Annual Review 2015-2016

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2015 | 2016

The Annual Review of The Gryphon School, Sherborne

The Year The Gryphon School, Sherborne

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Contents A letter from the Head Examinations The Sixth Form

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Reports Admissions Bursaries and Grants Developing The Gryphon Our Year Teams Equal Opportunities PSHEE Business and Enterprise Day Widening Opportunity SEND Little Gryphons Nursery School LRC Chaplaincy Alumni News

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Subject Reports Music Drama English and Media Studies Maths Science History Geography Modern Foreign Languages Art Design and Photography Food and Cooking Computing Law, Psychology Health and Social Care Business Religious Education Sport

36 40 44 46 48 50 52 53 55 59 60 62 63 64 66 68

Reaching Beyond Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh Awards School Council, Student Voice and Youth Parliament Social Life @ Gryphon Clubs Community Sherborne Schools Partnership School to School Support Awards

80 81 82 84 86 88 89

In Memoriam Appointments The Governing Body Teaching Sta

90 92 93 94

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Photography acknowledgements Rock Challenge: Nick Scott Photography Various: Western Gazette

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A letter from the Head It is almost ten years since I joined The Gryphon and 2015-16 was another very special year. Sherborne is a centre of excellence for education and we remain popular with over 1200 students in the main school and over 430 Sixth Form students. We attract students from a large rural catchment area across North and West Dorset as well as South Somerset.

It is the energies of the staff, students, parents and the wider community which make such a difference to the school. They all contribute to the wonderful successes and achievements. The year started with celebration at our Prize Giving Ceremony in Sherborne Abbey. The KS4 results were by far the best ever despite examinations becoming tougher. We received a letter from the Department for Education congratulating the school for being one of the top 100 non-selective state funded schools in England showing the greatest sustained improvement in the percentage of students achieving 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Maths. The school also received a Pupil Premium Award 2016, one of only seven secondary schools in the South West and one of only 127 nationally.

Our mission is explicit. We seek to support and encourage every student to strive for the highest possible levels of academic achievement alongside developing the personal attributes and qualities students need to thrive and make a positive contribution throughout life. This is built on exceptional pastoral care and support – we care deeply about every student, and provide a calm and civil place to study and grow.

The array of opportunities, trips and activities is amazing from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme to the Lego Club. We are determined to provide a

breadth of experiences many of which you can read about in the following pages. Pupils have more and wider opportunities than ever before. Our Sports Awards Evening recognised individuals and teams who have competed successfully against local state and independent schools as well as nationally and internationally. Music was showcased in concerts throughout the year. The exceptional production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe highlighted the quality of sound, light, costume and make up as much as the originality of direction and professionalism of the actors. The Drama Team went on to excel in the regional Rock Challenge competition becoming South West winners and taking 12 of the 14 awards. This year also saw students travel across the country, Europe and the world including trips to Rwanda, India and Russia.

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There are considerable funding pressures to retain the quality and range of our provision.

Main School Funding has been stable but has not kept pace with increased staffing costs whilst Sixth Form Funding has been cut by 20% in the last four years. 2016 has been a year of national political change with the consequence that a new fair National Funding Formula has been delayed until 2018. Dorset is one of the lowest funded areas for education in the country. Despite this, the degree of change in the education system is enormous. GCSE, A Level and vocational qualifications all have new specifications with the change to linear examinations, a loss of coursework alongside pressure for more academic courses.

2015-16 saw a redesign of the course content and assessment system offered in KS3 with a greater focus on mastery and quality, skills, developing literacy, confidence and understanding rather than content and coverage. Our changes were bold and skilfully designed by staff such that the system has been shared with many other schools. We continue to ensure that quality of teaching and learning is at the heart of our work.

Appointing high quality teachers and support staff from across the country, and world in some cases, is both critical but also a great privilege.

We continue to support and encourage the use of mobile technology. The iGryphon

strategy has significantly enhanced access to information and resources for students and parents. We are at the leading edge of the use of this technology in schools and a focus on e-learning is an essential component of the school’s wider vision. This year a detailed booklet to explain how it works has been produced for parents and guardians. Support is always available from the IT Help Desk which is managed by a full time support team.

A great deal of work has been undertaken by the governing bodies of the institutions in the Sherborne Schools Partnership exploring the detailed possibilities of a new local primary/secondary Multi Academy Trust. This would be a special collaboration of high performing primary, secondary and alternative provision schools seeking to ensure an excellent and sustainable 0-19 education for children within our community across West and North Dorset. Further developments are expected during 2016-17.

Back in December an external independent inspection of The Gryphon as a Church of England school –SIAMS – took place and judged the school as outstanding. This provided confirmation of how our Christian values are seen and experienced through the school. These values were tested through the year which was tinged with loss and tragedy.

The deaths of two governors and a student were heartbreaking and our thoughts and prayers remain with all those who knew them.

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We have been thrilled to see alumni succeed in so many spheres. Ben Hardy was in the Hollywood blockbuster X-men: Apocalypse; Ollie Devoto earned his first England Rugby cap; Maisie Beaton was chosen as one of 13 students nationally to promote apprenticeships across the country. Derek Boshier, a world renowned artist, returned to Sherborne where he was educated and inspired by his Art teacher. He designed album covers for David Bowie, has mixed with the rich and famous and is now living in LA. He shared wise advice from his experiences which rings so true……’too many people spend too much time trying to be interesting – spend your time on being interested’.

The year ended with the Celebration of Achievement events for each year group. It also saw the next group of students, who we have known for the last seven years in some cases, leave to start at university, apprenticeships, employment and training. We wish them all success and happiness.

And finally in August it was especially gratifying to read further recognition of the tremendous work of all the staff and students in the The Real Schools Guide 2016. This rated all state-funded secondary schools across the country using 25 different measures, put together from the latest publicly available data and broken into four categories – attainment, teaching, attendance, and outcomes. The Gryphon School was one of only two schools in Dorset to be given a five star rating.

It has been a year of great highs which are celebrated in the following pages. Each year is unique and special for the students going through it. 2016-17 will start with the same optimism, energy and commitment to provide another year rich in success, progress, pride and, most important of all, enjoyment.

Steve Hillier – Headteacher

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Examinations The A Level results this year were excellent and the pass rates are well above national averages. The most important part of A Level results is ensuring each individual student achieves what they require for the next stage in their lives. This includes starting university courses across the country, taking up apprenticeships, starting careers or joining training courses.

Our Sixth Form is one of the largest and most successful in the country because of our high expectations, our facilities and the quality of our specialist A Level teaching. The range of opportunities, ventures, activities and events, together with considerable pastoral support, all contribute to the great successes academically.

This year there were 189 students sitting A2 examinations – the highest ever number. Most of our students take the ‘traditional’ academic A Levels.

These results show: • 8.2% of exams taken achieved the A* grade • 27% of exams taken were awarded an A or A* grade.

In 2015 the national figure fell slightly to 25.9%.

• 54% of exams taken were awarded an A*-B grades • 79% of exams taken were awarded an A*-C grade • Over 99% of exams taken were awarded at least a pass grade • Three students gained places at the Universities of Cambridge or Oxford • 40% of the university places are at highly prized Russell Group Universities including university schools of medicine

145 students applied through UCAS for a university place with 95% gaining their choice place – the vast majority getting into their first choice. Others are moving to foundation degrees / HNDs, to further education colleges and to apprenticeships.

The 2016 GCSE and BTEC results were also very high.

This is against a backdrop of significantly lower pass rates nationally – the national A*-C pass rate fell by 2.9%.

• The proportion of students gaining five or more A* to C grades including English and Maths was 70% • Almost a quarter of grades were A* or an A • The A*-C pass rate in Mathematics has been the highest in Dorset for the last 2 years at 82% and this was achieved for the third consecutive year – it compares to 61% nationally. The A*-C pass rate in English increased to 78% compared to 60% nationally.

• The results in the traditional subjects of the Sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), English, Art, Drama, Music, Geography, Sport, Business, Economics and Mathematics were very strong.

• 32 students achieved 8 or more A* or A grades. Two students gained 13 A* grades and four other students each achieved 10 A* grades.

There were 246 students sitting examinations in Year 11. There were some tremendous individual achievements in individual subjects including Maths and English. Some students exceeded personal targets with E, F and G grades of which we are very proud – for them a massive personal achievement and just as important.

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The Sixth Form We have had another successful year in the Sixth Form, with students doing well both within and outside of the classroom. We were especially pleased with our EPQ results, with a massive 65% of students achieving an A/A* grade; Mr Chris Smith (Assistant Head of Sixth Form) is rightly very proud of his group of students.

This year, the team has changed a little, with Mrs Polly Fear joining Mrs Catherine Switzer as Sixth Form Support Manager, and Mrs Philippa Huggins continuing her role as Head of Year and also leading the Sixth Form. Miss Laura Harry joined the team as our very proactive and effective Deputy Head of Sixth Form (Head of Year 12), arranging regular inter-tutor group activities (which were fiercely competitive) and awarding prizes and certificates to students and tutor groups of note.

Sale in September, an Easter Egg tombola and sponsoring an African child, Dysteria, each month. Our students’ support enables Dysteria to go to school and have the equipment she needs.

Miss Harry’s boundless enthusiasm was catching, with her 245 students (the largest year group ever in the Sixth Form) engaging fully in the Enrichment activities as well as many extra curricular activities including sports, volunteering to be prefects, peer mentors, being active on the Sixth Form Council and being excellent role models for the lower school. Miss Harry led an engaging PSHEE programme for her year group, focusing on developing effective study skills at the start of the year, inviting in guest speakers from a number of organisations, giving students access to hands-on activities and running the hard-hitting ‘Safe Drive Stay Alive’ presentation, aimed at young people learning to drive.

This year has seen the largest number of UCAS applications that we have ever had, with 122 students from Year 13 applying to universities across the UK and another 25 gap year students making their applications as well. Mrs Jane Tutton, HE Lead, oversaw this whole process and ensured that each and every student made the best application that they could. Every year we also run a successful Oxbridge programme which supports students aiming for the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and/or degrees in Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine. We were pleased that 96% of students applying through UCAS this year were placed at a university of their choice, with two students gaining places at Oxford (PPE and History), one at Cambridge (Psychology and Behavioural Sciences) and one at the University of Edinburgh to read Medicine.

The non-UCAS students received regular 1:1 support from their tutor as well as from Mr. Steve Martin,

This year students have raised a large amount of money for charity. This included twinning our toilets with ones in Africa and Asia, running a Macmillan Cake

In Year 13, we have been focusing on developing skills for life after school, firstly looking at gaining the qualifications and grades that are needed through effective revision strategies, and then supporting applications for post-18 education and jobs with training as well as looking at gap year options.

Towards the end of Year 13, the focus then shifted to more practical skills such as how to budget, basic cookery skills and car maintenance to name but a few things on offer. Students chose the most appropriate options for them.

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Careers Advisor, alongside workshops on interview technique and CV writing. As a result, our students have been successful in applying for very competitive apprenticeship programmes across the South West.

In September, we were fortunate to host Diana Darke as part of the Sherborne Literary Festival. She talked to the Sixth Form about her book ‘My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Revolution’. It was a fantastic talk and thought provoking with students asking many questions such as ‘what can we do to prevent things getting worse?’

In April we celebrated the devotion of two of our Year 13 students to helping the school and local community through the annual Sherborne Rotary Club Aubrey Allen Awards. Steve Hillier and I joined Abigail Dare and Louisa Cary at the Rotary Club meeting where they were presented with their award.

Dr Otto led an enrichment session for students wanting to study Medicine or a Biology-related degree at university ably supported by two alumni; Emily Hall is currently reading Medicine at Southampton University whilst Duncan O’Brien is reading Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford. Both students also led sessions for Year 10 students from The Gryphon School and Shaftesbury School.

During Progression Day, we invite in representatives from universities to support UCAS applications as well as local companies who offer apprenticeships and jobs with training. We were so pleased to welcome former students with these companies, talking about how they are gaining their degrees whilst being paid.

The year ended with the fabulous Sixth Form Leavers’ Ball, which took place at The Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton.

This is the first time the ball was held at this venue and it was a resounding success. It was breathtaking eating our meal under the shadow of Concorde before dancing the night away between the historical and modern aeroplanes.

Beth Oxford, Sixth Form Tutor, and Chloe Gauvin, Year 13 student, led a team of students to ensure that the evening was a success. Their hard work and effort paid off with virtually every single member of the year group, and a host of staff, attending in a very fitting send off. We wish all those who left at the end of the year happiness and success.

Philippa Huggins – Head of Sixth Form

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Reports

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Admissions In September 2015 we welcomed 235 new students into Year 7 of whom 50.6% were boys and 49.4% girls.

Just over 150 joined from the eight catchment primary feeder schools. Students joined from 30 different primary schools in total.

We ran an Open Evening in October for prospective Year 7 students and their parents for September 2016 entry. There are extensive visits to local primary schools and very close liaison. There were 270 first preference applications, 75 second preference and 33 third preference. Dorset County Council manages admissions on behalf of The Gryphon School.

The Year 7 Transition Team do a fantastic job visiting new students in their schools and finding out about all their strengths and support needs. This information is used to organise the teaching and support provision.

Students who are coming in ones and twos spend an extra day getting to know the school before the Induction Day. The Induction Day in July for students is followed in the evening with the opportunity for every parent to meet their child’s personal tutor. Students who require additional transition support come in during the Summer Term and spend time with Peer Mentors, the Student Transition Manager and the Student Support Manager.

In the Sixth Form there were 248 students in the new Year 12 along with 194 students in Year 13. In Year 12 117 were male and 131 female. 40% joined from other state and independent school across North and West Dorset as well as from South Somerset.

There was a dedicated Sixth Form Open Evening in January 2016 showcasing the A Level and BTEC courses we offer. There were 279 applications to join the Sixth Form. Students were interviewed at The

Gryphon and in their home schools and 190 joined Year 12 in September 2016. An Induction Day took place in July for all the new students prior to them starting.

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Bursaries and Grants Central Education Funding Agency Grant Funding GAG: School Budget Share 16-19 Bursary Sixth Form Funding Pre 16 High Needs Funding Post 16 High Needs Funding Pupil Premium Funding Year 7 Catch Up Grant EFA Summer School funding GAG: Education Services Grant

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£5,379,689 £28,558 £1,765,072 £200,000 £6,000 £200,000 £14,000 £23,500 £142,506

Other Grants • EFA Condition Improvement Fund Grant - £99,664 installation of new LED lighting • STEM – sponsorship of Science Teacher training • Dorset CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) sponsorship of annual Geography award • Simon Digby Charitable Trust sponsorship of Prize Giving event • Sherborne Castle Country Fair • Andrew Simpson Sports Award • Sherborne Rotary Club Aubrey Allen Award • Morton New Estate Agents • Derek Boshier • The Gryphon Foundation • The Lord Digby’s Award • The Foster’s School Award

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Developing The Gryphon We are proud of our campus and the wide variety of facilities the school has available to students and we are constantly striving to further improve.

On a day-to-day basis there is a huge amount of on-going maintenance and our Site Team, with its superb attention to detail, keeps everything working and looking good. In addition to that all important maintenance, we have this year embarked on a number of improvements. The Creative Design area has been altered and updated which has greatly improved the working area for students and staff. The Gryphon has also been successful in its grant application bid to the Education Funding Agency, which funds academy schools, to upgrade the lighting across the school.

This work has begun and will continue largely when the students are not here.

This year we have also been given full planning permission to build a new teaching block to replace 12 temporary classrooms.

However, although the latest bid to the Education Funding Agency Fund was strong and close to the success threshold, we did not secure funding. We will apply again to the EFA Condition Improvement Fund as soon as possible to enable that work to go ahead.

The Gryphon School has moved closer to completely cashless catering with all students and staff able to pay by ‘thumb print’. This has

greatly reduced queuing in the café. We also use biometric fingerprint technology in the Learning Resource Centre. During the summer the software and hardware used have been upgraded which means students, with parents’ permission, need to re-register. A letter explaining this has been sent out and most students have re-registered.

Other improvements to The Gryphon School over the past year include the resurfacing of the Sports Hall floor and the addition of new equipment in the Fitness Suite.

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Our Year Teams The Gryphon School’s pastoral care is second to none and that is thanks to the strength of our Year Teams. Each Head of Year leads a group of tutors, support staff and 240 students developing a unique, family feel within their year and ensuring that The Gryphon School is ‘a big school with a small school feel’. Every student is known and valued; we

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ensure that the needs of each individual are met.

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The highlight of Year 7 is the visit to Carey Camp, last year’s Head of Year 7 Steve Fox remembers ‘Year 7 is a crucial year in the school and as a pastoral team we work hard to welcome students into their new much more adult and busy environment. Everyone needs support with this transition but they grow quickly and are keen to become integral members of the school.

Carey Camp is a real Gryphon tradition and a visit that students remember throughout their school career. The highlight is the real adventure of making a shelter with a few basic tools and sleeping out in the woods overnight. Many are frightened and a lot want to back out as the sun drops and they realise the reality of what they are asked to do. When the morning comes however, the students feel a real sense of achievement and pride in what they have done! For many it is a defining moment in feeling they are now students of The Gryphon School.’

At the other end of the compulsory part of school life is Year 11. Last year’s Year 11 was led by Pamela Peacocke who made sure that her group met the challenges of GCSE with enthusiasm and optimism.

The Year 11 final assembly was fantastic – there was not a dry eye in the house! The Year 11 Prom was very special with everyone dressed to the nines.

In the middle comes Year 9, the final preparation for the crucial GCSE years, Tanya Pakijavan, last year’s Head of Year 9, reflecting on the year remembers ‘As a year group pupils have overcome fears of travelling abroad by going on trips and overcome fears of performing in front of others by auditioning and having parts in the school productions. Some have attended extra-curricular clubs this year that they would have shied away from before, and played for school teams during fixtures. For some completing the Maths Challenge, the First Aid course or community

volunteering on B and E day or being involved in the Sherborne Girls quiz have been highlights. Year 9s also sang in the Choir or played in the Big Band at the Abbey and at Waterloo Station. Every student in the year has something to offer and it is our role as a pastoral team to find out what it is!’

The start of GCSEs in Year 10 is always a challenge, Jackie Brighouse, last Year’s Head of Year 10 reflects that ‘This was another busy year with the start of new GCSE courses and the realisation that time at The Gryphon is passing very quickly. February saw the ever popular history trip to Berlin for Year 10 and those who went had an amazing time visiting a range of key landmarks in the city. Business and Enterprise Day focused on students developing a business idea that would be viable to use within the school setting. The year group once again were fully engaged in their charity work for Julia’s House Hospice and the Air Ambulance raising over £662 to divide between the two organisations. A very successful Christmas Fair, Catch the Flag tournament and a cake sale were all supported by the year group to help others.’

The Year 8 had to cope with the long term absence of their Head of Year so Sarah Slade and Holly Young stepped up to lead the team. The group had a very successful year maintaining their excellent attendance and behaviour records. One of their number, Amy Northam, represented Great Britain in the Junior Biathle and many of the students went on the French trip to Normandy in the Summer Term. Among the events held to raise money for charity, Year 8 held a cake sale and raised just over £123 for Help for Heroes.

In 2016-17 the new Year 9s will be led by Pamela Peacocke and a new Head of Year, Joe Miles has joined the team to lead Year 7.

Nicki Edwards – Deputy Headteacher

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Equal Opportunities As a Church of England school it is very important to us that we celebrate the unique gifts and talents of all the members of our school community and that was the basis of our ‘I Am Me’ anti-bullying initiative that was developed by the School Council several years ago and is still going strong today.

Two more recent initiatives have been becoming a UNICEF Rights Respecting School and the development of our Gryphon Pride Group.

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Gryphon Pride was launched in September 2015 to support the delivery of Educate and Celebrate’s Best Practice Programme within our school.

Educate and Celebrate is a charity set up to work within schools to make them LGBT+ friendly and inclusive.

The Pride Group has been a great success and has represented The Gryphon at a number of local and national events. Highlights have included sending representatives to the Dorset Anti-bullying Conference, winning a prize at the grand final of the The Great Rainbow Bake-Off and attending an awards ceremony in London. Within school we have delivered assemblies to all year groups, held bake sales and raised the profile of LGBT+ role models within departmental areas.

Thanks to both the work of members of the group and the support of the staff body, The Gryphon School has been awarded a Gold Award, recognised by the Department for Education, for their work with LGBT and inclusion.

Rights and Responsibilities are at the heart of the school’s ethos and culture. We aim for outstanding

relationships between everyone at our school. We listen, care and look to make a difference to people’s lives. A Rights Respecting School not only teaches about children’s rights but also models rights, responsibilities and respect in all its relationships, with all stakeholders. We are currently working towards our Level 2 Assessment during which we will have to demonstrate that we have fully embedded the values and principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into the school’s ethos and curriculum. In order to achieve this, pupils will discuss the UN convention in their subject areas, during PSHRE lessons, in

tutor time activities, in assemblies and over the course of the Rights Respecting Schools Day we have in July.

The aim of both the school and UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools is to help children achieve their potential and become responsible citizens. One area that pupils focus on each year is their Tutor Group Charter. Each tutor group has chosen one of the 45 articles that make up the convention and then created an image that shows the right they have focused on. Whilst doing this they have discussed the rights of a child and how it affects them in school and their community.

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PSHEE Personal Social Health and Economic Education gives students extra building blocks for life, preparing them for the challenges of the twenty-first century. Each year group covers various topics throughout the year in a carefully co-ordinated programme.

This year we have followed the Barclays Life Skills for Economic Wellbeing which focuses on students being able to open bank accounts, manage their money, budget their spending and explores issues associated with debt.

For our Sex and Relationship education we followed the Christopher Winter project. This focuses on respect, self-esteem, empathy and communication and negotiation skills that help pupils to stay safe both on and offline and to make informed decisions in relationships.

We have worked with Dorset Police’s Safe Schools and Communities Team to deliver a number of workshops and presentations.

Year 7 students attended a talk ‘Gaining Respect in People’ which looks at the issue of anti-social behaviour and how we are expected to behave in a polite society. It highlights legislation relating to possessing offensive weapons and gang culture. The session encouraged students to make their own choices and respect other people in their community and environment.

Year 9 students took part in ‘Blitz’, a multi-agency programme which provided a series of workshops focusing on aspects of alcohol misuse. This includes

peer pressure, law and consequences, the impact on health, well-being and future prospects, and alcohol related anti-social behaviour such as hoax calls.

Following the Independent Inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham it has been even more important to make students aware of exploitative behaviour. Year 8 students attended a session called ‘R U Safe?’ This gave them an overview of personal safety risks such as running away from home, healthy and unhealthy relationships, grooming, and child sexual exploitation and provided students with information on where to access help and support. In Year 9 students were given a presentation called ‘Missing’ This explored the reasons why young people go missing and the risks associated with it.

Year 11 students attended a session entitled ‘Party time’ this explored the risks of social situations, particularly where alcohol is prevalent. Young people were also given the opportunity to develop their understanding of consent.

For Year 8 we worked with Dorset County Council to enable students to watch a performance of ‘Chelsea’s Choice’. The play is a useful and innovative way of raising awareness of the skills and knowledge needed to be able to develop appropriate and healthy relationships.

Students as part of their citizenship studies also went to the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. This is part of our political literacy programme and is always a highlight of the Year 9 year.

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Business and Enterprise Day This year’s Business and Enterprise Day was a resounding success encouraging pupils to put their enterprise skills to the test.

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Year 7 took part in a new event, Dragons Den Day run

by Cragrats. Students came up with financially viable Business ideas. The winning team’s idea was ‘Healthy Poo Healthy You’. This was a stools testing kit that could be delivered to your home to test any medical conditions you might have. The profits from this company would go to Bowel Cancer Research. The pupils gave an excellent presentation and the judges particularly liked the idea that the profits were not going to the owners of the company but to a charity.

Year 8 worked with a company called Talk the Talk who ran a communication master class. This workshop was also new to the school and highlighted and developed employability skills, interview techniques and key presentation methods. Students gained confidence throughout and at the end of the day gave a presentation to their tutor group on a topic they were passionate about. Talk the Talk staff said they had been to over 900 schools and ‘this was the most caring school of both staff and students we have ever been to and we were bowled over by the enthusiasm of both students and staff’.

Year 9 again excelled in our annual Community Volunteering Day with students going to 50 settings to give their time and energy to the local community .

This included students carrying out conservation work at Stourhead Gardens, The Magdalen Project in Chard and Carymoor Education centre in Castle Cary.

Students also worked with Castle Gardens as part of the Sherborne in Bloom project. Students volunteered at various primary and nursery schools, residential homes for the elderly and schools for children with special needs and some did a First Aid course.

The Textiles Department worked with a group of students to create clothes to send to Africa. A group of Year 9 and 10 students spent the day sewing donated textiles from Tenovus Charity shop, upcycling them into children’s clothes. They produced a range of wonderful dresses, shorts, tops, bags and hats. These were taken to the Tenovus shop where they created a window display. These have now been sent to the ‘Little Dresses for Africa’ charity which has distributed them to orphanages.

Year 10 students worked with National Enterprise Challenge, a company endorsed by Theo Paphitis.

Students were asked to propose a business they could run at school. The winning team’s entry was a car cleaning service which had little outlay and good profits and could operate at lunchtime and after school. The students enjoyed rising to the challenge of entering the business world.

Hayley Andrews – Business

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Widening Opportunity

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The Pupil Premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities and to close the gaps between them and their peers. In 2015-16 there were 258 Pupil Premium students on roll at The Gryphon School, representing almost 22% of our students. 226 of these students were entitled to £935 additional funding as they are students who are known to have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) in any of the previous 6 years, as well as those first known to be eligible at January 2015, whilst 32 students were eligible for £300 additional funding from the Service Premium, which is extra funding for schools to support children and young people with parents in the armed forces.

The Gryphon School effectively uses the Pupil Premium to support its disadvantaged pupils in a wide variety of ways. We guarantee financial support for all curriculum trips to current FSM students and also help to support families with equipment and uniform, where necessary. For some students, where appropriate, Pupil Premium has been used to support the school BYOD scheme, to provide access to a computer at home and in school.

The school prioritises Pupil Premium students for career guidance, from the Careers Manager, and attendance support, from the Attendance Officer. TRAX, an after school supported homework club, is open to all Pupil Premium students to enable them to access help to complete homework and coursework.

At Key Stage 3 we identify Pupil Premium students in danger of not achieving expected progress in English and Maths and withdraw them from foundation subjects, on a rotation basis, for small group work or one-to-one tuition with members of the English and Maths teams.

The literacy and numeracy catch-up premium gives schools additional funding to support Year 7 pupils who did not achieve the expected standard in reading or Maths at the end of Key Stage 2. This has

seen the creation of our Nurture Groups at Key Stage 3, and funding from Pupil Premium has been diverted into this initiative to support its development.

At Key Stage 4 approximately 20 Year 11 students were provided with one-to-one tuition in either English or Maths, or both, which significantly advanced their progress; 45 Year 11 students were involved in additional English and Maths revision courses run by an external company during the

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Easter Holidays; over 20 Year 11 students received one-to-one mentoring throughout the year from a senior member of staff; whilst 10 Year 11 students were engaged in a mentoring programme run by an external agency. Revision guides are provided for Pupil Premium students in the core curriculum subjects and for other subjects on request. Rewards have been made available for Pupil Premium students making strong progress and all FSM students are provided with a Year 11 Ball ticket, a leavers’ hoodie and a Year 11 Year Book.

The Service Premium helps schools provide the extra support needed to lessen the effects of frequent changes of school and to provide support for the effects of separation from a serving parent deployed on operations. Student support is provided both through the staff in the Blue Room and other support staff. For example, students who join the school inyear can be helped to settle in with a partial timetable, with supported time in the Blue Room. Staff are trained to help deal with any difficult situations which may arise.

We hold an annual Service Premium lunch, which allows our service children to meet other

students in similar positions on an informal basis. This lunch also gives the Service Premium students an opportunity to meet and talk to several of our staff with a service background, who understand the additional pressures these students face.

We were delighted that our work supporting our Pupil Premium students was recognised when we were awarded a Local Winner Pupil Premium Award; one of only seven secondary schools in the South West to be awarded this accolade.

Jim Gower – Assistant Head Intervention & Progression

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SEND Last year there were about 100 students on the school’s SEND register, all needing support in different ways. In addition, the department supported at least another 300 young people with almost 10,000 hours of help and support. The Learning Support Department delivered a huge range of interventions including one-to-one support with numeracy and literacy, iPad training, computer-based reading and spelling courses, handwriting, speech therapy, exam access arrangement training, occupational therapy, touch-typing, emotional support, careers advice and of course, support in the classroom, to mention just a few.

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Much of this activity took place in The Gryphon Dyslexia Base which is staffed by three Specialist Literacy Practitioners, Carole Hair, Sue Taylor and Kathryn Paine, who worked with our young people with the most complex needs. The department is fortunate in having a team of highly motivated and well-trained Learning Mentors including a speech therapist, six members of staff qualified to teach dyslexia, the Student Support Managers who provide exceptional pastoral care to each year group and several trained teachers. Between us, we have a lot of life experience, skills and subject knowledge and everyone in the team plays an important part in supporting the young people socially, emotionally and academically.

A big change for us last year was the appointment of Jem Shackleford, our Mindfulness Lead. Jem, who was previously a history teacher at The Gryphon has been developing Mindfulness at the school for some years now but last year stepped out of teaching and joined us in Learning Support. Jem ran courses for students of all ages, courses for parents, courses for staff and indeed, a course for the entire Learning Support staff team. Jem is keen to point out that Mindfulness is for everyone and our top athletes, A Level students, musicians, and actors all benefited from his teaching as well as young people with high levels of anxiety. Jem has been working closely with Oxford University and the Mindfulness in Schools Programme and we were very proud to have been part of their research last year.

Jem is keen to point out that Mindfulness is for everyone and our top athletes, A Level students, musicians, and actors all benefited from his teaching as well as young people with high levels of anxiety.

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In September 2014, the school introduced two small groups for Year 7 students who needed more support with their literacy. Taught by Emma Hayward, a primary specialist for English, History, Geography and RE, the students made great progress and we continued the classes into Year 8 with Kat McGreal, another primary specialist, teaching the groups. The students made huge strides with their literacy and also their confidence, their self esteem and their motivation – a fantastic grounding for Key Stage 4. The groups were supported by Learning Mentors with experience in primary education, speech therapy and special educational needs.

The Blue Room is an important part of the school – a safe space for vulnerable students and a place to go when life is tough. Diana Webb was appointed to run the Blue Room last year and she and Jem Shackleford both undertook training in Emotional Literacy (ELSA) to support the young people. In addition, students received support from the school counsellor and others worked with youth workers from the Rendezvous. Many young people like to come and have their lunch and break in the Blue Room where they can eat, chat to friends, play games, make things or just ‘chill’, knowing there are always friendly members of the Learning Support team keeping an eye on them.

We work closely with young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities as they come up from primary school. Debbie Alexander visits them and they gradually build up their confidence through visits to the school. It is always rewarding to see them blossom and grow into young adults within the nurturing environment of Learning Support and last year we were especially proud of our SEND students who did so well in public exams at GCSE and A Level, some of them overcoming very significant difficulties.

Sarah Darlington – SENCO

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Little Gryphons Nursery School People always say that when children are small ‘time goes too fast’. We spend our days carefully observing our Little Gryphons, looking for opportunities to enjoy and treasure small moments of awe and wonder and anticipating development so it’s only when we stop to say goodbye as they move on to school do we realise just how fast time has gone and what a journey we have all had together, children, parents and staff alike.

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Since we opened in 2005 the nursery has evolved into much more than we could have imagined. Over the years our relations with parents and families, The Gryphon School and local community have allowed us to offer learning experiences for the children that are far beyond the nursery site.

From reading sessions at the local library and book store with our favourite authors, to exploring a helicopter that landed on The Gryphon School playing field this Summer.

In the past year we have improved the Little Gryphons Forest School.

This was thanks to a £400 grant from The Dorset Gardens Trust. The grant has bought a tent to be used as an outdoor classroom in all weather, wood and compost for raised beds, bug hotels to encourage wildlife, bird boxes, birdfeeders and bulbs and seeds. The nursery has also created a mini pond by digging in a water tray using rocks to create a slope for creatures to make their way in and out. It’s regularly being used by frogs and toads.

We are passionate about

providing babies, toddlers and pre-school children with the best start in their early education and work diligently to ensure that this results in safe and happy children in our care.

As early years’ practitioners, we build our expertise of how young children learn and operate within our setting.

However, it is the parent who knows their child best, and unless there is a sharing of information between practitioners and parents, a child’s learning needs will be neither fully understood nor, ultimately, met. By working with and listening to the views of parents and carers alike, we are looking forward to this next year, with lots of exciting opportunities for our children and families to spend time together with our staff.

Eiron Worbey – Manager Little Gryphons Nursery

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�

Thank you so much for looking after our Little Otter over the past two years!

She has become a little chatterbox, full of songs and ideas for fun things to do and a lot of that is down to you.

“

Parent, 2016

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LRC @ The Gryphon School

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The LRC is at the centre of learning at The Gryphon and is in the centre of the school. The year started as always with inductions for the new students; Year 12 during tutor time and the Year 7s are given a programme of seven lessons from September to Christmas in their English lessons. In the Summer Term all Year 9 were given a referencing and plagiarism talk to help prepare for their GCSEs. Sherborne Literary Festival in October heralded the start of a busy term with various workshops and talks for the students to attend. For example one visit was from Virginia Bergin, a local author, who talked about her books Rain and Storm.

She encouraged students to get to know their characters really well if they were writing a story

before putting pen to paper. In November another author, Sarah Mussi spoke to students about her book Bomb which tells the story of a local teenager caught up in a potential bombing.

A new collection of books was created to help support students with lower reading ages. It is housed on a separate stand called Quick Reads and has been very popular. We are hoping it will help students to gain conďŹ dence in their reading.

The Stationery Store has become an essential part of the LRC with items starting at just 10p. It is estimated that during the course of a normal school day around 750 students visit the LRC for printing, photocopying or borrowing books. The average books loaned per day is 40. More

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students are now using e-readers and the LRC has eight kindles that can be borrowed.

Many competitions were held in the LRC; Get Caught Reading for staff, Designing Bookmarks for Year 7s and Guessing Book Titles from emojis. In February we celebrated, along with libraries across the country, our second Harry Potter evening. A sorting ceremony was followed with magic experiments in Science and the tasting of Mrs Baxter’s every flavour cookie (sardine was not nice). The evening finished with a house quiz.

World Book Day in March saw the LRC being run by Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. The whole school took part in a five part story, read by the teacher at the beginning of each lesson. The LRC also had £1 World Book Day books that students could swap for their tokens.

During the course of the Summer Term we did a full stock take of books and made room for more fiction. Our two book fairs held during the year were a success, with the school benefiting with new books for the LRC. Julie Hoskins LRC Manager

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Chaplaincy

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Life is wonderful, challenging and complex. As a Church of England school we recognise this and seek to provide opportunities to rejoice, to understand and to embrace the whole of life. Through our Acts of Worship and throughout the life of the school we celebrate the uniqueness of each individual created in the image of God and seek to help young people realise they are valuable. Our ‘I am me’ campaign provides a clear focus for this. Amidst the busyness of life, the school community is encouraged to take time to be still and reflect; to ponder life’s big questions and to be filled with awe and wonder.

Our Acts of Worship, Celebrations of Achievement assemblies and Prize Giving Ceremonies celebrate the good and enriching contributions, attainments and endeavours of our pupils, and there are many opportunities for young people to grow and develop still further both within and outside of the curriculum. We aim to foster awareness that we are all global citizens and our Church foundation and ‘Rights Respecting’ status provide an excellent framework for this. The generosity of students to our annual Harvest Appeal (supporting a local food bank), Christmas shoebox appeal (donating gifts for children and

adults in Bulgaria) and fund raising for many charities at home and abroad is profoundly moving.

Christian festivals are celebrated each year both within school and through occasions such as our annual Carol Service held in Sherborne Abbey. Each year we hold a Remembrance Service in partnership with the Old Fosterians.

Students are encouraged to grapple with the complexities of life in a variety of ways, including in Year Assemblies and Acts of Worship. Topics such as using social media wisely, understanding the plight of refugees sheltering in Lesbos and the importance of buying fairly traded goods to help raise awareness and combat exploitation and people trafficking are examples of this.

Last December the SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools) highlighted that our Acts of Worship are ‘always distinctively Christian in character’ and that ‘even students who are less interested in Christianity from a personal point of view readily acknowledge that the themes explored are engaging and relevant’.

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At times, life can seem bewildering and challenging. Support is offered to the school community in many ways. During the school year 2015 – 2016 I supported 77 young people on an ongoing basis along with a significant number of staff and parents. Pastoral care is regarded as extremely important within the school and is a reflection of the love of God which accompanies us throughout our lives, even in the toughest of times. Over the past 5 years, I have taken funeral services for a parent, a staff member who died suddenly and unexpectedly, and led a memorial service for a pupil who died in tragic circumstances.

I have also written a booklet called Fresh Experiences of School Chaplaincy which is published by Grove Books as part of their education series.

Jesus said ‘I have come that they might have life – life in all of its fullness.’ We seek to enable every member of the school community to discover that fullness of life for themselves.

Diane Tregale Chaplain

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Alumni News

RFU Collection via Getty Images

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Ollie Devoto

Ben Jones

Maisie Beaton

In January 2016 Ollie Devoto received his first call up to the England squad for the 2016 Six Nations Championship. Ollie was at The Gryphon School from Years 7-11 where he excelled in all the sports but showed a particular aptitude for rugby. Being picked for the development squad at Bath Rugby when he was still at The Gryphon was a huge achievement for Ollie and showed how dedication, motivation and a passion to succeed in your sport really pays off. Having secured a professional contract with Bath Rugby Club, gaining his first cap for England and then moving to the Exeter Chiefs more recently, we are all immensely proud of what Ollie has achieved so far and are excited to see what the future holds for this talented young man.

Ben Jones, who is known professionally as Ben Hardy, made his film debut as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse this year. Ben, who left The Gryphon in 2009, took part in many school productions while he was here, notably as Sergeant Troy in our film production of Far From the Madding Crowd. Ben studied drama in London before getting a high profile part in EastEnders playing Peter Beale. We are thrilled to see his acting career, which started here at The Gryphon, going from strength to strength and look forward to seeing his next ventures.

A former student at The Gryphon School this year became one of the faces of the Government’s new apprenticeship campaign. Maisie Beaton is a Graphic Illustrator Apprentice working at Thales UK and studying at Bridgwater College. From hundreds of talented apprentices across England, Maisie was one of 13 selected to be the stars of the Get in Go Far campaign that shows young people how an apprenticeship can give them the skills and experience they need to land their dream job. Maisie, who left The Gryphon in 2014, appears in the new adverts aimed at inspiring more young people to follow her lead down the apprenticeship path.

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Poppy Butler

Katherine Eckland

Poppy Butler, who left The Gryphon School last year, is well on her way to being a professional jockey. She started an apprenticeship in a local yard and in February this year was selected to attend a nine week course towards gaining her jockey licence at the British Racing School in Newmarket. Poppy is really enjoying the training and says ‘If you want to do something and have a passion for it, then go for it’.

She is hoping to qualify within the next year.

Katherine Eckland who was at The Gryphon from 1999-2004, has gone on to perform in the West End and tour the world in musicals including Soul Sister, The World of Musicals and The Magic of Motown.

Katy is also kept very busy performing at corporate events across London, and singing at venues as diverse as Grosvenor House (Park Lane) and The Natural History Museum! She also sings with the West End Gospel Choir.

A passionate educator, Katy is the Head of Singing at Stagecoach, Letchworth. During the summer of 2016, her choir performed as part of the National Stagecoach Performance in London’s West-End. Though based in London, Katy remains loyal to her roots, and has been the Assistant Choreographer for Yeovil Youth Theatre’s productions of Footloose and We Will Rock You.

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Subject Reports

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Music

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Last year’s packed schedule of music concerts and events began in September with the School Choir taking part in a charity concert at Sherborne Abbey to raise money for a new scanner for Yeovil Hospital.

November saw a new venture – a one-day music transition project, funded by Dorset Music Service, for 47 Year 5 and 6 students from our eight local primary schools. They worked in collaboration with five members of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and some of our Year 7 students. The BSO team guided the composition of an atmospheric piece on the theme of ‘Pirates of Poole Harbour’ - culminating in a highly successful and enjoyable performance to parents at the end of the day.

winners ‘Nerves’ (Jacob Hughes, Alistair Chester and Niall Holden) that he offered them the rare opportunity of supporting him in concert at the Digby Hall in Sherborne– which they did to great acclaim.

Supporting charitable causes and the local community has always been a strong ethos of The Gryphon School and so it was on 12th November when Sherborne Abbey hosted a Remembrance Commemorative Concert organised by the British Legion to raise much needed funds for ex-servicemen. Students from twelve local Dorset schools took part and Isobel Swann represented The Gryphon School superbly, singing an apt and exceptionally moving interpretation of ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ from the musical ‘Les Misérables’.

Following 2014’s highly successful collaboration, more than 100 singers and musicians from both The Gryphon School and Sherborne Girls again ‘Raised the Roof’ of London’s Waterloo Station in early December singing carols as a joint choir during rush hour. They gave an uplifting and entertaining reminder of the meaning of Christmas to thousands of festive commuters to raise money for both the Waterloo and Sherborne food banks. The Gryphon Brass Ensemble directed by Miles Hewitt also played carols and it was an amazing experience to hear the voices and brass soar throughout the station canopy. The final sum raised within just two hours was a staggering £3,000, £500 more than last year.

Our annual Battle of the Bands competition is a wellestablished fixture on the school calendar with a track record of high quality performances. Last year’s competition was no exception with five excellent bands from Years 10 to 13 competing for the title. This year’s judge, Jo Burt, who has played bass guitar with ‘Black Sabbath’, was impressed with the standard achieved by all bands but was so taken with the

Undoubtedly the largest event of the year was our Autumn School Concert. The standing ovation was entirely deserved and spoke volumes for the quality and diverse range of music offered. Highlights included duets by Eleanor Carr and Soloman KeedleIsack, Izzy Fielding and Elmo Barratt, and Emma Dawson and Callum Henry. The audience particularly enjoyed Rory Baird’s ‘whip’ effects within the ‘Sleighride’!

Following the 2014 Carol Service’s superb standard, the 2015 School Carol Service had a hard act to follow, but managed to surpass it with many parents and staff commenting on the quality and variety of the music and ensembles that performed most ably supported

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by our organist Kris Emmett and our Choral Director Ellie Walker.

This service marked the final musical event involving Maggie Nightingale’s direction of the Recorder Ensemble. We are extremely grateful to Maggie for her many years of dedicated service, and wish her an extremely happy, lengthy and well-earned retirement.

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In February 2016 the Primary Schools Music Roadshow once again provided an invaluable opportunity for our students to promote our various extracurricular ensembles and to inspire the primary school generation in singing and playing instruments.

We visited four of our local schools

in two days, giving four 45-minute concerts and performing a large range of musical genres and styles.

All our students including this year’s superb soloists, Sam Kidd, Rosie Bradbury, Amelia KellySlogrove, Brooke Stent and Ella Smith, really were a musical inspiration to the younger generation. Our rendition of ‘Frozen’ proved a particular favourite with students!

This year, it was the Big Band’s turn to conclude the Sherborne Rotary Club’s 2016 Youth Makes Music charity fundraising concert. Izzy Swann was our soloist singing both ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Summertime’ accompanied by the full Big Band.

Our thanks to all members of the

Big Band and to the many primary school students giving up time to take part in this most worthwhile of events and for singing and performing so well.

In March students from our eight local Sherborne area primary schools with some Year 7 Gryphon choir members, performed as a massed three-part Gospel Choir for this year’s Sherborne Schools Music Association singing strategy ‘Music Showcase’ concert at the Digby Hall, Sherborne. The day was run by an energetic team from the ACM Singology Gospel Choir from London – rehearsals started at 9.15am and ran throughout the day in preparation for the 4pm concert.

This took place thanks to the Dorset Music Service’s financial support and with the assistance, support and enthusiasm of the Primary Music Coordinators. The concert was a wonderful showcase of the quality of singing in our area and the hall was packed with parents for the performance.

In May The Gryphon choirs performed for the second year running at the prestigious Sherborne Abbey Music Festival in a free-to-attend combined

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performance with the professional Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir under the Direction of David Gostick (previously our school Choral Director). They sang the extremely entertaining ‘Ahoy!’ by Alexander L’Estrange to a full Abbey. ‘Ahoy!’ is a work in several movements in Jazz-Folk style telling the story of the Mary Rose, King Henry VIII’s flagship that sank in 1545. The massed choirs were accompanied by a professional Jazz/Folk quintet with the role of narrator superbly filled by our very own English teacher, Sue ThomasPeter. The Gryphon girls ably held their own against the massed strength of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta! The audience particularly enjoyed the arrangements of Shakespeare’s ‘Full Fathom Five’, Henry VIII’s ‘Greensleeves’ and the famous British ‘Hornpipe’ of ‘Last Night of the Proms’ fame complete with the obligatory audience participation opportunities. We are grateful to the Abbey Festival Committee for their invitation to perform and for financial support in the hire of the band parts. It was fitting that the choirs were featured on the front page of the Western Gazette as ‘the highlight of the 2016 festival’,

whilst James Galway the world famous flautist who had performed the previous evening, was on page 2!

Sadly, our long-standing Gryphon School governor Annie Sinnott passed away earlier in the year and in June our School Choirs made a moving contribution to her Memorial Service in Sherborne Abbey. They opened the service with a bubbly performance of ‘Sylvie’ by the Delta Blues singer Huddy Ledbetter followed later in the service by a performance of ‘Lean on Me’ by Bill Withers – both songs requested by Annie’s family.

Rather like a second book-end, the musical year was finally brought to a close with our Summer Term musical soirée - our shorter and more informal one half/no interval concert providing another

opportunity for our ensembles and selected soloists to perform publicly before the end of what was an exceptionally busy year.

Highlights were solo performances

by Annabel Thornton, Amelia KellySlogrove and Soloman KeedleIsack. The Big Band and combined choirs rounded off the evening with a spectacularly successful joint performance of a medley of the music from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films. The end of a school year is always tinged with sadness as we say goodbye to students, some of whom have been with us for seven years. We wish all our Year 13 and Year 11 leavers the very best of luck for the future and are sincerely grateful for their dedicated support over their time at The Gryphon.

Val Mizen – Head of Music

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Drama The Drama Department has had another brilliant year with a number of successful events outside the curriculum. The Autumn Term ended, after weeks of rehearsals, with our production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Then, in the Spring Term, The Gryphon School Rock Challenge Team won 13 awards in their heat and went on to win the competition’s Southern Open Finals.

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As a result of this success The Gryphon School will be taking part in the Rock Challenge ‘premier league’ next year, competing as one of the top 24 schools in the country. This takes the school one step closer to the national finals. Finally, the Summer Term saw the KS3 production of ‘creaTed’ by Adrienne Ferguson.

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was performed on three nights and had rave reviews from students, parents and staff.

Our Deputy Headteacher, Nicki Edwards wrote:

“

Take one hundred talented young people (actors, dancers and stage crew), a classic of English Literature, the magical setting of Narnia and the vision and drive of the highly committed Drama Department and what do you get – our production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe that was truly professional in every respect. The acting and choreography that took the audience from sad farewells on a London railway station to the triumph of Aslan at the end of a huge battle were amazing.

Madeleine Webster-Harris was a White Witch that could freeze the soul of any woodland creature and her fierceness was cleverly matched by the compassion and self-sacrifice of Leoni Fretwell’s Aslan. Will Watts, Georgina Fiennes, Amber Wright and Matthew Stokes made very convincing siblings as the four children at the centre of the adventure. Clever characterisations were also provided by Sterling Wilder-Gay (Mr Tumnus), Ella Foster and Liam Beard (Mr and Mrs Beaver), Sophie Ward (Maugrim), Anna Mylan (Mrs Macready), Josh McSevney (The Professor), James Derrick (Grumpskin) and Michael Woolley (Father Christmas).The costumes, make-up and staging were simply enchanting and provided stunning visual impact – they were truly works of art in their own right. Huge thanks must go to Mrs Beale, Miss Young and all the team (including many other members of staff) for all their hard work and dedication. This was a first class production that will provide many happy memories for the audience, the cast and the crew.

”

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Rock Challenge is an international dance and drama competition and we were thrilled that The Gryphon School team not only won 13 awards but the fantastic performance also secured them third place in their heat. This year around 70 students took part. Rock Challenge encourages young people to lead healthy lifestyles and to be their best without the need for tobacco, alcohol or other drugs. Nine schools from around Dorset showcased an eight minute performance on their chosen theme. Our piece was titled ‘You’ll never know who I really am’ and explored the concept of being safe on the internet. The production was led by India Essex and Jaz Ncube, both Year 11 students, who choreographed the performance, ran rehearsals, created ideas for set and costume as well as choosing the soundtrack. Their dedication to the piece was recognised by the Rock Challenge judges who presented the girls with the ‘Student Leadership award’ for their hard work and commitment . Other awards the team won were for performance skill, choreography, drama, entertainment, concept, stage use, visual

enhancement, set design and function, lighting, soundtrack, stage crew and costuming character. The team’s high score meant they went through to the next stage, the Southern Open Finals. The Gryphon triumphed here against nine other South West schools taking overall first place and twelve more awards for excellence. Our students worked tirelessly to produce such an exceptional performance and we are so proud of every individual that took part. It really shows that hard work and determination do pay off.

As a result of this success The Gryphon School will

be taking part in the Rock Challenge ‘premier league’ next year, competing as one of the top 24 schools in the country.

In the Summer Term 70 Key Stage 3 students from The Gryphon School performed in a production of ‘creaTed’ by Adrienne Ferguson. The show followed the story of a boy called Ted, performed by Year 8 students Jacob Burgess-Rollo and Aditya Roshan, and explores how he copes with growing up whilst trying to keep his creativity. The students worked brilliantly as a team to put the production together in a short space of time, putting 100% effort into every rehearsal. The professional level of acting demonstrated how talented our younger students are. All involved should be very proud of their hard work as it was a fabulous performance!

Jessica Beale Head of Drama

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English and Media Studies

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Last year was, once again, an exciting, highly successful and productive year for the English and Media Department. As well as achieving our best ever GCSE results, with 78% of Year 11 students gaining a C grade in either English Language or English Literature, our A Level students also performed really well and gained places at many top universities. On top of this, we started delivering brand new GCSE and A Level courses to Year 10 and Year 12. Our KS3 curriculum was also adapted to reflect the new skills needed for later study, so that students now experience extracts of texts from the 1800s, as well as quality non-fiction writing. In terms of Media Studies, we saw a large cohort of Year 11 successfully pass the GCSE course, studying a wide variety of topics from magazine covers, music promotion and advertising for coursework through to their exam topic of Science Fiction Film. Our A Level Media Studies students also enjoyed huge success with many gaining places at prestigious universities like Falmouth and Bournemouth on Film and TV Production degree courses.

In October, over 100 Gryphon students, as well students from Leweston and Sherborne Girls, attended events as part of the annual Sherborne Literary Festival. Teen fiction author Virginia Bergin talked to our Year 8 students about her ‘distinctly British dystopian survival thrillers’ and signed books for students afterwards. ‘How to deal with a blank page’ was tackled by renowned novelist, Lulu Taylor, who held workshops on creative writing with Years 10 to

13. For the Sixth Form, Middle East expert Diana Darke held a seminar on the current situation in Syria and a student from Oxford University, Emilli Belli, talked about her passion for studying literature at university.

An inter-school debate involving over 50 students of all year groups also proved extremely popular. We were also proud to announce that Sophie Ward, Year 12, won the Youth Short Story Competition out of entries from all Sherborne schools in the Literary Festival competition.

In Spring 2016, The Gryphon School hosted the local heats of Sherborne Rotary Club’s ‘Youth Speaks’ Senior Competition. We entered two teams from Years 10 and 11 and the students involved performed extremely well. The Year 10 team presented a confident, thought provoking speech titled, ‘Where do we draw the scientific line?’ and were placed fourth on the evening.

Our Year 11 Team engaged the audience with their entertaining and well-executed speech on ‘Negativity’.

They were placed first, meaning that they went on to the next stage hosted by Beaminster School. After a few weeks of perfecting their speech further, our Year 11 team again delivered an outstanding speech in that round of the competition and were placed second overall. The students received excellent feedback from the judges who struggled to differentiate between the top two teams and congratulated the boys on their enthralling performance. A fantastic achievement for all involved!

Prue Bendell Head of English

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Maths The Gryphon School Mathematics Department is one of the highest performing departments in Dorset. The department has now achieved a headline figure for GCSE performance of above 80% A* to C for three consecutive years. We have a thriving post 16 offer; over a quarter of the Sixth Form study Mathematics. We offer specialist teaching of Mathematics, Statistics and Mechanics and run a dedicated Further Mathematics course.

We could not offer this without a team of fully qualified, specialist mathematics teachers.

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To complement our academic offer we run many activities throughout the year for students of all ages and abilities.

Every year we run the UK Maths Challenge; Junior (Years 7 and 8), Intermediate (Years 9 to 11) and Senior (Sixth Form). Over 100 students compete at each level, with large numbers gaining Bronze, Silver and Gold Certificates in each. Usually a small number progress to the Pink Kangaroo Challenge every year. In addition to the individual challenge we enter teams into the UK Team Maths Challenge.

These days are held in other schools and offer students the opportunity to work with able mathematicians from across the region. We also run our own Primary Maths Challenge Day, where students from Year 6 join students from The Gryphon School in order to solve problems individually, in pairs and as groups. This year The Gryphon School also hosted its first Year 10 Maths Feast – a team competition for students from around South West England. Ten schools took part in a number of activities, each requiring the students to think in new and challenging ways.

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Each year we run National Mathematics events • National Cipher Challenge: an online code breaking event run

by Southampton University and GCHQ where students enter individually or as teams.

• STEM Challenges • National Number Day: Number related fundraising events run in support of NSPC. • Pi Day: a National Celebration of the number Pi. Our links with the Further Mathematics Support Programme have seen staff and students attend various enrichment days throughout the year. Year 12 Further Mathematicians travelled to QE School in Wimborne to complete a ‘Take Maths Further’ event.

Last year Sixth Form students from across the South West visited The Gryphon for an all day Maths Conference.

Students attended workshops to develop mathematical problem solving skills. Staff from The Gryphon School joined teachers across the South West to develop pedagogy for teaching problem solving.

We also offer a variety of extra-curricular activities throughout the year during the lunch break; Chess Club, Warhammer and Lego Clubs. These extracurricular activities lead to events where our students liaise with the primary schools. Each year we run the Primary Chess Challenge with Year 6 students from the local feeder schools.

James Phillips – Head of Maths

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Science

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This year has seen a lot of changes within the Science Department. We have introduced the new GCSE in Year 10. This will result in students taking either combined science or separate science exams at the end of Year 11 and for the first time being graded on the new 9-1 scale. The new A Level courses in Biology, Physics and Chemistry enter their second year of the two year course and again students will meet the new exams in the Summer of 2017. Students in Years 7 and 8 have a greater emphasis on the literacy aspects of science and the continued development of the ‘Let’s Think’ programme which encourages team work and problem solving within a scientific context.

We welcomed Dr Miranda Cox to the team and said good bye to Mr Duncan Armour who has moved to a school much closer to his home.

Despite all these changes the department continues to offer a wide range of opportunities for our students.

We visited Iceland for the second time, where students could see at first-hand the wonders of geysers, glaciers and geothermal pools in the incredible and diverse scenery of a spectacular country.

Closer to home students in Years 9 and 10 were taken to the Farnborough Air Show. They attended ‘Futures Day’ and explored stalls highlighting careers in Aerospace. Students also enjoyed the air show and saw the Red Arrow pilots and Tim Peake. Sixth Form students visited the Norman Lockyer Observatory in Sidmouth, where they experienced telescopes tracking meteors as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. We also attended the GSCE live event in Bristol where students from Years 10 and 11 were treated to lectures from

world renowned scientists such as Professor Alice Roberts, Professor Jim Al-Khalili and Professor Dave Cliff on topics ranging from human evolution to time travel and the future of computer science.

We continue to collaborate with locals schools and students have attended lectures by Dr Kate Lancaster entitled ‘Is it possible to build a star on earth?’ at Sherborne Girls and Dr Melanie Windridge at Gillingham school. Dr Lancaster is the Plasma and Fusion industrial officer for the York Plasma Institute and she gave a fascinating talk about what fusion is and the possibilities for it as an energy resource in the future. Dr Windridge, a plasma physicist, talked about her work on the Northern Lights. Both these lectures provided inspiration to all students but we hope particularly to young female scientists.

We also hosted events for students looking towards careers in Medicine and Veterinary Science, offering supra-curricular sessions on the use of histology in diagnosis and furthering their anatomical knowledge through dissection. These sessions also included exstudents, currently studying Medicine and other subjects at Oxford and other top universities, returning to give advice.

The year saw us welcome future students as well. Year 6 students from a range of local primaries spent the morning at The Gryphon School exploring science through practical activities ranging from thinking about how slugs move to how to clean up an oil spill at sea!

The session was taught by an amazing group of Year 9 demonstrators. The day was funded by The Royal Society of Biology, as a Gopher Science Session.

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A fantastic opportunity and experience for the Year 6 and Year 9 students.

Our lunchtime Science Club remains popular with students getting really hands on in a variety of fun science activities. The group took part in everything from woodlice racing and pond dipping to cd hover boards and making gloop (one of the more messy activities). Towards the end of the year the students participated in a mini-project set by the Royal Society of Chemistry to create their own bath bombs which they then tested for ‘fizzyness’.

Science Leadership Team

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History

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In a busy year, the History Department has started the delivery of new A Level courses and planned for the start of the new GCSE. The changes have provided an opportunity for teachers and students to study new aspects of the courses, ranging from an in-depth option on Norman England to a local history study of a secret police prison in East Berlin.

The year marked the publication of a new book, Communist Regimes in the C20th, written by two members of the Department, Steve Phillips and Rob Harris. Rob is currently writing his second book on The Making of Modern Russia. The year saw some exceptional work produced by students and the enthusiasm they bring to projects, especially making models, has been impressive. As usual the highlight of the year has been trips, giving students life-changing experiences.

This year’s trips included successful expeditions to Berlin and Russia.

The Berlin trip saw 47 Year 10 students make the most of the opportunity to experience a different culture in a large and bustling city. The tour started with a visit to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen where the remains of the barracks and guardhouse were studied before a guided tour of the gas chamber facilities. The site includes photographs taken of Soviet prisoners of war before they were executed.

Some were little older than the Year 10 students who were visiting the site.

The tour also involved a trip to the prison used by the Communist Government of East Germany to interrogate political prisoners during the period 1951 to 1990.

Our guide was a former inmate of the prison who had been arrested for trying to flee the country.

His real crime was that he had refused to join the Communist Party and, as a result, his university place was taken away from him and he found it impossible to find a job as a chemist in a state where the government was the sole employer. His personal account of his life story left our students in awe at his bravery and resilience.

One new addition was a visit to the DDR Museum, which covers aspects of life under Communism.

The Museum is very handson and included a chance to sit in one of the infamous Trabant cars.

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A Half-Term abroad – the Sixth Form in Russia The USSR of the Cold War Era has long departed, as 41 Sixth Formers discovered in a five day trip to Moscow and St Petersburg over the February Half-Term. Though plenty of vast statues honouring the Soviet past remain, they are monuments of an historical period rather than sinister reminders of a ruling power. Souvenirs of Lenin and Marx have been replaced by images of Putin in various guises, from demi-god to explorer.

The Kremlin in Moscow is still intact and foreboding in appearance, but as Lenin, like Snow White, lies asleep in his mausoleum, the Square echoes to the musical sounds of capitalism and the bright lights of winter festival markets.

The thing that struck many of the group was the sheer scale of colour on display. The myriad of colours of the two main Cathedrals of Saint Basil’s in Moscow and the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood in St Petersburg are famous with their mosaics and intertwining onion domes. However colour is everywhere in the Baroque and Neoclassical architecture of St Petersburg, most prominent in the Hermitage Museum and St Catherine Palaces – painstakingly restored after its Second World War destruction. The only disappointment, for a February visit, was that it was no colder than home!

Steve Phillips Head of History

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Geography Geography is the academic study of the relationship between humans and our planet. It covers a huge breadth of subject matter with few boundaries. It is this breadth and the relevance of the subject that makes it so important and interesting for us as a department to teach and for the pupils of The Gryphon to learn.

We have continued our link with the Prince’s Teaching Institute, developing our objectives and sharing good practice with schools across the country.

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Geography trains individuals to think and to question what is happening to them, their town, their country and their planet. It introduces them to the role of governments and individuals as decision makers and catalysts for positive change. Year 7 students this year have been deciding ‘What makes Britain powerful?’ through developing top trumps cards using levels of development as the numerical data with which to battle.

2015 - 2016 has had some remarkable highs and a few challenges, my main one finding myself Head of Department which has been both an immense honour and a huge challenge. We have totally re-vamped the department; developing two new teachers, Miss Darby and Miss Dufty, and watching them grow and leave for jobs elsewhere (an International School in Valencia and

Bideford College respectively) as well as welcoming back Mr Baxter from illness and Mrs Cavallaro from maternity leave.

Students across the school have been on some varied trips. The Year 9 trip to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove took place in beautiful sunny weather in early October.

There was barely a wave on the sea, luckily the awesome structure that is Durdle Door was there to help us convince the students of the power of the waves! The Year 10 students were also treated to a day at Chesil Beach to collect data for their controlled assessments. The Year 12 Geographers had two residential trips, the first to Swanage and the second to the Eden Project and Plymouth. Students gained an understanding of how cities are ‘rebranded’.

Lastly the Year 7 students spent a day in Exeter in June studying the flood measures along the River Exe. We were lucky again to have glorious weather- it must be something to do with being geographers!

I believe we have had another fantastic year as a department and have definitely given our students here at The Gryphon an opportunity to foster a sense of wonder at the beauty of the world around them.

Sally Dutton – Head of Geography

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Modern Foreign Languages Students studying Modern Foreign Languages at The Gryphon School can take advantage of a number of opportunities to develop their language skills and appreciation of other cultures. These include residential trips abroad and European, regional and inter-school competitions.

Every year students in Year 8 visit Normandy and the surrounding areas as part of a residential trip that aims to improve their confidence when speaking, as well as introduce them to traditional French life.

Students stay in the pretty village of Ambrières-lesVallées and take part in town trails following French directions to different points of interest as well as making croissants in the local French bakery. We visit the market town of Fougères where students can buy souvenirs and traditional crêpes in French as well as Mont St Michel, St Malo and the Bayeux Tapestry.

Sixth Form students are invited to take part in the Sherborne Douzelage visit to Granville. During their stay students participate in the Granville Carnival and spend the day in a local school so that they can experience student life in France first hand. They also visit the landing beaches on the Normandy coast. We find that their confidence and fluency are vastly improved by this visit which prepares them well for their speaking exams.

The residential trip to Barcelona is run bi-annually and all students studying Spanish in Years 9 and 10 are offered the chance to join this trip. It aims to give students a taste of Spanish culture as well as the opportunity to improve their speaking skills. Visits to the Picasso Museum, Neucamp, Poble Espanyol, and

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speaking competition. Students prepare a short presentation in a language of their choice and if they win the school competition they are invited to take part in the All Routes into Languages Competition. Last year one of our students, Ana Richard in Year 12, won her heat and qualified to take part in the regional final in the French native speaker category.

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Gothic Quarter are organised so that students can see as wide a range of cultural influences as possible during their stay. Spanish language lessons take place most days and students visit the food markets and shopping areas so that they can use this language to buy souvenirs and speak with locals about their stay.

The Gryphon School has run a successful German Exchange for more than 20 years to the town of

Bad Kötzing. During their stay students spend the day in a German school completing all the lessons that their exchange partner has that day and visit the Allianz Arena home to the Bayern Munich Football Club. Students spend a large amount of time with their host families visiting the area and sampling the local cuisine and speaking skills and confidence develop hugely over a short amount of time. Every year we take part in the Routes into Languages

Juvenes Translatores is a translation contest for secondary school pupils in the European Union organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation. Our KS5 students all take part in this competition and last year Sophia Rogerson in Year 13 received a special mention from the European Commission for the quality of her translation.

Hollie Belcher Head of Modern Foreign Languages

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Art, Design & Photography

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Students once again experienced an incredibly diverse range of opportunities throughout our busy year in Art, Design & Photography. The year saw the introduction of an exciting new KS3 curriculum venture with ‘Creative Design Futures’ encompassing the best of Design & Technology, Art and Computing with a wide range of experiences broadening students’ knowledge and understanding, furnishing them with a creative skill set and thirst for innovation. KS3 Creative Design has enabled students to explore Graphic Design and Branding, Digital Stop Motion Animation and Production Design for Film & Television all combining both traditional practical approaches and digital techniques. The success of this first year has led to the inception of a new KS4 design curriculum, with the exciting GCSE 3 Dimensional Design and Photography options joining our Creative Design suite of subjects.

During December and January, our GCSE and A Level Art & Photography students had the opportunity to visit London art galleries through our ever-popular programme of trips.

Students’ experience and understanding was enriched with visits to Tate Modern, The National Portrait Gallery (to view the annual Taylor Wessing Photography Prize), The Saatchi Gallery (which included practical workshops) and The Royal Academy, which was

hosting an incredibly moving series of installations by contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. These inspirational gallery visits played an important part in the development of students’ personal work as the year progressed.

Our annual Art, Design & Photography Exhibition showcased the work of our departing Year 13 students and featured a wide variety of styles, media and approaches and provided an opportunity to celebrate the completion of their courses of study before embarking upon foundation and degree courses, including once again Central St Martin’s and Kingston University, together with Plymouth University and Strode College.

There was a special close to the year in July when The Gryphon School welcomed acclaimed artist and Old Fosterian Derek Boshier, who gave an

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enthralling lecture about his life and art to a captivated audience comprising of the Sixth Form cohort and Year 10 Art & Design students. Derek attended Foster’s School in the early 1950s before progressing to Yeovil School of Art, followed by the Royal College of Art, London where his peers of the Pop Art age included David Hockney, Pauline Boty and Peter Blake. With his work digitally projected on a huge scale behind him, Derek regaled us with stories of his life in art. Highlights included his work with David Bowie and 1970s punk group The Clash, and his lecture was richly illustrated with his dynamic range of graphic design, mixed media and fine art and culminated in the screening of two of his recent short films, shot on his ever present iPad, featuring hand drawn and photographic animation.

This was an inspirational and unique experience and Derek continues to generously support our Year 13 Edgar Maltby Drawing Prize in memory of the Foster’s art master who inspired him.

We have been investing in a new model and culture for design in its broadest sense developing the next generation of artists, designers, inventors, entrepreneurs, problem-solvers, creators and industrialists. Students won a CREST Bronze Award for reaching the semi-finals of the BP Ultimate STEM Challenge competition and competed in the Grand Final of Flying Start Challenge. Links are always being developed with industry including Thales. The quality of textiles work is excellent and has reached across the school with spectacular yarn bombing in the quads.

Michael Fenton-Wilkinson Head of Art, Design & Photography

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Food and Cooking It has been a busy year which has included the implementation of the new Level 3 BTEC in Hospitality.

This is a vocational course linked with industry which prepares our students for a career in the world of food and hospitality. The Gryphon School has taught cookery to all students in Key Stage 3 for many years, but this year we have developed even more recipes which reflect the national curriculum emphasis on healthy eating and nurturing cooking skills.

As part of the new BTEC our students have organised a succession of Bistro lunches based around contemporary world cuisines. They researched, planned and cooked some unusual dishes including fruit shrubs and savoury ice creams.

We held three charity lunches for Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK and the RSPCA, the amount raised for the charities totalled more than £550. The Year 10 Hospitality students ‘Charity Event in a Tent’ was particularly memorable as the sun came out just as lunch started and it rained ten minutes after it ended, making clearing up tricky as the path turned to mud.

Our annual ‘Christmas Cake Bake Along’ involved 27 staff and students making and decorating a wide range of shapes and designs of cakes. Year 9 held a Gryphon Bake Off during their lessons and cooked their chosen signature dishes.

Marcus Wilcox an ex-pupil and now Chef Proprietor of ‘Sienna’ in Dorchester returned to talk to Year 12 students about his career path and gave a cooking demonstration which was much appreciated.

Meanwhile several students developed their cooking skills under the watchful eye of Mrs Baxter as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.

Caroline Elsworth – Head of Food and Cooking

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Computing The year started with the new computing syllabus now seeing full integration into the department across all Key Stages. Awareness of the development from ICT to Computing has grown alongside the staff skills and expertise.

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Through the course of the entire year the Computing Department has run lunchtime clubs nearly every day of the week. This involved students from all year groups across a wide range of skills and abilities. At the start of the year a Programming Club was run where students were encouraged to develop the skills that they had learned from day-to-day teaching. Later in the year this developed into a small group of students building a robot ‘kit’ and programming some basic movements and sensors in order to allow the robot to perform some simple duties using a Raspberry Pi. Towards the end of the year Lego Mindstorm made its way into the department as a bridge between materials students already knew (Lego) and some of the more complex programming concepts; this project is still early in development and is hoped will continue into next year. Finally at the end of the year a BBC Microbit was offered to every student allowing them all access to their own easily programmable technology.

The Year 9 trip to Thorpe Park was once again a huge success with students who had opted for either Computer Science or ICT in Year 10 being allowed access to some behind the scene secrets about how one of the country’s top theme parks is run and the vital role that computer systems play within this. Not only did students attend a lecture on how sensors are used on the rides alongside ride development, students also learnt how the park is aiming to use

wireless mobile technology to become one of the first queue-free theme parks in the world. Our Sixth Form leavers obtained entry to top universities and entered a number of key areas in the computing industry which ranged from working with Microsoft developers to working with some of the Government’s top cybercrime agencies.

The Gryphon School was also awarded 2nd place in the 2015/16 Community Education Awards (SCC Internet Safety Award). Entries were encouraged from every school in the country and for this specific award there were over 600 applicants. The Award recognised the school’s e-safety projects that deal with educating children on how to avoid inappropriate content, how to keep personal information safe and the best practice for downloading information.

Nigel White Head of Computing

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Psychology

Law Law students have been particularly absorbed in the topic of murder as part of the criminal law subject studied at A2. Their interest has been concentrated on the criminal intent required to find a defendant guilty.

Our study led us to a famous American Neuroscientist, James Fallon.

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He is Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of California. Fallon featured in a recent BBC production, ‘Are you Good or Evil’, where he revealed that he has the neurological and genetic correlates of a psychopath. Fallon discovered this comparing brain scans of serial killers with those of ‘normal’ samples.

Students were very interested in this and finding out that one of the key differences is what happens in childhood. The conclusion of the study was that positive experiences in childhood negated any potential genetic vulnerability to violence and emotional issues. All serial killers studied in class had serious negative childhood experiences. Fallon has discovered from his study that the part of the brain that enables a conscience is completely undeveloped in the scans he studied from serial killers. The absence of a conscience together with serious negative childhood experiences

resulted in the profile of a serial killer.

Students then focused on the case of Oscar Pistorius and the question of criminal intent in his trial. They also studied the understanding and application of the foresight of consequences test which was the key point of law on which the appeal was based.

The continued success of students in Law culminated in 2015 with a Year 13 student achieving 100% in both exams with A*. Katie Charlton is going on to study Law at university having been inspired by her A Level study.

Approximately 75% of students who study A Level Law go onto pursue a career in the legal profession. The Department is very grateful for the support offered from local solicitors’ firms providing work experience. This experience is invaluable to Law students as it helps them decide whether to go on to study Law at university.

Year 12 students are currently studying Police and Crime; a Police Officer from Sherborne Station will be coming in to talk about the practical detail on aspects of stop, search, arrest and detention.

Francesca Gillingham Law

Psychology students have had a very successful and enjoyable year in 2015-16, beginning with our annual outing to conduct practical research. In the Autumn Term Year 12 students planned their own practical research and then visited Bristol Zoo in order to conduct it. At the Zoo we conducted observational research on two species of animal and learnt about animal learning from the Zoo’s education staff. Upon returning to school students analysed the data they had collected in order to draw conclusions about the differences in animal behaviour.

Students also collected data about humans through selfreport investigations and experimental research in which students classically conditioned their classmates to blink in response to a bell. Meanwhile, Year 13 spent their Spring Term conducting practical research into ways of measuring stress, through setting friends challenges such as completing the Buzz Wire game and measuring sweat responses using a galvanic skin response monitor.

Rachel Blakemore Head of Psychology

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Health and Social Care This subject is delivered in Key Stages 4 & 5 as a BTEC course. This more vocational approach to learning gives students across both levels the opportunity to experience the practical world of health and social care along with applying the theory through assessments.

During the past year students have been to visit local nursery settings, care homes, day care centres, Yeovil District Hospital and reception classes in primary schools. Professional visits enhance the students’ learning and this is an area we are continuing to develop. The subject is ever changing and those working in the industry have up-to-date information to pass on to the students which augments their studies.

In Key Stage 4 the students were involved in a health promotion to raise awareness of the effects of smoking, alcohol and drug misuse, the importance of hand washing, diet and exercise as well as road safety for young people, particularly in the ever growing IT world which distracts them!

They spent a week in a placement which developed their communication skills, ability to research independently and gave them the opportunity to experience a sector within the local area. Feedback from employers and students was very positive.

Key Stage 5 students took part in a round robin of visits to enable them to experience a wide range of settings as well as arranging their own long term placement in Year 13. The experience gained, alongside the theoretical element of the course, helped students with their university or

employment applications.

As a department we were delighted that one of our Year 13 students gained a place to train as a midwife which is a very popular course with a rigorous application process. Other students were successful in gaining placements for early years’ education courses and an apprenticeship at a local primary school.

The students have also been involved in work with Time to Change and its campaign to break down the barriers and taboo of mental health. Year 13 put on a health promotion for their peers with detailed information along with myths and facts of this area of health. The feedback was very positive and resulted in The

Gryphon School being awarded a Partner School Certificate from the charity.

Overall the students had a good year resulting in a good set of results enabling students to move on in their career or educational pathway.

Jackie Brighouse Head of Health and Social Care

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Business The Business Department has had a busy year with lots of exciting opportunities for students to make contact with real businesses and entrepreneurs. In the summer of 2015 we were lucky enough to be visited by successful businesswoman Alex Polizzi (The Hotel Inspector, The Fixer) who gave a fascinating talk to a group of Year 10 GCSE Business/Economics students about her experiences of troubleshooting in a wide range of businesses. She talked about her hopes for the future and the students were able to participate in a question and answer session.

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In September Alan Bunter, a director of successful local business Remous Print, came into school to talk to all of our Year 12 Applied Business students about a range of issues related to his company including aims and objectives, marketing, enterprise, teamwork and external influences. He was a frank and highly engaging speaker and the students were able to use his input to go on to produce some very high quality pieces of A Level coursework based on the business.

Clive Bullock, a director at Tilney Investment Management very kindly gave up his time to come in and talk to Year 11 GCSE Business & Economics students about issues around regulation in the financial services industry and also offered an insight into his career in stockbroking and investment management.

In March, we hosted our annual Business & Enterprise Day for Year 6 students from local feeder primary schools. The event was called ‘Be the Boss’ and was designed to develop a range of enterprise skills such

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as team work, communication and problem solving as well as introducing the students to business topics such as marketing and promotion.

BTEC Level 3 Travel and Tourism students were given the opportunity to learn more about events management when they were visited by Events Crew, the organisers of Sherborne Castle Fireworks and they subsequently had the opportunity to get involved themselves when they were invited to help out with the ‘Give Life Live Life’ Roaring 20s Charity Ball in Milborne Port.

The Ball was organised by Claire’s Catering who briefed the volunteers and raised money for Cancer Research UK and The Rendezvous in Sherborne. The students worked tirelessly putting together a slide show and helping to set up, run and clear up after the event.

Results Day in August 2016 saw an outstanding set of examination results for our Year 13 A Level Economics students.

We are currently running the Student Investor Challenge and have six teams of students from Years 10, 11 and 12 taking part in this national competition, each team investing a virtual £100,000 on the Stock Exchange with a potential first prize of a trip to New York.

Nicki Hester – Head of Business

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Religious Education In Religious Education at The Gryphon we want our young people to become tolerant members of a global society, who understand and accept difference, but who are also willing to stand up for what they believe is right. We do this through blending a rigorous academic programme, which focuses on developing philosophical thinking, with opportunities for students to reflect on and discuss their own views on ultimate questions.

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This approach is exemplified not only in the classroom but in the number of opportunities we offer pupils in a range of trips and visits.

In 2015 Year 8 had the opportunity to visit a Bristol Mosque to see for themselves the features of the holy building, to ask questions and explore topical debates around Islam. Students heard from a local religious leader about his perspective of Islam and why his faith was so important to him.

Meanwhile, Year 9 students at The Gryphon had the opportunity to hear a Holocaust survivor give his testimony as part of a Holocaust Memorial Day here at the school. The whole year was involved in exploring ethical issues and reflecting on the experience of those who had suffered. Groups considered the role of the bystander and wrote letters to Holocaust survivors giving their own views on what they had heard. One student said, ‘I thought that the talk was very enlightening and provided us with a view of the Holocaust like no other’ whilst another described the talk by the Holocaust survivor as ‘deeply moving’ and ‘an account I will never forget’.

Students were also given the opportunity to create a personal interpretation of how people cope in the face of suffering and we had a number of outstanding works of art and writing submitted which really demonstrated the impact that this day had on our students.

A highlight of 2016 for the RE Department was the visit to mystical and magical India involving twenty students from Years 11 and 12. Over eleven days we saw many great sites such as the Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset on the

River Ganges and the Red Fort. To do this we travelled by plane, train, bus, elephant, rickshaw and even camel! Students described the trip as ‘one of the best experiences of my life so far’ while another described it as ‘a truly beautiful experience’ that ‘opened my eyes to the world around me.’ This life changing trip exposes our students to a world very different from ours, including a day in the ASHA slum projects. No one returns from this extravaganza of the senses unchanged.

Religious Education Team

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Sport The Gryphon School has a very strong reputation when it comes to sport.

Pupils from all year groups participate in two hours of Physical Education a fortnight in a plethora of activities which gives them a diverse and personalised curriculum.

With an experienced team of teachers pupils enjoy the positive atmosphere created in lessons.

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Rugby Rugby has always been a popular sport in the Sherborne area. With a large input from The Gryphon School and Sherborne RFC we have developed a strong community spirit, which sees pupils playing during the week and at weekends.

We regularly have over 100 boys taking part on Thursdays after school where they can develop their skills as player, coach and match official.

With such a large number participating, our success during matches has improved each year.

This spans across all age groups from Year 7 (Under 12) right up to the Sixth Form 1st XV (under 18).

We enter the County Cup Competitions at all available age

groups as well as the Natwest National Cup Competition at Under 15 and Under 18 level. The Gryphon School has in the past reached the last 32 top rugby schools in the country which shows the commitment and motivation of the players involved. We have also won the Dorset Cup at Under 16 level as well as coming Runners Up in the Under 14 South West State School Rugby Championships.

Throughout the rugby season we keep a watchful eye on all those playing and look for particular individuals who exhibit high levels of commitment, motivation and sportsmanship in training and during fixtures. Each team has a Player of the Year who is rewarded for his efforts at the annual Sports

Award Evening. Last years’ winners from Year 7-13 were Marcus Higgs, Dylan Henderson, Jack Wiltshire, Jack Goudge, William Morris and Oliver Harvey.

With so much talent on display we have been fortunate enough to have a number of players selected to join the Bath Rugby Development squads. Over the last year these have included Jack Wiltshire, Israel Mason-Williams and William Morris. The high level coaching and playing facilities these young players were exposed to has not only had a positive effect on their own performance, but also given their peers fantastic role models to learn from during training sessions and matches. We also had a number of players who were selected to represent Dorset and Wiltshire which is a natural stepping stone for the players to develop even further. Those selected were Angus Buckland, Jack Wiltshire, Joe Atkins, Israel Mason-Williams, William Morris, Henry Brennan-Craddock and Oliver Harvey.

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Football Football at The Gryphon School has been hugely successful and popular this year, in stark contrast to what we saw from the national team at Euro 2016! We have seen a steady increase in participation in training and clubs from all year groups.

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There are more Gryphon School students regularly playing football outside of school, further developing our links with local clubs, and providing a positive effect on the pitch. The highlights for the season included the 1st XI reaching the 5th round of the English Schools FA Cup, with the standout result being the 8-1 win over Taunton School. The team was eventually knocked out by a wellorganised Millfield School team.

The Year 10 team also had a great run, reaching the 4th Round of both the English Schools and the County Cup. It is very pleasing to see how our female footballers are progressing with more opportunities provided for them. Again we have seen increased interest and numbers for our structured training sessions, which has also led to advances in

and a springboard for more opportunities.

Isaac Atherley in Year 11 has been benefiting from the expertise of Bournemouth AFC, and two of our Year 10 students, William Hopkins and Oliver Hebbard, are also gaining hugely from working with Yeovil Town FC and Swindon Town FC respectively. The access to state-of-the-art facilities and the ability to work with professional coaching staff has enabled great progress for these boys, which in turn filters down to others they play with at school.

the girls’ skill levels and tactical understanding. The Year 11 team performed excellently to reach the 4th round of the English Schools FA Cup. The foundations are in place to really push on as we go forward.

We are proud to see some of our most talented footballers flourishing at higher levels of the game. Chloe Perham and Ellie Chandler in Year 10 were both involved with Somerset Football, a fantastic achievement for them

We honoured several of our most talented and committed footballers in our end of year Sports Awards, to recognise the enthusiasm and dedication that they had shown throughout the year. For girls football, these were Gemma Alford, Grace Fahey and Chloe Perham, and for boys football James Gillett, Luke Wilmington, Regan Tailby, Sam Yeo, Tom Budden and Jake Cockerell.

Congratulations to these students, and huge thanks to all of those involved this year.

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Netball Netball at The Gryphon School has gradually grown in popularity and strength over the last ten years.

This has been promoted by our excellent links with Yeovil Netball Club, as well as benefiting from the wealth of netball knowledge from the PE staff that have joined the school. We have more than 60 girls at training every week from September to April, as well as those taking part in fixtures across the whole year.

Due to the popularity of netball at The Gryphon School, our results have been amazing. Our greatest success so far is our current Year 9 girls’ team, who have qualified for the Dorset Schools’ County Competition every year since they joined The Gryphon. They are a talented team whose teamwork and resilience is a real strength, particularly when they are competing against girls from the larger private schools such as Bryanston and Canford. All our teams compete in the Yeovil and District League, where we have also had great success. We have won the title across all age groups, many of these teams being undefeated for the whole season. Our best result for this league was a year group who won the title every year from Year 7 to Year 11, without losing a match!

We have a number of players who have been selected for senior teams at Yeovil Netball Club, as well as for the England Netball Talent Pathway within Somerset. Georgia Tailby, Chloe Hellyar, Katie Giles, Jasmine Moore and Amy Luck have been within the Somerset County Netball Pathway over the last two years, which involves working

with the top coaches and players at under 16 across Somerset. The girls were also part of the Somerset Satellite Academy, which is for talented under 14 players across Somerset.

Isabelle Walters was successful in making this group for the 2016-2017 season.

As well as our links with Yeovil Netball Club, our success has also come from expertise from the staff within the department who all have heavy involvement in netball outside of their working hours. Mrs Tanya Gibbs is a player for Bath Netball Club, where she plays and trains with

players from the Bath Netball Super League team, as well as England players. Miss Laura Harry is an A Award Umpire as well as an England Netball Umpire, Tutor and Assessor.

She umpires within the England Premier League, and works with international umpires on and off the court. Miss Jo Peters is a Level 2 qualified coach at Yeovil Netball Club and is the head coach of the regional team who play within the South West League. Miss Peters is also a coach within the England Netball Pathway, and coaches the Somerset County Academy girls.

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Hockey Hockey has also grown over the years particularly with the success of the girls’ teams. The main hockey season is between September and Christmas and pupils in all year groups compete on a regular basis. It was particularly pleasing to see so many new players take up the sport and we are hoping that with the success of the Women’s GB Team in the Rio Olympics, this will encourage many more.

Throughout the season the girls take part in local competitions

within the North Dorset and Somerset area. This involves competing against a variety of state schools where the outcome is often positive. Once again, the link with a local community club, Yeovil and Sherborne Hockey Club, has allowed us to develop the skills of the young players both within school and at weekends. As hockey is so popular there is now a sustainable set of players which means the girls train in separate sessions depending on their age group. This allows them to hone their existing skills and learn from each other through coaching opportunities and tactical scenarios.

With so many young girls taking part it is becoming increasingly difficult to select a Player of the Year. The individuals who showed particularly high levels of enthusiasm and motivation include Megan Waller, Olivia Chambler, Ellie Chandler and Josephine Mitchell. Caitlin Waller was also selected to represent Somerset thanks to her excellent skill level and ability to stay calm under pressure when in matches.

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Individual Sporting Successes Throughout the school we have a large number of talented pupils who play for the school, local clubs, county teams and also the national team. Having strong links with local community clubs like Sherborne Rugby Club, Sherborne Football Club, Yeovil and Sherborne Hockey Club, Yeovil Swimming Club amongst others, has allowed us to enhance the skills and tactics of our pupils giving them the necessary skills to be selected at all levels to participate in the sport they enjoy so much.

Amy Northam, who was in Year 8 in 2015-2016, competes internationally in Triathle and represented Team GB in the European Championships in Portugal and the World Championships in Florida. Last year

three pupils competed for Team GB in Dragon Boat Racing. They were Hollie London who was in Year 12 and Alan and William Rooks who were in Year 13.

Another highly successful performer is Harry Maunder who has shown a particular aptitude for shooting.

Harry displayed a natural talent in this sport with a keen eye and steady hand. He was identiďŹ ed as part of the development squad for Great Britain where we hope he will continue to thrive and represent the country in the future.

Sophie Faber, who is in Year 10, continued to excel competing in Inter-Schools skiing competitions throughout the year.

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Whole School Sporting Events The highlights for sport definitely happen toward the end of the academic year when we celebrate our annual Sports Awards Evening and School Sports Day. The purpose of the Sports Awards Evening is to celebrate the vast array of talented young individuals we have at The Gryphon School and to recognise the commitment and effort they have put into developing their sporting performances throughout the year. Each year the students hear from a guest speaker about how they have got to where they have in their chosen sport. This year the speaker was Modern Pentathlete Heather Fell and in the past have included former Olympic Triple Jumper, Vernon Samuels, Olympic Bob Skeleton athlete Donna Creighton, former England Rugby Coach Mike Davis, former South African International Rugby player Thinus Delport, Leah Wilkinson, Welsh International Hockey Player and former Gryphon School student and Southampton Football Club player Matthew Robinson. It is a superb event that students strive to be part of each year.

The School Sports Day known as ‘The Gryphon Games,’ is a fantastic celebration and all-inclusive event which sees students in Years 7-10 competing as a tutor group in a full day of activities. It is run by all members of staff with the help of Year 12 students and is coordinated by the Physical Education Department. The students compete in four separate categories of events which include; indoor events, alternative events, outdoor events and athletics. With over 32 different activities taking place at once it is a great way to end the year and highly sought after trophies go to the winning tutor group in each year group.

The range of activities, including boccia, volleyball, cycling, football, rounders, benchball and the 4x100m relay, is exceptional. This gives each and every student the opportunity to gain success in one form or another. With the whole school involved this showcase event demonstrates a real community feel at The Gryphon School and continues to enthuse and engage all students and staff.

Alan Cummings – Head of PE and Sport

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Ski Trip This year’s Ski Trip saw 42 students make their way to the slopes in Wagrain, Austria. The return to the resort inspired just as much excitement and anticipation as it has for the past three years.

The week in the alpine resort was filled with beautiful sunshine. All the groups faced challenges building on their varied skiing ability but everyone improved. Those who had never skied before finished on the red slopes and the more advanced skiers had the opportunity to develop their endurance skiing skills. It was another fantastic trip with many memories and friendships made. We return to the same resort in Easter 2018 for another season of slalom racing, on-piste dining and cultural experiences.

Laura Harry – PE

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Ten Tors Challenge and Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards 2015 – 2016 has been a busy year for students taking part in the Ten Tors Challenge and working towards their DofE Awards.

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Two Ten Tors teams from The Gryphon School completed the Ten Tors Challenge. 12 students pitched themselves against Dartmoor on a warm weekend in May. They trained hard to prepare themselves for everything Dartmoor could throw at them. Two students were sadly stopped by the Army on medical grounds but the other ten completed the 35 miles and crossed the finish line. This is an amazing achievement and we are very proud of them all.

33 Students completed their Bronze DofE Award this year, following a final expedition around Wareham Forest and Purbeck Down. Also this year, for the first time, we had students working towards the Silver DofE Award. Two teams comprising 13 students took part in a walk across the New Forest as part of this and so far 11 have completed the Silver Award.

Meanwhile two students, Will Beeson and Matt Loxton, working towards their Gold Award, joined an expedition run by Gillingham DofE Centre. Will completed his Gold Award over the summer and we expect Matt to follow shortly.

In June 2016 we started to brief and enrol students for the 2016/17 season with presentations to assemblies and parents. So far we have enrolled 90 students from Years 9 and 10 on the Bronze Award, 35 students on

the Silver Award and 11 students on the Gold Award.

This is the largest group the school has run so far. From this group 26 have already volunteered to enter Ten Tors 2017 which could see the school enter four teams next May. We have been hard at work fundraising for these events and have been given grants from John Thornton Young Achiever’s Foundation, Sherborne Rotary Club and The Lions Club of Yeovil. The students have also run two cakes sales raising nearly £500. This has allowed the school to purchase ruggedized radios, satellite GPS trackers, waterproof cameras to record DofE and Ten Tors expeditions and a brand new trailer.

Geoff Cooke – DofE and Ten Tors Co-ordinator

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School Council, Student Voice and Youth Parliament School Council meetings are always lively affairs! The School Council meets once a month and is chaired by two Sixth Form students who also act as Associate School Governors.

The School Council consists of two representatives from each Year Council, each Year Council has two representatives from each tutor group. Year Councils also meet once a month and then raise issues at School Council via their reps.

During School Council meetings we discuss issues ranging from anti-bullying to the questions that are asked by student panels on staff interviews. The open session of the meeting, with questions from the Year Councils, is always fascinating. The most common topics raised centre around food and the café, for example how the queues are managed and how much

pasta is in a pasta pot! It is testimony to the school that School Council reps often report that there are no serious issues to be raised by their year group.

Interestingly Year 8 can always be relied upon to find the most ‘unique’ questions. This is the same year-onyear, maybe their view of the school after one year’s experience is the clearest?

Associate School Governors attend Full Governing Body Meetings and the Governors’ Student, Staffing and Community Committee where they are able to raise any issues that they choose. Last year a request was received that shorts should be added to the school uniform, after a thorough discussion the governors decided that the current climate did not warrant a change but the students were delighted that the governors had taken their request seriously.

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Your Mark’ which sets the agenda for debate at the National Youth Parliament.

We are always pleased to take part in the elections for the Dorset Reps to the National Youth Parliament; Hayley Andrews coordinates our participation as part of her role as PSHRE co-ordinator. Last year our candidate for the elections was Ed Walters.

All of our students are able to vote and it is great practice for when they take part in national elections and referenda as adults.

Following the elections students also take part in an activity called ‘Make

Each year students take part in ‘Student Voice Lunches’ with Steve Hillier and Nicki Edwards.

Representatives from each year group in turn meet with Steve and Nicki over lunch to talk about ‘what’s good about The Gryphon’ and ‘The Gryphon School could be even better if….’

It is a great opportunity for us to gain an insight into everyday life of each year group. When talking about ‘what’s good’ the students unfailingly mention the excellent relationships between staff and students, the facilities available and our extracurricular activities. When asked how we could improve we are often asked to ‘make the corridors wider’ or to make café prices even lower!

This year, Year 8 thinking ‘out of the box’ as usual, wondered if we could get some real actors into Drama lessons and whether canteen prices could be rounded to the nearest 10p…..

Nicki Edwards – Deputy Headteacher

Social Life @ Gryphon The Staff Social Committee formed in 2014 with the objective to raise social interaction between staff, boost morale and provide that all important down time and relaxation that we so often need.

A group of approximately 20 staff members from across the school meet on a regular basis and discuss ideas for potential social events. The success of the group and popularity of the events has been positive and feedback from staff members has been encouraging.

As a result of the motivation and organisation of the committee, new social activities have been introduced, these include: staff running club, weekend theatre trips, staff band, regular social evenings, after school staff sports clubs and staff teams at PTA quiz and PTA wine tasting events.

One of the biggest involvements for the Committee centres around Christmas. End of term Christmas celebrations for both staff and students have been transformed. A huge community feel is now evident during staff Christmas celebrations with the introduction of a ‘bring your own buffet’ style banquet and musical entertainment from the staff band!

The staff band also plays at each student Christmas assembly.

Feedback from both staff and students has been overwhelmingly positive.

The Committee prides itself on listening to staff opinion – after an initial survey involving all staff, it was clear that staff social events were important. For two years running, the Staff Christmas Party has proved a popular occasion with live music, food and some Christmas cheer. Again, the overall feel of this event is one of community and togetherness across the staff body – the very mission which was set out from the beginning.

Joe Miles – Staff Social Committee Leader

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Clubs

Badminton/Volleyball Baroque Chamber Ensemble Basketball Big Band Biology Enrichme nt B r a s s E n s e m b l e Chamber Choir Chess Club Dance Fencing Fitness Folk Music Club Football G Minors / Show Choir G Minors / Whole School Choir GCSE Music Homework Club GCSE, AS & A2 Art Girls Football Gryphon Pride Guitar Ensemble Gymnastics Hockey Homework Club ICT Homework Club Juggling Club Junior Youth Spe a k s Lego C l u b M aths Zo ne Me d i a Coursework Club Mindfulness Drop-In Music T h e o r y N e t b a l l R e c o rd e r E n s e m b l e Recorder Group Rugby Science Club Senior Recorder Trio Senior Youth Speaks Sport For All (Capture the Flag, Dodgeball and Football) String Ensemble Table Tennis Woodwind Ensemble A Level Homework Club

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Community The Gryphon School is proud of its links with the wider community and our students have been involved in a wide variety of community activities some of which are highlighted here.

The Gryphon School was the centre for school events during Sherborne Literary Festival again this year. Over 100 Gryphon students attended as did students from Leweston School and Sherborne Girls.

As part of Sherborne’s Douzelage scheme two Year 10 students visited Chojna, Sherborne’s Polish twin town, over the Summer Half-Term. Fred Whittick and Alex Brinsford spent five days in Poland where they met teachers and students from the town’s secondary and primary schools and spoke to them about life in Sherborne. Later in the term teachers from Chojna spent a day at The Gryphon watching our lessons.

We also hosted local heats for Sherborne Rotary Club’s ‘Youth Speaks’ Senior Competition. Two teams from Years 10 and 11 were entered. The Year 11 team were first, and went on to the next round of the competition and were placed second overall.

On our annual Community Volunteering Day for Year 9 students went to 50 settings to give something back. This included

The Gryphon School Art & Photography Department took part in a community art project, producing artworks for the patient Day Room at the Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne. This project was funded by NADFAS sponsorship. The artworks were created by Year 12 A Level Fine Art students.

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conservation work at Stourhead and volunteering in primary and nursery schools.

In Art 30 Year 9 students created a montage representing the Olympics which was displayed in the Leisure Centre before being sent to County Hall for the entrance hall. We are also involved in an exchange with Sherborne Girls. Two girls from each of Years 7 and 8 trade places to compare educational experiences.

Over 30 students helped this year at Sherborne Castle Country Fair, which is organised and run by volunteers to raise money for local charities. The

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students helped wherever they could; waitressing, preparing food and supporting the dog scurries.

Finally, one student was speciďŹ cally rewarded for his work in the community. Christopher Reed (pictured top left), who was in Year 8, was selected as the winner of the Dorset & Wilts Young Volunteer of the Year 2016 for his work with Sherborne RFC.

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Sherborne Schools Partnership The Sherborne Pyramid comprises nine primary schools, the Sherborne Learning Centre and The Gryphon School. This group is known as the Sherborne Schools Partnership (SSP) and there are five meetings per year.

Transition arrangements are outstanding. There are and have been many examples of close working between specific schools and clusters of schools.

The key aims are:

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• To be at the heart of local communities and provide an outstanding education for all the learners in the Sherborne area • To work even more effectively to raise standards and the quality of care and support for our community • To develop an even greater coherence in education provision across the Sherborne Pyramid • To share ideas and expertise between schools, subjects and phases • To develop a professional learning community Once again, this year, there have been some outstanding events involving students from the primary schools. For Primary Chess Day and Primary Maths Challenge Day local primary schools each sent a team of four of their chess players and best mathematicians to The Gryphon to compete against each other. Year 6 students also spent a morning at The Gryphon exploring Science through practical activities. We also hold a Primary Business and Enterprise Day. This year 91 Year 6 students from our nine feeder schools attended a ‘Be The Boss’ Enterprise Challenge Day. The students were in mixed teams and

had to create a healthy snack for school lunch boxes which could be sold in retail outlets before pitching their ideas to The Gryphon Dragons.

The future Parents have been informed that the Members and Governors are reviewing the best strategy for the future of The Gryphon along with its close partners.

Our priority is to continue to provide an excellent education for all our students while protecting the school’s role at the heart of our community, along with our unique qualities and strengths.

Following careful consideration, the Governing Body believes that there are a number of key benefits to becoming part of a new local primary/secondary Multi Academy Trust. The schools that have chosen to be involved are Buckland Newton CEVC Primary, St Andrews CEVC Primary (Yetminster), Sherborne Primary, Sherborne Abbey CEVC Primary, Sherborne Learning Centre (Pupil Referral Unit), St Mary’s CEVC Primary (Bradford Abbas) and The Gryphon School.

A Multi Academy Trust will allow us to strengthen the links further between our schools in order to support continuity of education from 0-19 within our community. The Sherborne Schools Partnership has worked closely together for many years to provide an excellent education for our young people, and so to collaborate more closely is an exciting prospect, particularly as academies also have greater flexibility in delivering the curriculum. The opportunities include developing our provision, sharing best practice, being more creative in our curriculum, enabling further

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development of our teachers/staff and taking collective responsibility for all of the children’s development and progress. There is also more freedom on how we spend our funding and we would be able to explore opportunities for financial efficiency, determining for ourselves which services and providers we will buy into to provide outstanding provision for our children.

There is of course much more to do in developing our ideas for the new partnership and the schools have formed a Joint Steering Board to undertake the necessary and important due diligence and planning.

If successful in our plans, we would aim to establish the Sherborne Area Schools Trust by Spring 2017.

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School to School Support We use the best ideas from around the country and beyond to help improve the experiences and opportunities of our students and staff. We also share our expertise by supporting other schools through a number of groups:

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The Jubilee Group was formed in 2012. It brings together Heads of nine large, semi-rural, high performing 11-18 comprehensives in ‘one-school’ towns in the South West. The Gryphon School is an inaugural member of the network. At its core it aims to address current, rising and strategic problems, to provide a place for reflection and mutual support, and to provide opportunities for further collaboration by other staff.

The South West Academy Group (SWAG) is a group of secondary academy schools from across Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset and Devon. Subject leaders also meet across the schools and there is an HE+ programme for gifted students.

PiXL (Partners in Excellence) emerged from the London Challenge in 2007 to develop and widen the learning and success achieved in the capital’s school improvement programme. The network has evolved from 50 schools to current membership of around 1500 secondary schools, 75 pupil referral units, 550 post-16 providers and 200 primary schools – all of whom share a desire to raise standards and inspire young people to achieve excellence in their lives. The Gryphon joined in 2014.

The Jurassic Coast Teaching Schools Alliance (JCTSA) has over 30 schools, including primary and secondary, from across Devon, Dorset and Somerset. The five schools in the North Dorset Partnership joined the JCTSA in 2015. This has provided access to subject training courses and teachers working together. Four Gryphon teachers have also been designated as Specialist Leaders in Education (SLEs) – they are training to provide school to school support through the JCTSA. The Gryphon has always been at the centre of collaboration across the five North Dorset schools in Sherborne, Gillingham, Blandford, Sturminster Newton and Shaftesbury and there continues to be close leadership connections. We lead The North Dorset Partnership for School Direct teacher training placements - there were 8 trainees in 2015-16 and 11 starting in 2016-17. For the first time we also have a trainee under the Troops for Teachers training scheme.

46 visitors have spent time in the school in advance of applying for or starting teacher training under the School Experience scheme. The SW Regional HE Advisors Conference was hosted here.

School to school support was provided for Queen Elizabeth’s School, Wimborne, Highcliffe School, Lytchett Minster School and the Sherborne Learning Centre. We held training sessions for four schools to share our new KS3 system. A whole day event was organised for both English and Maths for the five North Dorset schools and Writhlington School to compare and verify KS3 standards.

Steve Hillier – Headteacher

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Awards We have received a number of awards over the past year including being judged as outstanding in our distinctiveness and effectiveness as a Church of England school. The Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools Report (SIAMS) which took place in December 2015 praised the school’s excellent pastoral care. It also said that the school, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding at meeting the needs of all learners.

It went on to say the school’s values described and promoted as explicitly Christian, as well as relevant to all, have a profound impact on relationships, attitudes and behaviour throughout the school.

The English, Geography and Languages Departments have once again been awarded the Prince’s Teaching Institute Mark. The Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI) launched the Schools Programme in 2007 to recognise and reward school departments that develop inspirational ideas and activities which enhance teaching.

We were also delighted that our work supporting our Pupil Premium students was recognised when we were awarded a Local Winner Pupil Premium Award; one of only 7 secondary schools in the South West to be awarded this accolade.

The Gryphon School has also been given a Gold Award for LGBT+ inclusion in the school community. It follows the school’s work with Educate & Celebrate’s five point Best Practice Programme. The aim of the programme is to make as many schools as possible LGBT+ friendly by including LGBT+ role models in lessons, discussing

LGBT+ issues openly and supporting students who identify as LGBT+. Even though the school has only been working with Educate & Celebrate for a year, we are delighted to have achieved Best Practice Status as well as winning the Gold Award.

This year we have been accepted as an Arkwright Affiliated School. This means our students can apply for an Arkwright scholarship. Arkwright’s focus is to identify and nurture future leaders in Engineering and related areas of Technical Design.

It is open to candidates actively considering university study and a future career in

Engineering (including Computing and Software) or a related area of Design (Systems Design, Industrial Design,Process Design, Technical Product Design etc).

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In Memoriam Annie Sinnott MBE Governor of The Gryphon School Annie Sinnott, who was one of our dedicated and committed governors, died suddenly in April at the age of 70. She is greatly missed by all of us, and we remember her with much love and affection. Annie was appointed to the Governing Body in January 2009 as one of its Community Governors.

As a member of our Governing Body, we have been privileged to enjoy and share her wit, wisdom, passion and generosity of spirit.

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The unfailing support, understanding and encouragement Annie has given our students over many years has been hugely beneficial. Some went on to join her at The Old Vicarage, the care home in Leigh which she opened with her husband in 1984. In 2007, she was awarded an MBE in recognition of her services to social care.

She saw staff as being the heart of any successful organisation and recognised the commitment, hard work, dedication and sheer ability of those at The Gryphon.

She was immensely respected in her professional life on a local and national level, and we feel honoured that she chose to share part of her time and herself with us.

John Paulley MBE John Paulley, who died in May at the age of 88, was a great supporter of The Gryphon School. He was educated at Foster’s School and went on to teach in Blandford for many years. He worked tirelessly to promote education long after his retirement in 1987.

He was a governor at The Blandford School and set up The Paulley Charitable Trust to provide financial assistance to youngsters in Blandford Forum and surrounding areas who may otherwise not have been able to take full advantage of opportunities offered to them. He was passionate about the importance of sport and donated a shield to The Gryphon School to be awarded annually for progress in Physical Education.

Whenever he could Mr Paulley would come to the Celebration of Achievement to present the John Paulley Award in person. It was always a pleasure to see him and his contribution to the school will be sorely missed.

Mr Paulley was awarded an MBE for services to education in 2013.

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Don Mildenhall, MBE Governor of The Gryphon School Don Mildenhall, who was one of our longest serving Governors, died in August 2015 at the age of 89. He was a great supporter of Sherborne and The Gryphon. Despite his age he regularly attended all governor meetings and over the years has made a huge and important contribution to The Gryphon School. Don had a great sense of humour, a sharp mind and a kind considerate persona. He always had a polite and positive welcome for everyone.

Don was a former editor of the Western Gazette and in 1999 was made an MBE for services to journalism. He was a Governor of both the Lord Digby’s School and Foster’s School before they both closed and he became a governor here at The Gryphon.

He was much loved and respected and deeply involved in the community life of Sherborne right up until his death.

He was a wonderful man and we miss him deeply.

Steve Hillier – Headteacher

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Appointments

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It has been a slightly busier than normal year for staff recruitment. The school employs 108 teachers as well as a further 126 staff supporting students, school administration, site and cleaning, the nursery and catering. There were 25 teachers who left at the end of 2014-15 including 6 part-time colleagues. We are proud that 9 gained promotions including to senior leadership. There were also 4 retirements, 4 moving out of the area, 4 to other schools and 4 leaving for personal reasons.

Particular thanks should go to those teachers who have been at the school providing great teaching for 10 or more years - Linda Mumford (English), Helen Pardoe and Ann Vicary (MFL), Cath Freeborn (Science), Kelly Hodges (Business), Shelley Coombs (Geography), Richard Lund (PE) and Nick Wright (Art). In the support staff team the following colleagues gave 10 or more years of wonderful and committed service to The Gryphon School – Pat Balmer, Pat Thumwood, Felicity John, Lizzie Kingsbury, Pam Shepherd, Pippa Smith, Liz Arkell, Janet Ashby, Tracey Ayres and Jane Weir.

Jane Tutton stepped down as the Head of Sixth Form having provided outstanding leadership for many years. Philippa Huggins, her Deputy, took over for 2015-16 supported by the Sixth Form Leadership Group. Gordon Smith retired as the School Bursar after 7 years of exceptional service and Chris Vigar, the Deputy Bursar, took over the role.

We invested in the best staff available and welcomed 25 new teachers to the school who brought with them energy, enthusiasm and new ideas.

Over 500 applied for the teacher jobs available. We recruit from across the country and those returning from teaching abroad and appointed subject specialists who have taken a degree and teaching qualification at top universities.

Internally, Hollie Belcher took over as Head of MFL, Anna-Louise Griffiths and Bethan West led RE and Geoff Cooke ran the DofE scheme. There were 11 new appointments to the Support Staff Team including Jem Shackleford taking on a new specialist role leading Mindfulness to support students, staff and parents. This is the first time a Mindfulness expert has been appointed at the school.

Looking to the future 2016-17 In September we welcomed new members of staff joining us from schools around this country and abroad, and also those starting their careers, following teacher training at universities. There are 20 new teachers joining the 108 strong teacher team. Stephen Strowger is a new Assistant Headteacher and Head of Sixth Form. Other new Heads of Department are Stephanie Rann as Head of RE, Sally Dutton, as Head of Geography and Joe Miles as Head of Year 7. In 2016-17 Alan Cummings will lead PE and Sport following Chris South’s return to Scotland. There are also new appointments to the support staff team including in PR and Marketing, SEND support, administration and subject technicians.

Nigel Rees, our Chair of Governors, was this year selected to be a National Leader of Governance. This means he will share his expertise with other schools.

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The Governing Body – The Gryphon School 2015-2016 GOVERNORS Mr S Murcer Mr N Rees, (Chair of Governing Body, Member of all Committees) (Member) Mr M Sandy Mr P Tebbatt (Member) Mrs A Sinnott PARENT GOVERNORS Miss J Atyeo Mr G Booth Mr A Cooke Mr A Harding Mr H Straughan FOUNDATION GOVERNORS Mrs M George Canon E J Woods DL, (Vice Chair Governing Body, Student, Staffing and Community Committee) (Member) Mr D Smart (Member) Mr Bernard Brown Mrs C Moses STAFF GOVERNORS Mr N White, Staff Governor Mr T Crassweller, Staff Governor Miss F Roslund-Gustavsson, Staff Governor HEADTEACHER Mr S Hillier (Member of all Committees) STUDENT ASSOCIATE GOVERNORS 1. c/o The Gryphon School (Student Achievement and Experience) 2. c/o The Gryphon School (Student Achievement and Experience) SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNORS BURSAR/COMPANY SECRETARY

Mrs J Jackson, c/o The Gryphon School Mr C Vigar, c/o The Gryphon School

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Teaching Staff 2015-2016 Miss Hayley Andrews, BA (Hons), The University of Exeter Head of PSHE & Citizenship

Miss Molly Cooper, BSc (Hons), The University of Southampton, Teacher of Mathematics

Mr Duncan Armour, BSc (Hons), The University of Bristol, Teacher of Science

Miss Emilie Couturier, The Université de Rouen, Teacher of MFL

Mr Joe Baker, BA (Hons), Bath Spa University, Teacher of History Mrs Karen Baney, BA (Hons), The University of Hull, Teacher of English

Mr Thomas Crassweller, BA (Hons), The University of Exeter, Teacher of Business

Mrs Claire Barclay-Triniman, BA (Hons), The University of Hull, MA, The University of Southampton, Teacher of MFL

Mrs Sheree Cuff, BSc (Hons), The University of Southampton, Teacher of Mathematics

Mr Christopher Barker, BA (Hons), West Sussex Institute of Higher Education, Teacher of PE

Mr Alan Cummings, BSc (Hons), The University of Wales, Swansea, Head of PE

Mr Roger Baxter, BA (Hons), The University of Sheffield, Teacher of Geography

Mr Marcel Dal Din, BSc (Hons), The University of Bradford, Teacher of Product Design

Mrs Jessica Beale, BA (Hons), The University of Winchester, Head of Drama

Mrs Caroline Dallimore, BSc (Hons), The University of Bath, Teacher of Science

Miss Hollie Belcher, BA (Hons), The University of London Institute in Paris, Head of MFL Mrs Teresa Bell, BEd (Hons), The University of Bath, Teacher of Music

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Mrs Prudence Bendell, BA (Hons), The University of Southampton, Head of English

Miss Sarah Darby, BSc (Hons), Swansea University, Teacher of Geography Mrs Sarah Darlington, BA (Hons), The University of Exeter, Head of Learning Support and SENCO Mr Clark Davies, BSc (Hons), Plymouth University, Lead Teacher Physics

Miss Sophia Bending, MA (Cantab), The University of Cambridge, Teacher of Science

Mr Matthew Doble, BSc (Hons), MSc, The University of Exeter, Head of Digital Learning

Mr Christopher Bladon, BSc, Royal Holloway, The University of London, Teacher of Science

Miss Nicola Dodgson, BA (Hons), Trinity and All Saints College, The University of Leeds, Assistant Headteacher - Organisation and Community

Miss Rachel Blakemore, BSc (Hons), The University of York, MEd, The University of St Mark and St John, Plymouth, Head of Psychology

Miss Stacey Dufty, BSc (Hons), The University of Portsmouth, Teacher of Geography

Miss Francesca Blazquez-Martinez, QTLS, Bournemouth and Poole College, TheTeacher of MFL

Mr Alexander Duke, BSc (Hons), Cphys, Plymouth University, Design Lead

Miss Eleanor Booth, BA (Hons), Goldsmiths University of London, Teacher of English Mrs Teresa Bramley, BSc (Hons), The University of Southampton, Teacher of Science Mrs Jackie Brighouse, BEd (Hons), PGDip, The University of Exeter, Head of Health and Social Care

Mrs Sally Dutton, BSc (Hons), The University of Nottingham, Head of Geography Mrs Nicola Edwards, BSc (Hons), NPQH, Imperial College London, Deputy Headteacher - Students and Community Mrs Caroline Elsworth, BSc (Hons), Bournemouth University, Head of Food and Cooking Mr Gareth Fareham, BA (Hons), The Falmouth College of Arts, Teacher of Art

Mrs Amy Brinsden, DipHE with Distinction, Bournemouth University, Teacher of English

Mr Michael Fenton-Wilkinson, BA (Hons), The University of Hull, Head of Art, Design and Photography

Miss Emma Brown, BA (Hons), The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Teacher of RE

Mr Stephen Fox, BA (Hons), The University of Southampton, Teacher of English, Head of Year

Miss Laura Bucke, BA (Hons), Aberystwyth University, Teacher of History

Miss Sadie George, BA (Hons), The University of East Anglia, Teacher of English

Mr Joseph Burrows, BA (Hons), The University of Southampton, Teacher of History

Miss Francesca Gillingham, ILEX, Teacher of Law

Miss Helen Carvell, BA (Hons), The University of St Mark and St John, Plymouth, Teacher of Art

Mr James Gower, BA (Hons), MSc, The University of the West of England, Assistant Headteacher - Learning and Progression

Mrs Charlotte Cavallaro, BSc (Hons), Plymouth University, Teacher of Geography

Mr Calum Gray, BA (Hons), Durham University, Second in Mathematics

Miss Danielle Churm, BA (Hons), The University of Portsmouth, Teacher of Art

Mr James Grierson, MPhys (Oxon), The University of Oxford, Teacher of Science

Mr Harry Collis, BSc (Hons), Oxford Brookes University, Teacher of Science

Mrs Anna-Louise Griffiths, BD (Hons), Heythrop College, The University of London, Head of Religious Education

Mr Geoffrey Cooke, BSc (Hons), MA, The Open University, Teacher of Mathematics

Miss Fiona Guest, BA (Hons) (Oxon), The University of Oxford, Lead Teacher Science

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Mr Martin Gunn, BSc (Hons), The University of Birmingham, Lead Teacher Chemistry

Miss Lucinda Offord, BA (Hons), The University of Chichester, Teacher of English

Mr Robert Harris, BA (Hons), Middlesex University, Second in History

Dr Anthony Otto, BSc (Hons), The University of Bristol, PhD, The University of Reading, Teacher of Science

Miss Laura Harry, BSc (Hons), The University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Teacher of PE, Head of Year Miss Emma Hayward, BA (Hons), The University of Warwick, Lead Teacher Years 6-9 Miss Emma Hensman, BA (Hons), The University of Bristol, Lead Teacher German Mrs Nicola Hester, BA (Hons), The University of East London, Head of Business and Enterprise Mr Stephen Hillier, MA (Cantab), NPQH, The University of Cambridge, Headteacher

Mr Timothy Ovenden, BSc (Hons), NPQH, The University of Leicester, Deputy Headteacher - Learning, Teaching and Staffing Mrs Bethan Oxford, BSc (Hons), London South Bank University, Teacher of Media Miss Tanya Pakijavan, BEd (Hons), The University of Exeter, Teacher of PE, Head of Year Mrs Pamela Peacocke, BA, The University of South Africa, Teacher of Mathematics, Head of Year Mr Gareth Peirson, BSc (Hons), Loughborough University, Teacher of PE

Mr Jonathan Hodge, BA (Hons), The University of Gloucestershire, Teacher of Religious Education

Miss Joanna Peters, BEd (Hons), The University of St Mark and St John Plymouth, Teacher of PE

Miss Laura Howell, BA (Hons) (Oxon), The University of Oxford, Teacher of English

Mr James Phillips, BSc (Hons), The University of Portsmouth, Head of Mathematics

Mrs Philippa Huggins, BSc (Hons), The University of Bristol, Teacher of Science, Head of Year

Mr Stephen Phillips, BA (Hons), Lancaster University, Head of History

Ms Karrianne Hughes-Batt, BA, Murdoch University, Perth, Teacher of English

Mrs Sarah Redmond-Fareham, BA (Hons), Bath Spa University, Second in Art, Design and Photography

Miss Catherine Jackson, BA (Hons), MA, The Anglia Polytechnic University, Teacher of English

Mr Robin Prince, BSc (Hons), The University of Exeter, Teacher of Mathematics

Mrs Jenny Salmon, BA (Hons), Plymouth University, Teacher of Textiles

Miss Anna Jensen, BA (Hons), Bath Spa University, Teacher of Textiles

Mrs Sarah Slade, BA (Hons), The University of Sussex, Teacher of MFL

Miss Ellen John, BSc (Hons), The University of Southampton, Teacher of Mathematics

Mr Christopher Smith, BA (Hons), The University of the West of England, Teacher of History

Miss Charlotte Kelley, BA (Hons), Queen Mary University of London, Teacher of English

Miss Sophia Smith, BSc (Hons), The University of Exeter, Teacher of Psychology

Mr Luke Kirby, BSc (Hons), The University of Exeter, Teacher of Geography

Mr Christopher South, BSc (Hons), University College Chichester, Director of Sport

Mr Stuart Lawson, BSc (Hons), NPQH, The University of Bristol, Assistant Head - Curriculum and Standards Mrs Nicola Le Good, BSc (Hons), The University of Manchester, Teacher of Science Mrs Kim Manton-Steer, BSc (Hons), The Open University, Teacher of Mathematics Miss Beth Martin, BSc (Hons), The University of the West of England, Teacher of Science

Mrs Susan Thomas-Peter, BEd (Hons), The University of Southampton, Teacher of English Mrs Emma Turner, BA (Hons), The University of Southampton, Teacher of Media Mr Patrick Unwin, BA (Hons) (Oxon), The University of Oxford, Teacher of Mathematics Mrs Ellen Walker, BA (Hons), University of Sunderland, Teacher of Music

Mrs Katherine McGreal, BA (Hons), Lancaster University, Head of Nurture and Literacy

Mrs Vanessa West, BA (Hons), Goldsmith’s College, The University of London, Teacher of English

Mr Joe Miles, BSc (Hons), Southampton Solent University, BTEC Lead Teacher, Head of Year

Miss Hannah White, BSc (Hons), Plymouth University, Teacher of Mathematics

Mr Valdon Mizen, GRSM, LRAM, Dip RAM, Royal Academy of Music, Head of Music

Miss Amy Whiting, BA (Hons), The University of Exeter, Lead Teacher Spanish

Mrs Bethan Moore, BA (Hons), The University of Birmingham, Teacher of RE Mrs Catherine Moore, BSc (Hons), The University of Cardiff, Teacher of Science Mr Lee Moore, BSc (Hons), The University of Portsmouth, Lead Teacher Biology Miss Victoria Mullan, BSc (Hons), Buckinghamshire New University, Teacher of Science

Mr Nigel White, MEd, The University of Exeter, Head of Computing Miss Anne Wicks, BSc, Loughborough University, Teacher of Mathematics Miss Holly Young, BA (Hons), Plymouth University, Teacher of Drama

Mr Chris Vigar, CIMA, DSBM, Bursar

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Our Mission We support and encourage every student to strive for the highest possible levels of academic achievement alongside developing the personal attributes and qualities to thrive and make a positive contribution throughout life.

Our ethos is founded upon Christian values as a Church of England School in the Diocese of Salisbury.

We are a UNICEF Rights Respecting School.

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The Gryphon School Bristol Road Sherborne Dorset DT9 4EQ T: 01935 813122 E: office@gryphon.dorset.sch.uk

www.gryphon.dorset.sch.uk

@GryphonSchool The Gryphon School: a company limited by guarantee Registered in England: Company Number: 08130468

TheGryphonSchool