Sixth Form Open Evening, Jeans for Genes, Cyber Day and a live stream of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ are just some of the things that have been taking place this term!
Meet the team!
With the start of the new academic year came a new Head Prefect Team. After a student and staff vote, we were delighted to award the positions of Head Boy to Louis Parr, Head Girl to Amelia Bishop, Deputy Head Boy to Ed Wilkinson and Deputy Head Girl to Sienna Lorenz. With the help of the other senior prefects the team have already had a busy term organising charity events, representing the school (for example on Remembrance Day) and helping out at school events such as our Sixth Form Open Evening. We know that this hard work will continue throughout the rest of the year, and they will continue to make us and the school proud.
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
In September we were touched to receive the below email from a member of the public about two of our Year 13 students – Tom Cooper-Carus and Jack Meadows.
‘I would just like to say how grateful I am to two members of your sixth form that helped me out this morning when my car broke down.
Due to a partially severed fuel line my car ran out of diesel just as I was about to turn left into Cidermill Lane at 08:30 this morning. My car was consequently causing a major obstruction to cars and school buses at this particular time of day, and I was therefore desperate to move my car beyond the junction and these two lads in question pushed my car down the road and clear of the chaos. They then returned a couple of minutes later to check that I was ok to stay within the car as they had noticed a large patch of fuel at the junction and also under my car.
It’s reassuring to know that there are young people out there who are helpful and polite and these pupils in particular are a credit to your school.’
We are incredibly proud of the kindness and consideration they both showed in this situation, well done Tom and Jack!
Sixth Form Open Evening
On Thursday 3rd November we opened our doors to prospective sixth form students and their families for our annual open evening. We welcomed Year 11 students currently at CCS as well as many students from other schools. The evening consisted of welcome presentations by Mr Elmes as well as subject information sessions delivered by our teaching staff and student subject ambassadors.
Future Aspirations / Careers
Welcome back!
This term we welcomed back some past students to talk about their experiences since leaving Sixth Form.
Angus and Oli – History
Angus and Oli spoke to students interested in pursuing their love of History. Angus is currently in his second year at Lancaster University studying History and Oli is in his first year at Cardiff University studying History and Politics. They gave lots of good advice about UCAS, personal statements and an insight into what it is like to actually study History at university.
Jess – Veterinary School (Medical route)
After working so hard to achieve her dream of attending veterinary school, Jess was delighted to come back and offer students from Year 11 upwards (interested in any medical career) advice and tips on how she managed to secure her place. Jess has now nearly completed her first term at Harper & Keele Veterinary School; she was keen to talk through her journey from pre-application and work experience to the application process (where she covered areas such as the personal statement and the interview process including top application tips) and finally her experiences at veterinary school so far.
Degree Apprenticeship -GE Aviation
In November we were also joined by Matthew, Josh and Tom who are all currently apprentices on GE Aviation’s Engineering Degree Apprenticeship 5-year programme. Thay are all at different stages within the programme, so they were able to provide a wealth of insight about their experiences so far, as well as share their individual journeys from Primary School right through to securing their apprenticeship. One key message from their talk was that a L6 Degree Apprenticeship is a fantastic alternative to full-time university. “It’s not “not going to university”, instead it’s going to university part-time and getting 5 years of hugely valuable engineering experience on live Avionics programmes.” Other benefits of the GE Aviation Engineering Degree Apprenticeship include:
- A fully funded Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic and Computer Engineering, via the University of West of England.
- £125,000k salary paid over 5-year programme.
- A huge support network for success within the Engineering Early Careers Team of apprentices, graduates and interns.
Road to success for Thom!
Thom left our Sixth Form this summer after completing his A Levels and was over the moon when he secured his dream apprenticeship with Bicester Heritage Skills Academy. He is currently enjoying his placement with Rally Preparation Services Ltd and made a guest appearance on their Facebook page recently! We hope to invite Thom back into school very soon so he can share his apprenticeship success with our students. Well done Thom!
The Bank of England
On Wednesday 16th November the school welcomed Laurence Smith, Resolution Analyst, from the Bank of England to talk to our A Level Economics and Politics students about the role of the Bank of England in the economy and also an insight into recent economic events. He provided a detailed insight into the workings and responded thoroughly to the vast array of questions posed by the students. An excellent hands-on talk for all those present.
Cyberfest Experience Day
In October five A Level Computer Science students attended a Cyberfest Experience Day hosted by Cleeve School in Cheltenham. The event was designed to help inform KS5 pupils about Cyber careers in the Gloucestershire area. The day consisted of multiple opportunities to explore the cyber field including sessions from local businesses and talks from universities. Year 13 student Samara attended the event and has written about the experience below:
“We arrived at Cleeve School around 9am and after some introductions we made our way to the lecture hall to listen to some talks and advice. The first talk was presented by the University of Gloucestershire and was an insight into what it would be like to study Cyber Security and other computing related subjects at university. After this we heard from Project Pioneers, Taylor and Emilia introduced us to other potential routes into the industry and their benefits and limitations. After break we heard from two cyber security companies – North Green Security and Fortinet. Both these companies introduced us to what it is like to work in the industry itself and what their day-to-day activities look like. Finally, we had some practical activities in which we competed against the other schools in a PEN testing activity which we won by 65 points!”
Samara McPhail Year 13
Visit from SAE Institute
In November the Media Studies department were able to arrange a first contact meeting and visit from the admissions tutor at the new SAE Institute for creative media which is set to open a new campus in Leamington Spa in January 2023. We are hoping to liaise with the institute more in the coming months making contacts for our students and supporting both the application process and also the opportunity of future outreach work and visits. It was very pleasing that over 20 students from across both year 12 and year 13 attended an initial presentation one afternoon tutor session to find out more about the 2-year condensed degree courses on offer which include Audio Production, Video Games Art and Animation, Film Production, Content Creation and Online Marketing and Visual effects and Animation.
Mrs Edmunds
Further information about SAE can be accessed via the link below:
Charity Events
Jeans 4 Genes
Back in September our Sixth Form students donned their jeans to raise money for Jeans for Genes. The Jeans for Genes campaign raises awareness of the daily challenges faced by those living with a genetic condition and raises money to fund projects that make a tangible difference to the lives of those affected. A total of £325 was raised for this brilliant cause.
Christmas Jumper Day
From jeans to festive knitwear! It was our annual #christmasjumperday this term; the charity committee did a great job advertising the event and overseeing the collection of all the donations. In total over £230 was raised which the committee decided this year would go to UNICEF to help support their aid in Ukraine. We would like to thank the charity committee for all their hard work this term and all the students who have donated to these worthy causes.
Achievements
Senior Maths Challenge
Two of our Year 13 Maths students (Connor Honey and Ed Wilkinson) were celebrating after receiving a gold certificate in the Senior Maths Challenge, their success meant that they were then entered into the more challenging ‘Kangeroo Round’. Connor has written about his experience:
“Ed and I, along with all A-Level maths students in the school, took part in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge a few weeks ago in October. It is a maths competition designed to test abstract thinking rather than content knowledge, so the questions test different skills than are usually required for the A-Level. The top 11% are then eligible for the Kangeroo Round, which is essentially the same competition, but with more difficult questions and long, rather than multiple choice, answers.”
Connor Honey Year 13
It’s a knockout!
Congratulations were also in order for Year 12 student Georgina Ellery! After narrowly missing out last year, Georgina became the national champion for the under-52kg youths at the England Boxing National Development Championships which were held in Banbury in October. Georgina is a member of Stratford Boxing Academy and was over the moon with her win. Well done Georgina!
Cross country success for Taylor and Olivia
On Sunday 4th December Taylor Stubbins (Yr 13) and Olivia Robinson (Yr 12) represented Chipping Campden School at the Gloucestershire Schools Cross Country Championships. Both did exceptionally well and were medal winners! Taylor won his race and received a Gold medal and Olivia placed 3rd and received a Bronze medal; we wish them both a big congratulations! They will now go on to represent Gloucestershire County.
Watch out Lord Sugar!
Another fantastic student achievement this term was celebrated at the Chipping Campden ‘Business and Young Entrepreneurs Awards’ held at the Cider Mill Theatre last month. Year 13 student Kerem Gulbahce was delighted to receive the ‘Campden BRI Young Entrepreneurs Award’ recognising the success he has achieved with his business concept. Here Kerem tells us more:
“My name is Kerem Gulbahce, and across the end of 2021 into the beginning of 2022 I investigated, and self-educated myself into importing goods to the UK and selling them. I did this via foreign shipping agents to buy goods abroad and a warehouse to store them for me to then ship and later sell in the UK-to-UK consumers. The goods I were importing were anything from Turkish cologne to Chinese luxury brands, however clothes mostly had the largest consumer demand. This is what led me to win the student business award hosted at the brand-new Cider Mill Theatre amongst Chipping Campden School, where I was presented with a plaque and a £50 cash prize. The awards night was a very warm hearted, encouraging environment, where everyone’s achievements were recognised, and winners in all 12 categories for donations, entrepreneurship or impact on the local community were given a plaque. All embracing, the night was great, and I am thankful for my award and thankful to represent the school.”
Kerem Gulbahce Year 13
We wish Kerem many congratulations and look forward to seeing him on the TV show ‘The Apprentice’ in the future no doubt!
Extra-Curricular
Into Film Club 2022
We continue to have a fantastic team of sixth form ambassadors who take responsibility for the session activities at Into Film Club held weekly in the Marsden Suite for Key Stage 3 students. This year there is a regular attendance of 35 Yr7-9s and a few KS4 students ready to take over the running in the next couple of years. We have been delighted that Imogen Smith in Yr 12 has also become a student ambassador ready to continue leading this great enrichment opportunity for younger students into the next academic year.
Club members have already watched and reviewed ‘Knives Out!’ and ‘Forrest Gump’ this term and younger members have also been encouraged to complete their bronze and silver arts awards through participating in the film club as well as taking part as judges in the Young European Film Awards online in November.
Thank you to Koti, Zach, Hannah, Lara (Yr 13) and Immy (Yr 12) for their weekly commitments to technical, administrative, activity and interacting with students which all makes the Chipping Campden School ‘Into Film Club’ one of the most active in the South-West region. Well done! And we welcome any other students, especially in Year 12, who would be interested in volunteering once a week on a Wednesday after school until 4.45pm to help with the continued running of Into Film Club over the next few months and into the next academic year. We are especially excited to wish Koti all the best as he has applied to study Film Production at university next year: best wishes from Into Film Club!
Mrs Edmunds
More information about the ‘Into Film Club’ programme can be found here:
BOOST Programme
Over 20 of our Year 12 students have been participating in the BOOST Programme this term as part of their enrichment session on a Wednesday afternoon. The programme is run by Gloucestershire Constabulary and aims to develop skills for self- leadership such as managing your emotions, communicating effectively and self-discipline. The sessions have consisted of some group learning as well as interesting activities exploring the idea of taking control over your own choices and decisions in life. In January the students will then use everything they have learnt to deliver six mentoring sessions to a group of Year 7 pupils. There will also be a visit by the Chief Constable during one of these sessions where he will present the Year 12’s with their certificates.
Below, two students who have taken part in the programme talk about their experiences:
“I have found the ‘BOOST’ training both interesting and informative, with it allowing me to understand the causes and resolutions of many common mental struggles (e.g how habits form and how to overcome them). I thoroughly enjoyed both the tent building and the fizzy drink analogy and look forward to teaching younger children these too. This training will aid me in later life due to aspects of the course (such as: teamwork, kindness and how to break negative behaviour spirals) being applicable to many situations. I believe these lessons will prove hugely beneficial to younger children , and I am very glad to have been a part of this course.”
Izzy Cooper Year 12
“I have really enjoyed the BOOST training program and it has taught me a lot about how emotions should be handled and how to deal with situations in the right way. I would find it useful in my future career possibly because it would enable me to understand how individuals work and cope with things which bother or excite them. This is useful as psychology which is the path which I want to go into involves the understanding of how individuals react and deal with situations. It’d be great if students sign up for it and that it should be offered to our school every year. I’m looking forward to working with the children and doing all the activities with them.”
Evie Peeva Year 12
Bafta Young Games Designer 2023
We are very excited that Matthew Martin (Yr 13) put out a message in October for a meeting to show expressions of interest to enter at least one submission into the BAFTA Young Games Designer competition this academic year, and that there are now 16 regular attendees in years 11-13 meeting twice a week to design and create video games to enter into the competition in March.
With two categories open for entries: Game Concept and Game Making – Matthew and his team are well underway to have several entries in each category in what we hope becomes an annual event for participation from Chipping Campden School Sixth Form students. Another example of a student leading on a project in which he has passion and developing skills and experience which will support him in his future studies and career plans in the video games industry. More to update later in the year but wishing all the best for the students as they move from the initial ideas to the creation of their entries in the next few weeks. The team of students are especially grateful to Mrs Clarke for the access to Unity and the space in the IT rooms to meet for their sessions.
Mrs Edmunds
Please click below to find out more:
We’re off to see the wizard!
The whole school production of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ took place in the Cider Mill Theatre last week with three performances over three consecutive nights. Many of our Sixth Formers were involved from acting onstage, to behind the scenes and performing with the orchestra. The part of Toto the dog was played by a puppet; the puppet was designed, made and controlled during the performances by Year 13 student Mayuko. They all did a fantastic job, well done to everyone involved!
Other News…
Hamlet Live Stream
On Thursday 10th November, Years 12 and 13 English Literature and Drama students watched a live stream of Hamlet from Bristol Old Vic Theatre. Year 13 student, Fliss, reviews the performance below:
”Viewing the Hamlet live stream from Bristol Old Vic was such a good interpretation as it was a fusion of a Renaissance revenge tragedy from the 1600’s combined with elements of society today, especially modern versions of revenge. The idealistic version of Hamlet’s revenge before the interval was a super interesting addition to the play, highlighting the themes of madness, action, and inaction, as Hamlet’s fantasies about murdering the king were acted out on stage. However, the bad thing was that the live stream experience was glitchy around this moment, which was confusing for those watching who didn’t know the play well, as they believed that Hamlet had killed Claudius whilst he was praying. The actor of Hamlet, Billy Howle, was terrific because he presented the madness of grief well, in crying real tears. Furthermore, the theme of madness was also emphasised in the fact that the pay’s order was disjointed as the scenes from the acts were intertwined and not in the order Shakespeare intended. Also, there was no Act 1, Scene 1 which is usually key in Hamlet as it is the introduction to the ghost and that supernatural element to catalyse revenge. Director, John Haidar, made a bold choice in starting the play not from the start, but it worked.”
Fliss Dunn Year 13
History
The Year 13 History classes planned a brilliantly inclusive Remembrance Assembly focused on Unsung Heroes. They chose local soldiers, forgotten conflicts, contributions from across the Commonwealth and non-conflict roles that are sometimes overlooked in the act of remembrance. They delivered six well-presented assemblies across all year groups in the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday.
On Armistice Day we held a 2 minute silence across the school at 11am, this was made even more poignant by Year 13 student Sam Bloomfield who played ‘The Last Post’ just before the bell rang to signal the start of the silence. He did an excellent job, well done Sam.
A range of 6th form history students have also supported the lower school this term volunteering to aid the Year 9 local History Master Class, the Year 10 GCSE trip to the American Museum in bath, the Year 8 slave trade trip to Bristol as well as supporting in lessons. Particular mention must go to Lottie Wigger, Max Gould and Scarlett Bennett who have led lesson activities with Years 7 and 8 on the abolition of slavery and the Norman conquest. This is brilliant experience in presenting and has made them celebrities with the classes they support!
The History Department thanks these students for their commitment and support.
Mrs Kingswood
Finally, the Sixth Form team would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a very Happy Christmas and New Year!
