Student’s Summer Experiences - Bournemouth School

Samoeng Hospital, Chiang Mai

During the summer holidays, I spent 2 weeks shadowing the doctors at Samoeng Hospital, a small district hospital in the mountains of northern Thailand. The hospital serves a wide rural catchment area and, as such, faces significant challenges with limited staff and resources.

During my placement, I rotated through several departments, including outpatients, maternity, and emergency. In outpatients, I observed consultations for chronic conditions such as knee joint problems and hypertension, where the emphasis was often on pragmatic, low-cost management strategies. In the maternity ward, I was able to see how midwives and doctors worked together to provide safe deliveries despite minimal monitoring equipment compared with what would be the standard in main general hospitals in either Thailand or the UK. In the emergency unit, I witnessed how staff triaged cases rapidly, prioritising limited space and equipment for the most urgent patients. Normally minor surgery is not normally carried out at the hospital, however there are times when it is necessary and it illustrated the importance of adaptability, with procedures carried out efficiently despite restricted facilities.

From these experiences, I gained a deeper appreciation for the role of teamwork, resourcefulness, and clinical judgement in rural healthcare, as well as the resilience of both patients and staff in this setting.

Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok

I also undertook a day shadowing a Professor at Ramathibodi Hospital, one of Thailand’s largest teaching hospitals. This placement offered a striking contrast compared to Samoeng Hospital. Here, I was based primarily in the orthopaedic department, where I observed outpatient consultations. The cases were highly varied, from routine follow-ups to complex trauma requiring surgical reconstruction, and it was fascinating to see how cutting-edge imaging and surgical techniques were employed to optimise patient outcomes.

I was particularly impressed by how the surgeon prioritised patients’ quality of life and functional ability when discussing treatment options, carefully considering how joint problems affected their daily activities and capacity to work. The emphasis on sub-specialisation meant that patients had access to highly targeted care, and I was struck by how much the availability of advanced facilities changed the rhythm of clinical decision-making compared with my experience in Samoeng.

This placement gave me valuable insight into the benefits of teaching hospitals, not only in terms of technology, but also in fostering an academic environment where junior doctors and medical students learned alongside senior clinicians.

2025 420 Junior European Championships

In July 2025, I represented Great Britain at the 420 Junior European Championships in Porto, Portugal, finishing 8^th in the British contingent, and 29^th in his fleet. The regatta was held in consistently strong winds, which made for challenging but rewarding racing. Before the regatta, our boat was pulled in for a full measurement check, requiring us to strip the entire boat of ropes, blocks, and fittings before reassembling it, which is a demanding process but part of the reality of international competition.

Despite strong preparation both in the UK and on-site, we were frustrated to find that our upwind speed and height were off the pace. Even with solid starts, we struggled to hold a lane off the line and often had to duck large sections of the fleet. That said, we capitalised on our strengths elsewhere: our speed strategy on reaches and downwind allowed us to consistently regain positions, bringing us into the top half of silver fleet despite the setbacks at the starts.

While we were disappointed with our results not being as high as we had hoped, I found it to be a valuable event, reinforcing the importance of adapting under pressure, maximising strengths, and learning quickly in a high-level international field.

Ror Dor Year 3

This year I advanced into my third year of Ror Dor (Royal Thai Army Reserve training), a year where the programme took on a noticeably sharper edge. With ongoing conflict and tense standoffs along the Thai–Cambodian border, the training was ramped up to reflect the possibility of real deployment scenarios. Field exercises became more demanding, focusing on offensive and defensive drills such as capturing and holding positions, trench assaults, and clearing operations. We were also introduced to heavier and more technologically advanced weapons like bombs and drones – underscoring the destructive power of modern combat.

As a team leader, I was expected to organise and motivate groups in live field simulations, often under strict time pressure, mirroring the conditions faced by actual soldiers. Discipline was paramount, and the emphasis on readiness brought home the seriousness of national defence when geopolitical tensions are high.

Now, with only a final field training exercise left to complete the programme, I feel the experience has given me more than just discipline: it has provided a grounding in responsibility, leadership under pressure, and an awareness of the sacrifices that come with military service.

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to describe and explain the increased tension over Berlin between Khrushchev and Kennedy. You will be able to have a good understanding of why there were summit meetings called, 1960 and 1961. You will be able to describe and explain why the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. You will be able to explain the impact the building of the wall had on East-West relations and the importance of Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963. You will be able to show a good understanding of the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the importance of the Bay of Pigs failed invasion of 1961 and the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.	You will be able to evaluate the impact on international relations of increased tension over Berlin between Khrushchev and Kennedy. You understanding of the summit meetings is precise and you can evaluate their importance. You will be able to precisely recall details of how why the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. You will be able to evaluate the importance of the building of the wall on East-West relations and the importance of Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963. You will be able to show a precise knowledge and understanding of the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the importance of the Bay of Pigs failed invasion of 1961 the events and significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 in the short term and long term.
Assessment Methods
Do-now tasks Retrieval Quiz in class End of Unit Assessment

Meeting	Exceeding
You will demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the origins of the Weimar Republic from its creation in 1918. You will be able to describe and explain why the Republic faced political and economic challenges in the years 1919 – 1923. You will be able to understand some controversy over Germany’s recovery from 1924 – 28. You will be able to describe and explain how society and culture changed during the ‘Golden Years’ of Weimar. You will mostly be able to demonstrate accurate recall of key people, key dates, terminologies and acronyms to describe aspects Weimar Germany, 1918 – 1928.	You will be able to recall, with more precision and accuracy, the origins of the Weimar Republic from 1918. You will accurately explain the early challenges including the Spartacist Uprising, Kapp Putsch and the causes and impact of the German Hyperinflation of 1923. You will be able to recall, with precision and accuracy, how Weimar recovered including Stresemann’s economic and foreign policy successes whilst able to evaluate the limitations of recovery. You will have a secure knowledge of how Weimar society and culture changed. You will be able to convincingly demonstrate accurate and precise recall of key people, key dates, terminologies and acronyms describing aspects of Weimar Germany 1924 – 1929.
Assessment Methods
Do-now tasks Retrieval Quiz in class End of Unit Assessment

Meeting	Exceeding
You show a good knowledge and understanding of key terms associated with the changes happening from 1750 – 1900. You are able to describe and explain some aspects of continuity of society and economy during this period. You demonstrate a good understanding of how agriculture changed, why the factory system developed, how transport improvements impacted the economy with particular reference to the steam train. You are able to explain why living conditions in the new towns and cities changed, the impact on public health and calls for reform. You show secure evaluation of sources for utility, taking into account some aspects of provenance and / or own knowledge.	You are able to show an excellent knowledge and understanding of key terms associated with the changes happening from 1750 – 1900. You are able to precisely describe and explain aspects of continuity of society and economy during this period. You are able to show an excellent and precise understanding of how agriculture changed, why the factory system developed, how transport improvements impacted the economy with particular reference to the steam train. You are able to evaluate how and why living conditions in the new towns and cities changed and the impact these changes had on public health and calls for reform. You show a convincing evaluation of sources for utility, taking into account provenance and precise own knowledge.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Questioning in class Peer assessments (Skills based written response)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to describe and explain the early tension between the members of the Grand Alliance at the three wartime conferences and events in Europe up to 1945. You will be able to have a good understanding of the ideological differences between Capitalism and Communism. You will be able to describe and explain the development of the Cold 1947 – 1949 including the flashpoint of Berlin, 1948 – 49 and the setting up of East and West Germany. You will understand why the Cold War intensified, 1949 – 58 including the arms race and the USSR’s response to the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and international reaction to this.	You will be able to evaluate the consequences of the wartime alliances for East-West relations. You will understand the attitudes of the wartime leaders and how this further impacted East-West relations. You will select accurate evidence to show the creation of the satellite states to further explain how soviet influence spread, 1945-48. You will be able to demonstrate an excellent understanding of short term and long term reasons why Stalin blockaded Berlin and how this further escalated the Cold War. You will be able to evaluate the significance of the arms race, Khrushchev’s response to the Hungarian Uprising and international reaction.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Retrieval quizzes in class Topic 1 End of Unit Assessment (factual recall)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to have a good knowledge of Nazi policies towards women and why this was so. You will be able to describe and explain Nazi policies towards young people including education and youth groups with some evaluation. You will be able to understand the ways the Nazis reduced unemployment and how they made changes to peoples’ standard of living. You will be able to describe and explain why persecution of minority groups, especially the Jews, increased after 1933.	You will be able to evaluate Nazi policies towards women and young people. You will be able to confidently evaluate policies designed to reduce unemployment whilst also having an in-depth knowledge of policies impacting the standard of living of German workers. You will be able to evaluate the impact Nazi racial policies had upon groups such as Slavs, Roma, Sinti, homosexuals and those with disabilities. You will be able to evaluate the escalation of persecution towards Jewish people with precise reference to events such as the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Retrieval quizzes in class Key Topic 4: End of Unit assessment (factual recall)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to write a response that includes three causes of the outbreak of The Great War (this is the keystone point: no answer can be graded as ‘meeting’ if it does not contain three causes from: military, alliances, imperialism and nationalism). You will demonstrate the skill of analytical writing by demonstrating the Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link technique (PEEL) on each paragraph. For each cause, you will be including sufficient factual detail/proof to justify judgements rather than unsupported statements. You will be able to show secure explanation on each cause and link to why it was a reason for World War I breaking out.	You will apply precisely selected evidence, giving more weight to the judgements drawn. The quality of your evaluation will be in greater depth (e.g. linking in more depth to the question, considering limitations of each factor as a cause, making a clear judgement for each cause, maybe comparing their importance). You will be able to write a response that can also contain evidence of more independent research gathered from outside of the content studied in class.
Assessment Methods
Do Now tasks Retrieval quiz (factual recall) in class End of Unit 2 assessment (Skill: causation writing)

Meeting	Exceeding
Your written response analyses each source. The written response explains why each source is useful to a historian (i.e. what we can learn from the source) Your written response analyses the provenance of a source, considering the impact on usefulness, Some aspects (nature, origin, purpose) are explored less convincingly. You have applied your own knowledge to test the source content, and how this may affect usefulness, but this may lack detail, or show inconsistency between sources. You include some evaluation of utility using some of your own knowledge to support.	You have convincingly analysed both sources with utility explained in equal depth. Your written response discusses the nature, origin and purpose (provenance) of each source, considering its utility with all elements considered convincingly in depth. You include detailed and precise own knowledge and deploy this to test the source content to explain how this may affect usefulness, showing an excellent understanding of the topic. There is no unnecessary narrative.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Questioning in class End of Unit Assessment: Skills based written response on source Utility

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to produce a written response that includes three distinct causes of the Break with Rome (this is the keystone point: no answer can be graded as ‘meeting’ if it does not contain three factors) Each of your causes contain sufficient factual detail/proof to justify judgments rather than assertions. Each cause is analysed/explained and linked to why it was a cause of the break with Rome	Your selected evidence is precise and detailed giving more weight to the judgments drawn. The quality of your evaluation is in greater depth (e.g. linking in more depth to the question, considering limitations of each factor as a cause, making a clear judgement for each cause, maybe comparing their importance). Your answers may contain evidence of independent research outside of the work covered in class.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Questioning in class End of Unit Assessment: Causation writing (PEEL Paragraphs)

Meeting	Exceeding
You need to know and explain a main reason why William won at Hastings and give your view as to why it was important. You should write a paragraph that demonstrates a clear causation approach, including the reason, evidence for it, and an explanation of why it helped William win. You must give a brief judgement explaining why this cause was the most important.	You need to explain the reason why William won at Hastings and evaluate why it is the important reason. You should demonstrate clear evidence of writing in a causation structure by making a point and supporting it with precisely selected relevant evidence. You must show evaluation by explaining the relative importance of the cause you are discussing.
Assessment Methods
Do Now scores Comprehension quiz Skills based end of unit assessment

Samoeng Hospital, Chiang Mai

Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok

2025 420 Junior European Championships

Ror Dor Year 3

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