Year 7 students took part in a fantastic workshop on Thursday 6th June led by author Gary Toward who came to share his inspiration for writing the novel “The Magpie”, set in World War I.

His presentation took students on a journey through time, incorporating the history of the period. The main character in the book is based on the author’s own experience as a child growing up in a mining family, the story starting in the north east of England and ending in the trenches of France. Students then had the opportunity to produce their own piece of poetry, learning the story of Valentine Joe Strudwick, reputedly England’s youngest military casualty of the First World War.

We are grateful to Mr Toward for taking the time to come into school and deliver such an inspiring, thoughtful and inspirational session with our students, re-enforcing the message that writing and reading are key skills for whatever path students decide to take in the future.

As a result of the enthusiasm and interest shown by the students, the local bookshops can probably expect to see a number of copies of “The Magpie” flying off the shelves anytime soon!

On 21st March we arranged a series of Further and Higher Education workshops for Year 9 students.

The students spent the day attending different workshops by many different colleges, sixth forms, apprentice providers and people from industry.

The available workshops were delivered by Warwick University, Chipping Campden School Sixth Form, Stratford College, Ricardo Engineering, Q Hotels, Stratford Manor, Taylor Wimpey, Agri Tec, and the Police, as well as workshops in Photography, Theatrical Make-up, Sport and Public Services.  We even had Comau, a robotics company who bought two robots with them which the students had to control to make them perform various tasks.

This day was both fun and informative and the students thoroughly enjoyed the day, coming away with lots of information about their future opportunities.

The visitors also commented on how well behaved and interested all of our students were.

Mr White is spearheading some whole school fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support:
“I had the good fortune to meet up with two of our ex-pupils recently. Both attended the school about twelve years ago and both are progressing extremely well in their careers. We exchanged the usual pleasantries, talked fondly about the past but it was the more recent experiences of one young lady that stuck in my mind.
Parissa Barghchi left school in 2007. Since this time she has enjoyed considerable success in her chosen career but it is her private life that has presented the greatest issues. In 2018, Parissa lost her mother to breast cancer. If this wasn’t enough to cope with, shortly afterwards she was informed that another close family member was suffering from the same condition and very soon afterwards Parissa herself tested positive for the BRCA1 gene which hugely increases the possibility of her contracting the disease. Parissa has recently undergone significant medical intervention to help prevent her becoming the third member of her family to battle this awful disease.
I’m glad to say the prognosis for Parissa and her family is very positive and great thanks must be given to our wonderful health service for this. What impressed me most however is that Parissa is the same bubbly, positive young lady that she always was. She has not let this faze her and now wants to give something back. What surprised me is the manner in which Parissa plans to do this. She was never the sportiest individual in school but she has recently gained entry to the Virgin London Marathon and will be running to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support who gave her such great help during a very challenging period.
I have pledged to support Parissa in her venture and will be running some fund raising events within school. I would also ask anyone in the wider community that either knows Parissa personally, has been affected by similar issues or just wants to show support for a very brave young lady to get behind her if you can. The easiest way to do this is to type Parissa Barchghi London Marathon into Google and choose Virgin Money Giving. You will see Parissa’s individual page, can read more about her and the reasons for this fantastic challenge and hopefully offer sponsorship for the event.
Thank You.
Chris White
Deputy Head Teacher”

On Tuesday 12th March we were delighted to welcome Alessia, an Italian student ambassador from Aston University into school to talk to Year 9 students about the benefits of studying a foreign language.
The event was arranged in conjunction with the University. Alessia is currently studying a Masters in Strategic Marketing Management and through a presentation and question and answer session gave our students a great insight into what doors may open and what careers are available to them if they study a modern foreign language.

With Year 9 about to select their GCSE options this informative and entertaining session has certainly given the students something to think about.

Friday 1st March was national offer day when Year 6 pupils were notified which secondary school they would be attending in September.

Shipston High School can now confirm that all 120 available places for our September intake have been allocated and we are running a substantial waiting list. This is great news for our school and the local community as we continue to strive to provide a safe, supportive and nurturing environment to enable every student to grow personally and academically.

Parents are reminded that the deadline for accepting or declining the offer made is Friday 15th March and that if no response is received by this date the offer will be withdrawn by the Warwickshire Local Authority ready for the first reallocation round which starts on Monday 18th March. Appeals for places should be lodged by Friday 29th March.
If you have any queries about the admissions process, waiting list or appeal system please contact Mrs Alison Punt, Headteacher’s Secretary either on 01608 661833 or apunt@shipstonhigh.co.uk.

Years 8, 9 and 10 have recently all been experiencing practical sessions to help broaden their knowledge of different career paths they may wish to choose:
Year 10 CPR session
All Year 10 students learned how to perform CPR and First aid during a recent Careers lesson. One of our ex-students James Booth, who now works for the Fire Service, came into school and told the group all about his career and showed everyone how to perform CPR, as well as telling them how to use a defibrillator. Everyone in the year had a practical try at performing CPR on the first aid dummies. We are very grateful to James for such an interesting and useful session.
Year 8 Careers Day
On Thursday 14th February Year 8 all took part in a Careers day. Students chose their favourite jobs from a selection of job descriptions and had a try at completing application forms. Following this, they took part in a team activity where they had to invent a future business and present it to the whole year group. This was a really great, fun and educational event which was thoroughly enjoyed by the students whilst providing them with essential skills they will need in the future.
My Hospitality Work Event – Q Hotel Stratford Manor
On Thursday 27th February a group of Year 9 students attended an event at Stratford Manor Hotel aimed at showcasing some of the huge range of careers within the Hospitality industry.
On arrival students were give a sumptuous breakfast and were met by the General Manager, Joanne Hammick who told them a bit about the hotel before watching a film about some of the amazing opportunities within the industry. After a tour around all the different departments in the hotel it was back to a conference room where the Head Chef showed the group how to make their own pizzas, which were then served to them in the dining room for lunch.
Three fascinating and insightful sessions for all students concerned.

Just before Christmas, three enterprising Year 11 students Georgia, Paige and Holly held a Face Painting stall at the Rotary Club Victorian Evening to raise money for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance. The girls worked hard all evening and raised the sum of £45.00 and were delighted when Shipston Rotary Club agreed to match the sum, making their grand total £90.00. We were pleased to welcome Rotarian David Dawkins into school recently where he presented Georgia and Holly with the Rotary cheque.

Careers Education at Shipston High School starts as early as Year 7 and on Thursday 24th January, all of Year 7 took part in a Careers day.

Students worked in teams to try and decide what they would like to do in the future and what skills they would need to achieve their goals. It was a really fun and interactive day and Year 7 thoroughly enjoyed it whilst beginning to think about their future career paths.

On Wednesday 23^rd January we were delighted to welcome Team GB athlete Eden Francis into school.  Eden, a discus and shot athlete, started athletics at the age of 10 and was awarded her first Team GB vest at the age of 15.

Eden’s latest achievement is making the final top 8 in both the Shot Putt and the Discus at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and she is now in training to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

Our Year 10 students had the opportunity to take part in two circuit sessions with Eden which were followed up by an inspirational assembly delivered to Years 9 and 10.  Students were fascinated to learn how Eden’s career has developed so far, to hear her aspirations for the future and to find out what can be achieved by sheer hard work, dedication and commitment.

We are very grateful to Eden and Team GB for making this visit possible and would like to wish Eden every success for the future.  We shall certainly be keeping a close eye on what she goes on to achieve next.

As we start the new term, may I wish everyone connected to the school community a very Happy 2019.

We begin the year by welcoming new staff to the school for January. Mrs McDermott joins the Technology department, primarily in Graphics and Product Design. This follows the retirement of Mr Harper, who left in December after nearly twenty years’ service to Shipston High School. We thank him for his work and wish him well in his new ventures.

We also welcome Mrs Sheasby to the role of Pastoral Support Manager and Mr Harvey to the role of ICT Network Manager. The new staff are most welcome, and bring real strengths and skills to the school.

Shipston High School had another strong start to the Hockey season with its annual autumn term finale – ‘Tinsel tournament’ on Thursday 20^th December. The evening involved just under 70 students competing in a fun and festive competition with teams suitably named for the festive period – Christmas trees, Crackers, Santas, Sleighs, Snowmen and The Wise Men. One of the highlights of the tournament is that every team consists of a mix of age and abilities.

Each game was played in excellent spirit and enabled players to show the skills they have learnt and developed during the term. All games proved to be very tight with the eventual winner being the ‘Crackers’. Prizes were also awarded for the best festive outfit, the winners were Abigail Neale and George Turner.

Each year group have enjoyed fixtures against a range of local schools with more scheduled in the spring term. All age groups have displayed excellent commitment to the sport and continue to progress in every game. Further highlights to look forward to are a Hockey tour to Rotterdam in the Netherlands in April and an opportunity to watch GB v Australia at the Olympic Park in June.  Hopefully Hockey will continue to be a great strength at Shipston High.

Wednesday 19th December was Christmas Jumper day at Shipston High School.

Students were invited to wear their Christmas Jumpers alongside their normal uniform and donate 50p in support of two Charities, Shipston Community Christmas and Macmillan Cancer Support.  The school has never seen so many reindeer, penguins and robins, coupled with a large amount of glitz!

Thank you to all students and staff who raised £224.00 for the charities.

With the onset of winter weather, we have recently circulated to parents the actions the school will take in the event of advance notice of a school closure or a forced closure during the school day.  Although we hope to avoid any weather related closures, please can parents familiarise themselves with our procedures in the event of challenging conditions.

The website link to this letter is www.shipstonhigh.co.uk/information/school-letters/

As a rural community we are very mindful of the amazing work done by the Air Ambulance teams serving our locality.

On 20^th November, we were pleased to welcome Mary from the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity who gave two assemblies on the work of the Air Ambulance.  At the instigation of the students, the school decided to undertake some fundraising to support them in their work and Friday 30^th November saw a non-uniform day in aid of the Charity.  We also sold Air Ambulance merchandise and invited our parents to donate through Parent Pay.  Donations received a significant boost during our recent staff training day when staff took part in a “Chips for Choppers” lunch where everyone who wanted chips for lunch made a donation towards the fund in return for a member of staff to go and collect them from the local fish and chip shop!

We are delighted that we raised a massive £915.67 for the Charity.  Thank you to everyone for your amazing support.

With the end of their time at Shipston High School approaching, our Year 11 students are preparing to take their next steps into further education or employment with training.  Each year students have timetabled sessions to help them prepare their own CV in preparation for forthcoming interviews when applying for school and college places and apprenticeships.

This year’s mock interview session took place on Thursday 29^th November where every student had a 25 minute personal interview conducted by representatives from local businesses and members of the Shipston on Stour Rotary Club.  Dressed in their choice of interview clothes, this experience gave the students a real opportunity to prepare themselves for the “real thing” when formal interviews for sixth form and colleges begin in the New Year.

Once again, we are very grateful to the members of the Shipston on Stour Rotary Club and our business community for giving up their valuable time to help our students.

When looking at the school Hall after school on Tuesday 4th December you may have thought that Miss Whitworth and Miss McElroy were preparing for a Christmas party, with the beautifully decorated tables, decorations and lovely food.

It was, however, a staff training event “Teach Meet” which saw teachers and teaching assistants gathering from near and far to hear trainer, keynote speaker and author Gary Toward’s wise words.

Gary’s focus was on teachers being the ‘decisive element’ in their classrooms, encouraging staff to be reflective on their classroom practices and the way they form relationships with their students.

Gary’s book ‘The Decisive Element’ really is a great read.

Alongside Gary, there were a number of great presenters from Studley High School and Alcester Academy who shared their ideas as well as Shipston staff Ms. Lawrence, Mr Denham, Mrs Hunt and Miss McElroy looking at a variety of topics such as whole class feedback and careers in the classroom.

Attendees left the session with a lot of new ideas to think about.  Thanks go to Miss Whitworth and Miss McElroy for all their hard work in arranging the event.