1

P.T.O.
09
Issue
2014
July
VEC
Achieving Through Believing

Our Termly Newsletter for Parents, Patrons and Supporters
Inside This Issue
News In Brief

Thank you to all that took
part in the Easter Raffle. We
raised 145.
The little knitted Easter
People & Bunnies (thanks to
Gill) raised 147.50.
All monies raised are going
to assist with the cost of
students equipment.

Merlin's Magic Wand,
bringing the Magic to the
Children and their staff get
the opportunity to nominate
a charitable project to be
themed. We were asked to
submit a short film and sadly
we were second to Poole
hospital childrens ward but
this has fallen through and
now they are coming back to
help us. It is a National
Award and they want to
theme our new pools
changing rooms. Update to
follow.

Thank you to everyone who
supported class KB during
their work experience on
Wednesday and Thursday.
They took 162 of which
116 was profit. The money
is going towards a mixer on
a stand for the food tech
room which students will be
able to operate with an
infra-red switch.

Thank you to all that helped
make the Sponsored Walk at
Poole Park on Monday 23
rd

June a success. An amazing
1016.83 was raised for the
Friends of Victoria Appeal.

In Class CN Danielle and Sam looked
at green issues while Ryan compiled a
rota for emptying the recycling bin,
others read sets of instructions for
making a bug box and are part way
through putting it together. They are also
going to make bird feeders.










Meanwhile in Class KWE Global
Warming was the topic. They had Joel
as the earth holding a globe and put
blankets on him to represent the
different types of pollution, Joel let
everyone know that all the blankets
made him, the earth, hot! Then they
helped add more to the recycled pirate
ship. They also thought about how
growing your own courgettes is better
than buying them from a supermarket
and identified that shipping from Spain
and wrapping in plastic counted as
adding to two of the types of pollution
that was causing Global warming. After

Victoria learned in June that we have
been awarded the prestigious eco schools
silver award. Our eco committee has been
working hard over the last two years
promoting green issues and raising
awareness of the responsibility we all
have towards our planet. We have held a
switch off fortnight for electrical
equipment, placed a number of recycling
bins around VEC so everyone is recycling
like crazy, and classes have been actively
involved in growing a range of plants and
vegetables as well as fundraising across
the school for the Woodland Trust and
Water Aid. Well done to Jen Williams and
the Victoria Eco Committee for your hard
work. On 20
th
of May we held Green Day
at Victoria. Activities with a green theme
were planned by our students who had
fun while looking at ways we can live
more in tune with our environment.
Class JW looked at their tadpoles as
theyve grown legs, then some went out in
the grounds to identify plants and animals
and some explored scented plants. Later
they crushed recycling lots of fun. They
also helped paint a sail for the fabulous
recycled pirate ship.
Explorers planted some plants and
crushed recycling. Class JO looked at
how ice melts and made some ice boats
made from recycled shells and lolly sticks.
News 1 - 10
The Staff Room 11
Resi Round-up 14
The Sports Report 16-17
Body Language 18
Marks Enviro-Blog 19
Apps Amazing 20
Classroom News 21-27


28 Page
Bumper Summer
Edition
2

VECLife Summer 2014
all this they then planted some seeds. Speech
Therapist Sarah Gilling played a super happy
families type game with recycling each student
had to ask for a certain type of recyclable
material from other students until they had a
family of cans/cardboard/plastic bottle etc.
Finally they had a switch off moment at the end
of the day and listened to a story called Toms
Tree about a boy who planted a tree seed and
had to wait until he was an adult with his own son
to see the tree he imagined when he planted it.
To round off an eventful day the students at
Horticulture very kindly made planters for
students to use in education. They also
presented us with a big bag of gardening tools
and seeds. We hope that classes can grow their
VEC Management Structure Changes
There are a number of changes being made in
the way Victoria is managed and as most will
be aware Chris Davies is stepping down from
being VECs Principal at the end of this term
but will continue as Hub Manager for the South
West. When Chris was appointed eleven years
ago VEC was a residential special school with
care, therapy and horticulture making up the
Centre. Since we registered the care
department as a 52 week Childrens Home the
legal responsibility for running the Home is
now the responsibility of the Registered
Manager Paula Bates and the Post 19
Residential Unit is the responsibility of Emma
Whiting. As a consequence Livability has
decided that the requirement for a direct
replacement of the post of Principal is no
longer required. Instead the Trustees have
appointed Simon Brown as Headteacher
supported by Angus and Kate as Assistant
Headteachers and Sue Stratis who manages
support services. Mr Browns team will work
alongside the two Registered Managers and
Head of Therapy and Nursing Ceri Vosper.
By Angus Collins Assistant Principal
Foreword
Welcome to the summer edition of VECs Life.
Where has the year gone? I have been at Victoria
for six years now and I have no idea where all the
time has gone. I think the time seems to
disappear for two reasons. Firstly, the fantastic
students. The students never cease to amaze me
with their enthusiasm, commitment and
eagerness to be involved in everything. Secondly,
the dedicated staff who always go the extra mile
to support the students. The students and the
staff create a wonderful atmosphere at Victoria
making it such a great place to work and time just
seems to disappear.
Anyway, I have gone off the point, which is so
unlike me! There have been so many events that
have happened in the Summer Term that will be
featured in this edition. The Vibe Radio and
ipad launch, the family BBQ, the student led
Taster Festival, the Work Experience Week
and Sports Week as well as many class trips
and events. At the time of writing there are
preparations underway by all the teams for
Sports Day and everyone is getting very
excited and also slightly nervous about what
the PE department have in store for us this
year. Also congratulations to the Eco Schools
Committee on their wonderful achievement of
the Silver Eco Award.
Please enjoy this edition and I hope everyone
has a relaxing and safe holiday.
Take care!
JW cultivating green fingers
own seeds and plant them in the planters. It will
be wonderful for our students to watch them
grow and harvest our own vegetables. Class
JW went down to thank Horticulture, the
children got stuck in straight away, having a
lovely time digging and Alfie planted a tomato
plant.

3

VIBE Radio and iPad initiative official Launch
Nick declares VIBE open
VECLife Summer 2014
demand service. The big launch got underway
with much fanfare as the iPad treasure hunt and
the guided tours of the station got under way.
There was a prize draw to win a DJing slot on
VIBE and parents and guests were also
invited to try out the latest sensory apps in use at
Victoria. Former student Nick Farmer who has
come to prominence recently with a song he has
written and recorded with his Brother In Law was
guest of honour. After a countdown the ribbon
was cut and VIBE was officially opened.
Scrumptious burgers and hotdogs were provided
by Stuart and the BBQ team while Jane ably
handled the plant and cake stalls. The evening
was very enjoyable and was a milestone in
Victorias efforts in new technology and inclusive
broadcasting.
DJs Harry and George
On top of Parents evening and BBQ with a
mini Fayre thrown in July 10th was also the
official launch of Victorias very own radio
station VIBE (VIBE stands for Victoria
Inclusive Broadcasting Enterprise) and the
culmination of last years drive to provide and
iPad for each classroom. The Apple for
Teacher iPad appeal started last January and
over the following eleven months nearly
9,000 was raised. The money came in from
many great fund raising ideas put together by
Staff, Parents, Friends and Students from
cake sales, book sales, sweet sales,
sponsored events and everything in between.
From the total raised we purchased 18 iPads
and cases, an Apple file server and a sync
and charge trolley to store them in. Since
acquiring the equipment we have made great
strides implementing into our students
everyday educational lives.
VIBE Radio started out as the brainchild of
music tech wizard Mike Whitlock. After much
consultation funding was secured by then
business manager Gary Ayles for the radio
station equipment and the media suite
computers. A room was found and decorated
and then the boxes started to be delivered.
After some excellent training with Nigel
Vernon-Dyer from Clyde Broadcast VIBE
radio was born. Students George Rogers,
Harry Bassett and James Wheeler soon made
it their own and with tremendous input from
Beth Kay, Mike Whitlock and the one and only
Tony Rudd we took our first steps into the
world of radio. VIBE currently broadcasts daily
on the school intranet and has its very own on
The VIBE and iPad Stand
4

AFC Bournemouths Steve Fletcher and Steve
Cuss visited us on April 29th to chat to students
and present a cheque for 2000. AFCB legend
Steve Fletcher needs no introduction with 121
goals in 728 appearances in a cherries career
spanning 18 seasons. Steve Cuss is the Head
of the AFC Bournemouth Community Sports
Trust. We were very kindly chosen to receive
the funds to make big accessibility
improvements to our pets corner. The money
will be used to landscape the existing area
and provide better facilities allowing
students safer access and make a proper
feature of this resource. After a whistle-stop tour
of the school the guys mingled with students
who had plenty of questions considering this is
AFC Bournemouths most successful season
ever. The guys then consented to an interview
Cherries Stars Visit VEC
by students Ebony, Liam and Tom on VIBE
radio, Victorias own radio station. We would like
to say a huge thank you to both Steves and all
the good people of AFC Bournemouth for these
much needed funds.
Up, up and Away
On a very sunny day in June six of our students
had the fantastic opportunity of not only taking to
the skies but actually taking the controls of a
plane and flying. Accompanied by some equally
intrepid staff they set off bright and early on the
trip to Blackbushe airport which is on the border
of Hampshire and Surrey. After checking in the
students attended a pre-flight briefing where the
dynamics of flight were explained and they were
given the basics on the cockpit instrumentation.
The day was hosted by Aerobility a registered
charity founded in 1993 offering disabled people,
without exception, the opportunity to fly an
aeroplane. Some of the wheelchair using
students needed extra help in getting onto the
plane and this was provided by a special hoist.
Once in, the students buckled up and were ready
to go. They took to it amazingly well and
thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Watching
Ebony banking the plane over the Reading
football stadium was unforgettable. For their very
generous help in making this special day
possible we must thank our friends at
Coles-Miller Solicitors, Parkstone Golf Club and of
course Aerobility for their true professionalism.
Captain Amar ready for action
The Students were thrilled to meet the two Steves
VECLife Summer 2014
5

VECLife Summer 2014
DJ Harry Widens Audience
Victoria student and VIBE Radio DJ Harry Bassett is now
reaching a far wider audience with his radio shows. Around
15,000! Working with VIBE stalwart Tony Rudd, Harry has been
busy recording shows for broadcast on the Mill internet radio
station broadcasting from The Isle of Man. When asked by
VECLife about this exciting new opportunity Harry said about the
show Its more nerve wracking recording the show not knowing
any of the people listening in but its good fun. Its also much
different than broadcasting in school as you know that anyone
can tune in. Harry has been asked to contribute a show to
broadcast every Friday night from 7 to 8. Tony helped fix things
up with Mill radio after contributing his own shows over the last
five years. Tony says I asked them if they would be interested
in hosting any of the VIBE radio programmes that we make. I
sent them a file of Harry doing his Breakfast Show and they
were impressed. The Mill is an internet radio station so log on to
listen to Harry!
DJ Harry, coming to a
computer near you!
Pets @ VEC has been totally transformed over
the last term. Despite our bid for Guardian School
wed like competition being unsuccessful we were
very pleased to see our plans become a reality
thanks to some very kind donations and some
very helpful volunteers!
Over the last half term holiday a team of
volunteers, led by Nationwide and our own
Horticulture department, took on the challenge of
transforming our Pets @ VEC area.
A wheelchair accessible path now runs through
the grass area (which has all been re-turfed) to
enable students to gain closer access to the pets.
The shed has had a lick of paint and has some
rather cute rabbits painted on the outside and the
rabbits new outdoor enclosure is proving very
popular.
The volunteers and Horticulture department
created a fenced area where the rabbits can run
and enjoy much more freedom than they were
previously able to. This One and That One (our
school rabbits) were unavailable for comment but
certainly seem to enjoy their new enclosure
particularly the tunnel which they like to use to
hide from the staff trying to put them away at the
end of the day! (Incidentally this is also the
students favourite time as they seem to find it
very amusing as the staff run around in circles
trying to catch the rabbits!)
A huge thank you goes out to all of those who
made this possible AFC Bournemouth who
donated funds to help out with the work and
Nationwide, Horticulture and all of the other
volunteers for their hard work.

In other news we continue to work closely with
Graham Elliott of Canine Partners. Orbit, the
golden retriever who previously visited the
school as part of his training, is now fully trained
and has been working in Edinburgh as an
assistance dog for 3 months.
Graham now has a new puppy called Hannah
(a very cute black Labrador puppy!) and we
have all enjoyed getting to know her as she
starts out on her training. Her first visit was
aged just 11 weeks and so it has been lovely for
us all to see her progress from the early stages
and hopefully see her reach her potential as a
fully trained assistance dog.
Graham and Hannah regularly join us for
achievement assemblies, break times as well
as the Grand Prix and they hope to join us for
Sports day too. Their visits help Hannah to
experience different environments but are also
a fantastic chance for us to all see the works of
Canine Partners and the fact that Hannah is a
very cute and friendly puppy is a lovely bonus!

By Amy Hunt
Pets@VEC News
6

VIBE on Demand and Playground V2
VECLife Summer 2014
On the 14th June a team from Raymond
Brown Construction namely Mark Kettle whose
Son George attends Victoria, Chris Williams,
Pete Williamson and his wife Tara, Kieren
Hush, Steve Whitfield and Martin Rendell set
out on their attempt to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell
Pike and Snowdon, the three highest peaks in
Scotland, England and Wales including all the
driving in between in less than 24 hours! And
all in the name of Victoria. Im very pleased to
report that their endeavour ended in success.
The team raised an amazing 1,600.

Mark Kettle: Our team pulled off the toughest
mental and physical challenge of their lives to
complete the National Three Peaks, climbing
Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon and all
the driving in between in under 24 hours with
the team all safely down in 23 hours. As well
as driving us on an incredible 1,400 mile
journey, our drivers each climbed one of the
perilous peaks, giving us new found
motivation, inner strength and resolve.

Our team have been touched by peoples
generosity, giving what they can to raise much
needed funds for the Victoria Education Centre
(VEC) in Poole, providing specialised, high
quality care and therapy for young disabled
people, so thank you to all those who have
donated so far to refurbish VECs caravan at
Rockley Park.

Everyone at VEC is astounded by their
achievement and generosity. And these much
appreciated funds will make a huge difference
to the lives of our students. Thank You!
Team Raymond Brown Construction
Three Peaks Triumph
This month a brand new intranet radio on
demand and students intranet have been
launched. Playground V2 has been streamlined
and rebuilt from the ground up to bring students
the content they like more efficiently. The site will
also be easier to maintain. Playground V2
incorporates VIBE on Demand a brand new
service to bring students and staff programmes,
features and much more when they want to hear
it. Available shows are student Harry Bassetts
Full English Breakfast Show, George Rogers
Friday Freak-Out and James Wheelers Wheeler
Fortune show. Resi Radio have a spot as does
Tony with his crazy edits and there is a also a
brilliant on demand story resource for class
Teachers. Content is updated on a weekly
basis. As well as a photo gallery and
timetables the students can now showcase
their talents on the intranet.

An exciting new service for staff and students
7

VECLife Summer 2014
Pete Does Us Proud
Congratulations to Pete Sammons who ran his
first London Marathon on the 13th April. Pete
came in to Victoria on the 19th March for an
interview on VIBE radio to tell us how his
preparations were going in the run up to the race.
On the big day conditions were perfect, sunny but
cool so things were looking good from the start.
He was seen at the eleven and again at the twenty
mile marks looking comfortable and smiling for the
spectators, finally running into the Mall for the last
few meters with family and friends cheering from
the side-lines. Pete clocked an amazing 3 hours
31 minutes. At the last count Pete raised a
brilliant 2000 for Livability/Victoria. Not only
would we like to express our massive thanks to
Pete for his wonderful achievement but also to
those that supported him. I understand from
Carol, Petes Mum that he would also like to thank
Bathsheba the masseur, at the Livability
reception after the race. Pete has been back to
Victoria for a follow up interview on VIBE and told
us of his experiences on the day. You can hear
the whole fascinating interview on Victorias
YouTube channel.
Pete post race with medal.
Makers Inc. Westbourne
Some of the
Wonderful craft
on offer.
Victoria Craft Goes On Sale
Makers Inc, a new shop in Westbourne offering
craft, shopping and a great coffee shop have very
kindly given us a shelf for free on their premises.
Victoria students have been busy making art and
crafts during lessons to sell there. Weve been
given a shelf for free; its displayed on the right as
you go through the main door which is a great
position. With their guidance we priced up products
at half-term and money from sales will come back to
us. Craft makers can rent shelves at Makers Inc to
sell their items and they also run craft workshops in
the evenings for the local community. You can find
them at 42 Poole Road in Westbourne. Makers Inc
also offer homemade food, organic, fair-trade and
local produce are child friendly with a free
considered play area. They regularly hold events
and parties and there is FREE WIFI. You can also
visit them on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/MakersInc/timeline
8

The Post 16 Events Management Class held a
sports taster festival on the 4
th
July. The students
set up and organised a whole range of events for
all levels of ability to come and enjoy. The event
was organised to help them attain a level two
pass in event planning. The day was off timetable
and once again the sun shone brightly as Samba
music filled the air as the event had a Brazilian
theme. Live music was provided by Kerry Laws,
Sean Gallagher (The Sonny and Cher of Victoria)
and a lovely performance by Rachel Stroud.

Sports taster sessions took place including
wheelchair hockey and Boccia while giant Jenga
and Ker Plunk games were a hit outside.
Sensory games, giant board games and much
more besides made it a memorable day.

The day was a huge success and as always not
possible without our fantastic staff. Top honours
for the day have to go to the Post 16 students for
organising a huge well done to Charley Baker,
Liam Drummond, Spencer Owens, Alex Elliott,
Patrick Asher Relf, Harry Bassett, Jude Wardell-
Victorias fantasy football season drew to a
close in May and what a season its was!
Mirroring the premier league for drama, three
teams were in contention for the staff title right
up until the last day. The students competition
was equally exciting with six students vying for
the title over the last month. In third place Amar
Chidziva scored 1171 points for Amars Victoria
Team. In Second place Jacob Whitehouse
scored 1177 points with Rollercoaster Rovers
with only six points between them. Overall
champion for the students was the goody Two
Shoes team managed by Connor Ferris.
Connor scored a total of 1232 points. In the staff
league Gary Hicks with his Flaming Galahs
team came third with 1324 points falling just
three points short of second which was held by
Matt McLean and his McDirty FC team on
1327 points. Manager of the season was
Kate Baldwin who scored 1367 points with the
Kate may have had some help team. The
winner of the wooden spoon award for coming
120
th
out of 120

teams was Sean Mogg with
Smashers Ununited. A special thanks must be
said to Angus Collins, chairman of the Victoria
league, for all his efforts in organising the fun.
Roll on next season!
Fantasy League winners L-R Amar Chidziva, Kate Baldwin
Connor Ferris, Sean Mogg and Jacob Whitehouse.
Sweet Taster Success for Posties
VECLife Summer 2014
And now for the football results..
knights, Jordan Woodward, Ramon Hansford,
Kieran Collins, Abi Punchard and Ben Povey.
They all put so much effort into planning. Thanks
also have to go to Aaron Gregory for his amazing
support.
9

Day 1
Victoria Sports Week kicked off today and to get the ball
rolling we held a sponsored walk in Poole Park. Each
student was sponsored by family and friends and was
challenged to complete a mile for Victoria which meant
three laps around the cricket pitch. The students and
staff did amazingly well with special commendations to
Spencer Owens, Callie Dibblin and Ebony Robinson.
The weather was fantastic throughout with warm
sunshine but a nice breeze picked up in the afternoon to
take the edge off. A distance of 120 miles was covered
by the students and staff which is the equivalent of
walking to Luton! Well done to all involved, students and
staff alike. More sports week updates to follow.
VECLife Summer 2014
Sports Week 14 as it Happened
This years Victoria Sports week took place between 23rd and
26th June and was the best yet. From our sponsored walk in
Poole Park through an amazing Victoriair Day to the glory that
is our dance off the staff and students had a wail of time. Read
our as it happened sports week blog.
Day two of Victoria sports week was Victoriair day! Our
good friends from Aerobility brought in a fantastic flight
simulator which the students loved getting to grips with,
then this afternoon it was the great Victoriair flying
competition. Classes were challenged to build a plane of
their own and then test fly it in front of our distinguished
guests for points and a chance to win the Victoriair trophy.
We had our very own custom built aerodrome complete
with customs, baggage cars, air hostesses and runway. Ill
let the photos do the talking but it was a close run thing
with Class PT winning the day. Thanks to all who helped
set up this fun day, thanks to Aerobility and a special
thanks to Tom Jackson.
Day 2
Day 3
As Victorias Sports Week moves on
apace, today was our eagerly anticipated
Grand Prix Day. Again we have been so
lucky with the weather this year and the
Sun smiled down on us and the 2 Million
worth of mean machines we had visiting.
As you will see from the photos a wide
range of motor vehicles attended including
the Bat mobile! The students enjoyed
sitting in the driving seat and revving the
engines while the staff dreamed about
605.33 was raised on the big day
Martin or Martina?
10

VECLife Summer 2014
shedding their jalopies and owning a Ferrari.
One day! Anyway the serious business began
after lunch when this years races started in
earnest at around 1.30pm. Tony once again
provided his excellent commentary fresh from
the VIBE radio studios where he broadcast a
Grand Prix special with work experience visitor
and ex-student Maxine Moore. The spectators,
some of whom are big friends of Victoria,
cheered the students on while enjoying ice
cream cones. She wont like me mentioning it
but it was also staff member Trish Turles
birthday! The results are just in and the winner
of this years propelled race was Sam Bird with
Ben Bridges zooming home first in the self-
propelled category. Another fantastic day with
many people to thank, so thank you to Coles-
Miller for supplying the trophy and banners, the
Parkstone Golf Club Members for trusting us
with their cars, Hughes International for loaning
us their awesome motors and Can Am for
bringing some legendary American models with
them. Finally all our thanks to the PE crew and
especially Martin Cook and Paula Allcroft for
organising.
Day 4
Sadly its the last day today of our action packed
sports week and the closing ceremony is taking
place as I type. Today we had our Golden
Goggles swimming gala held for the very first
time in our new pool which has proven to be
every bit as brilliant as wed hoped. After some
very hard fought races the Golden Goggles this
year went to Class JW. Meanwhile in the sports
hall a full Boccia tournament was held. Again, the
standard was high and closely run but three
champions emerged, Jude Wardell-Knights,
Jacob Whitehouse and Kieran Collins. The day
culminated in the great Victoria dance-off where
students and staff alike can let their hair down to
try and win the coveted dance-off trophy. Word
has just reached me that the winner this year was
the awesome Abbie Graham!
Its been an amazing sports week and Monday
seems a long time ago now. On behalf of the
school thank-you to all those that have made it so
good for us this year. From staff to organisations
to friends, parents and more besides. Thank you.
Some amazing cars attended including the
Bat mobile
Swimming, Boccia and Dance Phew!
11

And also..
Emma Whiting has been appointed
for the post of Registered Manager
for our Post 19 Unit. Our grateful
thanks to Dee Parsons our interim
manager for putting so much time
and effort in developing the unit as
well as managing Talbot Manor and
Shaftesbury Court.
We are delighted to welcome and
introduce the new members of the
residential Team. The new Regis-
tered Manager of the Childrens
Home is Paula Bates. Paula is a
qualified Social Worker with many
years experience of managing residential
homes in the local authority and in independent
schools. You can read Paulas introduction in
the Residential Round-Up section on page 12.
VECLife Summer 2014
SaLT are very pleased to
Welcome Emily Oram to their
team. You May have met Emily
already as she has been
volunteering for a few months and
has regularly helped at lunch
times in Carmel and in the signing groups.
Emily will be working in SaLT on
Wednesdays and Fridays.
Comings and Goings
Weddings Galore!
Wonderful nuptial news to start the staff room this
issue with no less than three staff members
getting married on the same day!
Liz Barton from Class JO is tying the knot with
Graham at the Guildhall in Poole. The happy
couple are honeymooning in Egypt. Also getting
hitched on the 19th is Nurse Hollie
Wenden-Gipson. Hollie and beau Nigel are
having a vintage themed wedding and are
marrying at the Trinity Methodist Church in
Southbourne. Because of work commitments the
couple have no honeymoon planned as yet but
will get away as time permits. Would you believe
resi staffer Chelsea Cobb is also getting married
on the 19th. Chelsea is getting married at All
Saints Church Branksome to Toby. They have just
purchased a new home so no plans to get away.
On behalf of all of your colleagues and of course
the students we wish all three of you a fabulous
wedding day and many happy years ahead.

We would also like to welcome Bei Yu and
Leonie Jones who are new Bank staff and also
Owen Robinson our new domestic assistant.
Terry White also returns to the fold in Post 19.

Sadly leaving us to concentrate on being a
Mum is Natalie Harden while finally leaving
after many years we say farewell to Kay Willis.
Media Teacher Beth Kay also leaves us to
start a course on interior design as well as
Teacher Joanne ONeil. Beverley Morris is
leaving her role in the PE dept. Good luck and
thanks one and all for your sterling service.
This interesting photo has found its way to VECLife
Towers and I thought it would make a great
competition for you to try and guess who it is.
Study carefully make your guess and turn to the back
page where the answer lies.
Staff Photo Guess Who????
12

VECLife Summer 2014
Variety the Childrens Charity together with staff
at Victoria Education Centre invited 14
youngsters who came from all over Dorset,
Hampshire and Wiltshire to help celebrate the
17th birthday of their friend Liam Drummond
resident at Victoria Education Centre. The
youngsters were treated to Paintballing and then
Wheelchair Hockey in the afternoon.
Ramon Hansford was the winner of the
Paintballing and was presented with a special
prize of a cup by Paintballing expert Simon
Barnett who also officiated and supplied all the
items needed with his compliments to make the
event such an exciting and unforgettable time for
all who attended.
The youngsters then played wheelchair hockey in
the afternoon, finishing with fish and chips
compliments of Chez Fred in Westbourne.
Liams Birthday Shoot-Out
Hot Shot Ramon collects his trophy
Shiver Me Timbers Its Harry Paye Day!
Last year Sam Bird attended Harry Paye Day
on a trip out. We met and chatted to lots of
Pirates. In the Summer activity days we had a
Pirate themed day so Sam used his MyTobii to
send an invitation to come and join us. Four
Pirates
answered the call and we had a great day. We
were thrilled when this year the Pirates chose
us as one of their charities of the year. They
also attended our Spring Fayre and on
Saturday 21st June we attended Harry Paye
Day. It was a lovely day and the Sun shone
throughout. We had a friends of VEC stall with
a game and a name the teddy competition.
Captain Jax Parrow had cut out some
hardboard Galleons and several of the students
decorated these, mounted them on their chairs
and joined us in the parade representing the
school.
Callies Pink Galleon drew lots of attention as
did the Gleaming Bogey (Sams ship). After
the parade there was a fancy dress competition
and many other stalls, games and activities to
look at and do. The Jubilee training ship
By Paula Allcroft
Tenacious was berthed alongside the Quay and
some people were lucky enough to have a look
around. The day was a fantastic success and
approximately 10,000 people visited the Quay
during the day. We dont know the final total yet
but monies raised from this and other Pirate
events during the year will be split three ways
with the lucky recipients being Victoria, Diverse
Abilities and Lewis Manning at the end of the
year.
Student Pirates during the parade
13

VECLife Summer 2014
Just to let you know that within the next three years your childs Statement of Special Needs will
be transferred on to an Education, Health and Care Plan from September 1
st
this year, in line with
the new Children's and Families Bill, and in relation to the information we have been sharing with
you. Our local authorities of Poole, Bournemouth and Dorset have been working together on how
they will be implementing these changes and we shall keep you updated. We would also like your
feedback on how we can improve out Parent Support Service and ideas to me would be most
welcome. I hope you enjoy your Summer holidays!
PPG Update
By Nicky Greenway
Hello, some of you may already know me as I
used to be the Deputy Manager for the childrens
home. I have recently changed roles and am now
the specialist transitions officer for 19-25. I am
based up in Post 19 where I manage the Person-
al assistants and I also support the service users
to move on supported living/another residential
setting/start college placements etc.
I have been speaking to service users about new
activities and work experience that they would
like to try in the future and hope to start these
very soon. Here are some of the activities they
already take part in:
Radio station, Swimming, Cooking & Life skills,
Verwood day centre, Church group, Horticulture
Tuesday Club, Music sessions, Therapy
Programmes.
Transitions
By Vicki Goldsmith
Each timetable of activities is different for each
individual and based around their interests and
hobbies.

The Teenager 2 Adult transition event is
for parent, carers and young people aged
13-25 with additional needs or disabilities
living in the county of Dorset. The event is
designed to help these young people and
their parents, carers understand what lies
ahead as they move into adulthood. It will
include representatives from the full range
of Post-16 providers and Children's &
Adult's Services
AFC Bournmouth (BH77AF) Wed 8
th

October 11am -6pm
Kingston Maurward College (DT28PY) Wed
15
th
October 11am -6pm
If you would like more information on our Post
19 services please dont hesitate to contact me
vgoldsmith@victoria.poole.sch.uk
The Eco-Committee have been celebrating!
As you have been reading on the front page
Victoria has been awarded the Silver Eco
Schools award. Everyone has been working
very hard all year towards this and we are
looking forward to the new term when we will
be working towards the big green award. We
sadly have to say goodbye to Alec Ross and
Kayleigh Willcox who are leaving at the end of
term. Good luck to them both and welcome to
new eco warriors Sheila Marsh, Jana Henley
and former teacher Julie Cox. We hope
everyone had fun on green day making
recycled Pirate ships then crushing all the left
overs in our crushing challenge. A big thank
you to everyone for their great efforts in
stepping up their recycling efforts and saving
energy in our switch it off fortnight. We hope to
continue the good work and make Victoria
School an even greener place.
By Lisa Frett
Good luck and thanks to Alec and Kayleigh
Eco Update
14

By Julie Greening
Residential Round-up
VECLife Summer 2014
With Paula Bates
Hi! I am the new registered manager for Victoria
Childrens Home. My name is Paula Bates, I am a
qualified Social Worker with many years
experience of managing residential homes in the
local authority and in independent schools. Its great
to be at Victoria and I have lots of ideas and plans to
brighten up the accommodation and make the
experience of staying here fun and comfortable.

The first step has been to give the Childrens Home
a separate identity to Victoria Education Centre - not
terribly different but we will now be known as Victoria
Childrens Home. The next stage will be
redecoration and renewing some of the old furniture.
I aim to involve the residents in choosing
how things look where possible and will work
closely with the excellent staff team to make
living or staying at Victoria a great
experience.

If you would like to come and have a look
around or have a chat please feel free to
contact me.
Purbeck Unit News
We have had a good term on Purbeck and are
looking forward to our unit trip out to Longleat Safari
Park in July . Philip is especially anticipating this
visit, checking out what animals we will see.
We will be sad to see Ramon leave us but are
excited for him as he sets out on a new adventure in
his new flat. We are having a BBQ on the beach to
mark this occasion along with others from Brownsea
who will be leaving us.
Liam is thrilled at having a brand new electric chair
and he and Ramon have enjoyed competing in
sports activities again this term.
Ben ,Philip and George have continued exploring
cooking on a Tuesday night and love the VIBE radio
club.
The unit staff have enjoyed working with this all boy
group and some more than others have been
following the world cup tournament with its highs and
lows.
Tell him George! Liam makes a grab
for the cake mix
Ben in the mix
The Purbeck Crew
15

By Ewelina Jankowska
A Few of the Brownsea students went sailing on
the Spirit of Scott Bader yacht to celebrate
Jessicas 18th and Hollys 19th Birthdays.
Sailing across Isle of Wight was an amazing
experience for both students and staff. Jessica
absolutely loved the water and waves
Motion and had a fantastic time chilling on the
deck of the boat. James took over steering and
became our captain and during the breaks from
steering he was working out how to pull his life
jacket . Holly had an amazing time sightseeing
SPECTACULAR PANORAMIC views of
VECLife Summer 2014
Brownsea Birthday Treat
Portsmouth and of course she was very busy
chatting to good looking crew members.
We all had fab time and after two weeks of windy
and rainy weather we have been spoilt by Mr
Sun.

The students and I would like to say a Big
Thank You! to Frances Cornelius and Variety
who kindly covered our cruise fee and we also
would like to say thank you to Gemma Brown
who ensured we reached our destination safely
and on time and Holly Wenden for looking after
the students medical needs and wellbeing while
on the boat.

Now its time for an apology which goes to Gary
Hicks for not telling him in advance that we were
taking the bus to Portsmouth .Sorry Gary. You
did a great job, and the students had fun
watching you checking and cleaning the bus in
fast motion.


Jess enjoys the sunshine
James at the helm
The Sailing Team
The students had a fantastic day
16

VECLife Summer 2014
D.O.E. Silver News
Report
The
With Katherine Birtwell
Gala Success
This year the swimming gala was held at the new
pool at Thomas Hardye. It was a great new pool
and there was lots of competition. We took Kieran,
Connor, Torin, Jake, Spencer, Amar, Alex, Joanne
and Charlotte. They all competed in different
swimming races and also relays. They did really
well and they all won a medal. Also
congratulations to Kieran as he got a gold medal.
Boccia Nationals
On the 28
th
March we took Ramon, Liam, Alex
and Abbie to the Boccia National in Worcester for
the weekend. The standard for the Nationals this
year was outstanding. Ramon, Liam and
Abbie all did really well against tough opponents.
Alex made the quarter final which was a great
achievement. They all gained lots of experience
and knowledge from this event.
Regional Table Cricket
This years regional took place at Exeter University
which was a great venue to hold this event. There
were 3 teams in our group - Queen Elizabeth
School, Ellen Tinkham and St Lukes. We took
Ramon, Liam, Robert, Spencer, Dan, George and
Alex to compete for a place in the Nationals. The
first two games they played were Ellen Tinkham
and St Lukes they played really well and scored
over 300 runs. The last game, which was a must
win game was against Queen Elizabeth School
and we played amazing as a team and the encour-
agement within the team was outstanding. They
won all three games and that means they have
qualified for the National Table Cricket finals at
Lords cricket ground at the end of June.
Athletics in Yeovil
On 13
th
May we took Kieran, Spencer, Scott, Tom,
Kevin, Dave, Charlotte and Alex to the regional
athletics in Yeovil. The weather was amazing.
There were lots of events in track and field. The
students were all enthusiastic with the events they
were competing in and they encouraged each
other in the different events. The athletes that go
through from the regionals go to compete in the
Nationals in July.
On your marks!
From17th to the 19th June we took Spencer,
Patrick, Charley, Alex, Kieran, Dan and
Gemma on their expedition for their Silver
Duke of Edinburgh. They started at Hamworthy
and canoed to Wareham which was a great
achievement. They set up camp and put their
tent up. The second day they went on a trek
around Wareham forest where they navigated
themselves around. The third and final day
they had to canoe back but there was a slight
problem the river didnt have any water in as
the tide was too low. So they went back to
Hamworthy and canoed along the beach.
Our successful cricketers
17

The Next Generation Speaks
National Table Cricket Finals
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
VECLife Summer 2014
Drama at VEC
Curtain Call
By Nicky Hewitt
A new voice speaks out
We took James, Ben, Michael, Tom, Charles and
Ebony to the New Forest for their expedition for
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh. On day one there was a
hike around the New Forest where they had to
navigate themselves to the campsite, their camp for
the evening. They did really well, but they had to
take a detour as the path was closed due to an
unsafe bridge. They saw a snake going past whilst
they were having their lunch. It was a great
experience for them all and they really enjoyed
cooking and camping in a tent. The next day they
did some more hiking and then they had their lunch
and came back to school.
New Forest Trek
A great story to finish this educational year and
this edition of Sports News. It was that time of
year when our table cricket team makes the trip
to Lords Cricket Ground for the National Table
Cricket Finals. The team this year was
Spencer, George, Robert, Harry, Dan, Nathan
and Ray the team coach. They had 4 games to
play to reach the final. The whole team were
eager to get to the final. The team won all the
games in the group stage, where their fielding
was amazing. The final was against Ralph
Thoresby; they played really well as a team
and batted a score of 270. The final score was
Ralph Thoresby 213 and Victoria 270. This is
VECs10
th
year for winning the National trophy
for Table Cricket.
Champions!

Our group of poets did a superb performance
on 10
th
June, showcasing their fantastic poems.
There were individual performances and lots of
group collaboration too.
The content of the poems was powerful and
really expressed the future ambitions of the
students, and the obstacles that stand in the
way of achieving those dreams.
The next step for some of the poets, is a visit to
the Houses of Parliament in September, to tell
the Government just what we think!!
18

Performance and Dance at VEC. With Belinda Ellicott
This years Creative Arts Week linked to our
themes of Festivals and Celebrations tying in
also with our recent links with the Harry Paye
festival. This meant there were plenty of pirate
goings-on including baking ships biscuits, flag
printing, treasure hunts and to cap it all a class
challenge to build a galleon. The week also saw
our own mini festival in a day VECStock where
there were live musicians, including Si Genaro
from The Voice and poetry all day, plus
relaxation areas, a DJ booth and craft and
design activities as well as an Eco area for
students to visit at their leisure. The week
finished with a celebration of our students
talents and the amazing showcase that is VECs
Got Talent. We had a panel of guest judges
and the final winner was Daniel Standhaft with
his fantastic performance of Walking in the Air.
Creative Arts Festivals and Celebrations
As part of their Arts Award, being an audience,
Class PT went to an art exhibition at The
Lighthouse, Poole that was all based around the
circus. There were pictures hanging from the
ceiling that showed trapeze artists and acrobats
and graffiti based on circles and rings. There was
also a chalkboard challenging visitors to draw a
perfect circle that the students really enjoyed trying.

Another trip that tied in with the being an
audience theme Class ACO attended a
performance of Let it Be at the Mayflower
Theatre. The show featured the music of The
Beatles from their early days right through the eras
and had our students dancing in their seats.
Arts Award News
Dan and Mike with their winning performance
Katie enjoying the exhibition
Being an audience: Students from Class PT and ACO on Arts Award duties.
VECLife Summer 2014
19

Shiva Project film crew at Victoria
On the 10th of June 2014 a Dutch film crew travelled
from the Netherlands to VEC to make a short film about
the Shiva project. The Shiva project was a 4 year EU
project which VEC had been involved in with
Bournemouth University, Lille University and the
Hopale Foundation. The project came to an end in
January 2014. The film crew filmed two VEC pupils
Sam and James using the Shiva software. The
software allows pupils to create 3D models on a com-
puter which can then be printed using the schools 3D
printer. Both pupils enjoyed taking part and being film
stars! The film will be used primarily to promote EU
projects and will indirectly promote VEC.
X-Box Kinect Evolved
The Kinect is usually used with a Microsoft Xbox
360 or Xbox One for gaming or exercise activi-
ties. The player is able to control what happens in
the game by moving limbs, jumping etc. without the
need for a controller of any kind. The problem that
I have found is that nearly all of the games availa-
ble require the user to be in a standing position i.e.
if you are using it from a seated position it will not
work at all, or will be inaccurate or limited.
For the past 6 months I have been learning about
how the Kinect works and how to write computer
programs for the Kinect so that it can work with a
PC and for people who are seated.
By Mark Moseley
Jude at the helm of a Galleon
Michael takes a spacewalk
Lights. Camera
One of the programs that I have developed allows
the Kinect to be used to create a similar effect to
the green-screen effect used in many so-called
CGI films. This is where the actor acts in a room
that is completely green while being filmed.
Afterwards, the green parts are replaced with a
computer generated background, to make the
actor look as if they are e.g. in space as was the
case in the film Gravity which relied
heavily on this technique. Using the Kinect, I have
been able to recreate this effect. I am able to
select a background image and then the
student is able to see themselves superimposed
over this image on a screen. This is all done live
(in real-time) so that the pupil is able to position
themselves where they want to within the
image. I can then take a snapshot of them.

Im hoping to develop more programs, so please
watch this space! Please let me know if you have
any ideas for how the Kinect could be used.
The VEC Enviro-Blog
VECLife Summer 2014
20

VECLife Summer 2014
Apps Amazing!
Your Guide To The Latest Apps With Special Needs In Mind
Visual Memory Clouds
Tap
Clouds tap, developed by DS Effects is an easy to
understand app that not only works on developing memory but
also sequences. Numbers appear on clouds which the user has
to recall and sequence. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and
iPod Touch.
Circles memory test
Price: Free
Available from App Store
Circles memory test from Appogeum.com Limited is a very
simple game where white circles appear on a black background
and the user has to identify which circle is new by tapping it.
This sounds very easy but becomes increasingly difficult as
each level progresses. It can get a little repetitive but it is a
very good observational challenge. Compatible with iPhone,
iPad and iPod Touch.
Monster Hunt
Price: Free
Available from App Store
This is a great app and is published by innovative mobile apps.
A fun and simple memory improvement game for all ages
where the object is to remember where the monsters are. A
combination of simplicity, creativity and addictive gameplay
makes this one of the most enjoyable memory games availa-
ble. You can play on your own or with your friends and you
can tailor the visual elements to any ability. Compatible with
iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
Lumosity
Price: Free
Available from App Store
One for the older students and adults this app by Lumos
Labs,inc Lumosity is designed by neuroscientists to train
memory, attention, and more. With foundations in the study
of neuroplasticity! Lumosity games help improve working
core cognitive abilities according to several research
studies. There are various games included and in app
purchases are offered.
Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
Memory 2
Price: Free
Available from App Store
Memory is a game of memory skills, designed for the entire
family and suitable for people of all ages. It is inspired by the
popular game of pairs where the player requires concentration
and memory. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod
Touch.
Visual memory is the ability to recall information
that has been presented visually; for immediate
recall (4-5 seconds) all of the details of a visual
item and being able to find this from a selection of
items.
This involves being able to hold a mental picture of
a sequence of letters, numbers, words, objects,
shapes etc. Problems in this area may mean
difficulties with remembering the correct sequences
of letters which make up words or sentences.

A child with difficulties with visual memory may
misread words, have difficulties copying from the
board, learning letters and numbers. They may also
have difficulties following instructions and locating
items. Sequential memory of order of letters in
words and order of words in sequences are
important for reading and spelling. App developers
were very quick off the mark designing apps to help
develop visual memory and to support children with
problems in this area. In this edition of VECLife we
look at 5 recommended apps in no particular order
that reinforce the development of visual memory.
I hope you find these visual memory apps useful.
Finally in this edition of Apps Amazing I must tell
you about another excellent App I have recently
come across. Euans Guide is the Disabled
Access Review website and app for disabled
people and their friends and families.
How do you find a venue with good disabled
access? Are you looking for an accessible place to
visit?
Check out Euans Guide for lots of ideas including
cinemas, bars, sports grounds, stations and many
more...
You can review all the venues listed on the app or
review new places that youd like to recommend to
others.
Euans Guide
Price: Free
Available from App Store
Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or
later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and
iPod touch. This app is optimized for
iPhone 5.
21

By Gill Tuttiett
All the info From Explorers to Post 16!
J
O
J
W

C
N

N
H

JA
K
B

E
x
p
lo
r
e
r
s

K
W
E

P
o
s
t

1
6

A
C
O

P
T

M
H

C
l
a
s
s
r
o
o
m


C
a
t
c
h
-
u
p

VECLife Summer 2014
Ooh Arr! Explorers Visit The Farm
On Friday 6th June Explorers went to Long down
dairy Farm. Terry drove the mini bus. Shes a very
good driver. The day was rather hot, so we all wore
sun hats and had lots of sun tan cream on to stop us
catching the sun. We spent time looking at all the
animals which we loved. Goats, guinea-pigs, ducks,
horses, rabbits, and baby chicks. We even text Amy
to see if we could bring a cow back to school. The
answer to that was we would have to look after it in
the holidays! We went to look at the pigs, they were
rather smelly and covered in mud, and we counted
Explorers Exploring!
43 in the pig pen.
Stuart made us a lovely picnic which we ate
outside sat at the picnic tables. A kind lady
took the photograph of us all together.
We had a lovely day and all came back to
school rather tired. Cannot wait to go again.
Class JW & Explorers spent the afternoon
outside on the sports pitch using all different
water squirters. It started off well with
everyone being good and just squirting water
across the pitch to see how far it would go.
Then the fun started! Not sure who the
instigator was (Sally!). One thing lead to
another with seeing who you could get very
wet. Both children and staff achieved this with
great delight. It took a little while for us all to
dry out just in time for going home.
Great fun had by all.
JW and Explorers Water Fun!
Splish!
Splosh!
Splash!
22

VECLife Summer 2014
The Summer term Summary
By Sally Thornley
Wow! What a term for the students in Class JW.
Have we been busy or what?! We have spent a
lot of time this term exploring different environ-
ments, looking at the habitats and lifecycles of lo-
cal animals and wildlife and experiencing changes
in weather. In order to do this we needed to book
a few trips out, so we did.
It began at the beginning of term with a topical trip
to Farmer Palmers farm. The children looked
around the big barn at lambs, donkeys, piglets,
guinea pigs then outside to see the alpacas,
goats, owls and ponies. You name it, Farmer
Palmers had it! (And no, they didnt have alliga-
tors and hipposit was their day off). The feeding
of the lambs - not to be confused with the Silence
of the Lambs was quite a spectacle and certainly
not silent. A gate in the barn was unlocked to
about twenty extremely hungry lambs that all ran
out at once scampering to get to the nearest feed
(not dissimilar to lunch time at VEC), it was quite
an experience and most of the children absolutely
loved it.
This was followed by a slightly
bumpy ride in the tractor
through the woodland and then
a quiet cuddly time with the
guinea pigs which Alfie and
Saad were just loving!

In May we travelled to Hengist-
bury Head, a local beauty spot known by many.
Apart from seeing different environments we sure
did experience some wild and windy weather. The
following week back at school Jacob enjoyed his
wildlife hunt, although he wasnt mighty keen on
looking at the spiders too closely. We found the
bug boxes that we had hidden in the bushes
months ago were of great help when looking for
all the creepy crawlies (thank you eco-committee!)
Whilst were on the subject I just thought I would
let you know that the recycling in Class JW is go-
ing brilliantly. Each week a different eco monitor
takes out the recycling and waters the plants. The
children feel involved and are often very proud of
the help they give, so thank you to all our students
and those in other classes that get involved too.
In June we went to Christchurch and had
beautifully sunny weather. The students loved
feeding the ducks and swans. We walked along
the quay and through the priory gardens where
there were many different experiences to be
had; bushes of herbs that tantalised the senses
and stunning lily pads in full bloom. Honey and
Mia particularly enjoyed the birds singing in the
trees. We did however manage to steer clear of
the contributions from the local ducks. Great
fun (and education) was had by all so it couldnt
be finished off any better way other than a nice
ice cream by the bandstand.
After visiting these different environments it
was time to give the students something a little
different, so a small group of us went to
Legoland! The weather was very changeable in
Windsor that day and there were a couple of
downpours when we arrived but only when we
were inside, so perfectly planned I think. It
certainly did not dampen our spirits and the
children had a truly wonderful time. Saad had a
mind blowing time in the submarine ride, Holly
enjoyed getting dizzy on the gigantic spider
ride, Tyler was loving the water ride.and they
enjoyed them so much they went on them
twice! The whole day there is geared up for
children to have that special Lego experience
23

VECLife Summer 2014
JO Go Ape At Monkey World
By the Class JO Students
My favourite part of the day was having lunch, we
had a picnic outside. We saw some wooly monkeys,
some chimps and some Gibbons. Some of the
Monkeys surprised me. One came up to the window
and looked at me. Amar










Today I went to Monkey World and I saw the biggest
Monkeys in my life. They were fighting each other for
food. One of them was playing with his friend. My
favourite part was seeing the Monkeys with their
bushy tales. Abbie

Wow! I liked the little Monkeys because they were
swinging around the trees. I had a yummy packed
lunch and the chicken that was running around ate
my crusts! It was a fantastic day. Sam

Baby Zoey, Noises, swinging, apple. Daniel

I went to Monkey World, little monkeys,
small Monkeys, play park, it was fun,
Monkeys Jumps in the air. Back to the bus,
back to school. I saw the monkeys, all the
Monkeys. James







I went to Monkey World, I saw a
Chimpanzee and I had egg sandwiches and
I had a packet of crisps and an apple and a
chocolate mousse and my favourite was the
Monkeys and I had a brilliant time and I
want to go again. Charlotte
as just about everything looks like its made of Lego (I know you know). Look at that smile! A big
thank you to Class JW staff who went and also those who didnt go to make this day possible. Thank
you also to Sarah (SLT) who seemed to enjoy the day and fitted in just perfectly. The day
finished with lots of sunshine, lots of smiles and a whole lot of tiredness. I still cant believe that
nobody fell asleep in the bus on the way back!
Class JW staff have all had such an enjoyable year with our current students and may we just say
that it is such a pleasure to work alongside them all. We always miss those that leave the class but
welcome with open arms the new ones. Have a fantastically fabulousmarvellously mad or maybe
you prefer a more relaxed and chilled summer holiday. Whatever it may be enjoy!


24

As written by Brandon-Lee Real
VECLife Summer 2014
Class JA Cruise The Caribbean
By Hilary Stewart
Despite a rather disappointing summer so
far in this country, Class JA have been
taking a weekly trip to the Caribbean in their
Culture lessons, sampling a variety of
activities and experiences from the lifestyle
and culture of the region. Weve chilled out
to Bob Marley and other reggae music
artists whilst wearing our dreadlock wigs,
which always make Frankie laugh! Weve
dived Under The Sea to find seashells and
sung along with Sebastian the Crab,
something to which Asher has responded
brilliantly every time. We met the birds of
paradise and then had lots of fun making
our own bird puppets, selecting the feathers
we wanted to use from a large array of
colours. However, the highlight so far has
George Hits a Six
been playing cricket on a lovely sunny afternoon on
the lawn behind Carmel house. Alexander enjoyed
bowling and George Kettle helped me bat.
Howzat?!
We are now about to meet the Pirates of the
Caribbean and discover the hidden treasure but I
hope they will let us sail peacefully back to school as
Class JA have to get to their next lesson!

Amabels New Hairdo!
Class CN went to Hengistbury Head for the morning.
We had a look at different kinds of habitats, and
different kinds of animals, there were: ladybugs,
dragonflys, there were many kinds of birds, and lots
and lots of people. On our walk we found four
different kinds of habitats. They were, a medo, a wet
boggy marsh, a woodland with huge trees and a
sandy and dry beach.
In the picture Eileen was neeling down cos, she was
showing me a ladybug, then it opened its wings and
flew away.
CNs Hengistbury Trip
Asher Joins in the bowling
Eileen demonstrates
25

VECLife Summer 2014
Class MH wowed some VIP guests with their
magnificent play of the story Mines bigger than
Yours (about a mean scary monster and how he
picks on little hairy monster when he wants his
lollipop). The class have spent several weeks
making props, scenery, directing their classmates for
various scenes, planning dances, recording on
switches and videoing their efforts. Finally they
designed invitations and chose who they would like
to come and watch. Tony Griffin edited all the
footage and put together a brilliant DVD. The Grand
Premiere of their film was a triumph, with superb
attention to detail even giving out monster lollipops
to the audience. There was an exhibition of their
work, live dancing, and the film itself. It was very
moving to see how each student responded very
positively to their peers, and remained quiet and
observant during all the parts of the show.
Congratulations to Alison Richardson who planned
and delivered all the lessons to be fully inclusive -
and all the class staff who worked tirelessly each
week to enable the students to have such a
Class MH Trip the Light Fantastic
By Margaret Humphreys
successful experience of taking part in a
show. I thoroughly enjoyed watching their
efforts.
Susan and Amy Entertain
Class JA have rounded off their sensory journey
to the Caribbean by making some fantastic,
brightly coloured snakes. We painted lots of
empty toilet rolls with different colours, designs
and patterns and in the two weeks before the end
of term, we strung the rolls on string to make our
snakes. We had hoped to take our new pets
outside to the gardens of Carmel House but the
weather let us down and so the play hall it was.
Nevertheless, we had fun looking at all the won-
derful colours and making our snakes slither
across the floor and our bodies!
Snakes Alive
Class JA: Can you spot the snakes?
By Hilary Stewart
Just a couple of
the amazing props
put together for
MHs brilliant play.
26

VECLife Summer 2014
By Phil Thompson
Class PT are all at Sea
We are always pleased to get out and about for
educational trips and this June the aunt of one of
our students had raised money for the class to
enjoy a day out together-we went to
Bournemouth Oceanarium and had a lovely day.
We also found time to enjoy an ice-cream, eat a
picnic on the pier and enjoy the sand.

We were so sorry that on the day we had booked
Georgia was not well enough to join us so we
hope to go out again when she is with us.
We followed up by doing some work on the
oceans of the world and the sea life that is found
in particular zones.

Philip is very pleased to have found out that the
Reef Trigger fish is the national fish of Hawaii but
prefers to use its Hawaiian name:
Humuhumunukunukupuaa!
By Hilary Stewart
Holly and Stuart have a drink
Classes ACO and PT have had a busy and
very varied year in Life skills and you will
previously have read about some of the topics
we have covered since September. Our final
unit of work has been Getting about safely
and we have been looking at identifying,
reducing and managing risks when we go out
and also improving our knowledge of road
signs, which help us to interpret the situation
when we go out. As part of this unit, we have
recently been out on a trip to Westbourne,
looking for signs and using pedestrian
crossings safely.
Of course, we had to take on board
refreshments and so enjoyed some lovely
drinks and cakes at Makers Inc, a caf which
also sells a range of locally made items,
including things made by our own students
here at VEC. We were made to feel very
welcome and there was lots of space. Philip
Henderson (class PT) can particularly
recommend the Bumbleberry bottled juice,
whilst I must admit that our research into cake
was very successful!
During class ACOs visit, we were able to try
the brand new live on air phone link with Vibe
Radio and got through to one of our resident
DJs, Harry Bassett for a quick report of what
we were up to.




















All in all, the trips were a fun way of rounding
off a year of hard work and a chance for
students from each class to get together for
some well earned down time.
Rounding Off The Year In Post 16
Class ACO (and Gemma!)
27

VECLife Summer 2014
By Hilary Stewart
Post 16, Making Music in Life Skills
Life skills groups in classes PT and ACO have had
a great time this term exploring music and have had
the opportunity to join in and make music them-
selves, improvising with GCSE Music students from
St. Edwards School, who made two trips to visit us
here at VEC.
Class PT met the St. Eds visitors in the music
room, where they had set up with keyboards, a
bass guitar and a clarinet as well as having a small
singing group.
Class ACO stayed in Carmel for the visit and after a
small hitch with the drum kit, resolved by Mike
Whitlock producing a fantastic electronic drum
machine, the visitors brought guitars (electric and
acoustic) and a glockenspiel.
Both classes had fun identifying instruments from
their sound alone, asked lots of questions, listened
to individual performances. Jacksons Pirates of the
Caribbean theme on the synthesizer was awesome
and we all took part in a play along session,
providing percussion accompaniment.
Students from both schools were amazing
they interacted very well with St. Eds
students partnering VEC students on the
follow up activity and everyone really
enjoyed the sessions, as well as learning a
lot.
Out and About With
By Beth Kay
From the 16
th
June -19
th
Abi Punchard, Jude
Wardell Knights, Ben Povey and Connor Ferris
spent their work experience at VIBE radio. They
kick-started the week with Tony Rudd, learning
all the tricks of the trade from a real radio DJ! The
students wrote, produced and broadcast a variety
of features. Two days were spent out and about
sourcing material for a new show Out and About
with Victoria. The students interviewed a variety
of managers and the general public; visiting and
reviewing Caf Flirt, Makers Inc. and all the
facilities at Tower Park. They spent time learning
how to conduct the perfect interview and very
successfully interviewed our Principal, Chris
Davies. After lots of hard work and fun the
school now has four new budding radio
presenters/ producers!
DJs in the making
Holly rocks out!
28

Victoria Horticulture
A good selection of shrubs, perennials,
Summer bedding, baskets and tubs for sale.
Open Monday to Friday 9.00am3.00 pm
For All Your Horticultural Needs!
NB. Due to on-going building works parking will be at a premium. We
will be happy to assist customers in carrying purchases to their cars or
where possible deliver.
Compiled written and edited by Jon Godber unless otherwise stated. Victoria School, Summer MMXIV
VECLife
Issue 09
G u e s s w h o ? A n s w e r : E i l e e n R i d o u t