THE

TCS Tribune
Achievement Excellence Integrity

Issue #18 - Spring 2023

1 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

 Dear valued Parents, Carers, and members of the community,

Welcome to the 18th edition of the TCS Tribune. This is our termly
newsletter dedicated to sharing the activities of the students and staff
in our wonderful school with our wider community.

It has been a busy term as usual, with our students and staff involved
in lots of exciting learning and activity.

We were finally able to get the Berlin trip off the ground after
interruptions for Covid and rescheduling due to substantial flight-cost
increases. You can read about the trip in this edition. It certainly looks
like the students got a lot of out of it and we are so grateful to our
wonderful staff who volunteer to organise such trips and volunteer to
supervise children on their non-working days, evenings and weekends.
Without them, these opportunities could not exist.

We have had other day and evening trips out of school. More than 70
Year 11 students attended the New Theatre in Oxford for “Poetry Live!”
and our Drama students went to the Fortune Theatre to attend the
famous show, “The Woman in Black.” These trips provide excellent cultural education for our students and
bring alive their learning in Drama and English.

We particularly enjoyed the Dance Showcase where the GCSE Dance students performed their
choreography examination pieces to an invited audience. The photos are excellent and a sample are
included in this edition. Performance is a key part of GCSE Dance, Music and Drama and we are grateful
for your support in attending these to watch your children perform.

We have hosted two information evenings for parents and carers, these being our virtual SEND information
evening and our virtual online safety evening. We continue to hold many of these events virtually because
parents and carers tell us that this helps them to attend if they have work commitments or difficulties in
coming to school for a presentation. It also means that the recordings of these evenings can be stored on
the website for anyone to access if they need to.

Our PTFA (Parent, Teacher and Friends Association) has been gaining momentum. The PTFA are a
registered charity and help to raise funds for the equipment and facilities at the school. Recent purchases
include benches, specialist science equipment and specialist design technology equipment, such as our
laser cutter. All these items provide benefit for all children and help to enhance the learning experience.
If you feel you can join the PTFA in their fundraising activities, even if you are only able to offer a small
amount of time, please get in touch. Please see the article in this edition for other ways to help and to find
out more about their activities.

We are also very excited to announce that our gym refurbishment is complete. We now have the latest
equipment waiting to help you achieve your fitness and health goals. Details of how to join and the cost
of membership can be read in the article in this edition. Joining the gym provides great value for you and
helps to support the school.

We have a new chess club at Testbourne and we often see chess being played on the playground at
lunchtimes. Chess seems to be becoming quite popular and is starting to attract younger students too.
It has even become a lunchtime spectator sport! Games taking place on the playground often attract a
cheering crowd, with all the associated spectator “oo-ing and ah-ing” with each twist and turn. My turn at
some very speedy lunchtime chess resulted in a humiliating defeat! We are looking for donations of chess
sets if you have one that you no longer use.

1 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

Every half term, I write Headteacher recognition letters for two children nominated in each year group. With
every whole term, I host a small tea party for those in receipt of the letters. This is always a great pleasure
and gives me opportunity to focus on children who are very representative of Testbourne students: polite,
kind, thoughtful, resilient and hard working. The students are always a delight to talk to and really brighten
my day. These are this and previous term’s Headteacher recognition letter recipients:

Autumn 1 Autumn 2 Spring 1 Spring 2

• Eden Larsen • Emily Piszton • Devesh Kumar • Francis Harding
• Ted Verney • Oleksii Bilanov • Lily-Joyce Betterton • Ilona Khafizova
• Benjamin Calvert • Ava Selwood • Fred Lomax • Alfie McDonald
• Aimee Davis • Nathan Partridge • Jaimi-Lea • Charlie Ball
• George Robinson • Alfie Stickland Bruckshaw • Molly-May Paddock
• Lily Ellis • Ruby Tatum • Samuel Wigmore • Declan Cann
• Grace Hitchcock • Eva Kelly • Saskia Burnett • Alexandra Rolfe
• Isaac Hodges • Michael Norman • Angel Cao • Madi Noakes
• Lucy Walters • Oliver Tempest
• Ruby Lavender
• Rowan Phillips-
Smith

Our congratulations goes to them for excelling in their demonstration of the Testbourne Standards
of Excellence.

I wish you a peaceful and happy Easter. I hope you can spend some time with friends and family
and we look forward to welcoming the children back after the break.

Best wishes,

Mr Jon Beck

Headteacher

TCS
Testbourne Community School
Achievement Excellence Integrity

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Berlin Trip 2023
Testbourne students recently travelled to Berlin on a
school trip to study German history from 1919 to 1945.
The Olympic Stadium was one of the first places they
visited. They learned that the building was built for the
1936 Olympics and, other than hosting the games, it
was used to showcase Nazi Germany’s power and
propaganda. They also visited the Reichstag, the
German Parliament building. They learned that this was
where the Enabling Act was passed, giving Hitler the
power to rule by decree. The glass dome symbolizes
transparency and democracy, and the rebuilt version
represents the reunification of Germany.

The students also visited the site of the Nazi book burning, where the suppression of intellectual freedom
was symbolized. It has now been turned into a memorial, which serves as a reminder of the importance
of preserving intellectual freedom and resisting censorship. Shortly after, they visited the Sachsenhausen
concentration camp (which was another place that left a profound impact on them). It was there that
thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured, and killed during the Nazi regime. The camp has been
preserved as a memorial to the victims, and visitors can learn about the atrocities that took place.

Finally, the Memorial to the Holocaust was a somber and reflective experience for the students. The
memorial consists of 2,711 concrete blocks representing the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust.
These historical sites serve as a reminder of the dangers of extremism, the importance of democracy and
the need to preserve human rights and intellectual freedom. The students felt privileged to have had this
opportunity, and they hope that these sites will continue to be preserved as a reminder of the past and a
guide for the future.

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4 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023
Online Safety Evening
On Tuesday, March 7th, Dr. Hall, our Senior Designated
Safeguarding Lead, provided an Online Safety
Information Evening with the objective of educating
parents and caregivers about the various online threats
that are prevalent today, while also providing guidance
on managing precarious online scenarios.

The event covered the content below:

• Knowing where the potential risks may lie: the 4

Cs of Content, Contact, Conduct and Commerce.
• Understanding the potential risks around social
media applications.
• Understanding the law – particularly in relation to sharing of images, cyberbullying and related online
behaviour.
• Looking at the potential risks that technology may have – phones, tablets, laptops, smart speakers,
and games consoles etc.
• Advice on how to talk to your child about online safety – in general or if you are concerned about what
they are doing.
• Signposting resources that are available from experts in online safety.
• What to do if you are worried that your child is at risk of harm.

If you would like to watch a recording of the event, then please visit our website, where the video can be
found in our Latest News page.

SEND Evening 2023

On 28th February we held our annual SEND
Information Evening, a virtual event hosted on Teams
with all parents invited. Our SENDCo Mrs Gray and
Assistant SENDCo Mrs Sykes talked about the support
TCS gives to students to overcome learning barriers.
Parents were invited to submit questions, and many
were answered on the evening. The rest are covered
in our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ available via a link
on this page of the Testbourne website: https://www.
testbourne.school/home/curriculum/send/. Parents
who were unable to join us for the Information Evening
can access the recording via the same web page
given above. If you have any questions about SEND at
Testbourne Community School please email our dedicated email address on [email protected].

5 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

Options Evening 2023
During the Spring term, Year 9 students have been
busy thinking about their options choices and what they
might want to do when they leave Testbourne. Options
Evening took place on Wednesday 22nd February,
where parents and carers had a chance to find out
more information about the Options process whilst Year
9 students got to visit the subject marketplace in the
Sports Hall. Subject specialists and GCSE students
were on hand to help answer questions and promote
their subject, and there was a real buzz from our Year
9s about the subjects they might choose to study next
year. Year 9 students have until Friday 31st March to SIMS
submit their choices and comments using the SIMS PARENT
Options website - www.sims-options.co.uk

Mind Kind
Testbourne’s Mind Kind Team has been working
hard and one of our Mental Health Ambassadors has
created some lovely, colourful posters to be displayed
around the school. These posters focus on positive
thinking, gratitude, and resilience.

On Thursday 23rd February we hosted an information

evening for parents and caregivers that was facilitated
by The Molly-Rose Foundation. The feedback from
attendees was very positive:

“Despite not having a child who is struggling, the session opened my eyes to
look for signs and hit home how quick things can change.”
“The workshop was brilliant, so informative and positive.”
“Very emotive and motivating for all the attendees.”

We plan to host another mental health information evening in the summer term.

6 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

 TCS
Testbourne Community School
Achievement Excellence Integrity

Delta – Oscar Foxtrot – Echo 2023 Update *

Testbourne’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award group
2023 is well underway with students completing two
Day Walks in January and February, getting to grips
with map reading and walking up to 10 miles. During
the Day Walk near St Mary Bourne, one group also
visited some alpacas and helped to feed them!

Students have also practised putting up tents,

communicated across the school site using radios and
the NATO phonetic alphabet, and started learning how
to use camp stoves for cooking. On the last Saturday
of term, they spent a very useful day learning First Aid
to prepare them for anything that might happen on their
expeditions in the summer. Hopefully these will be skills for life as well as for DofE.

Leaders Andy Key, Caroline Orange, Mrs Nottingham and Dr Wilson have been running the training
sessions and enjoying getting out on walks with groups of students, and thanks also go to parent volunteer
Tony Reid and to Mrs Kay for taking part in walks and training to help the group out. Another Testbourne
parent, Alex Cruickshank, came along to give an excellent presentation about the Countryside Code and
the New Forest recently too. Many thanks to all of them!

Meanwhile the first ever Silver DofE Award group has also launched, with seven students in Year 11 busy
not only with GCSE preparations and mocks but also with their Physical, Skill and Volunteering sections.
Their expeditions will be after GCSEs in July. Huge thanks to parent volunteer Caroline Orange for taking
on the organisation and logistics of the Silver Award, so that we can support students in gaining their Silver
Awards.

*Delta - Oscar Foxtrot – Echo are the NATO phonetic alphabet words for DofE

7 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

STEM
STEM provision at Testbourne has been continuing
to develop and evolve over this year. We now offer a
STEM Club, which runs every Thursday after school;
participating students have been producing solutions
to a range of STEM challenges. The STEM site on
SharePoint has now been updated so it is even easier
to find out about how Testbourne has been developing
its STEM offer. The site also incorporates a section on
STEM news, where students can find out about what
new features and events are happening locally as well
as nationally and globally. Other STEM opportunities
are also featured, enabling students to enter a range of
competitions and to develop their STEM and creative
skills well as encouraging them to consider innovative solutions. There is also a diary of forthcoming
events, including the STEM Day for Year 7 (which is going to happen just after the Easter break) as well as
a ‘Race for the Line’ event happening in the summer term. For more information regarding STEM, please
get in touch with Mr S Homewood.

GCSE Dance Showcase

On Thursday 23rd March the GCSE Dance students performed their choreography exam work to an invited
audience. The students were able to select their own stimulus, music and lighting for this component as
well as choreograph the movement. They were extremely professional, and everyone was extremely proud
of their hard work.

8 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

News from the Library
We have had a busy term in the library, starting with a visit from
local author Jo Clarke to our TCS book club. Mrs Clarke spoke
to our students about her newly published book: Libby and
the Highland Heist, sharing the ups and downs of her writing
journey. She gave students advice and encouragement to craft
their own heist stories, inspiring them to create imaginative
scenarios along with providing helpful hints for how to make
a successful mystery story work. We are immensely grateful
to Mrs Clarke for giving up her time to visit us and helping to
enrich our students’ literary environment.

We also had a virtual author visit from the writer of the ever
popular Murder Most Unladylike series, Robin Stevens. This
was a pre-recorded interview that she did for the Hampshire
School Library Service, and Robin answered questions that
schools had sent in advance, including one from TCS. We
are fortunate to have copies of all the Murder Most Unladylike
books in the library, including a copy of her newly published
book, The Ministry of Unladylike Activity, for students to borrow.

World Book Day was celebrated in March, with staff dressing

up with book related accessories and a scavenger hunt around
school for students to take part in. They had to find pictures
of book characters and fill in an answer grid to work out an
anagram of a book related sentence. It was quite tricky, but
plenty of students successfully completed it to win a small
prize and recognition points. We ran an illustration competition
where students were asked to recreate a picture from their
favourite book or illustrator, or to redesign the front cover of a
book of their choice. There were some strong entries, with two
winners, Jasmine and Evie, both Year 8, and two runners up,
Alyssa in Year 11 and Hannah in Year 9.

Don’t forget that the Sora app is available for ebooks, audio books and magazines and is accessible
throughout the Easter holiday. If you are spring cleaning and come across any “lost” library books in your
child’s bedroom, please ensure that they are returned to school as soon as possible. There are currently a
huge number of overdue books that are waiting to be read by other students.

9 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

Engineering Technical Award
Engineering Technical Award Students in Year 10 have
been manufacturing their Unit 1 practical piece out
of aluminium and steel. The product is a small hobby
clamp which can hold a variety of small objects but
will also tilt and lock to any desired position. Students
must manufacture all parts and use a wide variety of
practical techniques including use of tap and die, filing,
drilling, cutting, and using a lathe, as well as measuring
and marking using a wide variety of hand tools. The
course enables students to produce very high-quality
finished products as well as design and plan how they
will realise the result.

MFL Revision Conferences

On Friday 24th March, all Year 11 Modern Foreign
Languages students were invited to masterclass
conferences.

These conferences were an opportunity for our Spanish

students to have a masterclass with our new Head of
Department, Miss Matthews, and our French students
to have a masterclass with Miss Norris, who is sadly
relocating at Easter.

The conferences focused on the four key skills

of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Pupils
discussed questions from the recent mock exams and
were provided with a range of revision tools and tips to help them with exam skills such as deciphering
questions, identifying tenses, improving accuracy and clarity and developing and extending ideas.

Both Miss Matthews and Miss Norris were delighted to see pupils so engaged and showing real dedication
and diligence in their individual sessions. Pupils found the oral exam practice to be most beneficial given
that the speaking exams commence in less than a month. Pupils left feeling motivated and inspired, and
with plenty of resources to aid their revision in the run up to the exams.

10 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

PTFA Updates
Fund Raiser

The Parents Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA)

work with the school to raise funds. We are a charity
and every penny we get helps our children. Currently
our main aim is to raise enough money for a new
shelter to be installed, most likely on the main school
playground. This will provide students with additional
protection from the elements during morning break and
at lunchtime.

The PTFA’s most recent fundraising events have

gone a long way to making the shelter a reality. * photo used for illustrative purposes only
We’ve had two recent events, the Christmas Fair
and involvement with the school production of
‘Footloose’.

Christmas Wishes Come True

The Christmas Fair is always a crowd pleaser, and it

certainly didn’t disappoint this year. The Sports Hall
was transformed into a wonderful winter wonderland
- everyone thoroughly enjoyed the festivities, the
amazing sense of community, and bucket-loads of
Christmas spirit!

Prizes galore were donated by businesses far and

wide for the ever-popular raffle, including from the
Anvil, Bombay Sapphire, Café Pueblo, Caviste,
Overton Co-op and Whitchurch Co-op, Clacy’s Garage, David Manning & Co, English Rose Salon, Hardy’s
Plants, Honesty, Kudos Café, No1 George Street, Renasci Designs, Rosebourne Garden Centre, Ryan
Dickinson Plumbing & Heating, Sarah Dutton Photography, Tesco, and Turners Butchers of Overton.

Thank you to all who worked tirelessly to make this fantastic event happen, from members of the PTFA, to
the stall holders, students, teachers, local businesses, and of course our wonderful community.

The PTFA are thrilled to share with you that the Christmas Fair made a total of £4,200. This was made
possible, in part, by Match Funding from Debbie and Mike Crapper via Vodafone, and from Adele
Thorogood via Barclays; matching funds of £1,828. If you work for a large company who offer Match
Funding, read on to find out more about how you can help us.

11 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

Footloose, School Production

The drama was high in December with a dazzling

production of ‘Footloose’, which heralded the return
of mass-participation live performances at the school.
The staff, students and PTFA pulled out all the stops
to make it a real event to remember.

Our wonderful community responded to the promise

of great entertainment with a full house every night,
and the PTFA’s provision of refreshments raised
another £185 towards the shelter.

So far we have raised an incredible amount for the shelter – about £17000! – and we are well on our way
with getting final quotes for the work: but we still need your help. Can you donate some money to help us
secure this shelter? We have recently set up the facility to make a donation via Scopay. Parents can log on
to Scopay and give us a direct donation of £10, £5 or even just £1 towards the shelter. Every penny counts
and we are aware that lots of parents do not have much time but do want to support us.

How else can you support the PTFA?

Although we have raised thousands of pounds towards the shelter, we need to do more, as this is a huge
project. The PTFA are a fun and hard-working group of parents and teachers that really feel passionate
about getting the very best for the school. Can you help us? Here are a few ideas that mean you can
contribute.

1. Time / Skills: If you can offer your time or skills to support the fundraising efforts of the PTFA,
please contact the PTFA team on [email protected].

2. Just Giving Page: Make a donation, and if possible, we can also claim Gift Aid on your donation of
25% if you are a UK Taxpayer. See the link for more details:
https://www.justgiving.com/ptfa-testbourneschool.

3. Match Funding: Does your employer offer Match Funding? Maximise your fundraising efforts by
securing pledges to match donations made to the PTFA. Please get in touch if you would like more
details – the school can provide a letter of support that you can present to your employer to help
with your donation.

4. Easyfundraising: Make money for the PTFA whilst you shop online! Sign up via:
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ and visit our Testbourne Parents Teachers & Friends
Association page.

For more information about the PTFA, check out the PTFA page on the school website:
https://www.testbourne.school/home/parents/ptfa/ or join the PTFA Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TestbournePTFA
- Louise Clark and the rest of the PTFA

12 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

The Woman in Black Drama Trip
Recently, a group of TCS Drama students had the
opportunity to visit the Fortune Theatre, London and
attend a performance of the famous stage show
“The Woman in Black”. The excursion was not only
enjoyable, but also provided an educational experience
for the students… and it was very scary!!

“The Woman in Black” is a compelling theatrical piece,

based on the novel by Susan Hill. It is known for its
intricate plot, suspenseful atmosphere, and powerful
performances. Watching the play allowed the students
to experience a different art form, one that relies on
storytelling, stagecraft, and the collective imagination
of the audience. The production also gave them an insight into the world of theatre and the complexities
involved in putting on a successful show.

The trip allowed students to broaden their horizons, learn about different cultures and art forms, and
develop critical thinking skills. There was plenty of discussion on the way home about which moment was
the scariest!

The students behaved admirably throughout the trip, showing respect and courtesy towards their peers
and the teachers who accompanied them. Their behaviour in the theatre was perfect and set the standard
for how schools should behave whilst watching a live show.

Overall, the school trip to London to watch “The Woman in Black” was a resounding success. The students
had a memorable experience and gained valuable insights into the world of theatre… and they ‘jumped’
loads!

Poetry Live!
‘Poetry Live!’ is a touring study conference arranged in
concert with the exam boards. Authors of some of the
set poetry texts perform readings of their work, with
the aim of bringing the poems alive off the page and
helping to demystify modern poetry for students. This
year, Testbourne students were offered the chance to
join nearly a thousand other pupils at the conference in
Oxford, as outlined below by Charlotte Vickers, Year 11
TCS student:

At the end of February, Year 11 students visited the

New Theatre in Oxford. We were lucky enough to
watch poets such as Poet Laureate Simon Armitage,
John Agard and Imtiaz Dharker, who performed many interesting poems, which were extremely useful as
part of our GCSE revision. They also introduced us to new poems we had not heard before and taught
us about the context and connection they felt to their poetry. There were talks from GCSE examiners,
who explained common misconceptions and mistakes that many students make, and how to improve
our grades. The day was a very valuable and enjoyable day, and we came home with a booklet full of
annotated poems, which will be brilliant to revise from and look back on.

13 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

Lego Club
Students at Testbourne Community School are getting
a chance to exercise their creativity through a unique
after-school programme - Lego Club. The club, which
meets once a week, has been running for the past
month and has proved to be a popular way for students
to unwind and socialize. The Lego Club is organised
by Mrs. Sykes, who has recently completed her Lego
Therapy course and has been instrumental in bringing
the programme to the school. The benefits of the club
go beyond just having fun with Lego; creative play is
essential for developing problem-solving skills, spatial
reasoning, and critical thinking, and it’s a great way for
students to express themselves. Each week, students gather in a classroom that is transformed into a Lego
wonderland, with boxes and boxes of colourful bricks and accessories. The students are free to create
whatever they want, whether it’s a miniature city, a spaceship or a sculpture of their favourite animal.

Mrs Sykes has recently organised for a Lego Play Specialist, Leonora, to spend time with the Lego
Clubbers; Leonora very kindly donated a huge box of brand-new Lego which came hot off the production
line from the Lego factory in Denmark! Students can sign up to attend the club by visiting Mrs Sykes in The
Hub. They are always happy to welcome new members and see what amazing creations they make each
week!

Bass Guitar for Jasmine

It was an exciting day in the music department as we
took delivery of Jasmine’s new bass guitar. This has
been purchased with a full grant from the Michael
Hurd Fund for Young Musicians. Michael was a local
musician and the fund supports young musicians up
to the age of 25 in the Hampshire area. We are thrilled
that the Trustees agreed to support Jasmine, who will
now be able to use her new bass guitar for her GCSE
music performance, and hopes to be able to play in her
church worship band in the future. The Trustees have
asked us to report back on Jasmine’s progress and we
look forward to sharing her musical journey with them.
We are so grateful for their support, and Jasmine has
almost been lost for words at their generosity.

14 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

Prom Fundraiser
The Prom Committee has been hard at work preparing
for the upcoming Year 11 Prom, and recently they host-
ed a ‘Prom Fundraiser’ at school. The fundraiser was a
huge success, thanks to the dedication and hard work
of the Committee members.

The Year 11 students baked their hearts out in prepa-

ration for the event, bringing in over 200 baked goods
to sell during breaktime. The delicious treats included
cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and more. Students and
staff alike were excited to sample the tasty treats and
support the Prom Committee’s efforts.

In addition to the baked goods, the Committee also

organized a fun activity to raise further funds. Students had the opportunity to throw wet sponges at their
teachers, with each sponge throw costing a small fee. The teachers were great sports and volunteered to
participate, getting soaked in the process. The students had a blast, and the activity was a huge hit. They
also had a penalty shootout competition in the Sports Hall, with the winner getting to pick their selection of
baked cakes.

Thanks to the hard work of the Prom Committee and the generosity of the wider school community, the
‘Prom fundraiser’ was a great success and raised £244!

Chess Club
A new club has started for Year 10s who like to play
chess. Up to a dozen students can now be found
working out their chess moves on a Thursday lunchtime
in Room 54. We only have 5 chess sets, so if anyone
in the Testbourne community has a spare one that
they no longer use, please do drop it in at Testbourne’s
Reception so we cater for more players.

15 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

News from the PE Department
Rugby
With over 20 students turning up regularly to training, we
have come a long way this term and have played several
matches and tournaments in this time. Notable results have
been a win against Harrow Way School in our first match
where we won 6 tries to 1. The boys (and girls) have shown
great commitment and ambition to learn the game of rugby
and we look forward to having them continue their progress
in January 2024!

Well done for excellent organisation and captaincy from Ben

Calvert and Kit Weyman.

Our Year 7 Rugby 7s team were crowned district champions

at Andover Rugby Club. They went undefeated in the round-
robin competition. All the boys played brilliantly with some
great attacking rugby and good defence when they needed it.
A fantastic effort was given by all, but especially from Morgan
Mason, and the team was captained well by Greg Blackburn.

Due to the weather, COVID and other unforeseen

circumstances the U15s season has been short with 4
matches being cancelled. However, the boys had an
exceptional match against John Hanson on Wednesday 28th
March.

It was an excellent game of Rugby with both sides being

fiercely competitive. However, with some great performance
from Isaac Hodges and Ollie Spinks to name just a few.
Testbourne won 24 - 7. Excellent captaincy was shown by
Henry Lloyd through out the match

Basketball
In the Andover District Basketball Tournament at the start of
February we managed to enter 2 teams who represented
Testbourne excellently. Against tough opposition the two
teams managed to finish 6th and 8th which was respectable
given the large majority of our players were Year 7s in a
Year 8 tournament.

The Year 8 team and Year 9 team were actually playing in

the Year 10 tournament, so again found themselves against
tough opposition. Both teams managed to play their way
into some form with both teams picking up wins regularly in
the round-robin format.

16 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

 Basketball
The Year 9 team finished in 5th place and the Year 8 team
finished in 6th (having beaten the Testbourne Year 9 team
in the process). The boys played in a great spirit and the
resilience and leadership they showed was excellent to see.

Year 7 Netball
The first 2 games of the league saw narrow defeats by John
Hanson and Harrow Way. It has been a good learning curve,
allowing us to try everyone out in different positions, and
this has made the team very versatile. We are now looking
forward to games against Wellington and The Clere.

The Year 8 team got off to a flying start when they won their
first game of the season against Test Valley School 11-3.
Some excellent defending from Emily and Jess during this
game showed just how much they had progressed from
training over the Autumn term.

They had a nervous start against Harrow Way whereby HW

scored 2 goals in the first 2 minutes, but some excellent
defending saw us 5-3 winners. Gemma Orange received
player of the match for her 4 goals. Unfortunately, we then
came up against a strong John Hanson team, losing out to
them 14-4 but managed to win the last quarter by a goal.
Remaining games against Wellington and The Clere will
hope to see them in a strong position in the final league
table.

Cross Country
On March 7th, ten Testbourne Students in Years 7
and 8 attended the Hampshire Schools Cross Country
Championships at Down Grange in Basingstoke. The students
had qualified to run for Andover earlier in the year, and we saw
some outstanding individual performances.

Celeste Vickers won the Year 7 girls’ race. There were over
100 students competing and she led from the start. It was
amazing to be there and see such an impressive performance.
We are very proud of what she achieved! Celeste was
supported by Lily Gray (67th), Alaia Wells-Mariezcurrena
(85th), Gabby McCloud (97th) and Indigo Targett (98th).

The next race was a fast and furious Year 7 boys’ race, with Archie Burniston finishing in 5th place, just 7
seconds after the winner! This is another outstanding performance and Archie should be incredibly proud of
this race: well done to you. Archie was the only Year 7 boy who qualified to run from Testbourne.

In the Year 8 races, Testbourne students all worked incredibly hard to achieve their best. In the girls’ race,
Aimee Davis finished in a respectable 55th position. In the boys’ race, Jake Oakley finished 77th, Benji
Johnson 99th and Noah Johnson finished 100th. Well done to all our competitors: it was fabulous to
be able to take 10 students to such a competitive event. Archie and Celeste were selected to represent
Hampshire in the Inter-Counties race held on 25th March in Tonbridge, Kent.

17 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

Poppy Taylor in Year 9 was selected to represent Hampshire
in the English Schools Cross Country Championships. This
was held in Nottingham. Poppy started at the back of the
pen and had to work her way through the field. She finished
in 51st position and was the first Hampshire girl home in the
team. Well done to Poppy for an excellent result!

Celeste Vickers represented Hampshire in the Schools inter

Counties race which took place on March 25th in Tonbridge,
Kent. It was a high classed field and Celeste finished in
around 50th position. We are still waiting for the official
results to be published. Well done Celeste this is an excellent
achievement at such a young age.

Archie Burniston in Year 7 took part in the in the UK Inter-

Counties Cross-Country Championships in Loughborough
on Saturday 11th March. He came second in his Under 13
age group, narrowly missing out on first in a tough sprint
finish after a gruelling 3000m race in very muddy and windy
conditions.

Unfortunately, Archie sustained an injury in this race and was

unable to represent Hampshire at the schools inter Counties
race that Celeste competed in.

At the same Inter-Counties Cross Country event, Charlotte

Vickers represented Hampshire in her Under 17s race.
Charlotte’s race was an even tougher 5000m on a very
muddy course. Charlotte came 192nd out of 258 girls in in
25m54s.

Well done to the Testbourne students who were representing

Andover in the Hampshire County Bowl on Sunday 19th
March. They managed to beat Bognor RUFC 22-15. Well
done to Thomas Wilson, Cam Marrocco and Ashley Pearce.

18 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023

Testbourne Community Fitness Gym
We’re excited to announce that our gym
refurbishment is complete! Whether you’re an
avid gym-goer or just starting out, we invite TESTBOURNE FITNESS GYM
you to join our community gym and achieve The gym has a variety of cardiovascular, resistance, functional and free weight
your fitness goals. equipment for a complete workout. A fitness instructor is on hand to guide you and
assist you to achieve your fitness goals.

We’ve upgraded our equipment to ensure Opening Hours

that you have everything you need for a great Monday - Friday Saturday

workout. Our old Pulse resistance machines

06:45 - 21:30 09:00 - 14:00

have been replaced with new, state-of-the-art

‘GymGear Dual Series’ machines, along with
a dual adjustable pulley and a functional rig.
You’ll have access to a range of equipment to
help you achieve your fitness goals, whether
you’re looking to build strength, improve your
cardio or increase your flexibility.
Joining fee: £10, with no minimum contract, then a monthly Direct Debit of:

Membership prices start from just £20 per Individual Joint*

£26 £42
month and our friendly and knowledgeable
Standard

Concession** £20 £35

staff are on hand to assist you with any Family*** £67
questions or concerns. They can provide * two members of the same household

you with guidance and support as you work

** includes: students, over 55’s, NHS workers, or members of the armed forces
*** four members of the same household

towards your fitness goals. All new members must first have a safety induction before you use the gym equipment,
which includes an opportunity to discuss your fitness goals and programme requirements.
Contact [email protected], or phone 01256 892 261 for more details.
If you’re interested in joining our gym,
we encourage you to book a tour with TEEN Teen Gym for school students aged 14-16.
Every Monday, 15:15 - 16:15
us today. You can visit our website at GYM Book at: go.testbourne.school/teengym

https://testbourne.schoolhire.co.uk/gym-
Free to gym members, £5 to non-members.
membership/15361 to learn more and Most Wednesdays, 18:00 - 19:00
schedule your tour. Book at: go.testbourne.school/bootcamp

www.testbourne.school 01256 892061

Micheldever Road, Whitchurch, RG28 7JF

19 | The TCS Tribune - Spring 2023