Results August 2013

September 2013

The HBHS Record

6th Form Results There was a distinct air of celebration at Herne Bay High School on Thursday 15th August, as students celebrated record-breaking A-level results. Most subjects recorded a 100 per cent pass rate, including Btec Sport where 12 out of the 13 sixth formers achieved the highest award possible, double distinction*.

There were top grades, A* to B, in English Literature, Media Studies, Art Graphics, Fine Art, Dance, Acting, History, Religious Studies, Sociology, General Studies, Travel and Tourism, Photography, Art Textiles and Health Studies.

And after last year's students achieved one of the highest average point scores for Kent high schools, with 180.43 per entry, this year's cohort set the bar even higher with an average of 214.5.

Dr Owen said she was delighted with their success, stating, "I'm thrilled to bits. When it all comes together like this you realise the school has opened up the doors for them to go on and succeed in the future."

GCSE Results Again this year Herne Bay High School is celebrating its best ever GCSE results with 54% of the Year 11 students achieving at least 5 A*-C passes including maths and English; this is an increase of 2% on last year’s record breaking results. This is the highest level of achievement in the school’s 59 year history, and demonstrates a significant achievement for a non-selective school within a highly selective educational system. Principal, Dr Claire Owen, was absolutely delighted with the results.

“The headline figure of 54% achieving at least 5 A*-C passes including Maths and English reflects the hard work and commitment from the students and teachers and builds on our successes last year. That said, it is not just about achieving the ‘C’ grades. Our philosophy is for every child to have the opportunities, challenge and support to flourish and exceed national expectations and with 98% achieving at least 5 GCSE passes, these results illustrate that.”

I am sure that families, friends and the wider community of Herne Bay will share our pride in the academic achievement of our local young people. The majority of our Year 11 students will be returning to us in September to commence their post-16 study within our sixth form and we look forward to celebrating their future academic successes.

"Today is a very personal day and it means so much because it is determining their next steps." Dr Owen praised the support from staff and parents as well as hard work from students. She said: "We have a fantastic sixth form team and you can see the relationship between the teachers and the students - they really care.

"This is a fantastic day for everyone and the support and encouragement we have given the students helps them onto their next opportunity in life."

A total of 98 pupils sat their final exams, and more than 50 are heading to university or higher education. Among them are Jade Stephens, studying biomedical sciences at the University of Kent, Ryan Colville, taking business studies at the University of Liverpool and Josh McCallum, who will join a sports science course at Brunel University.

However not all students are following a traditional university path with Jack Reid joining British Airways as an apprentice engineer and Jayne Domingo jetting off to Los Angeles where she is studying at a performing arts college.

Expectant students collect their results on what turned out to be yet another record breaking year

And the 2012-2013 Mini Community of the Year is…

Each year HBHS’s five Mini Communities compete against each other in order to win the accolade of Mini Community of the Year.

The Mini Communities compete against each other in various categories (in no particular order):

Highest number of achievement (Heron) points

Sports Day

Sports challenges

Charity fundraising

And the positions in each of the five categories were:

Highest number of achievement (Heron) points

1st ~ Neptune

2nd ~ Saturn

3rd ~ Jupiter

4th ~ Venus

5th ~ Mercury

Sports Day

1st ~ Venus

2nd ~ Neptune

3rd ~ Saturn

4th ~ Jupiter

5th ~ Mercury

Sports Challenges

1st ~ Venus

2nd ~ Saturn

3rd ~ Mercury

4th ~ Jupiter

5th ~ Neptune

Charity fundraising (with around £2,500 being raised in total)

1st ~ Venus

2nd ~ Jupiter

3rd ~ Neptune

4th ~ Mercury

5th ~ Saturn

Once all the scores from the categories were totaled up, the final places for the five Mini

Communities were:

1st ~ Venus

2nd ~ Neptune

3rd ~ Saturn

4th (equal) ~ Mercury, Jupiter

Congratulations to Venus for achieving the honour of being the Mini Community of the Year 2013.

Year 5 Greek Mythology Day Recently, members of Year 8 dressed up as Greek Gods, Goddesses and Titans to bring Greek Mythology to life!

The Greek Mythology Day was arranged as part of our school’s Year 6 transition programme, which supports students who will be joining us in September 2013.

Our students did fantastically well, teaching and supporting the year 6 students for the whole day. The students went above and beyond our expectations of them and managed to keep their energy levels high through a very tiring day.

Mrs Vass

 

 

 

In late June, HBHS held its inaugural Mini Community Awards Evening in the Bay Theatre, the evening kicked off with a rousing performance of Taiko Drumming from the Year 10 Btec students and included a wonderful performance from Year 13 Performing Arts students Emily Holness and Georgina Lambert.

Over 100 students (see the next pages of this newsletter for the names of the award winners and photos from the evening) were awarded prizes for their hardwork, positive attitude and commitment to their school. There were four categories of awards firstly there were the Mini Community Awards, the winners of these awards were chosen by their mentors and recognized students for various reasons including students who were long standing members of their Mini Community Councils or the Student Forum or students who actively work as role models or as Peer Mentors or students who simply go that extra mile in pursuing their own goals and helping others to achieve theirs or students who work tirelessly to support charitable causes.

The second set of awards were the Student PRIDE Awards, these were awarded to students chosen by the Student Forum for demonstrating the Olympic and Paralympic values of Personal Excellence, Respect and Friendship, Inspiration, Determination and Courage, and Equality.

The third set of awards were the Head of Mini Community (HoMC) Awards. Each HoMC chose five outstanding students from their Mini Community who they wanted to publically recognize for a range of reasons such as overcoming issues, or for their absolute commitment to their communities or for being an incredible role model.

The fourth set of awards were for the students who had achieved 500 Heron points, the Platinum Award. These ten students personify what an engaged young person should be – these young people are hard-working, committed, enthusiastic and are a credit to their school.

The evening was a great success and will now become an annual event and sit alongside our Autumn Term’s Sports’ Awards Evening and Academic Awards Evening.

Mini Community Awards Evening

The girls played four games in pool A of their competition and ended up 2nd in their group, this meant they played the team who came first from pool B in the semi-finals. The girls worked hard as a team in the semi-final with brilliant defending by all to win the semi’s 8-4.

In the final the girls were up against the Ashford District school, Highworth Grammar, in previous games they had lost by two and drew with this team, so it was the crunch match.

The girls were amazing and kept going in attack and defence to draw the final 6-6. This took the game to a ‘Golden Basket’ (first team to score wins), the girls kept their heads and coolness and manage to score the winning basket!

U15 Girls Basketball Team are East Kent Champions

Mrs Small, Ms Wynter and Emily Sharkey, Sophie Strotton, Charlotte Sullivan, Mollie Heath, Molly White, Deb Adebogun, Georgia Whent, Lauran Beckett, Katie Middleton

Mini Community Awards

2013

JMA Lucy Gower JAJ Liam Edwards JMC Joshua Reeve JCM Tyler Erby JCS Vienna Gasson JRS Jessica Stocks JJH Jordan Lea Clark JMB Katie Ashenden JST Sophie Gay JLH Liberty Smith JPO Daniel Eames JTV Jack Deacon

MLF Georgia Legge MMW Beth Jones MSP Niamh Alexander MPY Thomas Bridge MEW Alannah Dawson MHR Ella Eastwood MDR Hannah Rogers MLS Rhian Knight MJB Katie Russell MOA Charlotte Kershaw MMZ Rob Kirk MSE Joseph Quincey

NPB Andrea Nield NGW Leia Kavaja NKI Natalie Austin NLV Jack Butler NCP Catherine Gaskell NGY Chloe Hedger NBA Alex Black NSD Matt Grove NAC Robyn Fuller NJT Martin Hicks NMD Lucy Beacon NEB Kendall Borer

SHP Hannah Radley SKW Samantha Bright SBD Morgan Nutley SJP Lauren Tong SGC Luke Adby SPE Samuel Brooks SWR Holly Hawkins SPA Reuben Jaeger SMU Isaac Lennon SRA Scott Walton SKE Jemma Purcell SCG Matthew Dryden

VCR Kian Gamble VHA Sophie Hughes VRK Max Newton VHL Ryan Kingsford VDF Jack Pitcher VRW Caitlin McIver VCL Kieren Carter VJE Callum Tydeman VAR Jared Frostick VLA Leonie Horton VAS Sean Garvey VRH Atlanta Grenham

Head of Mini Community Award—Jupiter

JPO Laura JaneHunt JJH Jade Blackmer JAJ Stefan Walter JCM Robin Bozier JTV Sophie Cook

Head of Mini Community Award—Neptune

NMD Elisha Padgett NPB Amy Tritton NKI Pierce Wickenden NAC Lauren Ransom NJT George Oliver

Head of Mini Community Award—Mercury

MSE James Vogle MLS Ayla Furminger MSP Layla Parsons MDR Katie Anne Rose MAO Katie Lambert

Head of Mini Community Award—Saturn

SGC Lucie Holness SRA Lewis King SJP Chloe Turner SPA Grace Goodman SKW Chloe-Anne Rose

Head of Mini Community Award—Venus

VRK Aidan Keogh VLA Robert Hardstone VHA Lydia Clements VAS Max Raven VHA Gideon Scott

Platinum Heron

Awards Phoebe Harris

Beth Jones Tyler Healey

Niamh Alexander Chloe Allsop

Katie Ashenden Liam Colville

Aidan Edwards Mollie Gambrill

Jody Holmes Kayla Mills

Chloe Turner Erin Wright

Sophie Whitney Emily Hunt Ben Morgan

Jamie McIntosh Ella Eastwood Molly Harrad Robert Amos

Terri-Jane Fosker Amy Worrall

Student Forum Pride

Awards

Mr Robson (Head of Jupiter Mini Community) with the Jupiter’s Award Winners whose achievements were celebrated in June 2013’s Mini Community Prize Evening

Mrs Wilson (Head of Mercury Mini Community) and Mrs Sparks with the Mercury’s Award Winners whose achievements were celebrated in June 2013’s Mini Community Prize Evening

Mr Wakefield (Head of Neptune Mini Community) and Mrs Bailey with the Neptune’s Award Winners whose achievements were celebrated in June 2013’s Mini Community Prize Evening

Mrs Baybutt (Head of Saturn Mini Community) and Mrs Shaw with the Saturn’s Award Winners whose achievements were celebrated in June 2013’s Mini Community Prize Evening

Ms Tate (Head of Venus Mini Community) and Mrs Church with the Venus’s Award Winners whose achievements were celebrated in June 2013’s Mini Community Prize Evening

The Taiko drummers proved a rousing start to June 2013’s Mini Community Prize Evening

Year 13 Masquerade Prom A beautiful summer’s evening at The Horsebridge Centre in Whitstable was the setting for the Year 13 Herne Bay High School Masquerade Prom. It was an evening of celebration following all the hard work throughout the year and the end of the advanced examinations. Over 100 students and staff enjoyed this annual occasion and we wish all students well in their future plans. Many students have clear university plans ranging from local universities to Swansea in the West, and as far as York in the North. Some students however, are taking Gap Years and will be looking to travel and explore the world. A special thanks goes to Head Boy – James Dean and Head Girl – Grace Franklin for their commitment and hard work during the year. Mrs Wrigley (6th Form Support Manager)

On the 26th June over 60 Year 2 and 3 students came to Herne Bay High School to take part in a ‘Discover Science’ day. This gave them the opportunity to carry out experiments that are not available in primary schools. The students carried out and observed a series of practical experiments including work with microscopes and testing acids and alkalis. Feedback from students and staff was very positive. Ms Dawson

Year 2 and 3 Science Day

The Big Bang Science Fair On arriving at the ExCeL Arena we were given a card with our school name on it and also a set of cards with maps and timetables about the jam packed event. When we got inside we were told to get into groups of three or four, and then we were allowed to explore the Big Bang Fair. We learnt how to do mathematical magic tricks and a quick and easy way to figure out difficult equations. Also there was plenty of food places and colourful diagrams to keep us entertained. On top of this there were loads of interactive quizzes too. The Big Bang Fair was full of many different stalls, from different colleges to companies making make up. There was a Rolls Royce stall, careers in science stall, a Mars Rover stall and much more. The stalls were split up into the ‘Studio’ where you could see what goes on and the science behind technology, music, film and gaming. Also there was ‘Making Trax’ area which included creating engineering projects, embracing speed and considering future transport. ‘Farm to Fork’ was about how plants and animals survive and how we preserve food chains in a changing world. The ‘Next Factor’ was about how emerging technology is creating the future. There was also ‘Body Talk’ which was about understanding the body and how medicine, psychology and sports science help create a fit and active future. ‘Go Global’ was about exploring some of the major problems facing us and creating a better connected, greener and more efficient world. And finally ‘Energise’ is about how we can balance our rising energy demands with the need to conserve resources.

The day was really good and I would recommend The Big Bang Science Fair to everyone. Nearly everything we saw kept us entertained with loads of bright colours and things to do, and in our opinion the best bit of the day was the job quiz to find out what jobs suited us in the future.

Niall Smith, Henry Boys & Jamie McVey

Year 7 Enterprise Day On Tuesday 23rd July the whole of Year 7 were involved in developing, planning, costing and marketing a Circus. The Enterprise Day was held in the Bay Theatre, and after a short introduction the Year 7’s watched an inspiring dance piece from the amazing Boys Dance Company to get them into the circus mood. The students then organised themselves into groups of 4 or 5 to work through their circus idea. The groups were challenged to select the different acts required, the location of the circus, the overall circus theme and the number of seats that they should provide in their circus tent. The sales figures were predicted, the costs calculated and the profit or loss calculated. The students were then tasked to get creative and come up with marketing ideas. This included creating a leaflet, a large poster, a programme, the tickets, writing a press release and some groups were so effective they even managed to script out a radio advert and produce a storyboard for a localised TV advert. At the end of the activity the groups were asked to present back their circus idea going over their costings and explaining their competitive edge. The event was a great success and many of the students wanted to carry on with the activity. Most groups managed to make a profit even with high costs from wanting lots of acts to be in their circuses. One group that made a significant loss stated during their presentation - 'we tried to adjust our costs and prices but we pretended to be millionaires and as such wanted everyone that comes to visit us to have an amazing experience, so we feel that this is more important than making a profit!' .... Wouldn't that be a nice world! Mr Hudson

HBHS hosts an Olympic Sports Day

On 5th July 2013, HBHS hosted its own Olympic Sports Day.

Students from Years 7 through to Year 10 had the opportunity to compete in a wide range of events including traditional events and some old favourites including the javelin; a BMX drag; 1500m; 800m; 400m; 300m; 200m; 100m and relay track events; the tyre flip; high jump; egg and spoon race; sack race; vortex throw; beat the goalie; wellie throw; hula-hoops; can shy; strike out; the long jump, triple jump and discus.

The day was a huge success with very high levels of participation, a great atmosphere and some amazing performances from both students and staff!

The ever popular and impressive Boys Dance Company performed at Herne Bay Infants School on 27th June and went on tour during July performing at numerous venues and running dance workshops for other boys.

The performances were a storming success and audiences were in awe of the professionalism and athleticism of the boys.

This inspirational Company consists of, amonst others, Conor White, Ben Hughes, Dan Snoad, Brett Thomas, Josh Dix, Conor Summers, Ben Ash, Jake Asbby, Gary Blake, Jamie Blake, Thomas Guilliard, Luke Horn, Ethan Miller and Daniel Welsh.

6th form art exhibition

Over 100 pieces of work by sixth form students from Herne Bay High School were displayed at Beach Creative in Herne Bay at the end of June in their end of year show. The show featured work from both year 12 and 13, covering A Level subjects Fine Art, 3D Art, Textiles, Graphics and Photography.

In A Level Fine Art, the theme of 'Being Human' was used as a starting point. In this topic, various issues and themes were covered, including paintings depicting the danger the media can have on self-image including a mannequin inside a paper mâché rotting pear shell, mixed media pieces showing the human body stripped right back and a comedic painting of larger bodies being hung up and marked like meat.

The theme of 'Animals' was also covered by the Fine Art students. In this topic, they explored animal cruelty, story book woodland creatures juxtaposed with their real life counterparts, animal expressions, their habitats and looked in detail at animals themselves. Other pieces of work included an old mattress which had a block of flats painted on it, which was then decorated with a clothes line, old socks and cigarette butts; bulbs made from honey and wax, which were photographed with lights in them; and a giant pair of wings made from painted rubber gloves, then decorated with postcards and envelopes. There was also the opportunity to look through students’ sketchbooks, giving insight into how much thought and effort had been put into their work, and how other artists had inspired them.

The 3D Art students' work included a landscape made from books, Alice in Wonderland inspired pop up books and a large suitcase which held jars, plants, rocks and scientific equipment. One Textiles student had created a dress made from ruffled fabric and tissue paper, while others created colourful dyed and embroidered pillows and fabrics. These students’ books showed experimentation with different fabrics and sewing techniques.

With many more interesting and inspiring pieces on show and refreshments provided by the art teachers, the private viewing was a success, with parents, students and other teachers from Herne Bay High School visiting. Miss Sarah Penfold, head of the Art department, said, “We are all very proud of the students. They show such high levels of commitment and they push the boundaries of creativity. The response from the public has been overwhelmingly positive with many people astonished that such high quality and ambitious work has been produced by sixth form age students.” The show ran for four days and was overwhelmed with visitors. Zoe North Year 13

Boys Dance Company continues to wow audiences

Year 8 go back in time… In July, Mrs Kimpton organised a Year 8 trip to Dickens World.

Alongside an opportunity for the students to find out more about Charles Dickens, this was also an opportunity for the ICT staff to challenge students to consider how attractions use technology to enhance the customer’s experience.

Year 9 experience university life Even though the prospect of university may seem a long way off for Year 9, we have been so impressed with their high levels of motivation and aspiration over the last 3 years that on Monday 8th July the Year 9 Herons took part in a taster day at the University of Kent. The day was designed to enable the Herons to experience university life, with our students having the opportunity to speak to current student ambassadors about their university experience, participate in a campus tour and attend two different subject tasters. The Herons really enjoyed the day and commented on the way home that they could not wait to go to university! Miss McKenzie

I thought the day was really interesting and it helped me to further understand the importance of University and what I want to do for my higher education!’ Rhian Knight 9MLS

‘The University trip was a great experience because it helped me get an insight of what it might be like for me. It also helped me to think about what courses I could take to become what I want to be in the future.’ Georgia Whent 9SPA

HBHS hosts the East Kent School Games

On a late sunny day in June, HBHS hosted the East Kent School Games when hundreds of students across the Key Stages attended the school to compete against each other and have fun. The event was a great success, one secondary teacher from another school echoing the thoughts of many stated, “my students had a great day. Herne Bay High School is such a fabulous, welcoming place and the way the day was organised was brilliant, it is a testament to the staff and students at Herne Bay High that they can run an event such as this”. A local primary school teacher commented, “Herne Bay High School do so much for their community and we should all be proud to have such a great school in our area.” Dr Owen was very pleased with the day and singled out Mrs Luckhurst who organized the event, and the PE staff and Student Sports Leaders for their hard work and commitment to make the day such a great success.

Herne Bay’s Race for Life

On a gloriously sunny late June Sunday, a contingent of HBHS female staff and students lined up with thousands of other women to run Herne Bay’s, 5 kilometer ‘Race for Life’. The event was a huge success with many thousands being raised for cancer related charities.

After the success of last year’s school production of ‘We Will Rock You’, the school recently put on a fantastic version of ‘Grease’. Over 500 children from HBHS’s feeder primary schools attended one of the three matinee performances in July, whilst over 800 HBHS students, family members, staff and members of the local community attended one of the evening performances. The production was vibrant, exciting, colourful and an imaginative and eminently successful blend of high quality acting, music, singing and dancing. The sound and lighting were of a very high standard and the school’s theatre, yet again,

allowed the production to have a feel of professionalism and purpose.

The cast and stage crew consisted of around 100 students from Years 7 to 13, and numerous staff from various departments across the school. In addition, a large number of other students were involved in promoting the production, selling the tickets, managing the money and the refreshments with even more students acting as guides and chaperones for younger children during the matinee performances.

Grease is the word! An event of this size and complexity requires huge amounts of organisation, commitment and energy and as such everyone associated with the production should be very proud of what they achieved.

The production clearly demonstrated what is so special about HBHS, for it was about excellence, hard work, attention to detail, community, engagement, students working alongside staff and people having fun.

Last year’s ‘We Will Rock You’ and this year’s ‘Grease’ have set a high bar for next year!

(see later on in this newsletter for some photos from the show)

Grease 2013 in pictures

Head Boy and Head Girl Towards the end of the Summer Term, Dr Owen, Mrs Wrigley, Mrs Clelford and Grace Franklin and James Dean (HBHS’s current Head Boy and Girl) interviewed a number of outstanding 6th formers for the 2013-14 posts of Head Boy and Head Girl, and after much deliberation James Robey and Megan Curtis were chosen for this most important and prestigious of positions within Herne Bay High School.

The students and staff would like to wish Grace and James their very best wishes for the next stage of their lives – James is off to the University of the Creative Arts and Grace is going to the University of Birmingham to study law.

Skydiving for charity

We, Emily Lamb and Jade Taylor (who are both 6th formers), are taking part in a charity skydive event on Saturday October 5th 2013. The skydive will take place over the entire day including training before the 10,000ft jump! The charity we have decided to jump for is Teenage Cancer Trust, as we feel we could do a lot of good and show our support.

Our minimum target is to raise £400 each, meaning together we must make £800. We are asking you to please dig deep and make a donation to make the day happen for us and show your support for this charity, every penny counts!

You can donate very easily online at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=EmilyLamb-JadeTaylor&isTeam=true

We have chosen to do this skydive as it means we can both show our support for a charity that is very important to both of us. Every donation will make it that one step easier for us to do the jump and make a difference to beat cancer for teenagers just like us, so we thank you for every donation made!

Jade Taylor & Emily Lamb (sixth form).

James and Megan are ready for the challenge of representing the student body at internal and external events

Outgoing Head Boy and Girl, Grace and James with 2013-14 Head Boy and Girl James and Megan

Oliver Dickson continues to excel in cycling

Oliver won the south east regional U16, 10 mile time trial on Saturday 6th July and will be representing the south east in the National Schools Championship in September. Last year Oliver won his age group in the same event, and this year he won both his age group (14 year olds) and the overall youth event, which goes up to 16.year olds, completing the 10 mile time trial in 24 minutes 25 seconds.

Year 7 History Education Visit to Canterbury 11th July 2013

40 year 7 pupils enjoyed a day in Canterbury on Thursday 11th July with the History Department.

The visit included a guided tour around the Cathedral to compliment the unit they had completed in class on Power and Protest: How Powerful were Medieval Kings?

This visit enabled the students to see the scene of Thomas Becket’s murder and where his grave was once situated. It also linked into the unit on Power and Protest: How Powerful were early Tudor Kings? where pupils had learnt about the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII.

In the afternoon the group participated in an audio tour of the City where they had the opportunity to learn more about the history of Canterbury.

Free School Meals (FSM) To clarify the basis on which students can receive Free School Meals and how much they receive and what they can buy.

To be eligible for FSM the student’s family must be in receipt of one of the following:

Income Support ; Income Based Jobseekers Allowance; Child Tax Credit (not including Working Tax Credit); Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit; an Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

How much will a child who receives FSM be given?

Each lunch time, a student who is in receipt of FSM will have their cashless catering card automatically credited with £2.40. This £2.40 can be spent in the school’s restaurant on either hot or cold food. Should the child not use their FSM allowance or have not spent it all, at 1.20pm any remaining FSM balance is removed from the child’s FSM account. Children may add their own funds to their cashless catering card to purchase food or drinks, with these funds being kept separately from the FSM allowance the child receives.

What is available in the restaurant and how much does it cost?

~Main meal or jacket pot or pasta pot plus a pudding ~Or a lighter lunch sandwich or baguette or wrap or Panini or pasta pot plus fruit pot or yogurt or 2 x cookies or 1 x piece of fruit, although drinks are not allowed to be purchased on FSM, we do supply fresh water and children are welcome to add money to their card for drinks or snacks at break time

It is important to note that children in receipt of FSM can also benefit from subsidized trips and visits and be subject to further support if its deemed appropriate.

Please note that should you require more information regarding Free School Meals, or would like help locating the relevant forms to fill in or would like some help in completing the forms please telephone the school on 01227 361221, as we will be very happy to help. For further information visit http://www.kent.gov.uk.

Pupil Premium For every student that a school has on its roll that is receiving Free School Meals , the school has their budget increased.

What this means is that funds can be used to support exciting new ventures, trips out, the purchase of more staff and resources to help with students’ learning and such like.

On the school’s website under the ‘Information’ tab there is a link which highlights how the school uses its Pupil Premium funding to support its students.

Other newsletters to read through Please check out our Herons newsletters and our Sports College newsletters and in addition please have a look through previous school newsletters. These are all accessible on our website: http://www.hernebayhigh.kent.sch.uk

Yr 12 trip to Brighton The Year 12 induction took place from 8 -10 July and this enabled all new 6th Formers to sample the subjects that had selected.

On the final day of their induction there was a trip to Brighton to allow the 6th Form Team and students to get to know one another.

Students undertook a quiz that required them to tour around Brighton answering questions.

The quiz was won this year by Stefan Walters.

Attendance At HBHS we place a very high value on attendance, as research suggests a clear link between high attendance rates and future success both within school and ultimately within the workplace.

Indeed Kent County Council research suggests that students with an attendance of 95% or better have a 91% chance of gaining 5 A*-C grades, whilst students who fall below 95% attendance have a 36% chance of gaining 5 A* to C grades.

A new document has been published by the government on school attendance which comes into effect from the 1st of September 2013 see: (http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/a/advice%20on%20school%20attendance%20-%20final%20cleared%20v2-march22.pdf.

Some notable elements include:

A Headteacher/Principal no longer has the discretion to grant any leave of absence during term time.

Medical appointments – change to guidance now reads as follows: Missing registration for a medical or dental appointment is counted as an absence. Schools are to encourage students to make appointments out of school hours. Where this is not possible, the pupil should only be out of school for the minimum amount of time.

Illness – change to guidance means that for any child that is absent for 15 days or more through illness, a referral should be made immediately to the local authority via the GP, so that education can be accessed at home. Guidance is categoric that there must be no delay in these cases. Also, as is our normal practice, schools can request parents to provide medical evidence to support illness and record as unauthorised if not satisfied if the seriousness of the illness compared to the amount of time taken out of school.

Year 11 Prom The Year 11 Prom is a popular event in the school’s calendar and every year it proves to be a wonderful evening where Year 11 students and staff celebrate the end of the exams and the start of the next stage of the young people’s lives. The vast majority of the students will be staying on into Year 12. However a few leave to attend college to do specialist courses and some have secured jobs with training opportunities. Wish them all well!

Year 11 Prom pictures

Year 11 Prom pictures

Year 8 ASDAN Certificate of Personal Effectiveness

The Year 8 Herons have continued their hard work with their ASDAN level 2 course, focusing on their ‘Improving Own Learning & Performance Skills’ for which they have been completing a first aid course. The pupils have experienced and developed a range of skills to gain an understanding of how to deal and assist in performing first aid. The course focused on performing CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), the recovery position and dealing with a casualty that is bleeding or in shock. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves and have gained a very valuable life skill. Mr Ferreira

HBHS welcomes Vechstede College

On Wednesday 22nd May students from Vechtstede College in the Netherlands visited Herne Bay High to experience life in a British secondary school.

Before the day arrived, Year 8 Herons had each been paired up with one of the Dutch students to take part in a pen-pal email exchange, which they thoroughly enjoyed, with some students sending over 50 emails in the weeks leading up to the visit!

On the day, the Herons met their pen-pals face to face and gave them a tour of the school and spent the morning talking, making friends and exchanging gifts. The visit was a great success and the staff of Vechtstede College commented on how lucky we are to have such fantastic teaching and learning facilities.

Miss McKenzie – Accelerated Learning Manager

‘I was so excited when the Dutch students came, but a little nervous also! I really enjoyed the emailing and finally meeting my pen-pal was brilliant. I am still keeping in touch with her and really hope to see her again one day!’ Natalie Austin 8NKI

Year 5 Heron Evening The Year 5 Heron Evening on Monday 24th June was an opportunity for prospective parents of current Year 5 children to visit Herne Bay High and view first hand some of the high quality work and achievements of our Herons over this academic year. Mr Jones, Vice-Principal for 11-14, outlined the ethos and underlying principles behind Herons to over 100 guests. Prospective parents and students were then able to meet with staff, current Year 7 and 8 Heron students and their parents to speak to and discuss their work and experiences as a Heron.

‘It was a pleasing turn out and proves the positive acclaim that Herons is being held within the town. There was a vast array of displays, including models, exercise books, paintings and assessment pieces that showcased the effort and talents of the students. The event received very positive feedback and I am continuously amazed by how mature, proud, responsible and confident our students when talking about their work and school – characteristics that are fundamental to being a Heron.’ Mr Jones – Vice Principal 11-14

Raising money for SNAAP

On Sunday 23rd June, Jupiter mini community hosted a charity raft race at The Grove Pantry Pub & Inn. Jupiter’s aim was to raise money for the Special Needs Advisory and Activities project (SNAAP) who support families that have children with any additional needs or disabilities living in the Canterbury & Coastal area.

The charity raft race was a family oriented event suplmeneted by an array of stalls, BBQ, music, pirate re-enactment battle, refreshments, fancy dress competition and a raffle.

One of Jupiter’s stalls involved selling balloons for a ‘Grand Balloon Race’ where entrants bought a balloon with a numbered ticket attached; all the balloons were then released simultaneously. The buyer of the balloon that travels the furthest and has its ticket returned will be the winner.

At print, the winning balloon is owned by Mr Hudson and was found in Mierlo, which is on the outskirts of Eindhoven in Holland.

Mr Horton

HBHS girls U12 futsal team come 3rd in Kent Finals

Izzy Quinney

Georgia Legge

Caitlin Fitchett

Phoebe Edwards

Sophie Scrivener

Maddie Ahern

Year 10 Geography trip to Wales Towards the end of the summer term, the geography department spent three days in south Wales with 120 year 10 students.

The trip is designed to gather data for the students’ controlled assessment and visit several sites which contribute to the significant case study component of their exam.

As each year the trip was a great success and not without its lighter moments. Vying for pole position in the entertainment stakes though was either the new Cannon and Ball double act of Charlie Boulding and Tetley or Marcus Bodey’s Velociraptor. Students were also ‘treated’ to an unforgettable, slightly scary but also educational moment on the beach.

Mr. Ahern

Day trip to France Over 80, Year 7 students made their way to France on 25th June to experience the French culture, speak the language and have fun!

The students had a great day visiting the numerous sites in the ancient town of St Omer.

The Olympic Torch Visit The Olympic torch visited Herne Bay High School for three days in order to inspire the students with the Olympic values, including inspiration, courage and determination. The torch relay was part of a ‘lead your generation’ project which aims to get people more involved with sports and the Olympics.

The Director of Sport, Mrs Bourne, said, “we entered a competition to get the chance to have the torch for a few days and we were lucky to get it! We are one of only two Kent schools to have this opportunity.”

The Olympics have been the source of inspiration for many events in school. This year, our Sports Day was known as the ‘’Olympic Theme Park,’’ and gave students the opportunity to do Olympic based sports.

When the torch came to visit on Monday 1st July, it travelled around different lessons. In the art department year 7, 8 and 9 classes created a big canvas picture using words such as determination, inspiration and friendship to create the Olympic rings. Head of Music, Mr Vinall said that his class were “recreating the music that was used in the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games”. Things were more explosive in the science block. The year 7s were learning about what the best fuel for the Olympic torch was by experimenting with different fuels. The English department had an assortment of activities for classes to participate in including writing ‘INSPIRE’ acrostic poems, writing a description of the torch’s journey across the UK on a giant timeline and even having a go at sports commentating over footage of Usain Bolt’s 100m finals win. Finally, the PE department organised an Olympic torch relay.

The Boy’s Dance Company then took the torch on a tour of the local primary school on the 2nd July, performing an Olympic-themed dance piece. The Olympic torch was then handed over to another local school in a ceremony in front of Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday 3rd July.

Compiled by ‘The Hax’, Herne Bay High’s student journalists

A final farewell from Grace Franklin (Head Girl 2012-2013) on behalf of herself and James Dean (Head Boy 2012-2013)

Being Head Girl and Head Boy has been challenging, but has also been one of the best experiences that James and I have had.

This role has taught us both how to be a leader as well as a follower. We felt that the balance we had as a pair was unique and we have developed not only as people but a lifelong friendship. When we started our role we were excited and started organising our Year 13 Prom immediately, however our excitement came to a halt as we both had to prepare for our first assignment which was a speech to over 100 parents on Open Evening! We were nervous but didn’t let our nerves get the better of us and we chose to make what could have been a nerve racking night into a delight. We were both proud of ourselves and each other.

For us, the best part of our role was organising our Year 13 Prom. It was stressful but so enjoyable, as we had organised for a photo booth, slush machine and we had made the centre pieces ourselves. The best part about prom was knowing that everyone had a good time, students and teachers. We couldn’t have asked for a better send off.

There has been some difficult times including trying to keep on top of our A-Levels as well as our role as Head Boy and Head Girl however, when times got tough we had each other to lean on. We felt that we kept each other motivated throughout the year and our development as people have given us life skills that we both can carry on to university and beyond.

We are so grateful that we had been given this role and glad we had made such an impression on students as well as staff. At the end of our year we couldn’t believe the amazing feedback from everyone. We would like to thank everyone who supported us, staff and students alike, and we would like to wish the new Head Girl and Boy, Megan Curtis and James Robey good luck and we wish nothing but the best!

Grace Franklin – Head Girl 2012/13

To be eligible for the PPP the pupil's family must be in receipt of one of the following benefits, and claiming Free School Meals, Income Support; Income Based Jobseekers Allowance; Child Tax Credit (not including Working Tax Credit) - if the household income is below £16190; the Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit or be Asylum Seekers.

It is worth noting that HBHS is committed in ensuring that any child who receives the PPP is not singled out or made to feel in anyway different.

Economic times are tough with very few people receiving pay rises, with record numbers out of work, with a lack of jobs available, with benefits and overtime being cut and prices ever increasing. Arguably then it has never been more important to ensure that everyone takes advantage of any financial support that they are eligible for.

As such schools are encouraged to publicise the Pupil Premium Package (PPP). The PPP is additional money that the school receives to support its children.

At HBHS, we have a PPP that aims to offer individualised, practical and financial support to our children, this will include subsiding school trips, helping with the purchase of resources to support students’ progress and responding to individual requests for financial support to ensure that all students have the same opportunities and progress at the same rate.

The school has also established ways to ensure that no-one, other than the child, will know that they receive Free School Meals (FSM) as each lunch time they will have their cashless catering card automatically credited with £2.40. This can be spent in the school’s restaurant on either hot or cold food. Should the child not use their FSM allowance or have not spent it all, at 1.20pm their card is automatically wiped. It is worth considering that this means that a child who receives FSM will benefit from an additional £12 per week or around £450 per year.

If you wish to have more information or ask any questions please email a.clifton@hernebayhigh.kent.sch.uk or phone the school and ask to speak to Mrs Clifton (Dr Owen’s Personal Assistant).

Mrs Clifton will also be able to point parents in the right direction to apply for this opportunity.

HBHS’s Pupil Premium Package Year 

Free School Meals 

Subsidised school trips 

Additional financial support if

appropriate 

7 

8 

9       

10       

11       

6th Form Results in pictures (August 2013)

GCSE Results in pictures (August 2013)

Herne Bay High School students collecting their GCSE results

From L to R: Harry Worrall (11 A*-C’s), Kial Forbister (12 ½ A*-C’s) , Daniel Eames (12 ½ A*-C’s)

3

Bethany Finn (13 A*-C’s), Frances Jaundoo (12 ½ A*-C’s)

Centre: Hannah Orton (12 ½ A*-C’s) opening her results with her sister and mum

Hannah Orton(12 ½ A*-C’s) and an emotional Thea Meier-Hormann (11 ½ A*-C’s)

Georgina Miller (12 ½ A*-C’s) celebrating with her proud mum and brother

Daniel Eames (12 ½ A*-C’s) with his proud dad and school governor Steve

Jade Blackmer (12 ½ A*-C’s)

Amyleigh Brown (13 ½ A*-C’s)

From L to R: Megan Davies (9½ A*-C’s), Olivia Henniker (9 A*-C’s), Hannah Orton (12 ½ A*-C’s),

Alexandra Wadey (11 ½ A*-C’s)

Herne Bay High School’s Uniform Policy All students:

Black blazer with school badge Plain white shirt with a ‘classic’ collar, with a top button that should be done up for the whole day School tie related to the Mini-Community to which the child belongs , that should be worn at the correct length with

the top Heron logo showing below the knot when done up All students should have a plain outer coat (not a fleece, sweatshirt or denim jacket/coat) Hoodies are not permitted in school as either outer coats or as a replacement for the school jumper or blazer Boys’ Uniform (in addition to the above):

Formal black trousers (not corduroy, denim jeans, cotton drill or track suit bottoms)

Plain black shoes with no logos (not trainers or plimsolls) and black socks

Optional ~ The school plain V-neck black pullover with the school logo can be worn under blazers.

No other jumpers, sweatshirts or cardigans etc. are permissible

Girls’ Uniform (in addition to the above):

The standard school skirt (available from Rogers’ Menswear) Tailored black trousers may be worn (not leggings, corduroy,

denim jeans, cotton drill, ski pants, track suit bottoms or wide flares)

Black shoes with no logos (not trainers or plimsolls) with a sensible heel no higher than 5cms (measured from sole to instep)

Black socks must be worn with trousers Plain black tights or ankle length black socks may be worn

with the school skirt Optional ~ The school plain V-neck black pullover with the

school logo or the school cardigan with the school logo can be worn underneath the school blazer

No other jumpers, sweatshirts or cardigans etc. are permissible

Jewellery/Make-up Girls are permitted to wear discrete make-up. Extreme hair styles (cut and/or colour), as identified by Dr Owen are deemed inappropriate. Facial piercing is strictly prohibited, e.g. nose studs, eye brow bars or rings as are visible tattoos For health and safety reasons the wearing of jewellery is not allowed within school except for a watch and a

single discrete stud in each ear. During the summer term, students are permitted to wear a:

White polo shirt with the School Sports College Logo in place of the formal white shirt, blazer and tie Over the polo shirt students may wear any of the following items, and a coat if necessary:

o School tracksuit top (no other tracksuit top or hoodie is acceptable) o School black jumper or girls may wear the school cardigan with badge o School black fleece top

The wearing of trainers is strictly forbidden Shoes, trousers, skirts, socks and tights are as above

Should students choose not to wear the summer uniform they will be expected to wear their ‘normal’ uniform in accordance with the guidelines listed above.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sanctions for those students who fail to abide by the school’s Uniform Policy Where a student breaches the school’s uniform policy, this will be seen as defiance of school rules and that student will be subject to school sanctions. Following DfE advice, these sanctions may include exclusion, depending on the circumstances of the case, even if the student does not otherwise display poor behaviour.