Autumn 2018
Ti3C
‘By far the best thing I have ever done’
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or the past seven years, Tudor Hall has been sending Lower Sixth girls on a life-changing experience called Tudor in Three Continents. Girls apply through a rigorous selection process to take part in projects in South Africa, India, Bolton (UK), and for the first time this year, Cambodia. The teams travelled to their various destinations during October half term, and as ever, returned with amazing stories and eyes opened to the wider world. In South Africa girls worked at Sparrow School in Johannesburg, which provides a full education for disadvantaged children; they helped support children in lessons and after-school activities, and also managed to fit in sightseeing including a safari drive and the apartheid museum. Girls travelling to India were based at the Ebenezer Living Word Matriculation School in Chennai, where they delivered a week’s worth of lessons covering the whole curriculum, based on the theme ‘Brazilian carnival and rainforests’, and experienced the culture of that bustling and vibrant city.
In Tudor’s first visit to Cambodia, girls volunteered at a project called Feeding Dreams, which provides education, free meals and other support to over 800 children living in Siem Reap’s slums. As with the other projects, the girls were hugely struck by the smiles and love for learning shown by these children from such desperate backgrounds. Closer to home but no less challenging, Tudor continued its ongoing relationship with the Bolton Lads and Girls Club, an inspiring youth club supporting young people from deprived backgrounds. The girls felt privileged to be part of the BLGC team for a week, and as ever with Ti3C, came home having made some wonderful friendships, and knowing that they had received far more from the project than they had given.
Zia meets the PM
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ia in the IIs (Year 8) was moved to action when she heard the plight of a homeless woman living on the streets near her grandmother’s home. She wrote to Theresa May, and was excited to receive an invitation to visit the Houses of Parliament and sit in on Prime Minister’s Question Time. She was then lucky enough to meet Mrs May and was able to discuss her concerns. Soon afterwards Zia was thrilled to hear that the woman she was so worried about had been rehoused, and had also received urgently needed dental treatment. The Tudor community is proud of Zia and inspired by her actions which had such a wonderful outcome.
Nanette Godfrey Lectures
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his year’s Nanette Godfrey Memorial Lecture series got off to an exciting start with the arrival of Justyn Galloway, brother of Tudor’s very own Head of Philosophy, Theology and Ethics. Justyn flew in from Northern Ireland where he has recently retired as Detective Chief Inspector of the Police Service. He gave his audience an extraordinary insight into the principles of police work using a real-life case study, and then invited Tudor girls to consider a career in policing, using the inspirational examples of Cressida Dick and Lynne Owens who are proving that women can rise to the very highest ranks. The second NG Lecture, given by portrait painter and war artist Arabella Dorman, was no less inspiring. Arabella was Britain’s first official war artist to go to the front line in Iraq in 2006, and her work has also taken her to Afghanistan, as well as to live alongside refugees in Lesbos, Calais and Dunkirk. Her candid, unflinching art is a lasting portrayal of the repercussions of war and those caught up in it, and she courageously described the ‘unseen stories of courage, sacrifice and tribulation… found in the shadows of war’ that she seeks to reveal. Next term we look forward to hearing from Resham Khan and Dame Helen Sharman.
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Aiming Higher
Pipa, zither and vibraphone
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n ever-growing variety of instruments featured in music department concerts this term. Our autumn concert included the Chinese lute, the pipa, played beautifully by Candy who performed ‘Surrounded on All Sides’. The Autumn Fun Day concert involved the junior girls, and Suzanne in the IIIs gave an accomplished performance of ‘Four Brocade’ on the zither (shown here). It was also wonderful to have a duet on the vibraphone this term. We are excited to see the range of instruments and opportunities available to the girls constantly expanding.
Ta-Da! The drama department kicked off a busy term with a visit from actress, director and OT Tori Butler-Hart and her husband Matthew, who spoke to a packed audience of all ages about their experiences setting up their successful independent film company Fizz and Ginger Films. Later in the term, the diverse talent in the department was celebrated with the inaugural TA-DA awards (Tudor Awards for Dramatic Art). Nominees and their guests were invited to a champagne reception in the studio foyer, and ten awards were made including Best Newcomer, Behind the Scenes, and Spirit of Drama.
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udor’s second Aim Higher Conference took girls beyond the curriculum to consider new ideas and how they are applied in the real world. A huge range of high-profile experts in their fields led workshops and gave talks on subjects as wide-ranging as sustainable tourism and the effect of everyday appliances like mobile phones on wildlife (educational travel company Flooglebinder); a real-life application of science in research into Alzheimer’s Disease (PhD students from Warwick University); the stigma of mental ill-health (awareness-raising charity ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’); and insights into the publishing world and the challenges of the work-life balance (author Arabella Carter-Johnson). Dance, drama, sport, food and nutrition, art, history of art and textiles were also covered in exciting workshops. The day was framed with two inspirational talks, starting with keynote speaker Professor Deborah Eyre on the growth mindset (moving from ‘I can’t…’ to ‘I can’t yet…’), and concluding with global adventurer Sarah Outen, who spoke on the lessons learnt when things don’t go to plan, and challenged us to dig deep and keep going when the going gets tough.
Tudorian Art
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howcasing and celebrating the creative talents of a range of Tudorian artists from across the decades, including sculptors, painters and photographers, the ‘Exhibition of Tudorian Art’ has gone from strength to strength since it was launched last autumn. Thanks to the incredible support of our OT community, we have been lucky enough to add some wonderful new pieces of artwork to the exhibition this year and we are also delighted to have been able to extend the exhibition to include the work of a number of OT fashion and jewellery designers, including Monica Vinader, Fiona Browne and Emma Willis. From statement coats to ethical nightwear, dramatic hats to elegant jewellery, the fashion items have been a wonderful addition to this exhibition, which continues to inspire girls, staff and visitors alike.
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udor Hall is proud to have hosted Girls Go Gold, an extraordinary day inspiring our next generation of sportswomen. Over 400 girls from 26 schools around the country were privileged to hear from an outstanding line-up of sporting heroines: Danielle Waterman, Jade Windley, Zoe Shipperley, Becki Middleton, Clare Balding, Laura Merrifield, Tamsin Greenway, Menna Fitzpatrick, Jen Kehoe and Gail Emms. A diverse range of activities during the day offered girls practical sessions on strength and conditioning, advice on combining sport with life, a screening clinic checking posture to focus on weaknesses and avoid future injury, opportunities to compete and develop skills and reaction times, massage demonstrations and much more.
The day concluded with a Q&A session led by Clare Balding which gave the girls a wonderful glimpse into the life of an elite sportswoman the trials and tribulations they should expect to face, and the steps they should take in order to excel in their chosen field. Delegates left excited, equipped and inspired to go for gold. Huge thanks must go to all those athletes who shared their lives and their experiences so generously.
Adventures in Italy
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he classics department took girls from Todd to the IIIs (Year 7-9) on an unforgettable trip to Italy in October, to experience first-hand the extraordinary sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Their studies of Latin and Classical Civilisation were brought alive as they encountered that amazingly preserved city with its houses, shops and forum, and they were also able to taste modern Italian culture, visiting the beautiful island of Capri, and learning how to make delicious lemon gelato!
Youth Speaks Tudor Hall sent four teams to take part in ‘Youth Speaks’, a national debating competition organised by the Rotary Club. They debated topics including ‘Communism and Capitalism’ and ‘Feminism and the Modern Media’. Aylin from the IVs writes: ‘For weeks, we had been thinking about this one night: meeting regularly, choosing our topics, articulating our ideas... so we were all very excited and nervous on the night of the competition. Since we were significantly younger than our opponents, we were very proud of our performance, even though we didn’t progress to the next round. We are all eager to participate again next year. The competition was an excellent opportunity for all of us to gain confidence in public speaking in a supportive environment. I think that this event showed just how much young people like us care and think about topical issues in our world. Many thanks go to Miss Simpson for making this rewarding experience possible.’
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Teaching Centre Update
Record-breaking
Autumn Fun Day
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t is exciting to see the Teaching Centre progress on a daily basis: the roof is on, windows are in, exterior cladding is going on and the landscaping at the front of the build is beginning to take shape. The contractors are working hard with the school to ensure delivery of the project in time for the Summer Term. Our sponsor a paving stone appeal, ‘Write your name in Tudor history’, was launched over half-term and is proving to be popular with all sectors of the Tudor community.
Please note: the deadline for sponsoring a paving stone is 3rd January 2019 and stones are being allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. For more information, please contact Rachel Graves (rgraves@tudorhallschool.com).
Iceland
Tudor enjoyed another action-packed Autumn Fun Day masterminded by Amanda Brauer and assisted by the Charity Committee. The day was a wonderful reflection of the diversity of Tudor life. Junior girls set the bar high with their Music Concert at the start of the day; later on the sports pitches were packed with girls and supporters enjoying a wonderful afternoon of hockey fixtures; a record-breaking £4,176.33 was raised at the Christmas Fair for our chosen charities – Banbury Young Homeless Project, Allegra’s Ambition and Tudor in Three Continents; and as night fell everyone came together around the bonfire to enjoy the much-anticipated hog roast, mulled wine and brownies against the backdrop of a truly fantastic firework display.
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he Science department took a group to visit Iceland, where they learnt about this extraordinary volcanic island and what life is like for its inhabitants. Highlights included visiting a geothermal power station, climbing up glaciers, walking under huge waterfalls and witnessing the extraordinary Strokkur geysers which erupt every five minutes.
Model United Nations
Philosothon
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ower Sixth Philosophy, Theology and Ethics students attended the inaugural Stowe Philosothon. Philosothon is a format for discussion which seeks to tackle big questions and delve deeper in to different types of thought in a collaborative way through group conversations. The girls joined students from four other schools and spent the evening considering a variety of different philosophical problems and texts. Included in the variety of topics discussed were ideas about gullibility and trust, and the question of who “owns” nature.
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ight Tudor girls travelled up to Manchester to take part in MUNCH, a Model United Nations conference held at Cheadle Hulme School. Two girls were guest chairs, while six were delegates representing China on a range of issues from Syria to corruption in Equatorial Guinea and the effects of social media on youth. The Tudor team performed brilliantly, coming away with a clutch of commendations in recognition of their fantastic debating. Many congratulations to all involved.
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Open Day 11th May 2019 Email to reserve your place
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