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Issue: 005 - Spring Term 2011

Sandbach School has recently been accepted to the Arkwright

Scholarship programme, which offers fantastic opportunities for

young people to develop their skills and knowledge within Design

and Technology.

The scheme links successful applicants with the opportunity to ex-

perience Design and Technology in the workplace and may also

fund them through the sixth form at Sandbach School and through

a Design and Technology-related course at University. There have

been many successful applicants who link up with a company

whilst in the sixth form and their studies at university are subsi-

dised by the company, in addition to the promise of full time em-

ployment on completion of their degree course.

The scheme is open to current Yr 10 pupils who have shown a flair

and originality in the work they produce up until December 2011.

Applicants will then be chosen and will sit a short aptitude test in

January 2012, with interviews planned for the highest performers.

Mr Bowyer, Head of Design and Technology stated “This is a fan-

tastic opportunity for pupils who wish to study courses such as

Engineering, Product Design or Architecture at University to in-

crease their experience and also get funding and possible employ-

ment on completion of their degree. There are many pupils at

Sandbach School who we as a department will be encouraging to

participate in this scheme. It is a fantastic award for the school to

receive and continues to show how the department is developing.”

In the Spring Newsletter

• A Step Closer to Free School Status

• Arkwright Scholarship

• Sandbach School hailed as the cutting

edge of next generation learning

• Calling all parents: A gentle reminder

from the school Nurse

• YR11 GCSE Examination Study leave

• Sandbach School Adult Education

• Sixth Form Borneo Expedition

• Learning Support Department News

• 10th Anniversary of Fukien Secondary

School New Campus

• PSHE Day

• Viva Las Vegas II

• Insight

• Young Apprentices in Hamburg

• New Courses in Design and Technology

• Design and Technology Gifted and Tal-

ented Day—Saturday 19th March 2011

• Year 7 Flight Deck Project ‘Takes Off’

• Yr 12 Product Design students visit The

JCB Academy

• AS Government and Politics trip to West-

minster

• The Stables

• Think Tank

• Lost Property

• School Banner Competition

• CCF Biennial Inspection

• Sports Performance Base Layers

• Individual Sporting Achievements

• Sport

A Step Closer to

Free School Status The Secretary of State for Education has approved the

Sandbach School’s Free School Business Case thereby

opening up the way for the school to become an Acad-

emy with effect from September 2011. This will be sub-

ject to the finalisation of the Funding Agreement which

is the legal contract between the school and the De-

partment for Education. We do not envisage that this

will present any particular problems and governors and

staff look forward to us ‘opening our doors’ as an Acad-

emy in the autumn.

Drug Awareness Sessions

Cheshire Police are running two informa-

tion sessions for parents to raise aware-

ness of drugs and drug misuse.

Parents of Y9 and Y10 Pupils, May 12th,

7pm at Sandbach School

Parents of Y6,Y7 and Y8 Pupils, July 5th,

7pm at Sandbach High School

YR11 GCSE Examination Study leave

We have studied the summer GCSE examination timetable and it appears that the main body of examinations

will take place after the May half term break. This is mainly due to the Easter holidays being so late in the year.

This leaves only three weeks of school after the holidays before the examination phase begins. As a result of

this it has been decided that it is in our YR11 pupils’ best interests to attend their lessons until Friday 27th May

2011.

We also recognise that a select number of pupils may actually prefer to study under their own guidance at

home. If you feel that your son would benefit from this approach you are politely requested to submit a letter

stating that you would like your son to revise at home. The letter should be submitted to Mr Hall, Head of Year

11. This application can request study leave from Monday 23rd May 2011.

Sandbach School hailed as the cutting edge of next generation learning

On Friday 14 January 2011, Sandbach School were fea-

tured as being at the leading edge of online learning at

the largest international exhibition for educational technol-

ogy (www.bettshow.com ). UniServity hosted 5 students

along with Darren Bootherstone and Andy Sykes on their

stand at the show which is attended by over 30,000 na-

tional and international visitors and 600 exhibitors.

Sandbach School have developed a close partnership with

UniServity, the organisation who provide the Learning

Platform, and over the last few years have been awarded

the prestigious ‘Learning Platform Award for Excellence’

not once, but two years running as a result of their out-

standing best practice!

Talking to visitors from across the globe, the students proudly reflected the values, education and ethos of

Sandbach School, where ‘What you sow, so shall you reap’. They also expertly demonstrated Life, the next gen-

eration online learning solution, which Sandbach School has been instrumental in shaping.

Matt Clarke, CEO of UniServity said “We are very proud to be working in partnership with Darren, Andy, and

colleagues at Sandbach School. The school were invited to be part of the Innovation group shaping Life, as rec-

ognition of their outstanding online learning provision and commitment to the future of education”.

Launched on 12 January 2011, Life, by UniServity, is a next-generation online learning solution which shifts the

emphasis from teacher to learner. As Fiona Aubrey-Smith, Head of Educational Development at UniServity sum-

marises “Life shifts the responsibility of learning from Teachers to the Learners themselves. It means that

teachers are able to facilitate rather than administer, and it means that learners are able to own rather than re-

ceive. This shift in approach reflects Sandbach School’s motto What you sow,

so shall you reap; in other words, by Life empowering individuals to take

ownership of their own learning, they will be the ones that benefit; not

just at school, but throughout their whole lives. Darren, Andy, and their

colleagues and students at Sandbach are already living out this philoso-

phy within their school, and at UniServity we want to support them by

providing new technology which makes it easier to achieve, and opening

up innovative opportunities to keep pushing out the boundaries of possi-

bility”.

Darren Bootherstone, Andy Sykes, Callum Sinclairs, Alexander Stringer,

Ethan Lucas and Arshan Dadrewalla also all featured in a newly launched

film (found at www.uniservity.com) about the future of online learning.

Calling all parents: A gentle reminder from the school Nurse

As the hayfever season is soon to be upon us a quick reminder to those parents that have sons who suffer.

Please ensure they have had their medication prior to school and that they have with them, all that they need

during school.

If your son has asthma it may be exacerbated in the summer months, please check his inhalers are up to date

and that he has an inhaler available for PE. If he is due an asthma review with the GP it might be a good time to

go.

If you have any worries or concerns about your son I would be glad to hear from you and offer my support.

Thank you, Adele Jones : School Nurse

Learning Support Department News

‘Michelle’ aged 2 years has been adopted by the Learning Support

Department for the past year after arriving at Sepilok Rehab Centre on

16th June 2009.

The orang-utan was found on the edge of an oil plan plantation along

Sabah’s largest river, the Kinabatangan. It is thought that Michelle and

her mother, whilst searching for food, stumbled too close to the nearby

palm plantation. The local workers wanted to protect their crop and sent

dogs to chase the orang-utan away. In the scuffle mother and baby were

separated. Luckily the workers

rescued the baby and brought

her to the Sepilok Rehabilita-

tion Centre, although she was ex-

tremely traumatised she was

remarkably healthy.

In February 2011 Mi-

chelle has been real-

ised back into the

wild and is being moni-

tored and reported to be doing

well. Thanks to Mrs Lawrence

Sixth Form Borneo Expedition

Students from the Sixth Form will be visiting Sepilok and Kinabatangan River as part of their four week expedi-

tion to Borneo. The group are busy fundraising for this event and if you are able to donate old ink cartridges,

toner or mobile phones these will be recycled for cash.

After Easter there will be another ‘Bag2School’ event where you will be able to bring in old clothes, shoes, bags

etc. Please could you collect these over the coming

weeks and look out for further information in the Bul-

letin and on Parentdirect email news.

Thank you for your continued support, Mr Bootherstone

Sandbach School Adult Education

Want to brush up on a language for a holiday? (French/German/Greek/Italian /Portuguese/Russian/Spanish/Chinese)

Want to paint or learn the guitar or dance? (Painting and Drawing/Calligraphy/Rock School Guitar/

Belly Dancing/Salsa/Ballroom and Latin)

Want to know how to use a computer or improve your DIY skills? ( Word Processing/Creative Writing/Jewellery/Plumbing/Woodwork)

For these and more than 60 courses in total Google Sandbach School

and follow the links or phone 01270 767322

Email: adulted@sandbachschool.cheshire.sch.uk

PSHE Day

As part of a Personal, Social and Health Education day, on Friday 4th February,

Year 7 boys undertook a Recycling Challenge where they had to create a robot

type structures out of recyclable rubbish including small electrical items such as

hair straighteners, microwave ovens and mobile phones. The challenge was

judged by Lucinda Hodges, The Recycling Education Officer from Cheshire East.

Other activities on the day included a cycling challenge, a fitness challenge and

sessions on volunteering, and disability.

10th Anniversary of Fukien Secondary School New Campus

I was very fortunate at the end of last term to have been given the opportunity to visit our partner school In

Hong Kong, Fukien Secondary School, and represent Sandbach School at their 10th Anniversary celebrations. I

travelled with Susan Wiles arriving on Thursday16th Dec in the afternoon, where we met up with Peter Wiles

(previous head of Sandbach School). A few hours after touch down it was straight into the celebrations as we

were whisked away to the first of a number of Chinese banquets with a host of dignitaries!

The next day we were part of a conference for Principals from Hong Kong and China organised by Dr Lam, the

principal of Fukien. There were a number of guest speakers including myself and Peter. The theme was

‘Creating 21st Century Specialist Schools’ – my address discussed the impact of specialist status upon Sandbach

School. It was very interesting to meet and discuss current Educational topics with Heads from Singapore and

China, particularly as these Education systems seem to be flavour of the month at the DFE!

The rest of the time was spent sightseeing, meeting with staff from the school and attending their end of term

variety show and English musical. Dr Lam was very keen that Sandbach School was represented at the musical

as we have been pivotal in supporting their de-

velopment of the Performing Arts. In fact, two of

our ex Year 13 students Tom Morris and Adam

Atlasi were part of the production team for the

musical. The two lads are taking advantage of a

6 month placement at the school which has

been facilitated by the partnership between the

2 schools.

Whilst the future of our partnership with Fukien

is a little uncertain, due to the financial situation

in the UK and the difficulty of finding the funds

for student visits, I do hope that the visit helps

to cement the relationship between us and dem-

onstrates our commitment to maintaining it.

Sarah Burns

Don’t forget you can keep track of your sons daily school life, assessments,

reports, attendance and overall school experience by logging into insight

Go to www.sandbachschool.cheshire.sch.uk and click on the Insight link.

‘Viva Las Vegas II’ Matthew Ford, Natalie McGrath, Paul Newton, Andy Scott the ‘A Band’ and

the fabulous Vegas Show Girls, Friday 10th June, 7.30 pm Sandbach School

Theatre Space

It is with great pleasure that I am able to inform you about what will undoubtedly be

an excellent night of music and entertainment here at Sandbach School. On Friday

10th June our own School Big Band will be playing host to two of the country’s leading

vocalists – Matthew Ford and Natalie McGrath. Not only that but star Trumpeter Paul

Newton and the fantastic Saxophonist Andy Scott will also be featuring with our boys.

Pimms can be purchased on the lawn from 6.30pm

where ‘Out of the Blues’ will be entertaining the pa-

trons prior to the show and the audience will be

asked to take their seats for a 7.30pm concert start. Black tie is optional for

the evening in what is hoped will be a night to remember. Following the con-

cert, there will be a bar in the refectory until 11pm where again live music will

be performed by the group ‘Out of the Blues’.

I look forward to seeing you for what promises to be a night to remember!

John Barber

Young Apprentices in Hamburg

On Thursday 17th February, accompanied by Mrs Cooper, Ashley Cooke, Dale Kennerly, Nick Sparkes and Chris

Potts flew to Hamburg as part of the Young Apprentice Engineering course sponsored through Total People.

Joining students from Alsager and Congleton High schools we left Manchester airport for our six day trip. Dur-

ing the visit we were given guided tours of Airbus, where we saw how fuselages for the different types of

planes, from the Airbus fleet are manufactured. Airbus is one on Hamburg’s largest employers, employing over

30,000 people. As part of the exchange visit we were invited to the University of Hamburg and met students

who are in their third year of study. We took part in experiments and a range of aero dynamic activities which

are used when designing and building planes. At the end of this visit we made our way to one of Hamburg’s

Grammar schools and after lunch spent time socialising with the students in Year 11.

Although the trip had many highpoints eve-

ryone agreed the top spot was the visit the

Mercedes Benz plant. Arriving by bus we

were greeted by staff from the factory who

guided us around the plant which manufac-

tures steering columns, chassis and other

components. The production lines were fully

operational and we were able to see the

skilled labour force and specifically designed

robots working in total cohesion. The tech-

nology used by Mercedes was both awesome

to see and inspiring for the boys and girls

who were able to see cutting edge tech-

niques being used in Engineering. During

the next few days we had a tour of the City

of Hamburg with the German students and

their tutor, followed by boat trip around

Hamburg’s Harbour. We visited “Dialog-im-Dunkeln”, which provided the opportunity to experience how life is

for a visually impaired person. This was absolutely fascinating. We spent a morning at Miniatur Wunderland-

The largest model railway in the world; it is operated by over forty computers and is one of Hamburg’s biggest

tourist attractions. We returned very tired, but happy on Tuesday 22nd February to a balmy 2 degrees, which

was very welcome after the -10 we had left behind.

Design and Technology Gifted and Talented Day—Saturday 19th March 2011

On Saturday 19th March 2011 there was a Year 7 Design and Tech-

nology day for some Gifted and Talented pupils. The day took

place at Sandbach High School and involved pupils from both the

boys and girls schools.

The theme for the day was loosely connected to the London 2012

Olympic Games. The task was for pupils to work in groups and de-

sign and make a structure which would transport water half-way up

a mountain (well, a model of a mountain!). Pupils were also re-

quired to design and make a trophy to award to the winning groups

and were given full access to

the Laser Cutter and a range of

materials. Each group had a

combination of pupils from both

schools.

Judging was extremely difficult to do, with groups being tested on the

amount of water they could transfer into the vessel and the quality of their

making and the trophy they had to complete using 2D Design and the Laser

Cutter.

The day was an immense success and all pupils who participated worked ex-

tremely hard and their enthusiasm was excellent. The winning group con-

sisted of Lydia Duncan, Katie Warrington, Lilly Kent and Joe Skellern.

Mr Bowyer, Head of Design and Technology explained that he was hoping

this was just the first of many more links between the two schools and that

he was impressed with all the pupils. “In the end, it was an extremely diffi-

cult decision to choose who won as all the pupils were a credit to themselves

and their school.”

New Courses in Design and Technology

From September 2011, the Design and Technology department will be offering a range of courses for their Yr 10

pupils, which will help pupils opt for courses which may suit their interests and help them develop skills for the

future and possibly assist with their chosen career.

The successful GCSE Product Design will continue to run and this course is proving to be popular amongst pupils

as it offers the ability for pupils to research, design and make a product of their choice for a chosen target mar-

ket. Pupils studying this course can progress onto the A Level Product Design course run in the Sixth Form at

Sandbach School, which is continuing to develop with increased numbers and high proportion of pupils achieving

a grade higher than their target grade in their recent January exam.

In addition to this, the new BTEC Construction course has proved popular amongst pupils as it offers practical

and theory on Construction in the real world, with pupils being given the chance to develop their practical skills

and understand the Health and Safety requirements within the Construction Industry. This course is aimed at

those pupils who are seeking a career choice in Bricklaying, Carpentry, Joinery, Engineering, Plumbing and Elec-

trical Services to name but a few. Mr Bowyer stated “This is a very successful course which I have run in the

past and pupils enjoy the hands-on skills and the experiences they have on trips to Construction sites.” This

course is the equivalent of one GCSE.

The Food Technology Department has replaced GCSE Food Technology with GCSE Catering from September

2011, in a move which will allow pupils to develop their practical skills in Food and understand the principles be-

hind catering for a number of different occasions and clients. This course will allow progression onto Catering

courses and is ideal for any budding chefs!

Another Food course which a large number of pupils have opted for is the Jamie Oliver course, equivalent to half

a GCSE. Jamie Oliver has regularly been in the news over recent years, in a bid to improve the lifestyles and

healthy eating of the nation. This course gives the opportunity for pupils to develop their basic knowledge and

understanding of food and is practically-based.

Design and Technology Focus

Yr 12 Product Design students visit The JCB Academy

As part of the AS Product Design course, Miss Collier or-

ganised a trip to The JCB Academy in Rocester, Stafford-

shire, to make use of their CAD/CAM facilities. The school,

which opened in September is the first UTC and specialises

in Engineering and Business.

The students were amazed by the world class Engineering

and Technology facilities The JCB Academy has to offer.

These include a variety of CAM machines with latest soft-

ware, laser and plasma cutters, 3D printers and subtrac-

tive rapid prototypers, as well as manual machines.

After a tour of the facilities, they spent the day in the

CAD/CAM suite creating the parts needed for their ampli-

fier and lighting projects, which are two of the mini pro-

jects they are undertaking as part of the course.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the time spent at the academy and came away with a greater understanding of

technology used in modern industry.

It is hoped that one day we will be lucky enough to have our own laser cutter to keep up to date with the use of

modern technology and ensure our students are fully prepared for further education courses. If you would like to

make a donation to the Design and Technology Department to help develop our CAD/CAM facilities please con-

tact Mr Bowyer (Head of Department).

Year 7 Flight Deck Project ‘Takes Off’

This academic year saw the introduction of a highly en-

joyable project based on the 1970’s classic game of

‘Flight Deck’. The revamped scheme of work has allowed

pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding of

materials and processes, while having fun designing and

making their own version of a model aircraft.

For those not too familiar with the concept, the general

idea is to steer a scale model plane down onto a simu-

lated flight deck, scoring points for a perfect landing.

James May would be proud of the large scale version cre-

ated in the department. The ‘aircraft carrier’ and game

apparatus were designed to put the pupils’ skills to the

test in the central design area. This has allowed for a

competitive edge to be added to the project and the topic

has led to some fantastic models being produced. A num-

ber of the planes have been designed to be used on the

game itself and others as decorative desk top models.

The project has helped the department to cover the use

of basic skills, as well as issues linked to product devel-

opment and the changing nature of consumer demand.

The ‘International Rescue’ theme has also help to add an

ethical dimension to the pupils’ work.

Overall, the students have appeared to be very motivated

and engaged in the project itself and it is clear that there

are many talented designers in Year 7. It has been very

pleasing to see the pupils engaged so well in their learn-

ing and wanting to produce the best models possible.

Year 7 should be proud of their efforts so far and need to

keep up the good work; their enthusiasm is great to see.

Mr S Mills

Design and Technology Focus

AS Government and Politics trip to Westminster

Tuesday 1st February

The politics students had a great day out at Parliament on Tuesday. The MP for Congleton, Fiona Bruce kindly

helped arrange for the students to visit Parliament and go into the public gallery and witness politics in action in

the Houses of Parliament.

First stop was Downing Street, where we saw Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education coming out of a

meeting. Then onto Parliament, where after a long wait through security we entered the Palace of Westminster.

The students were given an in depth tour and were taken around the Commons and the Lords as well as tracing

the long history of the Palace of Westminster. A quick lunch in the canteen at the Commons and then we met

Fiona Bruce MP who gave us a great insight on what it is like to be an MP. Some students went to see William

Hague answer questions on topical issues such as the crisis in Egypt in the public gallery of the Commons whilst

the rest went to the Lords and saw many notable peers such as John Pres-

cott and Lord Falconer.

The students were even allowed to go into the area of the Commons where

all the Committees are held, an area that the general public aren’t always

allowed to go. We even got to sit in a committee hearing which was inves-

tigating matters relating to Human Rights. A fascinating experience and

one which few students are lucky enough to encounter. We were truly in

the corridors of power!

Check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12339616 to see the

students on TV. We are behind William Hague who was being interviewed

by BBC news about the crisis in Egypt just as we were in the lobby of the

House of Commons!

The Stables

The Blue Planet Aquarium was the destination of the trip this half term from The Stables and all of the boys in-

volved really enjoyed getting up close to all of the marine life on display. The boys learnt about the different

habitats that the animals live in and the type of foods they eat.

The Year Ten Alternative Curriculum class have taken over some of the allotments at school and with the help of

Mr Rigg and are planting their own vegetables. If all of the planting is successful, the boys plan to cook a meal

using the ingredients they have grown, later in the summer term. The 3rd of February saw the start of the Chi-

nese New Year celebrations, and the pupils entered into the spirit by learning some Chinese phrases, eating tra-

ditional foods and learning how to use chopsticks.

During the Spring Term a number of new courses have started in The Stables. The Year Nine Social Enrichment

course has been a great success. The boys have had the chance to undertake the ‘Teaching Values through

Leadership’ Sports Leaders course. This culminated

with the pupils planning and leading sports drills of

their own. The boys also got a chance to go rock

climbing. During this trip they had to be able to

trust each other to climb safely on the wall and all

of the boys involved have made great progress. As

they left, the owner of the climbing wall compli-

mented them on their excellent behaviour.

The Sixth Form buddy system that has been imple-

mented at The Stables has worked well this half

term, with a number Year 12 students volunteering

their time to help pupils lower down the school,

within The Stables. All of the staff at The Stables

are very grateful for the work that the sixth formers

have done and all of the progress the boys have

made.

Lost Property

This is a plea from Pupil Reception to please put your son's name somewhere in his PE kit and school cloth-

ing. Recently, we bagged up no less than 12 bin bags full of un-named lost property (which had accumulated

only in the seven weeks since Christmas) to send to the local charity shops - whilst we keep hold of some of

the sports clothing to use in school, we don't have room to keep everything, and it is so frustrating to see hun-

dreds of pounds worth of hardly-worn clothes just tipped into bin bags and bundled off out of our way.

A name just written in permanent marker on the label is better than nothing (I hate sewing name-tapes in

too!), but please ensure it is a full name, not just a surname or initials - hopefully we can then avoid some of

the issues resulting in parents having to pay out hard-earned cash to replace lost items.

Thanks for your help.

Year 7 Think Tank (Introduction)

This year with the end of the Dr Bunhead shows, we decided to change the venue of the Year 7 Science trip from

Catalyst to the Think Tank in Birmingham. The trip involved a wide range of activities from Chemistry Work-

shops, to a Body Blockbluster Show and the Planetarium with several interactive galleries squeezed in between

each activity. The pupils on the trip were fantastic and we were commended by the staff from Think Tank that

we were “one of the most well behaved schools to have to visited the museum”. For more details on how the day

went I will leave to three pupils from year 7 to describe it to you.

Ms Kat Gibbs

Think Tank

On the 14th January 2011, the Year 7 students went on a

trip to Birmingham, to see the tremendous, scientific Think

Tank. They did various activities there: learning about ill-

nesses, how the body works, history of work and more...

First of all, the Year 7s learned about diseases and acci-

dents. Then they answered some questions about how peo-

ple are most likely to die. Examples: How do most women

die? What is the main reason for people over 40 to die? And

so on. Although the questions were pretty hard, everyone

did well.

After, they moved on to things around the street. This topic

focused on things like: the underground pipes and cables,

recycling, what houses are the best to be made out of, and how we build houses. People’s most favourite was

the model digger! Once again, they did a quiz on this, hoping to get good marks. Now it was time for lunch and

to go to the gift shop - where there were amazing displays, and where they could buy amazing gifts.

Thirdly, it was time to go to the lab, and have a go at making

elephants toothpaste, which uses hydrogen peroxide, yeast, and

water. The Year 7s also had a go at making density towers. It

was a puzzle to try and work out the right order in which to not

get any of the mixtures mixed up... or else.

At last it was time to see the cars, the bikes, the trains and all

the different jobs.

This was the part

with the most

questions, some

were very hard to

find and some

were easy. They

got to look at some of the jobs you could choose from in Victo-

rian times, and even got to play on a game, which chose the

best route to deliver essentials: chocolate, gun powder, and pot-

tery. They took lots of pictures to show later.

After they came back to Sandbach School, the quote most com-

monly used was and still is: “It was amazing!”

Written By: Filip Labecki, Edited By: Jay Mayer

School Banner Competition

During last term all students of Sandbach School were given the opportunity to create a website banner for the

school site. The competition had a £20 HMV voucher prize which was won by Alex Gilmore Y12:

‘I saw that on the home page of the school website there was an ongoing competition for the design of the

school website. I decided to take the opportunity to create the banner. I decided to use Photoshop CS4 which I

thought would be most suitable for the banner – the layout was clear and gave an idea of what occurred within

the school life including sports, CCF, music, drama and normal school life activities. The price of the competition

was a £20.00 HMV voucher – this too was a motivator in itself – after the judges had looked at all the entries I

was announced the winner and received my prize, as well as pride, to see something I had created on a school

the size of Sandbach. The school has given me the opportunity to develop my skills in graphic designing; how-

ever, the greatest progress was made in my own time completing over 20 commissions

such as logo, banner, video, poster and business card designs. With the finalisation of

my own website (www.gilmorevisuals.co.uk) I hope to increase my skill and develop

this into a future job.’

CCF Biennial Inspection

On Tuesday 5th April the CCF underwent their

biennial review – an important event in the

CCF calendar and is effectively the CCF’s Of-

sted. The Reviewing Officer, Captain Evans

RN met the Head Teacher and Section Com-

manders before moving into the formal in-

spection of a guard of honour. He took time

to speak with each member on parade and

then took the salute. Senior cadets Petty

Officer Michael Kinge, Colour Sergeant Lizzie

Gear and Flt Sgt Chris Burrows , escorted

Captain Evans on a short tour of the School

followed by other cadets from all three ser-

vices giving informal presentations on their

experiences of the CCF.

The grim weather forecast did not materialise and the after-

noon programme of training activities went very well. The

reviewing team and a large number of parents were escorted

around all of the training stands. They witnessed the Royal

Navy section undertaking pool based training involving the

righting of a capsized dinghy and rolling canoes. The Army

section was seen setting up a harbour area and undertaking a

patrol. The RAF section took part in a command task involv-

ing putting up a tent, an obstacle course and a flight simula-

tor.

It was very evi-

dent that Capt

Evans and his

team enjoyed

their visit. He

spoke glowingly of the enthusiasm shown by the cadets and the

senior cadets for looking after him. He emphasised the values of

the CCF, how they were highly desired by employers and how by

being a member of the CCF this could help in later life. Finally he

thanked the Head Teacher and governors for their commitment to

the CCF and the officers for the time they devoted to such a de-

manding hobby. All in all a very good day.

Individual Sporting Achievements

It has been a busy term with regards to individual achievement by some of our pupils. In Athletics Liam Clowes

(Yr13) continues to reach new heights and clock faster times on the indoor and outdoor athletics track. He won

‘gold’ in the 200 metres at the AAA Under 20’s English Championships at Birmingham with an indoor ‘personal

best’ of 21.39!! He has also presented the school with one of his Great Britain International vests for display in

the refectory.

Oliver Williams (Yr 11) made his international debut in Orienteering when he travelled to Germany with the Eng-

land Under 17 Squad . He came second in his event and was the highest placed UK runner…..not a bad debut!

Senior Footballers Matthew Joines (Captain of School Football) and Ryan Smith, both Year 13 have represented

Cheshire County FA at Youth level.

Scottish Under 18 Rugby International Will Bordill (Yr 13) represented his country in matches against Italy, Eng-

land and Ireland. Will was a member of the Scottish Squad that recorded a famous 26 – 21 victory over England

at Leeds Carnegie. Josh Longson (Yr 13 & Captain of Rugby) represented the North of England at 18 Group in

the Divisional Championships (an England Trial!) Nicky Weaver and Jonny Lea (both Yr 11) played for the North

of England at Under 16 Level. After serious injury James Beal (Yr 12) returned to rugby action and represented

the Cheshire Under 17 team against Lancashire and Ryan Wolffe (Yr10) played for the Cheshire County Under

15 Squad.

Aidan McFahn (Yr10) took the top prize at the National Lifesaving Championships in Sheffield with his impressive

speed rope rescues. Well done to all!

Soccer Camp at Sandbach School - Easter Half Term

Time: 10:00am - 3:00pm

Cost: £30

Days: Tuesday 26th - Thursday 28th April 2011

Go to www.soccerstarcoaching.co.uk for more information

and bookings.

Sports Performance Base Layers

We have partnered up with an innovative new company called PlayerLayer, who are dedicated to bringing school

PE kit into the 21st Century. They produce some of the best Baselayer garments on the market as used by inter-

national athletes across the world. They are manufacturing Sandbach School branded PlayerLayer Products and,

by dealing with the school directly we have the opportunity of purchasing the garments with an attractive dis-

count. Playerlayer were also generous sponsors of the Senior Rugby Squad during the latter stages of the suc-

cessful RBS/Daily Mail Vase competition. The players used the products during both warm up and matches. The

garments are also used by the members of the Physical Education Department.

What is the PlayerLayer product?

A PlayerLayer is an under layer garment that our pupils can wear underneath their current sports kit during

physical activity. The primary function is that it will keep our pupils warm in cold conditions, increasing their

sporting enjoyment and overall experience. The technology of the garment wicks moisture away from the skin

and regulates the body temperature reducing the risk of injury. The PlayerLayer also protects the skin against

the cold, helps improve performance and recovery and has an anti-bacterial coating to prevent odour.

Please note that there is no obligation to purchase or wear one of these garments but we do know that many pu-

pils (particularly the Seniors and PE Department) do like to wear them and we think this is a premium quality

garment that actually makes a difference!

If you are interested in purchasing one (or more) of these garments then please go to the website page by visit-

ing:

www.playerlayer.com and search in ‘schools’ for Sandbach School

You can order and pay for it securely online. There is also a size guide on the page to ensure that you pick the

right size for your son.

Kings Camp at Sandbach School - Easter Half Term

Monday 18th - Thursday 21st April 2011

Go to www.kingscamp.org or call 0845 643 5272 for more information and bookings.

Sandbach School, Crewe Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 3NS Tel: 01270 758870, Fax: 01270 764787

e-mail: enquiries@sandbachschool.cheshire.sch.uk www.sandbachschool.cheshire.sch.uk

SPORT The Rugby Sevens Squads took part in a variety of

local competitions. The Under 13’s managed to

make two semi finals at the Birkenhead School and

Adams Grammar School Festivals. Meanwhile the Un-

der 14’s and Under 15’s developed their knowledge

and experience of the Sevens game as they were ex-

posed to some top competition. The Under 16’s took

the Cheshire Schools Plate title hosted by Sandbach

School & Sandbach Rugby Club when they defeated

St Anslem’s College in the Final with a sudden death

‘Golden Try’ scored in extra time by Rob Richardson

(Yr 11). A great reward for the squads efforts over

the season.

The Senior Boys Seven had possibly their best sea-

son ever without winning a trophy or making a final.

They qualified for two semi finals at the County

Schools and Birkenhead School competitions and

qualified for the Plate Quarter Finals at the North Of

England Invitation Sevens and the Cup Quarter Finals

at the Fylde National Schoolboy Sevens. A superb

year of consistency and development for a very

young squad led superbly by Josh Longson and

Jack Robinson (both Yr 13).

Rugby Sevens

The weather could only halt one set of block fixtures

this year. The Seniors and Under 16’s enjoyed two

great Cheshire Cup runs with both teams being halted

in the semi-finals. The Seniors also took on Shrews-

bury School in their most prestigious fixture and

came away with a fine 1 -1 draw. Mr Malbon’s 1st XI

were denied a place in the Senior County Final after

taking King’s School Chester to ‘extra time’ only to

concede the crucial goal with 2 minutes to go! They

had saved their best Football for the Spring Term and

deserve great credit for the way they have played the

game and represented the school.

Football

The Swimming Squad have had a hectic Spring term

jam packed with galas and competition. They started

the domestic season by taking The Cutty Sark Tro-

phy when they went to the Bolton School Fastwater

Meet. A tremendous achievement by the younger

squad members and the coveted ‘Boat in the Bot-

tle’ returned to Sandbach. Pick of the other gala re-

sults would be victory over neighbours Kings School,

Macclesfield. The big day out at MGS Relays for The

Sutton Trophy resulted in the squads making three of

the ‘B’ finals and finishing a respectable 7th overall

alongside the top swimming schools in the North

West and Midlands. Well done.

Swimming

With the League Season complete it was district,

county and national events that took over. Congratu-

lations go to Tim Morris (Yr 9) and Mike Vennard

(Yr 10) both performed well in the County Champi-

onships and were rewarded when they were selected

to run at the Aviva English School Cross Country

Championships. From this event the top 8 runners in

each age group would run for England. Excellent big

event experience for the boys.

Cross Country

The Seniors travelled to the North West Regional

Hockey Finals which were held at Timperley Hockey

Club. They went as Cheshire County Finalists to battle

it out for a place in the English Hockey Association

Cup Final. An excellent day saw them defeat both the

champions of Cumbria (Sedbergh School) and Lanca-

shire (Manchester Grammar) before losing 3 -2 to

Calday Grange GS in the dying seconds of their cru-

cial last game. A great way to complete this season

and a springboard for future success next year. Year

7 , 8 & 9 pupils were involved in regular hockey club

nights throughout the Spring Term, spending their

evenings laying the foundations for their hockey fu-

ture under the watchful eye of coaches Evans, Darling

and Aldred.

120 players, staff and parents celebrated the season

in the Refectory at the Annual Hockey Presentation

Evening in March.

Hockey

Overall Sandbach finished second in the Cheshire &

Merseyside Schools League this year. This included

some excellent individual results.

Orienteering