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to our record breaking class of 2016. You did us all proud.

Well Done

Priory PostENJOY | RESPECT | ACHIEVE WINTER TERM ISSUE | 2016

On Thursday 17 November, our record breaking ex‑Year 11 students returned to Priory for a night of celebration and to be awarded with their bumper haul of GCSE certificates.

This year, more students than ever before collected top awards and truly celebrated GCSE glory. There are far too many individual successes to name everyone, and it is difficult to pick out names from a complete roll-call of honour, but a special mention has to go to our very top achievers – Grace McCormick and Robbie Oliver who pulled out 22 A*/A grades between them! We wish all of these fantastic students the very best of luck for the future, safe in the knowledge that their GCSE grades will ensure many doors are open to them as they take their next steps in life.

On the night, internal school awards were given to Owen Kemp who received the Helen Sizer Memorial Award for overcoming difficulties and to Alice Hopkinson who received the Pop Marshall Memorial Award for the highest GCSE results in English Literature. A very big well done to you both.

IMPORTANT DATES – 2017Tuesday 3 January INSET Day

Wednesday 4 January Return to school for students

Wednesday 11 January Year 11 Parents’ Evening

Tuesday 17 January Year 10 Parents’ Evening

Thursday 2 February Year 7 Parents’ Evening

Wednesday-Friday 15-17 February School Production

Monday-Friday 20-24 February Half Term

Weeks 27 February/6 March Year 11 PPE Weeks

Tuesday 28 February Year 8 Pathways Evening

Tuesday 14 March Year 11 Photographs

Thursday 23 March Year 8 Parents’ Evening

Tuesday/Wednesday 4/5 April Dance Show

Thursday 6 April Year 11 Parents’ Evening

Thursday 6 April History Trip to Berlin/Poland departs

Monday 10 April - Friday 21 April Easter Holidays

Tuesday 11 April History Trip to Berlin/Poland returns

Portsmouth’s Biggest CoffeeMorningbyfar...

Governors’Report

To help with our role as the Local Governing Body, governors will be visiting the school to speak with teaching and support staff, and students themselves, to monitor how these improvements are working in practice. Watch out for information about the Parents’ Forum, supported by parent governors, which meets on a termly basis.

Carolyn Barber – Chair, Priory Local Governing Body

As governors, we now see our task as challenging and supporting the Headteacher and his senior leaders to ensure Priory students experience the best possible education throughout their years at the school.

In the summer term, governors discussed the School Improvement Plan for 2016-17, prepared by Mr. Vaughan, the Headteacher, drawing on expertise from the Bohunt Education Trust. With three headings – Progress, People and Pride – the plan identifies a range of areas for ongoing improvement.

Opposite are three themes that governors identified as key development opportunities:

• Progress – greater consistency throughout the school, with a particular focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning. This has improved considerably over the past year, but there’s still more to do.

• People – a high quality, professional learning programme has been introduced for teaching staff, and opportunities will be extended for support staff. Personal wellbeing for staff and students is a high priority this year.

• Pride – a culture of celebration and raised expectations to be encouraged and supported throughout the school. Student achievements in the arts and sports, as well as academic results, will be featured in the school and in the local community.

First, let me congratulate the whole Priory School community for the very significant improvement in GCSE results this summer. This is a result of hard work and commitment from all staff, and a whole hearted response from the Year 11 students to the opportunities and support available.

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Headteacher’sMessage Dear Parents and CarersAs the Festive Season approaches we can look back over an exceptionally busy term and a remarkable twelve months, both in school and beyond.It was wonderful to see our record breaking Year 11s return for Certificate Evening on 17 November, a fitting recognition for last year’s wonderful achievements which stand repeating once more:

• The best GCSE performance in Priory’s history.

• Above national average in English.• Above national average in Maths.• Above national average for

overall progress.• Above national average for the

academically more able.• Above national average for students

with specific learning needs.

All of our students contributed to that success but their achievements go beyond examination results. Of course those GCSE results are enormously important but they are not the only achievements to characterise five years at secondary school.

These students raised money for charity, excelled on the sporting field and performed with distinction in school productions, dance shows and musical recitals.

They have been on numerous trips and visits, culminating for some in the first expedition to Iceland in the summer. Perhaps most rewardingly there was also a genuine sense of gratitude and affection towards staff from our former students, as they recognised the huge efforts that staff had made in supporting their own efforts and achievements. We look forward to hearing of their continued success and have added an Alumni page to our new website to further celebrate our former students.

Our focus now shifts to our current Year 11 having completed their Pre Public Examinations just recently. Their conduct was excellent and they have begun their final year with focussed maturity.

So we now look forward to using the feedback from the exams to support them in the build up to their GCSEs next year. A special mention for our Art students; their work in recent weeks has been of an exceptional standard and bodes well for the rest of the year. 

Other notable events include Open Evening which was busy, hugely enjoyable and very well attended; the Macmillan Coffee Morning that raised a huge amount for this wonderful charity and the launch of our new Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme that saw a tremendous level of interest to add to our ever growing extra-curricular offer.

And so ends an extraordinary year, both politically and in the life of Priory School. May I take this opportunity to wish you a restful and relaxing holiday period and look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year.

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...Priory StyleAnd what an impressive event our Macmillan Coffee Morning was, possibly even exceeding the expectations of the planning committee who amazingly brought the whole event together in just over four weeks.

But it proves that when the ‘Priory Community Army’ marches in to do something, it does it very well indeed and it was so rewarding to see the Portsmouth News express interest in the event, which of course does have a serious side too. As many of you know already, the morning was opened by Natalie Daniells who left Priory in 2012. Natalie is currently fighting her own cancer battle with a very rare form of the disease that has already seen her lose her leg. Despite being in the middle of a gruelling course of chemotherapy, Natalie agreed to return to Priory to run a stall. She told us that the Macmillan charity has done so much for her family, she felt compelled to help out.

And help the charity we all certainly did, with a whopping £1100.75 being raised on the day and through the following week with the huge numbers of cakes we had to sell. We asked you all to bake, fake and donate and we couldn’t have asked for more!

Seeing all of the donations coming in through the doors brought both smiles and tears to several eyes, as the amount rose to an estimated 2500 pieces to sell. We were even given cakes by Sainsbury’s, Tesco and the Coop, and had organic squash donated from Rocks Drinks. All companies involved have been made Priory Partners and have received a certificate of thanks from Mr Vaughan who also proved to be a pretty good baker himself, making chocolate brownies with students and staff after school.

I am sure we all agree that there was such a happy vibe in school on the day with so many of us wanting to do all we could to make sure we donated lots of money to Macmillan Cancer.

As Jayne Mills, Head of ICT, and main organiser of the event said “Almost everyone in the community will have been touched in some way by the disease and this makes it especially important to come together and do something like this.”

I think it goes without saying that we aim to make this an annual event so a massive thanks must go out to the whole school community. We could not have done it without everyone pulling together.

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BandontheRun! TheBiggestExpedition oftheirlives...

On Monday 18 July 2016, 13 excited students from Years 10 and 11 and two intrepid teachers set off on the much anticipated inaugural Big Expedition to Iceland. The 10 day adventure had been 18 months in the making which included tireless fundraising events and rigorous outdoor training. Every student was encouraged to raise as much of their own fare as they could and to this end were helped within school to reach a £2000 goal apiece. This was achieved through various events and happenings, such as cake sales, sponsored bike rides and silences, football tournaments and craft fayres, to name but a few of the activities in which our entrepreneurial students took part.

Whilst in Iceland, the team enjoyed a range of experiences which included hiking, ascending a mammoth glacier, managing large amounts of cash, shopping, preparing and cooking meals for themselves and generally enjoying the outdoor life in tents – and all in a land with 24 hour summer daylight! It is perhaps not surprising that there was illness, tears of joy and sorrow but above all plenty of laughter.

All who went agreed that it was a life‑changing experience and students and staff will never forget the wonderful memories made during their time together. The Big Expedition is designed to give young people leadership experiences and challenges that are very different to normal life so that teenagers have recognisable new life skills they can transfer. Without a doubt, these students will have a hugely interesting experience to add to their future CV.

Look out for your future opportunity to join the Priory Big Expedition. Next time, this could be you!

“ The Iceland Expedition was an amazing opportunity that I will never forget”

Luke Blay

“It was an amazing experience and very challenging, but I would do it again if I could.”

Hannah Rose

“It was quality, really enjoyable and a great experience!”

Josh Lee

DukeofEdinburghAward

PrioryParentForumGroup

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“I was immensely proud of them, as always,” said their music teacher Mr Barrow. “It was the first weekend of the half-term holiday, and they still all came out and gave it their all. They have a really professional approach.”

BandontheRun!Priory’s own funk and soul band Soul Priority played to its biggest audience – over 25,000 – when they took to the stage at Portsmouth’s famous Great South Run.The 6‑piece band blasted out old Motown favourites alongside newer tunes such as ‘Uptown Funk’ and ‘Cake By The Ocean’ under stunning sunshine, as the passing runners clapped and waved. In‑between groups of racers, lead singer Melia Harriss entertained the watching crowd with some impromptu audience participation. 

Bassist Ethan Campbell said: “I imagine most people didn’t stay long enough to hear much of our playing!  But it was great to be able to spur them on.”

Guitarist Jack Todd added: “I hope that doesn’t mean they were running faster to get away from us!”

DukeofEdinburghAwardThis year we are giving Year 10 a fantastic opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. The award is internationally recognised and is one of the key factors that universities look for when accepting applications.The award comprises of four sections: a volunteering section; a physical/sporting section; a skill section and an expedition section. Students must prove that they have done at least an hour a week participating in voluntary work, sport or learning a skill for three months and then complete one of those sections for a further three months.

The expedition is done in groups and students will have to navigate their way across the South Downs. This is the first time for a while that the DofE has been running here at Priory and already we have had interest from lots of students. For further information please don’t hesitate to contact Mr Dean at: gdean@priorysouthsea.org

PrioryParentForumGroupHave YOUR say. We are a group of parents who meet once per term with a representative of the Priory staff team to share our ideas about how parents and school leaders can work together to improve the school experience for all stakeholders.Each year group has its own parent liaison volunteer who can assist you with any school policy issue you would like discussed, whether pertinent to just yourself or to the whole community. In addition, the group are always happy to welcome new members.

If you would like to get involved please contact Lorraine Hart, Director of PR (lhart@priorysouthsea.org), in the first instance to enable you to be invited to the next meeting. Parent Liaison Volunteers’ contact details can be found on the school website: www.priorysouthsea.org

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Communications –EnglishPlease Sir can I have some more...

...Trips to the theatre?

On Wednesday 2 November 30 fabulous Year 7 students visited the Kings Theatre in Southsea to see a Portsmouth Players production of Oliver!

From now until Christmas, Year 7 students are studying a range of Dickens texts in English. Seeing one of his most famous novels performed on stage was a great way to get to know some of his most famous and infamous characters!

One of the students who attended, Amy Irving, said “I thought that the Portsmouth Players production of Oliver was exciting and thrilling! The actor who played Fagin was very talented. The character was funny but also had a weird personality. The best moment was watching Oliver going back to his grandparents and finally having a family.”

Harley Hobman added “I found it exciting because it was the first time I have been to a theatre with all of my friends.”

“ Students thoroughly enjoyed the production and were perfect role models for the school! #PrideofPriory”

Mr C Mills

Is this a theatre trip I see before me?

On Thursday 10 November a lovely group of Year 7 students experienced Shakespeare’s thrilling play Macbeth at The Groundlings Theatre. Starring Jane Merrow, Golden Globe Nominee, the production was one to look forward to!

This trip was a fantastic way for our students to conclude their study of this play as they have enjoyed it so much since they have arrived at Priory in September.

A member of the public watching the performance came up to staff at the end and said she had been really anxious that the performance would be spoiled for her with all of the school children present. But she went on to say that our students’ behaviour and conduct had been exemplary – as we of course knew it would be.

One of the lucky students, Emma Dillon, said “Personally I thought it was amazing how they could say the words of Shakespeare and remember them all without mistakes. We were allowed to ask the cast questions after the performance which was fun. Some of the actors and actresses played more than one character and I asked them how easy or hard it was to do this. They said it was quite hard because different characters had different thoughts and ideas and they had to remember this as they changed into someone else on stage. Like one actor played a servant and a witch and she had to think of her body movements and posture and this helped her change over in her mind‑set. All in all it was one of my favourite plays to watch because of the drama and suspense.”

Harriet Widlake and Lorrie Hart

Maths & TechnologyX+Y = A big win!

Congratulations to our fantastic Year 11s who won the inaugural Cross Trust Maths Challenge event that took place in Priory School on Friday 30 September.

The students triumphed over Year 11s from Liphook and Petersfield schools after completing a day of exciting challenges that included code breaking, problem solving and bomb disposal. Priory students were trailing right up until the last challenge when their determination, teamwork and cunning strategy suddenly launched them to the top of the leader board. This just goes to prove that the game is never over until it’s won and our students proved that they have a great growth mind‑set! Well done Team Priory. You did us proud.

Maths & Technology–DesignTechnologyFrom Cutting to Cooking and Buffing to Baking...

This is a very busy time for us in Design Technology as the Year 11s begin the most intensive stage of their controlled assessment projects.

The department is already running Saturday workshops to allow students to add more depth to their work as well as offering access to the laser cutter and 3D printer with much shorter queues! We would encourage all students to make use of this opportunity.

We have students from Portsmouth School of Architecture in school, working with our Year 10 students and are looking forward to some exciting work. We will be running a competition to design some new features for the school site towards the end of their time with us so watch this space.

The Food area had a wonderful time making vast quantities of brownies for sale at the Macmillan Coffee morning. We ran very busy after school sessions and even welcomed Mr Vaughan to do some mixing. The students were hugely enthusiastic and made delicious brownies that sold out in a matter of minutes. Next year we will make double the amount and aim to break our record!

Facultyround-up

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Communications –MFLEuropean Languages Competition

On Friday 30 September, nine Year 8 students represented Priory School at Portsmouth Football Club, Fratton Park, for a European Day of Languages Competition. There were eight schools represented from Portsmouth and the surrounding local areas.

The day involved two activities, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The challenge presented to all involved was to entice a French native football player (whose second language was Spanish) to come to Portsmouth and play for Portsmouth football team! The morning session involved accomplishing this through a video, in Spanish or French, with full use of the Fratton Park site. The afternoon session involved creating a presentation in Spanish or French to deliver to the rest of the schools attending.

Our Year 8s formed a Spanish team of four and a French team of three. Both teams created fantastic videos that can be viewed on YouTube. The Spanish group came second with their presentation and the French group did amazingly well too. The general feedback was that our Priory students were polite, committed and very enthusiastic. They were an absolute credit to Priory School.

French group Poppy Crown, Lola Rees‑Whelan and Makeen Rehman

Spanish group Harvey Waltho, Bella Hemsley, Harry Osgood and Henley Barnes

Teachers Mr Eggett and Ms Johnson

Expressive Arts –ArtYear 11 Art Workshops

The Art Department set up an after school workshop to enable Year 11 students to work on large scale exciting projects. The results have been incredible.

In September we launched the after school workshops for Year 11 GCSE Art & Design students. This is an opportunity for students to work on a larger scale piece. The work being produced is linked to coursework projects that the students are working on in class time. The pieces are inspired by artists that the students have researched and based on photographs that the students have taken.

“ I have really enjoyed being able to work on a larger scale and produce something original that I have designed” Tassia Murray

“ This has been a fantastic opportunity to spend an extended period of time working on one piece” Gracie White

“ This workshop has been so successful and well attended that we will be launching a similar workshop for Year 10 students before Christmas. Watch this space!” Kiera Bruce

Expressive Arts –PhysicalEducationNFL Trip to Wembley Stadium

25 students along with five staff attended the NFL international series between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts

Students spent their Sunday at Wembley Stadium watching the yearly NFL international series between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. The pre‑show had music from Robin Thicke with dancers everywhere you looked. National anthems for both USA and Great Britain were sung. The whole game was like a party ‑ with music breaks, cheerleading, party troupes firing t-shirts into the crowd and mascots parading the Stadium! The game was a very close one. The Jaguars won by a field goal (3 points) in the final quarter. All the students had a great time and still talk about the event now. They really got into the spirit of American sports and bought into the show. Many students returned with souvenirs and kept their flag they were given by the Jaguars who were the home team. There will now be an American Football club running at break times to cater for those students who have caught the bug!

Science and ITScience Department

This term sees the launch of the all new STEM club, every Tuesday in A13 – Mrs England‑Wood’s laboratory from 3.10‑4.10.

Come along to try out the activities and a look at the planned activities for the year ahead. Different members of the Science Department will be running a variety of activities throughout the year, so come along and see what we can offer you!

We will be running projects and competitions throughout the year, which will involve prizes and national awards. You also have the opportunity to help build a special top secret project for the school! … come along to find out more.

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Facultyround-upHumanities – HistoryYear 9 Review of The Imperial War Museum

On 10 November, Year 9 visited The Imperial War Museum in London. We spent time exploring the museum and completed a Holocaust workshop before entering the exhibition.

As soon as I stepped into the museum I was ecstatic, surrounded by many marvellous artefacts with so many interesting and eye catching sights. I was actually blown away! I saw many really interesting artefacts associated with World War One and World War Two.

A particular artefact that stuck in my mind was a poem by a young girl who had written to her best friend who was Jewish and she so wished she could see her again but it never happened. There were examples of where the girls drew pictures together and the non‑Jewish girl even broke into the ghetto at times so that they could play together.

I was heartbroken to hear about so many children who did not understand the concept of segregation between Jews and Germans and were confused to never see their friends again. They had made special bonds that were broken out of the blue. Another shocking account I gazed upon was a young Jewish girl, who had a tiny amount of food and was begging for her life on streets seeing her fellow Jews perishing right in front of her, whilst behind her glass had shattered from Jewish shops during Kristallnacht. Another unbelievable fact that really stuck in my mind was the treatment of handicapped and disabled children who were treated horrendously like they were lab rats doing dreadful tests and dissections.

In the World War One exhibition, there was also a whole area about trench life and what it was like in the trench system. It was very realistic; you could hear ear piercing shells (as if you were shell shocked), fake barbed wire that looked real and binoculars to look into enemy lines.

We looked at artefacts from The Battle of The Somme, which we have been studying about in class. It was really interesting seeing it from a different perspective and how it is being remembered 100 years on.

Despite the horrible and tragic stories, I had an amazing time with all my peers and teachers, from 7am on the coach to the end of day. It was a life changing trip and really important for me to experience it!

Lily Scott-Joynt – Year 9

Year 9 Citizen Trip – Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court, 10 November 2016

On Thursday 10 November a group of Year 9 students were allowed into Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court, where we had access into two of the court rooms and were able to watch a court in session.

We left school at 8.30am and arrived at the Magistrates’ Court shortly after. Upon arrival we were greeted with a bag/body search – so that was a nice welcome! (Though really it was just a security check they even had to check Mrs Blachford and Miss Fancey).

The Magistrates introduced themselves and showed us one of the court rooms and explained the layout and structure of the Magistrates’ Court. They let us sit anywhere in the whole court room. Chloe, Madison and I decided to sit on the Magistrates’ Bench! The rest of the group sat in the witness box, the dock, the defence and prosecution seats and the public gallery. The Magistrates were really nice and helpful because they encouraged us to ask as many questions as we wanted. Even questions involving unicorns on the crest above the Magistrates’ Bench.

Eventually it was time to see the real court cases. Before we went inside we were just reminded to ensure any phones were off and act in a mature and respectful manner. Oh and of course – rise when the Magistrates entered and bow to them as they sat down. It was important to act in this way because the events of that morning could have changed the defendant’s life. We watched three trials and what shocked me most was the fact that all three defendants were young people under the age of 30 and all were homeless. Because we were watching an adult court they were all over the age of 18. The Magistrates showed us around and made sure we knew what was happening and that we understood the charges and the punishments. They also identified a link between all the cases that we saw: the defendants had all fallen on hard times.

After we had our lunch we went back into our two groups. One group went down to the cells, from the dock, first whilst the other group worked on case studies to decide on sentences that should be given for a crime which had been committed – this was using the sentencing guidelines Magistrates have to use.

Down in the cells the guards showed us how they put on and lock handcuffs and put us into a cell so we could see what it felt like and how boring and scary it would be if we were inside for hours. We also had a look at the food prisoners were given – it was not at all appetising!

Finally we finished up our case studies and sentenced all of the cases with a punishment that fitted the crime. Overall it was a fun and interesting trip and thank goodness none of us got arrested or we’d end up going to court for real and none of us wanted that!

Susanna Sheath – 9Miah

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Expressive Arts –DramaDepartment

Fresh from the success of 74% A*‑C achieved by our outgoing Year 11 students, this has been an exciting term for the Drama Department.

Our Year 10s and Year 11s have been working on the ‘Devising’ module of their GCSE, creating pantomime and Greek theatre performances respectively which will be performed in school later this term. 

Our Year 7s have completed their ‘Introduction to Drama’ module learning new skills and drama terminology and have all taken part in baseline performance assessments.

Our Year 8s have completed a devised module on ‘Suspense and Dramatic Tension’.

Our Year 9s have completed a devised module on ‘Empathy’ and have been performing monologues to enhance their performance skills.

The big success of this term has been working across the Expressive Arts Team on our production of High School Musical based on the worldwide Disney phenomenon of the same name. We have cast students from all year groups and they have been busy rehearsing what promises to be a spectacular show. Tickets will be available in the New Year.

Mr Young

Expressive Arts –DanceDepartmentThe Mother of all Auditions 87 students auditioned over two nights alongside an existing cast of 18 choreographers. 

Unfortunately we could not take everyone and the cast is now 91 strong. Rehearsals will begin after half term three nights a week in the gyms 3.15pm‑4.45pm. Student choreographers have been working tirelessly since June to create the pieces for the show with many exciting dances in lots of different styles.

On 13 December students will be raising money for the show and their costumes, make up, accessories and props by participating in a 10 hour Dance Marathon.

The shows will be on Tuesday 4 & Wednesday 5 April 2017 with two performances on each day; one at 4.30pm and another at 7.30pm.

Theyearinfocus

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Year 7The Year 7 students have got off to a fantastic start this first half term. They have really gone all out and got involved in lots of different activities within Priory.

Year 7 have thoroughly enjoyed the inter‑tutor dodgeball, taking part in football practice and playing matches. Netball has been very popular with the girls along with basketball.

The highlight for some Year 7s was being selected for the whole school production of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!

Foodbank update

This year the chosen charity for Year 7 is the Foodbank. This charity works very hard to help hundreds of Portsmouth families get by with additional food parcels that help to supplement those on lower incomes.

To assist this fantastic charity we are, as a year group, undertaking an Enterprise Challenge. Students involved (and all Year 7 students have been given the opportunity to enter a team) will be given £10.00 to set themselves up with purchasing any equipment they need. After this they will be able to fund raise and make money to give back to the charity. Students will be holding cake sales, car washing, making friendship bracelets and much more.

The team that returns the most money will be taken on an amazing trip to London. We will let you know who this team is as soon as the challenge is over. Exciting news to come!

Mrs Fairs

First match against Mayfield Inter Tutor Dodgeball

Year 9My first half term with Year 9 has been a really positive one and the year group have had an amazing start to the year.

Students have achieved over 2,000 ERAS so far and the top achieving student across the whole school is Finna De Greef who is a student in Year 9.

Student Leader interviews were held at the start of term and the following students were successful in their application: Fionnuala Harbinson, Oakley Landing, Scarlett Thomas, Susanna Sheath, Wiktoria Lasocka, Holly Linford, Olivia Chadwick, Zara Zahid, Jade‑Rose Taylor, Ben Eyers, Imogen Thomas, Michelle Cummins, Lily Scott‑Joynt, Elise Blakely, Jamie De Beer, Maddie Smith, Aston Bowman, Finna De Greef, Lucy Erridge, Ellie Ware, Kara Horsburgh, Tomi Vinnurva‑Shepherd, Leon Snow and Syiam Dewan. These students all conducted very mature, well‑spoken interviews and will be a credit to Year 9.

Students have been given the opportunity to join the Cadet Programme or become Sports Leaders; I look forward to seeing some of them in action in the future.

I am very much looking forward to the year ahead and working with all of the students and meeting as many parents/carers as I can throughout the coming weeks/months.

Mrs Fancey

Year 8Year 8 have started the term extremely focused and enthusiastic for the year ahead. We have presented Year 8 with the opportunity to become a Student Leader to support others and help promote the school’s aims and vision, and to be a good role model.

Those selected will be setting high standards of attendance, attitude, uniform and behaviour for learning. So far we have received 18 applications from our students, with many more showing lots of interest. 

We held a Year 8 Council Meeting last week and I was thrilled to see the students’ dedication and how ambitious they were for themselves and their year group, sharing some impressive ideas for fundraising for local charities and how we can recognise students’ excellent work.

A special congratulation to Bradley Stroud who was released from school to take part in Cadet official duties for Remembrance Day, taking part in a cadet parade to show honour to the fallen service men and women of our country both past and present. At such a young age, Bradley did the community proud.

We are taking 60 KS3 students to the New Theatre Royal on Thursday 15 December to see ‘Santa Claus’. This is a reward trip for those students who have been Star of the Week in their English lessons during the Autumn Term. Well done to all students who get selected!

Miss Usher

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Year 10The Year 10s have started their GCSEs and are working hard in lessons and revising during tutor times. Some students have had a great opportunity to attend college courses as well as studying their favourite subject and there has been an enthusiastic and focused start to the year in general.

We have also been lucky enough to be part of the ‘Get Involved’ initiative which is working with Portsmouth City Council and the Capital Breakfast Show. The year group are working towards improving their attendance and those that make the most progress will attend a concert with the artist Anne Marie.

A special congratulation must go to Eryk Lis who is the only Year 10 student who has had 100% attendance since he started in Year 7. This is an amazing achievement Eryk.

This year we are giving Year 10 a fantastic opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. The award is internationally recognised and is one of the key factors that many top universities look for when accepting applications. I hope lots of you will apply.

Congratulations to Freya Goodwin, Natasha Higson and Lucy Parker for their hard work and effort in lessons. At the start of term, a Year 10 Business class were set a challenge of marketing a box of cereals called ‘Healthies’. Mr Vaughan had the pleasure of experiencing a personal performance. We are very proud of their achievements.

Some other amazing things our Year 10s have been involved in are helping out with the Open Evening, making a great winning start with the girls’ football matches and the fascinating art trip to The Sculpture Park in Hindhead.

I look forward to the months ahead as we settle into the rigours of Key Stage 4!

Mrs Chadwick

Year 11Year 11 students returned in September for their final year at Priory School, refreshed from their summer break and so much taller! It really is astounding how mature they have all become, and how quickly the time has flown. 

It’s hard to believe that I became Progress Leader for the year group at the start of Year 8, back in 2013, and we are now in our final year together.

The Year 11 PPE season (mock exams to you and I) has taken place. All students have completed examinations for the majority of their subjects, in exam conditions, following the strict examination guidance that we will be expected to adhere to during the Summer GCSE’s in 2017. I am pleased to say that it has been noted by the senior leadership team, teaching staff and the exam invigilators, just how well the year group have conducted themselves. 

Thank you for your support as parents/carers! Ensuring your child arrives on time to their exams really does help to alleviate any anxiety they may be feeling, as well as allowing them some ‘down’ time to chat to their peers before going into the examination hall.

Year 11 Workshops are in place for Maths (Monday) and English (Wednesday). Please encourage your child’s attendance to these. All other subjects will offer after school workshops, and your child will be informed of these via their subject teacher.

PPE results will be given to students, via an assembly on Thursday 8 December during period 4.

Year 11 Prom – 2017

Preparations are well underway and we have secured our venue and date ‑ Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Boathouse No. 7 on Friday 7 July 2017.

A few members of the Prom Committee met at the venue last half term to sample the food on offer. I think it’s safe to say Elinor Mayor (Senior Prefect), Jess Amey (Prefect) and David Loughlin (Deputy Head boy) took full advantage of their ‘free’ meal!

Criteria for invitation to the Prom is very clear, and letters have been sent home to parents via the students. All information can also be found on the school website.

Further details will be released in the near future regarding ticket costs and payment plans.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss any aspect of your child’s education.

Mrs Blandford – Year 11 Progress Leader

29/09 Year 7 FootballHampshire Cup: vs Wavell – 5‑4 win

Team: Ansah Chitty, Ewan Foster‑Bartlett, Harrison Hill, Kai Hart, Ahmed Nasser, Braydon Smith, Bailey Ahmed, Rory Pack, Harley Hobman, Rio Le Ray, Hudson Le Ray and Harry Shaw

The Year 7s got the game underway with a positive start putting the opposition on the back foot. It was clear from the off that Harry Shaw was going to cause a real threat to the other team. He did exactly that and managed to grab himself a hat trick in the game. Braydon Smith controlled the game from midfield making some vital tackles whilst also assisting Harry for some of his goals. His hard work paid off as he managed to grab himself a goal which was thoroughly deserved. Hudson Le Ray, Rio Le Ray and Bailey Ahmed worked tirelessly in midfield with Rio causing havoc out on the wing. We unfortunately allowed Wavell to come back at us with some poor discipline in position and sloppy passing. Fortunately Kai Hart, Harrison Hill and Ansah Chitty sturdied themselves well to hold out for a narrow one goal win.

03/10 Year 9/10 NetballPortsmouth Tournament: ALNS, Milton Cross, Springfield, PAFG, St Edmunds – 2nd

Team: Harriet Brown, Emma Poore, Rachel Jackson, Lauren O’Neill, Scarlett Thomas, Jamie DeBeer, Maddie Smith and Sacha Tanner

Priory performed well considering this was a Year 10/11 tournament and half of the team was made up of Year 9 students. Once the shooters had their eye Priory sailed through their first three games with comfortable victories against Portsmouth Academy for Girls, Milton Cross and Admiral Lord Nelson. All players were defending well through the court and attack were feeding well into the circle. In the last game we came up against a strong St Edmunds team. The girls fought to the end and converted many of their centre passes. Fatigue was also a contributing factor as this was the 4th match in a row. The girls showed sportsmanship and respect for the umpires and opposition throughout the tournament. 

04/10 Year 9/10 FootballPortsmouth Schools Girls’ Football Cup Semi-Final: vs ALNS – 24‑0 win

Team: Darcy Challacombe-Grant, Rosie Cowie, Rowan Hawkins, Ruby Burnell, Scarlett Thomas, Imogen Thomas, Kara Horsborough, Maddison Campbell, Chloe Brooks, Kaitlin Tilley, Sophie Tilley and Charley Brasher

This was the first time this team had played together in a cup competition. Priory dominated from the start of the game with Darcy Challacombe‑Grant scoring within two minutes of kick-off. The goals

continued to flow and the girls were 13-0 up by half time. Priory continued to attack throughout the second half and the game ended 24‑0 to Priory. Special mention to Imogen Thomas who played brilliantly in her Priory debut, Chloe Brooks for an amazing diving header goal, Rowan Hawkins for her screamer of a shot from outside of the box which resulted in a goal and to Darcy Challacombe‑Grant who was player of the match!

10/10 Year 9 NetballPortsmouth Tournament: vs ALNS, Milton Cross, Springfield, PAFG, Mayfield – 2nd

Team: Scarlett Thomas, Jamie DeBeer, Maddie Smith, Sacha Tanner, Katie Schofield, Finna DeGreef and Nazirah Ali

A fantastic performance from the Priory girls finishing one point behind the overall winners Milton Cross. Priory only suffered one defeat by one goal to the eventual winners. This game was played a few seconds after we arrived, so there was no time to warm up. The team grew stronger as the tournament went on with five wins, one draw and one loss. Defence was particularly strong throughout the tournament with several turnovers each game in the attacking circle. One notable win was a 9-0 against Mayfield B.

13/10 Year 9/10 FootballPortsmouth League: vs St. Edmunds 6‑4 win

Team: Darcy Challacombe-Grant, Rosie Cowie, Rowan Hawkins, Ruby Burnell, Scarlett Thomas, Imogen Thomas, Kara Horsborough, Maddison Campbell, Kaitlin Tilley, Sophie Tilley and Charley Brasher

The team played their first league fixture of the season at home to St. Edmunds. Priory were the dominant team from the start of the game, taking an early goal through Darcy Challacombe‑Grant. All players played exceptionally well with the stand‑out performance and Player of the Match being Ruby Burnell for her defensive display. Special mention to Sophie Tilley who scored the Goal of the Match with a volley from a corner kick.

19/10 Year 7 NetballPortsmouth Tournament: vs PAFG, Trafalgar, Mayfield, Springfield, ALNS, King Richard, Milton Cross – 3rd

Team: Lily Davenport, Kya Katewu, Cat Huntley, Dixie Boxall, Josie Tanner, Teila Hall, Scarlett Leonard, Pinky Ponsuwan and Mollie‑Rose O’Sullivan

The team had a fantastic start to the tournament with an 8-0 victory against Mayfield A Team with some fantastic shooting from Cat Huntley. In the next round we faced eventual winners Springfield A team. The Priory girls put up a good fight with some particularly tight defence, but the result was a 2-1 loss. In the final round we faced Trafalgar and

put in a solid performance to win 3‑1. We then went into a 3rd/4th place play off against Springfield C. The girls played well as a team throughout the court. Again there was some exceptional shooting from range to achieve a 3-2 victory. This is the first experience of match play for the Year 7 team, following only three training sessions, 3rd place from 10 teams is an excellent result.

21/10 Year 7 AthleticsGreat School Sprint: vs Hampshire Schools – David Lawson 4th Overall Boys’, Boys’ Team 3rd Overall, Girls’ Team 5th Overall

Team: Emma Dillon, Kya Katewu, Pinky Ponsuwan, Lilly Brown, Laura Hall, David Lawson, Zamin Ali, Harrison Gray, Alan Dytfeld and Rory Pack

After running heats at school to find the five fastest boys and and the five fastest girls in Year 7, it was time for the annual Great School Sprint held at the Guildhall. Each year there is a professional athlete to help inspire the students and this year it was Richard Kilty, a 60m world champion. A special mention for David Lawson who made it into the boys’ final coming 4th. The boys’ team overall finished 3rd in the competition, whilst the girls finished 5th. All the students were fantastic representatives for the school and did themselves and the school extremely proud against a strong field of schools including Portsmouth Grammar School.

30/10 Year 11 FootballHampshire Cup: vs Romsey – 6‑2 win

Team: Will Bockett, Dylan Edwards, Henry James, Bayley Whitcombe, Faras Seibou, Tanatswa Kanjanda, Ben Duncan, Jacob Wade, Harry Frost, Joe Johnson, Shaquille Gwengwe, Harvey Ray, Kyle Elston and Harry Leeming

The Year 11 football team started their season in a positive fashion with a commanding performance over a competent Romsey side. The boys started the game slowly, going behind to a Romsey goal in the opening minutes. This seemed to startle the boys into action and they began to play the football they are capable of, replying quickly with two goals. However the boys were caught on the counter at the end of the first half and went into the interval at 2‑2. Changes were made and the boys quickly went 4‑2 up with some more brilliant team play. With around 15 minutes to go, Priory conceded a penalty but had their goalkeeper, Bockett, to thank as he made a brave double save to keep the Romsey penalty out. The boys once again stepped up a gear and scored another two goals, the last being rounded off brilliantly with a stooping header from Frost to finish the game deserved winners. Special mentions to Gwengwe who scored a hat trick (3), Kanjanda with a brace (2) and to Bockett for his bravery to keep Romsey at arm’s length in the second half. The next round will be played against Aldworth School in Basingstoke.

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