Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School

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Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
Work hard.
Be brave.
Believe in yourself...
The Headteacher’s ‘Living the Values’
Award, introduced in 2012 as part of the
school’s Legacy commitment to the
Olympic and Paralympic Values, was this
year presented by England Rugby World
Cup star Heather Fisher to Ben Marshall.

See pages 4-7 for more
outstanding prize winners!

                                           1
Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
Work hard. Be brave.                                                                                                   Australian Rugby Legend Campo
                                      Believe in yourself...                                                                                                 entertains students and rugby fans alike
                                                                                                                                                             David Campese, or Campo as he is lovingly
                                      Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself. The core values of our inspirational Prize Giving Speaker Heather
                                      Fisher (see pages 4-7) resonate throughout this wonderful winter edition of Personal Best.                             referred to by his fans, still holds the record for
                                                                                                                                                             the most Australian international tries scored
                                      In the shared celebration of our ex-Year 11 students’ record-breaking achievements in their GCSE examinations last     (64) and he joined us on 12 November for
                                      summer, but also more widely in the incredible range of activities, opportunities and successes enjoyed by our young   some coaching and another of our Rugby
                                      people over the past term. These are, as you will see, evident both within and indeed well beyond our school           Legends evenings – a night of lively
                                      community. Please now enjoy reading more about how the values and qualities exemplified by our amazing students        discussion, banter with the opportunity for
                                      define so much of what they do, in so many different ways. • Derek Peaple, Headteacher
                                                                                                                                                             questions and answers followed by selfies.

                                                                                                                                                             Guests enjoyed a buffet at Newbury Rugby Club’s
                                                                                                                                                             Kickers Bar and an opportunity to bid for unique
                                                                                                                                                             sports memorabilia. The event, which was
                                                                                                                                                             co-organised by Park House and the Club, raised
                                                                                                                                                             funds to go to further developing grass roots rugby
                                                                                                                                                             at the school.

                                                                                                                                                               Prior to the evening Campo coached the next
                                                                                                                                                             generation of players at Park House in a series of
                                                                                                                                                             ‘masterclass’ sessions.

                                                                                                                                                                We are already the alma-mater of a number of
                                                                                                                                                             high-performing rugby players including England
                                                                                                                                                             internationals Tom Croft and Jonathan Joseph, and
                                                                                                                                                             international age-group players such as women’s
                                                                                                                                                             rugby players, Cerys Cox and Cara Brincatt.

                                                                                                                                                                Alongside our ongoing partnership with Lewis
                                                                                                                                                             Moody’s Mad Dog Rugby Academy the event has
                                                                                                                                                             further inspired the growth of rugby talent.
                                                                                                                                                             Students are now able to follow traditional
                                                                                                                                                             qualifications whilst benefitting from professional
                                                                                                                                                             rugby coaching. However, ever keen to offer
                                                                                                                                                             students the best opportunities, funds raised from
                                                                                                                                                             the evening will contribute towards supporting
                                                                                                                                                             further grass roots growth and opportunities at the
                                                                                                                                                             school. • Derek Peaple

    David Campese opens refurbished sports facilities
    David Campese very kindly joined us in school ahead of our Rugby Legends evening on 12 November to open our newly refurbished
    sports hall, heating, changing and toilet facilities. The colourful, commemorative plaque was designed and produced by our superbly
    talented A Level students.
      Synergy Construction and Property Consultants helped the school gain £750,000 in funding the refurbishments which were put in place with main
    contractors Woodland Commercial Ltd. The new facilities emphasise our ongoing commitment to sport and exercise as an essential part of our students’
    health and wellbeing and will offer external clubs and community groups the chance to let our fantastic facilities. • Derek Peaple

                                Park House School
                                A Leading Academy
                                for the Whole Community

    Personal Best is published by Park House School. It is distributed to         Park House School, Andover Road,               Designed and produced by
    students, staff, parents, stakeholders, alumni and friends of Park House      Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 6NQ                   Waddell Digital Limited
    School. Issue No 40 will be published in the Summer of 2019.                  T 01635 573911                              WaddellDigital
    We need the help of staff and students to produce Personal Best               E tjones@parkhouseschool.org              @WaddellDigital
    – thank you again to all those who have contributed to this issue –
                                                                                  W www.parkhouseschool.org               www.waddelldigital.co.uk
    we’re sorry if your story couldn’t be included this time.
    Do you wish to say something positive about school life? Please submit             /ParkHouseSchool
    ideas, stories, copy and high resolution photos for future issues to                                                                                                                                           3
2   Headteacher, Mr Derek Peaple or Mrs Teresa Jones in the school office.             @PHSNewbury
Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
2018 Ex-Year 11 Prize Giving:
                                                                                                                          DMA (Dance, Music, Acting) performed Seasons of Love from the musical Rent

    Celebrating bravery and hard work
    Rugby World Cup Winner and Olympian Heather Fisher was guest of                   Ben Marshall received special
    honour at our annual, inspirational evening celebrating the success of         mention as this year’s recipient of
    former Year 11 students. Heather, along with Mayor, Councillor Margo           the prestigious Head Teacher’s
    Payne, presented awards to students who collectively achieved the              annual ‘Living the Values’ Award for
    school’s best ever Progress 8 results. The results cement Park House’s         the student who best exemplified a
    position as one of the top 100 state schools in the county for continuous      commitment to the Olympic and          Heather receiving a painting by Sabina Collado, Year 13
    improvement at GCSE.                                                           Paralympic Values. He also received
                                                                                   the Paul Barker Memorial Prize for
       Heather was a wonderfully inspirational speaker on an evening which         best GCSE results
    celebrated the equally inspirational achievements of a wonderful group of
    young people. The honesty, relevance and power of her message about               The awards were generously
    resilience, hard work and self-belief resonated magnificently with a year      sponsored by Synergy Construction
    group which rose so successfully to the demands of the toughest GCSE year      and Property Consultants who
    for a generation.                                                              recently worked with the school to
                                                                                   secure £750,000 in funding to
       Heather, an ambassador for Alopecia UK and the OK Our Kids charity, spoke   upgrade the Sports Hall where the
    about her core values, “Be brave, work hard, believe in yourself” before       presentation evening took place.
    presenting awards for achievement, progress and community contribution.        • Derek Peaple

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Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
More of our amazing ex-Year 11                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Well done and congratulations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                to all of our deserving
    prize winners from November                                                                                                                                             Photo prints available to buy from
                                                                                                                                                                            www.waddelldigital.co.uk/phsprizegiving2018                                                  prize winners.

    Lottie Bullard             Lucia Collado                                    Mia Davies                                        Richard Dobson                            Sophie Kent                                      Hubert Krysztofowicz           Reuben Langdon                                   James Liriano
    Governors’ Shield          English Language                                 Art                                               Food Technology                           Textiles                                         Business Studies               Newbury Oils Cup                                 BTEC Sport
    For Academic progress                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Boy athlete of the year
                               The Riley Cup                                    The Nick Lardner Memorial Prize                                                             David Welch Memorial Trophy
                               For outstanding attitude to Textiles             For kindness to others                                                                      Continuous progress throughout the school                                       Gil Appleby Memorial Prize
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades

    Amy Evans                  Harry Evans-Rusher                               Molly Ford                                        Lilly Gohara                              Ben Marshall                                     Anna Montagne                  Henry Reeves                                     Bo Stewart
    Physical Education         Schneider Memorial Prize                         David Clark Shield                                Governors’ Prize                          Physics                                          Peel Cup                       Physical Education                               Trevor Fisher Memorial Prize
                               For the student who has persevered               For significant progress throughout school life   For service to the Community and School                                                    Girl athlete of the year                                                        Outstanding attitude to work and school life
                               and succeeded                                                                                                                                Paul Barker Memorial Prize                                                      Neil Jones Memorial Prize
                                                                                                                                                                            For the best GCSE results                                                       For the student who has excelled academically
                                                                                                                                                                            Gil Appleby Memorial Prize                                                      Gil Appleby Memorial Prize
                                                                                                                                                                            For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades                                  For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades
                                                                                                                                                                            Headteacher’s Living the
                                                                                                                                                                            Values Legacy Award

    Ella Holmes                Kiara Jones                                      Phoebe Just                                       Zehra Kasli-Walmsley                      Izzy Sutherland
    J Roberts Shield           Gemini Services Award                            Music                                             Photography                               Dance
    For officiating in sport   For Excellent work in IT
                                                                                Gordon Clewes Memorial Prize                                                                Dawson Prize
                               Gil Appleby Memorial Prize                       For service to music                                                                        For the student most deserving of success
                               For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades
                                                                                                                                                                            Eileen Hanks Cup
                                                                                                                                                                            For outstanding artwork
                                                                                                                                                                            Gil Appleby Memorial Prize
                                                                                                                                                                            For achieving nine or more 9-7 and A*/A grades

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            7
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Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
Junior Prize Givings
    We don’t just wait until students have left Year 11 to formally celebrate their achievements! The following
                                                                                                                  Celebrating student
                                                                                                                  achievement throughout
    highlights capture our wonderful Junior Prize Giving Ceremonies for Years 7-10 held back in July,
    recognising the commitment and progress of all our students as they mature within school...                   the school...

    Year 7            – now Year 8                                                                                Year 9   – now Year 10

    Year 8            – now Year 9                                                                                Year 10     – now Year 11

8                                                                                                                                             9
Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
Anna is
     on track
                                                 Connor reaches new
     for success                                 heights in dance...
                                                 Recently, I was accepted into the ranks of the National Youth Dance           three days. Later, in December, we will spend a week together to begin to
     I have always loved running but it’s        Company or NYDC for short. It is a dance company that brings together         craft the new work which we will tour around the country in 2019 in many
     only in the last few years since I have     “the brightest talent from across England to work intensively with            amazing venues, with it all coming to a close by performing on the main
     been in Newbury that I have been            Sadlers Wells’ renowned Associate Artists”.                                   stage at Sadlers Wells, London, in front of over 1500 people, including our
     competing for team Kennet, starting                                                                                       family and friends. Words cannot express how excited and nervous I am
     primarily in the 100m.                        It is an amazing opportunity for me, and I am honoured to be only the       leading up to this coming year. I really hope that I can inspire other people
                                                 second person from Park House to be accepted into the company.                to strive for their dreams and, even if it seems impossible, to try as hard as
        I quickly found the 100m wasn’t for
     me and instead I was reached a                 The first time I heard about the company was at a dance show, not long     you can for them because you never know where your dreams can take
     reasonable level in the 200m, 300m and      before the first round of auditions, so I eagerly signed up for               you! • Connor Humphreys, Year 13
     long jump. It was only this year, as my     them. I arrived at the audition with 30 other dancers and we
     first year in the U17 age category that I   all waited patiently for the audition to begin. We were told
     started multi-eventing. Balancing the       that we were one audition of many others around the country
     training in order to master seven events    and soon learnt that over 400 people had applied. The audition
     and my GCSEs was often a struggle, but I    consisted of learning repertoire from the past NYDC dancers along
     found time whilst competing to revise       with improvisation and group choreography tasks.
     between events.                                Only a few weeks later, I received an email informing me that I had been
        My first combined events competition     given a place in the second audition shortlist. We were cut down from
     was the Berkshire Pentathlon in May,        over 400 dancers to just 75. At this audition we were able to meet the
     where I placed second, meaning I made       choreographer for the NYDC 2018-19 residencies, Botis Seva – a dance
     the Berkshire team therefore advancing      artist, choreographer and director working within the realms of
     to the Regionals in Ashford.                contemporary dance, physical theatre and hip-hop. He has won many
                                                 notable choreography awards including the International Choreographic
        My last week of exams came to a          Competition and the Marion North Mentoring Award. At this audition we
     close, meaning I was heading down to        were able to learn some of Botis’
     Ashford, Kent for my first ever             movement and have some fun
     heptathlon. The competition was over        getting used to his style.
     two days and points are added across
     the seven events (80m hurdles, 200m,           At the end of the audition, we
     800m, shot put, javelin, long jump & high   watched the NYDC dance piece
     jump). I was thrilled to be part of the     created last year and we saw how
     Berkshire team and the camaraderie          amazing they all were. It was slightly
     between the athletes was amazing – but      daunting when I got an email later
     of course with highs came lows, as is       that month saying that I was in the
     expected when competing across so           company, but at the same time it was
     many events.                                the happiest moment of my life. I had
                                                 become one of just 30 new members
       My first heptathlon was a fantastic       of the National Youth Dance Company
     experience, and I received the news a       and I really couldn’t be prouder.
     few days later that I had done enough to
     qualify for the English Schools combined      So far, we have had a small
     events final, held in Bedford in mid        experience working together for three
     September.                                  days as a new company in the October
                                                 Half Term. We got to know each other
        Once again it was two days of highs      and become really close in the short
     and lows, getting a huge PB of 1.62m in     amount of time we had over those
     the high jump was a definite highlight,
     but frustrations in both the 200m and
     800m shortly followed!
        This season has made me more
     determined than ever to improve, and
     push myself to become the best I can be.
     I will still be in the U17 category next
     season, so a second year to progress
     and see how far I can go in my age
     group! • Anna Montagne, Year 12

10                                                                                                                                                                                                              11
Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
Encompass II 2018
      What I enjoyed about Encompass was the overall atmosphere. I love dance shows and the manic, chaotic mess of costumes, quick changes and running to
      the stage always slightly late or stupidly early. The feeling of standing in the wings, waiting to go onstage and hearing the audience cheer, is so exhilarating
      and nerve wracking – it’s the best feeling in the world! It’s really cool to see the older dancers perform as well, and seeing how the movements get more
      complex. I really loved watching the dance ‘Diseased’, knowing that we will learn it next year. It’s also so inspirational watching the Sixth Formers which
      makes me hope that one day, I’ll be able to do dances like theirs and maybe even get to do a solo. Everyone was so nice and supportive and made the
      younger dancers feel welcomed. It was an amazing experience! • Abigail Elliott Year 10
      On Friday, at the rehearsals, I really enjoyed watching the older ones perform and it’s made me realise that is what I want to aspire to be. I feel really lucky
      to be part of such an inspirational, amazing and incredible dance experience. I love how supportive Mrs Mawazini and the other helpers were towards the
      dancers. In rehearsals, I really felt like we grew as a Park House family. On Friday, I was very excited to perform. I felt very proud of myself. My Mum and
      Dad and sister were ecstatic with me and couldn’t contain their excitement. This was my third show, as I keep coming back wanting to do it again! It truly is
      an amazing thing to do and I really recommend it. • Amelia Myers Year 10

                                                                                            Photos from Howard White at www.dzphoto.co.uk

                                                                                                                                                                             “It’s also so
                                                                                                                                                                            inspirational
                                                                                                                                                                            watching the
                                                                                                                                                                         Sixth Formers...”

     “In rehearsals, I really felt like we grew as a Park House family.”

12                                                                                                                                                                                           13
Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
Lighting the way as Get Set Beacons
                                                                                                                                                                            We are now taking part in a nationwide Olympic and Paralympic                 The school will
                                                                                                                                                                            Legacy initiative to inspire young people across their community           receive funding from
                                                                                                                                                                            to live a healthier, active lifestyle.                                     the Get Set initiative
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       to support the
                                                                                                                                                                                Park House has been selected to be a Get Set Beacon organisation,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       events.
                                                                                                                                                                            helping to promote Olympic and Paralympic ideals by organising
                                                                                                                                                                            sporting events for the community over the next academic year. A             Get Set is the

     Veterinary
                                                                                                                  any of you aspiring veterinary surgeons out… I            fitting accolade, as we were the only educational institution to have      British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association’s youth
                                                                                                                  may even have a suggestion on which University I          been awarded that ‘Inspired by 2012’ mark by The Cabinet Office            engagement programme that grew from the London Olympics of
                                                                                                                 think is the best! • James Bishop                          after London 2012.                                                         2012. Its aims are to help young people live a fit and healthy lifestyle

     ambitions                                                                                                     Back in 2013, we both achieved, with the help of                                                                                    and to realise their sporting potential.
                                                                                                                                                                              We are already planning to hold three sporting events, in which we
                                                                                                               many brilliant Park House teachers, a seemingly
                                                                                                                                                                            will be inviting local schools to take part. Mr Peaple said: “We’re very     It also aims to spread the Olympic values of friendships, excellence
                                                                                                              impossible feat – getting into vet school. There were
                                                                                                             only seven vet schools in the UK, all of whom ask for
                                                                                                                                                                            proud and pleased that Park House is just one of 45 schools and            and respect along with the Paralympic ideals of determination,

     fulfilled                                                                                               at least AAB at A Level as well as many weeks of work
                                                                                                            experience as you can fit into school holidays. Having
                                                                                                            no family members involved in farming or in veterinary, I
                                                                                                                                                                            youth organisations nationally to be chosen as a beacon.”                  courage and equality which we fully support as a school. •

                                                                                                           had worked hard at making contacts to gain experience,
     The inset photo was taken on the day of James
     Bishop and Loran Beeley’s A Level results in 2013,
     marking the end of their era at Park House. And, the main photo was
     taken on the day of their graduation in July this year, marking the end of
     their era at Nottingham Vet School. There are many similar emotions
                                                                                                          including lambing, a dairy farm, a pet farm, small and
                                                                                                         large animal veterinary practices, riding schools and
                                                                                                        visited an abattoir. Looking back, I cannot believe I
                                                                                     managed to juggle my studies and organise these placements at such a
                                                                                     young age. Luckily, I knew from Year 9 that my aim was veterinary, so I was
                                                                                                                                                                             Race for life
     accompanying both photographs; disbelief, relief, extreme pride and a
                                                                                     able to accumulate work experience in school holidays over several years.                Park House saw its fourth annual schools Race for Life take
     bit of uncertainty for the future but most importantly two very happy
     young vets who no doubt will achieve great things. James and Lorna                  Going to Nottingham Vet School was everything I ever hoped for and more.             place back in July taking in a multi-terrain route around the
     write below about their experiences:                                            It is a five-year course with many exams and further placements throughout               school site. All students from Years 7 to 12 took part with a
        After having already completed 13 years of education, I achieved the         holidays. However, it is also so much fun – how many other courses get to                number of our Sixth Form supporting through motivation and
     required A Levels to continue another five years of education at Nottingham     visit the zoo on freshers’ week, meet their housemates on dissection tables or           encouragement.
     University where I would study to become a veterinary surgeon. The desire to    cuddle animals – from alpacas to rabbits – in their holidays? If I could do it all
                                                                                     again with the exact same classmates – I would, and I have absolutely no
                                                                                                                                                                                 Our Senior Student Team managed the finish line and presented
     become a veterinary surgeon started around Year 8 when I realised how                                                                                                    everyone with a medal. It was wonderful to have the support of our
     much I liked animals, accompanied by a very keen interest in science, from      doubt in my mind that Nottingham is the best vet school in the UK (although I
                                                                                     may be slightly biased!).                                                                local Newbury Tesco Extra who brought along refreshments and
     here I gained a multitude of different experiences including working on a
     chicken farm, working in a pet shop and many nights staying up lambing until
                                                                                                                                                                              certificates. We have just recently received confirmation and a
                                                                                        Now, I am thinking towards the future, I am moving to Cardiff shortly to              certificate from Cancer Research UK to confirm that we raised an
     3.00am before going back to bed ready for school the next day!                  become a small animal veterinary surgeon. Again, there are lots of unknowns
                                                                                                                                                                              incredible £1,783 – well done everyone! • Mrs Hawkins, Health &
         My five years at Nottingham have not only enabled me to achieve my          and uncertainty, but if the future is half as great as the last five years, I know I
                                                                                                                                                                              Wellbeing Co-ordinator
     dream of becoming a vet, but it introduced me to many of my now best            will have a brilliant time.
     friends, facilitated me to start up and become President of the University of
                                                                                        Thank you again to Park House for enabling us to achieve our dreams and
     Nottingham Clay Pigeon Shooting Club and provided me with experiences
                                                                                     to anyone currently attending who is thinking about doing veterinary, please
     such as listening to the heart beat of a chimpanzee and helping vets in
                                                                                     do give it a lot of consideration. We cannot deny that it is hard work and if
     procedures that brought new life into the world.
                                                                                     our hearts had not been completely in it, we would not have made it through
        Having now graduated and achieving the title of Dr, I have started working   the relentless challenges over the past five years. You need to choose to do it
     in a small animal veterinary practice in Newbury. If any students have a        for you, do not allow yourself to be pressured into it by anyone else.
     similar desire to become a vet, I have given my personal contact details to     However, if it’s your dream, then please go for it – if we can do it – you
                              Mr Peaple and will be only too happy to try and help   100% can too. • Lorna Beeley

14                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                15
Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
Horse chestnut                                                                                Coastal and urban field trips
                                                                          tree donated
                                                                          Back in 2008, as a youngster former student and groundsperson James Burton,
                                                                                                                                                                        Year 12 Swanage Field Trip
                                                                                                                                                                        Seven great people, three adventurous days and one amazing coastline.
                                                                                                                                                                        The A-Level geography trip to Swanage was incredible.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Year 9 Urban Fieldwork in Newbury
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Year 9 students undertook a piece of fieldwork this term and the key
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          question that they were answering was “How has Parkway affected
                                                                          like many of his generation, played conkers with his grandparents who had                                                                                                       the number of stores and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         We enjoyed every minute
                                                                          many conker trees in their garden.                                                                                                                                              shoppers on Northbrook
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      from the walk to Lulworth Cove
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Street and in the Kennet
                                                                            Having a keen interest in arbor culture (now his career) James decided he was                                                             to discuss the formation and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Centre”. This involved
                                                                          going to grow his first tree whilst still at primary school! His plan was to grow it in the                                                 measure the beach sediment,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          visiting Newbury Town
                                                                          family garden and then cut it down if it become too large! However, ten years on he                                                         being nibbled by goats at
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Centre during the school day
                                                                          hasn’t needed the chain saw yet as a horse chestnut tree (conker tree – latin name                                                          Farmer Palmers Farm Park as
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          and then producing a write
                                                                          Aesculus hippocastanum) can take time to grow bearing in mind they typically grow                                                           we looked at rural
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          up booklet full of graphs and
                                                                          about 40cm per year.                                                                                                                        diversification and going to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          analysis once back in the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Sandbanks and Boscombe to
                                                                             James felt that with the need to reduce some of the trees within school due to                                                                                               classroom. • Miss Bunn,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      look into their coastal defences
                                                                          disease or architectural reasons, it would be good to give something back to nature.                                                                                            Geography Dept
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      and collect data looking into the
                                                                          He therefore donated his nurtured horse chestnut tree to Park House which he planted
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      differences between them.              We went to Newbury town
                                                                          this term with the help of Mr Peaple. James felt that “trees add value to our
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          centre on Thursday 15
                                                                          environment improving air quality, and supporting wildlife, amongst many other                                                                    For October we had
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          November to do some Urban
                                                                          aspects.”                                                                                                                                      unusually good weather and we
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Fieldwork. Whilst there we had
                                                                             Mrs Robinson-Slater said: “We are so fortunate to have a large number of mature                                                             even managed to fit in an ice
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          to do a footfall survey which is
                                                                          trees which makes our campus very special. The planting of the kind donation from                                                              cream stop and carve
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          where you are in groups and
                                                                          James of the horse chestnut will add to our very pleasant surroundings and when this                                                           pumpkins in the evening. Being
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          one person counts the people
                                                                          horse chestnut comes into fruition it will contribute to the fantastic autumn colours                                                        able to study fieldwork
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          walking left to right and the other person counts the people walking right
                                                                          which we are privileged to work in on a day to day basis.” •                                  techniques and whilst experiencing the beautiful lithology and geology was
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          to left. We did this survey at Northbrook Street, Parkway and the Kennet
                                                                                                                                                                        really memorable and it will really help us all when we have to do our own
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          centre, we did this for five minutes each time.
                                                                                                                                                                        fieldwork projects next year. Huge thanks to Mr Davis and Miss Bunn for

     Mayor’s Cadet update
                                                                                                                                                                        taking us on this great trip. • Niamh Dorrington and Amy Evans, Year 12              We also asked member of the public if they were a local or a visitor and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          whether they thought the town centre was clean. We did an Environmental
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Impact Assessment at Parkway and the Kennet Centre which is where we
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          looked around to see if it was noisy, smelly, attractive, safe and
     My first five months as Mayor’s Cadet have been very exciting. I have met lots of interesting people including                                                                                                                                       welcoming. We are using the information we collected for a project in class
     local MP, Richard Benyon and the Commanding Officer of RAF High Wycombe, Group Captain Rob Woods OBE. I                                                                                                                                              this term. • Brooke Robinson, Year 9
     have attended the HMS Tigris Church service and the turning on of the Newbury Christmas Lights and I read
     Luke v2 ch8-20 (Shepherds come to see the Christ-child) at the Civic Carol Service on 16 December. I just can’t
     wait to see what happens in 2019; I wouldn’t trade it for the World. • Joshua Lane, Year 11

16                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      17
Work hard. Be brave. Believe in yourself - Park House School
Let us entertain you
     This year we have welcomed a new Head of Music, Mrs Cooper. If you
                                                                                       India’s commitment to training pays off
                                                                                       On November 25 I was invited to compete in the British Modern
                                                                                       Biathlon National Championships in the Under 14 Girls category
                                                                                       held in Leeds.
                                                                                         The British Modern Biathlon U14s category consists of a 1600m run
     are part of her tutor group you will already know the day starts with             and 100m swim. In order to qualify, I needed to get 2000 points
     singing the register. Since joining, Mrs Cooper has held a number of              across both disciplines or place in the top three in one of the regional
     performances with the students. Here she tells us about our students’             qualifiers. I competed in two regional qualifiers, at Basingstoke and
     recent visits to entertain senior citizens at Age Concern’s Fair Close Day        Abingdon, and achieved third place in the Basingstoke regional
     Centre in Newtown Road, Newbury:                                                  qualifier.
        Earlier this term we were invited to perform for a group of Senior Citizens       The Leeds competition was tough but due to all the training and help
     at the Fair close Day Centre.                                                     from my coaches, I managed to get Personal Bests in both my
        On our first visit, our Year 9 GCSE Music students were delight to perform a   run and swim, and placed 24th in the U14 Girls category nationally.
     variety of pieces from The Greatest Showman to When Daisies Pied along               This is the first year I have competed in a Biathlon. I train with
     with solos on piano, voice, bassoon and flute and piano duets with a very well    Basingstoke Bluefins Swimming club five times a week and enjoy
     received performance of The Kinks’ You Really Got me. After the performance       cross country and long distance running, so I decided to try the
     the students chatted with the Senior citizens and enjoyed cake! Our               Biathlon as it brings both disciplines I enjoy together. Having enjoyed
     audience’s comments included “A lovely afternoon the children were very           competing in the Biathlons, I have now joined Wessex Wyverns
     brave to sing for us”, “We hope they enjoyed performing as much as we             Pentathlon Club and have added Laser Shooting to my training
     enjoyed watching”, “We would love them to come again soon…”. And,                 schedule. Next steps are to try the Modern Triathlon (Run, Swim,
     so, we did...                                                                     Shoot), Laser Run (Run, Shoot) and to qualify again for next year’s
        Our first visit had gone so well we were invited back with students from       Biathlon National Championships.
     Years 7, 8 and 9 to entertain the day centre visitors again for their Christmas      I feel very proud of my achievements and this now motivates me to
     lunch which was also attended by Mayor, Councillor Margo Payne who said “I        train harder and to try the different events available to me through the
     had a marvellous time!” Well done to all of our brilliant singers and             Pentathlon GB Organisation. • India Farrant, Year 8
     musicians who got involved! • Mrs Cooper, Head of Music                             India is totally committed to improving in each discipline and
                                                                                       was over the moon with her recent Personal Bests at the
                                                                                       event in Leeds! • Mr Elliott - Tutor / PE Teacher:

                                                                                           Max power...

     Silence is golden
     This term I have had many students wanting
     to take part in sponsored silences in aid of
     Children in Need. The maturity of the students
     not only when taking part but to also go round
     and collect sponsorship has been amazing to
     see. We have so far raised over £50 for what is
     such a wonderful charity.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Photo: Steve Hone
        They have not thought about themselves but what
     they can do for others, I’m an extremely proud Head                                 Max Perry, Year 7 has been racing speedway since he was six years               riding his 125cc Speedway bike in the British Young Lions where he has
     of Year! Well done to Anna Patterson, Tara Fitzgerald,                              old, in his first year of racing he was crowned South west centre               been racing up and down the country and France.
     Darcy Birch-Hedger and Ellie Keen, who have been                                    champion and finished fourth at the Nationals.
     outstanding throughout. • Mr Columbro                                                                                                                                   This year Max was asked to join the Peterborough Thundercats in the
                                                                                             Still riding his 50cc auto Grass track bike he went on to win the North,    Northern Junior League, where they finished Northern League runners up,
                                                                                         South, West and East centre titles two years running including two British      NJL fours Champions and NJL best pairs runners up. Max also finished top
                                                                                         titles. Max then moved up to the cadet class on a 65cc bike where again he      of the 125cc averages list in his first year beating kids up to the age of
                                                                                         won his third British title.                                                    fifteen. Max also went onto set 125cc track records at Peterborough,
                                                                                            Only staying in the cadets for one year Max said he wanted a challenge       Scunthorpe, Rye house and Redcar.
                                                                                         so he moved to the junior class on his 85cc bike racing against kids two           2019 is set to be a very exciting year and Max is hoping to team back up
                                                                                         years older where again he won the British title taking it to four.             with the Peterborough Thunder Cats, continue with the Young Lions, try and
                                                                                            Max tried for a fifth title this year but had bike problems and missed the   win another British title and also compete in some more European rounds.
                                                                                         top spot by one point. In between all the Grass track racing Max has been       • Robert Perry

18                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     19
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     and a cultural visit in 2017 (featured in Personal Best issue 37) a further group of ten
     Year 12 Chinese students from underprivileged backgrounds in Yuann province in China
     visited us this month.
        They engaged with our own Sixth Form students in a question and answer session
     learning about each other’s culture. Our students were particularly shocked to learn about
     the length of the Chinese school day – 6.30am to 11.00pm! The Chinese students were
     impressed by the wealth of options on offer at Park House and both groups gained greatly
     from the experience and new friendships. • Mr Oxley, Modern Foreign Languages

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Samuel Wright, Arnaud Montagne, Gracie Matthews, Josie Piddington, Ella Dunford, James Peaple and Charles Matthews
                                                                                                  16

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Champions of Enterprise
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Our Sixth Form Champions of Enterprise team have just been crowned best in West Berkshire in a Dragon’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Den-style competition which required them to work together and present innovative solutions to ‘live’
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                business challenges organised by the Education Business Partnership.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Shortlisted for Design Ventura
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                A team of our Year 10 GSCE Design and Technology were recently shortlisted for the prestigious Design Ventura
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                competition and were one of only ten teams pitching their idea at the final held in November at the Design
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Museum in London. The competition had over 13,400 students participating making the achievement even
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                more impressive. We look forward to the announcement of the winners in early 2019.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Our students, Oscar Stephens, Ben East, Luke Rivers, George Keen, Joe Neary and Joseph Cottingham-Mayall,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                gave a brilliant and engaging presentation of their design concepts for ‘Hold’em’, a shopping bag holder to take
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                the pain out of carrying lots of shopping bags with a strap that helps take the strain. As one professional design
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                observer commented: “I really like this concept. A solid solution to a clearly identified problem.”

20                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    21
Year 7, you’re awesome!
                                                                                                                                                                      Welcoming our Year 7 students and their families
                                                                                                                                                                      I can almost remember my own first day in Year 7 – the excitement               was well, and it was! Many students were trying subjects they had never
                                                                                                                                                                      and fear. I imagine the same can be said for our cohort of Year 7,              experienced before or had barely looked at. The conduct in lessons was
                                                                                                                                                                      many of whom came from very small primary schools where they                    exemplary and the rapport between students and staff started to evolve.
                                                                                                                                                                      knew everyone and enjoyed familiarity.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         For Mrs Chandler, Miss Dewsbury and I, it has been a pleasure getting to
                                                                                                                                                                         This year, our new students settled in well and started their Park House     know all students and to see all their amazing skills and qualities shine
                                                                                                                                                                      journey with an amazing assembly from Graham Edmunds (Paralympic                through. A very enjoyable, hard working environment is now established
                                                                                                                                                                      Gold Medallist swimmer). The students thoroughly enjoyed his extremely          with all Year 7 students fully integrated as part of the school community.
                                                                                                                                                                      inspirational story and also had the chance to meet him and have their
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         On the 10 October we held our annual Year 7 parents’ social evening – a

      Current run of Rugby success...
                                                                                                                                                                      photo taken. What a way to start your academic year!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      great way for parents to discuss the start of the year with all the tutors and
                                                                                                                                                                         Graham said: “It was such a special privilege to be invited to address       other parents while enjoying a glass of wine. A massive thank you to all
                                                                                                                                                                      Year 7 students at Park House on their first day ...I really hope I have        that helped make this an amazing evening!
      The Year 7 rugby team have been outstanding in every sense this                  on the field. The A & B squads have been extremely successful this             inspired the pupils to make the best of their time at Park House’.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         The first term is almost complete and I can honestly say, as Head of
      season! They have been extremely committed to the rugby                          season remaining unbeaten in the district league with the A squad also            After this the hard work started for the Year 7s as they went off to         Year, I’m extremely proud of all students for the progress they are making
      programme right since the first training session.                                remaining unbeaten in the county competitions! Individually and                undertake their first lessons at Park House. A scary moment for many, with      and at how well they have taken on the Park House values. I look forward
         They have shown real togetherness and character throughout the                collectively the students have been a credit to the school. Well done to all   new teachers, classrooms and peers to meet. To say they settled in quickly      to a successful rest of the year and the journey ahead. • Mr Columbro –
      season with numbers of 20+ at each training session. The character, unity        the students involved!                                                         is an understatement. I patrolled the corridors daily, checking to see if all   Head of Learning, Year 7
      and desire shown from all of the students during each training session             A special mention goes to Seb Chapman and Edward Bone who have
      and particularly in matches has been outstanding! We admire this group           shown their leadership skills both on the pitch and off. • Mr Elliott, PE
      of individuals when it comes to displaying commitment and determination          Department

     “All the team have worked very well and they                                     “I have really enjoyed my time as Rugby
      haven’t moaned or anything to me whilst I                                        Captain for Park House. It has taught me
      have been captain. When I first played it                                        some important values like hard work,
      was a bit nerve-racking because I had                                            determination, confidence and given me a
      never played with some of my team mates.                                         feeling of happiness. The Year 7’s are
      When we win games I think the reason is                                          undefeated in the whole of Berkshire which
      because we have played as a team and that                                        is a great achievement for our rugby team
      makes me happy. Rugby makes me happy –                                           and the school. I have tried to be the best
      I can play a sport as part of a team and                                         captain I could be. I currently play fly-half
      being captain also makes me happy that I                                         and for me that is one of the toughest
      can help and support people.” Edward Bone, Year 7                                positions on the pitch.” Seb Chapman, Year 7

        Biggs hitter...
        Year 7 student James Biggs first picked up a golf club at the age of
        three. In 2015, he joined Wragg Barn Golf Club, Highworth, Swindon
        where he was part of the Cadet One programme. Over the next few
        years, James developed the golf bug and one of his coaches, Richard
        Scarott, said, “Wow! Where did you get that swing from? I wish I had
        been as good as you at your age.”
          From March to August this year James has played for the Wiltshire
        Development Squad and played in the Wiltshire Development Tour where
        he came second in an Order of Merit Tour. Scott Talbot, Cadet Organiser for
        Wragg Barn and Secretary for the Golf Union in Wiltshire said that James
        was one of the best players he’d has seen for his age group.
            The Cadet Two Championship at Wragg Barn in August saw James
        shoot an amazing 89 to win the trophy by nine shots and gain an invitation
        to play in the Men verses Juniors Competition – a proud moment as James
        was still a Cadet. Three days later, James progressed to the Junior Section
        and is now playing off the back tees.
           Since then James achieved first in the Under 13 age group at the North
        Wiltshire Junior Open on 1 November and has been offered a place on the
        Wiltshire Under 13s Elite Squad by John Jacobs (the England Boys’ coach).
        James happily accepted the invitation and to say he was excited is an
        understatement! James’ ambition is to study golf at a sporting college in
        the UK or America and his sporting dream is to one day become a PGA Tour
        Professional and win the Open Golf Championship. • The Biggs Family                                              Photo: www.yoursportswindon.co.uk

22                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     23
Students meet with the West                                                                                                                   Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
      End’s real-life Jean Valjean                                                                                                                  The Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award, was first launched over
                                                                                                                                                    60 years ago. Hundreds of students from Park House have
                                                                                                                                                    participated in the Award which is available to all students from
                                                                                                                                                    Year 9 and above and is now the world's leading youth
      Year 8 students received a unique opportunity to see the legendary    to work in. The visit gave the students first hand insights into the
      West End production of Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’ and then to     challenges posed by set features such as a revolving set. After being   achievement award.
      meet and quiz Dean Chisnall, in November. As a school we              quite literally ‘shown the ropes’ backstage, the students got to see       The award equips young people for life, regardless of their
      regularly put on high quality productions at Arlington Arts, giving   the set in action, before meeting Dean Chisnall the productions’        background and physical ability. It is a personal challenge and not a
      students a feel of life on the stage and the work that goes into      leading man, Jean Valjean) to find out more about the production        competition against others; it gives young people new challenges and
      putting on a production such as costume, lighting, stage design       and the life of an actor.                                               recognises their achievements. The Award can also play a critical role
      and props.                                                                                                                                    in supporting a young person when they apply for College, University
                                                                            Dean has visited Park House and spoken with the students in the
      However, a backstage tour of a real West End show, followed by        past, but seeing Dean in his professional environment gave students     or employment and is highly thought of in the world of work. I have
      seeing the performance, gave the students a chance to see exactly     a chance to learn more about life on stage, to collect his autograph,   summarised below some recent achievements with our DofE students
      how West End sets are built and the environments that actors have     and to make life-long memories. • Miss Baron, Head of Drama             here at Park House. If you are interested in joining the DofE or have
                                                                                                                                                    any further questions about the Award please contact Linnhe Lay on
                                                                                                                                                    llay@parkhouseschool.org • Mrs Linnhe Lay
                                                                                                                                                    Bronze DofE
                                                                                                                                                    Huge congratulations to 14 Bronze DofE students who have
                                                                                                                                                    completed their DofE Award over the Autumn term: Emma Cheshire,
                                                                                                                                                    Emily Clayton, Georgina Green, Isabel Knight, Emma Layton, Bethan
                                                                                                                                                    Philp, Emily Robinson, Molly Smith, Oscar Stephens, Emma Thomas,
                                                                                                                                                    Lowri Thomas, Sophie Thornton-Allen, Emily Valentine, Charlotte Wiles
                                                                                                                                                       “I thought I would never be able to participate in the DofE
                                                                                                                                                    as I was convinced that I would not be able to complete the
                                                                                                                                                    different sections but the DofE has encouraged me to try new
                                                                                                                                                    activities and gain new experiences, especially volunteering
                                                                                                                                                    at Newbury Library. The DofE was such a great
                                                                                                                                                    experience for me and I also met a whole new
                                                                                                                                                    group of friends.” Isabel Knight

     “I loved it because it                                                                                                                           Well done to Olivia Popplewell who joined a team of
                                                                                                                                                    DofE participants from other schools to complete her
      made me feel a                                                                                                                                Bronze mop up expedition. As the only member of the
      range of emotions                                                                                                                             Park House DofE on this expedition Olivia showed the true
      from laughter to                                                                                                                              spirit of the DofE throughout her expedition by making
      tears.” Sam Knight                                                                                                                            new friends, and she always had a smile on her face even
                                                                                                                                                    when she was up against the relentless wind and rain!
     “I thought the trip
                                                                                                                                                    Silver DofE
      was an amazing                                                                                                                                Three Silver DofE Teams challenged themselves through
      experience and I                                                                                                                              the gruelling wettest and windiest weekend of the year on
      would love to do it                                                                                                                           their Silver DofE practice expedition in September. The
      again and I also                                                                                                                              teams were not defeated by the horrendous weather and
      thought the actors,                                                                                                                           went on to pass their Silver Assessed Expedition in
      singers and acting                                                                                                                            October, in beautiful sunshine! Congratulations to Charlie
      was amazing!”                                                                                                                                 Ginn for completing his Silver Award
      Lottie MacDonald                                                                                                                              Gold DofE
                                                                                                                                                    Three Park House students have achieved the ultimate, by passing
     “I really enjoyed the                                                                                                                          their Gold DofE Award; Grace Norton (pictured right), David Lee and
      show and I would                                                                                                                              Jack Hygate. These three students will be invited to Buckingham
      definitely come and                                                                                                                           Palace next year to collect their Gold Award.
      see it again. It was                                                                                                                             “My Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) experience started in Year 9
      a breath-taking                                                                                                                               when I did my bronze award. When I first signed up for DofE, I
      experience.”                                                                                                                                  never thought that I would continue to gold, but I am
      Cerys Durham                                                                                                                                  extremely glad that I did. DofE has been the most rewarding
                                                                                                                                                    experience I have ever had. It has expanded my horizons and
                                       “Totally unexpected. I don’t think even Shakespeare could imagine                                            allowed me to prove that I am capable of feats I didn’t think
                                        how good this play was – and the performance!.” Izzy Pilkington                                             possible. In short, DofE has allowed me to discover new
                                                                                                                                                    hobbies, meet new people and grow as a person. I cannot
                                                                                                                                                    recommend DofE highly enough.” Grace Norton

24                                                                                                                                                                                                                           25
STEM Careers days and STEM Challenge
     EBP Festival of Engineering                                                     the DNA and inserted it into a glass vial and made a necklace with it. Some
     The first Festival of Engineering set up by the Enterprise Business             real gene jewellery, very personal and unique.
     Partnership took place on 9 November. This was held at XTrac
                                                                                        Plenty of STEM fun going on at Park House throughout the school
     Transmissions in Thatcham and we were able to take about 40 of our Year
                                                                                     year and for lots of our different year groups. One common theme
     9 students who were interested in STEM careers. Lots of potential
                                                                                     throughout was that all of our students were so well behaved on the
     employers were there with engaging hands-on activities for the students.
                                                                                     visits they were an asset to school and a pleasure to take out and
     Our students got to meet staff from Dyson, Thames Water, Bloodhound
                                                                                     inspire. • Ian Miller
     (The land speed challenge) Thatcham Research and Ocado Supermarkets.
     All of the employers were showing how STEM subjects were essential to           STEM Challenge
     their businesses. The host of the event was Richard Benyon MP who met           On Monday 15 October, four Year 9 students (Josh, Angus, Tom, Patrick T)
     some of our Year 9 students. This event was a great success.                    went to a STEM event at AWE. The challenge was to design and make a
                                                                                     submersible vehicle that would compete in four tasks. The boys were
     Downe House STEM Day
                                                                                     assisted by AWE engineering staff and overseen by AWE apprentices, as
     Early in November Year 11 girls were lucky enough to be invited to Downe
                                                                                     the submersible was to be built by the students themselves applying the
     House School in Cold Ash for their STEM careers day to explore some
                                                                                     knowledge they had gained during a school visit from AWE staff earlier in
     diverse areas of science and technology. The event involved sessions
                                                                                     October. Despite being joint first after the second task, the Park House
     understanding the science behind lock gates on canals, research into
                                                                                     challenge tailed off and they finished fifth. Our students enjoyed the day
     neurological pathways to provide better medical care, molecular imaging
                                                                                     and gained lots of knowledge and skills that they can apply in both school
     in cancer treatment and a session run by Bletchley Park staff on code
                                                                                     and any STEM-related work they do in the future. • Mr Hale
     breaking, Enigma style!
     Rutherford Appleton Laboratory                                                 “We were set a challenge to make a working
     In December a group of our sixth formers went to Rutherford Appleton Labs       submarine out of limited materials – plastic
     for a STEM science day. We arrived in the morning and after a short             bottles, motors, balloons and other everyday
     introductory talk the students were straight into a hands on activity with      items. The first task was to make an accurate
     Arduino microprocessors. Setting up a simple programmable
                                                                                     design of the submarine we were going to make.
     microprocessor circuit. This was followed by a tour of the data centre,
     showing the huge storage racks capable of storing the many petabytes            Our second task was to make the submarine sink
     (1,000,000 gigabytes) of data that support RAL projects and scientific          and rise as quick as possible. Our third task was
     research on the Harwell campus. Some data is still stored on tape and we        to make the submarine go from one side of the
     were shown how tape storage is used and how reliable it is for storing large
     quantities of data that is not under constant access at a reasonable cost.
     From there we went to the Compact Laser Facility where demonstrations
                                                                                     tank to the other in the fastest time possible and
                                                                                     our fourth and final task was to try and make our
                                                                                     submarine reach a neutral buoyancy. Some of the
                                                                                                                                                                   Thatcham technology inspires again...
     using light to analyse materials were shown. The afternoon session was a                                                                                      In early November the A-Level Physics and Design and Technology                     The tests are designed to mimic how a car would behave in a real crash.
     lecture explaining how our understanding of material structure is essential     prizes varied from Lego books to action cameras!                              students got the chance to visit Thatcham Research, a leading not-for-           Although for a good cause, it’s quite shocking to see brand new cars with
     to our understanding of the Universe and how we interact with it. Big           We all really enjoyed the day!” Josh Donohoe, Patrick                         profit researcher into motor safety and security.                                just two or three miles on the clock get written off.
     thinking and big science but very small particles!                              Thorpe, Angus Magee, and Tom Rowe
                                                                                                                                                                      We were hosted by Neil Samuel from Thatcham Research who gave us                 Training is vital to ensure ongoing car safety and the Thatcham training
                                                                                                                                                                   an introductory presentation into what Thatcham Research does, including         centre staff showed us how training programmes are developed for
                                                                                                                                                                   the three different types of crash testing they do at the centre (front-left,    apprentices from many areas of the motor industry. New materials are
                                                                                                                                                                   side and rear). By doing this crash testing, Thatcham Research grades each       constantly being developed and it need to be understood how the behaviour
                                                                                                                                                                   car model against a five-star rating for safety and a fifty-point system         of these material affects the way they are body repaired after an accident.
                                                                                                                                                                   overall. This forms a Euro NCAP rating for the car. Thatcham is the only Euro    The use of extensive carbon fibre in modern high end cars presents new
                                                                                                                                                                   NCAP certified crash lab in the UK. We were introduced to new                    problems for the repair industry. We saw the extensive aluminium
                                                                                                                                                                   developments in safety including a demonstration of ADAS (Advanced Driver        substructure of some of the new Tesla model cars. Aluminium requires
                                                                                                                                                                   Assistance Systems), self parking cars and autonomous cruise control. The        specialist welding techniques for repairs to be safe. Thatcham Research is
                                                                                                                                                                   students got to ride in a Tesla model S with lots of self driving aids fitted.   unique in that all the tools needed are available on-site, along with
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    classrooms for the theoretical aspects. The final part of the visit was hands
                                                                                                                                                                     During our tour of the facilities we looked at the RTC, where new cars are
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    on, as a passenger, in an autonomous braking Volvo V40. The car was
                                                                                                                                                                   assessed for appropriate repair methods developed in conjunction with the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    driven towards a ‘foam car’ and the car braked on its own with no input
                                                                                                                                                                   manufacturers. We saw video and real evidence of how safety has
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    from the driver, when the cameras and radar sensors detect the parked
                                                                                                                                                                   progressed over the last 20 years with comparisons from an early ‘90s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    foam car. Very jerky but saved an impact, the following insurance costs and
                                                                                                                                                                   Rover Metro and a current Honda Jazz model. The differences were truly
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    potential injuries. Just showing us how technology is being used in
                                                                                                                                                                   shocking – occupants in a modern Jazz would have survived an impact
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    everyday life to assist with motoring issues. Hands off parking in a LWB
                                                                                                                                                                   which would have proved fatal in the Rover. Chilling.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mercedes S class limousine was a very surreal experience.
     Bayer Life Science                                                                                                                                               We went to the indoor crash areas, hosted by Tom, a recent graduate
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Our STEM visit to Thatcham Research is now a highlight fixture of our
     This term, some of our new Year 7s had the opportunity to go to Bayer Life                                                                                    engineer. His enthusiasm for his cars and in making them safer was
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    first year A Level Physics course. This year we’ve expanded it to involve our
     Science in Reading to their BayLab facility. During the morning activity the                                                                                  infectious. He explained how huge the forces involved are. Here, cars are
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    D&T students too, they get an insight into the uses of many different
     students extracted some of their own DNA from some of their cheek cells                                                                                       propelled on a moving floor sideways into a concrete pillar. The collision
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    materials and their impact on the finished products. The visit is designed
     and using some advanced and sophisticated techniques took a sample of                                                                                         happens at the side of the car directly next to the driver’s head to test the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    to inspire an interest and passion for all things automotive in our
                                                                                                                                                                   side airbags deployment and how the car copes with the impact. Each test
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    students. By the looks on some of the faces here we seem to
                                                                                                                                                                   takes several weeks to set up as the car must be in the correct position to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    have hit that target. • Ian Miller
                                                                                                                                                                   make every test repeatable and reproducible.

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House System Update...
     The House System at Park House school continues to be a tremendous success and positive force for good throughout the school. From Year 7
     right through to our Sixth Form, students have been earning House Points by competing in House Events, volunteering their time for the school
     and community and generally exceeding expectations with their academic performance and efforts. Here are the current points standings:

     Cedar 8920 points Oak 8537 points Beech 8514 Elm 7782
        The overall winners will have the honour and pleasure of the big House          With some House Sports events already completed (and more to come),
     Party at the end of the year, alongside having the House Shield engraved        we look forward to a raft of events for students to take part in: House
     for all to see.                                                                 Debating, House E-Sports and Sports Day to name just a few we have
                                                                                     featured here from last year.
       In addition to this, we have appointed our House Captains from our
     exceptional and outstanding pool of talented Sixth Formers.                       If you have any questions, comments or thoughts that you would like to
        The senior student team (Year 13) have continued in the tradition of their   communicate with us then please email any of the following:
     forebears and are already making a wonderful contribution to school life.       BEECH@parkhouseschool.org         CEDAR@parkhouseschool.org
     Two members (Jacob Smith and Bridgett Skinner) have the honour of               ELM@parkhouseschool.org           OAK@parkhouseschool.org                                      House Cricket Competition                                                House Drama Competition
     being our Senior House Captains. We have now appointed eight Year 12s
     as Junior House Captains. We look forward to another remarkable year of         Or Mr Marshall (House Co-Ordinator):
     positivity and healthy competition for the four Houses here at Park House.      hmarshall@parkhouseschool.org

                                                                                             Cedar House winners of 2017-2018 house competition

       Name: Matt Maynard                                                              Name: Kiara Jones                                                        Name: Mai Brown                                                         Name: Heather Caborn
       House: Beech                                                                    House: Cedar                                                             House: Elm                                                              House: Oak
       Likes: Rugby                                                                    Likes: Animals, Computer                                                 Likes: Athletics                                                        Likes: Art, science,
       Reason for wanting to be House                                                         Science and Maths                                                 Reasons for wanting to be House Captain: To help make a                 veterinary studies and
       Captain: It’s a chance to have a bit                                            Reason for wanting to be House                                           difference to the House System and inspire people in every year to be   good music.
       more responsibility and be a bit more                                           Captain: I want to extend my leadership                                  more involved in their House community
       involved with the school                                                                                                                                                                                                         Reasons for wanting to be House
                                                                                       skills and cooperation skills                                            Aims and ambitions for my time as House Captain: To promote a           Captain: To encourage expansion of
       Aims and ambitions for my time as                                               Aims and ambitions for my time as House Captain: I want to help          positive attitude towards your House, as well as wanting to achieve     House events
       house captain: To help the House System and improve the schools’                build the House System and get more people involved.                     highly.
       system to accommodate everyone who's in the school, the best i can                                                                                                                                                               Aims and ambitions for my time as House Captain: To get more
       along with the other Captains.                                                                                                                                                                                                   House events for more subjects along with participation.

                                                                                       Name: Elishia Pryor                                                      Name: Charlotte Phillips
       Name: Lucy Rowe                                                                 House: Cedar                                                             House: Elm                                                              Name: Josh Smith
       House: Beech                                                                    Likes: Dance, Drama and                                                  Likes: Science and coffee                                               House: Oak
       Likes: Science and Football                                                            Photography                                                       Reasons for wanting to be House                                         Likes: Media, Football and
                                                                                                                                                                Captain: I wanted to be House Captain                                          Karate
       Reason for wanting to be House                                                  Reason for wanting to be House                                           to gain responsibilities and have my
       Captain: I wanted to be more involved                                           Captain: Help and encourage younger                                      chance to help improve the school. I am                                 Reasons for wanting to be House
       in the school community to benefit                                              students through the years.                                              not only representing my team, Elm, but                                 Captain: I have enjoyed taking part in
       others, and work as a team to arrange                                           Aims and ambitions for my time as house captain: To help the             I am now also part of the House team, working with the other House      House events ever since Year 7 and I
       competitions between the houses.                                                House System and develop the schools system to accommodate               Captains to bring ideas together.                                       really want to be able to assist the
                                                                                       everyone who is in the school, the best I can along with the other                                                                               school in any ways possible.
       Aims and Ambitions for my time as House Captain: My aim is to                                                                                            Aims and ambitions for my time as house captain: As House
       encourage a healthy competitive House System, with ideas coming                 House Captains.                                                          Captain, my aim is to encourage more enthusiasm, teamwork and           Aims and ambitions for my time as House Captain: I aim to help
       directly from students.                                                                                                                                  competition in the House events, as well as holding new events to get   organise and introduce a wider variety of house events and competitions
                                                                                                                                                                students from all year groups working together as one team.             for the students here at Park House. I also wish to leave after my
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        A Levels being able to be proud of achievements as Oak House Captain.

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