Early Closure - Gosford Hill School

Newsletter of Gosford Hill School
Mathematics & Computing College
“Proud to be part of the Kidlington Partnership”
July 2009 / Issue 10
Dear Parents/Carers
We come to the end of a successful year. Our new curriculum and house system are now embedded
and having very positive outcomes for our students. Our recent Ofsted report confirmed that we are
an improving school with many good features.
Recently our students have been involved in a wide variety of enrichment activities. You can read
about their learning experiences in this edition of the newsletter.
Our House Celebration Assemblies have been well received and congratulations to the following
winning Houses:
House Cup: Evenlode
Attendance Cup: Evenlode
Tutor Group Attendance Cup: Thames – TSWS
Sports Cup: Evenlode
Reading Award: Cherwell
Congratulations to all our students who were awarded certificates. The end of term has been very
busy and I have had the privilege of visiting Marlow Camp, hearing the results of a very successful
Year 10 Work Experience programme and watching our students at the Woodstock Fire Station taking
part in hose work and drills.
I am looking forward to another successful year in September when we will welcome our new Year 7s.
Wishing a relaxing and peaceful summer to all our families.
Dr Stephen Bizley
Early Closure
Please note the following early finish time:
Friday 17 th July – school ends 12.30pm (End of Summer Term)

Celebration Assemblies – July 2009
Thames House Award Winners
Thames House Tutor Group Attendance Prize - TSWS
Windrush Award Winners
Windrush House Dancers
Newsletter 2

Evenlode Musicians, House Cup &
Attendance Cup
Evenlode Award Winners
Cherwell Dancers
Cherwell Award Winners
Newsletter 3

Social Sciences Faculty News
Year 7 July Homework
Year 7 have been issued with a Wellbeing research project to be done over the summer holidays, entitled
"What really Annoys You"...Each student has been given instructions outlining what to do and how long to
spend on it. This is a transition piece of work and also counts as the September Homework for Year 8.
Prizes and house points are available and the work will be marked against Citizenship National Curriculum
Levels. The deadline for the work is the week beginning 15th September - which will be confirmed by the
students' new Wellbeing teachers next year. If you need a copy of the instructions, or an additional outline
sheet, then please look on the school website at www.gosford-hill.oxon.sch.uk
Mathematics Faculty News
Applications of Mathematics Enrichment days
On 30 and 31 June 2009, students from Years 7, 8 and 9 took part in enrichment activities showing a
number of practical applications of mathematics.
African Drumming led by Sara Blaiklock
Djembe drumming is a form of social
communal music that originates from the
Gold Coast region of West Africa.
Students explored patterns with number,
looking at the difference between
traditional Western rhythms and African
rhythms. Students explored the effect of
drum size and shape on wavelength
pattern and pitch.
‘It was really good and I learnt a lot about the culture of West Africa as well as the
drumming.’ Shannon Chambers, Year 9.
‘I enjoyed exploring how different drums made different sounds. It was excellent to learn
about a different culture. In England, the beat is usually a 4 count but we had the challenge
of using an African beat.’ Ryan Anderson, Year 9.
Newsletter 4

Origami Workshop led by Patricia Hones
Origami is the traditional Japanese art of
paper folding. Beautiful models can be made
by folding a square of paper without any
cutting or gluing.
A more recent development is modular
origami, where a model is constructed from
more than one sheet of paper. These are
folded into identical modules which can then
be joined together. It is possible to make
mathematical models such as polyhedra in
this way. Most of these stay together quite
well, but others need the odd touch of glue.
Above: Construction by a
Year 8 student who said
that it was both fun and
challenging to make.
Right: Students worked in
a group to produce a
skeletal octahedron from 6
water bomb bases.
Bridges Workshop led by Marian Harrington
This session gave students a taste of
engineering design. The objective was to build
the strongest bridge spanning 25cm with a truss
design using a limited supply of straws and
sellotape. Bridges were tested by loading them
with pennies in a cup to see how strong they
were.
‘I want to become an architect and it was useful to
see how bridge structures can be constructed and
what makes one stronger than another. I was
surprised that straws built into the correct structure
can take so much weight.’ Year 8 Student.
Jackie Fairchild – Assistant Headteacher & Head of
Mathematics Faculty
Newsletter 5

Maths Masterclass July 2009
On the 7 th of July Year 6’s came to do a Maths Masterclass with some Year 7’s from Gosford Hill. Nine
came from West Kidlington, eleven from Edward Feild, eleven from North Kidlington and eight from St.
Thomas More.
There were 2 activities for us to try; the first was about cubes. We had to attempt as a team to make
different types of cubes in a way that they would stay together without the use of anything other than paper.
It was very challenging but all the groups managed to do it in the end. Some groups made what is called a
Columbus cube and were able to make towers because of its shape.
The other activity was cracking a code .The way you did this was by using the clues to work out the angles
in a triangle. The angles were then used as letters in a secret word. It took a lot of hard work but after a
while people got the hang of it and enjoyed working as a team to get the right answer. Both of the activities
were trying to encourage us to work as a team.
Here are some quotes from some of the students who took
part:
‘I have enjoyed the group task because it really pushed you
and gave me a different view of triangles and angles’
‘I enjoyed building the 3-D shapes because I am really bad at
it and this has helped my construction skills’
‘I enjoyed the triangle task because it made you think about
reading the problems carefully before trying to solve the
problem’
‘I like the code breaking because I like solving problems and it was challenging’
‘I enjoyed working with different people of different ages and abilities’
‘I enjoyed making the cubes because we got to work as a team to create it’
By Charlie Groves, Year 7
Newsletter 6

Download Autograph for free from the main school website
Autograph enables you to look at graphs, angles and statistics. You can even import your own images.
For example, students imported photographs of sports day and investigated lines and angles. We have
purchased an extended site licence for Autograph in order that students can access it at home and at
school. It is great for students to be able to deepen their understanding by trying things out for themselves.
Use the link on the front page of the main school website and follow the instructions.
Ever thought about volunteering in a school
Following our last advert, we are most grateful for the excellent support which has been given to students
from one of our parents.
We are also very grateful for the support that a number of you have given over the years.
If you can help with any one of these, we would love to hear from you:
Reading one to one
Support in the classroom
Practical tasks
For more information contact Jackie Fairchild at Gosford Hill School
Newsletter 7

ICT Faculty News
The Learning Platform
The Oxfordshire Learning Platform is beginning to be used by colleagues to give students access to their
course materials online. This will eventually give anytime/anywhere access to educational materials and
discussion forums.
The facilities include:
100 mega bytes of storage space for students to store work.
It works the same from home or school.
Students can participate in online discussions and leave message posts online.
School work can be handed in, marked and handed back via the system.
Drama is planning to take full advantage of these facilities with Year 12 and 13 and ICT has a got an
interactive student forum established for its A Level students. Projects are planned in Maths and Science
and MFL.
Mind Mapping
When brainstorming or holding class discussions, the ICT faculty has started using the Spark Space mindmapping
software. When combined with a wireless keyboard, students are able to input their own ideas
and pass the keyboard one to another. This leaves the teacher free to organise the mind-map and direct
questioning. Once complete, the mind-map can be organised via the Interactive White Board and then
saved on the shared drive as a word document to be used as a writing frame. Brainstorming with mindmapping
is now much more engaging because:
Inputting text is quicker;
Students participate more directly in the activity – greater ownership;
The teacher is freed from inputting text and so can have greater input into directing questioning.
Thus the activity is more fluid and spontaneous.
Year 7 ICT Day
Year 8 student’s robot almost makes
it around the track
Year 8 students in the Robo Lab using the Mindstorm
control software
Newsletter 8

At the beginning of June the ICT
Faculty took Year 7 to Legoland.
Approximately 170 students went and
had a brilliant day. Each student
participated in a programming
workshop in which they had to
program mini robots, and were asked
to consider how ICT was used in the
park. The programming workshop
went very well for our students, many
of whom were able to make their
robots follow complex paths or carry
out complex tasks. Our Technicians
were so impressed with Lego’s
robotics that we’ve ordered a Lego
mini-robot with our Tescos vouchers
(Thanks to Mr Williams for his
enthusiasm).
Chris Hall – Assistant Headteacher & Head of ICT
Year 7 students enjoying an example of Legoland
computer control
Creative Arts Faculty News
In December 2008 the school was informed of the summer exhibition for the Dover Federation of Arts and
asked if we would like to submit some work for the exhibition.
We agreed and then spent the time looking at the work produced by students which would be selected for
the exhibition.
The pieces selected to represent the school are by 3 Year 9 students and 3 Year 13 students.
Harriet Barrett “My Boots “Year 13 Chloe Jones “My Teacup” Year 13
Newsletter 9

Teo Uganur “Odyssey” Year 9 Tom Cross “Irregularity” Year 9
Charlotte Orr “Cubist Still Life” Year 13 Faye Miller “Space in Time” Year 9
On Tuesday 30 th June I was informed that the selection committee had selected Charlotte Orr and Chloe
Jones’s work to be exhibited. Their pieces will be on Exhibition over July. All the students will receive a
certificate and Charlotte and Chloe will also have the feeling of success as their work has been selected
and exhibited.
Well done to all whose work was submitted.
Newsletter 10

Creative Arts Enrichment Week
Throughout enrichment week, the Creative Arts Faculty hosted a number of activities for students to
participate in and learn new skills from.
We had photography classes, boys dance, junk music and recycled sculptures, working with the artist Madi
Acharya- Baskerville and a mural was painted in the Art and Design Block by Year 12 students
The week was a great success with students learning lots of new skills and being involved in a number of
new experiences.
Michelle Spillet – Head of Creative Arts Faculty
Newsletter 11

Staff News
This summer we say farewell to the following members of teaching staff…
Mrs Lucy Wawrzyniak Miss Laura Newton Miss Alison Beer
Dr Leah Smith Mr Lee O’Brien Miss Michelle Hughes
Miss Gemma Stevens Mr Gerry Shaw Mrs Jenny Reading
Mr Mark Braley
Mrs Jess Richmond, Mrs Sue Eglinton, Mrs Susie Richards and Mrs Zeljka Adami leave us to go on
maternity leave.
We also say goodbye to the following members of our support team…
Mrs Gill Cook Miss Amy Sleat Mrs Betty Butler Mrs Shirley Margetts Mrs Sylvia Middleton
Mr Doug Ansley
Our thanks to all of the above colleagues for their valued contribution to learning at Gosford Hill School,
and our very best wishes to each of them for the future.
In Term 6 we welcomed Miss Sarah Patterson (Teacher of Science) and Mr Alan
Mepham (Assistant Caretaker). We also welcomed the return of Mrs Lauri Craven and
Mrs Liz Lawler from maternity leave.
In September we will welcome the following new appointees….
Mr Robin Fellermann (Teacher of Mathematics), Mrs Olivia Dallison (Teacher of
Mathematics), Miss Fern Buzzard (Teacher of Science), Mrs Catherine Smith (Teacher of Modern Foreign
Languages), Mrs Kristi Simpson (Teacher of English), Miss Helena Kofou (Teacher of English), Mr Alex
James (Teacher of Science), Miss Sara Blaiklock (Teacher of Mathematics), Mrs Patricia Hones (Teacher
of Mathematics), Miss Sarah Witney (Head of English), Ms Simone Devereaux (Teacher of ICT), Mr
Andrew Martindale and Mrs Joanne Whitehead (Cover Supervisors) Miss Lynn Sweeney and Miss Sarah
Miles (Teaching Assistants) and Mrs Tamara Cuthbert (Learning Centre Administrator).
School Sport Partnership
Kidlington Netball Club are
holding sessions at Gosford
Hill School on July 11 th , 18 th
and 25 th from 10.30am to
12.00pm. Boys and girls aged
under 11 years old are invited to attend and details are available from
the teacher in charge of PE in their school.
Year 2 Multi Skills Festival
For the first time this festival was held outside therefore allowing over
one hundred and seventy children from North Kidlington, West
Kidlington, Edward Feild and St Thomas More to take part.
The children followed a varied circuit of activities based on balance,
co-ordination and agility organised by Gosford Leaders from Year 10.
High Five Netball Festival 2009
Kidlington High Five Netball Festival took place in West Kidlington
School in May. Four schools took part: Dr South’s (one team),
Edward Feild (four teams), St Thomas More (three teams) and
North Kidlington (two teams).
Kidlington Ladies Netball Club and Gosford Hill School provided
the umpires and Young Leaders. The standard of play was high
and there were several exciting matches. The winners were North
Kidlington.
Newsletter 12

Kidlington Primary Schools Kwik Cricket Festival
Over 150 Year 5 and 6 children from our local primary schools took part in the Annual Kidlington Kwik
cricket festival held at Stratfield Brake on Friday 5 th June. Young Leaders from Gosford Hill School each
took responsibility for a team and guided them through the day umpiring their matches and helping them to
improve their skills. The progress the children made throughout the day was clear to see.
The winner of the Year 6 boys’ competition was Edward Feild A team with North Kidlington A team in
second place. Roles were reversed in the Year 5 boys’ competition, with North Kidlington A in first place
and Edward Feild A in second place. West Kidlington School won the Girls competition, closely followed by
St Thomas More. The winners of each section will now go forward to represent Kidlington in the County
Finals later this term.
Year 3/4 Athletics Festival
Four Kidlington schools took part in the Year 3/4
athletics competition held at Gosford Hill School
on June 25th. West Kidlington, North Kidlington,
St Thomas More and Edward Feild all fielded a
team.
The children achieved some fantastic results in
both the track (600M, 200M and 50M) and field
events (speed bounce, standing long jump and
vortex throw). Year 8 and Year 9 leaders from
Gosford did an excellent job at officiating.
The final positions were very close with Edward
Feild coming fourth, North Kidlington and West
Kidlington coming joint 2nd and St Thomas More
coming first.
Newsletter 13

National Sports Week
Sports Day at North Kidlington School
Gosford Leaders from Year 8 and 9 helped to run a fantastic day of sport at North Kidlington on the
Tuesday of National Sports Week. The leaders and the children were all asked to wear a particular colour
and this divided them up evenly into teams. They remained in teams of this colour throughout the day.
Year 3/4 Golf Festival at Kidlington
Andy Taylor from Kirtlington Golf Club hosted a golf festival for sixty Year 3 and 4 children on Friday 3 rd
July. The children moved around four stations of chipping and putting and had the opportunity to play with
real clubs and balls at two of the stations. The driving range was turned into a mini golf course and Megan
from West Kidlington managed to get 3 holes in one!! Leaders from Gosford Hill assisted the children with
their games.
For further reports and photographs please visit the SSCO page on Gosford Hill’s website.
Pam Selby – SSCO Co-ordinator
Annual Staff Cricket Match
In the annual staff cricket match between Catling's Classic All-star 'oldies' team and Hollis' Young Guns
team at Eynsham CC on Friday 10th July it was once again the 'vintage' team who prevailed and won for
the fourth consecutive year.
Tom Hollis won the toss and elected to bat and after a promising start with a fine knock from top scorer
Richard Goldring the Young Guns were bowled out for a measly 76 in just 15 overs. In reply the classic all
stars comfortably reached their target with an unbeaten 25 from Richard Belmont.
Paul Catling – Physical Education Faculty
Newsletter 14

Gosford Hill Cricket 2009
Cricket at Gosford Hill School continues to grow in popularity. This year the school has run sides in
competitions at Year 7, 8 9 and Sixth Form level. Unfortunately a side could not be raised in Year 10.
Pride of place goes to the Year 7 team who are in the semi finals of the County Cup and are due to play
Warriner School as we go to print. Led by District player Harry Ackland and fellow District player Sam
Milburn the team have produced consistently good performances in both league and cup. The team are
unbeaten in the league. Ably supported by C J Grant, Magnus Taylor. and the rest of the team (see below)
the side have progressed and improved significantly over the course of the summer to the delight of Mr
Goldring.
The Year 8 team have also enjoyed their season, but have failed to pick up a win despite the performances
of County player Markus Jeacock who has top scored in most games, including a half century against
Wheatley Park School. Most improved player is Joe Howes who has developed his batting over the course
of the summer. Apart form the leg spin of Jeacock, the best bowling has come from Hamish Bott, Isaac
Sarbatta, Jordan Rouse and Tom Rankin.
At Year 9 level there is a wealth of talent. The team reached the quarter finals of the County Cup where
they lost to Bloxham School. Well led by Joe Butler, who scored a personable best score of 44 during the
course of the season, the team also performed well in the league. Special mention to Luke Newton who
joined the team for the first time and bowled well taking a number of wickets. There were also strong
performances from Harry Platt and Jack Self.
In the sixth form a below strength Under 17 team lost to Bicester Community College in the first round of
the County cup which, owing to the pressure of exams, concluded their season.
Thirty two of the boys are now looking forward to a trip to the second day of the England v Australia Ashes
test match at Lords on Friday 17 th July. It should prove a fitting end to another summer of cricketing fun.
Special mention to the Year 7 team who have had the most successful season for the school:
Harry Ackland, Sam Milburn, CJ Grant, Harry Edgington, Magnus Taylor, Ben Dudgeon, Sam Milburn, Max
Herbert, Alex Stewart, Jake Wray
Marlow Camp 2009
The suntan lotion was called on more than ever in a week that would see temperatures soaring into the
high 20’s. Even with such conditions, the Year 7 students moved forward and produced a fantastic and
memorable week at Marlow’s Longridge Campsite. The students participated with enthusiasm in a total of
10 different activities that ranged from orienteering and hiking, through to sailing and kayaking with 5 of the
activities performed on the water.
A total of 145 students camped at Marlow with a staff team of 24 supported by 21 Year 12 and 2 Year 10
students.
The aim of the course was to supply each student with challenge and the opportunity to develop socially as
a team player. The students more than met this expectation, often confronting fears and finding help from
people they haven’t really ever worked with before. A number of certificates were awarded at the end of the
week for demonstrating, amongst other things, bravery and continued hard work.
Each and every parent should feel proud of their son/daughter for maintaining a high level of effort and
determination over 4 days and 3 nights, in an environment that was totally new, demanding and, more
importantly, away from home. I know that as a school we are very proud of the Year 7 students that worked
so well, and hopefully had lots and lots of fun in the process.
David Emsden – Camp Organiser/Head of Physical Education Faculty
Newsletter 15

Sports Day 2009
On Monday 13 th July Gosford Hill held its first house sports day for students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. The
morning of sports day would see bright skies very quickly become overcast, with no rain. In the morning
boys and girls in all year groups competed in the hurdles and the 1200m, whilst the javelin, shot putt,
discus, long jump and high jump ran alongside. A number of school records were broken and these results
will be available in the new academic year. Sportsmanship was very evident in the morning to go with the
high levels of participation that we hope for on this day.
The afternoon was very competitive! The field would play host to the entire school, lining the athletics track
for an afternoon of high performance. There would be two rain showers that didn’t deter the athletes. From
the onset, students were performing in house colours and the support across year groups was fantastic,
Year 10’s supporting Year 7’s, 7’s supporting 10’s and every other possible combination. The events were
performed with determination and bags of effort, with some races coming down to the line, whilst others did
an excellent job at securing points for their house. The results of sports day are below, and are very
important. I hope sports day is remembered most for the support shown by our students and efforts of
everyone who took part. Here’s looking forward to next year...
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Total
Cherwell 207 218 234 98 757
Evenlode 233 217 237 258 945
Thames 174 193 156 194 717
Windrush 200 184 156 165 705
David Emsden – Head of Physical Education Faculty
Newsletter 16

Foreign Languages Faculty News
Bonn Exchange
Year 10 and Year 12 German Exchange participants welcomed their partners to their homes for 8 days.
They were wonderful hosts, feeding their partners well, taking them to various places of interest and even
ensuring they had warm, dry weather. The German visitors unanimously agreed they had enjoyed their
stay: highlights for English and German students were the day in London and farewell meals at Pizza
Express.
May I take this opportunity to thank the families who supported the exchange. It is a tiring but most
rewarding experience and some lasting friendships will have been formed, not just between students but
parents as well.
Mini Book Project
Gosford Hill students are all taking part in a world mini book project to produce as many mini books in
foreign languages as possible. We hope to display the best in Kidlington Library on European Day of World
Languages on 26 th September. To find out more visit http://kegscommunity.org.uk/languages and follow
the link to the World Mini Books Project. We also have lots of other exciting events planned for the week
leading up the Day of Languages. Ask your son /daughter!
Year 7 - 8
Year 7 students will be given a letter about languages in Year 8 2009 – 2010. Please ask your child for it!
Jane Osborne – Acting Head of Modern Foreign Languages
Careers & Work Experience
It has been a real pleasure to receive telephone calls and reports from our Year 10 work experience
placement providers congratulating our students on their maturity and positive attitudes- they are a credit to
themselves and their parents.
The majority of students had very successful placements with many students returning to school with
definite ideas about what they want or in some cases don’t want to do in the future. We have been really
impressed by students who were able to deal very maturely with placements that did not go according to
plan.
We have recently recognised the contribution that local employers make to our school by awarding eleven
local organisations the Investors in Education Award. The awards were presented, along with those made
by the three other schools in the East Oxfordshire Education Business Alliance, at a celebration event at
The Holiday Inn Oxford. Awards were made to ABC Nursery, The Order of St John (Glebe House),
Motorworld VW, Whetter Duckworth & Fowler Solicitors, TM Warner Solicitors, The Dogwood Public
House, The TRAX Project, Cutteslowe Primary School, Pippins Day Nursery and Christchurch College
Oxford; all these organisations have supported a variety of activities including work experience.
Many of our students are looking forward to receiving their GCSE and A level results. We hope all our
students are successful in achieving the grades required for them to move on to the next stage of their
career or further study. During the summer holidays the Careers Library will be open at School over the A
Level and GCSE results days to assist students with making or amending their final choice. The
Connexions Service will also be available throughout the summer holidays. Please check the website for
details.
Liz Hounsell – Careers & Work Experience Manager
Newsletter 17

English Faculty News
Tutor Group Reading Competition
Congratulations to Cherwell House for winning the tutor group reading competition. All year tutor groups
have been recording the books they have read and the winning tutor group has received 5 new books for
their book box and some chocolates. Cherwell will be the first House to receive the Reading Connects
trophy, which will be awarded each year.
Carnegie Book Award Shadowing
The Carnegie Book Group have been reading Carnegie nominated books in order to award their own prize
in November. So far we have read, The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Snow Goose and The Savage.We
are currently reading Ostrich Boys and Black Rabbit Summer.Although all are great, we have particularly
enjoyed The Knife of Never Letting Go so far. Look out for the posters around school for details of dates for
book club.
A Year of Reading Connects
This has been an exciting year for reading. At
the start of the year a group of teachers from
all subjects joined a national initiative called
Reading Connects. The aim is to enhance the
enjoyment of reading across the school
community. Over the course of the year, not
only have we run the tutor group reading
competitions and various book groups, we
have seen our first ever dress up for book
week event and the start of Mr Whittaker’s My
Favourite Read. The Year 9s ran the hugely
successful Help Us Give Campaign in support
of the homeless, which was inspired by Robert
Swindells’ Carnegie Award winning novel
Stone Cold and even the teachers have been
running a book swap box in the staffroom. If
any parents are interested in running any
events next year (maybe a parents’ book club,
a newspaper group etc) then please contact Mr
Whittaker at the school.
Thank you to everyone for their support with Reading Connects this year. There is most certainly a strong
foundation to build on the growing culture and love of reading across the school as a result of this initiative.
Media News
After much hard work the amazing coursework produced by our media students is available to view on the
media blog at www.gosfordmedia.blogspot.com. This coursework is well worth viewing and is a testament
to the dedication and talent of our media students.
Goodbye and Good luck….
Finally a goodbye to 3 of our teachers and a good luck to one. Miss Beer, Miss Newton and Mrs
Wawrzyniak are moving to pastures new at the end of this year. Mrs Richmond is having a baby in
September and will be on maternity leave from the start of the year. We wish them all the best.
Lucy Wawrzyniak – Head of English faculty
Newsletter 18

Congratulations to………
Lauren (9 CRGG) and Melissa (11 WOKE) Hawtin who have been selected to represent
Oxfordshire at the English Schools’ Athletics Championship at Sheffield on 10 th & 11 th July 2009.
They are two of only 25 athletes who have reached the required standard for selection. They are
among the most talented athletes of all ages from 12-18 in both track and field events from all
schools in Oxfordshire.
Sarah Gould (8 EABR) who swam in the South East Regional Age Group Championships at the
end of May and, as well as swimming individual events, she represented the City of Oxford
Swimming Club on the backstroke leg of the Girls 11-13 Age 4 X100 Medley Relay Team. The
Team achieved a silver medal (a first for the club) in a time which was fast enough to qualify the
team to swim in the National Age Group Championships at Sheffield in late July.
Gosford Hill School Association – Summer Celebration
This event celebrating summer, held on Friday 3 rd July, was enjoyed by all. There was a lovely, happy
atmosphere throughout the evening as people had a go at ‘pub’ style games including Aunt Sally, Fling a
Welly, Shove Ha’penny, Giant Skittles, Boules, Quoits and Giant Jenga. Live music was provided by
student bands and it was good to hear such talented young musicians. A variety of savoury food was
shared and liquid refreshment, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic was available from the bar. We also had a
visit from ‘Mr Softee’ – ice cream being most welcome on a warm evening!
I would like to thank all those GHSA Committee members and their families who helped with the
preparations and also on the evening itself. I would also like to express my thanks and appreciation to all
the student musicians and especially to Rhian Frankcom for her time arranging for the students to play and
for her hard work ensuring that the technical equipment was all set up ready for the start of the event.
It is hoped that this celebration of summer will become an annual event.
Michael Ling – Chair of GHSA
GHSA ‘200’ Club
The final draws for the ‘200’ Club were made in school recently and the winners are as follows:
June
£50 No. 198 Mrs. H. Dudgeon
£30 No. 094 Mr. A. Middleton
£10 No. 079 Mrs. E. Middleton
July
£100 No. 161 Mrs. A. Logan
£30 No. 053 Mrs. M. Garcia
£10 No. 076 Mrs. L. Baker
At the last GHSA Committee Meeting various alternative methods of fundraising were considered and it
was decided that a donation appeal would be more appropriate than organising a different cash prize draw.
All current subscribers will be contacted individually and letters will be sent to all parents at the beginning of
the next school year.
Cherrill Seward – Secretary, GHSA
Newsletter 19

This summer Oxfordshire Libraries are taking part in Quest Seekers, the national Reading Challenge that
aims to encourage children to enjoy reading. Last year 7,050 children took part in Oxfordshire’s Reading
Challenge; we would like to get even more children reading this summer.
Children can join the Quest at any of our libraries; they register and pick up a Quest Seekers membership
card and fold out poster. There are three stages to the challenge. At each stage there are stickers and
prizes to collect. When they have read 6 books and found the golden book they are awarded a medal, a
magic colour change pen and a certificate.
Quest Seekers is a fun and exciting way to encourage children to continue reading over the summer
holidays. There are new books in all our libraries to tie in with this summer challenge and to encourage
children to try something new. There is also a website to explore: www.questseekers.org.uk
Quest Seekers starts on Saturday 4 th July and continues through the summer so there is plenty of time to
spread the word and get children to join.
Linda Sullivan – Kidlington Library Manager
School Uniform Prices
Sweatshirt - £14.00
Rugby Shirt - £15.00
PE T-Shirt - £5.20
Newsletter 20

Consultation – The Locking of Student Toilets during Lesson Times
Parents will be aware that the school has been locking student toilets during lesson times only for a trial
period. Students can still have access to the toilets during lesson times when necessary and with the
approval of the teacher. The purpose of the trial was in response to students’ requests for improved toilet
facilities.
I would like to thank the students, staff and parents for the responses and feedback I have received in
relation to the trial which has clearly seen the improvements made to the toilets sustained. The final stage
of consultation has now been completed.
After considering all of the responses the Senior Leadership Team have agreed to make the new
arrangements permanent from September.
School Catering
A meeting has recently taken place with a group of parents/GHSA, the school’s Catering Manager, the
Area Catering Manager and the school’s Business Manager to discuss the catering arrangements at the
school. It was a very informative meeting and a range of issues were discussed including:
For the size of school the canteen is quite small and the number of tables and chairs is restricted.
Queuing to get into the canteen is mainly external and not under cover. These issues are
exacerbated because by law pupils must stay on site at lunchtimes unless eating at home with
parental consent. A number of proposals to address these issues are being considered including
changing the layout of the canteen to provide the potential for additional tables and chairs; changing
the exit from the canteen to increase the space available; creating a more effective queuing system;
putting a canopy over the external queuing area; have an extra till open and at the start of the new
academic year giving Year 7 Students priority. The Business Manager and GHSA are discussing
whether any funding can be made available to action some of the proposals for September.
The quality, range and value for money of the food available - the catering company have to follow
strict government guidelines regarding balanced nutrition and from September these also include
minerals and vitamins. They also need to use locally produced ingredients and comply with
recycling, using water efficiently and tight cost constraints. The value of a main meal and pudding is
good value (£1.85) and tasting sessions were suggested to encourage more students to buy them.
Snacks such as sandwiches, baguettes, wraps etc are more expensive compared with this meal
deal but regular checks are made to compare prices with the local shops to keep the prices
competitive. If an item runs out on a particular day there is always an alternative, e.g. if they run out
of pizza there is a pasta pot or baked potato and students can always ask and the catering staff will
do their best to satisfy the request. The Catering Manager offered to put up smiley faces with `if you
can’t see it please ask’. There had been some turnover of staff at Easter but the canteen is now
fully staffed.
Communication and information – menus will be made available on the school website and in the
newsletter. The regulations regarding healthy eating and the catering company’s commitment to
meeting these requirements can be found on their websites: www.chartwells.co.uk and
www.compass-group.com
There are some schools that have a cash free system – for example a parent can transfer money
onto the card via the internet and put cost and food limits in place. The cost of these systems are
high but can be investigated further.
The school will be consulting early next term for the level of interest from parents and students for
starting up a breakfast club.
It is hoped that the group will meet again to discuss the progress made.
Martin Horton – Business Manager
Newsletter 21

CALENDAR & OTHER INFORMATION
17 July Lords Test Match Trip 27 August GCSE Results
17 July Term 6 Ends 12.30pm 2 September ILP Day
17-21 August Summer School 3 September Term 1 Starts
20 August AS/A2 Results 9 September Year 7, 10 & 12 Individual Photographs
HOLIDAY DATES
2009-2010
Term 1
Thursday 3 September – Thursday 22 October
Term 2
Monday 2 November – Friday 18 December (Early Closure 12.30pm on 18 th )
Term 3
Tuesday 5 January – Friday 12 February
Term 4
Monday 22 February – Wednesday 31 March
Term 5
Monday 19 April – Friday 28 May
Term 6
Monday 7 June – Wednesday 21 July – Please note the previous
Newsletter stated Thursday 22 July which is now an
INSET Day (Early Closure 12.30pm on 21 st )
OTHER DATES 2009-2010
Tuesday 1 September – INSET Day
Wednesday 2 September – ILP Day
Wednesday 23 September – Early Closure for Open Evening – 1.20pm
Friday 2 October – INSET Day
Monday 4 January – INSET Day
Thursday 1 April – INSET Day
Thursday 22 July – INSET Day
CONTACTING YOUR SCHOOL
Your views are very important to us, whether they’re about your child, school activities or wider community
issues. For all contact details telephone School Reception.
If you have a concern about your child contact:
The subject teacher - if it concerns learning in a particular subject. Contact Reception to leave a
message or alternatively, if you have internet access, you can ask for their email address.
The Head of Faculty - if you wish to discuss any matter in greater detail.
Their Form Tutor - if it is a more general issue about your child’s well being.
Staff will endeavour to phone you back as soon as possible. All information is treated in the strictest of
confidence. If you want to raise an issue or query about a more general area of school activity or a
community matter contact a Parent Governor. (Telephone numbers available from School Reception)
SCHOOL RECEPTION: Telephone: 01865 374971
SCHOOL EMAIL: office.4060@gosford-hill.oxon.sch.uk
SCHOOL WEBSITE: www.gosford-hill.oxon.sch.uk
ABSENCE LINE: Telephone: 01865 855378 (please use this number to report absences)
or
email – absence.4060@gosford-hill.oxon.sch.uk
The Parent Support Site has information on supporting your child(ren) in a number of curriculum
areas.
Newsletter 22