Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• No screen Wednesday in the science department

  Fri 12 Feb 2021

  Students in the micro school got stuck into some science practical work as part of ‘no screen Wednesday’.    Each group had to extract DNA from kiwi fruit.  This slightly messy but fun practical, results in you being able to pull the DNA strand out of the solution.  There were lots of excellent questions about genetics and whether we should be able to genetically engineer plants and animals.  The general consensus was that most of them would like to have a glow in the dark jelly fish gene inserted!

  If you want to have a go at this experiment at home there are Youtube videos to show you how, including many that use things you can find at home.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q7xEjfnTZg

  Miss C Hague
  Assistant Headteacher

  

• Historical Pancakes – Screen free day 2021

  Fri 12 Feb 2021

  As soon as we heard about having a ‘Screen free’ day, the History Department started coming up with reams of historical themed activities which could be completed away from a screen.

   

  Mr Fousset suggested that perhaps students could create some Historical themed pancakes seeing as pancake day is only around the corner. To that end, each year group was given a list of possible activities relevant to the time period they are currently studying. For example, Year 9 have been looking at Medicine Through Time so were encouraged to see if they could interview someone from when the NHS was first set up in 1948. Year 10 are looking at Elizabeth I so were given options of cooking some traditional Elizabethan recipes, playing Greensleeves on an instrument or making some Elizabeth I themed pancakes (a popular choice). Year 11 were also given a Cold War pancake themed activity which seemed to be a firm favourite for the majority, after all there aren’t many occasions where your teachers would set you a task for a lesson to simply make pancakes!

   

  The photos that came through on Wednesday were amazing and it was so brilliant to see the fantastic imaginations of the students come to life. It was a great opportunity for students to have some fun and it will certainly be a positive memory of Lockdown 3.0 when we all made pancakes which looked like Elizabeth I, Stalin, Castro, the Berlin Wall, the Cold War and more. I’m planning on having a go at Historical pancakes on Tuesday although looking at these ones so far I think I’m going to need some practice… and also acquire some more toppings!

  Miss F Gray
  Head of Humanities

  

• House Competition Launches – Lockdown Race around the UK

  Fri 05 Feb 2021

  Please join our House Lockdown Race around the UK. The competition will run from today (Friday 5th February) until one of the Houses completes the challenge and any form of physical activity will count, e.g. walk, (indoor or outdoor) run or cycle or ergo!!

  Uno Animo points are available to the top athletes in each House, as well as House Points towards the Cockhouse Trophy according to each House’s finishing position.

  Step 1 – Download the Strava app or go to www.strava.com and create an account or log in if you are an existing user
  
  Step 2 – In the menu bar at the top go to Explore and then Clubs

  Step 4 – Select the club with your House in brackets, for example TWBS (Warwick)

   

   

  Step 5 – Request to join
  
  Step 6 – Let your Head of House know that you have signed up
  
  Step 7 – Get out there and add some miles to the challenge

  Thank you

  Gareth Breen
  Director of Sport

  

• A snowy day in lockdown

  Thu 28 Jan 2021

  It seems that for the last 2 months, the weather has predicted a snowy day every single week and yet, it never comes. So last night, I was reluctant to believe that yet again “It will snow”. Fortunately, I was proven wrong!

  The white blanket covering the road and grass outside my window was a welcome sight to wake to and I wasted no time in escaping the confines of my house to enjoy this incredibly rare weather.  It was a great time as my family and I enjoyed all that comes with snow – snowball fights, snowmen, snow angels etc.  It seems not many wasted this opportunity as many other neighbours were also found outside and gave a much-needed chance to chat (socially distanced of course!).

   

  This weather was a huge morale boost for just about everyone it seems, as it was a change in the mundane, repetitive routine our lives have now become.  This lockdown doesn’t look to be ending soon but at least there is hope that not every day will be the same and that something may come along and change it.

  However, this event has left with me with one burning question: Are cancelled school days due to snow over now since schools can remote teach? I guess it was lucky this was a Sunday and not a Monday then!

  Josh A
  Year 11

  

• Yr 12s enjoy Biology Masterclass

  Fri 22 Jan 2021

  Eight of our biology A Level students have signed up to a biology Masterclass run by Royal Holloway University.

  Lockdown and online learning has not perturbed their enthusiasm for extending their understanding of biology and the world around them. Cameron McKie, Ishwar Jabble, Oliver Sheppard, Shaan Dillon, Nathan Gaskell, Freddie Pope, Harry Elliott and Nathaniel Harlow (all year 12) are joining online sessions every Tuesday evening. These session are being run by a different Professor each week, with a variety of fascinating topics ranging from ‘The causes of cancer’ with Professor Laszlo Bogre, to ‘Surgical Site Infection’ with Dr James McEvoy (different spelling from the famous actor!).

  All the boys are going to gain a huge amount from this opportunity. Thank you to all the experts for giving up their time to allow our pupils to have as normal an experience during their A level studies as possible.

  Mr Wilson
  Head of Biology

  

• Science: We’re not stopping practical just because of lockdown

  Fri 22 Jan 2021

  Well done to the year 9’s who have had a go at making and testing home indicators this week for Chemistry.  All kinds of coloured foodstuffs can be used to test household items like kitchen cleaner, toothpaste, soap, lemon juice and lemonade to see if they are acids or alkalis.

  Some really well organised home practicals have taken place.  Thank you to the parents and carers who helped the boys complete this task at home.

  Year 11 have also been using items to hand to complete some practicals in Physics.  Some fantastic seismographs (earthquake detetectors) were made, finding novel alternatives to school equipment.  Others have been using spoons and car wingmirrors (bearing in mind safety and staying on driveway) to compare images in different mirrors.

  Thanks to all patient parents for allowing their offspring to raid the cupboards! Science is always best when it’s practical!

   

  Mrs Arnold
  Head of Science

   

  

• Oxbridge Outreach Talk by Michael Smith

  Wed 16 Dec 2020

  On Monday 14th December, our ex-Head Boy, Michael Smith, came to the school to deliver an outreach talk about applying to Oxbridge. Michael is currently studying Law at Downing College, Cambridge. His talk focussed on busting the myths surrounding applications to Oxbridge and the reality that you just need to be an academically able pupil, with a real passion and enthusiasm for wanting to study and talk about your subject.

  Michael discussed his own experience about ‘imposter syndrome’, where he questioned his own ability and whether he deserved to be there after a few weeks commencing the course. But the reality is that he did – he had proven this at interview and through the grades that he achieved. Michael talked about advice that was provided by other older pupils, which was ‘fake it ‘til you make it’. This relates to the situation that if you act confident, others will perceive you as confident and so you end up being confident. What was also interesting was the fact that many law firms were already chasing and flattering pupils to come and work for them after they complete their studies. Usually, it is the other way around.

  Speaking to year 11 pupils afterwards, they expressed how helpful they found the session and sparked an interest to do research in to applying to Oxbridge.

  Mr S Miah
  Head of Chemistry

  

• So what is engineering anyway?

  Fri 11 Dec 2020

  Every year 9 class, and many classes in other years, have had the opportunity to examine this question over the last four weeks, thanks to Dyson who have loaned us materials for the boys to find out more about the Engineering industry.  In lessons, the boys have been able to disassemble a vacuum cleaner attachment and investigate the many design decisions that were made to create it.  A large number of boys also came to Science Society at lunchtime to disassemble the entire vacuum cleaner and see more of Dyson’s famous turbine design.

  We are very grateful to Dyson for the equipment and materials which have given so many boys the chance to understand more about the profession and consider whether they may consider it as a possible career in the future.

  Ms T Arnold
  Head of Science

  

• Year 9s create Christmas decorations for the Castle

  Wed 09 Dec 2020

  This year for the Christmas season, The Windsor Boys’ School was one of six schools invited by the Learning Centre at Windsor Castle to decorate Christmas trees based on the theme ‘Windsor’s Pantomime Pictures’.

  The year nine students were invited to make decorations on the theme of the Sleeping Beauty pantomime. The boys put their painting expertise to the test illustrating and hand-painting beautiful vignette paintings of dragons, castles, forests, thorns and even a corgi.

  The six trees will be displayed in Pug Yard, the wonderful new Castle Learning Centre and the hand-painted decorations will eventually be moved to the 6m tall tree in St. George’s Hall, within the State Rooms, where they may even be seen by Her Majesty The Queen!

  Miss S Tombs
  Art Teacher

  

• Sixth form receive training from Elevate Education

  Thu 26 Nov 2020

  Over the past two weeks Elevate have visited TWBS giving all of our year 12 and 13 students a one hour study skills workshop. Elevate’s presenters are highly engaging and covered plenty of topics to inform students of the best ways to achieve and hopefully surpass their target grades.

  During the hour long session, students explored ways to revise and then apply their knowledge in the exam room. There were some great tips about how to prepare for the exams, both in the weeks approaching the final exams and, importantly, starting right now, using mind mapping and note taking techniques to learn things and develop understanding and memory over the longer term.

  After the session, our students were given some helpful post-seminar resources to remind them of the techniques and tips covered, together with access to a wide range of digital resources.  Most important of all though, the students left with more confidence in their ability to apply what they had learnt in the exam room! The feedback from the boys was excellent and I have included a few examples below:

  “Very good. 10/10!”
  “The presenter had lots of energy and was engaging.”
  “Very useful for people who are stressed about exams!”
  “Interesting and helpful advice. Clear, concise and relatable.”
  “Very informative and genuinely useful – lots of things to take away and do!”

  Please speak to your son about what they learnt from Elevate and encourage them to make use of the fantastic Elevate website too: https://ukstudent.elevateeducation.com/

  Mr Jeffery
  Sixth Form Leader of Pupil Progress