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Worthing High School
Semper Ad Excellentiam Contende
Always Pursue Excellence
Newsletter
MESSAGE FROM
THE HEAD
Dear Parents, Carers, Staff and
Governors,
At the end of a very busy term it is
important to reflect on all that has been
achieved. Students this term have
remained extremely focused, Yr 11
students have sat a second round of
mock GCSE exams and now enter their
final preparation time for the summer
exams. I would like to pay tribute to
Yr 11 students for the way they have
conducted themselves through the
exam period. It is very pleasing to be
able to say that Yr 11 are excellent role
models and clearly demonstrate an
attitude of Always Pursuing Excellence
in all that they undertake.
team respectively
to embark upon the
next chapter in
their careers.
Andrew Parkinson
leaves the Music
Department at the
end of this term
to pursue other
interests.
This term we say goodbye to seven
members of staff:
At the start of term
my PA Christine
Jones moved on
to pastures new
and she has been
replaced by Sam
Austwick.
Jeff House and
Craig Walker
(pictured next column, top)
also left the
Learning Support
and Behaviour
Very sadly Mrs Bayford
leaves our Science
Department after
13 years. Not only
has Mrs Bayford
been an excellent
form tutor and
teacher, she has
also guided our PGCE and NQT
teachers as they find their feet in the
world of education. We wish Mrs
Bayford all the very best as she takes
up her new post at The Angmering
School.
Broadwater
Dr Amanda Jakes
ajakes@worthinghigh.net
At the start of term we will welcome Mr
Collins to the Science Department, Mr
Le Gac to MFL and Mrs Boyce to the
History Department.
Mr Earle will be joining as Behaviour
Support Manager and his team will
be bolstered by Behaviour Support
Assistants Miss Blount and Miss Lynch.
We say a very fond
farewell to Mrs
Anderson who
has been our
Finance Manager
for almost 12 years.
Andrea leaves at the end of this term and we
are enormously grateful for all the
astute management and conscientious
attention she has given to the financial
health of the school.
March 2016
I would very much like to take this
opportunity to thank you all for your
continuing support
and to wish you a very
peaceful Easter.
Kind regards
Carolyn Dickinson
Headteacher
CONTENTS
3 BBC NEWSROUND
Reporter and camera crew film news
report on school’s involvement with
insect pollination programme
3 OSCAR WIN
Student’s Dad beats Mad Max and
Star Wars to win Oscar for his special
effects on Ex-Machina
5 FILM ROLE
Year 8 Student Josh Farley plays
main character in a film inspired by
Quadrophenia
7 BBC NEWS REPORT
Year 9 Students spent the day as
Journalists for the BBC as part of the
National School Report project
COMMUNITY LEADERS
Heene
Stuart Townsend
stownsend@worthinghigh.net
Salvington
Lee Hardwick
lhardwick@worthinghigh.net
Tarring
Mostefa Beda
mbeda@worthinghigh.net
OUR INSIGHT
INTO BBC
NEWSROUND
Monday presented the opportunity
to observe Newsround, which is
presented on the young children’s
channel CBBC, who were in
Worthing High to film about the
Pollination Project. We witnessed
how they interviewed the younger
children and how they angled each
shot. After, they were kind enough
to answer our questions, letting us
in on an insight into what working
within media was like.
Martin, one of the reporters, spoke
to us about all the opportunities
he had been given through his
work, such as reporting on the
Olympics and covering the darker,
hard hitting story of the Paris
attacks. Tasha, another reporter,
also talked us through the camera
and how it worked, as well as
explaining how she got to where
she was today. It was extremely
helpful as it gave us a deeper
knowledge on what to expect when
going into that aspect of work.
Also, they made me see that it
doesn’t matter how you start, just
as long as you start somewhere,
any experience will enhance your
knowledge on media. Martin
mentioned how he spent the start
of his work in media getting coffee
for fellow workers and he now
presents Newsround as well as
featuring on BBC Radio 1.
Watching the reports also made
me more determined to immerse
myself into the media industry and
I can’t wait to learn more about it.
Charlotte Barber
Yr 11 Media Student
As a GCSE media student and
aspiring journalist, I was presented
with the opportunity to shadow two
members of the BBC Newsround
team. It was an honour to be part
of this experience and what I have
learnt will be invaluable in my
future. I was given the chance to
observe the filming process first
hand- of which the entirety of their
reports are based. Additionally, I
was able to talk with the presenter/
journalist- (Martin Dougan) about
where his career has taken him to
date and will take him in the future.
Martin’s advice was incredibly
inspiring as it gave me real insight
in to how to make myself stand
LEARNING THROUGH
LANDSCAPES (LTL)
2
Our recent involvement with the
Polli:Nation programme (articles above
and page 3) is sponsored by LTL, a
national charity working to ensure
that every child benefits from outdoor
learning and play. It advises government, engages the
private sector and empowers school communities and
early years settings to make the best of their outside
spaces for children’s education and wellbeing.
In a recent survey of schools that improved their
grounds with LTL support, 88% said it had resulted in
more creative learning and environmental awareness
among pupils. Despite such benefits, 80% of teachers
in a recent MORI poll said they believe that their school
is failing to make the most of their outdoor spaces.
LTL aims to change this – and is the only organisation
focusing specifically on school environments in order to
do so.
out from a crowd of other budding
journalists. One thing Martin
said was intriguing, ‘if you set
your standard high to begin with;
when faced against others, your
standards will always be one step
ahead of theirs.’ Not only did he
teach me that if I challenge my
own ability as a writer, I will be
able to get where I want to be;
but also that if you set your mind
to something- and you enjoy it
and work hard, you can almost
certainly be as successful as you
wish. His colleague Tasha, who
was filming, also enforced the idea
of going for what you want and
grasping every opportunity you are
given.
On the whole the event was much
appreciated by myself, and I have
definitely discovered a new found
hope- knowing that it is completely
possible to make it as a journalist,
in the busy world of media in this
day and age.
Phoebe Cornish
Year 11 Media Student
Over the past 20 years, LTL has worked directly with
over 10,000 schools, raised over 24 million pounds
for grounds improvements and trained thousands of
teachers and practitioners to help them rethink the
design and use of their outdoor environments.
Fruit-full Schools is just one of the exciting programmes
LTL has developed to help them do this. As the lead
partner for this programme LTL are contributing project
management expertise as well as experience of working
with schools. www.ltl.org.uk
Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, LTL invest money to
help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect
the heritage they care about - from the archaeology
under our feet to the historic parks and buildings
we love, from precious
memories and collections
to rare wildlife.
www.hlf.org.uk
@heritagelottery
BBC NEWSROUND FILM
AT WORTHING HIGH
BBC Newsround filmed a report at
Worthing High School last week
following the announcement that
the school has been chosen to lead
a project across Worthing schools
to help to protect the dwindling
population of Britain’s pollinating
insects.
Martin Dougan, BBC Newsround
Reporter came to Worthing High to
meet students from Thomas a Becket
transforming our outdoor spaces to
become pollinator-friendly habitats,
with the support of the national
school grounds charity, Learning
through Landscapes.”
Martin Dougan was very impressed
with the students he met and their
broad knowledge of the importance
and opportunities available to support
pollinating insects within school
grounds.
Asad Khan, a Year 7 student at
Worthing High was interviewed by
Martin for the report. Asad said: “It
is vital that students and schools
get involved in projects like this as
promoting pollination friendly habitats
are critical for the future. I am really
Infant and Thomas a Becket Junior
as well as Worthing High students.
All three schools are working
together on the Polli:Nation Project.
Over a two hour period, Martin
interviewed students from all three
schools as well as filming a planting
session and pollination game activity.
DAD WINS
OSCAR!
My Dad’s name is Paul Norris and
he is a Visual Effects artist and
supervisor.
He has been working in the film
industry since 1998 and before that
he worked on TV commercials.
My Dad has just been awarded an
Oscar for best Visual Effects for
the movie Ex Machina from his first
Oscar nomination.
He was also nominated for a
BAFTA but sadly Star Wars stole
the spotlight.
I asked my Dad how he felt when
he found out he had won and he
said “I was stunned, surprised and
amazed because our small budget
film had just won the biggest movie
award in the world, beating Star
Wars and Mad Max.”
These were my thoughts on how I
felt when my Dad had won, “It was
so surreal, it was as if we were
living a dream only this time it had
come true.”
excited to be involved in this project
and I am looking forward to working
with the other schools.”
David Hodd, the Project Manager of
Learning through Landscapes also
attending the filming session
and said: “It is critical that we
address the declining numbers of
pollinating insects.
Karen Hayler,
Business Manager
at Worthing High
said; “We have
been chosen as the
main lead school in
Worthing for the UKwide ‘Polli:Nation’
programme. The
project will involve
students from
Worthing High,
Oakgrove, Thomas
a Becket First and
Thomas a Becket
Junior. We will be
Paul & Ben Norris with the Oscar
See Pauls portfolio on IMDb,
his credits are amazing!
Ben Norris
Year 8 Student
3
CAREERS EVENT
On Friday 29 January all Year 8 and 9 students had
a fact-finding opportunity to be involved in workshops
and talks run by colleges and businesses, both local
and national. To start the event off, Jane Chew,
from the Skills, Business & Enterprise Team and her
ambassadors gave a talk about Apprenticeships.
The day enabled students to find out more about the
different career routes that are available to them Post 16.
Representatives from Worthing and Northbrook College
showcased the various courses that students can take,
and there were talks from a wide range of businesses
including Western Sussex Hospitals, Solicitors, Banks,
Civil Engineers, Vets, Hair & Beauty and Hospitality who
explained what the different roles were within their
organisations, what these jobs are like, qualifications
that are required, salaries and career paths.
To round the day off students listened to a talk by
student ambassadors from Brighton University.
Jane Chew said, “This was a most ambitious event,
which gave the students lots of choice and opportunity
to meet a range of employers and hear about several
different career areas.”
Ms Millar
Careers Adviser
WATER AID
“Every minute, every day, people
suffer and lives are lost needlessly
because of a lack of safe water
and sanitation”
Water Aid is a fantastic charity that
aims to stop this needless loss of
life. Their vision is a world where
everyone everywhere has safe
water, sanitation and hygiene.
Water Aid has teams in 37
countries across the world and just
4
£15 can help provide one
person with access to safe water.
They have already helped over 21
million people, and vow to try and
provide clean water for all by 2030
I would like to say a huge thank
you to the whole of Worthing High
School for the support they have
given me in raising money for
Water Aid for my London Marathon
appeal! On the mufti day before
half term we raised nearly £800 to
go to the charity and this was all
due to the kindness of our students
here at Worthing High School.
I will be running the 26.2 miles of
the London marathon on Sunday
24th April, my training is tough but
it will be worth it on the day! As I’m
running on the day I will think of
how much the fantastic students of
Worthing High School have raised
to keep me going!
Mrs Conrad
Head of Geography
FILM ROLE
FOR YEAR 8
STUDENT
One of our pupils is set to star
in a short drama about a young
boy who is being bullied for
being different. Josh Farley who
is in year 8 is to play the young
boy named Buddy, who is a
young carer for his mother who
has Multiple sclerosis. He finds
struggling with his responsibilities
difficult and is bullied at school.
Both he and his mother share
a love of sixties music, through
which Buddy finds a welcome
escape. He is then befriended by
an out of work actor from the film
Quadrophenia , who is able to
give him a chance just to be a kid
again and take a moment from his
responsibilities.
This drama has close links to
the film Quadrophenia, from the
scooters to some of the cast from
the film being in it, such as Mark
Wingett.
The Director Devlin Crow (pictured
above with Mark Wingett and Josh)
is currently crowdfunding through
a kickstarter campaign that runs
until 16th April. During this time he
needs to raise £20,000 in order to
be able to make ‘Being’. Pledges
have already been steadily coming
in and are now over £12,000.
Josh has already raised funds by
organising a car wash at school to
help get this project off the ground.
Josh also hopes to do a cake sale
at school to raise more.
Anyone who is interested in
helping this drama to be made can
visit the website www.beingthefilm.
co.uk where they can click on
the kickstarter link for more
information.
Pledges range from as little as
£2 and there are great incentives
on offer such as Quadrophenia
merchandise, signed gifts and film
credits.
This important drama raises
awareness of MS and also of the
many young carers that exist.
CELEBRATING STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT
– Always Pursue Excellence
Over the last four weeks the students who through
sheer hard work have had their names and
achievements displayed on the Community Achievers
Boards, were invited to a Celebration Breakfast with
Headteacher, Mrs Dickinson, the Senior Leadership
Team and Community staff. The students spoke of
their achievements with great pride and were able to
provide invaluable feedback for school improvement.
These students embody the
school maxim of Always Pursue
Excellence, and it was a great treat
for everyone to be able to share in
their achievements.
Mrs Dickinson
Headteacher
5
5
PEER MENTORS
A group of students will be learning
how to become Peer Mentors this
term. The group will have 6 sessions
where they will develop their
communication and listening skills
and knowledge about how to help
other students in the school. They
will learn how to build self-esteem
in others and how to show an empathetic approach to sensitive issues. Once the course has been completed the
students will support other students as Peer Mentors.
Mrs S Ayres Assistant Head
BERLIN TRIP
2016
In February half term 48 GCSE
historians from year 11 braved the
cold and visited Berlin (to expand
their knowledge).
time” and “it was inspirational and
Sachsenhausen stood out the
most”.
As part of the GCSE they study
Germany 1918-45 so this was
a brilliant opportunity for them
to expand their knowledge and
understanding of Germany’s history
and also experience the city in the
present day. The students visited
the Reichstag, the Olympic Stadium
built in 1936 and Sachsenhausen
Concentration Camp. This was
alongside visits to museums that
reflected life during the Cold War
and exhibitions relating to life for
Germans living under Nazi rule.
Year 11 students described the trip
as “an experience of a life
WORTHING HIGH GAINS
DEVELOPMENT AWARD
My thanks to all the students who
made the trip so successful and
to Mr Hardwick, Miss Griffiths, Mr
Peacock and Dr Jakes who made
it possible by joining me as staff
members.
Mrs Grindel
Leader of History
We have been awarded a bronze award after a
rigorous process of questionnaires, a self-assessment
WHS gains award for CPL from The Teacher
development Trust.
WHS became a member recently of the Teacher
Development Trust Network because as a school
we recognise that teacher development through
continuous professional learning is at the centre of
excellent teaching and learning.
6
audit and interviews of both teaching and support staff
in our first audit with the Trust. The Trust identified
WHS articulates a strong vision of effective CPD
across the whole school.
WHS STUDENTS ARE BBC JOURNALISTS FOR THE DAY
Year 7 views on their transition to
Worthing High –Patrick Bangura
How much sugar is there at Worthing
High? -Danielle Mansbridge and
Patrick Bangura
Today we were given the opportunity
to become journalists for the BBC
for the day. We all got together two
weeks in advance, to plan out what
stories we were going to report on.
After we had decided on about 15
topics we voted for our favourites
and divided them between the 14
reporters, in the end we managed to
complete 12 stories, which were:
What happens to stray animals in
Worthing? -Amelia Mazet, Chloe
Broadway and Caitlyn Price
LGBT Awareness at Worthing High
-Amy Ford, Niamh Bowden and Daisy
Wright
7
Top Reads in our Library –Elina Vitina
Abi Burley said “It was an enjoyable
day for all, I loved to write about
my rugby team as I am passionate
about it. I also, loved how we could
all work together. It was just a brilliant
experience!”
Worthing girls rugby club -Abi Burley
Father of a Worthing High student
wins Oscar -Libby Golds-Jones
Worthing High Student stars in a film
-Amy Ford, Niamh Bowden and Daisy
Wright
Mrs Conrad runs the London
Marathon for Water Aid -Abi Burley,
Libby Golds-Jones, Sam Leitch, Jack
Willis and Amy Ford
What will the new GCSE grades
mean for students? -Elina Vitina and
Niamh Bowden
Worthing Football Club– Sam Leitch
and Jack Willis
George Dowell’s vision for Worthing
My experience on Fire Break –Abbie
Pickles
Jack Willis said “It was a great
experience! I almost felt like I was an
actual reporter! I got the opportunity
to interview someone like they do on
the news!”
There are a few of the reports in
this newsletter, but to read them
all, please follow the link: http://
www.worthinghigh.net/news/509/
bbc-news-report-10-march-2016/#.
VvA4kWfcsdU
NEWS FROM ALUMNI
Worthing High works in association
with Future First, who maintain our
Alumni database for us. If you are
already in work (having attended
FE/HE) then please sign up to the
school’s alumni scheme by visiting
the Future First website: http://
networks.futurefirst.org.uk/formerstudent/worthinghigh .
Students who have recently left
Worthing High should use the
following link:
http://networks.futurefirst.org.uk/
student/worthinghigh
Rob Hyder Wilson
Currently I’m
studying
Medicine at
the University
of Oxford. I'm
in my first
year of the
course.
- A whistle
Ro b Hyd e r- Wilso n
stop tour of
He a d b o y 2 0 11 /1 2
my journey
after leaving school:
After leaving Worthing High School
I moved on to BHASVIC to do my
A-levels (biology, chemistry and
history). After the two years of
study, I managed to get myself a
place to study medicine at Oxford,
and made the grades in August of
2014. Following this, I worked for 6
months at both Wetherspoons as
a bartender and at Virgin Active as
a Fitness Coach, saving money to
go travelling in the latter half of my
gap year. At the beginning of March
2015 I and 3 friends flew out to New
York, and made our way into and all
the way through Canada, then down
the West Coast to end up in Los
Angeles. The trip took 5 months in
total, and we spent our time mainly
8
in hostels or volunteering
with the Workaway and WWOOF
programmes - as well as endless
hours on buses. I returned to the
UK in August 2015 and started at
Oxford in October, where I have
been since.
- Best and worst part of my dayto-day:
One of the best parts of my dayto-day life here at Oxford is being
able to eat lunch and dinner in the
'Harry Potter' hall of Christ Church
college with my friends. Apart from
that, our tutorials - which are usually
3-to-1 or 6-to-1 - are with some of
the world leading researchers in
their fields, so are incredibly useful
and make an excellent addition to
the lectures and seminars during
the day time. Plus, the tutors usually
provide tea and biscuits. Having
said that, the tutors will set essays
for each tutorial, so I suppose that's
the worst part of the day! We tend
to have anywhere between 1-4
essays a week, so unfortunately
some nights have to be devoted
to work. Apart from the essays, we
medical students have a love-hate
relationship with the dissection
room. On the one hand it's
incredibly useful to actually see the
real muscle and nerves etc when
learning anatomy, but when you
haven't had breakfast it can make
you feel a little queasy...
A piece of advice I would give
my 16 year old self:
In the timeless words of Ferris
Beuller, life moves pretty fast, if you
don't stop to look around once in
a while you might miss it. It's very
easy to just focus on where you
want to be in a few years, and not
take time to enjoy the present as
well. My time at Worthing High
School went by in a flash and it only
got faster afterwards. After
High School we begin to narrow
our options for A-levels and beyond
very fast so it's so important to
actually make sure you enjoy
what you are doing. That, and
never listen to anyone who tells
you you can’t achieve your goals whatever they may be (of which I,
unfortunately, found there were a
fair few) because if you work hard,
you 100% can.
Hopes for the future:
Well, I still have 6 years of medical
school to do first, but I think I would
like to specialise in A&E when I
qualify. I find I'm quite more of an
all rounder than a specialist in one
particular area, and in A&E you
get a little of everything. It is also
a pretty high-pressure job, which
is when I find I perform best. In
more of the short run, I hope to
make Oxford uni boxing team in
my second year, and get my blues
before the end of the third year.
Rob Hyder-Wilson
NEWS FROM ALUMNI
Tom Reynard
All my life
I’ve loved
maths and
I’ve always
known that
I wanted
to study it
further. It
was only
at Worthing
High that I
began to
get a vision
for the
future.
I had the opportunity to visit Oxford
University at the beginning of Year
10 with a group led by Dr Klemenic.
I immediately fell in love with the
city and the University and I knew
I wanted to study there. Before
this, Oxford and Cambridge had
seemed unattainable but after
having had my misconceptions
challenged, going there became
a real possibility. From then on,
Oxford was the goal.
When considering college, I looked
at all colleges in the area to see
which one was best for me.
Dr Stephen Rowe
Dr Stephen Rowe who was a
pupil of West Tarring County
Secondary School between 1964
to 1968 recently shared with us
some reflections of his time at the
school. He came across his school
report during his preparations
for retirement in which his maths
teacher wrote, “He has some
ability”.
Stephen said: “He was no doubt
right because I only managed to
obtain Grade 5 in the CSE exam.
I would recommend doing this and
basing your decision on not just
the college’s academic record but
the content of the courses, the
location, and the general feel of the
place. I chose Worthing College
and I think I made the right choice
for me. I currently study Maths,
Further Maths, Physics, and the
Cambridge Pre -U. Last year I also
took Chemistry but I dropped it
when going into my second year as
I only needed 3 A-levels.
College have a group called the
Maths Academy and as a member,
I’ve been able to go on lots of trips
to maths lectures and participate
in competitions. I’ve really enjoyed
this as it has given me access
to maths beyond the normal
curriculum.
During my time at Worthing College
I visited several other Universities
including Cambridge, where I spent
a week on a summer school. Going
to as many open days as you can
is a really good way to get a feel for
different universities to see which
one is right for you.
I had a lot of support from college
when making my university
application. This support included
help with writing my personal
statement and practice interviews
once I knew that Oxford wanted
to interview me. These interviews
particularly helped me because
I went in not knowing what to
expect but over time I got more
confident and understood the sort
of questions that they were likely
to ask me. I had four interviews
in total at Oxford and I came out
feeling a bit nervous about the
outcome but a couple of months
later, my hard work paid off when I
was offered a place to study maths.
I plan to spend four years at Uni
and I’m really looking forward to
it. I’m still not quite sure what I
want to do after I graduate but a
good degree opens a lot of doors
and I’m thinking about going into
mathematical research.
Now I’ve heard back from Oxford,
Bath, Exeter, Durham, and Surrey.
They’ve all offered me a place
to study maths as long as I get
the necessary grades. Oxford in
particular need me to get A*A*A
at A-level so now the real work
begins!
Tom Reynard.
Student 2010-2014
When I started my TV repair
apprenticeship I was immediately
stimulated by the unexpected
“detective” work it entailed. This led
me deep into the understanding of
how a TV actually worked. Then,
somewhere along the line, the
fantastic idea of learning to design
a TV rather than to simply repairing
it, sowed itself in my mind and
gradually germinated.
now settled definitively in France
and live in a small hamlet high in the
mountains above Grenoble.”
From then onwards, the key to my
success has been to consistently
follow my intuition and passions and
above all to believing in myself.
Stephen’s first adventure novel,
“BAIT” is now available on Amazon
Kindle as an eBook. He has set up
a new website, including maps and
photo galleries to create a more
modern concept around the book.
I have just finished writing my first
full-length novel. It is instructive to
note that in my third year report,
my English teacher wrote, “A
good imagination with a shaky
technique”. She was correct then
and unfortunately would no doubt
say exactly the same today... I have
Stephen is now a renowned
research scientist, having published
hundreds of international scientific
papers. He achieved a BSC Hons
in electronics, a PhD in Physics and
is a Fellow of the English IET and of
the French SEE.
http://www.stephen-william-rowe.
com
https://www.facebook.com/BAITBook-548002122027025/
9
LEAVERS PROM 2016
This year the Leavers’ Prom will once again take place
in Brighton at The Hilton Brighton Metropole on 1 July
2016. Last year’s Prom was the best one yet, with 180
students attending, all of whom had a great time and we
received lots of positive feedback.
Full details of the Prom have been sent out to parents
by email, if you have changed your email address
please come to reception and collect a form, the event
will be by invitation only.
The school does not make a profit from any of the
items for sale and therefore the students will be hosting
various fund raising events to support the costs. Extra
money is raised for the Prom to pay for decorations
including two big 2016 balloons. Last year we had a live
band on entry, a photo booth and a magician that did
amazing close hand tricks going from table to table.
Students have already held a cake sale and raised
£80, and we will use part of the money taken for the
forthcoming Muftiday.
Tickets will cost £33, which includes the hire of the
venue, a two course sit-down meal and a free drink on
arrival.
The evening will
start at 7.00 pm
and students will
take their places in
the dining room at
7.45 pm. The menu
will be chicken with
lemon and fennel
(sauce to be served
separately in jugs),
duchesse potatoes,
broccoli and baton
carrots. This will
be followed by
chocolate brownie
and strawberry
mousse. There
is also vegetable
wellington as a vegetarian option. Jugs of squash and
water will be available on the tables. If students have
any special dietary requirements or allergies they should
make the school aware when ordering their ticket.
As Co-Prom organiser I was approached by a local
company who are opening up a Wedding Dress shop,
The Wedding Boutique on Brighton Road, they wanted
to hold a Pop-up Shop event at school and bring their
latest Prom Dresses in for the Year 11 girls to see, I
thought the girls would enjoy this so invited Confetti
Bridal Gowns of Warwick Lane to come in as well.
The event was totally free for both the girls and the
businesses, an opportunity for the two businesses to
promote themselves and a chance for the girls to see
what styles and colours are on trend, the girls also had
The evening will finish at 11.00 pm and students will
not be allowed to leave unless collected by a parent or
carer.
Once again, this year the school is offering a “Leavers’
Package” which includes a Prom ticket, a Prom photo
CD, a Leavers’ Hoodie (deadline for the Hoodie has
now expired) and a Yearbook.
These are items which have
been requested by students
over the years but parents
should not feel they have to
order everything as we realise
that the overall cost soon
adds up. The Prom ticket,
Prom photo CD (£5) and the
Yearbook (£17) can all be
ordered separately via Wisepay.
We would request that orders
are placed early as it makes it
easier to organise once we can
finalise numbers.
10
the opportunity to have their make-up done and talk
about what colours would suit their skin and hair colour.
The girls had great fun and were joined by some eager
Year 10’s, who seemed to be getting excited about their
own Prom already!
Sam Jeffrey from The Wedding Boutique said “ Thank
you, we had lots of fun, the girls were all lovely. It was
nice to see all our new dresses being worn, the girls
looked fantastic. I hope they enjoy their Prom in July!”
Jamie Peacock
Prom Co-Ordinator
JOHN YOUNG
– Employability
Express Workshop
On Thursday 11 February and
Thursday 17 March, John Young, a
local television and radio journalist
for more than 26 years, delivered
an ‘Employability Express’ workshop
to our Year 10 students prior to their
work experience week in July.
The aim of the workshops were
to give the students confidence
in their own ability to be proud of
themselves, sell themselves and hold
a conversation about themselves.
Targets: Employability skills —
breaching the Comfort Zone —
confidence for Work Experience.
Using a video camera and TV News
autocue, students discovered they
can step out of their comfort zone
and succeed at new things. Students
listed their own qualities and saw
the process of applying for work
experience or a job through the eyes
of the employer. Using role play and
video camera, the students tackled
interviews, body language, eye
contact and confident speech.
To make this more effective for the
students, and provide them with
the opportunity to “sell themselves”
to an adult they don’t really know,
we invited in some of our school
Governors. This gave our Governors
a great opportunity to also engage
with our students.
Finally, the session finished with
lighthearted “dos and don’ts” videos
ahead of work experience, and we
heard encouraging video messages
from real employers and young
employees
Ms Millar
Careers Adviser
11
MAYOR’S CHARITY SWIM
Michael Donin, Mayor of Worthing came to speak to
all Year 7,8 and 9 students about this years Mayor
Charity Swim earlier this term.
This year the charities that are being supported are
Guild Care, Kamelia Kids and Canadian Roots UK.
Students were encouraged to get fit and raise some
money at the same time by entering the Mayor’s
Charity Swim which took place on Saturday 12th
March 2016 at Splashpoint Leisure Centre.
The following students participated and raised lots of money for the event; Toby Norris, Rachelle Bamber, Luke Cheal,
Jack Nobel and Thomas Utczinski. Photos of the event are available from http://www.johnyoungphotography.net/
HOPING TO
CRACKIT!
A number of students from year 7
and 8 were selected to take part
in a 6 week project called Crackit,
following an invitation from Future
Proof CIC. They had designed
an innovative programme for
secondary students aiming to link
Design and Technology and Sport
in an interesting way. Worthing
High School was chosen as the
pilot school for West Sussex and
the first cohort started last term.
What is it?
The group of 14 students commit
to attend a 2 hour a week after
school club – for 6 weeks. Each
week, the first hour is spent
playing cricket with Sussex
County cricket coaches running
the sessions. The second hour
is spent with a design agency
12
Pleece and Co who support the
students to design characters
related to cricket which will be
used to brand team cricket bats
and T shirts.
Mrs Allibone and Mr Walker led
the sessions with the input of the
two main support partners Sussex
County Cricket and Pleece and
Co. Students were spilt into two
teams of seven.
All team members contributed
to designing and playing cricket
each week. Team captains for
the first Crackit cohort were
George Tester and Grace
Hawkins. The sixth week is a
celebration with play offs against
each team and a formal cricket
tea to which all parents were
invited.
This was such a successful
project we are now coming to
the end of Crackit 2 for a second
group of 20 students. In addition,
we are also setting up Crackit
Tennis, in association with West
Worthing Tennis Club which starts
on 11 April 2016.
Amanda Allibone
HOSPITALITY DEMO FOR GCSE FOOD TECH STUDENTS
On Wednesday 16th March the Y10 GCSE
Food students were visited by Peter Whiffen
a Hospitality tutor from Northbrook College
and a student of his, Abigail.
The students are preparing for a food
practical exam which will take place in June
and this session was planned to help them
to develop some high level techniques
they could use in their practical work. The
students were shown how to make run outs
in dark and white chocolate. This is when
white chocolate is piped onto dark and then
feathered into a decorative pattern. Many of
the students had a go at this technique and
were very pleased with the results.
The students were shown by Chef Whiffen
how to heat sugar and use it to make sugar
baskets and other sugar decorations. Abigail
then demonstrated how to use different
piping nozzles to pipe buttercream onto
cupcakes.
The students made their own piping bags out of
greaseproof paper and had a go at piping buttercream
with them.
WALK TO SCHOOL WEEK
Worthing High students took part in Walk to School
last week (w/c 14 March 2016). Students were
encouraged to walk or cycle to school. Those who
usually arrive by bus or train were asked to perhaps
try and walk in from an earlier stop/station. Students
who arrive by car were requested to ask their
parents/carers to drop them off a little further away
from school so they can walk the final 1/2 a mile!
The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of
working with a tutor and student from the college.
Mrs S Hurley
IN MEMORY OF
DAVINA HAUCK
Staff and students were joined by ex-staff and Davina’s
family, to plant a Cherry Tree in her memory at the front
of school. Students read a poem and Davina’s husband
and her mother planted the tree. Tags recording our
memories of Davina were tied to the tree during the
ceremony. Tony Hauck, Davina’s husband said: “Thank
you so much for organising a lovely fitting tribute to
Davina, it was lovely to see so many people there.”
Those students who recorded an increased amount
of time spent walking/cycling were entered into
a prize draw for a £50 voucher. The event was
organised by Living Streets - Free Your Feet.
13
LEARNING RESOURCE CENTRE
On Friday 15th January the Year 11 Book Group attended the Southern School Book Awards presentation
evening at Roedean School. One of our favourite authors was hosting the event, Sophie McKenzie, and the ever
wonderfully talented Chris Riddell was there to illustrate the proceedings. We were thrilled that Bali Rai won the
award with his dark thriller ‘Web of Darkness’, a very popular choice. Juno Dawson won the highly commended
prize for ‘Say Her Name’. Great to see Juno, as always, and we look forward to meeting her again at The Amazing
Book Awards presentation evening in June which she will be hosting.Other authors attending were Alan Gibbons,
Keren David and Sara Crowe. We all heard how they got their inspiration for their books and met them afterwards
at a book signing.
14
LEARNING RESOURCE CENTRE
The shortlist has been
announced and the books
have arrived. They are
proving very popular and
we are all enjoying reading
along either in book club or
individually. It is fantastic to
have so many parents also
joining in this year.
The LRC is open until
5.00pm each day. If you
need to contact a student
during this time the number
is: 01903 229294
One lucky student from
Worthing High School
was invited to take part in a special week working at
Shoreham Fire Station, Abbie Pickles in year 9, not only
got to learn some of the fire service drills and some
brilliant lifesaving skills from fully qualified members of
West Sussex Fire Brigade, but along with other year 9
students from other local Worthing Schools spent time
working as a team to develop their own personal skills
through lots of different activities supported by a Youth
Worker.
Abbie had a
brilliant week,
and along with
everyone who
took part in front
of family, friends
and senior Fire
Brigade Staff,
gave a display of
some of the drills
they had learnt
before all being
Parent Library
The Learning Resources Centre
would like to share their fantastic
library with parents/carers and
grandparents. We will be open
to visitors every Thursday after
school (3.15 to 4.30) and would
love to welcome you. Come
and see what your children are
reading or visit our staff library
packed full of current bestsellers. You may like to join in book
awards along with our students,
we are currently taking part in the
Amazing Book Awards.
If you’re interested please email/
telephone me.
Mrs A Phelan
Learning Resources Manager
aphelan@worthinghigh.net
01903 229 294
FIRE BREAK
presented with a medal and
certificate of attendance.
We would like to thank West
Sussex Fire Brigade for
offering our Worthing High
School students, this fantastic
opportunity and look forward to
working with them again next
term.
TERM DATES AND ARRANGEMENTS:
The last day of this term is Non-Uniform Day on Thursday 24th March.
Please note that there will be an early 1.30pm finish.
The Summer Term - Monday 11 April - Friday 22 July 2016
Students return to school Monday 11 April at 9.40am (later start time)
May Bank Holiday - Monday 2 May
Half Term - Monday 30 May - Friday 3 June
Monday 11 April is week 2 on our two week timetable
15
WORLD BOOK DAY
the options before voting for their
favourite. Candidates for the best
hero included a wizarding legend,
Harry Potter, alongside a childhood
favourite, Paddington Bear!
Villainous contenders included The
Grand High Witch, Mrs Coulter and
many more. As word got around,
the English corridor was buzzing
with students and staff, discussing
and debating the many options.
Staff also got involved in the voting
and the English team sported badges
to show who their votes had gone to.
On Thursday 3rd March Worthing
High School staff and students
celebrated World Book Day. The
theme for this year’s event was
‘Heroes and Villains’. The profiles
and mugshots of ten heroes and
ten villains festooned the walls of
the English corridor for the week
and students carefully considered
BIG BANG
EXHIBITION
On Thursday 3rd March, 45
budding Scientists /Technologists
visited the Stem Fest Big Bang
Exhibition at Butlins in Bognor
Regis. The event began with
a presentation by the Science
Museum and then students had
the opportunity to visit a number
of stands related to STEM
World Book Day was also celebrated
in tutor time, with the whole school
taking part in ‘Drop Everything and
Read’. During this time, tutors shared
an extract from their favourite book
with their students and discussed why
they enjoyed it so much. The students
and staff then engaged in
conversations about their
favourite books and what
they are currently reading.
This was a great
opportunity to promote
independent reading; it
was fantastic to hear all
about what the students
were reading and what
they had read recently
which had inspired,
informed or delighted
them.
Miss A Griffiths
Head of English
subjects. The students were
inspired by the day and I hope
that it helps with their future
choices of career path.
Year 9 Student Christina
Lawrence said “I have been to
lots of science shows but this one
was by far the best.
When it was our time slot we
went into the hall to see the show.
A man from Punk Science was
there to tell us about digesting
food. It was really funny as he
had a lot of bad jokes. As well as
this, he had various volunteers
to participate in various activities
that represented food as it went
down through the stages of
digestion. It was hilarious and
everyone got involved.
Afterwards, we went out of the
hall and there were three different
rooms with various stalls in it that
we could look at. There was a
lot of different career choices on
show along with lots of activities
to do with things to make. We
participated in different science
experiments. There was every
16
When it came to counting the votes,
it was a close-call, but victory finally
went to the unexpected hero,
Winnie-the-Pooh and the villainous
wizard himself, Voldemort.
possible career choice from the
Army to Science Stall, there was
everything!
I learnt a lot and had a great time
doing it. It was an amazing day
and everyone was laughing and
learning.”
Ms M Swinbank
Leader of Technology
THE POETRY TRIALS
Recently Worthing High School entered Young Writers’ The Poetry Trials competition. We are delighted to say that a
selection of our students have been successful and they now have the opportunity to the published within a special
anthology. The Poetry Trials has received thousands of entries from all over the UK and work that has been
selected for publication is based on perception, imagination, expression,
creativity and use of language. This is a great achievement for our students and we look forward to the next
challenge.
NATIONAL
CITIZEN SERVICE
The National Citizen Service
(NCS)- Summer of Lifetime
On Friday 26th February, NCS
came in to tell our year 11’s about
an incredible opportunity available
to all young people (aged 15-17
years) across the country. The
National Citizen Service (NCS) is
a once in a lifetime chance to gain
skills, experience, meet new people
and gain confidence during the
summer holidays. It looks fantastic
on their CV as well as applications
for Apprenticeships and University.
The programme consists of 3
phases; first residential (5 days and
four nights) is based at an outward
bound activity centre where young
people are encouraged to try new
activities and challenge themselves.
Second residential (five days and
four nights) is based at Brighton
University and is the skills-building
part of the programme with various
workshops and inspirational
speakers. The final part of the
programme runs across 2 weeks
and gives young people the chance
to ‘make a difference’ in their local
community. This project can be
anything that invokes passion and
interest- a local cause, renovating
a local space, a social media
campaign. Each young person
needs to contribute 30 hours of
their time.
Last year we had 18 NCS
Graduates from Worthing High
School and this summer is set to be
even bigger and better! For more
info, please visit our website: www.
ncsyes.co.uk or get in touch with
the NCS team in Worthing and Adur
on 01233 600138.
17
UK MATHS CHALLENGE
Students in Years 9, 10 and 11 at Worthing High School
recently sat the UK Intermediate Maths Challenge.
An unprecedented total of six Worthing High students
have been invited to sit further PINK and GREY
Kangaroo awards, an opportunity given to just the top 1%
students across the UK.
Year 11 - Elliott Miles, Daniel Jenkins, Ethan Pickering
and Ryan Porter have all been invited to sit PINK papers.
Year 10 - Taylor Holter invited to sit PINK paper
Year 9 - Jamie Smith invited to sit GREY paper
Year 7 and 8 students will complete the Junior Challenge
paper on the 28 April 2016.
Each year over six million school pupils from more than
50 countries throughout the world take part at various
levels. So when students sit the Kangaroo they are part
of a huge world wide community of maths students. The
UKMT has been organising the Kangaroo activities in the
UK for many years.
Further details can be found at the KSF website.
DOWELL
DELIVERS FOR
WORTHING
FOOTBALL CLUB
Reported by Sam L and Jack W
Worthing Football Club has recently
been in the media following their
great success in the league and
senior cup; they are in the Cup
Final. We went to interview George
Dowell, owner of Worthing Football
Club, about his future ambitions and
his thoughts on the club’s recent
accomplishments.
During April 2010 George Dowell,
17 at the time, was the passenger
in an almost fatal accident which
caused him serious neck and spinal
injuries that resulted in him having
to use a wheelchair. This accident
left him in hospital for more than 10
18
months. He is now 22 years old and
the owner of Worthing Football Club,
who are in Isthmian Division One
South.
George told us that he wasn’t
originally planning to buy the club;
he wanted to buy some land to
make a football centre but when he
found out the club was struggling
financially he managed to talk
to some friends, who he used to
play with, and because of
that he was able to buy
the club. He said that
everything was “all just
timing really” and that it
would be “a shame to see
Worthing go under”.
In the past year the club
has installed a 3G FIFAregulated Astro pitch,
which has enabled them
to play more games and
open up the facilities to the
community. While we were
there we saw another
school and Worthing College using
the pitch.
George’s plans for the future, with
the Club, are to get two promotions
within the next 5 years. Their recent
run of success would suggest
that they are well on the way to
achieving this goal (pun intended!).
Another intention is to try to involve
the wider community in the club
more. They already have their own
football development centre, offering
training sessions after school and
during school holidays, coaches
from Worthing Football Club who
spend time working with children
in local junior schools and they are
looking for other opportunities to
make links with the young people of
Worthing.
Here is the link to our interview with
George Dowell
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=CKN9zQEOLQo
GET SET FOR COMMUNITY ACTION!
Worthing High School is named
Champion school as part of Get Set
for Community Action, a new UK-wide
programme created by the British
Olympic Foundation and British
Paralympic Association.
As a Champion school Worthing High
School invited local schools to join the
programme. Over 60 students from
Our Lady of Sion, The Angmering
School and Oak Grove Specialist
College attended the training day
ran by the Youth Sport Trust on
Monday 18th January.
The training day encouraged young
people to reach out to their wider
community and discuss their needs,
coming up with some inspiring
projects, which they will deliver, in the
run-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic and
Paralympic Games.
Get Set for Community Action
will support teams of thousands
of students in working with local
community groups to plan and run
GIRLS RUGBY FASTEST GROWING GIRLS
SPORT
Worthing High School Reporter Abi Burley asked
her Worthing Rugby Club coach, Alex, some
questions that she thought many people would
ask if they were looking to join a rugby team:
What size do you have to be to play rugby? ~
“All sizes big or small can play.”
Will I make friends by playing rugby? ~ “Yes you
will make lots of friends.”
projects which help to make their
communities healthier and more
active places in which to live.
Marie Field, Leader of Physical
Education at Worthing High school
said “Get Set for Community Action is
such a good idea because it’s a great
opportunity for us and local schools
to involve young people in their own
communities. It is a brilliant way to
improve student’s life skills as well as
benefiting the community itself”.
Is rugby a fun sport to play? ~ “Yes! Rugby
is lots of fun. We always make each session
different, challenging and interesting.”
Is it safe to play rugby? ~ “Absolutely! We teach
the players the skills to play in a safe manner.
Every sport carries a risk but with proper
coaching rugby is as safe as any other sport.”
What level of ability do you have to be to play
rugby? ~ “Anyone can play rugby, from the age
of 5. Rugby welcomes all abilities.”
Is rugby expensive? ~ “Not at all.”
What is your opinion on women’s/girl’s rugby?
~ “Women’s and girls’ rugby is the fastest
growing girls sport in the UK. It’s amazing to
watch the player’s grow in confidence and
ability, and watching them have fun and build
solid friendships with their teammates. Rugby is
suited to all abilities and can be built around the
players. Ultimately girls can play rugby as well as
the boys!”
For more information please go to the club
website http://www.worthingrfc.com/
19
STUDENTS
INSPIRED
BY HANNAH
BEHARRY
Hannah Beharry, Boxing for
England and Great Britain, who has
won a string of gold medals, visited
the school for a third time.
Hannah delivered
several inspirational
assemblies to Year 8
students on her life to
date. Describing how
once faced with an
uncertain future, she
discovered a positive
channel for
her energies at All
Stars, one of London’s
most
prominent
boxing clubs.
Hannah went
on to explain
how she has
transformed
her life
through
sport, not
only
excelling at boxing, but acting as
a strong role model for her local
communities by promoting boxing
in schools.
Hannah also spent time delivering
fitness sessions to KS4 students
during their PE lessons.
We look forward to welcoming
Hannah back in April.
Miss M Field
Leader of PE
NEW KIT SPONSORS
This academic year we have been extremely lucky to receive
sponsorship for new sports kit. We would like to thank the
following companies for their generosity.
Fresh Egg—sponsored Ricochet dance top and bottoms
The Original Curryland - sponsored a full basketball kit
Nsure – sponsored full football kit
Panic Plumbing and Electrics - sponsored football shirts
Assystem UK Limited - sponsored basketball full kit
MK Window Cleaning - sponsored football shirts
Syntiro Accommodation Services Ltd – sponsored a full Netball
Kit
If there are any local business that would like to help the
school, please get in touch as we have sponsorship packages
available.
Miss M Field
Leader of PE
www.worthinghigh.net
achieve@worthinghigh.net
twitter.com/worthinghigh
01903 237864