Special Guests at FA Girls’ Football Day

On Friday 7 March, St Bart`s took part in the FA’s Girls’ Biggest Ever Football Session (BEFS). Held the day before International Women’s Day, the BEFS took place across schools and encouraged young girls up and down the country to play football on the same day.

Year 7 and Year 9 took part in mass participation girls’ football tournaments during their PE lessons on the day. Year 7 also had two special guests attend their session; Lee Dillon (MP for Newbury and St Bart’s alumnus) joined the school to watch the tournament and take part in a Q & A with the students. Lee said, “As a member of the APPG for Women’s Football, it was fantastic to visit my old school, St Bart’s, and see so many girls taking part in the FA’s Biggest Ever Football Session. The Lionesses’ success has inspired a new generation, and it’s brilliant to see that enthusiasm reflected in schools across our constituency. Football should be for everyone, and initiatives like this are key to breaking down barriers and ensuring girls have equal access to the sport. With Women’s EURO 2025 on the horizon, now is the perfect time to build on this momentum and give every girl the chance to play—whether for fun or with dreams of going professional.”

Also joining in was Year 10 student, Jessie Archibald, who plays for Southampton FC and is currently on the FA women’s Football England pathway. Jessie said, “I love playing football, when I play I forget everything else and I am just in the moment. It was great to take part on Friday and watch younger students also enjoying the sport, demonstrating their skills and having fun.”

We have a fantastic PE department. The team work hard to encourage students to make physical activities part of their life, both in and out of school, so that they lead happy and healthy lives. St Bart’s is part of the West Berkshire Co-curricular Provision Programme, which is focused around mass participation and the broadest possible sports offer. The Biggest Ever Football Session is central to the FA’s objective within the Reaching Higher strategy to achieve a target of 90% of schools providing girls equal opportunity to play football in curricular and extra-curricular sessions by 2028. St Bart’s is excited to be part of that!

Poetry Live

The English Faculty recently took some Year 11 students to ‘Poetry Live’, an annual event aimed at supporting GCSE students with their study of the poems that they will be assessed on at the end of this academic year. Students heard poets speaking about their poems and other poems in the cluster.

Students who went said, “The trip to Poetry Live! Is an absolute must. Seeing the poets and listening to the poetry live really helped with our GCSE course and gave us a better understanding of the poems and the poet’s intentions. The Unseen Poetry run-through was very useful and gave us a good insight into how an exam board would grade our work and how to analyse unseen poems.”

Freddie, Will and Aly (11P3)

‘The 39 Steps’ Theatre Trip

Photography by Alastair Muir

On the 25 February, we went to Salisbury to watch the chaotic comedy ‘The 39 Steps’ which follows the dramatic escape attempt of Richard Hannay after he is accused of murder as he desperately attempts to discover what the 39 steps are.

The play consisted of four actors multi-rolling as all the people he meets along the way. I really enjoyed the use of sets. They used them very effectively to catch the audience off guard with comedic effects such as using puppets to represent the characters. All the actors played their roles incredibly well and there was a lot of interaction with the audience, which really allowed us to feel immersed within this story and journey of the characters. It was really nice having the chance to attend an event like this with school and laugh with classmates and enjoy a great night out at the theatre.

Mikey Cloete (13D3)

Sestriere Ski Trip 2025!

This year’s school ski trip to Sestriere was an unforgettable experience for 51 students, with over half of them being beginners who had barely, if ever, skied before. Despite this, every single student made remarkable progress, mastering the slopes and successfully navigating the chair lifts to explore the stunning ‘Milky Way’ pistes. It was incredible to see how much they achieved in just a few days.

The trip wasn’t just about skiing – students enjoyed delicious real Italian pizza, went ice skating under the stars, and warmed up with a fun-filled hot chocolate and crepe night. The excitement peaked when the group had the opportunity to watch the Sestriere Ski World Cup, a thrilling spectacle that added an extra layer of adrenaline to the trip.

A group of students summed up the experience perfectly, saying, “It was an amazing trip. We would definitely recommend it to other students.” On the final day, we celebrated the students’ achievements with a fun awards evening, highlighting their growth and efforts throughout the week. The students also got creative with fancy dress costumes, bringing an extra element of fun to the trip.

The entire group had a blast, and we can’t wait to run another trip. Huge thanks to all the staff, students, and everyone involved for making this adventure so memorable!

Spanish Immersion Trip

SPANISH IMMERSION TRIP

Shortly before half term, 45 of our Year 10, 11 and 12 students travelled to Jaén, Andalusia to improve their Spanish and to learn more about the culture through a variety of activities. They were all introduced to a Spanish pen pal before the trip and met them whilst in Spain, spending time at the Spanish high school. They also enjoyed trips out, tasting the local cuisine and fun evening activities. Here’s what Ellen Napier (10E3) said about the trip…

 “I was lucky enough to be one of the students who went on the Spanish Immersion Trip and we began day 1 by meeting our pen pals in the Spanish school, which we were super excited for! All the Spanish students were lovely, and we got on so well together.

Later in the day, we did a scavenger hunt in the centre of Jaén with them and finished off the day with a tapas dinner. On day 2, we went olive oil tasting in the morning, which was very interesting, and we learnt that Jaén was nicknamed “the green sea” because of the vast amount of olivos (olive trees)! At lunch, a Masterchef competition was held for the students, where we bought ingredients (speaking in Spanish the whole time!) from the market.

We then visited a castle and had a lovely countryside walk back down the hill. We finished that day with paella, and we went bowling with our pen pals, which was super fun. We later discovered there was a giant bouncy castle in the back of the place and we all went on it at once, including the teachers!

On day 3 we visited Granada where we saw the Alhambra Citadel, Palacio de Carlos V and Carmen de los Mártires. Everywhere was extremely beautiful and so quiet! That afternoon, we went to La Alcaicería (a Moorish Market) and had a farewell party in the evening with our pen pals, which was super fun. Everyone got quite emotional afterwards and it was so hard to say goodbye!

On the final day, we travelled to Seville and had a guided tour of the centre, as well as visiting the stunning “Plaza de España”.  The penultimate activity we did was souvenir shopping and then we watched an authentic flamenco show in the evening, which was so awesome, as you never get anything like that in the UK! I give the trip a solid 10/10, it was an amazing experience I will never forget.” 

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.

 

The Power of Performance

In recent days, our Year 9s have been lucky to be audience to two excellent and powerful pieces of educational theatre.

On Friday 7 February, Year 9 watched ‘Risking It All’, a 50-minute interactive theatre production by 2engage, which addresses child sexual exploitation (CSE) and county lines. Using theatre as a tool to discuss these issues and based on the lived experiences of teenagers, ‘Risking It All’ portrays the grooming process using victims’ personal accounts. The performance highlights how risky behaviour among adolescents can lead to vulnerability and dangerous situations, and helps young people spot the signs of exploitation.

Students were asked after seeing a performance to feedback their thoughts, and what they felt stood out for them most in the performance. Some of the things they highlighted include “How quickly you can get into debt”, “I didn’t realise how quickly situations can escalate especially grooming”, “That it’s a true story!” and “What stood out to me is these things can happen”. Students also commented on “The acting was very good and portrayed the story really well”, “The acting was enjoyable and immersive” and “I think that signs of grooming are now clear”.

 

The cohort were then visited by Voices of the Holocaust, a critically acclaimed theatre company dedicated to preserving the memories and stories of Holocaust survivors. Their play ‘Kindness: A legacy of the Holocaust’ is largely a verbatim play based on the testimony of Hungarian survivor, Susan Pollack OBE, aged only 13 when she was sent to the notorious Auschwitz-Birkenau in the summer of 1944. “Kindness” has been described as “beautiful and empowering” and “compelling and emotive”. You can read a further review of the performance at: Drama retells 13-year-old girl’s Auschwitz survival – BBC News

 

“When I was invited to watch the play “Kindness” – a production about our dear member Susan Pollack, I had no idea what to expect. For me, this play was like no other – it told the story of Susan in the most sensitive and thought-provoking way. I lost myself in this production and was fully immersed in her experience. With its fast moving pace and the interchanging roles played by only four actors, there was no time to think and instead we, the audience, were given the opportunity to listen to Susan through this darkest period of her life – her confusion, her despair, her loss, but also her hope. This really is a remarkable piece of theatre that must be rolled out across the nation.” – Sarah-Jane Burstein, Holocaust Survivors’ Centre.

Following the Year 9 performance, Voices’ actors and the play’s director, Cate Hollis, held a workshop with our A Level Drama & Theatre Studies students. After school, a second performance of ‘Kindness: A legacy of the Holocaust’ was held for parents, carers and students from other years.

German Exchange 2025

St Bart’s students from Years 9, 10 and 12 took part in the annual German Exchange to our long-standing partner school, the Otto-Hahn Gymnasium in Monheim, between Monday 27 January and Monday 3 February. The week involved a day in the German school, participating in English lessons each day and starting work on a joint project with their exchange partners. St Bart’s students also went to Aachen, to the old mine at Zeche Zollverein in Essen and on a day trip to Cologne with their German partners. Some highlights of the trip were the visit to the Lindt chocolate factory in Aachen, the opportunity to take part in team-building activities at a centre in Cologne and an exciting project in which students are noticing the differences in sustainable living in both countries. The German exchange partners will be visiting their St Bart’s partners in late June. Students stayed in host families in Monheim am Rhein and some of their comments about their totally immersive and linguistic experience are here below:

 

“We visited the school in Monheim and got to learn what German school life is like. We experienced a lot of German culture. The families we stayed with were very welcoming and helpful.”

Luc Weaver (9P1), Barnaby Nolan (9E2) and Eddie Appleton (10C2)

 

“The German exchange was the experience of a lifetime.”

Francesca Aromando (9E1) and Dunia Lourenco Ribeiro (9P3)

 

 

“It was a great experience, as we gained confidence by meeting new people and immersed ourselves in a new culture. We would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to go next year.”

Rosalie Bartonwood (9D2), Izzy Hill (9P1), Floss Bloxsom (9C1), and AnnaPiner (9C1)

 

 

 

“Our favourite parts were FOOD and activities with our partners.”

Thea McClellan (9D2), Lucy Oliver (9D1), Isabelle Dow (10C2) and Isabella Mercer (10C2)

 

 

“We had a great experience and can’t wait for our partners to come here!”

Katy Wake (10C2), Zoe Chapman (10C2), Matilda Kingdon (10E3) and Nyah Henri (10E3)

 

“The Exchange shows you the cultural life of the person instead of just sightseeing.”

Sam Dickens (12D2), Zak Begg (12P1) and Tom Primrose (10D2)

 

An Inspector Calls

Y11 went to the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton this week to watch the astounding ‘An Inspector Calls’ to support their GCSE revision. A great time was had by all, and the pyrotechnics were a must-see. The actors put on a great production which really brought the story to life with their dramatization of J.B Priestley’s morality play. I definitely recommend going to see it; one hour and 45 minutes you will not waste!

The Ultimate Challenge For Kenya School Link!

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:

  • Sign up with the Kenya School Link Club. (Mondays at 12.40pm for Years 8, 10, 12 & 13 in D116 and Tuesdays at 12.10pm for Years 7, 9 and 11 in W210)
  • Track your miles through our special event app or paper log sheets.
  • Seek sponsorships and donations to help support our cause.
  • Join us in special running and walking events throughout the term!

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!

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

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