thisTerm@Wyvern Spring 2025

A warm welcome to our latest edition.

We have a great variety of good news stories for you  - including lots of examples of outstanding work and contributions from our students.

We have articles about sporting successes, trips and events, how our students are supporting good causes and a glimpse of our cafeteria's special menus.

 Also included is a round-up of the latest news from Friends of Wyvern.

Vocal Festival 2025

The annual Vocal Festival took place this term at Thornden Hall with the theme ‘Into the Night Sky’.

 All the singers shone like stars and the event was a wonderful celebration of singing and community.  

The vocal coach, Hannah Drury, led the singers throughout the day in their vocal workshops, delivering with inspiration and passion. It was wonderful to see all of the singers from Wyvern College, Stoke Park infants and Juniors, Fair Oak Infants and Juniors, Durley, and Upham Schools coming together for this annual event.

We had the addition of some Year 11 flautists this year: Tom, Lauren, Chloe and Immy - they performed instrumental parts in ‘Earthlight’ accompanying the infants which brought some extra magic to the performance. Lauren performed the beautiful melody line in ‘Vincent- Starry, Starry Night’ which was sung by the senior choir. The evening concluded with all voices singing together ‘Skyful of Stars’ by Coldplay- a fantastic end to an incredible day of singing.

Great Work

Our students often produce outstanding work as part of their studies and we would like to showcase a few examples.

Saving the Seas 

Ellie in Year 8 was awarded a P3 for her outstanding home learning project in geography about 'Saving the Seas.' 

Ellie clearly worked on this project for well over the advised 2 hours of home learning time and completed extensive research which went above and beyond what was expected. The presentation of her work, showed commitment and was of a high quality. Ellie's teacher, Mrs Ledger, said that this was one of the best pieces of home learning that she had seen from a Year 8 student. Brilliant work, Ellie.

A HAUNTING TALE

Grace in Year 7 impressed her teacher Miss Hatcher with a story about an unusual character enigmatically called "the Nameless One". To quote Miss Hatcher, "the vocabulary is well beyond her years and one of the best stories I have read from a student in my teaching career". You can see the quality of Grace's work in the extract below.

"The Nameless One liked to call himself Raf...Raf never spoke. Never blinked. Never Smiled. Never showed emotion. Everyone seemed scared of Raf, even if he never said anything to prove he was different.....One day, reports of the Nameless One stopped. He just seemed to disappear. Some assumed he had joined The Spirits in death, while others thought that he would not have joined The Spirits as he was clearly not human. They were right....

He walked for days in skies not even Spirits walked in. Suddenly he came across a dark, gloomy forest. A man without a face greeted him. He explained that this was the Dark Forest, where entities that were denied entry to The Spirits came."

SENDING IDEAS TO WESTMINSTER

A retrospective shout out to last year's Class 8W1 who wrote to the new Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson asking her to consider getting "schools to re-wild part of their school grounds so that they become an important part of wildlife corridors with their communities. We could also begin to have more lessons outside because there is a lot of evidence....of how they can benefit student wellbeing."

In September they received a reply from Ms. Phillipson pointing them to the Nature Park programme - which schools can join and possible funding schemes are available to assist in creating more biodiversity within school grounds.

TERRIFIC TECH SUPPORT

James in Year 11 was nominated for a P3 by our curriculum leader in music, Miss Wood for his outstanding commitment to the music department and supporting college events. James has taken a lead role in running the sound at our college events this year as well as supporting during Year 10 events and has shown incredible leadership and responsibility. He has gone above and beyond, showing initiative, helping staff, taking on jobs and ensuring the smooth running of concerts and events. Miss Wood was so impressed with James and his calmness even in stressful situations- he is able to problem-solve and gives everyone confidence that he will find solutions. At the Year 11 performance evening he demonstrated excellence in his use and set up of the college tech equipment and was able to lead others as well as ensuring every technical aspect of the show ran smoothly. Fantastic job, James.

FROM "soixante to CENT"

Another inductee to the P3 club is Maks in Year 7.  His languages teacher flagged "an exceptional effort on a recent French homework. Maks created an entire game that his classmates could play to help them learn their numbers 60 - 100.  He built this activity from scratch and we all really enjoyed playing it".  His Pastoral Leader, Mrs Taylor-Waterson, took this game along to the Pastoral Leaders meeting and they, likewise, were impressed by the time it must have taken to build the basketball style game from scratch, the attention detail and the fact that it wasn't just playable but also educational and really good fun. Great stuff Maks.

OUTSTANDING ART

Chosen by our new curriculum lead, Miss Brock, here are some of the many  brilliant pieces from the "artists of the week" posted on our online college bulletin board. Well done to everyone that was chosen - here we see works from Harry, Fern, Isaac and Taya-Rose.

Supporting Others and Raising Awareness

Wyvern Staff and Students have been lending their support to raise money and awareness for local charities.

Eastleigh Basics Bank

Students at Wyvern College have come together to support the local community by collecting donations for the Eastleigh Basics Bank. As part of a school-wide initiative, students were encouraged to bring in an item to help families in need. The Eastleigh Basics Bank provides essential food and supplies to local families facing difficult times, and the students' generosity will help make a real difference. Contributions included tinned goods, pasta, rice, and other staple foods, ensuring that those struggling have access to nutritious meals.

 It's fantastic to see our students come together for such an important cause. Their donations will directly support local families, and we're incredibly proud of their efforts. Many thanks to everyone who donated and supported the donation drive.  The school hopes to continue working with the Eastleigh Basics Bank in the future, reinforcing the importance of generosity and compassion within the Wyvern College community.

Non-Uniform Day for Simon Says

Simon Says – a Hampshire charity that helps children who are dealing with the death of someone close. They may feel angry, guilty, frightened and alone. It can be very difficult for a parent, carer, close relative or friend to help a bereaved child when they are grieving, and this charity looks to provide support and resources. Friday 21st March was a non-uniform day - where students can donate £1 to come in "civvies" and we has a cake sale led by Miss Gott and the Bereavement Friendship Group. Staff held a raffle 

The staff raffle raised £225 and the cake sale £303.60 with non-uniform donations currently standing at £958.

An amazing £1,490.60 which we know the charity will put to good use.

 AWARD SUCCESS

Well done to Mr Harrison who has won the Inclusive teaching Excellence Award from the Portsmouth Downs Syndrome Association. Andy was nominated by Alfie in Year 10's parents for the ways he has adapted Drama GCSE to accommodate Alfie’s needs. Alfie's father emailed to say , “On another positive note, Allison Powell (DS liaison advisor) was present at the event and commented that there were several Wyvern teachers who should be considered for this." Maybe it will be their turn next year! Thank you to all our staff who work so hard to include our neuro-diverse students.

EASTER EGG TOMBOLA & CAKE SALES

To round off the term, Year 7 held a grand Easter egg tombola to raise money for their nominated charity for this year, the Blue Cross animal shelters. The event proved very popular and raised an amazing £273.

Year 11 have been selling cake to help fund their prom and and have made £90 so far. Staff and students have also been fundraising for our Friends of Wyvern - who are currently looking to provide a large canopy for students (see below).

School Production 2025

Our school production this year was truly magical - our version of the much loved The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Over 100 students acted, danced, sang and played, bringing to life the timeless story of the Penvensie siblings' journey into the frozen land of Narnia and the fight, led by the mighty Aslan, to free it from tyranny.

The production was a sellout and a deserved success for all the participants on stage and all those in the backstage team. Congratulations to Mrs Anderson for the amazing costumes and the students from Southampton City College who developed the makeup for the characters; to Miss Wood for the live band accompaniment; and to Mr Harrison and Miss Chatterley for their inspired direction.

Homecoming for Our Lighthouse

The Lighthouse that college students worked on in the Year 7 and 8 Art Club has finally come back to the college - after having been part of the "Light the Way Trail"  Southampton in the summer of last year.

Many more of the lighthouses - large and small - were dotted around Southampton city centre and the Isle of Wight for families to find.  Our lighthouse is called 'Looking Out For Our Oceans' and was in the window of Howden Insurance (next door to HMV on the High Street). 

Its new home is in our college reception

Sporting Success

Football Champions

Absolutely incredible work from the U13 girls team last week!! We were out all day down at Stoneham Complex for the Hampshire School Games Finals.

This was a very tough tournament, where few of them thought we could do it - but they dug in deep and came out winning the tournament - beating the team that defeated us in the group stages in the final, after a tight penalty shootout. This came down to a sudden death final penalty, which Flo put into the back of the net. Really good penalties also from Kaitlyn, Lyra, Alisia & Flo.  All the players performed brilliantly.

Incredible work through all the different group stages; we came 1st out of 17 different schools! The team represented the school incredibly, we could not be more proud.

Basketball

The basket ball team have gone from strength to strength. The U16 Boys basketball team made the finals in March but narrowly lost and the U14 boys are also in their final but that doesn't take place until after Easter. We wish them the very best of luck.

HAMPSHIRE CROSS COUNTRY

Wyvern had 6 athletes selected to represent Eastleigh and Winchester District in the U13 and U14 county cross country championships on the 4th March at Down Grange Basingstoke,

The sun shone and so did our athletes. The field, at a county championships, is exceptionally strong. With approximately 100 athletes in each race, the runners lining up for the start made for an impressive spectacle. This did not deter our athletes, all of whom made a really strong start and then held their positions, giving their best effort and leaving nothing out on the course. We are really proud of them all.

The top 20 runners in each race received selection to represent Hampshire at the intercounty championship to be held on Saturday the 22nd March in Essex. This is an exceptional achievement, especially in such a strong a county as ours.

COUNTY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPs

After a competitive run at the  Cross Country Championships, three Wyvern Students were selected to run for the County Team in the Inter Counties match held in Essex.

It was a long journey down of over 2 ½ hours, the conditions were perfect with a relatively competitor friendly course.  The 5 counties of Hampshire, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Sussex were competing with a field of approximately 100 runners in each race.

It was fabulous to have Wyvern representatives in the Hampshire Squad, Rosa from Year 7 (U13 Girls), Lyra from Year 8 (U14 Girls) and Jack from Year 8 U14 boys and was a proud moment for me as a team manager at the event having my students there.

Rosa has only taken up running this year as part of Wyvern Cross Country Club and park run, to make the Hampshire team on her first year of competitive running is an amazing achievement. Rosa had a gutsy run; as she always does; leaving nothing out on the field and placed a very deserving 68th.

Lyra, who is  a competitive sprinter, club footballer and attends Wyvern Cross Country club, ran out of her skin placing 19th and first Hampshire girl home. Imagine what Lyra could achieve if she became a competitive endurance runner!

Jack who is a club runner and a member of Wyvern Cross Country Club had a disappointing start, getting boxed in, but he worked hard to make gains on the front pack and finished strong, placing 68th.

We look forward to them going on and having a successful summer on the track.

Netball

Our Year 7 netball team have had quite the season. Nearly all the players were new to netball, and in the first two terms together achieved something no other Wyvern team has managed - they got through to the Hampshire Finals held at Southampton Sports Centre on a very sunny day at the beginning of April.

This was a real baptism by fire - with so many of the teams more experienced than themselves. However the team never lost enthusiasm, or humour, whilst playing their 14 matches!

Well done to Steph, Rosa, Anna, Niamh, Alyssa. Lauren Hancock, Flora, Serayah, Grace, Tayla and their very new Miss Willsher for this landmark season. Keep up the good work and we look forward to seeing their progress next year.

Music on the Move

Our musicians and singers have been out and about this term working with our infant, junior and primary schools. The Vocal Ambassadors regularly visit to support and encourage singing in the younger years of our cluster and recently our concert band have been promoting the joys of learning an instrument.

House Games Round Up

Our first house assembly of the term was a little different, as we our house captains were hidden and tutor groups had to solve several puzzles to find out where, and a code to open a box full of chocolate.

Our second house assemblies were back in the hall with all house students together. Gryphon impressed us with their singing of Adele’s “Someone Like You”, hitting an average of 80.1decibels. We also had a competition to see how many balls could be passed from the front to the back of the hall by every student in 4 minutes - Centaur house won that one.

This term has also seen several competitions taking place.

• We had our inspirational photography competition which was won by Freddie in Hippogriff house.

• The Geography department ran a vexillology (flags) competition, with P2s being awarded for the winning students in each year group. Overall Hippogriff won with 75 house points being awarded for the competition.

• Miss Hussey organised a food bank donation drive and house points were awarded for each donation. Dragon house brought in the most items and were awarded 34 house points. It was great to see our students thinking of and helping those less fortunate than themselves.

• The PE department organized a fantastic house dodgeball competition, Centaurs won for Years 7 and 10, Dragons for Years 8 and 9, and Gryphons for Year 11.

• World Book Day saw the library team running a competition, with Centaur receiving the most house points.

We look forward to seeing how the competition develops in our Summer term.

Freddie's winning photo

Boo & Hip Hooray- It's World Book Day!

Promoting reading in any school is seen as very important. It is proven that regular reading is the key to improving literacy and all schools want to encourage our students to read a wide range of books and other reading material. For that reason World Book Day is one of the red letter days every year - celebrating the wonderful world of books and showcasing how they can increase our learning and even help our wellbeing. In the primary phase the children often come to school in costumes to celebrate the day - here at Wyvern, we turn the tables and encourage our staff to dress up. This year the broad theme was "Heroes and Villains" and as you can see - we had a colourful cavalcade of characters. I

In addition students and Staff took part in book quizzes and teachers shared passages from their favourite books with their classes.

In the run up to the day itself our Library organised our hosting of the Scholastic Book Fair. An amazing £580 in sales allowed us being able to spend £230 on resources for the library. Around 30 new books were added to the library for all to borrow.

Careers Week Report

Mrs Gough, our Careers Leader, achieved over 15,000 steps per day, walking all over the college during this year's Career Week!  All years had at least one experience from an employer; we had over 6 visitors present in our assemblies plus over 50 visitors coming into the classrooms providing a variety of activities and presentations to all years. 

For the first time this year we also put on a range of individual sessions in our dance studio, and we got students to book themselves onto a range of workshops, that interested them through Edulink. The companies invited to the studio were Wyvern Nursery, Winchester University, BAE Systems, The Army, Williams Garage, 3BP Law, Southampton University Health and Science Department and the Hampshire Job Centre Plus Team.

NC2 Engineering started the week with two back-to-back sessions in the science department; their sessions were themed like an escape room. Each class was divided into 5 teams, and they were timed to solve a variety of puzzles. The winners unlocked the safe to discover a box of sweet treats! 

It has been a busy, fun week, and good to see students explore the world of work with local employers. Thank you to everyone who took part.

Out and About

Our students had the chance to experience learning beyond the college classroom this term.

Year 8 had a bumper crop of opportunities with trips to Marwell Zoo and Fort Nelson. Our Marwell trip is organised by our Geography department and coincides with the teaching of a unit on World Environments in lessons. Students have workbooks to complete that look at how birds and animals in the park are adapted to their natural environment. The Fort Nelson trip sees the students given a fantastic overview of military life in World War One in three parts. Each section was led by a character that could give them a background into life in the trenches, war time medical support and the weapons faced by the soldiers - they certainly brought the reality of the war to life.

In January, Year 11 had the opportunity to watch and listen to the AQA GCSE poets reading and discussing their poems. The event ‘Poetry Live’ took place at the Bournemouth Pavilion. This was a valuable and enriching experience for students in Year 11 giving them a unique insight into the language and context of their Power and Conflict poems in readiness for their GCSE English Literature exam. There were readings by Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, and John Agard, amongst others, and discussions afterwards. The audience also heard from one of the chief examiners who went through sample responses showing how marks are awarded.

A second Year 11 trip was to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton to see a performance of the acclaimed National Theatre production of ‘An Inspector Calls’. This JB Priestley play is one of the set texts that they have studied for their English Literature GCSE.

Sixty Performing Arts students went with Wyvern staff to see "Hamilton" at the Mayflower Theatre at the end of March. They had seats up in the balcony and a brilliant view of the stage. It was an incredible show- all staff and students were stunned by the spectacular performances and it was a wonderful experience seeing the musical performed live. The powerful voices, non-stop music, driving pulse and seamless transitions from song to song, scene to scene was incredible to watch. The story was told entirely through song/ rap and the music provided an intricate rhythmical accompaniment which drove the story from start to finish. It was an unforgettable experience and our Wyvern students, all members of the cast of the college production, were fantastic ambassadors for the college.

World Food Celebrations.

Our School Canteen likes to help celebrate food from all over the world. This term we have enjoyed special menus to celebrate Chinese New Year and the food of Poland.

Friends of Wyvern Update – Making Wyvern College a Better Place for Our Students

What Are We Fundraising For?

Imagine your child enjoying their breaktime outdoors, comfortably relaxing with friends, protected from both the sunshine in summer and the rain during wetter months. This vision of an improved outdoor experience for all Wyvern students is precisely what's motivating our latest fundraising drive.

At Wyvern College, we have listened closely to our school community. Parents, students, and staff have overwhelmingly expressed a wish for enhanced outdoor spaces with better seating and protective canopies. We believe every student deserves a pleasant environment during breaktimes—one that offers comfort, social connection, and relaxation throughout the school year.

Progress So Far

To achieve our ambitious goal, we have established a dedicated Seating and Canopies Working Party to plan and coordinate our efforts. We aim to install high-quality seating and durable canopies around the school site. Projects of this scale are significant investments, typically costing tens of thousands of pounds. Below are some ideas we've been inspired by:

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our Wyvern community, we have raised just over £4000 so far! This amount has come from a range of fundraising initiatives, including selling refreshments at school events, individual donations, creative student-led fundraising projects, and the valued support of local businesses.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Lemon Cleaning, whose generous sponsorship this year has given a fantastic boost to our fundraising efforts. Please support them as they have supported us: https://lemon-cleaning.co.uk/.

We warmly invite you to participate in our £2 a Month Donation Drive. A small monthly contribution helps enormously, quickly adding up and moving us towards our goal.

Option 1: Bank Transfer Simply set up a recurring payment using your mobile banking app:

• Account Name: Friends of Wyvern

• Account Number: 36257262

• Sort Code: 30-99-50

• Bank: Lloyds

• Reference: Your family surname

• Frequency: Monthly (or weekly, quarterly, yearly, or even a one-off donation)

This easy, fee-free method ensures every penny of your donation directly supports our cause.

Option 2: ParentMail Donations Alternatively, you can now donate directly via ParentMail. Simply select the Friends of Wyvern donation option under purchase items and make your contribution hassle-free.

Coppers for Canopies – Every Coin Counts!

Do you have spare change lying around? Join our fun "Coppers for Canopies" initiative! Bring your loose coins—copper, silver, or gold—to the school Reception or Finance Office any time. Even the smallest coins can collectively build something amazing for our students. Remember: every single penny counts!

Tesco Blue Tokens – Wyvern Outdoor Oasis

Wyvern College is thrilled to have been chosen for Tesco’s Stronger Starts grant this April. You can help secure up to £1500 by placing your blue tokens in the "Wyvern Outdoor Oasis" containers located at local Tesco stores:

• 2452 Eastleigh Express SO50 5PN

• 2511 Ashdown Road Express SO53 5RD

• 2520 Fair Oak Express SO50 7HD

• 3338 Valley Park Soton Express SO53 4ST

• 5250 Eastleigh Twyford Road Esso Express SO50 4HP

• 6795 Eastleigh Bishopstoke Express SO50 6LA

Every token you contribute directly brings us closer to our goal!

Second-Hand Uniform Hub – Give, Get, Support!

Our child's outgrown uniform can become another family's treasure, simultaneously raising valuable funds for our outdoor projects. Donate clean, gently used Wyvern College uniforms at the school reception anytime. Every item sold directly supports seating and canopies for our students—it's simple, sustainable, and impactful.

easyfundraising – Free Donations While You Shop!