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Dorset Challenge

On a very wet Sunday in March a team of 8 girls from the Combined Cadet Force went to Bovington to compete in Dorset Challenge. The event consisted of a shoot, a 3km run with a rifle in combats which included running through a ford, and finally an obstacle course with a 10ft wall. Despite the terrible weather, with great motivation and real teamwork they came third in the obstacle course and shoot and 1st in the run, finishing 1st overall in the female competition.

Visit to National Museum of Computing

Recently a group of years 12 and 13 students taking ICT or Computing A Level visited The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes. The girls had a great time:

“The highlight of the museum was the Colossus machine which was a huge turn-around for the British forces during World War Two as it allowed them to crack highly complex Nazi ciphers; women ran these machines and so we were able to get a better picture of the role that women played during the war and the hardships they went through to keep the machine running.”

“We also saw the recently renovated WITCH computer - which fills a room and has the computing power of a pocket calculator! We got a chance to see computers as they developed through the 1960s till the 1990s. At the end of the day, we coded a game on some BBC Micros, just as teenagers would have done in the 1980s. “

‘ARTiculation Prize’

Well done Georgia Zelly who, just before Easter, participated in the national ‘ARTiculation Prize’ (which invites sixth form students to give a talk, between five and ten minutes, on a work of art of their choice to an audience of teachers and fellow students). Georgia gave an excellent talk on the photographic work of Bill Henson which was thought-provoking, informative and professional and impressed both the audience and the judge, artist Laura Ford.

RS trip to Rome

Twenty students visited Rome and the Vatican over February half term. We spent the first day visiting sites such as the Coliseum, the Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, Pantheon, Castle St Angelo and the Cappucin crypt, and then a day vising the Vatican, including the basilica, Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Crammed in between the sightseeing were regular stops for souvenir shopping and consuming large quantities of ice cream and pizza!

BSG ski trip – Austria

This year’s ski trip saw 40 students and staff in Mautendorf, Austria. Everyone had a great time mastering and improving their skiing technique on both the slopes at Mautendorf but mainly in neighbouring Fanninberg.
Our four ski instructors were excellent and made skiing fun and the students learnt a lot. The weather was good and the slopes wide and long which gave everyone plenty of space to turn and stop (or try to)!!
The highlight at the end of the week was the ski race – everyone did well and was awarded certificates and trophies. Evening entertainments included the legendary BSG quiz, an entertainment evening, bowling and curling which was cold but great fun.
Everyone came home tired with some aching muscles but having had a successful week.

Geographers explore London

At the end of February, Year 12 geographers enjoyed a residential field visit to East London, studying rebranding in London Docklands and investigating the impact of the London 2012 Olympics on the Stratford area. As in previous years, we were most fortunate to have Bob Digby, President of the Geographical Association, to lead our fieldwork.

Singing first

The Chamber Choir gave a very successful Lunchtime Concert at Highcliffe Castle on Wednesday 6th March. This was one of the first lunchtime concerts to be given at this venue and was performed in front of good-sized and very appreciative audience. The choir has been asked to give another concert at this venue in the near future.

Year 12 unplugged

Year 12 BTEC students gave a Solos Lunchtime Concert on Friday 8th March in the Performing Arts Centre. This forms part of the students’ portfolio of performance work throughout the year. Performances were given by Jess Bichard, Charli Phillips, Lucy Henley, Mhairi McDonald, Anna Searle, Annalise Slocock and Katy Wallis (pictured).

World Book Day

Thursday March 7th was World Book Day. Year 7 girls came into school dressed as their favourite book characters. We saw swarms of Alices, dozens of Cats in Hats, and it was quite obvious Where Wallies Were. We even got a mention on the Radio 2 breakfast show!
On Friday, the Great Book Quiz attracted 16 teams to the Hall to see how much they knew about books, poems and plays. The Knights of the Round Table (10C and 10F) carried off the overall prize, while Dumbledore’s Army (7A and 7S) and the Year 12 Book Snails (all from Austen) won, respectively, the KS3 and KS5 sections. However, the highest score was achieved by the Fog Horns – three (non-English Department) teachers, proving once again the exceptional knowledge and acumen of BSG staff!

Gym and Dance Display

The gym and dance display was yet again a huge success with over 200 girls from year 7 to year 13 involved. A wonderful mix of class, competition and GCSE dance work was performed.

Badminton success

On 14th March we took our junior and senior badminton teams to Exeter for the South West Regional Finals. The junior team played some fantastic matches but were narrowly beaten into second place. The senior team encountered strong opposition this year but still came a respectable 3rd overall.

New senior team takes over

It has been a particular privilege to interview over 60 students from Year 12 who applied to be a part of our senior prefect team. I am always humbled at the sheer range of talent and involvement in both the school and wider community which so many girls show.

Thanks go to our outgoing senior team who have done sterling service this year and best wishes to the new incoming senior team.

Entrepreneurs in finals

It was a special pleasure to attend the Awards ceremony of the Enterprise Challenge competition recently when our Sixth Formers gave presentations about their businesses at an evening reception in front of their parents and a judging panel drawn from local industry and senior staff of Bournemouth University. Congratulations to all girls involved in the event!

Quiz and chips!

It was good to see so many families at our recent PSA Quiz Night. Over 160 mums, dads, daughters, staff and friends came for a night of trivia and fish and chips. This is always an excellent social occasion!

BSG abroad

Over half term break BSG pupils travelled far and wide. We had a ski trip to Austria, an RS study visit to Rome and a Spanish exchange visit to Barcelona. My grateful thanks to all staff accompanying these visits who give of their time so freely for the benefit of the girls.

History SWAT!

Congratulations to Helen Spokes who has won the first annual South West Academic Trust (SWAT) History Essay Competition, beating off some stiff competition from other SWAT grammar schools such as Colyton and Torquay Girls. Essay titles were set by Exeter University and the essays written over the summer holidays.

Helen chose to answer the question, ‘To what extent was Stalin’s power based upon his perceived moderation and popularity?’ The university commented:
"We were impressed by the fluency of this essay, its attempt to back up statements by references in footnotes, and (in particular) by the subtlety of the argument, which considered Stalin’s self-presentation alongside his political tactics, in order to produce the most complete answer. This essay also began to take the next step in the construction of historical argument, which is to consider the question in the light of different schools of historical interpretation."

Well done to Helen, who wins £75 in book tokens.

Rock on

Year 12 music students recently organised and performed in a gig in Bournemouth’s ‘On the Rocks’ venue as part of their BTEC Music Project assignment. They had to rehearsed hard and gave a really impressive performance.

Lucy, Jess and Charlie on stage at ‘On the Rocks’

Theatre live!

On Monday 21st January over 120 Year 8 pupils were an audience for Forest Forge Theatre Company who are based in Ringwood. This is the second year that the company have performed at BSG in our excellent D1 space. The play was called ‘Midnight is a Place’ and was thoroughly enjoyed by all members of the audience. The play was comic, full of music and some very talented acting which was much appreciated by the students. We are hoping to repeat this wonderful opportunity of live theatre again next year.

Set for ‘Midnight is a Place’

Entente cordiale

Recently some year 12 students have started to attend French conferences taking place in St. Andrew’s United Reformed Church as an active way of developing their knowledge. The widespread variety of topics included French literature and how to be polite and impolite in France. This provided us with a great insight into French culture, such as how to lay the table for a dinner party, French mannerisms and even French gallantry. We also had the opportunity to mingle with people fluent in the language who are familiar with the culture, having already lived in France – the perfect way to put skills learned in class into practice. Listening to speech at a higher level of French and a faster speed stretches your vocabulary and improves your listening skills far beyond any listening exercise in lessons. We look forward to attending future conferences on fashion, which complements A Level topics.

Debating and Public Speaking

This has been a busy half term for our public speakers and debaters.
On January 28th the BSG public speaking team took part in the E.S.U. competition held at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury and were well deserved winners. They will now, as last year, take part in the next round at Blundell’s School in Tiverton on March 10th.
On February 4th girls spoke in the Mace Debating Competition at Bishop Wordsworth’s School on the topic of prisoners having the right to the vote.
All Year 8 classes have taken part in a house public speaking competition in lessons, learning the invaluable skills of presenting ideas to an audience in a formal context. On February 1st, the best teams from each house competed against each other and Parks was judged to be the best with Rossetti the runners-up. The top two teams went on to represent BSG at the Rotary Youth Speaks competition and won!
The BSG-HG Walker debating competition continues on Thursday lunchtimes and we are just starting the second round of debates. Debating against the boys’ school also takes place once a month and provides another forum for students to articulate their views.

High fives

BSG hosted the Bournemouth Primary Schools High Five Netball Competition on the 6th February. Twenty one young leaders from Years 8 and 9 helped officiate the matches, after participating in an intensive mentoring programme leading up to the event. The girls displayed excellent control over some very closely contested matches and many comments were made by the Primary School teachers as to their impressive level of officiating whilst maintaining their general enthusiastic, friendly manner. The tournament involved eighteen local schools with the final being contested between Epiphany School and St Lukes. Two periods of extra time and the excitement of a ‘golden goal’ were necessary to establish the final placings with Epiphany School taking the trophy.

Badminton team reach finals

Congratulations to our badminton teams who won the county round of the National Schools Badminton Championships on Monday 4th February. Both teams will now progress on to the Regional finals in Exeter on March 14th.

Shopping for School Uniform

Our school outfitter Barretts has now been taken over by another specialist uniform supplier.

Stevensons is a long established school uniform and sportswear retailer supplying over 250 schools. After acquiring Barretts in Bournemouth in Oct 2012 Stevensons operates the existing Barretts shop in Southbourne with all the same staff, providing the traditional service our customers have come to expect. We have also introduced an online shopping facility for the convenience of parents.

You can now shop online at http://www.stevensons.co.uk/School/BournemouthSchoolforGirls,Bournemouth/Browse
Register first (top right of page) and you will be able to then login and see uniform & sportswear prices.

Their standard service is despatch within 24 hours for in stock items and they are offering free delivery on all orders until 17th March.

Christmas at BSG

It was lovely to see so many parents and friends at our Carol Service, held again this year at St. Francis of Assisi Church. A selection of readings and musical items from our choirs and instrumental groups provided a memorable start to the Christmas season.

It was good to welcome older friends of the school to our annual tea party organised by members of the sixth form. They then joined our year 7-9 pupils for their carol service. We were pleased, too, to welcome Mr and Mrs Begley of the Salvation Army at Boscombe. The senior team also organised a collection of soup tins for the Salvation Army. Over 500 tins were donated.

Founders’ day celebrations

Founders’ Day was again an opportunity to celebrate and share in the successes of so many of our pupils in academic work and the wider life of the school. This year the prizes and certificates were awarded by the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Bournemouth and Lucy Macgregor, former pupil of the school who competed in the Olympics at Weymouth this summer. We also saw the presentation of certificates to the pupils who have completed the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at school. Congratulations to all girls who participated in any way to make this such a memorable occasion.

Film making success

Ellie Cook (Year 13) has been shortlisted for a national competition organised by ITV. ‘Nativity Factor’ asks for short films of the nativity story to be made and uploaded onto www.nativityfactor.com, where all entries are then subject to a public vote. The most popular entries make a shortlist for a panel of judges to decide upon a winner, to be announced on 17th December. Prizes include £5000, and a tour of the ITV studios. Ellie’s film, Playmobil nativity, is a ‘stop motion’ film accompanied by music written and performed by two other BSG students, Lily and Violet Adams. Ellie has made a number of films, including some philosophical ones as part of her studies in A level Religious Studies, which have been very well received by her class, and she is planning to study film making and production at degree level.

From the sixth form office

The sixth form staff and tutors are just emerging from the deluge of UCAS (university) application forms that have been handed in during November and December. To date we have processed 113 applications for degrees in everything from Architecture to Zoology. It is an exciting time for the students, many of whom quickly receive offers from university. We are especially delighted that seven girls have this year received offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Amnesty support

The Amnesty Group has organized one of our most successful Christmas events ever, raising £165.09! Many thanks to Lottie, Nawshin, Tash, Olivia, Emily and Liz who masterminded the event. We are now in the process of sending a cheque for £300 to Amnesty for their appeal for Syria.

Year 12 AS Art Visit to Cornwall

Art students recently travelled to Penzance & St Ives and had the chance to experience a vast changing landscape. It was an artist’s paradise. They all had experience of working in the great Cornish outdoors, constantly battling with the elements. They also visited a variety of galleries and museums and were exposed to a range of unusual but thought provoking artwork. Throughout the trip girls collaborated as a group to produce developments and experiments which pushed their creative boundaries and together they stepped out of their comfort zones to produce more sophisticated work. A jam-packed and rewarding trip!

Parents and Pupils put to the test

We have been running evening classes for the Microsoft Office Specialist course this term, allowing adults to share in the successes achieved by BSG students in the past year.
Parents who have passed modules this term said:
“A great opportunity to learn some new computer skills and keep them up to date...”
“As someone who is largely self-taught ... I am very much enjoying the course... it is computer-based training but supported by our own tutor when needed. … It is very satisfying to receive formal recognition in the form of a certificate for each module.”
“Support and encouragement from both the tutor and other group members helps ...”
Microsoft Office Specialist is a recognised adult qualification with modules in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Access – take at your own pace, in the order you choose. The course is very flexible and you are welcome to join us in the New Year - please email Steve Gerry on sgerry@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk

Rossetti show support for injured veterans

Last year Rossetti house supported the DMRC Headley Court charity. Headley is a military rehabilitation centre which aims to rehabilitate and support injured soldiers. The most common injuries are single or double amputations and abdominal injuries, thus the patients require 24hr medical supervision and support. Because Headley is not well known, the money it receives in comparison to other charities is minimal. Sixth former Kayleigh went to Headley Court to present our cheque for £625 which has gone towards the Patient Welfare Fund, helping improve the quality of life of the residents living there.

Top Sunday Times school for second year running

According to the latest Sunday Times 2012 Parentpower survey, Bournemouth School for Girls is for the second year running, top performing state school in Dorset and Hampshire. Based on both A level and GCSE results achieved in the summer BSG is ranked 95th in the country. Parkstone Grammar School is the only other local state school to make it in to the top 100, reaching 98th. Alistair Brien, Headteacher at BSG said: ‘It’s great to have this further accolade following on from our Outstanding OFSTED inspection visit in October.’

Sixth formers go to Parliament

Sixth form politics students had the chance to look around the Houses of Parliament and meet with our MP Tobias Ellwood on a recent visit to London. A surprise encounter with Ed Milliband , leader of the opposition, helped make for a highly informative and interesting visit!

Sixth form applications 2013

It was great to see so many prospective sixth form students at our recent open evening when there was the chance to hear about the fantastic offer we have in the sixth form together with the opportunity to find out more about the subjects available. If you missed the evening don’t worry! We will be visiting local schools in the coming weeks to talk to you and also inviting you to come to a taster morning at our school to meet students and try out a typical sixth form lesson. Ask your careers staff or head of year to find out if we are coming to your school soon.

You can see our sixth form prospectus online. Application forms are available to download from our sixth form website or by phoning the school. You should return your application form after you have done your mock exams, no later than 31st January 2013. This is so that we can invite you in to look around, talk to sixth formers and for us to discuss your subject choices with you.

In the meantime if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us either by phone on 01202 526289 or by email to office@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk.

Top Marks for BSG

Bournemouth School for Girls has won the highest praise from OFSTED inspectors following their recent visit. Inspectors working under a new much tougher inspection framework rated the school ‘outstanding’ in all four categories in which judgments are made leading to an overall verdict of ‘outstanding’.

For a school to be judged ‘outstanding ‘ teaching must now be of this standard. Inspectors commented that they had never seen so many ‘outstanding’ lessons on a school inspection visit.

Inspectors noted ‘Students are motivated, inspired and enthused by an outstanding quality of teaching.’

‘The students’ behaviour is nothing short of exemplary. They are considerate, courteous and polite and, as a result, the school is calm and welcoming.’

The ‘outstanding’ sixth form is described as being characterised by high achievement, high recruitment and retention and by a set of highly articulate and determined young women.’

‘Sixth form students, for example , act as tremendous mentors and role models for younger students.’

‘Students are proud of their school and its work. They cherish the many and varied opportunities they have to take responsibility.

‘Students commented that the school is happy and harmonious. A positive atmosphere permeates the school.’

Inspectors also comment on the ‘clear and visionary leadership from the headteacher’ and that ‘there is an unstinting pursuit for excellence led by the headteacher and the governing body and supported by all staff.’ Parents also agreed that the school is ‘led and managed extraordinarily well.’

Alistair Brien, Headteacher since 2004, commented on the report:

‘I am delighted that Inspectors have confirmed what I already knew – BSG is a very special place to be and I am delighted that inspectors were able to get a sense of this during their time with us. My sincere thanks go to staff, pupils, governors and parents who contributed to such a glowing report.’

To view the BSG 2012 OFSTED report please click here

You will need Adobe Acrobat to view the files. (To obtain Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader please click here.)

Top sailing success

It has been a busy summer for BSG sixth form student and RYA Volvo National Youth Squad sailor Kirstie Urwin, who together with her crew mate Annabel Vose, was crowned Ladies 420 Junior European Champion in Italy. The team also claimed a bronze medal at the 2012 Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships in July. She then topped these tremendous achievments by becoming the British Open National Champion .

Kirsty has only been sailing with Annabel for 12 months and can’t quite believe the journey she has been on since their partnership began: “It is amazing! I have never raced at a 420 Junior Europeans, and before the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships I had never done a Worlds, so it is a completely new experience. I have loved sailing here."

Latest BSG acting success

Fans of the latest ITV series The Bletchley Circle will have spotted ex - BSG pupil actress Sophie Rundle as Lucy, one of the amateur sleuths in this thriller set in the 1950s. Sophie left BSG in 2006 and went on to study at RADA. Previous roles have included Great Expectations and the mini-series Titanic.

German exchange

It was good to welcome 30 girls from our partner school St Angela Schule in Koenigstein, Germany last week. The partnership has been in existence for many years and we are delighted to have been able to reinstigate our exchange between the two schools. As well as going to lessons and experience life in an English family the girls were able to visit Salisbury and London . We look forward to taking our own group of year 11 students in October to Germany.

Activities fair

Girls crowded the hall recently to find out the wide range of clubs and activities available to them at lunchtimes and after school at our annual Activities Fair. With over 50 activities there is something for everyone. As well as regular firm favourites such as sports teams, music groups, drama club , science club, Amnesty International and creative writing club there are some new activities this year including manga club, animation club and even belly dancing! For a full programme of activities click here.

Open Evening

It was good to see so many parents and prospective pupils at our recent open evening. As well as a chance to find out more about the new admissions arrangements, there was the opportunity to look around the school accompanied by pupils keen to share their experiences and to get a taster of the rich and varied curriculum on offer at BSG.

GCSE results

This has been another fantastic year for us.
We are absolutely delighted by the results achieved by the girls which buck all national trends. Well over two thirds of girls passed at least 5 exams at grades A or A* with a quarter of all exams passed at A* - an increase of 3% on last year.
Congratulations to all our girls on their outstanding achievement.

A Level examination success

Congratulations to all our students who sat A levels this summer. We are proud of all our girls and their results which reflect a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication both by them and their teachers. The results achieved are amongst our very best ever with 72.18% of exams passed at A*, A or B grades and 99.28% of exams passed at A-E grades. The number of A and A* grades achieved is up on last year with 36 students gaining 3 or more A/A* grades at A level. All four students holding offers at Oxford or Cambridge secured their places as did all six girls wanting to study medicine. We wish all our students the very best as they move on to the next stage of their lives.

Year 12 students also achieved outstanding AS results. In all, 44 students obtained 3 or more A grades at AS level, with one third of all entries being awarded the top grade. Ten students distinguished themselves by achieving A grades in five or even six subjects (the study of four subjects being the national bench mark). Overall the A/B grade pass rate at AS level rose from 48% to 56%, bucking all national trends. Again warmest congratulations to all our year 12 students on their great achievement!

BSG Olympic Honour

Ten girls from BSG had the honour of bringing the Olympic torch in to Bournemouth as part of the national Torch Relay. We were one of only ten schools nationally to be chosen for this honour by LloydsTSB after taking part in National School Sport Week 2011. The girls were chosen not only because of their own personal sporting achievement at county, regional, national and even international levels but also for their contribution to sport in the wider community. The girls brought the torch along Boundary Road to the cheers of hundreds of well wishers lining the route. To see a short film about this fantastic event in the life of the school click here.

PSA Pedal Power

Following a request by the school council for extra cycle storage to encourage girls to pedal to school , the Parent School Association was pleased to fund the construction of an additional cycle shelter. This week saw the grand opening with Dr Bobbie King, Chair of the PSA, and Gemma Lawrence, chair of the school council, cutting the ribbon! The PSA, with its large and dedicated committee, raises around £20000 a year for the benefit of the pupils through its various events, including the annual craft fair, quiz nights and a sell-out trip to Thorpe Park.

Geographers Olympics bound!

In February, Year 12 AS Geographers enjoyed a three-day trip to London. Staying right by City Airport in the heart of the old docklands area, we visited Canary Wharf and Millwall to look at the varying effects of regeneration. We also visited Stratford to see the Olympic Park and, for purely geographical reasons, spent time exploring Westfield, Stratford City, Europe’s largest shopping mall. Hopping on and off the Light Docklands Railway and the Jubilee line, we also visited Covent Garden and the 02 Arena as part of an exhausting but rewarding trip. We were grateful to Bob Digby, Edexcel chief examiner and soon to be President of the Geographical Association, for leading our field work.

Give us a clue!

A-level English Language students had their first chance for two years to attend an excellent conference organised by the English and Media Centre in London on March 6th. The renowned (and very entertaining) linguist Professor David Crystal was the featured speaker, and our students were also fascinated by a talk on Forensic Linguistics given by Dr Tim Grant.

Girls go quackers for charity!

Jessica Stalley and Ruby Gore continue their fantastic fund raising for local charity, Home-Start.
Their efforts selling tickets for the Duck Race to BSG students and staff helped to raise over £1000 for this family support charity!

Badminton Success

Congratulations to Rebekah Blinman, Sophie Males, Sophie Sawyer and Annabel Culling, our badminton team who came 4th in the national finals of the Schools Badminton Championships held at Nottingham.

Mr Brien

Duke of Edinburgh's Award competition winner

Shannon Newton has been announced as one of the winners of a recent Duke of Edinburgh’s Award competition that was run in conjunction with Cotswold Outdoors. Shannon is seen here being presented with £100 of vouchers, together with staff from Cotswold Outdoors and her leaders Mrs Bryant and Miss Yendole.

BSG again amongst top state schools nationally

Government league tables just published highlight the outstanding results achieved by girls at both GCSE and A level last year. GCSE results placed us 45th nationally in a ranking of all state schools. In another listing combining state and independent school performance, we were ranked 54th, beating Eton!

‘We are delighted at this great news. Even within the context of being a grammar school, to be ranked 45th nationally is a tremendous achievement of which pupils, staff and parents can be very proud. And yet even league tables cannot fully tell the story of the top class educational opportunities we have to offer to girls, both at GCSE and in the sixth form.’

Entente cordiale

We recently welcomed a group of 29 year 9 and 10 French students from College Jean Zay , Niort to stay with their English penfriends. The exchange partnership was set up last April and since then a group of students have been corresponding by letter and e-mail. Both sets of students were excited but also nervous at meeting face to face for the first time, but once they had had a chance to catch up on some sleep they have been taking every opportunity to practise their English as well as visit some of the tourist sites in the surrounding area. Their first trip was to Charmouth where they studied the Jurassic Coastline and hunted for fossils. They have also been to London and Beaulieu. Having the opportunity to stay with a host family is a fantastic way to learn and improve your skills in another language.

“ I think that both sets of students have realised that you just have to have a go if you are going to get better at speaking a different language.” Said Madame Gaudin, the French teacher responsible for the French side of the exchange.

OFSTED Visit

We were pleased to receive a visit from OFSTED this term to inspect our RE provision as part of a national survey of the subject. You can read the full report by visiting www.ofsted.gov.uk .

Here are just some of the key findings though:

• The quality of the curriculum in RE is outstanding.
• Throughout the school, standards are well above national averages and at Key Stages 3 and 4 achievement is outstanding, as seen in the high proportion of A* and A grades at GCSE.
• Teachers give very high quality feedback to students and identify general misconceptions for clarification with the whole class. Students take an active part in their and each other's assessment and target setting, and they are very clear about what they have to do to improve.
• The department provides a good range of enrichment opportunities, including visits to places of worship and talks by visiting speakers.

Congratulations to Ashleigh Stock who has been selected to play for the U17 England team in the Netball Europe competition in 2012.

Founders’ Day celebrations

Pupils past and present joined together on Tuesday to celebrate the annual Founders’ Day celebrations of Bournemouth School for Girls. This year there has been much to celebrate with record examination results at both GCSE and A level. BSG was the only local school to appear in the national Sunday Times Top 100 Schools list for A level results. As well as the presentation of certificates by the Mayor and Mayoress of Bournemouth, pupils also listened to former pupil Dr Tamsin Radford share her memories of school life. Tamsin is now a consultant working in the West Midlands as a consultant in occupational health. She urged pupils to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them, a point echoed by Headteacher Alistair Brien. In his speech he said, ‘ There is no doubt that BSG provides the best possible teaching and chances of success for girls as they plan for higher education and the world of work beyond.’

Operation Christmas  Child

A big THANK YOU to all girls who provided or contributed to a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. At last count there were a staggering 563 shoeboxes filled with gifts which will go to children who would otherwise not receive any Christmas presents this year.

BSG in Top Times  table

BSG  has  hit  the  national  and  local  press again  for the excellence of  our  exam results  achieved  this  summer.

According  to The  Sunday  Times Annual  Parent Power  Survey  of Top  Schools   BSG was ranked  85th  nationally in  their list of  top  performing  state  schools.  It  was  also  rated the top  performing  school   across  Poole  and  Bournemouth  and   the  only  state school locally to  hit  the  top  100 for  A level  success.

Homestart  help!

Students from Bournemouth School for Girls joined in the fun, raising much needed money for Home-Start South East Dorset.

Teaming together with GAP at Castlepoint on Saturday 29th October for an event to raise awareness for this family support charity.

Every year Home-Start South East Dorset helps families in their local community by offering support and friendship to parents through home visiting, family groups and social events.

To find out more please visit www.homestartsoutheastdorset.org.uk

Striding forward!

Twenty four year 11 pupils recently braved heavy downpours to complete the expedition section of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award. They walked twenty miles over a wet weekend, camping out overnight on the Isle of Purbeck. Over fifty girls are currently involved in the Award scheme at Bronze level and many sixth formers have also started their Gold award.

Get involved!

Pupils were recently able to find out what extra- curricular activities are on offer at our Activities Fair. We have over fifty clubs and activities taking place at lunchtimes and after school, many of them run by sixth form students.

Olympics ahoy!

Congratulations to former pupil Lucy Macgregor on being selected for the GB sailing team at next year's Olympics. Together with team mates sister Kate and Annie Lush, Lucy will compete in the Elliott 6m Women's Match Racing event. We wish them all the very best!

Older news can be found here.