1. education
2. school

May 2015
Dear Parent/Carer,
As you will see from the front page of our newsletter, one of the big events for the summer term
will be the school’s 50th Anniversary celebrations scheduled to take place on Saturday 4th July.
We very much hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us for the afternoon and
evening events and activities. Further details are available on our website and on our Facebook
page which can be linked to via our website saltash.net/anniversary.
It has been a very busy term with our year 10, 11, 12 and 13 students immersed in exam preparation, revision and the sitting of GCSE, AS and A Levels. We wish all students every success and
look forward to celebrating many successes this summer. Results day for A2 and AS candidates
will be Thursday 13th August and for GCSE students it will be Thursday 20th August.
We hope you will very much enjoy this edition of ‘Community News’.
With all good wishes,
Mrs I. Bryce
Headteacher
Road Safety: We have received a number of phone calls and emails from members of our local
community expressing concern about the lack of Road Safety Awareness by some of our students. The following is a message placed on recent school bulletins and discussed in the Year
Group assemblies. Please will you talk with your child/children about it, to reinforce the key
safeguarding messages.
Many thanks, Mrs Bryce
As we really do not want anyone to be involved in a road traffic collision please take heed of the following:

Take extra care when crossing a road between parked vehicles. Stop and look – don’t just walk
out and expect nothing to be coming along the road.

If you are wearing any type of headphone and listening to music, it makes it even more essential you are vigilant when stepping off a pavement or crossing a road, as it is unlikely you will
hear traffic approaching.

Students are not to ride bikes or scooters anywhere on the school site. If seen doing this the
privilege of bringing them into school will be taken away.

Make sure you always wear protective headgear when riding a bike to or from school and do
not ride bikes along pavements.
Mock Election - vote.net - Saltash votes Squirrel!
The cut and thrust of the hustings, the buzz of the polling station, the drama
of the count and the thrill of the close result...Not the real General Election,
but much more important – the saltash.net mock election! Over the two
weeks up to May 6th eight candidates vied for the votes of the whole school –
speaking in assemblies, recording a radio PPB (Party Political Bulletin), and
plastering their colourful posters around the site.
On the day itself a dedicated team of students helped turn the lecture theatre
into a very lifelike polling station – voters queued up to register to vote, got a stamped ballot paper, took it to a voting booth to vote secretly and then dropped it in the ballot box. They even got
stopped by our exit pollers on the way out.
Candidate Name
Logo
The Supreme Chancellor of BIN
SQUIRRELS
Sally BOWMAN
Party
Monster Raving
Loony
Votes
218
Labour
93
Freddie BRASHER
Mebyon Kernow.net 177
Nathan CROFT
Liberal Democrats
55
Amy DONOVAN
Conservative
149
Charlie HELE
Independent
199
Ed RULE
Green
122
Ben RUSSELL
UKIP
186
In
the
end over a thousand students and
staff voted, and the final result
was:
There were 14 spoilt or unclear ballots, 3
blank, and 1 not officially stamped
Total Votes 1217
Electorate 1532
Turnout 79.44%
The winner was therefore The Supreme Chancellor of Bin Squirrels.
As a result the Supreme Chancellor
now joins the school council. Well
done to all candidates and thanks to
everyone who helped or voted!
A Killeya & E Metters, Joint
Returning Officers
Students enlighten Richard Branson on the future of technology!
Amy Donovan and
George Seymour
were among a group of only 8 students from across the UK to meet with Sir Richard Branson, and let him
know exactly where they think technology in education needs to go.
Our students are part of a new initiative in the ‘Generation Tech’ project, and make up the Digital Youth
Council. The council meets regularly to discuss where they see technology in schools heading. Impressively, saltash.net is the only school to have two members selected.
The students will eventually meet with government ministers and offer their ‘Big Ask’, detailing what they
need the government to do to ensure that as students they leave education with not just the knowledge, but
also the key skills required to succeed in life.
“It was incredible – one of my proudest moments as an educator,” explained Scott Wieprecht. “Our students were front and centre of the discussion. Amy explained exactly what they were up to and the goal of
the Youth Council. George then followed this up by explaining what they need to do to ensure their ideas
were taken up in other schools, mentioning all the exciting projects on offer at saltash.net, and how last
year he had even been flown to Barcelona to present to World Leaders as part of a Microsoft Forum!’
Sir Richard gave some ideas of his own, and told the students that their ideas were so good they should
start their own business!
“The meeting with Mr Branson was quite time pressured, so not all students got to ask him questions. Deservedly, however, both our students had their questions selected as two of the three to be asked,” added
Mr Wieprecht.
The opening question was from student, George Seymour, who wanted to know about his worst moment
in business. “Unsurprisingly, the crash with Virgin Galactic was mentioned,” commented George. “What
was interesting, was that Richard’s worst moment was on the day he launched Virgin Airlines, and his
bank tried to close his account as they said he was mad. He only had the weekend to find a new bank or
his whole empire was over. His key message was there is a fine line between success and failure.”
Amy followed straight after, with a slightly trickier ask. “I wanted to know whether he made the more eyebrow raising signings to his record label as a ‘tack tickle’ business move, or just to be rebellious,” she explained. “He didn’t quite commit to an answer but explained that in business you always have to take
risks, and if you aren’t taking risks then you aren’t being challenging enough. I also told him I loved his
jacket – and he nearly gave it to me!”
The whole experience was incredible for the students, and only encouraged them more to continue their
own school project, codename ‘Aspire’. “A lot of people commented on how lucky they have been to get
this opportunity,” finished Mr Wieprecht. “I disagree – this isn’t luck; it is testament to the fact that if, like
them, you put in hard work and have a goal, you will get the rewards. This is the fourth time in 12 months
students from our school have been selected to meet national and international leaders or present on a
Global Stage – that isn’t just luck.”
saltash.net invited to advise Microsoft globally
The summer term at saltash.net community school got off to an excellent start with the
news that one of its teachers had been selected by Microsoft to be part of its newly formed
Worldwide Education Advisory Council.
Mark Sparvell, Microsoft’s Worldwide Senior Education Manager, wrote to the school saying, “It
gives me great pleasure to recognise Scott Wieprecht as a member of the Microsoft Education
Advisory Council. The formation of this pilot Advisory Board will comprise ten showcase school
leaders and three Expert Educators. The role of the board is to provide expert advice ‘from the
field’ regarding Microsoft education programs, activities and engagements globally.’ Mr Sparvell
added that ‘The educators reflected on the board are some of the most inspiring and exemplary
educators who are committed to transforming education.’
Speaking after hearing this exciting news, teacher of Maths and Integrated Learning, Mr
Wieprecht said, ‘It’s really humbling when you get invited to take part in something on this
scale, through invitation alone. I can’t however pretend even half the credit is due to me, as
this is just a reflection of the amazing culture saltash.net has towards new technology and improving life chances for our young people.’
‘What makes this all the more remarkable is that there are only three ‘Expert Educators’ selected from across the world and Scott is one of them! He is also the only UK
representative on the Advisory Board. This is fantastic for our school and its students and for Cornwall and the South West of England.’
Mrs Bryce
UKMT Junior Team Maths Challenge – Penair School
A team of four students from year 8 and 9 were
recently selected for the UKMT Junior Team Maths
Challenge regional final at Penair School. This is
the first time saltash.net has entered the competition and the school was delighted to join 13 other
teams from Cornish schools at Penair Community
College on the 17th April.
Freddie Brasher and Amy Donovan from year 9,
and Carys Scales and India James from year 8,
went head to head in some fast pace timed challenges, where speed and mathematical accuracy really were of the essence. The first
challenge was team based and they had to answer 10 questions between them in 40
minutes. The second and third challenges involved them splitting into 2 pairs and only
able to communicate answers through an invigilator. The final challenge was a relay
where the pairs had to run across a sports hall to share questions.
The team had an enjoyable time at the challenge and all are keen to enter again next
year!
Year 5 & 6 Maths Gifted and Talented Workshops
At the end of every half term, saltash.net community school’s
Maths department leads a Maths workshop for year 5 and 6
Gifted and Talented pupils from all its local primary partner
schools.
The workshops, run by Key Stage 3 co-ordinators Heather
Crook and Jennie Benzie, offer the youngsters the opportunity
to explore and discover Mathematics that they would not normally meet in the primary curriculum. Topics covered so far
this academic year have included, binary numbers, platonic
solids and Euler’s formula, Eulerian Graphs and A-level differentiation. The topics are introduced in a fun and exciting way,
which promotes higher level thinking and questioning from the
children. They are encouraged to work together in small groups
and discuss their learning and ideas.
Maths teacher, Mrs Benzie, said, “The children are very excited
about coming to saltash.net, and enjoy the sessions. They
always leave with a smile on their faces and are keen to share
their new found Mathematics knowledge with their classes and
parents.”
Comments received from the primary pupils have been very positive:
“Every Friday when it’s Maths masterclass, I always look forward
to it because I want to find out the exciting new challenges.”
“Every lesson I go to teaches me so much and I have such a
good time. It pushes me to do my best.”
“I find it challenging, but I learn something new and it makes me proud.”
“The best bit is finding out I have done some A level!”
British Science Week goes off with a Bang
at saltash.net
saltash.net celebrated British Science Week with a variety of
events at the end of the spring term.
The school was delighted to host a team of STEM Ambassadors
from Babcock engineering who had organised a challenging activity for Year 8 and 9 students based around the problems of
working with a nuclear reactor. The students joined in the challenges with enthusiasm, donning specialist protective gear and
taking on a range of roles to plan and design a solution to an
engineering problem. They rose to the challenge, with all the
teams completing the task, some of them clocking up very
speedy times. The sessions also provided an excellent opportunity for the students to meet and talk to people working locally in the engineering industry and finding out about the career paths and options for future scientists and engineers in the
South West.
Science teachers from saltash.net also went out to visit the
local primary schools to run a special event to celebrate science
week. Children form Landulph, Sir Robert Geffery’s, St Stephens, Brunel and St Germans had the opportunity to design,
build and race air-powered rocket cars. The children all enjoyed
the activity immensely and there were some fantastic creative
designs, as well as some speedy cars hurtling across playgrounds and halls.
Back at saltash.net, Teacher of Science, Mr Granville-West
hosted a series of lunchtime events, open to all students, in
which he demonstrated a fire twister, made ice cream from liquid nitrogen, set fire to his own hands and blew a lot of smoke
through an air cannon, amongst many other exciting and
hands-on demonstrations.
Assembly Presentations
Many students have been congratulated in
saltash.net’s assemblies over the past half
term. They include four students who have
been commended for their ongoing excellence
in P.E and have been awarded gifted and talented badges in recognition of their achievements. The students are Lauren Hancock and
Lois Walklin for Netball and Emily Lambert and
Hannah Courts for all round P.E excellence.
In addition, three students from years 9 and 10
were awarded with intermediate Maths Challenge certificates: Victoria Carter, Ben Illingworth and Amelia Horne. They join Year 11
Maths Challenge champions – Abigail Medland,
Ryan Harvey, Ed Gilford and Michael Spencer.
Thanks go to Mrs Hinds for coordinating the
Maths Challenge and to Mrs Hancock for establishing the gifted and talented awards scheme
at saltash.net.
First for Gold!
Year 7 students receiving their first Gold Commendation is always a very special occasion at
saltash.net.
This year, Will Hunt and Lauren Davies shared the honour. Will, who came to saltash.net from
St Stephens Primary school and Lauren who previously attended Weston Mill Primary school,
showed that they had made an excellent start at secondary school, contributing 100% effort to
all of their learning experiences.
Paralympian Steve Brown
back at saltash.net
Such was the success of having
paralympian, Steve Brown, as
guest of honour for the school’s
GCSE presentation evening back
in November, saltash.net invited him back to spend a whole
day with staff and students during the Spring Term. Steve
came into school on Friday 13th
March and students from across
years 7-13 all had the opportunity of listening to his inspirational life story and what it has
been like to be Captain of the
England Wheelchair Rugby
Team.
Steve led four separate assemblies during the school day and
then, as keynote speaker, contributed to a saltash.net staff
training residential that was taking place in the evening.
Speaking after Steve’s visit,
headteacher, Mrs Bryce, said:
‘Steve epitomises the ‘can do’
attitude that we nurture here at
saltash.net. His story is captivating and I am so pleased that
he was able to pay a return visit
to us. We all wish him well for
the 2016 Olympics next year.’
Year 11 student, Paris Netherton, posted a photo of herself
with Steve on Twitter stating,
“Me and the coolest guy I’ve
met – made me laugh and motivated me for my exams.”
Steve can be contacted on Twitter @SteveBrownGBWR.
Carnegie Medal Shadowing Group
We currently have 22 students spread across years 7, 8,
9 and 12 who are currently involved in the Carnegie Medal Shadowing Group. They read the eight texts that are
nominated for the award and write reviews for our very
own website.
We meet each week, on a Friday lunchtime, sharing our
views and opinions on different books, leading to some
very fervent discussions. The students involved have already shown how reading is such a huge part of their
lives and their informative and interesting review posts
have already led to an invitation to Eggbuckland School.
We will be taking some members of the Shadowing Group
to Eggbuckland on the 22nd June where we will meet with
six other schools and present our opinions on our allocated book: Cuckoo Song by
Frances Hardinge.
The scheme so far has challenged the students’ perceptions and taken them outside of
their comfort zones, encouraging them to read further afield.
Our Carnegie Medal Shadowing Site is filled with information on our readers, our own
blog post, an abundance of excellent student reviews, polls and questionnaires and even
our own video on why we like reading so much.
You can find it at: http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/grouphomepages/index.php?
GroupID=11796
Ms Beacroft, Teacher of English
BBC School Report
Over the past Half Term, 8B5 along with Ms Childs,
Mr Hodson and Mrs Coot have been working hard
to produce their contribution for the BBC School
Report.
The School Report is a nationwide initiative for
schools that encourages secondary school students
to research, write, produce and present their own
news reports about news that matters to them.
This year’s contribution was magnificent and focuses on what it is like to be a teenager. Students
interviewed a range of people from the school community from Year 7 to Year 13 and then
teachers and support staff.
The students conducted themselves in a professional manner and took the report very seriously.
They did a wonderful job and the report can still be viewed at www.saltash.net/schoolreport
Participants: Ben Earl, Kathy Kaye, Charlie Trueman, Lewis O’Leary, Luke Seabrook, Emily Toner,
Chelsea Trebilock, Danielle Spurling, Connor Townsend, Connor Pering, Joshua Graham and Jack
Nancarrow
Ms Childs, Teacher of English
National Young Writers excelling at saltash.net
Students at saltash.net community school have been achieving high levels of success in national writing competitions over the last few years. Most recently, 33 out of 38 Year 9 students
who entered a competition entitled ‘Poetopia’ were successful in having their work selected for
publication in a forthcoming anthology.
The Poetopia competition is run by the National Young Writers’ organisation and the rules surrounding the conditions of entry were very tough indeed. They demanded that each student
write a poem depending on which ‘faction’ of society they belonged to. Their ‘faction’ was decided upon after they had answered several questions in a quiz about their personality, a quiz inspired by popular dystopian fiction such as ‘Divergent’ and ‘The Hunger Games’. Library Manager, Matt Coot, said: ‘We had a brilliant selection of poems submitted for the competition including many that showed off the students’ knowledge and passion about current affairs. I would
like to say well done to all the students who took part and thank the English Department for
their help and cooperation.’
Congratulations go to:
Brooke Mills
Hannah Mortimore
Jess Stainsby
Jack Pritchard
Ellie Garland
Will Oatey
Adam Legg
Lottie Elliott
Jack Baigent
Ebony Deacon
Chloe Reynolds
Georgia Godwin
Daniel Way
Robert Walsh
Harry Pascoe
Milliesha Nicholas
Kezia Chubb
Matt Calder
Maisie Glazebrook
Jacob Coles
Daniel Ward
Sam Jones
Caitlin Wilson-Miller
Billie-Anne Badham
Ellen Procter
Bradley Kelly
Tom Cox
Harriet Hunt
Reanne Chapman
Charlie Potts
Imogen James
Lucie Jones
Daisy Ashford
Celebrating World Book Day in style!
Every year, staff at saltash.net community school are
invited to dress up as a character from a book in order to
promote their love of reading to the students. This year was
no exception and saw the most creative costumes yet! As
World Book day on the 5th March coincided with St Piran’s
Day this year, some staff members tried to incorporate both
themes into their costumes, most successful being Deputy
Headteacher, Mr Scantlebury, who looked amazing as Tom
Bawcock from ‘The Mousehole Cat’.
Staff choices were as diverse as: The Wicked Witch of The
West; George & Lennie from ‘Of Mice and Men’; Bellatrix L’Estrange; Snow White; and Thing 1 & Thing 2 from Dr
Seuss. There was also a large turnout of characters from
Alice in Wonderland, led by Matt Coot, the school librarian, as
the Mad Hatter.
Mr Coot organised a fantastic celebration for World Book Day
within the library, including a ‘Matt Hatter’s Tea Party’ theme
as well as a thought provoking display concerning the idea of
‘banned books’ which strongly relayed the message of how
powerful the written word can be and linked to this
week’s assemblies delivered by Assistant
Headteacher and Head of English, Kate Littledyke.
Students from the school’s Trematon Zone were
also invited to join the fun and also came to school
dressed as their favourite book characters!
Oh! What A Lovely War
Year 12 Drama students at saltash.net have performed an exceptional piece of theatre as part of
their final AS practical assessment.
Joe Day, Jasmine Donovan, Megan
Easton, JJ Harding and Jessica
Jones selected Joan Littlewood’s
1963 Theatre Workshop play ‘Oh!
What A Lovely War’ to interpret
and update.
The play chronicles the story of the First
World War through short scenes and provocative songs of the era. The Year 12
students imagined themselves to be a
group of street performers, presenting the
story to passers-by - the audience. After
the jolly, happy opening song, their tale
grew darker and more sombre with an increasing focus on the massive loss of life
during the first world war.
Jo Loyn, Head of Drama, said, ‘The
students have worked extremely hard
developing the piece since we began
working on it in January. All five students are outstanding performers and
this enabled us to create an ensemble
piece which captured the essence of
the original company of sixteen people. Reducing this to a cast of five enabled them to use their skills in
switching from character to character,
changing accent, age and sometimes
from male to female, in exemplary style.’
‘Bandslam’ concert is hugely entertaining
Saltash.net’s reputation for developing students’ musical talents was definitely enhanced
at the recent Bandslam concert. Organised by Head of Music, Emily Venner, ably supported by teacher of Music, Nicola Silvester, the concert showcased an eclectic mix of musical
styles, enabling students from across years 7-13 to perform to a packed hall and very appreciative audience.
Musical items included numbers from three of saltash.net’s bands: Peppy Tones, Yellow
Tor Road and Factor 5, as well as vocal duets from Emily Horsham and Tiegan Aire, ably
accompanied by Jonah Rich on the drums, Megan Kelly and Emily Lambert, and Molly
Banks with Tommy Williams who delivered a haunting version of Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’.
Solo artists included Jacob Hunt and Shannon Paris, and there was a rousing drum and
electric guitar performance by Year 8 students Lewis O’Leary and Ryen Brandwood. Concluding the concert were the saltash.net singers who sang their hearts out with a harmonious version of ‘We found love’.
Congratulations go to all students involved for a great evening’s entertainment.
Year 11 v The Rest of the School
On Thursday 30th April the U16 Girls’ Football County Champions team from saltash.net came together for
one last time before their GCSE examinations and the end of Year 11. Determined to mark their incredible
success story in a fitting and memorable way, P.E. teachers Mrs Gue and Mr Budd organised a Testimonial
match on the school’s All Weather Pitch, which saw the U16s playing a team comprising skilled girl footballers from the rest of the school.
The match was played in the same excellent sporting manner that had characterised the U16’s previous
matches and was definitely a contributory factor in them becoming county champions in 2014. The final
score was 4-0 to the U16s, but the real winner was girls’ football at saltash.net. As coach Mrs Gue said in her
message to the team in the souvenir programme:
“Every one of you has been a pleasure to coach and drive around the country! You have come so far as a
team and you will always have your incredibly strong bond with each other. You are a great group of girls
with so many qualities and I would like to thank you for all that you have done for girls’ football within our
school. You will be missed; however, you should feel honoured that it all started with you.’
After the match both teams were served a special celebratory tea by Mrs Bryce, Headteacher, in the school’s
dotnet café - a real treat! Congratulations and thanks to:
Year 11 Squad
Rest of the School Squad
Manager: Mrs Gue
Manager: Mr Budd
Millie Thomas (GK)
Abby Whitehead (GK)
Lydia Herbert
Siobhan Ellyatt (c)
Amber Pritchard
Charlotte Barriball
Beth Gerrard
Shannon Sleep
Steph Peck
Kennedy Heard
Ellie Mansfield
Megan Seymour
Emily Sweet
Ellen Proctor
Emily Hollister (c)
Eleri Griffiths
Shannon Reed
Chloe Price
Kirsten Proctor
Kiera Mitchell
Emily Congo
Becky Canvin
Mia Reynolds
THE TEAM
Megan Seymour
Lauren Hancock
Emily Lambert
Hannah Courts
Chloe Price
Ellen Procter
Mia Reynolds
Eleri Griffiths
Lois Walklin
U14 Netball
Congratulations to the U14 netball team who got to the county semi finals, and were
placed runners up of the East Cornwall final, only losing to Budehaven school.
The team were exceptional in their play and had a great experience being challenged
both physically and mentally.
Chloe Louise Finch - Year 8
Congratulations to Chloe who came 1st in the NDP3 section of the British Gymnastics Trampoline South West Regional Championships in Bath on 22nd March. Chloe totalled a score
of 51.30 - we are all very proud of her achievement.
Just before Easter we had round 2 of the inter tutor competition, the boys competing in football and the girls
at netball. Combining these results with those from round 1, the league table looks like this:
GREECE-86
GREAT BRITAIN- 72
SPAIN- 72
SOUTH KOREA- 61
CHINA- 56
USA-52
BRAZIL-52
AUSTRALIA-52
The overall winners will be decided after sports
day 3rd July when a huge amount of points will be up for grabs.
day on Fri-
Jamaican Journey
Picture shows Zoe with her fellow Baptist Mission Society
team members, Reverend Michelle and five members of Soul
Survivor Club.
Ex-student, Zoe James, returned to saltash.net
community school during
the week of 20th – 24th April
to lead assemblies for years
7 – 11. Currently on her
Gap Year before commencing university in the Autumn, Zoe was invited back
to share with the school
community details of her
journey to Jamaica with
other representatives of the Baptist Mission Society, a volunteering project that saltash.net had supported through its non-uniform day fundraising efforts last year.
Zoe, accompanied by Reverend Michelle Parkman from Saltash Baptist Church, gave an
excellent presentation with three other Gap Year students who had accompanied her to
Jamaica. The assembly gave details of the community work the group had been undertaking in a range of different schools, youth clubs and churches, and also gave current
students an opportunity to try out their Patois!
At the end of the assembly, Reverend Parkman invited students to a special lunchtime
meeting of the school’s Christian union ‘Soul Survivor’ for anyone interested in finding
out more about Jamaica or opportunities available during a Gap Year.
RE Trip to the University of Exeter
After a successful visit to the University of Exeter last year, the RE department was delighted to once again be able to offer our GCSE students the opportunity to take part in this annual trip. The Discover Ethics Day is tailored to year 10 students. However, this year the RE department took the decision to include a number of year 9s who have
recently demonstrated excellent commitment to the subject and have
achieved impressive results in assessments.
The day began with a tour of a section of the university, including several of its inspiring areas for study and the campus’s ample and impressive sports facilities. Students were then divided into two groups and
taken to attend a series of seminars. Topics included "Personhood", in
which students were asked to consider what separates humans from
animals. Another was "More Than One God in the Hebrew Bible", where
the question of whether or not God might have had a wife was explored. And finally, “The Life and Death of Our Clothes: Religion, Ethics
and Beyond", where discussion took place on items of clothing worn by
religious communities as a symbol of identity.
The RE department was extremely proud of our students on this day;
they actively participated during the seminars, confident in expressing
their ideas and opinions and listened well to others within the various
groups. Mr Pomfret and Miss Sayer both agreed they were an asset to
the school and a pleasure to spend time with!
Miss Sayer,
Teacher of RE
Hair & Beauty at Cornwall College - Assistant Headteacher, Andy Oldfield
On 27th February Tracy Boulton, our Work-Related Learning Administrator, and I visited Cornwall
College, Saltash to see our fourteen year 10 Hair & Beauty students at work. Our students are
studying in classes alongside students from Liskeard and Looe schools for the Principal Learning
qualification at either level 1 or 2.
We saw our level 1 students working with tutor Pam Davies, focussing on the development of the
acrylic nails industry. Our level 2 students were preparing projects on hair and beauty in a historical time of their choosing, under the guidance of tutor Carline Reed; those we saw had chosen
Ancient Rome and the 1940s.
Both tutors reported our students’ positive attitudes and good progress, and were pleased with
how the students from the three schools had gelled together as a productive group.
Opening Keynote at the BYTE conference in Manitoba Canada
Deputy Headteacher at saltash.net, Dan
Buckley, received a warm welcome from
teachers and school leaders in the annual
BYTE ICT conference which was this year
held in the Brandon School District of
Manitoba in Canada. Nearly 1000 teachers attended in person with many more
connecting through the live video stream
to the more remote parts of the
state. Lots of schools were keen to learn
from saltash.net about how the school is
implementing SECRET skills and encouraging teachers to learn from each other’s
practice across different departments and
between Primary and Secondary. The SECRET skills focus on such things as being
a good Self Manager, Creative Thinker
and Effective Participant in team situations.
Support for Livewire Youth Music Project
Students and staff from saltash.net came together in a fundraising effort to show their ongoing
support for the Saltash based Youth Project ‘Livewire’.
As an independent youth charity, Livewire relies on donations and grants from its supporters to
help it continue to provide an invaluable service for the young people of the town and surrounding villages in South East Cornwall.
The school raised the total of £227 through a non-uniform day event and invited the Youth Work
coordinators, Andy and Julie Rance, into a school assembly to collect a cheque on Livewire’s behalf.
Headteacher, Mrs Bryce, said, ‘We are always pleased to be able to provide support for local
charities and Livewire plays such a key role in our town, developing young people’s musical talents, as well as providing much needed youth counselling and advice. We wish Andy and Julie
ongoing success with their fundraising initiatives’.
A message from Livewire Youth Project
PLEASE Vote for Livewire and help us help the lives of a great many local young people Please click on the link below to register and you can cast all your 10 votes for us to win
£9,000. Please share it and ask your friends or even better private message them and
ask them and then ask them to ask their friends. It genuinely only takes a couple of
minutes and you can even sign in using facebook ! Thanks and please share it round
https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/Project/View/372
Showing support for communities far and near
To show solidarity with the people of Nepal, saltash.net held a non-uniform day
fundraiser on Friday 1st May. Some students chose to wear a ‘onesie’, in keeping
with the theme of unity and the showing of
compassion for the people who have been
so terribly affected by the devastating
earthquake. The grand total of £565.31
was raised and this will be sent to Oxfam to
support its Nepal Earthquake Appeal. The
charity will be using funds raised to provide
much needed clean water, sanitation and
emergency food.
Taking place on the same day was another
big fundraiser, this time to help raise money for the 50th Anniversary of saltash.net celebratory
event, scheduled to take place on Saturday 4th July. The day will have something for young and
old and will include a major exhibition of archive photos and artefacts from the last 50 years in
the main school hall, as well as an extensive programme of community events on the school’s
playing fields overlooking the River Tamar.
Thanks to the generosity of staff and students, including Phoebe and Oona Svarc from Year 11,
who donated a huge box of popcorn, the Cake Sale raised £188.70 and was enjoyed by all.
Abi Cox - Year 8
I rode a 3 mile ride around the Eden Project on my horse named Binky. It took me just under 3
hours and I raised £234 for Cancer. It is for Beth who died of cancer at the age of 24. She
wanted to help others but sadly passed away.
Our Easter Raffle raised £150.66
in memory of Joe Crabtree for
Muscular Dystrophy
‘Skiing the dream in St Anton’
Forty staff and students from saltash.net community school
travelled to St Anton am Arlberg in the Austrian Tyrol for a week’s
skiing over the February half term holiday. Described as the ‘Cradle
of Alpine Skiing’ and a ‘snowy paradise of the highest calibre’, the
team enjoyed superb weather and perfect piste conditions.
The students made excellent progress with their skiing skills and
some of the students were able to use their achievements on the
slopes as part of their GCSE and A Level PE assessments.
Teacher of PE, Head of Year 9 and Team Leader for the ski trip, Mark Feldwick, said, “The
students were a credit to the school and not only worked super hard but were amazingly
well behaved too. One of the boys said that it was “even better than football” while a year
11 student declared it to be the best week of his life. Although it could not be described as
a restful week, or indeed, a holiday, I love running saltash.net’s ski trip because it gives
me a great chance to see our young people at their best – challenged, working hard but
really taking responsibility for themselves.”
Ten Tors - 35 mile challenge
After a soggy start, our intrepid 35 mile team were progressing well until a ‘knee injury’ unfortunately sent
them crashing. However, Graham Drewery, Site Manager and Ten Tors trainer, said, ‘I have been extremely
impressed with the Team’s attitude throughout the training process, and proud of the effort they put in this weekend.
Ten Tors is indeed tough for a youngster and it doesn't take much to pile on the pressure during the challenge.’
‘I am sorry for the team but what a brilliant effort by everyone. Activities like Ten Tors are so much more than just
the weekend, they are a life changing, life enhancing experience and it is a credit to the school to have staff who are
happy and able to support the students taking part.
Well done and thank you.’
Michael Larkin
Isaac Jewell
Siobhan Ellyatt
Kate Randall
Dylan Studden
Danielle Burnard
Joe Willcock
Team Leader
Lead Navigator
Assistant Team Leader/2nd Navigator
Time Keeper/First Aider
First Aider
Water Supplies
Reserve team member
Tom Mansell, School Governor
Pet therapy at saltash.net
Mollie, a King Charles Spaniel, was
welcomed into the community at
saltash.net in September 2014.
She was ready bright and early to
welcome Connor and Daniel, the
new Trematon Zone Year 7 students, on their first day at saltash.net and she has continued to
behave perfectly at school supporting students whilst they work, during tricky emotional times, and at
breaks. It wasn’t long before word
was out that Mollie was in the
Zone every day, so she started
having main school visitors, some
upset, some just to say hi and others to join in the regular Mollie walks. The Young Carers group also invited her to join them in
their sessions, and she has gone to some assemblies.
Mollie just seems to know when a young person is needing her, and is so gentle with them, and
so loving. Mrs Gomer, lead teacher in the Trematon Zone, knew of the charity Pets As Therapy,
and wondered if Mollie would pass the assessments. A trial run was undertaken in the Zone to
see if Mollie could become an official ‘Pet As Therapy Dog’ at saltash.net. PAT dogs must be 9
months old and have been with their owner for at least 6 months before applying. The application process involved: Completing the application form; providing two character references for
Mrs Gomer as she owns Mollie, and a copy of Mollie’s vaccination certificate; and having Mollie’s
temperament assessed. It took nearly an hour of reaction tests by a PAT trained assessor/vet
checking to confirm that Mollie is able to: walk on a relaxed lead, without excessive pulling; accept being stroked and handled and having her paws, tail and ears patted, often rather vigorously; not be overly worried about having her paws, ears, or tail handled by a stranger; be able to
take a food treat gently without snatching; and respond appropriately to a sudden noise or disturbance in the room whilst being tested.
Mrs Gomer also had to show she could control Mollie on the lead whilst holding a conversation
with the assessor because PAT dogs need to be able to wait patiently at all times; groom Mollie’s
back, chest, stomach and tail because it shows she accepts authority; restrict Mollie by holding
her collar or holding her firmly in case of an emergency at saltash.net; present Mollie in a fit,
clean and healthy condition as PAT dogs need to behave appropriately under demanding social
and physical situations as this helps them and is a sign of a responsible pet owner.
Mollie and Mrs Gomer finally passed the assessments and Mollie is now saltash.net’s Pet as
Therapy. She is based in the Trematon Zone which is a provision for 15 students with complex
learning needs.
The Zone welcomes anyone who needs her to comfort them, to read to, to talk to, to go for a
walk with. At other times, she will continue indulging in the attention she gets during breaks,
and almost independently engaging with learning during lesson times, and sleeping on the bed
made for her when the Zone students are out and about without her (which isn’t often) or when
she just doesn’t want to learn French!
By the Zone students – Thomas Perry and Ashley Pearse
Year 11’s ‘official’ last day
Year 11’s ‘official’ last day is
a ‘rite of passage’ anticipated with a range of emotions
by students and staff alike
at saltash.net community school. On Friday 8th
May, there was much fun
and laughter as the students arrived in an incredible array of fancy dress outfits for their last day of lessons before the examination and revision programme commenced in earnest.
There were also, however, tears and hugs as the
year group, head of year, tutors, teachers and
support staff came together to share memories
and reflect on everything that had been achieved
over the last five years. There were lessons as
normal in the morning, followed by a special lunch
in the gym which gave all of the students an opportunity to have their Year Books signed, whilst
being entertained by Year 11 student Nathan
Daniel, an ‘in house’ DJ!
There was live music at
lunchtime with an open air
‘bandslam’ session in the
Year 9/10 quad. Students
Bronwen Hall, Elliot
Wearne Gould, Ryan Kean
and Matt Ward performed
a series of numbers
providing the perfect entertainment for the Year
11 cohort.
In the afternoon, Year 11 assembled in the main
hall with Head of Year, Mr Oakes, and Assistant
Head of Year, Mrs Sloggett. More musical entertainment was provided by Lydia Herbert, Rose
Bonner and Chloe Brandon. Teacher of PE, Mrs
Emma Gue, was presented with a bouquet for all
she did to help with the Year Book, and student,
Toby Shotton, was presented with a certificate
and reward for achieving the outstanding feat of
having 100% attendance throughout his whole
time at saltash.net.
Mrs Bryce, commended the class of
2015, saying she knew they would make
everyone proud this summer and wishing them all the very best now and in
the future.
Theme Day
‘Dear Mrs. Bryce,
Just thought I would drop you a note to congratulate the staff who organised the 6th form Year 13 Theme Day in March. Despite my best efforts in getting our son
interested in cooking I have failed abysmally (at least since he turned 7 or 8). However, the
Theme Day seems to have changed him into a budding chef and he has willingly produced
some gastronomic delights! Therefore, please thank those who organised this but could I
make one request - could they arrange a session on washing up too please!!
Year
7
8
8
9
10
10
11
11
11
12
13
Activity
What is POWER?
Students travel to @Bristol for the day. They will get the chance to explore the interactive exhibits as well
as taking part in a workshop based on a topic linked to POWER.
Why did they wear that hat? – History activity looking at change over time, through hats!
Creative Geography: developing team work, problem solving and providing an enriching experience for our
students
Mount Edgcumbe: Students will take part in kite building, a challenging assault course, map reading skill
building and a variety of problem solving activities
Saltram: Students will be given the challenge of an orienteering trail, developing map reading skills and a
number of problem solving activities throughout the day
High Eggspectations!
The day will take the form of a carousel of challenges each lasting 30 minutes. Students will work in tutor
groups with the aim of gathering as many tokens throughout the day to be able to ‘spend’ on equipment to
protect their egg for the final challenge/assembly during p5.
It’s time to celebrate!
Print making workshop followed by the opportunity for all students to design and create their own print to
celebrate saltash.net at 50
Challenge day!
Working with RIO. Forming individual student companies drawing on their interests, aptitudes and passions and training them in collaboration. The companies will then be supported to develop real, viable and
innovative social enterprise business concepts
Maths: The students will follow 5 workshops/challenges – ‘Darts’ ‘Pirate Game’ ‘three or one’ ‘Dingbats’
and ‘Maths teacher drop’.
Pushing the boundaries
Activities provided by Nigel Kerr, allowing students to push themselves to the limit. They will take part in
climbing, moorland walking and a wild camp. These tasks should encourage self-confidence, communication and team work.
Making it stick!
Revision based workshops followed by unwind/chillout – bouncy castle being hired in and a dodgeball session.
Cardiff University trip (UCAS fair)
In school: Health and well-being day
Memorable May Ball
For Head of 6th Form and Deputy Headteacher at saltash.net, Mr Nick Scantlebury, the
annual Year 13 May Ball was set to be particularly memorable. Having announced his retirement earlier this year, Mr Scantlebury has been making the most of his remaining time at
the school, and this included enjoying a very special evening at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel
in Plymouth designed to mark the end of the 6th formers’ time at their school.
Arriving in style, the Year 13 students enjoyed ‘red carpet’ photocalls organised by DT Technician, Mr Darren McDonald, before sitting down to a three course meal and dancing the
night away.
Commenting on the success of the May Ball, Mr Scantlebury said, ‘Tonight was a very fitting
way for students to mark the end of their A level studies. Everybody enjoyed the evening, as
was evident in the wonderful atmosphere. I am sure that the students will have good memories not only of the May Ball but also of their time in the Sixth Form.‘
Language Leaders
More than a dozen hands are high up in the air, wide-eyed faces are eager to give the answer – the pupils of this mixed year 5/6 class learning the French for items in the school
bag are clearly enjoying their lesson. But there is one thing different from your average
classroom: the teachers are only a few years older than the students.
Teaching is the best way of learning – this is the reason why saltash.net community school
has launched an award scheme called “Language Leaders” which aims at enabling year 8 and 9
students to develop their communication and intercultural skills. Carys was one of the first
Language Leaders to visit Landulph Primary School - “I want to be a primary school teacher
one day and the Language Leaders scheme helps me to get the experience I need. I really
enjoyed working with the primary school children. At the beginning I was really nervous but
seeing the other children’s enthusiasm helped me to become more confident. “
Year 4 & 5 Information Evenings have been successfully held
at all 7 of our partner primary schools last term. Thanks are
offered to all students who accompanied Mrs Bryce, Mrs Griffin, Mr Rowe and Mr Taylor to their old primary schools to help
the next generation feel informed and less anxious.
Staffing Update
Further to the staffing update contained in the last edition of Community News, I am now able to
let you know of other colleagues who will be leaving saltash.net this summer. We have been
working very hard to appoint replacement teachers and support staff who will be joining us in
September and we are excited about the new additions to our staff team. However, we will miss
those staff leaving us in July very much indeed and wish to thank them all for the outstanding
contribution they have made to the life of our school during the time they have been with us.
ENGLISH
SCIENCE
SOCIOLOGY
Mr Armer
Retiring (after completing 36 years at Saltash!)
Miss Allen
Moving to the International School in Penang, Malaysia
Miss Bailey
Travelling abroad
Miss Jones
Relocation to Bath area
Mrs Wheeler
Career Break
Mrs Edwards
Career Break
Miss Hawkins
Relocation to Bristol area
Miss Ripper
Moving to Brisbane, Australia
Mrs West
Retiring
Mrs Lee
Career Break
We also said farewell to Mr Edwards, teacher of ICT, Computing and Business Studies, earlier this
term as he moved to Penrice Academy in St Austell to take up a Head of Department role.
Support staff leaving us this term are Mrs Hele, HLTA, moving to an alternative provision school
in Liskeard, Mr Fisher, Science Technician, moving to Japan, Mrs Launce, Cover Supervisor, moving to Ridgeway school and TAs Mrs Plateck and Mr Stanbury.
Support staff leaving at the end of July are Mrs Gordon and Mr Uden, Learning Mentors, and TAs
Mrs Potterton and Mrs Sherrard.
Full details of all new staff joining us will be included in the July edition of Community News.
Congratulations

To Mr and Mrs Feldwick, expecting their first child in October. We are currently appointing
a teacher of History to cover Mrs Feldwick’s teaching commitments. Mr Horrell will be taking over as Head of Integrated Learning and Mrs Gue will be Acting Director of Creativity
with responsibility for the Theme Days.

To Mrs Blackmore (nèe Miss Lockwood), expecting baby no.2 in October and also to Mrs
Brutey who is expecting her first child in September but finishes with us this summer.

Congratulations also go to Mr Grant Taylor, whose first child Henry Christopher was born on
12th May. (Mr Taylor will be taking over as Head of Year 7/6 from September. Mr Eaglestone will be taking over Mr Taylor’s current role as KS4 Intervention Officer).
Diary Dates
Monday 25th to Friday 29th May
Half Term
Thursday 4th June
Year 12 return from study leave
Tuesday 16th June
Year 6 Taster Day
Monday 22nd June
Year 6 Taster Day
Wed 24th to Fri 26th June
Sixth Form Induction Days
Fri 26th to Thurs 2nd July
Year 10 End of Year Exams
Wed 1st July
Year 7 Parents’ Surgery
Friday 3rd July
Sports Day
SATURDAY 4TH JULY
50TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY EVENT
Tuesday 7th July
Year 5 Theme Day
Wednesday 8th July
Theme Day (3)
Thursday 9th July
Sports Day Reserve
Friday 10th July
Year 11 Prom
Mon 13th to Fri 17th July
Curriculum Enrichment & Work Experience
Monday 20th July
New Year 7 Parents’ Induction Evening
Wednesday 22nd July
Last day of Summer Term - Early closure 12.20pm
(Buses & Taxis will collect students at this time)
Saltash school uniform including the saltash.net embroidered
items are now available from Field Leisure at 89 Fore Street. Field
Leisure is a family run business run by Paul and Emma Addison offering a friendly convenient service for all your school wear needs.
You can also view all items on the Saltash School Uniform website
www.saltashschooluniforms.co.uk
Friends of saltash.net community school
Can you spare a few hours to help support our community school? If so, please contact Mr Ben
Rowe, Head of Year 7 for further information - email: [email protected] or contact reception on 01752 - 843715
Can you Sing, Dance or Entertain Saltash?
If so, the Saltash Lions Club are hosting a Family
Variety Show and are looking for local starts in the
making to volunteer their talents to entertain Saltash and raise money for local causes.
If you are interested why not attend the auditions
evening on Friday 29th May (4.30pm - 6.00pm) in
the Burraton Community Centre.
For more information call Debbie Willcocks on
07773907622