Parental Bulletin 1st February 2018

Parental Bulletin
1st February 2018

The Knights Templar School
Headteacher:
Mr T. Litchfield, G.G.S.M.
Park Street
Baldock
Herts SG7 6DZ
Email: admin@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk Tel: 01462 620700
Dear Parents and Carers
PARENTAL WEEKLY UPDATE – 1st February 2018
(available on our website)
Thank you to all our year 12 parents who attended the parents’ evening last night – a brilliant turn out. There were
some very healthy discussions around progress and ways to improve. Please may I remind all year 9 parents of the
parents’ evening next Thursday, 8 th February. This is a vital evening to finalise the options process and have those
crucial discussions with the teachers.
I am hoping that a team of bell ringers from KTS can mark 100 years since the first world war on Armistice Day 2018
(11 th November). The team would ring as part of the War Memorial Commemoration programme, which is a National
event.
"On November 11, 1918, the ringing of church bells erupted spontaneously across the country, as an outpouring of
relief that four years of war had come to an end” (Karen Bradley, Culture secretary).
If you would like your child to join the other seven KTS ringers, who will be ringing the 8 bells at St Mary’s Church,
please see the flyer at the end of this bulletin or contact me for further details. What a wonderful event to be involved
in. More information can be found here.
I wish all the students who are doing the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition training this weekend well –
the weather looks rather cold with wintry showers! I am incredibly proud and grateful to our great depth of volunteers,
whom without them we could not run such a large and successful programme. It is worth reminding you that
students who achieve their Bronze Award do significantly better in terms of progress at their GCSEs than those who
do not.
I was thrilled to be able to speak to Dylan Daniel (year 10) on Monday to hear how he won the U16 Eastern Region
(Herts, Beds, Cambs, Suffolk and Norfolk) Fencing Championships at the weekend. Having previously won a silver
and bronze at these championships, this was the first time he's come out on top. A great result, especially as he's in
the younger year of this category and will therefore have the opportunity to defend his title next year.
Thank you to all parents who supported our school production, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, last week. A fantastic week in
school, great performances, nearly 120 students involved and 4 packed audiences!
Please be reminded that the school will be shut for half term between Monday 12 th – 16 th February.
Kind regards,
Tim Litchfield
Headteacher

Dates for your Diary
Friday 02 02 18 Yr11 Art/Art Graphics Trip to Tate Britain
Yr9 Bronze Expedition Training, K Block
Saturday 03 02 18 Yr7-13 County Cross-Country Championships
Yr9 Bronze Expedition Training, K Block
Sunday 04 02 18 Yr9 Bronze Expedition Training, Off Site
Monday 05 02 18 Monday Miniatures
Thursday 08 02 18 Yr9 Parents' Evening
Yr7-11 District Swimming Gala
PSHE News
On Friday, year 10 had a presentation
from a local charity- Herts
Young Homeless- about independence,
resilience and how
easy it is for situations at home
to get out of hand as part of the PSHCE curriculum.
They heard first hand from presenter Ricky about his
devastating experiences of being homeless and how
it really could happen to anyone from any background.
The students all engaged very positively and
did the school proud. If you would like to find out more about the charity, the fantastic work they do around
Hertfordshire, or how you can help, please visit their website at https://www.hyh.org.uk/.
Miss Staines
Business News
Domino’s make year 12 Business students very hAPPy…
The current year 12 Cambridge technical business students
are working on a project that involves them proposing if they
should recommend to a small business the use of an app that
gives customers the facility to order sandwiches from a local
business.
They have been researching the food industry and gathering
data relating to customers tastes and use of smartphones to
purchase products. This has resulted in Priory Picnics presenting
to the group recently and has also involved Domino’s
of Letchworth.
Domino’s were willing volunteers to have their ordering system assessed, the delivery and of course the finished
product for quality and freshness. This primary research will help the students in a practical way to assess the success
and issues businesses face when delivering fresh food to a customer.
The students enjoyed the task and also thanked Domino’s for the complimentary pizzas! Mr Haider Ali, Store Manager,
Letchworth said, “It was an unusual request but once we found out we could actually help the students with
the coursework I was more than happy to be involved with the task. The students were great and I was glad that
the service from ordering through the app to delivery met the students’ expectations”
Josh said, “Sometimes Mr Vallier has some unusual ways of teaching and getting us to learn, but even though we
initially had reservations, we can now actually see the practical relevance to the course. It gave us more ‘real’ information
that we could use in our evidence and portfolio”.

PE News
Year 9 football update
The year 9 football team made light work of Samuel Whitbread Academy,
cruising to a comfortable 3-0 win, in which KTS dominated from
start to finish.
Man of the match Teddy Stevenson scored a brace of goals, one of
which was a contender for goal of the season- a superb curling strike
from 25 yards into the top right hand corner of the goal, leaving the
opposition keeper rooted to the spot.
Tom Spinks also chipped in with a well-taken goal and a versatile and
dogged performance from Olly Catlin both in midfield and then in the
centre of defence helped the KTS boys to a comfortable win.
Well done to all of the boys involved!
Year 7 Rugby team back on song against Thomas Alleyne
On Monday afternoon the year 7 rugby team produced a fantastic
display of attacking rugby, scoring 12 tries in a good win over Thomas
Alleyne School. Louis Burns was outstanding in all areas of play
and ably supported by Matthew Goldsmith and Oliver Geere who
used excellent footwork and crisp passing to unlock the defence. A
special mention must go to Ryley Phillip playing in his first full school
rugby match. Ryley was akin to a human wrecking ball when running
with the ball, scattering defenders and then using excellent offloading
skills to pass the ball to his teammates. Congratulations to
Ryley on being named the man of the match.
Mr Matthews would like to thank Jack Petre from year 12 for a superb
refereeing display in this game. The team are in action again on
Monday at home to John Henry Newman.
Mr Matthews
Year 10 Hockey
On Monday 29 th January the year 10 hockey team competed in the district indoor tournament. KTS entered an A
and a B team.
The B team played well to come 3 rd in their pool. The A team played superbly in their pool and scored 6 goals in one
match. The A team progressed into the semi final and went on to win the tournament.
Congratulations to all the girls who played in the tournament.
Year 10 A & B team
District champions

From the Exams Office
Forms and payment for any GCSE, AS or A level resits should be handed in to the Exams Office by 3.20pm
TOMORROW. Payment can be made via WisePay (our preferred method), cash or a cheque (made payable to The
Knights Templar School).
Forms can be found in the wall mounted dispenser outside the exams office. Details of exam paper codes and costs
are all displayed on the exams office noticeboard.
REMINDER—Year 9 Parents’ Evening – Thursday 8 th February 2018
The on-line booking system for this parents’ evening is now open and bookings can be made via the instructions on
the letter sent home via email.
If you don’t have access to use the online booking system then please let me know so that your appointments can
be booked through the school.
Kind regards
Mr N White
Year 9 Leader
Oxfam Youth Ambassadors
We have a new Oxfam Youth Ambassadors group active at school. One of their first
projects is ‘Message in a Book’ – for which we need your help.
Book donations needed. Got any old books that go unread? Or got too many you
don’t want?
Whatever the reason bring in any unwanted books and let them go to a good cause,
Please make sure there in a decent enough condition they’re being donated not
burned. The books would be taken to an Oxfam shop where they’ll be sold raising money for Oxfam so it can continue
its work and help more people.
If you want to help more, then check out Oxfam Youth Ambassadors in K14 start of Tuesday lunch to help with
fundraisers, raising awareness and charity work on behalf of Oxfam - new members always welcome.
The book collection will run after half term for 2 weeks. More details about where to take your book donations will
be available next week.
Rosie Stebbings (Year 9)

Year 12 parents’ evening
We would like to thank the parents, students and staff present at the year 12 parent’s evening. The conversations
from last night are crucial in paving the way for students to build on their strengths and address any areas in need
of improvement, in order to maximise their academic potential.
If you have any issues that have arisen as a result of conversations with staff at parent’s evening, please contact
either Mrs Hopkins or Mr Raymen.
Senior Rugby County Shield Quarter Final
Simon Balle 10 – 19 Knights
Knights Templar started the game with complete dominance following a successful turnover in the opposition half.
However, the early pressure did not convert into points for KTS when Simon Balle intercepted a pass on their own
5metre line, to run the length of the pitch to give the hosts a 7 – 0 lead.
Knights Templar continued to control the game and eventually Josh Parkhouse crossed the line. The game continued
in the same manner, but some resolute defence from Simon Balle ensured Knights Templar’s frustration grew.
Patience was a virtue though as a continued series of phases, and superb carries from Joss King proved too much
for the hosts to handle as Charlie Moynihan showed great balance and strength to bundle off the line from 10 metres
out. KTS went into the break with a slender 10 points to 7 lead despite their dominance.
The second half was a different story as a number of unforced handling errors gave possession to Simon Balle. The
hosts could have crossed the line on at least 3 occasions if it hadn’t been for a scrambled KTS defence to hold the
ball up or force a knock on. Eventually the Simon Balle team began to tire and Will Marshall seized the opportunity
to cross between the posts.
The Knights Templar boys have a good chance of reaching the County Final and are due to play either Broxbourne
or Sandringham in the semi-final.
Man of the match: Charlie Moynihan
Mr Smith
Apprenticeship and HE exhibition at The Emirates Stadium
On Friday 2 nd March, we are planning to take a group of 35 students to The Emirates Stadium for an apprenticeship
and higher education exhibition.
Due to the limited number of tickets available to us, we will be using this as an opportunity to prioritise year 13 students
who have not applied to university and in addition, any year 12 or 13 students who are interested in pursuing
apprenticeship opportunities after their A Level exams.
The exhibition will host a large number of universities including, The University of Oxford, Russell Group and red
brick universities, as well as modern institutions. However, the main focus for our students will be companies like
IBM and Grant Thornton, who will be offering apprenticeship opportunities, guidance and advance.

The apprenticeship aspect of this exhibition will be catered for in a purpose built hall, separate from the rest of
the exhibition, making it an ideal opportunity for students to focus their attentions more directly on higher and
degree level apprenticeships. In addition, there will be apprenticeship seminars taking place throughout the
event, allowing students the chance to receive direct advice on how to navigate the complicated world of
apprenticeships and ultimately, find a suitable programme of work and study.
All of this will take place in The Emirates Stadium, in full view of Arsenal’s home pitch and promises to be a
fantastic setting for students to explore their post-18 options.
Letters regarding the cost and logistical details of this trip will be distributed to students soon.
Senior football update
The senior boys’ football team fell short in their quarter-final County Cup clash with Bishop’s
Stortford High School (BSHS), losing 2-0 in a very tense, close and competitive encounter.
A slow start from the KTS boys allowed BSHS to get their passing game flowing in the early
minutes and the visitors dominated possession for the first 20 minutes of the match. However, despite BSHS
having the majority of possession, the KTS defence remained tight and limited their opponents to half chances
and frustrated efforts from distance.
KTS grew into the game and started competing fiercely in the middle of the park, giving the attacking players a
platform to build upon. The change of intensity brought about opportunities for Harry Jones, Joe Fantom and
Ollie Plant who all had attempts from distance that warmed the goalkeeper’s hands. However, neither side were
able to carve open a clear scoring chance and at half-time the score remained 0-0.
In the second half, KTS started as the brighter of the 2 sides and started to cause BSHS problems with a direct
style of play that resulted in opportunities for Sean Blyth and Ollie Plant which were well-saved by the BSHS goal
keeper.
The KTS goal keeper, Henry Skelding was called into action a couple of times during this period but dealt with the
BSHS chances comfortably. As the game wore on, it felt as though KTS could pinch an impressive quarter-final
win.
However, a half-cleared BSHS corner and a resulting cross into the KTS penalty area caused a scramble to clear
the ball. The KTS clearance fell to the BSHS striker who cannoned a shot against the post, only for it to fall
perfectly for his team mate who scuffed his rebounding shot goal bound and it agonisingly crossed the line. 1-0
BSHS.
The KTS boys responded well, with a series of immediate attacks that resulted in well-struck shots from distance,
a number of corners and a penalty area scramble at the BSHS end. However, KTS just couldn’t get that allimportant
‘rub of the green’ and so many chances came and went, without clinching that crucial equalising goal.
In the dying minutes, after throwing bodies forward to get back into the game, KTS were caught on the break and
gave away a free kick in a dangerous area, resulting in a well-taken goal by BSHS’s captain and man of the match.