Dear Parents and Carers,
A very warm welcome to our latest Bohunt School Worthing Blog for May 2022. Firstly can I formally say hello to all our readers, stakeholders and community. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has welcomed me into the school over the last five weeks as the new Headteacher. From Students, staff, parents\carers and Governors I have been made to feel extremely welcome and look forward to continuing to support the school and the community we serve by being the local school of choice for all. A school, as part of a successful Trust, is recognised for both its high standards of academic excellence and its care, nurture and opportunities that all students receive.
Learning should be at the heart of every school. It is, after all, the core thing we do here. Inspiring our young people via the use of innovative technologies in the classroom (Bohunt – iPad scheme) is a part of our learning culture here at BSW. We are proud to be a part of the Bohunt Education Trust, who pioneer and lead this unique digital learning approach.
We have been reigniting the learning in all our classrooms with our learners this term. Returning to classroom ‘norms’, post pandemic, allowing all our young people to access the vibrant and dynamic learning that comes from discussion, group interactions and environments that are not constricted by the expectations of social distancing.
At BSW, we believe there are no shortcuts to success, and our students would not make the progress they do without this relentless focus and pursuit of excellence.
Although some aspects of the school may have changed recently, including the appointment of myself as new Headteacher. I intend to continue to build on our already successful partnership between parents\carers, students and teachers that puts learning first. We will help our young people to value education by activating them as owners of their individual learning, and leaders of their own pathways to become ‘game-changers’, within their local community and beyond.
Best wishes
Paul Collin
Enjoy
The eagerly anticipated production of Matilda debuted on Tuesday 10th May to an audience from local primary schools and young people from the Superstar Arts programme in Worthing. Followed by two sold-out performances on the Wednesday and Thursday evenings, this absolutely fantastic show was the culmination of months of hard work by our dedicated students and staff. All those who saw the production agreed that every element, from the performances to backstage and front of house, was superb. A special mention must go to Miss Farr, Miss Stachini and Ms Streeter-Staniford for their role in overseeing the production. Having not been able to put on a show for a few years due to Covid, they put together a wonderfully entertaining version of Matilda which we know students, staff and parents will be talking about for years to come!
It’s our pleasure to share a lovely email that was sent to us from the parents of Anna Emmerson (8KLT) who played Matilda.
We would like to thank you all for your time and trust in Anna. From the moment we received the audition result, our house filled with Matilda music and dancing. We loved it all. No words will do the two evening shows justice. We were transported by everyone’s talent and professionalism. We will never forget ‘Matilda’ at Bohunt.
The last couple of years have seen unavoidable changes to the way learning takes place in our classrooms. From bubbles to masks and gallons of hand sanitiser, students have been remarkable in how they have adapted to these changes. We’re really pleased to be at a stage where we can reintroduce some of the ways in which students get the most enjoyment from their learning. Throughout BSW recently we have seen some great examples of active and collaborative learning and it’s great to see so many smiling students!
How many French words can you translate in 60 seconds? The results of BSW’s French Spelling Bee are in! Well done to Noah 7SKF [1st], Nathan 7SSM [2nd] and Brook 7SKF [3rd] our winning finalists from Year7. Bon travail!
We’re pleased to host an eclectic array of extra-curricular clubs and activities at BSW. Take a walk around the building after school most days and you will see and hear all kinds of amazing things going on. Students at Ms Spicer’s weekly Lego Club can be seen busily assembling their builds in the atrium, while over in the LRC you might spot a heated game between members of the Chess Club!
Respect
A fantastic morning was had by a group of our Student Leaders when the Worthing Mayor, Lionel Harman visited them in school to thank them for the money they had raised for a selection of his local charities as part of the Worthing Mayor’s Fundraiser BSW raised the highest total of any West Sussex school for the Mayor’s fundraiser and Lionel had this to say:
“It was a pleasure to visit the students and discuss the projects they have been working on. It has been a difficult time for all small charities in the town and the money the students raised will go a long way in supporting my charities’ goals. I am grateful for their effort and was delighted to give them a certificate of thanks from the Mayoral Office.”
On Thursday 26th May a group of Year 8 AMA (Academically More Able) History students as well the school’s History Leaders took part in a guided tour around Broadwater Cemetery. Led by Sarah Nathaniel from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the walking tour told the incredible stories behind some of the local Worthing residents who lost their lives during the two world wars. Students also learned about the amazing work that the CWWGC does in over 160 countries around the world.
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 May), Miss Latham’s Art Club members created some wonderful posters to raise awareness and give a kind message of support. The posters were beautifully designed and drawn.
We’re pleased to announce the arrival of a new textile bin in the front car park of the school. This is an Eco-friendly way of raising funds at no extra cost. The textiles/items collected are sent to poorer communities across Eastern Europe and Africa. Garments that cannot be used are recycled into insulation materials and industrial cleaning wipes, so nothing ends up in landfill. We are pleased to be raising extra funds for our school through textile recycling, whilst being part of something really positive for the environment and reinforcing the importance of recycling. You can donate to the bin between 7am and 8am and 4pm and 9pm – Monday to Friday. Thank you!
On Wednesday 25th May we hosted our second Dare to Dream day for Year 9 students. This is the employer initiative we are running in partnership with Southern Water, Jack the Lad from local FM radio, and the Love Local Jobs Foundation. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to think about their future, develop confidence, understand the qualities that will help them to be successful in the workplace, and to gain insights into the world of work. Jack the Lad gave another inspiring and entertaining talk to our Year 9s and ran a series of smaller workshop lessons afterwards in the LRC. We look forward to welcoming Jack and the representatives from Southern Water again soon!
Achieve
A huge well done to our Year 11 students who are currently sitting their final GCSE exams. During these tough few weeks the students are demonstrating remarkable focus and commitment as well as resilience in meeting the challenges of exam time. Many of our students have been taking advantage of the Booster sessions in the LRC and Main Hall which take place for all subjects in the 25 minutes before the exam starts and give pupils a final ‘boost’ before they sit the papers.
On Friday 19th May a small group of students were timetabled to sit 4 exams in one day! The students remained in school until 6pm! We would like to give a huge thanks to Brio Italian Restaurant in Worthing who kindly provided free pizza for these students as a ‘pick me up’ to help them through! Such a nice gesture and one that was very much appreciated by the students.
We would also like to thank Waitrose Worthing for providing a fresh fruit breakfast for our Year 11 students on Wednesday 16th May. This gave a much-appreciated, healthy brain boost to our students before an intense morning exam.
Our students have come up with some novel ways to get the information into their brain! This revision hat by Annie Gallagher (11EMF) will hopefully have helped transmit the knowledge into her head for the Business Studies exam!
We know that so many of our Year 11s are looking forward to the end of the exam period and a wonderful, long summer ahead. We’re also very excited to see them back at the BSW Year 11 Prom on June 29th at Long Furlong Barn from 6.30pm. This will be chance for students to unwind, dress up and say their farewells in a brilliant setting, with plentiful food and cheer.
Our friends at the brilliant charity St Barnabas House can provide prom dresses at amazing value, with proceeds going to their hospice, providing palliative care.
Two groups of lovely students in Year 9 Business studies have successfully pitched to the National Tycoon competition and have received an investment to launch their own enterprise. The competition is supported by the Peter Jones foundation which aims to inspire students around the country to take the risks involved in launching their own business. The first team to successfully pitch was Breathe, which is made up of Imogen Swain, Alanah Casey, Darcy McCaffrey and Lily-May Fiest. The team is selling mindfulness boxes containing candles, bath bombs, stress toys, face masks and bubble bath. These boxes can be purchased by students during lunch time once we return after half term. The second team is Candy Cone which is made up of Malavika Yatheendra Mohan, Lillie Calder, Charlie Neville and Dylan Howle. They are running a competition to guess how many sweets are held in a large fish tank and will also be selling their own gift bags of sweets outside of school. If either team is successful, they will get to keep their profits and attend a prestigious awards ceremony in London. We wish our Bohunt Tycoons all the best of luck!
We have some great sporting news to report, with a series of fixtures having taken place over the last few weeks.
Tuesday 10th May
Wednesday 11th
Monday 16th
Tuesday 17th
Wednesday 18th
Thursday 19th
44 BSW students took part in the West Sussex South District Athletics Tournament which included some stand-out performances
Junior Boys (Y8/9) – 6th overall out of 13 schools
Inter Boys (Y10) – 5th overall out of 13 schools
Reuben Walden (Y8) was selected to represent West Sussex South at the County Athletics meet at the K2 in Crawley. He will be competing in Triple Jump and a year over for his age group.
School Office messages
Please note we have two inset days coming up after half term. Thank you.
| Monday 30 May to Friday 3 June | May Half term |
| Start of summer term 2 | Monday 6th June |
| w/c 6 June | GCSE’s exams continue (to 23 June) |
| Wednesday 15 June | Dare to Dream part 3 for Y9 students |
| Thursday 16 June | BSW Inset Day – school closed to students |
| Monday 20 June to Friday 24 June | ERA week for all students |
| Wednesday 29 June | BET Inset Day – school closed to students |
| Wednesday 29 June | Y11 Prom |
| Wednesday 6 July | Transition Day for Y6 students joining in September |
| Wednesday 13 July | Teenage Booster vaccine for Y9 (postponed from 25 April) |
| Thursday 21 July | Last day of summer term – nb. early closure |
