The Headteacher and Governors are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and inspirational Key Stage 2 class teacher to join our team to work with us until the end of the School year.
The successful candidate will:
have high expectations of all pupils
be passionate about teaching and learning
have a thorough knowledge of the Primary Curriculum and a wide range of teaching strategies
be committed to collaborative working and ongoing professional development
In return we can offer a warm and friendly school with hardworking and well-behaved children, dedicated and supportive staff and governors and opportunities for continual professional development.
Milborne Port Primary School is maintained by Somerset County Council and the number on roll is currently 162.
Milborne Port Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share in this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
Visits to the school are welcome. Please telephone the school to arrange a visit and obtain an application form, job description and person specification.
All applications should be completed electronically and returned to Mrs C Brown, School Business Manager: [email protected]
Six months after breaking her ankle, Mel tackles Snowdon – and the notorious Dinorwic Quarry – to complete her marathon trilogy
September finally saw the completion of the ‘Man vs …’ trilogy. The first of the trilogy, Man vs Coast. was completed back in 2019. Last year you may remember I wrote an article about my epic two-day 60 mile adventure running around the lakes (Man vs Lakes). At the beginning of September I made my way to Snowdonia to conquer Man vs Mountain, finally completing the trilogy after two years of deferrals and cancellations due to the pandemic. To say I was ready for it would be … incorrect. In fact, half way up the mountain I instantly regretted not training enough! I always knew that 5,000ft of elevation across 22 miles of tough terrain, this was never going to be an easy race. But six months post ankle break? Probably crazy, I hear you say. Trust me when I say that the views were honestly worth every single step. This epic mountain adventure started at sea level from the stunning Caernarfon Castle, with not a mountain in sight. A few miles in, the beautiful mountains of the Snowdonia National Park came into view and the ascent up the Rangers path to the summit of Snowdon began. I made the summit and breathed a massive sigh of relief – and had a little sit down.
The view from the top I took a moment to appreciate my surroundings – how could you not? We were so lucky with a beautifully clear day. After such a gruelling climb I definitely appreciated the ease of the descent down the Llanberis path. Although, saying that, there were a few hairy moments on the loose shale. The village of Llanberis was a welcome sight, but just when I thought I was done with the hills I reached the infamous ‘vertical kilometre’ up Dinorwic Quarry.
A few swear words might have slipped out at this point! In true Rat Race fashion, the race ended in an array of different obstacles. It’s traditional, and this time included a bit of kayaking and a refreshing dip in Llyn Padarn before crossing the finish line, to receive the medal for the last segment of the trilogy.
As the 2022 judging begins, LLTL founder Barbara Cossins shares the story of a 2021 entrant who used the awards as a springboard for their honey business
Image by Honey By Ian
The entry deadline was last month – but really the 2022 Love Local Trust Local (LLTL) Awards are just beginning. This year some of the best-known Dorset food producers sit alongside exciting new names, and we have some wonderful stories, too, as each producer has their own inspiring journey to share. There’s delicious chocolates, melt in your mouth brownies, crunchy macaroons, delicious cheeses, real milk, incredible honey, great steak… not to mention the homemade gin, beer and wine; it was all in the entry list.
A sweet story Honey by Ian is a small honey brand run by the Warmer Family: ‘Having gained the runner up award in the Honey category of the LLTL Awards in 2021, we were determined to learn from the experience, take on board the comments from the judges and other participants, and come back stronger in 2022. We became interested in bees several years ago when a huge swarm landed in our garden and settled in a hive we had put out just for decoration. ‘We realised how lucky we were – Ian quickly found a mentor to teach us, and we started gifting our honey to family and friends. During the first lockdown, our eldest daughter Maddy was home from university and needed a project. She persuaded us it would be a good idea to set up our own website and start having more of a presence on social media. She took her camera and a basket of our recently harvested local Ringwood honey, together with some of our beeswax candles, and off she went to take photos in the nearby fields. Within a few weeks, we were up and running. While many businesses were closed and people were all working from home, we were happy to deliver honey to the local bakery, butcher and any essential shops that were allowed to stay open. We also enjoyed delivering to people in the local area (who were eating our honey almost as fast as we could supply it!). Our lovely customers would leave out their empty jars and we would collect them, leaving a full jar on the doorstep. We began to feel like we were an equivalent to the milkman, but with honey!
Spread the word ‘The LLTL Awards gave us the confidence we needed and made us realise we were doing something right. We are proud to be allowed to carry the Love Local Trust Local logo on our honey. We completely agree with the ethos and we are so proud to be a part of this venture. We realise that a big part of this is spreading the word and promoting the fact that local produce is the healthiest, the tastiest and the best for our environment. ‘All of our delicious honey is raw, untreated and unpasteurised which helps preserve all the natural vitamins and enzymes. If you would like to try some please head to our website honeybyian.com’
Share the secret With the global food challenges we’re facing at the moment, it’s even more important to help tell the stories and promote local, independent businesses that put their soul into their produce. It is a neverending job to keep up with social media (and extremely time-consuming) so I can see why people shy away from it. But it’s such a necessary task for all businesses in today’s world, in order to share their stories. LLTL entrants can rest assured, we will be telling their stories for them. We don’t want all the amazing Dorset producers to be the best kept secret around. Let’s tell the world!
Operations Assistant | 40 hours a week – £11.50 ph
Milton Abbey School seeks an experienced and competent Operations Assistant to work within our busy Operations Team. This will be 40 hours a week (all year round), varied role within the School Operations Team, meeting varied administrative needs. Working days will be Monday to Friday.
The successful candidate must have a broad understanding of general office tasks, with a reasonable knowledge level. Previous administrative experience is essential, as is the need for strong IT skills.
You will be part of a friendly and supportive team, and training will be available to enhance skills. Staff also benefit from free parking, free daily lunch and annual leave.
Further details may be obtained from our website or from HR on 01258 882182 or email [email protected]. Applications must be submitted on the school’s application form. The closing date for applications is Monday 7th November.
Milton Abbey School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The appointment will be the subject of an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service. Additionally, please be aware that Milton Abbey School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. To avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.
The end of the season allows time for reflection and learning – and a couple of weeks off for the four-legged members of the team, says Toots Bartlett
Toots has been building a partnership with her New Zealand boy, Equador MW, this season.
I am writing with a heavy heart as I hang up my competition boots for 2022, having just completed the last event of my season. It is, however, a great time to look back on the year – to analyse and reflect on the good and the bad from the season. No stand-out results this year as I moved out from Under 21s and the age categories into the professional environment. However, Freebie and I did lead two big 3* international competitions after dressage. Although we then jumped double clear, we picked up time penalties because of the hard ground. It was a calculated decision – hopefully the right one for the horse’s future, but it was disappointing nevertheless. I have also been working hard on building my partnership with my incredibly exciting New Zealand boy Equador MW, especially in the cross-country phase. Some consistent and quiet cross-country training has taken place since our last run at Blair Castle, which was rewarded at Osberton with a much more confident run in the CCI3*L.
Osberton Cor Y Taran finished another Novice double clear, this time on a 27 Dressage at West Wilts, qualifying him for the Young Horse Championships at Osberton, which was thrilling. Considering he was new to me in the spring and had done very, very little, it is a credit to his talent and his brain that he achieved such a prestigious qualification. He produced a competitive dressage test and a super, confident cross-country round over a very challenging and difficult track in the rain. I was thrilled with him. Sadly he got slightly overwhelmed in the showjumping and had three down, which is unlike him. But there was an enormous atmosphere and, for a young horse, he has achieved so much in a few months. I am super excited about his future.
Taking a break The incredible excitement of Yasmin Ingham winning the individual Gold Medal at the World Eventing Championships at such a young age (25) has been absolutely inspirational to the whole of British Eventing! I was on World Class with Yasmin and trained with her and her beautiful horse. Her hugely deserved success has driven my passion to achieve at top level. My horses will now all have a short, well-deserved holiday of two weeks off in the field, while I have to go to America for a family occasion. I strongly believe in allowing them to have some time off in the fields – a vital part of their season. It allows for any stiffness or muscular soreness to be released. It also allows them to regain a bit of weight after spending the whole year fit, and it gives them time to relax mentally. Finally, it is a reward for them for all the hard work they have given me throughout the year. While my event season has come to a close, I am very much looking forward to watching the two remaining CCI5* left on the TV – Maryland in the States and Pau over in France – as well as the young horse world championships in a few weeks!
Lucy Procter looks back at The Queen’s lifelong love of horseracing, and her success in the breeding yard
In September the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry lost its foremost patron with the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen’s long association with the sport began with her first runner Astrakhan on 7th October 1949. Her first winner, Monaveen, was just three days later. Her final winner, Love Affairs, was at Goodwood on 6th September, just two days prior to her death. Her horses collectively won 1,121 races – 14 Group/Grade 1 wins, four Classics, and she was Champion Owner twice.
The height of fashion Possibly not so well known was her success as a breeder. Her Majesty’s first notable breeding success was in 1958, when her home bred colt Pall Mall won the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and went on to win two consecutive runnings of the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. In the 1970s, the Queen bred two dual classic winners. Firstly, the filly Highclere, won the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket and then went to Chantilly in France to win the Prix de Diane (French Oaks). In 1977, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year, the filly Dunfermline won The Oaks at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster – the latter race making Dunfermline the only horse to defeat the great Alleged. Probably the crowning achievement of Her Majesty’s breeding operation was a daughter of Highclere, named Height of Fashion. As a two-year-old, the filly won several top races, including the now Group 1 Fillies Mile at Newmarket and The Princess of Wales Stakes as a three-year-old. It was as a broodmare, however, that Height of Fashion really excelled. She was the dam of the 2,000 Guineas and Derby winning colt Nashwan, the Group 1 winning colt Nayef and the talented multiple Group winning Unfuwain. The irony for Her Majesty was that she had sold Height of Fashion at the end of her racing career to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s ruling family. One of the best examples of The Queen’s utter delight in horse racing was when her filly, Estimate – a gift from another prominent owner/breeder, The Aga Khan – won the premier Group 1 race at Royal Ascot, The Gold Cup in 2013. The Queen’s joyous celebrations in the Royal Box were beamed live to television viewers around the world (see video above).
The tradition continues The Royal connection with racing continues, with His Majesty King Charles’ first runner, Educator, on 29th September, who finished second at Salisbury and his first winner being Just Fine at Leicester on 4th October.
Of 59 Chaffinch Chase, Gillingham Dorset passed away unexpectedly on 18th September 2022 aged 72 years.
A much loved partner, father and grandad.
Funeral service to be held at: Yeovil Crematorium on 24th October at 3.20pm. Family flowers only.
If you wish to make an online donation in memory of Bob, please visit his Tribute site at: www.funeralcare.co.uk/tributes-and-donations. Or send a cheque made payable to Mencap or Green Alliance c/o Co-operative Funeralcare
The times they are uncertain, says CEO Ian Girling, as he looks to the new government to bring forward a considered and sustainable plan
Hello and a warm welcome to my October column – I’m hoping this finds you well. As I write this column, I’m reflecting on what unpredictable and strange times we are living in. We’ve seen Boris leave No 10 and just two days after Liz Truss met the Queen to agree to form a new Government, Her Majesty passed away. Prince Charles is now King Charles III. While the passing of the Queen was – and remains – incredibly sad, we marked her funeral and the King coming to the throne with magnificent ceremony. I am sure we will never see again. Since announcing the referendum in 2016, we have left the European Union, have had four Prime Ministers, experienced a global pandemic, witnessed Russia invade Ukraine and seen the passing of our Queen after 70 years on the throne. It has, and continues to be, a unique period of uncertainty – and a very challenging time for businesses.
Constant challenges We continue to see rocketing energy prices (although the six-month price cap will offer some relief), soaring inflation, rising interest rates and a general cost of living crisis. The new Government came charging off the start line with the mini budget on 23rd September with a radical and bold range of new policies designed to inject confidence and growth into the economy. Since then, we’ve seen a U-turn on the plan to cut the 45p tax rate for those earning more than £150,000 – just a day after Liz Truss pledged the Government would stick with this policy. We’ve also seen the value of the pound plummet following the mini budget, and today’s news is that Liz Truss is facing mounting anger from within her own party over her refusal to commit to increasing benefits in line with inflation. Our response to the budget was positive – but cautiously so. We were pleased to see the reversal of plans to increase corporation tax and national insurance, something the British Chambers of Commerce have been very vocal on. We recognise that the Government clearly needs to act in response to the very challenging economic climate but it’s vital that we have a well-considered and sustainable plan for economic recovery.
Fifth generation farmer James Cossins ponders the annual when-to-sow gamble, a new herbal ley experiment and the dying art of ploughing.
Ploughing at Rawston in the 1960s Image: James Cossins
As we move into October our thoughts turn to the autumn work programme on the farm. The new grassland seeds have been sown, replacing some of the temporary grass fields which have had a particularly tough summer of heat and drought. We hope by planting new seeds, the fields will be much more productive than they were with the old grass. We have also undertaken a trial in one field where part has been sown with ryegrasses and part with a herbal ley containing at least ten different species. We are told that the herbal ley will be as productive as a more conventional grass ley over the period of the growing season, without the need for additional expensive fertiliser. It is also supposed to be more productive in drought conditions. Our aim is to cut the field for silage and then use it for cattle grazing. I know organic farmers have been growing herbal leys for many years but it will be interesting to compare the two on our own farming system.
Winter cereal dance We will start sowing our winter cereal crops of wheat and barley this month – while trying to get the timing right. Sowing too early can lead to crops becoming too lush and then susceptible to fungal diseases and insect attacks. But sow too late and the weather turns against us, the ground becoming too wet with potentially poor yields next summer. We aim to get them in by the end of October.
Happy cows The milking cows have been enjoying their winter feed. Many of them have calved in the last two months. They are a lot happier going out to grass now there is actually something green to eat! Their calves are doing well in our new calf unit, where they are fed by a milk machine allowing them to have up to six feeds a day. Once settled into the system, they seem very content.
Lost skills vs carbon capture I attended the recent Blandford Young Farmers Ploughing match. It was great to see so many older tractors, with their two and three-furrow ploughs, competing. They were all ploughing with great skill – but it is a skill that may soon be lost. We are all trying to reduce the cost of establishing crops and if we can reduce the amount of soil we move, it should save on the fuel we use. There are many different cultivators on the market, all trying to achieve the best seedbed. There are also seed drills that will sow straight into the soils without disturbing it at all. We are being told that this method is the best for the environment as the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere is minimised.
Red tape worries On the political front we now have a new Prime Minister and Environment Minister. Both, I believe, were involved with the recent trade deals with overseas countries. It has been much-publicised that this government wants to reduce the amount of red tape that farmers have to deal with. I certainly support this in principle; complying with all the rules and regulations is definitely challenging. What I hope it doesn’t lead to is the lowering of food standards, so that imported foods – produced to lower standards than ours, using methods and inputs that are no longer permitted in this country – replace our UK produce. I think it will be a case of watch this space to see what happens.
