News from Chigwell Spring 2016

SPRING 2016

NEWS FROM CHIGWELL

CHIGWELL SCHOOL

CELEBRATING SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CHIGWELL SCHOOL COMMUNITY

In this Issue New Sixth Form Centre

02 for Chigwell

Half Marathon Raises

11 £92,000

20 County Champions

and much more...

FIND A WAY OR MAKE A WAY

SENIOR SCHOOL

New Chigwell School Sixth Form Centre in Memory of Risham a memorial service, and it was soon afterwards that her Uncle and Aunt suggested that a new building might form a memorial to Risham for whom the School was such an important part of her life.

Work has begun on a sixth form centre which will form a memorial to former student, Risham Sarao.

Risham left the School in 2006 but was tragically killed at the age of 21 in a road accident in Peru where she was travelling as part of her university studies. When the news spread, her friends gathered at the School for

The Sixth Form Centre, on Roding Lane, has been designed to complement the buildings it adjoins, some of which are the original School buildings dating back to 1629.

It will include classrooms, study and social spaces for sixth form students, as well as areas in which careers advice and visiting speaker sessions will be held.

Risham’s brother Arjun is pictured (right) getting building work underway with the Headmaster, Mr Michael Punt. Mr Punt commented, “I am delighted that work is beginning on this muchneeded new building. Most of our sixth form students

have studied at Chigwell previously, but they are joined by others from local schools as well as a small number of overseas students who come to us as boarders. In all cases, we aim to prepare these young people for life after school, at university and beyond, and the Risham Sarao Sixth Form Centre will be a focus for

that preparation. It will serve as a memorial to Risham who was an important member of our school community and I am very grateful to her family and the other donors who have supported this project so generously. We hope to complete the building by the start of the new academic year.” n

SENIOR SCHOOL

Artist’s impression of the new building viewed from Roding Lane

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

Artist’s impression of the Sixth Form Centre

02 | 03

ACADEMIA

Oxbridge One in Ten Chigwell School students and their teachers have been celebrating excellent university offers with over 10% of applicants receiving offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Nine members of the sixth form year group, in which there are 84 students, have been offered Oxbridge places: Bianca Andrei (Natural Sciences, Trinity College, Cambridge), Anna Chelchowska (Medicine, Worcester College, Oxford), Hana Edwards (Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Trinity College, Cambridge), Rhea Gupta (Classics, Clare College,

Cambridge), Faith Inch (English, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge), Ben Kennedy (Philosophy, Politics and Economics, St Hilda’s College, Oxford), Neha Patel (Modern and Medieval Languages, Downing College, Cambridge) Harbir Sahota (Mathematics, Jesus College, Oxford) and Kejing Zhong (Economics, Newnham College, Cambridge).

In addition, other students have been receiving highly competitive offers from some excellent universities in the UK and USA. Mr Chris Lord, Chigwell’s Coordinator of Learning+, said “We are all delighted. The students worked very hard indeed, and were well supported by many members of staff. They are justifiably proud.” n

Mock Medical School Interviews

An evening of mock interviews for students from Chigwell and Beal High School Chigwell and Beal students came together recently for an evening of mock interviews, as practice for their selection to study medicine at university.

The interviewers were either Old Chigwellians or current Chigwell parents who work in medicine and they gave up their evening to put students

from the two schools through their paces. Each student had four interviews, each followed by helpful feedback which they discussed with each other.

Chigwell student, Kayden Chahal, who hopes to become a doctor, commented: ‘It was an extremely helpful evening, not only due to the educational experience, but also the relationships formed between the Chigwell medics and their Beal counterparts.’ n

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

ACADEMIA

BBC Sports’ Commentator and Journalist Inspires Chigwell Linguists Chris Dennis, BBC sports’ commentator and journalist, came into school recently to give a talk to the Year 9 pupils on the role of modern languages in his job.

behind the scenes of Chris’ exclusive interview with the Togo and French Ligue 1 goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale, whose career was tragically cut short in a

gun attack on his team coach in Angola five years ago. The interview opportunity only arose because of his ability to conduct it in French. Unfortunately

many more pupils than we had time for put their hands up for questions at the end. We hope Chris will return in the near future. n

Chris studied French, German and Mandarin at Leeds University before going on to work around the world in sports journalism, and has interviewed stars from athletics, tennis and football, using his language skills to gain access where his monolingual counterparts cannot.

Pupils listened to sound clips in French, Spanish and Swiss German from Arsène Wenger, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer respectively, and got to see

Hannah Scoops Silver Hannah Zia has been awarded the Silver BA Crest award for a project she completed based on saving energy in the home.

The award is a programme run by the British Science Association each year, giving students an opportunity to explore real-world science, technology, engineering and maths in an exciting way. The CREST scheme is studentled, recognises success, enables students to build their skills and demonstrate personal achievement through project work. This is a huge achievement for Hannah as students her age tend to aim for the Bronze award; the Silver award is directed towards

GCSE level students. However, upon completion, the Science department were so impressed with Hannah’s project that it was entered for the higher award. The school is thrilled that the British Science Association agreed that the standard of Hannah’s project was well beyond her years.

analysed and presented her data in an advanced way. It is hoped

that Hannah will have many more successes in the future. n

Hannah’s project looked at how to measure the efficiency of a kettle. She looked at the heat energy gained by the water in the kettle, using specific heat capacity, and then compared this to the energy supplied to the kettle by the mains. This led her to conclude how much had been wasted as heat to the surroundings and sound energy.

She demonstrated excellent research skills on the lead-up to her practical. In addition, she 04 | 05

ACADEMIA

Higher and Extended Project Qualifications Chigwell students have, once again been delivering their HPQ and EPQ presentations.

The Higher Project Qualification (equivalent to half a GCSE) and Extended Project Qualification (equivalent to half an A Level) require students to design, research and produce a project on a topic of their choosing – and at the end of it, they must deliver a talk about how it all went. This year’s students got to grips with

some challenging questions and demonstrated deep knowledge and understanding as a result of their research. For example, Isma’eel Zia tackled the controversial topic of whether the treatment of obesity should be funded by the NHS, while Jessica Lester examined the Saxon poem known as ‘The Wife’s Lament’ and its portrayal of women. The overall standard was extremely impressive, and we look forward to seeing the topics that the next cohorts choose to pursue for their HPQ and EPQ projects. n

Learning+ Initiatives Learning+ is a suite of initiatives designed to offer Chigwellians the chance to learn and think outside the classroom.

These initiatives include philosophy clubs, internal essay competitions, Higher and Extended Project Qualifications (HPQ and EPQ) along with preparation for the most competitive courses and universities. Included in these initiatives is The Pilot which is the school’s academic and creative journal. It publishes a wide range of high-quality academic essays, opinion-pieces, short stories, poetry and artwork from students, teachers, and visiting speakers which when published constitutes an excellent resource. Another initiative is the CAN which stands for Chigwell Academic News. This is a collection of subject-specific email groups to which any student can sign up. There are a wide range of subjects available, from school ones like biology and English to university subjects

like medicine, law, philosophy, sociology and architecture.

Chigwell teachers also use the CAN to share interesting articles they find online.

One of the best established elements of the Learning+ initiative is the Williams Project.

This is named after the Old Chigwellian Bernard Williams who was one of the most famous British philosophers of the late 20th century. The Williams Project is a fortnightly speaker society for all pupils from 11-18, on just about every subject: a quick glance at our archive (see www.williamsproject.org. uk) will show the range. This

project provides opportunities for students at Chigwell School to broaden and deepen their intellectual life. Among the many speakers who have come to Chigwell were Marianne Talbot (Director of Studies in Philosophy at the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education) and Keith Snow (University of East London). Marianne discussed ‘Trolleyology’ – the thought experiments around whether and under what conditions individuals would intervene to change the direction or progress of a runaway trolley car. Her second talk was about

the complex world of bioethics, such as whether, given the power of modern biology, there are moral justifications for placing limits on the frontiers of academic research, even if it saves lives. Whereas Keith gave a very interesting talk about the development and influences behind Darwin’s theory of evolution, showing how Charles Darwin himself was not the sole mind behind the theory of evolution. Keith discussed how Darwin took many of his ideas from his lesser-known grandfather Erasmus Darwin, as well as Thomas Malthus, whose ideas also inspired Darwin. n

Speakers presenting at the Williams Project.

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

ACADEMIA

Interschool Debating Competition Chigwell fielded an international team at the annual Epping Forest Schools Debating competition.

There were eight teams and Chigwell was represented

by Ben Kennedy and Marija Marinovich.

The competition, which has been going for over a decade, was the brainchild of the local MP Mrs Eleanor Laing who both chaired the debate and gave out the prizes.

Our team acquitted themselves well and showed strong potential for future competitions. n

Marija and Ben with Mrs Eleanor Laing MP.

Chigwell Hosts Translation Workshop Twenty students of languages from Chigwell along with a sprinkling of guests from Forest and Brentwood attended a translation workshop led by Julian Evans and Ros Schwartz, two extremely experienced professional translators who have produced English versions of more than 80 books between them.

verre in French. We also heard that the Italians see the inside of an egg as red whereas the French see it as yellow. (Fortunately, we English have the word ‘yolk’!)

After the plenary, the group split into small groups, studying in turn passages from Le Petit Prince by St Exupéry and a novel

by the contemporary writer Michel Déon. Specific problems were aired and discussed in detail within the groups and with the two leaders. In a final plenary, there was a Q&A session and the opportunity for students to ask their own questions about the afternoon’s work and about careers in translation.

Perhaps most interestingly of all, by the end of the afternoon one thing had become abundantly clear to all the participants: whatever their skills in foreign languages, a thorough mastery of their own was absolutely essential for translation to be truly successful. n

The meeting started with a plenary in which both the visiting experts spoke about what makes translation so difficult but at the same time so fascinating. We were told how the curiosity of Cinderella’s ‘glass’ slipper came about as the result of a translator’s confusion over the homophones vair and 06 | 07

ART & DESIGN

Art+ Workshop The artist and educator Pamela Rana visited the school to lead a drawing and ceramics Art+ workshop for KS3 pupils.

Using fruit and vegetables as their starting points, the pupils explored a range of drawing techniques and discovered several new ways of using ink,

charcoal and pen to represent these natural forms. Once their drawings were completed, each of the pupils then created a small-scale sculpture using clay.

Pamela is a very experienced and talented artist who over the course of her career has worked with a number of highly prestigious organisations such as the V&A Museum in London and Donna Karan in New York City, USA. She is currently a lecturer at the University for the

Creative Arts in Kent and her own creative practice is based around ceramics and drawing.

Mr Edwin Aitken, Head of

Art and Design commented that it was a really exciting and interesting day and the pupils made some fantastic work. n

were extremely impressive and not only showed a quirky link to the theme, but also boasted carefully considered packaging designs and a detailed budget plan, used to calculate exactly how much profit each product would generate.

fellow pupils. The final decision was that ‘Stir Crazy’, a set of reuseable coffee stirrers inspired by the London Underground map, would be submitted.

Therefore, well done to Stella Kearin, Amie Smithers, Zaman Khan, Devak Rattan and Nathan Selling, who are now waiting to hear if their design has been shortlisted. A huge congratulations also goes to the other groups, who put a huge amount of effort into this project and came up with equally as credible solutions. n

Design Ventura This year, the Design and Technology department integrated the well-known Design Ventura competition into the Year 10 curriculum.

Design Ventura is a creative design competition run by the Design Museum, London, which involves groups of pupils designing and making an innovative prototype product to be sold in the Design Museum shop, based on an annual theme. This year, the theme was ‘MOVE’ and the Chigwell pupils responded to this with enthusiasm, determination and creativity. All four end results

As only one group can be submitted from each participating school, the pupils firstly pitched their ideas to a ‘Dragon’s Den’-style panel (consisting of the Headmaster and other staff), and then also to

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

ART & DESIGN

The Anthony Slinn Guernica Lecture Professor Anthony Slinn visited Chigwell School to give a superb lecture to our pupils.

He spent 30 years teaching at various art colleges before taking his enthusiasm for art and artists on the road. Professor

Slinn spoke about Picasso’s masterpiece, ‘Guernica’.

The lecture was thoroughly illustrated with stunning images of the town of Guernica and Picasso’s actual painting, many of which were taken by him and which revealed details of the composition that would not have been seen before.

Pupils discovered the historical and artistic contexts behind the creation of the painting and learned why Guernica is

considered by many people to be the greatest painting of the 20th century. n

Year 3 Artists Spellbound by Owl Visit Year 3 had an exciting art lesson when they were greeted by ten live owls.

The owls ranged from a huge Great European Eagle Owl to a Little Owl, which arrived in the pocket of Rita Wells. Rita runs the Epping Forest Hawk and Owl Sanctuary in Fyfield. Mrs Wells told the pupils all about the owls and where they came from, and then they carefully made observational sketches.

The Year 3 pupils said it was the best art lesson ever, and Mrs Tilbrook quipped that she was rather inclined to agree. n

A LEVEL ART...

PRE PREP ART...

08 | 09

CHARITY

Pre Prep Support for the Tim Pruss Memorial School

For this year, the Pre Prep adopted the Tim Pruss Memorial School in India as its chosen Charity.

Tim’s school, which provides an education for young children in one on the world’s

most impoverished areas, was established to honour the life of Old Chigwellian, Tim Pruss, who died in a tragic accident at the age of 18. Tim was a lovely young man who greatly enjoyed life and genuinely cared for his fellow man. Chigwell School continues to actively support the Tim Pruss Memorial School

Charity Gala Evening Chigwell’s annual charity gala evening is organised by students and was a triumph again this year.

The capacity audience was treated to a large and varied programme of 28 acts.

These ranged from dancing to readings, solo and group performances, to a dazzling final performance of ‘One Day More’ taken from the School’s production of Les Misérables.

The students who oversaw the event agreed that it should support two charities: Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and Smiles with Grace, set up by former

Chigwell pupil Grace Boxall who sadly died two years ago.

Many of the students who performed were Grace’s friends and are patrons of her charity.

A total of just under £2,000 was raised by the event. n

and each spring a group of staff, pupils and parents visit India to offer friendship, to help with repairs and to provide some teaching. Pre Prep pupils wanted to contribute to this tradition of support by bringing small gift bags into school containing much needed educational equipment. These

will be taken out to India when the next group visit.

Mrs Evelyn Gibbs, Head of the Prep Prep said: “Our children and their parents have shown themselves to be especially compassionate and generous and the School has been overwhelmed with the response.” n

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

CHARITY

Half Marathon Raises over £92,000

A Chigwell team donned their running shoes and pounded the streets and parks of London to complete the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon for Cancer Research UK.

Over a hundred parents, staff and Old Chigwellians joined the 16,000 runners who took part in the 13.1-mile event through Central London, taking in the spectacular sites of the capital and the beautiful Royal Parks.

Starting and finishing in Hyde Park, the race took a scenic route past Green Park, St James Park, the Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace.

Chigwell School Development

Manager Gill Punt who put together the team said: “The adventurous team rose to the challenge magnificently with all completing the race in the glorious sunshine. Aching legs but beaming smiles were the order of the day.” CRUK receive no government funding for their research so their lifesaving work relies on money from people like us to help them discover new ways to prevent, diagnose

and treat cancer. Many of us in our Chigwell community have been touched by this dreadful disease and this is one way of helping beat cancer sooner.

A spokesperson for CRUK have said that they are totally overwhelmed by our total (now over £135,000 for two races) and that Chigwell is a shining example of what can be achieved through sports and fundraising. n

Marvellous Mini-Marathoners!

There was a great deal of enthusiasm as well as a considerable amount of loud cheering when the Pre Prep pupils and

staff participated in an energetic and enjoyable mini-marathon.

They walked, jogged and ran along a route through the

School’s grounds to raise funds for one of the School’s charities, Cancer Research UK. Pupils also wanted to show their support for the hundred or so staff, parents and Old Chigwellians

who took part in the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon.

They were delighted with the running workshop which preceded this event and especially pleased with their medals! n

10 | 11

CHARITY

Chigwell’s Superheroes Children in Need Day saw our Junior School dress as superheroes for the day.

There were some excellent and original examples such as the Year 5 Nature Man who wore a costume entirely made out of foam leaves. The day was organised by Miss Jamie Kershberg who commented that the pupils looked fantastic and were all very creative. During the day they learnt about the charity and its work to help children across the country. Later, pupils had the opportunity to design a new eye-patch for Pudsey and started to learn some sign language. They also learnt to read the braille alphabet.

Pupils were lucky enough to be visited by Guide Dogs and one of their volunteers, Brenda Weaver, spoke to them about how the dogs are trained while Tony Sharp, a guide dog user,

spoke about how his guide dogs have helped him to lead a more independent life. The pupils went away with a better understanding of how important guide dogs are to visually

impaired people and how they can help: by not leaving obstacles on the pavement and, if they see a guide dog user crossing the road, to stop to ask whether they can be helpful. n

each year between two Chigwell sixth form teams. This year, the excited crowd of pupils, staff, parents and friends of Eren saw a closely fought game which the

Middle Sixth eventually won 3-2 against the Lower Sixth. The Eren Pars trophy was presented

by Eren’s mother and father to the Middle Sixth captain,

Kayden Chahal. In addition, they kindly made a generous donation to Smiles with Grace which was the chosen charity of the victorious side. n

fundraisers opted to run the circuit twice. The sun shone and all had a good time. The event raised money for Smiles with

Grace, the charity which Grace set up herself to raise money for causes which help other children suffering from life threatening

diseases. The 5k run raised £1,500. Several of the patrons of the charity are Grace’s friends from Chigwell. n

The Eren Pars’ Cup The annual Eren Pars’ football match was played with great passion and spirit.

Sadly, Eren who left Chigwell in 2009, passed away in May 2012 when he was just 21. He was a keen footballer and the match is played in his memory

Smiles with Grace 5k Run Over one hundred pupils, parents and friends gathered to run, jog or walk 5km in order to remember Chigwell pupil, Grace Boxall.

The intrepid participants followed a circular route through Epping Forest and the Chingford Plain, whilst some adventurous

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

DRAMA

A Level Drama A2 drama students performed their devised pieces to an enthralled audience.

Both groups were given the same stimulus, a documentary about the 2011 London Riots, from which to develop an original piece of drama. The first piece was a humorous take on

rebellion throughout history, from the suffragettes to the recent tube strikes. The second piece was set in the afterlife and explored the concepts of moral responsibility and guilt,

somewhat reminiscent of Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit. With outstanding performances from each pupil, both pieces were sophisticated, engaging and poignant. n

Electra Chigwell School’s Drama Department staged an ambitious production of Sophocles’ Electra, a Greek Tragedy about revenge and family feuds.

This modern interpretation was a rich mixture of dance, song, choral movement and some breathtaking stage fighting.

The lead role, Electra, played

by Odette Clark, was a hugely challenging part if only for the vast number of lines to be learnt.

Well done to Odette for a truly impressive feat of memory and a moving, emotional portrayal of this tortured soul.

Dance was beautifully choreographed by Serena Bassi and this was very much enhanced by highly professional use of light and sound effects.

Well done to all the cast and crew for producing such an excellent show. n 12 | 13

DRAMA

Les Garçons Year 8 pupils were treated to the opportunity to watch the French Play Les Garçons by Onatti Productions.

The play was well received as it contained a lot of comical

elements and encouraged the participation of the audience.

Madame Chery who organised for the theatre group to come to Chigwell commented that the pupils all benefited from the play as they were able to learn new words and expressions.

Les Garçons was a fabulous production which the students will certainly remember. n

GCSE Devised Drama

GCSE Drama

The Year 11 Devised Drama was both entertaining and thought-provoking.

The Year 10 GCSE Drama sets performed their devised pieces, exploring a range of themes including mental health, fostering and bullying.

around her showed what might happen in the future. Moyo Awolesi was a most convincing and persuasive Angel while Katie Blower played a number of roles with conviction.

Yasmin Antoniou who played Lily, and India Aujla as Mollie’s mother also gave believable and well-sustained performances.

The professional make-up was the work of Olivia Drabwell.

Another play was a farce entitled Romeo and Juliet (Goes Wrong) with a harassed Harrison Barnes tearing out his director’s hair while pandemonium reigned rather

The plays included one titled What If…? which took place largely in a hospital.

The scenario for this play was if a teenage girl in a coma survived, would the future be better for those around her than if she had died. AimieLee Nguyen (Mollie) sustained the difficult role of the victim with assurance while the others

than the intended Shakespeare.

Oliver Slatford and Rohan Sharad threw themselves fully into the parts – and around the stage – with some excellent physical acting while the bemused and frustrated Harrison tried to get the play back on track. Bryan Subaskaran designed the lighting, which intentionally at times, went ‘wrong’ too. n

The style of pieces ranged from stark naturalism to pantomime to contemporary expressionism.

Pupils offered acting as well as light, sound, costume and makeup. The standard was very high with some hilarious and moving portrayals of the different roles. n

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

MUSIC

Concert Hits Just the Right Note An array of talent was showcased at the Senior School Michaelmas Concert.

The evening began with the Senior Orchestra’s wonderful performance of Finlandia conducted by Bradley Winand.

The beautiful voice of Stacey Cockram preceded the excellent Saxophone Quartet and the funky fun Fusion Group.

Big Band closed the first half with five pieces including

Eye of the Tiger and a festive Frosty the Snowman. After the interval the Chapel Choir once again uplifted New Hall to a magnificent height with Ave Verum Corpus by Mawby, followed by a Christmas flavour with Bethlehem Down

by Warlock. There followed more Christmas numbers by the lovely Flute Group, interspersed

by Chigwell All Stars, piano, violin and clarinet solos. Yet another evening of musical talent closed with the wonderful Symphonic Wind Band. n

Smiles Abound at the Junior School Michaelmas Concert The Junior School provided a fabulous evening of music at their annual Michaelmas concert.

Dominic Tunks, one of the performers, commented that it was a tremendous night ranging from the rich tone of the cellos to the smooth sounding saxophones. The soloists gave polished performances as did the diverse groups and ensembles

along with the Junior Orchestra.

The audience enjoyed a rich and varied programme which included Prokoviev, Dvorak, Rutter and Lloyd Webber. The three choirs showed a range of choral talent with the Music Theatre Group closing the show by reminding us that we are never fully dressed without a smile. A huge thank you to all the music staff and a special thank you to Miss Leach for arranging the whole concert. n

14 | 15

MUSIC

House Music 2015 One of the highlights of the Senior School year is the annual House Music competition.

The event is designed to engender a really positive house spirit with all members of each of the four senior houses, Years 9 to 13, rehearsing and performing together. Item 1 was the same for all houses with a small group of pupils performing Baldwin’s

Neath the Elms unaccompanied.

A group from each house arranged an accompanied item 2, each of which was of an impressive standard: Piano Man

by Caswalls’, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Penn’s, Mr Bojangles by Lambourne, and Feeling Good by Swallow’s. In item 3, all members of each house perform – singing, dancing and in co-ordinated outfits – together. There was

You Can’t Stop the Heat from Caswalls’, We’re All In This Together by Penn’s, a Children in Need Medley from Lambourne, and I’m A Believer from Swallow’s.

The winner by the narrowest of margins was Caswalls’ but the participation, enthusiasm, and sense of togetherness gave all four houses plenty to celebrate. n

The Chigwell Primary Schools’ Music Festival 2015

Young musicians come together to make a variety of music in a single day The Chigwell Primary Schools’ Music Festival 2015 offered pupils the chance to explore music in a variety of forms.

Orchestral instrumentalists worked on repertoire which included professional sectional coaching and there were opportunities for pupils to be part of the string instrument discovery sections, songwriting

and electronic music sessions.

Pupils from 55 schools were invited and the day culminated in a fine spectacle where participants displayed their completed works from the day. Orchestral pieces included Autumn from The Four Seasons

by Vivaldi and the Persian March by Johann Strauss Jnr. Vocal pieces included Basin Street Blues,

Eye of the Tiger and We are the Champions. The day was a great success due to the hard work

and enthusiasm of the Chigwell Music Department and their volunteers. n

Chigwell Chapel Choir Inspire for Charity The Chapel Choir performed at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey, in the Christmas Inspire Carol Service.

The congregation of over seven hundred was made up of Chigwell families and friends, families supported by Kids

Inspire, guests from Salvation Army hostels and from the Red Cross. The service was conducted by The Venerable Andrew Tremlett, Sub Dean of Westminster Abbey and Rector of St Margaret’s, and the Regent Hall Salvation Army Band helped lead the carols. Amongst those who read were Mrs Eleanor Laing MP, composer John Altman, actors Ruthie Henshaw and Oliver Jochim, ChantalAimée Doerries, ChairmanElect, the Bar Council, author David Walliams, and The Right Hon.James Brokenshire MP. The Chigwell Chapel Choir was stunning and the Rector commented that the status of the

Church is such that they enjoy world class visiting musicians.

This means that it is rare for a school choir to sing in the Church, but the Chapel Choir was outstanding.

The service raised some £8,000 for Kids Inspire which supports

Mrs Eleanor Laing MP

vulnerable young people and their families in Essex. n

David Walliams

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

OUT & ABOUT

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Many of our pupils have taken on the challenge of The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which continues to go from strength to strength at Chigwell.

Exciting training and qualification expeditions have been undertaken either on foot or on water, including some in South Wales, Snowdonia and the South Downs. Canoeing expeditions, including the Gold Award on Llangorse Lake at the edge of the Black mountains, have focused on paddling skills, rescue training and navigation.

Other pupils opted for hiking expeditions and Snowdonia National Park was the venue for hiking groups where they undertook navigation training in the mountains around the Glyderau area. This group also completed a 10km circular route from Llyn Owgen to Y Garn at 947m which saw them descend into the famous Devil’s Kitchen.

One of the Silver Award hiking expeditions saw the Chigwell pupils complete a total of 65km over three days,

Gold Award

with two nights camping, as well as the hiking they also spent time completing the aim of their expedition which was to study the local flora and fauna of the South Downs Way. The Expedition assessor was extremely impressed by the group’s mature attitude, mapreading skill and camp craft, and commented that they were a credit to the School. n

Silver Award

Sixth Form Spanish Study Trip A group of sixth form students and staff set off on a study trip to Madrid to explore the many aspects of Spanish culture.

They stayed in the heart of the city and visited many breathtaking monuments such as the magnificent ‘El Palacio Real de Madrid’, the quirky ‘Templo de Debod’ and the gigantic ‘Estadio Santiago Bernabéu’.

They also experienced a cable

car tour of Madrid and explored the city centre on segways. In the evenings, the students and staff had the opportunity to relax and visit the various tapas restaurants scattered amongst the narrow cobbled streets. The sun shone brilliantly for the whole of the trip, much Spanish was practised and new friends were made.

Mr Twinn commented that Madrid truly is an amazing city, which is something he believes the students discovered on this trip. n 16 | 17

OUT & ABOUT

Chigwell Pupils get the Outdoor Learning Bug In a move to further develop outdoor learning, Chigwell School has created a woodland classroom.

Reception pupils proved that children love to learn outdoors and are excited by doing so when they spent the day in the new area. Led by qualified outdoor trained leaders, all pupils enthusiastically participated in a range of activities, from bug hunting to photography. They also learned how to take and manage risks and to work as a team.

Head of Chigwell Pre Prep, Mrs Evelyn Gibbs, commented: “This activity is just one example of the Chigwell School’s commitment to embedding the outdoor environment in the teaching and learning of all curriculum areas. All pupils in

the Pre Prep will have frequent and regular sessions in the woodland classroom. Learning outdoors has numerous benefits

for children and apart from providing contact with, an understanding of, and respect for the natural world, it helps

in the development of essential life skills such as resilience, confidence, independence and creativity.” n

Surfing the Waves in South Wales Year 10 girls travelled to Porthcawl, South Wales, for a weekend of outdoor activities.

The girls were able to test their driving skills on quad bikes and then by racing each other around a very bumpy course. They then travelled to the coast where they enjoyed a picnic by the sea, before

changing into their wetsuits, ready for their surf lesson. The girls were taught how to paddle in and catch a wave and learnt how to jump to their feet and ride the wave into shore. In addition to this, they enjoyed some games in the sea, running across a ‘surf board bridge’ and a team ‘life guard’ challenge where they had to sprint into the sea with their boards, paddle out around a buoy

and race back into shore. The whole weekend was a fantastic experience for everyone involved

and a big thank you goes to the local instructors who made the weekend so enjoyable. n

Friends of Chigwell Firework Display Goes with a Bang Over 1,400 parents, pupils and friends gathered on Top Field for the annual Friends of Chigwell (FOC) firework display.

The weather was kind, the fireworks were stunning and

the food, stalls and wind band provided an excellent evening of entertainment. The whole event was organised by the parent volunteers on the FOC which works hard throughout the year to organise events which bring Chigwell families together and raise additional funds for the school. We are very fortunate indeed to have

such a dedicated team of parents who are prepared to

support us in this way and give of their time so generously. n

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

SPORT

Barcelona Football Tour Thirty-two pupils from Chigwell took part in a football development tour to Barcelona.

Staying in the coastal resort of Santa Sussana, the group trained at the hotel’s 3G pitch on arrival and then transferred to Camp Nou to watch Barcelona beat Real Vallecano 5-2, which was a fantastic way to start the trip.

Over the course of the six-day visit, the U13 boys took part in four training sessions at the hotel as well as two training sessions with La Liga side, Espanyol CF. The boys were trained by the Espanyol U17 coach, Robert, who put on two excellent training sessions. The squad were also lucky enough to have the Espanyol captain, Abraham, visit during their second training session.

The two squads played three matches each against local club sides, Almelda, Gelida and the

Hristo Stoichkov academy. The standard of opposition was very good and all six matches were extremely competitive.

The squad also visited the

main tourist attractions in the city as well as Espanyol’s ‘El Prat’ stadium and Barcelona’s ‘Camp Nou’. The group were complemented on their

behaviour on many occasions during the tour and were great ambassadors for their school both on and off the pitch. n

ISFA Sixes Success for Chigwell The School’s 1st XI footballers participated in the Independent Schools’ FA national Sixes competition held at Manchester Grammar school.

Twenty-four teams from across the country competed in the 6-a-side competition which is played on full-sized pitches.

Chigwell started the tournament well with a 1-0 win over Lancing College and then followed up with a 0-0 draw against the Manchester hosts.

Bolton School were next up and a tight game followed with Bolton snatching a 1-0 win with the final kick of the game. Chigwell then beat Dulwich College 1-0 and drew with Forest School 1-1 which meant they missed out on a place in the cup quarter final on goal difference and finished 3rd in their group. Chigwell then beat St Bede’s Manchester 1-0 in the plate quarter final, then UCS on penalties in the semi-final to reach

the final, again against the hosts.

Despite having good possession and creating some good chances, Manchester Grammar scored in the final minute which meant Chigwell finished as runners-up in the plate competition. This was a great achievement as Chigwell was the smallest school in the competition. The 1st XI carried on from last year’s success where they were runners-up in the main cup competition. n 18 | 19

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Chigwell Footballers Bound for the ISFA National Finals Chigwell U11s crowned regional champions Chigwell School’s U11 football team are through to the Independent Schools U11 national finals after winning the Essex regional event.

Twelve teams from across the region entered the tournament which was held at Chigwell in glorious sunshine. Chigwell started strongly and secured five victories in the group stages to finish top of their group.

St Aubyn’s were beaten in the quarter final and Brentwood

in the semi-final which setup a final match against Elm Green.

The opening stages were a tense affair with both teams creating chances. However, it was Chigwell who came through in the end with a 3-0 victory.

Chigwell will now travel to the national finals which will be held at the FA’s national football centre, St George’s Park, on Tuesday 3rd May 2016.

The boys played some excellent, creative and attacking football over the course of the afternoon and won the tournament whilst playing the game in the right manner. n

Under 11 Essex Seven-a-side Football Champions The U11 boys’ football team played in the county 7-a-side football finals at the Len Forge Centre in Southend.

Chigwell were the West Essex representatives having won through to the finals via a previous tournament. There were sixteen Essex districts represented at the finals with all of the teams

placed in round robin groups.

Matches were then played to establish a top four who would then go through to the semifinals. Chigwell managed to go through as a group winner and were victorious in their final game, after extra time, by 3 goals to 2. This means the boys have now qualified for the finals of the London Cup. The Chigwell boys were magnificent from start to finish and fully deserved their success. n

Chigwell School Hosts Under 11s Football Festival Chigwell School hosted its annual U11 Football festival where 24 teams from local primary schools taking part.

Teams were placed in three pools of eight teams and played seven friendly matches against the other schools in the group.

Each game was competitive in its own right. This was not a knockout tournament

which ensured that all pupils played the same amount of football over the course of the morning. There was an

excellent relaxed atmosphere around the event, which allowed the boys and girls to play in a suitable environment for their

development. Needless to say, there was lots of good football on show and some very happy players indeed. n

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

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Double Golfing Glory Congratulations go to James Styles who won the 2015 Essex Under 14 Golf County Championship held at Maylands Golf Club in Romford.

has previously won the Under 10s and Under 12s. He was presented with a Silver Bowl Trophy Cup and a winner’s medal together with prize money. James has been a

The competition was an 18-hole Scratch Event and there was a field of over 60 competitors on the day. James won with an impressive gross score of 77. This success completes a hat-trick of County titles for James who

member of the Essex County Elite Squad for the last two years and has been called up for England trials.

Later in the season he triumphed again at the Essex Schools Golf Championships at Colne Valley Golf Club. There were approximately 60 golfers from across Essex taking part and James won the event with a gross score of 80, three shots ahead of 2nd place. James plays his golf at Chigwell Golf Club, where his handicap is 6. The future looks bright for James and we wish him all the best. n

Cross Country at Chigwell...

U11 Primary Schools’ Netball Festival Held at Chigwell School This popular annual event was held once again at Chigwell.

Eighteen schools from the local area took part. The first round of matches were of mixed ability, followed by a final round of five matches where teams

were placed into three groups.

The purpose of the festival was to provide the environment for the players to develop their skills as part of a team and to enjoy the game in a positive manner.

Miss Sam Dick, Head of Netball at Chigwell School said: “The teams were very

entertaining and thanks goes to coaches and parents who supported the teams throughout the day. It was encouraging to

see the improvement across all eighteen teams, bearing in mind that some of the players were new to netball as a sport.” n

Netball County Representation

Congratulations to Eleanor Ahern and Nina McCausland who have been selected to play for Essex Met at the Under 14 level.

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Girls’ Hockey It was another successful season for girls’ hockey at Chigwell School.

The 1st XI managed the incredible feat of playing all of their regular weekly fixtures unbeaten this year. The development and progression of this squad since their summer tour to South Africa has been astonishing. Many of the current squad were 2nd XI players last year, and they have fought their way into the 1st XI and rightfully kept their places too. One of the most pleasing aspects is the variety of names on the weekly

score sheets. The attacking flair and depth to the squad has been excellent and has made their style of hockey exciting to watch every week. The senior girls continued this good run of form into the indoor season where the Chigwell ladies were crowned Essex U18 Champions.

Following this, they represented the county at the regional finals, where they finished a credible 4th in the South East of England. Outside of school hockey, Alice Melvin has reached the dizzy heights of U18 NAGS, which is a national performance centre for talented hockey players looking to progress through to the England set-up.

Alice Melvin

1st XI

The 2nd XI ladies have had a pleasing late run of form towards the end of the season beating Mill Hill, Bancroft’s and drawing against Forest. With an enthusiastic and talented U15 year group moving through to senior hockey next year, the 1st and 2nd XI squads only look to get stronger in the future.

In the middle school, the U15s have won all their matches this season, racking up an incredible 27 goals and only conceding four. They are currently in the quarter finals of the Independent Schools Hockey Cup. This is an incredibly talented squad with Stevie Southall, Venetia Bailey and Chloe Stack being selected for the U16 Junior Regional Performance Centre (JRPC) and the latter two progressing to tier 1. Charlotte James-Pajwani and Zoe Wright were selected for the U15 JRPC tier 1 and following

this Charlotte was selected for JRPC tier 2/High Performance Assessment Camps (HIPAC).

The U14s have developed hugely as the season has progressed.

With a squad of over 20 girls training every week, selection was rotated to give everyone a chance to play in the ‘A’s.

In addition to these teams, Chigwell has fielded U15B and U14B squads for fixtures this year. This is a feat we are very proud of, providing competitive fixtures for anyone that wants to be involved with team sports. n

Charlotte and Zoe

Chigwell Win Under 18 Indoor Hockey Tournament Chigwell School’s 1st ladies team travelled to New Hall to play in the Essex U18 Indoor Hockey Tournament.

The squad was a mix of experience and enthusiasm and the girls faced a tough start against Coopers. They went 1-0 up with a fine run and finish from Alice Melvin. Coopers then dominated possession and responded with two goals of their own to take the lead. In the second half the Chigwell girls defended stoutly, with Hannah Leiper in fine form in goal and

Ellie Sibley saving a penalty corner on the line. This gave the girls confidence and they took their opportunity at the other end and Annie Redmond finished smartly on her reverse stick to level the score. In the dying seconds Chigwell were unlucky not to win the match, with Kirsty Farquharson’s goal being disallowed.

Chigwell went into their second match against New Hall knowing that a win would secure top spot and qualify them for the regional finals. Chigwell enjoyed a large amount of possession, but it was New Hall

who took the lead with a well taken first-time shot. Chigwell continued to play well and were rewarded with a goal after another mazy run and pass from Melvin which Anna Gleadell deflected past the goalkeeper.

Annie Redmond scored her second of the tournament in

similar fashion, flicking on her reverse stick to secure the win.

Co-Captain Megan Wells said: “I’m so pleased with our effort today. The girls played brilliantly and we are thrilled to have qualified for the regional finals.” n

News From Chigwell | Spring 2016

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Anna’s Australian Achievement Anna Sagoo travelled to Perth, Australia with her club Aquavision to compete in the Commonwealth Festival of Synchronised Swimming.

Aquavision were the only UK club represented and were joined by swimmers from ten other Commonwealth countries, many of whom were selected to represent their country. Anna was chosen to carry the England banner in the opening parade which was

a great honour. She swam in the U12 category, competed in figures and also performed a solo. She was ranked 5th which was a great result given the strong competition. At the end of the tournament Anna had another surprise when she was named “swimmer of the meet”. For her prize she met the Australian Olympic team and was given a signed photo and a trophy. She also won custommade swimming costumes for her club. Anna commented that Australia was a long way to go but she had an amazing experience. n

Anna with the Australian Olympic team

Samuel Scoops Bronze at World Championships

Samuel Jones represented Great Britain in Padel at the U18 World Championship in Mexico City.

This was an outstanding accomplishment especially as he was selected a year young.

Padel is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court a third the size of a tennis court.

It is scored in the same way as tennis and the balls used are similar but with a little less pressure; the main differences are that the court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way as in the game of squash, and that solid, stringless racquets are used. At the World Championship there were two separate competitions: the Open, which was individual pairs battling it out, and the team event where countries

Samuel with the GB Padel squad

competed. Samuel played in the Under 18s for both events.

He reached the quarter-finals in the Open losing to a Spanish pair but this does mean that he can say he is one of the top eight pairs in the World. In the

team event, GB lost to Spain (who went on to win) in the semi-finals. They subsequently beat Paraguay to come 3rd and collect a bronze medal. This was a superb achievement and huge congratulations go to Samuel. n

Ice Skating Success for Emily Year 8 pupil Emily Webster has been ice skating since the age of four, participating in ice dance, free skating and synchronised skating.

Emily is currently ice skating for two synchronised skating teams, representing Lee Valley London Skating Club. Team

Phoenix, the intermediate team, were silver medal winners in their category at the British Championships and also hold the Canary Wharf Group, Junior Sports Team Personality of the Year 2015.Team Aura are the senior team. They are the current British Champions in their category. Team Aura and Team Phoenix represented the South East of England at

Lee Valley Ice Rink for the first competition of the season.

Team Phoenix and Team Aura each won their category, securing a gold medal place on the rostrum. They will also represent Great Britain in two International Competitions to be held in Hungary and Switzerland, later in the 2016 season. n 22 | 23

Dates for your diary 11 February: English Play Measure for Measure, Drama Centre, 7.00pm

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25 February: Chamber Concert, New Hall, 7.00pm 2 March: AS level Drama Monologues, Drama Centre, 5.00pm 3 March: UII Festival of the Spoken Word, Drama Centre 4.15pm 10 March: Middle School Public Speaking Competition, New Hall, 7.00pm 12 March: Bollywood Charity evening, New Hall, 7.00pm 18 March: GCSE Drama Scripted Performances, Drama Centre, 5.00pm

CHIGWELL SCHOOL 2016 OPEN DAYS Saturday 1st October at 12.00pm for all ages Saturday 15th October at 10.00am for 4+ and 10.30am for 7+ Thursday 20th October at 7.30pm for Sixth Form Saturday 12th November at 10.30am for 11+ and 13+ Scholarships and Bursaries available at 11+, 13+ and 16+ For further information please contact Admissions: 020 8501 5700 or email jlong@chigwell-school.org

19 March: Choral Concert: Piano Soloist Gopal Kambo (OC), Christ Church, Spitalfields, 7.00pm

SUMMER TERM… 28 April: Musician of the Year Finals, New Hall, 7.00pm 29 April: AS level Drama performances, Drama Centre, 7.00pm 4-5 May: Year 10 GCSE Drama Scripted Performances, Drama Centre, 5.00pm 16 June: Junior School Concert, New Hall, 7.00pm 22-24 June: Junior School Play, Drama Centre, 7.00pm 25 June: Sports Day 7 July: Scholars’ Play, Drama Centre, 7.00pm 9 July: Speech Day and Chigwell Ball 12 July: Senior School Concert, New Hall, 7.00pm

Letters or Enquiries to: The Editor News from Chigwell, Development Office, Chigwell School, High Road, Chigwell, Essex IG7 6QF Telephone: 020 8501 5748 Email: development@chigwell -school.org Website: www.chigwell-school.org

Chigwell School is an Incorporated Charity, number 1115098.