Poetry By Heart Competition Success
On 24th February Sixth Form student Bethan Amey won the County Competition of
Poetry By Heart. Poetry by Heart is a poetry recitation contest for students in years
10 to 13, aimed at engaging young people with a wide range of poetry past and
present. In January Bethan took part in TBS‟s first Poetry by Heart Competition,
organised by Joanne Brown in the English Dept. Commendations should also go to
Lela Cordess and Hannah Smith, who both performed superbly in the school round,
as well as Head of English Simon Gillett and Head of PCA Lucy Bowerman-Ellis who
judged the school competition. It was Bethan‟s performance here that then took her
through to the county competition at
Dorchester Council Chambers . Four
judges, including Annie Freud and James
Manlow (Bournemouth‟s poet laureate),
watched recitals from students from five Dorset schools. Bethan‟s
performances of poems by Richard Lovelace and Patience Agbabi
clearly impressed the judges.
Bethan then proceeded to the regional finals held at Homerton College,
Cambridge on Saturday 19th March. Competitors from schools and
colleges nationwide met for a nail biting bid to choose a national
champion. All students recited three poems: pre and post 1914 plus a first world
war poem in the semi finals. As well as an opportunity to perform poetry to a live
audience, students met and enjoyed poetry recitals from esteemed poets
Andrew Motion, Jean Sprackland, Glyn Maxwell, Patience Agbabi, Daljit Nagra
and BBC producer Tim Dee and the event was skilfully MCd by Jacob Sam-La
Rose. The Poetry by Heart competition really engages students in the art of
learning poetry in order to bring out its meaning through performance. Although
Bethan didn‟t make it through to the final round, a massive thanks must go to her
for being the first contestant from the Blandford School to get the ball rolling and
a huge congratulation for getting so far in a national competition.
.
NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2016
Dates for your Diary
Thursday 24th March
Last Day of Term
Monday 11th April
First Day of Term
Monday 30th May -
Friday 3rd June
Half Term
The Blandford School Equestrian Team The Blandford School Equestrian Team is finally up and running. All those
students involved have been registered with the National School
Equestrian Association and will hopefully soon be competing in
their first competitions. We will keep you updated via the website
and Newsletters , so watch this space!
Blandford School Network Talent Show
Talented pupils from across the Blandford community came together to
represent their primary schools at the Blandford Schools‟ Network Talent Show
hosted by The Blandford School just before half term.
A responsive audience was treated to a wide ranging and entertaining programme.
The overall winner was Jasmine Upward of Blandford St. Mary Primary School who
performed an energetic and engaging individual dance. In second place, dressed
in her beautiful Nepalese costume, was traditional dancer Mendho Sherpa from
Downlands Community School. Judges awarded third place to Owen Brightman
and Sasha Payne of Archbishop Wake Primary School. Having tied for first place
during the heats at their own school, they worked hard together at short notice to
arrange an impressive compilation of two well-known songs, accompanying
themselves on the guitar and piano respectively.
Thanks are due to the judges, Mr Graham Haigh, Mr Brian Winkle and Mrs Sally Wilson,
who themselves had a very difficult task to perform in choosing between some extremely
enjoyable acts.
These ranged from the choir from Dunbury Academy who treated the audience to
a memorable, original song composed by their teacher, through a variety of ably
performed song and dance acts and musical items. The audience will also, no
doubt, remember Rufus the comedian and Charlie who is already a very
competent juggler despite only being in year two.
Students from The Blandford School were delighted to work with the primaries on
the day. The show was compered by Year 9 students Connor James and
Makenna Evans whilst a professional level of technical support was provided by
sixth form students Matt Hart and Luke Powell. Key stage three students, some
of whom had taken part in the talent show in previous years, entertained the
audience whilst the judges deliberated. Thank you to everyone involved for what
was a very enjoyable event.
Floor Protractors
Unveiled
On 29th February The Blandford
school unveiled two floor protractors
as part of the Numeracy across the
Curriculum Project. One has been
fitted at the entrance to the Maths department and the other is displayed as
you enter The Hub. The protractors were beautifully produced „in-house‟ by
the Design and Technology department and are intended to raise awareness
of numeracy being all around us.
The unveiling was done by Year 9 student Celine Collier and 6th Form student
Sophie Pace, and was attended by Headteacher Sally Wilson and Numeracy
Co-ordinator Milena Lee. Students Celina Collier and Sophie
Pace with Numeracy Co-ordinator
Milena Lee and
Headteacher Sally Wilson
Rotary Youth Speaks Competition
On Saturday 5th March three Year 11 students (George Dutton, Tom
Henley and Jonathan Cox) travelled to Southampton to take part in the
regional finals of the Rotary Youth Speaks competition. The competition
requires students to speak on a topic of their own choice to the
assembled audience and respond to questions posed to them. The team
was entered into the senior category which meant they were competing
against students up to the age of Year 13. The team had chosen to
speak about the challenges facing young people considering going to
University and the significant impact of high tuition fees. They worked
hard to research and produce their speech and while they did not win they performed admirably, stating a
compelling case for the abolition of tuition fees. The boys should be congratulated for their efforts, they had
already won the district competition and as anyone who has spoken in public will know the prospect can be
daunting. I am sure that the skills that they have acquired will be useful to them in the future.
The Blandford School Network Maths matters
Conference 2016
The second BSN (Blandford Schools Network) Mathematics
Conference was held on Wednesday 2nd
March at the
Blandford School. Students from each school in the network
joined together to present and share their ideas on how they
learn mathematics. The objective was for students (and staff)
to learn new ideas from each other and to then take these
back to their own schools and try them out. During the first
session small groups of students set up a stall and presented
their ideas whilst other students went round and tried them
out. After a short break the students swapped over and the
presenters had an opportunity to see what was on offer. The tasks on offer varied
considerably, from Construction and a Snake and Ladder game to using ipads and
tablets. The opportunity to learn using different resources was vast.
Students from years 5, 6 and 7 were represented and whilst mathematics was the focus of the day the event also
provided an excellent transition opportunity for the Primary students. The Hub and canteen facilities were overloaded
during the break and at lunchtime by the number of people
wishing to purchase food and students also had the opportunity
to run around outside and explore some of the grounds.
Some of the best moments of the day came from some of the
conversations students were having with each other, their
discussions and explanations of ideas helping them consolidate
their understand of the topics.
A special mention needs to be made to the 6th Form helpers
from the Mathematics Faculty (the Minions), who not only made
a difference to the running of the day but who also took an
interest in the activities presented and who enjoyed talking to the younger students. The success of the day was all
thanks to the enthusiasm and energy of the students. Thank you to everyone who was involved and I look forward
to seeing you all again next year.
James Knightbridge, Head of Mathematics
My Dog Sighs
Thursday, 10th March Students at The Blandford School, were
fascinated by the art work of Paul Storm, My Dog Sighs graffiti artist,
who finds every day rubbish and transforms it into a piece of art work.
An assembly started the day with 90 students listening about Paul's
development as an artist; from being a primary school teacher 10
years ago, to now being a full time artist who has international
exhibitions, and paints large scale murals on walls of reflected images
in eyes.
Three different age group workshops ran throughout the day,
with some fantastic art work being produced, based on an
influential person in their lives.
The day informed students about how graffiti work on walls is
illegal and how Paul overcame this by using found cans on the
street, painting something beautiful on them , which hopefully
someone would pick up and take home with them, indirectly
cleaning the streets. He called this leaving art on the streets Free Art
Friday, which is something a lot of artists now do to make people
look and observe the world around them.
Students brought in their own cans which were keyed in with two
different coloured spray paints. Students practised on paper their
facial features or idea and
when these were dried used
000 size paintbrushes to paint
on their squashed cans. The finished results were
astounding.
House Competition Supports Local
Food Bank.
The Blandford School recently ran a house competition for the local Foodbank. Each house
was challenged to see which house could donate the most food items. After 1 week of
collecting the total amount of food items collected was an incredible 743 items, with the
winning house being Beaumont.
Gail Del-Pinto, Blandford Foodbank Manager said “ A few weeks ago the students at school
were asked to donate food items to the Foodbank and I was asked to come along and pick up the items. Well I turned
up in my little Peugeot 206 and by the time I left the car bonnet was pointing to the sky it was so loaded with food!! I
simply can‟t thank you all enough for such a wonderful donation, it was immense”.
In 2015 the Blandford Foodbank was able to help 873 adults and children locally. Everyone who comes to the food bank
for help is referred to them by local care
organizations. These vary from your local doctor to
the Blandford Children‟s Centre, North Dorset
District Council to Spectrum Housing to name but a
few. The Foodbank has over 40 local care
organizations who know the circumstances of many
families and individuals and refer them for help.
Well done to all those students who took part.
Bond Dickinson Student Work Placement 15th - 19th February 2016
My work placement at Bond Dickinson‟s Law firm in Southampton taught me more than I could ever have
imagined, not only about the different areas and aspects and work involved with the law, but also about what to
expect once I leave school and enter the world of work, and this made me realise that in comparison, Blandford
is a very small pond compared to the likes of the City!
Each day I would learn something new, I worked in a different sector of law each day, ranging from Property,
Commercial Litigation, Insurance, and also Disputes. I would be asked to do specific work experience related
tasks but also had the opportunity to do real work for the company which was very rewarding to know I had done
something to help with their business. I would develop a new set of skills each day that would help me achieve
the very best understanding of the work place and would also be a set of skills that can be transferred into other
areas of work, this included teamwork, communication and independence.
The work experience was a great confidence booster and I was able to achieve things that may seem daunting
and unconquerable at first, but with determination and a positive outlook I was able to do tasks I never would
have dreamt I could do before! I learnt that if you stick at things even when the going gets tough, the feeling of
pride is as good a reward as any! I have come back a more determined, and confident individual than I was be-
fore and for that I am very grateful. I would recommend this type of work experience scheme to anyone who is
unsure of what they want to do in the future but want to experience what a real work place is like, the knowledge
you gain will be a huge benefit as it was to me, and will set you apart from the rest especially when it comes to
CV‟s!
By Sixth Form Student Alysha Truswell
Student Yoga Club
Tuesday lunchtimes 1.30-2pm in
the small gym, £2 per session, run
by qualified instructor
Students can come and try a new activity
which all of the celebrities are doing. Led
by a friendly and highly qualified
instructor. They will learn relaxation
techniques, how to manage stress,
improve their body control, flexibility and
strength as well as feeling great
afterwards.
Sports Tour to Shropshire 2016
On Friday 11th march 54 students travelled to Shrewsbury to
participate in a fantastic weekend of Netball and Football organised
by PGL on their Boreatton Park site.
On the Saturday 22 boys from years 8 and 9 had a variety of
Outdoor teambuilding activities and top quality football coaching.
Then on the Sunday they played in a competitive tournament with
all of the schools being placed in mixed teams. As always our boys
were keen to impress, listened carefully to instructions and co-operated with everyone in their team.
The 4 netball teams had a 2 day tournament with drop-in outdoor activities. They especially enjoyed the Zip
Wire, Archery and Abseiling. The Giant Swing was also hugely popular with them having to work in their teams
to hoist each other into the air before being dropped into oblivion. The screams were heard in Wales!
In the netball all 4 teams performed brilliantly, special mention goes to the year 8s and 10s who were playing
older teams. The Year 9s and 10s made the semi-finals and collected bronze medals, whilst our best
performing team were beaten in the final and received silver. Ama Agbeze (of England and Loughborough
Lightening) was on hand to present the medals and give the girls some top defending tips.
The Blandford School would like to say a big thank you to the PE
department for all their
hard work in organising
the trip and would also
like to congratulate the
students who behaved
brilliantly throughout the
whole weekend and were
a credit to the school.
TBS Netball Leaders Shine.
Netball Leaders from Years 8, 9 and 10 were asked to assist with the County High 5 Tournament at the Dorset
School Games in Weymouth. 12 girls went along as umpires, scorers and court marshals. Working alongside
experienced umpires the girls did a brilliant job of ensuring all of the teams had a great tournament.
They received huge thanks from the tournament organiser Karen
Peaty. In addition they had emails from the Primary schools saying:
“AMS had a fun afternoons netball - thank you. I thought that the sports
leaders did an exceptional job”.
“...I would also like to thank you for all your hard work that you put in to
yesterday. It was an absolutely fantastic day and ran so smoothly,
which was all down to your hard work. The girls from The Blandford
School did an outstanding job and they should be very proud of
themselves and if you could pass the message on to them that would
be great”.
The Blandford School’s Award in Safe Hands
Dorset based secondary school, The Blandford School, is celebrating the success of its
catering manager Karen Hall following an award win at national independent contract catering
company, Catering Academy‟s annual award‟s ceremony.
Catering Academy, which has held the catering contract at The Blandford School for the last
two years, hosts its PRIDE Live Awards each year to celebrate the achievements of its 1,650
team members which work across the company‟s contracts nationwide.
Catering manager Karen Hall was awarded the „Highest Achiever in H&S and Food Hygiene‟
award following a stringent review of the audits carried out by Team Academy‟s Health, Safety and Well-being
team.
Having demonstrated significant commitment to not only following but exceeding hygiene and safety standards
since joining Catering Academy‟s team at The Blandford School, Karen was praised for her care and attention to
detail across all aspects of her day-to-day role.
Following on-site observations, the judges noted that team work and performance at the school was „second to
none‟ and standards across health and safety were exceptionally high.
Commenting on The Blandford School‟s award success, Catering Academy‟s Founder Director, Louise Wymer
said: “Karen and her team have such a positive „can-do‟ attitude and this contract is always an absolute pleasure
to visit.
“Health and Safety in the foodservice industry is critically important, which is why we recognise team members for
outstanding achievements in this area. On behalf of everyone at Catering Academy and The Blandford School, our
sincere congratulations to Karen and her team – keep up the great work!”
To find out more about Catering Academy please visit the website, www.catering-academy.co.uk or follow
@CateringAcademy on Twitter.
Contact Us
If you would like any more
information or if you have a story
that you think could feature in
our Newsletter please contact us
at:
The Blandford School
Milldown Road
Blandford
Dorset DT11 7SQ
01258 451121
Visit us on the web at
www.blandfordschool.org.uk
Published in the December Issue of Dorset Life
