Hard knock talent shines

THE SUN came out for the 600 parents, primary school children and community members who watched students at a north Bournemouth secondary perform Annie.

More than 40 pupils at Oakmead College of Technology were involved in the lavish musical bringing to life the popular tale of the evil Miss Hannigan; orphan Annie and her saviour ‘Daddy’ Warbucks.

The dedicated young cast and backstage team also helped raise some of the funds needed to stage the show enabling beautiful sets to be built and period props sourced.

Annie was played by sixth former Natasha Broughton, who luckily for the part is only 4ft 11ins.

“We’ve had so much fun rehearsing the last three months,” she said. “I’ve grown rather fond of my ginger wig and was quite happy walking around school in costume and character, selling tickets.”

The youngest cast member was 11, the oldest 18 - Dan Griesser playing Mr Warbucks.

Natasha was also a member of local theatre group MAD, while Dan goes to Swish of the Curtain. Both Dan and Natasha have also set up their own dance and drama companies at Oakmead as part of their BTEC Performing Arts course.

“In recent years the annual productions have tended to be pantomimes so it was great to do something different like well-known musical,” said Emma Burton, creative communications leader at the school.

“The cast and crew were passionate about attention to detail performing this show to the highest possible standards, and the feedback from the audiences mirrored this.

“Money raised from ticket sales will cover the cost of the lighting, but will also help towards forthcoming shows at Oakmead.

“These include Oakfest, which is an evening of rock music, 'Caught in (e)motion' a BTEC dance show, and a sixth form drama production called 'The Way' which tells the Easter story in modern day.”

Maths excellence adds up to a first

MATHS teaching and learning at a Bournemouth secondary has seen it recognised with a national quality mark - the first school in the south.

Avonbourne Business and Enterprise College is only the third school nationally to receive the Improvement & Excellence in Mathematics Award.

The Harewood Avenue school was also chosen to pilot the new quality mark for national release and education bosses at the local authority were asked to help design it.

Not all schools taking part in the pilot across the country went on to be successful and reach the high standards needed.

The award measures excellence and innovation in both teaching the subject, the way students learn it as a result, and the tools used to share this good practice with other schools and partners.

All nine maths teachers at Avonbourne and the learning experiences of the entire school population of 1069 girls were assessed.

Howard Curtis, Avonbourne’s head of maths, said: “We’re exceptionally thrilled to have gained this award, not least because so few schools in the country have achieved it to date.

“It represents the culmination of a lot of hard work by my staff who have enabled our GCSE results to increase significantly in the last few years.

“It reflects the hard work put in by our students and it highlights good practice in not just teaching and learning but also in management of maths teaching in the school.”

Sue Nicholson, national director of the quality mark programme, said: “We were extremely impressed with Avonbourne and also their enthusiasm in helping to develop the final version which is now being rolled out across the country.”

The quality mark is a government initiative, overseen by the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Maths.

Avonbourne’s accreditation will last until 2013, when the school will be reassessed.

Help us make retail talent profit...

Retail students from Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch secondaries are appealing to businesses and groups to help stock their town centre shop, this July.

Working with Retail Skillshop Dorset and Bournemouth and Poole College, some 25 students will use an empty unit in Christchurch’s Saxon Square to fit out and sell from.

The scheme gives year 10 pupils the chance to use retail skills learnt on their City & Guilds Level 2, everything from customer service to pricing and visual merchandising to business sense.

Companies including Regatta, Lush, Craghoppers, and Oswald Bailey have already offered to donate stock for the students’ shops which will sell clothing, cosmetics, gift ware and books.

Every step of the process mirrors the real retail environment with students interviewed for the various jobs in-store, and tasked with not only making a profit from their venture but a sustainable one.

The majority of the pupils come from Twynham School plus ten from Glenmoor and Ashdown Technology College as members of the Wessex Consortium.

“The money these students make will be re-invested to develop the future retail workforce and raise the profile and public perception of the profession,” said Mandy Payne, Retail Skillshop co-ordinator.

“By supporting these young people you are directly helping the future of retail.”

Rob Palmer, assistant head at Twynham and chair of the School Retail Group, said: “We work directly with employers to give the students practical and realistic vocational learning.

“With the retail students this means mystery shopping exercises in Christchurch and visual merchandising at Haskins.”

The students’ Christchurch shop will be open July 12 to 16.

If you can help boost their stock call Mandy Payne on 07711 305958 or email retailskillshop@bpc.ac.uk

Silver surfers 'click' at The Arnewood School

More than 80 silver surfers ‘clicked’ at The Arnewood School during a community computer course run by pupils.

Mature students up to the age of 93 were shown by pupils at the New Milton secondary how to surf the internet, watch films, buy online, use email and write letters.

Many of the guests had never before used a computer and demand for the one-day course was so high, there were only enough places for about half of those wanting to take part.

More than six million over 65’s in Britain have never used the internet.

“It transforms their lives and isn’t rocket science,” said Alan Watson, from the New Milton Today community website, helping the pupils run the course.

“They can buy their groceries and books online, keep in touch with friends and family.

“If you don’t embrace it you won’t survive. So many documents now are only available online and you can only make small claims applications that way.”

Pamela Dalziell, 84, from Barton-On-Sea, was being shown the IT ropes by 12-year-old Chris Coleman.

The retired nurse said: “I’m a complete novice but want to learn how to look things up on the web. Computers are the ‘in thing’ and if you don’t keep up with trends you’ll get left behind.”

Retired taxi driver Brian Smoker from New Milton agreed.

“I hadn’t taken much interest until now but the way things are going you need to learn how to use them,” said the 78-year-old.

“I want to write letters and get onto the internet. It’s all very exciting.”

This is the third year the Gore Road school has run a silver surfers course but previous ones only had a handful of students.

This latest course is being backed by Hampshire County Council’s Silver Surfer programme.

Arnewood hopes to run another course in the future.

Unique Little Big School Opens...

A unique ‘mini’ school has been opened inside a large south coast secondary to stop newly-arrived 11-year-olds being overwhelmed and scared by the size of the place.

The purpose-built £500,000 transition school at Oakmead College of Technology in Bournemouth is the first of its kind in the borough, and believed to be only the second in England.

A sixth of pupils do not feel ready to start secondary school, according to government statistics, and this fear is one reason why pupils can struggle in their first years of secondary education.

Key Stage 3 results nationally for 14-year-olds routinely show one in ten pupils failing to progress in reading and writing in the first three years after leaving primary school, and some even regress.

The Specialist Schools & Academies Trust has recommended secondaries set up ‘mini schools,’ such as the one at Oakmead, although many schools have transition policies in place.

VIP guests including Bournemouth Mayor Cllr Beryl Baxter officially opened the ‘school within a school’ and were entertained by youngsters singing and dancing followed by a plaque unveiling.

Dr Annetta Minard, executive head at Oakmead, told guests: “The transition school has been three years in the planning and is funded by ourselves. It is quite unique and we’re very pleased and excited at the opportunities that will now be available to our younger students.”

“Oakmead has two main feeder schools. Our new transition school will make joining Oakmead seamless with new pupils ready, prepared and excited rather than nervous and daunted.

“It is a school in its own right headed by a primary specialist with a staff of primary specialist teachers. It will offer the best of both worlds as well as providing a community resource.

“This is the fruition of a lot of planning and we’re delighted with the outcome.”
Children at the North Bournemouth campus will have the support and guidance of one class teacher for many of their lessons but still be able to access specialist secondary facilities such as science and design and technology.

Oakmead has 1280 pupils on role.

Valerie Singleton 'on the button' with silver surfers

Fomer Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton OBE has been surfing with Bournemouth school pupils and pensioners.

The iconic TV presenter was at Avonbourne Business and Enterprise College supporting pupils with an IT course they’ve designed specially for OAPs in their community.

More than six million over 65’s in Britain have never used the internet.

Year eight girls at the Harewood Avenue school hope their course will help local pensioners overcome their ‘techno fear’ and embrace computers.

Valerie is an avid campaigner nationally to get more elderly people to join the digital age, and when she heard about the girls’ ‘silver surfer’ course offered to visit Avonbourne to find out more.

"There are so many fantastic benefits for elderly people using the internet,” she said.

“It’s so much more than booking airline tickets. They can stay in touch with relatives overseas and order their groceries online rather than having to traipse to the shops.

“I’m very impressed with what the girls are doing here at Avonbourne.”

The four girls behind the course - who call themselves the Internet Rangers - came up with the idea as part of the school’s enterprise curriculum.

“They wanted to do something with IT that would give back to the community and not just ‘be about money’, said Kathryn Loughnan, head of IT at the school.

The girls hope to launch the free course during the summer term on Tuesday afternoons in the school’s Creative Technology Suite.

Adventures of a musical WAG in Bruges

Medieval architecture tilted against a labyrinth of peaceful canals: shops oozing chocolate heaven and curiosities, and hooves and carriage wheels clipping across cobbled streets.

Welcome to Bruges. A beautiful, exquisite city and host to Bagshot Concert Band’s 2010 Belgium adventure.

I was a musical wag, joining the faithful entourage of wives, girlfriends, and husbands, accompanying the band on its four-day concert tour.

Two performances - one at the Cultural Centre Den Hoogen Pad in Adegem and the other at St Michael’s Church in Leuven - both very different venues. One a modern purpose built community theatre and the latter a cavernous Baroque church filled with surreal artistic installations.

Both however were perfect backdrops to the band’s varied musical menu which included show tunes Phantom of the Opera and Oliver, the Yorkshire Overture and Bagshot March, theme from Out of Africa and the wonderful Palladio. (The Palladio’s exacting timing caused a few furrowed brows among the band although the audience was none the wiser.)

The band’s professionalism, humour and team spirit reminded me fondly of my theatre days and I felt extremely honoured to spend time with them.

Sightseeing highlights were our two-wheeled Segway tour zipping about Bruges, and the formation of a ‘knobs and knockers’ appreciation society which saw many of us avidly photographing the city’s elaborate front doors.

Oh and the beer. As a blond drinking blond I felt I had come full circle although after various glasses I was unable to navigate one coherently.