Monday, 8 March 2010

'A river ain't too much to love' – AS Geography fieldwork


On Wednesday February 24th, 22 keen AS students – together with Kate, our Head of Geography, and Hannah, our Social Organiser – set off to Juniper Hall field centre near Guildford. The weather was cool and wet but the mood happy and purposeful.


Day 1
In the afternoon, the students collected data regarding flood risk management. This involved the collection of land use data and percentage use of the land within selected sample sites. In the evening the results were processed using GIS to show the flood risk hazard on the floodplain of the River Wey in Guildford.



Day 2
After a class-based session giving background information of river channel changes, students went to three different sites on the River Tillingbourne to collect data such as river width, depth, velocity and gradient. This was a long and very wet day but everyone worked hard and with enthusiasm against the demands of the British weather. Write ups in the evening involved graph and analysis work to see the patterns and changes from source to mouth. A major Charades tournament followed, on the combined theme of film and geography. So teams found themselves acting out some challenging terms – 'sub-aerial weathering' and 'the Holderness Coastline', for instance!

Day 3
Morning involved work in the centre grounds to assess the changes made to interception and infiltration with different land uses and vegetation types. Form this, storm hydrographs could then be produced and analysed.



Arriving back at d'Overbroeck's on Friday afternoon were 22 tired and muddy students – hopefully equipped with more geography skills and knowledge to take with them into the summer exams.

A successful and fun trip was had by all – including Hannah, who is now a first-class geographer, though still a city girl at heart.

– Report written by Kate Palmer, Head of Geography



Below, a slideshow of more photos from the trip (see slideshow on Flickr)

Thursday, 4 March 2010

Alice in Wonderland - whetting your appetite for next week's shows


With only a week to go before our Sixth Form production of Alice in Wonderland, we thought we'd post this quick video interview with Daisy Grieve and Emma Gonnella – the two Sixth Form students who are directing the production (you may remember our first interview with Daisy and Emma back in October).

— So, without further ado, over to Emma and Daisy to give you a taste of what to expect, and tell you why you should book tickets to come along (if you haven't already)...




(If the video above isn't displaying, here's a link to watch it on YouTube).

To recap, the performances of Alice will be on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 March at 7pm, at the OFS Theatre in Oxford. To book tickets (£5 for adults; £3 for children/students), please telephone 01865 310000 or email us. Hurry, as both nights are filling up quickly ...

Tuesday, 2 March 2010

MG Harris on writing a bestselling novel - Sixth Form Speaker Programme


Do you have a novel in you? How do you make sure yours is the manuscript that the literary agent actually bothers to read? What do Aristotle and Hollywood have in common – and how could they both help you come up with a bestseller?

Yesterday, as part of our Speaker Programme, we were visited by MG Harris, bestselling author of The Joshua Files, a series of books for young adults.


MG described writing her first novel in the aftermath of a skiing accident, and (subsequently) the conception and creation of The Joshua Files. She spoke particularly about the challenges of finding a literary agent and getting published – and outlined the approach that had finally worked for her: targeting and researching a specific agent and tailoring her manuscript to grab his attention.

Plot, she argued, was the most demanding (and easily neglected) aspect of the writer's craft: she spends weeks honing her narrative, ratcheting up the tension in key scenes, devoting attention to characters' motivations and the consequences of each plot device. And she pointed out that the qualities identified by Aristotle as essential to a compelling drama – all the way back in Ancient Greece – remain virtually unchanged in the modern Hollywood blockbuster.

You can read more about MG Harris on her blog, or visit the Joshua Files website.

Thursday, 25 February 2010

Musical seduction, adoration and deception: Cupid's Labyrinth

'If music be the food of love, play on ...'

These were the familiar words that introduced Cupid's Labyrinth – an evening overflowing with musical ardour.

We were treated to a programme of solos, duets, trios and quartets that brought together songs by Purcell and Handel, operatic arias by Verdi and Mozart and extracts from the more modern operettas of Offenbach and Gilbert & Sullivan – all unified by the theme of love.

So we witnessed seduction …


… silent adoration …


… amorous competition …


… illicit liaison …


… and more. The quality of the singing was unfailingly excellent, with a talented cast of performers – from Year 7 to Sixth Form – proving themselves more than equal to some extremely demanding classical repertoire.

Here's a slideshow of photographs from the evening:

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Photo of the month: Rory Matthews


The above image, by Upper Sixth student Rory Matthews, is the first of a new series of posts featuring work by some of our most talented sixth form photographers.

The photo itself doesn't require much in the way of description: dark, intense and full of narrative power, it speaks for itself.



Read on for a short interview with Rory about his approach to photography ... and more examples of his work.




When did you start taking photos?
I only really began seriously during the summer after secondary school when I was given a compact camera as a reward for passing my GCSEs.

What makes a great image?
I think that composition has got to be the most important part of a picture: anything can be made interesting if it is caught in the right way. Following closely in importance is lighting: even the most interesting of subjects can be badly lit, and this will ruin a shot.

What inspires you as a photographer?
I’m not sure why, but shortly before seriously starting to try and take photographs I began to pay attention to a world that had been passing me by. I realised that there were lots of beautiful things to see if you took the time to look. I think photography followed on fairly naturally from this.


Any photographic ambitions?
I really hope that I can take the documentary or photojournalism route. I’d like to travel back to Africa where I was born, and spend time with a family or group and photograph them over an extended period.

What’s photography A level been like here at d’Overbroeck’s?
d’Overbroeck’s has been the perfect environment – and an immensely important part of my personal development. It has a relaxed environment that fosters a determined and focussed attitude amongst it’s students toward work. I hadn’t been anywhere like it before.



The above images are just a tiny selection from Rory's work – and we'd encourage you to browse his online portfolio to see more: Rory Matthews' photos (via Flickr)


All photos are © Rory Matthews, all rights reserved.

Monday, 25 January 2010

d'Overbroeck's College Open Mornings


Coming up in the next two weeks are two d'Overbroeck's Open Mornings – the first for younger students interested in joining Leckford Place (the 11-16 section of the College); the second for prospective Sixth Formers.

Leckford Place Open Morning (11-16)
Saturday 30 January, 10am to 1pm
Leckford Place, Leckford Road, Oxford OX2 6HX (map)
Further details: 01865 302620

Sixth Form Open Morning
Saturday 6 February, 10am to 12.30pm
The Swan Building, 111 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6JX (map)
Further details: 01865 310000


Both events offer an opportunity for prospective parents and students to meet and chat to teachers and current students, find out about the subjects and activities on offer, and tour some of our buildings and facilities.

All are welcome, so if you know anyone who might be interested in coming along to either Open Morning (or both), please do pass on the invitation.

Friday, 15 January 2010

Number 7 in Oxfordshire

d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form has been ranked 7th in Oxfordshire for last year's A level results in league tables published by the Times newspaper.

On average, our students scored an excellent 243.3 QCA points per entry – which translates to an average grade of somewhat over a B.

You can browse the league tables on the Times website – enter 'Oxfordshire' in the 'Local authority' field and choose the 'A level results' tab.