WORTHING

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT…

STEYNING GRAMMAR SIXTH FORM OPENS WELLBEING HUB

Steyning Grammar School (SGS) Sixth Form, officially opened its Wellbeing Hub project on 11 May. Following a survey of students in 2020, SGS Sixth Form identified a need to provide more emotional support for its students as well as guidance in embedding a healthy physical lifestyle. Aimed at Key Stage 5 students, the Wellbeing Hub is a joint commitment between SGS and the mdeducational foundation, an organisation that provides dedicated mental health support to sixth forms and further education establishments across the UK.

With a grant from mdeducational foundation, a three-year plan was collaboratively developed with initiatives to raise the wellbeing of students, measured through student outcomes and survey responses. The long-term plan for the mdeducational foundation is to roll out these pilot initiatives to other schools over the next five years. Central to the project is the Wellbeing Hub, a space which supports all aspects of a students’ wellbeing. The Wellbeing Hub includes a fully equipped gym which students can use during free time, as exercise is an important part of emotional wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle. Other areas provide students a safe space to talk, take part in mindfulness activities and group sessions such as yoga, with workshops focused on e.g. exam anxiety. Local Steyning charity, Wilsons Memorial Trust has also made a financial contribution to the decoration and facilities inside of the Wellbeing Hub. A KS5 Wellbeing Lead has been in post since September 2020 with a focus on developing strategies to identify students whose level of well being is becoming a factor in their academic success and impacting on their everyday life. All students complete a questionnaire which aims to determine their levels of wellbeing based on American psychologist Martin Seligman’s research. Students who are then deemed at risk of poor wellbeing are identified and targeted with varying levels of support. More than 200 students have been accessing the Wellbeing Hub since the start of February. The opening of the Wellbeing Hub coincided with Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May 2022) which this year focused on loneliness.

Claire Monahan, Assistant Headteacher, said: “Here at Steyning Sixth Form we pride ourselves on making students’ wellbeing our priority. We recognise that academic success, now more than ever, requires more than just our excellent teaching. We want to provide the right type of support to all students to allow them to flourish and achieve the best results and outcomes in life that they can.” “The opening of the Wellbeing Hub is such a new and exciting prospect for students. It acts as a safe space to talk, listen, be mindful or let off some steam in the gym next door. Having a dedicated full-time Wellbeing Practitioner on hand for students is quite a new concept for schools but something that Steyning Grammar School has championed and is working into the curriculum. We are so proud of everything that Steyning and the Wellbeing Practitioner has achieved and hope that the students of SGS can benefit from all the Hub has to offer,” added Izzy Rainbow, mdeducational foundation co-ordinator.

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT…

SPORTS DAY RETURNS FOR PRIORY

Priory Sports Day is unlike any other sports day. For a whole day our entire school population relocated to the stunning beachside location of Southsea Common to take part in a range of sports such as football, ultimate frisbee, rounders and even Danish longball. It truly is a day filled with fun and friendly rivalry which was felt more strongly than ever this year after the launch of our new house system. Students from each house, Equity, Affinity and Tenacity, competed to earn coveted points and the top place on the podium for their house champion at the end of the day. The weather this year was especially kind to us with a sunny day forecast and delivered.

The day began with everyone registering and getting in the competitive spirit by donning face paints in their house colours. Staff also went all out to represent their house wearing red, green or orange clothing depending on what house they are in. The day ran incredibly smoothly with students rotating through four of a possible eight activities. All the while teams were earning points and making fantastic memories. “Our sports day is really the gem in the crown. It’s so nice to see the students back to some sort of normality. They have had three years of disruption and have not been able to experience so much outside. Sports day is a big event in our game-changing curriculum calendar, helping students build confidence and resilience.” said Science teacher and Outdoor Coordinator, Bridgeen England-Wood. When asked about the day, Year 7 student Liam said: “It has been really nice to get outside with all my friends today and do some different activities.”

Year 8 student Molly added: “It’s such a fun day, everyone said Priory sports day was the best and now that I have done one for myself I agree. I’ve had a great day and hope my house wins the most points.” The day ended with a gathering for the final points reveal. After a big build up including many Mexican waves by the crowd, Equity House, lead by Ms Mazzolla, emerged to get top place on the podium. The atmosphere was incredibly uplifting and the excitement from the students was clearly visible, and audible from their cheers!

“After three years of being unable to run our Sports Day it feels particularly special today. This event celebrates team and community. It is a huge logistical exercise which takes months of planning, but the students have been brilliant, engaged and positive. It’s been a real joy to be able to run this event again,” said Stewart Vaughan, Headteacher. We are already looking forward to next year!

PRIORY’S FIRST GAME-CHANGER PURSUIT WEEK IS AN ENORMOUS SUCCESS

OVER THE PAST YEAR PRIORY STAFF HAVE WORKED HARD TO REINVIGORATE AND EMBED THE ETHOS OF BEING A GAME-CHANGER INTO ALL ASPECTS OF SCHOOL LIFE AND THE CURRICULUM.

The Priory Game-Changer curriculum has six core pillars, chosen in collaboration with students, which underpin the values and ethos of being a Game-Changer; Leadership, Community, Excellence, Resilience, Positivity, and Creativity. Lessons and activities include and reference these pillars wherever possible and students are recognised for exhibiting these attributes by earning themselves, and their house, points for participating or achieving well in one of these six areas. The pinnacle of the Game-Changer curriculum in the 2021-22 year has been an inaugural Game-Changer Pursuit Week, which was a truly spectacular and activity-filled week for all students. The aim of the week was to enable every single student to access opportunities that would broaden their horizons, develop their Game-Changer characteristics and give them all experiences which they may not have previously had the opportunity to engage with. Across the week we had more than 50 providers in school offering workshops in a broad range of activities such as multisports, business and public speaking, NHS careers, CPR & first aid, Thriller dancing, junk funk music, drones and coding, astronomy wonderdome, archery & team building challenges. Students also ventured out to activities across the local area, such as visiting the Mary Rose Museum, New Forest Waterpark, Gun Wharf Quays, and Fort Purbrook activity centre. Additionally,

more than 70 Year 9 students chose to take up the opportunity to go to Paris for the week. Planning for this year’s Pursuit week has already begun and promises to deliver the same high quality and varied opportunities to our students.

“This week was designed with the express intention of providing a wide array of experiences for our students, experiences they have so sorely missed through the pandemic. To offer 33 different trips and organise over 50 visitors to the site is a monumental undertaking and I must pay tribute to the main leads on this enterprise, Miss Mazzola and Ms Spalding, they have been outstanding. What we have seen is good learning, fun and laughter and a fabulous range of opportunities, it has been a joy,” said Stewart Vaughan. Tilly-Mae in Year 10 attended a workshop run by social enterprise Unloc at Portsmouth Guildhall as one of her activities in the week: “It was a wonderful inspirational day, I can definitely say I grew in confidence from the start of the day to the end. I very enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone looking to develop and learn about workplace skills.” Ami tried kayaking at Andrew Simpson Watersports Centre and had a fantastic time and really developed her confidence: “Mrs Weeks took me out on the water in a double kayak - I was scared to go on the water because I can’t swim but I grabbed the opportunity to try something new - that’s what this week is all about!”

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT… SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT…

‘COACHING CHAMPIONS’ AT BOHUNT SCHOOL LIPHOOK BOHUNT SCHOOL LIPHOOK RETURNS TO THE STAGE WITH A ‘SHREKTACULAR’ PERFORMANCE OF SHREK THE MUSICAL

Have you ever thought about using coaching as part of your teaching and in your work with your colleagues? If so, you may be aware of the many benefits coaching can bring to raising achievements amongst your students and increasing performance and wellbeing amongst your colleagues. This academic year, I have led the coaching programme ‘Coaching Champions’ at Bohunt School Liphook and it has been an exciting journey together with my colleagues. The course is open to any staff member at the school and it has two clear goals: to support our students in the classroom with a special focus on strengthening their Executive Functioning Skills (EFS) and to embed coaching amongst colleagues to deliver a motivating and supportive working environment. Through sessions delivered as part of period 6 on a Friday throughout the academic year we have explored a number of coaching models and theories as well as coaching each other. Each member of staff has been paired up with a colleague and practised the various coaching models to improve their coaching skills.

Using coaching in the classroom offers a range of opportunities to make our students grow their self-confidence and explore new ways of learning in a safe environment. When we coach the students on how to use their EFS as part of their journey to mastery, they not only become aware of the importance of understanding what EFS are but, more importantly, why this holistic approach to understanding their own strengths and weaknesses leads to success.

Besides the vast amount of research which backs up the pedagogical reasons for coaching EFS in the classroom, it is these key skills that employers are looking for when deciding to offer a job to a young person. We want to ensure that our students do not miss out on improving their competitive edge when they leave school.

I am really excited to be creating and delivering this bespoke coaching course and having the opportunity to work with such committed and gifted colleagues. I will be starting another group of coaching champions in September. If you would like more information please contact me on PSogaard@bohunt.hants.sch.uk. Paul Anders Søgaard Paul is a former parent and teaches psychology and sociology. He is an accredited Transformational Coach (Animas London) and an Executive Functional Coach (CIM London). Budding actors from Bohunt School in Liphook returned to the stage after a two-year break to produce and perform the musical extravaganza, Shrek the Musical. Bohunt School’s production ran over four nights and one matinee (12-15 July) to a packed house at the Bedales Olivier Theatre in Petersfield.

The audience was drawn into the fun-filled story of Shrek, meeting fairytale creatures with a cast, crew and orchestra of 95 students from Year 7 to Year 12 and the audience showed their appreciation and enjoyment with standing ovations and applause. The production was a collaboration across the entire school, which included sixth formers working with a 4-metre tall dragon puppet and exploding bird, to former students playing in the 20-piece orchestra. Andrew Miles, a Bohunt School Alumni, gave his time and expertise for lighting design and tech. The production was also supported by the wider Bohunt Education Trust community with Anita Brincat helping backstage and Gary Green with the photography. Carly Du Feu, Bohunt School’s Head of Expressive Arts, said: “After being unable to perform since the incredible Beauty and the Beast in 2019 due to the pandemic, I was so happy we could finally put on this magnificent production of Shrek the Musical.” “A massive thank you to the cast, crew, production team and staff, who spent their spare time making the show a huge success. From unloading a 16 metre-long lorry to building the set, helping with costumes, quick changes, hair, make- up, sound, lighting, stage management, front of house, refreshments, we even had a team dedicated to creating our own student designed merchandise. Thanks, too, to the Bedales Olivier Theatre staff and – once again, to our fabulous cast!” Neil Strowger, Headteacher at Bohunt School, added: “Huge congratulations to students and staff who made such a fabulous production possible. Despite the sweltering heat, the cast performed magnificently and in a true display of Bohunt resilience adopted a ‘show must go on’ and positive attitude.”