Every year when October rolls around, the Bartholomew maths department run the Senior Maths Challenge, a multiple choice, 90-minute maths paper, designed to test the problem-solving skills of our Year 11, 12, and 13 students. These are run by the UK Maths Trust (UKMT) and are held internationally across secondary schools. The top-scoring 66% of participants are awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates in the ratio 3:2:1. This year, we had 89 students who chose to take part in the challenge, with 31 students achieving Bronze, 25 achieving Silver, and 8 achieving Gold.

A special congratulations go to Hannah B, Arthur F, Freddy W, and Tom W for achieving the joint highest score in Year 11, and to Ethan C, Roan E, Sophie F, Imogen P, Daniel A, Eddie B, Enes G, and Alexander W for getting through to the next round after the Senior Maths Challenge, the Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo, which will take place on Wednesday 20th November.

For those who are curious, Andrew Jobbings was a major contributor to the UKMT, and the following round is called the Kangaroo to acknowledge the contribution made by Australia to establishing large-scale mathematics contests.

On Tuesday 15th October, Ms Shao and I led our Year 11 Statistics group to Bletchley Park, the once top-secret home of allied code breaking in World War 2. It was here that Alan Turing and others used statistics to develop methods to crack the Enigma and Lorenz codes and decipher enemy communications. 

Students were given a guided tour of the grounds, visiting the manor and huts where vital codebreaking work took place. We also had time to explore on our own which enabled us to experience many of the fascinating interactive exhibits. Between lively conversations about what they would do with the grounds if it were their house, the students really did appreciate the magnitude of the work which had to be undertaken during the war. 

After fuelling up for lunch (in the wrong place as it happened - we stole another school's dining area), we attended a workshop on breaking the Lorenz cipher machine (a lesser known but much more advanced machine used by German high command to send messages to high ranking staff). Ms Shao and the students did a cracking job on deciphering the code... pun intended! As a reward, they all got a chance to play with the actual Enigma machine used in the film, 'The Imitation Game'. They were told that Benedict Cumberbatch had typed on those very buttons but most were more curious whether Kiera Knightly had.

The students were a credit to our school and asked brilliant questions throughout the day. We would thoroughly recommend visiting to anyone who has never been.

On the last Wednesday of Term 1 the school was treated to a fantastic music concert by our talented Year 7 students. The concert showcased a wide range of musical styles, from soulful spirituals to upbeat pop hits.

The Year 7 singers warmed our hearts with their beautiful voices, performing a selection of spirituals, as well as "Don't Worry" and the iconic "Circle of Life" from The Lion King. They brought the house down with a rousing rendition of "Can't Buy Me Love" by the Beatles.

We were also amazed by the solo performances of several brave Year 7 students. Skye wowed us with her rendition of "Naughty Girl" from Matilda, while Rhys's drum solo of "Back in Black" was nothing short of electrifying. Cadence's violin solo was simply breathtaking.

In addition to the individual performances, we were delighted to hear the string group, jazz band, and musical theatre group.

The PTA did a fantastic job providing refreshments for the concert, ensuring that everyone had a chance to relax and enjoy the music.

A huge thank you to all of the Year 7 students and their music teachers for putting on such a wonderful concert. We can't wait to see what they achieve in the years to come!

In July 2024, three students from Bartholomew School took part in the National Kayaking Competition and made a significant impact. Knoah A (Year 8), Sam  D (Year 10) and Koen A (Year 12), pictured here, competed in the Open Senior and Junior National Sprints Kayak Championships Regatta at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham. They were well prepared for the event and achieved notable success. 

Knoah competed in the Intermediate races where he came 2nd in the Final of the 500 meters K1, 5th in the final 500m K2 and 6th in the final of the 200m K2.

Sam competed in the under 16 races, coming 1st in the final of the 500m K4, 3rd in the final A of the 1000m K1, 4th in the final A of the 500m K1, 5th in the final of the 500m K2 and 6th in the final A of the 200m K1. This has been Sam’s most successful year in the competition, which paves way for his promotion to the Boys A team

And finally, Koen competed in his last junior year in kayaking in the under 18’s. Koen came first in the final of the 500m K4, 2nd in the final A of the 500m K1, 3rd in the final of the 500m K2, and 4th in the final A of the 200m K1. 

All three competed at the National Sprints September regatta and performed well, with Knoah winning 3rd place as National Intermediate Champion. Sam also represented Great Britain at the Olympic Hopes Regatta in Hungary last month, with excellent results. 

Our inaugural Year 8 'Careers Detective Day’ was held on Wednesday 16th October 2024 and we were delighted to welcome representatives from a wide range of careers to take part in the event. 

Students were set the challenge of trying to guess what our visitors' jobs were, without asking this directly but finding the right questions to ask  in a limited time, before moving on to the next person. Employers were asked to bring an object with them that they rely on for their work, but ensuring it didn’t give away their job too easily. This gave Year 8 students an invaluable opportunity to find out more about the range of jobs that are possible and explore the career journey required to do them. 

Students enjoyed this event very much and we are incredibly grateful to the members of the local community who kindly gave up their time to support us.