SUMMER ADVENTURE TO - The Ridgeway School

Transcription

October 2015
Issue 156
Articles include:
SUMMER ADVENTURE TO
Create 2015
Trip news: Dismaland, Berlin, Snowdon and The Black Country
Diana Award Winner!
Great Sporting Achievements
www.ridgewayschool.com
2
The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
A word from the...
...Principal
Dear Parents
I am pleased to write to you as Term 1 draws to a close.
I have been delighted with student standards and application within lessons around the building and
in extra-curricular activities. I hope you are aware that since September we have been grading
students' attitude to learning in lessons with a 1 being exceptional, 2 being good, 3 being inconsistent
and a 4 being urgent improvement required. These lesson by lesson attitude to learning grades can
be seen online (on the student attendance page) and will be reported in cycle reports. I also hope
you have found the introduction of Show My Homework helpful for you and your son/daughter. If you
have any questions please do email your son/daughter's mentor in the first instance.
Year 7 have settled in extremely well and as I write to you Avebury and Barbury students are away
on the Year 7 residential at Harrow House in Swanage with Kennett and Silbury students going from
Wednesday to Saturday.
The Ridgeway is all about the development of 'the whole person'. As you will see inside this issue of
TRN there has been plenty of 'life going on' with which students have been getting involved .
You will be aware that the school is situated in a cul de sac (along with Wroughton Juniors). With
regard to student safety could I ask that if you need to pick your son or daughter up from school
between 3.15 and 4pm you do so on one of the side roads from the school and not on Inverary Road
itself in order to avoid congestion and potential accidents.
May I take this opportunity to remind you that the half term holiday is from Thursday 22nd October to
Monday 2nd November (Inset day) with students returning to school on Tuesday 3rd November.
Examination and subject changes from September 2015, 2016 and 2017.
GCSE, AS and A level qualifications are being reformed. The new subjects are being introduced
gradually, with the first wave being taught from September 2015. Subjects that have not been
reformed will no longer be available for teaching from September 2018.
Parents who have experienced the examination system in the past three years will understand that
higher scores are needed to get each of the grades. In 2015 in the Maths examination, The
Ridgeway uses it was necessary to have 10 more marks to get a C grade than in the previous year.
Continued overleaf...
3
Similar increases were experienced by Year 10 in the IGCSE English Language paper they sat. There
has been a doubling of marks reserved for spelling, punctuation and grammar and this also impacts
some students more than others.
A word from the Principal...
Reformed GCSEs

will be more demanding

have been designed for a two-year period of study

will be linear, so students will take all of their exams at the end of the course

non-exam assessment will be removed or reduced in the majority of GCSEs

will have a new grading scale from 9 to 1
Reformed AS and A levels

will have new content with greater input from universities

will be linear, with AS assessments typically taking place after one year of study and A levels
after two

will keep the A* to E grading scale (A to E for AS level)

AS results will no longer count towards an A level

degree of non-exam assessment will reflect balance and nature of new subject content

performance standards stay the same
The phased introduction of reformed GCSEs will mean students will receive a mixture. Parents
may wish to explore this further as they consider the impact on their son or daughter.
GCSE changes in detail:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-changes-a-summary/summary-of-changes-to-gcsesfrom-2015
AS and A Level changes in detail:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/as-and-a-level-changes-a-summary/summary-of-changesto-as-and-a-levels-from-2015
and the subjects that will disappear:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-as-and-a-level-subjects-that-are-not-being-reformed/
gcse-as-and-a-level-subjects-that-are-not-being-reformed
Attainment 8 and Progress 8
The old measure of 5 A*-C including English and Maths is disappearing. Schools are to be judged on
Progress 8 and students on Attainment 8. Again this is being phased into use.
As the number suggests this is based on a student’s performance over 8 subjects and not 5. For
Attainment 8 each grade awarded will have a numeric value and English and Maths are double
weighted. On entry into secondary school each student will have an expected grade for GCSE and the
actual score in Year 11 will be subtracted from this. This sum is then divided by 10 to get an overall
score that might read -0.20 or 0.4. 0 is the average and so a positive score means the student has
done better than average. For the Progress 8 school measure all its students results are added
together and the average score gained. A positive score meaning the school is doing better than
average. In 2015 The Ridgeway score would be 0.15. For those of you who are really keen to
understand more there is a useful You Tube short video that can be accessed by typing into your
search engine: ‘Progress 8’.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qeQxQ06TXw&feature=youtu.be
Best wishes
Steve Colledge
Executive Principal
4
James Povoas
Principal
DofE GOLD EXPEDITION IN
WALES.
As my first DofE experience I was absolutely
blown away by all of their energy and
enthusiasm, even when they were feeling at
their worst they were still able to make a joke
and cheer each other up. There was never an
occasion I didn’t see all the teams helping
each other out.
Here are a couple of my favourite photos.
Miss A Johnstone
Duke of Edinburgh...
There were highs and lows, lots of boggy
ground and mud up to our waists, frogs in the
undergrowth and beautiful scenery from the
top of Snowdon. In particular, I was hugely
impressed by the resilience of Lizzie Gagan,
Amy Marsh, Nicole Hill, Emily Herring and
Sam Reeves because even though they got
lost a few times and sometimes struggled to
stay motivated, they all showed incredible
team spirit on the climb up Snowdon, which
was not easy! Lizzie especially showed
incredible leadership skills by actually coming
back down to take Emily’s bag as she was
overheating.
memories to last you a lifetime. Including those of a
visit to St James ‘ Palace, receiving your award
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is not just about
completing expeditions it allows students to participate from a member of the Royal Family. Mr E Sims
in various activities. The four main areas covered are
Skills, Physical Activities, Volunteering and including
Expeditions. Completion of the Award will help give
you the skills, confidence and a view on life that
everyone is looking for, from employers to colleges
and universities. The Award recognises commitment,
endeavour and a capacity for teamwork, whether that
be in newly discovered activities ahead or things you
already do. In completing the award, you’ll make a
difference to other people’s lives and your community,
be fitter and healthier, make new friends and have
GOLD AWARD
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Mountain Club Trip to The
Black Mountains
Saturday 19 September
The new season of Mountain Club expeditions kicked
off with a superb trip to the Black Mountains in the
Welsh Brecon Beacon National Park. The series of
Mountain Club walks is to prepare students for the
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh challenge later in the
school year.
where we were at any time.
We walked up three peaks, them being Pen-Alt-mawr,
Pen-Cerrig-calch and finally Table Mountain. There
were several groups of people out walking that day.
We were the only group of with young people, all of
whom were a credit to themselves. Lots of laughter
Thirteen students and two staff assembled outside
and jolliness was had by all. A special highlight was
school at 7am for a trip to South Wales. The objective the jungle trek coming off the mountain with lots of
being to practice navigation skills amongst the
slipping and sliding amongst the shoulder high
mountains. The weather forecast looked good with the bracken.
promise of sunshine after a foggy start.
We arrived safely back at school around 6pm, feeling a
We arrived too early for the café in Abergavenny. This strong sense of achievement and wellbeing and with
turned out to be a short lived disappointment as we
lots of memories to cherish. Our group of young
found an excellent mobile café in a layby. The ‘peanut people were really good company and a pleasure to
hottie’ drinks were a delicious treat for some.
spend the day with. They were: Oliver Brackenbury,
Archie Connor, Livi Cunningham, Thomas Hannay,
Work started in earnest about 9.30am with a boot and
Harry Jamie, Toby Leslie, Jack Lowe, Thomas Perrotin,
kit inspection. All participants were well prepared and
Harry Penfold, Joe Smith, Christian Sipoy, Georgia
eager to get walking. The sun shone brightly and
Spry & Mathew Stone.
stayed with us all day.
There will be a meeting shortly for all DofE Bronze
Students were working in pairs. Each pair taking turns
students to sign up for other Mountain Club
to rise to the challenge of navigating the group along
Adventures.
sections of the predetermined route that Mr Sims had
planned. Using a compass and ordnance survey map
the teams had to study the map against the
Mrs S Gladman
environment to work out what hazards we would
encounter, the duration and distance of the section
and be able to look at the map to determine exactly
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Sir Christopher Bonington an
inspiration for us all …
This month sees the 40th anniversary of the successful British SW
Face of Everest Expedition. The iconic line on the mountain was
physically challenging and technical.
I was lucky enough to see a reunion presentation by the team
including some of their sherpas at The Sheldonian Theatre Oxford
on Wednesday 23/09/15.
I talked to, shook hands and got a selfie with Chris. He is the most
important British mountaineer of the 20th Century, not just for his
personal feats of mountaineering including the first British Ascent of
the North Face of The Eiger and on Everest. He also was the first
to climb The Old Man of Hoy, a climb he repeated last year when
he was 80. There is now a change in outdoor emphasis away from
completing great feats as there are few firsts left and to feats of
personal survival making Bear Gryls and others currently high
profile. Also a concentration on disasters as with the recent
Everest Film and Joe Simpson’s “Touching The Void”.
Chris Bonington remains a great hero for me, as he is self-effacing
and modest. He does not seek to be a personality, but is, by what
he does (actions speak louder than words). His wife Wendy was
also amazing in the support she gave to other wives, partners and
children of mountaineers who did not return from expeditions.
He stands out as a great organiser and finder of finance for
expeditions like the SW Face Expedition (he did get high to camp 5
as well). These actions are inspiring and informative for me as a
DofE Manager and Freelance Outdoor Instructor. He has allowed
others to excel and achieve great things. I also like that if he gets
things wrong he learns the lesson and tries again until he or his
team succeeds.
By building teams and facilitating he has
allowed other climbers like Dougal Haston
and Don Whillans to become household
names. This inspired many people to go into
the great outdoors and develop themselves
for life. A tremendous contribution to our
culture and a significant factor in the growth
and development of DofE. The personal
development gained from challenging outdoor
activity is highly valued by employers and
universities. Mr E Sims, DofE Manager
DofE & Mountain Club...
and particularly a hero for those involved in
DofE!
7
Meet the New Leadership Group...
Sixth Form...
DAN THOMPSON, HEAD BOY
'I'm really looking forward to the experiences and possible
challenges I may face as head boy this coming school year. I am
currently studying Maths, Physics, Geography and Electronics
and am aspiring a career in Mechanical Engineering. I have
thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Ridgeway School and hope to
ensure that everyone can make the most of their time here as
well. I believe that we have a very strong leadership team this
year and am excited to work among them within the sixth form
and the school.
AMAL IBRAHIM, HEAD GIRL
I'm very excited about being head girl and I hope that over the
next year I am able to make a positive difference to the Sixth
Form. I think I will learn a lot from being given this opportunity and
I will grow in confidence. We have a great group of people in the
Sixth Form Leadership Team and I'm so excited to be able to
work alongside them to make a difference. I hope that by this time
next year everyone has felt like they've had an amazing year and
that they've made so many memories.
SAM GOWSHALL, DEPUTY HEAD BOY
I am really proud to have this position in the student leadership
team and I am excited to have the opportunity to give something
back to the school where I have spent 6 brilliant years. I am
working hard to continue to university and study medicine at one
of the Russell Group universities and I am hopeful of achieving
my goal of becoming a doctor.
ELLIE JEROME, DEPUTY HEAD GIRL.
I am very excited to be the new Deputy Head Girl and to have the
chance to really make a difference to the school and the Sixth
Form as part of the Leadership Team. I want to make sure that
Ridgeway is the best that it can be for every student and that
everyone has the opportunity to have their voice heard and to
make positive changes.
Goodbye and
Good Luck...
We are very proud of the
achievements of our Sixth
Form students again this
year. They have taken part
in a variety of whole
school events such as the
Gym and Dance display
and the CPA production of
Les Misėrables and they
continue to be role models
for younger students in
the school. We have given
our students some
interesting challenges this
year and they have really
excelled in these. For
example, they
demonstrated enthusiasm
and professionalism in
interviewing Year 10
students at their careers
fair and have been
instrumental in organising
the Sports Day.
We said ‘Goodbye’ to our
Year 13 students at their
Leavers’ Ball but it was
great to see lots of happy
faces on results day. They
have left us well prepared
for student life after our
‘cooking on a budget day’
where they created their
own recipe books to take
with them.
We also have a keen team
of journalists working on a
new Sixth Form magazine
called ‘R6’ and the first
issue is out now. Looking
ahead to this next year we
have a fresh new student
Leadership Team eager to
take on their roles. We
know they have some
interesting projects and
ideas up their sleeves!
The Sixth Form Team
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Calling all Former Students of
The Ridgeway School…..
For the last 18 month The Ridgeway School have been working with Future First, a charity that helps us
to keep in touch with students after they leave so they can come back and chat about what they go on
to do and share tips and expertise about university and the working world.
The network now has former students dating back to 1982 and who are now in a wide variety of
progressions from making television programmes to kidney surgeons. Ridgeway students certainly go
on to do a range of things!
In the past year we have involved former students across the school. In October a group of former
students came back in to talk with some Year 12 students about how to survive sixth form and make
the tricky jump up from GCSEs to A-Levels. One of these former students was Elspeth Fisher, pictured
above, who also spoke with the Daily Mail about her experiences coming back in (link to article below).
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2861038/Fiona-s-mission-inspire-newsreader-high-flyersreturn-classroom-teach-pupils-life-lessons-ve-learnt.html
We also brought some alumni in to speak with Year 11s about choosing their Sixth Form options and
help them to think about the skills and knowledge they might need to progress in different career paths
in the future.
We’re looking to repeat these activities next year, as well as planning in a welcome assembly for new
Year 7s, involving alumni in open days and supporting with work experience placements.
If you know any former students who would like to get back in touch, please encourage them to sign up
via this link and we’ll be in touch: https://networks.futurefirst.org.uk/former-student/ridgeway
Abigail Nokes
9
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Alexandra House, Whittingham Drive,
Wroughton,
Wiltshire SN4 0QJ
10
On Wednesday 24th June, we
took 16 Year 7s to Croft Primary
School to participate in the White
Horse Federation Literacy
Festival. Our students kicked off
the day with a performance of 4
scenes from Shakespeare’s The
Tempest in the outdoor
amphitheatre. All 16 students
had given up all their lunch times
for the past week and a half to
rehearse and the result was
sensational! They were amazing
and the younger students (and
staff!) thoroughly enjoyed their
performance.
Myself, Fiona and Becky Squire
were immensely proud to stand
by and watch them take on the
role of mentors to the younger
students.
Following this, they then led the
younger students through
Shakespeare workshops and
helped them to produce their
own performance. All of our
students worked fantastically
well with the Year 4/5 students –
they were supportive, polite,
encouraging and so very mature.
We received so many wonderful
compliments about our students
from other members of staff from
the various WHF schools. They
were integral to the day and they
represented The Ridgeway in
such a positive light .
LRC News...
YEAR 7 LITERACY
FESTIVAL
Mrs Z Smith
11
LES MISÉRABLES
Music News...
Following the sell-out successes of
previous years including West Side
Story, Oliver!, Miss Saigon and
Sound Of Musicals, this year the
students & Performing Arts team
from The Ridgeway School took us
on a journey through the French
revolution…
From the first initial buzz on Friday
12th September 2014 right up to
opening night anxiety, this voyage
that the cast, crew and staff have
been on is absolutely incredible. The
dedication from everyone involved
shows how epic The Ridgeway
productions really are, with blood,
sweat and tears poured into every
ounce of every aspect of the show.
Every student has shown utter
dedication to the production; from
the incoming Year 7s to the
departing Year 13s. There are few
occasions in your education where
you would see over 100 students
from all years pull together to create
an outstanding show, something few
of them will experience again in their
lives. The show is a memory that
every student will hold forever,
reminiscing the pure adrenaline rush
they had stepping off the stage each
night with the natural high that is only
created from performing in such an
amazing production.
It is a huge privilege to have such
amazing students that work
tirelessly, passionately and in sync
with the Performing Arts team.
Without the Arts subjects in
education you are failing to prepare
the children of tomorrow with the
essential tools they need to succeed:
charisma, discipline, independence,
team work, confidence and of course
imagination.
All the students that performed in
Les Misérables 2015 are a huge
credit to the faculty, the school and
to themselves and their families – a
massive congratulations to them all.
Bring on the next production!
Mr M Pentelow
12
RIDGEWAY’S GOT
TALENT!
First of all we’d like to congratulate all the students that
took part in this year’s Ridgeway’s Got Talent. It was a
huge success with a range of great acts from dancers,
singers to gymnasts and tap dancers.
The Main Hall filled up with students eager for the show
and fortunately for them and the judges the show was
hosted by the stupendous Cath Hamilton & Skye
Shortridge. The girls did a fantastic job that trumped the
likes of Mr Pentelow and Mr Smith – girls we hope
you’re ready to be used for next year’s show! Judging
these events are no small task, it takes passion, guts
and a natural eye for something spectacular so only the
best would do. To fill the shoes of David Walliams we
had Mr Dixon; filling Amanda Holden’s heels we had
Miss Jones; to slide into Alesha Dixon’s stilettos we had
Miss Cejer; and to fill the biggest shoes (and longest
trousers!) of Simon Cowell we had Mr Povoas.
The judges we know had an arduous task of choosing a
top three out of all the fabulous acts, inevitably there
MFL Update…
Tubingen is up and running.
Back in school we celebrated
the European Day of
Languages on Sept 23rd and
enjoyed comparing a whole
range of European languages
and facts about the different
countries. Students sported
colourful stickers saying ‘Talk
to me’ in lots of languages and
QR code readers were in
evidence as well!
always go along to their class
teacher. In addition to that, we
run a weekly session after
school in G02 on a Tuesday
where there will always be a
language teacher to help and
advise.
Letters are available for the
Normandy trip for Year 9 from
all the MFL teachers. The trip
takes place next July but is
always very popular and
places go quickly.
This year we are also
delighted to welcome 3
Mrs A Colledge
Foreign Language AssistantsCarina from Germany,
Gauthier from France and
Inma from Spain. They have
arrived and are already
working with lots of our
classes, bringing an added
dimension to our lessons as
students get the opportunity
to listen to them, to talk to
them and to learn about their
cultures and customs.
MFL News...
The year has got off to a busy
start with Year 8 students
already signed up and looking
forward to the ever popular
Christmas Markets trip in early
December. Mrs Giles has been
overwhelmed by Year 9
students applying to take part
in the Language Leaders
Award sessions after school
on Wednesdays. This year she
asked students to write a short
paragraph explaining why they
wanted to take part. The big
response shows how much
they enjoyed being in classes
led by our leaders in previous
Year 9 groups. She is looking
forward to working with them
all and there will be
opportunities to deliver in
French, German and Spanish.
The Normandy trip for next
July has also been launched
and we have about 40 Year 9
students coming along to that.
We are looking at
opportunities to run a trip to
Spain and also at further study
opportunities for Sixth
Formers. The German
exchange with students in
were joint places…so in joint 3rd we had Beth Durston &
Kyle Perkins who sang in perfect harmony along with
Megan Flood who sang beautifully on her own; in joint
2nd we had Paige & Jayne Hughes who wowed us with
their gymnastics techniques along with the Year 8 duo
Kieran Theobald & Ben Bryant who pulled on the
heartstrings of the audience; and in first place…wait for
it… Sophie Powell (7B1)! Sophie stunned the audience
and judges with her amazing tap dancing skills, a huge
well done to all the acts that were placed and well done
to Sophie for her success.
Thank you to all that took part in the event either has a
performer, helper, judge, audience member & to Mr
Kociuba for light and sound. We look forward to what
2016 will bring… Mr M Pentelow
Finally, any student who feels
the need for that extra bit of
support in languages can
13
History News...
YEAR 10 TRIP TO BERLIN
One could be forgiven in thinking
that an 18 hour bus journey across
the South East of Britain, France
and Germany was something to be
avoided like the plague, however
they would be mistaken as the
annual trip to Berlin produced
memorable and enriching
experiences as always for both staff
and students.
Arriving in Berlin produces a myriad
of emotions. Having studied, taught
and analysed the complicated
nature of a city and country touched
by one of the most intriguing events
of the 20th Century allows one to
view the modern development of
society and culture coming to terms
with its past, something that can be
missed when taking a weekend
break to a city to just ‘take in the
sights’.
The first stop on the itinerary was a
walking talking tour with our friendly
and knowledgeable guide known as
‘Thomas’. Through his exuberant
and insightful commentary we were
allowed to view the nature of change
experienced by Berliners through
the years of change and turmoil after
the loss of WW1, the instability of
the democratic Weimar Government,
the Nazi parties rise, terror and fall
and the subsequent years of division
and fear of a divided city during the
cold war. One of the most interesting
14
aspects is learning about how the
nature of political and ideological
rule determines the look and feel of
the city, from the architecture of the
third Reich, to the development of
separation through the imposing
structure of the Berlin Wall.
film Gladiator. Built to reflect the
classical nature of the Roman
Empire, the Olympic stadium blends
the historical with the modern. Home
to Hertha Berlin at the weekends of
the regular football season, students
could see the physical imposition of
the Nazi regime once again by
Day 2 and the emotions run high.
exploring the artefacts and
Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorials to past heroes such as
lies about 50 km West of the city
Jesse Owens who shone in the face
centre and provides an insight into
of racial propaganda against
the persecution of not only minority anybody who did not fit the bill.
races such as the Jewish population
but also the horrific treatment
Tuesday and the final day. The
towards other nationals especially
Reichstag building is the home to
Russian prisoners of war and
the government of Germany. Having
political opponents of the Nazi state. staged many of the events that
This vast complex retains many of
students studied throughout their
the original buildings and
course, the Reichstag offers an
instruments of destruction that really unbridled history into the political
brings home the struggle that
manoeuvrings of 20th Century
individuals, communities and whole Germany. As well as this, the
races felt during the time of Nazi
Reichstag shows off the vast nature
rule. One of my enduring memories of the whole city of Berlin in its 360º
of this visit was the speechlessness glass dome.
of students who can literally feel and All students and staff agreed that
touch the atrocities of the past, so
this is a journey that must be
st
far removed from our lives in 21
undertaken by all. I hope to see
Century Britain.
many of the current Year 9 students
on the trip next year and look
A little light relief is in order during
forward to re-visiting a city that offers
the afternoon. If one wanted to
so much and enriches the
visualise the awesome nature of the experiences of learning in the
Olympic Stadium (built for the
classroom.
purpose of hosting the 1936 Berlin
Olympics) one really has to look at
Mr J Koniarski – History Teacher
the first shot of the Coliseum in the
YEAR 9 MOCK TRIAL GOES TO
COURT!
One can forgive anybody being a little intimidated
when attending Chippenham Magistrates court,
let alone being a Year 9 student who has to fight
for or against an accused criminal being found
guilty or not. 13 of our students however did just
that.
BLACK COUNTRY MUSEUM
In May, Year 8 got the chance to
experience a trip to the past
visiting the Black Country
Museum. It’s a recreation of life in
the 19th Century. We had already
studied the subject and the
museum brought it all to life. But
it’s not just a museum. It’s a living,
thriving village showing all aspects
of life from canal boats, a school,
and a mine to an old pub. It had
everything!
Everyone’s favourite part had to
be the mine experience. It was so
much fun! We got to go down the
mine and see what the workers
conditions were like, working
endless hours in the dark, cold
and damp coalface. It also had
special effects that made us jump,
including the simulation of an
explosion to show how they used
to extend the mine to extract more
coal.
After a lovely lunch of beef
battered fish and chips, we went
back to the school where we
experienced 19th Century
education. There were so many
rules: No nail varnish, the
separation of boys and girls, and
the teacher had to be called
‘Ma’am’! One or two naughty
students even experienced what it
would have been like to get the
cane! Being able to experience
this enabled students to take back
empathy and an understanding to
the classroom to help understand
what really went on during the
Industrial Revolution. Not only was
the Industrial Revolution about the
development of Britain as a world
power, but also a story of
individual lives trying to make the
best of difficult situations.
Overall it was a great trip, enjoyed
by all students and teachers.
Bronwyn Spellman & Megan
On Saturday 21st March our budding team of
lawyers, magistrates, witnesses and an usher
took part in the Wiltshire local heat at
Chippenham Law courts. Over two rounds of
intense competition, Ridgeway students, Maddie
Dowell and Olivia Cunnigham managed to
successfully defend the accused Andrew Ridler
and get him a verdict of not guilty for stealing a
mobile phone, winning the case against John of
Gaunt School from Trowbridge. The second
round was even tougher with Aamish Ahmed and
Hannah Hockin going toe-to-toe with the defence
team from Fairlands School, Cheddar, who
berated our witnesses with questions from their
defence team. True to form however Ridgeway
students proved to be the most apt at arguing the
case and managed to prosecute the defendant
from the other school, with a guilty verdict and a
hefty sentence!
Despite these two wins Ridgeway school were
pipped to first place by a deserving Fairlands
Middle School who now go on to represent
Wiltshire at the regional competition. The scoring
system used at the trial was based upon
individual performances from all members of the
team analysing skills such as public speaking
ability, timing and attention to detail. Although not
overall winners the Ridgeway School came in a
close second and students were commended for
their abilities to really deliver a quality trial.
Staff and students had an excellent time on the
day and also over the last four months of
preparation and hard work by the students. In
recognition of their efforts all students were
awarded a certificate of participation and a free
copy of the commemoration book for the 800th
anniversary of the Magna Carta signing
published by Salisbury Cathedral.
A very special thanks goes to Rachel Gowshall
and Mina Searle, two expert magistrates who
have visited us over the past few weeks and
given endless pieces of advice to get our
students ready.
Mr J Koniarski
15
Diana Award...
The Diana Award is awarded to courageous, caring,
compassionate young people, transforming the lives of others
in the name of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Diana Award holders come from all walks of life and many
have challenging and disadvantaged backgrounds, however
they share a deep sense of social responsibility. They could
be giving up their time to mentor other students, a young
carer, taking part in anti-bullying initiatives, fundraising or
campaigning for a cause close to their heart. Whatever they
are doing, they have one thing in common, a desire to make a
difference and improve the lives of others.
We know that if young people are encouraged for their efforts,
they are empowered to reach their full potential and feel
confident they can make change happen.
The award has five categories for individuals and groups of
young people aged between 9 and 18.
For many years we have been proud to present the students
who have been awarded the Diana Award and this year was
no exception. Liam Cunningham who was in Year 11 in
2014/5 was presented with his award in London at the
Barclays headquarters for his great effort of working with
disadvantaged students.
He certainly made a difference to many students and some
adults too.
We wish him
every success
in his future career.
Mrs R Cairns
16
CELEBRATING FAIRTRADE
FORTNIGHT
Students at The Ridgeway School
have always been outward looking
and willing to participate in activities
which promote others interests. This
year during Fair Trade fortnight was
no exception as many key stage
three groups engaged in case studies
and quizzes linking to Design and
technology, Citizenship, PSHE and
other curriculum areas. There was a
wealth of opportunities for students to
use, build and reflect on their
enterprise skills and a challenge for
students to work together to plan and
use Fairtrade products in food work
and at home. There was also
Fairtrade marketing challenge,
drawing on students’ creativity as
they discussed in groups how as
Global Citizens we can develop our
knowledge and understanding and a
belief that people can make a
difference.
We are very grateful to The Mid
Counties Co-operative, who were
very generous to the school by giving
us an allowance in order to ‘purchase’
fair trade products for students to
work with during the fortnight.
The future challenge for the students
is to consider the introduction a Fair
trade element into the products on
sale in the school restaurant.
Mrs R Cairns
NATIONAL TRUST
COMPETITION
The standard of finished results
for this food competition was
very high making it a hugely
difficult task for the judges to
award the prizes. However the
students had a brilliant morning
all working towards the prize!
The brief was to design a dish
which showed skill and could be
suitable to be served in a
National Trust shop or
restaurant. We are fortunate to
have the NT headquarters here
in Swindon and were able to
once again call on the chefs to
be our expert judges.
Throughout the course of this
year all Year 8 students have
been involved in the project of
researching local foods with an
assessed practical to establish
who went through to the grand
cook off which we held on 12th
June.
A mixture of sweet and savoury
recipes were produced including
soups, scones, savoury flans
and a range of puddings, sweets
and cakes.
Congratulations go to all the
finalists but of special note are
the winners below.
The overall winner was Anna
Murphy who will have her dish
cooked in the restaurant at Hellis
House where she and three
other guests can enjoy a winning
meal courtesy of National Trust.
Second was Oliver Woodward
who made homemade pasta
rounds, stuff with smoked
salmon and cheese drizzled with
balsamic vinegar and sprinkled
with pine nuts. Joint third was
Aaron Pring who made a cheese
cake with a homemade plum
sauce and Tom Turney who
made a chocolate cake topped
with a luxious icing and smarties
Have we a new Jamie Oliver in
our midst? Who said young
people aren’t interested in
cooking!
Mrs R Cairns
6
hilaryjane dance
Ballroom
& Latin Dancing
Week Courses for Beginners
3 Week Taster Courses/Taster Sessions
Beginner & Improver Group Classes
‘Ballroom Basics’ No Partner Needed
Private lessons available £27 - £31
Tuition for First Wedding Dance
For more information contact Hilary
Tel No: 01793 434046
Mob: 07923 605903
Visit: www.lawninfo.net/page64 or
Email: hilary@aris598.orangehome.co.uk
17
Teacher Training News...
18
Teacher Training
they will be going into Swindon
secondary schools to continue their
training to become a teacher. The
course finishes in June 2016 when
we hope many will be appointed as
full time teachers in our local area.
In September we welcomed 22 new
trainees to The Ridgeway
School,who have been accepted
onto the School Centred Initial
Should anyone be interested in
Teacher Training (SCITT). Following
pursuing a career in teaching there
a three week induction programme
are a number of Schools Experience
days planned this year where
participants will join classes, speak
to teaching staff and generally gain
a feel of what is involved to become
a teacher.
Contact Clare Moon for more
details moonc@ridgeway.com
19
Tanzania, Summer Trip...
This summer Mr Smith and Miss Goss got the
pleasure of taking 13 Year 11, 12 and 13 students to
Tanzania in South East Africa for 28 days. The
expedition was run through Camps International and
all the students spent two years fundraising for the
trip. The journey started with an excruciating day and
half of flights, transfers and waiting around before we
finally drove into our first camp near Moshi on the
Kenya/Tanzania border. Upon arrival we had a real
culture shock, the way the locals live their lives was
so vastly different from the fast and frantic world we
live in here.
The expedition was a combination of community
work, adventure and rest and relaxation time. The
community work included; laying foundations for
schools, building mud huts for struggling villagers,
digging watering holes for wild animals, sawing wood
to make school desks and teaching English to the
local children. The locals were so grateful for our help
and always stopped to say hello and thank us for the
work we were doing.
20
The adventure element of the trip was spent trekking
up Mount Meru. The mountain stands at over 4,500
metres above sea level making it one of the highest
mountains in Africa. The climb took 2 ½ days up and
1 ½ days to climb down and was far and away the
hardest thing some of the students had ever done.
On summit day we left at midnight to try and make it
to the top for sunrise. It was a cold and windy day
with all the students wrapped up in several layers;
hats, gloves, scarves and head torches on. We had
all manner of injuries and illnesses on the way up
including severe altitude sickness, twisted ankles and
even a peanut allergy! I have never in my life been as
proud as I was the moment the last few students
scaled the rocky face and made it to the top of the
mountain. The mountain guide said we are the first
school that all made it to the summit, something they should be
extremely proud of themselves for. It was a truly gruelling few
days made bearable only by the enormous sense of
achievement at the end.
The rest of the trip was spent travelling around the North and
East of the country, meeting different people, working in
different communities and sampling all the different local
cuisines! We spent 10 days in Tanga on the coast where we
slept a few metres away from the sea, spending our afternoons
and evening playing volleyball and football against the other
schools on expedition there. Ridgeway had an A and a B team
who both got through to the semi-finals with Ridgeway A losing
out on penalties to a team from Doncaster in the final. The
sunsets there were stunning and the flora and fauna was so
diverse and interesting.
We spent our rest and relaxation days learning how to cook
local food with the village mama’s, exploring the towns and
cities and buying art work and souvenirs from the street
vendors. Towards the end of the trip we went on a safari and
spotted some beautiful animals in their natural surroundings.
Along with the elephants, giraffe’s and monkeys we were lucky
enough to see a cheetah in the long grass. The group who went
the day after us saw two lionesses taking down a wildebeest…
not that we’re jealous or anything. We also sang and danced
with a local massai tribe who taught us how to make beaded
jewellery.
In truth, a whole novel wouldn’t be able to aptly sum up just
how life changing and eye opening this experience was for the
students and staff involved. We came back a tightknit group
who laughed, cried and shared memories together over the
course of what was a truly incredible month exploring Africa.
Bring on Peru 2016 and Borneo 2017!
If you’re interested in joining Ridgeway on any future
expeditions please contact Mr Smith or find him at school in
Drama Studio 2.
Mr B Smith
21
ART News - Dismaland...
22
As we queued for what seemed like a lifetime in the freezing cold
of a dreary September’s day, the entrance seemed to get further
and further away. With our hopes of getting into the “amusement
park” fading away second by second, the mood of our A-level
artists plummeted and the staff were starting to lose their last
ounce of hope. Not even the dismal selfies lifted the mood!
We decided we were not going to give up and formulated a plan
with the students and art team. Our nimble young and fit art
technician hurdled the row of 10 fences and ran at the speed of
light to use his persuasive skills to try and get us all into Banksy’s
amusement park. They took pity on us, particularly the staff, and
we were eventually able to enter the dismal art exhibition. Not
before having to do a forfeit… hopping on one leg, doing push ups
and also being made to stand in the corner. It was not an easy
fight. Rhiannon Davies managed to save the day with her skilful
dismal acting skills by distracting the dismal workers and even got
offered a job! Little did we know at this point that the day would
turn out to be so amazing. We were so lucky to be able to see the
work of a number of very famous and talented artists including,
Damien Hirst and of course Banksy. An experience that none of us
will forget in a long time. Miss H Jones
CREATE EXHIBITION 2015
Don’t forget to buy
your 2016 Create
calendar. Only £5
Available from
The Art Department
Art News - Create 2015...
For the first time, this year the Create Exhibition ran over three
days. This gave all students the opportunity to see the hard work
and dedication that goes into producing such stunning work. The
exhibition included at least one piece of work from all GCSE, AS,
and A-level Art students, all AS and A-level Graphics students and
all AS and A-level Textiles students. Everyone enjoyed voting for
their favourite art work. Well done to all students that exhibited.
The winner of the ‘People’s Choice 2015’ prize will be announced
shortly. Watch this space! Mrs A Wingate
23
Science News...
EDT Engineering
Education
Scheme
Competition July
1st, 2015
It may have been the
hottest day of the year on
July 1st 2015, but it was
the pressure that had our
Year 12 engineering
students sweating. Alex
Coates and Ellis Lester
presented the design of an
airplane circuit cooling
bracket to a group of Engineer judges at Rolls Royce in Bristol. Alex and Ellis presented the design;
however, they were only two of the four member team that had developed the bracket. Unfortunately,
George Martyn and Han Tiet were unable to join their team members on the presentation day.
The development of the bracket was done by the four members was the team alongside Robert Hudd,
their engineering mentor from TE Connectivity. The presentation the culmination of an 8 month
engineering and design competition run by the Engineering Development Trust named Engineering
Education Scheme. The team of four Year 12’s were given the brief to solve a real world problem of
overheating PCB circuit boards on airplanes. The team had to develop a design, provide
comprehensive testing of the design concepts, create a presentation, and write an extensive report on
the whole process. Their simple and elegant design won all four Gold CREST awards and very
positive feedback from judges and fellow engineers. Congratulations to Alex Coates, Ellis Lester,
George Martyn, and Han Tiet.
Overall Winners in
EDT’s Go4Set
competition for
Engineering and
Electronics
The Ridgeway School had great
success in the EDT Go4Set
Engineering competition this
year.
Our engineering teams made up of Year 9 students took the overall engineering prize in both the
G04Set Engineering competition and the G04Set Electronics competition. Both teams worked for 10
weeks with a mentor from industry to design an engineering solution and write a brief for a set
problem. Judging was done by local engineers and assessed presentation skills, innovation, planning,
organization, and report writing skills. The result for both competitions was the same; Ridgeway beat all
the local participating schools to the overall prize.
Due to the quality of both projects, the teams were invited to the Regional Science and Engineering
Competition in Exeter on June 25th to compete with the best Science projects in the Southwest. In
Exeter, they faced numerous projects form 6th form students and some of the best young engineers in
the country; an impressive accomplishment for both the teams. Join me in congratulating the
Engineering team Alice Baker, Isabella Bradly-Leach, Olivia Cunningham, Becca Stubbs, and Rebecca
Smith and the Electronics team Kieran Hall, Hannah Hockin, Paven Patel, Andrew Ridler, Georgia
Spry, and James Stratford.
Mr J Watts
24
STEM - ROYAL AIR TATTOO ENGINEERING COMPETITION 2015
The task was to make an air propelled rocket
cart move down a runway, hit a trebuchet
catapult and launch a missile as far as
possible. The students had all day to design
and make their machines with the help of the
sponsor’s engineers. When it came to the final competition Ridgeway managed to hit the target and
launch their missile a staggering 12 feet. Teams followed but most carts missed the target of their
catapult through poor design, only one team were able to better the Ridgeway combo of rocket car
and catapult. The runners up were over
the moon with their result and duly soaked
up the applause whilst enjoying shaking
hands with the directors of Rolls Royce.
Science News
On a hot summers day, five Ridgeway
students took part in an engineering
competition at Fairford International Air
Tattoo. Daniel Ellis Parker, Harry Harvey
Jones, Oscar Goy, Oliver Rowell and Harry
Jamie competed in the ‘School’s engineering
challenge’ which was sponsored by Lockhead
Martin and Rolls Royce. Six schools from the
surrounding area sent teams of five students.
The students really enjoyed the day, with
the task and background setting really
inspiring the team, after all it is not often
that you get to build a rocket cart next to
a Lockhead F-35 lightening, with a joint
Vulcan bomber and red arrows fly pass
overhead. The noise made communication
a bit tricky. The boys were a credit to the
school with the organiser commenting
how smart and enthusiastic they were.
Mr P Kench
25
PE News...
They did not disappoint as within 10
In May, Year 11 played Highworth in minutes they were 3-0 up thanks to a
hat-trick from the in form Cameron
the Swindon Schoolboy Cup Final.
Delaney, with a glancing header and
After winning convincingly in the
two brilliant first time left foot
quarter and semi-final, 2-1 and 4-0
respectively, they would go into this finishes, a fourth goal from Jordan
final as hot favourites to win the cup. Lea would put them 4-0 at half time
The fixture took place at LPA the day as well as be contender for goal of
before Year 11 were about to leave. the season. Surely it would be
impossible for Highworth to come
Staff, parents, friends and family
back from this now! The second half
were there to cheer the lads on.
PERFECT END FOR YR 11
started and Highworth managed to
grab their first goal of the game
through a goalkeeping error. This
would prove to merely be a
consolation goal as the full time
score ended 6-3 to The Ridgeway
School. Thank you to all that came
to support and to the team for putting
in an excellent performance in such
an important game. Mr M Wakefield
ENGLISH SCHOOLS ATHLETICS
On Saturday 11th July it was day two of the English Schools
Athletics Championships held in Gateshead. Mr Wakefield
and Gamuchirai Dumbutshena (Gam) travelled up to the
event with 23 other Wiltshire athletes and team managers
before the event. Gam had an early wake-up call at 6:30am in
order to start competing at 9:30am. He had to resist the
temptation of the full English breakfast and instead watch Mr
Wakefield enjoy his! I remember my first experience of
teaching Gam in my interview lesson at Ridgeway. I set up the
tape measure to 5 metres as my mentor told me that no year
9 pupil will jump over 5 metres in your lesson. Gam was first
to jump and jumped over the tape! This was the moment I
knew he was a real talent. Little did I think I would be taking
Gam to compete against the best young athletes in the
country two years later. It was a fitting way to complete our
journey together, with Gam achieving a Personal Best (PB) of
6.58m at The English Schools Athletics
Championships beating the PB he
achieved at the South West
Championships in Exeter a few weeks
earlier by 8cm, earning him a bronze
medal and a place on the reserve list for
the English National Team. We look
forward to hearing if Gam can continue to
improve as an athlete and continue to
make progress in athletics next year.
Mr Wakefield
26
SOUTH WEST ATHLETICS
On Tuesday 9th June 15 Year 9 and 10 boys from The Ridgeway School
headed down to Winchester athletics stadium to take part in the South
West Athletics National Cup B Final. In order to qualify for this event the
boys previously qualified in third position in the first round held on a day
with many injuries at Marlborough College. Unfortunately the weather at
Winchester did not look to help our boys with high winds and chilly
conditions. However this did not dampen their spirits for what would be a
great day of athletics.
WILTSHIRE SCHOOLS
ATHLETICS TRIALS
On a day that was forecast to have
dreadful weather, Mr Wakefield and Miss
Allbrook travelled to Salisbury with a group
of Ridgeway students eager for success.
The Wiltshire Trials allows students from
North, South, and West Wilts along with
Swindon and Kennet athletics to compete
against each other in order to progress to
the next round and compete for Wiltshire.
Notable performances on the day were
Gamucharai Dumbutshena who won the
long jump with an impressive jump of 6.36
metres. Another inter boy who impressed
was Johan Warensjo who jumped an
impressive 1.72m in the high jump in a
tough competition which saw a new
championship record. Joe Smith and Toby
Leslie impressed in their events. Toby ran
in an extremely quick 800 metres race
which saw Toby battle across the line to
achieve a 3rd place. Joe Smith who has
had an impressive season so far
performing consistently well in the 100m
and the shot put. Joe managed to
persevere in both events and managed to
secure a 2nd place in the shot put. Also
worth mentioning is Bhavisha Patel who
managed to secure a fantastic 3rd place in
the junior girls javelin and well done to
Thomas Moore who reached the final of
the Minor Boys 100m a hugely popular
event. Tom ran 14 seconds in both the
heat and final.
Mr Wakefield and Miss Allbrook would like
to thank parents and students for giving up
their weekends to support their children
and the pupils of Ridgeway School. It is
fantastic to see our students rising to the
competition and showing what they are
made of. Both Johan Warensjo and Gam
Dumbutshena both progress to the South
West Championships to wear the green
vest and compete for Wiltshire against the
rest of the South West.. Miss G Allbrook
The national English Schools track and field cup involves each athlete
competing in two events, one track and one field and gaining points for
distances thrown and jumped and times ran.
In the morning the boys competed in the field events which involved
some excellent performances starting with the Shot Put event. Joe Smith
and Cameron Guinness both threw good distances which initiated the
positive momentum we had throughout the day. Ben Clark and Alirio
McCalla both performed well in the long jump despite heavy cross winds.
Joss Henderson and Callum Rogers threw solidly in the Discus event
gaining 18pts and 17pts respectively. Marcus Raymond gained the
highest individual field event score with an excellent clearance in the
High Jump. He was supported brilliantly by Josh Fox who had never high
jumped before this season. There were further solid performances in the
Javelin and Triple Jump events. We finished the first half of the
competition on 156 points and in third position so we still had a lot of
work to do.
We all knew that we were stronger on the Track, all we had to do now was
keep the momentum going. Once again we started brilliantly with Joe
Smith and Emmanuel Kwarteng-Abrokwa both running the 100m under
12.5seconds. Harvey Bowron and Ethan Tull ran very powerful 300m
races. Josh Ricketts and Marcus Raymond scored incredibly high points
in their respective 200m and Hurdles events. Ben Clarke, Toby Leslie and
Josh Fox all ran personal bests in their 800m and 1500m events. A
special mention should also go to Ire Adegboyega who filled in, in the
hurdles at the last minute and scored some much needed points. These
wonderful performances brought us to the final event, the relay!
Callum Rogers, Joss Henderson, Emmanuel Kwarteng – Abrokwa and
Josh Ricketts all came together after some practice and ran a flawless
relay that saw the boys cross the line in first position. After a tough but
excellent day the results were in and by just 2 points we finished in
second place
overall.
A quite brilliant
day, the
students were
fantastic and a
huge credit to
themselves
and the school.
Thank you to
all the students
for giving us a
wonderful day
never to be
forgotten.
Miss G
Allbrook
27
SWINDON SCHOOLS ATHLETICS
CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015 YEAR 7 AND 8
PE News...
For many of our Year 7 and 8 students it
has been a first athletics season for
them, attending club and learning new
skills and techniques for a number of
track and field events. The Thursday after
our Year 9 & 10 victories at the county
ground, key stage 3 followed suit hoping
to achieve personal bests and come in
the top schools in Swindon. Throughout
the day we saw some quality
performances full of grit and
determination. We were lucky enough to
see a number of Ridgeway wins including
Thomas Moore in the 100m with a
fantastic time of 12.8, Chris Francis in the
long jump, Owen Squire in the hurdles,
Emily Goy in the 100m and Sophia
Bonnetti in the 1500m. A great day with a
number of students progressing and
having a really enjoyable day.
Overall Results:
Year 7 Boys – 4th, Year 7 Girls – 3rd
Year 8 Boys – 6th, Year 8 Girls – 2nd
SWINDON SCHOOLS ATHLETICS
CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015 YEAR 9 AND 10
As we entered the final weeks of the
school year it was still a busy time for the
PE department who had a number of
athletics fixtures and activities going on.
On a sunny Tuesday Miss Allbrook, Mr
Fouracre and Miss Cejer headed to the
county ground to take on all of the other
schools in Swindon in a number of track
and field events. A lot of success took
place once again for The Ridgeway
School with notable performances from
Marcus Raymond who stormed across
the line in the 100m hurdles, Alirio
McCalla who leaped his way into first
position in the long jump and the rest of
the Year 10 boys who all came in the top
5 athletes in every event which allowed
them a clear victory. In the Year 9 boys
competition Ridgeway also experienced a
number of successes including wins from
Josh Fox in the 1500m, Joe Smith in the
100m, Toby Leslie in the 800m and Josh
Ricketts in the Shot Put. It was all to play
for in the relay the final event of the day
with Commonweal, Ridgeway and Lydiard
Park all in the running for the top spot.
28
The team bought the baton
in a close second place
however with Lydiard Park
dropping back to 4th position
Ridgeway managed to get
an overall win by just 1
point. We were also pleased
with success from both the
Year 9 and 10 girls. Grace
Cloughton in Year 10 had a
fantastic day winning both
the 300m and the high jump
with a clear margin; Grace
even managed to produce a
new personal best in the
300m, an event new to her
for the first time this season.
Other fantastic
performances came from
Georgia Spry in Year 9 who
has worked tirelessly to
improve her hurdling
technique where she
crossed the line comfortably
with a new personal best.
Well done to Katie Clancy
and Maddie Dowell who
also came away with wins in
the high jump and long
jump. Each and every girl in
both age groups came
together to pull out fantastic
team performances which
allowed the Year 9’s overall
victory and the runners up
sport for the year 10’s. A
great day was had by all,
and it was fantastic to see
all the hard work throughout
the season pay off. Results:
Year 9 Girls – 1st
Year 9 Boys – 1st
Year 10 Girls – 2nd
Year 10 Boys – 1st
Miss G Allbrook
ESSA SOUTH-WEST SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015
A team of 25 Ridgeway students
travelled to Millfield School to compete
in the ESSA South-West Schools Team
Championships for the second year in
succession. Providing a fantastic
opportunity to aspiring swimmers to
experience national standard
competition in top-class facilities and
facing teams from schools/ clubs
including Millfield School and Plymouth
College; Ridgeway made fantastic
progress across the junior and
intermediate age-groups - achieving a
competition best 11th place in the Junior
Boys Freestyle and Medley relays
(featuring Leon Wysocki, Sam Hockin,
Alex Reeves and Henry Rideout).
Competitive swimming continues to
increase in popularity at The Ridgeway,
and focus now shifts towards the
Swindon School Games in the summer
term. A huge well done and thank you
for your efforts to all those competing.
Full team: Leon Wysocki, Sam Hockin,
Alex Reeves, Henry Rideout, Nicole
Grindell, Charlotte Purvis, Lilly Goodwin,
Hanah Mason, Molly Barratt, Isabella
Williams, Jess Black, Katy Wright, Abi
Martin-Hicks, Laura Berry, Mia Gough,
Livi Cunningham, Olivia O'Brien,
Rebecca Gee, Ellen Goodwin, Hanah
Hockin, Aaron Knight, Issacc Mullaliu,
Josh Rickets, Josh Fox and Adam
Wright.
Mr. Fouracre
Next term will see the return
of the WHF Rugby Festival
and the Sainsbury School
Games WHF Hockey Festival
29
Primary PE News...
White Horse
Federation Festival
It was the first Festival of the year and normally proves to be the most popular. We had over 100
students from WHF Primary Schools across Swindon. 15 Year 9 Sports Leaders were selected to help
at the festival and once again proved to be an asset to the school and the PE department. Notable good
performances as leaders go to Erin Rawlins, Emily Smith, Charlie Trinder-Sage and Max Allen. Mr
Wakefield would like to thank all the WHF teachers that helped with the event and looks forward to
helping with the other 15 sports leaders at the WHF Cross Country Festival.
Results:
Mr M Wakefield
KS2 Girls
1st
Mountford Manor
Joint 2nd
Moredon & Rodbourne
Year 3 and 4 Boys
1st
Tregoze
2nd
Drove
3rd
Moredon
Joint 4th
Croft & Mountford Manor
Year 5 and 6 Boys
30
1st
Tregoze
2nd
Drove
3rd
Moredon
4th
Mountford Manor
WHF SUPER 8
Last July saw the start of an Athletics
Competition for the WHF primary schools to
all take part in and compete. Miss Allbrook
and Mr Wakefield were involved in the
organisation of the event and with the help of
the Year 9 sports leaders, this event proved
to be a huge success. The WHF Super 8’s is
where KS2 pupils from Year 3, 4 and 5 and 6
competed against each other (Year 3&4 and
Year 5&6) in 8 events with 8 students
representing each school. The day started
with poor weather but this failed to put a
dampener on proceedings and the rate of
effort from the pupils as they competed in the
Javelin, Discus, Long Jump, Shot Put,
Hurdles, 50m,100m, and Relay.
PRIMARY WHF CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL
Thursday 8th October saw the return of the Primary WHF Cross
Country Festival to the WHF Festival calendar due to it being
cancelled on numerous occasions last year because of poor
weather. This year we had fabulous weather and excellent
leading performances from the Year 9 Sports Leaders and in
particular Zac Lewis, Ollie Woodward, Olivia O’Brian and Faith
Grayson. Tregoze, Haydon Wick, Moredon, Rodbourne Cheney,
Croft and Drove were the 6 schools that participated. Tregoze
managed to win the girls KS2 team competition and Haydon
Wick managed to win the KS2 boys competition. Individual
performances and results are included below:
GirlsYear 5 and 6 Competition
Position
Name
School
Points
1
Hannah Jones
Tregoze
7
2
Delleah Bellgrave
Tregoze
6
3
Louise Rootcar
Tregoze
5
Girls Year 3 and 4 Competition
1
Grace Gunting
Croft
7
2
Isabella Morely
Moredon
6
3
Meredith Crosser
Croft
5
Boys Year 5 and 6 Competition
Position
Name
School
Points
1
James Dorset
Haydon Wick
7
2
Senyko Rodrigues
Drove
6
3
Myles Thompson
Haydon Wick
5
1
Boys Year 3 and 4 Competition
Javon Kane
Drove
7
2
Jayjay Elliot
Haydon Wick
6
3
Josh Mckinlay
Croft
5
Year 3/4 results:
1st
Tregoze
2nd
Haydon Wick
3rd
Drove
4th
Mountford Manor
5th
Rodbourne
Year 5/6 results
1st
Nyland & Haydon Wick
2nd
Tregoze
3rd
Mountford Manor
4th
Drove
5th
Rodbourne
Mr M
Wakefield
31
SPORT DAY 2015
PE News...
Sports Day this year was an
excellent success which
was enjoyed by all participants and
spectators. The day was organised
by Mr Driver and the Year 12 BTEC
Sport students with help from all the
PE Faculty. The day was planned
primarily by the students with ideas
and suggestions from all in the class.
They then used the best ideas and
began planning how the day would
be organised. The decision was
made that all the field events would
be performed the day before the
sports day to allow time for less
traditional sporting activities to be
enjoyed by all on the sports day, the
aim to engage less naturally sporty
students in sports day. This included
sports such as ultimate Frisbee,
Beach Volleyball, Tennis, Hockey,
Dodgeball and Table Tennis to
name just a few. This turned out to
be an excellent success with all
students of all abilities enjoying sport
during the morning of sports day.
During the morning, school students
also completed a Sports Themed
Quiz with all the points going
towards the grand total. Again these
activities were all designed by the
Year 12 BTEC Sport students and
this was also a really engaging
activity for the students. The morning
activities built up to the main event
which was the track events. This
included some inclusive events such
as the 8 X 50m relay, egg and spoon
race, sack race as well as the more
typical sprint and relay races. Some
incredible performances on the day
and a fantastic atmosphere down by
the track made a brilliant afternoon
to cap off a memorable day. Many
staff and students said it was the
best sports day ever and this is
thanks to the efforts of the Year 12
BTEC Sport Students and School
Staff (in particular the PE
Department).
After all the points were added
together, Avebury house, much to
Miss Allbrooks delight, were
victorious!! House Captains, Joss
Henderson and Tegan Conroy lifted
the trophy in celebration!
Mr R Driver
32
33
Avebury
Our top 70 students from
Years 7-10 visited Thorpe park in July
2 coaches picked us up at 8.30 for the 1½ hour
journey to Thorpe park. The coaches were buzzing
with excitement with the plan being to hit all the
water rides first followed by the big rollercoasters.
A decision they would be thankful for with queues
being as long as 2 hours come mid-day.
There are 5 big rollercoasters at Thorpe park and
children were reporting to have been on at least 3
of the 5, as well as some of the more less
adrenaline filled rides such as the tea cups.
House Points - Sept 2015
Avebury
1292 points
Silbury
1144 points
Barbury
1101points
Kennet
1210 points
Remember to take part in as many house
activities as possible and to A.C.H.I.E.V.E as
many house points as you can. It could be
YOU who gets to attend one of the House
Reward trips including: bowling/ice skating/
cinema tickets/football tickets and of course
the theme park trip at the end of the academic
year!
Barbury
34
We were a little disappointed that Tidal Wave was
closed but given that it was overcast it was
probably a blessing, but there were other rides that
were enjoyed by everyone. There were a few rides
that were closed when we were queuing due to
"essential cleaning" but that was unavoidable due
to the nature of the rides.
Children went off in groups of at least 3 and 4, with
the weather being good to us. For most children
they had been to Thorpe park before but this was a
time to push the boundaries and go on something
that scared them to save face amongst friends. As
you all know July doesn’t necessarily mean
beaming sunshine.
Overall it was a fantastic day out. Lots of screams
and laughter for all! A well-deserved treat for those
who consistently do well throughout the year. It
was so nice to be able to reward those students
who behave so well in and around school and we
can recognise their fantastic achievements.
The Head of House Team
Silbury
3000m Challenge
In the run up to sports day the competitiveness and drive of the Ridgeway students started to
show and it was every house for themselves. After a successful house 3000m race in 2014
this year’s race looked to be even more competitive, with all to play (or run) for as every team
that competed were earning points towards the final sports day total. The 3000m challenge was
proposed to all mentor groups with the rules that you had to get a team together within your house to run the
3000m as a relay. Every team that took part would receive extra points for their house with the top three teams
receiving further points. It was a great event with over 50 students within 8 teams taking part. Congratulations to
the year 10 team who won the competition and flew around the 7 ½ laps to secure top points for Barbury. An
excellent effort from Kenna Hickton, Harvey Bowron, Stacy Oswald, Ella Tylee, Ella Knox and Fraser Cowell.
Here are the overall results:
Avebury 16 points
Silbury 4 points
Barbury 25 points
Kennet 8 points
Sports day is all about the students…well for the most part! This
year we saw the introduction of a staff relay race, the aim being to
encourage team spirit and comradery amongst all staff… yeah
right!
This was a massive event with all staff taking part being proud to
represent their house! Friendships were tested, and bodies
pushed to the max, seeing Ridgeway staff with sweat dripping
down their passion ridden faces was exuberating.
It was a closely contested relay with only whiskers of a beard in it.
If you weren’t aware, Mr Harper’s Barbury came first with Mr
Smith’s Kennet close behind. Miss Allbrook’s Avebury swooped in
to gain 3rd place on the podium and Silbury brought up the rear in
4th place. Well it’s the taking part that counts, right?
Bring on Staff relay 2016!!!”
Kennet
35
Avebury
Wow. Who knew the
students at Ridgeway
had so much talent and
creativity?
The Great House Bake
Off this year was even
bigger and better than
2014! The standard of
the entries from the
students was above and
beyond anything we
could have expected.
With well over 100
entries the heads of
houses recruited plenty
of guest judges to help
them choose their 3
favourite entries from
each house. The Year 11
house captains also
came along to try the
amazing bakes and give
their suggestions for who
should make the cut. It
was a tense hour or so
with every cake, biscuit,
tart and muffin being
scrutinised within an inch
of their life to make sure
the best ones went
Barbury
36
through. Once the 12
finalists were selected we
invited our head judges
into the bake off tent
(school hall) to give their
verdict and crown one
student Ridgeway’s Star
baker.
In the mean time we
were working tirelessly to
turn the hall around into a
cake sale ready for
students to come and
buy pieces of cake at
lunch time to raise
money for the local
Prospect Hospice. We
raised over £100 just
from selling the cakes
and other treats that the
students had worked so
hard to create and then
generously donated to
the sale.
The winner was
announced at lunch time
and Callum Rutherford of
9S2 took the title and
scooped the prizes that
were on offer.
Silbury
Yet again a Silbury student
was crowned the winner
with Freya Jankinson of
Avebury picking up the
silver medal for the second
year in a row. Third place
belonged to Megan Cooper,
also in Avebury, meaning
there were no winners from
Kennet or Barbury!
Mr Fouracre picked up the
staff award for a smashing
PE Lime Pie that was truly
irresistible. We must also
give a special mention to
Miss Blackler as runner up
for being the only person to
bake something savoury
with her Cornish Pasties.
They were so good they
were all gone by lunchtime!
Well done to all who
entered, you will be
receiving two house points
for your efforts. See you
again next year!
Mr B Smith
Kennet
37
Haylie Skates to the Top
PE News...
THE RIDGEWAY
LEISURE CENTRE
From September 1st 2015 the Leisure Centre has
returned to the full ownership of The Ridgeway
School and will no longer be in partnership with
Nuffield. Since the partnership with Nuffield
began the centre has become increasingly
popular with students and local residents taking
full advantage of the new top specification
fitness suite. The Ridgeway School, is now
working alongside a new management team to
continue to improve the development of the
centre and offer students and the local
community a sociable and dynamic facility, that
will help users get fit and stay fit, in a fun
environment. The state-of-the–art gym includes
Matrix cardiovascular and resistance machines,
as well as a free-weight area and functional
training zone. Included in the membership are a
range of exercise classes, 25m swimming pool,
Sauna, badminton and squash. All this is
inclusive for just £25 per month with no joining
fee or long term contract. A pay as you go option
is also available and you don’t have to be a
member to use the facilities.
For more information on any of the above please
call 01793 813280.
38
Congratulations go to Haylie Vallender
who competed in the Kent Artistic Roller
dance Competition on 13th September
at Strood Leisure Centre, Rochester.
Haylie won gold in her team event and
silver in solo at Elementary Level roller
skating for Downlands Artistic Skating
Club.
39

SUMMER ADVENTURE TO - The Ridgeway School

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