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Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014

We were delighted to be able to run our annual exchanges to our partner schools in France and Spain in March this year. Nearly 50 Y10 students travelled to Collège René Cassin in Burgundy or Instituto Padre Suárez in Granada to stay with their host families for a week.

Pupils had the opportunity to experience the everyday school and home life in another country. In France students had the opportunity to visit Lyon, visit the Cassis factory where they could taste a variety of fruit cordials and visit the beautiful town of Beaune. In Spain students visited the Alhambra in Granada, ‘La Mezquita’, the magnificent mosque of Córdoba and had a demonstration of flamenco by the Spanish students.

The French and Spanish students made their reciprocal visits at the beginning of May and enjoyed day trips out to the Roman Baths, Bristol Suspension Bridge and sampled food from around the world at the Za Za Bazaar banquet.

Both Spanish and English students have made great progress in their linguistic skills and we are confident that it has helped them develop a lifelong appreciation for their respective cultures.

We were delighted with the behaviour, positive attitude and courtesy of all the students and we received many posi-tive comments about them from their exchange families. We know that may students have plans to meet with their partners again.

Mrs Bradshaw & Ms Stacey

French and Spanish Exchanges 2014

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Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014 German Exchange-Hanover 2014

We were very pleased indeed to be able to welcome 20 pupils and 2 members of staff from the Kurt-Schwitters-Gymnasium,

Hannover at the end of March. This school had previously exchanged with Whitstone School in Shepton Mallet and I had

been able to take 4 of our pupils to Hannover with them in 2011. Last year Whitstone decided they were no longer able to

host the exchange and so the staff in Hannover asked us to take it over which Mr Jackson and all of us in the Languages De-

partment were very happy to do. The chance to participate was opened to all pupils currently studying German and 20 from

Years 9 10 and 11 immediately volunteered.The German party was here from Monday 24th March to Wednesday 2nd April.

We had planned a very busy itinerary for them and were extremely fortunate with the weather. They were able to experi-

ence Wells, Glastonbury, Bath, Bristol and even London in the dry, which was nothing short of miraculous given the very wet

weather we had had up to that point. I am very grateful to those members of staff here at the Blue School who gave up

their time to offer the German pupils and staff an insight into the workings of our school. Simon Bevan (Year 13) organised a

detailed tour of the site for the first morning which included a Chemistry demonstration by Mr Golledge and key fobs cut on

the laser printer by Mr Marsh. Our school is much bigger than theirs and they were very impressed indeed with all our facili-

ties.

Mrs Weare took some photos of the entire Exchange party which you may

have seen on the school web-site a little while ago. By Friday morning they

had seen the cathedral here in Wells, all the sites of Glastonbury including the view from the top of the Tor and the de-

lights of Bath, a highlight of which was of course the Roman Baths. On Friday morning other teachers welcomed them into

their lessons and in the afternoon Mr Colquhoun taught them how to play cricket which they all enjoyed. The weekend

was spent with families and on Monday I took them to London. Purely by chance we arrived at Buckingham Palace in time

to see the Changing of the Guard and so they were able to experience one of the great British traditions. During a packed

day they also saw the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, The Cenotaph, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Covent

Garden, China Town and Piccadilly Circus. On the last day we set off for a joint trip to Bristol and showed them the sus-

pension bridge, the harbour, the M Shed museum and Cabot’s Circus, as shopping has to be done at some point! It was

an early start on Wednesday morning for their flight back to Hannover but there were many tears, always the sign of a

successful exchange!

We are now preparing for our trip to Germany. We will be in Hannover for a week from 12th to 19th October and will be

sending back as many reports and photos as we can while we are there. My final thanks must go to Mrs Mather, the MFL

Admin Assistant, whose help with the paperwork and organisation has been invaluable.

Mrs Fitzsimmons

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014

When most of the Blue School broke up for their Easter holidays, 42 pupils and 6

staff boarded a coach for the 24 hour journey to the resort of Val di Fiemme in

Italy for the annual ski trip. This was a new destination and it proved to be a

most successful trip once again. Not only were the Dolomites a stunning backdrop to a fantastic sport, the snow was

plentiful and the sun shone all day long. We stayed in a fantastic little hotel in the small town of Predazzo, just a short

coach ride away from the slopes and were extremely well looked after by Renato and his sister Daniella in their family

hotel. We skied in three different areas across the week, starting in Bellamonte (on the final day of their season) then

moving to Pampeago and completing the week in Cermis. Everything about skiing in Italy was perfect – the instructors

were excellent and proved most popular with the students, the food was amazing and the various venues that we visited

were run by helpful, welcoming staff that made sure that the whole party had a great time. As well as 30 hours of skiing,

students also got to experience Karaoke (an event that showcased our very varied talents for singing – thankfully there

were very few other people in the place), a traditional pizzeria, a gelaterie, and a disco set up and run just for the two

school groups in resort. The instructors also held an awards evening where they gave out badges and proficiency awards

alongside some awards presented by Blue School staff and a commemorative photo.

Ski Trip 2014 - Val di Fiemme, Italy

The pupils on the trip were amazing

and they were a real credit to the

school and to the parents. The coach

drivers said that they were the best

school group they had worked with

and all the school staff agreed that

their conduct was pretty close to im-

maculate. There will definitely be an-

other ski trip in 2015 travelling again

with IBT who were a brilliant company,

the only decision is where to go!

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014 Eating Disorders Awareness Week at Bournemouth

SEN student Hill walking on the Quantocks.

Caring KS4 students attended an Eating Disorder Conference at Bournemouth University earlier in the year.

It included a number of key note speakers who discussed different aspects of the disorder including the role of the occupa-

tional therapy service in eating disorders and a couple of personal journeys about living with an eating disorder.

The event which was organised Dorset HealthCare also enabled the students, to have a look around the campus and see

some of the facilities it has to offer. A number of the students have expressed an interest in studying Medicine and Nursing.

Mrs Mellish, Team Leader for Learning Support, who organised the

event in conjunction with Bournemouth University, said some of the

personal journeys were quite harrowing, but it gave the students an

insight into the devastating reality of living with an eating disorder

which is often glamourized in the media.

KS3 students have been learning about sustain-

ability and environmental issues as part of a

-walking programme organised by the Learning

Support Team.

They visited Ham Hill near Stoke Sub Hamdon

to look at countryside management before

moving to the Quantock Hills where they

glimpsed Hinckley Point Nuclear Power Station.

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014 Parallel Games at Millfield

Forrest School Campout!

Forest School Overnight Camp on Monday 23 June 2014 saw

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Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014

Newport Velodrome Trip

An intrepid group of 15 pupils and 2 staff travelled to Wales to have a go at track cycling!

Stu-

dents were a mixture of ages and year groups and all were keen, if not slightly nervous, to have a go at this unusual but

high profile sport. We started off getting fitted for the bikes and then getting used to their unique set up (no brakes

Once we had all proven that we could both start and stop as well as steer and

stay upright we were then allowed to move onto the track proper. We started

off on the Cote d’Azure racing section and then as we became more efficient it

was time to move up the banking bit by bit. Initially we had to stick on the

black racing line, then we graduated to red and finally for those participants

who had a combination of speed, fitness and more importantly guts, it was up

beyond the blue line and near to the barriers.

It was a mighty strange feeling to be cycling on such an incline and to see oth-

er people on the track quite a way beneath you but it was exhilarating and

very enjoyable.

Due to the success of the trip pupils are keen for it to be repeated and there-

fore I will explore the possibility of a repeat visit next academic year.

Thank you to parent Ian Wylie for acting as the second accompanying adult.

Mrs Holland

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014 Talented under 14 footballers from the Blue have won the ‘Somerset FA Inclusive Schools’ league trophy for the

second year!

Beating off stiff competition from secondary schools across the county including Bucklers Mead in Yeovil, Wadham

in Crewkerne and Stanchester in Stoke Sub Hamdon to be crowned overall champions.

The Team

Liam Smith Lewis Evans Tyler Payne Courtney Cox Megan brown Tom Nicholson and

Morgan Parsons

With Team Manager and Coach Mrs Mellish and Rachael Edwards from the Somerset

Football Association.

Dream Onesies for Autistic Charity

Charitable Y7 student Thomas Wray organised a ‘Onesie Wednesday ‘ at the Blue in support of the Autistic Society

and raised a fantastic £50.

Mrs Mellish said Autism presents many challenges including social and communication difficulties and specific inter-

ests or thoughts that can dominate their live but there are added advantages such as enhancements in memory or in

concentrating on tasks.

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014

Catering Students Visit to University of Flavours in Perugia, Italy

On the 24th – 27th March we in the Catering training department took our twelve students to The University of Flavours in

Perugia Italy. We had four days of specialist instruction in the production of Italian food. We were treated to amazing all day

sessions in their state of the art kitchen laboratories being tutored by experienced knowledgeable chefs who also run suc-

cessful restaurants and businesses in Perugia, so they knew their stuff.

The University is a purpose built hospitality train-

ing centre to create and develop Italian food and

culture. We had sessions in pizza and pasta mak-

ing, desserts and cakes, and ice-cream and gelato,

everyone’s favourite. The staff at the University

treated us faultlessly and even arranged for trips

out to local olive oil tastings, local restaurants and

sightseeing adventures.

We met Italian students and formed some bonds

which we hope to continue when they visit us here

in Wells in October to help in staging the Wells

food festival.

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014

Y10 Visit to Hinckley Point

Y10 Physics students went to Hinckley Point Nuclear Reactor with Mr Carter who asked what they thought was interesting

about it!

That the reactor is as large as it is. Its 27m deep!

That only 8m of the 27m

is the reactor, the rest is

just shielding

That Hinckley point produces

2% of all the electricity of UK That graphite is used in the reactor

just like found in pencils.

They check nearby wildlife to check radiation levels

and ensure no damage to habitats.

They have a huge store of liquid nitrogen on

site to cool the reactor in case of emergency.

That all the

used fuel is

originally stored

in giant pools of

cold water for

months before

being moved.

Every pupil said they would recommend the trip, although it is a long bus journey!

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014 Year 7 Camp 2014—Camp 1

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014

Results will be available for collection in Bailey Hall during the following times:

GCE Thursday 14 August 0800 - 1000

GCSE Thursday 21 August 0900 - 1100

Year 10 students can collect their GCSE result on 21 August and Y11 fast-track maths students will

be able to collect their AS Maths result on 14 or 21 August.

If you are unable to collect your result in person you can either:

Have your results posted out to you by providing a stamped addressed envelope to the exams office in advance of results

day or nominate someone to collect them on your behalf. You will need to provide written permission to the exams

office, signed by yourself, and the nominated person will need to bring a form of photographic ID with them when col-

lecting the results.

The Exams Officer will also be in the office from 0900 -1100 on Friday 15 August should any Y13 student wish to submit a

request for a priority remark of an exam script.

GCE AND GCSE EXAM RESULTS 2014

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Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014

Summer Games Rounders Y7 & 8

Y8 Team with their Silver Medals.

Y7 Team

On Thursday 3 July Y7 and Y8 Rounders

teams took part in the County Finals held at

Millfield School, accompanied by Mrs Loxton

and Miss Randall.

Mrs Loxton

Before the games began both teams attended the Official Opening

Ceremony to listen to a talk given by Pete Waterfield who was the

diving partner of Tom Daley in the Olympics. Both Y7 and Y8

played extremely well with Y8 team winning Silver. A great

achievement by all to reach County Finals.

www.theblueschoolwells.co.uk

Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014

Business Studies Year 12

Y12 students have had a busy term visiting Cheddar Gorge and Clarks Distribution Centre; two of the main local case studies

for their coursework.

As part of their Understanding Retail unit, the

students had a tour of the distribution centre at

Westway in Street, where they learned about

the supply chain and how the logistics process

works. They were amazed by the volume of

products which move through the centre. The

visit to Westway was followed by a talk and tour

of the Outlet Store in Clarks Village. Students

then used their research and new knowledge of

the shoe industry in their assignment on

the distribution processes in retail.

Cheddar Gorge & Caves and Longleat are being used as case studies for the Marketing Units through Y12 and into

Y13.

Students had the opportunity to tour the caves and take part in an interactive presentation on the Marketing tech-

niques of both businesses. The information provided gave students an insight into the marketing strategies and deci-

sion making process for rebranding the businesses.

Mrs Cox and Miss Broad

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Blue School Newsletter Summer 2014 Y13 Bristol Fashion Week

In March, Y13 went to Bristol Fashion Week as part of their work on Fashion Retail.

Students had an opportunity to see the new Spring Summer 2014 range being launched.

They learned about the importance of the event as a marketing tool and researched the involvement of different fashion

retailers. They were able to use the research in their coursework about the development of fashion trends and the use of

brand image to suit the needs of a target market.

Miss Cox