in this edition - uffculme school 2018 newsletter...lorraine heath (executive headteacher) dear...

Autumn 2018

IN THIS EDITION:

‘Meet the Governors’

Remembrance Day

House Points Update

Department News & Events

Student Achievements

Extra-Curricular Timetable

New Senior Student Council

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Dear Parents and Friends,

I am delighted to be in a position to introduce this first edition of our new look Newsletter and hope very much that you find it an enjoyable and interesting read. I also hope that it is a fitting showcase for some of the tremendous work that goes on at Uffculme School both in and out of the classroom. There is no doubt in my mind that Uffculme is a very special school. A wise person once said “culture eats strategy for breakfast” which highlights the fact that we could have all the plans in the world but if we don’t have a culture which is positive, nurturing, inclusive and ambitious, we are probably wasting our time. We pay a great deal of attention to culture at Uffculme and I am relentlessly proud of the very many positive qualities that our young people display on a daily basis in the classrooms, corridors, out and about and all around the school.

I have been very busy since September working with our potential partner schools and in particular to plan ways in which the culture, which we have built together and which is so successful at Uffculme, could be fostered and developed in other schools. I have very much enjoyed my contact with the staff and students in these other schools and have been impressed with their vision and ambition to achieve excellence. The idea is not, of course, to clone Uffculme but to take the best of what we have to offer and share ideas and practice with other schools so that they can, in their own way, be better versions of themselves.

The term has flown by and it will soon be Christmas. It has been a wonderful start to the academic year.

Thank you, as ever, for your support and trust.

Lorraine Heath (Executive Headteacher)

Dear Parents,

I am still slightly stunned at how rapidly this term is going and the fact that we are already approaching Christmas. So much has already happened this term starting with us celebrating the results of last year’s Year 11 students; welcoming our Year 7 students, who are lovely and have settled so quickly into the life of the school; and seeing the students in all the other year groups stepping up and taking on more responsibility as they mature and move through the school. Every year the faces change, but underneath the character and values of the school remains strong and true – passed on from one group of students to those that follow them.

Mrs Heath, in her welcome, talks about the importance of culture and how it underpins the success of the school. Alongside that I would also point to the importance of the wonderful support that we receive from the parents and families of our students. This can range from sitting in the car park waiting to transport students home following a rehearsal or fixture, to encouraging them to attend an after-school revision session, to taking a keen interest in how well things are going in their various subjects. Whilst it is easy to dismiss this as just, “something we do for our children”, your support plays a significant part in helping students get the most out of their time at the school, and without it Uffculme School would not be the special place that it is.

Over the last few weeks there have been a number of opportunities where parents could find out much more about how their child is getting on – through their Autumn term reports; the Year 10 ‘Introduction to KS4’ Parents’ meeting; and the Parents/Tutor meetings. We do hope that these will not only have been helpful in providing valuable information to you, but also in helping to maintain the strong bond between the school and its parents and families.

I would just like to end with some ‘Thank Yous’. First for supporting the students in their participation in our Remembrance events, and their fundraising for Children in Need. Also, many thanks to all of you that attended our annual Craft Fayre which is organised and run by the PTFA. This is not only a great community event, but also raises valuable funds for the school, and we really appreciate your contributions towards it.

I do hope that you enjoy the new format of our newsletter and that through it you’ll be able to learn more about life in the school and many of the opportunities and successes that our students enjoy.

Thank you and best wishes,

Alan Blackburn (Acting Headteacher)

Welcome

www.uffculmeschool.net

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Meet the Governors

Julian Berry

Julian is a Parent Governor and is the Portfolio Holder for Stakeholder Engagement

Alan Blackburn

As Acting Headteacher, Alan is an Ex-Officio Governor

Jo Dentith

Jo is a Community Governor and is the Portfolio Holder for SEND

Hannah Devine-Wright

Hannah is a Parent Governor and is the Portfolio Holder for Teaching and Learning

Jill Larcombe

Jill is a Community Governor, Chair of the Local Governing Body, the Portfolio Holder for Safeguarding, Behaviour and Attendance and has responsibility for Children in Care

Matt Pearce

Matt is a Support Staff Governor

Rebekka Rousseau

Rebekka is a Teacher Governor

Caroline Wigley

Caroline is a Community Governor, Vice Chair of the Local Governing Body and is the Deputy Portfolio Holder for Safeguarding, Behaviour and Attendance

To contact any of the governors, please get in touch with the Clerk, Liz Mitchell, by email

[email protected] or by phone on 01884 840458 ext 201.

More information about how the school is governed is on the school website: https://www.uffculmeschool.net/governors

Andrew Woodward

Andrew is a Community Governor, is the Portfolio Holder for Curriculum and Assessment and has responsibility for Pupil Premium


mailto:[email protected]

https://www.uffculmeschool.net/governors

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Senior Student Council

A new school year means a new Senior Student Council. Well done to all the students who put themselves forward for nominations and elections; you all did extremely well.

Your new Student Councillors for 2018-19 are;

Ben Eve Rowan Batchelor Olivia Adamson

Emma Bainbridge Toby Redwood Harrison Sime

Arthur Eckersley-Hope Oliver Brown

Ellie Hands (Head Girl) Daniel Travers (Head Boy)

Abigail McComb Connie Bennett

Lucy Roberts Melany Hookway

Stephen Perks Oliver Van Aerle

Library News

Bookbuzz (Year 7)

A huge ‘thank you’ to the PTFA from all Year 7 students who have now received their free book through the Bookbuzz scheme. The PTFA

kindly provided funding to enable all 208 students in Year 7 to receive a book which they are able to keep to start them on their

reading journey with Uffculme School Library.

Year 8 Reading Challenge

The Year 8 Reading Challenge has now started, with all students in the year group encouraged to take part in order to gain their Bronze, Silver & Gold Reading Awards. The Challenge runs until April 2019; students will document their reading in a Journal and gain badges for successful completion of each stage of the Award. The most informative and creative Journals will win prizes, including a Kindle Fire

as First Prize.

Further information is available from Mrs Davies in the library. Email [email protected]


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Drama Department News

Shakespeare for Schools Festival

On the evening of Wednesday 14th November, Uffculme School drama students performed an outstand-ing version of 'Macbeth' at The Pheonix Centre, Exeter as part of the national Shakespeare for Schools Festival. It was the first time that Uffculme has been a part of the world's largest youth Drama festival, so we were delighted when tickets for the performance sold out. The audience was blown away by the passion, professionalism and courage of our students, who once again demonstrated the extremely high standards, commitment and maturity that our young people are capable of. A huge well done to the cast of SSF 2018; you've made your teachers, families and friends incredibly proud and should be so proud of yourselves. Amazing! (Mrs Duncan and Mrs Croft, Drama)

Year 10 Monologues

Massive congratulations to all our Year 10 GCSE Drama students, who performed their very own mono-logues on Monday 8th October in the amazing surrounds of The Venue’s main performance space, to an audience of family and friends. All students performed with outstanding stage discipline and created unique, powerful and imaginative performances. Well done Year 10 on a fantastic start to your GCSE Drama journey. (Mrs Croft, Drama)


On Wednesday 7th November, two coaches from the English Speaking Union delivered a workshop titled ‘Discover Your Voice’ to our Year 8 Core Aspire students, along with some Year 9 students who expressed interest in the subject. During the course of the day, students were encouraged to develop their presentation and debating skills through a variety of fun and exciting activities, and to develop confidence when speaking in front of others. The workshop culminated with the opportunity for students to deliver their own short speeches to the whole group. The students thoroughly enjoyed the event, commenting that they felt their confidence in presenting their own thoughts and ideas had improved as a result of the workshop. Thank you to all the students who participated and to the English Speaking Union for delivering such a worthwhile session.

(Mrs M Ings, Aspire Programme Leader)

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‘Aspire’ Public Speaking Workshop


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On Friday 21st and Monday 24th September, Year 8 students were treated to a visit from ‘Swords and Spindles’, a historic re-enactment group who specialise in re-creating Civil War experiences with students and running workshops about this period in history. During the day, students experienced demonstrations and talks on a variety of aspects of the period, including the ‘barber surgeon’ talk (not for the faint-hearted!), a talk on crime and punishment, the opportunity to try on some replica clothing and get a feel for day-to-day life at the time and finished with a demonstration of sword fighting, musket firing and pike drills. Students were encouraged to participate as much as possible to get a ‘hands on’ experience; we hope you all enjoyed the day, and our thanks to ‘Swords and Spindles’ for their visit.

History Workshop

Cake Sale Success A huge ‘Thank You’ to everyone who helped make the Macmillan Cake Sale such a success. We raised

£130.51 - every penny helps to make a difference to people facing cancer.

Winners of the Macmillan Guessing Games: ‘Height of Cake’ = 94cm; closest guess was 91cm by Lydia Leavy-Jones (8GOLDMAN)

‘Length of Sausage Roll’ = 49cm; exact guess by Matilda Lord (7RHODES) ‘Weight of Cake’ = 3.5kg; closest guess was 3.4kg Ellie Churchill (8BAILEY)

Well done to you all and thank you to everyone who participated.


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Open Evening

The school was bursting at the seams on the evening of Thursday 11th October as we once again opened our doors to prospective parents and pupils at the annual Open Evening. In The Venue, there were presentations from Mrs Heath and Mr Blackburn, as well as from Ellie Hands (Head Girl) and Dan Travers (Head Boy). Guests were also treated to musical numbers from the choir and the members of the school’s Stage and Screen musical theatre club.

Parents were offered guided tours by members of the Student Councils and invited to visit all of the classrooms and join in with the many activities available. These included demonstrations in dance, drama, music and sport, plus displays and exhibitions in classrooms, science experiments, technology and cooking activities, a huge variety of challenges and competitions and even a replica WW1 trench in one of the history classrooms.

More than 300 of our students stayed behind after school to help out at the event; many visitors commented that they were very impressed with the quality and range of activities and demonstrations on show, as well as the conduct and friendliness of the students, so a huge ‘Well Done and Thank You!’ to everyone who took part.

Speaking about the evening, Mrs Heath said “Uffculme is a very happy school with many exciting opportunities for young people. Hopefully tonight parents and pupils will get a flavour of our culture and ethos as well as sampling some of our excellent facilities. We hope parents have had chance to go everywhere to see what each department has to offer; we have been lucky enough to have a number of new buildings over the last few years, including our stunning drama facility ‘The Venue’, and most of all we hope parents and pupils enjoy the evening.”


House Points Update

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The House system has been running at Uffculme School for decades and is an integral part of the identity and community of the school. There are four houses (Bridwell, Craddock, Gaddon and Yondercott) who compete against each other for the prestigious House Cup.

All students and staff belong to a house for the whole of their time at Uffculme School. It is a unique opportunity to belong as part of a bigger picture that extends beyond individual performance or success. A wide variety of subjects offer up contests, events, quizzes, competitions and activities for students to participate in each year. It is vitally important that opportunities are available for all abilities and aptitudes to succeed in; as well as pushing beyond our comfort zone. 50% of the House points awarded each year are accumulated through credits and weekly awards to reflect the value of working hard and excelling in day to day life at school. It is about taking risks, having fun and making memories here at Uffculme School.

I have been heavily involved with my House as a member of staff over the years and having now taken the reins from Mr Sercombe, I look forward to enhancing the House system even further. I am looking to increase student leadership as well as raise the profile of the House system through regular updates, recognition and rewards for those involved.

Good luck! (Mr Osmond, House Competition Leader)

REMEMBER: PARTICIPATION IS KEY!

House points are awarded for taking part or spectating not just for winning.

Day to day lessons make a massive impact to your house scores.

House events are your unique opportunity to partake in a variety of activities and events – make sure you take advantage of as many as you can!

Current House Scores:


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Outdoor Pursuits

The Outdoor Pursuits Calendar has got off to a busy start this year with canoeing, caving and climbing events all filling up very fast.

Our first trip was for our Year 8 pupils with a canoe trip along the Exe estuary from Exeter and then back up the Exeter Ship Canal. The weather was kind to us and the day was enjoyed by all.

Our second expedition was to Pridhamsleigh Cavern near Ashburton on an after school trip open to all years. We kitted up and headed off and were soon finding our way through the underground world with the many twists and turns that the cave offered us. Another great success, topped off by a stop for some very good fish and chips on our way home.

Most recently we headed up to South Molton to The Mill climbing centre to hone our climbing skills.

We look forward to a lot more trips as the year unfolds; in particular the Year 7 ‘Clip'n'Climb’ trip is fast approaching and is always good fun as well as a nice Christmas treat. The pizza and chips included at the end are also always very welcome! Places for this trip are still available on ParentPay for any interested Year 7 students. (Mr Eve, Outdoor Pursuits Leader)


On the morning of Friday 9th November, students and staff alike at Uffculme School gathered outside to mark Remembrance Day. As 2018 is the centenary of the end of World War 1 it was felt that an enduring monument to the fallen would be appropriate, so students participated in a tree planting ceremony and the unveiling of a new art installation, in addition to the traditional whole-school silence. The tree was planted in the School garden by the Head Boy (Dan Travers) and Head Girl (Ellie Hands), and was followed by a poetry reading from both students. Students who belong to a uniformed group (such as the Scouts, Cadets and many more) were encouraged to wear their uniforms for the day and made a group parade together, ending with the lowering of the flag and salutes. The uniformed students were joined on the school field by the whole of the school, who all gave their full attention and respect to the two minutes' silence. The art installation was created by students and staff from the Art department and is composed of a host of handmade red clay poppies against a soldier silhouette back-ground. This installation will be in situ until early next year, when it will be dismantled and the poppies will be available to buy, with proceeds going to the British Legion.

“The Art and History departments have been working on a piece of group art inspired by the installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ by the artist Paul Cummins, which was displayed at the Tower of London. The piece consists of a host of clay poppies, every one of them painstakingly hand made and painted. Most of the work has been created by Uffculme School students who participate in the Art Club and have given up many hours of lunchtimes and other free time to work on it. The installation itself represents the soldiers of the British and Commonwealth forces leaving their trenches and spreading out into the field of battle during the Great War. Poppies famously grew on the battlefield following the war and have become a symbol of remembrance ever since. Everyone did their best but we fell slightly short of the Paul Cummins work, which boasted 888,246 poppies! Thanks to History teacher Mrs Roberts for the inspiration for this and the tireless work of the Art department.” (Mr Bertram, Head of Art)

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Remembrance Day


On Monday 15th October, EXIM Dance Company (from Plymouth) visited Uffculme to deliver their ‘Making Waves’ dance workshop to a cohort of dance students. 43 students from Years 8, 9 and 10 participated in the morning session, which covered many aspects of dance and physical expression. EXIM delivered a fantastic morning including theory, technique, choreography and practice, which was accompanied by lots of fun and laughter—an excellent combination! Well done to all those who took part, and thank you to EXIM for providing the workshop.

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Dance Workshop

Alumni News Former Uffculme School pupil Ben Moon has made his full England International Rugby Union debut during the first of a series of Autumn Internationals. Having won England honours at U20, U18 and U16 levels, Ben received his first full England cap against South Africa at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 3rd November 2018. Ben plays his Club Rugby at Aviva Premiership side Exeter Chiefs and made his Exeter debut in October 2008 as a 19-year-old. Congratulations Ben, from all of us at Uffculme School.


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2018

Friday 21st December - Last Day of Autumn Term

2019 Monday 7th January - First Day of Spring Term

Monday 18th to Friday 22nd February - Half Term

Friday 5th April - Last Day of Spring Term

Tuesday 23rd April - First Day of Summer Term

Monday 6th May - Bank Holiday

Monday 27th to Friday 31st May - Half Term

Friday 28th June - Inset Day

Friday 19th July - Last Day of Summer Term

Wednesday 4th September - First Day of Autumn Term for Years 7 & 11

Thursday 5th September - First Day of Autumn Term for all other Year Groups

Friday 11th October - Inset Day

Monday 21st to Friday 25th October - Half Term

Friday 20th December - Last Day of Autumn Term

2020 Monday 6th January - First Day of Spring Term

Monday 17th to Friday 21st February - Half Term

Friday 27th March - Last Day of Spring Term

Tuesday 14th April - First Day of Summer Term

Monday 4th May - Bank Holiday

Monday 25th to Friday 29th May - Half Term

Friday 3rd July - Inset Day

Friday 17th July - Last Day of Summer Term

Parents’ Evenings 2019 Thursday 24th January – Year 9 Core Subjects

Tuesday 12th February – Year 10

Thursday 28th February – Year 11

Monday 4th March – Year 7 KS3 Information Evening

Wednesday 6th March – Year 9 Options Evening

Wednesday 20th March – Year 8 B Band

Monday 25th March – Year 8 R Band

Thursday 2nd May – Year 7 R Band

Tuesday 7th May – Year 7 B Band

Monday 8th July – Presentation Evening

Term Dates & Parents’ Evenings


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Remembrance Day Service

Well done to Sam Marlborough and Theo Marlborough for their participation in the

Remembrance Day Services on Sunday 11th November with the air cadets.

Special congratulations to Sam; in recognition of his maturity and commit-

ment he was chosen to be one of the four guards of honour at the ceremony at the cenotaph in Vivary Park, Taunton. A very special and memorable achievement; his

family would like to say that he did himself, his family and squadron very proud.


Swimming Championships Congratulations to Sam Arrowsmith, Ben

Simpson, Wilf Arrowsmith and Sam Persey who represented Uffculme

School in the National Team Swimming Championships on Saturday 17th

November. The Championships were held at the London Aquatic Centre -

home of the 2012 Olympic Games. The boys swam as a team in the 4 x 50m Medley and 4 x 50m Freestyle races, having secured faster times than 164

other teams across the country. Only 30 teams made it to the Finals and

Uffculme was 1 of only 5 from the South West. It was a very proud day for the

boys, their families and of course their Coaches from Tiverton and Wellington where they swim regularly. Whilst they did not come away with medals, they

had the most amazing experience; knowing they were sharing the same

starting blocks and lanes of some of the best swimmers in the world.

Gymnastics Team Silver Congratulations to Charlie Birchall who

recently took part in the Devon Wheatley Gymnastics Competition with 3 of his team

mates from the Exeter Gymnastic Club.

Charlie is in the County boys squad and he and his team won a Silver medal in the U12

category at the competition.

Great work Charlie!


Sailing Success

HUGE congratulations to Ciaran Handforth of 9BURT!

Ciaran sails with the Somerset Youth and Community Sailing Association (SYCSA) and during the summer he was announced as one of just three runners-up for the first Panerai Challenger Trophy – an award specifically aimed at youngsters who have overcome physical, economic or social challenges to

achieve a significant milestone in sailing or windsurfing.

Ciaran was one of 40 youngsters nominated for the award, created by the Italian watchmaker Panerai together with the RYA’s OnBoard programme to promote the power of sailing in positively impacting

young people’s lives. He only started sailing two years ago and suffers from epilepsy resulting in seizures and permanent daily medication. His condition impacted on his opportunities in other sports

and limited his confidence, but sailing has provided the right mixture of technical and personal skills to give him a sense of maturity and self-development, giving him confidence and pleasure in participating in active sport. Ciaran was amazed at his award: “I’m gobsmacked that my nomination was accepted and that I was able to experience two fantastic days at Cowes with people like Olympic medallist Ian Walker.”

Ciaran joined the winner and two other runners-up at the first annual awards dinner at the prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron. Both he and the SYSCA will receive cash prizes; Ciaran plans to use his money to

widen his sailing experience by completing some tall-ship experiences, together with RYA courses to further his sailing. If there is any money left, he wants to use it for new sailing equipment.

RYA Chief Executive, Sarah Treseder said: “We’re delighted to recognise Ciaran’s achievement as a finalist of the first Panerai Challenger Trophy. Despite the daily challenges he faces, Ciaran has not let his medical condition hold him back. Through sailing he has fought back and found the confidence to

succeed. He’s now inspiring other young people to do the same. We wish him the best with his future”.

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Cricket Champions Congratulations to the U13 cricket team on their victory at the East Devon Schools indoor cricket championship. The

championship took place at Exmouth Tennis Centre on Thursday 8th November. The team played in four rounds, beating teams from Honiton, Colyton, Exmouth and then Sidmouth in the Final. They will now go on to represent East Devon in the County Finals, which will be held at

Exeter University on Tuesday 15th January. Well done (and good luck) to: Jed Findlay (Captain), Tom

Kittow, Marcus Sapiecha, Jacob Lewis, Freddie Gillet, Oscar Berry, Jonah Thomas, Will Hatton and Charlie Hague.

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Netball League Winners

Congratulations to the U16 girls netball team on winning the East

Devon Netball League.

The league games took place on Tuesday 6th November at Honiton, with Uffculme’s U16 team victorious

overall.

Well done to Charlotte Emery, Faith Whittaker, Ellie Meads, Millie

Meerloo-Jones, Taylor Lambert, Ella Tonge, Lucy Pryke, and Amy Tonge.

Fantastic work girls!

Showjumping Success There was great success for Uffculme

students at the NSEA Showjumping event on Sunday 9th September at Bicton Arena. Both teams who took part

qualified for the NSEA championships, which will be held at Keysoe Equestrian

Centre later in the year, and all the students involved did really well. The

80/85cm team (Molly Clist, Emma Bainbridge, Katie Bainbridge and Jack

Emmett) qualified as a team, coming 6th overall, and Molly also qualified as an

individual, coming 3rd. Jess Grant, Molly Clist, Emma Bainbridge and Katie

Bainbridge all had clear rounds in the 90/95cm class and came 5th as a team. Katie Heal had a fantastic clear round in the 70cm class and was unlucky not be placed. Especially impressive since the classes were very large; in excess of 60

competitors in each class. Well done to you all.


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SW Regional Basketball

Congratulations to Lottie Evans, Eve

Shadrick, Ella Tonge and Amy Tonge (Year 10), Izzy Hague, Laine Roberts and

Jess Swanston (Year 9), Louisa Gibbins (Year 8) and Bella Oram (Year 7)

who have all been selected for the South

West Regional Basketball Squad.

Well done to you all.

Cross Country Champions A huge ‘Well Done’ to all the students who competed in the East Devon Schools Boys Cross Country

Championships, held at Bicton College on Wednesday 7th November.

The Year 7 Boys were the overall winners in their category, as were the Junior Boys (Years 8 & 9). The Inter Boys (Years 10 & 11) were runners up in their competition. Congratulations to you all.

The following boys have qualified to represent the East Devon Schools group against the Exeter Schools group in the next competition, held at Blundell’s School on Wednesday 28th November;

Year 7: Charles Hague (1st Place), Jack French (2nd Place), Rory Duncan (4th Place), Charlie Cornish (5th Place) and Tom Maher (6th Place).

Years 8 & 9: Sam Persey (2nd Place), Jack Bishop (4th Place) Issak Shore Quinan (5th Place), Jack Emmett (14th Place) and Silas Ross White (15th Place).

Years 10 & 11: Harrison Sime, Joe Bobba, Oliver Skudder and Sam Arrowsmith (17th Place).

Well done to all who competed, you did your school proud and made this the most successful cross country event for Uffculme School in recent years.


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Extra-Curricular Activities


(Cartoon by Berger and Wyse, featured in The Guardian 25/6/16)

“I have anxiety” is a phrase that we hear at school more and more often. But anxiety is not all bad. In fact it helps to keep us safe. If we did not experience any anxiety then we might not do things to protect ourselves. For example, if you did not feel a bit anxious about standing at the edge of a cliff then you might not be careful and end up falling off!

Anxiety is our brain’s way of telling us to be cautious. Our brain senses danger and gets our body ready to react and keep us safe. This reaction is known as our ‘threat system’ or the ‘fight or flight’ response. Our body is getting ready to ‘fight’ the danger, or to run away from it - this is the ‘flight’ bit. When our threat system is triggered we might feel our heart pounding, butterflies in our tummy or feel a bit sick or dizzy. We might feel breathless or have pins and needles. We might feel hot or cold, sweaty or clammy, a bit shaky or feel the need to use the loo. All these physical reactions are perfectly normal and are part of getting our body ready to deal with the ‘danger’. These physical reactions can feel incredibly unpleasant and be really frightening, but it is important to understand that they are not dangerous.

Interestingly, these are the same physical feelings that some people get when they are about to go on a roller coaster, but the feelings are not so frightening as the brain is interpreting these reactions as excitement rather than fear.

The problem with anxiety is when this ‘fight or flight’ reaction is triggered when it is not needed, or when the symptoms are so overwhelming that they prevent us from doing the things we want, or need, to do. It is a bit like a smoke alarm. When the alarm senses smoke it sets off an alarm. This alerts you to possible danger and you can take action to keep yourself safe. But if the alarm keeps being triggered accidently, when there is no smoke or danger, then it is really unhelpful (and very unpleasant!).

The good news is that you can learn to manage the unhelpful anxious feelings and control the fear. For further information about help and support visit the Safeguarding Page on our website.

Uffculme School Student Welfare Services

Looking out for our students 18

Student Welfare

Anxiety? No Fear!

Why not check out the MindShiftTM app? This is a free app designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety.


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Clubs Update

School Lotto

Uffculme School would like to say a huge 'Thank You' to everyone who has and does support the School Lotto. The funds raised by the Lotto are used to provide financial support to enable

students from all backgrounds to participate in extra-curricular activities, music lessons, Activities Week and much more, so your contributions really do make a difference!

You can sign up via ParentPay, visit the Finance Office to pay by cash or cheque, or set up a standing order through your bank. Leaflets with sign up forms and more information are

available from Reception.


NEW

3 meetings a year

1 main event

Loads of benefits to our school!

This is the essence of Uffculme School’s Parent, Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA).

We are very fortunate to have a vibrant and dedicated PTFA – one of the few secondary schools in the region to still have such an important support network. The main aim of the PTFA is to support the school community primarily by raising additional funds.

The funding pressure on the school increases each year and difficult decisions on monetary allocations have to be made. But thanks to the fundraising efforts of the PTFA significant funds are raised each year. These additional funds add to the educational and personal development of all our children. Here are some examples of how the PTFA money has been used recently:

A free book for all Year 7 students, Author visits, Cameras and computers, Equipment for the Raspberry Pi club, Wildlife pond, Potter’s wheel, Materials for a display of clay Poppies (to mark the 100th anniversary of WW1), Mess tent, Resources for book and film club, ‘Theatre in a box’, Library beanbag pods, Year 10 wellbeing day, Outdoor table tennis table, Embroidery machine and much more.

As you can see the PTFA have funded a wide range of resources that enrich the school life of our students. The school would not otherwise be able to afford these amazing extras. One of the biggest events in the PTFA calendar is the Christmas Craft Fair which takes place every November – a perfect time for some gift shopping. In 2017 the event raised almost £6000! This is the PTFA’s main fundraiser and time commitment.

Every parent and carer is automatically a member of the PTFA. You are all invited to continue the fantastic work of the PTFA, whether this be helping out at the Craft Fair next year, or being part of the Committee that decides how funds are raised and spent.

The Committee meets 3 times a year and is comprised of parents, carers, staff and even those whose children have now left Uffculme School. Without these dedicated volunteers, there wouldn’t be a PTFA! Mums, dads, stepparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and more are all encouraged to get involved.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Phyrne Tonge - (Chair of the PTFA) [email protected]

Katie Francombe - (Assistant Headteacher & staff link to the PTFA) [email protected]

We also have a Facebook page: search 'Uffculme School PTFA'

The PTFA is a Registered Charity (No. 1073508)

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Uffculme PTFA


mailto:[email protected]

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The Giving Machine


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Uffculme Sport & Fitness Centre

WCTSA


Spring 2019

in this edition - uffculme school 2018 newsletter...lorraine heath (executive headteacher) dear...

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