The Lion - Issue 66

theLion www.bablake.com

News and views from Bablake School

Issue 66 | Spring 2015

A special visitor “For the sake of peace, religious beliefs must never be allowed to be abused in the cause of violence and war.” pope francis

A ‘selfie’ with the Archbishop

Just before half-term, Bablake was honoured to host a visit from the Most Reverend and Rt Hon Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.

H

e met with a group of pupils whose activities represented many of the values of our community.

In this discussion forum, whilst perusing our International Cross of Nails scrapbook, the Archbishop asked each pupil present about their role in our school. It was a privilege to hear them respond so eloquently, and with both commitment and passion.

The Archbishop then moved to our Rehearsal Room where he was able to listen to our Junior Choir and mingle with a dozen faith leaders from across the city, before leaving to present a lecture at Coventry University. With such a hectic agenda for his day in Coventry, we were delighted that he took time to visit Bablake.

Our Chaplain Reverend Slavic commented: “Spirituality and religious practices have an undeniable contribution to make to peace, reconciliation and harmony in our world. As Pope Francis said, ‘For the sake of peace, religious beliefs must never be allowed to be abused in the cause of violence and war. We must be clear and unequivocal in challenging our communities to live fully the tenets of peace and coexistence found in each religion, and to denounce acts of violence when they are committed.’ What better way, then, than to invite children, faith leaders and others to engage in dialogue.

We are so pleased that Archbishop Justin with his commitment to peace and unity was able to enhance this agenda by his presence.

This was a very proud occasion for our school community.”

Headmaster John Watson commented: “We have been thrilled to welcome the Archbishop today, as well as faith leaders from all over Coventry. It was a special gathering which signalled our joint commitment to peace and reconciliation in our world and to the growth of mutual understanding in a multi-faith society.”

In this issue: National Computer Science Week 2 Enriching lives 3 Chinese travellers 4 Flying high 5 Lucy is such a sweet girl! 6 Actio’s Dracula 7 Seasonal sounds 8 Viva l’Italia 10 Viva España 11 What’s cooking? 12 Getting up to speed with Power Readers 13 Sport 14

Bablake News

Jonny Wattis (Shell S)

National Computer Science Week National Computer Science Week took place in late December. We can look back with satisfaction that over 300 pupils took part in activities involving coding during the five days. Every pupil in Shells to Third Year undertook an hour of coding using the resources provided on the uk.code.org website, proudly taking home a certificate to show their achievements!

Pupils found the activities both fun and challenging, with many of them going on to design their own version of Flappy Birds! The Sixth Form also got involved, with pupils who had only a limited amount of programming experience developing their skills. Pupils from the Third Year attended a lunchtime session run by a Computer Scientist from Coventry University and one of his PhD students and we were very grateful to them for supporting the school with this initiative. During the session, pupils had the opportunity to see how robots had been programmed to play football autonomously and they were then able to begin some programming in JavaScript.

Great fun was had by all!

5,699,311

people in the uk who have tried an ‘hour of code’

Shell pupils with their certificates

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The Lion Spring 2015

Bablake News

Enriching lives As we come towards the end of the Enrichment programme for the Upper Sixth, Mrs Scott-Burt looks back at some of the achievements, contributions and experiences that this year has brought.

The Woodland Conservation teams have been kept busy at Claybrooke Marsh, performing a variety of tasks designed to promote different habitats and including tree felling, deadhedge building, bramble clearance and pruning. These hours spent working for Warwickshire Wildlife Trust are really valuable to community and environment, and have given pupils a great opportunity to experience volunteering and some welcome fresh air on Friday afternoons.

New to the Enrichment programme this year was volunteer work at the Coventry Foodbank (organised by Revd Slavic); pupils have been sorting and preparing food for distribution to those in need very worthwhile community work.

Photographers, musicians and cooks have blossomed, Mr Nicholson has taught many in the year group how to tile and wallpaper and a large number of students took a Mindfulness course with Dr Smith.

This year’s Upper Sixth had an inspiring talk from John Willis, founder of the charity Power2Inspire, as well as an enjoyable music session with local performer Andi Wolf and fine duo Dr Smith and Mr Bunce, ably supported by the technical expertise of Mr Wyatt.

Future talks, before we organise revision sessions prior to examination leave, will include an encounter with the author and adventurer Will Randall as well as a discussion with the campaigner Laura Bates.

Adam at the Ricoh Arena. Images: Jason Skarratt, onEdition Media

Budding young journalist Third Year pupil, Adam Dickinson recently wrote a 250 word report for the Wasps v Leinster match as an entry for a competition sponsored by Land Rover. Our aspiring young reporter won first prize and subsequently enjoyed a personal tour of the stadium as well as a great view of the Harlequins match on 15th February in seats that were right behind the dugout. At the end of the match, he joined the players on their lap of honour and presented the man of the match to Nathan Hughes. Following this, Adam went to the press conference and put a question to Dai Young (the Wasps manager) and Connor O’Shea (the Harlequins manager). The Harlequins programme featured Adam’s report and commented as follows:

Sixth Form Music Enrichment

Introducing Land Rover’s budding young sports journalist Earlier in the season, Land Rover and Wasps went in search of a budding young journalist, asking aspiring writers to submit a match report from the European Champions Cup fixture against Leinster. Land Rover are delighted to announce that the winner is 13-year-old Adam Dickinson from Coventry, who will have the exclusive opportunity to report on the remaining Wasps home matches this season.

Wasps back row star Guy Thompson, who selected the winning match report, said: “All the entries were of a really good standard, but Adam’s gave an excellent overview of an exhilarating match.”

Adam is a keen rugby player, having played for three years at Bablake School and has become a fan of Wasps since their move to the Ricoh.

The youngster’s favourite players are Andy Goode and Christian Wade.

Congratulations, Adam!

Bablake School

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Bablake News

Chinese travellers During December, our Chinese students enjoyed a visit to the German Christmas Market in Birmingham and a day in London, even finding time to meet up with one or two former Bablake pupils for a hearty British meal of pie and chips!

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The Lion Spring 2015

Bablake News

Third Year pupils enjoy a day of aerospace engineering

Flying high ...

In November, as part of our Phoenix Partnership with Coventry University, 10 of our Third Year pupils had an amazing opportunity to visit the university and enjoy a day dedicated to aerospace engineering, writes Mrs Cathy ScottBurt (Outreach and Enrichment Co-ordinator).

The sessions were put together by Mr David Quince, a Project Manager and researcher on various EU funded projects and an Assistant Lecturer in aerospace engineering at the university. As he was shortly to leave the university to return to industry and design jet engine components, our pupils were very lucky to benefit from his expertise.

The day began with a lecture and practical demonstration showing why a 560 tonne aircraft doesn't fall out of the sky, and then continued with a challenge for pupils to build their own solarpowered helicopter. Our pupils impressed Mr Quince with their knowledge of the principles of Physics; he even commented that pupils of their age scarcely ever knew the answers to his questions!

Later in the day, pupils had the opportunity to view the Harrier jump jet that is housed in the basement of the spectacular £55 million Engineering and Computing building, and were able to take part in some hands-on jet engine construction in one of the aerospace labs.

Two of the pupils who attended kindly gave us a review of the highlights of the day. Ayesha Riaz said: “My favourite part of the day at Coventry University was building and labelling a model helicopter. It was really fun and competitive, but quite fiddly to make. I enjoyed learning about the different parts of the helicopter and I thought it was very interesting.”

George Parker added: “Splitting the day into three sections was excellent. The first of these

informed us how something as heavy as an Airbus A380 can fly and I learnt about how companies such as Airbus build their planes.

I really enjoyed the next session about helicopters, when we had to split up into teams of two and piece together the different shaped cut outs to form a 3D model of a helicopter, and it was even better when my partner and I won!

The final part of the visit, spent in the basement of the university building, was also excellent. Here we investigated the basic principles of how a jet engine works. We even attempted to make one ourselves using paper. A few paper engines did catch fire but some of them worked, enabling them to move along the table.

Overall, I thought the day was thoroughly enjoyable and I am thankful for the opportunity. I would love to do something similar again.”

“I was so impressed with our pupils' knowledge and their ability to work out seemingly impossible equations. Their excellent approach to this really special opportunity was great to see.”

Cameron Grant 10.10.1993 – 14.11.2014 R.I.P. We were shocked and very sad to report the tragic death of former pupil Cameron Grant in November.

Cameron was in his final year at Royal Holloway, University of London, studying Geology, and contemplating the possibility of a master’s degree. He had recently been on a family holiday, had celebrated his 21st birthday and had been the proud recipient of his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award from St James’s Palace. Cameron was also the Treasurer of ‘Holloway Ultimate’, the Ultimate Frisbee team of his university.

Those of us who knew Cameron will remember him as a friendly and unassuming young man who became increasingly determined to realise his dream of studying Geology, despite difficulties with dyspraxia.

He was part of the World Challenge expedition to Mexico and Belize, and also enjoyed scouting and voluntary work outside school. He had a love of the outdoors.

Cameron’s family has established a Memorial Fund in his name.

Cameron's Fund will be used to: raise awareness of young suicide, to urge all who are suffering in silence to speak up and ask for help, and to support young people who are fighting to overcome poor mental health, especially where this can be done through outdoor activities like hill-walking and The Duke of Edinburgh's Award which Cameron enjoyed so much. Donations can be made via this link: www.bigbaldybloke.com

MRS CATHY SCOTT-BURT Bablake School

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Bablake Arts

Lucy is such a sweet girl!

Last term, staff and pupils thought that the tuck shop had been relaunched after spotting eye-catching ‘confectionery’ on display, but closer inspection showed the treats on show in the dining hall were in fact made of felt, sewn and branded, and contained wadding instead of their usual edible contents.

The imitation packets of sweets were created by Second and Third Year pupils in a project overseen by Head of Art, Mr Paul Cleaver.

The fun initiative was inspired by Lucy Sparrow, who spent three days of Bablake’s ‘Reading Week’ leading workshops based around the 4,000-item ‘Cornershop’ project unveiled in Bethnal Green, East London in August.

The ‘Cornershop’, constructed to remind communities of the gradual demise of the family-run local grocery store, was made entirely out of felt and caught the immediate attention of the media.

Mr Cleaver said: “All the pupils were captivated by the creativity and energy of the artist to create a number of consumer goods in fabric.”

One Bablake parent expressed her gratitude to Lucy Sparrow, saying: “I’ve heard so much enthusiasm for this project, not just from my own son who had the best time in his workshop, but from others that have been talking about it. It was a brilliant experience, so thank you for coming to do the workshops! Well done also to Mr Cleaver for putting it together – it was a brilliant experience for them all!”

Giselle Pinto

Archie Morgan

Rhys Hayden

Ezra Gaura

Freya Bennett

Season’s Greetings from Bablake Our 2014 Christmas card, sent to friends of the Bablake community, featured an eye-catching design created by talented Shell pupil Giselle Pinto. The judges will surely have been delighted by the sketch, which cleverly combined our traditional main building with well-known festive characters!

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The Lion Spring 2015

Lucy Sparrow (centre) with Third Year pupils

Bablake Arts

Actio’s Dracula!

Actio, the Shell Drama Club, has been working hard this term. Here are photos of one group’s version of Dracula.

Once upon a Christmas In December, Bablake pupils Charlotte Bull, Milli Morris and Lily Seery participated in Once upon a Christmas at the Albany Theatre in Earlsdon. This was a show put on by the Guildhall Society to raise funds for its forthcoming production of The Witches of Eastwick which will run from the 10th to the 13th June, also at the Albany Theatre.

The girls were all delighted to take part in the Christmas production.

Once upon a Christmas

Shells take to the stage

A cracking Christmas!

Junior Languages Club continues to be a popular choice amongst pupils, and in the run-up to Christmas they enjoyed a variety of activities including food tasting, making crackers filled with sweets and trying to tackle tongue-twisters in French, German and Spanish! The highlights were definitely the competitions to decorate a Bûche de Noël and build and decorate a gingerbread Christmas tree.

Anyone interested in joining should come along to L8 on Mondays at 1.30pm.

Christmas delights!

Bablake School

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Bablake Arts

Seasonal sounds...

The choirs were very busy before Christmas, firstly with a performance at St John’s Church on December 11th, including O Holy Night - Adolphe Adam’s Cantique de Noël - sung in the original French, as well as one of the Manchester Carols New Boy Born featuring Anna White and Harry Scott-Burt (both members of the National Children’s Orchestra) on ’cello.

O

ur Brass Ensemble and Senior Choirs all impressed with their festive pieces, while The Coventry Carol especially delighted those in attendance at St John's.

Then, on December 16th, the carol service was held at Coventry Cathedral; the choirs and brass ensemble once again performed superbly, and the Cathedral organ (played by Dr Nicholas Scott-Burt) sounded magnificent. The Junior School nativity with Poppy the donkey was a real highlight, and a collection for our partner the Coventry Foodbank was made. Bablake’s Chaplain, Reverend Sacha Slavic, officiated, and it was wonderful to see the Bablake community gathered together for a wonderful celebration of the Christmas story.

National Children’s Orchestra Two of our pupils (Anna White and Harry Scott-Burt BJS, both ’cellists) took part in the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain ‘Easterlies’ concert on Sunday 23rd November, conducted by Alex Laing.

Easterlies is one of the NCO’s regional orchestras, and children attend throughout the year, preparing for their annual concert.

The concert took place in a packed West Road Concert Hall (part of the University of Cambridge) and the programme included a movement from Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, a great feature for our ’cellists,

The carol service at Coventry Cathedral

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Bablake Arts

NATIONAL CHILDREN’S ORCHESTRA

Lullay, Thou little tiny Child, By, by, lully, lullay.

Lullay, Thou little tiny Child.

By, by, lully, lullay.

The Coventry Carol

Anna and Harry with the NCO

as well as excerpts from Copland’s Rodeo ballet music and Bizet’s Carmen. It was wonderful to see all the children involved having a brilliant time, playing with great concentration and real finesse – quite an achievement for an orchestra made up of 10-14 year old children! Harry White (Shell music scholar and Anna’s brother, who reviewed the concert for his Bronze Arts Award) said, “I really enjoyed the Carmen Suite, it was lively and exciting and really showcased the different sound colours of the instruments in the orchestra.” Despite a very late return to Coventry, with school on Monday morning, both Anna and Harry were delighted to have taken part and are both hoping to be offered places to take part again next year.

Sathvika Krishnan In February, Sathvika Krishnan, one of our Second Year pupils and an enthusiastic, committed member of Bablake's Junior Choir, sang with SAMYO, the National Youth Orchestra and Choir for Indian music at the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's South Bank.

Sathvika is an excellent Carnatic singer and has been singing with both SAMYO and the South Asian National Youth Choir for about a year. The choir is a recent addition to SAMYO and was introduced to promote singing and encourage more young Carnatic vocalists to become involved with the organisation. Normally, SAMYO rehearses twice a month on Sundays, so Sathvika, the only local musician involved, has to travel to London for these rehearsals.

As well as all this, Sathvika is studying for her Bronze Arts Award and is soon to present a short workshop on Carnatic singing to some of our Year 4 Bablake Junior School pupils.

Sam Lowe Congratulations to Sam Lowe, who was declared joint winner of the Rotary Young Musicians competition held at Bablake last month. Sam now hopes his alto saxophone performance will be strong enough to take him to the national final which is due to be held in May, in Darwen, Lancashire.

This year's event saw a record number of entrants and produced an extremely high standard of performance in front of an appreciative audience. Organiser, Mr Peter Isherwood of Coventry Phoenix Rotary Club, commented: “I was delighted with the quality of the entrants and would encourage even more young Coventry musicians to enter next year, as it is a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase their talents.”

The Music department was very pleased to have two further Distinction results in our latest session of ABRSM examinations; Harry Scott-Burt of BJS received a Distinction for Grade 4 piano, and Sam Lowe a Distinction for his Grade 6 saxophone.

Sathvika Krishnan

Sam Lowe

“I really enjoyed the Carmen Suite, it was lively and exciting and really showcased the different sound colours of the instruments in the orchestra.”

Bablake School

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, V iva l I talia Travel Diaries

Language, culture, sunshine and... ice cream!

During October half term, a group of 40 bleary-eyed pupils and four equally sleepy staff assembled in the cold to await a coach to take them on the first leg of their trip to Rome and The Bay of Naples, writes Mr Dan Menashe.

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H

alf a day later we arrived in Italy in glorious sunshine and the fine weather continued for most of the next week. A good walk after arrival invigorated us as we headed out to the Spanish Steps for the first of many shopping experiences.

Our first full day in Rome began with a visit to the Roman Forum. After a guided tour

by Mr. Bunce, and the first of many cheese or ham sandwiches for lunch, we headed off to the Colosseum, where we walked around the various levels trying to imagine the horrors that sent an estimated three-quarters of a million people to their deaths. We then headed around the streets of Rome, doing our bit to help the Italian economy, or at least the icecream part of it.

The following morning, we took the metro to the Vatican. After witnessing the grandeur of the Sistine Chapel, we headed for St. Peter’s Church, but the combination of 28 degree heat, and a two hour queue in the sun to get

in, meant that we only saw it from the outside.

Far more attractive to all were the granitas

by Castel St. Angelo, where we soaked up the atmosphere. We then crossed the Tiber to find ourselves in the Pantheon before walking back to our hotel.

The next day we transferred to Sorrento, stopping off at the ancient port of Ostia to visit the spectacular remains. After a meal at the hotel, we went for a stroll in Sorrento. Eyes lit up at the sight of bargain-laden shops, and all manner of purchases were made. We visited a local ice-cream producer and were shown how to make ice-cream in minutes and we then went on to sample the lemon sorbet that Albert Jie had helped to make. The machine that made it had cost £20,000 but we all agreed that it would be an excellent use of school funds if we were to get one!

Early next morning we headed off to Pompeii, where the pupils were free to wander around the site in groups. The highlight was undoubtedly our visit to Caecilius’ house (yes – that very Caecilius, star of the Cambridge Latin Course!) We were very lucky to gain entry to the house as it has been locked for over a decade to most visitors, but we had applied in advance for a special permit and other groups could only look on in envy. We viewed the amphitheatre, the forum, temples, baths, theatres, houses, and much more as we soaked up the atmosphere and, sadly, a bit of rain.

The following day we were lucky enough to walk up Mount Vesuvius (or the final few hundred metres from the coach park) in bright sunshine to get a spectacular view of the crater and the whole of the bay of Naples. We then finally moved on to Herculaneum where we toured the superbly well-preserved and compact site.

After almost a week of culture it was time to relax, so we took a boat to Capri.

Having enjoyed great views of the island from the funicular railway, we walked the 5 mile round trip to Tiberius’ villa, where we saw the spot from where Tiberius (allegedly) pushed unsuspecting victims to the rocks below. Pupils were then free to explore the island, with many deciding to abandon packed lunches for pizza and pasta at restaurants and a spot of window shopping.

After a week sampling the culture and delights of Italy, we said our farewells.

The trip was a huge success, thanks to the efforts of staff and the impeccable behaviour of the pupils throughout.

Travel Diaries

V iva España Here, two parents, Mrs Julie Needham and Mrs Debby Lapworth, comment on last term’s trip to Barcelona:

Trips abroad are a great way for pupils to gain first-hand experience of the country, culture and language they're studying. My son has been fortunate enough to go on two such trips, both brilliantly organised by Head of Spanish, Mrs O'Neill.

In both cases the trips were full of exciting and interesting activities, so much so that I wanted to jump on a plane and join them! It was great as a parent to catch up with the photos on Instagram.

I can honestly say the trips have been beneficial in so many ways in terms of confidence building and in their intrinsic linguistic value. I would definitely recommend taking this opportunity.

Mrs Julie Needham

My daughter, Eve, had a wonderful trip to Barcelona. She was so excited to be able to go to a place where she could speak the language that she loves, be with so many of her close friends, enjoy the fantastic Spanish cuisine, visit a theme park and, the icing on the cake, spend time shopping in such beautiful shops and boutiques. The great thing for us as parents was to be able to log onto Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to see just how much fun they were all having and to look at the wonderful historic buildings and football stadium they visited! I think that Eve was quite surprised when on her return, she showed us her photos, and discovered we had already seen everything! Mrs O’Neill was excellent (as were Mr West and Mr Woodward) in letting us know that the group had arrived safely, in sharing all the pictures and keeping us informed with regular updates. Eve still talks about her trip so thank you Bablake for giving her such wonderful memories to treasure!

“In both cases the trips were full of exciting and interesting activities, so much so that I wanted to jump on a plane and join them!”

Mrs Debby Lapworth

Bablake School

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Bablake News

Alex Scarrow, TimeRider!

What’s cooking?

In December, our Food and Textiles department was the centre for Bablake's involvement in the 2014 Great Coventry Christmas Bake-Off. Five pairs of Sixth Form pupils vied with each other to be chosen as winner of the Bablake heat to go on to represent the school, alongside winning teams from six other local secondary schools, at a civic reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Councillor Hazel Noonan.

City councillors judged the schools' entries for a £500 first prize but there was some confusion over the final result! Mars Foods, as sponsors, decided to donate two prizes of £500, one to Bablake and one to Finham Park.

Elise Morgan, who represented us alongside Alice Ryan, said she was surprised when Bablake was announced as the winner, since she had been very impressed by the super entry from Finham Park.

Elise and Alice had already decided that if Bablake won, they would donate the prize money to Coventry Foodbank. Mr Gavin Kibble, Operations Director of Coventry Foodbank, was quoted in the Coventry Telegraph, commending the competitive spirit between the schools and the excellent preparations made for the contest.

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As part of Bablake’s Reading Week 2014 we were delighted to welcome Alex Scarrow to the school. Alex is an author who specialises in young adult fiction and his books in the TimeRiders series have been both a commercial and critical success. After an informative and engaging speech, Alex invited pupils to ask questions.

The pupils were a real credit to the school in their approach and were delighted that they had the opportunity to meet an author and discover his influences. According to Imogen Al-Dabbagh (Sh R) “He was really funny and when he was speaking he really drew you in.” Sam Butler (Sh R) added “It was very enjoyable and I am now going to buy one of his books!” Anna Williams (Sh R) said “When he was reading the first TimeRiders book, he was really expressive and told the story well. It felt like you were part of the story”.

We are very grateful to Mrs Julie Needham (Head Librarian) for her work in organising the visit. The English department would also like to take this opportunity to thank Alex Scarrow for taking the time to visit the school.

Mr Matthew Rushton

The Sixth Form are assisted by Mrs Carol Davey

Some of Alex’s work

Bablake News

The festive Sing-a-Long

In tune at Xmas At the end of the autumn term, Mr Bunce, along with his form U6JMB, and Dr Toby Smith entertained Bablake staff and pupils in the EDM Foyer with a smattering of carols and other popular Christmas tunes.

Staff and Sixth Form pupils made the occasion a very special one and we even had a human Christmas tree make an appearance, in the guise of first Jonathan Porter and then Aimee Piercy.

With festive cakes and mince pies on sale, the event raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Take aim!

A Welsh winter adventure The CCF enjoys participating in both military and adventurous training exercises between the three main annual camps. Recently, a range weekend was held in Wales in order to gain more live fire experience on the cadets’ rifles. As ever, this exercise went smoothly and we returned home safely the following evening, but not before eating every last bit of food from the Nesscliffe mess hall!

Both staff and pupils enjoyed popping off a couple of magazines at some figure 11 targets and this, complemented by a very photogenic landscape due to the cold weather in the valleys, made for a successful expedition.

Getting up to speed with Power Readers This term has seen the ‘Power Readers’ scheme go from strength to strength.

In recent years this scheme has created the opportunity to celebrate the breadth of reading undertaken by Key Stage 3 pupils, as well as rewarding pupils through the public presentation of certificates. A number of pupils achieved multiple milestones during the Autumn Term and the following list indicates the highest award achieved for each pupil: Bronze Level 1 Mila Bilsland, Ria-Jasmine Ladva, Aren Manoharan, Shabir Mirzadeh, Nithisa Sivaruban, Livia Turnock, Harry White and Taryn Wilson.

Bronze Level 2 Paige Bachra, Freya Bennett, Reef Billingham, Bethany Dowds, Jessica Moffitt, Gracie Morris, Giselle Pinto, Dominic Reeves and Jacob Swales.

Silver Toby Harkin.

Gold Miles Scott-Burt.

Platinum Grace Fisher and Jasmine Harrison.

As the list shows, reading is an important life skill and it’s great to see so many pupils getting involved. If you’re thinking about what you want to read next then you could consider the following: 1. Read anything and everything.

2. Recommend books to each other.

3. Challenge yourself by reading something different.

4. Set aside special time for reading, maybe before you go to bed.

5. Enjoy the experience!

Mr Matthew Rushton Bablake School

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Bablake Sport

Boys’ sport Rugby A traditionally partisan crowd at Coventry RFC's Butts Park Arena was treated to a thrilling contest which Bablake's 1st XV edged 15-11 to retain the Mike Hibbert Trophy. Playing the final third of the second half with captain Brad Pinkham agonisingly in the sin bin, the Bablake pack successfully pinned KHVIII into its own 22 for a significant period before the ever dangerous KHVIII backs broke free and threatened a dramatic late score.

The Bablake tackling, impressive all evening, however stood firm to allow our proud captain, an England U18 Lamb, to receive the Mick Hibbert Trophy from our new Chair of Governors, Mrs Julia McNaney. Bablake started in fantastic form and were worthy leaders after the first 20 minutes via a dashing try by winger Chimdi Ogbuneke, successfully converted by Harry Garforth.

However, Bablake went in to the break with a slender 10-8 lead. The character and skill of the KHVIII side very much came to the fore and they took a deserved 11-10 lead with a drop goal midway through the second half. At that point we were certainly on the ropes, but Bablake’s character in defence was then outstanding and kept them in the match. The final try by Matt Rowlands was a great team effort and came after a bold decision to turn down the opportunity of a penalty goal.

Members of the winning team proudly hold the Mike Hibbert Trophy

Cricket Alex Phillips, our professional cricket coach, leaves us this season to take up a career in teaching Mathematics. He is currently completing his PGCE at Loughborough University. We thank him for his expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm and wish him the best of luck for the future.

This season we welcome our new coach, Nick James. Nick currently works as a coach at Complete Cricket whist also playing for Berkswell CC in the Birmingham Premier Cricket League.

Nick started playing cricket at the age of 9 for Aldridge Cricket Club before being selected for Staffordshire (U11 and U12). Educated at King Edward’s School VI Aston, Nick moved counties to Warwickshire and represented them from U13 to U19 level. As captain, his side won the U17 County Championship and during that season Nick scored the most runs in the county for that age group. Nick signed his first professional contract at 18 years old with Warwickshire, before leaving at the age of 22 to play for Glamorgan. It was at Glamorgan where he reached the 40 Over Final at Lords, narrowly losing to a strong Nottinghamshire side. Nick has also represented England U19s.

Nick James’s Career Highlights Teammates: Dale Steyn, Ian Bell, Kumar Sangakkara and Stuart Broad

Representative success Bablake 1st XV captain, Bradley Pinkham, should be congratulated on his selection to the England Lambs Representative team. The team is selected from some of the strongest rugby playing independent schools in the country. Harry Garforth should also be congratulated on his selection for this year’s Midlands U16 squad. We wish him all the very best in his bid to reach the England U16 squad during the rest of the season. However Bablake success does not stop here, with Daniel Smith and James Judge selected for Warwickshire U15s and Liam Duggan and Rory Meechan for the U14s. Together with Oliver Brindley, these boys have also been invited to train with Worcester Warriors.

Opposition: Kevin Pieterson, Alastair Cook and Stephen Fleming Career highlight: Professional contract with Warwickshire.

Batting Highlight: Scoring 60* against West Indies A Personal Highlight: Playing in the only ever day/ night County Championship match in England Highest score: 234 v. Hampshire 2nd XI Best bowling: 6-51 v. Gloucestershire Cricket coach Nick James

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Tours: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, Malaysia and South Africa

Bablake Sport

and determined in her academic studies and sport.

We are delighted that her dedication and hard work have seen her reap the rewards she deserves and we wish her all the best for the future.

Girls’ sport

Swimming Gala

U13 Hockey team

Hockey The U18 indoor hockey team took the Warwickshire indoor trophy after beating King’s High 6-3. The girls then went on to the Midlands round at Malvern College. The standard was very high, but the girls improved throughout the day and enjoyed the experience.

In the Bablake U12 & U13 invitation tournaments, Bablake finished winners and runners-up respectively. These teams have progressed with their game play and are looking forward to their Warwickshire tournaments.

Sometimes satisfaction comes not from winning, but recognising improvement. We have had a number of matches against strong King’s High opposition and it is encouraging to see that we are closing the gap. Recent performances have been very good from Bablake with the 1st XI losing 3-5, the U16s losing 2-3, a 1-1 draw for the U15 team and a 2-1 win by the 2nd XI.

Badminton Bablake entered teams into the U14 & U16 Coventry Schools badminton competition. After a tough day of competing they were crowned winners of both categories. The girls will now go on to the Warwickshire tournament.

U19 Netball team

Netball Since the last report, the U14s and U15s have had their Coventry Schools tournaments. The U14 A team topped the board, winning all their games to bring back the trophy and the U14 B team finished runners up to King Henry VIII. The U15 A team, despite some very tall opposition, battled on to win the last two of their five games to finish fourth and the U15 B team played well and took second place.

Having won the Coventry Schools netball tournament, the U19 team went through to the Coventry/Solihull/Warwickshire round. The girls played at a high tempo and demonstrated excellent skills and tactical awareness. They went on to win the tournament and are looking forward to competing in the West Midlands round.

The other age groups have continued to train well and have been rewarded with some good results.

The U16 A & B teams were delighted with their victories over King’s Worcester and the U16 A team turned an 8-16 loss from last term into an impressive 22-8 win this term over King Henry VIII. The U13 A netball team has had an excellent season so far, winning 11 and drawing one of 16 matches to date. The results include some outstanding performances during January, beating Princethorpe 30-3 and winning 26-3 against King’s Worcester. It is pleasing to see the numbers attending U12 training have increased and the girls are working well and adapting to changes within the teams with maturity. Bablake U12 A, B, C &

Bablake claimed a narrow victory at the annual King Henry VIII versus Bablake swimming gala. This was largely thanks to a magnificent performance from the Second Year girls (Jasmine Marajh, Hattie Morris, Georgia White and Sophie Arora), who came first in every individual race. There was also an exceptional Shell performance from Livia Turnock, who came first in the 50 metre back crawl.

Holly Payne

D teams all beat Princethorpe in a recent Friday afternoon fixture. Both the U13s and U12s are hoping to finish off the season with success in the Coventry Schools Tournament.

Holly Payne Former pupil Holly Payne was selected to play hockey for Great Britain in Valencia in February and here she tells us about the experience.

"Playing against Spain in Valencia was a fantastic experience. I was extremely proud and honoured to receive my first and second senior GB cap whilst out there. I was very nervous before my first game, especially after speaking to some of the more senior players in the team, who told me to relish the opportunity. I felt so privileged to be playing alongside women who had been my role models for years. I learnt a lot from the trip, especially tactically, seeing how different nations play. I am now looking forward to my next challenge in games against Ireland and Chile in March."

Holly trains three times a week at Bisham Abbey and continues to study for her PhD at Birmingham University. She also plays for Leicester Ladies 1st XI. Holly has always been very focused

Cross Country Interviews “I have been running since the age of 10 and now run for Coventry Godiva Harriers, participating for them in the Regional Sutton Park Relays this year. In school competitions I have finished first and won individual gold medals in the Coventry City Championships and the Coventry League Championship. In both of these competitions I was also part of the gold medal winning team. I finished first in the West Midlands Championship and went on to compete in the inter-county race, finishing third.”

Emma Allroggen (Shell L) “I have been running since I was 8 years old and now run for Coventry Godiva Harriers, recently competing in the West Midland and Regional Sutton Park Relays. This year I finished 11th in the West Midland cross-country league competition and 5th in the West Midlands Bi-Athlon, heading to London to compete in the National Bi-Athlon Championships, where I finished 20th.

In school, I have won individual silver medals in the Coventry City Championships and the Coventry League Championship and I was part of the gold medal winning team in both competitions. I finished 2nd in the West Midland Championships and went on to represent the West Midlands at the intercounty event.”

Freya Bennett (Shell G) “I have been running since the age of 11 and am a member of Coventry Godiva Harriers Athletic Club.

I recently finished 6th in the Warwickshire Club Championship and in school competitions, I have finished first and won individual gold medals in the Coventry City Championships and the Coventry League Championship. I finished 9th in the West Midlands Schools Championships and went on to represent them at the inter-county event, where I finished 17th. I also finished first in the U16 invitation race held recently at Shipston High School.”

Olivia Kelly (4M) Bablake School

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Bablake Update

Diary dates Headmaster’s notes

Wednesday 22 April Summer Term begins Tuesday 28 April General Election Debate Theatre 7.00pm Monday 4 May Bank Holiday – School closed Friday 22 May Expedition Day Monday 25 – Friday 29 May Half Term Wednesday 17 June New Shell Parents’ Evening 7.00pm Thursday 18 June New Shells’ Afternoon 2.00pm Art & Design Technology Exhibition Main Hall 5.00 – 7.00pm Friday 19 June Open Evening 5.00pm – 8.00pm Tuesday 23 June Leavers’ Concert Theatre 1.00pm – 2.00pm Thursday 25 & Friday 26 June Junior Drama Production Zigger Zagger Theatre 7.00 pm

The first half of the Spring Term always has its fair share of challenges! Our top three year groups have all faced mocks, and this should give them a good idea of what they need to achieve in preparation for their rapidly approaching exams.

The dark mornings and short days perhaps make us a little less eager to spring out of bed, although we have enjoyed some lovely sunshine. We have so far been spared heavy snowfall, but the mild weather has meant that germs have tended to linger longer than usual!

None of this has prevented the cheerful and energetic endeavour – both individual and collective – which fills these pages. Our sports teams have fortunately suffered few cancellations, and the U12D rugby team remains unbeaten, with a recent game drawn at 105-105! Many pupils are planning their Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, and regularly performing voluntary work for their ‘service’ section; charity fundraising also continues unabated, with just over £8,000 raised last term.

The half-term CCF camp was well attended and enjoyed by all who participated. A team of young geographers pitted their wits against older pupils from other schools in a Geographical Association quiz, and were one of a handful of teams nationally to win a weekend’s field course. The houses are preparing their campaigns for the General Election debating competition, and our musicians are warming up for the Easter concert.

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The Lion Spring 2015

A highlight this term has undoubtedly been the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who came to hear about some of our work on peace and reconciliation within and beyond our school community, and to meet other faith leaders from around the city. In a world currently riven by differences, we are determined to celebrate diversity and to gain a better understanding of how we can enrich the lives of others. Our International Evening in March will be a focus for this.

Spring and new life will soon be all around us, and, even when faced with winter challenges, we should be encouraged to maintain a positive and optimistic approach to all our undertakings.

Much will undoubtedly have been achieved in successful lessons by the time Easter is here, and pupils’ many activities outside the classroom also form such an important aspect of an education for life.

Staff news We welcome: Mrs Lynne Stinton: Afternoon Receptionist, to replace Mrs Amanda Grey, who left at Christmas.

Mrs Cathy Shields: Part-time Food and Technology Technician, to replace Mrs Caroline Buggea, who left at Christmas.

Paul McCarthy: Assistant Caretaker, to replace Dave Mackey, who has moved to Bablake Prepreparatory School.

Saturday 27 June Junior Drama Production Zigger Zagger Theatre 3.00pm Friday 3 July Sports Day The Pingles, Nuneaton 9.00am – 3.00pm Wednesday 8 July Summer Term ends 12.00 noon

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