Army Team Building Day

On Wed 18/7 three soldiers from the Rifles regiment at Chepstow came to school develop team building skills amongst year 10 students. Initially the students were in small groups solving problems as a group. In the second session they followed a version of an assault course and the activity was a lot more physical. All the students found the sessions fun. There was not a ‘sales pitch’ by the army amy they were merely happy to be in school.

Click here for more pictures.

Mr Clancy, Careers

South Cerney

On Monday 9/7/07 and Tuesday 10/7/07 24 students went to South Cerney Outdoor education centre to do a range of water sports activities. These included raft building, kayaking, canoeing, wind surfing and sailing. The students were split into groups of between 4 and 8 and were given a choice of activities. They did two each day. These were mainly taster sessions and were designed to encourage students to take up these activities. The instructors were very approachable and made the activities fun.

Mr Clancy

Chinese Teachers visit Balcarras

We were delighted to welcome 13 teaching colleagues from China on Wednesday July 18th. They are on a 3-month placement of language learning and cultural appreciation at Gloucestershire College.

They thoroughly enjoyed a tour of school conducted by pupils from Graveney House, a chance to meet the Individual Learning department in the staffroom at breaktime, and especially their visits to lessons in maths, food technology, art and science.

We look forward to an invitation to return the visit.

C.M. Healy - Headteacher

Young Engineers for Britain

At the South West Regional Final of the Young Engineers for Britain competition, held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton on 2nd July, Joanna Fry (Year 12) won the award for creativity and innovation with her design and technology project, a heat resistant safety shield for use when ironing. She will now attend the National Final to be held in London at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich on 17th September.

Mr J Draisey, Head of Design & Technology

Activities Week 2007

Activities week 2007 has got off to a great start at Balcarras School. Students have been fencing, walking, camping, sky-diving, rock-climbing, mountain biking, baking, making art from rubbish (yes, really!), producing film animations, skiing, swimming, bowling, playing table tennis, football, tennis, and many, many more really exciting activities. Wherever they have travelled, the students have been a credit to the school - well done!

One of the big events is the languages trip to Barcelona. It's not all work, work, work out there though, as this photograph of some teachers swapping Spanish speaking tips shows...

Let's not forget our year 10 and year 12 students, who are busying themselves in the world of work, on their work experience placements. We hope that they are enjoying finding out what it is like to work for a living. More information on this soon...

Click here for details of this year's events.

Sixth Form Leavers Ball 2007

The sixth form leavers' ball was held at Cheltenham racecourse, and has been heralded by all as a great success. The most notable feature of this year's event was the high turn-out of members of staff, who seemed to enjoy the event almost as much as the year 13s! This is indicative of the excellent and very positive relationships that the students and staff have built over as many as seven years together at Balcarras. We wish all our year 13s a very successful and happy time on their university courses, or as they enter the world of work.

Click here for more pictures.

Charity Soul Gig

A group of Balcarras students recently took part in a concert to raise money for charity. The student band entertained the crowds through the evening with a wide repertoire of soul classics.

Click here for more pictures.

Ms Hayes

World Challenge 2007

The World challenge teams have now set off for India. See some photographs and read their live BLOG! For more information follow the links below.

Click here to view more pictures.

Click here for more details and the BLOG.

Mr Edwards

Midsummer Music in the rain

Considering the weather, the music evening on Friday was remarkably successful. It could have been a complete washout but far from it. People came in big numbers and they stayed right through because they were enjoying themselves.

The talent on show was great, as ever, and the Soul Band is something else these days - they were brilliant. Thank you to everyone who helped to make it work so well and congratulations to Beth and Rob for preparing everything.

Mr Healy

The Art Show

The Good Schools Guide says that Balcarras is the best school in the country to do A-level art, and they're right. The A-level show was more than impressive, it was superb. There were several portfolios that were of a very high standard, and there were no two collections that were alike. The distinctive character of the work of each candidate was a pleasure to see. And the evening itself was a treat - one set of parents wanted to stay all night!

Congratulations to all our art teachers!

Mr Healy

Year 8 Black Country Museum Trip

Over 100 Balcarras students took a trip back in time visiting the Black Country museum. They were shown around by a lady from the time and taken to see many of the areas shops, buildings and factories.

Highlights from the day including going underground in the Black Country's famous mines and experiencing a lesson Victorian style! The discipline in the classroom and the forms of puncishments were certainly a surprise to all! The sweet shop and chip shop also held great appeal.

The trip was part of Year 8 students' studies into the Industrial Revolution and Victorian Britain.

Click here to view more pictures from the day.

Mr Edwards, History Dept

Cheltenham District Year 9  Girls Athletics Championships- 2nd place!

On June 13th the following squad of girls competed at the Prince of Wales Stadium for the District championships.  In heavy rain the girls fought hard to win the final relay event securing 2nd place behind Cheltenham Ladies College.  Well done to all involved. 

Results
100m: Rosie Milan 2nd in final, Phoebe Lewis 3rd in heat
200m: Laura Masling 3rd in heat, Lorna Mason  4th in heat
800m: Jemma Jones 2nd (new pb of 2mins 40 secs), Jade James 3rd
1500m: Laura Barnfield 4th, Sally White  4th
Shot Putt: Sophie Pugh, Miranda Howard
Discus: Vicki Bee 1st, Sally White
Javelin: Jemma Jones, Sophie Pugh
High Jump: Laura Masling, Laura Barnfield
Long Jump: Rosie Milan 3rd, Jade James
Relay: 1-Leah Barrett, 2-Jemma Jones, 3-Lorna Mason, 4-Rosie Milan - 1st!

Balcarras Sports Day 2007.

Sports Day seems to get better every year! One of the best things about it is that there are always pupils who surprise you with their athletic ability.

The staff race was terrific, the commentating was excellent, and it was good to see so many parents there to enjoy the fun. Foley House won for the fifth consecutive year - a new school record!

Congratulations to the PE department on a job very well done, and to the House Heads and House Captains for generating so much commitment amongst the pupils.

Mr Healy

Click here to view more pictures from the day.

Year 7 visit the Science Festival.

35 year 7 pupils visited the Science Festival this week. They took part in a massive range of activities, from making slime, to racing on virtual rowing machines, and making cells and DNA. They also attended a talk about the gases in the atmosphere, which included some very explosive reactions - igniting balloons full of hydrogen was a definite hit!

The pupils were an absolute credit to themselves and to the school, and don't forget that two of our year 7 pupils won runner up prizes in a competition to design a mode of transport for the year 2257. Their designs are on display at the Science Festival all week.

Miss Taylor, Science Department

Beacon's test for Himalayas team.

The India expedition team spent a day during half-term training for their fast approaching expedition to the Himalayas. Although not quite to the altitude or extreme terrain they will face whilst away, the team completed four peaks on the Brecon Beacons horseshoe in good time.

The peaks were surrounded by cloud, making visibility difficult at times, but the team navigated through this difficulty skilfully.

The team have just four weeks until their depart for their expedition for which they have been preparing for over 18 months. As well as the trek the team will also be undertaking a community project in a village school and experiencing the sights of India first hand.

Ben Edwards

Cheltenham Science Festival Winners

Five pupils from Science Club entered the Cheltenham Science Festival "Transport of the Future" competition. The brief was to design a form of transport to be used in the year 2257.

Harriet King and Robert Taylor won two of only six runner-up prizes in their category. Hattie designed a Personal Flying Kit which runs on solar power and Rob designed a Personal Eco-friendly Intergalactic Starship. Their designs can be seen at the science festival this week (Wednesday 6 - Sunday 10).

Congratulations to Hattie and Rob!

Miss Taylor and Mrs Towers

Girl's Science Afternoon

Friday May 25th

Miss Foster and Miss Taylor's girls' science set spent this afternoon learning about the art and science of making natural cosmetics as part of their GCSE chemistry module. They made bath bombs, oatmeal facial scrub, peppermint foot scrub, apple and mint face mask and a buttery body lotion.

If you would like to have a go, recipes are at:www.makeyourcosmetics.com

and ingredients can be sourced through:www.essentialoilsonline.co.uk

Click here to view more pictures from the day.

Engineering in Education scheme

On 4th May I took 4 of the most able students in the school to the Engineering in Education Scheme assessment and Celebration day. They had been working all year on a project to design and build a jig to cut foam for radar domes for Alan Dick and Company.

The students were Dan Wong, David Mubarak, Andy Woodford, and Tom Folland. Not only were they all highly organised, but they worked brilliantly as a team complementing one another with a wide range of skills. With them was Stavros Papadopolus of Alan Dick and Co who had helped them all year (one lunch time a week and a 3 day residential).

They had presented a meaty engineering report to the examiners the week before and now had to make a 15 minute presentation, display their work on a convention stand and answer the questions of the assessors. They scored excellent marks in all the categories and were presented with certificates.

K Clancy, Science Department

Class of 2007 - Year 11 Ball

It only seems like yesterday that they were tiny Year 7s but the class of 2007 have now come to the end of their time at Balcarras.

They celebrated their achievements and marked the occasion with a ball, based on the theme of the Oscars. Everybody appeared in their best suits and dresses and many arrived in limousines and designer cars (including a New York style police car!).

The ball was organised by Mrs Atkins and was attended by nearly everybody from Year 11 and a large number of staff.

Although many will be back in school for the sixth form, others will be heading off to study elsewhere or to enter the world of work. After their exams that is... We wish them all the best of luck.

To view more pictures of the ball please click here.

Yet more photos have streamed in! To view these pictures click here.

TES Newspaper day success!

March 14th saw a team of budding journalists compete in the annual TES Newspaper Day challenge and saw their entry, the Grapevine, win a top prize! They gained a "distinction" and still have the chance of gaining the overall top prize later this year.

The competition, which has been running at Balcarras for over 10 years, attracted a team of 20 Year 10 pupils who spent the day writing articles, gathering photos and preparing their 14 page newspaper. They had just one day to produce a broadsheet newspaper and send off their entry into the national competition.

The judges were particularly impressed with the professional design of the paper and the quality of the journalism. The articles were well written, informative and lively.

As well as up-to-date international and national news, the team included school news, entertainment pages, weather, reviews and sport. The sport pages were picked out especially for their quality.

The team will be heading to the Houses of Parliament in June to receive their prize and have been nominated to win the overall top prize. They are awaiting eagerly the result.

The team gained a great deal from the experience. Not just learning about journalism and the production of a newspaper but also working as a team, making key decisions and working to a strict deadline.

Copies of the Grapevine can be downloaded. Please click here to see the paper.

Heather Richens, English Department

Sixth Form Dress Up Day

Heads were turned on Friday 23rd March as the sixth form held their annual dress up day with an impressive range of costumes and outfits. Gorillas, supermen, white bunnies and surfers were amongst the range of great outfits displayed. One person even dressed up as a member of the school cleaning staff and many couldn't tell him apart from the real thing!

This annual events raises money for a sixth form charity. Over £500 was raised for the Anthony Nolan trust, a charity close to the school's heart.

Click here to view more pictures from the day.

Mary Flood

Art Block Opening

A bright, sunny March 7th 2007 saw the opening of Balcarras’ superb new art block, by Professor James Harrison, Chair of the Cheltenham Festivals Committee. Professor Harrison visited the studios and discussed their work with the students from Years 10 and 12. He then proceeded with the cutting of the ribbon, watched by staff, governors, students and also the architects Jim Dyson and Dagmara Goralska from Aedas, Frank Roberts the site agent, representing the contractors DA Cook, and Tracey Eales representing Gloucestershire local authority, who provided the funding.

Professor Harrison spoke of the importance of the arts to all of our lives and his pleasure at seeing art so well-established in the culture of Balcarras. He thought that the new facilities would ensure that this will continue for generations to come. All agreed. Having cut the ribbon, the professor then unveiled the plaque commemorating the opening, followed by delicious light refreshments!

Mr Healy

Balcarras Spring Ball

Click here to view more photos.

On Saturday, 10th March 2007 the Balcarras PTFA held an inaugural ball for the parents and friends of Balcarras. The foyer and hall were transformed.

150 elegantly dressed guests entered the school via a carpeted canopy, lit by hanging chandeliers and were welcomed to a glamorous evening by sparkling drinks and cocktail music played beautifully by 6th form students of Balcarras.

Following the meal seamless in its delivery, an electric auction ensued; bidding for donated items was fierce. The evening raised over £5,000 for the new sports facilities in the school and we are thrilled to be able to donate £860 to the charity CLIC Sargent, a topic close to our hearts following the tragic loss of two of our pupils Laura Edwards and James Chacko. CLIC Sargent provide much needed support to the families of children and young people undergoing cancer treatment. Visit their website www.clicsargent.org.uk for more details.

Our grateful thanks go to everyone who attended this event, you really gave it your full support, it was a fantastic night and we hope to make it a permanent annual date in your social calendar.

Also, we would like to thank our main sponsors of this event, Ryan Farrell of FarrDenn Ltd and Spirax Sarco and a special thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this event so spectacular.

The Ball Committee, Debbie Lewis, Jane Denyer, Tracy Toyne and Joanna Brunt.

Dancefest 2007

On Thursday 15th February ten Year 8 and 9 pupils took part in the Dancefest 2007 at the Bacon Theatre. The girls performed a contemporary style dance to 'we are the young'. Well done to all girls who took part. The organisers and staff were very impressed with their performance on the evening.

Jenny Lewis
Jenny Charlton
Hannah Churchill
Amy Elliot
Hannah Barret
Chi Steele
Rosie Milan
Miranda Howard
Daisy Lynch
Laura Bishop

Miss Clemow, PE Department

Goodrich castle visit

The history department took all of Year 7 to visit the ruins of Goodrich Castle near Ross on Wye as part of their work on medieval times. The pupils saw how the castle was built and attempted to see how it would have looked when it was at its height. Attack and defence methods were clearly visible as was how life in the castle must have been many hundreds of years ago.

Most students braved the tight and dark spiral staircase to the top of the original stone keep and were rewarded with excellent views over the River Wye. Others went into the dungeon and heard the ghost story of the postern gate!

Back in school students are putting together guide books for the castle and the experience of seeing this site in real life was excellent.

Ben Edwards, history department

Break dancing show

On Jan 29th our Year 8 & 9 pupils were treated to a spectacular display of break dancing from a talented group of Cleeve boys. The dancers had come to entertain us during our assembly time and amazed pupils and staff alike with their athleticism.

Mrs Roylance, PE department

Badminton victories

In the first year of the Cheltenham Partnership Year 10/11 Badminton League, Balcarras is doing rather well, so far.

This is the victorious team that beat Cheltenham Ladies College, (6:3) recently: Joe Evans, Matt Hodges, Robin Smith, James Jardine, Mike Hindley and Duncan O'Sullivan. Also in the squad are Richard Hartley, Jack Shorting, David Oldham, Will Mercer, Adam Dymock, Lloyd Whittaker and Harry Marrick.

There were some exciting matches and terrific scores, keep it up!

Mrs Roylance, PE department

Celebration of Excellence

On January 9th 2007 students from Balcarras School were invited to perform at Ofsted's 'Celebration of Excellence' event at the Guildhall in Bath. This event was to celebrate all aspects of excellence from nursery to tertiary education.

Performers were commended by many at the event including Christine Gilbert, Chief Inspector with Ofsted. We provided 'background' music while delegates met and mingled at the beginning of the afternoon. A wind trio consisting of Nicola Person on clarinet, Izzie Adams on oboe and Miss Hayes on flute started our programme with Ed Brown on trumpet provided a lively Latin American contrast.

As our performance progressed we found ourselves being less background music and more and more people stopping to listen! The performers who completed our programme were Tom Hackwell, Simon Carley and James Purveur, Fran Board and Megan Travers.

Beth Hayes, Head of music

Science @ Bristol

The science department took 120 students to @Bristol in January 07 to improve their understanding of a number of topics at KS3 science. The whole year group were offered the opportunity and we even took the minibus so none would be disappointed. The highlight was the IMAX show 'Deep sea 3D', which looked at the adaptations to survival of the creatures miles below the surface of the oceans. The students worked in groups to find the answers to the question on the wildwalk, which helped them understand the ecology of a number of areas such as the rainforest. Finally they had the hands on experience in the main hall and it was hard to drag them away from that. The mix of these 3 blended the aspects needed for a great school trip, which was a genuine relevant learning experience with a lot of fun.

Mr Clancy, science department

Talking About Places Far Away Competition

On Thursday 1st February a team of Year 10 geographers competed in this speaking debate. They had to make a presentation on a chosen international issue and then field questions from the other 5 schools taking part. The team chose the issue "clean water for everyone - is this a realistic concept?" Their presentation was superb, well informed and interesting. They took questions from the floor with great composure and then bombarded the other teams with considered and probing questions.

The competition was hard fought but they emerged victorious. Their prize is £150 to donate to an international charity; they have chosen the 'One water' charity. Also, we will be visiting the houses of parliament with the local MP to discuss global issues.

Congratulations to, Joe Mason, Holly Richards, Sophie Clements, Sophie Footer, Catherine Woolley, Harry Mowat Machonachie, Chris Harris, Harriet Eavers, Shona Pratt and Lucy Rogers.

Miss Hunt and Miss Niblett, geography department

A2 Physics Coursework

We have a large group of students studying Physics in Year 13 again this year and as usual one of the highlights of the year is the large scale research project. This gives students the opportunity to design and build their own investigation in an area of their choosing.

Topics this year include looking at how earthquakes affect different designs of building; modelling resonance on the Millenium Bridge; magnetic braking; effectiveness of different sound proofing methods; trebuchet design; resonance in ac circuits; crash testing and many others. The project is worth a third of the overall A2 mark and is great preparation for lab work at university.

Karen Foster, head of physics

Science trip to London

On Friday 29th January, 100 Year 11 students went to London to visit both the Natural History and Science Museums. The students first visited the Natural History Museum where they enjoyed viewing the dinosaur exhibits in the Ronson Gallery and the animated life-size T-Rex. The students were also amazed by the life-size model blue whale in the mammals section of the museum.

In the Science Museum the students were able to interact with computer simulations and visit the many exhibits housed in this outstanding museum.

The students really enjoyed their trip to London and the opportunity to discover more about many of the topics they have been studying in class.

Simon Ball, science department

Bristol Zoo trip

23rd January 2007

On the 23rd January 2007, 104 Year 9 pupils went to Bristol zoo as part of the key stage 3 geography curriculum. The aim of the day was to give pupils an insight into the different ecosystems around the world and the animals that inhabit them. The education centre gave pupils informative talks on the tropical rainforest and the Polar Regions. The pupils learnt the characteristics of each biome, how plants and animals have adapted to living there, the threats each area faces and how we can protect such fragile environments. The talks were rounded off with the pupils being allowed to hold some native animals including hissing cockroaches. Pupils then had free time to walk around the zoo and see the different animals on offer. The gorilla enclosure received the most visitors who remained spellbound by the infant gorilla. A great day was had by all and pupils learnt more about the role they play in the world in which we live.

Adrienne Niblett, geography department

Engineering education scheme

18th - 20th December 2006

On 18th December, four Year 12 students: Andy Woodford, Dave Mubarak, Dan Wong and Tom Folland, went with their teacher Mr K Clancy to the University of the West of England to construct a device to cut GRP foam needed in a radar dome for a ship. This was a problem set by a local engineering company Alan Dick and Company. This is a real life problem given by a client to Alan Dick and the details of the design are owned by the company.

Alan Dick allowed their head engineer Stavros Papodopolus to accompany the team to Bristol for the three days and he helped the students understand the design, construct, test and evaluate process. The Balcarras team made three designs that were continually improved as flaws and problems became evident in the testing process. The labs at UWE were made available for this process with a large number of university lecturers and technicians available to help so design ideas could be turned into products within a half hour period.

The team worked from 9am to 9pm each day, also attending seminars and lectures on presentation techniques. The team stayed at the Holiday Inn and all meals and accommodation costs were borne by the company. The third day ended with each team making a presentation to their peers on their findings. Nineteen schools attended the south west session in Bristol. Other local schools were The Ladies' College and Pate's. The team will now continue to test their jig and will calibrate the device. They will then write a report and make a 15 minute presentation to the judges in May.

Kevin Clancy, head of careers

Year 14 Presentation Evening

18th December 2006

The 6th form presentation evening was an excellent event. It was a real pleasure to see all the pupils again and to see how they had changed in the 6 months since leaving school and going out into the big world! It was also great to see some ex-teachers come along, such as Miss Morgan, Mrs Jones and Miss Osolin.

Our guest speaker was Professor Patricia Broadfoot, the vice chancellor of Gloucestershire University. She said that she was really struck by the quality of the relationships between the students and with their teachers.

It was the overall atmosphere of the evening which was the most impressive feature - relaxed and genuine. Thanks go to Mrs Atkin for organising the event.

Click here to view more pictures from this event.

Army Chef Visit

15th December 2006

Following on from a visit last year and during activities week, Staff Sergeant Ady Curtis of the Gloucestershire regiment made a return visit to Balcarras. This term Ady has worked with all Year 10 food pupils. This involved pupils watching and learning new skills from Ady as he prepared his gourmet meal and listening to Ady talk about his experiences in the army. Following on from this pupils then made a Chicken Roulade, and a Chocolate and Orange dessert. As you can see from the pictures the pupils thoroughly enjoyed working with Ady and hopefully will get the opportunity to work with Ady again in the future.

Click here to view more photos from the day.

Cathryn Saunders, food technology

Duke of Edinburgh Award Tree Planting

14th December 2996

Balcarras was honoured by a visit from Richard Bull, polar explorer. Richard planted a cherry tree to mark 50 years of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme in Gloucestershire and 10 years at Balcarras. Helping to turn the sod was Fran Briggs, now 20, who was our first Gold Award winner when she was in the sixth form.

Also present was Liz MacDonald, Coordinator of the scheme in Gloucestershire, as well as several of our current Gold candidates: Alyssa Bethall, Francesca Gibbons and Stuart Evans, as well as Bronze participants Dean Rea, Duncan O Sullivan, Darren Crossley and Hope Saunders and the leader of the scheme in school, Mrs Vicky Bull, and headteacher, Chris Healy.

Christmas Lunch Festivities

13th December 2006

Festive cheer filled the school canteen as a special Christmas lunch was served. It total over 430 people sat for the meal in two sittings, showing the popularity of the event and the food served by the canteen.

Pupils were served their meals by teachers, which seemed a great treat, and everybody pulled crackers and wore paper hats while Christmas tunes were played. It has become traditional to celebrate Christmas at Balcarras in this way and the day was enjoyed by the pupils and catering staff together.

Staff Christmas Baking

12th December 2006

Staff at Balcarras joined in the festive spirit by baking mince pies for the Christmas carol service.

This annual event was well supported by a number of staff helping out with the preparation, baking and washing up.

The mince pies, over 12 dozen, were enjoyed a great deal!

Civil War Day

7th December 2006

Year 8 pupils saw the English Civil War come alive with an excellent presentation from David Lord, the time traveller. In character as a roundhead from the Civil War he gave a very lively and often brutal description of the conflict.

Pupils were able to see the clothes and uniform worn in the conflict as well as the weapons including a pike and musket. Many of the artefacts on show were originals from the conflict. The major battles were described as well as how these weapons were used by Cromwell's New Model Army. David Lord also vividly described everyday life during the time period in a very illuminating way.

The Civil War makes up a major part of the Year 8 history course and this presentation was highly enjoyed by the groups. Below, students from 8P1 comment on the day:

The Civil War expert, David Lord was a very informative, entertaining and funny presenter. Students were able to dress up in genuine and authentic Civil war dress and armour. The weaponry on display was fascinating - though the boys were wincing at the way in which they were used for targeting their tackle! We found that the armour, the helmets, the muskets, the pikes and the halberds were all really heavy. Overall it was a great experience, very factual, but most of all it was an opportunity to get the 'feel' of the Civil War beyond the text books.

Click here to view more photos from the day.

Ben Edwards, history department

The Wizard of Oz

6th - 8th December 2006

Balcarras school's annual productions have always been one of the main highlights of the year and this year's performance of the Wizard of Oz was no exception. The quality of the acting, singing and dancing was excellent and extremely accomplished. The set design and lighting was fantastic as were the costumes. There were a staggering number of performers who all deserve great credit.

Here are Mr Healy's comments on the show:

Sitting in the audience on Friday evening was a real pleasure. Everybody was thoroughly engaged and enjoying themselves throughout the performance. The quality of the actors was superb. They were word perfect, with great accents, they could sing and dance, the transitions were slick.

It was a production to be proud of and there were numerous contributions to that. The technicals, the set, the choreography, the music, they were all terrific, and the overall effect was of a brilliant team effort. Congratulations to everyone involved for creating something so impressive.

Chris Healy, headteacher

Click here to view more photos from the show.

World Challenge training weekend

24th-26th November

A wet and windy weekend in the Peak District brought many challenges for the staff and pupils of India team B. The group consisting of 19 students from years 11-13, plus Mr Dean, Miss Hunt and Miss Clemow set off for Buxton on Friday morning. The weekend was intended to assess fitness and competency of staff and pupils in order to ensure that we can cope with the rigour of a 13 day trek in the Himalayas next summer.

We walked around 20km and spent 2 nights camping out in some very leaky tents! We also heard about altitude sickness, malaria, emergency evacuation procedures and we practised river crossings on dry land! The team also had to buy food for the group from a meagre budget. The first trip into the supermarket bought the basics for a very impressive £22. This left £20 to spend either on a better equipped campsite or extra food. You guessed it - chocolate it was!

Liz Hunt, Malcolm Dean and Sue Clemow, WCE school leaders

A2 Biology Visit to Whalley Farm Withington

Mr Jan Rowe gave Year 13 biologists a conducted tour of his dairy farm. He explained how he gets the maximum amount of milk from his 180 strong Holstein pedigree herd. The group saw for themselves the amount of effluent the cows produce and the huge logical nightmare of its disposal. Their senses were further awakened when the muck spreader sprayed the silage over a nearby field! The application of science was clearly evident from the decomposition of food stocks by microbes to the energy conversion ratios from grass to milk.

Georgina Kedge, science department

Make Your Mark Challenge

20th November 2006

24 year 10 students took part in the National Make Your Mark Enterprise Challenge on Monday 20th November. The challenge this year was 'to make something fun, and earn a ton!' The students were split up into House teams and had all day to come up with an innovative and enterprising product or service that would successfully meet the design brief.

Different ideas were debated amongst the teams and they ranged from creating a spectacular winter ice festival on the river Thames in London where the river was deliberately frozen to produce a spectacular winter festival. The idea was based on the ice festival in Sapporo, Japan. A further idea was to create a party sized version of the classic game Twister. The idea was to aim this product at the 18th and 21st birthday markets as well as stag and hen do's. The team also thought that it would be suitable for hire and researched the bouncy castle hire market for information on prices and costs.

The winning team came from Selvey house who designed a human marble run that would be located locally above the Dowdeswell reservoir. The idea behind this was to have a project that was environmentally friendly, fun and profitable. The project was a cross between Zorbing and a toboggan run that allowed people to roll down the Cotswold Hills in an innovative and exciting capsule. The team fully costed their proposal with a keen eye on the environmental factor.

Further details of this winning entry can be found under the Action Stage documents.

The Selvey team of Nick Blaikie, Chris Folland, Richard Bethell, Charlotte Stephens, Charlotte Pike & Lucy Rogers then took this entry to the regional finals at Exeter racecourse where they had to deliver their idea in front of an X-factor panel of judges. The presentation in the form of a BBC news report was well received - especially the disabled access part of the project. The team had a great day out and were a credit to the school.

For the second year running, the team narrowly missed out on winning the event and going through to the national finals in London. The business department would like to thank all the students who took part in a very rewarding and educational experience and look forward to next year when they hope to go one better.

Please click on the images below to open the action stages of the project (pdf format).

Phil Waterhouse, head of business

James Chacko Memorial Tree

23rd November 2006

Today 1002 put the finishing touches to the silver birch tree planted this month in memory of James Chacko, in the presence of his parents and family. James died earlier this year, after suffering with a brain tumour diagnosed when he was in Year 7.

A plaque sited on a sturdy oak plinth sits proudly bearing his name, while around it were planted crocus and iris bulbs, both blue; the request of the friends in his tutor group, and a reminder of James' beloved blue cowboy boots, as well as Ottewell House. The flowering season for both is relatively short-lived, but their colours are as striking as is the stark white bark of the tree against the grey of this November afternoon. Both seem fitting metaphors for James' life - short, but significant. The poems and tributes read out by members of 1002 are printed below, since these too, along with the planting, serve as respectful tributes to a young man who certainly changed people's lives, and who will not be forgotten.

Gayle Bennett, tutor

He simply is an inspiration to us all. He fought but never complained, He certainly made me realise how much I take so many things for granted, he often said "you may not want to go to school, but at least you can" and this just puts into perspective how much we just think school is school but we never think what we get out of it, he has made me see that it really is worth it.

James had one wish, this could've been anything but, being the caring person he was, James chose to take our tutor group Mrs Bennett and Mrs Saunders to Warwick castle, This particular trip we will always remember, we had such a fantastic time and I have never seen him so happy. This was the wish that the make a wish foundation granted for him. All of 9o2 including James had a lovely time and remember it to this day I would like to thank make a wish foundation and James himself for this.

He always chose to put us before himself, so James we will return this favour by spending everyday thinking of you…a loving, caring friend.

Faye Briggs, 1002

James, even though the months have passed, you're still in our thoughts.

These flowers, blue like your favourite boots and like Ottewell, are a symbol of new life.

When they bloom in the spring, we will remember your smile, the way you laughed with us.

We will think about Warwick and how generous you were; all the happy memories, cancelling out the sadness.

When we read the plaque we will know how short your life was, and how we should make the most of ours.

How we should never take school for granted but, like you, enjoy everyday and make the most of our opportunities.

We will never forget all that you taught us and whenever we see the tree with all the flowers that surround it, we will think of you.

Thank you.

Holly Richards, 10O2

ESU Public Speaking Competition

22nd November 2006

On Wednesday 22nd November three Year 10 students took part in this annual competition. As always they had to work as a team, taking on the roles of chair person, questioner and main speaker, and competing against other schools in the area. Holly Richards performed the role of questioner admirably, ensuring the main speaker from St. Edwards was put on the spot and forced to think on his feet. Tom Richell was a charming and witty chair person and Joe Mason won the prize for best main speaker. Unfortunately our team narrowly lost to Cheltenham Ladies who put forward an excellent team and who will now proceed to the next round. Nevertheless, our team worked exceptionally hard and certainly gave the other schools a run for their money. They plan to win it next year!

Fitness Test Trip

22nd November 2006

On Wednesday 22nd November the AS Physical Education group and Health and Social Care students went to Gloucestershire University, Oxtalls campus to undertake a series of fitness tests.

The tests include the Wingate anaerobic test (using state of the art equipment), Strength test using the grip dynamometer, reaction tests, Illinois agility test, speed tests (using speed gates) and flexibility tests to name a few. The data is used for the students' coursework and consolidates knowledge learnt over the course of the year. In addition to this they learnt a basic SAQ (speed, agility and quickness) warm up and had a tour of the campus.

The University offer this day in relation to the 'Aim Higher' initiative to encourage A- Level students to study in higher education. The day was not only enjoyable for everyone involved but extremely productive as a source of information for coursework.

Laura Bell, PE and Health and Social Care

Bar Mock Trial

18th November 2006

On Saturday 18th November, a team of Year 12 students took part in a regional heat of the Bar National Mock Trial Competition in Plymouth Combined Court. This is a competition organised by the Citizenship Foundation, in partnership with the Bar Council. The team took on two court staff, prosecuting and defending the cases against some of the best schools in the South West. The students worked very hard and devoted lots of time from the start of the year to get to the high standard expected and certainly did deliver. It was an enjoyable, if tiring, day which involved a 6 o’clock start to get there on time. Well done to all who took part.

The students involved were:

Peter John, head of Year 12

Careers Information Presentation

16th November 2006

Following a talk to Year 11 students regarding sixth form entry, a group of parents and friends of the school gave presentations about their careers. The topics covered were:

- What their job entails
- The skills and personal traits needed
- The entry qualifications necessary and if things have changed now
- What training routes are available
- Any high and low points associated with the career

The speakers were:

- Jeff Hindle, Operations Manager, UPS
- Peter Brunt, Surveyor, Peter Barry & Co
- Angela Arthur, Midwife, NHS
- Stavros Popadopolis, Engineer, Alan Dick & Co Ltd
- Nicola Jordan, Health Visitor, NHS
- Frank Smith, Scientist, QinetiQ

The students found the presentations inspiring and helped them to realise how much work must be done to enter these types of professions. We would all like to thank the speakers for giving up their time and giving such engaging presentations.

Kevin Clancy, head of careers

Operation Christmas Child

10th November 2006

Operation Christmas Child is part of the Samaritan's Purse charity. They take boxes to children in poor and war torn countries for Christmas. Again this year we decided as a school to support this worth while charity. Many staff got behind the campaign and worked with their tutor group to produce a box. Our 62 boxes were collected at the beginning of November.

Becky Atkin, head of year 13

Mechanical Engineers and Royal Engineers Visits

6th November and 19th September 2006

As part of the army's careers programme, soldiers from the Mechanical Engineers and Royal Engineers visited groups of Year 9 and 10 Balcarras students.

On each occasion the visitors gave a very enjoyable presentation on aspects of training, prospects and pay in the army and the qualifications that could be gained for later life.

The Royal Engineers set Year 9 students the challenge to build a bridge over a 1m span that would carry a model tank. The group that built a bridge that collapsed under the greatest weight were declared the winners!

The Year 10's challenge, set by the Mechanical Engineers, was to build a crane that could rotate 360 degrees and pick up a model 'bomb'. The winning group was the one that carried the greatest weight and had the most manoeuvrability.

The student groups, made up of both boys and girls, thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working as a team under the guidance of skilled soldiers.

Kevin Clancy, head of careers

House Cross Country Competition

1st November 2006

The House Cross Country competition took place on Wednesday 1st November. It was a cold but beautiful day, ideal conditions for cross country! Procedures followed as normal where the Year 7s ran first followed by the Year 8 and 9s and finally the Year 10 and 11s. Everyone who took part in the race did extremely well. Congratulations to Graveney who won the overall House Cross Country Cup this year!

The remainder of the results are as follows:
Year 7 - Selvey
Year 8 & 9 - Foley
Year 10 & 11 - Ottewell

WINNERS

Halloween in the Canteen!

31st October 2006

The Balcarras canteen was transformed for Halloween day with a feast of frightening foods and ghoulish grub!

There were witches instead of dinner ladies and a spiders the size of your hand crawling around the serving hatches! The food served was all themed for the day and proved to be popular with Balcarras students.

Catering staff dressed up in costumes and decorated the canteen with goblins, bats, skeletons, webs and an eight foot spider. Anne Bagshaw, Catering Manager said, "the children absolutely loved the Ginger and Orange Pumpkin Pie".

The day was a part of our new catering company's efforts to increase the popularity of the healthy option meals they serve on less frightening days of the year! The new healthy meals have proved to be popular and is part of a whole school initiative to raise the profile of being a healthy school.

Prize Giving Awards

19th October 2006

We have been fortunate indeed to have a whole series of eminent speakers for our Prize Giving - Professor Nigel Paine, journalist Simon Hoggart, author Gervase Phinn have all presided in recent years - but this year's was particularly renowned. The Bishop of Liverpool, very Reverend James Jones is famous as a theologian, an environmental campaigner and a broadcaster. Alongside all of this, he is also an education enthusiast, keen to swap ideas with our Chair of Governors, Alison Horne, as he performs the same role for Liverpool's new joint-faith academy.

Bishop James spoke brilliantly and exchanged a warm greeting with every one of the 138 prize winners. He also conversed with a wide variety of staff and governors in the staffroom both before and after the event.

The evening again showed Balcarras at its best, with several contributions from pupils and sixth form students, all of which were delivered with confidence and humour. Delightful music was also provided by Ed Brown and Lottie Briggs.

Mr Healy almost managed to sabotage the evening by speaking out of turn but Mrs Horne salvaged the situation with great skill! Otherwise, this was a superbly-staged occasion, thanks to the team of staff led by Andrew McClelland, and all who attended left with a feeling of pride in the pupils' achievements. It is a pity that more pupils and parents are not able to be invited because it is so enjoyable and motivating for everyone who does.

Graveney victory in House Music Competition

13th October 2006

The annual house music competition again showed the massive amount of musical talent in the school and the huge amounts of competitiveness and desire to win from each of the four houses. Weeks of rehearsals and preparations built up to the main day with Graveney being awarded the overall crown in the closely fought competition. The day was rounded off with two highlights concerts to Year 7 pupils and parents.

Perhaps one of the best parts of the whole event is that each house is lead by members of the sixth form. Here two school pupils, Tom Hackwell from Year 13 and Joshua Cirtina from Year 7 give their memories of the day.

I have participated in the house music competition for four years, this year, sadly being my last. Being part of such a group effort is a great privilege and wining the competition gave me a huge sense of satisfaction and pride. The joy comes when the entire show comes together. I love the competitiveness, with each house fighting to be the best and the leaders being determined to lift the trophy at the end.

The competition has been running for five year and Graveney have lifted the trophy three times. It is certain that without the invaluable contribution of the music teachers (Mr Fox and Miss Hayes and the brilliant accompaniment of Mr Williams) the quality of the music within the competition would be significantly less impressive. Another thing that is certain is that Graveney would definitely not have been able to win without the leadership of Megan Travers who choreographed all dances and pretty much crafted the choir single-handedly.

It has been a pleasure to be involved in this competition and I would recommend it to anyone.

Tom Hackwell, Graveney house music leader.

I thought house music was amazing. When it actually came to performing the show it was brilliant!

The work that the sixth formers did was fantastic. They really put the show in line better than anyone else could.

All the houses performed really well and a big hand to Graveney who won the competition. It just proves all the hours of practice does pay off.

Joshua Cirtina, Year 7

The Battlefields Trip

18th - 20th October 2006

Balcarras students from Years 9 and 10 have just returned from a moving and educational trip to the first world war battlefields of Northern France and Belgium. The group took in sites based around the Ypres and Somme areas and enjoyed being able to visualise the reality of the battlefield by seeing the remaining trenches and visiting some of the excellent museums of the area.

The group found the size and amount of the British and German cememteries in the area almost over-powering especially when the graves of men from Charlton Kings were found. Two of the group also discovered the resting places of their ancestors, both of which had not been visited by other members of the family before.

The trip was valuable and rewarding and will help to boost the classwork of the students but will also stay with them for many years as a moving and emotional experience.

Click here to view more pictures from the trip.

Ben Edwards, history department

Sponsored Walk

29th September 2006

Over £11,000 was raised by another successful sponsored walk despite a last minute route change and the pouring rain.

The entire school covered the surrounding hills on the 8km course. A group of keen runners raced over the course led by Mr Prophett and Mr Sentance. Then came the mass walkers who stretched out in a long line around the course.

A field of cows, shocked to see so many school pupils, led to a quick detour up a rather steep part of the course which had the walkers rather red faced. However, they were soon cooled down by the arriving rain clouds. Spirits weren't dampened and everybody completed the course by 3.30pm.

The money raised goes toward charities chosen by the school pupils and also to school improvements for the benefits of pupils.

Click here to view more pictures from the day.

Pete Coombs & Rachael Moore, sponsored walk organisers