Head’s LinesI AM DELIGHTED to report that we have had a very eventful and successful year. Hedingham is a good school with outstanding students who are given many opportunities to thrive. Our high standards and expectations ensure that we remain popular in the community. Good practice continues to be established and embedded; empowerment remains high on the agenda for staff and students. Our school is a vibrant, happy community.

I would like to thank all members of staff and Governors for their continued commitment and hard work. The members of the Senior Leadership Team have been excellent and I thank them for their support and expertise in driving school improvement.

A number of teaching staff are leaving us this year as follows:

David Margery joined Hedingham in September 1987 as Head of Year and in 2006 became part of the Senior Leadership Team. David is retiring at the end of July. He is a successful, committed, supportive and highly respected member of the Senior Leadership Team and the local and wider community. He has had a positive impact on student achievement and whole school improvement. After 30 years at Hedingham School he is entitled to a well-earned rest. We wish him a long and healthy retirement. Anne Beaumont joined Hedingham in 2000 as a Drama Teacher and then Leader of Drama. She is a dedicated and outstanding teacher within the Performing Arts Learning Area. Anne has directed a large number of very successful school productions. We wish her a long and healthy retirement.

Carolyn Flight joined Hedingham School in 2009 as a House Leader and Teacher of PE. She is a very effective and supportive member of the House Team and a dedicated PE teacher. She has had a positive impact on student achievement. We wish Carolyn a long and healthy retirement.

Tom Challener joined us in 2015 at a Maths Teacher. He is an effective and supportive member of the Maths Learning Area.

Greg Charlton joined us in January 2017 at a Maths Teacher. He is an enthusiastic and supportive member of the Learning Area.

Ryan Maiden joined us in 2016 on a one year fixed contract as a PE Teacher and is an effective member of the PE Department.

Sandra Burmicz joined us in 2014 as a Science Teacher. She is an enthusiastic teacher and an effective member of the Science Department.

Robin Baker joined us in 2007 as a Science Teacher. He is an effective and very supportive member of the Science Department.

Tefaney Stewart joined us in 2016 as a Textiles Teacher to cover for maternity leave. She is a very good teacher and supportive of the Design & Technology Department.

Mark Ralling joined us in 2006 as a trainee in ICT and in 2007 became an ICT Technician. He is leaving us to go work for BT Openreach as a trainee engineer.

Maria Risley joined us in 2015 as a Teaching Assistant and is very effective within the classroom environment.

Lisa Turner joined us in 2016 as a Teaching Assistant and will be returning to Hedingham School in September to start training as a Geography Teacher.

I would like to thank all the staff who are leaving for their commitment to the students of Hedingham School. I wish them well in their new ventures or positions.

As usual, these pages contain information and pictures of activities which have been happening in school this term, but I would like to mention a few highlights as follows:

The Sixth Form Summer Ball and the Year 11 Prom were great occasions as can be seen from the photographs in this edition of Hedlights. Our young people really look immaculate and they thoroughly enjoy themselves on these events.

The Sixth Form Enterprise Challenge was, as always, very vibrant and productive. The students were conscientious, busy and industrious. They enjoyed the visits to their various

businesses. They all looked very professional and their exhibitions and presentations were of a very high standard. It is very rewarding to see our students working on a project that encourages the use of a large number of skills. The programme is intense and brings out the best in those taking part. Congratulations to Darren Batch and his team for all their hard work in providing a superb experience once again for our students.

The Summer Concert held on 11 July was superb. It was a lovely evening of musical performances with a large number of talented students entertaining us. Thank you to Richard Cull and everyone involved. The Dance Show on Thursday 13 July was exceptional. We have some very talented dancers in the school who work hard to bring us shows like this one; they performed so well. I know that everyone who attended enjoyed every minute. A very special evening. Many thanks to Gemma Brighton, Kara Challis and Nicola Cook.

Our students are great ambassadors for their school. There is always a calm, purposeful and constructive atmosphere in the school which visitors comment upon. We have a very strong community ethos which is demonstrated in a number of positive ways.

I am proud to be the Headteacher of Hedingham School.

Finally, I would just like to remind you that the AS and A Level results are out on Thursday 17 August 2017 and the GCSE results are out on Thursday 24 August 2017 and we are now looking forward to celebrating our students’ achievements. I wish everyone a very safe, healthy and enjoyable summer vacation. The start of the new academic year is Wednesday 6 September 2017.

John Panayi, Headteacher

Jack Petchey AwardsCONGRATULATIONS to the Summer Term Jack Petchey award winners :

Sam Lesslie (April) - Sam was nominated for being very helpful and supportive of other students within the Music Department.

Chloe Plumb (May) - Chloe was nominated for giving up her time to help out at the Colchester Homeless Shelter on Wednesday evenings. Chloe collects, and distributes, clothes to help keep people warm and dry in the winter.

Jamie Watts (June) - Jamie was nominated for singlehandedly setting up Creative Designs selling jewellery, the proceeds of which she has kindly donated to the school to reinvest in other business opportunities in the future.

They are all a credit to our school community and we are very proud of what they have achieved.Each winner was presented with a certificate, badge and cheque.

These students volunteer in their free time to help in the Learning Centre, making it a better place for all students and staff. A big thank you to them from Mrs Curteis and Mrs Bird.

Hedingham’s Top ReadersTHESE four students were the Top Readers in their Houses for the Summer Term this year. Well done and keep reading!

These students were the overall winners in their Houses for this year’s Spelling Bee. Congratulations!

From left to right, Josua Lee, Emma Southgate,

Emily Bennett and Poppy Oldham

From left to right, NoahHammond, Aaron Horwood, Anna Sillet, Owen Cummings, Emily Smith, Diya Patel, Alice Bull, Amber Crick, Christopher Horwood, Ella Weatherburn, Joshua lee and Orianna Mewse

and Top Spellers

From left to right, Amelia Aldridge, Dylan Barton, Ben Skittrall, Joe Gammon, Lewis Pettigrew, Bob Stringer and Toby Lewis

Thank you for this year’s Learning Centre Helpers!

From left to right, Flyn Larkin, Ethan Duxbury, Phoebe Kiddle, Luke Couch, Elliot Hawkins, Isobel Brooks and Aisha Playle

HEDINGHAM SCHOOL and Sixth Form has an impressive record of outstanding achievement in Art and it looks as if this year will be no exception! The A Level Art students

have finished their exams and this Friday families and friends are invited to view an exhibition of their work which showcases their artistic talent. The students received their exam papers in February and then worked in their own time, with advice and guidance from their teachers, to prepare for their practical exam. Ms Kathy Crawley. Leader of Art, at the school, commented, “Without exception, all students have produced work of a really high standard, some of which wouldn’t look out of place in a professional art gallery.”The Art Department has produced an impressive catalogue called Painter’s Progress, of the artwork the students have produced. This ensures that

the students and their families have a beautiful memento of the past year’s hard work. The catalogue also includes details of the inspiration

that students have taken for their work that gives the reader ‘insider comments’. This catalogue has been dedicated to the memory of Sam Wehmeyer, a former student at the school, who sadly passed away in December 2016.

Painter’s Progress

Year 13 student Jess Joyce:‘I decided to explore the translucency of water and paint. I am quite proud of my final pieces as it is the first time I have painted in an abstract way.’

Above: Year 12 student Ivan Pitts:

‘The painting that I have produced is of my parents lighting a candle in the

kitchen because tone could be created with the presence of light.’

Above Right: Year 12 student Rebecca Godfrey:‘I have captured a river view from a

walkway by the River Stour. I like how I have fashioned the reflections of the trees

and the shrubbery in the river.’

Best Uniform Winnersfor the first half of the Summer Term

Ethan Duxbury • Even Richardson • CharlieJarvis Jennifer Pummell • Cameron Sparkes • Emily Thomas

Joseph de St Esteban • Emily Bennett • Abigail Stoney • James Tarbin

HUNDREDS OF FAMILY and friends gathered at The Essex Golf and Country Club in Earls Colne last week to see Hedingham School Year 11 students arrive in style for their prom! It was the day students had been planning for months and the thought of it had kept many going through the long hard weeks of GCSE revision.

The annual Hedingham Prom is always a very special event, but this year was extra poignant as it was the year group of Arran Tosh, who tragically died when he was in Year 8, who were celebrating the end of their exams. Despite not being here in person, Arran is still so much in the heart and minds of everyone at Hedingham that the students wanted him to be part of their event. The boys decided to wear thistle button-holes as Arran was so proud of his Scottish heritage, whilst the girls wore green rosette corsages on their wrists to celebrate

Arran’s charity and his love of Celtic Football Club. Kai Sillery and Harry Crockett made a magnificent entrance in a massively high cherry picker, resplendent in bright green suits adorned with the’ Smile of Arran’ logo on the back. This charity was set up in Arran’s name by his friends and family and has gone on to raise

thousands of pounds for

other families with children with brain tumours.

VW camper vans were a very popular form of transport this year together with party buses, double decker buses, army trucks, sports cars and limousines. Lauren Beaney, Megan Assouline, Millie Johnson and Chloe Louise Baker decided to be a

little different and arrived in style in a beautiful horse drawn carriage! The girls all looked stunning in slinky dresses with bright

red and hues of blue being the most popular colours. The boys looked very dapper in smart suits and Dan Sing decided to celebrate his Scottish heritage by wearing a

kilt. The dancing went on all night and the dance floor was packed all evening! The night was finally brought to a close by a spectacular firework display that made a

suitable end to a wonderful evening.

Prom Perfection

GEOGRAPHY TEACHER Miss Stephanie Davie gives an account of her trip to Iceland – a Geography teacher’s dream!

In the Easter holidays, we took 36 students to the beautiful country of Iceland. Our first stop was at the Blue Lagoon, an absolutely magnificent contrast of warm and cool waters. The air was cold as dusk was upon us, but the water was hot. The students covered their faces in a natural mud mask and drank slush puppies from the swim up bar! We then moved on to a zone where the 2 tectonic plates (Eurasian and North American) meet, and the students were able to run through the rift created – an extraordinary black ash and volcanic rock formation!

On the second day we visited a couple of waterfalls; the first we

were able to walk behind, and all got soaked by the spray coming off it! We climbed up to the top of another waterfall (a mere 444 steps!) and were able to look down at it tumbling below us, even catching a glimpse of the rainbow created.

Next, we went to a volcano centre, and learned about the impact of the 2010 eruption on local people that lived at the base of this active volcano and Pupils were able to purchase volcanic ash or volcanic rock as a souvenir. In the afternoon, we went glacier walking! It was so exciting, climbing through the mix of ice and volcanic ash left from the 2010 eruption. With crampons on our feet, ice-picks in our hands and helmets for health and safety, we clambered up to the surface of the glacier learning about how these

features form (a great geography lesson for them all!).

Miss Davie was in awe of the extinct volcano crater that we visited which now has a lake filling it. We walked around it and down to the lake itself – she even managed to fit in a mini lesson on hotspots – for those that were interested! A trip to the black beach with basalt cliffs and caves was also incredible! The students all clambered onto the cliffs and had their pictures taken.The trip concluded on the final day with a visit to a geothermal power station and a quick trip to Reykjavik to explore the town. To summarise, we had a fantastic trip, the students were impeccably behaved and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves, with the glacier walk proving the most enjoyed activity of the 4 day excursion!

ImpressiveIceland

See the World with Hedingham SchoolHEDINGHAM SCHOOL strives to give the best opportunities to its students, both inside and outside the classroom. Every year there are numerous trips on offer to students of all ages, ranging from day- long field trips in East Anglia to trips across Europe and the world. Here are accounts of four recent trips that students have participated in:

DURING THE FIRST WEEK of Easter, 26 excited Sixth Form students, and 3 even more excited members of staff, crossed the pond for the first Media & Photography trip to New York. Once there, students were amazed to see the sheer size of the city, as well as the food portions!

Day One started with a trip to the International Centre of Photography where there were exhibitions on global warming, gender fluidity, religious extremism and the recent presidential election. This allowed students to see serious world issues through the medium of the lens. The afternoon took a slightly more sombre turn as they headed to the financial district to view the 9/11 memorial. All students were extremely respectful and it was a poignant place to reflect on the uncertainty of life.

Day Two was busy, with a morning

trip to the Museum of Moving Image in Queens, which houses numerous film props and early cinema equipment. The students all found this incredibly interesting and, as many hope to go on to careers in filmmaking, it provided a once in a lifetime opportunity to see where the medium began.

In the early afternoon, the Rockefeller Centre was the location for a tour around the NBC Television Studios, where students were shown the sets for popular programmes such as ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon’. This tour gave them behind the scenes information and culminated in them producing their own talk show segment in a special studio. Following this, a walk up 5th Avenue to Central Park allowed students to take in the sights of the city, and even stop at Trump Towers for a loo break! The evening meal was at the Hard

Rock Café in Times Square, allowing students some ‘down time’ to have a wander around the square and get some all-important shopping in!

The last day started with an early morning trip to the Empire State Building and whilst the view did not stretch quite as far as was hoped, everyone loved the experience of going up in the elevator to the top and looking out over the edge.

Overall, even though there were some fun and games with the subway and sore feet due to all the walking, an incredible experience was had by all. The students represented Hedingham Sixth Form exceptionally well and were a credit to the school. Upon returning, Megan Grant & Chloe McDonnell commented,“The trip was an unforgettable experience. It was amazing to get to see such a bright and vibrant city first hand, rather than just on the TV or in films”.

New York, New York

Scintillating Ski Trip

Miss Hannah Wallis, History teacher at the school, reports about the ski trip that happened in the Easter holidays:In February half-term, thirty six students from Hedingham School departed on the annual Ski Trip. After one of the longest coach journeys I think most of us had ever been on, a full 24 hours, we finally arrived in Northern Italy for a week of skiing. The group quickly settled into their new home and wasted no time in getting stuck into some snowball fights! The group was staying around 20 minutes from the Kronplatz ski resort – set in the Italian Dolomites and, once boots and skis had been hired, we were all set. The ski resort had a wide range of slopes suitable for beginners,

intermediate and advanced skiers. Once on the slopes, the group was split in terms of ability, with the advanced and intermediate heading straight

out onto the slopes, with both groups hitting black slopes by the end of the week (both figuratively and literally!). The beginners took things a bit easier on the first few days, but in no time at all they headed out onto blue and even red

slopes. The highlight of the week for many of them was getting to test their speed at the BMW time trials. The winners for each group were: Ben Goodyear, Jack May, Georgia Davidson and Skyla Page. After a busy day skiing, the hotel was the perfect place to stay with plenty of room for the students to spread out, plus the food was fantastic! However, there was no rest for the group because, after a day on the slopes, there was a jam- packed schedule of evening activities which included swimming, a meal at a traditional Pizzeria and, of course, Mr Lockley’s quiz! It was a fantastic week, with a really lovely group of students… although I think everyone was relieved when they could finally get home and have a lie in!

I WAS SITTING eating a bag of chips on the beach at Aldeburgh in brilliant sunshine on Saturday, listening to music from the Bandstand on the Beach as part of the Aldeburgh Arts Festival. Two young musicians, who were part of the BBC Introducing initiative, were playing beautiful music and the setting was just idyllic – a backdrop of waves coming in and seagulls in a bright blue sky flying over the beach bandstand. It was only half way through their set that I realised I used to teach the two musicians on stage! They were Clarice Parrott and Simon Lucas Hughes – both ex-students of Hedingham School, who now play under the name of Amethysts. Clarice, who is now 21, studied Photography, Dance and Music in

the Sixth Form, whilst Simon, who is now 24 years old, followed courses in Art, History and Psychology.

Clarice and Simon were both hugely talented musicians at school and regularly took part in concerts and events, singing and playing to students, their families and friends

of the school. It was wonderful to see them now playing to hundreds of people at a professional event.

They now live together in Sudbury and are being championed by BBC Introducing in Suffolk, who showcase new emerging music from unsigned musicians. Amethysts have been noticed by Tom Robinson of Radio 6 and have recently had their new single ‘Purple Blood’ played on the radio to high acclaim. Clarice says, ‘It is an exciting time for Amethysts as we have recorded our single and just made a new music video for it. Graeme McLoughlin of BBC Introducing Suffolk has been really supportive of us and we even have opportunities coming up in America!’

Hedingham School is immensely proud of the success that Clarice and Simon have achieved so far and we wish them success in their future ventures. We are sure we will be hearing more of them!

Tara Clackett in Year 8 recently travelled to Le Touquet in France as part of a Modern Foreign Languages trip. She said, ‘This was the best trip ever! It was my first time

abroad and I am so glad that I went. I visited a biscuit factory and a chocolate factory and bought lots of presents and souvenirs in the market.’ Twelve-year old Harrison Cave

commented, ‘The trip was amazing, especially the market, and the beach was such fun! The only sad bit was my chocolate Eiffel Tower melted on the bus because it was so warm!’

Vive la France!

Amethysts – What a gem

Hedingham School Year 9 student Imogen Newby has just returned from a victorious weekend at the Junior National Outdoor Championships where she took part in her debut for the England team. The event was held at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre and Imogen tells the story of her amazing weekend below!On Friday night we had our Team England meeting with our managers and they explained what was going to happen and I was able to meet my team mates. I received my England kit, which fitted perfectly, and a surprise England gilet which I was not expecting!So the 40m distance started well, opening with a 54 (max score is 60). The 30m distance was really good too. Now the target shrank to 80cm…game changer! Dad said I had to relax my release and be more gentle on the shot. So, with this in mind, I tried my best to run the process, pull on my strength and resolve to claw the points back. 56, 58, 59, 57, 58, 59 BOOM! I was now 4 points ahead. At this point, my team manager came up to see me and my team mate and tell us that the Home Nations match rested on our shoulders…no pressure then! However, I knew what I had to do. 60, 60, 60, 60, 60, 60 ending the event on 1360, as the UK Ladies

U14 Recurve Champion, a new PB, National 10m Record, four County Records, Club Record…what more could I want? The Home Nations! We all gathered for results to be called out and I collected my medal and trophy . In the Home Nations, Wales were called in 3rd place, then Scotland in 2nd place and the England in 1st! You have never heard so many cheers and screams! I was so happy!! Sunday was an early call at 6am from Dad, quick shower, and then my usual porridge and fruit to set me up for

another long day. I started really well. Max score per end is 54. I scored 52, 52, 54, 54, 54, 52, I had a 12 point lead…things couldn’t have gone better then I hit a 5, scoring 44 then a 46, 52 then a 44. My heart sank, adrenalin kicked in and I had to dig deep to stop the point loss as I was now 8 points behind in 3rd place. Then the 30 yard course. This had

to be good with no slip ups!…54, 54, 54, 54, 52, 52, 52, 54…hello, back in the game with a 4 point lead! Now nothing but a perfect round could seal this off…20 yards was flawless, 54, 54, 54, 54, ending the day victorious and 1246. New PB, new County Record…I was over the moon. I had worked so hard, my back was aching, my shoulder was giving me jip, but I am now the Double UK Ladies U14 Recurve Champion 2017! It does not get much better than that!Thank you to everyone that supports me in my pursuit of my Olympic dreams.

Amber Gladin, in Year 8 at Hedingham, first went skiing with the school in February half term. It was a wonderful trip and Amber really loved the experience. Little did she know that this love of skiing was to be the start of her alpine racing career. Amber was spotted whilst at the dry slope at Hemel Hempstead, where she trains, by one

of the Team Evolution Alpine Racing Team and her dad was told that she was a natural. Amber now trains weekly at both Hemel Hempstead and Welwyn Garden City with the race club and also with Ambition Racing. She is set to go out to Austria to train in October half term. During the summer holidays, she will be attending National Schools Training Days and also a Team Evolution 3 day Camp. Amber is loving the experience and is particularly excited about the winter season where she has lots of competitions ahead and could even be offered the opportunity to go abroad to train, perhaps in Bormio, Italy! Miss Howes, Head of Thomason House, is particularly proud as Amber is following in her footsteps as she too was part of the Eastern Regions Ski Team and then the GB team. So it’s full skis ahead for Amber! Well done!!

Having been inspired by the success of ex-student Toby Curwen Bingley (aka Curbi), this term Year 7 and 9 students have been creating their own dance music compositions. They have been using industry standard browser based software, called ‘VIP Soundation’. There have been some superb results, so much so that two students, Riley Jones and William Sandford, were named ‘Tracks of the Month’ by the dance producer Max Wheeler, who runs the software. This is fantastic as hundreds of schools use the website across Essex- it must have been rather difficult to choose these two tracks amongst the hundreds of tracks he receives nationally on a weekly basis, let alone those he receives from our own students! The website has been a brilliant addition to the KS3 curriculum with many students producing some great pieces. Students can access the service anywhere at any time, so please encourage them to log onto their profile at home and show you what they have been working on!

ChampionImogen

Amber is Skiing her way to Success