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May 2008 - Littleover Community School

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England Selection!<br />

See “Sports News” Section<br />

For Full Details<br />

l<br />

Summer Fair<br />

Friday 20th June<br />

5.00-7.00pm<br />

Please Come Along<br />

and Join in the Fun!<br />

CL<br />

S<br />

Newsletter<br />

<strong>May</strong> <strong>2008</strong>


New <strong>School</strong> Buildings – Eventually!<br />

<strong>Littleover</strong>’s share of the £180,000,000 allocated to Derby for the<br />

Building <strong>School</strong>s for the Future programme has been confirmed as<br />

£17,000,000. This will allow us to rebuild a large part of the<br />

premises and totally refurbish the rest, apart from the recently<br />

built Sports and Technology facilities.<br />

Our current plans envisage retaining and refurbishing the main<br />

hall and reception area, whilst demolishing the single storey wings<br />

and temporary buildings on either side and replacing them with<br />

two storey blocks, linked by corridors and social/dining areas<br />

behind the main hall, where the playground is now. New hard play<br />

areas will be built at the front of the school and the drive and road<br />

access will be moved to behind the buildings. The current A and B<br />

blocks will be stripped out and completely refurbished. The whole<br />

site will be equipped with the latest ICT systems.<br />

There is still a lot of planning to do and building will not start until<br />

2011 with a projected finish date of 2013. Some temporary<br />

accommodation will be required during this period and careful<br />

phasing will be needed to ensure continuity of education for all our<br />

pupils. The long and slow bureaucratic process, which is typical of<br />

anything which is government run, means that the only pupils<br />

currently in school who will experience the new school will be<br />

entering Year 13 when it opens.<br />

We are also hoping to add a second phase to the Technology block<br />

with funding from our own capital development allowance together<br />

with money provided by the developers of the new housing on<br />

Rykneld Road. This should more than double the size of the<br />

Technology suite, providing modern, ICT based facilities for this<br />

large faculty. This project should be completed before the main<br />

redevelopment begins in 2011.<br />

We will give you more detail in the next newsletter, including a<br />

drawing of the new school and details of how to access our<br />

planning documents on the LCS website. You will then be invited<br />

to give us your views on our plans.<br />

David Nichols—Headteacher


Year 11<br />

Leavers’ Day<br />

The Sun Shines on Year 11!<br />

On Thursday 15 th <strong>May</strong> the sun came out to help us say farewell to Year 11 as<br />

they arrived in style for their Leavers’ Ceremony. The whole school turned out<br />

to greet the pupils who rose to the occasion with a superb display of high fashion<br />

and creative modes of transport.<br />

Year 11 then enjoyed a meal together in a festively decorated dining room followed<br />

by a final assembly in the hall, including a film made by the pupils which<br />

will soon be available on DVD with footage of Leavers’ Day itself.<br />

The day ended very emotionally with tears and hugs as our leavers made their<br />

farewells. They are, of course, back in school now sitting their GCSE exams. We<br />

wish them all the best, now and in the future. A further selection of<br />

photographs can be seen on our website at www.littleover.derby.sch.uk


Newspaper in a Day<br />

Yet again we have managed to reach the finals! Out of hundreds of<br />

entries from all across the country we are down to the last two or<br />

three. We will be attending the final’s ceremonies on<br />

Friday 20 th June, so watch this space……<br />

Mrs T Johnson— Teacher of English<br />

100% Attendance!<br />

A Group of our pupils have broken the record for the most youngsters<br />

achieving full attendance.<br />

This year we have had 13 pupils that have 5 years 100% attendance, a<br />

remarkable achievement. As a reward the pupils were picked up from<br />

home and taken for breakfast at Mickleover Court Hotel with Mr Nichols.<br />

They are: Felix Acred, <strong>May</strong>a Carruthers, Aaron-Deep Chahal, Hannah<br />

Foxon, Joseph George, Olivia Holman, Daniel Macken, Catherine Mitchell,<br />

Catriona McCartney, Harpreet Nanuan, Adam Twigg, Jennifer Unwin and<br />

Amy Williamson.<br />

Mr Nichols said: "It has become something of a tradition in the school that<br />

pupils try to complete their five years here without taking a day off.<br />

Obviously, the word is passed on about this and pupils enter the school<br />

taking on the challenge. There is obviously a certain amount of luck in not<br />

being injured or seriously ill for five years. But these pupils have shown<br />

remarkable commitment and a determination, not to succumb to the occasional<br />

headache or bout of tiredness."<br />

Catriona McCartney, 15, said she had sometimes been to school despite<br />

feeling ill. She said: "It has been important for me to be there, especially<br />

now I am doing my GCSEs this year. I felt very proud to be part of the<br />

breakfast celebration and pleased with myself."<br />

Fellow pupil Aaron Deep Chahal, 16, also had no time off from his junior<br />

school, so has attended non-stop for about nine years. He said: "My<br />

health is pretty good and I am keen to be in school. I set out for full<br />

attendance and am delighted I made it."<br />

In KS4 there were also 29 pupils that had 100% attendance and 76<br />

pupils that never had a late mark!<br />

Mr D Nichols—Headteacher<br />

David Nichols—Headteacher


SCHOOL COUNCIL<br />

The <strong>School</strong> Council has been very busy recently, so much so that we have<br />

applied for the ‘Silver Award’ from the Local Authority in recognition of our<br />

achievements. If we are awarded the Silver Award we aim to apply for the Gold<br />

Award in September.<br />

Each Year group currently has £150 to spend on merits and credits to raise<br />

achievement of pupils. The pupils themselves are deciding how the money is<br />

spent and ideas include trophies, vouchers and end of year parties, for successful<br />

Tutor Groups!<br />

We will continue to keep you informed of developments.<br />

LATEST NEWS….<br />

SCA Silver Award<br />

We have been notified that the <strong>Littleover</strong> <strong>Community</strong> <strong>School</strong> Council has been<br />

awarded the Bronze and Silver <strong>School</strong> Council Achievement Awards from Derby<br />

City Council.<br />

The letter from Gary Britton, Secondary PSHE/Citizenship Consultant said;<br />

‘Congratulations to your students and staff on their hard work and<br />

commitment in reaching this standard. The school submitted evidence<br />

that clearly showed that it met the criteria for Bronze and Silver and<br />

demonstrated good practice. I hope that you will continue to develop the<br />

provision and effectiveness of your school council in the months and<br />

years ahead’.<br />

This is an excellent achievement and everyone involved deserves credit for<br />

helping us to achieve this standard.<br />

Our aim now is to apply for the Gold Award next year.<br />

LEARNING MENTOR<br />

This week we welcomed our new Learning Mentor to <strong>Littleover</strong> <strong>Community</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong>. Mrs Sarah Davies joins us in place of our previous Learning Mentor<br />

(also Mrs Davies – no relation!) who retired recently.<br />

Mrs Davies has already met a number of pupils and will be introduced to each<br />

Year Group in Assemblies over the coming weeks. She can be contacted in school<br />

directly, or through<br />

Mr Wilding.<br />

We wish Mrs Davies well in her new post and we are pleased to have her on<br />

board.<br />

Jon Wilding—Deputy Headteacher


SUNRISE RUNNER UP<br />

The <strong>School</strong>’s Breakfast Club has been named runner-up in a national award scheme,<br />

searching for the UK’s best example of a breakfast club, that has achieved<br />

sustainability. Mrs Pell who is the Sunrise Club co-ordinator says;” We are thrilled to<br />

have been recognised; we are so excited to have won £650.00, which will go towards<br />

running the Clubs.”<br />

Tony Apicella, from ContinYou, who along with Kellogg’s have run the competition<br />

says, “To provide excellent provision over a sustained period is often the true success<br />

of any breakfast club. This doesn’t happen by chance, but through good planning,<br />

sound budgeting and realistic target setting for both those who attend and those who<br />

deliver. ContinYou is delighted to both recognise and reward such best practice.”<br />

The clubs are run from Tuesday – Friday<br />

7.30am-8.30am. There are clubs for English,<br />

Science, Maths, Technology and ICT.<br />

We are always looking for new volunteers to help at the Clubs. If any parents or<br />

friends think that they could help in any of the subjects, or anyone would like more<br />

information on how the clubs work, please contact Mrs Pell at school.<br />

TEL: 01332-513219 ext 169 or l.pell@littleover.derby.sch.uk<br />

Pupils & Volunteers Celebrate the Win


VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY NEEDED<br />

Do you have a good command of English?<br />

Can you spare 1 hour per fortnight?<br />

If the answer is YES, then YOU could be just<br />

what we are looking for!!<br />

The <strong>School</strong>’s Sunrise Club currently has a vacancy<br />

for a person to help in English.<br />

The club takes place before school from 7.30am-8.20am,<br />

and as we operate a 2 weekly timetable, you<br />

would only have to attend once a fortnight.<br />

Being a volunteer gives you the chance to:<br />

Support the school<br />

Develop communication skills<br />

Be a role model<br />

Have an involvement in the local community<br />

INTERESTED?<br />

Contact Mrs Pell at school if you think you could help or<br />

would like more information on how the clubs operate.<br />

Mrs Pell 01332-513219 ext 169 or l.pell@littleover.derby.sch.uk<br />

Pupils and Volunteers Working Together.


Volunteers Required!<br />

Trading Standards at Derby City Council are committed to enforcing<br />

the laws relating to age-restricted products. We regularly carry out<br />

test-purchase exercises in the Derby area and are looking for young<br />

people who can help us!<br />

What is a test purchase ? We ask a young person to go into a<br />

shop—usually a newsagent, supermarket or off-licence - to try and<br />

buy some cigarettes or alcohol, while a trading standards officer<br />

watches what goes on. The shop should ask you to produce ID to<br />

prove your age - we want to check that they do this and that they<br />

know about the laws and regulations which apply to the things they<br />

sell.<br />

Training is provided before taking part in activities and volunteers<br />

are supervised by our officers at all times. We usually organise<br />

test-purchase exercises during school holidays, but some take place<br />

at weekends or in the evening. Sometimes we might go to DIY shops<br />

that sell glue or spray paints, in addition to other shops.<br />

What if I don't want to go to shops near to where I live ? No<br />

problem - if you feel uncomfortable going into the shops in your<br />

local area we can go to other places in Derby.<br />

How can I get involved ? If you are aged between 13 and 15½ and<br />

would like to get involved please call on 01332 716310. Your<br />

parents or guardians will need to give their permission and you'll<br />

need to fill in an application form - we'll get your details and send<br />

you a form when you ring us.<br />

What's in it for me ? If you assist us with a test-purchase exercise<br />

we will issue you with a certificate, which you can add to your future<br />

CV. You'll also get a free lunch or tea .. we let you choose the venue<br />

and pizza is usually popular !!<br />

If you need any extra information please call Trading Standards on<br />

01332 716310 and speak with Brian Hitchcock or Leanda Bailey.<br />

INSET DAYS<br />

Just a reminder that we have 2 INSET days in June as follows:<br />

Friday 27th June AND Monday 30th June <strong>2008</strong>


CitizenCard—Time is Running Out!<br />

As from 1st September <strong>2008</strong> CitizenCard Proof of Age cards will cost<br />

£10.00, as the sponsored funding for free cards through schools is<br />

ending in August.<br />

If any students who have not previously ordered a CitizenCard would<br />

like to order a free card before the deadline they are welcome to do so.<br />

There is a processing charge of £9.00 for applications made on<br />

downloaded or public forms. Free cards only apply to cards issued<br />

through schools and colleges.<br />

Where students already have a CitizenCard and<br />

would like to upgrade to the next age-group, these<br />

can be ordered for a payment of just £4.50.<br />

I believe that this price will continue after 1st<br />

September <strong>2008</strong>.<br />

Please contact the Pupil Support Office for an<br />

application form if you wish to apply.<br />

Mrs Holman<br />

Reception<br />

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE<br />

There will be a sale of second hand school uniform<br />

at our forthcoming Summer Fair, where you will be able to<br />

purchase items at very reasonable prices


LIBRARY<br />

NEWS<br />

Issue 10<br />

<strong>May</strong> <strong>2008</strong><br />

Michael Morpurgo<br />

What some pupils from<br />

EAS think<br />

of Michael’s books<br />

Where do you get your ideas<br />

from?<br />

From all around me. Places,<br />

people, stories I hear, little<br />

happenings, big happenings,<br />

history. I keep my eyes and<br />

ears open, my heart fresh.<br />

Where do you write?<br />

On my bed, where I’m most<br />

comfortable. I write by hand,<br />

with my exercise book on my<br />

knees.<br />

Are the stories true?<br />

With each one there is an<br />

element of truth I weave<br />

different truths into the same<br />

story to make another kind of<br />

truth.<br />

How long does it take to<br />

write a book?<br />

I usually spend several months<br />

dreaming it in my head-once I<br />

begin writing, I write very<br />

fast, and will finish a book in<br />

two to three months.<br />

Butterfly Lion<br />

“Really good, quite<br />

touching”<br />

Alex Done<br />

“I’ve read The Wreck of<br />

Zanzibar, it was very tense<br />

but so exciting.”<br />

says Oliver Crowley<br />

Tom Shah, has read<br />

Kensuke’s Kingdom. He<br />

thought it was really good<br />

and quite exciting.<br />

Jade Mitchell-Ross who<br />

is a regular<br />

“book reviewer” has just<br />

read<br />

Enders Game<br />

by<br />

Orson Scott Card<br />

She says;<br />

“I seriously recommend<br />

this book .It’s a spine<br />

chilling thriller with<br />

twists & turns that shock<br />

you as you go along.<br />

It’s fantastic and once<br />

you start you can’t put it<br />

down! It’s gripping and<br />

terrifying. A great read”


Summer Fair<br />

Friday 20th June<br />

5pm-7pm<br />

It will soon be that time of year again when<br />

we host our annual Summer Fair. Hopefully the weather will be<br />

fine and a big improvement on last year! There will be a wide<br />

variety of stalls, displays, a bouncy castle, Asian food stall,<br />

a barbecue and lots more!<br />

If any parents are able to help on the<br />

night, whether it just be half an hour<br />

or the whole 2 hours, we would be<br />

very grateful. There is a reply slip at<br />

the back of the newsletter, which we<br />

would be grateful if you complete and<br />

return to Annie Holman on Reception,<br />

if you are able to come along and give<br />

us just a little of your time.<br />

We are also looking for donations of the following please:<br />

Bric-A-Brac<br />

Bottles of drink<br />

Anything chocolate, for our chocolate tombola<br />

Books<br />

Cakes<br />

If you have any of the above that you would like to donate,<br />

please bring the items to the school reception the week<br />

commencing Monday 16th June. With regard to cakes, it would<br />

be better if these could be brought on the actual day please.<br />

We do hope that you will be able to come along, have fun and<br />

support our school at the same time. All proceeds raised will go<br />

towards buying equipment for the school.<br />

Mrs A Holman—Secretary of the PSA


SHOW RACISM THE RED CARD <strong>2008</strong><br />

As part of their Citizenship education, all Year 7 pupils study a topic on “Racism” and<br />

look at how peoples’ attitudes and actions can impact on others, in both a positive<br />

and a negative way. The outcome of this work is the chance for every pupil in the<br />

Year to enter a national competition entitled “Show Racism the Red Card” by<br />

producing a piece of artwork or a written entry. The competition is run in various<br />

stages. Firstly, school selects the best six entries, which are forwarded to the PSHE/<br />

Citizenship Advisory Service at Derby City Council. They award prizes to the best<br />

three entries and then select the best entry from all of those received city wide. This<br />

is then forwarded to the national competition of the same name.<br />

Judging the six school winners was extremely hard this year due to the high quality<br />

of work submitted by Year 7. Niketa Chohan, Eric Herbert and Eve Thompson,<br />

received book tokens from school as a runners up prize. Nicola Furness came third in<br />

the City competition, Susanna Elks took second place and Saul Herbert was awarded<br />

first place, for his piece of artwork based on the cartoon characters from South Park.<br />

Saul’s entry was also sent off to represent Derby in the national competition.<br />

We were delighted to hear at the very end of the Spring Term, that Saul had been<br />

awarded a runner up prize in the Key Stage 3 art category. Saul and his family had<br />

the trip of a lifetime to the Emirates Stadium in London on the 24 th April. Saul’s<br />

favourite football team is Derby County and he received a range of football<br />

memorabilia featuring our local club. Many congratulations to Saul for this fantastic<br />

achievement!<br />

The photographs show our three main prize winners receiving their awards in school<br />

and Saul getting his prize at the Emirates Stadium (photo courtesy of Steve Brock<br />

photography).<br />

Saul Herbert, Susanna Elks and Nicola Furness<br />

Mrs M Butler<br />

Co-ordinator PSHE<br />

Saul Herbert— 7IXM


The Enterprise Challenge <strong>2008</strong><br />

The <strong>2008</strong> challenge was held on the last day of the Spring Term and was eagerly<br />

awaited by the pupils in Year 10. Judith Gill, of the Money Sense project, kindly<br />

agreed to facilitate the day for the second year running and started the day with<br />

an outline of what had to be achieved in the following three hours.<br />

The brief was the same this year as last: to form a small company and tender for<br />

a catering contract for a special event. The staff attached to the activity proved<br />

themselves to be as enterprising as the pupils in their choice of themes. A school<br />

prom and a birthday celebration at the races at Aintree, joined several themed<br />

birthday parties all incorporating Elvis Presley. Work began immediately the pupils<br />

reached their company HQ (this year resourced with water and mints – conference<br />

style). The morning culminated with each group giving a presentation within their<br />

own base, to find the most appealing entry. Menus were created, business cards<br />

printed, budgets costed and the final letter of tender word processed and<br />

printed; creativity knew no bounds!<br />

After lunch, the year group assembled in the Hall for the presentation of the<br />

winning tenders. The judges; Melanie Goodman and Peter Noskiw, LCS Governors,<br />

along with Claire Knee and Dayna Stubbs from the Derbyshire Education Business<br />

Partnership, found the task of picking an overall winner a hard task.<br />

The day was about learning, but also about having fun. In their evaluations the<br />

pupils drew many parallels between what they felt they had learnt and what they<br />

had enjoyed. These points were expressed many times over:<br />

• “working as a team”<br />

• “presenting”<br />

• “working with different people/working with friends/working together”<br />

• “having fun”<br />

• “being able to work independently”<br />

• “we all had a new experience”<br />

• “having more responsibility”<br />

• “learning new skills”<br />

• “doing something different”<br />

• “all of it”<br />

We shall look forward to the 2009 challenge!<br />

Mrs M Butler<br />

Co-ordinator of PSHE


105 Year 9 pupils took part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Bronze walks this year.<br />

We had three days for different groups to go out. My group went on the 18 th March <strong>2008</strong>.<br />

It was a terrific day as well as an exhausting day! This was our practice short walk and we<br />

went to a place locally in Radbourne. We originally started off at a farmhouse and walked<br />

for roughly two and a half hours – non-stop! We met Mr. Moses, sitting in his little<br />

minibus, at every checkpoint and he encouraged us very much.<br />

Everyone was told to do map reading, which I think just about all of us hated.<br />

Nevertheless we all had a go. Some of us in our group were really good at map reading for<br />

example: Uroosa and Martine, but some of us really hated it, like Shazrina and myself!<br />

Walking through farms with animals around, I found to be the most intimidating aspect,<br />

but despite the great fear in my mind I managed to walk across.<br />

In our group Sophie was one of the best, because she did not moan once and walked<br />

really quickly all day.<br />

“An incredible time I’ve had today and I can’t wait to do the real expedition,” explained<br />

Maddiyah, as she climbed across the fence. And Sophie thought, ‘the rest of us needed to<br />

walk more quickly’, as she was walking so rapidly, she left us all miles behind. I personally<br />

thought that this was a remarkable day.<br />

I would love to do something like this all the time, because it had not only given us time to<br />

walk and get some excellent exercise, but it had also given us a chance to show off our<br />

skills e.g. map reading skills, leadership skills etc. My group supported each other really<br />

well. I’m sure the other groups did too, but there was exceptional support from our<br />

splendid teacher Miss Lissett, especially in doing up shoelaces. Thank you!<br />

Everyone who went for this practice walk loved it and I’m sure they are really looking<br />

forward to the full day walk in June and the weekend expedition in September.<br />

Sehrish Shaffiq<br />

9 JRW


Instrumental Music Lessons<br />

Now that Years 11 and 13 have left, a number of instrumental music<br />

lesson spaces have become available for younger students. We<br />

currently offer lessons with the following instruments:<br />

· Piano/ Keyboard<br />

· Brass (Trumpet, Cornet, Horns, Baritone, Euphonium,<br />

Trombone, Tuba)<br />

· Woodwind (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone)<br />

· Guitar (All styles)<br />

· Bass Guitar<br />

· Violin<br />

· Drum Kit<br />

Instrumental teachers come into school and use our space to teach<br />

on a self-employed basis. Lessons are usually offered in single<br />

twenty minute slots. At present, on average, tuition is charged at a<br />

rate of £8.00 per lesson, depending on the teacher. All of our<br />

teachers are CRB checked and have a very good relationship with<br />

the school.<br />

In July, at the Year 6 information evening, any spaces will be offered<br />

to next year’s Year 7 intake. Therefore now is the time to sign up for<br />

lessons.<br />

If your child would like to learn to play an instrument, they should<br />

come to the music department and ask for an instrumental music<br />

lessons contract. You should then sign it and return it to us as soon<br />

as possible. Please be aware that slots are given on a first come, first<br />

served basis.<br />

Music Department


YEAR 7<br />

NETBALL NEWS<br />

SEPTEMBER 07 – MARCH 08 WOW WHAT A SEASON!!<br />

We are regularly getting over 20 girls at netball practice and they worked hard on<br />

their skills, patiently waiting to try them out in games after Christmas. All of the<br />

girls played in a number of friendly matches with great success, winning against a<br />

variety of opposition. We then entered the City and County Tournaments in<br />

March. I was immensely pleased and proud of the girls’ performances in both<br />

tournaments. During the City Tournament held at Noel Baker, the team won their<br />

section beating Woodlands, Derby Moor and Noel Baker along the way. In the<br />

semi finals they played really well to beat Chellaston, before playing Derby High<br />

<strong>School</strong> in the final. Unfortunately, despite giving Derby High the hardest game<br />

they had had to play that day, we lost 8:4. We just couldn’t compete against the<br />

more experienced side, however I don’t think it will be long before we will be<br />

beating them. A week later we travelled to Tupton <strong>School</strong> in Chesterfield for the<br />

County Tournament, with a slightly changed side; we again played exceptionally<br />

well in the first round and qualified for the semi finals as runners up in our group.<br />

We played Ecclesbourne <strong>School</strong> in a thrilling match that went into extra time, but<br />

the score was still level, the game had to go to ‘golden goal’ – very nerve racking<br />

Unfortunately, we lost out, being unable to prevent them scoring. However a<br />

fantastic achievement for their first season; I’m really looking forward to next<br />

year!<br />

Well done to Chibangu Nfula, Verity Harper, Leah Durham, Ella Grice, Susie Elks,<br />

Katie Gilligan, Kate Johnson, Jessica Shankar, Preeti Rai, Amelia Proctor,<br />

Holly Atkin, Imogen Sutherland, Henna Rana, Leah Widowson, Sophia Wheatley,<br />

Georgia Guy, Ambereen Khan, Sanya Ahmed, Demi Parker and Sabina Hob.<br />

YEAR 8 & YEAR 9<br />

Again, another superb season for this fantastic team, they train hard and play<br />

well, a testament to all their efforts. In the City League they won all their matches<br />

with ease and played Woodlands in a hard fought semi final. Having beaten them,<br />

they were through to the final against Chellaston. The final was played at<br />

<strong>Littleover</strong> and the atmosphere within the sports hall was electric. During the forty<br />

minute game the lead was gained and held onto by Chellaston and we were<br />

constantly playing catch up. Moving Elisha to defence to utilise her height at half<br />

time was a good decision and our girls fought back to bring the score very close.<br />

Unfortunately, the clock was against us and we lost by the slimmest of margins;<br />

we hadn’t played as well as we usually do and the girls and myself were very<br />

disappointed. However, we are building strategies for the future and I feel we will<br />

come back stronger next season.


In Devon they excelled again, winning 7 out of 8 first round games, qualifying for the semis<br />

to play the team they lost to on the previous day. Digging deep the girls raised their game<br />

and won convincingly to make it to the tournament final. Unfortunately, a repeat of the City<br />

final, the girls didn’t play as well as they had been and lost, but what a fantastically close<br />

game! We obviously need to work on those nerves ready for the big occasions.<br />

Well done to Elisha Cooper, Alex Wilson, Millie Hudson, Susie Pass, Bryony Williams, Louisa<br />

Cordon, Ziama Basit, Megan Jack, Shauna Buckley, Zoe Brown and Imogen Atkinson.<br />

YEAR 10<br />

This is always the quiet year in <strong>School</strong> netball, with no City League and the City tournament<br />

very early in the year; we rely on friendly matches to keep the girls improving. The team has<br />

gone through a major amount of change this season and recruited new members; as the year<br />

has progressed the team has begun to work well together and results are reflecting this.<br />

In Devon this hard work was very evident as they played well as a squad and made it<br />

through to the semi finals of the combined Year 10 and 11 tournament. They even had to<br />

play our Year 11 team in the first round and raised their game to draw 4 all, in a very keenly<br />

contested match! Unfortunately, they were drawn against the eventual winners in their semi<br />

and despite putting up a huge fight they were beaten.<br />

Well done to Holly Connelly, Lucy Nahal, Jenny Elks, Julia Hilton, Ellie Hurt, Sophie Lacey,<br />

Nicole Smith, Asha Savage, Bec Elliott, Alex Patrick, and Ruth Titterton.<br />

YEAR 11<br />

Their final season has seen a mixed response with regard to commitment of certain players<br />

who unfortunately no longer play and this has affected the overall competitiveness of the<br />

team. However, despite this, the remaining girls battled hard to keep the team functioning<br />

and have been rewarded with another fantastic season. Winning all but one game against<br />

Derby High in the City League, they went through to the semi finals as runners up and won<br />

that convincingly to reach the final. Derby High had also won their semi final and we met<br />

them again in the final held at their school. We didn’t have many spectators, but they missed<br />

an excellent match where our girls fought back in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to<br />

almost draw the game. Another loss. but a much closer game and the girls were justly<br />

pleased with how well they had played.<br />

In Devon, the girls playing in what could be their last set of matches as a team. played<br />

exceptionally well. With no reserves to swap with, their endurance was severely tested in this<br />

tournament, but they persevered and made it through to the semi finals. This was one of the<br />

most thrilling games of the whole weekend and went into 4 minutes of extra time after a<br />

draw at full time. The team they were playing had beaten them the day before, but our girls<br />

wouldn’t be put down and with the whole of the rest of <strong>Littleover</strong> girls shouting them on, they<br />

went onto win: tremendous! In the final they met the team on form, who had just put our<br />

Year 10 team out in the semi final. The game was very keenly contested and in the second<br />

half our girls made it extremely difficult for the private school from the South, but they<br />

managed to pull through in the end and our girls lost out.<br />

Well done to Bess Blakemore, Hannah Huntingdon, Clare Cordon, Gina Bhogal, Hannah Stafford,<br />

Rose Panton and Emilie Von Fragstein.


YEAR 12/13<br />

There is no organised City competition at this age group and it is very difficult to run a<br />

combined team, due to the nature of our split site sixth form. However, the Year 12 girls<br />

have continued to train before school and drafted in former Derby Moor players to make up a<br />

new Millennium team. They played Derby High in a friendly very early in the year and came<br />

away with an excellent win away from home. We also entered the County Tournament<br />

narrowingly missing out on a place in the semi finals, despite injury to one of our key<br />

shooters. We will be back in the same competition next year as the older age group and<br />

hopefully will progress further.<br />

Well done to Olivia Dicken, Lauren Steadman, Ellie Simpson, Laura Sallis, Hannah Stone,<br />

Coral Brown, Helen Archer and Elisha Cornfield.<br />

ENGLAND SELECTION<br />

From this team we have had our first major success with Lauren Steadman being selected<br />

for the regional talent programme. Special mention must be made here to Olivia Dicken, who<br />

through the injury she sustained at the County Tournament, was unable to attend these<br />

trials; we wish her success in these trials next season. Lauren impressed the regional<br />

coaches so much they put her through for England trials. She was called to trial at Bath<br />

University, along with 100 girls from around the country. At dinnertime she had to wait to<br />

find out if she had made it through to the second stage in the afternoon. Not only did she<br />

make it through this, but she also was selected to attend the England Easter Training <strong>School</strong><br />

and is now through to the final 20, who are all to attend the England Summer <strong>School</strong>. From<br />

this a squad will be selected to compete in the European Championships. Lauren has also<br />

been told that she is required to attend England training weekends once a month during the<br />

coming season. How fantastic is that? I am immensely proud of her achievements and look<br />

forward to seeing her in an England shirt!!<br />

As a footnote to this article, I would like to say that the Year has been a tremendous success<br />

overall. For a <strong>School</strong> to have the level of success across all 6 age groups as <strong>Littleover</strong> has, is<br />

very unusual. This is testament to the hard work the girls have put in through our organised<br />

training practices, as well as the more informal morning sessions, many run by the girls<br />

themselves and extra shooting practices at break time. Special thanks must definitely be<br />

given to Miss Youseman, who has trained the Year 8 team and Lauren Steadman who has<br />

assisted me as coach, when she could, to all the other age groups.<br />

Ms S Davey<br />

Head of P.E.<br />

Devon <strong>2008</strong><br />

On Friday 25 th April, Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 netball teams, departed rather excitedly<br />

on their trip to Devon in their matching blue LCS t-shirts. The pupils kept themselves<br />

suitably amused with some playing computer games, others consuming copious<br />

amounts of sweets and for the more conscientious, revision, for the forthcoming<br />

SATs and GCSEs. We arrived at the PGL camp around 4pm and set about exploring<br />

our home for the next three days and settling ourselves into our chalets.


On Saturday morning, the Year 8’s started their tournament whilst the other teams went<br />

abseiling and screaming down the zip wire. After a very successful morning the teams<br />

swapped tasks and in the glorious sunshine, the older teams showed off their netball skills.<br />

The Year 8 team exhausted themselves in the afternoon by completing the zip wire,<br />

abseiling, climbing and playing on aero-ball. After dinner that evening we all embarked on a<br />

game of rounders, carefully avoiding the very cute rabbits who were watching us.<br />

The next morning proved a struggle, with the hot weather the day before, all the netball and<br />

other activities made us rather tired, but nevertheless we persevered with the Year 8s<br />

playing first. They won convincingly and made it through to the semi-finals. The Year 9s<br />

then repeated this, getting themselves into their semi-final. It was then time for the final<br />

match for the Year 10s and 11s ... against each other! It was a very competitive and<br />

entertaining match, culminating in a draw.<br />

This meant that all <strong>Littleover</strong> teams had made it through to the semi-finals! However,<br />

despite playing fantastically Years 8 and 10 lost theirs and so their tournament came to an<br />

end. Years 9 and 11 won and so played in the final for their category. As the sunshine left<br />

and the rain clouds appeared, both teams continued to play well and fought for every ball.<br />

Sadly neither team won their game and so became runners up.<br />

It was then time for some well deserved food and the medal ceremonies. After a quick<br />

shower and change of clothes we piled on the coach home, some rather quiet and tired,<br />

others quite hyperactive after consuming yet more sweets. Year 9 proved there was no<br />

need for a radio with their delightful singing. We got back to school around 7.30pm quite<br />

exhausted, but very proud of our achievements over the weekend.<br />

There was a great team atmosphere throughout the weekend and all players were a credit<br />

to the school with their excellent behaviour.<br />

Miss Youseman


Football News<br />

After a long and arduous season, <strong>Littleover</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s football teams finished<br />

strongly.<br />

The Year 7 football team had a long hard season and were on the end of<br />

some heavy defeats, but their determination to keep going is to be<br />

commended. Hopefully they will grow bigger and stronger and have more<br />

success next year.<br />

Mr. Buchanan’s Year 8 team have finished mid table in the league, but<br />

could not produce the victories when they counted.<br />

Mr. Chawner’s Year 9 team finished unbeaten in the second half of the<br />

season, producing some good football, culminating in some convincing<br />

wins.<br />

Mr. Wilson’s Year 10 and 11 teams have produced some good football at<br />

times, but could not produce on a regular basis, which resulted in high<br />

finishes, but no accolades.<br />

Cup Finals<br />

<strong>Littleover</strong> <strong>School</strong> seem to have had greater success in the cups this year.<br />

Years 7 and 9 went out in the early rounds, but Year 8,10 and 11<br />

achieved greater success. The Year 10 team reached the semi final and<br />

after extra time went down 3-2 to Ecclesbourne. It was a defeat which<br />

was very disappointing to staff and players, as the boys had battled hard<br />

and deserved to get something more out of the game.<br />

The Year 8 team battled through the rounds to reach the final. If the<br />

game had gone on height alone, <strong>Littleover</strong> would have lost straight away,<br />

with the West Park players being on average a foot taller than <strong>Littleover</strong>’s<br />

players. However, <strong>Littleover</strong> played well under the guidance of Mr ‘Sven’<br />

Buchannan and got the ball down on the floor, deserving to still be in the<br />

game at half time. The size difference showed towards the end and West<br />

Park were the eventual winners with a 4-1 score line, which was slightly<br />

flattering. A big “well done” goes out to all the Year 8 players who played<br />

their hearts out in the game. Hopefully we can go one step further next<br />

year.


<strong>Littleover</strong> did however achieve success in the year 11 cup final. After losing<br />

6-0 to Chellaston in the league, <strong>Littleover</strong> wanted to get revenge. Mr<br />

‘Jose’ Wilson selected a strong starting 11, with the aim to get in the<br />

faces of Chellaston as soon as the whistle went. After a tense opening<br />

period Ndo Chilaka ran on to a hopeful ball to squeeze a shot in at the<br />

near post which deflected of the keeper to make it 1-0. <strong>Littleover</strong> kept<br />

the pressure on with Alex Grace, Rory Sharratt and Lewis Chambers<br />

bossing the midfield. After another ball over the top Ndo made it 2-0 with<br />

a cool finish past the keeper. Chellaston didn’t lie down and got back into<br />

the game with a scrappy goal from a corner. 2-1. It was starting to get<br />

tense and Mr ‘Jose’ Wilson started to get twitchy and made changes.<br />

Thorenson and Buckle came on to steady the ship. <strong>Littleover</strong> regained<br />

their two-goal advantage through Josh Wisdom, who deserved a goal<br />

after all the tireless running that he had made. Now for the tense finish;<br />

Chellaston made it 3-2 to take the game to the death. However <strong>Littleover</strong><br />

held strong through some resolute defending from Lee, Jellyman, Wagg<br />

and Woodcock.<br />

VICTORY. A huge well done to the boys who after a tough year have<br />

finished their school career as City Cup Champions.<br />

I would like to thank everyone for their support and help throughout the<br />

season especially to Mr Wraith, Mr Chawner and Mr Buchannan who have<br />

given up a tremendous amount of time to run football teams this year.<br />

Mr Wilson<br />

Teacher of P.E.<br />

Other Sport News<br />

Years 8, 10 and 11 entered a rugby 7’s tournament at John Port <strong>School</strong><br />

this month. Year 8 entered two teams and played against some big year<br />

9 boys. They battled hard and finally understood the term ‘the bigger<br />

they are the easier they fall’ to achieve some success in the competition.<br />

The Year 8 team have worked hard all year under the tuition of Mr<br />

Downward and have finally achieved the success that they deserve.<br />

The Year 10/11 team came up against some huge boys from other<br />

schools that put the “fear of God” into me and I was standing on the<br />

sideline, so I hate to think what they were thinking, at the thought of<br />

actually tackling them. However, after 2 wins and 2 defeats finished in a<br />

respectful 2 nd place.<br />

Lets hope we can build on the success of rugby in the school next<br />

season. If anyone in Years 7-11 are interested in playing, please see<br />

Mr Downward or Mr Wilson.


A big thanks to Mr Downward for his hard work in building up the<br />

profile of rugby this year and his commitment in<br />

wind, rain or sun.<br />

Mr Wilson<br />

Tennis News<br />

The Year 8 team that were successful in the National Cup last year,<br />

started their season well, with a convincing 5-1 defeat to<br />

Lady Manners <strong>School</strong> from Bakewell. The boys are hungry for<br />

success after achieving well last year. Let’s keep it up.<br />

That’s all from the boys’ sports desk for now. The cricket season is<br />

upon us now so hopefully we can achieve some success.<br />

Mr Wilson<br />

The Final Football<br />

Teams


Summer Fair<br />

Reply Slip<br />

I am able to help at the Summer Fair on<br />

20th June and available at the following<br />

times: (PLEASE TICK AS APPROPRIATE)<br />

I am available to help set up at 3.25pm<br />

I am available to help from 5pm—6pm<br />

I am available to help from 6pm—7pm<br />

I am available to help clear up<br />

Other times you can help……………………<br />

NAME:………………………………………………...<br />

Contact Number:<br />

……………………………………


Congratulations and Good Luck<br />

LAUREN STEADMAN

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