Parents, carers and children really pulled out the stops and gathered an amazing array of harvest fresh produce, pasta, rice, tinned food and toiletries in a collection for Stower Provost Primary School’s harvest festival. Fresh produce was boxed up and raffled, while dried, tinned food and toiletries were all donated to the Gillingham Food Bank. ‘Our afternoon of celebrations included a gathering to recognise the MacMillan Coffee Morning events running nationwide –however ours was an ‘afternoon cuppa’ instead!’ said headteacher Ailsa Boardman-Hirst. ‘This was followed by a special harvest assembly including, songs, poems and stories all linked to harvest and amazing food facts.’
Sherborne Abbey played host to a magnificent evening celebrating student success as The Gryphon School held its annual prize giving ceremony for last year’s Year 11 and Year 13 students. More than 100 students received awards during the evening, and the Abbey was full to capacity as parents and family joined the students to celebrate their achievements. The awards were presented by Colin Sinclair, CEO of the Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust, of which The Gryphon is a founding member. Students performed a number of musical interludes, including Josie W. who sang a solo, Holly M. who played a flute solo, and Esme E. on piano.
Not just academic excellence A huge range of achievements were recognised in the ceremony, including awards for subjects, academic achievement, contribution to school life, and personal achievement where students have excelled despite difficult circumstances. The Year 13 students have now left The Gryphon to take their next steps and Head of Sixth Form Paul O’Donnell said ‘It was fantastic to see all our amazing Year 13 students again – they performed utterly superbly in their A levels and BTECs and this was just a small way for us to say well done. It is fantastic to see students going on to such a wide variety of courses and locations at university, apprenticeships in really varied fields, or taking a gap year before progressing onto further study. The results were superb across the board, but the fact that so many students achieved straight A* and A grades was unprecedented. Aidan Hoggan, Bella Whitmore, Lucy Jones, Oliver Barrett and Katie Copp even went a stage further and achieved three A* grades. All our Year 13s have been a credit to the school and I look forward to hearing about their many successes in the future’.
Special atmosphere Headteacher Nicki Edwards said ‘Our annual prize giving is a true celebration of our Gryphon ethos of living life in all its fullness. The atmosphere in the Abbey is so special, and we were delighted that so many students joined us as we recognised their academic achievements and personal progress. We would like to thank Sherborne Abbey for their support in delivering this truly memorable event for our students.’
Open Evening is a special night for any school. It’s an opportunity for prospective students to take a peek at their future, and for our current cohort to showcase their skills and passions, both academic and extra-curricular. This year, on Thursday 22nd of September, this was no different for The Blandford School (TBS). With a great turnout and plenty on display, we hope that Year 5 and Year 6 students, along with their families, had an enjoyable, insightful evening – and will choose us as their future secondary school. ‘I was delighted at the number of potential parents/carers present. Our admission numbers are very healthy and we are currently oversubscribed, so I encourage all parents/carers to apply as soon as possible!’ said Mrs Sally Wilson, Headteacher.
Graduate Assistant (Prep School) To commence January 2023
An enthusiastic and committed Graduate Assistant is required for our Prep School on a one year contract. This exciting opportunity includes a full and active role in the pupils’ games programme, supporting the work of teachers in the classroom, and pastoral care of our boarders. This position would suit an enthusiastic sports person who is a recent graduate and may be considering a career in teaching to learn more about the profession, or for someone seeking a short-term post prior to embarking on another career path. This is a live-in position that will involve some evening and weekend work within the boarding house. For further information and an application form, please go to: https://clayesmore.com/work-for-us/ Closing date: 8am on Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Clayesmore is committed to the safeguarding and promotion of children’s and young people’s welfare and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. www.clayesmore.com
During the summer holidays Piddle Valley CE First School has been working hard on improvements to the outdoor environment. This includes renewing the raised beds in the gardening area and creating a new pond area. There is still lots of planting to do but the staff and children are all excited about encouraging the wildlife to the area.
The new raised beds have already been put to good use by the Gardening Club, an after school club who meet weekly. So far they have hosted three ‘Piddle Produce’ markets which have been extremely popular, selling school-grown produce including carrots, lettuce, beetroot, tomatoes, apples and herbs.
To date the children of the Gardening Club have raised £60, which they will use to buy further seeds and plants for the garden. The parents and families have been very supportive of the Piddle Produce markets which has been very much appreciated
Pool Plant Room and Maintenance Operator Full-time, all year round
Clayesmore School is located in the village of Iwerne Minster in the shadow of Hambledon Hill. The breath-taking scenery isn’t really what makes working at Clayesmore a joy; what really makes the school standout is the warmth of the people and the culture and kindness that underpins everything we do. We have an exciting opportunity for a Pool Plant Room and Maintenance Operator to join our Estate team in this newly created role. The ideal candidate will have had Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG) accredited training and experience within the industry, and be confident in the implementation of the approved methods for running a safe pool. In addition to the pool and plant room duties, the post holder will undertake various equipment and facility maintenance, both reactive and preventative, small plumbing repairs and water sampling when required. Benefits include a non-contributory pension scheme, Death in Service benefits, a free meal each day and free membership of the Clayesmore Sports Facilities.
Please feel free to ring the HR department on 01747 813213 if you would like to discuss this role. Further information can be found on our website: https://clayesmore.com/work-for-us/ Closing date: 8:00am on Monday, 14 November 2022
Pupils and teachers at St Mary’s Primary School in Bradford Abbas are delighted to have been awarded the Sports Mark Gold Award! This national award recognises and celebrates the opportunities and experiences the children receive in sports and health education. Headteacher Emma Grunnill said: ‘Our staff work incredibly hard to ensure that our pupils have expert tuition and quality experiences in sport. I am delighted that the hard work, commitment and achievement of the staff and children has been recognised. A huge well done and thank you to them.’
