Clubs and Societies Fair

Last Wednesday, we hosted our annual Clubs and Societies Fair in the School Hall. St Bart’s offers a huge range of co-curricular andclubs activities, there is definitely something for everyone and students are actively encouraged to get involved. Clubs are held during lunchtime (activity time) and after school every day of the week during term time.

All students are encouraged to visit the showcase but the event is particularly designed to help our new Year 7 students explore the many opportunities that are open to them. Please do ask your child about what they discovered. We hope they all found something that sparked their interest and that they will be brave and try something new in the coming term.

A list of this term’s clubs can be found on the Co-Curricular Clubs & Activities page of the website.

MFL Gifted and Talented

At the end of last term a group of over 40 Year 10 students were invited to attend an afternoon in the Modern Foreign Languages faculty, learning about the benefits of language learning beyond GCSE level as well as its value in the workplace.

The faculty organised some international food and inspirational guest speakers, including current Year 12 languages students, former St Bart’s students and speakers from industry and Bristol University. One former student, Victoria, had previously worked in a library in Rio de Janeiro with a view of Sugar Loaf mountain, and having recently gained her Doctorate from Cambridge University, she is now working at Bristol University. We also heard from a friend of Mrs Hedley-Smith who used his languages travelling the world as an international DJ and also works for the Warner Bros theme park in Madrid.  Our former Head Boy, Joel, returned to talk about his course at Exeter University. Heis about to embark on his year abroad in Germany, teaching English as a second language.

Other fun activities included the Languages Olympiad challenge in Esperanto and a quiz on how useful languages are, where they are spoken and could the talented linguists “guess the language being spoken?!”

Students also had the opportunity to try out a new language: Polish, Urdu, Italian or Chinese – to show that it is never too late to start learning a new one! The students were very positive about the afternoon, as is shown by some of the comments given on the feedback forms:

“It was really fun and I will recommend it to younger years who will have the opportunity to do this”

“Me divertí mucho!!” ( I had a great time!)

“I thought it was really useful. We learnt about what A Level lessons look like and were able to talk to former students and hear about what they do now.”

PE Sports Personality of the Year

At the end of the Summer term the PE Department hosted their annual Sports Personality of the Year awards evening with tickets being a sell out before the night started! The evening celebrated all our students’ success and achievement in sport this year, both inside and outside of school, which made for a fantastic evening.

A huge well done to every student who has represented our school at a fixture or festival this year; we are really proud of everything you’ve achieved and cannot wait to see what this year brings. All of our main award winners are listed here:

  • Year 7 Male SPOTY: Zach Shore
  • Year 7 Female SPOTY: Hattie Mason
  • Year 8 Male SPOTY: Charlie Bortoli-Holmes
  • Year 8 Female SPOTY: Emme Lloyd
  • Year 9 Male SPOTY: Jacob Tang
  • Year 9 Female SPOTY: Violet Hughes
  • Year 10 Male SPOTY: Max Charlton
  • Year 10 Female SPOTY: Bethany Maclean
  • Male Sports Leader of the Year: Patrick Williams
  • Female Sports Leader of the Year: Amelie Goodwin
  • Boys Team of the Year: Year 10 Cricket
  • Girls Team of the Year: Inter Girls Athletics

Huge congratulations to all award winners, including Coach’s Player, Most Improved Player and Players’ Player for each sport.

German Exchange Visit

St Bart’s students were excited and pleased to once again see their German Exchange partners in June. The 24 students from our partner school, the Otto-Hahn Gymnasium in Monheim, stayed for a week with English families.

As well as going on trips to Oxford and London, the German Exchange students spent a day in school and went on a joint trip to Bath with their English partners. Their visit in June completed the return leg of the Exchange – our students went to Monheim in January.  Dates for the 2025 German Exchange will be announced soon – if you are studying German in Year 8 and above, keep an eye out for the email in the first few weeks of September!

Newbury Pride

St Bart’s staff, students, governors, parents, and alumni proudly participated in this year’s Newbury Pride parade, showcasing the school’s commitment to inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ+ community.

The march started on Bartholomew Street and concluded in Victoria Park. At the park, Lee Dillon, a former St Bart’s student and current Newbury MP, expressed his enthusiastic support for the school’s involvement in the parade.

This year marks the third annual Newbury Pride and is a significant milestone for St Bart’s, as it is the first time the school has taken part. The school’s participation underscores its dedication to fostering an environment where diversity and acceptance are celebrated.

St Bart’s Goes to the Polls

As the rest of the country took to the polls, St Bart’s had its very own Mock Election, allowing students to have their say.

All of the parties that were running in Newbury were represented in our election (apart from the Freedom Alliance Party) with one candidate and someone to endorse them. The candidates were as follows: Ethan for the Conservatives, Arthur for the Greens, Amos for Labour, Harry for the Liberal Democrats, Freddie for Reform and Elis for UKIP.

All the candidates took part in the hustings, answering some tough questions from the crowd, such as questions about the economy, immigration and the environment. Following this they all gave a speech in each year group’s assembly where they all performed confidently and passionately (a few candidates in particular!). A sense of what the party stood for and how they would lead was effectively communicated, and it was really exciting for us to be able to experience this, as it will be another few years before some of us will be able to vote.

Finally, the day arrived. On 3 July, St Bart’s took to the polls! The polling station was set up in Patterson break out space and was as close as we could get (apart from needing voter ID) to the real thing. Casting my vote felt really important and I’m so grateful we got this opportunity. A massive thanks to Mrs Lane for organising this!

The results came in on Friday 5 July…

  • The Green Party won the mock election by a landslide of just under a hundred, coming in at 177 votes.
  • Then Labour and the Liberal Democrats were tied in second with 77 votes.
  • UKIP came third with 75 votes.
  • Reform got 41 votes.
  • And in last place were the Conservatives with 29 votes.

It was really interesting where our student body placed their votes and how this compared to the rest of the UK. Hopefully this will become a St Bart’s tradition every time we have a general election. Turnout is so low among 18-24 year olds, and so I think it’s really important to show politics as relevant as early as we can. Hopefully the Mock Election will show people the numerous benefits of participating in politics.

Jemima Kerr (12P1)

St Bart’s Stars Shine at National Theatre Awards!

Ten talented students from St Bart’s recently had the opportunity of a lifetime, performing at the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) awards ceremony!

As part of Newbury YoungStars, a local non-profit youth theatre group, students were invited to showcase their skills on a national stage after winning the prestigious district and regional awards in 2023. “It was amazing to perform at the NODA awards ceremony. And we won the District award again for Singin’ in the rain!” shared Matilda (11C1)

“Being recognised by NODA is amazing, and we all felt really proud to represent Newbury YoungStars,” said Ella (11E1). Newbury YoungStars is a non-profit organisation that provides a platform for young people to explore their passion for theatre. The group is known for its high-quality productions and commitment to fostering confidence and teamwork in its members.

“We are incredibly proud of all our students who participated in the NODA awards,” said Bex Bright, Chair of Newbury YoungStars. “Their dedication and talent truly shone through on stage, and winning the 2024 District Award is continued recognition of what we have achieved as a group.”

With the 30th anniversary on the horizon, Newbury YoungStars is already buzzing with excitement for our next production, Sister Act, to be performed at the Arlington Arts Centre on March 28th and 29th, 2025. “I am really looking forward to working on Sister Act ready for next year!” said Amelie. (10P3) Find out more on YoungStars on Facebook 0r Instagram or contact: newbury-youngstars@outlook.com.

BartholoNews Banner Competition

We are delighted to announce that Gauravi Deegwal (9C1) is the winner of the BartholoNews Banner Competition. The judges really loved her whimsical design, using our school tie! It will feature on BartholoNews for the whole academic year, starting in September! Gauravi also wins a £30 Amazon Voucher.

Congratulations also go to our three runners up,

Alice Rumens (7E1)

Roba Shadoufa (8E2)

and Lola Thorne (12D1)

Founder’s Day

Last Wednesday 19 June, our school gathered for the annual St Bart’s Founder’s Day Assembly.  When people come to visit our school, they enter a 21st Century building buzzing with energy and up-to-date technology.  Yet, it is now 558 years since the founding of our school. This was a time when the War of the Roses was raging in England and Edward 4th was the King of England!

Dr Fitter spoke to the students about how, as we reflect on our history, we are reminded that the school is so much more than our buildings; it is made up of those who have been part of its history. He spoke of three key members of our school community that exemplify this idea. Firstly, John King, who sadly died earlier this year, and who had positively impacted countless people through his selfless commitment to St Bart’s over many years. Dr Fitter also mentioned Mike Hart, another member of staff who committed an entire career to St Bart’s and who set up the link between Curnock House and Newbury Cancer Care. This connection has endured and, as reported in BartholoNews, this year, Curnock celebrated raising £100,000 for Newbury Cancer Care. Finally, students were reminded that we are about to say farewell to Mrs Eastman, who is retiring after 44 years of service to the St Bart’s community and will leave an amazing legacy of inspiring countless students to cook with confidence and lead healthy and fulfilled lives.

The school then heard from Mr Cussen (teacher and alumni) about Pride Month. Mr Cussen spoke of pride as the antidote to shame and the importance of celebrating Pride Month together.  He encouraged students to challenge shaming or discriminatory language or to talk to someone who can, such as teachers. Mr Cussen told students that we can create a school environment where everyone is respected for who they are, regardless of their identities, and that this collective effort requires continual ally-ship and human kindness.

Finally, our new Head Student team (2024-25), Charlotte, Sam, William, Eve and Milo, introduced themselves to those assembled. They affirmed their commitment to making the school the best it can be, and to working with the whole student body to achieve that goal. Their core message was that they want to listen to students’ views. We can’t wait to see what they achieve!

D-Day Anniversary

Twelve cadets from St Bartholomew’s School CCF visited Greenham Common Control Tower to join the Newbury community in commemorating the 80th D-Day Anniversary.

We were invited to be a part of the day by the Greenham Control Tower Trust. We completed a few small jobs for the trust during the event.

We were delighted to meet many people, including veterans, who had many stories to tell. The tower’s exhibition on the history of Greenham Common as an airbase was very interesting.

Some of us also really enjoyed the tower’s café and the fish and chips on sale. Our cadets paraded with the serving British soldiers from Dennison Barracks and the US Air Force service personnel during the service.

Our cadets did an excellent job of representing the cadet movement at this event and were a great credit to the school.

St Bartholomew’s School, Andover Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 6JP

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