Best GCSE results ever

Congratulations to our Year 11 students on their excellent results. An outstanding 29% of their results were A* and 55% were A* or A. Once again all of our students achieved at least 5 GCSEs at A* to C. These results are a tribute to the hard work and commitment of the students such as Lydia (above) who achieved A*s and As in all her subjects.

Festival for Science teachers

Members of staff from Leckford Place science department enjoyed an evening out in the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. The event was a science teachers’ festival and there were tours, talks and displays on offer.

Deborah Hankins (our Science Technician) demonstrated 'Microscale Chemistry' alongside the likes of Oxford University Physics Department, the Association of Science Education and Science Oxford. She was able to show how chemical reactions can be carried out on a micro-scale and how to make a micro conductivity meter. There was lots of interest, especially in the latter as a fun piece of equipment to make in schools.

The festival was organised by the Oxfordshire Independent State Schools Partnership. It was great to meet up with some old friends, make new contacts and be inspired by science.

— Words by Anne-Marie Jones, Head of Science
Image is Creative Commons licensed by Mike Cugley

Our new 'Reading for Pleasure' library

As part of a 'Wider Reading Drive', the English Department have invested in a new range of fiction books aimed specifically at reading for pleasure. Such books include the Cherub Series, Elizabeth Laird and Mal Peet for younger readers, with the latest Orange Prize shortlist and a range of Booker winners alongside some classics for the more advanced.

Students are encouraged to take time selecting books for themselves and to discuss their choices both with their teachers and peers. To facilitate this, we have started a reading blog on Moodle called 'What's Worth Reading?'. This works as an interactive reading list — students can add books or comment on existing suggestions; this allows students to use the opinions of their peers to inform their private reading rather than those of parents and teachers who sadly rarely seem to have quite the same influence!

This has already raised the profile of 'reading for fun' around the school and it's been great to see girls and boys alike discussing fantastic fiction books as well as movies and computer games!

— Words and photo by Joanne Williams, English teacher

A private showing of A Comedy of Errors

The Oxford Shakespeare Company, fresh from performing their A Comedy of Errors in London, happily agreed to open their Oxford summer season a day early especially for Leckford students and parents!

Reviewed by The Guardian as 'an exuberant outdoor production — faultless performances, a toe-tapping, heart-warming hoot', a wonderful summer’s afternoon was enjoyed by all! Against the beautiful backdrop of the Wadham College gardens, we were treated to a musical and modern interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known comedies.

The performance retained the puns and slapstick style typical of Shakespeare’s comedies with more modern twists and audience interaction making the play more engaging and easy to follow than is often the case with Shakespeare productions. A huge thank you to those parents who came along to share the day!

— Words and photo by Joanne Williams, English teacher

GCSE Geographers study Somerset river

We visited Nettlecombe court in North West Somerset to complete a river study for the students’ GCSE Geography Controlled Assessment.

Nettlecombe court is a long established FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) centre with considerable local field work expertise, helping us to collect data and learn to process that data with the most up to date methods available. GE Graph was one amazing tool that I learnt about for the first time!


Nettlecombe court is situated in a steep-sided, lush green valley with the considerable advantage of a limited cell phone network. Students were able to maintain their focus on the demands of the field trip without too much disturbance. As is normal on Geography fieldtrips, behaviour was excellent and much successful work was completed — even with the distractions offered to some of our boys by the presence of a local independent girls’ school…

Sadly for them, there was not too much time available for relaxation and socialising!

— Report by Paul Wheeler, Head of Geography

Old uniform put to good use

Something a little different, today. Above is a photograph of children at Mfuwe Secondary School in Zambia — now decked out in old Leckford Place uniform.

We donated surplus uniforms to the school via the charity Chipembele, with help from clothing shop Shepherd & Woodward.

The children 'were thrilled beyond words', according to Anna Tolan, director of Chipembele. 'They said "Proper" (meaning not second-hand which is what they usually get handed out), "Very brilliant" and "Now I'm HAPPY".'

Love Languages Competition

Year 8 students of French and Spanish travelled to Surrey, back in February, to take part in the 'Love Languages' competition held by the City of London Freemen's School. Students performed a five minute piece in their chosen foreign language, in front of audience and judges.

Below is a short account by year 8 student Genevieve Reeves:

We had an amazing time at the Love Languages Competition. It took place at City of London Freemen's School in Surrey so the build-up was really exciting.



It was really fun making up our own script but it was hard to translate it into Spanish and French. The food we were given was great, particularly the huge doughnuts!



It was really nice to see other schools perform and listen to conversations in different languages.



Overall I think that the experience was fantastic and I can't wait until next year!

Red Nose Day festivities

Red Nose Day was celebrated in style at Leckford, with staff and pupils alike donning red to raise money for this fantastic cause!


The Year 8s took the lead in organising a brilliant range of events for the day, kicking off with a very popular Cake Sale in the Social Area at break. Lunch was extended, and the hall in Leckford was transformed into a carnival with a great selection of stalls and stands, including a Shooting Gallery, Pin-the-Nose, and a Hot Dog stall — all of which was accompanied by an Open Mic stand. A good number of pupils chose to sing and perform, as well as home-grown talent in the form of staff JP and James Holburn.


All would agree, however, that the highlight (perhaps not for those on the receiving end!) was the Staff Sponging. Head Mark gamely took the lead in the stocks, followed by staff including Maths teacher Frank and the English department's Jo Williams.


At the final fund-count, the grand total came to a fantastic £551.50, a sum that all the school can be very justly proud of. Well done to the Year 8 group that planned the day, and to all who gave so generously throughout!

View a slideshow of more photos

— Words by Ed Yeo, Music Teacher and co-organiser of the event, along with JP Davies

Charismatic Public Speakers

Back in January, two teams represented Leckford Place at the Rotary ‘Youth Speaks’ public speaking competition. This was the local area competition Intermediate Section hosted by Cherwell School.

Team A (Year 8) consisted of Jesse Weeks (Proposer), James Lambert (Speaker) and Hovnan Eayrs (Chairman). James gave an animated and amusing talk entitled ‘Why do the Goodies Always Win?’



Year 7 was represented by Team B (above) comprising Sophia Saban (Speaker), William Nicholson (Chairman) and Jack Valentine (Proposer). Sophia entertained us with tales of her family Christmas spent with an eccentric relative.

Against some strong competition, Leckford Place stood out as having two equally impressive teams. Our speakers and supporters presented their own well prepared material in a confident and natural style.

Although they did not bring home one of the two prizes — and that must have been by the narrowest of margins — Sophia and James were given well-deserved praise by the judges for their confident presence on stage. They also won the spontaneous praise of several members of the audience.

— Writeup kindly provided by Lesley Lambert, parent

Autumn leaves and abstract images in Photography Club

Photo by Oliver Green (Year 9)

Each term, Leckford Place students take part in a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities – and every so often we'll give an insight into what the children have been up to by profiling a particular activity. So today we have a report from the Photography Club, which meets on a Wednesday afternoon each week.

This term we have considered more subjects than ever before and some truly wonderful shots have been taken by our group – a couple of which are featured in this post. We have looked at the landscape, macro, portraits, movement and creating abstract images. We have spent a lot of time looking at trees, particularly because the autumn colours have been so special this year.

A few of our keener students have even upgraded their gear, having developed a very healthy interest. I do hope they will continue to observe the world around them during the holidays.

— Report by Oliver Stone (Club leader & Head of Spanish)

Photo by Tom Leavey (Year 9)

Leckford Place Choir debuts at the Ashmolean

As Oxford celebrated the turning on of the city's Christmas Lights on Friday evening, the newly-formed Leckford Place Choir gave its debut performance – in the magnificent surroundings of the Ashmolean Museum.

To a crowd of onlookers who thronged multiple levels of the Ashmolean's atrium, the choir sang a selection of carols and Christmas songs. The occasion was all the more special as it also marked the 1st birthday of the Ashmolean's new building.


Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, older students from the Sixth Form and International Study Centre performed in the d'Overbroeck's Dance Club on the main stage on Broad Street.


There will be another chance to see both groups in action: the Dance Club will perform at tonight's Sixth Form Winter Concert (Tuesday 30 November, 7pm at Leckford Place Hall), and the Leckford Place Choir will sing at the Leckford Place Winter Concert, the following week (Monday 13 December, 7pm at Leckford Place Hall). So please do come along!

From classroom to glacier

This winter, year 8 skier Alex White will be training alongside many national teams. He has his sights set on winning a place in the British team: competition is intense, but Alex has some impressive awards under his belt.

Last season, he was placed third in the Giant Slalom of the Anglo-Scottish Cup; third in the Slalom and 4th in the Giant Slalom of the British Schoolboys International Race; 4th in the Giant Slalom of the English Alpine Championships and 4th in the Super G of the British Land National Ski Championships – amongst numerous other impressive placings.

We wish Alex all the best in his training.

Fiction becomes reality during National Book Week

Earlier this term, pupils and staff once again dressed up as literary characters to celebrate National Book Week and raise money for charity. There were some really imaginative ideas, and £60 was raised for Helen and Douglas House.

Prizes for the best costumes went to Jesse Weeks, Hamza Khan, Emily Rudaz, Hugh Nicolson and Joe Wolfensohn.

Below is a gallery of photos from the day.



See the Book Day photos on Flickr

Interacting with Science at @Bristol

At the end of September the year 7s and 8s set off for their annual trip to the interactive science museum, @Bristol.


The two hour coach trip was justified by the fantastic experience of the huge range of activities on offer. Pupils ran on the hamster wheel to power a complex system of water ways, froze their own shadows, made stop frame animations and ran their own TV studio.


The shows on offer were equally impressive, with exploding hydrogen balloons and fizzy pop-rockets made from old film canisters. We relaxed for a while looking up at the autumn night sky in the planetarium and listening to ancient Greek tales. All agreed it was a great day of learning and fun and the year 7s are looking forward to their next trip.

– Words and photos by Natalie Vlachakis (Science teacher)

Close call netball

Here's a report from our recent, hard-fought Under 13 Netball match against the Cherwell School.

In the first quarter, Cherwell got the first point – but Leckford Place quickly came back to equalise, with Christina Zamura (GS) scoring, set up by Genevieve Reeves. This set the tone for an extremely well-matched game.

Quick plays from Martha Carrdus (WA) and Cassie Senn (C) through the center third meant that we were in Cherwell's third for most of the first quarter. In the second quarter, we took the lead thanks to a goal from Jessie Weeks (GA) – but Cherwell was determined to equalise, and had some quick plays up the court resulting in 2 more points.

Our third quarter was our best, with two more points set up by Jessie for Christina to score. Emily Rudaz (WA) made some great movements on the court (her opposition could not keep up!); meanwhile, Sophia Saban and Sulma Ali (WD) put up an excellent defence.

Early on in the fourth quarter, Cherwell had scored two points; we had taken one more. Our defence held up brilliantly as both Helene Asbjornsen and Morgan Lee battled to keep the ball out of the D. Thanks to their efforts, the score ended on 5-4 to Cherwell.

Player of the match went to Morgan Lee for her outstanding defending.

Comment from Sophia Saban:
'Although we didn't win, I really enjoyed it. It was my first netball match and it was great to put the skills we learn in PE into practice. I also really enjoyed the competition.'

Team: Jessie Weeks (Capt), Genevieve Reeves, Sophia Saban, Emily Rudaz, Cassie Senn, Helene Asbjornsen, Martha Carrdus, Morgan Lee, Cristina Zamura, Sulma Ali

– Words by Jo Kalies (Sport & Activities Coordinator)

GCSE Results - 41% A/A* grades

2010 has been another super year for d’Overbroeck’s at Leckford Place.

We are proud that every one of our students gained at least 5 GCSE’s at A* to C – such an important benchmark for success. Over 40% of grades were at A*/A and almost 70% at A* to B.

Results Day was a wonderful occasion with many students celebrating success. Three students gained nine A*/A grades and another three clocked up eight each.

This year for the first time Year 10 joined us on Results Day to collect their results for History and Geography Modules. It looks as if 2011 could be a bumper year for top grades based on these early indications. An outstanding 75% of grades in History were A*/A, for example.


Other results highlights

There were outstanding subject results too. 60% of Art grades were at A*/A with no-one gaining less than a B. 100% of English Literature grades were A* to C, a huge achievement. And an amazing 77% of French grades were at A*/A.

Many congratulations to all our Year 11 (and Year 10) students on their achievement.

Swept away by a Tempest

This term’s imaginative and daring reimagination of The Tempest saw Shakespeare’s last, great play relocated to a technological scrapheap in the Pacific.


The Tempest is, famously, a play that sits uncomfortably within its ‘comedy’ genre: falsehood, betrayal, absolute power and impending death are woven into its fabric. Fittingly, the d’Overbroeck’s production (directed by Drama teacher Joe Swarbrick) accentuated the text’s unsettling ambivalence.


There were moments of huge dramatic impact – as harpies writhed and shrieked, and ships were torn apart in raging seas – but also times of quiet introspection.

Lydia Hassan dominated the play with an extraordinarily nuanced rendition of Prospera, veering from rage to exhultation to troubled introspection. The resulting performance was powerfully compelling – all the more remarkable when you consider the fact that this is a role typically wrestled with by professional actors as they near the end of their career.


Tal Fineman and Will Cronk’s treacherous plotting was suitably distasteful, Felicity Hughes’ Miranda and Joe Wolfensohn’s Ferdinand enacted a haltingly tender courtship, and a troupe of shimmering Ariels were in turn impish and cacophanous.


Meanwhile, the drunken ramblings of Stephano (Sam Rigal) and Trinculo (Daisy Jordan) were hilarious – offset by the disturbing presence of Sixth Former Emma Gonnella’s brilliantly played Caliban.


View a slideshow of photos from the performance:

– Words by Tom Parnell

Diverse musical talents on display at the Summer Soiree

Tuesday 29 June saw friends and family flocking to the school hall for the annual Leckford Place Summer Soiree. In what is now the Soiree’s fourth year, the audience was treated to an incredibly diverse range of items. From beginners to experienced performers, the night was an excellent chance for students to showcase their musical talents and gain valuable performing experience.

Solo items – ranging from piano, violin, recorder and drum items to vocal performances – were presented by Charlie Baskerville, Edith-Rose Scott, Hamza Khan, Lucy Arque, Gabriel O’Toole, Tal Fineman, Tim Howard, Sam Rigal, Meelie Smith, Joseph Kenyon-Gewirtz, James Lambert, Felix Clarke, Cole Thornicroft, Eve Martin, Felicity Hughes, and Clifford Carr.


Jazz Club (above) strutted their stuff with renditions of Van Morrison’s ‘Moondance’ and ‘My Funny Valentine’ by Rogers & Hart, and Vocal Group showed off their talents, following up a performance of a Latin hymn with ‘Rhythm of Life’ from the musical Sweet Charity, by Cy Coleman. The strength of Leckford young composers was also on show, with original pieces performed by Caleb Pakeman, Will Finnerty and Lydia Hassan. GCSE Music students’ composition coursework also provided incidental music before the concert.

A Year 10 band including Will Gildea, Will Finnerty and Olivia Frazer-Smith performed pieces by Muse and AC/DC, whilst the concert concluded with strains of Motorhead from Tal Fineman, Harry Bridge and Will Goodfellow.

Well done to all performers! We look forward to seeing you at the Winter Concert in December.

Watch a slideshow of more photos

— Words by Melanie Ward

Sports Day 2010 - in words and photos

25 June 2010 saw the annual Leckford Place Athletics Sports Day, held at Tilsley Park in Abingdon.


It was a glorious day for a fun-packed festival of sporting talent – appreciated by a sizeable crowd of spectators. The morning focused on field events, with competitors taking part in the javelin, shot putt, discus, high and long jump. There were many outstanding performances; special mentions must go to Sam Gillingham with a throw of 37.5m in the Year 8 Javelin, and Ben Elwell throwing 11.21m in the discus.


The track events took place in the afternoon and saw some very competitive races at each distance.


Outstanding students of the day were Tess O’Shea receiving 4 gold medals, Cassandra Pearce receiving 5 gold medals, and Sam Gillingham receiving 5 gold medals. The victorious House, meanwhile, was Windrush.

Congratulations to all who took part in the competition, and thanks to all staff who helped officiate and to parents for coming to spectate.

View a slideshow of more photographs from Sports Day

— Words by Martin Procter; photos by Oliver Stone and Tom Parnell

Year 9 sent down the mine ...

Have you ever wondered what an explosion feels like in the pitch dark, below ground in a coal mine? Our year 9 can now tell you having visited the Black Country Museum last Thursday. We were kitted out with helmets and lamps, and headed off into the mine, watching our heads on the very low beams. Our guide explained to us the true horrors of working down there from the age of about 6 or 7 for many hours a day.

Glad to return to the sunshine and daylight we then 'went to school'. Perhaps the mines would have been preferable to life in the school room, chanting tables, writing on squeaky slates and trying to avoid the wrath of our cane waving teacher. Mark's group were late arriving at their lesson so their leader deservedly got the cane.



Margaret shouldn't have laughed so much, though, as she was then caned for wearing nail varnish; Flo, Sophie and Lucy were also summoned to the front of the class for this vanity and referred to as 'Jezebels' and 'circus girls'. Flo's scream when caned could have won her an Oscar!

Thoroughly chastened, we were keen to leave the class when Robbie rang the bell, and hurried off for a lunch of first rate fish and chips – 'succulent', as Felicity called it. The traditional sweet shop provided more to eat in the form of gob stoppers and boiled sweets with wonderful flavours like 'rhubarb and custard'.

Then it was into more mines but this time by canal boat. Despite drips of water falling on our heads, many reckoned this was the highlight of the trip; “it was fun and interesting” (Peter), “it was relaxing and they explained how the rocks were formed” (Laura).

Our final activity was a trip to the Victorian fairground. For Jacob, this was the best bit of the day, especially the carousel. As it gathered speed, Leckford students could be seen hanging on for dear life as they whirled round and round and up and down. If that was a little too energetic for some the swing boats and helter skelter offered more sedate options. A number of students also left the rifle range clutching prizes!



All in all, it was a great day out and a wonderful, interactive way to learn about work and life around Dudley at the turn of the last century.

Writeup by Margaret Horton