SENIOR
ISSUE 8 • SUMMER 2021
A Day of Sporting Records PAGE 8
stedwards.co.uk
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...
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Examination Results 2021
Art Exhibition
House Day 2021
Celebrating International Week
St Edward’s Senior & Sixth Form, Cirencester Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 8EY T:01242 388555 E:reception@stedwards.co.uk
Well, what a year it has been! The impact of the worldwide pandemic has inevitably put obstacles in our path, but it has also provided us with an opportunity to explore new ways to operate, and new enhancements to the educational experience that we provide here at St Edward’s. It was wonderful to have our students in School for the term, despite being restricted to bubbles. I am so proud of the way that they, and their teachers, adapted to the various procedures in place to keep everyone safe. I’m pleased to say that COVID-19 restrictions did little to dampen the enthusiasm of our school community and I am delighted that we managed to still run so many of our events. House Day (S4), International Week (S6) and Sports Day (S8) were particular highlights for us all. This year, one of the themes we will be focussing on as a School is “Giving Back”. I look forward to working with staff and students at both the Senior and Prep Schools, as well as our colleagues in the Cheltenham Educational Partnership, looking for ways in which we can reach out to our local and international communities and help to make a real difference. We will also continue to embody the values, attitudes and attributes of High Performance Learning (HPL), as we progress on our journey to gain world class school status by the end of the new academic year. From the results we achieved at GCSE and A Level this year (S2), it is clear that the value added by a St Edward’s educational experience is something really special!
Mr M Burke Principal
DATES FOR THE DIARY Autumn Term 2021 Term Starts: Wednesday 8th September Open Morning for Prospective Parents: Saturday 25th September Half-term: Monday 18th to Friday 29th October Term Ends: Thursday 16th December, 12pm
Social Media links Twitter: •@ StEdwards_Chelt • @SportStEds • @StEdSenior_Head Instagram: • stedwardscheltenham • sportstedwards Facebook: www.facebook.com/ StEdwardsSchoolCheltenham
Exam Results 2021 In August we were delighted to announce impressive sets of results at GCSE and A Level. At GCSE, our students secured 16% of all results at Grade 9, 30% at Grade 9 or 8 and 52% of all results at Grades 9 to 7 (A*-A). At A Level, 52% of all results were at Grades A*-A, with 78% at Grades A*-B. These results have placed us in the 100th percentile for value added of all schools within the UK statistic that we are most proud of. It shows what a St Edward’s educational experience can provide for all our pupils, from 1 to 18 - that they will receive an outstanding education, secure much better grades than the raw data would suggest, and go on to fulfil their dreams and aspirations when they leave us. We were also delighted that all students leaving us to go on to Higher Education secured places at their first-choice university, including Durham University, University of Exeter, Loughborough University, University of Bath, Royal Holloway, University of Gloucestershire, Kingston University, Queen Mary University of London, Cardiff University and University of Glasgow. They will be studying a diverse range of courses including: Law, Biology, Drama, Economics and Mathematics, Classics, Biomedical Sciences, Professional Policing, Fine Art, Photography, Politics and International Relations, Creative Writing, Psychology and Computer Science.
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“I am delighted for our Year 11 and Upper Sixth students, who thoroughly deserve their success at the end of what has been a hugely challenging two years of study. Our exceptional teachers implemented a rigorous and robust evidential process of Teacher Assessed Grades, and the final results are testament to what can happen when hard work, focus, good teaching, and a supportive environment all come together. Confidence, resilience and determination have also played a fundamental role in our students’ success.” Matthew Burke, Principal.
Art Exhibition 2021 This year, once again, due to the restrictions placed upon us by COVID-19, we were not able to hold an on-site art exhibition. This was a huge disappointment for students and staff alike, as the standard of work this year was very high. As an alternative, a short film was produced of a walk around a mini-exhibition set up in the Art rooms, along with a brochure displaying a selection of our students’ work. For our GCSE artists in Year 10, the project’s theme was ‘Lost and Found’. In Year 11, the theme chosen was ‘Change and Stability’. Our A Level Photography and A Level Art students produced a rich array of pieces. The themes chosen by our A Level photography students included conflict, the concept of light within the subject of photography and film, the life force of objects, fashion photography and the fantasy world, and architectural photography. Our A Level artists chose themes that allowed their individual strengths to shine through including wonderland and fantasy, landscapes – specifically how colour and texture describes the mood of a place, the perception of women in art, human masks and facades and the influence of Eastern Art on Western Art. We were delighted to be able to share their work with a wider audience and you can take a look at the exhibition brochure at: https://stedwards.uk/ArtExhibition21
2021-2022 Student Leadership Team Announced In early May, we welcomed sixteen members of the student body onto the Student Leadership Team for 2021-2022. The team are an integral part of our community, representing the School externally and providing support during a number of events, such as open mornings and parents’ evenings. They also meet regularly with senior teaching staff, making sure that the issues which are important to the student body are heard. Their role in the pastoral system at St Edward’s is equally as important, with all of the Student Leadership Team being assigned to a specific school stage to act as their point of contact for any concerns relating to school life. As senior members of the School our prefects are well placed to offer useful advice, often drawn from their own experiences. Students must apply for these roles and complete an interview process with several of our senior teachers in order to prove that they are able to provide the commitment and maturity required for their preferred position.
Roles have been assigned as follows: Head Boy and Head Girl: Alistair C and Mairead McK Charity Prefects: Anya J and Maxwell S Upper School Prefect: Isobel H Lower School Prefects: Ruby C and Toby J Year 7 Prefects: Aine L, Kiki R and Samuel S Fisher House Captains: William G and Freya H More House Captains: Ben P and Annabel S Newman House Captains: Flo L and Alexander McL Huge congratulations to all of our new Student Leaders!
QUADRATS AND CALCULATIONS As part of their GCSE Biology studies, Year 10 were learning about biodiversity and the different methods that can be employed to measure the biodiversity of an area this term. One method they experimented with was using quadrats (wire squares covering a 0.25m2 area of ground) to sample areas of grassland on the front lawn. They used their findings to calculate an average and extrapolated it to estimate the total number of different organisms likely to be present on the whole lawn. It was a useful exercise to appreciate the huge array of diversity in our local surroundings.
YEAR 8 JOIN THE NEW MODEL ARMY Year 8 studied the English Civil War in their History lessons this term. As part of their work they turned their focus to the ‘New Model Army’ - the first standing army of Britain, consisting of 22,000 professionally trained soldiers. Year 8 researched the lives of these highlydisciplined, well-organised military men, including an element of role play, using Mr Scarboro’s replica musket to help them to get ‘into character’!
MARKING THE END OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR With COVID-19 restrictions meaning we were unable to celebrate the end of the academic year as we normally would, we were determined to still celebrate and recognise the achievements of all our students and staff at the end of what has been a hugely challenging year. On the penultimate day of the Summer Term, the whole school gathered together outside on the lawn in year group bubbles for a celebratory end of term service. The event, led by Fr Pat, was a fabulous way to end the year, celebrate our success and say farewell to those staff and students who are moving on to pastures new! We followed this on the final day of term with prize-giving, separated into individual year groups. Congratulations were given to all the students at St Edward’s, whether they had been awarded a prize or not – each and every one of them has done exceptionally well to navigate the choppy waters of this academic year and we are very proud of them.
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EGG DROPPING FUN Science Club participants took part in an ‘eggs-tra’ fun activity just before half-term - the ‘Egg Drop’. Each of the students were given a hen’s egg and tasked with constructing a container that would protect it from a 15m drop. Imagination was the key to success in this activity, thinking up what can you add to make sure that your egg will survive an impact with a hard surface. Wings, parachutes, and cushioned container interiors all featured in the egg carriers created by our students. Although very fun, this experiment aims to highlight the relationships between force and momentum – the aim being to minimize the force experienced by the egg upon impact. All of our young scientists managed to build containers that enabled their eggs to survive the drop without a scratch!
UKMT MACLAURIN OLYMPIAD Earlier this year Pouria S (Year 11) qualified from the Intermediate Maths Challenge to the highest of the UK Mathematics Trust National Competitions - the Maclaurin Olympiad. This is a 2 hour challenge consisting of 6 problems requiring full written solutions. Pouria was invited to take part, along with 600 of the best Year 11 mathematicians in the UK and overseas. We are delighted that Pouria was awarded a certificate of merit for his comprehensive solutions.
A FINAL PERFORMANCE FROM UPPER SIXTH In the last week of May, our Upper Sixth Drama students performed for the final time at St Edward’s, in their A Level Drama scripted exam. Joss B played The Maniac from ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, Immy C played The Guide from ‘100’, Anastasia M played Medea from ‘Medea’, Phoebe R played The Jewish Wife from ‘Fear and Misery of the Third Reich’ and Venetia R played Rosie from ‘Things I Know to be True’. The performances were wonderful and the small audience in the room, and on Zoom, were very complimentary. It was so exciting to have live performances in school again!
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House Day 2021 In the last week of term Senior School students enjoy the much-loved tradition that is ‘House Day’. The annual fun day began with a whole-school assembly through Teams, where the order of the day was explained. There was a huge amount of House Spirit on show, with students doing their best to help their respective Houses earn as many points as possible. Each Academic Faculty provided engaging activities throughout the day. In Science, the students were set a timed task – to create outfits from discarded materials and then presenting their work in a ‘Recycled fashion show’. In Expressive Arts, Year 8 students took part in an Art themed quiz, whilst Year 7 were asked to perform in House groups, using ‘junk’ to make percussive sounds. Sport put on an ‘It’s a knockout’ style competition using an inflatable obstacle course, giant table football and jousting. In Maths, students were challenged to take on The Prisoner’s Dilemma maths challenge. The English activity was a Shakespearean performance challenge set in the school woodland. The outdoor themes continued with an orienteering challenge, set by SSgt Keylock. Religious Studies arranged an
escape room style activity, where students had to use their critical thinking and collaborative skills, coupled with patience, perseverance and resilience in order to decode the ciphers, morse code and cryptograms. For Modern Foreign Languages each year group split into House groups to play Pétanque. House Day Results: • 1st place | Newman • 2nd place | Fisher • 3rd place | More Along with the House Points accumulated throughout the year, the totals from House Day, as well as Sports Day, were then all combined to decide the overall winners of the House Cup. This year, Fisher House took the Crown in the most closely fought competition in recent years with just half a House Point in it! House Cup Results: • 1st place | Fisher (697 points) • 2nd place | Newman (696.5 points) • 3rd place | More (674.5 points)
The Dangers of Warming Up Our Year 7 Geographers have been learning about Climate Change this term. They have discussed the fact that the climate has been changing since time began, and that it is likely to continue to fluctuate in the future. They have also been looking into the dramatic changes that have taken place since the industrial revolution and the effects that this global warming is having on our world and the way in which we live. Looking at the scientific evidence demonstrating temperature increases, glacier retreat, shifting seasons and rising sea levels, the students have learnt to assess the connections between these events and the various factors that are contributing to their occurrence. To help to consolidate their knowledge of this this topic, the students designed posters that highlighted the human factors involved in global warming and provided tips on how we can all reduce our personal impact. They also calculated the carbon footprint of their family and wrote letters to the Prime Minister, highlighting the need to tackle the issue.
The students then went on to look at the particular threat that rising sea levels have on the Maldives, a country with 80% of its land less than one metre above sea level.
Inspired by Morris This term, our Year 8 artists have been studying botanical forms, using the work of 19th century designer William Morris as inspiration. Working with clay, the students created tiles featuring their botanical patterns. The class used
a variety of tools in dynamic ways to create a relief surface on their tiles. The resulting works of art will be fired in the school kiln and then be placed within the ‘Arts and Crafts Garden’ for the school community to enjoy. Excellent work Year 8!
10x Challenge
A group of five engineering hopefuls in Lower Sixth completed their Industrial Cadets Gold Award this term. The Award links teams of students and their teachers with local companies, enabling them to work on real-life, scientific, engineering and technology projects. The St Edward’s team focussed on a project to develop a surveillance system, overseen by their mentor from Ultra Electronics PCS. The team delivered their final presentation brilliantly, representing the School so well and showing tremendous dedication.
THINKING ABOUT FOOD WASTE IN THE CANOPY
The 10X Challenge (previously, ‘The Tenner Challenge’) is an annual enterprise competition for young people aged between 11 and 18 years old. The Challenge is run by Young Enterprise, the UK’s leading enterprise and financial education charity. Each team of budding entrepreneurs are given £10 to get their business idea off the ground and are tasked with making as much money as possible over a four-week period. At the end of the challenge period, the teams then re-pay their £10 capital and donate all profits to their chosen charity. This year, students in Year 8 and 9 at St Edward’s were challenged to get involved, working collaboratively to form a business, carry out market research, set targets and sell their final product. Each week, they were able to enter a different competition, with the best entry being submitted to the 10X team and judged amongst other teams nationally.
Our School catering company, Holroyd Howe, ran a food waste demonstration in the Canopy in May. They made lots of tasty nibbles using ingredients that are often left as waste, sweetcorn hummus, kale stalk hummus and pesto made with kiwi skins were all very popular with the students! The recipes demonstrated were simple and balanced, designed to be easily replicated in schools and at home.
WORKING ON WEBSITES Year 8 IT students, were learning how to code web pages this term. Having mastered the basics, such as <h1> for headers and <b> for bold, they moved on to inserting images <img src=“my photo. jpg”> and went on to understand how to lay out their pages using <div> tags. They also coded hyperlinks to connect their web page with others.
Our Year 8 team, Leah and Ioana, write: “Our business started in April and was a tennis club called “Deuce”. We decided on a logo that represented vitality and youth. We wanted to raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre in Cheltenham. We offered tennis coaching to students in Year 4 at the Prep School and had a very good take-up rate of 12. We made sure that we did various activities that the children found fun. We gave 100% of the profits to charity. In the future we hope to extend the business and carry on teaching children, perhaps sharing our experience and skills in music and drama.”
YEAR 10 HIT THE WATER
Our Year 9 team, Victor and Bill, write: “We decided that we could offer cold refreshments as the Summer Term began. We developed a logo based on our surnames, with a sense of getting moving: Rollin’ Stock. With our £10 investment from the Business Department, we bought freezable fruit ice pops, and we sourced an ice box from home. Working closely with Mrs Safe we were able to keep the ice pops frozen until break, and then we sold them to different Year group ‘bubbles’ in a COVID safe way. Due to popular demand, we returned several times and had to re-stock! By half-term we had made £91 for Maggie’s Cancer Care, repaid the start-up capital and covered our costs.”
GOLD AWARD FOR INDUSTRIAL CADETS
The challenge is a fantastic way to put Business education into a real-life context and encourages the development of crucial employability skills and experience. The hope is that the skills developed during this Challenge will serve the students well in the fast-changing world of work and help them to prepare for their future. We look forward to starting the Challenge once again, next spring.
After a disrupted academic year and the additional stress that COVID-19 has brought, Year 10 were treated to a post-internal-exam ‘Activity Day’ at the Cotswold Water Park in late June. They had a great time taking on the giant inflatable ‘AquaVenture’ for the ultimate total wipe-out style experience. The day was an excellent way for Year 10 to relax and enjoy themselves at the end of a very busy term.
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MEET
TH
E
TE AM
Mrs Anthea Dufour, Admissions Manager (Senior School)
What is your role within the School? I am the Admissions Manager at the Senior and Sixth Form. I am the first point of contact for all prospective families. My role is to guide them through the admissions process, from initial enquiry through to enrolment. What did you do before working at St Edward’s? I have worked as a Landscape Designer, I taught Art to Landscape Students, I ran the Art Department in an International School and I have taught Business English. I have also run the office at an architectural practice. I am fortunate to have done all of this whilst living in Holland, Morocco, France and the UK. What would you say is the most interesting part of your day-to-day work? I take great delight in meeting people and finding out all about them. Welcoming prospective families is the absolute winner. Everybody has a story to tell and it is amazing how many connections and coincidences crop up through conversation. Each day is so unpredictable and that is the best bit! What activities do you enjoy in your spare time? COVID kick-started me back into painting. I have done this all my life but in stops and starts. I also love to walk and cycle in our beautiful countryside. When I have a calm moment during the holidays, I like to relax on the settee and lose myself in a book. I also enjoy watching French films to keep up my language skills for next time we hop over the English Channel. Oops! Sorry! La Manche. Who, or what, would you say has most inspired you in life? My grandmother - a testament to resilience and dignity. Tell us one activity that is on your ‘Bucket List’ Can I have two? I want to go to Japan and drink tea under the cherry blossom and go to Canada and fly over the maple trees in their autumnal splendour. Finally, the best thing about working at St Edward’s is… I sometimes want to pinch myself! I feel privileged to work in such a beautiful and historical setting, with so many dynamic and interesting people aged 11-80+ S6
Celebrating International Week Languages Day took place in June and was the perfect way to end our inaugural International Week, so-called to celebrate the international dimension of St Edward’s within which there are now 19 different nationalities, each represented by a large flag displayed in the Canopy (our School dining room). Students arrived in an array of colourful dress, each representing a country of their choice. In exchange for the privilege of wearing non-uniform, each student made a donation to the British Red Cross, who are celebrating their 150th anniversary this year. Throughout the week, as well as internationalthemed lunches in the Canopy, there were a variety of language-linked cultural activities taking place within normal lessons. These included word derivations in English and Religious Studies, World Music Week in the Library, and studies of blues singers in Music. There was a whole host of things going on in Maths, with various Olympic and Euros-themed activities, including a focus on flag colours and the proportions of certain colours used. In a special assembly Mai W (Year 10) played her Shamisen, a traditional 3-stringed Japanese instrument and this was followed by a virtual appearance by former student and linguist Izzy Vivian who talked about the many benefits of learning foreign languages. The Day of Languages itself began in traditional style with a European General Knowledge Quiz with overall winners being Form group 8A. In the other year groups 7H, 9F and 10H claimed the top spot respectively. The “best-dressed” final took place at the beginning of the day and first prize was awarded to Kim P (Year 7) with Kriti B (Year 8) coming a close second. Many different countries were represented and there was plenty of colour to brighten up a dull, wet day. Year 7 enjoyed Italian bingo at lunch time, again with prizes awarded.
A big feature of the day, and indeed of the week, was the opportunity for students to sample another language and, as well as lessons in German and Italian delivered by our languages team, some lucky classes were also treated to Polish and Welsh sessions, kindly delivered by Mr Pakula and Mr Lewis. A range of short language masterclasses were also taught by some of our wonderful international students who did a fantastic job imparting some of their expert knowledge to their peers.
Clock Making in Year 7 Year 7 have been getting creative in their Design Technology lessons this term, designing and making their own analogue clocks. They were asked to design their timepiece with a member of their family in mind, incorporating elements that they felt represented this person. Each design was then created in computer
aided design software before elements of each masterpiece were cut using the laser cutter. The students demonstrated excellent creativity and incorporated lots of thoughtful details into their work, which is sure to raise a smile on the faces of their chosen family members when they are presented with their gifts.
PEEKING INTO PARLIAMENT Students in Years 9 and 11 took part in a special online session run by the ‘UK Parliament Learning team’ in April. The one-hour workshop aimed to introduce the Parliamentary system in the UK and explain the roles of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. During the session they also covered the work of MPs, the process by which laws are made and advice on how the students themselves can make voices heard by Government.
Losing Oneself In the last week of term the Year 10 GCSE Drama students performed their devised examination performance to a ‘real-life’ audience of School staff and a virtual audience of family members. The students had worked with a stimulus from the play ‘100’, which was a quote about losing oneself. Working in the style of the theatre company ‘The Paper Birds’, they devised a performance using ‘loss’ as their theme. The piece featured several disconnected episodes which all link to their overall
theme, hopefully making the audience consider what it means to lose a sense of oneself. Georgia R, Clemmie C, Annie H, Mai W and Nanae K were assessed on their acting, Isaac J assessed on sound design, and Hugo B assessed on lighting design. They all worked together brilliantly over the Summer Term to develop the performance, and should all be very proud of the work they produced.
STEM Challenge Day! In late June, all our Year 9 pupils participated in a STEM challenge. They were ‘off-timetable’ for the entire day as they took part in an ‘Alternative Car Show’.
Students at St Edward’s spend their Year 9 Geography lessons following the GCSE syllabus, in preparation for moving into Upper School. This is a fantastic way to get a taste of the type of concepts that will be covered in depth should they opt to take the subject for GCSE. In May the year group were focussing on a 9 mark exam question on the immediate and long term responses to earthquakes, with a focus on the Haiti and Nepal earthquakes. 9 mark exam questions are the highest value questions included in GCSE Geography, demonstrating the high level at which these students are operating. Well done Year 9!
‘AS YOU LIKE IT’
The year group were split into teams and tasked with designing, making and racing solar powered cars. Each team was then divided into different sections, all with a different focus. Design, marketing and build sub-teams were all required to work together to create a desirable, wellfunctioning and affordable product. A basic kit was provided with materials to build their vehicle, along with a budget and costings sheet with which to record any additional materials “purchased” from the “onsite shop”.
Our Lower and Upper Sixth A Level English students travelled to London in June to visit the world-renowned theatre and cultural landmark, The Globe. Shakespeare is, of course, central to any Literature course and the students were excited to see a Shakespeare play in (almost) its original setting. The group enjoyed a performance of ‘As You Like It’, a story with real heart, romance and plenty of satire. After the show, they were able to meet with the director, who was very generous with his time in answering lots of questions. It was a lovely day and a fitting farewell to those in Upper Sixth.
During the morning session the groups concentrated on the design and creation of their vehicles, along with completing their marketing campaigns. They also had to do some investigations into how solar power works, what safety features would be needed, and research into how renewable energy sources work in vehicles. The afternoon was when each team could put all of their hard work to the test, racing their cars against each other in a drag race. After some charging underneath the bright lamps, the races were underway! Although the cars may have lacked serious speed, the competitiveness and innovative design created some close races and great excitement.
STEAMING AHEAD IN GEOGRAPHY
Teams were judged on their ‘presentation stand and marketing’, ‘design of the car’, ‘test results’ and ‘teamwork’, and given scores out of 10. There was also an award for the best budget car, which was decided by measuring the combination of the car’s speed on the test track, along with its manufacturing cost. S7
A Day of Sporting Records! Sports Day is always a day that stands out in the school year for being a day of fabulous participation and House Spirit. This year it felt even more special as, due to the pandemic, not only was it our first normal Sports Day since 2019, it was also the first time the School had gathered together in one place, albeit in our year group bubbles, since March 2020! The venue for the occasion was the Prince of Wales Stadium, where the temperature reached a balmy 24 degrees and the sun shone throughout. Conditions were perfect for lots of fast times on the track and the day did not disappoint. An amazing 14 school records were broken on the day with two having stood for well over a decade! The day began with the traditional whole school warm-up (within Year group bubbles) before the
competitors took their places for day to start. Events contested included Discus, Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, Javelin and various track distances, giving all our students the chance to take part. It was a delight to watch every pupil compete for their House and try their very best, as well as cheering on their friends and House mates.
New School Records: Year 7 Boys 300m
Flynn H (51.17)
Senior Boys Long Jump
James F (5.18)
Senior Boys Discus
Matt T (21.40)
Year 9 Girls 100m
Antonia B (13.13)
Senior Girls High Jump
Izzy H (1.25)
Senior Girls 100m
Olivia B (13.43)
Year 10 Girls 800m
Hannah L (2.51)
Senior Boys High Jump
Sam S (1.60)
Senior Girls 200m
Olivia B (28.62)
Year 10 Girls Javelin
Hannah L (42.94)
Senior Girls Shot Put
Rachel S (7.60)
Senior Girls 800m
Ciara T (2.28)
Senior Boys Javelin
Ollie R (38.07)
Senior Boys Shot Put
Jonny F (9.59)
EXTERNAL SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS One of the things we really enjoy hearing about are the achievements of our students in their out of school sporting endeavours. This term we were delighted to celebrate the success of a number of our pupils including: Year 10 student, Hannah L, who came 3rd in the Inter Girls’ Javelin Competition at the English Schools Athletics Championships in Manchester, with a magnificent throw of 41.00m! Hannah is a year early into this age group and a great talent for the future – we can’t wait to see how she progresses.
Co-curricular Cricket hits its Stride The start of the Summer term heralded the start of the cricket season. We are huge fans of the game here at St Edward’s and this term has seen our co-curricular Cricket Clubs attract excellent numbers of both boys and girls of all year groups at the Senior School. With no cricket played last summer due to the pandemic, finally hearing the sound of leather on willow in our new Cricket nets has been fantastic, despite the poor weather recently! Playing the game of Cricket challenges players to apply a unique set of skills including balance, hand-eye co-ordination, and concentration (all of which also improve performance in other sporting activities).
We were especially excited to have the girls beginning their cricketing journeys alongside the boys during games and after school sessions. After a few weeks practising bowling, batting and fielding techniques with softer “Windballs”, the Year 9 girls took to the nets for some “hard ball” practice, donning the pads and helmets. They all really enjoyed their first opportunity to strike the harder ball, with a number of students showing great promise with the bat in hand.
Ioana N (Year 8) represented Gloucestershire in the Under 14 tennis competition which took place in Burnham-on-Sea in May. The Gloucestershire Team finished as runners up after South Wales. Ioana was a pivotal part of this win, contributing to the team score with two magnificent wins; one in the singles and one in the doubles. Hady M (Year 8) is keen Kart driver and has participated in a number of races throughout the year. Hady is competing in the LGM Series and with some wonderful drives looks set to achieve at least a top three finish at the time of writing! Great work Hady.
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St Edward’s Senior & Sixth Form, Cirencester Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 8EY
T: 01242 388555 E: reception@stedwards.co.uk