Home Text Only Version Staff Student Parents Home About our School Students Parents Community Sixth Form News and Events Vacancies Contact Us You are here: News and Events > Wed March 23 2016 News and Events Upcoming Events Information School Calendar Newsletters Redborne Magazines Redborne Racing Redborne TV Letters from the Headteacher Latest News Past News and Events News and Events Year 9 Visitor Year 9 had the privilege of meeting Zigi Shipper on Wednesday 16th March as he returned to Redborne for his 4th visit to tell students about his experience of surviving the Holocaust. Zigi left students with his perennial message of 'don't hate' and was gracious enough to pose for hundreds of 'selfies' at the end of the session. We look forward to seeing him again next year. Duke of Edinburgh Year 9 student, George Tobin enjoys a fantastic opportunity as a part of his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award. George got to go to see how watches are made. For more information, please click here. Spanish Immersion Trip 2016 The Spanish Immersion Trip was a huge success. Many thanks to all the students that attended and thanks to Mrs Shaw, Mrs Crespi and Mr Knightley. Students in years 9, 10 and 12 stayed with Spanish families for a week and enjoyed a range of cultural activities including days trips to Ronda and Marbella. For photos of the trip, please click here. Spring Community Concert The latest community concert was another huge success and showcased the talent of Redborne music students playing alongside other local musicians. Everyone should be congratulated for their hard work and highly polished performances. For photos of the evening, please click here. Cooking Competition Redborne catering department held a cooking competition on Thursday 11th February. There were four year 10 competitors who make a healthy two course meal. The students who took part were Molly Healy, Ella Clements, Breeze Brady-Anstee, Kira Allen. The competition was very close, but Molly Healy was judged to be the winner. She will go through to the District competition in March. Hospitality Students Serve up a Treat Year 11 hospitality students had to prepare and serve a three course meal to twenty WI ladies as part of their course. They have spent weeks researching and planning the event to come up with the menu. The day was excellent; the students were faultless, working as a team and delivering a very smooth event for the guests. The whole meal was made from scratch including pasta, sauces, decorations - you name it! It is rather impressive considering there were over fifteen different dishes to prepare in a few hours and present to such a high standard. Ben Receives Bronze Medal at National Cross Country Championships Redborne student, Ben Davies ran in the National Cross-country Championships at Castle Donnington over the weekend and managed to come away with both individual and team bronze medals in his age group. He was very pleased with his performance, having had to pull out of the regional event. He enjoyed a very close race and used his track training to overtake a number of athletes in the final few hundred metres. We congratulate him and look forward to hearing of more success in the future. Move over Sir Chris Hoy! Former Redborne student, Ryan Owens has finally achieved one of his lifelong ambitions. Following a trial last September, he was taken on by the Great Britain Cycling Team on their full time residential Academy Programme and has moved up to Manchester to start his career as a professional cyclist. Having started a graphics course at university, he took the difficult decision to follow his dream and attempt to make himself a career as a professional cyclist. This is something that he has been wanting to do for a very long time. He managed to get himself out to California and worked with his coach to prepare for the trials in September. Hopefully, this is only the start and whilst Rio is almost certainly too close, he is in the team that is expected to be developed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This is exciting news and we all wish him well for future success. Redborne Students' Charity Challenge Year 9 student Kelci Vickors has taken the £5 challenge to raise money for the Rotary Club's campaign to end Polio. She baked cakes and cookies and sold them during a single form time, managing to raise £35 pounds profit. She was helped by other members of her form, including Ella Gray and Maisie Broome. This is Kelci's second successful charity fundraiser this year, as she and Jade Vickers also raised £25 for Macmillan in September. Congratulations, Kelci. Miss Clark Christmas Jumper Appeal Staff and students have just received a certificate and a letter thanking them for their support of the Text Santa Christmas jumper appeal. Redborne raised over £300 by wearing festive jumpers. Thanks should go to all that supported the appeal. Redborne Musings The latest edition is available here. Public Speaking Redborne Year 11 students won the Ouse Valley Branch Final of the English Speaking Union's Public Speaking competition (having won it last year too): Harriet Lockey Erin McIntosh Billy Simpson Kathryn Hudson Jennifer Lewis Melissa Stapleton Mr Knightly said that "the students were a pleasure to be with all evening and a credit to the school." They progress on to the regional final which will be held at Magdalene College, Cambridge University on Saturday 12th March. Their speech was a particularly apt topic for students in their year group at this time of year. Netball News Despite not getting the outcome they wanted and progressing through to the National finals, the U16 netball team put in a good display on a very cold and windy day at the Regional Netball Finals at Hassenbrook School in Essex. They managed to win 3 of their group games and beat the otherwise undefeated team of the group and their achievement in making it through to the top 12 in the Eastern region is an achievement in itself that should not go unnoticed. Many thanks to Miss Rowley for scoring and Tracy Gilloran for assisting in the management of the team. Squad: Ciara Duncan, Jessica Hughes, Beth Fletcher, Abi Houghton, Kelly Gilloran, Georgia Penfold, Anita Johnson, Tasha Hunt, Lauren Brown Careers Fair Students had the chance to find out about careers in everything from engineering and logistics, to social care and banking at Redborne's recent Careers Fair. More than 1,500 pupils had the chance to visit the event during the course of the day meeting with both local and national employers. In addition to Bedford College and various apprenticeship providers, some of the 48 organisations who supported the day included Central Bedfordshire Council, Barclays, Center Parcs, BBC Three Counties Radio, Vauxhall, University of Bedfordshire, Arcadia Group (Top Shop), Mercedes Benz, Bloor Homes, Millbrook, the Army, Bedfordshire Police and the NHS. The careers fair was officially opened by Jane Galvin, Managing Director for Barclays Eastern Region, who joined school Principal Nigel Croft in giving a speech. Katrina Armstrong, Redborne’s careers advisor, said:” Education Secretary Nicky Morgan was quoted in the media saying that schools are not informing students about apprenticeships – that is certainly not the case at Redborne where various apprenticeship providers attended our careers fair with live opportunities.” “The event gave all our students the opportunity to meet with delegates from employment and education in order to gain advice and information that will support them in making informed decisions in relation to them planning for their future.” “The main aims of the day were to promote industry and opportunities to tomorrow’s workforce and to inform young people of the skills and qualities valued in recruitment and the development of staff. There was a real buzz to the event which was a huge success.” Battle of the Bands Once again the cream of Redborne Rock put on a fantastic show. It was the first time in the Connoly Hall and the show was as polished and professional as ever. For pictures of the event, please click here. Dr Sutton makes the News again Dr Sutton is once again in the news. He is currently writing a book about Ifield Mill, Crawley. For more information, please click here. News and Information for February We have started to send out a monthly information sheet for upcoming events by email. Please click here for the information. Please note there is a change to the non-uniform day from Thursday 4th February to Friday 5th February. Fashion and Textiles It has been a busy start to the year in the Fashion & Textiles department. Y9 are in the final stages of their Pyjama shorts project in which they have learnt the basics of garment making. Y10 are preparing to begin their first Controlled Assessment and Y11 are making final garments based on the themes of Pop Art, Culture or Camouflage in Nature. Y12 have just completed the first two unit of their BTEC qualification, manufacturing tailored jackets and embellished bags. The staff have been very impressed by the exceptionally high standard of work this group are producing. Y13 have been preparing portfolios for university interviews and we would like to say a particular congratulations to Katie Daw, Ellie Bates, Millie De Kauwe and Maisie Regan who have already received offers from their first choice Universities to study Fashion related courses. Exceptional Art Following a trip the the National Academy to see the 'Wanderlust' exhibition by Joseph Cornell, Jack Lynch has produced some exceptional work. Mrs Blackwell, Head of Art, has commented that it is some of the best work that she has seen for a boy his age. Well done Jack and we look forward to seeing more from you in the future. Careers Fair Our Careers Fair is to be held on Thursday 4th February, 9:45 am to 3:10 pm in the Connolly Hall. The day will enable students to meet with delegates from employment and education in order to gain advice and information that will support them in making decisions in relation to them planning for their future. It's going to be even bigger and more impressive than last time – we have had some fantastic offers of support. In addition to Bedford College and various apprenticeship providers coming, some of the 40 organisations present will include – Barclays, Center Parcs, the Foreign Commonwealth Office, Vauxhall, BBC 3 Counties Radio, Arcadia Group (Top Shop), Mercedes Benz, Bloor Homes, Millbrook, a local architect practise, solicitors, and surveyors, the Army, Navy and Central Bedfordshire Council. The Careers Fair will: Promote industry and opportunities to tomorrow’s workforce and Inform young people of the skills and qualities valued in recruitment and the development of staff. The schedule for students can be seen here. Former Student Shines at Spurs Former student, Ben Chilwell, played for Leicester City at Spurs in the FA cup on Sunday and impressed with his performance. Ben is doing incredibly well and we wish him continued success. For more news on Ben, please click here. Poetry Competition On Thursday 10th December, five students between Years 10-13 competed in the regional selection round for a national poetry recital competition, 'Poetry By Heart.' Students recited one pre-1914 and one post-1914 poem to a collection of staff, parents and peers and were judged using competition standards by Mr Gray, Mrs Cook and Mr Knightley. Congratulations to Eleanor Burridge, Y13, who goes on to represent Redborne at the regional finals at the Quarry Theatre, Bedford on 28th January. Sixth Form Presentation Evening 2015 The Sixth Form Presentation Evening was a huge success with lots of former students returning to collect a variety of awards. There were a number of heart felt speeches by members of staff summing up the efforts and talents of the Redborne Students. It was a very successful evening, for which all should be congratulated. For photos of the evening, please click here. Visits Abroad with Redborne School Visits Abroad with Redborne School and the Recent Terror Attacks in Europe In the coming months a number of visits abroad are due to go ahead that involve students and staff from Redborne. We are mindful of the concerns that this may raise with parents and we would like to reassure you that staff at Redborne are reviewing the situation regularly, taking advice on travel abroad from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as well as the tour operators who have organised the visits. Currently all of the visits abroad that are planned will go ahead as scheduled. Doctor Sutton in the Headlines Again! Dr Sutton finds another ‘extinct’ fish! For the second time in a year, Dr Sutton has found a species of fish that was thought to be extinct. After finding the Corfu Toothcarp Valencia letourneuxi in May, Dr Sutton again visited the Greek island of Corfu during the October half term break in the hope of finding the indigenous Corfu Dwarf Goby Knipowitschia goerneri. This fish, which has only ever been recorded from a single site in Corfu, had not been seen for decades and when scientists failed to rediscover it in the 1990’s, it was considered to have become extinct. The Corfu Dwarf Goby is known only from two illustrations and a few preserved museum specimens. On Thursday 29th October, after a third day of donating blood to large numbers of mosquitoes as he searched the tepid waters a brackish water lagoon, Dr Sutton finally located a tiny colony of this fish, and took photographs of the specimens that he found. Here is the Bedfordshire on Sunday article. GCSE Presntation Evening 2015 This year's event was the first to be held in the new Connoly hall since its completion in the summer. The evening was a great success and it was a pleasure to see so many students and their parents gather to celebrate this summer's exam success. For photos of the evening, please click here. Bank of England Competition Four Year 13 economics students took part in the regional heat of the Bank of England's Target 2.0 Competition on Wednesday 25th November. Fraser Maidment (team leader), George Roberts, Oliver Donoghue and Jake Kebble spent time investigating the potential inflationary pressures facing the UK economy and then created a presentation to explain their monetary policy recommendations. They delivered this presentation to a panel of judges and faced some tough questioning on their economic knowledge and policy choices, to which they responded very well! The team were very pleased to have been awarded second place on the day, a great achievement against some strong entries from a wide range of schools. Well done team! Geography Department Photo Competition - Earth Sclpture In September the geography department launched its first competition for students- to submit a photograph taken by themselves accompanied by a description of the landscape in the photo. The idea was to suggest how the features formed a part of the earth’s sculpture, and show an awareness of the geographical processes that shape our planet. We received some really high quality entries and the decision to choose the best was difficult! We had photographs ranging from local beauty spots such as the Chiltern Hills through to the globally famous Grand Canyon in the US. In the end both our winner and runner up entries were from students in year 10 and we would like to congratulate Michael Wetherill (10CC) and Rosie Cartwright (10HB) for their effort in putting together their photos and descriptions: Michael Wetherill (Winner) My picture shows a dramatic sunset at Whitby, with a silhouetted ruined abbey in the foreground. It was taken on a summer’s evening, just when the Sun was sinking below the headland. The evening clouds, earlier scattered across a fair blue sky, are bathed in the fading sunlight, going from golden yellow in the background to a purple-orange above the abbey. On the right you can see the waves lapping against the headland, slowly eroding the north east coast of England.199 steps separate the abbey (which lies at 90m above sea level) from the fishing town of Whitby, which sits hidden below and behind the ruins. Rosie Cartwright (Runner Up) The picture of the coastal plant shows how it has adapted to its environment and the weather conditions it is likely to experience on the coast. It has short, small and leathery leaves to stop it losing moisture from them. It has small round buds that stay on the plant and the petals don't get blown away in the strong breezes you get at the seaside Thank you to everyone who entered and look out for more competitions later on this year! Mrs Wheeler Redborne Musings Latest Edition of Redborne Musings hits the shelves, click here to read the school magazine. Redborne Biology Club News Click here for the latest news from the biology club. Redborne Students Shine during the Summer Over the summer Year 10 student, Joe Turney competed in a few competitions, two rounds of the British Championships and the British Karting Grand Prix, (AKA Kartmasters) a Rugby Would Tour competition and appeared on TV. Joe had a double podium in the British Championships and was third in Kartmasters, all against the very best drivers in the UK and some from abroad. He is now ranked 5th in the UK with one round to go at the end of this month. He also took part in the Rugby World Tour Karting event as part of a team and took pole position in qualifying and won every race putting his team on the top of the podium. He was unbeaten all day and featured later that day in an interview on BBC Look East. Update on Joe - He won the last two rounds of the British Championships last weekednd to finish firth in the overall championship standings. Year 11 student, Izzy Goode became National Wakeboarding Champion in the girls division and was selected to join the GB talent development squad. Over the summer she has participated in numerous camps with the GB team, proving herself to be a courageous, determined young athlete. She unfortunately broke her wrist in late august whilst training and is currently in a cast. She is training hard off the water and intends to come back stronger next year, setting her sights on the European Championships. Redborne Exam Results 2015 The headline figures for Redborne’s examination results can be found by clicking here. There were many outstanding individual performances, both at the very top end and with regards to personal progress. Below you will see a few of them, but there are many more worthy of praise and everyone should be commended for their efforts towards their results. A Level Conor Williets (4A*, going to Oxford – Engineering) Erin Barnard (3A*, 2A, A* (EPQ), going to Cambridge – Music) Michael Ita (3A*, 2A, A (EPQ), going to Cambridge – Natural Sciences) Oliver Howe (3A*, 1A, 1B, going to Oxford – Economics) William Smith (3A*, 1B, A (EPQ) going toEast Anglia University – Medicine) Arron Aatkar (3A*, A (EPQ), going to Bristol – Chemistry) Bethany Line (+1 Grade, going to Bedfordshire - Midwifery) Rosie Nixon (+1 Grade, going to be a Retail Manager) Anna Bright (+1 Grade, going to Northampton - Midwifery) AS Level Eleanor Yip (4 A, A* (A Level GS)) James Williams-Crowther (3A, 1B, 1A (A Level GS)) Rebecca Allen (5A) Ben Bradley (4A, 1B (A Level GS)) Cameron Tinkler (+2 Grades) Jack McEwan-Davies (+1.5 Grades) Kyle Bennett (+1.5 Grades) Eleanor Howells (+1 Grade) Ethan Clarke (+1 Grade) Liam Hyland-Knight (+1 Grade) GCSE Alexander Bartholomew (11 A*, 1 B, + AS Grade A) Jack McNeill (9 A*, 3 A, 1 L2 Pass, + AS Grade A) James Reeder (8 A*, 4 A, 1 L2 Merit, + AS Grade D) James Wallace(7 A*, 2A, 2B, 1 L2 Distinction, + AS Grade A) Edward Dawe (6A*, 5A, 1B, 1 L2 Distinction, + AS Grade B) Barnaby Howe (6A*, 5A, 1 L2 Pass, + AS Grade B) Daniel Smith (+14 Grades) Adam Rossmann (+12 Grades) Olivia Sandhu (+13 Grades) Benjamin Davies (+11 Grades) Caitlyn Downing (+11 Grades) Robert Scott (+10 Grades) Dhilan Patel (+10 Grades) Annabelle Hodgson (+10 Grades) Text Only Version | Sitemap Copyright © 2016 Redborne Upper School and Community College Website design by e4education