St Bart’s are close to being able to launch a very exciting project in September which will give students the opportunity to design, build and race an electric car. The initiative is organised by the Greenpower Education Trust 

This is a fantastic opportunity for students in Years 7-10 to get involved, whether as a driver, designer, engineer or one of the many support roles that combine to make a great racing team. In order to be able to launch in September, we are looking for some further sponsorship, having already secured some very generous donations from St Bart’s PA and the James Ballantyne Memorial Fund.

The school orchard, planted in 2014 looks set to bear some good fruit this year.  We had good blossom on the apple, pear, quince, plum and damson trees.  The under-planting of the orchard with purple Camassias, completed by the Horticulture team in 2015, also looks great at this time of year.

St Bart’s has been awarded foundation level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.

The Award celebrates schools that do exceptional work in international education, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need for life and work in today’s world.

In March, A-Level Film and Media Studies students flew across the pond to Los Angeles. There, we spent 6 days travelling around the city, taking part in film-based activities, from a tour through the iconic Hollywood streets to a tutorial in cinematography at the New York Film Academy. We gained a lot from this trip, it was an experience that we thank the school for providing, especially to the teachers, who gave up their time to manage our trip.

We all saw this as an opportunity to learn about an industry many of us seek to be a part of and as an opportunity to exercise a passion we all share. We all like film, and so it was incredible to be able to feel like we were part of the big picture.

In March, Sociology and Law students from St Bart’s attended a criminology conference. Four guests came to the school and delivered a talk; Dave Wraight from West Berkshire Youth Offending Team, Noel Smith from Inside Times, Anita Dockley from The Howard League for Penal Reform and Esther Schutzer-Weissmann, a barrister specialising in major crime.

The day began with Dave Wraight explaining how Youth Offending Teams aim to identify potential criminals at a young age, and then prevent individuals from entering the adult criminal justice system. Some positive statistics from Dave’s talk showed how the number of youth arrests in the area had dramatically decreased since 2004. 

Following our recent short Ofsted inspection, we are really pleased to report that throughout our inspection the team consistently saw strong practice and evidence that the school has continued to improve towards potentially now being outstanding. This is the best outcome that could possibly have been achieved from this inspection. It is very pleasing that the Ofsted team recognised what a great school St Bartholomew’s School is and how we strive for excellence and ensure that students make excellent progress. The inspectors’ praise for the students was of the highest level and they stated that students were proud of their school.  As a school, we continually look to improve and ensure we move to being outstanding in every respect. Click here to read the report from OFSTED.

This year’s event took place in the Brecon Beacons with a base at Sennybridge Camp. Despite the forecast, most of Friday’s programme was completed in the dry. Kayaking on the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal proved interesting with straight-lining a rare commodity for most. The mountain biking trail consisted of a long haul to height before a speedy return to the start. Both activities were led by members of our CTT.

On Saturday, again in largely dry weather, everyone walked from Camp to the Brecons Visitor Centre or vice versa, each cadet navigating a leg. Overall, the map reading was very good and our objectives were achieved.

A few weeks ago a large group of students went to Reading Crown Court for the local heats of the mock trial competition. The case was about a person named Sam Fenton, accused with carrying a bladed article in public. To prepare for the competition we looked for inconsistencies in the witness statements to prove the case for either side. There were lots of different roles lawyers, witnesses, magistrates, also legal advisors and an usher. We had prosecution lawyers, who try and get charges pressed, and defence, who try to prove beyond reasonable doubt that their client did not commit the crime.

Last term a group of students from St Bart’s went to Germany as part of this year’s German exchange. Here is an account from Ed Barker and Connor Beckett in 9E2.

A few weeks ago, we were two of the 27 students taking part in the 2018 German exchange to Monheim am Rhein near Düsseldorf in Germany.

The partner school was Otto Hahn Gymnasium. We went on several visits during the exchange. We visited Cologne where many students climbed to the top of the cathedral. 

A phenomenal ten offers to study at either Cambridge or Oxford or to take up medical courses, have been made to current Y13 students at St Bart’s Sixth Form. Students have succeeded in a rigorous entry process, including tests and interviews at the College or University of their choice.

This exceptional year is down to the specialised support offered but mostly down to the hard work and attitude of the students. They have supported each other through the whole process and encouraged each other to aim high. In particular, this cohort of prospective medics worked to set up a St Bart’s Medical Society to discuss ethical and scientific issues to pursue their passion. We are incredibly proud of all of them.