Vandyke Upper School

Departing Y11 and Y13 students! Please don’t forget to return any novels, anthologies or reference books you’ve borrowed from the library and your subject departments. If you’re not able to return them before your final exam, please pass them on to a younger sibling to hand in, or get someone to hand them in at reception before the end of term. Thank you!

It was a great to welcome Steve Bigrave, current President of the Leighton Linslade Rotary Club, and students and staff from Cedars Upper School to Vandyke earlier this week. The Rotary Club has donated physical to both schools, including , which will enhance students’ in the and in activities. Huge thanks to the Rotary Club for their generosity – our students certainly enjoyed getting to grips with the new kit!

A huge to the Y10 ' for their exceptional performance against Manshead Academy in the this term.
The boys gave it their all, showing and throughout, and won 5-4 after a tense penalty shootout! Well done to all involved – read more here: https://vandyke.beds.sch.uk/latest-news/sporting-successes/

It takes incredible and to run a , and we'd like to give you a flavour of what it takes to keep the Vandyke wheels turning each day. Each month, we'll be sharing a of various around school, to give you a glimpse at Vandyke. We start with our amazing department... https://vandyke.beds.sch.uk/ditl-send-department/

Congratulations to Sam R (Y11), who was part of the U16 squad when they won the Division 2 National in Sheffield recently. It’s been a great season for the , as last month they also the Southern and went on to beat Widnes (Northern League winners) in a . Well done for your fantastic contribution, Sam!

And it's Monday morning again! continue this week, so we wish all our the best of luck - you're all working so hard and doing us proud. And talking of pride, we're looking forward to with our The Duke of Edinburgh's Award candidates at our Awards evening on Wednesday. Here's what else is happening in school this week: https://vandyke.beds.sch.uk/latest-news/student-bulletin/

Y8 PARENTS! It's not too late to sign up for Wear2School's Easy Payment Scheme to spread the cost of your child's new Vandyke uniform. A £10 deposit will secure your uniform items, you pay some of the balance off each month, then you get your full kit in time for September. Full details can be found here: https://wear2school.shop/easy-payment-scheme/

Issue 10 of has landed! You can read the latest edition of our student magazine here: https://vandyke.beds.sch.uk/latest-news/vandyke-collective/
A team of around 30 work as , or as part of the team to put together each edition of the . All and content are chosen by the students themselves and they are very pleased with how the magazine is developing. If you'd like to be involved, please contact Mr Cain.

We've had a wonderful time celebrating the and of our Y9 and Y10 students over the past few weeks. evenings before and after the half term break showcased the , and of our students. to everyone who received an , and good luck for the year ahead!

An all girl from Vandyke recently attended the having qualified for both the 80cm and 90cm . Two tough courses awaited the teams in some tricky, windy conditions. Undeterred, our team rode brilliantly and represented our school magnificently.

Evie had also qualified for the and achieved an amazing 2nd place, which is a wonderful achievement. Congratulations to all!

Last month, a group of ten Y12 students visited Eton School for an engineering design challenge run by Dyson. Students were challenged to design an item that uses air to solve a problem in the household, and the teams came up with several interesting ideas, from sock drying machines to wall mounted dish dryers and bug-catching lamps! Read a full report by students Emma and Evie here: https://vandyke.beds.sch.uk/dyson-design-challenge/

We're delighted to unveil the new-look ! Our will still contain all the news about our students' and , but will also be a source of , including and , and , and . You can read it in full on our website - happy reading! https://vandyke.beds.sch.uk/latest-news/vandyke-voice/