Bournemouth School for Girls
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Bournemouth School for Girls
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BSG becomes a Trust SchoolThe new school year saw BSG become a Trust School and a member of the South West Academic Trust, a partnership of grammar schools in the south west working together with Exeter University. BSG to Sponsor AcademyPlanning and consultation are well underway for the Bishop of Winchester School to become an Academy with effect from September 2010. Together with the Church of England, the University of Winchester and Bournemouth School, BSG are delighted about their involvement in this exciting development aimed at building on the enormous improvements already seen at the Bishop of Winchester School in recent years. New Science Labs for BSGWith the help of grants from the Wolfson Trust and the Government following our designation as a Science Specialist School our two Chemistry laboratories have just been given a major revamp. You can see the difference!
Performing Arts Centre dedicated to the memory of Miss BraundAt the Old Girls’ Association’s AGM we were pleased to welcome Mrs Barbara Kennedy, sister of long serving Headteacher Miss Helen Braund, who died earlier this year, to unveil a plaque in memory of her.
BSG gains International AwardBSG has been successful in gaining this national award, in recognition of the international dimension of our curriculum, for example our links with schools in Kenya and Bahrain.
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Families with long associations with the school will be sad to hear of the recent passing of Miss Helen Braund who served the school for some 27 years, as Deputy headmistress and then from 1976 to 1983 as Headmistress. After her retirement she continued to contribute enormously to the life of the school through her support of the Old Girls’ Association.
Our team of year 11 public speakers Emma Brooks, Olivia Johnson and Simone Vibert who are the south west regional champions gave an assured and confident performance at the national Finals of the English Speaking Union’s National Finals held in London recently in front of a distinguished panel of judges chaired by Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Race and equality Commission.
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Deputy Headteacher Mrs Cuthbertson and Deputy Head of English Mrs Goodliffe have made a return visit to our partner school St Anne’s School in Kenya. They have taken with them a film showing the life of the school and a survey comparing the lives of pupils in our two schools. This visit comes just as we have heard the good news from the British Council that we have received a further grant which will enable staff and pupils to make further link visits next year.
Two sixth formers Philippa Hathaway and Eleanor Mitchell have recently returned from a visit to Auschwitz in Poland. The project organised by the Holocaust Education Trust enables two students from every school in the country to make the moving visit and on their return to share their experiences with the rest of the school.
Since the beginning of the year a group of BSG and BS students have been working with teachers from both schools to set up a link with a boys’ school and a girls’ school in Bahrain. We recently welcomed colleagues from the two schools to our school. As well as visiting lessons and talking to pupils they were able to experience a little of what Bournemouth has to offer. We look forward to developing the link over the next two years.
Year 7 pupils recently returned from a wet and muddy, but enjoyable weekend at Fairthorne Manor, the YMCA’s activity centre near Southampton.
Activities included canoeing, abseiling, raft building, abseiling and a very muddy assault course!
We were recently invited to nominate pupils for the Young Stars of Bournemouth and Poole awards. We were delighted that the following girls were shortlisted:
Libby Rees for the Personal Achievement award
Hannah Davison for the Improving School Community award
Caroline Bailey and Emily Mulcahy for the Contribution to Sport award
Emily went on to win the Contribution to Sport award. Well done!
Following on from Olivia Trinder’s success in winning the Mayor’s Christmas card competition we have just heard that Sophie Watton was runner up in the KS4 section and Tara Coffin was winner of the KS5 section. They will be meeting with the Mayor and Michael Rosen, the Children’s Laureate after half term.
Well done!
BSG’s Inter swimming team consisting of Naomi Vides, Jacey Mayall, Roseanna Bramwell-Reeks and Stephanie Moreland competed in the Finals of the National Schools Team Championships on Saturday 7th February in Gloucester. They swam some exceptional races finishing 13th in the country in the Freestyle Relay and they qualified for the final of the Medley Relay eventually finishing a well respected 8th in the Country. Well done to the team!
Our team of Roxy Akrami, Alex Rothnie, Fiona Malins and Heidi Brown are now the U15 Dorset Champions in the National Schools Competition.
They now go on to represent the South West in the next round to be held on Friday 27th Feb at the Sir David English Centre. We wish them good luck!
Emma Courtney and Libby Rees went to London recently to make a presentation to the judging panel of the Steve Sinnott Award. This is a national award for young global education campaigners. Their entry was highly praised by the judges and they also appeared in a report of the competition in the Guardian newspaper.
We were pleased to welcome former pupil and now award winning actress Lisa Dillon to our annual Founders’ Day celebrations in December. Lisa’s most recent performance has been in the BBC costume drama Cranford, playing opposite dame Judy Dench. Lisa spoke to the girls about her time at the school and how she felt it had prepared her for life afterwards. Together with the Mayor and Mayoress of Bournemouth she also presented prizes and A Level and GCSE certificates to the girls.
Olivia Trinder had the honour of winning first prize in the Mayor's Christmas card competition. This year's theme was the Earth charter and Olivia's design featured a green Father Christmas! Her design will be on the Mayor's Christmas Card this year. She also received a token donated by Marks and Spencers and a family ticket to the Oceanarium. She also wins £50 for the school, generously donated by Asda.
Four sell out performances of the popular West End show finishing with a special gala performance were the culmination of months of dedication and hard work by pupils and staff of BSG and Bournemouth School.
Headteacher Alistair Brien said, 'This was a real showcase for the immense talent we have amongst our pupils. The show was most professional in every way, full of energy and passion.'
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BSG has again been recognised as being amongst the top 100 state schools in the country according to the latest Sunday Times Parent Power survey. For further details go to www.timesonline.co.uk/parentpower.
Charlotte Martin was invited to a special reception in London recently organised by the exam board AQA. Not only was she the top student nationally in English Language A level but also the top student across all of AQA’s English and Communications set of examinations.
The work of Grace Lunn, a year 9 pupil, in promoting the concerns of young people who are diabetics was reported recently by Meridian news. Grace was concerned that not all young people receive as much support as she does in managing her diabetes in school. A reporter and camera crew came to school and then followed her to London as she went to lobby MPs at the Houses of Parliament as part of a special day organised by the charity Diabetes UK.
Year 12 Economics and Business students were recently able to learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur at a ‘Women in Business’ conference held at the school. Twelve successful local businesswomen talked to students about their careers, work, successes, obstacles and difficulties in the business world. They were able to gain an excellent insight into the world of work and business as well as broadening their outlook on the opportunities available to them when they leave school. Our grateful thanks go to our speakers and to Lucy Kitcher, Jo Wilmott and Ali Hill from Nat West Bank, who organised and sponsored the event.
Girls were able to show that they cared about others who will be less fortunate than themselves this Christmas with our annual Love in a Box appeal. Over 140 shoeboxes containing gifts and toiletries have been dispatched.
Support staff member Mrs Marion Bryant was honoured recently at a special presentation held at Bovington Tank Museum when she received a certificate of commendation from the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset. This was for her outstanding service to Bournemouth School's Combined Cadet Force where she is officer in charge of the Royal Navy section. Over 100 girls are members of the CCF and take part regularly in the wide range of activities on offer. Pictured are Mrs Bryant, the Lord Lieutenant for Dorset, Major Macaulay, officer in charge of Bournemouth School CCF and Mr Brien.
Pupils have been collecting tins and packets of food to deliver to the Boscombe Basics Foodbank as part of our Harvest Festival celebrations. The campaign was the initiative of our SeniorTeam. Houses have also been choosing the charities which they will be supporting this year as well as deciding how they will fulfil
their commitment to support a pupil at St Anne's School in Kenya through her education.
We recently welcomed two colleagues from our partner school St Anne's Girls' High School in Kenya as part of our ongoing twinning project supported by the British Council. There were opportunities to visit lessons and speak to pupils and staff as well as get to know the local area. Many of our pupils were also pleased to receive penfriend letters from St Anne's pupils. Teachers from our school will be making a return visit to Kenya next year. Our Kenya link is just one of the activities we are undertaking this year as part of our commitment to gaining the International Award for Schools.
This has been an excellent year for the girls at GCSE with a 100% 5 A* -C pass rate. Indeed nearly two thirds of the girls got 5 or more As and A*s and 27 girls had a clean sweep of As and A*s. None of this would have been possible without sheer hard work and my warmest congratulations to the girls and staff on their outstanding achievements.
This has been another excellent year for our girls. 70% of all passes were at A or B grade and 25 girls gained 3 or more A grades. Overall the average UCAS points score achieved by students rose again to be our best ever. Reports from the exam boards received so far have also told us that Charlotte Martin had the notable achievement of coming first in the country in English Language A level. Congratulations to all our students and staff on their outstanding results!
Our Midsummer Night’s Dream group was invited recently to perform again in the magical setting of the walled garden of the home of Lord and Lady Aldenham as part of a prestigious fundraising dinner for the National Shakespeare Schools Festival.
Girls arrived in style for their year 11 prom held this year at the Carrington Hotel. A red London bus, a stretch limo and assorted Rolls Royces provided the start to a memorable evening . Bournemouth School’s band CFC and Matt of 2 CR radio provided the entertainment for the evening, organised by the PSA.
A limited edition china mug to commemorate the school’s 90th birthday is now available from reception. Mugs cost £6 each or two can be bought for the special price of £10!
Preparations are nearing completion for the official opening of our Celebration Garden on Thursday 10th July. We will be pleased to welcome Miss Braund, former headmistress to cut the ribbon!
BSG appeared recently in the Daily Telegraph’s property section in an article on property hotspots for good schools. Bournemouth and Poole were one of the top spots for schools and BSG had the special accolade of being ‘the school’ to attend! Click here see the article.
“Staff and students work and learn with tremendous clarity of purpose and superb relationships, showing no complacency, and striving for excellence”.
This is one of the key judgements of the report following the recent OFSTED inspection of Bournemouth School for Girls where students ‘reach exceptionally high overall standards in GCSE and A level examinations.’
Also praised as ‘outstanding’ are the provision for students’ personal development and the curriculum which is enriched extremely well by the vast range of extra-curricular clubs, activities and visits. Pupils also spoke highly of the house system that gives them many opportunities to show initiative and take responsibility. Inspectors noted improvements made in accommodation and facilities since their last visit, highlighting the new Performing Arts Centre and IT developments. Governance of the School is marked ‘outstanding’ and inspectors report that the school is “led by an experienced, effective and much trusted and respected Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team, who work constantly to improve education provision and outcomes even further”.
Chairman of Governors, Noel Spreadbury commented ,
“In our 90th anniversary year, this is an excellent report of which staff, pupils and governors can justifiably be proud. It reflects also the school’s desire to continue to raise achievement and improve the learning environment even further”.
Pupils from BSG have just returned from a religious studies and cultural tour to India which in the words of one of the students was “a truly incredible experience and one which I will treasure for a lifetime”.
The fifteen Year 11 and Sixth Form students had the opportunity to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise, the Golden Temple and Buddhist monasteries during their ten day visit, a first for BSG.
Finalist Tony Adams in the BBC’s Saturday night show “The One and Only” provided the sound of Frank Sinatra at our third annual ball. The evening proved to be a sell out as parents and friends of the school gathered in the Performing Arts Centre to dance the night away. Mark Kermode of the BBC’s Culture Show was guest auctioneer for the evening, raising £3,000 for the school.
Work is now well underway on our project to create a garden area for pupils and staff to relax in. We are still looking for donations of plants to help fill the flower beds. If you can help, please contact the school.
Forty girls and staff have just returned from a successful week’s skiing in the resort of Sunday River in America. Excellent snow conditions meant that the skiing was perfect, for beginners and experienced alike.
According to latest government statistics BSG is amongst the top 200 state schools in the country based on 2007 Key stage 3 results just published. Headteacher Alistair Brien commented, 'Excellent results should of course be the expectation of a school like ours but it is always good news to hear of our strong performance in government league tables. These results are particularly pleasing since they show that we really have added something to the girls' education.'
Together with students from Bournemouth School girls have performed a highly successful and polished production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Salisbury Playhouse as part of the national Shakespeare Youth Festival. The production was produced and directed by sixth form students Anna Chessher and Gabriella Crouch and involved students from age 11-18.
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Our under 16 team have come first in the County Tournament and now go on to represent Dorset in the South West finals to be held in Exeter.
30th January 2008 marks the ninetieth anniversary of the founding of our school! As well as a special assembly to mark the event and look back over the school's history there will be a number of events throughout the year to mark this special anniversary. Girls are already designing a new garden area in the Woodcote Quadrangle to mark the year and the Old Girls' Association is planning a reunion for former pupils and staff on Saturday July 12th. See the OGA section of the website for further details.
Excellent news for our Under 14 netball team which has just competed in the South West regional Championships. They won, beating stiff opposition from amongst others, Millfield and Cheltenham Ladies College. They now go on to the national finals to be held in March at BSG!
Our year 7/8 football team has just won its latest competition and now goes on to represent Bournemouth in the regional championships.
Have you completed your questionnaire yet about how you and your daughter get to school? Please follow the link to www.gettingabout.info/bsg.htm. We are currently formulating a travel plan which will identify ways in which we can help make the journey to school perhaps a little healthier and hopefully safer.
Our school profile has now been updated to include latest government information about our performance in 2007. To read the profile simply click on the link on the left.
Christmas got off to a great start with the famous staff panto on the last day of term. Girls got to see staff in a new light as they appeared in our very own reworking of Harry Potter. Even better, the event raised over £800 which has been donated to the Mayor's Charities for this year.
Girls, staff, governors, parents and guests met again in December to commemorate Founders' Day and to celebrate the successes of girls over the last year. The event again took place at St Andrews URC Church Richmond Hill. We were delighted to welcome the Mayor and Mayor's consort and Ms Jane Portman , Director of Children's Services for Bournemouth who presented the prizes and certificates. A new feature of the proceedings this year was the presentation of House reports by the six House Captains detailing House successes in their first year. The Headteacher also announced ambitious plans for a new building for Art, Psychology and Sociology which governors hope to begin building in the Spring.
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Mr Noel Spreadbury receiving his MBE from HRH Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace
Year 12 and 13 students studying Business Studies and Economics had the opportunity to meet with successful businesswomen in a conference organised by Nat West Bank. They were able to ask questions and find out about their businesses. The entrepreneurs came from a range of businesses from civil engineering to webdesign.
At the Bazuka National Schools Team Championships held recently at Rossmore Community College our Junior and Intermediate teams enjoyed great success. The Intermediate team came second in their heats and the Junior team went on to win both the Medley and freestyle Relays. As the top team in Dorset they now go on to represent the County at the National Finals in Sheffield.
Following an excellent second place in the County U14 Netball Finals our team now goes on to the Regional Competition to be held at Millfield School in January.
Our recent sixth form open evening provided the opportunity for girls and their parents to find out about all that we are able to offer in the sixth form. If you were unable to join us on the evening but would like to find out more about us, please contact the school and we will be delighted to send you a copy of our new sixth form prospectus. An online version is also available on the website.
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More than 1000 visitors flocked to our recent careers convention. There were more than 75 exhibitors from different organisations , explaining their jobs to students. There were also representatives from universities and colleges.
Headteacher Alistair Brien commented: ‘I am delighted both at the large number of exhibitors who have been able to join us and also the large number of young people who have come to take advantage of such an excellent opportunity to get first hand advice.’
Students from other local schools also joined us for this excellent event.
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