We also say goodbye to Oliver Harris who has been an outstanding Trust Board member - a position he took up after many decades of teaching at the school, including a long period as a brilliant Deputy Head. He was instrumental in the development of NS from the initial plans to its current position.

On Monday night the Theatre was packed for our annual Sports Awards Evening which was a triumphant night of celebration given the amazing number of national titles / medals won this year. Many thanks to former student and outstanding role model, Ollie Sleightholme who gave an inspirational speech and a huge well done to all of the students who received an award! Special mention to the three top award winners -  Max Abraham - Young Sportsman of the Year, Matilda Hinde - Sportswoman of the Year and Jack Lewis - Sportsman of the Year.

The athletics section received a glowing report on Monday night, not least because of the heroic exploits of our English Schools athletes last weekend which included 6 top ten in the country performances and one Champion of England! Mr Taplin reports:

Over the weekend 7 NSB students represented Northamptonshire at the English Schools' Athletics Association Championships at Alexander Stadium (the venue for the Commonwealth Games and the upcoming European Championships). Whilst most of us were enjoying the high temperatures I'm sure you can imagine how difficult it was to have to compete in those conditions, especially when you are up against the very best in England. The summary of results for our students is below:

I would like to draw your attention to Mikey Graham (bottom left pictures) who you can see wearing his GOLD medal and England vest. He won the Intermediate Boys Shot with a throw of 16m 24cm and will now represent England at the SIAB home international Games in Belfast this weekend.

To have 6 finish in the top 10 is a great achievement, with Reuben only in his first season as a 400m hurdler so plenty more to come from him. They have all given the proverbial blood, sweat and tears and deserve all the accolades they get. They were great company and fantastic ambassadors for NSB throughout the weekend.

 

Whilst the Year 9 and 10 cricketers are taking on their first opposition in Barbados, the Year 7s and 8s have been excelling with both sides securing their respective County Cups and they will progress to the National rounds as the Northants winners.  

 

Well done also to the NSB Golf Team who performed strongly in their recent National Final - Mr Bradbury reports:

SGA National Final 

A fantastic day for NSB Golf at the ESGA Team Championship Scratch Finals.

Taking on some of the best state school golf teams in England, the boys battled it out on the incredible Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa and finished 7th in England 

A brilliant achievement and a great reflection of the commitment, teamwork and progress shown throughout the season.

Huge credit to the team for representing NSB with pride and embracing the challenge of competing on one of the country’s finest courses.

We wish Adam and Jadon all the best in their future golfing careers as they leave us this summer. 

Left to right: Jadon Pham, Adam Haywood, Cameron Black. 

 

Some news hot off the press is that our 5 NSB dancers who featured in last week's bulletin have  managed to secure third place in the World Dance Championships for their 'Group Jazz Dance Entry' as part of the Oncore Dance Group representing England - the icing on the cake for what has been a sensational year for NSB dance!

Speaking of Arts success - Show Stoppers last weekend had the audience virtually dancing in the aisles - Ms Hasan reports on a classic night of NSB entertainment!

On Friday and Saturday night, students from NSB took to the stage for our very first Show Stoppers! event. The production showcased an outstanding range of performances from students across all key stages and featured a wonderful return from NSB alumnus Ethen Powell, who delighted audiences in the role of Fagin from Oliver!.

Students from both Dance and Drama delivered exceptional performances, bringing to life moments from a variety of musicals, including Mary Poppins, Matilda, Hadestown, Oliver!, Little Shop of Horrors, and Billy Elliot, to name just a few.

From laugh-out-loud comedy to moving, emotional performances, Show Stoppers! had something for everyone. The event was a fantastic celebration of the talent, creativity, and dedication of our students. Congratulations to everyone involved, both on stage and behind the scenes, for making our inaugural Show Stoppers! such a memorable occasion.

 

Mrs O'Neill, Mrs Rutherford have sent in these reports after putting the Y10 / 12 Geographers and Sixth Form Gold Duke of Edinburgh students through their paces in recent weeks:

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition 6^th - 10^th July 

37 students successfully completed their Gold expedition in the mountains of Snowdonia, following a challenging route from Pen-y-Pass Youth Hostel to Betws-y-Coed via peaks including Glyder Fach and Moel Siabod, with scrambles such as Y Gribin and Daear Ddu adding to the challenge.

Throughout the expedition, the groups faced exceptionally hot weather alongside demanding terrain and remote open country. Despite these conditions, their navigation was of an outstanding standard, and their camp craft was equally impressive.

The resilience the groups demonstrated throughout the expedition was admirable. They worked exceptionally well as a team, maintaining high morale, supporting one another through long and demanding days, and ensuring that everyone's needs were considered. Their communication, teamwork and encouragement of one another enabled them to overcome every challenge they encountered.

During their final feedback, the groups identified their strengths as communication, pace management, navigation, camaraderie, safety and camp craft. These were thoughtful observations that I completely agree with. I would also add their positive attitude, ambition and team spirit, all of which were evident throughout the expedition.

When reflecting on areas for development,  the groups nor I could identify any significant improvements. They were a group  exceptional of students who should be extremely proud of everything they achieved.

 

Year 10 Geography Fieldwork

Our GCSE Geography students have also been busy completing their fieldwork in Abington, where they collected Environmental Quality Survey data as part of their geographical investigations.

The data gathered will now be compared with results from a contrasting location, allowing students to analyse differences in environmental quality and identify the factors that influence them.

Despite it being the final week of term, the students worked extremely hard and approached the fieldwork with enthusiasm and maturity, ensuring that they collected high-quality data to support their classroom learning.

A-Level Geography Field Trip to Dorset

Our A-Level Geography students enjoyed a fantastic week of NEA fieldwork on the Dorset coast, collecting primary data to support their independent investigations.

In Swanage, students examined the effectiveness of hard and soft engineering techniques and their impact on coastal processes, as well as studying sand dune psammosere succession at Studland. They also visited Boscombe to investigate regeneration schemes and evaluate different approaches to urban regeneration.

The hot weather certainly made fieldwork more challenging, but the students showed great resilience, enthusiasm and teamwork throughout the week. Hopefully, they have returned with plenty of high-quality data to underpin their NEA projects over the coming months.

Well done to everyone involved on a successful and enjoyable field trip!

A huge well done to our fabulous  staff Race for Life Team  who raised £2,555 for Cancer Research on Saturday. Many of the team ran in honour of NSB colleagues and friends who have fought cancer and it was brilliant to see many other NSB staff out in support!

Finally, thank you to everyone for your tremendous support of NSB this year, we hope that all connected with the school have a brilliant summer and we look forward to seeing our returning students in September for another year of fantastic NSB student success!!!

Richard Bernard MBE

Headteacher