Easter 2016

NEWSLETTER

Once again this term has been packed full of exciting trips and events. We have put together a snap shot for you along with other useful items of information.

Breaking News Cullum Centre We are delighted to report that our latest building project, The NAS Cullum Centre, has come in on time and on budget. We look forward to welcoming our first intake of four Year 7 students in September 2016. The National Autistic Society, together with generous financial backing from the Cullum Family Trust, have provided a model for an innovative resource for high functioning autistic students to be able to thrive here at HWS. In April 2016, we will welcome our new Head of Centre, Rhian Smith, who will be supporting staff and students through the transition into this exciting phase of the school's future. The Cullum students will spend the majority of their time in lessons in the main school but the centre will provide specialist support from trained staff to enable learning in small groups and additional therapy sessions. New Science Labs and Drama Studio Construction of the two new science laboratories is also nearly finished. They are light, spacious and will be fully equipped for the demands of the modern science curriculum. The new drama studio is following hot on the heels of the laboratories and should be available for use in early May. This new space will significantly enhance the performing arts facilities available to our students and the local community. The new drama studio will also offer budding lighting and sound technicians the opportunity to develop their technical skills. Letter from Nick Gibb In February we were delighted to receive a letter from Nick Gibb, Minister of State for Schools, congratulating staff and pupils for the very high standard of achievement in the 2015 GCSE exams. He wrote: “The percentage of pupils achieving five or more

GCSEs at grades A*-C, including English and mathematics, shows that your school is one of the top 100 non-selective state-funded schools in England…….” Well deserved recognition for all the

very hard work of the staff and students from the 2015 Year 11 cohort.

What’s New in the Wood? Alumni The launch of our Old Hinchley Woodians alumni programme is imminent. Friendships forged during your school days are some of the strongest of your lifetime and reunions are a great example of an opportunity to catch up with old friends. Former HWS students will be able to reconnect and make links with their peers, receive news of the school and upcoming events and hear about our ongoing campaigns to benefit future generations of HWS students. The launch event will be in late summer 2016 with a garden party. More information to follow. Careers Fair HWS joined forces with the Surrey Chamber of Commerce to host our first KS4 & KS5 Careers Fair. Nearly 1000 students aged between 14 and 18 years old were invited to come and talk to 40 different businesses and organisations. Throughout the day students were given the chance to interact with businesses and find out first-hand the activities associated with working in each industry. Businesses ranged from well known names such as McLaren Automotive, Fulham Football Club, Surrey Police and IBM to representatives from accountancy, photography, veterinary services and banking to name a few. Further Education providers such as Surrey University and Brooklands College were also on hand to give expert advice. Tim Haines from McLaren Automotive described the event as “an interesting and rewarding day inspiring the engineers and designers of the future”. May we take this opportunity to thank all those involved in making this amazing day such a success.

Equalities Group tact the school should continue to do so via the curOur proactive 6th formers elected to start a group rent channels. offering advice and support to all students in the school with a determination to raise awareness about equality matters. This group has been set up to en- Well Done You! sure that we, as a school, are inclusive of everyone at all times and now has 20 members. Student Lead- Youth Speaks er, Casper Yim, led the way presenting assemblies, After coming first in the with the help of the Year 10 drama students, on the opening two rounds of the topic of ‘acceptance’. Students will also be raising Youth Speaks competimoney for a number of charities—the first event was tion, the winning streak selling Candy Floss on our House day this week and for our Year 8 debating raised £220. team came to an end at Well done to all the 6th formers involved! the District Finals. ‘Youth Speaks’ is a national The ‘Naughty 40’ schools public speaking This term has seen the launch of the ‘Naughty Forty’ competition organised by which are the 40 most commonly misspelt words at Rotary International across the UK and Ireland. Five Hinchley Wood School. As part of our drive to bring months of competitive rounds, beginning with local together aspects of whole school literacy, this initia- and district heats, culminate in the National Finals tive aims to get students really engaged in improving which take place in May 2016. Catherine Hodges their spelling and understand its importance as they stepped in for Jessica Higgins to join Maya Fermove through to GCSE and A Level. Key Stage 3 stu- nandes and Aishani Parkash in the Youth Speaks Disdents will be tested on the 40 words in their English trict Finals on the 12th March. Aishani had already lessons and parents can help too – find ‘The Naughty won ‘Best Speaker’ in the last two rounds and delivForty’ and other useful literacy advice on the Literacy ered a passionate and heart-felt speech in the final. Support section of the website. Although they did not win they were congratulated by the Surbiton Rotary Club who presented them Next term will see the launch of dedicated tutor time with iTunes vouchers for their efforts. Well done activities to iron out other common literacy errors, girls and keep the debating going! such as which ‘their/there/they’re’ to use. We will also see the launch of a literacy House competition The Great Hinchley Wood Bake Off! with some great prizes to be won! The Great HWS House Bake-Off competition took place as one of our House Events last November. As New Mini Bus there were a particularly large number of entries We were thrilled to take from Year 7 students it was decided that they should delivery earlier this year have their own final which was held on Friday 8th of a brand new school January. The judges were looking for a real Showminibus. The minibus has Stopper and the students certainly stepped up to the 17 seats and has been invaluable in transporting mark to show off their creative talents. The Year 7 our various sports teams winner was Eloise Ford who baked a delicious carrot to their away fixtures. It cake and decorated it with cream cheese frosting is very much thanks to the and hand-made sugar paste carHinchley Wood Development Fund, generously supported by parental donations, that we have been rots, rabbits and cabbages. The able to purchase the minibus. We would like to take judges had two weeks to recover this opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks to all before the final for students in our parents for their ongoing financial support of the Years 8 - 10 when, once again, school. the standard of the cakes was amazing. The judges chose SoTwitter phie Martin’s We are in the process of reviewing the content of the very professional school website with one of the new additions being a Chocolate and Raspberry Gateaux Twitter news feed. This will be updated on a daily basis giving school news and events around the as the overall winner. Well done to school. Please note this will not replace current everyone who took part! communication methods and anyone wishing to con-

Sporting Achievement We would like to congratulate Asuka Peace who has just returned from Italy representing England in an International Karate and Kickboxing tournament. Asuka won 2 Gold and 2 Bronze medals in the 16– 18 Year old category. Fantastic work Asuka—well done! See below for news of other great sporting achievements from HWS students!

Musical News……... Our Year 7 students had the opportunity to experience Indonesian culture as the entire year group took part in Gamelan workshops at the start of the Spring Term. The main hall housed an impressive assortment of traditional instruments from Indonesia, collectively known as a Gamelan. John Pawson, an expert from the Royal College of Music, introduced students to Javanese songs, dances and shadow puppets. The Gamelan was at HWS until half term, which allowed students to continue performing and learning in their music lessons. Orchestra Day at the Royal College of Music The HWS Orchestra had another successful trip to the prestigious Royal College of Music in February. The students spent the day rehearsing a challenging repertoire including Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No 1 in the historic RCM Concert Hall. The orchestra, alongside RCM students, enjoyed a gruelling 3 hour session with conductor Mark Biggins fine tuning pieces by Grieg, Tchaikovsky & Schönberg. The evening concert included outstanding solo performances by RCM and HWS students (Annabelle Gouttebroze, Sam O’Neal, Matthew Cooper, Miranda Clements and Ben Ross) with special mention to Ben McQuigg who gave a virtuoso performance of the piano concerto. Music and Science Majestic Brass, led by Mike Poyser, ran Science workshops for students from our local primary schools. The work-

shops explored the properties of sound and how it relates to music. Students participated in several experiments learning key words and concepts and used everything they learnt to create their very own revision song. Celebrating Musical Success Albert Nguyen in Year 9 has been offered a place on the National Youth Guitar Ensemble for talented young classical guitarists of Grade 5 level and above. Soraya Haynes in Year 8 participated in the 72nd Coulsdon and Purley Festival and was awarded the Raymond Douglas Memorial Trophy. She also received Outstanding, Distinction and Honours awards for her pieces. Sam O’Neal in Year 10 received a scholarship with professional concert pianist Richard Meyrick, and has been attending lessons in Mayfair on a monthly basis. Elliot Proudhon-Smith in Year 13, Ben Ryan and Ben Ross both in Year 11 joined fellow young jazz musicians at Ronnie Scott’s for Big Band in a Day. Well done to all!

Amazing Fundraisers It never ceases to amaze us the amount of empathy and compassion our students display when it comes to fundraising. We have recently received thanks from Children in Need for our donation of £1582.12 and students continue to support a range of fundraising events specific to their year groups. We would like to make a special mention of Tish Nicholls in Year 8 who cut her long hair and donated the money raised to the Prince’s Trust and Millie Patience in Year 7 for her tireless efforts in support of Cancer Charities and The Princess Alice Hospice. Millie recently completed the Race for Life and has been selling raffle tickets at the Year 7 Parents’ Evenings to raise funds for The Princess Alice Hospice. Adam Butcher, Maisy Beal, Ben and Grace Dawes joined the Marsden March in memory of Adam’s father who sadly died last year; they have raised over £5000. Our 6th Form Bands (The Nightlarks and Bleb) also did us proud at the Mind Rock charity gig at the Cricketers in Kingston on 22nd December raising £289.70 for the mental health charity MIND. Congratulations to these students and all our inspiring fundraisers, please keep up the good work. Finally, we would like to draw your attention to the ‘Just Giving’ site that has been opened in memory of Ralph Brazier who recently died after a tragic cycling accident. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time. justgiving.com/RalphBrazier2016

Trips this Term HWS students are very fortunate to enjoy some amazing opportunities for travel. This term 72 Year 9 students made the long coach journey to Dachstein West in the Austrian Alps for the 2016 Ski Trip. They enjoyed excellent conditions and no broken bones which, for the number travelling, was quite an achievement! In February half term, the Geography department took a group of 50 Year 11 students to see the fantastic sights of Iceland. Activities on this amazing trip included glacier walking, lava tube caving, outdoor swimming in the Blue Lagoon, a monster truck tour, sightseeing and standing on the summits of volcanic craters! Needless to say a fantastic time was had by all. In recognition of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day in February, the Year 10 Philosophy and Ethics students visited Kingston Liberal Synagogue to hear the story of a Holocaust survivor and discuss how we can work to eliminate prejudice from society. The visit was an eye opening experience for many of our Year 10 students as they reflected on the attitudes that led to the Holocaust, the genocide itself, and the lasting impact it has had on the Jewish community.

Enrichment 6th Form Enrichment Diversity has been the name of the game this term with 6th Form enrichment events going from high wires on the residential trip to a medical ethics conference. The residential took place in Ashtead, Kent where students learnt team building skills, got to hang out on high ropes and took part in a mini Olympics. 6th form students have also been lucky enough to attend a workshop delivered by Inner Drive who demonstrated how they could use their minds effectively and offered strategies to help them manage stress and prepare for exams effectively.

The medical ethics conference took place on a Friday afternoon and provided an opportunity for 40 of our students to interact with some of the UK’s leading experts on organ donation as part of their Philosophy and Ethics Course. The guests included a former kidney donor, a children’s author and a paediatric doctor from Great Ormond Street Hospital. The speakers commented on how ‘interested, interesting, engaged and insightful’ our students were; a great accolade for all involved. Other events……. Fair Trade Day In early February, the Citizenship department ran a Year 9 enrichment day to raise awareness about Fair Trade with a wealth of information about the nature and importance of Fair Trade products. The focus of the day was for every tutor group to hold a competition to find out who had the best idea for a Fair Trade food stall to be run in school. Students were given a budget of £150 and a list of possible products in order to plan their stall. Students also had to consider how they would market the stall to ensure its success, including producing posters and other promotional resources. A winning group was selected from each class who then presented to the School Council to see who would get to actually run their stall with the promised budget of £150. The overall winners were Anna, Amy, Ruby and Larissa from 9BR who will now run their stall in early May. Good luck girls and well done! Fashion Show Trash met chic on the catwalk in January as the 2016 Year 8 Recycled Fashion Day took place. A collaboration of DT Fashion, Art and Science along with the whole of Year 8, saw mountains of recyclable ‘trash’ transformed into some of the best, most creative and imaginative carnival costumes ever seen. The costumes were themed around the topics of renewable energy; wind, water or sun. The catwalk show was watched by all students and each group gave an account of the planning and design process as well as how they used the theme whilst the performers ‘strutted their stuff’ on the catwalk. A huge thank you to Mr Allcock, Mrs Spooner, Mrs Prosser, Miss Chalke, Miss Thatcher and everyone who helped out on the day to ensure another highly successful event!

SATRO Construction

And so to Sport………...

Students in Years 10 and 11 continue to enjoy making timber products in their lessons. Year 10 students have lovingly completed their hinged boxes which they have varnished, waxed and taken home at Easter. Year 11 students have been lucky enough to visit the NAS Cullum Centre site and also make repeat visits to a house building project over the past 8 months - following its progress to completion. Before they leave us for exams, our students hope to learn basic brick-laying and are currently making a small timber project for the Learning Resource Centre.

Football The Year 8 boys football team have had a very successful year. The team reached the quarter finals of the Surrey County Cup, getting knocked out of the competition by Hampton Boys’ School. They also reached round 5 of the nationals, which is further than any HWS team has gone in recent years. They are still in both the District Cup and Kingston Cup, having reached the semi-final stages. The Year 7 and the Year 8 teams have only lost twice all year. Year 9 and 10 are still in the District and Kingston Cup competitions. Off the back of the successful Sports Tour last year, the Year 11 team have had a mixed year. Whilst they were knocked out of the County Cup by Glenthorne School they have managed to win all but one of their league games. The team are still in the District Cup, playing their semifinal before Easter. The Year 7 Girls have made it through to the final of the District 7-a-side competition, not losing a game and finishing top of their league. The final is scheduled to be played before Easter. The Year 8/9 Girls Football team have also made it through to the final of the District 7-a-side competition. More significantly they made it through to the Surrey County Cup semifinal, losing narrowly to Coloma School, 2-1. A fantastic performance all year round from the girls who have shown fantastic quality and commitment to training and lost only once all season. Congratulations to all our football teams and good luck with the forthcoming matches.

Combined Cadet Force Cadets from Year 9 upwards have had a very busy time this term with a number of exciting opportunities to get involved in. Cadets visited RAF Benson where, despite the weather, they were able to fly circuits in a Grob Tutor aircraft and visit the Army Air Corps at Middle Wallop where they flew in a Gazelle helicopter and learnt more about the Apache helicopter - they were even allowed to sit in the pilot seat! They also took part in weekend Exercise Steel Talon in mid-March which tested their skills in camouflage and concealment, escape and evasion and reconnaissance patrols as well as use of cooking stoves and building overnight shelters. All these skills will be put to the test on the 6-day Easter camp in Folkestone where they will also sample obstacle courses, range shooting, team sports and canoeing. Plans are underway for a June visit to RAF Odiham – home of the Chinook – and summer camp on the Isle of Wight in July. Year 8 students will have a chance to learn more in an assembly next term and see if they would like to join us in September.

Rugby

On the 14th of March, 128 of the best rugby schools from across the UK gathered for the biggest Rugby 7s tournament in the world. Our Year 8 boys exceeded our already high expectations with convincing wins against King John school, Olchfa and Woodbridge in the group stages. The boys deservedly went through to the last 32 (knock out stage) showing their class in the first knock out game beating Emanuel School by 6 tries to 2. The team went down bravely to a very well drilled, disciplined and pacey Kings Macclesfield team in the last 16 but the boys should be very proud of what they achieved. Another very impressive season with the Surrey Cup Final still to be played!

Staffing News Governors:  Simon Blyth resigned as a Parent Governor as of 22 January 2016  Alex Wright has been appointed as a Co-opted Governor as of 1 March 2016 New Appointments:  As previously mentioned Rhian Smith is joining us after Easter as Head of The Cullum Centre. Rhian was previously the Lead Practitioner at Stanley Park High School in Carshalton.  We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Lucy MacDonald (previously Deputy Head at Cheam High School). Lucy will take the place of Mike Glover who will be retiring at the end of the summer term. Please see our website for on-going vacant positions within the school.

Summer Fete—Save the Date! Once again we will be opening our doors to the local community by way of a summer extravaganza on 9th July. All the usual attractions will be on offer with a packed programme of live music to entertain you throughout the afternoon. We hope you can join us on what has proven to be a fantastic family afternoon out in previous years. 2016 Production — Les Misérables!

Dates for your Diary Blue Mondays—Final Gig Many of you will have had the pleasure of listening to our amazing band The Blue Mondays in recent years. Sadly, the band members are going their separate ways at the end of this year. However, they will be performing ‘One Last Night’ on Friday 15th April at HWS—please do come and join us!

We are delighted and very excited to announce our end of term production for 2016 will be Les Misérables. There were no glum faces during the auditions held this week with the orchestra already hard at work rehearsing this phenomenal musical score. Performance dates will be July 18th, 19th & 20th. More details to follow. We hope you have enjoyed reading about another busy and successful term here at HWS. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and restful Easter break. Ben Bartlett Headteacher

School returns Monday 11th April 2016