Celebrate The Official Magazine of St. Birinus School “Inspiring Excellence”
“On Your Marks” Maths Challenge South Africa Link School Visit St. Birinus School, Mereland Road, Didcot OX11 8AZ 01235 814444 reception@st-birinus.oxon.sch.uk www.st-birinus.org.uk
Ed Vaizey visit
Message from the Editor... Not only is this the first edition of Celebrate of the academic year, it is also my first as Editor, so I hope I turn out to be a suitable successor to Mrs Wilson (who we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to on the recent birth of her baby!) Once again, we have a magazine packed with news from St Birinus, and for this we must thank the hard work of the Press Club (see below). We’re also looking for stories from past pupils, so if you used to attend St Birinus (or know someone who did!) please get in touch. The school has now got a Twitter account too; you can see the newsfeed on the homepage of our website and we’d love it for people to follow us to keep up to date with our news. You can find the details on the back page of Celebrate. Mr Brown, Editor
This edition of Celebrate was put together with the hard work of the following members of the Press Club: Ala’Eddin Bayaa Lee Besley Morgan Davies Chris Gadd Joe Guntrip Marc Hackett Liam Hancock Harry Hastings Tom Lawrence Matthew O’Dea If you’d like to help with the next edition, please get in touch with Mr Brown who can let you know when the Press Club will be meeting next.
National and International Link School Visit We were honoured to host a week long visit from Felicia Gqokoda (pictured below), the Deputy Head of Sakhululeka School, our South Africa Link School. She had a packed week of meeting staff and observing school life, but managed to squeeze in an interview on her last day.
She discussed the differences between the lessons offered between our schools. For example, they do not have any Music or Psychology lessons and PE is part of their PSHE lessons, but they have a sophisticated set-up for Commerce Studies, which is split into three separate classes (Accounting, Business Studies and Economics). Later, she talked of the benefits that all the donations from St Birinus have made to their school, especially after their
devastating fire; now that they have more books for reading, the pupils’ vocabulary has improved, they use the new science and technology equipment daily and uniforms have been given to those who were most needy. She also told us how her students fought to keep their school open after the fire because they enjoyed the teaching methods used and wanted to work with the teachers to achieve positive results. She also mentioned how we have a good culture of work at the school, with everyone rushing to their lessons when the bell sounds, and approves of the School Council. She plans to take many of these ideas back to her own school. Ms Gqokoda was interviewed by Liam Hancock, Chris Gadd, Joe Guntrip and Tom Lawrence
On Your Marks
Olympics, with 20,000 pupils across the UK taking part. As a school we On the 13th and 14th June, 41 year 8 achieved 3rd place overall, with inboys took part in the On Your Marks dividual pupils doing exceptionally Maths Challenge. This was set up well too: Nathan Hawkes came 9th by Mathletics to celebrate the 2012 out of all secondary school pupils, with Keiran Agg (12th), Matthew Slade (16th) and Ben Carless (58th) not far behind.
of them a ticket for every 1000 points that they achieved - some boys had one ticket whilst others had up to 13! Mr Richards came along to a celebration event and picked out Ben’s winning ticket.
On the 27th June we went to the House of Lords where Lord Knight of Weymouth proudly presented Ben As a result, we were invited to the the trophy on behalf of the school. House of Lords to pick up our trophy. As I could only take one pupil with Mrs Geary-Andrews and Harry Hastings (8.4) me, I decided to do a raffle so that everyone who took part would have a chance of going. To make it reflect Ben is pictured with Lord Knight of the effort the boys made, I gave each Weymouth and the trophy.
Olympic Torch Bearer Earlier this year, James Harrison from the Sixth Form, was selected to carry the Olympic Torch through a stretch of Kidlington. James was then kind enough to come to SBS twice to show other pupils his torch. Below is James’ personal account of his experience.
ly see first-hand what the Olympics does, bringing everyone together, seeing so many smiles on young and The day finally came around, getting old faces. That’s what the Olympics up considerably early to make sure I means most to me, not the fact that had everything I needed and mainly people win and lose, but the idea because I couldn’t sleep with the that people have come together. thoughts “What if I drop it? What if it goes out? What if I fall over?” When I look back over this swimming around my head a milevent in my life, I think I will allion times. But eventually I got to ways remember that day as where I needed to be and met some one of the best days of my life.” of the other inspirational people who would be carrying the flame James is pictured on the front cover. before me. We then hopped onto a bus and were placed in our starting points. The 10 minutes I stood there were the most surreal minutes of my life, being asked by people for photographs, telling people why I was carrying the flame and generally being wished good luck.
“Around December 2011 I received a phone call from the Torch Relay Team asking me if I wanted to be a Torch Bearer. At first I was pretty sure it was a joke, but after a conversation with the team member he assured me that I would be running with the Olympic Flame. I was delighted, as I’m sure the other 7,999 carriers were! When I found out the date and where I would be carrying the flame I became even more excited, being so relieved that I would be Eventually it was my time, a ‘kiss’ of carrying it so close to my hometown! torches had connected and my torch was lit! I was tapped on the shoulI had been nominated to carry der by one of the security team and the flame by my brother; he too was told that we “were going for was a member of St Birinus School a little run”. I honestly can’t write and was diagnosed with cancer what happened next because I can’t in 2001. Since then I have done remember; all I could do was run, a lot of fundraising for a charity smile and wave to the thousands of called O.S.C.A.R. which offers sup- people that had come out to see the port to children and relatives that flame. This added two things - more have had brain or spinal tumours. pressure to not fall over! But mainly an enormous sense of pride; to final-
Swimming Harry James (6th Form) has been swimming competitively for about 7 years. Last term Harry qualified for the Youth Nationals in Sheffield in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events - his qualifying time was 1 min 7 seconds, which put him in 4th place in the country going into the competition. He has also been selected to go to Australia on the 20th December to compete in the
New South Wales Youth Olympics as an individual and as part of a relay team. We have asked him to keep a diary with photos so that he can share these with us when he returns to college; he will be spending Christmas Day on the beach and visiting the Blue Mountains as well as training hard! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Harry and we wish him luck in his competitive swimming career and look forward to hearing his news. Dr Zabierek
Enterprise Day
tors attending and design an app for the ticket buyers as a souvenir On the 29th June, Key Stage 3 pu- of their day. The teams had to propils took part in an Enterprise Day. vide enough evidence to convince a The challenge was to use their panel of judges that their event was maths and science skills to plan a accessible, sustainable, and that it major sporting event in the local would leave a lasting legacy for the area. They had to think about how it local area. would excite, inspire and showcase The day was a version of the Olympic local and national talent. Challenge event organised by STEM, Each team chose a sport and a loca- and the pupils’ efforts will contribtion, and then had to work out what ute to completing the Bronze Crest resources, facilities and equipment Award from the British Science Aswould be needed for the event. sociation. They also had to work on lowering the carbon footprint of the specta-
Matthew O’Dea (10.2)
Mazama Members of the Mazama Saxophone Quartet came to school on the 4th July. They brought their soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones to play to many Gifted & Talented pupils. The name “Mazama” comes from a volcano which is now a crater with a lake in it. Just before coming to SBS they had played in Oxford and then were going to St Andrews, Scotland soon after for a big concert. The professional Quartet comes from America, but is in the UK touring a program called Pubs, Churches and Donkeys. They have played across the globe, including at North American Saxophone Alliance conferences, a tour of Mexico and at the China Music Trade Show in Shanghai. Lee Besley (8.3) and Mr Walker
Wimbledon Mr Tamblin and Mr Tomline accompanied the St Birinus Tennis Squads on their annual visit to the Wimbledon championships last Summer. They watched new British hopeful Heather Watson win her 2nd round match on Court 2 and then saw Men’s 8th seed Janko Tipsarevic win his 1st round match. The boys all had the opportunity to watch some tennis on centre court including Novak Djokovic. A great day with some fantastic strawberries and cream! Harry Hastings (8.4) and Mr Tamblin
Oxitec Visit
New Buildings
On the 25th and 27th July, 35 Year 12 biologists went to Oxitec in Milton Park. Oxitec is a small biotech company that aims to control insects that spread disease and damage crops around the world. The students were given an introductory talk by Dr Derric Nimmo about his work with mosquito species. In addition to the talk, students were able to have a go at some of the practical techniques that the company use. This included taking
Welcome back! While you have been away St Birinus School has been busy working, working to produce some fantastic new buildings. Firstly, a large extension has been added to our dining hall, with an opening ceremony planned during September or October. The new extension offers 50-60 new seats and large doors opening out to a picnic area outside. Here the walls have been decorated with a mural created by students during Alternative Education Week with a time-
wing-length measurements to identify the sex of the mosquito, identification of genetically altered mosquitoes and comparisons of different mosquito species. This was a fantastic opportunity for our year 12s to see some ground-breaking research and be able to learn a little bit more about genetic engineering ready for their A2 course next year. Dr Hill
Sports Day
in the morning. All events were well attended by participants, with a The annual Sports Day took place notable performance coming from at the end of last term. Since most Eima Maede from Year 10 in the Triof the term had featured rain, there ple Jump. were fears of a washout, but with beautiful blue skies the day was a Track events were hotly contested in the afternoon, but by the end great success! of the day Spartan House had triAs usual, the field events took place umphed, winning the overall House Sports Cup for 2011-12. The full
line showing different people and events throughout the 75 years the school has been here. Also there is another new picnic area situated between the Maths block and the history ‘L’ block. This one has been designed to have a canopy covering benches which students can eat at. This project was first thought of by a combination of the governing body, Student Council and of course Mr Richards himself. The school has used money left to us by Mr John Richards when he passed away; both his children came to this school, so Mr Richards wanted it to go towards improving life here for students. Marc Hackett (11.3)
sports results are as follows: 1st: Spartan, 29 points 2nd: Athenian, 18 points 3rd: Corinthian, 16 points 4th: Trojan, 14 points Harry Hastings (8.4), Mr Tamblin and Mr Brown Photo by Marc Hackett (11.3)
Year 7 Band Last term a year 7 band played their first gig. The band members were William Fothergill (guitar), Harry Suafin (guitar), Lewis Heinz (piano and vocals) and Dan Owens (drums). They practised every day during lunch 2 before the gig. I went to watch; before they started it was a little crazy but when they started to play it was great! They hope to start writing their own songs soon. They would like to say thank you to Mrs Almgill. Harry Hastings (8.4)
Ed Vaizey
Gravity Racers On the 8th July a group of year 10 engineering students took part in the Gravity Racers competition at Richards Castle near Ludlow. The boys raced cars that nearly 60 pupils considering they were competing in year 10 had helped to build. The teams managed to against professionals. achieve 5th, 8th and 13th place, Mr Brown which was an exceptional result
to the town and its shops. Next, Ed Vaizey explained what he does as On the 5th July, St Birinus and an MP (working in the “Ministry of Sixth Form Councillors had the Fun”) and how it is like having four honour of meeting the Didcot and different jobs. He mentioned that Wantage MP and Minister for Cul- he also helps the town itself, and ture, Ed Vaizey. Ed Vaizey came that his priorities are to help peoto St Birinus to talk about what is ple who are poor, unfortunate and in need of urgent support. happening in Didcot.
safety in schools, the Olympics’ effect on Didcot and why he became an MP, with all questions coming from the students.
After the questions, the MP thanked the people who were involved in the meeting and gave hopes to everyone to have a good future. Then there were extra Around 12:30, Ed Vaizey entered At 1pm, the students began asking questions during a small break bethe main school building and was a range of questions to Ed Vaizey fore everyone was dismissed. greeted by many staff and students about his work and issues relatbefore being taken to the school ing to Didcot. For example, he was Mr Duxbury, co-organiser of the hall where members of the School asked for his opinion on University event, said “Ed Vaizey spoke enterCouncil were waiting. He was then fees, which he replied “students tainingly about his background... shown a video presentation that are really put off by the increase of then was grilled by our School had been made for the Mary Por- fees, so some are not going to Uni- Councillors. He commented on tas Project to do with improving versity but to work in apprentice- the quality of the questions and Didcot. The video came 5th in the ships”. He was also asked about his the impeccable behaviour of the competition, but the community views on military cuts, responding boys. All in all, it was a very enjoystill received money for further im- that “it is a tough decision”. Other able and successful event”. provement and redevelopments topics discussed included the rise Morgan Davies (10.5) of academies, post office closures,
Summer Exam Success Over the Summer we had the usual A-Level and GCSE results days. Once again, student results were extremely high and everyone was delighted to see their hard work pay off. To help celebrate, many of our A-Level students were interviewed by BBC Radio Oxford and broadcast later that day, whilst Pete Read, the Mayor of Didcot, came and congratulated many of the GCSE students a week later at their results. Mr Read was especially excited to see so many Year 11 pupils signing up to stay on at the 6th Form College and called St Birinus “a school of choice in the area.”
A-Level Results
GCSE Results
Of the 174 students who sat their A2 exams this summer:
Of the 204 pupils who sat their GCSE exams this summer:
• • • • • •
• 59% of all entries gained 5A*-C grades including English and Maths • 70% of all entries gained 5A*-C grades • 95% of all entries gained 5A*-G grades • 17 students gained 7 or more A/A* grades • 26 of the 28 Year 10 students who took their GCSE Mathematics early gained A/A* grades
99.4% of pupils achieved the pass rate 73% of all entries gained A*-C grades 44% of all entries gained A*-B grades 99% of all entries gained A*-E grades 21% of all entries gained A*-A grades 4% of all entries gained A* grades
‘These results represent excellent achievement for our students and continue the trend of Didcot Sixth Form College returning strong results at A-Level year on year – well done to all students and staff! We are very proud of all of our students and wish them all the best for their futures.’ Alwyn Richards
‘These are very pleasing results – and I am delighted for all of the students who worked so hard. A big well done to all! This success continues the momentum built up from last year’s record results and means that we will be raising the bar still further for next year’s Year 11 students.’ Alwyn Richards
House Competition! If you’re in Year 7, you could win 10 House points by sending us a short article (no more than 300 words) about any aspect of SBS’s history. You could interview a teacher and ask them what has changed whilst they’ve worked here. Or you could ask an older sibling or parent who used to come to St Birinus and find out how the school used to be.
You could focus on a specific topic, for example what new buildings there are, or what lessons are now on offer that didn’t used to be. You could even find an old photo of the school and describe it! Whatever you write about, make sure you submit it to Mrs Taylor by 12th October for your chance to win!
Weightlifting James Harrison (front cover) isn’t the only pupil from St Birinus to be involved in the Olympics this year; several members of the school’s incredibly successful Weightlifting Club have also played their part. Mr Karlsson, the Weightlifting Club’s head coach, came and talked about some of the club’s latest successes and their involvement in London 2012. The club had a recent match in Spain against various European regional clubs (including teams from Catalonia, Brandenburg and Lille). Despite tough competition, the team from St Birinus came 2nd. Ben Watson - past Birinus pupil and current British Senior Champion - made a guest appearance. Ben holds the current British record on the Snatch (146kg) and has recently rejoined St Birinus whilst training for the Commonwealth Games. He was also selected to help load the bar at the Olympic Weightlifting competitions and so played a vital role during the Games. Josh Cox, who recently left the Sixth Form, was chosen to be another Torch Bearer for the Olympic Flame. He carried it through Norwich. Josh is also a member of the Olympic extended squad and, along with James Bywater, was also a Games Maker, supporting the athletes who competed at London 2012. This is just a small amount of the great successes our Weightlifting Club has had and so should be something St Birinus is incredibly proud of! Mr Brown and Mr Karlsson Top Left: squad members (top row) Robert Green, Ben Watson, (bottom row) Josh Cox, Eddie Chambers and Alex Johnson To the Left: Josh Cox with his Olympic Torch
More...?
made of other activities that took place, including the annual HagAs you can see it was a busy end bourne BBQ, the Primary Internato the year last term; so much so tional Day, the South Oxfordshire that we’ve not been able to cover School Games (where we were everything in one edition of Cel- placed 2nd overall!) Celebration ebrate! A quick mention should be Assemblies, the Birinus Bake-Off and, of course, Alternative Edu-
www.st-birinus-school.org.uk
cation Week. But never fear, as all these and more have been reported on our website so why not log on and discover more about the successes of all our pupils. You should also follow us on Twitter for the most up-to-date news from St Birinus!
@StBirinusSchool