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The Okeha pton College
e s e er
April 2015 Issue 25
Keeping you informed
I am delighted to inform you that two new colleagues joined us after the Easter break.
We welcome Mrs Byron who will be with us for the summer term teaching Art to
predominantly Key Stage 3 youngsters and Mrs Butler who has joined our Print
Workshop Team.
As mentioned in my last Newsletter, the last few weeks have been very busy in terms
of staff recruitment in preparation for the start of the new academic year in September. I have been
delighted with the appointments made and, at the time of writing, we have successfully interviewed
and filled all teaching staff vacancies other than English for which we are currently advertising for a
Teacher to teach across all Key Stages. With regards our support staff colleagues we are currently
advertising for a Child Protection Officer, Teaching Assistant (Level 1), and a cleaner. If you know of
anyone who may be interested in these vacancies, please direct them towards our College website for
further information.
Teaching Schools Update
Our submission to become a Teaching School has passed to the next stage and the judging panel did
not have to undertake a school visit. We have, therefore, progressed to the last stage of this process
and we should hear by the end of May whether we have been successful with our application.
Examination Season
The examination season is rapidly approaching. We are closely scrutinising the exam schedule to
see which exams will take place before and after the May half term break with a view to determining
the most appropriate time for our Year 11 students to commence their study leave. Whilst we have
been able to commence study leave at the May half term in previous years, the scheduling of the
exams this year is a little more complicated and with exams including English, Science and Maths
taking place after the half term holiday we want to see if it would be beneficial to start study leave after
the half term so that we can support students as much as possible before they take their exams. We
will inform our Year 11 students in assemblies and let parents know our decision through the
Newsletter, and our Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Daryll Chapman
Executive Principal
Facebook
www.facebook.com/okehamptoncollege
Twitter account
www.twitter.com/okehamptoncc
GCSE Physics Challenge
In March the GCSE Physics Challenge took place. This is a nationwide challenge run by Oxford
University. It involved students taking an extremely difficult 1 hour question paper to test their
Physics problem solving ability. 12 students took part and several of them attended lunchtime
preparation sessions to give them the best possible chance of success.
Bronze award:
Casper Gray
Maria Jacobs
Commendation:
Jacob Sherlock
Matt Stoner
Ollie King
Pat Beacom
Rhiannon Mayfield
Jamie Springett
George Morgan
Lucy Feneley
Lilian Earp
Zion Love
Well done to
all involved!
Dr Kelly
Link to all Okehampton College Newsletters:
Thank you all for your support for
this year’s Wor
World Book Day.
We raised £643.61!
This will be used to buy books for
libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
http://e=learn.okehamptoncollege.devon.
sch.uk/index.phtml?Dd=191948
Okehampton College students experienced a
behind-the-scenes look at how brand new homes
are constructed during a special guided tour hosted
by local house-builder Taylor Wimpey Exeter.
The Year 10 and 11 students were invited to Taylor
Wimpey’s Hele Park development in Newton Abbot
to see first-hand how the construction industry
works.
The group of 15 students were met by the Site
Manager who showed them around the
development, giving them the chance to witness life
on a construction site.
The students found the tour very beneficial. They
were shown a lot of plans so they gained an insight
into the early stages of house construction and saw
some bricklaying going on as well.
Several students are interested in architecture, others bricklaying or carpentry, so they were
very engaged and asked relevant questions throughout. They found it all very interesting
and it gave them a greater understanding of on-site building work.
Mr Dunn
The college recently
played host to
visiting French
students and their
teachers from 2
different partner
schools. The
students, aged 1619, spent their time
carrying out a
diverse range of
activities from
attending lessons,
to a site tour of our
energy installations
with Mr Webber, to
harvesting and
tasting fruit grown in
the College garden
for the Growing Our
Futures Project run
by Beth Hamer.
Thanks to our Sixth
Form and some
Yr11 students who
guided the French
students through
their school day,
they went away with
a very positive
impression of
Okehampton
College. Some even
commented on how
friendly the staff
and students are,
and that they
would like to come
to school here!
All students
involved gained an
insight into a
different culture
and a different
side of school life.
As the holder of
the full
International
School Award,
these types of
visits are important
to promote a sense
of global
citizenship in our
students and
encourage them to
think about
matters beyond the
UK, whether they
be environmental,
social, or political.
We hope to host
more visits in the
future, and would
like to say a big
thank you to our
host students!
School Transport - “No Pass No Travel” Scheme
We would like to remind
all parents/guardians that
the Devon School
Transport service operate
a “No Pass No Travel”
scheme across all
Secondary schools in
Devon. The scheme is
designed to ensure that
all students eligible for a
bus place are allocated a
seat on a school bus and
that each student is then
appropriately covered by
County insurance. Details
of the scheme are
covered below with the
web link to County
Transport if you have a
question or need to
obtain a new pass for
your child. Please
remember that County
Transport travel
insurance will only cover
your child if they travel on
the bus their bus pass is
valid for or if they have
County Transport
permission to travel on an
alternative. This
permission is usually in
the form of a temporary
bus pass issued at
Okehampton College
following a conversation
with a County Transport
Co-ordinator. Rules
highlighting the use of a
temporary bus pass are
provided below but any
temporary pass will only
ever cover a maximum
period of 10 days.
Devon County Council
“No Pass No Travel”
information:
· Okehampton School
supports the (DCC)
Devon County
Council’s “No Pass
No Travel Scheme”
that operates on
transport to and
from this school.
· Only students who
show a valid travel
pass to the driver
on every journey
will be allowed to
travel. Students
must travel on the
vehicle indicated on
their pass.
· Please ensure that
your child has
their travel pass
before they leave
home every day.
· Please ensure that
your child knows
what to do in the
event they are not
allowed to travel or
the bus does not
arrive (e.g. because
of breakdown or
traffic conditions or
severe weather).
School attendance
is very important
and it is best to be
prepared for any of
these eventualities.
· DCC will carry out
regular pass checks
throughout the year.
· Drivers are not
allowed to carry
passengers who
cannot show a valid
pass.
· If your child loses
their pass during the
day they should go
to the administration
office to ask for a 10
day temporary pass.
Replacement
passes cost £5
each and can be
ordered online, or
by sending a
cheque with a
replacement form.
Further info available at:
http://www.devon.gov.uk/
school_transport
Child Protection Officers
The Child Protection Officers for Okehampton College are:
Mrs Charlie Edwards
Mrs Debbie Provan
The reserve Child Protection Officer
Is: Mr Sean Freeman
We can be contacted via the main
College switchboard, or directly
on (01837) 650914
Living without Plastic - Update
By Miss Mclintock
Following my promise during
waste week that I would go
plastic free from February halfterm until Easter, I thought it
best that I give an update on
my progress and life postplastic.
Over the last month I have been
reminded time and time again
of how plastic has come to
dominate our lives. Just look at
the percentage of items that
come wrapped in plastic of
some sort the next time you go
to the shops and you will see
what I mean!
One of the major challenges
was in finding ingredients to
make my contribution to the
Science staff Comic Relief Bake
Off. Luckily many shops are now
clearly labelling products so
that consumers know before
they buy if they can recycle all
of the packaging and make an
informed decision. I opted for
beetroot and chocolate
muffins…delicious! My only
sticking point was the sodium
bicarbonate which I could not
find without plastic. Luckily for
me Endacotts bakery in
Okehampton were kind enough
to donate some for the cause!
Thank you to them for helping
the science department raise so
much for charity.
I have also discovered that Café
Direct Fairtrade tea bags are
plastic packaging free too,
double points!
Having failed early on to buy
plastic free toilet paper (some
students suggested I return to
squares of newspaper as an
alternative), I have managed to
find toilet paper that comes in a
biodegradable plastic wrap made
from potato starch (see
picture)...so my guilt about buying
it with plastic is gone! However, it
did take me until the week before
Easter to find such a thing. Not
available in any of the large
supermarkets, it was only when I
visited a friend in 'Transition town'
Totnes where their supermarket is
a 'green' market that I stumbled
upon 'Ecoleaf'. The price was the
same as for the equivalent
supermarket recycled toilet paper,
so why aren’t all
companies using
this technology to
reduce their
environmentally
unfriendly waste?
I also needed a
new toothbrush
and was able to find one that
came in a cardboard box and is
made from sustainably sourced
bamboo (bristles are nylon
though!). Toothpaste is the other
issue, and I have taken to making
my own from bicarbonate of soda,
coconut oil and mint based on a
recipe I found online. If my teeth
are still intact in 6months, I might
stick with it!
Since completing my challenge I
have decided to stick to not
buying any fruit and veg in plastic
wrapping, and only buying other
goods if the plastic containers are
fully recyclable locally (i.e. milk
bottles). I have also decided that
really we need to make more
effort to make our feelings known
to manufacturers and large
supermarkets who are packaging
their products in such a way. As a
result, I have contacted many of the
suppliers I formerly used to inform
them why I can no-longer buy their
products and have taken my custom
elsewhere.
One of the major bonuses, and the
reason I have decided to stick to
being plastic free as far as possible,
is that I did NOT put out my bin bag
for the rubbish collection at all in
the entire month and a half I
undertook the plastic free challenge.
The only plastic entering the house
was brought by visitors who were
asked to take their carrier bags and
clingfilm with them (such an
ungrateful host I know!).
Overall I have found that if you are
organised and choose to visit
smaller independent shops for your
food and other items, you are much
more likely to achieve a plastic free
shop. I struggled when leaving
school after 6pm as the only places
open were supermarkets so my
choices were limited.
I have also taken to making my own
bread again, which tastes great and
doubles up as stress relief! I have
had many interesting conversations
along the way, along with some
strange looks, but also some
support from various colleagues and
store assistants who remembered
me and were able to suggest plastic
free products I might have missed!
So I urge you all to take your own
plastic free challenge and to be
more aware of the packaging we
consume on a daily basis. After all
where is ‘away’ if that is where you
are throwing it?!
Miss McLintock
On Saturday 25th April it is tidy up Okehampton
morning. Various volunteers are helping in
different parts of the town. Miss Smith, Mrs
Northcote, Mr Webber, Mrs Harris, Mr Tyler, Mr
Orton plus some others are doing their bit. If you
would like to be part of our group helping in and
around the College site please contact Mr Webber in
College 01837 650190 email:
[email protected]
Like our Video..
Following the success of our
student, Christabel White, in the
essay competition the College
video has now been selected as
one of the top five shortlisted
videos in the International
Schools Sustainability Competition.
Please follow the link below and ‘like’ our video to
help us win the competition. Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7SvD0I2wIg
If you could forward it and encourage your friends,
family and people in your social networks to do
the same that would be great.
The Schools Sustainability Challenge Trophy
winner will be announced at the 2015 Schools
Debate and Awards on 7-10 July 2015 at the
world-renowned Oxford University. In addition,
there will be a special programme of
complimentary side trips to London, the Living
Rainforest and the surrounding region. For further
information please follow this link: Living
Rainforest
http://www.livingrainforest.org/explore/schoolssustainability-challenge/
Many thanks and congratulations to all the
students involved, Mr Every - Science
Science into Schools
Textiles collection
15th May 2015
We need your textiles so please bring them in
and give to Miss McLintock in room 414.
We are trying to cut down on the amount of
textiles making it to landfill and earning points
for the College to buy some new science
resources through the Waste Busters Scheme.
This is our last collection of the year and we
want to make it a good one to ensure we
collect as many unwanted textiles as possible.
Don't forget this can include old duvet covers,
towels, clothes and pairs of shoes.
For every tonne of textiles we collect, we get
up to £400 toward science resources for the
students at Okehampton College, so lets get
collecting!
With the general election looming, and
climate change and the environment a
hot topic (literally if you ask us about
global warming!), Miss McLintock’s Year
9 science class have decided that we
are fed up of letting grown-ups decide
the future of our planet and have set
about establishing a petition for the UK
government to reduce carbon dioxide
and greenhouse gas emissions by 50%
in the next decade.
An ambitious challenge you may
think…well we think otherwise. Our plan
is to get as many students as possible
from schools across the UK to sign the
petition as possible by using social media, our School Council and UK Youth
Parliament student representatives
Munkhbayar Elkins and Ryan Harnell to
spread the petition nationwide to gain
as much support from students as
possible.
More details of the petition will follow shortly…so watch this space!
Click on the link below to sign the
petition.
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Having nursed dreams of one-day visiting the Himalayas and of learning more about the influence of
Buddhism on daily life, I never thought I would have the opportunity to experience the wonder of the
Ladakh region first hand. I have travelled to India before for a friend’s Indian wedding, and as a fan of
Bollywood films and the beautiful saris and salwa kamis’ worn in much of India, love the thought of
returning. However, travelling to Ladakh will be a complete change of culture from most of India, not just
because of the immensely high altitude, but also because of the way in which Ladakhi people live.
Hidden away in north western India, Ladakh had very little input, and import, from outside of the region
until the 1960/70s. Everything the Ladakhi people used, ate and wore was produced within each of the
villages no more than 100 houses in size. There was no waste, no rubbish and no fossil fuels. Lack of
mechanised machinery and motor vehicles also meant that there were very few reports of hospitalisation in
the region due to accidents. All farming was and is done using animals and hand tools, quite a contrast
from some of the farms around Okehampton. For an area with a growing season of only 4months the diet
is limited, and yet most residents live to their 80s at least.
In preparation for our trip I have been reading a book I was given for Christmas called “Ancient Futures:
Lessons from Ladakh”. Written by a woman who spent almost 16 years in the region from the 1980’s
onwards, she saw firsthand how ‘new’ foodstuffs, materials and other goods previously unknown in Ladakh
began to creep in. There was some concern as to the impact it would have on such an unchanged landscape,
and it’s people who previously had such a low impact on the surrounding and global environment, and the
risk to the local traditions and lifestyle of the region.
Many of the students and staff at Okehampton College will know that I am very much pro sustainability
and strive for our College to lead an environmentally friendly existence through much of the work with the
Green Flag Eco Schools group. How fitting then that whilst in Ladakh my team have chosen to spend their
week of community work at the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL)
residential campus. It is 100% solar powered, sustainable and run democratically by the students themselves.
I am looking forward to seeing how much we can learn from the Ladakhi students about minimising our
impact as a school, to move even further towards reducing our learning and living footprint at Okehampton
College. If you would like to learn more about SECMOL, check out this video made by two volunteers and
featuring the students of SECMOL (https://vimeo.com/57180458) or visit the SECMOL website:
http://www.secmol.org/pheycampus/index.php
Recommended Reads
FROM THE GUARDIAN
NEWSPAPER MARCH 2015
Ms Griffiths
The six best young adult books – and why
grown ups should read them too.
Young Adult fiction has become a fixture at the top of the bestseller lists. Children’s literature expert,
Daniel Hahn, recommends eight novels that adults also should read:
What do my chosen books have in common? Well, in each case, somebody at some point has decided
they are “young adult” books. As often as not, this person isn’t the writer. The category does have some
meaning and some usefulness, of course; books that teenagers enjoy do often have certain
congruencies of perspective or theme. But the boundary is porous. Books are wayward things, and the
good ones, the ones that are really alive with that energy that seems to detonate in your brain as you
read, aren’t so easily contained.
As I’ve been compiling a new companion to children’s literature, I’ve been thinking a lot about the limits
of this category – and I’ve read so much about what we call “crossover books”, books with appeal both
to teenagers and adult readers. Yes, we all know that vampire stories and teen cancer romances have
sold in vast numbers on both sides of that imaginary dividing line. But the crossover book has
encompassed writing of great sophistication and ambition, too.
Young adult writing today contains everything. The worst of it is as limited as any bad writing, the best
could thrill any readers willing to put themselves in the hands of expert storytellers and great writers.
Readers, that is, of any age. Hundreds of superb novels have been published for young adult readers.
Here are just six of them.
Revolver: Marcus Sedgwick
Sedgwick has written across the age ranges, from children to adults, but it is his dark and atmospheric
YA-branded work that best shows off what he can do. In Revolver, all his skill is compacted into
something small and potent, controlled and devastating. As it begins, 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle,
in 1910, 15-year-old Sig discovers his father’s corpse; but how did he die? The arrival of a threatening
stranger forces Sig to investigate his parents’ past and confronts him with big questions about his own
future. Set over just a couple of days, Sedgwick’s spare, crisply written narrative flips between the past
and recent present, but the tension never disappears, and as he creates this most hostile of
environments, it’s impossible not to be drawn in.
Kit’s Wilderness: David Almond
Skellig may be better known, but I think the book that followed is Almond’s masterpiece: Kit’s Wilderness
is one of those rare works that changes how we see the world. Kit Watson moves to the Northumberland
town where his grandfather lives, and there he befriends new classmate Allie Keenan, and meets a
strange, wild boy called John Askew, who plays a game called Death. With the delicate, dark beauty that
characterises so much of Almond’s work, Kit’s Wilderness explores things beneath the surface, suffused
with death and menace, and the spirits of the past, but this is a wilderness that is full of beauty and
things that are precious, too.
Henry Tumour: Anthony McGowan
This is one teen cancer book among many, but truly it’s not like any other you may have come across.
For one thing, it’s funny – grimly, hilariously so. For another, in this book the eponymous brain tumour
talks. The schoolboy afflicted with this unusual predicament is nerdy Hector, who has to decide
whether or not to take the outspoken, anarchic tumour’s advice as he finds his feet in the world, and
has a lot of decisions to make before the surgeons get to work on them both. Original, smart and
gripping, Henry Tumour breaks all kinds of rules, and does it with irresistible brio.
The Graveyard Book: Neil Gaiman
Perhaps this isn’t a young adult book. Really, who is to say? It won the Booktrust teenage prize, and
as far as I recall, the judges – I was one of them – had no category anxiety; we just knew it was
something that needed to be read. It is one of those books that gives you a whole world – small and
wonderful – which is entrancing for eight chapters, and which you feel very sorry to leave. It is set, as
the title suggests, in a graveyard, where young Bod (short for “Nobody”) makes his home after his
parents are murdered. Bod finds himself a new family and new friends – most of them long dead – a
set-up that allows Gaiman’s macabre imagination to run wild. Along with the great characters and
friendships, there is a gripping story – episodic with echoes of The Jungle Book – some delightful
humour, and, as a bonus, a set of typically superb black-and-white illustrations, by Chris Riddell or
Dave McKean, depending on your preferred edition.
A Swift Pure Cry: Siobhan Dowd
This debut introduces the small-town community of Coolbar in mid-80s Ireland, where we meet Shell
and her young siblings. Dowd was a writer of immense sympathy and insight, and in A Swift Pure Cry
she takes Shell, and her reader, on a journey. Many people assume young adult fiction will always be
heavy on issues, and there are some big ones in this book, which tackles faith and death, but the
questions are born out of, and always in the service of, the story and characterisation. A Swift Pure
Cry is never wilfully bleak, never heavy-handed, never moralistic. A fine piece of writing.
Life: An Exploded Diagram: Mal Peet
With its displays of profound affection and pin-sharp humour, Mal Peet's Life is one of the best books I
know. When Peet died three weeks ago at the age of 67, the children’s book world was shaken and
bereft. Few adult readers, however, will yet have discovered just how much they’ve lost. As with so
many of Peet’s supposedly young adult books, Life: An Exploded Diagram is more than that: it’s a
great novel of growing up and the delicious immediacy of teenage experience, but with a broad
historical sweep and nostalgia, too. Partly autobiographical, it captures the experiences of Norfolk lad
Clem Ackroyd against the backdrop of the Cuban missile crisis and imminent Armageddon. It is a
sophisticated coming-of-age story, full of intelligence and compassion Life is – in short – one of the
best books I know. Time to find out what you’ve been missing.
3 of our Okehampton College Big Band members spent their Easter weekend at the Cornwall Youth Brass
Band residential course in Truro. They were amongst 70 other extremely
talented musicians aged between 10 to 22 from across the South West.
Jaz Quick (Yr 13) plays the trombone, Emily Quick (Yr 10) the percussion
and Ellie Joy (Yr 9) the flugelhorn. The whole weekend was made all the
more special with Ellie winning the annual award for most improved
player in the whole band and Jaz receiving the cup for the most promising
trombone player - in her first year!
The girls were tutored over the weekend by one of the most famous
conductors in the Brass Band world, Philip Harper.
They all said it was an amazing opportunity and can't wait for the next
course at Christmas.
Get behind Okehampton band Downfall and show
your support for local music as they participate in
the nationwide competition, Brand New Artist for
Xmas 2015.
Downfall are Okehampton College students Mack
Hodgson and Nathan Bostock plus ex-students Karl
Little and Jake Hodgson. They have been writing and
performing original material since 2013 and are fast
establishing themselves as one of the most exciting
up-and-coming bands on the South West scene.
Downfall are one of 100 bands participating in Brand
New Artist for Xmas 2015 where the prize is a
recording deal worth £100,000. It is a huge
opportunity for the band and they need your help
by showing that the local community supports what
they are doing.
How can you help?
It is simple and it is FREE. Local support is registered
by voting once a week for the duration of the
competition. There are three voting formats but
email voting is FREE and it is simple by following the
instructions on this link.
http://www.downfallrocks.co.uk/bnavote.html
Help to put local talent and Okehampton onto the
"UK music map"
Vote, promote and support.
Thank you Downfall
Year 8 English students - Louise
Noyes, Annie Strawbridge and
Amber Morris have reached the
next round of the Radio 2 Short
Story Competition.
Out of 120,000 entries they are
now down to the final 3,800!
We wish them luck.
To these Year 11 students who have been been awarded a break and
lunchtime pass for Café Six (Post-16 café), for having an extremely
positive approach to learning.
Surname
HANSEN
ELKINS
SHORT
GOODGER
DENNIS
SEATON-BURN
VOADEN
DUNN
JAMES
KNOTT
SKULL
RHODES
JACOBS
BALSDON
PEARCE
SIMPSON
MORRISON
MOKANDPURI
HARBRON
FOSTER
WINGFIELD DIGBY
AVEN
MUIR
PAN
First Name
Verity
Munkhbayar
Zoe
Larissa
Becky
Will
Chloe
Sophie
Jessica
Bethany
Richard
Claire
Maria
Alison
Amy
Isabel
Nicole
Iona
Holly
Bryony
Emily
Rhys
Alex
Isobel
Surname
PHIPPS
KNIGHT
ATOUGUIA
CROCKER VALERON
STONER
KETTLES
MUGLISTON
ROISSETTER
SHAW
WALTER
REYNOLDS
HARRISON
PASSEREAU
NIGHTINGALE
DANIEL
DUFFY
MCCARTHY
MAYFIELD
BENYON
RICKWOOD
CHINA
SQUIRES
LEWIS
MAHONEY
SHERLOCK
First Name
Tyler
Matthew
Heather
Sophie
Matthew
Hannah
Victoria
Chloe
Tristan
Isaac
Kerri
Jessica
Teoni
Elisa
Flora
Evie
Eliza
Rhiannon
Madeleine
Mollie
Alys
Ellie
Madeleine
Madeleine
Jacob
Dates for your diary & forthcoming events
Parents’ Evenings
MONTH
DATE
EVENT
Meet New Year 7 students
Monday 20st July 2015
Summer Term 2015
MAY
Monday 4th
May Day Bank
Holiday
Monday 25th
to
Friday 29th
HALF TERM
Vaccination Programme
2015
Sessions being held in
College are as follows:
Friday 5th June 2015
Tetanus / Diphtheria / Polio &
Meningitis C catch up
sessions.
Monday 1st
All Pupils Return
w/c Mon 22nd
Year 10 Exams
w/c Mon 29th
Year 9 Exams
It cannot be handed in on the day of the
vaccination!
Thursday 2nd
Year 6 Taster Day
If you have any concerns please contact
Mrs Harris in College.
Monday 6th
Year 6 Taster Day
Monday 20st
Meet New Year 7
students
JUNE
JULY
w/c Mon
13th
Wednesday 22nd
Curriculum Extension
Week &
Work Experience
LAST DAY OF TERM
Please note that if you have not completed
and returned to school a full permission form
your child will not be given the vaccination.
Important Information for
Parent/Carers
Please be aware of new safeguarding
guidance, ‘Keeping Children Safe’
Paragraph 117 - Parents/Carers using Facebook,
Twitter and other social media to make derogatory
remarks about staff is not acceptable under the
prohibition on reporting and publishing allegations
about teachers in section 141F of the Education
Act 2002.
Schools across the country are reporting issues
relating to the misuse of social media sites.
Twitter account
www.twitter.com/okehamptoncc
Facebook
www.facebook.com/okehamptoncollege
If any such abuse of these sites regarding
Okehampton College takes place, appropriate
action will be taken.