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www.ridgewayschool.com - All the latest news from The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
...Inspiring Learners For Their Future

                                                                           July 2019

                                                                           Issue 166

All the latest news from The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
                www.ridgewayschool.com
www.ridgewayschool.com - All the latest news from The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
2   The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
www.ridgewayschool.com - All the latest news from The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
A word from the...

              Principal
Dear Parents,
As the term draws to a close I would like to thank you
for your involvement in your son/daughter’s
development here at The Ridgeway.
There have been many highlights and successes this
year, too many of which to capture here.
Our Ridgeway Review for the year is currently being
compiled and will be sent out in September.
We are looking forward to celebrating students' exam
successes in August. Our Year 7-10 Achievement
Evening was a wonderful evening recognising
student progress, endeavour and personal
development.
Year 6 students had a very positive couple days of
induction and are looking forward to joining The
Ridgeway family in September.
On 21st June Year 11 had their Prom with the Year
13 Leavers Ball on the 28th June. They were both
wonderful evenings with students looking glamorous,
sophisticated and very grown up.
May I take this opportunity to wish students the very
best for their future who are moving on from The
Ridgeway School and Sixth Form College.
Please keep in touch and let us know your progress.
Have a wonderful summer and we look forward to
welcoming students back on Wednesday 4th
September.
Best Wishes

James Povoas,
Principal

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Ridgeway Serves Up ...

                              MATT ADLARD PASTRY WORKSHOP...
                              On Monday 20th May, Year 9 and 10 took part in an exciting workshop with Matt Adlard, a
                              social media influencer who has cracked America in the baking world. Students learnt lots of
                              new skills, received some great tips for their GCSE practical’s and made delicious Mille
                              Feuilles with Diplomat cream and praline. Matt also demonstrated how to decorate a ‘Swiss
                              meringue buttercream’ drip cake. A huge well done to all students involved. Mrs Stamp

                              ROMAN DIETS FOR                       WILTSHIRE CHEF OF THE YEAR…
                              THE JUNIOR                            Congratulations to Katherine Powell in Year 10, who won
                                                                    the Wiltshire Chef of the Year competition. She was
                              SCHOOL…                               given incredible praise by two Michelin starred chefs,
                              All three classes from Year           who couldn’t believe the skills she has for her age. They
                              4, have enjoyed a recent visit to     have highly encouraged her to take up a career within
                              The Ridgeway School where             the catering industry.
                              they have had the opportunity to      She will now have the chance to be mentored by one of
                              work in a specialist food room.       these chefs’ on a regular basis in preparation for the
                                                                    South West final on 5th October in Exeter.
                              This year group is studying the
                              Roman period so what more             This is an amazing achievement for Katherine. She has
                              fitting practical work than to make   worked unbelievably hard preparing for this (mum said
                              pizzas!                               that she has been making her dish every night for two
                                                                    weeks).
                              Using bread dough that was
                              prepared earlier to shape the
                              base, the students used a                 TRAINING FOR FOOD TEACHERS...
                              multitude of toppings to create           On July 4th The Ridgeway School hosted Food-A fact
                              their own perfect pizza.                  for life (FFL) twilight training session. The course was
                                                                        designed to support the training needs of teachers and
                              Interwoven during the                     assistants who deliver food in secondary schools. The
                              sessions was the science of               British Nutrition Foundation has been supporting
                              bread making, nutrition, maths            teachers over many years by providing resources, giving
                              and a lot of literacy. Many willing       on line and face to face training, and this occasion
                              helpers from our Year 10 Child            proved very productive.
                              Development class assisted                Teachers were able to work around a variety of well
                              during the three sessions where           planned practical activities, including making cheese,
                              they interacted with different            examining food labels and exploring healthy eating
                              groups and really made an                 ideas.
                              impact.
                                                                        In addition teachers were able to exchange good
                              It is always good to welcome our          practice tips with others as well as examining the
                              near neighbours from Wroughton            excellent FFL website.
                              Junior School who are particularly        We were very pleased that Roy Ballam for the BNF
                              talented cooks, if the finished           travelled from London for the meeting. All that attended,
                              results of the pizzas were                said the session had been extremely useful in
                              anything to go by. Mrs R Cairns           giving initiative ideas for teaching in 2019/20.
                                                                        Mrs R Cairns
4                            The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
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YEAR 8 EAT LIKE AN ATHLETE
                       COMPETITION...
                       Nineteen Year 8 students participated in the Eat
                       Like an Athlete cooking competition on the 12th

                                                                                                The Ridgeway News...
                       July. We had judges, Mrs Stamp, Miss Blackler,
                       Miss Collins and ex-student, Megan Leigh, who
                       were amazed by the talent of young cooks and
                       standard of dishes produced. Huge
                       congratulation to the five winners:
                       First place overall winner: Michael Ukpoju with
                       Chicken Alfredo
                       Second place snack: Oliver Szymor with Lemon
                       Tarts
                       Second place meal: Jack Tatem with Steak and
                       Mushroom Sauce
                       Third place snack: Daisy Allen with Savoury
                       Muffins
                       Third place meal: Lewis Gurr with Chorizo Chilli
                       Well done to all students involved!
                       Mrs Stamp

FAME VIP CANAPÉ EVENT…
Year 9 and Year 10 students prepared, cooked and served canapés to our VIP guests before
the production of Fame on Thursday 11th July. These students had previously planned their
canapés in Food and Catering lessons and were voted to cook their chosen dishes at the
event. On the evening, these talented students worked hard to prepare each canapé with
support from their chosen sous chef and served these to our guests whilst experiencing what
life is like in a professional kitchen.
A huge well done to the following students for your hard work, creativity and ability to stay
calm under pressure:
Head chefs- Grace Stuart-Brown, Freddie Winters, Maisy Williams, Guy Vickery, Jacob
Canfer-Smith, Daniel Ready and Luke Pancott
Sous chefs- Chelsea Gordon, Owen Wilson, Nicole Tarrant, Abie Blackmore, Ethan Emmett,
Skye Lamb and Charlotte Price. Mrs Stamp

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SUMMER PIC ‘N’ MIX…
                                                                       It is the summer pic ‘n’ mix pack selection
                                                                       for our term 6 Accelerated Reader
                                                                       competition winners. Student: Miss, is it
    LRC News...

                                                                       really one item from each pile to put in the
                                                                       bag? Librarian: Yes, it is really is!
                                                                       Congratulation to the 20 winners.
                                                                       Mrs S Day

                   READING IN THE COMMUNITY…
                   Year 10 Child Care and Development students
                   have being doing a fabulous job reading regularly
                   to the toddlers at Tick Tock Nursery. Giving up
                   their lunchtime to do so, Charlotte the nursery
                   manager has been so impressed with their
                   attitude and commitment that she has offered
                   volunteering positions to our students over the
                   summer holidays. Mrs S Day

6                 The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
www.ridgewayschool.com - All the latest news from The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
GR8 BOOK DEBATE FINALE...                           been hard to me a mother to a black son and
                                                    to watch him (even as an adult) experience the
After reading 5 books over several months,          effects of persistent racism in America. My
aided along the way by break time biscuits, our     son advocates for social justice and with my
year 8 book club students were joined by the        writing, so do I.

                                                                                                          LRC News...
team from LPA for the Finale of The Gr8 Book
Debate. The students were opinionated, and          It was extremely painful writing GHOST BOYS
critiqued everything from the cover, the blurb,     and for about a year afterwards, I was deeply
the plot, character development and everything      depressed. But as schools and students
in between. The joint winning titles are both       started reaching out to me to say they've had
fabulous, thought provoking, contemporary           significant conversations about prejudice, my
reads that will stand the test of time. Thank you   spirit has lifted. I write so youth can have "safe
to BookTrust for providing the books and for        spaces" to discuss real life. You are all
Joel Crowley, Programme Coordinator for             so smart, brave, and empathetic. Being
joining us for the debate.                          independent, critical thinkers, you, like Sarah,
                                                    can reject biased adult beliefs.
From the author of Boy 87 Ele Fountain –
                                                    I was shocked when Jerome didn't leave the
Dear students,                                      story once he figured out that he was meant to
Well done GR8 Debaters – you’re almost              "bear witness" like all the other ghost
there!                                              boys. When he (in effect) told Sarah that she
I’m so impressed by your enthusiasm and             could condemn her father's actions but still
dedication. Reading five books is a challenge.      love him--I was bowled over by his
Reading and critiquing five books takes that        compassion. (I'm not sure personally that I
challenge to a whole new level. It requires a       could have done the same!) But, you see,
deep understanding of every element of the          Jerome was modelled after YOU--students like
book, to develop opinions, and courage to           YOU--and his words "Only the living can make
share and defend those opinions. It requires an     the world better. Live and make it better" is the
open mind to change those opinions in the           wisdom that I've gained from today's youth.
face of compelling argument.                        I will be in the UK next year but, oh, how I wish
Enthusiasm, dedication, courage and an open         I was with you RIGHT NOW. Please know that
mind are great assets, and watching how             I will be with you in spirit ---heralding, cheering
you’ve engaged with books and reading will          you all on as you discuss books. What a gift---
inspire others to do the same.                      Thanks to Nicola Brown and Sarah Day for
Congratulations! Whichever book wins the            reaching out to me and organizing your
most votes, you are the true winners. I hope        debate.
you all feel very proud!                            Stay passionate! Stay brilliant! Always
Kind regards,                                       believe: YOUR generation is POWERFUL.
Ele
                                                  Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes
From the author of Ghost Boys, Jewell Parker Founding Artistic Director, Virginia G. Piper
Rhodes –                                          Center for Creative Writing
                                                  Endowed Chair, Virginia G. Piper Center for
Dear Students,                                    Creative Writing
I am so honoured that GHOST BOYS is one of Professor of Narrative Studies
the five books being discussed. It's thrilling to College of Integrative Sciences and Arts,
have Jerome, Carlos, Sarah, and Emmett be         and Liberal Arts and Sciences
out in the world sparking and inspiring           Arizona State University.
conversations. Racism and racial bias must
end! I do believe that young people like you
are going "to be the change agents" the world
needs.
My generation has made progress but not
enough. I was an infant when Emmett Till was
murdered but every year thereafter on the
anniversary of his death, magazines would
arrive showing images of him alive and
dead. Now as a grandmother, I am still living
in a world the criminalizes the innocence of
black youth. This is so disturbing. It has also

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THANK YOU FOR THE BOOK                              ENGLISH WORKSHOP...
                   DONATION...                                         HOW CAN I SUPPORT MY CHILD WITH
                   Thank you very much to the family who donated       THEIR GCSE ENGLISH? WORKSHOP…
                   a bag of books to the LRC. Super sleuths that       On Thursday 20th June the English Faculty
    LRC News...

                   we are, we were not able to identify the donor to   staged a workshop for parents and carers.
                   say thank you personally. There’s not even a        The purpose of this session was to provide
                   pencilled in name in the front of any of them!      “take away” strategies to support students in
                   These books are in excellent condition, are         preparing for the demands of the English
                   really popular texts and will be very well used.    GCSE exam.
                   We are always happy to receive donations of         It was a vibrant and interactive evening and
                   books in good as new condition, especially          a pleasure to work so closely with parents/
                   biographies, autobiographies, and current           carers. Mrs H Siebenaller
                   young adult fiction books.
                   So feel free to have a spring clear out safe in     WELLBEING BOOKS…
                   the knowledge that your donation will be
                   gratefully received.                                We have plenty of books in the Wellbeing
                   Mrs S Day                                           section of the LRC; these are just a few. If
                                                                       any student needs to take a minute before
                                                                       school, break or lunch, there are plenty of
                                                                       seats in the sun for a moment of quiet
                                                                       reflection and to gather their thoughts.

                                                                       LRC LATE BREAKFAST…

                    YEAR 6S BECOME LITERACY
                    DETECTIVES…                                        Last month in the LRC we had a slightly late
                    This week we welcomed our Year 6 students          breakfast at break-time with the winners
                    to Ridgeway as they visited for their two          of our “Read Around Europe”
                    induction days. Every student received a           competition. These are students who were
                    literacy pack from the English department, to      picked out each week from the prize draw,
                    help them undertake their role as a literacy       which they could enter if they read and
                    detective. The activities are designed to          passed a quiz on a book within their reading
                    foster a genuine enjoyment of reading, and to      level. Bonus entries were given if the book
                    extend levels of                                   had a theme of travel or alternative cultures.
                    reading over the                                   We munched our way through croissants,
                    summer holiday.                                    French bread and doughnuts. No proper
                    We look forward to                                 coffee unfortunately – orange juice and hot
                    seeing their work in                               chocolate were deemed suitable alternatives.
                    the September and                                  Mrs S K Tonkin
                    hope they enjoy
                    performing their                                   SWINDON MATHS LEAGUE
                    tasks as a literacy
                    detective.
                                                                       WINNERS...
                                                                       A Huge well done to Lucy Walker, Jamie
                    Mrs H Siebenaller                                  Sheppard, Abdelrahman Mahmoud and Eleri
                                                                       Owen for winning the Swindon Maths
                                                                       League. They worked excellently as a team
                                                                       to solve some really complex problems and
                                                                       showed what an asset they are to the
8                 The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College             school. Mr L Carney
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SPORTS DAY 2019...

                                                                                                 PE News...
Wednesday 17th July was our        events for Year 7 – 10. All into applause to support and
Year 7-12 sports day, following    students were requested to get
                                                               encourage those competing
on from our field event day        themselves involved in at least
                                                               regardless of the position and
earlier this term. All students    two events in the afternoon.the new house banners that
came to school in their PE kit     Races included: 800m, 60m,  were paraded up and down the
and we had a wonderful sea of      100m, 200m, 8x50m, and we   track. The atmosphere was so
blue around the building! Each     finished with the most      supportive, genuine and
year group spent a lesson in       anticipated and competitive encouraged those not so
the morning participating in a     event of the day the 4x100m!confident to get involved, and
variety of activities. We had      Amazingly with over 1200    that’s what it is all about!
the brilliant cheerleading and     students out on the track weThank you all for a memorable
football golf which were new       ran to time perfectly. It was a
                                                               way to finish the school year
activities this year providing     fantastic day where once again
                                                               and a huge Thank you to the
students with new experiences      staff were reminded how     Year 12 BTEC Sport students
and a taste of alternative         supportive and brilliant ourwho were in charge on
activities. Other morning          students are with a standingplanning the day as part of
activities included, Question of   ovation for both the staff relay
                                                               their course. The effort and
Sport quizzes, watching the        and the final 4 X 100m.     hard work put into the planning
class ‘Might Ducks’ film and                                   and implementation of event
the Year 9 & 10 students       Results are announced in the really paid off and made it an
designed and created their                                     extra special occasion. (Thank
                               final whole year group
own Rugby World Cup Strips!    assembly. – 1st Silbury, 2nd – you Todd Burroughs, Max
Meanwhile the Year 12                                          Simons, Charles Grayson, Ben
                               Avebury, 3rd – Barbury and
students took part in the quiz,                                Hacker, Cameron Harvey and
                               4th – Kennet. I would like to
team building activities And                                   the support of HSLA students
                               thank the students for their
their own traditional Sports                                   on the day).
                               efforts on the day and to the
Day.                           excellent staff who all helped
                               in making yet another           We look forward to 2019/20
Wayne and the brilliant        successful day filled with      with many more whole school
catering team ran a very       brilliant memories for students house and PE events.
successful BBQ at lunch for    to take away with them. My
the whole school – many        personal highlight were the     Mrs G Allbrook-Dunn
thanks to them. Then, we were numerous times that our
into the main event, the track students spontaneously burst

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CONGRATULATIONS ZOE…
             Zoe took up the sport of lawn bowls about 18
             months ago. It is one of those sports that
             doesn't get anywhere near as much attention
PE News...

             as it should in the media (you'd be surprised
             how many young people are now playing!).
             At the end of February, the finals of the
             Wiltshire Indoor EBYDS (English Bowls Youth
             Development Scheme) were held in Salisbury.
             The bowlers were split into Seniors and
             Juniors to play a round robin competition in the
             morning and undertake four skills tests in the
             afternoon. Each event was marked with the          YEAR 9 ROUNDERS…
             totals added to find the winners in each           Congratulations to the Year 9 rounders team who
             section. Zoe won the Junior Section.               won their match against Dorcan this week. The
             Zoe also reached and played in the final of an     score was 12 – 4. A great game in the session
                                                                with the team work really well together to get a
             indoor mixed pairs competition at her home
                                                                fantastic outcome. Mrs G Allbrook-Dunn
             club in Old Town. She played very well and
             although she and her partner didn't quite pick
                                                                CONGRATULATIONS...
             up the winner’s trophy on this occasion, she
                                                                We would like to pass on our congratulation to
             should be very proud of her achievement in         Euan McMeekan who has obtained his second
             getting to the final and coming runner-up.         degree Black Belt in TaeKwon Do. Fabulous
             Zoe has now played in the regional                 achievement. We look forward to following his
                                                                success.
             competition. She played very well and came
             2nd in the junior section. This means she is in
             the top two and will now be representing the       SOUTH WEST ATHLETICS…
             county at the national finals in the autumn.       A Huge congratulations to the following
             She is the only Wiltshire finalist.                students who represented Ridgeway and
                                                                Wiltshire in the South West Athletics; Josh
             An amazing achievement of which she's              Ricketts, Harry Ricketts, Hannah New, Ayla
             justifiably proud, as are we!                      Tonkin and Frank Harrison. It was a great
             Mrs G Allbrook-Dunn                                event with students all pushing themselves
                                                                to compete amongst the best in the South
              CONGRATULATIONS TO AYLA                           West.
              Congratulations to Ayla who took a Bronze         The stand out performance came from Josh
              medal in the South West Inter – Counties          Ricketts who came first in the hammer throw,
              Athletics. Ayla has been working hard to          with a throw of 52.85m and second in the
              tackle a new challenge of the 1500m               shot put with a massive personal best of
              steeplechase and the commitment and               14.89m. This now places Josh in the top ten
              endeavour is clearly paying off.                  in the country for his age group and he has
                                                                been selected to attend the National English
                                                                Schools Competition. Mrs G Allbrook-Dunn
                                            This is a
                                            fantastic
                                            achievement
                                            and we look
                                            forward to
                                            seeing Ayla
                                            progress and
                                            be able to use
                                            these fantastic
                                            results for her
                                            GCSE PE
                                            practical grade.

10           The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
PE News...
                                            SWINDON COLLEGE DAY…
                                            On Wednesday 12th June, ten Year 8 Sports Leaders
                                            that have already impressed with their sports leader
                                            application forms travelled to Swindon College for a
                                            Swindon schools sports tournament hosted by Swindon
                                            College’s level 3 BTEC Sports students. They took part
                                            in football, handball, basketball and dodge-ball, but the
                                            overall objective was for the Year 8 sports students to
BRINGING THE GOLD                           see the planning, confidence and leadership skills
HOME FOR THE SECOND                         demonstrated by the 18 to 20 year olds. Joseph Liston
                                            wrote the following evaluation and reflection of the day:
TIME…
Rebecca is a Ridgeway Leisure Centre        "I thought the coaching for all of the sports was good as
employee and ex Ridgeway Student.           the coaches where always encouraging and helping
                                            out, they were also funny. I thought the event was well
Rebecca is a member of Team England
                                            organised. Personally I thought football was the best
Paracheer Freestyle Pom. They have
                                            activity as the coaching and refereeing was really
been World Champions 2017/18 and            good."
2018/19.
                                            Mr M Wakefield
It has been yet another golden year for
Team England in the ParaCheer
division of the International Cheer Union                          CONGRATULATIONS…
(ICU) World Championships. With the                                Congratulations to Billy who
ICU World Championships being held                                 came sixth overall in the ALL
so close to Disney World there was only                            BRITISH Motocross meeting at
one choice for the team to celebrate- a                            the weekend in round three of
trip to Hollywood studios.                                         this seasons events. We wish
                                                                   Billy luck for the rest of the
                                                                   season. Mrs G Allbrook-Dunn

                                                                        SOUTH WEST
                                                                        CHAMPIONSHIPS..
                                                                        Freya represented
                                                                        Wiltshire yesterday at
                                                                        Exeter in the South West
                                                                        Inter-Counties
                                                                        Championships.
                                                                        She grabbed Gold in the
                                                                        U13G 1500m which she
                                                                        has been working hard at
                                                                        all season.
                                                                        Well Done Freya.
                                                                        Mrs G Allbrook-Dunn

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The Ridgeway Trips...

                          GCSE GEOGRAPHY TRIP…                           management to Bournemouth’s economy.
                          On Thursday 23rd May, a lovely sunny day,      We then spent time evaluating the transport
                          125 Year 10 students made their way to         management in the town centre.
                          Bournemouth to complete their Geography        Students completed traffic counts and asked
                          fieldwork. Students assessed the effectiveness their surveys to members of the general public
                          of the coastal management improvements that confidently. It was an amazing day, students
                          are costing upwards of £50 million.            represented the school extremely well and
                          The student’s teamwork was impeccable, they collected a lot of useful data which will help
                          were extremely accurate when measuring         them immensely with their GCSE exams.
                          groyne drop-heights and spent time             Thank you to all the staff and students
                          considering the importance of the coastal      involved. Miss A Curtis-Slater

                           BLACK COUNTRY MUSEUM
                           TRIP…
                           On Tuesday the 16th, History took 117 Year 8
                           students to the Black Country Museum in Dudley.
                           The students have been looking at the Industrial
                           Revolution, and this gave students a chance to
                           get a sense of what life was like in this era.
                           Students were given a tour around the living
                           museum, which included a trip to the General
                           Store and a chance to see a chain making
                           demonstration. Students experienced a trip into
                           the coal mine and some had a hearty lunch of
                           drippin’ fish and chips!! Miss J Guilliford

12                       The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
BRISTOL ZOO
TRIP…
                                           Arts News...
On Thursday 4th July, the
Science Department took year     ‘WHERE IS THE LOVE?’ WHF ARTS FESTIVAL
7 to Bristol Zoo. Reviews        2019…
included:
Five stars: Best school trip
EVER!
Students were able to wander
around the zoo at their own
pace with their friends, watch
the gorillas being fed with a
talk from the zoo keepers,
race each other and compare
their speeds to cheetahs, as
well as seeing all the little
animals the zoo has to offer.
The education session taught
them about ecosystems, how
we affect them and how we
can protect them – and
students were even given the
opportunity to hold snakes,
lizards and cockroaches!
Here is Jacob Sweet to tell
you about the day from a
student’s point of view.         On Wednesday we took nine Year 7 students to the WHF Arts
                                 Festival. They truly were a credit to Ridgeway, and really got into the
My Trip to Bristol Zoo.          experience of the festival.
When we got there we were        Their interaction with other school students in the federation was
allowed to roam around for at    exemplary; they were kind, courteous and polite to all students and
least 10 minutes then we         staff who spoke to them. They all got stuck into the workshops,
would meet up at the             creating some great Samba Rhythms as well as creating a car made
aquarium and we would            from recycled materials!
explore fish, and many more
animals, then we got to hold a   We had to give an award for the student who participated in the
cockroach and that got a bit     festival with the best spirit, and this award went to Charlotte Collins
crazy… they were crawling        (7S2). She received an art pack for her efforts full of materials for her
everywhere! They were falling    to use in her own artwork. Mr S Millard
out of people’s hands and
people were screaming and it
was all chaos!

Then we had lunch we could
eat where we wanted. We
also did activities like: How
long can you hold your
breath?, How long can you
stand on one leg? How fast
can you run? How long can
you jump? Then we had a talk
about animals then we went to
the gift shop and then we got
on the bus ready to go home.

Miss L Donaldson
                                                                            www.ridgewayschool.com      13
OUR AMAZING TALENTED ART STUDENTS…
                                          We have been so incredibly blown away by how our amazingly talented and creative students
                                          pulled all of the set and props together for the school production of Fame last week!!! We have
                                          had so many amazing comments to say how professional it looked. A massive thank you to all
                                          of the students involved in KS3, 4 and 5! A special thank you to our Year 12 artists who have
     Creative & Performing Arts News...

                                          worked tirelessly for months on designing and creating the set and props. Also to Hollie
                                          Zaccaro, Marianne Stubbs, Ellie Easter, Brad Guilhem & Sofia Field in Year 11 who came back
                                          in to school and gave up their summer holiday to help out. I feel very lucky to work with such
                                          inspirational students!!!! Mrs H Watts

                                                                          ART AND DESIGN EXHIBITION…
                                                                          Wow! Wow! Wow! What an amazing display from our talented
                                                                          Art and Design students. The hall was buzzing with students,
                                                                          parents and guests admiring the variety of talents from the
                                                                          students of The Ridgeway School. Well done to them all!

14                                        The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
Well as the smell of the grease paint subsides
       and a millions pairs of leg warmers are
consigned to black bags, “FAME” has become a
      slightly hazy, but very pleasant memory.
It was an eventful journey, staring with auditions
 where we felt a bit like the entire school fancied
  themselves as ‘Carmen’, then cast list up and
we started preparing a teaser for The Christmas
    Showcase, weekly rehearsals followed, then
    weekends, then daily, then “any moment we
    could find” rehearsals. We’ve had rehearsals
 where we’ve struggled to actually fit the cast in
   the Drama Studios, we’ve had many crises of
confidence (from all of us!), we’ve had cast with
 no voices, directors with no voices, dancers on
crutches, the odd tantrum, quite a lot of tears…
 in fact we’ve had a lot of everything but mostly
  we’ve had an incredible journey with the most
  talented and motivated group of young people
 you could wish to work with and the end results
 really proved what hard work, team spirit and a
               few threats can achieve!
   So for now it’s nearly time for some rest and
  relaxation. We will attempt to remove the song
lyrics that are still ringing in our heads, re-charge
     our depleted batteries and we will return in
  September refreshed and ready to greet some
   lovely new performers, welcome back those
    familiar faces, launch into the next round of
            auditions and All that Jazz…
       Mrs S Hodge and Mrs R Jankinson

                                                 www.ridgewayschool.com   15
A FANTASTIC AND BUSY FINAL                        The Year 9 day was all about promoting a
                                                                      better understanding of healthy living. After a
                    IMMERSION DAY OF THE                              morning of smoothie making and brain
                    YEAR...                                           training, students spent the afternoon outside
                                                                      playing team games.
                    Year 7 spent the day learning about
                    relationships, body changes and healthy living.
Immersion Day...

                    They created role plays and took part lots of
                    topic based discussions.

                                                                      Year 10 spent the day in the maths
                                                                      department. From understanding payslips, to
                                                                      finding the best mobile phone deal, to finding
                                                                      out the costs of learning to drive, students took
                                                                      part in multiple activities teaching them all
                                                                      about personal finances.
                    While most of Year 8 were on a trip to the
                    Science Museum, those staying behind spent
                    the day learning about water conservation and
                    were set the task of building a working water
                    wheel for a Nepalese village using only limited
                    resources.

                                                                      The Year 12 progression day provided
                                                                      students with a fantastic opportunity think
                                                                      about their next steps. The day included
                                                                      external speakers and subject specific advice.

16                 The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College           Mrs R Adams
WILTSHIRE AIR AMBULANCE...

                                                                                                        The Ridgeway News...
In May, representatives of the Wiltshire Air         decided to make a donation.
Ambulance service visited our school to accept       Mrs J Meredith, Faculty Leader of Humanities
a donation of £250. The money was raised by          and Social Sciences, said: “It was so selfless
our generous students and staff to support this      of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance to deliver these
valuable public service and the vital work they      training sessions for free. Our students learned
do.                                                  life-saving skills and thoroughly enjoyed the
It was the Air Ambulance service’s second visit      sessions, so we felt we had to give something
to our school this year, after recently delivering   back. Students and staff agreed that raising
a first aid session to our Year 10 students.         money to make a donation was a great way to
Their visit thrilled our students and gave them      show our appreciation, and we are proud to
an extremely valuable lesson in assisting            have raised £250 to support their amazing
people with injuries.                                work."
The Wiltshire Air Ambulance staff kindly             It was great to welcome the Wiltshire Air
conducted the session completely free of             Ambulance back to our school, and we were
charge — whereas other providers charge a            delighted to raise £250, which will go toward
set fee for the course. In order to thank them       sustaining their crucial, life-saving work.
for their generosity, our students and staff         Mrs J Meredith

THE HUB STUDENTS SEN STUDENTS CELEBRATE A YEAR OF
HARD WORK…
On Wednesday 10th July, we held our Hub celebration BBQ. The BBQ was to celebrate all
our hard working SEN students at Ridgeway; to celebrate their resilience and tenacity. We
had some fantastic rounders games, we had games such as apple bobbing, Jenga and
tin-can alley. The apple bobbing is always a huge hit with students who begin by timidly trying
to get an apple and by the end of the afternoon; they are fearlessly dipping their heads in the
water! Everyone enjoyed some BBQ food and some well-earned relaxation and bonding time.
Thanks to all the SEN staff for running this event, especially Miss Ornov and Miss Chadwick.
We look forward to another rewarding year next year and wish you all a wonderful summer
holiday break. Mrs D Deery

                                                                                 www.ridgewayschool.com                17
Farewell to Year 11...

                           Year 11 enjoyed a memorable day on Friday 10th
                           May to celebrate their Year 11 leavers. Students
                           enjoyed a full sit down meal provided by Wayne
                           our school caterer, where they enjoyed Nando’s
                           style chicken and chips followed by an array of
                           doughnuts. It was a squeeze fitting them all in but
                           great to see students socialising in their mentor
                           groups and being served lunch by their mentors.
                           Once the meal had finished the Year 11s were
                           asked to leave to take a group photo.
                                                                                  terms certificates were followed by some fantastic
                                                                                  and hilarious year book awards.
                                                                                  Then came the staff video with an Avengers theme
                                                                                  which caused much hilarity for the students and
                                                                                  some embarrassment for the staff. Then came the
                                                                                  emotion with students receiving emotive and
                                                                                  heartfelt letters from home which gave our
                                                                                  students the encouragement they deserve for their
                                                                                  exam chapter. It was a fantastic day to celebrate
                                                                                  as a year group and as a family as some of the
                                                                                  students finish their Ridgeway journey whilst
                                                                                  others look forward to returning in September.

                           Unbeknown to them the whole school was out on
                           blue court waiting to cheer them across to the
                           back field in a Ridgeway first line-up. Years 7 – 10
                           clapped students and wished them congratulations
                           and good luck for their final exams. This was
                           followed by a whole year group photo from the
                           skies with the drone. Into the final assembly we
                           went through a sea of emotions from laughter to
                           tears. Messages from staff and student of the
18                        The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
YEAR 11 LEAVERS PROM…
On Friday 21st June Year 11 students had their final
farewell at The Year 11 Prom at STEAM museum. 202
students and 60 staff attended and enjoyed an

                                                                                                          LRC News...
evening of celebrations, well wishes and lots of
dancing. The students looked fantastic and arrived in
style in their formal wear. Transport included a yellow
mustang, The Ridgeway School minibus, the famous
Swindon 153 bus and even an ice-cream van. Awards
were given out to those with the most nominations for
best-dressed boy and girl and the Prom King and
Queen. It was great to have all students together for
one last time and a great evening was had by all.

                                                          ARRIVING IN STYLE…
                                                          Nineteen students decided they have come
                                                          to school for the last five years on the bus,
                                                          and it would be perfect for their trip to the
                                                          prom on the same bus.
                                                          They approached Swindon Bus Company
                                                          and with the bus driver, Chris Pullen
                                                          volunteering his time, the company said yes.
                                                          Chris has been driving students to The
                                                          Ridgeway for the last 12 years and he was
                                                          delighted when he was asked to drive the
                                                          students to Prom.
                                                          All the students contributed and raised
                                                          £160, which has been donated to Prospect
                                                          Hospice.
                                                                                   www.ridgewayschool.com          19
MFL News...

               YEAR 5 LANGUAGES DAY                          whether to make a poster, choreograph a
                                                             performance or build a replica of a famous
               The Day had been an amazing experience and foreign building or landmark.
               everyone had a great time. At the beginning
               we were assigned groups and throughout the There were lots of great contributions such as
               day we learnt the story of Goldilocks and the multiple Eiffel towers, the Brandenburg gate
               Three Bears in French, Spanish, German and and fact files about Italy. However in the end,
               Portuguese.                                   a hilarious performance of Goldilocks and the
                                                             Three Bears by some of the students won the
               We did fun activities such as snakes and      prize of “€2000” (fake money). All in all
               ladders, find the odd one out and some of the everyone had a wonderful time and it was
               languages leaders performed the story in      massive success as well as an enjoyable
               German. After lunch, there was a competition experience for the language leaders.
               in the hall and the Year 5s could choose      Mr J Robertson

20            The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
MFL News...
GERMAN EXCHANGE VISIT…                            school in another country, where another
On the 8th of June a group of thirty Year 9 and language is spoken. Everyone from The
10 students set out for Frankfurt to take part in Ridgeway School coped admirably making lots
the first school exchange between our school of new friends and speaking German along the
and Kopernikusschule. They spent five days in way. They should all feel really proud of
sunny Germany taking in some famous tourist themselves.
attractions, but also going to school with        As well as the delicious food, students enjoyed
German partner students and taking part in        visits to medieval Gelnhausen, Frankfurt old
their lessons.                                    town, the zoo and much more. We very much
The students themselves deserve a lot of          hope that this will be the first of many
credit, as it takes a bit of courage to put       exchange visits between our two schools.
yourself in a situation where you have to go to Mr J Robertson

                                                                 VISIT FROM
                                                                 JAPANESE
                                                                 TEACHERS…
                                                                 On Monday 29th April we had
                                                                 a visit from twelve Japanese
                                                                 teachers, who came in to work
                                                                 with Year 9 Language
                                                                 Leaders. Students were
                                                                 dressed in traditional kimono
                                                                 costumes, practised eating
                                                                 with chopsticks, learned to
                                                                 paint traditional Japanese
                                                                 character and wore Kibuki
                                                                 theatre masks. See some of
                                                                 our wonderful photographs in
                                                                 the gallery below.
                                                                 It was a wonderful and
                                                                 exciting experience that made
                                                                 students want to travel to
                                                                 Japan and experience more.
                                                                 The Language Leaders are a
                                                                 big group of forty students this
                                                                 year, which meets every
                                                                 Thursday and they have been
                                                                 fantastic ambassadors in
                                                                 school and real advocates of
                                                                 language learning. Well done
                                                                 to you all.
                                                                 Mr J Robertson
                                                                             www.ridgewayschool.com          21
MEET THE NEW R6 LEADERSHIP TEAM…

                                     Head Girl – Sky Shortridge
 R6 News...

                                     Hello, my name is Skye and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to
                                     become head girl. I have been at the Ridgeway School since year 7, and
                                     am approaching my 7th and final year at the school and am excited to see
                                     what this final year brings. During these teenage years I changed and
                                     developed massively in my confidence and work ethic, with the assis-
                                     tance of the endless opportunities and positive atmosphere which the
                                     school has provided me. I am honoured to now have the opportunity to
                                     participate in creating this same atmosphere for other students, and hope
                                     my ideas can have a positive impact. I am currently studying history, poli-
                                     tics and maths and hope to attend university to study politics further.

                                     Deputy Head Girl – Emily smith
                                     Hi, I’m Emily and I am Deputy Head Girl of The Ridgeway School; I have
                                     attended the school for the last six years, and now heading into my final
                                     year, I’m extremely honoured to be a part of the Student Leadership
                                     Team. I study English Literature, Geography and Psychology at A-level,
                                     and also love to get involved with PE and intervention sessions for other
                                     year groups. From gallivanting around in rural Ecuador to playing round-
                                     ers matches with my peers, I’m grateful for every experience Ridgeway
                                     has offered me and now strive to encourage younger years to do the
                                     same. Although Year 13 will prove to be challenging, I’m determined to
                                     make it the best one yet!

                                     Head Boy – Max Allen
                                     I have been at Ridgeway all the way through since year 7 and being cho-
                                     sen to be Head Boy is an opportunity, I am very honoured to have been
                                     given. I will grasp the opportunity with both hands and aim to give back
                                     as much as I can to the school that has helped me so much along the
                                     way. I am delighted to have such an amazing student leadership to
                                     spend the next year working alongside helping with all things school and
                                     6th form related. A-Levels are a very challenging time for everyone, and I
                                     will strive to make everyone’s time at the R6 as enjoyable and rewarding
                                     as possible. In terms of A-Levels I am studying Physics, History and
                                     Maths as well as a BTEC in Music Technology with the end goal being
                                     joining the RAF as a Pilot or Weapons Systems Officer.

                                     Deputy Head Boy – Harry Lowe
                                     Since joining Ridgeway in Year 7, I have always been extremely grateful
                                     for all of the opportunities to develop new skills and gain new experienc-
                                     es that it offers the students. I believe that these opportunities for posi-
                                     tions of responsibility have prepared me well to fulfil this new role. I am
                                     honoured to represent the students as Deputy Head Boy and greatly ap-
                                     preciate the opportunity to give back to the school, as it has done so
                                     much for me. I look forward to working with the Leadership Team to help
                                     improve the School and the Sixth Form, ensuring every student’s voice is
                                     heard. I have many ideas in how we can do this, involving the develop-
                                     ment of R6 Committees & Events and the transition period of Year 11 in-
                                     to 12. I am currently studying Maths, Chemistry and Biology with the
                                     hope of going on to study Medicine at university.

22            The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
YEAR 13 PROM…
On Friday 28th June, we all said goodbye in
style to our Year 13 students. Over the last few
weeks the students have all studied and
revised so hard, so it was lovely to see them
relax and enjoy themselves.
The ball was in Chiseldon House, and the
sunny June weather meant that we could make
full use of the grounds. Both teachers and
students danced the night away and it was a
perfect last hurrah for everyone.
The next time we will all see each other again
will be on results day, Thursday 16th August,
and we wish all the students the best of luck,
and hope they get to the destinations they want
to. Miss E Launchbury

                                                   www.ridgewayschool.com   23
THE RIDGEWAY SCHOOL
                 PROMOTES...
                 Dementia Awareness The Ridgeway School
                 and Sixth Form College is the first secondary
Other News...

                 school in Swindon to invite us to give a
                 Dementia Friends assembly to Year 7 pupils.
                 Standing in front of over 300 Year 7s was
                 daunting, but the pupils were great, they
                 listened and concentrated on what we were
                 saying. Our presentation was shortened to
                 meet the school timings and adapted to make       HOUSE REWARD TRIP…
                 it age appropriate and interactive. The pupils    In July the House team took 96 students to
                 engaged well and responded to our questions       Thorpe Park for their end-of-year reward trip.
                 thoughtfully, showing a clear understanding.      The weather was looking dicey on the way
                 They had a range of impressive and mature         there but the sun soon broke through the
                 questions for us too.                             clouds and the sun was shining all day –
                 A week after the session, we delivered action     ideal for drying off after getting drenched on
                 slips for the pupils and Dementia Friends         the log flumes!
                 badges. The action slips were optional for        The students were far braver than us
                 them to fill in but the pupils were keen to       teachers and we were egged on by Year 7 to
                 complete them.                                    try the 0 – 80 mph in 1 second rollercoaster
                 We are looking for more schools, primary and      – terrifying! Safe to say those students are
                 secondary, to contact us about having a           far braver than I.
                 Dementia Friends assembly, or classroom           The students did themselves proud and
                 sessions. Many of the pupils we have met          behaved beautifully throughout the day – I
                 know someone living with dementia, and it’s       was very proud of them all.
                 important to educate young people so it raises    Miss L Donaldson
                 awareness and reduces the fear and stigma
                 of dementia within our communities.
                 Please                                            HOUSE NEWS…
                 contact: susan.lambert@swindon.gov.uk ,           Term 5 and 6 has been exciting for our
                 Dementia Friendly Coordinator, if you would       students as we have all taken part in the
                 like to discuss this further or arrange a         annual Sunflower Competition with each
                 session.                                          mentor group received a seed and plant pot
                                                                   and some soil. Each group had a free rein
                                                                   on how they wanted to nurture and grow
                 CALLING ALL UNIFORM &                             their sunflower and we had some fantastic
                 EQUIPMENT…                                        results.
                 If you have any of the following items in good,   Congratulations to the winning mentor
                 clean condition, would you please consider        groups who have received a Pizza
                 donating them to the school? We are always        celebration lunch as a reward for all of their
                 in need of these items. You would be              hard work.
                 surprised how many trousers are split and         10A2 - 9S2 - 8B2 - 7K1
                 uniform spoilt during the day!                    The staff prize goes to Miss Blackler.
                                                                   Students were also asked to create a guide
                 All school uniform                               on how to grow and look after the perfect
                                                                   sunflower. The winners of the sunflower
                 PE Kit                                           guides were:
                 Scientific Calculators                           10S1 and 7S1
                 Pencil cases and equipment, you no longer        A huge congratulations
                 need                                              to all students who
                                                                   took part and show
                 Thank you for your help with this. Please         fantastic teamwork
                 contact Sarah Hill on 01793 846111 if you         and leadership skills.
                 have any questions.
                                                                   Mrs G Allbrook-Dunn
                 Mrs S Hill

24              The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
EXTERNAL EXAMINERS AT THE RIDGEWAY SCHOOL AND
SIXTH FORM COLLEGE...
It’s at this time of year, when students GCSE and A level students have left and completed
their exams, that everyone perhaps takes a moment to breathe. Consider however, the many

                                                                                                Other News...
external examiners in the school for whom this is the busiest time of the year. Not only are
these external examiners able to use their expertise to support students and develop staff
throughout the year, they are integral to ensuring accurate results for students all over the
country on results day in August. Huge shout out to them! Mrs F Williams

Gina Moody: OCR GCSE Economics. Examiner / Team Leader.
Ruth Davies: AQA English Language Paper 1
Megan Humphries: AQA English language paper 2
John Robertson: AQA GCSE French, AQA French and German A level
Grant Mitchel: OCR GCSE Computer Science: Paper 2 - Algorithms & Programming
Helen Buttery: History Pearson (Edexcel), Politics Pearson (Edexcel)
Shanti Francis: A level Statistics for Cambridge International.
Josie Meredith: AQA GCSE Geography
Dawn Blackler: Assistant Principal Moderator GCSE PE (AQA), Assistant Principal Examiner
GCSE PE Paper 2 (AQA)
Fiona Williams: Senior Marker GPS (Pearson), A level English Cambridge International,
Assistant Principal Examiner AQA English paper 1
Georgina Albrook-Dunn PE paper 2 for AQA GCSE.
Sarah Stewart: GCSE Religious Studies - Islam for AQA
Jess Mowat: AQA GCSE 8035 Paper 1 this year for Geography
Helen Buttery: Pearson(Edexcel) as an Examiner for both A Level History and A level Politics
Inga Beaurain: Edexcel 1FR0_4H which is the French Higher writing paper

PARENT GOVERNOR VACANCY…
We presently have a vacancy on the Local
Governing Body (LGB) and we would welcome
parents of students at Ridgeway School and Sixth
Form College to express an interest in joining us.
The LGB plays a central role in the management
of the academy, with its main aims to drive up
standards of achievement for all students and to
make sure that resources are used well to give
every student the best possible education.
The LGB is made up of a mixture of staff, parents,
and co-opted governors to provide a balance of
skills, expertise, and stakeholder representation.
For example, parent governors are vital to the
LGB as they ensure that highest priority is given
to the concerns and issues which are most
important to our parents and ensure that the LGB
is kept in close touch with parent opinion.
More information can be found on the LGB pages
on the school website https://
www.ridgewayschool.com/about/local-governing-
body or contact can be made with the Chair of
Governors by email
Governors@ridgewayschool.com to find out
more about the role. The recruitment process will
begin in Term 1 of the new school year .
                                                                           www.ridgewayschool.com          25
CONGRATULATIONS TO LEAH…
                                                       A huge congratulations to Leah Hearn who spoke in front
                                                       of a hundred students and parents from across Swindon
                                                       as part of her completing her Villiers Park programme.
Other news...

                                                       Lean has taken part in the Villiers Park programme for the
                 Every year thousands of animals       last two years and has held an employee event where a
                  suffer from neglect, cruelty and     local district nurse came into
                  abuse. With your help, we can        school to speak to and inspire
                 end their misery. RSPCA rely on       younger students, mentoring with
                     voluntary fundraising and         a team leader from Villiers Park.
                  donations to carry out our vital     She also attended the residential
                     work. Thank you for your          trip to Oxford University and has
                     donation of £311.79. It is        now
                  already on its way to changing       set her sights on her post 16
                           an animal’s life.           accomplishments. We were
                                                       extremely proud of Leah and
                                                       her confidence and passion
                                                       throughout her speech.
                                                       Mrs G Allbrook-Dunn

                                                       GREATWOOD PRESENTATION DAY…
                                                       Each Tuesday morning for eight weeks, a group of six
                                                       students from Ridgeway ASC and SEN set off for a
                                                       Confidence-buliding course at Greatwood, near
                        Thank you so much to
                                                       Marlborough; a charity set up to look after retired
                    The Ridgeway School & Sixth
                                                       racehorses that also runs educational courses. The
                 Form College, thank you for your
                                                       course involved learning how to respect, care for and
                               £261.44.
                                                       interact with animals of all sizes. Ridgeway students
                        Your donation will help
                                                       learned how to muck out horse stalls and groom Shetland
                 Macmillan to be there for people
                                                       ponies. They became confident at rounding up and
                     living with cancer and their
                                                       performing health-check on chickens and goats. They led
                  families, giving them all sorts of
                                                       full-sized retired racehorses around the exercise enclosure
                     support when they need us
                                                       and had a go the “Equicisers” on which jockeys train to
                    most. This could be anything
                                                       ride racehorses. For autistic students unfamiliar with farm
                   from a chat with someone who
                                                       animals and horses this was a huge challenge to which all
                 understands, to providing expert
                                                       rose brilliantly! Having had the relevance of the written
                     cancer information they can
                                                       work instilled during face-to-face interactions with the
                                 trust.
                                                       animals concerned, no student failed to complete their
                                                       workbooks to show their understanding of animal welfare
                                                       and every Ridgeway student passed the course. At the
                                                       presentation day, each student went forward to collect
                                                       their certificate with proud parents watching
                                                       on. Afterwards, parents and students had the opportunity
                                                       to go and greet some of the horses in the stables where
                                                       elderflower cordial drinks were being served along with
                                                       cakes. A local ice cream van turned up, providing
                                                       “complementary ice creams”, which provided a great
                  Many thanks from all the staff at
                                                       opportunity for vocabulary building (What? It means
                     Wiltshire Mind for your kind
                                                       free?). There was also an opportunity for a Ridgeway staff
                        donation of £261.44.
                                                       member to give a short speech summing up the benefits
                      Wiltshire Mind is a Mental
                                                       of the course, which was
                   Health Charity providing much
                                                       very well received. The
                     needed services to mental
                                                       presentation event was
                     health sufferers across the
                                                       a superb end to the
                       county of Wiltshire. Our
                                                       students’ Greatwood
                      support groups provide a
                                                       experience, providing
                    friendly place where anyone
                                                       fun, closure …and ice
                  can find support and friendship.
                                                       cream! Janet Georgiou
26              The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College
www.ridgewayschool.com   27
The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College - Proud to be part of The White Horse Federation Multi-Academy Trust.
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