October 2017

Our Sixth Form Childcare and Education students are already out there contributing towards making a difference to young children in our local community. They are working alongside experienced professionals in schools, pre-schools and nurseries, and helping to providing fun and engaging learning opportunities and experiences. They are also already thinking about the next steps to achieving their chosen career, and the planned visits from Bournemouth University Ambassadors will really help those who are keen to pursue higher education in a variety of subjects, including Nursing, Learning Disability Nursing, A & E, Paediatric Nursing, Play Therapy, Speech Therapy and Psychology.

To find out more about our Full Time Level 3 Childcare and Education Course, contact Mrs Hilton:

JulieHilton@fernup.dorset.sch.uk

I thought it would be difficult for our students to top their exam success of 2016, but I am pleased to report that our students have proved me wrong with even better results this summer. The government GCSE performance tables were released last week and it was a proud moment to see the GCSE results that our students achieved placing Ferndown 4th best for progress in Dorset (progress measures whether students have exceeded their government targets) and 5th best for English and Maths attainment (a

measure of how high the grades were). To be a top 5 school on both measures indicates a highly performing school. In fact, Ferndown’s score stacks up well in other authorities as well, and Ferndown’s Progress 8 of +0.29 would have been 3rd place in Hampshire.

Our students’ A Level results were equally impressive and improved from the year before. In 2016, Ferndown was 9th in Dorset for A Level achievement and 2nd in Dorset for Vocational achievement. With improved results this year, we anticipate that in January (when the results are released) our Vocational and A Level results will place Ferndown at the top of the table. In fact, our A Level progress score for 2017 of +0.23, is higher than any other school in Dorset achieved last year, but we realise that other schools may also have improved.

It has also been lovely to get to know our new Year 9s and I can report that they have made a very positive start to their Upper School careers. Some have needed support in meeting their homework deadlines but I am pleased to report that this area is progressing well.

Uniform for the main school is also looking very good, so may I thank parents for their support.

Our information evenings were also well attended and, remember, if there are any questions that you would like to ask your child’s tutor or subject teacher, the email addresses of staff are on our website.

Enjoy the half term.

~ Mr P Jones ~

For those of you who know Josh, you’ll have noticed him floating around

sixth form this week with a grin plastered across his face and a faraway look

in his eyes. And who could blame him? He’s just won the Class B MaX5

Racing Championship!

Josh had ambitions of becoming a racing driver whilst still in nappies, and

watching his uncle and grandfather compete in Hill Climbing and Sprint

Racing competitions. His dreams were almost destroyed when he was

diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at just 4 years old on 2nd July 2004 and told

that a career in racing driving would not be possible. 13 years to the day,

Josh strutted off the tarmac at Crofts Circuit as the winner of his race.

We asked Josh to tell us more about his motor racing journey. “Despite

hearing from a doctor that I would not become a racing driver due to my

diabetes, I continued to harbour a desire to try, and spent a lot of time on a

simulator at home. As luck would have it, the founder of the MaX5 Racing

Championship moved in to the house next door and became a family friend.

He saw my performance on the simulator and encouraged me to try racing

in a real car.”

In March 2015, Josh bought a Mazda MX5 and spent the next 15 months

preparing it for the racing tracks. “I stripped the car out, installed a roll cage

system, racing seats and other necessary parts designed to keep me safe. On

19th June 2016 I competed in my first race at Donington Park and came

second! Following that, I competed in the next season at Brands Hatch and

finished 2nd and 5th. My first win was at Anglesey where I came 1st and 2nd.

The final race of that season was at Silverstone where I achieved a double

win!”

When asked which his favourite race was, Josh said, “In May 2017 I raced at

Castle Combe in the pouring rain. Our cars were actually aquaplaning. The

thrill of the race definitely made it that little more fun, especially as I won

that race, too. Had I have been in Class A, I would have finished 2nd, but

because I drive an older car in Class B (which is technically slower) I won my

class by quite a way!

“The atmosphere at the races creates a real buzz, too. It is great to be a part

of a close-knit community where other racers help one another if someone

needs a tool, etc. My family are supportive and come to as many of my races

as possible. Although due to financial constraints motor racing is currently a

hobby for me, I am actively seeking a sponsorship to help me to progress

further in this sport.”

Josh will be attending an awards ceremony in November at the Leicester Marriott Hotel to collect his trophy for winning the MaX5 Championship.

Representatives from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have been working with our Year 9 PSHE groups to deliver hard hitting messages about Fire Safety including heath fires, reducing arson risks and the problems of making hoax calls. The students enjoyed the interactive workshop/ presentation and learnt a great deal about the importance of having a fire plan, and why smoke detectors are so important. We would like to thank Gaynor Mant and Katherine Speed from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service for visiting our school to work with our students.

We are working with representatives from Dorset Sustrans who visited Ferndown Upper in September to give a presentation to our Year 9s on their role and the importance to health and the environment of getting out on our bikes. After half term all Year 9 PSHE classes will be taking part in a one hour Sustrans practical workshop. Sustrans is a UK sustainable transport charity. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created over 14,000 miles of signed cycle routes throughout the UK.

We are very fortunate to work with The MARS Trust who present workshops to young people on Relationship Skills. MARS stands for Modelling Active Relationship Skills. They are a charity that provides a series of workshops in schools to equip young people with vital relationship skills, enabling them to build and sustain positive relationships in all areas of life. During September our Year 11 students had the opportunity to work with staff from the Modelling Active Relationships Skills Trust (MARS for short).

MARS workshops are designed to impact behavioural change for young people, to empower them to make informed relationship decisions and to equip them to manage difficult situations. These skills are fundamental to the happy and healthy development of our young people. Yet they are often overlooked. Young people are expressing their anxiety about difficulties with relationships. Their employers, teachers and coaches are also concerned.

The 2 sessions consisted of Commitment, Choice and Love.

Students completed an evaluation of the events and here are some of the results: 90% of students agreed that they understand it is important to talk before committing to a long term relationship.

84% said that they understand more about commitment in long term relationships.

91% said that they understand that using life skills and events can strengthen relationships.

79% of students said that the sessions have made them think more about love and commitment.

During this year we are looking forward to working with representatives from MARS again with our Year 9s and 10s.

The Autumn term is always a busy one for Year 11 who are starting to consider their Post 16 Options. Year 11 have already had an assembly on their options and a workshop on planning ahead for next September. The next stage of this Careers Education takes place on November 16th when students will have an off-timetable day to participate in Interview Skills Preparation, writing their Personal Statement and learning about Applications skills. More details on this in the next Newsletter.

~ Mrs S Stroud ~

A Level Fashion and Textiles students have been busy creating sculptural dress forms based on the subtraction cutting

process devised by Julian Roberts from the London College of Fashion. A visit to the Balenciaga show earlier this year at

the Victoria and Albert Museum inspired their ideas for garment shapes, colour and pattern. We look forward to sharing

this work with you later on in the year as a catwalk show here at FUS.

~ Mrs L Robson ~

On 26th September, fifteen of our international students volunteered at

West Moors Middle School to support the children with learning

European languages. Our students consisted of Germans, Italians,

Spanish, French and even a Slovakian! Gila (pictured right) from

Germany told us, “The children were so much fun to work with. They

were amazed that I could read and write in English, and even tried to

test me by asking me to read storybooks to them. It was a fantastic

experience.” Thank you to all who took part, and to Mrs Elliott for

organising it.

To Year 13 Students considering university and their Parents/Guardians:

The official UCAS Student Finance Tour is coming to Ferndown Upper School on Monday 6th November 6pm-7pm.

The Finance Tour will help you to understand the confusing world of student finance and take you through the application process. If you are

planning to go to university, this is a must!

Sixth Form staff will also be available for individual advice and support after the student finance talk.

Contact the Sixth Form Office to reserve your seats: sixthform@fernup.dorset.sch.uk

A careers event at Ferndown Upper School has been hailed as a success by

the school, students and local employers. The event, which was arranged by

Kimi Bothamley (Head of Physics and STEM champion), with the support of

Christchurch and East Dorset Council’s Economic Development Team,

focused on careers in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics). There is a skills shortage in these areas of employment and it

is essential for students to be informed of the career opportunities available

to them locally.

Over 250 students from Year 11, 12 and 13 attended

the busy event, meeting with 22 employers as well as

local universities from across the area and covering

sectors such as Aerospace, Construction, Electronics

and Marine.

Mr John Evans (Deputy Head) commented, “This was

a fantastic event, really well supported with over 20

business and educational establishments attending.

It was highly valued by our Year 11 and Sixth Form students in planning for their future careers”.

A visit from Dr Paul Gow from the Optical Engineering and Quantum Photonics group at Southampton University was well received by Year 13 physicists this month. Demonstrations and a talk about the importance of optics in the current field of data transmission and quantum physics went down a storm!

~ Mrs K Bothamley ~

Ferndown Upper School played against Bournemouth Collegiate Academy this month. We started the game really well, had lots of chances and finally scored via Bailey Allen on 22 minutes. The defenders did a great job to keep their two quick strikers any chance of scoring. Sean Dennis scored, but was offside for the 12th time in the 1st half!

Half Time 1-0 Having had a team talk, we started the 2nd half even better with a lot more composure and structure to our play. We went 2-0 up with an own goal from a Morgan Oliver corner. Then 3-0 from a Morgan Oliver penalty. Having made lots of subs throughout the game, everyone played a great part to the win with Jay Harris scoring a 25 yard volley!! The game ended with Aiden Formston scoring a lovely 1 on 1 chip with the keeper, and Dan Hawkins slotting home the 6th from the edge of the box. Also credit to the defence and keeper for keeping the opposition at bay. Full Time 6-0 Man of the match: Bailey Allen

~ Mr J Collins ~

I would just like to inform you all that the following students attended two rounds of football trials to represent Dorset County 1st team and all have been selected. They are:

Bailey Tabor Jack Burton Scott Burton Ed Clifford

There were over 70 students from schools all over Dorset that attended the trials and they picked the 16 best players who will be representing Dorset County. Therefore a quarter of the Dorset county football team is made up of Ferndown Upper School students! A great achievement, so please join me in congratulating these students.

~ Mr J Collins ~

Tuesday 18 July 2017

2017 Champions were Mrs Hicks and Mr Jones (Head)

Unique Dressed couple = Mr Titterington (as Timmy Mallet!) and Ms Wood

Best dressed couple = Mr Redwood and Mrs Maidment

Most improved player = Mrs Elliott

‘Good egg’ award = Mrs Senington

‘Wooden Spoon’ award = Mr Banton and Ms Knight

Thank you so much to all the players who took part in the tournament. The afternoon was very successful and some great tennis was played – we even beat the rain and thunderstorms! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was so hard to select the best dressed this year – just so many options!! Thank you for making the annual tournament (in its tenth year) go from strength to strength, and for making it fun at the end of a very long year!

A special thanks to Ms Liddiard for being chief photographer, and to Mrs Moyano and Mr Ellis for coming out to support.

~ Mrs E Pemberton ~

1st Cadi Hicks and Phil Jones

2nd Marion Maidment and Richard Redwood

3rd Emma Elliott and Sam Tresman

4th Lizzy Wood and Paul Titterington

5th Emma Pemberton and Chris Martin

6th Niki Senington and Jason Collins

7th Elaine Knight and Mike Banton

Forest Holme Hospice Charity helps to enhance the lives of adults

from across Poole, Wimborne and the Purbecks who are facing a

life limiting or terminal illness. 25% of their funding comes from

charitable donations. Ferndown Upper School are supporting their

recycling scheme. If you have any old or empty makeup containers

then please can you send them to us. Just drop them off at

reception. With thanks.

~ Mrs G Milsom ~

Dear Parents of Students going on the Barcelona 2018 trip:

Just a gentle reminder that the documentation was due before 18th October: Photocopy of valid passport of your child.

Photocopy of valid medical card (old E-111)

Parental consent – with contact details, and even more importantly, your child’s medical details. Please make sure that you include any medical information you consider relevant, including food or any other allergies, medication, etc. Please send this form at the same time as the copies of the other two documents. This document was sent to parents via ParentMail.

For any queries, please contact me at FranMoyano@fernup.dorset.sch.uk

Thank you to staff, students and parents who supported our Open Day this

month. It was another great turn out with many positive comments received

from our visitors. Mrs Judith Wateridge (right), Pastoral Manager, was

photographed ‘helping’ the English Department in full Harry Potter costume!

Mrs Wateridge has also been appointed by the governing body to join the

board as of this week as a co-opted governor. Mrs Wateridge has a

background in recruitment, training and employee relations in local

government, working as a tour operator and also in the aircraft engineering

industry. Furthermore, she is a small business owner with her husband. We

are sure Mrs Wateridge will make a fantastic addition to the board.

Parent Governor elections will take place after half term - details to follow.

Like us on Facebook!

We are relaunching our Facebook page to keep you up to date with our

fantastic results and news as and when they happen.

Like us to keep up to date!

www.facebook.com/ferndownupperschool

Host families needed for international 6th formers - short and long stay

Are you caring, kind and considerate?

Do you want to help international students feel at home?

Would you like to earn weekly money?

Organise a visit now. Call Graham 07445 474010 Ferndown and Bournemouth areas

www.findalanguagecourse.com/

info@findalanguagecourse.com

Can you help, please?

GEM EDUCATION HOUSE

£129pw

Friday 20 October Mufti Day for JTYAF (John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation) Friday 20 October Last day before half term holiday 21-22 October World Challenge Dartmoor training expedition Monday 30 October Students return to school Thursday 2 November Years 12/13 parents’ evening 4pm-7pm Monday 6 November Student Finance Tour 6pm-7pm Thursday 9 November Year 11 parents’ evening 4pm-7pm

W/c 13 November No Put Down Week Wednesday 15 November 6th Form Open Evening 6pm-8.30pm Thursday 23 November Year 11 parents’ evening 4pm-7pm Thurs 23 Nov-Fri 1 December Year 11 Mocks Tuesday 5 December Full Governors’ meeting 6pm Wednesday 6 December GCSE presentation evening Thursday 7 December STEM Family Challenge, Hall 6pm-8pm Tuesday 12 December Deadline for JTYAF applications Tuesday 12 December Christmas Carol Service at St Mary’s, Ferndown 6pm Thursday 14 December Year 10 parents’ evening 4pm-7pm Friday 15 December Last day before Christmas holidays (students finish at 12.10pm) ...continued on next page

...continued from previous page Tuesday 2 January Students return to school Tuesday 16 January Year 11 revision evening 6pm-7pm Monday 22 Jan-Wed 24 Jan Media/Drama/Business Studies Disneyland Paris Trip Friday 26 January Poetry Live Year 11 trip w/c Monday 29 January Youth Parliament elections w/c Monday 5 February Year 12 Work Experience Week Tuesday 6 February Full Governors’ meeting 6pm Friday 9 February Last day before half-term holiday Monday 19 February Students return to school Thursday 22 February Year 9 Options evening 6.30pm-8.30pm w/c Monday 26 February Barcelona trip Thursday 1 March Year 13 parents’ evening 4pm-6pm Wednesday 7 March World Challenge Meeting with parents 6pm-7pm Thursday 8 March Year 9 Parents’ evening 4pm-7pm w/c Monday 12 March Year 11 Core Mocks w/c Monday 19 March Year 13 Mocks 22-24 March CERN trip Tuesday 27 March Full Governors’ meeting 6pm Wednesday 28 March Year 8 Welcome Evening 6pm-7pm Thursday 29 March Year 11 Parents’ evening 4pm-7pm Thursday 29 March Last day before Easter holidays Monday 16 April Students return to school Monday 7 May Bank Holiday (U.K.) Tuesday 8 May Full Governors’ meeting 6pm Monday 14 May A level and GCSE exams season starts Friday 25 May Year 11 and 13 last day before study leave Friday 25 May Last day before half-term holiday Monday 4 June Students return to school w/c Monday 18 June Year 10 Mocks this week Mon 25/6/18-Thurs 28/6/18 Year 12 Finals Friday 29 June Year 11 leavers’ assembly and Prom Mon 2 July Year 9 Core exams Tuesday 3 July Year 9 Community day Tuesday 3 July Year 10 Careers day Tuesday 3 July Year 12 Progression day Tuesday 3 July Full Governors’ meeting 6pm Thursday 5 July Year 7 Fun Day Thursday 5 July Year 8 Transfer evening 6pm-7pm Friday 6 July Year 8 Transfer day Friday 6 July Year 13 Graduation Ceremony Thursday 12 July Arts Summer Show 6pm-8pm w/c Monday 16 July Year 12 Review Week Friday 20 July Mufti Day for charity Friday 20 July Last day before Summer holidays (school finishes at 12.10pm) Thursday 16 August A Level Results 9am-11am Thursday 23 August GCSE Results 9am-12pm Friday 24 August Sixth Form Team in School for A Level option changes