Bullers Boys Bulletin

February 2020

Message from the Headteacher

School Holidays

February Half Term

Monday 17th to Friday 21st February 2020

Friday 28th February 2020

School closed for INSET Day

Easter Holidays

Monday 6th to Friday 17th April 2020

Year 8 Parents’ Evenings 4—7pm

Thursday 5th March—Cruwys and Wells

Thursday 12th March—Cheung and Darwin

Thursday 19th March—Bowie and Kureishi

Welcome to the first edition of our Bullers’ Boys’

Bulletin (BBB). This replaces our half termly news

email. I hope it provides you with a flavour of

some of the things we have been up to this half

term.

We are pleased to announce that our permanent

building is on track to be completed on time. This

means that as long as winter and spring remain

relatively mild, we should be able to move into

our new school in January 2021. As the months

progress, we will provide you with more exact and

detailed information.

It was a delight to see a number of our boys

performing in, as well as operating ‘Audrey II’ in

the Girls’ School production of a Little Shop of

Horrors on Tuesday night. As always, it was a

fantastic production, thoroughly enjoyed by an

audience of parents, staff, Governors and

Trustees. We look forward to increasing our

participation in future joint Music, Drama and

Musical Theatre events.

Please ensure that during the half term break,

you top up your School Gateway account so that

funds are available from Monday 24th February.

This will allow your son to purchase breakfast, a

snack at break and lunch if he wishes. When

topping up your account, please make certain

that funds are uploaded in plenty of time as it

sometimes takes a couple of hours for your

funds to show at the tills. In future, if your son

has insufficient funds on his account, he will be

provided with a simple sandwich at lunch time.

Drinking water is available from one of the two

water fountains in the building. Porridge is also

served free of charge at breakfast time. If you

have any issues, please contact

pabulumboys@bwsboys.org

Although the School day ends at 2:20pm, boys

often remain behind to attend clubs, fixtures,

socialise with their peers or see members of

staff. Teachers can also keep students behind

after school for short detentions for up to 20

minutes without advanced notice. Therefore, we

advise parents and carers to allow at least 20

minutes after the end of the school day before

contacting the Office to enquire about their son’s

whereabouts.

We wish you an enjoyable and safe half term

break and look forward to seeing your sons on

Monday 24th February at 0745.

Ms Gouldthorpe, Headteacher

As you know we spent much of the first term

raising money for the purchase of VR equipment

to use in lessons to give students a really

immersive educational experience. We set

ourselves a challenging target of raising £10k.

We were thrilled that the initial fundraising

through the Rocket Fund site helped raise

£5000 towards our final target. We would like

extend our thanks to all who donated to this

appeal and we are now looking at the next phase

of fund raising to bring us even closer to our

target. If you would like to donate, please send a

cheque made payable to Bullers Wood School.

The purchase of VR equipment will allow us to be

at the cutting edge of educational delivery.

Mr Walter, Head of Humanities

Virtual Reality

Travel Ambassadors visit TFL

The school Travel Ambassadors met for the first

time with the TFL representative in school on

Monday 20th January to decide on the school

focus for the year in relation to travel. After

some robust discussion they decided that we

should focus on the theme of active travel. On

Friday 24th January the 12 travel ambassadors

attended the STARS secondary seminar at the

TFL buildings in central London. They spent the

day with other schools from Bromley and Bexley

developing their campaign to increase active

travel across the school. At the end of the day

the team had to give a presentation in front of

the other schools and a panel of industry

experts. This they did with great confidence and

clarity. The team showed an ability to work

collaboratively under tight time constraints and

were a real credit to the school.

Watch out for more information during the year

as the team launch their campaign for active

travel including drop a stop timing maps and

competitions for increasing the amount of active

travel.

Mr Walter, Head of Humanities

Attendance Rewards

If a student is not in school, or into school late,

they cannot access the full curriculum and

struggle to maintain and manage positive

relationships with their peers.

Students and their families have a responsibility

to work with school to ensure high levels of

attendance & punctuality.

To promote and celebrate high levels

of attendance we have a number of

reward trips. Each term there is a trip

for all boys with 100% attendance, for

that term, and good behaviour. At the end of the

autumn 70 successful boys were invited on a

cinema trip.

For any student who maintains at least 98%

attendance over the year will be invited to a

Thorpe Park trip during the summer term. This

again is dependent on good behaviour. We

hope to be able to invite a large number of boys

to attend Thorpe Park.

Mr Walker, Assistant Headteacher

1. Watch and listen to the various programmes on the BBC (TV and radio)

commemorating the 70th anniversary of the death of the author George Orwell.

2. Download and listen to the podcast series: In Our Time (BBC Radio 4). An in depth

look at an eclectic range of historical/cultural subjects through the ages. One subject is

examined in detail in each podcast every week.

Further independent challenges for English

The new year started with Inter House football

which was hotly contested by around 160 boys

across both year groups. Further Inter House

events are to follow including Rugby and Table

Tennis. Bowie won year 8 and Cruwys won year

7.

Rugby and Football fixtures are progressing with

a mixed degree of success with lots of students

making their debuts in recent games. At the

time of writing twenty seven fixtures have been

played with some falling by the wayside due to

the poor weather we’ve had at times.

Boxing, Tennis and Squash coaching sessions

have continued with a good uptake in all of

them. I was delighted to take eight boys to the

squash tournament just after Christmas and for

them to achieve what they did. However, I must

also thank team two who were brilliant support

for team one on the day despite not having

success or any luck on the day themselves.

PE lessons have been great with students

partaking in Table Tennis and Fitness sessions.

Most students have pushed themselves hard

during lessons and some have even complained

that they ache the following day!

Lastly please can all students make sure they

are wearing trainers in PE. No student should

have football boots for any lesson only fixtures.

I hope you will come an support the Bullers

Wood Sport Relief Mile on the 13th March. It

would be good to get as many people running as

possible. We aim to start the run at 4pm.

Mr Collins, Head of PE

PE News

Mr Jackson,

Head of English

Notification of major gas works from Southern Gas Networks

Southern Gas will be upgrading its gas network

in Chislehurst. The project involves the

essential replacement of old metal gas mains

with new plastic pipe.

The project commences on Friday 14 February

and is expected to last approximately 4

weeks. Engineers will be working at the junction

of Elmstead Lane and White Horse Hill. To

ensure everyone’s safety, they will need to close

the entrance to Elmstead Lane at this junction

for approximately 10 days. Traffic will still be

able to exit Elmstead Lane towards Mottingham

Road, William Barefoot Drive and White Horse

Hill.

At the same time, they will close the left-hand

lane in White Horse Hill towards the junction of

Elmstead Lane. This closure will remain in place

for the entire time of the 4-week project.

Diversions will be in place and the bus

companies have been notified, it is advisable to

check with the bus company for any bus stop

and route changes.

Please share this information with anyone you

think may be impacted by our work. Information

will be updated https://www.sgn.co.uk/our-gas-

works

On Friday 17th January, Bullers Wood School for

Boys went to the Kent Schools Squash

Championships at Mote Park Squash Club,

Maidstone. We have been attending the extra

curricular squash club on a Tuesday night and

also play outside of school so this was a good

opportunity for us to show our skills.

When we arrived we saw all the other schools,

they all looked taller than us which made us feel

pretty nervous. We were entered into the junior

section and had four other teams in our

group. There were eleven schools in the

tournament. Eventually we got the times that we

had to play and Sevenoaks School was our first

o p p o s i t i o n ; t h e y w e r e a s o l i d

team. Unfortunately, we lost our first game on

countback, as in terms of the number of games

won it was a draw. This was a blow as it was our

first game and only the top two would qualify.

We then played Maidstone Grammar and

Wilmington Grammar School and beat both of

them quite convincingly.

We then had a really tense semi final but came

through it and after many hours of sweat, we

were through to the final. We were playing

Sevenoaks again! The games were really tough

even more so this time. We lost the first game 2

– 0. However, we won the third game 2-1 and

then the second game 2-0. We were now

winning by 4-3 with one final set of games to

come. It was the best of three games. The final

game was between myself vs Sevenoaks Number

1. The game was tense and nerve racking, our

hearts were racing and both teams were

cheering on overlooking the court. We won the

first game 11-7 to put us 5-3 up on

matches. The next game Sevenoaks

won. Therefore, the overall score was now 5-

4. Basically if we won the next game, we would

be Champions.! We suffered a setback when I

was wacked in the face by the ball. Our hearts

were all beating but I was dominating 6 –

1. However, the nerves got to me and very

quickly; the score became 6-6! It was first to

nine and the final point was agonising for both

teams and seemed to go on for ages. Eventually

the Sevenoaks player made a mistake and

B u l l e r s B o y s w o n t h e K e n t

Championship. Everyone was dancing around

even Mr Collins!

The trophy was given to the boys.

On the way, back we were cheering and

singing. It was a very good day and we would like

to thank Steve Franks our squash coach on

Tuesdays after School and Mr Collins for taking

us.

Leon Anand Year 8

Squash

A website that ‘provides guidance, learning

resources and moral support for parents of

dyslexic children.’

http://www.defeat-dyslexia.com/

Useful website

Students in Year 7 were able to bring history to

life this January, with the Medieval Day

experience. Expert Peter Balanak visited the

school to run two workshops, which allowed the

students to examine artifacts and try out

replicas of everyday items like a quill and ink

and children’s games, while they enjoyed

dressing up in armour.

Medieval day was very interesting because we

got to look at and touch historical objects such

as battle horns, armour and replicas of toys and

games. We also got to weave our own wool

using a hook on a wooden stick. The workshop

leader showed us how he could make coins out

of copper using a hammer. There was also a

weapons table where we were sadly not allowed

to touch the swords!

Joseph Suker Year 7

This was a good way of telling students about

what it was like to live during Medieval times.

There were examples of the type of clothes worn

in the Middle Ages that we were able to try on.

There was a helmet made from metal, which

was heavy, and one made out of chain mail

along with tough leather armour. It was

fascinating to see weapons like a

knife, longbow and giant sword that

had been dug up by archaeologists.

Eren Askit Year 7

‘We all tried on crowns jewellery and chain mail.

We also played games that children in medieval

times would have played. Personally this

experience was good because I learned a lot of

different things which have helped me in my

history classes.

Adam Kaba Year 7

Medieval Time Travel

Inter House Football

It was 6 forms, 1 trophy!

Who would win? It was group stages and 2

groups, 2 teams would go out. Group 1, Cruwys,

Bowie and Kureishi. Group 2, Wells, Chung and

Darwin. The teams that went home early were,

Chung and Bowie they did really well but didn’t

make it through to the semi finals. The teams

playing each other were, Cruwys vs Wells and

Darwin vs Kureishi, each team put their heart

and soul into this game, but only one could go

through. The games went to penalties! Cruwys

and Kureishi were victorious. The final Cruwys

vs Kureishi, the underdogs vs the favourites, but

only one could win! Pouring down with rain, 1-0

to Cruwys! They were champions!

Fletcher Hegarty Year 7

"Inter House football is a competitive tournament

between all forms. Split into 2 Groups, our form

had tough competition. First match was lost to

an unlucky own goal, we remained positive and

won our second match and were then successful

in reaching the quarter finals. With high hopes, a

very tight game saw us get progressively better

and winning, eventually make the Final against

the reigning Champions.

At no point could I relax. I felt tense as we went 2

-0 up, but saw some of the team become

complacent, losing focus and we conceded!

What a wake up call! A few subs and positional

changes saw us score again to win 3-1! My most

enjoyable moment was hearing Sir blow the final

whistle and then celebrating with my team

mates.

Thanks to everyone for their support and

understanding when I had difficult decisions to

make and well done to All of the players for a

fantastic effort.

Bobby Burman Year 8

Year 8 students were left challenged by a visit

from Protection Approaches on the 8th January

as part of the remembrance of the 75th

anniversary of the Holocaust.

The whole of Year 8 took part in the day which

commenced with an assembly in the morning.

This encouraged students to reflect on how we

might learn from events in the past so that we

can prevent them happening again in the future.

Each group then took part in a 50 minute

workshop looking at tolerance and remembering

past persecution as well as highlighting some

more recent events such as those in Rwanda.

At the end of the session students were

encouraged to make a personal pledge to make

the world a more accepting and inclusive place.

The day was then linked to a follow up art project

for Year 8 designing memorial flames to

commemorate the 75th anniversary of the

Holocaust. The art work will be displayed around

the school and will be judged by the Protection

Approaches team with certificates and prizes

awarded for the most thought provoking and

clear pieces of art.

Mr Walker,

Head of Humanities

Holocaust Memorial Workshops

As a school we are preparing for the introduction

t he n e w Rela t io n sh ip s a nd Se x

Education curriculum in September. Whilst RSE

is something schools have taught for many years

the content of the curriculum has increased in

recent years to reflect the growing inclusiveness

and diversity of society, and sadly reflect the

challenges many young people face as they

move towards adulthood and form relationships.

The role of parents in helping young people

navigate the changes their bodies and emotions

go through cannot be underestimated. However,

we are aware many parents find these

conversations with their children difficult. Below

are a number of websites and articles you may

find helpful when it comes to approaching these

important topics:

Talking to children about sex and relationships

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/educat ion -

41552666

How to talk about sex education with children

h t t p s : / / w w w . t h e g u a r d i a n . c o m /

lifeandstyle/2018/dec/29/how-to-talk-about-

sex-education-with-children

Out Spoken Education

Resources and advice tailored for parents to talk

to their children

https://www.outspokeneducation.com/

Talking about relationships and sex

Reading Texts for English after half term

Please make sure your son has a copy of the relevant reading book for next term:

Year 7— Wordsworth Edition of The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Year 8—Wordsworth Edition of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Silent reading room is now open at lunch times on Thursdays and Fridays in F3. Boys will

need to eat their lunch before they arrive.

In D&T this year we have been learning about

mechanical toys and linkages, we have been

designing, sawing and painting.

Last year we were unable to do woodwork and

painting due to the temporary accommodation at

1 on Westmorland Road. We were able to do

some food tech and perspective drawings.

We made our models out of card and saw how

the mechanisms worked, the prototype worked

for most of us.

We also learnt about health and safety, wood

theory and the importance of prototypes.

Elliot Melrose Year 8

Student Quotes

“I really enjoy doing practicals instead of written

work. I love this practical because it has

introduced me to many new tools such as; the

coping saw, sandpaper and files. Also, this has

truly inspired me to become an Engineer as I

really enjoy this and would love to do this when I

am older.”

Jai Matoo Year 8

“I really enjoyed this project because it was fun

and I learnt how to cut wood correctly and safely

which could help me later on in life. Whilst doing

this project, I used a power drill, a coping saw,

files and sandpaper. These helped me to make a

successful toy which will give me confidence to

make larger mechanical wood toys and other

woodwork. I developed my skills by persevering

and soldiering on even if I made any

mistakes. This project taught me how

to develop skills I never thought I had

and will help me to get a job like a

carpenter or engineer. This is the best thing we

have ever done in D&T and I hope for more

practicals like this.”

Harry Smith Year 8

“This term I was really looking forward to using

the coping saws because I have waited all of

Year 7 to do some practical work. This term I

used the coping saw, a sander and some filers. I

have learnt many things about softwoods and

hardwoods. I have also learnt about safety. It

was really fun because it was a new experience.

The first time I used the tools I was a total novice

but now I am developing my skills and I am

getting gradually better at using them. I

developed my skills by asking other people their

own opinions about how they were doing the

work”

Tosin Adedokun Year 8

Design and Technology

Free check-up for your bike

Get a free MOT for your bike from fully qualified

mechanics at one of the DR BIKE Events. They

will inspect your bike and fix minor faults such as

brakes, chain, cables, gears and tyre pressure.

They can also advise you on correct saddle height

and help to fit your cycle helmet correctly.

See their website for upcoming dates: https://

www.bromley.gov.uk/info/200123/cycling/434/

cycle_maintenance/2

Year 7 and 8 have had an excellent start to

2020, having come back from the Christmas

break refreshed and ready to learn.

One highlight of the half term so far has been the

attendance and punctuality rewards trip to see

Spies in Disguise at the cinema. The boys on the

trip were a real credit to the school and serve as

great examples for others in the school. All

students are eligible for a similar trip after

Easter, as data will be counted from January 6th;

as long as they are in school every day for this

term, they will be invited to attend!

We have seen the start of our inter-house

competitions this half term, with football and

chess both being hotly contested - well done to

those houses who were crowned champions!

There will be more inter-house competitions

coming up in the future and we like all boys to be

involved as much as possible.

The school's student voice representatives have

been working hard behind the scenes to improve

different aspects of the school. Our eco reps took

a trip in to London to investigate travel. The

sports captains have been exploring what inter-

house events they want to see happen and

student council members have been busy

thinking of ways to raise money for this years

chosen charity, Prostate Cancer UK.

Two Year 7 form groups have completed their

year group assembly since January. 7 Bowie did

theirs on knife crime, its dangers and

consequences, and 7 Kureishi did theirs based

around the Charity Toilet Twinning. Similarly,

every Year 8 tutor group have also presented an

assembly to the rest of their year group covering

a different range of interesting and relevant

topics. All assemblies were very professionally

presented by the students and those who were

not involved on the day did lots of work behind

the scenes in preparing presentations etc. We

look forward to seeing more presentations like

this from our talented students.

Finally - please can all students return to school

with the full quota of correct, essential

equipment. A list of this can be found on the

school website. Lending out equipment to

students who have missing equipment takes

away valuable learning time which could be far

more productively spent.

Have a safe and enjoyable half term.

Miss Robins, Head of Year 7

Mr Thornton, Head of Year 8

Message from Head of Years

Support for Families