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Autumn Term
2015
www.testvalley.hants.sch.uk
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Year 11 Leavers 2015 Presentation Evening
Prize winners with Guest of Honour - Alex Lewis
At the end of November Test Valley School held its annual Presentation Evening to celebrate the success of returning Year 11 pupils from last year. The school was delighted by their success in their GCSEs in the summer.
The evening saw them receiving their GCSE certificates with the opportunity for their tutors to share what they have gone on to do next and their favourite memories of being at school. The event culminated in the presentation of 32 special awards all eagerly anticipated and well received. The school is very grateful to all the sponsors of these awards, many are local individuals and organisations who have proved to be longstanding friends of the school and many attended to present their awards.
The guest of honour this year was Alex Lewis who gave a very inspirational talk on his personal journey and the important part others can play in your life.
Louisa Hiscock (Headteacher) said: ‘we always look forward to this event when we welcome the pupils back with their families to celebrate their success. This year was undoubtedly a very special evening and there was much to celebrate. I are very proud of their achievements and also very grateful for having such a strong and committed staff working with and supporting all our pupils to do so well.’
See list of winners on page 4
Boston & New York Trip
Half Term gave an opportunity for 47 pupils to visit
both Boston and New York—see our photo album on
pages 16-17
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Dear Parent
I am delighted to welcome you to this edition of our newsletter, celebrating the many events, activities and
opportunities our pupils and staff have taken part in this term. I am always thrilled and amazed by how much
we manage to fit into one term. I have certainly enjoyed being reminded of all the different activities across all
year groups and subject areas.
As I write we are close to the end of a long Autumn Term and are all looking forward to the Christmas holidays.
It has, as always, proved to be a very busy term. We returned in September able to celebrate very good GCSE
examination results being achieved. It was lovely to welcome back the pupils in November to our annual
Presentation Evening and congratulate them on their success.
I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support. We
look forward to next term, returning to school on Monday January 4th.
With best wishes
Miss L Hiscock
Headteacher
Headteacher’s Message
Year 10/ 11 Food
Technology pupils helped to
run a successful coffee
event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. They
served tea, coffee and delicious cakes to Test
Valley school staff. £228.37 was raised in total.
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone
who attended and donated so generously.
Mrs Hudson
Serving up tea and cake— Lucy Monson Daisy Hillier Will Thorburn Amy
Broadberry Mateusz Palmer Laura Keane
£630.00 raised by our non-uniform day and two
pupils taking part in a sponsored silence
Pupils and
Staff raised
£520.71
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School’s incredible response to Refugee Appeal and Rotary School Box Appeal
On Wednesday 23rd September, Test Valley School sent a large donation of collected goods and clothing for refugees fleeing Syria and other war torn countries. The school had been collecting donations of men’s clothing, tents and sleeping bags for the past week and a half following an appeal from a parent who was travelling to a refugee camp to help out on the 26th and 27th September.
Each year a number of Year 11 pupils form a Charities Committee and as soon as they heard about the appeal they set to work talking to pupils and staff and giving assemblies. With only just over a week to collect donations they were unsure of the response that they would receive. However, all expectations were exceeded and on Wednesday morning they were pleased to be handing over 20 tents, 14 sleeping bags, as well as numerous blankets, bags of clothing and shoes.
The response to the appeal demonstrates the strong sense of community we value at our school. Louisa Hiscock (Headteacher) said: ‘We were delighted to be able to support this and, as always, I am so pleased at how pupils and staff rallied to this humanitarian cause’.
From left to right, members of the Charity Committee: -
Tom Madden , Luke Dennis, Cameron Maguire, Jasmin-Ann Thomson, Heidi Faux-Whitehead, Emily Fitzpatrick and Kai Mumford.
Test Valley School was delighted to participate in the annual shoebox appeal organised locally by Andover Rotary Club. This project involved pupils and staff filling shoeboxes with a range of small gifts to be distributed to individual children and young people across the world who are likely to re-ceive very little at Christmas. The school was pleased to be able to send 78 shoeboxes this year.
Each year the school’s Charity Committee is keen to support this appeal and they would like to thank the generosity of all staff and pupils who contributed. We are also grateful for the support of the Rotary Club who co-ordinate this project across the local area and ensure the shoeboxes reach their destinations safely and in time for Christmas.
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English Emily Payne
English Literature Jake Penny
Mathematics Jeremy Wen
Physics Jonathan Smith
Biology Eve Cavey
Chemistry Seamus O’Farrell
Environmental Science Daniel Meade
French Steven Dade
German Holly Deere
GCSE ICT Jin Ying Wong
Geography Ellis Andrews
History Emma Fisher
D&T RMT Practical Work Sam Waters
Graphics Rachel Chambers
D&T Electronics Josh Powell
Art Alice Monson
Music Josh Yard
Drama Ella Cruz
D&T Food Leah Mansbridge
Textiles Anna Pearce
Child Development Emma Foster
RE Evie Templeman
Sportsperson (F) Erin Phillips
Sportsperson (M) John Darling
PE Lucy Hudson
Science Exceptional Improvement Jacob Foord
Personal Achievement Ellis Andrews
Service Above Self (Rotary) Daniel Bavister
Effort and Attitude Tessa Bundy
Personal Endeavour Margaret Cooper
Overall Achievement Holly Deere
Rising Star Seamus O’Farrell
Award Winner
2015 Year 11 Leavers—List of Prize Winners Year 10 Trip to St Paul’s Cathedral
On the 11th
December a group of
Year 10 RE pupils
visited St Pauls
Cathedral in London
to examine the signs
and symbolism
within the Church.
Pupils began with a
guided trail around
the Cathedral with
their attention being
drawn to areas, objects and art that relate to issues
such as war, peace, remembrance, suffering, birth,
morals, Biblical teaching, preaching and prayer. They
were encouraged by our guide to think about the
function of the
Cathedral as a
place for worship,
reflection and
debate for those
of other faiths/
beliefs. Pupils
then climbed to
the Whispering
Gallery, the first
level within the
dome and two
pupils
demonstrated how it worked by sending messages
from the far side of the dome to the rest of the
group. Finally pupils climbed the 2nd and 3rd stages of
the dome and had clear views out over the rest of
London from the very top. All pupils behaved
exceptionally well and were a credit to Test Valley
School.
By Mrs Osborne
The Group at Convent Garden
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World War One Battlefields Tour—By Kira Nash Year 10
On the 5 _7th October Izzy Woodfield (Year 11), Mrs Allsopp
and I (Kira Nash Year 10) went with 30 others from different
schools in Southampton and Bournemouth to France and
Belgium. While we were there we visited various locations
where fighting took place in WW1.
On the first day we
visited the Lijssenthoek
Military Cemetery in
Ypres. There were
10,785 burials between
1914-1919 and only 35
of the graves are
unnamed. In the cemetery there are British, American,
Canadian, German and Chinese graves and a Sikh memorial
stone. At the entrance to the Cemetery there are metal rods
that mark the number of
people buried on each day.
We were also fortunate
enough to be able to visit the
grave of a man called Charles
Kimber who died in WW1
from the village where I live
(East Tytherley), he was buried
at Ferme-Olivier Cemetery
Belgium.
At 8pm every day the last post is sounded at the Menin Gate
in Ypres and on the Monday we were there. There are
54,406 names recorded on the Menin Gate all of which have
no known graves. Since 11 November 1929 the Last Post has
been sounded at the Menin Gate Memorial every night and
in all weathers. The only exception to this was during the
four years of the German occupation of Ypres from 20 May
1940 to 6 September 1944.
On the Tuesday we spent the day in France and visited the
Thiepval memorial and the Newfoundland Memorial Park.
The Thiepval memorial was built between 1928 and 1932 and
is the largest British war memorial in the world. There are
72,192 British and South African men recorded missing who
died on the Somme between 1915 and March 1918 who have
no known graves. Thiepval is currently undergoing
renovation.
The Newfoundland Memorial Park is dedicated to the
Newfoundland soldiers who
were killed during WW1. The
preserved battle field is the
site of the Newfoundland
Regiment’s unsuccessful attack
on the first day of the Battle of
the Somme.
I was also able to find two further men from East Tytherley
who have no known graves at the Vis-En-Artios memorial.
Their names are Elvie George Musselwhite and Fredrick Allen
Hiscock.
On the final day we visited
Tyne Cot Cemetery which
is the largest British and
Commonwealth cemetery
in the world. There are
11,956 soldiers buried here
and a further 34,927 UK
and New Zealand soldiers who were killed after 15th August
1917 recorded on memorial panels across the back wall.
It was a very enjoyable and informative week and made you
appreciate what men went through to serve our country. It’s
not until you see the graves lined up side by side, English and
German next to
each other, you
realise the enormity
of what happened.
On the 3rd December, the RE department took a group of
Year 8 pupils to experience Hindu Worship. The building
itself is magnificent, taking three years to build, as each
part was hand craved by 100 volunteers. The pupils were a
delight and will have gained a lot from the day, which they
can use in their upcoming lessons on Hinduism.
Mrs Smyth—Humanities Teacher
RE Trip to Neasden Mandir
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The all-important Futures Day took place on Wednesday 23rd September enabling an early opportunity in
the term for Year 11 to find out what colleges, 6th forms and work areas (including the forces) have to
offer.
The event was attended by a wide range of local providers to accommodate the large geographical area
serviced by Test Valley School and it catered for the needs of each individual by providing a personal
programme of choices for each pupil.
The event was followed up by a well-attended information evening on 6th October. This event enabled
parents and pupils to talk to individual colleges, 6th forms and apprenticeship providers on a one to one
basis and attend workshops on pathways into university and exam preparation.
The excitement of visiting colleges and finding about specific subjects and their content is now well underway. By Mr Langdown—Year 11 Co-ordinator
Year 11 Futures Day and Information Evening
Ten Year 9 girls were given the opportunity to visit the ‘Ada
Lovelace Day’ celebrations at the IBM Centre, Hursley in
October.
Ada Lovelace (1815 – 1852) was a controversial
mathematician and pioneer of computational thinking. Not
only was she the daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron,
Ada became one of the world’s first computer programmers
and was an extremely influential figure in the development of
modern day computing.
The girls attended the event and collaborated with other
schools from Hampshire to produce complex solutions to a
variety of computational problems.
The event gave our pupils the opportunity to work alongside
various female IT professionals from IBM, raising the
aspirations of young women and encouraging them to pursue
a career in computer programming and software
development.
Activities included programming robots to solve rubix cube
problems, game design, software testing, virtual reality,
emerging technologies and much more.
The BBC were also present to document the event and
celebrate the female role model’s contribution to Computer
Science. Many of the girls were interviewed by the reporters
and appeared on the ‘BBC South Today’ televised news report
later that day.
Congratulations to Annabel Anderson who won first prize on
the day for her Computer Programming skills.
The day was very successful and all of those who participated
had a great time learning about new concepts in modern day
computing, as well as celebrating the female founding
‘mother’ of Computer Science.
By Mr Willcox—Head of Computing
Computing Department News
Attendees—Annabel Anderson Ellenar Bunn Amelia
Cairns Sophie Henry Abbie Hollinshead Mia Keable Kitty
Loader Brezinskis Talisker O’Farrell Tizzy Stiles-Palmer
Alice Woodfield
Visit IBM Hursley for Ada Lovelace Day
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By Mrs Wingham - Head of Geography
Geography Department News
Geography makes you Appy!
This has been a very busy half term with
a number of trips going out. Year 8
visited Hengistbury Head for a combined
Geography and History Walk and
Wonder Trip. The weather held and the
pupils got to see coastal processes in
action. The visit will prove useful when
we study our topic on coasts at the end
of the winter term.
Year 10 visited the New Forest and
conducted footpath surveys and field
sketches at Godshill. We stopped at
Burley and Lyndhurst to look at the
impact of tourism on these locations.
Pupils produced high street maps and
conducted footpath and vehicle counts.
The Year 11 GCSE group have conducted
their fieldwork for the controlled
assessment and have been using the
research from Southampton Common to
produce their assessed piece.
The Geography Department are building
up a bank of useful Apps which can be
used in the field. In this newsletter we
would like to introduce you to a Field
Studies Council (FSC) Tree App which
allows pupils to identify tree species. A
fun little App which can be used on walks
this Autumn.
What’s coming up?
Year 7 have completed their unit on Maps
and will be studying Britain and identifying
landmarks in Britain which they think should
win Britain’s Got Talent.
Year 8 have completed their unit on
weather and will be looking at Hydrology
and rivers.
Year 9 are currently looking at Fair trade
and will be looking at multinationals and the
growth and development on India.
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Modern Foreign Languages News
Test Valley School enjoyed celebrating the different languages spoken across Europe in
this past week as part of the celebrations for the European Day of Languages held annually on 26th
September.
We kicked off the week with French Day where pupils got to speak as
much French around the school as they could with their teachers
getting involved too! At lunchtime we enjoyed some great games of
boules, with pupils showing off some amazing talent for the
traditional French game. During their language lessons, Year 7 got to
complete a European Union passport to open their eyes to the world
outside of England.
Tuesday was German Day with many pupils and staff going round the school saying ‘Guten Tag’. In
language lessons pupils compiled word lists with German words they’d always wanted to learn as well
as finding out about German companies around the world by playing the Logo game. There was a lot
of surprise that Haribo is a German company!
On Wednesday we said ‘ciao!’ to welcome Italian Day. Mrs Knight’s
pupils were treated to an Italian
lesson and the pupils were very
quick to pick up the animals in
Italian as well as understanding
everything the teacher said to them
– no English allowed! At lunchtime
we constructed the leaning tower of Pisa out of Jenga and reached
very high heights!
Thursday was Spanish Day and pupils had a brilliant time getting blindfolded
and having a go on the traditional piñata at lunchtime. Lots of sweets were up
for grabs once the donkey was broken into. In lessons pupils benefited from
learning key phrases and one of our Year 7 pupils taught his whole class the
numbers in Spanish!
Finally, Friday was Greek Day - Yassas! Pupils used the
Greek alphabet and learned all about the ancient Greek
myths, including Odysseus and the Cyclops, Medusa
and the gods on Mount Olympus. At lunch pupils
created some fantastic ancient Greek theatre masks as
well as a very good model of the Parthenon made out
of Lego!
Languages Week 21-25 September
By Mrs Knight—Modern Foreign Languages Department
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On Wednesday 04 November, a group of Year 10 and Year 11 GCSE R.E
pupils departed school to the Odeon Cinema in Andover to watch the Nobel
Prize Winner’s new film which was part of the Into Film Festival.
The film recounted Malala Yousafzai’s eventful life, expressing how she
was thrust into the spotlight at twelve years old and targeted by the
Taliban for speaking out for girls’ education. Then at age 15, she was
shot in the head on her school bus for attempting to go to school. The
film then documented Malala’s current life in Birmingham where she is
doing her A-levels and has almost fully recovered. Malala’s story was
inspiring and unique, influencing young children up and down the country watching the film at the
same time. Soon after the film ended Emma Watson conducted a live Q&A with Malala herself,
where they talked through The Malala Fund and Malala’s long term
goal of seeing every child in quality education. Overall, the film was
very enjoyable, moving and sent a strong message out to all those
watching.
By Sophie Bott and Francesca Sutcliffe—Year 11
`He Named Me Malala`
A group of 51 Year 9 and 10
Test Valley pupils enjoyed a
dynamic and fast-paced
production of “The Scottish Play” on
Wednesday 4 November at the
Watermill Theatre in Newbury. Using a
military theme and modern dress, as
well as some inventive staging
techniques and unusual props, the 3
actors conveyed the essential storyline
and themes in an energetic
performance.
Test Valley pupils enjoyed the
experience, promoting lively and
thought-provoking discussion, as it
presented an alternative insight into
the play in preparation for the new
GCSE examination.
By Mrs L Berry - English Department
`Macbeth` Theatre Trip
On the 24th November, a group of Year 9 pupils and five members of
staff visited the Beth Shalom National Holocaust and Memorial Centre
in Newark. During the visit the group toured the museum and
memorial gardens, and heard a very moving talk from Holocaust
survivor Harry Bibring who will be 90 on Boxing Day. He told us of
how his life was turned upside down when the Nazis came to power
and how he and his sister were sent to England on the Kinder
Transport – although they weren’t placed together. He movingly
showed us his travel papers and letters from his mother, the writing
deteriorating as she spent time in a concentration camp, and after a
few months they ceased altogether. All pupils behaved exceptionally
well and asked a number of very insightful and thought provoking
questions. As a follow up to the
visit, Year 9 pupils will be working
on Holocaust survivor stories as
well as studying obedience,
authority, Human Rights,
intolerance and discrimination.
The centre has invited Test Valley
School to visit again next year and
we very much hope to be able to
offer this invaluable experience.
By Mrs Osborne—Head of RE
Year 9 Visit to the Holocaust
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Year 8 Update
This term seems to have gone very quickly. Many of the year group enjoyed a trip to Hengistbury at the start of the year
and have recently had the opportunity to visit Neasden Mandir. Sporting activities have continued, the football team and
rugby team are starting to take good shape. Inter-house competitions have been fun to watch and table tennis continues
to thrive. In these final weeks the drama production is starting and some of the year group are involved in rehearsals for
a production which I am sure will be a great success.
It was lovely to see so many of you at parents’ evening. The online booking system seemed to be successful. Year 8 were
the first group to trial it on a full parents’ evening and so hopefully any issues that were raised will be addressed for next
time.
I am pleased to be leading this year group, their reports showed that progress and attitude across the year group as a
whole is high. I hope that both you and your children have a lovely Christmas break and that they return to us rested and
ready for another busy term.
Merry Christmas
Mrs Wingham - Year 8 Co-ordinator
Deep Sea Rescue Report—Year 9 Design Technology Project
During the Autumn Term we have been exploring, learning and creating a
model of a crane which will be able to pick up a passenger jet fuselage.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 passenger jet, which went missing over the Indian
Ocean in 2014 is thought to be some 4000m below the surface of the sea
lying on the bottom of the ocean bed.
We had the challenge to build a working remote controlled device model to
recover the aircraft fuselage.
The mechanical grab must use a material called smart wire to operate the
claw electrically. When the wire is heated up to around 70 degrees it shrinks
by 5% which holds on to the fuselage.
We have tested our crane and winch, it successfully works and achieves the
success criteria.
I really enjoyed this project because it challenged my technical and
mechanical side and working with Esme was enjoyable. We would both say it
was challenging and tiresome. However, we managed to create a strong
working winch and crane.
By Amelia Cairns and Esme Wilson
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Library News by Kerry Natt –Librarian
Last year a group of Year 9 pupils were
fortunate enough to meet Chris
Bradford who had won the Hampshire
Book Award for his book `The
Bodyguard’. This year armed with eight
Test Valley pupils, I headed off once
again to the Hampshire Book Award
Winners Ceremony where Jonathan
Stroud was to receive the award for his
book `Lockwood & Co’.
As in previous Years, our eight pupils
had to choose a winner from a shortlist
of books chosen by previous year’s
pupils, a host of librarians and teachers.
The shortlist included Captain by Sam
Angus, Thirteen by Tom Hoyle, The Last
Minute by Eleanor Updale, Ghost Hawk
by Susan Cooper and Counting by 7s by
Holly Goldberg Sloan as well as the
winning novel. Each pupil who had
participated had had to read all 6 books
over a 4 month period and then
evaluate it based on 3 categories:
enjoyment, engagement and
enrichment.
Over the four month period, we had
met regularly to discuss the books and
in early June, the pupils and I attended
a choosing ceremony whereby they,
with their evaluations, got together
with pupils from across the region to
discuss which book they believed was
the best and why. After a challenging
quiz (with the table I was on victorious)
the winner was announced from all the
voting that was taking place around the
county. A much deserved winner the
pupils all agreed.
The event in
November was
held once again in Winchester Guildhall
with the Public Library Service
supporting the Schools Library Service
and the Mayor of Winchester officiating
the event. Jonathan kept the pupils,
from across the county, engaged as he
discussed his process of writing with
participation from the audience.
Afterwards, we were all given the
opportunity to meet him and have our
books signed (I even managed to get a
selfie!).
The Year 9s are now busy working on a
project to choose the shortlist books
for the next Hampshire Book Award
which will start in March 2016 with
Year 8 – we are looking forward to
reading some exciting books.
Molly Soper Sophie Henry Karis Thomas Alicia Finch Sophie Haydock Wilfred Breach Jessie Burnfield Megan Ward with Chris Bradford
If you are a parent of a Year 11 pupil, I am sure you are aware that they have been doing their mock examinations and
hopefully they have shared their results with you. These are a very helpful tool to guide staff in producing predicted grades
for college applications but also an indicator to pupils as to the level of preparation required to ensure they are going to gain
the best grade they can in their GCSE examinations next summer.
My I take this opportunity to wish to a very Happy Christmas - Mr Langdown
Year 11 Mock Examinations
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Year 10 and 11 pupils at Sparsholt and Andover Colleges
On Tuesday 1st and Thursday 3rd December Mrs Briggs and Mrs Martin visited our pupils on their 14-16 Courses at Andover and Sparsholt Colleges.
Pupils are studying courses as diverse as Motor Vehicle & Engineering and Agriculture. We were pleased to see our young people engaged and enthusiastic about their courses. We saw them welding, preparing metal for fabrication and valeting vehicles. We also visited the Farrowing Sheds (where pigs give birth) and saw piglets being weighed and sexed. We even cuddled a piglet!
The tutors were very pleased with our pupils and their progress. We discussed how different pupils can be in a college environment and the benefits, especially to pupils who struggle in a school environment.
The Year 10 and 11 pupils go to college one day a week and study Entry Level, Level 1 and sometimes Level 2 courses.
`Mrs Briggs and I were very impressed with our pupils; their mature attitude and progress.`
By Mrs Martin
Pupil Services Manager and WRL Coordinator
Year 9 STEM Challenge - `Gadgets and Gizmos`
As part of International Men’s Day 10 Year 9 pupils took part in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)
challenge at Winchester Science Centre.
Pupils took part in the challenge mentored by male STEM Ambassadors from a wide range of STEM backgrounds. They also
took part in a careers speed networking session where pupils discussed the world of work . The day culminated with a
fantastic planetarium show in the state of the art 360° planetarium.
By Miss Hibbert - Science Department
Far left—Peter Arthur and
Felix Hammer
Left— Wilfred Breach and
David Mossman -Smith
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On Friday 6th November Mr Murdoch-Smith and Mr Hill took all of the Year 7s down to Stockbridge Town Hall where we took part in the film festival. Tutors A and D were one of the first groups of people in the country to see the 3 films as we went on the first day they were shown. However, tutors N and S went to see them the next day. When we walked down to the town hall, it was quite wet and windy, so we were glad that it was only a short walk down the high street. As soon as we arrived we were allowed into the cinema room where we were greeted by Mr Kidd, the man in charge of organising the film festival. Soon after that we got comfortable in our seats and the films began. `Goodnight Mr Tom` was the final film to be shown after the two short films, and was extremely good. It was about a young boy called William Beech who is evacuated when the First World War starts. He has to make a long journey into the countryside with nothing but a small paper bag and his few possessions. Old Mister Tom had never been particularly kind or social to anyone until Willy came to live with him. Slowly but surely, they began to love each other and when Willy receives urgent news from his mother saying that she needs to meet him again in London, Mister Tom is silently heartbroken. Willy has to be persuaded to visit his mum; he doesn't want to leave Mister Tom and all of his friends in the countryside. The classic story was very good and everyone loved it. It was a very enjoyable experience and everybody was glad they got the chance to do it. Thank you, Mr Kidd for organising the Stockbridge film festival! By Jennifer Meade 7D
On the 6th of November, as part of the film festival, Test Valley Year 7 pupils walked into Stockbridge to see three films. It was a great experience for everyone and thank you to Mr Kidd for allowing us to go. In the morning our spirits were high as we walked down into Stockbridge and entered the cinema. The first film was quite short and showed us what it was like to be evacuated and to take in an evacuee. We saw how hard it was for the families being split up. We also learnt about the extra responsibilities an evacuee would mean and how they were sorted and transported to the country. I feel this has given me a better and broader understanding of life during the war. The third and feature film was a longer film called `Goodnight Mr Tom` and is about a boy who is evacuated into the country and sorted into an unknown place. We see the challenges he has to overcome in a place with no one he knows and a completely different landscape. He is put into a house with Mr Tom who is known in the village for not being very sociable or friendly. However, when they both settle down and William (the evacuee) makes some friends they form a loving bond. William is physically and emotionally abused at home by his mother so when William is forced to go back to London it is a hard time for both of them. William goes back to the village but feels the hardship again as his mother and best friend are both killed and he sees trucks of troops in the village. I think that it was emotionally better for both of them to meet each other which is why I liked the film because it shows that you can still have good times in the worst situations. I really enjoyed the film and I think the whole of Year 7 did as well. By Casper Hawkes 7S
Year 7 Cinema Trip to Stockbridge
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Year 11 News - By Mr Langdown Year 11 Co-ordintor
Millinery Magic—PSHE Closedown Day
On Friday 20 November , Year 11 pupils took part in a school enterprise event called Millinery Magic. The purpose of the
event was to deepen pupils’ entrepreneurial understanding.
The event was organised so that each tutor group was a large company competing against other tutor groups and each
company was split into mini departments each with a full team of directors focusing on a business plan, financial projec-
tions as well as promotions and creativity. Overarching all of this was the emphasis on working as a team, ensuring that
every individual within the team delivered their part to ensure the department carried out their objectives.
Managing and Financial Directors were required to present their business and financial plans to a judging panel. All the
Promotions Directors in each company were required to combine their promotional power points to form on presentation
to be played to the audience and at the event finale. This was a catwalk which promoted the company hats.
The company themes were varied and unexpected, topped off with some quality and creative hats which made the catwalk
presentations a lot of fun and very enjoyable. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Andover College staff and stu-
dent ambassadors from their Drama Department who helped ensure the catwalk was so effective by running training
sessions during the morning.
The winning tutor group was 11 Nightingale who not only pulled off a competitive performance on the catwalk but also
presented some outstanding business models.
Millinery Magic photo album
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Year 7 News - Mr Hill Year 7 Co-ordinator
Congratulations to all the Year 7s on completing their first term at Test Valley. It has been great to see a year group adapt to
secondary school so well. They have had a busy first term and have already had many memorable experiences including
Aspire sessions, a PSHE day where pupils looked at their possible future careers, a cinema trip as part of celebrating the film
festival in Stockbridge, as well as embracing all their new lessons.
There are many opportunities at Test Valley and it’s clear that the Year 7s are taking full advantage of them with a number
or pupils involved in extra-curricular activities including: ELBS club where pupils have been looking after all our resident
animals, the orchestra and representing the school in a number of sport teams. I have enjoyed watching the pupils in these
areas and long may their enthusiasm and commitment to achieve personal excellence continue. As their Year Co-ordinator I
would like to wish them an enjoyable and restful holiday.
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Boston and New York Trip 2015 Photo Album
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Boston and New York Trip 2015 Photo Album
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Sports News
Year 9 Girls Are Hampshire Champions!
On the 13th July 2015, the Under 13 Girls, Club Championship
cricket final took place at Twyford Independent School. The
teams competing were Hartley Wintney Cricket Club and
Andover Cricket Club.
Andover scored 147 runs off 18 overs, Hartley Wintney
replying with 112 runs off 16 overs when they were all out.
Then Year 8 students, Rebecca Dean and Tally O'Farrell both
bowled 3 overs, taking a wicket each.
All 9 girls of the Andover team, of whom 3 are Hampshire
County cricket players and 5 are Winchester District players,
contributed to the team effort making Andover the 2015
Hampshire Under 13 Girls cricket champions.
Hampshire Under 13 Rugby Tournament On Tuesday 3rd November the Year 8 rugby squad headed off to the
Hampshire tournament at Southampton RFC. After what had been a tough season so far, the boys showed a huge amount of determination and they had learnt a lot from their previous experiences.
In the first pool stage in the morning the squad drew three games which included Mountbatten School and John Hanson School , who they had lost to on previous occasions, and lost two. This placed them fourth in the pool.
In the second pool stage in the afternoon the team played against other teams who had finished fourth in their pools. In this they won three games and drew with Henry Beaufort School who they had also lost to earlier in the season.
After a whole day of rugby the squad came away tired but content with the progress that they are making. Well Done all of you.
On Monday 16th November Test Valley took Year 7 and 8 boys and girls teams to the Andover and District cross county competition.
All pupils worked exceptionally hard to produce performances to their personal best level and represented the school in a very positive light.
However the stand out team was the Year 8 boys as they came second and as a result of their finishing positions Nile Battey, Ed Duffield and Lewis Sharpe will be going on to represent Andover and District in the Hampshire round.
Year 7 and 8 Cross Country The U15 squad have turned a corner this season and are starting to play some very solid rugby based on a clear and effective game plan.
They lost their first 2 games against strong opposition, 25 - 12 against Testbourne and 17 - 5 against Westgate but in both games there was evidence of both good individual and team play. With Kings up as the next opponents it got no easier but the squad appeared to grow in stature and resolve and came away with a 26 - 0 victory.
With things on the up the squad went into their Hampshire
Plate game against Fareham Academy with a positive
attitude and played some excellent rugby both in attack and
defence, especially towards the end of the game with
Fareham trying to break through for a match tying score.
This allowed Test Valley to come away 17 - 10 winners and
into the next round of the competition.
Under 15 Rugby
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Nominated Ambassador
Pupils from our seven primary feeder schools arrived at the school
reception with the expectation of a full and varied day. Three pupils
from each school had been selected for this day by their primary school teachers who thought these pupils had
the required qualities to make a good Ambassador.
The primary school pupils worked closely with four Young Sports Leaders from Test Valley School during the
day: Sam Hunt, Alex and Zac Jones and Amelia Cairns. Holly Shirley (School Games Organiser for the Test Valley
Area) lead the day setting high expectations from the beginning.
Bronze Ambassadors’ Day
The Ambassadors were given an introductory
talk about their specific roles and
responsibilities.
Mrs Shirley and the Sports Leaders were on hand
with help and suggestions for the mini game
activities and the team building challenges.
The roles and responsibilities of the Bronze Ambassador were described as:
Being a role model advocating PE and school sport.
Creating and managing a School Sport Organising Crew which will promote the ‘Spirit of the Games’ values within the school.
Increasing participation and healthy lifestyles in their school.
Assisting in the organisation and running of the Level 1 School Games programme within the school.
Being the young people’s voice on PE and school sport in their school.
Publicising sporting updates through notice boards, the school webstie, school twitter, school newsletters etc.
Five specific tasks were allocated to the Ambassadors and they were to try and introduce
them into their schools over the next few weeks. Some schools already had some of the tasks
in place but the majority of pupils saw these as new challenges to help promote sport.
TASKS :
1. Set up and maintain a School Organising Crew 2. Set up a new sports club – Change4Life Club 3. Run a School Sport Competition 4. Make a presentation on sporting opportunities in school 5. Create or update a PE and School Games notice board
The six ‘Spirit of the Games’ values were also discussed and used throughout the day. These included : Honesty, Self Belief, Respect, Determination, Passion and Teamwork. This initiative is organised through the Youth Sports Trust which runs events across the country for Young people. Well Done to all Bronze Ambassadors!
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Year 11 pupils Alex Farrow and Emily Fitzpatrick
successfully achieved the Sports Leaders UK ‘Spirit of
Leadership Award’ as part of their Level 1 qualification.
This award recognises the Leadership and Volunteering
they have undertaken during the course and working
beyond the course requirements.
Both pupils are Young Ambassadors. This part of the
London 2012 legacy established by the Youth Sport Trust
(YST) when London won the right to host the 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games. The programme has now become
embedded in our schools. Young people are now aspiring to, and striving to become, the next Young Ambassadors in
their school. The role of a Young Ambassador is to increase participation in PE and school sport, promote the positive
values sport can develop and be an advocate and role model for PE and school sport.
Alex and Emily are fully involved with the School Sports Council and regularly organise team competitions for the inter-
house events. Well done to them both on an excellent achievement!
Leaders have `Spirit`
Test Valley School was this year’s new venue for the
cluster schools’ Cross Country event. There was also a
new format this year with the introduction of a Year 4
race and competition runners from the whole year group
could compete not just Elite and Intermediate runners.
The atmosphere was electric with lots of cheers and
encouragement for all the pupils taking part. The event
started with a Year 3 Fun Run which really did look like
fun for most of the runners and there were even some
smiles at the finish line.
Year 8 Young Leaders and Year 10 Sports Leaders joined
in with the races and lead the runners around the new
course so there was no confusion about the route. Some
Leaders helped the pupils to warm up prior to their event
and focus on their individual performance inspiring the
competitors to do their best. They helped to marshal the
course, collect the final results and record the medal
winners.
The competition runners in 1st and 2nd place all received a
medal, gold or silver and all the other runners were to be
presented with certificates in their school assemblies.
Primary Schools’ Cross Country 2015
`Lead the Way`
School Overall Team placing Year 4/5 and 6 B&G
1st Wallop
2nd Wherwell
3rd Lockerley
4th Broughton
5th West Tytherley
6th Stockbridge
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This year all seven schools competed in
the Primary Schools’ Indoor Athletics Challenge. Coaches from Personal Best Education
set up seven field events which included the foam javelin, speed bounce and long jump stations.
The Young Sports Leaders watched and recorded the results for each school encouraging all the competitors to do the
best that they could on each of the athletic disciplines.
Indoor Sports Hall Athletics
Amy demonstrates how it should be done!
Year 8 Young Leaders record the Long Jump
scores in a close competition
Top 3 Results
1st Wallop
2nd Lockerley
3rd King Somborne
Right— Winners—Wallop School
Below—Year 8 Young Leaders presented
the gold and silver medal winners to the
competitors and congratulated them for
doing so well.
Club members Annabel Anderson, Alex Dennis, Chris Melville and Harry Scobie represent Test Valley in the Andover Table Tennis League. They have made an excellent impression on opposing teams and are a credit to the school. Matches are played on Tuesday or Friday evenings from 7.00-9.30 pm, a considerable commitment. The team is developing well against very tough opposition. `I am proud of them`.
Our Under 13 Girls' Team, Rebecca Ledwidge, Isabel Henrys, Rebekah Searle and Alix Hart competed in the Hampshire Schools County Team Final at Testwood Sports College. The girls came third in the competition which was an excellent result-they were superb in their application and match etiquette- Well done girls!
We wish to thank the PTA for supporting us with equipment and school for supporting us with league fees and thanks to parents for tremendous support with transport to League matches.
Pupils took part in a match against staff in the last club evening of the term on 15 December.
By Mr Dyke
Table Tennis Club
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U16 Boys’ Football: Callum Giles attempts a diving header, supported by Tristan Jones.
U13 Girls’ Table Tennis Team: Isabel Henrys, Alix Hart, Rebecca Ledwidge and Rebekah Searle ready to compete in the Hampshire
Schools County Team Final.
LEFT: U15 Boys’ Rugby: George Lewis single-handedly takes on Testbourne School.
The U15s will play Henry Beaufort School in the quarter finals of the Hamsphire Plate
Table Tennis: Alex Dennis practising for Andover League action during Mr Dyke’s
after school Table Tennis Club.
U14 Girls’ Netball: Goal Attack Finlay Jarvis shoots during an 11-11 draw against
Wellington Academy.
Autumn Sports at Test Valley School Photo Album
Photographs by Mr Hewson.
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U16 Girls’ Netball Team: BR: Jasmin-Ann Thomson, Heidi Faux-Whitehead, Lauren Henrys, Eleanor Dinner,
FR: Ruby Cooper, Daisy Hillier and Charlotte Thorpe.
U15 Boys’ Rugby: Takeio Wareham taking contact, supported by Harry Scobie and Samuel Slark.
U12 Boys’ Football: Caspar Hawkes going for goal.
U16 Boys’ Basketball: George Ward supported by Harry Scobie and Mateusz Palmer.
U15 Boys’ Football: Tate Whitehead and Ben Findlay competing for the ball.
U16 Girls’ Basketball: Heather Foster and Millie Darbyshire.
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