Ditcham Newsletter - Friday 1st March 2024
Dear Parents
Final preparations for the Senior School Production of Grease took place at the start of this week and on Wednesday afternoon and evening the first performances took place. A matinee and evening performances on Thursday and today have followed. Wow!!! - we have had our socks knocked off by a superlative production in every sense. Those going tomorrow are in for a treat.
It takes a huge amount of hard work to put on an ambitious production such as this and I am very grateful to all the staff, pupils, parents and Ditcham Community members who have contributed.
Wishing all families an enjoyable and restful weekend.
Best wishes
Graham Spawforth Headmaster
Headmaster Awards
Congratulations to the Seniors who have been given a Headmaster Award!
Junior Merit Awards
Congratulations to all the Juniors who have been awarded a merit this week - some excellent work to be seen!
Juniors
ISA Handwriting Competition
Pupils in Middles have been showing their creative talents by copying the iconic poem by Lewis Carroll, The Jabberwocky, for the ISA Handwriting Competition. The ISA states the following: This competition celebrates the visual art of handwriting. In an age that encourages the early adoption of keyboard skills, we wish to champion, nurture, and celebrate writing by hand.
I would like to inform you all that Bella and Emmy will have their work submitted, and I am sure you will join me in congratulating them both on their achievements.
Good luck to Bella and Emmy!
Julie Mothersele
Pen Licences in Juniors
Huge congratulations to
• Lawrence N
• Daniel J
They have both worked hard on their handwritten to earn their Pen Licences. We look forward to seeing your handwriting progress!
Sates of Matter, Matter - for Lowers!
Having learnt all about the processes – evaporation, condensation and precipitation and how water changes state, we were able to apply this to the Water Cycle.
We listened to a groovy tune all about how water changes states and moves from the sea, to the sky, then clouds form and precipitation falls down, this flows back to the sea and it is repeated over and over again, a bit like the song!
Using cups, cling film, warm water, salt and ice cubes everyone made mini water cycles in a cup. With anticipation we waited for condensation to build up and the first rain drop to fall.
It was mind boggling when we realised we could well be drinking the same water drunk by Stone Age Man.
Some children have brilliantly completed their Science Stretch and Challenge by comparing evaporation in a jar with and without a lid on a sunny window sill, well done to Isla Davey, Joseph Lewis, Joshua Duke and Hattie Barker so far. Come and see me if you have done this investigation so that you can receive your certificate.
Some children took part in the RSPB Garden birdwatch, well done to you for being part of such an important survey, you will also receive a certificate.
We have also discussed the best weather for evaporation to occur in and I challenged the children to hang the washing out on a windy, sunny day; not only to be helpful but also see how useful evaporation can be, so far Leo has tried this out, maybe more children will manage this if it actually stops raining!
Mrs Atkinson
Ditcham Reporters Report!
Pupils in Upper Juniors enjoyed the thrill and excitement of Ditcham Park School’s very own Battle of the Bands. This was held during the last week before the half term break when our pupils became Ditcham reporters.
Please enjoy the report collated by Ava, Freya and Seren on the day and written by Seren earlier this week.
Julie Mothersele and Roly Ainsworth
Literacy AND Baking for Pre-Prep
In our Literacy lessons we have been reading the traditional tale of The Gingerbread Man, concentrating on using adjectives for character descriptions, using conjunctions including ‘because’ to enhance our sentence construction and writing instructions on how to make our own Gingerbread Man.
We put on our baking aprons and got busy mixing up a treat. We followed our instructions carefully and we made sure that no Gingerbread men escaped from the oven! We had fun decorating our tasty treats and really enjoyed eating them, just like the mean, sly and cunning fox!
Mrs Somerville
Stretch and Challenge Success!
Huge congratulations to
• Eliza E
• Ottilie H
• Hector S
• Arthur C
• Nicole A
for completing their Spring Term Stretch and Challenge activities. They were awarded their certificates in today's Celebration Assembly.
More Middle Junior Rainforest Dioramas!
Following on from last week's newsletter update, we have even more amazing Rainforest Dioramas to share with you!
The children embraced this challenge wholeheartedly. They showed phenomenal creative ability and resourcefulness in their construction of scale models depicting a typical rainforest scene, and even managed to include some of the interesting animals that you would expect to see. Please enjoy viewing more of these incredible creations.
Jane O’Hara
Musical Theatre Competition Success for Laila!
Fresh from her 'spellbinding' performance in Les Mis (as noted by the NODA review), Laila has continued with her streak of success to win the South Coast Dance Festival and the Portsmouth Musical Festival. I don't know where she finds the time!
Well done Laila!
Seniors
Create a Logo Competition!
Calling all creative Seniors!! The Friends of Ditcham Park play a hugely important role in our school community. They raise money throughout the year for a range of activities and equipment for the whole school. These activities help to develop a closer relationship between parents and staff and also service to generate our amazing #ditchamcommunity spirit.
But the Friends are looking for a new logo to represent the work they do in supporting our school. Here is the existing logo - its time for a new one!
To enter, you must create a logo on A4 paper and include (separate to your logo) an explanation of why you feel it best represents the work of the friends of Ditcham Park School. You could:
• Include the DPS logo
• Use a selection of colours or patterns
• Different types of faces
• Use graphic design software such as Canva or create it by hand.
The winning logo will feature in newsletters, posters, banners and anywhere that the FDPS want to show their support. This logo will hopefully last for a good few years! So what are you waiting for?
Get designing and send in your ideas to Mr Hoad by Friday 8th March. Please make sure you provide a paper copy of your work.
Good Luck!
Re: Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG)
Next week is National Careers Week (NCW 2024). It seems like an ideal time to update you on the Careers Provision at Ditcham Park School. Several events and opportunities have taken place or have been arranged this year to support students:
1. Since September, a variety of local Sixth Form Schools and Colleges have been invited into school to talk to Year 10 and Year 11 students and provide them with information about what they have to offer to students Post 16.
2. On September 12th 2023, Ditcham Park School hosted its Annual Careers and Further Education Information Evening, which enabled Year 11 and their parents to meet with admissions staff from 18 local Sixth Form Schools and Colleges. Students and their parents were able to pick up the latest prospectuses, and ask questions about the latest courses
available, including vocational qualifications, and what each institution had to offer ‘Post 16’ . The event proved to be highly successful.
3. Students in Year 9 to Year 11 have been provided with access to SpringPod. This is a company that offers free virtual and on demand work experience. If your child has not yet signed up to SpringPod, using the link emailed to them, please encourage them to do so. The work experience opportunities are completely free, and they provide students with an excellent understanding of the rewards and challenges that they may face in the workplace.
4. As part of National Apprenticeship Week (Monday 5th February - Sunday 11th February 2024), all students in the Senior School were provided with important information about Apprenticeships such as where to find vacancies, how to apply, levels available etc. It also offered guidance to students who may be considering an Apprenticeship as an option after leaving school. As park of the National Careers Week (NCW) next week, all students will be exploring vocational qualifications, including Apprenticeships, T levels, and BTECs as part of their PSHE lessons.
5. A ‘Careers afternoon’ will take place next week, on Wednesday 6th March 2024. The workshops during the afternoon are provided by staff from Havant and South Downs College (HSDC), and be focussed on an ‘Introduction to Career Pathways’, for Year 8 and ‘Post-16 Decision Making and Preparation for applying to College’, for Year 10.
6. In addition to this opportunity, Year 8 are also using the ‘New Kudos’ Careers Programme, during their ICT lessons, to help them consider which potential careers they might be most suited to. Hopefully this activity will help Year 8 to choose the most appropriate GCSE option choices later this term.
7. A series of inspiring ‘Careers Presentations’ have been delivered by our existing parents/grandparents or visitors, on a variety of different careers. These include:
• 20th September 2023: Claire Sanford, Deputy Humanitarian Director, Save the Children UK, Humanitarian.
• 3rd October 2023: Holly Budge, Wildlife Ranger, adventurer and conservationist.
• 1st February 2024: Matt Dunkley, Leading orchestrator, arranger and conductor.
1. This term, students in Year 10 & Year 11 will be provided with further information about any College Open Days/Evenings which are taking place this academic year. (a copy of the upcoming Open Evenings is attached to this email).
2. Students in Year 10 will be attending a ‘College Taster Day’ in June 2024 (date tbc). This event is provided by HSDC, and students have the choice of a day at the Havant College Campus, to experience A Levels or the South Downs College Campus, to experience Vocational courses, such as BTECs, T Levels or Apprenticeships. (Students will make their selection of College Campus and Taster Day subject choices before the Easter Holiday – more details to follow shortly).
3. I am also hoping to confirm an additional ‘6th Form Taster Day’ opportunity at Churcher’s College and Bohunt School, also in June – more details to follow shortly.
4. During the summer term, Year 10 students will have the opportunity to complete online ‘Morrisby Psychometric testing’ . The results of the tests help to guide students towards certain jobs or career paths. This is particularly useful before the Year 11 Careers Interviews which will take place in September 2024. (Details to follow shortly).
5. ‘Mock College Interviews’ are also taking place in the summer term. Year 10 students will be withdrawn from lessons, in groups of 3 or 4, to be interviewed by ‘Admissions staff’ from HSDC. Each interview lasts about 15 minutes and will provide students with the skills and knowledge required to complete the college interview process successfully.
6. As part of National Careers Week, teachers across the Senior School will be highlighting careers that are commonly linked to their subject. Each classroom has posters displaying career paths that are commonly associated with the different subjects being taught at Ditcham Park School.
The ‘Careers Library’ is also available for all Senior School students. It is situated on the top floor of the main building (next to the History room). The library contains Prospectuses for all local 6th Form School & Colleges, as well as Universities. There are also extensive resources highlighting different careers which could be available to students, as well as guidance about how to choose GCSE and A level options and how to apply to jobs, and/or 6th Form School & Colleges.
Independent careers advice and guidance can be provided to anyone between the age 13 – Adult, through the ‘National Careers Service’ – nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
Its purpose is to help people to make decisions on learning, training and work. The service offers confidential, helpful and impartial advice, supported by qualified careers advisors.
If you have any questions or comments about the Careers Provision at Ditcham Park School, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Mr George Harris Head of History, Careers & Further Educationgeorge.harris@ditchampark.com
Sports News
Fixtures for next week
We have a lot of matches to squeeze into next week. Please see the tables for information of where they will be, who is playing and what time collection is. Do come along and support your child(ren) if you can, we love having our community around us!
James, Graham and Louise
PE Department
Taekwondo Mastery for Jenson
Well done to Jenson (LJA) who passed his 6th cup grading to earn a blue strip belt in Taekwondothis is a great achievement and really shows his dedication to the sport. Well done Jenson!
Swimming Success for our Juniors!
On Monday our swimmers travelled to Portsmouth University for an 8 school swimming gala. We took swimmers from Year 4-6 and each swimmer competed in freestyle, breast stroke, back stroke and butterfly and each year group competed in a relay race to finish. All the swimmers were absolutely phenomenal on the day we won 9 individual races and out lowest position in a race was 4th.The real standout was the relay each school put out there fastest 4 swimmers to see who the fastest school was. The year 4 team came third after winning for 3 lengths which was brilliant. The year 5 team won their race by a quarter of a length and led throughout and the Year 6s came second and only last this on the final stroke. It was incredible to see all the swimmers and they should all be really proud of themselves.
Mr Walton
Results
Year 4:
• Oscar PH- 4x 1st places and a 2nd
• Ella H- 1x 1st and 3x 3rd
• Arthur BP- 1x 1st, 1x 2nd and 3x 3rd
Year 5:
• Lucy S- 2x 1st, 1x 2nd and 1x 3rd
• Piers T- 1x 1st, 3x 3rd
• Georgina H- 2x 1st, 1x 2nd and 1x 3rd
• Ben S- 2x 1st, 2x 2nd
Year 6:
• Imogen C- 3x 2nds and 1x 3rd
• Oli C- 1x 1st, 2x 2nd and 1x 3rd
• Josh S- 2x 2nd and 2x 3rd
Mr Walton
Head of Junior Sport
Cross-Country at Churchers
On Tuesday 27th February, 10 Ditcham students travelled to Churcher's to take part in the District Schools Cross Country. All students completed a 3 lap undulating course with challenging muddy sections. In the U13 age group, Sophie P-H paced her race perfectly by overtaking her opponents throughout to finish in 3rd place. In the boys race, Rupert and Max worked together well throughout the race and had a great battle over the last 200m to finish 3rd and 4th respectively. Finally, the U14 boys and girls packed well all finishing inside the top 25 with Mackenzie being the highest scorer in 15th place. Students that finish in the top 16 get to represent the district at the Hampshire Country Schools Cross Country. Well done to all the competitors.
Miss Small
Princes Mead Rugby
On Wednesday the u10/11 rugby teams travelled to local power house Princes Mead for two games of rugby. The U10s played their part in an entertaining game of rugby that saw both teams spur many a scoring opportunity due to the adverse weather conditions. Ditcham tried to play a passing game with lots of offloads but squandered a few key opportunities. Leo H and Arlo W were massive in defence and showed great resilience. Piers and Danny made some strong runs but Princes Mead withstood all we could muster. The game finished 30-10.Player of the match- Leo H, for some monster hits
The U11s played in a very end to end game and could have easily won the game. The boys struggled at the breakdown and lost key ball because of this. The running game as always was firing on all cylinders and this was led by Josh S who was also awarded player of the match. The boys did well but now need to believe they can tackle, they showed glimpses throughout and this is certainly something to work on. They ended up losing 8-6
Well done to both team in what was tough conditions for rugby. Thanks as always to Mr Swabey for coaching the U11s.
Mr WaltonHead of Junior Sport
U16 Rugby Vs St Eds
On Tuesday the U16 team played St Edmunds in a feisty and exciting game of rugby. The small pitch meant neither team could utilise there attacking players as efficiently. Ditcham scored early through Xavi FM and dominated possession, some poor handling meant they didn't score as many points as they should have albeit playing some good rugby. The team made some excellent tackles on their own 22 and scored a great counter attacking try made by Jack G and finished by Xavi again. Will P steam rolled the opposition to score another try and meant the team won 20-0. The boys are still undefeated since Year 9, this is a exceptional achievement and hopefully this continues next week against Bedales
Mr Walton
U13 Girls' Football Vs Prebendal
Our girls travelled to Prebendal to show off their great skills. The game was a super advertisement for girls' football and an entertaining encounter saw Ditcham win 2-1. Goals from Alina W and Mackenzie G sealed the win in what was a superb team effort.
U11 Girls' Football Vs Frensham
On Monday the U11 girls squad travelled to Frensham for a football match. An epic encounter ensued with the hosts eventually squeezing home 3-2. Well done to all the girls involved in the fixture. They have bright futures in the sport!
U15 Basketball Vs Morehouse
On Tuesday the U15 Basketball Squad travelled to Morehouse for a double header against the hosts and St Eds. A victory over St Eds was followed by a close defeat to the hosts
U13 Basketball Vs Morehouse
ON Wednesday the U13 Basketball Squad travelled to Morehouse to repeat the fixture. A similar pattern emerged as Ditcham once again had too much for St Eds but came unstuck against the host school.
Notices and Events
GCSE EXAM INVIGILATION 2025
At Ditcham Park School we are looking for temporary help from parents to act as scribes and readers for candidates sitting their external exams in the GCSE June 2024 Exam Series. The provision of a scribe/reader and the support that provides is an arrangement that the candidates have been awarded in accordance with the Equalities Act 2010.
The role will require you to either type or handwrite the candidate’s responses as part of their formal examinations as well as reading for them as and when required. Full training will be provided by the Exams Officer and the Head of Learning Support (Seniors) in preparation for the role. Previous experience of scribing/reading is not required; however, this would be an advantage. You would also not need any specific typing or shorthand qualifications although a certain level of keyboard
proficiency would be useful. We will also apply for all your DBS checks and so it is not necessary to have a DBS certificate already in place.
The GCSE exams begin on 9th May 2024 and run until the 19th June 2024. However, each candidate will not have an exam on every day of the series - detailed timetables will be available in due course. The exams start at 9:00am in the morning and at 1:30pm in the afternoon and so you would need to be available 30 minutes before the start time and for the entire duration of the exam which could last for anything from 1 hour 15m to 2 hours with the extra time provision on top of that and so the longest exam time is approximately 2hrs 30 minutes.
We would also require you to spend some time in school prior to the examinations to get to know the candidate you will be working with – this is so you will be in a better position to understand the requirements of the role and particularly the needs of the candidate.
You will need to have an empathetic nature in order to undertake this role and you will need to be flexible as the commitment will follow the individual candidate’s timetable and will not necessarily be a daily requirement.
It is vital that all guidelines and procedures for examinations are always adhered to as detailed in the guidance for Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration and in the Instructions for Conducting Examinations. As previously mentioned, full training will be provided.
If you are interested and would like to be part of the team, then please email Gill Davies, the Exams Officer on gill.davies@ditchampark.com
Details of the hourly rates are available from Gill Davies on request.
Climbing and Coasteering Trip - Sunday 23rd June
Exciting news! There will be a trip to the limestone cliffs of the Jurassic coast on Sunday 23rd June. The trip is open to all pupils from Uppers to Year 11, but I will have a maximum of twelve places available.
Our intention is to enjoy a climbing session in the morning followed by coasteering in the afternoon, although the exact nature of the sessions is weather dependent.
Coasteering, for those of you not certain, is a combination swimming, jumping, cave exploring, scrambling and swell surfing. It is exceptionally good fun! The water will still be cool in June but good quality wetsuits are provided.
Our Provider for these activities is a company called Land and Wave. They are holders of the relevant licences for outdoor provision to young people from AALA and the HSE.
The precise details of the trip will be confirmed once we have a clear sense of numbers but are unlikely to change much from these:
• Leave Ditcham Park at 6:30am in the school minibus on 23rd June
• Return at approx. 7:00pm on the same day.
• A maximum group of twelve pupils from any year group from Uppers and Seniors
• Cost of approximately £55 per person
• Packed lunch and snacks to be provided by parents
• Kit list to be provided but no specialist equipment required.
We will look to take numbers from across the age range, and if over-subscribed we will resort to the time -honoured solution of pulling names from a hat.
Please complete this short form if you would like your child to take part.
Mark Philips
Music Music Music!!
We have a lot of events coming up over the next few weeks. Please come along and support our students and enjoy the fruits of their labours.
Adventure Sports Coordinator• Tuesday 5th March - Lunchtime Concert 1pm at St Peter's Church Petersfield featuring soloists (Y7-Y11)
• Thursday 7th March - SENIOR CONCERT 6.30pm in MPB featuring all Ditcham 'musical ensembles' and many soloists/duettists etc
• Thursday 14th March - ABRSM practical exams ALL DAY in Solent Suite
• Monday 18th March - Petersfield Musical Festival Youth Concert #1 7.00pm (Petersfield Festival Hall) featuring Uppers Junior pupils and senior musicians - book tickets here:
https://petersfieldmusicalfestival.org.uk/event/youth-concert-1-2/
• Wednesday 20th March - Petersfield Musical Festival Youth Concert #2 7.00pm (Petersfield Festival Hall) featuring Uppers Junior pupils and senior musicians - book tickets here: https://petersfieldmusicalfestival.org.uk/event/youth-concert-2-2/
LAMDA Exam information
Just as a reminder, if your child(ren) is taking part in a LAMDA exam this term, here are the dates you need to know:
• Pupils in Y6-Y11 will have their LAMDA exam on Friday 15th March
• Pupils in Y3-Y5 will have their LAMDA exam on Monday 18th March in the morning
Many thanks
Winter Wellbeing Evening Workshop
We had to reschedule our planned January evening workshop due to ill-health but are now taking bookings for the new date of Wednesday 6th March. Running at 7.30pm again, this workshop will provide parents of junior and senior pupils with an insight into the teenage and pre-teen brain works and what we can do to best support them through challenging periods or transitional phases. This interactive workshop is open to all of our Ditcham Community and you are welcome to being guests from outside the school too. Please book in with this short form so that we know how many to expect.
There will be light refreshments from 7pm and the workshop will last approximately one hour. We look forward to seeing you there!
World Book Day - Shout Out!
CALLING ALL PARENTS!!
Across the school plans are being made for World Book Day on Wednesday 6th March. We are looking for parent volunteers who would be interested in participating in a podcast celebrating out favourite books and why they mean the world to us! If you would like to be involved and are prepared to be interviewed and recorded as part of the podcast by a couple of lovely pupils about your favourite book, then please get in touch with Ms Roberts, Head of English. We can’t wait to hear from you!
