News from the Warriner:
In mid-March we were again delighted to welcome our exchange partners from Stone Middle School in Virginia, USA. The students, and five staff, were hosted by students and teachers from The Warriner and they were given the chance to see at first hand what a lovely area of the UK we live in. This exchange is now firmly embedded as part of life at The Warriner and the opportunity to taste life in contrasting school and in different social contexts is simply invaluable. The school is now proud to boast its ‘International School’ status and to provide such valued extensions of the school curriculum. Earlier in the year we welcomed students from Japan and staff have made a preliminary visit to explore a student programme with Kigezi High School in Uganda. It is now hoped that students will make their visit to Kigezi in the Summer of 2009. We are committed proponents of the ‘global’ classroom.
We have been revisiting our School Travel Plan in our continuing efforts to address the problems caused by ‘the school run’. Parents, students, staff and Governors have been invited to complete a survey of travel habits and the outcomes will be published with an updated travel plan. Congestion around the school, especially in the afternoon is a major problem and it also poses a risk to both pedestrians and motorists. We are aware of the impact that school business has on our end of the village and we are always mindful of our responsibilities in this regard. Unnecessary car journeys are something we are anxious to eliminate. The Warriner School Hall is developing nicely into a widely used resource for local groups. With an adjacent car park, facilities for the disabled, light and sound system, demountable staging and seating for up to 400 it is a modern and attractive venue. If you represent, or know of a group, who might make use of the Hall, then please contact Leigh Barmby.
On Saturday, March 15th the school played host to the South -East Regional Final of the National Young Chef of the Year Competition sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Gt. Britain. Area finalists came from all over the south-east and they had just two hours to prepare a three course meal of their own choosing. The meals were then judged by Tony Baldry, M.P. and Raymond Blanc, the renowned international chef and proprietor of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons at Great Milton. The standards demonstrated by these young chefs, aged between 14 and 17, were unbelievably high. Their technical and presentation skills were exceptional and they really enjoyed the constructive yet critical comment that they individually received from Monsieur Blanc. The eventual winner was Emma Shaw from Wokingham in Berkshire and she will now progress to the National Final in London, with a first prize being the chance to work in restaurants owned by Jamie Oliver. From this competition, Emma won a trophy and two days at Le Manoir. Such initiatives underline the talents possessed by many of our young people and we were delighted to welcome distinguished guests from the Rotary Clubs of Gt. Britain together with the very nervous family members who attended to support the contestants.
On March 29th, the school became the destination for almost 500 entrants for the British Masters Athletics Federation National Cross Country Championships. Using the extensive fields and grounds of the school and The Warriner Farm, races were run for different age groups with participants drawn from all over the U.K. We were delighted to be involved and the event was hugely successful. Such events bring great kudos to the school and we are proud that our facilities were judged to be suitable for a major athletics fixture.
The Warriner is keen to be at the heart of the communities that it serves and to support both the enrichment of the formal, academic curriculum which is delivered during term time and extended activities that benefit others in the area. If you have an event that might benefit from the facilities that the school has to offer, then please contact Leigh Barmby on the number given earlier.