DESBOROUGH COLLEGE
DESBOROUGH COLLEGE SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
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Atom Day at Reading
Dear Parents/Guardians
University for Year 12
The opening half term of this new academic year has been awesome. •
Drama Workshop at Radley College
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MacMillan Cancer Trust
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Art Exhibition 2013
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Visit to Wildlife Park
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Home Secretary Visit
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Visit from Andrew Strauss
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Houses of Parliament
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Geology Field Trip
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Biology Field Trip
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German Exchange
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School Sport Partnership Competition
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Spanish Exchange
The atmosphere around school (and I spend lots of time walking around the school) is excellent – more so than last year. Boys are engaged in their work and teachers are delivering good and outstanding lessons. Boys new to the school have settled in well and are adapting to life in the Year 7 base. A recent survey of parents was overwhelmingly positive. Year 11 boys are busy preparing for their GCSE exams in English and mathematics and attendance at extra lessons after school is excellent. Some of these boys will be revising in school over the half-term holidays for four or five days. I wish them luck. They are a bright year group and I am expecting great things of them. The Sixth Form under the leadership of Chris Lee, one of my Assistant Principals, has undergone a transformation. There is a focus on work in noncontact time and a series of tests have taken place to gauge progress. Our Head Boy, James Herron, tells me that expectations of boys in terms of their behaviour and approach to their studies is far greater. I have been inundated with requests from parents of Year 6 boys to tour the school and I have been delighted and proud to show off the “new” Desborough. The Year 6 Open Evening was a huge success and parents, judging by their comments, were delighted with and impressed by what they saw. In terms of sport, I am particularly pleased with the 1st XV rugby team who have won 4 out of 5 fixtures. Steven Jones has done a great job motivating and coaching them. It was a blow to lose James Craft, who Steven Jones refers to as “a great man and player” in an email to me, through injury. He will be missed. If there are any readers with affiliation to Claire’s Court, our great rivals, then I have a message for you: On Wednesday 17th November the Desborough boys are coming after you!!
How lucky am I? I get to spend time in the company of hard-working, well-mannered and amusing Desborough students. I get to lead a collection of professional, highly-motivated and talented staff. And I get to watch the 1st XV crossing the Claire’s Court try-line! Yours sincerely
Atom Day at Reading University for Year 12 Six Year 12 students: Muhammad Bhatti, Mustafa Hussain, Ghulam Rehman, Sohaib Sajid, Farzad Sajjad and Harry Simmonds took part in Reading University's 'Atom Day'. During the day they took part in practical workshops and spoke to a number of professionals in fields allied to medicine in order to gain some practical skills and a lot of insight into BioSciences and associated career pathways. The pictures show Muhammad, Mustafa and Ghulam as they prepare and show plates used to capture and analyse fingerprints in a Forensics Lab.
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Drama Workshop at Radley College On 24th September Mrs Turner instructed us to ‘Meet at reception at 1.20pm at the latest, we’re running on a tight schedule as the train to Radley runs only once an hour - If you are late then we will leave without you!’ On the day all the A Level Drama students, including even James Tejeda, stood outside the main reception waiting patiently for Mrs Turner who was late! After the hour long train journey which we endured with typical high Desborough spirits, we arrived at Radley College for a Drama Workshop with well renowned actor and star of Seven Ages, Kevin Tomlinson. We were escorted into their state of the art auditorium which was impressive and inspiring to rehearse in. The workshop started with some comic mask work and improvisation exercises that will help Year 13 when doing their devised exam later this term and gave Year 12 a chance to experiment. Kevin Tomlinson also improvised some comic scenarios for us which were hilarious. He commented on how impressed he was with our confidence and the physicality of our work and it was reassuring to be complimented by such an excellent dramatist. Afterwards, we were invited to stay for supper at Radley and were more than happy to accept the invitation after hearing that Wednesday is Burger night! Entering the dining hall felt like stepping into Hogwarts, with the long wooden tables, surrounded by portraits while the Radley students were dressed in academic gowns that wouldn’t have looked out of place at Hogwarts! Thank you to Mrs Turner for organising the trip, to Kevin Tomlinson for an excellent workshop and to Mrs Holyoake-Lloyd and Miss Napier for joining us. Thank you also to the Drama teachers at Radley College for their warm hospitality. Simran Rai – Year 12
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MacMillan Cancer Trust The only way we were able to hold this coffee morning was with teachers and pupils donating cakes, so a massive thank you to everyone who donated something, shop bought or home made. All cakes went to a good cause.
On Friday the 27th of September organisations from all over the country held coffee mornings to raise money for McMillan Cancer Support. Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer. One in three of us will get cancer. As treatments improve, more people are living with cancer in their daily lives. This means they need more than just medical help; they also need practical, emotional and financial support. Here at Desborough Collage we held our coffee morning during break time in the main hall on Friday 27th September, the suggested entry donation was £1 for a coffee and a piece of cake.
The McMillan coffee morning was created 22 years ago and still is one of the key fundraisers for the charity. This year was the biggest coffee morning yet with the charity raising over £10.8 million. I would just like to thank everyone that came along and made a donation, big or small. It was much appreciated. Mrs Holyoake- Lloyd— Raising Achievement Leader for Years 8 and 9
Also there was a game of “guess how many coffee beans are in the jar,” with a homemade lemon drizzle cake as the prize. The winner of this event was Cian Jefferys.
To donate visithttp:// www.macmillan.org.uk/ donate/
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Talents of Year 12 and 13 Students Art Exhibition 2013 On Friday 4th October, the college experienced its first Art Exhibition of the academic year, showcasing work from pupils studying Art and Photography in the Sixth Form. An exhibition is shown every half term to allow parents of the students to see the development and improvement of their child’s work. Year 12 has produced a great deal of artist research along the lines of Richard Hamilton, Ted Van Cleaves, Joseph Cornell and David Hockney. This has allowed the boys to get a general feel of their topic, Urban v Natural, which they will studying up until Christmas. Pupils of Art had to construct a ‘Cornell’ box, which is a box filled with items that describe something about their life and their identity. In Photography the students worked on miniature environments, putting a small scenic environment into a box and photographing it to capture all details of the miniature world, whether Urban or Natural. This is a very creative exercise and encourages pupils to use their imagination to create a piece of work that stands out. Year 13 showcased their independent studies on a topic they chose. Their pastiches and artist research go towards their written assessment related to a question about their topic after the winter holidays. In Art, topics such as Contemporary Portraiture by Mark Spokes and Ambience and Emotions by Oleksiy Popov, have been experimented with using digital media in Photoshop and other creative areas, such as acrylic painting, textile collages and 3D modelling. In Photography, topics such as Anomalies and Fractures by Sam Instone and Timothy Greengrass with his internet influences upon contemporary art and photography have been explored. The exhibition was key to showing the parents of students who attend Desborough College that they are safe within the Art Department’s hands, and the amount of development and creativity they have done with their work is phenomenal. Mr Gary Tanner— Head of Art and Photography & Mrs Brewer—Art Teacher
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Visit to Wildlife Park On the 7th October 2013 Desborough art students, ranging between Years 9 and Year 12 visited the Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire, the largest privately owned zoological collection of animals in the UK. Those entering their first year of the Art GCSE course were taken on a guided route around the park to ensure that every aspect of the landscape that could possibly help them in the year ahead was covered in carefully planned detail. The Year 12 students however, were told to construct their own groups of around 5 or 6 Art and Photography students, and were sent freely to explore the park and document any area of the landscape that could help them in their more personalised A-Level course. The vast and diverse wildlife park presented an informative, experiential and overall successful environment for all students involved on the day and this trip will help immensely towards their final grades at the end of this academic year. Mr Tanner—Head of Art and Photography
“Desborough Students showcase their photography talent”
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Home Secretary Theresa May Visits Desborough On Friday 11th October, A-Level Politics and History students were delighted to welcome Maidenhead MP and Home Secretary, Theresa May, to Desborough College. The Home Secretary visited for an hour to tell students about her life as a politician and to give the students and staff an opportunity to quiz her. The talk was very informative and will especially help all Politics students, giving us a taste of what being a Politician involves. Special thanks must go to Mrs Murphy for organising the session and to the Home Secretary for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit Desborough. Mrs Murphy—Head of History and Politics
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Andrew Strauss Visit 14 October 2013 Former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss visited Desborough College this week and talked to students about his career, leading the national side, and his sporting mentors. More than 400 pupils listened as the ex-Middlesex player fielded a series of questions ranging from ‘How would you describe your management style?’ to the more unusual ‘Who is the best darts player in the England dressing room?’ (James Anderson apparently, but only just.) He also gave the audience of cricket fans advice for youngsters starting out in the game: “A lot of your development as a sportsperson happens aged about 14, 15 and 16 when the fundamentals are put into place – this is the time when I had instilled in me the right techniques, the right way of playing the game, and in the right spirit. “Enjoy what you do, work hard at it, and have the right temperament. If you love what you do it makes it easier to put in the hard work, and you do need an incredible work ethic to be successful. You will also need to have a very even temperament to help you to deal with all the highs and lows you will have to face.” Following his talk boys queued to have cricket bats, balls and shirts signed by the record-breaking player. Desborough College Principal Paul Frazer, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to hear first hand the experiences and advice of a world -class sportsman. “Andrew Strauss’ visit is also a great example of the benefits of our partnership with Radley College. Andrew is a former Radley student, and it was through this connection that we were able to contact him and invite him to Desborough.” This event was part of a new lecture programme which has been introduced at Desborough. Two weeks ago, Home Secretary Theresa May gave a talk at the college and author Oli Broom gave a superb presentation last week.
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Houses of Parliament 2013 This term, the politics and history groups took a trip down to Parliament Square and took a tour around Parliament. Touring the House of Commons and the House of Lords most definitely brought out the inquisitive side of the students and allowed us to see the thousands of years of history, art and architecture behind the UK’s political history. The tour we took started at the route that is taken by The Queen at the State Opening of Parliament every year, following on to The Queens Robing Room. As the tour proceeded we went on to the House of Lords and House of Commons where many debates are held; being at the heart of our government definitely opened up ideas and prospects of a future in politics for many of the students. Mrs Murphy—Head of History and Politics
Geology Field Trip On 15th October the Desborough Geology students went on a trip to Lulworth Cove, with a view to studying the differing structure and composition of rocks. We were issued with a variety of specialised equipment and were advised to use this equipment on the field. Mr Matthews, the Geology teacher who had organised the trip was in charge of leading us advising us what we had to do. We were advised to draw field sketches of the Lulworth Cove scenery, stairhole and the Purbeck beds and to do some dip and strike measurements at the walls of Lulworth Cove. After exploring the area we made our way to Durdle Door where we had taken some more dip and strike measurements. We returned to the minibus with a complete set of work to make our way back to school after a successful day out. Mateusz Widziszewski – Year 12
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Biology Field Trip Just three weeks into the start of the new academic year, twenty Year 13 Biology students and one uninitiated Biology teacher set off for a week’s residential field trip at Nettlecombe Court, in Taunton. The aim of the trip was to collect data for the coursework component of our A2 Level, and to learn more about ecology at the same time. Arriving at Nettlecombe in good time, we discovered that our home for the next four days was a very intimidating grade I listed building with bespoke lead windows that cost £500 per pane, so we were very careful when we played football on the grass outside. Our feet having barely touched the ground since arrival, that afternoon we were bundled into a cramped minibus and driven to the coast, where we studied the organisms (mostly seaweeds) that are found on the Rocky Shore. The next day we spent learning about freshwater ecology, making good use of our gum boots, as wading knee deep through the streams in Exmoor National Park, and trying our hardest not to fall over... we were mostly successful! Not to be distracted by the arrival of an all-girl’s school that afternoon, our teachers kept us in the classroom until late at night planning our individual investigations and battling with Microsoft Excel, hoping that the data we had spent all day collecting would show a correlation. On the last day, after a brief introduction to terrestrial, or grassland/plant based ecology, we split off into our individual investigations that would become the basis of our coursework. Most went to the rocky shore again and spent four hours in the freezing cold measuring Limpet circumference, seaweed abundance or other variations. Others sat by a pond for hours, or were driven slightly insane after measuring different species of grass. We travelled back on the Friday, making it back to Desborough with tons of notes to write up but having had a good time. For those considering a Biology degree at university, it was a valuable experience and a taste of the horrors to come! Matt Davis – Year 13
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German Exchange 2013 At 05:20 on Saturday the 7th of September nine Year 10 and 11 Desborough boys met with 15 Newlands girls at Heathrow Terminal 5 eagerly awaiting their British Airways flight to Düsseldorf Germany. After a smooth journey by plane and train we were greeted by our host families at Duisburg Großenbaum train station. Daunting for some and exciting for others, the boys and girls set off to spend the remainder of the weekend getting to know their host families. Monday morning we all met at Duisburg Süd (the exchange school) at 08:00 and set off on our excursion to Zollverein Essen which is a former coal mining and industrial complex. After our guided tour and some lunch we spent the rest of the day splashing around at a nearby Aqua park which was lots of fun! On Wednesday the group went on a day trip to Köln for several activities including a guided tour of the Lindt chocolate factory, Köln Cathedral visit and a language activity to test the pupils’ German skills with the locals! Friday’s excursion was to Düsseldorf for a guided tour of “Altstadt” and then a nice, relaxing boat trip on the river Rhine. Completing both activities with time to kill we ventured up the Günnewig tower. Not for the faint hearted, the 168m high 360 degree viewing deck provided spectacular views over the city of Düsseldorf. We concluded the excursion with a quiz and delicious ice creams! Tuesday and Thursday the boys and girls shadowed their exchange partners at the school. From what I saw they were interacting extremely well with the German pupils and participating positively in a variety of lessons. The week was a huge success and enjoyed by all. Since our return I have received only positive feedback from the host families and staff in Duisburg. We will be looking forward to hosting the German students early next year! Mr Hall—Learning Mentor
Photos show the Günnewig tower, a scenic view from the tower and the Zollverein former coal mine.
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Desborough Boys Assist in School Sport Partnership Competition Four Sixth Form students from Desborough College did a fantastic job recently at Ascot & Maidenhead School Sport Partnership's Tag Rugby Tournament for Y3/4 pupils. Matt Mault, Michael Spandley, George Weston & Chris Gill all volunteered to support the coaching team at Maidenhead Rugby Club who organised and delivered the tournament for over 120 pupils aged 7-9 years of age from 12 different local primary schools. The School Sport Partnership encourages local schools to provide high quality PE and school sport opportunities for all young people with a strong emphasis on competition. The boys developed their refereeing skills by leading matches and being buddied with an adult referee from the club who offered feedback and advice about their refereeing to improve the boys in the future. "They were fantastic ambassadors for the school and could not have been more helpful" said Emma Fitzgerald, Partnership Development Manager for Ascot & Maidenhead School Sport Partnership, " we hope to see some more Desborough Boys joining us for our Y5/6 tournament on 12th November". Emma Fitzgerald—School Games Co-Ordinator
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The tournament was finally won by Oldfield after a closely fought final with Holy Trinity
Spanish Exchange 2013 Hola - Spanish Exchange 2013 Last week we flew out to Spain to stay with our Spanish Exchange partners. There were two boys from Desborough attending with 19 girls from Newlands. Although being nervous about living with a stranger for a week, my nerves quickly went as I met my exchange partner Antonio, who I got on with really well. Throughout the week I had a great time talking (in Spanish) with my partner and visiting vineyards, big cities, the Spanish war tunnels and other attractions. We also managed to go to the beach twice because the weather was great. One of the days was spent in our partners’ school. This was very small – only 400 pupils, and some of their lessons were different and with a lot less technology than Desborough. The experience of their school and their culture was very interesting as their lives are so different. Regrettably at the end of the week, we had to say goodbye to our Spanish exchanges that we had grown close to over the past week, leave the hot weather and return to England after the best school trip I have been on. Joe Moore—Year 11
I personally enjoyed the Spanish exchange; it was a fantastic cultural experience that I will never forget. My exchange and his family were very hospitable; they made me feel very welcome. Throughout the whole trip we were up to so many exciting activities and we visited many different places such as the mountains, village, and the city and of course the beach! We all had an amazing time and the weather was beautiful. We had a good insight of what Spain’s culture is really like, including a flamenco show which showed the historic culture of what Spain is like. I also showcased my musical talents by rapping, street dancing and playing piano. Everyone seemed to really enjoy my performance. Overall the Spanish exchange trip was an unforgettable experience. I cannot wait until they come here next year in March and I will hopefully go there in future. Thulani Pilime –Year 10
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I would like to share with you an extract from an e-mail that I received from Theresa Allen who recruited two of Desborough sixth formers, both huge personalities and superb ambassadors for our school, to help spread awareness amongst young people of the dangers of substance abuse:“Can I start by congratulating both James Cox and Brandon Ayling for being fantastic ambassadors for Desborough College. Both were engaged throughout the week and with their very individual personalities became examples of good leaders of the group who respected them both. James in particular represented Desborough when he was interviewed by BBC Berkshire in the week about why he chose to become involved in the programme and asked questions about a up and coming legal high “NOS” and how much he knew about it and young people using it. He was professional, clear and articulate and did a fantastic interview.” Paul Frazer
Next Head’s Surgery Parents wishing to have a private conversation with me about any issues relating to school are invited to attend my Principal’s surgery. The next one will be held on the 15 November 2013 from 8.30 am until 11.00 am. These sessions are 10 minute slots. If you wish to have a longer conversation then please book a separate appointment with Nicola Humphries on 01628 762521.
Please note Apple are no longer providing the School Bus Service but the service will be continued using the school’s own minibus. If parents have any queries, please contact the school office.
Desborough College Shoppenhangers Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 2QB Tel: 01628 634505 Fax: 01628 639263 E-Mail: info@desborough-college.net
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