YEAR 8 PUPILS RELAX IN THE ARDÈCHE AFTER COMMON ENTRANCE SUCCESS
100% 11+ PASS RATE FOR YEAR 6
TERRA NOVA NEWS SUMMER 2014
CONTENTS WELCOME Welcome from the Headmaster, Mark Mitchell
1 SCHOOL NEWS 100% pass rate at 11+ and 13+, New staff and structure, Parent information evenings, Alderley Edge Festival, TN Live! Boarding news, Summer activities, Philosophy 4 children, Big plans for Nursery, BBC competition
7 FEATURE Snapshot of TN
8 EYFS & JUNIOR SCHOOL Ground Force, Birdwatching, Little Voices, Fundraising, Lowry visit, Budding scientists, National Science and Engineering Week, Vets in practice, Year 1 reporters, Jodrell Bank visit, A taste of India
12 TN DRAMA Curtain raised for TN performances
13 SENIOR SCHOOL Wrekin College orchestra visit, French prep, Shakespeare Week, Musical success, Art scholarships and workshop, Clonter opera visit, Abigail’s animation, Arctic adventurers, Sedbergh choir visit, Boarding, Activity Week
18 SPORT New team, Jersey tour, Staff vs. parents netball, TN shooting team records, Adelaide’s perfect score, Cricket news, Francesca’s run, Egerton FC District Cup, Packwood Haugh Plate win, Rugby news
STAFF NEWS
WELCOME FROM THE HEADMASTER Since the last TN News I have become Headmaster at Terra Nova, and it is with immense pride that I write to you about what the children have been doing, as well as about new members of the team. We have been involved in a lengthy and rigorous recruitment process over the last term, which has resulted in several new appointments to both the school executive
Our Early Years and Junior School children have made the most of National Science and Engineering Week, and you can read all about their explosive science experiments on page 12, as well as their trip to the Museum of Science and Industry.
RESULTS ARE DUE TO THE HARD WORK OF PUPILS AND STAFF, AND ARE TESTAMENT TO THE RICH AND VARIED CURRICULUM AND TEACHING HERE AT TN team and the teaching staff. Richard Lynn has been appointed as Deputy Headmaster. A graduate of Leicester and Bristol universities, Richard has more than 25 years of experience of independent schools, and was selected because of his vast experience, professionalism and his instant connection to the ethos of Terra Nova School. Carrie Morris joins us as Head of EYFS, Jess Ollier is promoted to Head of Junior School, and we have new Junior School teaching staff with the appointments of Zoe Sumpter (Year 1), Rachael Lee (Year 1), Leanie O’Connor (Year 2), and Beth Cragg (Year 3). All of our new staff will begin at TN in September. These appointments will serve to strengthen our talented staff body, and you can read more detailed information on pages two and three. We have seen some excellent 11+ and 13+ success this term, with pupils gaining entry to Cheadle Hulme School, Stockport Grammar, King’s Macclesfield, Alderley Edge School for Girls, Denstone College, Manchester Grammar School, Fettes College, Radley College and Rugby School. Congratulations to all those who have worked hard to gain a place at their senior school. All of these results are due to the hard work of pupils and staff, and are testament to the rich and varied curriculum and teaching here at TN. Further details can be found on page one. Our TN Live! Series of events, which are geared towards parents, have continued apace and
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014
we’ve covered topics as diverse as cyber safety, mathematics teaching and methods, transition to Reception and Year 5 & 6 girls and their emotional needs. Next term will see events including the unveiling of our new outdoor classroom and TN Live! on a variety of subjects and we encourage all parents to attend. More details of past event success can be read on page four.
In the Senior School we’ve seen some great performances, opera workshops, French model making, tectonics projects, music and verse festival wins and orchestral visits. Senior School news begins on page 14. As always, our sporting ambitions never falter, and we have news of some fantastic wins and some record breaking scores, all of which you can read in the Sports section on page 18. I hope that you will share our excitement in reading about the tremendous range of activities that go on at Terra Nova.
SCHOOL NEWS
100% PASS RATE FOR 11+ AND COMMON ENTRANCE EXAMS Terra Nova has once again hit the heights with its strong 11+ and 13+ exam and scholarship results for 2014. 100% of Year 6 and Year 8 pupils have secured places at their senior school.
Entrance Exams and securing scholarships and places at some of the country’s most soughtafter senior independent day and boarding schools, as well as the best state day schools
Year 6 pupils have been successful in securing places at some of the region’s most prestigious independent day schools, with excellent 11+ examination results.
Mark Mitchell, Headmaster, added: “These results show that our pupils are gaining places at some of the best senior schools in Cheshire, Manchester and beyond, and they are testament to the hard work they put in during their time at TN.
Year 8 pupils have continued the school’s impressive tradition of passing Common
“Our teaching staff work tirelessly to prepare all of our pupils for their next schools, whether
that’s at Year 6 or Year 8, and this year’s accomplishments add to our consistently successful results at both 11+ and 13+.” The remaining Year 6 pupils will be staying at TN to progress through Years 7 & 8, after which they will move on to senior day and boarding schools across the UK. Recent Year 8 destinations have included Harrow School, Rugby School, The Manchester Grammar School, Winchester College, Cheadle Hulme School, Fettes College, Uppingham School, Repton School, and Sedbergh School. Year 6 destination schools Alderley Edge School for Girls Cheadle Hulme School Denstone College Friends School, Cambridge King’s Macclesfield Stockport Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School Tudor Hall School Year 8 destination schools Fettes College Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School King’s Macclesfield Malvern College Radley College Repton School Rugby School Sedbergh School Shrewsbury School Wilmslow High School
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 1
SCHOOL NEWS NEW STAFF AND STRUCTURE
RICHARD LYNN, DEPUTY HEADMASTER From September 2014 we welcome Mr Richard Lynn as he takes over the role of Deputy Headmaster. After an exhaustive two weeks for the Governors and Executive team, who interviewed six prospective candidates from a long list of applications, Richard was selected because of his vast experience, professionalism and his instant connection to our ethos. A graduate of Leicester and Bristol universities, Richard has more than 25 years of experience of independent schools, including houseparenting, senior leadership and headship. Having begun his career as a French teacher and boarding tutor, Richard spent a brief period in export management before returning to teaching in the late 1980s, principally at Dulwich Preparatory School, London. Thereafter, as pastoral deputy head and marketing manager of The Blue Coat School, Birmingham, Richard subsequently took on the roles of houseparent and acting head over a busy and varied 12 years. He offered the following comments about his appointment: “I am thrilled to be joining the school at such an exciting time in its history. Traditional, yet forward-thinking, and with an emphasis on the whole child, TN combines the very best aspects of a prep school education. I greatly look forward to being part of it”. Outside of the classroom Richard has coached for Warwickshire CCC and, in Kenya, for the charity Cricket Without Boundaries. A private pilot, he enjoys flying as well as fitness training (and cooking ‘messily, with no great talent’)!
CARRIE MORRIS, HEAD OF EYFS Carrie’s teaching career began in 2002, after gaining Qualified Teacher Status with a BA Hons degree in Primary Education (with English). She began her journey at a village school in Rode Heath, Cheshire as a Year 3 teacher and after completing her Newly Qualified Teacher year was invited to teach in Reception. Carrie fell in love with the early years of a child’s education, believing from the start that this is where the true foundations are laid for all future successes. She became Foundation Stage Co-ordinator and a Teacher Governor and was part of the school’s community for seven happy years. During her time at Rode Heath Primary, Carrie was given the opportunity to join the Local Authority Moderation Team, where she spent time validating the assessment judgements of other early years teachers across Cheshire East. An invitation to apply for a job on the Early Years and Child Care team at Cheshire East Local Authority was born from this role and she has spent the past five years feeling very privileged to have found such an interesting and rewarding job. The role saw her supporting nursery managers, their practitioners and Early Years teachers to improve and build upon their current practice through visits and training, with the Early Years Foundation Stage document at the heart of her work. In later years as part of this team, Carrie has been helping settings to achieve good and outstanding practice in order to support funded two-year-olds within Cheshire East. TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 2
JESSICA OLLIER, HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL After an extremely competitive recruitment process, both internally and externally, it can be announced that from September 2014 Jessica Ollier will be promoted into an Executive role as Terra Nova’s new Head of Years 1 to 4 (Juniors). Jessica has been teaching for 17 years, and has taught every year group from Nursery to Year 8. This has given her a very broad view of education and what is required to ensure there is excellence at each level of a child’s school life. She developed a particular interest in children with special educational needs, and completed a post graduate qualification to become a specialist dyslexia teacher before going on to spend nine years in the managerial role of SENCO in a large school in Crewe. Jessica has been with Terra Nova for more than four years, and began her life here in the Learning Support Department. She currently teaches as a Year 1 class teacher. She has also been heavily involved in supporting Rachel Cookson with leadership and management of the Junior School, and was very much part of the recent initiatives introduced in this area. Jessica made the following comments about her new appointment: “I am thrilled with my recent promotion to Head of Juniors. I feel privileged to be able to contribute at Executive level to the future development of the school. I am very much looking forward to meeting those parents who do not know me, and to working with the team of exceptional teaching and support staff to provide a caring, supportive environment for your children to thrive in”.
BETH CRAGG, YEAR 3 TEACHER After graduating from Lancaster University, Beth completed a PGCE in primary teaching at St Martin’s College. Beth’s first teaching post was at an outstanding state primary school in Oldham where, after just one year, she was promoted to the position of Key Stage One Leader. Beth held the position of English Leader at Shrewsbury International School Bangkok, sister school of Shrewsbury UK and one of the top performing schools in the region. In 2013, Beth returned to London and is currently Form 1teacher at Queens College Prep School, with the responsibility of building a new creative theme-based curriculum. Beth is excited about returning to the North West and is delighted to be joining the teaching team at Terra Nova School. She will be moving with her long term partner Peter, a qualified Architect and Interior Designer.
SCHOOL NEWS
RACHEL LEE, YEAR 1 TEACHER Rachel Lee is 23 years old and a graduate of Edge Hill University. She gained a first class honours degree in Primary Education, with QTS specialising in literacy, language and communication, and is currently working as a Year 1 teacher at Birkenhead Preparatory School. Rachel will join us as Year 1 form teacher.
ZOË SUMPTER, YEAR 1 TEACHER (JOB SHARE WITH LIZ BUTTERS Zoë has been teaching for 14 years, and has taught each year group from nursery to Year 3.
PARENT INFORMATION EVENINGS Parents were invited to join us for three evening presentations during May, to hear about some exciting future developments for the school and specifically the early years learning environment. Parents had the opportunity to meet Carrie Morris, Jess Ollier and Richard Lynn during the evenings, all of whom spoke about their excitement at coming to work at TN. Carrie also announced during the evening, an exciting new venture for our Nursery children. The TNPSC have kindly agreed to fund a beautiful outdoor playground project in Nursery. The project will see the creation of an additional play space at the back of the Nursery, complete with soft flooring and an overhead roof, enabling the children to access the fresh air and the outdoors, whatever the weather.
After teaching Reception at Rossall Preparatory School and Years 1 and 2 in the Lytham St. Anne’s area, Zoë moved to teach Year 1 at Notting Hill and Ealing High School Junior Department in West London. Following this, Zoë relocated to Cheshire where she became Literacy Co-ordinator at Alderley Edge School for Girls and then began teaching at The King’s School, Macclesfield after having her family. Here, Zoë helped to develop the creative curriculum planning and teaching style in Reception and Year 1. “I am overjoyed to have secured a permanent position at Terra Nova School. After sharing a busy spring term getting to know the children during classroom learning, play and the Easter production, I look forward to building relationships with parents and families in September. I am delighted to continue working alongside the talented staff that welcomed me so warmly in January and remain part of the team as the school moves forward.”
LEANIE O’CONNOR, YEAR 2 TEACHER Leanie graduated with a BA Hons in Theatre Studies and has been involved with the education department at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastleunder-Lyme. Throughout her ten year teaching career, Leanie has welcomed the challenge of educating varying age groups with a particular emphasis on drama to encourage skills in all areas of the curriculum. Family life is very important to Leanie. She is married to Martin and has two daughters Edie (two and a half years) and Hetty (four months) who keep her on her toes at all times!
SCHOOL STRUCTURE
Some of our EYFS team
Headmaster Mark Mitchell talked of the new structure of the school, which will be divided into three sections; EYFS (Nursery & Reception), Junior School (Years 1 - 4), and Senior School (Years 5 - 8). The Nursery and Reception naturally fit together under the EYFS framework. The Junior School is where children begin to see the gradual introduction of specialist class teaching, and then move on to Senior School where specialist teaching runs throughout the timetable. This structure will strengthen a child’s journey through the school, ensuring they receive the best possible learning experience.
FOREST SCHOOL The school is also set to become a forest school. With acres of grounds and woodland onsite, Headmaster Mark Mitchell is keen to maximise the potential of this, and shortly the creation of an outdoor classroom will take place and staff will be trained to deliver forest lessons, which will feature on the timetable. Lessons will range from exploring the site and nature investigations, to shelter building and lighting fires. Teamwork skills are developed through games and activities and individual skills and self-esteem are heightened through activities such as hide and seek, shelter building, tool skills and lighting fires.
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 3
SCHOOL NEWS
ALDERLEY EDGE FESTIVAL SUCCESS This year’s Alderley Edge Festival has proved our most successful to date for our music department, with seven first places, five second places and eleven third places. Jenny Monument, Director of Music at TN, said: “TN has a long tradition of high achievement at the festival, so expectations are always high. This year, with such big classes and some amazing talent on display, we really had to perform to the best of our ability to achieve these wonderful results”. Our staff choir received some lovely praise too: “Well done ladies – you can’t go wrong with a bit of Abba – so it was a great choice. It was like watching Mamma Mia! A great sound and feeling of camaraderie. This was actually a jolly tricky arrangement - well done!” Congratulations to all of our entrants.
The TN results are: 1st place Vocal Solo Year 3 and under: Florie Hannaby-Cummins Vocal Solo Year 7 (Classical): Abigail Pickersgill Vocal Solo Year 7 (Musical Theatre): Tallulah Goldsmith Vocal Duet (Years 4 - 6): Ella Turner and Jody Walsh String Solo Years 7 - 9: Blake Hannaby-Cummins (Violin) Piano Solo Grade 1: Seb Fishwick Jazz Piano Years 7&8: Emily Heideman 2nd place Vocal Solo Year 5 (Classical): Ella Pochin String Solo Grades 2&3: Artemis Cooper (Harp) Woodwind Solo Grade 1: Libby Grant (Clarinet) String Solo Year 3 and under: Florie Hannaby-Cummins (Violin) Wind/Brass ensemble: TN Brass Group 3rd place Vocal Solo Year 8 (Musical Theatre): Frankie Kennedy Vocal Solo Year 5 (Musical Theatre): Ruby Ferguson Vocal Solo Year 5 (Classical): Willa Baker-Wilbraham Vocal Solo Year 4 (Musical Theatre): Ella Turner Folksong Solo Years 7-9: Abigail Pickersgill Piano Solo Year 7: Emily Heideman Piano Solo Grade 1: Katie Nelson Piano Solo Grade 2: Artemis Cooper String Solo Grades 2&3: Abigail Pickersgill (Violin) String Solo Year 3 and under: Amy Uglow (Violin) Small instrumental ensemble Year 6 and under: TN Little Strings
Alderley Edge Festival musicians. Photo courtesy of Amy Laughton.
Our TN Live! series of events cover a range of topics designed to inform parents about each stage of their child’s life at school. Recent events have included ‘Empowering our female pupils’, where parents of girls in Year 5 and 6 were given practical tips and skills to empower their daughters. Headmaster Mark Mitchell, PSCHE teacher Mrs Sharpley and onsite counsellor Tracy Knott were on hand to deliver information and take questions from parents. Parents were given information about their daughter’s learning on the topic of puberty, which included being able to see and discuss worksheets and class discussion topics. They also discussed the agony aunt letter workshops that take place in school, giving them a better understanding of the level of debate their daughters are involved in at school. Tracy Knott said: “This is a great forum for parents and teachers to have honest and informed exchange of views that I believe will help both empower parents and children”. Karen Sillar, parent of a Year 6 pupil, commented: “The event provided the core information I felt that I needed to keep one step ahead and fully prepared for any questions that might come home. But it was also wonderfully reassuring to realise that my own inexperienced efforts to navigate a path for my daughter through this TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 4
part of her life, were fully backed up by a team of enthusiastic, warm individuals who have seen it all and dealt with it all many times over”. TN Live! has also covered ‘Mathematical Wizardry at Terra Nova’ which gave parents a flavour of what their children are learning and how they learn in mathematics. A ‘Transition to Reception’ event gave Nursery parents an insight into their child’s transition into Reception class at TN, with details of what they learn and how they are supported through the massive step from Nursery to Reception. Rachel Cookson said: “TN has a unique offering that allows children to be children. Therefore they are not hammered academically and pressured results wise from the age of five. TN believes in the whole person, in good manners, in a good education and being a good sportsperson. They provide acceleration development where appropriate and remedial development where needed also. Their approach develops leadership and team skills from an early age, so often missed by the more academic-only schools; I feel this is so vital for their future success in the world.” Cyber safety was also tackled when parents of pupils in Year 5 to 8 were invited to a cyber safety talk, delivered by PC Jane Commins from Cheshire Constabulary.
SCHOOL NEWS
BOARDING AND FREE WEDNESDAYS All of our Year 7 & 8 pupils have been invited to board for free on Wednesdays throughout the summer term. The evenings involved revision sessions run by Headmaster Mark Mitchell in preparation for the pupils’ examinations. After the hard work pupils were able to take part in a whole host of opportunities which included water fights, barbecues, camp fire nights, swimming and a range of visits.
SUMMER ACTIVITIES Our holiday club Tembos caters for children aged three to nine, and this summer has a jam packed schedule of activities. Visits are planned to Lakemore Farm, Tatton Park, a local fire station, soft play and the Sea Life Centre. We will also have on site visits from the Wild Roadshow who will bring creepy crawlies and from Balloon Man who will delight the children with any shape of balloon. Children will be able to make their
own fruit kebabs, pizzas, mini boats, musical instruments, clay faces, ice cream and giant bubbles. There really is an exhaustive list of activities to keep little hands and minds busy! The holiday club runs on weekdays throughout the summer holiday (except for bank holidays) and is open to all not just pupils at Terra Nova School. For more details please contact Gemma Jackson on 01477 572 518 or at tembos@tnschool.co.uk.
Year 7 pupils in their dorm
BIG QUESTIONS: PHILOSOPHY 4 CHILDREN During 2014 all of our teachers were trained in Philosophy 4 Children. The scheme has been engineered to foster a community of enquiry amongst children, and TN is embracing this approach and integrating philosophy into all lessons. Philosophy 4 Children provides an intellectually provocative environment in which children can discuss themes that interest them, in a free and open fashion. Our small class sizes and specialist teachers already ensure that pupils learn in a stimulating and attentive environment, and the addition of Philosophy 4 Children will enhance their learning experience, giving them more opportunities to be curious, to question, to listen, and to challenge in a safe setting. Exposing children to philosophy from a young age has been seen to raise attainment across age groups, enhance intellectual confidence, improve the quality of relationships in class, as well as improving general skills of argument and logic. Mark Mitchell, Headmaster, said: “Developing effective reasoning skills is essential for a successful life during and after education, and this new approach will allow pupils to express their curiosity, flexibility, patience and persistence, as well as improving their higher order thinking and development of their language of reasoning”.
Action packed at Tembos!
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 5
SCHOOL NEWS
BIG PLANS FOR NURSERY
500 WORDS BBC COMPETITION
We always strive to enhance the overall provision we offer at Terra Nova School and we are especially keen to develop the setting for the pupils. We are delighted to announce a wonderful project of development for the Nursery department, sponsored by the TNPSC.
Inspired by the BBC Literacy competition, ‘500 Words’, three pupils from Year 2 entered their own short stories. We are immensely proud of the children who took time to enter their work and we are delighted with the quality of their writing. It is so important to celebrate the ‘extra’ work that pupils achieve and work towards outside school, and Mr Mitchell is keen for them to enter more national competitions. All pupils read their stories in assembly. Very well done to you all; keep your imaginations burning!
As the summer holidays start, a new outdoor play area with weatherproof canopy and colourful safety surfaces will start to emerge. Working in partnership with Pentagon Sport Ltd, a colourful design has been created to enable an outdoor classroom to be used all year round.
THE MAGIC SNOWGLOBE By Iona Biggs-Lovell, Age 7
Sam, a Tomboyish girl and a curious boy called Max were under attack by the Germans so they went to their Anderson Shelter but it was too cold! It was the Second World War and the Government announced all children must be evacuated to the country side, so they waved goodbye to their mum with tears in their eyes. Daddy was fighting in the War and they missed him too. Sam and Max were going to stay with their Uncle until it was safe. Uncle Hare was 92 years old and always worked. “What do you think we will get up to?” said Sam excitedly. “I don’t know”, mumbled Max. By the way I forgot to tell you they were Teenagers of 13 and 14. When they arrived at the station they hired a coach which was red with a roof of gold and a lovely grey pony to pull it, whose mane and tail were black called Baldrick. When they arrived at their Uncle Hare’s House they gasped with amazement! It was gigantic with a big oak door and glass stained windows. The sun was gleaming down. It was magnificent. Reds, blues, greens and oranges. “Let’s have a closer look” said Max. “Okay” said Sam, and they walked down the gravel path and knocked on the door.
We are deeply grateful to the TNPSC for sponsoring this project and in turn, we would like to thank all parents for their support of the TNPSC. Their commitment to fundraising goes a long way to serve the school, and it enables wonderful opportunities such as this for years to come. We look forward to officially opening this vibrant new area in the new term.
Suddenly they heard footsteps and the old door swung open with a creak. Sam jumped as an enormous woman marched up to them. “So that’s all is it?” “Yes Miss” said Max. “I will show you to your room” said Auntie Hare. “No touching anything” she added. When they got to their room Max Said “let’s explore!”, “Oh do let’s” said Sam. They explored round the house. Suddenly Sam tripped over a trap door handle, Max opened the door carefully. They crept down and saw some cobwebby shelves, on the lowest one there was a dusty object with some flies buzzing around. It had many buttons on it, Curious, Max pressed one. Suddenly there was a whoosh and everything spun around. When they landed, Sam and Max found themselves in a snowy land. A little house stood near by. Getting chilly they knocked at the door. A small figure poked his head out. He was 60 centimetres tall with a grey beard like Father Christmas, brown shining eyes and small podgy hands. He was very smiley and welcomed them in. “You look very cold” he said cheerfully. “I don’t have many visitors” he added. “Do have some cocoa and a sit down”. “Could we stay the night” said Sam politely. “It is so cold out there” Max said. “I know! Yes you may stay” said the little man. By nightfall they were all tucked up in bed, toasting marshmallows before they slept. The next morning, Max and Sam thanked the little man and said goodbye. “Come back soon” he said. Max pressed a button which said HOME. They got back just in time for brekker. The cook scolded them because they didn’t come down for tea. Max and Sam winked at each other.
Computerised images of nursery space
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 6
FEATURE
JUNIOR SCHOOL: YEARS 1 - 4 Year 1 classes were learning about 3D shapes, which involved lots of practical handling. They were learning the names and properties of each shape, and thinking of everyday objects that are those shapes.
Snapshot of TN Headmaster Mark Mitchell recently toured the school to find out what is happening in classrooms across the school. Here’s a snapshot of the work that was going on during an hour at TN, which shows the journey our children take when they enter the school at Nursery, and complete their final year at 13.
EYFS - NURSERY AND RECEPTION Our Nursery children were busy creating their own rock pool with a huge container which they filled with rocks, sand, and sea life. They talked about what they might expect to see in a rock pool, and looked at the patterns in the rocks. In the next room Nursery Manager Emma Hargreaves was introducing children to the concept of weight. She had set up a pulley system to allow them to fill a bucket and lever it up by themselves. Imaginative play with weights is teaching children about forces. In the snack corner the children were able to help themselves to healthy food, and were encouraged to serve themselves, buttering their own muffins and pouring their own drinks - all to help with their co-ordination skills. Our Reception classrooms were alive with words, as the children worked with our ReadWrite Inc initiative, designed to teach younger pupils about reading and writing. Today’s topic was sentence formation, and the children were involved in recall of sentences and the phonic knowledge required to build and write sentences. This type of small group work is perfectly suited to our small class sizes, and children are able to ask questions and receive immediate responses.
Year 2 pupils were discussing adjectives and nouns within their small groups. Their groups are determined by ability, and we advocate vertical streaming here at TN to ensure that all children have the opportunity to work at a pace that suits them. Mrs Harper’s group were reading about Wailing Winnie and the Car Boot Sale, whilst Mrs Napper’s group were concentrating on phonemes (the sound a word makes) and graphemes (how that sound it written), as well as inference; a skill usually taught in Year 6.
1000, and the other was finding out about fractions of a quantity. ‘A dead day out’ was the theme for one of our Year 6 classes, as Miss Ward led their discussion on the play Johnny and the Dead, and the children talked about what they would do if they’d been dead for 100 years. This was achieved through mind mapping, going beyond the usual linear thinking. Our other class in Year 6 was carrying out a visual comprehension based on a character in The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier. The children worked in pairs to brainstorm what evidence they could find from the text to tell them about the appearance of the character and then the personality of the character. Today they were visualising that information before using it to answer the question, ‘Do you think the author wants you to think he is a good or a bad character? What makes you think that?’ These activities reinforce information retrieval skills and develop information inference skills. Science was the subject for Year 7, who were drawn in to the topic of energy. The children were discussing different types of energy, including geo heat, tectonic and hydro electric power.
Our Year 3 pupils were involved in a mathematics class, across two classrooms. Mrs Mitchell’s group had just come back from some outdoor mathematics where they were discovering more about what clockwise and anticlockwise mean. One pupil had requested that they play ‘fizzbuzz’, so Mrs Mitchell agreed to a round of the quick fire multiplication game. Mrs Newlyn’s class was concentrating on methods of subtraction.
SENIOR SCHOOL: YEARS 5 - 8 Year 4 and 5 children were hard at work looking at symmetry, as well as negative numbers, using temperature gauges to explain. One of our classes was using the dedicated ICT suite to learn about using place value knowledge to multiply and divide by 10, 100 and
Our Year 8 pupils are all currently sitting mock Common Entrance exams, so they had a rather quiet morning in the Jodrell Room. They were able to let off steam during the afternoon with a full programme of sports, including an U13 netball match against Beech Hall and rugby against Prestfelde.
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 7
EYFS AND JUNIOR SCHOOL
GROUND FORCE
LITTLE VOICES
The school garden is open once again and the Ground Force team of mini gardeners are working hard! As part of an after school club programme, Ground Force was launched last year. With help from pupils in the Junior School, the garden took off. A Highly Commended Award at the RHS Tatton Show was the highlight of everyone’s hard work!
After Christmas our youngest choir was launched! ‘Little Voices’ is run by Miss Harper and Miss Hargreaves and includes children from Nursery, Reception and Year 1. Each week, children join together to work on songs and actions. They are working together very well and the results are promising. Well done to you all!
So, expectations are high! If you have green fingers and wish to contribute to the garden, see Mrs Kirby and join us after school. All donations to the garden will be gratefully received!
SAVE THE CHILDREN Nursery and Reception pupils transformed into ‘what they want to be when they’re older’ and we had some fabulous astronauts, vets, jockeys and ballerinas, to name but a few. This was all in a bid to raise money for Save the Children, who work in 120 countries to save children’s lives, fight for their rights and help them to fulfil their potential. www.savethechildren.org.uk Over in Years 1 & 2 ‘Future Heroes Day’ saw pupils dressing up to raise money for Guide Dogs. Discussions took place around heroes, past and present with everyone from Florence Nightingale to Louis Pasteur. Guide Dogs work to help those who are blind and partially sighted to enjoy the same freedom of movement as everyone else. www.guidedogs.org.uk
The school garden
Career aspirations
LITTLE BIG SCHOOL BIRDWATCHERS The Nursery and Reception children at Terra Nova School took part in the RSPB’s Big School Birdwatch today, with the help of Tina Hanak of the RSPB. Inspiring a love of nature and wildlife, the RSPB talked about the birds the children might see, what kind of sounds they make and what they might look like. The children enthused as they spotted an array of birds including Song Thrush, Wood Pigeons, Coat Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Great Tit, Wren, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Magpie and Long Tailed Tit. Head of Nursery and Pre-Prep, Rachel Cookson commented, “This was a fantastic opportunity for our youngsters to connect with nature again - something we believe is so important. The RSPB are absolutely inspirational and our children were delighted to be a part of the Big Schools Birdwatch. We look forward to continuing our journey with nature across many areas of our learning.” TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 8
Little birdwatchers
EYFS AND JUNIOR SCHOOL
LOWRY VISIT Year 2 went to The Lowry for a special 3D modelling workshop and a tour around the gallery. This is part of their sculpture topic in Art where they are building up to create sculptures in the style of Georges Saulterre. The children learnt how to draw and create in 3D by looking at buildings and objects as shapes. Their sketch pads are now full of excellent ideas in preparation for their sculptures!
Year 2 at The Lowry Theatre
BUDDING SCIENTISTS AT TN Dr Nicola Powles-Glover, Study Director at AstraZeneca, delivered a series of stimulating science workshops at Terra Nova, inspiring our youngest learners and budding scientists. The Nursery theme ‘Water Water Everywhere’ looked at the various properties of water and liquids and Dr Powles-Glover was able to create a mini tornado in a bottle, as well as a huge explosion using just coke and a Mentos mint. Reception looked at creatures that live in water in their ‘Under the Sea’ workshop, as well as floating and sinking. Pupils also learnt how to put a stick through a balloon without popping it and how a mixture of flour and water could take both liquid and solid form. Years 1 and 2 enjoyed workshops on ‘Molecules and Rain’. Placed into groups of three, two pupils took on the role of hydrogen molecules whilst one became the oxygen. The groups were very close together in their frozen form of ice and then became separated with lots of energy when they turned into steam. By clicking, clucking and stamping, the pupils also simulated the sound of rain falling lighter and heavier. The pupils were absolutely captivated by the hands-on demonstrations and learnt so much about science in the small space of an hour. This workshop comes just as the Chancellor George Osborne, and Education Minister Elizabeth Truss have criticised the lack of science education in schools, as few teenagers are studying the subject to the age of 18. Science is a huge focus for Terra Nova School and specialist science teachers deliver lessons to pupils from the age of seven. The school also boasts two science laboratories and offers an after school Science Club.
Bubble and science
Head of Early Years and Pre-Prep, Rachel Cookson commented, “I have no doubt the children will go home enthusing about their day, after a simply magical set of demonstrations. Dr Powles-Glover certainly painted an exciting picture of science, which will inspire so many of our pupils.” TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 9
EYFS AND JUNIOR SCHOOL
NATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WEEK
AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR INTREPID YEAR 1 REPORTERS
Our Year 1 and 2 pupils have been treated to an afternoon of explosive (and smelly) experiments courtesy of Head of Science, Simon Pickering and Science teacher, Toby Ward.
Earlier this term our Year 1 pupils discovered a large egg in the willow fields. It was the size of a rugby ball, and covered in spots.
The TN science team left their fully equipped science laboratory and headed to the Year 2 classrooms, to deliver some interactive science demonstrations, which included making elephant’s toothpaste, witnessing the birth of a new volcano and making magic sherbet. Parents are able to view a gallery of images on the TN website.
Several pupils took on the roles of roving reporters to produce both studio-based and ‘out and about’ broadcast reports about their findings.
Science in the classroom
Jess Ollier, Year 1 teacher, had been working with the children, and said: “Our topic for this term is ‘Out of eggs’ and covers a range of themes from dragons, dinosaurs, knights and castles, as well as the life cycle of real animals that come from eggs. It will also cover Easter eggs. “No one knows what is inside the egg, but our intrepid reporters have been investigating this mystery...” Pupils have also been investigating some eggs that have been brought to TN, and eagerly awaited the hatching of some chicks. Parents are able to view the video by logging into the parents’ area of the school website.
Roving reporters
YEAR 2 VETS IN PRACTICE Y2 all worked co-operatively to make an information poster to display at Charter Vets in Congleton (William Harris’ dad’s surgery). Mr Harris recently chose three or four to display on the walls. This is a great example of a home-school link but more importantly gave the children the opportunity to ‘write for real purposes’ as per the NC Literacy objectives. Mr Harris also lent us lots of vet equipment so we were able to set up our own vet surgery in Year 2. TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 10
Year 2’s artwork
EYFS AND JUNIOR SCHOOL
JODRELL BANK Pupils from Year 1 and Reception enjoyed an exciting day of discovery at Jodrell Bank. To further their understanding in recent topics, pupils gained an appreciation for the solar system, planets, space travel and history. A visit to the planetarium encouraged an understanding of the stars, sun and moon.
In a thrilling workshop, pupils dressed as astronauts and everyone made a rocket. Pupils learnt about power and energy, all delivered in a warm and child friendly manner from The University of Manchester staff based at Jodrell Bank. An afternoon wildlife walk in the beautiful arboretum completed the day - reaffirming our place in such a wonderful and vast world!
YEAR 4 PUPILS’ TASTE OF INDIA Our Year 4 pupils tasted a slice of India today in March, with several events designed to give them a better understanding of another culture. During the morning they all tried their hand at sculpting clay gods and goddesses and their hard work and enthusiasm was warmly rewarded with a special Indian banquet, which took place in our Jodrell Room. Catering Manager Lisa Gordon and her staff set out on a delightful display of authentic cuisine, and the children were able to sample lamb saag mehti, chicken curry, chapatis, naans, seekh kebabs, smoked aubergine and tomato, daal (all homemade by our Head Chef Gareth) with raita, lime pickle veg pickle and green chilli chutney. After their lunches had settled the children returned to the Jodrell Room for some relaxing yoga. Jacqui Pritchard, Year 4 teacher, commented: “The children are learning about India in Geography and Religious Studies this term and the aim of the afternoon was to enhance and enrich the children’s studies and inspire their interest in Geography. We had a fantastic afternoon and great fun was had by all”. Parents may view gallery images on the school website.
Reception and Year 1 visit Jodrell Bank
Indian menu
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 11
TN DRAMA
CURTAIN RAISED FOR TN PERFORMANCES
OLIVER! IN FINE FORM AHEAD OF WORLD PREMIERE
This year we have seen our youngest pupils take part in The Chocolate Shop, where they were transformed into tulips, daffodils, Easter bunnies an Easter eggs. The bunnies and eggs battled for pride of place in the chocolate shop window, but were all reminded of their ‘soft centre’ and became friends again.
Our Year 7 and 8 pupils perfected their acting and singing skills for their production of Oliver! Miss Monument, Director of Music, was in good spirits for the rehearsals and performances, and our gap students made sure the stage set changes ran almost without incident!
Most recently our Year 3 and 4 pupils performed Aladdin, Year 5 pupils gave a rendition of What a Knight, Year 6 gave the performance of their lives in Roger Ravenbeard, and Years 7&8 came together for a brilliant version of Oliver! Drama is a real strength at Terra Nova, and all of our pupils are involved in a production each year. Drama is also on the curriculum. In the junior section of the school it is incorporated into the curriculum. In the senior part of school it is timetabled and taught by specialist teachers. The resulting confidence and poise of our pupils is something that we are immensely proud of.
Oliver!
Mark Mitchell, Headmaster, commented: “Our pupils are extremely fortunate to be heavily involved in the arts, and we perform several productions each year.
The Chocolate Shop
“All of our Year 7 and 8 pupils have had the chance to star in this production, and they have pulled out all of the stops to produce a fantastic show. They, and the staff, have worked extremely hard to ensure that this year’s performance will be as spectacular as our past successes.”
WHAT A KNIGHT PERFORMANCE
ROGER RAVENBEARD
Year 5’s gave us all a ‘Knight’ to remember in their fabulous production What a Knight.
This was Year 6’s swashbuckling tale of life on the briny sea; a journey through Roger’s pirate life and the excuses he gave to his mother and his judgemental, sarcastic parrot. The play featured plenty of humour and foot-tapping songs and ballads. Will Dearnaley, Head of Drama, commented: “Every pupil delivered lines and the standard of acting was universally acclaimed”.
What a Knight
Complete with ‘terrifying’ dragons, a handsome set of knights, wisely wizards and pretty princesses, not to mention some flamboyant fashion designers, the Year 5s put on a performance that had the audience roaring with laughter! Congratulations to all of our budding actors! TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 12
Roger Ravenbeard
SENIOR SCHOOL
TN ORCHESTRA VISITS WREKIN COLLEGE
STRATFORD VISIT
The TN Orchestra spent a day music making with other prep schools at Wrekin College.
Celebrating ‘Shakespeare Week’ in true style, our Year 7&8s went to Stratfordupon-Avon overnight in May.
The music teachers at Wrekin lead the day which involved creating an orchestra from scratch as well as learning sectional pieces. It was a superb opportunity for our musicians to play as part of a large symphony orchestra. During the day, the young musicians had the opportunity to spend time with Wrekin’s specialist teachers, working in small groups as well as in a full orchestra/wind band.
On the first evening, the group watched Henry IV part 1, a play script they had been reading prior to the trip. Soon grasping the language they had become familiar with, many of them also understood some of the jokes that had baffled them previously. The following day, the pupils were given a talk about Shakespeare followed by a quiz. Upon completion of a correct question, they were given a badge with a Shakespeare insult on it including ‘Though art a boil’ or ‘Scratching could not make worse such a face as yours’. After that, the pupils visited the likely birth place of Shakespeare and watched scenes from two actors, acting on request. The group enjoyed scenes from both Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet.
FRENCH PREP Year 5 pupils have been using their prep time in French to design and make some wonderful French themed objects, including a rather magnificent Stade de France. Pupils are encouraged to demonstrate their creativity in all subjects. Head of Languages at TN, Mme Lea, sets pupils the task of ‘choice prep’, where they are free to choose how they spend their prep time - as long as it has a French theme. The children are given a half hour slot in which to do this, but most of them decided to dedicate much longer to the project, taking home their ideas and designs to finesse. Mme Lea commented: “We’ve had presentations, interpretations of the Eiffel Tower, piñatas, French bread and the aforementioned Stade de France. The effort that has gone into these creations is to be applauded, and shows the lengths our pupils go to in order to produce the best work that they can”. Year 6 pupils have also been busy with their French verb revision. Toby Bywater made up the game ‘Aller Twister’; a take on the board game which involved spinning the wheel and correctly conjugating ‘aller’ in the present tense.
Stade de France
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 13
SENIOR SCHOOL
Musical mastery
MUSICAL SUCCESS FOR TN PUPILS Name
Discipline
Grade
Result
Tallulah Goldsmith
Singing
3
Merit
Frankie Kennedy
Singing
3
Merit
Georgia Knott
Singing
3
Merit
Edward Pickersgill
Cornet
2
Distinction
Oliver Barlow
Trumpet
2
Merit
Isabella Gilchrist-Dick
Singing
2
Merit
Pollyanna Pierpoint
Singing
2
Merit
Eliza Stanley
Saxophone
2
Merit
Graded exams are available for more than 35 instruments, singing, jazz, ensembles, practical musicianship and music theory, and offer a framework for life-long learning in music.
Ben Stewart
Trumpet
2
Merit
Albert Bradshaw
Trumpet
1
Distinction
Ruby Ferguson
Singing
1
Distinction
Many students begin with the Prep Test, a simple and positive assessment at the pre-Grade 1 level, and then work through the eight grades, and some of our students have taken Prep Test exams this term.
Libby Grant
Clarinet
1
Distinction
Florie Hannaby-Cummins
Singing
1
Distinction
Deena Leese
Singing
1
Distinction
Olivia Adye
Singing
1
Merit
TN pupils have put in outstanding performances during this term’s Association Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) examinations. ABRSM is the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music, and delivers over 650,000 exams and assessments every year globally. The exams give developing musicians a set of worthwhile and motivational goals to work for, and provide the opportunity of performing high-quality music and developing allround musicianship through a range of supporting activities.
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 14
SENIOR SCHOOL
ART SCHOLARS Congratulations to Erin Crowley who won the art competition at Moreton Hall following a ‘Circus’ themed workshop with 40 other keen prep school artists. As part of the workshop, the pupils started working on a painting which they were asked to finish at home and submit their photographs. Head of Art, Fiona Fontes, who is delighted to be currently working with three Year 7 TN Art Scholars commented, “Erin’s piece was very unique and she is an incredibly worthy winner. Had there been a runners-up category, I am sure Abigail Pickersgill and Eve Baker Wilbraham would have been in the frame.”
ART SCHOLARSHIP PREPARATION AT MORETON HALL Head of Art, Fiona Fontes, took our Year 6 and 7 art club pupils to Moreton Hall to take part in a prep schools art workshop run by its Head of Art. Under the theme of ‘Circus’ our pupils, alongside pupils from five other prep schools, began the day with observational pencil drawings, which they then incorporated into large, colourful, mixed media paintings. They brought their work back to TN to complete, and will send through photographs to Moreton Hall for judging – there is a prize for the winning artwork. Fiona said: “It’s a valuable experience for our pupils to spend a day working in a senior school art department, and we will be visiting Shrewsbury for a similar project in the summer. One of our pupils, Abigail Pickersgill, is currently preparing her Art Scholarship portfolio for Moreton Hall’s scholarship exam.”
Eve, Erin and Abigail
CLONTER OPERA VISIT FOR YEAR 7
In preparation for their visit to Clonter Theatre Workshop Year 7 pupils took part in a set design and lighting Our Year 7 pupils travelled to Clonter workshop with Mrs Curtis, Head Opera in Cheshire in March to take of Design and Technology at Terra part in a costume design workshop. Nova. Using fairground resources that The morning costume design workshop would illustrate the drama piece they were preparing with Mr Mitchell and was led by professional costume Mr Dearnaley, the pupils worked in designers and costume makers, who groups to brainstorm their ideas. asked the pupils to design a costume for their favourite opera character. Mrs Curtis added: “The challenge was The children worked hard on their to design three lighting gobos to be used designs, and produced mini mannequins to project scenes on to the back cloth of their chosen designs, receiving great on the stage at Clonter. They sketched praise from their teachers. out first ideas before discussing the After lunch they were involved in a live performance, and each of them was assigned a role within the theatre, from lighting and backstage props to acting and photography; roles that they performed with great enthusiasm. Following rehearsals they performed their play to an audience of primary school children. They also tried their hands at making gobos – a physical template that slots behind the stage to produce lighting and mood effects.
The TN pupils were able to meet up with ex TN pupil and art scholar Abigail Lawton, who is currently preparing for her A2 art exams. Here’s what our Year 7 pupils had to say… “First we had to sketch the costume that we had created, and then used tissue paper on our models. I loved this, and my group worked really well together. I found it inspiring and enjoyable.” “I thought that the gobos were amazing.” “I was in charge of photography, and had to take photos from different positions and for different scenes.We took some amazing photos, and the lighting made them really effective.” “It was a wonderful experience; I was stage director.” “It was so cool to be in a professional environment.” “I enjoyed our production and I felt really privileged to be at Clonter.”
composition of their gobo design. Year 7 then had to cut out carefully the sections of the gobo in black card and glue the scene into place on the set frame. “We were able to light the frames with coloured gels to see what the effect would be on the stage and to mock this up in the scale model of the theatre. A circular template was then used to scan the gobo and the scan sent to Clonter for them to cut out in metal. When we arrived at the theatre our gobos had been cut out ready to slot into the stage lighting using the Tallescope.”
Mini mannequins
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 15
SENIOR SCHOOL
MODELLING HER CAREER
ARCTIC ADVENTURERS
Year 7 pupil Abigail Pickersgill has been creating plasticine models as a hobby for many years and now she is utilising this incredible skill to prepare for her Art scholarship. Abigail, who is preparing for Moreton Hall is now in the process of creating an animation with the models.
Explorer Simon Harris-Ward enthralled our Prep school pupils during March when he came to TN to deliver an Explorer Workshop.
Passionate about her hobby, Abigail told us, “I have to create a scene using cardboard, create all of the models with plasticine, write a story and record the voice-over. I then have to take photos of the models in every different combination of movements for the story. It is a very time-consuming process but I love it. The theme and story I am working on is based around a circus”.
Covering jungle, desert, mountain and arctic expeditions, the ‘Arctic Man’ went through the planning, preparation and fascinating hazards of expeditions. The workshop is based on a real life arctic research expedition, and consisted of video presentations, group and Q and A discussions,
Abigail’s models
TN CHAMBER CHOIR VISIT SEDBERGH SCHOOL TN’s Chamber Choir took part in a choral workshop at Sedbergh School in January, which was part of their extra curricular activities. Pupils from Years 6 to 8 are chosen on singing ability, and train weekly with Miss Monument, Director of Music. The Choir regularly performs at schools concerts, festivals, and at other senior schools. The Choir’s masterclass was given by Sedbergh’s Director of Music, Mr Allinson, who commented on their excellent discipline and vocal ability. The children were taught a Hebrew song, which they performed beautifully; so well that they recorded the piece using Sedbergh’s state-of-theart facilities. Miss Monument added: “It was a wonderful day of musicmaking, and a brilliant opportunity for the choir to develop their vocal skills”. TN NEWS SPRING 2014 - 16
hands on desk-based exercises, and introductions to the type of kit needed for an arctic research expedition. The pupils were then asked to design a new piece of kit that could be used on an expedition, and had a go at pulling a 120kg sledge, similar to one used in a real arctic expedition. Oliver Goodman, Louis Dalton, James Blakeman, Christian Gardiner and Fin Kenneally were involved in a leadership task to move fuel containers with ropes, using corks and string.
Blake Hannaby-Cummins, Jack Lea-Jones and Leo Cullis pulling a 120kg sled
SENIOR SCHOOL
BOARDING AT TN We asked Head of Boarding, Suzy Ward, for her vision of boarding… Boarding at TN has had its ups and downs in recent years, but I can confidently say that we are now thoroughly on an ‘up’! Boarding numbers are higher than they have been since I began working here three years ago, and we are forging a strong and committed boarding community. We continue to welcome new staff onsite, most recently Miss Cruddas, and we are very much looking forward to our new Deputy Headmaster Richard Lynn joining our team in September.
games. This summer will also see the redecoration of the boarders landings with some exciting new murals which I hope will make our boarding house an even more pleasurable place to be.
However, structural changes are all very well but what I am most proud of here is our dedicated boarding staff, who are already busy preparing an exciting set of boarding activities and events in time for next September. Mr Hart’s football night has ensured that we are now full on Thursdays, and the night goes The structural developments that we have made are simply from ‘strength to strength’. Revise and too numerous to mention, although I would like to single out the new (new!) boarders common room, which is soon Relax Wednesdays have been a roaring success and will continue into the next to be furnished with the very latest in gaming equipment as well as the more traditional books, chrome books and board academic year.
Friday night boarding offers a wealth of opportunities for both ‘old hands’ and ‘newbies’! Staff frequently choose activities in which they have an interest and are absolutely loving taking the children somewhere a bit different. My favourite Friday so far has to be the den building: forest, camp fire and marshmallows with some lovely Year 3 and 4s. I believe that the foundation of good boarding is enjoyment and stability. I plan to ensure that these two elements shine this year, whilst our dedicated staff add that extra bit of sparkle with their exciting and inventive activity schedule. If your child hasn’t tried boarding yet, maybe it’s time to give it a go!
ACTIVITY WEEK AT TN June means Activity Week at Terra Nova; exams are over, the summer beckons, and our pupils can to take part in a myriad of activities. Our Year 8 pupils recently went to the Ardèche in France, for a week of walking, canoeing and generally letting off steam! At the time of going to press, they were about to embark on Day Two. Gill Clark, Head of Mathematics and Year 8 form tutor sent us the first of her updates… First day of canoeing is under our belts! After a tiring day travelling yesterday, we were up at 7:30am and heading out of camp before 9:30am, heading towards the canoe hire on the Chauzesac River, a tributary of the Ardèche. Once kitted up with buoyancy aids and helmets, we launched our boats and headed downstream. The weather was glorious sunshine, with some pleasant cloud cover over lunchtime. We stopped for some rock jumping, and negotiating several rapids. A thunderstorm this evening has helped to clear the air a little and will, hopefully, provide a cooler night for some more comfortable sleeping.
Year 8 in the Ardèche
As well as Year 8 spending time in the Ardèche , our Year 5 and 6 pupils took part in abseiling, mountain biking, canoeing, bush craft and archery, nature reserve activities, orienteering, and climbing. Year 4 pupils travelled to Buxton for a camping expedition. They cooked their own evening meal, which was followed by evening activities. The next day saw them participate in rock climbing, an adventure trek, a raft building session, and a well deserved cooked meal! Their final day culminated in a team challenge! Years 2 and 3 pupils travelled to Knowsley Safari Park, which fitted with their activity week theme of ‘Africa!’ They also experienced camping, where they learned skills such as shelter building, expedition planning, camp craft skills and orienteering. Year 7 pupils have to wait a week for their activity, but it will worth it as they travel to Château de la Baudonnière in Normandy, France.
Year 5 pupils get ready for adventure
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 17
SPORT
NEW TEAM Sport at Terra Nova goes from strength to strength with the appointment of two new members to the games team. Gemma Thomas will step into Mrs Linnell’s shoes in September as Director of Sport, and Craig Malbon joins us as teacher of games (with humanities). We have high hopes that they will continue the school’s long standing tradition of producing an excellent sporting curriculum, as well as bringing home trophies! Gemma has a wealth of experience, teaching PE in Australia and the UK. Most recently she has been employed at Derby High School as a PE teacher. She has taught a wide range of activities, and is experienced in developing PE and games curricula, and delivering differentiated and structured schemes of work. She prides herself on giving pupils continuity, ensuring they progress to high standards, and challenging them to feel a sense of achievement. Craig currently teaches at Sandbach School where he supports its Head of Games and PE. He manages curriculum development for Key Stage 3, and teaches Key Stage 3, GSCE and A Level games and PE. He is a Year 11 form tutor, Master i/c of football and senior XI head coach, as well as the school’s football academy coach and programme director. He also coaches rugby, cricket, cross country and tennis. Craig is also a part-time academy and preacademy coach at Manchester United FC.
JERSEY TOUR During the half term break, many of our sporting pupils embarked on our Jersey tour. Two girls’ hockey teams, our under 11 and 13 football teams and our under 11 rugby teams joined teams from seven other UK prep schools to take part in training and tournaments. Pupils and staff stayed in a beautiful hotel, equipped with its own aqua dome, alongside all of the other school teams. New friends were made and pupils were able to relax in style, before the training began…
Nia Linnell, Director of Sport, was one of the staff members that accompanied the children. She commented: “The standard of play was extremely high, and our teams performed well. Our boys took 3rd place in both the under 11 and 13 competitions, the girls won the hockey, and the boys’ rugby team came second. The boys had a female football coach who pulled no punches and gained their respect from the start. It was good for them to work with different coaches with different styles, and they have developed new skills”.
They took part in training on Tuesday and Wednesday, which was delivered by coaches from Jersey, Malta and the UK. On Thursday they were well prepared for their tournaments against the other prep school teams as well as teams from Jersey schools and sports clubs.
The pupils also had the chance to visit the famous Durrell Zoo, named after author and naturalist Gerald Durrell, where they received a guided tour and enjoyed a hands-on workshop with some of the animals. They adopted a red river hog called Lola!
MUMS AND DADS TAKE ON STAFF IN NETBALL…AND DADS WIN! Members of staff at TN looked ready to pounce during our parents vs. staff netball tournament in April. The matches were tight, with the mums showing off the skills they honed at school, passing accurately and quickly and setting up some great scoring chances. The staff have clearly been practising what they preach, and demonstrated a sound knowledge of the game, with some fancy footwork of their own. The dads, however, showed less regard for the rules of the game or for the rules of footwork, and there was a little too much contact. However, they managed to win most of their matches with their speed, athleticism and great interception.
TN NEWS SPRING 2014 - 18
THE RESULTS: Mums ‘A’ 1: 2 Staff Mums ‘B’ 1: 2 Dads Mums ‘A’ 1: 2 Dads Staff 2 :5 Dads
Parents and staff netball
SPORT
TERRA NOVA SCHOOL TEAMS SET FOUR NATIONAL SHOOTING RECORDS IN ONE TERM The Terra Nova shooting teams have had a record-breaking term, smashing four national shooting records and retaining all three national shooting titles for 10 metre air rifle. The Terra Nova 1st VIII are national champions and have retained the St David’s Shield with a national record score of 773 ex 800, breaking their existing national record by seven points. The Terra Nova 2nd VIII are runners up in the national championship and national 2nd VIII champions retaining the Lord Roberts Bowl with a national record score of 746 ex 800, again breaking their existing national record by 14 points. In the national U12 Cadet Pairs championships, two of the Terra Nova Cadet Pairs drew for first place each with a national record score of 194 ex 200, breaking their existing national record by three points. Georgia Knott became the first Prep Schools firer to shoot a perfect score of 100 ex 100 on the new Olympic standard targets in the national match and in doing so raised the official individual national record to 100 - a score which can only ever be equalled. These results set the ultimate first for Terra Nova School and the Preparatory Schools Rifle Association. This is the first time all four national air rifle records have been broken in one term. It is even more remarkable that all four records were broken by one school. Nigel Curtis, TN shooting team manager, commented: “I am immensely proud of the shooting teams. Their achievements this term make it simply the most successful term I have had as Shooting Master in the 24 years I have coached the shooting at Terra Nova. I have to admit to being just a little emotional on the day the 1st VIII broke the record with such an amazing score. “We constantly strive for better performance and development of our teams and coaching techniques and I think these results speak for themselves.”
Record breakers
ADELAIDE’S PERFECT SCORE IN SHOOTING Year 6 pupil Adelaide Sillar, a member of the Terra Nova 1st VIII shooting team, has scored a ‘possible’ - a perfect score in shooting; yet another clear indication that TN remains the dominant force in the prep school’s national shooting competitions. Master IC Shooting, Nigel Curtis, commented: “This is a special performance by Adelaide who shot the card in training and as far as records show this score has not been achieved before in a prep school with 10 metre air rifle on the Olympic targets. It is a school record and an unofficial national record, and cannot be beaten. Very well done to Adelaide”. Unbeatable Adelaide
TN NEWS SUMMER 2014 - 19
SPORT
THAT JUST IS CRICKET! TN BOYS MAKE IT TO CHESHIRE U11 COURSE
FRANCESCA RUNS RINGS AROUND HER CROSS COUNTRY COMPETITION Year 6 pupil Francesca Harris is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in under 11 cross country events in the North West, with some prestigious wins under her belt.
Year 6 pupil Joe Bradbury and Year 5 pupil Oli Mitchell have been selected for the Cheshire Cricket District Level U11 course, which could mean a shot at a place on the Cheshire A or B teams.
Francesca cemented her position as one of the finest under 11 cross country runners in the region with a 2nd place in the invitational Shrewsbury School Royal Hunt, which took place last year.
The boys were among 70 selected to attend the district course, after a ten week intensive training course. They will now take part in a 12 week course. Toby Ward, Master i/c of Cricket at Terra Nova, said “Joe has demonstrated commitment and ability in his cricket development over the last three years. He shows a great understanding of playing with a straight bat and has worked really hard on his ability to recognise when to go on the front foot and back foot. He shows good timing and he has a real determination to survive at the crease. Of Oli he added: “Oli has demonstrated great potential with his cricket since the beginning of Year 3. He has a natural ability to bowl a good line and length and is very committed to improving himself. He has made great progress with his batting technique and is learning to think about the game tactically. I am thrilled that both boys have made the cut for the Cheshire development squad as it is just reward for all the extra training they have put in during the academies, and at their club and after school”. Mark Greaves, Mid Cheshire Cricket Development Officer, added: “Both boys have performed really well, and are amongst the best in their age groups”. TN NEWS SPRING 2014 - 20
Francesca with her recent medal haul
As well as recently coming second in the under 11 section of the Giggleswick Catterall Shield, Francesca secured 1st place in the St Anselm’s under 11 race, beating more than 70 runners. She was also 2nd overall in the Area 7 IAPS cross country championship which was held at St Mary’s Hall. The under 11 girls races see between 50 and 100 runners, so Francesca should be very proud of her achievements.
Euan and Max
EUAN AND MAX WIN DISTRICT CUP WITH EGERTON FC Year 7 pupils Euan Cooper and Max Rosser have scooped the District Cup in football with Egerton Football Club. Max and Euan play for the Egerton Under 12 team who for the last year have not lost a game. The pair
played key roles in the team to secure the District Cup against Sandbach, with a 2-1 score. They have now won all three major trophies Egerton FC are currently second in the league, with a couple of games in hand. If they win those games they will secure the top spot and win the league for the second year running, and will win the treble; no other Egerton FC team has achieved this.
SPORT
U11 BOYS’ RUGBY TEAM WINS PACKWOOD HAUGH PLATE COMPETITION Our U11 boys’ rugby team has set the bar high for sporting wins this term, with a spectacular win to secure the Packwood Haugh plate. They were initially drawn in a tough group against Downs School, King Henry VIII and Birchfield, and found it a struggle to find their rhythm, but they raised their level of commitment against Birchfield in the final game, scoring several great tries. This result meant a quarter final game against St Bede’s of Oxford; a team
full of strapping opponents. However, the old adage ‘the harder they come…’ was in evidence as the TN terriers tackled terrifically and gained a significant amount of possession, which they converted into points.
TN UNDER 11s FOOTBALL TEAM IN TOP 8 IN COUNTRY! The U11 boys performed brilliantly in the ISFA football national finals. Overall we finished 8th out of 16.
The semi final was against Moulsford 2nd string, and our boys were in the right frame of mind, putting on a dazzling show of running rugby to sail through to the final.
The boys performed a miraculous recovery in their final group match to recover from 4-1 down to score three goals in the final minute and a half of action to force their way into the 8th - 12th playoffs. We finished third in the group and couldn’t quite force our way into the place of best third place finisher.
Prestfelde were the final opponents, and both teams produced a great game of VIIs, with end-to-end play and plenty of tries scored. TN was valiant throughout, and managed to find an extra gear, pulling away by two tries.
We won all our games in the playoffs, including winning a brilliant penalty shoot out against The Grange from the Midlands (last year’s winners). The highlight of the shoot out was Joe Bradbury’s winning save followed by his winning strike. This came on the back of 16 straight successful penalties!
Victorious U11s rugby team
7s RUNNERS UP Our under 11 rugby team narrowly missed out on winning a recent tournament, losing out in the final against Packwood Haugh. The team was missing several key players, which gave some of our boys the chance to showcase their talents. Their group contained Rydal Penrhos, Ryleys and APS - three potentially very tough games. However the green and whites soon found their rhythm and played some sparkling rugby with the ball going through the hands and out wide on several occasions.
The results meant progressing to play and beat St Bedes in the semi final, setting up a final against Packwood Haugh. The final was a tense affair and after normal time the game was tied at one try all. This resulted in four minutes of golden try time, and somehow Packwood found that extra ounce of energy and managed to sneak a try in the dying seconds. A tremendous performance by all the TN team and impossible to single out one single player as all the boys were outstanding both on and off the field TN NEWS SPRING 2014 - 21
STAFF NEWS
NEW BURSAR APPOINTED AT TERRA NOVA SCHOOL Hayley Jordan joins TN as Bursar and Clerk to the Governors, after a long and successful career in the Armed Forces. At the tender age of 18 Hayley signed up for duty, and reached the rank of Warrant Officer in 2003. She went on to earn the Queen’s Commission and served for a further 11 years as an Officer, reaching the rank of Major in 2010. Before retiring from the Armed Forces in December 2013, she served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan. On planning her retirement from the Armed Forces, Hayley said: “I had two goals in mind: to work as a Bursar and to return to the Cheshire area, so I was delighted to be offered the role of Bursar at Terra Nova School, which I began in January”. Mark Mitchell, Headmaster, added: “Hayley was appointed after a rigorous selection process, and brings a wealth of experience from her time in the army”. Hayley is married to Jason, a Resident Estates Manager, and their son Zach has joined Terra Nova in Year 4. Hayley replaces Alan Simpson, who retired in January 2014.
Hayley Jordan
NEW HEAD OF BOARDING AT TN
CHRIS HELY - NEW MATHEMATICS TEACHER
Suzy Ward, Head of SEN has been appointed as our new Head of Boarding
Chris’s teaching career started in London at The Hall School in Hampstead. He then relocated to the North West and taught for two years at North Cestrian Grammar School, before taking on the post of Head of Maths at Terra Nova.
Our boarding options are designed to fit in with modern family life, and we provide flexible overnight accommodation from Monday to Friday for pupils from Year 3 to Year 8. Children can board occasionally, regularly or throughout the week. Boarding is completely optional. Activities include craft courses, bowling, trips to local events, talent show nights, fancy dress and disco nights, and the annual Terra Nova water fight. Suzy commented: “I am so pleased to have been appointed Head of Boarding at TN. I am already working hard to ensure that boarding will continue to be an option which is not only fun, but develops self confidence, independence and a sense of belonging for all those that stay with us. We have many exciting activities planned”.
Chris then spent 13 years as Head of Maths at The Ryleys before returning to TN in February to join the Maths department, and also to teach games. Chris said: “I like my pupils to see Maths as a wide ranging subject and not a series of short self-contained modules, and I like to promote understanding rather than rote learning. For me there is rarely a wrong answer just another step towards the correct one!” Chris and his wife, Deborah, are avid horse riders and regularly compete on the unaffiliated dressage circuit. They are also keen skiers.
Terra Nova School Jodrell Bank, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, CW4 8BT Telephone: 01477 571251 Fax: 01477 571646 Email: office@tnschool.co.uk @TerraNovaSchool
Terra Nova School
www.tnschool.co.uk