HEDINGHAM SCHOOL & SIXTH FORM NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2015HEDLIGHTS

HEDINGHAM DRESSES UP FOR RED N SE DAY REPORT &

PICTURES PAGES 7 - 10

THE EXAMINATION season is upon us. Our students in Years 11, 12 and 13 are determined to succeed and every teacher is working hard to ensure that appropriate revision and homework tasks are available to guarantee that target grades are met or exceeded. As usual, there is an Easter revision programme which you will have been informed about. Thank you to parents for supporting and encouraging your child at this very important time. Pulling together, we are looking to accomplish exceptional results this summer.

I mention below some events which have been happening within the school this term, and you will find pictures and more features within these pages.

Year 9 Face to Face with Enterprise was excellent. The students really threw themselves into the whole venture, thoroughly enjoyed experiencing what happens in the world of work and gaining an understanding and awareness of business. I would like to thank Sue Trim and Sue Miley for organising and running the event. Thank you also to all staff who participated.

The Jack Petchey Awards Evening on Tuesday 27 January was very successful. The students were delighted to receive their prizes. Congratulations to all of them and well done. My thanks to Beth Buchanan and Danni Rulton for their part in the entertainment. It was, once again, an excellent evening. Thank you to everyone who attended with special thanks to Andy Harvison and Paul Finch.

Year 8 PSHE Day was very successful. I observed a number of sessions and students were interested in and enjoying the activities. My thanks to everyone involved with special thanks to Sue Miley and Angie Robinson for their hard work in preparing for the day and on the day itself. It was a very

good day. We have had three Jack Petchey

Winners since the beginning of 2015 as follows:Ben Gentry was January’s Award Winner. He was nominated for assisting in running the Rock School this year which included supporting students in playing their music part and maintaining key musical instruments and equipment.

Helen Harvey was February’s Winner. She was nominated because, having experienced a terrible accident and trauma, she has returned to school and has shown great commitment to her studies. Despite having missed a number of lessons, Helen has worked hard to catch up, has shown great determination and displayed a positive attitude which is inspiring. She also encourages other students in their learning and is an excellent example to all.

Madeline Collett was March’s Winner. She was nominated for undertaking a bake sale this summer and raising £150 for charity. She also takes part in Drama and Vocalise and has been involved in the School and House Councils for the last two years.

Congratulations to all of them and very well done!

The Whole School Performing Arts Show was absolutely fantastic on Wednesday 11 February. It was all brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable; the actors, the musicians, the dancers, the lighting and sound were all amazing. My thanks to everyone involved for making it so exceptional. With special thanks to Anne Beaumont, Richard Cull, Nicola Cook, Kara Challis and Mark Ralling. It was truly outstanding.

The non-uniform day on Friday 13 February was excellent. It was a joint Charity Day with all our feeder primary schools to raise vital money for the Essex Air Ambulance. Students were encouraged to wear

something yellow. So far we have raised £835. Well done to everyone involved and thank you to the House Leaders and Rosanne Archer for organising the event.

World Book Day was very good. The daily quiz, short stories and other activities were brilliant, bringing much enjoyment, fun and competition for students and staff alike. Thank you to Fiona Curteis and Katherine Andrews for arranging this event.

Red Nose Day on 13 March was brilliant. Years 7-10 had a non-uniform day and Year 11s had their ‘dress up’ day. They threw themselves into the event, wearing some weird and wonderful costumes, as did some of the staff. The Reception and SSC staff ’s contributions were particularly good. As usual, during the afternoon, they all paraded through Sible Hedingham collecting money. Shoppers were thrilled and amazed to see the students and they gave generously. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and so far over £800 has been collected.

Our students are superb and continue to work very hard and responsibly in lessons and during extra curricular activities. They fully deserve the praise they receive from visitors to our school. They are always helpful and polite and visitors witness a real sense of purpose. The school ethos is very positive and standards remain high. I am as optimistic as ever about the future of Hedingham School.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a happy and safe Easter. The first day back is Monday 13 April 2015.

John Panayi, Headteacher

Head’s Lines

Best Uniform Winners for the second half of the Autumn Term and first half of Easter term are:

Myles Odedina • George Adams • Megan Foord • Jack Stoney • Joseph Bolton • Cherry Sophocleous

Charlotte Fenner • Owen Curry • Francesca Swystun • Andrew Rust

Jack Stoney • Megan Foord • Ben Warner • Charlotte Stone • James Spragg • Isobel Brooks

Casper Wort • Mia-Carra Gibbs • Will Lawrence

ON TUESDAY 10th of March, 22 students went to Thomas Gainsborough School in Great Cornard, to represent Hedingham School in the ‘Have Your Say’ foreign languages competition. Students in Years 7 to 9 were given a dialogue for which they had to write the final four lines of before learning it off by heart. Students in Year 10 had to write a dialogue of 14 lines about one of two possible topics and they had to include at least 8 of the 10 given phrases.

We were taken by coach to the school, where we were able to relax and rehearse our script before beginning the competition. We were then taken to a room where we would perform our dialogue to the judges, along with other participating students from various

different schools. We were the first to volunteer to perform to the judges and students. After listening to all the dialogues, we were then taken back to the theatre where we anxiously awaited the results. After a nervous wait, the results were announced and we were overjoyed with the news of getting through to the final, along with many other linguists from Hedingham School. The final will be held at Thomas Lord Audley School in Colchester on Tuesday 19th May.

Congratulations to everyone that took part in the event and to the staff who supported us throughout the whole experience. It was a very enjoyable event and a great experience for everyone!

By Keira Shaw and Otilly Frost

Have Your Say LanguageCompetition

French GermanYr7 Ellie Banks-Seeney

& Rhiannon GrayYr8 Ed Northfield & Connor Bolt

Ophelia Drage & Charlotte AldrigeYr9 Rebecca Wright

& Cerys Wrigley-MossYr10 Emily Casey & Lara LapwoodTommy Jones & Eddie Hoogewerf

Yr7 Matthew Brown & Tom KeenMegan Foord & Isla Scott

Yr8 Keira Shaw & Otilly FrostLily Newton & Ella Odedina

Yr10 Saskia Dare & Francesca Swystun

CONGRATULATIONS to the Easter term Jack Petchey Award Winners:

Ben Gentry (January) - Ben was nominated for assisting the guitar teacher, Dan Ketterridge, in running

the Rock School this year. This has included supporting students in playing their music part and maintaining key musical instruments and equipment. He often takes it upon himself to make repairs to equipment, such as guitars, and his current project is to repair expensive monitor speakers and he is sourcing all parts needed. He was at every rehearsal and performed on bass guitar in ‘We Will Rock You’, has had an active role in sound production for many Performing Arts Concerts and has spent much of his free time completing rigging of lighting and sound equipment. .

Helen Harvey (February) - Helen was nominated because, having

experienced a terrible accident and trauma she has returned to school and has shown great commitment to her studies. Despite having missed a number of lessons, Helen has worked hard to catch up, and has shown great determination and displayed such a positive attitude which is inspiring. She also encourages other students in their learning and is an excellent example to all.

Madeline Collett (March) - Madeline was nominated for undertaking a bake sale this summer and raising £150 for charity.

She also takes part in Drama and Vocalise and has been involved in the School and House Councils for the last two years.

Ben Gentry

Helen Harvey Madeline Collett

Jack Petchey Awards

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AS PART of a programme devoted to enterprise and gaining skills relating to work, Year 10 students took part in a series of events, designing and presenting ideas for businesses.

Each student chose a job to apply for from a selection of different imaginary businesses. They then wrote a letter of application and CV which were sent to a local business manager, each of whom is very

experienced in the recruitment of staff.

To prepare for an interview with that manager, students took part in a skills day, using ideas relating to the job they had applied for – planning, designing, testing, team working, presenting, assessing and improving self awareness. Each industry area took on a different team challenge, including designing meals for people

with intolerances, planning a theme of work at a nursery, designing a racing car for best aerodynamics, preparing for a historical TV documentary, creating games for children learning new languages and many more!

The business managers were extremely impressed with the quality of letters and CVs. They all said how much they enjoyed working with our students, who were so very polite and focussed on the task. Congratulations to all the students who won prizes for their parts in the programme but also a huge well done to all Year 10 students who represented our school in a mature and professional manner. All of the managers asked if they could return next year as they enjoyed working with our students so much!

Here are quotations from the students about the programme;‘Enterprise Day helps us to gain team work skills and prepare for future situations outside of school’ – Megan Clark (and thank you to Megan for the title of this article)‘I can now go into a real life interview with a lot more confidence. We learnt a lot that we would not normally learn until we actually got a job’ – Chloe ArthursThe day improved our team building skills independent skills and creativity skillsby Yasmin Gribbon & Jodeene Lake

Hedingham Embarks on Enterprise

IN DECEMBER, every Year 7 student was given a book as a present from the school.

Bookbuzz is a reading programme from Booktrust, which supports schools to encourage reading for pleasure, independent choice and develop a whole school reading culture. Hedingham School has been part of this programme since it began in 2009.

The book selection is always well chosen and takes into account a good range of interests and reading ability.

The students are given the opportunity to look at the books on offer and watch a film showing each of the authors talking about their book. Then they make their choice and the books are ordered.

The books were given out to the students in December all wrapped up and ready for reading.

We hope they enjoy their gift.Mrs Curteis

A GROUP of 10 sixth formers, along with Mr Raynor and Mrs Beaumont, went on a trip to Berlin from the 5th until the 7th March. This was largely based on the Holocaust and Nazi Germany as part of the A-level History course.

On the Friday, we visited Sachsenhausen concentration camp where we had a 2 hour guided tour. This was originally used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May 1945. We followed this with a tour of the building where the Wannsee conference happened, which was a meeting of senior officials of Nazi Germany, held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on 20 January 1942. We also visited Potsdam and had a tour of Berlin, stopping off at the East Side Gallery (Berlin Wall).

On the Saturday, we started the day at the German Resistance Memorial Centre where we had a guided tour, looking at opposition groups such as ‘The White Rose Group’ as well as events such as the attempts to assassinate Hitler. We then went to the Sony Centre for lunch, before going on to the Topography of Terror which was the original site of the SS and Gestapo headquarters. We followed this by stopping off at Check point Charlie before walking through the Brandenburg Gate and past the Reichstag.

The trip proved very useful as we were able to gain considerable knowledge about specific parts of Nazi rule during the 1933-1945 period which should help in the coursework elements of the A level exam. It also was a very valuable cultural experience, seeing the remains of the Berlin Wall and the East Side Gallery and the modern buildings surrounding the new German parliament and government.

SixthFormtrip toBerlin

THIS TERM, Year 9 students were set the task to create their own memorial to World War One. Yet again, the History department were astounded by the response. The range of memorials and creativity of our Year 9 students always overwhelms us, and again this year w e were not disappointed.

From poppy shaped cakes, to chocolate

spread trench systems, from crafted woodwork and pottery, to hand stitched cushions and statues, the History department have been inundated.

Well done Year 9, we are all so impressed with your effort, enthusiasm and the commitment you have shown.

Mrs Reed & The History Department

Main pic: Brandenburg Gate Above: Wansee Conference House Right: at the Berlin Wall

Year 9 WWI Memorials

SNOW WHITE and her Seven Dwarves, Toy Soldiers, the Jamaican Bobsleigh Team and so many, many more arrived at school on Friday 13th March. The whole school was out of uniform in aid of Red Nose Day but the traditional Year 11 dress up day did not disappoint. The year group amazed everyone with a plethora of

costumes. It is always a wonderful day in the school calendar and this year students were incredibly creative. Hours were spent creating costumes, painting faces and preparing for the day. Staff also got involved with Nemo, Where’s Wally, Wild West down at SSC and who could ignore the reception staff who put on their usual top class show

with Hedingham Crèche, where all the staff were dressed as babies.

All in all the day went swimmingly with lots of money raised in school and as always the Year 11 students paraded through the village where local residents added to the pot of money raised. We are always grateful to anyone who supports our fund raising efforts.

Year 11 Dress Up for Nose Day Red

ON THURSDAY 15th January the whole of Year 9 took part in the ‘Face to Face with Enterprise’ day. We were put into groups and we had to create a catering business for an event which included making a business card, a logo, a slogan, menu, letter to the customer and all the finances. In our group we had Chloe Morris who was the secretary, Jake Smith who was the finance director (because he is so good at maths!) and I was project manager.

Our theme was 1980s Grease which was fun because our waiters were on roller skates and our menu was all related to the Grease film. First we had to present our company to our colour groups and try to get into the finals.

We were surprised but pleased to get through to the final 8! Then we had to do a presentation to the rest of Year 9, the teachers, Mr Panayi and Mr Scrivens, the Chair of Governors. It was pretty scary but all the final groups were really good so we couldn’t believe that we won it.

It was a really great day and we all had lots of fun. It was just like being on The Apprentice! Thanks to all the staff for organising such a good event.

By Lilly Matthews

Year 9 ‘Face to Facewith Enterprise’ Day

YEAR 8 students were off timetable to think about what sort of career would suit them.

Session 1 was looking at people in different jobs, focussing on good and bad points of their careers. Students were then asked whether they thought this would or would not be a suitable career for them. There was lots of lively discussion here.

Session 2 was exploring job stereotyping, whether some jobs are seen as best for males or females. This hour was also spent looking at

different skills and qualities students already have or can work on achieving.

Session 3 looked at levels of jobs and highlighted the way all jobs need different levels of qualifications and commitment.

The last session was the fun part of the morning where students considered their strengths and weaknesses and played the ‘careers game’.

The morning was very successful; students gave positive feedback and hopefully gained a lot from it.

Year 8 Careers Morning

SIXTEEN YEAR old Toby Curwen Bingley had a very unusual Wednesday just before Christmas. Instead of catching his usual bus to school, he travelled to Stansted Airport and was flown to Amsterdam to sign recording, publishing and management contracts with Spinnin’ Records, one of the biggest music producers in Europe!

Toby, who attends Hedingham School and lives in Halstead, has been composing his own house style music for the last 17 months. He recently sent a demo disc to a top producer who recognised his talent immediately and offered him a recording deal. Toby’s music has already been played on Dutch radio under his performing name of Curbi. Other well-known artists that Spinnin’ Records have signed are Calvin Harris and Martin Garrix, who was also signed to Spinnin’ Records at just 16 years of age.

After landing in Amsterdam, Toby and his mum were whisked off to the studio to sign all the relevant contracts and then he was taken out for lunch to seal the deal. Then it was back to school and normal lessons on Thursday, but he did have plenty of interesting news to tell his friends and teachers! Toby is now taking mentorship from the record label’s founders, Eelko van Kooten and

Roger de Graaf and is aiming to continue to write as much music as he can before he turns 18 years old when he will be allowed to go on tour in Britain, Europe and even further afield.

For the moment, Toby also has to concentrate on his GCSE’s, which unsurprisingly include Music, which he takes this summer. Mr Richard Cull, Leader of Music at Hedingham School, who is Toby’s Music teacher commented, ‘It’s fantastic to see Toby make the most of his electronic music skills by putting so much effort into his work and getting his music out into the public domain. If he hadn’t put his music on online spaces, such as SoundCloud, he may not have been headhunted so easily by Spinnin’ Records.’

Mr Cull went on to say,

‘It is also wonderful to see Toby signed to the same label as Moby, who is an artist that Toby has studied as part of his GCSE in Music.’

Recording Contract for Curbi!

Toby signing contracts with

Spinnin’ Records

SO HAVING PLANNED a jam packed weekend full of sightseeing and having chosen our favourite French teachers to join us on our intrepid adventures, it was time to go. 27th February, 6:30am, our Paris adventure unfurled. After an hour of singing along to nostalgic hits such as “My Humps” and every Busted song under the sun, we arrived at Stansted to grab the train (Not plane, Mr Illingworth, train). Two trains and a Eurostar later, we arrived in Paris, where we promptly got lost thanks to the navigation skills of our colour blind friend, trying to find the correct coloured platform... oh the irony. After that slight hiccup, we found our way to the hotel to drop off our bags before being whisked away into the City of Light.

We let Jakob loose (no toddler reins or anything!!) on the citizens of Paris in Montmartre, where we were able to see him acting as if in his natural habitat; photo bombing, running up and down stairs and generally acting like an overexcited puppy. We saw the Sacré Coeur and La Place du Tertre before making our way over to see THE BELLS, THE BELLS! Sadly, after walking around the entirity of Notre Dame, we were unable to find the way up the bell tower, but we still had a good look around the inside whilst quoting Collin Frissell. Following that, we then had the dilemma of whether to eat or not to eat (that is the question), naturally concluding that the time is always right. Cue Paradis du Fruit. Despite terribly slow service, we were able to make it work and Jakob and Jonny even had their own “Lady and the Tramp” moment… with a banana… We then ventured back out into the cold, cold late afternoon to see the one and only Tour Eiffel. The view from the top (according to Jade, as most people were too scared to look over) was stunning and even made up for the atrocious price of champagne. A couple of people were even able to make the most of the “Places to kiss”, mentioning no names (Jakob and Jonny). Jakob’s disappearing act was stellar, but not the best part of the evening, which of course was Jakob’s laser pen off with all the street sellers, thanks to the keen bargaining skills of The Shark of Champs de Mars… aka, Miss Malaval. No Parisians or

Sixth Form Paris trip, I REPEAT, Paris trip! This is not a drill...

tourists were harmed with the use of this laser pen, we believe. We should also point out that Jakob was only allowed to bargain for such a tool as he was believed to now be the ripe old age of 17 and three quarters, considered a responsible adult. He proved us wrong and said pen was sadly confiscated in less than 12 hours, much to Jonny’s relief so that he could then sleep without a light show that could rival the Tour Eiffel’s. Jakob still hasn’t received the batteries for the pen back. After an exhausting evening, we arrived back at the hotel and promptly fell asleep.

After a refreshing sleep, we all woke up brightly ready for Saturday’s events. Although Louis XIV found the Louvre too small to be in, we found that there was ample to do for four hours, especially with the free Wi-Fi available (“WOO! Free Wi-Fi!”- Orla). Selfies with Mona Lisa, painting re-enactments and a half an hour-long pizza analysis proceeded, followed by (as you have probably guessed,) food. Once lunch was over, we were straight back out on the streets of Paris, queuing up to venture into the Catacombs, a series of tunnels whose walls are stacked high with skeletons of people ranging from your average Joe to nuns. We only travelled 2km of the 500km long tunnels. However, after trekking around the whole of Paris for a day and a half, our feet were aching so we decided to travel for a while by boat. Being typical Brits, aside from the scout of the group (Mr Illingworth who caved), we refused to hide below deck in the warm and comfortable looking cabin and opted to sit on the top deck, battered by sub-zero winds, to get a better view of all of the sights and even saw

the Tour Eiffel’s light show from the boat, which, like in the movies, Jakob and Jonny were able to turn off by counting down from cinq. Once the boat tour had finished we made our way over to a restaurant

to warm up for tea consisting of lots of stereotypical French delicacies, from Steak Tartare to frogs’ legs followed by copious amounts of profiteroles(!) and a hilarious discussion over cotton buds. And then out of the streets again to L’Arc de Triomphe. We had a gander at the Champs Elysée, stopping in the Fnac (a super huge book store) and were able to double the weight of our suitcases after only three quarters of an hour in there… If there is no award for such a feat, there should be now.

Day three was a tough day to wake up. After two jam packed days, both with very early starts, it’s safe to say

not a word was spoken at breakfast, just a lot of tired grunts. However, we recovered quickly when we realised what the day was. It was the day of all days, Disneyland day. After an hour journey on the « haw, hee, haw », we arrived at Mickey’s door. Regrettably, we set Jakob free without the restraint of an extendable lead and had to trust him not to run away, firstly because it wouldn’t be that great for the insurance, but mainly because we’d left him in charge of our only map… However the day went well and we didn’t lose a single student or teacher. 8 hours of frolicking, pizza, Nemo rides and childlike excitement later, we sadly had to bid our farewells before raiding the gift shop and then heading over to Gare du Nord. Two hours later we were back on the Eurostar, thrashing Jakob at cards again (insert squeaky voice complaint here). On returning to Stanstead we took the bus, which was “not a drill, I repeat, this was not a drill!” back to the cars.

Even though this was only a three-day trip around Paris, it was the best three days of the school calendar year so far and both Orla and I agree that it topped last year’s Paris trip no end. We were not only able to impress many a Frenchman with our exquisite language skills, but also travelled around the entire of Paris and visited every single tourist sight within the set amount of time. We had so much fun and couldn’t have had a better group of people with us. By Jadius Newtfoy

THE WRITER was placed in the bottom set so most of the following section will be tales from the lower group of the ski trip, written from the viewpoint of Barnaby bear.

Day 1-Today we set off on the ski journey of a lifetime. All was going well until the unfortunate event of a breakdown interrupted our peaceful coach journey. We were stuck for 6hours but got switched onto another coach and were on our merry way to our ski hotel. We arrived late and tired and headed off to bed, excited to get on the slopes.

Day 2-After our breakfast, we set of to the ski hire where we all got our gear and got ready to get on the slopes. While the advanced skiers sped off, my group of beginners slowly made our way down the first big slope and to our small stretch of the slope where we repeated our task for the day: sidestep up the small mound then ski down the slope. At first, we were all pumped but it drained us quite a bit which was a great starter to what we were about to go through. By the end, we were allowed one attempt at a green (easy) slope. It was a great taster for the rest of the week which went off to a flying start.

Day 3-On this particular day it was our only visit to a separate slope

where once again we sidestepped up a small slope then skied down. But after lunch we got to do a slalom where we weaved in and out of poles placed by our instructor. This was a really fun day and was a lot of fun and quite a big progression from our first day so things seemed to be going up and beyond from here.

Day 4-This day we were back in the original area where we snaked our way down the green slope many times with a few free-runs here and

there. It was really enjoyable to be working as a unit to progress down a slope while incorporating turns and dodging others to add to the thrill. It was definitely the best day so far and things were almost perfect on our last few free runs. Even though there were still a few stumbles here and there, but we felt confident, skilled and able to take on any slope.

Day 5-Oh boy, today was a doozy. On this single occasion, the bottom set were allowed on the free legged ski lift right to the top of the mountain where blue slopes were located and we set off

with a spring in our step until we hit the steep slope. This slope was the start of our decline where nearly everyone fell over at least twice navigating their way down the treacherous passageway. After long, we stopped for lunch but after that things took a turn for the worse. Some of our slopes selected for returning home were shut off so we were stranded on the mountain. We eventually made our way down after many dramatic events such as `The Williams wipe-

out` and `Ski Lift Shock`. But all paled in comparison to the embarrassment of sixth former Dylan. He earned stack of the day by rolling down the slope and wiping out 2 children from another school. Then, to top it all off, he tried to get up only to find his sallopettes and boxers had fallen down. It was a sight to be seen.

Day 6-This final day of skiing was one of the best by the bottom set. We started off on our favourite green slope snaking down, but after about 5 snakes it was free runs for a day. The races and theatrical acts we performed

were great and filled to the brim with laugher and amusement. I really enjoyed my time on the slopes and it is an experience I won’t forget any time soon. Later that evening, we set off home where at the same place we broke down again for the same reason (Tyre Burst). The next day, after a rigorous journey home, we finally arrived home and were greeted by family and friends. It was a grand time that I will hold close to my heart always.By George Wash from the viewpoint of Barnaby Bear

ON THE 9th of December 2014, 41 students and 4 staff attended the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham. As we arrived mid-morning, we had plenty

of time to purchase some of the one off items that many stalls had to offer. We also had the chance to meet and greet celebrities with the opportunity to

receive autographs and take ‘selfies’. We purchased items ranging from clothes, makeup and inexpensive goody bags full of new products and testers and visited stands from universities that displayed their fashion degree work and could give information out. This was very inspiring especially to those students attending who are looking to have a career in fashion.

We then proceeded on to watch the super-cool catwalk show hosted by Rick Edwards. The show featured well known models, celebrity hosts and upcoming musical acts.

Overall this experience is unforgettable and we would all jump at the chance to do it all again. Thank you to Miss Eaves, Miss Stannard, Mrs Reeves and Mrs Robinson for organising and supervising the trip. We are looking forward to next year already!

Chloe Page and Leah Alefounder

Clothes Show Live

Barnaby’sSki Trip

SPORT

Following in the tyre tracks of Chris Hoy!ON 2nd FEBRUARY 2015, 11 PE A level students from Hedingham Sixth Form visited the Olympic Velodrome in Stratford, London. This was a fantastic opportunity that gave the students the chance to cycle in the hallowed arena where Team GB performed so well in the London Olympics

Sixth Form student and Head Boy Joe Nourse, who is 17 and lives in Halstead, explains what they got up to!

“For 2 hours we were able to ride around the 250m track, completing different exercises. The first exercise was just slowly going around the’ safe zone’ but unfortunately Jack Berkley found it a bit more difficult than expected and took one for the team, falling straight off the bike! After this humorous incident, things started to get a bit more serious as we started to gradually move up the track. Firstly up to the Côte d’Azur, (the name for the inner blue band that is not technically part of the race track), then the black, then the red, then the blue and finally all the way up the bank at 45°. Scary stuff!”

The next exercise we completed was the Team Pursuit. In groups of 6, we each took turns in leading the group around

the track for a lap before descending off up the bank corner. Finally, for the last 10 minutes, we were able to cycle around the track at our own pace. Sir Dave Brailsford, the team coach for GB and SKY, was being interviewed in the Velodrome when we were there and Tom Bowles and Honor Rendall were filmed in the same footage, cycling around the track in true Olympic style!

Honor, who is 17 years old and from Toppesfield said, ‘It was amazing to

think we were cycling on the same track that Sir Chris Hoy won Olympic medals on. It was such a good experience!

“Overall the day was a great experience and we would all like to thank Mr Finch for organising the trip and Mr Batch for taking us to Stratford. Sixteen year old Danielle Rulten, also from Halstead, commented, ‘Going to the velodrome gave me further insight into cycling as a sport and it has definitely encouraged me to get on my bike!”

Abbie Kerr was selected to represent Hedingham at the Inter Schools Cross Country Competition held at the Discovery Centre last year in the junior girls category.Abbie came 2nd in this competition which took her through to the next round in Colchester in early January.In freezing conditions and with the Colchester course containing a huge hill, saw Abbie finished in at 12th

position. This meant she had again qualified for the next round.The Southern Schools Inter County Cross Country Match in Reigate on the 31st January saw Abbie compete representing Essex. She finished in 61st position against over a hundred runners, Abbie, Year 8 was running against Year 9’s so an incredible achievement and good experience which bodes well for next year! Away from the School competitions, Abbie has also qualified to represent Essex at the National Inter Counties Cross Country Championships, at Cofton Park Birmingham on the 7th March. Results to follow!

Inter Schools Cross Country

Hedingham School Sixth Form students at the Olympic Velodrome in Stratford, London. (Joe Nourse is third from the right, Honor Rendall fourth from the left and Danielle Rulten fifth from the left)

ALTHOUGH SHE IS only 11 years old, Hedingham School student Evie Stokes-Shinn is already a British champion! Her chosen sport is trampolining which she has only been involved in at a serious level for the last couple of years. Prior to this, Evie was a gymnast but due to wrist injuries she switched her main sport to trampolining which still utilises her acrobatic skills but does not strain her wrists. Evie, who lives in Halstead, trains in Brentford and she puts in an incredible number of hours training each week, both after school and at the weekend. The round trip to Brentford, including travel and the training session, is around 4 hours every evening but Evie says she just

loves her sport and it is all worth it! It is very commendable that she still manages to complete her homework to a high standard by doing it at lunchtimes and in snatched moments at the weekend.

Evie gained her title in December when she competed in Cambridge using the fantastic facilities at the university. Her best jump on the trampoline is a double front somersault with a half twist which has to be seen to be believed! When Evie is asked what her ambition is, she doesn’t hesitate to answer, ‘To be World Champion!’ With her huge talent and great determination,,we have no doubt that this is very likely to happen!

MIDDAY ASSISTANTLGS BAND 1 POINT 10

(Actual Salary - £1601 pa)Hours 1.15 pm – 2.15 pm

38 weeks per yearRequired ASAP

A Midday Assistant is required to work term time only and support the midday team in the supervision of students.

We would be happy to receive applications from individuals who want to work 5 days per week, but can also be more flexible

for candidates who can only commit to 2 or 3 days per week. Please specify your preferred working days on the application form

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All candidates are subject to safer

recruitment procedures

If you are interested please complete an application form and send to the school or email to;

personnel@hedingham.essex.sch.uk

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PostersInvitations

Business cardsLaminating

Printing on canvas& outdoor banners

Fast, friendly and professional service

All profits used for the benefit of our students

For further information and quotes please contact:

01787 460470 ext 251 reprographics@hedingham.essex.sch.uk

Triumphant Trampoliner!