Well done to the St Bart’s students who swam at the Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire County Championships last month.
Lucy, James, Stan, Emily, Freddie, Reiss, Olive, Amos, Brooke and Louise all represented Newbury District Swimming Club.
The medal winners were Amos, who won Bronze medals in the 800m, 400m and 200m Freestyle events and Olive who won Bronze in the 400m Individual Medley and Silver in the 100m Breaststroke. Congratulations!
As with both the RAF and RN sections, the Army cadets have had plenty to do. September saw the Year 10s embarking on the new CCF Army cadet syllabus which is now closely aligned with that of the ACF where cadets can achieve Basic/1*/2*/3*/4* qualifications. An early Field Day in October enabled cadets to cover some early basics including cooking in the field and elements of fieldcraft such as camouflage and concealment, while school-based activities have already covered aspects of military knowledge, first aid and the air rifle.
Year 11 cadets have continued to push on with elements that will enable them to complete either the Basic or Advanced Proficiency certificate. Field Day in October saw the Year 11 Army section participating with enthusiasm, and 39 cadets staying on for the Night Exercise through Friday evening into Saturday morning, when they undertook ambush drills and section attacks with many blank rounds fired. This enabled many to complete the fieldcraft syllabus. The Year 11 cadets participated in a range of problem solving and leadership activities led by the Army Engagement Team during one of their Friday afternoon timetabled sessions (see photo!). They have now begun the series of round-robin activities involving air rifle shooting, archery, a local mapex (A navigation exercise around Newbury/Speen Moor area) and first aid on a Friday afternoon.
We continue to be supported by a very good group of senior cadets in Years 12 and 13 who take the lead instructing in many activities. As always, the Year 12 cadets have completed the course on cadet instructional techniques.
CCF CVQ
In September 2023, the CCF re-introduced a BTEC course for those in Year 12, Personal Development and Leadership. Take-up was 16 cadets across all three sections with only one dropping out early on. Almost all have completed successfully already. This year’s take-up was smaller, but those involved are being given the excellent assistance by the visiting tutor on her four 2-hour visits.
CCF into 2025
The CCF already has plenty on the calendar for the coming year. Field Days are in the planning stage for both March and June, while the Easter Adventurous Training week will include climbing, watersports and mountain biking as well as a 2 day expedition. With both 35 and 45 mile teams participating in Ten Tors this year, those involved will be busy with Sunday walks through the Spring Term, followed by the final team selection weekend and then the Ten Tors event early in the Summer Term. Additionally, the Army section has been allocated 35 spaces on the Cadet Training Team run Summer Camp at Okehampton in July. As always, a wide range of opportunities to engage with as a part of the CCF, and plenty more to come!
Get ready, St Bart’s! Our Kenya School Link Club is launching an exciting new fundraising challenge, and we need your support!
Students and staff will be attempting to run, walk, or travel the distance from St Bart’s to our partner school, Ulafu School in Kenya. That’s an incredible 6,500 miles, and while we won’t be physically making the journey, every step, lap, or mile we complete will bring us closer to our goal.
The challenge aims to raise funds to support Ulafu School with essential resources, helping to improve the education and opportunities available to students there. Whether you’re running laps around the school field, walking your dog, or cycling at home, every contribution counts!
We encourage everyone to get involved by seeking sponsorship from friends and family to help us make a real difference. Together, we can go the distance and show our commitment to global community spirit!
How to Get Involved:
Let’s come together as a school and achieve something amazing! Every mile matters, and every step counts.
For more details, visit the Kenya School Link Club notice board (behind Patterson stairs) or speak to Miss Broome. Let’s make a difference—one step at a time!
We’re delighted to share exciting opportunities for science enthusiasts …
University of York Webinars
Nuclear Physics Masterclasses
Monday 3 March – Friday 25 April 2025
Join leading experts from around the world to explore cutting-edge research in nuclear physics. Explore topics from radiation to fusion and medical physics. Register and find out more about the Pre-16 Masterclass and Post-16 Masterclass. If you have any questions, please contact physics-bindingblocks@york.ac.uk
Winter Webinar series – still time to book tickets for the remaining webinars!
Find out more and book tickets If you have any questions, please contact pet-outreach@york.ac.uk
2025 Young Science Writer Award
Organised by the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), this prestigious national competition offers students the opportunity to showcase their science writing talent and gain recognition for their work.
The aim of the competition is to encourage talented students aged 14-16 with a passion for STEM and writing, to submit an 800-word essay on the topic of their choice. We work with schools across the UK to help their students submit an essay to our award.
The competition is highly publicised and the 2024 winner was recently featured by the BBC. The BBC, The Royal Institution and Science Museum are our key strategic partners, supporting us and the winner of the competition.
The winner will receive £1,000, a 1-year Young Royal Institution membership, and the chance to meet BBC science journalists among other prizes. Their essay is also published nationally in the media, which attracts highly positive press coverage for the school. The runners-up each get £250 with ten students who are highly commended receiving £100 each.
Key Dates:
Competition Opens 17 January 2025
Competition Closes 7 March 2025
Winners Contacted 7 April 2025
Winners Announced Nationally 10 April 2025
Awards Ceremony 23 June 2025
This is an outstanding opportunity for students to not only develop their skills and receive public recognition for their writing, but it also provides national and international promotion of their school.
The U14 Girls’ Football team are through to the second round of the County Cup. We travelled to Newland Girls’ School in Maidenhead last week.
We won, 1-0. Liv Lewis scored after just 5 minutes. We dominated the game with possession and deserved the win. Liv was awarded player of the match by the opposition. Well done to all who played.
Last year, in conjunction with Challenges Abroad, St Bart’s were successful in an application to the Department of Education’s Turing Scheme, which offers education providers the opportunity for funding to support their students with study and work placements around the world. On securing the funding, our Sixth Form students were selected to be part of a global citizen project supporting the work of the Future Sense Foundation in the Supplementary Education Centre in Battambang, Cambodia, and, in October, 30 of our Year 13 students set off on a 15-hour plane flight.
St Bart’s students were given the objective to plan and deliver workshops to Cambodian primary school children around the theme of the environment and recycling. Our students were taught some basic Khmer in order to communicate with the children but they also had to be creative in delivering their workshops. Despite the language barrier, it was wonderful to see our students develop a special connection with the Cambodian young people, exchanging cultures and learning from each other. From dance to arts and crafts, students came up with many engaging ideas to deliver to the children of Battambang. Young people in Cambodia only receive half a day of funded state education, therefore it is up to charities like the Future Sense Foundation to deliver the second half of their education. This is why the work our students put in was so important.
As well as delivering workshops, our students experienced the culture, immersed themselves in the local community, met the monks, had a city tour of the capital, Phnom Penh, visited the Royal Palace, explored Battambang and learnt about Cambodia’s ancient and more recent past. It was a truly humbling experience to learn about the tragedy of Cambodia’s recent past and to visit the Killing Fields at Wat Samrong Knong. The cultural experience was topped off with a weekend excursion to Siem Reap to visit the famous Angkor Wat temple at sunrise, considered one of the wonders of the world. Moving into the second week, students spent time in the famous Cambodian markets, visited the Bat Caves, meditated and played volleyball with monks, and, of course, there was time for a game of dodgeball back at base camp. The magical two weeks closed with an Awards Night, at which students presented awards to our amazing hosts and the Future Sense Foundation staff. Teachers then took turns presenting students with personalised awards which ended with a karaoke marathon finale that went on into the evening.
“Our trip to Cambodia was a life changing experience that I will never forget. Being able to work with the children at the Supplementary Education Centre, teaching them about the environment and recycling was my highlight – seeing how excited they were to learn and engage with us every day, that is something I will carry with me forever. We came together as a group and made friends for life. I learnt so much about myself trying to fully immerse myself in the experience. Although it was challenging at points, I came away with a newfound perspective on what is important in life.”
Ellie Upton, (13D2)
“We learnt all about the history of Cambodia by visiting temples such as Angkor Wat, which was beautiful during the sunrise and full of intricate architecture and detailing which showed stories and myths from local history. We spoke to locals who could share their experiences about the recent events and visited the peace gallery where we learnt all about how Cambodians have recovered and found peace within their country despite all the conflict. We were fully immersed within the Cambodian culture in many ways, such as learning traditional dances, going to local markets, working in the school and trying new foods. Overall, this is a trip that I will remember forever and will take the lessons I have learnt from this experience with me throughout my life.”
Sophie Livingstone (13D2)
Mr Wilder, Co-Head of Sixth Form, said: “We are so proud of our students embracing the global citizen element of this project and meeting every challenge with bravery and spirit. Each student brought their unique personality and had their own personal journey in different ways. It was a truly remarkable experience with memories that will last a lifetime. The joy of the Cambodian people will stay with us for a very long time. A huge thank you to the team at Challenges Abroad and the Future Sense Foundation for making this happen and sharing our vision.”
As part of the Scheme and once again in conjunction with Challenges Abroad and Future Sense Foundation, St Bart’s will run two further Sixth Form trips in 2025, visiting Tanzania and a return trip to Cambodia.
This term, Year 10 Navy cadets have been learning about communication. On Friday last week they put their new skills to the test by using naval flags to spell out: MERY XMAS! (We only had one ‘R’ flag!)
Jack (7E2) has organised a raffle for a big chocolate hamper in time for Christmas.
Tickets are £1 each and are available to students in the Evers House Office and on ParentPay too.
All proceeds go to the Evers House Charity – West Berks Mencap.
Winning ticket will be drawn in the last week of term!
Nestled beside the old cricket pavilion lies a hidden gem of St Bart’s – our school orchard. Though time has taken its toll in recent years, we are on a mission to restore it to its former glory, and crucially, to preserve the knowledge we gain on how to care for it, so that it can be appreciated for many generations to come.
Last week marked the beginning of this journey as The Horticult, our KS4 co-curricular Horticulture group, welcomed local apple expert, Tony Hammond, for a masterclass in apple tree pruning.
During this hands-on session, we discovered that while there’s no single “correct” approach to pruning, several key principles guide the process:
We practiced identifying the new year’s growth, and branches that needed attention, particularly those growing in awkward directions that could affect the tree’s overall health and productivity. The session emphasised that pruning is about making informed choices rather than following strict rules. Next year, keep an eye out for our apple harvest – hopefully it will be a good one!
Tony also shared a charming story about a local Newbury apple variety called the Miller’s Seedling, the “local dance apple.” This unique tradition ties into the apple’s late-August picking season, which aligns with the August bank holiday. In the past, it was apparently customary to offer this specific apple to someone as a way of inviting them to dance.
We’re fascinated by this delightful piece of local history and would love to learn more! If you or someone you know has any stories about these “apple dances” or similar traditions, please don’t hesitate to email us at sustainability@stbarts.co.uk
Back in September, St John’s Church developed an ambitious plan to decorate the outside of the church with handmade decorations.
Mrs Brown and Mrs Blakely introduced the idea of asking St Bart’s students to help with the project as it was a fantastic opportunity for students to get involved with helping the wider community as well as learning new textile based skills. Over the past few weeks, students across all year groups have kindly given up their Tuesday lunch time to learn how to knit, crochet and make pom poms for the church in Textiles club.
Last week, we welcomed Reverend Gary Collins into the Textile department to thank the students and collect over 40 decorations ready to be displayed for all to enjoy. A big thank you to all the students involved…
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orla Forbes-George | Priya Ankala | Dunia Lourenco Ribeiro | Kareena Govindji | Beatrice Cratchley |
| Aanya Hanabe | Niamh Chambers | Mia Mackfall-Harrison | Immie Aldrich-Smith | |
| Matilda Pedersen | Edward Cohen | Isla McCaffrey | Hermoine Cratchley | |
| Katie Warren | Polly Cook | Gabriela Lungu | ||
| Rose Bell | Dotty Dolinski | Sophie Lystor | ||
| Flo Goodman | Hannah Elegizy | Amy Oliver | ||
| Polly Parsons | Rosie Gibbons | Nandini Agarwal | ||
| Niamh Podesta | Krystal Greenhill | |||
| Lauren Ransom | Emily Henstridge | |||
| Jemina Rust | Alice Johnstone | |||
| Ella Wilson | Angelina Karnasiewicz | |||
| Suraiya Sheikh | Arwen Lay | |||
| Elliot Stedman | Poppy Leadbetter | |||
| Greta Mason | ||||
| Hannah May | ||||
| Thalia McAlpin | ||||
| Millie Pennock | ||||
| Anh Pho | ||||
| Isabel Preston | ||||
| Mabel Roberson | ||||
| Alice Rumens | ||||
| Imogen Rumens | ||||
| Tanishka Shiravadekar | ||||
| Asmi Singla | ||||
| Zuri Williams |
