Well done to these Year 7 girls who took part in the Athletics Festival on Wednesday 11 June at Trinity School.
This event was an opportunity for students to go and try a variety of different events and enjoy the opportunity of friendly competition against other local schools.
The events included 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4 x 100m Relay and Shot and Javelin, and students could select as many events to take part in as they liked.
A highly successful evening which saw six of our local secondary schools involved and over 100 students participating.
https://www.stbarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Athletics-Festival-Yr7-at-Trinity-1-Copy.png7681024Lucy Rumenshttps://www.stbarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/blogo-1.pngLucy Rumens2025-06-24 08:33:532025-06-19 10:34:09Athletics Festival
Year 7 and 8 students from St Bart’s have been enjoying weekly adventures at the Waterside Centre in central Newbury, spending half a term on a Friday afternoon either scaling the indoor climbing wall or mastering water sports on the Kennet and Avon Canal. Whether it’s climbing, canoeing or paddle boarding, the students are guided by qualified instructors who ensure everyone learns safely while challenging students to step out of their comfort zones.
Two members of St Bart’s Personalised Learning Faculty accompany each group — and much to the students’ amusement, sometimes find themselves slipping unexpectedly into the canal. These sessions are about more than just physical activity; they build trust, confidence, and resilience, all while encouraging teamwork and problem solving. They also foster a mindful appreciation of nature and a love of physical challenge.
On the water, students race, play ball games and skillfully avoid swans and narrowboats. On the wall, everyone climbs at their own pace — some enjoy quirky challenges like sticking to one colour of holds, threading through hula hoops, or even playing Twister mid-climb!
We’re truly lucky to have the Waterside Centre so close by. It also runs holiday clubs open to both primary and secondary school students. Visit their website to find out more, Get ready for some fun and maybe a splash or two!
Last Wednesday 11 June, 12 of our Year 8 and 9 students were lucky enough to be invited to Kennet School to their Carnegie Shadowing Conference, where they joined with students from four other schools in the Newbury area.
Students, who have all taken part in our weekly Carnegie shadowing groups where we read this year’s Carnegie shortlist and discuss the books, had submitted their favourite books and were put together with other students to create a presentation, or piece of artistic or dramatic work, to explore themes and characters of their chosen book, and show how the book made them feel or think.
Mr Matthias and Mrs Hewetson were so proud with how well the students conducted themselves and launched themselves enthusiastically into the challenge. Asmi, Harriet, Poppy, Shreyash, Jacob, Raphael, Josh, Millie, Eleri, Charlie, Mabel and Alice were incredible ambassadors for reading and worked so well with the students of Denefield, The Willink, The Downs and Kennet schools to give presentations about their favourite books.
Josh (8E2) said, “At the Carnegie Shadowing conference we were put into groups based on our favourite book and we had to create something to showcase that book. My group had chosen The King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore, which is an amazing book about teenage male toxicity and the influence of friends. We made a collage picture of the lifeboat that the main character Anton had painted in the book but using the main characters, as Anton thought he was helping Matthew but really it was the other way around. I really liked meeting other people from the other schools and talking about the books that we had enjoyed reading. At the end of the day, Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain was voted the book we all thought would win the prize. Thank you to Mr Matthias and Mrs Hewetson for accompanying us on the trip and to Mr Evans, Mrs Hewetson and all the other staff who have been involved in the shadowing groups. We are all looking forward to our St Bart’s Carnegie party when the winner is announced.” Joshua Cloke (8E2)
Mabel (8P2) said, “We all had an amazing time at the Carnegie conference at Kennet School. We were placed into groups with people who shared the same favourite books as us, and we worked as teams to create presentations about our books. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone whilst bonding over a shared passion for reading. I especially loved the biscuits! I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone taking part in Carnegie club!”
Raphael (8D2) said, “I thought the Carnegie Shadowing trip was really enjoyable and productive. We did some fun things, like giving a presentation on our choice of book (in groups) and watching others do theirs. We did amusing activities and worked together with other people from other schools. The funniest performance was the Glasgow Boys performance with some people from Bart’s!”
Asmi (8P2) said, “I really enjoyed the Carnegie Conference as I got to talk to new people about books we all loved. I also really enjoyed the presentations where using our collaborative skills we worked together to create something amazing. My group made a drama to show some of the different characters’ perspectives.
Millie (8P2) said, ‘ I really liked how we met new people and worked collaboratively to create something we were proud of.’ Overall, it was a great experience.”
The Carnegie students conclude their experience with a fun literary conference and our Year 8 Battlefields travellers return with moving reports in this week’s BartholoNews.
Our Year 8 Students have just returned from a thought provoking day trip to the Battlefields in Belgium. Dexter and William tell us more…
From the 13 June to early the following morning, a number of students visited a few Belgian battlefields. This trip was a one of remembrance as well as of learning, vital to not repeat our past mistakes and to respect the fallen that fought to keep the world a free place.
The first destination that was visited was The Essex Farm Memorial, slightly to the North of Ypres, where the students’ tour guide was picked up. While there, the tour guide gave a lecture about the site and explained that the site had been an “advanced” medical facility. The supposed medical facility was just a hole dug into the ground with a sheet of corrugated iron placed on top. Most of the cemeteries’ buried individuals were patients of the facility. They either died on the spot or were buried after the surgery to save them was unsuccessful. The famous poem In Flanders Fields was inspired here, written by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel, John McCrae, after his friend had been killed and buried. Presumably displeased with his work, McCrae discarded the poem – only for it to be found by a soldier and later published as a call to arms.
Second on the agenda was The Langemark German War Cemetery, again to the North, but quite a lot further. Here the students learnt about the 3,000 school children that were killed in The First Battle of Ypres and the stupendous 44,000 soldiers buried in such a small yard. At The Second Battle of Ypres, 22 April 1915, the first gas attack was made using chlorine gas, at the site of the cemetery. The entire atmosphere of the memorial was quite solemn as if in mourning, yet it gave a calm atmosphere to respect the soldiers.
The penultimate location, Tyne Cot, Northern Zonnebeke, is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in Europe. Nearly the entire memorial is made of white stone and offers an awe-inspiring view that struck a solemn respect for the resonance of brilliant white stones stretching for a quite way into the distance. Though there are many graves, the majority of the fallen are marked not with a headstone, but rather with their names are inscribed into a vast wall that records the names of all the soldiers whose bodies were not recovered. Standing at the main memorial statue looking to a windfarm, (where the tour started) you can see the distance that the British covered in their battles. Over the distance of 5 miles (or 8 kilometres) the British lost 6 soldiers per metre. A devastating, tragic loss. Truly this place is a centre for reflection, admiration, and remembrance. A simply breath-taking experience.
The last stop on the tour around the battlefields was the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917. It showcases a variety of different implements of war including: rifles, pistols, artillery (and its shells), grenades and documents of strategy. As well as this, there was an assortment of garments ranging from hats to uniforms and helmets. Also, there was the remains of an iron German Eagle, that looked quite menacing. Also in the museum were imitation trenches that gave a good idea of the cramped conditions and the stooped posture the soldiers would have had to perpetually remain in. There were even artillery stores and a periscope to give an even more realistic tone to the trenches and truly show what they were like.
In summary, the trip was heart-wrenching and heart-warming in unity, for the sheer magnitude of some of the cemeteries almost moved me to tears but it was also relieving to see these acts of remembrance solidified in memorial form. I would heartily recommend any Year 7s thinking of going, to go. This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity that cannot be missed. It is about remembrance.
Lest we forget.
Dexter Brown (8C3)
On Friday 13 June, 101 Year 8’s took a day trip to the Ypres battlefields. The Battlefields trip was a great experience. There wereSo many different places to commemorate the ones of the past and the tour guide gave us the inner details and stories of those who are in the graves. It shone light on the true horrors of the war and it was an actual representation of the scale of casualties in the Great War. We got to see how the victors’ men were treated after and how their enemies were treated after the dust had settled. It was a good opportunity to pay respects to those who fought for us. We went to the Passchendaele museum, Langemark German war cemetery, Tyne Cot cemetery and Essex Farm cemetery. Each location revealed more and created a greater picture and told us about the men who fought for freedom and peace. They were brave, they were ambitious, they were trustworthy soldiers who could be believed in to succeed. We are now safe because of them.
As part of National Science Week, St Bart’s students took part in the annual Design-a-Labcoat competition run by Baylab. The theme this year was ‘Robotics’. The students’ design had to explore how robotics influences our everyday lives.
There were many excellent entries and choosing winners was difficult. In the end the two (shown here) that were uploaded as entries to the national competition were from Amelia Proudfoot and Darcey Herdman. Congratulations to both of them. We’re delighted to say that Amelia has won the Senior category!
https://www.stbarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/labcoat-competition-entry-St.-Bartholomews-School-Senior_Page_1-Copy.jpg768543Lucy Rumenshttps://www.stbarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/blogo-1.pngLucy Rumens2025-06-17 08:21:572025-06-12 11:24:44Design-a-Labcoat National Winner
Berkshire ASK team would like to make you aware of a free virtual talk on Monday 30th June 11-12pm for all Year 11 & 13 students within Berkshire.
The ASK programme is funded by the Department for Education and managed by the Careers and Enterprise Company. The programme offers free support to educational establishments in England with students in Years 10-13. ASK aims to increase awareness of apprenticeships and T Levels amongst students, parents & carers, teachers and careers advisers.
This talk has been designed to support students who would like to know more about apprenticeship careers and includes a live Q&A session with an apprentice, who will also talk through his own experiences.
Final Day of Term is Tuesday 22 July. Students will be dismissed at 12.30pm. School returns on Wednesday 3 September: Year 7, 10 & 12 at 8.30am, Year 8, 9 & 11 at 9.50am, Year 13 at 11.10am. Information on Exam Results Days can be found here:EXAM INFORMATION
Well done to these Year 7 girls who took part in the Athletics Festival on Wednesday 11 June at Trinity School.
