News and events
What's happening in DASP?
Science Family Fun Days
Look out for the Science Family Fun day at DMS on Saturday 21st January.
Bring your family and friends and come and work through a range of experiments and problem solving activities.
This is a rolling programme of events involving, Dorchester Middle, Puddletown St. Mary's, St. Osmund’s and the Thomas Hardye Schools.
Participating students will be awarded a school certificate.
Attendance at three Science Family Fun Days will lead to the award of a CREST Science Investigators Star certificate.
Click on the image above to download a poster.
Sport in DASP
We have added a new link to the side bar to access information on Sport in DASP. Do have a look to see what Levi Dailey, our new Sports Co-ordinator for DASP is achieving.
The DASP Olympic Torch
DASP Schools have been involved in their own Olympic Project, passing a torch from school to school. Each school is coming up with imaginative ways to carry the torch, from fire engines to horse drawn carriages. Whole schools are turning out to cheer the torch on and its certain these children will never forget Olympic year.
The Thomas Hardye School Student Voice have been visiting all schools as part of the Project. They work with children on Olympics related lessons.
To see photos and video of the handovers see our Olympic Torch Page.
A coach provided by the Allum family, brings the torch from Broadmayne to Frome Valley.
‘Wow’ Days get the year off to a great start…
Children at Manor Park have given their own direction to learning last Autumn term, through ‘Wow Days’ and ‘Hot Questions’.
In Key Stage One, Year One had a visit from a mysterious giant who left clues as to his identity. This was used as a stimulus to start the topic 'Marvellous Me.' Later this term Reception are planning WOW sessions to begin their topic 'If you go down to the woods today,' which include a visit to the woods and a visit to school by some owls.
In Year Two the children enjoyed starting their first mini topic ‘Toy Story’ by bringing in toys that were special to them and using them to generate their own questions. In the next few weeks we are looking forward to starting this terms main topic ‘Adventures on the High Seas’. This will be launched with our ‘WOW Day’, where the children will come to school dressed as pirates for a day of pirate fun!
In Years Three and Four, the hall became a place for inspiration and enthusiasm, as they examined Celtic artefacts, photographs, representations and a short film clip about Maiden Castle and Chesil Beach. Having been trained in the art of asking ‘hot questions’, they thought showered all of the questions about Celts and Maiden Castle they wanted answers to.
The questions have given a great basis for cross-curricular planning and the children have responded brilliantly!
Manor Park would like to say ‘Thank you’ to the Prince of Wales First School for allowing us to visit their roundhouse and enabling us to answer some of the many questions posed.
Michaela Rowe
Manor Park First School
DASP Middle Schools Orchestra at Corn Exchange
The Middle Schools Orchestra joined forces with the Durnovaria Silver Band for a Concert of Film Music at the Corn Exchange on Friday 17th June.
Proceeds went towards a fund to enable subsidised membership of the groups.
DASP Music Newsletter
A brand new music newsletter is available to download from this website. It has details of coming music events and reports of all the great musical activities happening in DASP. Go to the Music section or download the newsletter from here.
Dorchester Gifted and Talented Spring Writing Competition - The Winners
A special awards ceremony was held at Maiden Castle Farm, Dorchester on Tuesday 3rd May, 2011 for three pupils who won a very special competition.
The competition which was arranged by the DASP (Dorchester Area School Partnership) Gifted and Talented Co-ordinators Group was open to all pupils in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 throughout Dorchester. Pupils were encouraged to write a poem on the theme of Spring with each Key Stage having a different visual stimulus.
The winning pupils Ella (Key Stage 1 winner from Milborne St. Andrew First School), Madeline (Key Stage 2 winner from St. Mary’s Middle School) and Alex (Key Stage 3 winner also from St. Mary’s Middle School). All visited the farm to receive their winners certificate and meet the newborn lambs.
Chair of the DASP Gifted and Talented Co-ordinators Group, Gary Spracklen, explained how, "as a group we wanted to engage all our learners across the partnership in a competition that would inspire writing. We were delighted by the response from pupils and were very impressed with the quality of the poetry". The difficult job of selecting the winning poem in each category was given to Year 13 pupils at The Thomas Hardye Sixth Form. Gary explains how, "having pupils from Thomas Hardye Sixth Form involved in the judging shows how this competition has involved pupils at every level and highlights the strong links we have as a partnership".
The DASP Gifted and Talented Co-ordinators Group would like to thank all pupils who took part in the competition and the Hoskins family of Maiden Castle Farm for hosting the special awards ceremony.
A full list of finalists:
Winner of each Key Stage highlighted in bold.
KS1 Finalists:
Ella |
Year 2 | Milborne St. Andrew First School |
| Emiliea | Year 2 | Damers First School |
| Indira | Year 1 | Damers First School |
| Lucy | Year 2 | Sunninghill Prep |
| Phoebe | Year 1 | Damers First School |
KS2 Finalists:
| Madeline | Year 5 | St. Mary’s Middle School |
| Samuel | Year 4 | Broadmayne First School |
| Kiera | Year 6 | Dorchester Middle School |
| Georgia | Year 3 | Sunninghill Prep |
| Alice | Year 4 | Manor Park First School |
KS3 Finalists:
| Alex | Year 8 | St. Mary’s Middle School |
| Kate | Year 8 | St. Mary’s Middle School |
| Georgia | Year 8 | St. Mary’s Middle School |
| Katie | Year 8 | St. Mary’s Middle School |
| Lottie | Year 8 | St. Mary’s Middle School |
BBC Olympic Dreams Project Sporting Challenge
As we count down to the Olympics, Thomas Hardye and its link school in India, The Doon School are competing in sporting challenges - at a distance! As one school completes a challenge it sends a video to the other, who then take on that challenge. These can be seen at this website. Click on the link below.
Thomas Hardye/Doon Sporting Challenge
Weymouth Music Festival
On Saturday the 5th of March the Weymouth Music Festival was held at Wey Valley School. Many musicians, instrumental groups, bands and ensembles entered this exciting event. After a few events, it was my turn as a violin player in the DASP Middle Schools Orchestra, conducted by Johanna Wolff.
We played Dr. Who and Thus Spake Zarathustra. These both went well and we were given postitive feedback from the adjudicator. He also told us some good pointers for improving our playing.
We were very happy to be invited to play in the concert; enabling us to hear many of the other acts that had taken part. There was an amazing variety of talent so it would be hard to say what my favourite was, as they all did really well. I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to have taken part in it.
Eilish
See more accounts at:
http://www.dasp.org.uk/daspmusic.htm
Two DASP First Schools are judged Outstanding by OfSTED.
March 2011: Cerne Abbas First and Winterbourne Valley First School have both been judged Outstanding in their recent Oftsed Inspections. Congratulations to Helen Williams (Headteacher Cerne Abbas) and Rachel Horne (Headteacher Winterbourne Valley) and their staffs for this excellent achievement.
John Nash, Director of Children's Services for Dorset, talking about the Winterbourne Valley inspection said 'I was delighted to see that the school achieved an 'Outstanding' grading, and congratulate the Headteacher and whole school community on this excellent and well deserved result. In fact I have never seen such a remarkable report before.' In fact, OFSTED judged the school to be outstanding in all 31 categories – an outcome not achieved by any other First school in Dorset under the latest OFSTED framework.
The Winterbourne Valley report states ‘pupils’ achievement is outstanding and they make excellent progress so that by the time they leave Year 4, their attainment is high in English, mathematics and science. Evidence from lessons, pupils’ work and displays around the school shows that attainment in information and communication technology, art and design, geography, history and music is significantly above expectations for nine-year-olds. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make outstanding progress because of high-quality individualised support. Pupils are very successful in using their literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills in other subjects, especially in science, geography and history.’
The report also says that pupils' academic and personal development benefits enormously from the significant work of the Dorset Area Schools Partnership (DASP) in promoting, within the pyramid, high-quality learning from five to 16.
Prince of Wales First launch iPhone app
The Prince of Wales First School, Dorchester has become one of the first primary schools in the country to launch an iPhone App for parents and carers. The iPhone App was developed by the school’s ICT co-ordinator, Gary Spracklen, who says "The iPhone App has been developed in consultation with parents and carers and is intended to continue to support the strong communication links between home and school". The iPhone App offers parents, carers and members of the wider school community a powerful tool for keeping track of news and events from the Prince of Wales First School. Gary adds "Our parents and carers like to have a choice in how they access information, the iPhone App is an excellent development which supports the wide choice of communication channels already used by the school".
The iPhone App, allows users to view a school calendar and keep up to date with term times. Parent and Curriculum Governor for I.C.T, Katie Gallego, explains how, "Having this sort of information in the palm of your hand is invaluable as a parent". In addition to a school calendar, a ‘news section’ also provides a useful reference point for parents with information relating to each class. The iPhone App also has a built in feature which allows users to contact the school office. The school is already seeking to support other mobile devices.
The iPhone App, available now through iTunes, will be officially launched at the school’s Parent I.C.T Evening on Monday 8th November, 17:15-20:00. This event will allow parents, carers and members of the wider school community to explore the technology pupils use everyday to support their learning across the curriculum.
Puddletown First School gains Green Flag “Eco-Schools” award
September 2010: Pupils at Puddletown First School are rightly proud of the big green flag now flying in their playground. It was awarded to the school as a result of its “Eco-Schools” activities.
Children are the driving force behind the environmental improvements. The School Council lead an “eco-committee”. They have helped carry out an environmental audit of the school’s activities and resources and decide which environmental issues need to be addressed.
One of the developments over the last two years has been the design and planting of a nature area, “Butterfly Bus-stop”, with a wildlife pond, log pile and insect-attracting shrubs and flowers. The area is a valuable resource for lessons and the older children can also attend a lunchtime Nature Club.
Younger children at the school work hard during the spring and summer tending their raised fruit and vegetable beds. They are especially proud this year of their bumper crop of strawberries.
By maximising the use of the limited outdoor area, the school has also been awarded Natural England’s “Big Wildlife Garden Gold Award”.
A Stunning 91% 5 A* - C GCSE Pass Rate for The Thomas Hardye School
The Thomas Hardye School has achieved a 91% pass rate of five or more A* - C in the GCSE examinations. 413 out of 453 students gained these remarkable results and 79% achieved 5 A* - C including English and Mathematics, an increase of 1% on last year’s record score.
Mathematics and English lead the way with Mathematics gaining 130 of the top A*/A grades and English 132.
90% of the students gained the key GSCE in English – a wonderful performance.
Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, French and Design Technology also gained a substantial number of A*/A grades and very high pass rates. The school’s creative students also performed exceptionally well with 94% in Art and Design.
28% of all grades were A*/A.
As ever the school is keen to stress the depth and quality of its results. As the school for all students in Dorchester and the surrounding area these results indicate its success in achieving the best for every student in its care.
DASP Prom Concert 2010
On 3rd July 2010, the DASP Prom Concert was held again, in the Marquee in the grounds of Thomas Hardye. With the usual excellent variety of music and rousing finale, the show was a huge success. A number of people have suggested it was the best yet and a fine way for retiring DASP Music Adviser, Liz Adams, to 'leave the stage'.
As usual, the Concert was also the chance to present the annual DASP Citizen awards. These are given to children who make an outstanding contribution to the life of their school and is voted for by the children. Our photo shows Co DASP Director, Peter Farrington, with the winners.
Winterbourne Valley Maths Cafe
Winterbourne Valley First school recently ran a Maths Cafe. The children organised tea, cakes and scones and parents were invited to come along. Through the practical matter of preparing bills and taking payment, the children could practice their maths skills. As you can see from our photo, the school were very lucky with the weather and were able to run the cafe outdoors.
Sports Leaders at St Marys
In June, working with the West Dorset School Sports Partnership, St Mary's Middle School provided a venue and Sports Leaders for a day with First School children. They took the younger children through a range of sporting activities. Showing great maturity, this was a terrific experience for them and their younger participants.
Prince of Wales First win SWGFL Competition
Year 2 pupils from The Prince of Wales First School, Dorchester have won a prestigious e-safety competition. The competition was organised by SWGfL (South West Grid for Learning) and was open to all school’s in the south-west of England. The aim of the competition was to emphasize the importance of E-Safety and to encourage pupils to make E-Safety messages and deliver them in a way that would make a difference to the attitude of others.
Gary Spracklen (School ICT Co-ordinator), explains how pupils at The Prince of Wales First School created their entry, “As a Year 2 class we thoroughly enjoyed making our e-safety video and engaged in the design process using Merlin, our school’s VLE (virtual learning enviroment). Children began the process by accessing a range of relevant e-safety websites through our class page. The children then used a discussion board to share their thoughts and ideas of how we could communicate an e-safety message to children in a 30-second TV commercial”. Barbara Thomas, (Teaching Assistant), who also worked with the children in creating the entry, shared how, “The children were very keen to link in the Rights of the Child and therefore also considered their responsibilities when considering e-safety”.
Beatha and Lauren both in Year 2, explain how they came up with the SAFE internet ‘surfer’ theme. Beatha told us how she, “knew people use the word “surfing” for two fun actvities now, so she put the two together to create the idea of SAFE surfing”. Lauren explains how following their idea, the two girls enlisted the help of their classmates, “we asked everyone to bring in a bodyboard and we made a wave in our school hall using PE equipment and bits of blue and white fabric”.
The children who enlisted the help of Year 4 pupils, Lauren and Emerald to record their entry, now have an exciting day’s radio broadcasting to look forward to with Cylde Broadcasting. In addition to their main prize the school have also won a prize pack including a digital camera, flip video camera, digital photo frame, and much more.
See their video at:
Awards in Music for DASP Students
Two Thomas Hardye students have received the Hedy King Robinson Award from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music for their recent Theory Examinations.
Congratulations to Edward Nichols and Matthew Huxley.
Four DASP students have received awards from the Dorchester Choral Society SOLO Trust Fund for good and active progress with their music.
Congratulations to:
Lucy Abrahams - Thomas Hardye School
Alice Hamblin - Dorchester Middle School
Emily Goddard - St Mary's Middle School, Puddletown
Charlotte Mansell - St Osmund's Middle School, Dorchester
Thomas Hardye student wins national science award.
Each year the British Science Association and Young Engineers, in association with Crest Awards, run the National Science & Engineering Competition. We are very excited to announce that the senior age group, UK Young Scientist of the Year is Tom Hearing from the Upper Sixth of the Thomas Hardye School.
Tom wins:
• a cash prize
• a trophy
• a framed certificate
• a once in a lifetime trip to the NASA in Florida and Houston with the International Space School Educational Trust
• opportunities to represent UK youth science and engineering at events and visits in the UK and abroad.
Congratulations to Tom on this fantastic achievement and best wishes for an exciting future in science.
St Mary’s Puddletown - OfSTED Report praises school.
‘A good school which is taking the right steps to become outstanding’
This is how Ofsted described St. Mary’s CE Middle School, Puddletown in the school’s recent Ofsted Report.
During the two day inspection in January, the team of four inspectors observed several lessons and looked at all aspects of the school’s work.. The following areas were identified as ‘outstanding’
•
The outcomes for all children
•
The care, guidance and support provided for the children
•
Achievement and the extent to which children enjoy their learning
•
Behaviour in lessons and around the school.
•
Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
•
Governance
•
The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money.
The attainment of children by the time they leave the school was described by inspectors as, ‘exceptional’, with the vast majority of children achieving levels in English, Maths and Science well above age expectation.
Headteacher Carl Winch commented, ‘I am very proud of the staff and the children and I am pleased that the hard work of all at St. Mary’s and within the DASP partnership has been recognised. The Lead Inspector made it clear
that the school was very close to an overall ‘Outstanding’ judgement, which is something only 8% of schools have achieved under the new inspection framework, introduced last September. We are already working on a plan to further improve the quality of our provision and I look forward to the continued success of the school’.
St. Mary’s, as a Church of England School, was also inspected by the National Society, which described the school as, ‘consistently outstanding in all respects’ and ‘an environment where children thrive both academically and personally’.
An Outstanding DASP School
Congratulations to Headteacher Ann Herridge and Deputy Bob Duffin at Cheselbourne Village School for achieving an Outstanding judgement at their recent OFSTED Inspection. The school, set very much in the heart of Dorset and local rural community life, was rated ‘outstanding’ in 27 out of 28 separate assessments made by OFSTED, as well as in each of three overall categories of ‘Overall Effectiveness’, ‘Capacity for sustained improvement’ and ‘Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils’. The school, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, was commended by OFSTED who reported that its ‘Outstanding relationships between staff and pupils, together with the high quality provision, mean pupils love coming to school.’ OFSTED go on to say ‘Pupils work exceptionally hard and do especially well in both their academic and personal achievement.’
Commenting on the results, Head teacher Ann Herridge said ‘It’s such a thrill for everyone associated with the school to get such great feedback and endorsement from OFSTED. We all know how important the early years of learning are and we are blessed at Cheselbourne with a really friendly, hard working and skilled team of staff who together with volunteers, parents, governors, and the local community combine brilliantly to provide a great learning experience for the children’. Mrs Herridge went on to say ‘We may be a small school, but we are able to make a real virtue of this. Through strong links with the local community and the valuable resources Dorchester Area Schools Partnership provides we are able to create a flexible, diverse and nurturing learning environment which belies the size of the school. For example, we’re able to cater for all children’s needs including for example through extensive pre-school, music, sport and after school club activities. This, coupled with the individual attention we can provide in our small class sizes helps ensure every child has the best possible chance to make fantastic progress at Cheselbourne and importantly as they move on to St Mary’s Middle School, Puddletown and then Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester.’
Thomas Hardye and Dorchester Rotary lead way in Haiti Appeal
The Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester Rotary and Wessex FM have partnered together to co-ordinate the town's efforts to raise money for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Thousands of pounds have been raised, but lots more is needed.
Check out the special page at the Thomas Hardye School website for more information.
http://www.thomas-hardye.dorset.sch.uk/pages/news/news_2010/01_10/haiti_appeal.php
Cerne Abbas First School Achieve BECTA ICT Mark
DASP is very pleased and proud to announce that Cerne Abbas First School have been awarded the BECTA ICT Mark. This prestigious award is given to schools and recognises them for their achievements in "reaching a standard of maturity in their use of technology". This is not just about owning technology or even just using computers regularly. It is only awarded when a school shows that ICT is at the heart of what it does, is used when appropriate and that all staff are compfortable in making the most of ICT with their students. As well as rigourous self assesment and audit the school must satisfy an external assessor that they have reached the required standards.
Congratulations to Headteacher Helen Williams and ICT Co-odinator Jill Cochrane for their achievement. Not forgetting the staff and children of the school for their hard work.
DASP Keeps its Investors in People Status
December 2009: After a rigorous inspection process, DASP has once again been succesful in attaining its status as an 'Investors in People' organisation. Congratulations to everybody for keeping up these standards.
Cerne Abbas pupils win prize for video
Cerne Abbas First School recently entered a competition run by Dorset Cereals to create a film about growing cress. They have just received this letter.
Dear Cerne Abbas First School,
Thank you so much for all three of your wonderful entries into our Edible Playgrounds’ Cress Head Film Competition. We greatly enjoyed all of your films and thought each to be very imaginative and funny. The films have now been judged and I am very pleased to let you know that one of your films, ‘Eggstra Egg Joke’, has been chosen as one of our five winners. Congratulations to the three children who made this. Your prize, a flip camera, will be sent out to you shortly and we hope that you will all have lots of fun using it. We will also display the fact that you are one of our winners on the Edible Playground website this week, so do keep an eye out!
Congratulations again!
Best wishes,
Isobel Williams-Ellis
....................................................................................................................
Dorset Cereals Ltd
Edible Playground website at : http://www.edibleplaygrounds.co.uk/
See the Cerne animations at the Films for Learning website:
http://www.filmsforlearning.org/Tags.aspx?Tag=Cerne%20abbas
Anti Bullying Week
November 16th -20th was Anti Bullying week in the UK. Organised by the Anti Bullying Alliance (www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk) and supported by DCSF, a range of activities were ongoing. Dorset had a Conference on Monday 16th at which the Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester Middle and the Learning Centre were represented. The theme was Cyberbullying and the message got through, that Cyberbullying is bullying. Do check out our E-Safety page on this website.
Student Voice
DASP has a very active Student Voice Programme. With individual schools meeting, then getting together in mini pyramids to share thoughts. And then finally, at least once a term, all DASP schools Student Voice groups meet as one. To see a report on a typical mini pyramid meeting click here.
Sunninghill Prep in First Full Partnership between State and Independent Schools
Sunninghill Prep School in Dorchester has joined the DASP schools partnership in a pioneering venture that will break down traditional barriers between state and independent schools. Sunninghill Preparatory School is a co-educational school for children aged 2 years 9 months to 13 years. The partnership involves co-operation on planning for new initiatives in the curriculum, such as ways to deliver effective preparation for the demands of the Government’s new Secondary curriculum. It also involves teachers working together at all levels and pupils collaborating on special projects.
Mr. Andrew Roberts-Wray, Headmaster of Sunninghill Prep, points out: “Sharing good practice between teachers helps to generate creative solutions to shared problems and thereby increase the standards achieved by all the schools involved. At the same time, breaking down the artificial divide between our pupils and those from state schools, will benefit the community and offers a model that could benefit society in general,” He goes on to emphasise: “It is time to break down the social barriers that can cause problems for young people in later life by creating opportunities for them to work together without fear or prejudice during their school years.”
Sunninghill’s Chairman of Governors commented: “The established DASP partnership is nationally recognised for its excellent academic results, through close co-operation between its schools and yet every school involved retains its individuality and ethos. As Governors we support this move as it creates stronger links with Thomas Hardye Secondary School, to where many of our pupils move onto at 13.”
DASP Director, Peter Farrington and Head of Prince of Wales First School in Dorchester summarised. “Inviting Sunninghill into our partnership has given us a new dimension that supports our commitment to aim to provide the best education possible for our young people. We hope to share good ideas and get involved in new joint initiates that will enrich and broaden our curriculum.”
Thomas Hardye Science College: Miss Hilton is going to Antarctica!
Thomas Hardye Head of Chemistry Lyndsay Hilton writes:
"Well after a rigorous selection centre, I was delighted to find out last month that I have been selected to go on a science expedition to Antarctica in November 2010. The expedition is organised by a charity called the Fuchs Foundation, who aim to raise the profile of science in schools and the exciting research that is being carried out in places like Antarctica and encourage more young people to study science. I will be going with two guides and three other teachers from around the UK. During out 6 week stay we will each be conducting a science project and camping in temperatures down to -40°C, man-hauling all our tents and equipment and possibly even climbing mountains that have never been climbed before.
The science project I will be carrying out concerns the impact that nanoparticles could have on the world in the future. Nanoparticles are tiny particles that can only be seen with a very highly powered microscope, and billions of pounds is currently being spent by industry and the government into the benefits these particles may hold for us. Exciting new research has found that the glaciers in Antarctica may contain nanoparticles of iron oxide which may actually be able to slow global warming. Part of my project is to analyse the glaciers to determine if they do contain iron oxide, how much, and if this will have an impact on global warming. The second part of my project involves testing the wide variety of clothing that now contains nanoparticles. These have been engineered specifically to produce, for example, clothing which will never stain and socks that will never smell no matter how long you wear them. I am looking forward to testing those claims out!
One of the key benefits about me going is, on my return I will produce a number of lesson plans/resources based on my experience and use them in my own and other schools (particularly within DASP). I am keen for it not to just benefit science, as I am willing to collect a range of data for other subjects. Examples I have thought of are collecting physiology data to be used with PE, diary entries to be used with English, climate information for Geography, historical information on Antarctica for History etc.
To prepare for the expedition, we need to have lots of training in the UK and we are also going on a training expedition to Norway next year, bringing the total cost of the trip to around £35,000 per teacher! I need to raise £14,000, so watch this space for fundraising events coming up! One appeal I am making is for people to donate anything they have around the house that they no longer need and haven’t got around to selling yet. If you have anything like this at home, then please bring it into school. All donations I receive will be sold in my charity ebay store and all the money raised will go towards my fundraising target. Additionally, if you are planning on ordering from a retailer online, you can do so through my webpage and I will receive up to 12% of the purchase order from each retailer towards the expedition. Retailers include Next, M&S, Thorntons, Waterstones and the Early Learning Centre. It will cost you absolutely nothing and there are often unique special offers to be had through my website: http://www.buy.at/lhilton1.