Diary Dates Some of the events coming up next term


Monday 7 January Start of term


Tuesday 15 January PSFA meeting


Thursday 17 January Drum Showcase Friday 18 January PSFA Coffee Morning Early Years Stay & Play


Thursday 24 January ~ Friday 25 January


Year 7 Entry Days


Saturday 26 January Scholarship Assessment Day Friday 1 February


Junior School Open Morning Friday 8 February Early Years Stay & Play Friday 15 February ~ Friday 22 February


Year 10/13 Hockey Tour to Holland Monday 18 February ~ Friday 22 February


Half Term


Fun in the Country Friday 1 March


Whole School Open Morning


Tuesday 5 March PSFA meeting Friday 8 March Early Years Stay & Play PSFA Pie n Quiz Night Friday 8 March ~ Sunday 10 March


Netball Tour


Tuesday 12 March Rugby Sevens (U12 Boys)


Tuesday 19 March Rugby Sevens (U13 Boys)


Wednesday 20 March Rugby Sevens (U13/15/18 Girls) The Sound of Sibford


Thursday 21 March Rugby Sevens (U14 Boys)


Wednesday 27 March Rugby Sevens (U16/18 Boys)


Thursday 28 March Rugby Sevens (U15 Boys) Friday 29 March Early Years Stay & Play Friday 29 March ~ Sunday 31 March


Silver Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition


Tuesday 2 April Rugby Sevens Tag Rugby (U9/11 Girls & Boys) Friday 5 April Ski trip departs Barcelona trip departs End of Term


Let our Lives speak ... I


t was a pleasure to join some of our Year 10 debating teams who


travelled to Didcot at the begining of December to take on local schools as they debated a broad range of topics from ‘Empire Guilt’ to the ‘Power of Words’, and from ‘Feminism’ to ‘Fashion’. Our students acquitted themselves


in style and learned a great deal from the experience. Our new Head of English, Sally Ann Ward, has taken our (already strong) debating teams to a new level and her energy and enthusiasm is infectious. For a school which prides itself on giving our students a voice in all aspects of our daily life – from the way we go about teaching our lessons to our outstanding pastoral care and extra-curricular activities – our desire to ‘Let our Lives Speak’ has never been stronger. I am fortunate to receive a steady


stream of messages from parents and others letting me know how they feel about the school. A few days ago I received an email


from a parent which contained this paragraph: I am constantly pleased to see


how Sibford brings out the very best in my children. Rather than


concentrating on their weaknesses and their mistakes, you are running a school which embraces the ‘whole child’ and helps them


to overcome their problems whilst focusing on their strengths.


This was accompanied with other kind words and a link to a lecture given by the remarkable educator that is Sir Ken Robinson. The lecture considers the world


of tomorrow and what exactly education should be for in the 21st century. Ken Robinson argues that


youngsters should be exposed to a 2


rich and broad education which empowers them with the tools to have a say and make a difference in their future. His views on balanced, holistic and transferrable learning strike a deep chord with what we aim to achieve here at Sibford.


Giving a setting where


youngsters are encouraged and expected to have a say is a great strength of Quaker education. Having my own children in both the Senior School (since September) and Junior School gives me something of a privileged position in seeing how they are encouraged, stretched and challenged with the only real limitation being the number of hours they have to spare over the course of a week. Over the past fortnight the


Sibford community has seen play rehearsals and performances, musical events, a Senior School careers fair, regional cross- country finals, debating, mock examinations, the Christmas Fayre,


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