The Netherhall School and

Sixth Form Centre

Dear Parents / Carers,

At the end of each term it‟s important to look back and reflect on what has been achieved and to focus our sights on the year ahead. So let‟s start with looking back…

It‟s fair to say that this has been a half term of great occasions and notable successes. The first occasion was the visit of the English Cricket Captain Charlotte Edwards. Charlotte came to Netherhall to open our new all-weather cricket nets and also agreed to run a training session with a group of our students. Charlotte showed herself to be not only a great sportswoman, but also a consummate ambassador for sport. There is no doubt that she had a profound impact on the students who met her.

In November we also staged our Sixth Form Open Evening. Our Sixth Form is special in many ways: It is the only centre in Cambridge where students can study for A‟ Level qualifications within a school environment and where the focus is upon small class-sizes and individualised care. This year we announced two new initiatives which will further develop our provision; we are launching three new courses in September: Extended BTEC diplomas in Business, Media and Sport. These qualifications are equivalent to 3 A‟ Levels and allow students to specialise in a single area.

The second initiative is the launching of a Netherhall coach service to enable students from East Cambridge-shire to get to and from the Sixth Form without the complications of public transport. As you may be aware, the local authority is planning to remove all transport subsidies in September and so a reliable and cost-effective solution is needed more than ever. In time we‟d like to add additional routes but hope that beginning in the most challenging geographical area will provide welcome support to these families.

Just last week we saw the culmination of months of work in the production of „The Wiz‟. The show played to packed audiences over three nights and also performed to Year 5 and 6 students from our partner primary schools. The show itself was of the highest quality but the thing that struck me most was the extraordinary teamwork that was evident. Whilst there is no doubt that the stage was filled with „stars‟, there were at least as many students, staff and parents involved behind the scenes: creating costumes, practising the music, dropping off and picking up for rehearsals, practising the lines, creating the set, lighting, sound etc. The list goes on! All of this was carried off in inimitable style by our own impresarios, Lee Parry and Emma Snow.

Spring Term

begins

Tuesday

5th January

2016

We will

return in

January on a

week

B

(unlike

previous

years)

This then leads us to our Inspection from OfSTED in early December. This was a one-day monitoring inspection focussing largely on the performance of the school in the challenging area of support for disadvantaged students. I hope you have all managed to read the report which was circulated a few days ago. It describes the huge leaps the school has taken to close gaps in performance and underlines the determination held by all staff that 100% of our students should do well at school regardless of their starting points.

A happy coincidence at the time of the Inspection was the publication of the annual report on the examination performance of the school by the Department for Education. A few headlines:

● Our overall value added rating was 1020.8 (where 1000 is the national average and 1008 was last year‟s record - until now - high).

● Netherhall was rated:

○ in the top 20% of all schools in terms of performance across 8 subjects

○ in the top 15% of all schools in English

○ in the top 22% in Maths and

○ in the top 17% for Languages.

● Attendance levels rose to above the national average for the first time in many years

These are clearly great results but we are now determined not to rest of our laurels but to push forward into the New Year:

● In January we will be launching our new communications policy with parents, detailing our commitment to you and how you can use our systems to your best advantage

● Extending the parental intranet from the trial which is currently underway to all parents

● Inviting all parents to an Information Evening to explain how the examination system is changing and how the school will be assessing students following the removal by the government of the familiar National Curriculum levelling system.

But now, a well-earned rest!

Thank you for all your continuing support. I know that staff at Netherhall really appreciate the best wishes you send in at this time of year and we‟d like to join to wish you all a peaceful Christmas and look forward to a successful New Year.

Chris Tooley

Acting Principal

The women‟s England captain, Charlotte Edwards visited Netherhall School at the beginning of November to open the new cricket nets. The Netherhall Girl‟s cricket team experienced a batting master class from one of the world‟s top class cricketers. Charlotte gave the girls tips and tricks on how to build up power behind the bat and how to hit those boundaries.

It was a great atmosphere

and all the girls seemed to

really enjoy themselves.

Molly White and Lizzy Wray

Cricket Nets Opening

On Wednesday 9th December, the Year 10 GCSE Catering

group entertained the staff in their Food Technology

classroom for a Christmas buffet lunch.

They worked in groups to plan the menu and to cook and

serve the dishes to the teachers they had invited. Well done to

all involved. A good time was had by all!

Mrs Duncan

YEAR 10 GCSE CATERING GROUP PLAN AND PREPARE A CHRISTMAS

THEMED STAFF BUFFET LUNCH

On Tuesday 8th December Mrs Snow and Mrs Pascoe took a party of student musicians from Years 9, 10 & 11 to Kings College Chapel for the annual Service of Lessons and Carols. The chapel is always an impressive place to visit but arguably more so this year as the college is commemorating the 500th anniversary of the completion of the stonework in 1515. When he envisioned the College, King Henry VI was very specific in defining the extent and nature of the Chapel, leaving directions in his will. Following the Great War, the Dean of Kings introduced the Service of Lessons and Carols as a gift to the grieving city and it has been broadcast every year since 1928. Our staff and pupils - along with those from schools across the region - listened to performances from the College Choir, heard readings from Cambridge dignitaries, and – with the entire congregations - sung Christmas Carols.

Emma Snow & Dan Ecclestone

Music Department Trip To Kings’ College

Children in Need fundraising 2015

We were delighted that the school raised £1137 for Children in Need on Friday, November 13th. The students raised money through a non-uniform day, a cake sale and various sponsored activities. In the assemblies where I informed students about where some of the money goes, I did say that sponsored silences are often favoured by teachers on this day! The students were told the story of a teenager, who sustained life

changing injuries in a bike accident. The Children's Trust, which is an organisation CIN helps fund, then helped with his rehabilitation and after a year, he was finally able to go home. It is great that the students at Netherhall participate enthusiastically in fundraising for CIN, which helps such a wide range of individuals. Miss Forrest

Tuesday 5th January 2016 - Start of Spring Term

5th January - Independent Study Day for KS5

5th - 8th January Mock Exams

Tuesday 12th January - Year 9 Information and Guidance Evening 6.30pm (Atrium)

Thursday 21st January - Year 9 Parents Evening (5.00pm – 7.30pm)

Thursday 4th February - Year 10 Parents Evening (5.00pm - 7.30pm)

5th & 8th February - Post 16 Interview Days

10th & 11th February Evening of Dance - Time

11th - 19th February - Ski Trip

15th - 19th February - Half Term

Thursday 25th February - Year 8 Parents Evening (5.00pm - 7.30pm)

Friday 26th February - Year 10 MenC Vaccinations

Wednesday 2nd March - Year 12/13 A Level Art Exam Gallery Trip

Thursday 10th March - Year 7 Parents Evening (5.00pm - 7.30pm)

Wednesday 16th March - School Concert

14th - 16th March Year 12 Geography Field Trip to Wales

Tuesday 15th March - Year 11 MenACWY Vaccinations

Friday 24th March - Spring Term Closes at Lunchtime

Examination Notices - Dates for your Diary

Tuesday 5 – Friday 8 January – Sixth Form mock examinations Thursday 7 January – November exam results (GCSE English and Maths resits)

Friday 8 January – BTEC Health and Social Care examination Monday 25 January – BTEC Sport examination

Monday 16 May – Wednesday 29 June – GCE and GCSE examinations Thursday 18 August – GCE examinations results Thursday 25 August – GCSE examination results

A copy of the Sixth Form mock examination timetable together with a skeleton summer 2016 GCSE/GCE timetable can be found on the school website

Cast List Dorothy: Erin Impey

Aunt Em: Annalyse Marcelle

Uncle Henry: Victor Raymon

Addaperle: Katie Attle

Munchkins: Katie Ruby, Anya Rutter,

Clara Kanz, Lottie Attle, Chloe Whitmore

& Alice Nicholls

Tin Man: Jasmine Whitmore

Lion: Ben Lynn

Gatekeeper: Lucy McEleney

Citizens of Oz: Amelia East,

Liam Walton-Bell, Iwan Barnett,

Esther Lhuillier, Chaeyeon Lee,

Umasa Dharmasena, Matthew Limb &

Leonia Depledge

Yellow Brick Road: Jaydah Wright,

Tamika Wright, Hannah Adams, Rachel

Cramp, Jessica Belham

Scarecrow: Estrella Coldron

Crows: Sarah Webber, Jennah

Woodhouse & Chaerim Lee & Maia Long

The Wiz: Daniel Lane

Lord High Underling: Sam Hunt

Messenger: Alex Etges

Glinda: Phile Kotelo

Winkies: Lara Thorn, Zoe Thorn

& Naomi Binks.

Mice Squad:

Tiffany Smith, Shirley Low

& Rosemary Richards

________________

Dancers

Choreography: Mrs Emma Hayward

Lucy Tytherleigh Hannah Fordham

Iga Wojciechowska Samantha Limb

Rachel Lane

Phoebe Coldron Zaydene August

Isla Sundhoo Bethan Siddaway Angelina Sitnikaite Martina Rudhun

A very special Thank You:

To Sandra Day, who after many years of incredible generosity and time will be stepping down in her role as Costumier for Netherhall productions. There are literally generations of pupils who have been sized up & fitted with a piercing gaze, a bag full of tricks and fantastic needle skills!

On behalf of the Performing Arts at Netherhall present and gone – thank you Sandy! Lots of love and have fun being a full-time grandma!

Band Musical Director: Mrs Emma Snow

Strings Arundhati Saraswatula Marie Kelly June Kew Pete Glazebrook Emma Snow Peter Nielsen Kristina Craven Eli Dart Woodwind: Elly Trenmt Matilda Bentley Kate Oughton Louella Prince Sarah Wilders Kate Barker Sam Pascoe

Brass: Patryk Gibbins Sean Dooley Percussion: Dom Steggall Alex Sepetauc Iona Cessford Henry French

Kit: Frank Grasty Shekar Saraswatula Guitar: Keith Day & Iris Considine

Ukulele: Charlotte Wilson

Bass: Joey Baxter Piano: Gracie Kay Dan Ecclestone

Production Team

Posters: Claudine Schofield and 6th Form Team Set: Claudine Schofield, Jackie Williams & 6th Form Team Box Office: Sheila Allen Reprographics: Tracey Bird, Jackie Whitemore & Iris Considine Props: Brendan Reynolds

Special thanks to the Sports Centre Staff

Crew

Technical Supervisor - Stephen Berry

Assistant Technical Supervisor & Sound Management: Nick Drew

Lighting Operation: Oliver Calvey, Tim McGilly & Amy Clasby

Stage Manager: Zoe Hart

Assistant Stage Managers: Eiriel De Roxa & Team

Make up and costume: Sandra Day, Izabel Czopor, Charmaine Wood, Lucy Constable, Kalindi Howard

A special thank you to Sam Pascoe, who arranged

all of the woodwind parts for the band and spent

many evenings leading sectional rehearsals.

On Tuesday 3rd November the Year 10 music students - and a good number of enthusiastic Year 9s - jumped on a coach and headed off to London to see the London Symphony Orchestra perform at the Royal Festival Hall. The occasion was the annual Brightsparks concert in which musical extracts studied at GCSE are performed and analysed by the experts. Traffic was horrendous and we nearly jumped off at a nearby Tube station but got there, scurrying urgently into the frantic bossanova rhythms of Leonard Bernstein‟s West Side Story. Once in our seats we were treated to a truly dynamic performance of a wide range of pieces, all sharing a link to the plays of Shakespeare. The pupils were superbly well-behaved but once back on the coach; singing was - of course - de rigueur.

GCSE Music Concert

London Philharmonic Orchestra

On Wednesday 4th November the Year 10 music students held their first concert of solo and ensemble performances. Staff present considered it to be one of the best of recent years given the breadth of styles represented and the consistently high standard. The Drama Studio became the scene of an intimate soiree at which sounds from the classical repertoire filled the air, before being re-imagined as a sweaty nightclub at which impressively dexterous rock guitarists did their deafening thing.

All involved spoke briefly to introduce their performances and many were to be found answering questions from delighted audience members once the show was over. The concert was recorded and, once marked; pupils may choose to submit these recordings as GCSE coursework. However, many more opportunities will be given for pupils to either improve their performances or develop new repertoire. Our thanks go to all that attended.

A Very Merry Christmas On Saturday 28th November the pop choir and ‘Wiz’ cast members gave a warmly-received performance of showtunes and Christmas Carols outside the Cherry Hinton leisure centre. The Mayor of Cambridge welcomed an audience of parents and local residents before formally switching on the Christmas lights, drawing cheers and - possibly ironic - gasps from the mulled-wine and hot-dog wielding masses. Our students were paid in warm mince pies and a great time was had by all. Emma Snow & Dan Ecclestone

Media Studies - Runners up in the ITV Bullying competition

Congratulations to our media students who came runners up in the ITV bullying competition, our entry is the ninth one down on the page and one of the strongest. http://www.itv.com/goodmorningbritain/action-against-bullying/submitted-films-in-our-senior-category Also congratulations to our media club students (special mention to: Edward Fincham, presenter and Eloisa Amoroso, the director) whose programme “Hit Review” recorded on Wednesday will be broadcast early next year on Cambridge TV. Cambridge TV have also commissioned a series of “Hit Review” for their channel and if that wasn‟t enough senior representatives from OCR Media were present at the recording of this live programme and will present a case study of how it was made late next week on the OCR website. Further to that, over the half term break students took part in a radio drama “Endurance” which was recorded in the audio studio. This has now been formally commissioned by Radio 4Extra and will be broadcast early next year with a special preview of Episode 1 at Christmas, it stars Game of Thrones star Julian Glover and the students enjoyed their time on the programme. Last but not least, students took part in the recording of the final “Doctor Who” audio drama “Eternity Rises” earlier this year and the launch event for that is on BBC Children In Need on the 15th November, you will be able to download the product for free and donate by clicking here.

The Netherhall School

Spring Concert 2016

Auditions:

Tuesday 12th and Thursday 14th January

1.30pm in M2

The Netherhall School

and

Sixth Form Centre

Queen Edith’s Way

Cambridge

CB1 5NN

Tel: 01223 242931

Fax 01223 410473

Email:

office@netherhall.cambs.sch.uk

www.netherhall.org