DESBOROUGH COLLEGE
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: GOVERNORS’ THINKING
July 2015
NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK
Dear Parents/Carers SPORTS DAY
The seven weeks since I last wrote an article for the Desborough College newsletter have flashed by and now I find myself wishing you all a wonderful summer holiday. Time does indeed pass quickly when you are enjoying yourself!
ATHLETICS
SIR CHARLIE MAYFIELD
VISIT
YR 13 LEAVERS
YR 11 PRIZE GIVING SCIENCE CLUB
PRIMARY SCHOOLS’ COMPETITION TRIP TO FRANCE CAREERS DAY THORPE PARK TRIP UNIVERSITY OPEN DAY YR 7 TRIP TO WINCHESTER STAFF V SIXTH FORM FOOTBALL JUNIOR PRIZE GIVING SPORTS AWARDS STAR FACTOR WRITING COMPETITION & ITALIAN CLUB RACING & ROWING YOUNG WRITERS MAGNA CARTA
I have sensed for a week or two now that the boys are feeling a little weary, understandably so because the vast majority of them have worked very hard throughout the year. We have had boys in Years 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 taking a whole range of public examinations in addition to the tests that we ourselves set to monitor every boy's progress every six weeks throughout the year. So, has 2014/15 been a successful year for Desborough? Yes it has, overwhelmingly so. I set the school challenging targets every year, targets relating to pupil achievement, behaviour and attendance. If these are Outstanding then in all probability on their visit Ofsted Inspectors will judge us an Outstanding school. Attendance is significantly above national average. Behaviour which was judged Good by Ofsted in September (harshly in my view), is now Outstanding. That isn’t to say that every boy attending Desborough is saintly; they aren’t! But they do know that I have very high expectations of them in terms of their behaviour and that if they misbehave they can expect to be punished. That said, far fewer boys have been excluded from school this year not because I’m growing soft but because it is now “Good to be Good” at Desborough. Boys who misbehave now feel marginated and try hard to comply with my expectations. Parents invariably support my insistence on high standards of behaviour because they want their boys to continue to be a part of the Desborough community. Examination outcomes, and progress at all key stages will be Outstanding if the predictions for this set of results are accurate and I believe that they are. For certain, if they are as good as I’m expecting you will be hearing a great deal more about them in August! None of this could happen without the efforts of my staff, teaching and non-teaching. They work so very hard on behalf of the boys and I desperately hope that their classes achieve the outcomes that their efforts deserve. They have certainly earned a complete break over the summer. As for me, I shall be spending some time in Yorkshire where my family lives, some time abroad and some time in Maidenhead. The plans to make next year even better than this are almost finalised and by 1 September, an INSET day, my batteries will be re-charged and I will be ready to lead the school further along its journey to Outstanding. Bring it on! All of these factors have resulted in a big increase in the number of parents applying for their boys to join Desborough. Next Year’s Year 7 will be more than double the size of the present Year 10 and while there are still some places available it is likely that this cohort will be the last year group that automatically is given a place. I have been dusting down the school’s admissions policy because in September 2016 I expect it to be an over-subscribed school for the first time in over a decade.
DRAMA, TECHNOLOGY & ART NEWS ARTICLE FROM OUR LIBRARIAN EXAM RESULTS DAY INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Paul Frazer
Governors’ Thinking
Article from Doctor Dan Jacoby, School Governor Governor’s have 6 meetings each major term. We reduced the number of formal evening meetings in Term 6 because of the examination workload for staff and their focus on final preparations with boys, whilst governors met informally with Leadership and our Principal to input and ensure progress on matters arising. Once again the DfE and examination boards have changed their assessment and marking criteria for the Summer exams in 2015 in a drive to raise standards, and this demands that all our teaching staff are vigilant to the changes in their subject exams and have sufficient time to implement the changes from the various examination boards. Much of the governors’ discussions turned to planning for the next academic year as well as the forthcoming celebrations and performances in shows, Sports Day and awards evenings. Once again, we invited our Year 6 boys and their parents who will be joining the school in September, to participate in our Sports Day, with races specifically for these new Year 7 boys. We were able to meet some of our new parents and talk about their decision to choose Desborough for their son’s secondary school and the Summer School week to introduce our new Year 7 to their year group, start making new friends and have an exciting time. Sports Day was a great day for the whole school again this year and our new parents could already feel part of the whole school family. We have had confirmed significantly higher numbers of new Year 7, for September, such that we are expanding from 4-form to 6-form entry in Year 7 with the creation of 2 extra classrooms in our Year 7 transition block. There is much debate in the local press and social media relating to how schools are allocated additional Council funds for expansion and also which schools should be expanded. Governors remain committed to the benefits of educating KS3 and KS4 in an all-boys lower school, whilst recognising that for KS5, boys benefit from a mixed Sixth Form in preparation for further education. All our staff and school as a whole are striving to raise our boys’ own aspirations and their outcomes. We are judged by Ofsted as a “Good” school, but want to be inspected and judged “Outstanding” within 2 years. The governors would ask parents to login to “Ofsted Parent View” and express your own views on how we are doing against Ofsted’s 12 standard questions, but also to act as ambassadors in the community and amongst your friends, to encourage them to come and see what we are doing that is transforming Desborough College to an outstanding comprehensive school for boys. Please invite them to make an appointment to talk about their son with our Principal, Paul Frazer. It is never too late to change schools, especially when boys can be so much happier, creative and productive at Desborough. http://www.desborough.org.uk/ or https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/parent-view-results/survey/result/126992/current
Nigel Cook Chair of Governors
Dan Jacoby Chair of Facilities
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National Science Week Challenge In celebration of National Science Week 2015, all Year 7 and 8 boys took part in a spaghetti tower challenge in the hall. The task sounds simple (build the tallest tower possible out of 50g of spaghetti and 25g of mini marshmallows), but physics fought back and the boys had to put some real thought into the design of their towers to make them sturdy and well supported. Much fun was had by all! The winning tower from Year 8 was Elgar with a record 80cm, and for Year 7 it was Dickens with 45cm. Well done to all who took part.
Year 8 Winning Team
Year 9 Winning Team
Miss Ellis—Science Teacher
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Sports Day
The annual Desborough College Sports day was held on the 16 June this year. The event pitted the boys against each other in pursuit of personal glory and in an inter house battle for the ultimate triumph of the Athletics Cup. All of the boys competed in at least one event with maximum effort given to every event in which boys where rowdily cheered on by their house. The trophy was hotly contested and was awarded to Elgar who displayed all of the house spirit necessary to see off the opposition. Highlights of the day included Mr Hall’s microphone skills, the staff versus Sixth Form race and the 75m race for September’s Year 7’s. Mr J Allen – PE Teacher
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Further Photos of Sports Day
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Athletics On Monday 22 June 2015 Desborough College competed in the RBWM Borough Athletics Championships at Thames Valley Athletic Centre in Eton. Desborough entered a Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 team who competed separately against a variety of local schools such as Charters, Windsor Boys, Dedworth, Altwood, Furze Platt, and Cox Green. Each team needed two athletes per event plus a relay team. Over the course of the day the boys worked tremendously hard as individuals and as a team. Joel Lange in the 1500m was a particular highlight, finishing in 1st place. In terms of results, the Year 7 team finished in 2nd place, Year 8 finished in 3rd place, Year 9 finished in 3rd place, and the Year 10 team finished in 3rd place. Congratulations to all those that competed! Mr Hamilton – Head of PE
Students taking part in track Athletic events during our day of Sports
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DISTRICT ATHLETICS REPORT Desborough College has produced three athletes in Year 7 who have gone on to compete in this year’s district athletics competition. The competition was held at Palmers Park in Reading and featured the best athletes that Berkshire can offer. The three Year 7’s, Jimmy March, James Ferguson and Ellis Dowden-Brown, were selected for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead team after winning the trials held some weeks ago. The boys have been practising hard in their own time and on the fields of Desborough. The fruit of their hard work paid off as all three put in exceptional performances: Ellis Downden-Brown placed 6th in the shot putt in a strong field of competitors: James Ferguson beat his previous personal best in the high jump by a massive 21 centimetres to come a very respectable 3rd; and the performance of the day goes to Jimmy March who came 2 nd in the Discus. Jimmy was only centimetres behind the first placed thrower with his final throw going agonisingly close to the winner’s mark. Overall, a great experience for all three boys who will no doubt be training hard in preparation for next year’s tournament. Mr J Allen
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Sir Charlie Mayfield Visit INSPIRING WORDS FOR THE FUTURE FROM SIR CHARLIE MAYFIELD ON 24 JUNE Even though it was a very warm day and we were all “toasting” nicely during it – the rapt attention given by so many students to our guest and speaker, Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, was impressive to witness, and was testament to the importance and relevance of the message within the speech; of the future of work, the development of a career and the changes we will all be facing in this fast paced world. Sir Charlie Mayfield’s audience were also fascinated by his interesting, and, in many ways, unexpected journey towards his knighthood and current position. It was a positive reinforcement of the world of work as it is for young people in our modern world, with many vital insights and suggestions as to how to succeed and be fulfilled. Mrs Christina Sansom On behalf of the Sixth Form
Leavers Assembly for Year 13 We said goodbye to our Year 13s on the 24 June. An informal and emotional last assembly set the tone nicely for a celebratory meal with leavers and members of staff sharing tales and reminiscing over great food and drink at Stafferton Lodge. We wish our boys all the best in the future and look forward to welcoming them back in November for Speech Night. Mr McInerney—Head of Sixth Form
Some Comments from our Students:Simran Rai Thanks again for yesterday, everyone had a really enjoyable evening. Dan Martin Thanks for a great send off. 8
Year 11 Prize Giving Friday 26 June 2015 saw the running of this year’s annual Year 11 Prizegiving ceremony. This event celebrates the many academic achievements of boys throughout their final year in full time education. One lucky student is nominated from each department to win the coveted Year 11 Award. The ceremony also gave the opportunity for Mr Frazer to present the ‘Teacher of the Year Award’. The lucky winner is chosen by the students and represents the member of staff they feel has gone the extra mile to help them to achieve their very best. The runners-up were: Mr Myatt, Geography; Miss Hutchinson, Head of English; and Mr Horsell, Maths. The fully deserving 2015 winner, retaining the prize from last year, was Ms Carr, Head of Maths. Proceedings were closed with students awarding prizes to staff for many weird and wonderful reasons, such as; BEST BANTER (Mr Reilly), BEST HAIRCUT (Mr Horsell), BEST SENSE OF HUMOR (Miss Pankhurst) and BEST DUO (Mr Wyles and Mr Frazer). The event marks the final chapter in the full time education of the Year 11 students of Class 2015 and we wish each and every one the greatest success in the next exciting chapter of their life.
YEAR 11 PRIZE WINNERS 2015
ART & DESIGN
ISA MALIK
BUSINESS STUDIES
THULANI PILIME MPANDIWA
CATERING
NATHAN Higgins
DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
ABDULLAH Ihsan
DRAMA
THULANI PILIME MPANDIWA
ENGLISH
GUILHERME BERTHOLDI
GEOGRAPHY
WILLIAM NOBLE
HISTORY
ARUN SANGHA
ICT
JOEL ALLEN
MATHEMATICS
JOEL ALLEN
MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
GUILHERME BERTHOLDI
MUSIC
THULANI PILIME MPANDIWA
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
PATRICK HULL
SCIENCE
CRAIG RENWICK
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KS3 Science Club This year has seen the start of a new KS3 Science Club, run by myself and Ms Ellis, which has already proved to be a success with the boys, especially the Year 7s. Each week sees them looking at a different aspect of practical science and trying it out for themselves. Science magic tricks have been the focus for the last few weeks and the boys have learnt how to “magic” an egg into a bottle, stack liquids on top of each other, and turn a liquid into a solid simply by touching it. One of the highlights of the year has been receiving a loan of moon rock from the Science and Technologies Facilities Council. Included in the loan was an encapsulated disc of moon rock and soil samples, a USB microscope, several meteorite samples, a lunar map and lots of information. The boys especially enjoyed being able to handle the meteorite samples and look at the lunar soil under a microscope. Finally, the boys did a little bit of maths and calculated roughly how much the disk of moon rock was worth. I won’t put the figure here, but it was enough to tempt some of the staff to consider a life of crime. We are looking forward to continuing Science Club next year including help from new Sixth Form STEM leaders. Miss Moore – Science Teacher
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Desborough Hosts Second Primary School Maths And Science Competition This year again, Desborough college has invited local primary schools to take part in an inter-primary school Maths and Science competition. Despite the hot weather, the primary school teams arrived at 9:30, welcomed by some of our talented Year 7 mathematicians. They promptly tackled their first challenge, in the form of 20 Maths problems ranging from algebra to statistics and arithmetic. For your own entertainment, here are a couple of questions that generated some brain heat from the keen Year 5s: Dan the milkman has only a 7-pint jug and a 4-pint jug to measure out milk for his customers. How can Dan measure 1 pint of milk without wasting any milk? There are two sets of five integers with mean 4, mode 2 and range 6. Can you find both of them? Note: integer means whole number It is remarkable that all teams scored more than 75%, with 2 schools (Oldfield Primary School and Juniper Hill School) scoring 81%. After some time for refreshments, the Science task could start. Each team had to build a tower made out of spaghetti and marshmallows – marshmallow demonstrating some unpredictable behaviour in the heat, causing one of the towers to collapse seconds before the end of the round. Although Lowbrook’ School’s design was judged as the best one on the day, Oldfield School’s team managed to erect a stable and steady 67 cm tower, also winning the second round and therefore being announced as the overall winners for this year’s competition. By 1 pm, all the competitors headed back to their primary schools, very excited about their morning challenges, and ready to come back next year. Mrs Morgan – Maths Teacher
While waiting for other teams to finish, pupils and teachers alike worked on their 3D construction sites
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French Trip
It was an early start for most of Year 8, as they were about to embark on an adventurous trip to the North French Coast of Boulogne, near Calais. Bleary-eyed and tired, our opinions went sky high as we arrived. Beautiful, lush scenery surrounded us, as we made our way into the heart of Boulogne, Port Nausicaa. When we arrived, we were met by a few unexpected things. Firstly, that a car in France would have its steering wheel on the left, and that they drive on opposite lanes to us. This caused a few hair-raising moments as the coach driver got a bit confused! But all was well, as we arrived to the enormous Nausicaä Centre National de la Mer, an aquarium, with over 34,000 animals and sea creatures ranging from a sea horse to a crocodile! While we were there, we learned about different habitats and routines of various animals. It was great to learn, and the staff were very friendly. Once we had seen everything we were then able to purchase souvenirs at the gift shop whilst practising our French speaking skills. It was all very fun! Next, we went to a nearby park, which had a beautiful view of the turquoise sea. We had fun playing football, and we also got lunch from nearby shops, trying out different French foods, such as Croque-Monsieur, and of course the lovely crépes. To our dismay, we were told to leave behind the fun and games and we made our way through the countryside to a large French snail supplier, Les Escargots Du Bocage. On arrival, we were kindly taken through to a ‘cinema’ where they took us through the lengthy and painstaking process of farming and looking after snails. Did you know, all snails are male but they have the ability to transform into a female when reproducing? Typically, the snails give birth to over a hundred snails however, only half survive. This is because some of them are needed for food, and are eaten by the parents (quelle horreur!). In France, snails are eaten daily, but usually during special occasions like Christmas and birthdays, they are eaten in large quantities. In a year, the French would eat over 500,000,000 snails! It is normally served with a garlic sauce, and served in its shell. Once it was served, it caused a great deal of mirth. No one ever thought they would be eating snails! When we tried it, everyone had mixed opinions. Some found it very tasty, while others, well, would rather not try it again... Finally, while on our way back to the train, we were able to buy some more souvenirs and food, as they would be a good memory of the fun we had. Again, we tried out our French, and while some stumbled on little errors and made the natives laugh, others surprised even the teachers, with perfect pronunciation and manners. It was a great experience talking with them, and is one of the best ways to improve your French. The trip was enjoyed by all, and everyone would love to visit it again! Je voudrais remercier les profs, parce-que je sais c'était un enormé effort pour rester calme, particulièrement quand nous avons crié et fait beaucoup de bruit. :)
MERCI! French and English by Sekaya Karuga and Ali Moursy! ‘Merci’ Sekaya et Ali de la part des profs!
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French Trip Photos
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Year 12 Careers Day—3 July There is no denying that the world of work is changing and reforming at a dizzying speed. I feel sure any parent reading this will know what am saying. We all need to help our young people to feel capable of tackling it confidently and enthusiastically.
I
We work towards this constantly at school and one of the features of the advice and guidance that we deliver is an annual Careers Day for our Year 12s, who are preparing to enter the final year of Sixth Form. Every year this event has increased in size and scope and we have been extremely fortunate to have attracted visitors from a huge variety of worlds, ranging from the Director of Technology and Innovation for the Government’s Technology Strategy Board, Innovate UK; British Petroleum and British Airways; a candidate who stood in this year’s General Election (which was a fascinating insight for our Politics students); a world famous computer games company; international engineering and building firms through to experts in the field of presentation skills. It was very gratifying to receive the compliments from our speakers about our students and the enthusiastic endorsement of the value and expertise of our speakers from our students The future awaits – and the knowledge and confidence of our students to face it is growing!
Mrs Christina Sansom Careers Information, Advice and Guidance
Thorpe Park Trip The Year 10 Thorpe Park trip took place recently, with forty five Year 10s heading over to Staines for the day. The trip proved hugely successful with the boys (and staff!) who all had a thoroughly enjoyable day out, taking on rides such as Swarm, Nemesis and Stealth, the boys again proving to be great ambassadors for Desborough College. Mr Snell—Raising Achievement Leader
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University Open Day: Oxford We visited Oxford University on the 1 July - on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year. Once there, it was easy to tell which buildings were colleges due to a huge number of visitors entering the main gates. It didn't take much time before we were passing through the gates ourselves to explore the historic colleges. Each of the gates were manned with helpful college students who had an abundance of information about the university as a whole and the specific advantages of their own colleges. We were offered a tour and we took the chance, the students welcoming and open to questions about college life or events that took place. There were specialists in each of the subject areas on hand to answer any questions, as they were the students, graduates or tutors of the courses we might look to join in a couple of years time. Baliol College, Jesus College and Wadham College were just some of the many we visited and each had an enormous dining hall that was both beautiful and historic, with high arching roofs and paintings of past students and Deans across every wall. We were told that regular formal dinners are held for students where formal attire is required. They are heavily attended and are a great way for students to socialise. The dining hall is also the site where meetings with guest speakers take place. Most of the colleges have a religious building that is used for support for any student that requires help if they are struggling to keep up with work. These buildings also housed the college choir where students are able to join up and practise twice a week. They then take part in performances, but the best part about the choir is that any student is able to join no matter what subject they are taking. Sport is a large part of the university but is not compulsory, although there is a large emphasis on taking part and the colleges have many teams for total amateurs and professionals alike. The colleges are open to suggestions for sports, but hockey and football are some of the most popular. The largest and most competitive sport taken by students however is rowing. There are many boat races and students take part to support their friends or just for an exciting day out. Across the walls of many colleges there are chalk drawings of races that have been won by students and races are highly attended. The Science Department takes up a large area of the university and has departments ranging from Physics to Engineering and Marine Biology. The departments are well funded and have many resources to be used by the students. As we walked around the Physics Department we saw multiple expensive and advanced machines that were being used by scientists working in the field. Students have the great opportunity to work with these scientists who are working at the cutting edge of their field and to ask them questions about their work. The city of Oxford has many libraries but by far the most intricate is the Bodleian Library. It contains thousands of books and has a service where students can ask for any book needed for their course to be bought by the library. The university students have full access to all of these libraries and therefore can find any book they might have trouble finding elsewhere. Overall from this experience I found that the colleges are extremely supportive of their students and this assists them through their courses. The colleges have all the supplies that the students will require during their time studying and there are large numbers of events arranged. The town of Oxford itself has many attractions such as theatres and cinemas as well as the river Thames for when they are not working. This helps to make Oxford one of the best universities around and the experience was extremely informative and helpful for any prospective students.
By William Noble—Year 11
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Year 7 Trip to Winchester Science Centre On the 6 July, myself and other Year 7 boys attended the Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium. We were given a booklet about different sections of Science and in the booklet there were some questions we had to answer. To complete most of the questions, we needed to walk around the Centre to find the answers. There were over 100 different activities/games to take part in and learn at the same time. This was how we found out the answers to the questions. Half of the day had gone by and we headed for the Planetarium. When everybody had sat down and got comfortable the screens went black and the night sky appeared. The show was mainly focussed on life on other planets. We learnt a lot at the Science Centre and Planetarium. You could also go over things you didn’t understand and wanted to learn more about. It was a very successful trip overall! By Luke Walters—Year 7
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Staff v Sixth Form Students Football Match
On Monday 6 July the staff and Sixth Form played in an end-of-year football match. The Sixth Form started at an electrifying pace and played some good one-touch football which resulted in the first goal being scored in the first minute! 1-0 to the Sixth Form, scored by Josh Sankey. The staff managed to compose themselves after the early set back and created a few chances of their own. Both teams continued to test the Keepers but the game still stayed 1-0 at the half time break. In the second half it was the staff’s turn to work at a quick pace but still they couldn’t find a way to beat Will Hull (Sixth Form Keeper). The boys also had chances in the second half and managed to hit the woodwork. At the other end, the Sixth Form had a lapse in concentration and the staff managed to beat the offside trap. Mr Tierney was put in behind and he managed to drill the ball across the area for Mr Collins to make it 1-1. The Sixth Form were determined not to give up and in the final minutes Scott Prince took the ball around Mr Gallagher and made it 2-1. The full time result was Staff 1 – 2 Sixth Form. Will Furmage—PE Teacher
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Junior Presentation—8 July A tradition that dates back to the 1990’s, Junior Presentation is an annual celebration to recognise and celebrate the success of the lower school students at Desborough College. Prize winners from Years 7, 8 and 9 gathered in the Hall from 1pm excited to receive their rewards for all their efforts over the last academic year. Parents were also invited to join in the celebration and it was a joy to see the Hall on the brink of full capacity! Mr Wyles (Vice Principal) opened proceedings followed by a few words from Mr Frazer (Principal) who shared the successes of 2014/15 and visions of success for the forthcoming years. It was then the turn of the Raising Achievement Leaders, who touched on the individual highlights from their year groups before announcing the prize winners. 167 boys in total were recognised for their “effort and academic” achievements over the past year, some of whom received a “special mention” for being awarded four or more awards. Mr Wyles invited parents and boys into the dining area for refreshments to conclude what was a fantastic afternoon for the boys, parents and staff at Desborough College. Mr Hall—Raising Achievement Leader
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Sports Award Evening On Friday 10 July we held our Sports Award Evening which was a great success. Our Special Guest was Richard Coleman, a former student of Desborough; further details about Richard can be found below along with a list of the winners. Richard is an old boy of Desborough, having studied here between 19811988. During this period, he won colours for cricket, rugby and hockey, while “spending far too much time attempting to persuade the school to erect football posts on the top field”. With sport and the media his passions, Richard gained a BA (Hons) in Sports Studies from the University of Chichester, and a Post-grad Diploma in Newspaper Journalism from the University of Central Lancashire. This led to a career in TV and newspapers which started at the Maidenhead Advertiser, and has included roles as Sports Editor at both Eurosport TV and the Daily Mail. Richard has covered three Olympic Games and one World Cup, and is now Head of News at Perform – a global sports media company with 41 offices in 36 countries.
Year 9 Sports Participation Awards 2014/15 U14 Rugby Squad
U14 Football Squad
U14 Hockey Squad
U14 Athletics Squad
U14 Cricket Squad
Bannister, James
Ayub, Ammar
Brookman, Joe
Boulos, Sami
Ayub, Ammar
Bark, Tobias
Brookman, Joe
Chawla, Rahul
Budny, Jakub
Brookman, Joe
Belal, Omair
Cook, Edward
Cook, Edward
Cook, Edward
Butt, Niyal
Brookman, Joe
Graczyk, Mikolaj
Hull, Oliver
Heath, Austin
Chawla, Rahul
Cook, Edward
Jones, Elliot
Jones, Elliot
Jones, Elliot
Kang, Sukhman
Dumas, Zander
Lange, Joel
Jones, Harley
Lange, Joel
Khan, Sulaiman
Gill, Ben
Llido Ferrando, Rodrigo
Lange, Joel
Mahil, Jasraj
Mahmood, Salah
Heath, Austin
Mahil, Jasraj
Leigh, Adam
Monk, Louis
Pahl, Rajveer
Hull, Oliver
Mahmood, Salah
Maw, Kai
Prince, Andrew
Prebhaker, Karan
Jones, Elliot
Maw, Kai
Monk, Louis
Rodrigues, Arthur
Rashid, Raza
King, Harry
Monk, Louis
Osborne, Luke
Safri, Tej
Tariq, Numaan
Lange, Joel
Osborne, Luke
Pahl, Rajveer
Teeder, Toby
Teeder, Toby
Leigh, Adam
Pahl, Rajveer
Prince, Andrew
Worsfold, Matthew
Maw, Kai
Prince, Andrew
Teeder, Toby
Monk, Louis
Safri, Tej
Worsfold, Matthew
Osborne, Luke
Sajid, Ibrahim
Prince, Andrew
Teeder, Toby
Safri, Tej
Walker, Luca
Teeder, Toby
Worsfold, Matthew
Walker, Luca Wallis, Oscar Worsfold, Matthew
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Sports Award Evening - 10 July Year 7 Sports Participation Awards 2014/15 U12 Rugby Squad
U12 Football Squad
U12 Hockey Squad
U12 Athletics Squad
U12 Cricket Squad
Ahmed, Ali
Aldridge, Charles
Ahmed, Ali
Ahmed, Ali
Ahmed, Ali
Aldridge, Charles
Al-Masud, Ahmed
Aldridge, Charles
Atherton, Louie
Aldridge, Charles
Ali, Ibrahim
Atherton, Louie
Ali, Ismaa'eel
Caldaruse, George
Ali, Ibrahim
Ali, Ismaa'eel
Bhogal, Ruben
Al-Masud, Ahmed
Craythorne, William
Arif, Esah
Atherton, Louie
Craythorne, William
Atherton, Louie
Dann-Muirhead, Toby
Craythorne, William
Bark, Issac
Dowden-Brown, Ellis
Burridge, Corey
Dowden-Brown, Ellis
Eaves, Georges
Bhogal, Ruben
Eaves, Georges
Caesar, Cole
Ferguson, James
Jones, Oliver
Burridge, Corey
Goremusandu, Wallace
Craythorne, William
Gibson, Jayden
Khan, Sameer
Crawshaw, Cameron
Hindman, Conor
Daems, Simon
Lange, Scott
Macrae, Cameron
Craythorne, William
Hussain, Ahesham
Dowden-Brown, Ellis
March, Jimmy
May, Oscar
Daems, Simon
Jamil, Hasnain
Eaves, Georges
Martin, David
Peck, Morgan
Dann-Muirhead, Toby
Jones, Oliver
Jefferys, Nathan
Monk, Elliot
Perwaz, Amaan
De Freitas, Luis
Martin, David
Jones, Oliver
Quinn, Lorenzo
Rafiq, Abbas
Deaville, James
Peck, Morgan
Lange, Scott
Shazad, Hasan
Dowden-Brown, Ellis
Pope, Harvey
March, Jimmy
Sijjad, Hasham
Eaves, Georges
Quinn, Lorenzo
May, Oscar
Waheed, Anis
Gilio, Evan
Rafiq, Abbas
Monk, Elliot
Goremusandu, Wallace
Procentko, David
Hindman, Conor
Quinn, Lorenzo
Jefferys, Nathan
Smith, Ralph
Jones, Oliver
Waheed, Anis
Kelsall, Ronan
Walters, Luke
Lange, Scott Levett, Harry March, Jimmy May, Oscar Monk, Elliot Pattar, Gursevik Peck, Morgan Pope, Harvey Procentko, David Rahman, Alwaaz Quinn, Lorenzo Smith, Ralph Tariq, Muhammad Waheed, Anis Walters, Luke Worth, Jack Zaman, Rehaan
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Sports Award Evening - 10 July Year 8 Sports Participation Awards 2014/15 U13 Rugby Squad
U13 Football Squad
U13 Hockey Squad
U13 Athletics Squad
U13 Cricket Squad
Barnes, Sammy
Ahmed, Zayem
Ahmed, Zayem
Dirkin, James
Akhtar, Ehtesham
Bellinger, Louis
Combe, Harry
Combe, Harry
Elliott, George
Ali, Abdul-Rehman
Cairns, William
Crawley, George
Dirkin, James
Harrison, Charlie
Combe, Harry
Combe, Harry
Dirkin, James
Harrison, Charlie
Khan, Raja
Iqbal, Azeem
Crawley, George
Elliott, George
Latif, Sameer
Moursy, Ali
Khan, Raja
Crook, Benjamin
Hayward, Fraser
McCann, Kai
Owen, Joshua
Latif, Sameer
Dubovsky, Alex
Iqbal, Azeem
Pretty, Timothy
Panchen, Emil
Nisar, Hassan
Elliott, George
James, Morgan
Rai, Cameron
Radics, Robert
Rainford, Louis
Harrison, Charlie
Johal, Robin
Rainford, Louis
Rai, Cameron
Sohal, Jaskaran
Hodgkinson, Ollie
Morris, Morgan
Rowe, Nicholas
Rowe, Nicholas
Sohal, Jaskeerat
Khan, Raja
Rai, Cameron
Slattery, Craig
Slattery, Craig
Tandon, Akshay
McCann, Kai
Rainford, Louis
Sohal, Jaskaran
Starmer, Samuel
White, Adam
Moursy, Ali
Rowe, Nicholas
Sohal, Jaskeerat
Worth, William
Panchen, Emil
Slattery, Craig
Wall, Alistair
Pretty, Timothy
Walsh, Jago
White, Adam
Rainford, Louis
White, Adam
Worth, William
Reed, Vinnie
Worth, William
Rowe, Nicholas Sohal, Jaskaran Sohal, Jaskeerat Wall, Alistair White, Adam Worth, William
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Star Factor 2015s Star Factor went off with a bang on 30 June. The show opened with the school jazz band playing “The Final Countdown” which then moved swiftly onto the new steel pan group of Year 8s with their debut performance of “Buffalo Soldier.” The evening continued to show the varied talents of the boys from Ben Cox’s magic tricks to Amaan’s street dancing. The KS3 Drama Club had their first performance of Time Travel, a play written by Year 7 pupil Evan Gillio, a first for Desborough College. The audience enjoyed the mystical and witty dialogue from main actors Jayden, Oscar, George and Nathan supported by the brilliant cast members of Year 7. The Year 9 band led by Harley Jones did a brilliant rendition of “Uptown Funk” showing how much they have improved in Music since Year 7. Victory sang a ballad by Sam Smith, a change from his usual style. Issac Bark played his first ever flute piece to an audience after only playing for 6 weeks, a big highlight of the show. The Year 12s did not disappoint, ending the evening with a loud finale of classic rock hits. The show was hosted by Mr Reilly, who gave a great performance throughout. The judges stayed true to form with Mr Hall being the Simon Cowell of the trio, Miss Pankhurst the silent judge and new judge Mrs White giving fair and supportive comments to the pupils. The audience and pupils were treated to a comedy impression act by Mr Bromley, taking us through politicians of the ages with a little Voldemort impression thrown in for fun! Mr Miller yet again showed what he can do on the drum kit with a little audience participation. The winners of the evening were Rafe Lyons for his azz piano solo, Lawrence Eaves for his beautiful Lizst piano Rhapsody, Evan Gillios beatboxing skills, Nathan Jeffrey’s accents and drama and Jake MIltson who stunned the audience with his amazing and beautiful ballet talent. A great evening was had by all. I want to thank all staff who came and helped out and also all the boys who took part, it makes me very proud to teach such talented boys. The next concert will be the Christmas Celebration. Miss Smith Phelps – Head of Music
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Talented Year 7 Students Win Creative Writing Competition A group of budding young authors of the future were invited to Explore Learning in June to receive certificates and medals for the stories they submitted for a creative writing competition sponsored by Explore Learning in Maidenhead. The stories were written as part of their English homework and the English Department actively promotes creative writing and supports local writing competitions. Our pupils were found to have demonstrated a high level of originality and interest in their work. During the awards ceremony, the boys were given individualised feedback on their work, and read out extracts to an audience of parents and staff. The overall winner, yet to be decided, will win a trip to Disneyland in Florida! The boys who won prizes were: Georges Eaves, Scott Lange, Nathan Jefferies, Lee Beckley. Mrs Eaves—Assistant Principal
Year 7 Italian Club Ciao! This year I had a chance to learn Italian before school and during lunchtimes with Signora Fassi from the Italian Consulate. Our club took place in the Year 7 ICT Suite so that we could use online programmes like Memrise and Linguascope to learn new vocabulary and phrases. Issac (in the photo) gave a presentation on what we had learned to the whole of Year 7 at our last assembly. Bravo Isaac! We enjoyed learning with Signora Fassi who sometimes brought along Italian cakes and sweets. She is returning to Italy this summer so “grazie Signora Fassi e buona fortuna!? Georges Eaves—Year 7
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Harry King: Desborough’s Lewis Hamilton Congratulations to Harry on leading from start to finish in Round 6 of the Club Championship at Whilton Mill, Northampton recently.
Second Place for Oliver Taylor at the National Schools Regatta in Nottingham
Well done to Oliver Taylor who, with his crew from Henley Rowing Club came second winning the silver medal in the J14 4x+ category (age 14 coxed quadruple sculls). Second fastest in the country.
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Young Writers’ Mini Saga Competition Once again our boys have had great success in their literary endeavours, with many of the Year 8 boys being chosen to have their stories featured in an anthology of ‘Grim Tales.’ The Young Writers’ Mini Saga Competition invited boys to write their own grim tales, using the genre of fairy-tales as a stimulus. Winners’ work was selected for publication based on imagination, perception, expression and creative use of language. Naturally, we are very proud of our boys and the winning writers’ names are as follows: Nazim Akkache Yousef Qamar Justin Kamau Akshay Tandon Michael McGarry-Blackwell Morgan Morris Louis Rainford Jack Hogg Janosch Herrmann Craig Slattery Raja Khan Will Cairns Sekaya Karuga James Dirkin Ali Moursy Alex Dubovsky Ollie Hodgkinson Vinnie Reed Cameron Rai Tom Hodgson Daire Sutcliffe Jaskeerat Sohal Jaskaran Sohal Joseph Rowland Nick Rowe Adam White Benjamin Crook Kai McCann Samuel Starmer Simon Vollrath Morgan James Jamie Busuttil Hassan Ali Al-Naim Ali Charles Owen We are now hoping that Desborough College will be selected as a national school winner with the Young Writers’ competition. Watch this space! Mrs Storey—English Teacher
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Magna Carta Celebrations Below are poems from Matthew Noble and Hammaad Ashfaq’s article regarding the celebrations at Bisham Abbey for the Magna Carta:I am the heart of the land, Beating passionately with every breath. I am the fist of triumph, Crushing my enemies like clogs to ants. My hands do not tremble when going through hell, Instead they defeat the lifeless domonic screams. My voice like thunder controls the land, Causing tremors of fear erupt. You are a tiny twig and I a mighty oak, Showering you with my commands. You are a fleet and I an armada, Casting you onto cloudy shores. I am a lion and you are a unicorn, Bound in chains and without rights. So bow before me, And obey my commands?
No! We will not stand for this, You are not the man the painters paint. You are a monster cast from the bubling pits of hell. We will not blow down to such a beast, Together the people of England can bind as strong as stone, Together we will not let down our pride, You will not stop our stride, For St George and the greater god
The Magna Carta is a charter, Binding people as strong as stone with kings as fine as gold. It is history of freedom and rights, It sails through the night as bright as a light. So say thanks to the Magna Carta fighting for our rights.
By Matthew Noble—Year 7
On 13 June 2015, Matthew Noble and I went to Bisham Abbey to read aloud a poem that Matthew had written about the Magna Carta. There were a lot of people there. Some had come from places like Birmingham just to hear us! There were a lot of photographers and BBC Radio Berkshire came as well. There were so many famous faces. Before we started, we were both given a costume to wear. I was a baron and Matthew was King John. Photographers came towards us and started to take pictures. We had turned into celebrities! We were told to stand on a bench and read out our poem so that we could project our voice to the audience and so they could see us. A man from the radio introduced us and we were given a huge round of applause before we began to speak. We were both very shy as the photographers kept taking photos of us and were shining luminous white lights in our faces but we gathered up our courage and at the end we were awarded both with fame and applause! You can find a video of us on BBC iPlayer or on BBC Radio Berkshire website as we were interviewed about it afterwards. We were both very proud and I think our parents were as well!
by Hammaad Ashfaq—Year 7 26
Drama News Part 1 YEAR 12 THESPIANS DEMONSTRATE A REMARKABLE TALENT FOR COMEDY The Year 12 Drama students demonstrated how well they can work the audience with flair in their final performance exams in May. Rehearsing frantically to meet the deadline and the examiner’s arrival, the twelve talented performers showed commitment and resilience throughout their rehearsals and produced top quality creative performances. The first performance was Pinter’s ‘The Hothouse’, one of his lesser known plays, darkly comic and satirical in style. It explores the themes of social conformity, hierarchical status and incarceration within an ‘institution’. The complex plot focuses on the conundrum about who was responsible for the death of patient 6457 and the impregnation of patient 6459 who has given birth on Christmas day! Eerie music set the backdrop for a very dark and sinister tone, however, the performance was not without comedy with authority figure Roote (Tom Judd) and the aggressive alcoholic Lush (Nico Mandozzi) fighting realistically and getting messy with whisky and Christmas cake! Scot Hancock played the fiercely ambitious Gibbs with a confident Machiavellian nature, scheming a plan to take ultimate control, and Megan Gilroy played the promiscuous mistress with ease, shamelessly flaunting her sexuality and developing a devilish urge to undermine male authority. You could cut the emotional tension with a knife at times, resulting in powerful performances from all four actors. The second performance was Gogol’s ‘The Government Inspector’. Set in the early 1800’s, the play explores mistaken identity and political corruption and satirises the social and political values of Tsarist Russia. The four performers multi-rolled as many different caricatures using absurd and exaggerated physical styles and they even threw in a moment of Russian Cossack dancing! Chris Gill was amazingly good as the vicious, bullying Governor who constantly strived for higher status. With his own photograph printed on bank notes, he demonstrated the character’s obsession with wealth. Sam Cox interpreted Khlestakov as an intelligent, optimistic opportunist with much creative flair and was just as inspirational in rehearsals as he was in performance. Malique Maynard multi-rolled well as both the Postmaster and the Waiter, bringing originality to both interpretations, particularly though his expressive physicality. Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky were hilarious, played by Ben Hopkins and Sam Cox, as the performers created a strong comic double-act with lively speeches and idiotic movement sequences. The final performance was John Godber’s ‘Bouncers’ that pointed fun at the immorality of urban nightlife surrounding the Mr Cinder’s nightclub. The four performers amused the audience through the use of comic exaggerated style, but also provoked a deeper level of thought through their moments of social commentary. The themes they explored – prejudice, escapism, and an innate desire to belong – are timeless and resonated well with the audience. The actors’ crisp, high energy and well-timed choreography was hilarious as they multi-rolled, alternating between the alpha-male Bouncers, the hedonistic Lads and the promiscuous Girls, presenting moral anarchy at every turn. Daniel Henshaw enjoyed engaging directly with the audience as Sexy Susie in a flirtatious, overzealous manner and his aggressive portrayal of Ralph was equally entertaining. Tom Downey’s portrayal of Judd showed many stereotypical alpha-male qualities as he intimidated the audience and his fellow Bouncers with talented ease, and his depiction of Plain Elaine was ingeniously clumpy and awkward. Sam Hoxley played the more experienced Bouncer through cynical direct address to the audience, using imposing physicality and his lengthy monologues were well executed. Joe Moore’s portrayal of a violent Kev and an emotionally unstable Rosie were both uproarious due mainly to his ability to embrace any character with extreme physicality and voice – and this coming from such a quiet well-mannered young man, proving again that Drama has the potential to release inhibitions and inspire confidence! Mrs Holyoake Lloyd and I would like to thank all the students for their hard work, creativity and humour and wish you a relaxing and fun summer holiday. Mrs Turner Head of Drama
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Drama Photographs
Berkshire STEM Challenge—9 March This year, Desborough College entered two teams into the STEM challenge, run by Berkshire’s STEM ambassadors at Reading University. Our heat was held at Holyport College, and our teams got off to a cracking start, each scoring highly on questions about Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths. Unfortunately, the other teams fought back and our final positions were 4th and 5th out of 6. A great effort though boys, well done. Teams: Oscar Wallis, Theo Dann-Muirhead, Austin Heath, Alex Wallis-Banbury Raza Rashid, Tobias Bark, Jasraj Mahil, Elliot Jones
Miss Ellis—Science Teacher
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Drama: Exposed Year 7’s Dramatic Talent TIME TWISTER by Evan Gilio Evan Gilio demonstrated his remarkable scriptwriting skills this term when he produced his first one act play entitled ‘Time Twister’ for the KS3 Drama Club to interpret and perform at the Talent Contest. Scriptwriting demands unique skills as the author has to ‘see’ and ‘hear’ the performance as they compose the characters’ dialogue and stage directions but this did not faze Evan in the slightest. He rose to all the challenges of re-drafting as the actors made creative changes in rehearsal and there was a real sense of creative collaboration which was superb. Based on time travel, the story explores how a remote control time travel device causes havoc at school one day. The lead role of the teenager Joey was played with charismatic ease by Oscar May who has the ability to embrace any role with great imagination and set the pace of the performance. The angry role of Joey’s dad was performed creatively by Jayden Gibson; in his short time at Desborough Jayden has certainly made a good impression in the Drama Department particularly with his expressive use of voice to create character. Nathan Jefferys had enormous fun portraying the fierce monster Headteacher, Miss Battleaxe, and enjoyed the eccentricity of this role. Georges Eaves performed Mr Tester, the scholarly but peculiar science teacher, incorporating some lovely moments of ‘mad experimentation’ showing he is a master of his field. In the casting session it was noted by Mrs Holyoake and I that Charles Aldridge was desperate to play Mr Buff, the handsome sports teacher who believed he was a gift to women! Charles embraced this role exceptionally well which is quite worrying! Keanu De Gois played Mr Sparrow the temperate English teacher who struggled to keep control of his class as Joey moved time forwards and backwards with his powerful gadget, creating some great comedy. Ralph Smith and Mike Brazenor enjoyed performing the two vicious bullies who used moment of strong physical theatre to intimidate Joey, but justice prevailed at the end which is always good to see. James Deanville, Connor Hindman and Ahesham Hussain played Joey’s three friends and executed some lively, realistic dialogue and performance which anchored the plot well. Evan’s creation of absurd comic stereotypes was amusing and coherent and these characters (all teachers of course!) contrasted well with the grounded realism of the students. A BIG WELL DONE TO EVERYONE INVOLVED! Mrs Turner - Head of Drama
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Drama Photos: KS3 Drama Club Performance
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News from the Technology Department By Miss Kelleher—Head of Technology What an end to an incredible year! We cannot believe it is this time already and another year at Desborough is coming to a close. We would like to wish our lovely students a wonderful summer and thank them for a really great year. As the year winds down here is a little of what we have been up to!
Our Year 10/11 groups have completed their exams and coursework for the year. We are extremely proud of the products they completed and look forward to results day In August.
The Year 7s have constructed their own bridges as a STEM project which was a great success. These bridges can hold 1kg! Well done boys.
The Year 7s have all completed their first big Technology exam and the results were really great. We have high aspirations for these boys!
Myself, Mr Tierney and Mr Gallagher would like to wish a happy summer holidays to all the boys and their families. See you all in September!! Year 8&9 Year 8 and 9 have also completed their Technology summer exams which were very impressive. The Year 9’ are looking forward to their new options next year so we are excited for that. Year 8s are looking up to the year 9 stools in the anticipation of undertaking the project themselves in September.
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Art and Photography Department News
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Photography
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Library News
The 2015 Carnegie Shadowing group consisted of Year 8s and some Year 10s. We met every Monday lunch-time in the LRC to read and discuss the 8 shortlisted books and munch biscuits! We voted on our favourite book and our meetings, culminated in watching the official award ceremony live.
The shortlisted books were: Brian Conaghan When Mr. Dog Bites Bloomsbury (14+) Dylan Mint has Tourette's. His life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in - the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that seems to escape whenever he gets stressed. But a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mother, Dylan discovers that he's going to die next March.
Sarah Crossan Apple and Rain Bloomsbury (11+) When Apple's mother returns after eleven years of absence, Apple feels whole again. She will have an answer to her burning question - why did you go? And she will have someone who understands what it means to be a teenager - unlike Nana. But just like the stormy Christmas Eve when she left, her mother's homecoming is bitter sweet, and Apple wonders who is really looking after whom. It's only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is, that she begins to see things as they really are. Sally Gardner Tinder Orion (11+) Wounded in battle, Otto Hundebiss defies Death and finds himself on a journey to a realm of dark magic and mystery. He meets Safire, brave of heart and pure of spirit, and learns the powers of the tinderbox and the secret of the wolves. Frances Hardinge Cuckoo Song Macmillan (11+) When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out. Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late.
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Library News Cont’d .. Elizabeth Laird The Fastest Boy In The World Macmillan (9+) Eleven-year-old Solomon loves to run! The great athletes of the Ethiopian national team are his heroes and he dreams that one day he will be a gold-medal-winning athlete like them, in spite of his ragged shorts and bare feet.
Tanya Landman Buffalo Soldier Walker (14+) Charley, a young African-American slave from the Deep South, is freed at the end of the American Civil War. However her freedom is met with tragedy after her adopted mother is raped and lynched at the hands of a mob, and Charley finds herself alone with no protection. In a terrifyingly lawless land, where the colour of a person's skin can bring violent death, Charley disguises herself as a man and joins the army. Trapped in a world of injustice and inequality, it's only when Charley is posted to Apache territory to fight "savage Indians" that she begins to learn about who she is and what it is to be truly free.
Geraldine McCaughrean The Middle of Nowhere Usborne (11+) When her mother dies from a snake bite, Comity's life in the Australian Outback changes for ever. With her father lost in his grief, Comity makes friends with Fred, the Aboriginal yard boy. But then the evil Quartz Hogg arrives, who delights in playing cruel games. And when he sets his murderous sights on Fred, it's up to Comity to stop him.
Patrick Ness More Than This Walker (14+) A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies. Then he wakes, naked, bruised and thirsty, but alive. How can this be? And what is this strange, deserted place? As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?
The meetings were lively and some books such as Tinder were like marmite, some loved it some hated it. (The majority loved it). Some books were given an age suggestion as some covered some difficult topics but the students approached these books with maturity. The Desborough group really enjoyed reading the selection of books and have also read a number on the longlist too. The Carnegie Shadowing Scheme encourages boys to read different genres, inspiring them, challenging their opinions and world view. There is a lot of evidence to show the benefits of reading for pleasure including increased empathy and understanding, as well as increasing connections in the brain. This is because students effectively live the stories that the characters inhabit. Students are able to enter history, imagined places and experience lives they would never experience in their own real life. It is also beneficial for students to discuss the books and the emotions and responses they have and share their views. The boys enjoyed this so much they want to shadow again next year. They wanted to share their experiences with others so they produced an assembly for Year 8 with readings from the books. Happily, after this assembly all the books discussed were borrowed from the library by new readers who had been inspired by the enthusiasm of their peers. It has been a wonderful journey for all of us and we can’t wait for next year’s longlist to be announced. The official winner was Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman. Our favourite was Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan closely followed by Tinder. Please continue supporting your sons with their reading over the summer, so we have lots to discuss in September. Happy reading! Mrs A Hallissey School Librarian
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Desborough Legacy Desborough Legacy is a Fundraising Charity established by Parents & Staff. Its purpose is to raise funds so that donations and gifts can be made to provide the extra equipment and facilities that benefit the students. We want to improve and enrich the lives of our children attending Desborough College by enabling them to have the use of equipment that the college simply cannot include in their budgets from the funds provided by the government. 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 Mr Ayres-Turner—Site Manager
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 school on 01628 634505
Cashless Catering for Students Desborough has now 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 Friday 18 September from 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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Information for Parents: Exam Results GCE’s Published Thursday 13 August Year 13 from the Library at 9.00 am Year 12 from the Library at 10.00 am
GCSE’s Published Thursday 20 August Year 8/9 from the Library at 9.30am Year 11 from the Hall at 10.00am Year 10 from the Library at 10.30am
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Information for Parents—Police Cadets The scheme aims to provide young people between the ages of 13 and 18, from all parts of society, an opportunity to develop their qualities and skills through a structured programme, and to enhance the relationship between the public and police. It is about including teenagers irrespective of their background, financial circumstances or vulnerability to crime or social exclusion. As dedicated volunteers wanting to make a difference in their local community, the Cadets will take part in neighbourhood policing initiatives and community activities/ events alongside police officers and staff, other volunteers, and partner agencies. The Cadets will be directly supervised by Cadet Leaders who are made up of officers, staff, police support volunteers, PCSOs and members of the Special Constabulary. While Cadets are not eligible for independent patrols and do not have any legal powers, they are able to support tasks such as crime prevention initiatives, message/leaflet delivery, test purchase operations, partnership public safety campaigns, and involvement in non-confrontational local events under supervision. All Cadet activities are risk assessed to comply with Health and Safety and Child Protection policies and procedures. The Cadets and their leaders will meet once a week. The meetings will include guest speakers or input on police related topics as part of an on-going training programme. As well as these weekly meetings, the Cadet units will involve themselves in other activities at weekends and in school holidays, including activity breaks and national competitions. All Thames Valley Police Cadets will be educated and trained in various skills to improve their confidence in dealing with people from all walks of life and general aspects of life. A standard uniform will be issued to the Cadets and this will be worn at all meetings and suitable events. To join, please register an ‘expression of interest’ by emailing thamesvalleypolicecadets@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. Please include your full name, address, date of birth, contact details, the area of the cadet unit you would like to join, along with a short description of why you are interested in joining. In addition you could come and meet Staff and Cadets and have your questions answered; on Sunday 21st June 10-12 noon at the front office of Windsor Police Station, Alma Road, Windsor and 1.30 - 3.30pm at RBWM Youth Services building, 3 Marlow Road, Maidenhead. http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/joinus/joinus-volunteering/joinus-volunteering-cadets.htm
http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/joinus/joinus-volunteering/joinus-volunteering-cadets.htm
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Information for Parents Please see below letter sent to parents regarding an online resource learning facility for students:-
9 July 2015 Dear Parent or Carer Exciting News! Your child now has complete access to Britannica® School. We have recently invested in Britannica School – an award-winning online resource from Encyclopedia Britannica. This wonderful resource is now available for children to access at school on their desktop or from home and can be used on any device including computers, laptops and tablets. Please encourage your child to use Britannica School as a starting point when they’re searching for information to help them with homework, projects and research papers on the internet. You can be confident that your child is exploring safe material from a trusted, nonbiased, and reliable source with access to articles, videos, images and educational games in all subject areas. Please feel free to have a look for yourself. Yours faithfully Mrs A Hallissey Librarian
Britannica School’s Link has been emailed to parents:
Login details: School I.D. Enter
DS + your surname
®
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