News and views from Oathall - Oathall Community College

Aspire
Autumn 2010
News and views from Oathall

2
Head’s Letter
Dear Parents
Welcome to ‘Aspire’ our new updated termly
publication for parents which replaces the Parents
Bulletin. Under normal circumstances ‘Aspire’ will
be published at the end of each term giving a
retrospective view of the term. Items will include
special events, information about subject areas and
year groups, achievements and trips and visits.
‘Aspire’ will be supplemented during the course of
the year by newsletters which provide parents
with up-to-date information and news. We hope
you enjoy reading the new publication and we
welcome feedback and ideas for improvement.
Last term was very busy with a number of
significant events including the college production
of The Tempest, MUNGA, Open Evening,
Certificates Evening and not least, of course, the
Ofsted Inspection all of which you can read about
elsewhere in this publication. A special highlight
was Open Evening on 30 September when we
were able to use the new All Weather Pitch with
floodlights for the very first time. After 15 years
of frustrated attempts to get a pitch at Oathall it
was a real joy to see our students and staff
enjoying such a magnificent facility which is already
making such a difference to sport and the teaching
of PE at Oathall. It is also an important resource
for the community and we are delighted that a
number of local clubs are using the pitch in the
evenings. Thank you to everyone who has
supported our efforts over the years to get our
very own all weather pitch. It was certainly worth
it!
OFSTED Inspection 6th/7th October
We knew that we could be due for an inspection
in the Autumn Term so it was no surprise when
we got the phone call on Monday 4th October.
We were inspected under the new 2009 Ofsted
Framework that raised the bar by toughening the
criteria by which schools are judged making it
harder to get ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. The team of
five inspectors led by Patricia Metham HMI were
swift in getting to know the school and getting
down to work by visiting many classrooms across
the subject areas, meeting students from all year
groups, looking at work, and talking to staff and
governors. Although they were in the college for
just two days they were extremely thorough in
their preparatory work and rigorous and
challenging in their inspection. They seemed to
enjoy being in the school and one inspector was so
impressed with the Farm that he went back
several times to find out more.
At the end of the two days we were delighted that
the inspection team recognised our strengths and
judged the college to be good with outstanding
features. Nothing was judged less than good and
indeed some of the ‘good’ judgments were very
close to outstanding including curriculum and
safeguarding. We were given one point for further
improvement: ‘Strengthen progress, particularly
in Key Stage 3, and further reduce differences in
achievement by ensuring that the comprehensive
information gathered about students’ attainment
and progress is consistently and effectively used in
lessons toprovide the maximum challenge for all
groups and individuals’. This was identified in our
own self-evaluation and is central to our College
Development Plan so there were no surprises. In
the verbal feedback the inspectors said how
impressed they were by our students whom they
found to be polite, helpful and keen to do well.
Although the inspection process is challenging and
intensive it is very helpful in confirming what we
feel we do well and supporting what we need to
improve. The outcome of the inspection now
provides us with a very strong base on which to
build for the future and to become even better.
Thank you for your support.
We are now looking forward to 2011 and a new
school term which promises to be just as busy as
the last. Two events that had to be postponed last
term have been re-scheduled: Learning Review
Day will be on Friday 21st January and the Music
Concert on Thursday 27th January. We look
forward to seeing you on both occasions and at
the various Consultation Evenings which take
place during the course of the Spring Term.
On behalf of the staff and governors we wish you a
Happy New Year.
Yours sincerely
Jill Wilson, Head

Land-based
Projects
We have had a productive time on the farm, building new concrete block
walls and creating a new kitchen garden area alongside the polytunnel.
The raised beds were constructed using old railway sleepers that made
up the old farm bridge. This will help extend the vegetable planting
areas and support the school Flagship Food initiative. Three composters
have also been constructed, encouraging further recycling of canteen
waste peelings and layers of green and brown waste materials – all of
which will help provide a fantastic growing medium in which to grow an
extensive range of crops.
Gardening Club
The Gardening Club continues to thrive, with students and staff
participating in a range of different activities. One particular highlight
was the pizza making evening where Mr and Mrs Woodward showed us
the professional way of making a pizza.
Please see Mr Blackholly for club details or just turn up after school on
a Wednesday. All years welcome.
Show Garden 2011 Entry
We anticipate making an entry to the Show Garden Competition at
Ardingly in 2011 and will be preparing for this in the New Year. Any
budding garden designers or landscape gardeners who wish to be
involved, including staff, students or parents, should contact Mr
Blackholly to find out more.
Farm Open Day
Farm Open Day is on Sunday 22 May 2011 (11am – 3pm). Last year was
the most successful ever with great weather and a range of new stalls
which attracted many visitors. I hope we can count on your support once
again. Please add this date to your diary.
J Blackholly, Work Related Learning Coordinator
Learning Resource Centre
Oathall are taking part in the West Sussex Children’s Book Awards again
this year. We have three Primary Schools working with us: Blackthorns,
Northlands Wood and Lindfield Primary. Each school has a reading team
of 12 students who are busily working their way through the shortlist of 9
books to vote on their favourite one for the Award, which will be
announced on World Book Day in March 2011.
One of the shortlisted authors, Linda Newbery, visited Oathall in
November and all the primary school reading teams, as well as our own,
attended her presentation in the LRC. Linda gave us all a very
interesting and funny talk about her early life as an author. She also told
us about the ‘creepy’ house from her childhood, which formed the
background of her book. Her books are available in the LRC.
Every term the LRC staff give a prize to the tutor group in each of Years
7, 8 and 9 that has borrowed the most books. Check where your tutor
group is in the rankings on the big poster in the LRC corridor.
This term we have lots of new books, including “Chains” by Laurie Halse
Anderson which features a cover photograph modelled by one of our Year 10 students, Pearl Kosi.
The LRC is open every day from the beginning of the day and for an hour after school. Please don’t forget that we are still collecting
the Nestlé cereal box tops up until the end of March.
Mrs Wells & Mrs Clarke, LRC Staff
Pizza Club Night
3

Q - What does the job of Department Manager entail?
A – My responsibilities include; ordering stock, shelf
supervision, pricing, quality control, staff supervision,
liaison and coordination with senior management and
other Department Heads.
Q - How long is the training to become a Department
Head?
A – I started here on a temporary basis, worked up to
team leader. That lasted four years while I took some
exams and went on in-house courses to the point
where I became the Department Head two years ago.
Q - Do you need to be an expert in your field, like
fruits?
A – My route to Department Head proves you don’t
need to be an expert to start with, I studied Geology
at University after leaving Oathall twelve years ago.
Q - How many different types of fruit and vegetable
do you stock?
A – We currently have over 520 individual lines.
Q – What is the ratio of fruit to veg?
A – We have a 5 fruit to 1 veg ratio.
Q – What sort of places do various items come from?
A – We are trying hard to source more products
locally or at least within the UK but at the moment
climate, weather and soil conditions dictate. So we
have blackberries from Argentina, dragon fruit from
Vietnam and melons from Brazil.
4
Oathall Oathall Young Young Farmers’ Club Club
The most recent Autumn South of England Show at Ardingly was a huge success. We
showed a sow and her piglets and also cattle. The sow, Emma (after our Head of Science)
had her first litter last summer and her piglets were the main attraction because they were
small and cute. We had a good time talking to the public about Oathall farm.
We are delighted that we have a new calf on the farm, who is settling in well and we are
also excited about our new diploma building, which is eco-friendly with state of the art
technology, is currently under construction and will be ready by Easter.
Due to the sponsorship of Waitrose , we have some new outdoor coats. We featured in
the Waitrose in-store magazine wearing our smart new jackets, which also helped to
publicise the farm.
This year we have seventy new members from Years 7-11 and we have been doing fun
activities on Thursdays after school. We had an Exotic Pets Evening which was great fun
because there was quite a bit of screaming from Mr Wood!
Our traditional Chip Crawl took place on 12th November and was fun as usual. Unfortunately Lee’s fish bar closed but the winner was
Washington’s in America Lane. We also visited Haywards Heath Fire Station but sadly there was a fire in Crawley so there was only one fire
truck but we all had a go on the fire hose.
Also in November we had a practice for the YFC Competition Day; we had to drink lemonade as fast as we could, as well as doughnut eating and
we had sour sweets with syrup and flour and we had to use only our mouths. (Flour went everywhere.) We did egg throwing where you throw
an egg between your partner and take a step back – the further you go the harder it gets. We showed at a Winter event at the South of England
Showground. Our orphan lamb, Lucky, was shown by Katie Ruffell (Year 9) who came 5th. Lucky’s friend Fluffy was shown by Holly Farrow (Year
9). We entered our beef animal, shown by Tom Beard (ex-student), who achieved 1st place in his group. We also showed our speciality pork
sausages.
Food for Life Partnership
Interview with Steve Cottingham
(ex Oathall student), Head of Produce, Sainsbury’s Supermarket
Q - Which items are the most unusual?
A – The dragon fruit is probably the most
unusual visually.
Q - What are the best sellers and why?
A - The banana is the best selling product we
stock across the company. People are
recognising its nutritional value. They’re easy to
eat and come in their own packaging!
Q - Which are most difficult to keep?
A – The banana is by far the most difficult. The
process and timing from tree to counter
before they ripen is crucial. The slightest
mishandling during the process and they get
bruised and are rejected.
Q - What was the latest new addition to your
ranges?
A – We have just got some brand new ‘Kiwi
berries’ in. We also have a new apple called a
‘Kanazi’ which is a cross between a Braeburn
and a Pink Lady. There is a new potato as well,
it’s called the ‘Vivaldi’ after the composer who
wrote The Four Seasons. Why? Because it
grows all year round!
Q - How many types of apple do you stock?
A – We stock 30 types of apple, all of which
we’re proud to say are grown locally at
orchards in Kent.
Katie Russell, Year 9
Testing ripeness
by smell
A dragonfruit
By Jasper Ryan-Cater, Theo Moore,
and Billie Tipping Year 8

Montpellier Trip 2010
Revision Tips for Languages GCSE
After a pleasant flight from
Gatwick on Sunday, we arrived in
Montpellier and M.Henri introduced all the
students to their host family.
On Monday morning , everyone arrived at the Language School to
be introduced to their French teacher for the week. After the lesson, we all
travelled by tram back to Place de la Comédie .The students had to get their lunch
and they showed off their knowledge of French! Then we took the train to Sète
where we boarded a glass-bottomed boat. The weather was glorious! In groups, the
tour guide took us downstairs to see all the oyster beds and explained how they are
cultivated.
Tuesday morning was spent in school. After lunch, we took the bus to the beautiful
beach at Palavas-les Flots. Everyone loved it there, paddling in the
Mediterranean! Most people managed to top up their tan!! Reluctantly, we left
the beach and headed back to Montpellier to view the military parade which
was held the day before Bastille Day.
Wednesday 14 July is Bastille Day and a national holiday. We met a little later
and M.Henri took us to the Jardin du Peyrou from where we had panoramic views
over Montpellier. After lunch, we visited the Amazonian Greenhouse where we saw
lots of tropical wildlife and M.Henri frightened the life out of everyone in the bat
house!!! Afterwards, we walked around the zoo which exhausted everyone!!
On Thursday there was no school so we took the train and bus to Agde where we
spent the day at Aqualand. Everybody was eager to try out all the amazing rides.
It was a beautiful sunny day, so there were plenty of opportunities to cool off in
the pools. Everyone loved it and did not want to leave!
Friday was the last morning at school! After lunch, we went by tram to the
Odysseum to visit the Aquarium and afterwards the students had some time to
go shopping. In the evening we all met in town and M. Henri treated everyone
to an Orangina or a jus of their choice!
Saturday morning we left for our trip to the beautiful city of Carcassonne. We
spent the day shopping and taking photographs of the amazing views. There was
a fantastic choice of presents and souvenirs.
We met at the airport on Sunday and the host families complimented all the students
and said what a pleasure it had been to meet them.
M. Henri, Modern Foreign Languages
Revising can seem boring to many students and many will stop their revision far too soon, so here are some ideas for
making revision more effective.
Always break a task down into small chunks so that you do not feel the task is too great for you. Everyone can learn a little section, so when that is
mastered, learn another little section until the whole task is done
Enlist the help of a parent or friend to test you as you go along
Use coloured Post-its in your bedroom to remind you of the words you keep forgetting
When learning a speech, use pictures to remind you what comes next
Learn key phrases in different tenses by colour-coding each tense
Use Internet sites to revise topics and grammar as well as to complete practice papers. We recommend the following:
5

Due to illness, I was unable to attend the Silver Award practice expedition but participants, parents and leaders alike, reported on
the success. It was also the first outing for our new Quartermasters Jonathan Aloof and Mark Chester. They have taken over from
John Dransfield who has retired from this post after many years of hard work. Being a Quartermaster is an onerous job, purchasing
equipment, checking condition of gear, allocating and receiving back gear and being available on Expeditions. I wish them all the
very best.
We are soon starting our Bronze training sessions. We started by being oversubscribed so I had to start a filtering process which I
explained at the parents’ evening. Several parents came forward and said they would be prepared to go on the course to be
trained, thus allowing potentially the acceptance of all. Unfortunately only three made the commitment and due to date clashes only
Gina Wagland started the course. Initially there was disappointment concerning allocation of places, however I managed to find
leaders from other units prepared to give up their time and so was able to accept all applicants, which is more than half the year
group. I hope that parents will feel able to express their pleasure and be able to offer some help.
The whole of Duke of Edinburgh team are looking forward to this new year.
Trevor Dore, Unit Leader.
6
Oathall Leads the Way
I am delighted to tell you that for the first time ever,
students in Year 10 have an extra hour per fortnight
studying Physical Education. This is a fantastic
opportunity, with our school at the forefront of
change, being one of only three schools in Mid Sussex
to have this additional hour; an exciting time to be a
Year 10 student at Oathall.
This extra hour is designed so that every student in
Year 10 will leave school with an accredited
Leadership Award in Dance, Football or Sports.
During the summer term, the students will put their
Leadership skills into action within our primary
schools.
In addition students were given the option to extend
their Leadership even further and apply to be part of
the 2010-11 Mid Sussex School Sports Partnership
Leadership Academy. Congratulations to the following
Year 10 students who were successful in their
application for the Academy:
Matthew Corke
Ellice Spies
Rachel Page
Beth Pelham
Stella Slinger-Thompson
Andrew Pearcy
The Academy is intended for students from each of
our partner secondary schools (Oathall, Warden
Park, Downlands, Oakmeeds, Sackville, Imberhorne
and St. Paul’s) who will meet regularly throughout the
year. Academy students have the opportunity to
enhance their leadership skills and learn how to plan
and deliver competitions to both Oathall students and
our local primary schools. So far the students have
delivered a ‘Run XC’ Year 7 Inter-tutor Competition
that went extremely well. They are currently
working on a Multi-skills festival.
Izzy Minter, Natalie Dobson Jessica Ortac and
Corrinn Upton in Year 11 were part of the
Leadership Academy last year and graduated with
flying colours! I am also very proud to say that Jess
and Corrinn have now gone on to become Adistar
Ambassadors and will work this year to deliver the
Olympic message.
Keep up the great work!
PE Loyalty Rewarded
Congratulations to Rosie Way and Lauren O’Hara in
Year 8 – who have become the first students to notch
up 60 PE Loyalty Credits since the idea was launched
last year. Rosie and Lauren each gained a certificate
and a gold star (like the Word Cup stars) to sew onto
their PE hooded jumpers, for all to see what
superstars they are!
Loyalty cards are available for all Oathall students and
each time they attend a PE club or help the PE
Department they gain a signature. After every 12
credits, students are sent an Achievement Award to
add to their Record of Achievement.
So carry on collecting your signatures and you can
join the Gold Superstar Club too!
L Gyngell, PE
Clubs and Pastimes
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Letter from Verity Brown,
New OPTA Chair
Dear Parents
As I start my first year as Chair of Oathall Parent
Teachers Association (OPTA) I am delighted to
welcome parents, new and old, and to share with
you some of the exciting events coming up this
year, as well as give some background to the
vital role that OPTA plays in the life of the school.
I would also like to welcome three parents into
new roles: Ian Ogborn (Vice-Chair), Anne
Swinson (Treasurer) and Sally Lambert
(Secretary).
As the most important component of OPTA, you
the parents, are essential in terms of both
fundraising and interaction with Jill Wilson and
her leadership team at the school. We are very
fortunate that Jill, as Head Teacher, is entirely
committed to the work of OPTA, attending
virtually every meeting, along with another
member of senior staff. Whilst many new
parents coming to Oathall may have had recent
experience of a primary school PTA, with a
predominant focus on fundraising, a quick look
back through the minutes of recent OPTA
meetings (see school website) shows the
diversity of topics being discussed - from school
uniform to the all-weather pitch to exam results.
Every parent is automatically a member of OPTA,
so you can come along to any meeting, just to
listen or to raise any topic of concern.
Last year was another very successful year for
OPTA with over £7000 raised towards projects for
the school, in particular the digital messaging
Ready to launch! Caryz Lorenz, Cassidy Pierce,
Imogen Ferguson and Lara McCall.
boards which will be
boards which will appearing be appearing round round the college the school in the
in the New New Year. Year. OPTA OPTA also also contributed contributed to the to the
production productions, of Bugsy Bugsy Malone Malone last year and and The The Tempest
both in terms of a financial contribution and
helping out on the nights. There are several
new projects in the pipeline – watch this
space!
As well as the popular Christmas raffles
and tombolas on the production nights,
regular fundraising includes the 500 Club,
a Quiz Night and the Summer Fair. As you
can imagine there are dozens of ways in
which you could get involved and all offers of
help, however small, are greatly appreciated –
whether it be running a stall at the Summer Fair,
helping with refreshments on the Open Day or
simply turning up to the school production and
buying a raffle ticket.
Do come along to our regular meetings - it
is a great way to meet other parents, as
well as finding out more about how the
school runs. Additionally during the year
at three Learning Forum events, staff
members present specific educational
topics and take questions. Last year these
included Assessment, Revision and PE. These
topics are suggested at OPTA meetings, so you
can really have an influence on the decisionmaking
about what happens if you come to the
meetings!
We look forward to seeing you soon at an
OPTA meeting and truly welcome any
support that you can offer.
Verity Brown
Chair OPTA
opta@oathall.w-sussex.sch.uk
see back page Noticeboard for dates &
details of OPTA meetings
7

On the 17th November, Year 7 had a Science CID where we made rockets using different
formulas of liquids and powders. During period 1 we talked about the history of space
exploration and rockets. We started making paper rockets to experiment how rockets
fly and had a mini competition of how far they could go by blowing into a straw.
In period 2 we talked in detail about forces used when rockets launch and Mrs Tyrell
made a Pringle tube POP high by mixing different acids and powders to react together
creating a force.
Period 3 we started making our proper rockets which we used to compete in the
competition. Different groups created different mixtures which made their rockets
explode high into the sky! An example of a mixture that worked is acid water, half of a
tablet of bicarbonate of soda. During period 4 we decorated our rockets with pens and
coloured card but we had to make sure the card didn’t weigh the rocket down.
The Year 10 Triple Science class went to London to the
Science Live event. A whole day designed to increase
our scientific knowledge and understanding, by listening
to many decorated scientists talk about their specific
field in a teenager friendly manner.
Professor Steve Jones was the first speaker, talking about
the correlation between how words develop and natural
selection. Dr Andrea Sella spoke next about how the
zebra got its stripes. This involved him demonstrating
chemical experiments on the stage and showing us
videos to help us understand the topic. We then went
on to have Professor Lord Robert Winston who was
extremely good. He talked about natural selection and
sea urchins. He also explained that scientists found out
that sperm existed by putting nappies on frogs!
The next person was by far my favourite. His name is Dr
Robert Mulvaney and he is a scientist in Antarctica
studying air quality and global warming. He even brought
4000 year old ice from Antarctica to show us. The thing
I liked most about his speech was how relevant it was to
our generation and what we have learnt and care about.
The final person to speak, and no doubt the most
eccentric, was Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. She is a space
scientist who does many TV programmes and one day
hopes to retire to Mars!
Many of us were amazed by the experiments which were
conducted and the research which some scientists had
dedicated their life to discover.
The journey home gave us an opportunity to discuss
some fascinating science and culminated in us making a
scientific discovery of our own. It could be summed up
with the equation:
train journey + lots of sweets + teenagers = mad
excitable children in a small train carriage.
Overall it was a fascinating trip and everyone had an
enjoyable time.
T Izod, Science
Year 7 Science Curriculum Immersion Day
Eventually we had a competition to test whose rocket went the highest. The winning groups got a lollipop each. It was a great day and it was lots of
fun to make photo canisters explode. By Josie Batchelor, Sophie Hicks and Phoebe Wall.
8
Model United Nations
General Assembly
International Politicians
in Training
November 18th saw over 100 students from Oathall, Warden Park and
Sackville schools taking part in the Oathall MUNGA.
Students from Years 9 and 10 took on the roles of delegates from a wide
variety of countries ranging from Mauritius to Iran, the USA to the Russian
Federation.
Topics debated included the problem of Oil Spills, Euthanasia, the Sale of
Organs, the Situation in Pakistan and International Security.
Year 11 students were excellent and most authoritative as General Assembly
and Committee Chairs, whilst year 7 gained valuable experience and in their
role as runners, physical exercise!
The school hall was transformed into UNHQ and students truly immersed into
the spirit of global citizenship. A really enjoyable and enlightening day was had
by all.
K Brown, RE
Science Live!

We were delighted to receive further very positive
feedback from the latest Ofsted inspection. They say
that the farm is a ‘centre of excellence’.
It has always been our intention to use the
farm as a resource to provide memorable
experiences and cross-curricular learning.
On four days per week we now operate as
a land-based centre for students from eight
different secondary schools, some of
whom travel to us from as far apart as
Seaford in the east and Midhurst in the west,
to follow level 1 or level 2 courses.
New farm bridge open
After a wait of over 20 years and much hard
work from members of the
Governors’ Farm Committee,
the recently completed
bridge was officially
opened by Mr and Mrs
Heasman, attended by
RT Hon Nicholas
Soames.
The new bridge is to
be called the
‘Heasman Bridge’ in
recognition of the
support Jeanne and
David Heasman of Lane
End Farm, Sheffield Park
have given to Oathall students
over many years in developing their
land-based skills, particularly showing
animals.
Visit from Livery Company Members
Oathall is to host a visit from members of several trade
associations based in the City of London, almost all of
which are known as the Worshipful Company of the
relevant trade or profession. Members will tour the
farm and then partake of a school lunch.
H Wood, Head of Farm Unit
Down on the Farm
David and Eleanor Robins from Ringmer came with a selection of cheeses
for Young Farmers to taste. All were made in Sussex but tastes ranged
from cows milk to buffalo, from mild to a very strong Gouda cheese
from a Dutch breed of cattle reared and milked in Sussex.
Each sample was broken apart carefully, applied to nostril, rested on the
tongue before the delight of tasting and swallowing. Our pallets were
cleared with refreshing locally sourced apple juice.
Is there any interest in repeating this event for staff, parents or other
students?
Laura Mitchell, Year 7
Work in progress
Left to right: RT Hon
Nicholas Soames, Howard
Wood, Oathall governors and
students, pupils from
Blackthorns.
Centre front: Mr & Mrs
Heasman cutting the tape.
Cheese Tasting with the Young Farmers
Showing Livestock
Showing livestock is not always an easy task. You have
to put in a lot of hours and dedicate yourself to the task
at hand. However, there is a sense of achievement and
often a rosette or two.
As a show team, we have a lot of experience in
preparing animals including sheep, cows and pigs. We
are responsible for training and then showing the
animals in the ring. We receive advice and help from
the older members of the team.
The main animals we show are Ayrshire Cattle;
these are very popular with Year 7 to show
because it is a big responsibility and an awful
lot of fun. If asked to show by Mr Wood, then
at least twice a week you have to come and
halter train (with help) your calf, then wash and
scrub the calf until it is clean. Show Day is a very
early start. You have to clean your animal using cold
water, then sometimes sit for a few hours before
showing.
On Tuesday 23rd November 2010, Mr Wood took
Holly Farrage, Tom Beard and myself up to the Ardingly
Fat Stock show. We arrived at about 7.45am where
we unloaded our steer, ‘Ribeye’ and our two lambs
‘Lucky and Fluffy’. Tom showed ‘Ribeye’ and
received first place in the ‘Finished Beef Animal’
class.
Then in the afternoon Holly and I got our time to
shine by showing meat lambs. We had spent the
whole day cleaning them and getting ready for the
ring. The Young Handlers class consisted of 31
people so they split it in half. Holly took part in the
10-13 year old class comprising 15 people. Holly sadly
did not get placed but did get a special rosette and a
goody bag full of chocolate and a gift voucher. I was in
the 14-18 year old class which, according to the experts,
was a difficult class to judge . I was placed 5th out of 16
and my competitors had all been showing sheep most of
their lives, whilst this was only my second show and
Holly’s first.
It was a good day and we came away with rosettes and a
trophy so Mr Wood was pleased with us all. We all
hope that this year there will be many more names to
add to the show team and more rosettes and trophies.
Katie Russell Year 9
9

We are such stuff as dreams are made on
and our little live rounded with a sleep
The Tempest
s dreams are made on
ounded with a sleep
‘‘
These are just some of the congratulations we have received that
celebrated this year’s production. The whole cast, musicians and
backstage crew were wonderful but the extra magic was added by
the superb sound and lighting effects. The dramatic set, sparkling
costumes, were shown off, often magnificently, through a misty haze.
The DVD of the show and photographs are available from
Resources now!
Gill Waterton, English Department
10
‘‘
Well done to all the fabulous cast and crew of The
Tempest, it was magical
‘‘
What an amazing cast - they were so
full of enthusiasm and talent
‘‘‘‘
The atmosphere was amazing
- it transported me to
a different world
‘‘

Once again an intrepid band of year 9 and year 10
students headed to Traunstein for the last nine days of the
summer term, accompanied by Mr Powell and Mrs
Counsell.
Students had been matched up with partners back in
January and had got to know each other over the 6
months leading up to departure via e-mail, text,
MSN, Facebook, and even real letters with
photographs!
The flight to Munich and coach journey to
Traunstein went smoothly and we arrived to find
excellent weather which remained with us
throughout our stay. We spent Wednesday visiting a few
lessons in our partner school in the morning and relaxing
in the afternoon. On Thursday we took a doubledecker
train to Munich. At the Olympia Park we
had spectacular views of the city from the
Olympiaturm before naval warfare took place in
pedalos on the lake. The BMW Museum was an
added attraction this year, and we all enjoyed
sitting in the latest models and trying the
interactive games. In the city centre we visited the
town hall, Marienplatz and cathedral, with just enough time
to shop and run through the fountains on the
Karlsplatz. On the way home Matt and Nat
practised their German trying to find out
answers for the Munich Quiz from some girls on
the train who turned out to be Austrian – bad
luck lads!
Friday was again hot and sunny, ideal for sports
day at the Traunstein open air pool complex. Beach
volleyball first, where Jake dived around spectacularly,
winning himself the Carlton Cole Award. Having
previously left his wallet on the aeroplane and his
hat in the pedalo lake (both later retrieved) Dan
distinguished himself by failing to forget anything
on this day – although he did throw his frisbee
over a hedge into a stream in impenetrable
bushes, thereby winning the Discombobulation
Award. Kirsti and Alice concentrated mainly on their
tans, declining to play beach volleyball as part of the court
was in the shade. Led by Matt, Josh, Nat and Nick, we
took on the Germans at football, faring slightly better than
our national counterparts but still losing 4-2. Josh won the
Fernando Torres Award for scoring twice. Revenge must be
had next year, so good footballers could be guaranteed
places on the trip!
The weekend was spent with host families, including for
many, boat trips to King Ludwig’s castle on a Chiemsee
Traunstein 2010
On Monday we took the short train ride over the
border into Austria to Salzburg.
At the Hellbrunn Water Palace everyone
received a good soaking from the trick
fountains. More sightseeing in the city centre was
followed by free time and then cooling off in the
Mirabell Gardens, where Erik swam impressively round the
fountains and everyone sang ‘Doe a Deer’ on the
Sound of Music steps. Andrew and Dan won the
Salzburg Quiz and Nick achieved the Specsavers
Award for wearing 3 pairs simultaneously. Izzie
and Amy won the Dr Livingstone Award for
asking directions around the city, while Charlotte
and Christye tried on traditional dress, including
Lederhosen – to the bemusement of the shop
assistant!
Tuesday saw us doing the Traunstein Quiz very
successfully, so it was ice creams all round and
particular mention to Jess and Gemma for
coming first. The reception in the Town Hall was
another highlight, with our students all asking
questions in German (well done Amy especially)
and showing great interest in the mayor’s replies.
On the Wednesday we went to Berchtesgaden National
Park, where we first went down the salt mines.
Georgie and Alice’s constant smiles were finally
eclipsed by the fluorescent strips on their
miners’ overalls, and Sophie was finally able to
find respite from the insects which seemed to
have been singling her out for attack all trip!
We then took a boat ride across the Königsee.
Beautiful weather all day again, so most of the
group braved the temperature of the water to swim, led
by Tom, Jake and Erik.
Several students commented on how much they felt their
German improved during the trip. Some have organised
private visits back to their host families. Certainly there
were many panda eyes on the bus as we left, cheered only
by the knowledge that we would soon see our families
again (and pets, Sarah!) and that our friends would be
back with us in September.
D. Powell Teaching and Learning Manager
The Food for Life Partnership is all about good food and food culture and I am really pleased to be part of the Food for Life Partnership
at Oathall. I can relate to it because I love good, creative, tasty food.
Along with four other Year 8s, I have edited a food magazine which Food for Life has supported and in the latest edition we have
dedicated a page explaining what the Partnership does. Over the past eight to twelve months, we have seen the positive influence they
have had on the college from menus and what type of food we have to food production and where it comes from.
“As a result of recommendations by The Food for Life Partnership, the kitchen at Oathall Community College converted to free range
eggs and set a precedent with the college food suppliers, Caterlink, who now only supply al their customers throughout 270 schools and
colleges nationally, with eggs that are classified as free range.”
We are trying to get the FLP Bronze Award for our contribution to improving the Food Culture at the college. Hopefully we can achieve this and move on to the
Silver and then hopefully, Gold!
By Jasper Ryan-Cater, Year 8
11

Amy Williams MBE
Olympic Gold Medallist at
Oathall’s Certificates Evening.
It was a great pleasure on the evening of
10th November to welcome Olympic
Gold Medallist Amy Williams MBE as
guest of honour at our annual Certificates
Evening. Amy won gold for Great Britain in
the Bob Skeleton* at the 2010 Winter
Olympics in Vancouver thus gaining instant
fame for her outstanding achievement and
extreme courage in completing the course in record
time. This was Britain's first solo Winter
Olympics gold medal for 30 years.
Certificates Evening is always a very
special occasion when last year’s Year
11 students return with their parents
to celebrate not just their many
examination successes but also their
contribution to the life of the
college over the past five years.
This year the students were
delighted and privileged to
receive their awards from such an
exceptional sportsperson as Amy.
As part of the ceremony she
treated the audience to an
inspirational account of how she came
to take up the unusual sport of the
Skeleton and how she achieved her goal
of winning gold by training hard and making
sacrifices along the way to ensure that she
maintained peak physical fitness.
After the presentations were over Amy stayed behind to chat to students
answering their questions and letting them have a chance to see and hold a real
Olympic gold medal. We were all surprised at how big and heavy it was!
* Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small
sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience
forces up to 5g.
Jill Wilson, Head
PE News
The opening of the new 3G Astro pitch has already had a major impact on sport on offer at Oathall. Football and hockey clubs have seen huge increases in numbers
attending since it opened and the floodlights have meant that clubs can now be run on nights after school despite the early nights.
The Year 8 football team progressed to round two of the Sussex County Cup before being defeated 3-2 by Blatchington Mill School. In the first round they beat St
Wilfrid’s School from Crawley after scoring a late winner in extra time. Jamie Wilkes, Sam Beard and Ryan Pelham have been outstanding performers.
Last term, the U15 Basketball team finished runners up in the Mid Sussex School Cup after being defeated 18-11 in the final by Warden Park. Nathan Flynn was
outstanding in the tournament, scoring the bulk of Oathall’s points. In the U14 section Oathall came 2nd and 4th in two Mid Sussex tournaments, with Shae Sapara being
the outstanding performer.
The U12s had their first experience of competitive basketball at St Paul’s and despite playing against some year 8 teams, they performed creditably with Matt Davies
showing a lot of promise. It is hoped that progress will be forthcoming after attending intensive coaching after school sessions.
K Morris, Head of PE
12
High Achievers
former Oathall students
While at Oathall, many of our students develop a
passion for travel and a desire to experience different
cultures. We continue to buck the national trend in
maintaining high uptake for French, German and
Spanish. Most students study languages to age 16
here, and uptake for A Level is very high. We
regularly receive high praise from Sixth Form Colleges
regarding our linguists.
‘I wanted to let you know what a pleasure it is to have
ex-Oathall students in A2 conversation sessions. Again
we have been able to reap the rewards of your excellent
groundwork and take them a bit further’ (Central Sussex
College, Haywards Heath).
Many students pursue language courses through to
degree level and we are pleased to hear from them
during their year abroad. Here is just a small selection
of ex-Oathall students now studying languages at
university, from whom we have heard recently:
Sean Stayte is currently doing an M.Chem (Chemistry)
at Sheffield University, with an Erasmus year of study in
Germany. He has chosen Heidelberg for his study year
abroad. He actually has to study in Chemistry in
German! Sean loves Germany, and has a particular
fondness for Bavaria he tells me!
Helen Merrett is teaching in Germany in the third year
of her French and German degree at Bristol University.
Lauren Stokeld has secured a place at Cambridge to
study French and German Joint Hons.
Matt York is starting a German degree at Nottingham
University.
Ben Thacker is at Manchester University studying
German and Russian.
Charlotte Trussler now using her languages working for
development agencies in Africa.
Harriett Delbridge and Lydia Davies are now teaching
MFL – having returned to do some observation here
before embarking on teacher training.
Laura Chester is currently studying in France as part of
her degree.
D. Powell, MFL

Last term, our Food Technology department held its very own Masterchef
competition for Years 8, 9 & 10. This proved very popular with the students
and competition was fierce. Our students showed off their culinary skills and
talents and the judges were very impressed with the standard and enthusiasm
of our junior chefs.
Year 8
1st
2nd
Year 9
1st
2nd
Year 10
1st
2nd
Annabelle Savage
Harry Calthrop
Megan Tucker
Rosanna Curtis
Danny Meneghetti & Aaran Thomas
Zoe Wagland
Overall winner Georgia Maddock Year 9
13

500 Club Winners
October
1st prize
2nd prize
November
1st prize
2nd prize
December
1st prize
2nd prize
Dates of OPTA meetings
Wed 2nd February
Tues 1st March
Thurs 7th April
Wed 18th May
Mrs C Evans (63)
Mr N Hardy (84)
Mrs T Comber (53)
Mrs C Eagle (59)
Mrs G Griffiths (79)
Mrs V Brown (32)
Learning Forum
OPTA meeting
OPTA meeting
Learning Forum
Holiday Absence Requests
Registering absence for the purpose of a
family holiday or approval of an educational
activity/event.
From January 2011 we have updated our
Holiday form to include a parents’ request for
a child to attend and activity or event.
Guidance on what constitutes an approved
activity is indicated on the new form, which is
green and replaces the yellow holiday form.
In short, if you wish to request absence for
your son/daughter other than a medical
appointment, please complete a Request for
Authorised Absence in Term Time for
Holiday or Approved Activity form. These
are available from Reception for a parent to
collect or from Student Support for students to
bring home.
Policies for your reference
Our updated Anti Bullying and Drug Policies
can be found on the Oathall website. Copies
in the form of an information leaflet are
available from Reception on request.
14
Noticeboard
Term Dates
2011 Spring Term
Tues 4th January to Fri 8th April 2011
Half term
21st February - 25th February 2011
Friday 18th February 2011
Day Closure for Staff Training
2011 Summer Term
Tues 26th April to Fri 22nd July 2011
Half term
30th May - 3rd June 2011
Bank Holiday / Royal Wedding
Friday, 29th April 2011
May Day Bank Holiday
Monday, 2nd May 2011
College Events
January 2011
Thursday 27th, Christmas Concert
February 2011
Thursday 3rd, Year 11 Consultation Evening
Wednesday 9th, Curriculum Immersion Day 4
Thursday 17th, Year 9 Consultation Evening
March 2011
Friday 11th, Curriculum Immersion Day 5
Thursday 15th & Friday 16th, Year 11 Musical Performance
Thursday 31st March, Curriculum Immersion Day 6
Link Parent Scheme
Need friendly advice?
Why not speak to an Oathall parent?
Sandra Slinger-Thompson 01444 484293
(a Year 11 parent)
Barbra Balicki 01444 458132
(a Year 11 parent)
Penny Sayers 07713951930
For any advice about special educational needs
Lisa Spies 01444 414033
For any advice about substance misuse
Please feel free to contact anyone above
Our link parent scheme continues to attract enquiries from a growing
number of parents. We hope you will feel confident about contacting
us if the need arises.
Oathall website: www.oathall.w-sussex.sch.uk
email: office@oathall.w-sussex.sch.uk
telephone: 01444 414001 fax: 01444 417027