Private School News

OLYMPIC LEGEND OPENS NEW SPORTS CENTRE

British Olympic Champion, Sally Gunnell OBE officially opened the Malvern St James Sports Centre on Barnards Green Road in October.

As the only woman to hold four titles concurrently – Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth, Sally gave an inspirational talk to the children and guests to the School. She proved to be an enormous hit with the girls, answering their questions after she had looked around the new facility. Sally paid a special visit to the Junior Department where the girls had an opportunity to get a closer look at her gold medal and ask their own questions.

During the morning pupils from Malvern St James were joined by students from Dyson Perrins, Hanley Castle and The Chase and helped to run a Community Sports morning as part of their Sports Leader Award, helping 200 pupils from local schools aged 9 and 10 participate in a circuit of activities.

Tom Wilkinson, aged 10, St James’ Primary, West Malvern said “It was really good fun, we took part in activities including dance, basketball, climbing and pop lacrosse. We even did some training with the Worcester Warriors!”

Malvern St James has worked with Malvern Hills District Council and Mark Hammond MHDC
Leisure Services Manager said: “We’re encouraging partnerships such as the local schools sports partnership and are committed to working with Malvern St James in the future. This is a great indoor sports facility for the area enabling everyone to get fit and healthy and an opportunity for local clubs to utilize the venue in the evenings.”

The new eco friendly building is equipped and marked-out for a multitude of different sports including: six badminton courts, three netball, two volleyball, two basketball, indoor hockey,
five-a-side football, tennis and an indoor lacrosse arc. The indoor climbing wall is the first of its kind in Malvern with five ‘routes’ which offer varying degrees of difficulty to stretch even the most accomplished climber.

Sports Centre Manager Mike Bourne, a Duathelete who has represented Great Britain at the World Championships, leads a team of qualified fitness instructors. Mike said:
“This new centre is an exciting concept, the PT team has great experience and we can bring something fresh to Malvern that will really benefit the community’.

Headmistress Rosalind Hayes said: “In just 10 months we have created a state of the art,
eco-friendly, modern sports centre. The excellent facilities and the variety of sports on offer are very much for the benefit of both the girls at Malvern St James and also the community in which the School is based’.

Cricklade home to children from around the world

As the new school term gets underway, Prior Park Preparatory School in Cricklade is preparing to be a home-from-home for more overseas children than ever before.

The popular school which has around 190 day and boarding pupils aged from seven to thirteen years, has, this year, attracted children from as far afield as the USA, Nepal, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia as well as from across Europe.

“We are delighted to be welcoming such a diverse cultural mix of children to our boarding community, said Mr Hobern. Headmaster. “It allows our local children to gain a broader outlook on life as well as letting them have the opportunity, in and out of the classroom, to investigate other societies, customs and languages at first hand.”

“Many of our British pupils form lifelong friendships with their friends from overseas and this experience gives them a wonderfully broad perspective of the world they live in.

“Indeed, we received a phone call recently from a former Nigerian pupil who would very much like his seven year old son to start here as a boarder next year!”

Many of the pupils from Prior Park Prep School progress to its senior school Prior Park College in Bath which has just announced all-time record school exam results.

Over 61% of students gained GCSE grades at A* and A with the figure rising to 73% in science subjects. 23 pupils out of 89 gained A* or A grades in 10 subjects.

Best of school rugby on display at Prior Park Rugby Festival

Last weekend saw Prior Park Preparatory School in Cricklade play host to some of the finest school rugby teams from across Southern England at its 26th annual Prep School Rugby Festival.

After the deluges of the first weeks of the term, the weather was perfect for a weekend of rugby. Saturday saw some excellent play from the U11s with teams from The Downs, Wraxall and St. John’s on the Hill, Chepstow contesting a very physical battle. The dazzling skills of The Downs eventually overcame the ferocity of St John’s by one try to nil to end an excellent day of rugby.

Sunday saw the U13 tournament with schools travelling from as far as Suffolk to compete. Prior Park’s own team narrowly lost out to Old Buckenham Hall in the final group game to go through to the Plate. St John’s came through to win the Bowl, but, whilst beating Pinewood by thirty four points to nil, this was not enough to see the home side to victory in the Plate, narrowly losing out to Beaudesert in the later stages.

An outstanding weekend of rugby saw over three hundred boys competing, some excellent rugby in the sun, and, mercifully, no major injuries!

As always the weekend was supported by a team of Army referees, St John’s Ambulance and the very hardworking Prior Park Prep School Parents’ Association, staff and pupils.

“We were delighted, as always, to host our annual rugby Festival with a high standard of skill, team work and sportsmanship on display from all teams.
It was also gratifying to see our first competitive match for girls’ hockey on the school’s new Astroturf,” said Mr Gerry Hobern, Headmaster.

Full results and pictures are published on Prior Park Prep School’s website at www.priorparkschools.co.uk

Five former Lancing pupils featured on four separate programmes on Radio 3 in a matter of weeks!

The Music Department at Lancing College is flourishing in all areas, and choral music is a particular strength.

We thought you would be interested to know that past pupils continue to do outstandingly well in choral work. Five former Lancing students will be heard on Radio 3 in a matter of a few weeks!

Wed 22nd October – Live Choral Evensong from Gloucester Cathedral
Featuring the Founder Member of the Lancing College ‘Choral Evensong Club’, Ewan Stockwell, tenor.

Wed 7th January – Live Choral Evensong from King’s College, London
Featuring Claire Bradder, from West Sussex.

Wed 28th January – Live Choral Evensong from Truro Cathedral
Featuring Tom Stockwell.

Wed 18th February – Live Choral Evensong from Royal Holloway College, University of London
Featuring Sam Hancock and Tom Robson from West Sussex.

This outstanding success if due to the inspirational tuition and leadership of Neil Cox, a composer and performer himself, who has been responsible for the Lancing Choir for many years.

TEENAGERS DISCUSS PEACE ISSUES

Peace representatives visited Sibford School near Banbury on Thursday as part of Quaker Outreach Week.

Alice Meager from the West Midlands Quaker Peace Education Project, Anna Liddle from CND and Martha Beale from the Fellowship of Reconciliation conducted a number of workshops with Year 10 pupils examining issues such as conflict, blame and reconciliation.

Sibford head Michael Goodwin said: “Quakers translate their faith into action by supporting peacemakers, working for social justice and caring for the environment. The workshops gave pupils the opportunity to discuss significant peace issues and to look at different ways of resolving conflict situations.”

Pictured: Alice Meager from the Quaker Peace Education Project is pictured with Sibford pupil Malek Rahimi.

JOSH WINS PRESTIGIOUS HISTORY PRIZE

Josh Mills, a pupil at Nottingham High School, has won a prestigious writing prize from Trinity College in Cambridge.

Each year colleges at Oxford and Cambridge Universities run a competition for A-Level historians to write the best historical essay.

Josh, age 17 from The Park, wrote an essay on the role of the Cold War on the demise of social segregation in the American South. He was awarded first prize out of 75 very high standard entries. He received £300 for himself and a further £300 for Nottingham High School to buy books. Josh has also been invited to Trinity College for a day.

Josh said: “I was absolutely delighted to win the prize after all of the hard work that was involved. The black civil rights course was one that I found particularly interesting and so the opportunity to research it independently was a rewarding challenge.”

Nottingham High School history teacher, Simon Williams, said: “Josh’s success is very pleasing but not a surprise because he is an exceptionally gifted history student.”

Strathallan Pupils Sing for the Queen

Strathallan School Chamber Choir travelled to Crathie Kirk, Royal Deeside recently to perform for HRH Queen Elizabeth II. The Choir comprised of Rosie Beetschen, Ollie Wale, Kate Cockburn, Josiah Bircham, Alice INglis, Martin Kwock, Corrie Stewart, Jenny Wood, William Campbell-Gibson, Hannah Johnstone, Sam Lipworth, Catriona MacKenzie, Steven Segaud and Jo MacLachlan.

They stayed at Crathie Manse the previous night and after a successful rehearsal were ready for the morning service at Braemar Kirk followed by the Service at Crathie Kirk which was attended by HRH Queen Elizabeth II. The Choir performed Oculi Omnium by Charles Wood as the Introit, Love Divine by Howard Goodall as the Anthem and the Gaelic Blessing by John Rutter as the blessing.

Photo: pupils with Strathallan teacher, Mrs Carole Sim Sayce and Director of Music, Mr Richard Walmsley in front of Crathie Kirk.

Strathallan win Four Trophies at Scottish Schools Clay Pigeon Shooting

Strathallan secured four trophies at the Scottish Schools Clay Pigeon Shooting Championships held at Cluny Clays on 28th September 2008. In the Senior A Competition Strathallan team, Ian MacKenzie, Grant Murdoch, Patrick Morris-Eyton and Will Fraser, finished top of the Scottish Schools with a score of 110 out of a possible 150. Patrick was also awarded the high gun trophy with a score of 41 out of 50.

Strathallan were also triumphant in the Senior B Team Competition with Toby Culham, Connor Blackburn, Simon McBride and George Burbury taking home the trophy. The girl’s team, Finola Lundgnen, Rosie Gibson and Heather Larson, completed the trophy haul by winning the Girls Competition.

Headmaster’s Armistice Day Service

Oswestry School held its Armistice Day service in the Peter Humphreys Centre on Tuesday. Headmaster Mr Paul Stockdale began with an explanation of the history and purpose of Remembrance Day and the significance of wearing poppies to mark the occasion. He pointed out that young men of a similar age to the school Sixth Form students had been prepared to fight and die to preserve the freedom that we enjoy today.

As he led the prayers for peace, understanding, compassion and forgiveness, the School Chaplain Mr Ray Evanson reminded the pupils that there are few people whose families have not been affected by war in the past or in the present day.

Head Boy Liam Chambers and Head Girl Katy Yates read out the names of the Old Oswestrians who had died while serving in the armed forces in the two world wars. The staff and students then stood to observe the two minutes of silence at 11am.

The guest speaker was Mr Derrick Fisher, the grandfather of three present Oswestry School pupils. Mr Fisher, who was a tank commander at the end of the Second World War, helped pupils to understand something of what it was like to live through the horror of such circumstances. He described his experience as a teenage plane spotter in the Civil Defence, when he had warned of an enemy bomb attack on a town shopping centre and had then worked through the night to rescue the survivors. Mr Fisher then went on to read extracts from the diary of his uncle Philip, who had been an army chaplain during the First World War, caring for and comforting soldiers during the Battle of the Somme, in which there were 57,000 British casualties.

Mr Stockdale closed the service by thanking Mr Fisher for his personal memories and very moving address.

Picture: Head Boy Liam Chambers and Head Girl Katy Yates read out the Oswestry School Roll of Honour

FISHY GOINGS ON AT SIBFORD SCHOOL

Youngsters at Sibford School near Banbury were given an insight into the healthy eating properties of fish when school caterers, Thomas Franks, hosted a Fish Themed Day.

In addition to enjoying a number fishy treats — including paella, salmon and battered basa — pupils were taught about the nutritional value of fish, given the chance to hold a live crab and lobster and also had the opportunity to come face to face with a number of different fish including plaice, halibut, sword fish and even a shark!

Pictured: Fishy encounter … Year Seven pupils Gabriella Clack (12) and Harry Rickard (11) are pictured with chef Ian Foster of Hook Norton catering company Thomas Franks.

Loreto Preparatory School swimming success

Loreto Preparatory School swimming star Eilish Brennan has emulated her heroine Rebecca Adlington by winning a double gold medal haul in the national Independent Schools’ Swimming Association championships.

Eilish, 10, from Timperley, won the under-12 individual breaststroke and the under-12 relay medley in a new championship record, also picking up a superb bronze in the relay freestyle just for good measure.

The hat trick of medals is just reward for Eilish’s outstanding effort and dedication, training for 10 hours each week both with Loreto Prep and with Altrincham swimming club, part of the Trafford Coaching Programme.

Inspired by Britain’s great Olympians, the Timperley tornado, said: “I watched as much swimming as I possibly could at the Olympics and enjoyed every bit of British success, especially Rebecca Adlington’s double gold. It really showed me what the hard work was all about and has inspired me to become an Olympian as well.”

Eilish added: “Both my races were fairly close, though I was trying so hard I couldn’t see the opposition I just put my head down and went for the wall.”

Pat Dixon, Head of Physical Education at Loreto Preparatory School, said: “Eilish has an admirable approach to her training and is an ideal role model for our younger girls both as a sportsperson and in class. She has made an excellent contribution to school life.”

GOODBYE GOTHIC? Lancing College stages major art exhibition in Brighton

Exhibition at Gallery 100
100 Queen’s Road, Brighton

Open to public: 9am until 5pm Monday to Friday, admission free

Landmark architecture at Lancing College is one of the themes that are celebrated in a special exhibition at DMH Stallard’s Gallery 100. Following the success of the first Lancing College Art Students’ Exhibition here last year, this leading firm of solicitors has invited the Art Department to stage a second show.

Lancing College has an outstanding Art Department. The exhibition, GOODBYE GOTHIC?, shows about 40 examples of the finest work produced by A level and GCSE students during 2008, as well as pieces by the Department’s staff, all of whom are practising artists. It includes paintings, drawings, photographs and representations in mixed media. Some of the art in this show pays homage to the magnificent architecture in the famous College Chapel, as the Art School has been housed in its crypt for many years.

This month the entire Art School has moved to a purpose-designed, contemporary building for the 21st century. In recognition of the Department’s impressive achievements, and its importance, the College has built a new Art School, designed by award-winning LCE Architects. It is an energy-efficient structure, which is in harmony with its surroundings – a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Most of the exhibitions at the Stallard gallery feature contemporary artists with an established reputation, but the quality of work by Lancing students rivals that of many professionals.

Lancing is as well known for its teaching of Art as it is for producing academics of the highest calibre. The Art Department has an impressive record of producing students who become designers, photographers, architects, art historians and painters. Four students who completed their studies this year have gone on to read architecture at top universities.

A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE AND LIVE BBC BROADCAST IN LANCING COLLEGE CHAPEL

Benjamin Britten’s ST NICOLAS CANTATA

Andrew Kennedy: Tenor
BBC Singers with choristers of St Paul’s Cathedral; BBC Concert Orchestra; Sioned Williams (harp)
Conductors: Andrew Carwood, Paul Brough

Thursday 18 December at 7pm
Tickets: £10, £20.

Available from Chichester Festival Theatre Box Office (in person or by telephone): 01243 781312
or from Ticket South (online or by telephone): www.ticketsouth.co.uk; 023 80711818

This concert will be broadcast live for BBC Radio 3 to mark the 60th anniversary of the world premiere of the St Nicolas Cantata in Lancing College Chapel. The work was commissioned by Lancing College. The concert will be available as a webcast on bbc.co.uk/singers from 7.00pm on 19 December.

ST NICOLAS is patron saint of children, and Lancing’s magnificent Chapel is dedicated to St Mary and St Nicolas. Benjamin Britten, the most widely performed British composer of the 20th century, wrote the St Nicolas Cantata to celebrate the school’s centenary, in 1948. Peter Pears, Britten’s artistic collaborator and companion, was the premier British tenor of his generation. Pears was educated at Lancing, where he developed his singing and acting talents. Both musicians retained close links with the school, and Pears was a member of the BBC Singers.

The St Nicolas Cantata was given its world premiere in the Chapel by the famous Lancing College Choir, with Peter Pears singing the role of Saint Nicolas. Children’s voices play an important part in many of Britten’s compositions, and this Cantata is a fine example. It has been performed by leading choirs and soloists in major venues throughout the world.

This public concert will feature the St Nicolas Cantata, Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols and Howells’s Three Carol-Anthems. Lancing College holds a valuable archive of material relating to the commission and composition of the St Nicolas Cantata, which includes letters from both Britten and Pears. A number of old boys still remember hearing, or singing in, its first performance. During the interval on 18 December, there will be a fascinating programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, on the genesis of this work with interviews, as well as readings from letters and documents in the Lancing archives.

The St Nicolas Cantata is a dramatic depiction the life of St Nicolas in nine scenes. It describes legendary incidents, including the Tale of the Pickled Boys. Three women call for their missing boys: Timothy, Mark and John. Travellers, seeking food in the city, order a meal at an inn. St Nicolas warns them not to touch the meat, as it is the flesh of the missing boys, who have been killed by a butcher and pickled in salt. St Nicolas calls the three boys and brings them back to life. They then enter, holding hands, and singing ‘Alleluia’.

LANCING COLLEGE CHAPEL: Award-winning restoration work completed

Lancing College Chapel stands high on the South Downs. It is a magnificent Gothic Revival Grade I listed building, and is recognised as one of the most impressive landmarks in Sussex. Thirty metres in height, this airy, lofty structure is delicate and intricate in detail. The history of the building is told through its stained glass. This includes the spectacular Rose Window – the largest in England – containing 30,000 pieces of blown glass, and the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Window, dedicated by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in May 2007.

During the past eighteen months, the stonework and metalwork of the Chapel have been restored by the acclaimed Chichester Cathedral Works Organisation. The final scaffolding platforms have just been taken down to reveal their meticulous expertise in the Chapel, for which they have won the Ecclesiastical Building Award from Sussex Heritage Trust for 2008.

The Lancing Tapestries, designed in the 1930s, were woven on William Morris’s great loom at Merton Abbey. New spotlights have been installed to show off the details of the tapestries and high altar to best advantage, and a number of rare and valuable artefacts have been conserved, including the 15th century processional cross. Other treasures include the splendid Frobenius and Walker organs, the High Altar Crucifix and a 17th century Flemish carved, wood figure of St Nicolas.

Lancing College Chapel is usually open to visitors Mon – Sat 10am to 4pm (Sun 12pm to 4pm).

Forty hike towards Bronze Award

The ‘brainiest’ pupils in the Ukraine come to study at Bearwood College

Two of the ‘brainiest’ pupils from the Ukraine and Russia are studying at Bearwood College for one month, as the top prize for winning a TV competition.

Over the last few months, a Russian TV company 1+1 in collaboration with the British Councils in the Ukraine and Russia, has run a competition for the ‘brainiest pupil’. The top prize for the winning pupils is a one month stay at Bearwood College.

The two competition finalists who won the ‘super prize’ are Valeriya Lazarenko from Kiev and Andriy Sydorenko from Yakymivka, a small town located by the Sea of Azov in Southern Ukraine.

Headmaster, Mr Stephen Aiano says: “We are very pleased to welcome Andriy and Valeriya to Bearwood College. Their achievements to win this ‘super prize’ is tremendous and they are thoroughly enjoying their stay here, immersing themselves in the British GCSE and AS Level curriculum and culture.”

The contest is shown on Ukrainian and Russian TV every Saturday night for 13 weeks. Valeriya comments: “There were 48 children in the competition so I feel very proud of what I have achieved and so thrilled to be here, as it is an amazing experience.”

Mr Aiano continues: “This is the second time that Bearwood College has hosted the winners of this competition. The next series is currently being filmed in Moscow and we look forward to the next series winners coming to study with us next year.”

Photo: (from left) Andriy Sydorenko, Stephen Aiano (Headmaster) and Valeriya Lazarenko

Caterham School Hosts Conference on Innovative Learning and Teaching

Twenty four teachers from a range of schools attended a one day conference on Innovative Learning and Teaching at Caterham School on 18th November 2008. Mr. Kim Wells, the Director of Learning and Teaching at Caterham School led the day and the guest speaker was Dr. Mike O’Neil, Director of Educational Strategies for the United Learning Trust.

A number of different learning strategies were covered including De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, ActivExpression, Multiple Intelligence and Brain Gym. Delegates also had the chance to visit classrooms and sit in on lessons to see the theory translated into practice.

Kim Wells said: ‘”This was the first conference of this kind that we have organised and I am delighted that the day was such a success. It was an excellent opportunity to share best practice, both in a training environment and at the coal face i.e. in the classroom. We are rightly proud of the fact that our students are encouraged and guided in how to think and learn independently’”.

Rachel Harris, Deputy Head at Broomwood Hall School said “It was a thoroughly enlightening conference, fantastic to see the learning and teaching discussed in practice in the classroom”.

Headmaster Julian Thomas said: ‘’Caterham School is a forward thinking school that utilises highly effective, innovative approaches to learning and teaching. I am delighted that we were able to share our experience and knowledge with so many other schools. ‘

Blues Guitar Legend Otis Grand Thrills Sixth Form Students at Caterham School

Otis Grand, acknowledged recently by CNN as one of the greatest living blues guitarists, visited Caterham School on October 6th. He gave a talk to the Sixth Form, as part of the Sixth Form Forum programme which consists of a series of presentations by individuals who are leaders in their field. During the first part of the afternoon Otis spent time shedding light on the origins of Blues music in the deep south of the United States, and how it has evolved into the wide range of popular music we listen to now.

During the second part of the afternoon Otis performed unrehearsed with members of the Sixth Form, providing a master class in Blues guitar, improvisation, and playing straight from the heart.

Headmaster Julian Thomas said ‘’Although we have high academic standards we are very keen that pupils gain a wider perspective beyond their school life. We were very fortunate that Otis Grand, one of the great names in Blues, is so passionate about his subject and feels so strongly that it should be understood by the next generation. He has been voted the UK Blues Guitarist of the Year for seven consecutive years so it was a thrill for the students to hear his perspective on how this genre of music has played a role in history. Those students who were able to play on stage with him will probably talk about it for the rest of their lives.’’

Caterham School Achieves Three Good School Guide Awards for Teaching Excellence at A Level

The Good Schools Guide has just announced their awards for 2007. Editor Ralph Lucas explained that 2007 awards were delayed as they rebuilt the systems that underlie the complex award process.

The aim of the awards is to highlight excellent teaching in individual subjects. The awards are based on A level results and in particular on the basis of the popularity of each subject relative to similar schools, and of the success that pupils achieve relative to the other examinations that they take.

This year the A level awards that Caterham School has won are:

~ Girls taking Human Biology at A level at an English School

~ Boys taking Human Biology at A level at an English School

~ Boys taking Physics at AS level at an English Independent School

The awards were begun in 2004 and Caterham has consistently won Good School Guide awards over the years.

Headmaster Julian Thomas said: ‘’Over the years we have won Good School Guide awards for a variety of subjects but this is the fourth consecutive year that the school has received awards for Biology and the third consecutive year that it has received an award for Physics. Naturally the teachers obtain a great deal of satisfaction from enabling the students to achieve their success but it is very rewarding that their efforts have been recognised by an independent organisation. Consistently excellent A level results mean that, whilst all our students go on to university, over 90% of pupils are able to accept a place at their first choice university with nearly 84% going to a top tier university.’’

Note: The Good Schools Guide was founded in 1985 by two parents in search of schools for their children. Over twenty years later there are 50 editors, writers, researchers and contributors – mostly parents but including some former Heads. The principles of the Guide are:
·to be independent in judgements of schools, and to take no money from them directly or indirectly;
·to view schools from a parent’s point of view, and to choose schools for the Guide on the basis of what parents say about them;
·to define good schools as schools that are good for the children and parents that they serve, and not to be too influenced by academic results alone.

Caterham School Pupil in Final of Competition to be English Heritage TV Presenter

Chris Toomey, a Fifth Year pupil at Caterham School, has just discovered that he has reached the final of the English Heritage TV competition to be a presenter on the EHTV channel with Konnie Huq, Dan Snow and Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen.

To reach the final Chris had to write a 400 word script about a favourite moment or person in history. He chose to write about Henry VIII as a prince having been inspired by a Foyles lecture given by David Starkey promoting his book, Virtuous Prince.

As a finalist Chris will attend a Masterclass being given by Dan Snow on 8th December. The finalists will then each record a professional showreel to demonstrate their keen interest in history and flair for explaining ideas. This will be used by English Heritage to choose the winner.

Sarah-Jane Morris from English Heritage said: ‘’We were extremely impressed by the quality of entries received. Chris’ script particularly stood out though, engaging us right from the start and his enthusiasm for the subject was clearly infectious.’’

Headmaster Julian Thomas said: ‘’Chris is a very talented young man who has considerable ability. Eighteen months ago he was one of the 34 winners in a National competition that required each entrant to create a self portrait. We are delighted that he has done so well in this competition too. This achievement is very much in line with our intention that pupils should leave here as well rounded individuals with a range of outside interest and achievements. We have a very successful History department so, naturally, we hope that the Chris will be able to use his enthusiasm to achieve good results in his History GCSE exams next year.’’

Caterham School pupils take delivery of a Caterham Seven

On Wednesday 15th October Caterham School Kit Car Club, known as the Kit Cat Club, took delivery of a self assembly Caterham Seven.

The car will be built over the next year by the enthusiastic members of the club as part of their co-curricular activity.

The Seven is the original British lightweight sportscar. Originally created by Colin Chapman and launched as the Lotus 7 in 1957, the car embodies the Chapman design ethos of ‘adding lightness’. Caterham Cars has been selling the Seven since the late 1950’s and in 1973 purchased the rights to manufacture the car.

One of the ways in which the car is sold to enthusiasts is in kit form so that they can assemble it themselves. The car built by Caterham School pupils will be checked for road worthiness and then sold by Caterham Cars. The School will use the proceeds to buy another kit. The original funding for the first car was raised by the Parents’ Association.

Headmaster Julian Thomas said: ‘‘Whilst Caterham School has a reputation for high academic standards, we take the concept of all round ability very seriously. The Kit Car Club is a new addition to the forty different clubs and societies which enable our pupils to develop their skills and interests. This wide range of co-curricular activity is an integral part of our programme of enrichment which develops the potential of each and every pupil thereby helping to prepare them for their life at university and beyond.’’