Private School News

STONYHURST COLLEGE receives outstanding inspection report

Stonyhurst College and Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall have both just received outstanding inspection reports. Excellent pastoral care, outstanding extra curricular success and the high quality of pupils’ personal development were just some of the accolades received.
Everyone attached to the school is thrilled by this exceptional outcome. Mr Andrew Johnson, the Headmaster, said, ‘I am very proud of this report, which is a tremendous achievement, and product of the hard work of Stonyhurst staff and pupils. We aim to be the best we can be in all we do and encourage our pupils to strive to achieve their utmost. Thanks must go to everyone involved in this achievement.’

A year 13 pupils is quoted in the report saying, ‘…staff and pupils form a family. We can turn to almost anyone for support….this openness to people’s differences allows people to flourish in what they want to do in a comfortable and loving environment.’

All UK independent schools have a full inspection conducted by the Independent Schools Inspectorate every six years. Inspections cover the full range of a school’s educational provision, and the inspectors form judgements on nine different aspects according to an objective set of criteria.

Below are some quotations from the reports.

“The College’s most distinctive feature is an outstanding, all-pervasive spirituality, which promotes reflective self-awareness and increased moral fibre, leading many pupils to relish opportunities to turn their faith into action.”

“A broad curriculum, flexibly adapted to enable pupils to achieve their full potential, makes an excellent contribution to pupils’ achievements and learning…”

“Extra-curricular success is exceptional.”

“The quality of pupils’ personal development is excellent…”

“The pastoral care of the pupils and arrangements for their welfare, health and safety are excellent.”

To read the report, please follow the link: http://www.stonyhurst.ac.uk/uploads/std2904_report_stonyhurst_final_04_2010.pdf

Young Musican from CHRIST COLLEGE lands lead role in WNO MAX production.

Jonathan in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Christ College Young Musician of the Year, Jonathan Robinson, has been cast as the lead role of Count Heinrich in the forthcoming production by WNO MAX of Judith Weir’s opera The Black Spider, directed by Rhian Hutchings. Invited to audition for the role after having participated in workshops run by the WNO, Jonathan will now have the chance to perform in front of the composer in July.

Christ College’s Director of Music, Richard West, commented, “This is a very fine achievement; it will be a fantastic opportunity for Jonathan to experience authentic operatic rehearsal processes and be a part of such an exciting venture.”

The opera is a work that incorporates both horror and comedy. Count Heinrich has ordered the people in his village to move the trees nearer to his estate in order to provide a shady walk for him on a sunny day. However, this task is not easy and the villagers obviously struggle!

Following this order, a mysterious being in the form of a green man appears and offers to move the trees in exchange for a young lady from the village that he will make his wife. A young, feisty villager named Christina steps up and offers her hand but, as she is set to marry a fellow villager (Carl), she has no intention of going through with the marriage to the green man.

The green man is fully aware of her deceit and kisses her hand. The consequences include the birth of the black spider out of Christina’s hand and the villagers’ attempt to kill the spider that is causing ill health and death and the demise of the village.

Pupils line the streets to welcome home the Royal Welsh Regiment

Christ College pupils welcome home 2RW
Christ College pupils were part of a sizeable gathering that welcomed home soldiers from the Royal Welsh Regiment on Saturday 1st May which marked A Company 2nd Battalion’s official return from Afghanistan.

Following a church service in the morning, the soldiers marched through Brecon at midday, led by The Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh.

The Lord Lieutenant of Powys and a governor of Christ College, Shan Legge-Bourke, presented operational medals and accepted the honorary citizenship of the town on behalf of the Royal Welsh from Lord Mayor of Brecon, Councillor Ieuan Williams.

Brigadier Russ Wardle, head of the Army in Wales, said the Army had a “proud heritage” in Brecon.

He said: “The Royal Welsh, in its previous guises, has been proud to be honoured with the freedom of Brecon and are delighted to be granted this privilege once again.

“Brecon has a significant link to the Army, not only in an historical context over the course of the last century, but as a training ground for the modern-day soldier, and as the headquarters of the Army in Wales.”

CHRIST COLLEGE pupil Josceline has her sights on Commonwealth Games glory

Christ College pupil Josceline Beaumont is being tipped for the top in the sport of shooting, and is setting her sights on Commonwealth Games glory in 2014.

Josceline has been fast-tracked as a future British Olympian after being hand-picked to join the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative. Josceline will receive a cash injection of £1000 towards training and competing after being selected as one of only 270 youngsters from across the UK.

Josceline attended the Cardiff launch of the initiative at the Welsh Institute of Sport earlier this month where she received a masterclass from former British Olympians Iwan Thomas and Leon Taylor.

Josceline said: “Last year I shot for Great Britain twice, against South Africa and Germany, and I am hoping to represent Great Britain again this year. If I do, it would be great to have some success against the best shooters around.”

She added: “Initially I’m looking at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as being a major possibility for me.”

The funding from the Local Heroes Initiative will help Josceline with equipment costs, accommodation and travel and is designed to ensure that more talent reaches the top whilst easing the financial burden placed on parents.

Iwan Thomas, one of Wales’ most recognisable sporting personalities said:”The funding from Lloyds TSB will be a great boost for athletes like Josceline and it will hopefully help them to achieve their true potential.”

The Lloyds TSB initiative in partnership with SportsAid provides support and funding to Great Britain’s most talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond.

Staines Prep Celebrates 75th Anniversary

More than 200 past and present pupils, current and former staff members, parents and governors attended a weekend of celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Staines Prep.

They shared memories and paid tribute to the school at festivities that began on Friday 7th May with a picnic on the lawn, highlighted by a balloon release.

The main event, an ‘open house’ on Saturday 8th, began with a delicious buffet luncheon prepared by Chartwells and followed with a welcoming address from Chairman of Governors Mike Bannister and Headmaster Peter Roberts.

Guests were later invited to tour the school while enjoying this rare opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues. An impressive display of photographs and memorabilia spanning the 75 years brought back many fond memories.

Among the guests was the much-respected, former Headmaster Peter Monger who flew in from Canada to attend the event. Mr Monger began his career as a teacher at the school in 1972. He served as headmaster from 1988 to 1998 before returning to teaching until his retirement in 2002.

Headmaster Peter Roberts, said: “It was wonderful to see so many generations of the Staines Prep family gathering together to share their stories. It was clear everyone had a great affection for the school and it was good for them to see how things have continued to develop since they were last here.”

Staines Preparatory School was founded in 1935 by Mr Burges and Miss Hanson, who later married. Miss Hanson was a well respected local figure and County Councillor for many years.

The scheduled opening of the school was delayed for two days, until Wednesday 8th May 1935, because Miss Hanson received a special invitation to attend the 6th May Silver Jubilee of King George V.

Originally Staines Prep was a boys’ school. When it opened there were just eleven pupils. It started to accept girls during World War II. It is now the longest-standing, co-educational, independent school in the area.

In 1987 Mrs Burges set up the Staines Preparatory School Trust to secure the school’s future. Today Staines Prep sees high numbers of grammar school entries and has a strong sporting tradition.

National Lacrosse Excellence for MALVERN ST JAMES girls

Lottie Van-Praag, Year 10, and Sophie Coombes-Roberts, Year 11, represented Wales in the Women’s U19 Lacrosse Home International Championship at Cardiff University in March. The girls both played extremely well, resulting in their selection to play for the Wales Senior Women’s B Team at the Home Internationals in Edinburgh on the 17th and 18th April. Sophie scored twice against England and they both achieved hat-tricks against Ireland. Lottie won 80% of the centre draws in both matches. The girls were the youngest ever to represent Wales in a Senior International game.

Head of Sports, Mrs Karen Bevan, said, ‘Both Sophie and Lottie have exceeded all expectations in their first full season competing at this very high level. We are very proud of their achievements so far and look forward to following and supporting their progress in the future’.

RGS WORCESTER BEATS ETON COLLEGE IN ATHLETICS

In one of the highlights of their sporting year, RGS Worcester defeated five schools, including Eton College, in a major fixture at Nunnery Wood athletics complex.

Throughout a seesaw competition, RGS and Eton dominated proceedings during the afternoon. Eton secured strong wins in the 200m, 400m and long jump. But RGS took seven events in total and proved irresistible in winning all but one of the field events. This included a double for Adam Damadzic in the shot and discus, which was capped by a throw of over 50 metres in the discus.

Toby Wilkinson kept up the RGS momentum in the javelin with a superb throw of 50.65 metres, Steve Ndumbe won the triple jump with an impressive 13.74 metres and Laurie Greenway took the high jump. The RGS relay rounded things off with victory in the 4 x100m, which saw them, home 290 points to 268.

“It’s always daunting to face Eton. With over 1,300 boys they are almost double our size and we know that competition throughout all the events will be extremely tough, “ said the RGS Head of Athletics Mike Ridout. “This was a real team effort, with some excellent performances and I’m tremendously proud of the whole team.”

During the same afternoon, the RGS girl’s teams swept the board in the U15, U17 and Senior competitions, beating schools from Cheltenham, Malvern and Solihull in the process.

Photo: Laurie Greenway from RGS Worcester wins the high jump.

GIVING TO A WORTHY CAUSE

Giving blood is one of the most worthwhile things we can do, and one Year 13 student from Trent College in Long Eaton has made it her goal to get as many of her teachers and peers involved in blood donation as possible.

Katie Schwarz, 18, who is coming to the end of her A Level studies at the School, organised a ‘blood bus’ from the National Blood Service to come into Trent College on Wednesday 12th May. She was encouraged to take up the challenge following an inspiring talk during a PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) lesson. Keith Sudbury came in to talk to students about his son Adrian, who died of Leukaemia last year. Adrian, a talented journalist, was famous for setting up ‘Baldy’s Blog’, through which he shared his experiences during his illness, and which has now been turned into a book. He also wanted to educate the public about bone marrow donation, even taking his campaign to Downing Street.
Katie says: ‘Mr Sudbury told us that when his son was dying, his last wish was to try and encourage as many young people as possible to donate blood and bone marrow. After the lecture, lots of people were really interested but due to our busy lifestyle at school, many people would probably not have the time to find somewhere to go and donate. Head of Sixth Form, Miss Matthews, mentioned that there are mobile buses that visit different places so I thought it would be really great if we could get one to come into School.’
It was no mean feat; Katie had to liaise with the National Blood Service, complete health and safety assessments, ensure that appropriate facilities were in place and gain enough interest for the bus to visit the School. ‘I’m really pleased that we had such a great response; everyone has been very enthusiastic and supportive about this cause. I already give blood whenever I can and it’s something I feel quite strongly about. I realise the importance of it as my Granddad had Leukaemia, and I know it requires many blood transfusions. Apart from encouraging as many people as possible to give blood now and in the future, an important outcome of the day will be making younger students aware of what is happening, so they might consider giving blood when they are old enough.’

The Royal Artillery invite our CCF Cadets to an exercise on SENTA

Cadets with the Royal Artillery
 
Last week, forty of Christ College’s CCF cadets witnessed at first hand the firepower of the Royal Artillery.

The SSI of the Christ College CCF, WO1 Bill Dowling MBE, recently received a visit from Captain Rick Groves of 137 (Java) Battery of 40 Regt Royal Artillery. During their meeting, Captain Groves invited the Christ College CCF to visit the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA) and to join the Royal Artillery at their gun positions and to witness a ‘live firing’ excercise.

The CO of 40 Regt kindly sanctioned the event and forty CCF cadets from Form 3 were taken to the batteries positions on SENTA. Once on the gun line, the cadets were spilt into 4 groups, taking it in turns to stand by the 105mm light guns whilst they were firing. They also visited the command post controlling the gun fire.

WO1 Dowling said: “We are grateful to the Royal Artillery for giving our cadets a chance to witness this demonstration of fire power.”

MALVERN ST JAMES SCHOOL – National Youth Theatre Success

Congratulations to Elizabeth Lewis (Year 13) and Jodie Coates (Year 10) who successfully auditioned in Birmingham during the Easter holidays for the National Youth Theatre. Over 4000 students competed for places in 34 audition centres throughout the UK. Jodie and Elizabeth performed a workshop based audition as well as an individual audition.
They will both be heading off this summer for two weeks in London, where they will take part in the highly prestigious National Youth Theatre acting course. During that time, up to thirty young people on each course improvise, devise and perform under the guidance of a professional director and specialist tutors, developing an understanding of performance and learning skills and disciplines which will serve them in the future. The courses culminate in a performance which is presented to other course members.Having completed the course, as National Youth Theatre members, the girls will be invited to audition for National Youth Theatre productions in subsequent years until they reach the upper age limit.

Founded in 1956, by Michael Croft, National Youth Theatre is described as ‘Europe’s foremost youth theatre’ and has gained a reputation for excellence and dynamism.
The girls will be joining an impressive list of former National Youth Theatre members which includes many well-established names in British theatre, film and television. Alumni include Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Derek Jacobi, Kate Adie, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ben Kingsley, and more recently, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Catherine Tate and Orlando Bloom.

Mrs Fisher, Head of Drama, said, ‘The auditions were nerve racking for both girls, with a four hour drama workshop in the morning, followed by performance of an audition piece to one of the workshop directors in the afternoon. This is an exceptional achievement’.

Well done to both drama students.

Derbyshire pupil’s sword skills secure prestigious shield

A Derbyshire pupil is following in the footsteps of some of the most renowned fencers from the past 20 years after winning a prestigious regional prize.

James Proudfoot, head boy at Mount St Mary’s College, fought off stiff competition to take home the winner’s shield in the Lancashire Schools Boys’ Under 20 Foil.

James, who won gold in the Senior Students Fencing competition at Stonyhurst school in Lancashire last term, adds his name to a list of illustrious previous winners of the shield who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in the sport.

Fellow pupil Thomas Cotterill, winner of the Mount St Mary’s Senior Fencing Trophy for 2009, secured silver and Thomas Voice won bronze in the same event, while Benedikt Gers reached the quarter finals of the boys under 17 category.

There was success too for the girls, with Phoebe Lui winning a bronze medal in the under 20 class.

Pupils at Mount St Mary’s have enthusiastically embraced fencing, and the performances in Lancashire are the latest in a series of impressive displays from school representatives.

Nina Zimmerman produced a spirited display against high calibre opposition including several national fencers in the Girls’ Under 16 Foil at the recent British Youth Fencing Championships.

Nina, a year 10 pupil at the Mount, qualified for the competition after fighting her way to a bronze in the Girls Under 16 Foil at the Yorkshire Youth Championships in March.
Mount St Mary’s coach Adam Blight, who has experience of coaching nine British fencing champions, said: “Congratulations to James for an excellent display of fencing. Many esteemed fencers have won the shield in the past, and hopefully James can use this success as a springboard to take his fencing to the next level.

“Our pupils have secured some outstanding results recently. They have all displayed an exemplary coolness and professionalism in competition which will continue to serve them well in the future.”

Photo: Lancashire Schools Boys’ Under 20 Foil winner James Proudfoot

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

Babies and toddlers had a fun-packed morning at Howell’s School, Llandaff, on Tuesday 11th May as Stay and Play celebrated its first birthday. Mums and grandparents enjoyed coffee and celebration cakes as their little ones played in the stimulating, bright and fun-filled environment.
They made party hats, sang songs and danced together to celebrate being part of a very successful venture. The children were delighted to take home a balloon at the end of the celebrations and the adults were full of praise for this group that meets weekly on a Tuesday in term time at the school from 10.45 – 11.15am.

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.

Triumphant Tennis Team

Six Strathallan pupils enjoyed a successful tournament at the annual Glenalmond Mixed Doubles Tournament winning the overall trophy.

Ruairidh Watson and Lea Gill won all matches in their group and the Group A Trophy while Christian Kolb and Anastasiya Veretennikova won the Group B Trophy.

Strathallan Tennis Academy Coach Tommy Ogilvie said “I am delighted with the result. The team have a really positive attitude and have worked hard this year to produce this result.”

Photo: winning team

Caterham Students Win Another Award at The Leatherhead Drama Festival

Drama students from Caterham School performed at the 2010 Leatherhead Drama Festival in May and were delighted to collect the Richard Houghton Award for Outstanding Contribution. The award, which was for the opening sequence; the visual effect, movement and make-up, was presented to the Sixth Form students by Sir Michael Caine CBE at the Awards night on Saturday 15th May.

The play that they performed was “Silent Scream” which was written and devised by the students for their A-Level Drama and Theatre Studies coursework. They were naturally delighted that their work was also nominated for the “New Writing” Award.

The students who performed were Rebecca Ward, Hannah Spence, Anjali Bhat, Emma O’Brien and Imogen Ware.

The Leatherhead Drama Festival is the largest of its kind in the UK and takes place at Leatherhead Theatre over two weeks with three different groups performing each night.

Head of Drama at Caterham, Lisa McMullin said, “I am absolutely delighted with the students’ achievement. This is the second year running that this group of students has returned from the festival with an award and all credit goes to them for their commitment and creativity in producing a piece of innovative theatre.”

PRIOR PARK COLLEGE ANNOUNCES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR 2010

Prior Park College announces the winners of its Young Writer of the Year competition 2010. Over 200 pupils from 20 schools around Bath and Wiltshire have been battling it out for this coveted title.

After much deliberation, Harry Nickless from Springmead School and Mollie Fresle-McLaren from Norman Court Preparatory School were awarded the titles ‘Young Writer of the Year’. William Mallard from Chapmanslade Primary and Madeleine Meyjes from Prior Park College were runners up. The Best School Awards went to Corsham Primary School and St Francis School for overall success.

Book tokens, certificates and trophies were presented to winners and runners up at the Awards Ceremony held at Prior Park College on 4th May.

This year’s theme was ‘Peace’ and entries were judged by Prior Park’s Head of English, Nigel Tattersfield.

Headteacher, James Murphy O’Connor, who presented the awards, comments:

“Choosing the winners was a tough decision as we were inundated with inspiring pieces of writing. Well done to all who entered and warmest congratulations to the winners. Next year’s event is set to be just as hotly contested, with the word ‘Time’ as the theme.”

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.

Photo: Corsham Primary School with trophy

RGS WORCESTER – crews in action at Evesham Regatta

RGS crews in action at Evesham Regatta – first ever wins for Rachel and Grace

Fourteen boats from all age-groups raced at Evesham Regatta last Saturday, and RGS Worcester came away with two wins and several other encouraging performances. Twenty more boats would have raced on the Sunday as well, but heavy overnight rain caused the Sprint regatta to be cancelled.
The Senior RGS Girls raced well in Coxed Fours; the more experienced boat competed in WJ18 Fours, losing out narrowly to a Pangbourne College Four in a hard-fought final. The younger crew (Lucy Sidwell, Michaela Belham, Julia Davies, Rachel Turner, coxed by Grace Jones) raced in an adult category, beating two club crews to take the trophy. This was a first ever win for Rachel and Grace.
The RGS Senior Girls eight also won their event in fine style. The winning crew was Lucy Sidwell, Michaela Belham, Catherine Field, Rachel Turner, Ros Goldrick, Sophie Stevens, Julia Davies, Patsi Walton and cox Luke Thomas.
The Boys’ J15s raced in two different VIIIs categories; in the adult Novice event they were inevitably a little out of their depth, but against their counterparts from Cheltenham College they competed strongly, only to miss out in the final stages.
The Senior Boys also had to contend with strong Pangbourne crews: the Coxed Four lost a straight final, whilst the VIII produced a powerful performance in the Semi-final to beat Monmouth School by several lengths, only to succumb to Pangbourne’s top boat in the final.

Photo; The winning RGS Coxed Fours – Lucy Sidwell, Michaela Belham, Julia Davies, Rachel Turner, coxed by Grace Jones.

KING’S SCHOOL, ELY – Fen Brainage winners

King’s hotly contested annual Fen Brainage competition was won today (25 March) by a team representing Osmond House.

Each of the school’s houses fielded a team of five to answer general knowledge questions in the style of BBC TV’s University Challenge.

Osmond’s winning team was Ollie Kenzie, Oliver Moses, Eliot Koopowitz, David Scott and Liam German.

An individual competition in the style of TV’s Mastermind was won by Oliver Hill, a 16-year-old Year 11 pupil, who won the Clark Rooney Cup.

Photo: Winners of Fen Brainage, from left, Liam German, Oliver Moses, David Scott, Eliot Koopowitz and Osmond team captain Ollie Kenzie.

Howell’s old girls finally receive school certificates

School pupils these days usually receive their hard-won certificates shortly after winning them, but on 12th May at Howell’s School, Llandaff, a group of ex-pupils returned to receive those gained either by themselves or by family members who were at school back in the 1930s and 1940s. While organising the archives, Mrs Janet Sully, the school’s archivist, and Mrs Maggie Fletcher, the Deputy Chairman of the Governors, found a pile of certificates in an envelope which had never found their way to those named on them. Mrs Sully said, “We thought it would be a nice idea to try to find the owners and to invite them to school for a little ceremony, especially in this year of our 150th anniversary celebrations.”

Detective work led to the addresses of some 75 of the certificate winners being found. The majority now live outside the area but those living locally were contacted. The certificates presented included Higher School Certificates, School Certificates, Life-Saving awards and even a Greek dancing certificate! The oldest to accept the invitation was 89-year-old Mrs Joyce Chapman. As well as receiving their certificates, the guests enjoyed tea and refreshments while reminiscing about old times.

Names of people on photo:
(Left to right)
Top: Mrs Barbara Jones, Mrs Heulwen Ashcroft, Mrs Karen Fullerton
Bottom: Mrs Joyce Chapman, Mrs Judith Horning, Mrs Iris Jones

Famous Cathedral Choir give concert at Stonyhurst College

One of the world’s most highly acclaimed choirs gave a concert at Stonyhurst College. London’s Westminster Cathedral Choir made its second visit to the Ribble Valley College and sang to a capacity audience drawn from all over the North West in Stonyhurst’s St Peter’s Church.
The programme began with choral music for Lent, then Easter, and finished with music for St George, including music by Palestrina, Taverner, the contemporary composer James MacMillan and Elgar’s Give unto the Lord. The conductor was Martin Baker and the organist was Edward Tambling.
Before the concert, the choristers, aged between 7 and 12, had a wonderful time exploring the banks of the River Hodder, playing tennis and filling their lungs with fresh Lancashire air!

Photo: The Westminster Cathedral Choir in full voice at Stonyhurst.

Ballet success for Barrow Hills’ pupil

Barrow Hills’ pupil, Molly Howard has recently achieved exceptional success with her ballet. Molly, who has been dancing since the age of four at Barrow Hills has just competed at the Ealing Festival where she won not only the ballet solo but also the duet and the duet trophy. At the end of the festival Molly was invited to take part in the prestigious Stella Mason Memorial Award. This is presented to the best dancer across all the categories, including, ballet, tap, modern and jazz and it is a tribute to her tremendous talent that Molly was the proud recipient of this award.
From this, all in the same week, she went on to the Aldershot Festival where she came second in the duet and again won the solo. Not only did she win, but she was awarded the highest mark for all the ballet solos. This achievement means that Molly now goes forward to the regional finals of the All England which will take place next year. At only 10 years old she really is a star in the making!
Ballet teacher, Anna Holford said, “Barrow Hills places a strong emphasis on the performing arts and we are delighted to see Molly doing so well. She really is an inspiration to all the pupils and we are all very proud of her.”