Activities

Maths: A Year In Numbers

The 2021/2022 calendar of competitions and maths events began with the annual Bristol Schools Maths Competitions in October, which consisted of two separate rounds for Single and Further Maths and saw our brightest Sixth Form mathematicians pitting themselves against local opponents. The event was the first in-person team maths competition that our pupils were able to take part in since before the pandemic and it was made all the more special when one of our Further Maths teams stormed to victory.

The annual Maths Olympiad For Girls in October was also very popular this year, with 10 girls taking part across all year groups. Sarah Ku, Qiqi You and Cici Pan all earned certificates of distinction.

In November, Clifton mathematicians enjoyed great success in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge, with 23 Gold, 32 Silver and 45 Bronze Certificates awarded, and Sarah Ku achieving the best performance in the school with full marks. Ramsay Davis and Kihyun Song were joint best performers in Year 13, Jonathan Ambler in Year 12, and Peter Thyan in Year 11. Twelve pupils qualified for the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad and Ramsay Davis, Jonathan Ambler and Kihyun Song were awarded certificates of distinction for their performances. Ramsay and Kihyun then took part in the fiendishly challenging second round of the BMO and in

February we were delighted to spot Ramsay’s name listed on the BMO2 website as one of the high scorers - his result was joint tenth in the country. Ramsay is moving on to read Mathematics at Oxford University and we wish him the best of luck.

Pupils taking part in the Intermediate Maths Challenge in February enjoyed just as much success, achieving an impressive 25 Gold Certificates, 37 Silver and 42 Bronze. An impressive 31 pupils qualified for the follow on rounds, the Kangaroo and the Intermediate Olympiads. Sarah Ku and Yohan Lee achieved Distinctions in the Hamilton Olympiad, while Milton Mai received a certificate of Merit.

On Pi Day (14th March - 3/14) mathematicians from all year groups and Houses took part in the now annual Pi Day competition. The competition took the form of an online treasure hunt, with pupils having to crack a code to access pithemed questions and then race to submit the fastest and most accurate solutions. North Town and Worcester were joint winners of this event and enjoyed celebrating with some delicious pies.

The final event in the maths calendar was the first ever Junior House competition, which took place in May. In this competition Year 9 and 10 mathematicians from each House were invited to work together on a series of tricky mathematical problems. The competition challenged the pupils’ ability to work in teams and collaborate, as well as their mathematical skills. West Town and Holland’s were joint winners of this inaugural event.

Anastassia Myers

Institute of Economic Affairs

Sixth Form Conference

Halfway through the Lent Term, Clifton College once again organised and hosted an A Level economics conference in conjunction with the Institute of Economic Affairs. Our Sixth Form economists, along with guests from three other schools, both enjoyed and were challenged by topical lectures given by Dr Steve Davies, Matthew Lesh and Annabel Denham. The highlight for most was a talk about the economics of virtual worlds and the lessons about the real world that can be drawn from them. Overall, it was a fascinating day that led to many discussions and debates in the lessons that followed.

Graham Mallard

British Physics Olympiad

This year was a great year for British Physics Olympiad challenges at Clifton. In Block I, seven students took part in the BPhO ‘first round’, a fiendish paper designed to stretch the students on difficult problems, the likes of which they may not encounter in their studies. All students who took part were awarded a medal, a brilliant achievement. Ramsay Davis gained a silver award, while the following students were awarded a bronze II award: Jonathan Ambler, Thomas Underhill, Alisher Zakirov, Archie Calhaem, Jonny Cook, and Alexander Warren. The competition is aimed at the Upper Sixth, and so, Jonathan Ambler and Alex Warren, who were both in the Lower Sixth, did extremely well to receive the awards they did. A number of Year 12 students took part in a slightly different format of the competition, the Senior Physics Challenge. Once again, all competitors from Clifton were awarded medals. Charlie Davies achieved a gold award, Philip Clark, Alex Warren, Kei Ki Chau and Maya von LilienfeldToal received silver awards, and Timur Yilmaz, Hannah Chung and Annie Shen all achieved bronze awards.

In Block II, the Junior Physics Challenge asks interesting questions on physics that are not like those that come up in normal exams. One question asked students to identify photographs of some famous physicists! All Clifton participants received a medal this year: Kun Liu and Michelle Arora gained bronzes; Edmund Hogg, Zeki Kam, Nicole Li and Avik Bahl gained silvers; and Nico Zhang, Milton Mai, Michael Lam, Alex Lahdiri and Patrick Hopkinson received gold medals. The Clifton Physics Department sends its congratulations to all participants and medal winners this year.

Alex Moore

Terriers

This year, Year 9 pupils have enjoyed a range of activities as part of Terriers, giving them a chance to hone existing skills, try new things and get to know a range of people across their year group. Pupils had the chance to do cookery sessions, play basketball and rackets, croquet, fives and rounders, undertake team challenges and problem solving activities, make ceramic sculptures, write poetry and much more! To celebrate a great year, we also had a Terriers’ Ball, in the Summer Term, a black-tie event with three-course meal, DJ, photos and dancing!

Sophie Cuesta

Drama Workshops: Stage Fighting and Frantic Assembly

In the Summer term, Year 9 scholars and Year 10 and 12 drama students participated in two workshops from visiting practitioners. The first, with Squire Stage Combat, was an intensive introduction to stage combat techniques and skills, starting with unarmed combat and progressing to the choreography of sword fighting. On this warm summer’s day, we finished the workshop with sword fighting on the Close, an impressive backdrop for the final sequence performances.

Our Year 10 and 12 students then took part in a workshop with a practitioner from Frantic Assembly, a physical theatre company. An extensive warm up primed the students for the range of physical tasks throughout the workshop, as they developed skills in movement, balance, and creating content from a place of random movement.

Rhian Orzel

Careers News

My name is Amy Penney and I started as Head of Careers at Clifton College just after Easter 2022. Prior to joining the College, I have worked within local authorities in Wiltshire and Somerset through roles in teaching and, in more recent years, supporting young people and adults through Careers, Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG).

As Head of Careers at Clifton College I am keen to build upon and develop the current programme to fully support all students in making the right decisions for their future. I will continue to foster links with Higher Education providers and employers, as well as supporting students through the Old Cliftonian network. Students will be able to access one-to-one guidance appointments with me as a qualified Level 6 Adviser, as well as accessing work placements in the Sixth Form.

I look forward to the new academic year and I can’t wait to see how the CEIAG offer develops over 2022-2023. If you would like to get in touch please email careers@cliftoncollege.com.

Amy Penney

Careers Fair

On 1st July we were able to welcome back Old Cliftonians and employers to take part in the yearly careers fair. The fair was led by Emma Kenyon with support from Amy Penney, Lucy Nash, Jeremy Pickles and Jim Issacs. All Year 12 students were invited to access a series of Employer Insight talks linked to industries of their choice. These sessions included medicine, engineering, law, science and finance. We are so grateful to everyone who ran a session as the students gained such a lot from these insightful talks. It was lovely to welcome back some familiar faces from the OC community to share their journeys since leaving Clifton College.

Amy Penney

Bright Ideas for Tennis

Bright Ideas for Tennis is a charity supporting disadvantaged people and children from all backgrounds to access sports coaching, equipment and facilities. Last May we had a visit from two ex-GB tennis players who came to Clifton and delivered a doubles master class. Over the summer, we had to fundraise through holding cake sales and mini tennis competitions. In September, we were invited to attend the 24-hour tennis-athon at the National Tennis Centre, Roehampton. This was another great experience for some of our players who got to mix in with some ex-pros for four-hour slots at the home of tennis in Great Britain.

Kerris Wagstaff

Level 1 coaching qualification

After many years in the making, together with Bath University and LTA Educational Hub, Clifton College had their very own bespoke Level 1 LTA Tennis Coaching Assistant qualification. LTA instructors led a two day course in which all participants who completed the online testing and training attended both days and provided video evidence of them instructing;

17 pupils and five staff now hold their Level 1 coaching qualification in preparation for those summer jobs on court, something that is recognised worldwide and looks great on a CV. The instructors were so impressed with all the participants, commenting that the standard was high, not only in terms of tennis ability but in the way they managed and held themselves when coaching. We hope to hold a Level 2 course next summer.