H2U Newsletter - Highcliffe School

Contents november 2012 

Academy excellence 

Page 2 

better 

AgAIn 

I am delighted to report the 

continuation of very high levels 

of achievement and success at 

Highcliffe Sixth Form. A level results 

were exceptionally good this year, 

with 20% of students gaining A* and 

A grades and over 66% of all grades 

being A*, A or B. 

Due to the outstanding levels of 

success this summer, most students 

progressed successfully on to 

their first choice Higher Education 

institution or career area, with 

many securing places at the most 

prestigious universities, including 

Oxbridge. The students really 

excelled themselves this year and I 

would like to take this opportunity 

to congratulate each and every one 

of them not only for their academic 

achievements but also for their 

amazing contributions to the Sixth 

Form. They have all left their mark on 

the school in their own unique way. 

Congratulations go to all our 

students but in particular to Jack 

Field who achieved A*A*AA at A 

Healing Art 

Page 8 

Level and gained a place to read 

Biological Sciences at Keble College, 

Oxford and to Aimee Falla, Margaret 

Sheekey and Stephanie Worrall 

who all achieved exceptional A 

Level grades and gained places at 

Medical School. Other high achieving 

students who gained at least 3 A*/A 

grades and heading off to university 

include William Holyhead, Samuel 

Jackson, Eleanor Kelly, David Penson, 

Abigail Stocker and Isobel Worrall. 

One of the highlights of the year 

was Aaron Page winning a National 

Academy Excellence Award 

for Chemistry. This was a truly 

outstanding achievement. Other 

notable achievements include 

Francesca Crisante’s election as 

a UK-German Connection Youth 

Ambassador and Sam Jackson and 

Sam Nailor’s Excellence Award in the 

Routes into Languages Pop Music 

Video competition. 

One again, the number of students 

joining Highcliffe Sixth Form in 

September continues to rise, with 

students joining us from a wide 

range of schools in the local area. 

We offer a high quality learning 

experience for all and a wide range 

of academic and enrichment 

big Walk 

Page 13 

volume 12 | Issue 2 

A world of Challenge, Inspiration and Achievement 

opportunities in a vibrant, exciting 

Sixth Form. This is reflected in the 

vast array of activities and events 

which have already taken place in 

the first half term. 

THESE INCLUDE: 

• Induction trip to Calshot 

Activities Centre 

• Freshers’ Event 

• Biology and Geography field trips 

• Exceptional input into UCAS and 

Oxbridge applications 

• Development of a very successful 

Sixth Form Student Leadership 

Team 

• Physics trip to Thorpe Park 

• Chemistry trip to Ringwood 

Brewery 

• Art Textiles trip to the Knitting 

and Stitching Show in London 

• Dance Evening 

• Wow Factor auditions for the 

Music show in November 

• World Challenge training 

weekend in preparation for the 

team’s summer expedition to 

Vietnam and Cambodia 

• Preparation has also taken 

place for the forthcoming trips 

- Christmas Market in Germany, 

Barcelona Trip and the work 

experience trip to France 

• We are also looking forward 

to hosting a regional Oxbridge 

Conference at Highcliffe for Year 

11 in April to further enhance our 

Oxbridge Mentoring Programme 

Our pastoral care, guidance and 

support were rated as outstanding 

by OFSTED. We make sure that 

students are supported and nurtured 

on an individual level to help them 

achieve their dreams and ambitions. 

A KArAnjA 

Director oF SixtH Form 

meSSAge From 

tHe HeAd boy 

And HeAd gIrl 

Hello! We are the Head girl and 

Head Boy of Highcliffe School. 

After a gruelling application and 

interview process last year, we 

were successfully chosen to fulfil 

this important role for the school 

and Sixth Form. 

ContInUed on PAge 3 >> 

www.highcliffeschool.com

neWs AlUmnI joUrneys 

HigHcliFFe 

sCHool vIsIon 

stAtement 

“i believe in using what you 

have, instead of mourning 

for that which you do not. 

in thirty years time, i want 

to be able to look back at 

my youth and know that I 

used my talents fully, that i 

wasted nothing” 

A former Highcliffe 

Sixth Form Student 

AcADemY excelleNce! 

in the previous issue we were delighted to inform 

you that Aaron Page of Year 13 had made the 

shortlist in the chemistry section of the Academy 

excellence Awards and was soon to attend the 

dinner where the winners would be announced. 

This took place on 4 th July and we are very pleased 

to announce that Aaron was selected by the 

judge of the Chemistry section, Dr Chris Smith of 

Cambridge University, as the overall winner of 

this prestigious award. As winner, Aaron receives 

not only the splendid trophy but also a cheque 

for £1000 and an internship at GlaxoSmithKline, 

sponsors of the Chemistry award. 

Dr Smith was in fact so impressed by Aaron’s essay 

on how chemistry can contribute to the future 

well-being of society, by the creation of alternative 

energy sources, that he is currently arranging for it 

to be published. He commented to Aaron that his 

work was at a level higher than he would expect 

from an undergraduate, not faint praise from a 

professor at Cambridge University. He added, 

‘I am not sure I could have produced something of 

this standard at the age of 16 or 17 – I would have 

been very proud of myself if I had! The students 

have shown remarkable insight and this reflects 

the skilled teachers who have inspired them.’ 

Aaron has, not surprisingly, been thoroughly 

enthused by the whole process and it has really 

ignited his ambition to apply to Cambridge 

University to do engineering. The school will be 

supporting him in this. He was very keen to point 

out after the award how helpful he found the 

support of Mr Booker and Mrs Barclay in reading 

drafts of his essay. 

Aaron is a prime example of what we are working 

towards in the Highcliffe Learning Alliance. He has 

been working this year, in partnership with fellow 

Year 12 mathematician Michael Smith, as a ‘Maths 

Mentor’ to a group of Year 2 and Year 3 pupils at 

Mudeford, the school that he himself attended. 

Both have been highly impressed with the quality 

of the Year 2 children and who knows, perhaps one 

day one of those students will be winning at the 

Academy Excellence Awards presentation. 

2 HigHcliFFe ScHool NewSletter 

story ContInUed>> 

We have begun our role by arranging a 

‘Welcome to Sixth Form’ freshers’ social 

event at Bonsai Lounge in Bournemouth. 

Working in partnership with the Sixth Form 

student leadership team (particularly Camilla 

Humphries), we organised the event and it was 

a huge success with the Sixth Form now one 

integrated community. We are now looking to 

build on the success of last year’s Christmas 

quiz which will be taking place later this term. In 

addition to these social events we are planning 

to introduce an event to celebrate the end of 

STUDENT SUCCESS 

ComPUtIng 

sUCCess 

big congratulations are due to Adam 

Davies who following a successful year in 

Year 13 computing has taken up the offer 

of a 3 year apprenticeship with Visa. this 

was at the end of a highly competitive 

process as only eight places are on offer 

nationally for the year. 

For the first 2 years he will undertake a 

series of 6 month placements that match 

modules studied with the OU 2 days a 

week. The placements will take place 

at various offices of the company in 

Basingstoke, Reading & Paddington. 

In the third year his placement will be 

arranged to match Adam’s choice in study 

for his final year. 

At the end of the 3 years he will have 

gained a relevant Master’s Degree – 

all paid for, awarded by the OU. 

The first year he will be paid £15,000; 

second year £17,000 and his final year 

£20,000. He is guaranteed a job with the 

company at the end on a salary 

of over £30,000. 

For those of you who might be interested 

in the apprenticeship 

route, Adam’s search started at 

https://apprenticeshipvacancymatching 

service.lsc.gov.uk/ navms/Forms/ 

Candidate/ Apprenticeships.aspx 

where there are lots of apprenticeships 

advertised. Adam applied for ten 

apprenticeships, gained interviews for 

four of these and was offered two. 

Volume 12 | issue 2 | November 2012 

our January exams. We are also working with 

the School Council teams lower down the school 

and the governors discussing improvements 

to the overall school community. We are really 

enjoying the role and responsibility of Head Boy 

and Girl and we cannot wait to meet all students 

who are considering applying to Sixth Form on 

the Open Evening. 

“Highcliffe Sixth Form has been the best two 

years of my education yet. It has let me fulfil my 

potential and dreams, knowing there is always 

a huge support network of teachers and staff 

helping me along the way. Wherever we may go 


AimiNg For tHe SkieS! 

my name is Adam rose and I attended 

Highcliffe School from September 2001 

and finished at the Sixth Form in 2008. 

After leaving Sixth Form i joined an 

apprenticeship program with a 

company called cobham Aviation. 

Cobham are a leading aerospace and 

defence company who work for many 

governments around the world. The two 

specific sites that I work at are Hurn 

Airport and a site in Wimborne. From Hurn 

we operate Falcon 20 business jets that 

perform electronic warfare training with 

the Royal Navy and the site in Wimborne 

specialises in Air to Air refuelling and 

weapons carriage and release systems 

for many fighter aircraft. 

Since joining the company I have achieved 

many qualifications including BTEC level 

3 awards with double distinction and I 

am working towards a degree in Aviation 

Engineering, all of these have been 

funded by the company so I am in 

a very fortunate position. 

As part of the apprenticeship program 

I have worked in a range of departments 

from engineering design work within the 

design office, getting practical hands on 

next in our lives, there will always be a little bit 

of the Highcliffe Purple within us.” 

corAl NortoN (HeAD girl) 

“Being part of the Highcliffe Sixth Form 

community has been a great social, educational 

and rewarding experience. Highcliffe has given 

me the opportunity to travel across the world 

on its array of incredible trips whilst expert 

staff could not have been more supportive 

throughout my two years. I have loved Highcliffe 

Sixth Form and would thoroughly recommend it 

to any prospective student.” 

JAck rADForD (HeAD BoY) 

mechanical maintenance on jet aircraft at 

Hurn Airport to working on the flight line 

marshalling aircraft and going on missions 

against the Royal Navy. 

Now I have finished the apprenticeship my 

main job is Project Engineer working on 

the Ariel Refuelling systems for defence 

departments all over the world, this has 

given me some travel to places such as 

Cologne and will become an increasing 

part of my job. I have used this project to 

give a presentation at the first heats of 

“Apprentice of the Year” last month and 

will hear in November if he has won a 

place in the finals. 

My ambition is to gain my Private 

Pilots Licence and ultimately become 

a test pilot for Cobham. 

I am now half way through my Private 

Pilots Licence training and am lucky 

enough to be having fortnightly lessons 

with Cobham pilots. This is expensive 

but not as costly as it would be if I was 

doing it without their help. My hairiest 

experience to date was during a lesson on 

the afternoon of the Bournemouth 

Airshow when I had a close encounter 

with a Tornado. 

3

AlUmnI joUrneys 


leAdIng medICAl 

teCHnology 

my name is Andrew Satherley, i am a former 

Highcliffe student, having started in Year 7 

in 1999, and graduated from the 6th form 

in 2006. on the advice of one of the school 

governors (capt. John lofts), this is a brief 

outline of what i’ve been doing. i hope this 

may be of some interest to current students 

and members of staff. to let students know of 

the wealth of opportunities that are out there 

for Highcliffe students and to remind staff that 

their hard work and support is appreciated 

I am currently working as a Senior Analyst for 

GfK Bridgehead (an international strategic 

market access consultancy, specialising in 

pharmaceuticals and medical devices), with a 

focus on market access for pharmaceuticals in 

Europe and the US. This organisation has two 

offices in the UK (Leicestershire and London) 

and three offices in the US (New York, Boston 

and San Francisco), and I am presently based 

with the UK team. 

This position was obtained after completion 

of my MSc Health Economics at the University 

of York (Department of Economics and 

Related Studies) in 2011, within which I 

obtained the 2011 Health Economics prize 

for the highest examination marks of that 

year. Additionally, as part of this programme, 

I completed a period of study at the Nova 

School of Business and Economics, Lisbon, 

where I directed a systematic review of the 

European Commission and Member State 

policies to incentivise the development of 

medicines for rare diseases (so called ‘orphan 

drugs’), in partnership with the Portuguese 

National Authority of Medicines and Health 

Products (INFARMED). 

My work with GfK Bridgehead presently 

covers health economic modelling (mainly 

making the ‘budget impact’ case for 

payers [usually governments] to reimburse 

new medicines, or constructing the costeffectiveness 

models that are increasingly 

becoming either a standard hurdle for 

new medicines requesting reimbursement 

by government/public institutions, or a 

key consideration for pricing negotiations 

in European markets), as well as primary 

research regarding opportunities for the 

launch of new medicines, likely pricing 

scenarios for new drugs (based on what is 

currently available and how more effective 

a new therapy is expected to be), and the 

clinical/ economic evidence requirements 

necessary for drug reimbursement and 

uptake. This role is both challenging and 

fascinating in equal measure, and allows 

me to work with and learn from a team 

containing a former civil service departmental 

head, global directors from within the 

pharmaceutical industry, experienced health 

economists and highly experienced market 

access consultants. 

Additionally, my work requires regular 

travel in Europe (for which my good 

grounding in languages from Highcliffe has 

certainly helped) for business development, 

liaising with pharmaceutical companies 

and presenting work at conferences. Two 

highlights from this year so far include my 

attendance in May at the Next Level Pharma 

Nordic Conference in Stockholm, for which 

I constructed the keynote presentation 

regarding ‘Market access hurdles for 

pharmaceuticals in the Nordic states’, and 

my personal co-authorship and delivery of 

a keynote paper and presentation at the Q1 

Conference in Brussels in September. 

This focus of this work was the evolution of 

policies and methods in European countries 

for evaluating the joint value of a diagnostic 

test and a pharmaceutical to a society (and 

therefore a socially appropriate price), when 

both these products must be used together 

(i.e. patients with a particular genetic 

mutation may respond extremely well to a 

particular drug, in which case it may only 

be cost-effective to give that drug to those 

patients [identified through diagnostic 

testing] with that particular genetic 

mutation). Since the mapping of the human 

genome, and the breaking down of traditional 

diagnoses into ever smaller genetic variations 

(Lung Cancer being a prime example), this 

topic area has become increasingly 

relevant to both industry and policy makers, 

and I am currently looking to further both 

my professional experience and personal 

research in this area. 

I am sure that the excellent learning 

environment and teaching standards that 

I was lucky enough to enjoy at Highcliffe both 

remain, and I hope this information may be 

of some interest to you. I’d be particularly 

grateful if this information could be passed 

on to Ms Barrall, Mrs Finch, Mr O’Connor, 

Mrs Stone, Mr Goddard, Mrs Downie and 

Mrs Karanja, as those members of staff who 

taught me most recently during my time in 

the 6th form. 



HIgH 

FASHioN 

HigH FlYer! 

the text below (and the photo) is taken 

directly from a blog on the BBc3 website by 

Jane Fitzgerald. 

Bethan Silverwood only graduated from 

her MA at London’s Central Saint Martins in 

April. In that short time, the 24-year-old has 

already been featured in Dazed, Love and I-D 

online, shown at London Fashion Week and 

Milan Design Fair, works for Greek designer 

Mary Katramtzou and is in-house print and 

embroidery designer for Lulu Guinness. 

nAme: Bethan Emily Silverwood 

lIves: London 

CHIldHood dreAm job: 

Fashion designer 

otHer jobs I’ve done: 

The usual: shop work and waitressing 

during my summer breaks from study. 

CUrrent job: 

Print and embroidery designer for Lulu 

Guinness. Number of years in the industry: 

This is my first year in the industry. 

tyPICAl HoUrs: 

9.30-5.30. I am very lucky in this industry 

to have a job where there are set hours 

that don’t extend into the early hours 

of the morning! 

QuAliFicAtioNS/courSeS 

i took For tHiS JoB: 

BA Fashion and Textiles Design and 

MA Fashion Central Saint Martins. 

FirSt JoB: 

My first unpaid job was work experience 

with Laura Lees. My first paid job is 

this one at Lulu Guinness, which I found 

on the Jobseekers website! 


FuNNieSt/StrANgeSt 

dAy At WorK: 

There was one memorable day during my 

masters. The day of fittings, the day before 

showing at London Fashion Week, where I had 

to remake about six pairs of shoes within about 

seven hours. I survived off pure adrenaline 

and coffee of course! It was exhilarating and 

extremely stressful as well. 

toUgHest CAreer 

momeNt So FAr: 

Behind the scenes at London Fashion week 

everything was going wrong. We almost had 

to pull a couple of looks because the models 

refused to walk in the shoes. I could see all of 

my hard work falling apart just as I got to the 

most important moment in my career so far. 

I was so anxious I didn’t even watch my own 

show from backstage! 

tHe bIggest mytH 

AboUt my job Is: 

That it is glamorous! It’s all about hard work 

and dedication, not manicures and high heels! 

iF You wANt to work iN tHiS 

IndUstry yoU need: 

You need to either have a lot of money or be 

willing to work very hard, quite often for free, 

for a long period of time. 

tHe tIP I’d PAss on to Anyone 

stArtIng tHIs job Is: 

Work hard, but don’t take it too seriously at 

the end of the day, it should be a job, not your 

whole life! If I hadn’t had done this job..: 

I would have been a baker - I love cakes! 

UPdAte 

Since this blog was written we have heard 

the great news that Bethan has got the job of 

Textile Print Designer – at Liberty! 


Hi ms Kennedy! 

thanks to all my teachers. 

I just wanted to let you know that 

I recently graduated with a 2:1 in 

Criminology and Forensics! I’ll keep you 

updated on my future news. Thank you, 

and all my teachers, for all of your help 

while I was at Highcliffe!! 

CHelseA bUCKIngHAm 

tHere Are A WeAltH 

oF oPPortuNitieS 

tHAt Are oUt tHere 

For HigHcliFFe 

StuDeNtS, tHANkS 

to tHe HArd WorK 

AND SuPPort From 

tHe StAFF. 

Andrew Satherley 

5

CreAtIvIty 

SUBJECT NEWS 

vArIety In englIsH 

in english, media and Film, 

A levels students work in a 

variety of ways - analysing texts, 

re-creating texts, writing in 

role; they learn through mind 

-mapping, research, working in 

pairs and small groups. 

A group of Year 13 English 

Literature students visited 

Stratford-upon- Avon for a study 

day on the subject of Love in 

Shakespeare. In addition to 

attending lectures supported by 

a fascinating range of material 

from the archives of the Royal 

Shakespeare Company, the 

students were taken on a tour of 

Shakespeare’s birthplace. 

This study day has been very 

much appreciated by students 

in previous years: it is directly 

linked to the A2 examination and 

provides the opportunity to look at 

different ways Shakespeare’s plays 

have been interpreted 

by directors. 

This year’s Year 13 English 

Literature students are looking 

forward to going on the trip in 

November. We will be visiting 

Shakespeare’s birthplace and going 

to the Shakespeare Study Centre 

for a series of talks on “Love 

and Shakespeare”. 

SUBJECT NEWS 

engIneers 

oF tHe 

Future 

on thursday 10 may 2012, six 

teams of budding young engineers 

came together at the royal Naval 

School of marine engineering 

(rNSme), HmS SultAN, for the 

culmination of a 6 month 

long journey. 

There is a step-change in learning 

from GCSE in terms of the difficulty 

of texts and the depth and detail 

of response that is required; we 

have been very impressed with 

the way students have handled 

this transition. Below are just a few 

excerpts from examples of work 

by the students: 

Poetry AnAlysIs 

‘In his Poem, “Futility”, Owen 

talks of the unfortunate death of 

a fellow soldier, man, who they 

try to revive by moving into the 

sun, in the hope that it can “stir” 

him. The very title of the poem 

shows Owen’s attitude towards 

the war, as “futility” expresses the 

idea of something, (in this case, 

the entire war) being pointless- 

and, in this, Owen criticises the 

supporters of war, because, in his 

view, this soldier, like so many, 

died for an insufficient reason. 

This same idea is expressed in 

“A long long way”; as all the 

experiences and complexities of 

human lives are completely lost in 

their death: “human stories told 

for nothing, for ashes, for death’s 

amusement”.’ Francesca Crisante 

rePresentAtIons 

oF tHe FAmilY 

‘The Royle Family is a comedy 

drama based upon a Manchester 

family. If we look at Jim Royle 

Students in their first year of 6th 

Form (16-17 years old) at Highcliffe 

School, St Anne’s Catholic School, 

Totton College, Barton Peveril 

College, Oaklands Catholic School 

and Portsmouth Grammar School 

took part in the Engineering 

Education Scheme (EES), run by 

the Engineering Development 

Trust (EDT), and HMS SULTAN 

hosted their Celebration and 

Assessment Day. 

Chris Ward, EDT’s South East and 

South West Regional Director, said: 

and apply Phillip’s criteria to this 

character, we understand his 

individual representation and the 

role of his character within the 

family. Jim is middle–aged, lazy, 

a badly behaved man who has 

poor manners, such as picking 

his nose whenever he wants. His 

appearance is very scruffy, untidy 

with an overgrown beard and hair 

do. Furthermore, he is mostly seen 

in every episode to be wearing 

a yellow T-shirt with jeans. This 

suggests that maybe he doesn’t 

wash his own clothes or can’t be 

bothered to change into clean 

clothes everyday this conveys 

laziness.’ Charlotte Boulton on 

‘The Royle Family’ 

‘The programme for the most part 

seems to subvert many ideologies 

of the family, and instead seems 

“The EES is one of the schemes that 

the EDT runs to give young people 

a real flavour of what a career in 

engineering or technology has to 

offer. Students link with a company 

and work on a real engineering 

problem with a company mentor 

over a 6 month period looking 

to identify and develop solutions 

to the problem. 

The EDT relies on companies and 

organisations to make this scheme 

work for the students and the Royal 

Navy have been great supporters 

to create its own, perhaps trying 

to represent a “modern” family. 

Another family, Gloria and Jay, 

seem to represent a norm of 

modern society – divorce. It 

seems that traditionally divorce 

would have been a crisis point for 

the representation of the family, 

as a negative entity. However it 

seems that it is seen as a more 

positive force as Jay enters Gloria’s 

and Manny’s lives as a potent 

father-figure trying to stress his 

authority. This is juxtaposed with 

the subversive representation of 

Phil as a modern father. Perhaps 

Jay represents the conservative 

American father which reflects a 

norm of variety and liberalism in 

terms of the representation of the 

father figure.’ Jamie Paddock on 

‘Modern Family’ 

of this with not only supporting 

teams, but providing facilities for 

the Celebration and Assessment 

Day at the end of the project.” 

When asked how he found his 

involvement in the EES, Jack 

Radford, a student at Highcliffe 

School said: “I’ve loved it. It’s given 

me an opportunity really to use 

the skills I use in other areas of the 

curriculum, such as physics and 

maths, and apply them to an area I 

really enjoy, which is engineering; 

and it’s a career I’m looking to 


pursue and have a look at into university. It’s been a 

great opportunity to really see what it’s all about. Today 

we got to do a presentation to some senior members 

in the Navy and we’ve had the opportunity to design a 

product and see whether it will get used by the Navy.” 

Kimi Berkeley, a teacher at Highcliffe School, when 

asked of the impact of the EES on the students said: 

“The students gain lots of extra skills like time keeping, 

organisation and teamwork, and that’s the main drive 

for them and experiencing real engineering. This has 

a positive impact on them in school and looks good on 

their personal statement and CV, so it helps them further 

on when they get to university and in job applications. 

Today has been great and the location in the RNSME 

is very fitting.” 

Lt Cdr James Rand Royal Navy volunteered as a mentor 

to the team from Highcliffe School, he said: “The team 

worked well together, I think they haven’t got the best 

solution necessarily, but they’ve learnt a lot about how 

an engineering project goes together, the importance 

of teamwork, importance of deadlines and they’ve 

compromised, which are the three main things that they 

appreciate out of it. I’ve enjoyed it immensely.” 

Mark Butler, BAE Systems, acted as the Chairman of one 

of the panels of assessors. He said: “Overall today, it’s 

been fantastic. The level of projects, the level of effort 

and work they’ve put in is phenomenal. Probably when 

I was 16 I would never have been able to produce this 

level of work, today’s gone really well.” 

The Engineering Development Trust (EDT) is an 

independent registered charity whose mission is to 

encourage young people to fulfil their potential 

through careers in science, technology, engineering 

and mathematics (STEM). 

Established in 1984, the EDT is a leading national 

provider of work related learning programmes and 

annually involves over 30,000 students. The Trust aims to 

inspire and motivate young people into choosing a STEM 

career by giving them the opportunity to experience real 

life exposure to industry, business and higher education. 

Photos: © UK MOD Crown Copyright 2012 

Photo By LA(Phot) Claire Myers 

Licensed under the Open Government Licence 



never gIve UP! 

When I didn’t get into Cambridge during 

Year 13, i could have died. it seemed as if 

the carefully constructed post-Highcliffe 

life i had created like a Faberge egg was 

set to crumble around me. two weeks 

later, battling the demons of ‘do i re-apply 

for oxford next year?’ and ‘am i any good 

at english?’ i was rejected from Durham, 

and on Valentines Day (about another 

fortnight) edinburgh gave me the lovely 

gift of a third decline. 

All I had left was Warwick and York; York 

mainly because of family connections and 

my dad’s desire to see me go there, and 

Warwick because it was Warwick, and if 

you’re applying for good universities for 

some reason, even if you don’t realise 

it, you always end up putting Warwick. 

UCAS should just have it as some sort of 

automatic choice if you apply for another 

Russell Group school. My open days at both 

had been mixed, Warwick’s especially so, 

as my distaste for the fact it looked like a 

car park on a gloomy autumn day was only 

countered by the most exciting department 

I had witnessed for the study of English 

Literature. Finally, after Edinburgh’s slap 

in the face, I got my interview at Warwick. 

Tensions ran high and I found myself in a 

travel lodge in Coventry waiting for the 

day of reckoning. 

In comparison to Cambridge, an interview 

process that considered that your personal 

statement was a lie that had to be broken 

apart and destroyed before you, Warwick 

had taken a look at my interests, pursuits 

and choices of novel and tailored an 

interview to me. Suddenly, the academy 

that had only been chosen because it was 

‘the done thing’ was suddenly the ideal 

choice. Talks with the department revealed 

a thriving drama scene and an exciting 

world of the arts. The sterile campus, now 

lit in February sunshine, was covered in 

posters for the Student Union elections. 

It was a campus alive, and I wanted to 

be a part of it. 

On my birthday I got my first acceptance: 

Warwick. Nothing mattered anymore. I was 

going to University. However, for so long 

it still felt like a compromise. Even on the 

first day of ‘freshers’, as I moved into my 

room, I was filling out my UCAS to reapply 

for Oxford. 

How wrong I was soon to be proved. 

Warwick has been the most incredible 

experience of my life. 

At the end of second year I have so far been 

involved in 30 plays, been the arts editor 

for our student paper, presented the most 

listened to show on our radio station (and 

that’s actually quite a lot of people, before 

you ask) and done a lot of other things less 

suited for the H2U or my CV. University 

has been the most incredible- here’s that 

old cliche- life-changing experience and 

I genuinely mean it. Whether it’s sorting 

out bills, falling in love or learning what the 

Laban Technique is, these last two years 

have all been filled for the most thrilling 

and exciting experiences. All, might I add, 

whilst maintaing a 68 average; that’s the 

cusp of a first, folks! 

At Warwick, I’ve been noticed as a 

playwright (that’s me, second from the left 

in the photo) and have had work staged 

in London. At Warwick I’m able to study 

modules in which part of the assessment is 

creating avant-garde sound art. At Warwick 

I’ve made some of the best friends 

I have ever had, and had some of my 

best memories. 

As time comes up for a whole group of 

you to go to uni, and for the rest of you to 

consider applying, I cannot imagine how 

different the bumped up fees will make 

things. But there is one thing I can plead 

for no reason other than the fact I would 

not be the person I am today without 

remaining in education: please, PLEASE, go 

to university. Move into dorms, do stupid 

things, eat dubious food at 3am, be in a 

play, learn a skill you never had, go on a 

sports team holiday, and yes sometimes do 

an essay. When I arrived, a finalist friend 

told me that the most important things you 

learn at uni are the things you learn outside 

the classroom. It took about 48 hours 

for me to agree with them, and it didn’t 

take going to Oxbridge to learn the most 

valuable lessons. 

7

exPreSSioN 

SUBJECT NEWS 

THE 

HeAlIng Art 

Year 13 student from last year, 

Alex eatough, mr o’connor and 

mr elliott attended the official 

opening, by Sir Bruce keough 

(medical Director of the NHS), of 

the new stroke Unit at the royal 

Bournemouth Hospital. our 

reason for being invited was that 

a long panoramic image Alex had 

created last year had been selected 

to provide a stimulating and 

sympathetic entrance to the unit. 

The Art and Photography team 

worked with Dr Damian Jenkinson 

at the Unit to display the impressive 

photograph. The original picture 

(hanging in the entrance to Da 

Vinci) is made up of 47 separate 

photographs of Stanpit Marsh, 

all stitched together to create a 2 

metre long panorama. To create 

the piece for the hospital the 

original was enlarged to nearly 7 ½ 

metres’ length and printed directly 

onto acrylic. To create the final 

masterpiece we worked with the 

specialist printers Visual Impulse 

of Wallisdown. 

The hospital is delighted with the 

final result saying “The new Unit 

was about rehabilitating patients 

back to their homes and the 

photograph is a great reminder 

for them of the world outside 

the hospital”. The photograph 

combines the panoramic views 

of the local coastline with careful 

attention to detail and some quite 

moving colours. 

tAKe Us to yoUr 

ArtsWAy! 

Our students currently studying AS 

and A2 Art Textiles were recently 

invited by Artsway to take over the 

gallery for a week. This is a really 

prestigious invitation and an event 

that both excited the students and 

made them nervous. 

For the display each student 

designed a garment within which 

is reflected their own personal 

interests, and what garments! 

What exhibition could boast the 

Snow Queen and a walk in tent? 

The students visited the gallery and 

each garment was designed with a 

particular gallery space in mind, not 

all of the garments are functional 

(at least, not for the weekly shop) 

but instead they look to the world of 

sculpture. The students have taken 

influence from both the gallery 

itself and various artists they have 

been studying. 

ANNuAl kS5 Art, DeSigN 

And teCHnology trIP 

to london 

A group of 45 Art, Design 

Technology Sixth Form students 

set off for London to visit various 

exhibitions to support their A level 

courses. Art and Photography 

students visited Tate Modern then 

walked along the south bank of the 

Thames to take in the graffiti and 

skate area under Denys Lasdun’s 

National Theatre. They then went 

to the National Portrait Gallery 

before being collected by coach. 

Graphics and Product Design 

students visited the V & A to work 

from illustration resources and to 

view the fantastic ‘Power of Making’ 

exhibition. Product Designers went 

on to the Science Museum before 

heading off to a brief visit 

to Harrods. 

better every yeAr! 

Over the past few years the 

Highcliffe School Art show has 

been hosted at Highcliffe Castle. 

It’s popularity and size has grown 

significantly as it has celebrated the 

best in students work from Years 7 

to 13. This year has seen further 

expansion of the event to include 

work from Years 7 and 8 

in Design Technology. 

Work from the subjects of Textiles, 

Catering, Graphics, Electronics and 

Product Design has joined the Art 

exhibition for the first time. This 

has meant a significant increase 

in material to present but has also 

enriched and diversified the work 

on display. 

Preparation for the event begins in 

the summer term as projects are 

planned to allow the completion 

of work in time for the show. 

September is always busy as work 

is started and our standards and 

expectations are shared with our 

students. Art work gets developed 

and refined throughout the Autumn 

term whilst the Design Technology 

projects run their full cycle and the 

best outcomes are selected. The 

invitations get designed in house 

and over three hundred are printed, 

cut and sent, via the school office, 

over the two weeks prior to the 

Private View. 

The show wouldn’t take place 

without the fantastic technician 

support that we have. Planning 

for the layout of the exhibition 

is initially fairly relaxed but is 

meticulously planned in the two 

weeks prior to the show. Final 

modifications are made right up to 

the doors opening on the afternoon 

of the Private View. 

Thank you to all who attended 

the Private View. It was an 

extremely positive event with over 

three hundred people attending 

and many delighted and proud 

faces being worn. The Mayor of 

Christchurch also joined us and 

she made many comments about 

the very high standard of work on 

display as well as the challenge 

and rigour in the tasks that we set 

our students. Further comments 

have been received via the public, 

who are still visiting the show, and 

several approaches have been 

made to enquire about whether 

certain outcomes are for sale. 

Many thanks go to the students 

of Highcliffe School for the superb 

work produced for exhibition. 

Thanks also go to my colleagues 

who put an enormous amount of 

effort and energy into bringing out 

the best from their classes both in 

outcomes and through display. 


SUBJECT NEWS 

tHe BuSY worlD oF Btec ActiNg 

During the last few months, Year13 Btec 

Acting students have been working in 

conjunction with the History Department to 

develop a theatre in education piece based 

on the local smuggler Sam Hookey. 

Born in the 1700s, Sam was an infamous local 

smuggler who was regularly seen smuggling 

goods such as silk, spirits and tea up the River 

Stour to Christchurch. Sam was known to 

be fearless and had lost an eye in an affray 

possibly with the Customs Officers who were 

determined to put an end to his smuggling 

ways. Sam died at the ripe old age of 71, 

drowning in the River Stour due to the weight 

of gold in his pockets as he was attempting 

to escape from the Customs Officers. His 

ghost is still said to haunt ‘The Ship in 

Distress’ in Mudeford. 

The Year 13 students formed a Theatre in 

Education company and having planned the 

content of the piece and trialled the project 

with our own Year 7 and 8 students, then 

performed at Hordle and Bransgore Primary 

Schools. The response from the Junior School 

students was fantastic and they joined 

in enthusiastically with all the interactive 

activities which were led by the BTEC group. 

David Green Year 5 and 6 Phase Leader from 

Bransgore School said the following: ‘Thankyou 

for the drama/history work your Sixth 

Formers did earlier this year with our children. 

They really enjoyed it and it was also a great 

help to us as they saw older children using 

some drama techniques such as Conscience 

Alley that we use; it is always impressive when 


an older student models it. If you are planning 

anything similar next year, we would love to 

be involved’. 

Our students learnt an enormous amount 

about performing, how a professional touring 

company operates and how historical topics 

can be ought to life through drama. Well done 

to all those involved! 

‘AN emotioNAl rollercoASter!’ 

That was the description given by Year 9 

students who attended the Year 12 BTEC 

Acting students’ devised performance piece. 

Two groups of students from the Sixth Form 

were given a selection of stimulus material 

based on iconic images of the 20th and 21st 

centuries from which they had to create a 30 

minute performance piece. The first group 

focused on the trauma of Auschwitz and 

how this historical event affected the lives 

of ordinary families. Through clever use of 

symbolic staging and lighting, the students 

were able to communicate a powerful and 

moving message to the audience using a 

range of abstract techniques; some of the 

audience were moved to tears. At the other 

end of the spectrum, the second group 

used conventions of Commedia d’ell Arte 

to produce an satirical piece based on the 

forthcoming London Olympics but within 

the slapstick humour, many pertinent 

political points were made. The feedback 

from the audience was very positive and 

many commented on the variety of stylistic 

conventions employed and the performance 

skills of the students. Well done. 

HelPIng tHe nsPCC 

Also, the group devised and performed an 

original piece to an audience in an evening’s 

performance. It was called ‘The 7 Deadly Sins’. 

The audience feedback was excellent and the 

group managed to raise over £100 for 

the NSPCC. 

AFter Juliet 

As part of their final major project, BTEC 

students from Stanmore College, Middlesex 

performed the play ‘After Juliet’ for both our 

Year 12 BTEC Acting group and our Year 10 

Expressive Arts students. 

Intended as a sequel to ‘Romeo and Juliet’ 

the acclaimed play explores the impact of 

the deaths and actions of the eponymous 

‘star crossed lovers’ upon those closest to 

them and combines both Shakespearean and 

contemporary language. Traverse staging 

was used for the performance which had the 

effect of making the audience feel part of the 

action and afforded the cast a variety of exit 

and entrances. 

The play was particularly useful for our Year 

10 Expressive Arts students who are exploring 

‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘West Side Story’ and 

‘Noughts and Crosses’ for their forthcoming 

practical examination but it also gave our 

BTEC group myriad ideas in relation to staging, 

costuming, use of props and acting styles. 

The students from Stanmore College were 

very grateful for the opportunity to perform 

for such a receptive and respectful audience 

who all thoroughly enjoyed the performance. 

9

FocuS 

SUBJECT NEWS 

mAKIng lInKs In mAtHemAtICs 

mathematics and Further mathematics are 

thriving at Highcliffe Sixth Form. the A level 

courses are taught in many styles including 

practical demonstrations, internet based 

activities and collaborative investigations by 

highly skilled enthusiastic specialist teachers. 

The department runs lunchtime support 

sessions several times a week which 

helps enable individuals to reinforce their 

understanding of the harder mathematical 

concepts in order to fulfil their full potential. 

Students achieve excellent results in their exams 

and we have a strong tradition of students going 

on to study Mathematics at top universities 

including Oxbridge. One of our former students, 

Ryan Flanagan, has recently been promoted to 

a Walter Galpin Exhibitioner at Balliol College, 

Oxford. This is a highly prestigious student post 

at Balliol College Oxford which is only given to 

undergraduates who have produced outstanding 

work in Mathematics. 

All students have the opportunity to support 

KS3 or KS4 students with their Mathematics by 

volunteering to help in lessons or in Numeracy 

sessions in tutor time. Some students volunteer 

as Maths mentors in local primary schools 

and others have helped deliver and plan a 

series of lessons to the Gifted and Talented 

mathematicians in local feeder schools. 

QUOTES FROM 

YEAR 12 AND 13 

“STEP takes maths to a 

new level, a level which 

is beyond anything I have 

done before. It has 

enabled me to look at 

any mathematical work 

with a greater level 

of concentration and 

determination” 

Aaron Page Year 12 student. 

mAtHs CHAllenge 

The Senior Mathematics Challenge held by the 

University of Leeds is completed in Year 12 with 

many students achieving a bronze, silver or 

gold certificate and with students progressing 

onto the Pink Kangaroo extension papers. This 

competition is designed to really stretch the 

students, testing their ability to solve complex 

mathematical problems in areas above and 

beyond their A-Level course syllabus. Of special 

mention were performances by Eleanor Kelly 

and David Penson. David achieved a Kangaroo, 

(one better than a Gold award!), whilst Eleanor 

achieved the special accolade of British Maths 

Olympiad, a title reserved for only a handful of 

the top scoring competitors in the country. 

steP 

The picture shows a group of Year 12 and 

13 Mathematics students last year in a STEP 

Mathematics class. STEP is the entrance 

examination to Cambridge and Warwick 

universities and is the next level on from Further 

Mathematics. Some questions can take up to 

45 minutes to complete. Highcliffe is one of the 

only schools in Dorset that offers STEP within 

the normal timetable. Highcliffe STEP lessons are 

taught on a model based on university tutorials 

where students use A3 sheets for discussions, 

group work and working. Students are finding 

that STEP classes improve their Mathematics in 

all areas including their A level studies. 

“STEP is very challenging… 

but immensely satisfying” 

Leo Allen Year 12. 

“Sometimes it takes a 

whole hour to come up 

with a solution. This makes 

STEP very satisfying when 

you complete a question 

correctly” 

Eleanor Kelly Year 13. 

“Attending STEP prep, even if 

you do not intend sitting the 

exam, will undoubtedly benefit 

your mathematical ability. 

It encourages lateral thinking 

, perseverance and precision. 

The length of questions and 

amount of workings needed 

is good practice for a 

university degree.” 

David Pension Head boy Year 13. 


SUBJECT NEWS 

PHysICs trIP ecologY FielD triP 

to tHorPe PArK the year 13 biologists spent a great 3 days 

this is becoming a habit! Another year and 

another trip to thorpe Park to encourage 

our students to take A-level Physics 

overseen by miss Berkeley, mr lowton and 

ms Hesk. 

A wet and windy start to the day was not all 

that encouraging but off we went. For Year 

11 it was an opportunity to see physics at 

work in a fun and interesting environment. 

For Year 12, a bonding experience for them 

and their new teachers, for Year 13 … some 

real work!! 

The rain did not seem to dampen spirits 

as when we arrived as 50 students hurried 

through the gates clutching workbooks 

and pendulums. The day was wet so the 

water rides did not really present a problem 

although the mix of an all you can eat Pizza 

Hut buffet combined with some big and 

stomach churning rides was an accident 

waiting to happen. 

The day went well and the students came 

back to the bus at the end of the day buzzing 

and ready to work on the way back on the 

bus. Worksheets completed and copious 

amounts of sugar consumed, we arrived back 

at school. 

The day is a great opportunity to see the 

application of physics in a context that is 

never really thought about. The potential in 

engineering and safety aspects is huge and 

we want our students to realise that physics 

is applicable in every situation and can even 

be fun!! 


NewS From 

oxForD! 

my first (and second) term at oxford 

was amazing. i am kept busy with 

a lot of work, but it’s all really 

interesting and i’m finding Physics 

fascinating. everyone in college is 

really friendly, even the tutors (most 

of the time) and there is always 

someone around to help. 


SUBJECT NEWS 

along the Jurassic coast on the isle of Purbeck 

studying ecology. this was a great chance to 

study outdoor biology with wellies on! 

We spent the first day looking at woodland 

ecology in the grounds of Leeson House Field 

Studies Centre. We also studied the abundance 

and distribution of lichens (which are a symbiotic 

relationship between an alga and a bacterium) 

on old stone work.Our final practical for the 

day was to look at the meadow buttercup, 

Rannunculus repens, and how it is distributed 

across a ‘managed’ flood alleviation plain. 

Day 2 took us to the wild and exposed 

Kimmeridge Bay to study marine ecology. The 

sun shone and the wind blew. Whilst the sea was 

littered with windsurfers we carefully studied 

the animals and plants (fauna and flora) that 

inhabit this extreme environment. The range 

of organisms found was amazing and included 

a tiny periwinkle (about 3mm long!), Littorina 

neritoides, that can live in temperatures up to 

42 degrees C. Although it is a marine animal it 

has evolved a modified lung to inhabit the splash 

ELLIS DAY 

“Mr O’Connor cooking smoked 

mackerel fillets over a wood 

fire on the beach!” 

LOGAN HOLLIDAY 

“Great to study Marine Biology 

and I plan to study this 

subject at University 

next year” 

EMILY ALLEN AND KATIE 

POWELL 

“Leeson House (aka Downton 

Abbey) is a great place to 

stay – like an old manor house” 

ELLIE BODDY 

“It was great to put theory 

into practice on the beach” 

zone at the top of the beach. We also found a 

huge array of seaweeds and animals including 

the green and purple snakelocks anemone and 

the dog whelk, a raging carnivore! 

Day 3and we spent the day in yet more sunshine 

at Studland beach where we studied the 

succession of plants across a sand dune complex. 

We looked at how sand dunes are formed and 

how the vegetation causes the dunes to become 

stable as you travel inland from the beach. The 

tide was very high and was actually causing sand 

dune erosion before our very eyes! In the dune 

slacks we also saw the UK version of the Venus 

Fly Trap, a carnivorous plant called the Sundew! 

tHe eVeNiNgS were SPeNt writiNg uP tHe work From eAcH DAY iN tHe lAB FolloweD 

BY A mAD Few HourS iN tHe gAmeS room. Here Are A Few HigHligHtS oF tHe triP AS 

seleCted by tHe stUdents: 

At first tutorials seem very 

intimidating because the tutors are so 

clever, but I soon realised that as long 

as I put some effort in they are happy 

to help and often enjoy teaching, or 

seem to at least. 

I’m really grateful for everything 

Highcliffe has done for me. 

Throughout the (daunting) Oxbridge 

application process I found the Sixth 

Form staff and the gifted and talented 

team very helpful and 

knowledgeable about the 

application process. They were 

also highly supportive of my 

Oxford application in terms 

of giving me guidance with 

my personal statement 

and interview preparation. 

HeIdI bArnett 

PHOEBE BARNETT 

“Littorina neritoides, beautiful!” 

JAMES BONNEY 

“The Purbecks and marine 

ecology – paradise!” 

WILL SMITH 

“Ringing birds to look at bird 

migration was excellent – 

and part of a global 

research project” 

11

sCIenCe sUCCesslInKs 

WItH 

soUtHAmPton UnIversIty 

SUBJECT NEWS 

tAKIng lAngUAges 

beyond tHe ClAssroom 

PoP vIdeo WInners 

Three Highcliffe School students put both their 

foreign language skills and musical talents to the 

test in the recent Routes into Languages Pop Video 

Competition. The annual competition is open to 

hundreds of schools all throughout the South West 

region. The talented students wrote theirsongs in 

a foreign language and produced their own pop 

videos andwere all selected through to the final 

awards ceremony at Exeter University on Friday, 

4th May. The Highcliffe students impressed the 

judging panel so much that they took away both 

main prizes. Year 9 student, Kathryn Moses, won 

the 11-14 years category with her Spanish song 

“Volvere” and Sam Jackson and Sam Nailor of 

Highcliffe Sixth Form picked up the first prize for 

the 15-18 years category with their French song 

“J’ai découvert”. Both videos are available to 

watch on YouTube. These awards follow on from 

three Year 7 students at the school being selected 

to participate in the national finals for a foreign 

languages Spelling Bee in July and a further two 

students winning the regional finals for a languages 

speaking competition. 

YeAr 13 work exPerieNce 

Five French A level students arrived in Pont- 

Audemer to carry out work experience in a 

professional environment. Provided with board 

and lodging at Saint-Nicolas Farm, these Year 13 

students were aiming to use this work experience 


cAliForNiA, Here I Come! 

A big hello to everyone at Highcliffe. i thought 

i’d like to let you know just what a great first 

year i have been having at the university of 

York and of the excitement that awaits me in 

the second year. 

I am taking part in the University of California 

Education Abroad Program. This is an exchange 

scheme that the University of California runs 

with hundreds Universities across the Globe. 

There were 11 places available to the University 

of York across all disciplines with over 200 

students applying. 

I was lucky enough to be one of five students to 

be awarded the Visiting Students Scholarship 

from the Alumni of the University of York. I flew 

to San Francisco on the 19th September with 

term (or should I say, semester?) starting only 

three days later. I am here for the full academic 

year which replaces my second year of studies 

at York. 

I am living in the International Living Centre, 

an apartment block of 100 Students with 50% 

American Students 50% International students 

and they reckon 37 languages being spoken. 

I hope this does not read too much like I am 

‘bigging myself up’. I just know how the looming 

exams can seem daunting and thought that you 

would like to see just where Highcliffe and hard 

work can lead you, to let you know that that little 

bit of extra effort is always worthwhile. Good 

luck, everyone! 

to improve their level of French language. Students 

worked in different placements such as a primary 

school, a secondary school and a museum. This has 

now become a regular feature in the 6th Form and 

students have a great experience, as can be seen in 

the photos from the trip. 


ConneCted! 

SUBJECT NEWS 

oxBriDge resIdentIAl 

JUNE/JULY 2012 

Due to the different open Day dates, the 

residential visit this year was split into two 

separate trips. At the end of June eight 

students stayed at keble college, oxford 

whilst visiting as many other colleges in 

oxford as possible. the sun shone so the 

dreaming spires looked their best. oxford 

was bustling with students and tourists 

alike and we were able to get a real feel 

of the city. 

The students were very impressed with 

their accommodation – of course the 

ensuite is an important part of student 

life! On the first afternoon we took in the 

prestigious buildings and visited various 

Colleges, shown around by undergraduate 

students who were only too pleased to 

show off their college to one and all. On 

the second day the students went to their 

respective faculty talks in order to gauge 

what it would be like to study there. 


The following week seven students then 

visited Cambridge. We left Highcliffe in the 

rain, drove through rain most of the way 

but then arrived to glorious sunshine. We 

were very fortunate as the sun stayed with 

us for the following day enabling us to 

visit Colleges without having to dodge the 

showers. Sitting on the wall outside King’s 

College, eating lunch was actually quite 

liberating. It was ‘al fresco’ dining at its 

best! Again, the students were able to see 

inside many of the Colleges and visit their 

faculties. Some even experienced sample 

lectures. Of course, a visit to Cambridge 

wouldn’t be the same without a punt 

along the Cam. 

The students were able to see both 

beautiful cities at their best and I have no 

doubt this has made their decision making 

process even harder. They came away 

inspired, motivated and excited! 

tHe 

bIg 

CHArIty 

WAlK At 

HigHcliFFe 

SUBJECT NEWS 

Every three years Highcliffe School rounds off 

the school’s Activities Week and the whole 

school year with the Big Walk. This involves 

over 600 students going on a sponsored walk 

in the New Forest to raise money for a number 

of important local and national charities 

chosen by the students. This year’s charities are 

Julia’s House, Naomi House, Cancer Research, 

Oakhaven Hospice and our partner school in 

Kenya, St Patrick’s School. 

This has always proved to be a celebratory 

end to the school year and gives the students 

a real chance to put something back into the 

community in a tangible way. This year was no 

exception to the rule and all the hard work put 

in by the organising team, led by Ms Kennedy 

and Mrs Bewley (not to mention the cheque 

sent to the weather gods!) really paid off. A 

fantastic day was had by all with the students 

exemplary in all aspects and wonderful 

cooperation from parents regarding the late 

change to drop off/pick-up arrangements. 

There was even a tea and cake stall set up in 

the Forest that was enjoyed by the students, 

staff and passing walkers. 

Not only was the day itself a huge success 

but the sponsorship money has been coming 

in steadily. So far nearly £9000 has been 

collected. With more coming in every day 

the projection this year is for a final figure 

in the region of £15k-£16k. This will surpass 

previous records and we hope will make a real 

contribution to the charities that need our 

support to do the amazing work that they do. 

Many thanks to all, well done to the 

Highcliffe community! 

13

CHAllenge 

SUBJECT NEWS SUBJECT NEWS 

tHe best sUmmer 

when i auditioned for Youth music Voices back in 

February 2011 i never dreamed about the journey 

it would take me on. eighteen months later and 

i have performed alongside an amazing group of 

young people at a variety of locations. 

These include The Royal Albert Hall, Royal Opera 

House, Hyde Park, The Houses of Parliament 

and Westminster Abbey. I also have had the 

opportunity to work alongside some very highly 

established musicians such as Myleene Klass, 

Kimberley Walsh, Brian May, Alfie Boe, Will Young, 

Mel C and The BBC Singers to name a few. 

Youth Music Voices was a choir created using 

the top 100 auditioned singers from around the 

country to perform at different events during the 

Olympic Games and the Cultural Olympiad 2012. It 

wasn’t until I was contacted by local newspapers 

that I realised myself what an opportunity and 

achievement it was to be chosen as a member of 

the choir or what life changing experience I was 

going to have over the summer. 

One of the biggest events I took part in was at the 

beginning of this summer was “Our Greatest Team 

Rises” gala celebration held at The Royal Albert 

Hall to celebrate the launch of the Olympics. It was 

there I performed the Team GB Official Olympic 

Song, ‘Queen’s One Vision’, along with 29 others 

chosen with Alfie Boe and Girls Aloud member 

Kimberley Walsh. The event welcomed guests 

such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and 

SUBJECT NEWS 

World 

CHAllenge 

we all set off, early on a Saturday morning 

to Hemel Hempstead with mr nicholls and 

miss Swan, for our training expedition for 

world challenge. 

We were excited and enthusiastic for the 

challenges we were going to participate in to 

prepare for our trip to Vietnam/Cambodia in July 

2013. On arrival we were met by our leader for 

the weekend, Rob, who explained our itinerary 

for the day. After we, surprisingly successfully, 

put up our tents and distributed our group 

equipment, the 15 of us set off on the afternoon 

trek. We stopped at various points to discuss 

dangers to be aware of, such as security while in 

celebrities including Gary Barlow and comedian 

John Bishop and sports legends Sir Steve Redgrave 

and Dame Kelly Holmes. Looking back I can’tbelieve 

I was there, let alone taking part in such a 

prestigious event and sharing a dressing room 

with such celebrities! 

Not only this, I also got to perform at other events 

and shows round the country. There are too many 

to write about individually but the main ones 

include performing at the World Champion Cycling 

held in the Olympic Velodrome. “WOMAD” festival 

in Wiltshire, Arts in Parliament Press Conference, 

The House of Commons, BBC Radio 3, BT River of 

Music and The Opera House with Gareth Malone 

who has become recently well known 

for conducting the Military Wife’s Choir. 

Overall I’ve been extremely lucky and have had the 

best summer I think any 17 year old could have. I’m 

extremely grateful for being given such a once in a 

lifetime opportunity and to have represented the 

south of the county within the choir. 

CorAl norton 

Vietnam, malaria, river/road crossings 

and individual responsibilities. 

When we finally returned to our base, we 

began to cook dinner: peas, rice, BeanFeast and 

sausages, easier said than cooked in Trangias 

with head torches! The food was strangely well 

cooked and with large portion sizes, thanks to 

Emily Paines buying the meals and the brilliant 

chefs. Just before bed we reviewed our day 

around the fire and played what was an intense 

game of zip, zap, zop. 

SUBJECT NEWS 

CAlsHot 

IndUCtIon trIP 

calshot Activities centre is one of 

the largest outdoor education centres 

in Britain. Situated on the shores of the 

Solent gives immediate access to the 

country’s most popular water sports 

area. 

This trip has been extremely popular 

and has proved to be a fantastic start to 

Sixth Form life. During the trip, students 

had the opportunity to take part in a 

variety of activities, such as climbing 

and abseiling, dry slope snowboarding, 

windsurfing, kayaking and cycling in a 

velodrome. In addition to this, students 

undertook some teambuilding activities 

with their new Tutor Group, including an 

Initiative Course, which involved group 

challenges such as getting the whole 

team successfully over a high wall or 

through a spider’s web. 

Throughout the day the Year 12s bonded 

very well and were very supportive of 

one another; they encouraged each 

other and celebrated great success and 

personal achievement. The Sixth Form 

tutor team also got fully involved with the 

various activities and it was a really nice 

start to the year for both students and 

tutors. Thank you very much Year 12 for 

making this trip a fantastic experience for 

all involved. 

The following morning we once again woke 

early to people who volunteered from the group 

cooking porridge for breakfast. Shortly after 9am 

we once again set off for our second trek, up and 

down various terrains and throughout muddy 

forests. Suddenly we realised Mr Nicholls has 

been lost and after sending four people back 

to find him we found out he had been bitten 

by a snake! Luckily we managed to stretcher 

him up to the top of the hill where he 

miraculously recovered. 

We arrived back, put our tents away and talked 

about using hammocks. Afterwards we were 

grateful to be awarded with soups and a Mars 

bar just before our departure, after a memorable 

weekend which we all enjoyed. 

rePort by ellIe bUllmAn 

AND Alice wiNDuSS. 


geog-erS 

In WAders 

From the 15th to 17th october, the Year 12 geography 

group embarked on a trip to leeson house in Swanage. 

This trip aimed to educate us on the human as well as 

physical aspects of Geography. The three days spent at 

Leeson allowed us to produce coursework based on the 

data we collected while we were there. 

On the Monday Mrs Cox took us to Corfe, Swanage, 

Langton Matravers and Worth Matravers to study the 

population side of the course. We split into groups 

and had to count the population of each place and 

approximate the age of each person. We also had to look 

at the quality of housing; this enabled us to compare 

each location and we could determine our rural and 

urban case studies for the January exams. 

On the Tuesday we drove to Piddletrenthide, 

Puddletown, Turner’s Puddle and Wareham. Putting 

on our wellies and waders, we all went straight into the 

rivers and got our hands dirty measuring along the river 

beds and wetted perimeter of each site. Once we had 

gathered all the data necessary, we all gathered in Londis 

before having dinner and having a plenary back 

at Leeson House. 

On the third and final day, we went to Studland beach 

(where there was no beach) and we were shown sand 

dune succession by Mike. After the sand dune transect, 

taking details of each of the dunes, we were taken on a 

tour of the beach before going home. 


SUBJECT NEWS 

bUIldIng 

LINKS 

recently Sixth Form students have been 

involved in two exchange programmes 

going beyond the more ‘normal’ european 

exchanges that most schools operate. 

The exchange programme with PSBB 

School in Chennai, India goes from strength 

to strength and last year, for the first time, 

parties of staff and students travelled in 

both directions in the same academic year. 

It is fair to say that the Highcliffe students 

visiting Chennai were immediately bowled 

over by the sights and sounds, in particular 

the traffic and the driving! Although tired, 

the students have enjoyed action packed 

days which have included temple visits, 

meeting an elephant, a visit to a poor 

suburban school and some singing and 

dancing. The students from PSBB had 

an equally wonderful time here, visiting 

many places of interest in the area and 

thoroughly enjoying their exposure to 

lessons in the school. 

James Underwood and Daniel Gilbert 

became pioneers for the school this year as 

the students to take part in the inaugural 

trip to St Patrick’s School in Iten, Kenya. 

This followed the visit to Highcliffe by the 

Head of St Patrick’s, Mr Oyuga and student, 

Moses Kibet. The schools were initially 

twinned as part of the BBC/British Council 

‘Olympic Dreams’ project. St Patrick’s 

is the home of a world famous athletics 

training camp and has produced a number 

of World, Commonwealth and Olympic 

champions. Many of you will have seen 

former student David Rudisha winning the 

Mens’ 800m in such spectacular style at 

the Olympics. During the year the schools 

have joined on a number of projects in 

Expressive Arts, ICT and Geography and 

we look forward to the expansion of links 

and further projects developing this year 

and beyond. 

15

FurtHer iNFormAtioN 

HigHcliFFe SixtH 

Form tASter DAY 

on Friday 23rd November Highcliffe Sixth Form will be 

hosting a Sixth Form taster Day. on this day, the school 

is closed for students in years 7-10 in order to offer a 

comprehensive and structured sixth form 

taster experience. 

The aim of the taster day is to support students post 16 

choices by undertaking AS Level taster lessons, engage in 

conversations regarding Sixth Form life with our current 

year 12 and 13 students and to discuss with specialised 

post 16 teachers any questions students may have 

regarding their options and career opportunities. 

The taster day includes five taster lessons from our 

comprehensive course list. During the day, students will 

experience the expectations and learning styles of a sixth 

form lesson in addition to gaining knowledge on course 

content. During the afternoon, students will have the 

opportunity to learn more about the Sixth Form and what 

package we offer. The taster day is open for students 

currently in year 11 at Highcliffe and for students in other 

schools who are considering Highcliffe Sixth Form as an 

option. Please see the Highcliffe Sixth Form website for 

more details. www.highcliffe6thform.com 

I look forward to welcoming you on taster day. 

mIss l sWAn 

HeAD oF SixtH Form 

SixtH Form weBSite 

The website has been designed to be 

used by parents, students and teachers 

allowing access to a wide range of 

information about Highcliffe Sixth Form. 

www.highcliffe6thform.com 

key features include: 

• On-Line Prospectus 

• Admissions and application forms 

• Course Information 

• Student Life / Gallery 

• Financial Support Information 

16 HigHcliFFe ScHool NewSletter

H2U Newsletter - Highcliffe School

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