Chailey News, Summer 2012.pub - Chailey School...

Chailey School News, Summer, 20121Big Bang is a blast!ON Wednesday, May23rd, Professor HalSosabowski treatedChailey School studentsin Year 7 and 8to his amazing chemistryshow.The show was a tremendousblast, literally.The show had pops,bangs, lights, flashes,even fireworks!There were many superbexperiments such as,levitating a cube of gold,exploding an ostrich egg,Hattie Roberts (Yr 8,Firle) reports on ProfessorHal Sosabowski’sexplosive chemistry showcreating giant glow stickswith chemiluminescence,voice changing from highto low, and managing tofloat a boat (HMSChailey) on Sulphur.Professor Hal Sosabowskihas appeared onMinistry of Mayhem, andBBC’S Bright Sparks.Also he gives his BigBang! Show each year, to3,000 people. Whilst stillbeing a Professor ofPublic Understanding ofScience at the Universityof Brighton.It was a unique Scienceshow that was a once in alifetime experience, andall of Year 7 and 8 cameout with a smile.I am sure all ofus would like to say,“thank you” to Mrs Scott-Smith for organizing theshow.

2 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Headteacher’s letterDear Parentsand Carers,WELCOME to thefinal edition ofChailey School Newsfor this academic year.Another busy term hasflown by and you willsee the achievementsof our young people inthe following pages –reflecting the vibrantand positive schoolcommunity which Iam privileged to lead.I hope you will haveseen in the local press thenews that Chailey Schoolhas been recognised at anational level. We are inthe top 10 per cent of allnon-selective schools inthe country whose studentsachieved five ormore A*-A grades in lastsummer’s GCSE examinations.Let us hope thatthe Class of 2012 achievesimilar success when theresults are published inAugust. They certainlydeserve to have done well.This term has seen ourstudents in Years 9, 10and 11 sit a total of 85examinations across subjectareas – the bulk ofthese, of course, for Year11. The commitment andbehaviour of our youngpeople has been quitesuperb – and their resilienceis certainly to beadmired!Year 11 Leavers’ Daywas, as usual, amusing,emotional and enjoyed bystudents and staff alike.The rain held off for thebarbecue, the Year 11tutors’ put on a memorabledance routine with anOlympic theme and we allenjoyed the photographichistory of the Year 11’ssince they arrived in 2007– how they have changed!This was brought homeeven further by the quitestunning sight of them allat the Prom. Certainlyeveryone had pulled outall the stops for their out-

Chailey School News, Summer, 20123fits and their transport –and the staff looked prettyamazing too!We have also been delightedthat our new Year7 students were able tospend two days with usand that we have welcomedtheir parents intoour community, althoughwe do, of course, haveparents who are entrustingus with a second or eventhird sibling. We neverunder-estimate or take forgranted the trust that allparents and carers give tous in choosing Chailey forthe education of their sonsand daughters and we willcontinue to do our verybest for every child inevery year group thatcomes to us.Last week saw a vastrange of enrichment activitiesfor students inYears 7, 8, 9 and 10.Whether on work experience,at Year 9 WalesCamp, visiting London orLeeds Castle or doingdifferent themed activitiesacross subject areas,our students engaged in“The commitment and behaviour of ouryoung people has been quite superb – andtheir resilience is certainly to be admired!”everything positively andimpressively and the staffworked incredibly hard toorganise the trips andactivities, despite thesetaking place at the end ofa long and hardworkingschool year.It has been a year ofachievement and challenge,hard work and fun,but above all another yearwhere students, staff, parentsand governors haveworked together to reinforcethe school’s visionof “every young personand every adult in ourschool achieving morethan they ever thoughtpossible”. How proudI am of everyone andhow fortunate I trulybelieve we all are as partof the Chailey Schoolcommunity.Thank you for the partyou have played inworking with us andsupporting us. I hope thatyou and your family havea superb summer breakand I look forward towelcoming you back inSeptember.Best wishes,TERM AND HOLIDAY DATESAutumn term, 2012Term begins: September 4th. Term ends: December 21st.Half term: October 29th-November 2nd.Inset days: September 4th and November 30th.Spring term, 2013Term begins: January 7th. Term ends: March 28th.Half term: February 18th-22nd.Dates may change through circumstances beyond the school’s control. We will keep parents informed.

4 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Chailey commended forexcellent GCSE resultsCHAILEY School has receivednational recognition for the proportionof top grades achieved by itspupils in the GCSE examinations in2011.Chailey School qualified as one ofthe top 10 per cent of non-selectiveschools in England where at least 19per cent of students gained five or moreA*-A grades including English andMaths in 2011.Every school in the country hasbeen ranked according to how wellthey performed in their GCSE resultsin 2011 in new rankings released by SSAT — the representative body forschools.The new rankings, calculated bySSAT using official data, raise the barfor schools by only counting the school’sperformance at the highest GCSE grades— A* and A — reflecting schools’ desireto achieve the very best results fortheir students.Sue Williamson, Chief Executive ofSSAT, said: “Chailey School should becongratulated for their stunning achievementin securing some of the best GCSEresults in the country.“Chailey School has proved itself tobe one of the best schools in the countryat securing superb GCSE outcomes fortheir students. There is plenty that otherschools could learn from ChaileySchool’s success.“These results are testament to thecommitment and hard work of thestudents, teachers and leadership teamat Chailey School and a vindication oftheir belief in high expectations, goodteaching and ambition for every youngperson.“Chailey School hasproved itself to be oneof the best schools inthe country at securingsuperb GCSE outcomesfor their students.”“Successful schools like ChaileySchool understand the value ofdata, such as these attainment measures,in helping to ensure all young peopleperform to the very best of theirability. The attainment measures showhow schools are focussed on theirperformance and the outcomes of alltheir students.”Headteacher, Mrs Young, said:“We are delighted to have such recognitionat a national level for the achievementsof our students and staff — ourpride in this acknowledgement sustainsus all in continuing to strive for the higheststandards for all the young people inour care.”

Chailey School News, Spring, 20125Taster day at OxfordON June 12th, ten studentsfrom Year 10,along with myself andMrs Rickman attendeda Taster Day at ChristChurch College, OxfordUniversity, writesMrs Holden.It was a very informativeday with lots of activitiesto do including atour of the college, sometime spent in the Pitt RiversMuseum and a fantasticlunch in the historicdining hall. Here is someof the students’ feedback:“The tour guide wasfriendly and showed usindependence and howfun university can be.The food was very nicetoo!”“The university wasreally impressive and thepeople were lovely. Alsoit was very interesting andI thoroughly enjoyed it.”“The day was fun andinteresting. Everyonewas very friendly andapproachable”“The college itself wasbeautiful. The studentsdidn’t wear scarves, butsome were quite posh.”“I’ve discovered thatnot everyone at Oxfordis ridiculously posh andalso the food was exquisite,yeah!”“Great experience and Igained knowledge aboutthe college and university.”“I learnt a lot aboutthe university. I alsorealised that a lot of themyths about Oxford areuntrue.”“It was a great day andthe options for the subjectswere really interesting.”“Great, a real experience.”

6 Chailey School News, Spring, 2012Exhibitingour talentGCSE Art and Design Technology studentsexhibited their examination and courseworkin June.The exhibition, which included painting,sculpture and textile work, opened tothe public during school hours over threedays.Family and friends were invited to a privateview, where Year 10 Food Technologystudents served the refreshments they hadprepared for the event.

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8 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012AT 5.15am on June1st, 2012, 48 students,four members of staffand MOD archaeologistMartin Brownmeet at ChaileySchool to start thejourney to Belgiumand France, writesEmily Coppard (Year10, Glynde).We left school at 5.45and travelled to LijssenthoekCemetery. Therewere over 10,000 gravesbut there was only onefemale, who was knownas a ‘staff nurse, N. Spindler’.We then visitedMessine Ridge and PlugStreet Cemetery. Layingin this cemetery is aman named Alan Mather.He was Australian. Hisbody was found in 2008during an archaeologicaldig.We continued on toEssex Farm Cemetery andthe Tyne Cot memorial.This is the final restingplace of the fallen fromthe battle at Passchendaele.All these visits took ussix hours. During thistime, we heard many interestingstories fromMartin.We then continued onto Ypres. Here we visitedsome trenches. We thensettled down in a nice

Chailey School News, Summer, 20129A trip to rememberrestaurant for dinner,followed by a longawaitedtrip to thechocolate shop. We thenmade our way to theMenin Gate Memorial.Here took place the LastPost Ceremony wherethree of our students(Luke Strangwood, AmyWidgery and Ryan Ellis)laid a wreath.After the ceremony, wedrove to Arras to stay at aHoliday Express Inn overnight.The next day we travelledto places like SerreCemetery and Crater theSunken Lane (where werestaged a photograph thatwas taken during the war)and the Thiepval Memorial.This is the memorialfor the unnamed soldiersat the Battle of theSomme.Finally we visited Auchonvillers.Here we weregiven tea and cake andvisited the originaltrenches that were situatedin the back garden.We were then back onthe coach for the journeyhome.‘Their name liveth forevermore.’

10 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Chailey helped Nick whiskup ideas for Lord Sugar!You may recognise NickHolzherr as a finalist onBBC’s The Apprentice, butonce upon a time he was aChailey student. Here hetells us about appearing onthe show, how his time atChailey helped preparehim for Lord Sugar’s tasksand about the launch of hisnew business, Whisk.SINCE leaving schooland graduating fromUniversity, I havestarted two successfulbusinesses, but nothingcan really prepare youfor the tasks on TheApprentice.It is exhilarating, excitingand very exhausting;There really is no comparison.I entered thecompetition slightlywhimsically after beingsent the application by afriend. I didn’t expect toget through at all, butonce I was offered a placeon the show, after muchdeliberation, I decided togo for it and use the showas a way to launch mynew business, Whisk(more about that later!).The tasks on the Apprenticeutilise many differenttalents. From usingalgebra for working outprofit margins to usingEnglish skills for comingup with slogans — theskills I learned at Chaileystood me in really goodstead for the process.On The Apprentice, Isoon realised it was importantto exercise creativityon the tasks to createan interesting anglethat might potentially winthe task for my team.At Chailey School, Ireally enjoyed my artclasses — my teachersreally encouraged me toexplore my creative abilities.I vividly remember apiece I made in my artclasses in Year 9.I created a piece of

computer-manipulatedartwork and I then painteda copy of it. The piecewas of the creation picture,but I changed a fewdetails: George W Bushwas God in the painting,and Osama bin Ladin wasAdam. This piece waspretty political for a 14year old, and quite outthere,but it was great thatChailey encouraged freethinking and creative exploration.These qualities reallyhelped me on The Apprentice,especially withthe marketing tasks likelogo design. One of mymost memorable teacherswas history teacher MrTapsfield. His classeswere so fun and informative.He encouraged me toevaluate historical sourcesand to weigh up thebest possible conclusionbased on the informationgiven.This skill is so importantin business. I facedifferent challenges everyday — too many to listhere! Generally, commonsense and initiative solvesmost of them and I feelMr Tapsfield reallyhelped me out here as ateenager, to weigh up theinformation given and touse common sense tosolve problems in business.Getting through to TheApprentice final was greatChailey School News, Summer, 2012as it meant I could getvaluable feedback fromLord Sugar, his advisorsand the public on my newcooking and shopping appidea.“The skills Ilearned at Chaileystood me in reallygood stead for theprocess.”Coming third was agreat accolade in itself,however, after coming outof The Apprentice, I actuallymanaged to secureinvestment for the conceptanyway, which I wasover the moon about.The product is called11Whisk, and it is an onlinetool that enables people tobuy food for home cookingdirectly from any recipethey might find on theweb.We are putting thefinishing touches on it atthe moment, but the servicewill be launching atthe end of the school holidays.I really enjoyed myschool years. Lookingback, the skills that gotme to the Apprentice finalwere the same skills Ilearned many years ago atChailey. To sign up to bean early user of Whiskand try it out for yourself,visit www.whisk.co.uk.Top of the Pop ArtIN July, Year 8 treated us to oversized bananas,ice lollies, sandwiches, donuts and biscuits. Butthese giant treats were not for eating, they weremade for a Pop Art project. The sculptures wereinspired by artist Claus Oldenburg and other objectsincluded an enormous teapot, a gargantuan boiledegg and super-sized pencil case.

12 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012We are toppage turnersFOURTEEN studentsfrom Year 7 have justcompleted two week’ssponsored reading forReadathon and haveraised over £200 byreading 125 books forpleasure, writes MrsDuck.Readathon is the UK’snational sponsored readingevent, encouraging childrento read for pleasure,while raising money forthree children’s charities:ReadWell, which providesbooks and storytelling tochildren in hospital; CLICSargent, giving support tochildren and young peoplewith cancer and theirfamilies: and Roald Dahl’sMarvellous Children’sCharity, which helps seriouslyill and disabledchildren.We are really pleasedto be involved in thisworthwhile annual eventand are grateful to you forsupporting your child bysponsoring them and encouragingthem to read.Since 1984, Readathonhas raised more than £22million and has helpedencourage millions ofchildren read more books.All the students wereawarded certificates andHarry Cook and GeorgeStone — the two studentswho raised most moneyand read most books —were given boxes ofchocolates.Harry said: “It wasreally fun. I enjoyed readingthe books and I amglad that I have raisedmoney for charity.”While George said: “Iliked the winning andeating the chocolate!”

Chailey School News, Summer, 201213Greg: You’re hired!ON Monday, July 2nd, studentsfrom across the county gathered atRingmer Community College forthe ‘Apprentice’ day 2012, writeTom Hilder (Yr 10, Firle) andCatherine Jesson (Yr 10, Caburn).After being split into mixed groupsour four Year 7s: Georgia Cudby, OliviaMustafa, Greg Pearson and TravisPowers embarked upon their variousbusiness-based tasks.Task one: Students had to haggle forfruit in the sixth form canteen and thencreate a break-time snack and sell it tothe students during their break. Thegroup who made the most profit (awhopping £37) won the task. After beingsent to the boardroom one member fromthe winning team got put through to thefinal panel.“The winner wasdeclared and Chaileyreturned victorious.”Task two: Groups were given a randomproduct with no name and with nopackaging design. They then had to rebrandand pitch the new product to‘supermarket’ buyers. After an hour ofconcentration and dedicated planning thestudents pitched their products to theiravid listeners. Again the winning teamhad one member selected to attend thefinal interview.Task three: Students had topurchase items from Ringmer staff. Theteam with the most money remainingafter purchasing the products won.In this round Chailey’s own GeorgiaCudby was selected to attend the final.The final: A wild card student wasthen the final candidate put through, andwho else could it be other than Chailey’sGreg Pearson. As the final four sat downto be questioned, two of them being fromChailey, a rigorous grilling began. Afterten minutes of intense questioning andthen a long period of discussion from thepanel, consisting of Ringmer teachersand the Sugars (Year 10 students whohad helped throughout the day) the winnerwas declared and Chailey returnedvictorious as Greg Pearson was handedhis trophy.All that is left for us to say, other thanwell done to all the students – Greg inparticular – is a huge thank you to everyoneat Ringmer and Ms Poole for organisingthe day.

14 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Angela Goochpays tribute to formerChailey teacher SheilaSouthon who died onJune, 14th, 2012,aged 81 years.SHEILA Southon ledthe field in terms oflength of service at 39years. She was the archetypalDomesticScience teacher of hertime but she adaptedto the many changesduring her time in education.Sheila’s style andmethod of teaching weretimeless relying as theydid on enthusiasm andinnovation but above all areal passion for her subjectand empathy for thepupils.She taught at all levels,initially with pupils atNewick School beforemoving to the newly-builtC h a i l e y S e c o n d a r ySchool. She was a popularmember of the teachingstaff, renowned especiallyfor her cricket teas andorganisation of staff socialevents.There were manyteaching and extracurricularroles that sheundertook in her time atChailey, organising cruisetrips, ski-ing holidays andother educational outings.GREATLY MISSED: Domestic Science teacherSheila Southon taught at Chailey for 39 yearsGoodbye to aspecial ladyWhilst on one of thecruises, she had to beflown home to look afterher son, Nick, and dealwith the sudden death ofher husband who suffereda fatal heart attack.After leaving school inMerthyr Tydfil, Sheilawent to Corsica Hall whichwas then a teaching trainingcollege in Seaford. Inthe holidays, she workedin a hotel in Switzerland togain further practical experiencein all aspects ofhospitality.She took up her teachingpost at Chailey in 1958together with other famous(or was it infamous?)characters – Edith Half-

penny, Greta Albury,Frank Hebert, RonCosham, Dave Rigler,Valerie Bensusan, BobHawkins, Marjorie Cooperand David Crowley(the Headteacher at thetime).Sheila had the goodschoolteacher’s knack offinding something positivein the gloomiestsituation or when dealingwith the most challengingpupils. She rarely had anChailey School News, Summer, 2012unkind word to say aboutanyone.Her rambling stories,her sense of humour andenergy for trying out newhobbies such as sailing,caravanning, winemaking,gardening, cakedecoration and sewingmarked her out as someonevery special and I feelprivileged to have knownher for 39 years.She will be greatlymissed.15ON Thursday, June 21st, MissThompson took Years 7, 8 and 9on a trip to Hickstead horse show,writes Abbie Plummer (Year 9,Glynde).We spent the day watching thelovely horses competing in showjumpingclasses in the main arena.We were also able to walk aroundMane attractionthe many stalls and visit the foodstalls. We all really enjoyed the dayand would have loved to go againnext year, but hope the new Year7, 8 and 9s enjoy the trip as muchas we did. Thanks Miss T!

16 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012We drew inspirationfrom our gallery tripON March 23rd, theYear 10 art GCSE studentsgot the opportunityto spend the day inBrighton visiting galleriesand sketching,writes Juliet Caverley(Year 10, Firle).We visited BrightonMuseum and Gallery firstand explored the new exhibition‘Dreams of Here’,as well as the Fashion &Style rooms, which wasreally useful as many of usare doing textile projectsfor our final piece thisyear.While wandering thegallery, we were givenplenty of time to sketchand photograph artworksthat interested us to includein our sketchbooks.Lunch was readily welcomedout in the PavilionGardens, accompanied bysome fairly obnoxiouspigeons, and ice cream…After a slightly stickycoach ride, we arrived atthe often overlookedHove Museum and ArtGallery.A thorough explorationof the ‘My Favourite Toy’exhibition and several tripsthrough the interactivetunnel tired us out slightly,and the remainder of thetrip was slightly quieter.Sketchbooks were filledwith drawings and photosof the various rooms andexhibits, and the gift shopwas investigated. Aftermaking some sketches oflocal ‘Artists and Makers’pieces, we spent a lazyhalf hour in the museum’sgardens before headingback to Chailey.

Chailey School News, Summer, 201217Chailey competes inathletics competitionP.E. kit on, Years 7, 8 and 9 scrambled forthe back seats on the coach to Ouse Valley,an athletics competition for the secondaryschools in the Lewes area, writesPolly Saunders (Year 8, Glynde).Meanwhile, Year 10 took the mini buswith Mr Simmonds.Nine other schools took part in the competition(Heathfield, LOGS, Uckfield, Priory,Uplands, Ringmer, Beacon and Mayfield)so there were a lot of athletes there!Once our ‘camp’ was established underthe shade of the trees, Miss Maynard,Miss Thompson, Miss Sandals and MrSimmonds gave each year their timetablefor the day and the directions to the nearestloos.After the talk had been delivered on howto behave (as we were representingChailey School), we all split off to do ourwarm ups to reduce the risk of injury.For each event, a boy and a girl wereentered so that every school had a fairchance of winning. The first events thatChailey won were the Year 8 100m boys’race (Ashley McDermot-Rowe), the Year 9boy’s javelin (Matt Dingle) and the Year 8girls’ 300m race (Gabriella Wells). Thesesuccessions were followed by three otherfirsts in shot put, long jump and triplejump.The final results for each year were;Yr7 boys: 5th, Yr7 girls: 6th, Yr8 boys:4th, Yr8 girls: 2nd, Yr9 boys: 4th, Yr9 girls:7th, Yr10 boys: 6th, Yr10 girls: 6th.Overall Chailey came fourth in the finalrankings.

18 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012ON June 22nd, a groupof twelve Year 10s andMs Sison went to theUniversity of Sussexon a GCSE PhysicsTaster Day Field Trip,writes Amy Widgery(Yr 10, Firle).At the foyer, we gotlost! Eventually, we managedto get help, afterabout five minutes andpark in the science carpark.On arrival into the PhysicsDepartment, we weregreeted by Mr Daniels,who took us into a sciencelab and sat us down.He showed us an experimentthat involved icecrystals (frozen carbondioxide) and water. Hemade clouds that feltweightless. We then got todo it ourselves with anelectric current. It was socool! But we had to userocks which made an awesomeeffect. Some of themdidn’t work so we werelead downstairs to see acloud machine in action.The current of the vapourswere so clear and defined.It was actually amazing.We were then taken intoa lecture room and taughtall about astronomy andgalaxies, our closest onebeing andromeda. And ifwe were to travel all theway around the worldmany times, it wouldtake half a second in lightyears! It’s astoundingto see how big theAstronomicalday of Physicsuniverse actually is.We never got boredduring the lecture as it wasreally interesting and hegot us to interact with him.I believe that we all lovedit as astronomy isn’t somethingthat we study inschool.We got to interact somuch during the day, doingdifferent experiments andeverything. We even got todo the ice crystal on ourselveson a much largerscale. Mr Daniels told us touse the bubble machineand test which is denser,bubbles or clouds. Wewere surprised to find outthat in fact clouds weredenser than bubbles as thebubbles floated on top andmoved with the current ofthe cloud.We did three other experiments,one testingsound, one speed and onelogic. They were all enjoyableto do. Mr Danielsthought that we were excellent!During the day, we weretaught about nanoparticles,nanoseconds and alpha,beta and gamma rays.Loads of stuff we weretaught about, I had no ideaabout them so it was greatto learn something different.We were given plenty of

Chailey School News, Summer, 201219PHOEBE Fergusson (Year 8, Ashdown)won a silver medal in acompetition to design a poster for2012. The ‘Celebrating 2012’competition was run by Lewes DistrictCouncil and Phoebe was awarded hermedal by Chair of the Council TonyNicholson in a special assembly tocelebrate her achievements. Phoebe’sposter will be used as part of thecouncil's community activities tocelebrate the events of 2012,including the Olympic Torch Relay,Phoebe’s Olympicdesign wins silverwhich passes through Lewes in July,so keep your eyes peeled for her design.The photo shows Phoebe withCouncillor Sharon Davy, Chair ofLewes District Council Tony Nicholson,Mr Nicholson’s wife and ConsortAngela Nicholson and Mrs Young.Right: Phoebe’s winning poster.opportunity to ask questionswhich we all tookadvantage of. On the bushome we were all excitedand loved the day. It wasgreat. Never before had Ithought Physics could beso fun!Note from Ed: As Amysays, Mr Daniels did indeedthink our youngphysicists were excellent.After our students’ visit hewrote to Mrs Young saying:I have just had the pleasureof working with agroup of Year 10 pupilsfrom your school in thePhysics Schools Lab at theUniversity of Sussex.“The pupils were sodelightful to work with Ifelt the need to write andtell you.“The pupils were engagedin the work, politeand friendly. They listenedattentively to all that wassaid to them and answeredsome challenging questionswith confidence. In theirgroups they worked verywell and were able to workindependently from theadults in the room as well.“I work with many pupilsin my role and notoften do I find youngpeople as courteous andcharming as this. I hope towork with Chailey schoolagain in the future and willlook out for them on theSchools Lab list.”

20 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012From shy Chailey studentto Olympic torchbearerBEFORE I explain how I came tobeing an Olympic Torchbearer Iwill introduce myself. I am a formerstudent of Chailey School andit seems like only yesterday that Ileft, six years ago now, writesToine Hodgkiss.I came to the school as a quiet and shy11 year old and at that time it seemed likeit was years away before I even thoughtabout going to college and university. Buttime really does fly past you, and before Iknew it I was taking my GCSEs here andhad left the school. I’d like to think Iworked hard at school and did my best toachieve as high grades as I could and,ultimately I think I did succeed in that asthey got me into college and eventuallythe University of Brighton. I thoroughlyenjoyed my time at Chailey, and I don’thave a bad word to say about the school ormy time there. Well, apart from the timewhen I broke my collarbone just two daysbefore my GCSEs began. I am sure thosestaff members from my time there willremember that well!Since leaving Chailey I have taken myA Levels at Central Sussex College inHaywards Heath, and subsequently completedmy degree in Architecture at theUniversity of Brighton, with the ultimateaim of becoming a qualified architect.I am one of the lucky 8,000 torchbearersand I am hugely honoured to havebeen nominated.I have been participating in Judo forroughly 11 years now, so since I was inYear 7 all those years ago! I began judoas I needed to get some self confidence asI was a very shy person. I remember verywell the day I started judo. I went alongto my local leisure centre after my mumhad seen an advert for judo. As soon as Ientered the room I looked across to thecoach who was dressed in what is called ajudogi (some of you may have seen them).I recognised him straight away – he was ateacher from Chailey School! I later onfound out who he was, and the member ofstaff who is a black belt in judo is Mr Sanford!Mr Sanford was my teacher for Sciencefor several years at the school, and taughtme judo for a year before I moved to alocal club in East Grinstead once I hadenough experience. This was exactly likemy first day at school – going to an unfamiliarplace, with unfamiliar people. Butjudo is one of those great sports where

Chailey School News, Summer, 201221Year 7 LearningStyles ChallengeROOM 23 has becomea hive of excitement onFriday Lunchtimes asthe Learning Style Challengehas gotten underway,writes Ms Maynard.Each week a challengehas been setwhich focuses on a differentlearning style.Tutor groups must selecttheir participantscarefully in order to bein the best position towin the challenge.POINTS14121086420AS CA DI FI GLSo far there has beensome golf action in aputting competition forthe ‘Body Smart’, a‘Word Smart’ and‘Number Logic’ Countdownchallenge andTUTOR GROUPSthere is also a ‘PeopleSmart’ and ‘SoundSmart’ challenge in thepipeline! With only thirdpoints currently between1 st and 3 rd place there isstill all to play for!everyone is equal and everyone is welcomed.I soon began to move up the colouredbelts as I became more experienced and,during this time, I formed a good relationshipwith Mr Sanford through both judoand at school. Eventually when I was 15he asked me to come back to his session tohelp him coach the youngerchildren once I had finishedmy own session at my club.At this time, I had becomea lot more confident in myselfand a lot more confidentin my own ability in all partsof my life, not just judo. I am currently abrown belt, which is the one below blackand I am working towards my black belt,which takes a lot of dedication and hardwork to achieve. I have also taken part inseveral judo competitions and won severalmedals along the way but for me it is allabout taking part.Over the years I have continued coachingevery Saturday morning; now back atmy main judo club where I coach childrenfrom age five right through to the age of19. I have even taken coaching coursesand have been a qualified Level TwoCoach for around five years now.I owe a huge thank you to a parent atthe judo club. She decided to nominate meto be an Olympic Torchbearer because ofthe work I do at the judo club, giving upmy time every Saturdaymorning to coachthe children and helpthem to improve aspeople just like I did.To have been giventhe opportunity tocarry the Olympic Torch and to even havebeen nominated was amazing. 28,000nominations were received, with just8,000 chosen. The experience was somethingI will never forget, and it was a hugehonour to have been part of what is aonce-in-a-lifetime ‘home’ OlympicGames. Although I may not have beengood enough to participate through sportin the Olympics, I am immensely proud tohave been part of the relay.“It was a huge honourto have been part of whatis a once-in-a-lifetime‘home’ Olympic Games.”

22 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Goodbye toclass of 2012CHAILEY’S leavers turned a few heads as theymade their grand – and unusal – entrances tothe prom on July 5th. Alongside the more traditionallimousines, there were some less conventionalforms of transport,including a truck, a Volkswagencamper van andeven a tractor! 150 leaversattended the prom at EastSussex National GolfCourse in Uckfield, wherethey enjoyed a meal,speeches by the formerhead boy and girl as well asa performance by studentboy band 'All Points South'.

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24 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012THIS year’s SummerShow had the largestaudience of any SummerShow before itand, no wonder... thetalent was amazing!The theme of the showwas the London 2012Olympics and it exploredthe values of friendship,respect and excellence.The Chailey choir, orchestraand a host of talentedsoloists performedhits such as Queen’s ‘Weare the Champions’ and‘R.E.S.P.E.C.T.’ by OtisReading, while John Sturtplayed his own composition‘Dukedog Pictures’Summer showis champion!on the violin. Also on theline-up were Oscar Morganand Henry Fouch whoperformed a scene from‘Blood Brothers’ by WillyRussell and other membersof the cast more thandid justice to RoaldDahl’s witty and irreverenttakes on well-knowfairytales.A truly Olympian evening!

Chailey School News, Summer, 201225Health and safety fashion showWORK Experience weekwas held during CurriculumEnrichment for our Year 10students, with every studentin the year group partaking.This year the students hadplacements as diverse ashealth care, media andsports centres. Health andsafety is always our toppriority for work experienceand we strive to make thisas exciting and relevant aspossible for our youngpeople. In preparation forthis students took part in a‘Health and safety fashionshow’ and as you can seeour catwalk models rose tothe challenge in style!

26 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Matt competes againstthe best in the countryIT all started backin Year 7 with aPE lesson with MrSimmonds, writesMatthew Dingle (Year9, Firle).It was the first time Ihad picked up a javelin,but my throw surprisinglyflew through the air withease. Sir certainly pickedup on the fact and before Iknew it I was to do OuseValley athletics forChailey. My first victory!When my grandfatherheard about me doingjavelin, he told me how heused to be a professionaljavelin thrower. He told ofstories of him competing(which I have to admitwent on for a while). Hetold me about a Czechoslovakiancalled Jan Zeleznywho, at the DonValley stadium in Sheffield,threw a new worldrecord.The story inspired meenough to start practisingfor the next Ouse Valleyathletics with sticks in mygarden. He even said, “Ifyou throw over 40m I willtake you out for a meal” (Ithink that was the realinspiration).After some practisewith some of my Grandad’scoaching, at the nextathletics event I threw40.60m to Mr Barnard’sdisbelief. So, after congratulations,Mr Simmondscontacted LewesAthletics Club to enableme to gain in-depth javelincoaching.I have been going downto Lewes every Tuesdayfor the past year to trainfor the next season, unfortunatelythe Coach couldn’tget down over winterto do training so it wasfitness most of the time.But to make up for it, Ibought a javelin and practisedweekly in my field.I’m not sure how much theneighbours approve(especially when a javelinis flying uncontrollablyinto their garden). However,my coach appearedat the right time for thenew season to begin.I had high expectationsfor the new season, and Iwasn’t disappointed! Myfirst proper competition atThe K2 at Crawley I wonwith a new Personal Best(PB) of 41.60m so I was

Chailey School News, Summer, 201227off to the southern areasfinal in one week at Kingston,London.Before I knew it, I hadwon that with a new PB of44.39m, beating othercompetitors in a stronghead wind who had beentraining for years. Much tomy disbelief I had justqualified with ‘EnglishNational standard’ for theEnglish schools nationalfinal!So, before my seasonhad really begun, I was offto Gateshead to competeagainst the best in thecountry. To add to this itwas live on Sky Sports 1on July 6th (this event wastaking place as ChaileyNews was going to print.Results will follow in thenext Chailey News).In the future, my ambitionis to throw at least48m which I have thrownbefore. That would put mein the top ten rankings inthe UK! I also have a profileon “the power of 10”website.“Hopefully oneday I couldmake OlympicStandard??”So far, I have reallyenjoyed doing javelin, butI have to put my successdown to Mr Simmondsprimarily for getting meinto Javelin and believingI could succeed. I wouldalso like to mention myspecial Grandad for coachingme and inspiring me todo well.A big mention shouldalso be given to my parentsfor driving three generationsof Dingle Familyaround the country to letme compete. Finally, allthe staff and students atChailey who supported methroughout competing.Hopefully one day Icould make Olympic Standard??Mr Simmonds added“Matt is a true natural. Ithas been a pleasure tosee his development and tosee him on the verge ofthe international team. It isamazing that he firstpicked up a javelin onlytwo years ago. Matt is adetermined yet humbleyoung man and hedeserves all the successhe gets.”Welcoming Mrs PayneMrs Payne joined Chailey at thebeginning of this term as Headteacher’sPA and Clerk to the Governors. She tellsus a bit about herself.I HAVE worked in schools for the past 10years, as School Administrator at Barcombeand PA to the Principal but more recentlyExams Officer at Uckfield CommunityTechnology College. I joined Chailey in April,I am really enjoying my new role andeveryone has been so welcoming andfriendly which has helped me to settle in veryquickly. I live in Uckfield,and have two children,Imogen 21 and Adam 19. My hobbiesare singing, reading, going to the Theatre,eating out and socialising.

28 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Still fun and professionalafter 26 years at ChaileyWHEN Joyce Murphyfirst stepped across theChailey threshold,Ronald Reagan wasUS president, MargaretThatcher was PrimeMinister, the Queenwas about to visitChina and EastEnderswas an 18-month-oldtoddler, writes MrTapsfield.In the world of ChaileySchool, Joyce took no timeat all to establish herself asan excellent, encouragingRE and humanities teacherand a warm, professionalcolleague.A true cockney by birth,she had started to train as anurse before changing hermind and heading for theclassroom. Her first twoteaching posts were in theMidlands. A spell in atough Walsall school wasan education in itself. Perhapsthat’s where shehoned her patience andgood humour, attributesshe has put to best usethroughout her time atChailey.And what of her otherqualities? Well, you won’tfind a harder-workingteacher. When Joyce has ajob to do she gets on anddoes it – properly. She hasalways been a wonderfullyreliable colleague. And hercapacity for organising andmarking students’ work islegendary.Joyce is also the mostpunctual and selfdisciplinedof teachers. Fora period she and her husbandhad to move to deepestBerkshire for his work.But Joyce was never latefor school. On the contrary,she was always thefirst in. Ever the earlyriser, she’s up at 3.45amfor exercises and threemilesof Nordic walking tosharpen herself up for theday’s challenges.Joyce’s reliability hassometimes earned herrather strange specialprivileges. The schoolonce had a video player

Chailey School News, Summer, 2012which buzzed unless aweight was placed on it.So the resources managerissued a brick with theVCR. But some teacherswould forget to return it,so were told to make theirown arrangements. But notJoyce: her trustworthinessensured her videos werebrick-assisted – and buzzfree!Joyce’s sense of fun hasalso been a constant. Eventhe suspicion that she hadrats in uncomfortably closeproximity to her tent – shecould hear nocturnalgnawings – didn’t stop herplaying her full part inmaking an early schoolcamp a great experiencefor all concerned.She was a regular on theschool’s sponsored walksof the 1990s. On one occasion,she was stuck on astile while multiple dogsthrashed around her feet.Typically, she clung onuntil they calmed down –then finished the course.Hundreds of studentshave been fortunate tohave had Joyce as theirform tutor. Her kindness,wise counsel and willingnessto listen have helpedmany to make the best oftheir time at Chailey. Andthere was room for a bit offun, too. She once invitedmembers of her tutorgroup to talk about theirhobbies. One lad, a keenrabbit hunter, produced aferret. Joyce was eventuallypersuaded to comedown from her chairand pose for a photographwith the boy and hisneedle-toothed companion.Her smile was genuine, if atouch nervous.“To say JoyceMurphy will bemissed is a majorunderstatement.”So to say Joyce Murphywill be missed is a majorunderstatement. Why?Because she will be missedin so many ways. “Youdon’t know what you’vegot ‘til it’s gone,” goes thesong lyric. For 26 years,Joyce has always beenthere for Chailey School:collating results on sportsday, shovelling snow fromthe school drive, helping toorganise outings, being apillar of the Humanitiesdepartment...“We worked closelytogether when the PSHE29and Citizenship curriculumswere being developed,”recalls one formercolleague. “What a supportshe was. Knowledgeable,always totally reliable andprofessional. She also hasthe knack of being thevoice of reason.”Another colleaguespeaks of “...her endlesscharity, kind heart andloving nature, always havingtime for even the silliestthings, standing up forherself and not taking anynonsense, the calm andserene atmosphere in herclassroom, marking galore,the excellent, thoughtfulpresents she buys for everyoneand getting on sowell with the children.”Yes, Joyce will bemissed. But on the positiveside her well-earned retirementwill give her time topursue other interests andfulfil a few ambitions. Andmaybe, just maybe, she’lltreat herself to the occasionallie-in!

30 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012CHAILEY School, aspeople may have seen,is working towardsbeing a more ecofriendlyschool, writesCameron Wallis(Yr 8, Weald).Students, staff and parentshave been workingtowards the school beingmore sustainable. One ofthe areas identified forimprovement last year wasthe Quad in the centre ofthe school. Parents, studentsand even staff, commentedon the poor state ofthe area and felt somethingneeded to be done.We are nearly there.Despite all the rain wehave been doing the following:Weeding – we havebeen doing lots of weedinglately to keep all the bedsclear. This is an ongoingbattle!Laid the remaining barkon the flower beds – so farwe have laid quite a bit ofbark down to make theBLOOMING LOVELY: Members of Chailey’s ‘quadsquad’ (above) and Mr Deacon with Councillor Davywho helped secure funding for the project (below)Quad squad’sgarden pridequad and the plants looknice and stand out.Planted all the newwildlife-friendly plantsand vegetables, eg. crabapples which are good forbirds. Lots of the plantshave flowers that attractinsects. Wild meadowseed will be planted inSeptember as it is lowmaintenance but verybeautiful.New recycled plasticflat pack furniture hasbeen ordered and will beassembled in time forthe start of the newterm.In the future, we aregoing to continue to lookafter the Quad and havepeople working on it everyweek to make sure it canbe a nice and enjoyableplace. We want to keepthis part of the schoolreally natural and clean soit stands out to anyonewho sees it or uses it.In our wonderful newquad we now have:A Vegetable Garden.A Herb Garden.A Wild Meadow area.Soon we will have alovely seating area forstudents and staff to eattheir lunch and maybeeven work!

31Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Off to teacher trainingLOUISE Goodwin joined Chailey inNovember 2011. Her background isin design and she has a first classhonours degree from Bath Spa Universityin Graphic Communication,writes Mrs Pinfield.After working for a fashion designerand a company of software designers,Louise decided that she wanted to becomea teacher, so was pleased to be able to takeup a temporary role as a Teaching Assistantat Chailey for the year.Louise has worked across the schoolsupporting students, and has decided tospecialise in Food Technology and ResistantMaterials on her Post Graduate teachingcourse which she begins in Septemberat Bristol University.She said: “I have really enjoyed myyear at Chailey and feel very lucky to havebeen able to not only gain experience formy teacher training from a fantastic andinspirational DT department, but to alsowork with such lovely, generous peoplethroughout the school.“I will thoroughly miss the learningsupport team I have worked with over thelast year, but am keen to move forward inmy teaching career, taking all the informationand skills I have learnt this year withme.”Good luck Mrs NyrenMRS Nyren has been part of the fixtures and fittingsat Chailey for three years now and we will be sad tosee her go, writes Ms Morrow.In fact, she was only supposed to come to us for avery short time to help us out but ended up staying,which is often the Chailey way! As a good friend ofMs. Cowell, who also left recently, it really seems likethe end of an era!Mrs. Nyren is very hard working and possibly one ofthe nicest people you could meet. She is also multitalented;an excellent linguist, great at literacy in herone-to-one English support sessions and also notknown by many, qualified to teach business studies!We wish you all the best for the future, whatever youdecide to do! Good luck!

32 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012You will bemissedMiss Jones!EVEN though Sarah Jones has onlybeen at Chailey School for twoyears she has achieved a great dealand had a major impact in this shortspace of time, writes (the other)Miss Jones.Sarah’s classes have benefitted fromher energy and enthusiasm for all thingshistorical and without a doubt her lessonsare interesting and engaging. Sarah’spositive can-do attitude has had a big impacton the Humanities Faculty and inturn encourages students to achieve.Sarah has embraced all aspects ofschool life; attending Year 9 camp, runningtrips and offering extra support whenrequired to students. 10 Weald havegrown and flourishedunder Sarah’s guidanceand I know Sarah willbe interested to hearhow their last year atChailey evolves. I wishSarah every success ather new school and Chailey’s loss isHampshire’s good fortune.Miss Sarah Jones, says: I have reallyenjoyed working at Chailey; it seemslike it was only yesterday I started andtime seems to have flown by! The staff,students and parents alike werevery welcoming and I felt very much apart of the Chailey family. TeachingHistory has been such a pleasure; fromthe history mysteries about life in1920s America through to setting up amanor court in Yalding, the classes Ihave taught have been enthusiastic,engaged, and dare I“Sarah’s classes have say, very opinionatedbenefitted from herhistorians!I feel that I haveenergy and enthusiasm learnt such a lot fromfor all things historical.” these two years and Iam very grateful forsuch a brilliant opportunity to work ata wonderful school alongside incrediblemembers of staff. The Humanities teamhave been fantastic and I have reallyfelt supported in fulfilling my role asKS3 co-ordinator. It has been such apositive time for me in my career that Iwill always look back at Chailey Schoolfondly and miss everyone at the school.Thank you ever so much.

33Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Adiós Miss Garcia!MY English adventureactually started in Spainmany years ago – ok,not THAT many –when I was four yearsold and my parents decidedto take me to aBritish school, writesMs Garcia.I was probably quiteconfused because myteachers were not speakingto me in my own language,but then I had no choicebut to learn English, did I?I had no idea back then thatI would be living in Englandfor three years andthat these would be someof the most important yearsof my life.What will I remembermost from this time? Certainlymy lovely and amazingtutor group, 7 Glynde,plus the assembly we organisedwhere Greg wasthe Queen of England –probably the shortest assemblyin the history ofChailey School, but one ofthe funniest, I’m sure.I will also rememberFriday lunchtimes chattingin Ms Morrow’s classroomwith the MFL department,and all of the expressionsMs Harfleet taught mewhen she gave me a lift inher car. Trying to figure out– in my head – the differencebetween Ms Morrow’sand Ms Arnold’saccents. Chatting with my“neighbour” Ms Potton andwith Ms Nyren about ourFrench classes. The tutormeetings with Mrs Hickman,where there was alwayssome space for a jokeor two – and she broughtchocolates for us. Makingphotocopies with thefriendly and always smileyAngela. The lovely andsuper helpful ladies at theoffice. Oh, yes, and tryingto get the jokes and puns inthe staff room, but failinghalf the times. And so on...So this is where my Englishadventure finishes. Ithink. Saying goodbye andleaving a country whereyou have spent a significantpart of your life isalways sad, but I will certainlycome back to Englandand visit those placesthat hold a special place inmy heart. Birmingham,Plymouth, Brighton... andChailey!Miss Morrow, says: Itis with sadness that wesay a fond farewell to MsGarcia. I have neverknown such a hardworker and she never hastime off – amazing! Ihope she has enjoyed hertime here at Chailey but,at such a young age, I sounderstand why shewould want to see more ofthe world than just theSouth of England. Wewish you all the best forthe future! Take care.

34 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012I NEVER expected tobe writing this at thestart of 2012. Whenleaving here I wasn’texpecting to return butas I then also recentlymoved away from thisarea to Bosham, nearChichester, it reallywasn’t on my radar asa potential workplace,writes Mr Heil.However, when MrsYoung kindly called andasked if I’d like to comeback until the end of theyear, I didn’t give it asecond thought about thedistance and said yes!Chailey is pretty specialto me having started herepart time originally andhaving the most enjoyabletime I’ve had in the teachingprofession before andsince.It’s been the nicestenvironment to workin with the most friendlyand welcoming people towork with, from the officeto the teaching and seniorstaff, to the maintenanceand support staff.Most of all it’s been theopportunity to work withan amazing student bodyof the brightest, mostpolite and charminggroup of pupils out of allthe places I’ve worked inover 12 or so years ofteaching.A new way oflife for Mr HeilIt’s been a pleasureteaching them and verysatisfying to have seenmy old classes go on tobigger things and it hasmade it all worthwhilebeing here. I shall reallymiss all of them and wishall of the students heregood luck for the future.I’ve enjoyed my timeteaching but now it’s timeto try something new soI’m planning on a lifestylechange in the WestCountry and starting anew business in Devon.We plan to move to theNorth Devon/Somersetborder to a converteddairy farm in a traditionalEnglish village and livethe country dream with abit of land and stables fora horse and perhaps acouple of goats and a newway of life and doingthings.

Chailey School News, Summer, 201235Off to pastures newAFTER four years atChailey, Mr Higazihas decided it is timeto move on to pasturesnew and is taking up ateaching post atHurstpierpoint Collegein West Sussex, writesMr Hopwood.Mr Higazi started histeaching career at Chaileyin September 2008. Afteronly one year, he took onthe responsibility of KeyStage 3 Coordinator forMathematics, a role whichhe has continued up tothis time.Throughout his time atChailey, Mr Higazi hasplayed an active role inmany aspects of schoollife including workingwith the PE department inrunning after school rugbytraining. He has also assistedwith practice andassessed expeditions withthe Duke of EdinburghAward scheme.Whilst at Chailey, hehas given up his own timeto raise money for charities.He has competed inthe Brighton marathon forthe Rocking Horse charityand also walked the SouthDowns Way with fiveYear 11 students for StPeters and St James Hospice.On behalf of theMathematics Faculty, Iwould like to thank MrHigazi for all his hardwork and commitmentover the last four yearsand wish him all the bestin his new job at Hurstpierpoint.Mr. Higazi, says: I’dlike to thank everyoneinvolved in my fouryears at Chailey. I havelots of happy memoriesfrom staff and studentsalike. Good luck to allstudents, particularlymy Year 10s going intoYear 11. I’ve taught lotsof you for three out offour years and will missyou. 9 Ditchling – continuesupporting eachother and impress yournew tutor.I’m not moving far, soI’ll keep in touch witheverything Chailey.

36 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Farewell Ms ArnoldDEAR Chailians,Time flies when you’rehaving fun. Although Ihave only been heresince January, I feellike I am part of thefurniture which is theresult of such welcomingstaff and students,writes Ms Arnold.I have had a fantasticexperience here atChailey School and haveenjoyed every minute(apart from when Ofstedwere wrecking the buzz inFebruary).Despite joining theChailey team halfwaythrough the year, I waslucky enough to be attachedto a lovely/entertaining/‘safe’ formgroup, 9 Glynde. It was apleasure to be involvedwith such a respectful andfun group of young people.Teaching languages atChailey has been incrediblyrewarding and this isdown to the students.Their enthusiasm, motivationand ambition havebeen remarkable and haveultimately led to someoutstanding production.This, along with friendlyand trusting relationships,is what ‘job satisfaction’ isall about with teaching.Personal highlights forme since January includefashion shows, rapping,acting, dancing and singing,with some laughsalong the way!I would like to say a bigthank you to my fellowcountrymate Ms Morrowwho has been incrediblyadmirable, supportive,professional, fun and downto earth as Head of Department.She, Ms Harfleet,Ms Garcia, Ms Potton andMrs Nyren have been fantasticpeople to work (andsocialise) with and I willmiss them all very much.A special thanks to theoffice and support staff,lunchtime-banter staff,SLT and of course MrsYoung.Best of luck to everyonefor the future and tschuess,au revoir, adios, ciao, slanand see you later!Ms Morrow says:After such a short time,it is very sad to haveto say goodbye to MsArnold. She really fittedin quickly to life inChailey and has been areal team player. I willpersonally miss havinganother Irish member ofstaff in the department.Lots of luck for yournew job!

Chailey School News, Summer, 201237MONDAY, June 18thsaw Sam Caughley,F i n n R o w l i n g -Ashworth, ConnorDawson and Matt Dinglerepresent ChaileySchool at the UKMTNational Team Challenge,at the RoyalHorticultural Society,London, writes MissPalmer.This was the follow-onround from the UKMTRegional Maths TeamChallenge at RobertsbridgeCommunity Collegeback in April, whereChailey finished in firstplace.Around 80 schools fromaround the Country tookpart in the challenge andCount on us todo the maths!the teams underwent somegruelling challenges suchas Head-to-Head, Crossnumberand the NumberRelay Race.In addition to this theboys were also required toresearch material based onthe topic of ‘MathematicalImpossibility’ such asthe Penrose Triangle inpreparation for the PosterCompetition Round. Eventhough the boys didn’t winoverall, they were in thetop 8 for the research andPoster Competition round.It was a great day forthe boys to get involved inmaths in a different way towhat they would normallysee in the classroom andallowed them to use theirproblem solving and logicskills to the max.The boys should bevery proud of their efforts— working well as a teamand being talented mathematicanshas put them inthe top 80 within theCountry, which is an excellentachievement. Welldone!

38 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012EARLIER this term agroup of Year 7s, 8sand 9s went on an arttrip to Pallant housein Chichester, writeImo Carmichael andRachel Hicks (Yr 8,Wield).The groups had beensplit in half because therewere two different activities.We were in groupone and we went onthe tour first where welooked at some abstractart that would then hopefullyinspire us with ourprojects.In the gallery therewere lots of really interestingpieces of art thatwe learned a lot about,some of them we didn’tunderstand at first butonce our tour guide hadtalked us through it, westarted to understand whythe artist had painted itand why they chose topaint them in such a way.Sometimes our tourguide would ask us questionsabout a painting orsculpture, such as “whatdo you think this is?” or“why do you think theartist painted this howthey did?” and we wouldhave a discussion of allour ideas before she toldus what it was.Meanwhile, grouptwo were doing a paintingworkshop withDiscoveringabstract artanother gallery member.At 12 we had a lunchbreak and were allowed togo around the Museum byourselves to look at theartwork and sculptures.We were also allowed togo into the gift shop andbuy postcards with someof the artwork on them.After lunch had finis h e d o u r g r o u p sswapped, so group onewas in the workshop andgroup two went on thetour.In the workshop welearned about how tomake really simple shapesand designs into interestingpieces of abstract art,which we then took home.(On the way back to thecoach mine blew into theroad and we had to go andget it!).The day was really funand we all enjoyed thetrip. We felt that now itwould be easier to makeour own abstract art projectsas we had more usefulideas about art that wegained at the gallery.

Chailey School News, Summer, 2012An enrichingday of sports39ON March 27th, 15 Year 7 studentsattended a PE enrichmentday at the University of Brighton,writes Ms Maynard.Students were selected based ontheir talents in relation to one ormore of the five PE Qualities. Thesequalities are:Physical – Outstanding in physicaltasks and completion of skills andtechniques.Cognitive – Understanding andapplication of thinking skills (tacticsand strategy).Personal – determined to reachindividual goals and improve.Social – Working with others in ateam, supporting and leading.Creative – can come up with differentways of solving problems andexpressing themselves through sport.All 15 students experienced a varietyof different sporting activitieswith each one focused on developinga different quality. Students took ona golf challenge, completed a fitnesscircuit, worked together in teambuildingtasks, created a dance masterpieceand developed pair balancework in gymnastics.The students worked and behavedexceptionally well and should now beable to take a greater understandingof the PE Qualities into their PElessons in order to help developthemselves and others. A specialmention should be made to GreggPearson for some fantastic balancework!

40 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012Winning poets bringShakespeare to book!ON Monday, June 25th, Ms Hall’sYear 8 English class received somegreat news, writes Megan Ricca-Richardson (Yr 8, Firle).A few months before we had been seta homework task to write a poem aboutShakespeare’s life or plays. Ms Hall enteredthem into a competition run by‘Young Writers’ called Shake Up Shakespeareand all the winning entries were toTom Coughlan:Shakespeare wrote comedies,Shakespeare wrote tragedies,He loved life, he loved death,He loved lies so he wrote Macbeth,He loved revenge, he created a heroWho killed himself, this was Othello,Shakespeare remains in everyone’s mindEspecially at the Globe at Bankside.William Johanson:A poetic pioneer, too strong to challenge,A creator of worlds, liking to play with our emotions,One in a million, a historical lion,A literary genius, a god of languageA contributor to culture, never to be forgotten.Hattie Roberts:Can 38 plays be too much of a good thing?154 sonnets just salad days?Surely not much ado about nothing?Tis Foregone conclusion that to someHis works are the be-all and end allBut to others perhaps just a tale,Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,Signifying nothing…(Only the first part of Hattie’s poem is copied out)be featured in a book called ‘Shake upShakespeare across the globe’ that wouldbe published and sold.On Monday, Ms Hall took us into ourlesson, and told us that we were to bevisited by the Headteacher. When MrsYoung arrived, she had some good news.24 students in our class had been selectedto appear in the book. We received acertificate, a letter of congratulations anda copy of our poem. We were all over themoon about the outcome!But the competition is notover yet! Two more poemsare to be selected, and publishedinto a special anthologyof Shakespeare’s life,called ‘The life and times ofShakespeare.’Now all we can do is wait,and keep our fingers crossed!List of winners: LizzieMaltby, Luc Deane, MillieJenkins, Orlando Muñoz,Kate Gregson, Hattie Roberts,William Johanson,Georgia Barton, Louis Cox,Daniel Brayne, Rachel Lenzi,Katherine Meloy, Josh Curling,Poppy Whetton, JosieAldrich, Tom Coghlan,Megan Ricca-Richardson,Liam Nye, Alex Ranson,Robert Sillett, Ollie Stenning,Lucy Watts, MeganScott, Ethan Wood.

Chailey School News, Summer, 201241CHAILEY celebratedThe Queen’s DiamondJubilee with atraditional Britishbuffet in June.Catering ManagerMrs Steer and theFeast fit forthe Queen!catering team deckedthe canteen in buntingand producedsandwiches, sausagerolls, pizza, trifle andeven a cheese andpineapple tree. It wasa feast fit for aQueen!Comedy with The Merry WivesON Wednesday, June 6th, we wereblessed with beautiful weather for ourtrip to Shakespeare’s ‘The Merry Wivesof Windsor’ by The Players in the Parkat Wivelsden Farm, writes MsHutton.The Players support the St Peter and StJames Hospice and we were delighted tobe invited to see this open air productionin aid of such a worthy cause.After a picnic in the sunny meadow wesettled to watch one of Shakespeare’smost famous farcical comedies. Thesauciness of the comedy, fast pace of theaction and eye catching costumes madethis evening a real treat, roundedoff perfectly by the delights in therefreshment tent!The night air made is necessary for usto huddle under our picnic blankets,however, despite the chill we had alovely evening.Many thanks to The Players in the Parkand to the St Peter and St James Hospicefor an excellent production andwonderful hospitality.

42 Chailey School News, Summer, 2012We solved a ‘murder’with forensic scienceON Wednesday, June13th, four students,including ourselvesattended the Salter’sFestival of Chemistryat the Science departmentof the Universityof Brighton, writesJames Gander (Yr 8,Weald).After we arrived at theuniversity in the morningand had received a halfhour introduction andbrief, we put on our labcoats and goggles andentered the lab.Our challenge for themorning was to solve amurder mystery using bothchromatography and forensicscience. This challengewas set by Saltersand we had great fun aswe discovered that ‘DonWhite’ was the murderer.When we had completedour tests and experimentswe wrote up our forensicreport and headed backoutside for lunch.After having eaten ourlunch (sat outside in thesun) and having pinched afairly large number ofbiscuits from the refreshmenttable (sshhh, don’ttell anyone!) we wentback to start the afternoon’schallenge.“We had a think andthen set about boilingour secret plan with aBunsen burner.”The challenge (this timeset by the University) involvedus working out andtesting how we could createa black powder bymixing any combinationof two out of four whitepowders together.Between the four of uswe had a think and thenset about boiling our secretplan with a Bunsenburner. We managed tocreate the solid first time,but we had to rethink howwe could actually separatethe solid from the originalmix.After only about threeattempts we had a jar fullof black powder! Unfortunatelywe then had towork out exactly what thesubstance we created wascalled but we had no idea– I’m sure the ridiculouslylong name we gave it wasone of the more interestingthe judges read that afternoon!To finish off our day wehad a Science show fromProfessor Hal, who visitedthe school a few weeksago, and then the awardsceremony. For the after-

Chailey School News, Summer, 201243Peer mentors in trainingOn the May 25th, 15 students went toBoship Farm Hotel for peer mentortraining, write Sophie Saunders, SophieHamp, Kate Nesbitt and FfyonaFerguson (Year 9, Ashdown).We started the day at 9:00 at school. Weset off on the mini bus with Mr Harrisdriving and Mrs Hickman also joined uson the day. We did a lot of activitiesincluding drama activities and using ourspecial items. Many of us brought photosbut as like Angus York he brought hisipad — it was very funny. we had lunchthere and did outside activities as well.We listened to a story and had to learn itand pass it on. It was hard but it improvedour listening skills. Overall theday was a lot of fun and we all learnt alot. We would like to thank Mr Harris andMrs Hickman for taking us — thank you!noon challenge we weren’tin the top three schools,but then they announcedthat we had come 2nd forthe murder mystery investigation!We had beaten19 other schools includingseveral private schools,and only lost to the City ofLondon Freemens’sSchool.In conclusion we all hada great day and were verypleased with the result!

Chailey School News, Summer, 201244JUST before theEaster holidays, I wasin an English lessontalking to RhiannonGoss (Year 9, Firle)and we came up withthe idea of starting abook club, writes KatieRichards (Yr 9,Glynde).We asked a few friendsif they thought it was agood idea and, if so,would they be interestedin it and to our delightthey said yes; so we wentand asked Mr Smith if hewould be interested inhelping us with it.Mr Smith said we coulduse his room to hold ourmeetings and asked uswhat day we wanted to doit on. We thought aboutit for a bit and decidedthat Monday was the bestday for all of us andBookworms’novel ideathat we would meet everyMonday lunchtime.We tried various differentideas on how to runit but the one that workedthe best is the system thatwe are currently usingwhich is: We have a differentgenre for eachtwo month period (eg.May and June is murdermystery books) and wecan read as many differentbooks from that genreas we want to and wediscuss them and recommendthem to the others.Then, at the end ofthe two months, we talkabout our favourite bookwe read from the genre.On the last week beforea holiday we discuss awell-known series (eg.The Twilight Saga) thatwe may have read andshare anything else thatwe thought was good andthat we can recommend tothe rest of the group.It is great fun and givesus a chance to unwindfrom the work we havebeen doing in class whilerelaxing and discussingone of the things we lovemost...READING!!