SENIOR
ISSUE 1 • SPRING 2019
The Comedy of Errors PAGE 2
stedwards.co.uk
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...
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A Classic Case of “Who Dunnit?”
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PAGE 8
Spring Concert
CCF Inspection
Sports News
St Edward’s Senior & Sixth Form, Cirencester Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 8EY T:01242 388555 E:reception@stedwards.co.uk
At St Edward’s Senior School we work hard to instil belief into all of our students and encourage them to be ambitious for self-improvement and development. This helps to ensure that when they leave us at the end of their Sixth Form studies our students are happy, confident and well-prepared for the future. This term it has been wonderful to see this aim in action. With events in School, combined with a multitude of external visits, our students have been consistently challenged to push themselves and believe that they can achieve things they may not have first thought possible. Our CCF biennial inspection in March (S6) was a prime example of what can result from dedication to a programme of rigorous training and preparation. You may have been present at our ambitious production of “The Comedy of Errors” in February (S2) which turned the traditional play on its head, demonstrating to our thespians how to create something amazing by being brave and challenging convention. Our Year 8 girls have become involved in an Engineering Development Trust Scheme which aims to increase the role of women in Science (S7). We were also delighted to see the inclusion of compositions by some of our hugely talented musicians at our wonderful Spring Music Concert in April (S4). All of these activities have served to demonstrate to our students that when they put their minds to something they can achieve great things. As we move into the public examination season I am confident that the aspirations of our students, combined with hard work and determination, will enable them to fulfil their individual potential. With best wishes for a happy and peaceful Easter.
DATES FOR THE DIARY Summer Term 2019 Term Starts: Thursday 25th April May Day: Monday 6th May Half Term: Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May Prosecco and Canapes Evening: Tuesday 2nd July, 7pm Speech Day: Friday 5th July, 11am Term Ends: Friday 5th July, 1pm
Social Media links For all the very latest from the Senior School & Sixth Form please follow us on Twitter: • @StEdwards_Chelt • @SportStEds – for news of our sporting activities You can also like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ StEdwardsSchoolCheltenham
Mrs Pat Clayfield Headmistress
The Comedy of Errors In early February, talented students from St Edward’s Senior School and Sixth Form delighted their audiences with a riotous production of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors”. Over the course of three nights the performances provided evenings that were filled with fun, laughter, and lots and lots of colour!“ The Comedy of Errors” is believed to be one of Shakespeare’s earlier written plays; a humorous comedy about separated family and mistaken identity. The St Edward’s production was one with a twist, presented as many would probably have never seen it before. Early S2
in the process the Drama Department took the decision to gender–reverse the play, empowering the female roles – something that seemed appropriate for a 21st century production. Directors, Mr Strachan and Ms Bowen said, “Many congratulations to the cast and crew for producing such amazing performances. Working on this show has been such a lot of fun, right from the start. Much of the action, and all of the music, was devised by the students in a workshop process, which was a fascinating journey to be involved in. Each and every member of the company spectacularly rose to the challenge, and the final result was a show we can all be hugely proud of.”
A Classic Case of “Who Dunnit?” It was a classic case of “Who Dunnit?” at the Senior School as students in Year 7 to Year 13, took on a whole School game of Inter-House Cluedo, as part of our World Book Day celebrations in March.
HOUSE RECITATION COMPETITION The Modern Foreign Languages Department held their annual Poetry Recitation in March, with pupils from Year 7 to Year 11 taking part. The event is a House competition, which sees pupils from each year group, prepare and recite a piece of poetry in French or in Spanish. Well done to Fisher and Newman who shared the top spot with 8.5 points, with More finishing a close third.
DEVELOPING MUSICAL TALENT
The theme this year was “Crime” and students (and staff) in each House were challenged to come to School dressed as a specific type of crimerelated character. Members of Fisher House had to dress up as detectives, More House were chosen to be the villains and those in Neman House were tasked with identifying and dressing up as famous literary victims. For Inter-House Cluedo, during the morning, each year group had the opportunity to take part in fact finding sessions to find out who had killed Professor Black. With a number of students dressed as Sherlock Holmes we were confident that the mystery would be solved quickly! At the end of the morning the entries were counted and
the House with the most correct responses was Newman – well done to everyone who correctly deduced that it was Mrs Peacock in the Ballroom with the Lead Piping! Celebrations continued at lunchtime with a World Book Day House Quiz to test the students’ literary knowledge. They also were challenged to complete a fiendish cryptic crossword, specially devised for the occasion. Congratulations to Newman House who were crowned the winners when all the papers had been marked!
We welcomed over 30 visiting children to the Senior School in January for our Year 3- 6 Music Experience Day. The children joined us from a variety of local schools to participate in a series of activities themed around Calypso music. As well as learning two songs and putting together an orchestral piece, the children also had a go at composing their own short Calypso pieces using percussion instruments, for which creativity was definitely key!
GAINING THEIR WINGS
During the last week of term a series of experiments and demonstrations took place at break and lunchtimes – all in celebration of STEM.
One weekend in January, three students from the St Edward’s CCF RAF Contingent completed their blue wings qualification, participating in two days of intense training. On the first day, students completed ground school and on the second they completed three take offs and landings in the Viking glider. This provided the cadets with an opportunity to control the glider and familiarise themselves with flying controls.
Amongst the activities was a hugely interesting talk from Mr Richardson who, whilst wearing his full beekeeping overalls, and accompanied by his bee smoker, shared his knowledge of beekeeping.
ASPIRING FILM-MAKERS
The final task of the morning was to name the best dressed House. Many congratulations to More who took the title this year!
Bees, Bunsen Burners and Brainteasers
A number of experiments took place in the School Science Labs complete with fire and explosions including a “flame tornado”, and a demonstration of an exothermic reaction turning sugar from its typical white granules to a black lump of sugar charcoal. The annual House STEM Quiz took place on the final lunchtime of term. A Mathematics challenge saw the quizzers attempt a “Countdown” style task, using mental arithmetic to solve questions which gradually increased in difficulty. They were also tasked with identifying objects that lie around the Science laboratories, components from their KS3 Technology creations, and matching famous scientists and mathematicians with their country of birth. More House came out on top to seal victory, taking both the top and second spot in the team competition, with Easter-themed prizes presented to the successful competitors.
Well done to Media Club members, and aspiring film-makers, Bill H (Y7), Charlie M (Y8), Dan H (Y8) and Brayden H (Y8) who received recognition this term for their entry to the Bank of England annual film competition. Although they did not win, they received a trophy from the organisers acknowledging the effort put into their entertaining short film featuring a robot, robber and gangster boss in response to the set theme of “What will money be like in the future”.
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RAISING MONEY FOR LEPRA On the last day before half-term, Year 7 students were treated to an afternoon of Zumba, organised as a thank you by the charity Lepra, a UK-based international charity working to beat leprosy, in recognition of the students’ tremendous efforts in raising almost £1400. For their fundraising activities Year 7 held cake sales, took part in sponsored bike rides, hiking and swimming events, sang in hospitals and retirement homes, and did odd jobs for relatives and neighbours.
A JOURNEY INTO OUTER SPACE In February we welcomed Year 6 children from six different schools to St Edward’s to enjoy an action-packed “space” themed STEM Day in our Senior School Science Labs. The children were tasked with exploring the origins of “a meteorite that has survived its journey through the atmosphere”, analysing its contents and investigating what meteorites are made from. They also considered the impact of pollution and ways in which we can look after our planet.
Meeting of the Stride-Darnley Society It was “standing room only” at this term’s meeting of Stride-Darnley Society. The Society meetings provide an opportunity for our students to research and present on a topic which interests them. The experience enables our students to develop an increased confidence in presenting themselves and their ideas to a group – skills that will prove invaluable to them in later life. Students from all years, along with members of staff, came together to listen to three extremely informative presentations. The first, from four A Level History students (James S, Alex M, India R and David C), was a dress rehearsal for a presentation they were to give at a Prep School assembly. It focussed on the Civil Rights Movement in America, including a video clip of Rosa Parks. We also heard about Martin Luther King and his “I have a Dream” speech. Secondly we heard from Alex M (Y10) who introduced us to Airsoft BB Guns and the various game play scenarios enjoyed by enthusiasts of the sport. The final presentation was on the subject of sugar with Adam J (Y8) speaking about the differences between white sugar and brown sugar, and
how brown sugar is better for you because it contains more minerals. Adam also explained how something called “Better Brown” has been introduced, originally in Malaysia, which will prove even healthier. The audience was riveted to all three presentations, asking the speakers a range of intelligent and probing questions.
Spring Music Concert Our annual Spring Concert took place in April bringing together musicians from Year 7 to 13 in an impressive celebration of musical gifts and talents.
NEXT STEPS In March our Sixth Formers were focussed on life after St Edward’s when they attended a UCAS Higher Education exhibition in Bristol. The event provided them with a brilliant opportunity to spend time finding out more about all the options open to them after A Levels including higher education at university, apprenticeships, gap years, employment, internships, and volunteering.
GHOSTLY GOINGS ON Our first Ghost Story Night in the Library took place in January and was a great success, providing an opportunity to hear a terrifying scene told interactively around the library, and giving students the chance to tell their own tales of the unsettling, unnerving, and downright terrifying! All who attended had a grand time gasping, screaming, and scaring each other witless. We look forward to running the event again in the Autumn.
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Proceedings began with a fanfare composed by Year 9 student Tallulah T. This was followed by performances from the St Edward’s guitar group, who treated us to two pieces, one of which was composed by Year 11 GCSE Music student Vincent H-C. The Chapel Choir performed next, and twice overall, with lovely renditions of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and the Eva Cassidy version of “Over the Rainbow”. The Brass Ensemble and the Senior Choir both performed “Bohemian Rhapsody” during the evening, each providing an individual take on Queen’s classic tune. The whole of Year 7 performed together, as is tradition at the concert, singing The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” with a high level of musicality.
Other performances included a fanfare to begin the second half of the concert, composed by Zoe G (Y9), two impressive performances from our Sixth Form Music Scholar Milly T, a rendition of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” by the Wind Ensemble, Leonard Cohen’s haunting “Hallelujah” sung by the acapella group and an upbeat self-composed piece by our Drum Group aptly named “Wakey Wakey!” which certainly gained the attention of the audience! The closing number saw all the choirs come together to perform a medley of songs from the hit Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen”, conducted and entirely co-ordinated by our Music Scholar, Milly.
Inter-House Spelling Bee With heats taking place over the course of a week to determine the teams, the Key Stage 3 House Spelling Bee Final was contested at the end of March with pupils representing each of the three Houses – More, Fisher and Newman – competing to be crowned House Spelling Bee champions. It was a morning of high drama with an eventual hugely tense “spell-off” required to determine the winner. The contest was very close throughout with just one correct spelling separating Newman and More going into the final round. At the end of that round, the two Houses saw themselves tied on 22 points each, meaning a sudden death round was needed to decide which House was going to be victorious.
After a couple of incorrect spellings from both Houses, it was More who came out on top when, after some conferring, they managed to spell “graminivorous” correctly in order to seal the victory.
The Key Stage 3 Spelling Bee has been a staple of the Spring calendar at St Edward’s for a number of years, with More winning the award a record five times out of the previous eight! We look forward to seeing whether they can retain their crown again when the event returns in 2020!
Messy Science Members of our Year 7 after-school Science Club got very creative, and very messy, this term when they had a go at making clay, using household kitchen items.
NURTURING GIFTS AND TALENTS
With just cornflour, some glue, vegetable oil, and a bit of elbow grease, the students were able to work the mixture to create their own mouldable clay. They then used the clay to create an array of different shapes and designs.
This is just one in a series of “making” activities the Club has participated in. Earlier in the academic year the group had a go at making some classic slime and also Oobleck slime, which is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning that if it is slowly touched it acts as a liquid, but if it is hit with force it will act as a solid.
It was great fun to experiment with the mixture as the students tried to get the right consistency, with cornflour flying everywhere throughout the Science Lab!
The Year 7 Science Club is one of a wide selection of extra-curricular activities on offer to our students, all of which are designed to stretch, challenge and engage them in a range of subjects and areas.
At the beginning of term Mass, led by Fr Mark, both students and staff were given an opportunity to reflect on “moving forward”. The uplifting service included some poignant readings that spoke of thankfulness and appreciation, along with the importance of accepting and celebrating difference. We were encouraged to consider how the New Year provides fresh opportunities for us to cherish our individual gifts and talents, whilst remembering the importance of sharing them with others.
Fun on the Slopes During February half term, 24 students and 4 staff set off on a journey to Montgenevre in the French Alps as they embarked on the School’s annual ski trip. On the first day the party was sorted into two main ski groups of beginners and intermediate/ advanced as they set off up the mountain with their ski school instructors. The groups quickly settled into a daily routine of morning and afternoon skiing
sessions, providing lots of opportunity for everybody to gain experience on the slopes. Evenings were also busy with opportunities to ice skate, ride the luge, go sledging, play bingo and discover the town. It was a very busy and enjoyable week which provided all members of the group with at least 30 hours of ski time and enabled skiers of all standards to make great improvements to their Skiing ability.
MASTERING MERINGUE Pupils interested in taking Food Preparation & Nutrition at GCSE had the opportunity to gain an insight into what the subject would entail when they participated in an after-school taster lesson in February. The Year 9s donned their aprons to whip up some meringues in our Design & Technology Kitchen, with some very tasty results! The prospective GCSE students thoroughly enjoyed the session and the opportunity to have fun whilst creating a delicious treat.
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LATIN SUCCESS The Final of the Gloucestershire Latin Reading competition took place at The Cheltenham Ladies`College in February. Seven pairs of Year 8 and 9 pupils from St Edward’s participated in the Junior Section, reciting, in duologue, a piece from the Cambridge Latin Course. Many congratulations to St Edward’s pair, Adam J and Josh H, who were named overall winners of the competition – we are hugely proud of their achievement.
CCF Biennial Inspection St Edward’s Combined Cadet Force (CCF) were visited at the end of March by Air Cdre Lester who came to School to conduct the biennial inspection of the contingent. A range of challenging physical and mental activities took place, enabling our cadets to demonstrate the skills and abilities they have developed through their CCF training.
VISITORS FROM JAPAN A group of students from Shukutoku Sugamo High School in Tokyo visited St Edward’s Senior & Sixth Form in March, spending time with pupils in Year 7 and Year 10. The day was part of a busy programme in place for our Japanese visitors whilst they are in the UK, providing an opportunity for them to experience the UK education system.
HISTORY MORNING 60 Year 6 pupils from a number of local schools stepped back in time in March when they took part in a History Experience Morning hosted at St Edward’s. Members of Charlton Kings Players kindly gave up their time to run a workshop looking at different aspects of daily life during wartime. Other activities included code-breaking, learning about D-Day, Roman Army battle formations and an introduction to Old English.
Throughout the course of the day, our cadets were split into six sections, rotating around six different stages and working co-operatively to solve challenging scenarios and test their sharpshooting, athleticism and problem solving abilities. They participated in a range of “command tasks” such as a patrol and confrontation situation, casualty extraction, a military aircraft identification quiz, filling water tubes from distances using teamwork, a timed rifle-loading and assault course challenge and also shooting at a target.
Air Cdre Lester observed our cadets in action and, following a parade and inspection, addressed the contingent saying, “Cadets is a great way to form bonds and learn skills that you can’t learn academically. I really enjoyed speaking to each and every one of you this afternoon, and have been particularly impressed by how confidently you have presented yourselves and shown your commitment to the Cadets”.
Before the inspection concluded, there was time for Air Cdre Lester to hand out some promotions on behalf of our contingent. Cadets, James, David, Alice, Jakub, Ollie, Daisy and James all were handed promotions by our guest and were well-deserving in their rise in rank.
Investigating Bristol Harbourside In February the whole of Year 9 travelled to Bristol to participate in a Geography Field Trip, learning about the regeneration of Bristol Harbourside.
INFORMAL CONCERTS This term our talented Senior School musicians have hosted two informal concerts, welcoming family members and staff to watch them perform a series of piano, woodwind, vocal and brass pieces, covering a range of genres including classical, jazz, pop and musical theatre. The standard across the two events ranged from Grade 1 right up to Grade 8, featuring pieces composed by John Williams, Brahms, Gershwin and Elton John!
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The group undertook a variety of field work including completing a land use survey, carrying out an environmental quality assessment and collating a pedestrian count at different locations around the Harbour. The data they collected was to be used as part of a project once they were back in the classroom. Following their data collection activities, the group visited the M-Shed, a Museum located on Bristol’s historic dockside which details the fascinating story of Bristol and its unique place in the world. As part of their visit to the Museum the students took part in a workshop focussing on Bristol and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. During the session the students investigated objects and historic documents to explore peoples’ attitudes towards the slave trade and learnt about how Bristol was changed by its involvement.
The Field Trip ended with a boat trip around the docks and Temple Quay, where they managed to get an incredible view of SS Great Britain.
MEET
Engineering an Eco Hotel
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This term a group of Year 8 girls from St Edward’s Senior & Sixth Form have become involved in an Engineering Development Trust Scheme, in partnership with GE Aviation.
Mr George Rodrigues Head of Sixth Form & Head of Biology
The UK has the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals in Europe at less than 10%, so schemes and programmes like this which aim to promote the participation and interest of girls in science are essential. The Year 8s have been tasked with designing “a new Eco Friendly Hotel which uses new, sustainable and environmentally friendly ways to create the energy it needs to run”. The students have been placed into two teams to carry out various tasks and activities over ten sessions, through which they are learning more about renewable energy solutions and innovations in reducing carbon footprints. As part of the
Composition and Impact In their Art lessons this term, students in Year 7 and 8 have been learning about composition and impact. Students were initially given a selection of shells, from which they chose an effective composition to work from, which was set as a rock pool. From their rock pool they were tasked with making a large charcoal drawing focussing on achieving impact, followed by a more intricate watercolour painting. This tested a large range of skills, but, as you can see from the impressive results, our young artists were more than capable of fulfilling the brief, creating some truly beautiful and unique pieces of art.
project the teams have to make a model of their hotel, produce a written report and prepare a five-minute presentation about their design. The students worked with their mentors, Engineering Degree apprentices from GE Aviation, discussing viable ideas, talking about the concepts and plans they had thought of, and considering what they could bring forward into the design stage. We are very excited to see how this scheme progresses and look forward to seeing the creative designs and ideas that our Year 8s come up with for their Eco Hotels.
What is your role within the School? My main role as Head of Sixth Form is to help Sixth Formers make the most of their time at School. This includes their academic progress, mental and physical well-being, extra-curricular involvement, leadership roles and pastoral care. I also organise Sixth Form events. There is a lot of communication involved – obviously with Sixth Formers and teachers, but also with parents and outside agencies. I am also Head of Biology. What did you do before working at St Edward’s? I was fortunate to work in an IB school in Bermuda as Head of Science for 12 years, but I missed the weather so I came back! Before that I taught in and around London. Before that I was a rapper but that life was too stressful and dangerous. What would you say is the most interesting part of your day-to-day work? Problem-solving, prioritising and decisionmaking. I also get a real kick out of helping kids learn Biology - it fascinates me even after all these years. What activities do you enjoy in your spare time? Playing football and watching football. Me and Mr Martin get so excited when the World Cup or European Championship come around. Also, you can’t beat a good old David Attenborough documentary or getting stuck into a box set on Netflix. I really like reading fiction and, because I have such a bad memory, I can read the same non-fiction book several times and still get engrossed! I listen to music a lot and I go to a few concerts each year. I also love eating! Who, or what, would you say has most inspired you in life? The feeling I get when I succeed, even remotely, at something I found hard. Tell us one activity that is on your “Bucket List” To cook a roast dinner that is actually edible. Finally, the best thing about working at St Edward’s is... The people. S7
NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SUCCESS Congratulations to Emma H who became the Year 11-13 ISA National Cross Country Champion in March. Emma’s success follows on from her win at the Midlands area qualifying competition in February. Four other St Edward’s students also took to the course at Nationals, joining over 600 other students from Independent Schools – well done to Ryan M (Y10), Freya H (Y10), Minte L(Y8) and Lulu S (Y8), who each put in strong performances in their respective age categories.
HOUSE COMPETITIONS This Term saw the hotly contested House Netball and Football Competitions take place. The results were as follows: • House Netball Y7: 1st Fisher, 2nd More, 3rd Newman Y8: 1st Newman, 2nd Fisher, 3rd More Y9: 1st Newman, 2nd Fisher, 3rd More Y10: 1st Fisher, 2nd More, 3rd Newman Senior: 1st Fisher, 2nd Newman, 3rd More • House Football Y7: 1st Newman, 2nd More, 3rd Fisher Y8: 1st Fisher, 2nd Newman, 3rd More Y9: 1st Newman, 2nd More, 3rd Fisher Y10: 1st Fisher, 2nd Newman, 3rd More Senior: 1st Newman, 2nd More, 3rd Fisher
SENIOR NETBALL TOURNAMENT In early March, St Edward’s hosted a Senior Netball Tournament and, with six teams participating, the afternoon was a hive of activity. There were some strong performances from all the schools involved and the final result saw the St Edward’s First Team claim the top spot, followed by Kingham Hill School in 2nd and Ribston in 3rd. Congratulations to the squad, who played some of their best Netball and performed extremely well.
HOCKEY Congratulations to the U14 and U16 Boys Hockey teams who both finished 3rd in their respective age categories at the Independent Schools Association National Hockey Tournament, which took place at Ballard School in Hampshire in February. Although not the overall Tournament winners, all members of the teams put in a huge amount of effort to overcome their opposition and come away with the Third Place Cup.
Taking Sport to the Next Level Sports Scholars and Performance Athletes from across the year groups have made the most of a number of exciting opportunities to take part in the St Edward’s Excellence Programme and Scholars (STEPS) Masterclasses this term.
Clinics have run in Hockey, Rugby and Strength & Conditioning, with each session focussing on a different area of the individual sport. For example, in the January Hockey session, which was run by Matt Fairburn from Hockey coaching specialists GoCre8, the focus was on improving a variety of advanced skills that our athletes would be able to deploy in game situations. In the January Rugby session, we were fortunate enough to be joined by Gloucester Rugby’s Will Safe, who put our players through their paces working on their efficiency and clinical edge in three-on-one and three-on-two situations in attack. In March the Strength and Conditioning Masterclass with Dave from The Fitness Hub was centred on anaerobic threshold and core work.
Director of Sport, Ms Kenyon, said “The STEPS programme continues to grow and develop and offer more support to our performance athletes. Over the course of the academic year the Masterclass programme, delivered by various visiting coaches, has offered clinics in Swimming, Hockey, Rugby and Strength & Conditioning, and there are plans expand the programme to include Cricket and Tennis in the summer term. The feedback we have received from the students involved has been hugely positive and it has been fantastic to see our students build and enhance their skills.”
Celebrating Sporting Success In early April St Edward’s Senior & Sixth Form pupils attended the annual Senior Sports Dinner, where their participation and success in sport throughout the academic year so far was celebrated and rewarded. The evening began with some canapés, before the attendees were welcomed to the event by our Director of Sport, Ms Kenyon. The sports being celebrated on the night included Netball, Hockey, Football and Rugby, with coaches reporting on their season, along with team captains, who gave very entertaining accounts of their seasonal highs and lows.
Daniel P and Monica A – many congratulations to them on their achievements. The large number of pupils in attendance reflected the ambition and approach that students of St Edward’s have towards sport, and was testament to the motivation and drive that our PE staff have to help all of our students strive for the best.
Awards handed out on the evening included “Most Improved Player”, “Players’ Player” and “Player of the Year” for the various teams. Also awarded were St Edward’s Half and Full Colours, rewarding great commitment and attitude in a particular sport. In addition, the Victor Ludorum and Victrix Ludorum Cups were awarded to the best overall male and female performers. This year the awards went to
St Edward’s Senior & Sixth Form, Cirencester Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 8EY
T:01242 388555 E:reception@stedwards.co.uk