Luckley Life - Spring 2023

LUCKLEY LIFE

THE NEWSLETTER FOR LUCKLEY HOUSE SCHOOL

ROTARY YOUNG CHEF

After a delay of almost three years, the area final of the Rotary Young Chef competition took place in January and two Year 10 pupils, Maddy and Luca were selected to participate.

Maddy chose to cook ‘Posh mac ‘n’ cheese’ with roasted tomatoes, spring onions and thyme, which was served with steamed tenderstem broccoli, followed by candied pineapple with caramel sauce and coconut flakes. Luca’s creation was freshly foraged nettle soup (Luca was harvesting nettles the evening before the competition!) followed by homemade ravioli with butternut squash, sage butter and stir-fried leeks. For the dessert he made gluten free and sugar free chocolate brownie with sugar free clementine sauce. Luca lives on a farm where they grow their own biodynamic and organic vegetables and fruit. Luca’s menu reflected what is in season, so he brought in the vegetables from the farm.

The Young Chef judge was Dan Lee, the Executive Chef from Seasons Restaurant at Lavershot Barns, Windlesham. Mr Lee was most impressed by Luca and Maddy’s entries. As well as costing, the budding chefs were judged for planning, healthy choice, skills used, along with taste and presentation. Maddy was placed in the top five and Luca came second and went through to the Thames Valley District Final where he came third. Graham Smith from Ascot Rotary Club came into School to present Luca with the runner-up trophy. Congratulations to Maddy and Luca.

RED NOSE DAY

Luckley pupils and staff raised circa £650 for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day by sporting some great red items of clothing!

ECO SCHOOLS’ UPDATE

In January a group of ten pupils and two members of staff descended on the Sixth Form conservatory to take part in the RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch, as part of our Biodiversity topic. Although it started quietly, we were able to spot a range of birds, including wood pigeons, blue tits, crows and chaffinches, plus a squirrel entering its drey!

Pupils also headed over to the Wildlife Garden area to plant a selection of bulbs supplied by Wokingham Borough Council, as part of Wokingham in Bloom.

Behind the scenes, Year 10 and 12 students are planning second-hand sales for the summer term, as part of our waste topic, whilst the Eco-Schools committee has also been hard at work making signs, posters and a video for our Energy topic’s ‘Switch off Fortnight’ which we hope to run after Easter, alongside a day of fun activities for Luckley Earth Day on 28 April.

Mrs Katie Clutterbuck, ECO Schools’ Coordinator

SCIENCE WEEK

From 13 to 17 March we celebrated Science Week at Luckley. The week began for Year 7 & 8 pupils with an exciting trip to Silverstone.

The pupils were excited to explore the museum and get their hands on the interactive exhibits, including testing their times on a pitstop simulator, where they experienced what it was like to be part of a pit crew. They also designed their own virtual speedway bike, using state-of-the-art technology and learnt how it would race and handle.

One of the highlights of the trip, producing many giggles for some, was when the pupils recorded their own commentary for a race and then played it back synchronised to the action. They took turns at being the next Murray Walker.

The pupils walked part of the heritage track, which has hosted some of the most iconic motorsport events in history. As they walked, they learned about the history of Silverstone and how it has evolved over the years. Some of the pupils had the opportunity to watch a track day, where they witnessed some thrilling moments as cars raced around the circuit. They were fascinated by the high-speed action and range of cars and a few spills and thrills added to the excitement.

In addition to the exhibits and track day, the pupils also participated in a STEM workshop that explained the many career opportunities that motor racing offers. They learned how engineering, artistic design, logistics management and guest service all play important roles in the multimillion pound motorsport industry. They had the chance to show some of their learning from Science as they discussed aerodynamics, how a flexible fuel tank reduces the risk of fires and why a driver’s head needs supporting. Passing round the £125,000 side panel from the rear wing made the teachers slightly nervous, whilst trying on the racing helmets created a whole crew of Luckley House Stigs.

In School, pupils were wowed by an inflatable planetarium in which they were shown how to identify stars and planets currently on display over the Berkshire skies.

In addition to this, pupils had the chance to go to a number of activities including designing model rockets to shoot to the stars, identifying the murderer in a Chemistry ‘Who done it?’ and to ‘break out’ of a Science lab, by solving a series of clues. Pupils were also invited to measure the speed of light using a microwave and some marshmallows, play in a Physics gaming tournament and even enter a competition to name our new pet goldfish, who has now been christened Phosphorus. Our week ended with an engaging talk by Dr Horrocks about climate change and the skills needed to enter a career such as this.

Finally the winners of our Science photo competition were announced, with the overall winner, a beautiful shot of a robin by Ms Allaway and the ‘Most Original’ by Henry PB.

Primarily, the aim of Science Week at Luckley is about enthusing pupils with a love of Science, but it is also very much about showing them the immense range of career opportunities that exist in STEM and how they can be part of the future, and to this I think we succeeded.

Mr Phlilp Lupton, Head of Science and Fiona Blackmore, Teacher of Science

YEAR 7 ENRICHMENT DAY

Our Year 7 pupils were joined by 26 visiting Year 7 pupils for a fun enrichment day provided by The Problem Solving Company. In three groups, the pupils took on a range of team-building activities, including a challenging Escape Room. The visiting pupils were a mix of those who have already accepted a deferred place to start at Luckley in Year 9 and others who are considering this as an option. The day was therefore the perfect opportunity for creating new friendships and for all the pupils to have a glimpse of what their cohort could look like in 2024.

OUR PUPILS LOVE TO DANCE!

This year we have seen Dance grow impressively, with the introduction of GCSE Dance and more pupils joining our Dance clubs after school.

We began the year with the Junior Dance and Senior Dance clubs participating at the ISA Dance Competition at Reddam House for the first time. Whilst we did not win, the dancers enjoyed the experience of performing on a new stage and watching the other schools’ performances. It was definitely inspiring and we look forward to next year’s competition with new routines.

The GCSE Dance course started strong, with four pupils taking their passion for the subject to a new level. They have enjoyed taking a more academic approach to Dance, and learning how to choreograph from a stimulus, exploring new styles and critically analysing professional works. In March we went to ‘Move It’, a dance convention at the ExCel Centre in London, where the pupils were able to take classes with professional dancers, watch a variety of performances from different companies and talk about future study options with dance colleges and schools. The biggest event of the year was our ‘Day of Dance’ in February. It was an opportunity to introduce prep schools and other pupils to dance at Luckley and celebrate the talent we have here. The day started with a taster workshop for pupils from Westende and Emmbrook School, where they learnt a Jazz routine to a song from ‘Six The Musical’ and were able to choreograph a section themselves. We were then joined by alumna Steph Still, a graduate from 2009, for Year 7 and Year 8 dance taster workshops. The day culminated in our House Dance Competition where each House was given an era of time to choreograph a group routine to. It was a fantastic event, with performances from the GCSE Dancers, Junior Dance Club, Steph Still and the Laura Henderson Dance Company. Galloway was the winning House this year, with Evelyn in Year 7 winning best soloist. A special commendation was given to Teddy in Year 7 for his moving performance to Defying Gravity.

We look forward to the first Dance Showcase in May, where all dancers will be able to perform what they have been working on this year. We cannot wait to see where else Dance will take us in the future!

By Mrs Rachel Kempton, Teacher of Dance

Evelyn, Year 7 Soloist

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

SPANISH TAPAS

Year 10 Spanish students completed the Customs topic, including learning about food and cuisine. To enhance their understanding of Hispanic culture, Miss Intxaurbe organised a tapas project where pupils made and presented small savoury/sweet dishes. The creations were judged on presentation, effort and originality. The pupils had an opportunity to enjoy a taste of Spain, with dishes such as croquettes, churros, omelette, serrano ham, calamares, chorizo, etc. The project encouraged pupils to try new flavours, developing their sense of taste and food options, increasing their knowledge in their food technology, and promoting healthy eating habits. Muchas gracias, Year 10!

THE GREAT TURKISH BAKE SALE

On Friday 3 March, donated cakes, bakes and treats were sold to raise money for the Turkish and Syrian Earthquake Appeal. Thank you to Frau Holly Hinz, Mrs Fiona Blackmore and 7S for their amazing efforts for this very worthy cause, and thank you to everyone who has contributed through donating via the Just Giving Page, making sweet treats or indeed buying and enjoying these wonderful cakes. So far, over £1,000 has been raised. If you would like to donate, please follow this link

A BERLIN EXPERIENCE IN LONDON

The "Berlin" London trip was a fantastic success!

A surprise visit from former A level and Deputy Head Student, Isobel kicked off our German journey with an excellent presentation on the benefits of learning German and what it is like to study the language at Southampton University. We followed it up with a great film called "Lessons of a Dream" about how football arrived in Germany. The pupils adored the film and relaxed eating lots of flammkuchen, bratwurst and spaetzle. The highlight was the poached pear and apple.

NEWS FROM DEUTSCHLAND

Since September, Frau Hinz has been eagerly pairing up every German student she teaches with a pen pal. Working with no less than three schools, located both in the north and south of Germany, her mission is almost complete. Pupils in Year 8, 9 and 10 have been receiving emails from their German counterparts and this term, a bunch of letters arrived for young German students in Year 7, who will of course get their turn to have a pen pal as well. What a great way to celebrate unity across cultures and to develop German language knowledge!

Srta. Kat Intxaurbe, Teacher of Spanish

Frau Holly Hinz, Teacher of German

Frau Holly Hinz, Teacher of German

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT NEWS

WORLD BOOK DAY

To celebrate World Book Day on 2 March, Luckley had a week of activities for pupils to get involved with, including Mystery Readers, Story Jars, The House Reading Quiz and The Literary Cake Competition.

Our Mystery Readers video was very popular; pupils filled in the activity sheet guessing which member of staff was a cat, blue avatar, wolf, etc. and which book they were reading. The top four scorers (Fleur, Letty, Evelyn and Lola) were treated to prizes. Twenty fabulous Story Jars, representing favourite books, now decorate the library and were created by pupils during some fun and crafty lunchtimes. Thank you to all staff who donated jars and to the art department for the materials.

In an extremely close contest, Blake House retained the status as champions in the House Reading Quiz. Members of the team (Sophie, Ava, Leo, Alex, Trinity and Amy) were rewarded with treat bags and a book of their choice. This annual event was well attended with teams of six representing each House. Pupils answered questions on a range of books, from popular new titles to well-loved classics. Some pupils are yearly attendees and are already looking forward to next year.

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

Alex Baker from Igniting Writing visited our Year 9 Library lessons this term.

Alex delivered inspiring writing workshops, where each pupil picked a different dystopian scenario, prompting discussions about the problems a character may face in each world. Pupils then began writing their own stories and we were very pleased with how well they engaged with the genre and how imaginative they were.

Everyone was encouraged to submit their story for the library’s writing competition and well done to all those who entered. Congratulations in particular to Leo Z for a winning piece of writing.

Any pupils interested in joining a teen writing group on Saturday mornings are welcome to sign up for Igniting Writing, via the Wokingham Library website.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

On Tuesday 17 January we welcomed Quantum Theatre to perform their adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’ for our GCSE students. This is one of the key texts at GCSE so it was wonderful for pupils to be able to experience the text in performance in our very own theatre. Coming hot on the heels of the Year 11 mocks, this was a chance for pupils to start their revision immediately.

With a company of just three, pupils commented on how impressed they were that these talented actors were able to move so quickly between character roles, and give such convincing performances that effectively captured the characters from this famous text.

Both staff and pupils enjoyed the performance which was full of serious moments but also much comic relief! The script was based completely on Dickens’ original text and so the English Department hope that this memorable and impressive performance will cement many quotations as pupils head towards taking their English Literature GCSE.

The Literary Cake Competition was once again a huge success, with seventeen wonderful entries. Cake designs included Harry Potter, Peter Rabbit, Heartstopper, The Hobbit, Murder on the Orient Express, American Psycho, Wonder, The School for Good and Evil and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Best Cupcakes – Savannah R

Best Children’s Story – Peter Rabbit by Jude Y

Best Crime – Murder on the Orient Express by Grace E and James E

Best Fantasy – The Hobbit by Lucy W

Best Use of Decoration – Heartstopper by Isla B, Amani K, Trinity M and Claire R

Best Thriller – American Psycho by Lizzie S and Bailey P

Best Harry Potter – Oscar M-S

Best Character Cake – Wonder by Amelie B

Tallest Cake – Jack and the Beanstalk by Amy G

Ms Charlotte Mesley, Librarian

Mrs Katie Clutterbuck, Teacher of English

‘OH MY GODS’ - AUTHOR VISIT

Pupils were treated to an author visit from Alexandra Sheppard, author of Oh My Gods. Using the Greek myths as inspiration, Alexandra engaged Year 7 and 8 pupils with interactive talks and fun writing workshops.

The pupils impressed us all with their knowledge of the Greek myths and the creativity of their own stories. Several pupils shared their writing by reading aloud to the group, which was wonderful to see. At lunchtime, some of our pupils who are keen writers joined Alexandra and had an opportunity to ask questions about being an author. It was exciting to hear about potential TV plans for Oh My Gods and other books Alexandra is working on.

Ms Charlotte Mesley, Librarian

GCSE TEXTILES TRIP

In January, the Textiles and Design Technology (DT) GCSE students went on an exciting trip to the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London.

The Textiles students were looking for interesting inspirational material for their exam projects. The fashion and costume departments contain a wide range of fascinating garments, including examples of fashion from across the last century alongside more modern items worn by celebrities and stage wear from musicals.

The DT students have been designing and building their own architectural scale models in class and so the V&A’s collection of scale models made from a variety of different materials was a highlight for them. They also visited the furniture department, which includes iconic pieces designed by Marcel Breuer and many more.

Maeve Mascarenhas, Teacher of Textiles

HARRY POTTER TRIP

Year 9 pupils have been working on their Production Project in their Drama lessons, where they learn the different roles and responsibilities needed to put on a theatre production. In February, as a way to further inspire their learning, the pupils were treated to a visit to Warner Bros. Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter. Whilst there, they were exposed to the filming sets of the Great Hall, The Forbidden Forest, Platform 9 ¾; the props from potions class and Professor Umbridge’s office; the visual effects that made Harry Potter fly; and the creature effects department that created the goblins, Aragog and Buckbeak. The pupils learnt about all the different roles needed to create the Harry Potter films, including sound, lighting, producers, as well as catering, marketing and chaperoning. This trip is always successful in giving the pupils an opportunity to think about the variety a career in Film, Theatre and TV could bring.

Mrs Rachel Kempton, Teacher of Drama

Mrs

Harry Styles’ cardigan

MATHS DEPARTMENT NEWS

INSPIRATIONAL MATHS

Maths students in Years 11 and 12 ventured to The Hexagon for a unique opportunity to participate in a national programme of interactive Maths inspirations lectures. The show started with the host, Matt Parker, showing a trick of being able to recognise the answer to cubing any two digit number. Then Sammie Buzzard, a glaciologist, demonstrated how you can use maths to learn more about climate change and predicting changes to ice in Antarctica. Hugh Hunt, an engineer, showed off the Maths of spinning objects, including boomerangs! Finally Ben Sparks talked about the magic of numbers and patterns that immerge with probability, ending the show by playing his guitar. The students had a fantastic time and we look forward to being able to go again next year!

MATHS FEAST

Four of our Year 10 Mathematicians took part in the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme Regional Maths Feast on 24 March. They competed against 14 other teams and tackled four rounds of challenging mathematics questions, which required a variety of skills for success. The team did really well and should be extremely proud of their teamwork and problem solving skills.

INTERMEDIATE MATHS CHALLENGE

Top set Year 9, 10 and 11 Maths groups recently took part in the national UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. The challenge encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency to solve interesting problems.

To recognise the highest performers in the challenge, the top scoring 50% of participants are awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates in the ratio 3:2:1. Around 8,000 pupils are also invited to the next round (Year 9 – Grey Kangaroo and Year 10-11 –Pink Kangaroo).

We had some fantastic results this year and pupils should be commended for their efforts: 20 pupils achieved Bronze certificates, 17 Silver certificates and five Gold certificates. Special mention goes to Jacob P (Year 10) who qualified for the Grey Kangaroo round and to Jon C and Adam P (Year 11) who qualified for the Pink Kangaroo round. We are currently waiting for the results of these.

Top sets in Year 7 and 8 will be taking part in the Junior Maths Challenge in April. If your child is interested in trying previous Junior Challenges, please go to https://www.ukmt.org.uk/ competitions/solo/junior-mathematical-challenge/archive.

CAREERS WEEK

Careers Week was a busy and exciting week here at Luckley. We welcomed a variety of Luckley alumni, parents and business partnerships to speak to the pupils about different career pathways. These ranged from apprenticeships with the BBC or Xtrac, to careers in Graphic Design, Law, Business, Economics, the Foreign Office, Event Production and Psychology.

Pupils were fascinated by the diversity of career pathways in pharmacology, pharmacy and IT. They behaved impeccably, asked thoughtful and appropriate questions and generally left the talks inspired by our guests.

Mrs Julie Rumble, Head of Careers

Mrs Lorna Wintle, Head of Maths

SIXTH FORM UPDATE

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

In February, I was one of several students invited to an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) EDI conference at St. Clare’s College in Oxford. It was a fantastic learning experience which gave me a chance to explore the theme of diversity and inclusion towards all groups of people, regardless of race, gender, disabilities or sexuality. We listened to several speakers from diverse backgrounds, who gave us the opportunity to reflect on the challenges they faced with acceptance and tolerance within their respective communities. We were all separated into different groups with other students from a wide range of schools, with whom we brainstormed ideas about how to include people from all walks of life and avoid them being discriminated against. Since the day of the conference, a striking message has stuck with me: Differences should be celebrated, valued and promoted.

FLOUR BABIES

We eagerly awaited the arrival of our flour babies - one class even went to Mrs Rumble’s car to collect the delivery. We had ours delivered to the classroom and we named them and made sure that our babies had recognisable features – we didn’t want to end up with swapped babies. The common room adapted to become a nursery and our babies were socialised with each other and a range of suitable and unsuitable babysitters. We took our babies to lessons, tutor time, study periods and to sample the lovely Luckley lunch. Outside of school our babies went to: the gym, friends’ houses, grandmother’s workplace, football, to restaurants for dinner and one even dangled out of a top floor science classroom window! Some of our babies unfortunately had accidents and became packages wrapped in parcel tape. Our babies certainly taught us that we are not quite ready for parenthood; flour babies are a lot of responsibility and very easy to hurt, but we tried our best and had fun.

Year 12 Psychology Class

GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP

The Geography department once again travelled to Swanage on our annual residential Year 12 A level field trip.

As part of the course it is necessary to undertake and understand the process of a fieldwork investigation, both human and physical, so that the NEA (non-examined assessment) part of the course can be completed as an independent piece of work as successfully as possible! We spent time at Swanage Beach, Poole, Studland, Lulworth Cove, and Durdle Door. We had four intrepid students with us this year and there really is nothing like a residential field trip to the coast to put the classroom theory into practice. A lot of fun was had by all, led by the local expert tutor Barry Cullimore.’

Mr James Samson, Head of Geography

EASTER NEST COMPETITION

Despite the weather, spring was well and truly here in the French classroom as Year 7 pupils took part in an Easter Nest Competition. Designs needed to be based on the theme of spring and incorporate, or be accompanied by, French vocabulary on the theme of Easter. Well done to the winners of the non-edible and edible categories, Evan B and Lola H respectively, and to runners up Anya A and Eleanor W. They saw off some very fierce competition, as the range of entries and talent on show was amazing!

Varun G, Year 12 Student

BOARDING NEWS

The boarding house has continued to flourish this term and we look forward to welcoming many new additions from across Europe and further afield in April. It has been wonderful to see so many of our pupils joining us in house following school events and at the weekends. The final weekend of the term doubled as a leaving party for Santiago. Many Year 10 pupils joined us for a trip to Laser Tag in Reading on Saturday evening, before they headed into Wokingham for a celebratory lunch. On their return, the boarders enjoyed an Easter egg hunt and a quiet evening before school on Monday and the final week of term. Have a fantastic Easter break.

Mr Chris Hill, Head of Boarding

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD SCHEME

It has been a very productive term for the DofE at Luckley and there is lots to look forward to next term. We have been working hard on planning our routes, meals and projects for the various expeditions. This has included learning how to read a compass, using the trangia stoves for cooking, working out routes on the maps and how to pack a rucksack.

Over the next few months we have expeditions for all levels including: Bronze in the Chilterns, Silver in West Berkshire and The New Forest and Gold heading off to the Brecon Beacons over Easter. All our participants have been super keen and ready to get going. We hope that everyone has a successful practice expedition and a pass for the qualifying assessment. Good luck Luckley DofE!

Any parent whose child is taking part, please remind them to get their other sections (Physical, Skill and Volunteering) signed off by their assessor so they can receive their full award on completion of the Expedition section.

Details of the forthcoming expeditions are available on the website at https://www.luckleyhouseschool.org/duke-ofedinburgh-award-scheme/

Mr

Scot

McNaughton, Outdoor Education Coordinator

COMBINED CADET FORCE

LUCKLEY LIBRARY LOVES

Tall Story is written by Candy Gourlay and is an original take on a comfortingly familiar, “be careful what you wish for” tale.

Two narrators, Andi and Bernardo, take it in turns to tell their version of events, which occur both in England and the Philippines. Bernardo is a giant, loved by the villagers who believe he can stop earthquakes and Andi is a girl focused on being in the school basketball team. The siblings have grown up apart, both in distance and culture, and their different lives collide dramatically. I love how the dual narrators cleverly weave the story together with humour, magic, basketball and plenty of adventure.

Tall Story won the Crystal Kite Prize for Europe and the National Children’s Book Award in the Philippines and is available to borrow from the junior section of the Library.

Ms Charlotte Mesley, Librarian

This term our cadets had the opportunity to go shooting on an army training range. This gave them the chance to put into practice the skills and knowledge they developed during their Skill At Arms Training, which they completed before Christmas. This was also an opportunity, dependent on the skill demonstrated whilst shooting, for them to earn their first badge as an army cadet.

There are three available badges for shooting with the Cadet GP rifle, Pass (accuracy above 50%), 1st Class (accuracy above 70%) and Marksman (accuracy above 80%). We achieved three passes (Thomas D, Dan K and Ilaria R), three 1st Class (Marcus C, Tristan P and Rory A) and one cadet achieved the highest award of Marksman (Marcus B).

This is an amazing result given that this was their first time shooting the rifles and using live ammunition. Well done to all who received their first badge.

Mr Adam Hartley (2Lt CCF Rifles)

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

MUSIC IT SUITE AND RECORDING STUDIO

This term the Music Department saw the refurbishment of our Music Suite and Recording Studio. This included the installation of the latest professional IT equipment: PCs, monitors, sound system and software including Cubase Pro and Sibelius. The Recording Studio now has the highest possible spec needed for Music composition and recording necessary for our students up to A level and beyond.

WOODLEY FESTIVAL

Both Junior Choir and Chamber Choirs took part in the Woodley Festival in March and gave outstanding performances. The Junior Choir gave a moving performance of ‘Just One Small Voice’ and followed this with a very energetic performance of ‘Walk Through Life’. They received very good feedback and were awarded 2nd place, Highly Commended and a Silver medal. The Chamber Choir performed Bob Chilcott’s famous song ‘Can You Hear Me’, which they also signed to, and then a really rousing performance of ‘Music Lead the Way’. Their performance went down really well and they were awarded a Distinction and the Walker Prize cup.

HOUSE MUSIC

The eagerly awaited House Music Competition took place this term. Pupils from each House, in both junior and senior categories, performed in a variety of genres which included singing, instrumental and ensemble. This was a fabulous display of a wide range of music from classical to pop and rock – and so much talent! It was a very tight competition, however Galloway was crowned the 2023 winners – well done to you all, and to our two adjuducators Mr Mitchell and Mr Gwilt. It was a truly wonderful way to end the half term.

PANGBOURNE PIANO FESTIVAL

Five of our talented pianists entered the Pangbourne Piano Festival. All played beautifully and found the occasion very rewarding. James, Sarah-Jane and Ricardo (pictured below) performed in the under 18s class, with a very competitive line up. All performances were outstanding and James received a 'special mention' placing runner up. Aidan and Elliott performed in the younger classes, both receiving very positive feedback and with Elliott winning his class.

MUSIC TRIPS

To enhance the curriculum GCSE and A level Music students have had the opportunity this term to go to the opera to see Carmen at The Coliseum and then more recently the Royal Festival Hall to hear the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The opportunity to see fantastic live performances was enjoyed by all.

The Chamber Choir

The Junior Choir

MUSICAL INTERLUDE continued....

A FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

This was a fantastic evening of music provided by our Music Scholars which also included performances by some alumni who kindly agreed to come back and perform. The concert was full of many outstanding performances and ranged from classical arias, concertos or songs from the musicals and charts. The evening was full of musical talent from Year 7 and beyond.

MUSIC FOR YOUTH REGIONALS

The Luckley Chamber Choir took part in the regional competition on Saturday 15 March as part of the National Music for Youth Festival in Oxford. The event was extremely competitive with performances by county choirs and ensembles and was a fantastic experience for our pupils. The choir gave another brilliant performance and received some very positive feedback. We now wait to see if they are selected for the National Festival in the summer.

CHORAL DAY

The Music Department invited 150 pupils from eight local schools to a whole day of ‘singing’! It was fabulous, and so much fun was had by all the children (and staff) as they learned to sing in harmony some of their favourite songs, accompanied by a band made up of Luckley pupils and music staff. Songs included ‘Sing’, ‘This Is Me’ (The Greatest Showman), ‘Count on Me’, ‘Walk Through Life’ and ‘Do-Re-Mi’ (Sound of Music). The day ended with a rousing performance to parents which included the Chamber Choir. Thank you to all involved who helped to make the day such a success.

ROTARY YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Sarah-Jane B (Year 10) represented Luckley House and the Berkshire area Rotary clubs in the highly competitive ‘Rotary Young Musician of the Year’ in Chelmsford. Sarah-Jane opened the evening and beautifully sang a varied programme of three songs. The standard was incredibly high and was an amazing evening of music and she was declared winner of the southern region. She now goes on to the national final in Manchester in April.

EASTER CONCERT

This was a great way to end a very busy musical term, with many performances from different ensembles and soloists across the whole school, and a full house! Music ranged from ‘The Final Countdown’ to songs from musicals and classics like Beethoven and Mozart, with many of our Year 7 pupils performing solos. Well done to everyone involved.

WOODLEY FESTIVAL VOCAL SECTION

Sarah-Jane B also took part in two classes ‘Baroque and Classical Song’ in the Woodley Festival and won first place in both. Anya A (Year 7) came 3rd in her solo class and 1st in the duet section. Sarah-Jane went on to be awarded the ‘Most Outstanding Performance Trophy’ and the McCallum Trophy for ‘Most Promising Young Singer’ (18 years and under).

Mrs Janice Ellwood, Director of Music

ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Miss Sarah Francis, Development Manager

Let’s hear it for Luckley’s alumni, who continue to enhance our pupils’ learning through their participation in Luckley life. There are so many examples of how former pupils have made their way in the world, going on to positively serve their communities and ours, with kindness and enthusiasm. It is a joy to have our alumni return to Luckley and to see so many give up their valuable time and expertise.

Steph Still (Class of 2009) flew in from Edinburgh for Luckley's Festival of Dance on 21 February. Steph trained as a professional dancer and offered our pupils first class dance workshops –creating a great deal of excitement amongst pupils. She went on to adjudicate Luckley's House Dance Competition and continued to blow us away with her evening tap performance that opened the competition.

Careers Week, 6 – 9 March, included a number of talks from Luckley’s alumni sharing their unique career experiences and journeys, and encouraging pupils to consider new occupations. Pupils heard first-hand about Clinical Psychology, Engineering apprenticeships at Microsoft, Healthcare opportunities at the NHS and becoming a novelist with tales of children’s story writing. Luckley’s diverse alumni community offer inspiration, ideas and guidance with many of our Year 12 students paired with an alumna mentor for a term. In some cases, our alumni have offered valuable work experience to help pupils towards their goals. We look forward to hearing about the outcomes of these opportunities.

It was fun and laughter on 24 March, when the Class of 2018 returned for their reunion dinner. For those who attended and for Mrs Gilding-Brant too, it was a chance to get together and remember some of the good times. There were tales of trips and teachers and a series of first-class homemade videos of the year group’s last year at Luckley. It was an evening of good company, food and entertainment and a 10/10 for the video productions!

We watched performances from Luckley's Music Scholars with a little help from our friends on 24 February at Luckley’s Festival of Music. Musical alumni, Rachael Gillham and Katrina Frayling performed a duet on the piano, 'The Scarlet Cape', while Paige Norton-Edwards and Chloe German gave their solo performances singing 'Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro' and 'She Used to Be Mine' respectively. Guests included Eve Bull, former Luckley Head of Music and Denese Gray, former Luckley Piano Teacher who came along to support former and current pupils. Music certainly does make the people come together.

What better way to spend a Saturday morning than with old Luckley friends over a game of netball. On 25 March about 15 former pupils amassed for an alumni versus Luckley pupils netball match; mostly playing, although some supporting from the side lines. While Luckley’s alumni took home the glory with a match well played and won, our pupils were great sports and happy to rise to the challenge. Luckley’s pupil team, with only seven players and no substitutes did so well to keep going strong. Our alumni were so thrilled they are pushing for the next match. Be forewarned, as they intend to keep their title!

SPORTS UPDATE

Mr Matt Humphrey, Director of Sport

Team PE has had an incredible term which has seen us participate in over 120 fixtures across seven different sports and engage well over two thirds of the School in fixtures and our enrichment programme!

Pupils have been amazing and as always supported by parents with picking them up and dropping them off.

I hope everyone has a good Easter break and is ready to hit the ground running in the summer with an action-packed calendar including cricket, tennis, athletics, golf and softball!

I want to say a big thank you to all of Team PE for their efforts for all the pupils this term!

SKI TRIP

After three long years of waiting, we finally touched down on the slopes of the Dolomites and the skiing did not disappoint! Pupils were exceptional, with only one lost ski and two ski passes, but a whole load of laughs and fun!

The advanced and intermediate groups flew around the mountain, whilst groups 1 and 2 made up of beginners and those who have never skied, made excellent progress and by the end of the week even had a go at a black run!

A huge thank you to Miss Phillips, Mr Crosley, Miss Taylor and Mrs Cox, who gave up their half term to support the pupils. The next trip will be in December 2023 to Passo Tonale.

Senior Boys’ Football

Year 7 Netball Team

Year 8 Netball Team

LUCKLEY HOUSE FRIENDS

“Parents working together for our children”

Luckley House Friends has been busy again this term organising events for pupils, parents and staff.

Our recent Bingo and Chilli night was a sell out and full of excitement as Mr Vallance led us with his expert Bingo calling. The evening was a great success and raised over £1200. Thank you to all who attended.

Recent fund raising has enabled us to purchase some fantastic new equipment for school including a new video camera, four new exercise bikes for the gym, VR headsets, DT equipment, a pizza oven, refurbishment of the Sixth Form Centre...and more! Luckley House Friends volunteers were pleased to help organise and donate chocolate treats for the annual Easter egg hunt. Pupils from all year groups enjoyed the infamous hunt on the last day of term.

Secondhand uniform sales are held termly offering nearly-new uniforms at discounted prices. The next date will be announced soon. Uniform in good, clean condition can be kindly donated in bags marked 'SHU' and left in reception. Please note we are no longer able to offer individual appointments for specific SHU requests but encourage all parents to attend our termly sales.

Future dates

Monday 24 April 7pm - Full committee meeting. All parents are welcome to attend.

Friday 23 June - Luckley Summer Festival 6-9pm. Join us in the school grounds for an evening of live music, food and festival fun for all the family.

Thank you again for your support for our children. The Luckley House Friends Committee

Luckley House Friends supports and funds non-academic events and projects at Luckley. The Committee, a group of parents and Luckley staff, are always keen to hear from other parents, so if you would like to find out more or get involved please contact us via email at Luckleyhousefriends@ luckleyhouseschool.org