I went to Chris Priestley’s writing workshop, where he talked about some of his life experiences, and read a short story about a field of ghosts. We then heard a talk from Sally Nicholls, in which she talked about how she came to write her books, she read a short passage from Close your pretty eyes and then we played a game about surviving the Black Death. We then departed back to school. All in all it was a fantastic experience, I learned a lot about the process of writing books, and I am very inspired to write now.” Zachary Hill Year 9 “The day started off with Authors talking generally about their books and the context around them. There were supposed to be four Authors talking to us however, one of them couldn't make it so the Head of CILIP and school librarian stepped in and talked about the censorship of books in secondary school. It was a very interesting topic because some of the books and stories behind them brought a lot of thoughts to my mind. To name one, she mentioned a biography from the famous cyclist Lance Armstrong, and how, because he took drugs to accomplish his goals, should his biographies be kept in school library as the information in them is not legitimate. After break and lunch we had our private 'workshops' with our chosen writers. Personally I picked Chris Priestley as I had read several of his books before and thoroughly enjoyed them. In his talk, Chris talked about how he comes up with a story, and what he does to proof read it. He said that after finishing a book, before he hands it to his Editor he reads the whole thing out loud, and that if there is a mistake then he will most likely hear it. He also marvelled about his joy in short stories and that, even though most teachers today will dismiss the idea of it, short stories are a brilliant way of starting writing. Because Chris Priestley is mainly a horror writer he talked about some good ideas that he uses when writing them. Firstly he talked about how setting the scene in Victorian times takes a readers mind away from the modern era and also will stop modern technology from interfering with the story. For example 'oh why didn't he just pull out a camera and record it', or 'why didn't he have a phone and call someone', are just a few of the many flaws of horror stories. He also said that the 'reader only sees what the writer tells you', and this is a very good idea because you have to make the book as detailed as possible to make it believable; this also led him on to say that for a horror story, the pace has to have a slow build up because of the genre. He then went on to say that for a genre like action, it needs a faster pace than horror. Overall the trip was very inspirational and (even though it’s not my chosen career path) if I do ever think of becoming a Writer I can look back and use the tips that I learned from Chris Priestley and all the other authors that were there.” Tim Fyffe Year 9. Mrs Hallissey—School Librarian
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Kimmeridge Bay Sixth Form Geology Trip On Tuesday 1 April nine Desborough Sixth Formers ventured down to Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset for their first taste of Geology field work with Mr Matthews. With no time to waste and with the annual “April fools” banter it was all hands on deck to meet the objectives of the trip with twenty precious AS coursework marks up for grabs. The group had to use their scientific knowledge to identify structures in the rock formations found at Kimmeridge Bay, illustrating, analysing and explaining in detail the causes of faults, folds and joints in the rock formations. Using this information the boys could then measure trends in the joints as evidence of their research in the “World’s Laboratory.” To conclude the field trip, Mr Matthews demonstrated to the group the importance of geology in present times by setting fire to a piece of broken rock! This experiment proved to the group that oil is present in the rocks found at Kimmeridge Bay, underlining how geological studies can provide important information used in the extraction of oil. A mixture of beautiful weather, beautiful countryside and geological studies certainly enhanced the group’s appreciation for the planet we live on. Mr A Hall—Learning Mentor
Sporting Trip to Norwich After a 160 mile trip to Norwich Boxing Club, my coach registered me and I eagerly awaited my weigh in hoping that I would match my opponent. I was there to represent my club, Repton Boxing Club alongside another boxer. I warmed up with my coach until my bout number was called up. I was ready and fuelled with adrenaline. I entered fearlessly but composed and waited for the bell to ring and start. Initially my opponent tried to throw some punches which I managed to swiftly dodge then I threw a flurry of punches that landed. I finished the first round easily. Second round I went straight in and did not give my opponent a chance to throw his punches. In the third, I paced myself and just concentrated on throwing clear shots. It was long but I persisted till the bell finally rang. I had given my best, now it was a matter of waiting for the result to be announced. I stood in the corner with my coach until the announcer walked into the ring and called both boxers to the centre. “Ladies and Gentlemen, with three rounds of spectacular amateur boxing can we please give a round of applause to both contestants, and the winner is by the way of unanimous decision is ....... Shahid Subhani”. I let the referee raise my hand up weary but triumphant. This sweet moment of victory was worth all the hard training, strict diet and late nights after training. We left and arrived home at 12:30am and I proudly placed my trophy to the rest of my collection. Next day as I sauntered into form my teacher said “Shahid you’re late again by four minutes!” Shahid Subhani— Year 10
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Desborough Linguists Visit Radley College For the past 9 weeks the linguists of Desborough have been making the weekly journey to Radley college where they have been showing off their skills to Radley Modern Foreign Language Department. They have been studying extension work and using the opportunity to extend their creative writing and speaking. The Radley team have been very impressed with the ability and focus of our students and I would like to thank the students for representing Desborough College in such an outstanding way and also Radley Language College for their commitment and collaboration! Bravo garçons! Gut gemacht Jungen! Mrs Gerber—Head of Modern Foreign Languages
Leave a Legacy Day On the 13 February the prefects ran a “Leave a legacy day” where boys were encouraged to donate a well loved book to the library receiving a cake in return. Thank you to everyone who donated both cakes and books. The library received over 125 books and £80 from boys and staff who purchased extra cakes. I was very pleased both with the turnout and the Prefects’ dedication to supporting and running the event. I would also like to thank the Handmade Cake Company in Maidenhead for providing us with free tray-bakes for the day. Mrs Hallissey—School Librarian
Chess Tournament Winner Muhammad Ali in Year 11 won our chess tournament for the second year running. The tournament is played over a number of lunch-times and brings all year groups together. The two runners up were David Symons Year 9 and Umar Iqbal Year 10. Muhammad won £15 which I know he will spend wisely! Mrs Hallissey—School Librarian
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Best of British Concert On March 27 in the main hall at Desborough the Btec Music pupils organised and delivered a successful evening with a Best of British theme. The night consisted of a variety of musical acts performing famous British musicians songs. There was a big turn out of parents, pupils and staff including the Governors. The evening started with a British Quiz around tables lit by candles, decorated with flags and free sweets and crisp snacks for everybody. The British theme was well received and included a train ticket style entry ticket, Union Jack bunting and posters of musicians such as Rita Ora and JLS. The pupils performed brilliantly with professionalism and confidence. We heard Adele from Nathan Willis, Ed Sheeran from Thulani Pilimie and Tapanga Hales, Jessie J from Warrick Heath, The Beatles from Joseph Haynes amongst others. A highlight of the evening was a piano solo by Elton John from Lawrence Eaves and the Btec music group performance of Written in the Stars by Tinie Tempah. There were amazing cakes, biscuits and British themed drinks including cups of tea by Mrs Brewer, Mr Hall and the Year 11 boys. A thoroughly good night was had by all. The next music concert will be Star Factor in July. Miss N Smith-Phelps—Head of Music Btec Music
Day Tripper Admits 1
Desborough
1 British Pound
Main Hall 27Th March 2014
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Donation from Desborough to Ecpat UK
Congratulations Many congratulations to Jake Brown an ex– student who has achieved a place in the RAF as an Aircraft Engineer. Good Luck to Jake in his future career.
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Information for Parents
Free School Meals
If you are in receipt of state benefits, your son may be entitled to free schools meals. By registering whether or not your son takes up the meal, this will generate valuable income for Desborough College in the form of Pupil Premium. This additional income provides your son with a variety of extra curriculum resources. It is our duty to record how the Pupil Premium is used to improve the attendance and attainment of the pupils receiving FSM’s. This information can be obtained from the School website. So please ask on reception for a form or contact the Accounts department for assistance on 01628 762526/540
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 the 2 May 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 with Nicola Humphries on 01628 762521. Mr P Frazer 11
Desborough College Shoppenhangers Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 2QB Tel: 01628 634505 Fax: 01628 639263 E-Mail: info@desborough-college.net