march 17th 2017 1 an evening with lord winston · pdf filecalling all teachers due to popular...

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1 www.tauntonschool.co.uk CHALLENGE NURTURE INSPIRE March 17th 2017 AN EVENING WITH LORD WINSTON MORE ON PAGES 4 & 5 Taunton School was delighted to host world-renowned Professor of Fertility Studies, Robert Winston at a free public lecture this week, as part of our John Rae series. IVF Pioneer and Presenter of ‘Child of our Time’ Lord Winston visited Taunton School on Monday, 13th March and captivated a packed-house with his talk titled 'Science, Why bother?' Lord Winston was greeted by students and staff from the science department at the Senior School. A group of Sixth Form scientists were then fortunate enough to spend 45 minutes with Lord Winston before the main event, discussing issues relevant to their studies. Special guests, including The Mayor were then invited to have a light supper with the Professor.

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www.tauntonschool.co.uk

CHALLENGE NURTURE INSPIRE

March 17th 2017

AN EVENING WITH LORD WINSTON

MORE ON PAGES 4 & 5

Taunton School was delighted to host world-renowned Professor of Fertility Studies, Robert Winston at a free public lecture this week, as part of our John Rae series.

IVF Pioneer and Presenter of ‘Child of our Time’ Lord Winston visited Taunton School on Monday, 13th March and captivated a packed-house with his talk titled 'Science, Why bother?'

Lord Winston was greeted by students and staff from the science department at the Senior School. A group of Sixth Form scientists were then fortunate enough to spend 45 minutes with Lord Winston before the main event, discussing issues relevant to their studies. Special guests, including The Mayor were then invited to have a light supper with the Professor.

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CHALLENGE NURTURE INSPIRE

SCHOOL CALENDARSaturday 18th March

8.20am - 6pm - Model United Nations Conference (priority

over sport) (Queen's College) 8.25am - 8.55am - Scholars' Programme (Academic, Art, Drama, DT, Music & Sport) (Arts Centre & Departments)

8.30am - 9.15am - Parents' Breakfast (Informal) * (Chaplain's House)

9am - English Schools' Cross Country (Norfolk) 9am - Netball National Schools Final

2pm - Boys' Hockey v BGS (H) 15A 15B 14A 14B (A) 1 2 3 4 (depart 12:35pm; return 6pm)

2pm - Netball v Exeter School (H) U15A B U14A B (A) 1 U16 2 (depart 12:45pm; return 5pm)

4pm - Ten Tors training groups depart (return Sunday 19 March) (The Quantocks)

7.30pm - 10.30pm - Sixth Form Social (Old Library)

Sunday 19th March

3rd in Lent Boarders' Outing: WE/ML

11am - 1pm - Boarders' brunch 5pm - Ten Tors training groups return

7pm - 8.30pm - Classical Music Concert - Choral Society and Community Choir (Chapel)

Monday 20th March

Vernal Equinox Rag Week

AS French Oral retakes (by individual appointment) (MFL classrooms)

International Francophonie Day 8.30am - 8.55am - Chapel - Visiting Speaker: I Am Saying #8: 'I

Am The Way, Truth & Life' (WE) 8.30am - 8.55am - HM Assembly: The Lisk Society

4pm - 5.15pm - House Cross Country 6.45pm - 8pm - Rag Week - Hypnotist (Martin Taylor) (Arts

Centre) Boys' Hockey U15 Finals Cup

Tuesday 21st March

8.30am - 8.55am - Chapel - Visiting Speaker: I Am Saying #8: 'I Am The Way, Truth & Life' (WR)

8.30am - 8.55am - HM Assembly: The Lisk Society

9am - Deadline for Academic & Co-Curricular Reports - Year 9, 11, 12 and 13

2pm - 3.30pm - Junior Boys' Hockey House Matches 3.30pm - 5pm - Senior Boys' Hockey House Matches

3.30pm - 5pm - Senior Girls' House Basketball 4pm - 5pm - Years 9 and 10 Horizons (TBC)

5.05pm - 5.25pm - Tea-Time Concert * (Arts Centre Foyer) 6.45pm - 7.45pm - Rag Week - University Challenge (Old

Library) Trinity College London Music Exams

Wednesday 22nd March

AS Spanish Oral retakes

6am - Rosslyn Park Rugby Sevens Tournament (A) U18 (group departs) (Rosslyn Park)

7.30am - 8.15am - Staff Lent Breakfast (Newton Room) 8.30am - 12.45pm - Year 12 Higher Education Fair (Westpoint

Conference Centre, Exeter) 9.30am - 9pm - West of England Public Schools Golf

Tournament (Burnham & Berrow Golf Club) 6.40pm - 9pm - Parent-Teacher Consultations - Year 12

6.45pm - 8pm - Rag Week - House Music Video (Arts Centre)

Thursday 23rd March

8am - 2pm - West of England Public Schools Golf Tournament

(Burnham & Berrow Golf Club) 3pm - Boys' Hockey Awards Session (after training) - Seniors

(Arts Centre) 4pm - 5pm - Year 12 Horizons - Lets Talk about Sex (boys only)

with Emily Kane (Arts Centre) 4pm - 5pm - Year 11 Horizons - Positive Jack Talk with Jack

Russell (Old Library) 4.30pm - Boys' Hockey Awards Session (after training) -

Juniors (Arts Centre) 5pm - French Trip to Normandy and Paris - group departs

6.45pm - 9pm - Rag Week - Film Night (Arts Centre) Rosslyn Park Rugby Sevens Tournament (A) U18 (group

returns)

Friday 24th March

9.30am - Chapel for Boarders' - Easter Service

10.30am - Chapel for Day Pupils: Easter Service 12.30pm - Parent-Teacher Consultations - Year 10

12.35pm - Term Ends 4pm - Boys' Hockey Biannual Tournament (24-26 March)

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CHALLENGE NURTURE INSPIRE

TS HEADS UP ON... GROWING UP IN THE 21ST CENTURY

JOB VACANCIESIf you think you’ve got what it takes to be a part of our outstanding organisation, please have a look through our latest job vacancies on our brand new website www.tauntonschool.co.uk.

Or for more information, contact our HR Department on 01823 703123 or via [email protected].

CALLING ALL TEACHERSDue to popular demand we are seeking teachers for our GCSE & A Level Easter Revision courses, running from Tues 4th - Thurs 14th April. Competitive rates of pay.

Contact Suzette Youngs at [email protected] for more information.

ATTENTION!SIXTH FORM LEAVERS BALL 2017

To apply please drop off completed form (which can be found on the last page) at TS main office in an envelope clearly marked ‘LEAVERS BALL’. Drop off applications will be acknowledged within 7 days. If you have not received confirmation

within this timescale, please email [email protected].

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW

‘What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?’

The media tells us on a daily basis what is wrong with our young people. Mental health issues are on the rise. Teenagers have trouble sleeping. Screen use is unchecked. ADHD rates are spiralling upwards. Pornography addiction is commonplace. Concentration spans are declining. The list of problems goes on and on and it can all become rather depressing. As an antidote to the gloom, let me tell you about three key bits of wisdom to which I keep returning.

1. The academic research behind the causal links mentioned above is still in its infancy. It is far too early to

tell what the effects of social media use may be. To fill the void between experience and considered conclusions, the media peddles old stereotypes about teenagers which arrive at the over-used conclusion that they are a sloppy, ill-disciplined bunch who pose a threat to the future prosperity of our society.

2. Growing up for this generation is a significantly different experience from the one we had when we were young. Therefore we

risk alienation if we, as parents and teachers, rush blindly to impose our rules on our students and children. We must include them in discussions, listen to them, and build trust with them, rather than laying down our authority unilaterally.

3. We must be careful not to jump to conclusions which are withering and negative. When researching this article I came across the quotation at the top. As you may have guessed, these aren’t the words of a contemporary politician or commentator. They were written by Plato in ancient Athens. Sadly, our views about the next generation haven’t really moved on much since then.

I have really enjoyed working with some of the Year 12 this term on two really important areas of school life: screen use and mental health. Last year we ask the IB Psychology group to help author the screen policy, and this year we asked them to help review it. Their findings, and the screen use policy itself, are contained within this week’s Courier. I am very proud of the work they have done and the engagement they, and the Mental Health Society, have shown with this issue. The screen policy is something we will look to further embed over the course of the next academic year, to make the school an even more vibrant, challenging and human place in which to live, learn and work.

Ed Burnett Deputy Head

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SCIENCE, WHY BOTHER?When speaking to the 600-strong audience, Lord

Winston delivered a fascinating presentation and showed his passion for all aspects of science. Interestingly, he often made references to music and art, playing classical excerpts and presenting his favourite art, looking at the correlation between these pieces and scientific discoveries. He took the audience through millions of years, from brain evolution to parachutes and left them with much to take home, pondering the current and future developments in the world of science.

He generously took many questions from the floor at the end of his talk, giving everyone a chance and answering in his unique engaging style.

Biology student Ned Travers, who is in the Upper Sixth, said: "Firstly it is a privilege to have him here, he is such a big figure in so many ways and such an interesting man. I'm honoured to be in his company and hear about his past work, his future work and what he is doing at present. It is nice to be able to talk to someone who has been involved in so many areas of science."

Henry Shelton, also in the Upper Sixth, and who wants to study medicine said: “I was interested in hearing him talking about his views on IVF. He was explaining to us that as medical students we would be faced with hard decisions in our life balancing the ethics behind it and our own moral compass."

Lee Glaser, Headmaster, said after the event: “We feel very privileged to welcome such a prominent scientist to our school. Lord Winston is a truly remarkable professor and has undoubtedly inspired the next generation of science leaders in our community with his talk tonight.”

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A group of Sixth Form students, of which I was fortunate enough to be included, had the incredible opportunity to meet him before his lecture, which was in front of an audience of approximately 600 people. After introducing ourselves, we then actively discussed many topics varying from how religion is a determining factor in understanding ethical dilemmas in IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation), to the extent to which failure has a positive impact on our life experience.

It was particularly interesting to hear that the Emeritus Professor at Imperial College did not have a clear idea of what he wanted to do in his life before the age of 28. Food for thought for those students in a dilemma about subject and career choices! Indeed, although he was offered a place to read natural sciences at the University of Cambridge, he decided six weeks before the start of the academic year to apply for medicine. Even though his main academic field is biology and genetic engineering, I was impressed by the variety of his passions and interests, and those not necessarily related to science. For instance, during the lecture there were numerous parallels drawn between the beauty of scientific knowledge and that of mathematics, music and art.

Lord Winston’s key messages during his lecture was that scientific knowledge is not only limited to one narrow field such as biology or physics, but it is a unique entity which is crucial for all of humanity. In addition, science can be found everywhere on a daily basis: from the quarks making up the protons of an atom to the structure of skyscrapers. As such, of course it matters and, yes, we should “bother” about it.

Alessandro Rossi Polvara

STUDENT'S VIEW: MEETING LORD WINSTON

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ACADEMIC QUIZ AGAINST KING'S On Friday 10th March a group

of enthusiastic Year 9 and Year 10 students took part in an academic quiz against King’s in Centenary Hall. The style of the quiz was based on University Challenge rules and structure.

Whilst we did not win (in fact we were soundly thrashed I have to be honest!), the students who took part put in a valiant effort and towards the end of the evening Taunton School’s score line was beginning to look far more respectable. Once some of the

contestants realised that actually having your finger ready on the buzzer was a far more effective way of actually answering the questions, our teams managed to answer some tricky questions and demonstrated some good general knowledge.

Taking part in these types of events (and without any prior practice), up on a big stage in front of your peers and some parents too is no mean feat, and I was impressed by the grace and poise with which all of our students conducted themselves. Even though we lost by a rather large

margin, I was pleased when a student came up to me the following morning at school eagerly asking when the next quiz was taking place.

My thanks go to all who took part and also to Dr Cruttenden who was a very fine Master of Quizzes.

We are planning to get a House Quiz up and running in the near future so watch this space!

Val Burnett Head of Academic Enrichment

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It’s that time of year again: the best week in the school calendar is fast approaching! The prefects have been spending time making sure Raising and Giving Week 2017 will be jam-packed with events. For those who are unfamiliar, RaG Week is organized every year by the School Prefects to raise money for charity, through a variety of activities which

everyone can participate in. This year the event runs from today through to Thursday 23rd March.

Last year’s RaG Week was my first, and I really enjoyed it: it is a really fun way of raising money for charity, and a treat for the whole school: the prefect auction was particularly enjoyable to watch, especially the forfeits of their new ownerships. However, this year is our turn to be auctioned off, so we’re not the ones laughing now (although you will be).

RaG Week last year was good, but this year will be even better. We’ve arranged a lavish line-up for this year: the One Night Only Talent Contest; notorious hypnotist Martin Taylor; the Sixth Form ‘Hippies vs. Hipsters’ Social; alongside a plenitude of others. There will be cake sales on every day of the week, and to work it off, we are going to include a fun (colour run) at the annual House Cross Country event. This year’s school charities are EducAid, Royal Marine Charity, CALM and BISEE Books and we would like to raise as much money as possible to donate to these excellent causes.

We are all looking forward to everyone getting together and having fun. From watching your teachers have their legs waxed, to taking part in the Fluffy Bunny challenge, each one of you will be making a difference.

Eva Coulibaly-Willis Prefect

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH GREEN SCREENS

Exciting plans for Rag Week

Year 9 Spanish students have been learning about illnesses and remedies in Spanish and on Wednesday morning they had lots of fun recording in front of the green screen.

They recorded doctor and patient conversation in very accurate Spanish. Well done!

Natalia Paul Teacher of Spanish

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GCSE and A Level revision courses

Tuesday 4th - Friday 7th April & Monday 10th - Thursday 13th April

Taunton School’s popular revision courses offer intensive tuition to students both locally and nationally. Subject specialist teachers work with small groups of maximum 8 students.

For more information or to book a course, contact [email protected]

Economics and ICT now available for Easter Revision!

BOOK NOW

TPS NEW APPOINTMENT: MR CHRIS COLEMAN, DEPUTY HEAD

I have great pleasure in announcing that Mr Chris Coleman has been appointed as the Deputy Headmaster of the Prep School from September 2017. Mr Coleman joined TPS in September 2013 and it was not long before he was asked to join the Senior Management Team in the role of ‘Senior Master’. Mr Coleman has made a great success of assisting in the management of the school and has proved himself to be an excellent teacher of Computing

and Boys’ Games. Mr Coleman and Mrs Coleman are the

Houseparents to the boarders of Thone House and have two children in the school, Harvey in Year 2 and Oscar in Year 4. It is the perfect time for Mr Coleman to step up to the role of Deputy Head and all of us at TPS are looking forward to working with a professional of such high calibre who knows the school so well. I do hope that you are able to attend our evening on 21st March, when you will of course have the chance to meet Mr Coleman with the rest of next September’s Senior Management Team. Please RSVP to Liz Verge ([email protected]) if you are able to attend and we very much hope to see you there.

Read more about this evening event on page 6.

Mr Andrew Edwards

A MESSAGE FROM THE INCOMING PREP HEAD, MR ANDREW EDWARDS

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BACK OUR BLOG LEGENDS OF LATIN

BIOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY SYMPOSIUM TRIP

A group of Lower Sixth students studying Biology or Psychology went to a Symposium at Millfield School recently. It was a very insightful experience on the two different subject areas that were applicable to the future and

relatable to current news stories. We listened to two lectures in the morning either about marine biology and proteins, or psychology in the real world and decision making. We were able to gain a lot of vital knowledge from the experience which gave us a deeper understanding into many complex topics in our syllabus but also expanding our general knowledge beyond the syllabus.

Then in the afternoon we had a choice of various different workshops from university speakers to exam skills and talking with the speakers from the morning. This provided us with the opportunity to ask our own questions and make the most from the knowledge of the highly qualified speakers that were present. Finally, we concluded with a lecture about ‘The Replication Challenge in Psychology and Medical Science’ touching on some very topical issues of research and the process of experimentation. Overall it was a very valuable day which deepened our knowledge and helped us to understand the relevance and importance of the subjects we are studying.

Carly Anderson Teacher of Psychology

Year 12 students Will Doherty and Amy Lloyd-Jones have won prizes in the senior section of the ARLT Latin Reading Competition. They prepared a passage of Latin from Virgil’s Aeneid and made a recording of themselves reading it aloud, concentrating both on making an expressive reading of the story and on pronouncing the Latin accurately. The passage told the story of Aeneas and his men landing on the coast of Africa after a storm. Aeneas makes an optimistic speech about their future destiny to found the Roman race and their ability to withstand disaster. Amy and Will managed to convey this convincingly and accurately, and highlight the pathos of Aeneas hiding his grief in his heart while addressing his men.

Judy Nesbit Teacher of Classic

As you may know, we launched a new website early this year with our very own blog section! We regularly update this with the latest news from our boarders and subject leads. There is a lot of exciting content to read and we hope that you enjoy it!

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BOOKWORMS CORNER“I’m reviewing the situation …” sings Fagin in the

glorious musical Oliver. We are constantly exposed to reviews and asked for our own in return – you can’t seem to buy anything online without being pestered to review your purchase and rate the seller.

So book reviews are only some of the millions of opinions out there. But they are among the most useful.

With incredible numbers of new titles hitting the shelves each year, where do you start to choose? Personal recommendations are the best, of course, even if the “review” is just “I loved this, I think you will too”. Reading the review pages of quality newspapers, magazines and websites is the next best thing – especially if you find a reviewer whose writing style has its own appeal to you.

Recommending books to friends is great. Committing your opinion to writing is brave. Over the past couple of years, a number of people in the Taunton School community have contributed great reviews to Eclipse, the Library’s

management system which you can access on Firefly. I asked permission to quote some of them here.

MRS BURNETT RECOMMENDS THE SILK ROADS BY PETER FRANKOPAN:

I am always in awe of authors who write books which are over 500 pages in length and that still manage to keep the reader fully engaged, but this is precisely what

this book does. “The Silk Roads” is a sweeping yet detailed analysis of history and civilisation from the viewpoint of the East and, as such, turns much accepted “wisdom” about the world’s past on its head.

At times, and as you would expect, Frankopan’s argument is controversial. Nevertheless, his core premise that the “Silk Roads are rising again” is comprehensively explained and compellingly argued. If you have an interest in History, Politics, International Relations or in the future of the world in general, then this book is well worth a read. Whilst I did not agree with all of Frankopan’s contentions, I enjoyed his book immensely.

MRS MCKAY WROTE WARMLY OF THE BEES BY LALINE PAULL:

This is a great book, difficult to put down. It is original and inventive and although the heroine is a worker bee, one sympathises with her and ends up dying to know what happens to her. Bees are strange creatures anyway (the dancing and the working till they die of exhaustion are all true) but this book dives into that strangeness and invents reasons for it. It expands from the known fact of bees working together for the good of the hive and suggests how and why.

A bee landed on my lap, not long after I finished this book and I found myself willing her to rest a while before plunging back into her busy life.

You may think that for a school forum, reviews have to be positive. Nothing could be further from the truth. As long as you can justify your opinions either way, it’s a valid review. Let me share my own response to Kevin Brooks’ The Bunker Diary: I'll come straight out and admit it - I couldn't read this book. Unremitting grimness, archetypal existential horror and a very dead dog ... no, this one was not something I would willingly engage with, Carnegie Medal winner of 2014 though it is. I skipped and flicked my way through looking for any gleam of light and failing to find so much as a spent match.

However, if you like your fiction a howling wilderness of dystopian anguish, give it a go.

If you prefer a bit of life affirmation, avoid it like Linus should have avoided the psycho with the silo. Ugh.

We would love you to contribute reviews to Eclipse. You can ask me for log-in details and create a review directly on to the system (don’t forget to sign it!), or email the text to me and I will add it under your name.

If there is a book you love or hate, tell everyone about it. And if you are looking for a good read, what better place to start than by checking out what your friends have enjoyed?

Amanda Lockwood

BOOK REVIEWS - A USEFUL RESOURCE

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DON'T MESS WITH THE MAFIA

FIRST AID VICTORY FOR ARMY MEDIC TROOP

On Saturday morning the Academic Scholars received an interesting and unique talk from Mrs Battaglino on the Mafia or 'Cosa Nostra' – translated as 'our thing'. The talk began with the origins of the Mafia as a vigilante group within Sicily designed to protect the island from foreign invaders, with the derivation of the word meaning 'swagger' but coming to mean 'bravery' or 'bravado'. This group began to take control and become corrupt - eventually evolving into a professional crime syndicate, with strong family ties and a strict code of honour and eventually spread to mainland Italy and further. The Mafia in America came about as the individuals who could communicate between the newly introduced Italian workers and the English-speaking bosses began to gain more and more power and became corrupt, turning to the structure favoured in Italy for their criminal activities.

The Mafia in all countries have a code of silence called 'omertà' whereby members will never snitch about any crime involvement or even the existence of the Mafia. The penalty for breaking this code is death. The Mafia

primarily make their profit through 'protection money' and other scams and have been responsible for many famous crimes down the years, led by different dons, with Al 'Scarface' Capone, one of the most famous American mobsters, responsible for the Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929. Throughout the years, there have been surprisingly few Mafia bosses arrested or charged, especially in Italy, largely due to their modes of operations, with the 'soldiers' who do the dirty work several times separated from the bosses themselves in a rigid structure, and also due to a prevalence of police corruption throughout the years.

Mrs Battaglino then went on to talk about the Italian heroes who fought against the Mafia: the anti-Mafia judge Paolo Borsellino and prosecutor Giovanni Falcone, who managed to prosecute hundreds of Mafiosos over their careers before being murdered in 1992. This presentation offered a great insight into a world many of us have never considered before and was an incredibly eye-opening talk.

Will Doherty

The CCF Army Medic Troop have spent the last six months working towards their St Johns Ambulance First Aid certificate. Last Friday they successfully completed the theory and practical tests with flying colours. The troop have worked really hard to develop their medical skills and knowledge and it has been a pleasure teaching them! What better way to celebrate passing than to take on a 24hr CPR charity challenge (which started at 1pm today) in aid of the British Heart Foundation and Help For Heroes.

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Last year’s IB Psychology group were asked by Mr Burnett to research and write a senior school Screens Policy. This year Mr Burnett asked the Year 12 IB Psychology class to review the policy and offer amendments based on academic study and personal research.

Education Screens can form a key part of teaching and learning. Pupils respond well when digital learning is placed at the heart of lessons and teachers discuss with them how to boost interactive learning by using on-lone resources and apps.

Addiction Addictive behaviour can result from excessive use of screen time which affects concentration, relationships and learning outcomes. Pupils are encouraged to load Apps like ‘Moments’ as this will help pupils track their own usage.

Mental Health Screens and social media can lead to upset, anxiety and isolation. As pupils we want people to respect one another, show tolerance and kindness.

Physical Health Screens can help support a healthy and rounded lifestyle and monitor sleep.

Community To help foster relationships and an open community screens are not allowed to be used in public places during the formal part of the school day unless instructed to by a member of staff (for example in lessons) or if the pupil is in their house.

Sleep Open access to the internet can disrupt sleep patterns and affect people’s ability to get into a balanced routine. The internet shut down should be staggered with Sixth Form at 11pm.

Pupils in Year 9 and 10 should hand their phones in at bed time. In Year 11 and above this should be voluntary.

Their main goal was to see how much the students use their phone in and out of school. They wanted to see how using your phone could possibly affect your sleep, anxiety or stress, and to what extent their phones were distracting them from working. They were also concerned that their screens might be lowering the current generation's ability to socialise face to face.

Their desk research highlighted the following:

“The use of computers, including devices such as smartphones, tablet computers and laptops before bed has been associated with a reduction in the hours of sleep experienced by frequent users, along with a decreased quality of sleep, in most cases. The results of computer use at night have been linked with tiredness. A study carried out by the University of Oxford shows that in 73% of cases, smartphone usage led to people being more tired.”

“Adolescents from the age of 10-17 need 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep, with the hours needed decreasing with increased age. Failing to meet these sleep needs has been linked with depression, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. An important factor in sleep is melatonin, a hormone produced in the pineal gland that is associated with sleep facilitation. During the daytime, blood melatonin levels are barely detectable, but at night, melatonin levels are high. This phenomenon is due to light's effect on melatonin production. If there is sufficient light, then melatonin production is halted. It is possible for artificial light to be bright enough to have this effect, and thus your body thinks its daytime and you can’t sleep!”

Following this, the group conducted Field Research using the same questions and format from a national survey

IB PSYCHOLOGISTS REVIEW THESCREEN POLICY

Sixth Formers deep in policy discussion

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of teenagers conducted by Digital Awareness UK - http://www.hmc.org.uk/blog/research-teenage-use-mobile-devices-night/

They conducted a survey of all of the Senior School and over 400 people responded to see how much we rely on our devices.

45% of those asked check their phones 2-5 times a night.

69% check their phones before going to bed and 55% sleep with their phone next to them.

66% of people asked spent up to 40 minutes during the night on their phone, and 47% of people felt their phone was negatively affecting their sleep.

78% of those asked use their mobile phones to check Social Media.

47% of people asked felt their phone use has hindered their social skills.

41% of those asked said they would answer a message during class!!!

56% of those asked said they think they may experience stress related to the use of their mobile phone.

They also conducted some interviews to gather more in-depth information about what students are doing with their screens, and whether the current screen policy is having any effect.

As a School we actually came out better than a recent National study that focused on screen usage and its negative effects, so in the end they agreed with the current screen policy and felt it was having a positive impact. They felt that the policy, when followed, had a positive effect on all of our screen usage, but from time to time we could do with asking ourselves the question: Do I use my screen too much? They felt without having it, it might be too easy to slip into bad habits.

They found that older students were more aware of their phone use and felt they were good role models for the younger year groups, with many sixth formers choosing to hand in their phones so they could focus on their work.

After discovering these shocking results, they provided some advice for Years 9-13, and staff:

Here are their top 3 tips:

1) Create phone-free time zones. For example, no phones during prep, at any meals, and during class. This will create space for you to enjoy other people's company and to help you get the things you need to get done, done!

2) If the first thing you do in the morning is check your phone, stop right there!! Studies show that this makes us more tired and drowsy. You need to give your body a minimum of 30 minutes to let you wake up properly and think about the day ahead instead of staring at a screen.

3) If you are what they call an "addict" of your phone then here are three best selling apps which can help you fight fire with fire...

a) Forest- Do you struggle to keep yourself from checking your phone? Forest is a simple app that rewards you for not touching it. When you want to focus, open the app to plant a tree. If you want that tree to grow, don’t touch your phone for the next 30 minutes. That’s it.

b) Flipd- for all you Android users out there! Flipd allows you to lock your phone for a set period of time, and once you do, there's no going back. Even restarting your phone won't disable the app, so it's impossible for you to cheat!

c) Moments - tracks your device usage and allows you to set daily limits; the app notifies you if you exceed them. You can even use a setting that "forces" you off your phone by flooding your screen with annoying alerts when you try to extend your screen time.

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The Scholars’ Journal Volume 2 Issue No. 1, was released this week. The Scholars’ Journal was forged and launched out of a desire to facilitate, celebrate and promote additional academic research, beyond the confines of government-prescribed assessment objectives. Work beyond academic research is also welcomed and included in the journal, including poetry, creative writing and visual artwork. Whilst the publication has been named the ‘Scholars’ Journal’ to best reflect the scholarly nature of the journal and the expectation on school scholars’ to contribute, non-scholars with a scholarly interest in a particular area and from any year group have been, and are welcome, to submit work for publication.

This second issue, presents a renewal to the publication in the more dynamic front cover, the staggering of creative pieces and a more directed organisation of articles.

As an interdisciplinary journal, which transcends the way we sometimes segregate learning experiences, this publication aims to unify the interest and excitement of work from all areas of the school, and provide something truly inspirational. It is the interdisciplinary dimension of the journal which makes it very unique. Seeing that this is only the second time this journal has been issued, some people may not be familiar with it—please do familiarise yourselves with what is potentially the most dynamic publication that any school releases.

Whether it is research on a big, broad sweeping subject such as ‘Shakespeare in all our lives’ or the impact of the Norman conquest on England, to more esoteric work like ‘Christania: A Freetown?’ or research into a crusade that barely anyone has ever heard of, or whether it is work that few people outside an academic discipline’s field of study would do or engage with, such as the analysis of Frank Auerbach’s

Hampstead Road – High Summer, this journal provides a splendid variety of work for any reader to learn something new or find a passion they might never have imagined they would have.

It has been excellent to work with Dr Cruttenden to set this journal up, and this is my final publication as Editor before becoming co-Editor with a new Editor for the summer issue, in preparation for when I leave Taunton at the end of Upper Sixth. Just writing the words ‘leave Taunton’ is incredibly saddening, given how greatly I have enjoyed being part of this community and embracing a host of new and exciting challenges. I hope that this journal will continue to thrive at Taunton for many years to come—to use a phrase of the new President of the United States, this journal is pretty ‘big league’.

Kieran Bailey Editor of the Scholars’ Journal, 2015-17

SCHOLARS' JOURNAL VOL. 2 NO. 1 LAUNCHED

Left to right: Alexander Kitchen, Sophie Bray, Henry Raikes, Daisy Daniel, Kieran Bailey, Dr Cruttenden

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The newly rebranded history magazine, ‘History’s Bunk’, was recently brought out to much critical acclaim, with many praising the high quality of content. Edited by Henry Raikes and Kieran Bailey and produced by Nick Brown; it offers a comical riposte to Henry Ford’s infamous statement that ‘History is more or less bunk’, attempting (and succeeding) to prove his statement wrong by showing a huge array of historical research.

This issue focuses on the role played by individuals throughout history: whether they shaped the past (Great Man Theory) or history shaped them, with particular reference going to L’Ouverture’s role in Haiti, Garibaldi’s in Italian independence, Napoleon and the fated Russian Campaign, Caesar crossing the Rubicon and Catherine the Great among others. Set alongside this are a melange of humorous

photos, the ‘Lisk gossip’ page, the official biography of Oom Samie (alongside his poem) and a crossword. For anybody wishing to have an article, artwork or crossword in the next edition, please email their piece

to Mark Chatterton by 24 March and remember: Don’t just learn it! Live it!

Nicholas Brown Producer of History's Bunk

Left to right: Henry Raikes, Nick Brown, Kieran Bailey and Mark Chatterton

HISTORY'S BUNK

This week's Artwork of the Week is by Harrison Coonick (Year 11, Fairwater). It is his final piece for the GCSE Exam which took place on Monday and Tuesday. Well done Harrison, this is fantastic work!

ARTWORK OF THE WEEK

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The biggest mass-movement dance production anywhere in the UK in each year!

Further information overleaf... Contact Miss Mannings for more details!

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Taunton School CCF Army Medic Troop Nonstop 24hr. CPR Charity Challenge

In aid of raising funds for H4H and BHF whilst also raising awareness for essential CPR techniques

When: 17th-18th March 1pm-1pm Where: Old Library

How you can support us: 1. Come along and give encouragement 2. Donate using the collection tins, learn how to do CPR & buy a cake 3. Sponsor the team using the

just giving links:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Taunton-School-CPR-CHALLENGE2?newPage=True

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Taunton-School-CPR-CHALLENGE?newPage=True

THE PRO-EXCEL WEMBLEY STADIUM PROJECT MODEL & WHAT IS INCLUDED

The actual date is yet to be confirmed but I can tell you that it will be a Saturday either the last week of March or first week of April 2018 with rehearsals running from the middle of January right through February and March.

• A four day workshop where our Pro-Excel team come along to your school to teach the students the choreography for the show.

• Rehearsals take place over 4 x 6hr days (we can be flexible with dates and times so long as we know in advance).

• Our team design all choreography for your show.

• Many parents use these days as 'child care days' as all of our rehearsals take place during the half terms, Easter

or Summer Holidays, depending on when in the year the event takes place. Rehearsals take place from mid-January right through to end of March 2018.

• Bespoke T-Shirt to perform in and keep as a memento of the occasion.

• Every student gets a pass/ticket to enjoy the game after their performance and again included in the project cost.

• All chaperones also get a ticket to the game (1 adult for every 8/10 students).

• Our event partners provide you and your parents a discounted family and friends ticket offer so everybody can come and watch their son/daughter/friend perform should they choose to do so (ticket offer is at the discretion of our event partners and Pro-Excel has no direct involvement in any ticket offers or delivery of ).

• Although we want as many parents, family and friends as possible to come along to the final event you are under no obligation whatsoever to buy tickets as you may be with some of the theatre productions you are involved in.

• Our events are generally broadcast live on TV (although we can't always guarantee that our performance/show will be broadcast as that's up to the TV companies) but we also film it and have it professionally edited. This then goes onto our YouTube channel where it will be available for everybody to download and keep as a lifelong memento of the occasion.

• The opportunity to perform in front of 85,000 fans, live with a major pop-star and at the most famous stadium in the world, Wembley Stadium in what will be the biggest mass-movement dance production anywhere in the UK.

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This year’s Taunton Festival of The Arts ran from Sunday 5th March through to Friday 10th March and as usual the standard was extremely high from the 600 plus competitors. Once again, we were very well represented by the huge number of students that take Speech and Drama in the Pre-Prep, Prep and Senior School.

This year’s Festival began with the Taunton Young Performer Competition. This always attracts the very best students from the County and this year the standard was higher than ever. Students have to perform a themed recital of acting and verse pieces linked with explanations and introductions. In the Junior category Matilda Clarke, Charlotte Taysom and Rosie Taysom all performed brilliantly and were only just pipped to the post by the eventual winner. The senior category was won by TS student Cassie grace, what a great way to get the Festival started.

Day two saw TPS have another set of results. We had some really entertaining and confident performances from our Year 3 and 4 poets, readers and actors. Pictured are Aryan Sharma, Jacob Huntley and James Wilson who gained 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in prepared reading. Aryan also picked up another medal with his 2nd place in the solo acting. A good day's work!

The fun at the Festival continued on the Wednesday with some more fantastic performances and results from our young performers! Special mention today to our incredible Year 2 students performing 'All Work' and our Year 3 students with 'Festival Fiasco', both groups performing with confidence and style to gain joint 1st place in the Year 3 and under Group Speaking. We also had Cassie Grace winning Year 10/11 Sight Reading and Prepared Reading classes and gaining 2nd place in the Year10/11 Solo Acting. Adi Sharma came second and Sophia Wilson and Max Davis 3rd in the Year 7-9 Sight

Reading. Flora Collier came 2nd in the Year 9 Verse Speaking and Oliver Tucker and Robbie Burns won the Year 8/9 Duo Verse Speaking. Sophia Wilson gained another medal with 1st place in the Performance Poetry and Tom Yap, Barnaby Webber and Archie Billings won Year 9 Group Speaking. Our last class today was the challenging TV Newsreading Class for Year 9 which was won by Ben Pomeroy. A truly excellent set of results, not forgetting all those other competitors who performed so well in their classes. You all made your teachers, parents and school very proud. Well done!

Thursday was a really busy day at the Festival with over 8 solid hours of classes. Huge congratulations to Millie and Emily, and Jack and Archie who won 1st and 3rd place in the Year 5 and Under Duo Verse Speaking. This was followed by TPS winning the Group Speaking with Book of Shadows and receiving joint 2nd with Horrible Headmonster and History Test. Our actors in Year 5 won 1st and 3rd place with Wind In The Willows and Cafe Rhyme. We also won 1st, 2nd and 3rd in Group Acting with Bullies, New Shoes and Grounded. Ailani came 3rd in the prepared Reading for Year 7 and under and we finished the day with a 1st place in the Duo Improvisation from Maddy Marsh and Annabelle Mellenchip. Despite all these fantastic results the highlight for me was seeing those children who were not placed but conquered their fears and performed brilliantly to a really appreciative audience. The knowledge that you 'can do it' will stay with you and me for a very long time. Well done! We are very proud of every competitor who had the courage to stand up and take part. A great day.

The Festival week finished as it started, with more great

What a fantastic festival!

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performances and results from our students. Congratulations to George, Josh and Orlando for 2nd place in the Year 7 Group Speaking. Also to Esme, Ranuga and Sophie for coming 1st and joint 2nd in the Year 8 Verse Speaking. Sophie also won the Year 8 Prepared Reading closely followed by Leila who came 2nd. Daisy Downham came 2nd in the Year8/9 Solo Acting and we had some great results in the Year 8/9 Duo

Acting with Calum and Max coming 1st and Charlotte and Rosie and Adi and Ben coming joint 3rd. TPS also won the group acting and Upper Sixth IB student, Agnese Sartor came 3rd in the Shakespeare Sixth Form class. The Festival was rounded off with Mr Kirby and Mr Riggs performing in the Open Duo Class, luckily they received an Outstanding adjudication!!

For the Speech and Drama teachers, Festivals are not about medals and cups, although we all love a bit of silver! They are about giving all our students the opportunity to show the work they have been doing to an appreciative audience. We are sometimes surprised by adjudications (sometimes pleasantly, sometimes not) but we are always bowled over by the tenacity, determination and aplomb shown by our students. First or last in the order, every single one of you is a winner in our eyes. Well done and a huge thank you to the friends and parents who have supported and transported our children this week. See you at the next one.

Darren Riggs Speech and Drama Teacher

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This week's DanceTS DANCERS SPRING FORWARD FOR ANNUAL FESTIVAL

Eleven dancers from TPS and TS performed at the Octagon Theatre in front of a full audience as part of the Spring Forward dance event. The event takes place each year and is a celebration of youth dance throughout Somerset. Not only did the dancers perform but they also got to watch one another's pieces. The TPS and TS dancers were fantastic and each one performed with such dynamic quality, musicality and professionalism.

Refuge was performed by:

Sophie Fisher, Maisie Raven, Annabelle Lewes, Tia Hawkins, Gabby Ireland, Kate Foster, Willow Oatley, Mia Tyler, Simone Gerontis, Leoni Biney, Georgia Imm.

Emma Mannings Head of Dance

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This week's Hockey

1st Team Won 9-0

On Saturday a young potential future first team had a run out against West Buckland School. The lower sixth boys started well Ed Eminson and Tom Clark showing their attacking prowess scoring early. The goals kept coming and the score was 5-0 at half time. The team carried on well and put in a confident and hard working performance in the second half. Well done to all the younger players involved.

2nd Team Won 8-1

The team worked hard from start to finish, they started by building plenty of pressure and attacked hard creating a number of short corners. Ben Griffiths and Paul Manners stepped up and impressed from the thirds, and overall it was a fantastic team effort well done to all involved.

3rd XI Won 12-0

A great performance from a leavers upper sixth team. The boys worked hard and took their chances and piled up plenty of goals. The game was played in a great manner, and the boys enjoyed playing with their age group, great to see, well done to all involved.

U15A Won 6-1

The U15s travelled to West Buckland for a 3.30 push back, with a defense missing several normal starters.

The opening exchanges were tense as the teams settled, and after a midfield period Taunton began to assert their superior athleticism and skill. At half time Taunton were 3-1 up having scored two, well worked penalty corner goals and an open play goal. In addition, we conceded a break-away goal.

The second half continued much like the first. Taunton having far more of the ball and the chances. We therefore finished our penultimate match with a pleasing score line of 5-1.

With one fixture left the team has much still to work on – including their ability to play to the whistle.

U14A Lost 4-0

A good few weeks of hard work in training and developing positional play is making us begin to look like a well organised, well-structured team. We have had tough fixtures over the past few weeks however we have battled hard and played well most notably a 1-1 draw

Taunton School v West Buckland

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This week's Netball

against Millfield. We came into the match feeling confident and looking to get a good result. Beforehand we perhaps underestimated our opponents and they were a better side than a lot of us had expected. After keeping possession for a good first quarter of the game we were exposed on the counter attack by some of their quicker more skilful players and they took a 1-0 lead. We kept our heads up and fought back well, however some missed opportunities and another counter attack and we were 2-0 down at half time. We knew we needed a goal back so we played more of an attacking style in the second half but a questionable short corner gave

them a chance to create a 3-0 lead which they took and our heads began to slightly drop. A goal from Henry Weatherill sparked thoughts of a late comeback between the team however the goal proved too little too late and the score line stayed 3-1. We were disappointed however the team is still improving and developing and we will be looking to get a win next week.

Elliot Foweraker Director of Hockey

Taunton School v MaynardsU15A - Lost 17-21

Player of the Match - Mable Pyne

The U15As unbeaten run came to an end vs a strong and physical Maynard's team. After a late arrival Taunton were the slowest to react and found themselves 7-2 down. A much better 2nd half saw them come back to 14-11 with it all to play for in the final quarter. With a minute left the scores were level but Maynard's pulled off a turn over to pull away to a 18-21 win.

U15B - Won 18-7

This was an excellent result for the U15Bs, giving them their first win of the season. The whole team played well throughout, making numerous interceptions and causing Maynard to make mistakes.

U14A - Lost 9-39

Player of the Match - Flora Collier

This was a tough fixture for the U14A team, against the regional school champions. However, we started strongly, going goal for goal in the first 5 minutes. Unfortunately they then got in to their stride and we were unable to deal with their fast pace and height. Flora Collier played extremely well in a variety of positions.

U14B - Lost 3-21

Player of the Match - Emma Hounslow

The U14Bs had a tough match on Thursday evening against a well-drilled Maynards team. All players contributed well and there were several instances of the ball being turned over. Unfortunately this was sometimes followed by some mistakes as we were driving down the court. However, in true B team spirit, the team did not give up and continued to support each other through to the final whistle.

U14C - Lost 4-24

Player of the Match - Annabelle Lewes

Maynards were a very strong side, and although Taunton did not achieve a win this time, they constantly battled and fought for the ball throughout the match, without feeling deflated. A fantastic performance from the girls.

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Taunton School v King's College1st Team - Won 41-13

Player of the Match - Martha Connon-Cole

The 1st VII were as always eager to get on the court against local rivals King's College. A determined performance saw us leading from the front from the first whistle. Another outstanding defensive performance saw the ball being turned over consistently throughout the court. Both the shooters were on form and the attack took the ball to the top of the D with ease. Pleasingly the ball pace was high and the girls played with commitment and passion. Just the way we like them to play, a pleasure to watch and coach.

2nd Team - Won 38-23

Player of the Match - Rhianna Beck

Last Saturday, we had an away match at King's. We started off very strong and continued to be strong throughout the match. Unfortunately we had to lend one of our defence players to the U16s, Willow. However we kept up our spirits and kept persevering even with one of our strongest players missing. Beth suffered a small injury which resulted in her not being able to play the final quarter of the match but thankfully we had the player of the match Rihanna Beck step up to the plate and go completely outside of her comfort zone - from GK to GS - and continue till the end of the match and even scoring some very impressive goals! Overall a very successful match with Taunton winning 38-22.

U16 Team - Won 50-13

Player of the Match - Jasmine Walker

Although becoming a very one sided game, the girls kept

their discipline throughout, playing fast flowing netball and adapting well to new combinations. Amelia Davies shot very well and Jaz Walker, made numerous interceptions throughout. Another excellent result for the U16 team.

3rd Team - Lost 23-24

Player of the Match - Hannah Ashby

We were down by 4 at the first quarter and wondered if we were ever going to make it back. After some tactical words and a focus of slowing down the pace of the game we started to claw back, winning the second quarter. We carried on going from strength to strength ending the thirds quarter one up. In the final quarter King's really came back fighting and quickly took the lead, another minute and I am sure we would have won, it was so sad to have lost by one goal but boy it was such a fun match (playing or spectating). Player of the match decided by King's was Hannah Ashby.

U15A Team - Drew 29-29

Player of the Match - Ruby Cooney/Daisy West

The girls looked to bounce back after a first loss on Thursday but a very strong King's team were not going to make things easy. In a slow start King's took a 4 goal lead in the first quarter. A change in the defensive end worked well and Taunton pulled ahead by 2 at half time. King's came back to close the gap to 1 going into the final quarter. The spectators were treated to an end to end final 10 minutes which could have gone either way but in the end the game ended a draw 29 all, which was a fair result with some fantastic Netball played by both teams.

U15B Team - Lost 22-28

Taunton started slowly in their local Derby against King's, struggling with the pace of the King’s centre court. An untidy first quarter with both teams struggling to maintain possession, however, it was King's that entered the break ahead. Taunton regained a little more composure in the second quarter, with some good defensive play from Sophie Brett and Anna Parkinson. Despite an improved second quarter, it was King's that held a comfortable lead at half time. A more positive start to the second half by Taunton, with better decision making under pressure which saw Taunton narrow the gap by the end of the third quarter. A strong final quarter for Taunton, with some excellent shooting by Georgia McGovern and Anastasia Malevannaya. Despite a much improved final quarter, Taunton were unable to claw back the lead from King's. The game finished with a 28-22 win to King's.

U15C Team - Lost 3-29

Player of the Match - Megan Jones/ Maria Parada

After a fairly even start in the first quarter, the other team ran away with it for the remainder of the match. A disappointing end to the season, but all credit to the team, who worked

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hard throughout the game and never faltered in their determination and spirit.

U15D Team - Lost 5-27

Player of the Match - Nastya Liubychenko

The Under 15 D's played their first game of the season. The team started off nervously but quickly settled thanks to the captain Muano leading the way.

The team played with great enthusiasm and although they lost 27-5 there were some fantastic moments, Yichen in WD, Amy as GD and Nastya in GK, worked really hard to keep the score down and some great shots from Cindy and Barbara kept the teams spirit up. A great display of team work made for a very enjoyable game!

U14A Team - Won 23-22

Player of the Match - Freya Tyler

This was a nail biting game from start to finish, with neither team ever leading by more than 2 goals. All players battled hard to protect the ball, especially in the last quarter to ensure a victory by one goal.

U14B Team - Lost 11-21

Player of the Match - Daisy Topp

On Saturday the team were geared up for a close match against their local rivals; indeed the match was closer than the final score suggests. With improved consistency and a greater understanding of some of the key tactics necessary, the team made some crucial decisions at the breakdown of play. Once again the team were happy to move around and try different combinations; in so doing the girls are learning to play different positions and understand what is required of them. Another great effort; well done.

U14C Team - Lost 10-21

Player of the Match - Maisie Raven

Tough game against King's, which started off very close, although unfortunately Taunton struggled in the second quarter, against some strong shooters. Although a few new players to the C team, including Ella and Imogen were good assists to the team.

Lisa Manley Head of Netball

ELLIE-MAY SELECTED FOR U19 ACADEMYCongratulations to Ellie-May

Vohra who has been selected as a full time member of the U19 Netball Regional Performance Academy.

This is an outstanding achievement at just 15 years old. Ellie-May will now join Meg Conabeare in traveling to Bath university twice a week for high intensity sessions. Well done Ellie-May!

Lisa Manley

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This week's Swimming

On Friday the senior swimmers travelled to London Aquatic Centre to compete in The Bath Cup. This is a long standing swimming relay competition between over 80 HMC schools from all over the country. The girl’s 4x50m freestyle relay team were up first, they swam in a strong heat, finishing in 4th place. This meant that they qualified for the final in 10th place. They then went on to come 10th in final, a great achievement. The boys were up next in the 4x100m freestyle relay, they swam hard to finish their heat in second place, although their time meant they narrowly missed out on the final. We had high expectations of the girls 4x50m medley

relay, and they performed well, winning their heat and qualifying for the final in 4th place. In the final they stepped up another gear, swimming faster than their heat time, however, so did the other teams meaning they finished in 6th overall in the country. The boys also swam well in the medley relay, although were unable to gain a final place. Well done to all the swimmers; Louie Norman, Harry Aziz-Hendricks, Will Perry, Ilija Kirilenko, Emily Yap, Hannah Ashby, Alicia Gallagher and Mandy Cheng.

Lisa Manley Head of Swimming

SENIOR SWIMMERS COMPETEIN THE BATH CUP

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This week's FootballOver the last week the 1st team and 2nd team footballers have been busy and achieved some success.

1st team football

v Clifton College Lost 7-3

v Bristol Grammar School Lost 5-2

v QEH, Bristol Won 4-3

v Blundell’s Won 4-3

Not withstanding an awful performance away to BGS the 1s have played well of late. As in football sometimes a score does not tell the whole story and for 2/3 of the game against Clifton College we were much the better team but then after conceding at 4-2 the mental strength drained away. In contrast 3-0 down at half time v QEH and we ran out 4-3 winners as we then did v Blundell’s. Altogether the season should have delivered more as we were a better team than our played 24 won 9, drawn 3, lost 12 suggests. Well done to all but especially to our leaving Upper Sixth players (captain Fer Echevarria-Gomez) and to Mr West and Mr Palmer.

2nd team football

v Clifton College Lost 5-0

v Bristol Grammar School Lost 5-2

v QEH, Bristol Won 4-3

v Blundell’s Won 2-0

What a signing Travis Green has been scoring all 4 versus QEH and why has Pascal Jones not been playing at centre back all season? The last two games came too late in the season for the 2s as they had struggled along until then but a robust defence, a combative midfield and a dangerous forward line (especially Wonseok v Blundell’s) delivered victories when it counted. Well done to all, again leaving upper sixth players but also Year 10s and 11s playing up at this level (and in some cases 1st team level) – the future is bright!

Adrian Roberts Head of Football

Good luck to our heroic Channel swimmers who will find out tonight if they have won a Pride of Somerset Youth Award.

Emma Hounslow, Emily Lawton, Skyla Coate, Ollie Halliday, Imogen Childs, Jonny Cole and Annabelle Lewes took up the challenge of a lifetime in September last year, by swimming the relay of 22 miles across the Channel in just 15 hours. They went toe-to-toe with the elite of the British Military and came second after being pipped by the Royal Marines, who were just 3 minutes ahead, in the sprint for the shore just before midnight on 19th September.

The pupils beat the staff team by a substantial 50 minutes. For the last 200m all children swam to the shore together and were euphoric that they had made it.

The awards are taking place at Taunton and Bridgwater College tonight. Tune in to the live stream on the BBC Somerset Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bbcsomerset/

PRIDE OF SOMERSET

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I wish to order ………………… Leavers Ball Tickets @ £57.00 per person.

Please add £ ……………… to my school bill.

NOTE: ticket requests after 13 March 2017 must be paid by Cash or Cheque (Cheques payable to Taunton School)

TICKET NAME(S) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..........................

Any special Dietary Requirements ……………………………………………………………………………………….....................

CONTACT TEL NUMBER ……………………………………... CONTACT EMAIL .......………………………………............................

PUPIL NAME/HOUSE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………...............

TABLE LEAD NAME (If applicable) .…………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Signed …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Date ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Deadline for ticket sales is 12 June 2017

If you are leaving the form at school office – you will receive an email acknowledgement within 7 days of receipt. If you do not receive an email, kindly contact [email protected]

Ticket Sales are non- refundable.

Tables seat 10. In the likelihood your table has less than 10 people – additional guests may be seated at your table.

Return this form to: Leavers Ball 2017, Taunton Senior School Reception or complete this form or email

[email protected]

UPPER SIXTH FORM LEAVERS BALL FRIDAY 30TH JUNE 2017

19.00 – 01.00TICKET ORDER FORM