Don’t forget to view the online

gallery for photographs

relating to many of the

articles in this newsletter.

IMPORTANT DATES

School closes for the

Summer Holidays on

Tuesday 19th July at 1pm.

All pupils return to school

on Monday September 5th.

A Level results are published

on 18th August and GCSE

results are published

on 25th August.

KEY EVENTS at GMS

Please note all our important dates and events, including Parents’ Evenings and Examination Timetables, are available on the website and are regularly updated.

What an academic year 2015/16 has been, it began with fantastic

examination results in both the GCSE and A level courses studied over

the previous two years. I am pleased to report to you that our results

and academic achievement will continue to grow and improve.

Qualifications, results and levels are hugely

important, of course, but are not the only

outcomes that count. Great Marlow School has

been an enormously happy place to work and to

learn this year and I would like to attribute this in

some part to three areas.

Firstly, in every single subject and department

teachers have grown in strength and their

dedication and commitment is reflected in the

passion they show for their own Continuing

Professional Development, because, just like our

students, great teachers never stop learning.

Secondly, our students have worked very hard to

be positive by giving their time and ideas to fund-

raising for a wide variety of causes ranging from

Can Appeal in High Wycombe, Help for Heroes,

to the National AIDS Trust, a local hospice, Comic

Relief and education in other countries. Overall,

because of the efforts of the school as a whole, our

charitable donations this year are close to £15,000.

Thirdly, the extra-curricular life of the school

is second to none. Despite having taught close

to 45,000 lessons this year, the commitment of

the staff does not end there. Additional lessons

go on from 7 in the morning, also after school

when the Caretaker is chasing people out of the

buildings to lock up, in the holidays when a huge

majority of students will come in, of their own

accord to better their grades on Saturdays and

Sundays throughout the year. But this is not all.

Teachers and other members of staff who willingly

give of their time to take young people away to

learn outside the classroom show some of the

most selfless dedication. Over the course of the

year, opportunities have been made available to

every student of the school with visits ranging

from London Zoo, to Parliament, to the Home

Office, to Borough Market, the Saatchi Gallery, to

universities, the NEC, to the RHS gardens at Wisley,

the Olympic Park, Tirabad, numerous Duke of

Edinburgh camping weekends, Paris, Ypres and not

forgetting Space Camp in Alabama, USA in July.

In the fields of Art, Music, Drama and sport the

school continues to develop and to excel. The

variety, skill and perception evolving in our young

people, is testament not only to their talents but

also the ability of their teachers to guide them

with creativity, subtlety and care.

And what of Sport? Such success “we used only to

dream of ”; from rugby, to hockey, football, netball,

cricket and athletics, the achievements, the hard

work and the team spirit kept flowing.

Well: I am retiring after being a teacher for 38

years, having started as an English teacher,

(naturally still my favourite subject.) I have been

Headteacher at GMS for 13 years. I have absolutely

loved being the Headteacher and am lucky to

have worked so successfully with an excellent

Leadership Team and Governors and staff. Thank

you. I plan to travel relax and spend time with our

3 grandchildren. I will keep in touch with school

leadership and management because I am working

with an organisation called ‘Future Leaders’ to

prepare Headteachers for the future.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for

everything you have done for our school and I wish

you and yours every happiness in the future.

Best Wishes

Mrs Geralyn Wilson

Headteacher

JULY 2016 ISSUE 26 www.gms.bucks.sch.uk

Art &

De

sign

YEAR 8 HAT SHOW - A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

Wednesday 6th July saw the culmination of a

term of hard work for the Year 8 students, with

the annual Fashion Hat Show.

Having worked in groups developing co-

operation and negotiation skills, as well as

exploring innovative design ideas and new

construction techniques, it was time for selected

models to parade their group’s designs. A

tremendous amount of hard work had gone into

the completion of the hats, with many students

working through lunchtimes to meet the

deadline. This will surely have a beneficial effect

on attitudes in their future workplaces.

Judging of the category winners and a final

overall winner was carried out by Mrs Wilson and

Mr Payne. The Art Department would like to thank

them for their time and deliberations the evening

before the show. Although competition was

tough, the judges expressed joy and amazement

at the range and quality of the designs. Students

had chosen from a variety of themes, including

‘Around the World’; ‘Under the Sea’; ‘Film, TV

and Literature’; ‘Industrial’; ‘Dark, Grizzly and

Gruesome’ and ‘Musical Culture’. The category

winners were ‘The Tourists’; ‘Shark to Pie’; ‘The

Gryffindors’’; ‘Drako and the Molfoys’; ‘Eep’ and

‘The Beetles’ respectively, with hats including a

globe; a shark eating an octopus; a large open

book with candle and ink pot; a mechanical paint

brush; a ‘death slope’; and a yellow submarine.

Overall winner was ‘Willy Wonka’ and their

amazing double hat, which was highly refined,

gained each team member a Head Teacher’s

Award, as well as the bags of sweets presented to

each winning group at the end of the show.

During the final day, models came out of lessons

to rehearse, under the guidance of Miss Reilly,

who did an amazing job in organising the event.

The result was confident strutting across the

stage, then down the catwalk, to show off their

endeavours to themed music and the applause

of the audience, made up of parents, staff, all

Year 8s and some Year 7 pupils. The atmosphere

was electric and responses from parents and

pupils were very positive. The Year 7s, who were

lucky enough to be in the audience, were talking

eagerly of their ideas for next year. We all look

forward to it!

By Mr K Sarsfield

Go

od

by

e a

nd

Go

od

Lu

ck

MRS WILSON RETIRES FROM GMS

Great Marlow School has been on an incredible

journey over the past 13 years with Mrs Wilson as the

Headteacher of the school. Mrs Wilson retires this

academic year and leaves the school in a fantastic

position. The school is oversubscribed and the school

of choice for many of Marlow’s residents and the wider

community, this is in stark contrast to the perception

of the school she took over.

Under her strong leadership there has been unrelenting drive to secure outstanding outcomes for all students. Mrs Wilson’s energy, passion and positivity, has created an environment where all staff and students have been able to thrive.

There have been very challenging times over the past 13 years, most significantly the passing of members of the school community. On each of these occasions, Mrs Wilson’s compassion, kindness and willingness to lead on all the difficult conversations and events is an example to us all.

Now, Mrs Wilson’s last week in school has not played out in the way that she would have liked with her unfortunate injury. However, further testament to her commitment and dedication is that I am typing this message on the penultimate day of term and Mrs Wilson is currently in her office, having only been discharged from Hospital on Saturday evening.

It has been a privilege to be Mrs Wilson’s Deputy for the past 6 years and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for professionalism and allowing me to grow as a school leader under her guidance.

By Mr K Ford - Deputy Headteacher

Celebration of success

On Thursday 14th July we presented awards

to nearly 100 students in school for their

exceptional achievement and progress in a

huge variety of subjects.

Thank you to Mr Huddleston for his impeccable

organistaion of the evening. Well done to all

our winners who recived a wide range of prizes

and certificates. It was a great night on which

we celebrated student success. Two awards

were made in memory of our Governor, Jim

Campbell - Service to the Community. These

were awarded to Mr Chris Livarski and Mrs

Anne Daly.

By Mrs G Wilson - Headteacher

V i e w m o r e p h o t o s o f t h e

Ye a r 8 H a t F s h i o n S h o w

r e h e a r s a l s i n o u r g a l l e r y

o n t h e w e b s i t e .

Bu

sine

ss

De

sign

& T

ec

hn

olo

gy

Co

mp

utin

g

The Design & Technology department anticipate

excellent exam results this summer...

CATERING

The final class of GCSE catering students have successfully finished their 2-year course with a predicted controlled assessment grade of 91% A* to C grade and 100% On or Above target, including all student premium students. This course was launched in September 2013 and has successfully run with two cohorts of students who have both done extremely well and left with some outstanding skills and job opportunities. We are proud to say that 5 out of our 11 students from the first cohort have been successfully employed in the food industry at places such as, Waitrose food bar, Danesfield House, The Complete Angler and two who went to catering college. We are looking forward to similar outcomes that reflect that of the 2014/15 academic year.

TEXTILES

Once again, we have had a very successful year for the GCSE textiles cohort; all but one of the class achieved a grade A* to C in their controlled assessment task with the one student losing out by two marks. We are extremely proud of all our students and are looking forward to a good set of GCSE results with our students achieving their full potential.

RESISTANT MATERIALS

Resistant Materials had 3 KS4 groups this year. Two year 11 classes worked incredibly hard and responded very well to the additional time/support offered to get them to the best possible standard. Resistant Materials coursework results were 86% A*-C. The year 10 class have developed into a class which shows good potential for their results next year.

GRAPHICS

Graphics had two KS4 groups this year with one in each year group. The year 11 class have shown great commitment and maturity and also achieved 86% A*-C. Preparation for exams went well this year with students receiving ample access to all of the curriculum requirements. We are buoyantly anticipating positive results in the summer. Again, the year 10 Graphics class had gelled to become a class who are very motivated to succeed, and happy to go the extra mile to make it happen.

By Mrs M Agbozo / Mr N Taylor - Heads of Department

...and the 6th Form

students are doing well

too!

TEXTILES

A-Level Textiles continue to grow in its

reputation amongst the local schools and

is currently one of the two schools which

offer A-Level Textiles locally. We continue to

recruit students from other schools who come

here fully or join us through the partnership

schools program we offer at 6th form.

We have had students that attend from,

Beaconsfield School, Borlase, St Michael’s,

Bond End Academy and Burnham Grammar.

At both AS and A2 our students achieved a

100% A* to B in the coursework tasks.

Our students who go on to University keep in

touch and share their success with us. Those

who go on to study a textiles related course

often finish with a first class honours and

usually thank the school and the department

for the skills and knowledge they acquired at

Great Marlow School. These are two of our

most success stories so far:

Cathy English, finished first class at Bucks New

University and is now working with Marks and

Spencer. Last year, I reported that another

one of our most successful ex-students had

been given the rare opportunity to do a work

experience at the Royal Opera House; Eleanor

Barlow has successfully finished her course in

costume design with first class honours this

summer. We look forward to some more in

the near future.

GRAPHICS

Graphic Products has maintained its modest

numbers and has celebrated successes from

the hard work of the students. Jason Burnap

(who insisted on returning for year 13 Graphic

Products as a fourth subject) achieved an A*

for his A-Level and is now studying Material

Science at University. This follows a growing

tradition of our AS/A2 students going on to

study and work within the various strands of

Design & Technology.

With success stories like these we are hoping

our numbers for A-level will continue to

increase year after year.

YEAR 12 ENTERPRISE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The Year 12 students held a sweet sale across two lunchtimes in June to raise

money for Rett UK a charity supported by the school which raises awareness and

supports families of children who suffer from this severe lifelong neurological

disorder. The students have taken part in a number of team activities over the

past two months and their sale of beautifully packaged sweets raised £80.68 for

the charity.

From September this group of students will be demonstrating their

entrepreneurial skills again by running their own businesses until January. These

will range from selling mocktails, running pottery craft classes, and giving maths

tuition to selling specially designed t shirts, earphone holders and offering fun

sessions with your dog! So look out for information about all these on our return

to school!

By Mrs L Watterston - Head of Department

DEPARTMENT NEWS

This academic year has seen the full transition from ICT to Computing. As the GCSE and A-Level courses have more focus on programming, this has also become the main focus in KS3 so that our students are thoroughly prepared for these new courses.

The real challenge this year has been through assessment. There has never been assessment levels for Computing as the change of curriculum came into force as levels were being abolished. Therefore we have had to do a lot of work with external bodies including other schools to ensure that we are assessing correctly.

Key Stage 3

In year 7, students are taught the basics of logic and problem solving. They use flow charts to create simple programs. They have also done a lot of work using Build your own blocks (BYOB). This extends the knowledge that students have gained in Primary School using similar software called Scratch. However, we use BYOB in a different way to Primary schools in that we use it to teach core programming concepts that will help students in text-based programming in year 9.

This week, Year 7 students have received their free BBC micro:bit devices in their computing lessons. This is part of a national project to help foster and inspire a lifelong interest in computer science. The BBC micro:bit is a very simple computer. It is programmed by using another device (smartphone, tablet, PC, iPad etc.) to write the program, which is then compiled and downloaded onto the BBC micro:bit. The department is also a running a summer competition with prizes for the most creative use of a micro:bit device. All of the details are in the student pack.

Year 8 has a real focus on text-based programming. Students have used HTML to code a website and then used the Python programming language to create their own programs.

Year 9 have also had a focus on programming as we look to ensure that potential option students are well prepared for their GCSE course.

Key Stage 4

Year 10 students have been working through the new GCSE Computing course. This new course looks more at the technical side of computing such as hardware and computer architecture. There is of course a large amount of programming involved too using the Python language.

The final cohort of BTEC ICT has just finished (year 11) and the external standards verifier has released our results meaning that overall, the pass rate and student progress to target has massively improved from last year.

Option numbers have continued to grow. The year 11 BTEC ICT course had 23 students. The current year 10 GCSE Computing course has 45 students and the new GCSE Computer Science course for September has 60 students. This is a subject area that is certainly on the up!

Key Stage 5

Our year 12 students are the final cohort to start the Applied ICT course and they have made outstanding progress this year, especially in the coursework units. Subject to moderation, the coursework units saw the majority of grades at A-C for a group of students with target grades of C-E. As mentioned, this is the final cohort of Applied ICT under the A-Level reforms, so from September 2016, we will be offering a 2 year A-Level course in Computer Science.

By Mr N King - Head of Department

Drama Department News

Grease will be Great Marlow School’s Christmas show. The Drama Department will work with the Music Department again and students have already asked to help backstage and with the creation of the set and scenery. We were overwhelmed with the ability of our students during the auditions which took place on 30 June and after much debating the successful students have been informed of their roles. Rehearsals will take place after school and during the holidays from September. The performances will take place on 14 and 15 December.

My hope is for Grease to be as successful as the Little Shop of Horror was last year.

By Mrs D Chenery - Head of Drama

KS3 Shakespeare Evening

Another event to look forward to. The drama

department will be teaming up with Miss Bevan

from English, to put on a Key Stage 3 performance of

Romeo and Juliet. The performance will take place in

the hall in March. This will be a great opportunity for

the students to perform the works of Shakespeare.

Parents and friends will be invited to experience

the hard work from the students over two nights.

Media Oscars at the Empire

On Monday 27th June, the Media Department hosted its annual Media Oscars event at Empire Cinemas in High Wycombe. The Media Department hired out one of their biggest cinema screens to showcase the video projects that the Year 12 and 13 media students have produced this year.

The quality of the work was superb; in fact, we were unable to show

all the video pieces that have been produced this year as it amounts

to over two and a half hours of content! We presented several awards

celebrating the hard work that the students have put into their

coursework this year – the full list of winners is below.

YEAR 12 WINNERS:

Best Use of Sound – The Two Survivors by James Dell & Tom Hollinrake

Best Camerawork – Chamber of Reflection by James Daly & Callum

King

Best Location Work – Close Your Eyes by Georgina Gallagher, Katrina

Lee, Grace Libra & Tilly Radwell

Best Editing – A Thousand Years by Aimee Glover, Maia Kipping,

Lauren Neal & Maria Valverde-Medina

Best Actor – Alex Love in Advenus

Best Actress – Georgina Gallagher in Close Your Eyes

Best Direction – Half the World Away by Olivia Hall, Molly Ridley &

Mia Taberer

Best Creative & Media Project – Mortem by Sean Bergh, James Dell,

James Haisman & Joe Miller

Best Film – Advenus by Sean Bergh, Alex Love, Joe Miller & Josh

Osborn

Y13 WINNERS:

Best Use of Sound – Wait a Minute by Romario Webster-Nichols

Best Screenplay – The Loudness is Deafening by Gabija Baltramaityte

& Gemma Munro

Best Camerawork – Bridge by Tyler Roberts

Best Location Work – Strength is Beauty by Charlotte Anderson &

Lizzie Harper

Best Editing – Sororal by Freddie Eastman, James Howey, Stan

Ricketts & Aiden Shabka

Best Special Effects – Preternatural by Ryan Gibbs

Best Actor – Remi Holt in Sororal

Best Actress – Scarlett Roberts in The Big Avenge

Best Direction – The Big Avenge by Hugo Beyer & Daniel Magnussen

Best Creative & Media Project – Living With Epilepsy by Callum Dean

Best Film – Smith by Peter Nelson

Thank you so much to all the Media students for your hard work and the students and parents who supported them.

By Mr D Sacre - Head of Department

On the afternoon of Friday 17th June a group of

Great Marlow students hosted a book themed tea

for students from Sir William Borlase’s Grammar

School. Students from both schools had read

the eight shortlisted books and met weekly at

their respective schools to discuss their likes and

dislikes.

The real Carnegie Prize was announced on Monday

20th June but Marlow’s combined shadowing

groups voted for the book they felt was the

most worthy winner. In addition to this, posters

were created to promote and champion group

favourites. These were judged by Mrs Wilson

based on the criterion, ‘the poster most likely to

make me want to read the book’. The standards of

presentation and persuasion on the posters was

very high indeed, but even more impressive was

the way in which students collaborated.

A joint vote on Marlow’s favoured Carnegie book

showed the author Patrick Ness to be the outright

winner with The Rest of Us Just Live Here. Ness has

won the prize twice already; to see if he makes it a

hat trick, check the website on Monday.

At the end of the afternoon the students left with

a slice of ‘Carnegie Cake’, new friends and different

perspectives on their spring reading.

By Mrs C Legerton

En

glish

Histo

ryD

ram

a

Carnegie Shadowing Prize Ceremony Held at GMS

Miss Rockall’s class: Matilde Binucci came top of the class in Paper 1 and Amy-Jane was top in Paper 2.

Mrs Bullock’s class: Elouise Heywood-Phillips and Adam Sullivan came joint-top of the class in Paper 1 and Adam was also top in Paper 2.

Mr Pugsley’s class: Roha Karim came joint-top of the class in Paper 1 and Olivia Harding was top in Paper 2.

Roha Karim came top of the year overall, with William Wright close behind.

These, and all other Year 10 History students, will now be spending a busy summer gathering information and materials to assist them with the 8-hour Controlled Assessment on Civil Rights that they will be undertaking next term.

TRIPS

In September we will be taking 72 students and 9 teachers/parents to Ypres. This is always a popular trip and students remark on how humbling the whole experience is.

The year 12 Law students are visiting Reading Crown Court this week.

By Mr S Pugsley - Head of Department

Y10 Exam Results - 2016

Music at GMS goes from strength to strength

It has been a busy term in the music

department. In addition to many successes

in the classroom and more progress this year

than in my time at Great Marlow, there has

been a significant amount of extra curricular

work.

Over the last few weeks, we have been running a music competition at KS3, organised by Mr Beveridge. Students have been performing a piece of their choice, either as a soloist or as part of an ensemble (group). The participation levels have been extraordinary and our only difficulty is deciding which entries to put through to the next round. Significant numbers of students are using the music space to practice at breaks and lunchtimes, which is brilliant, the only problem we have had is when we have more students than space!

Our second music festival was held outside the new sixth form area on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 June at lunchtime with performances from students from each key stage. This was organised by the sixth former students as part of their BTEC qualification and proved to be an extremely popular event attended by many students and staff.

Our annual summer concert was held on Thursday 7 July in the school hall featuring performances from students in each key stage. Judging by the amount of people who attended it was, once again, very well received. We were so proud of all the students who took part.

Some members of the music department also performed for our Celebration of Success evening and the end of term assemblies. The music for the Celebration of Success was specially arranged to mark significant events that have happened during the school year and to pay tribute to a few special people.

By Mrs B Brown - Head of Department

Mu

sic

Me

dia

YEAR 8 READING LIST

Following the Year 8 parents’ evening, Great Marlow School’s English

Department is promoting a list of classic books. The staff have thought

carefully about what they think students would enjoy reading. Every book

is from the canon of English literature that has been loved and enjoyed over

time. The list is extensive, so browse, choose and enjoy the read. You can find

a link to the reading list on the school website.

YEAR 9

SPRING TERM CERTIFICATE WINNERS

At the end of each term we award Certificates in each subject for progress. Below are the students who received these certificates.

SUBJECT EFFORT PROGRESS MERIT

Art Corinne Fisher Hannah TwyningLeticia

Alvargonzalez

Cz Tabi Collins Joe North Hartlee Openiano

Drama Jacob Wratten Zac Murphy Toby Holden

English Molly Griffiths Leila Gatrell White Megan Chadwick

French Zac Murphy Lily Mackey Phil Boland

Geography Lucy Peace Hannah Puttick Hannah Twyning

History Char-Lyah Wade Rachel Burlinson Hartlee Openiano

Computing Lily Riley Jacob Wratten Flo Braybrooke

Maths Olivia Stone Molly GriffithsLeticia

Alvargonzalez

Music Jacob Wratten Jessie AmosShin-Shan

Stinchcombe

Physical Education Connor Lovering Corinne FisherFlorence

Braybrooke

Religious Studies Amy Chandler Kirah Moore Helen Windsor

Science Toby Broyhill FoggLeticia

AlvargonzalezLouise Tillier

Spanish Sakile Graham Zainab Lakda Sam Parry

Textiles Ellis Battersby Lily Riley Jessie Mcauley

Food Technology Kysha Swordy Ben Appleton Millie Bogie

Rm Olivia Nash Tabitha Collins Helen Windsor

PROGRESS GRADES

Congratulations to the following students who in their Summer progress grades received an excellent in all their subjects: Leticia Alvargonzalez, Joe Bedford, Rachel Burlinson, Cameron Chadwick, Louise Chandler, Tabi Collins, Kayleigh Darroch, Kacie Gardiner, Chloe Gosnell, Molly Griffiths, Leah hall, Toby Holden, Lucy Jeneson, Kirah Moore, Lucy Peace, Maisie Rhymer, Olivia Stone, Daniel Thompson, Louise Tillier, Hannah Twyning, Lucie Walker, Georgie Webb, Helen Windsor, Jessamy Wright

ATTENDANCE FOR THE YEAR

YEAR 7: 97%YEAR 8: 95.4%YEAR 9: 95%

TOP 5 VIVO STUDENTS YEAR 9

Congratulations to the following students who gained the most Vivos in year 9 over the academic year

Rachel Burlinson: 1910Jonathan White: 1908Louise Tillier: 1846Molly Griffiths: 1744Louise Chandler: 1691

YEAR 9 NEWS

Parents’ Assembly

On July 4th we had our Year 9 Parents’ Assembly. This was very successful and we had over 70 parents listening to reports of all the things we have been involved in throughout the year.

I was very proud of all the students who spoke and also it reminded me of the packed but very enjoyable year we have had.

Thank you for the many positive comments about this event. We will be ensuring this happens in all KS3 Year groups next year.

PROGRESS GRADE REPORT

I am very pleased with the progress many students have made this year. As I analyse the data I am very pleased with the progress made by this Year group. I am fully confident that pupils are now ready for their KS4 years.

THORPE PARK

On Saturday 14th May over 70 Year 9 students went to Thorpe Park. It was a lovely day and as always the students had a good fun time and the behaviour was excellent. I would like to thank the staff who came giving up a day of their weekend and I know from comments I received the Parents also appreciated this.

PGL JULY 15TH-18TH 2016

At the time of writing this we are a couple of weeks away from the big trip of KS3. 162 Student s are attending this activity weekend. This trip is about celebrating the end of KS3 and the beginning of their KS4 years

NEXT YEAR

I would like to say thank you to the students, parents and Form Tutors for all their support this year and wish this co- hort every success as the move on.

By Mr S Ross - Director of Learning KS3

Ke

y S

tag

e 3

Ne

ws

Ke

y S

tag

e 3

Ne

ws

Mu

sic

A really busy term for Key Stage 3 . It has been

a wonderful year full of achievements. We look

forward to the start of the new academic year

and building on the success of the past year.

YEAR 7

Student success has been spectacular this year with pupils winning awards within school and out of school for their extracurricular activities.

Libby Bunt has been chosen to represent a cheerleading team in the European Cheerleading Championships, Koper, Slovenia.

Patrick O’Donovan won an award for fundraising and had a short film made to celebrate this.

Bobby Barker recently went on tour with a drama production showcasing his talent for acting.

A Huge well done to these students!

PROGRESS GRADES

The Easter progress reports show that 194 of 230 students achieved an ATL of good and excellent in every subject. This is a fantastic achievement and all year 7 students should feel proud to have had such a successful first year at Great Marlow.

27 students achieved excellent in every subject:

Ella Moorin, Natalie Beckett, Charlotte Whale, Ella Bennett, Keileigh O’Hagan, Courtney Sullivan, Sophie Hardy, Grace Kisbee, Ania Amjad, Rebecca Sanger, Lisa Schafer, Joseph Gray, Jemima Hay, Macey Larkin, Lucy Spencer, Katie Windsor, Aysha Jahangir, Peter Mcall, Hayley Butler, Aila Hollows Butwell, Emma Batey, Rebecca Winter, Sarah Shepherd, Emily Miskell, Avantika Samant, Madeleine Jones, Ross Lamont. Well done!

HISTORY DEPARTMENT YEAR 7 CASTLE COMPETITION

The History department organised a castle building competition and year 7 didn’t disappoint. The hall was filled with a wide range of models from ancient Chinese castles to motte-and- bailey castles. Students had clearly spent many hours on these models and their presentation was flawless. Choosing a DOL winner was difficult, but in the end my stomach made the right choice and chose a castle made of cake! This castle was both historically accurate and tasty!

History Department Winners

Aiden Kelly - 1st

William Farley - 2nd

Ross Lamont - 3rd

Head Teacher’s Award

Immy Spooner

Director of Learning Award

Isla Griffiths

STUDENT COUNCIL

The student council has been very successful; the students involved are enthusiastic and committed. Students have worked together to offer advice and support to their peers on topics such as homework, school stress, bullying. The council have met weekly to discuss ideas and organise activities for their year group to take part in. I feel very proud to work with such motivated young people who are inspiring, kind, assiduous and hardworking.

INTER-HOUSE COMPETITION

The Great Marlow Bake off House competition was another great success with many year 7 students taking part. There were some creative designs and many students worked together to make their cakes. Students showed great passion and dedication towards their school life.

TOP 5 VIVO STUDENTS FOR YEAR 7

As a year group year 7 have earned 38,834 vivos!

1. Martha Blake 747

2. Natalie Beckett 708

3. Maddy Williams 648

4. Jack Leighton 588

5. Melissa Vass 587

I am so proud of each and every student in

year 7. What a brilliant first year they have

had! I wish them lots of luck for year 8.

By Miss C King - Director of Learning Year7

Year 9 rewards

trip to the Harry

Potter studios

Year 11

With the GCSE exams coming to an end, year 11

students had a fantastic prom to look forward

to which took place on 1st July in the hall at

Great Marlow. I am indebted to Miss Hunt and

the Art department for the hard work they put

in to turn the hall into a spectacular ‘Enchanted

Forest.’ The students had a fantastic evening

and I hope have numerous photos that they

will look back on in years to come. The Year

book was published shortly before the end of

the exams and year 11 have a fantastic record

of their life at Great Marlow so far.

The revision sessions put on by teachers during Easter and Half Term were exceptionally well attended and the students themselves commented on how valuable they had been. This is another example of teachers going the extra mile to support the learning and achievement of students. In their final assembly, I recognised the vast amount of talent the year group have in music, sport, especially rowing, as well as academically. The prefects have represented the school well, students have attended examinations prepared and on time and we look forward to seeing them on results day in August.

The Year 11 tutor team are moving onto different year groups and I would like to thank them for all their hard work. Mrs Daly has done a fantastic job with her tutor group and I would like to wish her a long and happy retirement.

PARENT COMMUNICATION SURVEY

I would like to thank the parents from all year groups who were selected to take part in a survey on parent communication. The information that has been provided allows us to see where we can make improvements and where parents are happy with the communication they receive from Great Marlow. As a result of the feedback received, we have organised the following information evenings in the new term:

Thursday 8th September 6.00pm Year 10

Tuesday 13th September 6.00pm Year 9

Wednesday 14th September 6.00pm Year 8

Thursday 15th September 6.00pm Year 11

These will be led by the Directors of Learning and provide parents with information relevant to the specific year group.

By Mrs K Craig - Director of Learning Key Stage 4

KS3/4 STAFFING NEWS

As we near the end of this academic year, we wish to inform you of the staffing changes that will affect your son/daughter as they move further up the school. Mrs McMahon and Mr Taylor are to relinquish their Director of Learning roles to focus on departmental responsibilities and we would like to thank them for all their hard work.

Mr Ross has been appointed as the Director of Learning for Key Stage 3. He will also have direct responsibility for Year 8 with Miss King as Director of Learning for Year 7 and Mr Payne Director of Learning for Year 9.

Mrs Craig continues as Director of Learning for Key Stage 4 and will have direct responsibility for students in Year 11. Miss Tuddenham, a member of the Modern Foreign Languages department has been appointed to the position of Director of Learning for Year 10 and will be joining our team to support your child throughout their time at Great Marlow School.

As from September 2016 the year groups will be led by the following members of staff:

Director of Learning for Key Stage 3: Mr Ross

Director of Learning Year 7 Miss C King

Director of Learning Year 8 Mr S Ross

Director of Learning Year 9 Mr M Payne

Director of Learning for Key Stage 4: Mrs K Craig

Director of Learning Year 10 Miss F Tuddenham

Director of Learning Year 11 Mrs K Craig

All year groups will continue to be supported by members of our Learning Guidance and Support (LGS) Team

Please see the Tutor teams for 2016/17 for Year groups 8-11.

Year 8

Director of Learning Mr S Ross

G Mrs D Chenery

T Mrs L Ludgate

M Mr P Jacobs/ Mrs S Wheeler

A Mr J James/ Mr C Day

R Mr I Philpott /Mrs L Pugsley

L Miss J Towe

O Mr P Warner

W Miss K Bennett

Year 9

Director of Learning Mr M Payne

G Miss V Coates/ Mr D Popper

T Mrs M Collett

M Mr L Beveridge

A Mr R Lindt/ Mr D Popper

R Mrs N Pendlebury / Mrs M Cadogan

L Miss A Reilly

O Miss L Brock

W Miss M Zuccarello

Year 10

Director of Learning Miss F Tuddenham

G Mrs N Kydd / Mrs K Kerr

T Mrs A Bansal / Mrs E Sillwood

M Mr M Smith

A Mr S Goodright

R Miss L Porter

L Mrs C Lee

O Miss K Russell

W Miss R Bennett/ Mr S Middle

Year 11

Director of Learning Mrs K Craig

G Mrs N Messenger/ Mrs S Wheeler

T Miss C Bevan

M Mr N King

A Mr A Higgins

R Mr R De La Llera

L Miss S Rockall

O Mrs A Gifford

W Mr J Clarke

YEAR 13 LEAVERS’ DAY

On Friday 27th May, Great Marlow School said goodbye to the Year 13

students on their final day of school ever!

The students arrived at school in an array of fancy dress costumes

ranging from hippies to inflatable morph suits. Despite the high

spirits behaviour was, of course, impeccable.

The year group were treated to a free ice-cream from a van hired

for the occasion then were ushered into the hall for a small gift and

their final assembly; the assembly was full of memories, laughter

and embarrassing photos from years gone by.

We would like to wish Year 13 students the very best of luck during

the summer exam season and look forward to their prom on July 7th.

We hope that they have all enjoyed their time in the sixth form. All

staff wish them every success in their futures.

YEAR 13 LEAVERS’ DESTINATIONS

An incredible 77 of the year 13 cohort at GMS applied to university- an increase on the figure of 2015 which was 73. Those students who have not applied have either: looked into full-time work, are taking a gap year, have applied to Art Foundation courses with a view to starting a degree the following year or are still deciding their next steps. The current predicted grades for year 13 students at A* to C are the second highest we have had as a school; the highest was in 2015, although there are now 102 in the cohort as opposed to 92. We wish all our year 13 Leavers’ every success in their future endeavours.

YEAR 12 ATTEND UCAS DAY

On Monday 11 July all year 12 students participated in a ‘Next Steps’ collapsed day in order to educate them about potential University, job and apprenticeship routes. Students listened to a range of speakers including ambassadors from Bucks New University, STA travel an Apprenticeship presenter and also begin their UCAS applications. In the evening, parents were able to attend an information evening designed to inform them about the UCAS application process. Visits to universities have already begun. All students received a “UCAS, the next steps guide” detailing everything they need to know about applying for further education courses. This is also availble to view on the school website.

YEAR 12 WORK EXPERIENCE

All year 12 students will be completed work experience during the week commencing 4 July. Aby Jones co-ordinated the eventalthough to their credit, all students had to seek and secure a placement on their own.

YEAR 13 PROM

On 7 July, the year 13 Leavers’ Prom was held at Court Gardens. The event was funded and organised by the 6th form team led by Arifa Sheikh and was hugely successful. Photos of the Prom can be viewed on the school website and were kindly taken by Mrs Rooney and her son, Liam.

By Mr O Hollyman - Head of 6th Form

Ke

y S

tag

e 5

Ne

ws

Ke

y S

tag

e 4

Ne

ws

Athletics 2016 Round -Up

This year athletics has become a bit of a monster in the extra-curricular timetable. Each Tuesday and Thursday of every week come rain or shine, and we’ve had a lot of the former, between 80 and 100 students have attended athletics training or been competing in the district league at their respective age group.

The students have practiced tirelessly to learn new skills or hone existing ones in their quest to jump further, or higher, throw further, run faster or indeed a combination of all. The level of commitment and dedication has been the best I have seen in my 7 years here. Much the same as the rugby, the students from all age groups have enjoyed a sense of community where the older year 9 and 10 students have been helping and coaching the younger students, which has proven an invaluable help given the number of attendees.

Not being a school or department who just want to have a go, we have used the training sessions as a period 6 lesson, to ensure the students are receiving expert tutor-ledge in all of the different athletics disciplines. The results have been more than worth the effort with

the students having their most successful year to date, across all of the competitions we compete in. Furthermore, we have had more students than ever before achieve the entry standards for the County Athletics, some of which were able to attend and compete, these were Manny Thacker, Jemima Hay, Molly Jones, Toby Hodgson and Rebekah Rous.

However this is just one of the successes;

The year 7 boys team won the indoor league, placed 3rd in the district champs, placed 3rd in the county super 6 competition, and literally this evening were placed 2nd in the district league.

The year 7 girls won the indoor league, placed 3rd in the county super 6, and like the boys were placed 2nd this evening in the district league, However their greatest achievement and arguably the greatest athletics achievement of this year was their 3rd place in the district championships, only beaten by 2 fee paying schools, but obliterating the competition from WHS and SWB – an absolute upset by our girls who have been encouraged, trained and inspired by the 2 newest female members of the PE team, Miss Porter and Miss Russell.

The year 8 boys team placed 3rd in the indoor league and 2nd in the

district league

The year 8 girls team, 3rd indoor and 3rd in the district league

Year 9 boys team 1st indoor league, 2nd district league 3rd district championships

Year 9 girls team 2nd indoor league

Year 10 boys 2nd district league 3rd district championships

As you can see, across the district our students have dominated and annihilated opposition from the secondary uppers and grammar schools alike making us the most successful co-educational school in the district, with the local rivals Borlase firmly placed behind us.

By Mr S Goodright

PE

PE Sports awards Evening 2016

The Great Marlow School Sports Awards Evening was held on Tuesday 5th July in the School hall. Our guest speaker was rugby world cup winner, Will Greenwood who had a professional career that spanned 11 years, 55 international caps and World Cup victory. After an inspiring speech from Will, the night was dedicated to celebrating the

sporting achievements of our young people and it was a great night had buy all. A big thank you from the PE department to all those who came and supported the event.

In addition over 150 students received certificates celebrating their sporting achievements at GMS this year.

The 2016 nominees were:

Max Bowles

Max has unbelievable determination to be as good as he can in every single sport he takes part in. On the pitch, court, track, run up, table, mat, machine or field, Max will always be putting in 110% effort. His resilience is formidable as

he strives to improve in every activity he takes part in. He has represent GMS in every possible sport that has been offered, and experienced success in all of these throughout the past 4 years. As a GCSE PE student he sets the bench mark in every lesson where both his theory and practical application is second to none, enabling him to gain grades beyond that which were predicted for him at the beginning of the course.

Despite his outstanding ability which derives from his own hard work Max remains humble and modest at all times. He is the model sportsman who we could all learn so much from, an absolute credit to the school, the department and his parents.

Georgie Webb

Georgie Webb has overcome adversity to become a leader and role model among not only her 9EB class but her whole year. Georgie is passionate, hardworking and dedicated. Georgie has won the league with her netball team, be part of the team

who beat Borlase at hockey, captained the athletics team at districts, played in the semi-final of the girl’s county football game as well as helping coach rounders. Georgie’s work ethic is infectious. She is an ambassador for not only GMS PE but for the whole school. Georgie has grown in

presence and ability whilst maintaining modesty and integrity.

Freddie Noel-Baker

Freddie is a Year 9 student who has represented the school in five different sports teams over the last 3 years. He has captained both the Football and Cricket teams, been a consistent first selection in the Athletics and Rugby teams and fought

hard on many occasions for the school hockey team. His attitude towards PE is outstanding. Hardworking, polite and committed. He has shown inspirational leadership qualities and has become a role model to younger students in the after-school clubs he regularly attends. Freddie’s infectious enthusiasm and determination inspires both staff and students. His conscientious approach and work ethic epitomises the ideal GMS GCSE PE student and we look forward to seeing him develop both in the theoretical and practical aspects of the course next year. A true sportsman who has been a fantastic asset for the Great Marlow PE department.

Dean Whiteley

Dean is a truly dedicated sportsman who can perform at the highest level in any sport he participates in. He has represented the school, and produced consistent outstanding performances in; rugby, cricket, badminton, tennis and athletics.

Dean is the heart and soul of every team. He also regularly attends a variety of extracurricular clubs during his own time to refine his skills and to maintain his competitive edge. Despite his talent and outstanding ability, Dean maintains an air of modesty and has a temperament that makes him a well-respected ambassador for GMS sport. He works tirelessly in lessons and the shows the qualities one would expect of a GCSE PE student.

Dean is a worthy nominee for this award for the second year running and is an inspiration both on and off the pitch; a credit to the school and himself.

Kyran Townsend

Kyran strives to perform at the top level in every single sport that he plays. His perseverance across the entire PE curriculum has enabled him to become one of the most talented PE students at

GMS.

As captain of the year 10 rugby team, Kyran has led his team through the highs and lows for the past 4 years. During this time the team have become county renowned for their ability to compete at the highest level. He sets the perfect example to his team as he demonstrates the attributes of a true professional every time he steps onto the field. However this mature, positive and determined approach does not just prevail on the rugby pitch. He has represented the school in the handball team who were placed 3rd in the county at this year’s finals, and he has set new school records whilst competing for year 10 athletics

“Congratulations to all our nominees

for Sports personality of the Year

2016. It was a difficult decision with

so many talented sports people

to choose from but this year it

went to Max Bowles, Year 10. “

team this year, where he has performed superbly in both sprinting and jumping events.

Kyran combines his sporting prowess with great academic achievements too. He is currently studying GCSE PE and on current form is predicted to achieve an A* due to his relentless approach to succeed in all that he does.

Flo Braybrooke

Since joining GMS from Spain in year 8, Flo has demonstrated her natural ability as a superb sportswoman. Flo has broken athletic records, been voted vice-captain of the U16 hockey team, played in every after school club there is on offer and has

continually been the ray of sunshine everyone needs during our wet, dark and cold training sessions. Flo’s attitude to PE is outstanding, she is a friendly, passionate, determined and enthusiastic student. Flo will help any of

her peers, she is the first one changed and always ready to help. Flo juggles her rowing and hockey with her tennis, athletics, cross country and football. Flo is a role model to the younger years, to her peers and to teachers; her conscientious approach to both PE and her academic studies is that of a resilient, dedicated and energetic nature. Flo is everything a GMS student should be, and more.

By Mr J Clarke - Head of Department

Photos of the Sports Awards Evening can be viewed on the School website

PE

PE

� ������

������

�� ���� �� ���� �� ���� �� �����

���� ������������

������������������

!�"#����������

��������!���$�����

% ���&�$����

'������( )�* !��������

������#��+�*����#��$��,�

+����+- .�������

% ���&�$����

$��� ��������

�����

������������

$����� !�"#����������

�*"����!��

$,�����++�$����

�*"����!��

$������++�$����

/���00��

$������������#��+�*����#��

$��,�

�12��� 2������

3�*!��!�

3 #�0��� ���!�

2���,�� ����!���!�$��2�

4���!�+�4 !��

2$�$$�� !�"#�����$����

+��5�%����

2��$$�� !�"#�����$��2�

4���!�+�4 !��

�2����% ���&�$����

���� �62�4���78�����

+�������9��� ��$��2�4�!��

������#��+�*����#��$��,�

+��5�%����$����4�!��

�++�$��$�

�" !�'�00��$�$��4�!��

�++�$��$�

4���!�+�4 !��$��,�4�!��

% ���&�$����

����� �6$,4����')����)-�

4���!�+�4�!�������4�!���++�$��$�

4���!�+�4 !��2�2��4�!��

!�"#�����$����

4���!�+�4 !���2�2��4�!��

����!���!�$��2�

3��)�*0"�2����4�!��

!�"#����������

3 9���!� ���2�4�

:���.!"�

;����&!�

$$�$�4� !�"#����������

�� ����

�$��$4�% ���&����2�

�� �����!��

����$4�������#��+�*����#��$��,�

�� ����

2����4� !�"#����������

*��� $���$4�� �!���

���#����!������4�

����!���!�$��2�

��������!�������4�

% ���&�$����

�� �����!�����$�4�

������#��+�*����#��$��,�

3���4��;�������$��$4�

�++�$��$����#)�� �2���4�

#*)���

+��5�% ��*�&�

$���24��++�$����

+��5�% ��*�&�

����24��++�$����

'������( )�* !�

$��,�4�7������ "�$��,�

+��5�% ��*�&�

$���24��++�$����

��!�� ����4�;�&����

� )����)�#��<<��2�$�4�

7������ "�$��,�

;�������!8�!���2�4�

% ���&�$����

��)����)���!� 9��"�����4�

!�"#�����$����

%�3�*!��!�����4�

% ���&������

=��7��� ���$�4���& ����

�����%# ��*"����$4�

7������ "�$��,�

+�/�#*��������4�

% ���&������

%�#* ���4��*������4�

�++�$����

����&����$����

3�*!� 47��!������

��*� $�2�4�

���4 "���

������������

��2�4� !�"�����������

���4��*�

����4� !�"#�����$����

� ��%#��!.���

��,�4� !�"#�����$����

;� !�����

����4��% ���&������

)������ �$�����%�������

�

��)�#��<<���$�����

������#��+�*����#��$��,�

3�� �������,2��

������#��+�*����#��$��,�

�� �"��������

������#��+�*����#��$��,�

/���00����2$�

������#��+�*����#��$��,�

��� "� �,��2��3 4 �# ��

�

���� #*>���)�#��<<�>�%�%#')�!���>��%# ��*"�

����,��������#��+�*����#��$��,�

+���44�#8>� ���!��!>�;���#8��!>�3� �����

�$�����������#��+�*����#��$��,�

���!�� ">�'�( )�* !>�����!�>�3��� ���!�

����,��������#��+�*����#��$��,�

/���00>�+����������?�� ���!>�%�

��&���>��=�&!��!��2������

������#��+�*����#��$��,�

�

HouseYear 7

Girls

Year 7

Boys

Year 8

Girls

Year 8

Boys

Year 9

Girls

Year 9

Boys

Year 10

Girls

Year 10

Boys OVERALL

Endeavour 125 111 109 73 90 60 106 92 766

Endurance 140 99 84 107 105 120 105 82 842

Victory 88 106 87 105 108 100 93 97 784

Warrior 76 88 149 129 130 127 110 128 937

House Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 TOTAL

Endeavour 236 182 150 198 766

Endurance 239 191 225 187 842

Victory 194 192 208 190 784

Warrior 164 278 257 238 937

SPORTS AWARDS 2016 – ATHLETICS WINNERS

Athletics (boys)

Year 7 Most Improved Athlete Alex Quinn-improved 1500m time consistently through relentless dedication

Year 7 Athlete of the Year Laurie Sutcliffe-a master of the hurdles, sprint and long jump

Year 8 Most Improved Athlete Joel Hammond – a beast of the throwing disciplines

Year 8 Athlete of the Year Jevon Carter

– superb inner strength to win the district league 1500m

Year 9 Most Improved Athlete Jacob Wratton – 3 years of unrivalled dedication to be become a master of all eventsYear 9 Athlete of the Year Toby Hodgson – committed 400/800m runner County representation 2nd in the district 400mYear 10 Most Improved Athlete Max Bowles– 4 years of superb dedication, can turn his hand to any eventYear 10 Athlete of the Year Kyran Townsend – smashed the school 100m record to be placed 2nd in the district league 11.33

Athletics (girls)

Year 7 Most Improved Athlete KT Windsor – was unsure of what she wanted to try, after beating all of the boys in yr 7 and 8 and pushing the 9’s hard, 800m was definitely her event. 1st in district champs crushing school record 2:32

Year 7 Athlete of the Year Jemima Hay – hurdling specialist, sprinter and jumper

Year 8 Most Improved Athlete Millie Shaw – relentless dedication to the 1500m.

Year 8 Athlete of the Year Rosie Jones-800m machine winning district championships.

Year 9 Most Improved Athlete Helen Windsor – the mother hen, helper of all athletes and works tirelessly to improve herself.

Year 9 Athlete of the Year Molly Jones - energy levels from a different planet, unbelievable machine district 800m champion by 50metres. Smashing school record by 24 seconds

Year 10 Most Improved Athlete Ellis Carter- has never missed a training session and has had an integral role in training younger students

Year 10 Athlete of the Year Rebekah Rous– the closest GMS have to a professional athlete. Superb sprinter who won district 200m, 2nd in district 100m and has set 2 new school records this year!

Great Marlow School Sports Day 2016

After a huge amount of fastidious planning and preparation the Great Marlow School Sports Day started at 8:30 A.M (sharp-ish) last Wednesday. Each year group was allotted one hour throughout the morning to complete all of the throwing, jumping and middle distance running events, whilst those who were waiting to sprint in the afternoon were spectators at the tug of war, which was for all of the students who were not selected for traditional athletic events.

This would mean that for the first time all students from years 7 to 10 would be contributing to their house score in the competition for the number one spot, as Sports Day champions. This prestigious title had been owned by Warrior House for the past 4 years, so there was much rivalry and determination to knock them off the top spot.

The weather held for most of the morning session and there was a plethora of athletic activity as the students did battle in a bid to out run, jump, throw or pull their house rivals, across the 9 morning events. The determination of the students was clear as the respective competitions were extremely close and many of the school records got broken and in some cases smashed throughout the day.

After 4 solid hours of competition it was time for the entire, school including all the staff to venture out on the field for the afternoon sprinting events. The scene was set for an epic afternoon of athletic prowess and speed as the sprinters tightened their trainers and spikes in preparation to tear up the track to gain maximum points for their house. Our resident compere Stuart Ross, complete with flat cap and ‘interesting’ shades announced proceeding and did his best to keep us all entertained between races. Moving forward for next year we will be employing the use of a microphone off button for important parts of the afternoon, such as the start of a race! However, it wouldn’t be Sports Day without Mr Ross, and it definitely wouldn’t be Sports Day without some extremely close finishes, tumbles over the line and the demonstration of some superb athletic ability from the GMS students, and this came in huge amounts. All of the students to include the competitors and spectators were a credit to their forms, houses and themselves alike as they conducted themselves superbly throughout the entire afternoon.

The sprint events were rounded off with the relays which always pro-vide a huge amount of entertainment; this was then to be increased as the sixth form took their turn at tug of war in front of the whole school. 900 students from all 4 houses created a vast level of noise, which could probably be heard in Marlow High Street, as they cheered on their team to out pull the competition.

Overall the day was a success and enjoyed by all that were there to participate, spectate or officiate. At this point I would like to publical-ly thank the staff that made the event possible with everything from providing lunches to writing certificates, it could not happen without you. Furthermore, the 6th formers who willingly gave up their time to officiate, set up and help in any way they could, your help is integral and the day would never run as smoothly without your support.

Congratulations to Warrior House and your new leaders Miss Gifford and Miss Fowler, you have continued my 4 year reign and were once again victorious. Incidentally, and contrary to much speculation I do not have anything to do with the results.

By Mr S Goodright

BOYS RECORDS UPDATED JULY 2016

Great Marlow School Sports Day Overall Results 2016

Photos of Sports Day can be viewed on

the School website

FOOTBALL - B TEAM MUSIC V DRAMA

FINAL SCORE DRAMA 4 V 2 MUSIC

Over 30 students took part in the annual match between Drama and Music. Music who are managed by Mr Beveridge took on Drama managed by Mr Ross. Mr Clarke recognising the need for a teacher to be able to run also played a half for each team.

The Year 9 team captained by Ben Appleton helped Drama and the year 10 B team captained by Jack Quartermaine helped Music.

A tough match ensued with Drama finally coming out on top and winning the trophy for the first time. Unfortunately Mr Ross was accused of time wasting but it was actually the fact that he could not move after 20 minutes!

Thank you to all the students who took part and we even had spectators for the first time! Also the PE department for supporting the B team initiative which is really just about students coming to play football without any pressure (apart from this match). The students enjoy it and also speak about improved confidence both on and off the field.

By Mr

GMS GOLF REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

After the success of winning the Bucks School Golf Championships in May GMS were selected to represent Bucks at the National Team Golf Championships at Woodhall Spa Golf Centre. Taylor Paul, Jamie Kerley and Callum Kirby were selected to represent after their impressive display back in May. It was under no illusion that the competition was going to be competitive and turning up on the day seeing a number of golf colleges and academies with their personalised mini buses and high spec golf attire we knew it was going to be a tough day. However, this didn’t deter the boys and throughout the day they played extreme well. The day was split in to 2 sessions with our boys teeing off in the morning. At the end of the morning session we were placed 3rd which was a tremendous effort from the students however there a lot of strong teams still play in the afternoon including a number of past champions so finishing in the top 10 would have been a great achievement. As the results came in from the afternoon we continued to hold on to a top 5 place eventually with all the results in we ended up finishing in 6th place only finishing 4 shots back from the lead. This was an outstanding effort and achievement for the school especially as many of the other schools were specialist golf colleges and academies. On the back of this result we have been invited to the schools and colleges tour where many private schools and colleges compete.

GMS CRICKET SMASH IT OUT OF PARK

The year 7/8 cricket team had a season to remember. Throughout the league season they remained undefeated with some close and hard fought victories against Cressex, St Michaels and Sir William Borlase. On the back of being undefeated we qualified for the district final with the game being played at High Wycombe Cricket Club. The game proved to be a hard fought contest against Cressex School. GMS bowled first and performed tremendously well. There were outstanding contributions from Cam McIndoe and Ben Burton how helped to reduce Cressex to 65 off 15 overs, a well under par score at HWCC. In reply, GMS lost early wickets but a brilliant knock from Jonny Tindale then Cam McIndoe saw GMS over the line with an over to spare and remain undefeated for the whole season.

by Mr J Clarke

PE

PE

PE

� ������

�������

����� ������ ������ ���� ��

��� �������������

��4�4��"� �����

���������+����������� ��

��������+"����� ��� ��

����&��� ��

������!�)"8)4� �����

��++������

����)�� ������

���������+���������

�� ��

���� � ������������

��������� &�!���� ��

����&��� ��

��������� &�!�������

��++��� �

��������� &�!�������

��++��� ��

��������� &�!�������

�! "�������� ��

���� �������

�)�9��

!44"��7��!���

�������7������"��� ��

���"��) ��!�

�������7������"��� ��

��������"��!�

� � �������&��� ��

����!"���"��!�

�������++��� �

���� ���4�#�����9���9�

#$���! ������%���4�!��

���������+����������� ��

��������!��������4�!��

���������+����������� ��

����"���!��������4�!��

���������+����������� ��

+"����8���%���4�!��

��++��� ��

���� ����4��)!5��

�)�����&���!������4�!����++�����

��� !!�����!���������4�!����++�����

������""���8�������4�!��

���������+����������� ��

���������4�!���%���4�!��

�����!� �!��� ��

�9���!� ����4�

�7��8�9�

��������!!����

���4��7������"��� ��

�)��!�'���

���4���++��� ��

�)��!��� �

����4�����&��� ��

�)��!��� �

� ���4���++��� �

����� �����4�����9�8"�

�)��!���� ���� �����4�

�����!� �!��� ��

��7����#!74!������4�

����!���! �������������+����������� ��

��7����#!74!�����4�

�! "�������� ��

��7����#!74!����4�

�����!� �!��� ��

����)�� ����4����!����

�����9�!�� ����4�

�����!� �!��� ��

����"����9�!�� ���4�

����&��� ��

����!"���&�� ����4�

��++��� �

�����$"���� ����4�

�����!� �!��� ����!�� ���4�

����"8�9�

��4�4��"�

����4��7������"��� ��

��7�����4"���

�� �4�����&��� ��

��������� &�!�

����4���++��� ��

��"�8����)��

����4��7������"��� ��

$��7��� ����4�#�9����

'�4���������!����4�

�7������"��� ��

��7�����4"�������4�

����&��� ��

��7�����4"�������4�

�7������"��� ��

�9�����&��!�����4�

��++��� ��

����� ����4�#��� �!�9�

��7�����4"��� � �4�

�����!� �!��� ��

+�4�����""�� �� 4�

����&��� ��

'�����!!�!(� &� �� ���4�

�7������"��� ��

��� !!�����!���� ���4�

��++������

�)� ���� �����������!�

��4�4��"� ��� ��

���������+����������� ��

��������!��� ������

���������+����������� ��

�4��"�+4�! � ������

���������+����������� ��

� �����!8�� �����

���������+����������� ��

���"� �������)�+�

���"*����! ��""*���#��"��*�#���! ����

���������������+����������� ��

���������)��������

�7������"��� ��

����""*�����! ���*����4"��*�����!���

��������������+����������� ��

�������

���������+����������� ��

�

GIRLS RECORDS UPDATED JULY 2016

“This year has seen the PE Department go from strength to strength both within the curriculum and beyond.

With the Redgrave Sport Centre now fully established, the link between the school and community has grown

into a thriving relationship for the benefit of both parties. Students at Great Marlow School have embraced

the opportunities offered to them in sport and the PE staff have worked tirelessly to help students reach their

potential. Through the constant support of the senior leadership team, sport has been allowed to flourish at the

school and as a result has impacted on the competitive reputation of Great Marlow School in the district. Well

done to all our students for a fantastic year of Sport!”

THE J16 TEAM CELEBRATE THEIR SUCCESS

Great Marlow School’s Boat Club (GMSBC) made their mark on the history books after becoming the first state school to win the Shawcross Cup. The National Schools Regatta and Junior Regatta took place at Dorney and saw over 500 crews from schools and rowing clubs across the country compete. While GMSBC had a number of teams taking part at the event, head coach Fergus Murison saved particular praise for the history making J16 boys crew.

“For the school boat club to achieve the gold medal in the J16 first eight race is a great accolade and every member of that crew thoroughly deserves the success,” he said. “The National Schools Regatta is always the highlight of the junior rowing calendar and I am immensely proud of every crew that represented Great Marlow School Boat Club.” GMSBC were up against stern competition throughout the event as they took part in an impressive 18 races across the J14 to J18 age groups. A number of teams achieved personal bests over the four day competition but the J16 crew undoubtedly stole the show with their showing.

The school came into the event among the favourites for the title and did not disappoint as they set about advancing to the final of the eight A category. The semi-final saw them produce a disciplined row to out-think and out-race their opponents who set off at a furious pace they were unable to maintain. GMSBC’s controlled start allowed them to keep an even speed and move away from the chasing pack to secure safe passage to the final. A slow start in

the tournament decider left the school’s eight some way back after 250m and with work to do heading into the latter stages of the race. By halfway GMSBC were beginning to move to the head of the race though, and an excellent final 500m saw them take the lead and secure their gold medal by a comfortable margin. The J16 side’s success did not end with the Shawcross Cup triumph and they won a further gold in the quad sculls.

Meanwhile, the WJ14 girls were also in good form and a strong display in the coxed quad earned them a bronze medal, on a day which attracted a vocal Marlow fan base. Fergus Murison said: “I would like to acknowledge the tremendous support that we had from parents, governors and 45 budding and new rowers from year 7 and year 8 who joined us to swell support.”

There were also notable performances from the school’s year 9 girls who finished eighth in their octo event.

Meanwhile, the Year 10 boys produced a stunning row to turn around a 10 second deficit and finish fifth in their race.

MARLOW TOWN REGATTA

Great Marlow School Boat Club (GMSBC) was on top form at hugely successful regatta.

GMSBC were involved in their most successful regatta ever on Saturday as their crews reached 14 separate finals. The school entered over 20 crews for the Marlow Town Regatta and had plenty to celebrate as they won six different events. The positive results delighted head coach, Fergus Murison, who took time to praise both the school’s students and vocal support. He said: “Every local crew wants to represent their school and their rowing club well at their home Regattas and Great Marlow School certainly achieved that this weekend.

“Every year group raced in finals and I am very proud of the way

in which they represented the schools at Marlow Town Regatta.

The enclosure seemed to be full of vocal GMSBC supporters

which always helps the crews in the final push to the finish.”

GMSBC made a fine start to the day with the senior boys eight enjoying a half-length victory over Sir William Borlase. Their success was matched by their girls four who beat Falcon Rowing club in their final before the year 8 quad teams finished first and third in their events. It was a clean sweep for the year 9 rowers as all of GMSBC’s crews made it to their respective finals. That feat was matched by the year 10 boats where their girls narrowly missed out on a gold medal after finishing second. In the year 10 quad race GMSBC’s A quad produced a thoroughly impressive row to finish second while the B quad went one better to claim gold. The school’s year 11s were in unstoppable form as they won both the girls four and the boys eight races with highly composed performances.

By Mr F Murison - Great Marlow School Boat Club

� �

PE

Ro

win

gBADMINTON

One of the most popular lunch time clubs this year

has been the badminton club with large numbers

in regular attendance. This has certainly helped to

ensure the team players were sharp and raring to

go during their league fixtures and because of the

large group of players to choose from, we have been

able to enter A & B teams in each District leagues

this year.

I am pleased to report that Great Marlow School are

the KS4 boys and KS3 girls District league champions

and both the boys and girls B teams have enjoyed

fixture victories during the season also.

TENNIS

Tennis has really pushed on this year both on the curriculum and as an EC club. Consistently good numbers at training each week have made selection for the 4 places in each team very difficult but a number of students have been able to play and represent Great Marlow in this year’s AEGON tennis leagues. It has also been great to see a number of girls turning up week in week out at training and this bodes well for next year when we enter the girls AEGON league for the first time.

Both the under 13 and under 15 boys teams were drawn against the same 4 schools and there have been some encouraging individual and team results. The under 13s have bounced back from a couple of closely fought matches early in the season to beat Beaconsfield school and St Michaels. The under 15 team have finished the league unbeaten and go through to the knockout stage of the competition full of promise.

One of the season highlights was our trip to the All England club last week. A great day had by all despite the rain delays, although some would say the students got to enjoy the typical Wimbledon experience!

By Mr J Clarke - Head of Department

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Jamie Kerley, Year 10 at Great Marlow School, has been working towards his Bronze Level Duke of Edinburgh award. For three months, he has been looking to complete the four required sections: V o l u n t e e r i n g ,

Skills, Physical and Expedition. A keen golfer, he found the ‘Physical’ section easy to complete, as was the ‘Volunteering’ section where he helped and worked with the boys from Marlow Utd U11’s football training on a Monday evening. He completed the practice and final Expeditions in May, which tested his communication, orienteering and leadership skills. The final section was ‘Skills’ and Jamie, who would like to be a chef when he leaves school, decided to hone his baking skills and present his varied offerings to his parent’s managed office at Stokenchurch. Every week, the companies that share the building all looked forward to the Friday morning treats, which ranged from brownies to biscuits and flapjacks to fairy cakes. Many of the staff were asking if they could make a donation, which Jamie was chuffed about (they must be good!) and decided that he would like any donations to go to the Sue Ryder Hospice in Nettlebed, where his granddad spent his last few days. His parents told him that their design agency, Tank2create, would match the donations he made over the three month period. On the last Friday in May, the final (requested!) bake was his ‘famous’ Millionaire’s Shortbread, and the final amount raised was a staggering £287.29! With this figure being matched by his parent’s agency, this means that Jamie will be presenting a cheque to Sue Ryder for an amazing £574.58!

By Mrs H Murray

AND FINALLY....

CATERING NEWS

The catering service

continues to be provided

by Innovate and the

school work closely with

the Acting Manager, Sam

Weller, to help focus on

delivering healthy food

options for the students

which has proved to be

very popular this year.

Innovate are also keen to

to help reduce waste food

and packaging as well as

providing food sampling

sessions at future meetings

with Students and Parents.

The new facility in the 6th

Form Cafe has been well

received and has created

a professional catering

environment that the sixth

form students appreciate.

Comments such as “It feels

like we are at college or

University” reinforce the

success of this facility.

Friends of Great Marlow

Our thanks to Friends of Great Marlow who have had a another fantastic year organising and supporting the school in a wide range of events. As a team they have continued to provide refreshments at school events as well as organising very important first aid courses for students. The annual events such as Xmas market and the Mum’s netball tournament continue to be very successful. Jill Hickey in her second year as the chairperson has continued to lead an inspired group of school supporters raising significant sums of money to support developments within the school. To date they have raised £8,221 this year with two significant events to go, the Robbie Williams Tribute Night and the inaugural open Air theatre production by the Pantaloons at Great Marlow School of The Canterbury Tales on the 23 July.

The Friends of Great Marlow from their funds raised have purchased 8 picnic tables for the new outdoor area very recently landscaped at the front of the Sixth Form Centre and are currently in discussions with Mr Ford with regards to the most appropriate things to purchase for the benefit of the school .

All members of the school community are very grateful for the hard work and support of Jill and her team.

By Mr K Ford - Deputy Headteacher

Photographs

There are a large selection of photos

to view in the gallery on the school

website. These include many of

the events that have happened this

year at GMS. If anyone would like a

particular photo of their child sent to

them, please contact the school with

your request. Year 11 and Year 13 Prom

photos are supplied on a disc and

will be available to purchase. Please

contact Mrs Craig or Mr Hollyman.

Great Marlow School

Bobmore Lane

Marlow Bucks

SL7 1JE

GM

S N

ew

s

OPEN AIR THEATRE COMES TO GMS - SAT 23 JULY !!

The FOGMS team have been lucky enough to secure “The

Panatloons” theatre group to come and perform one of their

open air shows for us on Sat 23 July in the school grounds.

The Pantaloons are a young and vibrant theatre company

who draw from a wide variety of popular theatre traditions,

from commedia dell’arte and pantomime to stand-up comedy

and silent movies, to bring what they consider to be a vital

sense of “play” back to classical performance. The Pantaloons

will be performing “The Canterbury Tales”. A cast of just five

actors present every single one of Geoffrey Chaucer’s timeless

tales in under two hours! Join the pilgrims for puppetry and

poetry, music and magic, talking chickens and burnt bottoms.

Fast-paced, physical and funny, this show is pure medieval

mayhem for the whole family.

Bring along a picnic, your rug and chairs and enjoy what

promises to be an enchanting evening. Start your summer

holidays with a family treat and book tickets now. Adults

£13.50 / Child (under 16) £8 / Family (2+2) £37 / Child under

4 FREE. There will of course be refreshments available to buy

on the night during the interval.

Tickets can be booked by visiting:- http://thepantaloons.

co.uk/the-canterbury-tales/ and scrolling down to 23 July

Great Marlow School. Full details are also on the GMS website.