BSG is the top performing state school in Dorset and Hampshire!

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1 BSG is the top performing state school in Dorset and Hampshire! FROM THE HEADTEACHER T erm has got off to a good start with pupils keen and ready to learn! Final exam results are still not with us as we still have a number of remarks underway. Nevertheless I am pleased to let you know that our results at both GCSE and A level confirmed that we were the top performing school - state or private - in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch and the top performing state school in Dorset and Hampshire. A tremendous achievement! As the year progresses girls will be offered a variety of visits and experiences intended to enhance their learning. Year 8 pupils have already visited Hampton Court and completed science fieldwork at Blashford Lakes. Year 10 artists have visited Tate Modern and geographers have been out on fieldwork. Year 10 pupils enjoyed a business breakfast finding out about a whole variety of careers from local employers. Our Duke of Edinburgh Award groups have been out on expedition at weekends. This week we have our careers convention, held this year at our school, when over 50 professions and universities will be on hand to help girls plan for future study and careers. It was good to meet so many parents at our recent Meet

2 FROM THE HEADTEACHER CONTINUED... the Tutor evenings for years 7 and 12 and at our PSA AGM. After half term on Thursday 3rd November we will be holding our Sixth Form Open Evening. Although intended primarily for pupils and parents in year 11 we would also be pleased to welcome year 10 pupils and their parents. The evening runs from 6pm pm. Come along at any time. There will be talks in the hall and also a subject fair with staff and students to help you start to make important decisions about post 16 study. May I wish all pupils and their families a restful half term break. We wish our groups going to Iceland, New York and Washington an excellent time. A reminder that Monday 31st October is an INSET day and school recommences on Tuesday 1st November. GOVERNOR NEWS F irstly my congratulations on behalf of the governing body to students and staff on such an excellent set of exam results at both GCSE and A level. We can all be very proud of their achievements. It was good to meet so many parents at our recent Meet the Tutor evenings for years 7 and 12 and at our PSA AGM and to hear how your daughters are settling in. It was especially pleasing that a number of parents made particular mention of the excellent pastoral care provided by the school. The governors are delighted that we have been able to make such good progress over the summer in improving the school environment with the creation of two new laboratories, a new Design Technology IT suite and extensive works to the heating and water system, making a real difference to the learning opportunities we provide for our pupils. You will have seen in the media a lot about government plans to expand grammar schools and to improve further social mobility by improving access to them. We are already committed to this aim as seen for example in our work developing positive links with our local primary schools. Governors recently decided also to go out to consultation to change our admission policy to give further preference to Bournemouth residents as the Poole grammar schools already do for Poole residents. Details of this consultation will be available after half term on our website. Jane Stichbury DATES FOR YOUR DIARY OF FORTHCOMING PSA EVENTS Friday 4th November Friday 18th November Saturday 19th November Friday 9th December Family quiz and curry night Mufti-day in support of the Craft Fair PSA Craft Fair Year 7/8 Disco

3 STAFF NEWS We are sorry to say goodbye to Mrs Colette Nickolls after 19 years of loyal service to the school in the school office. We wish her all the very best. We welcome.. Mrs Olga Watson Miss Helen Wedge Mrs Theresa Wilson Mrs Amanda Thurgur Mrs Lisa McKenzie Maths teacher Religious Studies teacher Teaching assistant Cover supervisor Senior administrator/pa to the Bursar (joining us in November) ENGLISH MARY BEDFORD CREATIVE WRITING T he annual Mary Bedford Creative Writing competition this year invited students to produce a piece of flash fiction. This is a short story told in exactly 50 words and is harder to achieve than you may think. We were delighted to receive a large number of entries in every age category. Themes of death and disaster dominated but there were also some wonderfully quirky and amusing twists. The quality of writing was extremely good. Congratulations to the winners, who will receive their prizes on Founders Day: Y7 & 8 Syeda Hussain Y9 & 10 Catherine Allport Y11 & 12 Lora Bozkhova SPELLATHON E very year at this time Y7 students undertake to learn 100 challenging spellings; the list includes tricky words such as miscellaneous, parallel, vicious and vacuum, so is no easy feat. As well as improving their spelling, the girls are encouraged to get sponsorship and raise money for Mencap, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities. Parents of Year 7 girls, do help your daughters to prepare for this challenge!

4 ENGLISH CONTINUED. YEAR 8 SHAKESPEARE DAY W ith Shakespeare s death being 400 years ago, some students find the bard s work dull and often incomprehensible. Members of year 12 aimed to rectify this, organising and hosting a day of workshops and group performances for all of year 8. Packed into D1 on the July 12 th, the day was kicked off with separation into groups and an introduction to a selection of some of Shakespeare s most famous plays. Each group then moved to separate rooms where a team of sixth form volunteers led a number of different activities based around one of six plays, including Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest. These activities gave the year 8 s enough understanding to produce their own interpretation of the plays, combining dance, artistic and musical talents learnt both in lessons and through extra-curricular activities. These interpretations were presented to the whole year group in the afternoon and a competitive element was introduced through the addition of a chocolate prize. The English department, who kindly supported the event, judged the presentations, with a clear winner being chosen. The witty and innovative modern day interpretation of Antony and Cleopatra included rap music and a spectacular dance off between a Roman nightclub and an Egyptian pub. The day could not have been put on without the year 12 organisers and the help and support of the English and Performing Arts departments, with special thanks going to Mrs Burdett. A thoroughly enjoyable day was had by all. By Jack Searle and Leah Robb PERFORMING ARTS BOURNEMOUTH ARTS BY THE SEA FESTIVAL Rhianydd Davies (11A) and Naomi Leigh (10C) entered the Call for Scores composition competition and had their piece Song of the Sea selected for a workshop and performance by the Kokoro, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra New Music Group. This was a competition for students up to the age of 18 and Rhianydd and Naomi did extremely well to have their music chosen for this performance. FORTHCOMING EVENTS: AUTUMN CONCERT BSG School Hall. Richard Burdett / Director of Music and Performing Arts Thursday 10 th November 6.30pm Tickets 3.50 (incl interval drink) available on ParentPay BSMA CAROL FESTIVAL Pavilion Theatre Tuesday 22 nd / Wednesday 23rd November 7pm Tickets from Pavilion Theatre CAROL CONCERT St Francis Church Thursday 8 th December 7pm Free admission

5 FORTHCOMING EVENTS CONTINUED: SCHOOL PRODUCTION: GREASE (with Bournemouth School) PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES: Wednesday 30 th November 7.30pm Thursday 1 st December 7.30pm Friday 2 nd December 7.30pm Saturday 3 rd December 7.30pm (GALA) BSG School Hall Tickets 8 / 5 (conc), GALA 9 / 6 conc (incl pre-show drink) Available from Tuesday 1 November (advance cast booking from Monday 24 October) Log on to to book your tickets!

6 GEOGRAPHY YEAR 10 TRIP TO HENGISTBURY HEAD Y ear 10 Geography students have recently visited Hengistbury Head to investigate coastal processes and management. The sandstone cliffs looked very impressive in the October sunshine. Ms Stowe Head of Geography HISTORY & POLITICS YEAR 8 HISTORY TRIP TO HAMPTON COURT PALACE T o build on their knowledge of the Tudor period and Henry VIII in particular, year 8 visited Hampton Court Palace on the banks of the River Thames. Each class undertook a workshop led by a costumed Tudor guide on the Tudor kitchens or the religious rollercoaster of changes from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I. The guides were very enthusiastic and informative. The girls responded really well to the activities set and asked some excellent questions for their assessment task on Hampton Court as a reflection of Henry VIII s wealth and power. Each class also looked around the palace, visiting the Great Hall, the Young Henry VIII exhibition and the chapel where Jane Seymour s heart is buried. It was inspiring to walk through the corridors which are hundreds of years old, and where one of our most famous Kings lived. Some groups were even lucky enough to bump into various Tudor characters as they came stomping down the corridor. The palace had many rooms all of which were beautifully decorated. Our last destination was the palace gardens, where hundreds of acres of land lay, with gorgeous fountains and elegant plants. All in all, an excellent experience at a wonderful historic site. Explore the Palace further here: Mr McDonald Head of History & Politics

7 TEXTILES KNITTING AND STITCHING SHOW O n Wednesday 5 th October sixty four year 10, 11 and 12 year Textile students boarded a coach bound for Alexandra Palace, London to visit the annual Knitting and Stitching Show. Disembarking in beautiful sunshine, the party were greeted by the wonderful views over the whole of the city of London. On entering the exhibition, first a dazzling display of fantastic embroideries were viewed, showing a wide range of techniques of very varied and intricate work from a beautiful hand embroidered stag worked in single strands of embroidery thread with 3D stump work to large abstract pieces incorporating pieces of photographic film. Next were a range of championship quilts from a national competition and then there were all the small business stands ranging form Felt Making, African Fabrics, Colourist Transfer Printing and Knitting to the Women s Institute who were promoting Crafters in Action with lots of demonstrations of their crafts. It was the numerous trade stands selling fabric, threads, yarns, haberdashery and everything any textile enthusiast could wish for that took the attention of all the visitors and we all came away which bags full of our purchases. It was a fantastic opportunity to acquire fabric and haberdashery for the students coursework pieces and a good day was had by all. Mrs Crease / Textiles Amazing giant 3D embroidery inspired by Game of Thrones

8 SCIENCE YEAR 8 BLASHFORD LAKES ECOLOGY TRIP A t the end of September all year 8 students went on a science trip to Blashford Lakes near Ringwood to discover the wildlife and nature there. We participated in many activities throughout the day; Pond dipping, dirt sampling, river sampling, trap investigation and also used quadrats. We all thoroughly enjoyed the day and learnt a lot. We started by going to the meadow, which is a man-made hill made from the clay excavated from the reservoirs. We used the quadrats to work out the percentage of different vegetation growing at different parts of the hill. We also used augers to extract some dirt from under the ground to see the quality of it and the differences in conditions at different points. Then we were given a talk about some different objects found around the site and used for sampling the numbers and types of mammals nearby. These included: deer antlers, droppings, fur, etc. As well as being shown loads of different, humane ways to survey animals in the area; using light traps, reptile traps, Lulworth small mammal traps, insect traps and bat detectors. We then did pond dipping, which was really fun, we found a lot of newts which we thought were so cute; many of the girls were scared of the leeches which was funny. We ended the day with kick sampling in the river. As well as the organisms in the river itself there were also badger and otter tracks we got to follow. We caught things like: bull head fish, shrimps, and larvae with cases made from the sand in the bed of the river. Since getting back to science lessons we have been producing presentations and posters to collate the data we collected on the day as part of our Ecological Relationships topic. We had a lot of fun and hope to do something like this again. By Olivia Minnock 8A If any of the young people you know are interested in ecology Blashford Lakes run a Young Naturalists group once a month. Further details are available at their website.

9 ART YEAR 12 AND 13 LIFE DRAWING DAYS Y ear 12 and 13 students enjoyed a very challenging but rewarding two days of life drawing in September with Tom Winter, Life drawing tutor from Arts University Bournemouth. The course covered a range of techniques and media including perspective and foreshortening, linear and tonal drawing, collage and ink. The girls were a credit to the school, embracing the challenges and producing some really excellent work which they can add to their portfolios. Miss Gear / Head of Art YEAR 12 VISIT TO POOLE MUSEUM AND GALLERY O n Wednesday 12 th October, year 12 Art students visited Poole Museum to see a very exciting exhibition, called Lines of Thought ; this is touring only three places in Britain - Poole, Hull and Belfast - before going abroad. It featured the world s greatest graphic collection of drawings from the British Museum, from Michelangelo to Rembrandt, from the 15 th century up to the present day. We were able to study at first hand drawings by artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Henri Matisse, Albrecht Durer, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Peter Paul Rubens, Henry Moore and many others. It was fascinating to see drawings from so long ago and by so many famous artists. The gallery visit was a great experience and we are sure the drawings we made will be invaluable to our A Level Art work. By Eden Taylor- Sixsmith and Victoria Pack

10 SNOW TIME ARRANGEMENTS A s the winter months approach I thought it might be helpful to remind parents of the arrangements we have in place should it be necessary to close the school. Closing a school of this size is never an easy or straightforward decision and given the difficulty we know this causes you, the parents, I thought you would welcome some background to the decision making process. The decision to close a school is taken by the Headteacher, following a risk assessment that is based on a number of factors. This decision has to be taken without knowing how the weather will progress during the day. Issues considered include site safety, the likely level of staffing, the availability of catering and also if bus services are running. Before any decision is taken, the Headteacher of Bournemouth School, Dr Lewis and I liaise and seek advice from senior colleagues, the site staff and the bus companies. Although some staff, pupils and parents are able to move safely to and from school, no matter how severe the conditions, we listen carefully to the police and the bus service providers. We do not wish to pressurise any pupil, parent or member of staff into making a journey that they believe to be unsafe. We also consider the level of adult supervision that is likely to be available at school. Should there be a predicted high level of staff absence, it would be very hard to guarantee a worthwhile day for those pupils who do manage to struggle in. If at all possible the school will remain open when there is snow. If there is a snowfall overnight we always endeavour to have made a decision by 7am. We will let you know of our decision in the following ways: A Parentmail message will be sent to all parents A message will be posted on the school s website and Radio messages will be broadcast on Heart FM, Radio Solent, Fire FM and Wave 105 (their websites will also list the school as being closed); If in doubt, please wait for confirmation before setting off for school. If the weather deteriorates during the school day, we make the decision as soon as possible. If it is necessary, in the interests of pupil welfare, to close a school because of extreme weather conditions, you would be notified as follows: A Parentmail message will be sent to all parents A message will be posted on the school s website and Twitter Pupils will be able to contact you directly using their mobile phones if they have one. Should we need to close the school during normal school hours, girls who already have parental permission to leave the school site in such circumstances will do so after having registered with their tutor. The remaining pupils will stay with their tutor until contact with home has been made. If the school should have to close, we will seek wherever possible to post meaningful work on the VLE which pupils can access from home.

11 SIXTH FORM NEWS W e were delighted with our A level results this summer, which made us the top performing school at A level in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch. However, there is more to BSG sixth form than just excellent teaching and fantastic results. We are constantly offering our students the opportunities that will give them the edge when they apply for their chosen course when they leave BSG. I hope that many students and their parents will take the opportunity to attend the Sixth Form Information Evening Thursday 3 rd November 6.30pm I Look forward to seeing you there. Linda Holman, Head of Sixth Form Here are just a few of the exciting things our students have recently done congratulations to all the students mentioned here: Every year, the German government invites hundreds of 16 to 17-year-old students from all over the world to spend a month travelling and practising their language skills in Germany. I'd never even heard about this brilliant opportunity until Miss Kawashima pointed it out to me, but this summer, I was lucky enough to be one of them. The programme is quite easy to apply for - I chose to write a short essay (in German) about refugees in Europe as my entry for the competition for places. As a result, I had the best summer of my life. There were seven other people from the UK this year, none of whom I knew previously - we all met for the first time at the airport. Once in Bonn, we were split into three international groups. Mine included eleven people from Belarus, Lebanon, Slovenia, Germany, South Korea and the UK, plus two German leaders. Together, we spent a month travelling from Bonn to Konstanz to Munich to Berlin, staying with host families and going to school for two weeks. The rest of the time, we did all sorts of things: visiting museums and galleries, the cinema, swimming, the theatre, city tours, cookery, restaurants, famous buildings, and most of all, speaking (or trying to speak) German to each other all the time! The trip put me in so many new situations and I made lots of new friends, particularly from South Korea. It's also improved my confidence speaking German and it was a fantastic way to find out more about the history and culture. I would recommend it to anyone taking AS German - cost is not an issue as it's completely free (flights, food and everything - you even get pocket money while you're there). It is kind of daunting at first to go abroad with strangers for such a long time, but they aren't strangers for long and the programme is absolutely spectacular. By Roseanna Honeywood

12 SIXTH FORM NEWS CONTINUED. SIXTH FORM NEWS CONTINUED. Annabel has been successful in being selected for the national NCS Leaders course. This is a very competitive course to which all National Citizen Service graduates are eligible to apply, however there are only 120 places are available. The course will build on the skills that Annabel developed on the NCS programme over the summer and involves leadership training, teamwork challenges, inspirational speakers, media training and mentoring. There were only 8 young people selected from the South of England and Annabel was one of them - this is a huge achievement for her. Attending Pathways to Success overnight conference was a fantastic opportunity to gain an insight not only to Cambridge, but also to what university life would be like in general. Attending workshops, such as on the Oxbridge interview process, as well as being able to talk to leading professors and current undergraduates in the subject area I am interested in, helped me start to shape my plans post-a level, and it was really nice to share this opportunity with other young women from across the country with similar aspirations. The most motivational part of the conference for me personally was the presentations from two Alumni, both of whose extreme hard work and motivation meant they were now excelling in amazing careers, and one, who ever since she had been a child, pursued her dream of do good and is now leading a charity educating people on the Israeli- Palestine conflict. By Katie Hebditch I have been in the army section of the Combined Cadet Force for 5 years now and during my time I have learnt so much about leadership, other people and myself. I have been on numerous camps and courses and obtained many qualifications. CCF has provided me with the opportunity to push myself in ways I would otherwise have not. For example, I spent a week on the cadet leadership course in Farnborough, where I had to work with a group of 9 strangers (all boys), leading them in challenging tasks and night exercises. The course was extremely physically demanding and despite this being one of the most difficult weeks of my life, it was also one of the best as we won best section competing against 110 others! I have attended a 10 day adventure training course in Scotland (kayaking, hiking and mountain biking), a junior leadership weekend course in year 10, 2 weekend camps in Dartmoor (hill-walling, climbing and caving) and 4 summer camps at various locations. I have first aid qualifications, numerous leadership qualifications and even my level 1 kayaking! I am now the first female RSM at the Bournemouth School CCF, which involves me leading parade each Thursday, helping run CCF, and leading Remembrance Sunday and Inspection Day parade. By Patsy Mulcahy

13 SIXTH FORM NEWS CONTINUED. Without doubt, the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award was one of the best things I ve ever done. Not only did it teach me the importance of perseverance and commitment, but it also proved that no matter how tough things get, it is still possible to rise to the challenge and have fun! What s more, it s a valuable opportunity to find out what you are personally capable of and to develop long lasting friendships. I would highly recommend this scheme to anyone- even if you don t think you ve got what it takes, because it is achievable through the support of the girls in your group, the teachers and expedition leaders. Together this helps create a stress free, enjoyable experience leading to a world-renowned qualification. By Gee Findley Having spent the summer training, former BSG pupil Lucy Wisdom and I, recently travelled to Noordwijk, Netherlands for the World Lifesaving Championship. The competition took place over three days, involving eleven events which test all the skills involved in lifesaving. Being in the open age category of years the competition was very tough, with competitors travelling from far and wide; nationalities represented including South Korea, Australia and Canada. There was a packed field of up to 190 athletes per event, containing Olympic athletes fresh from Rio. My strongest performances were qualifying for the quarter-finals in three events, including the Oceanwoman, the toughest discipline combining four consecutive legs: board, surf-ski, swim and run. It was an honour to compete against the best in the world, and the sunny weather helped to make it an unforgettable experience. By Rachael Jeffries

14 SIXTH FORM NEWS CONTINUED. ENGLISH YEAR 13 ARCADIAN DAY AT STOURHEAD S tourhead is beautiful at any time of year and in any weather, but we were lucky this time and a late sun warmed our observations. A Sixth Form English Literature class, who are studying Stoppard s Arcadia, and some of whom are also exploring Hartley s The Go-Between for the non-examined assessment ( coursework, in former times), set out to gain a better understanding of the English country house and garden, and were not disappointed. It has to be said that the group were one of the most absorbed I have ever accompanied round the building, enjoying the rooms and the furniture and paintings with the keenest of eyes and most astute of sensibilities. The Library was a delight, and they could fully imagine every scene of our play in it, Hannah or Thomasina absorbed in their studies, family members drifting in and out. They recognised much of Italy on the walls, and much that pretended to be; they could imagine family gatherings in the saloon, and two of our members took to the piano and filled the house with graceful notes. In the picture gallery the Classical and Romantic spirits were exemplified. As we walked the serpentine paths in the garden vista upon vista framing temple, cottage, grotto and bridge opened up and as the sun shone on the first autumnal shadings of the leaves, we knew what arcadia was. We also fully understood the function of a ha-ha, keeping the brown cattle from trampling the well-tended lawn, and discovered that fiery ginger beer is just that. Many thanks to 13A for a very happy day, and to Mrs Owen for her support and excellent crosscountry navigation, taking us to the heights of the county for further spectacular views on the way home. Mr Hubbard / English

15 PE NEWS CROSS COUNTRY CUP B SG Our junior team consisted of: entered a Junior team to compete in the first round of the English Schools Athletics Association Cross Country Cup held in Salisbury. This is the first time we have entered this national competition following our success in the track and field cup in the summer. Ashia Wilson Emilie Castagna Grace Hawkins Molly Lowe Ruth Turberville All girls ran very well with exceptional performances from Emilie, who finished 2 nd and Ashia 3 rd. The combined results of all the team ensured we finished 3 rd overall, a very impressive result against many experienced schools in the South West. This position qualified BSG for the Regional Finals in Taunton on Saturday 12 th November. ENGLISH SCHOOLS NATIONAL ROAD RELAY T wo BSG girls Emilie Castagna and Ashia Wilson, along with another girl from Parkstone School, all run for Poole Athletics Club. Following their success as winners of the South West Road Relay Team, they went to Sutton Park at the weekend and competed in the National Finals. They were absolutely outstanding and are now National Champions! Congratulations.

16 PE NEWS CONTINUED... ESSA NATIONAL SWIMMING TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS B SG entered three teams into the National Team Championships, junior, inter and senior levels. All three teams swam very competitive heats against strong opposition. The inter team narrowly missed out on a medal position by finishing 4 th overall, the senior team finished 3 rd in both the Freestyle and Medley relays and the junior team were victorious in both. We now await to see if they have been placed in the top 20 schools in the country and therefore qualify for the National Finals which will be held on Saturday 19 th November at the London Aquatic Pool. Junior Inter Senior Saskia Van der Schouw Anashe Chisadza Jasmine Holmes Hermoine Cull Francesca Gallimore Rebecca Cummings Nyasha Chisadza Emily Durrans Ellen Broadfield Ellie Choy Evie Fawkes Hannah Stonier Georgia Abbott ESSA NATIONAL SWIMMING TEAM

17 PE NEWS CONTINUED... FOOTBALL C ongratulations to Lucy Ansell 9S who has been selected as part of the Dorset U14 Girls Football Squad. We wish her success for the forthcoming season. Congratulations to Hermione Cull 8A after she was selected by her coaches at Southampton Football Academy to attend an England U16 Girls Training camp at Bisham Abbey. This is a fantastic opportunity and we wish Hermione every success. U14 SQUAD Building on the success of last season the U14 ( Year 8 and Year 9) squad have entered two competitions The Dorset County Cup and the ESFA U14 Girls National league. In their opening county cup match, BSG faced opposition from local school St. Peters. BSG opened the scoring with two fantastic goals from Captain Lucy Ansell 9S. Great play down the left side saw Kayleigh Rees 8P take the scoring even further to 4-0. At half time BSG maintained their dominance taking the score to 6-0. During the second half BSG maintained possession when after thirty seconds Hermione Cull 8A took the BSG lead even further to 7-0. St. Peters were quick to retaliate sneaking past the defence to score. Final score saw BSG winning A fantastic star to the season. U14 SQUAD U16 SQUAD 9S 9R 8A 8F 8R 9F 8P Lucy Ansell (CAPTAIN) Zoe Johnson Bethany Whiting Isabella Reeves Amelia Troman Hermione Cull Emillie Castagna Alex Avoth Jodie Exley Ella Tekli Freya Cutler Kayleigh Rees 11S 11P 11S 11F 11P 10S 11C 10P 10R 10P 10S 10F 10R Annie Graham Molly Graham Freya Hobson Lily Badwy Bethany Peridsat (CAPTAIN) Emily Baverstock Daisy Atkinson Anais Robbins Shannon Honan Olivia Dark (GK) Bethany Squibb Maisy Lapskas Rose Berry

18 PE NEWS CONTINUED... NETBALL It is still early in the netball season with many tournaments yet to be played. However all teams have been performing excellently in the local schools league with some very substantial victories! T he U14 netball squad participated in the Bournemouth Area Tournament on Wednesday 19 th October. The squad won all their matches except for 1 game and showed their dominance as a strong, hard -working unit in all areas of the court. The squad now go forward to the County Championships which take place in November. We are very proud of the squad and wish them good luck for the county competition. O ur U16 squad have also enjoyed much success this season winning their area tournament resulting in successful qualification through to the County Finals. The Finals were held at Budmouth College in Weymouth on Thursday 13 th October. BSG were in an initial group section with Bryanston, QE, Woodroffe and Wey Valley School. Our first match was strongly contested against QE School which we eventually lost We then played Wey Valley School, Woodroffe and Bryanston and we won all 3 matches with very convincing scores. After finishing second in our group we proceeded to the semi-finals against Canford School, which we knew was going to be a tough match. After a rather physical (despite netball being a non-contact sport) and mental battle BSG won the game 10-8 having shown great strength of character in some challenging moments in both attack and defence. In the final we once again met up with QE School and unfortunately the outcome was the same. However although a little disappointed, the BSG squad was also delighted knowing they had qualified as the second place team to represent Dorset at the Regional finals of this national competition. This is a fantastic achievement and we are very proud of the team! We are very much looking forward to the Regional finals which take place in Marlborough in January. U16 Squad members: Sally Morgan, Libby Larkin (Capt), Polly Jones, Alicia Markham, Libby Watton, Yolanda Littleboy, Stephanie Batchellier and Ophelia Lieng.

19 KEY CONTACTS: Headteacher: Mr A Brien Deputy Headteacher: Mr D Sims Deputy Headteacher: Ms A Collins Deputy Headteacher: Mrs M Braye School telephone number: School fax number: School address: office@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk School Website: Head of Austen House Mrs C Owen - cowen@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk Head of Curie House Miss L Cooper - lcooper@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk Head of Franklin House: Mrs S Mantle - smantle@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk Head of Parks House Mrs S Kapoor - skapoor@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk Head of Rossetti House Mrs S Turner - sturner@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk Head of Shelley House Mrs S Davies - sdavies@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk