Kew Gardens Trips

A few weeks ago, our Year 9 Geographers visited Kew Gardens in London, exploring the Palm House, Temperate House and Princess of Wales House as part of their new topic ‘Fragile Ecosystems’.

Throughout the day, students discovered the life-saving capabilities of plants, got a birds-eye view of the plant acrobatics of the rainforest and gained a better understanding of the threats humans are posing to our ecosystems. They even exemplified our ‘Brave’ value as they scaled the dizzy heights of the Treetop Walkway and collected questionnaire data from willing members of the public. All of this forms part of a fieldwork enquiry that students have continued in lessons.

German Week at St Bart’s

Last week St Bart’s was one of numerous schools to take part in the prestigious #ShoutOutForGerman campaign, a week-long, national celebration of German language in the UK.

Organised by the German Embassy, the Goethe-Institut UK and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the campaign aims to pay tribute to “all the schools, teachers and champions of German inside and outside of classrooms who work tirelessly to encourage and strengthen the case for language learning”. It is part of the embassy’s wider work, making the case for German.

The German department at St Bart’s organised a myriad of engaging activities, including visiting speakers, competitions, clubs and films. Events took place in lessons, activities times, and after-school throughout the week. German books were also available in the library, and the canteen laid on German delicacies including Bratwurst and Strudel at lunchtime.

The school was lucky enough to host a number of top-class guest speakers. A highlight was a visit from senior figures at the German Embassy and the Goethe-Institut UK to see how we were celebrating all things German. On Thursday, Susanne Frane, Head of Culture and Education at the German Embassy, and Andrea Pfeil, Deputy Director and Head of Language Department, North West Europe at the Goethe-Institut London, met the headteacher, Dr Fitter. They also visited a Year 12 German class, and joined Year 9s completing a German quiz around the MFL department.

Other speakers included Dr Ian Ellison, a post- doctoral researcher on the Kafka’s Transformative Communities Project at the University of Oxford and a Visiting Fellow at Wadham College; Wayne Morse, a recruitment specialist from BMW; Gregor Kleinknecht, founder partner at MEUM Law in London; and Anna Bawden, Health and Social Affairs Correspondent at the Guardian.

On Monday, Dr Ellison spent the day speaking to German classes from Year 7 to Year 13 about Franz Kafka; why his writing is so accessible, how to discover more about his stories and how to read and translate from German into English. On Tuesday, Year 10 had an online webinar with the British Council on the theme of ‘Where can languages take me?’, as well as a video message from Joel Douglas, former head student and alumnus, who is studying a German and History degree at the University of Exeter and is currently in Mainz on placement as a language assistant.

On Wednesday we were joined by Gregor Kleinknecht, a dual qualified German and English lawyer, who spoke with our Year 9, 10 and 12 about the importance of German and languages for business and in the recruitment process at law firms. On Friday students from Years 8, 9 and 10 were joined by Wayne Morse, who spoke about how BMW as a global car brand recruits apprentices and graduates in the UK and Anna Bawden, health and social affairs correspondent at the Guardian, who is a fluent German, French and Italian speaker. Mr Morse gave a short presentation to several classes about the apprenticeships, intern and graduate employment opportunities available for German speakers at BMW and why languages are helpful, and Ms Bawden spoke about why speaking German and other languages are good for many different careers.

“We have always been proud of the importance Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) plays in our curriculum,” said Dr Fitter. “Speaking more than one language helps build a sense of global citizenship as well as opening up future employment opportunities.” Research has shown that by studying a foreign language students will enhance their grammar skills and improve their analytic and interpretive capacities in English too. We hope that an added bonus of taking part in this prestigious week will encourage many more students to consider choosing German as an A Level option.  “We are determined to continue to raise the profile of the benefits of learning German,’’ Dr Fitter said.

The MFL department offers French, German, and Spanish to students, from Year 7 up to A Level. Students can also take GCSE Mandarin and Latin, with lessons taking place through an after-school club. In addition to language lessons, St Bart’s also provides many other language related activities, including foreign exchange trips, an annual foreign language Karaoke competition, a national translation competition, and a cultural poster contest.

Mrs Tucker, Head of German said: “I would really like to thank all students, colleagues, volunteers and visiting guest speakers who have fully supported the German department in backing the German Embassy’s aim to ‘Shout Out for German’ in the UK. In our increasingly competitive job market, it is not only important that students understand the value that employers place upon the skill of being able to speak another language but that they also become aware of the number of German companies in the UK who are looking to recruit German speakers. Our aim this week was to ‘shout out for German’ to students across the whole school. The vibrant atmosphere and enthusiasm of our students has been amazing!”

“Olive!” is a Bright Theatre Trip

On 11 March, we went to the Gielgud Theatre in London to watch the uplifting and funny tale of Oliver Twist. The production follows a young, 11 year old boy and his journey through Victorian England. The play consisted of a bright and entertaining cast using props and physical theatrics to set the mood of each scene, funny and sad.

 I enjoyed their use of sets, which were intelligently designed to bring the audience along with them and really engage with the story. I also really enjoyed the songs, which were always led with amazingly choreographed dances and interesting depths into the kind of characters they were and the mood they were bringing with them. 

 It was a great opportunity to attend this event with school and to have a fun afternoon with classmates and to experience the night out at the theatre.

‘Artful’ (9E2)

Year 13 The Winter’s Tale Trip

Some 30 A Level Literature students, and Dr Williams, Mr Robbins and Mr Clayton, enjoyed a riveting production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale at the Old Tobacco Factory Theatre in Bristol last week. Highlights of the night included a pre-bus Co-op dash, the spoils of which sustained us until we were able to procure some ice cream in the interval, and – much to Mr Randall’s chagrin – our speedy trip home, which brought us up to the school gate just 50 yards ahead of his own trip to see a West End Oliver! made it back. Numerous M4 updates had been exchanged and the tension peaked near the Vodafone roundabout about who was in the lead. The culinary delights of the evening included Mr Clayton and several students snaffling their sandwiches in the swanky bar area before being rumbled with only one order of chips between them.

The play itself was a hit. As a tragicomedy, The Winter’s Tale hinges on a jarring contrast between the tragic first half and a comedic second. This was marked adroitly by the cast – the first three acts heartrending and violently emotional, the last two full of slapstick humour, emphasising the healing force of time. The bus journey back involved a sometimes heated colloquy about the various adjustments made by the director, Heidi Vaughan, to Shakespeare’s original scripts – some characters changed gender, some speeches were cut and lines reassigned, and roles were doubled. While we didn’t agree with all of these (and not amongst ourselves either), the production was carefully conceived, resulting in new ways of considering the text that will undoubtedly be useful in our essays. That noted, Winter’s Tale fan-boy, Mr Robbins, also delighted (in tour-guide mode) in pointing out Ashton Gate stadium and a glittering Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Performances run until March 29 at The Tobacco Factory

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

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.

 

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

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