Whinchat 2015

Bedford PrePArATorY School

WHINCHAT MAGAZINE - AUTUMN 2015

Clockwise from top left: 1st XV rugby team in action; Mr lincoln officiates at the crease; Mr Studd with ‘talented artists’; Sundstrom; Year 8 Talented Artists Workshop

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Table of Contents GUILDS AND ASSOCIATIONS

INTRODUCTION Headmaster’s Introduction

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STAFF

Prep Guild Report

45

BSA Bedford School Association

46

Salvete (New staff)

04

TRIPS/OUTINGS

Valete (Staff moving on)

06

Barcelona

48

China

49

Bude/Jersey

50

PGL

51

Higgins Gallery

52

Whipsnade Zoo

53

The Rhineland

54

Sicily

55

Skiing

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Bunyan Museum

57

ACADEMIC English

08

Mathematics

10

Science

12

Modern Foreign Language

14

History

16

Geography

20

ENRICHMENT Enrichment

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THE ARTS

SPORT Athletics

58

Art

26

Cross Country

60

Drama

28

Badminton

61

Design Technology

32

Cricket

62

Music

34

Hockey

64

Horse Riding

65

Kayaking and Sailing

66

Swimming

67

Rowing

68

Rugby

70

Triathlon

72

Leavers

74

And Finally...

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HOUSES Eagle House Report

36

Bunyan House Report

38

Harpur House Report

39

Howard House Report

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Whitbread House Report

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CHARITY Charity Committee Report

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IT IS BOTH A PLEASURE AND A PRIVILEGE TO BE INVOLVED WITH SUCH A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY”

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Headmaster’s Introduction WELCOME TO THE WHINCHAT 2014-2015 This magazine offers just a glimpse of the exceptionally busy, talented, hard-working, fun, thoroughly enjoyable and supportive community that is Bedford Prep School.

W

elcome to the Whinchat 201415. As last year, this magazine affords us a glimpse of the myriad of exciting events of Bedford Prep School’s past year. It is a record of just some of the things the boys, staff and parents have been up to. As ever, many of the best moments, personal triumphs, highlights are not captured on film, and indeed, neither should they be. However, contained in these pages you will find a few that we have snapped. For the rest, personal memories will have to suffice.

In my Prize-Giving speech I quoted Aristotle, who said that ‘All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empire depends on the education of youth.’ Our youth here at Bedford Prep School has certainly been impressive and they give cause for real optimism for the future. They are led by staff who always go out of their way to ensure that boys have the best possible education both in and out of the classroom.

Well done to this year’s prize-winners.

It is great to win, and be recognised in such prestigious surroundings as The Great

Aran Rai Head Boy

Hall and on such a prestigious occasion as Prize-Giving. However, for me it is the everyday successes, achievements, failures, dustings off and sheer determination to keep going when things are tough which really makes a school. The Whinchat, I hope, captures a few of these important moments.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the boys of the school for their successes, their efforts and their learning throughout the year. It is both a pleasure and a privilege to be involved with such a wonderful community.

I would like to say a big thank you to the prefects, and in particular to this year’s Head Boy, Aran Rai. Good luck to them as they move on to the next stage of their education. We will miss them!

WO R DS BY

Ian Silk Headmaster

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S TA F F

Salvete (New staff ) M R J O N ATH A N EG A N Deputy Head (Academic)

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n September 2015 Mr Johnny Egan joined us from Kings Wimbledon Junior School to become our new Academic Deputy Head. Johnny moves to Bedford with his young family: his wife Fizzy, and two children, daughter Tabitha, and very recently born son, Crawford.

Johnny was the Academic Administrator and Head of Mathematics at King’s College Junior School. In his previous schools he has taught ICT and was marketing and website manager whilst at The Hawthorns School. He also coaches rugby, football and cricket. He has an MA in Education Leadership and Management.

M R DA N I E L M A ITL A N D Head of Year 3 and Year 4Â

M

r Daniel Maitland is our new Head of Y3 and Y4. He comes to us from Aysgarth School, an all-boys prep school in North Yorkshire, where he was a Y4 teacher, Assistant Housemaster for 120 boys and ran the activities programme. He makes the move down south with his wife Jessica and daughter (born in May 2014), Aria. The Maitlands are expecting a second child in late October. Daniel has a first class degree from Brasenose College, Oxford. He went to Oundle School where he represented the 1st XV Rugby team, 1st XI football, U16A cricket team and the 1st VI golf.

W H I N C H AT

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M R DO M I N I C A F F LEC K Head of English and Head of Year 5

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r Dominic Affleck has been appointed as our new Head of English. He is married to Jackie and has three children, Toby 13, Zoe 11, and Daniel 9, as well as a “mad” Welsh Springer, called Billy and a constantly hungry moggy called “Ziggy”. Mr Affleck joins us from Davenies Prep School, where he was Head of English, as well as Pastoral Head for Y5 and Y6, and a Designated Safeguarding lead. He is an author and has written a book called ‘The Wish’, and is presently writing a book on parenting. He loves reading, going to the theatre and watching motor-racing - he also coaches rugby, football and cricket.

M R A N DR E W G ROO M Musician in Residence

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r Andrew Groom has been appointed as our Musician in Residence. He joins us from Wells Cathedral School where he was a Graduate Music Assistant. He attended Birkdale School, an independent boys’ school in Sheffield and was awarded a scholarship to study a Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal College of Music in London. He gained a first class degree, with trombone and piano as first and second study respectively. He followed this with a Masters of Performance at the at the Hochschule der Künste, (University of the Arts) in Bern, Switzerland. Here he learnt trombone under Ian Bousfield, international trombone soloist and former principal trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic.

During this time Andrew was also appointed conductor of Musikgesellschaft Eggiwil, an amateur wind band in the Emmental (as in the cheese!) region of Switzerland! Andrew will be joined in Bedford by his fiancée Emily, a professional violinist, after they tie the knot on December 19th. In the meantime we wish them all the best with the wedding planning!

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W H I N C H AT

Valete (Staff moving on)

SUE KEANE The legend that is Mrs Keane…

act to follow; she finds the key to success for every child by adapting her teaching style to their individual learning needs she makes learning fun and memorable!

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Jane Di Sapia and Mike Mallalieu

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ue Keane joined Bedford Preparatory School in 1998, following a very successful career in Bedfordshire Middle Schools where she was renowned for her expertise in teaching Drama, Dance, PE and English. Sue also ran external dance schools where she staged spectacular shows at the Bowen West Theatre - her reputation was countywide. She later trained as a dyslexia specialist and her expertise in this field is also acclaimed.

On her appointment as a Y4 class teacher, with responsibility for the Library, Sue quickly made her mark as an extraordinary teacher and she will be remembered as being one of those inspirational teachers who makes a real difference to their pupils’ future lives. Innovative, imaginative and creative, Mrs Keane’s lessons are a hard

Sue Keane is one of those rare individuals who will go the extra mile to support and help her pupils; for example, she recently accompanied a pupil from the Eagle House to an individual visit to London, just because, ‘… he had never been on the London Eye’.

As Sue’s career continued to flourish at the Prep School, she was later appointed Y3 and 4 Coordinator and then an Assistant Head with additional responsibilities for the Houses, School Meals and the School Charities where, with the boys, she has helped to raise significant amounts of money for numerous charities. Whatever Sue does, she gives an inordinate amount of her time and energy; nothing is left to chance and everything is organised with the same incredible attention to detail. Her coordination of Charity events, School Open Evenings and Parents Evenings and her participation in the BPSA, and later the Parents’ Guild events, were all planned and orchestrated with precision and flair, and were also a tremendous success.

As well as being a skilful director of ‘Bugsy Malone’ in 2003 plus numerous Y3-4 Christmas productions, Sue is herself an accomplished actress and she positively lights up the stage when she performs. She starred in, ‘Our Day Out’ alongside staff and Upper School pupils, including Theo Green and Jonno Davis, both of whom are now full time actors. Her other acting roles ranged from a delightful cameo as Widow Corney in ‘Oliver!’, to starring in every one of the Evenings of Mild Amusement. Her personal favourites were from her first and last appearances; leading Riverdance with Father David (and MJM) in 2003 and then playing an exasperated teacher taking a group of infants on a calamitous journey around a zoo.

This is a lady of numerous talents who remains self-effacing and modest, and kind and supportive to both her pupils and colleagues; Sue has been an integral part of our staff for 17 years and we are all very sorry that she is leaving. However, we wish her well in her retirement and we know that this will not be the last we see of Sue at BPS …

You are indeed ‘legendary’, Mrs Keane!

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E LE A N O R W I L SO N

WO R DS BY

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Jane Di Sapia

Jo Gedye

M

ary Richards joined Bedford Prep School in 2001, having previously taught English at Dame Alice Harpur School. Mary came to teaching as a relatively late starter to the profession, following earlier successful careers in Publishing, Human Resources and Training.

Mary taught English to boys in Y5-8 and she was also a very caring and supportive form tutor. As a member of the English Department, Mary would always offer her help and support; she was an outstanding team player. Her intellect and knowledge of literature is legendary and Mary greatly enhanced the teaching of English in the department with her skills.

Her fondest memories of her time in the Prep School - “the Y8 boys’ responses to Shakespeare’s text, especially when studying Romeo and Juliet; watching the boys progress during their time in the Prep School, then meeting the boys later on in the Upper School and seeing how they had developed and what they have achieved.”

Mary was a very popular member of staff, one of those rare individuals who got on with everyone and staff often sought her counsel. Parents respected her professionalism and boys appreciated her deep subject knowledge.

We miss her elegance and eloquence and Mary will be remembered for her many personal attributes as well as her quiet authority. We miss you, Mary. The Prep School Common Room is a less cerebral place without you! We wish you all the best in the next phase in your life.

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hat can I say? When Anthony Fort left us to take up further studies in America I feared that we would struggle to find anyone to fill his creative, albeit quirky, shoes. I should not have worried. Eleanor burst onto the scene this year as our new Musician in Residence and within a couple of days I knew we had found a true gem! Her sense of humour, enthusiasm and love of music has been infectious and I could not have wished for a more inspirational and charismatic person to encourage and nurture our boys love of the subject, particularly while I was away on maternity leave. Thank you for an excellent year of music making.

Sadly, Eleanor leaves us to take up a new and exciting post as Assistant Director of Music at Kimbolton School and I would like to wish her all the very best. Kimbolton are lucky to have such a wonderful teacher!

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AC A DE M IC

W H I N C H AT

English E N G LI S H R E P O RT

English in Bedford Prep School is as important as it ever has been. Due to the ‘plugged in’ nature of the technology age in which we exist, it is vital to keep developing all of our communication skills. The English Department’s vision remains one which demands boys read, comprehend, interpret, explore and debate important texts, whilst also developing all the vital verbal and non-verbal skills of communication.

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ur journey with the boys took in Shakespeare’s funniest forest; Gothic tales; Greek, Egyptian and Nordic myths; World War One and Two; Skellig’s garage; facial disfigurement; rhyme and rhythm from down the ages; as well as short stories from Ted Hughes, Roald Dahl and Charles Dickens, to name but a few. The most important challenge was always when we asked the boys to produce. Whether on the page or orally, each boy braved the process of putting one word in front of another; spelling, punctuation and grammar the hurdles laid out across the track. There were many successes and each boy developed his skill, as you tend to the more you practice.

As Head of English, I am indebted to the hard work of my staff. Each one of them toiling to deliver lessons alive with fun as much as knowledge. The extra-curricular elements also took up valuable time and effort. However, the boys deserve most credit. Every week they listened, worked hard and each time we taught them, they were able to show us something new: a gift every good teacher appreciates. We are looking forward to learning more next year.

WO R DS BY

Sam Roberts Head of English

Here is a poem from Jake Bentley-Evans in Year 6.

It may seem a little unfair to single out one boy in a year when so many successes could be noted, but Jake has always worked above and beyond what was asked.

His industry, not just his talent, is what marks him out amongst his peers, something to which any boy can aspire. He was asked to write a poem on an animal of his choice. A rat isn’t the most obvious port of call; his application and ability, nevertheless, are evident.

TH E R AT Its hearing is sharp like a Samurai sword.

Razor-like teeth where it has devoured and gnawed.

On the rodent’s filthy fur live insects and fleas, As it scampers around, scattering disease.

The stench of the vermin all around the lair, Fills the once fresh nest with decaying air.

Its deadly eyes stare, With a laser like glare.

Its nose, wet and damp, As it sniffs round the street like a homeless tramp.

Its shiny, scaly tail, which glimmers in the light, Becomes barely visible as it creeps through the night.

The rat, a predator to all mankind, A mass murderer, one we must find.

Jake Bentley-Evans Year 6

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AU TH O R V I S IT

The 2 Steves WO R DS BY

Amy Lumley-Wood Librarian

One Wednesday in June we were delighted to be joined by authors Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore in the Prep School for a day of literary fun.

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oys in Y7 and 8 were treated to a talk about how we are all authors and we all have interesting and often amusing stories to tell. They gave examples of how to use our own experiences as a starting point for a short story or even a whole book.

Steve’s tales of accompanying his mum to Girl Guide camp, and the hilarious consequences of keeping quiet about a fear of heights at the top of the abseiling tower, will keep the boys smiling for a while.

Boys in Y3 - 6 participated in a hilarious game show, based on heroes and superheroes. In the 2 Steves’ I Hero books you can be the hero and your decisions determine the story and your fate! The audience was asked to choose an adventure and guide a volunteer Hero through the story. Everyone joined in and there was no escape for staff either, who were told off for not helping to row the Viking ship. In our next adventure, boys and teachers were interrogated by the ‘Secret Police’. Mrs Keane declared she had not laughed so much in ages. Each part of the story completed safely earned the team a point which was carefully recorded by ‘Captain Scoreboard’, resplendent in cape, mask and superhero pants.

Well done to the boys who volunteered for the challenges and especially to the two boys who played ‘Captain Scoreboard’ for throwing themselves into the role. A big thank you also to the boys who kept our visiting authors entertained over lunch.

Huge thanks to the two Steves who were absolutely brilliant at enthusing and inspiring the whole of the Prep School. We hope to see you back soon.

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W H I N C H AT

Mathematics

My maths journey through the Prep School From times tables to Pi r squared, my time at the Prep School has improved my maths skills dramatically. At the start in Y3 I never liked maths but now it is one of my favourite subjects.

I have been through five maths teachers, each one teaching me new things. Mrs MacAskill and Mrs Keane helping me with my times tables and calculation skills, Mr Milton teaching me fractions, Mr Beckwith, Algebra and Mrs Travis, Pythagoras.

The maths teachers have really sparked my interest in maths and helped me to improve my skills in fun ways. I achieved a Gold Award in the Junior Mathematics Challenge. I can’t wait to start maths in the Upper School and see what the future holds.”

Thomas Byrne Y8

“The Maths department have succeeded in making lessons interactive....... Questions challenge pupils to think outside the box.”

Leon Zhu Y8 “You learn skills that will help you get a good start in life. My favourite topics are angles, algebra and circles.”

Jamie Williams Y8

“Fractions, decimals and algebra have become simple..... I enjoy solving equations the more steps needed to solve the better, recreating algebraic equations to solve everyday problems.”

Ali Aftab Y8

“I have enjoyed the Algebra topics the most.”

Oliver Brown Y7 “Symmetry and problem solving are my favourite topics.”

Joseph Rossington Y6

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AC A DE M IC

CUBE AND CUBOID

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upils having fun exploring the construction of cubes and cuboids by finding the possible nets that fold up to make a cube. They quickly realised why it was important to be very accurate in their measuring skills if they what a perfect cube. 5S also, through constructing cubes, learnt to use the formula for working out the volume of a cube and cuboid.

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GO L D AWA R D WINNERS IN JUNIOR M ATH S C H A L L E N G E 10 year 8 and 2 year 7 Ben Spanoudakis Olympiad entrant Matthew Stewart Ewan Gordon James Hooper Sam Evans Leon Zhu James Haxell

J U N I O R M ATH S C H A LLE N G E R E P O RT

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n April 30th I and the whole of Y8 sat the Junior Mathematics Challenge organised by the Mathematics Trust.

The paper is made up of questions with multiple choice answers. For each correct answer you gained 5 points.

“It has just turned 22:22. How many minutes are there until midnight?”

In the second section the questions became increasingly more complex so you gained 6 marks if correct but you were penalised one mark if you were wrong. For the last 5 questions you were penalised 2 marks.

“One of the following cubes can be written as the sum of three positive cubes. Which is it?”

In the Junior Mathematics Challenge I was lucky enough to achieve the Gold Award and was placed in the Maths Olympiad. The Olympiad paper was a lot harder and came in two parts. The first section was like the Challenge, consisting of 10 questions and you had to chose the correct answer. Section B was very different: you had to write essay type answers to calculate the solution. It was great fun!

WO R DS BY

Michael Wells Jay Johnson Thomas Byrne Harilaos Karavaggelis Henry Faulkner

W H I N C H AT J O K E S Q: W here is the warmest part of the room?

A: I n the corner of the room - it is 90 degrees!

Shiva Songara Y7 Q: W hat is a mathematician’s favourite food?

A: Pi Olly Blakemore Y6

Ben Spanoudakis Y8 Q: Why is 6 scared of 7?

A: B ecause 7 eight 9 Harry Taylor Y7 Q: W hy did the two 4’s not want dinner?

A: B ecause they already eight Matthew Cole Y8 Q: W hat do you call an adorable angle.

A: A n a-cute angle!

Anon

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W H I N C H AT

Science

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04

C R E S T C LU B

O B S E RVATO RY

A group of Y7 and Y8 boys have had the opportunity to be members of a new initiative – the CREST club run in the Upper School Science Department by Mrs Mainstone and Mr Green on Tuesday lunchtimes.

Just over 70 Y7 boys took the opportunity to go along on one of 5 visits to the Observatory/ Planetarium. Thanks to Mr Stone and Mr Guise.

05 SC I E N C E FA I R

02 I C K W E L L B U RY On 16th September the whole of Y6 year group had a trip to the field centre at Ickwell Bury. Half of the group did a Science Activity with Mr Carrington and Mr Mallalieu (tree identification) and the other half did an Art Activity with Mr Studd and Mrs Chance and then swapped over after lunch.

A group of interested scientists from Y7-8 were taken by Messers Mallalieu and Allen to the NEC for the Big Bang Science Fair at NEC Birmingham – Thursday 12th March.

06 SC I E N C E CO M P E TITI O N CREST - Bedford Big Bang Science Fair Competition – Thursday 19th March In the KS3 Competition - First Prize (Daniel Lumley-Wood) and Second Prize (Matthew Lewis). Prize for Innovation - First Prize for Innovation all ages (Jack Jordan)

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014-15 IN THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT 08 S A LTE R S F E S TI VA L

S L E E P OV E R

Salters Festival – Wednesday 25th March

On the evening of Friday 12th June, another Y3 Science Sleepover took place organised very proficiently by Mrs Carrington. The Y3 boys enjoyed a number of different science activities. They enjoyed ‘Reptile Richard’s’ reptile show, followed by a visit to the Observatory and Planetarium, then an explosive activity in the Science lab.

The evening ended (or should have done!) with a film in the EMH. Mrs Christian, Mrs Allen and some superb Y8 boys accompanied. Many thanks to Mrs Riddell, who came in early on Saturday morning to provide breakfast – delicious waffles and strawberries. This helped to make it another successful event enjoyed by all the boys.

The following boys were taken

by Mr Allen to Cambridge University, to take part in the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry – Harilaos Karavaggelis, George Winder, Parwaaz Upadhyay, Amir Solanki.

09 W H I P S N A D E ZOO On Wednesday 29th April the Y4 boys were taken to Whipsnade Zoo.

10 07 EC L I P S E

03 SC I E N C E Q U IZ On 9th October we hosted a heat of the National Year 5 & 6 Science Inter-School Quiz Championship.

Our B team, which included Dylan Swain, Benjamin IngramMoore, Leo De Luca and Joshua Mital, won the quiz. We made it through to the semi-final.

Partial Solar Eclipse – Friday 20th March Having learned about a solar eclipse in a preceding assembly, nearly every boy and most staff in the Prep School had the opportunity to see this rare event using special solar spectacles.

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SC I E N C E M U S E U M On Friday 15th May the biggest party of Y5s (52) ever, was taken to the Science Museum for a sleepover by Mr Mallalieu, Mrs Christian, Mrs Carrington, Mrs Di Sapia, and some very kind parents, Mrs Spice, Mrs Clifton, Mrs Hine and Mr Hawthorne.

Trying to cook an egg on one of the manhole covers near the Wells Changing rooms on the hottest day (01-07-2015) this year.

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TH E SC I E N C E S LE E P OV E R CO M M E NT S F RO M TH E B OYS:

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Elliot Rossington (Year 3)

T

WO R DS BY

he science sleepover was amazing! It was really fun and the bit I liked the most was holding the lizards.”

Matthew Jones (Year 3)

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n Friday evening the boys of Y3 gathered excitedly outside the observatory where we were able to look at stars and planets. On returning to the EMH we had a nice tea of pizza and apple juice. Still excited, we were told to put our kit out and get ready for bed, but we were not sleepy. We all watched a movie, called Big Hero 6. It was funny and sad. Then it was lights out and time for sleep. We eventually slept at about 11pm, only to wake again at 6.30am. After watching Mr Bean and a really nice breakfast, parents came to take us home.”

WO R DS BY

Charlie Eggleton (Year 3)

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loved the experiments in the lab with the metal. We had a Bunsen Burner and we put this very reactive metal in it and it turned really bright. I loved the exploding balloons too. Mr Allen lit the end of a metal stick and there were two hydrogen balloons and he touched the stick onto the balloon and it burst into fire. Then he made hydrogen bubbles. He pumped hydrogen into a bowl of water and washing up liquid and then lit the bubbles and it made little bombs of explosions. It was fun sleeping with all my friends in the EMH. Thank you very much for organising it, Mrs Carrington.”

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AC A DE M IC

W H I N C H AT

Modern Foreign Language FRENCH BRE AKFAST

Year 8

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ome Y5 boys celebrated the end of their assessments with a delicious French breakfast at the end of term…croissants, pains au chocolat et jus d’orange…. Yum!

Year 7 PENFRIENDS

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his year some Y7 boys have enjoyed corresponding with some pupils from Le Collège Puy d’Alon in Souillac, in the Midi-Pyrenées region of France. Our boys have been writing letters in French and then receiving replies in

ACCOUNT OF FRENCH VISIT

GERMAN DESCRIPTION

Year 7 & 8

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n Wednesday 20th May a group of 50 Y7 and Y8 boys from Saint Joseph School in Le Puy en Velay (central France) paid our Y7 boys a visit. Our pupils had prepared a presentation in French all about the Prep School and then our visitors returned the favour in English.

There was also time for an international football game at break time, and an opportunity to chat informally. We hope to make this an annual event!

MEIN HAUS UND MEIN SCHL AFZIMMER

Daniel Smith 8V

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English. Waiting for each letter to arrive has been very exciting and the boys have very much enjoyed learning about French culture as well as having the opportunity to practise their writing. Hopefully some lasting friendships will have been made too!

ch wohne in einem Dorf. Mein Dorf ist in der Nähe von Bedford. Wir wohnen in einem Einfamilienhaus. Es ist sehr groß und modern.

Ali Aftab r heißt Herr Bean und ist 58 Jahre alt. Mr Bean wohnt in London. Das ist in England. Er hat keine Geschwister, aber sein Freund heißt Teddy. Sein Geburtstag ist am sechsten November. Er hat braune glatte Haare und hat braune Augen. Er ist groß und schlank. Er ist sehr schüchtern und neugierig. Er trägt eine braune Jacke, eine rote Krawatte, ein weißes Hemd, schwarze Hose und schwarze Schuhe. Herr Bean isst gern Fisch und trinkt Orangensaft. Sein Lieblingsfach ist Theater. Er mag Pferde, weil sie doof sind. Er hat 9 Schwestern und 10 Brüder. Er mag Kuchen backen und liest Teletubbies

Im Erdgeschoss gibt es ein Wohnzimmer, eine Küche und eine Toilette. Ich wohne gern in meinem Dorf, weil es ziemlich klein ist. Wir haben auch ein Badezimmer, mein Schlafzimmer und ein Schlafzimmer für meine Eltern. Wir haben eine Küche aber wir haben kein Esszimmer.

In meinem Zimmer habe ich ein Bett, einen Tisch and einen Stuhl. Auf dem Tisch steht ein Computer. Ich habe einen Fernseher.

Manchmal sehe ich fern. Ab and zu lese ich auf meinem Bett. Neben dem Stuhl steht mein Kleiderschrank.

In dem Garten spiele ich Fußball mit meinen Freunden. Ich mag Fußball spielen, weil es lustig ist. Am Wochenende koche ich für meine Eltern. Ich wasche ab und ich trockne ab. Auch mache ich meine Hausaufgaben. Das ist nicht gut.

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OUSTANDING FRENCH WORK

MON MONSTRE

Edward Mathew-Jones

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Archie McLean l s’appelle Professeur Knight. Il a une grande tête, sans oreilles, deux sourcils, deux yeux et il n’a pas de cheveux. Il as petit bouche avec six dents.

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e vais parler de l’acteur qui s’appelle Eddie Redmayne. A mon avis Eddie Redmayne est intelligent et généreux mais il n’est pas ennuyeux et timide parce qu’ il est acteur pour la télévision. Il n’est pas jamais paresseux parce puisqu’ il est travailleur tout le temps. Il est mince et beau. Eddie Redmayne est sportif et il préfère le rugby. Ses films sont excellents et amusants. Ses films ne sont jamais

mauvais. Il habite une grande ville qui s’appelle Somerset en face de la cote; Il habite une grand maison à Winsford. Eddie Redmayne a deux gros et chiens et un petit chat. Je l’aime parce qu’ il est amusant.

Je vais parler de Jessica Ennis. A mon avis elle est forte et sportive. Elle n’est pas paresseuse parce qu’ elle est sportive. Elle et travailleuse tout le temps. Elle est mince et belle. Elle n’est jamais grosse parce que c’est mauvais pour Jessica. Elle est sportive.

Elle est pratique de temps de temps. Je l’aime parce qu’ elle est intéressante et elle est excellente en sport. Elle est joyeuse quand elle gagne. Elle n’est jamais timide mais elle est généreuse. Elle est sympa tout le temps et elle est bavarde avec ses copains. Elle est calme et sérieuse.

MI CASA OUTSTANDING SPANISH WORK

Por Jamie Williams 8V

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ivo en una casa bastante grande y moderna en el pueblo, en el sudeste, cerca de Bedford. Mi casa tiene dos plantas y dieciséis habitaciones.

En la planta baja, hay la cocina, la lavandería, mi salón de juegos, el pasillo grande, el salón, el aseo y el despacho de mi padre.

mesa. El armario está a la izquierda de la puerta marrón. El otro armario está derecha de la puerta. También, hay las cortinas blancas y azules están encima de las ventanas. Encima de la cómoda, hay el espejo plata. La alfombra está debajo de la silla marrón y el equipo de música está debajo de la cómoda. Las paredes son beiges. ¡Desafortunadamente, no tiene el ordenador! ¿Por qué?

Mi casa tiene un jardín bastante grande.

En mi jardín, hay el cobertizo, pero no tiene el invernadero y un estanque.

Me gusta mi casa, porque es cómoda, muy acogedora, bonita y moderna.

Arriba hay cuatro dormitorios (el dormitorio de mi madre, el dormitorio de mi padre, el dormitorio de invitados y mi dormitorio), y dos baños privados.

También el vestidor de mi padre y el baño.

Arriba de nuevo, hay el desvón.

En mi dormitorio, que es propio y limpio, hay la cama. Está a la derecha de la mesa.

La lámpara blanca está encima de la

Aussi il a un grand corps avec deux bras et trois doigts sur chaque main .

Il a un grande dos.

Il n’a pas de nez.

Il a un grand dos.

Son cou est grand.

Il a la peau orange. Il est intelligent, amusant et farfelu. Professeur Knight est plus intelligent que Bill Gates. Profeseur Knight est moins beau que Kim Kardshian.

Il est travailleur, aimable, bavard, Honnête. Proffeseur Knight est le Mieux.

J’adore le film Monsters University.

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History Year 6

Year 5

Kentwell Hall Trip W I I really enjoyed the trip and my favourite part was when I did a Tudor dance and it really felt like I was in 1588.

I also enjoyed clay neckless making and learning about what Tudors ate, worked for, their jobs and how they lived.

I have learnt that most poor Tudors worked as either builders, cooks, jewellery makers or clothes makers. These people did not earn much and lived in a small house or hovel. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to come to Kentwell Hall.

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Toby McNiff

really enjoyed this fantastic trip! It felt like I was actually a Tudor peasant.

It gave me massive understanding of what being a Tudor was like and how everyone worked. I wouldn’t mind being a Tudor boy; it looks fun and I would like to be a blacksmith’s apprentice. My favourite part was watching the fletcher and how they made arrows and how different types did different things. I also found how they made candles interesting.

I learnt if you were a rich person you would probably have candles made from honeycomb, but if you were a normal peasant you would have candles made of dead animal’s fat because they were a lot cheaper. I was strongly fascinated on this trip and I certainly would recommend it to kids above 10 years old, even if they’re not learning about the Tudors. This trip is certainly one of the highlights in my school year!

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Year Review

e started the year studying about the Feudal System, which means the peasants are at the bottom, and then the Knights, then the Barons and finally the Lords. I would have liked to have been a Baron, because they are the second highest in the Feudal system, and are protected by the Knights.

I really enjoyed the Battle of Hastings because I found out that it was in a place called Battle, so the “Battle of Battle”, which made me laugh.

Making the castle was really good fun in Unit 2 of History. It was much more fun making something, than writing something!

It can’t have been very nice living in a castle, as it was always being attacked and people were being killed, however firing the canons might have been cool. Concentric castles are my favourite. They look like onion rings, because they have a circle then a smaller circle, or an outer wall, an inner wall and a Keep. We went on a field trip to see Mountfitchet Castle which is a Motte and Bailey. A Motte and Bailey is made out of a man made hill, wood and surrounded by water. This was a great day out, and good to see a castle in real life.

James Deardon It was interesting learning about the Domesday Book, and my Grandma has a copy of the book, which is really big and heavy, and has their house in it.

The Black Death has been my favourite part of history this year. It was amazing to find out about one disease that could kill so many people, and spread from Europe. I hope it doesn’t come back today. I am not sure I want my body to be covered in lumps, turn black and start spitting blood and vomit.

The most disgusting part of history was Thomas Becket’s murder. He had part of his head chopped off and his brains were smeared all over the flags of Canterbury Cathedral.

I WOULDN’T MIND BEING A TUDOR BOY; IT LOOKS FUN AND I WOULD LIKE TO BE A BLACKSMITH’S APPRENTICE

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James Hine

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History

Year 7 Max Sogan English Civil War Talk Report

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he History talk was an extremely exciting talk filled with interesting facts. Instead of just announcing the facts, Kevin made the talk very energetic and great to listen and interact with.

The armour that Kevin brought in was extremely heavy and would have weighed soldiers down.

I brought my phone, but shortly after I realised I didn’t need it because of the amount of detail Kevin put in and I knew I wouldn’t forget a single fact.

The stories that Kevin told were the best by far; the immense detail and drama in his stories fascinated me but at the same time shocked me.

How Kevin described the scenes was amazing; he didn’t miss out a single detail. He created pictures in my head which made the facts stay in my mind and made me feel like I was really there in the civil war.

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Max Sogan

Year 8 Family History Projects

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he ‘Family History Project’ is a key piece of work undertaken by the Y8s. Each boy had the opportunity to conduct a unique piece of research. Alongside developing a broad range of skills and experiencing the challenges that face professional historians, each was able to connect on a deeper level with his family. Each project included an interview with the oldest living relative, an annotated family photograph, a family tree and, finally, an heirloom.

A selection of the latter is shown below, accompanied by their fascinating stories.

Ruslan Chyrva

Paul Smith

Joseph Young

Ruslan Chyrva’s great grandfather won this “Order of the Patriotic War” medal during World War Two. He was awarded it for an act of bravery that saw him cross a minefield to reach another brigade. Radio contact between the two brigades had been lost and he was the only man to volunteer to take a vital message. Ruslan is extremely proud of the courage shown.

Paul Smith’s grandfather was a member of the 79th Armoured Division of the Royal Engineers. He served during World War Two and drove the first armoured bulldozer across the Rhine in readiness to pull tanks ashore ahead of the Battle of Falaise Gap. The broach was given by him to Paul’s great grandmother to wear while he was away in the war. On the brooch it says ‘MIZPAH’, which is Hebrew and means ‘the Lord watch between me and thee qwhen we are absent one from another’.

Joseph Young’s grandfather served as a member of the Rhodesian Police Reserve.

He did several call-ups in territory bordering Botswana and Mozambique. His unit was called Ground Coverage and his rank was that of Stick Leader. At one stage he rose to the rank of Convoy Commander. He had many duties including looking after mission schools and hospitals in the Tribal Trust Lands.

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Year 3 Archaeology Workshop

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e dug through the sand looking for things in there, like treasure and pottery. I found some pottery.

It was pale brown and it was broken. It was rough, bumpy and curved. I think it was used for bottles and a pot. We dug by using the side of the trowel so that we didn’t break anything.

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ne day an archaeologist came to tell us about what they do. The workshop was called “Archaeology is Rubbish”. We were given a bag of rubbish and we picked something out. Then we had to guess who it belongs to. Was it a boy or a girl? The best activity was the sand digging. You had real archaeologist tools to dig stuff up. I found a pharaoh’s crown.

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Shayen Patel

Year 3 The Battle of Towton ( from Edward, Duke of York’s perspective)

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he snow is swirling all around me, my white rose on my robe invisible in the blizzard. I can hear the war cries getting louder as I approach the battlefield. Whether or not I was right to claim the throne in this kerfuffle of battles, I do not know, what I do know is that right now that doesn’t matter. We are outnumbered by the Lancastrians. I am so selfish that innocent men will die for me to hopefully become king. But I must be positive, for if I am negative then so will my men. My thoughts are interrupted by my fellow noblemen questioning my strategy.

I answer their questions and tell them to hurry on for the battle starts in only a few minutes. I walk through the space in our formation and stand at the front of my army.

“This battle will be fought and won and York shall reign throughout the land,” I say to my men.“This battle will be fought and won for your families,” I say.“This battle must be won for York!”

“FOR YORK!” I cry.

“FOR YORK!” my men repeat. I walk back to my noblemen twitching with nerves before I am harassed again.

There are shouts from the Lancastrians, which my men interpret. They are asking whether or not we are ready to fight.

“Yes,” I reply. I shout my orders for my archers to fire. We have the wind behind us, which is good. The Lancastrians’ arrows

fall short due to the gale. I call for my cavalry to charge. The battle has started.

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Year 7

Cromwell Rap Q. Should Oliver Cromwell Have Accepted The Title of King in 1651?

A. The country desperately needs a king, Not some wannabe thing.

England has no control After Charles got axed - oh no!

Diggers? Levellers? They are fools!

Cromwell should be the man who rules.

We need someone taking charge.

This country’s way too large.

It won’t run by itself; We’ll end up with no common wealth.

People think Cromwell’s being greedy, But, without him, England just seems weedy.

So don’t call it contradicting ‘cause, let’s be honest, the country needs fixing.

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I must stand my ground, for any mistaken movement could be disastrous for my strategy. The battle cry is deafening, and I can hear screams all around. But thankfully I see that the screams are from the Lancastrians. All of a sudden the shouts are louder for the Lancastrians are attacking! They have more men but I must call for my foot soldiers to fight. I do, and watch my own men slowly start to retreat. The Duke of Norfolk finally arrives making numbers equal between the Lancastrians and us. Thanks to the Duke’s arrival with his men, the Lancastrians slowly retreat. I call my noblemen to come deeper into the battle. I duel with several Lancastrians before one soldier slices across my face, from the left of my forehead to the right of my mouth. I scream and stab him in anger. My enemy is dead.

The pain is excruciating and blood is pouring everywhere. I wipe some away with my robe and decide to hold it there for it stops the bleeding. One of my fellow noblemen takes me away from the battle scene until the bleeding stops. I return to the battle and fight for anger has given me courage to fight. The Lancastrians attempt to flee but we chase them and they drown in the river. The throne belongs to York!

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Jake Bentley-Evans

Ben Barnes

Twitter

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Geography

Y3 Geography Easter Term: S T U DY I N G A V I L L AG E I N I N D I A ; C H E M B A KO L L I

Quotes from boys in Y3 on learning about life in an Indian village and a selection of photographs of the boys playing with the Indian toys.

“I would like to learn how to build houses like the people in Chembakolli as I find it fascinating. I love how they do their cooking, building and crafting.”

“The people of Chembakolli love to sing and dance; it’s part of their life. The men use dancing sticks which they tap together to make a sound. I would not like to live there because they have no running water or electricity. They have a sling shot which they use to kill animals. I would like to have a go!”

“THE SLING SHOT SHOOTS STONES AND OTHER THINGS. THE HANDLE IS MADE FROM WOOD AND THE SLING IS MADE FROM LEATHER.” “A vandi is a homemade toy made out of wood. Parents would make them for their children. They hunted for animals and used a sling shot to kill them. I would like to use one.

I wouldn’t like to have to fetch the water every day.”

“In Chembakolli the children help to wash the elephants after school. As soon as they are washed they throw dirt over themselves. I wouldn’t like to ride an elephant.”

“A cheenam is a wooden flute which people play in Chembakolli. It is difficult to play.”

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Geography

Y4 Geography Year 4 have had fun learning about Settlements, Tocuaro, a village in Mexico, and Rainforests this year.

Mexico

Rainforests

“I learnt that chocolate comes from Mexico, that Mexican people like spicy food and I know that a sombrero is a Mexican hat.”

Christopher Foley

“I learnt about the different levels of the rainforest.”

Blake Swift

“I learnt about Mexican food and it made me feel hungry” Christopher Foley “I enjoyed making the plans of the Horta’s family home in Tocuaro.”

Sam Maling “I learnt that there are earthquakes in Mexico.”

Oliver Munn “I enjoyed colouring the Mexico flag.”

Oliver Yates “I leant how people live in Tocuaro.”

Dilan Sharma “I found out about the pollution in Lake Patzcuaro.”

Anas Mehrez

“It amazed me the number of different animals and plants in the rainforest, in the canopy, the under-canopy and the forest floor. I found out about the macaw.”

Barnaby James “I learnt that rainforests are very humid.”

Matthew Goodman “I learnt the reasons that the rainforests are being cleared and why it is important to save them.”

Jamie Welch “I learnt that the rainforests are between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.”

Hari Mistry

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Geography

Y5 Geography T

he Year 5 syllabus is very practical and the boys love learning how to read maps.

In this technical age, map reading may seem somewhat unnecessary. But just wait until you hit the London underground! My advice to the boys in the Christmas Term is to take a trip to London with their parents and then guide the family to their destination on The Tube. “Do we need to go to East or West? North or South? Let’s look at the most incredible ‘diagram’ map in the world and find out!!”

Always the highlight of the Year 5 Geography year for me is the De Parys Avenue project.

The boys work together to walk up and down the avenue and to look at every building. They need to count windows, decide on front garden size, approximate age of the building etc. The avenue was established in the Victorian age as a residential area, but how things have changed.

The boys have to decide how each building is used now and it is not always so obvious. Some houses have been turned into apartments and others are now Surgeries, Guest Houses, Residential Homes and so on. The boys work in groups to try and work out how exactly each building is presently used. Some of the boys’ conversations are fascinating as they try to work things out and it amazes them that many of the properties are now actually part of a certain school!

THE BOYS WORK TOGETHER TO WALK UP AND DOWN THE AVENUE AND TO LOOK AT EVERY BUILDING.”

“We looked at houses in De Parys Avenue. I found the houses interesting as most of them were Victorian.”

Ben Edwards and Oliver Comery 5N “I found it interesting that the houses all had different sizes of front garden and different heights of walls.”

Harry Wootton-Evans 5N

The year ends with a project on St Lucia; learning all the different geographical aspects of the country. The boys find out that St Lucia is half the size of Bedfordshire and yet it has its own capital city and even a ‘drive in’ volcano! Maybe one of these days we might arrange a Year 5 field trip to this beautiful island in the Caribbean. We’ll have to work on that one!

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Charles Blacklock

“I noticed that not every house was the same; many were detached, some were semidetached and a number were apartments.”

Pascal Dell 5N “I learnt that not all houses had numbers as many had names.”

Charlie Carey 5N “I liked it when one of the house owners came out to tell us about her house; she told us when it was built, which helped with our data collection.”

Freddie Sowerby 5N

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Y6 Geography ROC K S A N D D I N OS AU R TA L K 18 TH J U N E 2 015

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he summer term saw Mr Graham Woollard from ‘Portals to the Past’ visit Bedford School to give a fascinating talk to the Year 6 on ‘Rocks and fossils’. Aided by his army of dino-models and incredible fossilised artefacts, Mr Wollard inspired further understanding and interest from the boys, who described the morning as ‘fantastic’, ‘amazing’ and ‘great fun’.

“I thought the talk was really good because you got to hold and touch really old fossils.”

Joey Robinson 6V “I thought I may be really inspired to be a palaeontologist, as I was so interested in the talk. The thought that woolly mammoths may be cloned back to life again, is exciting!”

James Deardon 6V

His presentation included many fossils; from stromatolites (3000 million year old plants) to megladon sharks’ teeth. He helped the boys with their understanding of the creation of the earth and went on to discuss the time of the dinosaurs. His other models included menacing lizards and vicious velociraptors, proving that whilst the dinosaurs themselves may be extinct, curiosity and a thirst for understanding these intriguing creatures certainly isn’t.

“This was a fantastic talk to help us understand a bit more about dinosaurs and fossils. The talk was interactive, which was good as we could go round and find out information and touch the fossils.”

Jonathan Huggins 6V “I found the Dinosaur egg (Hadrosaur) interesting because an x-ray had shown evidence of the little bones inside the egg, showing that a baby dinosaur was inside.”

Michael McCormack 6V

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Ed Loader

Y7 Geography F I E LD TR I P TO PR I O RY CO U NTRY PA R K , B E D F O R D: N OV E M B E R 2 014

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ach year the Y7 have an opportunity to visit Priory Country Park, where the pupils see and record a number of the sustainable features the park has introduced.

Geographically, boys are able to sketch and annotate their drawings, identify the sustainable features both in the park and inside the Visitor’s Centre and relate these features to those discussed in lessons.

The trip also looks at the history and development of Priory Country Park, where a timeline is used to depict the history from the Jurassic limestone to the latest natural resources collected in the wooded areas of the park.

The information collected is then presented in posters detailing ‘The sustainability of Priory Country Park’.

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Assunta Spina Head of Geography

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Enrichment ENRICHMENT CLASS REVIEW The boys in Y5-8 have been enjoying a range of Enrichment classes throughout the year… here was the Spring Term timetable.

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Spanish (Y3-5)

Monday

12:45pm

W14

Maths (Y5-6)

Monday

4:30pm

W19

English (Y7-8)

Monday

12:35pm

H14

Economics (Y6-8)

Monday

12:35pm

W17

Biochemistry (Y7-8)

Monday

12:35pm

W19

Latin Beginners (Y3-5)

Monday

12:35pm

Upper School

Maths (Y7-8)

Monday

12:35pm

W16

History (Y5-8)

Monday

4:30pm

H2

Latin (Y8 Latinists)

Tuesday

12:35pm

Upper School

Politics (Y6-8)

Tuesday

12:35pm

W3

Philosophy (Y6-8)

Tuesday

12:30pm

W14

Current Affairs (Y6-8)

Wednesday

4:30pm

W14

Politics (Y6-8)

Thursday

12:30pm

W16

Spanish (Y6-8)

Friday

4:30pm

W19

his year, boys in Y5-8 have had the opportunity to attend Enrichment classes in many different subjects. Usually at lunchtime, these sessions enable boys to broaden their understanding and further explore topics and subjects that are interesting to them. This Y6 Maths Enrichment class was held every Monday after school and was run

by Bryan Ng, a Sixth-Form Maths wizard! Can you work out the message they are trying to tell you?

P UZ ZLE O F TH E W E E K Every week, boys have been pondering over the “Puzzle of the Week” which has been displayed on the Enrichment Board. Here are a selection of the puzzles… can you work them out?

01 An Arab sheikh tells his two sons to race their camels to

a distant city to see who will inherit his fortune. The one whose camel is slower wins. After wandering aimlessly for days, the brothers ask a wise man for guidance.

After hearing his advice, they jump on the camels and race to the city as fast as they can. So what advice did the wise man offer to them?

02 A writer was 50 years old in the year 2000, but 40 years old

in the year 2010. How is this possible?

03 In this picture you can see 6 coins in the shape of a cross.

Moving just ONE coin, can you form 2 lines, each with 4 coins?

£5 £5

£5

£5

£5 £5

04 Daft Dave was washing windows on a multi-storey office

building when he slipped and fell off his fifty foot ladder, directly onto the concrete pavement below. Amazingly, he didn’t hurt himself at all. How can this be possible?

The answers: 1. He told them to swap camels. 2. It was B.C. 3. Put the bottom coin on top of the middle one 4. He was on the bottom rung.

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PUZZLE DAY

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n December we had a Puzzle Workshop with the Girls School, which was fun. We did lots of different puzzles during the day, the road map one was really hard! The wobbly penguins puzzle was a real challenge and I don’t think anyone managed it as we all tried to put the penguins on at the same time and the penguins all rolled off! My favourite puzzle was where we had to build an animal with paper. We had finished one tricky puzzle and then one of our group members carried it to the front for checking and he dropped it so we had to start all over again!

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Calum Nanda (Y5)

ENRICHMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BEDFORDSHIRE

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ome Y4 pupils from Bedford Prep School went to the University of Bedfordshire to attend an Enrichment afternoon in June. There were lots of Enrichment events that you could attend like Dance and Drama, Art and English, Sport/Science or Team building. I decided to attend Sports/Science, where we did some tests on ourselves. The tests were like how tall you are, how much you weigh, your handgrip strength, how high you can jump and how long can you balance yourself with your eyes closed.

I really enjoyed the Enrichment afternoon. It was a day full of knowledge and exciting information.

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Hamza Abbasi (Y4)

Y4 E N R I C H M E NT E V E NT

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OVERVIEW

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his has been a sterling year for General Knowledge, with boys from Y3-Y8 being involved in quizzes against Bedford Girls School, Bedford Modern School, St. Andrews and Rushmoor over the course of the year. Out of 16 local fixtures we won 15; an outstanding success rate!

Further afield, the boys also competed in the Wellingborough Prep School Quiz League; winning both Junior and Senior matches, and reached the semifinals of the Junior Quiz Club General Knowledge Competition. I hope the boys will be swotting up over the summer ready for another successful year!

S T A N DR E WS Q U IZ

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Art ART DEPARTMENT Overview YEAR 3

The Art department is a flourishing and inspiring environment where boys can realise their artistic potential, using imaginative and observational skills. Art is a core and vital part of a boy’s education at Bedford that encourages them to engage and relate to the world around them.

— Mosaics

YEAR 5

— Textiles & Found Objects

To support their learning in history, boys have examined mosaicmaking in Art, organising tesserae to present a pattern or motif.

Y3N E DWA R D WA LK E R — M I N OTAU R

Y3 S OSC A R J E W E R S — F LOW E R

Y5V RO B E RT PA R R I S H

YEAR 6

Y5M S AC H I N K A M B LI

— Fear & Conflict

Guernica-inspired linoprints.

Y3N TO BY F I N C H —

YEAR 4

Y3N M A X Q U I N C E — F I S H

— Insects

TR E LLI S O F Y4 I N S EC T S

Y6V C H R I S S P O RTO N — F E A R & CO N F LI C T LI N OC U T

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TALENTED ARTIST WORKSHOP

YEAR 7

— African Masks - Relief Painting

We believe it is vital that boys have an awareness and appreciation of art from other cultures and societies.

Y7 explored the properties of African masks first-hand to inspire designs of their own.

DANIEL LUMLEY-WOOD

YEAR 8

A RC H I E M C LE A N

GURK AR AN JOHAL

— Gargoyles And Grotesques

Sculpture using and developing mod-roc casts from their face.

YEAR 8

H A R R I SO N CO LLI E R

N ATH A N DA S S

S U F YA A N H U S S A I N

S A M RO B I N SO N

— Self-Portraiture

Y8 explored self-portraiture at the start of the year with a specific emphasis on the photorealist ideas, methods and approaches of Chuck Close. Boys used a grid system to enlarge a selected self-portrait composition to A2, before considering how they would create the appropriate tonal qualities with ideas about themselves. They used a range of black fine liners to execute their work.

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DRAMA DEPARTMENT From the Head of Department

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his year has been a diverse one for Prep School Drama. Productions have focused on storytelling, ensemble work and drawing on the audiences imaginations to create landscapes both foreign and familiar. Settings have included rural England during the First World War, the edge of the Arctic Circle, the coastline of Eastern Europe and a farm. It has been a year for exploring new frontiers in more ways than one. We were fortunate enough to produce two plays in the new Quarry Theatre and the boys involved certainly grasped the opportunity with both hands; the space has definitely captured the imaginations of eager young performers.

Approximately 104 boys from all year groups acted in four productions this year, with a further 34 boys involved in set design, sound and stage crew. 1300 audience members enjoyed the plays this year and visiting pupils from Milton Keynes Prep School, Polam and Pilgrim’s came to see what Drama was all about at Bedford Prep School.

Speech & Drama has continued to thrive this year, with a third of the Prep School opting to take part in weekly lessons. The boys have learnt a diverse range of performance skills, building their confidence and raising awareness of presentation skills. Notable performances at the Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama included: Arthur Polhill (Y3), James Deardon (Y6), Ethan Whitlock (Y6), Rohan Jacob (Y7), Ben Wood & Cameron Melly (Y7), Finlay Cummings (Y7) and Peter Barrington (Y8), who all achieved first place in their individual categories.

The Drama prize this year was awarded to two boys: Peter Barrington and Calum Bourne for the contributions in a number of plays over the last three years. In addition, Drama Colours were awarded to: Ben Barnes, Olly Crankshaw, Oscar Hudson, Peter Barrington Finn Cassell & Rowan Bascetta-Pollitt. However, congratulations go to all boys who took part in the plays, both on stage and behind the scenes.

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Drama

YO U N G A RC H I E

A RC H I E DO B SO N ’ S WA R

S I M O N W I N DS TO R M

A B R I DG E TO TH E S TA R S

A R E V I E W BY M AT T R E A ( Y E A R 7 )

This year’s main Prep School production was A Bridge To The Stars - the story of a boy’s lonely life in a small, isolated Swedish town. The play was performed by Y7 & 8 pupils in conjunction with Bedford Girls’ School.

Here, boys share their views on the production:

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TOM ALLE N ( Y 7 ) W H O PL AY E D TH E PA RT O F SC H OO LB OY OT TO

MARTIN ROSE NDE ( Y5 )

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T

e started rehearsals on the first day of the Spring Term with a workshop, improvising life in a small community and exploring the different things people might do, day to day, in a town.

It was great to experience how a play evolves. All of the actors were on stage throughout the play, living out their daily lives, so a lot of focus was needed. I played a school boy in the local school and we ended up devising a whole scene about chasing a cat that wasn’t in the original script; it was a lot of fun being involved in separate stories away from the main plot.

When it came to the performances I found that the live music, set and lighting really helped bring the story to life. Prep School musicians performed excellently and created just the right atmosphere for the isolated town.

he acting was great. Samuel, Joel’s father, was especially good because he was so believable as a sad and serious man. The town had lots of houses, street, a pub; it was really great to watch so many different environments in one show. The music was amazing. It was like watching a film.

BRYN WILLIAMSON ( Y8)

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f there was a definition of an allround great performance from every member of the cast it would probably be this play. The cast stayed in character throughout; both main roles and minor ones. My favourite scene was the opening sequence where all the characters in the play were going about their daily lives; you could really see each individual emotion and characterisation.

he Y5 & 6 production this year linked to the centenary of the First World War. Archie Dobson’s War was an ensemble piece of storytelling, depicting a young boy’s life as he grows up in rural England during the Great War. The atmosphere of life in England during the war was effectively established from the outset by the committed and lively cast. Every facial expression and movement reflected the emotions of the characters in detail. A particular highlight was the scene in the trenches on Christmas Eve; the injured soldiers were slouched and bandaged, gripping hold of themselves to fight against the cold; the pain-stricken faces of all the soldiers gave an almost too realistic impression of what it would feel and look like in the those terrible trenches.

William Roberts (Y5), Joseph Rossington (Y6) and William Osborne (Y6) played Archie Dobson at different stages of his childhood, and each performer captured Archie’s growing sense of anxiety and confusion with honesty and maturity. The supporting cast featured Alex Tunnicliffe (Y6) as Edward Dobson (Archie’s Father), Gabriel Mann (Y6) as Walter Carter (Archie’s idolised older cousin) and William Maltby (Y6) as Michael Dobson (Archie’s brother). These three performances in particular stood out for their clear characterisations and engaging acting.

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of identical twins and a case of mistaken identity. My favourite moment was when one of the identical twins, Dromio, was chased around the stage by his supposed wife. The shock reflected on the face of the actor was utterly hilarious and brought many laughs, as did many other moments of this hugely enjoyable performance.

Overall, I think it was an excellent performance to open our new theatre with and was thoroughly worth the watch!

used to great effect during the scene in an abbey; the space was always active and vibrant no matter what was happening.

The overall effect helped create the topsyturvy world of the play, where everything is mixed-up and confused. I thought the actors coped really well with the comedy and timing, especially the four leads: Peter Barrington (Y8) and Finn Cassell (Y8) as the Antipholouses and Rowan Bascetta-Pollitt (Y7) and Calum Bourne (Y8) as the Dromios.

The quality of the acting was high and the performance provided moments of immense hilarity. This mainly revolved around the slapstick comedy provided by the two sets

Props were used effectively to create pace and tension. Large arrows and signs were used to introduce characters and set the scene; doors turned into fully-laid dinner tables and the old church organ screen was

The audience had a great time and it was a fitting opening production for the Quarry Theatre.

A R E V I E W BY DA N S M ITH ( Y E A R 8)

hakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors was performed by Y7 and 8 actors from Bedford Prep and Bedford Girl’s School. It was the first production to be staged in the newly built Quarry Theatre.

W H AT TH E L A DY B I R D HEARD REVIEW DANNY HUBBE R Y 7

F RO M TH E COW ’ S M O U TH : MAT THE W GOODMAN ( Y4)

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had the pleasure of watching the Y3 and Y4 production of What the Ladybird Heard, an original adaptation of the popular children’s picture book by Julia Donaldson. Needless to say it was excellent.

I especially appreciated how the cast, musicians and lighting crew (all Prep School pupils) created such a magical atmosphere.

The audience were captivated from the beginning. The story opened with a stunning solo from Oliver French (Y4) as the Ladybird; you could sense the audience were enchanted. This set the mood for the whole production, with a lovely balance between big comedy moments and the more subtle scenes.

The attempted theft of the Fine Prize Cow, played by Matthew Goodman (Y4), by two dim thieves drew a big laugh from the audience, and the chemistry between Arthur Polhill (Y3) as Hugh and Jack Harte (Y4) as Len worked really well; it was such fun to watch them sneak around!

The colourful set and detailed animal costumes helped bring the whole story to life and the audience left the theatre humming the catchy songs as they went.

Overall, I thought the play was really slick and I had a thoroughly good time.

n the play I was a prize cow, I wasn’t the one that did a meow! I went Moo all the way through. The audience liked it – As they didn’t say Boo! I enjoyed the play because I had a very funny part. The making of the play was quite hard – we had lots of rehearsals, but they were fun. We did three performances: one for Pilgrim’s School and Polam School and two for the parents. I think everyone enjoyed it because there was lots of laughter!

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ach year the boys experience the unique opportunity of presenting their work to visiting schools. The chance to perform in front of an audience similar in age is of huge benefit before opening night. Here are just a few of the thoughts shared by visiting schools.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to express our thanks towards your school and the wonderful young actors who portrayed the characters in ‘A Bridge to the Stars’. Our children thoroughly enjoyed the show and especially liked watching a production in a real theatre where you used lots of lighting, live music and special effects - something our children are certainly not used to. The pupils have been talking about it lots and seem to have caught the theatre bug, especially two of our boys who will be joining you at Bedford School in September.

You put on a fantastic show and clearly lots of effort and hard work has gone in to getting this show ready by the students and staff.”

Mr D. Wiltshire Cauldwell Lower School

“We all thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful production of ‘What the Ladybird Heard’ – an excellent performance and very impressive - the children haven’t stopped talking about it!”

Y1 staff and children Polam School

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Design Technology

Y7

DESIGN TECHNOLOGY From the Head of Department

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esign and Technology (DT) is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject which prepares all young people to live and work in the designed and made world. At Bedford Prep School we focus on nurturing a combination of creativity, imagination, understanding of processes and practical skills. Boys have learned how to use tools and equipment safely and are encouraged to solve problems from given design briefs, as individuals and in small groups, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. We also run well-attended clubs that are open to all. DT is a popular and successful subject.

2 015 D E S I G N & TEC H N O LOGY AWA R DS 2 015

Best Manufacturing Y3 – Max Quince, Y4 – Oliver Munn, Y5 – Freddie McPhail, Y6 – Tyler Pickersgill, Y7 – Archie McLean, and Y8 – Finn Cassell

Best Designers Y3 – James Dagg, Y4 – Alex Hall, Y5 – Merlin Toms, Y6 – Christopher Sporton, Y7 - Andy Wong, and Y8 – Bryn Williamson

Overall Best Designer Ben Edwards (Y5)

Overall Best Manufacturer Alex Lam (Y8)

2015 Best DT Student Alfie Pauley (Y7)

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Y5

As you can see from the photographs, we have been busy. Each year group has completed two projects:

Y3 – Owl Pencil Holders and A Fishing Game Y4 – Pirate Swords and Battleships Y5 – Swords & Shields and Warplanes Y6 – Crossbow and Super Hero Slippers Y7 – Art Deco Clocks and Chessboards Y8 – CAD Design and Bottle Openers

Each year, we recognise those boys who have achieved at the highest level in design and manufacture. Once again, this task proved a tough decision for staff.

Y4

Y5

Finally, some thoughts from one of our students on his time in the workshop…

“I

joined Bedford Prep School in Y7 and I have enjoyed DT every single week. Over the course of the last two years, I have used various materials and techniques to create a number of projects. Each project was something different which required using some skills that were not that easy to master; for example filing/cutting metal was extremely difficult compared to wood work.

I remember one particular activity that involved eating ice cream. We were testing different types of ice cream scoops.

However, my favourite was the bottle opener project. The reason why this was my favourite is because when it was finished, I gave it to my parents as a gift which they have cherished. The end result was not the best, but it was still my favourite.

I have only had one of the DT teachers, Mrs Aldridge. She has helped me when I got stuck and has taught me how to use all equipment in the workshop. The workshop is phenomenal and all the equipment is high-class and helps the production of my projects become more efficient. This year, we have had the chance to use CAD suite next door. It has been exciting to create such professional designs. I am very much looking forward to DT in the Upper School.”

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PLENTY OF TALENT COMING UP THROUGH THE RANKS

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Music

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT From the Head of Department

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01 Calum Bourne 02 Jude Sanders 03 Martin Rosende 04 Composition Competition Video QR Code

nother excellent year of music making in the Prep School is drawing to a close and I would just like to say a huge thank you to all the boys and Music staff for all their hard work and enthusiasm this year.

Coming back from four months maternity leave, I feel as though I have never been away!

The highlights of the Spring Term were House Singing and the Composition Competition. Both events were fiercely contested and highly enjoyable. I never envy the adjudicators at these events! The House Music Competition in the Summer Term was also very successful and a pure pleasure to attend.

The quality of music in the Prep School continues to impress and it is thanks to all the Music staff and boys for their consistent resilience and perseverance. Both the Autumn and Summer Concerts were very well attended and the quality of all the ensembles excellent. This is also true of the multitude of Informal Concerts that have been held this year and, of course, the Carol Services at the end of the Autumn Term.

I would like to thank Eleanor Wilson in particular for being such an inspirational and reliable Musician in Residence this year and for ‘holding the fort’ while I was away. We are really going to miss her as she takes up the role of Assistant Director of Music at Kimbolton.

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Jo Gedye

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Houses

E AG LE HOUSE R E P O RT WO R DS BY

Simon Lincoln

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s another successful year in Eagle House draws to a close, we can make time to reflect upon a year of adventure, of achievement, of personal growth for our boys. Numerous exciting trips and adventures have brought us closer together as a family. We look forward with eager anticipation to the next academic year, led by our two new Heads of House – Joshua Holdsworth and Andy Wong – both popular choices. They will be ably supported by a newly formed team of Prefects - Carlos Martinez-Bonet, Nikita Markov and Divine Edjejovwo.

Sadly, we do have to say our goodbyes, not only to our Y8 boys (who move on to the Upper School or elsewhere), but also to Mr Shawn Phillips, our beloved Visiting Tutor, whose dedication to Eagle House spans ten years. Without him all others would have no yardstick for effective prep time management. Also, it is goodbye to Mr Ed Loader, Assistant Housemaster, who moves on to new challenges, both domestically, and within the Bedford Prep School pastoral structure. Ed is leaving Eagle House for the second time once as a boy and now as a man (!) - and we wish him all the best for the future.

With departures, come the arrivals. Mrs Travis has been appointed Assistant Housemaster, and she, alongside her husband Howard, are a wonderful addition to Eagle

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House. Nobody has any excuse for not doing their Maths prep! Mr Guest also joins the Eagle staff team as Visiting Tutor. Already a fond member of the Eagle family, his presence in the House is eagerly anticipated.

Our boys have been extremely busy all year with academic successes ranging from Prize Giving winners (George Sorokin, Sohaib El Ghul, Alex Lam) to Gold Awards (Ruslan Chyrva, Andy Wong, Nikita Markov, George Sorokin), from Drama productions (Dominic Russell-Smith, Henry Tyrer and Tim Jee) to musical achievements, from perseverance on the sports field to success in matches. We are justifiably proud of them all.

The camping at Ickwell was a great start to the year as the boys enjoyed playing army games, a BBQ and camp fire before sleeping under the stars for a night. Other highlights of the year include the Christmas Dinner, which was started with Eagle House’s own version of ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen and finished with great singing, acting and poetry reading by the boys before returning to the House for some much loved karaoke. Watching the boys overcome their fears and achieve great things on the high ropes and at the Indoor Climbing Centre, we found it amazing to see the sense of achievement on so many boys’ faces.

HOUSES

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, walked and quad biked our way around the countryside. The boys also enjoyed a morning playing army games with laser guns in the woods. 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. The boys have also enjoyed indoor surfing, go-carting, crazy golf and trips to the theatre and cinema to name but a few Sunday activities.

Many thanks to all the staff who have helped the boys this year and also to the boys for making this such an enjoyable year.

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Houses

BUNYAN HOUSE REPORT WO R DS BY

Jonathan Beckwith

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ere I am again having the pleasure of writing a short report about the House that I love and respect.

Time seems to fly by, as the boys are always busy doing something, but never so busy that Bunyan boys don’t think of each other.

It has been another super year which has been filled with a constant drive from all the boys and staff to do their best for the House. I have always been a strong believer that being a winner is not measured by the order in which you are placed, but how well you function as part of a team. Given the cohesion that is shown in all areas of Bunyan, we will always be in first place.

Bunyan, you always do me proud in the way that you step up to every occasion with a sense of determination and honour of being part of the House. It is great to see how proud you are of that fact! We have had a lot of first places this year, but also other competitions where we have not done as well. As a Housemaster I have a strong belief that in the opportunities that these competitions give the boys; winning is just a bonus, if and when it occurs. Sports Day and Y7/8 swimming are a perfect example of how well we pulled together as a team to do exceptionally well. Those boys that stepped in at the last minute in events that we were struggling to fill,

I thank you, as it was a super effort. Our victory was based on the willingness of each and every one of you to be involved.

You sang so well again at House Singing. It was an absolute pleasure to sit and hear 90 boys giving it their all. I was extremely proud of you all and what I heard should have given us a better position in the rankings. Every single one of you needs congratulating, from the Y3 to the Y8 boys, as individual successes appear too numerous to mention.

I could not have such a great House without my fantastic staff and the House Officers – Alex Wilkins, Bryn Williamson, Ollie Crankshaw, Mike Catt and Peter Barrington - who this year have exceeded my high expectations by showing faultless loyalty and determination in driving the House forward. Special mention to Alex, the best Head of House with whom I have ever had the pleasure of working.

It just leaves me to say a big thank you, from me, for making Bunyan the House of which I am so proud to be the Housemaster.

Can’t wait to do it all again in September.

Have a well-deserved break everyone.

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we were known as the ‘sporty House’; I congratulate all the musicians on their efforts. The performing arts certainly appear to be our strong suit, as we also won the Poetry Recitation, and this was followed by wins in Poetry Writing and Year 7&8 Swimming. Harpur also topped the Summer Term academic Merit totals to end the year very nicely indeed.

One cannot be disappointed with such a successful year in so many areas. I was particularly impressed with the wonderful attitude the Harpur boys possessed in the final week of term; when boys were absent or injured at Sports Day and at the Y5&6 Swimming, others stepped in selflessly and with no fuss or bother. Such supportive boys really are a credit to the House; this is also true for all the Harpur Officers and Prefects.

For many years I predicted that they would be a ‘golden generation’, and they have not let me down as Y8’s. I wish them all the best of luck as they move on from the Prep School.

HARPUR HOUSE REPORT WO R DS BY

Andrew Whitbread Harpur Housemaster

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write this report only a matter of minutes after the end of the final assembly of the year, now in the knowledge that Whitbread pipped Harpur to the Nestor Cup by only 15 points and so preventing our ‘hat trick’ of victories. Am I down-hearted? Not at all! I congratulate Whitbread on their success, along with all the Houses for another wonderful year of hard-fought, but extremely friendly rivalry.

places in the Swimming Relays, Y7 Hockey, Y7 and Y8 Water Polo as well as Y5&6 and Y7&8 Badminton.

The Autumn Term saw a deluge of Harpur victories for Y5, Y6 and Y7 in House Rugby, as well as commendable secondplaces in Y3 and Y8 Rugby, along with the same position in House Chess. With the highest number of Merits for the first term to boot, it was no surprise we picked up the Autumn Term House Cup.

The House event of the year, House Singing, once again did not disappoint, and I congratulate all the Houses on the sparkling standard of singing on show. I was proud of all the Harpur boys, especially during the rehearsal period, and both Unison Singers and Part Singers could not have sung any better on the day. I was particularly touched by the reaction of parents and staff (many not affiliated with Harpur) to our Unison song ‘Jar of Hearts’; there was a tear in my (and Huckleberry’s!) eye when the House performed. A special mention to Calum Bourne for guiding the House so ably and really growing into his role as conductor.

Although the Spring Term saw fewer Harpur successes (notable exceptions were Y7&8 Table Tennis and Y6 Hockey), we still chalked up pleasing second-

Our musical prowess continued to be on show in the Summer Term when Harpur won House Music, a feat few would have expected a number of years ago when

As always, the best team of House Tutors in the School make my job very easy indeed, and I thank them all for what they have done for me and the boys. We sadly said ‘goodbye’ to Mary Richards at Easter, after many years of sterling service to the House. Zara Finch stepped in seamlessly in the summer term, and I am pleased that we could fulfil her long-held desire to be part of the ‘Mighty Reds’!

Well done to all in Harpur; here’s to another year of friendly battle with our rivals come September!

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HOWARD HOUSE REPORT numerous victories – including final day wins in both Y3 and Y4 House cricket both the Term Cup and title of overall winners went down to the Academic and Conduct Merits. Congratulations to Bunyan for winning the Term Cup and Whitbread for winning the House Cup. Their consistent performances throughout the year saw them triumph.

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Matt Allen Howard Housemaster

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hat a fantastic year! It’s only when you fully immerse yourself in an activity that you really get the most out of it. This has been made clear to me, over the last term, as I’ve been standing in for Miss Oakley as she enjoys her maternity leave. Only now do I fully appreciate the excitement that the House competition produces, with boys desperate to perform well. I’ve also realised that, whilst winning is important, the pleasure that a Housemaster can get from seeing how supportive boys in their House can be shows why the House system is about more than simply winning or losing. The sense of camaraderie and spirit, plus the feeling of being part of something so big, really opened my eyes this term. That said, results are important and we all like to win! It was great to see boys from all year groups enjoying the feeling of winning and providing much-needed points to the quest for victory in the House competition.

On the sports field, the younger boys led the

way. Y3 enjoyed a clean sweep of all events.

Y4, 5&6 also enjoyed numerous successes and, whilst not always as successful, both Y7 and Y8 still enjoyed some success. The highlight of the year was the Spring Term.

Second place in the Unison Song and first place in the Part Song resulted in a fantastic overall House Singing victory. Well done to every member of the House, but a particular thank you goes to House Captain, Finn Cassell, who also stepped up as conductor. A huge thank you must also go to Miss Wilson for the hours of work she put in to ensure that the boys reached their full potential.

This hugely successful term resulted in a well-deserved securing of the Term Cup – a fitting send off for Miss Oakley, who promptly went on maternity leave.

Sports Day was another fantastic event.

Whilst the boys scorched in baking sun, everyone tried their absolute best. They even enjoyed a brief visit from Miss Oakley and her new son Otis, Howard’s youngest supporter! Despite the Summer Term’s

Thanks must go to the House Officers. Finn Cassell led the house with his customary enthusiasm and he was ably assisted by Vice-Captain, Matthew Stewart, and Sports Captains, Sam Blakemore and Oliver Valerio. A final vote of thanks goes to the House staff - Mr Milton, Mrs Spina, Mr Hooley, Mrs Thomas and Mrs Medd. Their enthusiasm and support played a huge part in Howard’s successes this year. It just leaves me to say … Come back soon, Miss Oakley – we miss you!

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T WHITBREAD HOUSE REPORT WO R DS BY

Charles Blacklock Whitbread Housemaster

he Whitbread House Officers have, as always, been absolutely superb and they have displayed huge enthusiasm and responsibility. I am extremely grateful to them for all their support and they have all have received their House Colours: Harry McPhail (Captain), Joseph Young, George Whitcombe, Joshua Lyon (Vice Captains), Tom Chambers, Michael Phillips, Christopher Broens (Sports), and Jack O’Donovan (Music).

This report contains some of their thoughts regarding the “Whitbread Year”.

Harry writes: “From Y3 to 8, Whitbread boys have participated in a large range of events. We have always given our best, no matter how hard the challenge. On the sporting side we started with rugby. This is always a tough competition for all year groups, so our appreciation must go to all the boys who volunteered to play for the House. House Swimming relays were after Christmas, with the Y8 team winning.

This set a great example to the rest of the House. In hockey, swimming, table tennis, badminton and all the other sports competitions, Whitbread, as always, were great. However, I would like to particularly congratulate the Y7/8 Cricket Team who, despite being strong, were not expected to win. They turned this round, winning all three matches in true Whitbread style.”

Jack writes: “Music has been a huge success for Whitbread over the year; especially House Singing with our victory in the

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unison medley (two songs from the musical ‘Cats’) and second place in the part song (‘The Streets of London’). What a marvellous occasion it was. House Music was also a great success with our second place overall and clean sweep in Senior Brass.”

Joshua and Tom write: “We enjoyed the Spring Term where hockey and swimming were the major House events. In hockey, the Y4 and the Y7 teams both came first overall. The House Swimming relays were very competitive and again it was very close. It went down to the last event, to the last swimmer and Michael Phillips just beat Harpur’s Ryan Apps. Very exciting!

The Summer Term brought House Music, more swimming, cricket and Sports Day. House cricket was the first of these and the Y7/8s didn’t fail to deliver. For all the years we have been at Bedford Prep School Whitbread haven’t won the House Cup. But that doesn’t matter and as long as the House is like a big team, a community, then that’s all you need. We would like to thank all the friendly Whitbread staff for their guidance and leadership. We wish the next Y8s and all the boys good luck for the future of our House. Go Whitbread!”

And so the Whitbread year has come to a conclusion and, as Housemaster, I am thrilled by all the boys’ efforts. Well…….

WE DID IT! FIRST in the overall points table! We won the House Cup! What a fabulous triumph! Well done to everyone and let’s do it again next year!

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Charity Events

C H A R IT Y E V E NT S

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C H A R IT Y CO M M IT TE E R E P O RT

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s this is the last article I shall write on the subject of charity raising, I make no excuses for repeating my opening gambit from last year to thank every member of the Prep School Community for his or her unstinting support for the fund-raising events that have taken place since September. Without the ideas and enthusiasm of the boys and staff, and the support and generosity of parents, we would not be able to raise such significant amounts for the very worthy charities we support.

This year the Charity Committee decided they would like to continue to raise funds for our local charity organisations: Keech Hospice for sick children in Luton, and St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger, in recognition of the very important care that they provide for those in our community. In addition, a share of the total raised would go to Mercy in Action and Special Effects, a charity that focuses on the rehabilitation of those disabled by illness or strokes.

J OS H LYO N A N D F I N N C A S S E LL G E T TI N G M U DDY

Once again we have had some interesting and rather unusual mufti days, such as our popular, Football

Shirt Day, Christmas Crackers theme and Super Heroes, where even the staff dressed up – well a few of them!

In February the school community rallied round to find wellington boots and warm clothing to send out to the refugee camps in Erbil, Northern Iraq, where the Kurdish population of 5 million has been swamped by 1.5 million IDP (Internally displaced people). In the end a horsebox full of wellies left BPS for Iraq via the despatch point.

Special mention should also go to Miss Mann who valiantly led a number of fund-raising initiatives such as the Ram Run, where staff and boys faced a gruelling challenge course over obstacles and freezing cold water, not to mention the mud, to raise £2,000 for the Stroke Association. Ryan Apps and Louis Case also participated in a 30 mile bike challenge in aid of the same cause.

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W H I N C H AT

Charity Events

In addition, boys eagerly participated in a name-the-ball competition to raise money for the Stroke Association in response to Mr Wickens’ situation after suffering a life-changing stroke last term. Well done to Elliott Byrne for his very thoughtful initiative!

Finally, the year ended with the Extravaganza Charity Week in June, which saw the whole school work together to raise money for the named charities. A crazy shorts and shocking shirts theme set the tone on our Mufti Day and the boys and parents from every year group responded magnificently by creating and running ingenious stalls and activities. Each day saw boys from different year groups rushing down from lunch to put up their stalls to try to raise as much money as possible. There were stalls selling ice creams as boys on orange bouncy-hoppers raced past them across the astro.

As always the very popular Y8 Lucky Lockers raised a phenomenal sum, and to round the week off the very popular Tug-of-War competition saw the boys’ and the staff team huffing and puffing in an attempt to drag the opposition over the line. Whilst this event was taking place the Charities’ Committee, plus a very sporting Mr Allen took a real soaking as boys hurled wet sponges at them.

One Y8 boy spent over £5 just to be able to throw sponges at his tutor – just for fun, he said or was it payback for all those preps?

Mr Allen also kindly donated money from the sale of his rugby shirts from his playing days at Northampton Saints (who he won the European cup with!). The sale raised £850.

M R A LLE N A N D TH E CO M M IT TE E G E T A SOA K I N G

A massive effort by boys, parents and staff raised approximately £3,000, which Mrs Johnson kindly had to count by hand after the money machine decided to break down on day two!

To add to our funds a signed football from the players of Chelsea went for a staggering £1000 in a silent auction at the Diamond Ball. Our thanks to Mr Cumming (father of Jasper and Zach) for donating the ball and to Flynn Gill’s godfather and Mr Gill for their incredible generosity. Plus another £100 from the very sporting ‘cocktail challenge’ participants.

B E N G I LE S , RYA N A P P S , M R LOA D E R A N D G EO RG E W H ITCO M B E

As always, the Charity Committee, made up of House Representatives, willingly gave their time and energy to help organise events and generate enthusiasm; in innovative and often hilarious dramatic ad hoc assemblies. All of the boys did a truly magnificent job and their efforts were much appreciated and I would like to say a huge thank you to: Aaron Hall, James Haxell, James Brazil, Jack Jordan, Sam Blakemore, Tom Allen, Rowan Bascetta Pollitt, and a very special thank you to Finn Cassell, Chris Broens and Harrison Collier, all of whom served on the committee for a second year, giving their time, experience and enthusiasm to every event and every ad hoc assembly.

In conclusion, my heartfelt thanks go to everyone in our BRILLIANT school community for playing their part. The total amount raised during this academic year by all staff and boys is nigh on £12,000, which will help to make a difference in our community and to other very worthwhile projects.

We hope you had fun.

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C A K E S A LE

Sue Keane Chairman - on behalf of the Prep School Charities’ Committee

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BSA (Bedford School Association)

PR E P G U I LD R E P O RT

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he Prep Guild have had another exciting year of activity. The first of our major events was a very relaxed and enjoyable Macmillan coffee morning. This was followed soon after with the highly competitive parents’ Quiz Night.

This year included a number of innovative rounds, such as the cheese-tasting and crisp identifying. The beetroot and horseradish flavoured crisps were memorable!

The Christmas sale rounded off the first term: almost 1500 gifts were wrapped and made available for the boys to purchase for family members, friends and pets!

January started in style with a joint Burns’ Night with BGS, hosted in the Great Hall at Bedford School. This was one of our biggest events of the year. Many parents and staff contributed to the entertainments.

Bedford School Foundation trustee David Pinkney played bagpipes, Prep School Headmaster Mr Ian Silk read the Selkirk Grace (in an interesting Scottish accent), Mr

Doug McPhail gave a rousing Address to the Haggis, Mr Sam Roberts gave the keynote speech The Immortal Memory, described by one guest as “deliciously witty”, The Toast to the Lassies was given by the Prep School Headmaster, Mr Ian Silk, and Mrs Carolyn Howe had the last word with The Toast to the Laddies. The evening was rounded off with a rousing Ceilidh, courtesy of band, Kelly’s Eye, and some fantastic traditional dancing and laughter from every guest.

The Great Hall was once again the venue for our last major event of the year, The Diamond Ball. A tremendous night was had by all: the Hall was beautifully decorated by the Prep Guild team and we even had a professional cocktail bar as a surprise. It was a splendid evening. Money was raised by means of a raffle for an outdoor classroom for the Prep School.

From money raised at our events, this year we have provided the Prep School with art display boards throughout the Wells

Building and the Erskine May Hall foyer, as well as updating many of the games and movies for the late room. All recent and future fundraising is to enable the Prep Guild to provide an outdoor classroom within the Prep School and to purchase Honour Boards to continue to celebrate achievements within the Prep School.

The Prep Guild team have really enjoyed organising all of this year’s events and would like to thank you all for your support. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s events! Mr Silk would like to add a heartfelt thank you to the outstanding Prep Guild team, and to all parents and staff who attended Prep Guild events and helped to create such a superb community. The strength of the Prep School community is nowhere more evident than in the Prep Guild. And Mr Silk would like to thank the ladies and gentlemen of the Prep Guild, under the dynamic leadership of Mrs Spice, for all they do to foster such a strong community with so many cracking events.

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BSA (Bedford School Association) OLD BEDFORDIAN’S CLUB The OB Club is a global network, with representatives across the UK and the world, and a busy calendar of reunions, sports fixtures and social and networking events.

Find out more at www.obclub.org

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wo events took place on 15th May and 5th June when OB Club President Sandy Gray welcomed a number of Upper School and Prep School Staff, who had completed fifteen years at the School, to the Old Bedfordians Club. Sandy thanked them for their contribution to School life - whether they had many years to serve or were retiring in the near future, he encouraged them to take part in the OB Club. Old Bedfordians always love to catch up with former staff, and the Club is a great way to stay in touch when one moves on.

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he past academic year has seen many Old Bedfordians returning to School to offer their advice, expertise and knowledge to current boys.

There are many ways to get involved – delivering talks on your profession, assisting with mock Oxbridge interviews, chatting to students at the annual Careers Fair, and adjudicating prizes; we have been delighted with the support this year.

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BEDFORD SCHOOL FOUNDATION

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he annual Foundation Golf Day, a team fourball event and informal evening BBQ for OBs, current and past parents and friends of the School, brought in nearly £6,000 for the School’s Golf Scholarship Programme. It was a wonderful day, with the tournament won by ‘The Draw Shank Redemption’.

Please save the date for next year’s event on Saturday 14th May!

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he Quarry Theatre at St Luke’s officially opened its doors on 26th June. Guests, including Governors, Old Bedfordians and friends of the School, along with representatives of all the organisations involved in the fantastic development project, joined together to celebrate the opening. Special thanks were given to Gareth Quarry (68-77) and his wife Jill for sharing the School’s vision, committing to the project in its early stages and helping to transform this historic building.

The Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Helen Nellis, who officially opened the theatre, congratulated the school on the wonderful new space that has been created for the performing arts. She highlighted what an important asset the facility will be for the local community and how it would help to continue to develop the school’s links within the town and region.

The Prep School production of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors in May was the first to take place in the Main

Auditorium, with boys acting on stage, as well as working behind the scenes with sound and lighting. It was a wonderful opportunity for the School community to familiarise itself with the new theatre and pulled in large audiences on both nights.

If you are interested in supporting the Foundation, please contact Richard Garrett on foundation@bedfordschool. org.uk or 01234 362256.

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S PA N I S H TR I P TO B A RC E LO N A

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n On the 27th March we all met Madame Faulkner, Madame Trounson and Mr Studd at about 4:30 am for the trip to Luton Airport, where we had our breakfast and bought a humongous amount of sweets, before setting off on our two hour flight to Spain.

On the first afternoon we had our first Spanish lesson, which lasted two hours: the local teachers were very nice, but they only spoke Spanish so it was a challenge. After the lessons we went to beautiful sandy beach and played some beach games.

After breakfast on Saturday we went to our daily Spanish lessons followed by a bus to Figueres, to see the Dali museum. The best thing was a car that rained inside the car when you put a coin in it. There was some fantastic art on display. For the evening activity we went bowling and played some mini golf.

On the Sunday for breakfast we had churros and chocolate! This was our busiest day so we needed the extra energy. We went to Barcelona for the whole day.

First of all we went to the Nou Camp and we took a photo with the Champions League Cup. We also took a walk by the side of the pitch and the stadium was massive.

When we all finished shopping we went to the Parc de la Ciutadella for a picnic lunch; from there we headed to the Sagrada Familia and there were some amazing sites to see such as the massive stained glass window and

the sculptures at the door. Mr Studd talked to us about the architecture and how it has taken 150 years to build so far, but has still not been finished. When we stood outside the cathedral it looked so big it was unbelievable.

For our evening activity we went to a restaurant in Barcelona, it was a tapas evening and for the entertainment there was a flamenco dancer. After a lot of singing Madame Trounson got asked to go up and dance and she did. It was very good fun for everyone.

On the last day we went to the lovely seaside town of Lloret. There we had a lovely lunch by the sea (most of us had Paella) followed by shopping near the beach; we had a few goes at some bumper cars which were inside an arcade. It was exciting because the cars were really hard to control so we kept spinning all over the place.

After shopping in Lloret we took the bus to Las Ramblas and spent most of our time looking around the shops and buying souvenirs. Near the end of Las Ramblas we got some delicious ice cream and there was a spray paint artist that painted some really cool pictures. This was the last thing we did in Spain.

We arrived back at school late after midnight on Monday night, tired but having had a fantastic time.

WO R DS BY

Ollie Crankshaw (Y8)

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China C H I N A 7 TH - 19 TH J U LY WO R DS BY

Oliver Setterfield (Y7)

Day 1

Day 7

We were all very excited about what lay ahead in the next 12 days. When we arrived at the airport, we checked in and swiftly went through security, apart from Josh that is! He was stopped and had his bag checked, for nothing.

Terracotta Warriors Museum. There were four pits to explore. No. 1 was the biggest; we were absolutely amazed by the size of the army. There were even ninjas and jesters.

We even found some bones that belonged to an actual warrior. It was a great day.

Day 2

Day 9

After our visit to the cockpit after landing in Beijing, we met our tour guide (whose name was Leo) and drove to The Beijing Hotel, where President Nixon stayed in the 1970s.

We then went to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing; it was breath-taking. Everyone bought what Mr Bury called ‘tat’. To finish our first day off, we went out for a Chinese meal and swam in the hotel pool.

In the morning we went to a tea plantation and learned how tea was made. After the plantation we went to a garden by the West Lake. It was full of nooks and crannies and many routes to explore. We then found ourselves aboard an exceptionally fast bullet train. The funny thing is that it looked like a big white duckbilled platypus! We arrived in Suzhou and had a wonderful dinner in a small restaurant.

Day 3 Tiananmen Square was breath-taking. Leo said that you could fit 100000 people on the square alone. In the centre stood a 30m high stone pillar and at the left end of the square was Chairman Mao’s mausoleum. Next was the Forbidden City. We were so excited.

There were about six sections and each had its own architecture. All the buildings had golden tiled roofs: golden tiles means that building was made for the emperor.

Day 4 Great Wall. On the way there some bought hats that said ‘I Climbed the Great Wall’ in red letters. The weather was very hot and humid. We took gondolas to the top of the wall, walked and then took the slides down to the bottom.

Everybody bumped into each other.

Day 5 The Summer Palace was vast. We were all really looking forward to getting to go on a pedalo and paddling around the massive lake in the middle of the palace.

Day 10 We went on a surprisingly fast dragon boat on the canal. After the boat sadly came to a halt we went to another garden and had a calligraphy lesson. In the afternoon we went to a silk factory and saw so many caterpillars grazing on a leaf. Then we had to take the express train to Shanghai.

DAY 4 - TH E G R E AT WA LL

Day 13 Fully loaded with souvenirs (‘tat’) we boarded the plane. We arrived in England a little confused and tired; we all looked like a convoy of walking talking zombies!

A bus took us back to Bedford where our parents collected us and took us home. Our adventure had, sadly, ended, but we had so much to tell out parents. We were extremely lucky to have gone on such an amazing trip and would like to thank our mums and dads for allowing us to go. More importantly, we would like to thank Dr Chen, Mr Bury, Guillaume and Callum for looking after us so well, and for putting up with all of our noise.

DAY 7 - TE R R ACOT TA WA R R I O R S M U S E U M

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Bude / Jersey

BUDE

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This was an opportunity to take yourself out of your comfort zone and face a challenge. We all tried numerous outdoor activities which included surfing, body boarding, kayaking, Canadian canoeing, climbing, abseiling, archery, coastal walking, coastal traversing, problem solving and team building challenges. It was an action packed itinerary and we only stopped for meals, which were delicious- home cooked and boy- friendly. Even Phillip Hughes enjoyed the food!

After a goodnight’s rest and a full English, we took part in a rugby tournament with 5 teams featuring. An excellent start was made with the Bedford white team winning over St Michael’s Prep 17 - nil. The white team had further wins over Old Albanians and Bedford blue team, but after 3 games on the trot Victoria College Prep proved too strong. The blue team had wins against St Michael’s and Old Albanians. After two hours of entertaining and committed rugby the boys relaxed with a dip in the hotel pool.

ast July, forty boys from Y5&6 and four members of staff made their way by coach to Bude in Cornwall, for a week of Outdoor Activities and Team Building games. The centre is run by ‘Outdoor Adventure’ and the site is perched high up on the cliff tops, overlooking Widecombe Bay, an absolutely beautiful spot for what proved to be an amazing week of fun and sun – and yes, the sun did indeed shine, all week!

Mr Allen discovered a talent for surfing and in fact came back to the centre at the end of the holiday as he was well and truly hooked. Even Mrs Christian donned a wetsuit to face the waves, ably coached by their resident coach, ‘Dave the Wave’. For many, especially Miss Mann, the highlight of the holiday was abseiling and climbing. I was very proud to see all the boys conquer their fears in their attempts to descend or scale the huge cliff face. It was also good to see boys being so supportive to each other too.

Others will remember the midnight feasts in the dorms and the times on the beach where we played games and buried each other in sand. I think we brought everybody back …

A wonderful week, enjoyed by all and many thanks to the three members of staff who helped accompany the trip – Mrs Christian, Miss Mann and Mr Allen.

n Friday 13th March, 24 boys from Y6 along with three members of staff set off for the thirty-fifth annual sports tour to Jersey. Following a flight from East Midlands Airport, bags were collected and we made our way to our first sporting venue to play hockey against Victoria College, where honours were shared. The A team played a Y7 side and put up a great fight, but lost having previously beaten their own age group team from VC Prep.

In the afternoon we went to world renowned Durrell Wildlife Park. Although a cold wind blew, the Gorillas and Orang-utans kept the boys amused. In the evening the boys went to the bowling alley with Thomas Herbert achieving a winning score of 132.

Sunday morning was Football: the ‘A’ team played a strong team and a nil - nil result was a fair outcome.

Unfortunately the ‘B’ team, although working hard, and improving as they went along, lost comprehensively.

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.

WO R DS BY

WO R DS BY

Jane Di Sapia

Angela Travis

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PGL

P G L R E P O RT

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n a bright sunny afternoon thirtytwo excited boys and three staff travelled to PGL at Caythorpe Court in Leicestershire.

Once we had unpacked, we went to tea where we gobbled up delicious fish and chips. Later we went to the tuck-shop for the first time where we spent our cash on sweets! I ate loads and later that night I would regret it. Before bedtime we played fun games outside with our leader, Becca.

The games were hilarious and the teachers watched us make fools of ourselves until it was time for bed. My bunk bed was comfy but I got up several times to be sick; too many sweets!

In the morning we had breakfast early. I ate sausages, toast and an apple; I no longer felt queasy. Our first activity of the day was climbing, which I thought was easy: I climbed up the wall like a squirrel monkey.

After that, the high-ropes course, way up in the trees. I went round first and I completed it in less than a minute. Next the instructor told me to go round backwards, then he instructed to do it without using any ropes.

This was my favourite activity.

After a quick lunch it was time for kayaking. The first thing we did after the training was slide our canoe into the water and paddle around with our kayaking instructor. A bit later, I accidentally capsized

and got soaking wet. We played a game called Zombies, which was really fun.

The next day, we were up bright and early ready for breakfast at 7.30am. It was bacon: yum! Rifle shooting was the first activity of the day. I was definitely the worst because I didn’t hit one target. However, it turned out that my gun was wonky. Oliver Munn was the best because he got 34 points.

but I wasn’t scared. We also had a go on the trapeze, which was fun. Later on, we tried fencing, but we ran out of time so I’d like to have another go at that one day.

That evening was the disco, our favourite evening activity. We held a surprise party for Mrs Keane because it was her last PGL trip as a teacher (but maybe she’ll come back next year to help?).

All too soon it was our last day and we only had two activities left, orienteering and one of my favourite sessions, the Challenge Course, where you had to climb over obstacles.

My friends and I didn’t want to leave PGL as we all had such an amazing time. Next year I’m going to try and sneak into a Y4 boy’s bag so I can go again!

WO R DS BY

Charlie Faulkner (Y4)

Following this, we had archery. I was better at this and I hit the yellow zone on the board. Only Mr Whitbread hit the bullseye! Roast dinner for lunch on Sunday was absolutely delicious, definitely better than my mum’s cooking! In the afternoon, we climbed up a telegraph pole and I got right to the top! From there, we jumped off,

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Higgins Gallery

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The Rhineland G E R M A N TR I P TO TH E R H I N E L A N D We stayed in a small town called Boppard on the banks of the River Rhine in the Hotel l’Europe. All the dorms had three beds. I was in a dorm with Tim Jee and Will Sayer.

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n the first day we took a cable car across the River Rhine in Koblenz to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. On the way up we saw the statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I at the Deutsches Eck, where the rivers Rhine and Mosel meet. At the top there is a viewpoint where we saw for miles over Koblenz. In the afternoon we went into Cologne and climbed up the 533 steps of the cathedral spire (the second highest in Europe) which is in the Gothic style, and was the only part of the city that didn’t get bombed in the war. The views over Cologne were amazing! After that we walked through the city to the Lindt chocolate factory. We learnt how chocolate is made from the pod to the finished product. In the museum there was a statue made out of chocolate which is a replica of one in the cathedral.

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The next morning we went to Rüdesheim which is a wonderful village. We took another cable car up to the Niederwald monument, where we took a group picture. Afterwards we were allowed to walk around Rüdesheim. I found a really weird shop which was selling WWII replica weapons, flags and suits of armour. Then we went to Siegfried’s Musical Museum, where we saw several self-playing instruments which use a very long roll with holes in them to create sound. Later that evening we went bowling.

On our last full day we went to Marksburg Castle which is an impregnable fortress on the Rhine. Its positioning on the river meant that it had a strong command over the surrounding area. My favourite part of the trip was the trip to Phantasialand, which was my first theme park ever and my first rollercoaster was Black Mamba which goes at 50 mph. We persuaded Miss Wilson to join us! Some of the other good rides were Colorado Adventure, Chiapas, Talocan - to name a few.

That night we had a quiz night about the trip and an awards ceremony. After a long and tiring journey home, we arrived in Bedford exhausted after a fun-packed trip.

WO R DS BY

Freddie Pelling and Amir Solanki (Y7)

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01 Group pose at the Niederwald Monument 02 Floating over the vineyards in Rudersheim

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Sicily

The view from Vulcano

S I C I LY R E P O RT

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oys from Y8 and Y9 enjoyed a thrilling Geography field visit to Sicily during the October half-term. The boys experienced not only the fantastic geography of two breathtaking volcanoes in two days - Mt Etna followed by the island of Vulcano, plus stunning river features in the Alcantara gorge - but also the Roman and Greek heritage of the region - visiting both Taormina and Syracuse, and also having the chance to see the exquisite mosaics in the Roman Villa at Piazza Armerina. Below you can read a report by one of our Prep School geographers.

Many thanks to Mr Blacklock, Mr Loader, Mrs Trounson and Mrs Richards, and the super group of Y8 and Y9 boys who made the experience so enjoyable.

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Assunta Spina

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y favourite day on the Sicily trip was the day we went to Vulcano (part of the Aeolian Islands) because of the stunning views and boat ride. The day began by waking up at 6:00am to go on a two hour bus ride to the ferry port in Milazzo.

We then had a 30 minute trip on a boat across the Tyrrhenian Sea. We arrived at Vulcano to be greeted by a beautiful view of a volcanic island with a large volcano that we proceeded to climb up. As we began to rise higher above sea-level, we began to see Stromboli and the other Aeolian Islands in the distance.

WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GO CLOSER TO THE SULPHUR FUMAROLES When we arrived at the top we walked along the crater edge of the ‘Gran Cratere’, here we saw large plumes of sulphur dioxide gases being emitted that smelled like rotten eggs! We were lucky enough to go closer to the sulphur fumaroles and see how it had changed the colour of the rock, as the winds blew the smelly gases away from us.

We then slid down the mountain, with each step downhill, carried by the volcanic tephra channelling us underfoot. After much needed refreshments (as it was 28 degrees) we had a look at the sulphur mud baths before our departure from this exquisite volcanic island.

The day was rounded off with a boat tour of a number of the Aeolian Islands, where we saw coastal caves, arches and a stack and a last view of the volcano we had all climbed.

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Matthew Lewis (Y8)

Sulphur dioxide stained rocks

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Skiing

Y3 - 5 S K I TR I P

Y6 - 8 S K I TR I P

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On the last Friday before Christmas, the ski boys from Y6-8 went skiing in Zillertial, Austria.

n the first day we were put into groups to explore the mountain.

For the beginners it was their first time on snow; Jack H’s could barely contain a look of excitement and trepidation.

The top group went slow to start to ‘find our ski legs’. Upon discovering that they stuck out from our bodies as normal, the speed increased. The snow was sticky and the weather windy. We coped.

We had every evening full of exciting activities, none more so than the Tyrolean Evening, the best. We won overall, after younger sisters on the trip carved up in the joint ski dance. Mr Beckwith shouted encouragement as they shuffled their way across the dance floor. We was (sic) robbed in log sawing, as our 9 year olds lost to 3 ‘adult’ teams from the other schools.

By Wednesday the snow started to fall, and the fresh conditions were amazing. At lunch we met a very snowy Mr Guest, Mr Loader and Nathanael’s dad, Mr Lord.

All the boys made amazing progress.

The top group was flying, while we have some very good junior skiers in the Ivanovs. The boys that progressed the most, however, were the beginners. Well done, Korede, Isaac, Harlan, Kurtish, Robert, Matthew, Nathanael, and Jack H.

WO R DS BY

Harry Norris (Y5)

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efore getting there we had to take a 21 hour journey to the outskirts of Austria. Stopping off at Dover (for the ferry) and breakfast in Germany.

When first arriving at the hotel, everybody was very excited. Everyone had the chance to unpack, rest, shower and get sorted ready for dinner. At dinner we were served a fantastic meal which included starters, main course and dessert. At the end of the dinner we had a very important meeting with our skiing instructors, explaining to us what would take place every day and making sure that we were safe.

Today was our first skiing day and a lot of people were excited yet nervous.

After two hours of hard skiing it was time for LUNCH! Many people went for the unhealthy option, sausage and chips, which left them stuffed. After a filling lunch, all the groups set off for a final three hour ski, containing lots of technical work and skills.

Next day, an early start for an early breakfast. There was a great selection of cereal, toast, fruit and drink. Everyone seemed to be a little bit tired. All the groups now were very well settled in and determined to get out on the snow. Two hours later it was time for lunch. Once again we stopped off at the main restaurant. After finishing the last three hours of skiing,

it was time to go home to the hotel and get dressed up for the Tyrolean night.

Tyrolean night is a special festival that happens in Austria, where you dress up in a shirt, braces, shorts, long socks and hat.

Also they compete at some special events, e.g. wood sawing, milking the cow, yodelling and ski slapping. Bedford School were one of three schools - Bedford, Wellingborough and Yarm - to compete at the Tyrolean night. It was a very enjoyable night for all the kids, screaming and shouting for their teams. At the end the overall winners were Wellingborough. The boys were slightly disappointed and especially the staff, who thought that the judges were a bit unfair.

Today, off to Mayrhofen, which was a quite a well-known resort because it contains the steepest mountain in Europe, the Harikari. The ski instructors concentrated on technical work to improve their group, so that everybody could make best use of the resort and gain some high milage.

The week flew by, with one or two boys struggling a bit with coughs and colds, and the pace of the week. The coach journey home to Bedford was very quiet with only Mr Ingle’s and Mr Guest’s snoring disturbing the peace.

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Michael Catt (Y8)

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Bunyan Museum

B U N YA N M U S E U M R E P O RT

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n Thursday 18th June, Y3 had a trip to The Bunyan Museum. When we arrived we found out that there were three activities that each class was going to explore.

The first activity for my class was to go into the museum part. We learnt an awful lot about John Bunyan and what type of objects there were in his day, for example, a metal violin. I found out a very interesting fact that the sound did not project well, although it still produced an averagely good sound.

Our second activity was to proceed to the church part of the museum. A gentleman told us that the church was used for getting christened. He also explained this particular church has some handles that you pull out from the floor to reveal a big space to fill up with water. Teenagers would go underwater and get their hair wet as part of being christened. At the end of this fascinating session, we sketched some pictures from the glass panes of the church. Some of them were related to The Pilgrims Progress - a book that Bunyan wrote when he was imprisoned for twelve years.

WE LEARNT AN AWFUL LOT ABOUT JOHN BUNYAN AND WHAT TYPE OF OBJECTS THERE WERE IN HIS DAY Finally, we were given an activity for a chance to hold some pottery and other ancient substances that people used during Bunyan’s time of living. We also had to find the object that did not relate to the rest of the group of old items – it was extremely good fun trying to work out. At the end, each group had the opportunity to talk about their items to the rest of the class.

Opposite, you will find some fascinating facts about John Bunyan – I hope you enjoy them!

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Reis Fernandes (Y3)

FA SC I N ATI N G FAC T S A B O U T J O H N B U N YA N !

Born in Elstow near Bedford – exact date not known He was baptized on November 30, 1628 John was the oldest of one sister and two brothers He was a travelling tinker – someone who mends pots and pans and various items He refused to stop preaching and was imprisoned for twelve years Died August 31st 1688 in London and was buried in Bunhill Fields (London)

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PLENTY OF TALENT COMING UP THROUGH THE RANKS

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Athletics

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he athletics meets that have taken place this year have been very competitive and we have managed to get both age groups into finals. What a great performance!

Many of our boys have taken part in a large range of running, jumping, and throwing events across the region.

Our Y8 boys have had a particularly successful season. Sean Davis has a natural flair for the hurdles, so much so that he beat his PB this year and achieved a track record! Ryan Apps has had two great seasons in the long jump pit, coming first place in many of our meets. Benjamin Spanoudakis has shown great enthusiasm in his sprinting. He is an impressively fast runner who will be magnificent if he continues with it once he moves into the Upper School. We also have to mention Michael Phillips who has also had a great season on the field with his shot putt; he has shown great resilience and has gained lots of PBs. There is plenty of talent coming up through the ranks as well.

Oliver Blakemore (Y6) has become a fantastic shot putter and has come first in many events. Our Y6 relay team of Caleb Sanders, George Ashcroft, Joey Robinson and Nick Challacombe gained an outstanding first place at an end of season meet, propelled on by both Mrs Aldridge and Mr Phillips jumping up and down shouting at the boys until they crossed the finish line. What a proud moment!

Robert Parrish and Tom Deardon (both Y5) have also had a superb season both on and off the track; they both have comfortable running styles and show great determination. Watch this space‌

The highlight of the season possibly came at Spratton Hall. We were about to leave (before the presentations), as both Mr Phillips and Mrs Aldridge were convinced that we may have come second or third. As we were about to walk away, it was announced that Bedford Prep School had won ‌ by just one point!

Mr Phillips and Mrs Aldridge would like to give a huge thank you to all the parents that support us on these fixtures, come rain or shine. An especially big thank you goes to Mrs Blythman and Mrs Smith for all the teas, coffees, cakes and warm blankets in times of need; we will both miss you dearly!

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Michelle Aldridge

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Cross Country

C C ROS S COU NTRY RE P ORT WO R DS BY

Michelle Aldridge

ross-country races are not run at the same speed as track races, so a runner who is lacking in pace may be able to compensate by adapting their style.

A track runner cannot necessarily adjust to the special needs of cross-country. Cross-country running requires a different stride length, a different leg action and a different foot plant from road and track running. These things cannot be picked up instantly; they will only become instinctive if the runner adopts specific crosscountry training. There are always exceptions, of course…

Ed Blythman is gifted within the runners’ world, as he is able to translate his talents into success in both cross-country and on the

athletics track. Dan Smith is also in this category. Both boys have done Bedford Prep School proud over the years and we will miss them dearly.

We also have to give a special mention to Ben Giles, a very quiet, relaxed boy who takes everything in his stride. Nothing’s too hard for this boy: he will take on any challenge that faces him. At a particularly windy and extremely cold fixture (Mrs Aldridge had eight layers on and was being blown around absolutely frozen), Ben dug in and comfortably ran his race, put his track suit back on, as if to say, “It’s not that bad; what are you moaning about!” Inspirational.

Each point counts in events, so I would strongly encourage boys to get involved in cross-country (and athletics). Come on, give it a try.

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Badminton

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his year, the badminton team enjoyed a success at the annual IAPS Badminton Tournament at St Paul’s School, London. The U13 Team retained the senior trophy, which we won in 2014, and the U11 Team were runners up in the junior competition.

In the U11 competition, Josha Mital and Max Pearson won their group with wins against some very talented teams, before beating Newland House A in the quarter-finals. Semi-final success against Colet Court set up an exciting final against Heath Mount. Unfortunately, the boys were just beaten by some very skilled badminton. However, these boys were the youngest pairing to enter the tournament and to come second is better than anything we expected.

In the other half of the hall, senior pairings of Oliver Medley/ Finlay Cumming and Leon Zhu/Arin Mital did just as well, both qualifying top of their groups, winning all 4 of their respective games. Oliver and Finlay conquered impressive teams to qualify for a place in the semi-finals. Leon and Arin had intense games which inevitably led to a semi-final between the two Bedford teams. In a fantastic game, with some very exceptional badminton being played, the victors were Leon and Arin. This generated an exciting final against Winchester House, a school with an excellent reputation for badminton. In the end, the power and accuracy of the Bedford boys saw them through to win the U13 National IAPS badminton title.

Bedford Prep School Badminton Team built on their success of winning the IAPS Nationals by winning the County finals and therefore qualifying for the regional finals in Harlow. The team of Leon Zhu, Oliver Medley, Mike Catt and Finlay Cummings enjoyed straight and comfortable wins against Parkfield Middle, Ashton and Linslade Academy. This secured a place in the regionals and retention of the county trophy.

The East Regional Finals was a phenomenal day out at the Harlow Leisure Centre. The team of Leon Zhu, Oliver Medley, Arin Mital and Josha Mital played two group matches consisting of two singles and three doubles games against Thomas Deacon Academy and Thorpe St Andrew. Bedford won both of these games with ease (5-0 and 4-1) to set up a final with a very strong John Henry Newman School. The final reached an amazing climax with the score at two games each, but sadly the boys missed out on qualifying for the National Finals by three points, as they lost the final game 21-18. The boys played some superb badminton and, encouragingly, the whole team will be able to compete together again next year, as it is a U14 tournament. Hopefully, they will go one better and succeed in reaching the National Finals in Nottingham.

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Simon Lincoln

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Cricket

CRICKE T RE PORT O U T S TA N D I N G AC H I E V E M E NT S

Batting Michael Wells 102* (49 balls) vs Beechwood Park 1st XI Cameron Melly 117* (82 balls) vs Northants U12 CCC Matt Rea 89* (62 balls) vs Magdalen College 1st XI Michael Catt 77* (52 balls) vs Birkdale School 1st XI

Bowling James Laursen 5-3 vs Kimbolton U11A Ed Blythman 5-8 vs Bishop’s Stortford 3rd XI Harvey Bolger 5-13 and a hat-trick vs Bishop’s Stortford 5th XI Cameron Melly 5-18 vs Bishops Stortford 1st XI Daniel Reid 6-9 vs Kimbolton U13A Shiva Songara 5-6 vs Witham Hall 1st XI Tom Stephens 5-17 against Spratton Hall U11A Callum Wallis 5-14 vs Wellingborough 4th XI

Cricket Awards Rowan Bascetta-Pollitt - Most Improved Cricketer Henry Warren - Bowler of the Season Cameron Melly - All-Rounder of the Season Michael Wells and Michael Catt - Batsman of the Season

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It has been another fantastic season for Bedford Prep School Cricket Club.

The enthusiasm for the game is incredible; you only have to walk up to the nets on any lunch time to see that the boys simply can’t get enough cricket! It has also been great to see so many boys of all abilities use Mr Steer for 1-to-1 sessions either during PE lessons or in their free time.

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s a result of this the progress made at all ages from U8 to U13 has been outstanding and this has again been reflected in a highly successful season. With 106 games being played over 10 weeks by 23 teams it has been a very busy time with over 250 boys representing the School. Of those 106 games we have won 70 and lost 35, with one very exciting tie in the U11B fixture vs Bilton Grange.

Special congratulations should go to the U12 side who had a unbeaten season winning all six of their games including fantastic win against Northamptonshire by 10 wickets whilst also chasing down 205 runs vs Swanbourne 1st XI in a 20Twenty with 25 balls spare thanks largely to some superb power hitting from Matt Rea and Cameron Melly. Excitingly the U12s are off to South Africa in February 2016 where they will continue their cricket development.

The 1st XI enjoyed some good wins this season and reached the quarter finals of the Jet National Cup before crashing out in style to a strong St Olave’s York side. Highlights for the year include

wins against Bedfordshire in a very exciting high scoring game and also beating Birkdale School from Sheffield to reach the last eight of the Nationals.

Special mentions should also go to the 3rd XI who won seven out of eight games and the U10B who won five out of six fixtures this year.

Many thanks to the catering staff and the groundsmen for making the season so enjoyable and also to all the cricket coaches for giving so much of their time to make this year another successful one.

WO R DS BY

Simon Lincoln

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Hockey

HOC KE Y RE P ORT WO R DS BY

Alyn Meredith

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rom Y4-8 some 160 Prep School boys have represented the School in competitive fixtures. Every boy has shown great enthusiasm for the sport and tried their best during training and matches.

The U9s competed in a quadrangular tournament at Stamford for a taste of competitive action. Against some very strong opposition the boys played well earning a win, a draw and a loss. Thanks to Mr Whitbread and Mr Guest for taking the team.

term, but everything finally clicked at the East Regional Finals. En route to the final they scored sixteen goals, only conceding two.

They eventually lost in the final on penalty flicks, but coming second in the whole of the East region is a superb achievement. Thanks to Mr Studd and Mrs Travis for all of their continued enthusiasm and a special thanks to Mr Wickens who has been brilliant with the U11s and has always believed in them!

The U10s have had an excellent term, with both the U10As and U10Ds having unbeaten seasons. The highlight being all four teams beating Bishops Stortford, which, hopefully, will bring a smile to the Headmaster’s face!

Thanks go to Mr Guest and Mr Loader.

The U12/U13s have also had a successful season. It has been great to see that from the 1st VII to the 8th VII some great Hockey has been played. The 6th team were the only unbeaten side, with the 2nd and 5th both only losing one game each. I would like to thank Nathan Dass, James Brazil and Chris Broens who volunteered to step up and play in goal.

The U11s took some time to find their feet, but, when they did, they produced some great results towards the end of term. The U11Fs were the only unbeaten team in the age group, so well done to them. Not to be out done by the F team, the A team had a difficult

The 1st VII finished second in the East IAPS Finals and, if they had scored one more goal, they would of have progressed to the quarter finals of the IAPS National Finals. Thanks to Mr Phillips, Mr Lincoln and Mr Roberts for their excellent coaching.

“EVERY BOY HAS SHOWN GREAT ENTHUSIASM FOR THE SPORT”

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Horseriding

HORS ERIDING RE PORT T WO R DS BY

Luke Patterson-Tarling and Tim Jee

his year a number of boys - Luke Patterson-Tarling, Tim Jee, Gerald Hargreave-Mawson, Danny Jiao and Richard Huang - took the opportunity to go horse riding at Backnoe End on Wednesday afternoons. There was a range of skills and experience amongst the group, but every boy made significant progress during our time riding. For Danny and Richard it was the first time they had ridden, but they fully enjoyed the lessons and games. Gerald moved out of his comfort zone by riding a number of different horses, rather than sticking with a familiar one. Tim and Luke are the more experienced riders, but were still making improvements with their riding technique. We had a wonderful time and would like to thank Mdm Phelps for giving us the chance to go riding. Hopefully, this activity will continue, as it gives a chance for boys to discover a totally different sport.

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K AYAKI NG AN D SAI LI NG RE P ORT WO R DS BY

Ruth Mann

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oth the kayakers and sailors have thoroughly enjoyed themselves on (and in) the water this summer. With the exception of the intrusion of blue-green algae one week, we have been blessed with good conditions and enough wind to make paddling a challenge and sailing a pleasure. Our new kayaking coach, Claire, has been brilliant throughout and we have been extremely lucky to have an assistant in the form of Ben “I just need a break from exams” Howard, Sixth Former and keen paddler.

Whether in kayaks, canoes, katakanus, or on paddleboards, we have successfully negotiated our way around Priory Lake and up and down the Ouse. The kayakers are now all qualified BCU 1*

paddlers, with a few practising higher level skills, such as eskimo rescues. Some highlights have been Theo’s all too literal interpretation of a joke about getting a new paddle (off he paddled into the distance), Ryan’s transformation from (week 1) incapable of paddling in a straight line to (week 2) awesome paddler, and Ethan’s need to … every week (kayakers will know what fills this gap). It cannot be denied that the most fun had by the group was when we headed off to the Cardington jetty. Tom Daley has nothing on the diving skills on show, even if one mum did comment that her son came home smelling less than chlorine fresh.

Good times.

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Swimming

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he Autumn Term saw several galas, including home and away matches v Aldwickbury where. A match at St Faith’s was a success with the boys swimming well and a large meet with BGS for the Y3 to Y7 teams was a logistical success, although only the Y6 team won. Unfortunately, the match at Haberdashers Askes alongside Bedford Girls and the challenging Warwick 50s competition fell at the same time as musical events, so were not attended.

Fixtures against Bedford Girls School for U12 and U13 opened up the Spring Term and a win by the U13s proved the key to overall success in the event. House Swimming relays for Y3 to 8 were hotly contested with Whitbread coming out as eventual winners. A House water polo competition for Y7 and Y8 teams was introduced and proved popular with the boys. Eighteen boys travelled to Aldwickbury School for the qualifying round for the boys IAPS swim championships and, despite some excellent swimming, only one boy, Rowan Spong in the Y7 backstroke, managed to make it to finals day on 9th May. The U11 relay team swam at Watford in an evening event for the regional ESSA Primary relays competition and were placed 6th in both freestyle and medley finals but, unfortunately, they did not qualify for the national event. In the Bromsgrove relays the U13 finished 6th overall in both events achieving their best times of the year and the U11 finished 7th in the medley and 9th in the freestyle.

There was also time for the Y3 boys to have a friendly swimming event with Pilgrims.

Spong, who qualified in 16th place, swim an excellent time in the IAPS U12 Boys 50m backstroke final reaching 11th position. Well done, Rowan! The gala against Bedford Girls saw the team perform to a higher standard and get very close to an overall win so the year did see some improvement.

Unfortunately, we were brought back down by an exceptionally strong Heath Mount team. The House swimming, as usual, was hotly contested in every age group with Howard winning the Y3 and 4 competition, Whitbread the Y5 and 6 by one point and Harpur the Y7 and 8.

“THE GALA AGAINST BEDFORD GIRLS SAW THE TEAM PERFORM TO A HIGHER STANDARD” ‘Icebreakers’ on a Wednesday morning from 0715 to 0800 has been a popular club, particularly with the Y3 & Y4 boys, with an average attendance of over thirty per week. This has helped many boys develop their confidence and efficiency in the water. With help from Nick Stalley (Lower Sixth and ex-Prep School) and Mr Guest, the boys have been challenged and pushed to do their best – and the school breakfast was a popular end to the sessions.

SWIMMING REPORT The Summer Term swimming programme of training continued as normal with a few new recruits on show.

The first event of the term saw Rowan

I would like to particularly thank the Y8 team who showed great commitment to swimming throughout their time at Bedford Prep School and wish them every success as they move on.

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Rowing

ROWING RE PORT SOME OF WHOM ONLY STARTED ROWING THIS TERM AND CAN NOW HANDLE A SINGLE SCULL WITH CONFIDENCE

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owing in the Prep school has gone from strength to strength, with over 40 boys involved over the year. I have been impressed with how far many of the boys have come, some of whom only started rowing this term and can now handle a single scull with confidence. We have had several ‘swimmers’ over the year, earning their status of ‘real rowers’ as they developed their skills. Former Olympian and Director of Rowing, Mr Mulkerrins, continued to run the extra lunchtime ‘Brazillian Boat Skills Club’ (which turned into the new ‘Tuesday After School Rowing Club’), giving more boys the opportunity to try out rowing and/or enhance their skills.

In the Summer Term everyone experienced the excitement of side-by-side racing. A team of Y8 rowers did us proud at Bedford Regatta, manning the stake boats with maturity, even when the weather was less than ideal. Then we brought the rowing year to a close with our annual fun racing matrix. This year we had two events. The

first, a single scull event for 4 of the more competent scullers, was won by Elliott Sell, closely followed by Joshua Markham. The other was a ‘Scratched Quad Race’ where each boat comprises of boys of all sizes and abilities, with the aim to make them as equal as possible. After a series of races, and one near collision, the final outcome was a convincing win for the ‘D’ crew, consisting of Leo Policella, Conovan Shea-Hodges, Thomas Byrne and Harvey Toms. Well done to all the boys and I look forward to following your rowing careers in the future.

My thanks go to Mr Mulkerrins, Mrs Guise, Mr Ingle, Mrs Maltby and the senior rowers, especially Ben Moule, all of whom have been involved with rowing coaching over the year.

WO R DS BY

Imogen Bowis

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Rugby

F WO R DS BY

Matt Allen

ollowing a challenging first two games, the Prep School 1st XV enjoyed a successful season. The season’s first game, a trip to Spratton Hall, was made more challenging by the fact that the boys had been on an overnight camp the night before. Despite being understandably tired, the boys battled valiantly to a 12-12 draw. Impressively, the boys fought to the last whistle, with only a last ditch tackle denying Sean Davis from scoring a hat-trick and winning the game. This performance gave an insight into the excellent attitude and work ethic that the team would display all season. Highlights of the season were good wins against Northampton School for Boys, Felsted and Bishop’s Stortford and a valiant 7-0 loss to a very strong

A WO R DS BY

Matt Allen

good fifteen-a-side season was followed by a very impressive 7s season. The 1st VII won the inaugural St. Faith’s tournament, with captain Michael Phillips named as ‘Player of the Tournament’. The National tournament was a fitting end to the season. Following a relatively easy passage through the group stages, the team was pitted against a fast and powerful Dragon side in the first knockout round - a team to whom they had already lost heavily earlier in the season. A hugely impressive defensive performance, and some opportunistic tryscoring, resulted in an excellent victory that put the team through to the second day of

T WO R DS BY

Mike Mallalieu

he U12A XV 2014-15 season has been a successful one, both in terms of results gained and progress made.

Out of our twelve matches, we won nine, drew one and lost two. Individuals have developed their skills well and there are now some really good ball carriers coming from depth. Retention of the ball in contact situations is sound and many have become impressive ‘jacklers’ of the ball after the tackle has been made. There have been many highlights. The only real disappointment for me was getting as close to Warwick as we did without pulling off the victory. Still, that’s what rugby and team sport is about - picking yourselves up after things don’t go well and working hard as a group to put it right

Caldicott side. During the Spring Term, the 1st XV performed well at very competitive Dulwich Prep and Millfield tournaments, in preparation for the Rosslyn Park National 7s tournament. As always, thanks must go to all staff involved in the U13 season – Mr Phillips, Mr Roberts and Mr Studd.

competition in a quarter-final pool of three, also containing Millfield and the form team of day one, Feltonfleet. Outstanding performances in both games left Bedford top of the pool and facing a semi-final against pre-tournament favourites, Caldicott.

Despite the game ebbing and flowing, and Bedford briefly holding the lead, Caldicott eventually prevailed 25-14 and went on to win the tournament. This truly was an outstanding performance and was a fitting finale to an excellent rugby season.

next time. I have been impressed with the attitude and the maintenance of it will assist the team next year as U13s. Many thanks to the team for the signed beach rugby ball, it is now pride of place in my office.

RUGBY REPORT

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TRIATHLON T REPORT

riathlon has gone from strength to strength this year. Boys from Y5 to Y8 have been competing across the Eastern region in aquathlons (swim-run) duathlons (run-bike-run) and triathlons (swim-bike-run). A unique sport, it relies upon a good level of skill in three very different disciplines. It is also accessibly competitive, as a strong swimmer may be overtaken by a confident cyclist who then may be chased down by a pacey runner. The best triathletes are capable of identifying their weaknesses and concentrating on them, whilst not compromising their strengths. It is a tricky balance to strike.

Seven Prep School boys – William Smithson, Joshua Lyon, Benedict Giles, Ryan Apps, Daniel Smith and Team Whitcombe (Oscar and George) - took part in the inaugural IAPS Triathlon Championships at Dulwich Prep School. It was an opportunity for the Y8s who have been training hard all year to test themselves against forty-two other Prep Schools. They completed a 200m swim, followed by a 4km bike ride and finished with a 1.8km run. All the boys finished in the top twenty, whilst five of the top ten came from Bedford Prep. An excellent experience, memorable especially for the camaraderie on show. A special mention should go to Benedict Giles, who finished second. In fact, #BrownleeBen has had a very successful season: second at IAPS, fifth in a regional event and nineteenth at a national event at Eton Dorney.

Monday morning spin training has been well-attended (possibly due to the lure of a school breakfast afterwards). “Christmas Spin” (with the boys dressed as Santas, elves and reindeer) will be an abiding memory. A big thank you needs to go to our spin coach, Carmen Failla, who has been inspirational throughout the year. She even came along to cheer on the team at IAPS. I am very proud of each and every boy who has taken part in an aquathlon, duathlon and/or triathlon this year. Early starts, horizontal and torrential rain, very choppy open water conditions, obstinate bikes: the boys have shown tremendous resilience. Seeing

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Triathlon

how they have embraced the sport is so encouraging. My proudest moment of the year must be when I saw the IAPS team in their bespoke Bedford trisuits; we looked like we meant business.

It is sad to see a group of talented and dedicated Y8s move on this year, but it is pleasing to know that Mr Palmer will be nurturing their talent through the Upper School. Best wishes to Benedict Giles, Ryan Apps, Daniel Smith, Joshua Lyon, William Smithson, George Whitcombe, and Ed Blythman. A big thank you must also go to the parents, who have ferried boys and bikes to and from events and been brilliant supporters of this new venture.

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Leavers

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P OS T E X A M PROG R A M M E R E V I E W

P OS T E X A M B OY T W E E T S

After their exams, Y8 boys had the opportunity to enjoy a range of talks and activities. Some were immediately relevant to their move into the Upper School (visits to Houses, familiarisation lessons), while others encouraged them to think about life beyond school.

The charity talks were pretty humbling, but also inspirational. I also have a better understanding of working in animal testing.

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ach boy had to complete his own “Personal Enquiry” on a topic that interested him; the best showed a depth of research and were a pleasure to read. The concept was to start with a question and then produce a piece of research that attempts to offer an answer.

The range of topics chosen – including “Who Was the Worst King in British History?” and “Have Film Directors Run Out of Ideas?” was exciting.

D ivided into small groups, boys were given a week to devise an original product and then pitch it to a group of ferocious “Dragons” in an attempt to gain investment.

The winning team was “Transfusion”, made up of Emmanuel Adeyemi, Peter Barrington, William Ashcroft and Calum Bourne.

Their concept of a “multi-cosmetic brush” impressed the Dragons with its practicality, clear costings and articulate pitch.

O nce again, a number of visitors captured the boys’ imagination with talks on a wide range of careers and issues. The tweets below give a flavour of the experience. A thank you must go to the following who gave up their time to provide such entertaining and informative presentations:

Mr Stevens The “Crossrail” Project

Mr Pirie Working as a “Voice-Over”

Mr Jordan Business and Finance

Mr Rogers Understanding Animal Research

Dr Barnes Paediatrics

Mrs Harrison Social Media

Ms Griffiths Food Production

The Stroke Association

Mrs Sogan Life as a Barrister

The year was ended with the annual paintballing trip. Mr Loader did not have the chance to show off his SAS training this time, but Mssrs Studd, Hooley, Mallalieu and Roberts had the bruises to prove that it was a “fun” day out for all. Returning for the final disco of their Prep School lives, the Y8 boys certainly saw their time out in style.

Best wishes, boys.

WO R DS BY

Mike Mallalieu

SpecialEffect Technology & Gaming Charity

Getting to see the wide variety of resources in the Upper School has made me look forward to moving on.

The talk by Dr Barnes was really interesting because I was a premature baby and I needed special care. #appreciatelifemore Hector’s mum knows what we like. #lovefreedonuts Learning about what’s involved in different jobs has been useful and knowing what subjects to study has been helpful.

Getting the opportunity to work with different people on #DragonsDen has been good.

I’ve enjoyed getting to meet some of the Upper School teachers and seeing my Day House.

It was good to learn about things like business, which we don’t do in the curriculum.

It was important to learn from someone who actually does the job because they are honest with you about the ups and downs. @SpecialEffects - amazing charity.

Thank you for coming to speak to us and good luck in the future.

It’s a good idea to have lots of talks about different things. Makes the time after exams feel more worthwhile. Nice that parents give up their time for us.

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And Finally...

01 50% Usain Bolt: 50% Bucks Fizz 02 Ouch!

03 Alex “Lewis Hamilton” Walker 04 Hungry Boys Club Goes Back To Basics – Fried Egg Anyone?

05 First One To Push Me In Gets To Be Head Boy 06 Tired and Emotional 07 Next Year You Have To Come To School On Saturdays As Well 08 “And A Little Bit Of Pink There” 08

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01 I Hope You’re Ready To Catch Me 02 Reservoir Dogs BPS Style 03 On The Set Of Shrek 5 04 The Boys Suspected The Presence Of A Ringer 05 The Future Of British Justice Is Safe 06 The Suave Assassin 07 Come on in, the water’s lovely!

08 As Featured On Channel 4’s “George Clark’s Amazing Spaces” 09 Don’t Make Me Angry. You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry 10 Sleeping Lions Played By The Professionals 11 In Perfect Harmony(?)

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01 TV Chefs Are Getting Younger and Younger 02 Fieldwork, Spina Style 03 You Can Take The Boy Out Of Bedford, But You Cannot Take Bedford Out Of The Boy 04 And She Was So Close To Retirement As Well ‌

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Clockwise from top left: Prep. School orchestra acknowledge the applause; Down on the Farm; Under 9 rugby team; Year 3 choir in full voice; Year 6 Talented Artists Workshop

Image: from The Comedy of Errors, in the brand new Quarry Theatre.

Bedford Preparatory School de Parys Avenue Bedford MK40 2TU United Kingdom T +44 (0)1234 362274 F +44 (0)1234 362285 E prepinfo@bedfordschool.org.uk design: Grahame Taylor +44 (0)1727 866989 www.wearesimply.co.uk