News
Talented musicians remember Catrine
By Gareth Jones, Community Correspondent - Cheddar Valley Gazette, 31 January 2008
Talented young musicians from five schools across the country arrived in Winscombe, on Saturday 26 January, to take part in the fifth Catrine Basil Music Awards. A group performs below.
The awards were set up in 2004 by Malin Basil in rememberance of her daughter, Catrine, who died in a tragic accident while on holiday five years ago. Catrine was a gifted musician and a former student of Sidcot School and the awards recognise and support the achievements of those who share her love of music.
Students competed in a variety of musical categories including woodwind, brass, piano, original composition, voice and digital composition, in front of a packed audience. There were many fine performances which reflected the preparation and dedication of the competitors and which left the judges with a very formidable task.
The Catrine Basil Music Awards Evening supports the charity War Child, which works with children affected by war, and the 2008 Awards supports War Child's Iraq Appeal.
Winners and judges at the Catrine Basil Music Awards pictured below.
Superb cast deliver a fine Romeo
By Gareth Jones, Community Correspondent - Cheddar Valley Gazette, 10 January 2008
I don't know if this is statistically true, but I think there's a fair chance that Romeo and Juliet is the most studied play by school pupils. It's certainly one of Shakespeare's best-known stories, and the production of the play by pupils at Sidcot School was excellent. The cast as a whole were very strong, above and beyond what I'd expected.
Jack Hopper and Jessica Brett carried the proceedings along nicely in their respective roles of Romeo and Juliet (pictured right).
The highlight of the piece was the powerful scene in which Mercutio (Ben Gray) is killed by Tybalt (Richard Marshall), and Tybalt subsequently falls at the hand of Romeo.
The tension ratcheted up at this point until you almost felt dragged onto the stage alongside the cast, and it was a real testimony to how good the young actors were.
My lasting thought as I left was that the production team should be extremely proud of the superb cast.
Young crime-busters in arresting form
By Gareth Jones, Community Correspondent - Cheddar Valley Gazette, 10 January 2008
Burglars in the Cheddar Valley should beware that more than 20 young crime-busters are helping to keep the peace.
Avon and Somerset Police recently visited Sidcot Junior School and staged a mock break-in when some computer equipment was alleged to have been stolen.
Members of the police showed how fingerprints are taken, DNA tested and other methods used in the detection of crime.
Then it was the turn of the pupils, who enthusiastically put into practice all they had been taught through the day and finally the person who 'committed' the break-in was discovered, arrested and taken away in a police car.
Pupils Celebrate New Performing Arts Centre
Sidcot pupils (pictured above with musical instruments) celebrate with music, the start of building work on a major new £multi-million creative and performing arts centre. Pictured from the back from left to right - Pollard's trainee surveyor Julie , Sidcot's Estates Bursar Hilary Atkin, Headmaster John Walmsley, Pollard's Project Manager Jon Hodge and Pollard Director Martin Blake.
Pupils celebrate the start of building work on a major new £multi-million development which will provide them with a centre of excellence for creative and performing arts.
The massive building project is being carried out by Somerset builders Henry W Pollard and Sons Ltd, and is expected to be completed in Autumn 2008.
The new Performing Arts Centre will include art studios for visual and conceptual arts including painting, sculpture, photography and film making. It will also provide extensive facilities for music and drama study, including a dedicated performance hall, rehearsal studios, a library and teaching rooms.
Sidcot School teaches students in all subjects through to A level and International Baccalaureate Diploma level. Commenting on the project Headmaster John Walmsley said, "Our school is justifiably proud of its long history of creativity in the arts. This new state-of-the-art centre will provide the very highest quality, 21st century facilities for our students. It will also become a major focus for Arts in the local community, with local people being able to watch and take part in a whole range of creative arts."
Pollard Director, Mark Smith said, "We are delighted to be working on this major project for Sidcot School. We have worked with them on a number of their refurbishment projects in recent years, but this will undoubtedly be a show case building. Although this is a huge development we are working closely with the school to ensure that there is minimal disruption for staff and pupils."
Digital image, pictured above, of Sidcot's new Performing and Creative Arts Centre.
The interior view, pictured right, is part of a full 'virtual' model created by an A level Art student George Pimm.
Bicentenary Celebrations
We are looking forward to celebrating the Sidcot Bicentenary 2008 with a series of special events throughout the year. The School hopes that as many of the Sidcot community, both young and not-so-young, will be able to join us. So that you can easily keep track of these, we have put together a special calendar showing all the key dates and featuring delightful images taken at the centenary celebrations back in 1908. It is, therefore, a unique slice of memorabilia as well as a useful aide-memoire that no Sidcotian should be without!
The calendars are £10 (including P&P). To receive a copy, please email Julie Patrick or telephone the school.
Springboard Future Chef Competition
On Tuesday 16 October 2007 eight Year 10 students took part in the School Heat for the Springboard Future Chef competition. This is a national cooking competition taking part in hundreds of schools across the country.
Each school has one winner who then goes to represent their school in the next heat at Taunton College in November. The final heat takes place at the prestigious Westminster College in London (which has taught Jamie Oliver no less, plus many other top class chefs).
The task at the School Heat was to make a main course for two people in one hour, at a maximum cost of £3.50. The students taking part were: Jack Diacono, Steven Fisher, Molly Freeman, Steve Heal, Rory Sparshott, Arabella Taylor, Nicky Tourigny and Ruth Tratt (pictured below).
The students all coped brilliantly under the pressure - imagine being watched for a whole hour by the judges (Niel Doig, Clive Bromhall - famous TV chef and personality, honest! - and Fiona Dowling).
Their creative talents were well and truly tested and it was a tense atmosphere as the judging took place. After much deliberation the winner was Rory Sparshott who cooked spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta shells, accompanied by an Italian style salad with roasted tomatoes (delicious and beautifully presented).
World Challenge Project in Mexico
It was over two years ago now that Sidcot students were first offered the opportunity to take part in a month long World Challenge expedition to Mexico. There were seven members of the group who survived the fundraising and team-building and made it to Mexico. And thankfully, they all made it back safely too!
The team set off on Saturday 14 July to begin their adventure, alongside another group of students from Boroughbridge High School. During their four week stay they explored Mexico City, visited ancient historic ruins in Teotihuacan and Palenque, trekked through coffee plantations and rainforest reserves, climbed a volcano (and camped in a freak hailstorm), carried out a community project in Chiapas and spent some R&R time on a small island near Cancún.
The fundraising Friday afternoons spent washing cars, the cake sales, the bag-packing, the filmathon, all made sense in Mexico. By the students own admission it wasn't all plain sailing. There were times when the heat and humidity made trekking or building the project rather difficult, occasions when tents leaked, buses broke down, or heavy rain made life unpleasant. But there were also moments of triumph, success, breathtaking scenery and hilarity that made the trip worthwhile.
The first element of the expedition was project work near to San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas. The team spent a week building a children's playground at a women's cooperative. For many students, this was the part of the trip that carries the fondest memories. They worked exceptionally hard to prepare the area and build the constructions under Tom Atkin's supervision. At times a daunting task - the tools didn't all work properly, lack of materials, heat and rain. But they did it!
The finished project! World Challenge team and local children put the build to the test.
The second element was a 5 day trek through El Triunfo - a rainforest reserve where only 200 visitors are granted access each year. Again, definite moments of frustration surfaced during this trek - thousands of flying creatures at the summit and torrential rain in the camp, with all 20 of them taking shelter under a tiny tarpaulin for two hours!
All students who took part in the expedition worked incredibly hard to get there. The experiences that they shared whilst in Mexico are still so clear in their memories and will remain for years to come. Much gratitude goes to all of Sidcot Matters readers who supported their endeavours during their fundraising mission.
Living adventurously? George Fox: eat your heart out.
Excellent GCSE results
Sidcot School students celebrate their GCSE results
Emma Tratt had a double cause for celebration (23 Aug 2007): it was not only her birthday but she also learned that she had achieved impressive GCSE results. As well as getting 16th birthday cards from fellow pupils, Emma gained seven A grades and an A*, as well as a B. She was just one of more than 50 GCSE students who helped Sidcot achieve a significant increase on its 2006 results. More than 92% obtained five or more C grades or higher - a seven per cent rise on last year. Of this year's GCSE students, 42% got eight or more A* and A grades.
'This is another very pleasing set of exam results for Sidcot after our fantastic A level results. The average grade tally per student was eight As and a B which complements our average A level tally of three A grades,' said Headmaster John Walmsley. 'We are not an academically selective school and take students with a wide range of strengths and abilities, so it's very rewarding to see all our children doing so well,' he added.
This year the GCSE results were awaited with particular keenness in the Walmsley household. The Headmaster's son James - one of four Walmsley children at Sidcot - achieved four A*s, four As and a B grade.
Two pupils, Rebecca Hodnett and Jamie Hutchinson (picture right), both got nine A* grades and one A grade, while Rory Wilson gained eight A*s and two As.
Other high achievers included Alex Hughes-Games with six A*s and four A grades; Stephen Gower, six A*, three As and one B; Kun Hee Lee and Robert Geaves, both five A*s, four As and a B; Helen Brown, four A*s and six As; Laurence Lawson, four A*s and five As; and Nichol Gourlay and James Walmsley who both gained four A*s, four As and a B grade.
Jackie Yu from Hong Kong gained seven A*, two As and a B, 'That is an incredible achievement for a student working in a second language,' said John Walmsley.
Something to celebrate: from left, Emma Tratt who was also marking her 16th birthday, Jamie Hutchinson, James Walmsley, Rob Greaves, Nick Gourlay and Emma Dingle
Best ever A level results!
Students and staff at Sidcot School in North Somerset were celebrating (16 August 2007) their best ever A level results which saw the percentage of A grades leap by almost 19%. More than 60% of grades awarded were A grades, the average tally of grades was three As and the average points per candidate was 389.4. This makes Sidcot one of the highest achieving schools in the South West. The overall pass rate climbed to 99%.
Something to celebrate: Sidcot School students, from left, Ewan Gourlay, Jenny Mills, Lizzy Anderson, George Pimm, Corin Mulliss and Tam Blaxter.
'These results are fantastic,' said John Walmsley, the Headmaster. 'We are delighted that we have achieved another increase in our students' A and B grades and in the overall pass rate. Our results are particularly significant because we are not academically selective and Sidcot students have a wide range of ability.'
There was special cause for celebration for one student who achieved five A grades. Ahmed Al-Shabab will read Engineering at Cambridge.
Six students obtained four A grades, including Sam Lee and Zhong Zhang who have both been awarded places at Oxford to study Maths.
Ewan Gourlay from Winscombe achieved three A grades, enabling him to study Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. 'I'm absolutely thrilled to have done so well,' said Ewan, who plans to become a Doctor.
The number of Sixth Form students at Sidcot continues to rise, with next term's intake almost 50% more than last year. From September, the school is also offering the International Baccalaureate alongside A level courses - one of the first schools in Somerset to provide the internationally recognised qualification.
Success in A levels for Sidcot School students above - from left, Ewan Gourlay, Jenny Mills and Corin Mulliss who all achieved three A grades.
Well known Author visits Sidcot School
Susan Cooper, author of the famous The Dark is Rising series, spent the morning at Sidcot School talking about and reading extracts from her new book Victory. Pupils had been reading the story with their class teachers, so had plenty of interesting questions to ask.
Reflecting on the day, all the children said that the event had made them want to read more books and many commented on how interesting it was to hear how she got her ideas. Susan always carries a notebook which goes everywhere with her and can spark the plots for her remarkable stories.
Gwen Davies, from Year 7 said, "She is very much like her character Molly from Victory and she got the first idea about Nelson years before she actually wrote the book".
After her talk Susan signed books adding personal dedications for children and adults.
Susan Cooper, signs copies of her latest book for a happy Jason Pallari.
Indian Music Inspires
From the left, the Indian dancer, Sumitra, Henni Ohler, Molly Freeman, Olivia Pimm, Jack Brett and Will Dalby (all suitably inspired) with Anup Biswas.
The exuberant rhythms of Indian music and dancing inspired all classes in Years 7, 8 and 9. They all took part in a workshop run by Anup Biswas in Sidcot Meeting House in May.
Mr Biswas is a well-known international cellist, conductor, composer and the founder of the Mathieson Music School in Calcutta, which is devoted to teaching music to orphans and deprived children. He also travels widely to lecture and run workshops.
Beverley King, Director of Music at Sidcot School said, 'The pupils had a great time being immersed in the music, learning to drum on the tabla, playing drones on the sitar and dancing with an Indian dancer named Sumitra . I think they felt touched by a different culture which they could experience through the music.'
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