Code cracking at Bletchley


This Evil Thing


All of Year 9 went on a joint History and Maths trip to Bletchley Park.


Eren explained: “We were there to learn about the history of codebreaking and its relevance to World War Two. We were allowed to touch a German Enigma Machine – which coded the German’s secret messages. We took part in a code breaking activity using these machines as well. It was great fun, and we were also allowed to see Turin’s Bombe machine working.” Charlotte added: “There was so much to see that we did not get around every exhibit. We did, however, visit the room devoted to the brave sailors who went onto a sinking submarine to retrieve the German code books ... that was very moving. We were very surprised to see a whole room devoted to pigeons – history has some very odd corners!”


Digging deep


Well-known actor and playwright Michael Mears visited Sibford in February to perform his one-man play, This Evil Thing. The play, which is about conscientious objectors in the First World War, marks 100 years since conscription was introduced in 1916. At the heart of This Evil Thing is the story of Bert Brocklesbury, a 25-year-old teacher, Methodist lay preacher and absolutist (meaning he refused to serve even in a non- combat role) from Yorkshire. However, there are also more than 50 other characters ... all played by Michael who used a combination of hats, props and accents to differentiate the characters.


The play was very hard-hitting and was described by pupils as ‘brilliant’, ‘thought provoking’ and ‘fantastic’.


In January, Year 7, supported by Year 12 and 13 BTEC Countryside Management students, planted the final section of a 180m hedgerow, which runs from behind the pond to the south west boundary of the campus.


The hedge, the first section of which was planted in 2011, is to provide a buffer zone between the school’s conservation area and the neighbouring farm.


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The performance was opened up to members of the local community whose comments included: “Thank you so much for allowing us to attend the performance. I thought it was brilliant - you could tell that everyone was spellbound by the quietness of the children in the hall. Extremely thought provoking.”


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