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lIssue no. 69 - March 2014

www.edgbarrowschool.co.uk

From the Headteacher

I can’t believe how quickly this term has gone and it isso much nicer having the lighter evenings especially thistime of year when so many of our students stay inschool to complete coursework, controlled assess-ments or attend revision sessions. Well done to every-one who is staying behind in an effort to help them getthe best grades possible in the summer and manythanks to all the staff for giving so much of their time towork with the students,. It is a great team effort andbest wishes to everybody as they prepare for theirsummer exams in the next few months.

If hard work and dedication is anything to go by lots ofour students deserve to do very well this summer.

I would like to take the opportunity to congratulateJohn McNab our ex Chair of Governors who in Januaryreceived an award in recognition of the outstandingsupport he has given Edgbarrow School over the last20+ years.

John McNab joined the Governing Body of EdgbarrowSchool in 1994 after previously being a member of ourschool PTA. During his twenty years on the GoverningBody John has been the most fantastic, supportiveGovernor with an eye for detail and a great sense ofjudgement. As a long term friend of the school he alsohas the ability to be a critical friend when required, and

this led to him becom-ing the Chair of Gover-nors in 2001. He onlyrecently stepped downfrom this post, butthankfully he is remain-ing on the GoverningBody.

For the time, effort,care and attention he

has given and shown to the students and staff he iswholly deserving of this award for his outstandingcontribution to Edgbarrow School. In our opinionnobody is more deserving.

I would also like to congratulate Mr Rogers on com-pleting 20 years of service at Edgbarrow School thisEaster. Mr Rogers is our Head of Design Technologyand has done a fantastic job for us. Here’s to the next20!

Our very best wishes go to Mrs Berg who is leaving usto work at St Peter’s School in Windsor. Mrs Bergjoined our Learning Support Assistant team 8 years agoand in the past few years has been a member of our ITSupport team. A huge thanks for all her help and support.

Mr Eagles one of our Caretakers also spent about 8years with us and during that time offered fantasticsupport to the Facilities team and only once or twice didhe manage to lock members of staff in the school as helocked up during the evening. Our very best wishes toMr Eagles for the future.

Mrs McKinnon worked in our Finance Department forthe last year and not only did a lovely job for us but wasalso a great colleague and we send our very best wishesto her for the future.

Finally our very best wishes to Mr Hill who joined us asa Year 7 student in September 2002 but only this yearre-joined us as a Learning Support Assistant. Mr Hill hasbeen a fantastic member of staff who has worked verywell with the students and we have thoroughly enjoyedhis company. We wish him well as he embarks on asinging career (don’t forget to mention EdgbarrowSchool when you are famous!).

As we approach the Easter Holidays we will soon be ina position to start the process of appointing a new HeadBoy / Head Girl team for the school and therefore itwould be remiss of me to not publically thank this year’sHead Boy /Head Girl team lead by Stephen Tolcher andSophie Lamden. Our Deputies this year were GemmaBoucher, Faith Jenkinson, Amy Kent, Alex Moody andAaron Scardifield. The manner in which this team hasrepresented our school and presented themselves hasbeen outstanding. In the autumn term when I was busyshowing Year 6 parents and students around the schoolthey were such great ambassadors for Edgbarrow.Although initially a little shy, within a few days they wereinterrupting me, correcting me on details and were fullof pride for the school. We had a number of eveningsthis year when they have spoken publicly to a largeaudience of parents and students and they have done sowith such clarity and confidence. My sincere thanks toall the team for taking the time to apply and for giving

the time to support the school throughout their final year, itis very much appreciated.

This spring term we have once again had a Painting andGardening day and were delighted with the number of par-ents who attended. We spent a Saturday morning in Marchsprucing up the Humanities Block and flower beds at the frontof school. It was fantastic that some parents arrived for acouple of hours at 9am and others arrived late morning to

keep the momentum going. Wedecorated three full classrooms, theupstairs landing and the majority ofdownstairs corridors.

My sincere thanks to all the Mums,Dads, Grandparents and studentsfor giving up a couple of hours to

help. Each year weprobably save the schoolapproximately £10,000across the three daysthat we do this. If youhaven’t participated pre-viously, please see if you could give up a couple of hours evenif it is only once a year. The refreshments are worth it aloneand the school enjoys a clean and tidy environment. Our nextPainting and Gardening day is 7th June 9am–2.30pm.

The Careers Evening this term was once again a huge successwith over 50 companies present. Students from Years 8-13were invited with parents and the feedback we received hasencouraged us to continue to work hard to provide such animportant and interesting evening for all concerned. Thecompanies felt that it was a very worthwhile evening with lotsof positive conversations with students who are very keen toknow more. A huge thank you to the PTA and especiallyNicky Simmonds for helping and our Work Related LearningCo-ordinator Karen Robinson for presenting such a greatevening.

This year we continue to have a huge amount of applicationsfor our Sixth Form and I believe that we have had over 270applications to join Year 12 next year. I understand that anumber of offers have now been made to students and theyare in the process of accepting courses with us for September2014. We predict that once again there will be over 50 newstudents joining our Year 12 next year.

The school continues togrow in numbers; we arepresently 1,360 and al-

though we are full in Years 7-11, I believe that our numberswill grow to 1,390 for September 2014. This year for the first

time we asked parents if you would be willing to make acontribution to our IT fund via “Just Giving” - follow thisto access the website. We work hard to offer the besteducational experience for our students and I am just takingthe opportunity to ask or remind parents if they wouldconsider supporting our fund in order for us to buy new ITequipment for our students as presently our IT facilities arenot as good as we would wish. Whatever you could offerwould be gratefully received; at this present moment I thinkwe have approximately £1,000 in the kitty which is fantastic,but as you know IT equipment is very expensive. Manythanks to you all for once again considering this request.

I just wanted to mention that at the end of each term theremust be over £1,000 worth of clothing and footwear suchas PE kit, school uniform (all unmarked) jackets, hats,scarves, trainers and shoes all left in our lost property andall unclaimed. With four children myself I know how expen-sive it is to keep them clothed as they are growing up.Firstly can I please urge parents that, if their child has lostany items of clothing or footwear, they ask them to look inour reception before Friday or come in yourselves and havea look.

Secondly, many thanks to parents and students for theirsupport regarding uniform. We have recently bought brandnew boys’ and girls’ school shoes which we keep in recep-tion as ‘spares’ for students who turn up in trainers. This isa new initiative that is working well and helps to keepschool uniform a priority.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everybody aHappy Easter holiday.

Warmest regards

to Beth who is part of theSynchronised Ice skating team at Bracknell. As partof the preliminary team in the last year they havegained 4 gold medals, 2 silvers and 1 bronze. Theywere Crowned BritishChampions in January2014 and InternationalGold medallists in March2014. Their achievementshave ranked them firstplace in the UK for theirCategory.Beth was also chosen as 1of 3 girls out of over 50 toskate in two teams and wasawarded a Trophy for Ex-cellence by her club at theend of the season last week- a well deserved award asshe trained extremely hard and skated twice in eachcompetition this season.Well done Beth.

Welcome! Year 7 have just completed a second busy and fruitfulterm where the pupils have been working hard both in and outof lessons.

It was my absolute pleasure to read the grade reports whichwent home in January, highlighting the fantastic progress themajority of Year 7 pupils are making. The number of high gradesfor effort, behaviour, homework and attainment were a delightto read and demonstrates the commitment the pupils havetowards their studies. There were so many pupils to be cele-brated in our grade report assembly with Mr Elsey that we hadto spread it over two registrations. I would like to congratulateeach and every one of these pupils and to encourage the wholeyear group to approach the new and upcoming term as anopportunity to retain this high level of commitment and perhapsfor some the chance to increase effort levels. I am alreadylooking forward to celebrating the next set of interim gradereport achievements, which will go home in the summer termfollowed by Year 7 Parents Evening.

The pupils’ efforts in lessons have also been highlighted by thenumber of merits they are receiving All of the children havebeen working hard to collect merits and many have alreadyreceived their silver, gold and some even platinum certificates.I hope the upcoming merit raffle will be another reward forpupils’ efforts.This term Year 7 have also been working hard on our SevenSigns of Success Programme, which offers pupils the chance tobe entered into a special prize draw if they have achieved all 7targets, covering everything from merit totals, representing theform, high attendance etc. To achieve their best it is importantthat all pupils attend school regularly and therefore one of ourcriteria is that the pupils’ attendance is above 95%. All pupilswho achieve their Seven Spring Steps will receive a congratula-tory postcard home, designed by one of our pupils.

The tutor groups have been busyelsewhere this term delighting uswith pupil led themed assembliesand raising money for Sports Relief.A special mention must also go toour Charity Committee who raisedmoney for the year group charityDaisy’s Dream by making and selling

Valentine’s cards, chocolates and quizzes. I will look forward toseeing which fund raising activities they think up for the upcom-ing term.The Year 7s were keen to contribute to their Year Groupsection of the newsletter so please enjoy the articles they havesubmitted about life at Edgbarrow so far.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask for your continuedsupport in ensuring that all pupils arrive to school on time,wearing the correct uniform and that you to look at your child’s

On Friday the 7th of March, we missed our first lessonto have an assembly with an amazing gypsy storyteller(and author) Richard O’Neill .The first thing he spoke to us about was some of thebooks he’d written. They all seemed very interesting.Then he told us about his life. It all seemed veryinteresting to find out about the kind of lifestyle gyp-sies lead as they seemed quite different to how peo-ple like me.After he had gone through his life story he told usabout his two daughters. After that he got to somevery amusing story telling…….He told us about an old lady who had gotten a bus andwanted to put boys off violent videogames. The oldwoman had taken lots of boys on a field trip. She hadpretended to be escaping from the police. when theboys had gotten home they refused to play videogames.Overall, I really enjoyed the time we spent with him.It was amazing, and I hope it happens again.

By Emilie Pemberton 7S

Our amazing time with the gypsy writer

homework diary on a regular basis to discuss their homeworkand any issues which are highlighted by staff. I would also liketo thank you for all the support you have continued to give usthis term in order to ensure the pupils are as settled aspossible here at Edgbarrow.

I wish you all a peaceful and relaxing Easter break and I willlook forward to seeing all the pupils for the start of the newterm

Gypsy StorytellingOn the 7th of March 2014 a man called Mr O’Neill came to seeYear 7 to tell his story of his life. He started by telling us allabout his childhood as a traveller. On the screen in the hall heshowed us many different pictures of himself and his friendsand family from the past.Year 7 were fascinated to see the difference between his lifeand their own lives. Living in a caravan and having childrengrowing up there was such a difference to the lives of the Year7 pupils.He then went to talk to us about video games and how theywreck people’s lives. Then he amused us with a story ofGrand Theft Auto. The story was very funny and he left knowing the Year 7 had listened very well to his amusingtale.

Richard O’Neill - Gypsy Storyteller visitDuring world book week, Richard O’Neill came to Edgbarrowto tell us about himself, his books and his life. He is a verysuccessful author and has written several amazing books,which are quite funny. Each year had an assembly by him(Years 7 to 9) split up throughout the school day. He told usabout his life as a gypsy when he was a boy and about how hehad to stop school at the age of 13 to help out in his Dad’sbusiness. It was quite incredible when he mentioned that hisdaughters were the first people in his family,to go to university!Richard O’Neill didn’t just tell us about his life but also some

amazing stories that he’d witnessed or been told about. They were all about his neighbours and friendsand they were hilarious. Everyone enjoyed his visit and we hope he comes back next year!

· Richard O’Neill is an award winner and Ofsted rated Outstanding author,performance storyteller, scriptwriter and was recently awarded the title of‘National Literacy Hero’ by the Duchess of Cornwall.

World Book Day was celebrated in the library with a quiz and an opportunity for pupilsto review a favourite book. Many students also entered the WorldBook Day competition to design a bookmark.

A group of Year 8 and 9 students have been shadowing the Berkshire Book Award again this year. Thisinvolved reading as many as possible of the shortlist of 6 titles. The Edgbarrow winner was “Light” byMichael Grant.The overall winner across Berkshire was “Demon Dentist” by David Walliams. “Light” was voted 2nd

and in joint 3rd was “Ketchup Clouds” by Annabel Pitcher and “Geek Girl” by Holly Smale.

Every Monday it is the Year 7 ‘A’ Team football training session in preparation for our league and cup games.The Year 7s have made an impressive start, winning every league match to-date and scoring some fantasticgoals in the process, both individually and well worked team goals. Our most noticeable win was 9-0against Reading Boys. Our league record speaks for itself - played 5 - won 5 - lost 0 - drew 0 - Scored 18and conceded 1.

We unfortunately went out of the Cup in the second round to Furz Platt school from Maidenhead. Despitehaving more possession and creating more chances in front of goal we were fairly comfortable at 1-0 up,but with a couple of minutes to go we gave a free kick away just outside our penalty area from which FurzePlatt scored. So into extra-time it went, after 5 minutes each way, the tie was still 1-1, so down to thedreaded penalty shoot-out and some excellent penalties been taken, we missed our last penalty… andultimately out of the cup.The Year 7 football team has enjoyed an excellent start to their playing career at Edgbarrow and if we allcontinue to play how we have been, who knows we may end up winning the league!

The members of our Year 7 boys football A team are: Nathan G, David H and Peter C.

Rhys W, Ben W, Matt M, Callum C, Sam M and Arron. Jack and Harry (Left), Lewis (Right), Robbie Leo and Tom (Centre).

Kai, George and Ben. Kai, George, Robbie, Lewis, Harry, Ben, Leo and Tom.

The team played five matches, won 4 and lost one.We played Sandhurst school twice and beat them both times.Then we played Blue Coat and we beat them 2-1 but it was a close match.Then we played Emmbrook and we beat them 9-0.We have now beaten all of the teams in our division.

MERITSEvery one needs to try and get merits. First it is a great way to motivate you to work hard in class. Secondlyit makes you feel good about what you have done. One of the great things about merits is that it is one of thethings you need in your seven goals.My favourite thing about merits is that it gives you some thing to work towards. You can get 30, 60, 90, 120,150 merits. Once you get all the merits in each category you get a certificate. This makesyou feel proud because you have achieved something. It is very easy getting merits if youwork hard. You get them by having neat work, or trying hard in a lesson, or doing yourhomework correctly. I enjoy trying to earn merits.

It seems as if the Easter term has been incredibly short this year, which means we, as a year group, have needed to fit so muchmore in to such a condensed amount of time.

Once again I am delighted with the dedication so many have shown to their work and participation in extra curricula activities.We have had some outstanding sporting successes with cross country, badminton, indoor athletics and the end of the rugbyseason. We have also had two boys’ football teams this term who have been training hard for Mr Basher and Mr Simonds, whilstthe girls have been training consistently for the upcoming cricket season and the cheerleaders in Year 8 seem to go from strengthto strength.

Your child should have brought home their Spring grade report and I am pleased to see so many achieving excellent Effort,Behaviour and Homework grades as this is an indication that they are trying their hardest in lessons. Pupils who achieved 1s and2s only on their grade reports will be presented with a certificate by Mr Elsey for such excellent effort. As I am writing this, I amin the throes of planning our film night as a reward evening for pupils with excellent grade reports and hope that will inspire allof them to try their best at all times. This year the male contingency of the Year group have been leading the high achievers forMerit totals and 8R, seem to be running away with the highest average Merit total and attendance level- so excellent leadershipMiss Mitchell. Please support the tutors by encouraging your children to be in school as much as possible so they are able toachieve and fulfil their highest potential.

We are continuing to run our Gr8 project this term and I have been delighted to hand out more Gr8 certifi-cates to a large number of pupils for successfully completing 8 challenges this term. Next term we are look-ing forward to our grand Gr8 prize draw, which will include vouchers for them to use in the summerholidays as well as other such prizes. Please encourage your child to join in with activities in school and totell us about activities they participate in outside school so that we can celebrate their successes with themand ensure they qualify for entry to the draw.

At the end of the Autumn term we were visited by a representative from Shooting Star Chase, ouryear group charity which has continued to spur us all on and since then we have arranged a megacake sale to raise more funds for the charity. Last year we raised £300 and so Miss Knowles and I aresteadily counting this year’s total, thank you for those who donated cakes and bought them! We alsohad a winner on the bottle challenge and 8P filled their bottle up the quickest, helped by an almighty“copper” donation by Charlotte Sayce and so have named their duck Bubba. 8U made the mostmoney throughout the challenge and have called their duck “Jamoolian”

We also were visited by the Gypsy Storyteller, Mr O’Neill who told us about his upbringing as a traveller and how he has usedthis experience to write some fantastic stories. The year group thoroughly enjoyed the visit and laughed the whole way throughthe assembly, especially at the baby bubble wrap!

I look forward to another exciting summer term with the year group and would take this opportunity to remind you that we haveour Parents Evening on 19th June 2014 when you will be able to discuss the progress of your child with their subject teachers.We also have the year group trip to Barton Hall coming up on which a staggering 90 of the year group are going. Miss Knowlesis already in organising mode and so expect communication in the Summer Term.

I wish you all a very happy Easter and hope that you have a restful break with family and friends.

This term we have arranged the Year 8cake sale and we are trying to beat lastyear’s amount. We are well on the way.We are all discussing ideas about whatwe can do next term and are open toideas.

Every week I play football for Edgbarrow.It is lots of fun and I learn new skills. In thelast few games we have played, we have lostbut we carry on trying and everyone enjoysthem. We work hard in training but inmatches we need to improve our goal scor-ing. We have really good players and aneven belter captain.

Script writer Mr O’ Neill came and talked touse about his interesting life on the road as atraveller. He has the most amazing imagination,so amazing that that he has been presented withthe same award as JK Rowling. He took usthrough his sometimes hard, but hilarious life.He talked about how his love of education andstories in his childhood inspired him to becomea writer. He has certainly inspired me to wantto become a writer.

The organisation of the event was outstanding andwhatever you feel, there was something to interestyou about your future, which could spark your imag-ination. From a personal perspective, I enjoyed theart college and the photographic stands. The cateringstand was just delicious especially the chocolatebrownies, where I managed to eat one, or maybethree!

On the 6th of March students at Edgbarrow took part in a ‘drop everything and read’ challenge for WorldBook Day. Students read for ten minutes in a variety of different subjects. Well done to those who tookpart and remembered to bring a reading book.

Tuesday 25th March saw 8 primary schools from Bracknell take part in the BracknellForest School Sport Partnership BISI Badminton Competition hosted at Edgbarrow

School. Teams from across the borough battled to score the most points and earn themselves a place at theBerkshire School Games County Final. The competition, led by a group of exceptional Edgbarrow Sports Leadersinvolved pupils taking part in 8 challenges. Year 3 & 4 pupils had to test their accuracy, balance, speed andco-ordination with rackets and shuttles in order to gain their team as many points as they could.The winners were Ascot Heath Junior gaining 275 points earning themselves a place at Berkshire School Gamesat Theale Green School on the 6th March. Runners up place was awarded to Owlsmoor who

scored 248 and bronze medals wereawarded to joint third placeteams from St Joseph’sSchool and CrowthorneSchool, both achieving208 points.

This term our focus has been making decisions about the future.I have been absolutely delighted with the mature way the Year 9pupils approached the Option process. It was a pleasure to seeso many parents and pupils at the Options Evening and ParentsEvening and the insightful questions that the students were askingof their tutors and teachers to help them make sensible, informeddecisions. All the Option forms were in on time and once all ofthe choices have been finalised you will receive a letter confirmingyour child’s choices.

We have recently had our Careers Evening and were delighted tohave over 50 exhibitors. A large number of Year 9 pupils attend-ed the event with their parents and Emily Holloway has writtenthe following passage about the evening.

I would like to remind you about our 9 Lives project. You willremember that the Year 9 pupils are completing a series ofchallenges each term to gain ‘ticks’ which will lead to themqualifying for an invitation to the Year 9 trip in July. Pleaseencourage your child to keep doing the right thing such arecompleting homework, having excellent attendance, trying theirhardest in all lessons as this will all count. We have a Praise Wallin the Year 9 area and I have been delighted to be able to put somany names on it this term. Staff have been impressed with theeffort that so many of the pupils are making in lessons andrecognition of this on our Praise Wall also counts towards the tripinvitation.

Through a recent assembly organised by the science departmentthe pupils were also encouraged to become involved in WorldEarth Day on April 22nd. Pupils have been given suggestions forhow they can become involved on the day by; walking or cyclingrather than travelling in a car; litter picking; planting a tree orplants and using electrical items for less time. In Year 9 we wouldlike to encourage pupils to get involved and so as World EarthDay falls at the end of the Easter holiday we are asking you toencourage your child to take this opportunity to become in-volved. Please take a photo or write a note showing what yourchild has done so that we can give them the year group award forour 9 Lives project.

The year group are proud of our many successes this termand congratulations go to members of the year group whohave been involved in our girls Basketball Team who wonthe County Challenge Cup. Our mathematicians have alsobeen involved in the Maths Challenge and Olivia Choppinghas written about the event:

Year 9s have also been working hard on their literacy duringtutor times. We have been discussing the books that theyare reading, sharing books together and we have nowstarted having word of the week competitions. The com-petition is different every week but having a go countstowards the Y9 tick competition and the tutors and I havebeen delighted with the effort so many of them have al-ready made! Please encourage your child to have a go!

Finally I would like to take this opportunity to remind youthat the Year 9 pupils have

. These exams arean important indicator of the Key Stage 3 level that thepupils have achieved and I would urge you to ensure thatyour child is finding a balance over the holiday betweenresting and revising!

Year 11 Year 10 Year 9

GOLDCameron Bridport* &** Will CooperRichard Goddard

GOLDEwan Beetham*Matt CeaserJack Cowley

SILVER

Thomas TruckleMichael TruckleSebastian VetterleinAngus HamiltonCraig HodgesDaniel KeoghTom HarrisEthan FroomeEleanor SmithStephen BoneBenny DeaconRobin Walton

SILVER

Joe LovedayEdward ForbesAndrew LuckettSophie HardingEthan YardleyMason WilliamsKiara TaylorAlice Wood

SILVER

David Peters*Megan HardyJacob MilliganElwira SlowinskaNick FlintCharlie Piggott

BRONZE

Sarah MatteyJack LawrenceYasmin KingAlys BladesJack GregoryRosie ClarkeAdil TegallyOliver JonesLuke Atkins

BRONZE

Hazel PilszakAlicia MartinAnson LawDavid KingHarry BollandsAlex Mayes

BRONZE

Gemma DaunceyJosie DoyleAaron WrayOlivia ChoppingAndrew PerryEden PhilpotJennifer LiddellEden OrrenBeth KiddDaniel WarrenMax Savochkin

Intermediate Maths Challenge ResultsOn Thursday 6th February our top set maths students in years 9, 10 and 11 sat the UKMT mathschallenge. This is a national competition with ‘problem solving’ type questions set around manydifferent areas of mathematics.Our students achieved gold, silver and bronze certificates and the results are given below:

Cameron Bridport, Will Cooper, Richard Goddard, Ewan Beetham,Matt Ceaser and Jack Cowley also sat the next round (‘Pink Kangaroo’) of the maths challenge onThursday 20th March. I will let you know how they get on in the next issue.

** Cameron Bridport also received a certificate for ‘Best in School’.* Cameron Bridport, Ewan Beetham and David Beetham also received a certificate for ‘Best intheir Year’

Year 8 and 9 Team ChallengeOn Tuesday 11th March I had the pleasure of accompanying this year’s team to the competitionheld at Wycombe High School. Our team consisted of Olivia Chopping and Eden Philpot in Year 9and Toby Wenman and Surekha Punshon in Year 8. Our students performed excellently on the dayagainst some very tough competition. The challenge consisted of a number of different roundsincluding the group round, crossnumber, shuttle round and finally the relay race (fast walking wasrequired!!) We came 16th out of the 25 schools participating in this heat of the National Competition.

Year 10 Team ChallengeOn Friday 28th February, four Year 10 students took part in the competition which was held thisyear at Sandhurst School. The team consisted of Ben Vince, Liberty Curtis, Sophie Harding andAbigail Holden. The challenge had a number of different rounds including one that the studentshad to pre-prepare for which was about base 6 arithmetic. Although we were not triumphant onthis occasion, good fun was had by all. We narrowly missed 7th position (by half a point!) out of the22 schools participating in this heat of the National Competition.

Upcoming eventsThe Junior Maths Challenge for top set students in Years 7 and 8 is to be held on Thursday 1st

May and there is also an opportunity for Year 7 students to get involved in the maths marathon inMay which is run by the Education Business Partnership – more details to follow.

The Maths department would like to thank all the students who have taken part in the enrichmentactivities so far this year and congratulate those that will be receiving certificates.

Well done!

Mrs Holloway

The Winter Concert is a showcase for GCSE and A-level musicians and helps toprepare them for the performance assessments which they complete this term.We had a wonderful evening of solos and ensembles, with stunning performancesin a wide range of musical styles.  The evening, organised by Miss Dier, was ablyintroduced by Year 11 pupils Ebony Odaranile and Izzy Southwood.As always the Swing Band started and finished the evening in a lively fashion.Thanks go to all the performers and to the tech crew for producing such a greatconcert.

We would like to start by thanking you for the fantastic generosity and support wehave received for our JustGiving IT Fund.

The donations received so far, either by monthly direct debits or single one offdonations total just over £1000. We hope to raise enough money to provide the Science Department access to newlaptops for student use.

If you are able to contribute to our IT Fund the simplest way is to click on this link which will take you directly to the Edgbarrow School PTA Just Giving

page. Alternatively, you could go to www.justgiving.com and search for ‘Edgbarrow School PTA’ in the ‘give to acharity’ section of their website.

Once on the Edgbarrow School PTA Just Giving site, simply follow the on screen instructions remembering to tick thegift aid box when available. Once you have made your one-off donation, or have set up a direct debit, you will receivea confirmation email from Just Giving for your records.

In the current economic climate, where school budgets have been heavily impacted, the replacement of ageing ITequipment is a priority for our school and your voluntary contributions will be greatly appreciated.

If you have any queries please contact our Assistant Headteacher, Gareth Croxon at:

gareth.croxon@edgbarrowschool.co.uk

The PTA has had another busy year raising funds which go towards the cost of equipment and activities which are for the benefitof all the pupils.

The Christmas Fayre and the Sponsored Walk were both hugely successful in raising significant funds for the school. Februarybrought us the ever popular quiz evening and during March we delivered the Careers Convention, giving pupils an insight intovarious options of career supported by many local companies such as BMW, Sygenta UK, Emergency Services and representa-tives from the construction and engineering industries. The painting and gardening sessions held three times a year started inSeptember and have once again been well attended by parents and members of the Wokingham Vineyard church making theschool look brighter and fresher whilst saving valuable funds.

Going forward, the PTA are looking to expand the fundraising activities with ideas such as a summer car boot sale and runninga stall at the Crowthorne Carnival and would welcome your views as to whether you would support these initiatives. Please letus know by emailing; pta@edgbarrowschool.co.uk ……………………… or by coming along to the next PTA meeting.

Malcom MayChairman

Thank you for your support - we have raised £283 to-date.If you use the internet to do your shopping please give a thought to making your purchases through EasyFundraising. So instead of going directly to a retailer’s website, go to easyfundraising first and choose the retaileryou want to shop with – then everything you spend with that retailer earns a free donation (average of 5%) forEdgbarrow School PTA. Please register at -

It is the PTA’s aim to raise money for the school to purchase those extra items for the use of your children in theireducation therefore please support the school as much as possible and tell your friends.

It seems as we have only just passed Christmas and we are already at the end of the spring term. Over the last 12weeks of term, Year 10 has been working hard towards different exams and pieces of coursework. We are only inYear 10 but the work for the pupils is already increasing with many involved in exams and coursework which willcount for the final key stage 4 exams. Well done to them all for the hard work and effort they are putting into theirwork. They have also been issued with a timetable for their exams in May and June, so that you can see when theyare and help them prepare in the best way possible. Thank you for your help and support with your sons anddaughters, this is very much a team effort and we appreciate all you do.

Even at this time we have had pupils involved in activities outside of lessons, the life beyondschool has been a focus for us with preparation for the work experience planned for end ofthe summer term. Pupils have been undertaking interviews in preparation; firstly a shortinterview with the company who organise the work experience followed by an interviewwith an “expert from the business community”, which involved looking at their CV and givingfeedback. A valuable process and the first of many interviews the pupils will undertake in theirlives. Well done to all the pupils who did well with their CVs and in the interview, a big thankyou to Karen Robinson (Careers and Work Related Administrator) and to all the friends frombusiness who supported us.

Year 10 pupils have also taken part in visits to different businesses with us accepting 2 invitations so far this year toattend “business days” at O2 headquarters in Slough. Our studentshave performed very well against and with pupils from otherschools, well done to all who have taken part and the teachers whohave supported them.These types of events are things that pupils can put on their CVsand talk about in interviews for Sixth Form, College and University,and, as we think more about this, students are talking to me aboutwhat they can do to gain experience and be involved in activitiesoutside of school to help with this but also to get a balance intotheir lives. Thank you for all the support and encouragement yougive to them in these areas.

Some of our pupils have also found time to enjoy success on thesporting field both inside and outside of school as well as complet-

ing school work, particular congratulations should go the girls whose cricket and basketball teams both won theirarea competition. Well done to all who took part. Activities outside school are also well supported by our pupilswith many enjoying success. We hear of some but not all so, if your son or daughter has achieved outside of schoolin any field, not only sport, and you would like to let me know so we can share in their success, please email me.

A final thank you for your help ensuring the full school uniform is worn and that they are properly equipped forlessons; as a teacher, I know what a difference it makes to the lesson when all pupils have their books andequipment for the lesson.

Enjoy the time off at Easter with family and friends.

National Careers Week was celebrated each morning with a different activity to reflect each year group’sposition within their careers exploration. Years 7 & 8 were introduced to National Careers Week withan explanation of what the word ‘Career’ means, the aims of national careers week and a re-cap on theircareers exploration at Edgbarrow to date; along with two short videos, ‘Shift Happens’ and ’10 jobs thatweren’t around 10 years ago’. For Year 9 we again talked about National Careers Week and its aims, andexplored their Careers Exploration to date, followed by a brief summary of what they would cover in Year

10 including a presentation from Michael Truckle, a Year 11 student who spoke extremely well about his work experience inYear 10. We started the Year 10 assembly by again speaking about National Careers week but this was then followed by apresentation from 4 apprentices from Fujitsu who presented an overview of the company and the opportunities available withinFujitsu. The week ended with 3 students from our Sixth Form Leadership Team speaking to Year 11s briefly about all the optionsavailable after Year 11, they then went on to talk specifically about the paths they have taken and gave Year 11s lots of tips fortheir future careers exploration.

Our annual careers convention took place on Thursday 6th March and we are pleased to report it was a resounding success; witha record number of exhibitors, 52, and an increase in the number of students and parents/carers attending, with just under 500attending. This year in line with recent changes in the statutory duty on schools with regard to the delivery of careers educationwe took the opportunity to invite our Year 8s along as well. Early feedback from exhibitors was that it was great to talk tostudents prior to them making their GCSE/BTEC choices and that they used the evening to ask informed relevant questions toassist them with their choices and careers exploration. The evening ran very smoothly with a number of exhibitors already havingcontacted us to confirm their attendance for next year. A big thank you must go out to our PTA who provide great support inorganising and running this event along with our many other helpers including staff and students.

All our Year 10 students have recently taken part in a practice interview with a member of the local business community. Students prepared for this during PSHGEE by completing a CV and application form for either a Sixth Form or Collegeplace, or an apprenticeship. The interviewers then used the CVs and application forms as the basis for the interview; earlyfeedback suggests that the majority of our students performed very well in their first attempt at what can be a daunting task, socongratulations to them all. Further information regarding Apprenticeship can be found via the school website, in the Careersand Work Related Learning area.

In January our year 13 students not intending to continue in further education were invited to attend the above event at BracknellForest Homes head office. Students spent the day taking part in a number of team activities which included, what makes a goodcandidate for the job?, CV preparation session, exploring the application process, job market networking, first impression &self-branding. All the above being key skills for anyone about to enter the world of work, the students who attended will haveall gained new knowledge or enhanced the skills they already have and we hope that it will ensure that they all progress smoothlyonto the next step in their lives.

Year 12 Careers SessionsYear 12 students have again been invited to attend a number of careers exploration sessions to encourage them toinvestigate in more depth some of the varied options that are available to them. On 27th February we welcomed 9guest speakers from a number of companies who spoke to them about their own career paths, their industries and theopportunities available. There was a very interesting mix of subjects available which included Apprenticeships, IT,Genome Engineering and Gaming to name a few. We hope that these sessions will encourage our students to explorefully all the options that are available to them Post 18 and help them make informed choices for the future. Furtherinformation on Apprenticeships can be found on the school website in the Careers and Work Related Learning area.

Reassessment – Investor in CareersWe are now very close to finalising our evidence portfolio for our Investor in Careers re-assessment. With an everchanging employment market it is vitally important that we do all we can to prepare ourstudents for life both after Edgbarrow and any further education they undertake. By havingthis quality mark and continuing our commitment to it, we will ensure that we continue toprepare our students in the best way possible for the world of work and that as a school we arecontinually assessing and improving our CEIAG (Careers Education Advice Information andGuidance) delivery. Reassessment is due to take place at the end of April and we would notbe in a position to continue with this award without the support of many people outside ofEdgbarrow, including many members of the local business community and our parents/carers,so we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. In the nextschool newsletter we hope to report that we have been successful with the reassessment.

(formerly Connexions Thames Valley)The Morrisby Profile is the foremost careers diagnostic tool available to anyone, student or adult, whowishes to identify the career opportunities most appropriate for them. It uses a series of paper based testsand a questionnaire which together assesses aptitude and work/study orientated personality.

Adviza (formerly Connexions Thames Valley) are pleased to announce that weare able to offer this to students at Edgbarrow School (as well as parents!) fora one off price of £95, which includes the assessment plus a one hour individualfeedback session. Students with a family income of less than £26,000 willqualify for our bursary and can get the assessment and feedback for free.

The results of the assessment are presented in a detailed personal report which shows how a person’saptitudes relate to relevant careers, taking into account their intended qualifica-tions and work-related interests.  For each suggested career there is a briefdescription of what it involves, the exams usually required, information on profes-sional organisations and suggestions for associated career areas. In addition a‘Looking Forward’ supplement gives suggestions of appropriate A levels/degreecourses you may want to consider if applicable. The series of tests last for 3 hoursand is suitable for students aged 15 or over with an average reading ability. Seesample questions and report on www.morrisby.com. Dates and venues of ses-sions are available on the Adviza website: www.adviza.org.uk/shop. To book asession or to find out more, please email morrisby@adviza.org.uk

I continue to extremely impressed with the amazing amount of enthusiasm, hard work and dedication I see from somany of the Year 11s at this time. As the pressure continues to grow, as we approach the final phase of our timetogether, the year group continues to develop in their ability to cope and produce their best. They are all extremelybusy finishing off coursework and controlled assessments.

Those pupils doing practical subjects are also doing their moderations and oral assessments over the coming weeks.As I have moved around the school in recent weeks it has really struck me just how many Year 11s are on the siteafter 3.20pm doing their coursework or attending revision sessions. I am sure all their hard work and dedication willpay off in the summer’s examinations.

During this time the year group have been considering their futures and have completed the task of applying to theSixth Form or other colleges and for apprenticeships. Many have now received their offers and now have somethingto aim for next year.

This academic term we have been continuing with our reward system albeit in a slightly different way. I have askedstaff to nominate pupils who deserve special recognition be it for effort, attainment, general helpfulness etc and willuse these nominations as the basis of selecting the pupils who deserve to be especially rewarded for their efforts thisterm. The feedback from staff has already been so complimentary and I am hoping we can reward the relevant pupilsshortly after the Easter break.

We are now fully involved in the process of preparing for the Prom and writing the YearBook. The Prom and the Year Book committees have done a fantastic job of ensuring theyear group will have a fantastic way of celebrating their time here. The Prom Night will take

place on Thursday 8th May 2014 at Blue Mountain Golf Club from 7pm to 11pm. I am really looking forward to seeingthem all dressed up and having a fantastic evening celebrating our final time together as a whole group!

As always I would like to thank my wonderful group of Tutors, who continue to do a fantastic job with the year group.Their patience, energy, enthusiasm and devotion have been pivotal in supporting and inspiring the pupils throughoutsuch an important year.

As Easter will soon be upon us can I please ask for your support in ensuring all the pupils use this time wisely. It is ofcourse very important that they have a break and enjoy some rest and relaxation however, it is vital that they alsoplan to do a considerable amount of revision! When we return from Easter there are only 3 weeks before the firstexam! Year 11s therefore need to see the Easter holidays as an opportunity to prepare thoroughly for these exams.

I would also like to thank all of you for your continued support and wish you a happy Easter.

Doddle is packed with presentations and interactives for use in school and at home, along with heaps ofself-marking quizzes and revision materials. Click for your 3-month revision planner to help you stayon track this exam season.

Students login using their username and password which they have been given on a sticker in their homeworkdiaries.Please contact E-Learning Office or email E-learning@edgbarrowschool.co.uk should you require assistancewith your login.

The Sixth Form has had a very busy term. The January exams taught us a lot about how our students were doing and we weredelighted with the positive way in which Year 12s and 13s reacted to these exams. We have been mentoring and supporting onan individual basis in order to ensure very good results in the summer, and again we are grateful to our students for their positiveinvolvement in this process. Not long to go now! Easter should provide a rest but also an opportunity to get ahead with revisionin order to prepare fully for the challenging exams ahead.

Mr Hammons took a group of Government & Politics students to Ascot in order to further broaden their knowledge about thepolitical process. They engaged positively during the day and met the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow. Mr Mayand the History department organised a fantastic trip to the US, which is reported separately in this Newsletter.

Our Geography AS Level students have recently returned from Orielton, where they conductedfield work with their Geography teacher, Miss Fitt, gamely assisted by Mr Newbould. The Icelandtrip was magnificent, and an article is reported elsewhere. The Business Studies Department hastaken our Sixth Formers on various trips, for which we are very grateful.

The Y13 chemists had a whirlwind visit on the afternoon of the 19th March to Syngenta (bigagrochemical company) in Jealott's Hill. The students were met by Dr Crosland (one of ourmums) who was their main guide around the labs, which were full of high tech equipment. Inthe organic lab they saw stirring bars the size of golf balls and liquid nitrogen disappear in a splitsecond. The Spectrometry room was most interesting with Lee Warren asking several questionsabove the noise of some very expensive (several million) mass spectrometers and nmr machines.Their formulation lab was robotically controlled and experiments were done on a grand scale:amazing. The students were impressed by the work at the chemical company and next year DrBingham will make the trip longer to take in the whole site. Thanks to Dr Bingham and to SusanCrosland for organising this event.

Sixth Formers have been dressing up in their PJs and in smart gear (and for some, we couldn't tell the difference) in order to raisemoney for various causes. Thanks to our team of students who have organised events during the term.

Our Student Leadership Team is extremely busy organising the end-of-year shennanigans, with the high-profile Prom takingcentre stage. Organisation of this event is going really well and the tension is starting to build. We really appreciate the hard workthat is going into this event as well as Year Books, hoodies etc. It'll all make for a happy, fun end to the year post-exams.

Our footballers have started to get into their stride and recently played some fantastic football to beat Charters. Good scalp! Wehave progressed in the cup and have had some good results in the league. We have an impressive squad upon which to build overthe coming year and we look forward to further success as we develop a really strong squad.

We hold our presentations and interviews for the new Head Boy / Head Girl positions soon, so in the next Newsletter we'll beable to tell you all about it.

We have had a really positive term and we look forward to a short, focused period at the beginning of next term preparing forvery important exams.

Happy Easter from the whole Sixth Form Team!

We’re really proud of Lauren and the work she’s done with the (Royal London Society for Blind People)RSLB. This articleand the link to the video summary of their manifesto demonstrate the commitment and dedication of this veryimpressive young woman. Great work, Lauren! Lauren is going to be sharing this work with the Sixth Formers next term,so we all look forward to that.

In July 2014 a group of Sixth Form-ers, including ourselves, are gettingthe amazing experience of visitingHonduras with a company calledOperation Wallacea. In the twoweeks we’re out there we will beworking close up with the scientistsin the jungle and on the reef lookingat all the wildlife and participating inconservation work. In preparationfor this trip we have had to havediving training with Dive Crew inorder to get a PADI qualification so we can explore the waters of Honduras. This involved us all gettingtogether over two Sundays, 9am- 6pm, and learning the theory behind diving; how all the kit works alongwith how to put it together; safety for diving and also taking part in 2 water dives in which we learntimportant skills starting with things like breathing underwater with the regulator all the way to how toremove, swim, replace and clear our masks of water while underwater. We learnt that the buddy systemis a big part of diving as not only do you look out for yourself; you also look out for your buddy and theylook out for you to ensure maximum safety. Initially it was a struggle, especially when we would descendto the bottom as equalising wasn’t easy. The pressure would hurt your ears and make you feel reallyclaustrophobic. It was a huge obstacle to overcome but the instructors were great and really understand-ing. By the end of the training we’d all managed to pass everything we needed and we ended up enjoyingthe experience as it brought us all closer together, as a team. We’re really looking forward to the trip inthe summer, it’s such a great opportunity to have and will be a fantastic experience. Diving in Honduraslooks amazing, getting to see all the different wildlife up close is something unimaginable. It will be a oneof a kind experience… we can’t wait!

On Thursday, 13th of March 2014, the Edgbarrow ASGovernment & Politics class went to Saint Mary's Schoolin Ascot to listen to a speech given by the Speaker of theHouse of Commons, John Bercow. He spoke about hisexperiences in Parliament and his role, on how to regulatefellow Members of Parliament along with the overallatmosphere in the House of Commons. He finished hisspeech by answering any queries we had about whathappened in Parliament and his past experiences.  I(along with the rest of the class) really enjoyed the speechgiven by John Bercow. It has given our class added insight

into what it is truly like in Parliament.

New York and Washington Trip 2014

Who knew that you could pack so many excitingand unique experiences into just 5 days! From theturbulent plane journey to the final coach trip back,there was never a moment without a surprise.One of the most notable things about New Yorkwas the size of everything, from the food, to thebuildings, it was all gigantic! Only when standing ontop of the Rockefeller tower, in the snow, couldwe see the whole city.However my favourite part of the New York sec-tion of the trip was visiting the UN building. Insidewere dozens of pictures and paintings that were allamazing to look at, not to mention the many meet-ing halls that were all uniquely designed.Finally to top off this amazing section of the trip,

we were staying in a 4 star hotel over looking Central Park, which felt like heaven after spending nearly 29 hours awaketravelling.

The best way to describe our time in Washington was,'short but sweet'.We only had 2 days in the DC, however it was full oftrips to amazing places such as the Capital building. Themost notable part of the visit to the Capital building wasthe inside of the dome. On entering the gigantic room,you are surrounded by huge paintings, each a spectaclein their own right.Everyone loved Washington and we were all sad whenwe had to board the plane back to Blighty.Anyone considering going on the trip in the futureshould, as it was the most enjoyable trip I have everbeen on, and the best way to end our time in Year 11.Not only were new friends made whilst travellingaround the US, but we went to so many different placesthat, otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone to. It was anamazing adventure and has made me want to go backand explore the US more.

A group of Year 10 Pupils were invited to a "Think Big"Business Event held at 02 in Slough on 21st March;  theywere asked to work on new apps for the future and comeup with product designs and ideas.  Working with differentschools Edgbarrow students excelled and showed off theirbusiness acumen working brilliantly with other studentsand 02 staff coming up with two of the final ideas.  Thewinning entry from James Manning was a app to convert/translate teenage street slang into parent speak and theother way round.  His presentation style was superb andstood out against the other students from other schools - a real entrepreneur for the future. Very well done everyone

who went. I hope you enjoyed your day.

When my cousin broke her leg in a skiing accidentrecently, it was met by many as a hideous disaster,and there was no end to the sympathy towards hersituation. She posted her journey in and out of differ-ent hospitals on Facebook, uploading pictures of her-self with a bruised leg, bandages, her metal frame orsometimes just her hospital meal she was eating.Vases of flowers were sent to her by the truckload; getwell soon cards trickled into her ward in their hun-dreds; family members rang up constantly to ask ifwe’d heard the news, and why hadn’t we visited herin hospital (which is 207 miles away from where welive); did we not care about her health?When I was diagnosed with a depression and anxietydisorder back in 2013, the reaction could not havebeen more different towards me. Whereas my cousinhad been met with great sympathy and much love,many of those who I tried to confide in treated mecoldly. No-one came to visit to check I was okay, novases of flowers, or get well soon cards, no familyphoning constantly to see how I was. Everythingabout it was hushed up, and many refused to eventalk about it, to discuss the subject. I never couldreally understand though, why was my cousin, whosehealth had been hindered by an accident, receiving somuch more warmth to her problems and strugglethan me? I’m unwell too; what is this huge stigmaattached to mental health that made me the familysecret? Was it because I what I had was a commonproblem? 1 in 10 people have depression, which issimilar to the probability of catching the flu. Or wasit because it was a mental illness; maybe peoplethought all I needed was to just ‘get over myself’.Most people I’ve spoken to have said the same thingabout people’s reactions; that although some peopleare friendly and understanding, others just don’t real-ly get it. My psychiatrist explained to me that peoplegive negative reactions because they don’t fully un-derstand, or can’t fully accept the situation. This leadsto putting pressure on the sufferer and more negativefeelings towards themselves and their illness.But surely we can’t just allow people to make thesecomments just because they might not understand thesituation? If someone had a broken leg, they would besupported by those around them, and not made to doany physical activities that would lead to strain andstress. Why is depression treated different to thisthen? Whereas an adult in a workplace may be al-lowed time off to recover if they had depression, astudent with it would not get this similar treatment; aperson with a broken leg would have accommoda-tions made for them to help their everyday life; manymental illness sufferers do not have this luxury.

No one can choose to have these illnesses or disor-ders (I’m 100% sure that anyone you ask who has ahistory of mental illness that none of them wouldchose to have it again, no matter what they feel theyhave learnt from it); so why allow people to makethese comments on a situation which is completelyout of their hands? People should be educatedbetter on matters like this; not understanding anillness, or someone’s situation, should not be a rea-son for people to make cruel comments or hurtsomeone else.I watched a video a couple of weeks ago called “Ihad a black dog, his name was depression.” Al-though I personally found it rather patronising andguilty of simplifying complex matters far too muchfor my liking (my illness has made me rather morecynical than I was before), I found it helpful whentrying to explain to others exactly how I, and mil-lions of others like me feel. Little clips and articleslike this are brilliant, trying to help people under-stand about coping with mental problems and dis-orders.As a nation we should move to be less sympatheticto those who shoot down sufferers as attention seek-ers or as people who need to ‘get over themselves’.If we could all try to understand, and be more un-derstanding to each other, it would make a lot ofpeople better quicker; no one should be treatedbadly because of someone’s ignorance of their situa-tion, no matter what is going on.I’ve found that Edgbarrow School has given me a lotof encouragement and support in trying to help methrough these circumstances. Although I wasscared to open up about it or admit I had someproblems to anyone at first, as soon as I did to myHead of Year, and then on to Student Support, Ibegan to feel more confident in myself and began torealise that I wasn’t alone. People who I didn’tknow began to comfort me and help me; I stoppedbelieving that I was such a ‘freak’ and began torealise I was just unwell; and although it couldhappen to anyone, there are always going to bepeople that will be there to help me through it.Sometimes it can be hard to feel happy or cheerfulor to ‘get over yourself’. It is one of the hardestjourneys someone may ever have to do. A littleunderstanding can go a long way. More awarenessin situations such as health problems or mentalillness is important. Be there for someone and showthem sympathy. It’ll do more for them than you willever realise.

If you do have any worries or concerns about anything, please talk to your Head of Year or feel free to go to Student Support and see Mrs Guy.

Am I unwell? Or do I need to just ‘get over myself’?

For the first time the school has run a cross country running club on a Friday after school from 3.30 - 4.30pm. The club hasbeen well attended and frequently has around 20-25 boys and girls from a variety of different year groups coming out toimprove their fitness along with their knowledge and understanding of the sport. When the weather has been very poor MrWeir, who has lead the club, has organised some suitably challenging circuit training sessions which the students have reallyenjoyed (or endured!) At the Berkshire schools cross country championships held atWellington College back in January, Edgbarrow entered a large team with some realsuccess. There were two real highlights of the day; the first coming from the Year 7boys team who won the County championship in style, absolutely smashing theopposition and winnning by over 50 points/places. A special mention has to go to MaxBorgnis who finished third out of a field of over 150 runners. Edgbarrow had a furtherfive runners in the top 25. This bodes well for years to come. The second highlight ofthe day came from a familiar name, Scott Halsted. Scott, a current Year 13 A level PEstudent, won the senior boys race at a canter and went on to be selected for the theCounty at the English schools cross country which he again won. Scott is an extremlytalented athlete and I will miss reporting on his sucessess when he leaves us at the endof the year but goes with the PE department’s best wishes. Keep an eye and ear outfor him in the 2016/2020 Olympics!

For the boys, football has been the main focus in terms of sport for this term. The weather has played it’s part in making theseason a challenging one for all PE departments in terms of getting fixtures played and communicating these with students andother schools.

The Year 7 team have huge potential, they play a brand of football similar to Barcelona -they try to keep the ball on the floorand move it around opponents rather than trying to play through them. They are very mature in their approach and at timeshave played some outstanding football. They were unfortunate to be knocked out of the County Cup by Furze Platt despitedominating the game in terms of possession and territory. The Furze Platt players dominated the game physically and thisended up deciding the result. In the East Berks league cup, the team enjoyed wins over Sandhurst, St Cripsins and Emmbrook.This qualified them into the semi-final, away at Cox Green, and again despite playing all the football, scoring 3 goals anddominating the game they were very unlucky and ended up conceding two goals in extra time and losing 4-3. I am confidentthey will secure some silverware in future years. Players of note have been Lewis Boniface, Robbie Deacon and Aaron Kauppilawho have all played brilliantly.

The Year 8s have endured a tough season. Due to their performance last year they played in the premier division of the EastBerks League so have played some of the best teams in the county. Despite putting in some gutsy performances they have beenon the wrong end of the score line in all of their games. Injury and players not being available at crucial times affected some ofthe results. On the up-side more players than any other year group have had their chance to represent the school.

The Year 9s have enjoyed a good season, when playing at home on the School astro! They are undefeated on this surface butseemed unable to transfer this form to grass as the season went on. They have enjoyed some excellent wins over qualityfootball schools including Charters and St Bartholomew's in Newbury, and are still in the County Cup semi final against Forestto be played next week. We wish them all the best in what will be a tough encounter.

This team have so much potential but just cannot realise it. Again, like the Year 9s, they play in the premier division of the EastBerks League Cup. As a result they have played some of the strongest teams in the county and despite competing and scoringlots of goals, it’s their defending and positional play as a team that lets them down. Going forward they are as good as any teamaround but all too often they have been caught on the break and suffered as a result. If they could learn to play to a formation,and keep that formation throughout a game they could go a long way.

The Year 11 team have enjoyed their best season for a few years under the coaching of Mr Drosdzowski. Despite an earlyset back by being knocked out of the Coutny Cup by a very strong Langley Academy team they have put in some excellentperformances and recorded good wins in the premier division of the East Berks League over Waingels, Desborough and agood draw against St Crispins. A loss against Forest last week has meant their chance to progress to the knock-out stagesis dependent on the result between St Crispins and Forest. Fingers crossed for the right result. Key players in the team havebeen Ryan O'Donoghue who has been a rock in defence and Max Stevenson,  the lynch pin of the team in central midfield.

For the first time in many years the Sixth Form have run a football team. Coached and run by Mr Evans, the boys haveexperienced some good results at times but if they had taken all the goals scoring chances they had created, could well beplaying for silverware in the next few weeks. They have experieced sound wins over Easthampstead Park, Sandhurst, FurzePlatt, and Charters and are still involved in the East Berks knock-out cup where they are playing Forest in the semi final atsome point next week. We wish them all the best in that game as it will be a tough one.

The school is lucky enough to draw down some considerable funding for external coaches through the Sportivate initiative.This term we have continued to run an Aerobics club on a Monday after school which hasbeen well attended. The club has been run by a specialist dance and fitness instructor andI know the girls have really enjoyed the expertise, enthusiam and knowledge she hasbrought. We have also had the pleasure of being able to offer Cheerleading to studentsin Year 7 to11. This has been extremely popular with our girls and is definitely a very

popular activity that we will be looking to provide for more in the future. As a result Mrs Kalkwarf has recently attended acheerleading coaching course so will be able to support this sport developing at Edgbarrow.

Next term we have signed up to a new badminton initiative launched by Badminton England called 'Smash it.' This has beenfunded by Sportivate and is currently open to students in Year 7 and 8. It will include 12 weeks of free coaching by a fullyqualified badminton coach. At the time of writing there are still some places available - sign up in the Sports Hall now ifinterested! We will also be offering some athletics and tennis as part of the Sportivate funding next term so please look outfor information as to how to access these excellent opportunities.

The school is very lucky as the current astro turf is in the proess of being replaced. Work has started and should continuefor around eight weeks - hopefully it will be ready after May half term. Please can we remind students that the area is strictlyout of bounds during the refurbishment. As with all new sports surfaces, the manufacturers are very strict about the typeof footwear that will be allowed in order for the warranty to be valid. The following information has been taken directlyfrom the manufacturer's guidance,

All students should have a pair of trainers as part of the school PE kit but frequently students currently wear moulded studsor plastic blades on the astro and these will no longer be permitted.

The netball season has drawn to a close and the final league results are:: 2nd place. Ranelagh won this year. The only game the girls lost was their first game against Ranelagh with a small

goal difference. Later on in the season the girls went on to beat Ranelagh!: 3rd place. As the season progressed so did the team’s skills showing an improvement in each game. 4th place. Towards the end of the season the girls were playing as a team and unstoppable. With a little bit of

focus and training next year I am sure they will be successful. 1st place. The girls have been dedicated this year, never missing a training session. All their hard work has paid

off. A massive well done girls!! 2nd place. The Year 11 girls have been the most dedicated team within the school. This year they have set a

fantastic example to the lower years in terms of attitude and commitment. I am extremely proud of all the girls who havecome along to netball over the past 5 years. I am especially proud of the girls who have been there every training session,come wind and rain, and who have actively encouraged players from all years to attend. Netball participation within theschool has doubled in recent years and most of it is down to their hard work. So a massive THANK YOU to the 'rocks'of netball : Rachel Boucher, Rachel Hardy, Rosie Clarke, Alys Blades, Elisa Fletcher, Ella Croft and Molly Maunders

The U15 girls cricket team dominated in the league round inthe Lady Taverners Competition this spring, beating bothGarth Hill and Charters by 5 runs. The girls made the countyfinals for the second year running, this year against two verystrong teams from Waingels and Langley Academy.The first game was against Langley Academy. We openedbatting with strong performances from Captain AshleighMuttit, Amie Coombes, Nicole Jenkins and Hannah Woolf.We closed batting with a score of 56-6. Langley Academycame out fighting, even with fabulous bowling from, again,the captain Ashleigh Muttit, Nicole Jenkins and AmieCoombes, Langley proved too strong getting a score of 79-4.It came down to the final game between Edgbarrow andWaingels. The girls came out with a confident attitude fortheir final game with great performances put in by, Ali Mar-tin, Ellis Hawkins, Emily Stanners, Shalom Matsekeza, andbrilliant wicket keeping from the ever solid Hollie DyesSheppard. We opened batting for a second time and scoreda bigger than last game 64-7, with Waingels proving the moreexperienced team winning by 17 runs with 81-2 scored.I am very proud of how the girls played all their games thisseason, and look forward to the sun shining and starting theoutdoor tournaments in Bray.

This is the first year Edgbarrow have entered an u13 LadyTaverners Cricket competition, and didn't they do well. Thegirls dominated in the local league games reaching the Berk-shire County Finals. The girls played a strong Waingels team tobegin with, opening the batting scoring a respectable 65-1.However this excellent lead was beaten by a very close 69-3.Excellent bowling from Captain Claudia Sheppard, SandraStapinoiu, Charlotte Warner, Amie Griffiths, Freya Marshalland Sawab Hamouda in conjunction with a great fielding teameffort, including Hana Fry and her wicket keeping were some-thing to be very proud of.

The girls had agame off anddecided tocomplete somehomework -what academicswe have.

The final gamefor the 3rd and4th place was against a tall Charters team. Another strongopening of batting from Hana Fry, Charlotte Warner andClaudia Sheppard, gave us a 51-5 lead. The girls faced somevery fast bowling and did really well.

In the fielding innings the girls showed some amazing skills withSandra Stapinoiu completing a bowl and catch, followed bytwo excellent catches in succession. The team, including Dar-cy Hacke-Woods, Molly Rafferty and Emily Whelton, piled onthe pressure with fantastic stops preventing runs scored offthe wall. However, Charters fought back strongly and scoreda very good 81-6.I am very proud of all the girls’ performances in this tourna-ment and look forward to next year when we will indeed bebringing back the gold.

GIRLS BASKETBALLThis year the girls basketball team has done AMAZINGLY.They started as a team not sure of the rules or the skills ofdribbling and lay ups, however this didn't stop them winningthe league and becoming county champions. The hard workand dedication put in by all the girls attending trainings andgames has led to this amazing achievement. They have de-veloped excellent defending techniques, especially fromTaku, Megan Okor, Nicole Jenkins, Emily Stanners, NatashaLambden and Ashleigh Muttit. Our lead point guard in theform of Ali Martin led insane offences, working superbly

with Alys Blades,Eleanor Woolford andShalom Matsekeza.

I am so proud of thesuccess the girls haveachieved this seasonand can't wait formore exciting gamesnext year.Thank you and well

done girls.Miss Madz

If you would like to see if you are entitled, please select this to print the form, printyour details clearly below and return either to the address below or one of your child’scurrent schools.

The form can also be completed online by visiting

Service children are children with one or more parents currently serving inthe British armed forces.As a school we are entitled to claim additional money for all Service chil-dren on our roll under the government’s funding arrangements and thishas also been extended for Service children for up to 2 years after theirparent has retired from HM Forces.If you are in or recently retired from HM Forces, please would you confirm thatthis is the case by filling in the form which you access by select this and returning it to school reception.Please also state whether you are Personnel Category 1 or 2 by ticking the appropriate box and indicating whereyou are currently based.

Please do not reply to messages from Schoolcomms as they are not received by the school;  any emails should bedirected to: secretary@edgbarrow.bracknell-forest.sch.uk  and they will be forwarded to the relevant memberof staff.

If you have any of the following please could they be brought to Reception marked for the attention of Carol inthe Science Department.

Ice Cream and Margarine/Butter containersFolding Reading Glasses

Toy cars (small)Herbicide & Fertilizer Labels

Introducing school student Matthew. He is the diver not the turtle!

Just 9 weeks before this picture was taken at El Quesier, in the Red Sea,Matthew could not scuba dive. Wanting to do something completelydifferent and exciting on his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, he con-tacted the award winning Divecrew, who are right on our door step inCrowthorne.

Divecrew taught Matthew to scuba dive here in the UK (PADI OpenWater), he then travelled with Divecrew to El Quesier where he com-pleted his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Residential. At the same

time he became a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver. Matthew experienced diving with turtles, eagle ray anddolphins in warm waters of the Red Sea.

Edgbarrow Academy of Scuba Diving - Divecrew have been teaching Edgbarrow Sixth Porm students (PADIOpen Water Stage 1) in readiness for Operation Wallacea in Honduras.

AWARD WINNING PADI 5 STAR DIVE CENTREUK’s ONLY DEPTHERAPY GOLD STAR DIVE CENTRE

SCHOOLS ACADEMY OF SCUBA DIVINGSCHOOLS SCIENCE OF DIVING PROGRAMME

TRY DIVE EXPERIENCESSCUBA BIRTHDAY PARTIES

OVERSEAS MARINE RESEARCH COURSEDUKE OF EDINBURGH GOLD AWARD

DRY COURSE - CORAL CONSERVATIONUK DIVER TRAINING FROM BEGINNER TO SPECIALIST INSTRUCTOR

OVERSEAS DIVER TRAINING & HOLIDAYS (ESCORTED & INDEPENDENT)LARGE SCUBA SHOP WITH ON SITE FACILITIES.

DIVECREWBrookers Corner, Bracknell Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire. RG45 6ST

Tel: (01344) 771113.Email: info@divecrew.co.uk Web: www.divecrew.co.uk

We now have the facility to offer Paracetamol tostudents if the need arises. This can only be accessed

via the school nurse. If the nurse assesses that the useof Paracetamol is necessary, she will first telephone

the parent/guardian for consent. An accurate recordis kept of Paracetamol use. We hope that this willenable your children to remain in school and that

they will be more comfortable and able toconcentrate on their lessons. We will of course still

ask you to collect your child if they remain unwell orin severe pain. If you have any concerns regarding thisplease contact the School Nurse on 01344 772658.

If it is necessary for students to take any

medication in school (including non-prescription

medicines), the medication and a signed consent

form (this form can also be downloaded from the

school website) must be handed in at Reception

where it will be stored safely. The medication

should be sent in its original container, complete

with the expiry date and dosage details. The

student must to come to the medical room at the

required time to report to the Nurse or a First

Aider before taking the medication.

We would like to remind parents and carers

that we have a dedicated telephone number

for reporting student absence whether it be

going to an appointment or not going to be

in school.

The number is:.

Parents can also advise of absence by using

the email absence reporting facility on the

school website.

May we remind parents and

other visitors that we are a

non-smoking site, therefore

smoking is not permitted

anywhere within our build-

ings or grounds.

Although we strive for high attendance from ourstudents, if you know your child is unwell or injuredand not fit to be in school please do not send them.If a student becomes unwell or injured during thecourse of the school day it is the parent/carer’sresponsibility to collect their child or arrange for aresponsible adult to do so. Please ensure that yourcontact details are kept up to date so we can

efficiently ensure the health and safety of your child.

Parents should note that the schoolcannot be responsible for the personal

property of students whilst thestudents participate in off site activities

and the school will not be liable forloss of or damage to such propertyshould this occur. By agreeing thatyour child may participate in the

activity proposed you alsoacknowledge and agree that the school

shall have no liability in this respect.

SOFT FOOTBALLSPlease remind students that

they should bring soft foot-

balls (not leather ones) into

school to play at lunchtime.

The Centre is for any students experiencing

social, emotional or behavioural difficulties

that may have an effect on their learning.

Students and parents are welcome to

contact Ms Guy and her team directly.

However referrals will always be agreed

with the Head of Year. Ms Guy and her

team can be contacted via the main school

number on 01344 772658

Items of lost property can bereclaimed from Reception atlunchtime from 1.45pm onwardsonly. Items of PE kit are kept inthe PE department for a short timebefore arriving in Reception. Canwe please remind all parents thatall personal effects should benamed and that unclaimed lostproperty will be disposed of at

the end of each term.

Can students please make sure thatwhen using the school minibus theydo not eat when travelling in it andcertainly do not leave any litter

behind. Furthermore, please do notwear dirty boots while travelling inthe bus and ensure that the wholebus is left clean and tidy after everyjourney. This is a fantastic new bus;let’s make sure we can all enjoy it.

It is a serious breach of examinationregulations to bring a mobile phoneinto an examination room – see theschool website for more details.Please ensure that students do notbring mobile phones to schoolduring examination sessions. At

other times mobile phones shouldbe switched off and remain hidden

Please could any medical

appointments be written in

your child's planner and can

they also be reminded to

sign out at Reception when

they go to their

appointment.

Spring Term 2014

Last Day of Term Friday 4th April (school closes at 12.05pm)

Summer Term 2014

Teacher Training Days Tuesday 22nd April

Start of Term Wednesday 23rd April

Half Term Monday 26th May to Friday 30th May

Last Day of Term Friday 18th July (school closes at 12.05pm)

Autumn Term 2014

Teacher Training Days Monday 1st & Tuesday 2nd September

Start of Term Wednesday 3rd September

Half Term Monday 27th October to Friday 31st October

Last Day of Term Friday 19th December (school closes at 12.05pm)

Spring Term 2015Start of Term Monday 5th January

Half Term Monday 16th February to Friday 20th February

Last Day of Term Thursday 2nd April (school closes at 12.05pm)

Summer Term 2015

Teacher Training Day Monday 20th April

Start of Term Tuesday 21st April

Half Term Monday 25th May to Friday 29th May

Last Day of Term Wednesday 22nd July (school closes at 12.05pm)

May Day Holiday Monday 4th May

For further Term Dates/Key Dates please visit our website at:www.edgbarrowschool.co.uk