Private School News

County Cricket Selection for Oswestry School Student

Oswestry School student Oliver Newman has been selected for the Shropshire County U17 Cricket squad.
Oliver, who is in Year 11, is a talented wicket-keeper. He was selected from 40 other hopefuls who participated in the county trials. Oliver will be receiving coaching in regular training camps to enhance his skills as he prepares for the start of the season.
Photo: Young wicket-keeper Oliver Newman

Gap Year Students from Down-Under

Oswestry School has been enriched by two new Assistant Tutors from the southern hemisphere. Known by the school as ‘gappies’, Rhys McCarthy and Jonathan Hosking will be spending their gap year working as assistant members of staff at the school.

Rhys is from New Zealand where he has been studying at St Paul’s Collegiate School, while Jonathan comes from Bathurst, in New South Wales. Both are keen sportsmen and have played at regional level in their chosen field; Rees is a cricketer and Jonathan’s main sport is tennis.

The two gappies have settled quickly in to life at Oswestry School. ‘Everyone is very friendly and welcoming,’ says Rees. ‘In particular I appreciate the sense of history here – my school was 50 years old, but Oswestry has 600 years of heritage!’

Photo: Gap year students Rhys McCarthy and Jonathan Hosking

No Chairs at Chafyn!

Last Friday was designated ‘No Chairs Day’ at Chafyn Grove School. The purpose was to explore a kinaesthetic style of teaching by which pupils learn by doing. Staff devised a wide variety of lessons that were thoroughly enjoyed by the children. There were puzzles in Maths, performance poetry in English and a Year 5 group acted out and filmed their ‘gothic’ stories in the grounds. In Science, a massive body was created on the Ist XV pitch, using rope, cones, pudding basins and other ingenious flotsam to show the intestines, skeleton and organs. The Roman army formed up in Latin and, armed with cardboard and rolled up paper, attacked various hapless victims – most frequently the Geography classes who were out mapping the school grounds. History lessons involved searching for clues about the early years of Chafyn Grove School and studying photos and documents from the archive. These included brilliant footage of ‘drill’ and football on cine film from the 1920s. Year 3 and 4 spent the day learning about the Aztecs. This included making headdresses and learning how to dance, Aztec style, in the sports hall. In Pre-Prep, a day of Guy Fawkes based learning, culminated in burning the guys that they had made.

Chess Success for Chafyn Grove School

Nine year old twins, Joe and Max Ross from Chafyn Grove School, have been making a name for themselves on the chess circuit. The boys did so well in the local Wiltshire competitions that they then qualified for the National Junior Championships in London. Joe, the older twin and Wiltshire Under 9 Champion, found himself up against tough opposition in the major league, losing 2/6. In the minor league, Max, Wiltshire Under 9 Runner Up, tried his best but lost 4/6. The boys have never been formally taught how to play the game, instead they learned from a computer programme called ‘Lego Chess’!

Hockey Success for Chafyn Grove

The Colts team from Chafyn Grove School has just won the Sherborne Under 11 Hockey Tournament. Fifteen schools took part in the one day tournament. In spite of strong opposition in the early stages Chafyn managed to win three and draw three of the six group games, qualifying for a place in the semi finals. They then beat Portsmouth Grammar School and went on to play Hazlegrove in the final. One excellent goal was enough to secure victory and they were thrilled to win the cup. Team coach, Mr Dave Renham, declared himself ‘delighted with the boys’ effort. They were outstanding all day.’

BMS skiers prepare for British Schoolboys International Races

Bedford Modern School’s Year 10 student, Edmund Fenton Fowler will be watching the action in the Winter Olympics closely next month. Ed spent last winter training with the prestigious Red Mountain Racers Ski Racing Academy in British Columbia and came home with a clutch of medals, including winning the 2009 British Columbia U15 Male Ski Cross Championship and reaching the quarter finals of the Western Canada U15 Male Ski Cross Championships.
However ski cross, a new sport in the Winter Olympics for the first time this year, was just a fun distraction for Ed who had never tried it before. Ed, whose favourite alpine skiing disciplines are Giant Slalom and Super G, trains locally at Xscape Milton Keynes with the Bedford Modern Ski Club and the SkiMK Race Team and in the Alps with a former England children’s team coach and selector and he has a busy schedule of competitions lined up this winter in Europe with the aim of qualifying for selection to the England Alpine Team.
Ed and his colleagues in the Bedford Modern Ski Team are heading for the mountains of Switzerland this weekend to compete in the British Schoolboys International Races in Meiringen. Ed will be racing in the English Championships in Italy over the half-term break hoping for some excellent results to lead into the British Championships in France in April.
Patrick Jerram, Director of Sport at Bedford Modern School said, “Edmund has worked really hard over the past 12 months which is starting to pay dividends. I am confident he will be able to transfer his recent good form into success both for the School next week and in his personal quest to make the national team. I wish him and all our excellent young skiers at BMS the best of luck in Meiringen next week.”

Photo: Edmund Fenton Fowler in action in Canada doing speed training

Bearwood College Pupil Matt Dunn selected for Under-19 World Cup Cricket Team.

Matt, a sixth former, is currently in New Zealand, ready to compete in the ICC Under-19 World Cup which takes place from January 16th -30th, 2010. The bi-annual tournament involves 16 teams with England facing Afghanistan, Hong Kong and India in the group stages.
The squad left the UK on January 1st for Wellington, New Zealand, where they spent time acclimatising before reporting to Christchurch for the start of the World Cup. England plays in two warm-up matches against Papua New Guinea U19 on January 11 and New Zealand U19 on January 12.
England’s first match in the group stages will be against Hong Kong on January 16th, followed by Afghanistan on January 18 and India, the current World Cup holders, on January 20th. The top two teams in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.
Headmaster Stephen Aiano comments: “This is such an exciting time for Matt and everyone at Bearwood is following the team’s progress closely. The team has this fantastic opportunity to test themselves against some of the most talented young cricketers in the world. We wish them all the best and hope he will be back celebrating success at school soon.”

Film Star Joins Dean Close School Cast

HISTORY BOYS WORKSHOP WITH JAMIE PARKER

Drama pupils at Dean Close School, Cheltenham, who are putting on The History Boys by Alan Bennett this term, were thrilled to be given the opportunity of meeting and working with the actor Jamie Parker, who played the character of Scripps in the original National Theatre run of the play, as well as the film.

Jamie visited the School on a Sunday afternoon and gave the drama students an excellent and exciting workshop. Having worked closely with Alan Bennett, the author, and Sir Nicholas Hytner, the director, Jamie was able to communicate his ideas for performance and characterisation first-hand to our actors.

They looked at three key scenes in which eight bright and cynical would-be-Oxbridge boys – who think they probably know all there is to know – are suddenly challenged to think for themselves in new and unorthodox ways. The play’s big themes are about the ways in which we teach, think and understand – not just about history, but about our contexts and friendships. The play will take us beyond our comfort zones in all sorts of ways – and as Jamie said, “if it does not disturb us, it is not doing its job.”

Dean Close’s top actors received incalculable benefits from working with such a prestigious member of the original cast. Jamie is fast becoming a household name as a result of exciting performances in films such as Valkyrie (which also starred Tom Cruise and Kenneth Branagh) and theatre performances – most recently at The Globe Theatre as Oliver in As You Like It, and from the end of the month as Prince Hal in Shakespeare’s Part 1 and Part 2 Henry IV plays. Dean Close students will be there to see him, and thank him warmly for coming and working with us.

The cast of the play at Dean Close is composed entirely of pupils who are holders of Scholarships in Drama: the School is well known for its impressive standards in drama. Every year, its semi-professional group Close Up Theatre receives large audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe, and 2009′s performance of AMADEUS was no exception. Last December audiences were wowed with an acclaimed Hamlet – one of six plays mounted that term.

All of the Senior Drama Scholars in The History Boys achieved the very highest marks in the country in their respective drama GCSE years.

The English Youth Ballet

Four ballet pupils from Stonyhurst College will dance in a production of ‘Giselle’ with the English Youth Ballet in March. Paul and Olivia (who attend St Mary’s Hall, Stonyhurst’s prep school, St Mary’s Hall) and Alice and Joey from the College auditioned for 2 hours, along with 290 other children, in an intensive rehearsal run by professional dancers. They demonstrated excellent technique and the ability to learn effectively, which is essential for the rehearsals now underway for the public performance. “They’ve done exceptionally well and I’m really proud of them,” said their teacher Mrs Natasha Jones.

‘Giselle’ will be performed at The Charter Theatre, Preston.

Photograph shows
Joey, in the centre, and Alice and Paul on the right. Also pictured on the left are Helen and Celina (front).

Bear-faced cheek!

240 teddybears have arrived at Stonyhurst College, thanks to ‘Harrod’s’ and a student’s bright idea. John Golden, a sixth-former at the Lancashire school, is raising money for Stonyhurst’s Children’s Holiday charity, which gives disabled and underprivileged children a holiday each summer.
“I emailed lots of major stores to ask of they could make a donation,” said John, a boarder at Stonyhurst, from Glasgow. “‘Harrod’s’ was the only one to reply and offered 20 of their teddybears. When I asked if they could spare any more they increased this to 240! Luckily, they’re selling very quickly.”
Every year, sixth-formers and staff at Stonyhurst College run a holiday week for local children with special needs, giving them a great time and their parents much needed respite. Money for the holiday is raised throughout the year by the pupils, to cover the cost of food and trips to Chester Zoo and the Lake District. Each child is assigned to a sixth-former, who cares for them throughout the holiday, at Stonyhurst’s prep school. “I’ve heard the week is very demanding but rewarding and I’m looking forward to it,” said John, who is also planning a fund-raising ball.

Our photograph shows 3 of Stonyhurst’s fund-raisers: Michael McCullough, (from Garstang), John Golden (centre, from Glasgow) and Henry Taylor (from Hampshire).

Marymount Music in Vienna!

The Marymount International School choir embarked on a whirlwind performance tour to Vienna on Thursday 14th January. During their four days in this historic city, the students will perform four concerts: two at retirement homes, Haus Rudolfsheim and Haus Hetzendorf; two at churches, St Stephen’s Cathedral and St Peter’s Church; as well as giving a short recital at the United Nations building at the Vienna International Centre.

In addition to their performances, the students will have the opportunity to take in the sights of the famous city. They will visit the Haus der Musik, a modern, interactive museum dedicated to sound and music, where visitors are invited to actively participate in the exhibits; as well as the Spanish Riding School, the oldest equestrian school in the world, with origins dating back to 1572. On Sunday the students will also have the opportunity to take Eucharist at The Imperial Palace, where Mass will be sung by members of the famous Vienna Boys’ Choir.

Successful Author Patrick Ness Visits Caterham School

On Tuesday, 19 January, author Patrick Ness visited Caterham School to speak to pupils in the Fourth Year about his career and his writing. His two most recent books are part of his ‘Chaos Walking’ trilogy for young people. The first book, ‘The Knife of Never Letting Go’, is highly original and won The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Booktrust Teenage Prize. The second, ‘The Ask and the Answer’, has just won the prestigious Costa Children’s Book Award. The final part of the trilogy, entitled ‘Monsters of Men’ will be published in May. The trilogy has already been described by the Costa judges as ‘a major achievement in the making.’

Born in the USA, Patrick studied English Literature at the University of Southern California. His main job after graduating was as corporate writer at a cable company, writing manuals, form letters and speeches. In addition to being a successful author he also sometimes teaches creative writing or writes reviews.

Headmaster Julian Thomas said: ‘’We are very fortunate that Patrick agreed to come to talk to our Fourth Year pupils as he is due to depart for Australia to promote his books. We believe that a truly excellent education is about more than academic achievement alone and encouraging the enjoyment of reading is very much a part of that. We believe in the power of the written word and the personal enrichment to be gained through reading. Each year we have a number of best selling authors lecture the pupils on their approach to writing and the source of their inspiration. The pupils really enjoyed questioning Patrick about his approach to the subject matter and the issues tackled.’’

Sir Richard Eyre CBE centre stage at The Cheltenham Ladies’ College

Sir Richard Eyre CBE, former director of the Royal National Theatre, and prolific director of television, opera and film, formally opened the Cheltenham Ladies’ College new Performing Arts Centre, known as the Parabola Arts Centre, on 3rd October 2009.

The Parabola Arts Centre, situated in the middle of the town of Cheltenham, opposite the main entrance to the College offers pupils outstanding facilities for drama and music together with art exhibition space.

Designed by the Architect Tim Foster and built by Bristol based Willmott Dixon Construction, the Parabola Arts Centre is 328 seat auditorium built with minimalist contemporary detail. Prior to purchasing the site, College consulted English Heritage who were enthusiastic about the potential of the building which involved the renovation of an important historic building and the removal of a large 1970s extension. The brand new auditorium, constructed using local Bath stone, is linked via a glass walkway to the grade 11* listed Regency stucco villa now beautifully restored to its former glory to provide teaching space, a dance studio, video-editing suite and reception rooms.

At a total cost of £12.5 million, funded in part through generous donations, investment in facilities such as these is testament to a belief held within College of the central place of music, drama and art in the education of women to foster self-worth, to understand the human condition and to appreciate beauty.

The Centre will also be available to the local community to use. The Cheltenham Literature Festival will be enjoying the facilities at this year’s Festival from 9 – 18 October.

A full year of performances by pupils will include Romeo and Juliet, The Importance of Being Earnest, West Side Story and David Foxton’s play Rabbit along with musical recitals, concerts and plays written and directed by staff.

HUSKIES AT RENDCOMB

Over 100 boarding pupils who returned to school at Rendcomb College, Nr Cirencester on Monday are enjoying the snow in this beautiful environment. Pupils were particularly excited by the opportunity to see a Husky Sled Racing Team in action today. The Tanglefoot Husky Sled Racing Team who are resident in the village were taken out for a run today by their owner Matt Hammersley. The colder the weather, the better the dogs run so this cold snap certainly suits them. Staff and pupils at the College helped him to set off and enjoyed seeing the Huskies in action at such close quarters. Some schoolwork is being done but there is still time for some tobogganing and snowman building in between! It is an excellent opportunity for everyone in the village and school community to join in and help where necessary, be it clearing snow, cooking and serving meals or doing the washing up!

Old Breconian Sgt Ed Griffiths has had a busy start to 2010.

Old Breconian and RAF Search & Rescue’s Sgt Ed Griffiths explains to the BBC how the adverse weather has kept him and his colleagues busy at the beginning of 2010. Please click here.

Ed returned to Christ College last year and delivered a presentation in the chapel to current pupils about his role as a winchman with the RAF Search & Rescue team stationed at RAF Valley on Anglesey.

Ed is a such a real-life action hero, helping to rescue people from some of the UK’s most treacherous mountains in all sorts of weathers, that in May he was the inspiration for a new Action Man-style figure. Ed said that this rates as one of the best experiences of his career!

Hurst Lodge pupils sing at “BETT” show in Kensington Olympia

Pupils from Hurst Lodge School in Ascot sang a collection of songs from a new curriculum-based musical to thousands of delegates at the internationally renowned “BETT” show in Kensington Olympia last week. The largest educational exhibition in the world, BETT attracts over thirty thousand visitors annually, and the performance by seventeen junior pupils from Hurst Lodge had hundreds of teachers and education professionals humming along throughout the giant hall.

“The response from the crowd was fantastic”, said Russ Payne from Scholastic Education, the publisher of the musical. “The children performed with such enthusiasm and their singing really brought the exhibition to life. Several visitors said that the pupils’ performance was the highlight of the exhibition, and one lady commented that the singing must have been recorded, as it sounded too good to be ‘live’. She was wrong of course. It was live, and it was brilliant!”

“All of the songs from Percy Parker’s Flying Bathtub have been recorded by pupils from Hurst Lodge over the past eighteen months,” explains composer Andrew Holdsworth. “The musical is modular, so teachers can pick and mix from a collection of scenes and songs which are based on topics they’re covering in the classroom, such as the Tudors, the Victorians, the Egyptians and the Ancient Greeks. Pupils from years three to six at Hurst Lodge learnt a large number of brand new songs, which they recorded with great commitment and accuracy in a series of professional recording sessions arranged at the school. An infectious enthusiasm for singing and performing coupled with a willingness to embrace new ideas made Hurst Lodge the perfect place to bring these songs to life. The junior pupils were full of ideas, many of which have been incorporated into the musical in some way or another. I’m absolutely delighted with the results of our work together and I’m very grateful to Hurst Lodge for helping me bring this teaching resource to life. Teachers from as far away as Denmark, Mexico and India approached me after the children’s performance to tell me they were looking forward to using the songs and scripts in class, so hopefully it won’t be long before classrooms all over the world will be singing along with the children from Hurst Lodge!”

Pupils from the school made a short movie about their involvement in creating the show, which can be viewed at the school website, www.hurstlodge.co.uk.

Pint-size gymnast floors national rivals

A gymnast at The Blue Coat School, Birmingham, has floored his rivals in a national competition….with nearly three years to spare!

Eight-year-old Emilio Olson became U11 individual floor winner in the Trinity Gymnastics Competition, Wycombe Abbey, with an almost equally peerless performance on the vault.

Attracting teams from several counties – West Midlands, Shropshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and North Devon – the annual competition enables children to perform new routines, skills and vaults under the searching scrutiny of a judge.

A faultlessly executed floor performance propelled Emilio to first place, but his vaulting ambitions fell 0.1 of a mark short of gold. The winner? Elder brother Paolo, aged 10!

Not content with his national success, Emilio cleared the board again later the same month – this time at the Revolution Gymnastics Club Competition, Birmingham – taking six golds in a row for trampette, bars, floor, vault, rings and U9 Champion.

Quite an achievement!

OXBRIDGE SUCCESS AT STONYHURST

Six sixth-form students have won places at Oxford and Cambridge this year. Oxford offers have been awarded to Allamin Daggash (to study Engineering at St Edmund’s College), Haruki Kawano (for Mathematics at Lincoln College), Eleanor McClelland (to read Arabic and Islamic Studies at Pembroke College) and Rebecca Powell (Chinese at Hertford College). Destined for Cambridge are John Messent, the Head Boy, who has a place at Gonville and Caius to read History, and Pawel Rzemieniecki, who has an organ scholarship at Fitzwilliam College and will read Mathematics.

“The competition for a place at Oxford or Cambridge is tougher every year”, said Mr Andrew Johnson, Headmaster. “I am immensely proud of our successful candidates, and of Stonyhurst’s record at Oxbridge entry. This is now the third year in a row in which we have had at least five conditional offers.”

“The interviews were really very challenging” said Rebecca. “As well as closely examining some of the things I’d written on my personal statement, they asked complex, thought-provoking questions; for example, ‘what are the problems involved in making ancient Chinese philosophy accessible to the man in the street?’”. John had three interviews: “They really tested my ability to engage with historical questions. The interview process is largely concerned with how you think things through.”

Our photograph shows, from left to right: John Messent, Rebecca Powell, Mr Andrew Johnson the Headmaster, Pawel Rzemieniecki. Haruki Kawano and Allamin Daggash.

GREASE IS THE WORD FOR NEWCASTLE STUDENTS

A theatrical group of students at Newcastle Church High School have wowed audiences at Newcastle College theatre with their energetic production of the hit Broadway musical Grease.

Strutting their stuff as T-birds and Pink Ladies, the girls received a standing ovation from the packed auditorium on their opening night, following several months of rehearsals.

The production included all the songs from the original stage show, as well as many complex dance routines. The show even featured a real car known as ‘Greased Lightning’ which was pushed on stage every night.

Rachael Kandola, 16, of Cleadon, starred as one of the leads, Sandy, played by Olivia Newton-John in the 1979 film. She said; “I loved playing the character and I watched the film lots in preparation. My favourite number from the musical is Summer Nights as I performed a duet with Abi, who played Danny, as well as the rest of the cast who provided backing vocals.

“The dancing I found very intense as there are lots of high energy, upbeat routines and obviously you have to sing at the same time. Many of the dances were really ambitious especially The Hand Jive dance which involved the whole cast dancing in time with each other and meant everyone had to really focus.”

Abi Buchan, 16, of Gosforth, has worked backstage on a number of productions but this year decided to take the plunge and audition for an acting role. Abi landed the role as Danny, she said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed starring in this year’s production of Grease, it has been a fantastic way to kick start the school term. Everyone really enjoyed The Hand Jive dance as the whole cast was involved and you could see the audience tapping their feet and trying to stop their hands from moving throughout our performance.”

Some of the girls in the production, like Laura Rea, 16, of Gateshead, who played the male role of T-bird Kenikie would like to continue her musical foray with a career in acting. She said; “I found playing a male character a real challenge and I tried to really get into the part by watching Kenikie in the film, observing my male friends and generally trying to get into the male psyche.

“I want to go to drama school after sixth form and Grease has given me a great opportunity to show my versatility by playing a man. It’s been a fantastic experience.”

In fact many of the students, like 16-year-old Charlotte Ryder, of South Gosforth, took getting into character very seriously. She said; “My character Frenchy is famed for her whacky hair, so I had my hairdresser dye mine bright pink. I thought it was going to fade over the week, but it seems to be here to stay!

Charlotte is interested in the production side of performing arts. “Working at the Newcastle College theatre meant I’ve had a real insight into how theatre works from a technical perspective, particularly getting the car on and off the stage every night. I also learnt a lot about lighting and stage sets. I’d like to go into film or theatre production eventually and our performance of Grease has made me think more about the direction I’d like to take.”

Phil Noble is director of music at the school. He praised the students, saying: “The girls have been tremendous. From a musical perspective Grease has a very distinct musical style, so it was a challenge to help them master that, as well as for the girls playing male roles to sing in the right key. They were also singing to music played by a small, professional, live band so they had to raise their game to compete with the music. They did a fantastic job.”

Head of dance, Katherine Brett choreographed the show, which was full of energetic, high tempo numbers. She commented: “Not everyone at school studies dance and there was a broad mix of abilities in the production, so it was a challenge to pitch the choreography at the right level for everyone to master.

“The romantic numbers were also quite hard as the cast were all girls, so we couldn’t put in many of the big lifts that are in Grease. The girls really rose to the challenge though and my favourite number is the Hand Jive, which involves the whole cast and some fairly complex, high energy movements where everyone must be co-ordinated. The students did a brilliant job.”

Ruchelle Everton, head of drama, directed the musical. She said: “Grease is a musical that really appeals to young people, but it is quite difficult to stage. We had to contend with a fairly huge character – the car – and getting that on stage was a challenge in its own right.

“I’m really glad we decided to do Grease though. Revisiting it made me remember what a fantastic, funny show it is and I’m delighted with the outcome. I didn’t think we could top Guys and Dolls last year, but we have done.”

To find out more about Church High you can log onto their website at www.churchhigh.com or contact them on 0191 281 4306.

Skiing ace recognised by top children’s TV programme

A youngster at The Blue Coat School, Birmingham, who was told that she may never walk has confounded doctors with her skiing exploits – and won a coveted Blue Peter badge in the process!

Ten-year-old Molly Griffith was awarded the badge after her sister wrote and told Blue Peter about her disability, a hemiplegia resulting from a brain haemorrhage due to extreme prematurity. In spite of her disability, Molly has not only learned to ski but has also won medals for racing and has skied down some of the toughest (black) runs.

A member of the Midlands Ski Club, Molly trains at the Ackers Trust dry ski slope each week. Never one to turn down a challenge Molly first took to the slopes, aged three, with her mother, before learning to ski independently from six. Now a veteran of black runs – and ski lifts – she accompanies her parents to the Alps each year and joins her able-bodied peers at ski school.

Molly, who needs botox injections and her leg in plaster before skiing each February, has benefited greatly from the sport. Her mum, Dr Ursula Griffith, explained: ‘Skiing has helped Molly tremendously. Not only is it helpful in terms of physio, balance and strengthening her legs, but it’s also been great for her self esteem. Technically, she has to be very precise as she can’t rely on sheer strength.’

A star performance from a very modest young lady!