THE PA GIVES THE SCHOOL A NEW MINIBUS!
Headmaster’s Foreword As I welcomed everyone to Skinners’ this September, I reflected in assembly on the global institution that is the summer holidays. Weeks off school, based on an antiquated Victorian system that is rooted in Britain’s agricultural heritage, when families required their children’s labour in the summer to pick fruit and farm the land, has lead some reformers to suggest that the summer holidays are too long, and that school pupils forget large amounts of information learned over the previous year. Other education reformers believe that children are overstimulated and over-schooled in a system that can lead to nervous disorders and depression: they need a decent amount of time off to get away from school. I happen to believe that school terms should be re-jigged in this country – perhaps 6 weeks on and 2 weeks off throughout the school year – but I would retain a long summer holiday. The opportunity to genuinely re-charge batteries is an important one. And education is not confined to school either. This newsletter is a chronicle of events in the latter part of the Summer Term and over the summer holidays and it exemplifies that very point. Looking back, inevitably pride of place must go to the students who duly completed public exams with such distinction. 73% of A levels were A*-B and 93% of the Upper Sixth are going to their first or second choice university, with over 85% of those going to university attending a top 30 ranked university or a top 30 ranked course. At GCSE, the gentlemen who are now in Year 12 managed some of our best ever results this summer, with the number of A* and A grades, at 75%, jumping by over 12% on a year ago. Half the year group got five or more A* grades. But the activities of World Challenge and the CCF amply demonstrate that education is everywhere. Meanwhile, the benign weather seems to have encouraged a smooth start to the year and has allowed the new Year 7 pupils to find the way to Southfields without getting soaked. It has been a good month to return to school and I must thank all pupils for not losing their wonderfully positive spirit during that long summer break! Edward Wesson
The school has just taken delivery of a second minibus, purchased through the generosity of our Parents' Association.
The Parents’ Association always welcome new members - anyone interested in offering their support to the various school fundraising initiatives should contact the current Chair Mrs Nicky Tebay (pictured on the front cover with Mr Wesson. [e-mail: thetebays@hotmail.co.uk]
Putting the skills you learn into practise is what a CCF Annual Camp is all about. On the 28th June our school’s cadet force went to Penally Army Camp for a week of action packed activities including rock climbing, kayaking and quad biking. The purpose of such adventure training activities is to encourage cadets to work together in heightened situations, build confidence and have fun. Bare rock climbing and abseiling can only be described as… awesome. We were led by ex-Special Services climbing instructors when suddenly we came to two massive outcrops of granite rock at the top of this hill which we had the joy of climbing up and down all day. This was followed by kayaking and raft building where in teams we competed against each other, racing and making sure (to the best of our ability) we stayed dry and didn’t end up in the drink, which turned out to be unsuccessful for some…
Now there is more to a camp then adventure training – of course there is a large proportion of the week dedicated to military training. This involved drill, shooting, navigation and, of course, a 24-hour exercise in the field where we formed our own platoons and performed battle drills and ambushes. Even though it sounds disciplined and hard work, this is my favourite part of CCF.
The opportunity to command and live in the Welsh country with your best mates, constantly ready to attack or defend against the enemy is something that will never get boring; and that’s before the adrenaline fuelled platoon attack on enemy positions, running here, there, all over the place, making sure the troops are safe and putting enough rounds down to suppress the enemy and win the firefight! Nothing compares to it. We also had opportunities to improve our marksmanship principles on the shooting ranges using the L98A2 GP cadet rifles. This was a brilliant day and everyone really got excited about using real weapons alongside army regular soldiers and developing the skills taught back at school. This was on top of air rifle shooting, clay pigeon shooting and archery on other nights. It is surprising we managed to fit it all in! The mighty Skinners’ CCF couldn’t leave the camp empty handed. Throughout the week there had been a range of competitions between the different schools on camp. The Skinners’
School won the drill competition, the navigation competition, the best on exercise prize. Overall, the Annual CCF camp is designed for having fun, developing your abilities and confidence as a cadet and putting into practice the core skills you learn at school. It gives you the opportunity to try things you wouldn’t be able to try elsewhere and that is exactly what I achieved at Penally Annual camp 2014. James Woodroofe Year 13
In July, a group of intrepid explorers from Skinners’ embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime experience to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with World Challenge. After meeting our team leaders, John and Gus, and spending a sleepless build up day in the school gym, we entered our month abroad both excited and slightly nervous. Our week in the Galapagos gave us an insight into the conservation of the islands, visiting giant tortoise breeding centres, and snorkelling with the fantastic wildlife the archipelago has to offer. The next week gave us the opportunity to make a true difference, working in the highland village of
Huaycopungo, laying the floors of an office block and developing our artistic skills on the walls of a football stadium and school. Our third week was the most challenging, partaking in multiple treks across the northern Andes and up the sides of the volcanoes Cotapaxi and Rumiñawi. Finally, we spent the last few days in the rainforest, exploring the jungle, finding out the uses of the various plants around us, and generally just relaxing and taking in the surroundings! Overall, this trip was an amazing and extremely valuable experience, and one that I’m sure none of us will ever forget. Ben Wigley Year 13
A DEBATE WITH SKINNERS’ OLD BOY REVEREND CANON NIGEL COOPER On Wednesday 10th September members of the Sixth Form were invited to have a discussion with Reverend Canon Nigel Cooper. Nigel had been a student at Skinners’ in the sixties and seventies and went on to do an MA in Biology at Cambridge in 1976, followed by an MA in Theology at Oxford in 1983. Since then Nigel Cooper has published, and been published in, many papers dealing with Biology and Bioethics. He was was rector of Rivenhall and Silver End in Essex for seventeen years before going to Anglia Ruskin University in 2005 as Chaplain. At the beginning of the debate Canon Cooper quickly outlined his ideas and studies on the economy of ecology, and how the economic arguments for the preservation of the biosphere could lead the way to greener technologies and living. There were a few students who challenged this argument as being a commodification of the Earth; however, many rebutted saying that there would be no point in pursuing a moral argument against the destruction of the environment as this has evidently lead to no significant change.
The focus quickly shifted into modern society, Western Liberalism and the inherent 'desensitisation' of the general population to important and global issues; some criticising the inherent individualism within society and a failure to recognise surfacing problems in other countries which may affect us. The debate closed with reflections on the modern teenager, social media and how we conduct ourselves socially. Mr. Kevin O'Brien, our new Head of Religion and Philosophy, and Reverend Canon Cooper were both extremely impressed with the level of debate which went on and the background knowledge of all the students present.
“The Skinners’ boys bring debate, dialogue and questioning to a whole new level”, said Mr. O’Brien. Canon Cooper added his admiration.
“I was just so encouraged by them, their readiness to join in, their intelligence and general knowledge, and, especially, their compassionate and thoughtful outlook on life”. Jordan Wilkes Year 13
BIOLOGY LECTURE DAY AS level Biology students had the opportunity to participate in a day of biological lectures at the end of last term. Excitement was high amongst the students in anticipation of listening to world leading academics discussing their area of expertise. The day began with an experiment orientated around improving microscopy skills learnt during the AS course. The experiment involved exploring the effect of ethanol on the heart rate of microscopic transparent aquatic organisms called Daphnia (pictured below right). This was a fun way to start the day as well as helping to enhance our skills with live specimens whilst using a light microscope. After the experiment came a lecture from Professor Helfrid Hochegger of the University of Sussex on the topic of Genetics with emphasis on Cancer research. I found it fascinating to learn about how biological knowledge explored in the AS syllabus is applied in real world scenarios, as cancer research is a current biological issue with huge relevance in today’s world. Hearing the views of current scientists on why they wanted to become biological academics involved with scientific research was also very intriguing. The lecture from Professor Helfrid Hochegger also contained an overview of the history of Genetics, which many students found an enjoyable addition, as it offered a contrast to
learning purely about current biological knowledge in lessons. Then followed a subsequent lecture from Peter Bloomfield who is on the verge of completing his Neuroscience PhD through Imperial College. Peter Bloomfield focused on giving an introduction to the field of Neuroscience, an area of Biology not covered in the AS syllabus in any great depth. Learning about a newly emerging area of biological knowledge was really fascinating, especially when looking at emerging technologies within Neuroscience such as optogenetics.
Overall, it was a fun and insightful day which was hugely beneficial to the students, who valued listening to the thoughts of biologists conducting world-leading research.
Archie Wells Year 13
A* STUDENTS Congratulations to these students, all of whom achieved TEN
A*s in their GCSE examinations.
Pictured below, top row, George Gomersall, Jake Cunningham, Callum Slatter, Fraser MacDonald Lister Bottom row, Robert Price, Sollie Hardwick, James Strange, Hamish Streeter.
Insert, bottom right Toby Best (L), Inigo Beckett (R)
It’s always good to be able to put a face to a name, and pictured above is Mrs Kathryn Lallu, who has moved from being the School Attendance Officer and replaced Mrs Denise Tourle as the school’s Finance Officer, following Denise’s retirement at the end of the Summer Term. As you can imagine, this is a very busy role (with countless trips going out over the course of an academic year), and Kathryn looks forward to meeting your sons as they pass over cheques and sundry papers for the trips and activities they participate in. Kathryn.lallu@skinners-school.org.uk
Renowned philosopher and theologian, Peter Vardy, recently came to speak to the Upper Sixth on two major topics, The Nature of Reality and Business and Finance. The first topic made us question how we view the world around us and challenged the fundamental premises we hold about the world.
not being prioritised by businesses due to their being too profit-orientated. Finally, Peter asked us to consider our own spending choices and how the scenario of choosing to buy the new iPad over giving to a starving child could be seen as deeply immoral and an indictment on society.
Peter gave a summary of the philosophers, Aristotle and Plato, and how the two of them differed on the matter of discerning what is or isn’t real, the former being materialist and the latter taking the role of a dualist - someone who thinks there is more to the world than can be proven through our senses. He raised questions on how studies in maths and physics are directing us to consider new possibilities in the way reality works. The final point on reality was how we view quantum physics and Peter used the ‘double slit’ experiment to explain it.
Peter is a former vice-principal of Heythrop College, University of London, the Jesuit institution that specialises in philosophy and theology. Kevin O’Brien, Head of Religion and Philosophy at Skinners’, who graduated with an MA in Psychology of Religion from Heythrop, said it was a wonderful moment to welcome a previous don of his to Skinners’. “Peter remarked that the profound level of engagement and debate among the Skinners’ boys proved that the continuation of religious and philosophical debate at third level is in safe hands”, said Mr. O’Brien.
The topic on business and finance covered many relevant issues and the ethical implications of different economic situations. After giving an overview of different views of economics, including the idea that greed can be a good quality for prosperity, the talk moved to more practical examples. Environmental issues were remarked on as
Richard Poole Year 13
June 1st 2nd 3rd
£180.00 £ 90.00 £ 45.00
B Harrison E Marjoram M Heaton
July 1st 2nd 3rd
£180.00 £ 90.00 £ 45.00
A Goodchild C Morpeth V Cornwell
July Accumulator 1st £ 97.50 nd 2 £ 65.00 rd 3 £ 32.50
C Jenkins A Midcalf D Humphries
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Please Note That Friday 3rd October is an Inset Day. Mo pupils are required to attend on that day Skinners’ Day will be held on Friday 21st November this year