Headteacher's Bulletin - Friday, March 1st 2024
We were delighted to welcome HM The Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire - James Saunders Watson - to the school today for a visit. The Lord Lieutenant enjoyed a thrilling Expressive Arts Showcase, followed by a highly informative Question and Answer session where the students benefited from his very thoughtful insights into the nature and purpose of the role of Lord Lieutenant.
The school was awash with wondrously vibrant traditional outfits on Wednesday as we celebrated our annual Culture Day. At lunchtime the Cripps Theatre rocked to a storm of positive energy as students celebrated their diverse cultural identities through inspirational fashion and dance. This was then followed by a packed World Fair with stalls dedicated to traditional foods representative of the rich cultural heritage of NSB students. The attached pictures give a clear picture of the phenomenal sense of school inclusivity that permeated throughout the day. Miss Adabale, who did a fantastic job of organisation alongside the Student Leadership Team, reports:
Our school Culture Day was a vibrant celebration of diversity and unity! From the World Fair showcasing our community's rich heritage to the mesmerising performances that left the watching students fuelled with cultural exploration and appreciation. The students shone throughout the day, dressed in traditional attire reflecting the beauty of our multicultural community. It was a day of joy, learning, and connection, reminding us of the strength found in embracing our differences. Thank you to the Race Ambassadors, students and staff who made this event such a resounding success!
Our Senior Dancers competed on Thursday in the penultimate round of Making Moves-a Sadler's Wells (World Leading Dance Organisation) project they have been working on since September. This has been a fantastic process for them from start to finish as they have been able to work with a skilled professional choreographer to generate their final piece for the project. 48 groups were selected from around the UK to take part in this process. A panel will watch all 48 pieces and will then select the final 8 groups who will attend the final at Sadlers Wells in July. A huge well done to the following students for their successes so far:
- Sam Antwi
- Eleanor Achurch
- Lily Pearson
- Haiden Battison
- Emily Montford
- Beth Pritchard
- Joss Philips
- Esme Nightingale
- Dylan Peterson
- Clara Thomas
- Seb Spence
Year 7 students have been thriving in History lessons. Curriculum Team Leader, Miss Imison writes:
Over the course of the last 2 terms the students have been busy learning about how William the Conqueror kept control of England after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The students were given the challenge of creating a defensive castle with a detailed explanation of how this would work to ensure control of England. We were blown away with the level of creativity, thought and historical detail that the students have shown. It was an incredibly difficult decision to decide on a winner, given the excellent standard. However, after much deliberation, we have chosen the following winners.
1st place - William Robertson - Chipsey
2nd place - Spencer Wiley - Manley
3rd place - Daniel James - Brightwell
We would like to thank all the students who worked so hard in creating their castle. It is worth mentioning that William's entry was actually a fully edible (except for the glue!) cake. All entries really were exceptional.
Year 12 student, Ben Aldridge has accomplished a phenomenal accolade by winning the County Schools Under 19 Table tennis competition two years young, with the final on his 17th birthday! What makes the accomplishment all the more special is that Ben has won the County Schools Championships every year since he has been at NSB - securing and retaining consecutive titles in the U11 / U13 / U16 / U19 categories across his five and a half years at the school. Ben was cheered on to the championship title by Mr Bradbury and by other members of the NSB playing squads and he has now qualified for the national finals on April 27th , for which he is training hard and he will compete in the finals against the best players in England.
Congratulations to the Year 8 football team who reached the Semi- Finals of the National Schools' U13 Cup after a 4-1 win against Rainham Mark Grammar School from Kent. The U13s are still on course for a historic National Cup triple, with the Elite / Schools Cup and B teams all now in the last 4 of their respective national competitions. The very best of luck this weekend to the U15 rugby team who face off against Stowe in the U15 National Cup Semi-Final at Aylesbury Rugby Club on Sunday - 10.30am kick off. The U14 rugby team have their Rugby National Cup Semi-Final at home next Thursday against King's School, Macclesfield - 3.45pm kick off on the NSB First XV pitch - support welcome.
Keeping on the sporting front, news - hot off the press is that Max Roper (Y8), Michael Graham (Y9) and the Junior and Senior Relay Teams have today won Golds at the British Indoor Rowing Championships for Year 8 / 9 / Seniors respectively, coming top of the pile in races involving well over 260 competitors.
Year 10 Drama students have been working hard on a play, called Wind/ Rush Generation(s) from The National Connections Programme. The play ran to great acclaim on Thursday evening and is also being performed tonight at 7.00pm in the Atrium (The Cripps Hall). The play has been a part of the National Youth Connections programme, because of its brilliance in raising awareness of the Windrush scandal and because it allows youth groups to get involved in such an important topic in a highly significant way. This year, Ms Hasan has utilised the programme as a stretch and challenge project for our most gifted thespians and they have certainly risen to the demands to create such a highly reflective piece.
Finally, we had three hugely successful residential trips go out over the holidays - skiing in Italy, music in California and a cultural trip to Thailand. Brief write ups from the staff leaders can be found here:
LA Music Tour
Ski Tour
Thailand Tour
Mr Bernard
Head Teacher
