Spring Term 2020 News

U16 girls football team reach last 16 of the National Cup – 6th January 2020

On Thursday 19th December the U16 girls football team overcame wet and rainy conditions to win their third-round tie and progress to the quarter finals of the National Cup. They played at Lancing Football ground and faced London-based team Bishop Thomas Grant.

Durrington looked to be the stronger team from the start with excellent passing play and communication between the girls. It was not long until the first goal came for Durrington, a well-timed shot by Katelon Goldsmith who smashed into the back of the net. The team soon doubled their lead with a second goal which showcased their fantastic teamwork; an excellent pass from Grace Watkins that Evie Morgan ran onto before putting the ball past the goalkeeper.

Despite the 2-0 score line Bishop Thomas Grant kept battling and soon got a goal back, but just before half time Grace Watkins ran down the wing into the box and struck a fantastic shot to give Durrington a 3-1 lead at the halfway point.

After a quick break it was back to work, and Bishop Thomas Grant were revived and determined, scoring early to reduce the lead and put pressure on the Durrington side. The girls remained calm and focused on their game and, utilising their strengths as a team, they worked together to create a fourth goal scored by Grace Watkins.

This goal seemed to give the team further determination and desire as they battled harder. They won a corner which Jessi Lownds converted into a goal to give them a comfortable lead. However, once again Bishop Thomas Grant pushed back and scored another goal to make it 5-3.

As the game was coming to an end a well-timed run by Grace Watkins down the wing and a pass into the box presented Jazz Williams with a great scoring opportunity which she gratefully took. The girls closed the game out at 6-3, an incredible win in which everyone played fantastically, making it impossible to award any individual ‘player of the game.’

Well done to the team and their coach Miss Morley, who now face Bournemouth School for Girls in the last 16 of the National Cup, an amazing achievement.

Year 9 students inspired by Chichester’s art and architecture – 8th January 2020

During the last week of the Autumn term 36 year 9 students headed to

Chichester for an inspiring and educational trip to both Pallant House Art

Gallery and the impressive Chichester Cathedral. The students had all been

regularly attending the after-school art programme throughout the term after

being identified as gifted and talented in the arts. The art programme has

allowed them to explore art and design outside of their regular lessons, exploring and developing new

art techniques and learning about a variety of artists.

The trip to Chichester was a fantastic way to end the term and offered an extension to the after-school

club. During a practical workshop at Pallant House students were given the exciting opportunity to

experiment with different drawing techniques. They also explored various ways of looking at and

discussing the varied collection of artworks. They then headed to the cathedral where they continued

to develop their sketching skills as they took in the grandeur of the vast medieval cathedral with its

stunning architecture, stained glass and tapestry. They were clearly inspired by their surroundings

and produced some fabulous sketches.

It was a wonderful day, made all the more special by the festive feel of the town. The students were a

credit to the school and a pleasure to be with. Many thanks to Mrs Gray, Mrs Humphries and Miss De

Santis for making such a special trip possible.

GCSE PE students enjoy learning about physiotherapy as a potential career path with visit

from Worthing Hospital team – 16th January 2020

On Tuesday 14th January all GCSE PE students were treated to the insights of physiotherapists

Emma Skilton and James Barclay from the Worthing

Hospital physio team. The sessions were arranged by the

DHS careers team as part of a robust careers

programme which aims to showcase a variety of careers

to students across the school.

The session began with both James and Emma explaining to the students the journey they took to get to where they are. James, who is an ex-DHS student had taken a sports science degree and Emma had taken a physiotherapy degree. They explained that there were different routes to take and many universities that offered

the degree qualification. They also advised that getting work experience in the field was of great value.

Next was some myth busting in which students voted on whether they believed various statements to be true or false, with James and Emma then explaining the truth. Myths such as ‘most physiotherapists work in private practise on sports injuries’ were busted (60% work in NHS hospitals) and surprising facts such as ‘physiotherapists work with people from new-borns right through to end of the life care’ were revealed.

The students then showcased their knowledge of the human anatomy as a series of X-rays showing different injuries, such as a broken metatarsal and dislocated shoulder, were presented and the students identified the bones/muscles and spoke about the injury. James and Emma were impressed by the students’ knowledge!

The session ended with some insightful questions from the group such as ‘what is your favourite part of your job?’ (working with people and seeing progress), ‘what is the worst part?’ (can be stressful) and the all-important ‘how much money do physios get paid?’ (starting at around £23k).

It was a really useful session for the students as Mr Henry, DHS Careers Leader, explains, ‘Physiotherapy is a career path that students interested in sports and taking GCSE PE may not have considered and so it is really worthwhile for them to find out, from those in the field, what the job entails and how they can get there.’

Many thanks to the careers team for organising such a great event and to Emma and James for taking the time to speak with our students.

Students take to the (dry) slopes as they prepare for an incredible half term trip to Austria – 17th January

Students who are Austria bound for the upcoming skiing trip in February half term had the opportunity to refresh their skills or get to the grips with the basics as they headed to the dry ski slopes at

Knockhatch Ski Centre on Wednesday 15th January.

The outdoor dry slope gave the students a small insight into what they can expect whilst in Zell Am See, and for some students it was the first time they had experienced skiing and so an essential part of their preparation. It was also an opportunity for the group to spend time together prior to the trip, giving them a chance to forge and strengthen friendships. The students were all very excited to get the gear on and spend some time on the slopes.

They took part in a two-hour lesson which allowed those of differing abilities to feel comfortable and test out their skills. Even getting used to the feel of the equipment and learning how to put on the boots and skis will give them an advantage when they hit the Austrian slopes in a few weeks.

The students had a great time and the trip made them even more excited for the ‘real thing’ in February. PE Teacher and trip organiser Nathan Poole said, ‘This is a great way to equip the students with the basic skiing skills needed. Doing this whilst in the UK at the dry slopes ensures that they will be able to get the most out of the experience in February.’

Many thanks to Mr Poole and the PE team for organising such a worthwhile trip and we look forward to hearing all about the amazing trip in half term.

Double success for the KS4 badminton teams – 23rd January

Both the boys and girls teams from Durrington High School played an impressive day of badminton in

the Sussex School Games KS4 District Tournament on 21st

January, with both teams crowned district champions. This means

they will now compete in the county finals at the K2 centre in

Crawley next month.

The boys team was made up of year 11 students Scott Haysom,

Drew Hammersley, Oli Wadeson, and Joel Butler. The girls team

were year 11 students Millie Whiteside and Alyx Maskell and year 10

students Chloe Jones and Jessi Lownds. All players put on a

fantastic performance, showcasing great individual skill and

excellent team work.

The event was hosted by The Littlehampton Academy and seven

schools took part. Both Durrington teams excelled playing in both singles and doubles matches, in

which the winner was the first to reach 11 points. There were some fantastic skills on show and the

matches were fast paced. Each school team faced each other in a mixture of singles and doubles

over 5 games, the winning team being the first to win 3 of these. The Durrington teams were a real

credit to the school and their determination and hard work, along with fantastic play, led them to lose

only 2 games across the tournament, beating the majority of schools 3-0.

Tom Pickford, Director of PE and Dance at Durrington High School, who took them to the tournament

said, ‘It was wonderful to see our students play today. They excelled in all their games and were

rewarded with a comprehensive victory. Both teams were delighted to be crowned district champions

and look forward to the county competition next month.’

Youth Sport Trust Step into Sport Camp equips students with vital leadership skills – 24th

January

On Friday 17th January a group of year 9 students took part in a Step into Sport Camp, a Youth Sport

Trust initiative which took place at Angmering High School. Step into

Sport Camps aim to improve inclusion in sport and develop leadership

skills in young people. Students from schools across the area took

part in this exciting and inspiring afternoon.

The afternoon began with talks from two ex-Angmering students who

had established successful sports careers and Olympic swimmer Tom

Haffield. They spoke about the importance of sport in their lives, the

confidence it had given them and the success it had helped them

achieve.

During the second part of the afternoon the focus was on building the students leadership skills to

enable them to take forward their learning from the day back in their schools. They were taught about

the skills needed to be an effective leader, with an emphasis on how to ensure sporting sessions are

inclusive for all.

It was a great opportunity for our students to work with other young people from across Sussex as

they planned, created and delivered mini games. They also took part in a carousel of inclusive

activities which demonstrated how sport could be open to all.

Following this the group worked together as a school team to think about the ways in which they could

lead on developing participation at Durrington High and came up with a plan for their first event. It was

a really informative and exciting day and the skills learnt and ideas produced will be used to widen

participation in sporting events at Durrington High.

Louise Wallis-Tayler, Intervention Leader and PE teacher at Durrington High, said, ‘This Youth Sport

Trust event has been really valuable to our students and provides an excellent starting point for this

group of students to take forward as they implement and build on the many ideas and plans

generated today. The students were a credit to the school and will be fantastic leaders, we are

already looking forward to the first event.’

Many thanks to Angmering School for hosting such a great afternoon and to the Youth Sport Trust for

organising an inspiring and worthwhile event.

Mock results day for the mock exams – 25th January

Tuesday 21st January was a much-anticipated day for the year

11 students at Durrington High. It was the day they would

receive their mock exam results during a special assembly.

Having taken the exams before Christmas the last month had

felt like a long wait to find out how they had done.

At Durrington High School the mock results are treated with the upmost importance and as a vital learning experience for students. By collating all the results for each student and presenting them in this way the experience reflects the actual

results day. This is a great way to emphasise to the students the importance of their upcoming GCSE results but with the knowledge that they still have time to make any improvements needed.

The assembly began with Mrs Temple addressing the year 11s and congratulating them on how hard they had worked and how well they had conducted themselves thought the exam period. She also spoke about the importance of living out the school moto of ‘going beyond your best’ giving a clear message that everyone has the capability to go beyond what they thought was their best. They were then shown a short video in which the class of 2019 shared their results and words of wisdom (from filming that took place on results day 2019).

Mr Runeckles and Mrs Temple made a presentation to the students which highlighted how important GCSE results are and challenged them to think about how they wanted to feel on results day. They reiterated that with hard work anything was possible and that continued practise would lead to success. They also shared ten steps to success and ensured each student knew all the ways in which the DHS staff are able to support their learning and revision.

At the end of the assembly the students collected their results. Many were delighted and some were disappointed, but they all left knowing they had time to make improvements and that the staff would be there to support them all the way. Steph Temple said, ‘The mock results assembly is a really great way to help motivate the students to improve from this point on. It is just one of the many ways in which our robust year 11 support programme helps each student realise their full potential. We are really proud of our year 11s today and are looking forward to the real day on Thursday 20th August!’

Exciting Science opportunities for Durrington High Students – 30th January

On Tuesday 17th January Durrington High School science department were delighted to welcome Director of Brighton Science Festival Dr Richard Robinson from the University of Sussex and Prof John Hare, a Science Communicator. Now in its 16th year the festival aims to engage young people in science through exciting workshops and activities that challenge and motivate. The visit to DHS was part of the festival’s schools tour and we were excited to be able to take part.

Four classes from years 7,8 and 9 took part in hour long workshops in which they worked in small teams to design and create a buzz wire game. This involved designing and creating an electrical circuit that would enable a bell to ring continuously if the metal wand made contact with the wire maze. In doing this the students learnt about the extraordinary discovery 100 years ago by Oersted of the connection between electricity and magnetism, and what it means for us today. They had to be determined as they adapted their circuits to make the science work, but all students succeeded and were proud of their finished games.

Dr Kyle, science teacher and organiser of the event, said, ‘It is a great opportunity for our students to be part of the Brighton Science Festival and have the marvellous input of Richard and John. We pride ourselves on always challenging our students with exciting science lessons here at DHS, but it is extra special for the students to engage with other scientists and be inspired. They will all take their learning from the workshop today into their regular science lessons where we will build on it.’

DHS are also excited to have recently launched the opportunity for year 8 and 9 students to achieve a bronze CREST Award. CREST is a nationally recognised scheme for student-led project work in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) and students can complete work for this in science club on a Tuesday after school. Dr Kyle explained, ‘CREST Awards are a fantastic way to further engage our students in their science learning. Working towards a nationally recognised award is a great motivator and we are excited to see the wonderful work our students will produce when rising to this new challenge.’

Many thanks to Dr Robinson and Prof Hare for coming to the school. There are lots of activities happening over half term as part of the Brighton Science Festival, you can check them out here brightonscience.com

An exciting insight into secondary school geography for year 5 and 6 students – 7th February

On Thursday 6th February DHS were delighted to welcome year 5 and 6 students from The Laurels Primary School to take part in an exciting geography workshop. The workshop was led by geography teachers Mr Atkins and Mr Crocket and was focussed on the subject of renewable energy stations.

As geography is not taught as an exclusive subject at primary school this was an excellent opportunity for the younger children to get a taster of

what a geography lesson entails before they join high school later this year (or next). In the first part of the session Mr Atkins spoke to the group about what geography was before detailing that their mission for the morning was to investigate where the best place for Durrington High School to locate a renewable energy station would be. To do this they used specialist equipment such as an anemometer to measure wind speed and a thermometer to measure temperature. They also discussed key terms for this kind of research such as primary data (data collected by yourself) and secondary data (data provided by others such as the BBC weather app). This is a great way to introduce new vocabulary to the younger students.

Ably assisted by a group of fantastic and knowledgeable year 8 students, the group then headed out to 3 different locations around the school to record temperature, wind speed and wind direction. Once they had collected this data they returned to the LRA where Mr Crocket explained about the different ways to present and analyse their data. Once they had done this they were able to determine which of the 3 sites they would recommend for the renewable energy station to be installed. Year 6 student Lily said ‘I really enjoyed recording and writing down the data. It was good to use the equipment.’

The morning was also a great opportunity for The Laurels students to tour the whole school and ask the year 8s more general questions about High School. As The Laurels is part of Durrington Multi Academy Trust (DMAT) many of the pupils will be coming to DHS and so this was a really valuable experience. The students had many questions ranging from ‘What’s your favourite food in the

canteen’ and ‘What’s your favourite subject?’, to ‘Where you nervous when you started in year 7’ and ‘Did you get lost?’ The year 8 students, Ela Maybarsksan, Louis Issberner, Robyn Walker and Tom Rodriguez, answered eloquently and reassured them that the fantastic support for year 7s meant they very quickly found their way round and made many new friends. Year 6 student Annabel said ‘I really enjoyed the tour of the school. It is good to get a feel of it. I really like the stage and the canteen.’

Some of The Laurels students shared their learning and excitement from the day when they returned home, with parents taking to Twitter to thank the DHS staff and students; ‘My daughter loved it so much, she also talked about how friendly the DHS pupils were. This is so priceless in the move forward to high school for her - you should be so proud of your students.’

It was a really successful morning, as Mr Crocket, Head of Geography at DHS says, ‘It was a really productive and inspiring morning for the year 5 and 6 students, we really enjoyed showing them our school and giving then an insight into geography as a unique subject. It is also a fantastic opportunity for our year 8 students to grow in confidence as they share their subject knowledge and take on a mentoring role for the morning. It is great experience for everyone.’

Students make a pledge for Time to Talk Day- 7th February

Thursday 6th February was Time to Talk Day, an initiate launched by the organisation Time to Change

whose mission is to end mental health discrimination. The day

aimed to highlight the importance of talking about your mental

health and encouraged people to open up and/or give friends the

opportunity to do so.

At Durrington High School the wellbeing of our students in paramount to everything we do and our wellbeing team offer support and guidance whenever needed. Throughout the week we engaged with Time To Talk Day, ensuring all our students

were aware of the day and using it as a catalyst to talk about mental health in general. Key Stage 3 students attended a presentation about the day and the intentions behind it and there were posters displayed throughout the school.

Today, students used the time in period one allocated to exploring the main DHS values of kindness, aspiration, perseverance and pride, to make a personal pledge of one thing they are going to do to

promote their own or someone else’s positive wellbeing. This was a wonderful exercise which initiated conversations about mental health across the whole school. Staff also joined in with the activity and the results will be displayed on a large board so students have a place to go to be reminded of their pledge and also take inspiration from others.

Popular themes amongst the pledges were getting more sleep, taking the time to reflect on positive things, checking in with friends, talking to people they trust when feeling low and taking more exercise. Some examples of the thoughtful and reflective pledges made are below:

• Telling someone how much I appreciate what they have done for me and see how they are and if they need help.

• Relax more

• Improve my sleep schedule

• Talk to my brother more

• Listen to music once a day

• Watch a film with my mum and dad once a week

• Help my mum

• To read a book for an hour a day

• To think before I speak

• Reflect on good things

• Eat more healthily

• Play more sport to relive stress

• Play more boardgames with my family

• Compliment someone

• Do my homework early

• Spend time with my pet

• Do science – it makes me happy

Lindsey Tunbridge Adams, Director of Safeguarding and Wellbeing at DHS, said, ‘We are proud to be taking part in Time to Talk day. It is vital that our students know how to talk about their mental health and the importance of looking out for each other. The pledge exercise was a great way to engage our students in actively thinking about how to look after their own mental health and many of the ideas they came up with were inspiring. The activities around Time to Talk Day have been an excellent way to promote positive emotional wellbeing and break down some of the barriers and questions surrounding mental health.’

Help and support

• Students can talk to their company tutor, pastoral manager, company leader or anyone from the safeguarding and wellbeing team. Equally students can speak to any trusted adult in school.

• The safeguarding and wellbeing offices are located in the MFL/SME area on the second floor -students are always welcome to come and speak to one of the team.

• Posters with staff names and photos are displayed in all areas of the school building reminding our students who they can go to and what they should do if they wish to talk to someone or have a concern about someone else.

• You can find out more about Time to Change along with many helpful resources on their website

• The Mind charity website also has information and support

More success in the county finals for the KS4 badminton teams – 11th February

Following their success in the district competition the KS4 boys and girls badminton teams headed to the K2 centre in Crawley to compete in the county competition. It was another day packed with activity with both teams taking on different schools in several rounds of best of 5 matches, which were a mixture of doubles and singles. The games were more difficult to win at this competition with the first team to 21 (rather than 11) taking the win. Both teams played exceptionally well and really showed off their skill as well as determination and great sportsmanship.

The girls team won all their group games before taking on Uckfield in the semi-final which they won. In the final they faced a strong team in Lewes Priory and after 5 tight games were just pipped to the post 3-2, taking the runners up spot, an amazing achievement, especially when it was such a close final. All the players, Millie Whiteside, Alyx Maskell, Chloe Jones and Jessi Lownds gave their all and were skilled and committed players. A special mention to Alyx and Millie who were both unbeaten in all of their singles games throughout the day.

The boys team produced a dominant performance. Led by Scott Haysom, who is ranked number 1 in the county for his age, Drew Hammersley, Oli Wadeson, and Joel Butler all put in exceptional performances. They won each of their group games 5-0 and then continued with their incredible form to beat Uckfield in the semi-final and Tanbridge in the final, again not dropping a game. They were deservedly crowned county champions and will go on to play in the Southern regional finals in Guildford after half term.

Tom Pickford, Director of PE and Dance at DHS, said, ‘It was great to see both teams play so well at the county competition. Their dedication was inspiring and both teams played so well. To be county champions and runners up is a huge credit to their talents and determination, well done to them all.’

Year 7 students shine at the MFL Spelling Bee – 13th February

On Wednesday 12th February 20 year 7 students took the brave step of competing in the MFL Spelling Bee after successfully reaching the finals following class-based competition. The event took place in the main hall and friends and family were invited to watch. There were delicious refreshments served on arrival to celebrate how well the students had done to get this far before Mr Davis gave everyone a warm welcome.

He reiterated how well the students had done to reach the final and congratulated them on how hard they had worked over the term in preparing. The students had practised at home but also had support from year 9 mentors who helped them every Thursday lunchtime. The French competition took place first followed by the Spanish.

Each finalist was called up to stand at the front of the room with the screen behind them which displayed the words they had to spell. They each had one minute to spell as many words as they could that were produced by the random generator, which had been created by Mr Norfolk, DHS Data Leader, and read out by Mr Davis. The words were all from a worksheet that students had been asked to revise from and covered countries, school essentials, colours, verbs, numbers to 20 and animals. The students were challenged further as they had to spell the words using the French/Spanish alphabet.

Everyone did extremely well. It is a credit to them all that they could stand in front of their peers and their families and take on a very difficult task. After everyone had given their best each student was given a certificate before the top 3 in both languages were given out. The results of the French competition were

1st - Ayla Djevdet

2nd - Ruby Blaikie

3rd - Luca Dragoi

And for Spanish

1st - Isaac Leigh

2nd - Holly Richards

3rd - Jack Miles

Mrs Cooper, Head of MFL, who judged the competition alongside Mr Davis, congratulated the students on their fantastic efforts and thanked the audience for their support both at home and on the night

Mr Davis, said, ‘We are really proud of all of the students that have pushed themselves tonight. They have shown great confidence in their language skills to spell a large range of words in a different language, which many of them have only been learning since September. We are delighted with how they are doing and the Spelling Bee gives them an opportunity to shine. I would also like to thank the year 9 mentors who have given up their time to support the finalists and help prepare them for tonight’s event. Well done to all involved, it has been a great evening.’

Super success as DHS place first in their heat of new competition Dance Live

On Wednesday 12th February our 120 strong team headed to Portsmouth Guildhall to perform in the first ever Dance Live competition. Having taken part in Rock Challenge, which was sadly not happening in 2020, for so many years, the team were delighted to have the opportunity to perform in a new and exciting competition.

The team have been working hard on their 7-minute piece since September, rehearsing every Friday after school. Everyone involved has shown incredible dedication and had a

wonderful time. The amazing piece titled ‘Fearless and Therefore Powerful’ was an exploration into

the world of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The novel has been the inspiration for so many film and theatre adaptations and the wonderful team knew they could create something very special. The performance tells the story of Victor Frankenstein’s journey, detailing his obsessive pursuit to create a human, whilst exploring the varied emotions resulting from the reality of this and ultimately exposing the tragedy within the story.

The excited students arrived at Portsmouth Guildhall at midday and after a fun hip-hop lesson they had a half an hour slot on the stage to rehearse with full lighting. They then moved to a different space and had another 30 minutes to polish and perfect the piece before the evening performance. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting ready with hair, costume and make up. This is always a great part of the day as the students chat and work together to create incredible results. Many thanks to Learning Supervisor Ellie Symmonds who worked tirelessly on the hair and make up for the students playing monsters.

DHS were the penultimate performance so the team had a nervy wait whilst the first 6 schools performed. When they got on the stage they were all outstanding, the hard work that had gone into the piece really shone through and it was a flawless performance. They skipped off the stage feeling happy and proud, knowing they had all done their best.

Once the final performance had taken place representatives from each school were invited on to the stage for the results. Third place was announced as The Angmering School and second place as Richard Taunton. The nerves increased as everyone knew it was either first place or not progressing to the finals, so the screams and jumps for joy erupted when Durrington High School were awarded first place. The team will now go on to take part in the Dance Live final on Saturday 25th April.

It is a huge achievement to have come first, especially as all other schools included 6th Form students. At Durrington High School everyone is welcome to join the Dance Live team and inclusivity is at the heart of the piece, this was acknowledged in one of the judges’ comments, ‘You all had the opportunity to shine.’

Mrs Isham, Director of Performing Arts, said, ‘I am so proud of this team. They were professional, supportive ad hard working in taking on this new venture. Thanks to Portsmouth Guildhall for putting on such a superb competition, we have been looked after so well and it has been such a pleasure to be part of the first ever Dance Live competition.’

It was a real treat to welcome back ex-DHS pupil Charlie Donnelly who has just returned from performing in Mary Poppins in Germany and we are so grateful to her to for supporting us with much of the fantastic and challenging choreography.

Many thanks to the staff involved for giving our students such an incredible and enriching opportunity - Emily Isham, Lizzie Wolstenholme, Louise Wallis-Tayler, April Cross, Annie Hewett, Kathy Hughes, Sam Hodnett and Ellie Symmonds.

Year 10 students get valuable experience in the work place – 25th February

During the first week of February, 300 year 10 students got a glimpse into working life as they went out on work experience placements in a range of environments. Most students were based in West Sussex but some travelled to Brighton, others to London and even as far as Somerset. The range of placements was excellent and we were delighted to work with over 180 local business partners. We are so grateful to them for offering our students such interesting and inspiring experiences.

In order to fully prepare our students, they all worked through preparation modules in SME (social moral education lessons). This was really useful in preparing them for the working world in general before they went off to have their unique experiences. The placements ranged from companies in the service industry such as estate agents, shops and cafes to more office-based roles such as law firms and HMRC. Every experience was valuable in terms of building confidence and new skills as well as helping many students start to think about the area they would like to explore as a career.

The employers were extremely happy with the DHS students who were a credit to the school, showing professionalism and a willingness to learn. Micwaber Lettings said, ‘It has been an absolute pleasure to have had Fin Denley-Ennis on work experience with us this week.’ Electronic Temperature Instruments praised Tamzin Bushnell saying ‘Tamzin was a pleasure to work with. She was fully engaged and professional. It was a pleasure to have her with us for a week’ and HMRC commented that ‘All the students were a credit to the school!’

Some of our students really impressed and went out of their comfort zone to push themselves during the week. Jack Dear, who worked at Toyota GB, compiled a great presentation to share with senior managers at the end of his week and his employers commented that he ‘was a credit to Durrington High School throughout his week. He worked well with the team, carried out all assigned tasks and showed great maturity at all times. Jack was willing to take on additional duties and support other team members. Job well done!’

Schneider Electric had nothing but praise for Adam Beardmore, ‘When put on the spot after his presentation, Adam gave us some very good feedback on improvements we could make, which in itself would even phase an older person. I have to say that it was a pleasure having him here and having spoken with the team we struggled to find anything even remotely negative. Seriously, he is a credit to the school and his parents.’

The careers team and other staff visited students throughout the week and were equally impressed. The students, now back at school, have taken part in reflective sessions to evaluate their week, ensuring they get the most out of the experience and think about how it can help them with their choices in the future. Erin Cummins, who worked at Durrington Junior School said, ‘I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend it to someone else who enjoys working with children.’ and Lucia Wylie reflected that, ‘Working at the collage really helped my understanding of how people work together.’ Bailey Kirkwood, who was one of 3 students who spent the week at Equniti, had his preconceptions challenged saying ‘Office work really wasn’t what I thought it would be like. I really enjoyed hearing about how each area works and found the session with marketing particularly interesting.’

Toby Henry, Careers Leader, said, ‘Work experience week is so valuable and every year I love seeing the enthusiasm, hearing the stories and seeing the difference it makes to so many Durrington students. Their placements enable them to put the skills they have learnt in school to use in a wide range of businesses as well as enabling them to learn and develop new skills that employers need. Many of which, such as confidence, communication, resilience and lateral thinking, will aid our students not only in their ongoing studies but also in their future choices. The week is not possible without the support of the businesses that partner with us by offering placements and we thank them all for looking after our students so well.’

U16 girls and boys football teams reach County Cup final -

Both Durrington High School U16 boys and girls football teams have won their County Cup semi-final games and now have the opportunity to become county champions. This is a fantastic achievement for both teams who have had excellent seasons so far.

The U16 girls played the week before half term and faced a strong opposition in Dorothy Stringer High School. The game was held at the Brighton school and the conditions were very wet and windy. Durrington

started the game well and looked strong as they went one nil up in the first few minutes with an early goal. However, Dorothy Stringer came back quickly and efficiently scoring three goals and taking a 3-1 lead into half time.

The team felt deflated but knew they needed to pull together and work hard as a team. They began the second half determined but another quick goal from Dorothy Stringer gave them the worst start and saw the opposition take a 4-1 lead. Captain Jessi Lownds stepped up and encouraged the team to keep going and believe in themselves. The game entered the last 10 minutes of normal time and as the rain settled the team clicked together and found three goals in quick succession to level the score at 4-4 and force extra time.

Extra-time was 10 minutes of nail-biting football, within a minute Grace Watkins scored a great goal to put Durrington in the lead and soon after Katelon Goldsmith got Durrington another to give a two-goal cushion at the half way point. The girls had to stay strong for the final five minutes of the match but with just two minutes to go Dorothy Stringer had a shot that ended up in the back of the net closing the lead to just one goal. It was an incredibly tense end with a Dorothy Stringer attack needing a goal line save from superstar goalkeeper, and Player of the Match, Saffron Foley which ensured Durrington won the match 6-5 and progressed to the final.

The U16 boys team also faced tough conditions as they travelled to Hove Park School on Tuesday 25th February. They also took an early lead with a superb goal from Sam Hack, a volley into the top corner from the edge of the box. However, Hove Park replied quickly with a goal taking the score to 1-1. The boys continued to play their football despite the difficult conditions and kept good possession

which led to a goal scored by Nathan Williams just before half time.

The boys continued to work as a team throughout the second half. They were outstanding both on and off the ball, helping each other out and making the most of every opportunity. Player of the Match was Zac Ball who played in centre midfield, keeping their best player at bay and showing incredible determination and strength. Ryan Clarke scored two goals to sure up the win with a 4-1 score.

Both teams will now play at Lancing Football Club in late April as they go for a double Durrington County Cup victory. Well done to all the players on both teams and their coaches, Sam Morely and James Crane, for reaching the final and good luck!

U16 Girls team Saffron Foley Amelia Lovelock Amie Calvert Evie Morgan Jazz Williams Phoebe Lindup Georgia Upperton Keely Taylor Holly Harding Hope Waite-Jones Jessi Lownds

Harmony Martin Grace Watkins Katelon Goldsmith U16 Boys Team Sam Waller Ollie Claydon Josh Czaja Zachary Ball Will Poole Ethan Muirhead Matthew Storm Toby Howard Sam Hack Ryan Clarke Ollie Bateman Nathan Williams Jack Hutchins

Durrington High student Aston Upton crowned British Open Junior Sporter Champion – 28th February

Congratulations to year 11 student Aston Upton who took part in the British Open Airgun Championship over the weekend and is now the British Open Junior Sporter Champion 2020. This is a huge achievement and we are very proud of Aston.

The competition involves firing lead pellets from a sporter air rifle at a 8 different targets with 5 diagrams at a distance of 10-meters. Over all there are 40 shots fired and a maximum of 10 points per shot are scored depending on the accuracy of each shot. Not only

did Aston win the championship with a fantastic score of 354 (out of 400) but his combined individual and aggregate score was an incredible 705. This is all the more impressive as a combined score of over 700 has only ever been achieved a handful of times in the history of the competition.

Aston was introduced to competition shooting by his Scout group and began entering competitions 4 years ago. He began at district level and his talent was apparent as he racked up the wins. He first entered the British Open competition 3 years ago and placed 31st, he placed 30th in his second year, moving up to 16th last year and then achieving 1st place this year, an inspiring story of commitment and development. Aston has been entering the 10-meter sporter competitions since starting his journey and is now ready to move on to the 10-meter precision riffle category to further develop his all-round game. Aston has high ambitions with a strong desire to make shooting his career saying, ‘I love this sport and am really committed to developing my skills, my ultimate dream would be to compete in the world championships and, of course, the Olympics.’

James Crane, Deputy PE Leader and Company Tutor for Aston said, ‘We are immensely proud of Aston’s achievements last weekend. To be a National Champion in your chosen sport is inspiring. It is also brilliant that our students are excelling in such a wide variety of sports. Aston’s success follows on from year 10 student Astin Dean’s recent success in 10 pin bowling and we have other student pursuing a number of other sports. We are really proud of all of them.’

Well done Aston and watch this space…..

Fun and inspiring half term trip to New York – 4th March

During February half term 29 GCSE art and design students flew across the Atlantic Ocean to the East Coast of America to explore one of the most famous cities in the world. The lucky students and accompanying staff arrived in New York City in the late afternoon, traveling to their centrally located hotel to briefly check in and unpack before heading out to dinner at the famous Hard Rock Café. With the group being on UK time of well past midnight they headed to bed soon after eating to get a good night of rest before embarking on a 3-day schedule packed with art, culture and excitement.

On their first full day in New York they began with a filling breakfast before heading to the High Line, a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West side. This was a fantastic place to get wide views of the city and take inspiration from the street art. The students had the opportunity to stop and sketch from the multitude of interesting views. They then headed to the Witney Museum of Contemporary Art which was really popular with the students. A particular favourite was the fully functioning kitchen decked out completely in multi-coloured sequins. After grabbing some lunch, they headed to the iconic Empire Estate Building where they enjoyed the incredible views from the top. They finished the day with a much needed and delicious evening meal in Italian restaurant Buca di Beppo.

The second day started with ice-skating at the Wollman rink in central park and the crisp sunny morning was perfect weather for it. The group had lots of fun skating before moving on to their next activity and no visit to New York is complete without a trip to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), especially for art and design students. The wide-ranging impressive collection was inspiring to all the students, who took time to sketch as they walked around the impressive building. Year 11 student Sammy said this was the highlight of her trip, ‘I loved seeing Van Gough’s Starry Night during our visit to MoMA.’

More sight-seeing followed after lunch with a trip on the Staten Island Ferry, from which they could see the iconic New York landmark of the Statue of Liberty. This was followed by a sobering visit to the 9/11 memorial plaza and pools which gave the group time to reflect on the impact and importance this devastating event had on the city.

Another busy day ended with dinner at the popular Bubba Gump restaurant where the group enjoyed a fun evening of food and entertainment, as students took part in a quiz with some of them winning keyrings. They then headed back to the hotel where they had time to reflect on the past two days and record their thoughts in their sketchbooks. The year 10 students attending keep a sketchbook diary of their time away which they can then use for project inspiration as they head into year 11. The year 11 students focus on their exam preparation, recording how the sights and experiences will influence their final exam piece. Sammy. who is currently planning her final textiles piece in which she will stitch over a projected photo of a crowd said, ‘The trip to New York has been so helpful to my final piece. It has made me think about the individuals within a crowd and how there are so many different expressions and emotions to capture.’

The final day was spent packing, sketching and, partaking in the New York must do activity, shopping! Steven Bloomer, Head of Art and Design, said, ‘This trip has been amazing. The students have been a pleasure to be with and a real credit to the school. They have had the opportunity to soak up the culture of this iconic city and taken ideas and inspiration for their work across textiles, fine art and graphics. It is also a lovely opportunity for students to spend time together and share a new experience. It’s been a really great few days.’

Many thanks to Mr Bloomer, Mrs Gray, and Gail Christie who, after retiring in the summer, came back for on final DHS art trip.

The Addams Family - a freakishly fantastic DHS musical – 6th March

Durrington High School have produced yet another magnificent musical, getting rave reviews from all who saw it. The Addams Family musical is not as well-known as past productions such as Bugsy Malone, Les Misérables and Oliver, but it was a resounding success thanks to the hard work of staff and students. Rehearsals began in September and the cast have worked tirelessly since then to ensure the performance was perfect.

The story focuses on Wednesday Adams (Ruby Childe) falling in love with ‘normal’ boy Lucas Beineke (Alfie O’Kane). Both children want their parents to give them just one ‘ordinary night’ when the families meet for the first time at The Addams’ home. What follows is a hilarious series of events in which Gomez Adams (Thomas Mitchell) struggles to please both his daughter and wife Morticia (Ava Hodgson), and Mr and Mrs Beineke (Ellie Lossing-Smith and Harvey Smith) have an awakening to return to a more care free life.

The performances from the main cast were superb. Their talents really shone as they took on solos with fast paced, witty lyrics, conveying humour and meaning whilst being pitch perfect. Alfred Newman did a fantastic job portraying a man in love with the moon(!) as Uncle Fester and Jamie Bunce was an imposing and hilarious Lurch. Joshua Tomley made a fantastic Grandma amusing the audience with physical comedy and exaggerated expressions. The energy from Ruby Childe was wonderful as she convinced as a stroppy teenager in love and Morgan Pharaoh did a great job of playing her devious younger brother Pugsley. Tom Mitchel was hilarious as Gomez Addams with his

understated delivery and perfectly timed one-liners. Ava Hodson’s Morticia commanded attention whenever she was on stage and Ellie Losing-Smith, Harvey Smith and Alfie O’Kane gave excellent performances as the nervous and confused Beineke family. The cast were supported by over 60 ancestors who were on stage throughout the performance, remaining in character the whole time. Dressed in all white costumes and portraying the dead from across many different eras they looked amazing, there were even some famous faces such as Elvis Presley in amongst them.

The band did an outstanding job, especially given that the musical has minimal dialogue and they played almost continually throughout the 2-hour performance. Led by Anne Whiteside the band comprised both students and staff and they played each of the 24 numbers expertly.

The professional lighting and sound team were supported by year 11 student Tom Payne. Tom has played a key part in the lighting and sound direction of all DHS productions during his time with us and will be much

missed next year as he moves on to college. The backstage crew, Neve Crutchlow and Josh Shanley were brilliant; moving the scenery and making sure all the props were in the right place at the right time.

Audience members were delighted with the show commenting on the school Facebook page with praise such as ‘Really enjoyed the show! Well done to everyone involved, amazing talent and very entertaining.’, Congratulations to everyone involved, you should feel very proud of the high standard of show you've produced.’, ‘Another fantastic evening spent watching the outstanding talented students of our school. Loved every minute of it’ and ‘Fantastic! Enjoyed it so much! Amazing talent.’

Emily Isham, Director of Performing Arts and the show, said, ‘The DHS musical is an absolute pleasure to direct. Year on year our students surpass my expectations with their talents and commitment. It is such a team effort and everyone involved makes me proud to be part of such a wonderful event.’

Huge thanks to Emily and the performing arts team, April Cross, David Hall, Cyrus Dean and Beth Maughan, for giving the students such a fabulous opportunity to perform. Thanks also to Zofia Reeves, Laura Pritchard, Georgia Garrod, Jo Owen, Lizzie Wolstenholme and Lindsay Tunbridge-Adams for supporting the production.

Insightful experience at the Better Business Show – 5th March

Before half term ten GCSE business studies students

had the opportunity to attend the Better Business Show

at Worthing Assembly rooms. The show was an

opportunity for students to gain a valuable insight into the

current jobs market and the importance of business

studies in a range of different contexts. The show

included a range of inspiring key note speakers and over 70 local businesses exhibiting.

The students attended in the afternoon and were able to hear the keynote speech from Matt Hunt, co-

director of The Great British Porridge Company. Matt and his business partner Jacqueline manged to

secure a rare ‘full house’ of offers when they appeared on the BBC2 show Dragons Den. Matt spoke

about this experience and how the company had grown from £0 -£4m in just 4 years. This was a

really inspiring talk for our students to listen to, showcasing what it is possible to achieve with the right

skills and attitude.

They then had plenty of time to look around the local exhibitors which covered a wide range of career

paths including engineering, events, publications, the local council, hospitality, marketing, finance,

charities and retail. It was a great opportunity for students to engage with business professionals and

they were excellent at asking pertinent and interesting questions to get the most out of their

experience. They learnt about how the work they were doing in business studies GCSE related to the

real business world.

Jennifer Aston, business studies teacher who accompanied the students said, ‘It was a great

atmosphere, the students were really excited to be a part of it.’ Claire Taylor, Head of Computing,

Business and ICT, added, ‘The Worthing Better Business Show was really useful to our students, they

all came back buzzing with ideas and inspiration. Having the opportunity to speak with such a wide

range of business owners and working professionals gave them great insight into where their

business studies GCSE could lead then in the future.’

Year 10 design and technology students go behind the scenes at MINI – 13th March

Almost 50 GCSE design and technology students had the fantastic opportunity to visit the Mini Plant in Oxford on Thursday 12th March. The plant is the largest and oldest of the three MINI plants in the UK and is where all the parts are assembled and come together to make road-ready MINI cars.

The trip was a great way to enhance the students classroom learning of key subject topics such as automation, robotics, production lines, quality assurance, quality control and job role changes. The large group were split into small groups of 12 and taken on the two-hour tour of the plant which gave them the opportunity to see the production and assembly line in full swing. They were able to ask relevant questions and build on their knowledge as they watched with interest all the different stages of production and assembly. They also learnt about the impact of electric vehicle technology and how this has led to adaptation of the production line.

Miss Wade, Head of Design and Technology, said ‘Being able to see what they had been learning about in a real-world setting has been invaluable to deepening the students understanding of many areas of the exam syllabus. Having this experience as a reference point as they continue their studies gives them a great foundation to refer back to. It is also a really inspiring trip for them as it shows where their skills and knowledge of D&T can take them.’

Many thanks to Miss Wade for organising and facilitating the trip.