DESBOROUGH COLLEGE
INDEX:-
LEGACY
INNOVATION ROOM
ECUADOR TRIP 2017
NEIL WOODFORD VISIT TO DESBOROUGH
THE GRIMMS PLAYERS
LEO’S SAILING SUCCESS
SCHOLARSHIP AT ETON COLLEGE
GERMAN EXCHANGE
YOUNG ENTERPRISE
AUTHOR’S CONFERENCE
HOUSE EVENTS
October 2017 Dear Parents/Carers I cannot recall a better start to a new school year than the start to this one. The new Year 7 boys have settled into "The Desborough Way" surprisingly quickly given the potential challenges they face adapting to a much larger school with different systems and routines to the smaller schools that they have only recently left. They tell me that the Induction Days, the Summer School and the Year 7 Base were helpful to them in making the transition such a successful one. The recent Y6 Open Evening was the best attended by far over the last 5 years with in excess of 700 visitors given tours of the school on the evening itself. I have taken, over the last 3 weeks, tours to a further 83 families. I take parents and their sons to the Year 7 Base and encourage them to ask questions of the boys and their experiences of the first half-term of their career at Desborough. The answers given by the boys are so overwhelmingly positive that I now find myself assuring parents that they have not been rehearsed or been instructed what to say! Parents most often comment upon the calmness around the site and the focus on work. To some the ethos comes as a surprise because they expect a boys' school to be a very physical, noisy environment. I assure them that, having worked in co-ed schools for over 30 years, I am now a firm advocate of single-sex schools between the ages of 11 and 16 because behaviour and relationships are so much better. Parents are invited to access the link below to watch our video “The Desborough Way.” The video shows many of the great things that we do here. https://vimeo.com/232237285/0231f3dbf7
DRAMA REPORT
ADVANCED LEARNERS
I do hope that the mid-term break is an enjoyable one for you all. Hopefully the boys will return on 30 October fully rested and prepared for the challenges of the next half-term. Regards,
DEBATING
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Paul Frazer
DESBOROUGH LEGACY CONTRIBUTION FORM 2017-2018 Desborough Legacy (PTA) is a fundraising charity run by parents & staff to provide extra equipment and facilities that benefit the students at the College. We are now starting a drive to provide lockers for the boys starting with the younger age groups. Please consider making a small monthly donation to the Legacy. The donation amount is entirely discretionary, but we encourage parents the monthly standing order or regular payment to provide us with regular flow of funds which is easy for us to administer. (If unable to give monthly, one-off donations are of course welcome). If you are a UK tax payer, please complete and return a Gift Aid form to enable us to boost funds by reclaiming tax on your contribution at no cost to you – send an email to the address below and we can send one by return. Donations can be made in one of 3 very simple ways (see below). For any option please include your son’s name as a payment reference. 1. ONLINE OR MOBILE PHONE: Set up standing order donation(s) directly to the Desborough Legacy bank account below. Log in, set the frequency, start date and monthly payment date. Our Bank: Account Name:
HSBC Desborough Legacy
Sort code: Account No:
40-31-05 90559261
2. YOUR BANK BRANCH: In your branch, complete and submit the Bank’s Standing Order Form 3. BY CHEQUE payable to “Desborough Legacy” and sent to the school office for the attention of Nuria White. Please include a note of your name and your son’s name. Please return this completed form to the school office For the attention of Nuria white or scan it and email to NuriaWhite@desborough-college.net
Thank you so much for your assistance! – keep an eye on our activities and projects on our Facebook page, including our drive to raise money for the provision of lockers
Desborough Legacy charity status number: 1113365
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Our New Innovation Room Up and running! The first lesson in the new SMR Innovation Room was taught on Tuesday. The room which has been developed through the generous funding of the Spore, Merry and Rixman Foundation, challenges both the way lessons are taught and how students learn. It is a highly nteractive space where students can build ideas through writing on desks and walls whilst sharing ideas through the use of iPads. At its core the room is a hub for STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) with 3D printers in place to prototype students' design ideas. A large interactive touch-screen TV enables students and teachers to share ideas and connect, via Skype, to other schools (both at home and abroad) and business for shared lessons, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and webinars. We have already welcomed representatives from Apple to demonstrate the use of iPads and VR in teaching and we look forward to the visits of Lego to run a design clinic and Reading University to further develop the use of STEM with our students. We will be inviting local primary schools to use the space and for Desborough students to help teach and develop ideas with the younger pupils. It is a ground-breaking space and one which will benefit the teaching and learning for all students and staff at Desborough. Mr Sparks Vice Principal
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Ecuador Trip —Summer 2017 Following a successful trip to Ecuador for Desborough College students, the trip co-ordinator provided the following report :After the safe return of Andrew and your students, we would like to take this opportunity to give you a very brief overview of some of the highlights of their summer. What a blast! Through the sheer sweat (and sometimes) tears, your students have made a huge and lasting positive impact on the lives of many rural communities. They have hand mixed cement, plastered, painted and helped improve facilities for the local students, as well as being involved in environmental projects which will have a far reaching and lasting effect for years to come. Not only have they worked hard at improving the lives of villagers, they have been digging and planting indigenous saplings, in order to redress the huge deforestation issue that is rampant in Ecuador. One team alone, planted over 250 trees and we had 15 teams in Ecuador this year. That’s potentially 3750 trees planted by our teams, this year alone! Interacting with the local children is always a highlight of all our expeditions, whether it be playing volleyball or football or sitting quietly, platting hair, singing songs and holding very animated ‘hand’ conversations with young students who are desperate to learn our language in order to improve their lives and future employment opportunities. Being pushed to your limits and forced out of your comfort zone is not something we usually enjoy, but your students did both of these! They slept on mattresses on bare boards, washed in cold water, shared their living spaces with bugs, spiders and survived. They have eaten enough stew and potatoes to last them a lifetime and still came back for more. They then participated in an exhilarating 4-5 day trek which saw them being pushed even further to their limits, but once again, they faced each day with determination and good spirits and took on every challenge given to them. We are so proud of them. Living in or close to the local communities has enabled your students to really appreciate how tough daily life can be, but at the same time, how resilient and strong the human spirit is in order to overcome the adversities that life throws at us. We hope they have learnt many lessons from this and will carry them in their hearts, to pull out, dust down and use whenever they may need them in the future. From the deepest core of everything Camps International stand for, we would sincerely like to thank you, Desborough College, Andrew and your students for their incredible hard work, dedication, joyous spirits and a whole bunch of great laughs and mind-blowing memories. Kind regards
Julie Lax Schools Support Coordinator Camps International Group
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Neil Woodford Returns to His Roots We were delighted and honoured to welcome Neil Woodford CBE, a former Desborough student and Founder of Woodford Investment Management, to school in September. Along with his colleague and Head of CSR, Jonathan Smith, our assembled audience of Sixth Form students and friends of Desborough, heard about Neil’s inspiring journey from Desborough boy, to “Britain’s best-known fund manager”. What I’m sure was a nostalgic visit for Neil, was an inspirational one for our students, as Neil discussed the twists and turns in his career, and provided fascinating insights into the financial industry. Neil’s visit also couldn’t have been better timed for our school, as we proudly promote The Desborough Way, and the importance of character development. Neil made many references to how the values we hold in high regard at Desborough have weaved themselves into the ethos of his company. The series of questions that followed for Neil and Jonathan, were testament to how engaged the audience were, and the long queue of potential future fund managers waiting at the end to get some private air-time with Neil and Jonathan, was testament to how inspired the audience also were. I want to thank Neil and Jonathan for their time, and would extend a warm invitation to any former students, from all career paths, who wish to return and share their experiences with our students. Mr D Clawson Assistant Principal & Head of Sixth Form
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The Grimm Players Aaron Cook in Year 7 acted with The Grimm Players at Norden Farm recently in the sold out comedy "The Vicar of Dibley". He was a choir boy and also had a solo.
Well done Aaron!
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Leo’s Further Success at Sailing Leo Wilkinson in Year 9 has been selected for the British Youth Sailing’s UK Junior Squad. He will attend training camps around the country, starting with 5 days at the National Sailing Academy in Weymouth during half term. Leo has a place at the Topper World Championships in China next summer.
Well done Leo!
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Scholarship at Eton College Austin Heath, one of our ex-Year 11 A* pupils successfully won a scholarship to join the highly established Eton College for his Sixth Form placement in September 2017. Austin was one of the highest achieving pupils at GCSE this summer and he achieved a fantastic A in his GCSE music and A* for his coursework modules. I taught Austin during his time at Desborough College and I also taught his brother Warwick when he was a student here a few years ago. Subsequently, Warwick joined the armed forces and is doing very well. I was invited by Austin Heath’s mother to attend his first music concert at Eton on Saturday 14 October 2017. It was a pleasure to see how well he is doing, how happy he is and how much he has grown! The concert consisted of many items from soloists to choirs and the Jazz band which Austin took part in. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and I promised I would share a picture of Austin in his Eton uniform. He spoke about missing Desborough but he has settled well at his new college and has even joined the rugby team among other clubs. Mrs McFarlane—Curriculum Leader for Music and Head of House Co-Ordinator
Touch Rugby Success for Oliver “I started to play Touch Rugby in the summer at Braywick Sports Ground in Maidenhead. I was asked to attend a trial for the U15 England Touch Rugby Team in Oxford in September. I had an excellent day and have now been selected to attend the training camps over the next few weeks and months to prepare to represent England U15’s in the International Tournament in the future.” Oliver Hodgson—Year 8
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German Exchange 2017 On Saturday 9 September a group of 30 German GCSE students from Years 10, 11 and 12, from Newlands and Desborough set off to Germany to stay with a German family for a week. The activities that we participated in were numerous with two of the seven days being spent in a German school shadowing our exchanges the lucky few that had English lessons at the school were quizzed nonstop about the answers and were asked to read out every text that the class was studying. Those that did not, listened tentatively to what was being said in very fast German and trying to make sense of what was being said. At the beginning of the week the English exchange students stayed with their host families for the weekend, being toured around the local town and visiting the best places that it had to offer. On Monday we visited the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex where we were given a tour around the mine, which had been renovated on the inside for tourists, and we learnt why the local area was so uneven. I can safely say that the highlight for most of us was the swimming that followed the coal mine; here we were able to let loose and get rid of the nerves and stress that had been built up over the weekend. On Wednesday and Friday we went to Köln and Düsseldorf respectively where we visited a Lindt chocolate factory and the Düsseldorf Cathedral. Before we went home the students and teachers from the German school held a goodbye party where speeches were read out and some tears were shed from both English and German students, but we all cannot wait for our exchanges to come to England. Bis Bald! Joseph Rowland Year 10
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Here We Go Again! It’s October so it’s Young Enterprise time again! This year’s team attended the launch of the 2017-18 Company Programme full of enthusiasm and determination to beat, or at least match, the fantastic achievements of last year’s team. Attending the event at Moor Hall, Cookham were Saviel, Karan, Rodrigo, Haris, Jasneit, Zak, Jaz, Rahul and Luca, and they put in a very professional appearance. Within a week they’d made their first profit, offering refreshments at Open Evening to the hoards of interested parents who flooded through Desborough’s doors. A couple of weeks later the team met with their Young Enterprise appointed Advisor, Desborough alumni Safeer Ahmed who said, “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with students from Desborough, having studied there myself. I’ve cleared my diary for their meetings and can’t wait to get started.” Safeer, who is a Fraud Prevention Project Leader at Experion, commented on how much the school had changed and the outstanding opportunities now offered to students. Stella Neal, Head of Business & Economics and Enterprise Centre Lead said that the Company is developing product plans and getting ready for the first milestone – their Business Plan, due in November. “We are grateful this year that the team’s £500 entry fee is being sponsored by the KMA Group.”
Left to right: Haris, Rodrigo, Jasneit, Gursangat (Managing Director), Safeer, Jawaad,
If there are parents in businesses who can help with our enterprise work in any way (not just financial), we would love to hear from you: stellaneal@desborough-college.net Ms Neal— Head of Business and Economics/Enterprise Centre Lead
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Author’s Conference for Year 9—Report from Desborough
We were delighted to welcome authors Kim Curran and Leo Hunt along with 24 Radley pupils to Desborough on 11 October for our first author conference. This was jointly planned with Anne Muhlberg the Head Librarian at Radley College and it proved to be a fantastic day. The day began with some inspiring talks with Kim explaining about her career in advertising and her desire to write particularly for the young adult market; where her ideas come from and how it is important to be resilient with the inevitable knock-backs authors can face. Leo delighted us with his focus on his ghostly trilogy of books and the use of ghosts in fiction in various cultures historically. There was plenty of time to ask questions and after a short break we began the workshops. Desborough and Radley boys worked collaboratively in their groups for the afternoon session. We were delighted to have Mr Sheldrake from Radley delivering a workshop on writing ballads and Mr Gleeson running one on creating characters using objects. Kim’s workshop taught the boys how to plan a story and to sum it up in a pitch to sell it. This resulted in some fabulous presentations with excellent delivery. In Leo’s workshop after creating a ghostly character of their own the boys had just minutes to write a paragraph. This example by Aidan Melling is indicative of the wonderful work they produced in such a short time. “I didn’t mean to break the law, I just didn’t want him alive. The machete was dripping blood. I looked down the corridor. No one had noticed me. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from down the corridor. A man came into view. He looked like a policeman but his clothes were torn. I hoped he wouldn’t notice the body, but his eyes could bore through anyone. His mouth was moving but I heard no words. Except that in a moment I did, “…the right to remain silent… in a court of law…” Then he screamed, soundless but the silence was the heaviest uneasiness I had experienced. He came towards me accelerating. I braced for the impact and closed my eyes. When I opened them, he was gone. A single word was scribbled on the wall; GUILTY. Scribbled in blood. My blood. I looked down at the machete piercing my chest.” We were delighted that at the end of the day some boys performed the work that they had created during the workshops which was highly entertaining. It was fantastic for the boys to have the opportunity to work together producing some great creative writing of their own and learning new skills that they can bring to the classroom. A fabulous day was had by all and we are very grateful to Anne and her team at Radley helping to make this event to fruition. Mrs Hallissey School Librarian
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Author’s Conference—Report from Radley College On Wednesday 11 October, two Remove English sets joined their counterparts at Desborough for an excellent day of author talks and creative writing workshops. Authors Kim Curran and Leo Hunt made the journey to Desborough to share with the boys their experience of the writing process and publishing. Following the authors' insightful introductory talks, the audience split up to attend various workshops. Kim, whose background is in advertising, gave a masterclass on drafting the perfect sales pitch for new book ideas, and Leo kicked off Hallowe'en preparations in style with hints and tips on ghost story writing. Several hair-raising story lines later, the creative juices continued to flow with further workshops on ballad writing, ably hosted by our very own Mr Sheldrake, and a session on characterisation run by Mr Gleeson from Desborough. Again, giving the boys some excellent pointers for the development of their own writing, with some impressive results presented at the end of the day. Best of all, it was fantastic to see Desborough and Radley boys mingle and get writing together. They certainly produced some highly entertaining pieces in the short time available and will hopefully continue to hone their writing skills over the next years. Meanwhile, we are extremely grateful to Desborough's Librarian Mrs Hallissey and her colleagues for hosting the event and very much look forward to welcoming their Year 9s for more creative writing fun in November. Anne-Katrin Muhlberg Librarian—Radley College
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House Events Spelling Bee Year 7- Constable, Year 8 – Dickens Julian Martin Year 8 Joseph Henwood Year 7
Christmas Bake Off will be taking place on 6th December
Mrs McFarlane—Curriculum Leader for Music and Head of House Co-Ordinator
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Drama Report From Page to Stage YEAR 9 AND 10 THEATRE TRIP - JEKYLL AND HYDE
Earlier this term, Year 9 and 10 GCSE Drama pupils travelled to South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell to see Blackeyed Theatre’s adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. There was a strong focus on the love triangle between Jekyll, Lanyon and Eleanor - an added character who provided a spur for Jekyll and allowed us to see a very human side to him rather than purely a scientist. The production presented a unique interpretation of the original text, combining creatively with devised elements from the company. Pupils then had the opportunity to explore themes from the performance in a devising workshop run by actors from Blackeyed Theatre. Complex themes such as Freedom (positive and negative), Cowardice and Courage, and Religion versus Science were tackled during an energetic and thought provoking two hour drama session that was enjoyed by all.
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Drama Report Continued ... YEAR 11 THEATRE TRIP – BLOOD BROTHERS
Also this term, Year 11 GCSE Drama pupils visited Milton Keynes Theatre, with an impressive 1,400 seats, to see Willy Russell’s popular and poignant story of Blood Brothers. Situated in the front stalls, we were able to experience the full tensions and excitement of the performance, as well as observe the workings of the conductor and orchestra in the pit. This was a classic example of how powerful the creative fusion of music and drama can be, provoking a full spectrum of strong emotions within the audience. Year 11 pupils enjoyed, in particular, the developing relationship between Mickey and Edward as their pre-destined lives were tracked from childhood, through teenage years, to adulthood. Pupils are now working hard on their personal analysis and evaluation of the full performance, in preparation for their forthcoming mock exams and final summer written exams. Good luck to Year 11!
YEAR 13 WORKSHOP – ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST
Year 13 pupils were lucky to receive a complimentary workshop from Trouble Maker Theatre (resident theatre company at Norden Farm Arts Centre), in connection with their study of Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist. This hilarious political satire, that uses the style of comic farce to tell its story, was explored through a highly physical and engaging two hour workshop. Using physical ideas from Commedia dell’Arte, alongside students’ own creative interpretations, the absurdity of the text was brought alive through exaggerated physicality. Pupils are now using this workshop as part of their preparations for their final written exams for the A Level Drama and Theatre course. A big thank you to David Farey, from Troublemaker Theatre! Mrs Turner—Curriculum Leader of Drama
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Advanced Learners This year has seen the introduction of the Advanced Learners Lunch: a bi-weekly club in which the top-performing pupils from Years 9 – 11 are challenged to think outside the curriculum. So far this term, we have had discussions on genetic mutation, the nature of ‘truth’, and whether maths was discovered or invented. A small subset of the club are in the process of setting up a linguistics group, after Reuben Bignell tore his way through an Oxford University admissions test that used an invented language, called Pip. Details of how pupils are selected for the Advanced Learners Programme as well as further details can be found on our website. Mr Craig-Wood—English Teacher
Debating Desborough College is pleased to announce the start of its Desborough Debating Club, which begins on the 6 November. It will be open to Years 7-11, one day per week during lunch. Each year group will be representing their House. Debating is a skill that incorporates abilities needed in today’s competitive workforce such as: the ability to listen, argue, and respond clearly and quickly, modulate one's voice and maintain eye contact, and speak confidently and clearly. Furthermore, debating can help foster critical thinking and persuasion skills. In addition, debating helps remind students that while business is about competition, it is also about compromise and cooperation - demonstrating the value of teamwork. The goal is to have House debates before the end of this academic school year. Places are limited.
Mrs Lockwood—English Teacher
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Information for Parents Our mobile App is live on both Apple and Google Play Stores; you can stay in touch with our Events, News and receive free push notifications from us!
To download visit the Apple or Google App Stores and use the Username: Desborough Pin/Password: 6345
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Information for Parents Continued .. Parentview Gives you the chance To tell Ofsted what you think about Desborough It would be helpful if you could share your views of Desborough College with Ofsted. Please visit the website below even if you have done this previously.
http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/
School Uniform Desborough College now has a tracksuit available to pupils to buy from Goyals in Maidenhead. This can be used during PE sessions, particularly when the colder weather arrives and as part of the boys’ team kit when they compete. If parents have any second hand uniform, in good condition and would have no objection to donating this to the school, please contact Nuria White in Student Services. Thank you.
Homework Club All students are welcome to attend Homework Club which takes place Monday-Friday from 3.15 until 5.00 pm in Room B10. Maths Sixth Form Tutors attend the session every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
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Information for Parents Continued .. Free Hot Meals For Students If you are in receipt of state benefits or you work less than 16 hours per week your son may be entitled to free schools meals. We believe that the FSM is a crucial entitlement to help ensure that all children, independent of their family income should be able to get a nutritious meal in the middle of the day. They also have important health and educational benefits for the children that receive them. All school providers are encouraged to introduce cashless systems so that children in receipt of FSM get this funding automatically. This was one of the reasons to improve our catering service. If you have any further questions, please contact the school on 01628 634505
Cashless Catering for Students Desborough has a cashless catering system in place for all our students and staff. We are working in partnership with Catering Academy to ensure a healthier delivery of food to all its students and staff. Our dining room is open from breakfast onwards and offers hot and cold drinks, snacks, and home cooked meals created by the chef on our site. Samples of the Catering Academy menus can be found on the school website. Once your child is registered for our cashless catering system he/she will be able to buy food in our dining room without the worry of remembering to ensure they have cash with them. The cashless facility has allowed us to provide the students with a quicker service as no money and change is being handled. Please be aware that there is no cash facility at the tills. In addition parents can pay for trips and take advantage of other offers available on-line. Desborough now has a brand new sQuidOnline portal that is quicker and easier to use with a whole host of new features. From 20 October 2016 parents will no longer log in through the old system and will be able to access the website through https://portal.squidcard.com/loginPortal/ To download the sQuid App go to squidcard.com/app. If parents require further information please contact the school.
Next Principal’s Surgery Parents wishing to have a private conversation with me about any issues relating to school are invited to attend my Principal’s surgery. The next one will be held on 24 November 2017 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 Continued ..
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