Aspire | Believe | Achieve

OO sseeNNeewwssAchievement Awards Evenings

Year 10 and Key Stage 3Achievement CelebrationsReports and photos inside

July 2017Ousedale School magazine

Message from Sue Carbert, Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

As the summer term draws to a close, I can tell you the school is fully staffed for September. The area which hasbeen challenging in terms of recruitment is maths, but we have managed to staff the department fully which isfantastic. This year staff turnover is at its lowest for three years.

We sadly say goodbye to a number of staff:

· Christine Osborne, associate member of staff in SEN, retiring after 27 years at Ousedale

· Jose Bruna, Biology Teacher leaving after 12 years for promotion

· Laura Presland, Assistant Head of Department for History - leaving after 8 years, relocating

· Zoe White, History teacher, job nearer home

· Francessca Coleman, Art teacher, job nearer home

· Adrienne Gristwood- Co-ordinator of Food, secured a Head of Food post

· Garrett McTernan, Senior Assistant Director, secured a Head of Maths post

· Jenny Murray, Maths teacher moving to be nearer home

· Kate Lewis, Assistant Director of English has secured promotion

· Kathryn Winskell, Food Technology technician leaving to pursue a career in teaching

· Christopher Davies, English Teacher, moving back to Canada

· Claire Beckett, temporary teacher of Maths, leaving for a job in a special school

Trips:

I am very grateful to the staff taking on such an enormous responsibility to organise trips. Staff volunteer to run trips and putting onetogether is very time consuming. Taking just two months of the year, which are the most hectic when it comes to trips, as they includeour ACE week experience, I list below the trips going out in June and July 2017:

· Chemistry At Work, Bradwell Abbey - to see what chemists do in their day to day jobs

· Insight into Intelligent Mobility Event in CMK, run by Transport Systems Catapult and designed to inform students of careers inthis industry

· Aspire trip to Loughborough University

· Gold DofE Qualifying Expedition, Snowdonia

· Rewards trip to Planet Ice, MK - for good attendance

· Anacrusis Music for Youth, Birmingham, to compete in a national music festival

· Leicester University Open Day

· Italy, Vesuvius and Pompeii

· Lulworth Cove, Dorset: Ecosystems and Conservation Management

· English/Creative Media trip to Longrigg

· A level history trip to Berlin

· Year 8 and 9 History trip to Paris

· Trip to Rome

· A Level Physics trip to Cern, Geneva

· Forest School, Linford Lakes Nature Reserve

· Harry Potter Studios, Watford

· Northampton Skills Show, careers event

· Anglian Water Education Centre, Leighton Linslade

· Year 10 tourism trip to London

· Stomp, Ambassador Theatre, London

· Spy Missions

· PE ACE Days: Outdoor activities at Willen Lake

· Cambridge University - to inspire students to apply to Russell Group universities

Surveys:

We are publishing the three sets of school information we gather each year. These are important to the senior team and governingbody as they let us know the extent to which our stakeholders are happy with the organisation. We are really delighted with each ofthem.

Accolades:

We have received three separate accolades this year for our results in 2016 and I think they are worth noting again in this final reportof the year:

1. An award for achieving GCSE results which place us in the top 20% in the country for non-selective schools.

2. An award for the quality of music provision and music results at GCSE.

3. Recognition that the 6th form achieved results which place us in the top 25% in the country for non-selective schools.

All staff at the school participate in a very detailed and structured CPD programme which ensures they are fully prepared to deliver allthe new specifications. It is a very demanding time to be a teacher and, while we all accept working 60/70 hours a week in term time iswhat we have to do, managing the changes thrust on schools this year has been very hard for all to deal with. Caught up in thischange are your children and we have all tried very hard to protect them from the uncertainty of the standards required for these newcourses.

I would describe the financial position of the school as satisfactory, and compared to other schools in the area, good. This year we hadto make difficult choices between reducing the number of courses on offer and teaching staff, and reducing the money available forresources such as text books, computers and printing. Governors and I did feel this was an easy decision; people are our mostimportant resource I am sure you agree. We chose to retain the majority of courses and keep the bonus groups in the core subjects,languages and humanities to reduce overall class sizes. Governors have set a deficit budget this year of £73,000.

I am proud we have not made any redundancies to manage the school financial situation, but I encourage you to write to your MP and/or MK council who actually decide how much they will give us for each student, as they continue to reduce the amount of money eachschool receives at a time when we have to fund any pay increase. While we would welcome the 1% cap on pay being removed, wecould only implement a more substantial pay rise if the money to the school increases.

Despite the funding situation, we have also gone ahead and paid for the refurbishment of three science labs at Newport Pagnell. We feltthey really did need upgrading. The planning for this project started two years ago and included an additional fire escape route on theoutside of the building - something I felt strongly should be in place. The project is costing £500,000 and will be completed by the endof September. The money has come out of our reserves and will be the last building project we can carry out without securingadditional funding.

Our main priorities for the forthcoming year are:

· Continue to ensure all staff are fully familiar with all the revised subject requirements

· Create more student leadership roles

· Raise the level of performance even further

· Create an outstanding culture at each campus - building on student voice and increasing form tutor guidance for students,particularly in the 6th form

· Develop a whole school approach to mental well-being

· Continue to monitor closely the financial position and revise our financial strategy as more information on the national fundingbecomes available.

I end by encouraging you to follow our Facebook page which contains a great record of some of the activities which have taken placethis term. Seeing happy and smiling faces is a joy and a great end to the year. I wish you all a lovely summer holiday.

Sue Carbert | Headteacher

Parent Questionnaire Results2016-17

% Strongly Agree/Agree

2016-17 2015-16 2014-15 National1 My child is happy at school 97.0 96.3 96.2 882 My child feels safe at school 98.7 98.4 98.6 913 My child makes good progress at school 98.0 98.6 97.7 834 My child is well looked after at school 99.2 98.2 98.8 875 My child is taught well 99.0 98.8 98.5 826 My child is set appropriate homework for their age 94.7 91.1 95.7 797 The school ensures students are well behaved 95.0 94.6 94.7 808 The school deals effectively with bullying 94.0 91.1 93.2 669 The school is well led and managed 97.2 97.4 97.9 7910 The school responds well to any concern I raise 95.1 95.3 94.1 76

11I receive valuable information from the school about my child’sprogress

92.3 91.1 93.7 81

12 I would recommend this school to another parent 99.2 98.9 98.0 83

Whole SchoolStudent Questionnaire Results

% Strongly Agree/Agree

2016-17 2015-16 2014-151 I am happy at school 98 96 942 I feel safe when I am at school 100 99 973 I am making good progress at school 98 98 964 I am well looked after at school 98 98 985 I am taught well 99 96 956 I am set appropriate homework 89 88 777 Behaviour is good during lessons 93 86 828 Behaviour is good around school at break and lunchtimes 91 89 859 The school deals effectively with bullying 92 84 8410 The school listens to the views of students 87 82 8211 I know how well I am doing at school 95 94 9112 The school is well run 97 95 9613 I would recommend this school to a friend 98 99 96

Staff Questionnaire Results % Strongly Agree/Agree

2016-17 2015-16 2014-151 I am proud to be a member of staff at this school 99 100 972 My contribution to the school is valued 98 97 893 I know what we are trying to achieve as a school 99 100 994 Teaching is at least consistently good and improving 100 100 995 I contribute to the school’s process of self-evaluation 98 96 92

6The school makes appropriate provision for my professionaldevelopment

97 96 93

7 Governors do an effective job in this school 93 97 98

8The school successfully meets the differing needs of individualstudents

95 98 93

9 The school is well led 99 97 9410 My department is well led 100 97 9711 My form’s year group is well led 96 98 9712 Staff feel safe 100 99 9613 Behaviour and attitude to learning in lessons is consistently positive 97 98 90

14Any unacceptable behaviour by students is consistently wellmanaged

95 97 89

On Friday lunchtime every week, Miss Tuxford and Sixth Form Students hold a debating club for KS3 students. A variety ofissues are covered each term with topics branching from a general discussion point; for example this term we have beendiscussing world relations, where we have spoken about gay marriage, nuclear weapons and colonising space.

We have enjoyed taking part every week and we have learnt a lot from it! Being able to share our ideas and thoughts on some seriousand some light-hearted topics has been fun and very interesting to hear other people’s points of view.

I (Max) had the opportunity to take part in a debating competition at Rotary Youth Speaks where I gave a 6 minute speech on anti-animaltesting. This was harder than you might think; however the skills learnt at debating club helped me speak in a confident and able manner.

We hope to see more students at the society and hope that you will consider joining us!

Max Ford & Theodore Hargreaves- 7LRT

KS3 Debating Club

As part of the Wednesday afternoon enrichment programme, I havebeen participating in the Model United Nations activity. In the firstweek we learnt about the various organisations within the UN, theirpeacekeeping work and why it was established after World War Two.

Our first topic of discussion was ‘Nuclear weapons and whether allcountries should disarm’. We were all given a country to research, forexample the USA, Israel, Russia, South Africa or North Korea. We then hadto present our country’s view and participate in a debate; although we didfind it difficult to reach an agreement on the topic.

The second topic we discussed was ‘The refugee crisis and theEuropean Union’s response’. We researched the number of refugeestaken in by our respective countries, our views towards refugees andpresent solutions to the crisis. Example countries were Turkey, Greece, UK,Germany and an envoy from the Syrian refugees. I have enjoyed findingout about each country’s view and engaging in debates with otherstudents.

Oscar Anderson 7LRT

Model United Nations

Governors’ Corner |

As we approach the end of another academic year at Ousedale, I have been reflecting on the past twelve months.There have been many highlights and reasons to celebrate, including the school’s continued excellent academicperformance at both GCSE and A-Level, wonderful musical performances and many others in a wide variety offields. All of these are testament to the dedication and hard work of the staff and, not least of course, the studentsthemselves.

A particular highlight for me this year was spending a day at the Olney campus, where I toured the facilities with Paul McFadden (DeputyHead) and visited a number of classes, taking the opportunity to speak to both staff and students. I also had a meeting with the KeyStage 3 Student Council, which was most enjoyable with the students asking me a good number of perceptive and searching questions. Iwas very impressed overall with the teaching that I saw, with student behaviour and application, and with the general atmosphere ofpurpose.

Looking ahead, the governing body recognise that many challenges remain, but we are proud of the way the school has succeeded inmaintaining outstanding academic performance and has also managed to update much of the infrastructure at the Newport Pagnellcampus, which is now more than fifty years old. Like many other schools outside large metropolitan areas, we suffer from under-fundingdue to the current funding formula, which sees some areas receive up to seventy-five percent more cash per student than we do. Let ushope that the government proposals to address this will give us a fairer share of the pie. We would also like to see Milton Keynes Councilpass on a larger share of education funding direct to schools. In the meantime, the governors will continue to work hard to support theschool and help make best use of the available resources.

Finally, I would like to express my thanks to one of our governors, Mandy Britnell, who will be standing down at the end of this term aftereight years on the board. Mandy has been one of the most active and dedicated governors, including a spell as SEN governor and mostrecently as chair of the Learning and Curriculum committee. Thank you Mandy. You will be sorely missed.

Andrew Millburn | Chair of Governing Body

by Andrew Millburn, Chair of Governing Body

Year 11 and 13

Year 10 Work Experience

Early this year eleven of our Art and Photography students entered the prestigious Royal Academy of Art A Level OnlineExhibition. This is an established and respected Art institution and we are proud of the students for entering the nationalcompetition. The work they submitted was outstanding and showcased their wide range of creative and technical skills.

We are delighted to announce that Sonni Wibaut was selected by the Royal Academy panel to be exhibited. Out of 2,400 entriesSonni is one of 49 students whose work can now be seen on the online exhibition. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/.

In the words of Sonni:

" Sonni Wibaut, Iceland under cloud pt. I.I visited Iceland with my school last October and, likethe majority, found it to be one of the most surreal andbreathtaking places I’ve ever experienced. The weatheron this day was particularly volatile and as I walked upto the glacier, fog began rolling over the mountainperpendicular to the path. I took a photo and themoment passed, along with the view.’

In addition Holly Rowett's sculpture of Prince wasamong 65 short listed pieces, again singled out of the2,400 entries. Her work is featured on their Flickr site.Well done also to Finley Lucas, Rebekah Ball, EleanorWells, Faisal Khan, Henry Yeomans, Jen Pearce, JonahPinny, Lauren Srivalsan and Ryan Tanner for enteringthe competition. The diversity and talent was first class.

Miss Fennelly | Assistant Head of Art

Royal Academy of Art - A Level Online Exhibition

On 15th June, we hosted our annual Year 10 Achievement Awards evening whichwas a wonderfully convivial event. Guests were welcomed by the musical talentsof Eleanor Old and Louise Pearce who did well to set the tone as they welcomedparents, staff, students and carers into the hall. After the opening introductionsby Mrs. Carbert and Mr. Millburn, Chair of Governors, we settled down to afabulous trio of flautists who provided a marvellously musical exposition.

A wide range of disciplines were represented at the awards: it is always so hearteningto see how incredibly well Ousedale students perform in so many different areas – fromthe core subjects like English, Maths and Science to other equally demanding areas ofthe curriculum. It is well known nationally – as well as in school – that examination andcoursework requirements across the curriculum are now significantly tougher than thoseonly a few years ago and that in order to do well, students face the kind of questionswhich were once asked at much higher levels. It was, therefore, particularly pleasing tosee how well our students are coping with these and to share their success.

In addition to the curricular awards, there were also pastoral awards – theseacknowledge the day-to-day support that students provide to classmates, tutors andcharities, all of which help to fuel the heartbeat of Ousedale School and illustratesomething we hold very dear – pupil involvement and engagement.

The English readings, which were all beautifully delivered, had the audience on theedges of their seats and the rock band who played some ‘golden oldies’ certainly hadus tapping along in unison. And, of course, there were the solos - William Caglayan onthe grand piano and Henry Smith on the trumpet. It cannot be easy to perform in frontof rows of beady eyes but our students showed the Glastonbury spirit and enthusiasmand were a pleasure to listen to.

One of our foci is working with our students on Student Leadership projects wherestudents are awarded a bronze, silver or gold award from the SSAT. These were thepenultimate awards to be given out and showed that our students had purposefullycompleted their different levels of accreditation – they and all of those representedduring the evening were a real credit to us.

The last award of the evening was that of Silver Ties where students achieve across arange of subjects, showing consistent commitment. This was not published in theprogramme and was the perfect, although unexpected, way to end the evening.

Of course, the Achievement Evening is the pinnacle of success – but we should notforget that for every student who is there gaining an award, there are many others allstriving to do so and we would also like to acknowledge their efforts, all of which helpto provide the competitive thriving environment that we strive to be.

Jon Grant , Assistant Headteacher andAlison Williams, Pastoral and Academic Leader

Year 10 Achievement Awards

Key Stage 3 Achievement Awards

On 28th June and 29th June we celebrated our Key Stage 3 Achievement AwardsEvenings and it was a lovely way to end this academic year. It has been a delightto see so many of our Key Stage 3 students achieve awards for such a wide rangeof reasons.

Certificates were presented for a range of criteria from consistent academic success,performing arts, contribution to PE, charity contribution, pastoral awards and thecoveted silver ties for those students who are our role models and involved in a rangeof aspects of school life. Over 100 students received awards for a range of reasonsacross both campuses and it really was astounding to hear of all of the achievementsof our students and to hear about the range of activities that they are involved in.

Alongside the awards, the evenings were full of entertainment from music performancesto dance solos to English readings where students had written and then performed theirown masterpieces. It was a privilege to be a part of the evenings and a reminder thatwe are surrounded by such hardworking, dedicated and inspirational students. It wasalso lovely to receive such positive messages from parents after the event:

‘Children cannot manufacture passion. What struck me most was how, to a person, theywere all very passionate about what they do and how proud they are to be membersof the school. Well done to all.’

‘She really thinks the world of you and Ousedale School, she speaks so highly of MrPlatt, Mr Glover, Miss Green, and tells me about conversations she has with people whoinspire her! Her teachers! Thank you! My phone would not record so if you get timeplease can you tell me in the words they read out, why she got both achievements asI could not record it. We are extremely proud and encourage her to work so hard,thanks massively to you. Aspire, believe, achieve!’

Congratulations to all students who received awards. We look forward to celebratingyour success and that of other students next year and wish our Year 9s every successas they embark upon their GCSE journey.

Claire Penny, Assistant Headteacher andJeremy Stormer, Pastoral and Academic Leader

Sports Day took place on Friday 23rd June, bringing together students from both sites to compete in a fantastic day, that really showedoff the talents and captured the spirit and positivity that thrives at Ousedale School. Prior to the finals, nearly every student at bothcampuses competed to qualify for the finals day.

This year we were also privileged to have Daniel Caines, who is one of Great Britain’s top runners over 400m. He enjoyed a highlysuccessful career in which he was World, Commonwealth, European and Europa Cup Champion in the 400m and 4x400m relay,representing his country at two Olympic Games. Daniel awarded our students with many certificates and congratulated the students thatwere successful in breaking some of our long standing records.

Year 77SRB became Year 7 Sports Day champions with a clean sweep inboth the boys’ and girls’ competition with 183 points, beating thesecond place by 36 points! There were two records broken in Year7 in the 800m and 1500m. Lily-Mae Smith broke the girls’ 800mrecord, a record that has been held since 2009, with a time of2.36.83, beating the current record by 5 seconds. Jayden Hill brokethe boys 1500m record with a time of 5.22.28. A huge well doneto both students.

8SW won the Year 8 competition with 167 points. 8HG came avery close second, with just three points between 1st and 2nd place.8SW girls were also successful on the day, winning the girls’category overall, with 8HG winning the boys’. There were threerecords broken - Tommy Ismail broke the 300m record, runninga fantastic time of 43.26; Harry Legg broke the 1500m record witha time of 5.06.58; Zak Freeland broke the triple jump record,jumping an outstanding distance of 9.20m.

Year 8

Place Team TotalPoints

1 8SW 167

2 8HG 164

3 8BP 147

4 8KAL 140

Sports Day 2017

Place Team TotalPoints

1 7SRB 183

2 7CB 147

3 7SMG 144

4 7LRT 137

10JOM were Year 10 champions with an outstanding 221 points,also winning both the boys’ and girls’ categories. Overall therewere five records broken. Destiny Enogiomwan broke the boys’triple jump record, with an incredible distance of 10.92m andTamzin Hill broke the girls’ triple jump record jumping a distanceof 9.80m. Elka Pinny broke the girls’ 1500m record running a timeof 6.48.69. Matthew Dicks broke the boys’ 1500m record runninga time of 4.42.11. Iuri Barreira broke the boys’ 800m record. Welldone to all!

Place Team TotalPoints

1 10JOM 221

2 10GD 168

3 10SYC 147

4 10MG 105

It has been a real privilege to see the outstanding contribution to sports day from our students, staff and the parents that havesupported the event. The positivity and buzz created around the school shows how successful Sports Day has been in bringinga community together. We are truly thankful to the Sixth Form students that gave up their own time and were involved in helpingthe day run so smoothly. Lastly it leaves us to thank the PE department for their continued hard work and contribution.

Miss Green | Teacher of Physical Education, Year 8 PAL

The overall champions of the Year 9 competition were 9MRG withan astonishing 169 points. 9EH boys were victorious in the boys’category winning by 38 points and 9NB were triumphant in thegirls’ category.

The stand out performance came from Barbara De Koning whobroke the girls’ 1500m record, running a time of 5.18.77.Barbara now holds all three girls’ 1500m records for Year 7, 8and 9.

Place Team TotalPoints

1 9MRG 169

2 9JB 154

3 9EH 147

4 9NB 137

Year 9 Year 10

Contributing to school life | Promoting a great environment

Student Council Update

Our student councils have been busy - take a look at their great workYear 7 Newport PagnellYear 7 have achieved a lot in a short space of time, this being their first councilexperience at Ousedale School. Their achievements include:

● a front of queue canteen pass for KS3 students● a rugby club for girls● a ‘Do’s and don’ts of free time’ poster for tutor groups.

They are currently working on a new project to make the appearance of theschool even better as well as planning an assembly to share with other years.

Year 9 Newport PagnellThe Year 9 student council have also been hard at work!

● They are in the process of completing a relaxation corner in the Eco Centre.24 Year 9 students are participating in the enrichment activity, constructing awooden seat/pagoda from scratch.

● A member of the student council organised a Lithuanian lesson to other Year9 students and hopes to run this with Aspire students next term.

● They have developed a working group developing their ideas on how toimprove the environment within the lower school canteen.

● They distributed questionnaires to the KS3 tutor groups to research howstudents feel about the canteen. A presentation is being put together focusingon the introduction of canteen monitors, who will volunteer on a rota andwork alongside duty staff.

Year 8 Newport PagnellThe main focus for the Year 8 Council this year has been the schoolenvironment.

● They have mainly worked on creating wildlife houses and bird feeders andare currently getting on with building a pond.

● They are working with Year 7, creating a school assembly regarding litter forthe Pastoral and Academic Leaders to deliver next year.

● Over the Christmas period, the council organised and ran a charity netballand football tournament to raise money for Willen Hospice.

Year 10 Newport PagnellYear 10 have focused on using their experiences to try and benefit others.

● They organised an assembly for Year 9 regarding GCSE/BTEC options.They are also planning an assembly to deliver to next year’s Year 10encouraging hard work and commitment in Year 11.

● They are currently ‘in discussions’ with the site team regarding benches.● Student Council members are attached to each department area to

contribute to praise and rewards systems.● They are looking to plan an additional fund raising opportunity for our

charities.

Key Stage 3 OlneyAt the start of the year they ran a short term project where the council raisedawareness about corridor etiquette by creating posters, researching routesaround campus, liasing with staff and their tutor groups. Also they have:

● Liaised with the Science Department regarding a newcompetition/experience outside of school which will be introduced in thenew academic year.

● Created a Student Council Noticeboard with suggestion areas to ensure thatstudent voice is accessible to all of KS3.

● Been involved in a successful question and answer session with the Chair ofGovernors.

They are currently in the process of planning for a long term project alongside‘Environment Leaders’ to refurbish the Olney campus quiet area.

Student Council Update

Year 11 Newport Pagnell

● Year 11 designed a questionnaire that allstudents in Year 11 were invited to take part inso that an appropriate leavers’ top could beordered. They reviewed the questionnaires andgot quotes from three different providers, andopted for a zip up hoody.

● They decided to split roles within the team interms of the school environment and all had afortnightly day where the council memberwould monitor the canteen.

Key Stage 4 OlneyThe council have implemented a question box in reception for students to postideas about what they would like to have discussed in student council meetings.They also:

● Made sure that there were more signs around school● Suggested that we had more litter bins available which is now the case● Plan to to get a speaker in from Amnesty International

They are currently working with the canteen about alternative options and havealso suggested that a litter leadership team was implemented - this is now apart of the new leadership role of ‘Environment Leader’.

Student Leadership AccreditationThere are further opportunities to develop Leadership skills through the SSATStudent Leadership Accreditation where students focus on:

● Developing themselves● Developing others● Contribution and leading in the community

https://www.ssatuk.co.uk/cpd/student-leadership/student-leadership-accreditation/Students have been awarded 11 bronze, 5 silver and 4 gold accreditations.

Jon Grant | Assistant Headteacher

Students achieve Bronze Arts Award

Georgina Cooper 10EF DramaEleanor Coyte 11KTW DramaAlessia Farr 10CR DramaOlivia Gartside 11GR DramaYasmin Green 10EF DramaAnita Jaimon 10EF DramaAnna Johnson 11NMG DramaAriana Kubiak 10PR DramaKartlon Stanton 10GWT DramaEllouisa Tidmarsh 9JCB DramaAlice Baldwin 10PR Visual ArtsAlice Bhebhe 11EL Visual ArtsElizabeth Endell-Davies 11KTW Visual ArtsRachel Grimer-James 11EL Visual ArtsElsa Heywood 10JG Visual ArtsRhianna Irving 11SPP Visual ArtsHolly Jones 11EL Visual ArtsLim Ying-Huan 11SPP Visual ArtsNadia Lincoln 10PR Visual ArtsMia Malpass 11MRC Visual ArtsEmily Reid 10EF Visual ArtsGracie Austin 10MG MusicPolly Bennett 10MG MusicAbigail Cadman-Kerr 10SYC MusicMadeleine Catanach 10AG MusicRobert Holloway 10JOM MusicJessica Howson 10JOM MusicMolly Ledson 9NB MusicLiam Macmanus 9NB MusicThomas Mills 10JOM MusicKathryn Norbury 9NB MusicElka Pinny 10JOM MusicAmy Rowntree 11DH MusicAbigail Southon 10JOM MusicAmelie Ward 9NB MusicHayden Armiger 9LLW MusicCharlotte Bruce 9KRM MusicPhilippa Carew 10EF MusicGloria Chen 9KM MusicCeri Elrick 9KM MusicJessica Garner 10EF MusicMaisy Nixon 9RN MusicZoe Wu 9KM Music

Congratulations to all students who worked towards theirBronze ART AWARD this academic year. The externalmoderator was very complimentary and commented ontheir ‘inspirational and insightful’ work.

Arts Award is a range of unique qualifications thatsupports students to grow as artists and artsleaders, inspiring them to connect with and takepart in the wider arts world through takingchallenges in an art form.

To achieve their Arts Award, young peopleparticipate in arts activities, experience arts events,get inspired by artists and share their arts skills withothers. They create a portfolio to keep a record oftheir creative journey. Along the way they aresupported by an Arts Award adviser, acting asassessor, facilitator and mentor.

If you are interested in achieving your Bronze orSilver ARTS AWARD, then please contact a teacherfrom either of the ART, DRAMA or MUSICdepartments.

Congratulations to Anacrusis who performed in theNational Music For Youth Festival on 6th July in

Birmingham Town Hall. The quality of performancewas excellent and we were thrilled with our

feedback from the music mentors.

Anacrusis performat Birmingham Town Hall

Music for Youth Festival

Congratulations on achieving Music Exam Grades

Grade

Lukas Hall Bass 7SBB 3 DistinctionMason Ford Guitar 7CB Debut Grade DistinctionAlex Mulholland Guitar 8MA Debut Grade MeritSam Berry Guitar 8STC Debut Grade DistinctionHarry Legg Guitar 8STC 3 MeritSophie Morton Guitar 9EH 1 MeritHenry Binstead Guitar 9KM 2 PassRyan Grandy Guitar 8SW 1 MeritKiki Price Guitar 8SW 1 MeritElizabeth Stewart Guitar 9EH 2 PassCrystal Kan Harp 7SBB 5 MeritAbigail Southon Keyboard 10JOM 3 DistinctionHannah Young Keyboard 8JNB 1 DistinctionTaila Caso Keyboard 8SW 1 PassWilliam Caglayan Piano 10PR 5 MeritFfion Mather Piano 7CW 2 MeritGloria Chen Piano 9KM 8 DistinctionMolly Ledson Piano 9NB 2 PassKathryn Norbury Piano 9NB 2 Distinction

Congratulations also toGloria Chen 9KM

Gloria recently passed her Grade 8 Piano ABRSM exam withdistinction honours. What a great achievement!

Reminder - Girls’ School Uniform

A reminder that from September girls in Years 7 – 10 whochoose to wear a skirt to school will need to wear the pleatedskirt which is available from Maisies. Black skirts are nolonger part of the school uniform for girls in Years 7 – 10.

News from the Careers Centre

Visit to Transport Systems CatapultOn 22nd June, a group of Year 7 and 8 students visited thetechnology and innovation centre of TS Catapult in Central MiltonKeynes. We were given a day of amazing activities showing thefuture of transport systems and intelligent mobility. From the virtualreality studio to the driverless pod and the interactive ‘ManchesterTable’, the day was full of information and inspiration.

Work ExperienceYear 10 have been busy organising their work experience placements ready for July. If you missed out on a placement on the scheme, youcan always try organising something for during the holidays. Some of the benefits of work experience include:

- Gaining new skills & experience- Understanding how organisations/industries work- Developing confidence and self esteem- Gaining positive references and expanding contacts for the future

According to an employer survey reported on the UCAS website, two thirds of employers look for graduates with relevant work experience.One third of employers felt applicants did not have a satisfactory level of knowledge of their chosen job.

Exam Results DaysFor Year 11 and 13 students, all eyes will be on exam results day. Look out for your career information pack available with your results.During the summer holidays, careers advice will be available through Community Learning MK (CLMK):-

CLMK Youth - 01908 254410Hayley and Caroline will be at Central Milton Keynes Library Flexible Learning Centre to provide support for school and college leavers on17 & 24 August between 9am – 4pmYou can also drop in to their afternoon sessions at the Flexible Learning Centre throughout the summer : Monday - Friday between 1pm- 4pm

We are currently working on a comprehensive programme of careers events for next year so watch out in September for moreinformation on upcoming career trips and events.

Mrs Griffin and Mrs Campion, | Careers Advisors

This year the GiV project (Get Involved in Volunteering) has focused on achieving 50 good deeds in thecommunity; we chose the number 50 because of the MK 50th anniversary. We worked with the help ofstudents from Shenley Brook End School as well as Debbie from GiV who was always there to makesure everything went to plan.

We began our project with some ‘getting to know you’ games at Emberton Country Park and completed our final project creating artwork and decorating a meeting room at MK Play Association, a charity that provides play activities for the young people of Milton Keynes.

We volunteered at MK Snap, a project that works with adults with learning difficulties; we tidied their garden and helped to prepare it forthe summer. As well as this, we were involved in many other different activities including:

· ‘Team building’ and ‘Overcoming our fears’ at Caldecotte

· Working with the Park Trust Rangers at Howe Park Wood to find out what their jobs involve and help them complete a survey.

We met a lot of people from both Ousedale campuses and have found the support of the Sixth Formers invaluable. It certainly improvedour team skills and gave us the confidence to try something that was new and a bit scary! If you get the opportunity to be involved in nextyear’s project, you will have a lot of fun, learn new skills and meet a whole range of new and interesting people.

Teagan Garwood 8STC (Olney campus) andAbigail Akers 7CB (Newport Pagnell campus)

Volunteering | 50 Good Deeds

Students will be able to confirm their Sixth Form course choicesand enrol into the Sixth Form following the release of GCSEresults. Staff will be available to answer any queries regardingresults and courses.

The Sixth Form enrolment desk will be operate on Thursday 24thAugust (9am to 1pm) and Friday 25th August (9am to 1pm).

Please check the school website for further information regardingjoining our Sixth Form in September.

Sixth Form Enrolment

A Level Results (including AS results)Thursday 17th August9am to 11am - Main Hall Newport Pagnell Campus

GCSE ResultsThursday 24th August

9am - 11am: Main Hall Newport Pagnell Campus9am - 11am: Hall, Olney Campus

10am - 11am: Main Hall Newport Pagnell Campus10am - 11am: Hall, Olney Campus

If you are unable to collect your results on this day youcan either

· Ask somebody to collect them on your behalf bycompleting and returning the permission formavailable on the school website, or

· Supply a stamped addressed envelope at eithercampus to the exams office before school closes forthe summer break.

Collection of Exam Results

It was the PE department’s pleasure to award so many students with full colours atthe Year 11 Sports Awards assemblies. This has been a strong year with lots ofstudents taking part and representing the school in many different sports.

As this year was such a strong sporting year, male and female sports person awards werepresented at both campuses for outstanding commitment to sport and representing theschool.

Newport Pagnell campus winners were: Maeve McKinnell and Pat BullOlney campus winners were: James Penver and Georgia Brock.

The team achievement award of the year went to Boys’ Badminton who won countlesstournaments and reached the regional finals.

Year 11 Sports Awards

Miss Passfield | Asssitant Head of PE

Well done to Georgia Marsh 8RV who competed in the IDTA dance qualifiers for the South East regionwith her dance school, Milton Keynes Dance Centre.

Georgia was dancing in the 13-15 years age category. She qualified for the National Dance finals in Blackpool inNovember for freestyle solo dance, freestyle pairs, rock and roll and the schools’ team. She also is now 5th in theSouth East region for freestyle solo. What a fantastic achievement Georgia, well done!!

Dance Success for Georgia Marsh 8RV

Congratulations to Mia Soman 9MRG who vaulted her way toCounty Pole Vault Champion in May, clearing a height of 1.90m

County Pole Vault Champion

Well done to Ethan Walker and Jake Sargeant in Year 8, who representedthe school at the MK Schools’ Tennis Tournament on 7th June. Theycompeted extremely well in the boys’ doubles tournament and achieved firstplace in this category.

Sporting Success

This year Ousedale entered the Bedfordshire competition to save driving all the way down to South Bucks. Our team beat BedfordSchool, Sharnbrook and Bedford Modern School. Against the latter, the score was 3-3 but Dylan Smith and Tim Ball really stepped up inthe tie break shoot out, going into a 9-1 lead and winning comfortably. Marcus Persaud won a tough singles match against BedfordModern. Ethan Walker is the 4th member of the team and if they can win the next knock out stage they will qualify for the Regional Finals.

Ethan Walker played in the Road to Wimbledon  County Finals on 1st and 2nd July, having qualified by winning the Ousedale Schoolcompetition earlier in the term. He played superbly well and won the whole tournament without dropping a set. He will play on thehallowed grass courts of Wimbledon on 13th August in the National Finals. Well done Ethan!

MK Schools’ Tennis

U15 Aegon Tennis Competition

Wimbledon beckons!

Callum Barnaby 7SMG competed in the Regional Kata Finals in Milton Keynes on 25th June.

He picked up a Gold medal, winning the Individual Kata competition and his team picked up theSilver Medal. A great achievement, well done Callum!

Gold Medal Winner

Competitive Swimming

In May, a number of Ousedale students took part in the South East Regional Swimming finals at Crawley,with some fantastic results.

Rafe Dobson in 8KAL came second in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke, coming away with newpersonal best times - he has now qualified for the Nationals in Sheffield on 6th August. Ellis Stevenson8BP also qualified for the Nationals in the 200m breastroke.

Well done to all those who competed; you all put in a lot of training hours both in and out of the pooland your hard work is paying off. Good luck to Kayden Hill, Adam Whiting, Rafe Dobson, EllisStephenson, Erin Waters, Rhiannon Jeffreys, Kaitlyn Grose, Georgia Richardson, Barbara De Koning andLucy Farmer.

See more about Rafe Dobson and Adam Wrighting’s trainingschedules overleaf.

I train seven times a week which is 12.5 hrs a week in the pool and I do an hour a week land training.

This year I made it to Oxford and North Bucks Counties which took place in February at Aylesbury; I then achieved accepted times for theSouth East Regionals, which took place at Crawley in May.

Training to be the best

Adam Wrighting 9MRG

I first started training competitively when I was seven at Newport Pagnell swimming club and havesince moved to the City of Milton Keynes Swim Club. I train 8 times a week, including morningsbefore school for 1 and a half hours to 2 hours.

Out of the whole of the south east region, in 100m and 200m breast stroke, I came 2nd in the 13year old age group and qualified for English nationals a year early.

The Regional final, Swim England South East 14 years & under Swimming Championship 2017, washeld at K2 Crawley over two weekends in May. This involved 72 Swimming Clubs competing fromSouthampton, to Dover, to Milton Keynes, to Oxford. On the day, you enter heats and the top 8fastest times in each of the 3 age groups go through to the final.

On the Saturday, I qualified in first place in the 200m Breaststroke and, in the final, I came secondwith a new personal best time. On the Sunday, I qualified in seventh place in the 100m Breaststrokeand, in the final, came second, again with a new personal best.

Rafe Dobson 8KAL

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Adam Wrighting training for butterflyAdam Wrighting competing atbreastroke