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Welcome to our first newsletter for this academic year—a chance to share all the great work happening at Ribston and to celebrate our students' successes.
This term has exemplified what an amazing community we have at Ribston. We’ve welcomed our new Year 7 students as they begin their Ribston journey, and they’ve already embraced new experiences—from an adventurous three-day residential at Croft Farm Water Park to Unity Day with our Year 12 students. It’s been fantastic to see them building friendships and settling into life here. They’ve taken on both their academic lessons and extra-curricular activities exceptionally well, from water sports and tackling their first-ever 'Ribston Challenge' on a rainy night to showcasing creativity in House performances. We are very proud of how well they’ve adjusted in just their first term.
This past week, we hosted three Open Mornings and an Open Evening, all of which went very well. Our student volunteers did a fantastic job representing the school, and we received positive feedback from many visitors about how welcoming and informative the events were. Thank you to everyone who participated—we look forward to seeing many of these families join the Ribston community next September!
Lastly, I have to mention our Sustainable Fashion Show, held last night. It was a huge success, featuring impressive textile work from our students, delicious culinary contributions, and seamless technical support that brought everything together. We look forward to sharing more highlights and photos from the event after half term!
As we move forward, I want to thank the Ribston community—students, staff, and families alike—for their support in making this a vibrant start to the school year.
Mr Alec Waters
Headteacher
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A Big Thank You to Our Sponsors!
We are very pleased to announce that our call for parental sponsorship to support our school’s sports kits has received an overwhelming response! Thanks to the generosity of four incredible sponsors, we have been able to secure multiple kits for our students, ensuring they are well-equipped to represent Ribston in upcoming sports events.
A huge thanks go to the following sponsors for their generous contributions:
With these new kits, our students are not only ready to compete but will also do so with a sense of pride and team spirit. We are hugely grateful for the support, and we look forward to sharing the teams activities with you soon.
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Year 7 Residential
What a fabulous start to the year our Year 7s have had! The majority of the year group attended a three-day residential at Croft Farm Water Park, where they participated in two days of water sports in their Houses and a day of land activities in mixed groups.
Before we left for the residential, there was a House competition for the 'posh' cabins, and the Saxons were victorious! This House competition will now feature annually and will start in August during Summer School.
During the residential, students embraced every opportunity, come rain or shine, and staff received numerous positive comments from the instructors about the year group.
Due to the rain on the first evening, we hosted our first 'Ribston Challenge' activity, where students participated in cabin groups to solve cognitive challenges. Congratulations to the Romans, who came in first!
Our final night featured a hugely successful disco and tuck shop, which was a fitting way to end the trip. Huge thanks must go to the staff who gave up their time to supervise the year group, and to the parents who trusted us with their children.
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Modern Foreign Languages Department
During the week of the 23rd of September, we hosted 11 students from Bologna, Italy, as well as their teacher, Luigi. These students were in England for a week, staying with host families in Cheltenham, which was organised by the Inlingua language school, and they were at Ribston to gain an authentic experience of school life in England. They were each paired with one of our Year 12 students, accompanying them to their lessons during the week. This not only gave them the chance to improve their English through a series of A Level classes, but also the opportunity to socialise with our students in and out of lessons. Their Ribston buddies did a great job throughout the week.
Each student appreciated how welcoming everybody was, as well as the wide variety of subjects that they got to sample. The biggest culture shock came not from the language barrier, but from the inclement British weather.
All in all, this was an enriching experience for all of those that were involved.
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Drama
On Sunday 6th October, Alisia (Year 9) and Isabella (Year 8) performed in a West End show in London at His Majesty’s Theatre, where the Phantom of the Opera performs.
The show was called ‘Across the Line’. It was about a group of voyages who had to collect three valuable treasures from different worlds (Shallow Lands, Tunnel Town and Skylo) to save their land. The Academy, which Alisia and Bellow are members, played in scenes 2 and 4, which are based on Shallow Lands. Shallow Lands is a place where everyone is forced to be happy.
"I played Dink, who was part of the voyager crew. They were the youngest of the squad and were described as honest, courageous, and not afraid to speak about the truth. I was involved in all the dance numbers and acting" - Alisia
"I played a Shallowlander. In this role, I danced in all the dances and sang all the songs, and I contributed to some of the acting. I was also a block mover, which meant I moved stage blocks around the stage for the main roles to stand on!" - Bella
The students have been rehearsing since the start of January 2024. It has been a long process, but Alisia and Bella were both very happy that we were able to accomplish this! The Drama department is so proud and excited for the students that they have had such a brilliant opportunity working on the West End.
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Computing
Digital Logic Design Club
This term, Philip Abbey from L3Harris kicked off sessions for our Sixth Form Digital Logic Design Club. Six enthusiastic students have joined, diving into the basics of creating a silicon chip in software and coding their first designs. They also explored how these engineering tools are used in real-world applications. One student remarked on how fascinating it was to see the role physics plays in designing logic systems.
Last year, the club's efforts were recognised by The Engineer website! Read more here.
In-Depth Look at Network Security
Humairaa, Emma, and Richard from BAE recently led an exciting hands-on network security session for our Year 11 GCSE Computer Science students. Students got to strip the insulation from network cables and intercept and decrypt messages sent between two “hacker” devices to unlock a code, ultimately winning access to rewards! Humairaa, a Ribston alumna who completed a degree apprenticeship with BAE, and her colleagues also shared insights into their careers.
Could You Help Inspire Learning at Ribston?
Both Philip Abbey from L3Harris and Richard from BAE, who led recent activities, are also parents of Ribston students. If you're interested in connecting subject learning with career insights, please get in touch.
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Ribston Hall’s Talented Singers!
We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of Ribston students in their recent external music examinations, all under the guidance of Mrs. Field, one of our longest-serving peripatetic teachers with a distinguished teaching career.
Mrs. Field entered students for the Trinity College London exam, where their hard work and passion for singing were recognised by the exam board.
Amy Poad (Year 8), who performed as a Keyboard Ensemble member at our last concert, is also an exceptional singer! She passed her Grade 2 singing exam with Distinction. Mahi (Year 9), known for her wonderful singing style, achieved a Merit in her Grade 4 exam. Regina (Year 10), our GCSE music student and Chamber Choir member, recently began singing lessons and has already showcased her natural talent by passing her Grade 5 exam!
Another GCSE music student, Niamh (Year 10), is a key member and leader in all our choirs (Chamber, Show, and Junior), as well as being active in the orchestra. She passed her Grade 5 singing exam with Distinction. Tanudi (Year 8) faced her very first singing exam with great composure and successfully passed her Grade 2 exam. Finally, Evie (Year 9), a talented singer and excellent pianist, earned a Merit in her Grade 5 singing exam.
We are incredibly proud of the commitment and dedication our musicians show toward their craft. A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to all of the singers mentioned!
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Engineering Dreams at Imperial: A Summer to Remember
Earlier this year, I applied for a summer school, based at Imperial College London for a week, which was funded by a worldwide company called ZEISS. It was focused towards materials engineering, studying the microstructure and behaviour of different materials for inventions. I applied without thinking I was going to get in, but was surprised to see I was one of the 24 selected out of around 200 students. My time there was an experience out of this world, with a perfect balance of research and sightseeing. People from around the world came to experience this, and it was a privilege to meet people who shared similar interests to me. Not only were we presented with lectures from professors who dedicated years to this field, but we got hands-on experience working in labs, participating in things such as creating our own composites and using electron microscopes to do a range of imaging. To end our time, we had a group presentation competition, where we got to present a topic of our choice we were fascinated by during our time there. I personally was interested in ceramics and their use in aerospace engineering. We got to meet alumnis who studied at Imperial and present it to them. After lots of hard work, I am very proud to say that my group and I came in first place, winning a ZEISS Bluetooth speaker! I would strongly recommend anyone who is unsure of what they want to do in the future to partake in events such as this in their free time. This summer school definitely changed my perspective on what I would like to do in the future.
Yusra Abdulahi
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Congratulations to Macy in Yr 10, who took part in the British and European Drum Corps Championships held in Belgium recently. She took part with her Performance Ensemble, which is a Youth Marching Band and her group won a gold medal!
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One of our new students, Eliza in Year 7, had an incredible day competing at the Western Open European Championships in Ballroom and Latin DanceSport! Starting at 6am, she showcased her talent throughout the day. Her fantastic results included: Vice Champion in the Ballroom Solo U12 category (Waltz Quickstep), Vice Champion in the Teacher-Student U12 category (Waltz Quickstep), Champion in the Latin T/S U12 (CCC Jive), and a finalist in the Latin Solo U12, placing 3rd. What an amazing achievement!
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Congratulations to Poppy in Year 9, who won a silver medal in a karate competition this month (black belt group). This marks her 12th medal since she started training at age 8!
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Well done to Charlotte in Year 8, who was recently selected for the County Cricket U13 Girls Winter Performance Programme. There was lots of competition at the trials for a place, so this is a really fantastic achievement!
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Congratulations to Georgia in Year 10, who competed in the Maritime Agency 3km Open Water swim in Wootton under Edge last month. Georgia came third and recorded a new personal best time of 44mins 45secs.
The water temperature was a very cold 16.6 degrees!!
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Grace in Year 7 had an exciting opportunity on the set of Peaky Blinders in Birmingham on 21st October. She performed as an extra alongside other actors portraying her family. The scene, which featured Cillian Murphy riding a horse, was filmed nearly 100 times! A fantastic acting experience. Well done Grace.
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Congratulations to the Romans who are head of the leader board for the first term of the 2024/25 academic year!
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