Dear Parents
Thank you very much for your patience as we have managed the challenges presented by the cyber incident on 23 April. We have been working hard with a range of IT professionals and Cyber Security specialists to rebuild and are making steady progress with the infrastructure which means that we will hopefully be able to move closer to normal over the next couple of weeks. Please be aware that if you are phoning in to the school we still currently only have one phone line which is being diverted to a mobile and your patience with this is appreciated. Please email admin@hardenhuish.wilts.sch.uk unless your call is urgent and we will ensure that your message is passed on to the relevant staff or you are called back. Our IT team have been amazing, working some long hours and incredibly hard to get things back on line. I would like to thank our incredible young people who have adapted to our slightly “old school” ways of working and continue to work hard and enjoy everything that Hardenhuish continues to offer them.
The sheep have had their annual sheer this week and our Jacob lambs are growing fast – it is an absolute joy to see them enjoying our wonderful site! Thank you to Chris and Raising the Baa for keeping our flock in such fantastic condition.
Our Year 10 handled their exams with a really positive attitude which has given them a taste of the process before their Statistics GCSE. Year 11 and 13 are working incredibly hard as they prepare for the exams which begin imminently and we have been very impressed by the numbers of young people attending the multitude of revision sessions and activities being run before, during and after the school day!
It has been rewarding to do a round of assemblies over the last couple of weeks talking to our young people about the “50 things they can do at Hardenhuish”, I have some lovely photographs of some of our Year 13 who have been able to reminisce about their time here and everything they have achieved, participated in and enjoyed . Linked to this, the list of extra-curricular activities available for this term is on our website which is in the process of gradually being rebuilt. In terms of activities outside of the classroom, thank you to everyone who contributed to and took part in Culture Week which I hope will now be an annual event.
Extra-Curricular Activities Term 5 2022 23
In celebration of the Coronation we have been flying the Union Jack. Rupert has dressed up for the occasion and I am sure you will agree looks suitably regal!
Thank you again for your patience and support over the last couple of weeks- these situations really do prove the strength and resilience of our community.
Lisa Percy
Headteacher
News Items
Vaping, children and young people: Free Webinar for parents and carers
24th May 19.00 – 20.00 on Zoom
The B&NES Public Health Team are advertising a FREE Zoom webinar for parents and carers on the issue of children, young people and vaping. Parents and carers for children at Wiltshire schools are also able to attend. The session aims to provide an understanding of young people’s vaping behaviours and how to support those who are vaping already or who may be tempted to in the future. It draws upon local and national data and explores the impact of vaping on young people’s health and wellbeing as well as approaches to support them. For more information and to sign up for a free place visit Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vaping-webinar-for-parents-and-carers-tickets-59774563227
Culture Week
Our recent Culture week was all about what culture is and sharing the richness of different cultures. Most year groups attended an assembly during the week and this included stories and pictures of many of the staff who have travelled, sharing their cultural experiences, covering much of the globe! The key message was to recognise both cultural diversity and difference, in this country and beyond and embrace the cultures that are the roots of community.
Year 7 were taught about stained glass, its history and messages behind it (religion being integral to many cultures). They then had the opportunity to create some amazing stained glass designs representing the six main world religions and Humanism (the Happy Human). Beautiful reflections are now appearing in classrooms. Some Year 7s also went to a Sikh Gurdwara in Swindon and saw some stained glass there.
We were hugely grateful to Gen Kelsang Lamchen from the Amitabha, Kadhampa Mediation Centre in Bristol, for visiting Hardenhuish and teaching two Year 8 classes about Buddhist meditation. Many left their lesson feeling calmer and more relaxed, the teachers too! Gen Kelsang Lamchen also stayed with us to run a lunchtime meditation session.
Year 9 learnt about Japanese culture. It was interesting to see what students already knew, including Kanji characters which we all attempted to decipher. The students then had the opportunity to complete tanzaku, sharing their wishes.
Years 7,8,9,11 and 12 attended the Culture Week assembly and teachers from SMSC (PSRE) shared their cultural experiences and those of school staff, a lot to pack into under 15 minutes!
We had some fantastic conversations with the young people about their cultural experiences and their hopes for more in the future. Many were surprised so see the experiences of the staff and this sparked great discussion and questions.
The final message was that whatever our culture and whatever culture we experience, as Socrates said 2,500 years ago, “I am a citizen of the world and my nationality is goodwill.
Year 9 Business Pet Projects
Last term in Business, Year 9 pupils took part in a project to design a pet product. They came up with a range of innovative product ideas from pet cupcakes to paw-cleaning devices and presented these on really creative mood boards. The entries were judged by members of the team at the Jollyes Pet Store in Chippenham, who commented on the high quality and viability of the ideas. Well done to all students involved for some really impressive propositions!
Sports News
Worthing 10s Tournament – Girls Rugby
A number of Hardenhuish pupils represented Chippenham Girls RFC at the Worthing 10s tour at the weekend, with players from Y7, Y9, Y10, Y11 and Y12 making up the Chippenham teams. Honor Burgess (Y7) represented Chippenham for the U12s team, who, although small in numbers were able to loan players and compete in the tour, mixing with the older teams to cheer on each other and make Chippenham’s presence known across all age categories. The U14 team included Katie Thompson (Y8), Scarlett Burrett (Y8), Aurora Watkins (Y9), Chloe Dellar (Y9) and Lily Shuker (Y9), who narrowly missed out on player of the tournament to another Chippenham player. They played well in all matches and were able to take the trophy as winners for the U14s.
The U16 team came second place last year so had a lot to live up to, Holly Elsby (Y10), Martha Rombach (Y10), Sophie Townson (Y10), Souki Gregson (Y10) and Lola Parry-Jones (Y11) worked together with the rest of the team to ensure that they not only remained undefeated throughout the tournament, but took home the winner’s trophy. In addition to which they loaned out players to teams with injuries or low numbers often playing back to back matches, giving the tournament their all. Another final for the U18s, with Alex Vergottini (Y12) playing; they fought hard and came second in a very close final with the host team Worthing taking the trophy.
Not content with 2 winner trophies, Chippenham RFC also brought home the player of the tournament trophy, and the U16s received the TREDS award for their Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship, thoroughly deserved as they cheered on the side lines for all matches and all clubs, loaned out players, stepped in to coach and provide first aid and were an inclusive and supportive force to be reckoned with throughout the weekend both on and off the pitch!
Well done to the Hardenhuish players proving that the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign is in full force in Hardenhuish and its wider community.
It was a pleasure and privilege to see the girls on the pitch and to share their successes with them over the course of the weekend.
Mrs Parry-Jones
South West Regional Cricket Finals U15 Girls
As a result of winning the Wiltshire County Competition in February, the Hardenhuish U15 girls’ squad qualified for the South West Regional Cricket Finals which took place at the University of West of England in Bristol.
The schools representing each county were:
| County | School |
| Cornwall | Penryn College |
| Devon | Blundells School |
| Somerset | Taunton School |
| Dorset | Canford School |
| Gloucestershire | Redmaids’ High School |
| IOW | The Island Free School |
| Wiltshire | Hardenhuish School |
| South Wales | Cathedral School |
The schools were split into two pools, Hardenhuish were in with Blundells, The Island Free and Taunton. Games were 8 overs with a minimum of 5 bowlers.
We played Taunton in the first match; it was an incredibly close match with a final score of 67-68 to Taunton.
Our second match was against The Island Free School, again a close match and some unlucky bounces off the wall and fielding errors meant we lost our second match 81-86. Our final match of the pool stages was against Blundells, they had won one match and drawn one against Taunton, so we knew they would be tough opposition. We batted first and smashed a score of 100 with only 2 wickets (suddenly the Huish squad had found their confidence and motivation), Blundells knew that our team had a reputation well deserved for being outstanding in the field and the girls bowling, catching and backing up meant that Blundells were all out for 56 runs. This gave the Huish squad the confidence in their own ability, proving they could compete at a regional level and hold their own.
At the end of the pool stages, we were drawn against Redmaids High, for a shortened match of 5 overs. Huish scored 62 and Redmaids scored 52, a fantastic end to the competition. Hardenhuish finished in 5th place. Many of the other coaches commented on the ability of the Huish Squad and the way in which the team worked together and were always smiling – they were a credit as always to Hardenhuish.
We didn’t make it this time to the National Finals at Lords, but the whole squad can be incredibly proud of their performance throughout the competition, our focus for the outdoor season will be to have confidence from the first match and smash it from the off.
Mrs Place
Year 7 pupil Imogen Drew recently entered her first Tae Kwondo competition in Torbay, competing in the South West ITF Championships, winning gold in high kick and sparring. A brilliant achievement for her first competition.
Further to Imogen’s Tae Kwondo success, for the second year running, Imogen was awarded the 2023 Sports Scholarship award from Wiltshire Council for Badminton. There were limited awards so an amazing achievement for her to receive this prestigious award, which is a testament to all her hard work.
London Mini Marathon
Hardenhuish pupil Selby Archer recently took part in the London Mini Marathon. The course was 2.62km finishing at the Mall. Following this, Selby was invited inside the gantry where he watched the other races taking place and interviews of the competitors by Jake Wightman.