Whinchat 2017

BEDFORD PREPARATORY SCHOOL

WHINCHAT MAGAZINE - AUTUMN 2017

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CONTENTS

01

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Headmaster’s Introduction

CHARITIES

02

STAFF Salvete (New staff)

04

Valete (Staff moving on)

06

ACADEMIC

Charities

52

Bedford School Association

54

TRIPS/OUTINGS Bude

58

Germany

59

English

08

Spain / Whipsnade

60

Mathematics

12

Skiing

61

Religious Studies

13

Jersey

62

Science

14

Bunyan Museum

63

Modern Foreign Languages

16

Ickwell

64

History

18 22

Speech Day & Final Assembly

Geography

67

Talks & Shows

68

ENRICHMENT Enrichment

26

THE ARTS

SPORT Athletics

69

Cross Country

71

Art

30

Badminton

72

Drama

34

Rowing

73

Speech & Drama

36

Cricket

75

Design Technology

38

Golf

76

Music

40

Hockey

77

Rugby

78

Swimming

80

Leavers

81

HOUSES Eagle House Report

42

Bunyan House Report

44

Harpur House Report

46

Howard House Report

48

Whitbread House Report

50

02

I N T RO D U C T I O N

Headmaster’s Introduction WELCOME TO THE WHINCHAT 2016-2017 NOW UNDER NEW EDITORSHIP

Many thanks to Mrs Michelle Aldridge and Miss Jessica Hone for taking on the responsibility of capturing the year’s events in print.

We hope you enjoy reading the articles and looking at the pictures.

As ever, many of the most enjoyable and amazing things to have happened will not have been captured on camera, although many thanks to Mark Lewis and other photographers for those that have.

A

t Speech Day we were honoured to welcome OB Richard Hills who is Emeritus Professor of Radio Astronomy at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University. He talked about his career and how much he enjoyed finding ways of understanding the universe in far more detail. He is an astronomer who is interested in the process of star formation and has taken a leading role in the development of astronomy at submillimetre wavelengths - those lying between the radio and infrared bands. These wavelengths are particularly useful for studying the formation of new stars and planets, which is still taking place in our own galaxy, and for observing the initial assembly of galaxies, most of which happened more than 10 billion years ago. As I said in my speech, it is entirely suitable that he was our Guest of Honour at a celebration of the formation of the stars of the school (and they really have been stars this year!), and at a school where we encourage all of our boys to reach for the stars. The advice which stood out for me though, was one of his tips for success. In particular, he felt that in order to fully enjoy such a career the key is hard work. This is something we would like to impress on our boys as they move through the school.

In the first term of the year, we had an Inspection of the School by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

The report was extraordinarily complimentary, even better than we would have written ourselves, which, perhaps, is indicative of our desire never to rest on our laurels and constantly improve and evolve what we do for the education of our boys. It was a very positive experience indeed, giving us the highest possible accolade. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect was the teaching staff’s response to it. Much deserved pride in the glowing words, seasoned with the desire to become even better. However, although that was a good week, and very pleasing for the whole community to have been so roundly praised, it is one of many excellent weeks at the Prep School over the course

of the year. Far more important, in my mind, is the everyday inspiration of teachers, support staff, boys and parents. This is what really makes a school.

We are, rightly, proud of the boys and their achievements, and this year I have been constantly reminded of two of my favourite quotations about Education: one is from John Dewey: “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” The second is from William S Burroughs who says that “The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values.”

Boys have shown our values of Endeavour, Responsibility, Curiosity, Integrity, and the fifth, unofficial but most important value, kindness, in abundance.

In order for them to grow up living these values, the guidance they are given is all important, and I would like to say an enormous thank you to all our teachers, support staff and parents who combine so well to help educate our boys. Good luck to the Year 8 boys as they move on the next stage of their education. They have been an outstanding year, and, as the Head Boy said in his speech, Year 7 have a lot to live up to! Thank you also to our prefects, and in particular to this year’s Head Boy, David Adeyemi-Abere, who gave an outstanding speech at Speech Day, and has been superb all year.

W O R D S BY

Ian Silk Headmaster

David Adeyemi-Abere Head Boy

W H I N C H AT

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I N T RO D U C T I O N

EDUCATION IS NOT PREPARATION FOR LIFE; EDUCATION IS LIFE ITSELF

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04

S TA F F

W H I N C H AT

Salvete (New staff ) M R S E LE A N O R B E LL Speech and Drama

Mrs Eleanor Bell will be our Speech and Drama GTA next year. Eleanor attended two Harpur Trust Schools, Dame Alice, where she did her GCSEs and Bedford High, where she completed her A Levels. She has an Upper Second Class BA (Hons) in History and a Certificate in Speech and Drama from LAMDA. Eleanor is currently a Learning Support Assistant at Rushmoor School. She has previously taught dance, studied Theatre Studies at school and has been involved in amateur dramatic society since the age of 8.

M I S S E U G E N I E C H A I LLO U Modern Foreign Languages

Miss Eugenie Chaillou joins the MFL department. Eugenie is a French national who attended school in France, and university in Britain, gaining a 2:1 BA (Hons) in Education Studies and German. She currently teaches French and German up to GCSE level at Swavesey Village College. As part of her recent CPD she researched the impact of authentic material across a range of ability groups. She is keen to get involved in the extra-curricular programme and currently runs a mandarin club for beginners. She is also a keen runner and gardener.

M I S S R AC H E L DO N LE Y Assistant Head Pastoral

Miss Rachel Donley is our new Assistant Head Pastoral. Rachel has a 2:1 BEd (Hons) from De Montfort and a National Qualification for Senior Leadership from UCL. Miss Donley joins us from Goldington Academy where she was Assistant Head in charge of pastoral provision, as well as Designated Senior Leader in charge of Safeguarding and Head of Year 6. She is very experienced in safeguarding and regularly delivers staff training. She has also been involved with Initial Teacher Training and has mentored schools’ direct trainees through the Pilgrim Partnership. At Goldington she ran the school council, and was a committed contributor to extra-curricular programme, including taking book clubs and running a number of outdoor residential activity holidays. She is a keen sportswoman who enjoys keeping fit, swimming and running marathons!

M I S S E M M A GOO D M A N Geography

Miss Emma Goodman will lead the Geography Department from September. Emma has a 2:1 BSC (Hons) in Geography and a PGCE from UAE. She joins us from Bedford Free School, where she is Lead Teacher for Geography and a Teacher Trainee mentor; she has previously been Lead Teacher for PSHE, Head of Year 10 and has taught RE. In a previous life she was project manager at Mercedes Benz. She is heavily involved in extra-curricular activities at BFS, is a keen runner, cyclist and swimmer.

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05

M R E D M CG R EGO R History and Games

Mr Ed McGregor joins us in September to teach in the History Department, and to teach games.

Mr McGregor joins us from The Grove Independent School where he was Deputy Head. He is also Head of Department and a very keen all round sportsman, and is able to coach rugby, hockey and cricket. At his previous school, York House he was also Head of Games, and ran the ski trip. He has a PGCE from Exeter. He is a keen traveller and plays hockey and cricket at a decent standard.

M I S S S A R A H P O RT S M O U TH Speech and Drama

Miss Sarah Portsmouth originally started with us in September 2014 as the Speech and Drama GTA. Since then she has directed three plays, taught French to Y3-8, been a tutor, and overseen the Bedfordshire Festival and LAMDA entries. Sarah has an Upper Second class Drama and French Studies degree from the University of Birmingham (including a year at the Universite Aix-Marseille). Last year she undertook her PGCE with the Bedfordshire Teacher Training partnership and had placements at Lea Manor High School in Luton and Samuel Whitbread Academy. She joins us, now as a fully trained teacher, in the MFL department. She will also line-manage the Speech and Drama GTA.

M I S S R A D H A R A N D H AWA Head of History

Miss Radha Randhawa will be our new Head of History. She is currently teaching at Stephen Perse in Cambridge and was previously second in department at Sharnbrook Upper. She has a Upper Second class History Degree from University College London, and was a pupil at Bedford High School (her brother is an OB). She is keen to be involved in the extra-curricular and sports programme; she is particularly a keen swimmer and is undertaking a 10k open water swim in aid of Alzheimer’s society. Miss Randhawa has already been in school on a number of occasions in order to prepare for the role.

MRS K AREN WHEL AN Maths

Mrs Karen Whelan will teach Maths in the Prep School in the Autumn Term, as cover for Mrs Travis, who is away from school having a hip replacement operation. Karen joins us from Thomas Whitehead Primary School in Dunstable, where she is working with the Senior Leadership Team, supporting them in developing the school’s maths provision in order to raise attainment in the subject. Before that she was Assistant Head Teacher and Maths Leader at The Firs Lower School.

Mrs Whelan has delivered training to staff based on the research and pedagogical approaches of the MaST Maths Specialist course. She has participated in the NCETM Maths Mastery course.

She is keen on keeping fit, in particular running, walking and cycling, and enjoys reading.

06

S TA F F

Valete (Staff moving on)

W H I N C H AT

Staff leavers this year between them have amassed well over a century of years dedicated to educating Bedford Prep School boys.

M I S S DA N I E LLE B O U G H E Y Speech and Drama

Miss Danielle Boughey (one year) leaves us after completing her year as Speech & Drama GTA and LAMDA coordinator. She has thrown herself completely into the Drama department and shown a great passion for all things theatrical! It is fair to say that she loves theatre.

She loves performing in plays, she loves watching plays and she loves directing plays. Pupils will remember her for her energetic and bold approach to rehearsals and for giving them the opportunity to shine. From the House Drama project to James & The Giant Peach, she has enabled Prep School boys to explore stories in a fun, lively and often off-beat way.

M R J O H N LE W E S History

Mr John Lewes (also one year) stepped in at the last minute to cover for Miss Brown. Mr Lewes is a kind and generous man, much respected amongst the staff, who has given so much to the school in his one year, and never says no. As Mr Roberts said in his farewell speech for John, his passion for History “oozes out� and can be seen in his excellent books.

M A DA M E C A RO LI N E TRO U N SO N & M A DA M E FA B I E N N E PH E L P S Modern Foreign Languages

Madame Caroline Trounson (14 years) and Madame Fabienne Phelps (30 years), the formidable French team, who have given the entente cordiale every chance of surviving the throes of Brexit. Madame Trounson has been at Bedford School for 14 years teaching MFL, and Madame Phelps has been at Bedford School for an impressive 30 years, 25 of which have been in the Prep School as a French teacher.

She will move back to France where she has been offered another teaching role, and Madame Trounson will remain just around the corner. They have inspired so many boys with a love of languages. Extra thanks to Caroline for sparking, and maintaining, the boys interest in current affairs, and to Fabienne for her work organising the cover.

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S TA F F

07

MRS SPINA Head of Geography

Mrs Spina (24 years) moves just down the road, to Goldington Green Academy; she has forwarded the cause of Geography and environmental awareness amongst us all. In her 24 years at Bedford School, Mrs Spina has carried out a number of roles, including Chemistry Technician, Science Coordinator, Geography Teacher, PS Environment Group leader, golf teacher and PS Christian Union representative. Latterly, she has been our Head of Geography and organiser of excellent field trips. Her new school will be getting a very dedicated and hard-working new member of staff. We will continue to have links with her as part of the steering committee for the Bedford Borough’s Fellowship Programme.

MRS DEBBIE GUNN Science Technician

Also at the end of the summer term 2017, Mrs Debbie Gunn the PS Science laboratory technician, finally hung up her laboratory coat, thus ending a career at Bedford School of 30 years. During this time she seen a move from the Lower School (which was located in the Upper School back then!) to two newly constructed Prep School laboratories in the Wells Building in 1992.

She has also witnessed the expansion to three science labs and the move from Palmers to the Wells Building. Over the years she has been the hub of Prep School science giving guidance to teachers and preparinh the equipment for thousands of experiments, enabling boys from Y3-8 to benefit from the experience of practical science. She will be missed. We wish her and her husband Mike (who she met at Bedford School!) all the best in their retirement.

M I S S RU TH M A N N History

Miss Ruth Mann (14 years) will also be much missed, inspiring her pupils with exciting History teaching, amazing trips, and a passion to see the boys in her charge succeed; she will take up the role as Head of History at Orwell Park School in Suffolk. Miss Mann has been teaching at here since 2002, with a brief hiatus as a Basic Skills Mentor for young offenders in Gloucestershire. She has been Head of History since September 2006.

MRS JANE DI SAPIA Assistant Head

Lastly, Mrs Jane Di Sapia who has been with us for 19 years and will be hugely missed. I have no doubt she will stay in close touch with us, and I hope she is still available for her always sage advice on occasion. She has been an outstanding support for so many members of staff, a superb Assistant Head, most recently in charge of the Pastoral care, and a very empathetic and understanding member of the Common Room. Perhaps most importantly, she always thinks about what is best for the boys. She has been a wonderful teacher, tutor and mentor for so many Bedford School boys, whose lives have been all the richer for her care and guidance over the years

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English ENGLISH REPORT W O R D S BY

Dominic Affleck

It has been another incredibly busy year for the English department. With the expertise of Mrs Lumley Wood on hand, both the library in Palmers and the Inky have been converted to accommodate our new Accelerated Reading scheme. The Inky library is being completely refurbished this summer holidays and we cannot wait to open it officially in September.

Prep School boys read 97,000,000 words Five boys have read more than 2 MILLION words: Charlie Eggleton & those below‌

Four boys more than 3 MILLION words: Tomas Spice, Reuben Jacob, Saihaj Lahal

One boy more than 4 MILLION words: Fraser Morgan

A

ccelerated Reading has taken off and by the end of the year all boys in Years 3 – 7 were in the system and taking part.

This September it is very exciting to note that all the boys in the Prep School will be taking part in the system. To date, since September Years 3 and 4 have taken 3600 quizzes and read 35,942,094 words! Since January Years 5 and 6 have taken 1123 quizzes and read 37,706,881 words. Since Easter Year 7 have taken 607 quizzes which amounts to 23,250,530 words. In total, Prep School boys have taken 5340 quizzes and read 97,000,000 words. Impressive stuff!

Nineteen boys have read more than 1 million words each Will Turner, Alex Lamb, Edward Dagg, Aryan Sohanpal, Charlie Lawrence, Varun Nathan, Henry Whitfield, Matthew

YEAR 3 1st 2nd 3rd

James Pinkney Sam Deardon Noah Silk

HANDWRITING PRIZES: Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8

We have had some fabulous competitions this year. The Year 7 public speaking was hotly contested once again and the finalists performed magnificently in front of the rest of Year 7. Mr Hopton, head of English in the Upper School, kindly judged this for us and the winner was Asier Mokhatar-Esteban.

I was fortunate to have judged the Poetry Recitation competition for Years 3 & 4.

Again, this took place in the EMH in front of a large audience and the boys, although a little nervous, performed their chosen poems with aplomb. The winners were:

POETRY PRIZES: Alex Turner George Knight Aryan Sohanpal

YEAR 4 1st 2nd 3rd

Jones, George Sivills, Harry Lousada, Stanley Breed, Olly Wright, Noah Silk and Tanay Rai.

Rhys Brook Alfie James Alex Lamb Pharrell Peters Harlan Todd Max Martin

The theme this year was The Natural World. Huge thanks to Mrs Spina for her time and efforts in judging these. The winners were: Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8

Isaac Raddan David Shirley Oliver Simmonds Hari Mistry Christian Tyrell Benjamin Ingram-Moore

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09

HARRY POTTER DAY REVIEWS My favourite thing about Harry Potter Day was playing Quidditch with Mr Whitbread. I’ve been dreaming of playing it ever since I watched the first Potter film!

Nick Dyall As I arrived in school I saw a lot of people dressed as Harry Potter, which I found exciting.

In the afternoon we had Potter lessons: lesson 5 was Quidditch where everybody had a lot of fun. Lesson 6 we had a colouring activity and during the final two lessons we made our own Harry Potter houses up. It was really great. I called mine Magic Puff. I designed a shield with a winged horse with a wand for a horn.

Antonio Policella My favourite thing about Harry Potter Day was making my own shield for my House. We also played Quidditch, using hockey sticks instead of brooms. I had the chance to be the snitch and was also a seeker and a chaser! It was a great day.

Josh Mitchell

KENNING POEM

RIVER POEM

Hot weather Ancient buildings Wartime battles Athens vs Sparta Powerful olympics Sandy beaches Different dinners Fierce battles Authentic languages Special landscape

I wish I was bobbing down a river, Like a kangaroo.

I was bobbing down the river, As the wind blew.

By Arnav Dhaliwal

I was crashing, dashing down the river, Like a crazy bouncing ball.

I was crashing, dashing down the river, And I didn’t fall.

I was slowly drifting down the river, Like a turtle swimming.

I was slowly drifting down the river, And it was paradise.

By Ben Coomber y4

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English

The Case of the Missing Trophy T

he Bedford Prep School community was rocked to its very foundations during the Spring Term, as wellrespected member of staff, Mr Matt Allen, was arrested for the theft of the magnificent prep school music trophy, recently won at the Bedfordshire music festival. As he was led away in handcuffs by our resident policeman for the day, Sergeant Aldridge, he was heard to mutter, “I would have got away with it too, if it wasn’t for those pesky kids!”

His motive for stealing the trophy was obvious as he was questioned at the end of the day by an assembled throng of bloodthirsty prep school boys in the EMH - £3000 goes a long way towards a nice holiday or a new car it transpired!

Details of the theft are a little sketchy, but Mr Allen procured the keys from the office of Mr Egan, bribed the cleaners with copious

bags of haribo, swiped the trophy and hid it in his Science laboratory. The plan was to melt it down and make it into a silver rugby ball, which he would then sell on, but he never had the time…

The identity of this heinous criminal was eventually discovered by the boys of BPS. Various activities were set up in the school for the boys to partake in and depending on how well they did, they were rewarded with clues about the identity of the thief. From blood spattering in the Art Room, to searching for clues in the library, the boys did their utmost to solve this puzzle.

Sergeant Aldridge was on hand all day to keep an eye on proceedings and was kind enough to talk to the boys about life as a policeman. He was very impressed with the investigative skills of the boys.

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Mathematics

Maths Report The department this year has gone from strength to strength with new Key Stage 2 schemes being written and implemented from Year 3 to Year 6. All the marvellous staff that are teaching the subject have shown great dedication. We have already started to see the benefits in the boy's vision of the subject and the progress that they have made over the academic year. This has been coupled with the exciting addition of the Rockstar Times table scheme in the Year 3 and 4 age groups. The boys have embraced this and are now starting to recall all of their Tables quickly and efficiently on demand.

I

am hoping that this will be even more noticeable as the boys progress through the school in their Mathematics. The changes are too numerous to mention; however, one addition this year has been the “Effort in Mathematics award”, these have been awarded to a member of each class at the end of the Blocks covered in the KS2 or at the end of the half terms in the Ks3 year groups. I believe that a great effort and the exertion to strive to be better in what you do is an extremely important quality to be praised; however, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the boys for their hard work, as it does and will continue to pay off.

recognised as part of the top scorers in the whole of the country; well done to all involved. As we move forward I have been busy writing a new Key Stage 3 scheme in workbook form; this is an exciting addition to the department as it will provide all the boys with the material in detail that they need to be proficient in by the time they move on at the end of Year 8.

QR codes in the form of instructional videos have been embedded which will encourage our motto of “ Revise, Recap, Revisit”. I conclude by saying that it has been a pleasure taking over the department this year and I am excited by the new changes that have been implemented and I look forward to continue to drive the department and the boys forward in what can be only described as the best subject in the world! A big thank you to all my team and the unconditional support that you have shown me, the boys and the Mathematics department this year.

W O R D S BY

Jonathan Beckwith

We were extremely successful in the Primary Maths challenge this year, where 70% of the boys entered gained either a Bronze, Silver or Gold award. This is recognised Nationally and I am pleased to say that we had three boys that were

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Religious Studies

Religious Studies Report In the Spring Term, 8 students in the Prep School chose to enter the Independent Schools Religious Studies Association essay writing competition. 150 students from independent schools around the country submitted essays exploring the statement: ‘Why Religious Studies matters to me’. The ISRSA's response is testament to the hard work that these 8 boys put into their entries - they were ‘overwhelmed with the response from so many schools and students, and absolutely delighted to read such passionate and carefully considered essays.’

Amongst the many schools that entered, Bedford School was delighted to have a prize winner in both the Upper School and Prep School categories. Huge congratulations to Luca Moretto in year 7 who, as one of the prize winners, was awarded £50 worth of book tokens. Well done, also, to the following boys for the high standard of their entries: David Adeyemi, Maldwyn Crook, Alex Aellen, Kiran Katechia, James Lumley-Wood, Adam Trussell, Ali Abbas.

WHY RELIGIOUS STUDIES MATTERS TO ME

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hen I was younger, I thought that Religious Studies was just learning about the Old Testament. Now I realise it is a lot more than that, especially as I am growing up and meeting new people from different backgrounds, religions and cultures.

One of the main ways I benefit from learning about different religions is having a better understanding of my friends and new people I meet: knowing about their beliefs, religious practices, holidays and celebrations.

Recently, a friend of mine, who is a vegetarian because of his religion, came to stay the night. Knowing about his religion helped me to think about what would be suitable for us to eat. Also, my neighbours are Muslim and we both appreciate the religious celebrations of each other.

Last year they brought us a traditional meal at Eid and we took them chocolate eggs at Easter.

It is also useful to have a good general knowledge for all religions, beliefs and cultures so that you do not accidentally offend someone. Religious Studies also helps you to be empathetic if maybe you know someone who is fasting or performing a different religious practice.

Religious Studies has also helped me understand the world on a wider scale. In particular, learning about the history of religion helps me understand the role of religion in conflict and global politics. I think that it is important that we know about what is happening in the world as it means that we can try and solve some of the problems facing people of all nationalities and beliefs.

Without understanding about the problems facing the Earth, we have no chance of resolving them.

Also, I believe that Religious Studies is more than just learning facts about other religions. It can help to develop valuable life skills and teach a good way to live.

Every religion has some sort of moral guidance, whether it is the Ten Commandments for Christians or the Qur’an for Muslims. These sorts of rules can help a person in the way they live their life. In fact, the more I learn about different religions and their principals, the more I see the similarities between them and how they link together.

So, it is clear that Religious Studies is valuable, not just to me but to all young people in their search for understanding in this complicated world.

W O R D S BY

Luca Moretto Y7

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Science

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2016 2016-1 -17 7 IN THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT 01

Enrichment sessions run by L6th boys arranged by Jonathan Hooley included – ‘Science Structure of the atom and its properties’; ‘Space 101 planets, rockets and stuff’ as well as ‘Medicine & Biology’

02

Barker, James Lumley-Wood, Nikolai Sorokin, Orlando Williams completed their CREST Bronze Award studies.

This year, the boys had an opportunity to present their investigation to their peers, 6th form mentors and teachers from the US Science Dept.

Daunting but very valuable in developing their presentation and communication skills.

04 Y5 SC I E N C E S L E E P OV E R

Sat/Sun 4/5th February 2017 4 visits to the Observatory/ Planetarium were organised for November and December. A large number of Y7 boys (around 60) took the opportunity to attend. In June it was the turn of each of the Y5 classes.

03

Jean Mainstone with the assistance of Dr Calverley and a number of 6th Formers, coordinated a CREST club run on Tuesday lunchtimes.

James Barney, Sachin Kambli, Cyrus Goddard, Kiran Katechia, Oliver Pope, Wilfred

The biggest party ever from BPS (62 boys, 6 parents and 4 staff – Mike Mallalieu, Jane Di Sapia, Peter Milton and Dominic Affleck) attended the Science Night held at the Science Museum in London on Saturday/Sunday 4/5th February.

The boys took part in a number of maths-based activities in the evening and then slept in the ‘Who am I’ gallery, near to the capsule that transported Tim Peake to and from the International Space Station.

In the morning the boys watched an wonderful 3-D film (A Beautiful Planet) featuring the ISS in the IMAX Theatre and then had the opportunity to try a number of hands-

on experiments in the new Wonderlab interactive gallery.

A tired but inspired group returned to Burnaby Road at 13.00 on Sunday! Thanks as ever go to the staff who gave up much of their weekend to enable the boys to attend this once-ina-lifetime trip.

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– lecture given by Stuart Knight On Thursday 23rd February, all of the Y6 boys attended the annual exciting and interactive lecture given by Stuart Knight (Head of Chemistry in U.S.)

05 07 to Satellite Applications Catapult (Harwell Oxford Campus) On Friday 10th March, as part of Science Week we received an invitation from Satellite Applications Catapult – on the Harwell Oxford Campus to bring some boys, so the 15 Y8 members of Mr Hooley’s ‘Deep Thinkers’ club were taken. They had an enriching day learning about use of artificial satellites.

One of the sessions involved building a mini satellite from components similar to those that are used to produce real mini-satellites that are launched from the International Space Station.

In the next session the boys learned about use and future uses of satellites (including being able to monitor the health of individual members of a herd of cattle from the distance they walk each day!).

In the last session the boys were able to use graphical data from an actual orbiting satellite to be able to calculate it’s speed and temperature changes during its orbit. Overall an excellent day.

S A LTE R S ’ F E S TI VA L O F C H E M I S TRY Cambridge University, Thur 17th March

Four Year 7 boys (James Lumley-Wood, Joshua Mital, Nathanael Lord and Cyrus Goddard) went to Cambridge University to compete in the Salters' Festival of Chemistry.

The boys were set two practical challenges and watched an explosive lecture and demonstration from renowned lecturer Dr Peter Wothers.

The practical challenges were judged by various members of Cambridge University's Department of Chemistry and Salters' Institute. The boys performed really well and were deservedly placed second.

08 Y6 TO B I G B A N G SC I E N C E FA I R Friday 17th March

The whole of Year 6 went to The Big Bang Fair at Birmingham's NEC. Boys spent the morning being entertained at numerous stalls offering advice, information and numerous challenges. The highlight of the day was the afternoon show by Stefan Gates, televisions 'The Gastronaught' who wowed the boys with an interactive, and very funny, trip through the human digestive system.

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09 C U R R I C U LU M CO L L A P S E DAY On Tuesday 28th March, the Science Dept was responsible for sessions with 2 year groups – Y3 and Y6. Although a challenge, especially with the Y3 boys, the boys enjoyed a circus of events that involved science investigation, forensics (flame tests, fingerprints, chromatography) and teamwork (tower building). Thanks to Mr Allen and Mrs Christian for planning/providing these activities.

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10 B P S SC I E N C E DT FA M I LY CHALLENGE. On Thursday 18th May, nine 9 families attended the BPS Science-DT Family challenge.

The DT task was to build a marble run and the Science task was to weigh unknown rocks using a metre-ruler inertia balance. The overall winners of Science-DT Family Challenge 2017 and the proud recipients of the Golden Bunsen Burner, retaining their crown were the Hawthorne (Connor) Family.

11 U S B I O LOGY SOC I E T Y PR E S E NTATI O N CO M P E TITI O N 8N were judges at the US Biology Society Presentation Competition on Saturday 17th June. In the report, Mr Beale (Head of Science in the Upper School) thanked “the wonderfully mature PS 8N class, who gave of their time and patience so generously.”

W O R D S BY

Mike Mallalieu

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Modern Foreign Languages

MFL Report Brexit or otherwise, one place that European languages are still very much welcomed is the Prep School Modern Languages department.

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hether it’s Bonjour, Hola or Guten Tag, this has been another busy and successful year. Some fantastic work has been produced in the classroom whether we are singing French verbs, acting out a café dialogue in Spanish or learning about German traditions. The Y7 boys have enjoyed their taster of a second foreign language during their carousel and the Y3-4 boys tucked into their annual French breakfast with relish. Although that would not be a accompaniment recommended by our European cousins... ! At Easter a large number of Y7-8 boys went either to Barcelona or the Rhineland to further practise their language skills and absorb the culture. We look forward to heading to La Belle France for next year’s trip. Au revoir, Adiós, Auf wiedersehen!

The Year 3 and 4 boys tucked into a delicious French breakfast of croissants, pains au chocolat, jus d'orange and chocolat chaud to round off their year in French. Singing, fun and games were enjoyed by the boys along with a chance to show off their French skills from the year!

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History Year 4

Year 5 Medieval Life Workshop

Roman Day Report O

n Monday the 21st, we had a medieval workshop which took place in the old theatre with all year 5. In charge was a man called Dan who had worked in a few films including Gladiator, and also worked on a TV program called Horrible Histories.

After we had come into the old theatre he introduced himself, then made us stand up and he then split us up into teams. I was in the English army. Then once we were in our groups, Mr Lewes showed us how to hold our swords so we would not hurt anyone. Then Dan made my team pretend to fight another army called the Vikings; we won and then we faced off against the Normans – but we lost (basically we were just doing a role play of 1066).

The 1st Quarter

one to get 3 in a straight line was the winner.

– The Helmets

The first thing we looked at was all the helmets, they looked really light but they were very heavy. Next somebody read a little story about the roman Kings and Emperors, as the Romans didn’t want Kings anymore and wanted the people to have the power.

The first roman emperor was Augustus.

The other game was a pyramid game where you again hat 3 counters and your partner too but you needed to flick them into special places. The board was shaped liked a pyramid and the higher you flicked the counters the more points you got.

The 4th Quarter – Roman Surgery

Lots of people were angry with the Romans when they invaded their countries.

The 2nd Quarter

– Roman Weapons and Armour…

After the break we were looking at the roman Weapons and Amour. We learnt that the English warriors had arrows with a long endings but that the Romans had arrows with a small and sharp endings.

These got stuck in the body and warriors had to be operated to get them out.

The 3rd Quarter – Games Games

After lunch we talked about the games that the Romans had . We tried playing two.

For one game you got 3 counters and your partner has 3 counters and you needed to move them around the board and the first

After break we came back and sat down and Dan told us about barbers in the medieval period. Did you know that barbers were also surgeons and sometimes cut off your leg?

Also you could go in for blood-letting because in those times people thought that getting rid of blood would make you healthier (too much isn’t good for you!). Then Dan told us about the murder of Thomas Becket; I got to be a knight that killed Thomas Becket in the role play. Thomas Becket was stabbed in the head by 3 knights but the king didn’t tell them to, for the king was angry with Thomas but didn’t want to harm him. Then we did a quiz about what we had learnt; Tobi and Edward Walker won so they would get to play Nine Men’s Morris after lunch (Nine Men’s Morris was a medieval game).

Next, we learnt about surgery.

When there is an arrow stuck in part of the body the soldier will need to go to the doctor to be operated. The doctor would boil a pot of water and dip the instruments in the pot so the blood can come off it and they are clean. Sometimes the soldier screamed and fainted.

Hands On… At the end we could hold things we had looked and some people could wear some armour. We didn’t get to hold the swords because they were sharp and pointy (they were actually real swords that were used in war!).

After lunch we all watched Tobi and Edward play Nine Men’s Morris and then we enjoyed a go as well. I beat Jake 3 0. Afterwards Dan told us a bit about pilgrims and the knights that protected them called the Knight Templars.

Then we were able to see a mace, a sword, a bow, shields and a crossbow; he fired a nerf bullet from the crossbow. We all were dazzled in amazement from the speed of the bullet. Then Dan told us it was not a proper string - well that changed everything but that made me wonder if an arrow would go on a crossbow. Then we were given the chance to try on helmets from different times, then it was end of school.

Thank you to Dan and everyone who took part.

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Jonathan Hall

Rufus Thwaite

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History Year 6

Year 6

History Workshop Kevin Hicks

History Talk September

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he photo shows a model of the head of Henry V. Sam Maling held the head whilst Kevin Hicks performed the surgery. The boys were shown how an arrow had entered his eye and pierced his brain and how it was removed, what treatment was carried out and how it compared to treatment today.

This session was on Medieval weaponry - how the weapons were made, what they were used for during peacetime and how they were used on the battlefield. Kevin Hicks told the boys stories about the Medieval era with great humour and they really enjoyed a wonderful educational morning that blended Design Technology and History.

M

y favourite weapon was the longbow because Mr Hicks shot it at a target, which was very impressive. He told lots of stories about being in the army. He also told us a lot about the Wars of the Roses.

of nine, usually after church. By the time they were sixteen, they could go off and fight in a war, usually against the French.

They were particularly effective during the Hundred Years War and were most famously used at the Battle of Agincourt.

During the Wars of the Roses, the Yorkist and Lancastrian families were fighting.

Battlefields seeped with blood. Mr Hicks showed us lots of weapons, such as the mace, the pole axe and the crossbow. The longbow was a great weapon because you can shoot it both at long and medium range. It has an ancient history in Britain; historians think that it was a Welsh invention, but it soon became an important weapon for the English. The oldest longbow ever found was discovered at Stonehenge. It was cheap to make because it was made from yew wood, which was plentiful. Boys were taught to handle a longbow from the age

We also learned about the different arrow heads used during the Wars of the Roses. There were thirteen types.

These included the barbed broadhead (used during battle), the large curved broadhead (for deer hunting), the triangular (armour piercing) and the bodkin (which penetrated chain mail).

It was an excellent workshop and I learned so much.

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Matthew Goodman

Year 7 English Civil War Story

I

hope the sergeant cannot see me because I took more bread than I am allowed.

My friends and I are also going to catch some rabbits, even though it’s not allowed.

We get our weapons and separate out in the woods. The sergeant has no idea what is going on and I hope it stays that way. Then someone to my right exclaims, “I’ve found one!” We all sprint towards his call. The rabbit scampers away, but we charge on. My friend lunges to strike the poor animal with his dagger, but narrowly misses. It’s all up to me now. If I don’t get this rabbit then we will have to find another one. I creep up. It sees me. I take my chance… That felt horrid. I can’t believe my own eyes. My small axe has killed a poor

living thing. The next thing I know, everyone is pounding me on the back and saying, “You did it! We have finally got a decent meal.”

The crackle of the fire reminded me of when I was a young boy. I used to collect branches and return them to camp. The women and girls used the campfires for cooking. The fire was also used to dry clothes and men who often had to wade across rivers or would go swimming to relax. I remember when the older men used to light the fires.

When people were cooking, the pots were always hung over the campfires and would smell of meat being stewed or roasted.

I heard laughter and felt happy. The distinct sound of voices and laughter was so loud that my eardrums hurt. The noise of the people around me in camp always seemed immensely loud. All the same, I was happy.

Then I thought to myself nobody will be laughing when we are at war. Surely everybody will be serious? It was time for the officers to go to their cottages and the ordinary soldiers to their tents or hedgerows. I need a good night’s sleep because tomorrow I have a long day. I will feel proud and courageous when our army holds up our flag. I know that when I fight, I fight for the King.

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Year 7

Year 8

Parliament Trip December

National Archives Trip

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group of Y7 boys were lucky enough to visit the Houses of Parliament where Great Britain's leaders meet to discuss important matters. Once we arrived we visited the Parliament Education Centre, where we watched a short film all about the history of Parliament. This film was in a 240-degree cinema where you had to look to your right, your left and behind you and we enjoyed this experience. We learned how the relationship between Parliament and the English monarchs has changed through time and the importance of Magna Carta, which was signed 800 years ago this year.

The best was to come, however. Our tour guide led us out of the Education Centre, through some gates and soon we were stood outside the Houses of Parliament.

We all took a moment to take some photos.

After we had caught our breath, we went up a spiral staircase. You could sense how magnificent the rooms would be, but this would not prepare us for what was coming.

We entered a room that had statues of past Prime Ministers and huge grand paintings on the walls and on the ceiling.

We found out that it was where you would wait if you were visiting Parliament.

From there we passed into a room where there were statues of four Prime Ministers. We managed to guess two of them correctly: Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. This was also the room that stored the MPs and Lords trays that contained letters from the public. This was another opportunity for a question, so we asked if some of the MPs were related as there were six “Johnsons”, but none of them were. We

had a fun time spotting people's names we recognised. We saw the trays belonging to Richard Fuller and Jeremy Corbyn.

Then we passed onto the House of Commons. It was bigger than we expected.

There was also an area from which the public could view proceedings. This area was separated from the main part of the room by glass. Here are a few questions we asked: Why is there a white line on the floor of the Commons? If you are outside the white line you cannot speak, but your vote still counts. Why is there a red line? MPs used to have swords, so the red line separated either side of the room (the gap between the two parties would prevent crossed swords).

Do any MPs live in Parliament? Only the Speaker. How much do MPs earn a year? The basic salary for an MP is £74,000 a year.

After learning all we could about the House of Commons, we visited the House of Lords. It had red seats instead of green and it had a throne where the Queen would sit on her annual visit. We learnt that this was because the Lords had originally been wealthier and they had wanted to show their position and status.

Visiting the Houses of Parliament was an experience we will never forget.

It was a fun, educational and memorable opportunity. Our highlight of the trip was the House of Lords because of the beautiful red and gold. When we walked up to the throne it was simply amazing.

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Luca Moretto and Max Pearson

Year 8 L ocal History Talk

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s part of their Local History studies, the Y8s had a fascinating talk from local historian, David Fowler OB. He provided an insight into the glory days of Bedford’s industrial past, which fitted in perfectly with their work on the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution. Industries now forgotten - such as the Britannia Ironworks, JF Howard and the Pyghtle Works - were explored during the talk, accompanied by intriguing photographs of a bygone era.

Boys, both based locally and internationally,

were genuinely surprised by how successful Bedford once was. Not many knew that key components onboard HMS Titanic were manufactured in Bedford, nor did they realise that the lectern in Westminster Abbey was produced in the town. As well as delivering his talk, Mr Fowler was able to see the current location of twin local history information boards; they are available to everybody in the Inky playground. He generously donated these to the School and we are very grateful

I

n spite of the best efforts of Storm Doris, ten Y8 Deep Thinkers negotiated their way to the National Archives. Though the travel diversions and delays may be the abiding memory from the day, the time spent at Kew was valuable. The boys were offered the rare opportunity to handle original documents, dating from the 19thC. The focus of their investigative work was the treatment of the poor and complemented our classwork on “caring for the poor”, whilst also providing a valuable insight into the justice system and the varying medical treatment experienced by people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Praise must go to the archivists, who took time to pick out documents relating directly to life in Bedford. They even uncovered photographs of the School dating from the 1930s. It was fascinating to see the interior of the Great Hall pre-fire. Thanks must go to all those involved in the, especially the boys, who showed tremendous resilience and good-humour in the face of adversity.

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GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT Words from Mrs Spina

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his is part of the article I wrote for the chapter in the Charney Manor Primary Geography Conference Reflections Book The ‘joys’ of independence: The responsibility of geography teaching and curriculum making in a Preparatory School The teaching of geography is more than just a subject that is confined to a set date or a historical timescale, or a particular global location or even a specific continent; it is not a mathematical formula or a scientific process with an exact methodology and result. It encompasses many of these core subjects, skills, and global knowledge and it charts the evolution of our human existence linked to habitats, biomes, climates, the sources of water incorporated within the water cycle, the geology of the landscapes that form fertile soils to cultivate crops, and even the building blocks to civilisation, human migration and human development.

As I leave Bedford Prep School, I hope I have inspired a curiosity and a fascination about the world and its people over the years, and that pupils will remember that they have the power to look after our wonderful world, its people and its environment for future generations too!

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A HIGH-QUALITY GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION SHOULD INSPIRE IN PUPILS A CURIOSITY AND FASCINATION ABOUT THE WORLD AND ITS PEOPLE THAT WILL REMAIN WITH THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES….

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W H I N C H AT

Geography

Year 8

FIELD TRIP REVIEW

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enjoyed Our Field trip along the Great Ouse and Walking through Priory Country park and seeing the natural meanders and levees. I also liked sketching the different river features and learning what they do. I also found Mrs Spina’s Geography puns very funny! I learned all about the different features and the one I found most interesting was the weir; I learned that it is very good for flood control.

I also learned that the steel sheets along the river are for preventing erosion and the sand bags next to them do the same job, but I prefered them because they look natural and do not disturb the looks of the river.

O

n the Great Ouse field trip we learnt lots of things as well as seeing some of the river features and having the chance to actually notice them. First we started off on the natural meanders of the river and their features. Then we learnt about flood defences on the local scale. In the end, the field trip was fun as well as one of many of Mrs Spina’s famous puns of let's go with the flow!

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Orlando Williams

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n the 9th of June, two Y8 classes went on the River Ouse field trip. We started at Riverfield and the first thing we did was to see the natural meander. I didn't realise that there would be so much vegetation slowing down the flow of the river. After filling in our booklet with notes and sketches, we moved on up the river. Further observations along the Embankment revealed how the different types of flood defences protect this built environment, in contrast to the natural meader and rural setting at Riverfield. We carried on walking down the river looking at the different features such as the weirs and locks and once we had finished we headed back to school after a great morning out.

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Harry Taylor

Henry Williams

Year 7

GEOGR APHY REVIEW

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his year in Geography has been great, learning all about national parks and the environment, along with the OS map skills. This was followed by the geography of sport, which I loved. In the National Parks topic, the best thing I learnt was that there are 15 National Parks in the UK and I enjoyed doing my project on the Peak District. In the map skills topic, I learned how to use a post-it-note to calculate the grid references. Although I struggled at first with the accuracy of my string measurements, Mrs Spina was on hand to demonstrate and help me master this technique, so I am now more confident at doing these measurements.

I loved learning about the geography of sport, the sustainability of the stadiums and then later all about the football-making industry and fairtrade. I just want to say thank you to the geography department and Mrs Spina for making me a better geographer.

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Joshua Cooke

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Year 7

GEOGR APHY REPORTS

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eography in Y7 this year, or should I say term, has been great, I have learnt heaps! I now know about Fairtrade, where lots of countries are, that I didn’t know before and I even know how to use OS maps now! At the end of the summer term, we did a geography project where we had to design a sustainable stadium and I built an AFL stadium that achieved 25/27, my best mark this year. I would like to thank Mrs Spina for helping me this term.

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Nick Sherriff

G

eography in Year 7 has been great; during the autumn term we started learning about environmental issues and country parks. The topic on environmental issues is really important, as it raises awareness in young people’s minds about our environment and the impact mankind is having on a local, national and global scale. The spring term focussed on the Ordnance Survey map skills and map reading, where we learnt many valuable map skills and how to interpret maps. The summer term we covered the best topic of all, the Geography of Sport. I really enjoyed learning about the locations of many of the Olympic countries and also about the sustainability of the stadiums.

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Adam Trussell

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Year 5

G EOG R A PH Y CO M M E NT S “The thing I enjoyed the most in geography was learning about the landscape of St Lucia” Alex Harrison

“In geography I learnt a lot and I liked it all. My favourite topic was St Lucia and the most enjoyable day was when we did the field trip along De Parys Avenue” William Beattie

“I learnt lots this year, in particular many new countries and capitals, I even surprised myself by how many I knew by the end of the year. The year has been so much fun with Mrs Spina and I hope it is the same next year- as I really enjoy geography” Ruben Jacob

“I loved Geography this year. St Lucia was a very fun topic and I hope that I can go there someday. We also learnt about house types in the field work topic and different points of view in our map work” Robert Wells

“This year in geography we have learnt so many different things. My favourite topic was learning the different countries and capitals.

I also found the field trip really interesting.

It has been a great year in geography” William Gallagher

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ENRICHMENT

W H I N C H AT

Enrichment

B ENRICHMENT If you are interested in something, go at it full speed ahead. Embrace it… hug it... love it and above all become passionate about it.

– Roald Dahl

edford Prep School is filled with naturally curious and enthusiastic learners and a teaching staff who possess a diverse array of interests and skills. The Enrichment Program celebrates this, uniting all the potential the school has by implementing a diverse range of activities that provoke pupils of all ages to actively identify their unique qualities, foster an appreciation for deeper learning and develop a higher degree of independence through personal enquiry and participation in activities.

Science & Medicine, Space Exploration, Classical World, Philosophy, Religion & Ethics are just some of the highlights.

From debating and quiz competitions, to attending lectures and workshops, the Prep School Enrichment Program has allowed pupils to explore the full potential of their talents.

Y5 pupils Hugo Hodgson, William Hayward & Charlie Eggleton entered a Bedfordshire School’s Public Speaking competition, presenting the topic: Why Every Pupil Should Learn a Foreign Language and the entire Y7 cohort listened to debates given by pupils on the novel Northern Lights.

There have been countless academic highlights this year, but a couple I would like to mention here are Alex Iankov (Y8), for his consistently well presented Maths book, Krish Nair (Y8), for his History essay on "Which Is Tougher, Childhood in the 19thC or Childhood in the 21stC?" and David Wiltshire (Y5), for his astral model, made during D.T. lessons.

Outside the classroom, pupils have had the opportunity to attend Enrichment sessions on a diverse range of topics delivered by Y12 pupils. Street Wear, The History of Civil Rights, Creative Writing, Formula E Racing, Astronomy,

Staff and pupils have given talks on subjects such as The Moral Economy, William Blake, Life in Namibia, Extreme Sports and the Evolution of Human Speech, and Y8 pupils James Cutler, Dylan Swain, Arun Nanda and Ethan Whitlock have served as Enrichment Ambassadors to Y3 & Y4 pupils, encouraging pupils with their literacy and numeracy skills.

Year 3 & 4 pupils have enjoyed a new creative curriculum and explored different topics through personalised enquiries and the ‘Outdoor Classroom’ day looks likely to become a popular feature in years to come.

It has been a busy year for the extracurricular academic program and we look forward to celebrating more of the boys’ pursuits next year.

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Jonathan Hooley

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ENRICHMENT

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would be interesting to compare the two countries’ landscapes, weather and cultural features. It made me realise who I was and how my two countries are linked.

The ‘Power’ topic definitely encouraged me to think about the world around me, as we focused on how these subjects are fundamental in everyday society. By looking at how we have progressed through history it allowed me to appreciate the world of today and look ahead to what the future holds.

REFLECTION ON DEEP THINKERS

T

he Deep Thinkers is a society of 15-20 boys selected from Year 8 to take part in meetings where interesting topics outside of the curriculum are discussed and debated. I’m sure my fellow Deep Thinkers will agree, it has been entirely beneficial for each and every one of us. It has helped us to think outside of the box and use our imaginations as well as following the curriculum inside the classroom.

In the first term, we looked at the topic called ‘Beauty In My Backyard.’ I enjoyed the debates we had about the countryside vs. the city, rural vs. urban; this was a very interesting topic and despite the fact that I personally prefer the countryside, after hearing some arguments from the other perspective, I began to feel slightly torn. The debates we had inspired me to create my own piece of work for an exhibition; a poster outlining the pros and cons of city life and the country living.

To supplement the debates, we also enjoyed a series of very interesting lectures given by Mrs Spina, Miss Mann and Mr Affleck. My personal favourite was Miss Mann’s lecture on William Blake and his attempts to ‘save’ England from the Industrial Revolution and preserve the countryside.

We then had a wonderful trip with Miss Mann and Mrs Lumley-Wood to

As I look onwards to the Upper School, I will remember the Deep Thinkers society and how I realised one thing - that everything is connected. I will use this new found idea to help me in the future.

Via connecting different subjects and seeing how they intertwine, I will be able to make the most of life’s opportunities. the National Archives where we were so privileged to learn about and handle documents from the 19th Century. The trip was a good opportunity for the Deep Thinkers to bond a little and was a great experience for all of us.

David Adeyemi

At the beginning of the Spring Term we exhibited the work we produced as an outcome of the debate and lectures in the Quarry Theatre bar area. It was a brilliant event to which the Headmaster of both the Prep and the Upper School attended, along with parents, teachers and friends.

It was quite an honour for all the boys to have their work looked at and discussed.

After the Christmas break, the Deep Thinkers were back with high hopes of another successful term. The topic was ‘Power’ and included a trip with Mr Mallalieu to look at satellite propulsion in a laboratory. If I’m honest I wasn’t entirely interested at the beginning as it is not the sort of thing I usually think about, but after some time I realised how brilliant and how interesting satellites and their functions actually are and to my surprise, I had a great day! We calculated the speed of a satellite, looked at how satellites could be used to help sustainability and we even made our own mini satellites.

D

eep Thinkers has taught me a plethora of things, I know how to build a rudimentary satellite and how they’re used for farming. I have handled ancient texts and know how to properly protect them, but if there’s one thing that Deep Thinkers has taught me, it’s that every subject is connected, Science and Art, History and Geography, DT and IT. That’s something that isn’t taught in today's modular school system. Deep Thinkers has really opened my eyes to the world around me, and I was sad to see it go this term.

It’s been a very fun club and I’m sure next year’s Y8s will enjoy it as much as I have.

Jake Bentley-Evans

B

eing a part of The Deep Thinkers Club inspired me to write a set of haikus on the idea of nationality; I was born in England, but my parents are Nigerian and I thought it

Dylan Swain

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ENRICHMENT

W H I N C H AT

Enrichment

Y3 & 4 ENRICHMENT

Lego day with BGS

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t was really good fun mixing with the girls school during the Lego workshop. We made houses with gardens using a special technique for the roof. We were then allowed to expand the city by making train stations, tracks, rugby pitches, churches and schools.

We were really proud of our city by the end of the morning! I particularly liked being creative and making a memorial statue to commemorate those who had died in the war.

Sammy Rawlings Y3

T

he Lego morning was so much fun!

My favourite part was making the football stadium with my friends because we made tiers of seats really high.

I also loved the electric train that ran all through the city. I thought it was great that everyone made an individual house with a garden to surround the city - this showed how we had all worked together and everyone had their own little piece lego creation to support the final masterpiece.

Leo Mathew Y3

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Empty classroom day “A day to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play”

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e know and believe that outdoor learning improves children’s health, engages them with learning and leads to a greater connection with nature. Play not only teaches critical life skills such as resilience, teamwork and creativity, but is central to children’s enjoyment of childhood. On Thursday 18th May boys in year 3 and 4 took part in the Global Empty Classroom day at Bedford Prep School in line with 10,000 other schools across the world. The idea of the day was to stimulate and engage boys’ minds with a new learning environment outside of the classroom - A huge success and a venture we look to continue every year.

ENRICHMENT

Mini prep projects

Y

ear 3 and 4 launched a new initiative this year whereby the boys are given topic related creative activities to choose from to research as part of their prep.

The boys are given a grid like the example shown and then free choose on which task they want to produce at the end of a two week period. The work speaks for itself as we have received some phenomenal research projects, models, cooking and even videos representing the boys individual, independent learning.

At Bedford School we believe initiative and independence are two key learner attributes so through this mini prep project scheme we are helping our boys find the confidence to use their own judgement, skills, and make decisions without needing to be told what to do.This has been hugely successful and allowed our boys to branch out into new depths of understanding and discovery.

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Ambassador talks “Never stop learning because life never stops teaching.”

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his year we the year 8 boys have taken on the role of Enrichment Ambassadors for year 3 and 4.

They have provided 1:1 workshops, reading support, computer programming sessions and more; passing on their expertise, knowledge and passion to inspire the younger boys. We plan to encourage 2 lunchtime sessions per half term following the successes of Daniel Bello, who led the boys into the dramatic world of extreme sports, and Joey Robinson, who enhanced and engaged the boys artistic flare through skillful demonstrations.

“When one teaches, two learn.”

EXTRACT FROM JAMES CUTLER’S the Impact of the Industrial ESSAY on Revolution on his home town:

MY MEADOW

F

There’s a world hidden in my meadow Deep beneath the emerald grass, Shining like a looking-glass Buried far below.

There’s a hill by my meadow, Through my world it roams.

From it I can see my home Buried far below.

There’s a tree in my meadow, The branches stretch to the sky Under which my hidden world lies, Buried far below.

My meadow, though, lies far away I had to see it go, So I keep these thoughts at bay, Buried far below.

There are horses in my meadow; By the tree they graze.

Their fence once set my world ablaze, Buried far below.

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Dylan Swain Y8

inally, just a quick thought about what would the world be like if the Industrial Revolution had not happened; I think that we would certainly be worse off. The inventions that were introduced revolutionised the way we live and think, and in particular, the way we communicate. We live in a far more connected world, even though our local communities are perhaps not as close. I believe this is a good thing.

In conclusion, I think that people owe a lot to the Industrial Revolution and the inventors that led the way. Certainly it has changed our lives forever and the way we think about things in life as well. The world would not be as connected as it is at and maybe we would still be writing letters to people and receiving letters from around the world, full of things that had happened weeks before! We would certainly be less informed about the world in which we live.

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T H E A RT S

W H I N C H AT

Art

ART

01

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rawing from first-hand observation has been a focus for boys in all year groups at the start of the year: we have seen Y3s observing pods of all shapes and sizes, boys in Y4 painting landscapes from collected sources, Y5s recording line, shape and texture observed in fish, Y6s responding to proportion of the human figure, Y7s studying gargoyles and grotesques and the Y8s combining how to draw features of the face for self-portraiture. Developing observation skills helps boys at Bedford Prep School to

inform their drawings, as well as sustain their concentration levels. Of course, art at Bedford Prep goes beyond drawing as our displays around the school testify. We aim to instil in all boys a confidence, experience and enjoyment of using a wide range of materials and processes. If we achieve this one target, then success is often just around the corner.

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Phil Studd 01

Ruslan B Bedretdinov edretdinov - Year 6

0 2 Art Prep YEAR 3 ART 03 H enry Pask 04 Jack Down YEAR 4 ART 05 G eorge Sivills 06 S am Inman YEAR 5 ART 07 S am Cutler 08 H arry Clifton 09 H arman Basra 10

Summers S ummers

YEAR 6 ART 11

David D avid Wiltshire

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Will W ill Reddy

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William W illiam Everitt

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JJack ack Aldridge

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Harry H arry Payne

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Charlie C harlie Faulkner

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Pharrell P harrell Peters

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Zachary Z achary Cumming

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Oliver O liver Needham

20 L Leo eo Butler

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Henry H enry Williams

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William W illiam Maltby

02 J ovan Kooner

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Nickey N ickey Lam

03 Freddie Sowerby

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Artin A rtin Lee

04 Robert Parrish

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Maxwell M axwell Martin

05 Eldon Craven

20 JJohn ohn Ellwood

06 J ohn Ogunyiluka

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JJacques acques Wildon

07 Eldon Craven

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Ibrahim Hassan

08 H arlan Todd

23 Alex Edun

09 Christian Tyrell

24 L Luay uay Mughal

YEAR 8 ART

25 A Arun run Nanda

YEAR 7 ART 01

Freddie Mcphail

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Michael M ichael Mccormack

26 A Austin ustin Ward

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Michael M ichael Mccormack

27 Joseph Rossington

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Michael M ichael Mccormack

28 D Daniel aniel Ogunbanjo

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Michael M ichael Mccormack

29 H Henry enry Williams

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Henry H enry Williams

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Drama DRAMA DEPARTMENT

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he two productions that the Prep School staged this year: Beowulf and James and the Giant Peach, were especially successful for the fact that they featured two big ensemble casts. Jake Bentley-Evans as Beowulf, and Elio Lepore and Will Hayward as James, portrayed their characters with maturity and exceptional focus, but without the support of the other cast members, those performances would not have been possible. The ensemble tradition is one that Prep Drama holds up above all others and long may it continue. The number of boys who continue to pursue Drama in all its forms in the Upper School is deeply rewarding to note and it is clear that during their time in the Prep School, the boys are really honing their skills in a nurturing and collaborative environment.

W O R D S BY

Jonathan Hooley

chorus. The chorus consisted of Year 7 and 8 actors and they remained on stage throughout the entire performance, helping to tell the story by creating different landscapes and creatures using only bamboo canes. I enjoyed the way movement was used to created the scenery and felt it gave the story an eerie atmosphere; the play allowed the audience to imagine for themselves what the monsters and the different landscapes looked like.

BEOWULF REVIEW

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n the spring term, a physical theatre production of the epic poem ‘Beowulf’ was performed in the Quarry Theatre. The space was used imaginatively to create an old mead hall; the type that Viking heroes would have told their fireside stories in long ago. With the audience surrounding the actors on three sides and with light sculptures designed by Mr Pharaoh creating unusual shapes and shadows, we were very close to the action and the feeling was very intense.

The production was based on the version of the story by poet, Seamus Heaney and used lines of poetry, spoken mostly by a

The cast were fully committed to telling the story and featured a very strong central performance by Jake Bentley Evans as the noble warrior himself. Ethan Ofosu’s powerful voice and facial expressions were excellent as the king and I really liked the way Dylan Swain and Nick Challacombe worked together to create the evil monster, Grendel. By speaking in unison and moving together around the space, they created a very unsettling idea of the monster indeed. This powerful technique was also used to bring Grendel’s Mother to life and Sam Hundal and Joshua Romeo did an excellent job with this. The whole cast, dressed all in black and wearing tribal facepaint, maintained amazing focus throughout the play and worked together superbly. The most successful moment for me was when a large

group of boys became the “Dragon” that eventually kills Beowulf. The whole group slithered around the stage, breathing as one and billowed fire in the form of a giant red flag that nearly covered the whole stage. The overall effect was incredibly dramatic.

The superb, dramatic music, composed especially for the play by Mr Rooke and performed live at the back of the stage really added to the intense atmosphere of the whole piece and a method of freeze framing the action to highlight moments of intensity helped draw the audience into the gripping tale. The whole pace of the play really swept the audience up in the action.

My final memory of the play was the sung narration by Joseph Rossington and Harlan Todd, which was both amplified and slightly distorted by the use of microphones; it sounded eerie and haunting, like voices from long ago and I won’t forget that for a long time.

It was an epic performance of an epic poem!

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Murray Silk

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JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

“I

t all started on a blazing hot day,” said James Henry Trotter, which was appropriate because it was on a blazing hot Saturday in June that I went to see the brilliant James and the Giant Peach production. This was also exciting because it was the first time I’d been an audience member in the amazing Quarry Theatre.

At the beginning the music really helped to build up the tension before the play even started. During the production the songs helped to entwine all the parts together and carry the production along. The actors were well chosen to match the description of the characters they were playing.

The play was well choreographed and was obviously very well thought through. The best bit for me was the moment those evil aunts tried to take James back home, even though I knew what was going to happen, it was like reading the book for the first time; every moment leaving you in suspense.

The design of the puppets was brilliant too. The Centipede, Grasshopper, Worm, Ladybird, Spider and Glow-worm were played by William Maltby, Thomas Haywood, Oliver Quince, Robert Parrish, Thomas Deardon and Arthur Polhill.

They really brought the insects to life and worked with the audience’s imagination.

Another surprise was the peach itself. I was expecting a small balloon, or something similar, but instead I got a massive peach, easily twice the size of me! Some excellent shadow puppetry was used for James entering

the peach and rolling down the hill and this became a real feature of the play: imaginative moments that allowed the audience to picture for themselves exactly what was happening.

The ensemble cast showed that they had excellent comic timing throughout the piece and all thirty actors worked together so well to bring the story to life. From using their bodies to create a creepy, overgrown garden and old peach tree, to cloudmen, hurling hailstones, every scene grabbed my attention.

I also really liked the lighting, designed by Amy Jonas. In such an intimate performance, every scene needed to capture the mood and atmosphere of its setting immediately, and I thought this was really well achieved.

Elio Lepore and William Hayward both shared the role of James and did a fantastic job being lively and courageous throughout and James Deardon and Jack Harte were horrible as the mean old aunts! All the actors did well to add a voice to their characters and in a way

they all had certain attributes similar to the characters they were playing, adding another layer of reality to the production.

Overall, this production was a great addition to the Roald Dahl story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Wilfred Baker

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Speech and Drama PREP SCHOOL HOUSE DRAMA REPORT

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n early December the popular Prep School House Drama event returned for a second helping. Following the success of last year's inaugural event, the format was tweaked slightly to include pupils from Years 3 & 4 too. This proved a popular decision and the four performances presented by each of the houses reflected the hard work, commitment and talent of all the boys involved.

Each house was given a poem to adapt for the stage by New York poet and perennial dreamer, Shel Silverstein. The poems differed in subject matter and style, but each reflected the same world view: that seen through a positive lens, even the most challenging events can provide hope and enlightenment.

The vibrant, comical, thought-provoking and hugely entertaining performances featured an original song, written by Mr Groom; the music was the perfect accompaniment to the night. On the evening, the stand out performance was given by George Ashcroft (Howard) for his Best-Actorwinning portrayal of a crotchety, shotgunwielding, horse loving farmer in The Long Haired Boy and the main prize of the night went to Whitbread for their performance of Traffic Light. Under the guidance of Mr Roberts, the boys transformed an off-beat poem about a group of people stuck at a traffic light that won’t change into a hilarious social commentary full of brilliantly realised characters. The audience were in hysterics, the boys just about keeping a straight face!

Every performance offered something different and it was clear from the lively and positive atmosphere in the theatre that each boy was in his element. It is a testament to the teachers involved and to the house spirit at the school that eighty boys in total stepped onto the stage to represent their houses. The final highlight of the evening was Arun Nanda’s imaginative, lively monologue, performed whilst judge and returning Old Boy, Theo St Clair, made his choices.

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Jonathan Hooley

SPEECH AND DRAMA 2017

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he popularity of Speech and Drama continues to grow, with now over one hundred and fifty boys opting to take part. The first term is spent learning or recapping drama terminology and enhancing performance skills in preparation for the Bedfordshire Festival in the Spring Term and the LAMDA examinations in the

summer. During this term the tutors are able to find out about the boys’ interests and this gives us an insight into their individual performance skills and strengths. The boys experience a wide range of material from both poetry and prose texts, with the older boys exploring monologues, duologues and group drama situations.

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T H E A RT S

BEDFORSHIRE FESTIVAL

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edford Prep School loves the Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama. The boys enjoy taking part, seeing pupils from other schools who share their passion for performing, listening to exciting presentations and of course, winning trophies! Every March the boys participating in the Festival go down to the Corn Exchange where they will perform a poem, monologue, duologue or prepared reading – all perfect practice for their summer LAMDA exams. The boys really thrive in this situation and relish the opportunity to perform solo or a duet with a friend and the results really do show how fantastic the BPS boys are in the various disciplines.

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The final term of the year is spent preparing for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) examinations, which test, not only their excellent performing skills but also the bank of technical knowledge they have acquired throughout the year. Skills such as sight reading, projection, technical pauses and an understanding of the language techniques employed by writers also impacts in the classroom where this knowledge will be to their advantage.

The boys can opt to participate in either the Verse and Prose category or from Y6 upward, acting where they can perform both monologues and duologues.

“We really enjoyed the Speech and Drama course this year because it was fun and creative, especially the postit line-learning game we learnt.”

Thomas Hayward and Charlie Blythman Y7 “We particularly liked role-play: taking on a character and improvising a scene. The outcome was always unpredictable and often hilarious.”

James Deardon and Henry Christian Y8 We would like to thank all of the boys for their enthusiasm and commitment throughout the year. They have been a pleasure to work with and we wish them continued enjoyment and success in raising their level of skill and knowledge in this sphere of the performing arts.

F IRST PLACES:

and Speak a Poem)

IT – (Solo Poem)

T HIRD PLACE:

Tom Deardon, Ivan Savelyev and Callum Ward – Radio Play

Robert Wells and Harry Clifton – The Tummy Beast (Duet Poem)

Noah Silk – The Rival Arrives (Solo Poem)

Charlie Blythman and Thomas Hayward – Blood Brothers (Duologue)

Hayden Melly and Sam Hundal – Fault (Duologue) Emanuel Rumanara, Kabir Singh and Aryan Sisodia – Class (Group Performance) William Maltby, Nick Challacombe, George Ashcroft and Ellison Hendry – Death Takes the Train (Group Performance) Benjamin IngramMoore and Jake BentleyEvans – A Visit to Yalding (Duet Poem) Arthur Polhill – Five Children and It (Prepared Reading) James Pinkney – Gran – (Solo Poem) Ethan Whitlock – Trafficked to Hell (Write

James Deardon – The Witches (Solo Poem)

Jake Bentley-Evans – Time (Write and Speak a Poem)

Jack Harte – School Trip (Solo Poem)

Fraser Morgan – Leaves (Write and Speak a Poem)

Barnaby James and Aaron Berman – Day Out (Solo Poem)

Callum Ward – The Shouting Slide

S ECOND PLACE: Aidan Carruthers – Birds (Presentation) Sam Walker and Gabriel O’Neil – Josh and S.A.M (Duologue) Sam Deardon and Noah Silk – Losing Your Marbles (Duet Poem) Shayen Patel – Five Children and It (Prepared Reading) Dinner on Elm Street (Solo Poem) Aryan Sohanpal –

Arnav Dhaliwal, Leo Mathews, Olly Biffa and Rocco Sarro– These are the Clothes my Big Brother wore (Group Poem)

Shayen Patel – Fantastic Mr Fox (Monologue) Joe Rossington, Oscar Whitcombe and Arvin Rai – Gents (Group Performance) Oliver Quince- I Wish I Was A Pirate (Solo Poem) Alex Harrison – The Jabberwocky (Solo Poem) Sam Deardon – Grudges (Solo Poem)

Kiyo Kasai and Ruslan Bedretdinov – Who Started it? (Duet Poem)

Elio Lepore – Mums (Solo Poem)

Ruben Jacob and Oscar Barker – Interview with the Headmaster (Duet Poem)

Andreas Demetriou, Alfie Gittins and Oliver Wright – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Prepared Reading)

Robert Parrish and Joshua Cooke – Cinderella (Duet Poem)

Clement Rahwangi – Gough, Ethan Summers and William Beattie – The Tale of Three Brothers (Prepared Reading)

Henry Christian – Colonel Fazackerley (Solo Poem)

Kurtish Mistry and Jack Harte – Granny (Duet Poem) Austin Ward- Warhorse (Prepared Reading) George Mansell – Just fancy that (Solo Poem) Aaron Berman – Dad’s Diet (Solo Poem)

S PECIAL MENTION: David Shirley – Family Album (Solo Poem) Akshat Buddineni, Alex Hammond and Jake Biffa (Group Poem) Kurtish Mistry – Just Can’t Kick It With His Foot (Solo Poem) Arthur Polhill and Will Hayward – Gran Can You Rap (Duet Poem) Danielle Boughey Sue Keane Fiona Fowler

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Design Technology DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

Throughout this year, we have had a very high level of creative, technical and imaginative work. I have been impressed with all year groups. In particular, a few outstanding individuals, who have really thought carefully about their design ideas and have had a natural flair of talent.

T

he Design Technology Department at Bedford Prep School allows the boys to explore different techniques, styles and methods of approach.

They have also worked extremely hard through their manufacturing skills, experimenting and make use of the wide variety of tools; techniques and materials open to them. Well done to all our boys this year and impressive amount of finished products and to a high quality too!

The study of Design and Technology will equip pupils with a skill set relevant to an amazingly wide variety of careers. The subject not only encompasses investigation into modern manufacturing techniques, materials and the ability to manipulate them, but also more importantly provides the opportunity for pupils to develop research and analytical skills and gain experience in project management. All viewed as valuable and transferable skills by universities and employers and a platform on which to develop study at a higher level.

Our exciting enrichment programme this year, manufacturing the Go Kart, enthused lots of budding engineers who were excited by the fact that we were building petrol Go Kart with no welding and they were able to use industrial tools and equipment under

close supervision. We also had a lead Upper School boy Oliver Brown who was part of this project to mentor our Prep School boys.

The project has run throughout the year and has been much bigger than expected, and therefore will definitely run into next year’s enrichment programme for the New Year 8 boys to continue. Thank you to all the Year 8 boys who worked on this project this year and you will be welcomed back when we launch the finished product!

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Year 3 - Best Designer

Year 7- Best Designer

Oliver Quince

James Lumley -Wood

Best Manufacturer

Best Manufacturer

George Knight

Year 4- Best Designer Jonathan Hall

Best Manufacturer Charlie Spencer

Year 5- Best Designer Zach Hone

Best Manufacturer David Wiltshire

Year 6- Best Designer William Cave- Grubb

Best Manufacturer Charlie Faulkner

Tom Godber

Year 8- Best Designer Jacob Bailey

Best Manufacturer Tom Jenkins

Best DT Student of the Year 2017 Callum Nanda Year 7

Best Enrichment Student of the Year 2017 Jasper Cummings Year 8

Best Manufacturer of the Year 2017 Freddie Sowerby Year 7

Best Designer of the Year Will Turner Year 5

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J ack Aldridge Year 6 Iphone Amplifer

0 2 DT Enrichment 03 G o Kart Project-Oscar Whitcombe, Jasper Cummings and Bradley Cole Year 8 04 D avid Wiltshire Dream Catcher project Year 5 05 Nicholas Dyall Crazy Coat Hanger project Year 4 06 A rt Deco clocks 07 Freddie Sowerby Year 7 DT Award Winner Art Deco Clock Project 08 DT Year 5

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Music MUSIC REPORT

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lthough this has been a very difficult year for the Music Department in both the Upper and Prep School with the tragic news of Guy Bennett’s passing, it has been amazing how everyone within the department has pulled together, supporting and encouraging each other and I feel extremely lucky to be part of such an amazing team. This has been clearly apparent in the tremendous dedication of the staff and boys and the quality of music making that has been produced. The sheer enjoyment and enthusiasm instilled in all the boys involved in the multitudinous musical ensembles, concerts and performances that have been held has been a joy to witness.

Excitingly, music has moved from strength to strength this year and this can clearly be seen through the amazing

number of successful concerts that have been held, enthusiastically supported by parents and boys alike. Our usual Informal Concert Programme didn’t fail to delight and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to and watching the wide range of talent that we are cultivating in the Prep School. The Year 3 and 4 Starter Presentation this term involved the Y4 classes playing a rendition of Old MacDonald arranged by Andrew Groom for trumpet, French Horn, trombone, clarinet, oboe and flute and the Y3 Starter Strings working as a relay, each class confidently playing a different piece held together by Mr Bantock’s hilarious tale about an orange “strawberrytarian” earthworm called Marmaduke!

Both the Autumn and Summer Concerts this year were epic events. Highlights this year were the exciting rendition of ‘Circle of Life’ from the Lion King at the end of the Autumn Concert, performed by the Y6 Djembe Drummers, the augmented Senior/ Y6 Choir and the Prep Orchestra, enhanced by a perfectly timed video projected onto the back wall of the stage. Not to be outdone, the Summer Concert proved to be an absolute musical feast this year and really upheld the united spirit of our Music Department. Toto’s ‘Africa’ was a spectacular

performance involving almost 150 boys singing, the Jazz Band, and a Steel Pan Band made up of Music Staff as well as Mr Loader and Miss Mann! The concert culminated with a dazzling performance of Star Wars by the Prep Orchestra, brilliantly arranged by Andrew Groom, accompanied by an excruciatingly hilarious video put together by Thom Rooke which had the audience rocking with laughter as Darth Beckwith endeavoured to retrieve the stolen score from the rebel army. Thank you to my awesome team. I can’t wait until next year!

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We had two exciting music workshops this year. The first, in the Autumn term, was the Y4 & 6 Orchestral Workshop involving 90 boys working with the Arensky Chamber Orchestra (ACO), a professional Londonbased ensemble led by Neil Valentine. The theme "Boom and Bust" and the challenge was to create and perform a new composition using Ravel's "La Valse", as stimulus. We performed the piece in a final concert, to which many parents were able to come! It was a truly magical afternoon of musicmaking, enjoyed by boys and parents alike.

The second, a workshop on Peter and the Wolf in the Great Hall involving about 600 children from local schools. After an introduction by Joss Sanders we were treated to an excellent performance of this amazing piece by the US First Orchestra, narrated by Joss. A wonderful way to end another awesomely busy musical year.

Singing is always a strong feature in the Prep School and this year was no exception. As has now become tradition, the Y3 and 4 Kiosk Carollers gathered outside the Kiosk in Russell Park singing carols with much gusto in front of a huge crowd of family and friends. The end of term carol services highlighted the true spirit and strength of music in the Prep School. House Singing as always was a huge success, Whitbread yet again being crowned overall winners. The Choral Society’s performance of ‘Five Mystical Songs; by Vaughan Williams and Finzi’s ‘Robert Bridges Songs’ was as ever, well presented and very enjoyable and their rendition of Faure’s ‘Requiem’, the soloist of which was a Prep OB, Harry Guthrie, breath-taking.

T H E A RT S

Both the Composition Competition and the Prep Music Competition were entertaining and fiercely contested.

Congratulations go to all the boys who competed in both events; the standard of performance never fails to impress.

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Our very talented young violinist, Brooklyn Fu was invited to perform at the Gala Performance and did himself proud. Congratulations to all who took part in the Festival.

THE CONCERT CULMINATED WITH A DAZZLING PERFORMANCE OF STAR WARS We have had a number of boys taking part in the Music Festival; the results of which are below.

Solo Singing: Trebles 1st Harlan Todd Woodwind Grade 4 1st Christopher Sporton Brass to Grade 3 1st Louis Montgomery Wind Bands Y8 & below 1st Prep School Band Guitar Grade 1-4 1st Anthony Worthington Strings Grade 8 1st Brooklyn Fu Strings Grade 3 2nd William Everitt Strings Grade 4 2nd Leo De Luca Chorister 2nd Harlan Todd Piano Grade 2 3rd Christopher Sporton

The Summer Term opened with a flurry of excitement as the Y3 and Junior Choir put on the eagerly awaited production of Mr Groom’s latest Musical, Baba Yaga.

Hence, on the 27th and 28th April 89 excited boys entertained their parents in a spectacularly terrifyingly hilarious production, jam-packed with toe-tapping, and at times out and out creepy songs that will no doubt remain with the boys and audience alike for some time to come.

I would like to thank all the staff and boys for a magnificently musical year and look forward to next year with eager anticipation.

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W H I N C H AT

Houses

A E AG LE H O U S E R E P O RT

s another successful year in Eagle House draws to a close, we can make time to reflect upon a year of adventure, achievement and personal growth for our boys. Numerous exciting trips and experiences have brought us all closer together as a family. Many thanks must got to our superb Year 8’s this year who have set such high standards and have really enabled this year to be such an enjoyable one for Staff and Boys. Special thanks to our Head of House Dev Bhalani, Deputy Head of House Nickey Lam and our prefects Alex Edun, Ethan Ofosu, Nikolai Sorokin, Dell Kang and Kabi Burtt. Special mention should also go to Dale Sirivisal who is the first winner of a new cup for Boarder of the Year.

The House will again see a big change as 15 Year 8’s move into the Upper School and we wish them all the best as they start their new adventure. It does mean the House will welcome 16 new boys in September 2017 which is very exciting. Also we say welcome back to Mr Loader and Miss Portsmouth who will be covering the Assistant Housemaster role for one term whilst Mrs Travis recovers from a hip operation. Mr and Mrs Travis will be back with us from January 2018 and we wish Mrs Travis all the best with a speedy recovery and we can’t wait to have you back next year.

Academic success has been enjoyed with many boys reaching their Gold and Platinum Awards and also receiving prizes in Speech Day. On the sports field boys have represented various teams at all levels in a range of sports including rugby, football, hockey, cricket, tennis, athletics, swimming badminton, golf and table tennis. Alex Edun and Nickey Lam also regularly represented Bedford Blues RFC on their Sundays. All these things just demonstrate how much the boys have thrown themselves into boarding life and taken all the opportunities given to them.

As always the House trip to the Peak District was an outstanding experience for all. The boys were a credit to the School and enjoyed some fantastic sights and superb activities as we cycled through Leicestershire, quad biked through woods and streams of Derbyshire and walked our way around the countryside in Hartington discovering streams, caves and hills to explore and play in. The boys also enjoyed a full day at Alton Towers Water Park on the Sunday and the trip was finished off with a great day at Alton Towers Theme Park as we all enjoyed the thrills of the rollercoasters and the spills of the log flume and rapids.

Regular visits to the theatre have been enjoyed watching all the Prep productions and the opportunity for our older boys to watch Upper School and external productions at the Quarry Theatre. We also all enjoyed a trip to Milton Keynes Theatre to watch the fantastic West End Show Billy Elliott. We are looking forward to Matlida next year which should be equally impressive.

As always we enjoyed many weekend trips which have this year included cinema, indoor surfing, rock climbing, go carting, inflatable water park at Box End, tenpin bowling, high rope climbing and crazy golf, to name but some of the activities that have challenged the boys and given them

new and exciting adventures. We have also enjoyed two fantastic days at Ickwell Nature Reserve where we had the opportunity to explore, play and BBQ in the most amazing of surroundings.

Finally, many thanks to the wonderful team of Matrons and Staff especially Mr and Mrs Travis, Mr Brett and Mr Guest who have helped give the boys at Eagle House a wonderful year. We are all looking forward to next year where we will be celebrating Eagle House’s 25th year.

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BUNYAN HOUSE REPORT

A

s the German rock band The Scorpions sang in one of the soundtracks of my youth, “The wind of change blows straight into the face of time”.

And hasn’t Bunyan seen some change! No more Mr Beckwith, the inspirational ‘Yellow Leader’, new faces in the Bunyan staff ranks and me taking the reins - no pressure then Mr Allen! To quote Andrew Jackson, America’s seventh president: “I've got big shoes to fill.

This is my chance to do something. I have to seize the moment”. Whilst coming fourth in the annual Nestor House Cup competition might be a slightly disappointing return on ‘the moment being seized’, it's been a fantastic year which has never ceased to amaze me.

Possibly our greatest moments happened in the pool. An early win in the Year 3-8 swimming relay competition set the scene for a very successful aquatic year. This was followed by wins in the Year 3&4 and Year 7&8 swimming galas and falling just 20 points short of winning the Year 5&6 gala and making it a clean sweep. One of the highlights of my year was joining in the Year 3&4’s chants of ‘Let's go Bunyan let's go’ during their gala. Not only did we win the gala but

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Houses

we also smashed the supporters’ competition too! And then there was the sponsored swim - what an event! A last minute change of mind and a throw away comment to Mr Guest resulted in a hastily arranged, but brilliantly executed, event. Mr Guest pounced on my tongue in cheek suggestion that, with Madame Trounson in Bunyan, we should try to swim to France. Before I knew it, he had furnished me with the necessary distances and ideas and suggestions on how it could be done and he had produced, and presented, an assembly to the House, outlining the task in hand. Following a degree of bemusement from many - I did have to point out that we wouldn't be needing to cover ourselves in goose fat and do battle with the Dover to Calais ferries - it was agreed…..we would hit the pool and try to amass enough lengths (1,332) to make it from Dover to Calais.

The boys were brilliant! The teachers were pretty good too - huge efforts from Madame Trounson, Mr Guest and Mr Maitland set the boys well on the way. We even had a visit from Mr Beckwith to cheer us on. The boys swam their hearts out - special mentions must go to Benjamin Ingram-Moore and Ben Beckmann (Y8), both of whom swam over 100 lengths, and Jack Sivills (Y3) who swam over 50.

That said, the weaker swimmers put equally impressive effort in - for some, two lengths was a feat to congratulated for and to be proud of. Suffice to say, we made it to France.

Once there, we decided that we actually quite liked England, and had a bit of energy left,

Some quotes from this year’s House Officers: "My highlight of the year was winning house cricket considering it is my main sport. My favourite part of Bunyan has been the people in the house - I've loved being in Bunyan."

Benjamin Ingram-Moore - House Vice-Captain

so we turned round and swam straight back!

Over two thousand five hundred lengths were swum, covering over sixty six kilometres.

Away from the pool, other sporting successes were enjoyed in Year 3 rugby and cricket, Year 4 football, Year 5&6 squash, Year 6 rugby, Year 7 school run,Year 7&8 cricket and the vociferously supported tug of war. It would also be remiss of me not to mention House Singing. The boys all bought into the Lion King medley wholeheartedly.

They rehearsed enthusiastically and were marshalled brilliantly by Oscar Calvert, their music captain and conductor and were justly rewarded by sharing first place with my old friends at Howard well done boys, you were brilliant!

We might not have won the Nestor Cup but we certainly had a good time trying! Let's go Bunyan, let's go!

I owe a huge debt of thanks to my House Officers. Ably led by House Captain, James Cutler, the boys went about their roles with

"The Bunyan year has gone really well even though we may have missed out on the House Cup, one of my favourite parts being House Swimming because the energy of Bunyan combined was so powerful it motivated everyone to a great result. However, house drama, when I was in Year 7, was my best memory because it really showed me what being in Bunyan meant; it's more than a house, it's a family."

Ethan Ofosu - Drama Captain

pride and vigour and were true leaders in everything they did. Thanks also to my merry band of Bunyan staff - Miss Mann, Madame Trounson, Madame Faulkner, Mrs Leeson, Mr Guest, Mr Maitland. My last mention must be to our departing staff.

Madame Trounson may have only been in Bunyan for a year but her enthusiasm was infectious and, finally, Miss Mann calls time on fourteen years in Bunyan. She has been a fantastic servant and, with her honesty and candour in assemblies, she has had a profound effect on the house - thank you!

"My highlight of the year would definitely be winning House Tug of War. I enjoyed this because we all had to work as a team to win and the support was amazing!

As Sports Vice-Captain I helped sort out lots of sports teams but what I enjoyed the most wasn't organising the teams, it was being part of the teams. I will really miss Bunyan as I move to the Upper School."

Anish Katechia - Sports Vice-Captain

"My highlight of the year was definitely conducting house singing in February. Although we didn't win the overall competition I was really happy about winning (or joint winning) the Unison Cup. As Music Captain, I was proud to win the Woodwind Cup and Brooklyn Fu winning the Overall Cup was brilliant."

Oscar Calvert - Music Captain

"My highlights of the year were the house events in general; however, one specific event would be sports day where everyone in the house got together and tried their best for the house. The weather wasn't great but the atmosphere was. My best memory of Bunyan was house singing. It's a time where the whole house gets together. Even though we didn't win (we did win the unison song), we all did well and that's what matters."

Orlando Williams - Music Vice-Captain

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Houses

succeeded in gaining a deserved second place in the Great Hall – congratulations to them.

I have used so many superlatives to describe Mrs Gedye over the years – she is truly magnificent! Thank you, Jo!!

HARPUR HOUSE REPORT

B

illy Joel once sang, ‘Every year’s a souvenir, that slowly fades away.’

Another Harpur year has come to a close, but the highlights and memories it has created will burn brightly and not fade from our minds for a long time to come. All Harpur boys should be rightly proud of their enthusiasm, commitment and camaraderie in all areas of House life.

In terms of successes in House competitions, this has not, admittedly, been a vintage year; however, we have entered each event with commendable spirit and eagerness to participate against our friendly rivals in the other Houses in the Prep School.

A very encouraging sign this year has been the results involving the younger Harpur boys, and they may well become the bedrock of future Harpur successes in years to come.

We achieved a first and second place in Year 3 and Year 4 rugby respectively, and second places in both Year 3 and Year 4 football.

The Year 3 boys also achieved a second place in the cricket competition and the Year 3&4 swim team claimed the same position in their summer swimming gala. The younger age also had a fantastic Sports Day in the final week of the summer term – I truly lost count of the number of times I saw Harpur boys coming in the top three in their races!

‘Solid seconds’ were also achieved this year by the Year 5 rugby and cross country teams, along with the Year 5&6 squash boys and the Year 5&6 swimmers. We also matched

this result in House Art and I thank and congratulate all the boys who took the time to enter and the significant number who were awarded individual prizes at the exhibition.

Sadly, there were not enough first and second places over the course of the year to see us retain the Nestor Cup as overall winners, and we congratulate Whitbread on their welldeserved victory. Clearly, our aim next year is to turn more fourth and third positions to better results – something, I know, every Harpur boy in September will be fully determined to do!!

One foundation we can build upon is our very strong showing in the merit totals. We have traditionally been very strong in this area in recent years and of particular note are the Year 3 and Year 8 boys who topped the merit table every term this year! If we can continue in this crucial area of House points accumulation then, I am sure, we will be bouncing back strongly next year.

House Singing dominated the earlier part of the year and I was, once again, bowled over by the enthusiasm, commitment and effort the boys showed throughout the rehearsal period.

They really threw themselves into the ‘Oliver’ medley for the unison section and they were superbly lead and conducted by our Music Captain, Dylan Swain. A special mention to the part singers who gave up hours of free time to rehearse their rendition of ‘Dream a Little Dream.’ They really challenged themselves with a difficult composition and

My ultimate highlight of the year was, undoubtedly, our Harpur Charity Challenge, which involved a mass mannequin pose and human lettering to spell out ‘Harpur’ on the school astro. If you have not seen this, I would recommend you seek out the video on YouTube. The boys were superbly creative (and still!) to hold their poses for a couple of minutes. The purpose of this challenge was to raise funds for the Sue Ryder Hospice at St. Johns Moggerhanger. Thank you to all who have donated and it is not too late to seek out the Just Giving page to make further donations.

Of course, along with all the boys of the House, there are individuals to thank for their wonderful support and commitment to Harpur. Head of House, Thomas Herbert, has been an excellent leader and role model, as has his team of House Officers and Prefects – Daniel Bello, Henry Christian, Ellis Hendry, Michael McCormack, Will Osborne, Dylan Swain, Austin Ward, Ethan Whitlock and Henry Williams. Thanks to each of these boys and I wish them and all the Harpur Year 8’s who leave us.

A big ‘thank you’ to a special team of House Tutors who have been so supportive and encouraging throughout the year.

Sadly, we had to bid farewell to some of our amazing team at the end of the summer term. Miss Hone has been involved in a ‘big money’ transfer to Whitbread House. We thank her for all she has done for us and wish her success….but not too much! Miss Boughey moves on to pastures new and we thank her for her wonderful guidance with House Drama earlier in the year. The boys really enjoyed the whole experience! Lastly, Mrs Spina moves on to join the Goldington Academy – our loss is very much their gain.

Mrs Spina has been a superb Harpur Tutor and I would like to thank her for her passion, spirit and love of the House. We will miss her deeply.

Every year is a souvenir, indeed! I have treasured this year and I, along with all in Harpur, have added many special memories to our mental photo albums. I look forward to seeing what new memories the ‘Mighty Reds’ can create next year.

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rthur Ashe once said ‘Success is a journey, not a destination.

The doing is often more important than the outcome.’

HOWARD HOUSE REPORT W O R D S BY

Penny Oakley

What an exciting year! The boys have been immersed in a vast array of activities and as ever have amazed, enthralled and entertained us on their journey. The Autumn Term saw hard fought rugby competitions, and my highlight of the term, the House Drama.

What an amazing event this was.

Transported to Southern USA by the boys well held accents, in their portrayal of ‘The LongHaired Boy.’ Many congratulations to 24 boys involved this year from Howard House and to our very talented Mr Hooley for his guidance and organisation. Special mentions to George Ashcroft for winning the Best Actor Award for his outstanding rifle wielding character and to Josh Cooke for his incredible performance as the long haired boy. Thank you to all the boys for their commitment and focus during the term’s rehearsals. Placing second in the end, by the narrowest of margins (1 point), but what an unforgettable night and what a show of talent.

We ended the term on a high. Huge number of merits securing the Autumn Term House Cup for Howard.

The busy Spring term swiftly followed; the boys embracing our extra-curricular opportunities and participating in: Badminton, Football, Squash, Hockey, Water-Polo, Swimming relays, Tug of War, House Singing and Howard's House Charity event. Just writing that list exhausts me!

House singing for Howard this year was The Foundation's, 'Build me up Buttercup.'

The boys worked so hard and really came together in the last few rehearsals. A wonderful occasion as always, and a welldeserved joint win in the Unison competition which the boys should be very proud of.

Thanks to Mr Sanders and Mr Groom for all their hard work with the Unison and Part songs respectively and to Joseph Rossington who did a fantastic job as our conductor!

Howard’s Charity Event this year was our ‘Better Together Dance-off.’ The boys performed a sponsored unison dance to 'The Cha-Cha-Slide' and then, other boys in the Prep School joined us to dance to a few other tunes. The boys had great fun and even Mr Silk joined us on stage for a boogie, (secretly pleased he has just missed the live-twitter feed moment!) The boys all went to their lessons with a smile that afternoon and we raised an admirable £400 for our

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chosen charity, ‘The Bedfordshire Downs Syndrome Support Group’ which provides opportunities for activities and days out as well as emotional support for families affected. Thank you so much to all of those who sponsored us; to my most fabulous House staff and to Luca Henchoz, Antonio Policella, Matthew Conroy-Hood, Tom Stephens and Bradley Cole for their enthusiasm and encouragement of others during our event.

The Summer Term saw Cricket, Swimming Galas, Art, Music and Sports Day. A heartfelt thank you to all the boys who pushed themselves to display an extraordinary range of talents. Special mentions to Eamon Bradley and Oliver Blakemore for their sublime Individual Medleys. Well done for wins in Y5/6 Swimming, Y4, 5 and 6 Cricket.

A Howard Sports Day victory which, although a rather soggy affair proved not to dampen the boys’ spirits. Stunning noticeable performances from Harry Norris, Ollie Blakemore, Nicky Lam and Henry Cudjoe, to name but a few. Huge thanks to all the boys for their energy and commitment and special mentions to Jake Smith, Oskar Martin and Matthew Conroy-Hood for being willing to step in to races at the very last minute and to David Adeyemi-Abere for the same but also

HOUSES

for his unerring calm which helped de-stress his high-tensile Housemaster! Thank you!

House Art was an awesome competition, what a great idea for a theme; 'In the style of.' A huge range of styles and subjects truly showcasing the excellent work going on in the Art department. The Howard boys, after a slow start, really came through, taking pride in participating for the House. Impressive works which made me very proud indeed.

Thank you, boys! Many congratulations to all and a special mention to Freddie Bowie and Josh Mitchell for a 1-2 finish in Year 3/4 category, and to David Wiltshire and Oliver Simmonds for a 1-3 finish in the Year 5/6 competition. Also to John Ogunyiluka for a simply a stunning personal favourite of mine.

Thank you to my staff for their support and endeavours with the House and to my House Officers: David Adeyemi-Abere, George Ashcroft, Olly Blakemore, Tom Stephens, Joseph Rossington, Jake Smith, Dell Kang, John Elwood, Henry Cudjoe, Arvin Rai for their help and encouragement with the boys. Thank you and well done too to my fellow Housemasters, an exciting year of friendly rivalry and charity fun; a pleasure as always to work with you all. Congratulations to Whitbread!

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As another year draws to a close I feel very proud of the Howard boys and the way they have truly displayed each of our school values in spades. Endeavour, integrity, responsibility and curiosity are at the very heart of their achievements which leaves me filled with pride! Thank you to all of the boys for proving that a team that works together towards a common goal, makes all the difference in the world.

Irrespective of course, our final placing in the race for the House Cup, (although it was close having won the Summer Term Cup), it has been a pleasure to be their Housemaster and be part of their journey and I'd like to finish with a beautiful and fitting quote to sum up Howard's year.

'The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the real dance of life takes place' Barbara de Angeles ....and boy did we dance!

Happy Holidays everyone!

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WHITBREAD HOUSE REPORT

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he Academic year of 2016/2017 brought great happiness to me. I have been the Head of Whitbread House for the past two years and the role has provided a lot of fantastic moments from our Whitbread boys. I am delighted to win the House Cup this year, what a proud moment and a great end to the year! My son was so embarrassed when I stood up and did a celebratory dance in final assembly (especially as he is in Bunyan House!).

The boys have really worked hard across the wide range of House events from House Singing to House Drama, all the Sporting events that have taken

place too and many more! I have witnessed true commitment, enthusiasm and resilience!

Here are some of my highlights of the Year: House Singing being the first major event of the year, this one was really important to us and we all worked very hard to perfect our singing voices for the big day. My father was attending the event this year and as a professional musician with a love for music, I wanted to show my father that I have it too!

We had chosen two of the songs that are dear to my father’s heart and he became

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very emotional when he heard our Whitbread boys sing them. To win the event too that day just made the event even more special as my father was blown away by our very talented and musical boys.

shine through in these events.

We have a lot of talented swimmers and every point counts! I am particularly proud of the good conduct and sportsmanship shown at each event for each year group.

We raised a substantial amount of money for our House Charity ‘A Race against Dementia. One of the most satisfying parts of being Housemaster is the willingness of charity reps and boys within the House to get involved in raising money for the chosen charity, by any means possible.

Thank you all for all your kind donations and hard work that has gone into raising the funds.

My best moment here was Benjamin Roberts holding up a sign all lunchtime to promote his brother’s stall “Name that tune!” Great resilience!

Preparing for assemblies is something which people can find daunting, but I would have to admit that I have learnt a lot through my various avenues of research and watching other members of staff present their assemblies too, some funny, serious, educational, meaningful, thought-provoking and most of all enjoyable.

I also have to thank the fantastic Prep Guild who held a great charity event on the Inky pitch for all the Prep School boys; fun and laughter was had by all.

We came second on a very wet, Sports Day and a big thank you has to go to all the Sports staff and Will Roberts for helping out with the organisation of getting boys to their events on time! A special mention to Tobi Akinola in Year 5 for stepping in at the last minute to run the 1200m races, a big thank you to him!

The Swimming Galas are very exciting; the atmosphere and House spirit really does

There are so many other things which I could list. Perhaps most impressive is all the individual boys who achieved well academically and those who have gained points for their excellent conduct. In many events boys have performed well and have worn their Whitbread tie with pride.

I am very grateful to all the House officers that I had this year, you served your house well and have been a great team to work with! Thank you also to all the House staff, I am very lucky to have you.

I am enormously proud of you all and you truly have made my year this year! I went home on the last day of school the happiest Housemaster ever. Well done and I will look forward to another great year of success in September.

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n the first half of the Autumn Term, each House discussed and decided on the charity that they would support. These are listed below.

Money was raised from a number of different events and collections including mufti days, Carol Service collection, House Singing donations, Y7-8 Disco with girls from Bedford Girls’ School. In addition, there was a very successful Summer Fair/ Funday organised by Andrea Spice and the Prep School Guild in collaboration with Year 8. They had arranged for a number of attractions including ‘gladiator contest’, bouncy obstacle course. Boys from Y8 devised and ran a number of stalls for boys from the other years to try their luck and skill at. The profits for this event were donated to the total which meant an impressive £1,356.92 was added.

In addition to these events, each House arranged their own fundraiser which would go specifically to their charity. Whitbread organised a number of stalls one lunchtime and separately Felix Thwaite raised an additional £50 selling meat in his village! Howard had a ‘danceathon’ - even Mr Silk got to show off his moves! The Bunyan boys (and some staff!) swam enough lengths of the School pool equivalent to swimming to France and back! Harpur did a ‘mannequin challenge’ and all the boys lay down to spell the name of the House on the astro - an aerial drone was able to take some impressive pictures.

Overall, the amount of money raised this year was just under £11,000 and this will be divided up amongst the four House charities, and the Headmaster’s charity. A huge well done to all involved.

B U N YA N – AU T I S M B E D FO R DS H I R E

H A R P U R - ST J O H N ’ S H O S P I C E AT M O G G E R H A N G E R

H OWA R D - B E D FO R DS H I R E D OW N ’ S SY N D RO M E S U P P O RT G RO U P

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CHARITY

BSA (Bedford School Association) PR E P G U I LD R E P O RT 2016/17 has once again been an incredible year for the Prep Guild. Annual events as always were a great success.

Our Quiz Night last October saw some exciting new rounds and the competition to be crowned champions was fierce.

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he boys also had a great time at the Christmas sale, buying presents for family members, pets, friends, and, sometimes, even themselves!

event next year, and there was certainly a lot of excitement from the current year 7 boys already starting to think about the stalls that they would organise at next year’s event!

This year was also the year of our bi-annual events, which kicked off in January with Burns Night, an event we organise jointly with the Bedford Girls School Association (their equivalent of The Prep Guild). A traditional Burns Night supper is served, along with all the official speeches, and the evening is rounded off with a live band; it is great fun learning traditional dances.

As always we finish the year with Sports Day refreshments. Our tent is always a mini-hub of chatter as parents catch up over a cuppa, and although it was a rather wet and cold morning all the boys still enjoyed their ice-lollies.

In June we enjoyed the Prep School Ball. Themed on a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, we transformed the Great Hall into a sea of crazy colour and excitement.

Everyone who came had the most amazing night, enjoying fabulous food, scrummy cocktails and dancing the night away on a very, very hot night in Bedford.

This year also saw the introduction of a new event to our calendar, the Summer Fun Day. The aim of this event was to support the year 8 boys in running a successful fun day to raise money for the four Prep School house charities, and gosh did the boys step up to the challenge. They created and ran all the games and raised an amazing amount of money. We supported them, ran the refreshments and hired the inflatables.

The majority of the boys in the Prep School came and joined in the fun, as did many parents. We look forward to running this

We are very fortunate that because our events are so well supported we are able to generate funds to invest in the school to help enhance the boy’s school life.

The most significant purchase this year has been the installation of the Tisdall’s Garden. This provides an outdoor covered area for teaching, but also a quiet area to be used at playtime by the boys. It has been great to hear of it being used lots in the very hot weather we recently had.

The Prep Guild would like to thank all the boys, their families and staff of BPS for all the support they have given us throughout the year. In particular we would like to thank our Headmaster, Mr Silk. He is continuously encouraging and helpful with all that we do, and it is the strong links between him and the Prep Guild that enable us to continue the Prep Guild aim of helping to strengthen the community of the school, opening it up to more than just the boy’s life at school.

As I always joke with the new parents, it’s not just the boys that join when they start BPS, you are part of our community too!

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BSA (Bedford School Association) FOUNDATION UPDATE

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t is important to note that at present the Foundation is not engaged in fundraising for a large capital project, although it continues to engage with the wider School community and promote support for bursaries in particular. As always, the Trustees take their steer from the School, and believe that the role of the Foundation is to support, where needed, the overall objectives of the School as laid out in its Strategic Plan.

We are aware that various projects are currently being explored and look forward to knowing more details as they take shape.

The Foundation’s relationship with the Bedford School Trust (BST) was raised at the AGM in April 2016. It was identified that it had clearly evolved over the years and that it may be timely to review the current arrangement. As a result, a detailed review took place to see whether the current organisation was appropriate and beneficial for both organisations. This included a number of meetings with the Trustees of the Bedford School Trust. In

summary, the Foundation Trustees found that the current relationship worked well and appropriately supported the objectives of the Foundation. In simple terms, the Foundation is the fundraising vehicle which receives all donations, while the Trust is primarily the investment vehicle with both organisations benefiting from having their own identities while also enjoying a very close working relationship.

Over the year the Foundation has also monitored the situation regarding the Etherington Review of 2015 which looked at how charities conducted themselves, with a particular focus on marketing, relationships with third parties and data control. The Foundation functions in a different way to a large national charity, but will of course change its processes as necessary as and when regulations change in this sector in the year ahead.

Last year I highlighted that the Foundation was informed about a generous legacy gift donated by the late Professor John Roach (31-38), who was quite an incredible man. His donation has been set aside specifically for support to boys wanting to join the School in the 6th Form. With this in mind I would like to take this opportunity

to encourage OBs with children of school age to talk to the School about the support available. Although there is no specific fund for OBs and their families, a very broad programme is provided by the Harpur Trust and School. For further information, please contact the Admissions Department.

I am always happy to talk to Old Bedfordians about the work of the Foundation. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Trustees for their continued work and support of the Foundation, and in particular, to thank Mr David Dixon, who retired from trusteeship in 2016 for his years of service on behalf of the Bedford School Committee.

Finally, as always, I would like to thank all donors to the Bedford School Foundation.

Your support is invaluable and plays a major part in enhancing this wonderful educational institution. I would also like to say a special thank you to those that have added Bedford School Foundation to their wills. I appreciate that such a decision is not made lightly, but can assure you that it will be used wisely and make a real difference in the future.

Lance Feaver (69-74)

GETTING THE FIVES COURTS FIT FOR PURPOSE!

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e have recently been in touch with OBs who played Fives whilst at School or who have taken up Fives since leaving the School. The current courts, although much loved, may in a few years not be fit for purpose unless we spend some money on them. As those that play on them know, they are much as they were when they were built, and still to this day have serious issues with condensation. It should however be recognised that to do this properly would

not be a drop in the ocean and would require some serious funding. We could of course patch things up, but our feeling, along with those assembled at the Fives event in March, is that if we are to embark on such a project it would be wise to create a facility that will take us into the future with minimum upkeep, and maximum enjoyment for many.

This in essence means enclosing the courts and creating a proper area for spectators. It was also suggested that we should look at the

possibility of creating a local club for OBs who live in the vicinity and the surrounding community.

If you would like to know more about this project or feel that you would like to be involved, can we ask that you contact the Bedford School Foundation foundation@ bedfordschool.org.uk or 01234 362256.

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G U I L D S A N D A S S O C I AT I O N S

BSA (Bedford School Association)

PREP SCHOOL HEAD BOYS REUNION

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he event also marked the unveiling of the Prep School Honours Boards, kindly donated to the school by the Prep Guild.

The Prep Guild wanted to record something of the Prep School’s history, so donated boards detailing Prep School Head Boys, Winners of the House Competition, and Prep School Headmasters.

The Prep School came into existence in 1992 when The Inky, and the Lower School merged. Many thanks indeed to Prep Guild chair, Andrea Spice, and OB and former Prep Guild member, Steve Lyon

(73-84) whose idea it was. Also in attendance were members of the Prep Guild, past and present staff, and this year’s prefects.

To mark what we believe to be a unique occasion, when so many Prep School Head Boys were gathered in one room, Headmaster, Ian Silk, coined a new collective noun for such a gathering, referring to an “Honour of Head Boys”!”

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Bude Trip

B U D E R E P O RT 2016 This year, 27 Year Fives and 26 Year Sixes went to Bude.

Six teachers came along to prevent any catastrophes - Mrs Christian (who organised the whole trip), Mr Loader, Miss Mann, Miss Portsmouth, Mr Phillips and Mr Silk. We stayed at a place called ‘Outdoor Adventure’ and it had a great sea view. Plus, we had it all to ourselves this year because there were so many of us.

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e said goodbye to mums and dads at 8.30 am on Sunday 7th July and arrived at around 5.00 pm, making two stops along the way.

When we arrived at the Centre, we were met with a plate of Chicken Nuggets and Chips for dinner, then we went to a nearby beach called Blackrock Beach. Some of us went rockpooling and I found a small crab (very nippy) and a dead jellyfish. Mr Loader proved himself to be an expert crab catcher. However, he couldn’t compete with Tom Deardon’s find. We slept in dorms of between 2-8 boys. There were 4 in my dorm.

We were split into five activity groups. I was in Group D. Each group had a member of staff as group leader, and my group had Mrs Christian. The Activities at Bude are t op-quality and the instructors will personally help you if you are struggling. We had two adventure activities a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and in the evening we had another activity until 9.30 pm, meaning bedtime at ten o’clock!! No wonder I fell asleep as soon as I got home.

There were so many exciting activities activities at Bude, and here are the ones that we did: Crazy Coastal Traversing, Slippery Surfing, Amazing Abseiling, Cool Kayaking, Awesome Archery, Brilliant Bodyboarding, Rapid RockClimbing and Terrific Team Building.

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Murray Silk Y7

In the evening, we did Beach Games, Nightlines and traversing along walls using climbing holds and not touching the floor. In Nightlines, we were blindfolded and had to work together to find our way around a difficult course.

My favourite activity was abseiling because last year, my fears conquered me and I was too scared to go down, but this year I conquered my fears and did it, no problem!

The food at Outdoor Adventure was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. We had a different breakfast and dinner every day, although lunch was usually sandwiches.

One day we had Cornish Pasties for lunch!

Mmmm… We also had tuck shop every day.

Thank you very, very much to all the teachers who gave up their holiday to come along with us. Without you we wouldn’t have been able to have this great experience.

I really enjoyed Bude this year, the boys all worked really well together, and I was particularly proud to have conquered the abseiling. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I would thoroughly recommend the trip to others. I wish that I could go again next year, but alas, I’ll be in Year 7 and, therefore, too old. So I’ll have to leave it to the next generation of Year Fives and Sixes. Hope you have as much fun as we did in 2016!

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T R I P S/ O U T I N G S

German Trip

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he German trip to the Rhineland began when we left at 4:30 in the morning. We were very excited for the long journey that lay ahead. When we finally got there we settled in for the first night in our hotel.

On the first full day we were there we went to Koblenz and we stood under the statue of Kaiser Wilhelm the first. This is where the two rivers, The Mosel and the River Rhine, joined. This is called the Deutsches Eck. We were going to go on a cable car but we couldn’t because of silly testing, but the upside was that Frau Chalmers paid for the wifi for the rest of the trip so it wasn’t that bad! Afterwards we went to Köln (Cologne) and we went up the Cathedral (Dom) which is the highest in Europe at 157m high! We spent the rest of the day in the Lindt Chocolate Factory where we indulged ourselves in chocolate and spent nearly all our money in doing so. Lecker!

On Saturday we went on a cruise down the river Rhine from Boppard to St Goar. I really enjoyed the stunning sights along the river. We went past the Lorelei Rock, where, legend has it, the Mermaid would sing to distract the sailors and they would crash and die! Next we went to Rüdesheim where we went on a cable car over the vineyards there. The views were amazing! In Rüdesheim we went around all the shops there and saw the narrowest street in Europethe Drosselgasse. After a couple of hours in the town we entered Siegfried’s mechanical music cabinet. This was really cool as we got some very old music being played and they were like old computers.

Then in the evening we went bowling and we all enjoyed this a lot.

On Sunday we boarded the coach to Marksburg Castle where we were greeted with an ‘undefeatable castle’ according to the tour guide. During the tour we saw all the canons and defences. One interesting fact that I learnt was the in those time people slept upright which meant the beds were much smaller. Then we went to Phantasialand, the theme park, which was the highlight of the trip for many boys. We spent the whole afternoon there and boys went on rides ranging from roller coasters, the madhaus and water rides but finally we had to leave at the end of the day. My personal highlight was going on one of the fastest multi-launch roller coaster in the world.

The following morning we had to leave but overall the German trip 2017 was a great success. Many thanks to Frau Chalmers, Mrs Osborne, Mrs Boughey and Mr Milton for such a great time. :-) W O R D S BY

Anish Katechia and James Cutler

G E R M A N TR I P R A P Cole's interpretation of the German trip 2017 I got on a bus then a ferry.

The trip was as sweet as a cherry.

I bought some chocolate an' it didn't melt.

I had too much so I need a bigger belt!

It's a shame the cable car was in testing, but the viewpoint was very interesting.

The talent show was a blast; our evening flew right past.

Good luck Sid, you've got a lot of us.

We've made it quite a dodgy bus.

We went on a ferry down the river Rhine.

We saw a rock called Loreley.

Rüdesheim has small alleyways but the cable was nowhere near the bays.

Now we're on our way to a bowling lane.

I try and get some sleep but this stupid train makes my head go up in flames.

We went to a castle up on the hill and we saw the river Rhine staying really still.

We went to Phantasialand and had a blast.

But now I come to think of it it's in the past.

We're going home tomorrow on a ferry.

And I still need to get myself one little pressie.

That was Germany 2017 in a rap.

I've been Cole Balachandran that's that!

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Spanish Trip / Whipsnade S PA N I S H TR I P

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verall I thought the trip was fantastic. One of my favourite bits was when we went to the Salvador Dali Theatre Art Museum. This was enjoyable for me because I had never been to a museum before and it came across to me as strange and different because I had never thought of that type of art before. I also enjoyed when we were walked through La Rambla because that was the first time I had ever seen people in costumes which looked really close to statues. That bit amazed me. I also enjoyed it when we went swimming - the water was so cold! The beach was fun as well, I wish the trip never ended.

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Alex Edun Y8

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really enjoyed the Spanish Trip to Barcelona, it's the best school trip I have ever been on. I loved every minute of the trip but my particular favourite part was when we visited the Camp Nou, because I thought it was very interesting learning and seeing all of the trophies and the history of the club. I also enjoyed going to the Tapas restaurant and doing the flamenco dancing, although I think I need more practice in that area before I take to the stage again! Our time spent on the beach was fun, and it was a real treat to have such good weather to enable us to go in the sea and the pool.

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William Osborne Y8

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really enjoyed the Spanish trip. I loved walking down the Ramblas and greatly appreciated having a tour of Camp Nou, as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Sagrada Familia was absolutely incredible along with the Dali Museum. I think that the hotel was excellent as well as the Spanish tuition. The mini golf and the bowling added yet another great part to the trip. I really enjoyed it and took the time to meet some Year 8s. Overall I think the Spanish trip was amazing.

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he first animals we saw were the lemurs - a bit like a zebra with similar black stripes. I found them cute because one of them had a baby and it was really tiny being carried by its mum. Throughout the day we saw giraffes, apes, white rhinos, penguins, pelicans, flamingos, camels, elephants, butterflies and birds of the world.

The jumbo train ride was really interesting. We got to travel around and see all the animals in their open natural habitats. In some parts of the ride it felt like I was actually in Africa, like the Lion King!

It was a great day but the creepy crawly house was not my favourite! We ended up walking over 20,000 steps! The whole experience helped me understand a lot more about animals.

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Ayaan Tarique Y4

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absolutely loved the Whipsnade zoo trip! My favourite past was the butterfly house as one landed on my clipboard! I also like the birds show as one flew right over our heads!

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Stanley Breed Y4

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really enjoyed Whipsnade zoo! It was so fun and enjoyable. I never knew lemurs could jump so high! My favourite was the baby one. I liked learning about the birds, especially the White Spawk because it had such a long wing span. I saw giraffes with long necks, stripey zebras, big, ferocious tigers and ostriches. I also had a great time on the adventure playground.

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Khush Shah Y7

Stanley Breed Y4

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Skiing

S K I TR I P At the end of the Spring term an enthusiastic group of Year 3, 4 and 5 boys, and their families ventured off to the Zillertal region of Austria for a pre-Easter ski trip.

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arly news reports indicated little snow across the Alps but the Zillertal region is renowned for its fantastic snowmaking facilities as well as an amazing snow record.

It lived up to its reputation, and with hardly any other tourists in the area we didn't queue all week.

The beginners were amazing, and would all be worthy recipients of the zero to hero award, if only they could master the 'stopping' part of the lessons. All the boys were given expert tips and tuition from our dedicated group of personal ski guides, and then cruised the deserted pistes putting them into action.

The evenings were spent at our various entertainment nights, swimming, bowling and the infamous Tyrolean night. We dressed up in our Lederhosens, and seemed to win all the various competitions including log sawing, cow milking, and nail hammering to music. Mr Guest was very happy and entertained us with his rousing speech on the way home!

We were soon into our routine of, get up, ski, eat, party repeat! Too soon it was time to return home! The parents on the trip were tired too. It was a quiet journey home

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Jersey JERSEY

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n Friday 10th March, 24 boys from Year 6 along with 3 members of staff set off for the thirty-seventh weekend sports tour to Jersey.

Following a flight from Gatwick Airport bags were collected and we made our way to the Apollo Hotel to check in. After settling into the rooms we made our way to the first sporting venue to play hockey with Victoria College and Victoria College Prep. The three teams played well enjoying the chance to experience playing on ‘foreign’ soil! Matches were tight but the VCP A team proved to be the strongest on the day. The boys then enjoyed a swim at the hotel pool followed by a large pizza and a few games of pool.

After a goodnight's rest and a full English, we took part in a rugby tournament with six teams featuring, including two mixed from BPS. An excellent morning of rugby witnessed development for all teams with the final matches being of a very good standard. After two hours of entertaining and committed rugby the boys were exhausted but happy. In the afternoon a trip was made to the world renowned Durrell Wildlife Park, where all the animals were out in their enclosures making the visit interesting and informative. The gorillas and meerkats were particularly active and were a real source of amusement for all. In the evening the boys went to the bowling alley competing fiercely and enjoying themselves – some even played without the bumpers up.

On a damp Sunday morning football was the sport making this a true multi-sport tour, the 'A' team played a strong team and had a lesson in how the game should be played. The 'B' team, although working hard, and improving as they went along, lost as well but their physicality kept them in the game.

Our mini sports tour now at an end the 24 very tired boys returned to school on Sunday evening after a busy weekend. They were a credit to the School both on and off the sports field.

T R I P S/ O U T I N G S

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Bunyan Museum

B U N YA N M U S E U M

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nce we arrived at the John Bunyan museum we were put into groups and set the task of identifying objects and artefacts. We had to decide whether they were used by the rich or poor, which was quite tricky. We then discovered lots of facts about John Bunyan as we walked through the history of his life. We saw things he had used, made and what his life would have been like. We also discussed the Pilgrim’s Progress which we knew lots about because of our RE lessons. We even got locked in a prison just like John Bunyan! Lastly, we visited the church and made drawings of the stained glass windows showing images from the Pilgrim’s Progress.

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n our walk to the museum we saw the John Bunyan statue. Mr Whitbread told us all about him and explained more at the castle mound. In the museum we saw lots of things to teach us about John Bunyan’s life. There were story images from the Pilgrim Progress like Evangelist and Christian on his travels to the celestial city.

We also saw where the prison used to be in Bedford and they had a model of this in the museum which we all went in. I learnt lots in the museum about John Bunyan and his famous work. I also really liked the stain glassed windows in the church but they were hard to draw.

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Prejeev Suhitharan

Alfred Williams

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t was quite a long walk to the museum but we made it and enjoyed looking at the stained glass church windows showing the story of Pilgrim’s Progress.

Then we went into a hall and looked at artefacts trying to work out which one was the odd one out and why. Lastly, we went upstairs to the actual museum. There was a wax model of John Bunyan, his house, artefacts from the time of his life and a prison where he did his famous writing.

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George Knight

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Ickwell

ICKWELL

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Ickwell F O R E S T SC H OO L & O U TDOO R E D U C ATI O N What is Forest School?

‘Forest School is an inspirational process, which offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.’ Forest School Association’

Our aim at Bedford Prep School • • • • •

To provide learning opportunities in the outdoor environment through exciting practical activities.

To allow boys to take risks, problem solve, be creative and be part of a team.

To build independence and self-esteem in a relaxed and diverse environment.

Forest School will allow boys freedom to explore safely in the natural world.

Increase the connection between children and the natural environment.

So far this year we have taken Year 3, 4 and 5 on day trips to Ickwell Nature Reserve and boys have experienced den building, toasting marshmallows, outdoor Art, making Roman forts, theme parks, autumn crowns, making rafts for minions, scavenger hunts and taking part in team games. This was a comment from a Year 5 boy who had just joined the school:

DAY O U T – I C K W E LL On the last day of term we took a bus to Ickwell in the morning and we arrived around 30 minutes later.

At Ickwell we first did a tour round to see what it was like. Then we split into groups of 4 (my group was Felix, Ayaan and Antonio) before starting with the first activity.

Our first activity was going to the campfire area to roast some marshmallows and to build some dens. While we built the dens we had chocolate biscuits with the yummy marshmallows and some nice hot chocolate to drink as well.

During the second activity we were split into two groups and it was about nature art. Instead of paper we used the materials on the ground, especially sticks and leaves, and created different designs with them. Our group put sticks around the tree so it looked like a circle.

I COULD SEE THE OTHER CHILDREN LISTENING TO ME AND MY IDEAS WHEN WE MADE A DEN, IT FELT GOOD I’VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE AND I LOVED IT

Out third activity was about making our own paintbrushes, only using natural materials like leaves and sticks. We had some cellotape to create to make paint brushes with them. Then we were asked to draw a picture with them and I drew a landscape with a river, some trees and a sun in top right corner.

The fourth activity was about building a roman fort and we tried to find lots of big wide pieces of wood to create watchtowers as I remembered from last year how important they were for the Romans.

The activity I liked most was “nature art” as I loved to make my own art work.

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Jonathan Hall Y4

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ICKWELL

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Ickwell

As part of their post exam programme Year 8’s enjoyed learning basic bushcraft skills like lighting fires safely with flint & steels using cotton wool and Vaseline, toasting marshmallows, den building and putting up shelters with hammocks and tarpaulins. Great fun was had by all, even Miss Mann found it funny when Sam Ferrari accidently let the rope untie as Miss Mann tried out the hammock!

Activities for the future: Den building, fire lighting, tool use, whittling, making spoons, catapaults, mallets, pioneering, tracking, tree identification, wildlife, team building games, cooking on an open

fire, art, natural paints, sculpture, developing stories, drama, making rafts, bird boxes, bug hotels, sensory activities, environmental and conservation activities, bushcraft, map reading, using a Kelly kettle to boil water and general outdoor play!

The list is endless but our aim in the future is to see boys camping over for a 24 hour period and trying out a vast range of skills over their time at BPS.

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Speech day and Final Assembley

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n Saturday 24th June 2017 Speech Day took place at Bedford Preparatory School. In total over one hundred prizes were awarded and it was lovely to have the opportunity celebrate those that had achieved academic excellence over the year, but it was equally important to also recognise the many boys that had contributed to different aspects of School life across a broad range of areas.

Staff, parents, governors and the Prep Guild were all thanked for their support by the Headmaster, Mr Ian Silk, and those staff and boys who are moving on were wished the best of luck for the future.

They will be greatly missed, but it is hoped that they will all stay in touch.

Head Boy, David Adeyemi-Abere should be congratulated for his speech. He was articulate and entertaining, sharing some personal highlights from his time at the School and passing on some useful tips for the junior boys. It clearly came across that, although all the boys and staff at the Prep are very busy, they are never too busy to look out and care for one another. Dylan Swain, Joseph Rossington and James Cutler should also be congratulated on their musical pieces.

As the Guest of Honour, we were delighted to welcome back OB Professor Richard Hills (54-63), with his wife Beverly. Richard is the Emeritus Professor of Radio Astronomy based at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University.  Professor Hills gave an interesting overview of his education, research and career, inspiring all present to aim for the stars wherever their life takes them!

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S P E EC H DAY & M O R E

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Talks and Shows

C H E M I S TRY LEC T U R E Boys explored the chemistry behind many aspects of the modern world in this fun, explosive lecture!

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rom the reactions of oxygen that make iron rust and humans respire to the metals that form the colour of fireworks and precious gems; chemistry is part of our life and the world in which we live. Chemistry is responsible for the materials we use and the many industrial processes used to make them, the colours we see, the fuels we use, the processes of life and of death, the cause of much pollution and the solution to these problems. The purpose of this lecture is to explore the chemistry behind many aspects of the modern world.

EGY P TI A N LEC T U R E

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his workshop not only introduces children to the fascinating, enigmatic world of the ancient Egyptians through the eyes of an Egyptologist, but also takes them on a journey through the mysteries of mummification and the “Book of the Dead.� The children are involved and participate at all stages throughout the day.

EGYPTIAN MATHS Doing basic maths the Egyptian way or measuring in cubits.

EGYPTIAN QUIZ Discover fascinating facts.

HOUNDS AND JACKALS An easy Egyptian board game.

EGYPTIAN ARTEFACTS AND WAY OF LIFE

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Athletics

ATHLE TICS REPORT

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he season began with four league fixtures for the U13 team which saw some strong performances across all disciplines. This enabled the team to progress to the League Final where they competed amongst the best eight schools from an original 27. Fierce competition made the boys perform to the best of their ability and their combined efforts saw them placed 3rd overall.

After half term the U11 league began. The first fixture was rained off but the other two matches took place. These saw close competitions and some pleasing performances. The team missed out on the league final by one place.

The East Area Prep Championships were held at Bedford Athletics Stadium in the first week back after half term and a small squad of premier athletes attended this. Oliver Blakemore (Y8 Shot) and David Adeyemi (Y8 Triple Jump) were placed second with Alex Edun (Y8 200m) being third. Oliver and David were invited to represent the East at the National Finals and will be competing on 4th July.

This year there were two District Championships with the Year 7 & 8 going first. Great performances by all athletes meant a second place for the Year 8s behind a strong Lincroft team. Golds for Alex Edun (200m) & the 4x100m relay team (Ashcroft, Edun, Pickersgill & Martin). The Year 5 & 6 enjoyed their competition with Gold for Aiden Ainsworth-Cave (Y6 600m), James Dagg (Y5 600m) & Yaw Amankona (Y5 ball throw).

Sports Day was a touch damp but it was great to see boys from all the year groups competing at the same venue, working towards a common goal for their Houses. The events were hotly contested with winners coming from all Houses and the minor places becoming incredibly important. Only 3.8% of the marks separated first and fourth place in the end and Howard managed to pip everyone else to the title for 2017.

The season finished at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham for the National Prep Schools’ Athletics Finals where Olly Blakemore (Y8 Boys Shot) and David Adeyemi (Y8 Boys Triple Jump) represented the East Area.

Both were fairly relaxed and approached their events positively. Olly threw a PB of 11.08m and claimed a bronze medal with David jumping 10.91m (also a PB) to come 4th. A fitting end to their time at the Prep School Congratulations to all boys who competed in an athletics event for the School this term and thank you to Mrs Aldridge for her time.

W O R D S BY

Shawn Phillips

SC H OO L CO LO U R S AWA R D E D Maxwell Martin George Ashcroft Alex Edun David Adeyemi Tyler Pickersgill Oliver Blakemore

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Cross Country

CROSS COUNTRY REPORT

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he first event, on 17th January, was the Bedfordia Cross Country Run based at Lincroft School. The U11s were first off in a massive field of 243 runners. Edward Dagg, who is in fact an U10, came home in first place with his twin brother James in 5th; the team ended up in 4th position overall in their age group.

When the totals of each age group were combined it showed Bedford Prep in 2nd place once again.

There were 191 runners in the U12 race. Tom Deardon led the team home gaining a 5th place and, when the scores were added up, they also gained 4th position.

The final team event was the Maidwell Hall Chase where the runners even have to climb stiles on the run! Once again in the U11 age group Edward Dagg was up front and, after 2.5 miles, claimed first place on a dip at the finish. The team finished 2nd.

At U13 the race had 172 competitors and was hard fought all the way. Tom Stephens was our first runner home with the team in 10th place.

All three year groups combined to place the school a strong 2nd place overall.

On 26th January the Bedford & District XC Championships took place at Priory Country Park. Despite the very cold weather, our boys did us proud once again. The U11s ran really well with Edward Dagg winning the event and this time James came in 3rd.

Ably backed up by the rest of the team the combined score of 98 meant a 1st place.

The U12s were weakened by illness and injury but all runners worked hard and the replacements were excellent in their efforts. Tom Deardon claimed 3rd place individually and the team managed to claim 5th place overall.

The U13s worked really well as a team and the first runner in was Ben Guest in 16th place. By all running together the other runners came in soon after and their combined total meant a third place in their age group.

Earlier in the year Tom Deardon finished 3rd in the Southern XC Championships; he was to replicate that finish in the Schools County finals at Ampthill Park.

The U13s ran competitively again with Tom Deardon leading the team in with a valiant 3rd place. After the gruelling event the team finished fourth.

Well done to all the boys who ran for the School in any event and thank you for your commitment.

AC H I E V E M E NT S Medals for Edward Dagg – 1st individually in the Bedfordia, District & Maidwell Chase James Dagg – 3rd individually in the District Edward Dagg, James Dagg, Alex Deane, Oliver Yates, Aiden AinsworthCave, Oliver Needham, Sam Mullaney & Ivan Iankov – 1st place in the U11 District team event Tom Deardon – 3rd individually in the Southern Championships, District, County & Maidwell Chase

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Badminton

BADM INTON RE PORT IAPS Bedford Prep School enjoyed another successful day at the IAPS National Finals as Josh Stewart and Josha Mital improved on their U11 title by winning the U13 title as U12's. Equally impressive was that the other U13 pair who are also both year 7 of Max Pearson and Vedant Somal reached the final but lost in straight sets to Josh and Josha.

Both pairings had unbeaten runs on the way to the final winning all 5 of their group games and then following up these impressive performances with good wins in both the quarter and semi-finals as they beat York House, Davenies, Downsend and Aldwickbury. This is a superb achievement and all 4 boys will be back next year to defend the title as Y8's.

Our U11 pairings of Shaun Thomas and Alex Lamb managed to reach the semi-final after an excellent win in the quarters to York House showing great determination to win 21-19. The other U11 pairings of Dylan French and Sammy Inman who are both Y4 also enjoyed themselves winning many points and improving with every game, which is fantastic as they have another 2 years of entering the U11 competition.

D I S TR I C T F I N A L S The U13 A, B and C Teams all enjoyed a great day at the District Finals held at the Bunyan Centre on Monday 23rd January. The format was 6 teams in a round robin competition with all teams playing a total of 5 matches and the top 2 teams qualifying for the County Finals to be held in February. The other teams involved

were Lincroft A, Goldinton A and Castle Newnham A. The C Team consisting of Charlie Carey, Zaid Faleel, William Maltby and Wilbur Collier finished a respectable 6th and should be congratulated for getting to the finals. The B Team which included Alex Lamb, Freddie Sowerby, Hayden Melly and Dell Kang finished 4th having beaten the C Team and Castle Newnham and the A Team of Josh Stewart, Max Pearson, Vedant Somal and Krish Nair finished 1st having won all their games and will now enjoy competing for the County Championship.

CO U NT Y F I N A L S The U13 Badminton enjoyed a good morning at the Bedfordshire County Finals playing a total of 25 games and winning 23 on their way to winning the competition. With 5-0 wins against Leighton, Alameda, Putteridge and Icknield it set up a tense match with also unbeaten Goldington Academy and after some super play from both teams Bedford won 3-2 in matches to claim the overall U13 Badminton County Champions. Congratulations to the team of Josh Stewart, Max Pearson, Vedant Somal and Krish Nair.

R EG I O N A L P L AY O F F As a result of their county success the A team had to play the U14 county champions who were the Bedford School U14 team. This was very challenging for the boys and the power and skill of the U14’s which included Josha Mital meant we were knocked out at this stage.

However, with the team all being Y7 will get another chance next year. Special mention should go to Josha and the U14 team who came second in the Regionals after losing a very close final.

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Rowing

ROWING REPORT NOT EVERYONE CAN BE OLYMPIC CHAMPION. NOT EVERYONE CAN BE THE BEST IN THEIR FIELD. BUT WE CAN BE BETTER THAN WE ARE. WE CAN ALL IMPROVE AND LOOK FOR OUR OWN PERSONAL BESTS. ~Sir Steve Redgrave (Five times Olympic Gold Medalist)

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very apt quote for this year’s rowing cohort. That self-motivation was evident amongst many of the boys and was infectious. There has been a great ‘buzz’, particularly in the summer, with 35 oarsmen. I have high hopes for the future of Bedford School Boat Club!

Rowing is an all year round sport and we have had a record 60 boys involved. We started in September with a few old faces from last year’s Y7, lots of ‘wobbly boats’, and the occasional ‘swimmer’. The spring term saw a return to some indoor rowing and some core stability development.

The summer term required extra coaches and we enlisted the help of some senior boys.

We have been lucky to have the expertise of very experienced coaches. This year we said goodbye to two of them. Mr Gadsden retired after many years of coaching J14 and prep school boys. Mrs Guise has been regularly coaching senior and prep school boys even

longer than I have, over 20 years! We will miss her.

We ended the year with our annual race day. We split the competition into three events. The more experienced six scullers raced a sculling matrix. An exciting event with a few “steering incidents” was won by Diego Citriniti with Orlando Williams not far behind. The rest of the group took part in a ‘Scratched Quad’ event. Year 7 & Year 8 raced separately and boats were made up of boys of mixed ability, size and strength. The Year 8 event was won by the crew named after Phelan Hill (Olympic gold medalist and OB): Will Osbourne, Tom Jenkin, Harry Goodman, Sam Ferrari & Oscar Whitcombe. Year 7 were so close that we ended with a tie between the three crews, to be decided in a team ergo challenge in September.

The last week of term is Henley week and while the First Eight were in the race of their lives against a very fast Eton crew, the Prep

boys were competing in Sports Day followed by a ‘Superstars’ competition, including several fitness challenges to find the top athlete. It was won by Orlando Williams in y8 and Harry Norris in Y7. Special mention should also be given to the following boys whose Ergo scores took them into the Top 10 Records: Diego Citriniti (5th) and Gabriel Mann (10th) in Y8 and Harry Norris(3rd) and James Lumley Wood (10th) in Y7. Also to Orlando Williams and Harry Goodman who both showed great mental strength in the ‘Plank’ and ‘Ski-sit’ challenges. Just what is required for a top oarsman!

Well done boys and many thanks to Mr Mulkerrins, Mrs Guise, Mr Satchwell, Mrs Maltby, Mr Gadsden, Jared , Ollie, Benedict and Tom. W O R D S BY

Imogen Bowis

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Cricket

CRICKE T RE PORT

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Cricket

B SC H OO L CO LO U R S AWA R D E D

edford Prep School has enjoyed another fine season on the cricket field. With over 25 teams having played a total of 125 matches in 10 weeks it has been an incredibly busy season. With the nets always busy at lunchtime practice and up to 12 matches being played in an afternoon it is clear that BPS loves cricket! Huge congratulations should go to all the boys who have represented the school this year with over 230 boys playing. Of the 125 games played, 87 have been won giving The School a 70% win ratio. This is even more impressive as the A teams have all played both Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire and our U13 B, C and D Team were often playing other schools A, B and C Teams and not only matching them but often beating them.

H I G H LI G HT S

Prep School Half Colours

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Vedant Somal

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Sam Walker Zaid Faleel Hayden Melly

Prep School Colours Benjamin Ingram-Moore Jonathan Huggins Nick Challacombe Joe Barrett Sami Haroon Raoul Flora George Mansell

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Master classes with Karl Krikken (Former Derbyshire CCC Wicket Keeper), Lloyd Tenant (Former Leicestershire/Essex fast bowler) Batting master classes with James Kettleborough (Former Northants Glamorgan Batsman).

U13A reaching quarter final of The National Jet Cup Under 13 A win over Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire U12 A win over Northamptonshire Under 13B, U13C, U10A, U10B – Wins v Caldicott U13 A, B, C and D wins against Dragon Under 13A win v touring south African school, Cornwall Hill College 28 Boys playing at county level for Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Worcestershire Beating several schools with lower teams e.g. Bedford B team v Wellingborough A team Raoul Flora - 5 wickets for 7 runs vs Wellingborough 1st XI Jonathan Huggins – 85 runs vs Prestfelde 1st XI Jonathan Huggins – 71 runs vs Dragon 1st XI Benjamin Ingram-Moore 56 vs Aldwickbury 1st XI Hayden Melly 56 vs Bedfordshire U13 Vedant Somal 52 vs Northants U12

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Golf

GO LF R E P ORT

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he golf squad at Bedford Prep School have enjoyed another successful year. Under the tutelage of PGA professional Richard Banks up at Bedfordshire Golf Club we all have developed our game and improved our scoring.

This summer term we have played our fixtures and individual competitions. The first was at Wellington College in May and myself, Jonny Huggins, Charlie Carey and Dale Sirivisal went over to compete in the Wellington Salver. Although we didn’t come away with silverware, all of us gained a huge amount from competing on the incredibly tight and tough links at the famous school.

Our match against Wellingborough was cancelled due to inclement weather but nothing stood in the way of the most important match-up of our year, as the team took on the Bedford Prep School Staff. Unfortunately, the teachers proved too strong and ran out comfortable winners, even though Benjamin Ingram Moore and Jonathan Huggins secured a vital point by beating Mr Silk and Mr Egan.

A new fixture against Stowe was played last Tuesday and we went over to play on their famous school course, which will also be the venue of the prestigious Stowe Putter, which some of us will compete for in August this summer. We played boys in Y9 and 10 and put in a really good display, losing the match on the last game.

The BPS Open took place on Sunday and even though it was a small field, the golf was just as keenly contested. The final result saw Dale Sirivisal claim the trophy. But it was so close it had to be decided on count back, Shaun Thomas was very unlucky to miss out.

The Roberts Loader's Trophy was awarded to the very best shot played this year (as opposed to the worst) and it also goes to the player who we feel has made the most of the progress this year. Golf is a difficult sport and needs a huge amount of application and dedication. This boy has worked really hard on his game and this was more than evident in a fine showing in the BPS Open. For holing his chip beautifully on the difficult fourth, and being the most improved Bedford Prep School Golf Squad member this year, the Roberts Loader Trophy this year goes to Tom Howe.

Thank you to Mr Roberts for all his efforts and to Mr Richard Banks at Bedfordshire GC. W O R D S BY

Tom Herbert Y8

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Hockey

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year of new principles, formations and ideas certainly proved fruitful amongst the boys and coaches. Huge amounts of development were witnessed in all teams from U9Ds all the way to the 1st VII.

We played 131 games of 7s hockey in a short and frantic term where boys and staff showed huge commitment to developing the boys’ experience of hockey. A win percentage of 44% certainly does not reflect the way in which the boys performed throughout the hockey term. A key principle for coaches was to focus on performance and process as opposed to outcome, something which may seem rather strange to some, but the idea is that if the process becomes habit, outcomes and enjoyment of the game take care of themselves in the future. If we could put a number to boys enjoyment and development it would certainly be higher than our win percentage. It is, however, important to congratulate teams like the 4th team who at the start of the season went on a 7 game winning run with Mr Simon Lincoln at the helm.

The 1st VII were narrowly beaten in games which could have gone either way, the cruelty of 7 a-side hockey where one pass or mistake can lead to an easy goal scoring opportunity for the other team. The hockey we played throughout the term certainly outshone many opposition but a few team errors and a lack of cutting edge unfortunately cost us getting the outcomes our processes deserved.

A huge thank you to all staff for their commitment to Bedford Prep School Hockey and a huge well done to all the boys who really made sure they improved every time they stepped onto a hockey pitch! 2018 will bring even greater improvement.

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Rugby

RUGBY RE PORT As with all sport, the statistics do not tell the full story of a season, heroic wins and agonising losses will be remembered by some.

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ut hopefully, all boys would have enjoyed the season and gained a lot from the many positive traits rugby helps develop. In fact, development and enjoyment are the key factors that dictate whether a season is successful or not. The 51.3% overall win ratio merely provides the information that we play on a well-balanced rugby circuit that maximises the opportunity for development. During training and games, boys are given the freedom to play and experiment on the rugby field and if the games were judged on the number of passes made or how frequently each boy was involved in the game, the win ratio would,

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most probably, be up in the 90s. This was particularly evident with the U10 teams, who moved the ball quite beautifully at times.

The Prep School 1st XIII had a very good season, they showed real character and a dogged approach to battle their way through some games, enjoying a 74% win ratio (the B team were even more successful with a 77% win ration. An enviable camaraderie that brings the best out of the individual and the team. This was no more evident in the Wellington College Festival, where they conquered all who challenged with some superb attacking rugby and mighty

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defensive tackles. Most pleasing was how their performances improved as the day progressed, demonstrating a genuine desire to develop as a team. This squad is an exciting prospect as they move to the Upper School and we wish them well.

Thank you to all staff, all of whom put in a number of hours outside of the games allocation to help the boys have a positive rugby experience. Well done boys on a great season of rugby, 265 games and many fond memories.

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Swimming

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he autumn term saw several galas including home and away v Aldwickbury. A fixture against Beechwood Park and BGS was arranged and closely fought – a win for the BGS over the two schools but with our boys competing well. Another match, this time against Kimbolton & BGS, was enjoyed again with many close races.

Luke Pollen-Brooks and Eamon Bradley represented the School at the ESSA Primary Individual Championships for this area which was held in Watford. Luke won a bronze in breaststroke & Eamon silver in IM plus gold in butterfly.

The Spring term saw six pool based events starting with the IAPS heats held at Berkhamsted School where 15 boys trialled to see if they could progress to the finals in May. Some committed swimming witnessed pleasing times but when the results from all over the country came through our one qualifier was Eamon Bradley for the U11 Boys 50m freestyle; he sits in 10th place at present.

The second match for the U10,11,12&13 teams was against St Faith’s and BGS. Match three saw some Y3 boys swim against Pilgrims swim squad in a friendly event which was followed by a lovely hot match tea.

After half term there was a match for all age groups against Heath Mount & BGS (again). There were 150 competitors on poolside and many supporters created a great atmosphere; the boys reacted well and put in their best performances of the year so far.

House swimming relays were very competitive with only one point in it with the final race to go. Whitbread beat Bunyan by one place which meant that those two houses tied for first place after all 12 races.

In the Summer Term the IAPS finals, held at the K2 centre in Crawley in early May, saw Eamon Bradley compete in the

U11 50m Freestyle Final. He swam a PB and managed to finish 11th overall.

The gala against Maidwell Hall was in our pool this year. The races were tight and the boys competed strongly. Against some experienced swimmers the task was difficult and a defeat by a mere 4 points was the result.

A final gala at Aldwickbury to celebrate the retirement of their swimming teacher was arranged and, although another defeat resulted, the team swam fast and got closer to them than in the Autumn Term.

House swimming was, as ever, competitive and an increase in events saw more boys taking part. The winners were: Y3&4 – Bunyan, Y5&6 – Howard and Y7&8 – Bunyan There is a good swimming programme available to boys and it is hoped that there will be an improvement over the next year making us even more competitive but it does require commitment from our pupils.

Congratulations to all boys who have represented the School in swimming matches this year.

SWIMMING REPORT

“THE GALA AGAINST MAIDWELL HALL WAS IN OUR POOL THIS YEAR. THE RACES WERE TIGHT AND THE BOYS COMPETED STRONGLY” H O U S E WATE R P O LO CO M P E TITI O N We saw a really competitive House Water Polo. Great goals and excellent defending and goalkeeping kept the small crowd entertained. The result went down to the last game in which Whitbread and Bunyan drew 2-2 meaning a Whitbread overall win. A big thank you to all the boys who played but a special mention to the Harpur team who had no substitutes at all and all swimmers had to play the whole time in each of their games.

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Leavers

8J. Alexander Edun

8J. Benedikt Beckmann

8J. Callam Banghard

8J. Derr Kang

8J. Diego Citriniti

8J. Jake Smith

8J. Jayden Robinson

8J. Nathanael Hylton

8J. Nikolai Sorokin

8J. Sam Ferrari

8J. Toby McNiff

8J. Tyler Pickersgill

8J. William Osborne

8J. Yonathan Sileshi

8J. Zakhar Molchanov

8M. Alexander Aellen

8M. Benjamin Ingram Moore

8M Christopher Sporton

8M. David Adeyemi Abere

8M. Dylan Swain

8M. George Ashcroft

8M. Harry Taylor

8M. Henry Christian

8M. Henry Williams

8M. Jacob Bailey

8M. Jonathan Huggins

8M. Maldwyn Crook

8M. Michael McCormack

8M Nicholas Challacombe

8M. Olaoluwa Apesin

82

L E AV E R S

W H I N C H AT

Leavers

8M. Oliver Blakemore

8M. Oliver Williams

8M. Orlando Williams

8M. Sebastian Iles

8M. Thomas Herbert

8N. Aidan Carruthers

8N. Alvaro Aguilar De Nalda

8N. Arun Nanda

8N. Daniel Bello

8N. Daniel Ogunbanjo

8N. Ellison Hendry

8N. Ethan Whitlock

8N. Gabriel Mann

8N. Harry Goodman

8N. Johnathan Ellwood

8N. Jonathan Chaplin

8N. Joseph Barrett

8N. Joseph Rossington

8N. William Maltby

8S. Artin Lee

8S. Austin Ward

8S. Benjamin Guest

8S. Bradley Cole

8S. Chung Hin Lam

8S. Dev Bhalani

8S. George Mansell

8S. Jacques Wildon

8S. Jasper Cumming

8S. Jose Antonio Aparicio Villagra

8S. Joshua Lavrut

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8S. Kabilan Burtt

8S. Luay Mughal

8S. Muhammad Saad

8S. Talha Khan

8S. Theodor Busillet

8S. Tom Stephens

8V. Alexander Iankov

8V. Anish Katechia

8V. Arvin Rai

8V. Ethan Ofosu

8V. Gabriel Davis

8V. Henry Cudjoe

8V. Ibrahim Hassan

8V. Jake Bentley Evans

8V. James Cutler

8V. James Deardon

8V. Jonah Whiteman

8V. Joseph Robinson

8V. Krish Nair

8V. Maxwell Martin

8V. Miles Ratcliffe

8V. Oscar Calvert

8V. Oscar Whitcombe

8V. Sami Haroon

8V. Thomas Jenkin

8V. Tyler Choga

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L E AV E R S

W H I N C H AT

Leavers

LI S T O F Y E A R 8 B OYS Alexander Edun Benedikt Beckmann Callam Banghard Derr Kang Diego Citriniti Jake Smith Jayden Robinson Nathanael Hylton Nikolai Sorokin Sam Ferrari Toby McNiff Tyler Pickersgill William Osborne Yonathan Sileshi Zakhar Molchanov Alexander Aellen Benjamin Ingram-Moore Christopher Sporton David Adeyemi Abere Dylan Swain Geogre Ashcroft Harry Taylor Henry Christian Henry Williams Jacob Bailey Jonathan Huggins Maldwyn Crook Michael McCormack Nicholas Challacombe Olaoluwa Apesin

Oliver Blakemore Oliver Williams Orlando Williams Sebastian lles Thomas Herbert Aidan Carruthers Alvaro Aguilar De Nalda Arun Nanda Daniel Bello Daniel Ogunbanjo Ellison Hendry Ethan Whitlock Gabriel Mann Harry Goodman Jonathan Ellwood Jonathan Chaplin Joseph Barrett Joseph Rossington William Maltby Artin Lee Austin Ward Benjamin Guest Bradley Cole Nickey Lam Dev Bhalani George Mansell Jacques Wildon Jasper Cumming Jose Antonio Aparicio Villagra

Joshua Lavrut Kabilan Burtt Luay Mughal Rafaay Saad Talha Khan Theodor Busillet Tom Stephens Alexander Iankov Anish Katechia Arvin Rai Ethan Ofosu Gabriel Davis Henry Cudjoe Ibrahim Hassan Jake Bentley Evans James Cutler James Deardon Jonah Whiteman Joseph Robinson Krish Nair Maxwell Martin Miles Ratcliffe Oscar Calvert Oscar Whitcombe Sami Haroon Thomas Jenkin Tyler Choga

Rugby at Bedford School, in the manner of Lowry

by Henry Williams (8M)

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