bournemouthcollegiateschool.co.uk

More from the Head of Boarding on page 02

Excellent- ISI INSPECTION 2017

NEWSROUND UP

SPORTIN BOARDING

WELCOMING ANEW GAP STUDENT

T H E B C S B OA R D I N G NEWSLETTER

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ISSUE 8

CULTURALEXPERIENCES

recommendations in the report, and over the course of the next few months with input and support from the Governors and United Learning we will plan carefully how to achieve further improvement.’ As I’m typing another colleague has just emailed me with some statistics on our Year 13 boarders who left us at the end of last academic year. They’ve really made me smile so I thought I would share them with you now.

100% of our Year 13 boarders progressed to Higher Education

87.5% of our leaving boarders achieved A to C A Level grades

75% went to university in the UK 18% achieved a place at a Russell Group / top 10 university. Impressive; well done to all of them and to our current Year 13s, the ‘bar has been set’, now raise it!

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Mark SingleHead of Boarding@MarkTSingle

NEW BOARDINGGAP STUDENT

Well…where do I start? I know it’s only really been a few weeks since our last newsletter, however, it feels as though we’ve already completed a term’s worth of activities, achievements, adventures, etc.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t opened ‘my bit’ of this newsletter with my usual quote; this is intentional! Instead, I thought I would ‘pick out’ some comments from our recent inspection report which really made me smile and so proud to read. Pupils are increasingly encouraged to engage in higher-order thinking and study skills…older pupils displayed sophisticated problem-solving skills.

Pupils display excellent attitudes to their learning.

Pupils are articulate and confident communicators due to teachers promoting pupils’ freedom of expression.

Their [pupils] exercise books demonstrate that they take a great deal of pride in their work.

A tangible sense of togetherness (teachers and pupils) in achieving learning objectives in lessons. As Mr Slatford wrote in his recent letter ‘The written and verbal feedback was

overwhelmingly positive…’ and ‘I think you will agree, once you have read them, that the reports make for excellent reading.’

You’ll note in the report that there are some comments written directly about boarding but due to the nature of the new style inspections we no longer have a designated section. However, we did receive some excellent verbal feedback, The boarding inspector specifically asked to attend one of the meetings we had as he was ‘so impressed’ by what he had seen.

These are a few of the comments we noted: ‘Very positive relationships, excellent facilities, and pupils at the heart of everything that goes on in boarding.’ Well done everybody! As Mr Slatford wrote to you recently ‘It is time to pause and fully digest these comments, to recognise the progress the school has made and the widespread success across all disciplines and year groups.’

I can assure you that my determination to keep pressing on, to keep listening to the staff, pupils and parents and to keep making progress, remains resolute.

There are always ways we can make our school better, indeed there are two

MR MARK SINGLEBCS’ HEAD OF BOARDING

Hi, my name is Charleigh and I am the new Australian GAP student at BCS. I started in January and will be working here during my 2018 Gap Year in both the girls’ and boys’ boarding houses. I am extremely excited to be a part of the BCS community this year and get to know and work with all the lovely students and staff. I have already met a large number of boarders and staff who are all so friendly, kind and enthusiastic. I truly got to experience the wonderful sense of community here on a recent trip to Snowtrax with the girl boarders which was loads of fun. I cannot wait for the year ahead and all the new experiences that will come with it.

I also cannot wait to contribute to the school community personally. I love being creative and am keen to get involved in school departments such as music and drama. I also aim to always be here for the boarders and make sure they are having a positive and happy experience.

After my GAP year I am planning on returning to Australia to complete a Radiography degree at Newcastle University. I am very grateful for the excellent work experience and opportunities BCS can offer me during this year. I am looking forward to the year ahead here at BCS.

Miss Charleigh Houston

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BOYS’ BOARDING

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HEARING FROMBOYS’ BOARDING

HEARING FROMBOYS’ BOARDINGGoodbye Mr CoulterMr Richard Morgan - My time at BCS so far

Since starting I have been overwhelmed by how many opportunities our students are offered here at BCS, and this is only in boarding! Having the opportunity to mix the students daily for sport, gym sessions and some table football is just fantastic.

All Boarding students attend co-curricular clubs after school and have prep time every evening except on Friday and weekends. It is a great honour to watch these students become more and more independent and manage their time effectively. On Fun Monday/Tuesdays our students are taken off site to places such as Sprinkles, Laser Quest or for some pizza for a catch up and a treat. The weekend trips such as to Stonehenge, Winter Wonderland and Snowtrax have been hugely successful.

The Christmas Ball was a wonderful evening, all of the students were dressed to impress, enjoyed a first class Christmas dinner and disco afterwards. A huge amount of credit must go to the boarders who will always go out of their way to help and of course to the staff who organise all of this.

Since starting at BCS I have been given lots of chances to develop new and existing skills. We have a great team culture across the whole boarding team and are always sharing good practice within the department. I am pleased to be part of such a hard working team, who are willing to go the extra mile even if it isn’t really part of their job.

I have felt so settled here in the boarding house that I have since got a puppy. His name is Baloo and he is five months old. Having him in the boarding house has been a great experience for him and also the students. All of the boys are happy to throw his toy for him to fetch. A number of students have got over their fear of dogs this term already. I am delighted to live and work in such a beautiful part of the world and I am really looking forward to what the future holds for me here in Bournemouth.

I started working at BCS in 2014 when I was a student at university. I did different roles, in exam invigilation and within the maintenance department during my summer and winter holidays to fund my studies. I worked throughout my 3 years of study, and got to know different members of staff fairly well. Once I graduated, I was offered the job of rugby coach and boarding Housemaster, as I had a Sport and Exercise Science degree, and had just finished coaching sports in Fiji. Within my Rugby role, I have been taking PE lessons, fixtures, strength and conditioning sessions and helping coach and run the BCS Rugby Academy in partnership with Bath Rugby. It has been amazing to see our young athletes develop into excellent rugby players. This has been shown with their excellent results within their fixtures against other local schools. Personally, I have learned a lot of coaching techniques and had a lot of positive advice from my superiors that I was then able to use within my sessions. My plans when I finished university were to travel, and this is the reason that the time I have spent in boys’ boarding has been short lived. I will be travelling across South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and USA. This job has been an excellent opportunity, and a brilliant gateway into the sporting careers’ world. I have learned so much, not only from other sports teachers, but from the boys in the boarding house. Each child is different; and I have learned that it is important to build individual rapport with each child to get the most out of them. When I leave, I will not forget the relationships that were created, and I hope I can see some of them excel beyond the school environment. Although I have only been involved with the school for a short period of time, I can say that it has been challenging, but I have enjoyed every second, and I wish the best of luck not only to my students, but to all of the boarders as well.

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TAMSIN AND THEBCS SWIMMING ACADEMY

I’ve always loved football ever since I was a really young boy about 7 years old. I played football at school and used to invite friends over to my house. My house back home in Uganda has a big compound so that’s where I played my football all the time. I remember telling my dad about wanting to become a professional football player one day but he did not support this. He wanted me to take up a more secure profession like engineering. I had good grades at school and he did not want me to lose my education.

Then one day we were both sitting watching a Premier League match on television. I remember clearly that it was Newcastle and Arsenal. My dad said to me that the players were so lucky because they were doing what they loved to do. It was then that my dad turned to me and asked me if football really was what I wanted to do. I said ‘yes’ and he said then you must do it. He then added that he would support me. His one condition was that I had to continue with my studies. That was 7 years ago when I was 10. He then started giving me more time to train. I had specific training times before this but from that moment on he allowed me to train whenever I wanted to. He talked to my uncle and asked him to find a school for me in England where I could combine good football with good studies. That is why I came to BCS.

Last summer I went to an international training camp in Manchester for seven weeks of the summer holiday. It was then that I had a trial for an agent who was Greek but who lived in England. It was this agent who got me a trial in Cypress with Ethnicos Achnas FC. The trial was in December and they thought I was good enough to be offered a professional contract. I begin my professional footballing career with Ethinnicos immediately after my A Level examinations finish on 18th June. My dad says he is so proud of me. That means so much. He says seeing that I have basically created this opportunity for myself I now need to make the best of it. I will.

Emmanuel Year 13

Hi, my name is Tamsin. I am 17 years old and I come from Somerset. This is my 4th and final year at BCS and as part of the Swimming Academy. Sport has always been a big part in my life and my family’s life. My Mum has been the biggest support before I joined BCS, she used to have to work all day and then pick me up from school and take me running and swimming which was very tiring for her. Joining BCS has made life a lot easier in a way that I can balance my sport and school work together.

I started competing when I was 8 years old in running and about 10 years old in swimming. My biggest achievements in my running has been that I have made the Dorset schools cross country team six years in a row which has led onto bigger competitions such as competing at the national schools cross country.

BCS Swimming Academy has been like a second family for me. I have made lifelong friendships and it saddens me that my time with my team is nearly over. Swimming for BCS has meant I have visited so many amazing places such as; Mallorca, Croatia and Slovenia to name a few. I have competed in international competitions my first one being in Manchester where I raced next to an Olympic swimmer in the 400 IM (I have never been so nervous). Last summer we took part in another international competition but this time it was in Croatia which was an amazing experience.

This year BCS took part in the ESSA

schools relays. My team and two others from BCS qualified to go and compete at the London Olympic pool at the National schools relays. This is always a fun competition as I love competing as a team with my friends as we all get to support each other. I was lucky enough to get chosen as team captain and got to represent BCS and sing the national anthem with all the other schools team captains.

I also compete in Biathlons which is a combination of swimming and running put together. Biathlon is my favourite sport to compete. I have won a medal in the National Biathlon Championships at Crystal Palace a couple of years ago and have recently qualified to compete in the National Biathlon Championships again later on this year which I am really looking forward to.

Boarding has made training a lot easier for me. I love how close the pool is so I don’t have to wake up as early as I used to for morning training. The staff are very supportive and helpful to all the swimmers saving us dinner when the training in the evening runs late and making sure we get enough sleep.

TamsinYear 13

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Girls Boarding

My first few weeks at BCS have been incredible! I really like the atmosphere at school, especially in the boarding house. I feel so comfortable here - like it’s my second home. The cookies are amazing and the millionaire shortbread we have as a friday treat is so delicious! I have loved making new friends.

Irene Year 9

I have really enjoyed my first few weeks at BCS. The people are so friendly and it’s nice to have a group of friends I get on with. It feels like a big family and that is so nice! I really like my bedroom, it is so big! We love playing on the Wii and there are so many activities we can do at school in the evening, for example: going to the sports hall, dancing, watching films and just having fun with my friends.

Aitana Year 10

Hi, my name is Paulina I’m from Poland and am 15 years old. I have been at BCS for 5 weeks and here is my story:

I chose to study for 5 weeks in the UK because in my polish school we came to the UK for a school trip and I had such a good time I wanted to come back.

I ended up in BCS because of lots of reasons, I really liked the location of the school, BCS offers lots of co-curricular activities and the boarding house is on the same area as the school. For example another school if you were in boarding you had to get a bus to school each day.

Memories I will take home to Poland:

1. I will tell my friends about my first day in school. It was very different to what I do in Poland. We had a registration – this we do not have in Poland. The day is then 1 lesson and a break, 2 lessons and lunch, 2 lessons and a break then a co-curricular. Each lesson is one hour long. In Poland some days we have 7 x 45mins lessons and we have a break after each lesson, and a short 20min break for lunch.

2. I have really enjoyed my lessons here at BCS, in particular Maths, P.E and Art. Maths I have been learning new skills that I will take back to Poland. P.E I learnt to play Badminton which is good fun and quite tricky, and in Art I have completed a project on pandas which I will take home with me.

3. In boarding I have been to the sports hall lots in my free time with other girls in boarding and played some football with the boys.

4. I have watched films in boarding which have ALL been in English. This has helped with my English listening and understanding. I think it will be a little odd when I get back home to Poland and watch films in Polish.

5. In girls boarding I have been making jewellery most nights. We have lots of beads, clips and wire and I have made earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Some I am allowed to take home and others I have given to other girls in boarding.

6. I had a new experience and went to Laser Quest with boarding. This was really good fun and I haven’t been to anything like this in Poland.

7. One last thing would be the snacks we have in boarding. We always have fruit on the table and squash and biscuits so after we have had a long day we can take something to eat before we have dinner at 6pm. Friday is a special day, we finish school at 3:40pm we can come up to boarding and there are always special little snacks. My favourite are the mini pink strawberry doughnuts.

I have had lots of fun at BCS, learnt new things and had new experiences. I am sad to say goodbye to BCS and all the friendly and helpful pupils and staff. I would like to come back one day and stay for longer if I am allowed.

Paulina Year 10

PAULINA’S STORY

We joined the boarding trip that went to Snowtrax. It was the first time both of us have been to a dry ski slope. We are both lucky, as have been skiing many times in Austria, which is next to Germany and has very good snow.

We played on the ringos and the toboggans, it was good fun and we laughed a lot. Going down the slope was really fast but going back up took longer. On the toboggans we used the ski escalator but for the ringos we had to walk and pull them behind us.

We did not have time to go skiing but I would like to go back and try to see what it is like compared to snow. We had a great time thank you Mr Single and Miss Houston for taking us.

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International Night

In all honesty I could talk about Georgia endlessly without stopping because although it is a small country it has a big history behind it. Personally, I enjoyed international night. It was really interesting to present where you come from in the world to an international audience and to tell interesting facts to your friends. It was great to hear some of their interesting facts and stories in return. The night went smoothly and even though it bumped into a few problems it still managed to be a funny and memorable night. I will keep this in my mind for a long time.

Presenting wasn’t anything new for me as I am pretty used to it. So I was confident in my words. I felt like the audience enjoyed my little presentation and rewarded me with their good attention and gave me a glorious ending with applause. I am actually the first person from Georgia to come to BCS and to be honest I really wanted to introduce others to my beautiful country. Firstly, I mentioned quite a lot of history and facts about Georgia which guys didn’t know about.

I would just like to briefly summarise them into a few quick bullet points:

1) The Georgian alphabet is unique and very old. It has 3 different alphabets and is as old as the ancient Greek alphabet. Just recently, in 2015, the Georgian alphabet was put onto a red list of UNESCO Heritage Site for its rarity and beauty. Only 4 million people can speak Georgian that’s not even 0.1% of the world’s population. Can you believe it?

2) The deepest cave on the planet earth is actually located in Georgia called Krubera Cave which is almost 7200 feet deep! It takes 27 days to get down to the bottom of it and it’s still not fully explored.

3) Georgia became Orthodox Christian 1700 years ago. Nowadays 85 % of Georgian population is Christian and it is the dominant religion within the country.

SabaYear 12

I introduced South Korea at International Night. It was a unique experience for me as I was presenting a country that is not my own. I am from Xian in China and wanted to speak about South Korea because my best friend Sang Bin is from Korea but was too shy to talk about his country. Another 6th former was going to speak about China so I decided it would be great to introduce S. Korea on his behalf. I am quite a confident public speaker so that helped. It was challenging because, at first, I did not know much about this country and only learned about it talking to Sang Bin a few days before International Night. It was fun and informative as I learned a lot about South Korea that I did not know before.

For example, the history of the Korean War {1948} and the history of the Korean language. Korean people originally spoke Chinese but there was a king called Sejong who invented the Korean language. It is easier to write than Chinese. This helped more people in Korea to learn how to read and write. The Korean economy was destroyed by the Korean War but after the war they started to recover and developed a lot of new technology. Today we have, for example, huge international companies like Samsung, LG and Kia. The geography of Korea is interesting as it does not suffer from tsunami and earthquakes as these are centered in China and Japan and protect Korea from these natural disasters.

The food is delicious. I introduced some traditional Korean dishes like ‘Army stew’ which originated from the American Army. Kimchi and Korean BBQ are iconic dishes of South Korea. I really enjoyed doing this and contributing to International Night.

TomYear 12

International Night

International Night

Snowtrax Laser Quest

Snowtrax

Refereeing at Tag RugbyUno in Boys Boarding

International Night

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES:Saturday 24th February - Burngate Stone CarvingFor something a bit different come along with us to this superb stone carving centre where you get the opportunity to learn traditional stone carving skills.

Saturday 10th March - Go Karting

Saturday 24th March - Gunwharf QuaysGunwharf Quays is the South’s leading designer shopping outlet,boasting over 90 stores, offering up to 60% discount on regular retailprices.

NEXT EDITION:The next edition of The Boarder Newsletter will be sent out during Easter.

We will have more features from across both boarding houses and more exciting articles and comments from our amazing boarding students and news from around the school.

STAY CONNECTED:

Twitter: @BCS_Senior

Facebook: @bournemouthcollegiateschool

Instagram: @BCS_School

WELCOMEFEEDBACK:Now that The Boarder is well established within the school, we would love to know what you have thought over the past year.

If you have any comments on the content of this one, past editions or any ideas of what you would like to see in your newsletter, then please feel free to contact Simon Coulter, Head of Marketing directly on: simon.coulter@bcschool.co.uk.

bournemouthcollegiateschool.co.uk

AGENTS HIGHLIGHTS: CURRENT AVAILABILITYBCS will be attending the following exhibitions:• UK Boarding School Exhibition: Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th

March 2018. Lagos, Nigeria with Mark Brooks Education.

• ICEF Ukraine Focus: Monday 19th & Tuesday 20th March 2018. Kiev, Ukraine.

Please contact Rhiann Bowden, Admissions Registrar directly at registrar@bcschool.co.uk

We currently have spaces available for Year Groups 7, 9, 10 & 12, please contact us if you wish to place any potential students.

For the academic year starting in September 2018, we have limited spaces available in all year groups.

More from Visual Arts on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtWI9qIZZVo

“We want to create an environment whereeach student can really show off what they’re good at.”

VISUAL ARTS VIDEO UPNOW!