Bancrofts Insight Autumn 2021

AUTUMN 2021

What’s Inside

the Bancroft’s newsletter

First Term At Bancroft’s

2 Performing Arts 7 Sport 10 Co-Curricular 12 Prep News 20

Insight

F I R S T T E R M AT B A N C R O F T ’ S

First Term at Bancroft’s Back in September we welcomed 139 pupils into the Thirds.

Some were rather nervous and hung back a little, others brimmed with confidence and skipped into Bancroft’s. They have had a busy term and are proving themselves to be an enthusiastic year group, ready to get involved in everything school has to offer them. They enjoyed a residential trip to Hindleap Warren, threw themselves into Harry Potter Week, took to the stage in Inter House Performing Arts and showed their competitive sides in Inter House Sports.

We asked them to write letters about their experiences so far which have been sent to some Old Bancroftians along with Christmas Cards. Their favourite adjectives seem to be “incredible,” “amazing” and “super”. We would like to share some of their comments about life at Bancroft’s. One new Third seemed to sum it up, “When I first went to Bancroft’s I was nervous and scared but at the same time excited and happy.”

After just one term, the same Third wrote, “I have settled in and I’m much more comfortable; being at the school. I have made so many friends and I’m so lucky I get to go here.”. Another shared their initial fears, “At first I was extremely worried about finding my way around. The school is very intimidating at first. It is a bit like a labyrinth.” Friendships are as important as lessons: “I look forward to going to school, mainly to see my friends but I quite like the atmosphere itself.The building makes me feel royal!”

The Hindleap Warren residential came top of their memorable moments, “We did many activities such as team building, climbing and my favourite was the leap of faith where you climbed up a pole and jumped up, but you were attached to a harness.” Lots of memories were made: “We did team building activities, made tents, roasted marshmallows over a campfire an went on a midnight walk.” Being away from home presented opportunities for new activities, not all of which were on the official programme, “It was really fun. We had a midnight feast. …….The teachers came in multiple times. I kept on trying get back to sleep but it was impossible.”

Before half term they enjoyed Harry Potter Week when “we dressed up in costumes and did fun activities such as Herbology and Quidditch and other Harry Potter themed things. The teachers dressed up.” “Throughout the week we competed lots of challenges and on the final day we all dressed up as Harry Potter characters. I was Professor McGonagall, I even put baby powder in my hair to make it grey.”

Co-Curricular activities got a shout out too, “There are a whole array of clubs and activities to join in at school ranging from Maths and Biotech Club to Trampolining.” While another pupil commented, “I’ve also gone to many fun clubs such as Art Club, Drama Club, Netball Club.” Another Third wrote, “I participate in many clubs as all of them are really enjoyable and you can make a lot of new friends.”

In between the fun they even get to go to some lessons, which they view (mostly) favourably. “The best subjects I like are art and maths. I like art because I can draw whatever I feel and whenever I want. I like maths because, well, I am just good at it.” and “My favourite subject is drama as I love acting. The possibilities are endless and you can act any character you like.”

“I really like history because I get to find out about the people before me and what they were like.” Lots of them mentioned their enrichment lessons: “In enrichment you learn about what it means to have power and other questions like that, It’s

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Cover artwork by: Jasmin Claydon, U6W

F I R S T T E R M AT B A N C R O F T ’ S

quite fun. Since we started this new subject I’ve learnt about humanity.” We plan to stretch our pupils too and make them think and we seem to be getting the balance right according to one Third, “The teachers are also really nice but the lessons can be quite challenging along with the tests, but it is still really fun.”

Homework isn’t too popular; one complained, “I always get too much homework. I never even get time to play with my puppy.”

Despite this, the author of this letter continued, “But I still really enjoy the lessons though.”

Most of them seem to like the lunches: “My favourites part so far is probably the lunches which are always brilliant!”

“The lunches are really good. There are also lots of options, but the queue can be really long but it is definitely worth the wait because the food is great.” Of course, you can’t please everyone: “Now we only get chips once every two weeks.”

It’s great to hear that the first term for our Thirds has been so successful and to share their insights with you.

Harry Potter Week Thank you so much to our library team headed by Mrs Squire for organising Harry Potter Week for our Thirds. It was great to see the pupils throwing themselves with such enthusiasm into the lunchtime and after school events and winning points for the various trophies.

Every morning they were keen to complete the tutor group quizzes and puzzles and lunchtime saw them debate Severus Snape’s fate with eloquence, rush around the sports hall on broomsticks for Quidditch, display a detailed knowledge of Harry Potter for Mastermind and make magical potions. The week even extended into the curriculum, for example DT was given over to designing and making their own magic wands. The Hogwarts inspired activities, proved a fitting end to their first half term at Bancroft’s. We saw a fantastic response from the year group with over half our Thirds taking part in after school treasure hunts and herbology sessions.

On the final day, everyone got a chance to dress up in Harry Potter costumes: we saw some fantastically inventive costumes this year, not least from the tutors and Junior House Staff! Following the disappointment of last year’s cancelled visit, Eden Falconry were able to visit us with their owls. The Removes joined the Thirds in learning all about these magnificent creatures and watching them fly around the Great Hall.

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AC A D E M I C

Maths Congratulations to our senior female mathematicians for a superb performance in the Mathematical Olympiad for Girls (MOG).

We usually only have two or three pupils sit the MOG but this year we had ten, with five gaining Merits and five Distinctions. Akhila N, Ananya V, Anika V, Pari J and Ritika C received Distinctions and Maha D, Shanuga R, Lamees R, Avneet S and Yasmin E all got Merits.

Mr Taylor, Head of Maths, said “This is an incredible result, and a special congratulations goes to Akhila N who received a BMO1 invite and is in the top 50 scores in the country (estimated).”

Modern Foreign Language Leaders Lottie Gillet, L6E

It was quite daunting joining the MFL Leadership Programme however we saw it as a great opportunity to expand our skill set and get out of our comfort zone. In the weeks running up to the lesson we were to teach in the Prep, Sophia and I, with the help of Mrs Whalley, began planning and practising our Russian lesson for the Prep 1s. Because Russian has a different alphabet, it was very important that we made the lesson engaging and entertaining in order to ensure that the pupils felt confident.

We began the lesson by introducing ourselves and teaching the Prep 1s how to say “my name is” and in return they asked their partner what their name was. After an impressive start

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we began learning vowels and putting these into Mrs Whalley’s famous version of “Old MacDonald (Ivanov) had a farm”, this created lots of laughs. The Prep 1s then had the opportunity to write their names in Russian, and, with a bit of help from Sophia and me, everyone managed to write their name successfully in Russian. In a 30-minute lesson, the Prep 1s, who had never learnt any Russian before, were able to introduce themselves, greet each other, read vowels and consonants and write their name in Russian. Overall, the lesson was hugely successful and enjoyable for both us and the fantastic Prep 1 class. We learnt so much about time management, planning, collaboration and reflection and we are grateful to Mrs Whalley for the time she has devoted to this.

AC A D E M I C

European Breakfast In September, Mrs Whalley organised some tutor quizzes to mark the European Day of Languages.

The wining tutor groups from each year group claimed their prize: an invitation to enjoy a European style breakfast. Croissants, pain aux chocolat and crepes all proved to be very popular options. It seems, however, that Bancroftians are not quite ready to embrace cheese and ham for breakfast. Thanks to our catering team for helping to make this possible.

Geography Miss Grace McIlfatrick, Geography Teacher The geography department offers diverse opportunities to broaden all pupils’ perspectives: field trips, geography societies, outreach programmes and ant colonies! Geography is a vibrant department of six teachers with recent additions of Ms Reed, Miss Mcilfatrick and Mr Harrison Our geography field-based trips continue to give our pupils exciting and enriching experiences beyond the classroom. Fieldwork is a vital element of the GCSE and A-Level courses; pupils are expected to write about all types of fieldwork and apply their understanding from the fieldtrips. Being armed with as many experiences as possible will allow pupils to reflect on these in the examination and introduce real life examples.

The Fifth Form have already been to Stratford and the Epping Forest Field Centre and the pictures show them measuring the velocity, the river cliffs and river beaches to identify what section of the river they were in. The Upper Sixth have had fieldtrips to Stratford and Walton; in the new year the Lower Fourth are visiting Kew Gardens.

Meanwhile Junior Geography Societies have established ant colonies, grown hydroponics and the members of the Senior Society have given talks in the Prep School and plan to teach at local primary schools.

As the year progresses more opportunities will become available as COVID restrictions lift around the world. We look forward to returning to our healthy array of local and international trips in the not too distant future. Indeed, in the new term the department hopes to release another exciting opportunity to an outdoor activity centre in the north of Scotland where pupils will have the chance to muscle into gorges, kayak in Loch Ness and visit Inverness.

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AC A D E M I C

U6 Additional Studies Law Trip

Lawrence Lee, U6N

Our additional studies law class was fortunate enough to visit Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday 17 November; this was particularly exciting as the Crown Court deals with more serious criminal cases. We first met the court clerk and usher who welcomed us and explained how the courtroom worked alongside the recent impacts of COVID. They then introduced us to the Resident Judge – one of the highest-ranking positions – Judge Zeidman QC. He spoke to us about his journey to becoming a Resident Judge and answered any law-related questions. His Honour then questioned us on the Theft Act 1968 by applying it to different scenarios, such as if it would be considered stealing if you were taking an item that you did not intend to pay for out of a supermarket but have not physically left the store yet (it would be).

Watching the trials was by far the most novel and interesting part of the day. The first involved a woman who was convicted of witness intimidation in another case that involved her brother. This was a serious crime as it interferes with the fair justice system, yet the sentencing was delayed due to personal circumstances involving her young children. The second trial involved the sentencing of a man for theft after he missed three years’ worth of repayments on a company van due complications

caused by Brexit and the pandemic to his own business.

Fortunately, he did not receive a prison sentence, although the permanent criminal record along with 40 hours of unpaid community service and some £3500 worth of debt because of unfortunate circumstances made us all sympathise with him.

After judicating the two trials, His Honour returned and discussed our thoughts about them. The judge then recounted one of the more horrific cases he encountered involving a woman who was frequently abused by her boyfriend. She had falsely accused a stranger who was concerned about her bruises, resulting in a four-week custody and broken marriage. We then had to give our own arguments on whether she deserved a prison sentence. Zaynah had to act as the defence lawyer on the stand towards the judge, and I sat on the judge’s seat and wore the wig while His Honour gave an example of a possible defence.

In the end, the woman did get a four-week sentence.

Overall, it was an extremely memorable day for us all as it provided a real insight to how the court system works and affects people’s lives, whilst applying and reinforcing our understanding of law as a subject.

Removes’ Engineering Day Our Removes spent a day off timetable to have a practical and fun introduction to engineering. Following a session explaining what an engineer does and also a look on how bridges are constructed, they were all given a design task.

In tutor groups they were provided with a limited amount of construction materials and tools and asked to work in small groups to design and then produce two suspension bridges and two examples of a truss bridge for each tutor group.

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Having spent time carefully planning and then constructing their bridges, the Removes then watched as their creations were destroyed: sometimes in seconds! The bridges were taken to the Hall where Mr Pollock and Mr Smith systematically put them to the test. They hung weights from the bridges, to test how strong they were, slowly adding more weight until the point of collapse. The winning bridge, from North House, was able to take an impressive weight of 35kg. The team had made their bridge using hot glue and thin strips of wood, a method which clearly worked. Well done to North House. Thank you to all the staff who worked with the Removes during the day and especially to Mr Fernandez in the DT Department who had prepared all the construction materials.

PERFORMING ARTS

Music Mrs Julia Whitbread, Director of Music

Our Music Award Holders’ Concert took place in September. It was the greatest pleasure to welcome parents, staff and pupils to our first post-pandemic live concert at Bancroft’s. The evening, of course, did not disappoint with everyone playing or singing their best, Being able to respond to a live and enthusiastic audience meant a great deal to the pupils. There was a whole range of instruments from drum kit to French horn, and the repertoire also certainly extended their already superlative skills with some cool jazz, laid back pop and fireworks from Chopin and Liszt.

In December, the Bancroft’s Singers headed off to entertain the elderly residents of the Drapers’ Almshouses in Bruce Grove, Tottenham. This year, rather than perform inside in the chapel, the Singers took up their places on the green outside the Almshouses.

Many of the residents popped out of their houses to show their appreciation. They also had taken a little goodie bag of festive cheer for each resident, which included a Christmas pudding, mince pies and a mini bottle of fizz.

We held our first Rush Hour Concert in The Stave on Monday 21 November. The event had a lovely relaxed atmosphere with several of our performers playing in front of their peers and staff, some of them performing to an audience for the first time. Thank you and well done to all of those who took part, and to Mrs Whitbread for organising.

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PERFORMING ARTS

Christmas in the Quad!

Matthew Pinto, 5E With the wind-down for Christmas fast approaching, life got busier for us in the music department. “Christmas in the Quad, Parts One and Two” took place in the Quad marquee during the evenings of the 13 and 14 December.

I think all would agree that, although it wasn’t what we had planned, it was a lovely experience and wasn’t as cold as we thought it would be! With a wide variety of ensembles and choirs performing over the two evenings, there was a wonderful array of musical talent to be heard. From the Thirds’ Choir and Bancroft’s Barbers on one evening to the Bancroft’s Sinfonia and Singers, on the next, we heard the very best of what the whole school has to offer.

My thanks to all my fellow performers, soloists, the amazing staff who helped set everything up and keep everything running, and, of course, the music staff.

They worked tirelessly and it was fantastic to see everything come together and see the audience enjoying themselves (and the lovely food) on what I had worried would be two cold, damp evenings.

Drumline Club Zita and Atronna, 3S Drumline is a particularly good club where you learn how to play several types of instruments such as: the snare drums, the bass drum and the cymbals. All Thirds, Removes and Lower Fourths had an introductory Drumline session in which they got to try out the instruments and work together on rhythms.

Drumming helps with coordination and ability to focus on what you are playing. It also helps with understanding the beat of music

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and keeping in time with it. It has been a wonderful experience and it can help if you are playing other instruments as well. The Drumline Club is incredibly fun, and we really enjoyed learning how to play the drums. We hope the club is run next term!

A footnote from Mrs Whitbread: “The good news is that the club will be continuing and we look forward to hearing your first performance in March at the evening of percussion!”

PERFORMING ARTS

Fifth Form Musical: Into the Woods Ms E Middleton, Head of Drama In November twenty members of the Fifth Form together with conductor Matthew P, also from the Fifth Form, put on a production of Sondheim’s Into the Woods, Jr. With only six weeks to rehearse and extremely complex music, the show brought joy to all who saw it.

Particular highlights included Matthew J ‘s Giants in the Sky, Agony from the two princes, Alex N and Olly H, and the considerable emotional range of Jack (and the Beanstalk’s) cow, Milky White, ably puppeteered by Bunty S. A wide number of fairytales were drawn together through the narration from Yonni L. It was a fantastic production marking a very welcome return to live theatre at Bancroft’s.

On the final night, pupils from all year groups joined together to raise money for The Chickenshed, a local inclusive theatre, singing songs from a variety of musicals, such as When I Grow Up from Matilda and Empty Chairs at Empty Tables from Les Miserables. A brilliant time was had by all!

Inter House Performing Arts Marisol Rojas, U6N Let me start by saying North won best overall performance: Go North House! After so much hard work, last-minute efforts and difficult competition I was so proud of our team, especially since this is the first year ever of Inter House Performance Arts.

Instead of separate Inter House drama, choir, music and spoken English competitions, this year all four houses were asked to combine them all together, adding a dance section, to create a 30-minute production to celebrate all our talents.

From the beginning, North House wanted our piece to be cohesive, and so decided on a Halloween theme which set us apart from the competition. With the help of Jasmine R and Isha E, we created a script following the untold story of Matilda who lied and got away with it which connected each dance

and monologue. As for music, Becky W won us best choir with her mashup of Lovely by Billie Eilish and Creep by Radio Head and Tom J led the ensemble with a fabulous solo by Aarav S on the piano and Lily DW on the harp. Sasha B and Mia M choreographed and took part in the group dance to the classic Thriller by Michael Jackson. And our best newcomer Denitsa C elegantly waltzed through her dance solo.

As I’m usually the one on stage, running and organising the event was incredibly challenging. However, it totally made me appreciate everything directors and our teachers do to put on a production. Once again thank you to the amazingly talented cast for taking part and being the best, first and last Inter House Performance Arts I’ve been involved in! I hope you carry on the North House legacy next year.

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SPORT

Sport Mrs J Fryer-Green, Head of Department Participation in sport has been huge this term. The co-curricular programme is busier than ever and some activities have been attracting up to sixty pupils! Over forty sports clubs have run every week and it is fantastic to see these so well supported. The sports calendar has been pretty full this term with training and fixtures for a vast range of teams.

New to the list was Bancrofts entering four teams in the East London Table Tennis Championships with the U19A team qualifying for the London Finals in January.

The indoor athletics season continued with our Remove girls being our flagship team producing some fine individual performance at Lee Valley.

There were some promising performances from the U14, U16 and U19 netball teams who competed at the Borough and County Rounds of the National Schools Netball Cup earlier in the term.

The U19s and U14s came first in the Borough Round and the U16s were placed second which meant all three teams went through to the County Round in October. The U19s and U14s qualified for the Regional Round which will be held at Rainham School for Girls on Sunday 30 January. This is a huge achievement and testament to the outstanding abilities of our athletes.

Participation in hockey has been massive this term. High numbers at training have made sure excellent progress has been made

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and some great wins have been secured along the way. Both U18 and U14 girls teams qualified for Regional Championships having come second in the County Championships. We have also England Hockey Indoor competitions with both the U16 boys and girls qualifying for London League Regional Finals. With limited training time, the large amount of the success has come from the pupils’ true grit and determination to win.

Our Thirds, Removes and Lower Fourths all took part in the Inter House Forest Run (aka Cross Country) during a particularly cold week during which the frozen ground gave way to very muddy conditions. It was also good to welcome the return of Inter House Hockey and Rugby. Well done all those who took part and won house colours for their efforts.

We are looking forward to offering lots more exciting sporting opportunities to our community in 2022 both through the curriculum and outside of lessons.

SPORT

Open Water Swimming at Luxborough Lake Mrs Susan Cheshire, Swimming Coach Luxborough Lake runs alongside the River Roding on the border between Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell. This beautiful lake has remained closed to the public for over twenty years and opened in summer 2021. For those of you who know the area well, the Lake is a quarry left over from the building of the M11 motorway; there is still a digger 86 feet down at the bottom!

As a keen open water swimmer I took the Bancroft’s swimmers on their first open water adventure with SwimTrek to Montenegro in 2019. Having an open water facility so close to school was an opportunity that I was keen to be involved with and I joined the coaching team every Wednesday to offer coaching to juniors and adults and encouraged the Bancroft’s swimmers to ‘give it a go’. Over twelve Bancroft’s swimmers swam regularly and a few parents and teachers too. In their own words these are the experiences of some of our swimmers.

“Open water swimming at Luxborough Lake has taught me so much about swimming, but also about myself. I was scared of deep water before I started swimming here and after two or

three sessions that fear had completely gone. It showed me that throwing yourself at something is one of the best ways to conquer something. The level of swimming in the junior section also pushed me to become a much better swimmer because there were national level open water swimmers training. It pushed me outside my comfort zone, which was one of the main aspects I liked. Training here during the summer was one of my highlights”.

Thomas L6 “At first, I was a little nervous, wondering what it would be like, how cold it would be and what we would be doing. We went in and were told to fill our wetsuits with water and dunk our heads under to warm us up. We swam out about 25 metres getting used to swimming in a lake rather than a pool. Throughout the summer we swam further getting more confident and practised swimming around the buoys on the lake. The coaches were enthusiastic and encouraging, making it very enjoyable. By the end of the summer, we could swim round the whole lake, and I felt confident and happy with what I had achieved.” Martha, Removes “I really enjoyed open water swimming, because it was completely different to being in the pool. Now that I have had this experience, when I swim normally I feel confined and much lighter, because wetsuits are heavy! When I went for the first time, it was quite scary as I wasn’t able to see through the water. When I get out of the water, I always feel good about myself for going and enduring the cold. One of my favourite things about it is that sometimes you get to see the sunset and enjoy nature while swimming!” Esha, Removes “Open water swimming was one of the highlights of my holiday (even though it could be very cold!). We had great instructors and did lots of drills to help us get used to the water. I know what you’re thinking, “Did they really go swimming in a lake with massive fish in it?” Yes. My kickboxing instructor told me that one of her friends fished there and said, “There are massive carp in there... Are you sure it’s safe for the children to be swimming?” Nell, Prep 2 BeEndurance organises the swimming at the lake and have continued on a Saturday morning for winter swimmers. Wednesday evening coaching will resume again in the Late Spring 2022.

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CO-CURRICULAR

DofE Award Silver Expedition Marisol Rojas, U6N When people said that the Duke of Edinburgh Award was hard, they were not lying.

However, I must say, even for someone who was walking at the back of the group, I really enjoyed it. I had been nervous about the expedition for a while but it hadn’t hit me until we crossed the bridge into Wales, especially since I had never visited before. The trees were tall, as were the mountains and there were lots of furry friends to be made.

We got off of the bus at Pendarren House, surrounded by Sugarloaf and the Black Mountains we would climb the next few days. Getting kit organised and taking the scenery in, we entertained ourselves with the facilities at Pendarren House such as ping pong, the swings and table football. After lunch we met our friendly assessors who gave us their advice on map reading, getting lost (which we definitely needed) and taught us some Welsh.

Walking and sometimes climbing up high in the wind was tough but when we got a chance to stop and enjoy the view it was an incredible experience. My favourite part was finally getting to camp and relieving the pain on my shoulders and knees. Drinking hot chocolate and chatting round the trangias is the ultimate camping experience. On the second night we were lucky enough to watch (and meet) some puppies being trained to be sheepdogs as we stayed in a camp next to a farm. It totally lifted our spirits up.

On the last stretch of our expedition we walked through the town of Abergavenny which seemed so vibrant after being quite isolated for the past few days. We relaxed, got a milkshake and debriefed and thanked our assessors for having our backs on the expedition.

To be honest I still cannot believe I did it; it was a massive achievement. Some crazy things happened like one of my teammates falling waist-deep into mud, getting lost and sliding down a hill but these are things I look will back at, laugh at and will remember forever.

DofE from the Other Side

Charlotte Rogers, OB (2007-2018)

This past summer, I was lucky enough to return to Bancroft’s as a helper on the Silver DofE Expedition in the Black Mountains.

When I was a pupil, the Duke of Edinburgh award had been one of my favourite co-curriculum activities and I have many great memories of my expeditions. I undertook my Gold Expedition in October 2017 and received my award at St James’ Palace in February 2019 (see picture with other Bancroftians).

On the first day of this expedition, it felt extremely odd boarding the coach as staff rather than as a participant. For starters, I did not have with me a massive rucksack stuffed with all my snacks, boil in the bag meals and a tent! This was a definite bonus of attending DofE on the other side; the other bonuses included, of course, sleeping in a proper bed and the luxury of showers as well as eating meals that were not cooked over a trangia.

It felt rather surreal hiking similar paths to those which I had walked five years before; however, it was interesting to see how much the landscape had changed, or had not in the case of Cwm Farm and Tyr Mawr. Seeing DofE from this perspective was fascinating: from the careful coordination of the minibuses to being unable to locate groups on the mountainside. All members of staff worked tirelessly over the course of the expedition to ensure that everything ran smoothly, a task that seemed extremely daunting, especially when 12

one considers that this was the first residential expedition since COVID. Despite a slightly rocky start to the expedition, with a couple of pupils not arriving to take part, as well as the coach leaving Arram behind at school (don’t worry, he was able to travel with Mr Argyle), it was a very successful expedition with the good weather definitely helping.

As a student, I do not think I properly recognised how much work Mr Argyle and the other members of staff put in to make sure the expeditions are successful. All staff voluntarily give up days of their holidays to supervise the participants and walk the routes, and for this I think they deserve proper appreciation! I hope all current and future pupils undertaking their awards fully appreciate the members of staff, as well as enjoying DofE as much as I did back in 2014-2018.

CO-CURRICULAR

Sea Scouts

Mr Matthew Balchin, Scout Section Leader, 4th EFS It was with some trepidation mixed with a lot of excitement that the 4th EFS Bancroft’s Scouts headed off to the New Forest at the start of the summer holidays on what would be our largest camp to date. Such was the demand to get outdoors after being so long locked down that we needed a second campsite to accommodate all the scouts, many of whom were attending their first ever camp or even their first overnight stay away from home. Having worried about availability, constantly evolving COVID rules, quarantines and availability, eerily on several nights we were the only group camped on a very large site in the heart of the New Forest.

We set off for a week of off-road cycling, building bridges and aerial runways, go-carting, hiking, night-time hiking, working with axes and throwing axes, shelter building, gutting and cooking fish, various team and leadership challenges and, of course, toasting marshmallows by the bucketload. We were mostly lucky with the weather, getting a chance to swim and play baseball on the beach before storm-lashing all the tents for one of the biggest storms we have seen on the night before our return. Camp fire featured traditional songs accompanied by a host of renditions of various 80s, 90s and more recent hits, directed by some of our newlyadult leaders and unrestrained by the normal campsite noise etiquette required when you aren’t the only group in the middle of the forest.

Later in the summer, the scouts were finally able to go sailing again with some full days on the water at our home base at Fairlop Waters. We were able to continue sailing sessions during the autumn half term when we ran some combined volunteering and sailing sessions During these sessions, the scouts worked together with other young Redbridge sailors and scouts to help build two new fleets of boats and to move boats and equipment around the site to make room for them. In the afternoon they got to put the new boats to the test. Sailing was not for the

faint-hearted as the winds tested and stretched the scouts’ skills and kept our safety boat teams on their toes as the scouts tried out the new boats in unfamiliar and very high winds.

In the new term, while the days were still light and warm enough, our senior year successfully completed their Chief Scout Gold Award expedition in Epping Forest. The scouts walked a total of 20km over two days, camping out unassisted, carrying their tents, food and cooking apparatus on their backs. Denied of the advantage of GPS technology but armed with compasses, their own route plans and maps and, for the first time, digital maps, the two groups managed without too many extra loops to make their way to the overnight campsite and back in good spirits. Their efficiency in making and breaking camp and in food preparation was impressive. Less impressive was the group that somehow managed to re-magnetise their compass to point south although by looking at the map and comparing with the second team, they were able to figure out the problem.

In the autumn term we welcome those new joiners to the group who had not been with us as cubs. This year, despite increasing our capacity, we have not been able to take on all who wanted to join. Thankfully other local groups have been able to offer them places. As usual, we got to know our new and existing scouts as they plotted against each other and against the leaders at Lazerquest where the leaders attracted far more than their fair share of ‘hits’. Being able to use the pool again we have been catching up on our swimming activities. We have also been practising our first aid skills, including CPR, the recovery position, dealing with various injuries and, most importantly, hypothermia.

The scouts presented themselves smartly and respectfully for the Remembrance Sunday, joining the CCF in our annual act of remembrance.

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CO-CURRICULAR

Autumn Term for the CCF

RSM Manon Senthilnathan, U6E

This has been quite an eventful term for the CCF at Bancroft’s.

We kicked off the year by developing the new recruits’ rifle handling and fieldcraft skills. A few weeks later, the Upper Sixth and Lower Fourths headed down to the Copped Hall Estate, Epping Forest, for our field weekend. The weekend started off with the recruits being split into four groups led by NCOs in the U6. The groups then took part in exciting activities such as a section attack and the sniper stalk. The firm favourite among the recruits was the laser tag, which gave them the opportunities to put the skills they had been developing into practice. On the Monday, the rest of the Army Section headed to Harlow Outdoors Centre, where they enjoyed a day stocked with fun outdoor activities, such as climbing, mountain biking and canoeing. The RAF section travelled to London and participated in a walking tour of important RAF sites in the city.

They toured Parliament Square, and sites relevant to the Battle of Britain such as the St Clement Danes Church.

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More recently, we were honoured to commemorate the end of the First World War during our annual Remembrance Day parade. This year, due to COVID, the service was held entirely in the Quad and was no less moving for it. The service started with a few words from Reverend Moore, followed by the laying of the wreaths - which I found particularly moving - as we celebrated the lives of the soldiers who passed away in the War, especially the ones who attended this school. This was then followed by some touching readings by the Scouts, CSM Charlie H, and Reverend Moore. The Last Post and Reveille were then played beautifully by Tom J as all on parade stood silently for two minutes. The parade concluded with the CCF and Scouts marching out of the Quad.

It is my hope that in our own small way, Bancroft’s was able to give proper testament to the millions who gave their lives in the First World War and in conflicts since.

CO-CURRICULAR

PsychSoc Ellie Joyce, L6S This year Miss Stone and Mrs Nadasan-Mead have introduced PsychSoc as a society for the Lower and Upper Sixth. This has been very popular for those of us who are interested in sociology and psychology and has given us the opportunity to further enrich our knowledge and interest in these topics.

Psychology and sociology are two subjects which many members of the Sixth Form, including myself, want to pursue at university, however, Bancroft’s does not offer either of them as a subject. This society, therefore, will not only give us an opportunity to learn some of the AS-Level content we would otherwise be learning and discussing, but also give us the potential to take the AS-Level itself at the end of the two years which would benefit those who wish to study either sociology or psychology massively.

The content itself covered in this society has been very engaging, we alternate between sociology taught by Miss Stone and psychology taught by Mrs Nadasan–Mead. This term we have discussed different social groups as well as cultures and their influences on society from pop culture to folk culture.

Sociology so far has been very relevant, discussing topics such as Love Island, Squid Game and body image. The other side of PsychSoc is psychology which I am already very interested in

and will likely go on to study at university. So far in psychology we have investigated different levels of conformity within society and why we are so likely to conform as individuals. We covered different psychology experiments, including two of the most infamous: the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Milgrim Shock Experiment.

I have found that attending PsychSoc has also been useful to link to some of my other subjects, specifically RS, due to the ethicsbased discussions as well as history which was incorporated in some of the examples of social conformity. PsychSoc has certainly been beneficial for me and others and has helped me broaden my understanding and interest in both sociology and psychology and I am looking forward to learning more about both of these subjects.

PhySoc (Physics Society) Mohammed Jiwani, L6S PhySoc has had a very busy first half term with trips, attending lectures and museums, setting up a website alongside an Instagram account, the first episode of NewsCast being released and started a project to build a real-life car! (PhysCar) The first trip PhySoc attended was to the Royal Observatory where we visited the Astronomy Photography Exhibition. We also had seven PhySoc members attend “The Art of Shortcuts” talk given by Marcus du Sautoy at the Royal Institute.

Every half- term, a collective group of pupils puts together a magazine called The Quark.

In this, we write about scientific topics that interest us and explain them for others to read and understand. With the October half term edition being released already, the Christmas edition of The Quark is underway Website Manager, Sulaiman M, has created and set up an outstanding website updated weekly with questionnaires, information regarding trips and projects being undertaken; all editions of The Quark are available on the site. https://www.physoc2021.com/. Social Media Managers, Mohammed J, Rico B and Dawid W have set up an Instagram page for PhySoc and hope to create a YouTube Channel for episodes of NewsCast and other content.

NewsCast is the PhySoc podcast in which three students discuss either a general topic or a topic each and then talk to each other about it, so going into further depth and broadening their ideas. Episode 1 has been released and Episode 2 is in the works.

PhySoc is now approaching one of its hardest challenges faced yet: building a real car! With the help of teachers within the department, PhySoc is underway in creating a near life-size car, a project that will take months but will be a proud monument within the Bancroft’s community.

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CO-CURRICULAR

Biotechnology Club

Mrs Susan Hampson, Head of Biology, Mrs Karen Fidler, Biology Technician This term saw the start of a new club for pupils in the middle school on Tuesday lunchtimes called Biotechnology Club. The pupils were given the chance to do experiments beyond the GCSE biology specification.

So far this term, they have looked at Gram staining, a way of staining and classifying bacteria.

Zahra K in the Fifth Form excelled by producing the best slides which clearly showed the E.coli she had grown and stained using a different type of lens to that used in the classroom. The pupils have investigated whether tea tree oil really does have anti-microbial properties, made their own agar plates and have introduced foreign genes into bacteria to make them glow in the dark. The U4th and Fifth form pupils who have been regular attendees have shown great enthusiasm and curiosity, making it a huge pleasure to work with them.

Dissection society Ananya Lal U6N, Sama Islam L6S, Taraniga Nanthagumar L6S Every Thursday afternoon, Dissection Society takes place in S2. The three of us co-lead this activity for the Upper Fourths and Fifths who watch a dissection being performed, and we peer mentor the Sixth Formers who dissect the organs themselves. So far this term, we have dissected a sheep’s heart and lung, and a rat. Not only do we look at and discuss the organs in detail, but we also explore the different functions and complex structures.

Peer-mentoring is a great aspect of Dissection Society. Not only do we get a chance to learn new and more information about organs and animals, but we also get to teach this and engage with our peers. As we have taken on the role of teachers in these sessions, confidence and an open mind have been key tools used and demonstrated by asking questions and helping our peers, in addition to being asked questions and learning facts from our peers. By holding open discussions everyone brings valuable thoughts and information, making the sessions more interesting and exciting. For example, did you know rats have three livers? Tom, a Lower Sixth member, said, “This has been very fun and something I have not been able to previously experience.”

Dissection Society has been extremely useful for pupils as it allows year groups to apply their knowledge of what they have learnt in classes to real life situations. For example, students can describe the process of respiration when learning about sheep’s 16

lungs. Moreover, pupils can learn the right techniques of how to dissect organs, and this improves hand dexterity when a range of tools such as scalpels and forceps are being used. Dissection society is helpful for the Fifths as they get an insight into what medicine is about, as well as the clinical side.

O U T R E AC H

Charity and Community Maddie Busfield Payne, U6S As part of the Haven House Enterprise Project, we were given £50 and with the help and advice from our mentors at Galliard Homes we hoped to raise £2500 for the children’s hospice. So far, we have hosted a movie night as part of the Thirds’ Harry Potter week, held an own clothes day and hosted a Sixth Form Open Mic Night!

Open Mic Night went really well with a great variety of performances. I think an overall favourite was the performance from the newly reformed teachers’ band, which once was the Common Denominators, who performed Blondie’s Call Me phenomenally. A special mention goes to Nerea, our Spanish language assistant, for a truly beautiful song that created a lovely atmosphere to kick off the night. It was fabulous to see such a variety of talent in both teachers and students alike. A massive thank you to the catering department for providing food for the night, our hosts Mya and Shaurya and all pupils who chipped in with decorations, performing and even bartending on the night.

Being very close to our target and with our Christmas Candy Cane stall as well as selling the handmade Christmas decorations (created by Miss Mcilfatrick and her team at Christmas Craft Club) we were certain that we would be successful in our endeavour to donate £2500 to Haven House. In fact, the target was exceeded without these: we raised £681 from the Open Mic Night, £416 from the Harry Potter evening and £1477 from an Own Clothes Day in October. These gave a grand total of £2575!

In coalition with the Sustainability Society, we advertised a collection for the Epping Forest Food Bank. Mr Pollock took the donations to the food bank on Monday 6 December. These donations amounted to 489.6kg of supplies which will equate to approximately 420 meal packages. Mr Pollock had to make a follow up trip to deliver several more packed boxes of donations which had missed our deadline!

We also ran a fundraiser for The Salvation Army. We hoped that, instead of running Secret Santas, each tutor group would collect donations and decide on a gift for a child of their age category who may not receive gifts otherwise. We were delighted that so

many groups participated in this; in many cases, instead of bringing in toys, they collected the equivalent to what they would have spent on Secret Santas. This amounted to £950 and is being divided up into £25 Amazon vouchers, which will be passed on through the Salvation Army. In addition, we received a whole range of gifts: everything from Lego to toiletries.

We are already making plans for next term: the Removes’ Hunger Games week; chocolate hearts that you can send to your Valentine: a visit to ELHAP and (when the weather gets a bit warmer) running a charity swim event. We are all very grateful for all the support from the staff and students along the way and can’t wait to get going on our fundraising next term!

Little Heath Swimming Our weekly swimming session at Bancroft’s with Little Heath School are now up and running again.

Each week a group of our Fifth and Sixth Formers work with visiting pupils from Little Heath, a local special needs secondary school, who all look forward to these sessions in our pool. Vlada K, one of our regular Upper Sixth volunteers said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed volunteering for The Community Swimming Programme. Providing support to children with learning difficulties and communication needs in their swimming lessons has helped me build relationships with young people who I do not ordinarily come into contact with. This opportunity has also been very rewarding, particularly seeing the children enjoying themselves and achieve things they thought they could not do.”

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INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

EqualiTea

Pride Club

Amina Poernomo, L6S

Ms Gillian Entwistle, Diversity Mentor This term Pride Club has met once every two weeks.

They have been busy crafting: making friendship bracelets and adorning tote bags and t-shirts. We have discussed pronouns and gender identity as well as what allies are and their importance. We’ve also spent time talking about and reading LGBT fiction.

We have reached out to Pride Clubs in other schools and are beginning to form links in the hope we might invite local schools to a joint LGBT conference later this school year. Together with members of EqualiTea Society, Pride Club presented a very successful assembly on anti-bullying and homophobia to the Lower Fourth. Following this, we have been asked to present another assembly to younger year groups next term. Our plans for the rest of the year include events to mark LGBT History Month as well as Pride Week.

This term EqualiTea Society has covered many fascinating topics, discussing various issues such as cancel culture, Islamophobia, and attitudes towards vaccines.

We began the new academic year with a workshop on the Israel-Palestine conflict, which was eye-opening as those who attended heard first-hand accounts, helping us understand the true nature of the ongoing issue. Our discussion on making vaccines mandatory allowed us to voice opinions on the important current issue in a safe space and delve deeper into why many believe that vaccination is a sensitive topic. We even coordinated with members of Pride Club to present an assembly on LGTBQ+ bullying, an issue about which we were keen to educate people.

Our new chairs of the society, Shyam, Harriet and I have enjoyed inciting and encouraging discussion about issues which typically would not be heard at school, and we cannot wait to continue growing EqualiTea. Next term, we are looking forward to planning events for the exciting upcoming women’s week and leading more topical discussions.

Afro-Caribbean Society Faith Cunningham, L6N Bancroft’s Afro-Caribbean Society has revived and it started off with a bang in the autumn term, recently planning cultural events. We take great joy in our fortnightly meetings where revolutionary ideas are discussed and are in the works.

Black History Month sparked many opinions on how we can develop. We aim to promote unity between all students across multiple year groups, helping to create a sense of community. As members of the society, we feel it is important to express our views on issues and make the uncomfortable conversations comfortable

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for all people involved. So far, roles such as chairs, and secretaries have been already distributed. In the future, we would like to inform people on American Black History Month and we aim to give people a better understanding of this. Our aims are to: educate, inspire and promote our student-led society. Hopefully, this society

can cement the identities of Black students, and perhaps all students, as they rediscover and appreciate their roots! A highlight was the visit of the Rev Jesse Jackson, American politician, and long-time campaigner for civil rights, at the end of term. Next term’s issue of Insight will feature a report on the Rev Jackson’s inspiring visit.

C AREERS / GOVERNORS

Careers in the Autumn Term Mrs Michelle Dean, Head of Careers, Innovation and Entrepreneurship The start of a new school year is always busy and this one was particularly exciting to just be back in school. It is also an important time for both our L4 and Fifth Form pupils as they have to make subject choices for GCSE and A-Levels respectively.

For the Lower Fourth pupils this process started with a subject choice interview with Mrs Michelle Dean, Head of Careers, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In the meeting they explored the subjects they enjoyed and what they thought they were good at, to assist them in making good choices.They also attended a subject choice assembly where they were given a booklet explaining what each subject entailed at GCSE level. In December they attended an options evening with their parents All L4 pupils will have four career enrichment lessons throughout the year.

These ‘Step Ahead’ lessons are designed to assist pupils to make informed subject choices through a combination of interactive activities and to help them on their journey to investigate different career paths.They will also discuss the current labour market and how this affects future employment opportunities. All pupils in the middle school have access to JED (Job Explorer Database).

This informs pupils about different jobs and careers and helps them plan school subject choices and aspire to a career. It can be directly accessed through the school dashboard by our pupils and they are encouraged to share this with parents.

At the end of the Upper Fourth, all pupils complete the Morrisby Profile. Morrisby, with more than 50 years’ experience, uses scientific profiling of abilities, personality, interests and motivation to help pupils discover their own characteristics.

With this awareness, pupils ensure they keep their future

options open and make choices from a considered range of subjects. Pupils are encouraged to share their profile documents with parents. Upon completion of their Morrisby Profile, every Fifth Form pupil had an interview in October with Mrs. Dean regarding their A-Level subject choices. They were then all given an impartial, independent careers advice interview by Mrs. Janet Kilsby, a qualified Morrisby Careers Adviser. Mrs. Kilsby had this to say about our pupils, “Every year in the summer term,Year 10 pupils take the online Morrisby profile which helps them identify their strengths and interests and suggests career paths which they may want to consider. I feel privileged when I come into school during the autumn term to talk to the students about their results and help them with the decisions they must make at this stage. Bancroft’s students have a lot to offer, and it is always a pleasure to meet them.”

In January 2022 we will introduce all Fifth Formers to Unifrog.

Unifrog is a complete destination platform, which brings every apprenticeship, university course and college course in the UK, as well as career opportunities, such as MOOCs and School Leaver Programmes, together in one place. Each pupil will receive their own login and they will be able to use this platform in making decisions about post school options. In the L6, tutors will spend more time exploring the option available on Unifrog.

We are looking forward to events in the spring and summer terms including the OBs’ careers evening, the apprenticeship evening, university careers fair and entrepreneurial day. All pupils are reminded that they have access to one-on-one impartial, independent careers advice by appointment with Mrs. Dean.

From the Chair of Governors “So you’re Chair of Governors, but what do the Governors actually do?”

“Well, we are responsible for setting, with the Head and other members of the Senior Leadership Team, the School’s objectives and how they are going to be achieved. Every organisation needs a strategy and a plan for putting it into practice.”

Mr Ed Sautter

“Sounds a bit like management-speak to me. What sort of strategy.”

“The School is in the business of delivering education. We want the School to deliver the best possible education it can to current and future pupils, both in the classroom and outside it. To do that, we want to attract the best staff and support them with the best resources we can. We also need to ensure that all pupils are kept safe at all times and that the School is complying with an ever-increasing list of Government regulations.”

“So how do you achieve that?”

“By regular questioning of the Senior Leadership Team and others, including requiring evidence that the strategy is being implemented and that policies and procedures are being followed.

Governors have been described as “critical friends” which describes it pretty well.”

“What sort of experience do the Governors have?”

“A broad range – including law, finance and accountancy, surveying, business entrepreneurship, education, media and the non-profit sector. You can see their bios on the School website.”

“On that subject, your photo looks like it was taken a long time ago.”

“Thanks for pointing that out.”

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PREP SCHOOL

PGL Residentials This autumn two Prep year groups enjoyed residentials at PGL, Marchant’s Hill in Surrey. Traditionally this trip has been a great introduction to the Beta year but, due to the pandemic, the Prep 1s had missed out on this experience last year. They made up for it, however, this September with a fantastic adventure holiday. For many of the pupils these trips offered a real chance for independence as it was their first stay away from home and for all it was time to let their hair down and have extreme fun.

Beta Class teacher Mrs Strong accompanied the Betas on their trip, “There were so many highlights from sharing rooms and staying up late to squealing from the exhilarating heights of the giant swing; from the satisfaction of building a raft and setting sail across the lake to abseiling from a very tall tower! There were certainly both physical and emotional challenges to overcome but what was evident was how the year group bonded; how well the children represented our school and how nicely they encouraged each other. Collaboration, resilience and risk taking all came into play on this adventure holiday – many surprised themselves. We have got to know our year group so well now; old friendships were rekindled, new friendships made and lots of happy memories treasured by everyone!”

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Ruhaan, in 1SE describes his experience on the Prep 1 trip, “We arrived there, stopping almost immediately to take a Prep 1 PGL picture. Pupils were separated into six different groups. Three of them went off to do archery and the other three went to do zip wire. After these sessions, we swapped activities so we could have an equal amount of immense fun. Then, we had lunch and moved in to our rooms. We were going to share with friends for three days; we had to work together to help each other make our beds and more importantly keep our room tidy. PGL was amazing! All of the activities were fun, especially the giant swing! !t was just so cool!”

PREP SCHOOL

Prep Charity News Our Harvest Festival saw an abundance of food on display in the Prep Hall generously donated by Prep School families. Redbridge Mutual Aid Foodbank collected our donations, which will go a long way towards sustaining the many local families they provide for. We are very grateful for the support of our Prep community in this.

We like to support local schools by donating used text books and reading books. This half-term the Prep donated four boxes of books to Whitehall Primary who were overwhelmed by our generosity. This was a simple but sustainable way to support our local community and share pre-loved books with others.

On the last Friday of term, everyone in the Prep was encouraged to wear something festive: a jolly jumper or a hat. There were some fantastically sparkly Christmas jumpers on display. Donations of £315 will go towards the Prep School’s big conservation project at Lambourne End Centre for Outdoor Learning. Throughout the year they are collecting for this – with a target of £4000 - and hope to purchase the trees, stakes, protection tubes and equipment for planting 160m of hedgerow, in order to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage greater biodiversity.

Christmas Toy Appeal Mrs Sarah Strong, Prep Head of Charities and Community Links

Ambition Aspire Achieve (AAA) was founded in 2016 by Kevin Jenkins OBE. This charity delivers a range of services and opportunities for children in East London. They are always in need of toys to support their clubs, activities, projects and play areas.

We decided to support the Kevin Jenkins Newham Christmas Toy Appeal this year in order to help provide over three thousand children with a Christmas stocking. So many pupils contributed to this important appeal and brought in a new toy of their choice to donate and the AAA team came to collect our gifts on Monday, 13 December. They were delighted by the collaborative effort of our children and overwhelmed by such kindness and generosity. Every child deserves a happy Christmas and it has been wonderful to make a difference this year and spread a little Christmas cheer.

The donations of chocolate treats for the PA’s Christmas Fayre Tombola were taken to Redbridge Mutual Aid as exciting additions to their food boxes this year. Despite it being a pity that the Fayre did not go ahead, you can be assured that your kind donations have gone to a good cause instead.

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PREP SCHOOL / BANCROFT’S COMMUNITY

Prep 2 Debating Competition Elise, 2TP

On Monday 15 November, six pupils and Mr Paramour travelled to South Hampstead High School. We prepared for the first of our debates and shared our points with one another during the tube journey; we were excited but nervous as this was the first time Bancroft’s Prep had participated in a debating competition.

Once we had arrived at around 4pm we had our snacks since we were famished from the journey. Our first debate began at 4.20pm. This first debate was “Should Private Cars Be Banned From Zones 1 and 2.” Bancroft’s girls (one team) had to give speeches for the opposition as did the boys. Both of our teams had prepared and we both won our first debates. For the second and third debates we had no idea what they were

going to be nor did the other teams. It turned out we had to debate whether homework should be banned. Bancroft’s girls were proposing the motion (supporting the idea) while Bancroft’s boys were opposing the motion (disagreeing with the idea). We were given fifteen minutes to prepare and, again, both of our teams won. The third debate was tricky. Since we were running late, we were given only ten minutes to prepare rather than fifteen. The motion was “Should Some People Have Super Powers” Both teams were proposing the motion and, this time, we were narrowly defeated by very experienced teams from other schools. In the end both of our teams won two out of three of our debates. We had a great time and it was really fun. We learned a lot and are looking forward to the next competition.

From The Parents’ Association Mrs Samia Dar, PA Chair The much loved “Welcome to Bancroft’s Party and Magic Show” went ahead this year after being cancelled due to COVID restrictions last year. Held in the Prep School Hall, the Betas host the new Alphas to give the “new kids on the block” a big warm welcome into the Bancroft’s community.

It was a full house, with both Alphas and Betas in full attendance!

Dressed to impress, over 134 young ladies and gents partied the night away with their peers with music blaring, giggles, impressive dance moves and beautiful singing. The lovely Papalarny entertained the kids with magic tricks, sing-a-longs, fun competitions, games, smoke and bubble machines. There were lots of fun prizes and medals to be won.

The PA provided pizzas and refreshments. There was also a large variety of cakes, sweets and snacks on offer to buy on the night. All the children went home with a Bancroft’s goodie bag, a balloon and a doughnut. This was an evening full of friends, food, fun, and festivities.

After missing out on a Fireworks event in 2020 due to COVID lockdown, and holding only Zoom events for the past year, the Bancroft’s School Parents’ Association was determined that this year’s Fireworks 2021 was going to go ahead. So, on Friday 12 November, we kicked off - with a BANG! - what is hoped to be a fantastic year of PA events. The night was a great success, completely sold out and attended by 499 children and parents.

In addition to the awesome fireworks display there were tea-cup rides, a giant snow globe, super glow stalls, a mini disco and hot food and drink.

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The plan, as always, was to make it a fun night for all, but we also managed to raise £1400 towards the PA’s funds. We are already planning Fireworks 2022 - but even bigger and better and will make it into a Bancroft’s tradition.

BANCROFT’S COMMUNITY

OBA News

Mrs Susan Day, OBA and Foundation Officer The Old Bancroftians’ Association has continued in its aims to maintain links between its members, the School and the Bancroft’s Foundation during the pandemic by sharing news on Bancroft’s Connect and via the Development and OBA Office.

After many months we have at last been able to recommence our programme of events for our OB community. In September there was a double leavers’ event for the U6 leavers from 2020 and 2021 at Bancroft’s where they were officially welcomed to the Old Bancroftians’ Association by OBA President Steve Dodd and presented with leavers’ gifts of an OBA tie or charm bracelet.

Having missed out on official 5 and 10 years on reunions, we held two drinks receptions at Bancroft’s in September, for the leavers of 2014, 2015 and 2016, and in October, for those of 2009, 2010 and 2011. These were great fun and very well attended. OBs also had the opportunity catch up with current and former staff.

The OBA 114th Annual Dinner went ahead at the end of half term in the Dining Hall. With updates on the Association from OBA Chairman Amanda Campbell and, Head, Simon

Marshall, sharing the experiences of Bancroft’s during the pandemic, the evening was entertaining and enjoyed by all.

With thanks to Bancroft’s School and all the staff involved behind the scenes for all their hard work in preparing for the evening, our talented in-house florists and of course the fantastic catering team for such a delicious meal.

The OB Golf Society held its Autumn Meeting in North Norfolk when seven OBs and a one guest returned to Cromer and played at Royal Cromer, Sheringham and Eaton (near Norwich).

At Sheringham, the Captain’s team, consisting of Lionel Smith (Captain), David Riddle, Andrew Montlake and Geoffrey Smith (guest), beat the President’s team of Roger Booth (President), John Seabrook, Frank Davis and Malcom Fleet at matchplay by 1.5 to 0.5. At Royal Cromer, there was a close Stableford contest for the Woodford Bowl. The winner was Malcolm Fleet and Geoffrey Smith won the guests’ Autumn Quaich. The tour’s final venue was Eaton GC, where Lionel Smith won the Jubilee Tankard and the LP Parker Tankards were won by Roger Booth and John Seabrook. Thanks go to Roger Booth for arranging the accommodation and a good selection of eateries over the trip.

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