Latest School News
Junior School – Art
July 11, 2017
We have had a wonderfully creative term, with two Art Clubs after school meaning more freedom to choose their own media each week. A selection of Year 5 pupils were invited to the AWSS Art Room for a sculpture workshop. In their lessons Year 5 have been getting involved with painting scenery and making props for their fabulous pirate play. They have enjoyed creating three
Junior School – ICT
July 6, 2017
It’s been a fun packed full on year in the ICT department as we push the boundaries of creative film making, programming and use of data. Every year group has used the green screen in some way. The Year 6 classes, took this to a whole new level producing 10 minute short films. We have had some great programmers, using Scratch, Kodu and Python as
Junior School – Foundation and KS1 – Drama
July 5, 2017
The children in Foundation Years have loved building stories based around Mrs Lovely in Butterflies and The Frog Prince, in Reception. The Butterflies drama work has linked with their topic of growing and mini-beasts. Rosanna has made a fantastic Mrs Lovely, whose garden holds a magical shrinking machine, which has taken the children on journeys into the undergrowth! Reception have learnt about fairy-tale characters both good and bad
Junior School – Nursery
July 5, 2017
April Easter was late this year, but we all had a great fun celebrating in a variety of ways. Ladybirds made their own Easter eggs and Easter cards for their Parents. As well as looking at Easter, Ladybirds 2 also looked at their Family photos. We also got messy exploring textures with jelly and other resources such as pom poms, oranges and raisins.
Junior School – Year 2
July 5, 2017
The children in Year 2 have worked very hard this term. We have enjoyed seeing how all the children have matured and developed, during the course of their time throughout the year. The children enjoyed our History topic about castles. So it was very exciting to be able to visit Warwick Castle and experience some of the things that they had learnt in school. Standing
Junior School – Year 4
July 5, 2017
Once again the Summer Term has proved to be a very busy time in Year 4. In Food Technology the pupils thought of excellent ideas when designing their own naan bread and tasting it. Some unique ingredients were included! As teachers, we were pleased to see the number of children attending a variety of different Clubs had increased this term. We are delighted that so
Junior School – Year 6
July 5, 2017
Another busy term has just flown past and now, here we are, ready to say ‘Goodbye’ to our Year 6 children for whom the future is beckoning. They have worked hard and played hard through the year and many have taken on the additional challenge of a role of responsibility be it a Classroom Monitor, Librarian, School Councillor, Reading Buddy, Play Leader or House Captain.
Junior School – Food Technology
July 5, 2017
We have had another busy and very hot term in the Food Technology room! Visitors always comment on the wonderful aroma coming down the corridor and how great it is to see the children cooking and learning such a valuable life skill. Year 6 have been learning about famous chefs and following some of their recipes. They enjoyed making Jamie Oliver’s Fish and Chips as
Junior School – Music
July 5, 2017
I can hardly believe that we are at the end of another school year – and what a productive and eventful one it has been for the musicians at the Junior School. We started the term with the “Akeley Young Musician of the Year” competition final which was held at the Radcliffe Centre in Buckingham. Congratulations to Jasmin Ponte, Lucy Brown and Tristan Butterworth who
Junior School – Reception
July 5, 2017
Reception have had an extremely busy and lively final term. Starting with a look at all of our favourite Fairy Tales and ending with a topic all about Summer. As soon as the weather warmed up the children loved spending time in the garden. The sand investigation area and water areas were the most popular. We had a super time at Blenheim Palace
Junior School – Boys’ Sports
July 5, 2017
Well what another outstanding sporting year here at the Junior School. I have been delighted with the effort, enthusiasm and determination of all of our children who have represented the school throughout the year. We have achieved so much and the list is a long. Again we have been able to hold our own out on the pitches and courts with some of the biggest
Junior School – Girls’ Sports
July 5, 2017
The Summer term has seen the girls participate in numerous fixtures from the U8s to the U11s, as well as battling rain, hail, a heat wave, sleet and snow weather conditions! This term saw the U8 teams develop their knowledge and understanding of the rules of a rounders game. We have focused on instilling the basics of striking and fielding and also working as a
Junior School – Forest School
July 5, 2017
Another successful term out in Forest School! This term, the children continued to explore the woodland and implemented all their skills into making creative objects using natural resources. Children are becoming very independent learners and it fills me with great joy to see them enjoying themselves. We had two bunny rabbits visiting Butterflies and one little monkey tried to escape, good thing the children were
Workshop run by Buckingham University Students
July 4, 2017
Year 7 pupils were delighted to collaborate with medical students from the University of Buckingham in a project on the theme of ‘What would you do for your friend with Diabetes’. The medical students conducted workshops about Diabetes with the pupils and they then reflected this work in fabric paintings. These paintings will be incorporated into an artwork to be shown later in the year at
Senior School – Geography
July 4, 2017
In this ever-changing world in which we live in (McCartney, P), in Geography this term we have continued to try to shed some light on some of both the natural and human world’s biggest challenges. Issues grappled with this term included improving quality of life in the favelas of Rio; solutions to London’s housing, waste and transport challenges; the best methods to defend from coastal erosion;
A moving account of the Holocaust
July 4, 2017
Hannah Lewis is one of only around 195,000 holocaust survivors still alive today and one of an even smaller number of survivors brave enough to share the atrocities experienced during their early lives. Hannah visited Year 9 at Akeley Wood House on July 27th and provided a gripping account of the hardships under Nazi rule and her struggle witnessing death and surviving the atrocious conditions
Senior School – Science
July 4, 2017
Leaf insects at “The Big Bang”- Is it Picket? Year 10 students enjoy a lesson exploring the relationship between pressure, temperature and volume. Palisade Cell cake by George Letts. It has been another busy year in the Akeley Wood Science department! Year 7 and 8 led the way with a successful first visit to the Salters Chemistry Festival; the team participated in
Wow What a Day
July 3, 2017
On Thursday 22nd June the Year 8 students had their WOW (World of Work) day facilitated by Work Tree (http://worktree.org/) a careers charity based in the Milton Keynes area. The students spent time in their forms looking at different job roles with the aid of Pictionary and Top Trumps before moving on to learn about interview techniques. After break we were joined by 20 volunteers from
Who Stole All the Tarts!
June 23, 2017
On Tuesday 20th June, pupils at Tile House Mansion were blessed with beautiful weather for their Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Year 7 pupils had studied Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland in preparation for their examination, helping them to develop understanding of 19th Century fiction. The children enjoyed various activities, including orienteering, croquet, toasting marshmallows, archery, chalk drawing, etching and cyanotype printing. Some even managed to cook
LIBRARY NEWS
June 21, 2017
It is with great pleasure that I welcome our two new library prefects to the role of Librarians, where they shall supervise the day to day running of the library with me. ‘Hello, my name is Makayla Bice and I am proud to have been a student here, at Akeley Wood Senior School for nearly three years now. I have a strong passion for
Year 5 Performing Arts Day
June 21, 2017
On Wednesday June 14, Tile House Mansion welcomed Year 5 students from Wicken to take part in a performing arts day. Students had the opportunity to sing, dance and act, using the story of Bugsy Malone as inspiration for the day. We kicked the day off with the whole year group singing and dancing to the song “Fat Sam’s Grand Slam”, before we split into
Arts Week
June 21, 2017
On Monday June 5, and Wednesday June 7, we took some of our talented performers from years 7-10 to Buckingham Primary School as part of the school’s “Arts Week”. The students saw performances from our AWH Vocal ensemble, THM Singers, THM Blues Band and AWH Jazz Band, as well as a variety of solo instrumental and vocal performances. We also had a debut performance from
Sight Braille Course at Tile House Mansion
June 21, 2017
I was delighted to have 10 pupils attend the 8-week Grade 1 Sight Braille Course at THM last half term on Friday lunchtimes. Of these 10 pupils 4 chose to sit the examination and passed with flying colours! The examination required students to write the alphabet in Braille, read a message written in Braille and translate a written message into Braille. Distinctions all round, with all achieving
Akeley Wood School published Historian.
June 21, 2017
You may remember that earlier in the year we commended Raphe Young, 9SCG, for becoming our first Akeley Wood School published Historian. Today Raphe joined our summer celebration party for our Sixth Form Subject Ambassadors and Year 10 students who had not only reached their end of year target but actually over-achieved it in their summer examination! Raphe was able to give us the update
U15 Aegon League Tennis v Great Marlow School
June 21, 2017
On Tuesday 13th June the U15 Aegon league tennis team welcomed Great Marlow school to Akeley Wood. Despite the girls having a tough season so far in the Aegon league, with some very challenging matches, the team began the games with confidence and this very quickly had a positive effect on the score. As both teams started to build consistency in their serves the games
Akeley Wood School welcomes survivor from the Holocaust Educational Trust
June 20, 2017
On Tuesday 27th June 2017 our Year 9 students from Akeley Wood House will hear testimony from Holocaust survivor, Hannah Lewis, as part of a visit organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET). The testimony will be followed by a question and answer session to enable students to better understand the nature of the Holocaust and to explore its lessons in more depth. The visit
District Athletics
June 9, 2017
The Year 9 and 10 athletics team attended a district relay event where they competed in the 4x100m, 4x200m, 3x800m and 4x100m (mixed) relays. All pupils who were involved performed extremely well and were a real credit to the school. There were a few standout performances from the Year 9 boys who recorded 1st place in the 4x100m and 3x800m relay events. Furthermore, the year 10
1st XI Cricket v Cokethorpe
June 9, 2017
The first XI travelled to Cokethorpe in what was to be their final match of the 2017 cricket season. We have managed to put out a fairly consistent side this year with the likes of William Hedger, Matty Thornley, Jacob Ford-Langstaff and George Wilkinson stepping up from year 9. From year 10 we saw Torin Little and Alex Gomersall also make the step up. Following the
U10 Cricket v MK Prep
June 9, 2017
The U10 A cricket team had their second match on Wednesday. It was a home game v MK Prep. The boys played a 20-20 match that saw plenty of action. Spencer S took two of the wickets but still the Akeley boys gave away to many runs with their bowling of wide’s. When the boys battled they were soon in deep trouble, losing 2 wickets with
Polling Day
June 8, 2017
Years 2-6 had a great experience learning how to vote today. We had our own polling station in the Tudor Room. 6B were the volunteers to help with this process. We had eight signing in desks and four voting booths. What you had to do is go to the signing desk where they would find your name and highlight it. Then you would get a
Folk in the Dome
June 7, 2017
On Friday May 26th, our gifted and talented musicians were treated to a day of folk music making. The Joe Broughton Folk ensemble visited Akeley Wood School and wowed both staff and students with their 50-member ensemble, ranging from violins and flutes all the way to bassoons and tubas. Apart from being an incredible show for the audience, the ensemble has become something of a training
U12 & U13 Tennis
June 5, 2017
On Tuesday 23rd May Akeley wood Year 7 and 8 girls travelled to Tudor Hall for an afternoon of Tennis. We had 3 pairs in each age group who played a round robin tournament with their respective age groups. It was fantastic to see how well the girls were able to not only work so effectively in their pairs but also execute a number of quite complex
U9 Rounders v Swanbourne
May 31, 2017
U9 A/B Rounders v Swanbourne Wednesday 24th May 2017 On Wednesday the U9 Rounders team travelled to Swanbourne. The team had a mixture of both U8 and U9 players, all the girls did really well to cope with the hot weather all afternoon. The A team played first and produced some very good fielding early on in the game. Consistent bowling from Sienna also prevented
Croquet and Cream Tea at Tile House Mansion
May 31, 2017
I and many other Year 6 students decided to go to the cream tea and croquet afternoon at Tile House Mansion. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. There were so many games to play such as: croquet, boules and lucky horse shoe. The adults had a delightful time and they had a chance to socialise with the new teachers of Tile House Mansion. It also
More Alice in Wonderland!
May 26, 2017
In Year 7 have been studying the novel of Alice in Wonderland. This week our English group acted out the scene “Who stole the tarts?” We organised roles amongst ourselves and the teacher left us to rehearse. Alex very kindly brought in some delicious tarts; Louis brought in bread and butter; William made a trumpet and Noah a scroll. Mrs Exarheas lent us some costumes,
U13 Tennis v Ashfold
May 26, 2017
On Thursday 25th May the U13 boys and girl’s tennis team played away at Ashfold School All pupils involved had an enjoyable afternoon and demonstrated some excellent progress since the start of term. All pupils played 3 doubles matches in total with the final round of matches being mixed doubles. Thomas Ladyman and Kiera Foster finished the afternoon with unbeaten records and as a doubles
Trundling Along!
May 26, 2017
During Maths, we have been measuring the average walking and hopping speed of children in the school. We did this by using a trundle wheel, to measure the distance and a stopwatch to time how long it took to reach the end of the corridor. Mrs Smith asked us to start at the back door and walk or hop to the end. Each student was
Pattern and Repetition
May 26, 2017
The Year 7s have completed a piece of work studying pattern and repetition. They looked at artists such as Jennifer Angus and Christopher Marley and produced their own interpretations. The starting point was a Rorschach-type ink blot which they creatively turned into a colourful butterfly; the second element was black silhouette beetle. Photocopies of varying scales were done and the pupils designed their patterns. Come and
Dry Point Etchings
May 26, 2017
Theses dry point etchings were done by Year 7 pupils and I am delighted with the results. It is usually a technique reserved for Year 9s and upwards, but I felt that the Year 7s were up to the challenge and they more than met it. The pupils scratched into the surface of some acetate sheet, essentially drawing their insect with a point. The acetate is
Bletchley Park
May 25, 2017
On the 18th May we visited Bletchley Park. We learnt a lot about Bletchley Park and its role in World War 2. It was an important place, used to intercept radio signals and codes that were used by the Germans. The most important machine that we saw and learned about was called the ‘Enigma Machine’ which is a rotor cypher code machine. We did a
Poetry
May 19, 2017
Isabella wrote this wonderfully evocative poem about the importance of kindness and how it can affect people so profoundly. For a Year 7 pupil, this is an incredible mature piece, especially as it can teach us all how we should support the most vulnerable people in our communities. Mrs Exarheas Deputy Head of Tile House Mansion Teacher of English Akeley Wood Senior School Waiting
Karate Success
May 12, 2017
Congratulations to James Lewis who has recently achieved his first dan of his Black belt in Karate. James has been training for this for 9 years and had to do the Kata sequences as well as sparing and fighting against other opponents competing. There are 8 more dans which James looks forward to training for in the future and we wish him all the best.
U11 Rounders A v Swanbourne
May 12, 2017
On Wednesday the U11 A team played Swanbourne. The first innings were very low scoring and this was credit to both teams who produced some excellent fielding. During the second innings Swanbourne managed to creep ahead thanks to some accurate strikes of the ball which put Akeleys’ fielders under pressure. This was a tough game for Akeley but the girls fielded well and prevented Swanbourne
U11 B Rounders v Swanborune
May 11, 2017
U11 B V Swanbourne On Wednesday 10th May the U11 B team faced a tall Swanbourne team. A big thank you must go out to the Year 5 girls (Amelia Mead and Poppy Terry and Lucy Brown) who stepped up to fill in, at the last moment, for a depleted U11 team. A good start as we won the toss and fielded first. The girls did
U11 Cricket v MCS Oxford
May 11, 2017
Saturday saw the U11s take to the cricket pitches at MCS in Oxford. Again, several boys weren’t able to play for different reasons but the boys who did, found it tough but I think came away learning a lot. The A team had a mammoth battle of chasing 160 runs which was always going to be difficult. In the end the boys were bowled out
U10 & U11 Swimming Gala at Stowe Pool
May 11, 2017
On Friday the U10 & U11 Swim teams took part in a mini Swim gala at Stowe pool competing against Beachborough and Swanbourne. Being the only school without a pool I was very impressed with all our swimmers. They showed real fight in the pool wherever they came. It was a great atmosphere and our parents didn’t stop cheering throughout. We had some great results. A fantastic
U10 Cricket v Winchester House
May 11, 2017
A busy week last week in the cold as the U10 Cricket teams took on Winchester House here at the Junior School. Both teams did really well in their first game of the season. We played a kwik cricket format that allowed many the chance to bat and bowl. This gave Mr Peedell and myself plenty of food for thought moving onwards. The A team just
U13 Cricket v Royal Grammar School High Wycombe
May 10, 2017
U13 Cricket v Royal Grammar School High Wycombe
Science Poster Competition
May 10, 2017
Congratulations to Hudson in Year 4 who has been shortlisted for his poster we entered for the British Science Week competition. Please go to their Facebook page and vote for him! #BritishScienceWeek https://www.facebook.com/ScienceWeekUK/photos/a.10155479297903816.1073741836.105818068815/10155479298093816/?type=3
Year 5 & 6 Sports Leadership Afternoon
May 4, 2017
On the 27th of April, Year 5 & 6 went to the Senior School for a sports afternoon with Year 9. We played 5 minute games. The ones I took part in were; football shooting, rugby, getting the Frisbee through the hoop, netball shooting and how to throw and catch a Frisbee. My group weren’t the best at these games so we didn’t win most
Young Musician and Musician of the Year 2017
May 4, 2017
Akeley’s Young Musician and Musician of the Year
National Poetry Competition Shortlist for Isha
May 2, 2017
National Association for Able Children in Education
Life, Death and Sports Writing: An Evening with Michael Calvin
May 2, 2017
Please do join us for an evening with Award-Winning Journalist and Sports Writer, Michael Calvin Thursday 25th May 2017 Akeley Wood House Billiard Room 7:30pm Michael Calvin is one of the UK’s most accomplished sportswriters. He has worked in more than 80 countries, covering many major sporting events, including seven summer Olympic Games and six World Cup finals. Named Sports Writer of the Year for
Junior School Match Reports
April 28, 2017
U9 A/B Rounder’s v Winchester House Tuesday 25th April On Tuesday the U9 A & B teams had their first rounders match of the term. Both teams started off very positively scoring several rounders during the first innings. However, the weather was against us and half way through, play was ceased. Bizarre diverse weather conditions! This meant, sadly the second innings were not completed. Thank
Alice’s Adventures #Tile House Mansion
April 19, 2017
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Year 7 English Summer Term 2017
Nursery Spring News
March 31, 2017
The children in Nursery have had a fun filled term and have been very busy creating and making a number of things. January It snowed in January, The Butterflies got wrapped up and we went outside. The children used the iPads to take photographs. The Ladybirds built tall towers with the soft bricks, which was so much fun. The Caterpillars have been enjoying lots of
Year 5 Spring News
March 30, 2017
It has been another busy term in Year 5. After the Christmas holiday the children quickly settled back into their routines and started working hard. Year 5 had the honor of looking after the library for two weeks after half term; the children loved having the responsibility of tidying away books and labelling new ones. To promote the use of the library, the children decided
Wicken Singers go for gold!
March 30, 2017
The Wicken Singers, one of Akeley’s Junior School Choirs which comprises boys and girls aged from 7 to 11, was awarded the gold medal, a trophy and first place in the School Choir class at the Milton Keynes Festival on Friday 24th March. The Boys’ Choir also won a bronze medal and third place with the Girls’ Choir gaining a commended for their performance. The prestigious festival brings
English
March 30, 2017
One of the best-known pieces of wisdom in the Book of Ecclesiastes – a word which can apparently be translated as ‘teacher’ – is the observation that ‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven’. There follows a goodly list of examples of the comings and goings of life. For this particular teacher, the arrival of the Easter break
