The Churcherian 2018

THE

CHURCHERIAN 2018

History

56

Geography

58

Headmaster’s Foreword

4

Classics

60

Junior School

8

Religion and Philosophy

62

Speech Day

32

French

64

Collingwood

34

German

66

Drake

36

Spanish

68

Grenville

38

Mathematics

70

Nelson

40

Computing

72

Rodney

42

Curriculum Support

74

Fifth Form

44

Design and Technology

76

Sixth Form

46

Art

78

English

48

Music

82

Drama and Dance

50

Biology

90

Chemistry

92

Economics Business & Politics 54 2

Acknowledgements Editor

D Greenall

Design & layout

G Hadlow

Photography

D Heath / C Pellet

Physics

94

Psychology

96

STEAM

98

Sports Science

100

Ten Tors

102

Duke of Edinburgh

103

First Challenge

104

World Challenge

106

OSCA

108

Adventurous Training

110

Devizes to Westminster

Cricket

134

Swimming

138

Athletics and Cross-Country

140

Rounders

142

Tennis

144

Charities

146

112

Educational Partnership Projects

150

CCF

114

CAS

152

Rugby

122

Success Stories

154

Boys’ Hockey

126

Staff Departures

160

Girls’ Hockey

128

Foundation Office

166

Netball

130

In Memoriam

172

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HEADMASTER’S FOREWORD Foreword…

In the channel-hopping, internetsurfing, insta-picture-posting world we now live in, it seems that much of what we read and watch is designed around attention-grabbing headlines and instantaneous infographic images; all trying to capture interest and attention before the reader or watcher clicks onto the next channel, page or post.

A chronicle of an extremely busy and full year is unlikely to be able to do justice to tales of extraordinary

endeavour and accomplishment if it is to follow the news-flash mantra of ten seconds per item, but it is equally a challenge to encapsulate all that has been accomplished this year, even in a magnificent tome such as The Churcherian magazine.

Occasionally, however, there are images and events that give a flavour of the glories, awards and rewards. Therefore, for this 2017-18 Churcherian’s Foreword, instead of reams of text, I have chosen a few annotated images as a hint of what lies beyond these prologue pages, a collection of ten second ‘sound bites’

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of the Churcher’s year just gone.

So what did make up the academic year 2017-18 at Churcher’s? Well, there was…

...Reward and Award

The overall statistics for the school at A Level and GCSE are stunning, 21.5% A* grades at A Level, almost 55% A* and A and 87% A* to B grades, ten Oxbridge offers and ‘truck-loads’ of the new grade 9 at GCSE. All this certainly puts us in the top echelons of schools in the country with extraordinary value being added, according to Durham

University well above the national norm for similar schools. And record breaking isn’t reserved for just exams either… week after week of Maths Challenge, LAMDA, Music and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award certificates prove just that.

...Team and Individual Glory

Whether it is the 200 performers who were on the stage at the Summer Concert in Cadogan Hall in London or our next two solo, singersongwriter artistes to release through Ramshill Records like Grace and Will;

the record-breaking sports team or the international athlete; the 168 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award winners or our Army Scholarship holder.

There are stories aplenty beyond this page of individual and team glory.

...Intellectual Challenge

Inside and outside the classroom, conversations did not shy away from the difficult, controversial or intellectually challenging. Apartheid, Brexit, disability and ecology were just a few topics on the agenda this last year.

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...Opportunites for All

Behind every headline there are stories of inspiration, innovation and industry. Although an annual review such as this tends to deal with what is in the limelight, there is a great deal going on literally and metaphorically backstage. The lower school production of School of Rock almost had as many names listed in the crew and tech team as amongst the actors.

…Challenge and Adventure

One of the must-have Christmas presents for children at Churcher’s is probably one of those scratcha-country global maps where you uncover each of the countries you visit until you have a wall map of kaleidoscopic colour. But you don’t have to go on an expedition or exchange to China, Iceland, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Austria, the Azores or Poland to taste adventure:

there has been a raft of home grown opportunities.

…A Sense of Community ‘Parents: Get Involved’ was the headline and it was both a statement and a request. There are few places that can boast as broad and as active an involvement of parents as we enjoy here and there is no shortage of enthusiasm for even more. The Churcher’s community isn’t defined or confined by age or geography: adults are as welcome as children,

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past pupil as important as present.

The Richard Churcher Foundation may provide the glue that holds generations of Churcherians together, but read on through the pages following and it is clear that the Churcher’s community is not confined to a few acres on top of Ramshill, nor is the contribution it makes to Petersfield (or Nepal or China or…)

...Enjoyment

Whether it is simply the naive

optimism of youth or the pleasure that comes with friendship, shared challenge and reward, looking through the images that follow, irrespective of age or activity, there is one thing in common: the smiles.

…Pride

Just as is intended with the newsflash images on the BBC News app on your phone, hopefully this foreword has whetted your appetite and encouraged you to read on, delving into the stories behind the headlines.

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As one American visitor said to me recently, “Wow, you’ve got a great school; you must be so proud of it all”. It is and I am.

Simon Williams Headmaster

JUNIOR SCHOOL It has been another whirlwind of a year and one in which we have made every day count!

Our inaugural STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) Week back in October was a firecracker! Workshops were led by scientist-in-residence for the week, Ian Russell of the ‘Exploding Custard’ science show, and the buzz around the school was electric! The week culminated in a wonderful exhibit of science projects made by the children, to which they and their families were invited.

The whole school picnic to celebrate Meghan and Harry’s Royal Wedding in May will be a fond memory for many, too. Not only was the field a sea of red, white and blue but there was music, a barbecue, picnic blankets and a celebratory atmosphere in the sunshine.

Cultivating our seedlings in the Nursery has been a joy this year.

With updated fees for September 2018, entry into CCJS is popular and it is no wonder: our dedicated team of staff care about our children and ensure they are secure and can thrive in this wonderful environment for play and learning. As the Pussycats

turn into Owls and the Owls fly off to Reception Class, it sees the first admitted Nursery children become fully fledged CCJS pupils. Doesn’t time fly?

At the other end of the school, Year 6 pupils were sent off in style with a Celebration Afternoon in July where we applauded their achievements and heard of their many proud moments over their years at CCJS. We know that a journey is best measured in the friends one makes along the way and the Year 6 cohort were testament to this. Their collegiality and vibrancy will be missed.

Performing arts opportunities have been aplenty as well. From assemblies, tea-time music concerts to Nativities, year group productions and CCJS’s Got Talent, there was something for every palate and interest. Just when we think the standard cannot get any higher, the children exceed our expectations; we really must start charging for the tickets! Humble and modest as ever, the children resume their

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normal positions offstage and are congratulatory of each other’s shining moments.

Similarly, on the games pitch, the array of fixtures (home and away) in the different sporting disciplines (football, netball, rugby, rounders and cricket) provides ample opportunity to put skills and knowledge into practice; learn about managing expectations and nerves, grit and resilience, as well as winning and losing gracefully. Winning spectacularly in the IAPS Sailing Competition this year were two Year 6 pupils who achieved 1st place.

There is no end to the talents of the children here.

Enrichment activities continue to grow with residentials to France, PGL, Cobnor and Bushcraft, as well as day trips to Harry Potter, Fisher’s Farm, Milestones, British Museum and Winchester’s Science Centre to name but a few – the list is endless, as are the educational learning opportunities when faced with reallife situations outside the classroom.

Over £7,500 has been raised for

Humble and modest as ever, the children are congratulatory of each other’s shining moments

many different good causes over the academic year. The main focus for fundraising has been The King’s Arms, a charity based in Petersfield, which supports the needs of young people in the surrounding area and we have raised nearly £2,000 for them. Reading for Good (Readathon) received over £1,000 and many other charities including Children in Need, Great Ormond Street and Help for Heroes have been worthy of other donations, all raised through the children’s interests and activities at CCJS. Our children are truly inspirational!

We also said goodbye to some members of staff at the end of this year: this term’s Classroom Assistant, Hannah Moore; Kristian ParkerMeadows, Graduate Sports Assistant; Sophie Penfold, MFL Teacher who has been at Churcher’s for three years; and Mr Hamish Newport, Head of Music who leaves us to head off to pastures new in Germany to pursue his love of music, after four years at Churcher’s. Thank you to all of the staff leavers for their contribution to CCJS.

CCJS Parents’ Association have had a very successful year. As well as organise the regular and popular events (Film Night, Discos, Quiz Night, Christmas Fair to name but a few), the organising and arranging notched up a level with the very popular and much revered Best-of-all Festival, held on the field in glorious sunshine before the end of term.

Take some stalls, bouncy castles, music and entertainment, throw in a tug-of-war competition organised

by William Bailey (Year 5) for Sport Relief and you have the archetypal English Summer event. Simply stunning!

There have also been some structural changes to the running of the PA we now have two parents who will co-chair the PA for the next two years. Fundraising for playground equipment and play areas in both the Infants and Juniors will take the wait out of securing these much needed items for the children, and we are grateful for these and other projects in the pipeline. Parents’ commitment and energy is valued enormously here.

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And so from the end of one academic year to the beginning of another we look forward; there is much excitement at the introduction of ‘Mindfulness’ in the curriculum for Years 2 and 5 which we hope will give the children the opportunity to stop and reflect about all the amazing successes achieved, learn skills to deal with the bumps in the road and savour the experiences lived at school. Something we could all do with experiencing in our pacey schedules!

Whilst some count the days until the next holiday or event, at CCJS it is clear from all of these marvellous activities that we prefer to make every day count.

Ffion Robinson Head of Churcher’s College Junior and Nursery School

It has been a very busy and exciting year in the Nursery.

We celebrated our first anniversary by planting two lovely apple trees, which was very exciting! We can’t wait to harvest the first apples next year. We have had so much fun learning through play, from role play and construction to art, PE and computing; the time has flown by!

We have such a wonderful outdoor space at Nursery which the children are able to access all year round. We made snow angels in the winter, collected leaves in the Autumn, played holidays in the Summer and went bird watching in the Spring. We even had a friendly little robin who came to visit and answer our calls!

The children have been able to use the garden to plant a variety of different vegetables including carrots and radishes. It’s so valuable for the children to plant, water, watch grow, harvest and then finally eat the produce. All the children even tried the radishes but they weren’t to everyone’s taste!

STEAM week was full of bubbles and exploration. The children were fascinated by the huge bubbles our visitor made so had a go at seeing how big they could make their own. They also investigated magnets by moving paper clips around in bottles and reflections.

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The children have learnt about healthy eating and what makes a balanced diet. They have had a chance to cook lots of healthy recipes in the kitchen, from breakfast muffins to eggy bread and banana smoothies. Delicious!

We have enjoyed playing with our friends and making new friends.

Our wise ‘old’ Owls have been preparing to move up to Reception Class and will leave the Nursery ready for all the new and exciting challenges in September. Our Pussycats are looking forward to meeting lots of new friends after the Summer holidays and moving up to Owls class.

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RECEPTION

Reception have enjoyed so many wonderful opportunities and experiences; meeting new friends and learning to ‘have a go’ at new challenges during their first full year in school. They have tried their best at many exciting new activities, continuing on their learning adventure in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Autumn term highlights included inviting parents in to see how we learn to read in Reception Class and Campfire fun day. We enjoyed

a fantastic visit to the Blue Reef Aquarium to support all the great learning linked with our whole school STEAM week, too.

The children enjoyed their Superheroes topic in Spring term, culminating in a truly fierce and spectacular Superhero day to celebrate achievements throughout the term. Everyone enjoyed a day of activities including cracking the code to rescue one of their favourite toys from Deadly Dom!

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Summer term brought new opportunities to celebrate with their first class assembly to the whole school. We shared our achievements in a video, showcasing some of the technology Reception Class use to develop ideas and learning. It was an inspired demonstration of each ‘child’s voice’ as they presented their favourite activities to the school community.

Later in the term the school celebrated the Royal Wedding and

Reception Class did it in style, with a special picnic and a few engagements of their own!

The class were able to enjoy a special treat after completing their final targets for the year. Miss Humphreys came to join in the fun at our Teddy Bear’s Picnic as the children began to think about their new class in September. Everyone enjoyed the design and technology project to make their own Teddy Bears in class.

The Teddy Bears were very well

behaved and didn’t give anyone a surprise!

By the end of the school year everyone was ready to enjoy a fun filled day out at Fisher’s Farm Park with Year 1. What a year!

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YEAR 1

Year 1 have covered a wide variety of topics throughout the year and enjoyed lots of practical activities and hands-on trips to support their learning. The ‘Ourselves’ topic has seen us make pictures of our skeletons.

We have had lots of fun cutting and peeling fruit for a delicious fruit smoothie and making dough when baking bread rolls for Harvest.

We have enjoyed visiting the Victorian museum in Guildford in our ‘Toys’ topic to find out what toys Victorian children would have had and what life would have been like for a Victorian child at play and at school. We then set up our own museum in the classroom, made labels and played with our collection of Victorian toys. We made our own toys with moving parts including a split pin Elmer the Elephant and sliding mechanism boat.

We have had a fun term exploring our new topic for the Spring term ‘Ice Cold and Snow’, carrying out lots of investigations into freezing and melting. We looked at the life of Captain Scott who travelled through some awful, snowy conditions in the race to the South Pole and reenacted his journey across the school fields.

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Year 1 have had a very busy Summer term visiting local buildings to look at the differences and similarities.

To see how our houses are different to those in the past we went to the Weald and Downland Museum which has lots of houses from the past. We looked at the materials they used to build houses and tried our hand at building bridges, tiling a roof and arranging bricks to build walls. We enjoyed our day and got to find out about all the hard jobs Victorian children had to do, such as polishing the furniture and beating the rugs, and linked the equipment they used with modern day equivalents.

Everyone loved the chores as a oneoff but would not commit to any more jobs at home! We drew some super pictures of the houses and used watercolours to create some outstanding artwork and then got very messy and gluey building our own Tudor houses from cardboard boxes.

We visited St Peter’s Church in Petersfield to see how some buildings are special to people such as Christians. We had a wonderful tour of the church and learned about its special features like the font and the altar, and found out why people light candles in a church from the wonderful Rev’d Will Hughes. We drew some fantastic pictures of the church and made some beautiful windows inspired by the stained glass in the church.

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YEAR 2

Year 2 began the academic year by welcoming six new children into their fold. They bonded extremely well and quickly developed lovely friendships. Being the ‘top infants’, the children of Year 2 have helped to look after the younger members of the Infant Department and enjoyed the kudos that being the oldest brings!

performing the Christmas story to their families.

The children have enjoyed a busy year in school and have joined in enthusiastically with all activities.

In class, the children loved the visit from a Mummy and new baby and another visit from a grandmother who is a retired nurse, which linked in with our studies on Florence Nightingale. Equally, the visit from a Mum who is a doctor fascinated the children as they learnt about modern-day medicine. A Dad who is a former soldier brought history to life with his talk on Remembrance Day, and the children loved trying on many items of his uniform. Equally, another Dad who is a firefighter in the London Fire Brigade greatly enthused the children with his talk

We had a lovely trip to St Mary’s Church, Bramshott, where the children looked carefully at the war graves and memorials, which linked in with our History studies. We also saw the very old baptism font and the children staged their own Christening back at school.

The Infant Nativity was the highlight of the Autumn term, with the whole of the Infant Department

Our visit to the Winchester Science Centre was a lovely day out and the children were especially captivated by the Colon Café! They have also learnt about electricity and found it fascinating to make electrical circuits back at school.

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on the Great Fire of London and the children were very keen to wear firefighting equipment as part of this experience.

Gardening has been high on the agenda, with the children making full use of our lovely cottage garden area. From planting bulbs earlier in the year, to tasting the raspberries, strawberries and tomatoes that they grew, the children have greatly enjoyed this experience. The flowers they planted are in full bloom and the children love to spend time watering them all.

The end of this academic year has seen the Infants perform their annual Infant Production at the Senior School. The Bee Musical, with its catchy songs, has caught the attention of the children. They all worked so hard to learn their lines and entertained a packed audience with their confident and enthusiastic performance.

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YEAR 3

Year 3 have had an active and stimulating year, and have thrived and grown, physically, emotionally and academically in leaps and bounds.

All three terms have included trips and themed days, assemblies or a production. To witness the children’s confidence soar as the year has progressed is always a privilege.

The children were all stars in their ‘All Star Performance’ in May. With a selection of music, dance and drama including some performance poetry, there was ample opportunity for them all to shine - and that is just what they did!

Year 3 were very enthused and excited about Science during our STEAM week (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) in the Autumn term. They used their fantastic observational skills when making Cartesian divers and have increased their understanding of floating, sinking and air pressure.

Much fun was had along the way!

An outside visitor, in the form of Professor John, visited us to bring

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the Anglo-Saxons to life. Year 3 enjoyed a very interactive workshop all morning and then had a campfire in the afternoon, joined by their parents. Many sausages and songs later, all returned home fuller in minds and stomachs!

Butser Ancient Farm in late September helped bring the Romans to life, ProMusica at G Live in Guildford during the Spring term brought awe and wonder at

the first sight of a live orchestra and the Sustainability Centre trip in May helped develop a greater understanding of ‘Caring for our Environment’, a topic covered in both Geography and PSHE. Selborne Study Centre was also visited in the Summer term, helping all of Year 3 become real scientists, while studying ‘Rocks and Fossils’. As well as all these outdoor learning experiences, an Activity Day at Barfield encouraged the children to

step out of their comfort zone and literally do a leap of faith.

In English, in the last few days of the Summer term, poetry helped secure learning of apostrophes… for the time being anyway!

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YEAR 4

Year 4 have enjoyed a very productive year full of new experiences, friendships and challenges.

Our time has included themed weeks, concerts, trips and visitors as well as a play and assemblies all adding to an action-packed year. The Autumn term saw our first ever STEAM week (Science, Tech, Engineering, Art and Maths) in which we enjoyed exploding custard and producing Robots!

The Spring term was kick-started by our trip to Harry Potter World and the Summer term saw our first camping trip to Penhurst Place in Kent.

Bushcraft was a fantastic opportunity for the children to

leave modern life behind and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside. A chance to recharge the batteries and learn some new survival skills with Mr Forbes - our very own Bear Grylls!

Assemblies this year have included a presentation on teamwork from 4M and a dramatic production

by Mrs Pendry and 4P which was based around the Geography work the children have done on ‘Habitats’. Our Spring term highlight was undoubtedly our production of Porridge’ which involved every single member of Year 4. This was a singing and dancing show with the

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theme being a dark take on the Three Bears story. It really was a superb effort by everyone: the actors, the cow (Buttercup), the reporters and, of course, Goldilocks and those three bears. Well done Year 4. A great team effort here.

History is often cited as a favourite subject in Year 4. We have really enjoyed all the topics covered this year but especially the one on WW2.

It is fascinating to be able to talk to people who were actually there. One piece of work the children especially enjoyed was making their model air raid shelters and writing evacuee letters home.

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YEAR 5

Shakespeare

workshop

or

Cobn

Year 5 have enjoyed an adventurous year including an overnight trip at Cobnor Activity Centre, where they honed their teambuilding, sailing, canoeing, climbing and orienteering skills. They have enhanced their classroom learning with a visit from The Young Shakespeare Company, a combined History and Geography trip to Midhurst and science trips to Selborne and Chichester Planetarium.

All of these learning experiences will stand them in good stead for the challenges of Year 6.

Selborne Study Centre In the Autumn term, Year 5 ventured out to The Selborne Study Centre to experience plant life cycles firsthand, among the flora and fauna of the surrounding countryside. After making flowers from locally sourced

clay, the children worked in house teams to collect specimens from the kitchen garden of the Gilbert White Field Study Centre. Staff from the study centre acted as guides, revealing some of nature’s secrets as we walked the paths and gardens.

The children used the equipment at the study centre to examine, dissect and catalogue their finds.

After lunch, the children ascended the zig-zag path to test their hypothesis of whether leaves from the Hearts Tongue Fern were longer at the top of the path than at the bottom. After hundreds of data points and much mental calculation we were none the wiser (!) but our investigative skills have improved!

The children thoroughly enjoyed their time at the Study Centre and

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by seeing and experiencing plant life cycles in the natural environment they have cemented their first term’s scientific knowledge and understanding.

Cobnor Activities Centre Year 5 journeyed to Cobnor for three days of adventurous activities.

This was the first time many of the children had stayed away from home for two nights and they all coped very well. There were many highlights for the children including: sailing their own boat, building and racing rafts, canoeing to Bosham and back and the challenging climbing wall. The children really enjoyed spending time with each other and working in their house teams to make the most of the activities. Thank you to Mr Forbes for organising the trip and also to

sweet chestnut trees, the children then ventured down into the high street and identified hidden historical clues.

Hampton Court Palace

Mrs Drummond, Mrs Tkaczynska, Mr Pickett and Mr Rushin for looking after the children.

Senior School Science Year 5 enjoyed a fascinating afternoon of science at the Senior School for their ‘Gophers’ afternoon.

The Year 7 pupils acted as hosts (Gophers) and took the children through a series of experiments.

One of the favourites was writing a secret message in lemon juice and then revealing this writing by ‘wafting’ the paper through a naked flame - too long in the flame and the message went up in smoke! Among the other investigations, the children created rainbows by mixing different densities of coloured salt solution

and made their own slime. Thank you to Ms Westwood and the Year 7 Gophers for making the afternoon such a success!

Midhurst Year 5 enjoyed an informative morning walking around the meadows and streets of Midhurst.

The children learnt about why Midhurst was originally settled and the historical influences of the Iron Age, Romans, Normans and Victorians. They thought about why the course of the River Arun had been altered in Midhurst and learnt about the history of Cowdray ruins.

After imagining life in the Motte and Bailey castle of St Anne’s Hill and enjoying a run around amid the giant

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On February 1st, Year 5 set off for Hampton Court Palace to experience what an incredibly ‘modern’ and well-designed palace Cardinal Wolsey built for himself and then, very generously, gave to Henry VIII! We concentrated on the Tudor part of the palace and participated in a very interesting activity - exploring the incredible kitchens that Henry VIII had built so that he could feed over 600 people twice a day, every day (phew!). We explored Henry’s palace and heard some of the spooky tales of hauntings that are supposed to occur regularly in the palace and its grounds.

The Young Shakespeare Company During the Summer term, Year 5 enjoyed an exciting visit from The Young Shakespeare Company. The children were transported to the beautiful city of Verona, where they were introduced to the warring Capulets and Montagues. The children’s acting skills were tested to the full as they took on different characters and explored the twisting plot of Romeo and Juliet.

YEAR 6

The children of Year 6 have had a fantastic year, taking on a vast array of new roles and responsibilities.

It was wonderful to have the addition of peer mentors this year; they provided a constant and welcome source of support for all Junior School children at break times.

The children have excelled in the classroom, on the sports field, on stage, in the art room and in a huge range of musical activities. This year group has also worked hard to gain credits, a brand new scheme encouraging them to strive for personal bests across the curriculum and in our 5Rs: responsibility, readiness, reflectiveness, resilience and resourcefulness. On reaching eight credits, the children were duly rewarded with a delicious afternoon tea with Mrs Robinson; a lucky few managed a ‘full house’ of credits, receiving a well-deserved voucher.

Back in the Autumn term, several of the aforementioned 5Rs came into play as the children embarked on a one night residential at the PGL Centre in Hindhead. Here they participated in a range of activities from abseiling to rifle shooting, and climbing to assault courses. All of the children entered into each activity with great ambition and enthusiasm, despite some very cold conditions! It was wonderful to see real teamwork in activities such as Jacob’s Ladder and when hoisting friends to their desired height on the Big Swing.

Later that term, the children were treated to a wonderful day out at Milestones, a museum of living history. Here they were able to wander around the streets, shops and buildings to discover how

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people used to live. A highlight was undoubtedly a visit to the penny arcade.

The new year began with the usual arrival of the Entrance Test, with its departure swiftly followed by a wonderful action-packed Citizenship Week. This began with a visit to Sainsbury’s where the children had planned a menu for our MasterChef competition, which followed later in the week. What a talented bunch of cooks we have! There was a plethora of new experiences for the children, from debating to lifesaving and first aid. However, the indisputable highlight arrived at the end of the week with a visit to our capital city. The children enjoyed time at Westminster Abbey, a cruise on a Thames River Boat and

an entertaining time at the Tower of London. Usually there is also a visit to the Houses of Parliament during this trip, however this year the children were incredibly lucky to have the unique opportunity to actually enter 10 Downing Street.

They were treated to a tour of the Prime Minister’s home, including the chance to enter the Cabinet Room and actually sit around the Cabinet Table! A truly unforgettable experience for all involved.

The final term began with a beautifully warm and sunny week away in France. The children had a wonderful time participating in traditional activities such as wheat plaiting and bread making, but also enjoyed the chance to swing through the forest at Opal Adventure and to

glide across the beach during sand sailing. A further high point of the week was watching the children converse with their French pen pals and play games with them. Further language practice was presented to the children as they visited and bought gifts at the beautiful market town of Le Touquet. A poignant afternoon was spent at a World War One Cemetery where the children reflected on row after row of graves of the fallen. It truly was a wonderful week and a spectacular way to kick off the Summer term.

Over the remaining month of this final term, the children were also treated to a visit to Petersfield where they learned lots about the local history. They also continued working hard across the curriculum,

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producing some wonderful poetry in English.

However, the climax of the year, as ever, was their play: this year a swashbuckling production of Pirates of the Curry Bean. The children performed superbly, learning many lines, sang fantastic songs and executed some dastardly dance moves!

It was wonderful to hear of all of the children’s proud moments during our Year 6 Celebration Afternoon.

We couldn’t be prouder of them and wish them all the very best as they embark on their next step in their educational journeys.

CREATIVITY

Tommy Binns

Isobel Reid

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ll

Eleanor Corne

loch

Jessica McCul

Phoebe Pyke

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Junior Music

MUSIC Charity Event – Beaton’s Tea-Rooms Volunteers from Years 5 and 6 came to the rescue for a local charity event, when the organisers had a last minute shortage of singers. Beaton’s Tea Rooms, who were hosting the event, sent out an urgent plea for singers who could perform a specially written song commemorating Petersfield Town. Children from Churcher’s College Junior School eagerly put themselves forward and the resulting group of singers gave a superb performance. Beaton’s Tea-Rooms said, “Thank you for not only ‘saving the day’ but also for rehearsing your special ‘choir’ to perfection. ​We are also so grateful to the parents and grandparents who came along ​and supported local charity FitzRoy so generously”.

Junior Recital Night Our first Junior Recital Night

provided a platform for the school’s many ensembles and older musicians in a more formal setting in order to continue to develop their performance skills. The audience were treated to some confident and polished solos as well as a wide range of ensembles – Wind, Brass, Strings, Ukuleles and Glee Choir. It was heartening to be able to see how the dedication, perseverance and practice of all the musicians has given them the skills to be able to demonstrate their well-deserved talent! Thanks again to everyone who took part and for the support of family and friends.

Junior Summer Concert Over 50 performers took part in the annual Summer Concert. From harp to bassoon, jazz to folk, ensembles to solos, the pupils showed off their musicianship and performance skills in a dazzling array of pieces. The concert was a great platform for the school’s ensembles to perform; Ballistic Brass, Wacky Winds, Ukulele

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Group, Sensational Strings, Glee Club and the Advanced Recorder Group all gave assured performances. The audience were treated to many solos items, showcasing the breadth of musical talent within the school.

An aim of the school is to foster a willing ‘can-do attitude’ amongst the pupils, and to take ownership of mistakes in order to learn and move forward. It was great to see the performers putting this in action on stage and really proving how adept and resilient they are to performing with nerves, not being afraid to try again, and knowing that their best efforts are always good enough. The audience was hugely supportive and the children did themselves proud.

Infant Concert The annual Infant Concert is a highlight for the school’s younger pupils in Years 1 and 2, who eagerly await their chance to perform solo, ensemble and whole class items to a friendly and supportive audience. There was a range of solo

enthusiasm that the children brought.

Best of All Festival ‘The Big Sing’ really enjoyed the experience of their first ever Festival performance. The air guitars were out in full swing and the children relished being on the ‘main stage’ and performing to the crowds below! It was good experience in having to just get up on stage and go without any preparation or rehearsal immediately beforehand. It was no surprise that ‘The Big Sing’ weren’t fazed one bit – testament to their hard work in preparing the music and enthusiasm to share it with their supportive audience. music can be the perfect vehicle for developing this.

Petersfield Music Festival (Year 5)

performances on piano, cello, violin, ukulele and JSax. Smaller group items included the Year 2 recorder group as well as a new pilot scheme featuring toots and doods – junior versions of the flute and clarinet.

These new ensembles have been met with great success and are a great way to get younger pupils involved in music making without the expense and worry of owning an expensive instrument! Both classes showed off their instrumental skills by performing pieces that they had composed themselves, showing a real understanding of all the different instruments and sounds on offer in the Music Room. They successfully combined specific instruments to conjure up exotic landscapes in a pirate treasure hunt, as well as exploring the crater of an exploding volcano. The evening was rounded off with all the audience participating in ‘Baby Shark’, a favourite among the Infants who performed with energy and real enthusiasm. It was heartening to see such confidence from so many so young and how

This was the first year that CCJS has participated in the Petersfield Music Festival with an entire year group. Year 5 joined other schools in the local area to take part in the Combined Festival Choir. They really enjoyed learning a wide genre of songs from reggae to peace and protest songs, to music surrounding football and the World Cup. They were excellent ambassadors for the school and really took to heart the advice about singing out during the performance and using their faces to convey the emotions of the songs. The Festival gave them many opportunities and experiences that they may not otherwise have had and all the children made the most of it!

High Hurlands (Year 6) Year 6 greatly enjoyed the challenge of devising and putting together a programme for a Christmas concert at High Hurland’s residential care home for young adults near Passfield.

The visit is a highlight in the Music department’s calendar as it gives the children the opportunity to see the social aspect of music making and how it can be used to benefit the community. Year 6 did a fantastic job and the school received a lovely card made by residents of the home, which showed their appreciation for the time, effort, energy and

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Open Day This year the Music department ran a special workshop at Open Day, focused on the interaction between music and animated film.

The participants were encouraged to be as creative as they could in sourcing objects and sounds from around the studio, as well as musical instruments, to create the specific effects needed to accompany the action in a clip from Wallace and Gromit’s A Close Shave. We recorded live to a screening of the clip and blended our sound effects alongside a self-composed soundtrack. The results were quite spectacular and the resulting film clip was downloaded and shared with everyone involved.

Tea-Time Concerts This year saw the launch of TeaTime Concerts at the Juniors. The initiative was put in place to give more performance opportunities for our musicians and in particular the practice at performing. It is only through practising battling with nerves and dealing with pressure that pupils can feel relaxed and at ease on stage. It also helps develop the children’s confidence in public speaking and their initiative as they have to put together their own programme and introduce themselves and their pieces during the performance. The informal nature of these concerts, alongside the supportive atmosphere from the audience, has really helped boost the confidence of many children.

SPORT A fantastic year of sport for the Junior School has seen children from Year 2 to Year 6 representing the school in more than ten different sports, putting out more than 100 teams and playing almost 350 fixtures! With so much going on it is always hard to pick only a few key moments, but highlights for the year most certainly have to be the introduction of the Year 2 football and rugby festivals which saw end-toend action as well as big smiles and huge enjoyment all round; the U11A football team who came runners up at the Independent Schools Football Association Regional Tournament; the U11A netball team who won the Wessex League end of season tournament and came 2nd overall in the League; the Elite Swimming

Squad who came away with silver medals from the Hampshire Primary Gala; and finally Ollie Williams and Poppy Kilpatrick who won the IAPS U11 National Sailing Regatta.

Matthew Forbes

U11 Football Tournament The stage was set for our annual U11 7 a-side Football Tournament, and with 11 teams taking part this fantastic event didn’t disappoint! With a total of 55 matches being played in a round robin format, the podium-placed teams changed regularly and going into the final round there were four teams in contention for the win. In

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the end it came down to the A Team beating Alton School in their final match to confirm Prince’s Mead as the overall winners with Churcher’s in 2nd place and St Edmunds in 3rd. Putting in an excellent performance, the B Team held their own and in customary fashion held the A Team to a 0-0 draw!

U11 Rugby 7s Tournament It is always nice to welcome back the same familiar faces to a Churcher’s sporting event, but it’s even better to welcome some new ones. This year, the U11 Rugby 7s was a packed-out affair and saw 12 teams competing for the medals. Both groups were well balanced and provided some

excellent matches in the build-up to the playoffs. The new additions, Dorset House, proved very strong and topped Group 1, with the usual face of Aldro topping Group 2. Our A Team finished 2nd in Group 1 to secure themselves a place in the 3rd and 4th place play-off, conceding only two tries in five matches. The final matches saw Aldro just edging ahead to finish 1st, Dorset House 2nd and our A Team beating Oakwood A to finish 3rd. What a fantastic afternoon of rugby!

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SPEECH DAY 2017

We look back on last year’s Speech Day, when we were joined by an inspirational speaker, Chris Lubbe. Here follows Headmaster’s introduction and the address given by the Captains of College.

“There are some events and some horrors and some people who will forever define the Twentieth Century; Hitler, the Holocaust and the 2nd World War will be one, but in the sense of extreme suffering for huge numbers over an extended period of time, apartheid could be listed on the same page.

From 1948 to 1991, for 43 years, a regime sought to subjugate a population, to dehumanize and degrade millions of people. From 1960 to 1983, 3.5 million non-white South Africans were removed from their homes and forced into segregated neighbourhoods, in one of the largest mass removals in modern history.

That apartheid has gone is accepted; that the impact of apartheid has been eradicated is far from certain. It is a great pleasure and an honour to have Chris Lubbe here with us today as our guest of honour.

Chris was there. Chris was at the forefront of the revolution that sought to eradicate an evil from the world and stood beside the famous and met the infamous. Chris has become renowned for his insight and involvement into a world movement headlined by Nelson Mandela and I look forward to him sharing a little of that with us.”

Simon Williams “Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen, We’re Maddie and Joe, Captains of College, and we’d like

to thank our guest of honour, Chris Lubbe, and talk about how he has inspired us this afternoon. But first, we’d better get something out of the way.

Delighted. Achievement.

Outstanding. Tenacity. The best year yet. We could go on but by now someone must have reached a full house on their Speech Day bingo sheet.

Hopefully for those of you who don’t have the pleasure of walking up to receive an award, there is the consolation prize of possibly a glorious word bingo victory.

When it comes to creating the bingo cards for Speech Day, it is relatively straightforward to anticipate the phrases that are most likely to be spoken, although Raspberries wasn’t a word we expected.

There are certain expectations about Speech Day that you can rely on. It is invariably a celebration of what is good and great, and this year even more so. What Chris, and those involved in the fight against the horrors of the apartheid have achieved, is without a doubt very good, and very great.

But good and great are rarely achieved without difficult decisions and significant efforts.

As some of you may know, Joe is fanatical about Geography. He just loves it. Any mention of globalisation, HDI or deforestation and he’ll be talking for hours.

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I, and many who have seen the true light, love Geography not just because it is all around us, but also because it can tell us a great deal about life in general.

For example, in order to meet the world’s energy needs, we turn to fossil fuels. Whether it be oil, gas or coal, burning up our world’s resources is the easiest way for us to generate electricity to feed our unquenchable demand for energy.

We could do likewise. We could find the easiest way to go about getting what we want - whatever gets from A to B the quickest and requires the least effort is often the most attractive. But while this may be the easiest way, it may not be the best way, or the right way.

Burning fossil fuels may be the easiest way to generate the energy we need, but not the right way. The more fossil fuels we burn, the more we damage our planet.

Similarly, in my studies of History I’ve come to notice that the changes that brought about all that is good and great were usually made by the right decision, which wasn’t always the easiest one. It wasn’t easy for the Suffragettes to fight for the vote, or for Rosa Parks to refuse to give up her seat, or for Nicholas Winton to organise trains to save Jewish children from the horrors of the Holocaust.

We may study history, but Chris, and those with whom he associated, made history. Through standing up

for what they believe to be right - making the right decisions, not just the easiest ones, in the face of extraordinary hardships, their actions led to very good and very great change.

Hopefully Joe and I will never be faced with such horrors, but we have certainly been faced with decisions.

Whether it’s been debating whether to stop and take a break on the Ten Tors home straight to rest our tired legs, or sprint to the end to push for 1st place, as I managed with my team back in Fourth Year.

Or whether it was working hard for two years to the earn my own money to fund my true adventure expedition

to Ecuador last Summer, instead of my parents paying for the whole trip.

Instead of staying at home for Summer.

It is part of the human condition to do that which is easiest, often to the neglect of that which is best. The brain’s natural impulse is to conserve energy, to stay safe, to not take risks, until you think and act otherwise.

Whether it be that you fancy another 15 minutes in bed instead of getting up to catch the bus on time, or taking a back seat in organising an event for your House Charity because you have ‘too much work’, the attractive choice is not always the best, and we must push ourselves to work hard to do what is right.

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I am sure that you have been inspired

by Chris, like we have been; inspired to make the right decision, not just the easy one.

For those of you who weren’t prizewinners today, hopefully this message will help you to become a prize-winner of tomorrow.

Speech Day bingo today, Geography prize next time!

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for listening to us and a special thank you to our guest of honour, Chris Lubbe, a man who didn’t settle for what was easy, but instead stood up for what was right.”

COLLINGWOOD At the start of the academic year I was concerned that we would not hit the heights of the year before.

However, I need not have worried as the Palatinate House continued to go from strength to strength.

Reflecting on the year it has been a real pleasure to work with such a talented, committed and generally amazing group of Collingwood students and staff who always seem to give their all, whether that be in the classroom, in the music room, or on the stage or out on the fields. The year has been full of challenges and the House continued to rise to these challenges and work their socks off in every situation.

The fact that Collingwood continued to build on its success of last year is due in no small part to the commitment and efforts of its House Captains. Anna Hedges, Archie Moffat and Tom Young were a pleasure to work with this year. They always set the example of stepping up whenever the House needed them and the fact that I knew I could trust them to organise what was needed helped make the House what it has been over the last year. I know they were also positive contributors to the School Council and they and all of our departing Upper Sixth should be proud of what they have given to the House and the School in their time here. They will all be missed, and I know they will go from strength to strength as they rise to their next challenges.

Please do come back and visit us.

Collingwood is extremely lucky to have our particular Form Tutors.

They consistently go above and

beyond to help their charges and this is one of the major reasons why the House is the place it is.

Without their caring, supportive and strong attitude the House would simply not be what it is today. Since I last wrote, there have been some changes in the House Team. With the departure of Miss Chambers to her next challenge, Mr Cardwell stepped into her shoes as Assistant Head of House and Form Tutor of 5C. Additionally, at the end of the year, we said goodbye to Miss Stokes who has been a pleasure to work with and we wish her the very best. She has been replaced

by Mrs Yardley, who joined the House in September and is working with 4C. Our charity this year remained the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and we raised awareness and money for the charity by participating in MNDA’s ‘Silence Speaks’ campaign on the 21st of June, which is MND Awareness Day (and also my birthday). Participants gave up their voice for a morning to try to get a slight feel for what the disease is like. As a House we had many more participants than last year and it was a pleasure to see so many members of the House raising awareness of the condition on the day. I, for one, will not forget how frustrating it was to try and communicate without my voice for a morning. As an extra benefit we also raised a decent amount of money. As I write, the final total for the year is still

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being calculated but it looks like we raised close to £1,000 with 1C leading the way and Ross Calvert raising over £100 on his own. It speaks volumes for the attitude in the House with how they committed to this campaign.

This attitude has also resulted in some great achievements in the House Cups as well. In the Performing Arts Cup there were some amazing performances in the House Music, with the highlight for me being the ensemble, I am always astounded how our pupils put a group together at short notice. There were some great individual performances which showed the ability and commitment we have in the House. Our Public Speaking team, led by Emily Giffin and ably backed up by Anna Hedges and Angus Rushin, produced an impressive argument and managed to sway the judges and win the competition. I am always impressed with the courage our performers show and, whilst we were pipped at the post for the Performing Arts Cup (we came 2nd), I know that all the participants benefited greatly and enjoyed competing.

In the Academic Cup, whilst the quizzes could still do with some improvement, we managed to top the rankings in effort over the year (which is the most important measure for me), with 4C leading the way with a best in school performance. We also topped the order in Lower School

Prize Giving. This meant that for the second year in a row we shared the Academic Cup with the green of Grenville. Given that everyone in the House contributes to this Cup and everyone’s score counts, this, for me, is the most important Cup in which to top the table. Well done to you all.

In the Sports Cup, Sports Day has recently been a strength for the House and, whilst we were pipped at the post on Sports Day, our 2nd place was still an impressive performance.

I know that we will come back

stronger next year and ensure that my target of having every lane filled is achieved. Every member of the House competed in the Sports Cup and this effort meant that we topped the table in hockey, netball, crosscountry and tennis. Overall, we came 2nd to Nelson by one point in the Sports Cup. A reminder to all of us that every point matters and everyone contributed to this success.

So, we shared the Academic Cup and came 2nd in the Sports and Performing Arts Cups. Overall this resulted in us retaining the

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House Cup, which is an impressive achievement from the House. We will need to attempt a three-peat (if there is such a word) next year.

Obviously the performance in the House Cups does not cover all that we have done this year but there just isn’t enough space to write about all the random acts of kindness and the progress that we have made this year. Well done to all of Collingwood - your hard work and commitment have been a pleasure to behold.

Ben Seal

DRAKE

A few years ago, when Drake House was placed last in the overall House Cup competition, it seemed apt for my Churcherian report to reference the 90’s band D:ream and their song, ‘Things Can Only Get Better’, as a rallying cry to the yellow masses.

Admittedly, the fact that we once again find ourselves languishing behind Nelson, Grenville, Rodney and Collingwood when it comes to the overall House Cup could be taken as evidence that my rallying cry fell on deaf ears, but I’d argue that this is far from the full picture and our 5th place actually gives quite a skewed impression of our fortunes this year. Being a creature of habit, I find myself once again turning to the world of music (mid-1980s music to be specific) in order to best sum up this academic year; at the risk of opening myself (or, at least, my musical taste) up to severe criticism, I’ve settled on Nick Berry’s number one hit, ‘Every Loser Wins’, and Whitney Houston’s classic, ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All?’ as giving the most appropriate (and tuneful!) précis of Drake’s 2017-18 year.

As has been the case in recent years, we put in hugely impressive performances in the three swimming galas, coming away with two victories and a 2nd place, therefore winning the overall swimming cup for the year; likewise, in the cross-country competition, consistency was the name of the game with the Drake Second Year girls coming first, along with the Drake Second, Third and Fourth Year boys, resulting in a yellow win in the overall competition.

Sticking with the sports cup, one of my favourite moments of this entire academic year came on a hot Wednesday afternoon in the final week of the Summer term: the day that we won Sports Day for the first time since 2011! Hearing Mr Knowles announce the final positions was a fantastic moment, not only because

I love winning, but because the Drake team, across all age ranges, was incredibly driven and motivated and every single competitor worked their little yellow socks off, whether running, jumping or throwing; to hear that their efforts had been rewarded with a win was very satisfying.

Away from the sports arena, there was further success in this year’s House Music Competition. Always fiercely fought and a thoroughly enjoyable evening, the competition sees junior and senior singers and musicians from each House do battle in front of an external judge.

This year, Charlotte Garrett (2D), Megara Wilkinson (3D), George Whittle (5D) and Halcyon Sheen (L6D) were our solo stars, along with an ensemble of James Moses (2D), Antonia Wilkinson, Rachel Large, Mattie Wagstaff, Amy Carrick and Holly Humberstone (all 3D). There is an enormous amount of musical talent in Drake House (perhaps the pupils have been inspired by my taste in music?) and I am never anything other than impressed with the aplomb, competitive spirit and, above all, enthusiasm of every pupil that takes part. I can only imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to perform in front of a judge and an audience of your peers, and I am incredibly grateful to each and every one of the pupils named above – our victory was very much a whole team effort and one I would very much like us to repeat next year (have I mentioned that I like winning?).

Competitions aside, the academic year of 2017-18 has, as ever, been

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action-packed and extremely hectic, and so the combined efforts of all the students who donated food and toiletries for our Harvest Festival in aid of our charity, Step by Step, cannot go unmentioned.

A local charity, Step by Step supports vulnerable young people, providing accommodation, personal development opportunities, and specialist support services.

Mr Maguire had the pleasure of delivering this year’s donation to the charity’s Aldershot branch; the fact that he had to make the journey in a school van, because his car didn’t have enough room for all of the boxes, is testament to the generosity of the Drake pupils and parents. I’d like to offer a big, heartfelt thank you to everybody who contributed, and I look forward to a similarly successful event next term.

The end of an academic year sees some staff moving on to pastures new and this year is no exception.

After a year with us, Miss Stent has admitted defeat to her 70-minute commute and is taking up a new post only five minutes from her house – we wish her many enjoyable lie-ins and a significantly cheaper petrol bill each month! Mr Strachan is also moving on to a new teaching post in Oxford, for which we wish him every success, and we also say a fond farewell to Mrs Hattersley who, having spent this year on maternity leave, has decided not to return to work; we send her on her way with

the very best of wishes and a huge thank you for the time and effort she has put into her form tutoring role during her time in Drake House.

Whilst he isn’t leaving the school, Mr Maguire also deserves a mention as this academic year comes to an end. Having been my trusty Assistant Head of House for the last 3 years, it seems that he has, finally, had enough of my jokes (I’m surprised it took him this long to be honest) and he has decided to step down from this role. Whilst he will be missed, I

am pleased that he will continue to be a Drake Tutor, and I am delighted that Mr Daniel will be replacing Mr Maguire as my Assistant Head of House in September; I am very much looking forward to working more closely with Mr Daniel and know that he is chomping at the bit to throw himself into his new role.

This has been another enjoyable and fun year as Head of Drake House, adjectives I know I would not be able to use if it weren’t for the team of people who so enthusiastically,

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willingly, skilfully and loyally support me: the Form Tutors (Mr Daniel, Mr Edington, Miss Carty, Mr Saralis, Mrs Lilley, Mrs Joliffe and Mr West) and the House Captains (Sam Mullender and Mimi Kelson) and Vice Captains (Annabelle Hall and Tom Murphy). Their hard work is eternally appreciated, and I count myself very fortunate to spend my working life with such a friendly and supportive group of people.

Suzanne Herrington

GRENVILLE

When I look back over the academic year 2017-18, I am absolutely delighted with the attitude, spirit and camaraderie amongst the Grenville body.

Whenever someone is needed to step up, two people move forward. Sir Richard Grenville would be proud, seeing them “Fight on! Fight on!” in the face of adversity. Given our performances in the House galas, with both boys and girls coming last, it would be fair to say that if any of the Grenville pupil body had gone overboard from The Revenge, few of them would have swum to safety! But we filled every lane for every race, such is the bond to the Grenville cause. Having said that, congratulations to Becky Alder, Tom Hogg and Will Cowling who all set school records in the pool this year. Congratulations also go to the following forms for winning the following events in their year: 3G Girls (hockey), 1G Boys (cricket), 2G Boys (rugby and cricket), 4G Boys (hockey) and 3G for winning the mixed tennis.

Although sporting success was hard to come by, Grenville pupils continue to shine inside the classroom. For the fifth year running, the green ribbons of Grenville have adorned the Academic Cup. Grenville pupils are also the trivia queens and kings, winning the overall House Quiz event once again. Grenville pupils continue to apply themselves so well all day, every day in the classroom and long may this continue. Grenville pupils also saw success in the House Music Competition, with Jasper Jones winning the Junior Instrumental section and the ensemble winning that category. Well done to Andrew Bell, Al Hewett, Jonno Hoe, Sophie Porteous (all 4G), Amy Browne, Jonas Flohr, Oliver Fogelin, James Hill (all 3G), Will Myles (2G) and Will Cowling (1G).

Outside of the classroom, Grenville pupils were also incredibly active with

their charitable endeavours. Organised by the effervescent House Captains, India Wakeland and Isaac Hall, the Sixth Formers enjoyed a fantastic Race Night, raising an excellent total for SUDEP Action. However, it was the amazing exploits of 1G that have really raised the bar in terms of fundraising activities. In a remarkable and very varied effort, everyone in 1G pitched in, which enabled them to raise over £1,200 for SUDEP. SUDEP is a small charity where every penny raised really does help, and 1G were delighted to be able to present the cheque to a SUDEP representative in a House Assembly. My fundraising highlight was the 1G hot chocolate morning in the final week of the Autumn term.

This was all 1G’s idea and there was such a buzz of excitement as the drinks were served in what seemed a non-stop river of hot chocolate and marshmallows. I’m really looking forward to a repeat in the future!

Naturally the end of the school year means departures, and I am sad to see the wonderful Upper Sixth leave. My thanks go to Isaac and India. I could not have asked for better House Captains: they are two people who have Grenvillegreen blood coursing through their veins and epitomise the Grenville spirit of getting involved, enjoying yourself and relentlessly giving your all in whatever you do. We also say goodbye to some wonderful Grenville tutors, but as we say au revoir to Ms Louis, Mr Reid and Mr Cox, we welcome Miss Murrell, Miss Dickson and Mr Rowley into the Grenville fold. I’m sure that they, too, are raring to throw themselves into everything green in the years ahead.

John Seaton

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I could not have asked for better House Captains

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NELSON

Life at Churcher’s seems to grow in activity and success year on year.

The Nelson family is very much a part of this and as we reflect upon the year of 2017-18 we see Nelsonians at the heart of the whole of school life, pushing the boundaries and supporting the team.

From First Year to first team we enthusiastically contribute to school sport. Many of us enjoy sports beyond the traditional team sports and outdoor adventure, too. We have budding GB athletes, swimmers, sailors, windsurfers and equestrians, as well as expeditioners. Many of us play sports at county level and beyond, of which we are very proud. That said, House and College sports offer opportunity for all to be involved and collectively we achieved a special highlight for our year, winning the House Sports Cup. Well done all!

Old Nelsonians will remember ‘Nelson’s Got Talent’ and our talent stretches beyond the sporting arena to the arts and the performing arts, too. From this year’s lower school production of School of Rock through to the senior music ensembles, Nelsonians are found at the heart of everything. The performance of our wonderful 4N ensemble in House music was a personal highlight for my musical year. We also are very proud of our Lower Sixth musicians, but more about them next year…

We celebrate the broad life we lead at Churcher’s, however, our core activity is our academia. Sam Mearns and Tom Milner (5N) were at the heart of the College’s Lockheed Martin UK Code Quest winning team, demonstrating their problem solving and computing skills - an extra-curricular activity, but one with much academic focus, in fact the most academically focussed of all activities on our GCSE and A Level programmes. We could mention a long list of high achieving Nelsonians;

at the very top, however, was Ollie Mutch who achieved the straight run of grade 9s in his GCSE examinations and Isabella Dryden, Millie Gibson and Julian Greig who achieved a straight run of A*s in their A Level results. I am very proud of our 5N pupils who collectively contributed towards a record year of GCSE results across the college and our Upper Sixth pupils who contributed towards an exceptional year of A Level results.

They all deserve a huge amount of congratulations.

Nelson House has a long-standing relationship with ActionAid and we continue to support a project in Ghana and to directly support a young person in Ghana. We have contributed £450 this year to support Emmanuel and the community of Bawku East. ActionAid’s work has introduced practical improvements in farming, irrigation, sanitation, education, milling machines and so forth. They continue in their work to develop women’s rights and this year there has been a special focus on developing small businesses, especially those owned by young women. The House Vice Captains spearheading our charity this year were Evie Fleck and Lizzie Rose. They chose the Rural Refugee Network as our special charity for this academic year. We have contributed £600 towards this charity that works with refugees in Hampshire, supporting them so they can re-build their lives which have been turned upsidedown by political turmoil and war.

When we look at life in Ghana and the experiences that lead to families needing to leave their homes, looking for somewhere new where they might be welcomed, I hope we will count our blessings and respond with compassion and generosity.

Every Nelsonian knows I consider our House to be family. Within any family the older children do

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much to support and influence the younger children. Our House Captains this year were Julian Greig and Isabella Dryden, while Emilia Gibson, Lucy Jermyn, Noah Mumtaz, Jake Shepherd-Smith and Adam Tutt completed our team of Vice Captains.

Collectively they represent the ambitious spirit I would hope that we all share, pursuing their interests to the max, achieving their very best academically and always prepared to contribute, even when the task pushes them outside their comfort zones. We are very grateful to them.

House trips and events continue to be a key feature of House life.

With trips to Calshot, the Wild Wood Adventure and New Forest Waterpark, plus meals out and, of course, the Nelson House Christmas Ice-Skating Extravaganza, we continue to run our own programme of activities.

A House is only as good as its Form Tutors and ours are the best. I would like to thank the wonderful Nelson House Form Tutor Team of Mr Beard, Miss Blewett, Miss Brown, Mr Dunster, Mrs Greenaway, Mr Hegan, Dr Raeside, Mr Reeves, Mr Shipley and Mr Statham. A special “thank you” is due to our Assistant Head of House, Miss Harper, without whom our House would not be anywhere nearly as organised or successful. She has succeeded in keeping me out of trouble for another year, and with her support and that of the family Nelson, we have continued to steer the good ship Victory forward. The Nelson adventure continues. Well done all.

Richard Hoe

we see Nelsonians at the heart of the whole of school life 41

RODNEY

The Summer term is always a frenetic one, trying to fit everything in and dodging the usual heavy rain which appears to always come at just the wrong time.

While this Summer term was frenetic, the weather was excellent and we even had a brief respite from the extreme temperatures on Sports Day. A perfect end to what was a very successful year for the members of Rodney House.

It all started back in the Autumn term with the House Public Speaking competition when the Rodney team, with the main speech delivered by Will McCathie, narrowly missed out on 1st place but came a very strong 2nd earning valuable points towards the Performing Arts Cup. The Autumn term also saw excellent performances on the sports field, with 2nd places awarded to the First and Second Year boys in rugby, 2nd for the Fourth Year girls and an impressive 1st place to the senior girls in hockey.

Spring term saw more excellent results in the Sports Cup. 1R’s girls came first in the netball, a position they would repeat again later in the year and the Second Year and senior boys also won their hockey events.

The annual cross-country event was contested in sunshine, which made the cool conditions perfect for running. The girls of 2R and 4R both came 2nd while the senior boys went one place better coming 1st.

Summer term saw the conclusion of what is usually our weakest event, the House swimming competition, which is composed of the junior, middles and senior galas. This year there was some excellent evidence of progress in this discipline. With an average 3rd overall from both boys

and girls, this was a marked improvement on previous years and the strongest performances tended to come from the lower years. Hopefully, these are signs of further progress to come. In tennis we also had some excellent results with our First Years coming 1st and the First Year girls also coming out on top in rounders.

Our First Year boys also produced a strong performance in the cricket competition, coming 2nd, as did our Second Year boys. The Rodney team produced some excellent performances on Sports Day. Although we came last when the final analysis was carried out there was less than 7% difference between top and bottom on the day and the eventual winner only won by slightly less than 0.1%.

I would like to thank all those who were involved on Sports Day and hopefully with such small margins involved an improved result should be easily manageable next year.

Summer term also witnessed the House Music competition and again this year the standard was exceptional. The Rodney team of Hatty Bates and Peter Elsom representing the juniors, Grace Moran and Cora Dee in the senior section and our ensemble comprising Tom Cooke-Priest, Harry Charlton, Cathering Gallagher, Ellie Watling and Hatty Warner all produced excellent performances.

Grace won the senior vocal section and the team came 2nd overall on the evening. Their performance and the efforts of the public speaking team secured 1st place overall in the Performing Arts cup. Well done to all

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involved and thanks for your efforts.

Our chosen charity this year was the Teenage Cancer Trust and we also made smaller donations to the Kings World Trust and The Mountain Rescue. While there were the usual cake sales and other events, two endeavours stand out for special mention: members of 1R raised over £400 pounds doing the Nuts Challenge, a 3km assault course through mud and water in near freezing conditions, and members of 2R who over an extended period climbed the height of Mount Everest and swam the width of the English Channel. Their efforts raised in excess of £700. I would like to thank both groups of pupils for their efforts and their tutors for helping them and providing support.

In the final analysis Rodney came 2nd overall in the House Cup, missing out on 1st place to Collingwood. The gap to 1st place can be bridged next year with just small gains across the full range of events. Well done to all who contributed and hopefully we can go one better next year.

I would finally wish to thank the Rodney tutors, Captains and Vice Captains, whose support and assistance I value highly and without which the House would not have been as successful this year. I would also like to say a very big thank you to Mr Harris, the Assistant Head of Rodney, whose help was invaluable this year.

J Yugin-Power

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FIFTH FORM What a lively bunch!

So many positive attributes which I hope they will use to succeed in the future.

The Prom was a wonderful evening; the Fifth Form committee did a fantastic job of organising and setting up the event. Thank you to Peter Hindson, Amelie Lewis, Rowan Thompson, Flora Edward, Annie Chamberlain, Erin Lewis, Molly Steele, George Lucas, Holly Milner, Georgia Hughes for all of their time and effort. In August I was so pleased to see a brilliant array of GCSE results, congratulations to you all! Best wishes for all of your future endeavours.

Laura Howe

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SIXTH FORM This year has been marked by a significant change to the exam process, as we have moved to full linear A Levels.

AS Levels were introduced in the year 2000 before the students sitting A Levels this year had been born. A number of staff, too, had not had any experience of linear A Levels, but I am pleased to report that students and staff alike rose to the challenge of seeing through the changes during a period of uncertainty in all schools across the country.

Despite the changes to the exam system, one thing has remained consistent, and that is the application and hard work of the students.

It was a real pleasure to celebrate their success on results day in August along with the personal tutors, who have guided them expertly on their voyage through the Sixth Form, often providing a much needed breath of wind to the sails. This has been a record breaking year for the school,

with over 87% of A Levels being graded A*-B. The majority of the students head off to the university of their choice, though an increasing number are considering carefully, or taking up, higher apprenticeships as an alternative.

A consequence of the changes to the exam structure was a change to the way in which Captains of College are elected, but despite a change to the system, which now sees Lower Sixth students taking on roles of responsibility before the elections at the end of the Spring term, we look forward to a talented group of students helping the school to run on a day to day basis. Of course, there are students disappointed not to have been elected, but it is often these students who form the backbone of the Sixth Form Committee or take on leader-

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ship roles in other areas. Indeed, Sixth Form students take on leading roles across the wide spectrum of extra-curricular activities that occupy Churcher’s students when they are not in the classroom, particularly in sport and music. Maddie Housden and Joe Keohane have been outstanding in their roles as Captains of College and they are succeeded

by Tildy Billsberry-Grass and Jacob Haldenby; we wish them well.

Ramshill continues to be a happy place for the students to relax and work. For the last two years we have been using the services of The Happiness Index, a company that helps us to monitor and improve the students’ overall well-being. As well as giving us information about individuals it also gives us an insight into the issues affecting the year groups as a whole

and that has helped us to shape the Ramshill experience for the better.

Once again we have attended the Safe Drive Stay Alive presentation in Southampton; it is an event run

by Hampshire Police and is a hardhitting message about the dangers of driving. This was followed up by a visit from Chris Collins from Hampshire Road Safety team who brought in his Impairment Goggles, which caused much amusement in the conservatory as students struggled to navigate a straight line on the floor.

I must take the opportunity to pay tribute to the members of staff who work tirelessly on behalf of the Sixth Form. Ensuring Ramshill is shipshape are our magnificent Housekeepers Maggie, Sharon and Jeannie, without whom life in the Sixth Form Centre would be nowhere near as pleasant as it is. Not only are they perpetually cleaning and tidying, but they fulfil an important pastoral role and are very much the eyes and ears of Ramshill. They go about their jobs with such cheerfulness too, doing lots of things that go unnoticed and always greeting students and staff with an enthusiastic “good morning”.

My thanks must also go to Mrs Plewes, Mr Hill, Dr Verney, Miss Blewett and Mr West who as members of Sixth Form staff work tire-

lessly to make the students’ time at school as good as it can be. As new members of the Sixth Form team this year Miss Blewett and Mr West have successfully overseen the introduction of exciting new Enrichment and PSHE programmes respectively. My thanks go to all of them for their hard work and support over the course of another busy year.

This year sees a couple of changes to Sixth Form staff. Matt Strachan leaves us to take up a role at St Edward’s in Oxford after two years as Assistant Head of Sixth Form. Mr Strachan has been instrumental in helping to shape the direction of the Sixth Form Committee and in bringing some memorable charitable events to Ramshill, such as Live Below The Line and Pink Week. We are extremely grateful to Matt for all of his hard work and enthusiasm and we wish him well as he takes up his new role.

Mr Cheshire takes over from Mr Strachan and I am sure he will bring just as much enthusiasm to the role.

With expanding duties in her role as Head of History Mrs Jolliffe relinquishes her Assistant Head of Sixth Form role and her place as Head of our Oxbridge programme is taken

by Dr Verney. Under Mrs Jolliffe’s excellent stewardship the Oxbridge programme has gone from strength

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to strength; this year Oxbridge offers hit double figures. I am sure that the Oxbridge programme will continue to flourish with Dr Verney at the helm.

We look forward to welcoming the new Lower Sixth in September, and with around 30 students coming in from other schools it looks like it will be another exciting year to enjoy, with the social and learning environment well and truly refreshed.

Bill Baker

Ramshill continues to be a happy place for the students to relax and work

ENGLISH

Chris Packham didn’t see the point of studying English Literature when he was at school.

What possible use could it be, he thought, for a boy already destined to become a naturalist? Such was his confession at the Grill Lecture back in April. I glanced anxiously around the audience to see how his words were received: a ripple of chuckles (in fact, in fairness, more than a ripple) from the parents (and one or two teachers, whom I’ll favour with anonymity); a few sage nods of the head from the pupils. Having long been an admirer of Mr Packham, ever since his Really Wild Show days, I felt a little betrayed. Was all our inspirational teaching in the English Department so easily to be swept aside?

Thankfully, no. Chris had been fooling us. He went on to say how fond he has become of literature since, intimating (though not quite saying it) how much he had missed out on such pleasures in his formative years. Indeed, much of the opening part of his address was devoted

to explorations of creativity in its myriad forms (to borrow an adjective I must have read several hundred times in my on-line GCSE marking this summer, sometimes even used correctly) and to the creation of his own much acclaimed memoir, Fingers in the Sparkle Jar. Appreciation of literature should not be confined to the classroom, but for most that will be where it begins.

And ‘appreciation’ need not imply the sort of ‘critical appreciation’ I used to be forced into at school, sometimes so dull that I found myself temporarily jumping ship and applying to read Politics, Philosophy and History rather than English at university (a short-lived experiment).

In fact appreciation of literature need not involve painstakingly writing essays at all, as our First and Second Year pupils have discovered this year in their ‘Let’s Think in English’ sessions. This is a fantastic scheme, initiated by UCL, whereby pupils read

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and discuss short texts under the guidance of their teacher, gradually uncovering layers of meaning that are far from apparent on first reading. Essentially they are learning to read critically, to understand that there are many ‘right’ answers in English (as well as many wrong ones), and the impact upon their routine work is already apparent.

Theatre trips have been a bit thin on the ground this year, though we were fortunate in seeing Chelsea Walker’s contemporary staging of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Nuffield, Southampton, timed perfectly for the Upper Sixth as they put the finishing touches to their coursework essays on that very text. Kelly Gough’s performance as Blanche Dubois, somehow both steely and fragile, was mesmerising – I’m sure she’s a name for the future. Later in the year we took the Sixth Form to London’s Vaudeville Theatre for Jonathan Church’s stylish revival of Wilde’s An

Year 1 at the globe theatre

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WORDS COMPETITION

Award-winning Young Adult author y uncle’ Former ‘agon

Ideal Husband, again the ‘ideal’ way of bringing a coursework text to life.

First Year visits were restricted to our annual expedition to the Globe, where they enjoyed a tour of the theatre, an exploration of the permanent exhibition, a performance workshop and – for the first time – a demonstration of sword fighting using various weapons alluded to in Shakespeare’s plays. We all left with a much closer impression of Lord Capulet’s long sword and Tybalt’s rapier.

Visitors this year included Professor Wolfreys, from Oxford University, who is becoming quite a friend of the school. He held a workshop for our Sixth Form students, helpfully bringing together the

rather disparate literary genres of modernism and dystopia. The novelist Matt Whyman led a workshop on creative writing for the launch of the senior school short story competition, inspiring a range of entries across the Fifth and Sixth Forms.

And so to Open Day, and Miss Harper’s transformation of Room 42 into a gothic chamber of horror to reflect the First Years’ study of Frankenstein this term. For those who are still puzzling as to why there were 15 pupils wandering around the school with green faces and bolts through their necks, there’s your answer!

D P Cave

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LAUNCH EVENT:

FEBRUARY 5 2018 4.15PM IN THE GARDEN ROOM Receive helpful feedback on your entries!

Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.

GUEST JUDGE

MATT WHYMAN

5TH YEAR TO UPPER 6TH ONLY churcherscollege.com

Appreciation of literature should not be confined to the classroom

DRAMA This year has been an absolute showstopper with the Junior School Production of School of Rock at the forefront! their powerful devised pieces as part of the Drama & Dance Evening in the Summer term. This was a very thought-provoking evening with some emotional pieces, from the very moving stories of the victims of the September 11th attacks to heart breaking separation of young families during the rise of the Berlin Wall. This portrayal of Historical Drama not only demonstrated the breadth of knowledge gained by our GCSE students, but also their mature performance skills. Our A Level students did not disappoint either, with two stylised pieces based on the trials and tribulations of war. Students were able to combine this with their extensive knowledge of theatre practitioner, Bertolt Brecht. Their pieces were delivered with some important

Over 120 cast and crew members worked tirelessly to create the magic that came to life on stage in the Spring term. We watched our talented performers Climb to the Top of Mount Rock in their attempts to Stick it to the Man and finally bring the house down with their foot tapping finale! Later on in the year, we held the long awaited auditions for the next Senior School Production of Les Miserables and as anticipated, there was a fantastic turn out. The audition panel most definitely heard the people sing! The show was cast and our students left for the summer, script in hand, ready to hit the ground running in the next academic year.

Our amazing GCSE & A Level students also had the opportunity to showcase

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This year, I have truly been in awe of our students messages, preventing the audience from “…hanging their brains in the cloakroom”.

This high standard is also echoed in academic Drama where we had another successful year. Our high flying cohort did us proud once again with magnificent exam results, not to mention our LAMDA success where over 48 students gained bronze, silver and gold medals out of the 123 who were entered for the formal examination.

Our students took advantage of the range of theatre trips and workshops this year with many accompanying us to London’s West End to watch both straight plays and Musical Theatre, demonstrating once again the range of interests in theatre at Churcher’s.

We had an exciting afternoon when

London’s Scene Productions came in to conduct one of their famous practitioner workshops. This was particularly helpful to our A Level students in preparation for their devised pieces as they explored the weird and wonderful world of Epic Theatre!

Extra-curricular Drama has continued to grow, with the continuation of our IMPS club, exclusively led by our Second Year students who have remained as dedicated as always to mentoring and developing performance skills in our younger students. Our Musical Theatre Club thrived also this year and there was something for everyone. Our keen ‘all-rounders’ took pride in showing off their singing, acting and dancing skills through popular musicals such

as Grease, Hairspray and Matilda.

Our devoted backstage team took it to the next level this year when Emily Jupe and Flora Edward stepped up and took on the role of Stage Managers. After years of hard work and commitment, the girls were finally ready to work independently and manage their very own team of back-stagers!

This year, I have truly been in awe of our students. Not only due to their amazing talents but also to the level of commitment that has gone into everything they have produced. They are clearly passionate about Drama and it has been a pleasure to witness them reaping the rewards of their hard work, whether it be in the form of an exam certificate or a healthy round of applause.

Stacey Carty

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100% of students gained grade 8

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DANCE

What an absolutely fantastic year it has been for the Dance department!

From excellent academic success to extra-curricular, I have witnessed some of the most extraordinary Dance performances that mirror that of professional standards.

Our GCSE Dance students have been working endlessly this year to create very unique and thoughtful performances. They explored a variety of challenging themes such as mental health, the Chernobyl disaster and ideas based on Orwell’s 1984. Through Contemporary Dance, they were able to communicate their theme as well as showcase their physical and technical skills creatively.

Our extra-curricular saw the

expansion of Expressions Dance Club. Throughout the year, students from all year groups attended and explored a range of styles including Street, Musical Theatre and Lyrical Dance, some of which were performed in the Summer term as part of the Drama & Dance Evening.

The audience shimmied along to the sounds of Chicago from our Third Year girls and wept as they watched the beautiful Lyrical duo performed by our gifted First Years.

Churcher’s dancers seem to have been everywhere this year! We saw them steal the show as the Dance Troupe in the Lower School Production of School of Rock, aid the sweet sounds of the soloists during

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the Senior Cabaret evening and some have even managed to gain roles in professional ballet productions!

The highlight of the year though, came in August on GCSE results day when our very dedicated and talented students saw the rewards of all of their hard work. 100% of students gained grade 8 and this is a testament to the endless extra rehearsals and revision sessions that the students put in. A very huge well done to our dancers.

Stacey Carty

ECONOMICS, BUSINESS & POLITICS This has been another outstanding year for the Economics, Business and Politics department.

We started the year with a fantastic set of results with 45% of our students scoring A*-A in their A Levels in June 2017 across the three subjects. There was also a record eight A* grades with five A*s in Politics. The academic success of our students has continued throughout the year, most notably with William McCathie’s successful application to Oxford University to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Outside the classroom our students have continued to make the most of the vast range of opportunities for them to experience their subjects in the real world. In February a group of students travelled to Brussels, the heart of the EU, to learn about the European Parliament. In addition to visiting the Parliament and the Parliamentarium museum the students also learned about the European Union and its impacts by visiting the House of European History, the Bank of Belgium, the Port of Antwerp and the Coca Cola factory in Belgium. As this is such an important topic for all three subjects and everyone in the UK, this was a hugely rewarding experience.

In addition to the main trip to Brussels, the Politics students also enjoyed a trip to the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court.

In addition to their tour of the Houses of Parliament, the students were also fortunate enough to meet Damian Hinds MP, the newly appointed Education Secretary. The Economics and Business students also had the unique chance to

apply their knowledge to real world situations by attending a Dragons’ Den event run by Draper Esprit. This was a unique opportunity to learn about venture capitalism and meet and question a range of CEOs. We also had a wide range of outside speakers coming into the school to meet and talk to the students. In the heat of the Brexit debate Jacob ReesMogg MP came to talk about the opportunities for the UK in a PostBrexit World. Although his speech certainly divided opinions, the students enjoyed the opportunity to listen to him and question his views.

Ian Marcouse spoke to the Economics and Business students about whether the China growth story was over and Steve Cockerill gave a talk entitled From Acorns do Oak Trees Grow, which was a fascinating introduction to starting a business. This CCALS programme continues to be a source of inspiration for our students.

In September 2018 the department will be split into the three subjects, with Mr West becoming Head of Business and Mr Cheshire becoming Head of Politics. I would like to thank them for all their efforts over the last two years and I wish them all the best with their new departments.

Finally I would also like to thank Mr Shipley, Mr Seal and Mrs Buttar for their tireless efforts teaching Economics and Politics and I look forward to another successful year in Economics.

Martin Hill

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mr Jacob Rees-Mogg mp The UK in a Post-Brexit World Thursday 25th January 2018 7.00 - 8.15pm Tickets available from 11th Jan via WisePay. Sports Hall, Churcher’s College Submit your questions for Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg MP in advance to Mr Cheshire

From Project Fear to Project Cheer: Reasons to be Optimistic about Brexit by

Jonathan Isaby

Editor, BrexitCentral

Thursday 28th September 2017 6.45pm (for refreshments)

Churcher’s College Lecture Theatre

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HISTORY One of the most fascinating parts of the History courses here at Churcher’s is comparing the characters we teach; we often look at the unfortunate doomed absolutists such as Louis XVI, Nicholas II and Charles 1st, or the ‘men on the make’ such as Napoleon and Lenin, or perhaps focus on individuals who fought against the odds such as Wilberforce and the Suffragettes.

Throughout the school, the syllabus reflects a plethora of intriguing cross-referencing that comes to life not only in lessons, but also in our lectures and our trips.

In respect of lectures, we have had some wonderfully informative speakers over the year. The Sixth Form Historians attended Emeritus Professor William Doyle’s excellent lecture entitled Could it Have Worked? Constitutional Monarchy in France 1789-1792. This shed light on a core part of the A Level course on the reasons why constitutional monarchy in France ended in failure with the execution of Louis XVI in 1793. We also invited Dr K Gibbon from the University of Portsmouth; her lecture was entitled Resisting the Reformation: Opposition to the Henrician and Edwardian Reformations. She urged us not to use hindsight and presume that because the resistance failed, it was to be ignored. Instead, she relayed that the Pilgrimage of Grace was

a major attempt at diverting the course of the Henrician Reformation and restoring Catholic England. Our Fourth Years were enthralled by a talk from the author Thomas Harding on Free Will and Evil: The Capture of the Kommandant of Auschwitz, indeed they were so fascinated that they bought a record number of his books, which later they told me they enjoyed. Finally, the Third Years had a fantastic time watching Your Country Needs You! by the highly energetic and irrepressible Quantum Theatre team who put on the First World War in an hour; this fitted in very well with their curriculum as they had just studied the Battle of the Somme. The Third Years also took part in the final Never Such Innocence competition and wrote some moving

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and eloquent poems as well as produce some stunning artwork, which was displayed in New College.

In relation to the Holocaust Educational Trust, once again we were very fortunate that two of our pupils could attend this event in Poland. Rosie Botham and Charlie Gaisford were superb ambassadors for the school and gave two moving and thought provoking assemblies: one to the Sixth Form and another to the Third Year. Charlie said: “It was an honour to be chosen to represent the school for the HET and it’s an experience we will never forget. We flew to Poland with schools from all over the South East to be witnesses to the horrors of the Holocaust.

It was harrowing to see the scene of such evil and brutality and we found it difficult to comprehend the thought that human beings could commit such atrocities towards each other.” After our first HET trip for pupils two years ago we decided to launch a new trip to all the Fifth Form Historians. We went to Krakow and Auschwitz in April with 54 Fifth Formers. The main focus of the trip was to visit Auschwitz and AuschwitzBirkenau and to also be witnesses to the Holocaust. We all found it harrowing and walked around both sites in total silence absorbing the appalling evil that took place there against a million Jews as well as gypsies, homosexuals, teachers and

priests. We also visited the Schindler factory and the Galicia Museum. We stayed in Krakow and had a lovely time visiting the medieval centre and eating in two Polish restaurants, one of which held a folk evening and nearly every pupil got up to dance. It was an amazing trip and one in which we all reflected deeply.

Another overseas trip was to the First World War battlefields organised by Mrs Buttar; we travelled there with more than 50 Third Years. We visited three cemeteries: Lijssenthoek, Langemark and Tyne Cot and then headed to the beautiful town of Ypres where we stayed and visited the Menin Gate to listen to the Last Post ceremony. We awoke the first morning in our hotel to a blanket of snow – beautiful, but slightly problematic! Unfortunately, we were snowed off the Somme, but our guide Peter did a fantastic job of adapting our plan and we stayed in-and-around Ypres for a fantastic snow-filled day of Hill 66, chocolate shops and epic snow ball fights!

Our last day visit to Vimy Ridge was exceptionally beautiful – and the sun came out to greet us. Our Canadian tour guide took us below ground to the tunnels in which men sheltered during bombardments and then up into the trenches. As the shadows of our pupils fell on the snow-covered

ground, it was hard not to imagine the men in whose footsteps they walked, in the freezing cold.

For the Second Years, we launched a new trip and headed to the Isle of Wight with 130 pupils under the leadership of Mr McLearie. The pupils consolidated aspects of the topics recently studied, particularly the changing fortunes of the British monarchy. We went to Carisbrooke Castle and Osborne House, which helped further the pupils’ understanding of the English Civil War and the Victorian period. We enjoyed being on the beach where Queen Victoria had once swum as well as consuming 150 ice creams between us!

For the Lower Sixth Historians we had a fascinating day enhancing our Tudor knowledge. We travelled to nearby Titchfield Abbey which was partly a ruin from a 13th Century Premonstratensian abbey, but it was later converted into a Tudor mansion for Thomas Wriothesley, the first Earl of Southampton. We then headed to St Cross Hospital and Winchester Cathedral where we had a guided tour of the Cathedral and we ended the day at the Hampshire Records Office where we were shown some Tudor manuscripts.

Mrs Buttar has been doing wonders in the History Club and has a number of devotees who turn up like

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clockwork every Thursday lunchtime in N2!

Finally, we have had some splendid exam results. 97 pupils sat the IGCSE, 34 of whom gained an A*. At A Level 47% of grades were A*-A. Robert Chamberlain gained a place to read History at Balliol College, Oxford and we have three Historians who are preparing for the Oxford History Aptitude Test.

It has been a very busy and fulfilling year in the History department and I would really like to thank Mrs Hill, Mrs Buttar, Mr Seal, Mr McLearie and Mr Jones for all their enthusiasm, hard work, diligence and a general love for all things historical!

Helen Jolliffe

It was harrowing to see the scene of such evil and brutality

GEOGRAPHY The weather this year has been one of extremes, from the cold depths of the Beast from the East, necessitating the school closure for a ‘snow day’ in March, to some of the warmest, sunniest and driest months on record over the Summer term. Once again the weather gods smiled on the fieldwork programme, and we managed to get every year group out of the classroom for at least one day to experience geography in its rightful setting, without getting cold, damp and irritable!

Last year’s GCSE and GCE specification changes have necessitated some tweaking of the programme, with the Fifth Form spending a day around Portsmouth Harbour investigating the impact of the Gunwharf redevelopment on the local area and the Upper Sixth at Studland collecting data for

their Independent Investigations.

The remainder of the programme ran as normal with the Second Years investigating biogeography at Marwell Zoo, and the Lower Sixth residential field course in Dorset investigating the concept of place in Weymouth and coastal management in Lyme Bay, in the Autumn term.

While the Third Years explored landscape in the New Forest, the First Years looked at coastal geomorphology at Lulworth Cove and the Fourth Years evaluated the effectiveness of coastal defences at Highcliffe in the Summer.

May and June brought the first round of assessments under the new 2016 GCSE and GCSE 9-1 regimes, with our GCSE pupils performing particularly well with a very impressive 31% at grade 9 and 84% 7-9 (corresponding to the old A grade and above).

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Our 2018 Senior Geography trip took 12 students, Mrs Plewes and Mr Nighy to the Azores to enjoy the range of volcanic, coastal and biogeographic attractions offered by this mid-Atlantic archipelago.

Wonderful walks around the caldera rims, bathing in hot springs, whale and dolphin watching from a rib and exploring relict lava tubes were some of the highlights.

I would like to thank the team for their continuing hard work, professionalism and commitment throughout another busy year, and to bid farewell to Mr Strachan, who is moving on to St Edward’s, Oxford, after three years in the department.

David Nighy

Once again the weather gods smiled on the fieldwork programme 59

CLASSICS The Classics department has enjoyed a successful year in many ways.

Latin remains a challenging language for pupils to master, but I am always impressed and inspired by the enthusiasm, energy and sheer hard graft of all Churcher’s pupils. They often surprise themselves by their ability to master the intricacies of the grammar. This year is no exception with record numbers choosing Latin at GCSE. Classical Civilisation and Ancient History too has been undergoing a change with new courses in the lower school, GCSE and A Level.

Results Results in the Summer in GCSE Latin were superb last year with ten out of the 13 candidates achieving the top A* grade. At A Level, Olivia Bicknell and Annabel Keoghane were successful in both Latin and Classical Civilisation and, at AS Level Latin, we gained 3 As and 2 Bs with two pupils continuing on to A Level this year. In GCSE Classical Civilisation too, all candidates achieved A*-C grades with Chris Butler and Sam Carroll gaining A* grades. Many congratulations to all of them.

New Developments We have seen a number of exciting changes this year in our courses.

Both GCSE and A Level courses in Latin have now changed with a growing emphasis on prose composition into Latin. Although

challenging, this will improve the ability to read and appreciate the original Latin literature, the primary aim in studying Latin. This year has seen the birth of a new A Level course, Ancient History. The course focuses on the Greeks and Romans, covering a wide range of periods from the invasion of the Persians in 490BC to the end of Nero’s reign in Rome in 68AD. A study trip to Rome in October 2018 is planned.

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Myths and Monsters in Greek mythology Caroline Lawrence (June 2018) Third and Fourth Year Classics students were treated to a visit and talk by bestselling Children’s mystery author Caroline Lawrence. Following on from their studies of mythology and ancient literature this year, she

We have seen a number of exciting changes this year in our courses

discussed her books and how the rules of storytelling she learned from mythology apply to both modern writing and films - including 007 and Paddington! She also showed her sponge-on-a-stick and explained it’s disgusting usage, much to their delight! The Fourth Year especially found her talk fascinating as it wound together many strands of mythology from their GCSE and Third Year course. euge!

Greek Club has continued apace on Wednesday lunchtimes with Archie Phillips, Jake Haldenby and Matt Crane in the Lower Sixth all mastering the language this year; they hope to take the GCSE in 2019.

In addition, Archie and Jake have also researched Classical topics for their forthcoming EPQs, one on the problems surrounding the accession of the Emperor Hadrian and the other on the Socratic problem.

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The department says goodbye to Miss Stent who has taught Latin and Classical Civilisation to all levels. We thank her for her dedication and for enthusing all her pupils with a love of the Classics. We wish her well in her new post at Notre Dame school in Cobham. Next year we will welcome Mr Gibbins to the department from Reed’s School in Cobham.

Mr Hegan

RELIGION & PHILOSOPHY The academic year of 201718 started the way it ended with the R&P department attending and promoting inhouse lectures.

At Bedales, we were honoured to share the company of Prof Simon Blackburn who, with his calm demeanour, is one of the ‘great clarifiers’ of the 21st Century. This was followed by our annual visit to New College of Humanities where we spent an Evening with Professor A. C. Grayling. It was a fascinating event made better by the fact that we were met and greatly looked after

by NCH ambassador Alice Turner (OC). In-house we were visited by Rev’d Dr Philip Krinks who debated the term Just Footnotes to Plato.

His thesis was that since Descartes’ attempt to prove that we are first and foremost a mind rather than a soul, no philosopher worth his salt has ever tried prove that we have a soul. Instead today’s philosophers point to behaviourism and learned behaviour. Rene Descartes, however, did not completely give up on the soul, but claimed that it existed in the Pineal Gland in between the left and the right side of the brain.

His thinking was that we have two of most things (eyes, legs, lungs etc.), but only one pineal gland. He speculated the reason for that could be that it was the location of the soul which linked the material body and immaterial mind. His thinking did have some following, and it was popularly known that if one wanted to ‘sell his soul to the devil’, it would have to be extracted from the back of his neck. A reference to this can be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s classic film Pulp Fiction, where Gangster Boss Marcellus Wallace is seen with a plaster on the back of his neck. Later

in the film Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) is seen opening a suitcase.

Most audiences are led to believe the content of the case is cocaine, but those who have studied R&P will know the dualistic teachings of Descartes, and therefore the finer details of life, and be aware that it is a subtle reference to Marcellus’ Soul.

As our GCSE specifications have changed this year, so have we.

The new addition is Islam, and as a consequence we visited Medina Mosque in Southampton, where local Iman Saleem Hussain welcomed us and very patiently answered all our questions.

One of our favourite events of the year is Open Day. We like handson education, and a four hour continuous session lends itself perfectly to this. This year, in addition to sand mandala and gargoyle making, we created a huge artistic replica of Winchester Cathedral with Lego. It was one of those rare moments where the teachers were having as much fun as the students.

Our crowd-puller was, once again, our Henna sessions. Recently, when visiting Kew Garden’s newly restored 19th Century temperate glass house, I came across a specimen of the Henna Plant. Looking at that little plant, one cannot but be amazed by how much excitement such a small plant can generate on Open Day in the R&P department.

Next academic year on January 17th we will be visited by Dr Murray (twin

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brother to ex-Churcher’s Teacher Mr Murray), who will be doing a CCALS Lecture on the topic How to Live your Afterlife: On Death and Dying in the Middle Ages. It will be a highly entertaining afternoon, and you are all welcome to attend. We will also be launching our first ever Paintball session for our R&P GCSE students; what better way is there to teach the concepts of conflict, forgiveness and reconciliation?

Tony Ostersen

we created a huge artistic replica of Winchester Cathedral with Lego

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FRENCH It has been an eventful and very busy academic year for French, with our first batch of new GCSE and new A Level exams, and we are delighted to say that great results were achieved!

With a large cluster of top grades, we can but shout a loud “BRAVO!” to our French linguists.

We had a strong team of teachers to guide them through these first two years of new and challenging courses.

We welcomed Mr Leysen, who had a very successful year and who settled into our department with ease, especially as he enjoys chocolate (being from Belgium)! Sadly, however, we have had to say “AU REVOIR” to Mrs Louis, whose energy and enthusiasm often carried us through long Winter days; she will be greatly missed and we wish her the very best in her new school in Essex. We are now joined

by Mrs Mann, who returns from Australia, and we look forward to working with her. Elodie, our able French assistante, did her very best to boost our students’ confidence throughout the year groups, and as the new academic year begins, we will soon welcome our new assistante, Margo, who is very keen to start her new role at the end of September.

Some of our Second Year students spent the year not sending Snapchat messages nor texting, but writing good old fashioned letters to a class in a French Collège. All were very excited when opening their envelope! This epistolary exchange was a success and will hopefully continue in the future. Some of the Fourth Years enjoyed a short stay in the Château de la Baudonnière

last Easter, which helped them realise just how much they are able to understand in French, in various contexts, and the week in sunny France brought it all home: we are learning a language as a life skill and not just as a school subject limited to the walls of a classroom. This coming year, the French department is organising two different trips to France, with the view of creating further memories for the future.

I very much look forward to this new academic year, with many new achievements and lots of fun to have with learning languages.

Nicole Sparks

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we are learning a language as a life skill and not just as a school subject limited to the walls of a classroom

Modern Languages 2017-8 was another glorious year in the ML faculty. The academic year kicked off with our celebrations of the European Day of Languages, including a ‘Love Languages’ poster competition, won by Julia Nicholls, a European lunch and our biennial Poetry and Performance evening, which was a real treat this year. My highlights were Bona Nox by the Flohr brothers, which had us all joining in and Florrie’s haunting rendition of ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ to close the evening. Open Day finished the year in style for us. With a multi-lingual fashion show, an International Bake Off, pupils as teachers and an outdoor Continental café, our students certainly had lots of opportunity to show off their linguistic talents. Oxbridge is the next destination for two of our most talented linguists, Emily Giffin and Will Chamberlain. Our warmest congratulations to them and we look forward to another year full of linguistic opportunity.

Kathryn Shaw

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GERMAN I was very fortunate to take over as Head of German at Churcher’s in September 2017.

The ML department is extremely well resourced and this was certainly a contributory factor to the highly impressive A Level results in German. Will Chamberlain is to be congratulated on his entrance to Oxford to read German and Russian.

Will was amongst 12 teenagers from the UK who spent two weeks on the German Pupil Course 2017 in Weimar – in the footsteps of Goethe and Schiller. He stayed with German host families, went to a German school and enjoyed himself immensely making many new friends. Will confidently presented his experience in Germany to members of the German Club in the Junior School in March of this academic year. All Upper Sixth and

Lower Sixth students attended an AS/A Level German Literature and Film Student Study Day in London.

During this conference lectures on the film Das Leben der Anderen and the novel Der Vorleser were delivered entirely in German. The students left the conference buzzing with their knowledge of the film and the novel, pointers towards essay writing as well as revision strategies.

The conference was invaluable for their essay writing in the German A Level exam. The GCSE students have successfully embraced the new style GCSE and worked extremely hard to achieve a very pleasing set of grades in German. Many students achieved grades 7, 8 and 9 which reflects their resilience and hard work.

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The German exchange to Warendorf in April 2018 was a big success. As this was my first time in Warendorf I was taken aback by the hospitality that staff and students experienced during the week in Germany. The students enjoyed their visit to Sparrenburg and Dr Oetker World in Bielefeld and Signal Iduna Stadion and Deutsches Fussball-Museum in Dortmund. The highlight of the exchange was, however, a visit to Phantasialand near Cologne.

The participating students from Churcher’s and their German exchange partners had great fun on the exhilarating rides in this theme park. The return visit in May was equally successful and cemented the students’ friendships even more.

Some students are already planning to visit their exchange partners again in the near future. German Club ran in the Autumn term of the last academic year to give students a flavour of the St Martin’s tradition and of St Nikolaus and Christmas traditions in German speaking countries. The students made lanterns for St Martinstag and, as per the tradition in German speaking countries, St Nikolaus put traditional German biscuits and sweets into the children’s shoes on 6th December.

German Club was supported by our extremely popular foreign language assistant Georg Lukas. Georg also gave conversation classes in small groups and, as well as improving the pupils’ spoken language, his classes were full of cultural information about his native Austria. A lot of students miss Georg greatly, but we

are lucky to have another Austrian assistant with us this academic year.

A three-day trip to Cologne Christmas Market for First and Second Year pupils of German is planned for the Christmas holiday 2018 and provides an exciting opportunity for them to experience the magic of Christmas in Germany as well as exposing them to the German language.

I would like to express my grateful thanks to my colleagues in the ML department who have guided me through my first year at Churcher’s. A particular thank you to Mr Crossman and Mrs Shaw whose advice has been invaluable. I would like to thank both of them and Mrs Sparks for their hard work and enthusiasm for teaching German in the School.

Ariane Broomfield

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the GCSE students have successfully embraced the new style GCSE and worked extremely hard to achieve a very pleasing set of grades

SPANISH

The Spanish department has enjoyed the inaugural teaching of Spanish in the First Year.

It has been a very successful and exciting time, with a variety of games, songs and interactive activities being used to captivate and engage our youngest linguists.

The course has been designed to ensure that the students gain plenty of cultural knowledge, in addition to learning lots of new vocabulary through sounds and listening activities. The festival of ‘El Día de los Muertos’ (which many of the children recognised from the recent James Bond film) provided an opportunity for students to discover the culture of South America. The focus on listening and speaking skills has been a great success and

the students’ increasing confidence was evident in the fashion show that was part of the Summer term Open Day, when they were able to introduce their fellow students, not only in Spanish but also in their second choice language.

The October half-term provided an opportunity for the first ever Spanish trip to Barcelona for Third Years. The increase in cultural knowledge and appreciation being required in the new GCSE specification provided a good excuse to visit the vibrant city of Barcelona. The Third Years stayed in a youth hostel from where they visited the Montjuïc Castle, the Park

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Güell, the Sagrada Familia, a very authentic Spanish tapas restaurant, and the trip to a theme park was also appreciated by our intrepid young travellers. Although they were all quite tired after an early start and the excitement of arriving in Barcelona (and only days after there were fears that Catalunya might literally start a fight for its independence), the magnificent cathedral in Barcelona was a highlight not to be missed.

Teaching Sixth Form Spanish is always rewarding: seeing the progress and maturing linguistic ability of our students over their time at Churcher’s is very satisfying. In April,

we had a very informative day in London when some of the Sixth Form attended a film study day in preparation for their A Level film choice. The course was delivered in both Spanish and English and it gave the students an opportunity to deepen their film appreciation and critical skills. Analysis of screen shots and directors’ use of the camera were all part of an engaging day delivered by José Antonio García Sánchez and Tony Weston.

Many thanks must go again to Elena Hall, our Spanish assistant. Through some contacts of Elena, we were able to offer the Lower Sixth and

Fifth Form the opportunity of some work experience in Valencia, staying with families as au pairs. With responsibilities such as looking after young children at the poolside and visits to the beach, and helping them with their English, the opportunity was really appreciated by some of our more adventurous students.

Extended and independent stays like this are very effective for developing our students’ linguistic abilities, and their cultural appreciation and confidence, before they sit their demanding A Levels.

Anna-Maria Giffin

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Teaching Sixth Form Spanish is always rewarding

MATHS

The Maths department at Churcher’s tries to encourage pupils to think independently and to problem solve.

Our results indicate we are very successful at this with 92 % of our A Level students achieving an A*-B grade and 77.5% achieving grades 9-7, which is equivalent to the old A*-A grades at GCSE. However, it is not just our exam results that reflect what a successful department we are, but also our success in national competitions such as the UKMT Maths Challenges. Every year 600,000 children take part in these challenges and only 2.6% get through to the next round. At Churcher’s 5.3% of those that entered got through to the next round in the Junior Challenge, 12.7% got through in the Intermediate Challenge and 5% in the Senior Maths Challenge this year, which was fantastic!

Well done to: Laurence Horwood, Morris Paget, Ben Prodger, Sam Ritchie, Josh Coates, Elliott Dewdney, George Feeney, William Hipsey, Oliver King, Harrison Knight, Oliver Mutch, Annabelle Smith, George Whittle, Christopher Buler, Archie

Moffit and Gareth Waters.

In February, we were very pleased to host the 2018 Junior Team Challenge regional finals. 36 schools from around the South participated including a team from Churcher’s represented by four of our own students: Oliver Fogelin, Harrison Knight, Lily Morrison and Matthew Russell. This national competition gives pupils the opportunity to tackle a variety of engaging mathematical activities, while developing teamwork and communication skills.

The Maths department is increasingly popular and are looking forward to the challenges 2018-19 brings and we are very pleased to be welcoming a new teacher, Miss Dickson, to join us in delivering fun and interesting lessons to our successful team.

Tracey Greenaway

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Mathematics is often seen as a subject but actually it is more of a way of thinking.

Albeit Einstein once said Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas

Can yo u use y logic ‘Bat an al mind to s our olve th d Ball thous P e answe ands of univ roblem’? M r a e shockined this puzzle rsity studen ny ts h g. ,a Harvar d, MIT More than 5 nd the result ave , and P 0% of studen s are rinceto answe n gave the ints at r. correc t

Problem

A The ba bat and ball co t costs one do st $1.10. llar mo re than How m the ball. uch do es cost? the ball

A number came to your mind. The number, of course, is 10. Do the maths, and you will see that this is not correct. If the ball costs 10¢, then the total cost will be $1.20 (10¢ for the ball and $1.10 for the bat), not $1.10. The correct answer is 5¢.

Answer:

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COMPUTING

One of the most rewarding moments as a teacher is having a student go on to choose your subject at University.

So this year has been a real success with five out of six students going on to do Computing related subjects.

Especially joyous is our contribution towards addressing the inequality in this male dominated subject with one girl choosing to study Computing Science. She will be in high demand when she leaves University. Indeed, all these students will have a bright future, a choice of exciting jobs at the end of their degree and will be contributing to the shape of our future.

This year we have been continuing to develop the profile of the department to attract students and do our part to address the national shortfall of talent. We have a good number of students continuing to A Level in September and two large sets of GCSE students in the Fifth Form that hopefully will keep the subsequent A Level numbers healthy.

We have some tremendous talent at Churcher’s and we were very excited to win the UK Lockheed Martin Code Quest challenge that was coordinated across different time zones in many international locations. We brought home a huge cup and a new Amazon Fire for each of our winners; this will be a great differentiator for

their personal statements. For the younger years we entered a competition to develop an App or Game for a Charity; everyone in the First and Second Years had a chance to develop something of meaning and develop their skills. While we didn’t win, the students that went to the final had a great time and you can never tell what experience can inspire a student in the early years.

We aim to give everyone a technical education to allow them to speak the right language even if they don’t end up wanting to do programming as the first step in a career; it helps to develop the mix of skills required in the industry for technical people who can talk business or vice versa.

ICT is not forgotten in the department and while our emphasis is on Computing we recognise that students still need proficiency in ICT tools and the confidence to continue learning new tools independently. ICT skills are developed cross-curricular but for those students not wishing to develop their Computational Skills in the Third Year but would like to develop their skills using technology, we offer ICT instead of Computing. At the end of the year the ICT students are offered the chance to sit a Level

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2 Functional Skills qualification as a ‘stretch and challenge’ incentive; it is certainly challenging with such a short amount of teaching time but rewarded with UCAS Points if they succeed.

In the Third Year Computing classes, students took computers apart and made videos to understand more about computer hardware; extended their skills in Computational Thinking and Python programming; used the Raspberry Pi’s to program and interface with Minecraft. Much fun with Mr Sangster!

This year also saw the first cohort through the new GCSE 9-1 in Computer Science. We had to deal with the controversial change of assessment mid-year to take the NEA off the final assessment. However, it didn’t hurt us too much as we achieved fantastic results with 81% at Grade 7 or above.

We are also in the process of improving links with Industry to inspire students into a career in Computing/IT. We visited a games development company, 22Cans, and out of that one of our students gained some work experience.

We hope to do more of this next

year and have made contact with a number of alumni who are working in the IT industry to identify opportunities.

Mr Sangster continues to run a popular Gaming Club where students fight for a place and the Digital Leader IT Committee continues to add value to the Churcher’s and wider community by experimenting with and evaluating new hardware and software, improving use of IT in the school and developing their own awareness of digital futures in the process.

Other visits included the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park to see Computing through its relatively short history. GCSE students and A Level students had separate programmes for their visits but they both enjoyed handson programming with BBC Micros, watching the Colossus and ‘The Witch’ in action and a trip down memory lane (even at their tender age) seeing old technology and playing retro games.

The Sixth Form also attended a Computer Science in Action seminar in London where Professors in their field of research presented to a

full audience at Imperial College of Sixth Form Computer Scientists from across the country to give insight into higher levels of research in the subject areas studied within the A Level curriculum.

Staffing In the department, we were very fortunate to have the engaging Mr Reid from D&T to help teach Computing in the First Year. The students enjoyed him and it is very sad to see him go on to a bigger D&T role in another school and we wish him all the best. Ironically, his experience in Computing helped him land the job. However, we welcome Mr Bond and Mr Hoebee into the department part-time for next year.

Indeed, Mr Hoebee has already been a great asset in the Digital Leaders Committee and in leading e-learning for staff. As ever, my huge thanks go to Mr Sangster who is a great inspiration and teacher to me and the students across all ages.

IT Across the School Many thanks to the IT department for their continued support. We take it for granted that everything

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works when you want it to and they can respond to new requests and problems instantly. This year they have provided us with new laptops as a shared resource for the classrooms and these are now being expanded to another set. We are all working together with the SMT to develop an IT strategy that supports the changing needs of the school.

Firefly Firefly VLE is now a mainstay as a repository of teaching and learning material as well as resources to support school life for students, teachers and parents. It is used to set all homework and many students are benefiting from the organisation and detailed support that can be provided. It is also being used to show-case student work, allow collaboration and facilitate flipped learning. The Parent Portal was released this year to help Parents stay up-to-date on school life and support their children’s learning.

We have also started to utilise other features to help with the day-today running of the school, such as permission slips and other form filling responses that need tracking.

Karen McCathie

CURRICULUM SUPPORT Talking about his lessons, Ben Wright said, “I’ve had Curriculum Support for almost two years because I’m dyslexic and I need help with my spelling and English. It’s helped me by taking out words that I’ve got wrong previously, for example in my exercise books, and teaching me to spell them so I can use them in essays and exams.

times. It’s a small barrier - a hindrance. When you’re trying to get to a goal, it’s like a bunch of thistles in your way but you still get there. It just takes a bit longer. Being dyslexic at Churcher’s, I get loads of support and I feel that the teachers understand.”

Mrs Blackman organised a Lower Sixth Maths helper to help me with the topics I didn’t understand. This helped me, especially in the run-up to tests. Curriculum Support also helps me to finish homework that I’m struggling with and helps me to organise my work, and handing it in. I’m also allowed to use a laptop for longer pieces of work and exams, and that helps me to express what I want to say better.

Come and write the next page of your future by having some Curriculum Support lessons.

Boost your study skills, learn some good ways to revise for tests, and start to create the future you want. Maybe work on spelling, handwriting, or reading skills too?

Another pupil expressed her thoughts in a poem.

Contact me at lblackman@ churcherscollege.com to discover how you can be helped in Curriculum Support.

Linda Blackman

Being dyslexic is difficult at

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When you’re trying to get to a goal, it’s like a bunch of thistles in your way but you still get there

The World in Words Imagine if we were in someone’s book, Our life a story and each day a page, Every second written down, And every life stored in another chapter.

The next page has our future and the last page our past, Every day a moment waiting to be explored…

By Lucia Martin

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DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY What a difference a year makes!

After a mindboggling 16 years in my previous school I was thrilled to receive the phone call from Simon Williams asking whether I would like to accept the post of Head of Design & Technology at Churcher’s College. That was back in April 2017; it seems that the academic year from September through to July has passed in the blink of an eye, but what endeavour has ensued during that time.

We have achieved great success as a team over the last year; a fantastic set of A Level results with 50% of the pupils achieving an A grade and a further 42% securing a B grade. What was immensely satisfying was the calibre of project work being produced by the pupils, with a broad range of challenging and innovative practical pieces being created.

The GCSE results were no less satisfying with just short of 40% of pupils securing an A*-A grade and 38% achieving a B grade.

When you consider the collective time involved from staff and pupils during lesson time, in lunch periods and during after college extra workshop time, it stands to reason that the outcomes on display during the private view exhibition were fantastic to take in.

Our department staff have excelled themselves and are deserving of individual mention.

I counted myself extremely lucky

to have Mrs Lines alongside me on a part time basis to act as a sounding board, as she had so skilfully steered the Design & Technology ship through the waters for so many years previously. Her years of experience both as a Design & Technology practitioner and as a Churcher’s teacher proved invaluable during my first year at Churcher’s…. everyone should have a Mrs Lines!

Alongside his teaching commitments Mr Reid has worked with a number of our local primary schools, delivering STEAM experiences such as a Martian buggy project which utilised a programmable micro controller linked via bluetooth to pupil’s mobile phones. He also coordinated a day at Churcher’s College, working in association with The Royal Academy of Engineering and Chichester University, hosting a selection of schools. Pupils worked on a number of projects including a programmable robot arm, Vex robotic kits and Mircobit battle bots. He has since moved on to pastures new and he will be a hard act to follow, bringing a seemingly endless supply of enthusiasm to lessons, the obligatory D&T teacher ‘banter’ to the office and a broad tool kit of skills to the pupils in his charge.

Miss Evans completed her second year at Churcher’s and has enhanced the department

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with her keen eye for design and graphical communication. She has developed new skills with her teaching groups introducing Photoshop to her Third Year groups to manipulate images for effect.

Our awesome technician team of Mr Adams and Mr Jamouneau have been an invaluable asset for a plethora of reasons, be it the speedy preparation of materials, providing the absolute guarantee that all your teaching resources will be available exactly when you require them or working collaboratively with staff and pupils to solve a manufacturing conundrum.

Finally, to Mr Larby our indispensable textiles guru; he has assisted magnificently those pupils in the examination groups who undertake a textiles based project. This year the pupils who benefited from his expertise included Amelie Lewis, Georgia Hughes and Lucy Gee at GCSE and Iona McColl at A Level. All the pupils created stunning garments which showcased their clear talent for design and manufacture in a textiles based medium At the start of the Autumn term we took all Fifth Form Design & Technology pupils to the Design Museum and Tate Modern in London to facilitate their GCSE research. They spent their day looking at design icons from

the last hundred years to use as inspiration for their own projects.

Later in the Autumn term we also took the Upper Sixth to the Design in Action day at UCL where they listened to a broad range of commercial designers who have had success in more recent times; included in these were the founders of the design brand Red or Dead.

Both of these experiences were great examples where we have enabled our pupils to see design in a realistic context.

weekend too. The fruits of the labours could be seen at our Private View Exhibition where all 70 projects could be seen in all their glory. Pupils should be extremely proud of their achievements and those of you who were fortunate enough to visit the exhibition I’m sure will agree that the pupils have once again excelled themselves. A big “thanks” has to go out to Mr Cox who once again allowed us to commandeer the gymnasium for the best part of a week.

The Spring term saw frenetic activity in the Design & Technology workshops with every lesson focusing on the manufacture of each of the pupil’s designs. Workshops were open at lunch time, for after college sessions and for the occasional

Planning for the new Goodfield block is moving forward at pace and is slightly ahead of schedule. Although there will undeniably be disruption to normal proceedings, I have no doubt that the new facilities will prove to be an excellent environment to work in.

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They will certainly be a much more comfortable building for both staff and students to work in with the promise of air conditioning; allowing us to say goodbye to uncomfortably hot Summers and Baltic Winters!

Looking forward to this academic year, we have two new members of staff joining us in the department; Miss Murrell who joins us from Horndean Technology College and Mr Bond from Frensham Heights. I bid them a warm welcome and look forward to helping them settle into their roles at Churcher’s. It is still fresh in my mind how much there is to take in when you switch schools; I remember very much feeling like a rabbit in the headlights; hopefully I can help to dim those lights just a little.

Ella Mitchell

ART

Alysia Gibson Olivia Chads

Our annual Summer Exhibition was a fantastic success this year with guests treated to a wonderful and diverse display of work produced by the GCSE and A Level students.

The exam results that the students achieved acknowledged this very high standard with 50% achieving the highest grade at A level and 80% achieving a grade 7 to 9 at GCSE. This was the first year on the new GCSE grading system and we were delighted to see almost 40 % achieving the highest possible grade of 9 and almost 80% achieving 7 to 9 , which is the equivalent to previous grade of A or above.

At A Level the stand-out works included Millie Gillard’s stunning portrait of a young girl. This was executed with a fantastic amount of skill and preparation. Gus Rushin’s large canvas of his sisters was also centre stage and was an engaging and very mature piece of work. Kate Thompson produced a triptych consisting of images of the aftermath of a bombed Syrian cityscape. This brought a lot of comment and showed a very

interesting use of a mixed media approach, involving a ‘crossover‘ between painting and photograph.

Olivia Chads display included a very powerful painting of a refugee with a child in arms. This was another thought provoking work, completed with skill and dedication.

The busiest studio was the Lower Sixth room where each student set up a display in the area in which they had worked throughout the year. The standard in this room was incredibly high and bodes well for next year when they complete their course.

We expect great things from these students! If the GCSE work displayed is anything to go by we will also see fantastic results from those that are doing Art & Design next year as well.

Watch this space!

We also established a new area for

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displaying Art work this year by incorporating the space under the stairs to the Computing Department. We have utilised this to show examples of the very impressive Self Portrait canvases produced by the Fourth Year GCSE students. This adds to our extensive range of display throughout the school.

A new project for the Art department this year also involved a Self Portrait canvas with every single Third Year producing a piece. This proved a huge success with the majority of pupils producing outcomes that even surprised themselves.

A selection of these, alongside other examples of the work produced in the First to Third Year, formed an exhibition at The Flora Twort Gallery in May. Although this was a small space we managed to display a real

Angus Rushin

insight into both the quality and the diversity of the work produced in Art & Design at this level. Parents were invited to a Private Viewing with the exhibition continuing for a week.

Earlier in the year the Fourth Year and Lower Sixth took a trip to Chichester. This was to see a British Pop Artists exhibition at Pallant House and also to visit the cathedral to make some drawings and photo

montages. The exhibition provided an important resource for the Pop Art project that was to follow for the Fourth Years. The students also had the opportunity to do a screen printing workshop at Pallant House.

Al Saralis

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The busiest studio was the Lower Sixth room. The standard in this room was incredibly high and bodes well for next year

Phoebe Hammond

Dan Colegate

Kate Thompson

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Olivia Chads

Saffron Wood

Holly Goddard

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MUSIC As I reach the end of another incredible year in the Music department and contemplate all the wonderful concerts, events and trips that have taken place, I can’t but help admire the number of pupils that are involved and the strength and talent in all areas, from solos to large ensembles, from the young pupil to the accomplished Upper Sixth musician, from the contemporary to the classical. I feel that we now have something for every type of musician here at Churcher’s.

Of course, this wealth of talent needs much nurturing, skill and dedication from the music teachers and I am hugely grateful for the wonderful work that all the music staff do, from the army of instrumental teachers to the full time staff. We welcomed Mr Webb-Taylor into the music team in September and were pleased to see that he settled into the Churcher’s team very quickly.

So to the year just gone! As I write a (very) long list of all the activities and concerts that have taken place, I thought I would start this report with, perhaps, the last, but one of the main highlights of the year, our Summer Concert at Cadogan Hall. We ventured to London two years ago with a concert at St. John’s Smith Square and following the success of that occasion, I felt it was time we looked in to another prestigious London venue. Cadgoan Hall seemed the perfect place, home to many professional orchestras, tiered seating for all, a magnificent stage and a large bar area! I think I am safe to say that the venue didn’t disappoint, providing us with a hugely memorable day for all that took part. Taking 203 musicians to London is never going to be an easy operation,

but when you have people such as Mrs Johnson and Mrs Flannagan helping, suddenly the prospect of coaching performers and audience to London isn’t so daunting. An army of staff accompanied us to London to not only help with the travelling, but to make sure everyone was fed well throughout the day and to take the pupils to Hyde Park to enjoy the Summer weather after their rehearsal.

The concert opened with a Brass Fanfare, situated up on the Minstrels Gallery and written by our very talented musician, Ryan Wlikinson in the Lower Sixth. This led straight in to a fantastic performance of ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ from the largest of the evening ensembles, the Junior Orchestra, which is a combination of the Junior Wind Band and Junior Strings.

The Jazz Band lifted the roof with an energetic performance of ‘Getaway’ followed by Grace Moran’s outstanding drumming in ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’. The Lower Sixth A Capella Ensemble was next on stage and for me, whenever they perform, they are always a real highlight of any concert. This time, Elizabeth Turner and Imogen Evans wrote the entire medley of film tunes, sometimes weaving in as many as 14 different parts to the arrangement. The group worked on their own choreography and the outcome was stunning!

The Senior Wind Band is always meticulously prepared, due to the direction of Mr Cree and these performances were no exception. Two great pieces, with some exceptional playing. The Upper Sixth musicians gave us one last performance, followed

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by the orchestra, who played a stunning slow movement from Shostakovich’s second piano concerto, performed by Madeleine Plummer. We were then treated to Star Wars, ‘The Force Awakens’, complete with harp, celeste, vibraphone and 71 players in total. The second half was dedicated to just one choral work, which combined the Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Senior Chamber Choir into a fantastic mixture of African and jazz music in a work called ‘Zimbe’, composed by the English composer Alexander L’Estrange. The work has a total of 14 movements, which reflect some of the ways that music plays a part in everyday life in Africa, from the rising of the sun to its setting. The songs included simple children’s playground songs from Ghana and Zimbabwe, a lullaby for mothers of the victims of the Apartheid, a raucous drinking song, a wedding song and some beautiful funeral and worship music. The choir certainly bought in to the style of the music, capturing the energy and spirit of the piece. We were lucky enough to have a workshop, led by the composer in the week before the concert and he certainly helped us bring the music to life - you just had to look at the back row of the tenor and bass sections to see that!

Senior Cabaret

Cabaret nights always seem popular, both with pupils and audience alike and in the Autumn term, we were treated to some truly outstanding performances, from various styles of solos and small ensembles, to performances by the Jazz band, Senior Chamber Choir, Lower Sixth A Capella group, SSA choir, Sixth Form ensemble,

we now have something for every type of musician here at Churcher’s

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the Barbershop, jazz quartet and the Senior choir rounding off the evening with ‘Seasons of Love’ from Rent, choreographed by Mrs Cox.

Remembrance and Spring Concerts

Both of these concerts are a real highlight of the year, taking place at St. Peter’s Church which offers fabulous acoustics for our soloists and ensembles.

The Remembrance Concert gave opportunities for the orchestra and all the college choirs to perform.

‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’, sung by the Junior choir, really lifted the roof and I would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Lofthouse for all the inspiration and enthusiasm that he has given the Junior Choir this year.

In early March, the audience that attended the Spring Concert were treated to performances from the College Orchestra, Senior Choir, Junior Choir, Senior Chamber Choir, SSA Choir, the Barbershop and Lower Sixth A Capella group. The highlight of the evening was the

performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’, sung by the Senior Choir, together with a professional orchestra who accompanied them. The soloists for this were Bella Herraman–Stowers, Grace Moran, Halcyon Sheen and Elizabeth Turner. Over £600 was raised for Breast Cancer Now.

Evening Concerts

Our Junior and Senior evening recitals give the opportunity for our pupils to perform solos and for some of our ensembles to demonstrate the results of their rehearsing through the term. We had two Junior recitals, one in November and one in February, which gave the smaller, chamber ensembles a chance to shine, including the Junior Brass group, Recorder group and Junior Woodwind Quartet. The Senior recital in January not only demonstrated the talent amongst our solo musicians, but also treated us to performances by the guitar group, string quartet and brass quintet. The evening concluded with an electrifying performance of the 2nd and 3rd movements of the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata by Beethoven, performed by George Whittle. Also in February, ‘An Evening of Song’ was

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held in the Assembly Hall. Mainly consisting of vocal duets, with occasional larger groups, this was a wonderful evening of singing with pupils of all ages performing songs from The Marriage of Figaro to The Greatest Showman.

Lunchtime Concerts

The lunchtime concerts that take place in St. Peter’s Church draw in a solid, regular audience that enjoy listening to some stunning solos and small chamber groups. We had three this year, in October, November and January, ranging in performances from the ‘Flower Duet’ by Delibes, performed by Kirsty Foreman and Rachel Newberry, to the flute group’s performance of ‘Eleanor Rigby’. We also took some of our music scholars down to Portsmouth Cathedral for a lunchtime concert as part of the Cathedral’s ‘Lunchtime Live’ series.

These musicians (from the First Year to the Sixth Form) had a fabulous time performing in the wonderful acoustics of the Cathedral.

Music-4-Lunch

This year we started running a lunchtime concert series called

Music-4-Lunch. With two concerts per term, these concerts are held in the Assembly Hall for half an hour during lunchtime, giving pupils an opportunity to perform in a relaxed and informal setting. Lasting only 30 minutes, audiences are able to pop in to support friends, students and tutees, giving the pupils performing that important experience and confidence needed in their musical journey.

Other Concerts

Save the Children: Each year Churcher’s College joins forces with Ditcham Park, The Petersfield School and Bedales to raise money for ‘Save the Children’. Churcher’s College has hosted this event now for a number of years and this year we performed a few numbers from the Senior Cabaret night, the Lower Sixth A Capella Group and the Junior Choir.

Carol Service: This is always a lovely occasion, held in St. Peter’s Church, with the evening service starting with the lights low and the candles lit. This year, the Lower Sixth A Capella group had arranged their own version of ‘White Christmas’ which set such a beautiful atmosphere at the back of the church, before the choir

processed down to ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’.

Singing Evening: A highlight for some in the year is when our singers get together to provide an evening of vocal ensembles.

These small groups are formed for the evening and provide us with much entertainment. This year, the standard was particularly high and the entertainment was even higher, with most groups electing to act out their songs. This was particularly true of the ‘Two by Two’ from the Book of Mormon, performed by Sam Carroll, Mr Cree, Harry Fagge, Carl Flohr, Mr Lofthouse, Alec Murray and Nick Tomlinson. The evening ended with all the singers joining together to sing ‘This is Me’ from The Greatest Showman.

Evensong at Portsmouth Cathedral: This was a wonderful opportunity for the Senior Chamber choir to perform in a glorious building and take part in a musical tradition that has been occurring daily for hundreds of years.

The choir sang beautifully and have already been asked to sing there again soon!

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Petersfield Music Festival: Each year, some of our musicians join forces with other local schools around Petersfield to perform in the Petersfield Music Festival, which is a series of concerts throughout the week. The Youth concerts are on the Monday and Wednesday evenings and this year, our Junior Wind Band and Jazz Band joined with the other schools for the performances, providing some energetic, rousing playing.

House Music Competition: This year’s House Music Competition showcased the musical talent from each house in a variety of classes Junior Vocal, Junior Instrumental, Junior Ensemble, Senior Vocal and Senior Instrumental. Adjudicating for a second year, Neil Valentine had the unenviable task of choosing a winner from each category and then an overall winning house. The quality of each performance was very high, with Mr Valentine saying that he also took into consideration his ‘clapometer’ to help choose a winner due to each performance being so good! The winners in each category were:

Junior Vocal Class - Matilda Shapland (Collingwood) Junior Instrumental Class - Jasper Jones - piano (Grenville) Junior Ensemble Class - Grenville Senior Vocal Class - Grace Moran (Rodney) Senior Instrumental Class - George Whittle (Drake) Congratulations to the overall winning house which was… Drake!

Upper Sixth Musicians Dinner: Our talented group of Upper Sixth musicians and their parents were treated to a black tie dinner to celebrate all the various musical

successes that have taken place during their time at Churcher’s College. The Upper Sixth musicians took charge of the evening, with the leaders of the ensembles making speeches in between the courses.

We were also treated to some final performances by the musicians from solos by Madeleine Plummer, Max Healey, Grace Lewis and Grace Moran to ensembles by the Barbershop, followed by a large jazz group playing ‘Runaway Baby’ to round of the evening. Delicious food and quality performances made for a very enjoyable evening.

SSA Concert: When Rebekah Abbott, the conductor of the SSA choir for

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this year, suggested a concert just for the SSA choir on a Sunday afternoon, in June, in Liss, I jumped at the chance of putting this in the calendar.

The concert was a really lovely occasion for the girls to perform a large range of repertoire, taken from a number of beautiful songs that they had sung during the year. St. Mary’s Church in Liss was the perfect location, a large church with brilliant acoustics. The choir sounded first class as always! My thanks go to Rebekah Abbott for training the choir through the year.

Second Year Grandparents Day: Six musicians from the second year

were selected to perform to the Grandparents that came to look around the school early in May. Whilst the Grandparents were drinking tea and eating cake, they were entertained with a lovely mixture of instruments playing solos including a trombone, clarinet, double bass, flute, piano and voice.

Ramshill Records

This year has seen not one, but two releases from Ramshill Records. Grace Moran’s live E.P. ‘Rise & Fall’ was followed by William McCathie’s pop offering, entitled ‘The Revolution Is Over (You Can All Go Home Now)’ under his stage name of Tom Kirby. As ever, the aim of this venture is to offer further avenues and opportunities to our up and coming singer/songwriters.

The school’s Music Technology facilities and students have been instrumental in allowing composers and songwriters to record their work in various different stages and to get

feedback from friends and family throughout the process.

Joe James

Rock School

Rock School says goodbye to some long-serving musicians this year, and eagerly awaits the influx of new talent into the First Year. As well as our usual performances at Open Day, Butser Hill Challenge and our very own Showcase night, we have been lucky enough to play the the Junior School Festival and the Home-Start Butser Summer Music Festival this year. Our musicians take every opportunity they can get to perform, and it teaches them so much more than simply rehearsing. More to come next year we hope...

Joe James

Senior Wind Band

The Senior Wind Band has performed in a number of high profile events this year. In the

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Autumn term, they played for the annual Speech Day event, sending everyone to half term with a lively performance of Ron Goodwin’s ‘Luftwaffe March’. The band also played for the Remembrance Parade in the town square and for the CCF Biennial Inspection.

To round off the Spring term, they performed at the Founder’s Day service, playing a range of styles from ‘La Cumparsita’ - a catchy tango! - to a 70’s disco number ‘Manhatten Skyline’ from Saturday Night Fever. There was also a beautiful solo from Immi Evans on the flute, playing the popular ‘Schindler’s List’ by John Williams

Trips and Gigs

GCSE Musicians: As is becoming a tradition now, early in their GCSE course, the GCSE group travel to a local nursing home to entertain the residents and to help give the students valuable performing experience. This year we went to the Downs Nursing home in Steep where the students performed an excellent mixture of solos and ensembles.

Everyone enjoyed performing the songs we had learnt and making new memories and new friendships

Trips to the West End: This year, we took a coach of excited musicians to see the colourful production of 42nd Street in the Autumn term and of course, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass by of taking the cast of School of Rock to see the West End production to help inspire them even further!

Sixth Form Enrichment: Each year, we try to organise events that will stimulate and enrich the excellent work that goes on inside the classroom for our Sixth Form students. This year, notable highlights were the Conducting Masterclass, given by professional conductor Mark Biggins, who conducts at the ENO, the Composition Masterclass, given by Oliver Lambert, and our visit to The Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, which gave our students a valuable insight into the

courses and facilities on offer, which cover a range of courses from music tech, songwriting, performance and production. I have never seen a whole room filled with 24 electric drum kits before!

Reading concert trip: Almost 40 GCSE and A Level musicians went to see the Russian State Philharmonic Professional Orchestra perform at The Hexagon in Reading. They were treated to an all Russian programme including excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and Sleeping Beauty. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening with great music and food and a brilliant chance to watch a professional orchestra from close range.

Victorian Day in Petersfield: The Petersfield Museum were holding

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a Victorian Day in the town, so Mr Lofthouse and Mrs Purchase gathered together a group of singers to perform some popular Gilbert and Sullivan numbers to a huge audience in the Market Square on a lovely hot, sunny day with the town full of stalls.

String Quartet Gigs: Our string quartets are regularly called upon to play at various school events and events around the town. As well as regular events, such as the Sixth Form Open Evening, Instrumental Parents Evening, the Trafalgar Night and the Entrance Exam, they played for a Sheet street party, which was raising money for The Rosemary Foundation as part of the 150th church anniversary celebrations.

In traditional style, the Music department ended the year by going on holiday - with a few musical performances mixed in, so here is a report of the Junior Choir and Junior Chamber Choir Tour to Amsterdam: “At the end of July 2018, during one of the hottest Summers on record, the Junior Choir and Junior Chamber Choir went on a choir tour to Amsterdam. We performed three concerts over the four days, as well as enjoying other activities when off-duty. It was an amazing trip and a great addition to the Summer holidays!

Junior Choir, conducted by Mr Lofthouse, consists of pupils from First to Third Year. They performed songs ranging from ‘Ave Verum’

by Will Todd and Messe Basse to ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’ and ‘Revolting Children’ from the musical Matilda. They also performed a song called ‘Stick Around Me’ which had been written by a pupil, Harry Marden, and adapted for the choir to sing.

Junior Chamber Choir, conducted by Mr Webb-Taylor, consists of a more select range of singers from Second to Fourth Year. They too performed a variety of songs, from ‘Remember Me’ and ‘Adiemus’ to ‘A Thousand Years’ and ‘Cups’. The Fourth Years each had a solo, as it was our last year in Junior Chamber Choir, and together performed a song called ‘As Fun’, arranged by Florrie Ransom. As well as the conductors, Mr Cree and Mrs Purchase joined us on the tour, with Mrs Purchase accompanying on the violin for many of the songs.

Our concerts took place in three different churches around Amsterdam. Our first was in the English Church in Amsterdam itself, our second in Sint Bartholomeuskerk near Noorwijk, and our third and final concert was in Oude Jeroenskerk. Due to a delay with the coach and then the shuttles on the way there, we also performed an impromptu concert in the foyer of the Eurotunnel by way of rehearsing; we even managed to raise some money for a charity whose volunteers were collecting outside!

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Between the concerts, we took part in other activities, such as a boat trip on the canals and spending a day at a nearby theme park. Both were a lot of fun and meant we got to see some of the sights of Amsterdam.

Also, for two of the nights, we walked down to the beach close to our hotel and spent some time singing and paddling in the sea, which everyone enjoyed.

Overall, it was an incredible trip and a fantastic way to end the year. Everyone enjoyed performing the songs we had learnt and making new memories and new friendships. Thank you to all the teachers involved in organising and orchestrating the trip, and to all the pupils for their hard work!”

Sophie Porteous As you can see, it has been a pretty eventful and stunning year in the Music department. Roll on next year!

Helen Purchase

BIOLOGY

This year has seen the completion of the first round of the new Science GCSEs, and with all the unknowns surrounding that, the Summer results season has certainly been a nail-biting time.

We were absolutely thrilled with our GCSE students, however, and could not have wished for a better outcome for them.

Similarly, our A Level students achieved fantastic results, and we are so pleased to see the Biology students all achieving their offers to go on to their University course of choice. Huge congratulations in particular are due to Mimi Kelson, who is now off to Cambridge to study Natural Sciences; to Archie Moffat who also achieved his Cambridge offer but has chosen instead to take up a place at Nottingham to study Veterinary Medicine, and to Julian Greig and

Max Healey who are also off to Medical School. This particular cohort of Biologists also achieved outstanding results in the national Biology Olympiad, with Archie and Max both achieving Gold; Julian, Mimi, Adam Smith and Phoebe Teychenne achieving Silver; and Millie Gillard and Lydia Parkes achieving Bronze.

Lower down the School, our First Year ‘Science Gophers’ team again played host to the Year 5 children from CCJS, spending an afternoon teaching them lots of fun experiments. They enjoyed it so much that we reprised the afternoon for the Year 5 and

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6 children from Sheet Primary School, giving them their first experience of being in proper Science laboratories and which they thoroughly enjoyed.

The First Years also had an amazing day in October in the ‘Science Explorer Domes’, which are enormous inflatable domes brought into school, which served as both a Science lab and an Observatory. They investigated light, space and the states of matter, gaining handson experience of some unusual experiments.

Mandy Westwood

This particular cohort of Biologists also achieved outstanding results in the national Biology Olympiad 91

COLLINGWOOD

CHEMISTRY

At the start of the year we welcomed back Mrs Smith from her maternity leave.

In addition to our normal teaching staff I must mention Flora Edward from last year’s Fifth Form and Charlotte Evans and Kaitlin Shaw from the Fourth Year, who helped with the Cosmetics Club. They worked with the pupils in the club, allowing Dr Raeside and Mrs Parrott to do more than they would otherwise have been able to do and also trialled making some new products. The club has continued to thrive with the pupils making soaps, lip balms, body butter and more. The display and demonstrations on Open Day were very popular, with lots of people wanting to make their own versions on the day as well as taking the free samples that were on offer.

The Fifth Year Academy group spent the end of the Autumn term and the start of the Spring term working on making pigments and paints from scratch. The Prussian blue and the Green Verditer were particularly successful. The students found that mixing the pigments they had made with the oil binders to make a workable paint was much more

challenging than they expected.

With perseverance they made usable paints and ended up with a greater appreciation of the skills needed by artists such as Leonardo, van Eyck and Canaletto. They also went to the National Gallery to see how the Old Masters had used the same paints that they had made (I am sure that they won’t mind me saying this) but to more skilful effect.

In the Summer term the Second Year Academy group, as part of a section on the Royal Navy, learnt about gunpowder and other explosives. For obvious reasons practical work and demonstrations in this area are more limited; while the pupils can make their own paints, making their own high explosives is something which is prevented by some serious safety and legal issues. The pupils were able to investigate aspects of explosives such as the role of oxidising agents, the difference between substances burning and exploding, and the difference in power output when the same fuel burns or detonates.

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At the end of January three of the Upper Sixth entered the Chemistry Olympiad. Over 50,000 students take A Level Chemistry nationally with 6527 of the best students taking part in the first round of the Chemistry Olympiad. Tim Higginbotham was awarded a Gold Certificate, Archie Moffat a Silver and Robbie Brinkmann a Bronze. Tim’s mark was the highest mark above the Gold boundary that we have had for over a decade and Archie only missed out on a Gold by two marks. Only the top 528 students in the country were awarded a Gold certificate and over 36% of the students that entered the competition didn’t get to the level of a Bronze Certificate and so Tim, Archie and Robbie’s marks were a significant achievement.

The Lower Sixth went to a day of lectures in London about topics ranging from the shapes of atomic orbitals, through the chemistry of the atmosphere to a tour of the most beautiful experiments in Chemistry.

The content was challenging for the average Sixth Form student but

our students got a lot out of the day. Dr Peter Wothers and Prof Andrea Sella were as entertaining as you would expect of science communicators who have presented major television series, but Dr Philip Ball was also very engaging and looked at an aspect of Chemistry that most students take for granted.

In March, the Fourth Year students were due to go to London for the GCSE Science Live! day for a variety of talks given by leading scientists on a range of topics.

Unfortunately, the St David’s Day snow caused the cancellation of the trip. I am sure that the disappointment of missing out on what would have been a great day was tempered by being able to spend the day snowballing and making snowmen!

In June some of the Lower Sixth entered the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge for the Lower Sixth (the Lower Sixth version of the Chemistry Olympiad). This year there were 7,946 entries from across the country including seven from Churcher’s. The top 54 in the country were awarded Roentgenium certificates, the next 644 Gold, Silver to the next 1,418, Copper to the following 2,899 with

the remaining 2,931 getting no award.

Ella Lacey and Chris Buttler were awarded Silver Certificates while Henry Robinson, Holly Porter and Oliver Fitter were awarded Copper Certificates. The questions are much harder than at A Level and require the students to relate work from different parts of the course as well as to apply ideas that are explained on the paper which they will not have come across before. Exposure to this much more demanding style of question will stand them in good stead when it comes to the full Olympiad and degree level work.

This year also saw the first pupils take the new GCSE exams. Despite the lack of past papers for them to work through they were able to do themselves justice and achieve results of which they can be proud.

I am fortunate in having an experienced and talented team for my department who come up with new ideas and keep me in line.

The teaching staff are the most obvious part of the department and I would like to thank Mr Yugin Power, Mrs Cockerill, Dr Raeside and Mrs Smith for their dedication

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and hard work. The technicians do their work behind the scenes but are equally important in improving the education given to the pupils in the department; I would like to thank Mrs Parrott and Mrs Dannatt for ensuring that the teachers have everything that they have needed in lessons and for enhancing what we do for the pupils.

Student Tim Higginbotham Archie Moffat Robbie Brinkmann

Olympiad Award Gold Silver Bronze

Student

Cambridge Chemistry Challenge for the Lower Sixth

Ella Lacey

Silver

Chris Butler

Silver

Henry Robinson

Copper

Holly Porter

Copper

Oliver Fitter

Copper

David Dunster

PHYSICS

As we switch off the Van de Graaff machine and lock the doors, another successful Open Day comes to a close having amazed and inspired all of our visitors, young and old.

One of the last events towards the end of the Summer term comes to a close and it is time for me to reflect and report on a wonderful year for the Physics department.

Having restructured our teaching methods in the First Year to add a context around a mission to Mars, all of the lessons followed a theme of how we leave Earth, travel through space, land and then survive on Mars. The mystical red planet adds a sense of awe to the lessons where they have built rockets to fly across the laboratory, planned the habitat and structures for colonizing Mars and worked out why the Sun doesn’t scorch the surface. The landscape designs came to life in 3D models made by all of the groups and were on display during Open Day. Mars landers, bio-orbs, rovers and so on.

Taking the students to Chichester Planetarium this year had added context therefore, and the once again brilliant Dr Mason continued

our adventure around the rest of the Solar System and beyond. The restructuring continues the mission into year two for the 2018-19 season.

This academic year also sees the conclusion of the first cohort of the new GCSE specification, adding more rigour and mathematical demand on the students than ever before.

The topics have become more varied and (hopefully) more interesting.

The students have had the chance to see some of their science heroes at GCSE Science Live! event in the Apollo London theatre. Maggie Alderin-Pocock (host of the Sky at Night) and Prof Lord Robert Winston are the headline speakers for the annual event, adding enthusiasm and humour to their talks and keeping over 6,000 students on the edge of their seats.

Lighting a lamp as high and as far away as possible using Blue Peterstyle materials and sticky-back plastic, was the challenge set to

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our groups of SATRO competitors this year. Three groups from lower and middle school and Sixth Form ventured into Guildford for the event to compete against some of our neighbouring schools. They were judged on their planning, efficiency, design and construction of their solutions to the problem.

The engineering challenge is timeconstrained too, making teamwork and collaboration a key factor in success. Last years’ finalists could not repeat their endeavours again this year, sadly, but all three teams did manage to succeed in the task.

Taking on the another challenge were some of our Sixth Form, taking the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) papers for a place on the prestigious team of international competitors. They are required to sit very demanding problem-solving papers to achieve their Gold, Silver and Bronze awards. Gareth Waters, Tim Higginbotham, Iona Emslie and

Lighting a lamp as high and as far away as possible using Blue Peterstyle materials and sticky-back plastic, was the challenge

Thomas Young all achieved Silver and Bronze respectively, with all them in the top 13% of students across the country.

to beat the clock (and their school friends) to the fastest time across the river. One hook, beam or strut misplaced and the game was over.

The Third Year also had to endure their own challenge: can you build a bridge to escape the shark-infested waters in the river below? They spent the day within school learning about the design, architecture and forces involved in making a bridge stable and sustainable. The life-size bridge challenge then comes to life in the gallery where they work as a team

With seven A* at A Level and 37 new grade 9s at GCSE, we were delighted with the endeavour and hard work of all of our students this year, with many of those going onto Physics/ Engineering/Science degrees at University and at least 31 of them taking up A Level next year. The A Level groups next year also have the chance to visit Geneva and the CERN

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laboratories in October, so look out for my report later in Focus.

All of the achievements and success are supported by the Physics team and my final words are to thank them for their hard work and enthusiasm in making the student’s learning and enjoyment so fantastic and inspiring yet another generation of young Einsteins to follow us to the stars.

Matthew Kelly

PSYCHOLOGY

It’s been a fantastic second year for the Psychology Department.

At the beginning we welcomed Ms Franklin into the department as student numbers have grown and the students have very much welcomed her and her excellent ideas. This year saw the launch of some new initiatives, for example the Psychology of Crime workshop where ex-offenders and current prison staff discussed the causes and possible treatments of criminal behaviour. Ms Franklin’s

displays at the recent Summer Open Day were something to behold, from criminal line-ups to jelly brains, there certainly was something for everyone!

As we look out towards a new school year, we see Psychology continuing to grow with three sets in the Lower Sixth and a growing and incredibly positive reputation around the School. In fact, Mr Knowles is

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joining us as well as our resident expert on the biological approach to Psychology. We must also take this time to congratulate the first cohort of Churcher’s Psychology students to get their A Level results, and it was certainly worth waiting for, with a wonderful raft of truly impressive grades. Well done to all and I know that everyone is looking forward to another stellar year!

Dr Gary Glasspool

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STEAM Churcher’s has continued to raise the profile of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics), encouraging students to discover the links between their academic studies and the real world application of the skills learned in class.

A glance at the subject pages of the departments involved reveals the wealth of events and extra-curricular activities in which our students have participated during the year.

One of many highlights, showcasing the cross-curricular nature of STEAM, was our Third Year STEAM Day in the Summer term, using the architecture, design and engineering of bridges as a context for the exploration of the STEAM disciplines. The students completed a series of challenges set by the Science, Design & Technology, Art and Maths departments, stretching their intellectual, practical, creative and team working abilities. In addition to the activities

developed by our own departments, the University of Sheffield kindly provided a 9m long cable-stayed bridge, which our teams competed to assemble in the shortest time.

Churcher’s teams impressed in STEAM competitions, including the SATRO Problem Solving Challenge already mentioned. In between competitions our students chose from a wealth of STEAM related clubs (more than ten at the last count), enjoying and challenging themselves, whether exploring the chemistry of art or cosmetics, or creating the next generation of computer games.

For example, Second and Third Years participating in the STEAMship Club completed a series of problem solving challenges before taking on a project leading to CREST Bronze and Silver awards for scientific research. The students explored the properties of slime and investigated factors affecting the bounciness, viscosity and stretchiness of slime

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before suggesting links between their research and broader applications of such materials.

In the ever popular Robotics Club, our Third Years have developed design ideas on our CAD facilities and brought their ideas to life using the 3D printer. These components were then integrated with BBC micro controllers and linked to the pupils’ mobile devices to operate their creations.

An important part of the STEAM initiative is in developing our relationships with other schools.

Over the last academic year, Mr Reid has taken on mantle of STEAM coordinator for the Design & Technology department. He has developed strong links with a number of local Primary schools, including Herne Junior School, West Meon Primary, Sheet Primary and Churcher’s Junior School, introducing them to STEAM projects to ensure younger generations are

aware of new technologies and can understand how to use them.

elements but ones which very much work in conjunction with each other.

One of the challenges Mr Reid set pupils included a Martian Moon Buggy where participants made a moon buggy chassis from line bent acrylic plastic. They then decorated the chassis and used a programmable micro controller to operate and navigate through a predetermined course.

On leaving education, STEAM skills are applied in an extraordinary range of activities, many of which are not so obvious from the perspective of a teenager. Talks raising awareness of these applications have been enthusiastically received by our students, generating interest in the academic subjects and informing students of the possibilities offered

by STEAM degrees and careers. For example, it was a pleasure to host Simon Wickes at the school to talk about his application of science to the preparation of a team including James Cracknell and Ben Fogle for their race to the South Pole.

In the Summer term, Mr Reid, in conjunction with the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chichester University, hosted an Engineering day at Churcher’s College. Schools worked on a carousel of activities including: programming and operating a bionic arm, assembling and programming VEX robotics kits and using Microbit battle bots.

All these different experiences have forged stronger links between the STEAM subjects and between local schools, reinforcing pupil awareness that these topics are not discrete

As part of the Careers Bites series, we welcomed engineers Graham Murphy and Victoria Zubova from Remote Diagnostic Technologies.

Graham provided invaluable advice on routes into engineering and his experiences as an engineer and

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entrepreneur, demonstrating, with Victoria, the life-saving technology products developed by his company.

We also hosted a Careers Bites session on the Apprenticeship route into engineering and a talk by Ricky Tavares from the Medic Portal on how to apply successfully for the popular courses in Medicine.

Further inspiration for careers in the sciences and engineering was provided by Old Churcherian Harry Payne, who discussed both Materials Science and Engineering as a degree course and how the latest advances in this area are being applied to body armour.

Finally, as we say farewell to the departing Upper Sixth, it is a pleasure to note the popularity of STEAM subjects in their degree choices. 49% of degree students are embarking on courses in the STEAM realm, up from 31% last year and 34% in 2016.

Richard Whittle

SPORTS SCIENCE Trips

This year the A Level students explored and tested physiological and biomechanical equipment at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Our Fourth Year GCSE students went to Chichester University where they were put through their paces in some fitness tests and experienced blind football. The Fifth Year GCSE students had the chance to experience life in front of the camera at a very interactive trip to Sky Sports studios.

Visiting Speakers

We were lucky enough to be visited by international sprinter David Lima and retired professional golfer John Hoskison for inspiring talks on the challenges you meet on the road to success in elite sport.

Eaton Games

The Eaton Games continued, named after Marc and Cathy Eaton who both played a large part in introducing Academic PE to the school; Marc founded the A Level and Cathy the GCSE. The Eaton Games aims to be a fun, competitive and foodfilled occasion in the sports in which Marc and Cathy were known. The Sports Science classes, from the Fourth Year to the Upper Sixth enter a team and play against each other. In the Autumn term we played a mixed seven a-side hockey tournament and in the Spring term it was a mixed netball tournament. A great time was had by all.

Well done to our Upper Sixth and Fifth Form for all their efforts in their exams and I hope that your results will help you in your future endeavours.

Laura Howe

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Well done to our Upper Sixth and Fifth Form for all their efforts in their exams

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TEN TORS Ten Tors this year was a huge event for Churcher’s.

With three teams it was our biggest entry for a number of years and is a testament to the quality of the students we have in the CCF. On the Thursday night before the Saturday event the students arrived and pitched their tents; the next day the teams were up early to look around the site and familiarise themselves with the starting procedure. After registration the teams began in earnest to plan their routes, this year our teams were entered in the 35 mile challenge, navigating between checkpoints over a 24 hour period.

This meant that the teams needed to plan their routes carefully and in detail. The teams, being self-sufficient, needed to carry all the necessary equipment to complete their route and stay out overnight safely. After a brief kit inspection, all of the 400 teams of 2,400 individuals gather at the top of Okehampton Camp for the mass start. As the teams descend the hill and out of sight it is only the periodic GPS checkpoint signal that allows team managers and parents to follow their progress, and so follows a very nervous and anxious 24

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hours. The next morning at around 11 o’clock our first team arrived, soon to be followed by our second and later our third team, appearing over the brow of the hill waving the Churcher’s flag. Tired and hungry, our students returned with smiles of relief on their faces, welcomed by the huge support of their parents.

“The hardest thing I have ever done in my life, sir” just about sums it up.

A huge effort and thanks to all of the students and staff involved.

Lt Cardwell

DUKE OF EDINBURGH In June this year we had ten teams and almost 70 students complete their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award assessment expedition in Exmoor.

After staying the night in Minehead or Exford Youth Hostels students departed early on their expedition treks, walking between 16 and 20km per day, carrying everything they would need for the next three days. This year we were lucky enough to have exceptional weather; however, this came with its own difficulties and the hot weather meant that students were in need of more water. All our leaders, made up of school staff and parent volunteers, made a huge effort to constantly supply the students with water and essential items.

This helped the expedition to run smoothly and allowed the students to complete their trek safely. At the end of each day the students camped and cooked their own meals, moving from campsite to campsite. Completing around 50km of walking, the students finished around lunchtime on June 28th and had a well-earned fish

and chip lunch before returning to school. Congratulations to all the students involved and a massive thank you to the staff and parent volunteers who gave up their own time to help.

Richard Cardwell

Our Invitation to the Palace –Buckingham not Crystal!

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award held a Gold Award Presentation in the grounds of Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 24th May to mark the achievement of 3,000 young people from across the UK, including five very proud Churcher’s College pupils: Alex Andrews (U6), Ethan Francis (2017), Julian Greig (U6), Jack Thompson (2017) and Owen Tutt (2017). We were also lucky to be invited as Special Regional Guests along with Mr Snowball.

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We arrived at Buckingham Palace in good time to enjoy the delights of Her Majesty’s garden, an incredibly tranquil space in the midst of such a busy and noisy city. A little later, HRH Princess Beatrice of York joined our group and spoke warmly to some of the young people about their DofE experiences and managed to make everyone feel relaxed, even eliciting a few laughs from some in the group. She asked Owen, Jack and Ethan about whether they had any particularly memorable expedition experiences in the Lake District – however, they weren’t about to disclose to us what their reply was that made her smile so much!

Congratulations to them all for showing commitment, determination and resilience to achieve their Gold Award.

Miss Cutter & Miss Davies

FIRST CHALLENGE:

ICELAND

As Britain basked in the heat this July, Iceland was enduring an Arctic chill that greeted our Challengers with the worst Summer the country had experienced for 100 years.

The challenge was on! We were going to be spending the next ten days under canvas and things were looking pretty bleak.

For the hopeful, there is always the chance of a break in the clouds and on day two, as Team Three settled into camp, the rain cleared and there was a glimmer of blue sky.

Unfortunately, this prompted the rise of a whole new cloud system: swarms of midges. They enveloped us. They found their way into our ears, up our noses, and wedged themselves into the corners of our

eyes, invading tents if left open for a mere second.

But Iceland is one of those magical places where enduring the weather is worth it. This unique country has an amazing way of drawing people in and mesmerising visitors with its beautiful rugged lunar landscapes and friendly locals. The teams worked so hard over the ten days, hiking, camping, cooking on tiny stoves and dealing with everything the thunder clouds had to throw at them.

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I am always amazed by the transformation that the First Challengers go through in such a short time. The confidence that they gain from such an experience is evident: it’s in the way they hold their shoulders high on return, a self-packed bag on their shoulders and stories of what were hardships merely days ago, now being recounted as their own personal battles against the elements.

Jamie Daniel

I am always amazed by the transformation that the First Challengers go through in such a short time.

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WORLD CHALLENGE Over the course of four weeks, four World Challenge groups traversed China, achieving many feats and completing many challenges along the way.

Whether it was in the high-rise city of Chengdu, the more traditional walled city of Xi’an or the modern city of Beijing, there was always something fascinating to explore.

Our exploration was not limited to cities, however: we completed a seven-day, fatiguing trek through the Minya Gonga valley in Tibet, aided by a Tibetan mountaineering team and horses. Trekking at a high altitude, peaking at a high pass of 4,800 metres above sea level and completing numerous river crossings were some of the daunting challenges that awaited all of us on the trek, yet all four groups managed to successfully complete it. We also helped out in local communities, assisting in activities including

cleaning the Yangtze river, selling vegetables at a market to fund the river cleaning project and teaching English to Chinese children in the community, all whilst living with a family in the local community.

Following the challenging aspects of our expedition we still had time to visit the Great Wall of China, a panda sanctuary, the Terracotta Army and numerous other exciting attractions.

World Challenge provided a fascinating, cultural experience which had something for everyone, and I cannot recommend it enough, as it has given us all fantastic memories which will stay with us forever.

Nicole Sparks

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World Challenge provided a fascinating, cultural experience which had something for everyone

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OSCA

This year OSCA has been fantastic!

We have climbed, abseiled, walked in rain, walked in sunshine, walked uphill, walked downhill, went North, went South, went wrong, went East and, of course, went West!

Cooking outdoors, eating under a shelter and camping in any weather has been a new experience for many, and, of course, this is what OSCA is all about, making memories that will last a lifetime. Scuba diving was thoroughly enjoyed by those who had a go, which made Mr Lucraft very happy, as he masterminded it all with brio. Watercraft was fun and entertaining for all, Campcraft was smoky as always, but there were lots of delicious treats cooked al fresco, as well as the odd rabbit or two. All Oscaneers pushed themselves to go beyond their comfort zone during our Brecon expedition; caving, abseiling from a high cliff, climbing and walking

uphill in very strong winds. We could not have asked for a better bunch of young enthusiasts! There were smiles all round and a strong feeling of team effort, as well as new friendships forged, which is a key aspect of joining OSCA, of course. I would like to thank all instructors and colleagues helping out week in, week out, sunshine or rain, Mr Pearson for his endless energy and great laughter and all the parent volunteers who helped out during the various events.

We could not deliver this successful outdoor programme without your help.

Nicole Sparks

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All Oscaneers pushed themselves to go beyond their comfort zone

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ADVENTUROUS TRAINING

In the first week of the Easter break, 23 cadets headed to Snowdonia for our annual dose of Adventurous Training.

The Third Year cadets started their week with a day canoeing, before heading off into the mountains for a two day expedition: wild camping on the lower slopes before summiting Moel Siabod. They then paddled on to gorge walking, descending flumes and shutes and experiencing the ‘washing machine’. They finished the week with a day of coasteering on the west coast of Anglesey.

The Fourth Years completed a Mountain Skills qualification which proved to be a very practical course spread over two days: summiting Yr Aran and scrambling the iconic Nantlle Ridge. This was followed by a kayak course, collecting a paddle sport award while learning moving water skills on a variety of craft, which were then put into practice kayaking the Rivers Llugwy and Dee, or in open canoes on the Conwy.

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Both groups also enjoyed a day split between mountain biking and outdoor climbing and abseiling on a local crag. Evening entertainment was provided by our instructors with a damp blindfolded woodland rope trail, bivouacking and campfires in the woods and an egg-drop challenge.

David Nighy

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DEVIZES TO WESTMINSTER

The causes of global warming still seem to be a matter of some debate, but I doubt that anyone can deny that it actually exists.

The Earth’s temperature has certainly risen in recent years, and we all seem to be experiencing greater extremes in our weather, be it wind, rain, snow or sun. Unfortunately, this has impacted on the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, with two races out of the last three having to be stopped early. Two years ago it was Storm Katie causing extreme winds and waves on the last day, but this year they had only just reached the River Thames at Reading when the whole race was cancelled due to excessive water levels and flow rates.

The rest of the course was entirely ‘red boarded’, meaning that the Environment Agency specifically advised against any craft from using the river.

Although not a legal prohibition, it was obviously felt that this meant that if there had been any incident, the race organisers would not have had a leg to stand on.

As you can imagine, this was hugely disappointing for all concerned, not least the 14 kayakers who had been training since October in order to prepare for the race. It requires such

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a high level of commitment over the six months up to Easter that to have it snatched away for reasons beyond one’s control is very frustrating. This was doubly so because we were very clearly in the lead in the Junior Ladies team prize, with Anya Pigden, Flo Anderson, Pea Rushin, Tildy Bilsberry-Grass, Sarah Moses and Lily Rawlings placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th in that category when the race was stopped. Obviously things can change, but they were so clearly out in front with their aggregate time that it was almost a given that

It has to be said that Churcher’s always seem to punch above their weight Churcher’s would have their name on the cup two years running! This despite time lost due to two of these boats having had three broken rudders between them. The boys also had their share of drama, with yet another broken rudder significantly delaying Marcus Davies and Zac Rodber, and then Ethan Ogilvie and Matt Price losing a lot of time due to the bridge of Matt’s nose coming into contact with another bridge, a low one on the canal! Obviously the nose came off worst, and although Matt was OK to continue, this was only

after some appropriate and extended First Aid. The other two Junior Mens’ boats, crewed by Ben Colgate and Will Allen, and Max Sutcliffe and Theo Ehrmann were going well, and were placed 15th and 18th respectively when the race was stopped. It has to be said that Churcher’s always seem to punch above their weight against teams who quite often include paddlers doing it for their second time, so once again the team are to be congratulated for doing so well, even if not ratified by the race being completed.

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We must also not forget that this event would not be possible without the full involvement of the parents, and as ever they were a crucial part of the support team, both willing and very capable. Mr Cardwell and I would also like to thank and welcome on to the DW team Mr Statham, plus two others who have voluntarily given up much of their time to help AT assistant Helena Smart and parent Adam Byford.

Mark Adams

CCF

The pace of activity in the CCF has been as brisk as ever this year.

We kicked off with both the annual Remembrance Parade in Petersfield followed swiftly by our Biennial Inspection during the first two months of the start of term. Both events required a huge amount of time and commitment from both staff and cadets; the Parade Ground resounded with drill orders being given and the stamping of feet and the CCF Office was a hive of activity preparing everything else for auditing by the CCF Headquarters. Both events were a great success and the cadets a great credit to the school on both occasions. Trafalgar Day also falls in the Autumn term and a resplendent Trafalgar Night Dinner was held in the Assembly Hall, during which chocolate galleons were paraded, shanties sung and a fabulous dinner consumed.

This momentum was maintained throughout the year with a special lunch hosted at the school to mark the closure of Liss and District Royal Naval Association and also the retirement of our much respected Adjutant, Major John Dudin. Hot on the heels of that came our tri-service Adventurous Training Camp in North Wales and the Ten Tors Challenge training and event.

Throughout the year we also had over 30 Fifth Form cadets participating in our Leadership Training Programme. And that is without mention of the massive amount of activity taking place in the single Service Sections as detailed in the respective section reports... and next year promises to be even more action-packed!

Dr Kirsty Verney

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next year promises to be even more actionpacked!

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ARMY

The Army section of the CCF has had an exciting and expanding time this academic year.

In September, we welcomed The Petersfield School as part of the Cadet Expansion programme and 15 new cadets along with two Cadet Force Adult Volunteers joined the ranks for parade nights on Tuesday evening.

As Army Section Commander, Capt Kelson, led the training which started with Operation Long Night, an overnight field craft experience in October.

This was a cold but enjoyable experience for the cadets where they took part in basic field craft lessons including how to set up a shelter, cook 24-hour ration packs, basic hand signals and patrol as a section. This was a timely event which led to the biennial inspection of the CCF

by Group Captain Bruce. Cadets were able to show their skills and

talk about their experiences in the field. Senior cadets were also able show off their skills with a demonstration of a section attack in front of the Headmaster’s Lawn. The preparation for the biennial inspection also aided the cadets’ performance in drill ready for Remembrance Parade.

Remembrance Parade was a very rewarding experience with all cadets attending and displaying their drill and marching skills to the community of Petersfield.

After the Christmas break the CCF took part in Operation Spring Assault involving the Third and Fourth Years. The Third Years advanced their field craft skills with map reading, cam and concealment, range identification and sniper crawls, whilst the Fourth Years completed weapon

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handling tests and an individual fire and manoeuvre exercise using blank ammunition.

The final field day of the year involved a range day where Fourth and Fifth Years took part in firing on a 25 meter, 100 metre and 200 metre range while Third Years got the opportunity to improve their skills on the cadet air rifle and complete three challenging command tasks.

To complete the year, 24 cadets took the opportunity to attend a week long Summer Camp at Crowbrough in East Sussex. This was an exciting and enjoyable week where cadets practiced their field craft skills to a higher level including live firing, Skill at Arms training and outdoor adventurous activities. The training culminated in a competition on the last day

of the camp where cadets were scored on the skills they had learnt in the week, resulting in Churcher’s Contingent being awarded a Gold medal in mountain biking and a Silver medal in Skill at Arms.

Well done to all cadets who completed the year’s training and we look forward to an exciting and challenging programme next year.

Alistair Clewley

CCF Army Range Day June 2018 29 Fourth Year cadets and three Sixth Form NCOs enjoyed a full day with the SA80 rifle on the ranges at Chilcombe. Starting with a 5-round group to zero sights on the 25m range, the cadets were

then able to target shoot at 25m, 100m and 200m, responding to time-limited pop-up targets. Over the day Army instructors were able to supervise and coach the cadets in the prone, kneeling and sitting firing positions. 26 cadets were accurate enough to pass their Cadet GP Rifle Award, of whom 10 achieved ‘1st class shot’ and eight were awarded the highest classification of ‘Marksman’.

The 53 Third Year cadets took part in a carousel of field-craft activities including two stalls of command tasks, a compass bearing activity and a ten metre air rifle range where cadets were able to fire 20 rounds at a fixed target.

Lt D Nighy

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Remembrance Parade was a very rewarding experience

NAVY Autumn

In the Autumn field day we had an action-packed day taking 30 students to HMS Collingwood to see and experience life on a busy working Naval Base. With the sun shining, we split into three groups and started our activities on the assault course, low ropes course and weapons training. With a demanding assault course students worked together in teams to scale eight foot walls, crawl through mud and complete crossing challenges. Next, cadets tested their team working skills by attempting the challenging and demanding low ropes course, where cadets had to cross rope bridges and take precious cargo over tricky obstacles. Lastly, cadets got to go to the weapons range and handle rifles as well as fire them at a variety of targets at a projected simulator. Cadets were transported

to the jungle and the desert and put into a variety of scenarios to test them. After a great, but tiring day we returned to Churcher’s having seen and experienced Naval life first hand.

March The Spring field day is one of our most active and demanding field days. Travelling down on the Monday night we stayed overnight on board HMS Bristol to experience life on board a Naval ship with all the sounds and smells that go along with it. Cadets mustered at 07:30 and marched to the junior rates mess for breakfast before attending the DRIU (Damage Repair Instructional Unit).

Here students were taught how to repair damage to a ship before being placed in a flooded mess deck of the ship. As the water rose, cadets had to identify and repair holes where

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the water was pouring in. up to their chest in water the cadets had a great time working as a team to repair all of the damage. Next up was the firefighting - here cadets were taught how to identify different fires and deal with them appropriately. Cadets put on a complete firefighter suit and tackled fires using thermal imaging cameras and hoses as well as fire extinguishers for small fires. After an active and engaging day we came home having achieved and learnt a lot from out activities.

Summer This Summer we spent the day at the Royal Navy Sailing Centre, at HMS Excellent, Whale Island. Cadets spent the day on board yachts and motor cruisers sailing around the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Cadets were trained in how to helm as well

as crew the boats, they were also trained in buoyage and navigation. In perfect weather conditions we sailed out of Portsmouth Harbour, negotiating the many ferries that move in and out and passing the historic dockyard. We sailed around the Solent to the Solent forts and then out to the east of the Isle of Wight, around midday we moored up just outside Ryde and relaxed on the beach to have our lunch. After an ice cream, we sailed back practising our ‘man overboard’ drills and learning about how the wind affects our boat as well as putting our buoyage knowledge into practice. Cadets became proficient in tacking and gybing, each having their role to play, working as a team to keep our yacht sailing in the right direction. After a great day out we dropped our sails and motored into the harbour and with the wind in our faces we returned to dry land, tidied

the boats and returned to School to relax after a tiring but fantastic day out.

All of this has been tied together as students complete the Royal Navy syllabus. This has seen students cover topics such as rank and rates, to seamanship skills and recognition of ships. We have had a brilliant year and seen many cadets show great leadership and potential for the future.

Lt R Cardwell

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We have had a brilliant year and seen many cadets show great leadership and potential for the future

RAF

It has been a busy year for the RAF Section because not only were there the usual formalities of the Remembrance Sunday parade and flying days at Boscombe Down, but the CCF also saw the biennial inspection this year.

This is an official inspection of the school’s CCF by visiting dignitaries from the armed forces. It was a challenge because the new cadets were thrown in at the deep end with only a few months to learn the drill necessary for the inspection.

The new recruits quickly picked up the skills needed with help from Sergeant Stokkereit who assisted the NCOs (non-commissioned officers) in teaching the drill throughout the Autumn term.

Arguably the most exciting part of being part of the RAF Section is the flight experience at Boscombe Down.

The cadets are taken up in a Grob Tutor and are given the opportunity to take the controls of the plane over the Wiltshire countryside. The pilot will also show them some aerobatic manoeuvres such as loops and barrel rolls. As well as these trips, the Third Year cadets also visited the RAF Museum in Hendon, which sets them up well to learn about the history of the service, which is a component of their Part 1 badge. In the Summer term the cadets also had a field day at RAF Brize Norton, one of the most important air bases in the UK, as it is home to the tactical air transport and air-to-air refuelling wings of the RAF. The cadets were led on a tour of the active air base and gained an insight into the life of an RAF recruit.

This year, I was given the role of Leading Cadet of the Contingent and led the School’s CCF in parades and through the biennial inspection. The position of lead cadet in the RAF passed to Sergeant J West who grew into the role and with the help of Sergeant C Jones they easily handled the running of the Section. My time as Leading Cadet of the Contingent taught me a lot about teamwork as well as the importance of selfconfidence and punctuality in a leadership role.

two Puma helicopters, crew and equipment into the back of this monster aircraft.

Flt Sgt Sam Mullender

The JADTEU is a wing that helps organise how you can fit the crew and equipment as large as tanks and helicopters into these aircraft and the engineering aspect of this visit was impressive.

RAF Field Day Summer 2018 – RAF Brize Norton

For our RAF Summer field day this year, we were fortunate enough to be allowed a guided visit around RAF Brize Norton, the largest of the RAF facilities in the UK. RAF Brize Norton is essentially used for transport of military troops and equipment on the global arena.

As such, the aircraft passing through Brize are the C-17 Globemaster, Voyager, C-130 Hercules and Atlas transport aircraft.

Our morning visit itinerary included a careers talk on joining the RAF, before the chance to clamber around the C-17 Globemaster, sitting in the cockpit, opening the huge rear bay doors and seeing how to fit

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In the afternoon, we visited the tower of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) looking over the airfield as the Hercules took off, the C-17 landed and the aircrew were driving across the airfield (not at the same time!).

We also visited the Fire service, a fully fitted and 24hour service that looks after not only operational services, but the small town that house the staff and crew of Brize (more than 8,500 personnel).

The RAF is also celebrating its 100th birthday this year (do they collectively get a letter from Her Majesty?) and you can see us all with a photo of the C-17 special edition tail-wing via the school Twitter (#RAF100) and Facebook page.

My special thanks also go to Mr Richard Allen (Parent) and Cpl Makins (RAF) for helping in the organisation of the visit.

Fg Off Matthew Kelly (accomp.

Anthea Dannatt)

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RUGBY

Having now had the pleasure of enjoying 12 rugby seasons at Churcher’s, it really should not come as a surprise to me that the season has, once again, been unquestionably positive.

Whilst there will always be highs and lows, the overriding impression from this year is one of continued enjoyment from all involved.

Participation has been incredibly high once again alongside many strong performances.

The new First Year had a challenging introduction to Senior School sport.

Serena Williams was once quoted as saying, “I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall”, and our U12 squad have lived and died by that mantra this year. Participation rates have been through the roof again, with over 29 boys representing the A Team over the season with all boys playing a competitive match if they desired. It was not until the final game of the season however that the A’s won their first game by a narrow one try; deservedly they celebrated as if they had won the World Cup!

support what they were really capable of.

The U13s have had a most impressive season indeed. They are an exceptionally talented group of players who have worked incredibly hard over the season to further progress and develop. The A and B Teams managed to navigate through a busy and a challenging fixture card with some excellent victories and some outstanding team performances. What is most impressive about this achievement is the movement between the teams; it was very much an U13 squad with 23 different players representing the A Team and 28 the B Team. We all very

much look forward to watching this year group progress and develop as they move through the school.

Mr Maier would be the first to say how much he has enjoyed working with the U14A rugby squad. They proved that, when focussed, they are the equal to most sides on their day. With a big squad and huge competition for places it was important for the players to buy into the idea of putting the team first; this often gave the coaching staff the headache of trying to give so many talented and deserving players game time. This was of course a good problem to have and there is no doubt that whoever takes this side next year will inherit a hugely talented group of boys that will be hungry to raise the bar in terms of performance even further.

The under 14B Team had some fantastic results matched with some very fine individual performances.

After a jittery start, with two wins and two losses, the team aspired to be more consistent in their efforts, which paid off as the season developed. At the end of the season the boys got six wins and three losses and one draw. As mentioned, there were some memorable matches and the boys who played showed great character and determination. As the season developed the player’s knowledge and understanding of the game improved tremendously and this showed in some very fine performances notably against Pangbourne and King Edward’s, Southampton. The boys worked

The whole year group has been unyielding in their desire to improve and, with an average of 45 boys at every training session, everyone had to work hard to secure positions in teams. This real camaraderie and bond formed on the training field is what got the side that final weekend win; but, more importantly, it also made it possible for the Bs, Cs and Ds to perform so well against all their oppositions. We may have been toppled a few times but the boys bounced back, rolled up their sleeves and showed the wonderful touchline

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tirelessly on their set pieces and their structural defence and it paid off in some very tight games.

The U15A team had a successful season, winning ten of their games and losing five. The final game of the season was an agonising loss to Chosen Hill School in the last eight of the National Cup. To reach this stage is a fantastic achievement and the boys must be credited with some excellent victories along the way, including a well-earned 29-14 win against Bryanston School.

Charlie Morris captained the team for most of the season, and did so superbly, and Ben Allden top scored with a staggering 165 points during the season, all from tries.

In all, 18 boys scored tries for the team and Joss Hall often kicked the extras.

The squad had great strength in depth and a large number of B Team players represented the A Team during the season, with some forcing their way in permanently.

The B Team won six of their 11 games including a dramatic 12-10 win over King Edward’s, Southampton. When not involved in A Team games the team was well led by Jacob Tutt. The team improved over the course of the season and all members of the U15 squad can be pleased with their progress.

For a long time, the mantra of many successful teams has been that defence wins matches. The current rugby zeitgeist seems to have shifted and the U16s were always keen to show their attacking intent. They have a natural belief that if the opposition score 20 points, then they will score 30.

The U16 squad, and it really was a squad rather than just the team, was full of intelligent players, that knew when to run, when to kick, when to offload and when to keep hold of the ball. The forwards really enjoyed the competitive nature of the lineout and relished inventing new and cunning manoeuvres.

They supplied a potent backline with lots of ball, and this pacey backline certainly knew how

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to exploit weaknesses in the opposition defence. A successful season and long may they continue with the confidence that they will outscore any team!

For the 2nd XV the 2017 Season was very much a curate’s egg good in parts. This was the byproduct of the lack of availability of some players for key games and a number of long term injuries.

Despite this, the team had a good spirit and never stopped trying even in the face of a couple of heavy defeats. The team was ably led by Ed George for most of the season until injury took its toll. The season started well with a draw against Worth and a good solid performance against Dauntsey with the side being within one score until the last ten minutes. However, the players bounced back with a strong performance against Reigate Grammar winning 34-15, having been level at half time. Over the next four games we maintained our inconsistency by losing to

PGS, Reading Bluecoat, and City of London Freemans but beating Lords Wandsworth and Christ’s Hospital.

The 1st XV this year were ably led by Dylan Joseph who had an excellent seasons and he was ably backed up

by Seb Kay and Noah Mumtaz (Vice Captains) and their commitment shone through over the season. At their best, this side played some excellent rugby - notably in the cup against Peter Symonds and Worthing. However, we struggled for consistency and this meant that we lost a number of close games which we could easily have won

had we stuck to our patterns and not been dragged into the wrestling match. This was shown to good effect against Pangbourne where we shot out to an early lead and should have finished off a couple of tries but we failed to convert on these opportunities and in the second half, with the pitch becoming heavier, we were dragged down into a match of attrition. The side will miss the senior players such as Joe Keahane, Angus Rushin and Tom Lawson next year but there are a number of the Lower Sixth returning which bodes well for a successful season.

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With a packed fixture list for next season there will be plenty of opportunity for everyone to enjoy their rugby. We are so fortunate to have such a supportive touchline at Churcher’s as well as a fantastically committed team of coaches. May I take this opportunity to thank you all for helping to make the rugby season such a success.

Dan Cox

We are so fortunate to have such a supportive touchline at Churcher’s

Age Level

P

W

D

L

PF

PA

PD

Win Ratio

U18A

14

5

0

9

228

309

-81

35.70%

U18B

8

3

1

4

129

184

-55

37.50%

U16A

10

8

0

2

324

91

233

80.00%

U16B

5

5

0

0

282

19

263

100.00%

U15A

14

9

0

5

439

280

159

64.30%

U15B

10

5

0

5

243

221

22

50.00%

U14A

11

6

0

5

230

212

18

54.50%

U14B

11

6

1

4

265

194

71

54.50%

U13A

8

8

0

0

305

65

240

100.00%

U13B

9

8

1

0

385

115

270

88.90%

U13C

2

2

0

0

80

25

55

100.00%

U12A

6

1

1

4

35

115

-80

16.70%

U12B

7

6

1

0

170

40

130

85.70%

U12C

4

1

1

2

50

53

-3

25.00%

U12D

1

0

1

0

10

10

0

0.00%

Totals:

120

73

7

40

3175

1933

1242

60.80%

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BOYS’ HOCKEY

The boys’ hockey season, this year more than ever, seemed to flash by in little more than a moment, perhaps, in part, thanks to the Beast from the East putting a stop to a number of fixtures at the end of the year.

However, of the hockey that was played, teams across all age groups continued to thrive and compete with some outstanding opposition.

The 1st XI had a mixed season, winning in some style over Ardingly and in an enthralling encounter against St. George’s College, Weybridge under the floodlights, whilst allowing performances to drop against local rivals PGS and LWC. In the St. George’s match in particular, those who were lucky to have watched the game witnessed the ability of the group and, at times, they played some of the most attractive attacking hockey I have seen in my time at Churcher’s.

My thanks to Jack Stubbings for his captaincy. The 2nd XI fared similarly, although the 3rd XI found it challenging against some superb opposition, but regularly turning out three large squads shows that the popularity of hockey continues to be strong.

last eight nationally last year, the U14A Team progressed as runnersup of the Hampshire Cup this year to represent the school at regional level. However, Eton College stood in the way and we were on the wrong side of a 2-1 score line. However, this would be the only match they would lose all season and with a goal difference of +67 in their ten games, it is clear that there are exciting times ahead. It is a big transition from the 11-a-side game and the year group as a whole have taken it in their stride.

playing on a weekly basis. To see 50 boys training on a regular basis after school demonstrates not only the opportunity to play, but the enjoyment that was had by all.

My thanks to Mr Daniel and the departing Mr Cox for all their work.

The U12s have only just started their hockey journey at Churcher’s but what amazes me the most is the skill sets that players of this age possess.

Overheads, back hand shots and drag flicks to name but a few, and it is exciting to see the lack of fear to improvise and create on the hockey pitch. As ever, opportunities to play and train came thick and fast and there is no doubt that the sport at the School has a bright future.

We have been blessed at junior level for a number of years and this has been just as evident this year. The U13A Team would lose just one game all year, but more important than that was the number of boys Age Level

P

W

D

L

PF

PA

PD

Win Ratio

Win/Draw

U18A

10

4

1

5

10

24

-14

40.00%

50.00%

U18B

6

1

3

2

6

6

0

16.70%

66.70%

U18C

4

0

0

4

4

12

-8

0.00%

0.00%

U16A

1

0

0

1

0

3

-3

0.00%

0.00%

The U15s under Mr Beard enjoyed a successful season, with a number of the boys now frequently plying their trade in the Hampshire men’s leagues. The pace of the game increases a huge amount at this level and the days of individuals waltzing through teams are long gone.

However, a great team ethic exists and this was on display in all its glory in the resounding victories against Ardingly and PGS.

U15A

5

2

1

2

10

13

-3

40.00%

60.00%

U15B

5

1

1

3

11

13

-2

20.00%

40.00%

U15C

1

0

0

1

1

3

-2

0.00%

0.00%

U14A

10

9

0

1

74

7

67

90.00%

90.00%

U14B

8

4

1

3

30

15

15

50.00%

62.50%

U14C

1

0

0

1

0

10

-10

0.00%

0.00%

U13A

7

6

0

1

38

25

13

85.70%

85.70%

U13B

7

4

1

2

26

21

5

57.10%

71.40%

U13C

5

3

0

2

17

20

-3

60.00%

60.00%

U13D

5

2

0

3

17

26

-9

40.00%

40.00%

U12A

6

4

0

2

15

14

1

66.70%

40.00%

U12B

6

4

2

0

20

8

12

66.70%

100.00%

The U14 group, under Mr Hoe and Mr Sutherland, are blessed with a pool of talent. Having reached the

U12C

5

2

0

3

5

12

-7

40.00%

40.00%

U12D

5

3

0

2

17

12

5

60.00%

60.00%

Total

97

49

10

38

301

244

18

40.72%

48.13%

126

the popularity of hockey continues to be strong

127

GIRLS’ HOCKEY Of all the hockey teams, perhaps the biggest challenge is faced by those girls in the First Year.

Thrown together for the first time on the weekend preceding the start of term, the girls must not only get to know each other, but begin to form the core of a team that will play some very strong opposition. Such is the nature of our core group of opposition schools, a number of teams have already been playing together as a prep school for several years before entering their respective senior schools. However, the girls coped admirably and it says a lot for the depth and enthusiasm of the group that some 31 different players would represent the U12A Team over the course of the season. The energy, desire to improve and tenacity in the face of adversity that the girls displayed will stand them in good stead as they embark on their playing careers. The highlight of the season was definitely the 2-0 victory versus Wellington College in the girls’ fist experience of 11-a-side hockey!

No group could demonstrate tenacity and a desire to improve more than the U13s. They too found their first year a challenge, winning two matches all season.

However, results aside, the girls thoroughly enjoyed their introduction to hockey and many went on to play for local clubs. This season proved to be a remarkable turnaround, with the U13A Team only losing two matches throughout the term. Mr Wilson’s extra practice sessions and his Firefly videos have certainly helped! This group really

illustrated what can happen when the enthusiasm just to play and learn overrides just thinking about results. I look forward to seeing what they can do next year!

representing either the A or the B Team. Whilst results perhaps have not always gone their way, the future is bright for this wonderful group of girls.

I had the pleasure of working with the U14s on a number of occasions at training and it is safe to say that their positive attitude helped to keep everyone going through those long, dark training nights. This is another age group where challenges present themselves, the major one being the transition from the 7-a-side format of the game to the full pitch. It was a long, tough season but convincing wins over both Farnborough Hill and Worth at the end of the season were just rewards for a lot of blood, sweat and tears. We also said goodbye to the U14A coach Miss Chambers, who departed to take up her new post of Head of Girls’ Games at Westbourne House; I look forward to seeing her on the opposition bench in the future.

And so to the senior sides. Miss Howe’s 3rd XI can boast bragging rights as being statistically the most successful side of the year throughout the girls, winning four of their six fixtures. The group regularly went to games with a big squad and it was clear that there was a lot of talent and everyone was prepared to dig deep when required. The highlight of the season was against Wellington College, playing at Bohunt; a self-managed squad of 16 rotated themselves on and off the pitch and it was a flowing, passing and creative match which ended up in some great team goals. Miss Howe certainly regularly spoke of her pleasure in being their coach. Miss Evans and the 2nd XI also had a successful season, however it can be a challenge; often the 2nd XI Team is disrupted due to changes in the 1st XI but the group coped amazingly well and it is testament to the senior group as whole that these changes were managed so well. Before writing this report, I was talking to Mr Beard about our general reflections on the hockey season, and his lasting memory was that the 1st XI had played some of the best hockey that he had seen played in his time at Churcher’s.

For some of the Upper Sixth students it was the fourth year that he has had the pleasure of

Mr Harris has long been wondering when he and his U15 girls would register a win, being on the wrong side of some very closely contested games.

However, it would be the final game of the season and a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth Grammar School when that monkey would finally drop off their backs. It certainly was not down to a lack of efforts from the Fourth Year; 20 different girls represented the A Team over the course of the season, with 38 players

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The energy, desire to improve and tenacity in the face of adversity that the girls displayed will stand them in good stead

coaching them and his highlight was the Lord Wandsworth College 7s tournament where we played a fast paced and attacking brand of hockey. The regular season was very enjoyable with lots of close matches. Victories over Christ’s Hospital and Lord Wandsworth were pleasing after the exceptionally tough opening fixture versus Ardingly. A real team spirit and work ethic existed throughout the season and it will be sad to see the very influential Upper Sixth players leave.

It was a real shame that the final match of the season against the Old Churcherians’ fell victim to the weather.

Age Level

P

W

D

L

PF

PA

PD

Win Ratio

Win/Draw

Girls-U18A

22

7

3

12

24

55

-31

31.80%

45.50% 50.00%

Girls-U18B

10

5

0

5

24

19

5

50.00%

Girls-U18C

6

4

0

2

12

8

4

66.70%

66.70%

Girls-U18D

4

2

1

1

13

5

8

50.00%

75.00%

Girls-U15A

7

1

0

6

6

22

-16

14.30%

14.30%

Girls-U15B

7

0

1

6

6

19

-13

0.00%

14.30%

Girls-U14A

14

3

2

9

30

37

-7

21.40%

35.70%

Girls-U14B

8

0

2

6

5

20

-15

0.00%

25.00%

Girls-U13A

9

5

2

2

18

13

5

55.60%

77.80%

Girls-U13B

9

5

0

4

22

16

6

55.60%

55.60%

Mr Beard will be taking over the Head of Hockey role next year, and I am certain that he will do an amazing job. Thank you to all staff and parent volunteers for your hard work.

Girls-U13C

4

2

0

2

12

9

3

50.00%

50.00%

Girls-U13D

2

0

0

2

4

9

-5

0.00%

0.00%

Girls-U12A

8

2

0

6

7

31

-24

25.00%

25.00%

Girls-U12B

7

0

0

7

0

28

-28

0.00%

0.00%

Girls-U12C

2

0

0

2

1

9

-8

0.00%

0.00%

Girls-U12D

2

1

0

1

5

12

-7

50.00%

50.00%

Kevin Maguire Head of Hockey

Total:

121

37

11

73

189

312

16

29.40%

36.56%

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NETBALL Another wonderful year for Churcher’s

College netball with pupils and their fantastic coaches working tirelessly to produce the best netball they can.

This year was always going to be tricky, with several fixture blocks changing from schools where we had 100% win rates last year, to schools that play the standard Churcher’s are aiming for. We were also so unlucky to lose some key fixtures against Christ’s Hospital and PGS due to the snow. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated netball staff who put so much into training and the match days and for those who helped with umpiring throughout.

1st and 2nd VII

The 1st and 2nd Teams had excellent seasons and after the success of last year, I was delighted how quickly the new combinations gelled.

Isabella Dryden (Coach’s Player of the Season) took over as Captain, ably supported by Hannah Matson (Star Player) as Vice, creating an inspirational duo. There were in particular, two notable performances for the 2018 season. After a two goal victory against St Swithun’s last year we knew they would be coming at us.

Once again the game was going goal

for goal with the defensive unit of Tildy Bilsberry–Grass and newcomer Maya Payne (Players’ Player) playing superbly at the back. The team had worked hard on defensive centre passes and in the third quarter everything clicked in to place. Izzie Harpur (Impact Player) took charge of the defensive unit and all responded to her calls. St Swithun’s couldn’t react to the added pressure and we saw the 1st team command a 10 goal lead. The fourth quarter went back to being goal for goal but by then the damage had been done. The second performance was a Sunday tournament at Seaford. The 1st were missing some crucial players with Lily Rawlings and Tildy unavailable due to DW. Up stepped U15 stars Katie Harris and Eva Bertram to fill the gaps; and what an impact they had!

Hannah, Isabella and Mimi Kelson (Star Player), had superb displays in attack, barely missing a goal all day.

Eva added a calm and experienced head to the attack and Katie formed a formidable partnership at the back with Maya. Emily Habib showed her excellent versatility switching between WA and WD effortlessly.

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The girls went unbeaten all day, but were challenged throughout. PGS, who were the strongest on paper, provided a closely contested and defensively dominant game. The match ended 5-3 to Churcher’s and saw our 1st lift the Seaford trophy for the first time.

A special mention must go to Iona McCall and Lucy Jermyn, both who were greatly missed for such a large part of the season through injury and illness. Two players that have made a huge impact to the Churcher’s 1st Team.

The 2nd Team again had a strong season with players pushing for 1st team places. India Easson Hastings (Coach’s Player & Players’ Player) and Holly Condor (Star Player) both stepped into key 1st team positions throughout the season, a huge well done to them. Phoebe Crittall (Impact Player), demonstrated her superb athleticism with flying interception from the Goal Defence position. Maddy Jackson once again had a strong season in the mid court alongside Saffron Wood

and I was delighted to welcome back Emily Bradford and Lizzie Bunker to the squad. The 2nd Team shooters were superb this year and alongside Holly, Emmy Langrish continued to nail her long range shooting and Bella Herraman-Stowers showed excellent consistency in both shooting roles. A big “thank you” to Immy Morrogh who stepped in to play key roles for the 2nd team this year.

U16

The U16s were the most improved squad of the season by a long way.

They have always been dedicated and hardworking but the results were not coming for them. This was until the perfect pairing of the squad with Mrs Robertson, who was not prepared to have many losses on her team stats list! The shooters of Annabelle Jenkins and Emily Nellist couldn’t miss, the long arms of Sophie Garwood, Eleanor Jolliffe and Sophie Mitchell caused opposition endless problems in defence and Rose Giffin, Anna Patterson and Louise Hardy were the queens of interceptions and disrupting play with their unconventional but effective style of play. Evie Walker-Smith was the calm and controlled head in the attacking end and fed the circle brilliantly.

In terms of wins, they turned over defeats from last year and beat teams such at St Georges, KES and Hurst Bs. More notably were

the narrow two goal defeat to a strong Cranleigh team and almost snatching victory over St Swithun’s despite losing by 10 the previous season.

The B Team had such a disrupted season due to weather and seemed to be affected more than most. They still picked up great wins against KES, Seaford and Lord Wandsworth, and a special mention must go to Sophie Zoltowski and Ellie Hill for such improved performances in mid court and defence, as well as the excellent shooting partnership of Lucy Butcher and Grace McCulloch. I am looking forward to seeing these girls progress through to the seniors next year.

A huge “well done and thank you” to the U16s and Mrs Robertson.

U15

The U15s had a great season across the four teams with some outstanding wins for the As that started in January with an excellent pre-season opener against new opponents, Hurstpierpoint College. The shooting permutations of Charlotte Roberts (Captain), Hannah Russell and Eva Bertran proved too strong for most opponents’ defence and were supported by pinpoint ball insertions from the midcourt attacking pairing of Nathalie Sparks and Isabelle Brower (Coach’s Player of the Season).

The success of the team this

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Spring was founded on the intense defensive skill and diligence of Eve Rushin, Katie Harris (Star Player), Isobel Pyatt (Most Improved and Players’ Player) and Sara Bloch.

In an exciting triangular against St Johns and Brighton College, the A’s secured memorable onegoal victories in icy, driving sleet conditions, coming from behind in both games. Only illness and injuries incurred at the tail end of the term marred an otherwise excellent record.

The B Team progressed steadily throughout the early part of the term, training hard to bed in the defensive part of their game. The shooting duo, Sophie Porteous (Coach’s Player) and Ella Conder (Captain), were determined at training to improve their shooting accuracy and use circle rotation to secure closer shooting positions.

This paid off at the latter end of the term with wins against Worth and Seaford College and a satisfying high-scoring draw against Portsmouth Grammar.

Rachel Pyke demonstrated a tremendous work ethic which inspired her team mates to sustain their own efforts in spite of some one-sided matches early on, she linked up well with Connie Batt in the midcourt who had another excellent season. Sophie Hoole, new to the defensive circle, learned much from playing alongside A Team squad member Sara Bloch.

The C and D Teams results this season, although the Cs achieved close matches against Worth and King Edward VI, did not do justice to the effort expended in both training and fixtures. Shooting and passing continued to improve but attitude and effort is exemplary amongst all those who played. Defensively, players have moved ahead well, typified by Hannah Cooper (Most Improved Player) who did well to absorb and apply all that she learned this season. Hettie Warner impressed once again in midcourt and Emma Leach, Holly Godard and Alice Robinson continued to develop their technical and tactical knowledge to put some excellent performances. Phoebe Abrahams worked tirelessly at Wing Defence and Belinda Jones once again switched effortlessly between defence and attack. Although not all the girls have been mentioned, I am always delighted to see so many girls out playing sport on a Saturday and this squad of around 38 girls have once again proved one of the most dedicated year groups. Well done all, with thanks to Mrs Prentice and Miss Blewett.

U14

My goal this season was to inspire the girls to work hard, perform their

best and support each other both within and across the teams; I believe this was achieved.

strong opposition, the girls should be very proud of their achievements.

U14B

U14A

Without fail, these girls turned up week after week with a positive attitude, enthusiasm to learn and a healthy dose of competitiveness.

What amazes me about this group of girls is their impeccable teamwork. There were countless times when the girls would pat each other on the back for a ‘job well done’, but also provide positive reinforcement when the chips were down. A group of individuals who all play such an integral role in the squad. For instance, Olivia Knowles may be quiet on court, but is very determined when she sets her mind to it. Helena Brown is not one to be shy and retiring, but that confidence, energy and drive comes in handy when you’re playing Goal Keeper.

Amy Dickens is always ready with a smile and doesn’t seem to be fazed by much. Another player who has impressed me this season is Alice Ramseyer. I could always rely on her for steadiness, concentration and consistency. Having faced some very

132

This team has played some outstanding netball this season; they display tremendous teamwork and have developed a strong understanding of each others’ play.

Their fast pace of play, especially through the centre court with Holly Durham, Rhianna Jones and Sacha Mayson, has certainly been impressive. Rosie Lock and Mara James have been consistent in defence, often making interceptions and turnovers at crucial points in matches. Similarly, at the other end of the court, Phoebe Hutchins and Anna Scott showed accuracy and composure in our shooting circle. It is no surprise that these girls achieved some fantastic results; 20 -17 win against KES Southampton, 24-11 win against St George’s and a 21-14 victory over PGS.

U14C

These girls always play with spirit and determination, and this season I’ve seen the development of strong on-court combinations, supported

by improving individual skills. In our back court, Amy Gaisford showed why she was selected in defence with inspired efforts every match and the attacking duo of Lottie Slater and Freya Davey performed commandingly in the centre court.

No matter how strong the team in other areas of the court, the shooters must convert to pick up victories and fortunately, this team have had some accurate shooters in Rosie Greenall and Betty Bilsberry-Grass; this inevitably helped them to secure wins against St George’s, St John’s, Leatherhead and Portsmouth High School.

U14D

Enthusiasm, friendship and fun, along with good netball ability and a desire to improve have made for a pleasing season. Hattie Bates has grown in confidence in the defensive end of the court and Lily Bradbery has made vast improvements with her positional play in the shooting circle.

One particular standout moment of the season was the 12-11 win against KES Southampton; this highlighted the grit and determination of this team to maintain their performance under pressure in the final minutes of a match.

I am incredibly proud of all the U14 girls’ efforts and success. I would like to thank all of them for making the 2018 season not only a successful one, but, above all, an enjoyable one.

Miss Brown

U13

In terms of win rate, the U13s were second to none this year with another fantastic performance. This is such a talented year group and one that has such determined and committed players.

The U13D Team had notable wins against local Hampshire schools PGS and St Swithun’s, ably captained by Georgia Cole and Nellie Lofthouse for the majority of the season.

There were some excellent shooting and defensive displays and really highlights the strength of the year group when the D are as competitive

The U13s dominant year was highlighted again with the B Team winning seven of their nine fixtures.

Superb shooting from Chrissie Holligon and Philippa Jones meant any defensive turnovers from Grace Preston and Olivia Bristow were taken advantage of. A huge well done for an excellent season, there are plenty of players that will looking to cement a place in the A Team next year.

some superb performances and she fed the shooting circle of Elly Durham and Thea Swarbrick well.

The B Team again started to look good as the season went on, picking up wins against Lord Wandsworth and Alton. There were some really strong performances from Milly Greenall and Emily Knowlton, with Emily Gibb earning herself a place in the A Team with her excellent shooting displays. Jemima BillsberryGrass demonstrated excellent versatility playing in all areas of the court for both the A and the B Teams, she impressed with her strong passing and excellent understanding of the game.

The C and D Teams were some of the most dedicated in terms of commitment to training. Flora Arthur and Nieve Carson worked tirelessly and took all feedback on board and worked it into their match play. The same can be said for Georgia Dyer, Amelie Jones and Clemmie Foster, with their excellent determination and competitiveness. Sadly, again so many of their fixtures were cancelled due to the snow, but once again we look forward to seeing the girls progress next year. Well done to all of the U12s who represented the school this year.

Mrs Jenkins

Miss Howe and Miss Stent

as they are. The C Team captained

by Olivia Sexton and Lily Morrison had two excellent wins against PGS and KES. Hannah Martin once again showed her strong leadership qualities and the team as a whole worked tirelessly for each other in training and matches.

The U13A Team had an unbeaten season with excellent shooting displays from Izzie Harris and Alice Wadsley Stroud once again utilising her versatility in the Goal Attack position. With some dominant displays against all the Hampshire schools such as KES, PGS and St Swithun’s, the girls will go into the Hampshire round of U14 Nationals schools in optimistic mood in October.

U12

The U12 had a challenging season and although they didn’t pick up many wins, this was by no means down to lack of enthusiasm or talent and we are excited to see the teams developing over the upcoming season. For the A Team, Gabby Hibbard was excellent in defence alongside Lottie Jackson and Daisy Coffey, causing the opposition attack plenty of problems. Tilly Hutchins forced her way into the A Team after

133

Age Level

P

W

D

L

PF

PA

PD

Win Ratio

U18A

20

12

0

8

318

315

3

60.00%

U18B

8

2

0

6

112

192

-80

25.00%

U18C

1

0

0

1

12

30

-18

0.00%

U18D

1

1

0

0

15

11

4

100.00%

U16A

11

5

1

5

302

241

61

45.50%

U16B

8

3

1

4

108

135

-27

37.50%

U15A

18

14

0

4

394

246

148

77.80%

U15B

10

2

1

7

134

221

-87

20.00%

U15C

8

0

0

8

45

133

-88

0.00%

U15D

5

0

0

5

16

67

-51

0.00%

U14A

11

4

1

6

158

215

-57

36.40%

U14B

12

7

0

5

122

125

-3

58.30%

U14C

9

4

0

5

118

120

-2

44.40%

U14D

4

1

0

3

17

64

-47

25.00%

U13A

10

10

0

0

243

45

198

100.00%

U13B

9

7

0

2

175

66

109

77.80%

U13C

5

3

0

2

48

34

14

60.00%

U13D

4

2

0

2

24

39

-15

50.00%

U12A

7

2

0

5

92

117

-25

28.60%

U12B

7

3

1

3

56

67

-11

42.90%

U12C

4

0

1

3

12

54

-42

0.00%

U12D

3

0

0

3

9

28

-19

0.00%

Totals:

175

82

6

87

2530

2565

-35

46.90%

CRICKET

We have been blessed with wonderful weather throughout the duration of the Summer and as a result we have been witness to some titanic battles.

Some games have gone down to the wire and the Churcher’s boys and girls have been full of endeavour throughout the entirety of the season. Over the year it has been wonderful to witness how quickly these players develop and it has been full credit to them in the way that they have trained and consistently looked at ways to improve both individually and collectively.

There have been many highlights but for me seeing the girls play cricket in their games lessons for the first part of term would indicate just how far and how quickly this sport is moving.

Another obvious area to highlight would be in having three Churcher’s College sides reach the county cup final with the U13 team going on to becoming Hampshire County cup winners!

My thanks as always go to the wonderful staff, parents, catering and ground staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that

everything moves like clock-work throughout the Summer. Well done to everyone on making Summer term 2018 a memorable and happy occasion.

1st XI

It has been a good season for the 1st XI and with perfect weather for the entire term they proved, over the course of the season, that they are more than capable of playing good cricket. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the boys develop during the year and despite the usual availability issues (mainly due to exam pressure) the commitment and pride to represent the 1st XI was impressive and to be congratulated.

Consistency and not learning from mistakes is something that still causes us issues but many of the team were young and still have opportunities to get this right as they progress through the school. I know how keen these boys are and

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I am convinced that if they show the dedication and work ethic that I witnessed this year that they will be more than capable of putting on a great show next season.

I hope that the boys enjoyed their cricket as much as I have loved managing them and I am already excited about what next season brings and the many ideas I have to drive 1st XI cricket forward – watch this space!

My thanks go to the Upper Sixth players Thomas Toogood, Archie Moffat, Jack Paul and James McMillan (1st XI captain) who sadly leave us next year, and to all the boys who played, teaching staff, catering, parents and ground staff for all the hard work that goes into making a busy term like this work! Bring on 2019!

R Maier

U15

The U15 cricket side began the term as defending county champions and looked forward to representing the

Matt Wagstaff’s catch at square leg was probably the catch of the season

school and Hampshire in the national cup. However, an incredibly tough opening round draw against cricketing powerhouse Marlborough College meant that this journey remained an incredibly short one. Prior to this, the season started quickly and positively, with back to back wins against Shiplake College and King Edward’s, Witley, whilst sandwiching a county cup victory against Perins.

However, the remainder of the season did become more challenging; a number of the squad would go on to make very successful debuts for the school 1st XI, meaning the team was, at times, a little unsettled. Highlights included Robbie Crane making a fifty and Jack Hodges making two half centuries. Kent Chapman would top score for the side with a fantastic 92 not out at Ryde. This is a very talented group – as previously mentioned a number have already made their debuts at 1st XI level; there is no doubt that the future is looking bright for our senior sides next year.

U14

The U14A Team have had another excellent season. At U13s they were unbeaten and this year they were not far off repeating that fantastic achievement. Really positive displays and victories over Lord Wandsworth and King Edward’s were highlights although the season ended in disappointment with the county cup final defeat to Portsmouth Grammar School. Unfortunately, we did not play our best against a team filled with their best cricketers from the first three years at the school.

A number of the A Team have had the opportunity to play up and help the U15s and 1st XI with the U14s still managing to get results, which speaks volumes for the boys’ hunger and desire to play good cricket and the strength in depth we have at U14.

Mr Beard The U14B Team had a fantastic season. A season that I was very happy

135

and proud to be a part of. This season the boys played nine matches, winning seven and losing just two, a terrific achievement! One of the most encouraging aspects of the season is not only getting in some good wins but seeing the boys progress and improve as individual cricketers whether it was with the bat or ball.

They were enthusiastic and always displayed the right attitude with bat and ball and in the field. There were plenty of memorable occasions throughout the season. Most notably Matt Wagstaff’s catch at square leg was probably the catch of the season.

Will Hawkins led the bowling attack superbly and Jack Wright became a very solid and impressive batsman showing great skill and patience.

The side was led by Oban Baird and he did a great job throughout the season. From a coach’s point of view, it has been really enjoyable just to feel the palpable enthusiasm of the boys at training and at matches.

They have been so keen to learn and improve their already good skills and

it has been a pleasure to see them progress.

Mr Strachan

U13

What a splendid season the U13A have had. Great performances with the bat and ball, alongside some excellent fielding, mean we have only lost one game. Like so much of sport at Churcher’s College it is the team that is put first by giving as many people as possible the chance to contribute to that team. Bowling has been shared around and batting orders changed to give everyone the chance to make their mark in support of the squad. Such is the quality and depth of cricketing ability in this year group that every team selection has been

difficult. Our season culminated with a thrilling victory over PGS in the cup final where the team showed the determination and grit to win under pressure. Individual highlights of the season have been Ollie Bowen’s hat-trick against Stroud in the cup and Jude Wright’s 56 against KES Southampton and Joel Lewis’ 55 in the cup final.

Dr Glasspool The U12 A and B Teams both finished the season on a 50%-win rate against some tough opposition. Although these results have been commendable what has stood out in this age group is the sheer determination and drive to improve their skills. As one parent commented on the boundary,

136

after their last game of the season, “they are unrecognisable as a team compared to the first game on that cold rainy day down in Portsmouth”.

It has also been a delight to have so many of the boys out at the extra CDL fixtures/training sessions and it has not been uncommon to have over 45 boys turning up regularly to practise. This will only help this year group’s cricket moving forward as they train together and improve moving up through the school.

Girls’ Cricket

It has been an exciting Summer of cricket for the girls this year. As a school we are moving closer towards having all girls participate in cricket during the Summer term.

This year we have started the

process by introducing the sport into First and Second Year Games lessons. It has become abundantly clear, very early on, that not only do we have a number of very talented cricketers, but there is also a great level of enthusiasm from those new to the game to learn. We have played a number of competitive fixtures and we look forward to this provision growing more over the coming years. Next year we will continue to enter the Hampshire softball league but also look to develop a wider list of competitive fixtures throughout the Summer term. We are so excited by the talent and enthusiasm our girls have shown; it really will not be long until our cricket season is a well-established feature of the girls’ sporting provision.

Age Level

P

W

D

L

PF

PA

PD

Win Ratio

Boys-U18A

11

6

0

5

1332

1228

104

54.50%

Boys-U15A

11

6

0

5

1462

1145

317

54.50%

Boys-U15B

1

0

0

1

131

145

-14

0.00%

Boys-U14A

9

7

0

2

1205

916

289

77.80%

Boys-U14B

8

6

0

2

931

632

299

75.00%

Boys-U13A

10

9

0

1

1280

885

395

90.00%

Girls-U13A

4

3

0

1

265

196

69

75.00%

Boys-U13B

7

5

0

2

910

590

320

71.40%

Girls-U13B

1

1

0

0

82

58

24

100.00%

Boys-U13C

2

2

0

0

266

218

48

100.00%

Boys-U12A

8

4

0

4

815

847

-32

50.00%

Girls-U12A

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

100.00%

Boys-U12B

6

3

0

3

609

599

10

50.00%

Totals:

79

53

0

26

9288

7459

1829

67.10%

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with more young players coming through and us hosting triangular tournaments Water Polo really is in an excellent place

SWIMMING

This year we have been very fortunate to have two excellent captains, Lizzie Rose and Julian Greig, who followed in his brother Jerome’s footsteps from last year.

They have led us in various galas against local schools – RGS, GHS, Alton, King’s to name but a few and the results have been positive, too.

We have also been to national relay competitions at the Olympic Park, even managing to swim brilliantly after the coach broke down on route which caused us to miss the warm up!

Water Polo has gone from strength to strength under the stewardship of the effervescent Tim Herman.

The fixture card has always been strong and now with the new goal, courtesy of the Parent’s Association at Christmas, and with more young players coming through and us

hosting triangular tournaments it really is in an excellent place.

A massive thank you to all the swimmers and their parents, not forgetting the swim coaching team for all their efforts throughout the year: Carl Mullender, Mrs Cockerill, Miss Brown, Mrs Plewes, Mr Daniel, Caroline Shanley, Andy and Kay. The new swim captains for next year will be Rebecca Alder and Ben Williams. The new water polo captain will be Will Hipsey. And they will all join the new Head of Swimming, Miss Brown, to form a super team.

Best of luck, Mr Beard

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ATHLETICS & CROSS-COUNTRY Cross-country builds character and mirrors life by the virtue that ‘what you put in, you get out!’

My first cross-country event here at Churcher’s kicked off with the Hampshire Schools Cross-Country Championships. This proved to be a very challenging course but all of the Churcher’s runners gained a huge amount from the experience and certainly gave it their all. Libby Daunter and Lola Texier were the first Churcher’s finishers for the junior girls, and James Medley and Thomas Briggs for the junior boys.

Up next, was the district selection event. A strong Churcher’s team of 24 athletes ran the boggy fields of Crookhorn School with the aim to finish in the top 16 in order to be selected to represent SE Hants. I am delighted to report that 20 of our athletes achieved this feat and subsequently, went on to compete at Down Grange, Basingstoke, in the HSAA Cross Country Championships.

Against tough opposition, Lola Texier put in a fantastic performance, achieving qualification for the next round of the competition. A fabulous achievement, Lola!

The cross-country season finished with the much anticipated Highfield Championship. Running crosscountry is all about resolve and courage, yet above all of that, it is character building. I am glad to report that there was plenty of this fortitude on display from all of the Churcher’s runners. It must be stressed that these events are usually based on individual performances, whilst this event works on a points

system and so becomes a team competition. The Churcher’s team results were as follows: First Year Boys = 2nd, First Year Girls = 3rd, Second Year Boys = 6th, but it was the Second Year girls who stole the show on this occasion. Despite the freezing weather and the nerve-racking wait for the older category, Libby Daunter led from the front and when others seemed to tire, she showed us why she is such a champion athlete, picking up the pace on the final section, and smashing across the finish line in 1st place. Her team mates Mia Clarke and Olivia Bristow were just seconds behind her, fighting hard and spurring each other on all the way to the end. Liv Busher and Louise Reed also did a sterling job, never giving up and battling hard until the finish.

I recall a comment from a member of staff of another school, “Wow, the first four Churcher’s girls finished ahead of every single one of my U13 boys, despite starting a minute or two after!”

A special mention must go to James Medley, who was selected to run for Hampshire in the English Schools Cross-Country Championships in Leeds. A well-deserved achievement for a young, talented athlete.

The athletics season was once again very busy for our keen athletes, with Churcher’s entering many track and field events and achieving much success along the way. The Hampshire Schools Track Knockout Championships saw the U13 girls

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squad (Millie Cooke-Priest, Rosie Porter, Gabby Hibberd, Tilly Hutchins and Lottie Jackson) and U15 boys (Sam Paul, Rory Morris, Will Porter, Ben Botham, Henry Plewes and James Medley) and U15 girls (Kim Monkman, Alice Ramseyer, Tilly Thomas, Olivia Knowles, Lowri Hegan and Rosie Lock) qualify for the 2nd round. Unfortunately, this is where the competition ended for the teams, but a fine result nonetheless.

A team of 43 athletes travelled to the Mountbatten Centre for the English Schools Cup. Again we had many strong individual performances (Libby Daunter: 1500m, Alice Wadsley-Stroud: 100m, Liv Busher: Javelin, Tom Briggs: 1500m, George Davis: 100m) but lacked a little depth to allow us to progress to the next round.

The athletes recovered quickly however, and were out in full force the next day, taking numerous victories at the South East Hants Championships. Top performances came from Rosie Lock, Evie Davey, Lowri Hegan, George Davis, Sam Paul, James Medley, Charlie Morris, Anastasia Lawrence, Eve Rushin, Isabelle Brower, Tilly Thomas, Will Porter and Alice Ramseyer who all made the South East team for the Hampshire Championships.

Congratulations to all who represented Churcher’s and made the season so exciting and successful.

Miss Brown

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ROUNDERS The girls had a busy season, the sun was shining and the rounders was plentiful! We started off with our annual rounders festival with the First – Third Years playing a mixed internal tournament. Then we had a mix of afterschool and Saturday fixtures with our overall win ratio of 62%. The U13A Team hold the crown for maintaining an unbeaten record as they won six out of six matches. Finally the U12A and U13A Teams finished the season with a clean sweep of wins at the Ditcham tournament in the last week of term. A thoroughly enjoyable season with a huge amount of girls participating and developing their skills.

Miss Howe

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Age Level

P

W

D

L

PF

PA

PD

Win Ratio

Girls-U18A

1

1

0

0

31.5

26.5

5

100.00%

Girls-U18B

2

1

0

1

44.5

33

11.5

50.00%

Girls-U15A

5

3

0

2

94

74

20

60.00%

Girls-U15B

6

4

0

2

65

51

14

66.70%

Girls-U14A

6

5

0

1

129.5

67

62.5

83.30%

Girls-U14B

5

4

0

1

84.5

39

45.5

80.00%

Girls-U14C

2

2

0

0

22

16.5

5.5

100.00%

Girls-U13A

6

6

0

0

81

29.5

51.5

100.00%

Girls-U13B

4

2

0

2

39.5

37.5

2

50.00%

Girls-U13C

2

0

0

2

15

27.5

-12.5

0.00%

Girls-U12A

5

3

0

2

60.5

51

9.5

60.00%

Girls-U12B

5

0

1

4

48.5

58.5

-10

0.00%

Girls-U12C

4

2

0

2

53.5

55

-1.5

50.00%

Totals:

53

33

1

19

769

566

205

62.30%

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TENNIS

44 students and five staff set out for Estoril, Portugal for the annual tennis pre-season coaching tour.

The pupils were trained at a popular tennis club with the luxury of 15 clay and hard surface courts. The Head Coach Alex (an ex-professional tennis player) and his colleagues coached the pupils ranging from 11-15 years.

We were fortunate to have a 1:7 ratio coaching, enabling the pupils to work on specific areas of their game. We once again had a very successful tour and have planned and filled all places for next year’s tour to Marbella.

Parent-Pupil Tennis

Tournament

We once again had beautiful weather for our tournament. We had a record number of 28 pairs, all turning out before Open Day had started. Each pair warmed up against their opponent, working out their weaknesses and some parents needing refreshments quite early on. As the tournament got underway it was clear it was going to be a competitive year.

There were great displays of skill, sweat and almost tears at times.

Once we had completed the rounds, we all sat together and

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enjoyed a BBQ and refreshments in the summer sun, also resting some aching limbs. Once we had chatted about the morning’s tennis, the final began. It was extremely close with neither pairing wanting to let a point slip. After some very close games the runners up were the Bertran family and the overall winners were the Davey family. Look forward to seeing you all next year!

Tennis Season

We had a mixed season this year.

It is great to see so many pupils wanting to play tennis

We won over 70 % of our boys matches and 63% for the girls across all the year groups. The players trained hard throughout the Summer at squad training and hopefully will have the confidence to use their new tactics during matches next season. We have some budding players ready in the wings for next season. A solid term, well done.

The mix-in on a Wednesday after school has been more popular than ever before. We had around 70-80 pupils each week. It is great to see so many pupils wanting to play tennis and hopefully some will be able to move across to join the Squad next year. Keep practising.

Tina Jenkins

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CHARITIES

This has been another very busy year at Churcher’s College on the charity front.

It has been amazing being a part of something very special here at Churcher’s.

Firstly, I want to say a huge “thank you” to all the pupils and staff here for all your fantastic and very generous donations and contributions to all our charitable causes.

Almost every member of the school, both young and old, have played their part, not only in donating but also in organising and running events to raise money and more importantly awareness.

As always, a few non-uniform days and cake sales have brought in some fantastic sums for our committeenominated charities, but our key events of the year have to be the following:

PINK Week

For the first time here at Churcher’s College, we hosted PINK week.

PINK week was where we turned our attention to raising awareness on breast cancer. Pink Week is essentially a non-profit art piece with absolutely no political, religious or social agenda other than pink! It was a wonderful week of enlightening PSHE lessons on breast cancer, fancy dress dodgeball tournaments, informative assemblies, plenty of cake and bake sales in Ramshill, and plenty of pink items of clothing worn throughout the week. A lot of fun was had by all and a great deal was learnt on this very serious and pertinent issue. Throughout the week over a £1,000 was raised and

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a special mention should go to Mr Strachan’s pink trousers.

Walking for the Wounded

Last November, a group of seven girls, namely Giselle Conran, Kate Bosher, Ciara Chestnutt, Olivia Shaul, Kirsty Partridge, Lizzie Rose, Annie Kingston and two staff, namely Miss Gardner and Mr Strachan, took part in a 50 mile walk from the Cenotaph in central London to Petworth in West Sussex. The aim of the walk was to raise awareness on supporting vulnerable war veterans and to encourage them to re–integrate into society and sustain their independence. The girls had

Almost every member of the school, both young and old, have played their part

raised over £3,000 for the charity Walking for the Wounded, and the other people who took part in this challenge were very impressed with their enthusiasm and sheer determination to complete the very difficult journey through the night and the freezing cold temperatures.

NKKD WATSAN and The Chili Children Trust

On the back of a life changing Summer, Eleanor Hill and her mother decided that the Charities Committee should raise money and awareness on NKKD Watsan and The Chili Children Trust. WATSAN is a UK charity dedicated to the support of a water and sanitation programme in South West Uganda. Chilli Children Trust is a Christian charity working to improve the lives of thousands of children in Uganda, Africa. These

charities were supported through cake and bake sales and a school mufti day. We raised over £1,000 and this money will go and support orphanages and the overall levels of water sanitation. The assembly was very moving and thoughtprovoking and certainly made a lot of people realise how fortunate we really are here in Petersfield.

Thanks to WATSAN’s work, people in rural communities have access to life-saving clean water and hygienic toilet facilities. There is talk about organising a school trip out to Uganda to see the difference that is being made, watch this space…

Uganda 2017

My name is Ellie Hill and I am in the Fifth Form at Churcher’s College. In August 2017 I was part of a group of 18 adults and young people who travelled to Uganda

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with NKKD WATSAN, a water and sanitation charity that supports the poorest communities in rural, South West Uganda. It was a fantastic experience as I learnt so much, and I felt as if I was able to help those in great need. To be able to help children and young people my own age brought me real satisfaction.

There was much planning and preparation to make the trip possible. I would like to thank all those who helped me along the way, and made donations towards my trip and the charity WATSAN. I took on a variety of jobs to pay my way.

When we arrived in Uganda we had a long journey to the capital, Kampala, and the following day we explored some of the city. Kampala is a bustling place, full of different colours, sights and sounds. It was dusty and hot and a smog was resting in the valley when we woke at dawn.

Kampala is built on seven hills and is very impressive. We had a ten hour drive to Rukungiri, crossing the equator on the way. Our main task was to carry out the building of the new latrines and water tanks for Rumbugu Primary school. Rumbugu has around 450 pupils. The school had inadequate hygiene facilities for the number of students. There was a five-stall pit latrine for the boys that was almost full, and unsafe for use.

Likewise, the girls also had a five-stall pit latrine that was full, and the staff did not have any toilets at all.

The pupils collected their water from a small spring that they shared with the local village. The spring was contaminated and outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, bilharzia among the pupils and village was common.

Added to this it took an age to fill up due to a year-long drought. The

headmaster of the school said that they were losing pupils due to the poor facilities.

The money we raised for WATSAN provided two large rainwater storage tanks for the school and the local community. In addition, we installed a new toilet block for the girls and boys, with hand washing facilities, a toilet block for the staff that included handwashing facilities and also some new drying racks and handwashing facilities for the staff that lived on site. I was very privileged to be able to participate in the construction of these new facilities.

The picture on the left shows a ‘tippy tap’ that I built. These simple handwashing facilities greatly increase the hygiene facilities to help reduce waterborne diseases.

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I was also very fortunate to spend time with the children at Rumbugu and teach them about the importance of hand washing and tooth cleaning - we gave numerous health education talks to children of all ages at different schools, and also to the wider community.

A few of us had the chance to visit Kisiizi hospital. This was a very interesting but also a very upsetting experience as there was not much specialist equipment and no constant supply of power - this made the work for the doctors even more difficult.

However, the hospital’s laboratory was very similar to those found in English hospitals and they had some very good equipment. The only difference was that the test results took a lot longer to come back. Kisiizi hospital is also very special as it has

one of the only mental health wards in Uganda. Visiting people in this ward was very upsetting because the mental healthcare in Uganda is far behind that of the UK. However, people with a mental health condition in Uganda normally would be outcast and often chained up in their gardens, so it was very nice to see them in a place where they could be loved and taken care of properly.

Another project our money went towards was restoring two springs in a village called Katete. The way WATSAN work is that they provide the materials and the local community provide the labour. We helped by carrying bags of sand to the spring site (in 30 degree heat – not much fun!) – everything has to be done by hand as there is no machinery available to move the materials. This was very special

as we were able to make a real difference for the community and develop new friendships. Hopefully our example and encouragement will motivate the villagers to complete the second spring. It was also a privilege to be to be able to go along to the commissioning of the springs and be a part of that celebration.

We were also very fortunate to be able to go and visit a child development centre. Uganda was at the very heart of the AIDS crisis and the development centre educates the children and feeds them once or twice a week. While visiting the centre we held an activity day for all the children, which was fantastic fun and we also gave them a health and hygiene talk as part of the programme.

I gained so much from going on the

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trip, learning about the day to day lives of the Ugandans. I saw extreme poverty and challenges facing these people every day – things that we take for granted. I have learnt to be a lot more careful with how much water I use after seeing the hardships the Ugandans have to go through to simply get water to enable them to live. The whole experience has really taught me to be more grateful for what I have, especially when the Ugandans are so generous and welcoming with the little they have.

I am now also more willing to take on new challenges and realise that giving up isn’t always the best way out of things.

Most of all the experience was great fun and I made some friendships that will last a lifetime.

EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS

Over the last year, Churcher’s College has continued to support the wider community, both locally and further afield, and we have all benefited from sharing our resources and facilities with local schools.

We will continue to develop these partnerships and embrace new opportunities over the coming year, below are a few highlights of the last 12 months.

Save the Children Concert

For the past ten years the four Senior Schools in Petersfield, Bedales, Ditcham Park, The Petersfield School and Churcher’s come together in the Churcher’s Sports Hall to showcase their talents and raise much needed funds for Save the Children projects both here and abroad. Over £1,600 was raised for the charity through tickets sales and a raffle on the night.

Almost 200 pupils from the four schools each performed as a school and then together at the end of the evening for the Christmas Singalong.

It is a great start to the festive season and has become a fixture in many a Petersfield resident’s calendar.

community and mutual support as a result of this already flourishing, relationship.

CCF

STEM Inter-Schools Challenge

Our relationship with The Petersfield School has been enhanced this year as we entered in to partnership as part of the Governments’ Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP). This enables TPS pupils and accompanying staff to join our CCF Contingent in preparation for them to create a stand-alone CCF at TPS in the future. We are excited to share our experience of running this well-established and thriving CCF Contingent with the local community and look forward to seeing TPS establish their own Contingent in the future. Even when they do it is clear that there will be a long-lasting

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In May, we hosted the Royal Academy of Engineering STEM InterSchools Challenge.

Five Primary Schools and eight Secondary Schools were invited from the local area, with a total of 140 children involved, to enjoy a day of hands-on team challenges with a robotics theme.

The main activities included: VEX Robot Challenge, Bionic Hand Challenge and MicroBit BattleBots.

Our Sixth Formers and Digital Leaders were on hand to assist

the challengers during a day which was a hive of activity as they put all their energy into preparing their various robotic tasks over the course of the morning, ready for the competitions in the afternoon.

Thank you to all the schools and pupils who took part in what was a fun-filled and entertaining day of STEM activities.

‘Science Gophers’

Early in the year, our First Year (Year 7) ‘Science Gophers’ hosted Sheet Primary School students for an afternoon of science experiments and learning together. Science Club students managed small groups of Year 5 and 6 Sheet Primary School pupils to conduct some exciting and fun experiments including: Bubble Lab, Slime, Cool Sherbet, Walking Rainbow, and Density Detectives.

Mrs Julie Robinson, Headmistress of Sheet Primary School, joined the pupils and said, “The children had a fabulous afternoon and really enjoyed the experiments - they were buzzing about what they had been doing!”

The Butser Hill Challenge 2017

We had over 20 pupils from the Senior School and seven members of staff take part last year. They were fully supported, as always, by the Churcher’s Rock Band. Well done to those that raised money for the chosen charity, FitzRoy, which supports people with learning disabilities and autism to live the life they choose. Mr Hill led the staff team, coming in 29th and we had some podium places for the pupils.

In the Second Year Libby Daunter was 1st and Louise Reed was 3rd. For the boys, Thomas Briggs finished 2nd and George Williams 3rd. In the Third Year the boys took the top three places with Kai Jackson in 1st, James Medley in 2nd and Harry Marden in 3rd. For the girls, Adie Matson finished 2nd. We are delighted to support this annual event which last year raised in excess of £5,000.

United World Schools Mude

We have been partnered with United

World Schools since 2015. We joined the partnership at a time when there was no formal education facility within the community of Mude in Nepal and the surrounding valley system. Once Churcher’s had joined the project a school committee was quickly formed and the opportunity to provide an education to a community that was previously isolated was taken.

From these early days Churcher’s has supported UWS Mude with a range of fundraising events that have encompassed the College community. Mrs Purchase has run concerts, pupils have organised events, staff have been soaked by sponges and pupils have worn their own clothes at school.

We hope the partnership between UWS Mude and Churcher’s College continues to grow as teachers still need to be trained and resources need to be purchased for pupils.

Teachers in UWS Mude have recently been using art and music to engage their learners. This Summer, the first set of formal national exams was taken by the first cohort of pupils to have had access to education within Mude ... we await the results with baited breath.

Thank you so much for all the support so far and we look forward to seeing the future of Mude unflold.

Remembrance Parade and Concert in Petersfield 151

The College has a long standing commitment to support this very important day within the town. We provide the Sound System in the Town Square and at the War Memorial we provide all the equipment and staffing to facilitate the event. Churcher’s CCF Contingent marches through the town and provide a focus to the service whilst music is provided by the school Wind Band. Churcher’s also host an annual Remembrance Concert in St Peter’s Church. This event is open to the public and all proceeds go to the British Legion.

The Grill Lecture

The Grill Lecture is an annual event and part of the Churcher’s College Academic Lecture Series, open to the wider community.

Named after Judy Grill, a hugely popular and successful Head of Religion and Philosophy, who inspired much discussion and debate amongst the students.

The Grill Lecture continues that legacy and in April we welcomed Springwatch presenter and wildlife expert Chris Packham as our keynote speaker. Inspiring the audience with his charismatic presenting style and passion for wildlife, and appearing with his beloved poodle Scratchy, Chris also spoke candidly about Asperger’s Syndrome and what it’s like to experience the world in a very different way.

Community Action Services A colleague asked me, ‘How long are you making that path?’ The path in question is, of course, the Petersfield Pond Path which runs through the trees alongside West Sussex Road.

We are not extending the path; just making it better. Yes, for the 6th year in a row we have improved a section of the path enabling visitors and the good people of Petersfield to walk around the pond without damaging the protruding roots.

This year our biggest challenge was the sun. Not so much with regards to the heat generated when laying the path, but more to do with the beating sun, combined with the lack of rain, making the grit more like a beach than a path. We use Cotswold

Stone, the finest feature of which is that it naturally contains lime.

The lime reacts to water, becoming concrete like, which makes for a very sturdy and hard-wearing path. As always, David Burstall and his team from Friends of the Heath came to our rescue. David converted his trailer to a functional bowser, which compensated for what we normally would hope nature would provide.

It is great to think that the students who started this project have

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now gone through University or equivalent and have embarked on their working lives. Some of them might even have returned to the path as citizens, enjoying the fruits of their earlier labour. Over the years we have covered 360 yards and have 65 yards in lieu for a 2019 project.

This year we had the honour of the Town Mayor, Cllr Mrs Hilary Ayer, officially opening the path under the watchful eye of our Third Year students.

Pond Path Statistics: 2013 - 2018

Our work also continued at Gloucester Court where our Sixth Form volunteers have had a changing of the guards, and we thank Annie Kingston, Kate Thompson and India Wakeland (Half Colours) for their commitment.

Tony Ostersen

Year

Path Length (Yards)

Batten Length (Feet)

Metal Rods

Gravel Volume (m3)

Churcher’s College Volunteers

2013

75

450

112

40

108

2014

42

252

63

27

96

2015

40

240

60

23

63

2016

67

402

102

21

63

2017

56

336

84

22

64

2018

80

480

120

20

64

Total

360

1760

541

155

458

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success stories

Third Year Adie Matson found an entrepreneurial way to raise money for her First Challenge trip to Iceland.

She combined her love of art and animals to start Red Turtle Cards, offering high quality greetings cards featuring her original artwork. Adie’s cards are already being stocked in four shops and she recently set up a ‘pop up’ stall at a school parents’ function. We wish Adie the very best in her exciting venture.

Earlier this year, James Troughton competed in the Rome Open Taekwondo Competition. James flew out to Rome with high hopes of success and he certainly did not return disappointed, winning a Gold medal for his sparring. This represents an excellent achievement for James as he was up against a large field of very strong competitors.

We wish him continued success in his future events.

Ben Kay was selected as part of The Lambs U16 National Squad. The Lambs are a selected rugby squad from all independent schools across the country so it represents a significant achievement. Ben enjoyed a series of fixtures against some very tough opposition including the Boys Club of Wales, Worcester Warriors and Gloucester.

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Third Year Alice Robinson’s love for all things horse-riding went from strength to strength over the last year. She was lucky enough to qualify for the London International Horse Show – Olympia in December, riding a black Shetland Pony called Cranford Fantastic (AKA Zorro).

Alice Ramseyer was selected from 300 girls to make it in to the Surrey Storm U14 squad. She had to compete in three separate trials against the strongest girls from across the region.

This is an outstanding achievement and came ahead of an exciting season, as Alice also regained her place in the Hampshire Netball Squad.

She shared her place in the team with Rocco Dettorri (Frankie Dettorri’s son) and other famous jockey’s daughters (Leighton Aspell, double Grand National winner and Jim Crowley, Champion flat race jockey), and so was very lucky indeed to take part.

More netball success came with Charlotte Roberts, Eva Bertran, Isabel Brower and Alice regaining their places in the Hampshire Netball Academy.

They were also joined by Amy Dickens and Lola Ramseyer in a development squad for the 2017-18 season. We wish the girls lots of continued success for the year ahead.

Churcher’s College First Year Jasmine Sutton and her acrobatic trio were thrilled to win Gold at the Southern Regional Gymnastics competition in Southampton earlier this year. They were also awarded the highest individual score in the event out of nearly 40 participating teams – a fantastic achievement. A huge well done to Jasmine for an outstanding accomplishment.

Congratulations to Lower Sixth student Edward Raftery who is now a qualified solo skydiver, having achieved his A Licence at the Army Parachute Association recently. He has completed 22 solo jumps at 13,000 feet, as well as one ‘emergency deployment’ at 5,000 feet, making five jumps on one day alone!

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success stories

The Hampshire Golf Green Jackets inter-club competition featured a nice co-incidence earlier this year, when the team representing the juniors at Liphook Golf Club all came from Churcher’s College! Well done Zain Preston, Sam West and Catherine Gallagher.

In March, Sixth Former Lily Rawlings attended PricewaterhouseCooper’s London Office having earned herself a place in the Final of their National Schools Employability Challenge.

PwC commented that there were an exceptionally high number of entries and competition was fierce so candidates had done incredibly well making it so far. Lily said, “Unfortunately I didn’t win but it was a really interesting day and I learnt a lot especially through the pitch where we had to design a health and wellbeing app.” Despite not winning the final prize, Lily was very proud to have made so far and learned a huge amount about business. Well done to her for taking the initiative to enter this competition and for doing so well in it.

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Congratulations to Churcher’s students Rachel Pyke, Eve Rushin and Catherine Gallagher who have represented their County at U15 Hockey! We wish them continued success for this year.

12 regional winners from across the UK competed in The Acrobatic Gymnastics National Finals in Stoke on Trent. Third Year Lowri Hegan’s Grade 5 Trio from Southampton Gymnastics Club represented the South. They performed two routines demonstrating dynamic and balance elements and won the Gold medal!

During the Summer half term, Fourth Year Ellie Watling qualified for the Cadet British Sailing Team - a huge personal achievement! Amongst other things, this means that she was required to train for a week in Germany before she represented GBR in one of only seven British boats at the World Championships in July

In the Summer of last year, Upper Sixth student Henry Inigo-Jones competed in the Junior National Gliding Competition which was held at Nympsfield Airfield in Gloucestershire. Henry was one of 45 in his age-group who qualified to take part, and in his first competition came 20th overall, earning himself the Best Newcomer Prize.

More recently Henry has taken part in the Junior Winter Series in Denbigh, North Wales, gaining experience of flying on ridges and ‘mountain wave’, allowing him to reach an altitude of 12,500 feet. Henry’s successes have given him a chance to qualify for the National Junior Development Squad which could see him compete on the world stage in 2021.

Lottie Jackson recently competed in the South East Regional Swimming Championships in Crawley. She competed in five events and came away with a silver medal in the 200m Butterfly event and 4th in the 100m Butterfly. Her goal for the coming year is to try and achieve some National Qualifying Times for her age group.

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Last Autumn, sisters Izzy & Emily Jupe took part in the Swim England Syncro Combo Cup Nationals in Manchester.

Izzy’s team came 2nd in their age group and Emily’s team came 4th, just missing out on a medal. Both Izzy and Emily are part of Churcher’s College Development Squad.

This impressive achievement was followed up in July at the National Synchro Combo Cup at the London Aquatic Centre, when Izzy’s team won Silver (for the second year running) and Emily’s team were 5th in their age group (narrowly missing out on a Bronze medal). Furthermore, they were joined at the competition by two more Churcher’s students, Lucy MacKay and Millie Morris, who competed in the U12 category.

success stories In the Autumn, Third Year thespian Matilda Shapland enthralled audiences, portraying the role of Jenny Caroline ‘Qui Qui’ Marx in the production of Young Marx at the Bridge Theatre in London. This is not her first outing on stage and screen, however. Her first role was Little Cosette in Les Mis in 2012/2013, and following this she played her namesake as the main character Matilda in the West End show in 2015. She also performed alongside Joan Collins in the movie The Time of Their Lives.

CCJS pupil Jake Barnes said farewell to his long locks for two children’s cancer charities and has raised over £675 so far in doing so. The hair itself has been donated to The Little Princess Trust and the money to Children with Cancer UK. Jake was inspired by his friend’s cancer diagnosis last year and wanted to do something to make a difference. The Little Princess Trust make wigs for children having cancer treatment and Children with Cancer UK raises awareness, conducts research and supports young cancer patients and their families.

Photo coutesy of Richard Washbrooke

Churcher’s College was proud to have had three pupils involved in The Hampshire County Youth Orchestra performance at the Royal Albert Hall on 23rd April. ‘Hampshire at the Hall’ began with The National Anthem with The Band of the Scots Guards and featured Frances Flanagan, Tom Jackson and Josie Scott-Plummer among the 1,700 musicians from Hampshire schools.

Henry and Max Bowring competed in the LTA Level 1 Tennis Coaching qualifications, enabling them to develop not only their own skills and understanding of the game, but those of others with coaching at their own club and in School. They undertook weekend-long assessments, necessary to gain the professional coaching qualifications.

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Last season, Harry Cooper, Ben Steele and Sam Russell returned in one piece following an amazing rugby tour with Haslemere RFC U12s to Italy. They had the opportunity to play against national teams such as AS Milano and CUS Torino – really tough competition. The team had a brilliant time and aim to host their own Italian tournament this year.

In May, the U11 IAPS sailing team (Poppy Kilpatrick and Ollie Williams) went to Weymouth.

“We fought hard against 30 other Zest boats.

Sunnington school stood out because they were amazing Oppie sailors. Ollie helmed well and steered some amazing starts. I crewed well and I made some really good tacks with the jib.

We won the first race with a big lead, in the second race we came second, sadly in the third race we came 4th due to a bad start. But fortunately we won the last race with another big lead, so in the end we won overall.”

By Poppy Kilpatrick

After winning the Hampshire Schools U16 and U18 championships at Cams Hall in October 2017, Sam progressed to the English Schools Golf Association U16 National Championships on 23rd July. Over 36 holes, Sam shot level par to win the tournament by one shot.

Winning has enabled Sam to play his first International match, England v Wales at Llanwern Golf Club on 27th August, which England won 7 – 5. Sam has played in 33 qualifying UK events over the 2018 season so far and in early September achieved a personal goal of playing off a ‘scratch’ handicap (0).

Shoshana Yugin-Power from CCJS was selected for the National Children’s Orchestra (NCO) 2018 to play the flute. Shoshana auditioned alongside 1,200 children for a place, and was thrilled to be successful, with flute places being one of the most competitive instruments. Shoshana has played the flute for just over four years and is currently preparing for Grade 8.

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STAFF DEPARTURES

immeasurably over the years. We moan about legislation, they have had to deal with more than most; we worry about mental fragility of the young, they have had to pick up the pieces. That Micki has continued to so willingly meet the changing needs of Governments, the school and those she has looked after over the 15 years of her service, is huge testament to her talents and especially her personality.

Micki Bramfitt

At her Farewell presentation back on a cold December afternoon, it was difficult to think of a more appropriate time or place to say “Thank you” to Micki. I have stood next to her, many a time, watching some catastrophic games of rugby and hockey.

Despite the rain, cold, wind, and, on occasions, heavy losing scorelines one thing I can’t remember Micki ever being is anything other than upbeat. It was always a huge pleasure to stand and chat because Micki always seemed to find the good and even humour in most, if not all situations. Whilst others would moan that it always used to better in the past, Micki always seem to be saying the opposite, that we have never had it so good. That includes changing from the days when there was no girls’ Saturday sport and much less rugby and Micki probably had many more Saturdays off.

One of the joys of Micki is that she would not stand fools gladly and would tell you, and often tell me if I was being foolish, but she never, ever lost the TLC, the tender loving care, which meant that when you were told to man up you did just that and got on with it.

The School Nurse job has changed

I tried very hard indeed to persuade Micki to stay when she first said she was leaving… I succeeded for a little while but I knew this day would come. I hope, very much hope, to see Micki back here again, pitch-side, spreading her no nonsense TLC with the liberal abandon she has done so well and for so long.

her efforts. As a very able netball player and hockey coach Emma’s contributions were felt far and wide, ensuring many students benefited from her significant talents.

Away from the sports field Emma was involved in many other aspects of school life. In her first years, Emma was active in the CCF, however this gave way as her academic teaching and pastoral responsibilities grew. As a leading light in the Sports Science department Emma was very influential in developing the subject.

As part of this, Emma successfully introduced the Sports Leaders qualification. Emma also very much enjoyed her role as Assistant Head of Collingwood House and was excellent at guiding, supporting and cajoling all those under her charge.

We all wish Emma the very best in her new adventure; there is no doubt that she will be an excellent success!

Simon Williams

Dan Cox

Emma Chambers

At the end of the Autumn term we said “good bye” to Emma Chambers as she moved on to be Head of Girls’ Games at Westbourne House.

During her time with us Emma worked incredibly hard to progress and develop all areas of the sports in which she was involved. Her biggest legacy, however, will be the impact she had on athletics and crosscountry in the school. Emma grew this aspect of our sporting provision considerably during her tenure and a vast number of students benefited, and continue to benefit, from all of

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If there ever was a book called The art of coarse teaching, to reside alongside the one relating to fishing, one of the key pieces of advice, one of the tips for survival, would be, if you wish to demonstrate something, choose one of the children rather than putting yourself in the position of possible catastrophic failure in front of a whole class.

Of course for some - the skilful, brave (or foolhardy) - putting oneself in peril by demonstrating oneself holds no fears; they are very much “do as I do, not simply as I say” kind of people. Dan Cox is one such man: skilful, brave and maybe a little foolhardy, but as a consequence a teacher renowned for being inspirational.

Dan cut his teaching teeth at Churcher’s as a PGCE student before

venturing into the state sector, but he soon returned. Having not seen the advert for a PE teacher at Churcher’s, Dan was given the nudge by a fellow PE teacher who he then proceeded to ‘gazump’ by getting the job here 12 years ago. In those 12 years Dan has had a remarkable rise to glory; cream has certainly been floating to the top. From the newbie, the most junior in the department, Dan soon grasped the opportunity to head up boys’ PE, then Head of Department, then Head of Faculty as Director of Sport all the way to being on the Senior Management Team. What takes others 30 years, Dan did in 12.

Often, such meteoric rise leaves behind others trampled underfoot, but this is certainly not Dan’s style.

Recognised by all not only for his inspiration and innovation, but also for his delightfully charming character, his is the route of collaboration and quiet persuasion rather than compulsion. It is those face-to-face talents that saw him take on the significant role of Outreach in the school - the liaison with all and sundry as to how the school could help local schools and organisations, while at the same time ensuring the children have got pleasure and reward from those liaisons and partnerships.

Over the last 12 years with Dan at the helm, or at least as ‘first mate’, sport has blossomed here.

There is no extra financial reward for staff to spend many hours of a weekend or evening coaching, refereeing or travelling with teams but Dan ensured all were recognised and applauded for their generous involvement. As such, unlike many schools, there were teams and staff aplenty. At one time we ventured no further than A Teams but under Dan’s careful management we not only have C and D Teams, or ‘development leagues’, we have them across a broader range of sports with the likes of swimming and tennis joining the traditional netball, hockey, rugby, cricket and rounders at the top table. Most Directors of Sport continually battle with the opposing needs of mass participation and elite performance but Dan found the balance, a balance which meant every child in the early years got to represent the school in sport, and enjoy the after-match sausage, chips and beans, but also we were winning

national competitions such as the NatWest Vase at Twickenham.

As Dan moves on to be Deputy Head at Lambrook Prep School he leaves behind him a sports programme that would be the envy of many schools and Churcherians past and present, who have gained hugely from his inspiration and innovation. What he doesn’t leave behind, however, is his wardrobe. There can hardly be a stitch of clothing in that wardrobe that doesn’t have the Churcher’s ship stitched into it; evidence of all the tours and events Dan has organised but also the heart and soul Churcher’s approach he gave to everything.

no small part was down to witnessing Lucy’s wonderful creative vision and professionalism. We wish her and the family all the best in their new home and new jobs.

Helen Purchase

Simon Williams

Sarah Grant

Lucy Cox

I first remember seeing Lucy as she came into the music room to teach a class Drama lesson and I remember thinking then that this was a lady that had a real talent for teaching and inspiring pupils. I wasn’t wrong!

Since 2009, we have been lucky enough to have benefited from Lucy’s immense expertise and skill. Lucy works incredibly hard at everything she does, whether it is in the classroom or with the extra-curricular groups she has been coaching and is probably one of the most organised people I have ever come across!

Having gained a First Class Honours degree in Musical Theatre, not to mention appearing on stage in the West End, I am pleased that we have managed to put her skills to good use in the various shows that she has choreographed and directed during her time at Churcher’s. Her highlight, however, has to be Directing our Senior Production of Miss Saigon in 2017. I was fortunate to be on the creative team for the show and it was without a doubt one of my best ever experiences at Churcher’s, which in

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I knew from the first moment I met Sarah at interview that she was a force to be reckoned with.

Her CV suggested she was a little overqualified for the role of School Librarian but she oozed enthusiasm for literature and was evidently very keen to become involved in helping the students with their work rather than just checking books in and out.

With the wonderful Mrs Johnson showing her the ropes she got the hang of it extremely quickly and immediately built up great working relationships with Vanessa as well the rest of the college staff. The pupils took to her instantly and the Sixth Formers especially realised that Sarah had much to offer in terms of academic guidance.

Sarah embraced all challenges and with the introduction of initiatives like Britannica Online she championed the Library as a multimedia learning resource rather than just a room full of books. A challenge she enjoyed a little less was the after-school crowd, particularly on dark, cold winter evenings when the more reluctant learners took shelter in the Library whilst they waited to be picked up by their parents! Even in this, though, Sarah was a consummate professional and she gradually established her authority with her typical calmness and dignity.

It was a real shame to lose Sarah just when she was making such a mark on the college but her legacy is strong

and the Library continues to go from strength to strength with the new dream team of Mrs Johnson and Mrs Greenall!

Ian Knowles

Geoff Langford

Geoff joined our Site Team as the school electrician in 2015 and worked for three years leading up to his retirement move to France this summer.

Geoff normally worked a Friday to Monday shift which enabled access to normally busy areas at weekends.

As the school is never quiet, the weekend shift usually included a long list of other tasks including opening/ closing rooms and facilities, meeting with contractors and inevitably supplying pupils, parents with lost kit, fixture information and helping with parking challenges.

to us all in the Modern Languages department. Teaching both French and Spanish, Anna has exuded a calm and measured approach to all she has done which only comes from years of experience, outside and inside the classroom. Anna has been a really popular teacher, knowing how to mix up solid curriculum teaching with current songs and cultural knowledge that has been a real hit with our pupils. In the classroom, pupils have very much benefitted from Anna’s incredible linguistic talents given that she inspires by her own enthusiasm and love of languages. Anna has enjoyed being involved with OSCA, hockey and the very successful Third Year trip to Barcelona. She left us with one final commitment, a First Challenge adventure to Iceland. We wish Anna and her family all the very best for the future.

Kathryn Shaw

These varied tasks were all done with good grace and delivered with an element of Scottish wisdom. Geoff was a multi-skilled tradesperson turning, his hand to plumbing, carpentry, routine maintenance and improvised repair jobs.

His expertise and quality of work were always of the highest standard and he became a key member of the Site Team.

A long and happy French retirement is thoroughly deserved with our best wishes.

Anna Louis

After too short a stay of two years, Anna is leaving us to take up a post at New Hall School in Chelmsford.

Family reasons have dragged her away from us and we are all very sorry to see her go. Intelligent, friendly, supportive and fun, Anna has been a wonderful colleague

Hamish Newport

Hamish joined Churcher’s College in 2014 from a marketing post at Naxos Record Label. His interview class was the first group of children that he had ever taught and he always felt it was a brave decision by Simon Williams to take him on! It was in fact an inspired choice as Hamish has gone from strength to strength as a teacher. Working with the older pupils prepared him for what was to come when, in 2015, the Junior School Head of Music, Sue Bint, encouraged him to apply for a post with our younger pupils.

Hamish has an ethos of teaching music based around fun and enjoyment. It is clear to see when the children perform that they relish the opportunities he has offered them and they are then keen to participate even more. Hamish has enjoyed working with the natural

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enthusiasm of the pupils and relishes the opportunity to teach them from a very young age and see how they grow and develop musically. Hamish cites that the most pleasure he gets from teaching is when he is able to encourage a nervous pupil to have a go and once they find they enjoy the performance experience they are hooked!

From Big Sing, Glee Club, Ballistic Brass and Wacky Winds, Hamish has imparted his incredible musical knowledge to a huge range of different areas and inspired the children at every turn.

Hamish has an extraordinary ability to get an audience to hang on to his every word and feel positive, no matter what goes wrong. His calm approach to teaching and performing encourages the children and his supportive and nurturing teaching has been appreciated from Nursery all the way through to Year 6. We were all so impressed when the show went on at the last Junior concert despite being short of 4 pieces of music! His charisma, enthusiasm and brightness inspire parents, teachers and children alike.

Hamish loves to travel. This, combined with his love of music has lead him to develop an interest in instruments from other cultures.

He has shared this with the children throughout the years introducing them to a huge array of musical knowledge including incorporating a hulusi - a Chinese wind instrument - in his lessons. This desire to travel and also watching how the children enjoy their music and develop their skills has inspired him to extend his knowledge and he draws upon the advice “you are never too old to learn”. Hamish will be leaving us to go to Bremen University to study for an Early Music degree.

Next year there will be a large Mr Newport shaped hole at CCJS and he leaves some very big shoes to fill.

We wish Hamish every success in his travels and studies.

Janet Oosthuizen

Janet joined the school in January 2010 as part of our Senior School Cleaning and Housekeeping Team working in a number of different buildings including New College and Old College.

Janet then moved to our Junior School site taking on the key housekeeping and cleaning role in support of the school office, the staff room, the infant accommodation and the middle school.

Janet was ever-present and would always make our visitors and staff feel welcomed and appreciated.

Janet had a very good manner with the CCJS children across all the year groups, including the busy lunchtimes and chilly Liphook Winter days out in the field with her wellies on!

Janet has moved onto a similar role at another school and we wish her well for the future.

ago, from completing a PGCE and from having worked at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, Rob clearly had much to offer the department and he quickly settled in, making his mark in various areas. He has shown a huge amount of enthusiasm for his teaching and I know that the pupils have thoroughly enjoyed his lessons.

Rob has had a huge influence on the smaller, chamber ensembles, and under his direction, they have played some really ‘cool’ repertoire and reached an impressive standard. The Junior Wind Band has enjoyed some high profile concerts this year under his direction, not least the Petersfield Music Festival and opening our Summer concert at Cadogan Hall.

With his amazing instrumental skills (saxophone, piano, flute, clarinet, guitar, recorder…the list could go on!), he has developed the jazzy, improvising side to the department over the last couple of years to great effect. Rob has turned out some outstanding piano accompaniments through the years, not least being one the pianists for Miss Saigon and School of Rock. He has immersed himself in school life, becoming a leading light in the Christian Union and of course, has made his mark in various staff matches, particularly on the football and cricket fields … we will miss his laid back manner, but hard working and thorough approach.

Signora Penfold has been at Churcher’s since 2015, beginning initially as a Senior School Languages Teacher and then a year later, joining the Junior School, teaching French, Spanish and some German across the age ranges. Her subject knowledge, patience and kindness is renowned as is her passion for sharing the culture of these European languages.

For example, her pupils have enjoyed learning about Germany’s thriving car engineering trade in German lessons and France’s fashion industry in the French lessons.

Having accompanied Year 6 on their annual trips to Le Touquet, Madame Penfold has relished the opportunity to see language learning in action and to witness the pupils exchanging conversation with their French penpals.

Mrs Penfold leaves CCJS to take up a languages teaching post at St Edmund’s School, Hindhead, and we wish her all the very best in the next chapter of her career. Bonne chance, Viel Glück and Buena suerte!

Helen Purchase

Sam Reid

Sophie Penfold Robert Peck

Although his time at Churcher’s has been brief, Rob Peck has made a very valuable contribution to the department, whilst, at the same time, managing to educate us on the topic of Norwich City Football Club! Coming to us fresh, two years

A warm smile, they say, is the universal language of kindness and Churcher’s College has been fortunate to have Mrs Penfold add this language to the list of Modern Foreign Languages she has taught at the Junior School and Nursery for the past two years!

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After four years at Churcher’s, the Design & Technology Department are saying goodbye to Sam Reid as he departs for pastures new.

Having arrived as an NQT new to the teaching profession, he leaves us having made a valued input within the department with his expertise and knowledge, especially in relation to CAD and CAM design and manufacturing.

When I spoke with Mrs Lines in relation to Mr Reid, she knew exactly who she wanted to fill the vacant post when he was interviewed in 2014 and, unsurprisingly her wish was granted. Mr Reid proved to be an excellent appointment integrating

himself well with the existing staff and being a popular teacher with the pupils across all year groups.

Mr Reid has brought a youthful exuberance which has enthused pupils in his classes and has always kept the mood in the Design & Technology office light-hearted. At ease when working in a range of materials and using a wide variety of tools, equipment and machinery, Mr Reid has facilitated a broad range of projects during his time at Churcher’s.

He has forged links with a broad range of local Primary schools, introducing them to STEAM projects to ensure the younger generations are aware of new technologies and gain an understanding of how to use them. Projects such as the Bloodhound SSC, Martian Moon Buggy and the Microbit Robot have kept the Designers and Engineers of the future enthralled.

As you would expect of a Churcher’s staff member, Mr Reid has many strings to his bow and he has also been involved with the PE department teaching across a range of sports including Hockey, Football and a range of other sports.

Mr Reid follows in the footsteps of both his parents who were also teachers; they have obviously been good role models as Sam will be missed for both his good humour and his professional expertise. We wish him all the very best in his future and know that he will make a positive impact wherever he chooses to teach.

Steve Edington

known as the ‘voice of Churcher’s’.

Indeed, Susan was often the first port of call for new visitors and her warm and welcoming manner gave her a unique role within the School.

Furthermore, almost four full generations of pupils, parents and staff have called in, signed in, lost kit, arrived late or been in need of help, instruction or support. Susan dealt with these and much more, presenting a familiar face at the front line of the reception desk and taking an interest in all those arriving at the school.

She was affectionately nicknamed ‘The Child Catcher’ as her extensive Registration duties often saw her running around the School to locate unregistered students!

Susan has witnessed many changes over those years; the arrival of a new Headmaster, a change in the location of the Junior School, the physical expansion of the School and a rapid growth in student numbers. With numerous IT, telecom, registration and procedure changes, she demonstrated a personal touch and concern for others, becoming a close friend to many staff.

Staff leavers over the years have been treated to her immaculatelywrapped gifts with minimal tape and perfectly creased folds; one of the many other personal touches she added that will be missed by all!

As a mother to Edward, who was also a pupil at Churcher’s College, Susan is now a proud Grandmother of two who will certainly throw herself into her Grandmother duties, art and shopping with as much vigour as she did her life at Churcher’s. We all wish her a long and happy retirement.

Sarah Stokes

I first met Sarah in March 2011 when we interviewed her for Head of Drama (then just a one-man band) and from the first time Sarah set foot in Churcher’s she had a vision to stage ‘Shakespeare in the Park’.

She had spotted the location, had a view of the stage and set in mind and was determined to make it happen.

And happen it did. Sarah has directed Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Love’s Labour’s Lost in her time in Petersfield. Shakespeare in the Park became a highlight in the school Drama schedule, not only for the pupils but also the staff and parents who enjoyed an evening picnic while being very well entertained, whatever the weather!

Shakespeare is just the tip of the iceberg. Sarah has been responsible for many other productions (the pictures on the way to Studio 45 and in New College show selected highlights) including: The Canterbury Tales, A Christmas Carol, The Crucible and Twelfth Night to name but a few. For me The Canterbury Tales were a real highlight – a Lower School Production that was simply outstanding. Sarah had been very clever in her manipulation of the script, giving so many pupils the opportunity to showcase their talents and foster their love of Drama from a young age.

Not content with just putting on her own productions, Sarah was a great proponent of taking pupils to see professional productions. Not one to be put off by the London traffic, or public transport nor the late night returns to Petersfield, pupils have been given the opportunity to experience a wide range of genres from Woman in Black to Curious

Susan Ridley

With over 24 years’ service as our main receptionist, Susan became

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Incident. If pupils didn’t go to productions, then the professional came to us. Sarah ran a number of workshops to showcase professional Drama at its best and give so many pupils the opportunity to experience Drama at a new level.

In her time with us we have seen the standard and popularity of Drama rise exponentially (as well as the budget!) and we will miss her ready wit and tireless commitment to all things Drama. Sarah leaves to take up the reigns as Head of Drama at Rendcombe College in Gloucestershire, a slightly more rural setting than Petersfield, but she and Charlie take with them our very best wishes.

Matt has also been an enthusiastic member of the Sixth Form pastoral team, bringing with him a veritable treasure trove of ideas, particularly for charitable events, such as PINK Week and Live Below the Line.

He has worked tirelessly with the committee to improve the social and learning environment at Ramshill.

He has always kept the best interests of the students at heart, being kind and compassionate in all his dealings with them. Matt is a keen and able all-round sportsman himself, with particular talent for tennis, cricket and playing semi-professional rugby in Australia. He has been a regular on the pitch side at Churcher’s, taking both the U14 rugby and cricket sides during his time with us, always working hard to progress and develop the players he has coached.

He will also leave some very large shoes to fill in the staff teams! Matt has been a very popular member of staff with the pupil, student and common room bodies, and we all wish him well with his move to St Edward’s, Oxford.

Sarah Dixon

David Nighy

Away from the Drama of Studio 45 and the Assembly Hall, Sarah was also a form tutor in Collingwood House. She will be remembered for the very high quality of her form reports; she really did know her pupils well and always wanted the best for them.

Matt Strachan

Matt has been teaching Geography at Churcher’s for three years. He has always approached the classroom with great enthusiasm, keen to engage pupils and champion his passion for the subject. Matt’s tenure has coincided with the 2016 revisions of both the GCSE and A Level specifications and he has contributed to the planning and resourcing of both programmes. He has also been a great help with the fieldwork across all seven year groups, supervising activities and always volunteering to assist with the background logistics.

I will particularly remember his leadership of the Sixth Form ‘no-rules basketball’ at Osmington Bay in 2016.

Claudia Stent

The Classics department said goodbye to Claudia Stent who was with us for this year, teaching across all levels. Despite her short time with us, she has contributed much to the success of the department. She has helped to develop our resources for the lower school Latin course and her academic expertise was most appreciated by the Sixth Form Latin and Classical Civilisation pupils.

Claudia often went out of her way to help and assist her pupils over lunchtimes and helped to run the revision days for both A Level Latin and Classical Civilisation in the Easter holidays. We will miss her dedication and enthusiasm for Classics. Her

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involvement in netball coaching in the First Year, as well as her role as pastoral tutor, have been carried out with enthusiasm and dedication.

We wish her the very best for her future career at Notre Dame School, Cobham.

Jon Hegan

Helen Thurlow

Helen joined the Housekeeping and Cleaning Team in September 2011 to coincide with the opening of our new swimming pool, which naturally become the jewel in the crown of our site facilities.

With the significant level of pool use from dawn to dusk and for much of the weekend, it became quite a challenge to keep the pool building like new and Helen certainly achieved this, taking great pride in her duties.

Helen was also able to help with some of our visiting school swim sessions and worked as part of a team with our pool staff and lifeguards over this time. In the Pavilion, and more recently the staff houses, Helen was also able to set and maintain high standards of work in areas of heavy duty use.

It is a reflection of the hard work and proactive approach that our pool still looks as good as new seven years on.

Helen has recently moved on to take a supervisory role with a service contractor and we wish her well for the future.

FOUNDATION OFFICE

Gill Clarke, archivist and Tim Dilks, alumni volunteer, hot desk with me in the Foundation Office. Gill often gets called upon to find out about people’s long gone relatives.

She reappears from her archive, dusty, and laden with old photos and documents. When not dealing with the distant past she also has an encyclopaedic memory of her time here as a teacher and latterly Deputy Head. Tim’s working career here as Head of Biology and latterly Head of Grenville add to the enthusiasm he has for our reunions, in particular those from the classes of ‘83 and beyond.

The Richard Churcher Foundation mailing to all connected with the College went out earlier in the year.

In addition to donations, several parents got in touch to offer their services to support OCs as they move into the job market. Others have committed to leaving the Foundation

a legacy in their wills. We are so grateful to everyone who helps to make the Foundation able to give more children bursary support.

At the various events this year we have seen OCs aged between 18 and 90 plus, all with the common thread of Churcher’s at the core. The photos show some of the range of events we have held here, in London and around the UK. This year is 30 years since girls started in the First Year and on Open Day we were so pleased that April Keefe had managed to persuade several of the girls to join us. Former Headmaster, Geoffrey Buttle came along too with his wife Jeanette.

The photo under the clock tower attempts to replicate the girls’ first day in 1988; the other shows them enjoying the sunshine during this year’s Open Day.

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Over the years it has become clear that those who get involved, stay involved. Peggy Gilmour (14) helped at a Wartime Tea when she was at the College and keeps in regular contact. When asked if she could help out Alice Ballard (16) with her career in interior design, Peggy agreed instantly. Soon afterwards Alice was getting work experience at Peggy’s place of work. Likewise Kester Wilkinson (88) was happy to help students seeking a career in events; Sophie Habib (16) contacted him and has worked alongside him.

Chris Parker (86) gave a lecture to Sixth Formers last year and returns to deliver another this Autumn about his experiences in the Gulf War. Karen Kelley

THE RICHARD CHURCHER

FOUNDATION

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ALUMNI

There are so many stories about OCs, old and young, here are just a few that we have come across this year.

OC Peter Longland (94) works for the Metropolitan Police dealing with Cyber Crime. The talk he gave students was extremely informative, if a little worrying!

us. The key to engineering today, along with maths and physics, is also imagination.”

As part of our ‘Careers Bites’ series Penny Banham (13) presented a highly informative and fascinating talk about her career in Conservation and how she achieved her role.

“After a wonderful three years at Aarhus University in Denmark on a Marie-Curie Research Fellowship, I am now in Melbourne, Australia.

My new role is as Director of the Global Challenges program at Monash University. It’s a BSc Honours program but with a range of hands-on life skills (including leadership, entrepreneurship and communications training) and international internships built in.

We aim to get students ready to face a dynamic and ever-shifting employment world. I love being able to combine my background in biological anthropology research, (science) journalism and public engagement in this role. Just as coding has become as important as maths and English at school level, so too are we looking to consider, for example, how quickly we can introduce classes on how to develop, control and construct drones, among many other things. The following link summarises the program well: https://www.monash.edu/globalchallenges. For more information on my work in Aarhus: http://aias.au.dk/ aias-fellows/djuke-veldhuis/ “

A number of pupils who heard Penny were very keen to stay in touch with her as she presented various ways that they may get involved - it appears that volunteering in Tanzania assisting Penny may be on the cards for a few of our pupils.

Will Benson (08) has also been in touch, “I am currently working in Jakarta, Indonesia on World Trade Center 3. I am still with Balfour Beatty (four years now). I worked for three years on the Crossrail Project in Whitechapel, then went to Rwanda to build a suspension foot-bridge linking two rural communities and have been in Jakarta since August 2016. I will return to London at the end of May to take up a position with Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering on a project in Marble Arch.

I really want to persuade the younger generations, especially young women, that engineering as a profession is a really captivating and wonderful way to spend your life. I want to show that Civil Engineering is an option and that a degree in Civil Engineering can open many doors; there are so many things engineers do! I was never very good at maths at Churcher’s and a key message would be to outline why maths is such an important and diverse subject. As a profession we need people who can think outside of the box so the arts are also critical in this equation of where engineering is going to take

Djuke Veldhuis (02)

Mark Russell (78) Mark arrived at Churcher’s having been a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral. The family lived in Greatham where his father was the local vicar. Mark’s experience of music at this stage was entirely based on a classical and choral repertoire.

This changed at Churcher’s when his fellow students introduced him to punk and other styles of the seventies. After taking A Levels, Mark went onto York University where he

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read Music. His first job was working as a clerk in the BBC Radio 3 Music Library. He left the BBC to set up a small recording studio recording people’s songs. He then became a session keyboard player for recording artists including Tanita Tikaram, Julia Fordham and the Chinese flautist, Guo Yue. After composing for many film and TV Commercials, Mark went on to score documentaries and dramas, including Spiderman for Radio 1 in collaboration with Queen guitarist Brian May. He has been nominated for a BAFTA for his score to the ITV drama series Cold Feet and for an Ivor Novello Award for BBC1’s Leonardo. He also received the RTS award for BBC2’s Best Of Men. Aside from composing, Mark has written an acclaimed book Film Music (published by Rotovision), and for 17 years co-presented BBC Radio 3’s cult eclectic weekly music show Mixing It. The show reflected his wide musical interests: everything from Medieval to the latest electronic/jazz/rock sounds. He now works from his own recording studio in Oxford. Mark’s latest project has been to write the score for a new series based on the children’s novels The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy.

When asked what advice he would give aspiring musicians, he said, “What I tell my own children - work hard at what you love. Also in music there’s no set career path or single way of doing anything. You just have to follow it yourself and believe you can do it.”

Mark thoroughly enjoyed his year group reunion in March. Like many others he wished he had come back sooner.

Mark Russell (78)

Djuke Veldhuis (02)

Penny Banham (13)

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A ROGATE LAD Memories of an Old Churcherian, Eric Piper

My parents were the licensees of the White Horse Inn in the village of Rogate where I was brought up and attended the local Church of England Village School. In 1940 I was delivered at the front door of the headmaster, Mr Hoggarth, to sit an entrance exam. I recall being taken into a room adjacent to the Headmaster’s study, given the necessary papers, and the door was closed. I was 10 years old and during the exam the air raid sirens sounded a number of times. Dog fights between aircraft could be heard overhead with machine gun fire.

I had to cycle to school and back each day. My father bought me a new cycle that cost £5. In poor weather I would catch the bus. In those days there was very little traffic due to war conditions and petrol rationing.

Many days I would not be passed by a car on the journey in either direction

to me as a boy was Murray Allam.

He and I went to the local builder’s yard where there was a large heap of building sand. Into the sand we formed a series of roads and placed on them Dinky toy army trucks. His brother took photos and when the film was taken to Petersfield to be processed they were confiscated as being genuine photos from the desert. When proved that they were only toys the photos were returned a while later.

I left Churcher’s in 1946 and gained a five year apprenticeship in electrical engineering, commencing on 12/6d per week and 21 shillings at 21

I found schooling quite different to that I had been accustomed to at the village school. Besides which, there were day boys and boarders in attendance and boys wore long trousers, jacket, tie and cap.

years. However, I did receive better remuneration as I was considered worthy by my employer, Brooker’s Ltd of Petersfield, at the bottom of the High Street.

On completion of my apprenticeship I was called for National Service in the Royal Signals. I was trained as a clerk and eventually posted to Droitwich in Worcestershire and promoted to NCO managing the Orderly Room and supervising personal documentation at headquarters and outstations.

On release from National Service I returned to Brooker’s of Petersfield. Two years later I went into employment at Southern Electricity as an Electrician. At this time electricity supplies were being extended to the villages around the area, to farms and businesses, bringing a great deal of work. After two years, work slowed down so I moved to a Midhurst contractor’s employment where I was engaged in some industrial work gaining experience.

After a while I was asked to return to Southern Electricity where I remained for over 30 years till retirement.

A further connection with Churcher’s was via my wife, a former Petersfield Girls High School pupil. She was in the employ of the Post Office as a telegraphist. Her mother was at Churcher’s as she was a cook there for some years catering for day boys and boarders in the dining room.

What a small world!

During my education I met with other boys from different backgrounds to myself. I was a member of the cadet corps at Churcher’s. For medical reasons I was not permitted to play rugger but I could not escape cricket. I was keen on Art classes, painting, drawing and woodwork. I am a person of practical aptitude rather than academic.

An Old Churcherian who lived close

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

The three brothers came from Argentina at the age of 10 in 1904/5.

Their father was a doctor in Rosario, and their mother came back to England in 1908 with their sisters, so they were at Churcher’s for just three years, before going to a school nearer to their mother’s home.

Academy where he gained the Sword of Honour. He became an officer in the Royal Field Artillery and served on the Western Front until 1917 when he was killed. His Commanding Officer said that he deserved the Military Cross several times over.

William left school and joined the Life Guards at the beginning of the war, being wounded near Ypres. He then went to Woolwich Academy and gained the Sword of Honour in 1916 before being commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery. He gained the MC and the Croix de Guerre. At the end of the war, after being wounded in the right arm, he became an instructor at Woolwich, finally resigning his commission as a Captain in 1920 and returning home to Argentina.

After leaving school, the oldest boy, John, went at the beginning of the War into the Honourable Artillery Company, and then to the Woolwich

George, the third brother, served in WWI, was wounded at Ypres and returned to England for treatment.

He then went to Woolwich Academy

I have had a very interesting and exciting few weeks recently, when I was sent an email enquiring about a family of boys whose surname was Frend, all three of whom were at the college in the early 1900s.

Not only could I find them in the register of the time, but I have also been able to find out details of the boys’ subsequent time in World War I.

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and was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery in 1916. He gained the MC in 1918 and took part in all the battles of the final year of the war, including St Quentin. He gained the rank of Captain.

All three brothers were commended

by General Sir William Robertson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff when he inspected Woolwich Academy.

In addition to this discovery of the brothers’ wartime service, I was able to tell the family that the school fees at the time were £12 a year!

Life as an archivist is full of interest. If you have anything of interest to add to my information, do let me know, and if you would like to find out more about your family, I will do my best to help you.

Gill Clarke

COLLINGWOOD

IN MEMORIAM Paul Duffett (52)

Born 3/10/1933, Paul went to Churcher’s Prep school, then in what is now the Headmaster’s house, Heath Harrison House. He went on to the senior school in 1945 and spent seven years excelling in everything he became involved in. He was Captain of College and Captain of Drake House, and spent much time in sporting activities (1st XV Rugby, Captain of the 1st XI Cricket, and cross-country, with the half mile on Sports Day). He was Vice-Chairman of the debating society and participated in musical activities including being the Pirate King in ‘Pirates of Penzance’.

After Churcher’s he completed his national service before going to Keble College, Oxford from 19551959 where he read English when CS Lewis and Tolkien were in the English department, intending to become an English teacher. Instead he went to Ripon Hall from 1959-1960 and became a curate at St Cuthbert’s, Portsea from 1959-1963. He then went on to South Africa, to Zululand from 1963-1979. Whilst there he married at the Swedish Mission station at Rorke’s Drift, Zululand. He served in different parishes and was also hospital chaplain from 1968-9.

He was appointed Canon of Zululand in 1987, and was clearly fondly

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remembered there.

Returning to England, he worked in the Portsmouth diocese again as vicar of Greatham and Empshott from 1980-1988 and then moved to Papworth Everard as parish priest and hospital chaplain until his retirement in 1998. Despite retirement he continued to conduct services until eight weeks before his death on September 19th 2017.

In the eulogy delivered by his son Christopher he makes several references to the six words that best describe his father, who “ran the race till the end”.

Kenneth Parsons (40) 21/4/18

John Misselbrook (44) 12/10/17

Anthony Brennan (44)

Tony Pullen (47) 30/10/2017

Ian Megarry (51) 14/2/18

Rodney Franklin (47) 30/1/18

Tony Fullick (52) 6/3/18

Paul Duffett (51) 19/9/17

Richard Bedford (58) 3/4/18

David Morrish (62) 31/7/16

Robert Jacob (41) 21/1/18

Alan MacDonald (74) 30/8/17

Roger Jenkins (43) 23/1/18

Andy Synyszyn (83) 6/8/17

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Churcher’s College Ramshill, Petersfield, Hampshire GU31 4AS Tel: 01730 263033 Fax: 01730 231437 Email: enquiries@churcherscollege.com

Churcher’s College Junior School & Nursery Midhurst Road, Liphook, Hampshire GU30 7HT Tel: 01730 236870 Fax: 01428 722550 Email: ccjs@churcherscollege.com