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BETTERTIMES Bohunt Education Trust Termly Events Review ISSUE 10 – AUTUMN 2021 – ENJOY

BET CELEBRATES STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS AFTER A DISRUPTED TWO YEARS BET students collected their A Level and GCSE examination results this August, during a week of celebration, before embarking on the next stage of their education. Staff and students joined together to celebrate their fabulous achievement at the end of what was an unprecedented finish to the academic year for all schools across the country, in light of COVID-19 and the cancellation of exams this summer. The grading process established by the Government this year involved teachers assessing each student and awarding grades they considered would be achieved before the nationwide moderation by external exam boards. Despite this, all schools across BET continued to perform highly, with many individual success stories including: • Edie and Ashleigh from Bohunt School, who achieved 10 grade 9s; Ashleigh also gained the top grade A in additional maths. • Phoebe from TPS overcame challenges to achieve great GCSE results with three grade 9s, six grade 8s and a grade 6. Phoebe has a rare condition, which means she is partially sighted and studying presents extra challenges. Phoebe is going to Bohunt Sixth Form to study Biology, Psychology and PE.

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• Isaac from Bohunt School Worthing achieved 11 GCSEs with 9 GCSEs at Grade 9 and two at Grade 8. Neil Strowger, Trust Leader, said, “Our young people have demonstrated resilience, resolve and tremendous commitment throughout these unprecedented times; they thoroughly deserve their results today, which will set them up well for the next stage of their education. I look forward to welcoming many back to Bohunt Sixth Form in September.” Damian Hinds, MP for East Hampshire, said, “I would like to offer my sincere congratulations on this year’s results. The circumstances surrounding exams and the challenges faced by schools this year have clearly not dented students’ commitment and energy. These results are the culmination of years of discovery and study, and reflect the dedication of young people, their families and teachers. All involved should be very proud of their achievements and I wish the students the very best for the next step in their journey.” Due to COVID-19 and the cancellation of examinations, young people’s grades have been determined by teachers, based on work students produced throughout their course, in line with Government guidance. These grades were then moderated and assessed by external exam boards which awarded the final grades.

IN THIS ISSUE...

TRAILBLAZING EDUCATION RESEARCH UNSEEN POSITIVES OF TAGs CROSS-TRUST SUBJECT INITIATIVES STUDENT

GAME-CHANGERS BET APPRENTICESHIPS SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW INTERVIEWS AND MORE...

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR After a very strange year, especially in educational terms, I am delighted that both pupils and staff are now back to full-time, face-to-face lessons in school. I have no doubt that all of you have found the first weeks of term a welcome change after conducting online lessons for a large part of the last academic year. Some of you may even have welcomed the return to wearing formal clothing when teaching at school rather than shorts and flip-flops when running online lessons at home! For the second year running, exams were cancelled by the Government, to be replaced by Teacher Assessed Grades. This meant a huge amount of work for all teachers, on top of their online teaching load. The last 18 months have been hugely stressful for all staff, with teachers working from home and having to develop online expertise, and the addition of TAG was close to being the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Your pupils owe you an enormous debt of gratitude, and on behalf of the Board I congratulate you and offer our sincere thanks. Well done! Last year’s fragmented teaching has re-ignited debate about the need for exams, and also about the relevance of our national curriculum. Mary, a student in Bohunt Sixth wrote a challenging and stimulating blog, proposing that curricula should be restructured from being knowledge-heavy subject-based silos to an integrated topic-based system concentrating more on current and future global problems, such as climate change, mental health, discrimination, etc. Aligned with this, the Trust is looking into reducing the numbers of GCSE subjects to enable more time for wider non-exam-based learning, structured to produce the “well-rounded” alumni for which BET is recognised. Despite the welcome return to classrooms, some pupils and staff may need time to adjust back into normal teaching, which some also may find stressful. I urge any of you who are finding this to discuss it with your colleagues – sharing stress makes it easier to overcome.

Throughout the last year, many of our pupils have continued to shine. These are too numerous to mention hers, but amongst them is Willow, a Year 8 pupil at Priory, who has been elected as Deputy Portsmouth Member of the UK Youth Parliament, a prestigious appointment which will give her an insight into the political world. And the reflections of one of the first cohort to complete 5 years at Wokingham are impressive, having had an enjoyable time gaining an excellent education. The Duke of Edinburgh scheme continued in all schools throughout last year, with many pupils benefitting from the programme, especially the opportunity to bond with their colleagues and learn leadership skills during the expeditions! And of course, I must mention the continuing athletic prowess of Liphook alumnus Olivia Breen, who achieved a Bronze medal in the long jump at this year’s Paralympics. In finishing, I must congratulate Willy Wonka (also known as Randall Jull!) and his team for their amazing and inventive way of welcoming the Year 7 pupils to Costello School. I happened to see the item on BBC South Today and was very impressed, especially with how the pupils all enjoyed their welcome, and were looking forward to being in the school. Congratulations to you all.

DR RAY MORTON

Chair of the Trust Board

BETTER TIMES

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MESSAGE FROM THE TRUST LEADER Welcome colleagues new and old, Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. I am certain that more than the English teachers amongst our cadre will recognise these words as spoken by King Henry in Shakespeare’s Henry V. Perhaps fewer of us might be familiar with the second line which continues, ‘Or close the wall up with our English dead.’ I commend the former to you rather than the latter which would be entirely inappropriate, not to mention insensitive, as the pandemic continues to ravage and destroy the lives of so many. I have in previous issues allegorised our battle against Covid and sought inspiration from history and its leaders. King Henry’s famously rousing speech before the walls of Harfleur was designed to galvanise his troops ahead of battle and he leaned heavily on the power of patriotism and social standing to achieve this. I prefer to reference this call to arms today as an invitation to you to do what you do best: to teach our children. Now is the time for us to return once more to school; the time for us to focus on enjoying learning and delivering an ambitious and engaging curriculum. I am bitterly disappointed that we are not yet able to come together as a Trust on Friday 24 September, but to do so would set sentimentality above safety. However, we do have a special speaker on ice for that day when we may at last meet together. I am also sorry that we are not yet able to run our traditional open events and evenings, or festivals of learning as I consider them. The joy, the buzz and the enthusiasm of students and staff at these events are without comparison and I greatly look forward to their return. As always, we must balance safety with a return to normality and the return to one of our core values: enjoy.

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Enjoyment is writ large across the pages of this tenth issue of Better Times and I am sure you will appreciate the fantastic achievements and accomplishments of our BET community, despite the daily challenges of the post-covid world. Joy was also palpable in August as students across BET received their GCSE and A Level grades – our best ever and a permanent testament to the incredible work you did to enable them to succeed. Thank you. So, as we return to our classrooms and our charges, ‘stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood. Disguise fair nature with hardfavour’d rage.’ Rage against the injustices our children have suffered during the pandemic and resolve to be the difference; to enjoy once more the wonderment of a BET education. Aux armes!

NEIL STROWGER

Trust Leader of BET

BET STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN TRAILBLAZING EDUCATIONAL CRICKET RESEARCH PROGRAMME STUDENTS ACROSS BOHUNT EDUCATION TRUST HAD THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE FAMOUS ARUNDEL CASTLE CRICKET GROUND LAST TERM, AS PART OF AN AMBITIOUS RESEARCH PROGRAMME, WHICH SEEKS TO IMPROVE THE SPORTING, EDUCATIONAL, HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELLBEING OF YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH CRICKET AND THE OUTDOORS. Students from Priory School in Southsea, Bohunt School Worthing and Bohunt Horsham received coaching from former professional cricketer, Lewis Hatchett, as well as participating in outdoor learning through ‘bush craft’ activities, listening to talks, and having a walking tour around the beautiful grounds covering the outfield, castle gardens and woodlands. The creative and engaging array of activities available were designed to help boost the students’ mental and physical health, as well as developing skills in resilience and self-confidence which will translate back into the classroom. The event is part of a trailblazing research initiative launched by Arundel Cricket Club Foundation (ACCF) and the school’s sponsor, Bohunt Education Trust (BET), which has also received significant investment from Ned’s Fund. The project aims to assess in detail the positive links between cricket and the outdoors, with the improvement of overall wellbeing and academic performance and engagement, as well as helping to tackle anxiety, and challenging behaviours. It will also consider the individual student profiles, and how each individual benefits from the provision. The research involves quantitative data surveys on school engagement, resilience and wellbeing, as well as focus group interviews with the students and their teachers. The results will be assessed by education research charity, ImpactEd, so that all schools within and beyond BET can learn how best to ensure every child has the opportunities to thrive in school. Watch the video at: https://youtu.be/ziFzzgLR7-I Georgette Ayling, Headteacher at Bohunt Horsham said, “Team work, confidence and resilience are skills we continually strive to foster in our students and we are very grateful to the team at Arundel, Ned’s Fund and BET for providing the opportunity for some of our young people to build these skills. Having experienced cricket, bush craft and looking around the castle grounds, the children thoroughly enjoyed their day and are more confident now they are back at school.”

Phil Avery, Director of Education at BET said, “At BET, we champion opportunities for collaboration and game-changing research, all with the aim of benefiting the opportunities and quality of education that our students, and other young people beyond BET, receive. This programme breaks new ground by informing and giving us the chance to ensure that connections between student profiles and different types of outdoor activity intervention can be properly considered.” Neil Strowger, Trust Leader at BET said, “We are looking forward to seeing the continued benefits that our students will gain from this opportunity and research, as we continue to work closely with our brilliant partners at ACCF, Ned’s Fund and ImpactEd to deliver real, innovative and lasting change.” Tim Shutt, Director of the Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation said, “Our education-rich surroundings here at Arundel are ideally suited to providing life-changing learning experiences to young people who may be facing some form of disadvantage or simply struggling with school. We are delighted to work with Bohunt Education Trust, which is committed to innovative, “gamechanging” outdoor education. In addition, we are incredibly grateful to Ned’s Fund, whose generosity has enabled us to deliver this potentially groundbreaking programme. Their ethos is very much aligned to ours and their passion to transform the lives of young people needing support is hugely inspiring.” Jo Marsden, Founder, Ned’s Fund said, “Ned adored cricket. The core of Ned’s Fund is to encourage self-worth and confidence outside the classroom.”

BETTER TIMES

BET NATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS LAST TERM, TRUST LEADER NEIL STROWGER WAS INTERVIEWED LIVE ON LBC’S TOM SWARBRICK’S SHOW ABOUT THE POSSIBLE REMOVAL OF BUBBLES IN SCHOOLS. Listen to the interview at: https://www.bohunttrust.co.uk/ news/neil-strowger-on-lbc/ …and an article in Prospect magazine included a brief mention of BET’s involvement with Rethinking Assessment and The Edge, positioning BET as positive and progressive. https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/failing-thetest-the-perversity-of-englands-exams-school-algorithmgavin-williamson

and on the curriculum alone. I believe school should be about introducing students to the world, and to a certain extent it does. It introduces career paths and methods of analysis, but I feel the focus on academia within education is too limited for the modern social landscape. Over the last two years at Sixth Form I have been expected to read widely around my subjects; the impacts of global relations, how poverty affects hazard responses and the unconscious bias against women within language. These examples let me apply what I learnt in the classroom to the real world, giving me a wellrounded understanding of my subject AND the world around me. The process of completing the reading in my free time has broadened my interests, making me want to learn and create change. I now view myself as an activist and use my position within college, my conversations with friends and family, and my social media to advocate for positive change. This is who I have become over the course of two years; I am a very different person compared to myself at age 16. During GCSEs, my focus was on nine subjects and, due to the prescribed content being much greater than at A Level, it is understandable why learning about societal issues was difficult. Why is greater importance put on academic learning compared to world problems? Are younger students seen as too young?

BOHUNT SIXTH FORM STUDENT PACKS A PUNCH WITH NATIONAL BLOG POST Since the start of this academic year, BET has participated in national debate around how assessment supports our young people. Last term, two BET sixth formers: Mary and Issy, wrote thoughtful and important blogs for the Rethinking Assessment website. Read Mary’s blog post, entitled, Why catch up when our education system is backwards? Issy’s blog, together with our Director of Education, Phil Avery’s, response, can be read here or read the full copy in full below. For (doing) goodness’ sake, please rethink GCSEs! After seven years of secondary education I have learnt a lot. For example, I can analyse a poem and I know what photosynthesis is. However, only from my two years at Bohunt Sixth Form have I learnt to apply my learning to the real world. I have been wondering how different I would be if societal issues, set free from written exams, had been addressed in lower years. Throughout my education I have been measured solely through exams; though effective academically, their focus is narrow

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Not engaging in big ideas could lead us to become close-minded. This seems prevalent in areas of privilege. Yes, an individual can empathise with those less affluent than them, but in order to fully support others, they must understand the issue from another perspective. A study conducted by The Independent(1) found that one in five men don’t believe that gender inequality exists; similarly, many white people say they do not see colour. In a position of privilege it is easy to overlook the severity of an issue as you are not affected personally. I believe introducing wider issues from a younger age would encourage a sense of community – not just at a local or national scale, but globally. Many may argue that teaching children non-examined content is ineffective. I remember PSHE lessons, learning about sex and drugs. Though vital, it felt inferior to other subjects, sometimes lacking organisation or engaging methods of teaching. The first step would be to raise the importance of these lessons with staff and students. The second would be to invest time (and money) into ensuring these lessons are engaging and encourage change. However, the phrase, ‘you can bring a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’ comes to mind. Secondary school stigmas,

associated with certain topics or subjects, reduce students’ ability to engage and enjoy subjects. Pressures within a secondary school are influential, as I know from my own experiences, and do have an impact on what is deemed ‘cool’. This is a challenge. No matter how much time is invested into improving exposure to world issues, the child must have motivation to learn. Therefore, it must be adapted to be accessible and appropriate to younger audiences; a teacher would not use identical teaching methods with a Year Seven class and a Year Thirteen class. Thus, the broad issues that are entwined within society, need to be adjusted to fit the needs of those being taught. You may be asking yourself how this would be integrated into the school environment effectively. It could be addressed in a separate lesson and taught in isolation. However, being able to intertwine curriculum topics, would lead to wider engagement and deeper understanding. Synthesizing information is a skill encouraged in subjects such as English and A-Level Geography; marks are given for connecting more than one topic together and understanding their links. Shouldn’t this skill be encouraged when considering any societal issues? Society is an interlinked concept, therefore, when teaching it, shouldn’t it be in tandem with exam specifications? Better understanding of the world and better exam grades would follow.

By making space for rich, real-world, interdisciplinary learning, by using multi-modal assessment and by giving students agency we will give ourselves the best chance of not only raising academic results, but also sustainably developing our communities and environment. For this reason, Bohunt has introduced a Trustwide Citizenship curriculum featuring social action, built the John Muir (conservation) Award into the work of its outdoor classrooms and is developing interdisciplinary projects focused on migration and climate change in conjunction with universities. Issy’s piece finishes with a powerful plea for education to move from the myopic, from the distillation of a student down to a progress number or string of numbers/letters. As an alternative image she paints schools as places that orientate their students to look outwards, encouraging them to understand others, give themselves in service and think global, not personal. That message seems fit for educators as well as the students they serve. (1) Charley Ross, 10/11/2020, One in Five Men Don’t Believe Gender Inequality is a Reality, The Independent, 16/05/2021, https://www. independent.co.uk/life-style/toxic-masculinity-gender-inequalityresearch-b1720338.html

I believe being able to engage in society’s issues should not be exclusive to older years. I believe in order to create habits and expectations, it should be implemented tactically into younger education. This will form an aware, interested younger generation increasing the amount of activists and therefore improving the chances of solving societal issues. Being empathetic is a skill that can be learnt through learning. I believe education is responsible for preparing young people socially as well as academically. Both need to exist simultaneously to enhance and improve empathic perspectives. Response – Phil Avery, Director of Education at Bohunt Education Trust Issy’s challenge to us as educators is to support, at all ages, the development of what is important, not simply what is easy to measure. To teach ‘hope’ and ‘purpose’, rather than just subject domain knowledge, concepts and skills. To ensure assessment methods support breadth and depth of development, rather than constrain. To allow students to explore identities, rather than defining them. We need to make space in our subject dominated curriculum for interdisciplinary learning, social/ environmental action, a focus on dispositions and authentic assignments. What should give us the motivation to do this is Issy’s view that this is not a zero-sum game. She is clear that authentic learning and her development as an activist has fuelled her intrinsic motivation, improved her critical analysis and built her self-confidence. In short, it has impacted positively on her academic studies. We have seen the same with our immersion language programme; students taught a third of their timetable in Mandarin, French or Spanish do better in all subjects due to the level of challenge and motivation that derives from the authentic learning experience.

BETTER TIMES

BET WRITES… NIGEL WRIGHT ON THE UNSEEN POSITIVES OF TAGs 4 JANUARY 2021: A DATE I WON’T FORGET IN A WHILE. Word had been spreading that lockdown was going to force schools to close: an announcement from Boris was imminent. About an hour before the announcement, I’d picked up a rumour on Twitter to suggest as part of the details about lockdown that exams were going to be cancelled in their entirety. I immediately picked up my phone and wrote in a WhatsApp group chat that this could be coming, to which our CEO replied at 7:49pm “Can’t possibly announce that tonight”. Thirteen minutes later the statement had been made with, of course, no indication of what was to come next. Leaders were up in arms, teachers were up in arms, parents were up in arms, and amongst the uncertainty, I felt that students were somewhat forgotten. The anxiety and the fear of the unknown for our students was truly heart-breaking. Understandably, they wanted answers; answers that we simply did not have. I could probably write a book - perhaps even a series of books - about how utterly punishing the whole experience was for staff and the significant effects this had on the students’ mental health across the nation, but what I want to convey is some of the positives that have occurred as part of our “TAG (Teacher Assessed Grades) experience.” What do Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill have in common? The obvious answer to this question is that they were political leaders during World War II The less obvious is that they were all significantly influenced by the same book: The Psychology of the Masses by the French writer Gustav Le Bon. What Le Bon says as part of the book is that, “when people’s backs are up against the wall, populations panic: they become brutal, they care for nothing.” When Hitler sent the Luftwaffe into London in 1940 he assumed, having read Le Bon’s book, that this is what would happen to Londoners: that they would, in fact, be their own downfall in their defeat amongst the panic. The Blitz claimed more than 40,000 lives and crushed neighbourhoods, but what actually happened was that rather than London going into crisis, it united them. Importantly, societies supported each other more than usual. This is exactly the spirit we experienced with Bohunt Education Trust (BET). TAGs united the staff like nothing I have really seen before. One of the great things about our trust is that we are always on the front foot, looking to forge our own path for the best of our students, and this is precisely the tack we took with TAGs. A great example of this was the early decision to make our portfolios of evidence electronic right from the offset. This ensured that we could complete exceptionally rigorous crosstrust moderation at ease, being able to dip into folders of

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evidence at the click of a button, but also importantly when we were asked to submit evidence to the board we were ready. As other institutions were panicking, we were calm and assured that we were doing the right thing for our students. We had a clear protocol with a clear rationale that all of our staff across BET could follow and buy into. This helped to unite us as a community. We felt that our students’ mental health mattered, and given the flexibility in the system and how we could approach the grading of our students, we thought it would be negligent of us to put our students through copious amounts of “exams”; an approach we knew was being adopted by many others. This was an opportunity to be smarter, to utilise our excellent assessment systems and importantly give our students different ways to showcase the very best of themselves. Whilst coordinating the experience I was also conscious that amongst this I had 41 students in my own care that I had to assess. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.” Over the short period of time that the students remained in our care, they were comforted by the fact that they knew that their teachers had their backs, and were going to give them every opportunity to achieve the best possible outcome that they could. Our understanding of assessment has been refined, with vastly improved quality of conversations between colleagues about how to judge work - which is going to be of significant benefit to all of our students over the coming years. It is difficult to articulate the togetherness that was felt across BET, but despite the additional workload that was created, we would always come back to the same point: that we were doing this for the students, and that was all that mattered. What the future holds for assessment in this country is anyone’s guess, but what I do know is that BET will be ready, and our staff will be ready to deliver the very best outcomes for our students. Nigel Wright, Data Lead for Bohunt Education Trust and Associate Headteacher, Bohunt School, Liphook.

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BET HIGHLIGHT: CROSS-TRUST HISTORY VIRTUAL SPEAKERS DURING THE SPRING, HISTORY STUDENTS WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR A NUMBER OF EXTERNAL SPEAKERS TO SUPPORT THEIR STUDIES. In History, our vision is to inspire students’ curiosity to know more about the past. We believe that every student should be able to experience History beyond the classroom and their everyday studies. Due to restrictions, however, we aimed to invite speakers into many classrooms (through the power of Zoom) and listen to the experiences of people who have either lived through the History we are studying or are experts in this field. Here are some of the incredible experiences the students have heard:

“I really enjoyed it and learnt many interesting facts about how German children were treated in the UK and how Ruth’s evacuation from Germany had a lifelong impact on her. It also made me more aware of the impacts of genocide that are still happening around the world today. Thank you so much for letting me have the opportunity to go to this event.” - Robyn D-Day Veteran Mervyn Kersh Legion D’Honneur Mervyn Kersh was a young man from South London whose army service included arriving into Normandy in the first few days of the D-Day invasion, crossing the Rhine and being a British Jewish serviceman in Germany when the war ended. Serving as a Private in the ordnance corps, Mervyn was among the first officers to land on Gold Beach on the Normandy coast, after an advance party of 10 men sent for reconnaissance was torpedoed, with only one survivor. Beryl Jones Beryl Jones, age 93 volunteered to complete a Q&A session to talk about her experiences of being a teenager during World War Two. Beryl lived in Cosby, Leicestershire until 1949 when she moved to Portsmouth with her husband who was employed in the dockyard. Beryl talked about her memories of sirens, queuing for three hours for tomatoes and her Anderson shelter in her garden. Thank you to Year 8 student Hugo, for setting this up with his next door neighbour!

Ruth Burnett MBE, Holocaust Survivor Ruth was born Ruth Michaelis in 1935 in Berlin, Germany. In 1939, aged four, Ruth and her seven-year-old brother arrived in Britain on the Kindertransport. Over the next ten years, Ruth and her brother lived with three foster families Ruth’s mother had taken part in the Rosenstrasse protest in Berlin in which around 200 non-Jewish German women who were married to Jewish men demonstrated outside a building where many of their husbands had been interned by the Gestapo. In 1949, Ruth was repatriated to Germany against her will on a court order. She could not cope in Germany as this was the second massive loss of home and everything familiar she had experienced and it took place in a country she believed was terrifying. She was back in Britain within a year and visited her parents for school holidays. Some of our students said, “The virtual event with Ruth was a true honour and I will never forget it. Ruth’s story was moving and her passionate nature about stopping genocides was truly inspiring. I have learnt about that time from someone who was there which I find is better than reading it out of a textbook. Thank you for letting me be part of this amazing opportunity.” - Leah “The virtual meeting was really fun and interesting because I got to hear Ruth’s story and how she got to England. This was probably the best thing I’ve done with school since the second lockdown.” - Josh

BETTER TIMES

SCIENCE WEEK AT BET

THE RETURN TO SCHOOL OF ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF BEFORE THE SUMMER COINCIDED WITH A RANGE OF EXCITING ACTIVITIES ACROSS BOHUNT EDUCATION TRUST’S SCHOOLS FOR BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK. British Science Week is a 10-day programme of thousands of events running throughout the whole of the UK to celebrate science, engineering, technology and maths. British Science Week provided a fantastic opportunity for students to explore and extend their understanding and joy of science beyond the curriculum. Each of BET’s eight schools, plus City Academy Norwich, participated in activities such as virtual talks with individuals working in STEM, e.g. the air ambulance, a geoscientist and a neuroscientist to name a few. Students completed projects on several themes such as artificial gravity rings, or flooding issues in their local area and fed back that they enjoyed the independence and creativity of working on their own projects. There was also a range of competitions within some schools such as ‘the masked teacher’ at TPS, and even a science staff quiz night at Priory! Students also took part in national competitions such as the BAYLAB lab coat competition. Furthermore, four of our nine schools received a grant from the British Science Association. Bohunt School in Liphook, SGS and Horsham invested the grant funds in themed workshops from the zoo lab while CAN put the funds towards materials and awards for their annual science fair which coincided with British Science Week.

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There was also a trust-wide competition. Students were asked to design an invention for helping the food crisis, and many congratulations went to Joseph Bailey from Bohunt School in Liphook for winning the competition. He received a £20 voucher for Waterstones, presented to him by Trust Leader, Neil Strowger. All students should be praised for their enthusiasm for British Science Week, as well as staff across the whole of the trust for their creativity and dedication to providing such a fantastic experience.

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SUNDAE SCHOOL AT BOHUNT SCHOOL WORTHING STAFF AT BOHUNT SCHOOL WORTHING WERE TREATED TO A SURPRISE VISIT FROM THE LEGEND-AIRY NEIL STROWGER ON 30 JUNE, AS PART OF BOHUNT EDUCATION TRUST’S ALL-TRUST INSET DAY. Bohunt School Worthing won the Green Chicken School of the Year Award at the inaugural BET Awards in 2020, for their fantastic cross-trust spirit. As a reward, teachers and support staff received an ice cream, served by the Trust Leader himself. Owing to COVID restrictions, the visit comes twelve months later than planned. Commenting on the delicious refreshments and their delivery, Headteacher of Bohunt School Worthing, Adam Whitehead, said, “Bohunt School Worthing is proud to be part of the BET family. We are fortunate

to be part of such a supportive trust and were delighted to see Neil turn up today and give our staff the cone-gratulations for playing their part in true cross-trust collaboration that they so well deserve.” Trust Leader Neil Strowger said, “The Green Chicken Award recognises and celebrates the importance of effective relationships and collaborations within and across our schools, to highlight what is possible when we work together. Whilst I am thrilled to be at Bohunt School Worthing to serve them their prize, with a trust of eight schools, I make a point never to play flavourites.”

BOHUNT HORSHAM STUDENTS HELP PLANT 300 TREES ON NEW SCHOOL SITE TEN STUDENTS FROM BOHUNT HORSHAM, WHICH IS CURRENTLY SITED IN TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION IN HURST ROAD IN HORSHAM, PLANTED THE TREES WHICH WERE AWARDED AS PART OF A DONATION OF 420 SAPLINGS BY THE WOODLAND TRUST. Coverage of the planting appeared in the West Sussex County Times. Further details, taken from WSCT, below: The planted trees are a mixture of native woodland varieties including willow, hazel, birch, oak, dog rose, hawthorn, hazel, crabapple and dogwood.

When complete, the new school will grow to a roll of 1,670 students, aged 2-16, including a nursery and primary school – due to open in 2023. A naming ceremony for Bohunt Horsham will take place during the Autumn term.

The remaining 120 trees will be planted either at Bohunt Horsham, or at one or several of the other eight schools across the Bohunt Education Trust family. Also at the tree-planting ceremony were Bohunt Horsham Headteacher Georgette Ayling, and Bohunt Education Trust director Phil Avery who were given a tour of the site by Tim Wates, Director of the Wates Group and Project Manager Sam Bushill. A spokesperson for Bohunt said: “The building project is making excellent progress: light has been maximised throughout the classrooms and the library, especially, is flooded with light from a wall of windows – part of the ingenious design by LSI Architects.”

Picture: Copyright West Sussex County Times.

BETTER TIMES

BET SEES A FULL FAMILY OF WEBSITE DESIGN JULY SAW THE LAUNCH OF NEW WEBSITES FOR TPS AND SGS. THE SITE DESIGN IS IN KEEPING WITH THE BET TEMPLATE, MEANING THAT ALL SCHOOLS ACROSS THE TRUST NOW HAVE A CLEAN, MODERN AND CONSISTENT THEME WITH STRONG VISUALS TO SHOWCASE OUR BRILLIANT COMMUNITIES!

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COULD YOU BE THE NEXT BET APPRENTICE? APPRENTICESHIPS HAVE CHANGED CONSIDERABLY OVER RECENT YEARS AND ARE NO LONGER ONLY FOR THOSE STARTING OUT AT THE BEGINNING OF THEIR CAREER. Apprenticeships cover a wide variety of job roles and, across BET, we have apprentices within support, teacher and leadership roles. Working within BET you can undertake an apprenticeship to enhance and further your career path. Depending on the apprenticeship, you can either undertake a work-based apprenticeship or a day release. Both the apprentice and employer have to agree that 20% of working time must be spent on training (this includes on and off the job training). Assessments are carried out during the apprenticeship with a full assessment including providing evidence at the end of the course. The length of the apprenticeship varies depending on the course starting from a year, up to seven years, therefore time and commitment are needed to complete the course and gain the qualification.

and the building in of time to my week has meant that it hasn’t impacted too much on evenings and weekends. I think it’s so important that we talk widely about our experiences of doing apprenticeships as we need to change the perception of them in society as they are increasingly a fantastic option for our students in certain areas.” If you’re interested in seeing what training you can do as an apprentice, go to https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/. If you find a course you are interested in and believe the school/BET will benefit from your additional learning, please speak to your Line Manager/Headteacher or BET HR. Any training must be agreed with your Headteacher/Line Manager.

Beth Seaborne joined The Petersfield School as an IT Apprentice who is undertaking an Infrastructure Technician Level 3 and says, “My experience, so far, has been amazing. I am enjoying working with great people, who encourage me to push myself and help me learn more about being an Infrastructure Technician. I also recently passed my first course in Software Development Fundamentals, which will aid me in problem solving tougher software issues. This apprenticeship is helping me learn further what I’ve always wanted to work in and I’m happy that I get to pursue it at TPS.” If you’re looking for an alternative route to PGCE to get into teaching, you can undertake a Level 6 Teacher apprenticeship to gain QTS. Claire Cox joined Priory School as a Science Technician and, after becoming the Senior Science Technician, she wished to progress into teaching. The apprenticeship route has been ideal for Claire, allowing her to work within her current school, teaching all year groups, and she will spend half a term at another school to gain additional teaching experience. This course is 12 months with external training and assessments carried out by the training provider. Phil Avery, BET Director of Education, is currently undertaking a Senior Leader Master’s Degree Apprenticeship, Level 7 and says, “For me good professional development is challenging, relevant, flexible and not overly onerous. My experience of doing an apprenticeship matched those needs really well. The reading and tasks pushed me to consider and design workshops in new areas (for example culture), the apprenticeship flexed significantly when then pandemic came along to stay relevant

BETTER TIMES

HOW CAN IS INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF MASTER CHEFS! LEE VANN, INSTRUCTOR OF HOSPITALITY AND CATERING TELLS US HOW WE ARE INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF MASTERCHEFS. At City Academy Norwich, there is a brigade of rising stars in Year 10, who are earning their catering stripes in our professional kitchens. The Hospitality and Catering team have been working tirelessly to inspire young people to cook fresh, restaurant-standard food, using seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on sustainability. For this we are fortunate to have our allotment – Canalot – which provides fresh organic produce, which is picked by students for their practical cookery lesson. Our practical cooking lessons operate like a professional service in a restaurant, with an initial brief, an embedded hierarchical system and modern industry plating techniques followed by an Environmental Health Officer inspection. Our student outcomes are significantly improving year on year, as we drive standards forward. Our DofE student-led restaurant team, have all completed their level 1 food hygiene and safety training ready for their biggest event - catering for 500 people, over 2 sittings, for our KS3 UCAN Graduation; producing everything themselves. Previously, they have created canapes for a number of events, such as Open Day, Award Ceremonies and staff meetings. This will be their biggest challenge yet! Here’s what our year 10 students think of the course: Why did you choose Hospitality and Catering? I wanted to learn how to cook, because I have never cooked at home and wanted to learn about nutrition as this is really important. I also wanted to further my knowledge of the cooking industry. Developing my practical skills is important because cooking is a great life skill to have and is also great to have on my C.V.

and creme brûlée has been good fun and challenging in equal measures. What have you found most challenging? The MasterChef challenge was difficult because we had to use our knowledge of ingredients and flavours to produce a dish without guidance. Despite this being difficult, we ended up with really nice dishes. Finishing the food on time and clearing up is an ongoing challenge, as we put so much effort into the plating of the dishes. Have you been given any exciting opportunities? Yes, we have been asked to cook for around 500 people for UCAN and have also produced food for other events, such as staff briefings and open evenings. Not only have we produced professional food, but we also had the opportunity to serve canapés and be customer facing, which was a bit nerve wracking but rewarding. (PHOTO2) Has this course inspired you to cook more at home? Yes, I enjoy making meals for myself and will now often cook for my family too. Do you feel more confident since starting the course? Yes lots! I wasn’t very confident when I first started. Do you like how the lessons reflect a professional working kitchen? Yes, the kitchen is run in the manner a head chef would in real life, which I thoroughly appreciate, as it gives me an insight as to what an actual kitchen would be run like. It’s also good to take on additional responsibility as a Sous Chef or Chef de Partie when I manage my own sub team.

What have you learned so far? I have covered food hygiene and safety as well as how to cook with a variety of ingredients. I have learnt a plethora of cooking techniques and how to plate like a professional. Have you improved your cooking skills since you’ve been doing the course? Yes, I’ve learnt many new techniques including how to make and shape fresh pasta and bread. I have learned how to debone a chicken and many other useful skills. We cook a variety of styles of cuisine which has also helped me learn about food from around the world. What have you found most interesting? The way we’re expected to conduct ourselves like professional chefs. It has been fascinating to see how a professional kitchen operates. Cooking high skilled food, such as chicken ballotine

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BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW… AIDEN COYLE, ACTING LEADER OF SCIENCE, CITY ACADEMY NORWICH

What inspired you to be a teacher?

Is there a teacher who inspired you at school?

In my final year at University I was unsure of what I wanted to do next. I went to a number of career meetings and got involved in a project with a charity called TeachFirst, researching how to get more Science graduates into teaching. I found the project really relatable as I was about to finish my degree in Biological Sciences and had never really considered teaching as a possible route for my career. Following my project, I was invited to apply for their teacher training course and have never looked back since!

Whilst I wouldn’t say that any of my teachers inspired me to become a teacher myself, I always enjoyed my geography lessons with Mr Oettle, as he made the work we were doing relatable to the world around us.

If you weren’t a teacher what would you be? My initial career choice was to study medicine and become a GP. However, I didn’t quite get the A-Level grades. If I had not gone into teaching I think I would have pursued a career in conservation or perhaps worked in the education department at a zoo.

What’s the best part of your job? One thing I love about teaching is that no two days are the same, which keeps things exciting and new. There’s always so much going on in a school and new research and projects to get involved in, you can’t get bored.

What is one exciting teaching method you use? Like Mr Oettle, I try to make sure that all of my lessons are relatable to my students. This might be by demonstrating or completing experiments, allowing students to apply their knowledge to a new situation; by showing videos of where these concepts can be applied in the real world; or by relating the topic to possible career paths.

What are your thoughts on education today? I think that the education sector is a really exciting place to work at the moment because the pandemic has challenged our traditional ways of working and allowed new ideas to come through. I think it has also shown people the value of good teachers and how important education is.

Who are your heroes? My biggest role models are my family members, especially my parents. I have always looked up to them and am never afraid to turn to them when I need advice. I also really admire the work that Marcus Rashford has done recently in terms of using his voice and position to help those less fortunate than himself in a time of hardship.

BETTER TIMES

STUDENT LEADERSHIP HANDOVER AT THE COSTELLO SCHOOL VICKI CLARKE, PA TO HEADTEACHER RANDALL JULL, WRITES ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE AT WITNESSING THE STUDENT LEADERSHIP HANDOVER I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a ‘fly on the wall’ of the Student Leadership Team handover this summer.

as Head Student is to start working towards being a Carbon Neutral school – I understand how huge this task will be but I hope to start making small steps towards the large goal!

Having had a number of worthy applicants from year 10 for the role, our new head students are Gregor and Evie. They will be supported by deputies; Sarah, Ella, Vladimir and Gabriel. Congratulations again to them all for winning the student and staff vote through their presentation of their manifesto and final interview.

GREGOR

The Year 11 team shared their successes and plans for the past year, how supported they felt to ask any questions, and pursue any ideas they had. During lockdown our amazing team ran a staff online quiz, established a link with a care home sending hundreds of motivational etters from students to the residents, a weekly quote to students to keep them going as well as online assemblies. Their overall message to Year 10 was to do their best, enjoy their time together, work hard in the last year on their studies and ask for support from the school if needed. Corey ended by asking Year 10 to continue with a project he started this year; watch this space … The Costello community would like to thank our departing Year 11 head students Ivan and Millie, together with their deputies: Corey, Winnie, Maisy, Emily and Samarth. Their work during lockdown to support the student body, the local community and each other has made us very proud. The new Costello Head Students write… EVIE My name is Evie and I am one of the new Head Students for Costello! I was delighted to be given this position and I’m looking forward to giving something back to the school. To become Head Student, we were given a series of tasks which tested a broad range of skills and told the school a bit more about ourselves. For example, we had a task where we shared what we thought had made us a Game Changer over lockdown and a practical task which tested our teamwork and logical skills. Overall, I enjoyed the process as I felt I learned much about myself as well as gaining more confidence around students and staff.

I knew I wanted to apply for Head Student but was not expecting what was involved in the selection process. There were five different phases, starting off with writing a formal application to Mr Jull. After successfully passing the first phase we then had to prepare a presentation where we had to outline some new skills we had learned in lockdown; I found this phase okay as I was able to use experiences as evidence of new learning. Perhaps the most challenging part of the Head Student process was the two minute pre-recorded speech. I found this phase interesting as it was different to previous years as we were not able to give our speech in an assembly. My favourite part of the Head Student process was the team building exercise put together by the previous Student Leadership Team. It helped us understand what it is like to work with different people with different skills. After successfully passing the earlier phases, we then had an interview with Mr Jull, Miss Watt, and Miss Borthwick. This was another challenging phase as students our age are not used to being interviewed. I hope that as Head Student I will represent The Costello School to the best of my ability. I aim to introduce more school sports competitions because this will help to give more opportunities for those who aren’t always picked for the school teams. I am also keen to introduce careers information to students at a much earlier point in their secondary education as it takes time to really know what you want to do after you leave school. I would also like to introduce life skills learning as we do not get taught much about the skills we will need later in life.

As Head Student, I would like to create regular Zoom or Teams meetings with a local care home where they can chat to students, play games and perhaps even see some of our school talent to help people feel less isolated. Another idea I had was a Coding Club to teach coding and computer science to students; there are already a huge number of careers related to computing and coding and the number of professions is sure to rise as the world becomes more technological. My biggest idea

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D OF E WITH A DIFFERENCE AT COSTELLO FLEXIBLE, ADAPTABLE, VERSATILE, RESILIENT; IT’S BEEN A YEAR OF CHANGE FOR ALL OF US, INCLUDING OUR STUDENTS COMPLETING THEIR DUKE OF EDINBURGH EXPEDITIONS AS PART OF THE BRONZE AWARD. The BET Expedition Training website has allowed the Costello Year 9 and Year 10 students to prepare for their two day hike around the beautiful Basingstoke countryside. We had 56 Year 9s out in May - more students than we have ever had in one season, let alone from one year group! The weather was lovely and everyone was in good spirits. The students were brilliant with navigation (mostly) and fitness levels were put to the test but they all achieved 40km over the weekend. Some of them enjoyed their experience so much that they didn’t want to go home! Then it was the turn of our Year 10s – no fewer than 48 eager students arrived on Saturday 15 May to begin their adventure. The main challenge to overcome was the rain and waterproofs were well tested across the whole weekend. Everyone had definitely learned to respect the weather by Sunday afternoon and not one person complained about the conditions. I guess that means we will see them all again next year when they sign up for Silver: COVID-19 hasn’t stopped us, because we changed the game. Charlie Coveney: Despite the virus, it was really safe and enjoyable. I’ve learnt so much and my team and I had great fun. Lauren Parkes: Thanks to the DofE expedition, we managed to have an amazing weekend during these difficult times. We became closer friends and learnt that we are stronger than we thought. I can’t wait for Silver next year

BETTER TIMES

EMS, YEAR 8, WRITES ON PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT DROP-DOWN DAY AT BOHUNT HORSHAM With three national lockdowns that advised us all to stay indoors and distance ourselves from others, many of us had to learn to cope without the in-person company of friends and family. It was a time for many of us to reshape ourselves into something new, while keeping safe from COVID-19. Crazy new diets and food trends, TikTok dances, celebrities sharing their home lives and self-done haircuts took over the internet and gave us all an insight on what people were doing to keep themselves from submitting to complete boredom. Everyone’s experience was different, being forced to stay at home for months left a lot of people feeling as though they had no-one to talk to and caused an increase in mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Many people who may have also experienced issues in the past could have potentially had them re-emerge and send them back into a downward spiral, stopping them from finding the joy in things they usually immerse themselves in to find happiness.

even adults can use every once in a while to ease tension and stress. Coming from a student who is a huge advocate for mental and physical health awareness, I find a drop down day a necessity that all schools should introduce to their students; reminding everyone on ways they can keep themselves and others safe through educational stories and advice that can help them in whatever they may be going through. It’s vital in my opinion to make sure that we can shape our school into a culturally diverse, accepting and broad minded community that accepts everyone regardless of differences.

Going back to school was a big wake up call that a lot of people weren’t prepared for. After months of solitude, it felt unusual to be going back into what we would have previously considered normality. The Personal Development Drop Down Day was an opportunity for us all to be educated and informed on ways we can seek help and support ourselves. It’s important for people, especially minors, to be able to acknowledge when they are being safe either online or in person. With Mental Health Awareness Week, it was helpful for us all to know when we may be having a threat posed upon ourselves from others or even by ourselves. Teachers used the day to cultivate our knowledge on topics ranging from life threatening scenarios, to words and phrases that may be harmful to a minority community. Teaching everyone about how to show kindness and respect, making sure we can make the right decisions that we won’t regret in the future. We had police officers come in and talk to us about the right numbers to call, when to call them and websites where you can anonymously ask questions, while also assuring us that there is nothing we can’t tell them. It gives students a sense of trust and belonging knowing that our issues matter and are valid, and that however big or small there is someone there to offer their support or just listen. Topics of discussion included suicide awareness, that checking in on friends and family properly as much as possible could potentially save someone’s life. Even small things like inviting them out more and doing as much as you can to branch out to them and help them through a potentially dark spot in their life. Linking to that was also talking about mindfulness, learning how to calm yourself down when in a state of worry and how to keep emotions collected while also taking into account sensations you may feel throughout your body; it’s an important method that

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BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW… DAVID FLOWERS, HEAD OF FACULTY FOR STEM, BOHUNT HORSHAM

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

The fact that we live in an amazing part of the world and I love being with interesting people and learning new things.

Continuing to embrace opportunities as they come along, loving working with young people and staff sharing my curiosity and passion for learning.

What are you most excited about now that you have joined Bohunt Horsham? Working with our great students as part of a team and trust that really values learning in its widest sense.

How would you describe your job to a child? Do you like making things and solving problems? Do you like learning about cool things? Do you like being with great people? That’s what I do every day.

What is your biggest ‘game-changing’ achievement, personal or professional? Spending the last two and a half years working alongside the British America’s Cup team, INEOS Team UK and other INEOS sports teams including Mercedes F1, INEOS Grenadiers, and Eliud Kipchoge seeing first hand the cutting edge application of STEM learning in creating true game changers.

What’s your favourite song lyric or line from a film? ‘Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re gonna get.’ Forrest Gump or John Keating in Dead Poets Society: Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.

What famous person inspires you most? No one particular famous person, the young people I work with challenge and inspire me most, they are the famous game changing people of the future.

Tell us about something you’ve done that scared you? I regularly scare myself windsurfing and mountain biking, if you are not pushing your limits you’re not trying hard enough!

What two things would you take to a desert island? A windsurfer and a hammock - happy days.

What three words would you use to describe your job? Working in futures.

BETTER TIMES

BOHUNT HORSHAM – D OF E BRONZE LAUNCH JUNE MARKED AN EXCITING MONTH FOR OUR YEAR 8 STUDENTS AT BOHUNT HORSHAM, AS THE INAUGURAL BRONZE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD WAS LAUNCHED.

This was something a number of our students had been looking forward to and Mr Footer was delighted with the 80 students that took on the challenge! Many of our students have been inspired to participate by their engagement with bushcraft club and the outdoor learning drop down day that was held during lockdown. The first challenge the students had to overcome on their Duke of Edinburgh journey was the School’s first sponsored walk on 18 June. A ten kilometre walk exploring the local wonders that Horsham has to offer, completed in their tutor groups with their first experience of the Duke of Edinburgh app and BET training website for their free time that day. This was followed by their first meeting as a group of participants where they began to discuss their volunteering, skill and physical sections ahead of beginning the award officially in September this year. Our staff at Bohunt Horsham also took up the challenge this year, participating in the new ‘Do it 4 Youth’ challenge in July, with staff from all over the school learning a new skill, taking up a new physical activity and giving something back to the wider community. We cannot wait to see the positive impact that these initiatives will have on our school and the wider community!

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BOHUNT SCHOOL STUDENT IRIS SNAPS WINNING PHOTO IN ART COMPETITION YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY ENTHUSIAST IRIS, YEAR 7 STUDENT, HAS WON FIRST PRIZE AS WINNER OF THE KING EDWARD’S WITLEY (KEW) SPRING PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION, WINNING A DIGITAL CAMERA FOR BOHUNT WITH HER SUPERB NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY. Iris entered six photographs into the competition, two of each into all three categories, those being; ‘contrasts’, ‘new beginnings’ and ‘reflections’. Judged by the Art Department at KEW, all of the 77 entries submitted by entrants were of a very high standard but the judges were in agreement that Iris’s pictures should come overall winner. Aptly named in time for Spring, one of Iris’s winning images entitled ‘Iris’ was of the purple flower taken near her home in Witley during the Easter holidays. King Edward’s School have displayed all the photographs on their website and Iris’s images can be seen at: https://www.kesw. org/feeder-school-photography-competition/ Caroline Shouksmith, Head of Art & Photography at King Edward’s Witley said, “King Edward’s Witley hosts an annual Spring Art Competition every March which this year, due to COVID restrictions, generated a huge number of lovely entries. Our congratulations to Iris for her fabulous, prize-winning photographic images! Iris is a very talented young lady and I am delighted for her”. Head of School at Bohunt, Neil Pittaway, presented Iris with the prize on behalf of KEW and Iris will use the digital camera at school. Iris will also receive an additional prize awarded by KEW and one from the Bohunt photography department in recognition of her achievement. Neil Pittaway said, ”I am thrilled to see that our students take part in so many online activities during their free time and am delighted for Iris that she has won this competition. I am sure she will gain a lot of experience using the new digital camera. We encourage all our students to take part in activities whilst at school and at home that challenge them, encouraging them to participate in activities that they would not normally try. Well done Iris!”

BETTER TIMES

BOHUNT SCHOOL ALUMNUS, OLIVIA BREEN, TAKES BRONZE IN PARALYMPICS FORMER BOHUNT SCHOOL STUDENT OLIVIA ‘LIVVY’ BREEN WON A BRILLIANT BRONZE MEDAL AT THIS YEAR’S PARALYMPICS!

Photo by Christopher Jue/Getty Images.

Livvy took third place in the T38 long jump final, which she said came after ‘ten years of hard work, sacrifices and dedication’ with ‘lots of highs and lows’ that have ‘all been totally worth it.’ Livvy also said, in press coverage in the Liphook Herald, ‘from Rio, where I came 12th, not making the final, to now coming third - the message I will give out to people is never to give up, your time will come. It may have taken me ten years, uprooting my life, home and moving coaches, but I made it to this moment.’ She gave a ‘huge’ thank you to her coaches Aston Moore and Sam Heathcote, as well as her friends and family. She said: ‘I couldn’t have done it without you guys.’

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BOHUNT SIXTH FORM STUDENTS COMPLETE GOLD D OF E… ON THE DOORSTEP “MY WORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH NATURE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY INTERESTS ME AS A CONCEPT IS THAT WE NEED TO REWILD PEOPLE AS MUCH AS THE LANDSCAPE,”

In his latest book, We Are Nature: How To Reconnect With The Wild, Ray Mears conclusions are very timely. The book explores the idea of returning to nature by reconnecting with your local area, while learning to rely on your senses and skill rather than gadgets and technology. The book was a pertinent reminder to get out and explore our local area and as such formed the basis of our Gold DofE programme at Bohunt Liphook. In more usual times the Gold DofE programme would take students to Okehampton on the edge of Dartmoor crossing over the north and south moors wild camping and covering well over 100km or crossing over the heights of Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons on a challenging Gold final. In these more unusual times the local area around Liphook has seen our Gold students reconnect with the outdoors applying skills and exploring right here on our doorstep, revisiting expedition areas from Bronze and Silver DofE and giving students the chance to explore their local area with a higher level of skills, night navigation, unknown drop off locations, hasty planning as well as command tasks enroute have pushed students and their skills so that they have become more capable in the outdoors.

Students have welcomed the return to the outdoors in conversation at a checkpoint on their Gold practice Sophie Honey said that, “completing the Gold Award was never negotiable,” but she has welcomed the chance to complete the Award with her friends. “It is just nice to be outside, having fun and exploring some new places close to home which are often overlooked.” Issy Davy added, “we often overlook the countryside close to home, travelling further afield to more remote regions or even abroad, the chance to explore locally is a great reminder of the range of landscapes and opportunities we have so close to home.” After a year of Zoom calls, teaching in the Google classroom and exploring our world from behind a screen the need to get outside has never been more important, these first small steps locally with our Golds signals our intent to follow John Muir’s advice to his sister in his 1873 letter: “The mountains are calling and I must go.”

BETTER TIMES

BOHUNT SIXTH FORM STUDENT GREGORY SCOOPS TOP PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY COMPETITION SIXTH FORM STUDENT GREGORY TOOK PART IN THE 3L6 CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE AND WAS AMONG THE TOP 0.7% TO WIN THE ROENTGENIUM PRIZE. Gregory’s prize was attending a chemistry summer summer school at Cambridge University with Dr Peter Wothers. “It was an incredible opportunity to attend the summer school. I was mixing with an insanely able group; it was awesome to be taught in the same class as them despite my nervousness! Professor Peter Wothers was truly inspirational, I thoroughly enjoyed his conversations about the history of the periodic table.” “The opportunity to work in University caliber laboratories was an amazing experience. We were given all sorts of challenges to complete.My favourite was when we had to devise our own method to calculate the critical concentration of micelle formation in a soap solution. It really opened my eyes to the fact that I can really do this and cemented my desire to study Chemistry at university.” Gregory dedicates his success to his teachers: “I wouldn’t have had this incredible opportunity without the dedication and support of both Lindsey Lithgow and Clare Goldfarb, who have both been incredible teachers and guides through both GCSE and A level chemistry.” Gregory expressed how grateful he felt to participate in this opportunity, especially during a pandemic.

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A LEVEL RESULTS CELEBRATED AT BOHUNT SIXTH FORM STUDENTS AT BOHUNT SIXTH FORM IN LIPHOOK CELEBRATED AFTER RECEIVING THEIR A LEVEL RESULTS, ENABLING THEM TO SECURE PLACES AT THEIR CHOSEN UNIVERSITIES INCLUDING OXBRIDGE; ON COVETED APPRENTICESHIPS AND IN SELECTED JOBS.

Some of the individual standout achievements included:

Neil Pittaway, Head of School, added:

• Iris Hamilton (A*A*A*D1) in English Literature, Classical Civilisation, Drama and Philosophy who will study English Literature at the University of Oxford.

“Our students’ perseverance and positivity has paid dividends this year, especially given the challenging circumstances we have all endured. Huge congratulations to all our young people and I wish them all the very best for their future endeavours.”

• Sam Tetlow (A*A*A*A*) in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Geography who will go on to study Aerospace Engineering at University of Bath. • Hesper Aldwinkle (A*A*A*A*) who will study Medicine at UCL. Clare Hodgson, Head of Bohunt Sixth Form, said: “We are immensely proud of all our students who received their results today, after showing such motivation, spirit and resilience over the last two years of their studies. Neil Strowger, Headteacher at Bohunt School, said: “I am delighted to see that all students and staff who have worked tirelessly, not to mention courageously, to achieve such success despite the most challenging of circumstances.”

One student remarked: “I could not be happier today – all my hard work has paid off and it feels amazing! Thank you to my incredible teachers and everyone at Bohunt Sixth Form for all the support over the last two years. I’m looking forward to the challenges to come!” This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government decided that young people’s grades would be determined by teachers, based on work students produced throughout their course. These grades were then moderated and assessed by external exam boards which awarded the final grades.

BETTER TIMES

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: Y8 PRIORY STUDENT ELECTED AS DEPUTY MEMBER OF YOUTH PARLIAMENT FOR PORTSMOUTH Earlier this year young people from across the Portsmouth region were invited to apply to become a Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) Portsmouth. This was a fantastic opportunity for Priory students to demonstrate their game changing values and make a difference for young people in and around the local area. The application process involved submitting a short video telling the judging panel about themselves, demonstrate what they had done to help or improve the local community already, and discuss what issues they felt are most important to young people in Portsmouth and would therefore be their priorities to campaign on. An impressive 52 applications were submitted by young people across Portsmouth. The panel of judges then selected 16 to proceed to the interview phase, with six of these all being from Priory School. The final selection phase saw two priory students advance to the campaign phase and encouraged to gain support for their election and promote their individual manifestos in order to secure votes from school children throughout the city. Every student in Portsmouth was able to vote on the final election and two Priory students were in the running for appointment: Year 7 student Mariella and Year 8 student Willow. Both had strong and very well thought out plans as to the issues they wanted to address and changes they want to see in our city that will better the lives of young people. Eventually Willow emerged as the new Deputy MYP and will be representing young people from across Portsmouth. “Hello! My name is Willow and I am a deputy MYP for Portsmouth, along with MYP Destiny, and second deputy, Ella. I am in Year 8 at Priory School. While in my two-year role as deputy, I am looking to focus on two major subjects: LGBTQ+ education and awareness within Portsmouth and environmental issues in our city. At the moment, I am attending Portsmouth Climate Board meetings every two months to get an insight on upcoming plans to improve Portsmouth in a sustainable way, and to also shed light on my generation’s views and suggestions. Due to COVID, we have not been able to accomplish as much as we would have wanted, but are hopeful that after restrictions have eased, we’ll be able to make a bigger impact.” Year 11 student Lewis was also very keen to be part of the MYP Portsmouth but as he does not live in the city he was unable to be elected. Disappointed but unfazed, Lewis pursued an alternative way to impact the lives of young people through the Youth Parliament by approaching the West Sussex Youth Parliament. After an application and interview process Lewis is now a member of the youth cabinet in West Sussex. He recently took part in a podcast with the talking point of representation in education. You can access this podcast on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/

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INSPIRATIONAL Y10 PRIORY STUDENT SELF-STUDIES HIS WAY TO AN EARLY, ADDITIONAL GCSE JACK TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE EXTRA TIME AT HOME LAST YEAR TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING QUITE REMARKABLE: AN ADDITIONAL GCSE, WHICH WAS ACHIEVED THROUGH SIX MONTHS OF SELF-STUDY. Priory School has worked in partnership with SUN, the Southern Universities Network, for many years. Their Uni-Connect Programme focuses on providing targeted higher education outreach to young people in Years 9 – 14. In June 2020 they presented the opportunity for students to gain a Level 2 AQA Higher Project Qualification through online learning: the equivalent of a GCSE. Jack was in Year 9 at the time and successfully applied to be accepted onto the programme.

Jack, what inspired you to apply?! To be honest I was a bit bored as there wasn’t much to do, so I wanted something to fill my time. I was really motivated by the idea of getting an extra GCSE, so I filled in the form and was really pleased when I was only one of 20 students nationally to be accepted. I was the youngest on the course: some were Year 11 going onto college.

How much work was involved? It was a lot of work. I had a pack of work to go through and I spent two hours every Saturday on zoom with my mentors, so I had to give up my football training (when it was on), which was hard for me as that’s my passion! It took 6 months and I finished in December 2020, when I had to submit my completed project to AQA, which involved a 2000-word report and a Google slides presentation.

So how did you choose what to focus on? I was allowed to choose any topic I wanted. I always knew I had a desire for sport, and I wanted to prove that. So the title of my project was: “How do athletes reach and maintain optimal performance”. I was interested in how elite sportsmen and women manage to always perform at consistently high levels, balancing training in the week and then playing at weekends.

What are your ambitions Jack? I love football, but I’ve also been getting involved in other sports, such as basketball. I referee kids’ games on weekends, and I also coach my younger brother’s football team. When I am 16, I want to do my coaching qualifications to support this. Also, as an outcome of doing this project, I have found myself really wanting to do a job as a sports analyst: dissecting games and seeing what could be done differently. I would like to study Sports Science. I have been doing career mentoring at Priory recently and that has helped me learn about all the different options available to me: such as A or T levels. I went to visit Loughborough University and if I could go there that would be unbelievable. Their facilities are incredible. That’s my dream.

Anne-Marie Wood, SUN co-ordinator for Priory School: “Jack’s self-motivation and commitment were extraordinary to achieve this qualification: to put such hard work and dedication into achieving something so challenging during Lockdown made him a real Game-Changer. Only seven out of the original 20 students who started this completed it, which just shows the resilience and tenacity he has. Alongside the report he submitted, Jack also completed a Candidate Record Form – recording key stages of the journey and tracking his thought processes and decision-making. He delivered an impressive presentation on his learning journey throughout the project, detailing how he felt he had personally developed over the course of the six-month period – highlighting, in particular, his growing self-confidence and resilience, showing, as his project supervisor noted, remarkable honesty and thoughtfulness. We are all extremely proud of this humble young man’s achievement.”

I did a lot of research, and I had a stroke of luck in that my neighbour is the kit man for Portsmouth Football Team and he put me in touch with their head fitness coach. I spoke to him and organised a 10-question survey: about diet, daily routine etc. I even tried to follow the schedule with the daily meal plan and daily routine myself to experience it! This actually changed the way I balance my own diet and fitness: I had no takeaways for two months!

BETTER TIMES

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: STEYNING GRAMMAR SCHOOL RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS ‘KITEMARK PLUS’ AWARD During the summer term, Steyning Grammar School (SGS) was proudly awarded the ‘Kitemark Plus’ Award following inspection by the Association for Character Education (ACE). On being given this prestigious award, SGS joined a group of only four other UK secondary schools to be assessed as ‘Kitemark Plus’ for outstanding provision and work on Character Education. The Kitemark Plus Award is given to schools that can demonstrate: ‘Over a sustained period of time the successful implementation of an enhanced range of explicit Character Education activities and approaches. In addition, new and innovative ways to meet the criteria are in place or are being developed within the organisation.’ (ACE 2021). SGS had to first apply for the award and then was inspected virtually during lockdown and in person post lockdown. Gary Lewis, a retired executive head teacher and chair of ACE, inspected the school in person, viewing the character provision on all three of the SGS sites. Following his inspection SGS was found to have met the kitemark Plus criteria ‘with relative ease’ citing ‘intelligent evaluation of character provision, excellent student feedback and a strong character curriculum,’

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(starting with REMAP) as key strength in SGS’s Character Education provision. Leadership of character was seen as excellent at all levels, with the vision for Character fully supported by the Co-Heads, SLT and Heads of Faculty right down to all teachers and support staff. The assessors also specifically recognised the outstanding work of Andrew Wood, our deputy head responsible for the initial implementation of character into SGS. As a school SGS feels this award reflects the hard work and commitment that has taken place over the last seven years to make Character Education central to all we do at SGS. It also shows recognition that SGS is a school where students can enjoy, respect and achieve in an environment which actively promotes its students’ collaborative working, leadership and community spirit. Following the award SGS’s two heads of character Education Mark Queen and Grace Waker will now form a part of the Kitemark Assessment team visiting other schools and assessing their provision of character. It is hoped that through this SGS’s outstanding practice in Character Education can further support and develop other schools both locally and nationally.

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: SGS SAYS FAREWELL TO TEACHER LEGENDS Steyning Grammar School bid farewell in July to two longstanding teachers who have clocked up over a century of teaching between them. Mr Geoff Buckwell joined SGS in September 1970 as a Maths Teacher and last appointee in post from the Boys’ Grammar School. For over a tenth of the school’s 400 year history, so many students at Steyning have had nothing but the highest respect for what is now the legendary outstanding teaching delivered by our former Head of Maths. His teaching is often characterised by a sense of humour and spontaneity that puts students at ease. He has made his classrooms a magical place for learners to be. A great master of his subject and his craft. Author of textbooks used widely across the country, his explanations have influenced numerous learners and practitioners. Adept at spotting, coaching and supporting potential mathematicians to the highest levels. A true Renaissance man, Geoff has used his wider skills to inspire students, parents and staff. Quick to volunteer to be part of school charity fundraising events, with his incredible electric guitar playing. His beautiful countertenor voice has been showcased in school choirs and productions. As a competitive sportsman, his prowess on the school football and cricket field were acclaimed. As a learning mentor of sixth formers he has shown empathy, care and concern for anyone going through challenging times, he will fight their comer and leave no stone unturned in their time of need. Geoff was nominated by colleagues and received the Pearson National Teaching Awards Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 for his exceptional and distinguished service to SGS and to education. His career was also recognised by the Mayor of Brighton who invited him and his wife for high tea.

Before joining SGS in September 1989 as Second in department of Modern Languages, Mrs Alana Davidson taught for many years at schools in London and Surrey. A Classicist by training and French Literature specialist, Alana’s passion for her craft is matched only by her commitment to welfare of both students and staff having overseen Staff Welfare as Assistant Headteacher for many years. Whatever the post she could be relied upon to bring her own brand of forensic interrogation, unwavering energy, high expectations and fearless intent. A former ISI Inspector for Boarding, Alana sat on the State Boarding Schools Association for many years promoting the cause of the next generation of female boarding practitioners. Alana was also instrumental in securing government funding for a new boarding house in 2011 and oversaw a major expansion of the boarding expansion. In 2017, her commitment to boarding on a national stage was recognised with the Boarding Schools Association Leo Winkley Award. Never one to shirk responsibility or shy away from challenging issues she has always wanted the best for the school. Floods, fire, snow, personal trauma, illness and a global pandemic have never stopped Alana from coming to work. Undoubtedly her glamorous persona, intelligent debate and strong advocacy for the staff and students of Steyning will long be remembered. Associate Headteacher, Nat Nicol, said: “Both students and staff are finding it hard to imagine the school without Geoff and Alana. They epitomise what it is to be a great teacher and their exemplary service has been rightly recognised. We would like to thank them both for their dedication and commitment to the Steyning family over so many years and wish them both a long and fruitful retirement, and well-deserved rest.”

BETTER TIMES

STUDENT GAME-CHANGERS DORA AND ROISIN’S BRIGHT IDEA AT TPS We met with Mr Graham in late 2019 when we were in Year 7. We were discussing how the school could become more sustainable energy-wise. He said that solar panels were expensive, but he was looking for alternatives. He suggested that he could look at the cost of LED lights because they were a good eco-friendly substitute to solar panels.

We have been working to make the school more sustainable all around, but energy was one of the ones we were most concerned about. We were happy to hear that we have been given a grant for the LED lights, because it’s one big step closer to the school becoming more sustainable. We have lots of other projects we are working on at the moment to reach TPS’s sustainable goals.

LED lights are much more sustainable for many reasons. Firstly, one lightbulb alone has a 10-year warranty, meaning you do not have to change a single lightbulb for 10 years! Secondly, they are cheaper per watt than a normal lightbulb, so this means you also save money at the same time as being more environmentally friendly. Thirdly, did you know that LED lightbulbs are actually recyclable! Finally, they are extremely low maintenance, they are self-contained and last for 10 years meaning you do not have to worry about changing them!

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SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: CCF AT TPS The Petersfield School (TPS) has been running a Combined Cadet Force (CCF) Army detachment since 2017. It is a partnership with neighbouring Churcher’s College, and the Cadets apply to join CCF in Year 8 and commence training in Year 9. The Cadets enjoy a full training continuum that sees them progress through various individual and team skills such as shooting, fieldcraft and navigation over the course of their time in Year 9, 10 and 11. Students who go on to 6th Form colleges that have a CCF can continue to serve until the age of 18. Throughout their time in CCF, the Cadets will have the opportunity to participate in overnight exercises and a week-long summer camp run by Army instructors, as well as opportunities to participate in adventurous training activities and trips overseas.

However, one of the best things about CCF is the fact that the more senior Cadets undertake a lot of the instruction themselves, which really emphasise the skills of leadership, discipline and teamwork. The CCF at TPS is currently run by Robert Newton, who recently re-trained as a Geography teacher after a 20-year career as an Officer in the Armed Forces. Rob served both in the UK Royal Marine Commandos and in the Australian Infantry, where he saw active service in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He brings a wealth of experience to CCF and is enthusiastically supported by PE team members Ryan Lewington and Tiffany Taylor who are both training to become qualified Cadet Instructors and Caroline Walters from our MFL department.

BETTER TIMES

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: BOHUNT WOKINGHAM SEES FIRST Y11 COHORT LEAVE. ISI EXPANDS ON WHAT HER SCHOOL EXPERIENCE MEANT TO HER My time at Bohunt Wokingham has been amazing and I feel so lucky to be part of such a fantastic school. The past five years have gone by so quickly and I am sad that my journey at Bohunt has come to an end, but I will forever cherish all of the memories that I have made, and will look back at my time at Bohunt very fondly. I feel, and I’m sure that many Year 11s would agree, that being a part of such an incredible school community has helped me in developing so many important skills. I am leaving equipped with the toolkit that will help me in the future, as I continue in my education. I am hugely grateful for all of the wonderful opportunities that I have been given at Bohunt Wokingham, as well as all of the staff and students around me that have made my time so special.

Those of us in Year 11 were lucky enough to have a prom: a lovely chance to get together as a year group and have lots of fun. Results day in August is also an exciting date for Year 11s, because we will get the opportunity to come together for the final time as a year group, to celebrate our achievements and say our final goodbyes to our teachers and some students, as we look forward to the future of our education.

We started in September 2016 with only 107 students in Year 7. This was a very exciting time, as the staff and students got to know each other really well and we came together almost like a family. Everyone has worked so hard to help shape the school into an incredible place to learn, where students can ‘enjoy, respect and achieve’ and be the very best version of themselves. From moving into the new school building to welcoming a new year group each year, it has been lovely to watch the school grow and become what it is today, which so many of us are so proud of. There are so many incredible opportunities that I have been fortunate enough to have during my time at Bohunt Wokingham. One particular moment that I really enjoyed was when Sir Robert Winston came to officially open the school. He is an extremely inspiring man, who captivated so many students during his assembly where he explained his journey to becoming a game-changer. Another memory that I will never forget was when students from the school netball and football teams had the fantastic opportunity of spending a week residential in Holland. We got to play our sport against many other teams from across the country and meet lots of new people. We also had the chance to go to a theme park, a swimming pool and a disco and enjoy the week doing really fun activities with our friends. Finally, I loved working towards my bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, as it was an enjoyable and very valuable experience. It was lovely to participate in some more of the amazing extracurricular clubs that are offered at Bohunt, in order to complete my sections and the final expedition, which was challenging but extremely rewarding. I have only named a few of the fabulous memories that I have from my five years at Bohunt, and there are so many more that I will always remember.

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SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: PASTORAL SUPPORT ASSISTANTS AT BOHUNT WOKINGHAM Who we are We are the Pastoral Support Assistants at Bohunt Wokingham and we are a part of the wider pastoral team here. Our role is to facilitate a positive school experience for all students through developing and maintaining positive relationships; managing behaviour incidents; carrying out mentoring; and even just by being an advocate and cheerleader when you need it most. We all love what we do because everyday is so different and we get to watch our students thrive and succeed! Wellbeing at Bohunt Bohunt’s inclusive ethos: Enjoy, Respect, Achieve underpins every aspect of life here at Bohunt Wokingham. We want everyone in our school community to feel supported, safe and happy, and as part of this, we believe in promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing where possible. Now more than ever we have realised the importance of supporting wellbeing within school life.

In addition to resources the site allows us to showcase positive school news to students through teachers comments and amazing student work through our ‘Positivity Page’. It also allows us to have a house page where students can keep up to date with their house news. Finally, our Anti-Bullying Page directs students to appropriate support and also provides material from Anti-Bullying Week that they can view year round. We are constantly proud of the work our students here have achieved, particularly after such a different year and we hope they all feel school is a place where they feel supported! All for one and one for all! Charity, Andy and Miguel - Bohunt Wokingham Pastoral Team.

Mental wellbeing does not mean being happy all the time and it does not mean you will not experience negative emotions, such as grief, loss, or failure, which are all a part of normal life. We all face difficult and challenging situations that cause us to feel angry, sad, overwhelmed and everything in-between. Instead, positive wellbeing is about being able to understand and manage those feelings so generally you’re able to: feel confident in yourself; build and maintain positive relationships; have a sense of purpose; live and work productively; and cope with the normal stresses of day-to-day life. Student Wellbeing Hub During the most recent lockdown we decided we would build an online ‘hub’ for students that incorporated some key areas of support that underpins positive mental and emotional wellbeing. Focusing on the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ (Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning, and Give), our Student Wellbeing Hub went live in March 2021. The site offers resources in three broad areas: wellbeing, careers, and academic support. The wellbeing resource page compiles brilliant practical activities, strategies, applications and sources of support. Careers resources display careers advice; support to find and apply for work experience and volunteering; and guidance on apprenticeship and traineeships. It also offers up to date Careers News on upcoming events students may be able to get involved with for example, the recent NHS Careers Virtual Work Experience. Our resource page for academic support offers video advice from teachers and key resources for educational support e.g. revision.

BETTER TIMES

BOHUNT SCHOOL WORTHING – DIVERSITY WEEK DURING THE SUMMER TERM, BOHUNT SCHOOL WORTHING CELEBRATED SCHOOL DIVERSITY WEEK, AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF LGBTQ+ (LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANS) EQUALITY IN EDUCATION, CELEBRATED BY THOUSANDS OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS, SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES ACROSS THE UK. To support Diversity Week the school has been taking part in a multitude of activities at all levels, from staff adapting their curriculums to ensure inclusivity and representation for LGBTQ+, alongside Student Ambassadors creating ‘Safe Spaces’ which are a platform for students to talk about diversity and equalities. Bohunt School Worthing building has been transformed by the hanging of PRIDE Rainbow Flags, created by members of our community. They are now hanging proudly in the Atrium, the central hub and heart of the school.

Interview with Tom Pearson, Achievement Coordinator - Turing House interviewed by Ben Waterer Year 10 Student Councillor.

Adam Whitehead, Headteacher, said:

Some of our talented members of staff have made Pride flags for inside the school building. We will have a flag outside as well. On Thursday of our ERA week, two of our year groups will engage in a whole day of LGBTQ+ diversity activities, around School’s Diversity Week. In addition to this we have a small but growing Pride Group, that we are hoping to further expand next year.

“Our school ethos is having the highest expectations and empowering students to make positive contributions to society. We are educating students to be confident and successful individuals; those who can think for themselves in challenging injustice, striving to live peaceably with others, whilst having a strong sense of their own place in the world.” All of the events and celebrations in school are part of a pivotal movement in helping others become more tolerant in support of mutual respect and acceptance, whilst eliminating prejudice and discrimination that can exist within society. To capture this week’s celebrations, we spoke to staff members involved and an LGBTQ+ Ambassador, Eadie in Year 9 about their week.

Why is celebrating LGBTQ+ / Equality important in schools? I want students in our school to feel like they can be themselveswhatever that means for them- without fear of reprisal. The more we promote equality and are devoted to making our spaces equal the greater that sense of community becomes, for all students.

How is Bohunt Worthing celebrating Diversity Week and LGBTQ+?

What are some strategies schools can follow to promote positive and healthy outcomes for students who are LGBT? Listen to your LGBT community through Pride groups- how do they wish to be represented? Ensuring that you practice what you preach, and your policies back up the support you give young people. Making sure there is commitment at all levels- from support staff to Head, governing body and Trust.

What role does the community play in supporting? Our governors support us in our schemes and by backing our policies and procedures. We work closely with Allsorts, a local LGBTQ+ charity to support specific young people and help with content delivery. We also signed up for resources from Just Like Us, a Pride Group. We are hoping to grow and build our links with other community members.

Why is LGBTQ+ Education Important? What LGBTQ+ Education currently exists? We need to push our LGBTQ+ agenda forward by looking closely at all schemes/curricula to ensure they are representative. We have many LGBTQ+ heroes that are celebrated in various lessons (e.g. Alan Turing in History/Computing/Science). It is also important that LGBTQ+ students are represented through PSHE, so they can build equally healthy relationships.

What is the takeaway message for teachers/students/ parents / community? Everybody deserves to feel like their school represents them as a person, and that’s what we strive to do.

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Interview with: Jane Todorovic, Role in School: Teacher of Maths, and LGBTQ+ Pride Group Leader

Interview with Eadie Year 9 LGBTQ+ Ambassador interviewed by Briony Palmer, Assistant Headteacher

Why is celebrating LGBTQ+ and equality important in schools?

Schools are for all students. We know that members of the LGBT+ community may feel that this is not always the case.

There is a lot of stigma surrounding LGBTQ+ topics and with that stigma people can identify often become resentful or hateful because it’s different. There are so many issues accepting differences when in society everything has become so ‘normalised’. It is about educating people and promoting the LGBTQ+ community to help people feel more comfortable talking about it and expressing themselves.

How is Bohunt Worthing celebrating Diversity and LGBTQ+? The more any school can do to promote messages of inclusivity and respect for diversity the better. I am really pleased with what Bohunt Worthing has achieved in its Pride celebrations - the flags, in particular, look AMAZING.

What are some strategies schools can follow to promote positive and healthy outcomes for students who is LBGTQ+? All teachers and staff can be ambassadors for the LGBT+ community with our everyday actions in classrooms, around the school and during social time. This includes dealing, and known to be dealing, with any negative attitudes, language or behaviour as well as staff promoting positivity around LGBT+ lives.

What is the takeaway message for teachers/students/ parents/community? If you want more information and advice then national organisations such as Stonewall and Just Like Us are great. Also look out for local LGBT+ organisations and charities that work with young people in your school’s area.

How is Bohunt Worthing celebrating Diversity / LGBTQ+? Opportunities such as the LGBTQ+ Ambassador Programme have created a platform to hear any student who does not feel comfortable expressing themselves. There are LGBTQ+ Safe Spaces which is a place they can come to speak freely, it is currently being promoted around school in support of our community. In lessons, there will be more of a focus on labels. Ignorance can be harmful and by educating more people it can become more normalised and accepted.

What are some strategies schools can follow to promote positive and healthy outcomes for students who is LBGTQ+? Mostly, educating people on labels and doing more and more focus and attention on those that don’t get it right and helping them understand. Small steps like using preferred names on school reports, and allowing preferred names on school email accounts can help support those who feel accepted and more comfortable. Small steps of progression can make a big difference.

What is the takeaway message for teachers/students/ parents/community? It is not up to others to dictate how people live or who they love. Love is love – and education is the only way to help tackle the lack of understanding.

BETTER TIMES

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: MEET THE BOHUNT SCHOOL WORTHING SEN DREAM TEAM! Our SEN team has grown in size as our school has grown in numbers. This year we grew by three LSA’s! Headed up by our SENCO Becca Curtis, they are a tight knit team that really make a difference throughout the school; day in, day out. Read more about the ‘dream team’ and their apparent coffee addiction:

FRANCES CLOUGH-MURRAY – LSA

KRISTINA BIGNON – LSA

Main tasks in school:

I joined BSW last September (2020) and I am really grateful for the inclusiveness and exceptional support Bohunt provides to their students as well as to their staff. As this was my first year in the role of LSA I learnt a lot about differentiation and how to demystify the science behind learning processes to our students. I think my experience of learning languages and studying science in a country that wasn’t my own, enabled me to better understand what our students sometimes go through. I had worked in different areas before joining BSW, but there hasn’t been a job as satisfying and meaningful as this one.

• Literacy and Touch typing interventions

Main tasks in school: • Supporting (not only) SEN students in lessons • Recoding and monitoring students’ progress within areas of their needs

I was born in South London and that’s where I’ve lived most of my life. I was always very into my sports; mainly ice skating in which I competed. I have worked in a few different fields but I’ve been an LSA for roughly 19 years now. • In class support. • Lego therapy • Generally supporting our SEN students or those who need a little extra.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? The smiles I get at the gate from some of my students.

Greatest achievement in school: Teaching a student to write so that he and others could read what he had written. He stopped me in the street years later and said it had made the most difference in his life, and thanked me for the time we had spent to achieve his result.

One fact you might not know about me:

• Delivering interventions to SEN students

I have helped to give wild lions’ health checks on a game conservancy reserve in South Africa, it’s all teamwork like in school, doing what you’re asked!

• Supporting teachers in practical lessons, making sure the environment and behaviours are safe

REBECCA CURTIS – SENCO

• Providing assistance with personal care to a disabled student

What gets you out of bed in the morning? A smell of freshly ground coffee.

Greatest achievement in school: Make our Y7 cohort feel settled and proud of their achievements during this challenging year.

One fact you might not know about me: I was born in Bratislava.

I completed my degree at Norwich and PGCE at York. Following this I completed a Masters in Teaching and Learning which allowed me to focus on my passion for SEN. I have worked at Bohunt since 2017 as SENCO. No day is ever the same in this role. Main tasks in school: • Leading the amazing SEN Department; organising provision for students with SEN e.g. interventions, timetabling. Liaising with external professionals, parents and staff regarding support.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Gus, my dog.

Greatest achievement in school: Overseeing the growth of the SEN Dept. I’m very proud of the offer we have developed, what an amazing department this is and the incredible people I work with.

One fact you might not know about me: I give blood at least yearly despite the fact I’m terrified of needles.

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JESS DEAN – HLTA & ELSA

RACHEL GORDINE - LSA

I began my career in education teaching IT to unemployed adults and after travelling for a year I went onto study Social Anthropology at Sussex University. I was then awarded funding to complete my MA in Visual Anthropology at Goldsmiths where I earned a Distinction for my documentary filmmaking. I then returned to teaching, completing my PGCE while pregnant with my first child. I began working at Bohunt Worthing when the school first opened, in what is now our car park. Since then my initial post as an LSA has evolved and developed to suit the school’s needs as well as my areas of interest.

I am currently working with our brilliant Year 8s. I have been an LSA for a number of years working from nursery age all the way up to Year 11. Before that I was a stay at home mum to my three lovely children, while studying for my history degree through the OU. I have also worked in shops and offices and was once the manager of the Royal Doulton concession, in Worthing.

Main tasks in school:

Main tasks in school: • Supporting learning in class, particularly one to one for an EHCP student • Planning and delivering student support sessions

• ASC Coordinator - main point of contact for ASC students and their parents/carers, external services, responsible for running and tracking interventions as well as completing social communication one-to-ones and group work.

• Delivering interventions- SQ3R and spelling

• LAC Coordinator - main point of contact for LAC student and carers, liaising with local authorities, police and other external services regarding the welfare and education LAC students, sourcing and arranging one to one tutoring for students as well as the completion of PEPs and funding requests associated with this.

Greatest achievement in school:

• Safeguarding Lead - part of the amazing team Safeguarding Team ensuring the safety and wellbeing of students at Bohunt Worthing.

JENNY LATHAM - LSA

What gets you out of bed in the morning? My seven alarms - I’m afraid I am not a morning person. Although the promise of a decent coffee is a close second place.

Greatest achievement in school: I have offered support and stability to some of the most vulnerable students, helping to ensure they complete their education at Bohunt in a positive way.

One fact you might not know about me: I can touch my nose with my tongue.

HANS PUGH - LSA I have worked at BSW for four years. Before that I worked in the antiques and auction world and then worked as an EFL teacher. Main tasks in school • Helping students with EAL and overcoming speech and language issues.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? The thought of coffee.

Greatest achievement in school: Almost learning to type Braille to support a student.

One fact you might not know about me: I played squash for Wales when at school.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? The desire to make students feel like they matter and to play a part in making their school day as pleasant as I can. Gaining students trust so they are happy to talk to me. I’m also pretty proud of the spreadsheets I’ve created!

One fact you might not know about me: I absolutely love K-Pop and watching Korean dramas on Netflix!

I joined Bohunt School Worthing in the summer of 2020 as a Learning Support Assistant and, it’s safe to say, that I have loved every single second. Bohunt school truly is an inspirational place to work, where I’ve been welcomed with open arms. Every day I gain a huge sense of pride whilst working with an amazing team of colleagues and students. Main tasks in school: • My days are never the same which makes my job so exciting. My day can consist of many tasks and opportunities such as supporting students in lessons and even running one to one interventions like LEGO Therapy, Zones of Regulation and SQ3R sessions. My favourite thing about being a learning support assistant is that I get to boost so many students’ confidence and make them realise the potential they have. I love seeing a difference in not only their learning but how positive the students feel.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Knowing that I can make a difference to a student’s day even if it’s small to me it may mean so much more to them.

Greatest achievement in school: Running a successful art club every Thursday after school. So far I have created many amazing lessons and the students have made slime, decorated pencil cases, worked together to make a BSW decoupage sign and even collaborated on a poster to raise awareness of mental health.

One fact you might not know about me: I am also an illustrator and I have illustrated books to educate young people about puberty and consent for the publisher Hattie Grant Egmont. The book ‘Welcome to your Consent’ is currently the number 1 best seller in Australia which makes me very proud! I hope to continue educating people through my illustrations.

BETTER TIMES

EMMA SAUNDERS - SEN PROVISION MANAGER I’m known as ‘the Miss with the purple hair’. I am the SEN Provision Manager here at Bohunt Worthing and I also have a trust position as Cognition and Learning Coordinator. I joined the trust three years ago as an LSA and haven’t looked back. I’m really passionate about supporting young people with Specific Learning difficulties, to be the best that they can be. Main tasks in school: • I create pupil passport profiles for our students. • I create the Literacy interventions that our students take part in. • I am a point of contact for families whose children fall into our higher need category. • I carry out assessments with our students to identify those who could benefit from support and interventions. • I recommend strategies that support quality first teaching within the classroom. • I work one to one with students for specialist support. • I deliver Cognition and Learning CPD training across the trust.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Curiosity. Literally never knowing what the students are going to get me to do each day...

GABBY SELWYN-SMITH - LSA My current job role allows me to fulfil my passion for working with children, in particular supporting vulnerable children and children with SEND, which I thoroughly enjoy. Prior to working at BSW I gained a BA (Hons) Degree in Performance Design from the University of Leeds, travelled around America, SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand and worked professionally in Theatre within the Costume department for Chichester Festival Youth Theatre. Main tasks in school: • To support vulnerable students with SEND during classes, social time and extracurricular activities. • Particularly supporting the Y7’s and students who have Education Health Care plans (EHCP’s) of varying needs including: ADHD, Autism, Sensory regulation difficulties, Social Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMH), Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), and Physical difficulties; supporting with access around the school and personal care. • Delivering small group interventions such as LEGO Therapy, reading and spelling interventions. • Delivering one to one interventions such as Zones of Regulation; providing students the skills to regulate their emotions and behaviours in a socially appropriate way.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

One fact you might not know about me:

Appreciating that life is precious and that you should take every opportunity that’s given to you. The desire and opportunity to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable children; providing skills and strategies for the students to reach their full potential and have an enjoyable and enriching school experience.

I love paragliding.

Greatest achievement in school:

Greatest achievement in school: Being supported to achieve my Specialist Teacher qualification.

Gaining positive verbal feedback from the parents of students I support, regarding how grateful they are for the support their child receives and how much it’s helped their child develop.

One fact you might not know about me: I was a competitor as part of Team England for the Dance World Cup in Brighton 2013.

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SEND UPDATE FROM SIMON TANNER, BET DIRECTOR OF SEND WHILST THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WITH SEND DIFFERS FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL, WHAT IS CONSISTENT IS THAT THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS BEING IDENTIFIED IS RISING. The national figure for students with an EHCP remained consistent for many years; however, it has been rising since 2017. The same can be said for SEN support as well. COVID-19 has undoubtedly brought about many challenges for students with SEND, but the impact varies significantly. Some have liked the opportunity to work within their own learning environment with limited distractions and a clear timetable of what to follow, whilst others found it even harder than the classroom to engage with teachers, this time via the chat function. The difference between the two lockdowns did highlight where students possibly had an unidentified need, either within school or by parents supporting at home. SENDCos across BET have reported an increase in requests for referrals because of this and I suspect that in the coming years, the above figures will rise considerably. Whilst the need is rising, the expectations to meet students with SEND needs within the classroom grows. Through quality first teaching and making reasonable adjustments, the majority of needs can be met through high quality teaching and learning, engaging topics and opportunities for different styles of learning. You will have most likely heard me discussing the importance of building those relationships with students. Finding out their strengths and interests and focusing on these to try and maximise their self-esteem and confidence within your lessons. Now, more than ever, this is needed and not just for those students with SEND. At present, 4,092 students (students could be counted more than once) have been in receipt of a form of special education provision across this academic year. That is a huge testament to the work that goes on in Support for Learning departments across BET. The vast majority of these interventions provide a positive impact on the students who complete them. However, no intervention is a replacement for high quality teaching. Using guidance circulated by the SEND departments within the classroom has never been so crucial as we welcome our students back after a year of lockdowns.

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BETTER TIMES

HOW TO BE A GAME-CHANGER… OUTSIDE SCHOOL BEING A BET GAME-CHANGER MEANS TO MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY AND TO THINK POSITIVELY AND OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGES THAT COME YOUR WAY. Since September, the 1,387 DofE students across BET have challenged themselves and taken the opportunity to make the most of their opportunities through completing their Skills and Physical sections that count towards their DofE award. This has had an incredible impact on their wellbeing and all round personal development despite the challenging circumstances this year has presented. These are some of their experiences and achievements that our #gamechangers at TPS completed over this year.

Maja (TPS) – “For my Physical Section I did dance doing ballet and pointe which I’ve done since I was 7. I really feel like doing them for DofE helped improve my ankle strength and stamina. For my Skill section I played the flute - I’m currently working on grade 7 so using this for my Skill has helped me focus on practicing more and I’ve been able to participate in some school performances since we returned which I’ve really enjoyed.”

Ossian – for my Skill I did chess which meant that I could learn skills of logic that are transferable to the real world. I also learnt the importance of planning ahead. I was pleased to improve over the three months. For my physical I went cycling in the South Downs which definitely improved my fitness, and I felt much better both with my physical and mental health. As I was cycling during the lockdowns it was great to have fresh air and meet my friends for this activity. We are so proud of our #gamechangers and the difference that working towards their skills and Physical sections of their DofE award has made.

Jess (TPS) – “For my Physical section I did swimming for six months. During lockdown this was replaced by doing lessons online such as press ups, squats and fitness, as well as training at home as best I could. I really enjoyed this as it gave me a focus during lockdown and kept my fitness ready to return to the pool. For my Skill I did cooking and made a range of meals for my family. My favourite meal to cook was lasagne and I really enjoy Italian food. I now feel confident when I leave home that I have the skills to be more independent and I don’t think that I’d have been doing this if I wasn’t doing my DofE.” Freya (TPS) – “For my DofE Skills section I completed an online art masterclass, focussing on pencil techniques and tonal paintings. My art has improved and I feel I have made progress towards my GCSE course as well. Whilst for my physical section I completed the Joe Wicks sessions at home and my family got involved too which brought us closer during the lockdown. We did it every day as we were all feeling the benefits of exercise during lockdown. I think doing my DofE award made me more committed to doing this.” Sam (TPS)– “ When I completed my DofE skill section I worked on photography and used my bike so that I could get good shots of nature. This led to me having a greater appreciation of it and it was great to have a beautiful end product. If I wasn’t doing DofE, I don’t think I’d have got involved with this activity and have gained the benefits that came from being independent and appreciating nature through photography. For my Physical section, I went for bike rides with another member of my DofE group which was a great release over lockdown and allowed me to stay in contact with my friends and keep my well-being up.”

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CYCLE TO WORK – A BETTER WAY TO TRAVEL! THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO APPLY FOR CYCLE2WORK DEPENDING ON WHICH SCHOOL YOU ARE AT. • Staff at Liphook, TPS, Costello School, Priory School, Bohunt Horsham, Bohunt Wokingham and Bohunt Worthing can all apply via the MyRewards platform: ttps://myrewards.portsmouth.gov.uk • Staff at Steyning Grammar School can apply via https:// bohunt.salarydeductplatform.com/Welcome You’ll need to follow the steps online, using your payroll number and NIN to register for the scheme: It’s a good idea to check availability of your preferred bike before applying, and you’ll need to know prices to decide how much you want the agreement to be for. (You can use it to buy safety equipment such as helmets and lights, locks, puncture repair kits and reflective clothing too.)

Your agreement with Cycle2Work allows you to pay off the cost over 12 months; and you make savings of up to 32% because your monthly repayments are under a salary sacrifice arrangement so are tax and national insurance free (i.e. you pay fewer deductions than on your full salary). After the initial year’s agreement, during which time you have technically been hiring the bike, C2W will contact you again and arrange an extended agreement at nil cost for a specified period. At the end of this added time, the bike becomes yours ‘officially’. For more information, please see the links above and/or contact hr@bohunt.hants.sch.uk. 15 staff have used the Cycle2Work scheme in the last year; the combined savings they made are a whopping £3,645!!!

Bikes can be chosen from Halfords, Tredz and some independent bike stores. You can check which ones at https://www.cycle2work. info/bikes/store-locator, but then you’ll need to go back to the relevant platform to complete your application.

FUTURE ISSUES OF BETTER TIMES

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BETTERTIMES Bohunt Education

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ISSUE 7 – AUTU MN 2020 – THE ACHIE VE ISSUE!

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BOHUNT EDUC ACHIEVEMENTS ATION TRUST CELEBRAT ES

STUDENTS’ GCSE

GIRL POWER: BET STUDENTS MAKE UP 50% OF MARITIME ROAD ATTENDEES AT SHOW FOR GIRLS !

BOHUNT SCHO NATIONAL COROLS PROUDLY SUPPORT ONAVIRUS RESP ONSE

On Thursday Schools across 20 August, students Bohunt Education across Bohunt Trust (BET) supported the Trust (BET) collected their Education national response proudly Ray Morton, Chair GCSE examinat before embarkin The initiatives to combat the crisis by providing of Trustees said, ion results taking place across g on the next COVID-19 personal protectiv stage of their BET schools compleme game-changing “Students, staff, to frontline NHS e equipment education. In what has been initiative launched nt the governors and workers and (PPE) an extraordinary by the Trust at March, calling on the whole Bohunt getting food and Trust communit to those who year, with students sit examinations, the end of local communit need it most. resources Education y have pulled unable yet demonstr ating ies to donate unused devices to help together with efforts during hard work, successes enormous dedication to computer students from Staff at Bohunt awe-inspir ing the last few months. across BET schools less advantage and School in Liphook access to home their response I d families gain included: learning. • Bohunt School helped ensure and The Costello to such a challenging am immensely proud of that in Liphook, whose School the most vulnerable set which has been The scheme, which achieved ten grade student Mary Skuodas to food through of courage, resilience of circumstances - one children had access 9s and one (top) has so far received food drops and and positivity.” Maths from individuals grade A in Additiona deliveries, and numerous donations Neil Strowger, Worthing staff and local businesses Bohunt School Trust Leader delivered l iPads • Bohunt School said, “We are , is helping children online so that they to elderly people celebrating the care homes to in delighted to be can continue to to get help them stay in hard work of achieved ten gradeWorthing, whose student Tom access education engaged and connected isolated our students today as they Horsham opened Sellens 9s Neil Strowger, across the Trust . collect their examinatio . Bohunt its car park to Trust • The Petersfield Leader of Bohunt Education Horsham Hospital will help them of TPS’ science n results – results School (TPS), to embark on teachers, who and one “Our schools are Trust said: whose students which and Charlie Offen the next stage is lab qualified, Lucy Powell deeply rooted We are inordinate expertise for vital secured a jaw-dropp of their education volunteered his within their local each work being undertake ly proud of our We see it as our ing eleven grade . communities. 2020 cohort and duty to do what the very best 9s n at the local hospital. Press interest with their next • The Costello wish them we can to protect at this time and was high, given steps, whether School in Basingstok our NHS so it is apposite with us at Bohunt the game-chan that be studying Holland achieved PPE and communit e, whose student for us to do our the heroes on Sixth Form – which ging provision nine grade 9s y support across Sam bit to help the frontline, as of A*/A for A level achieved a record all of our schools, Radio 4, ITV Meridian well as those entries this year Since the start vulnerable.” with BBC who are more of lockdown, BET and local press – colleges or embarking50% apprenticeships.” covering schools’ schools to provide the on efforts. very best in education have worked tirelessly See pages 14 and including an appeal and care to students, 15 for a fantastic to ensure all the double page celebratio results across Trust’s young people access to home the Trust! learning devices, n of I N have T H IS ISSUE.. a food bank, and of PPE to the staff the provision . and local NHS providers.

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s Review ISSUE 6 – SUMM ER 2020 – THE GAME -CHAN GER ISSUE!

s Review

GAME-CHANGER

AND MORE…

Last October, students from three BET schools the annual Maritime attended Trust at the home Roadshow for Girls, run by the 1851 of Britain’s America’ INEOS, in Old s Cup Team, Team Portsmouth. Of the 180 girls, from BET (Priory half were School, TPS Liphook). and Bohunt School in Students took part in a rotation of inspiring activities, growth mind-set workshops, which such as demonstr ated positive thinking. the power of Networking was also a strong feature event, with several of the ambassadors from to students about local businesses leadership skills talking and how to improve strengths. It was also a superb their opportunity for women who work girls to talk to in STEM (Science, and Maths) careers Technolog y, Engineerin and discover how g paths. they forged their career In the afternoon , students moved down to the Tech try hands-on exhibits, Deck to such as writing making sails to code to steer test in the wind boats and tunnel. They also tried temporary

challenges provided by as coding the spherical the Royal Navy STEM ambassado rs such rolling robots to and identifying land on aircraft how STEM skills carriers, are used in the across a variety armed forces of jobs. The trip was an overwhelming success. An increasing of women are pursuing careers number opportunities in STEM industries such as the and break down misconcep Maritime Roadshow for Girls help to tions that girls may have about Student comments the sector. included: “I’ve learned my only myself,” and “I limitation is really enjoyed the day – it showed so many career me there are choices within STEM.” We look forward to taking more brilliant BET girls roadshow in March. to the next

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