welcome back Mrs Cumberworth and Mrs Nicolaouwho have been with us previously.

Our new Year 7, new Year 12 and 13 students starton Friday 2 September with all other years returningon Monday 5 September.Please can all parents support the wearing of thecorrect uniform, paying particular attention to shoes,these should be smart, black leather. Please alsobe aware that we do not permit extreme hairstylesso any hair colourings or accessories should be

NewsletterTHE BILLERICAY SCHOOLSUMMER 2016

MESSAGE FROM MR MOHAMMED, HEADTEACHERI am sure that our Year 7 students will be amazed asto how quick the year has gone. This also applies tomyself. Much has evolved during the year as we arein transition from legacy GCSE and A levelsexaminations into the new reformed syllabi.

I would like to say how proud I am of the successesof so many of our students. As you can see fromsome of the items in this newsletter, our studentsand staff have, as ever, been very busy in a hugeand diverse range of activities and I congratulatethem on their achievements.

We have also said farewells to our Year 13 studentswho have completed their studies at The BillericaySchool. We all wish them the very best and lookforward to some exceptional results this August.

Students will finish this term on Thursday 21 July at12.00 noon.

We will be saying goodbye to the following teachingstaff: Mr Allen, Mrs Bailey, Miss Craig, Miss Frapell, Mr Garley, Mrs Hall, Mrs Holmes, MissHopkins, Miss Smeaton and Mrs Roberts

And welcome: Ms Anderson, Mrs Bright, Mr Duffy,Mr John, Miss Morrison, Miss Ouali, Mrs Stephensand Miss Woodnott. We are also delighted to

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TRAVEL ANDTOURISM DEPARTMENT

Congratulations to the Travel and Tourism department. It wasannounced last week that The Billericay School has won a GoodSchools Guide Award for Girls taking Leisure and Tourism at GCSE.

The Billericay School has been presented with this award by The GoodSchools Guide for out-performing all other English schools in itscategory. The prestigious annual awards, which are in their 10th year,are based on a detailed analysis of the most recent examinationresults, and are designed to highlight consistently good teachingRalph Lucas, Editor of The Good Schools Guide, commented: 'Ourannual awards scheme is designed to recognise and rewardexcellence in teaching in every subject area at both GCSE and A levelor equivalent. Our awards give individual teachers and departmentswhere teaching is as its very best the recognition they deserve'.

www.billericay.essex.sch.uk E-mail: info@billericay.essex.sch.ukSchool Road, Billericay, Essex, CM12 9LH Tel: 01277 655191 Fax: 01277 314414

removed before your child returns to school inSeptember.

As the school continues to focus on raisingstandards, uniform will be scrutinisedmeticulously in the new term. Please bear this inmind when buying new uniform.

I thank the wider Billericay community for theircontinued support and wish you all a restfulsummer holidays.

TTeexxttiilleess DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt

The Textiles Department arelooking for any unused fabrics,haberdashery or other usefultextile materials you may have nouse for such as buttons, zips,ribbon etc. These would be put tovery good use in the classroom insome of the exciting and creativeprojects.Please contact Mrs Wigglesworth inthe textiles department if youwould like any more information.

GEORGE BUCKLEY

George has been attending Sea Cadetsfor about 4 years and has worked hisway up the ranks. He has completedseveral training weekends includingcooking and has also done his Duke ofEdinburgh Bronze award. George's Unit,The Brentwood Sea Cadets, travelled toCornwall, representing the whole ofLondon East Area, for the National Drill &Piping competition. The event was heldin Plymouth in April and they reachedthe finals.

George has been awarded the JackPetchey Award and is an avid boatingand kayaking member of their team.

George is hoping to pursue a career inthe Navy and hopes to enrol at navalcollege when he leaves school.

Well done, George

Well done to the Year 10s who completed theirBronze practice and qualifying expeditions inthe summer term, and the Year 11 and 12students who are off to the New Forest at theend of term. Can parents please remind theirson/daughter to go online to their eDofEaccount and complete their award, as somestudents are using this as part of their PEqualification. Year 11 and 12 students shouldcontinue with their volunteering, physical andskill sections if they wish to pursue their SilverAward. Thank you also to the following teachers fortheir help during expedition weekends: MrBeckett, Mr Broomhead, Mr Lapham, MrPayne, Miss Frappell, Ms Williams, MrsKeeble and Mrs O'Callaghan.Any Year 9 student who is interested incompleting their Bronze Duke of EdinburghAward will be able to apply in January 2017.Make sure you check the DofE notice board inA-block regularly for updates, and attend Year10 assemblies in December.

Duke ofEdinburgh

Awards

A big 'congratulations' to the following studentswho have successfully completed their BronzeDuke of Edinburgh Award

This involved completing a period ofvolunteering, physical and skill sections alongwith a two day one night expedition. Well done!Charlie Odell, Rebecca Fitzgerald and EmmaPerry have also completed their Silver Award,which involved longer periods of volunteering,physical and skill sections and a three day twonight expedition. An excellent achievement,well done!

Max AsherMaddie GordonLaura GarnerLauren Sant

Lauren CruseEllie DempsieAda Friswell

Jade GreenleafMille Withers

Natasha HewerLucy Clare

Deanna MorleyMyles Scripps

Casey Hill Joshua LoveEmily Bevis

Euan WeatherleyRoss Stringer

Rob Hunt Anna FosterLucy DixonOlivia Hart

Emily Costi-Mouyia

Megan Fitzgerald Tahlia Brown

CharlotteHennessy

Charlotte Knight Matthew Bennett

Elliott HerveyLillie Hart

YYEAR 1100 CCHILD

DDEVELOPMENT TTRIP

On Friday 24 June our two Child Developmentclasses went to visit The Museum of Childhood inLondon.It proved to be a very interesting trip as the studentsattended a lecture on 'The Importance of Play'which is the topic they are currently studying, andthen had free time to explore the museum. Many of the exhibits were interactive and they hadgreat fun playing in the 'Sensory Area' and taking offtheir shoes at the 'Beside the Seaside Beach'. Thestudents were exceptionally well behaved and MrsO'Callaghan even found time to ride on a RockingHorse!

This year was oursecond year ofrunning our KeyStage 3 readingp r o g r a m m e ,Readasaurus. Ouraim is to get students

setting up their own reading groups of three or fourpeople, where they can read and discuss the samebook. Last year we had 112 students participateand this year we had 165 students complete theprogramme by reading at least one book as agroup. Some students were involved in more thanone group and a handful of our most avid readersread five or more books. The onus is on thestudents to set up their own groups but many formtutors were supportive by helping to facilitategroups, and there was also a number of sixth formstudents reading with specific groups. To be eligiblefor our rewards trip students had to complete thereading and then respond to the book they readthrough creative writing or making an artefact. OnFriday 8 July, we took 3 coaches of students toEmpire Cinema in Basildon as a reward forcompleting the programme and on Monday 11 July,the 29 students who had read the most books wenton a trip to Thorpe Park. We are looking to run theprogramme again in the new school year and hopemany more students will get involved.

"Museum of Quilters"

A Wednesday in June saw 20 Year 3 to 6 pupilsfrom Quilters Junior School visit the Art Departmentto create some artwork to add to their very ownhistory museum.

We worked together to create some amazingmystical winged creatures based on the CottinglyFairies Hoax of 1917.

The children had the opportunity to make wingsusing wire and a range of other materials, have theirphotos taken and work on making somephotograms in the dark room.

All involved had a great morning and the workcreated was all very different. Everything will beassembled by the Art Department and presented toQuilters before the end of term. Special thanks goto Luke and Gus from Year 12 for taking part in theproject and for their Photoshop wizardry!

HHiissttoorryy TTrriipp ttoo YYpprreessOn Wednesday 23 March the History Departmenttook Year 10 students to Ypres to commemoratethose who fell in the First World War. Despitenumbers dropping because of the terrorist event inBrussels the day before, those students who did goto Ypres had an extremely moving day. Whilst inYpres, the students visited In Flanders Fieldmuseum which is incredibly interactive havingrecently been modernised in time for the centenaryof the war. Later they visited Hill 62 museum whereotherwise unseen footage and artefacts are ondisplay as well as going into the trenches that havebeen preserved there. The group also visited TyneCot, the largest Commonwealth war gravecemetery in the world, Langemark, a Germancemetery and the Menin Gate which lists the namesof the men who fell in that area but were unable tobe identified.

Students had done some research on their ownfamily history before the trip and Emily Hughesdiscovered that one of her great great uncles wasburied in a small cemetery on the edge of Ypres.The coach company reorganised our route andEmily was able to be the first member of herimmediate family to visit the grave of her relative.Private Robert Morrow won the Victoria Cross, thehighest award for bravery in the British Army "formost conspicuous bravery near Messines on 12April 1915, when he rescued and carriedsuccessively to places of comparative safety,several men who had been buried in the debris oftrenches wrecked by shell fire. Private Morrowcarried out this gallant work on his own initiative andunder very heavy fire from the enemy." He died twoweeks later.

The day finished with the opportunity to buyBelgium chocolate. The students had an insightfulday and I am sure that they shall remember their tripfor years to come.

SCHOOLS BIKEABILITY TRAININGThe Billericay School, in association with Essex County Council Schools Bikeabiity Training Scheme, isoffering free training on Tuesday 27 September, with qualified instructors. This date is a school training dayso students will not be in school.Training will be provided at Level 3 on local roads around the school. For those who have already completedLevel 2 training, three hours training will be provided. For those who have not completed Level 2 training,four hours training will be provided.Your child will need to register their interest with Mr Maguire in Student Services as soon as possible as weneed to confirm the booking by 6 September. Entry forms will be sent to you and must be completed andreturned to the school by no later than 14 September to secure their place. Training sessions will have a maximum of 6 students per group. Start times will be c.9.00 a.m. If numberspermit it may be possible to run additional groups.Your child must have their bike, ensure it is mechanically sound, and wear a helmet and suitable clothing(including wet gear if needed).More information is available from:https://bikeability.org.uk/ or www.essexhighways.org › Transport and Roads › Getting Around › Cycling

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,ENGINEERING AND MATHS(STEM) SUMMER TERM

Bloodhound Rocket Car ChallengeA group of Year 8 boys and girls have been workingall year on developing a rocket car that will competeat Anglia Ruskin University. The group have workedvery hard and tested and improved their cars. Theywill compete against schools from all over Essexand also a team from China. This challenge islinked to the Bloodhound team who are trying tobeat the land speed record and our special thanksto Graham Jackson who has given his time tosupport this project in school for the second year.

Year 10 Girls win Fords Womenin Engineering Award 2016

In June, Ford Dunton hosted schools from aroundEssex to encourage Girls into STEM careers. Thegirls enjoyed the opportunity to see technology inuse within the facility, as well as take a ride on thetest track used on site. The Billericay School tookpart in a range of activities including designing,producing a program and maths questions,competing against other Essex Schools. Congratulations to Megan Croly, Isobel Elphick,Katie Smith, Lauren Stokes, Katie Peeling, HannahFord, Rosie Cook, Ellie Hills, Rebecca Miller,Rebecca Lewis, Amber Osborne and IsabelBarbero for being awarded the Ford Women inEngineering award 2016. They showed themselvesto be a credit to the school and enjoyed the day.

Year 7 Girls TCS DayEighty girls took part in a day of activities to teachthem about careers in software and computing.Girls had the chance to try their hand at problemsolving and tasks, take part in workshops and hearfrom inspirational speakers from the STEM sector.The following girls were awarded certificates fortheir outstanding contribution to the day: JessicaDillon, Georgia Ford, Jessica Grady, Hannah Cox,Rosie Daffin, Abbey Sant, Olivia Backhouse, KaitlinDobney, Libby Brachaniec, Abigail Carter, FayeAdam, Oluwteniola Ogunse and Alana Osman.STEM events are designed to inspire students toengage in activities and find new ways to challengetheir expectations of these subjects.

Year 11 Trip to the BillericayBrewery Company

The Jack Petchey Award recognises andcelebrates young people who have achievedfar beyond their own expectations throughdedication and hard work. Bobbi Scrivenerwas one such winner and she chose to shareher reward with a group of her peers in thesupported GCSE option. We arranged a visitto Billericay Brewing Company and were takenthrough the micro-brewing process by TrevorJeffery, the founder and company director.The students sampled many of the ingredientsbut will have to wait a couple of years beforetrying the finished product! Afterwards thestudents were able to relax in the Brew Roomwhere they could discuss and ask questionsabout the tour. Less than ten minutes walkfrom school, The Billericay Brewing Companyis a little gem; high interest and hands on, itcombined learning with a fun and an unusualexperience.

THE GREATBILLERICAY BAKE OFF

A huge thank you goes to our staff and studentswho took part in The Great Billericay Bake Off onMonday 27 June.

The two winners were Kate Dennehy and TylerAuger who were rewarded with luxury hamperssupplied by the students who organised the event.

In total the Great Billericay Bake Off raised £228for the Syrian Refugee Crisis.

Congratulations toEuan Weatherley - Year 11

on passing hisgrade 6 violin

exam with merit

Used Stamps AppealJust a reminder that weare still collecting usedstamps for the RNIB.Remember that everystamp that you send uswill help to benefit blindand partially sighted

children and adults with the sixty plus servicesthat the Royal National Institute of BlindPeople support. Stamps can be left at themain school reception.

FLOURISH LUNCH

On Thursday 30 June, 27 Year 7 and 8 girls sharedlunch with the Headteacher, Mr Mohammed, ViceChair of Governors, Jane Lyon, and SchoolGovernor, Robert Orr. A number of Flourishstudents meet for lunch twice a week throughout theschool year. This end of term lunch was an idealopportunity for the students to share some of theirexperiences from this year with the leadership atThe Billericay School.

The girls explained the activities and trips they hadtaken part in throughout the year as part of the'Flourish' project. These included an after-schoolprogramme where students were challenged tostretch and aspire to achieve more than theyimagine they can, through a range of activities. Thestudents explored role models, bucket lists andhelping others. They participated in a mini speedmentoring event with women from a range ofbusinesses who spoke about their careers andeducation. Other students at the lunch had takenpart in visits to local community projects or attendedSTEM (Science Technology Engineering andMaths) events aimed at girls.

The students spent time explaining to the Head andGovernors the types of experiences they had aspart of 'Flourish' and the valuable experiences theyhad gained though the project this year.

UK MMATHEMATICS TTRUSTREGIONAL FFINALS

In March, Ewan Gomersall, Oliver Green, TeriNathan and Jade Newman were handpicked totake part in the UK Mathematics Trust RegionalFinals at Bancroft's School. They got involved in aday full of different maths challenges and beat 6other schools. Well done!

SSummer Art Show 2016

There was a fantastic energy at the Summer Art Show as we came

together to celebrate this year’s A-level Art work at The Billericay

School.

Students had chosen to explore the themes and ideas behind their

work with wonderful variety, ranging from large imaginative

portraits and figurative works to miniature painted studies. In

addition, written excerpts taken directly from student’s

sketchbooks gave visitors an insight into some of the thought

processes that went on throughout their projects.

Particularly striking was Maisie Fox’s portrait with berries which

presented us with a very honest sense of expression. Referring to

the ideas around this work she wrote ‘The squeezed berries are

symbolizing something sweet and delicate being damaged.’ Amber

Corrigan’s meat on metal paintings were equally emotive, taking

inspiration from photos she had taken at Smithfield market; she

really captured the raw tones in the flesh. Other brilliantly painted

pieces were Gus Lawrence’s glass bottles, Sofia Curtis’ colourful

study influenced by Still Life and Vanitas and Imogen Cattanach’s

unsettling portrait of a girl in a pig mask. Luke Becalick and Tom

Shirmer were the masters of 3D: Luke created some fantastic

environments encapsulated in jars using PhotoShop, while Tom

had been busy making plaster casts of his hands.

The show is a long standing tradition at the school and is a fantastic way for students, staff, family and friends to see and appreciate the work that goes on throughout the year.

Everyone in the Art Department would like to express their thanks to all who were involved in making the 2016 Exhibition such a success.

Sofia Curtis Year 12

Tom Shirmer Year 12

Luke Becalick Year 12

Gus Lawrence Year 12

Maisie Fox Year 12

Imogen Cattanach Year 13

TYLER OSBORNECongratulations to Tyler Osborne in year 7 who played the lead role of Will in the Londonproduction of Michael Morpurgo's "Running Wild" at the Regents Park Open Air Theatrebetween the 13 May and 12 June. This is how their website described it. "For Will, goingto Indonesia isn't just another holiday with mum. It's a new start, and the chance to ridean elephant called Oona. But then the tsunami hit. Charging deep into the jungle, Oonaescapes the beach with her young rider desperately clinging on. Miles from civilisation, atfirst there's wonder, discovery and tree-top adventures amongst the orang-utans. But, asthoughts turn to mum left behind on the beach, tigers prowl, hunger hits, and Will mustnow learn to survive the rainforest. Then come the hunters…"The play has garnered numerous positive reviews such as this one in The Times "A role-swapping, puppet-wielding cast…team together to offer vivid suggestions of both thedanger and beauty of this tropical wilderness…REMARKABLE by its INVENTIVE,EVOCATIVE STAGING." Well done Tyler and good luck with any future productions.

JAKE PANAGHISTON

On Thursday 28 April I went to my dad’s work,BAE Systems Applied IntelligenceLaboratories, as it was ‘Take your sons &daughters to work day’. BAE Systems isEurope’s largest defence company andprovide some of the world's most advanced,technology-led defence, aerospace andsecurity solutions. They make Submarines,Destroyers & Aircraft Carriers, fighter aircraft,tanks etc. I was shown new technologies,measuring speed of an aircraft using a laser,how autonomous cars are designed,mechanical modelling, plus testing in ananechoic chamber and a new 3D X-Raymachine and much more. I enjoyed the day atmy dad’s work because it showed me a lot ofengineering disciplines, across manytechnologies.

UNIFORM CARD RESULTS

Winning House1st Edison: 612nd Newton: 603rd Keller: 534th Curie: 495th Scott: 42

Winning forms in each house receivedcookies in form

ESRJ: 8 cardsNBTS & NMUA: 8 cardsKRSL: 8 cardsCHSN & CTNS: 5 cardsSGYR & SMES: 7 cards

Winning students are:Year 7

Alexander Brownfield£10 Game Voucher

Year 8Alfie Grech

£10 JD Sports Voucher

Year 9Rhianna Igglesden

£10 New Look Voucher

Year 10Isabel Barbero

£10 New Look Voucher

COLLECTION OF EXAM RESULTS AND PROVISIONALDATES FOR NEXT YEAR

Exam results can be collected from school as follows:Thursday 18 August 20169.00am - 12 noon: Year 13s to collect A2 and AS exam results11.00am - 1.00pm: Year 12s to collect AS exam resultsThursday 25 August 201610.00am - 1.00pm: Year 11s to collect GCSE exam results (PLEASE NOTE: Year 10 BTEC Science, GCSE Statistics and Catering results will not be given out on thisday but will be given out upon return to school in September.)

o Results slips are available to students on the day of issue. Any uncollected results will be posted by 1st class post at 2.00pm. (PLEASE NOTE: Results are never given out by phone.)

o If students are unable to collect their results in person, they may nominate someone to collect them on their behalf but only if they sign a letter giving permission and the nominated person must bring I.D. - THIS ARRANGEMENT INCLUDES PARENTS/CARERS.

o Students who will be away on holiday may provide us with a letter permitting us to send their results to a different address or we can email their results with their permission.

Advance warning of PROVISIONAL exam dates for 2017:January 2017 window:5 - 13 January: GCE internal/mock exams: Years 12/13 February 2017 window:1 - 10 February: GCSE Pre-public exam period: Year 11Summer 2017 window:2 May - 5 July GCE, GCSE, Years 7-9 internal exams, Year 10 PPE internal exams: Years 7 - 13The above exam dates are PROVISIONAL at this stage and must be checked again nearer the time onforthcoming newsletters or via the Exams section on the school website. A more detailed list of 2016/17 examdates will follow in the Autumn 2016 newsletter.We would like to remind you that we do not authorise holiday absence, other than in exceptionalcircumstances, at any time of year but it is vital that students in Years 10-13 are not absent during examperiods which now stretch across much of the year. If you have any concerns, please contact the ExamsOffice in the first instance.

KKKK IIII NNNN DDDD EEEE RRRR TTTT RRRR AAAA NNNN SSSS PPPP OOOO RRRR TTTTOn Friday 1July MissFrappell andMr Allen took25 Year 9students on asteam trainfrom LondonL i v e r p o o lStreet toHarwich. The

date marks the first anniversary of the death of SirNicholas Winton and the 77th anniversary of thearrival in Harwich and London of his largest singletransport of 241 children, on 1 July 1939. Variousevents in Harwich during the day commemoratedthe entire Kindertransport operation. As part of thetrip students were encouraged to raise money forthe current Syrian Refugee Crisis which is beingendorsed by the Sir Nicholas WinstonFoundation. Charity events in school haveincluded cake sales, a photo booth, a penaltyshoot-out and The Great Billericay Bake Off. Thestandard of cakes in the Bake Off was exceptionaland in total the students are hoping to raise £500.

Sixth Form Students Visit toAuschwitz, Poland

In April this year, 4 Year 12 students from the TheBillericay School were selected to visit Auschwitz inPoland as part of a project organised by the HolocaustEducational Trust. Samantha Redhead, HeatherWiles, Bertie Morley and Alex Maas learnt first handabout a dark and painful period in history. The studentswill share their experiences and reflections with the restof their year group later this term.To me Birkenau was the true shock, the size, thedesolation, the disturbing efficiency of the design - thecomplete industrialisation of genocide. The displays transformed horrific stories to the harshreality, rooms full of human hair, luggage, the fingernailscratches left on the walls... A child's shoe, laced withfabric flowers, against a backdrop of 43,000 others.There's a presence around Auschwitz. Entire familiesdisintegrated. Executed. Wiped out, as if they neverexisted. The unimaginable pain, loss and despair theysuffered. All in hatred and in the name of profit. Thatleaves a stain, one you can feel. The 3 main Auschwitz camps are estimated to havebeen responsible for 1.5 million deaths, yet attemptingto quantify the inconceivable is submitting to theattempt at reducing these individuals to nothing, to amere number. The visit concluded with a memorialshowing the images of thousands involved; what stoodout was not the immense loss of life but the culturewhich existed beforehand, and continues today. It isthis individuality that truly matters; each person livedbefore the tragedy, and they should be remembered aspeople, not victims. This celebration of Jewish cultureand the process of re-humanising the Holocaust is notjust an act of remembrance, but more importantly anact of defiance. Alex Maas, year 12

Sam, Heather, Bertie & Alex

Cheap and Healthy EatsCooking Tips for University

Many of our Year 13 students will be heading off touniversity at the end of the summer, leaving homefor the first time. Acquiring life skills are an all-important part of their preparation for this big step intheir lives and so we approached the FoodTechnology department at school to see if they couldhelp students with some of these.Ms Mutsure volunteered to plan and organise asession in which sixth formers could learn aboutshopping on a budget and preparing healthy andnutritious meals. This culminated in studentsproducing a delicious and attractive stir-fry whichtook a short time to create, but left plenty to sparewith extra portions for another time.The group was very appreciative of this opportunityto practise their skills and think about balancingtime, cost and nutritional value when preparingmeals on a daily basis at university. Not only that,but students also said how much they had enjoyedthe session, and that they now looked forward to thisaspect of life away from home with increasedconfidence. Thank you to the Food Technologydepartment for offering this opportunity

What's University Like?This was the question posed by Year 12 studentswhen meeting ex-students who had left the BillericaySchool in the summer of 2015 and who returned thisJune to their old school after a successful first year atuniversity. A wide range of universities and courseswere represented, with sixth formers able to askquestions about all aspects of university life. Lectures,accommodation, travel opportunities and new friendswere just some of the topics discussed, and theexcitement of past students in detailing the fun andchallenges of university life proved infectious. We learnt that Lizzie Hawkins, just finishing her firstyear at UCL, has come first in her year on herPharmacology course, winning a prestigious prize.L'Wren Bremmer, initially unsure about university, isnow thoroughly enjoying her History and Politicscourse. Dammy Aina spoke of how lucky he feelsliving and studying in York, and Max Kyte loves hisAmerican university course with a soccer scholarshipso much, he plans on spending the rest of his collegesummer holidays in the US in the future.Current students were able to find out first hand aboutthe transition from school to university study, helpingshape their plans as they prepare to progress to theirfinal year of their A level and BTEC courses.

Sixth Form Volunteers HostChildren from Ukraine, July 2016

A group of visiting children from Ukraine weretreated to a day of fun activities organised and ledby sixth form students. The first session of musicinvolved the children using a variety of instrumentsto create 'soundscapes', as well as learning Englishsongs and singing Ukrainian songs to the Englishaudience. The next session comprising sportingactivities including trampolining and dance, wasgreatly enjoyed by all. Lunch followed, kindlyprovided and warmly served by the kitchen staff.After lunch, face painting, cake decorating and artsand crafts were just some of the activities preparedby students that brought big smiles to the faces ofour guests. The afternoon ended with students andchildren exchanging 'goodbye' and 'Poca'.

Having learned about the effects of the Chernobylnuclear disaster and its effects on the localpopulation, sixth form students commented on howmuch they had valued the experience, not only inleading the activities but also in communicating withthe children and learning more about anotherculture, appreciating that we share a commonhumanity that transcends borders. Participation incommunity activities to bring about positive changeis one of the aims of the Sixth Form EnrichmentProgramme at the Billericay School.

Arsenal's David Dein Visitsthe Sixth Form

David Dein visited our 6th form earlier this term, jokingat the start that he was wary, knowing he was on WestHam territory! He soon had the audience fully engagedas he proved to be a friendly and accomplishedspeaker. We learnt how David joined the Arsenal Board in 1983and was made Vice-Chairman in the same year. Herose to Vice-Chairman of the Football Association andserved on numerous UEFA and FIFA Committees.During David's reign, the Club won a total of 18trophies! These days David spends much of his time speaking inschools and prisons as well as businesses - and wewere very pleased to take up the opportunity offered bythe Speakers for Schools Programme to hear Davidspeak at our school.David's speech was very inspirational as he explainedhow his career had developed from his early life, andhow he went on to help Arsenal sign key players aswell as introduce new technology to the game. Hewent on to describe his career at the club from 1983 to2007. He held a 16.6% share in the club and told ushow he has dealt with some of the biggest names infootball. David spoke of the value of education, andgave an example of the value of him learning Frenchfrom an early age which helped him speak to newplayers, making them feel welcome.As students we found David's visit inspiring because itshowed that if you work hard enough towards what youbelieve in, you can achieve and succeed in life. Davidgave some examples of obstacles he faced whichpresented difficulties for him, but he overcame thesethrough pure determination and dedication. From thiseveryone can learn and take on board his work ethictowards achieving their own goals. It was a greatsession - a very good speaker with an importantmessage for us all.Freddie Tunbridge, Daniel Bailey, and AndzelikaDaujoutaite

David with award winners from the session:Daniel Brock, Emily Drake, Katie Staines,Tom Smith, Ben Smart and DanielWolfendale)

The European Referendum -A Student's Personal

ViewpointHere at The Billericay School Sixth Form, thesubject of the EU Referendum was one tackled inassemblies and in our General Studies lessonswhere, on one notable occasion, we were spokento by MP John Baron, who presented his views asa 'Leave' campaigner. Shortly after, Years 12 and13 engaged in a vote of our own, which produced'an overwhelming victory' in itself. 78% of Year 12and 80% of Year 13 had chosen to 'Remain', evenafter the session with the Billericay and BasildonMP. For myself at least, I was disillusioned, confusedby the rhetoric and baffled as to how these grandplans for the future related to me and my life.While I cannot speak for all as a 'Remain'supporter myself, much of my disappointmentsurrounding the result was because it seemed nopolitician had attempted to connect with mygeneration, as if already assuming we wouldn'tcontribute much to the result and instead,targeting the generations that would. We simplywere not important enough, even though we wouldbe forced to pick up the pieces. I have seen many outlets describe the result to theEuropean Union referendum as 'a harsh wake-upcall to young voters' and following the frostyatmosphere the result has left in its wake, I cannothelp but agree. Ripped from a union that allowedmy family to start a new life, I feel both saddenedand grim though will simply get on with it, if this istruly the will of the people. As an island, more nowthan ever before, the question remains if ourUnited Kingdom is so 'united' after all.

Louise Nash Year 12

LOOK WHO'S TALKING

Never ones to shy away from debate, ourSixth Form students have been activelyinvolved in a new lunchtime discussiongroup known as 'Forum'. Taking place onThursdays, Week A, from 13:25 to 13:55in the Sixth Form study area, the groupprovides an organised but informalenvironment in which students are ableto discuss issues that affect them.Previous sessions have addressed theimpact of the digital age on friendshipand considered the ways that our societyapproaches gender equality. Withforthcoming topics including animalrights, consumer culture, and theopportunities offered to young people,there will always be something to say.'Forum' is open to all Sixth Formstudents and attendance requires noprior registration. Simply come along andsee where the conversation takes you.

Sporting Success

FENCING NNEWSLuke Toogood mentors some of

the World's top accountantsLuke was invited to the Ernst and YoungEuropean Team Building day held on 2 June in

Kent. The theme for theday was Pentathlon andLuke's role was to train andmentor one of the Britishteams in Epee. Theyfought against teams fromItaly, France, Germany andSpain under Luke'stutelage. He was commended for hisknowledge, teaching abilityand professionalism.

Since Easter there has beenlots of fencing action:BYC Finals: Seb Pallier 3rd

U18 Foil, Luke Toogood 8th U16 Epee. DanielTwine, Harry Shrimpton, Jacob Lewis, JacobMalster and Cooper Lynn also represented EasternRegion.Seb finished the season ranked No.1 U17 GBFoilist and has been invited as a sparring partner forthe British Olympic team before their trip to Rio. Hehas also been selected for the England Squad forthe 2016 School Games to be held at the Universityof Loughborough early September.At the summer Brentwood School Competition ourclub dominated the Epee and Sabre. Luke won U16Epee, Refe Tant won U14 Epee with Cooper Lynn3rd. Daniel Twine won U16 sabre with Sean Wright3rd.Our next outing was the Senior Essex CountyCompetition (Foil & Epee):Luke won the Epee, Ellis Lynn 3rd. Evan Lowmanfenced brilliantly to gain the silver medal in theMen's Foil, losing in the final to an U20 rankedfencer. Refe Tant narrowly lost 15-13 in the last 8 toa senior fencer who is 6'8" tall! Daniel Twine whohas gained his level 2 referee qualification, refereedthe foil; he has also been invited to referee Foil andSabre at the England Youth Championships.At the end of June Kyran Porter headed to Paris fora taste of International Competition in the MarathonFleuret. Well done, Kyran!We are all looking forward to the next season'scompetitions which began on 2 July with U17 andU20 Nationals.

Evan Lowmantakes Silver at the

Essex Senior ChampionshipsWELL DONE EVAN!

SAM CORNISHMassive congratulations to Sam Cornish who hasrepresented Essex at football in the Under 14 agegroup all season and on Tuesday 17 May beatSurrey 3-2 in the final at Craven Cottage, home toFulham FC. Representing Essex at any level in anysport is a huge honour but representing them atfootball when the county is one of the strongest inthe country is especially so.

Sam Cornish (year 9) playing for Essex vs Surrey inthe regional county final held at Craven Cottage onTuesday, 17th May. They won 3-2.

Essex Combined Events TrialsTwo talented athletes have branched out into multi-events this year by entering the Essex Schools'combined events trials. Harrison Chapman andKacie Canwell went to Brentwood on 25 May tocompete in a pentathlon to see if they could becomeselected for the elite Essex Multi events team. Kacie was looking strong on her first event in the75m hurdles but unfortunately she clipped the finalhurdle and took a very hard fall. Despite this sheshowed her grit and determination and finished therace with a respectable time of 16.8 seconds. Sheworked hard in the next event, shot-put, but had towithdraw from the rest of the competition due to theinjuries she had sustained in the Hurdles.Meanwhile Harrison was tested in the 100m hurdles,long jump, javelin, discus and 400m. This was their first time competing in some of thedisciplines, as well as their first pentathlonexperience, but they held their own with the best inEssex despite competing against athletes a yearolder. Harrison's final point score was 2112 whichwas strong enough to earn him the Silver medal. This competition is one of the main sources for theselection to represent Essex in the English Schools'Combined Events Regional Competition that takesplace at the end of June. Harrison's talentimpressed the selection team and he was invited torepresent Essex in the Regional Finals as a guestathlete.On Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 June, Harrisoncompeted for Essex in the Inter Boys Octathlon inPeterborough, which comprised of Long Jump,Discus, Javelin, 400m, 100m Hurdles, Shot Put and1500m over the two days of competition. At the endof a very successful and tiring weekend Harrisonfinished in 7th place overall with a score of 3530!This is an outstanding achievement and we wouldlike to congratulate Harrison on his success at sucha high level of Athletics, well done!

Harrison Chapman - 7th in East Anglia Octathlon

District AthleticsChampionships 2016

The Billericay School's athletic teams competed inthe Borough Championships on 15 June atGloucester Park and secured a total of 20 Gold, 13Silver and 15 Bronze medals by the end of thecompetition. The event was very successful with 9new school records being achieved by the finalrace. Sydney Neville looked strong in the Year 9 boys100m, blasting away the competition with a time of11.9 seconds and setting a new school record forBillericay. He doubled his gold medal total with awin in the high jump competition with a jump of1.55m. Tyler Richardson however took outstandingperformances to a whole new level by achievingthree gold medals and new school records in allthree of his events for the Year 10/11 competition.He had a phenomenal run in the 100m (10.78s) tosecure his first gold, and then jumped 1.80m in thehigh jump before finishing with a win in the 4 x 100mrelay. Determined not to be outshone by the boys,the Year 9 Billericay girls team worked hard acrossall their events to be crowned Year 9 DistrictChampions. The final results saw The BillericaySchool placed 3rd in the combined overallChampionship with a score of 598, which is animprovement from last year's competition points.Well done to all our athletes!The new school records achieved from this year'scompetition are as follows:Oliver Lawrence - Year 8 Boys 800m 2m17sSydney Neville - Year 9 Boys 100m 11.9sJames March - Year 9 Boys Long Jump 5.28mEllie Reynolds - Year 10 Girls 300m 45.02sHarrison Chapman - Year 10 Boys 400m 53.77sTyler Richardson - Year 11 Boys 100m 10.78sTyler Richardson - Year 11 Boys High Jump 1.80mEvan Collins - Year 11 Shot put 11.29mT. Richardson, H. Taylor, H. Jolly & H. Chapman- Year 10/11 Relay 47.10s

Winning Year 9 Girls Relay team (Left to right)Oliva Mitchell, Shauna Church, Natasha Nicolls and Rosie Lugg.

Essex Schools' County Track andField Championships

On Saturday 11 June, 9 Billericay students competedfor Basildon in the annual Essex Schools' CountyTrack and Field Championships in Chelmsford.These are the largest county schools championshipsin the country and for many years have produced thestrongest county schools teams in the country. Over1000 athletes competed on the day, representingeach district of Essex, having previously qualified torepresent their own area through local trials.There were some impressive performances by ourstudents throughout the day; the results from the finalsare as follows:

Harvey Jolly - 8th Year 10/11 400m. Evan Collins - 7th Year 10/11 Shot put new personal best.Sydney Neville - 6th Year 8/9 100m new personal best.Callum Mann - 6th Year 8/9 High JumpHarrison Chapman - 4th Year 10/11 400mnew personal best and new school record.

Congratulations also go out to Rosie Lugg,Natasha Nicolls, Charlotte Redhead and OliverLawrence who also competed on the day.

Year 10 pupils Harrison Chapman and Harvey Jolly wereimpressive against older athletes in the Year 10/11 400m

finals, finishing 4th and 8th in the County.

AACCAADDEEMMIICCMMOONNIITTOORRIINNGG DDAAYY

Academic Monitoring Day for the nextacademic year is scheduled forWednesday 21 September 2016.

This is an opportunity for you to meet withyour child's (children's) form tutor(s) todiscuss their academic progress to dateand their targets for the coming year.

Details of the day and how your child canbook an appointment with their form tutor,has been emailed to parents and isavailable on the school website.

BBCCGG VVAACCCCIINNAATTIIOONNSSWe have been advised by the School Nurse Teamthat the BCG vaccination is now available to thosechildren at increased risk of TB.

This vaccine is no longer given as part of theroutine NHS childhood vaccination schedule but isrecommended for school-age children who havean increased risk of developing TB, such aschildren who have recently arrived from countrieswith high levels of TB, or children who have comeinto close contact with somebody infected withrespiratory TB.

If you think your child falls into this category pleasecontact the SEPT Immunisation Service on 07943 533460

PPaarreenntt//SSttuuddeennttCCoonnttaacctt DDaattaa

We would be most grateful if you could ensure thatthe school is notified of any change in contactinformation (place of residence, contact numbers,email address etc.) in order that the school'sdatabase can be updated.

Please ensure any change in data is forwarded toStudent Services or emailed toinfo@billericay.essex.sch.uk.

PPAARRKKIINNGG AARROOUUNNDD TTHHEE SSCCHHOOOOLL

Please may we remind parents to beconsiderate and think of others when parkingaround the school. We receive severalcomplaints each year from members of thepublic highlighting the dangers to our studentswhere parents stop on the main road to dropoff/collect their children. Bus stops and thegrass verge should not be used for parking.

As you are aware Basildon Council currentlyhave building work taking place in Roman Way(just outside the main school gate) and this iscompounding the situation. To safeguard ourstudents our school gates are closed to trafficbetween 2.55pm and 3.15pm.

We would ask parents to find a safe, suitable

stopping place away from the school. We alsoask that parents do not drive into the school carpark in the mornings or afternoons to drop offor collect their children unless this has beenauthorised by school staff.

Thank you for your co-operation.

SScchhooooll PPaarreenntt PPoorrttaallRReeggiissttrraattiioonn//AAccccoouunntt

AAccttiivvaattiioonnIf you have not yet completed the parent portalregistration process, please ensure that youregister using the link which can be found on theschool website.

Once your registration has been verified andactivated, you will be able to view your child'sdetails and academic monitoring reports via theportal.

Please note that from September 2016 this will bethe school's main form of notifying parents of theirchild's academic monitoring. Academic monitoringwill no longer be issued to students to take home,therefore it is essential that you complete theparent portal registration process.

School TTerms && HHolidays 22016 - 22017Autumn: Training Day Thursday 1 September 2016Term begins Friday 2 September 2016 (Years 7, 12 & 13)

Monday 5 September 2016 (all Years)Half Term Monday 24 October to Friday 28 October 2016Term ends Wednesday 21 December 2016

Spring: Term begins Wednesday 4 January 2017Half Term Monday 13 February to Friday 17 February 2017Term ends Thursday 30 March 2017

Summer: Term begins Tuesday 18 April 2017May Day Bank Holiday Monday 1 May 2017Half Term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2017Term ends Thursday 20 July 2017

Additional Tuesday 27 September 2016Training Days: Monday 28 November 2016

Friday 31 March 2017Friday 21 July 2017

SCHOOL UNIFORM SHOP SUMMER OPENING TIMES

The Billericay School Uniform Shop, which is located near to the main school reception, willclose for the summer break at 9.30am on Thursday 21 July.

Summer opening times will be as follows:Monday 22 August - Friday 26 August: 9.00am - 1.00pm

The shop will re-open at 8.15am on Thursday 1 September (training day) with normal openingtimes (8.15am - 9.30am).

Please note that all students should return to school after the summer break in full schooluniform, with shirts and ties.

Reminder: Girls will only be permitted to wear one style of pleated skirt, which should be kneelength; skirts can be purchased from the uniform shop or direct from our supplier, S Simmonds &Son Ltd, via their website www.simmonds-ltd.com. There is also a link to Simmonds from ourschool website. Girls can wear black tailored trousers as an alternative.