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Many Surrey students are fortunate to have the opportunity to travel abroad, experience different cultures and broaden their world views, but when Frensham Heights students head off to Malawi, it is more than just a school trip. They are becoming part of a partnership that has lasted almost two decades. Head, Andrew Fisher describes the experience: “Frensham Heights began its partnership with Malawi 18 years ago. In this time, we have worked together to rebuild two schools, improving the lives of teachers and students alike. Malawi is one of the poorest countries on Earth and in rural areas the percentage of children completing secondary education is as low as 2%. Our partnership with the Malawi schools also challenges and benefits the Frensham Heights students who take part in the trips. We go out every two years when we teach, make friends, complete projects and just help. But perhaps more importantly, the world becomes ‘bigger’ for our students. They see and experience extreme poverty. They meet people trying to make their lives better by tiny degrees. They all realise that there is more to understand than their own experiences.” On 6th July 2023, after months of preparation and project fundraising, thirty-four Frensham Heights students and seven teachers travelled to Malawi. Upon landing, they found themselves in an immensely kind and warm community. With such a large group of students taking part this year, logistics meant splitting into two groups and swapping locations halfway through the trip. One group stayed at Kamuza Academy near All Saints School, Mtunthama - the school which has sat at the heart of the Malawi-Frensham partnership for 18 years. At All Saints, Frensham students helped to paint the laboratories, the kitchen and the dining room with local students joining in during their breaks - sometimes with forty people all painting and chatting together! They also all repainted the outdoor cement map of Malawi which was first completed with Frensham Heights students in 2012. Trip leader Lynn Goodburne described the change she saw in the school, “It was wonderful to be back at All Saints School after 11 years. I could immediately see the differences that had been made by the community and partnership, working together over the years. The school campus, which had once felt sparse, separated and quiet, was now linked and connected by sheltered pathways creating a unified, warm community.” Over the years, All Saints School has grown and developed from a school with no desks or textbooks into a beacon school in the region - now educating over 1000 students. In recent years, the partnership, driven by local voices, realised that efforts should be spread to other schools in the region and in 2018, Frensham Heights started working, through Malawi Schools Trust, with Mikuyu Secondary School. Mikuyu was the second school the Frensham group visited this summer. There they camped, living in close contact with the local community, truly experiencing life as Mikuyu citizens. A mother's group from the local diocese came and stayed with the visitors, looking after them and cooking meals with them on an open fire. Their dancing and singing brought a smile to everyone’s face - celebrating the small yet important things in life. In Mikuyu, Frensham Heights students taught lessons and organised sporting activities - they were really struck by the Mikuyu students’ intelligence, curiosity and passion to learn. They also helped install office equipment in the Head’s office - laptops, printer, projector, router. A highlight of the visit for all was a huge football match between Frensham and Mikuyu in blended teams. Casper, a Frensham student, said “that day was really special to me and the first thing I think of when I look back at that trip, with the whole village at the football match and for some reason all of them knowing my name!” The integration of the two communities living together, sharing conversations despite language gaps was the focus for both groups. Friendships were made which won’t be forgotten. Esther, a Frensham student, fondly remembers “making friends that taught me their way of life, how they learn, what they enjoy and things that are important to them. I benefited greatly from putting myself out there, talking to new people, who taught me cooking skills, told me stories of their life and shared their culture with me.” Andrew Fisher continues, “Over the years we have taken approximately 120 students and 20 staff. Each trip has allowed me to watch the richness of simple human interactions across a huge divide, to see kindnesses from both sides, to see hope for a school where previously there was very little hope. Last summer Frensham took the biggest group ever to Malawi to continue the partnership and to witness for themselves what can be achieved.” There is still a lot of work to do at Mikuyu so that the school and community can grow. The children travel miles to attend school each day and it is so valuable to all of them. Working with them and listening to what they need, we can continue to make a difference that will be respected and valuable to them. Malawi Schools Trust was established in 2018 to keep the partnership going and structure investment and support across projects. They are working with the Mikuyu community and school leaders to listen to the true needs of the community and help bring about lasting and relevant developments. Frensham Heights students will be heading back to Malawi in 2024 to work with the schools and communities. To find out what you can do to get involved, visit the Malawi Schools Trust’s website - www.malawischoolstrust.org There will be a presentation for Frensham parents and students to launch Malawi Summer 2024 on students and parents on Wednesday 11th October at 6.30pm. Tom Trueman, from True Adventure who are working with Frensham on this trip, will be there with Linn K and Lynn G.

A Year 10 student from Frensham Heights School has been announced as the winner in his category for this year's BAFTA Young Game Designers Competition. On Thursday evening BAFTA streamed the final of the Young Games Designer of the year awards on BAFTA Kids & Teens YouTube, hosted by actor and comedian Inel Tomlinson. Arlo Freer, 15, from Herriard, was selected as the winner in the category Game Making Award (15-18) for his game ‘Bird in the Woods’. Set in a dilapidated ruin, deep in the forest, you're a bird with a magic bow that allows you to teleport to the location of your arrows. With as few shots as possible, you need to manoeuvre your way through levels of puzzles. Instead of music, the audio background is birdsong and other nature noises. Impressively, Arlo was able to design and create his game in less than a month. Arlo now has access to gaming expert mentors who can help him to develop this passion further as a hobby or on to a career if he wishes. Arlo said: “I am really looking forward to being able to hear about a professional’s approach to game design – I’m sure it will be invaluable to me going forward.” Young Game Designers is an initiative by BAFTA that inspires and supports young people to create, develop and present their new game idea to the world. A year-round initiative of public events, workshops and culminating in the Young Game Designers competition for 10-18 year-olds. Young people across the UK conceptualised and created brand-new video games for this year’s competition. A virtual jury of industry professionals had to narrow down hundreds of entries, from both teams and individuals, to just 40 games, which were selected for the creativity of their vision, and the technicality of their execution. Juror for Young Game Designers Alumnus and Producer Intern at Criterion Games, Joe Straker, said: “It was such a privilege to sit on this year’s jury. Having been a YGD finalist myself back in 2020, I know first-hand both how fierce the competition is, and how many doors are opened up by this opportunity. The networking opportunities BAFTA is able to provide are second to none, and it’s amazing to play a role in selecting the next generation of talented individuals to receive this valuable support.” The 2023 winners will be featured in the prestigious Power Up experience, alongside some of the very best video games and consoles from the past five decades. Power Up opens at the Science Museum in London on 27 July 2023.

As part of their Sixth Form experience, ten Year 12 students embarked on an adventurous week on the wild west coast of Scotland. The first stage of the trip was a 2-day sea kayaking adventure, involving a paddle out through the beautiful surroundings of Loch Moidart. The team adapted well to the challenge of balancing themselves in a narrow kayak, as for many this was a new experience. We stayed dry mostly, apart from 1 member of the team who found themselves wetter than they wanted to be quite quicky! We made our way to the far western shores to a stunning wild camping spot, on a desolate beach, surrounded by small rocky outcrops and a sunset view of the islands of Eigg and Rum. The evening involved a fantastic camping experience, with outstanding cooking skills being demonstrated on gas stoves, coping admirably with the onslaught of midges and enjoying a fun campfire on the beach. During the next phase, we were based at an outward-bound centre on the shore of Loch Eil. The group took part in several adventurous pursuits in which they stepped outside their comfort zones. Activities included rock climbing on the rocky slabs of Glen Nevis, swimming in the cool waters of Loch Eil and in gorge walking up two rivers. The students challenged themselves by climbing up waterfalls, jumping off rock ledges into deep pools, swimming below underwater arches…and coping with more midges! The expedition culminated in a journey to the wilderness of the Knoydart peninsular. The team began their journey with a 10km hike across hilly terrain in uncharacteristically hot conditions to the isolated settlement of Tarbet. A short ferry ride later and we arrived at our final destination of Inverie, famed for being the most remote community on mainland Britain. The main aim the following day was to assist with the rangers from the Knoydart Foundation in building a woodshed for their campsite. All the material for this project were bought by the Foundation with the proceeds from fundraising by the students. In the words of the ranger: "In awe of the efforts of Frensham Heights School’s lower sixth pupils who helped us put up a log shed for our campers at Long Beach in just a day……the group also teamed up to repair steps by the River Inverie making the path more accessible to visitors and locals alike. Despite contending with midges, horseflies and high temperatures, there wasn’t one word of complaint from the group – awesome work.” The final evening of the trip was based around another campfire on the beach and the moment embodied the Frensham spirit, particularly the values of togetherness and courage to try. We told stories about the week, shared good memories and celebrated the accomplishments the team had made. The group excelled themselves in their attitude to different elements of the trip, the physical and mental challenges as well as their polite and cheerful approach to everything we did. They were fantastic ambassadors for their school, and they should be proud of themselves. Well done Team Knoydart 2023!

The students had a full and fun netball tour last weekend to Cardiff. The coaching involved three sessions by Lauda Rudland, who currently plays for the Celtic Dragons, and also their academy coaches. These sessions focused on their attacking movement and gameplay. The girls got so much out of these sessions and worked incredibly hard on court every time. They played a match against a local school after the first training session. The girls played three competitive fixtures, which resulted in two very close losses and a win for the U13's. I have never seen the girls with so much fight and determination on court - I hope they bring it back with them! On Saturday, we were lucky enough to have a Q and A with the Ugandan National Team who were playing a test series against Wales over the weekend. They kindly gave up 40 minutes of their time during their busy preparation to talk to the girls about how they got into netball and what netball has brought to their lives - 'netball teaches you not to be selfish, you can only do well when you help other people shine' (Ugandan coach). 'Netball gives a sense of belonging, often to people that do not feel like they belong to a group of people or a society. I think they can make anyone in the world feel good, feel happy' (Peace Proscovia - Surrey Storm and Uganda). In the evening we were then fortunate enough to catch the second game of the series in Wales v Uganda. It was an incredibly tense and physical game of netball to watch and resulted in a second win for Uganda (Frensham were cheering very loudly) and we celebrated with the team afterwards having become their groupies! Two amazing opportunities for the girls that could do nothing but inspire our future Roses. There was plenty of fun too as we managed to squeeze in bowling and a water park. A fantastic tour, the girls did Frensham proud and it was a pleasure to spend the weekend with them. So excited for the season ahead.

Frensham has been building a partnership with the Knoydart community in the Western Highlands of Scotland for five years. We are very proud of the community projects that the students have helped build. This year we have been building a fund to carbon offset school trips. This fund will be divided between planting trees on the Frensham Heights site and throughout the Knoydart area. ​ The trees that are planted must meet Scottish Forestry requirements for native woodland and have to be of a suitable local provenance. A new tree nursery has been started to be able to supplement the tree planting with locally grown trees in the next couple of years. Due to the level of deer on the land all new woodland sites are protected by deer fencing. Planting trees in the Knoydart area increases biodiversity, has community benefit as well as absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. The woodland creation work is supported by Scottish Forestry's Forestry Grant scheme but the Knoydart Forest Trust aim to plant 20% more trees than required by the funding to ensure the woodland thrives given the harsh climate there and therefore any additional support is very much appreciated and needed. Frensham’s first donation will lead to approximately 70 trees being planted. Here's a link to the website. Photos show the planting in April at Ben's Wood including the team heading off on the "Spanish John", the landing craft, with all the trees and equipment, camp, food and firewood

Teachers were back on site to welcome A-Level and GCSE students into school to collect their results. We are so proud of the strong relationships which develop here between students and teachers and this shows right up to the last day when they can share their successes and wish each other luck on their next adventures. Our Head, Rick and all the academic staff were thrilled that once again, so many Frensham students have gained outstanding results and the opportunity to follow their chosen paths. 100% successfully passed their A Levels with 40% achieving grades A*-A and 67% achieving A*-B. GCSE students were equally pleased with 96.5% successful passing, 23% achieving 9-8 and 42% achieving 9-7. Laura, our Deputy Head (Academic), said “We are so proud of our students and what they have achieved. They have shown great tenacity in the face of a difficult two years of disrupted learning during the pandemic. And their results are a testament to their determination and hard work. Frensham is a community that cherishes each individual and we have no doubt that they will all go on to follow their passions and do great things in their chosen fields.” However, a Frensham education is more than just about exam results and Rick was keen to stress how important it is to remember that no one is defined by their exam results.  “As important as they are as a step towards each student’s next stage, it is the experience along the way that makes the difference.  A school like Frensham prepares young people for the future by instilling values and skills that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives - creative thinking, problem solving, resilience.  I have to thank our amazing teachers who build unique, genuine relationships with each of their students, supporting them not just with their teaching, but with their confidence and spirit. We are hugely proud of all our students, with the results reflecting their diverse interests and strengths. Frensham is a community that cherishes each individual and we have no doubt that they will all go on to follow their passions and do great things in their chosen fields.”

The Aldridge Theatre at Frensham Heights came alive on Wednesday 9th March to the energetic beat of Taiko drumming. On 9th March, we were so excited to open the Aldridge Theatre doors to the wider Farnham community for the first time since COVID hit. It was to a full audience that Taiko Meantime kicked off the first Surrey and Hampshire Taiko Youth Festival. The performance was partly a culmination of workshops hosted by our Outreach and Enrichment Programme for students and staff from Frensham Heights and Bordon Junior School. We were joined by Taiko Meantime groups from Potter’s Gate and Weydon schools. The workshops began as a way for Frensham to reach out into the community to share the school’s love of performing arts. Lynn Goodburne who heads this outreach project, said “We are very passionate about getting our students involved with the communities around us and sharing our amazing facilities. We feel this is a wonderful way to bring youngsters together, promoting learning across different platforms and most importantly having a lot of fun!” The workshops themselves were run by Mark Alcock from Taiko Meantime who first learned Taiko drumming when living in the Wakayama prefecture in Southern Japan. Taiko is a traditional form of Japanese drumming which comes from the temples and shrines and is performed in theatres and religious festivals. Taiko is an dynamic mix of music, martial arts, performance and drama. This comes through in the energetic workshops and the obvious discipline of the established Potter’s Gate and Weydon groups. After just two hour sessions, the Frensham Heights and Bordon Junior schools were confident and able to perform on the Aldridge stage. “I am really happy to bring the power, discipline, joy and fun of Taiko drumming to schools outside of the immediate Farnham area and to be back at Frensham Heights who have always been hugely supportive.” said Mark. For both, this isn’t just a one-off event, Lynn and Mark see this as just the beginning of an adventure, seeing Farnham grow as a hub for Taiko drumming bringing together schools from Surrey and Hampshire counties to master and celebrate this form of percussion.

Despite Covid numbers rapidly rising and finding ourselves without a theatre manager, our incredibly resilient staff and students put on some outstanding performances in the Aldridge Theatre this last term. Although we couldn't have a full audience, and for some no audience at all, it was really uplifting to be back in our beautiful theatre again. Performing Arts are a big part of our curriculum with Nursery through Year 9 students taking music, dance and drama each week. GCSE, BTEC and A-Level options allow those with passion for the Performing Arts to continue as far as they wish. We don’t expect all our students to go on to become professional artists, musicians, dancers – although many do – but the creative-thinking and soft skills which develop best in these subjects are now more crucial than ever. The courage to stand on stage, to paint their dreams, compose their own songs – these are the experiences which will make them stronger, make them individuals and stay with them, no matter what they go on to do. Peter Pan A small group of Years 7 to 9 students created a wonderful production of Peter Pan. Sets and costumes were salvaged to keep the show as environmentally friendly as possible and all proceeds were donated to Great Ormond's Street Hospital. With two shows and careful stewarding, no one had to miss this lovely production. Christmas Dance and Music Concert As one of Frensham's most popular events, even before Covid disruptions, tickets for this event go incredibly quickly. Unfortunately, this time after ticket reservations opened, and had sold out, Covid numbers started climbing quickly and we had to go back and limit the audience to 2 tickets only for families of performers. A huge thank you to all the families who returned tickets to make sure that every performer had at least one person in the audience. The show was recorded and will be made available to all the grandparents, friends and wider community who had to miss the live performance. The students outdid themselves as always and the talent, strength and courage shown on stage was outstanding. The GCSE and A-Level Dance students command the stage with confidenc,e but many of the students performing would not naturally be drawn to the stage. Dance is compulsory at Frensham through Year 9. This is unique and important. It takes us through those awkward, self-conscious, inhibited teenage years. Spend those in an environment where you’re all feeling uncomfortable together – where you’re all told it’s normal, it’s fine, have fun and try not to take it so seriously – and the effect can be not only phenomenal for teenage wellbeing, but life-changing. We had to cancel our music stages at Founders' Day and Fireworks Evening this year, so this was a much needed opportunity for our singers and musicians to perform in front of an audience. Luckily, with Covid restrictions allowing, there is a full line up for the rest of the academic year including informal concerts and Rock & Pop gigs. Junior School Christmas Shows Unfortunately, despite having arranged an outside venue and multiple shows, we ended up having to cancel external audiences for our Junior School Christmas Shows. But although it is wonderful for children to have the chance to perform in front of their families, it is really important, and exciting, for them to have the opportunity to perform on the big stage. The courage to get on stage is encouraged here from an early age as is the ability to watch, listen and appreciate others. So the shows did go ahead on the Aldridge stage with Nursery to Year 3 performing for Years 4 to 6 and vice versa. Nursery to Years 3 put on the funny, uplifting Lights, Camel, Action: The Sequin while Years 4 to 6 shared a wide variety of their own poems, dances and musical pieces. Costumes, lights and sounds were as a live event and the children performed magically. Both shows were videoed for families to enjoy at home. Thank You! A huge thank you for the amazing effort as always from our dedicated staff behind the scenes organising and supporting in so many ways, many going far beyond their day job. A special thank you to Ryan Harris for stepping in at the last minute as theatre technician to make sure these shows could actually happen. Thank you to our incredibly supportive and passionate parents and community (particularly those who gave up tickets for others). And as always, most importantly, thank you to all our amazing students - there literally would be no Frensham without you! Happy New Year and we'll see you for more amazingness in 2022!

Students at Frensham Heights School, like their peers around the world, are standing up for the environment and their future through their voices and actions at school and beyond. Young people around the world are gathering momentum in their challenge to society and government to do something about the climate crisis. Students at Frensham Heights are acting at school and beyond to make changes and have their voices heard. Two Sixth Form students were selected by UKSSN (Sustainable Schools Network) to take part in COP26 in Glasgow. Costa in Year 12 gained a place to attend the conference, representing both Frensham and Surrey Schools. Costa connected with many likeminded climatarians and took part in a live-streamed webinar panel alongside a nuclear expert discussing innovation in energy, education and the student experience at COP26. “Attending COP26 gave me an amazing opportunity to represent my school and students from across Surrey on an international platform. My highlight was meeting the MP and President of COP26, Alok Sharma. I was able to talk to him about the UKSSN’s approach and how young people at Frensham Heights and across Surrey feel about our current climate situation and what we can do to help solve some of the problems. At COP, I learnt far more about the plight of indigenous people, the important role they play in safeguarding biodiversity and how we can learn from them to live more harmoniously with nature.” - Costa, Year 12 Frensham Heights Student and COP attendee. Sixth Former Issy was also selected as part of the virtual satellite group of students who took part in the conference virtually. Alongside the real event in Glasgow, Frensham Heights also had a seat at the ZeroCarbon Guildford Mock COP on the 20th November - representing Brazil. They gave a bold and informed opening statement to the country delegates at Guildford Council Chambers. Their questions and answers demonstrated excellent preparation and the ability to think on their feet. It was a fantastic opportunity for students from many schools to come together discussing and negotiating their positions. The Frensham Heights students performed admirably and succeeded in establishing early alliances and making reasonable pledges to find a collective solution to the climate crisis. "Being on Team Brazil at Mock COP gave me a deeper understanding of different countries’ situations, the difficulties they’ve faced because of climate change and the complexities of finding a solution upon which everyone can agree. For me, the relevance of the Mock COP26 was the realisation that it instigated. By dedicating ourselves to the research of countries' policies, governments, politicians and economies and by attempting realistic negotiation with other nations, you realise how embedded into corruption and bureaucracy our global 'response' to climate change is. You realise that if we want to achieve relief for our planet, urgent adjustment to our efforts is needed. But rather than filling us with scepticism and worry, it should serve as a motivation for our younger generations and passionate public that we are the change of the future, and we must not rely on current policies to save us. Thank you to ZeroCarbon Guildford for making it possible." Kathleen, Year 13 Frensham Heights Student and Mock COP participant. Back at school, determination and passion are just as high. Eco issues have been introduced across the curriculum, from Year 5 students writing letters to the local MP offering their voices to the climate debate - to Year 10s considering the importance of social responsibility and government policies in Business Studies - to discussions around renewables in Science - to environmental thinking in A-Level Philosophy. Alongside are dedicated Ecodays for Years 7 to 9 that focus on the local environment and the impact the school community has upon it. Even the school production of Peter Pan is showcasing upcycled sets and costumes. EcoHeights, the student-led environmental group, keeps interest high and focused - encouraging all students and staff to consider and change the way they use resources and to respect the environment around them. They hold productive discussions with the Estates and Catering teams about food waste, waste disposal and recycling - always focusing on encouraging manageable student, staff and community change. The message being that every little action can make a difference. As a founding member of SEAS (Surrey Environmental Action in Schools) Frensham Heights have also been working with other local schools to find shared solutions to current climate problems. “It’s been fantastic over the last two years to see our eco initiatives develop and watch our students gain a passion and deeper understanding of the climate crisis we face. As a school, we are passionate about educating our young people about this issue and giving them the understanding and tools to be the changemakers of the future. We want to instil hope in young people who can so often be left despondent, feeling that the climate rhetoric is terrifyingly apocalyptic and another generation’s fault.” - Amanda McCallum, Frensham Heights Head of Faculty of the Physical World.

This show was all about the creation. The students were involved right from the very beginning, before pencil even touched paper. We took J.M Barrie’s story and made it our own with some wonderful contributions from the whole cast. From scriptwriting and devising to costumes and set this show really did come from our performers. Ideas from the cast for plot and character inspired the scenes written by Charlie and Lynn. Whilst our Year Nine helpers worked with the actors to devise fabulous scenes including the Lost Boy’s Montage, the Crocodile’s Rap, the Pirate’s Sea Shanty and the Mermaid’s Song. The cast worked hard to develop their dance battle moves and they all created their own costumes with the help of our Year 8 costume and set designer. Frensham’s Peter Pan is more than acting, it’s writing and devising and composing and designing all coming together to create a play that is original and individual to each and every one of our students. A collaborative production from beginning to end it has been a pleasure to see Neverland come to life.

As part of their Tudor topic, our Year 5 children actually had a chance to fly a kestrel across our front lawn! Andy from Urban Wings brought in a couple of kestrels and a peregrine falcon and spoke to the children about the birds and how it would have been common place to see people walking around with birds of prey in Tudor times. The children were also treated to a Tudor banquet to continue bringing their topic to life. Complete with roast fowl, mead (ginger beer) and a court jester - their lunch was the envy of the rest of the dining room! Actively taking part in their learning is a key part of a Frensham education. These lucky children will remember these events for years to come securing their knowledge of part of our history as well.

We are really excited that two teams of Frensham girls will be taking part in the National Cyber Security Centre CyberFirst Girls competition. The competition takes place over a ten days and the teams must face a series of challenges aimed at testing their skills in different areas of cyber security, They will be cracking code and working together through logic problems. With less than 15% of the workforce in cyber security being female, the primary objective of the competition is to inspire girls to consider career options they may not have thought about. Sarah Cull (Frensham Heights Head of IT and Computer Science) has been working alongside a Frensham parent, Paula Page (who is the director of her own Cyber Security company) to inspire the girls and to make them aware of potential exciting career opportunities available to them if they enjoy the competition. “This is an incredible opportunity for the girls to try something new and I am hoping they will enjoy the challenges the face over the next 10 days and build some resilience and teamwork skills, as well as their technical skills” explained Sarah. To find out more about the NCSC and what they can offer to all students, visit https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberfirst/overview