Oathall students pay their respects to the fallen soldiers of the Great War

26th June 2015J Godbolt

Oathall student Ruby Roe had the unique opportunity last week to lay a wreath at the grave of her great-great grandfather, Harry Freeman. Ruby visited his grave on a World War I history trip to Belgium. 44 students in year 9 travelled from Oathall for a tour of the battlefields and cemeteries surrounding the town of Ypres.  The trip took place to give students a greater awareness of the conflict. They visited sites and cemeteries to gain an understanding of the bravery and suffering of the fallen and to reinforce what they had learnt in the classroom.

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Oathall students experience how the news is made for real.

17th March 2015J Godbolt

Last Wednesday, a group of year 9 students from Oathall attended a journalism course at the Guardian newspapers London offices, where they got to experience the buzz and pressure of producing a front page using real live articles being prepared by Guardian journalists. (more…)

To Kill A Mockingbird – review by Charlotte Weller

2nd February 2015J Godbolt

On Friday 23rd of January, 50 pupils from year 11 piled onto a coach and journeyed to Chichester. We went to see the Chichester Festival Theatre’s production of ‘To Kill  Mockingbird’, the groundbreaking and literary classic written by Harper Lee.

To_Kill_a_Mockingbird_54181775675db‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is one of the exam texts that two of the year 11 English Literature classes are studying. Seeing the book in front of us visually in the form of a play was a fantastic opportunity for us to consolidate our knowledge on the plot, the key themes of the novel and the main characters. This is all essential information we need to understand and include in our English Literature exam.

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Brand new graduation ceremony for Oathall’s students

17th May 2014J Godbolt

Class of 2014 Oathall students received graduation certificates in front of family, friends and representatives from the local community at the first ever Oathall Graduation Evening on Thursday 8 May.

Pete Waterfield - Group picture

From left to right: Headteacher Mr Rodriguez, Deputy Head Boy James Habineza, Head Girl Shannon King, Year Leader Mr Wright, Peter Waterfield, Nile Jones Head Boy and Keris Self Deputy Head Girl.

Mr Wright, Year leader created the ‘Oathall Challenge’ scheme for students in his year group to provide a way of celebrating and recognising students who showed commitment to the core values of the college, above and beyond academic achievement. To succeed at the challenge, students through years 10 and 11 had to demonstrate acceptable levels of punctuality, attendance and behaviour as well as taking part in activities such as prefecting, mentoring younger students, helping out at school events and organising their own charity function.

The keynote speaker at the event was Mr Peter Waterfield, British Diver and Olympic Silver medallist 2004. Addressing the audience he gave an inspiring speech about dedication to the task and personal achievement. Afterwards he said:

“I am simply amazed at how committed the students here are; taking part in and leading extra-curricular activities and in supporting their school.”

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Oathall performers rise to the challenge

25th March 2014Oathall

A large contingent of Oathall students took part in the Rock Challenge dance competition in Crawley on Monday 24 March.Rock Challenge 2014

Following a full day of technical rehearsals the troupe took to the stage at The Hawth and dazzled the crowds with their original dance routine which drew inspiration from traditional fairy tales.

Cinderella made an appearance during the show – which was set against the backdrop of an enchanted forest – along with a coven of terrifying witches!

Over 90 dancers in total took part in the Oathall performance whilst several other students helped out behind the scenes with staging, lighting, hair and make-up.

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Dance Time – a celebration of dance

17th March 2014Oathall
Our dancers ahead of their performance

Our dancers ahead of their performance

On Friday 14 March a group from Oathall Community College took part in the West Sussex Dance Time festival.

The now annual event allows young people the opportunity to perform at professional theatres; over 1000 students from primary, secondary and special schools took part this year.

Oathall’s KS3 Contemporary Dance Club performed a moving piece at The Hawth in Crawley called ‘Safe and Sound’ which drew inspiration from a quote by Abraham Lincoln:

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”  

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Murder, mystery and suspense in Bognor Regis!

10th February 2014Oathall
Detective Talia is on the case!

Detective Talia on the case in Bognor Regis!

A group of 12 languages students from Oathall Community College took part in an enrichment day with a deadly twist on Thursday 6 February at the University of Chichester’s Bognor Regis campus.

The Year 9 students worked with others from nearby schools to complete a variety of activities based on the theme of murder, mystery, suspense.  The session was organised by trainee languages teachers at the university.

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Competitions and Show Gardens

8th January 2014Oathall

We have entered the show garden competition at the South of England Show on five separate occasions and we have won four times (in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011) which is an outstanding achievement for a 11 – 16 secondary school.

Read more about our winning entires below:

'A Guiding Hand'

‘A Guiding Hand’

South of England Show 2011 – ‘A Guiding Hand Garden’ by Oathall wins first place

The design aims to symbolically represent the nurturing and supporting hand that is given to young people by their parents, teachers and many others as they make their journey through life.

Our hope is that this nurturing garden provides a safe haven for young people; a place to sit and enjoy, a place to relax and reflect, but most of all a place to feel a sense of reassurance, a Guiding hand from those around us who care.

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