BSW Blog – 27 January 2022

Dear Parents and Carers,

Just under two years ago the Bohunt Education Trust ran its first ever BET Awards to recognise the achievements of staff who work across our family of schools.  There were a range of categories spanning individual recognition, departments or teams through to identifying one whole school for its contribution across the organisation. 

This final award was called the ‘Green Chicken Award’ based on some scientific research that looked at two different groups of chickens, how they behaved and the impact it had on their egg production.  ‘Green Chickens’ lived together in relative harmony without aggressive competition and an acceptance of all  individuals.  The other group were called ‘Red Chickens’ and again lived together but they were much more aggressive and competitive with some real star egg producers but always at the expense of the health, wellbeing and even lives of others in the group.  The overall production of eggs by the green chickens easily outstripped those by the red and they were fitter, happier and healthier to boot. 

We were awarded the Green Chicken Award and have very much over the past two years taken those positive behaviours as a mantra, both in school and across the Trust, to inform our decision making, ethos and culture and offers of help or support that has been given or received.  It makes for a very useful analogy of the sum of the whole being greater than the parts.  As the contents below and that seen in the recent edition of BETTER TIMES, we continue to work hard across all aspects of the school and Trust to provide positive, enhancing experiences and opportunities for all. 

I promised I would keep you informed about the Headship recruitment process and since January we have had a number of visits by prospective applicants. These have been spread throughout the days and times of the week and every time the school presents really well as a purposeful and happy learning environment.  Applications closed yesterday and next week we are holding the headship interviews which  will involve staff, governors, students and members of the Trust contributing through a range of panels, activities, lessons and assemblies.  We would expect to share the outcome with you in the coming weeks.

Finally, our Covid rates remain low and I would like to thank you for the sensible and pragmatic approach we are collectively taking as restrictions ease.  There are still spikes in local secondary schools and therefore we continue to gradually change our expectations.  This week mask wearing has been voluntary in classrooms only and like a number of other national organisations, and in line with the guidance, we continue to wear masks when mixing outside our normal groups which means in public areas of the school.

Best wishes

Mr Whitehead

Enjoy

Wednesday 26th January was ERA day, with all students off-timetable for a day of new activities and experiences. Year 7 students investigated the five main areas of environmental concern as part of their overview of the Earthshot Prize. In small groups they became experts on topics ranging from cleaning our air to reviving our oceans, presenting their findings back to their peers at the end of the day.

Year 8 looked at careers, subject choices and life skills. This tied in nicely with their upcoming GCSE subject choices and gave them an opportunity to think about where school might take them in the future. With sessions presented by both BSW staff and guest speakers, pupils explored a range of topics from careers advice to financial skills.

Year 9 pupils focused on healthy lifestyles, looking at ways to manage stress and relationships well as understanding the risks associated with gambling and substance misuse. Students also had the chance to learn some practical First Aid skills and take part in group yoga sessions!

Year 10 completed ‘Shakespeare in a Day’, a series of Bard-based workshops and sessions designed to help them with their GCSE English Literature unit while also allowing them to explore Shakespeare’s works in more detail. Students gathered to watch a brilliant performance of Macbeth by Quantum Theatre, a touring production company.

The next few months will fly by and before you know it, it will be time to say goodbye to our wonderful Year 11 students. As is custom in many schools across the UK, we’d like to mark this with Bohunt School Worthing Prom! This will be an amazing opportunity for students to mark the conclusion of their exams and celebrate their hard work alongside their peers and teachers. The BSW Prom is due to take place on Wednesday 29th June at Long Furlong Barn, Worthing. To incentivise our students during this ‘last push’ and keep them motivated to do their very best we are reintroducing our Prom Passports. All students will need to earn at least 85 points on their BSW Prom Passport and can earn these points through good attendance, punctuality, participation in lessons, conduct and attendance to after school revision sessions. The Prom Passport was launched to students in a special assembly on Friday 15th January and all students have received their passports in tutor time.

Respect

Thursday 27th January marks Holocaust Memorial Day around the globe, with this year’s theme being ‘One Day.’ At BSW we are encouraging students to think about what we could do to help create a world in which one day there is no genocide, hatred or persecution. After an assembly delivered by Mr Withington and Ms Palmer, students were asked to make a commitment or pledge to do one thing to help create a more tolerant and accepting community, either in school or the wider world. The best entries will be placed into a time capsule and buried on the school site.

Achieve

We’re very excited to announce the launch of the first ever BET Cup competition! With 5 sports and 8 schools, the Cup brings together the finest sporting talent across the Trust across a series of thrilling games and matches. Badminton, Football, Netball, Athletics and Rounders will all be played with students from Horsham, Liphook, Worthing, SGS, TPS, Wokingham, Priory and Costello taking part. The cup kicked of Wednesday 26th January with Year 8 Badminton. We will bring you a full list of scores from all games very soon!

January has also seen a range of sporting fixtures featuring BSW students. Below is a roundup of results from the BSW PE department.

Monday 10th Y7 basketball vs Angmering (won 18-10)
Tuesday 11th Y9 boys basketball vs Steyning (won 25-16)Y7 girls football vs St. Andrews (lost 4-3)
Wednesday 12th Y10 boys basketball vs Steyning (won 68 – 62)
Thursday 13th Y8 boys basketball vs Worthing High (won 32-30)
Monday 17th Y7 basketball vs Worthing High (lost 18-14)
Tuesday 18th Y9 boys basketball vs Worthing High (won 47-32)Y7 girls football vs SRWA (won – 3-0. Game conceded as SRWA couldn’t raise a team)
Wednesday 19th Y8 Indoor Athletics Tournament – Boys 4th, Girls 9th out of 10 schools.
Thursday 20th Y8 boys basketball vs Shoreham Academy (won 48-23)

Recruitment opportunities with our school and Bohunt Education Trust

There are a number of roles being advertised across the trust – you can view all our vacancies, including a new role to join our office team, on our website under vacancies, and the Trust roles on their website.

Key Dates