Sock’ Cubs Spotted

We’re excited to share that Socks’ cubs have made their first appearance! We now have photos of them playing near our pond, giving us a first proper glimpse of the new arrivals. The video footage (available on our social media) is a bit rough, but it clearly shows the cubs exploring and interacting with their surroundings. We’re now working on repositioning the camera to get clearer shots while making sure we don’t disturb them. It’s a special moment for our school’s wildlife community—stay tuned for more updates as the cubs grow and become more confident!

BartholoNews Banner Competition 2025

St Bart’s newsletter goes out weekly to staff, students and parents/carers, with a circulation of over 4900. We are looking for a BartholoNews title design for the school year 2025/2026. Last year, the winning student design (right) was by Gauravi in Year 9.

The new winning design will head up the newsletter throughout the new school year and will include a by-line for the student designer. You will also win a certificate to include in your portfolio of work and a £30 Amazon voucher.

This is a great opportunity to have your work seen by our whole school community. It would look great on personal statements, CVs or even House Colour applications.

Design Brief

  • The design should be bold and clear and must feature the newsletter title, BartholoNews.
  • It should include our school logo or space for us to add the logo
  • The design can be in any style or media
  • Please use the design template to ensure your design has the correct dimensions.

Competition Rules

  • The competition is open to any current St Bart’s student
  • The deadline is midday on Friday 6 June 2025
  • Entries should either be sent to bartholonews@stbarts.co.uk or delivered to the Art office (top floor Curnock) – remember to tell us your name and tutor group.

Limited Edition Badges on Sale!

We have created a range of pin badges inspired by our Nature Reserve wildlife. Socks the Fox, Brian the Badger, Owlivia Hooton John the Owl, and Philip the Hedgehog have all been spotted by our wildlife cameras in the Nature Reserve and have been duly named by students in our Guardians of the Living Realm Club. The pin badges are being sold in aid of the school’s efforts to renovate the Nature Reserve, to fully open up this space once more for lessons, clubs and wellbeing.

The limited edition pin badges are just £1 each and are available in all the House Offices. Please support our fundraising and buy a badge – or collect all 4!

We are discovering more and more wildlife in our Nature Reserve and so, if popular, more designs may be released!

Socks the Fox AND cubs!

We’re excited to share that our resident, Socks the Fox, appears to be a new mum! In a recent photo she can be seen drinking from our pond—looking a little tired, no doubt from the demands of caring for her cubs. If you look closely at the image, you can just make out her teats, a clear sign that she’s currently lactating. While we haven’t spotted the cubs yet, this is a strong indication they’re nearby, and it’s heartening to know that our site is providing a safe space for local wildlife to raise their young. We’ll be keeping a respectful distance and continuing to observe with care, and we’ll share any further updates as they unfold.

Roc Technologies Donates School Devices

St Bart’s would like to extend a huge thank you to Roc Technologies, who have recently donated 21 phones to the school for staff to use both on trips and in school to record work and activities. The new phones will be easier to transport and have far better picture quality than the current school devices that we have available for these purposes. The donation will support sharing news, achievements and essential recording of exam work.

Roc Technologies, based near Newbury, provide expertise in IT Operations. They work with clients on a variety of projects from short term IT fixes to wholesale digital transformations and ongoing managed services in areas such as automation and data analytics, cloud solutions, secure networks and specialist capabilities. CEO Simon Furber said: “Roc Technologies is a proud champion of young people in our community. We understand the many challenges schools are facing and are delighted to be able to support St Bartholomew’s School through this donation.”

The support from Roc Technologies was initiated by contact made through our brilliant Parents’ Association – another way in which they are able to the support the school.

Dr Fitter, who met with Simon and discussed other ways in which Roc Technologies might support events in our Careers Programme, said: “St Bart’s is at the heart of our fantastic local community and we are so grateful for the many ways in which we receive support from the community – whether from families, volunteers, local businesses or local organisations – this is another example of a local organisation stepping in to help us provide the best experience for our staff and students. There are many challenges facing the education sector but we remain ambitious in the many opportunities we provide for students to enjoy their learning and grow in confidence, so that they thrive in the ever-changing world beyond school.  There is no doubt that organisations such as Roc Technologies, who give time and donations to support school initiatives, are helping us achieve that aim.”

A huge thank you to both Roc Technologies and the PA!

Food Science Fascinates Assembly

In this assembly we looked at the fascinating world of food science with some experiments that demonstrated the incredible properties of everyday foods. I was assisted by Ash (8E1) and Josie (8C3) to make ice cream using milk, ice cubes and salt. Whilst they took turns to shake a very cold bag, Alice (8D2) came on stage to help me with a second experiment.

We put a raw egg in a measuring jug and covered it with white vinegar. Alice described the white film that appeared immediately over the surface of the egg. This film was actually very small bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. As this experiment takes several days, I had two eggs that I had prepared earlier. What we observed was remarkable. The vinegar, which is an acid, (acetic acid), had dissolved the calcium carbonate found in the eggshell. The shell, which usually protects the egg, dissolved away entirely, leaving behind only a soft, translucent membrane. I think everyone agreed that the residue left in the vinegar was pretty yukky! I could see how rubbery the egg was.

We also recreated a volcano using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, which for effect I had coloured with food colouring. Again, it was carbon dioxide that was the star of the show, with a bubbling mass of ‘lava’.

Alice helped make a bowl of Oobleck, which the students correctly identified as a non-Newtonian fluid, otherwise known as cornflour and water mixed in the correct proportions to produce a solid. Alice was able to mould in her hand then pour it back into the bowl.

Meanwhile Ash and Josie were getting very cold hands but unfortunately, the experiment was not successful, as the milk did not freeze as expected. I do hope they enjoyed trying however.

The assembly ended with me experimenting how strong the rubbery egg was and Year 8 certainly enjoyed seeing that it wasn’t as bouncy as it looked as it smashed on the floor, creating a bit of a mess. I particularly enjoyed hearing the suggestion by one of the students as he left, that I should have dropped the egg into the Oobleck to see it would protect the egg. What a show of enthusiasm and involvement!

Mrs Wenlock

Head of Food

Year 12 Destinations Fair

On March 19, all of our Year 12 students had the opportunity to attend a destinations fair in the school hall. Students were able to gather information and talk to a range of post-18 providers, both University and Apprenticeship, about different course options and the application process. This event was part of our careers program to support students in their next steps, alongside our Vodafone apprenticeship day and the UCAS Fair, which all Year 12 students will attend in April. Thank you to the organisations who supported our destinations fair: AWE, David Wilson Homes, Gardner Leader, Jones Robinson, New College Swindon, NHS radiography, Oxford Brookes University, Pathway CTM, Portsmouth University, Royal Holloway – University of London, University Centre Sparsholt, University of Reading and University of Winchester.

Ellie Evans, a former St Bart’s student who is now part of the AWE apprenticeship programme, said: “I had the pleasure of returning to my Sixth Form at St Bart’s to support a STEM Careers Event. It was a fantastic opportunity to engage with students and aspiring early careers, sharing insights about my own career and how they too can become part of AWE’s mission. It was great to reconnect with many of my former teachers and fellow career representatives too”.

If you work for a post-18 provider, or know someone who does, who would be interested in supporting our careers program and meeting St Bart’s students at future events, please contact St Bart’s Career Lead, Mrs Seward – dseward@stbarts.co.uk

National Apprenticeship Week

This week is National Apprenticeship Week, a week-long celebration that shines a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy – helping individuals develop rewarding careers, and employers to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.

At St Bart’s we believe that it is important for students to be aware of a range of opportunities available to them when they finish education. This starts in Year 7 when students can talk to apprenticeship providers at our KS3 Careers Fair. Whilst in Year 8 and 9, alongside the Careers Fair, students benefit from a summer term assembly from Further Education providers (such as Basingstoke College of Technology and Sparsholt College), who share information about the apprenticeship routes linked to their courses. In Year 11, alongside our career assemblies, we organise our Post-16 Destinations Fair, which we recently reported on in BartholoNews, and offer one-to-one careers appointments, where further information about apprenticeships can be provided.

Meanwhile, in Sixth Form we have our Apprenticeship Application Group which meets regularly to explore the types of apprenticeships available, to understand what employers are looking for from candidates and to support students with developing the skills required to make a successful application. As part of the programme, students also take part in an apprenticeship support masterclass in partnership with Vodafone held at the Vodafone Headquarters Conference Pavilion.

We are seeing the real impact of these experiences. In recent years, we have had a number of students successfully securing offers on apprenticeships with companies including Airbus, AWE, KPMG, Newbury Building Society and Vodafone. Currently in Year 13, and about to embark on a Level 7 degree apprenticeship program in September, Seb Chapman is one such student. We asked Seb for his thoughts and tips on applying for apprenticeships:

“I started my degree apprenticeship journey at the beginning of Year 13 and have been fortunate enough to receive two offers from the Big 4 accounting firms, Deloitte and KPMG. In Year 12 I was lucky enough to attend the Vodafone apprenticeship workshop which was incredibly valuable in enabling me to develop some key skills that are needed throughout the application process. The application process itself is probably the hardest part of it all! In the initial application to the program it’s important to understand why specifically you want to work for that company. My top tip for the application is to research the company’s values and what they offer and try to use that to convey your interest in the initial application, to try and stand out from the crowd.  

After this stage, I went through multiple rounds of online interview tasks and mathematical and verbal reasoning tests. Whilst this may be tricky for the first few times, practice does make perfect. The final stage of my application was the in-person interview and assessment centre, which I believed to be the most enjoyable element of the application process as I got to meet current employees within the business and gain an idea of the company that I would be working for. Overall, I would say to any students looking to follow in my footsteps in applying to degree apprenticeships, to complete lots of research into the company, qualification and role, as well as being yourself and answering questions honestly.

I can’t wait to start my Level 7-degree apprenticeship program in September and would encourage anyone who is thinking of applying to apprenticeships to make use of all the resources that Mr Wilder and other staff have managed to put in place; they provide a really good insight into the application process as well as qualities and characteristics that companies are looking for.” Seb Chapman (Year 13)

The events we will be running for students to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week include:

  • An apprenticeship quiz. The link to the quiz will be in the student briefing. There will be a prize!
  • A display of apprenticeship information posters and apprenticeship resources in the school library for students to explore.
  • An apprenticeship information drop-in on Thursday from 12.10 to 1.10pm in the library. This event is open to any year group. There will be a representative from PathwayCTM careers support service, who specialise in helping students into apprenticeships, available to talk to students.
  • PathwayCTM will also deliver an information session on apprenticeships and application tips to our Year 12 as part of their enrichment programme on Thursday.
  • “Did you know?” facts about apprenticeships across all our social media platforms this week:

 

Encourage your student(s) to get involved by completing the quiz and exploring apprenticeships in the library this week. You can learn more about apprenticeships here and here.

 

Bart’s Tawny Owl

Last week, our wildlife camera captured a Tawny Owl visiting our site, perching on the bird feeder near the Year Seven area. The footage suggests it returns most nights, using the feeder as a vantage point for hunting.

In our Guardians of the Living Realm club, each student takes responsibility for a species or kingdom within the school grounds, coming up with their own title and traditions for the role. Our resident, self proclaimed, ‘Bird Nerd’, Rowan Cockar, had this to say about the exciting discovery of a Tawny Owl on our site:

“Having a tawny owl on site means that we have a balanced ecosystem. Tawny owls live for about four years and breed when they are around one year old. They live in holes in large mature trees, so be on the lookout for potential nesting sites. These owls normally mate for life, so this owl may have brought a mate with it.”

We have yet to name our Tawny owl, but if you would like to vote on or suggest a name, please follow this link.

Guardians of the Living Realm runs on Tuesday lunchtimes on the first floor of Evers. Feel free to bring lunch!

 

House Creative Writing

During the Autumn Term and over the Christmas holidays, St Bart’s held its inaugural House Creative Writing Competition. Originally conceived by Year 13 student, Laura Swanson (Patterson House Captain – Arts), the competition challenged students, across the Key Stages to write a short story based around a series of prompts:

  • Key Stage 3: 1) A story about a fox called socks, 2) Purple, 3) Crossroads
  • Key Stage 4: 1) A re-telling of a religious myth or story, 2) Magenta, 3) Forgotten
  • Key Stage 5: 1) A story from the perspective of an inanimate object, 2) Grey, 3) For sale

On Tuesday 4 February, all those who submitted a story and their families were invited to the Awards Evening for the announcement of the 15 Semi-Finalists and three Overall Winners.  Entries were shortlisted by Mr Randall (Head of English) and Laura, whilst judging the shortlisted entries and deciding the three overall winners were St Bart’s alumni, Josh Douglas and Jude Evans. Both Josh and Jude studied A Level English at St Bart’s and are now studying degrees in this field – Josh (English Studies – University of Cambridge) and Jude (English Literature and Creative Writing – University of Warwick).

During the Awards Evening, guests enjoyed refreshments and listened as a selection of amazing entries were read by the student writers. The evening concluded with the winners being announced and a speech from alumnus Josh Douglas, who spoke about his own passion for writing. The winners were Sai Bhavik Bayyana (Key Stage 3), Vedha Krisnam (Key Stage 4) and Sophie Warner (Key Stage 5) –  you can read their short stories by following the links below…

Laura Swanson said: “The first annual House Creative Writing event was a fantastic opportunity for students to have their writing celebrated. The evening was filled with amazing short stories and the exploration of creative writing!”

Huge congratulations to Sai Bhavik, Vedha and Sophie and to all of the students who entered. Thank you to Laura for suggesting and organising the competition, and to our brilliant judges Josh and Jude for their time and support.

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

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