ACADEMIC

GCSE LIVE! SCIENCE TRIP

On 27 February, Year 10 students embarked on a Science trip to ‘GCSE Live!’, Bath. The pupils were accompanied by three of our science teachers; Mrs Le Poidevin, Dr Greenway, and Mr Hudson. Ollie, Year 10, has written about the day and the interesting talks from Britain’s top scientists, all working at the cutting edge of their specialisms. "...For me the day was overwhelmingly positive. The specialist knowledge reflected by the range of professors was beyond compare, and I have learnt so much, not only about science, but future careers, exam techniques and more." Read the full write up on our website.

Eal Students Visit Oxford

A group of English as an Additional Language (EAL) students who are studying with Mrs Quick, ventured to Oxford for the day

They explored the city and took notes about Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials at the Pitt Rivers Museum and The History of Science Museum Their visit complimented their reading this term, The Northern Lights, and the work expanding their lexical awareness, as well as their knowledge of places in the UK

Public Speaking Competition

In March, three of Leweston's international students headed to Sherborne Girls with Mrs Quick, Director of International Students, for an International Public Speaking competition. All three students did well discussing a variety of topics and gained some great feedback from the judges.

Michal, Year 12, was praised for his witty presentation which kept the judges laughing, it was engaging but they were eager for more development on the topic. Weronika, Year 12, fielded some tough questions about her topic on Mathematics and whether we are being controlled by algorithms.

Monica, Year 10, was complimented on her command of the English language Her talent for speaking and her honest nature earned her an impressive third place against Sherborne Boys and Sherborne Girls.

The event was a great opportunity that we hope to continue in the future.

A TALK FROM LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR JAMES DUTTON

Sir James Dutton gave a fascinating careers presentation to Year 11 Sir James spoke to the pupils about his career experiences which include serving in the Royal Marines for 38 years in a mix of policy, training and operational appointments. Notably he completed tours in support of the police in NI and the Falklands war in 1982. Following the terrorist attacks on the USA in 2001 his appointments were focused on Iraq and Afghanistan

In 2010, he joined the US firm Bechtel, spending two and a half years establishing and running a national infrastructure development project in Gabon, West Africa. In 2013, he was appointed Governor and Commander in Chief of Gibraltar, representing HM The Queen Back with Bechtel in 2016, he returned to Africa, running development across the continent until 2021 Most recently, we were delighted to welcome Sir James as one of our School Governors.

Sir James discussed the importance of the pupils' upcoming exams but stressed that there are other important factors to consider He spoke of leadership skills, in the military and civilian life, teamwork and taking enjoyment from the work that you do. Everyone found the talk interesting and there were lots of questions at the end of his presentation.

Sixth Form Visit Exeter University

Leweston's Careers Adviser, Mrs Hutton, and Head of Sixth Form, Mr Ryan-East, took Year 12 students to the University of Exeter this term.

One of the Exeter student ambassadors was Old Antonian Kamila, who is in the first year of her degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences Everyone loved the opportunity to catch up with Kamila and hear about her experiences of Exeter University.

The students had a tour of the Streatham Campus as well as the accommodation and spent time in the Forum, where there were a variety of information stalls. The day finished with a talk from a Recruitment Officer where the students learnt more about the university, accommodation, societies, the best way to research different degree courses and the other Exeter campuses.

Rhetoric Club Explores The Growing Issue Of Antibiotic Resistance

Rhetoric is an academic enrichment activity for Years 7 to 9 and each session has a different focus to encourage pupils to think beyond the normal curriculum In previous sessions, pupils have had the opportunity to learn Mandarin but before half term the focus was Science; in particular the issue of growing antibiotic resistance. This is recognised by the World Health Organisation as one of the major challenges of our time.

Lead by Head of Biology Mrs Dawson, pupils had to conduct an experiment to determine whether there was a bacterial infection in a sample, they then undertook further testing to plot the changes in the sample after use of antibiotics There was discussion on what happens when courses of antibiotics were not completed and how mutation and resistance can occur, as well as suggestions about how to approach this complex real world problem. Pupils enjoyed the hands on approach and showed good understanding of the issues involved.

Academic Enrichment Delves Into A Variety Of Topics

Years 7 to 9 debated the idea “Does social media cause more harm than good?” in an after-school session In mixed year groups they researched the topic and planned a short speech, a rebuttal and some questions for their opposition.

The Year 10 and 11 Scholars’ Society met to debate “This house believes that climate change is inevitable”. Both sides produced strong arguments and coped well with wide ranging and challenging questions from the floor. Everyone worked well to produce informative speeches and responses.