Sherborne Learning Centre

We are very proud of Jay’s achievements at the North Dorset Skills Centre this year. Here he is receiving a certificate having completed his first year of the plumbing course.

Well done and good luck for next year!

Jennie Loader from ArtsLink came to the Learning Centre on Monday to lead a feltmaking workshop with the GCSE Art students. We made dreads and a piece of felt art each, you can see the results here. We had a great morning and really enjoyed learning the processes involved in felt making. Thanks Jennie.

Dave,  our new team member enjoys the view from his elevated tree platform made by Charlie in DT.

He lives in the Science room and is fed and handled by the students.

Fiona Campbell spent two mornings with our art students, thanks to Sherborne ArtsLink. The students produced some absolutely amazing and beautiful wire sculptures. Play the video to see their wonderful creations. (Be patient waiting for it to start, it’s worth it.)

Thanks to Fiona and Sherborne ArtsLink for making this happen.

Following the hugely popular theatre trip to see the stage play “War Horse” in London, the year year 10 girls went to the cinema in Yeovil on Monday to see the film.

It was felt it was a success. “Not bad as it goes,” and this was backed up by the sound of quiet sobbing from about 70% of the large audience….not us though…”we’re hard core.” (except for Jemma).

Over the last year or so we’ve been collecting money for WaterAid. WaterAid uses practical solutions to provide clean water, safe sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people. We take it for granted here that water is available and safe but that’s not the case in many parts of the world.

We are very proud to have raised £184.36. Many thanks to Phil Strong who organised the fund raising and thank you also to all the staff and students who contributed.

£184.35 is enough to pay for 36 village wells, making a difference to the lives of hundreds of people.

On Wednesday the 22^nd of February a small group of us went to London to watch a performance of The Comedy of Errors at the National Theatre on the South Bank. Here is Billie’s review.

Theatre review of The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

Basically, this story is all about a separation, a disappearance, and also love (aren’t all Shakespeare plays set around love? I hear you ask)!! But this is no ordinary Shakespearian story, oh no! It is unlike Romeo & Juliet, where everyone dies and it’s all utter misery! Also it is unlike the story of a midsummer night’s dream, where everything is fantasy (and terribly unrealistic)! Compared to others, this play is peculiarly heartfelt.

Well, I suppose this love is one that a family would share. One that would never disappear, one that would stay in your heart forever (cheesy, I know, but how else would you describe it?).

Throughout, it has a slapstick Charlie Chaplin-ish laugh ability to the play. Lenny Henry is of course the star of the entire show! Taking to the stage and staying there… whether he’s beating his brother from another mother (purely in affection), running away from his wife (who is actually his sister in law) or speeding away on a scooter to avoid psychiatric prison officers (who wear some very clean, white overalls)!

The producer of the play presents a very modern twist to the play, BUT still sticks with the Elizabethan way of speaking… so, for example;

Modern English: How are you?

Elizabethan English: Thou are not accustomed to an introduction in your presence?

Slightly harder to “interpret” (as my English teacher would say) but it does give you a look into what it could’ve been like in the ‘olden days’ and, unfortunately, I have to admit for most of the play I had to guess what was happening through the actors hand gestures and body language.

The acting could’ve been a bit better and it also seemed that there was A LOT of improvisation, which made the play feel a bit stilted HOWEVER, the moral of the story is very heart warming and explains that in whatever nonsense that’s occurring there is always something good at the end of the (so-called) rainbow!

All in all, this play is not your traditional William Shakespeare play and I must say that I enjoyed it! It’s very nice to not to have to bring along tissues and extra mascara into the theatre.

On a damp grey drizzly day a group of nine staff and year 11s caught the train up to London for our annual winter term dose of “The Woman in Black.”

Despite the weather we managed to go round an empty Covent Garden and a bustling China Town, the day after Chinese New Year. That was a site to remember. We made friends with some police and swapped caps and helmets.

The play was splendidly frightening although those who’d seen it in school noticed the subtle changes from the original script…..not necessary we felt.

The day ended well despite us missing our train and having to catch the next one. Bless the taxi company who waited for us.