Amery Hill School

Newsletter
Autumn term 2017

Adventures to Liddington

Amery Hill School's Year 7 thoroughly enjoyed their the zip line. They enjoyed an afternoon canoeing on the
first residential trip, held at the PGL Activity Centre in lake and successfully navigated their way through a
Liddington, Wiltshire. The weekend was a number of tricky problem-solving activities. As the evening
great opportunity for them to get to know each other, drew in, students proved they were equally adept on the
for friendships to develop and to have fun! dance floor, with some amazing dance moves on show at
the disco! More photos on page 4.
Year 7 Progress Leader, Mrs Mouland, commented,
"Residential trips are always a brilliant way to get to know
the students. They all had such a good time, with
many challenging themselves in unfamiliar situations. The
students supported and encouraged each other to work
through the activities and demonstrated some excellent
teamwork.”

Students had the chance to take part in a range of exciting

and challenging activities, including the giant swing and

Carols and Christmas cheer

for the community
Welcome...
Mrs Wylie, Headteacher Christmas cheer for all; our brass ensemble play carols
to visiting care home residents
This has been another fantastic term which this newsletter
reflects. Students and staff have contributed so much in
and out of our classrooms, all of which has enriched the
lives and learning of our whole community. This continues
to reflect our core beliefs and values, supporting the
“Education for life” ethos which pervades our wonderful
school. The range of activities is vast and it is always such
a pleasure and privilege to share these experiences with
our young people. These moments make me feel so proud
to be Headteacher at our school.

I do hope that our parents, friends and members of our

community will continue to be heavily involved in school
life. We are always keen to develop any new links, as well
as be grateful for all that we have. If you would like to be
involved in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Christmas comes early! Our new accessible minibus has just been
Do remember that there are so many opportunities for all
delivered, our thanks to all our parents who
our community to join us, from Parents’ Consultation continue to
Evenings, concerts, performances, the Headteacher’s support the school
drop-in (last Thursday of every month), coffee mornings, through regular
charity events and so much more. Staff are always donations to the
pleased to welcome you and develop our links and new School Trust Fund.
partnerships. Further details on
this to follow in
the New Year for
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interested par-
continued support and wish you all a peaceful Christmas ents.
and a good New Year.

We’re Alton’s top performing school

The publication of the Government’s secondary school’s
Performance Comparison Tables has verified that this
year’s excellent GCSE results, and most importantly the
Progress 8 Measure, is the best in the local area. We are
extremely proud of how well our students have done this
year which is the result of the hard work, commitment and
support shown by our students, staff and parents. In
particular, the Progress 8 Measure, places us as Alton’s
top performing school, for the second year running.
When Ofsted visited our school in March they commented
on how we provide all students with a “high quality and
challenging education ... regardless of their ability or
circumstances” in a “caring and stimulating culture”. The
publication of this Government data really does endorse
Ofsted’s view of our school. For more detail, visit the
school’s website.

Attendance
At Amery Hill School we pride ourselves on our excellent
pastoral care and we have a good reputation for the
support we offer to all our students, no matter what
challenges they face, both in and out of school. Good
attendance is vital if students are to achieve their full
potential and it is therefore essential that all students are
encouraged by everyone in the school community and at
home to attend. Thank you for your continued support in
this matter.
If your child is not attending school for any reason,
please advise our Attendance Officer, Mr Ware, on the
first morning of absence by telephone or e-mail with all
the details. It is appreciated at this time of the year, there
are number of cold/sickness bugs but please advise the
Attendance Officer of any absence. It is also important to
let us know of any forthcoming medical appointments. We
will require documentation for any appointments or longer
term illness e.g. copies of appointment letters.
Our Attendance Officer, Mr Ware, can be contacted on
01420 81301 or the main school number 01420 84545
or e-mail; r.ware@ameryhill.hants.sch.uk.
Our whole school attendance target is 96% and we are
currently at 95.5%.
Year 7 96.82% (G3 highest performing tutor group)
Year 8 95.95% (O2 highest performing tutor group)
Year 9 95.98% (B3 highest performing tutor group)
Year 10 94.12% (R4 highest performing tutor group)
Year 11 94.73% (Y4 highest performing tutor group)
Well done to Year 7 for having the highest attendance this
term in the school. Also see page 17 for more information
on how attendance can affect GCSE attainment.

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Resilience, team spirit and enthusiasm...
In November Year 9 and 10 students took part in an Army
Experience Day, testing their physical and mental
capabilities. Students showed fantastic team spirit to
overcome physical and team challenges and even won an
Army and Teachers vs all students tug of war competition.
3
Students participating on day two were challenged even
more by the muddy and slippery conditions which added to
the fun! Students had a great time and some were even
asking if a military style fitness club, could be introduced at
Amery. Fantastic effort and attitude by all!
...students show they
have them all in
abundance!
Green Year News
Mrs Mouland, Year 7 Progress Leader
Year 7 have made an excellent start to their time at Amery assemblies, the students learn about their 'core branches'
Hill School and have enjoyed a term full of fun learning which are the key values and attributes that they need to
opportunities while forming new friendships. They have develop in order to grow into kind, fair, independent and
shown maturity and enthusiasm as they have got to grips respectable young adults.
with their new school routine and have shown that they are
keen to learn and try new things. I know with such an Over the last couple of weeks, each tutor group have
approach to their schooling that they have a bright and braved the cold and planted their own little acorn, with the
successful future ahead of them. hope that it will develop into a great oak. We plan to
nurture and watch them grow over the next five years and
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our new then plant the saplings to represent the students’ time at
parents for their support and the kind words which they Amery Hill School.
have shared with us over the term. Starting secondary
school is a huge and exciting step for our new students
and parental support is key to ensuring a great start.
Please do get in touch if you have any queries or have any
feedback.

From little acorns...

'Great oaks from little acorns grow' is the motto for the
Year Group and our aim is for every student to grow and
develop into a mature, independent and well-rounded
young adult by the time they leave us. I often set the
students 'root challenges', which encourages them to
develop their team working skills, whilst giving each
student the opportunity to try new things. In year group

Liddington
Adventures

4
Orange Year News
Mr Board, Year 8 Progress Leader
Year 8 students have started the year with enthusiasm and
we have recently celebrated success with a number of
them who have been performing particularly well and
shown improvement across a range of subjects. Ajay
Barnes, Lauren Gadd, Lucy Moore, Charlie Hancock,
Aaron Newens, Archie Swain, Hannah Davies and Tom
Vaughan are just some of the many students that have
been working incredibly hard this year.
lessons and activities. This is a great opportunity for
students to demonstrate their skills and inspire younger
children.
Bugsy Malone
A number of students in Year 8 were part of the hugely
successful Bugsy Malone performance. A huge collective
effort went into making the show a success, including
make up and technical support, as well as the actual
performing roles themselves. It was great to see so many
Year 8 students involved and a particular mention to the
unsung heroes Ellie Slack, Leah Clements and
Cailan Landscheit who supported behind the scenes.

As we look to the end of term, many students are looking

forward to visiting the Anvil Theatre this week to watch
Peter Pan. This is a great opportunity for the year group to
unwind and relax together before the Christmas holidays.

Well done to all the Year 8

Thank you to the Year 8 tutor team who students who took part in the
delivered a morning of ‘Digital Footprint’ Interfaith Calendar
awareness as part of our Citizenship Competition. Their designs
Programme. With the ever changing nature have been incorporated into
of social media it is vital that we all keep up the calendar which is now on
to date and know how to stay safe online. sale. For more information, see
back cover.
Language Leaders
Our new language leaders have been selected with the
following students joining this successful initiative: Megan
Stratful, Alana Parma, Erin Mills, Maia Fuller, Alice Shaw, Congratulations to
Esme Doyle, Immie Ashley, Holly Rylatt- Price, Maddie Charlie Chapman, 8O6, who is
Lancaster, Sophie Dore, Eleanor Ford, Cedrick Ortega, British Open Tae Kwon-do
Lilia Szydlowska, Ajay Barnes, Hayley Ancill, Faith Vine,
Champion for his age group.
Jess Potter, Karina Barwick, Lauren Billington, Bear
Crawford, Archie Swain, Monty Austin, Leah Clements, Charlie won a silver
Charlotte Nightingale, Cailan Landshceit, Tom Vaughan, medal in sparring, against the
Will Twining and Max Duncan. The team will be working Danish National Champion and
with local primary school pupils to deliver language a Gold Medal in patterns.

Twelve Days of Charity

Year 7 students are well underway with their Twelve
Days of Charity initiative. Over December students
have been making donations to local food banks,
homeless shelters and libraries. In addition to
donations, some students will be participating in a mile
run, making a money snake and putting on a karaoke
session to raise money. As part of this, 11 charity
representatives visited the Winchester Night Shelter to
hand over our donation. The staff were very welcoming
and opened our eyes to the needs of homeless people.
The students were very mature and asked fantastic
questions. Well done Year 7 and a big ‘thank you’ to
everyone who has donated.

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Blue Year News
Mrs Winch, Year 9 Progress Leader
It’s been a very enjoyable first term working with Blue
Year! They have been working hard and maintaining
excellent scores for attitude and attainment in their latest
reports. I have also been impressed with their ‘have a go
attitude’. This was particularly displayed with the Army
event last month. The year group worked together in
teams and got involved in muddy and tough activities on a
particularly cold, winter’s day – showing their resilient and
versatile attitude.

Blue Year have also continued to show commitment to

charitable events. The year group ran a very successful
cake sale for the BBC ‘Children in Need’ Appeal and
raised £125 for the cause. Thank you to all of you who
helped to bake cakes for the sale! Our future fundraising
activities this year will be directed towards ‘The Elizabeth
Foundation’, the charity that the Year Group have chosen
to support. This is a national UK charity helping pre-school
age deaf children and babies learn to listen and talk. More
information on this will follow in the spring term.

Students have also

participated in the Batik Art
recent Alton Art
Society Competition;
our congratulations to
Freya Jones who won
3rd prize in the Year 9
-11 age group.
Wishing you all a very
restful Christmas and
New Year.

Gravestone cleaning Marking Armistice Day

For many years, students from Amery Hill School have
assisted local historian Tony Cross remember the
casualties of the two world wars who are buried in the
cemetery opposite our school. This year, volunteers from
Year 9 cleaned the distinctive Commonwealth War Grave
Commission headstones and placed a Cross of
Remembrance on each grave in advance of Armistice Day.

In doing so, they learned something of the simple design of

the headstones and the circumstances associated with the
reasons why the men were buried in Alton, rather than on
traditional battlefields. The presence of a WWI memorial
plaque on a traditional headstone and signs that another
two formerly had similar additions, gave an insight into the
grieving of local families who had no burial place for their
loved ones. Year 9 students pictured in Alton Cemetery

In addition: the presence of inscriptions on family

headstones relating to a young man who perished with the
loss of HMS Hampshire in 1916; another who died as a
prisoner of war whilst in captivity in Turkey following the
surrender of Kut the same year; and a young man who
died on D-Day, 6 June 1944, brought home the scattered
nature of the losses suffered by Alton’s families in the time
of war. Passers-by were interested in what the group were
doing and seemed impressed by their selfless actions: a
notable feature of our community-spirited students.
Wearing a Poppy is the traditional sign of remembering
those who died in the service of our country; giving one’s
time to ensure the memory of those who were lost in past
conflicts is maintained, is something more pro-active.

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Red Year News
Mr Gibson, Year 10 Progress Leader
First and foremost this term, we are really delighted with
the way Red Year students have applied themselves to the
challenge at the start of their GCSE studies. Our buzzword
in approaching that challenge has been 'MOTIVATED', a
concept encapsulating the need to be:
Motivated
Organised
Tough
Independent
Vocal and Visible
Awake!
Truthful
Enthusiastic
Determined
We have definitely seen students displaying a
real appetite for success in their courses. Thank you to
parents for all your support in helping students
get organised with their books and study time and
also your engagement with the new Show My Homework
app that has really helped students become more
independent and confident about their home learning.
Being on top of work means more time for extra-curricular
activities and the Year Group have contributed significantly
in several areas of school life this term. A highlight for me
was getting the chance to go and watch Bella, Abi and
Annaka participate in the local heat of the Rotary Club
Public Speaking competition with their incredibly eloquent
defence of 'labels'. Those same three girls, and many other
Red Year students, took lead roles in the school
production of Bugsy Malone. Many thanks and
congratulations to the R1 tutor group, who raised £120 for
the BBC ‘Children in Need’ Appeal organising a raffle for a
giant chocolate Santa (generously donated by House of
Dorchester): appropriately, the raffle winner was a Red
year student, Morgan Lehrle. Thanks too to our Peer
Mentors, who have been supporting and getting to know
the new Year 7 students, while developing their own
leadership and teamworking skills. I know lots of other Red
Year students have helped as subject leaders/prefects
around the school this term and we - and the students you
support - are very grateful for your efforts in these roles.
There has been great feedback too about the two Focus
Day events we have participated in this term. Students'
toughness and determination was severely tested on the
Army Day in November and their vocal skills were tested
when Box Clever Theatre Company came to lead an
interactive
performance
about Road Safety
in September. It
was fantastic to
see students
embracing both
t h e s e
opportunities, as
they always do.
Bella Adams as Fat Sam
in Bugsy Malone

English Department News

Mrs Pretsell, Head of English
“Youth Speaks”
It's now so official that it's been given its own trophy! The semi-final takes place on 8th February in
Students at Amery Hill are so good at talking that they Guildford. Where I have not doubt, our "mighty mouths"
have actually won awards for it... for the second year in a will again represent the school with pride.
row. Bella Adams, Anneka Herrman and Abi Tidball are Well done people!
the Emperors of Talk, according the Farnham District
Rotary Club.

These Year 10 girls participated in the "Youth Speaks"

competition, organised by the Rotary Club of Great
Britain which asks schools to compete against each other
in a formal public speaking competition. Teams of three
are to speak on a topic of their choice and adhere to the
strict rules of public speaking; our awesome three chose to
speak about "Living in a Labelled World". They had stiff
competition, as eight local schools participated in the
event, including some which have sixth forms and who
entered their Year 12 and 13 students into the fray. But
this did not daunt our eloquent three and their consistency,
passion and commitment won the day for Amery. Bella
Adams did especially well for our team, picking up the
plaudits for the most successful Chairperson of the
evening.
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 Technology Department News
Ms Murphy, Head of Technology

Christmas Cooking Club

Mrs Miller
Students in Year 7 and 8 have been developing
their cooking skills making some lovely
Christmas recipes after school on Tuesdays.
This week they made Mince Pie Parcels using
puff pastry producing great results. Over the
next few weeks we’ll be making spiced
Christmas biscuits and Christmas muffins.

Woodwork Club
Mr Daffon
We are making a variety of tea light/candle
holders using some of the old tree that was cut
down from the front of school. Students have
been able to choose either a single, double or
triple candle holder. Some students have even
bought their own bits of tree branch/trunk from
home to use.

The Freeman Library Student Hub News

Mrs Digby, SENCO

Risky Reads Spelling Club up and running

In October, the Library ran a Risky Reads competition with
a display of spooky stories with a centrepiece of a glass jar
full of eyeballs! Students from Years 7, 8 and 9 were
invited to guess the number of eyeballs in the jar with three
students winning a huge bar of chocolate to share with
their friends. Students were also invited to borrow a book
from the display and enter the book review competition;
first prize winner was Ruby Wall, G1 who won an Amazon
voucher and five runners up received a small prize.
This takes place on a Thursday morning from 8.15am to
8.35am. Selected Year 7 students have been invited to
attend; any students from other years who have previously
attended or anyone who would like to improve their
spelling are welcome to come along. This is a PC
interactive activity and the students work at their own pace.
If you have never been why not try it?

‘Book of Dust’ launched

On 19th October Philip Pullman’s new ‘Book of Dust’ was
launched and the Library took the
opportunity to re-launch Pullman’s
back catalogue, including his Northern
Lights Trilogy. Mrs Hearse created a
fantastic display, complete with origami
boat and paper waves!

Book donations
Year 7 students make their donations to the library as our readers have any good quality young adult books
part of their ‘Twelve Days of Charity’ initiative. As well as they would like to donate to the school library, we would
donating books to the school library, others will be be most grateful.
donated to some of Alton’s local charity shops. If any of

8
Yellow Year News
Mr Lewis, Year 11 Progress Leader
Christmas is almost upon us and it has been another
incredibly busy term for Yellow Year. I have been really
impressed with the positive attitude and determination from
the majority of the students as they have begun the
countdown to their GCSE’s in the summer of 2018.
We supported ‘Children In Need’ again this year, and I
must make a special shout out to Y5 and Mrs Rixon, who
were able to sell over 60 cups of hot drinks in 40 minutes.
The community spirit of our students always impresses
m e .

The students have been busy this term preparing for their I am taking the Prefect team to the Winchester Christmas
mock exams, an important experience for them and us as Market and Ice Skating this week, as a reward for their
a school to find out where there are gaps in their hard work and dedication to the school. Hopefully it won’t
knowledge and support them in building up their resilience, be too cold and the students will have an opportunity to
in preparation for the real thing. I hope the students use buy Christmas gifts or a hot
the feedback positively and, even though some may be chocolate. We were lucky
disappointed with their results, there is still time to turn this enough to secure free
around with a positive attitude and hard work. transportation to and from
this event, so a massive
Earlier this term we launched the passport to the prom, an thank you to the coach
event in June to celebrate the achievements of the year company ‘Top Marks’ for
group over the past five years and a great way to say their generosity. Have a safe
goodbye to their time at secondary school. We have asked and restful Christmas holiday
that students to maintain their attendance above 95%, and I look forward to seeing
(medical considerations will be taken into account), have you in 2018.
an impeccable behaviour record and attend revision
sessions as required. I am already looking forward to Head Girl, Flo Wall, and
seeing the imaginative ways the students will arrive on the Head Boy, Holden Williamson,
night and how elaborate some of their outfits will be. It’s represent the school at the
always a spectacle and one where memories are made. Remembrance Day Service

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Mr Cross
The new Year 10 group have been getting their Bronze provided an opportunity for each to experience the
award activities organised this term and a start has been company of the other outside of the usual confines of a
made on expedition training. This included a morning walk classroom – an enviable educational result!
in the local countryside back in October to demonstrate
how map and compass can be used to navigate a
predetermined route.

Whilst all of the participants thought they were practicing

route finding skills they also experienced the benefits of
working as a team to problem solve - what path to take,
which way is north and how to get a wheelchair and
occupant over that fallen tree blocking the path! A short
discussion relating to the Highland cattle that blocked a
footpath led to a bit of basic biological observation “Yes,
they have pretty big horns BUT they also have udders, so
they can’t be bulls” and some surprising etymology –
“impaled might be an appropriate term, when thinking of
bull/human interaction, but gored would be the subject
specific alternative”.

The autumn morning was rich with picturesque trees, crisp

leaves to kick through and enabled practice in identifying
acorns, beech mast and sweet chestnuts. One group filled
their pockets with the first of these to drop along their
route in the hope that a few might grow into oaks. A few
picked up the sweet chestnuts and they were encouraged
to roast them to enjoy a seasonal country treat.

The walk was enjoyed by participants and staff alike as it "

9
Amazing day of fundraising
Students got behind the BBC’s ‘Children in Need’ appeal
in a big way this year, helping to make a positive
difference to thousands of young lives across the
UK. They arranged a huge variety of events and activities,
fuelling a fun-packed day for their peers and staff; the
Year 9 bake sale was the biggest fundraising activity,
while the raffle, rap challenge, penalty shoot-out, for
sponsored silence, face painting and photo booth were all
10
popular activities. The staff vs student netball match
provided a thrilling climax to the day, with a spirited
student team raising their game to outclass the teachers –
the first time they have won in the history of the
competition! The total raised so far is over £1300, with
money still being donated. A massive ‘thank you’ to
everyone who supported our fundraising efforts.
 Drama Department News
Mr N Gibbs

Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone was Amery Hill School's latest whole
school drama production, which wowed audiences over
four nights in a fully booked school hall. Live music,
performed by students and led by Musical Director
Ms Worwood, complemented brilliant performances from
an enthusiastic cast, made up from students in all year
groups. Fat Sam and Dandy Dan's conflict brought many a
splurge-gun ending to a number of vibrant characters
throughout the comic and energetic show. Mr Gibbs,
Head of Drama and Production Director, commented,
"This show has been an absolute joy to direct and put
together. With such a talented and committed group of
students, the characters have really been brought to life
with some outstanding vocal and acting performances.”

The Snow Show

Forty Year 8 and 9 students
have recently enjoyed Slava’s
Snow Show at The Mayflower
in Southampton. The multi-
award winning Russian clown
show made a few giggle to at
the start with its absurd
physical comedy but as the
show progressed the wow
factor kicked in with students
in disbelief as the stunning visual effects engulfed the In stark contrast, older students have visited the Nuffield
audience in cobwebs and snow! An incredible production Theatre to see Frantic Assembly's production 'Things I
enjoyed by all. Know to be True'. This was a hugely emotional play
portraying the often complex and challenging dynamics of
family life; there wasn't a dry eye getting back on the bus!

Art and Science Club

This year science and art have joined
forces to create the imaginatively
named, Science and Art Club! The
Year 7 and 8 students have been
learning how to use microscopes and
the history of the microscope.
Students have been viewing slides
and have produced histological
drawings of the cells and tissues that
they have seen from a cross section
of a leaf.

Citizenship
The Citizenship Programme was kicked off this year with and 11. A dramatic insight into the dangers of being
meetings of the Year Councils run by our Head Boy and distracted while driving saw Year 10 think hard about their
Girl. They discussed the need for education outside the actions. Year 11 had an entertaining look at the different
curriculum and came up with ideas for focus days routes into various careers to help with their College
throughout the year; the students have thought carefully choices.
and plans are now in place to ensure that the subjects
raised can be tackled effectively. We are now looking forward to next term with an eminent
speaker, a performance for Year 9, revision strategy
We have had visits from both the Box Clever Theatre and sessions and much more.
Solomon Theatre companies to perform to Years 10
11
Green
MathsYear News
Department News
Miss
Mrs Keen,
RixonYear 11 Progress Leader
Four students from Year 10, (Alex, Josh, Ariana and Olly),
attended the Mathematical Circle at St Swithun’s School,
Winchester in October. Over two consecutive days, the
students represented Amery Hill by taking part in
demanding and stimulating mathematics sessions, led by
experienced mathematics lecturers from Oxford University,
The Mathematical Association, Winchester College and St
Swithun’s School.

With titles such as ‘Yo, Ho Ho-ratio, some Mathematics of

Trafalgar’, ‘Asteroids and Envelopes’ and ‘To Infinity and
Beyond’, they enjoyed various exciting and surprising
applications of mathematics. On the second day, a maths
battle took place, creating lots of buzz and excitement,
especially when the students found themselves competing
against a team of teachers and lecturers. They worked
really well as a team and narrowly missed beating the
‘ p r o f e s s i o n a l s ’ .

Congratulations to our students; out of the 60 students who

attended the event, three of our students finished in the top
12 after the maths battle which is an incredible
achievement given the high standard of talented
individuals competing.

T20 Cricket Challenge

Amery Hill students travelled to the Ageas Bowl for
Hampshire's T20 Blast match against Middlesex at the end
of last term. Before the match, the students had the
chance to take the obligatory selfie with members of the
Hampshire squad and to get some of the players’
autographs. Hampshire batted first and scored

Primary Maths Challenge

It was fantastic to welcome so many of our local primary
schools to the 2017 Amery Hill Primary Maths Challenge.
Congratulations to all of the visiting pupils who worked
incredibly hard and persevered with the tricky problems
and challenges that were set. This year the standard was “Thank you so much for such a wonderful opportunity for our
exceptionally high and our congratulations to the top three pupils - they came back very excited and had a wonderful
performing schools: 1st place Medstead Primary School, time.”
2nd Bramley Primary School and 3rd Selborne Primary Mrs Dawn Tilley, Headteacher
School. Chawton Primary School

“We are absolutely delighted with our third place! The

children loved the afternoon and the parents who
accompanied them were very impressed with your
organisation and the whole event (as well as hugely
impressed with our children)!

It was also lovely for the children to see three of our ex-pupils
(Maia Fuller, Esme Doyle and Alice Shaw) still enjoying and
being involved with their maths! Thank you once again for
organising it!”

Mrs Beverly Whitaker, Deputy Headteacher

Winners of this year’s Primary Maths Challenge from Medstead Selborne Primary School
Primary School
12
 Media/ICT Department News
Trip to Harry Potter Warner Bros Studios
Report by Mira Jamias & Rachel Hughes
On Friday 29th September, our GCSE Media and
Computing students ventured on the annual trip to visit the
Warner Bros Studios in London. All eight films in the Harry
Potter franchise have been carefully crafted and created
here to give us the magical universe the whole world
knows of today! Here, each of us had the chance to board
the Hogwarts Express, share tankards of butter beer and
view all the amazing props and costumes. This trip has
acted as a stimulus towards bettering our knowledge of
how the media and film industry creates what they present.

A massive gift shop followed which contained thousands of

pieces of merchandise ranging from tiny key-rings to giant
Pygmy Puffs as well as an original range of treats and
sweets.

From the bus there to the bus back, we all felt as if we had
been transported away from our normal lives to imagining
ourselves in professions we might want to pursue in the
future. Overall, this trip was an incredible experience and
has very much aided us in our Media Studies and
Computing and we recommend taking these subjects to
feel the magic yourself!

Art Department News

Miss Burrell, Head of Art

Success in Art Competition

The annual Alton Art Society Exhibition took place
in October with a number of students submitting
their pieces for the Schools Competition. Our
congratulations to our following students who were
awarded prizes by judge, Katie Riley.

Years 9-11 1st Prize Arabella Davis (Year 11)

Years 9-11 3rd Prize Freya Jones (Year 9)
Craft (individual senior) 1st prize Florence Wall (Year 11)

As well as individual prizes, Florence Wall also won the

public vote. Well done to everyone who took part.

English Department News

Mrs Rolfe, Deputy Head of English

It’s a mystery...
The scene was set: 127 14 year olds were gathered by What could be the solution to this mystery? A fire drill? A
the side of the school. But why? Why were they not in disaster? A school trip? Ah. A school trip.
their period 2 lesson?
Year 9 really enjoyed their cinematic interlude and have
There were clues though... a local cinema; an English unit been able to add what they learnt about the detective and
about the detective genre; a new Kenneth Branagh mystery genre to their essays and general knowledge.
blockbuster movie and not forgetting those 14 year olds. Blue year were a credit to Amery Hill.
What could have them so excited?

13
 PE Department News
Mrs Haynes, Head of PE
Rock Challenge
Rock Challenge rehearsals are well under way with over Competition was equally as tough in the pentathlon event.
50 students currently practising twice a week. The piece Students were fantastic and competed against their peers
will be an eclectic mix of street, contemporary and in shot put, long jump, 60/100m, 600/800m and 4x100m
classical ballet developed around the theme of the effects relay. The overall winners with 14 points were Max Neville,
of social media. I would like Dan Micklefield, Henry Christer and Scott Wilson; 2nd:
to give a special mention to Chloe Beavis, Caitlyn Pownall, Helen Slater and Mack
Em i l y B u r r , Hannah Wellfare; 3rd Tom Hill, Sophie Richards and Archie Swain.
Williams and Abigail Poole
who have taken on key
roles in assisting with the
choreography of the piece.

Students will be taking part

in fundraising events to
raise money for the
production in the next few
weeks. Tickets for the
competition which is on
19 February will also shortly be on sale direct from the O2
Guildhall in Southampton. With only 6 weeks of rehearsals
after Christmas the countdown is on!

Pentathlon Events
Twenty students battled it out in the Amery Parapentathlon Congratulations to Alice Guest, Jonathan Parr and Tom Arbury who
event at the end of last term. It was a fantastic event with were awarded the trophy for being the winning school team in the
plenty of competition and cheering. Students competed Downland Challenge Cup (5K)
against their peers in flick stick, kurling, boccia, wheelchair
slalom and a 40m wheelchair sprint.

1st place: Team Amega Games (Tom Anning Cap.,

Jack Emes, Jack Gifford-Hull, Shane Tomiczek-Daly)
2nd place: Team Paralympic Paradise (Toby Church Cap.,
Oliver Bulbeck, Arthur Burdon, James Ham)
Joint 3rd place: Team Silly Goose (Ashish Thapa Cap.,
Kyle Cane, Liam Pearce, Charlie Baker) and The Need for
Speed (Chloe Foster Cap., Chloe North, Alice Freemen,
Kaci Bennett)
4th place: Team Beige Potatoes (Beau Podbury Cap., Students visit Twickenham to watch the Varsity matches between
Ellie Chester, Reece Graham, Evangeline Leach) Cambridge and Oxford University
A huge well done to them all!

Girls’ Rugby by Hannah Swain

The U14 girls’ rugby team at school recently went to a
rugby development tournament. We took a team of 7 and
joined up with another school. They let us borrow some of
their players who were really friendly. In the morning we
played against a variety of teams doing touch or grab
tackles. However, in the afternoon we chose to move to full
contact. Everybody who went had a super time and really
enjoyed their day playing rugby. Next we hope to get more
girls along as it is a fabulous opportunity for anyone, of any
ability to come and play rugby.
Congratulations to Ellen Morrish and Emily Neil who were
selected for the U15 Girls Hampshire Rugby squad competing
against Berkshire,
Hertfordshire and Kent

14
 Music Department News
Ms Worwood, Head of Music
Students support Santa Run
After an exciting finish to the first half term with our whole
school production of Bugsy Malone, we have continued to
rehearse for our performances in December, of which
there are many! At the end of November the brass
ensemble brought some Christmas spirit to the Santa Fun
Run, an event organised by Homestart WeyWater, playing
various carols including Silent Night and Gaudette at the
finish line. The event raised £3000 for the charity and was we wish them all the best for their exams this week.
the most successful Santa Sunday to date. We look
forward to supporting the event again next year.
“We really appreciate your contribution to such a
successful and happy event. Your playing was
amazing – I heard such good comments as I walked
through the audience. It was a fantastic finale to our
event.” Ann Foulkes, Santa Fun Run Organiser
The ensemble also performed at the Alton Community
Hospital and for care home residents who visited the
school for carols, hosted by our Year 7 students who
served drinks and mince pies. Well done to all the
students for giving up their time to support the local
community.
15
Carol Service
We are delighted to have announced and started rehearsal
with our Community Choir who will debut at the Carol
Service on 18th December. This is an evening that really
welcomes the Christmas spirit with carols sung by our
student choir, community choir and the congregation. It
will be held at St Lawrence Church at 7.30pm. All
welcome!
Our choir has worked extremely hard under the direction of
Mrs Mulligan and in collaboration with Alton College we
were able to record them singing the Angel’s Carol. We
have entered the recording into a radio competition and we
hope to hear our very own Amery Hill Choir on Eagle
Radio before Christmas.
Christmas Concert
All of our ensembles performed amazingly well at the
Christmas Concert, showcasing their talent and appetite
for a range of genres: from classical to jazz and from Men
of Harlech to Santa Baby! A huge thank you to the Amery
Hill Association for supplying the refreshments and
supporting the event and to all our parents and visitors for
their continued support.
Aladdin Trip
It wouldn’t be Christmas
without a bit of panto! A large
group of excited Year 7
students went to watch
Aladdin at the Prince Edward
Theatre which was enjoyed by
all. For some of our students it
was “A Whole New World!”
Recital Evening
Our musicians and vocalists
sounded brilliant at the recent
ABRSM Recital evening and
Jazzing it up!
Our Jazz Group will be combining with the Alton Jazz
Group from Alton College to perform at the Alton College
Music Department’s Christmas Concert on 19th December
at St Lawrence Church. We are looking forward to the
evening and seeing the ex-Amery Hill students who are
now studying music at Alton College.
So that's Christmas sorted but we have many other events
planned for the Spring Term including our Primary
Instrumental Day, GCSE Music Showcase, Hampshire at
the Hall, in conjunction with HMS, the Basingstoke Music
and Arts Festival and the Malta Tour Rehearsals. As
always, it's a delight to work with the many talented
musicians we have at Amery (students and staff) and to
encourage music making in the community.
 Presentation Evening at The Maltings
Miss Keen, Progress Leader of Previous Year 11
It was lovely to welcome so many former students to the A massive thank you to everyone who supported the
Alton Maltings for this year’s Presentation Evening and to event, including those who donated to the retiring
hear about their current studies and ambitions for the collection. A fabulous £197.85 was raised for ‘Make a Wish
future. Our thanks to the Amery Hill Association for kindly Foundation’, a charity this year group have supported
providing the refreshments for the evening and for throughout their time at Amery Hill School. We look
donating all the Award Prizes. Ms Keen introduced forward to hearing about this year groups’ progress in
students who were presented with their certificates and future years and wish them every success.
special Subject Achievement Awards were introduced by
Heads of Department. Effort, contribution and achievement
were celebrated throughout the evening.

Award Recipient
Art Rebecca Gordon
D & T: Electronics & Control Systems Kyle Barber
D & T: Resistant Materials Phoebe Neville
D & T: Food Technology Gemma Elliott
Drama Jamie Walker
English Dylan Brown & Eliza Gange
Geography Gemma Elliott
History Ed King
Computing Monty Moran
ICT CiDA Jo Pasfield
Additional Maths Monty Moran
Maths Freya Cannings
Media Studies Alisha Frost
Creative Digital Media Production Ben Walker
MFL: French Lucy Bayliss
MFL: German Alf Hamer
MFL: Spanish Siriol Whomsley
Music Charlie Bray
PE Paloma Sims
Religious Studies Asher Smart
Science: Biology Giles Hartley
Science: Chemistry Molly Bennett
Science: Physics Francesco Tesolin
Health & Social Care Bria Ferne
Outstanding Attendance Megan Ameer-Beg & Katrina Cave
Head Girl Lucy Bayliss
Head Boy Giles Hartley
Progress Leader Prize Shannon Bulbeck
Governors' Prize Dylan Brown
16
 The Importance of Attendance and Homework
Mr Eacott, Assistant Headteacher
Although the former Green Year left us in summer 2017
and we have a new group of Year 7s in their place, we
Homework
have spent a lot of time analysing their GCSE results. On every Progress Report that is sent home, students are
There are two factors which stand out from the analysis awarded a score for their homework, on a scale of 1-4; a
which had a big impact upon the grades that they score of 1 is awarded for homework of a very high
achieved: attendance and homework. standard and 4 is awarded for homework which is well
below both our expectations and the student’s ability.
Note: last year it became particularly tricky to compare GCSE
results, with English and Maths using the new 9-1 grades, other Comparing each student’s homework score with their
GCSEs still using A*-G and a range of other grades available in GCSE points, the results are startling. Students who
non-GCSE subjects. To allow for comparison, the Department produced high quality homework, on average, performed
for Education converts each grade to a certain number of points far better than their peers.
– the more points a student achieves, the better their results.
80 80
Attendance 70 70
The graph shows that students with greater than 98%
attendance, on average, performed far better than their 60 60
peers with lower attendance – by about 4/5 of a grade, per
Average GCSE Points

subject. If a student is absent from school, they miss vital 50 50

Average GCSE Points

teacher input and diminish their chances of success. 98%

attendance equates to missing no more than 31/2 days 40 40
each academic year.
30 30
60
20 20
50
Average GCSE Points

40 10 10

0
30 0
1.00-1.24
1.00 to 1.24 1.25-1.49
1.25 to 1.49 1.50-1.74 1.75-1.99
1.50 to 1.74 1.75 2.00-2.24
to 1.99 2.00 2.25-2.49
to 2.24 2.25 2.50-2.74
to 2.49 2.50 to 2.74 2.75-2.99
2.75 to 2.99
Average Homework Score
20 Average Homework Score

10 How you can help

Parents – a couple of pleas – let’s work together for the
0 good of your child:
Below 90% 90-95% 95-98% Above 98%
 Please ensure your child attends school as often as
Attendance Group possible
 Please support and encourage your child to
The marker that schools use for ‘good attendance’ is set at complete all of their homework to a high standard.
95%. When comparing a student’s attendance with their
GCSE points, last year’s results show the difference that Results from last year suggest that this will make a big
good attendance can make.
difference to the grades that they achieve in their GCSE
exams.

17
 Former Blue Year - Success at Alton College

Former Amery Hill students especially on applying for university.”

have celebrated some
outstanding achievements Beth Welch will go on to the University of Exeter to study
this summer. The College Medical Science after securing A in Biology, A in
exceeded national averages Chemistry and A in Maths. “My teachers were incredibly
again, achieving a 99.2 % supportive, I could ask them anything and they would
pass rate for A levels and always help, recommend extra reading or extension work”.
100% for vocational courses.
Ella Cannings achieved A in Chemistry, A in Biology, A in
More than a quarter of students were awarded A*-A while Maths and A in EPQ and will go to study Medicine at St
over 77% achieved A*-C. 100% of students passed the George’s, University of London. She said: “I found the
BTEC and Cambridge Technical Extended Diplomas, and interview practice and help with the personal statement so
61% of those achieved the highest grades of three useful”.
Distinction*. All students who studied the Extended Project
Qualification (EPQ) achieved A*-C grades with 94% Emily White achieved A in Biology, A in Chemistry, B in
achieving A*-B. Maths and B in EPQ and will study Veterinary Medicine
and Science at the University of Surrey. “There is such a
An impressive 100% of students gained A*-B in ‘Double positive vibe at Alton College, it really encourages you to
Maths’ A level and nearly 75% of Engineering students work hard.” Emily went on to say, “All the staff are so
achieved top grades. 100% of Performing Arts students experienced and supportive. It really helped attending the
also achieved high grades and 90% of BTEC Extended College’s Medicine Support Club”.
Diploma Art and Design students achieved three
Distinction*. Here’s news of some of our former Blue Year Rachel Dicker achieved Distinction*, Distinction, Distinction
students. in the BTEC Extended Diploma in Creative Media
Production and will go on to study TV Production at
Sam Thomas studied Maths, Physics and Chemistry, Southampton Solent University. “The TV studio is
achieving A* grades in all subjects plus an A in his EPQ. incredible, such a great resource and the staff were so
Sam has been offered a place to study Physics at the supportive they really helped me achieve high grades”.
University of Birmingham. Talking about his future plans,
Sam said “It was my experience of studying physics at
Alton College which made me want to take it at degree
level.”

Rachel Gasson achieved A* in Chemistry, A* in Biology

and A in Maths and will study Sport Science also at the
University of Birmingham. She said “I really appreciated Our reporting team in the Media Suite
the support and freedom to study independently outside
lessons in the Learning Resource Centre”.

Matthew Heard achieved an A* in Maths, A* in Physics

and A in Chemistry and will go on to study Civil
Engineering at the University of Birmingham. Talking about
the lecturers he said “They are brilliant and so supportive

Alton College Foundation Awards Mathematics Award was presented to Rebekah

The recent Awards Ceremony celebrated first year Aspinwall. Rebekah achieved one of the highest scores in
students who had shown outstanding achievements within her recent AS Maths and AS Further Maths exams.
their chosen subjects of Creative Visual Arts, Engineering
and Mathematics with former Amery Hill students among
the recipients:

Design and Technology Product Investigation Award,

sponsored by Alton College Foundation, presented to Paul
Carter
Level 3 Engineering Skills Award, sponsored by Mike
Baker, was awarded to Aaron Longman
Mason Memorial Prize for Engineering Excellence
awarded to James Fryer

18
Extra-curricular Activities
Spring Term 2018
All activities are from 3:00pm to 4:00pm unless specified.
Homework Club takes place daily from 3:00pm to 4:00pm in ICT2.
Teaching Assistants are on hand to help.

Monday
Music: Lunchtime - Double Trouble
Choir in MU1
GCSE Surgery in MU2
PE: Girls and Boys Football - Yr7 and 8
Netball - Yrs 7 and 8
Badminton - Yrs 7, 8 and 9
MFL: German Club, KS4 support group
Spanish Club - Yrs 7, 8 and 9
Media: Amery Hill News Reporters Club - Media Suite
Art: Saatchi Club - Yr 9 - ART2 (by invitation)
Library: Lunchtime - Yr7 Harry Potter Story Club
Geography: Lunchtime - Geography Club—All years
Marvel Club - All years

Tuesday
Music: Percussion Ensemble in MU1 & MU2
PE: Girls and Boys Football - Yr 9, 10 & 11
Hockey - All years
Badminton - Yrs 10 and 11
Rock Challenge Rehearsals
Drama: Drama Club - Drama Studio
RS: “Thunks” Philosophy Club - Yrs 7 & 8 (RS1); Yrs 9, 10 & 11 (RS2)
Maths: Year 11 Maths Drop-in Revision Session
Library: Lunchtime - Yr8 Carnegie Book Award Reading Club

Wednesday
Music: Lunchtime - Wacky Wind (by invitation)
Wind Symphonia Grade 4 upwards in MU2
4-5pm - Music Theory Group in MU2
RS: RS Ambassadors - Lunchtime (RS2)
Peace Jam - Lunchtime (RS1)
Drama: Prefect Rehearsals - Drama Studio

Thursday
Student Hub 8:15a.m - Spelling Group - All years
Afterschool drop in support session - open to all
Music: Guitar Ensemble - 8am
Jazz Band Grade 4 upwards in MU2
Concert Band Grades 1-3
Lunchtime - Liquorice Sticks All clarinets Grade 2 and above
RS: Interfaith and Beliefs Group - Lunchtime (RS2)
PE: Basketball - Yrs 7, 8 and 9
Netball - Yrs 9, 10 and 11
Cross Country and Fitness - All years
DofE: Year 10 Award Group Meeting - SCI 7
Art & Science: New club (Yr 7, 8) - SCI3 or ART1
Chess Club: All years MA2

Friday
Student Hub 8:15a.m - Drop in session - Student Hub
Music: Boys Vocal Group - MU2
Orchestra - MU1
GCSE Aid - MU2/Office
PE: Basketball - Yrs 10 and 11
Girls Rugby - All years
Boys Rugby - All years
Rock Challenge Rehearsals

“The Angry Society” (Debating Society) - Meets monthly - dates to be advised

19
 School Calendar
Thursday 22nd December Last Day of Term - School closes at 12.30pm

Thursday 4th January First Day of Spring Term

Friday 19th January Year 11 Reports Issued

Thursday 25th January Year 9 Options Information Evening

Thursday 1st February Year 10 Parents’ Consultation Evening

Friday 9th February Last day before half term

Monday 19th February First day after half term

Friday 9th March Year 11 Reports Issued

Wednesday 14th March Year 9 Reports Issued

Thursday 15th March Year 11 Parents’ Consultation Evening - by invitation

Friday 16th March INSET Day - School closed

Thursday 29th March Last Day before Easter Holidays

Monday 16th April First Day of Summer Term

For up to date information, please refer to the calendar on the

website which is updated regularly

Interfaith Calendar Competition

After successfully entering the Interfaith Calendar
Competition last academic year, the winners from
Orange Year were invited to attend the county launch of
the 2018 calendar and collect their prizes. Each student
had their image displayed and had the chance to meet
and have their photo taken with Cllr Andrew Joy. The
winners collected their reward, and all received copies of
the calendar. There were many schools in the county
represented, with an array of schools being recognised.
We were delighted to have the names of our students
read out many times, displaying to the county the talent
we have here at Amery Hill. A video of the calendar
images is available on YouTube titled 'Interfaith
Calendar 2018' and copies of the calendar can be
purchased online from the Hantsweb Shop. Very well
done to Hannah Swain, James Jewsbury, Sophie
Forrester, Daisy Smith, Maia Fuller, Alana Palmer, Sam
Marriott, Esme Doyle and Erin Mills for the hard work
that they put in.

20