Looking ahead to Sixth Form?

Just a short post, today, for those who are looking ahead to Sixth Form. Our summer Sixth Form Open Morning is coming up soon, and offers the perfect opportunity to get an insight into what's to come:

Sixth Form Open Morning
Saturday 8 May 2010
10am to 12.30pm
at The Swan Building, 111 Banbury Road (01865 310000)


Meanwhile, our own Open Evening here at Leckford Place (for entry at 11 and 13) comes a month later. We'll post about it closer to the time, but here are the details:

11-16 Open Evening at Leckford Place
Tuesday 15 June 2010
5.30 to 8.00pm


As ever, if you know anyone who might be interested in either event, please do pass on the message!

Was Hitler guilty of starting World War 2?

Not according to year 11 History students from Leckford Place.

Last term, all the History students attended a ‘courtroom drama’ performed by professional actors in which Hitler was put on trial on the charge of having started World War II. After hearing the statements of many witnesses including Mussolini, Stalin, Roosevelt and others, our students were asked to be the jury and decide if they thought Hitler was innocent or guilty of the charge. They decided that the proof was not irrefutable and therefore he must be found innocent.

Hitler did not escape, however, as an enraged victim of the war then leapt onto the stage and shot him dead!

It was an entertaining and thought provoking performance, helping our students to have a more rounded perspective on the causes of World War II. Combined with a valuable exam workshop on how to answer source based exam questions it made for a worthwhile afternoon. The students gained a lot from the workshop and, as ever, were a pleasure to take out.

Here’s hoping that what they learned will pay off in their exams!

Words by Margaret Horton, Head of History

Taking up the Maths Challenge

Last term Leckford Place competed for the second time in the prestigious Regional Team Maths Challenge, held at the Oxford University Exam Schools on the High Street.

Forty-three schools, from the independent and state sectors, took part in a day of challenging and interesting maths tasks. There is a strong emphasis on team work, each team comprising two year 8 and two year 9 students. Junhui Li and Edith Scott, from year 8, along with Charlie Baskerville and Ben Elwell from year 9, represented Leckford Place.

Throughout the day there were four different rounds, concluding with the frenetic Relay Race, in which the teams split apart across the large hall, alternately answering questions then running with the next question for the opposite pair. There was an atmosphere of fun throughout, but with some serious maths being done, and emotions running high!

Our team competed well in all four rounds, never giving up when things became difficult – their confidence bolstered by plenty of training done throughout the year at our Tuesday lunchtime Maths Challenge Club. In the end, Leckford Place finished a respectable 37th. Well done to Junhui, Edith, Charlie and Ben!

Words by Graham Hope, Maths teacher

Prize-winning Steampunk artist

Year 7 pupil Hovnan Eayrs has won the runner-up prize in an art and design competition run by the History of Science Museum -- a superb achievement. The theme of the contest was 'Steampunk', and it was open to secondary school pupils throughout Oxford.

Here's a photo of Hovnan alongside his winning project, 'The Time Traveller's Toolbox'.


Leckford Place pupils Harry Bridge, Laura Bossom, Joseph Anderson and James Lambert all received certificates for their entries to the competition. Congratulations to them all!

How Economics can help you retire rich

Why do we need money? What are the hidden dangers of storecards? Why is it smart to start saving for your retirement as soon as you get your first job? These were just a few of the questions raised in today's assembly – in which Simon Harrison (Head of Economics at the Sixth Form) gave a whistlestop tour of some fundamental economic issues and how they affect us all.

In the short video clip below, you can watch Simon giving an illustration of the principle of compound interest – explaining how much benefit there is in starting to save from the earliest possible age.



(You can also watch via Vimeo or YouTube)

Simon's assembly was the latest in a series given by teachers from the Sixth Form – which offer Leckford Place students an insight into subjects they might decide to study when they come to choose their own A levels.

Musical seduction, adoration and deception: Cupid's Labyrinth

'If music be the food of love, play on ...'

These were the familiar words that introduced Tuesday evening's performance of Cupid's Labyrinth at Leckford Place – an evening overflowing with musical ardour.

We were treated to a programme of solos, duets, trios and quartets that brought together songs by Purcell and Handel, operatic arias by Verdi and Mozart and extracts from the more modern operettas of Offenbach and Gilbert & Sullivan – all unified by the theme of love.

So we witnessed seduction …


… silent adoration …


… amorous competition …


… illicit liaison …


… and more. The quality of the singing was unfailingly excellent, with a talented cast of performers – from Year 7 to Sixth Form – proving themselves more than equal to some extremely demanding classical repertoire.

Here's a slideshow of photographs from the evening:

Leckford Place and Sixth Form Open Mornings

If you're interested in joining Leckford Place, we warmly invite you to come along to our forthcoming Open Morning this Saturday:

Leckford Place Open Morning
Saturday 30 January, 10am to 1pm
Leckford Place, Leckford Road, Oxford OX2 6HX (map)
Further details: 01865 302620


The following Saturday, there's also a chance to visit our Sixth Form:

Sixth Form Open Morning
Saturday 6 February, 10am to 12.30pm
The Swan Building, 111 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6JX (map)
Further details: 01865 310000


Both events offer an opportunity for prospective parents and students to meet and chat to teachers and current students, find out about the subjects and activities on offer, and tour some of our buildings and facilities.

All are welcome, so if you know anyone who might be interested in coming along to either Open Morning (or both), please do pass on the invitation.