Our Life Beyond 18 event this morning was a great · PDF fileThe trip certainly highlights the value of giving our pupils first ... one of Devon’s most important industrial ports

Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster www.shebbearcollege.co.uk

14th October 2016Issue No 116

Dear Parents,

Today we once again hosted ‘Life Beyond 18’, an event designed to give our older students the chance to discuss possible career options with people who are actually doing them. We are very lucky to be able to utilise the pool of talent which exists amongst our former pupils, our parent body, and local contacts and we are all grateful to Mrs Aliberti for organising another very successful event. I have yet to decide my next career path and unfortunately there was no one there to discuss lion-taming or lighthouse keeping - the two careers my family are encouraging me to pursue.

Our Form Five (Year 11) have another very important event on Monday evening with our Sixth Form choices evening which begins at 1800hrs. I am a great advocate of the advantages and benefits of school at Sixth Form over FE colleges (of course I would be) and we offer twenty A Level subjects in our Sixth Form including languages and music, subjects that are under pressure in many other educational establishments. Next year we intend to offer some BTECs as well. These are qualifications which are more vocational than academic and more practical than theoretical, but are nonetheless recognised by universities. There will be more information about this on Monday.

At the other end of the school programme it has been lovely to see members of the Pre-School visiting other parts of the campus. My five year old daughter came home this week and explained how she had made electricity using fruit in a lesson taught by Mr Palmer, the Head of Physics. I have just watched the same children walk past my office on the way to their new swimming lessons. I can’t believe there are many Pre-Schools in the country offering these activities.

As a great sports lover I am delighted (as the father of two girls) with the amazing progress that our girls’ sport continues to make. Last year the baton for overseeing this was passed from Miss Ham to Miss Gunning and we have been able to build from very firm foundations. In the last fortnight our hockey teams have been competing with the best schools in Devon and our U16s were only narrowly denied a place this week in the county final by Blundell’s, having previously beaten Exeter School in the group matches. Meanwhile It was brilliant to learn that Sophie Gillies has been selected for the independent schools U16 football team - national recognition for a very talented athlete.

Unbelievably the Half Term is almost at an end and although the tell-tale signs of tiredness are beginning to show it has been a remarkably productive period. By the time of the next newsletter the hour will have been changed and the Devil’s Stone will need turning.

Simon Weale

Our Life Beyond 18 event this morning was a great success



Finally, the group were taken down into the mine itself, which certainly gave the children an appreciation of just how dangerous and back-breaking it was for the miners, many of whom were the same age as the Year 6 pupils themselves.

The trip certainly highlights the value of giving our pupils first hand experiences. They would certainly not get the same insights just from text books and photographs.

Earlier in the week our High 5 netball team began Shebbear’s defence of the title they won last year. In this opening match against Highampton School, Shebbear certainly showed that once again we are going to be a force to be reckoned with and ran out 11-0 winners. Although it was very much a team effort, based on outstanding defense, the fact that Jesse-Mae Foster scored an impressive 8 goals can’t be ignored and justly earned her the ‘player of the match’ award.

On Thursday, both our U11 netball and rugby teams continued their 100% records for the term so far, with victories at Kingsley School. In what was at times a rather scrappy netball match, our girls showed great effort and enthusiasm. Accurate passing on the whole but a little too much physicality at times was Mrs Johnstone’s overall assessment, however she was particularly impressed with the improvement shown by Jessica Pritchard.

Solid work in attack once again from Jesse-Mae and Gabriella, secure defence by Savannah and Demelza and Millie Wivell proving to be the linchpin in the centre, secured the 6-2 victory.

Our boys continued to impress on the rugby field with a 50-20 victory, based on speed, power and some big tackles. Once again Jack and Hunter were central to all Shebbear’s good work, but there were also stand-out performances from George, a rather battered and bruised Ferdie and from the tackling-machine-Cameron. However, the performances of our newest team members impressed the most. Both Finlay and William were initially rather reluctant to play a game that is relatively new to them both. However, they were soon in the thick of it, with Finlay making some potent runs and William providing the moment of the match with a thundering tackle to stop Kingsley’s most threatening (and biggest!) player. William later added a try of his own to cap a wonderful debut.

News from the Prep SchoolThis week’s trip to the Victorian Heritage Museum at Morwellham Quay and the opportunity to watch the first episode of the new BBC series, The Victorian Slums, has certainly fueled the interest of our Year 6 pupils for their current history topic.

Morwellham Quay near Tavistock was by the mid 19th Century one of Devon’s most important industrial ports and the William & Charlotte copper mine situated on the site, was the world’s most productive. Now the site has been lovingly preserved and restored and provides visitors with a wonderful insight into the life of the Victorian miners and their families.

Having toured the site, including a visit to the assayer’s cottage, the cooper’s workshop and the cargo ship, the class were set to work breaking rocks to find the precious copper. The groans and grumbles about how tiring, dusty and difficult the work was certainly highlighted the differences between life for children now compared with the Victorian era. Our pupils were at it for about fifteen minutes while the children of the day would be working 14 hour shifts, 6 days a week!

It was then back to school for Year 6 as they experienced the harsh reality of Victorian education, including the various punishments that were inflicted upon the children of the time. This was very entertaining for our children but perhaps not so in the 1850s.

School was followed by a chance to learn all about Victorian clothing and to have the chance to dress up in their ‘Sunday best’ and parade through the grounds.



In our Pre-Prep class, Harry continued his amazing equestrian success with further triumphs at the Horse of the Year Show last week. Harry had an amazing week with his ponies and was placed in every class, with two 4th places and a 6th place finish. Well done Harry - next stop the Olympics!

Please note these further changes to the Prep School calendar. On Wednesday next week the U11 fixture against Mount Kelly School is now rugby only. Also at the start of the next half-term, the trip to Exmoor Zoo has now been rescheduled to Tuesday 8th November.

Finally, we look forward to Sunday when the Prep School will be hosting race 2 in the Gliddon & Squire Cross Country season.Of course we wish all our runners the very best of luck and can I also thank all the parents that have volunteered to help out and of course Mrs Goode for her hard-work,organising the event.

Mike Furber

Another Busy Week for Pre-SchoolWe have experienced a very interesting week here in the Pre-School. Visiting the Physics laboratory in the Science Block and making electricity from fruit and vegetables that the children had brought into school being one of the many highlights. We also enjoyed our first weekly session in the Music Centre which proved a huge success and a lot of happy noise was made using voices and some wonderful instruments.

The Reception children made me very proud by completing their first piece of writing about the story ‘Owl Babies’. Capital letters and full stops in the correct place which is a great start. As part of our healthy eating topic all the children learnt to follow instructions and made their own healthy sandwich which proved to be a big hit as a snack before we went swimming.

Hetty Thompson

Next Week in the Prep School:Wednesday 19th OctoberIndividual photographs, 9.30am Under 11 Rugby v Mount Kelly School, home, 2.30pmHalf term begins

Fifth Form DebateAs part of the recent Field Day event some of the fifth form had the opportunity to practice and develop their debating skills. These are important for various reasons, including building self-confidence, the ability to think quickly and flexibly, the ability to use research to plan an argument. The morning session finished with some of the pupils proposing and countering two motions.

The first debate saw James Law and Eevee Banbury argue that sports people should act as role models. Their speeches were answered by Kitty Scambler and Jed Foster. This debate, which featured references to Luis Suarez and the influence of teachers, was won by Kitty and Jed. The judges were particularly impressed by Kitty’s ability to respond to challenging questions and to use her research in her speeches.

The second debate was on the motion that an unelected head of state should have no place in C21st Britain. Toby Fok and Caitlin McCartney present a powerful speech arguing that the queen was incompatible with democracy. Alex Yui spoke very ably and calmly in his response against the motion, arguing that the Royal family had many benefits including tourism. Lachlan Young and Matthew Edge made strong speeches supporting and opposing the motion respectively. Indeed all the speakers were of such quality that the judges declared this debate a draw.

Mr Rogers, Madam Fanet and Mr Burnett would like to thank all the pupils involved in the sessions.

Miles Rogers

New Single from CameronSixth Form student Cameron Mills has released his new single ‘Smile’ which is available now on iTunes, Spotify and other popular music stores! Cameron says it is totally different to his usual songs, more upbeat. Download it now and support one of our most talented music students.



Horse of the Year ShowPre-Prep pupil Harry qualified three ponies for Horse of The Year Show (HOYS) in the lead rein section. He qualified Andy Pandy at the Three Counties Show at Malvern in June and then qualified Hamptonne Harry at the Great Yorkshire Show in July and finally Gringalt Page Two qualified in August at the National Pony Society show again at Malvern.

The class that Harry competes in has an age range of children up to 9 years old. Harry has to walk and trot before getting ‘pulled into line’ the competitors are then asked to do an individual show where they walk, trot, change the rein and stand. The pony is then judged on its confirmation and how it moved and performed, the child’s riding gets incorporated into this mark.

At HOYS Andy Pandy was placed 6th and Gringalt Page Two and Hamptonne Harry were both placed 4th. The ponies are now enjoying a well deserved rest. Well done Harry!

Flexi Boarding for Day PupilsOur boarding pupils are enjoying a wealth of exciting activities at weekends and day pupils are welcome to stay on and enjoy these activities along with their friends in boarding.

Effectively a sleep-over, flexi boarding is ideal for busy parents and unexpected situations. It offers pupils the chance to stay on after school, benefit from structured prep sessions before spending leisure time with their friends in a safe, homely environment. It also avoids the need for long bus journeys, time which could be better spent on studies. Flexi boarding includes evening activities, prep supervision, bed and breakfast.

For more information or to book flexi boarding please contact Naomi Giddy: [email protected]

New Lost Property SystemPlease note our new and improved system for lost property.

All sports kit and items will be held in the lost property in the Sports Hall which Mr Steel will continue to oversee. Any other items of lost property should be brought to the Deputy Heads’ Office where it will

be stored and pupils can come and collect from there. Clothing will be taken to the laundry and washed, then hung on a rail. This rail will be placed in the Dining Hall several times a week. Pupils can collect their lost property during break times and lunch times throughout the week. Thank you.

Fran Lovett

A Word from the LibraryWe were very pleased this week to welcome Joshua Seigal to the college. Josh is an award-winning poet, performer and educator. He led creative writing workshops for Forms 2 and 3, helping them to write inspirational poems of their own. Some members of Form 2 had prepared their own performances of a few of Josh’s poems. So, not only were we delighted by Josh’s visit - we were able to surprise and delight him!

Jane Welby



What’s On:Sunday 16th OctoberBoarders’ National Trust visit

Monday 17th OctoberForm 5 Information Evening about 6th Form Subject options

Tuesday 18th OctoberNational Restart a Heart Day

Wednesday 19th October9.45am - Fraud Awareness - Form 311.30am - Applying for Jobs - Form 45.00pm - Half term begins

Sunday 30th October4.00pm - Boarders Return

Monday 31st OctoberTerm resumes

Tuesday 1st November4.30pm - Art AS and A2 Tutorials and target Setting

Saturday 5th NovemberBoarders’ trip to Black Torrington Fireworks

Sunday 6th NovemberBoarders’ trip to Atlantic Village

Monday 7th NovemberAll Day - F5 Futurewise Post Profiling InterviewsF4 Art GCSE Tutorials

Tuesday 8th NovemberAll Day - F5 Futurewise Post Profiling InterviewsUKMT Senior Maths Challenge

HockeySenior County Hockey TournamentA huge congratulation goes to the U18 Girls Hockey team who played in the County Tournament for the first time last week and reached the quarter-finals, narrowly missing out on penalties 3-2.

The team played superbly throughout coming strong runners up in their group after beating South Dartmoor 3-0 and King’s Taunton 3-0. Outstanding goals scored by Niamh, Kitty, Lucy and Emily. Unfortunately Shebbear lost 0-2 to Exeter School, who were clearly ready for a tough match after seeing our two prior performances in the group. We met Maynard in the quarter-finals, where we narrowly missed out on a goal with Niamh Martin hitting the goal post, which meant we had to go to penalty flicks to decide who went through to the semi’s. This is where unfortunately we came out of the competition. Well done to all the girls. The team performance was impressive, making other teams take note of Shebbear’s outstanding form. A very talented team, with a great amount of potential.

Kate Gunning

RugbyShebbear took a combined under 14 and 15s squad to Bideford on Tuesday afternoon to play against Kingsley School, in total 29 boys all traveled and participated in the fixture.

The game got underway with Shebbear dominating proceedings for the first of four ten minute quarters, however their superiority was not reflected on the scoreboard as a number of errors and wasteful finishing saw Shebbear squander several try scoring opportunities.

Eventually captain for the day Jack Joslin showed composure and strong running skills to open the scoring. This was added to with an excellent finish from Finn Irish and an impressive individual try from the returning Nathan Coates to make the score 15-0 at the half way point.

The second half saw a number of changes made and this inevitably affected the team’s organisation at the start of the second half, resulting in Kingsley scoring their first try. Kingsley continued to control the quarter, but some good phase play from Shebbear allowed Lewis Whitten to cross the line and score. Kingsley came back strongly and narrowed the deficit once more, before man of the match Harry Shaw turned over the ball with an excellent covering tackle to turn defence into attack, from which Jack Joslin scored his second try.

Shebbear finished the stronger side and Harry Shaw was able to touch down for a thoroughly deserved try of his own. It was great to see so many boys involved and competing for Shebbear College in the age group, and pleasing to return with a win. Well done to all the boys involved.

Nick Law



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Our Life Beyond 18 event this morning was a great · PDF fileThe trip certainly highlights the value of giving our pupils first ... one of Devon’s most important industrial ports