Curriculum Enhancement Week 17-21 July 2017

 

Full details of what each year group is doing can be found here.

Matilda a great hit for year 7 drama club

It was lovely to see our year 7 drama club put on an excellent interpretation of Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’. With a crisp script full of excellent one-liners, the audience was fully drawn into the world of Wormwood family, the awful school principal Miss Trunchbull, and the equally charming Miss Honey. Several of the cast played more than one role. Every line was perfect, and every cue on time. Drama at Sackville is in safe hands.

Thanks to the brilliant cast, to Mrs Carrick, Mrs Mustard and Alex Mustard for directing the show.

Multi-skilled primary students light up the sports hall

It was a pleasure to host over 250 year 2 and year 5 students at our Multi-Skills Festival on July 12th. We would like to thank Blackwell, Ashurst Wood, Fairway, Turners Hill, Estcots, St Mary’s, St Peter’s and Crawley Down schools for the excellent attitude and efforts of their students throughout the day. These young people are definitely budding sports leaders of the future. Maybe they were inspired by our own excellent year 10 sports ambassadors who kept the day ticking over like the proverbial well-oiled machine. Thanks to Mrs Currie for organising yet another extravaganza for our feeder schools.

Third time lucky for Area Sports

 

Congratulations to the six primary schools who made it to Area Sports on July 11th. Having been postponed twice (once because of excessive heat, once because of rain) we managed to get the events completed in between the showers. 

Some real talent was on display, and we are already looking forward to these students joining Sackville School in the future. Thanks too to so many parents and carers who came to see their children enjoy the event, and to our wonderful sports leaders who not only helped organise the day, but also joined in a relay themselves. Let’s hope it is less complicated next year!

100% pass rate for year 10 Duke of Edinburgh students

Well done to our year 10 expeditioners this weekend: all five groups have passed the expedition section of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The teams were dropped off just outside Seaford, and make their way across the spine of the South Downs National Park and down into the flatter land beyond. The teams overnighted at Wick Street Farm. On the Sunday, the teams continued north to their final pick-up point.

This time students had to put up with temperatures close to 30 degrees, and enough water was drunk to float the QE2. This helped ensure all teams arrived in good spirits, thankful to go home to a shower and to bask in their success. Thankful too to Mr Langford and Mrs Rawsthorne, whose first assessment weekend this was. A 100% pass rate is a hard act to follow next year. It seems dodgy sunglasses and headbands are not a barrier to success!

Sackville students are School Physicists of the Year

Rhiannon Leung and Rosy Napper, two of Sackville’s most promising physics students, have been named by the University of Surrey and the Ogden Trust as School Physicists of the Year.

This prestigious award was fittingly presented by TV scientist Jim Al-Khalili.

Rhiannon and Rosy are pictured here with Prof Al-Khalili and Mr Keeble, a physicist of equal renown in the Sackville community.

Well done to both girls; we look forward to seeing your careers gather momentum.

Moving and powerful performance of ‘Curious Incident’ by our year 12s

Congratulations to our year 12 performing arts students for their moving version of Mark Haddon’s ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’. The piece explored Christopher’s journey from his father’s house in Swindon to live with his mother in Willesden, because he thinks that his father has killed a dog, and therefore might kill him. Christopher, played with amazing control and sensitivity by Megan Parsons, is autistic, and the journey to London presents an enormous challenge as he confronts the day-to-day use of language which is quite foreign to him. At one point when he is told he can get to Willesden Green on a tube, he looks mystified, as if thinking of toothpaste. 

The chaotic world around him is brought to vivid life by the rest of the cast, playing several roles each (including, memorably, a toilet).

Every show that comes out of our drama and performing arts department seems to set new standards, and this was no exception. Well done to the entire cast and of course to Mrs Newman for her patient guidance throughout the year.

Sackville students abroad in France and Spain

Early July sees two Sackville trips on the continent. Almost a hundred year 8 students departed school early on July 1st for their languages trip to Paris. The slide show (left) gives you some idea of the places they have visited. The programme includes seeing all of the main sights in the French capital, as well as a visit to Parc Asterix (generally thought to be a better theme park than Disneyland!)

Meanwhile, a smaller number of our senior students (right) stayed in Catalunya, in the twin town of East Grinstead, San Feliu. Whilst there, the cities of Girona and Barcelona were visited, and students got to try beach volleyball, sailing and paddle boarding. We can only look on enviously from damp and cool East Grinstead…

EGGSFest the best yet!

Congratulations to all of the performers who made EGGSFest 2017 such a success. With young singers from so many primary schools as well as our own home-grown talent, it is easy to see why the evening was so spectacular.

An enormous amount of work goes into co-ordinating the show, and we would like to thank all of the schools who participated for making their pupils and staff available for both the rehearsals. A special thanks to Tom Heatley and the music staff for going so far above the call of duty once again.

Maybe this tweet sums it up …

Year 7 netball team now second best in county

Our year 7 netballers finished the season with a very well-deserved silver medal at the Sussex School Games, losing only one game to the gold medalists Rydon. This means they are the second best team in Sussex; a fantastic achievement for a team who only started playing together 10 months ago.

They all played amazingly well and showed great team spirit and determination. Coach Mrs Sands said “I’m looking forward to next year already!”.

‘The two Lukes’ win at Big Bang Fair

We were delighted to take a group if our year 9 students to the Big Bang Fair Southeast today for an inspirational day of Science and Engineering.  Two students, Luke Davison and Luke Waddell won the CGG prize for maths with their project “Investigating resonance and its implications”. They were also runners up in the Big Bang Young Scientist and Engineers’ competition. They displayed their work which they have been developing throughout the year to the public and also underwent three gruelling judging interviews with professionals in the STEM sector. All the judges commented on their confidence and great communication skills. As well as winning a prize, the two Lukes are now off to the National Finals in Birmingham.

Meanwhile other students visited shows and trade stands, including British Airways, Thales and CGG along with over 8000 other students from the region. Let’s hope this helps to inspire our next generation of scientists and engineers. 

Thanks go to Mrs Wogan,  Mr Hayden,  Mr Treen and Mr Bush for organising this event.

Twin town visitors enjoy a day at Sackville

It was lovely to host a coach-full of year 9 visitors from our twin town, Bourg-de-Peage in the south of France. The visitors arrived in the early morning for a tour of the school. This was followed by a visit to East Court to a reception hosted by the Mayor, after which they returned to Sackville for lunch.

Our students then led them on a treasure hunt around the town, whilst the hall was cleared for them to have a typical English afternoon tea on their return, waited on by our head team.

Thank-you to Mrs Valentine for organising, to the mayor for giving up a lot of her day, and to our head team and year 12 students for keeping the day running so smoothly.

More excellent sports news

Summer sports fixtures are coming thick and fast now. Hot off the press is that Sackville won this year’s annual Reg Clarke Games. This prestigious competition, hosted at the Broadbridge Heath Stadium, attracts all the Mid-Sussex state schools as well as private institutions such as Christ’s Hospital School. Sackville beat nearest rivals by over 20 points – a magnificent achievement.

Last week saw us finish third in the super-six golf competition. The team, accompanied by Mr Martin, put in a sterling performance, but were hampered by missing one of their best players. 

Finally, we have just heard that Lottie de Turris in year 7 has been selected for the Sussex County  Netball Academy Scheme, one of only two girls her age to achieve this.

Great work all of you – we are already looking forward to the next installment of sports news.

Narrow win for Sackville in the Matt Cox Memorial Game

Current and former students along with a few teachers turned out for the Sackville team against an Edenbridge Cricket Club invitation 11 itself containing its fair share of old Sackvillians, such as Luke Boakes, Steven Smith, Kieran Peters and Charlie Harris. The match now takes place every year on the last Sunday in June to commemorate the life of Matt Cox, an outstanding Sackville student who sadly passed away in 2015.

The photo shows both teams in front of the Edenbridge pavilion. Matt’s father, who captained the Edenbridge team, is seated at the front next to Mr Currie, who organised and captained the Sackville team.

The result in the end was a narrow win for Sackville, brought home by an unbeaten 89 by Jack Unwin. More important than the result was the opportunity to honour and remember Matt by playing the game he loved.

Money is being raised by #teamcoxy to build a new pavilion at the ground, and though a large six-figure sum has been raised by the amazing efforts of Matt’s family and friends, more is still needed. Donations can be made here.

Goodbye to our wonderful year 11s

A big milestone passed on Thursday June 22nd for our year 11s as they enjoyed their final assembly and Prom at High Rocks.

Mr Endersby talked about the five years he has enjoyed as Year Leader, and was joined by Mr Hayden, Mr Austin and Mr Grant in congratulating an excellent year group and wishing them the best for the next stage of their lives.

Students pictured above are enjoying a slide show of images of their time at Sackville. They also enjoyed Mr Endersby’s own production of ‘Carpool Karaoke’.

Later, parents accompanied their children to school for the start of the Prom. Students arrived in a variety of modes of transport, and all were impeccably attired. Whilst our students complimented each other on their great outfits, their parents and carers were able to watch the videos seen earlier in the Leavers’ Assembly. The students then went to High Rocks for a Prom meal, and an awesome display of teacher dancing.

A great and well-deserved way to round off a tiring and demanding exam season.

A lesson from the professionals for our year 12 travel students

Year 12 travel students chose a glorious summer day to enjoy the East Grinstead Tour with professional guide Dawn from the town Tourist Information Bureau.

The students got to learn about the sights and curiosities of the town, and were keen to note how the talk was delivered, as one of their next units of study requires them to design and conduct their own guided tour. 

Next term they will be doing something similar with real customers!

Year 9 geographers study urban regeneration in East London

Our year 9 geography students enjoyed the sunshine in London for a day on June 14th studying how the areas around the Olympic park in London have changed over the last ten years.

The field work involved ‘look-see’ geography, surveys and and input from the teachers.

Great preparation for the next parts of the GCSE, and all of the students can now answer the question ‘where’s the geography in that?’

Stoolball is a hit with our primary feeders

Well done to all the energetic and enthusiastic year 4 and 5 students who visited Sackville today to take part in the primary stoolball competition. Effort and enjoyment levels were high throughout.

Thanks too to our excellent year 9 sports leaders, without whom the competition could not have taken place.

Well done Miss Hilaly – Pearson Award winner 2017!

Congratulations to Kareema Hilaly, who has received an award from Pearson for teaching excellence.

Pearson are the company behind the EdExcel examining board, and so they have a good idea what makes a good practitioner.

The award is just recognition for the efforts put in with all students over the last few years; those who have experienced her teaching know they are getting the real deal.

Sackville students excel at Sussex Schools’ Athletics Championships

A very good weekend of athletics for our students at the Sussex Schools’ Championships!

Well done to Callum Stone, who has become the Sussex Schools’ 1500 metre champion, winning the race by a staggering seven seconds.

Last month he won the County Junior 1500 metre title, and he now progresses to the national finals to represent Sussex. 

Meanwhile, Erin Harnett (pictured above) secured a gold medal in the 4 x 100 relay. If you have seen her run at a school sports day, you’ll not be surprised!

Vikki Pellett (left) is now a double Sussex Schools’ champion, winning both the hammer and shot putt.

Other highlights include Hannah Plumb (2nd in high jump against opponents one year older), Emmie van Lieshout (4th in 100m), Erin Harnett (4th in 200m), Antonia Deeley (5th in 1500m), Jemma Edgar (5th in long jump), Leah Scrace (6th in javelin), Harvey Byatt (3rd in high jump), Rodi Dilek (6th in shot), Ethan Carrick (4th in 100m) and Matt Tomkinson (7th in triple jump).

More on all of our sporting achievements are on Twitter and will be in Sackville News.

Congratulations to all of you – we are all proud of the dedication and effort you put in.

Sackville students give a narrow victory to Labour

Sackville students have given the Labour Party a narrow victory in the school mock-election, with 30% of the votes cast. Close runners up were the Green Party with 29%. The hall was busy at lunchtime whn students cast their votes! All students were issued with a poll card and invited to vote in our third mock vote in two years.

Farewell and good luck to our fantastic year 13s

Our year 13s enjoyed an emotional send-off from both current Head of Sixth Form Mr Whitehead and former Year Leader Mrs Stromfield. These students have been exemplary from the word go, and they will be greatly missed. We look forward to seeing all you achieve in the coming years.

Sackville win another award from the SSAT

We are delighted to share that we have been awarded ‘Leading Edge Status’ for the second year running by the national SSAT (The School, Students and Teachers Network). The award reflects strong teaching quality and results and it is a real honour to receive it again.

Pictured you can see Headteacher Mr Grant with Mrs Rawsthorne accepting the award at the recent ceremony in London. Our achievement is largely the result of Sackville students making significantly positive progress from the end of year 6 to GCSE. In addition, our sixth form was the top-performing state provider in West Sussex last year. Taken together this means the award is well-deserved.

The entire Sackville community is working its hardest to ensure we get the similarly high results next year.

Going the extra mile to get the best grades possible – everyone is pitching in!

Another typical Friday at Sackville, as the exam season gets into full swing. First we have our year 13 hospitality students producing an amazing international lunch, which was enthusiastically sampled by many members of staff. Well done to Harry, Millie, Marielle and Katelyn, and thanks to Ellie for her great help! Don’t forget our suggested recipes for exam performance are here!

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Mr Latus is busy getting his ‘Sandwich Board of Success’ ready …

Each morning our fantastic kitchen staff get a breakfast snack ready for every student who is taking an exam. Most candidates meet in the canteen where not only can they fortify themselves with food and drink, but also benefit from last minute conversations and confidence boosts from their teachers. Staff are also always on hand to help serve food and drink. Here you can see Deputy Headteacher Neil Feist, Year 11 Leader Jake Endersby and Headteacher Julian Grant on waiter duty.

Our year 11s, 12s and 13s have been brilliant so far this exam season. The year 11s in particular rising to the challenge of the new reformed exams in English, in which they have no choice about the questions they answer, and for which they need to know very closely a Shakespeare play, a nineteenth century novel, a poetry anthology and a modern novel. Don’t let anyone say exams are easy these days.

Brilliant performance by Sackville athletes at the ESAA Track and Field Cup

Clouds and drizzle failed to dampen the spirits and enthusiasm of our exceptional junior and senior athletes at the English Schools Athletics Association Track and Field Cup. In the junior section, both our boys and girls came first, and the senior boys came second and the senior girls sixth.

There were many notable individual performances, with the results of every athlete combining to give the overall team positions. ‘Together we Achieve’ indeed!

Best of luck to our year 11s, 12s and 13s

The start of the exam season is of course a nerve-wracking time, but we know our students have all been diligently preparing for these assessments for some time. We would like to thank all of our parents for their support and patience during the coming weeks, and we would also like to acknowledge the enormous efforts made by all of our support and teaching staff to ensure exam success. But most of all we would like to wish our students the best of luck for every exam they take. Now is the time to go in and smash them! 

Remember to eat well throughout these exams. Some ‘power recipes’ can be found here. And don’t forget – we provide breakfast before exams from just after 8 am.

Awesome year 10s excel on Duke of Edinburgh practice weekend

A weekend like this one reminds we teachers why it was we joined the profession in the first place. More than thirty year 10s successfully completed their Duke of Edinburgh practice expeditions over the first weekend in May, and the learning curve was nearly as steep as some of the hills ascended. By the end of Sunday, all of the participants had become competent navigators, and had managed the difficult task of carrying all of the equipment needed to be self-sufficient for two days.

The routes taken left Seaford and climbed high onto the Downs. On a sunny Saturday morning, the views were spectacular, and were matched by the levels of enthusiasm. Even as the students got tired there was nary a complaint. The groups overnighted at Wick Street Farm, where the friendly owners had prepared a cut field of grass, complete with three portable toilets. After a variety of meals, most got a good night’s sleep, and were well-prepared for the return journey via a different route on Sunday.

This was the first weekend organised by Mrs Rawsthorne and Mr Langford, and the smooth running and successful completion of the two days were testament to their hard work.

Well done to all of the students involved! Pictured you can see ‘Team Bandana’, led by Mr Attrill, and Mrs Rawsthorne’s group heading into the woods.

‘Bridging the Ages’ project secures lottery funding

We have just heard that the ‘Bridging the Ages’ project was successful in obtaining lottery funding to secure its future.

The organisation would like to thank those who voted for it in the community project category. One thing the money will be used for is to produce a manual to assist other organisations in implementing the project in other areas in the country.

Well done too to Sophie Palmer and Sam Ford who star in a promotional film about the project that will soon be online here.

World Challenge in Sri Lanka

Our year 10 World Challenge group has now returned from Sri Lanka.

After a night on a beach-front hotel, the group moved on to their project near Kandy, where they were based in a local school. There they assisted in some site maintenance, moving several tonnes of stones and bricks, and also worked in the classrooms teaching English to the students. They were given a fantastic send-off when leaving the school, with a show including a fire-eater. They were also presented with an enormous hamper of local produce.

More in the current edition of Sackville News!

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