Term 3 Newsletter 22/23

Welcome from the Headteacher

Term 3 and the beginning of 2023 has seen the momentum from the start of the academic year maintained, if not accelerated, on a range of fronts. As you will read in this edition, what with Music Recitals, House chess, House Senior Handball, House music, STEM events, special PSHE days, drama auditions and rehearsals, visits to the International Bomber Command Centre and Geography fieldtrips to mention but a few, this really has been an action packed and fun-filled term!

For many students, now is the time to start making some key life choices. Thanks to the incredibly supportive and experienced staff here at QEHS and through the advice and guidance offered during events such as Options and Parents' Evenings, assemblies and presentations, our students now find themselves in a strong position to make informed choices about the next steps along their learning journeys. Similarly, forthcoming Work Experience opportunities will offer students in Years 10 and 12 a taste of working life beyond the school gates.

Senior Presentation Evening at the start of January was a time to celebrate the hard work of many of our current and former students. It was a genuine pleasure to welcome back students who are now QEHS alumni and to hear their tales of successful beginnings to university life. To illustrate this point perfectly, please see the piece by Sara S (former Year 13), as she outlines how studies ‘across the pond’ at Rice University in Texas have started since securing her prestigious scholarship. The Senior Prizegiving roll of honour is mightily impressive and available to view later in the Newsletter. This conveyor belt of amazing academic talent at QEHS never stops and as you will read, we are all celebrating the news that Neve C, Evie C and Jacob H have recently received Oxbridge offers. Meanwhile, Akshath S in 7A will be one to watch for the future for sure!

This term, QEHS received recognition and a commendation from the Fischer Family Trust for being in the top 25% of schools nationally for student attendance. Excellent attendance at school is essential to fulfilling students’ potential and allows them to access and benefit from the extensive range of Personal Development opportunities on offer - please see our ‘Curriculum on a Page’ graphic for further details. Thank you so much for all your support from home which has played a key part in securing such impressive attendance figures.

The focus of school improvement through Teaching and Learning was further sharpened this term during a recent staff training session based upon the principle of ‘Walkthrus’. This approach to pedagogy encapsulates the latest research around how best to further support students in the classroom. Please see further details of our bespoke Queenies ‘Walkthru’ cluster in the pages to come.

Many congratulations are passed on to all of our sporting stars showcased in this term’s newsletter – Charles in 7B for his trophy haul, the girls in the Year 9-10 football team for being crowned champions, and to everyone involved in recent cross-country successes. Well done also to members of the QEHS British Physics Olympiad team and to those QEHS musicians successfully completing ABRSM exams.

The compassion shown by students across the school is something which never ceases to impress, and the details in this newsletter around the selflessness and empathy shown by the QEHS community through fund raising activities and charity work is something everyone should be incredibly proud of. Similarly, may I draw your attention to the article written by Joe B (12B). The incredibly valuable service provided by Peer Listeners really is something which captures the essence of mutual support which makes Queenies such a very special place to learn, grow and develop.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support and please enjoy a relaxing half term break.

Kind regards,

Mr R Eastham

Headteacher

QEHS Receives Attendance Award

We are thrilled to have received an Attendance Award from the Fischer Family Foundation (FFT). This award recognises that QEHS is in the top 25% of all FFT schools nationally for the 2022 Autumn term. Well done to the students and staff alike for securing this recognition. 

QEHS Teaching and Learning Spotlight WalkThrus (Staff Development Day)

As we continue to enhance best practice and Quality First Teaching at QEHS, we welcomed a WalkThrus Champion (Victoria Murphy) to QEHS to complement the work of our Action Research Groups during our recent staff development day on Tuesday 03 January 2023.

The main focus of the day was based around our QEHS Walkthrus Cluster:

• Scaffolding
• Independent Practice
• Oracy: Talk for Writing
• Strategies to check for understanding

Mr J Burge

Associate Assistant Headteacher

(Enhancing Best Practice)

Curriculum on a Page

We pride ourselves on our broad and ambitious curriculum that seeks to achieve academic excellence while at the same time offering our students a huge variety of extra and super curricular activities. As a result, our students leave QEHS equipped to succeed and to lead successful and happy lives. Our School Vision and the four key QEHS curriculum areas are summed up in the image below:

ABRSM Music Exams

Congratulations to the following students for passing their Music exams: 

• Harry M, 10B, Grade 3 Piano
• Michael B, 11D, Grade 4 Piano
• Freya H-R, 9D, Grade 6 Piano with Merit
• Tom B, 12B, Grade 6 Music Theory with Merit
• Jacob W, 8B, Grade 6 Alto Sax with Distinction

The next ABRSM exam session in school will be Thursday 30 March. If you would like your child to take their music exam in this session, please get in touch with the Music Department. Booking closes on 02 March.

Mrs Henighan

Term 3 Subject Superstars

Term 3 Headteacher's Commendation Award

Following recommendations from staff, congratulations are in order for Valentino B in 7A, Tom B-R in 11A and Jana A in 11S, for being awarded this term's Headteacher's Commendation Award. 

Valentino B (7A) was awarded the Leadership for Learning Award for growing and donating his hair for The Little Princess Trust. In doing so, Valentino has demonstrated exceptional character and outstanding community spirit, not to mention the selflessness and presumed discomfort, to grow his hair so that this could be donated to a young girl less fortunate than himself. You can read more about this in the article in this newsletter titled: 'Valentino donates his hair to the Little Princess Trust'. 

Tom B-R (11A) was awarded the Behaviour for Learning Award for always being so well engaged in class, asking brilliant questions and for always being willing to volunteer to answer in every lesson. Tom is also always great at helping the other students around him.

Jana A (11S) was awarded the Learning to Learn Award for an outstanding performance in her Science mock exams.

Well done!

Oxbridge Offers!

We are incredibly proud to announce that the following students have each received an offer to study at either Oxford or Cambridge!:

Jacob H - Physics at Oxford (Lady Margaret Hall)

Neve C - Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion at Cambridge (Gonville and Caius)

Evie C - Natural Sciences at Cambridge (Pembroke)

We hope that you will join us in congratulating them on this achievement and in wishing them all the very best for their ongoing studies at A Level as they seek to secure their places at these colleges of academic distinction.  

Top Gold Achievement in the British Physics Olympiad

For UK students in Years 11 through 13, the British Physics Olympiad is a series of ten Physics related tournaments. The BPhO is managed on a daily basis by five committee members as well as a sizable group of unpaid Physics Teachers and academics from all around the UK. Only the very best Physics students at A Level in most schools are allowed to join because of the extraordinarily high standard of the competition. Any award is a genuine accomplishment that shows a student can work at a higher level than is often required for A Level exams.

To get into the BPhO you have to complete a paper which consists of:

• Section 1 - set of short questions
• Section 2 - a choice of long questions

The two sections can be sat separately over the course of 2hrs 40mins and are sat in school. Completed student scripts are then scanned and uploaded to the BPhO Office for marking.

One of the students in our school has managed to accomplish a Top Gold level in the first round. This is Jacob H in 13D. I have had the opportunity to ask him a few questions.

I asked him where he thinks the Physics Olympiad will take him, he said, “The Physics Olympiad has helped broaden my Physics knowledge. The top thirty students get to go to a training camp at Oxford University. And the top 5 students get to go to the IPhO in Tokyo”. I also asked him what he would return to the community that has helped him come so far in the Physics Olympiad and he has said, “I would like to help others to learn. I mentor a number of students in different subjects. I also help run the STEM club at school.” Another question that I asked him was if he thought the Physics Olympiad was a big achievement or just a milestone and his reply was,“I think it is a big achievement. There are 2000 students that take part and only 50 get awarded Top Gold. Students prepare really hard and coming in the top 50 is a big achievement for any Physicist.” This clearly shows that this means a lot to him and that this is a big achievement for him and for the school that has helped him to achieve this.

I would like to say a big well done to Jacob for the hard work he has put into this. Getting a Top Gold level in The Physics Olympiad is clearly an achievement that deserves a massive well done and would have needed a lot of work to achieve.

Licsha S, 9B

A Certified Genius in Year 7

Congratulations to Akshath S in 7A who took the Mensa IQ test at Sheffield Hallam University before Christmas and scored 162 in the Cattell III B test paper, the maximum result for under-18s. This puts Akshath's IQ in the top 1% of the population and means that he is eligible to join Mensa. Akshath’s achievement was also covered in the local newspaper and you can read about it here: https://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/news/people/worksop-schoolboy-12-achieves-maximum-score-in-mensa-iq-test-3965670

Valentino Donates his hair to the Little Princess Trust

Valentino B in 7A has selflessly been growing his hair for three years so that he could donate it to the Little Princess Trust (www.littleprincesses.org.uk). The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs at no charge to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. Along with his hair, Val also donated £1,300 that he raised for the charity, which is enough to pay for creating and fitting wigs for two young girls. This represents an outstanding act of charity and selflessness from Valentino. We are very proud of you.

Charles wins the Northern U13 Championships

Congratulations to Charles R in 7B, who won the 200m at the Northern U13 Championships on Sunday 05 February and gained a Bronze in both the High Jump and Long Jump. Charles improved his personal best from 4m to 4.45m in the Long Jump, and his 200m personal best improved from 32.03 to 27.64 seconds.

Well done Charles!

Seven-a-side Football Champions

Well done to the Year 9 and 10 girls who took part in the seven-a-side competition and went on to be crowned champions. It was a fantastic display from the girls and they all worked incredibly hard to win.

Miss Allen

QEHS Success at County Cross Country

Congratulations to the following students who qualified to represent Lincoln and District at the County Championship event which was held at Burgley House, Stamford on Saturday 14 January. Conditions were difficult under foot with the rain and the course was very muddy. Representing QEHS were:

Hannah D and Lottie A – Year 8

Monty D – Year 9

Sabrina H and Tom S – Year 10

Hannah and Monty both finished in the top 12 and will now go on to represent Lincolnshire County in the Anglian Schools’ Cross Country Championship on Saturday 04 February. This is a fantastic achievement and we wish them well. 

Mrs Baldwin & Miss Allen

Camps International Photography Competition - December 2022 Winner

Well done to Joanna B, who was December's winner of the Camps International 2022 Photography Competition. She took these two amazing photos of a baby seal and a sleeping iguana. They were both entered into the Wildlife Category and both were selected as winners. 

Students visit the International Bomber Command Centre

During our time at the International Bomber Command Centre, we were able to see uniforms and artefacts from World War 2 that would have worn or used by Bomber Command. We learnt about how they were designed this way and why. Also, we watched clips around the exhibition and played a game where we took part in a mission. My favourite part of the trip was getting to see the memorial wall. The wall was erected to remember those in WW2 who fought or were involved. We were able to look around to see if our surnames were on the wall. We were also able to go inside an Anderson shelter that people would have used for protection during air raids. When we returned to school, we learnt more about WW2 and what it would be like to be on a mission. 

Zarna L, 9A 

Year 10 Geography Fieldtrip to Sheffield

Field trips allow students to experience learning outside the classroom and, in the case of Geography, to see and experience their case studies at first hand and to gather field data for later analysis in the classroom. Such were the aims of the Year 10 GCSE students trip to Sheffield in early February, to be followed by a trip to the coast in the Spring. 

Students collected environmental and land use data in The Moor shopping areas in order to assess the impact of The Heart of the City regeneration project on Sheffield. They also furnished their knowledge of Sheffield’s history, urban greening projects and its integrated transport system. 

GSCE trips to Sheffield are the culmination of a series of trips run for each year group as part of their Geography curriculum. Year 7 students visit the Peak District; Year 8 visit Gainsborough and Year 9 Lincoln. Students who elect to study A Level Geography will visit Leeds, Helmsley, Withernsea and, of course, Iceland.  

Mr Kingdom

Fun, free and for everyone - Citizen Science

On Thursday 02 February, ten Year 7 students met up and made friends as they attempted the RSPB Big Schools’ Birdwatch. The enthusiastic group was a little slow to get organised and therefore decided to meet up again for ‘a birdwatch hour’ on Thursday 09 February. In addition, the Year 7 students discussed other Citizen Science projects and decided to investigate the British Antarctic Survey 'monitoring albatrosses from space project', https://www.bas.ac.uk/project/wildlife-from-space/albatrosses-from-space/. It is great to be aspirational – our little group of Year 7 students went from seagulls, crows and pigeons in the school grounds to albatrosses in Antarctica in the space of one lunchtime!

The Environment Society

Albatross facts:

• They have the largest wingspan of any living bird
• They can go years without touching land
• They can live and raise chicks into their 60s
• They mate for life
• They court each other with elaborate mating dances
• They can smell food in the water from 12 miles away

(Facts and image: https://www.pacificbeachcoalition.org/albatross-fun-facts/  Accessed 04 Feb)

Mrs Rider

Year 7 Study The Pilgrimages

Year 7 students have been studying pilgrimages this term. They have learnt about the story behind the River Ganges, why people go on pilgrimage and the acts of worship Hindus may take part in at the River Ganges. They wrote a postcard to describe a trip to the River Ganges at Varanasi. 

Mrs Sacker

Senior Presentation Evening

On Tuesday 3 January, we hosted our Annual Senior Presentation. Many congratulations are passed on to our prize winners: 

YEAR PRIZES

Year 11 - Prizes awarded for outstanding GCSE results, effort and achievement:

Year 12 - Prizes awarded for outstanding work in Year 12:

Year 13 - Prizes awarded for outstanding A Level results, effort and achievement:

SUBJECT PRIZES

The Clarke Prize for English - English Language & Literature - Arwen W

The Clarke Prize for English - English Literature - Eloise D-B

Morgan Whiteman Memorial Prize for Mathematics - Joshua J  

School Prize for Further Mathematics - Christopher M & Joanna B

Dr Johnson’s Memorial Prize for Science - Physics - Harvie-Leigh L  

Dr Johnson’s Memorial Prize for Science – Chemistry - Sadie A

Dr Johnson’s Memorial Prize for Science - Biology - Evan A

Old Girls’ Association Prize for History - Natasha B                  

School Prize for Law - Josie T  

The Elizabethan Founder’s Cup for Drama/Performing Arts - Mia C

School Prize for Music - Hollie W

School Prize for Geography - Alice W

School Prize for R.E. - Charlotte H  

The TA Barratt Prize for Modern Languages - German - Sara S   

The TA Barratt Prize for Modern Languages - Spanish - Bethan S                         

Walter German Rose Prize for Technology - Mohammad R  

Green Prize for Artistic Achievement - Lana G

Bradshaw Prize for Psychology - Marianne G

Bradshaw Prize for Sociology - Georgie R

Bradshaw Prize for Business Studies - Alexsandar T

School Prize for Extended Project Qualification - Oliver I

School Prize for Sports Studies - Lauren V  

School Prize for Computing - Conaer W-M

PRIZES AWARDED FOR ALL ROUND ACHIEVEMENT

The Senior Andrew Stewart Shield for Active Citizenship - Lucia-May Y & Simran U           

The Sir Nicholas Bacon Award for the Best Scholar in Year 11  - Andriana C

A W Harrison Memorial Prize for the Best all rounder in Year 11 - Tom B  

The Neill Brothers’ Medal for Outstanding Progress - Joshua J

The Goodall Girls’ Cup for Positive Contribution to School Life donated by Caroline, Jo & Christina Goodall, students at QEHS between 2000 and 2012 - Josie T

The Anthony Parsons Prize for School Studies for outstanding A Level Results - Sadie A

The Everatt Senior Intellectual Prize - Natasha B

The Governors’ Prize funded by the Chair of Governors for Service to the School as Head Boy and Head Girl - Joel S & Arwen W

The Allenby Award for Courage in the Face of Adversity donated by the family of Jonathan Chaffe, a student at QEHS between 2007 and 2012 - Harvie-Leigh L        

SILVER DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS

HOUSE POINTS

The following students received the highest number of House points during Year 13



Sara living the American Dream

Sara S left QEHS in the summer of 2022, having secured a scholarship at Rice University in Houston, Texas, to Major in Business Management and Minor in Neuroscience, Entrepreneurship.

As Sara explains, she has already “had the opportunity to travel to Arizona and California for thanksgiving and Christmas, which were both incredible experiences”.  She also said, “To become someone you have never been, you must do what you have never done. I took my chances in applying to the US-UK Fulbright program, and now I attend a top college in the USA. Always remember, no dream is too big”.

Sixth Form Library

QEHS are delighted to announce the recent expansion of the Sixth Form Library, providing wider reading opportunities for students in Years 12 and 13. 

Thanks to generous support from the Gainsborough Educational Charity and the W.G. Rose Memorial Trust, we have been able to purchase 150 books from the Oxford University Press ‘Very Short Introductions’ (VSI) series. This series of over 700 titles tackles a huge range of subjects. The books are written by expert authors and are very readable introductions to often quite complex topics. They can provide excellent starting points for students wanting to complete an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or for exploring possible subjects to study beyond A Level.

We are also grateful to the QEHS Foundation for funding some new shelving for the Sixth Form Library.

The Library Team

Reading Well for Teens

One of our Year 10 students, Isabelle C, has been involved in the co-production panel for the Reading Well for Teens Scheme delivered by the Reading Agency and Libraries Connected. The Reading Well for Teens booklist aims to support the mental health and wellbeing of teenagers by providing information, advice and support to help teens better understand their feelings, handle difficult experiences and boost confidence.

As a result of Isabelle’s involvement, the QEHS Library recently received 27 books from the list. We would like to congratulate Isabelle for her work on this fantastic initiative and also thank the Reading Well Scheme for providing these books. For more information on the Reading Well initiative visit www.reading-well.org.uk

The Library Team

Year 10 Musical Theatre Workshop

On Thursday 05 January, our Year 10 GCSE Drama students took part in a musical theatre workshop lead by the marvellously talented, Josh Capper. Josh has taken part in a variety of renowned performances such as Mamma Mia, High School Musical and more recently toured with the cast of Blood Brothers. The Year 10 class were beyond thrilled to perform alongside Josh, and learn an array of dances to some of the best known, classic songs in musical theatre. Year 10 learnt routines to the songs ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘We’re All In This Together’. Many students challenged themselves to perfect each and every step of movement that Josh demonstrated, helping their peers (and their teachers) with any really tricky sections. Having once individually mastering the routine, Year 10 then worked as a collective to make sure they performed together as an ensemble, rather than as a group of lone performers.

The group also worked on body language and how to communicate a character through the movements that they were performing. The differing styles of each song meant that Year 10 had to ensure they worked hard to portray the characters personality and intent; which they then did successfully. The level of excitement from Year 10 brought a dynamic energy into the room, meaning that everyone performed with confidence and power. Each new routine was received with positivity and the group were always eager to learn far more than what was expected of them.

Josh mentioned that Year 10 were a delight to work with and commented upon their real excitement towards the musical theatre work. Year 10 want to give a huge thanks to Josh, as they thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and the songs used. A big well done to Year 10 for their engagement and enthusiasm.

Mr Rigby

Auditions for 'We Will Rock You'

Held every Wednesday over the last few weeks, the Drama and Music departments are currently in the process of casting for our upcoming whole school musical in July, We Will Rock You. Excited to get started, the entire cast have been given the opportunity to demonstrate their talents in a set of auditions highlighting their acting, singing and dancing skills. It was great to see so many students eager to get involved and work together to create an array of amazing auditions.

The first audition focused solely on the students acting ability. Being given an extract to prepare in a very small time period, students performed either a duologue or group piece from the play to the rest of group including Mr Rigby, Mr Corner and Miss Brown. After everyone completed their performances, students were asked to swap partners and scripts so that the teachers could determine which duos and groups worked best together. Everyone did a brilliant job and the team were looking forward to the following audition.

The following week's auditions were the singing auditions. The week prior, students had been provided with a choice of three songs, in which they had to learn one and then perform it on the day of the audition. The cast had a choice of the following songs: ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ and ‘Headlong’. After some group warm ups, students individually sang a section of their chosen song whilst stood alongside their peers. Some students even challenged themselves to sing sections from multiple songs, which was great to see and hear.

The final auditions assessed the students dancing ability. Students spent time learning choreography designed to meet a variety of skills and ability. Students were able to pick and choose which sections they found best suited to their skillset. After some time to practice, students performed in groups to the rest of the ensemble. Everyone was really enthusiastic and did such a great job at picking up the choreography so quickly.

A big thank you to every student who auditioned. You have made the teachers’ job of casting very difficult this year. Nonetheless, keep your eyes peeled for our cast reveal announcement coming soon! Both the Music and Drama departments cannot wait to work with you all creating this year’s musical of 'We Will Rock You'. It is going to be spectacular!

Mr Rigby

Peer Listeners

The Peer Listeners are a group of trained students in Years 11, 12 and 13 who are there to listen and support fellow students in our QEHS school community with their worries and concerns. 

Students can come to our service about any issue, but if you are ever struggling with issues such as exam stress, worries in and out of school, concerns in your friendship group, bullying, or even just any issues in general, you can come and speak about it. 

No matter what, we are the student support here to help you!

Peer listeners are available to listen and talk to you every Tuesday and Thursday lunch times from 12.30 until 13.00 in the Listening Room, which is opposite Diane's room in the back of College House. If you think this service is something you would like to use, Peer Listeners are also available outside of this time on the email: [email protected]

Joe B, 12B

Work Experience - Placement Submission Deadline - 31.03.2023

Students who are considering carrying out a work placement in July have been making  efforts to secure a placement and students have been following due process by asking for advice, making their own enquiries and then submitting their placement bookings through Google Forms, attaching their employer confirmation.

The response has been more positive from Year 10 than Year 12, but numbers of submitted placements for both year groups remain comparatively low for this stage in the process. I would encourage Year 12 especially to consider the value of work experience for their personal statements and UCAS applications.

For any Year 10 or Year 12 student who wishes to carry out a work placement between 10 and 14 July 2023 and has NOT yet submitted their placement confirmed by an employer or applied for a placement, time is marching on!

The deadline for all placement paperwork to be submitted is Friday 31 March 2023 and as we are now at the end of Term 3, this deadline will quickly be upon us.

It is the need for ensuring the safety of students whilst on placement, which dictates our Health and Safety provider’s deadline for the handing in of work placement details. They visit and make checks on thousands of student placements across the East Midlands every year, which necessitates a lead time of at least two months to make sure placements have the necessary risk assessments and insurance checks carried out and agencies outside the East Midlands often take longer than this.

I would ask that students do check the accuracy of the information on their Google Form before submitting it, especially spacing, capital letters, phone numbers and contact names. Discrepancies take time to sort out and for this reason, I would encourage students to aim to submit their Google Forms at least a week before the final deadline, which will give me enough “wriggle room” to sort out any potential queries!

Could I remind students in both year groups that a PowerPoint to guide them has been posted in the Tutor area of their Google Classroom and an A3 laminated poster summarising the process is in each Year 10 Tutor room and in the Information Room in College House. Please use these to help you.

I would advise students to use the half term holiday week to contact or chase up employers by letter, phone, email or even call in to see them. There is strong competition for work places in July from other schools, so if you are awaiting a reply, a follow up email asking if your application has been received would not come amiss. Employers who regularly take students for work experience are aware of the lead time needed for risk assessments to be done and they will be aware of your deadline if you have sent them a copy of the school support letter (available in the work experience area of the school website).

Thank you to all parents/guardians who have been supporting the students through the work experience process. I am sure the efforts of all concerned will be rewarded with worthwhile placements.

Mrs Thorpe

Work Experience Co-ordinator

Mvumi School Trust

On Thursday 15 December we had a Christmas Jumper Day and on Friday 16 December we had a Civvies Day, both in support of the Mvumi School Trust. In total, we raised £737.00. Thank you to all parents/guardians, students and staff for your contributions! 

The Royal British Legion

We raised £80.75 in the Poppy boxes which contributed to the total amount raised of £13,000. Thank you to all students, parents/guardians and staff for your contributions.

The Dransfield Foundation

In Term 1, we raised a total of £631.50 for the Dransfield Foundation and they have recently been in touch with us: 

Thank you choosing our charity and for your generous donation last year - it really means a lot.

It was a huge achievement and a really emotional moment to have reached the end of our 14-year fundraising challenge when riding over London’s Tower Bridge on Friday 09 September.

What started out as a one off quickly became a very personal commitment for myself and the rest of the cycling team to complete the journey and in doing so, help as many disadvantaged children as possible with our fundraising efforts.

Through our own charity, The Dransfield Foundation, the funds raised will go towards helping families with young children suffering terminal and life limiting illnesses living in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Humberside areas - focusing primarily on the projects in areas which our riders live and work. Therefore, we actively encourage both past and present members of the team to put forward any suggestions or recommendations of projects which they would like us to take into consideration.

This year we have already committed to funding a trip to Disney Land for a Lincolnshire family to make some precious memories with their two young children, aged 9 and 6. The family found out in July that their son had Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD), a rare genetic condition which leads to progressive damage of the cells in the central and peripheral nervous system, resulting in loss of muscle and mental function. Unfortunately, once symptoms are showing there is no treatment available. The family’s daughter underwent testing earlier this month and tragically also has the illness although thankfully is not displaying symptoms just yet so is able to join the treatment trials in Milan as soon as possible.

As well as this we have chosen to continue our support of Action Against Cancer as well as St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield. Just 23% of the funding for the Hospice comes from the NHS which means £7.2 million every year needs to be raised to support this amazing facility.

Thank you again for your support, it’s been an amazing journey which you can see more of here:

House Music

On Thursday 19 of January, Years 7-13 took part in House Music which they had been rehearsing for since before Christmas. All Houses composed two vocal groups, some accompanied by instruments, and one instrumental piece. Leading up to the night, on the Monday 16 January, all Houses had a final rehearsal on the stage. As a House Captain of Brunel, I really enjoyed the night and was proud to see what my team put together when on stage. It was so nice to see all the different Year groups share the same interest and have such a fun night. Our night consisted of dancing, karaoke and lots and lots of pizza. I was amazed by all the hard work and rehearsals that went into this event. It was also nice to see different Houses supporting each other before and after they went on stage, although there was still an element of competitiveness. As a Year 13 that has participated in this event since Year 7, I am sad to say that this will be my last House Music event, although I am so glad that the event has as much enthusiasm as it did 6 years ago. Many thanks to Ms Frecknall for organising the event, Mr Corner and everyone who took part, making it an amazing night. 

Abigail H and Emily F, 13B

Final Results: 

House Chess

On Wednesday 11 January, Mr Brewer and Mr Stretton ran the annual House Chess Competition in the College House Lecture Theatre. The thriving chess club provided many of the players and on the day and 30 players took part with good humour and superb behaviour.

It was an exciting finish with the result amazingly close; Austin winning by a single point from Brunel. The overall results were as follows:

Austen                   58

Brunel                   57

Scott                      54

Elgar                      50

Churchill               46

Darwin                  35

Special mention for John C in 8A, the House Champion winning all of his games and also the final play-off versus Jana A in 11S. Juniors winners were Austen, Inters winners were Brunel and Seniors were also Austen. The leading players from each section will now form the school team. Well done and thank you to all who took part. Until next year!

Mr Stretton

Term 4 House Events