We were very pleased to welcome Mr Harry Redknapp on Wednesday to receive a cheque for £2,277 raised by Scott House students for the charity Leukaemia Busters.

Mr Redknapp accompanied Charity Director Dr Flavell and his wife, together with Mr Sutcliffe who is Chairman of the Appeal. He joined the Assembly to receive the cheque as patron of the Appeal, and also presented the U15 Football team with the football County Cup and their winners medals.

We were delighted when he not only paid tribute to the superb work done by the Leukaemia Busters charity in improving life chances for young people struck by the disease but he also praised the efforts of the students in their continuing efforts to support charities and those less fortunate than themselves. Indeed each of the five Houses has had a lot of fun raising significant sums for a range of different charities this year, including for Water Aid and the Meningitis Trust. Scott House organised organised cake sales, a Mufti Day, and set teachers against eachother in bouts as Gladiators, including persuading the Headmaster to combat both the School Captain (whom he beat, but might just have cheated a bit!) and the Head of PE (whose victory might limit his future prospects?).

Harry Redknapp spent over an hour chatting to students and signing autographs, and told the students they had made a "fantstic effort" and that Bournemouth School is "a fantastic school".

Students at Bournemouth School are again celebrating outstanding results at A-level. Of the A-level examinations taken, virtually all (99.3%) were graded A*-E, with two thirds awarded a grade B or above – 12% of entries were awarded the highest A* grade. Our students once again gained results that are well above the national average, with this year’s results reflecting the continuing improvement in our post-16 provision.

Thomas Denman attained 4A* grades and Timothy Prossor attained 3A* grades at A2 and an A at AS, enabling him to read Medicine at Cambridge. Harry Coath, Liam Garrison, Joseph Hocking, Peter Musson, Matthew Short and George Sismey will be continuing their studies at Oxford, and George Worden is to realise his ambition of studying Veterinary Science. Jordan Abdi and Daniel Ross-Wilmore obtained 3A* and 1A at A2 and 1A at AS. In all, twelve students achieved 4 A* or A grades at A level, with 26 students’ efforts being rewarded with 3 A* or A grades. More than a third of our students achieved at least 2 A* or A grades at A level.

Year 12 students also achieved some excellent AS results. In all, 19 students obtained 4 or more A grades at AS level, with one third of all entries being awarded the top grade. James Aitkenhead, Damien Aries and Michael Henman distinguished themselves by achieving A grades in five subjects (the study of four subjects being the national “bench mark”).

Headmaster, Dr Dorian Lewis, commented, “We are very proud of all our students’ achievements. At a time when it appears that nationally A level results are no longer improving, it is pleasing A level performance at Bournemouth School continues to improve. By virtue of attaining at least 2A and 1B grades, more than a third of our students have made themselves eligible for places at the very best universities. It is particularly gratifying that many of the high academic achievers have also achieved success in sport, music, drama, and other extra-curricular activities. Many have been active in mentoring younger boys, and have also contributed significantly to the school’s day-to-day effectiveness, as prefects, in organising house and charity events, and as members of the School Council. Our students leave the school as both well-qualified and well-rounded young adults – they are a credit to themselves and their families.”

On Friday 11th January, Year 12 History and Politics students welcomed Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns into school for a Q & A session covering topics ranging from local to international issues!

This year’s swimming gala was an enjoyable experience for all the scouts involved. We had the chance to stay on a real Naval training base and compete against Sea Scouts from all over the country – some even came all the way from Liverpool! While we were there, we had to get up at half past five each morning so that we could get into the canteen before all the trainees. We soon realised that it was well worth it because the food was ten times better than the food at Bristol (that’s very good).

As for the swimming, there wasn’t a single scout from our group that didn’t give everything in order to get the fastest times they possibly could. This soon paid off as six of our twelve swimmers qualified for their final, meaning they were within the top six Sea Scouts in that event from across the entire country. After the finals on Sunday our group had received trophies in the following events:

• 3rd in the U14 Medley Relay
• 3rd in the U14 Backstroke 
• 1st in the U16 Backstroke
• 3rd in the U16 Medley Relay

Regardless of whether they received a trophy or not, all our scouts and explorers involved should be thoroughly proud of themselves for putting in a great effort and maintaining our group’s fantastic reputation. I’m sure everyone’s looking forward to next year when we will have another go and we might do even better!

By Jacob Bruchez

Students at Bournemouth School are again celebrating outstanding results at A-level.  Of the A-level examinations taken, 98% were graded A*-E, with 67% awarded a grade B or above – 13% of entries were awarded the highest A* grade.  Our students once again gained results that are well above the national average, with this year’s results reflecting the continuing improvement in our post-16 provision.

There were so many exceptional performances that it is difficult to single out individuals for mention.  Damien Aries achieved the highest grades possible in 4 A levels, 2 AS levels and an Extended Project.  Damien will be leaving the school to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge.  James Aitkenhead leaves the school with 6 A levels at grades A*/A and an AS level to read Classics at Oxford.  Other high achievers were Harry Amos, Stewart Ball, Michael Braye, Daniel Chatfield, Rhys Dawes, Jonathan Dodd, Ryan Gruss, Michael Henman, Day Hobby, Magnus Lee, Adam Packer, Tom Reed, Daniel Tyas, Jacob Webster, Daniel Wijesinghe, Marcus Willcock and Scott Wiseman.

Year 12 students also achieved some excellent AS results.  In all, 30 students obtained 4 or more A grades at AS level, with one third of all entries being awarded the top grade.  Joshua De Gromoboy and Alexei Latyntsev distinguished themselves by achieving A grades in six and five subjects respectively (the study of four subjects being the national “bench mark”).

Headmaster, Dr Dorian Lewis, commented, “We are very proud of all our students’ achievements. By virtue of attaining at least 2A and 1B grades, almost a third of our Year 13 students have made themselves eligible for places at the very best universities.  It is particularly gratifying that many of the high academic achievers have also contributed so much to other aspects of school life.  For example, our School Captain, Jonathan Dodd, who has served the school exceptionally well, achieved 3A* and 1A grade and will leaving us to read Human, Social and Political Science at Cambridge.”

The apparent national down turn in the proportion of the highest grades awarded and the school’s decision to change from traditional GCSEs to the more rigorous and challenging iGCSEs in the three Sciences resulted in a slight decrease in the overall number of A* and A grades being achieved.  Nevertheless, 56% of all entries were graded A* or A. Virtually all Year 11 students (99.3%) attained 5+ A*-C including English and Mathematics, with on average students attaining 6.7 A* or A grades (more than 70% of the year group attained 5 or more A*/A grades).  Pleasingly, the number of students achieving at least a C grade in English, Mathematics, two Sciences, a Language and a Humanity (the “EBacc”) increased to 83%.  In English and Mathematics, 87 and 97% of students respectively, made at least the expected progress.  In Mathematics, 82% of entries were grade A* or A.

Many of you will realise that Bournemouth School (then known as Bournemouth Secondary and Technical School) opened in 1901 in Portchester Road.  The increasingly popular school soon outgrew its accommodation.  In the Spring Term 1935 it was announced that ‘The Governors have resolved to proceed forthwith with the building of our new school.  The proposed site is in East Way, overlooking the new Playing Fields and the Stour Valley’.  The Mayor described the proposed site as ‘both beautiful and healthy’ and the headmaster of the time (Mr J E Parry) hoped that it would ‘rank with the greater and finer education institutions in our land’.  The new building was due to be opened in the summer of 1939.

Bournemouth School opened its doors exactly at the time of the outbreak of the Second World War.  The first pupils to walk into the brand new gleaming corridors and classrooms were not Bournemouth boys as had been expected, but evacuees from Taunton’s School in Southampton.  The two headteachers worked together to devise a workable timetable for the two sets of staff and the two sets of pupils – more than 1200 in total who were to share the new school.

September 2014 marks the 75th Anniversary of Bournemouth School occupying the East Way site.  In the intervening years much has changed, but the pressure on our accommodation and funding has remained.  We are now launching a 75th Anniversary Appeal with the intention of raising £75,000 by next September to refurnish the Lecture Theatre.

Any donations would be gratefully received (cheques should be made payable to ‘Bournemouth School Fund’).

Our CCF RAF Cadets enjoyed a fabulous day out with 662 Volunteer Gliding Squadron in Upavon.  To read full details of CCF RAF Cadet Jamie Watton's experience, click on this link

Some of the year 13 Government and Politics students recently attended an event put on in Bournemouth Town Hall as part of Parliament Week, which included a tour of the Town Hall, a question and answer session in the Main Chamber and a chance to discuss issues further over coffee. Thanks to Cameron Adams and Seth Hemingway for their excellent participation.

To celebrate Christmas as a school community, we would like to invite you to our annual school Carol Service which will be held on Thursday 19 December at 7.00pm in St Francis of Assisi Church (next to the school, at the end of East Way).   After the Carol Service mince pies, tea and coffee will be served in the school's old gym.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Every year, each of the five houses at Bournemouth School is tasked with organising a week of fundraising for their chosen house charity. The penultimate week of October saw Turner House, under the watchful eye of House Captain Tom Kidman, put on a series of events that resulted in £1,500 being raised for Julia’s House children’s hospice. The aim of Julia's House is to maximise and enrich the quality of life for Dorset children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. They provide support from diagnosis to death and beyond for the whole family, offering multi-disciplinary end of life care in their hospice building or in the family home. Julia’s House is only 10% government funded and need to raise £3.4 million in 2013.
The week began with the tried and tested Bournemouth School fundraiser: the cake sale. A “Year 7 Bake Off” competition in the style of BBC Two’s popular “Great British Bake Off” saw over 100 entries, with many cakes being provided by other years also. Overall £500  worth of cake was sold - a Bournemouth School record.
A Battle of the Bands competition encouraged all years and any instruments to participate. We had the expected rock and jazz bands, however one band created their own instruments including the “traffic cone” and “claraphone”. The dedication to rehearsals from the students resulted in a very high standard of performance.
Throughout the week, Turner drew on its wealth of performing talent to provide busking in the school foyer at break and lunchtimes. Students and teachers alike enjoyed a wide variety of entertainment, from accordion playing to breakdancing.
The most anticipated event of the week was undoubtedly ‘Bournemouth School does Countdown.’ Having entertained audiences with X factor, Bournemouth School’s got Talent, Weakest Link and Strictly in the past, 12 staff members ‘volunteered’ to enter into a battle of wits in the form of the famous words and numbers game. The vicious sense of competition as well as the light hearted humour of host Mr Bonds, Head of History, turned a daytime TV show into an exciting lunchtime for the students of Bournemouth School. Overall, Bournemouth School’s version of Countdown proved to be very entertaining, and a great deal of gratitude goes out to those teachers who put their dignity on the line in the name of charity.
To conclude, Turner House’s charity week was another instalment in what is now an annual showcase of the exemplary charitable spirit of a huge number of Bournemouth School students. There are always a huge number of boys and girls willing to sacrifice their time for a worthy cause, to help those less fortunate. No matter how light hearted the events themselves were, a visit from Steve Mills from Julia’s House ensured hearts were touched by the work Julia’s House do. Turner House now looks forward to the upcoming charity weeks of  the other Houses.

On Tuesday 7th January, Year 12 Government and Politics students visited the National Army Museum and Houses of Parliament. Activities included a lecture on the changing nature of warfare, a tour of Westminster Palace, visits to the public galleries of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons, a session with the Education Unit on elections and voting and a question and answer session with Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East.

Darwin House Charity Week  : 10th-14th February 2014

In this year’s charity week, we were raising money for the ‘Friends of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit’ charity based in Southampton. The charity was set up in 2006 ‘to support the children and their families by providing vital equipment and services that are not normally provided by the statutory authorities’, and recently managed to reach £1million raised in total. Money raised by the charity is spent on a variety of life-saving equipment such as oxygen head boxes and even an ambulance.
Our charity week began with a cake sale at break time on the Tuesday, which has become a classic charity event for each house as students can never refuse a delicious cake from the vast variety on offer. This was a hugely successful event as hoards of students brought in home-baked cakes, which was matched by hoards of students queuing up to have a taste. The event made around£200 in total, which is a huge amount of money raised in just a 20 minute slot!
The following lunchtime, Mr Linklater and his maths class organised a ‘Rubik’s cube competition’ for which his students had been hard at work creating posters to put around the school. A large audience turned up to watch the event and the winner managed to complete the cube in around 32 seconds, which is beyond comprehension for the common human.

Next in the event-filled week was ‘Blind Date’ on the Thursday lunchtime. This was our take on the classic dating show featuring our very own Cilla Black, the just-as-glamorous Mr Bonds. This was mainly aimed at year 13 students as four of our senior prefects (and Josh Nevin) fought it out to take one of our girls on a romantic date. However there was a slight ‘twist’ in that our gorgeous girls were in fact Josh De Gromoboy, Sam Deeble and Mert Sevgi in drag. The ‘macho’ males were therefore quite surprised when they realised we were using Olivia Weiss, Rimshah Khan and Umamah Ahmed to do the voice-overs and they in fact had to dance with one of our drag queens. The event received great feedback, with Mr Bonds’ non-stop wit making the whole audience laugh throughout. 

The final event was the Year 7 and 8 disco on the Friday night. This is an event Darwin hold every year between BS and BSG and always has a huge number of students who turn up. This year, around 100 students came to the night and had a fun time dancing to the DJ’s huge playlist, whilst devouring the tuck shop’s stock. Overall, we managed to raise approximately £700 which we will present to the charity after the Easter holidays. This will help the charity massively in their fundraising and also provided a huge amount of enjoyment for everyone involved in raising the money.

Did you know that by simply collecting these vouchers with your weekly shop you can help us update our Technology Classrooms with new Cooking equipment and Nutritional Toolkits to assist your son with his Food Technology lessons? 

Sainsburys will be distributing these vouchers when you pay for your shop between Wednesday 29 January and Tuesday 20 May 2014.

Help us to help our students - please start collecting these vouchers now

Scouting for Talent is the youth of Bournemouth’s new chance to shine, hosted by CBBC Presenter Chris Jarvis, and organised by Year 10 students of Bournemouth School and Bournemouth School for Girls, with the support of the Shore Ideas programme. Proceeds from this fantastic event go to the Downs Syndrome Association.

The Shore Ideas programme gives participants an opportunity to pitch their charity fundraising idea to 5 local entrepreneurs.  Out of 28 entrees, only 10 were chosen by the team who have been working tirelessly with the help of mentor, Councillor Blair Crawford, to organise the event to raise money for the charity.

The show features amazing young talent from the local area, including three acts from Bournemouth School, with a star judging panel including Anita Harris and Wave 105 presenter Kate Weston. You can support the event by buying tickets for the grand finale on 4th May or by making a general donation at shoreideas.co.uk. 

Bournemouth School (originally known as Bournemouth Secondary and Technical School) opened its doors in 1901 in Portchester Road.  The increasingly popular school soon outgrew its accommodation.  In the Spring Term 1935 it was announced that ‘The Governors have resolved to proceed forthwith with the building of our new school.  The proposed site is in East Way, overlooking the new playing fields and the Stour Valley’.  The Mayor described the proposed site as ‘both beautiful and healthy’ and the headmaster of the time (Mr J E Parry) hoped that it would ‘rank with the greater and finer education institutions in our land’.  The new building was due to be opened in the summer of 1939.  Bournemouth School opened its doors exactly at the time of the outbreak of the Second World War.  The first pupils to walk into the brand new gleaming corridors and classrooms were not Bournemouth boys as had been expected, but evacuees from Taunton’s School in Southampton.  The two Headteachers worked together to devise a workable timetable for the two sets of staff and the two sets of pupils – more than 1200 in total who were to share the new school.

September 2014 marks the 75th Anniversary of Bournemouth School occupying the East Way site.  In the intervening years much has changed, but the pressure on our accommodation and funding has remained.  We are now launching a 75th Anniversary Appeal with the intention of raising£75,000 by next September to refurbish the Lecture Theatre.

Any donations would be gratefully received (cheques should please be made payable to ‘Bournemouth School Fund’).

Students at BournemouthSchool are again celebrating outstanding results at A-level.  Of the A-level examinations taken, 99% were graded A*-E, with 67% awarded a grade B or above – 13% of entries were awarded the highest A* grade.  Our students once again gained results that are well above the national average, with this year’s results even better than those achieved last year, reflecting the continuing improvement in our post-16 provision. 

There were so many exceptional performances that it is difficult to single out individuals for mention.  Josh de Gromoboy attained 5A* grades and 1A grade at A2 level and an A* in his Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) for which he designed, built and tested a robotic arm.  Alyosha Latsynev attained 4A* grades and 1A grade at A2 level and an A* in his EPQ (on X-Ray Crystallography).  Alyosha has just returned from representing the UK at the International Physics Olympiad inKazakhstan.Alex Sampson’s efforts were rewarded with 4A* grades and an A* in his EPQ (on Foot and Mouth Disease).  All three will be continuing their studies at Cambridge University in Engineering, Mathematics and Veterinary Science respectively. 

Adam Collins, Harvey Darby, Sam Deeble, Jack Molyneux-Warren, Josh Nevin, Luke Staton, Stephen Thorp and Peter Vincent also performed exceptionally well – all achieving at least 4A*/A grades at A2 level.  Harvey leaves us to read Chemistry at Oxford. 

Other high achievers included Mohammed Al-Wasity, Tom Arnold, Adam Chappell, Tom Davidson, Harry Davies, Jack Evans, Francis Gurr, Max Happel, Jack Helyar, Callum Howell, George Hunt, Simon Lee, Greg Martin, Oliver Morgan, Philip Mylankal, Ben Pitfield, Will Sargeant, Mert Sevgi, Ben Shrewsbury, Alice Tilley, Josh Vaughan and Joe Watson (all attaining at least 3A*/A grades at A2 together with a range of other grades at AS and/or A2).  With such good results, Alice, who joined the sixth form from the Bishop of Winchester Academy will now be able to realise her long held ambition of becoming a vet, and Mert leaves us to study medicine. 

Year 12 students also achieved some excellent AS results.  In all, 25 students obtained 4 or more A grades at AS level, with 30% of all entries being awarded the top grade.  Aaron Byrne and Can Hou were awarded 5A grades, and Jamie Hendy and Jonathan Kimber each attained 4A grades and 1B grade at AS.  Rita Tolstaya, who joined the sixth form from Glenmoor School last September attained 3A grades and 2B grades at AS together with an A* grade in A2 Russian. 

Other Year 12 high achievers included Harvey Appleby, Jay Bean, Alex Broadway, Alex Chatfield, Rowan Chatfield, Aric Chau, Thomas Chisholm, Oliver Cooper, Alex Craig, Oliver Griffiths, Freddie Jenkins, Thomas Kydd-Coutts, William Miller, Megum Muhic, Alex O’Neill, Charlie Savage, Martin Shahi, Robert Torquati, James Wijesinghe and Kateryna Zhyvitska (all achieving at least 4 A grades at AS). 

Headmaster, Dr Dorian Lewis, commented, “We are very proud of all our students’ achievements. By virtue of attaining so well, many of our Year 13 students have made themselves eligible for places at the very best universities – we wish them well. It is particularly gratifying that many of the high academic achievers have also contributed so much to other aspects of school life.”