Private School News

UK’s Leading Authority on child literacy to visit ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE, Ipswich

Ruth Miskin, one of the UK’s leading authorities on teaching children to read and to write, will be presenting her thoughts to Headteachers at St Joseph’s College Ipswich on Thursday 20th May 2010.

Over forty Headteachers from across Suffolk and North Essex have been invited to a conference to hear Ruth discuss her Read Write Inc. programme which she has developed over the past ten years. These are published by Oxford University Press and used extensively both in the UK and around the world to improve literacy standards. Ruth contributed to the Rose Review, and has been an adviser to the Government on literacy, including Letters and Sounds. She frequently writes in the national press and her work has been widely featured by the BBC and Channel 4.

This conference aimed at headteachers, will involve learning about “The Big Literacy Picture: Listening and Reading, Speaking and Writing”.

RHS provides a happy and fulfilling educational experience

‘The high quality of pastoral care and the commitment of the staff ensure a happy and fulfilling educational experience’ according to independent school inspectors in their report on The Royal Hospital School (RHS) issued last week.

The inspection of the Royal Hospital School, a coeducational boarding and day school for approximately 680 11 to 18 years olds set in 200 acres overlooking the River Stour at Holbrook, took place over two days in February and three days in March. It was conducted by an experienced team of Heads and teachers from other ISC (Independent School’s Council) accredited schools across the country. The objective of the inspection is to assess whether the School is meeting its stated aims and to ensure that standards are maintained and that relevant legal requirements are complied with.

Headmaster, Mr. Howard Blackett, who has been in post since 2004, explains that the School’s aims are “to provide a civilised, caring, Christian community where pupils are helped to develop their full potential and encouraged to develop qualities such as personal responsibility, honesty, reliability, truthfulness, integrity, independence, adaptability, perseverance, initiative and self confidence.” He was therefore delighted at the findings of the ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) report which state that that “pupils have outstandingly well-developed personal qualities: they are ready to become active, responsible citizens who will contribute to society in a positive manner, exercise good judgment and show tolerance, courtesy and respect for others. They are friendly, confident and outgoing and loyal to their house and school. The school very successfully fulfils its aims concerning the development of values and personal qualities.”

The report is divided into specific sections and, in each one, the conclusions made were “overall extremely pleasant reading” according to Mr. Blackett. Comments such as ‘standards are high. Pupils are well educated in accordance with the school’s aims. They are articulate, confident and capable of independent thought. Results in GCSE and A Level examinations over the last three years, for which nationally comparable data is available, have been high’ were received and Mr. Blackett goes on to say, “we are dedicated to further improving on these high academic standards and results, not least through our new Gifted and Talented programme which has been put in place to support and extend pupils who are more able in specific subject areas”.

The ISI Inspection team recognised that the School has been through a period of enormous structural change and development under Mr Blackett’s leadership and the positive feedback and recommended actions reflected this. Not least, the £18 million house-refurbishment which the inspection team believed has created ‘first class accommodation which is both warm and welcoming’ and they praised the pastoral care and support provided by the House system by saying ‘the Houses are the heart of the school community; their friendly, family ethos fosters the pupil’s loyalty and respect’.

The full report can be read at www.royalhospitalschool.org and the School can viewed on Saturday 8th May when an Open Morning will be held from 9am.

English Inter Schools skiing competition

An adventurous Saint Felix pupil has recently competed in the English Inter Schools skiing competition in Les Houches, France.

Lollipop Brooker, 8, competed in the ‘Mini’s 1’ section of the contest, in which she came 5th in the Giant Slalom competition in her age category – Lolli was one of the youngest skiers to take part in the competition. She will compete in the British Championships in Meribel, France, at Easter.

A delighted Lolli commented: “I’ve had a fantastic Winter in Austria again and have really loved the skiing. I was very nervous about competing at the Inter Schools but enjoyed the racing a lot. I’m really looking forward to the Meribel Championships.”

Saint Felix pupil competes at the national tetrathlon competition.

A talented pupil from Saint Felix School has been called up to the team which will represent the East of England in the national tetrathlon competition.

Alice Ward, 13, has been named as part of the team of three which will travel to Windsor later this year. Tetrathlon is a combination of four disciplines – running, riding, swimming and shooting, and has three age groups – mini, junior and senior.

The three members of the East of England team – two girls, one boy – were picked after a series of junior competitions in which they achieved the highest points.

A delighted Alice said: “I’m really happy to have been picked for the team – my parents received an email telling them that I had made it in, and then they told me.

“I really hope we win and become the best in the UK. If we did, it could mean that we could go to the Olympics in the future, which would be amazing.”

Year 4 book making

Year four pupils at Saint Felix School have completed this term’s creative challenge to design a young child’s soft book, as part of their design and technology lessons.
As part of their initial research stage, the creative youngsters visited Bronte, where they asked the Big Dragons what their ideal book would consist of. During the making of the books, the Big Dragons occasionally visited the older children’s design and technology lessons to see how their masterpieces were progressing.
Following World Book Day, during which the Dragon’s also had an eco-friendly day, Year four incorporated ideas in to their literary creations. Each child learned how to make felt and paper from scratch, and also looked at the importance of sound and texture for the age range of their readership.
The first page of their books included a calico page incorporating a squeaker and then a paper page with a peephole window. The completed book was fixed together with a
When the books were complete, Year four read their stories to the nursery children in what was a very successful and enjoyable storybook session.
Art teacher at the junior school at Saint Felix, Susie Yates commented: “It has been a good use of cross site development, incorporating the different age ranges and allowing the Dragons to see what they will aspire to in the future. The staff at Bronte are keen to continue with this idea in the future – we all had a lot of fun and the books are all superb.”

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.

A Beating Retreat and Concert in Aid of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity – 21st May 2010

The Band of The Parachute Regiment, is performing an evening of music at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, to raise funds for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, the Army’s central charity.

The concert will take place on Friday 21st May 2010 at 7pm. The College is delighted to support the evening and continues to work closely with the Army thorough their annual schools’ rugby festival and the Colleges own Combined Cadet Forces Unit.

The Army Benevolent Fund Charity was founded in 1944 under the patronage of King George VI to help all soldiers in need. The Charity looks after former soldiers, serving soldiers, and their families where state assistance is either inapplicable, inadequate or unable to meet the immediate or longer term needs. The Charity supports veterans of World War II and all the many campaigns since 1945, and now, of course, Iraq and Afganistan. In particular, the charity focuses on the needs of individuals.

In 2009, The Soldiers’s Charity disbursed £45,981 in Suffolk. This figure includes a grant of £16,000 to The Lord Kitchener Memorial Holiday Centre at Lowestoft. The Centre provides holidays for Ex-Servicemen and their dependants, and is one of ABF’s most important ‘service providers’. We also disbursed £29,981 to 46 Suffolk veterans or dependants.

The evening will commence at 7pm with the beating of the Retreat outside the College’s main house, this will then be followed by refreshments. The concert will then begin at 8pm with a mix of works from military marches to swing and with the theme of the 70th Anniversary of the Airborne Forces.

POETRY SUCCESS AT SAINT FELIX

Two talented young pupils from Saint Felix School in Southwold have both been successful in the 2009 Young Poets of the Year competition.

11-year-old Caitlin Dobson was named the winner of the 10-11 age group with her poem “The Graceful Fox”. The runner up prize was awarded to 11-year-old Victoria Green, who penned the poem “Can’t have a Pet”.

Both girls, along with their families, have been invited to attend an awards ceremony held at The Forum in Norwich on Thursday 8th October, which is National Poetry Day.

Saint Felix School will be awarded with a £500 cheque and the Caitlin will be rewarded with a £100 cheque & Certificate. Victoria will be awarded a Certificate and a runner up goodie bag.

A delighted Caitlin said she was over-the-moon at winning such a prestigious award: “I was really surprised when I won, but overjoyed to find out my efforts were worth something. I’d seen foxes in my garden and really enjoyed watching their cat-like movements, so I started researching them. I decided to use foxes as the subject for my poem.

“I can’t wait for the awards ceremony, as I get to go with my friend Victoria and it’s going to be really fun. I’ll give some of my prize money to my brother and I think I’ll save the rest.”

Equally pleased at her success, Victoria added: “I live in a flat and I’ve always been annoyed that we aren’t allowed to keep a pet there – I’ve always wanted a hamster or a guinea pig. I look after horses at a local stable every Saturday so I get to spend some time with animals then.

“I really like writing poetry, and I thought writing about not having a pet would be an interesting angle. Now I’m really looking forward to going to the awards ceremony and getting my prize – we’re also moving house soon and we will be getting a puppy which is really good.”

Actress Amanda Holden was a judge on the competition’s panel. On Caitlin’s ‘The Graceful Fox,’ she commented: “It’s so visual and there’s a lovely use of adjectives and pace. Reading this sleek poem is almost like viewing a short piece of video footage.”

Miss Holden also gave her thoughts on Victoria’s ‘Cant Have a Pet’: “This poem is a wonderful, succinct argument about the frustration of not having a pet.”

Saint Felix pupil breaks international record

A talented young swimmer from Saint Felix School, Southwold, has broken the Scottish Junior record for 200m butterfly.

The Scottish teenager, Bryony Campbell, 15, took part in the Eastern Region Winter Championships at the UEA last weekend, beating the original record of 2.13 by one second.

A delighted Bryony said she wasn’t aware of her success until the race was over: “I didn’t know anything about the record until someone told me I had broken it later on. I just wanted to focus on my own race and try my hardest.

“I was going to give up swimming a couple of years ago but then I came to Saint Felix and the staff and facilities made me want to get back into it. I’m now looking ahead to the next counties race and then the meet in Sheffield. Then I’ve got Commonwealth Games trials in Scotland.”

Bryony also won the Junior title at the weekend, also coming first in the 400m and 200m front crawl races. She went on to take first place in the 100m butterfly and set a new Eastern Region record of 1.02 beating last year’s record of 1.04 which she also set.

New Choral Society at Saint Felix School

Saint Felix School’s brand new Choral Society launched this week, seeing members of the Suffolk community join parents and staff of the school to form the group.

The first meeting of the group took place on Monday at Saint Felix’s school chapel.

Andrew Jenkins, director of the Choral Society, said the first rehearsal had been a terrific success: “We had a great turn out, and everyone who attended was incredibly enthusiastic, and those who didn’t have as much singing experience as some were encouraged by those who had.

“The first pieces we are practising are Faure’s ‘Requiem’ and Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’.The rehearsals take place on Monday evenings at 7pm, in preparation for our first concert on March 13th, and we would still like to welcome new members.”

Dr John Dodsworth took part in the first rehearsal. He said: “It was a terrific evening and really good fun. There was a real mixture of people, with some having lots of singing experience and some beginners as well. We’re starting with two of the very best performance pieces as well, so I would recommend the choral society to anyone wishing to try something new.”

The Choral Society is open to all residents of North Suffolk. For more information, please telephone 01502 722175.

Saint Felix Pupils help 2009 Blue Peter charity appeal

Pupils from Saint Felix School in Southwold have been rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into helping Blue Peter with their 2009 appeal, Send a Smile.

The aim of the appeal is to give at least 300 children living in Guwahati, India, the life-changing operation they desperately need to repair the cleft palate which they were born with.

It costs the charity Operation Smile approximately £3.00 to buy a surgical gown for each child, so students at Saint Felix have been busy making the gowns from old t-shirts donated to the school.

BBC Look East visited the school this week and filmed the children involved designing and making the gowns. Catherine Fuller, a parent at the school who is also sister to one of the surgeons being filmed by Blue Peter in India, set up the sewing group which are creating the gowns.

She said she was delighted with the response of the Saint Felix pupils. “All the children who have been making the gowns have been working really hard,” she said.

“As well as having lots of fun, they’re learning about something which they didn’t know a lot about before Blue Peter raised the subject of cleft palates. We’ve had a tremendous support from the children and their parents who have been donating lots of t-shirts for us.

“It’s really important that children in this country are made aware of how lucky they are to have the health system we do, so this is a fantastic way of educating youngsters.”

Lucy Nunn, 16, is a Sixth-Former at Saint Felix who was herself born with a cleft palate. She has been working closely with Mrs Fuller in the sewing group, and she was lucky enough to have an operation to correct the disorder when she was a baby.

She said: “I’m really happy that Saint Felix is supporting this year’s Blue Peter appeal, especially as it’s something so close to my heart.

“Blue Peter have a pack which they send out to participating schools, and it has lesson plans for all areas of the curriculum. I think it’s really important that children over here learn about what other young people are going through in other parts of the world, because so many of them are no where as near lucky as we are.”

Royal Hospital School Choir at the Royal Albert Hall

The 130-strong choir of the Royal Hospital School is performed at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 12 December by invitation of eminent composer and conductor, Dr John Rutter CBE.
John Rutter, held regular rehearsals at the Royal Hospital School, nr Ipswich, as he prepared the choir for their performance at his Christmas Celebration at the Royal Albert Hall accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

John Rutter, who lives in Cambridge and has strong links with East Anglia, has been described as “the most successful and well-known composer of choral music in recent British History”. He attended the Royal Hospital School Christmas Carol Concert last year and also opened their new state-of-the-art Music School. Afterwards, he said, “the new Reade Music School is magnificent; one of the finest music facilities I have ever seen. It will make a perfect home for the flourishing musical activities of this marvellous school” and he went on to describe the school choir as “one of the largest, finest and most committed choirs I have ever found in a school”.

Subsequently, Rutter invited the choir to accompany the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at his Christmas Celebration at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 December 2009. At the time, Peter Crompton, Director of Music at the Royal Hospital School, said “not only is this a wonderful accolade, but a great opportunity for the pupils involved”.

The performance included traditional carols; O Come, All Ye Faithful, Good King Wenceslas and Hark! the Herald Angels Sing as well as two of John Rutter’s own carols “Carol of the Magi” and the “Donkey Carol”. The choir was joined by one the country’s most versatile singers, Melanie Marshall who delighted the audience with her solos including two Caribbean songs – Mary’s Boy Child and The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy.

Igloo building at Saint Felix School

With hundreds of schools around the country closed due to the extreme weather over recent weeks, one local school was determined to make the most of the snowy conditions.

Saint Felix School, Southwold, remained open throughout the recent wintery spell, and as part of afternoon lessons children took part in an igloo building session.

Housemaster and P.E. teacher Tim O’Connell organised the chilly but educational session. He said: “By building an igloo, the students were having lots of fun whilst learning about physics and maths at the same time. We don’t often get snow like this for this length of time, so we wanted to take the opportunity to make the most of it in an interesting way!”

Jacob West, 16, was one student who took part in the construction of the igloo: “It was great fun – I hadn’t done anything like that before, so it was really interesting. It was absolutely freezing, but it was really fun to do.”

TEAMS ANNOUNCED FOR ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE NATIONAL SCHOOLS RUGBY FESTIVAL 2009

The teams and draw for this year’s National Schools Rugby Festival were announced today by the tournament committee.

Principal of the College Sian Grant said “Our main aim with the Festival is not only to celebrate school boy rugby, but also to provide the boys with the opportunity of playing in a highly competitive and professional environment. This is made possible by the expertise and high calibre of referees supplied by the London Division of Rugby Referees.

The Festival reflects the hard work and commitment of the players and their coaches and I am pleased that these teams are able to join us to celebrate the very high quality of play, self-discipline and sportsmanship which will be displayed.”

This is the 23rd National Schools Rugby Festival and the College is looking forward yet again to welcoming old and new friends to this action packed weekend. The Festival continues to grow and develop and this year there is even more to entertain our younger spectators including an Army display, Royal Navy Mobile Recruiting Vehicle (MRV), the Royal Marines Visibility Team (RMVT), and a selection of Audi cars.

Last year’s very popular marquee bar will once more provide pitch side refreshments. Spectators will also be able to shop for rugby merchandise by visiting the commercial stands of Samurai Sportswear, O’Neills and Coes. Matches commence at 9am Saturday morning and everyone is welcome to attend this premier festival.

TEAMS ATTENDING AND DRAW
Group 1
St Joseph’s, John Fisher, Brighton College, Merchiston Castle

Group 2
Millfield, Bedford, Dulwich, Campion

Group 3
Filton, RGS H Wycombe, Bromsgrove, Bromsgrove, Robert Clack

Group 4
St Peters Glouc, QEGS, Tonbridge, Whitchurch

ST JOSEPH’S RUGBY FESTIVAL – SATURDAY 17th October 2009

09.00 St Joseph’s v. Brighton College, John Fisher v. Merchiston Castle
09.40 Bedford v. Campion, Millfield v. Dulwich
10.20 RGS High Wycombe v. Robert Clack, Filton v. Bromsgrove
11.00 QEGS v. Whitchurch, St Peters Glouc v. Tonbridge
11.40 St Joseph’s v. Merchiston Castle, John Fisher v. Brighton College
12.20 Millfield v. Campion, Bedford v. Dulwich
13.00 Filton v. Robert Clack, RGS High Wycombe v. Bromsgrove
13.40 St Peters Glouc v. Whitchurch, QEGS v. Tonbridge

14.20 St Joseph’s v. John Fisher, Brighton College v. Merchiston Castle
15.00 Millfield v. Bedford, Dulwich v. Campion
15.40 Filton v. RGS High Wycombe, Bromsgrove v. Robert Clack
16.20 St Peters Glouc v. QEGS, Tonbridge v. Whitchurch

Photo: St Joseph’s Rugby Squad 2008

For further information please contact Bev Hudson on 07747 698254 or email at bevhudson1@btopenworld.com.

Helping the Transition from Primary to Secondary Education

Two new Junior Houses, opening this September at the Royal Hospital School, have been specifically created to aid the transition from a primary education to secondary. Andrew Evans, Head of Lower School, explains the underpinning philosophy, “Our aim is to develop a hunger and motivation for learning as well as teaching values for later life, instilling confidence and assisting each and every pupil’s personal development outside of the classroom. This is a unique period in a child’s school life and we place great importance on the foundations laid at this time.”

The School promotes a full boarding ethos and with 85% of pupils boarding full time the pastoral care is superb. There is also a total integration of day and boarding pupils; both have timetabled prep sessions and day pupils are encouraged stay in School until 6pm, after which the boarders go on to enjoy a comprehensive programme of activities and recreation.

Headmaster, Howard Blackett, says, “We believe that by providing dedicated pastoral care, tailored academic guidance and a comfortable, friendly environment for our younger pupils, the transition to the senior part of the school becomes an easy process.”

The next Open Day will be held on Saturday 3rd October, 9.30am. To register your interest in attending or find out more, please contact Susan Lewis on 01473 326210 or admissions@royalhospitalschool.org or go to www.royalhospitalschool.org

Great Britain junior athlete to coach Cross Country at Saint Felix School

Saint Felix School is delighted to welcome Eleanor Sprake to the school. Ellie is a Old Felician and now a Great Britain junior athlete. She has represented England in the World Schools Cross Country Championship and her next aim is to compete in the European cross country event in November.

Taking a year out from studying Sport and P.E at university to concentrate on her training, she is working at the school for 2 days coaching the Prep and Senior school running clubs. With membership numbers up, Ellie is obviously an inspiration to them all.

Already four Senior School students have recently been chosen to represent Suffolk at the Inter Counties’ Championships.

Snape Maltings Production

Two girls Gemma Raw and Hannah West from Saint Felix School, Southwold have been heavily involved for the past few months on a unique creative experience at Snape Maltings. One that might well gladden the heart of the composer Benjamin Britten, who instigated Snape Maltings as the world renowned performing venue it is today and who was heavily involved in the creation process of operas and education himself.

The girls were selected to perform in the world premiere of Tarantula in Petrol Blue a new music theatre work performed by local teenagers and young professionals, with music by Anna Meredith and text by Philip Ridley. Involving street gangs, loners, violence and love, this thrilling new opera is a contemporary urban story both dark and magical about a group of young people connected by a web of stories.

Gemma and Hannah who are both in the Saint Felix senior choir were chosen for their dramatic and singing abilities, needing to sing dance and act throughout. The girls feel they have benefited hugely from the training and development of their skills and hope that it will lead to future exciting projects.

‘Coach and View’ A Real Success

Pupils from the Prep and Senior schools at Saint Felix in Southwold took part in two coach and view days at Essex County Cricket Club recently.

The day consisted of two hours expert coaching at the Ashwell Graham Gooch Cricket Centre, followed by lunch and then an opportunity to watch the county championship game between Essex and Kent. There was lots of good cricket played and many big names such as Alistair Cook, Geraint Jones and James Foster were playing. The Prep School children were also fortunate enough to meet some of the players during the tea break on Wednesday.

It is hoped that the day will help to kick-start a very busy term of cricket fixtures for all five teams. The Prep School has 10 matches this season and the Senior School hope to play 15 fixtures against many of the other independent schools in the area.