Spring 2015

MockINTERVIEWS

Dutch LEAGUEExchange

LEGO

The Marches School Morda Road, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 2AR

T. 01691 664400 E. admin@marchesschool.net W. www.marchesschool.co.uk

MarchesMovies

The screening of films in the Marches Hall is proving tobe very popular with parents, students and members ofthe community, drawing crowds of over 100 people.

Thank you to all who have supported this new initiative.

Forthcoming Films

Friday 27th March - Paddington - PGFriday 24th April – Into the Woods  - PGFriday 22nd May – The Theory of Everything - 12A

Mrs White

We are pleased to announce the launch of MicrosoftRemote Desktop at The Marches. This facility allowsstudents and staff to access and edit files which aresaved on the network on any devices (Windows, Apple,Android and Linux operating systems).

This facility allows users to experience Microsoft Office2013 and 2D Design as though they were working atschool on a classroom workstation.

How do I get started?If you are on a Windows operating system (phone or PC)simply click on the Remote Desktop link on the MarchesSchool home page and enter your username andpassword (the same as is used to access the network,but remember to prefix your username withmarchesschool\). For Apple and Android operatingsystems a Remote Desktop App needs to be downloadedfrom your App store. Once installed simply add theremote feed link together with your credentials.

For Linux operating systems and details for the remotefeed link please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Geddes –email Geddes.s@marchesschool.net

REMOTE DESKTOP

Sarah LongvilleHeadteacher

Spring is now certainly in the air at The Marches and itwas never more evident than on World Book Day, whenstaff and students embraced and celebrated the event intrue, fancy-dress style. The buzz around site waswonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch of wormyspaghetti; one of the many delights served by the canteenstaff, as part of their Roald ‘Dahl’ Dinners! The flash mobreaders and all the unique contributions made it a greatway to celebrate reading and a day to remember.

Year 11 have now begun their ‘Countdown to Success’programme towards the summer exams. This processaims to support students in their decision making, toensure they make the most out of 2015. All students havehad the opportunity for a mock interview to prepare forwork; many spent a full day with Vicky Long to supportpreparation for revision and revision strategies and it wasgreat to see so many parents at the Countdown toSuccess evening. Citizenship lessons are now helpingstudents to co-ordinate their revision and prepare for theexams. Grade Improvement Activities will continue afterEaster until exams start. Revision sessions are on thewebsite and are distributed every Friday in Citizenship.For every 20-minute session of revision that studentsachieve, they should have a signature from a parent orteacher in their revision passports. It is crucial thatstudents attend whichever after school session they feelwill support them most. Equally, students should nowhave established a clear pattern of revision which willbuild during the Easter holidays.

Over the Easter break, we say ‘Bon Voyage’ to ournetballers, who will be jetting off to Disneyland Paris. Nextterm students will be clocking up even more internationaltravel experiences, with trips planned to Sweden,Majorca, Germany, Normandy, Poland and theBattlefields.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for your continuedsupport and wish you a very happy Easter.

On Friday 30th January, Year 11 students had their CVs at the ready, as theyanxiously awaited their mock interviews with members of the OswestryRotary Club and businesses from the local community. During the course ofthe day, 215 Year 11 students were interviewed by local business people andRotarians who had kindly given up their time to support the development ofthese young people’s skills.

Catching up with Adam Smith straight after his interview with David Gordon hecommented, “The interview went well. I was nervous but it was fine. I feel theexperience will help me when attending future interviews and my interviewergave me lots of useful tips and information.”

In total, 22 Oswestry Rotarians and 11 local business representatives attendedand delivered mock interviews for the students throughout the day. Students eachhad a 30 minute slot, which included 5 minutes reflection and 5 minutes feedback.At the end of the day, a celebration assembly took place, with 5 lucky studentswinning £5.00 vouchers for ‘most notable performances of the day’.

This has been a fantastic opportunity for Year 11 students to have face-to-faceinterviews with local businesses and Rotarians who have kindly given up their time.This valuable activity would not be possible without their kind support and theschool is grateful, as always, for the ‘real life’ opportunities these interviewsoffer. It was fantastic to see the students’ confidence develop and grow as theybegan to feel more at ease in an interview situation.

David Gordon, President of the Oswestry Rotary Club commented, “Theformat of the day works really well and we, as a club, feel that we can directour expertise more efficiently in this way. We have seen some very capableand talented students with promising futures ahead of them”.

Miss Peacock, Associate Assistant Headteacher(Developing Learners)

Year 11

01

Mock Interview Day

DEVELOPING LEARNERSThe 3rd Year 7 Growing Minds Day saw almost everyYear 7 student performing on stage.

Chester University have been working with Year 11raising aspirations for post 16 education.

The Royal Navy have been working with Year 10 anddescribed our students as ‘one of the best audiencesthey have presented to in ages’.

David Dein, former vice-chairman ofArsenal Football Club and former vice-chairman of the Football Association,gave a presentation to Year 9.

Work Experience applications andinterviews have gone really well, withthe new system proving very effective.

Miss Peacockwww.marchesschool.co.uk

Term Dates 2015PD Days Monday 20th JulySummerTerm Monday 13th April -Friday 17th JulySummer

Half Term Monday 25th May(Bank Holiday) - Friday29th May

Safer Internet Day

www.marchesschool.co.uk

02The Marches School supported Safer Internet Day 2015, joining hundreds ofother organisations across the UK to promote the safe and responsible use oftechnology.

To celebrate the day, The Marches gathered students in the school hall to create asequence of photos and short video clips. Students wrote an ‘Up 2 Us’ pledge card, onwhich they promised to each do one thing to help make the internet a better place. Thephotos and video clips were then used on the school’s website and social mediapages to support the Safer Internet Day Campaign.

It is vital that young people are fully educated about internet use and we are proudsupporters of Safer Internet Day. Encouraging students to make pledges made themthink more deeply about the role everyone plays in making the internet a better placefor all to enjoy and benefit from.

Mrs Pearson

Two studentsfrom TheMarches Schoolrecentlyattended thefirst “LegoLeague”, aninternationalcompetition

that involvesstudents in three challenges. The

theme for this year’s competition was “Learning” andthe students were required to research into an aspectof “learning” that interested them.

At Loughborough University, Marches students TomGriffiths and Tom Tailford, both Year 8, created anddelivered a presentation to a panel of judges. Theyexplained their robot design, construction andprogramming and then completed a series of practicalmissions with their programmed robot. Each missionchallenge successfully completed by the students gainedthem points. These missions were performed in the arenaagainst the other teams and students had to demonstratethe core values of the competition – “GraciousProfessionalism” and “Coopertition” (CooperativeCompetition).

There were another 9 schools competing and there areanother 26 heats! The two students, Tom Griffiths andTom Tailford, really learned a lot, not just about designing,building and programming, but about presenting andexplaining their ideas to the judges. They are very keen toenter next year’s competition!

Mr Griffiths

LEGO LEAGUE

YOUNGENTERPRISE

The Year 10 Young Enterprise teamrecently spent the day at TelfordShopping centre selling their range ofwooden products.

This was the second of three tradefairs which formed part of this year’scompetition. Team ‘Tiny Timbers’includes Jess, Mia, Annabel, George,Sam, Finley and Tim.

We had a fantastic day with lots ofsales and orders.

Students can personalise any of theitems; should you wish to make apurchase. Please see our websitewww.tinytimbers.wix.com/site or findus on Facebook.

Good luck team from Heather Noble(mentor), Mr Crump and MrsAmyes-Johns

New Term atStagecoachstarts 26thApril

www.marchesschool.co.uk

Several students from The Marches School took part in theOswestry Youth Music Festival on Thursday 26th, Friday 27th andSaturday 28th February.Through the duration of the event, The Marches secured a number ofnotable performances, including:

● 3rd place for the Marches Vocal Ensemble in the under 21category.

● Nia Garry gained a Merit in the under 21 solo piano category.

● Rohan Stafford came third in the trumpet solo completion.

● Esther Forse came third in the piano solo completion.

● Elan Roberts came 2nd in the vocal category.

● Beau Fincham and Richard Peace entered the vocal categoryand did incredibly well.

5 Marches students - Amy McCulloch, DanMcCulloch, Emily Paterson, Erin Hudson and

Becki Arrowsmith form part of ‘Porthywaen Youth andTraining Band’ and ‘Porthywaen Senior Band’. On the Fridaynight they won 2 trophies:

● The Youth and Training Band achieved 1st placewith a commendation in the 'Brass Band' section.

● In the 'U18 Instrumental Ensemble Section' the'Porthywaen Senior Ensemble' achieved 1st placewith a commendation.

Dan McCulloch also went on to achieve 2 first places onSaturday:

● Beginners solo U12 - playing Xylophone - 1st placewith a commendation.

● Drum kit solo U12 - 1st place with a commendation.

Miss Craddock

Success across the board for thestudent leadership team has made abig impact on life at the Marches thisyear. The locker project has madeimpressive headway, nearingcompletion as only “finishing touches”are needed. Interviews held to aid thelong-term project of expanding thecanteen gave promising results.International news was brought tostudents’ attention with the inspiredand creative #bringbackourgirlsassembly.

The issue of lockers in a Marches student’s life has been constantlybrought up over the years. Our head girl Daisy Carter explains howthroughout many years of student forum, lockers have been a concern tomany students of all ages. Tackling this idea proactively ensures that theleadership team faces “one of our largest issues” head on.

Consequently, installing lockers are this year’s student leadership team’slasting legacy. Within the time period of one year Hannah Ryan, housecaptain of Whittaker, explains how she felt this was an “achievable goal”.How will the lockers benefit student life? Life for students at the Marches willbe made less stressful, as well as more manageable and organised.

Year Tens looking to apply for the student leadership team 2015-2016 areadvised by the current team to bring plenty of ideas & imagination. A pro-active role within the school brings the opportunity to work closely withstudents and staff, as well as adding a fantastic asset to your applicationsand CVs for 6th form, college and beyond.

Lucy Burn, Year 11

World Book DayOn Thursday 5th March, The Marches Schoolmarked ‘World Book Day’ with a book themednon-uniform day and a range of literaturebased activities. The theme for the day was‘book characters’ and, as ever, staff andstudents fully embraced the opportunity toshow off their fancy-dress skills, attending infabulous costumes from an array of well-known tales.

The theme saw staff and students earning Housepoints for dressing up but the ‘book’ themedactivities did not end there….

A whole host of games and competitions tookplace during the week to celebrate this event,including crafting activities after school and a‘book tumble’. On World Book Day, the canteenoffered up Roald ‘Dahl’ Dinners and staff took partin a ‘Flash Mob’, reading extracts from AnneFrank, The Canterbury Tales, Sweeney Todd theBarber and Frankenstein. At the end of the day, allstudents received a £1 book token that could beexchanged at local book stores.

It was a fantastic opportunity to really get studentsbuzzing about books! It was great to see so many

staff and students embrace the day.

Mrs Towers, Librarian

(Check out our photo gallery of imagesfrom the day on our website)

03

Oswestry Youth Music Festival

Date for thediaryGreaseSchoolProduction7th-9th July

On Thursday 12th February, 33 students departed Oswestry ona quest to soak up Parisian culture and enhance theirlanguage skills.

The Year 9, 10 and 11 students spent 3 days in Paris where theyenjoyed sightseeing trips, visiting famous landmarks including TheEiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées, Montmartre,Notre Damme and Le Louvre.

Year 11 student, Abigail Yerkess, commented, “My favourite partwas the boat ride on the River Seine because we got to see Parisfrom a different perspective. During their stay, the students alsovisited a Parisian school, where they had the opportunity to meetfellow students who they hadbeen corresponding with vialetter. During their visit to theschool, students took part incommunication activities,where they had theopportunity to practise theirFrench. Hannah Anderson,also in Year 11, added, “Ireally enjoyed the trip andwould love to go again!”

Miss Powell

PARIS TRIP

DUTCH EXCHANGE

New Year Ski TripStudents from The MarchesSchool spent New Year’s Evesoaking up the winter sun onthe slopes of the Italianmountains. Thirty twostudents travelled to theAosta Vally in Italy to skiCourmayeur for 5 days.

Fresh snowfall on the day ofarrival meant the studentsenjoyed excellent skiingconditions right from the off; anice reward after a lengthy 22hour bus journey.

Students of all skiing abilitiesembarked on the trip. Beginners

were put into groups to learnthe basics, which sometimesincluded accidental backwardsskiing! The intermediate groupsskied off piste and learnt how tocarve while the more advancedgroup went all over themountain, which resulted in animpromptu meeting with theItalian Prime Minister and hisfamily!

Students skied in the day for 6hours and spent the evenings

attending Après Ski. Thisincluded a traditional ItalianPizza evening, a disco, a visitto a tradition gelato store, aswell as a karaoke session onNews Years Eve, followed bypanettone.

Overall this was an amazingtrip and we are looking forwardto the next ski trip in the EasterHolidays 2016.

Miss Cooke

Marches students - Jake Lister, Anna Daviesand Zoe Kempster stayed with their exchangehosts from BC Brockenheim and spent 5 daysinteracting with students from the other 7nations who took part (Spain, Poland, Italy,Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden) in theComenius Exchange.

During their visit the group took part in a quiz ofthe town of Roermond, which involved studentssearching for clues around the town, beforeproviding photographic evidence that they hadfound what they were looking for. Followingthis, the students worked in inter-nation groupsto put together a tourist guide to Roermond, thetown in which they were staying.

Students also attended a cooking workshopwhere they had to cook local dishes, relevantto their nation. The British offering wasShepherd’s Pie, which featured as one of themain dishes at the Celebration Event.

Other activities included a guided tour ofAmsterdam, an ice skating trip across theborder in Belgium and a trip to Thorn, betterknown as the ‘White Village’ after it was rebuiltand painted white, following the war.

Miss Potts and Mr Williams

04

www.marchesschool.co.uk

Chinese ClubThis year, Sandy (Wang Jin) has

been running a fantastic new ChineseClub on Thursday afternoons.

 Students have been learning to writein Chinese, create Chinese paper

crafts, cook Chinese dumplings andmuch more!  All this has been donethrough using and practising some

Chinese Mandarin words andphrases and learning more about the

Chinese culture.

www.marchesschool.co.uk

Alumni Feature

Great British PieCompetition

Following the success of last year’s Bake Off, where twoMarches students reached the final, 5 Year 10 girls arefollowing in their footsteps and cooking up a storm inthis year’s competition. ‘The Great British Pie’Competition, hosted by Reaseheath College, has ignitedthe culinary cooking skills of the 5 Marches studentswho entered this year’s competition and all wereselected to go through to the semi-finals, held at TheMarches.

Within the confines of the brief ‘make pastry into the form ofa pie inspired by current sporting events’, students gave ittheir all before their sports themed pastry products were thenjudged through taste testing by Paul Lynott from ReaseheathCollegePaul Lynott, competition judge, commented, “Thanks againfor a very pleasant trip to your school. I really enjoyed myself,what a lovely group of girls. They did your school proud!”

Mrs Evans

Chloe Mabe and Jodie CritchellTour de France – Apple pie bike wheel and French fruit flag

Bethany Jones and Katelyn Frost

Wimbledon – Tatty Murray PieAnnabel BullenWimbledon – Strawberries and Cream

Did you know Raspberry PI Club has beenhappening every week in the digital centre, forboth primary and secondary students? We haveseen students from local primary schoolsattending the digital centre for an hour ofcomputing every Wednesday. Impressive problemsolving skills have been exposed when learning tocode in Python. Programs have been developed toinclude the use of LED lights from circuits andmusic tracks have been coded – who knows thenext Calvin Harris may be amongst them!However, do not worry - The Marches Schoolstudents have not been left out - Tuesdays afterschool secondary Raspberry PI club has beenhappening. Students have been excitedlyexploring the possibility of using a Raspberry PI,programs have been written, tested and perfectedduring the club!

Miss Edge

RASPBERRY PI

05What have you been up tosince leaving The MarchesSchool?

I left The Marches School in 2010.Since then I have completed myA-Levels and I am now in the finalyear of my Law Degree at CardiffUniversity. Upon graduating laterthis year I then plan to move on tocomplete the Legal PracticeCourse.

What is your favouritememory of your time atschool?

My favourite memory is takingpart in all of the school productions. The most

memorable being Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream-Coat,however I enjoyed all of the shows and the variety shows as well. I thinksuch activities are extremely important, as you get to interact with manyother people that you may not have interacted with, or even met otherwise,whilst building on skills such as discipline and composure and learningmuch more alongside that. Plus most importantly having a lot of fun!

Can you give a piece of advice you wish you had when youwere 16?

One main piece of advice that I would give is it does not matter what yourbackground is, what jobs your parents have or where you live, if you workhard enough and want something enough, you can do absolutely anything!

Kelly StantMarches Class of 2010 ALUMNI NEWS - On Tuesday 24th March, Screenwriter

Jesse Armstrong (former Marches student) returned tohis home town of Oswestry to talk about his debutnovel as part of Oswestry Lit Fest. Co-creator andwriter of the BAFTA Award-winning Peep Show, Jessealso co-wrote The Thick of It and Oscar-nominatedmovie In the Loop.

Where are they now?

06

Photographs were judged by PressPhotographer, Huw Davies, for theircreativity, composition, use of light andsense of timing.

Students from all year groups entered thecompetition and following a difficult judgingsession, the winners were announced:

1st Ellena Collison (Year 7 Whittaker)

2nd Ella Hughes (Year 8 Bonington)

3rd Miriam Marias (Year 7 Mallory)

4th Imogen D’ Souza (Year 9 Stephens)

The competition was also open to staff, whoalong with the students, submitted a range ofhigh quality entries. The winners of the staffcompetition were:

1st Mr Harvey , 2nd Mrs Bladen , 3rd Miss Redfern

Huw Davies, competition judge, commented,“"I'd like to thank The Marches School forinviting me to take part in the judging of thephotography competition, and I especiallyenjoyed seeing the creative talents of so manyof the students who took part; some of themhave a very good eye for a striking image. It wasalso nice to see the staff getting involved in thecompetition; again, producing some greatimages".

Mr Dyke

CompetitionPhotography

Sewing BeeStudents have been investigating the ideaof Up Cycling! All forms tested theirknowledge on fashion and textiles in inter-form quizzes.

Houses raced one another in a sewingrelay; trying to make the longest fabricchain in just one lunchtime!

Students were then invited to design agarment of their own. There was onlyone rule... make sure it is Up Cycled.Up Cycling is the process of using unwanted itemsto create something new and of value. Currently one student from eachhouse is making their winning design to go on display in school and atThe Willow Gallery.

Quiz RankingsWhittaker, Hargreaves, Mallory, Stephens, Bonington

Relay RankingsHargreaves, Whittaker, Mallory, Stephens, Bonington

Miss Ford

www.marchesschool.co.uk

NEWS

Let’s Get Cooking CookathonWith rolling pins and chopping boards at the ready, over 30 studentsfrom The Marches School took part in the school’s Let’s Get Cooking‘Cookathon’ on Tuesday 10th March.

Armed with Chicken Biryani and Naan bread recipes, students competed intheir houses to create the winning dish in this year’s Cookathon. The finalresults were:

1st Stephens, 2nd Bonington, 3rd Hargreaves, 4th Mallory and 5th Whittaker.

Year 7 student, Jacob Munro, cooking for Stephens House, commented,“I’ve really enjoyed cooking biryani and nann breads as it’s something I’venever made before. I’m part of the Let’s Get Cooking Club so was keen toget involved in the Cookathon. I have learnt how to make things fromscratch which is great!”

Anna Doggart, School Governor and Let’s Get Cooking Club Coordinatoradded, “A huge thank you has to go to our supporters, as without them,events like this would not be possible. The Dining Rooms, Treflach Farm,Woodforms Oswestry and Graig Farm of Newtown are greatly valuedsupporters of Let’s Get Cooking Club at The Marches.”

P.E. News

www.marchesschool.co.uk

GUARD OF HONOUR07

CrossCountry

The party of 53 students and teachers from TheMarches School gathered on a cold Sunday morning,before embarking on what was to be an unforgettableafternoon of championship rugby. As part of theschool’s growing partnership with Wasps Rugby,students from The Marches School were invited toform the prestigious ‘Guard of Honour’, as the playerstook to the pitch before Saturday’s game against theCardiff Blues.

Into the arena students went, with the Year seven, eightand nine rugby teams taken by security to the tunnel andthe pitch. Students were briefed on what to do and givena flag to wave. The crowd roared as they lined up to formthe Guard of Honour. The game commentator announcedThe Marches School as the guard, and out ran the CardiffBlues to huge cheers. The Wasps soon followed with atremendous roar from the crowd. Students waved theirflags and cheered as their rugby heroes ran onto the pitch.The students were then bought to their seats, pitch-sideas the stadium cheered and the game began.

The Marches are currently building a partnership withWasps, who recently relocated to the Midlands. We aredelighted to have been invited to form the prestigiousguard of honour; it really was a treasured moment for allstudents involved. Many exciting opportunities lie ahead,with this partnership building, in the not too distant future.As we continue to watch the Wasps over the season, wewill see current players and coaches come to the town andschool. Exciting opportunities for all!

By Mr Deery

On Wednesday 28th January, the second PrimaryMixed Basketball tournament was held at TheMarches.

Competing for the trophy were: Bryn Offa, Criftins,Woodside, Trefonen, Weston Rhyn andGobowen. A team of young Marches Schoolleaders aged 12-16 helped out at the event andassisted the teams. Each team was provided witha training session by the leaders which includedwarm-up activities, skill developments and fun games.Sixth Form students also support the event by umpiring the games.

After a morning of excellent skill and sportsmanship, Criftins were crownedchampions and will now go through to the school games play-offs.

It was a fantastic event; it ran so smoothly because of the help from the youngleaders and, once again, the leaders surpassed themselves in terms ofprofessionalism, skill and great attitude and enthusiasm.

Miss Scott

PRIMARYBASKETBALL

On Saturday 7th

February, The MarchesSchool and Oswestry

School hosted the 2015Shropshire Schools

Cross Country. Therewas a strong field of

entrants from across the county whocompeted on the gruelling course. The elite

runners from across the county set fast timesand there were some outstanding

performances.

The Marches Year 7 team featuring Ben Pierce,Cole Dyke, Tyler Mansell and George Howard-Elliot were the second team home in their agegroup and the Year 8/9 team runners - BenThompson, Matt Collins, Sam Lewis and ElliotKapal matched this feat a little later on – alsofinishing second. Well done boys.

Mr Martin

On Wednesday 4th March Year 8Netball girls went to the SchoolWinter Games, which is held as aCounty-wide tournament. We wererepresenting North Shropshire andwon every match winning the entiretournament, beating some of thebest schools in Shropshire.

Year 7 girls came third in Netball,the Year 7 Girls Cross Country teamwon their race as well as the Year9 Boys Cross Country team and theKS4 boys came 5th at dodgeball

A very successful day. Well donethe Marches.

Miss Cooke

WINTER GAMESTwo Year 7 Marches netball teams wereentered into the North Shropshirenetball tournament on Thursday 26thFebruary. This was only matched by oneother school in the area and acompliment to all of the girls who haveworked so hard over the year to deservea place in the tournament.

Competing against strong opposition, the Bteam finished in 5th place in their group.Well done to all and particularly GeorgieLewis and Kate Adams who werehighlighted for their exceptionaldetermination and skill. The A team wontheir group undefeated, scoring 27 goalsand only conceding 1. The defendersshould be commended on their tightmarking. In the semi-final we met toughcompetition from Thomas Adams School,although after a slow start, we took the leadwith goals from Lexi Skarratt and EllieBurnett and the game finished with a 4-0win for Marches. After conceding the firstgoal in the final against Ellesmere College,The Marches team went on to win 3-0 andbecome North Shropshire Champions. Thiswin would not have been possible withoutall of the girls who regularly attend trainingand compete for positions on the teams.

Congratulations to all of the girls whoattended the tournament. I am very proudof you all.

Miss Duncan

NETBALL CHAMPIONS

Year 8 Netball Team - Runners Up at County Tournament.

Maisy Morris (Year 9) has been selected to represent the CountyAcademy team in a tournament in Stoke, justly rewarding her for her hardwork and commitment.

Netball Stars…

01

GlyndwrProgressionAgreement

The Marches Sixth Form andlocal University, Glyndwr, haveforged a strong link over the pastfew months that will benefit bothinstitutions, and most importantlythe students, for the foreseeablefuture. Glyndwr University haveoffered the Marches Sixth Formexclusive access to their facilities,staff and researchers in a vastarray of subject areas.

The lead researcher inPsychology at the University,Emyr Williams, has alreadyattended revision sessions withboth Years 12 and 13 psychologystudents. There is a plan alreadyin place for students to attend theUniversity and work withinlaboratory settings to gain first-hand experience of usingspecialist equipment. These areexciting times for the sixth form aswe continue to forge strong,positive relationships withuniversities across the UK.

Mr Jones, Assistant Head ofSixth Form

MOROCCOEXPEDITION

2016Plans for the next, forthcomingexpedition have been revisedand parents and students fromthe current Years 11 and 12cohorts recently attended a‘Morocco 2016 InformationEvening’. The expedition isgenerating a serious amount ofexcitement and will be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for the students.Not only will this expeditionbenefit their CVs, UCASapplications and employability,but also themselves as people.Watch this space!

Geography Field Trip

Year 12 students engaged with Road SafetyOfficer Malcolm Farrar and were made awareof the risks that are associated with youngerdrivers in the 21st century (texting, peerpressure etc).

Students were provided with an interactivepresentation, which included Road Safety TVadverts from around the world, some of whichwere hard-hitting.

First AidTwo separate Sixth Formgroups have been workingwith Mr Ward over the past6 weeks on theiremergency first aid,learning the basics of CPRand how to act responsiblyin emergency situations.

Hitting all the right notes…A Year 13 student has beenoffered a scholarship at theprestigious London RoyalAcademy of Music. InSeptember, Timothy Doyle willenrol on a Bachelor of MusicCourse at the Academy.

Timothy, who has played theFrench Horn for 11 years,travelled to Glasgow,Manchester and London forauditions and was offeredplaces at the Royal

Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal NorthernCollege of Music, Royal College of Music and RoyalAcademy of Music.

When Timothy was in Year 10 he secured a place at theJunior Royal Northern College of Music and attendedmusic school in Manchester every Saturday. He is alsoprincipal horn player in the Liverpool Philharmonic YouthOrchestra.

Over the weekend of 6th - 8th March, Year 12 Geographers took part in their AS Levelfieldwork investigations. They visited Criccieth on the North Wales coast to view andevaluate coastal processes, landforms and management techniques. After a hard-working afternoon, the group were keen to sample Cadwaladers Ice Cream shop! OnSaturday 7th March, in extremely wet and windy conditions, the group looked intoanalysing the characteristics of the Afon Nant Peris river – measuring 11 sites down a2.5 kilometre stretch of the river. To complete a memorable weekend, a visit to Llanrwstto observe the river management controls, which aim to keep the town protected fromfuture flood risk. A tiring but rewarding trip was had by all!

Mr Whitworth, Assistant Headteacher

Year 13 students will be sitting the first ever A Level exams in the Marches Sixth Formthis summer. I know they will build on their already impressive AS results. They are greatrole models for Year 12, who are preparing alongside them for their AS Levels. We havea comprehensive support package in place to support students and their families withrevision and exam preparation.

When Year 12 finish their AS exams, they will begin ‘Professional Development Week’and are busy securing top class work experience placements to support theirforthcoming UCAS applications.

Year 13 are looking forward to a long break after their exams and, of course, the end ofyear Prom. I am very excited about the prospect of them taking up their places at topuniversities around the country in September and look forward to hearing about theirprogress through the school alumni network.

I have recently visited Lakelands Academy and The Corbet School to conduct SixthForm admissions interviews, as well as interviewing prospective students from a number of other schools

across Shropshire, Powys and Wrexham. This year we have seen a record number of external applicants apply tostudy at The Marches Sixth Form and the calibre of applicants is more and more impressive.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Sixth Form students and Year 11 all the best of luck in their exams.

Mamma Mia!

Claire BuckleAssistant Headteacher: Head of Sixth Form

Students studying AS Drama &Theatre Studies went on a theatrevisit to The Liverpool Empire Theatreon 25th February 2015.

As part of their course, they need towatch a variety of different types oftheatre to prepare them for theirwritten examination.  We allwatched the musical ‘Mamma Mia’ which wasfantastic.  The biggest highlight was SueDevaney, who played the role of Rosie; we allagreed that she was particularly skilled atbringing comedy to the performance.  Thestudents were thrilled to have the opportunity towatch a production that has just come off theWest End and on tour.  Students and staff alikehad a wonderful time and we all ended the visitdancing in the aisles to some of Aba’s mostpopular tunes!   A big thank you to MissBromley and Mrs Beauchamp foraccompanying us on the visit.  We look forwardto our next theatre visit to see ‘Woman in Black’in April.

Mrs Gilpin

The netball team defeated Llanfyllin High School in theAnglo-Welsh series, winning 2-1 overall. We have atalented group of netball players who are committed andseriously competitive which is great to see. Well donegirls! A great achievement, as an established sixth formlike Llanfyllin hasproduced top classsportsmen and womenover the years.

The boys weredefeated 2-0 byThomas Telford in theCounty Cup QuarterFinal. Thomas Telfordare ranked number 1at this age group inEngland. The ladsshould be proud of their efforts and work rate, agreat moral victory against strong opposition who did notlike being held at bay.

SPORTS TEAMS

Work ExperienceYear 12 students have begun researchingwork experience placements for theirenrichment week during June. LatifahAdwain completed a week’s workexperience at the RJAH orthopaedic duringthe February half term. She was grantedaccess that usually only University studentsare provided with. This will prove to be aninvaluable experience for Latifah who hasaspirations of working with the medicalprofession.

6NEWS

SportingSuccess

UniversityLinks

Enrichment