Coopers School

Hawkwood Lane Chislehurst Kent. BR7 5PS

An IB World School

Principal: Mrs S Puxty BSc (Hons) NPQH Headteacher: Mrs S Wood BA (Hons) NPQH

Tel:020 8467 3263 Fax.020 8295 0342 Email: adm@coopersschool.com

Website: www.coopersschool.com

’Enabling learners of today to become achievers of tomorrow’

Chair of Governors: Andrew Downes Senior Vice Principal: Matthew Baker

Vice Principals: Rob Carling | Samantha Chapman | Hazel Hatch | Jane Salt

Curious Creative Resilient Respectful Empathetic

Coopers School is an Independent Academy Trust operated by the Education for the 21st Century Trust which is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 7559170. The Registered Office is at Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent. BR2 9EH

13 July 2018 Issue 18 2017-18

Dear Parents/Carers As we reach the end of another successful year, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the very best of luck to all our students who have sat public examinations – I look forward to celebrating your achievements with you when the results are announced in August. We say goodbye to a few teachers this year, some of whom are heading off to new challenges and to further their careers, and some of whom have taken life changing decisions to move and work abroad. We wish them all every success and happiness for the future: Mrs Goddard (Music), Miss Lawlor (Science), Mr McDonough (PE), Mr Pidduck (Science), Miss Simmons (Maths), Ms Stanger (Maths), Mr Stanton (Maths), and Mr Suter (Geography). In addition, Mr Sikora and Mr Johnson have both taken the decision to retire. Mr Sikora has served the school magnificently for the last 38 years, having been a student here before that. Mr Johnson has also completed an impressive 32 years’ service here at Coopers, meaning between them the students have benefited from 70 years of teaching excellence. Both Mr Sikora and Mr Johnson will leave a huge hole behind them, but they go with our very best wishes for a well-deserved, long and happy retirement. We also wave a fond farewell to three members of support staff who are heading off for new adventures: Mr Donner (Teaching Assistant), Mrs Reidy (Administration), and Miss Tapinassi (MFL). We will introduce you to our new staff in the first newsletter of the new academic year.

Uniform Shop Summer Holiday Opening Times (the shop will be open from 10.00am-2.00pm on the dates shown unless specified)

July Monday 23 July Thursday 26 July Monday 30 July

August Thursday 2 August Monday 6 August Thursday 9 August Monday 13 August Friday 17 August Monday 20 August Friday 24 August Wednesday 29 August

September Monday 3 September Wednesday 5 September

(8.00am-10.30am)

The Uniform Shop will resume normal term-time opening hours from Thursday 6 September. Please be aware that you may experience a long wait in the summer holidays if you leave buying uniform items until the last two weeks. Payment Plans are available on request at the beginning of the holiday.

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Results Arrangements and Post 16 Enrolment – Mr Baker AS/A Level results: AS and A Level results will be available to students on Thursday 16 August in the Blue Lobby. Year 13 students can collect results from 10.00am-11.00am and Year 12 students who sat BTEC exams can collect results from 11.00am-12.00pm. Post 16 staff will be on hand to support Year 13 students with university admissions on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 August if required. GCSE Results / Post 16 Enrolment: GCSE results will be available to students on Thursday 23 August in the Blue Lobby from 10.00am-11.00am. Students who wish to enrol on Post 16 courses will be able to do this in the Main Hall from 10.00am-1.00pm. If any internal students are unable to enrol on this day, enrolment will be open on Friday 24 August from 8.30am-1.00pm in the Main Hall. As this is our enrolment day for external applicants as well, we encourage internal students to arrive early. Any student who is unable to enrol on either of these days should contact the Sixth Form team on Post16@coopersschool.com prior to results day to arrange enrolment. Please note that we are unable to release your results without your written consent. If you are unable to collect your results in person and would like a friend or relative to collect them on your behalf, please give them a signed note giving permission and ask them to bring ID with them.

Uniform – Ms S Chapman Thank you for your continued support of the school and its policies. We feel consistency is a critical thing to try and achieve for all of our students. As well as enjoying a break with your children parents/carers will, no doubt, be looking forward to the annual trip to the shops to source uniform and school shoes! Before any of you embark on this please could I take this opportunity to remind you of some key parts of the uniform policy. The intention of this is to avoid unnecessary confrontations at the start of term with students returning to school in September not dressed in accordance with school uniform policy. Our school uniform is an important expression of our pride in ourselves as a school and we expect all students to wear their uniform smartly at all times, including travelling to and from school. In the new academic year there will be a full consultation of the Uniform Policy through our Student Voice. In the meanwhile please see below forour uniform expectation:

Skirts should be at knee length, trousers should be loose fitting, shirts tucked in at the waistband and ties must be worn with school logo showing just below the knot.

Any belts should be simple, with no large buckles or logos allowed.

Blazers must have the correct colour flash sewn on the blazer pocket, and be worn at all times.

Shoes must be flat, black and leather. They should be polishable and no canvas shoes or boots of any sort are allowed. Please note that footwear being sold under the banner of 'School Shoes' does not necessarily comply with our standards – please do check with us if in doubt.

No jewellery other than wristwatches may be worn. No piercings are allowed (e.g. earrings, nose studs or other facial piercings) and students will be asked to remove them immediately. The only time in a school year for piercings is the summer holiday as this will allow for healing time. Spacers and plasters to cover earrings aren't allowed and students will be asked to remove them along with the earrings. Non-uniform jewellery will be confiscated and returned at the end of term.

Make-up is only permitted in Key Stage 4 and should be minimal and lightly applied.

Hair should be of the child's own natural colour. Students who come to school with unnaturally dyed hair or with coloured extensions may be sent home. Hair must not be shaved below a 2 grade. Haircuts with extreme differences in length on different parts of the head (i.e. shaved back and side with long hair on the top of the head) are not permitted. Tracks, tramlines, designs or steps in hair or eyebrows are not allowed.

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Mobile phones must be turned off and placed at the bottom of the school bag before students enter the school gates. Phones will be confiscated if they are seen or used, and returned at the end of the day. If confiscated again during the school year the phone will only be returned to a parent/carer following a meeting with a member of the School Leadership team. For further information about school uniform and sportswear please refer to our school website.

Messages to the Sixth Form of 2017-2018 – Mr Sheppard To our outgoing Year 13s: Congratulations and farewell to Year 13 who are leaving us this summer for pastures new. You are a fantastic group of students, and will be greatly missed by all the staff here at Coopers. This is evident in the lovely messages your teachers have written for you in the Yearbook. You achieved amazing results in Year 12, and Year 13 has been equally successful. It was lovely to be able to share your achievements with your families for the celebration event at St Nicholas’ Church. It was also great to see so many of you at the Prom; what a nice way to finish off both the year and your time at Coopers. I look forward to seeing you all again on results day – in the meantime, have a fantastic summer. Good luck and all the best for the future, and please stay in touch! To our incoming Year 12s: Well done to all of our Year 11 students for completion of a successful year and negotiating the tricky waters of your GCSEs! It was great to see so many of you for Year 12 Induction, taking the opportunity to meet your teachers whilst finding out about Post 16 life. Have a well-deserved break, and I look forward to seeing you all on results day for enrolment. Please use the summer holiday to complete your summer task work and get yourself ready for your new courses - September will be here before you know it!

Calendar, Contacts and Parent Events Please follow the link below to access our events calendar and a reporting cycle overview: https://portal.coopersschool.com/CLG/Webdocs/Lists/Parent%20Calendar/calendar.aspx

Dates for your diary:

Date Calendar Item

Saturday 14 July The Brilliant Club Graduation, King’s College London (Mrs Moreno)

Tuesday 17 July END OF TERM – all students dismissed from 12.15pm

Thursday 16 August Sixth Form Results Day and Year 13 Enrolment – collect from Blue Lobby – see timings in Mr Baker’s article above

Friday 17 August – Friday 1 September

Year 13 Enrolment – see Mr Baker’s article above for details

Thursday 23 August GCSE Results Day – collect from Blue Lobby. Followed by Year 12 Enrolment with Mr Baker and Mr Sheppard

2018 - 2019 Academic Year Monday 3 September Staff Training Day – school closed to all students

Tuesday 4 September Staff Training Day – school closed to all students

Wednesday 5 September START OF TERM – all students to arrive for 8.30am. Students to attend Form Rooms for Period 1.

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Monday 10 September School Photograph Day

Year 9-10 Parent/Student Welcome Evening, 6.00pm-7.00pm, Main Hall (Miss Olley)

Tuesday 11 September Year 8 Parent/Student Welcome Evening, 6.00pm-7.00pm, Main Hall (Mrs Porteous)

Wednesday 12 September Year 7 Parent/Student Welcome Evening, 6.00pm-7.00pm, Main Hall (Mrs Porteous)

Thursday 13 September

Year 11 Parent/Student Welcome Evening, 6.00pm-7.00pm, Main Hall (Mrs Hatch)

Year 12 Parent/Student Welcome Evening, 6.00pm-7.00pm, Main Hall (Mr Sheppard)

Saturday 22 September Advance Notice – Open Saturday – All new Year 7 students and subject ambassadors required to attend from 8.00am–12.30pm

Monday 24 September Staff Training Day – school closed to all students

Return to School Arrangements of the New Academic Year Students were issued with their end of year reports during Academic Review afternoon on Friday 13 July. You will be able to access your child’s end of year report via Insight. Your child will also be issued with an end of year letter to bring home to you, giving their tutor group and room to go to on their return in September. Students return to school on Wednesday 5 September. They should arrive by 8.25am and go to their new form room where they will spend Period 1 with their tutor. During this time they will receive their new timetable and planner (Year 7-8) for the year, and undertake a goal setting activity for the year ahead. Lessons are as normal from Period 2 onwards. There will be a welcome event for Parents/Carers and students in September at which you will be given your child’s academic report, the relevant programme of study for the year and information on how to support your child in the year to come – times of these events will be confirmed when we return, and we look forward to seeing you in September.

Year 7 Wednesday 12 September

Year 8 Tuesday 11 September

Year 9 Monday 10 September

Year 10 Monday 10 September

Year 11 Thursday 13 September

Year 12 Thursday 13 September

Staff CPD 2018-19 – Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme (TEEP) – Mr Baker As you may be aware, we begin the next academic year with two staff training days (3 and 4 September). These two days are the culmination of almost eighteen months of work with the Schools, Students and Teachers network (SSAT) on their TEEP programme. On these two days, and subsequently on a third INSET day on Friday 16 November, external trainers will be working with all teaching staff on the TEEP framework, which draws on significant research, best practice and evidence that has identified what is required of teachers and learners in order to gain the best learning outcomes possible. The resulting outcome will be a re-invigoration in the consistency and quality of the teaching and learning experience given to all learners at Coopers School. If you would like to find out more about the programme and its progress in the coming years, please do not hesitate to contact me – mbaker@coopersschool.com.

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PPS for 2018/19 – Miss Salt One of the most important lessons, but sometimes less well understood, is PPS (Personal and Professional Skills). This is the lesson where important topics, not necessarily on the curriculum elsewhere, can be addressed and discussed. Along with a plethora of other topics this includes activities around charity, serving the community, celebrating diversity, character education, current affairs, understanding our community etc. PPS is taught in form groups in the lesson between Period 3 and the lunch break. The subject matter provides the platform for Form Groups to discover more about their local, national and international community through discussion and topical activities. One of its subliminal aims is to create the 'community' feeling between students and their form tutor which will guide them throughout their Coopers life and beyond. The teaching of Character Education within PPS promotes, builds and strengthens character virtues in the contexts of the family, school, community, university, professions, voluntary organisations and the wider workplace. Character is constituted by virtues, such as courage, justice, honesty, compassion, self-discipline, gratitude, generosity and humility as well as Coopers Values of being curious, creative, resilient, respectful and empathetic. In an increasingly diverse society, Coopers is fully committed to promoting equality and diversity through PPS, its underlying principles being mirrored in the School's Equality Policy. In summary, this policy covers the need for equality in respect of the following protected characteristics: Caste, Gender, Gender reassignment, Disability, Age, Race, including ethnic or national background, Sexual orientation, Religion or belief and Marital/ civil partnership status. PPS encourages its students to apply reason based understanding to an appreciation of the diversity both inside and outside the local community.

Girls Active and the Girls’ Sports Council – Mr McCabe This year the PE Department has worked alongside the Youth Sports Trust in an initiative focused on getting more girls into sport and creating positive attitudes towards PE and sport. The initiative is called ‘Girls Active’ and from the funding and the support of the Youth Sports Trust we at Coopers have set up the ‘Girls’ Sports Council’. Each week the students meet and discuss how we can promote girls’ sport and PE at Coopers. Throughout the year the girls have encouraged other female students to be involved in sport, they have publicised sport and they have acted as role models. The students involved have attended almost all of our extra-curricular activities and they are also members of our Sports Leadership team. They have had a real impact on encouraging our younger female students to take up sport outside PE lessons and through their campaigning, meetings and ideas to push sports forwards they have become a real beacon for success for the PE Department and girls’ sport. Well done girls!!

Cambridge Chemistry Challenge – Mrs Porteous The Year 12 Chemists took part in the prestigious Cambridge Chemistry Challenge run by St Catherine’s College. ‘This competition aims to stretch and challenge students interested in chemistry, and will provide an excellent experience for anyone considering taking their studies further. Set by an experienced team of teachers and university chemists, it is designed to be accessible to Year 12 students but will take them significantly beyond the syllabus and encourage them to think about science in the way they would at university’. This Challenge is highly respected by top universities. Mr Lampugnani did splendid preparation work with students as questions are set in a completely new format that students are not familiar with and are designed to show the ability to apply knowledge to novel problems.

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I am very pleased to say that they achieved the following amazing results:

Amy Campbell Copper

Natalia Labib Youssef Silver

Emma Le Copper

Oliver Staples Copper

Alice Townsend Copper

Jamie Armoordon Copper

Lottie Dowling Copper

Freddy Flaherty Silver

Alexander Henbest Silver

Divine Ogar Copper

Year 10 Biology Challenge – Mrs Corry A number of our Year 10 students recently took part in the Biology Challenge run by the Royal Society of Biology. The Biology Challenge is open to students from all around the world and its aim is to stimulate students’ curiosity for the natural world and encourage them to take an interest in Biology outside of school. Although a number of questions are designed to challenge students on their knowledge of the school curriculum, the activity also rewards students who have an increased awareness of the subject from the world around them. I am very pleased to congratulate the following students in their achievements – very well done to all who took part:

Bronze Certificate: Jamie Twose Connor Hay

Charlie Russell Gemma White

Sulaimon Olaniyonu Denis Marinsky

Joe Haverda James Lawes James Haslam

Silver Certificate: Catherine Cridland

Reese Lee

Literacy at Coopers – Miss Gorman During the course of the year, the students have participated in a range of literacy competitions, from speaking and debating, through to reading, writing and spelling (among endless others, of course). While many have triumphed, all – without doubt – have excelled. We ended the year with two competitions: our fabulous Year 8 Spelling Bee and the Foyle Poetry Competition. Every form submitted entries for this year’s Foyle Poetry Competition. Tony Hannington, Andrea Sambrano Afonso and Jess Bessell submitted our three winning entries titled Aspiration, Life Goes On and The

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Autumn Tower (see poems below). All are seriously worth a read, and now all three have been sent to Foyle and we eagerly await the results to see if any will be officially published in next year’s anthologies. I think we stand a pretty great chance!

Aspiration

I wanted to be a lake but I’m nothing but a pebble skipping along and sinking rather than blossoming and growing I wanted to be able to fly but I’m stapled to the ground the cold, hard earth and not the freely breathing air I aspired to be a flame but now I am put out no heat; no life and definitely no spirit I dreamt of being a celebrity with everlasting flame It sucks that I am not: Just a dead personality I wanted to be a medicine to help the ones I care for but it turns out – I’m a virus infecting everyone he comes across. Tony Hannington The Autumn Tower, How tall it rises, Its glowing embers light up like a tree, Innocent leaves fall gracefully. The Autumn Tower, How darkened it’s become. Its skeleton stands so hollow, And a mourning community follows. The Autumn Tower, How did it come to this? It’s flammable exterior, Finally reveals its lazy superiors. Jess Bessell

Life Goes On

It’s been so long Feels like it’s been a millennia I don’t even recall what it used to be like Your voice, your smile, your laugh I’ve forgotten it all I’ve forgotten You It’s all sort of Changed But not for the better The world is upside down without you It’s a lot harder to see where I’m going Without you as my flashlight It’s difficult to see how I’m doing Without you to tell me it’s okay It’s not easy to cry Without your shoulder to cry on And it kills me To see your smile Because I know After all that separated us I’ll never make you smile again So I need to Change Back, alone, To not depend on you Or need you To get on with my life Despite your absence As easy as it might have been for you It’s not easy for me So for now I miss you I need you But you don’t need me So I need to learn To live without you Because life goes on Andrea Sambrano

In addition to this, the Spelling Bee took place during Period 3 on the final Friday of Activities Week, and was sandwiched between our morning puzzle-cracker session and the afternoon field activities. We had a record number of competition entrants, all of whom were beyond impressive, spelling us out of our pre-prepared list, meaning the English faculty had to spontaneously create an additional bonus round with words like ‘facetious’ and ‘pseudonym’ to whittle down the finalists. Finally, Milan Kainth triumphed with Kirubel Mulat in second place. All in all, our competitors were brilliant, as were the audience with their impressive banners and encouraging words of support.

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PAN London Youth and Public Services Day – Mrs Denoon On Thursday 21 June we travelled to Alexandra Palace for the PAN London Youth and Public Services Day. A fantastic group of students took part in various demonstrations and were introduced to several

career ideas for the future. Welcome speeches were given and the students were inspired to visit the stands and find out more. We met the London Fire Brigade, used the thermal imaging cameras and sat in the fire engine. Students met the police dogs and were told about their various roles. This was really interesting as the dogs have different jobs… and were so cute! The Royal Navy had a football challenge and the teachers were

lucky enough to be given some Royal Navy t-shirts. Miss Heath and Mrs Glen had a go at the rugby challenge with the students and some Saracens players; Mrs Glen was very good, Miss Heath not so much as she nearly knocked out Miss Horsley! The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment bought along 3 sniper guns and explained the different sizes and what they are used for. Some were very heavy and designed to be placed on the ground, some were for carrying. Staff and students were able to go on the bungee rope run and had a great time competing against one another on who could run the furthest. Whilst this was taking place Haringey Boxing Club were showing various age and weight group boxing matches in the centre of the Great Hall for everyone to watch. We had a fabulous time – the students were able to take part in lots or activities and thoroughly enjoyed their day!

Tottenham Football club were also represented and gave the students some skills training. The Army Reserves showed students how to use handcuffs, batons and other police gear and were “arrested” and allowed in the back of the Police car. We also had the opportunity to try out the official riot gear which was very heavy and hard to wear on a hot day. It showed how difficult it must be to wear, whilst having to deal with a serious situation, and gave the students a new level of respect for the services. Virtual Reality headsets were very popular and the students had fun taking part in the various games that they had. All in all it was a great day out and we felt privileged to be invited along.

Careers, Education, Advice and Guidance – Mrs Bramley

Stage 3 Quality in Career Standard Award

Coopers School has now been awarded the Stage 3 Quality in Career Standard Award. This is the national quality award for careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) in schools, colleges and work-based learning. It is fully aligned with the eight Gatsby Benchmarks for "Good Career Guidance", complies with the Department for Education's 'statutory guidance' and is externally assessed.

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University Outreach Opportunities

We are extremely pleased to announce that one of our Year 12 students, Freddy Flaherty, has been accepted onto the very competitive Sutton Trust Summer Schools Programme for Medicine at Imperial College London. In addition, another Year 12 student, Louise O’Sullivan, will be joining the highly competitive UNIQ Summer Schools Programme at Oxford University for Law. We wish them both an enjoyable and productive time, and look forward to hearing how they got on in September.

The Sutton Trust programmes are designed to support students to make informed choices about their next steps. They work in partnership with top universities who run engaging programmes that give practical advice and leave our young people feeling inspired.

The summer schools are UNIQ’s flagship programme. Students attend Oxford for a week, stay in a college, and attend an academic programme during the day and social activities in the evenings. They get first-hand experience of life at university, meet like-minded

people and gain a deeper understanding of a subject that interests them. We also congratulate one of our Year 11 students, Jade Lambert, who secured a place on the ‘Target Medicine‘ Summer School at University College, London. University Applications As part of our aspirational programme a group of students from Years 11 and 12 visited Cambridge University for the day to help dispel any myths they may have about Oxbridge applications. Year 12 students visited a University Convention at ExCel, providing the opportunity to speak with UCAS experts and hundreds of university representatives, employers, and gap year specialists.

Our Year 12 University application cycle opened in early June and our Year 12 students have actively been registering with UCAS and making an early start with their Personal Statements.

Apprenticeships and Employment Many of our Year 13 students were keen to attend the ‘Next Steps’ Conference in Bromley where they were encouraged to engage with a number of employers in the area. Several students have applied for Higher and Degree Level apprenticeships and we are delighted to announce that a number have been successful in acquiring a Degree apprenticeship in Civil Engineering and Higher Level apprenticeships in Architecture, Insurance Underwriting and Childcare. Earlier in the year we were visited by a delegate from ‘ASK ‘ (Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge for schools) who assisted students with their applications preparing them for not only their paper applications but also presenting a workshop to help prepare students for the Assessment Centre part of the application process. In addition they took part in a “linkedin” workshop further supporting students with the creation of their online profiles. Employability Visits Women in Law: In May, a group of Year 10 students visited The Bank of America, Merrill Lynch for an

afternoon of ‘Speed Networking’ providing an insight into the opportunities that a large Investment Bank can provide for Women in Law. Students were given the opportunity to interview a number of bank employees about their current role and their personal journey into the Legal Profession. Sevenoaks Network – IBCP link: A number of enrichment sessions have been organised by Sevenoaks School through our IB link. In early June a group of aspirational Year 10 students attended a ‘Next Step’ Employability morning, and later in the month Year 12 students attended a Science Symposium with

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presentations on cutting edge scientific research relating to Drug targeting for the modern age: A multidisciplinary approach to Forensic Science: Investigating the structure of misfolded proteins that cause prion disease and Chemical Selection at the Origins of Life on Earth. In School Events Careers in Fashion We were fortunate to host delegates from the Fashion Retail Academy who spoke to interested students in all year groups about the varied and interesting career pathways associated with the fashion industry. JTL Electrical Installation and Plumbing Year 10 students hoping to follow a vocational career pathway were visited by a manager from a local apprenticeship training provider whose presentation provided a valuable insight into the recruitment process and GCSE requirements for entry. Employability Day - Year 10 On Wednesday 4 July students took part in an Employability Day as part of their Activities Week schedule. The focus was twofold – Employability skills and ‘Next Step’ decisions. The RahRah Theatre Company’s presentation on Employability skills was a huge hit with students, many of whom overcame their nervousness and engaged with the activities on stage. Employers who visited were impressed with our students. They came from a variety of career areas such as Visual Effects from ‘Double Negative, Human Resources from 1st Step, Surveying and Engineering from Amccass, as well as Project Management and Interview Skills. I was delighted to see a number of Year 10 students presenting at the end of the day in front of their peers – a daunting prospect for many of them! NCS Summer Programme

A large number of our Year 11 students and some Year 12 students have now signed up for the NCS Summer Programme.

Work Ready Schools Please do take a look on the website at our Employability site – Work Ready Schools. You will be able to access it through your child’s school email address. The site is frequently updated and holds invaluable information ready to be tapped in to. Work Experience Programme A large number of Year 12 students are currently out on work experience with many securing two week placements. A very small number of Year 10 students also participated and we are pleased to report that, following a very successful week, one student has already been offered an apprenticeship on completion of his studies next year. A more detailed report will follow in September when we have received feedback from both employers and students. A special thank you to those parents that offered placements to some of our students.

Activities Week 2018

What a week! Camping, bowling, theme parks, water parks, pizza, surfing and just about everything you can ever hope for! All students and teachers are still recovering from such an eventful and fun filled week. In school it was fantastic walking around observing all of the activities taking place such as catapult making, artistic Maths, team building, It’s a Knockout inflatables, and the English Department had a great day with all students with Mr Harvey explaining The Greatest Show as follows:

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“In school, students have been learning about the importance of inclusivity in their study of P. T. Barnum's circuses. We learnt about Barnum's own life and the lives of some of his greatest stars, including Jenny Lind and General Tom Thumb. Students then undertook some research into animal welfare standards in today's circuses in the UK and the USA. The day culminated in a screening of Michael Gracey's 'The Greatest Showman'; we considered how Hollywood has treated (sanitised?) the Barnum narrative and whether the film should be praised as 'groundbreaking and grandly innovative,' or dismissed as 'all smoke and mirrors, no substance.'” A snap shot of the many and varied activities that the students (and staff) enjoyed and shown below: Tossa De Mar What an amazing week we all had! Both students and staff involved enjoyed every minute of what has been a very successful trip packed with Water Sport Activities, a day at the Water Park, evening beach games and entertainments, a very intense England World Cup match followed by celebrations, a Disco Party and a cultural visit to Barcelona including a tour of the Camp Nou Football Stadium. During our week in Tossa, our students put their Spanish into practice while shopping and using transport, and they had the opportunity to taste some Spanish dishes and got to see some of the most iconic buildings in Barcelona built by the Spanish architect Gaudi. This week has also allowed students to develop strong friendships amongst students from the different year groups we took on this trip and has reinforced the positive rapport they already have with their teaching staff. Students behaved beyond expectations and had lots of laughter. Mr Tuffin was approached outside the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona by journalists from the worldwide known TV Channel Aljazeera and was filmed for a documentary about Barcelona City! Our trip concluded with a special birthday celebration of one of our Year 10 students. We all came back exhausted but very happy after such a rewarding experience, and already looking forward to our next MFL residential trip! Foxlease (Camping) A fun-filled week was had by all! Students worked together to erect tents - it took the girls about 45 minutes

with the boys taking a record breaking 3 hours! The staff set to work on their culinary masterpieces in order to feed the camp for three days. On Tuesday, activities began with zip wire, crate stacking and high ropes on the menu - students were able to develop their teamwork skills and many conquered fears with plenty of screaming involved. Despite cries for a camp fire students were relieved to hear of their special treat to watch the England match on the big screen that had been set up by the lovely ladies of Foxlease. Wednesday saw our first ever visit out of camp with a day of thrills at Paulton's Park. Thursday was water and abseiling day with students learning to kayak, work together to build a raft (some had more success than others – let’s say that one group saw more of the lake than they did the raft! Pizza night was a great success and meant that the staff were able to eat whilst it was still relatively light! Friday was the great camp clear up - which was the most successful yet - everybody was

packed up and ready to leave by the time the coach arrived. The worst part of the trip was the journey home, but nobody can predict the hell of the M25 on a Friday afternoon in searing heat!

Staff and students returned exhausted having coped without technology for five days (on the whole), developed their social skills and made new friends - students learnt to entertain themselves in no time at all with many football matches, frisbee throwing, cricket and velcro ball happening during the week. Special

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thanks must go to Mr Pinder for his BBQ skills, Mrs Denoon the Korma Queen, Ms Blair the washing up fairy, and Miss Krause for a much loved scavenger hunt. We look forward to another camp next year.

Alton Towers It was an early start for the forty students and five members of staff who excitedly set off for Alton Towers at 6.15am on Monday 2 July. We arrived at the Splash Landings Hotel around lunchtime, then once bags were dropped off we headed for the Monorail which would take us to the Park. Once inside, students were armed with their lunch vouchers and their Digipasses and then they were off in search of that adrenaline rush. Once the rides shut for the day, it was back to the hotel for our pizza/pasta buffet and then free time in the hotel before lights out at around 10.00pm. Students then had another early start being woken up at 7.00am for breakfast, suncream and back to the Park for early ride time. Most students headed for Oblivion or the new Wicker Man ride before the park was open to the general public. Students enjoyed all the big rides including Smiler, Rita, Thirteen, Nemesis and Galactica as well as trips on the Rapids and the Runaway Train. Staff decided to take themselves onto Battle Galleons, which resulted in them being soaked but luckily, as the sun was shining, we dried off quickly. At the end of the day, it was back to the hotel for more food and then most students disappeared into their rooms to watch the England game. The next few hours were very tense with loud cheers at the end when the final penalty went in. On the final morning, after packing our suitcases it was time for a few hours in the Splash Landings Waterpark. Students enjoyed the Lazy River and the Wacky Waterworks with the Tipping Bucket, while the staff enjoyed the Jacuzzi. All too soon we were back on the coach for the journey back to Coopers with the traditional additions of a few Pokemon characters and other prizes that had been won. What a fun and enjoyable few days we had – roll on next year…

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Music Tour to Black Forest 2018

On Monday 2 July we woke up nice and early to depart for our annual Music Tour to the Black Forest in Germany. Following a 14-hour coach journey, we arrived at the beautiful German town of Loerrach, on the German-Swiss border. Our hostel was situated amongst the lush green hills of the valley, and we instantly felt refreshed. On our second day, we departed for Lake Titisee where we performed our first concert, featuring a mix of music from our steel pan group, AC/DC from our RockBand and Band on the Run even wowed with their rendition of ‘My Heart Will Go On’. Although it was a drizzly day, we had some die hard audience members! Following our first concert, we had some free time where we could taste some

German regional dishes, including Kaesespaetzle, a German carbonara dish, and the opportunity to go on the pedalos on the lake. We finished the first day with a BBQ of Bratwurst

and a special showing of the England v Sweden match. We were delighted England won! Wednesday was our day at Europa Park, one of the biggest theme parks in Europe. We had a brilliant time there, with rollercoasters to entertain us all! The Splash Zone near Poseidon was also a hit given the fact the heatwave was also on in Germany! We finished the day with a trip to Lazerfun – drenched with sweat but exhausted and happy from our day out.

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The penultimate day was focussed on a trip to the local city Freiburg. Freiburg is famous for its pretty streets, including the mini canals called Baechle – not quite Venice, but still pretty! We completed a photo scavenger hunt and had an opportunity for souvenir shopping before going to the spa town of Badenweiler for our final concert. We got to perform in a professional concert hall and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We absolutely enjoyed our tour this year – students and staff alike. Thank you to all the students who came and played fantastically this year – it has been a pleasure to organise and I hope you come to the Music Tour next year!

Art Week We had a fantastic week of Art, fun and adventure! Year 9 and 10 students visited the magnificent contemporary collection at the Tate Modern, the brutalist beauty of the Barbican Centre and ended the week on a relaxing day in the park at the Horniman Gardens. S tudents will be using the photographs taken during the trips to start their new Art projects in September. Students’ behaviour was exemplary and we wish all students a restful summer break.

Drama – Improvisation Competition The Drama Department ran an improvisation competition through Activities Week this year. Teams in every year group competed to create, rehearse and perform a short piece of drama. To make things more challenging/fun, each team was given one item of costume (for example, a very tall top hat, a wedding dress or a cow onesie), a prop (for example, a bunch of flowers or a cuddly puppy) and a sound effect (ice cream van, police siren, cockerel crowing, car horn or fairy dust). They had just fifteen minutes to prepare a performance in which these three random and often entirely unconnected items were integrated, with the aim of engaging and entertaining the audience. They were marked out of 5 for creativity, use of prop/costume, performance skills and team work. There was a winning team in each group, each year and an overall winner across all year groups.

Year 9s performing a piece loosely inspired by Cinderella

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Teams from Year 8 took part on Monday, Year 7 on Tuesday, Year 9 on Thursday and Year 10 on Friday. All the students threw themselves into the challenge and we saw some very entertaining and creative work on all four days. Year 7 and Year 9 must be commended on the exceptional standard of their work, and our overall winners are Felix Hyde, Einaras Gudjonis and Tapiwa Mandaza from Year 7, whose police drama was brilliantly structured and engaging and not quite equaled by any other team throughout the week, although many came close.

Finance Week During the week, thirty students in Year 10 completed Unit 2 of the Certificate in Financial Education Level 2 (The London Institute of Banking and Finance is the course awarding body.) Unit 2 (Practices of Managing Money) completed by the students provides an opportunity to understand the concept of financial planning and personal financial budgets. The unit also provide students with an understanding of the impact on both the individual and society of spending and borrowing. On Friday 6 July, students completed their studies and sat the exam. We are happy to record over an 80% A*-C grade was achieved. Congratulations to all that passed and best of luck to all students re-sitting next year. Tower of London A lovely walk along the Thames gave students the chance to see the Tower from the outside, as well as having a quick run down about HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge. Once in the Tower we were treated to a re-enactment of the trial of Anne Boleyn before exploring the armouries and visiting the Crown Jewels. Students enjoyed seeing the graffiti of prisoners kept in the Tower.

Year 9 again. A lab coat, cuddly dog and fairy dust sound effect produced a memorable piece in which an experiment to turn a dog into a human backfired….

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London Zoo A lovely day was spent at the Zoo with the opportunity to see a range of animals from Komodo dragons to lions, penguins to tigers, and we even had the chance to stroll through the Butterfly Paradise. Students even managed to cool off by running through the sprinklers with their ice cream at the end! Diggerland We enjoyed a brilliant trip to Diggerland with Year 7 students. Most children had their first experience driving a car and operating some heavy duty equipment. Some students went back multiple times on the spin dizzy, even after lunch!

Chislehurst Caves Students investigated Chislehurst Caves with a tour guide learning about the rich history of Chislehurst. Lots of screaming and laughter ensued when the lights were switched off and the tour guide made us all jump!

Imperial War Museum Students visited the First Word War Gallery and learnt about all the different aspects of the war at home and on the Western Front. There were lots of interactive activities, before we explored the rest of the museum. Ice creams on the grass at lunchtime were a definite must! Go Ape During this trip we had the opportunity to carry out the ‘Tree Top Junior’ which consisted of an hour of tree top mischief which resulted in an ear-to-ear smile of gratitude across the faces of the students. The Fisherman’s Net and multiple zip wires at Battersea are firm favourites and were not to be missed. Students were so well behaved they were treated to fun in the park and ice cream on the way home.

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London Bridge Experience This trip explored the history of London Bridge through 2000 years. It was filled with story telling by actors which was very educational. Students got to experience the ambience of London Bridge in years gone by through sight, sound and smell. Actors where professional and convincing. There was a lot of screaming and laughter when students visited the tombs – ultimately a true London Bridge EXPERIENCE! Paintball 45 happy Year 9 students and one poor Computer Science teacher with a target on his back. Six games, two teams with a last man standing finale! Miss Reece even got a chance to paintball Mr Buteux!

We have already begun our plans for Activities Week 2019 (see below) so keep

your eyes and ears open for all updates! Year 8 Maths in Paris Trip for Activities Week 2019 The Mathematics Faculty is offering a fantastic opportunity for Year 8 students (current Year 7) to participate in a 5 day, 4 night trip to Paris from Monday 1 – Friday 5 July 2019.

During the week the students will engage in a fun packed programme of activities (around Palais Royal Columns, Louvre Pyramid, Arc de Triomphe, etc), while being challenged at times to use and apply their mathematical skills and knowledge to solve problems as well as French speaking skills. The cost of the trip is £490** per student; this includes return coach travel, ferry from Dover – Calais, hotel, all activities, all meals and entry to Disneyland Paris. There are 44 student places available on the trip

and as there has been a lot of initial interest from the students, places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. If the trip becomes oversubscribed we will put students’ names on a waiting list and inform you if places become available. For more information and the payment schedule, please contact Mr Oyedeji joyedeji@coopersschool.com or Mr La sla@coopersschool.com. ** please note that costs may increase subject to numbers.

Parent Forum Parent Forum is made up of interested parents, and meets once every half-term to discuss matters important to Coopers’ Parents and their child’s education. Meetings are at 6.00pm and normally last approximately 90 minutes. If you are interested in being a part of Parent Forum for the next academic year, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Denoon at hdenoon@coopersschool.com.

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We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our students, parent and carers and wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable summer break. We look forward to welcoming the students back to school on Wednesday 5 September, fully refreshed and ready for another exciting year of learning and enrichment. Yours faithfully

Shirley Puxty Sue Wood

Principal Headteacher Deputy CEO – E21C

Army Cadet Force (ACF) – on behalf of Lt David Platt I write to introduce the Army Cadet Force (ACF) which is a national youth organisation sponsored and subsidised by the MOD and the British Army but is neither part of the army nor the reserves so cadets are under no obligation to 'join up'. We have a proud, 158-year history of providing challenging, adventurous, developmental and achievable activities for young people aged between 12 and 18 years. Our exciting training syllabus includes military and non-military modules such as Navigation, Shooting, Fieldcraft, First Aid, Community Project Work and Sports. Throughout this syllabus, we promote the ACF Values and Standards:- Courage - Discipline - Integrity - Selfless Commitment - Loyalty - Respect for others We are Britain's largest single approved agency for the DofE Award Scheme and, apart from the initial enrolment fee, all other expenses are absorbed by the ACF. In addition, we are also BTEC and CVQO accredited. We are continually on the lookout to attract more young people to the ACF. If you are interested in your son or daughter joining us, please come to see us at the TA Centre, 43 Anglesea Road, Orpington,BR5 4AN on any Wednesday evening from 7pm onwards or contact me via email 0587platt@armymail.mod.uk.