PARENTS’ NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 11 PLUS · Issue 1 will contain the 2011/12 publication schedule for Parents’ Newsletter Issues 2 to 11. From Issue 2 onwards, parents will be notified

Dear Parents

END OF YEAR (2010/11)

PARENTS’ NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 11

JULY 2011

REMINDER: ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE LAST DAY OF TERM – F RIDAY 22 JULY 2011

Registration and tutor time will be 12.00 – 12.15 pm.

As Thamesdown are unable to do early pick ups, the following has been arranged:

Cricklade Buses 21, 22, 25, 30 PLUS Bradon Forest Swindon Service: BE1, BE2, BE3, BE4 and B90 will depart from school at 12.15 pm prompt.

Ellisons will return to the school and pick up students on the B3, B4, B5, B7and B9 leaving at 12.50 pm.

NB: Students should line up as usual, ready for staff to organise the boarding of the buses. Purtonians or those students being collected by parents can leave school at 12.15 pm.

BEGINNING OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS SEPTEMBER 2011

Thursday 1 September 2011 TD Day – No Students In School

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Friday 2 September 2011 Years 7 and 10 in school

08.45 - 09.05 am Year 7 Assembly Year 10 Tutor Time

Period 1 (9.05 am) Year 7 Tutor Time Year 10 Tutor Time/Assembly Period 2 (10.05 am) Normal Timetable For All Year Groups ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday 5 September 2011 Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 i n school

08.45 – 10.05 am Tutor Time for all groups plus Years 8, 9 and 11 – Assemblies

Period 2 (10.05 am) Normal Timetable for all year groups.

2011/2012 PARENTS’ REFERENCE HANDBOOK

In addition to all the usual news and information, the ‘End of Year Newsletter’ has traditionally contained a separate reference section for parents to retain about the following academic year ie 2011/12 (plus advance notice on 2012/13 dates). This year we have decided to produce this as a separate A5 booklet to be a more useful reference guide. It will be distributed in paper format and an e-version will be available on the website. (NB Paper versions of the handbook will also be distributed during the last week of term. Copies for students who are absent, and copies for the parents of our new Year 7s, will be posted at the start of the summer holiday.

END OF YEAR THOUGHTS

2010/11 has been a successful and action packed school year for Bradon Forest. At this time of year I look back over the previous ten issues for material for our promotional brochure and also to help with the compilation our ‘End of Year’ Newsletter.

Re-reading the 2010/11 back issues was a fantastic ‘antidote’ to the ongoing bureaucracy and politics that seem to increase every year. The newsletters certainly provide an opportunity to reflect on the most important aspects of our school ie the accomplishments of our students and the support provided to them by our staff.

The 2010/11 Academic Year has produced an incredible range of achievements, activities and opportunities provided for our students. I would like to pay public tribute to our Bradon Forest staff team, both teaching and support, whose hard work, enthusiasm and dedication make all these opportunities possible. On behalf of students, parents, friends and governors I would like to thank all colleagues for their support and valuable contributions that make Bradon Forest such a happy, vibrant and successful school.

We are currently in the final stages of converting the bungalow garden for use as extra eco-garden space and an area for our new Land Based Studies courses. This summer we are completing the final stage of the refurbishment and cladding of the exterior of the Main Block and Hall.

Along with our ICT strategic planning, we have worked hard over the last few years to further improve the campus and infrastructure. These works have helped minimise the potential impact of future maintenance costs and campus expenditure on students’ learning as all school income/budgets reduce.

All of our classrooms have modern interactive white boards, all of which are being upgraded this summer. We have carefully planned/funded our ICT work to ensure the important and essential role of ICT in teaching and learning is protected during the next few years.

Our ICT strategic plans were developed to ensure sustainability in the light of further future budget/income pressures. This summer all of our PCs, laptops and the network will have been upgraded by our Network Team to run Windows 7 and Office 2010. This ensures that our students and staff are using the most up to date operating software which mirrors the world of industry and commerce.

I would like to thank everyone involved with these improvements which will help ensure that our students have a classroom learning environment fit for the 21st Century.

The continuing success of our school is demonstrated by the number of ‘quality marks’ we hold which underscore the range and depth of work across all aspects of school life .

As a school, we will continue to maintain a clear focus on supporting students’ learning, improving the learning environment and ensuring that students have access to as wide a range of extra-curricular opportunities as possible. STAFFING NEWS

This term we say farewell to a number of staff. Mike Thomas (Additional Needs/PE) who has been promoted to an Assistant Headteacher position at Springfields School in Calne. As the new Headteacher of Bradon Forest in September 2001, Mike was the first staffing appointment I made and he started in January 2002. This is a well deserved appointment and Mike is a very talented colleague who always has the interests of the students at the forefront of all that he does. Mike’s contributions to the school in PE, Additional Needs, pastoral= and many other areas have helped make Bradon Forest the school that it is. Rachel Crerar (History) is relocating to Cornwall to join her partner and is another colleague who has made an enormous contribution to the school as a teacher of History, a tutor and by her involvement in a variety of trips and extra curricular activities. Rachel joined us as an NQT in September 2005 and over the last year has done an excellent job as Head of History. Karen Fernandez joined the English Department in 2009 and over the last two years has been an excellent tutor and a very committed teacher. Karen is starting a new post at Melksham Oak in September. Vicky Allen (MFL) is relocating to Kent for personal reasons. Vicky has been a valuable member of our German team and an excellent tutor during her two years with us. We also say farewell to Helen Scholes (Art) after several years of supporting the Art team on a part time basis and Paul Swanston (Science). A few years ago Paul decided to teach part time and has been a terrific support to the Science team in terms of supporting students with their Science studies and continuing to teach GCSE Physics.

On behalf of the students and wider Bradon Forest community I would like thank Mike, Rachel, Karen, Vicky, Helen and Paul for all their hard work and support during their time at ‘Bradon’ and wish them well for the future.

Other staffing changes for September include: Mr Wright who is our Head of Business and ICT, is standing down from his post and will be a part time teacher with us in September. David has done a great job and has been a major support in the development of our ICT provision, Learning Platform, staff ICT training etc. The school’s success and standing in all areas of ICT locally, regionally and nationally, owes a great deal to David’s

hard work and support. Mrs Kelly who is our Head of English, is standing down from her post and will also become a part time teacher with us in September. Mrs Kelly has done a terrific job as Training Manager and also as Head of English. She has been a very valuable member of senior staff and her expertise in training, supporting and mentoring staff has been a major contributory factor to the success of the school. I am delighted that both Mr Wright and Mrs Kelly will continue as teachers and that both of them will be supporting and mentoring colleagues.

The following colleagues take up new/additional responsibilities in September: Miss Colbert takes over as ICT Co-ordinator, Mrs Marion as Head of English (Acting) with Mrs McIver and Miss Harrison taking on ‘acting’ management roles in English to support Mrs Marion. Also Miss Mazelin becomes Head of History, Mr Heathcote takes over as Head of Geography and also becomes our Deputy Data Manager. Miss Cole as Head of Humanities has relinquished the Subject Leader Geography role as Business Studies now joins the Humanities faculty. Mr Stiles remains as Head of Year but takes on additional responsibilities overseeing alternative curriculum provision and our mentoring programme (Ms Hunter takes over the Subject Leader French responsibility from Mr Stiles and Mrs Lappin is Subject Leader German.)

In September, we look forward to welcoming two new colleagues: Miss Gilbert (German Teacher/Year 8 Tutor), and Miss Gill (English Teacher). We also welcome back Mrs Holmes (Art) from her maternity leave. ADVANCE NOTICE: PARENTS’ NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 (SEPT EMBER 2011)

A paper copy of Issue 1 of the Parents’ Newsletter (September 2011) will be provided for all parents at the start of the new school year in September. This will be distributed via students in the tutor period on their first day.

This first paper issue will have a parental reply slip to signify i) receipt ii) to alert the school of any new or changing medical issues, iii) inform us of any change in contact numbers/e-mail addresses and iv) update permissions records.

Issue 1 will contain the 2011/12 publication schedule for Parents’ Newsletter Issues 2 to 11.

From Issue 2 onwards, parents will be notified through the Schoolcomms email/text system when a newsletter is available. In the e-mail/text, parents will be provided with a link to the ‘Newsletter’ area on the homepage of the Bradon Forest website (www.bradonforest.wilts.sch.uk). BRADON FOREST BUS SERVICE 2011/12

Letters will be sent out in the summer holiday to all parents who have booked a seat/s for their child/children for the 2011/12 Bradon Ellison’s Bus Service. The letter will contain a bus pass and information regarding the bus stop and bus timetable. (Letters will go out direct from Wiltshire LA and Swindon LA for users of their services). 2011 INDUCTION PROGRAMME FOR ‘YEAR 6’

Our traditional three-day Induction Programme (29 June 2011 – 1 July 2011) for Year 6 pupils who are joining Bradon Forest in September 2011 was very successful. This was preceded on 23 June 2011 by a Year 6 Parents’ Evening where parents met with their child’s Year 7 tutor, our Student Peer Mentors (pictured) and with Senior Staff. In our experience parents have found this very helpful in supporting their children when they come in for their Induction days the following week.

The induction was thoroughly enjoyed by our new Year 7s. They had a great range of experiences including meeting their tutors and a number of teachers who will be teaching them next year. Feedback from parents and students has been very positive. In the assembly at the end of day three, the Year 6 pupils already felt part of the Bradon Forest family and, judging by

feedback, are certainly ‘raring to go’ in September. Many thanks to Mr Winward (Deputy Headteacher, Pastoral), Mrs Davies (Head of Key Stage 3), Mr Brett-Harris (Head of Year 7), the Key Stage 3 team, the new Year 7 tutor team and all colleagues, both teaching and support, who worked so hard to make this valuable Bradon Forest provision such a success for our new students and their families. The Year 9 Peer Mentors did a terrific job in supporting the Year 6 pupils over the three days and they are really looking forward to their role in September.

PRIMARY LIAISON NEWS ISSUE 11

The eleventh edition of our ‘Bradon Forest Primary Liaison News’ is being distributed to our Partner Primary Schools during week commencing 18 July 2011. This issue focuses entirely on our Year 6 Induction Programme with lots of photographs and information. A copy is also available via the ‘Primary Schools’ homepage of the Learning Platform:

http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupID=70773

Articles Held Over Until September Newsletter Issue One Due to the number of articles/news for this issue the following articles and photographs have been held over until our September Newsletter Issue 1: Year 8 Camp, Sam Learning Award News, India Link Update, Big Arts Day, Year v9 Cricket –Swindon Champions, GCSE Textiles Exhibition and Year 7 Trashion Show SENIOR PREFECT TRAINING – Braeside Education Centre 2011

This year we have selected 25 pupils from Year 10 to become next year’s Senior Prefects, who will take on important roles within the school. Their training consisted of a two day course at Braeside Education Centre in Devizes where they were put through a number of different activities in order to prepare them for working together next year. Activities during the training consisted of: � Team building exercises

� Communication/dilemma games (end of the world game)

� Problem solving challenges (egg drop, tent building, first aid, shelter building)

� Group cohesion tasks (day navigation walk)

� Leadership and role taking

� Night blindfold walk

� Campfire/team games Senior Prefect Team : Sean Ash, Jemma Bradley, Maegan Bryon, Emily Bullock, Charlotte Bunce, Charlotte Densham, Victoria Egerton, Hannah Fogarty, Kyle Greenwood, Rhianne Groom, Laura Halford, Shona Hargreave, Thomas Hawkins, Iona Hudson, Andrew Johnson, Tanisha Kalra, Bryony Keep, Jake Looker, Lucy Martin, Zoe Mayo, Natalie Mosely, Tayten Nyahwa, Ryan Stagg, Jessica Warren and Oliver Webb.

UKCA NATIONAL SCHOOLS’ CHEERLEADING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2 011

Miss Pratten reports: On Saturday 25 June 2011, 15 girls from Bradon Forest School’s Cheerleading Squad travelled to the Manchester Velodrome to participate in the UKCA National Schools’ Cheerleading Championships. They competed in the Key Stage 3 Beginners Cheerleading category along with twelve other schools from all over the UK.

The ‘Bradon Bullets’ consist of girls in Years 7, 8 and 9 who have been attending regular lunch-time and after-school practices since try-outs were held back in January 2011. The routine consisted of a mix of dance, stunts and gymnastic tumbling designed to push the girls to their limits, as well as creating an interesting performance for the audience and judges. The Bradon Bullets finished in 4th place in their category which for their first year of national competition is highly commendable. The school coach Miss Pratten said: “The girls were brilliant; they performed with true determination and professionalism for such a newly formed squad. They have worked so hard over the last few months to get ready for the competition and have done themselves, me and the school proud! I felt honoured to be able to take them to Manchester and can’t wait to go again next year!” The Bradon Bullets are now back in training preparing for next year’s competition as well as participating in various events and local competitions before then. Well done to Miss Pratten and the Squad.

YEAR 11 PROM

The Year 11 ‘Prom’ took place on Friday 25 June 2011 at the Hilton Hotel in Swindon. 180 students attended along with many members of staff and everyone had a superb evening.

As is traditional the ‘Prom’ was organised by our Prefect team with the help of the Key Stage 4 team and support staff.

This year there were more parents, friends and relatives to see the arrival of our Year 11s in a phenomenal range of transport and ‘means of conveyances’! Unfortunately this year it was marred a little by rain (first time in 12 years of our Proms). However, the canopy and lobby were used to enable lots of photographs to be taken.

Every year the students look so grown up, elegant and fantastic: the girls in a superb array of beautiful dresses and the boys in their tuxedos.

After the three-course dinner, the disco took over and at 11.45 pm the students collected their year books (hot off the press) before getting their transport home at midnight. It was another very successful and enjoyable ‘Prom’ – they were a terrific year group and will be missed! ARTS WEEK

Bradon Forest Karaoke Night

Mrs Purcell, Arts Manager, reports: On Tuesday 5 July 2011, we hosted our first karaoke evening. Thank you to everyone who came out for this special fundraising event for the Japan Appeal. We all had a great night and once the first few songs were done, the requests kept rolling in! I can only apologise for turning in to a bit of a cheesy '70's DJ whilst dancing behind the request desk, but the students all picked such good tunes! We very much look forward to hosting more of these nights in the future, but in the mean time if you have the karaoke bug, don't miss the regular lunch time slots in Music 2, 11.55 am! Bradon Forest Dance Night

On Wednesday 6 July 2011, a Dance Night was held in the Bradon Forest Theatre to showcase the talents of over 40 students within the school. There were performances from the BFS Cheerleaders, GCSE Dance students, BFS Pom Dancers, Bradon Forest Theatre Commedia Troupe and special guests Gyi Dance.

The BFS Cheerleaders opened the show with their 4th place routine from the recent UKCA National Schools’ Cheerleading Championships. This was then followed by a highly entertaining and amusing piece by the BFS Commedia Troupe whose entire performance was created by the students themselves!

The GCSE Dance students were on next with a selection of solo compositions from Maegan Bryon, Emma Finch, Emily Tidball, Gemma Forde and Charlotte Densham. The BFS Pom Dancers then took to the floor suitably dressed in Halloween style costumes and performed their routine to Thriller/Heads Will Roll from Glee.

Next up were the GCSE Dance students who performed a group dance based on The Lion King’s: He Lives in You. Finally, the Gyi dance group ended the show with an interesting and creative performance. Gyi Dance are choreographed and created by Hannah Guy, a specialist dance teacher who has worked with many of our students.

The evening was a great success as each student performed brilliantly. The level of talent seen was outstanding and next year’s show is shaping up to be just as exciting! Bradon Forest Student and Staff Bands Night

Mrs Purcell, Arts Manager reports: The last night finale on Thursday 7 July 2011 was a celebration of the musical talents of our staff bands. It gave our students the opportunity to see some of their teachers in a different light.

Opening the night was Lost Ravine, a four piece band made up of Year 9 students who write all their own songs. Considering they're fairly new, they performed with confidence and skill.

They were followed by Crush which is Miss Hedges’ band. She played the clarinet and saxophone, and also sang some beautiful

harmonies. This is the sort of band that makes you want to plan an event, just so you can book them.

Next up was Lydia Twenty, also with their own compositions and featuring Mr Hutchings on the drums. The band are quite popular with a lot of our other staff already but it was really nice to see the students enjoying them.

Mr Thomas and his band Dark Horse finished up the night with their mix of old and new covers. After opening up with the suitably chosen, Teenage Kicks, the crowds were entertained with the likes of Kings of Leon and Oasis. Mr Thomas and lead singer, Steve Stimson (Mrs Stimson's husband!), were a great duo who played off each other's energy on stage and really engaged the crowd.

Thank you to all the performers. I think I can safely say that everyone had a great night and it was wonderful to enjoy such a mix of live music. ST MARY’S PRIMARY SCHOOL - NEW SCHOOL BUILD PROGRES S

As you may have seen the new build ‘over the fence’ is progressing well. I cannot believe it is virtually a year since the mobiles for St Mary’s were delivered and the demolition of the old upper school began. By allowing access through our site and boundary, the build has been able to proceed with little inconvenience to local residents and has helped to ensure that costs are kept to a minimum.

I met with Matt Cooper (Cowlin’s Site Manager), Richard Pearce (LA Project Manager) and Ian Tucker (Headteacher St Mary’s) last July (2010) to agree the access arrangements through our site and the plans that would need to be in place for our summer GCSE examinations. They were very supportive and now the examination period is finally complete I would like to publicly thank them for the 100% support during the examinations. I am delighted to say that for over two and a half months, numerous examinations have taken place in the Gym and D2 and they have all run very smoothly with no distraction from either deliveries or building work next door. During the summer break, Cowlin’s will be remodelling the driveway to create a passing lay-by opposite the Gym. The bay will be large enough to accommodate a coach and this will be of great benefit for vehicle access.

We have also been delighted to support St Mary’s in other ways during the build. They have a been using our facilities during the year eg for their annual sports day and Key Stage 2 Leavers’ Assemblies.

MATHEMATICS NEWS

Mrs Henly reports: In May, our top groups in Year 7 and 8 took part in the UK Maths Challenge:

Year 7: Silver Certificate : Brody Anderson, Hyun Kim, Beth Adams, Jake Painter, James Harbour.

Year 7: Bronze Certificate : Alicia Dixon, Connor Gibbens, Rhianna Bryon, Rose Stevens, Nathan Collins, Katie Ball, Matthew Grabe, Sophie John, Stephanie Creswell.

Year 8: Gold Certificate: Josh Wolfsohn, Jack Deeley, William Thorne, Kyle Plank, Grace Bartlett, Hamish Murray.

Year 8: Silver Certificate : Samantha Evans, Elliot Mayo, Sufia Ruhomaun, William Rogers, Max Taylor, Pearce Barron, Stephen Foulds, Nathan Groom, Cameron Shaw, Denver Sutton.

Year 8: Bronze Certificate: Anna Witka, Daniel Sweeney, Eleasha Kell, Emily Caple, Luke Neves, Rhian Williams, Christina Tilley, Lucy Taylor, Sophie Harflett, Yamin Ali, Samuel Haskell, Abigail Brown, Jessica Griffiths, Melissa Poulton, Kirsten Harris, Rebekah Taylor, Samuel Groom, Yasmine Thorn, Liam Jefferies.

Josh Wolfsohn was ‘Best In School’. Well done to all who took part. SYLVIA YOUNG THEATRE SCHOOL SUCCESS

Well done to Pearce Barron (8S) who has earned a place at the Sylvia Young Theatre School after successfully getting through a series of tough auditions and examinations earlier this year. Although we are very sad to lose Pearce, we are delighted that he has been able to fulfil his ambition and gain a place at such a prestigious theatre school. Pearce is a very talented young man and this is a well deserved opportunity. Pearce is the second Bradon Forest student to gain a place at Sylvia Young’s - Billie Piper also won a place whilst at Bradon Forest and I am sure that Pearce has the potential to have an equally successful career. Best of luck Pearce and very well done. LONDON 2012 – OLYMPIC UPDATE

Bradon Torch Competition

Congratulations to Georgia Clifford 7Q who has won the torch competition.Her winning entry will be made by our Design and Technology team and presented to 8Q in September. The torch will then go on a Bradon Relay throughout the year enabling each tutor group to be the host nation. There will also be an Olympic Charter and Tutor Olympic Value awards so that students are aware of the Olympic ethos being shared in London 2012. Bradon Forest Olympic Council

Students were invited to put their names forwards for our Olympic Council. The council will meet regularly next year to create whole-school opportunities to share in Olympic Events. There will be a trip for students to go and see the real Olympic Torch Relay and as a school we have been provided with a selection of tickets for students to attend an event during the Olympic Games. More details will be provided in January 2012. Olympic Links

As part of the London 2012 Get Set Network we have been invited to support a country for the Olympics and to support a second country for the Paralympic Games.

Due to the links we already have with Trinidad and Tobago, we will be working with our partner school Goodwood High school in Tobago to share Olympic plans. Mr Bray went to vist Tobago this year and we will be hosting two teachers in November. Using their expertise we will be looking at an Olympic Carnival project with our local community carnival.

Our country link for the Paralympic Games is India. Students going to India in 2012 as part of our Connecting Classrooms activities will be able to bring back Olympic materials to share with students. Get Set Network

Students have been invited to log onto the Get Set network for more information. They will need to register at:

http://getset.london2012.com/join-us/register/pupil -registration

They will need to use the following invitation code to be recognised as part of Bradon Forest:

Invitation code is: 24989-hunter

As part of the Network, students will be provided with lots of competitions and prizes which so far have ranged from top athletes visiting their PE lessons to their own mascot designs being sold in John Lewis and meal designs being put on the competitor menu in the Olympic Village. SPORTS NEWS

Sports Days Key Stage 3 : This year the Bradon Forest Cheerleaders opened sports day with a performance of their 4th placed national routine. The girls were more nervous performing in front of their class mates than they were a panel of judges in Manchester!

The track and field events all ran smoothly and the relays were completed before the spots of rain started. 7Z won the Year 7 tug of war before rain stopped play. Well done to all the students for taking

part and thanks to all the staff who helped the PE team officiate and the parents who came to support. Results will be announced in the Awards assemblies.

Key Stage 4 Sports Day took place on Thursday 14 July and was also a great success.

North Wiltshire Schools’ Athletics Championships

On Wednesday 15 June 2011, 37 girls from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 travelled to Bath University to take part in the North Wiltshire Schools’ Athletics Championships. Some of the best results are listed below:

Long Jump Triple Jump High Jump Year 7: Ayren Walker = 1st Year 10: Sian Towler = 2nd Year 8: Brittany Ward = 1st Year 8: Lydia Clayton = 1st Year 9: Bella Larkin = 1st 800m 1500m Year 10: Chanaley Alleyne = 2nd Year 8: Amy Morgan = 2nd Year 7: Georgia Clifford = 2nd Year 9: Robyn Haigh = 3rd Year 9: Gemma Lucas = 3rd Hurdles Year 10: Zoe Mayo = 3rd Year 8: Poppy Gibson = 3rd Shot Year 10: Cheyenne Riley = 2nd Discus Javelin Year 10: Charlotte Densham = 3rd Year 10: Rhianne Groom = 1st

Overall Team Results Year 7 Girls: 7th Year 8 Girls: 2nd Year 9 Girls: 6th Year 10 Girls: 3rd Year 7 Boys: 6th Year 8 Boys: 5th Year 9 Boys: 3rd Year 10 Boys: 4th

All students were a credit to the school and performed at their best throughout the day. It was a pleasure to take them to the competition and next year we hope to do as well, if not better! St Mary’s Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Sports Day

St Mary’s C of E Primary School was unable to hold their sports day on their own school site this year due to the building of their new school.

When Mr Tucker asked me if Bradon Forest School could host the event, we were more than happy to help. I was very pleased we managed to fit a full 100m track on the field. It was great for the PE department to see the primary pupils in action, with lots of proud parents encouraging the Key Stage 1 pupils in the morning and the Key Stage 2 pupils in the afternoon.

Bradon Forest’s Girls Cricket Team 4 th in Lady Taverners Cricket County Finals

Miss Moore reports: Cricket was a new sport for the girls and one we couldn’t wait to start playing. We have had lots of fun learning together during many lunch times and after school practices, but we couldn’t have done so without the expert coaching from the Year 10 boys. A big thank you to Conor Webley, Tom Whittaker, Jack Chappell and Reece Bowler. Swindon Competitions

The U13s were runners up in the Swindon Schools Lady Taverners Cricket Competition! The U15s were winners of their section.

Kirsten Harris (U13) reports: With our first match against highly trained Sheldon with two county bowlers, we tried our best but Sheldon managed to sweep away a win of 120 runs to 63. However, with some team tactics and encouragement from Team Manager Conor Webley and Miss Moore we managed to win our next match against St Augustine’s by 81 runs to 37. With the win leaving us all in a good mind set we swept away another win in our next match v St Edmunds 71 runs to 48 finishing 2nd in our group.

We eventually finished in fourth place overall with our heads held high and knowing we had done all we could. Well done to the whole team including Conor Webley and Tom Whittaker for their great support.

Laura Halford (U15) reports: Our first game was against Hardenhuish. We fielded first and being the second game we had ever played together as a team, the nerves were running high as we did not want to make any mistakes. We showed excellent fielding skills only giving away 69 runs. Unfortunately we let our nerves get to us and, although we hit some very good fours, we made some silly mistakes and were all out for 33 runs. We were disappointed but hoped to learn from our mistakes.

We held our heads high and went on to play St Laurence. We were much more confident in this game and when it came to batting we improved a lot and ended up winning the game with 66 runs to 46.

Our final game was a battle for third and fourth position against Corsham. We started slowly but finally started to get some runs, however, we lost by 6 runs meaning we finished fourth in the whole of the county. However, this was an excellent achievement having only been playing for a short while.

Miss Moore reports: I am very proud to say the girls did not look out of place and both teams learnt a lot during the tournament, finishing a respectable 4th in Wiltshire. Not bad for their first ever cricketing experience! Many are keen to carry on and join a club, which is what school sport is all about. Thanks girls for a memorable day and great company. Stop Press – Football News

Congratulations to Georgia Clifford in 7Q who has been selected for the U15 Bristol Academy Football squad. Georgia attended the trial on Thursday 23 June 2011 at the Centre for Excellence, Filton College, Bristol. Georgia is playing up an age group and will be playing with girls who are mostly in Years 8 and 9. Well done Georgia, this is an excellent achievement and we look forward to hearing how you get on in your future matches.

Bradon Forest Rounders Success

Miss Moore reports: The girls have enjoyed their rounders again this summer, although rain has stopped play on rather a few too many occasions! All our sports clubs are open to any student who is keen to attend practices and play in matches after school. It has been great to see girls playing rounders who may not have represented the school in any other sport. The U16 Rounders team led the way this year by winning their Swindon Schools competition. The Year 9s came 4th in Swindon, the Year 8s 4th and the Year 7s 5th. As always, the girls were a pleasure to spend time with after school.

SPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS 2010/11

As is traditional, we celebrate our sports successes at the End of Year Awards Assemblies for each year group. This year is no exception: sport has been very successful yet again at local, regional and national levels in a variety of disciplines. The following tables summarise the students’ achievements. Well done to all students involved and thank you to the PE team and other colleagues for all their support and hard work across our sports provision.

Boys’ Achievements in Physical Education 2010/11

Football Year 7 Swindon School’s Cup – Quarter Finalists Matthew Grabe – Swindon Town Football Academy Centre of Excellence Year 8 Finalist in Swindon Schools’ Cup National Cup 2nd Round Swindon Schools Indoor Finalists Year 9 Quarter Finalists in the Swindon Schools’ Cup Luke Matthews, Aaron Moody & Joe English – Swindon Town Football Academy Centre of Excellence Year 10 Semi-Finalists in Swindon Schools’ Cup Matthew Jones – Swindon Town Football Academy Centre of Excellence Year 11 Bradon Forest School Indoor Football League Rugby Year 7 Training in preparation for 2011/12 season Entered in County Cup Year 8 Unbeaten in the Swindon Schools’ Cup Jake O’Neill has been signed to the Bath Rugby Club Academy Quarter Finalists in the County Cup (entered in the County Cup for 2011/12) Year 9 Unbeaten all season in Swindon Schools. Semi Finalists in the County Cup (entered for the County Cup for 2011/12) Year 10 Unbeaten all season. Year 11 Unbeaten all season. Basketball Year 8 Swindon Cup Winners Year 9 Swindon Cup Winners County Winners South West England Winners Last 16 in the Country Year 10 County Winners Last 32 in the National Cup Year 11 Swindon Cup Winners County Winners South West England Champions Elite National 16 – finished third in the group Eddie Donmez and Jack Peare Area Performance Centre South West of England Cricket Year 7 Patrick Whitaker Wiltshire Cricket Year 8 Progressing in the Swindon Schools’ Cup – finals in July Connor Cleary Wiltshire Cricket Year 9 Winners Swindon Schools’ Cup Luke Matthews Wiltshire Cricket Year 10 Progressing in the Swindon Schools’ Cup – finals in July Cross Country Year 11 Thomas Campbell –in the North Wiltshire Championships Athletics Year 8 Jake O’Neil – North Wilts Championships – Discus Year 9 Edward Evans – North Wilts Championships – Shot Jack Ricketts – North Wilts Championships – Shot Year 11 Thomas Campbell – North Wilts Championships – 3000m Rock Climbing KS3 Junior Team Winners KS4 Senior Team Winners Badminton KS3 Swindon Schools Winners KS4 Swindon Schools Winners Gymnastics KS4 Christopher Jones Swindon Schools Advanced Competition Trampolining Peter Newton and Taylor Fee Swindons Schools Trampolining

Girls’ Achievements in Physical Education in 2010/1 1

Netball Year 8 Winners Swindon Schools Netball League 3rd SSP Wiltshire County Netball Finals Year 10 Winners Swindon Schools Netball League Winners U16 Swindon Schools Netball Tournament Winners U16 County Netball Tournament – Wiltshire Champions Represented Wiltshire in South West Regional Tournament came 4th 3rd SSP Wiltshire County Netball Finals Year 11 Winners Swindon Schools Netball League Winners U16 Swindon Schools Netball Tournament Winners U16 County Netball Tournament – Wiltshire Champions Represented Wiltshire in South West Regional Tournament came 4th 2nd SSP Wiltshire County Netball Finals Natasha Chilambo – Team Bath High Performance Squad/South West Excel/National Excel Angela Luchembe - Team Bath High Performance Squad/South West Excel Charlotte Legge – Team Bath High Performance Squad Shannon Stephenson - U16 Wiltshire County Squad Football Runners up Swindon Schools Futsal Tournament Year 7/8 Runners up U13 Wiltshire County Football Finals Sian Towler - Wiltshire County Squad/South West Talent Camp Georgia Clifford – Wiltshire County Squad Basketball Year 11 Winners County Cup – County Champions Winners South West England Cup – South West England Champions Runners up in South England Cup Last 8 in country in National Cup Finals Cross Country Year 7 Georgia Clifford – Represented Wiltshire in the County Championships Climbing Key Stage 3 Winners of Swindon Schools Junior Climbing Competition Key Stage 4 Winners of Swindon Schools Senior Climbing Competition Gymnastics Wiltshire County Gymnastics competition Key stage 3 Intermediate: Freya Willcock 1st, Beth Johnston 2nd, Elisha Davey 13th Advanced: Hannah Curtis 1st, Beth Richards 8th, Lauren Hoard 10th, Alyssa Weymouth 12th Trampolining Wiltshire County Trampolining competition Key Stage 3 Novice: Polly Whinfrey 4th, Charlotte Butler 5th Elite: Rhianna Bryon 3rd, Leah Hoard 5th, Eva Maddison 7th Key Stage 4 Novice: Chelsea Davis 3rdElite: Lucy Flay 4th Cheerleading Key Stage 3 Winners Swindon Schools Pom Dance competition

3rd in County Pom Dance competition 4th in National Schools Cheerleading Championships

Tennis Key Stage 3 Winners Swindon Schools Tennis Finals Athletics Ayren Walker represented North Wiltshire in County Championships – Long Jump Cricket Y9/10 Winners of Swindon Schools Lady Taverners Cricket Competition

4th in Lady Taverners Cricket County Finals Y7/8

Runners up of Swindon Schools Lady Taverners Cricket Competition 4th in Lady Taverners Cricket County Finals

Rounders Y10 Winners of Swindon Schools Tournament

LEARNING SUPPORT NEWS

Mrs Harper reports: On Friday 27 May 2011, the Bradon Forest ASDAN CoPE group welcomed Robert Buckland, MP (South Swindon), to come and talk about his work and its impact on our local community. The group had been working towards completion of a series of challenges around politics, and had been sponsored by Robert to visit the Houses of Parliament earlier in the year. Each member of the group had prepared some questions to ask Robert; questions ranging from employment,

unions and the Olympics. He was very impressed by the mature and confident manner of the students, and their level of knowledge and awareness of politics. Robert shared with the group several insightful stories about his work, including the recent visit of Barack O’Bama and the visit to Swindon of Prince Harry.

FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Bradon Forest Food Technology Bags

We would like students in Food Technology to have one of these bags - they are perfect for bringing ingredients to school and then lining up in the food storage area, they are also perfect for taking home cooked foods - they are strong and sturdy and ideal for putting hot tins in after a practical session.

We have found in the past, students are sometimes unable to take hot food home due to it melting through plastic bags or bags breaking and therefore smashing dishes from home. They will be available to buy a bag from the Food Technology Department for £2.50 - they should be available from the last few weeks of term and will be here for September. If people are interested they can pre-order them from the Food Technology Department. Sainsbury’s Get Active Vouchers

A HUGE THANK YOU from the Food Technology department for all of those who collected and donated their Sainsbury's Get active vouchers. We had an overwhelming number of vouchers and we managed to buy all sorts of things ranging from woks to DVDs to measuring spoons to name but a few. So thank you again for all your support. 200 CLUB JUNE ‘SUPER’ 2011 DRAW PRIZE WINNERS

WINNER MEMBERSHIP NUMBER PRIZE

1 Mrs K Peppin, Purton 29 £50 2 Mrs J Ambrose, Lydiard Millicent 81 £25 3 Mrs J Taylor, Lechlade 21 £20 4 Mr E Grubb, Purton 16 £15

AWARDS ASSEMBLIES

On Monday 18 July 2011, Tuesday 19 July 2011, Wednesday 20 July 2011 and Thursday 21 July 2011 our traditional Awards Assemblies are being held to celebrate another successful school year with students and their parents. We are pleased that our visitors this year are:

Year 7 Monday 18 July 2011 Mr I Tucker, Headteacher, St Mary’s CE Primary School Year 8 Tuesday 19 July 2011 Mr A. Henstridge, Headteacher, Peatmoor Primary School Year 9 Wednesday 20 July 2011 Mr M Thomas, Additional Needs Co-ordinator, Bradon Forest Year 10 Thursday 21July 2011 Mr A Haney, Chair of Governors, Bradon Forest School

There will be a full report and photographs of the assemblies and awards in the September Parents’ Newsletter.

Compiling and editing our Parents’ Newsletters is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job. It is a pleasure to reflect on the many varied successes of our students which can be shared with parents, families and the wider Bradon Forest Community. I believe that highlighting such a range of positive news items is particularly important when the media continues to devote so little coverage to the success of the vast majority of young people in our communities.

I hope that all students and their families have a safe and enjoyable summer break and that our students return fully refreshed, recharged and ready for the challenges of another full, busy and successful year at ‘Bradon’!

Yours sincerely L M Spiers Headteacher