Posted on: 7/04/2022Bar Mock TrialsMembers of the Jury, I stand before you to deliver the closing statement for the prosecution, my name is Mrs Pretsell and I represent the Crown in the case against Amery Hill. The charge is that the students of Amery Hill performed brilliantly at the Southern Region Mock Trials Competition, and brought prestige and honour to both themselves and the school. Members of the Jury, this is an occasion when the only credible verdict you will be able to return is guilty: they were brilliant. Let me remind you of the facts of the case; our barristers: Lucy D, Albie P, Isabel P and Chloe S were dedicated and clever lawyers who prepared their cases meticulously and questioned with an unerring dedication to clarity and precision. They were brutal - woe betide anyone who ever wants to take them on in an argument. Supporting the barristers were the four witnesses who were questioned in these cases. The Amery witnesses: Max J, Griff P, Aleya S and Orla T were guilty of knowing all the facts of their stories, conveying their testimony with great confidence and standing stalwart against fierce questioning. Running the court were another two students guilty of brilliance and coolness in the demanding courtroom drama. Anya F, our court clerk, was peerless and Sophie J (usher) was as cool as a very cool cucumber. Finally, other schools were kept on their toes by the brilliant and incisive services of jury members Sian L and Hazel R - nothing was going to get past them as they exercised their civic duty with true professionalism. Admittedly, the Amery Hill Team did not win the competition but in mitigation it must be noted that they were Year 10 students and they were challenging teams from 6th Form Colleges. They are David facing very many Goliaths. They might not have defeated Goliath but they gave him bruised shins, broken fingers and a nasty suspected concussion. So finally, members of the Jury, as you decide if this team from Amery is indeed guilty of being brilliant, I charge you to remember that these students worked so hard for five months preparing this case, they conducted themselves perfectly and they made Mrs Smith and me feel so incredibly proud to be their teachers. You must return a unanimous verdict of guilty.View Article
Posted on: 9/04/2022Rights Respecting School AwardIn December we announced that we had begun our journey to become a school which is committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and were working towards the first stage of the RRSA accreditation with Unicef UK. I am excited to announce that since then, we have achieved our Bronze Award which means that we are a ‘Rights Committed’ school. This means that we have demonstrated our school’s commitment and shown how we intend to become rights respecting. The next step is working towards the Silver Award and being ‘Rights Aware’, which will involve the school’s activities and work on rights respecting being inspected by a UNICEF RRSA Professional Adviser. Our initial survey of students and staff last term appraised our strengths and current position and helped with our action plan for the Silver ‘Rights Aware’ Award which has been developed in consultation with our Student Voice Ambassadors and other staff members. We have also introduced the Rights of the Child in assemblies across all year groups explaining how and why our decision to becoming a Rights Respecting School is so important. A summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child can be found here. Sharing knowledge with our students to help them learn about their rights and putting them into practice every day is fundamental to the award. As a school we already arrange events and facilitate discussions relating to the Convention, and will continue to raise the awareness of this within lessons, tutor time and in the day-to-day life of our school. The crisis which has unfolded in Ukraine, with devastating outcomes for so many people, including children, who have been forced to uproot their lives, make dangerous journeys and seek safety where they can, has been one topic discussed with students and incorporated into assemblies for all year groups. Article 38 (War and Armed Conflicts) of the Convention states that “Governments must not allow children under the age of 15 to take part in war or join the armed forces. Governments must do everything they can to protect and care for children affected by war and armed conflicts.” This, and the war in Ukraine, has been discussed in a variety of supportive ways with students as part of our RRSA and EfL activities. Students have also been able to contribute to a campaign promoted by the English Department which involves providing support for children displaced as a result of the conflict. View Article
Posted on: 18/07/2023Hartfield House - House Champions 2023Congratulations go to Hartfield House who, after taking the lead in the Championship in October, continued to steadily accumulate house points over the spring and summer terms and emerged House Champions after the thrilling final Championship event - Sports Day. This is an incredible achievement to have held on to the lead for so long! The Championship ended incredibly close with just over 600 points separating the winners and runners-up. Well done to Pemberley, who finished last year in fourth place, who are runners up this year. Commiserations to Northanger, who were defending champions, whose late spurt took them off fourth place at the expense of Mansfield, who I am sure will bounce back next year. Well done to everyone who sent in a picture of their pet, sang their heart out to Backstreet Boys, took part in the army days, in extra-curricular clubs, Science Week competitions, Maths Pi Day, built an island in RS, guessed the correct flag in geography and every other competition we had - every point counted and it went right down to the wire. The House Championship has been fun and rewarding to organise and I would like to thank our student leaders - House Captains, Vice House Captains and House Representatives - who have been instrumental in helping to organise events and encourage students to embrace the competitions with enthusiasm. I hope that you have enjoyed it as well. So, looking ahead to next year, can Pemberley go one step further and win the championship, can Northanger reclaim the crown or could Mansfield go all the way from fourth place one year to champions the next? Will Hartfield become the first House to win the competition back to back? We go again in September!View Article
Posted on: 26/04/2023London Mini MarathonOn Saturday 22 April, 45 Amery Hill School students from Years 7 to 11 travelled to London to compete in the TCS London Mini Marathon, a 2.6km race for school aged students, which took place the day before the full London Marathon. It was an early start, leaving school at 7am, but the excitement steadily built on the way to St James’s Park where students had final drinks and warmed up. The event took place on a closed, secure route with stewards and a dedicated welfare team on the course to make sure all runners had a safe and enjoyable experience. Waves of approximately 250 runners set off at five-minute intervals with students following a fantastic route that started at Horse Guards Parade and went past St James’s Park, Buckingham Palace and Green Park before experiencing the thrill of crossing the world-famous finish line on The Mall. All of the runners received finishers medals and were exhausted but very, very happy! Speaking about the event, Head of PE, Mrs Naomi Jackson, commented, “We have a very enthusiastic and talented group of runners at Amery Hill School and they had an incredible day in London. Experiencing an event on this scale, with thousands of young runners participating, was fantastic for our students.”View Article
Posted on: 26/06/2023Amery Hill School Announces New HeadteacherAmery Hill School in Alton is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Headteacher, Mr Rob Jeckells, who will take up the position, in September 2023, after the summer holidays. Mr Jeckells is a highly experienced Deputy Headteacher from Kings’ School in Winchester. The comprehensive recruitment process included seeking external independent advice as well as involving a broad cross-section of Trustees, staff and students in the school. One of our objectives was to find a Headteacher who understands and shares our outlook, which is rooted in strong values. Throughout our discussions it was clear that Mr Jeckells, not only shares our focus on academic excellence and high achievement for all, but will continue to develop our ethos and vision in the future. We would like to congratulate Mr Mann, our current Headteacher, who has been appointed as CEO of Wildern Academy Trust and will take up his new position in September. Rob Jeckells said: ‘It will be my honour and privilege to lead Amery Hill School. I am a strong believer in the power of education to transform lives, and I’m ambitious to build upon the work of the current Headteacher and staff. The opportunity to lead Amery Hill School and serve the whole community is hugely exciting for me and I’m looking forward to leading the school into the next phase of its history.’ Lorna Vickery, Chair of Trustees, said ‘We are very sad to see Mr Mann depart and thank him for all the hard work and dedication he has shown to ensure the very best for the students at Amery Hill School. Mr Mann has worked tirelessly with the Senior Leadership Team, staff and Trustees over the last five years to strengthen the academic excellence of our school and maintain our caring ethos, whilst steering the school through the Covid pandemic. We look forward to a bright future for the school with Mr Jeckells, whilst wishing Mr Mann every success, health and happiness with his future career.’View Article
Posted on: 8/04/2022Stubbs Farm 40th YearThe traditional annual Year 7 Geography visit to Stubbs Farm returned this March with the latest group of students doing a half-day tour of the farm. The last time Amery had visited was March 2020 and only days before the first national Covid lockdown was announced. Returning this time Mr. Stephens was reminiscing about how long Amery Hill had been visiting his family farm and let it slip that this was our 40th year! A long tradition that we hope to keep going. As usual Mr. Stephens was very generous with his time, meeting every group in the winter cattle sheds where he patiently explained to the children about the beef cattle kept on the farm, their feeding, conditions, age, weight, breeds and even how much they can sell for. With our school being in such a rural setting the students were very keen to listen to how our food is produced even if a few admitted that they were not meat eaters. The walk around the rest of the farm really showed of its size and organisation plus stunning views of the beautiful Hampshire countryside. The wooded area was made more interesting this year with a few extra trees down after Storm Eunice and a few startled pheasants! The students will be using the notes that they made on the day to write this up as their next assessed piece of Year 7 work.View Article