Amery Hill School

Newsletter
Summer term 2017

Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse

Memorial to Soviet soldiers killed in WWII Sachsenhuasen

Students check in at Check Point Charlie

GCSE History students arrived in Berlin last week with one of its towers. The students were able to see one of the
a full itinerary to discover the key sights including houses which was destroyed to make way for the wall and
museums dedicated to the Holocaust and Cold War, a the routes of many of the tunnels which people used to
visit to the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, escape from
Saschenhausen concentration camp and Check Point East to West,
Charlie Museum, where students learned about the including the
Berlin Wall and the often ingenious ways people used Stasi tunnels
to escape from East Berlin. which were
used to
Sights on their first day included the memorial of the i n t e r c e p t
murdered Jews of Europe, the site of Hitler’s bunker, which them. Cont’d
is now a children’s play area, and a visit to Bernauer on page 2.
Check photo
Strasse where a section of the Berlin Wall remains with permissions

Sports Day fun!

Welcome...
Mrs Wylie, Headteacher
This has been a fantastic term for all at Amery Hill School This is down to the excellent reputation of our school, and
– staff, students, governors and all of our community the special ethos that staff can see when they visit our
around us. The Summer Newsletter is a snapshot of the school.
huge range of activities, events and achievements of our
students. All of this only happens through an immense We continue to move from strength to strength and can
amount of hard work from our fantastic staff who are reflect on a superb term. I take this opportunity to wish
dedicated to enriching the lives of all of our students. I everyone a fantastic and safe summer break and look
couldn’t be more proud of them all. forward to welcoming all students back in September,
including our new Year 7 students.
We are sad to say goodbye to those staff who are moving
on this year, but they are all starting new adventures and
we do wish them all well.

Joining us in September will be new staff, including our

new Deputy Headteacher Mr Martin Gibbs. He and his
family will be moving here from Bromley in Kent and we
wish them well as they relocate over the summer
holidays. We will also welcome Mr Siôn Owen to our
Languages team, Mr Justin Scobie and Dr Katherine
Head to our Science department. Mr Lee Branston is
joining our English department, Mr Calum Lacey to
Geography and Mrs Sadie Friend to Maths. Mrs Lisa
Mouland will be our new Progress Leader for Year 7. I
am delighted that we are fully staffed with specialist
teachers for the next academic year, which is quite an
achievement in the current teacher recruitment climate. Open Evening speeches - first official engagement for
our new Head Girl and Head Boy. They were brilliant!

Berlin Visit
Mr Colley, Head of History
Continued from Page 1.

The excursion to Sachsenhuasen, Berlin’s Concentration
camp was equally sobering for both staff and students.
Talking about the trip, Hollie Lines said “We visited the
Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag building, the Soviet
Memorial, Bernauer Strasse and the Memorial to the
murdered Jews of Europe. The magnificent size and
architecture of all these was truly breathtaking. In
particular, visiting the exceptional Memorial to the
Murdered Jews was touching and definitely one of the
highlights of the trip for me.”

The visit to Potsdam, and the crossing of the Glienicke

“I found the East Side Gallery so interesting because of all the
different concepts of art and how it relates to what happened in
Berlin” Holden Williamson
Brüke, made famous by Tom Hanks in the film ‘Bridge of
Spies’ was enjoyed by all, as was the visit to the palace
complex and Fassbender and Rausch, the home of
possibly the best luxury chocolate shop! The final day of
the trip explored the Topography of Terrors, which gives
the history of Nazi rule in Germany and Europe and the
Blindwerkstaff Museum which is a memorial to Berlin’s
Oscar Schindler. Yet again, it was an excellent trip
enjoyed by a group of fantastic students.

Thank you! Head’s Open Mornings

Thank you to everyone who sponsored me in This informal drop in will be continuing into the
the London to Brighton bike ride. It was a Autumn term. Parents are invited to come and
wonderful ride but tough up the final hill. The meet Mrs Wylie to discuss anything they wish,
thought of all those who had donated really the last Thursday of each month, from 9:00am
encouraged me to cycle all the way. I’ve until noon.
raised over £600 to date which will be used
to buy outdoor sports equipment for the
school.
2
Sports Day - fun for all

Another fantastic Sports Day. Well done to everyone involved. A

special mention to the PE Prefects who helped run the day so
smoothly, we even had time to do the Macarena!

3
Orange Year News
Mr Board, Year 7 Progress Leader

Performing arts excellence Bloc-bot Club

With the end of term nearing, Year 7 students have
continued to impress and still have plenty to look forward
to. Most recently a number of students played key roles
in the Drama production, Alice Through a Broken Lens.
The students involved demonstrated great stage
presence and confidence in a performance that was well
received by all.
The Bloc-bot after school club allows students to be
inventive and creative using recycled and scrap pieces of
wood. They have been shown existing examples to give
them a rough idea of how the item is constructed but they
have been allowed to be as creative as they want with
their design.
They have learnt valuable skills in marking out and
accurate cutting as well as being able to use the pillar
drills to make the wooden components.

The Bloc-bots will be held together using pipe cleaners for

the joints. Students have been really positive about this
club and love the opportunity to be creative outside of the
normal classroom environment. Many have asked if the
club will be run again in September... it's highly likely!

Parents’ Evening highlighted a fantastic year for so many

students. Parents and staff alike commented positively
on both academic success and also how well students
have settled in to life at Amery Hill School and embraced
so many of the fabulous opportunities on offer.

All students in the Year Group were set the challenge to

attend a number of extra-curricular clubs in order to
receive their invitation to an end of year celebration. A
number of departments have run additional clubs to help
encourage students to gain interest and enthusiasm in
their subject, as well as providing some new and exciting
opportunities for all students.

The Year 7s have a day of tenpin

bowling, ice skating and cinema
to look forward to with an end of
year BBQ and overnight camp to
round off what has been a
successful year for all. The ‘Big
Picnic’ will bring all the year
groups and the school together in
what promises to be an excellent
Check photo
permissions
final blast to the academic year.

I hope that you all have a restful summer break and I look
forward to welcoming you all back as Year 8 students in
September.

A small group of Year 7 students was invited mountain biking at

Alice Holt. Students navigated the hills and bumpy terrain before
attempting some 'air time' on the ramps.
4
Blue Year News
Mrs Elliott, Year 8 Progress Leader
Blue Year have continued to shine as a Year Group this
academic year. They have maintained over 95%
attendance all year, led by B3 with a huge 97.7%.
Congratulations B3! The most recent set of reports show
that the Year Group are continuing their efforts and
progress in class and getting fully involved in life at
Amery Hill.

During the recent KS3 RAG week Blue Year applied

themselves to raising money for their chosen charity of
Cancer Research. A sweet stall, cake sale and pledge
wall were each
very successful,
but the overall best
effort this time
goes to B5 for their
‘Get out of
homework’ idea
which raised £115
for the cause! Well
done and thank
you to all who
contributed.

Some Blue Year

students visited
Southampton
Solent University in
June. They had a
f a n t as t i c t im e
learning how to
code drones and
make them fly as well as designing their own computer
games. We definitely have some future computing and
gaming pioneers among us! Once again Blue Year,
congratulations on a fantastic year!

“I found my two days very interesting and I have learned a

‘Think IT’ - IBM Hursley lot about coding. The most fun part was the designing and
As part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, murder mystery” Kayleigh Benzie
Maths) development within school, the ICT department
took ten Year 8 girls to IBM’s Think IT event at Hursley. “It was an amazing experience and I learnt loads”
The girls were placed in different groups, much to their Megan Pretsell
annoyance, and given a range of different tasks to do,
starting with product development, web design,
programming a contactless card reader, setting up an expo
stall and a Murder Mystery competition. The idea of the
expo event was for each team of girls to promote their
‘product’ and collect as many votes as possible in the time
limit.

There was a number of prizes up for grabs and our girls

were amongst the winners of each one. The winning team
for the murder mystery competition included Megan Elliott
and Grace Heath. Grace Belmonte was in the winning team
that collected the most votes and Hannah Williams was in
the winning team that the judges identified as the most
innovative.

All the students came away from IBM having learned a “The IBM trip helped me expand my knowledge of
range of new skills. Some of the comments were: coding, programming and careers in technology while also being
good fun” Helen Slater

5
Red Year News
Mr Gibson, Year 9 Progress Leader
Year 9 exams are over, GCSE Options are chosen and
students can look forward now to the end of term events
and a hard-earned rest over the summer. I am grateful to
all departments in school who have given many
opportunities for Red Year students to shine recently. The
Maths Department’s trip to Bletchley Park was enjoyed by
sixty students, who got a fantastic insight into the key role
played by the Bletchley code breakers in World War II. In
mid-July, twelve students were invited to take part in an
Enterprise Day at Alton College, with Social Enterprise
Academy, Unloc: we were impressed by the number of
budding entrepreneurs there are in the Year Group!
Red Year students have had some notable successes in
drama and sport in recent weeks, with many taking the
leading roles in the school production of Alice Through A
Broken Lens and the mixed Year 9 Rounders team stand
unbeaten, as we went to print, in recent matches against
a number of local schools.
GCSEs and that they purchase any resources they know
they will need for their chosen subjects.
Next Big Things
A wealth of musical talent was on show at Amery Hill
School this term, as five Year 9 bands performed to
family and friends at the ‘Battle of the Bands’ event. The
concert was the culmination of a year's work in
partnership with Emma-Kate Bentley from the Triple T
Academy based in Alton, who has been giving weekly
mentoring to the eclectic mix of rock, pop and indie
bands, helping each create their own distinctive sound.
Mr Gibson thanked Emma-Kate on behalf of the band
members and the school for her enthusiasm and
guidance over the past year and added “The bands all
intend to keep working together, with a next step for
Fire Door Shut

Hats off too to all the Red Year students who helped raise
money for the KS3 RAG Week, organising a teacher
relay, an R6 boys’ sponge-athon and various sweet-
related treats! All money raised by Red Year will be
donated to our chosen charity, British Blind Sport.

Peer Mentors
Congratulations also to our 21 successful Peer Mentor
applicants. Each mentor will work alongside a Year 7
tutor group from September – to help them bond as a
group and to be there for any individuals who want
someone to talk to, or to seek advice from, as they settle
into their new school.

I look forward to supporting Red Year next year as they

start their GCSE courses; how time has flown! It would be
great if all students could spend some time in the summer
making sure they have their working space ready at
home for well-organised storage of new books for their

Amelia & Poppy

many to be writing their own material.

This has been a thoroughly rewarding
project for all involved, with some
excellent final performances at the
concert.” So, the names to look out for -
Fire Door Shut, Only the Harmony,
Amelia and Poppy, Dreams Don't Turn to
Dust and IV.
Our new Peer Mentors
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Remembering the Holocaust
This term we held a Holocaust memorial focus day and deep and meaningful discussions about what they had
we were pleased to welcome Holocaust survivor Harry learnt. It is important to remember, as Harry pointed out,
Bibring to Amery Hill to speak to Year 9. Harry spoke that we must never let an event like the Holocaust
passionately about his experiences as a child growing up happen ever again, and we ensure that by remembering
in Vienna through the rise of Nazi Germany. He told the it.
students of his school days and being forced to sit on the
floor as he was a Jew. He described vividly what the
living conditions were like and how it felt to be without
food. The most moving part of Harry’s talk was his story
of coming to England and what that meant to him. He
spoke of how England was a land of promise and it had
changed his life, giving him an education and the ability to
marry and become successful. Many of the students were
moved by his story and many recounted it to the teachers
they had during the afternoon. The students also took
part in lessons from many different subjects focused on
the Holocaust from that subject’s or teacher’s
perspective. There were lessons ranging from love
stories and poetry from campmates to experiments within
the Nazi camps, all of which allowed the students to have

RAG Week
A massive well done to everyone for supporting our
fundraising week; over £980 was raised for many good
causes.

The ‘Sponge a Student/Teacher’ activity was possibly the

most well supported event (at least by the students). Our
thanks to teachers and senior prefects for being such good
sports!

7
Yellow Year News
Mr Lewis, Year 10 Progress Leader
Prefects embrace new roles
As the Summer holidays draw ever closer, this term is a
great opportunity to reflect on the achievements of our
students and start making plans for the new academic
year - a very important time for the students of Yellow
Year. As they finish their first GCSE year they are busy
preparing for the demands that being at the top of the
school entails: increased revision sessions, GCSE Master
Classes and working with an academic mentor are all
things to consider as the students reflect on their
progress over Year 10. There is still time to ‘step up’ and
make a difference to their futures.
We have had many successes this academic year, in
terms of musical and sporting achievements as well as
academic success.
Over 65 students applied to be prefects, a role many
have started with gusto. It is great to see many take on
leadership roles within the school and be role-models for
our younger students. A few applied to join the Senior
Prefect Team and, whilst some were disappointed, the
field was extremely strong and I proudly welcome
Flo Wall and Holden Williamson as our new Head Girl
and Head Boy, leading a Senior Prefect Team of twelve
students. We will be busy behind the scenes, preparing
for the Year 11 Prom and Year Book, amongst other
activities.
Yellow Year have begun to consider their next steps, and
it is great to be part of so many taster opportunities. We
visited Sparsholt College for students interested in
working outdoors or with animals. We have attended
BCOT’s Taster Day as well as a day at the University of
Winchester. All students were invited to visit the
8
Progression Fair at Alton College, in which over fifty
establishments from around the country showed off their
campus, discussed opportunities with our young people
and opened their eyes to the wider world. University
representatives, apprentice schemes and future
employers were all on their ‘recruitment’ drive, but our
students held their own and asked valuable questions. It
was a great experience.
RAG Week
We took part in the KS4 RAG week this term, and Yellow
Year were able to raise over £150 for our chosen charity
MIND, which helps and supports young people up and
down the country with mental health issues.
Our Prefect Team for 2017-2018
The Infinity Project is taking place at the end of this
academic year and I love watching our students in a new
environment, being given the opportunity to be more
independent and mature. We will be considering our next
steps, working with the community and having a taste of
driving – when real independence can begin.
I can’t wait to take Yellow Year forward into Year 11,
supporting them through the challenges that the coming
year will bring, but I am confident that with the support
they receive here at school and at home, they will really
be able to live up to their full potential and achieve some
fantastic results they can all be proud of.
Have a safe and restful Summer Holiday. See you in
September.
 Ski 2017
Mr Wright, Trip Leader

A challenging week!
Our skiing trip to Austria saw us arrive in the resort amidst
beautiful sunshine and green meadows. Fortunately there
was still plenty of snow at the top of the cable car and we
enjoyed a fabulous week of skiing, snowboarding, bowling
and many other activities. Our beginner group progressed
quickly and we were soon able to venture off the nursery
slopes to explore a couple of the other resorts in the local
area. All of them were fantastic!
On our final day skiing, we spent the morning doing ski
races through a timed and videoed course which was great
fun. Our students received many compliments on their
impeccable behaviour from hotel staff and instructors,
including a letter of thanks from our coach driver, praising
our students and the impeccable way that they handled the
long journey home.

Oxford University Visit

Mr Eacott, Assistant Headteacher
A group of Year 10 students recently visited Hertford College,
University of Oxford, accompanied by Mr Eacott and Mrs Rumming
who both studied for their undergraduate degrees at the
College. The aim of the day was to find out about life as a student at
one of the world's top universities.
The day started with an 'Oxford tutorial' taken by a research fellow in
English about the changes in the different versions of Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein, which included a debate about the impact of the
changes between the different editions and a discussion of some of
the reasons behind these changes.
After lunch, the students were treated to a tour of Hertford which, as
well as posing for the obligatory photograph underneath the 'Bridge
of Sighs', allowed students the opportunity to walk over the bridge as
well - a luxury usually reserved for members of the College. The visit
finished with a discussion of
the application / interview
process, giving the students
something to aspire towards.
The only disappointment
during the day was that,
unfortunately, Simpkin the
College cat declined the
opportunity to meet the
students. We hope that he
will be more accommodating
when we visit again!
9
 PE Department News
Mrs Haynes, Head of PE
With the success and fun of Sports Day behind us the
summer term continues to be a busy time for the PE
Department, with inter-tutor rounders, tug of war, Amery
Hill’s Olympic Pentathlon event, PE Prefect reward trip and
Sports Awards all taking place.

Beach Volleyball star visits Amery

Students recently enjoyed a visit from GB’s Beach
Volleyball player Chris Gregory. Year 10 GCSE PE
students participated in a volleyball master class session.
Selected students worked with Chris in a classroom-based
workshop, while others learned some top tips in a practical
session. The visit was a huge success!

Junior District Athletics

Launch of the Golden Mile
Some of Amery Hill’s PE prefects helped Alton Infant
School to launch their ‘Golden Mile’ initiative along with
pupils and staff from Anstey Junior School and Chelsie Fox
from Alton Sports. This was an activity to help promote the
importance and benefits of regular physical activity.
Well done to the Year 7 and 8 students who represented
the school at District Athletics at Aldershot Military
Stadium at the end of June. Medal winners include Ava
Ritchie for U14 Girls Javelin (1st place), Oliver Tombling,
U14 Boys Javelin (1st place) and Lorna Plumridge who
won the Exceptional Field Performance trophy for winning
the U14 Girls High Jump competition.

Hampshire Games Inclusive Athletics

Some of our students represented East
Hampshire District at the Hampshire Games
Inclusive Athletics Competition in June, at the
Aldershot Military Stadium. Students each
participated in a combination of track and field
events, with some great scores and times. The
school also held its own pentathlon event
which was hugely successful and saw many
students achieve personal bests.

10
English Department and Freeman Library News
Mrs Pretsell, Head of English
High achievers visit College Accelerated English
On Thursday 6th July, twenty-one, high achieving, Another exciting activity in the English Department this term
students from Year 9 had the opportunity to go to Alton involved 28 of our top Year 9 students who participated in
College and experience a poetry lesson 'A' Level style. four after school classes as part of a bespoke programme
Stephanie Richardson, Head of the designed to stretch and challenge
English & MFL Departments was very them. This 'Accelerated English'
impressed with the talent and maturity of group produced some really thought
our students. This active poetry taster pr ovok ing anal ys is and the
session involved eating sherbet lemons, programme will continue next term.
walking the tightrope and pretending to
be VERY old, as part of our exploration
and analysis of the ‘A’ Level poem 'To
my Nine Year Old Self' by Helen
Dunmore. Well done Year 9!

Jane Austen inspired wallpaper

The English Department and the School Library are
joining with the Jane Austen House Museum in
commemorating the bicentenary of the author’s death.
Students are working on a special project linking in with
the recent discovery of Regency wallpapers in Jane
Austen’s house in Chawton.

Students in Year 7 have designed their own wallpaper on

the theme of the Regency era. Each square of wallpaper
will be folded to make a unique corner bookmark, which
will be displayed around the school. Some students’ work
may even be displayed in the museum itself, when the
project is completed.

Hampshire Book Award Scholastic Book Fair

Also in March, fifteen Year 8 students took part in the
In March the School Librarians hosted a Scholastic Book
Hampshire Book Award launch. This annual award
Fair. The students enjoyed browsing a range of new books
supports the KS3 English curriculum, promotes the
and stationery and the Fair was an incredible success with
enjoyment of reading and gives enthusiastic readers the
£896 of books being sold. The school earned 60% commis-
opportunity to shine in their chosen field of interest, in the
sion and has resulted in £470 of free new books for the
same way as other students are encouraged in their
Library. Mrs Morrish and Mrs Hearse were so impressed
aspirations in sport, music or drama.
with the students’ enthusiastic response to the Fair that
they plan to run another one next year.
Each year a number of books are submitted for the
award, and students across Hampshire judge which of
the titles is a worthy winner. During the past couple of
months, the Year 8 students have read all six titles and
discussed them with each other (over juice and
doughnuts in the Library). Towards the end of the
summer term the students will vote for their overall
favourite book.

Asher Smart, (above),

Student Librarian for 2017.

The Scholastic Book Fair

Hampshire Book Award enthusiasts was a great success

11
Green Year News
Miss Keen, Year 11 Progress Leader
A fond farewell to Year 11
On 26th May, Green Year celebrated their journey
through Amery Hill with a service at St Lawrence Church
where students and teachers shared sincere words to
inspire and congratulate the Year Group on their five year
path. The retiring collection at the celebration service
raised £296.18 for 'Dreams Come True', a charity the
Year Group have supported for many years.
We were most grateful to Rev. Micklefield for hosting our
service and for the support from Ms Worwood, Amery Hill
Support Staff and the Green Year tutor team in delivering
the service. It was fantastic to welcome Mr Powell back
to Amery Hill for the service and he sends his best wishes
to all students for results day in August.
The exam season has been demanding, hot and high
pressure! I am so proud of the way the students have
conducted themselves throughout this time and I am
grateful to our skilled teaching staff who have gone above
and beyond to support the students in one-to-one
Students enjoy
the tradition of
shirt- signing
after the Church
service
12
sessions, master classes and regular revision classes
and drop-ins.
Our final event before Results Day was the Prom at
Froyle Park. This was an incredible evening, thoroughly
enjoyed by students and staff. The evening opened with
an impressive array of transport for the traditional arrival
at Amery Hill School, including a horse-drawn carriage, a
vintage RAF Fire and Rescue truck, sports cars and a top
of the range dumper truck! The students looked stunning
and everything was perfectly in place from the beautifully
elegant dresses, the suits and bow ties to the handbags,
the heels and the tiaras. Tutors and students enjoyed a
reception in the wonderful surroundings of Froyle Park
before sitting down to a delicious dinner followed by the
presentation of awards and speeches. The evening was
rounded off by plenty of photo opportunities and dancing.
What a night to remember!
I have absolutely loved being the Progress Leader for
Green Year and I wish each of them success and
happiness in their lives beyond Amery Hill.
A night to remember

13
 Art Department News
Miss Burrell, Head of Art

GCSE Fine Art Exhibition

th
The GCSE Exhibition took place on 6 July and celebrated
the hard work of the GCSE Fine Art students with all the
work they have produced over the last two years. It was
wonderful to see so many families and friends coming to
support and share their success. See also page 23.

Joanne Carter

Becky Gordon

Charlotte Piper

Molly Bennett

Year 7 Art Week

The Year 7 Art Week was a very busy event. This time
Orange Year worked hard to learn the process of making
felt from scratch, choosing their own colour scheme and
creating their own design. The students were then able to
turn their handmade felt into a unique fish or underwater
creature, embellishing with stitching and a range of
different materials including buttons, beads and sequins.
We hope to display the finished work in the main
Reception area of the school in the coming months.

KS3 Art Club

The KS3 Art Club has been really well attended this term. They decided to
enter HORTGRO’s Help a South African School competition which involved
producing a large scale collage which celebrated the production and
exportation of fruit from South Africa. The students all worked incredibly hard
as a team and created a fantastically inventive piece of work. We look forward
to hearing how we have done as the judging process is taking place now!

14
Transition Activities Begin
Mrs Riley, Assistant Headteacher
Over the last month, both Mrs Mouland, our new
Progress Leader for Year 7, and I have visited a number
of primary schools. This was a hugely exciting time as it
allowed us to meet and get to know the students who will
be starting in September. It was also an opportunity to
answer any questions that students had prior to joining
Amery Hill.
All the students were given information about general life
at Amery Hill as well as being informed about the exciting
residential trip to PGL Liddington that will take place in
October. We are hoping that a large number of students
will take this amazing opportunity to spend time team
building and getting to know each other as a year group,
as well as getting to know their new teachers.
Following a successful transition day in July where
students were able to sample a wide range of lessons, we
hope that all the new students joining us in September
are feeling excited about what is to come. We look
forward to them making a smooth transition from Primary
to Secondary school and seeing them make the most of
the many fantastic opportunities available to them over
the next five years at Amery Hill School.

STEM Project for new Year 7

We have recently received a grant for £900 from The
Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London Charity
Fund which will be used to support our incoming Year 7
STEM identity project. Students will learn about the
science of glass as a substrate and the design
possibilities which its properties provide. They will be
encouraged to use their imagination to design and create
glass tiles, using a variety of glass products and other
materials, which will form a permanent art installation in
the school.
Andy Brockett, a trustee of the charity, presented the
cheque to Mrs Wylie with students from the school

Fun in the lab

Language Leaders in action

KS1 Primary Sports Day

15
 RS Department News
Miss Stobbart, Head of Religious Studies
Calendar Competition Success
Year 7 recently took part in an interfaith calendar
competition run by Hampshire County Council. The
calendar, which details the religious events of many
different world religions from Islam and Christianity to
Jainism and Baha’i, is compiled from students’ artwork
based on the different religious festivals that they have
studied.
This year we asked Year 7 students to produce a piece of
artwork to represent either a Christian or Jewish festival
as these are the two religions on which Year 7 have
focused. The students researched a Christian or Jewish
festival which takes place in the month of their birth, with
the focus on the use and meaning of symbols. There
were many outstanding pieces of work submitted and it
was a great pleasure to be able to send off an entire
portfolio of talent to the county judges. The students have
been hugely successful in getting their artwork into the
calendar which will be available to buy in November.
Congratulations to:
Hannah Swain 7O2: St Swithun’s Day (1st place)
James Jewsbury 7O5: Transfiguration (1st place)
Sophie Forrester 7O2: All Souls’ Day (1st place)
Daisy Smith 7O1: Pentecost (2nd place)
Alana Parmer 7O3: Rosh Hashanah (2nd place)
DofE Award
Mr Cross, DofE Co-ordinator
The summer term is traditionally the busy part of the year
for those undertaking their DofE award for it sees
youngsters completing their expedition training, then
undertaking their practice and final unaccompanied
expeditions. This year was no exception and the
reasonably good weather was appreciated by both
participants and adults alike – walking and camping is
16
Maia Fuller 7O4: Simchat Torah (2nd place)
Esme Doyle 7O4: Sukkot (Special Commendation)
Erin Mills 7O2: Birth of Mary (Special Commendation)
Sam Marriott 7O2: Epiphany (Special Commendation)
We also used the students’ artwork to run the competition
within school, choosing one winner for each month. The
students chosen by the RS department to win our in
school calendar competition, and have their work
displayed in the corridor are:
Elliott Winzar 704: January
Kazzy Jurado 7O1: February
Chloe Jenkin 7O3: March
Sam Berryman 7O1: April
Ceyda Yorulmaz 7O3: May
Sophie King 7O4: June
Jessie Crawford 7O5: July
Karina Barwick 7O3: July
Beatrice Vickery 7O2: August
Shania Jhall 7O2: September
Anna Munckton 7O2: October
Max Neville 7O2: November
Archie Swain 7O5: December
more pleasant in the dry!
With a change in conditions
from HQ in Windsor allowing
Year 9 students to embark on
the Award, we held an assembly to introduce potential
entrants from Red Year which was followed up with a
meeting for parents. There has been considerable
interest and the new participants are now
getting underway.
The departure of the Year 11s after their
exams is a sad time for Award Leaders
who have worked with these young adults
over an 18 month period. However we do
hope that some of them will continue to
progress with Silver and Gold through the
Alton Open Award group which meets at
The Friends Meeting House on the first
and third Monday of the month from
7:30pm.
 Drama Department News
Mr Gibbs, Head of Drama

Alice Production Sister Act the Musical

th
On May 17 Alice Through a Broken Lens opened its first
public performance in the School Hall. Eighty plus people
filled the theatre and gave rave views of the show. The
following two nights’ shows thrilled similar numbers as the
performance marked the first Amery Hill production in two
years and set the tone for some exciting Drama to come
at Amery Hill.
Year 7 and GCSE Drama students visited the Mayflower
Theatre in Southampton to watch the highly rated Sister
Act the Musical. It was the fifth theatre trip for the school
this year and it didn’t disappoint, as forty students
enjoyed the experience of live theatre. The next trip will
be in the autumn to see Frantic Assembly at The Nuffield.

Potted Austen
Year 7 and 8 students from Stage One (Amery Hill’s Drama club) staged Condensed Austen in the Park in Alton. This
was part of the council’s own celebration of Jane Austen’s work. They performed the complete works of Jane Austen in
35 minutes on a rain-filled day in front of the Band Stand. The heavens opened just as our budding performers hit the
stage, but it didn’t dampen our spirits and the performances were well received.

17
Geography Department
Mr Parker, Head of Geography
Iceland Inspires
Year 10 GCSE Geography students recently returned
from a visit to Iceland, experiencing some of the country’s
most famous sights: the Blue Lagoon, the Hellisheidi
Geothermal Power Station and Reynishverfi, famous for
its black volcanic beaches and basalt columns. The
combination of natural wonders and Norse culture proved
an intriguing blend which inspired students and enriched
their GCSE studies.
Year 7 visit Stubbs Farm
The sun shone and the weather was very kind as Year 7
students were recently taken by the Geography
Department to visit a working farm situated near to
Kingsley. The family-run Stubbs Farm has been hosting
visits from Amery Hill students for well over twenty years
and this year was no exception. The aim of the visit was
to supplement and enhance the work the students had
been completing on their ‘Food and Farming’ unit in
school.
Dressed in appropriate wellies and coats, the students
were given a guided tour of the farm noting the farm
equipment , the winter crops being grown, the buildings
on the farm and of course the highlight, the beef cattle
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Talking about the visit, Mr Parker, Head of Geography
commented “Iceland is well known for its raw physical
geography and both students and staff were captivated
by the natural wonders of this incredible country.” The
Blue Lagoon and Gullfoss waterfall were clear favourites
for many students with one commenting “The waterfall
was breath-taking and the views were outstanding. It’s
been the best trip I have ever been on.”
sheds! Many students were able to feed the young
animals in the sheds with either the high energy maize
mixture or silage. They also witnessed the animals’
reaction to their area being invaded by numerous
excitable strangers.
The farmer, Mr Stephens, was readily available to answer
the many questions that the students had. Most students
left the farm with a stronger understanding of farming in
the UK, the challenges the industry faces in the future
and how their food is actually produced. This was
especially relevant this year with the unknown future of
the UK trading with Europe. Many thanks go to
Mr Stephens and his family for accommodating us once
again.
 Development & Community News

Building the future together Homestay Host Families Needed

A massive thank you from all of us at Amery Hill for your This September Alton
continued support of various development initiatives over College will welcome
the course of the past academic year. Our Annual another cohort of
Development Report highlights the achievements and how international students
your support has made a huge difference for our students who are all here to study
and school community. The combined income generated Level Three courses
by the Development Function, Amery Hill Association and and they are looking for
the School Trust is double that in 2015/16 which is an additional Homestay
incredible achievement. Please get in touch if you are Hosts. If you have a
interested in receiving a copy of the Development Report spare room, live within
(development@ameryhill.hants.sch.uk). Thank you! 30 minute walking
distance of College and would be interested in finding out
more, please contact the College’s International Manager
Andrew Cox (andrew.cox@altoncollege.ac.uk). Hosts are
paid approximately £140/week.

Year 8 Athletics Squad sporting their new kit purchased by

the Amery Hill Association

Kate Sadler, from Alton Zumba, presents a cheque for £300 to the school
following the successful Zumbathon and £5,610 to Cancer research UK

Hengistbury Head Strictly Showtime

The weather was mixed this year as the Geography
Department took 100 Year 10 students over two separate
days to the scenic location of Hengistbury Head, near
Bournemouth. One day was calm while the other was quite
a challenge for the staff and students in terms of
unseasonal winds and showers!
Students were exploring the hypothesis that groynes are
having an impact on longshore drift at Hengistbury Head.
This was tackled by a number of field work techniques
including annotating field sketches, taking photos,
measuring the long axis of pebbles and the width of the
beach at several different locations.
Students from Amery Hill have just formed the majority of
the cast for a fantastic production of The Jungle Book,
performed at Alton Maltings by Alton's part-time stage
school, Strictly Showtime. Students from Year 7 to 9 took
lead parts as Mowgli (Sophie Housley) , Baloo (William
Morrish), Bagheera (Ellen Morrish), Shere Khan (Tom
Gilson), King Louis (Mackenzie Wellfare) and Shanti
(Niamh Taylor). They really shone in all three areas of
singing, dancing and acting. The production was
massively well received by old and young alike with its rip-
roaring music, complex dance routines and some
hysterical comedic moments brought to life brilliantly by
the cast.

This primary data collection will form part of students’

GCSE Paper 3 examination in June 2018. Their new
GCSE requires that students not only collect data but
evaluate the fieldwork methods that they used, suggest
alternatives and think about the best presentation and data
manipulation methods when back in class.

The day also enabled reinforcement of some of the key

ideas and theories that had been taught in class in the
preceding term. Students were able to see at first hand the
work of destructive waves, weathering, erosion, slumping
and deposition plus the management techniques that
humans employ to control these processes. Hengistbury
Head will also, therefore, become a vital case study that
students can name and refer to in their summative exams Classroom for the day - the stunning natural
next year. landscape of Hengistbury Head

19
 Maths Department News
Mr Eacott, Head of Maths

Royal Institution Masterclasses

Amery Hill School is delighted to have hosted a series of
The Royal Institution’s Mathematics Masterclasses,
involving students from eleven schools across
Hampshire. The talented students from Year 9 had the
chance to flex their mathematics skills with workshops led
by enthusiastic speakers from industry, higher education
and The Royal Institution itself.
The collaborative project, led by Amery Hill School with
support from Southampton University, saw youngsters
encouraged, inspired and engaged in the art and practice
of maths. Talking about the masterclasses, Lead UKMT Junior Maths Challenge
Practitioner and Project Organiser, Miss Gillian Staerck At the end of April students from top set maths in Years 7
from Amery Hill School, said “The students have and 8 took part in the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge.
thoroughly enjoyed the intellectual challenge that the There were lots of great performances across the year
programme has provided. We look forward to welcoming groups with Joshua Jones and Kieran Robinson finishing
the Royal Institution back again next year.” top of their respective years. The results were as follows:

Bronze: Mack Wellfare, William Morrish, Edward Davis,

Orlando Moran, Dominic Drewe, Hannah Williams,
Jack Emes, Oliver Tombling, Ilona Hentea,
Megan Pretsell, Joseph Howe, Jessie Crawford,
Sophie Richards, Henry Christer, Henry Hickman,
Izzy Malatesta, Olivia Compton, Hannah Davies,
Beatrice Vickery, Esme Doyle, Matthew Blundell,
Oscar Forshaw and Maia Fuller
Silver: Freddy Millar, Noor Ishmail, Grace Belmonte,
Lana Bennetts, Finley Sinclair, Joseph Male,
Dion Williams, Aleezah Aspinwall, Grace Heath,
Isabelle Jones, Lewis Kelley, Luca Reid, Hannah Swain
Gold: Kieran Robinson and Joshua Jones
Further congratulations go to Joshua Jones who also
managed to qualify for the follow-on round in his
respective age group.

Bletchley Park Visit

Students in Years 8 and 9 have visited Bletchley Park this
term which has complemented their work on codes and
ciphers. It also provided an insight into the importance of
mathematics and history in the code breaking effort of
World War II. During the trip, students learned about the
amazing work of the code breakers which led to
the breaking of the German enigma code and saw the
famous 'Enigma' machine and the hut where Alan Turing
and his team managed to crack the German code using
the 'Bombe'.

World of Maths
Friday 23rd June saw the
unique travelling maths show,
‘World of Maths' arrive at Amery
Hill School. The fun, colourful
and hands-on mathematical
problem solving activities were
enjoyed by over 150 students
from our local primary schools,
along with student helpers from
Amery Hill.

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MyBnk
During May and June MyBnk, a financial education
charity funded by the government, came into all of the
KS3 maths groups to provide specialist finance
workshops. Students had the chance to see how maths
matters in practical, everyday life situations.
Students who found the style and challenge of the maths
interesting might well enjoy some of the videos on numberphile,
where Matt Parker is one of the main contributors.
Maths Inspiration Trip
Students from Years 7-10 got to experience three
interactive talks from some of the country’s most
engaging Maths speakers. Matt Parker the Maths ‘stand-
up comedian’ compered the event with Rob Eastaway,
Ben Sparks and Jen Rogers talking about their areas of
expertise. The Maths Inspiration Show, at Guildford
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, saw students up on stage trying
to guess the colour of a party hat, take their chances on
play your cards right and trying to win £100 by getting the
lowest number. All of the elements of maths used in the
show were picked
to emphasise that
classroom maths is
used in the real
world and answer
the age old question
‘What’s the point?’

Alton College Maths Challenge

On Wednesday 28th June eight Year 10 students
competed in the Alton College Maths Challenge - an event
which saw our students working in teams with younger
students from two of our feeder schools, St Lawrence and
St Mary’s Bentworth Primary Schools. Our students were
fantastic It was a very tough, but enjoyable, afternoon
competing with other schools trying to complete a variety of
different maths problems against the clock. The teams
acquitted themselves well, with a best of 5th overall. Well
done to Ben Williams, Eleanor Austin, Chris Martin, Sultan
Ishmail, Lauren Swain, Rachel Cooper, Jake Sadler, and
Josephine Adeyemi. Thanks also go to Ms Staerck for
organising the event alongside Alton College.

BAE Systems—Challenge Day

Ms Murphy, Head of Design Technology
In April two teams of six Year 10 students spent the day
at BAE Systems in Farnborough competing against other
schools from Hampshire. The challenge was set by BAE
Design Engineers who were available throughout the day
to offer advice and tips to the teams. The challenge this
year was to design and make a model recue vehicle that
had to deploy a bridge across mixed terrain. Points were
awarded for all aspects of the design, costing and making
of the final model, as well as effective teamwork. All
teams had to give a presentation to a panel of BAE
engineers which was also taken into account. One of our
teams came 3rd overall.
Cary McCarface in regional final
Last term twelve students from Years 8 to 10 took part in
a competition organised by Bloodhound SCC and run in
conjunction with Alton College. Students designed and
constructed cars and in March competed against other
Hampshire schools. Team Cary McCarface, comprising
designers Rory Bennetts, Ollie Neil and Scott Plumridge
put in a great performance and qualified for the regional
finals held at RAF Odiham. Congratulations boys!

“The BAE Systems trip was incredibly enjoyable and a

great team building exercise.” Holly Denton
Cary McCarface in action on the
“The best part was the surprise of coming 3rd!” Scott runway at RAF Odiham!
Plumridge

Students thoroughly enjoyed their experience at BAE

Systems; it was a great day all round.

21
Music Department News
Ms Worwood, Head of Music
Hampshire Chairman’s Year of
Music Awards
We have been delighted to be awarded third place in the
Hampshire Chairman’s Year of Music Awards. This is in
recognition of all the opportunities that we offer our
students at Amery Hill School and those extended to our
local primary schools as well. Hampshire Music Service
have also given us a Special Recognition Award due to
our continued high performance amongst Hampshire
schools. This is a fantastic achievement with the awards
presented by the Head of the Phoenix Theatre .
Lasham Music Festival
The Lasham Music Festival, took place in June at venues
in Alton and Lasham, uniquely bringing exciting musical
talent from all corners of Europe to a local, Hampshire
audience. Artistic Director, Josh Hall, commented:"The
festival is a professional showcase of iconic chamber
music and includes instrumental and vocal works by well
known composers while introducing rarely performed
works."
Fourteen of our students attended an orchestra rehearsal
as part of the festival. Each student was able to play
alongside their orchestral counterpart in a symphony
which was being performed in the evening concert; a
great opportunity for all to develop reading orchestral
music and receive advice from professional musicians.
During the festival, the professional performers
participated in an outreach programme with local schools,
which saw Amery Hill students perform with the Lasham
Music Festival Players at the Alton Maltings concert and
take part in a number of master classes. Thank you to the
Esseham Music Charity for funding this exceptional
opportunity for our students and those at our local
primary school partners. For more information visit
www.lashammusicfestival.co.uk/
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Making Music at Alton College
Year 10 students had a great day making music with the
Alton College Music Department. All students took part in
choir rehearsals in the morning which involved singing a
Bach Chorale in four parts and we found our very own
Siberian Bass Ben Williams. The second session
involved either Jazz, Funk, Rock and Pop or Orchestra.
Students chose which ones to attend and the Adult
College staff led the sessions. All students then
performed their pieces after lunch in a mini concert
(where they enjoyed their treat of the Refectory and
Starbucks). From the classical orchestra to a bit of Bon
Jovi and Oasis. It was great to have the opportunity and
see the students grow in their performances.
Other music news
The recent ABRSM Recital Evening was thoroughly
enjoyable with an incredible amount of talent on display.
We wish all students who are taking exams this term the
best of luck.
Year 9 and 10 went to watch Wicked in the West End.
This was due to the GCSE Music Syllabus now containing
the song Defying Gravity as a set work. Students
thoroughly enjoyed the evening and it has helped them
put the musical in to context for their studies.
The Summer Concert was a great final performance of
the year. All our usual ensembles played including solos
from Ben Williams (Mozart Concert Movement 2 accom-
panied by Chamber Orchestra) and Amelie Budd (Theme
from The Mission accompanied by clarinet and bassoon).
Well done to everyone involved.
 School Calendar
Wednesday 19th to Activities Days
Friday 21st July
Monday 24th July Big Picnic - Whole School Celebration

Tuesday 25th July Prize Giving

Last day before summer holidays

Monday 4th September INSET Days - school closed to students

Tuesday 5th September
Wednesday 6th September First day of Autumn Term for Year 7 students and Year 10 Peer
Mentors
Thursday 7th September All students in school

Monday 18th September KS3 Assessment Information Evening

Thursday 21st September Year 10 Curriculum and Data Information Evening

Friday 6th October Year 7 PGL Liddington Residential Trip

Monday 9th October Year 7 Art Week

Thursday 12th October Year 7 Pastoral Evening

Monday 16th October Bugsy Malone Dress Rehearsal and Performance Week

Friday 20th October Last Day before Half Term

Monday 30th October First Day back after Half Term

For more information, please refer to the calendar on the

website which is updated regularly

GCSE Fine Art

23
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