Inside Bredon: Issue 8, February 2022

InsideBredon ISSUE EIGHT | February 2022

FEATURED INSIDE:

P.02-04

House news A complete roundup

P.07-08

Combined Cadet Force Cadets in training

P.09

Sports Roundup Striving for quality

P.13

P.17-18

Staff Spotlight with Alisdair Cradock

Outstanding Shooting Interview with John Timmis

Welcome from the Headmaster Welcome to our February edition of Inside Bredon. As we approach the half term break I am delighted to reflect and update you on everything that has been taking place during the last six weeks at school. This has been a busy half term in all areas of the school.

The Junior School has been a hive of activity on so many different fronts with LAMDA added to the timetable alongside horse riding. As a whole school, I am very keen to take a detailed look at our environment and how we treat it and care for it. In a recent Assembly I talked about pollution on both a global and local scale and highlighted the need for us to all do our part to keep our environment clean, safe and sustainable.

Research shows, and I certainly wasn’t aware

that an empty crisp packet lying in a hedge takes 80 years to biodegrade, a plastic bottle left out on the sports pitch - 500 years. These are stark reminders for all of us that we need to do our bit to keep our surroundings pollution free for future generations and an opportunity to launch a whole school campaign that not only looks at pollution but recycling as well, is something we all need to contribute towards. In the words of C.S Lewis ‘ You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending’.

With Spring on the horizon activities such as cricket club, mountain biking and kayaking will resume and provide pupils with even further opportunities to be outdoors.

Enjoy half term I hope you enjoy reading Inside Bredon and would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a restful half term break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 28th February.

Yours sincerely

Mr Nick Oldham

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Jarrett House Gong hei fat choy (恭喜发财) Or Gong xi fa cai (恭喜发财) This term saw our weekly house time being handed over to the students. It was year 13 to kick us off, and the date of Tuesday 1st of February was coincidentally also the start of the Chinese lunar New year. Head of house Jason A (13), and 6th former Alex H (13), are both from Hong Kong, and were therefore more than happy to introduce us to the year of the Tiger, and Alex’s favourite - Lai see (利是 ). We briefly learned about some of the traditions, and how to give and receive the red packets. I am very much looking forward to seeing how year 11 & 12 present their house time later this half term.

On the sporting field; Jarett has represented the school in many arenas. From Noah H (10) tearing up the national cross country championships, to Max G (13) captaining the 1st XI football, to Grace G (8) and Boo S (8) staring at both ends of the netball court in attack and defence. We are very proud of each of you who represent the school, and all that you do to improve your skills and develop your teamwork. When the interhouse matches arrive at the end of the term, it will be great to see as many of you as possible representing Jarrett on the pitch or court.

Friday mornings are a real highlight of my week. The education system is set up to reward, and promote attainment and grades. The Friday morning's assemblies are a chance for us as a school community to reward and celebrate effort, as well as give recognition to those students who have achieved success from a clear input of effort, in areas that may not be immediately accessed through school such as attaining level 6 in drumming, or coming 2nd in a national downhill MTB competition. These types of awards require a good deal of dedication and intrinsic motivation, which has to start somewhere. Which is why we as teachers nominate students for certificates in this assembly; for their efforts in our subjects. I am very proud to be able to send messages home on a Friday to inform parents about the effort that their Jarrett Lion has put into any aspect of their life at Bredon and then clap even louder when another Lion walks up next Friday to receive their certificate.

The 25th of January saw a very important birthday be celebrated at Bredon. To do this; the 6th form held a dinner and dance, and tasted some of Scotland's finest fair, including a West Mooreland Haggis! (These are some of the sweetest Haggi, and are easier to catch because they don't have many hills to hide behind, and both left and right varieties can be found there).

For those that don't know; a Haggis is a wee beastie that lives in the highlands of Scotland. They are around the size of a small cat (but stumpier legs), but are furrier to help them cope with the wet and cold Highland weather. The curious thing about Haggi (plural) is that unlike many other animals, they come in left and right handed varieties. This is because the left handed ones are suited to the left hills, and the right handed are suited to the right hills, as their downhill legs are shorter than the uphill, and vice-versa. After stalking; to catch them you have to chase them the other way, so that they fall over.

I digress - we celebrated the birth of Rabbie Burns with an evening of food, irn-bru, poems, speeches and ceilidh.

Of course the address to the Haggis was given by Bredon’s own Scotsman & house master of Jarrett and as a traditional speech - the ‘toast to the lasses’ was exceptionally given by Mitchell B-S (13) & the repost ‘the reply from the lasses’ was given by Eloise B (13).

Both were witty, clever, and entertaining. It was a pleasure to see the leaders of Jarrett perform.

Sláinte Mhath

Photo: Jarrett House participate in the Sixth Form Leadership Camp (Jamie E on the crate on the left, Elliot G abseiling, and Dodi A in the white trousers)

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Sharp House

SPIRT AND IDENTITY

It has been an unsurprisingly busy term for Sharp House with pupils involved with everything Bredon has to offer. However, after a four week Christmas break and a short period of remote House meetings due to Covid restrictions, it felt like an age before we were able to all be back together in the Old Library on a Wednesday morning.

During our House meetings we have discussed and celebrated a range of topics, from Chinese New Year to social media detoxing (triggered by Mr Phillips’ broken phone), to awarding people their hard earned GEM certificates and congratulating outstanding sporting performances from many.

Sharponians continue to excel in the sporting arena and a special mention must go to Hugo (Year 9) for his medal in ISA South West Cross Country Championships held at Westonbirt School. Mr Phillips has been lucky enough to work closely with both the U14 netball team and a lot of footballers this term and he has been impressed with Sharp pupils including: Willow, Aaisha, Phoebe, Mima (Year 9); Jessica (Year 8); Freddie, Eddy, Ettienne (Year 7); Ozzy (Year 13); Rufus, Stephen, Joe (Year 11).

Of course the House does a lot more than just participate in sport. Earlier this term the whole school was challenged by Mr Butt to come forward with ideas for House competitions. Year 7’s Alistair and Ettienne wasted no time in proposing a House chess competition and have been hard at work practising.

They have even been challenging Mr Phillips and the Headmaster; well done boys. Leadership opportunities are so important and the House continues to play a big role here. Pupils will begin to take ownership of their House meetings this term and Miss George’s Year 9 form will be first to take up the challenge. Mr Phillips and the House are really looking forward to the delivery of these Year group led meetings and I have no doubt they will be fun, thought provoking and worthwhile Wednesday mornings; watch this space.

It is also an important time for our current Lower Sixth, all of whom continue to work hard both academically and outside of the classroom. Before they know it they will be the oldest in the House and they are beginning to step up to lead their younger peers. It is clear that House spirit and identity continues to strengthen and will undoubtedly go from strength to strength over the rest of the year and beyond.

Best wishes, Mr Phillips

Sharponians continue to excel in the sporting arena

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Thomas House

Our assemblies take place each Thursday and provide a time for reflection for our Thomas house pupils. This can prompt us to formally discuss challenging topics which are applicable to teenagers growing up in today’s modern and changing world.

Thomas House has been well represented of late out on the sports field. The main sports this term are; netball, football and Cross Country. However, there will be a chance for our boys to be represented at the National 7’s rugby tournament at the prestigious Rossyln Park later this season. Ben B (11T) Maddox C (11T) & Seb W (7T) represented the school at the National Schools Cross Country Relay event in Coventry, the boys started well in football and represented the school fantastically.

Maddox C (11T) and Harvey T (10T) are in the first XI and Tom M (13T) is the second XI captain.

The Junior School are also well represented in their age groups for sports fixtures this term. The netball fixtures have been successful so far this term, the first VII have seven fixtures this term but it was the U14’s who performed admirably with Lily WT (8T) in fine form and helping them to a 13-7 victory against Bowbrook.

It’s great that we can now have parents back at fixtures so please check SOCS for the calendar. On the equestrian front it’s great to see Izzy W (11T), Nelleke L (13T) and Rhiannon K (11T) competing on their horses, congratulations to all of the girls involved.

Academics continue to be a forefront of Thomas House’s mantra, that is indeed a major reason for coming to school and I am pleased to report that since the start of September, Thomas House has built a good lead in the house point table. This is no time for us to take our foot of the pedal though and we must strive for more coming into an exam season. I’ve also been really pleased to see so many Thomas pupils gain awards in the Friday assembly, well done to all of the pupils involved.

Photo: Seb W giving it his all at King Henry VIII relay race

Academics continue to be a forefront of Thomas House’s mantra, that is indeed a major reason for coming to school and I am pleased to report that since the start of September, Thomas House has built a good lead in the house point table. This is no time for us to take our foot of the pedal though and we must strive for more coming into an exam season. I’ve also been really pleased to see so many Thomas pupils gain awards in the Friday assembly, well done to all of the pupils involved.

Our popular parent coffee mornings have recommenced and it’s been an excellent way to share information and talk to parents in a social setting.

Lately we have also been fortunate enough to discuss Mental Health and Well Being sessions with our resident professional Carey Allen.

In additional news, our prefects for the coming academic year of 2022-23 will be appointed in the Summer Term. Now is the time to start preparing for this role and we look forward to receiving applications for this role.

I have challenged the pupils to come up with ideas for competitions and events that they would like to be involved in or indeed host. We are currently looking at a few ideas but pencilled into the diary is the Tug Of War on the 8th of March. Watch this space!

Best wishes, Mr Richardson

LEADING HOUSE POINTS

My aim as the Thomas Housemaster is to challenge pupils in assembly to carry out tasks in front of their peers, to build knowledge and confidence. This term we have focused on ‘Action not Words’ in which Leo R (12T) recited a beautiful piece of writing, additionally Thomas house has also looked at ‘Respect and developing emotional resilience,’ congratulations to all of the pupils for their mature attitude .

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Boarding Roundup Boarding is challenging after the fun of the Christmas holidays, however I am confident we have got the balance ‘just right’ for our pupils. This is highlighted by the strong friendships that have been formed within the boarding community and the continued exceptional behaviour of pupils.

Evening activities for pupils in Boarding have further developed now that Covid regulations have relaxed and this has given us the opportunity to build on our extracurricular provision. Weekends are always busy and we have some exciting plans for the next half term which I want to share with you. The Boarders are enthusiastic to experience an Escape Room and to attend Go Karting, so these will both be included in the programme. The reintroduction of horse riding lessons has been hugely popular and the photographs recently shared with parents reflect what a great activity this is to include.

The Boarding Committee is growing stronger and many suggestions have been put forward. As a result more clubs will be introduced after half term tailored to the needs of our female Boarding pupils. The desire to have mobile phone access every minute of the day was denied again (by me) and I hope this decision will continue to be supported by parents.

The positive feedback from all Boarder’s that filtered through the Committee reinforces that Boarding is in a strong position. Having said that, it is essential that everyone remembers that the communication channels are always open to everyone, with the aim to enhance and improve on the provision on offer. If you have any comments, suggestions or advice please do get in touch.

Once again, thank you to all the Boarder’s and their parents for contributing to a great half term.

Kind Regards Rob Starr

Next term Photo: So much fun was had at Ninja Warrior UK!

The boarders are super keen to try out an escape room and to attend go karting, so this will be implemented into the programme next half term

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Junior School Roundup In the Junior School our pupils benefit from stand-alone Humanities lessons, with a specialist staff member responsible for the development of each subject across KS2. Our pupils currently receive Geography, History, Philosophy and PSHE each week throughout the academic year. Our staff bring these subjects to life through the use of role play and reenactment, making sure that lessons involve every element needed for our multi sensual learners.

The importance and friendship and teamwork in the Junior School is paramount to everything we try to achieve. Children are encouraged to engage and socialise with each other and our staff ensure that nobody is left on their own. For children to thrive and to make the progress they are capable of, we understand that they must feel safe and enjoy their times, both inside and outside the classroom.

This week the mud kitchen arrived and it has been wonderful to see the way in which it has triggered the children’s imagination. We love to watch the pupils test their imaginations and delve into fantasy worlds, as they play in the Junior Garden.

Sport and fitness in the Junior School is high on our list of priorities. The children receive two bespoke sports sessions per week, alongside a curriculum driven PE lesson from one of our Sports Specialists. Fitness is also looked at in both our science and PSHE lessons each year. The pupils also have external fixtures where they not only practise their skills but also essential sportsmanship and respect.

Photo: The new mud kitchen proved a big success!

JNR

"It is our belief as practitioners, that the social skills that the pupils develop during periods in the playground are as important as their academic studies."

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Be Bredon, Be Unique We recently received some fantastic news from Tewkesbury Town Hall, after being highlighted as one of the most well turned out units on the Rememberance Parade in November last year.

On Sunday 26th June 2022 in Tewksbury, we have been invited to commemorate the centenary of both the opening of the Cross and the Royal British Legion, and celebrate Armed Forces Day. In preparation for this, the cadets and NCO’s have been practising their foot drill with some even parcisting at home and in boarding. We have seen an increase in Cadets and NCO’s taking additional pride in their uniform. We have noticed a positive change in everyone being supportive of each other and also in being committed to completing set tasks.

Two of our Junior Non-Commissioned Officers (JNCO) Ryan and Charlie headed out to the Cairngorms, Scotland on Friday, on Winter Mountaineering training with Malvern College. Over the course of the week they will cover basic winter mountaineering skills such as hill navigation, route planning, introduction to basic mountain rescue techniques, introduction to the use of the avalanche transceiver, introduction to the use of crampons, introduction to the use of Ice axes and establish an enjoyment of Winter Mountaineering for future expeditions. Of course as well as this, Ryan and Charlie will develop their resilience, courage, teamwork and leadership skills. We would like to take this opportunity to wish Ryan, Charlie and the Malvern College cadets and staff a fabulous week and look forward to hearing about the trip in due course.

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...continued

To assist with the development of our senior Cadets and NCO’s, we currently have fourteen students on a MOI (Method of Instruction) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) course, which is being conducted over a ten week period. Throughout the course the Cadets and NCO’s will be marked on their turnout and deportment, self-discipline and general attitude, as well as being measured against the Cadet Core Values and Standards which can be found below.

Values Courage

Discipline Respect for others Integrity Loyalty Selfless Commitment

Standards

Apply and demonstrate positive behaviour.

Be professional at all times.

Be lawful.

In summary, the MOI and STEM course covers: Communication Skills Planning and Problem solving Self-Confidence and confidence in a team Delegation and Empowerment Ability to make tough decisions Compassion and tolerance Desire to serve a purpose greater than oneself Principles and techniques of good instruction Different ways of teaching and learning Aids to instruction How to be a positive role model and why this is important

Encourage thinking Apply reward and discipline Demand high performance Encourage confidence in the team Recognise individual strengths and weaknesses Strive for team goals Following this code will help the Cadets and NCO’s to develop positively as leaders. Throughout the course they will be supported and challenged to make the right decisions and choices every time. Doing so should help them to be a member of an outstanding team that will succeed whenever, wherever.

The remaining Cadets and NCO’s have been conducting Basic First Aid training which we feel here at Bredon is an essential life skill. On the 18th February 2022 the Cadets and NCO’s will be put through their paces and be involved in a ‘Casualty Simulation’ and will need to tackle various situations such as treating; burns, open wounds, unconscious casualties, cardiac arrests and more.

In addition to the above training, Militia Troop (Year 9) have been conducting some basic field exercise training and learning about how to move in the field appropriately, hand signals, section formations and section battle drills (what to do whilst in a fire fight and how to advance). All of these drills help the Cadets to improve their communication skills whilst learning and appreciating the need to communicate effectively.

These lessons have been taught by our Cadet NCO’s whilst under the supervision of staff. By allowing our students to lead sessions such as these, facilitates empowerment and respect for others is developed.

COMBINED CADET FORCE

As well as the Cadet Core Values and Standards, there is also a code that leaders should follow.

The Army Leadership Code consists of seven leadership behaviours as outlined below: Lead by example

Photos: Basic First Aid training

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Sport

Article by Director of Sport, David Hughes

Through our sports provision we are striving to provide students with the highest quality of competitive experiences as we firmly believe that achieving this will play a critical role in shaping the personal development and values of all pupils involved.

Through this half term all pupils involved deserve a huge amount of credit for the efforts they have put into both their training and their fixtures. Our squads are starting to develop a sense of teamship that will be essential as we progress through the remainder of the term. Our fixture list is presenting more and more opportunities for pupils to develop their leadership skills and it has been a pleasure to see so many individuals rising to this challenge.

Whilst the following reports primarily focus on the achievements of our teams across our two main sports of the term Netball and Football. We are also equally as proud of the achievements of all our pupils, both in and outside of school, across the wide range of other events that they have been involved in.

Notably, this has included equestrian success for both Isobel W in Year 11 and Ellie H in Year 12. Isobel has achieved showjumping success on her youngster Freestyle B, qualifying for the British Novice and British Discovery second rounds at 80cm and 90cm, in addition to the 1m in the Blue Chip Winter Championships 2022.

Furthermore, Ellie competed in the 90cm PC Debut Qualifier at Allens Hill where she took first place, clear in 37.54. Many congratulations to both girls.

The quality of our Outdoor Adventurous Activities offer, remains a priority and the popularity of the mountain biking group as a senior games option highlights the value that our pupils place on this. We are looking forward to resuming climbing at Redpoint as an option within senior games following half term as well as presenting opportunities for groups to start working towards their kayaking badges on site from the newly developed river launch in the summer. We have a number of Duke of Edinburgh expeditions going out in the coming months and year 7 - 9 working hard in the Outdoor Education lessons in preparation for camp in the summer term.

Looking ahead, we are broadening our offer further with opportunities to represent the school in both equestrianism, golf and rugby sevens coming up whilst we will also start turning our attention to preparing students for cricket, tennis and athletics ready for the summer term. Our formidable team will also be defending their title at the Independent School Clay Pigeon Championships held at Holland and Holland Shooting Grounds.

Cross country running

Cross country running has also presented our students with some fantastic opportunities to step outside of their comfort zone this half term whilst representing the school.

Significant achievements included podium finishes for both Hugo C and Noah H at the ISA National Qualifying event, both of these boys also competed admirably alongside Seb W, Maddox C, Dan H and Ben B at the prestigious King Henry Relay in Coventry against some of the best junior distance runners in the country.

Photo: Ben B running in the King Henry VIII relay race

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TEAM SPORTS

Football

Netball

Football this term started with the Independent Schools Association (ISA) six-a-side football tournament at Nottingham University, providing the pupils with an opportunity to compete in a National competition against other Independent schools from across the country. Both the U14 and U16 teams performed really well across all five of their games and both qualified for the trophy semi finals.

The U12 team then started their season away at Kingham Hill with outstanding performances from all the boys, with Marvin B particularly standing out and being awarded Mr Phillips’ man of the match. Our Under 14 Football team took on Sibford at home in their first game which saw Bredon eventually go down 3-1. The pupils all played really well and stuck to the task throughout the entirety of the match, despite referee Mr Hughes missing what can only be described as a blatant penalty when it when Ezra F was brought down moments before he was about to score. Our U16 boys football team played against Bowbrook House in their first fixture, with fantastic goals from Alfie G, who was well supported by Maddox C, both in Year 11.

Our captain Noah H was also outstanding at centre back and backed up by some brilliant saves from the goalkeeper, Rufus J- B. The 1st XI had a positive but tough first game of the season against a good St Edward's Cheltenham. The boys played well and Max G earned himself man of the match, captaining well from centre back. Rufus J was also outstanding in goal with numerous saves. This was then followed by two great games for both our 1st and 2nd XI Football teams against Sibford. The improved 1st XI performance was epitimised by the outstanding work from Leo R (12T), Ozzy H (13S) and Max R (12J), to name but a few. The 2nd XL were led by skipper Tom M (12T) and enjoyed the guidance of Mr Flemming.

Photo: Our Over 18 Girls Netball Team try on the first samples of their new Bredon School Netball kit The netball season has got off to a busy start with fixtures against St Edwards Cheltenham, Sibford, Kingham Hill and Bowbrook so far this term across our range of age groups.

The U12 girls have really progressed since their first match of the season against Kingham Hill. With a strong start from The Elms school, Amelie and Madison worked hard in defence to get the ball back to centre court. The whole team played to the whistle and used their turnovers to their advantage, setting up play to keep possession of the ball. Harriet kept her options open on Bredon’s centre passes as The Elms were marking tight. A great effort from the whole squad who are very enthusiastic for every fixture. Well done to a great start to the season.

Our U14’s have been progressing well since a challenging first fixture of the season in cold conditions away at Bowbrook House. They followed this with their first home game of the season against Kingham Hill School in which Willow O Year 9 and Bayley S Year 8 both impressed with the way they competed hard for every ball throughout the fixture. In their second attempt against Bowbrook House the girls reaped the benefits of increased intensity on court in a game in which Boo S (8J) won player of the match and Rose (9S) achieved the top scorer of the game.

Our U18 netball teams fielded two sides against St Edwards Cheltenham in their first away fixture, overcoming some changes with logistics of play well against a well organised opposition. In the 1stVII, Nell L and Livi K in Year 13 showed impressive determination to score throughout and led the side with distinction.

Bella T in year 13 has been named as netball captain for the season and we have no doubt she will be hugely successful in this rome. Lauren B Year 10 was player of the match in the second team fixture demonstrating a huge amount of dedication and competitiveness throughout. Rebecca B Year 11 impressed with her movement up the court, no doubt this will lead to lots more scoring opportunities moving forwards.

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Elite Equestrian Success Ellie H year 12 recently won a preliminary round of the PC Challenge competition (90cm) and now will compete at Hartpury College (27th March) in the second round at 95cm, she is very proud of this win as it was the first one on this horse. Congratulations Ellie!

We are delighted to announce further showjumping success for our Year 11 pupil Isobel W, on her youngster Freestyle B qualifying for the British Novice and British Discovery second rounds. At 80cm and 90cm as well as 1m in the Blue Chip Winter Championships 2022.

At Bredon School we have a long-standing reputation for excellence in outdoor education, and country pursuits are real areas of strength for the School. Our Junior School pupils travel to The Elms School every Thursday to take part in professional riding lessons and stable management techniques. Set within the stunning setting of the Malvern Hills, the truly authentic hands-on experience allows pupils to benefit from being in an outdoor learning environment.

Equi Spiritum

Bredon School is known for its exceptional Outdoor Educational offer and we have many pupils who either own their own horses and attend frequent equestrian competitions or who enjoy riding as part of our curriculum.

Photo: Ellie H

Equi Spiritum is a local business and is a fantastic opportunity close-by that our pupils can access.

Equine therapy is also known as equine facilitated psychotherapy and involves engaging and building a relationship with horses, providing therapeutic benefits for physical, occupational, and emotional growth. Contrary to popular belief equine therapy does not involve riding and is more likely to include stroking, grooming, and interacting with a free roaming horse in a field. By working through equine therapy you can increase your communication skills, self-control, problem solving and accountability, as well as improving your selfesteem, empathy, flexibility and independence.

Please contact Mrs Evlyn-Bufton; on 07825 369 531 or 01452 849 499, or alternatively email via the following address, joanna@equispiritum.co.uk for further information.

Photo: Isobel W

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Down on the Farm Down on the farm it has been a relatively quiet period whilst we have conducted our winter routine. We are in the middle of winter so the work is mainly the routine feeding, cleaning out and bedding up of the animals.

Our BTEC pupils have been repairing fences around campus, including around the perimeter of our new agricultural building which is in the final completion stages.

In other news, some of our pupils have given the farm fountain a spring clean, whilst others tried their handy work out in their own lunch breaks to develop a new stone path entrance to the chicken coop.

We had some exciting new arrivals on our school farm this month, not one but two litters of piglets were born.

Both the piglets and sows are healthy and doing well.

We have no doubt the piglets will be running around campus very soon and we can't wait to see them taking part in our farm lessons. A truly exciting addition to our Bredon School community.

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INTERVIEW

Staff spotlight with Alisdair Cradock

Where are you from in Scotland and what was it like for you growing up?

So I am from all parts of the east of Scotland, my family and I are from Aberdeen and we moved up to Orkney when I was young. My mother moved up there and bought a laundrette and a coffee shop so we all moved up together. Then I went to boarding school down in Edinburgh after that.

What was your boarding school experience like?

I was at Fettes College in Edinburgh, I still feel that was one of the best family decisions that was ever made for me. I was at state school in Orkney and I just wasn’t doing well, I wasn’t succeeding and I wasn’t achieving anything. It was your ‘normal’ 9am until 3.30pm school set-up. It was tough for me as there was a lot of culture there of pupils being very insular, whereas I had come from off the island, so I was labelled as an ‘outsider.’ I was getting quite badly bullied so we made the decision as a family to send me to boarding school and my sister followed me afterwards. All of the sport and all of the extracurricular activities suddenly available to me was just fantastic and I was pushed academically too.

Just the whole boarding school experience for me was great, being that close to a lot of my friends was just brilliant.

What brought you to Bredon School?

I had been working abroad for a few years and with Covid and everything else going on, needed to get back close to my family. I am studying for my Masters in Education and I perceive Bredon School as the pathway to how education should be, rather than just being exam factories.

Our whole holistic approach to education really appeals to me, the fact we have timetabled Farm and Outdoor Education is just exceptional. Whilst we also offer the traditional route GCSE and BTEC courses as well as CCF and sports too, plus everything in between.

You said you were working abroad, can you tell me more about that?

I worked in China for two years, China is a beautiful place! I love the Chinese culture, the Chinese people and I just love the whole country. I had always wanted to teach internationally just for the experience and I also felt I was at the point in my career that I would benefit from some international experience. Family wise it also felt the right time for me to go, it was only initially a contract for two years with a view for my family to join me after this time. However, when I got there the school wasn’t family orientated enough, it was out of the city and it didn’t have a Junior School for my children to attend, so it just wouldn’t have worked.

However, I got a lot from working there as a Boarding Housemaster and Head of Faculty in a boarding house with almost eighty boys. I was working and living with them, which was challenging as they were all Chinese, therefore English was not their first language. So I was teaching at an international school where pupils were studying for traditional academic subjects, so I was teaching GCSE’s but with EAL focus. However, a lot of the pupils even managed to achieve A*’s in a lot of their subjects, despite the courses not being taught in their native language. I was supposed to be out there for two years, however Covid hit, I made it home just before Chinese New Year when everything went into lockdown and then I couldn’t get back out there, so I ended up teaching in China time back here in the UK. Subsequently I had to find another teaching job longterm and I obtained a post in the UAE for a year, as I had the international teaching experience.

If you had to recommend one place for us to visit in Scotland where would it be and why?

Two of my favourite places in the world are in Scotland!

I would say that you definitely need to visit the city and go to Edinburgh, it’s a beautiful city! It can be windy, however even on the gloomiest of days, there’s still so much beauty to be found there, it’s such an amazing old town. There’s also Glencoe in the Cairngorms, that is such an amazingly beautiful place and it can be so quiet at times, it can be full of midges, but the stunning glacial landscape is just something else. Then my absolute favourite place in the world is one of the islands in Orkney, it’s a smaller island off the main island and it has a gorgeous bay called Rackwick Bay. You can get a ferry off the mainland to get there and there’s a little bothy there that you can sleep in, often there are people just camping out there, with a campfire. Then when you wake up and it’s nice weather it’s just an incredible sunrise. Mountains on one side and beach on the other, it’s just something else!

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A first for Bredon On the 25th January we held our very first Burns Supper and Ceilidh for our Sixth Form pupils.

Because of COVID restrictions, it is the first formal event that we have managed to hold for the current Sixth Form and for many it was their very first Burns Night experience.

Bredon School partnered with our local Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) clothes shop, in order to provide the opportunity for our pupils to wear preloved designer clothes to the event, whilst providing a local charity with our support. This black tie event allowed everybody to get dressed in their finest. There were some impressive dinner jackets, some amazing dresses and lovely flashes of tartan to accessorise.

The event was held in the fantastic traditional Bredon School venue of the Old Library; where a menu of Cullen Skink, haggis neeps and tatties, and venison sausages, followed by cranachan cheesecake. All supported by lashing of Scotland's National drink ‘Irn-Bru’ which was all created and cooked by our outstanding in-house catering team. Some pupils had tried haggis before, but most pupils had never even seen it before. I was so impressed by how everyone tried it, with many pupils declaring how much they loved the taste of it! I meret it’s success to the fact we managed to secure the tastier left handed haggis from the north east of Scotland, which clearly made a difference.

Photos: Pupils came along dressed in their best!

As is traditional at Burns Suppers there were recitals of some of Burns’ poetry. Led by our headmaster Mr Oldham giving the ‘Selkirk grace’. Then Jarrett housemaster and staunch Scot, Mr Cradock having the high honour of ‘addressing the haggis’ as well as acting as MC for the night. Mrs Adams, the head of Sixth Form, delivered a speech on the history of Burns and his life in the ‘Immortal memory’. A witty and well rehearsed ‘toast to the lasses’ was proposed by our head boy Mitchell B-S, a speech which was enjoyed by all. The ‘reply from the lassies’ was led by head of school Eloise B, with support from sports prefect Nell L. After the dinner and speeches, we moved through to the Pull Court hall and in the glow of the roaring fire in the fireplace; the students were introduced to ceilidh dancing, with live music from Pete Hartley on the fiddle, both ‘The Gay Gordon’s’ and an ‘Orcadian Strip the Willow’ were attempted. Somewhere amongst the chaos and tangle of limbs, some semblance of the dances emerged. The fact that everyone attempted it for the first time and were able to dance with a partner made it incredibly successful. The laughter and merriment and making up of dances made this a fantastic part of the night.

Thank you very much to the tutors for all of the help and advice given to their tutees in the lead up, as well as attending and supporting them on the night. Most of all congratulations to our Sixth Form pupils who attended looking magnificent and tried many new culinary delights.We are already making plans for our Burns Night next year and we will be coming back even bigger and better for next year, we can’t wait!

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LEADERSHIP

Sixth Form Leadership Camp In the week before half term the sixth form all attended a Leadership camp. This was a 3 day residential trip to an outdoor centre in the Forest of Dean.

The objectives of the trip were to develop leadership, communication and most importantly of all, team working skills. The students had the opportunity to take part in activities such as crate stacking, where the group had to work together to make the tallest tower of crates with at least one member of the team on the top.

An amazing 13 crates was achieved by Tom McGarigal and his supportive team. Other activities included orienteering, a search and rescue exercise and an activity based on trust and communication where students lead each other across an obstacle course, blindfolded!

Impressive The students never failed to impress in their ability to support and coach each other through a variety of activities.

Firm friendships were made and a true sense of belonging to one team was felt by all.

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A splash of colour!

It has been a busy half term in the Art and Design Department at Bredon School.

2022 has seen a dynamic range of work being created by students from Juniors and Year 7’s working on their Picasso Portraits and Cubist sculptures, Year 8’s producing beautifully layered, textural banners based on natural forms, currently on display in the Art Department and Year 9’s finishing their large scale mixed media Cinderella’s Revenge project. We aim to exhibit the Cinderella’s Revenge Project in the school soon, alongside the Cubist Sculpture which will be displayed in the old library.

The examination groups have hit the ground running this year, all working on individual projects which will form an important part of their personal portfolios.

From Day of the Dead to neon tubing installations, stop frame animation, impressive large scale self portrait’s and life size figure sculpture, the A Level Art and design students are moving towards the final exciting stage of their course, and we all wish them luck!

And finally, A big splash of colour! A mural has been designed for the entrance into the department by the Key Stage 3 students who opt for Art as an activity and painting will begin after half term....so watch this space!

Enrichment programme This half term we were honoured to have the award winning Dr Paul Whittaker OBE into school, to run workshops with our pupils throughout the day.

Paul has been profoundly deaf all of his life, yet has followed a passion and career for music, which has seen him work within the elite world of musical theatre.

Paul has worked on shows such as Les Miserables, Cats, Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story, to name but a few! Our Year 9 pupils commented on how much they had enjoyed Paul teaching them the sign language to Bob Marley’s song ‘Three Little Birds.’

Special thanks to Dr Paul Whittaker OBE for coming to the school and for providing such an enriching programme for our pupils.

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Chess club

Mountain biking

Our Year 7 Chess Club members Alistair V and Etienne P from Sharp House met their match yesterday afternoon in Pull Court. T

Our Mountain Biking (MBT) group have been working on their skills in preparation for our cycling days out we have planned in the summer term.

We have extended out Mountain Bike Trails at Bredon School by developing new trails throughout our woodland area. The pupils have been working really hard to develop the new trails so that they can be enjoyed by the whole school, now that we have entered the spring season.

CLUBS

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The two pupils found themselves in an intense chess game with the Headmaster, with Mr Oldham somehow managing to beat both of our chess aces declaring ‘checkmate’ at the final hour! Well done to both boys for playing such an exceptional game.

Cricket club Empower! Encourage! Engage! Cricket at Bredon is all about having fun, learning new skills and being part of a team.

So many opportunities!

Face the Bowling Machine Bowling Batting Wicket keeping Feilding Diving Catches

Tuesday's Tuesday Lunchtimes Sportshall / Cricket Nets 1-1:45

Represent the School Increase Fitness Develop GrossMotor Skills Build Confidence All are welcome, all abilities, all ages. We recommence after February after half term and we would love you to come along.

Mr Abbott ECB Cricket Coach

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Elite shooting provision Interview with John Timmis, 3 lakes Shooting.

Tell us a bit about the shooting provision at Bredon. What facilities does the school have? Who are pupils coached by?

When my company 3 Lakes Shooting Ltd, took over the running of the shooting at Bredon School in September 2019, we started with nothing. Even the shooting hut and the wooden shed to house the clays were much in need of nourishing wood treatment. We found ourselves completely starting from the ground up.

The school invested in some clay traps, I loaned them several more, along with some of my own shotguns and we began the rebuilding process. Two and a half years later, despite the pandemic the school now owns around 14 fully automatic clay traps and nine shotguns, some of which have been bought by the school and others donated by myself and other philanthropists, to supplement the school’s own reinvestment of funds.

The main clay shooting discipline shot by UK schools is English Sporting, simulating the flight of game birds, wildfowl and pest species. However, I was asked if it was possible to o er other disciplines, particularly Skeet as this had attracted current head boy Mitchell B-S and several others away from Bredon school. The Mitchell B-S is the junior British Champion in the demanding Olympic Skeet discipline, he began his shooting career here at Bredon and he has achieved excellence at National and International level.

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...continued

Within the first two weeks of our contract we constructed a wooden High Tower for our Skeet layout and a Down the Line trap layout to give the students a better all round clay shooting experience.

The materials and labour for these two layouts were jointly funded by one of my former Warwickshire College students George Huck, while at that time running his own shooting business “Swift Valley Sporting”, together with another philanthropic client Christian Paynton, the Managing Director of the United Fresh Consortium, who supply most of the UK hotel chains and the MOD with fruit and vegetables. Sadly the skeet layout was immediately hit by the first of six successive floods of biblical proportions and so we have now reluctantly dismantled that layout and incorporated the expensive traps into our sporting layout on higher ground, while we decide where it might be safe and practical to relocate the layout.

Originally the students were coached by John Timmis, a former Police World Champion and West London Shooting School instructor, supported

by Carl Bloxham, a former world champion and internationally renowned shooting instructor.

The pandemic unfortunately necessitated Carl’s withdrawal and isolation in 2020 and since then his place has been filled by yet another World Champion Phil Smith, who has represented England for at least 20 years and been England Captain twice.

We also arranged for Junior British, European and World Sporting Champion Will Fenner from Sussex to travel up and to help coach the students one day last year, which was greatly appreciated by all. Other instructors who help out on occasions include Lottie Horrabin, herself a former Schools Challenge winner now routinely employed on Wednesdays at the nearby South Worcester Shooting Ground and Mick White a former GB Police team member.

Our sporting layout is changed every week to keep the students interested, with new target angles and different speeds to test and improve their skills.

For the instructors this is the hardest part of the day, dragging heavy traps and leisure batteries into position, adjusting spring tension and target angles, attaching radio release equipment and then filling the carousels with su client clays. As the field is part of the school farm, often used for grazing, the layout is dismantled at the end of the day and traps returned to storage for the next week.

What proportion of pupils take up shooting during their time at the school? Is there an equal take up of boys and girls?

Prior to Christmas 2021 we had around 25 shooters participating each week, including four girls, but after running a successful ‘Have a Go’ experience for over 100 members of the combined cadet force in December, this has now risen to around 40 regular shooters.

Any recent successes/ proudest achievements?

Prior to the pandemic, throughout 2019 and 2020 the Bredon School team had been unbeaten in any inter schools friendly events. Unfortunately, the pandemic then curtailed any large events and it was not until the summer of 2021 that a schools event could be staged.

Here at the prestigious Holland and Holland Shooting School near London, our four-strong Bredon School junior team beat the nearest performing school by a massive 35 targets, effectively 9 targets per competitor over a testing 80 target course.

My proudest achievement personally is not just the students’ success at competition shooting such as this, but rather watching how building their skills and confidence at shooting then leads on to improve other aspects of their school and personal life such as communication skills and building friendships.

This has also been commented upon by several other staff members at the school.

ACHIEVEMNTS

In that first year we also secured some sponsorship from an Austrian company which sadly folded during the pandemic and we are proud to say we are the only school in the world with their ‘Recoil Buster’ shock absorbing gun stock, which is greatly appreciated by those students particularly sensitive to recoil. New team shooting vests were sourced at Trade Price from Marsh Farm Country Supplies at Tanworth in Arden, Warwickshire who o er a mail order service and continue to support us with generous discounts to our staff and students alike.

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Tree Appeal We have been contacted by Tree Appeal to ask if we would be interested in planting a selection of native broadleaf such as Oak, Beech and Hazel that would be provided by the funding of their corporate partners, and to be planted by the students.

Please see below for an extract from their website: “A roundup of the planting season - 31,350 trees over 220 schools in the UK” “Trees for Schools is our initiative designed to encourage schools to make the most of their grounds by tree planting. This helps create woodland habitat, increases biodiversity and, most importantly, provides an excellent learning resource - planting the trees, watching them grow, seeing how wildlife is encouraged, charting the changing seasons and weather.”

As I mentioned in our previous Inside Bredon, a personal mission is to continually replenish our woodlands here at Bredon and so this assistance programme would allow numerous specimens to be planted like Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) and Wild Cherry (Prunus avium); all of which have amazing blossoms and fruits for our non-student residents.

Bird Watch The Great British Birdwatch was conducted on the last weekend of January and results are being submitted. A few birds found at Bredon during the watch are: Finches, Tits, Song Thrush, Nuthatch, House Sparrows and a Buzzard surveying the grounds.

A little note I wanted to share is the plethora of birds that we see almost daily at Bredon School without releasing it. One of my favourite echoes when working around the site is the sound of the Great Spotted Woodpecker, and imagining their gravity defying stance whilst drumming their heads eating those tiny grubs.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is overflowing with resources for solo or family activities, bird identification and information, and conservation advise of which I encourage everyone to take interest in our little (or big!) winged friends.

Articles by Head Gardener, Jamie Allen

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An Interview with our new Estates Manager, Warwick Warwick Humphries joined Bredon School at the start of the 2022.

Discover more about Warwick in our new staff spotlight below

What were you doing before you came to Bredon School?

Before joining Bredon School, I was a Building Operations Manager for one of the largest multi academy trusts in the U.K. I was responsible for the Estates & Facilities of 20 schools in the South West region. Prior to that, I was a Site Manager at a special needs school in Cheltenham. I have developed a range of skills including project management, building development, Health & Safety and compliance.

Tell us a little bit about you as a person? What hobbies do you have?

I grew up in Gloucestershire and have developed a good knowledge of the local area which I still enjoy exploring.

I have a real passion for animals, I have many pets and I am a keen amature wildlife photographer. I spent a great deal of my time in my youth on a skateboard and would love to still be able to do it if only knees were up to it! Since giving this up, I honed in on my music skills.

Now I compose and produce my own music & play the bass guitar in a dub-reggae band.

Do you have a family?

I live in Churchdown with my partner, her 2 boys and my daughter.

What is it that attracted you to working at Bredon School?

Estate Management has always interested me as I am passionate about historic buildings and the countryside.

Bredon School offers a unique opportunity for me to expand my skills in both of these areas. I was delighted to be offered the position of Estates Manager at Bredon School and look forward to developing the learning environment for students to flourish in.

Tell us a bit about your new job role?

Even though I have only been at Bredon School for 5 weeks, I feel I have embraced the Bredonian culture by utilising the strengths of my team. We have been planning for the construction of new classrooms, completing the barn ready for the lambing season in March and creating a schedule of work to be carried out in the spring and summer. We have also opened up the new Sixth Form centre.

What is it you are enjoying about working here so far?

I have felt very welcome at Bredon School, everyone has been helpful and friendly. I appreciate having such a hard working, enthusiastic and dedicated team to support me. There is such a variety of work to get stuck into and I love the fact that no two days are the same.

I also enjoy the surroundings and feel lucky to work in such a beautiful part of the county.

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A-Z of bredon A is for Animals! At Bredon School we have 9 different livestock breeds living within our working farm on campus.

B is for Boarding! Aiming to provide a happy family atmosphere, Bredon School welcomes boarders from the age of 9 years old. Over 40 % of Bredon pupils board so the boarding environment is always busy and vibrant.

C is for the Combined Cadet Force! The CCF helps the pupils to build confidence, courage, resilience, teamwork and problem solving skills to name but a few; all transferable within school and the workplace.

D is for Dyslexia! Our focus on dyslexia-friendly teaching, inspiring location, wide-ranging curriculum and vast 84 acre grounds enables all pupils to find an area in which to shine through an outdoor education.

E is for Expeditions! Beyond our campus, our qualified Outdoor Education instructors regularly take pupils off-site to experience camping, caving, mountaineering and trekking enhancing our pupils’ understanding for the environment and surroundings.

F is for Farm! At our School Farm pupils take part in timetabled farm lessons each week, helping out with maintenance, planting and allotment duties, seasonal tasks and cleaning, as well as assisting with the feeding and welfare of the animals.

G is for Games and Sports! We are proud of the variety of sports on offer at Bredon School. Including our onsite climbing facilities, clay pigeon shooting ground, onsite access to the River Severn together with extensive pitches, a floodlit astro pitch and full equipped sports hall.

H is for Hospitality! One of our most popular vocational courses is Hospitality, which looks at the supervisory and management of catering. We have excellent on-site kitchen facilities and our course provides great benefit to learners who see a future in working in the catering industry.

I is for International Pupils! Home to international pupils from over 15 different countries, Bredon School offers a traditional English boarding school education, a diverse academic provision and an exciting schedule of extra-curricular activities, trips and excursions.

J is for Jarrett House, Thomas House, Sharp House!

Our House system ensures all pupils have a strong sense of identity and belonging during their time at Bredon and the intra-house bonds are evident in the regular competitions that take place.

K is for Kayaking!

Set within our acres of land we are lucky enough to have our very own jetty launch onto the River Severn, in addition to our own swimming pool. Providing us with the facilities to teach Kayaking and Paddle Boarding regularly within our own Campus grounds.

L is for Leadership Opportunities!

We recognise that challenge and responsibility are the aspects to developing great leaders. Many of our pupils aspire to be a member of the Prefect Team and take on additional leadership roles and responsibilities within our school community.

M is for Mountain Biking!

We have a brand new BMX track and several MTB Trails set within the forest of our Bredon School Campus.

Pupils have frequent opportunities to perfect their cycling skills under the guidance of our in-house BC qualified MTB leader.

N is for News Publications! We have two Bredon School news publications which we produce, our, Inside Bredon Newsletter and The Bredonian Magazine.

Inside Bredon is published each half term and The Bredonian is an annual roundup of life and education at Bredon School.

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...continued

O is for Outdoor Education!

Our wide-ranging outdoor education offer has always been a hallmark of a Bredon School education, encouraging pupils to think independently, to use their initiative, exercise problem solving and improve team working skills.

P is for Swimming Pool!

At Bredon you have access to many facilities such as a swimming pool, a fully equipped gym, and acres of gardens and woodlands. Full size rugby, football, hockey and cricket pitches and tennis courts. Pupils frequently swim and have kayaking lessons in our on-site swimming pool.

Q is for Qualifications!

Our aim is to engage and inspire our pupils to achieve their full potential and follow their aspirations. A key strength of the academic provision at Bredon School is that breadth of offering. We are able to offer pupils a wide variety of courses, from traditional subjects, to creative subjects, through to vocational courses.

V is for Vocational Education!

We are extremely proud to have our own on-site CISCO Academy, backed by the global technology giant, our vocational courses blend face-to-face teaching with a webbased curriculum and hands-on lab exercises. Sixth Form pupils also have the opportunity to apply for a prestigious national apprenticeship with CISCO in London.

R is for Reading!

As one of the top dyslexia friendly independent boarding and day schools in the country, our reading provision surpasses standard support. Each pupil has access to Google Chromebooks, assistive technology and where required, additional Specialist Learning Support, tailored to the individual. So reading is never a barrier to learning.

W is for Wainwright Lectures!

The Wainwright Lectures are a series of talks for our Sixth Form pupils with the aim of broadening understanding of the wider world. They are an extremely important contribution to their ongoing preparation for life following their studies at Bredon School.

S is for Shooting!

A long standing part of Bredon’s sporting provision, clay pigeon shooting takes place within our purpose-built shooting range where pupils can experience shooting for the first time or develop their skills as a member of a number of Clay Shooting teams. In 2021 Bredon was named ‘School of the Year’ by the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (CPSA).

T is for Teamwork!

Our broad outdoor educational curriculum encourages pupils to work independently, to use their initiative and exercise problem solving skills. It also demonstrates the benefits of teamwork, as pupils are able to support each other both physically and emotionally.

U is for University!

At Bredon we believe that it is important to look beyond life at the school. The careers team aims to support all pupils, raising their aspirations and helping them to plan for the future. Together with the Head of Sixth Form and Deputy Head (Academic) the Careers Team are continually reviewing our careers programme in order to support our pupils and make their future happen.

X is for Xmas!

At Christmas time we like to go 'all out' when it comes to tradition and festivities. We put up a giant tree in Pull Court for our boarding pupils in late November. The tree then gets donated to St Nicholas' Church in Queenhill, so that the local community can enjoy the Bredon School Christmas Tree for the rest of the festive season.

Y is for You! At Bredon we have coined the phrase 'Be Bredon Be You' signifying that we provide tremendous opportunities for individuals to flourish. You can truly be yourself at Bredon & Dyslexia is never a barrier to educational success or enjoyment.

Z is for Zen! At Bredon School we foster a relaxed nurturing environment for our pupils, to enjoy outdoor learning and extra curricular activities within our beautiful grounds. In the past our Year 8 pupils have taken part in a mindfulness retreat, where they learnt to appreciate nature and enjoy the present moment.

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Bredon School Pull Court, Bushley Tewkesbury Gloucestershire GL20 6AH T: 01684 293156 www.bredonschool.org Part of the Cavendish Education Group

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