Private School News

First Anniversary Celebration for Stay and Play at Howell’s School

Babies and toddlers may not immediately spring to mind when you first think of Howell’s School, Llandaff, but its very successful Stay and Play is celebrating its first birthday. Specifically geared to the youngest children, both boys and girls (up to three years old), Stay and Play provides the opportunity for Mums, dads, grandparents and other carers to take their little ones to Howell’s Junior School Hall to play in a bright and stimulating environment on Tuesday mornings from 9.45am to 11.15am. While the adults enjoy tea or coffee and biscuits in an informal and relaxed atmosphere, the children can play and explore safely while developing their creative, physical, social and emotional skills.

The sessions are run by Mrs Vanessa Yilmaz, who is a specialist in Early Years Education, and each week there is are different activities to stimulate the children. Marcia Banner, one of the mothers who attends, comments: “The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed as well as stimulating for the children. The session is constantly evolving thanks to Vanessa’s creativity.” Anna Guina describes the group as having “a lovely informal atmosphere, which means it is easy to just drop by on a Tuesday”. Claire Weston, another mum, says: “the Stay and Play session at Howell’s School has a calming effect on me. The activities and music are very enjoyable for child and the parent”.

Howell’s School is 150 years old this year but far from being rooted in a bygone age, its range of activities is constantly changing to meet the needs of the present day. One of its main aims is to serve the needs of the local community and the school frequently opens its doors to children from other schools and to other groups which can benefit from its facilities. If you would like to sample the activities available at Stay and Play, do come for a taster session.

To celebrate the anniversary, for the Stay and Play session on Tuesday 11th May admission will be free and there will be special cakes!

For more information, please contact Vanessa Yilmaz on 029 2056 2019 or just pop in to the session.

Stonyhurst wins Red Rose County Badminton Championship

On Wednesday 10th March Stonyhurst College hosted the U19 Boys Red Rose County Badminton Championship and entered 3 teams. The Stonyhurst A Team beat Hutton Grammar School 3-2 in the Final. Stonyhurst have now won the trophy for the sixth time in eight years.

Stonyhurst girls have done well too. On Wednesday 3rd March, the U19 Girls Badminton Team competed in the Red Rose County Championships and finished in second place.

Photo: with their badges and certificates are (from left to right): Hannah Phoenix (16), Wendy Leung (17), Rebecca Powell (captain: 17) and Vanessa Vaghetti (18).

Blue Peter appeal

Saint Felix School has a very exciting link to this year’s ‘Operation Smile’ Blue Peter Appeal.

Doctor Per Hall, one of the surgeon’s followed by the Blue Peter cameras in India, is also the brother of Catherine Fuller, a parent at the school and the school shop manageress.

Doctor Hall visited Saint Felix to talk to the Junior School children about his time spent operating on Indian children born with a cleft pallet, and also showed them a slide show of photos. Blue Peter documented the work by their charity of the year, Operation Smile.

Per said: The appeal target was 20, 000 surgical gowns made from disused T-shirts, saving Operation Smile £3 per gown. A cleft lip operation costs £150 or the equivalent of 50 gowns and Saint Felix School has changed the lives of 5 children by producing 250 gowns. I am extremely lucky that I can take may “day job” off with me and use my training in a country where communication may only be through smiling, pointing and demonstration, and to work with nurses and doctors with little uniting language but a common goal to do as safely as we can whatever we can do to help. The smiles on the faces of the children we help and their parents are fantastic.”

Head of the Junior School at Saint Felix, Julia Campbell, added: “We are delighted that Per could visit us and talk to the children – to have someone with such first hand experience of something they are all very interested in is very special.”

New sponsor for Saint Felix School’s equestrian team

A ‘working partnership’ has developed as two Suffolk businesses, Saint Felix School and Southwold Town Garage, join forces.

Southwold Town Garage has become the new sponsor of Saint Felix School’s equestrian team. The team, consisting of four girls from the school, will now enjoy invaluable support from their new sponsor.

Chris and Kerry Wilmot, who are the directors of the Southwold Town Garage, chose to sponsor Saint Felix Equestrian Team as their son Jack is a pupil at the school and the garage carries out the fleet maintenance of the school’s mini buses.

The partnership will be a ‘working’ sponsorship – representatives from the garage will attend shows that the team compete in, and will maintain vehicles required to transport the horses and team around the country. The company have also sponsored the ‘Arena Eventing – Jumping with Style’ class.

Co Director of Southwold Town Garage, Kerry Wilmot, commented: “The garage like to support teams based in the community, so we were delighted to offer our help to the equestrian team. Myself and Sarah Roberts, the assistant manager, both have an equine background and this also gives us both enjoyment and enthusiasm to be involved.”

Jane Ward, co-ordinator of the Equestrian team, added: “We are very grateful to Southwold Town Garage for their sponsorship. Members of their staff have an avid interest in horses, and it’s fantastic to have two local groups working together in the community.”

Success in the British School’s Modern Biathlon Championships for Saint Felix School

A team of three Saint Felix pupils have won bronze medals in the British School’s Modern Biathlon Championships.

Competing for Saint Felix, Alice Ward, Hannah Bacon and Casey Willis completed a 1000m run and a 100m swim in both individual events and as a team. This was a new experience for these pupils and mark exciting times ahead for the school as the girls came away with bronze medals in the Year 8 Girls team event.

Hundreds of young athletes competed in the Championships, which took place at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Sunday 21st March. Some 650 young people from around the country faced the challenge of a swim and a run having qualified in 12 regional events during the Autumn Term.

The British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships is supported by Sport England and run by Pentathlon GB, the national governing body for modern pentathlon. Biathlons are one of the traditional ways that young people try out multi-sports events in an enjoyable, safe and competitive environment. After mastering swimming and running, they can gradually add the other disciplines of the modern pentathlon – fencing, shooting and show jumping – before tackling a full modern pentathlon.

Their hard work in running-training paid off as Casey, Alice and Hannah all managed to shave a minimum of ten seconds off their qualifying run time which boosted their points as they entered their stronger event, swimming. In an imposing 50m pool they rose to the occasion and gained some impressive times. To gain bronze medals was an icing on the cake.

Director of Sport at Saint Felix, Georgina Kingstone, commented: “We are all very proud of the girls – their dedication in training has really paid off. Well done.”

“Great Britain has an outstanding track record on the international stage in modern pentathlon and who knows, some future British Olympic pentathletes may compete at Crystal Palace on Sunday.” said Peter Hart, Chief Executive of Pentathlon GB.

Party manifestoes scrutinised by the Head on the BBC

Mrs Taylor in ‘Manifesto Corner’
Head of Christ College Mrs Emma Taylor has been part of a panel who have been scrutinising the main political parties Welsh manifestoes on the BBC Radio Wales ‘Good Morning Wales’ programme.

It has become affectionately known as ‘Manifesto Corner’ – a corner of the BBC Canteen – and it is where Mrs Taylor has been joined by Dr Jonathan Deacon, a senior lecturer in marketing & entrepreneurship at Newport Business School, and BBC Wales’ Political Editor Betsan Powys. The discussions have been facilitated by ‘Good Morning Wales’ presenters Rhun ap Iorweth and Bethan Rhys Roberts.

On Wednesday 14th April, the panel examined Plaid Cymru’s manifesto and on Friday 16th April it was the turn of the Labour Party’s manifesto for Wales to come under scrutiny. On Saturday 17th, Mrs Taylor and Dr Deacon were joined by the BBC’s Welsh Affairs Editor Vaughan Roderick to analyse the Liberal Democrats manifesto for Wales. On Monday 19th, the panel ran the rule over the Conservative Party’s manifesto, and finally the manifesto of UKIP and some of the other minor parties were analysed on Tuesday 20th April.

National Youth Theatre of Wales selection for Jessica

Jessica in CCB’s production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
Lower Sixth Form pupil Jessica Tait has been selected to join the National Youth Theatre of Wales.

From November 2009 through to March 2010 vast numbers of young people from Wales aged between 16 and 25 auditioned for a coveted place with the National Youth Theatre of Wales. Their next production will take place early in September of this year and promises to be very exciting under the direction of Tim Baker with talk of a cast generated script!

Jessica attended her first audition in Cardiff soon after Christmas where she was asked to perform two previously prepared monologues and take part in various group exercises. A three month wait finally produced the long awaited letter inviting Jessica to a call-back audition in Oswestry shortly before Easter.

Over two weekends the organisers saw 65 young people for a second time in order to select the final 45 youngsters who will form the company this year. This final audition was a gruelling combination of duologues, devising, dance and song focussing on characterization and adaptability. These young people are talented performers with a thirst for the lime-light and there is strong competition for those final 45 places.

Jessica is now assured of a place in the 45 strong company who will come together for 5 weeks of concentrated rehearsal during August and September culminating in performances in Aberystwyth, Mold and one further venue which is still to be confirmed.

Head of Drama Amanda Frazer said:
“This is an outstanding achievement but well deserved as many will testify having watched Jessica feature in school productions throughout her time here at Christ College. We are certainly looking forward to supporting her in this new venture and wish her every success in the coming performances.”

Easter bonnets at Farlington

Prep girls in their fantastic Easter bonnets at Farlington School.

Ben helps Wales to a series win against Scotland

Ben in action for Wales
Over the Easter Holidays, 3rd Form pupil Ben Wigmore was selected to represent Wales U16s at Hockey. Ben, who is still only 14 years old, has a further two years to offer to the National team at this age group.

Ben was part of the Wales U16 team that played Scotland in the first International of the season at Wrexham during the Easter weekend. The first match resulted in a win for Wales who totally dominated the game after a somewhat sluggish start with a score of 2 – 0. In the second match Scotland got off to a good start, leading at half time 2 – 0. Wales however took control in the second half of the match. Through excellent teamwork they scored three goals securing a 3 – 2 victory. The final match to end the series was frustrating for the Welsh boys as despite dominating the game in every respect and an extraordinary number of near misses, the final score was 2 – 1 to Scotland. Wales won the series however and it was well deserved.

As mentioned, Ben was selected to play as a member of the 18 man team despite being very young. At 14 he has the prospect of not only this year but two further years in the same age group. His inexperience at this level although initially daunting, did not reflect in his game. He played extremely well in all three matches demonstrating increasing confidence and excellent skill and control of the ball.

Hockey Coach at Christ College Dr Dominic Phelps said: “Having already played on numerous occasions for Christ College’s 1st XI – quite an achievement in itself given Ben’s age – this is a real testament not only to his outstanding ability in hockey but also to the immense amount of hardwork and dedication to the sport that he has put in over recent years. There is little doubt that a future national star is being developed right here at Christ College.”

PRIOR PARK COLLEGE GOES ‘GREEN’ FOR EARTH DAY

Prior Park College students have dug out the gardening gloves and tools in support of Earth Day and its 40th anniversary this year.

Today’s ‘Green Day’ event has seen pupils planting seeds and vegetables, building bird boxes and paying £1 to wear an item of green clothing; the money raised will fund further sustainability initiatives. Students have made their own flower pots and planted everything from courgettes and tomatoes to sunflowers and nasturtiums.

Earth Day aims to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment whilst ‘Green Day’ is part of the eco-mission of the College’s EcoPrior conservation group. The group was formed in 2003 and promotes care of the environment by recycling, energy saving and ethical trading.

Headmaster, James Murphy O’Connor, comments:
“The staff and students at Prior Park College take sustainability seriously and that’s why we introduced EcoPrior and the Prior Park Ten Green Commandments. Planting seeds is a great way of helping the local wildlife, whilst improving the biodiversity of the local environment. These plants regenerate growth within the school grounds and will be enjoyed by many generations to come.

“With the money raised today, we hope to plant new trees, build a new bicycle shelter, a polytunnel and possibly even a beehive in the future. We believe that by supporting worthy causes such as Earth Day, we will get our community thinking about how we can help protect nature and the environment we live in.”

One student comments:
“It’s been a really fun day; it’s nice to make a difference.”

Contact us at Prior Park College on 01225 831000 or info@priorpark.co.uk. To find out more about the College, visit www.priorparkschools.co.uk.

National Science and Engineering week at The Marist School

National Science and Engineering week was from the 12-21 March, and the Marist Senior School, Sunninghill, fully embraced it within the Science Department.

Glass Frogs, Yeti Crabs, Sea Pigs and Blob Fish were just a few of the strange creatures encountered during National Science and Engineering week. A full week of activities culminating in a Pub Quiz (non-alcoholic!) attracted up to 30 girls every lunchtime in the Science departments labs.

The Marist students began the week with a spot of forensic investigation, taking their own fingerprints and seeing if they could then identify whose was whose (move over CSI!!).

With the beautiful spring weather having finally arrived the girls took the opportunity to photograph the buds and emerging flowers, hoping to chronicle their unfolding through the week as they basked in the sunshine.

Another lunchtime saw teams of Marist girls exploring and discovering around the school site trying to colour match leaves, twigs, Joe (our Maintenance Manager) work gloves and other outdoor finds to a colour chart, with chocolate goodies for the winning team with the best match. The girls also took part in a quiz to identify weird and wonderful images, including images seem through a microscope.

Rev Lynn Trainer, Physics Teacher, commented, “National Science and Engineering Week was a week of fun and mayhem with HUGE thanks to our Senior Lab Technician, Mrs Wood, who put everything together and lead the sessions. The girls thoroughly enjoyed all the challenges and experiments we set and we can’t wait for next year to create even more exciting things for the girls”

Gliding Competition

Caitlin Fullerton-Jones, Sarah Giles, Francesca Bradley and Georgina Clarke (Year 9 pupils) represented Howell’s School at the ‘Flying Start’ Challenge organised by Careers Wales.

The two day event took place at Airbus UK in Broughton in March 2010.

The girls learnt about the principles of flight, project planning, material and structures, before going onto design and build a glider. The finished project was then judged on technical understanding, innovation and build quality, as well as the distance and duration of the flight achieved. Certainly a challenging and stimulating event which helped the girls to build on and extend the knowledge and skills that they are already acquiring in their Year 9 science lessons.

BEDFORD MODERN SCHOOL PRESENT CLASSICAL SHOWCASE – Wed. 5th May

Bedford Modern School students will be performing a Classical Showcase on Wednesday 5th May at 7.30pm in the Howard Hall. The concert will feature BMS senior school musicians performing works from the orchestral and choral repertoire including Coronation March “Crown Imperial” by William Walton, Violin Concerto by Max Bruch, Karelia Suite by Jean Sibelius and, in the second half, Gloria by Vivaldi featuring student vocal soloists. Tickets are priced at £4.00 Adults / £2.00 Concessions and can be obtained from the Bedford Modern School Box Office on 01234 332664.

Year 13 student, Rachel Cullum, is just one of the many students taking part. “I joined Bedford Modern School in Year 9 as a Music Scholar which carried the expectation of becoming heavily involved in music and being a music ambassador for the School,” said Rachel.

Having performed in numerous concerts and musical productions at BMS, Rachel now leads the School Orchestra as violinist. “I come from a musical background as my family are great lovers of music and I fell in love with the violin when I was about seven years old,” added Rachel.

Rachel will be taking part as violin soloist at the Classical Showcase on 5th May. Rachel said, “I will be playing the first two movements from the Bruch Violin Concerto. This is a very popular and well known Concerto and although it is relatively short, it combines technical difficulty with lyrical playing.

“By performing as violin soloist I will obtain great experience of playing as a soloist with an orchestra, especially at a relatively young age, alongside my peers and also under the direction of Mr John Mower, Director of Music at BMS. I think this will be a good way to end my school career,” said Rachel proudly.

Rachel is currently studying English Literature, History, Religious Studies and Music A Levels before going to Cambridge to study Archaeology and Anthropology. “Cambridge is renowned for its music at University and I am confident that music will continue to be a big part of my life.

“The Music Department at Bedford Modern School is welcoming and friendly and has given me so much support. No matter what genre or style your music is, the Department always encourages its students to achieve the best they can and this is what I have appreciated most during my time at the School,” said Rachel.

Photo: Bedford Modern School Year 13 student Rachel Cullum

BEDFORD MODERN SCHOOL PARENT, TRACEY SMITH, COMPETES IN LONDON MARATHON TO RAISE FUNDS FOR KEECH HOSPICE CARE

Bedford Modern School parent, Tracey Smith, will be participating in the London Marathon on Sunday 25th April in order to raise funds for Keech Hospice Care’s children’s service.
The hospice looks after children with a life-limiting illness in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes, which is a huge area to cover.

Tracey, who has two sons at Bedford Modern School, Aaron in Year 3 and Kieran in Year 7, began working for the charity two years ago by working in the Keech Hospice Care shop in Kempston. “I had an induction day at the hospice and was so impressed with the wonderful care and support they provide for patients and families all year round. I was informed that the Government provides 25% of the funding and the charity must raise the rest. This inspired me even more to try and “do my bit”, said Tracey.

Having completed two midnight walks for the charity, Tracey wanted to set herself a true challenge and raise vital funds and so the London Marathon became an ideal target. “I applied to enter the London Marathon and obtained one of the gold bond charity places for Keech Hospice Care. The charity has to buy these places, which I did not realise, and I have guaranteed to raise at least £1,500,” added Tracey.

Serious training for the London Marathon began in January for Tracey when she received the official marathon magazine together with a 13 week training guide. “Having not run since I was at school, training has been quite tough at times,” said Tracey. “Sometimes it is hard to be motivated to go out on a dark, cold evening after a day at work. I worked out a circuit of half a mile and repeated this on numerous occasions in order to build up my stamina. As the weeks progressed I found I could run 5, 10, 13, 15, 18 and finally 21 miles, before beginning my three week taper phase.”

The London Marathon is 26.2 miles long starting at Greenwich and finishing in The Mall. Bedford Modern School wishes Tracey Smith every success with the London Marathon and anyone wishing to sponsor Tracey and help raise funds for Keech Hospice Care can donate at www.justgiving.com/tracey4keech

Photo: Bedford Modern School parent Tracey Smith who will be competing in the London Marathon to raise funds for Keech Hospice Care

New Head for St Hugh’s School

St Hugh’s School, the Independent, Catholic prep school for St Edmund’s College, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Leonard Blom as the new Head of St Hugh’s. Mr Blom took up his post on 20 April 2010 and takes over from the previous Head, Mrs Jacqueline Hart, who left in December to become the Headmistress of Woodford Green Prep School.

Mr Blom joins the school with a wealth of leadership and teaching experience, most recently gained at Edgeborough Prep School in Surrey, where he was Head of Geography. Prior to that, he held Headships at St Dominic’s Priory Junior School and Erica Girls’ Primary School, both in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Originally from Port Elizabeth in South Africa, Mr Blom is married with two teenage children and in his spare time he is a keen runner and cyclist – regularly taking part in triathlons and marathons. He has a BEd Honours degree specialising in Educational Management and a BA degree in History, Psychology and Philosophy, both gained from universities in South Africa, plus he recently obtained his National Professional Qualification for Headship in the UK (NPQH).

Mr Chris Long, Headmaster of St Edmund’s College said:

“The Governors and I are delighted to welcome Leonard to St Hugh’s. He has exactly the right experience and qualities to oversee the day-to-day running of the school and to positively support our pupils, staff and parents”.

Triple Distinction for Francesca Hill

Francesca Hill, Year 13, is celebrating this week, having attained Distinction at Grade 8 for Percussion, French Horn and Singing. Francesca has played both the French Horn and Percussion for six years and has been singing since the age of six. She plays percussion in the National Schools Symphony Orchestra and has been a member of the Malvern Priory Choir from the age of seven.

Francesca, who was delighted with the results, said, ‘I plan to study music at university. It has always been a very large part of my life and I hope to pursue a career in music for film and television. I have been very lucky and given many opportunities to experience different aspects of music, which has certainly increased my love of music.’

Director of Music, Mrs Lindner, said, ‘Francesca is an extraordinarily versatile and talented musician and her contribution to Malvern St James has been exceptional. She is a role model for all our girls. We offer her every good wish for her future’.

Independent Schools Association (ISA) Drama Festival 2010

On the weekend of March 12th and 13th March Hurst Lodge School, Ascot hosted the ISA Southern Section of the ISA Drama Competition, as it has for the previous 13 years. Every member school of the Independent Schools Association is invited to participate

This competition is organised by ISA to promote drama in schools. Schools may enter in 4 categories, Infant, Junior, Middle and Senior.

A total of 19 different pieces of theatre were performed over the weekends by children aged between 4 and 18 from a variety of schools from all over the country -The Northern competition was held the previous weekend at The Hammond School in Cheshire.

All were adjudicated by Mr Mark Oldknow (GODA) who was impressed with the standard of professionalism of all the entries. Hurst Lodge was praised for its facilities, the technical support given by the team and its general organisation of the event.

Following the weekend of performance we eagerly awaited the results. When these were published Hurst Lodge was delighted to discover that we had received two first place awards. The marks achieved were awarded for the technical, production, acting and entertainment value.

Pupils from years3-6 performed “Percy Parker’s Flying Bathtub”, a curriculum based musical that was devised by Andrew Holdsworth, a teacher at Hurst Lodge School. An overall mark of 63% was achieved.

One of the senior entries was a piece based on “The Good Person of Szechwan” a play written by Bertolt Brecht, which was awarded a creditable 72%. The other senior Hurst Lodge entry was “The Listener”, a devised production using the Walter de la Mare poem of the same name, as the stimulus for a piece of physical theatre. This gained the best results in the country, as well as being awarded The Clewborough House Cup for the Best Senior Production and The Dair House Trophy, (the Adjudicator’s Discretionary Award for “the most innovative and creative” piece).

These results rounded off a great weekend for the school and were well deserved by the girls for all the hard work they had put into the performances.

Fitness is fun for the boys and girls at The Manor Preparatory School!

Mrs. Angela O’Rourke, The Manor’s Director of Sport, has facilitated a programme of over 55 sporting opportunities and activities each week, allowing every boy and girl to enjoy physical activity both within the curriculum and out of personal choice.
4 full-time members of the PE Department and over 35 part-time and volunteer experts guide the children to develop their skills. From tag rugby and jumping onto surfboards to following Youth Sports Leader courses, the emphasis is on joining in and reaching potential.
Regular fixtures with schools in the area and the school’s hosting of master classes led by national and international athletes give the children a sense of the place of sport in our broad community. Sport works in tandem with fun in the classroom to challenge the children and to enhance each child’s self-esteem. Realistic targets are set for each child to allow them to believe their aims are achievable and, as they leave The Manor, they take with them high expectations of the role that sport, fitness and health will play in their own lives.

NACE Challenge Award for excellence awarded to The King’s School, Ely.

The King’s School Ely has become the first independent school in Cambridgeshire and only the fourth in the UK to achieve the prestigious NACE Challenge Award for excellence in provision for able, gifted and talented pupils.

At King’s School, ‘teachers’ subject knowledge is exceptional and pupils are offered challenging contexts for their learning,’ says the report. ‘Parents value highly the extensive range of ways in which a child can excel and the inclusive approach where every child is seen as special.’ In an assessment far more gruelling and demanding than any normal school inspection, pupils were deemed to have very good attitudes to learning and exceptionally high levels of challenge and inference were expected from them. Particular mention was made of the ‘Ely Scheme’ which is used to help the development of pupils’ leadership, entrepreneurial and team-building skills.

Add to that the achievements of a class of 22 Year 11 pupils at King’s who have all achieved A* Grades in GCSE Maths, sitting the exam six months early, the top class acting in the recent Gothic melodrama, ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ and the prodigious achievements of King’s students on display in the outstanding new £3.5m Arts Complex, opened by Lord Browne in March………..and you certainly have ‘a school to be watched’.

King’s is an independent school that offers the complete package: a seamless education for day and boarding pupils aged from 3-18, where staff and students believe in ‘Learning Adventurously’, where school is not a preparation for life, it is life. Boasting a school chapel that happens to be one of England’s most glorious cathedrals, King’s is a school that values tradition whilst embracing and celebrating all that is innovative and forward-looking in education…..as the recent and much-coveted NACE award affirms.

Head of the King’s School Ely, Mrs Sue Freestone, believes that pupils should be provided with ‘the tools to discover and develop confidence in their talents and abilities, however unconventional or unlikely they may be.’

Prospective parents and their children are warmly invited to visit the school at any time to experience the very special atmosphere that sets this school apart.

enquiries@kings-ely.cambs.sch.uk
www.kingsschoolely.co.uk

PUPILS EXPERIENCE EXTREME PHYSICS IN NATIONAL COMPETITION

Physics students from Nottingham High School have been taking part in a national Extreme Physics competition over the Easter holidays at Rugby School in Warwickshire.
The Nottingham High School team of Peter Hardwidge, 15, Ben Gates, 14, Christian Cummings, 15, and Chris Brenchley, 15, came fourth in the competition, which involved 24 schools from around the country. Over the course of the three days, the boys took part in a range of team and individual challenges based around various areas of physics. These included building an accurate timing device, making and launching paper rockets and measuring an unknown mass without any scales. The undoubted highlight of the competition, however, was the opportunity to experience sky diving in a wind tunnel.
The competition aimed to inspire year 10 students from around the East Midlands to study Physics beyond GCSE level. It was sponsored by the Institute of Physics and The Ogden Trust and also included lectures in the evening by the heads of science at Rugby and Oakham.
“The boys thoroughly enjoyed the experience and performed really well,“ said Peter Hortor, a physics teacher at Nottingham High School. “There was a lot of tough competition and to be placed fourth is no mean feat. It was relevant to their GCSEs, but also encouraged them to consider A Level physics as a useful and interesting course.“
Peter Hardwidge, one of the pupils commented: “I knew I wanted to work in science, but now I am sure I want to be a physicist.“