The Ocellus | Summer 2024 | Issue 52

Ocellus SummerIssue52 2024

Front cover image: Luke Yesudian (Fifth Form, Queen Anne), Cokethorpe Climbing Team, Greaves Outdoor Centre

Inside front cover: Photography AOB - Zachary Flemming (Third Form, Feilden)

Back cover: Freddie Murfitt (Upper Sixth, Queen Anne) and Jack Rivers (Upper Sixth, Feilden), Co-Captains of the Society of Heads National Champion First XI Football team.

Cokethorpe School

Witney, Oxon

OX29 7PU

Tel: 01993 703921 | Email: admin@cokethorpe.org

Ocellus Issue 52 | Summer 2024

Editor: Mrs L Williams (Communications Officer) Design and Layout: Mr N Brownless (Creative Officer) Published by Cokethorpe School.

In this issue...

Levelling the Playing Field: Sports Development

Pages 2-5

Academic Developments

Page 6

Cokethorpe’s Plans for a Brighter Future

Pages 13-15

A Review of Matilda the Musical Jr

Pages 16-17

Headmaster’s Welcome

Irecently watched a dramatisation of the death of Damilola Taylor. You may remember the very sad and unsettling story. He was killed, aged ten, near his family home in London. The boys found guilty were, at the time, just a year or two older. Nevertheless, they had reached the age of criminal responsibility when, in law, they knew what they were doing, and knew it was wrong, and therefore could be held accountable for their actions.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the equivalent age in other countries, which ranges from seven to mid-teens. In Iran, apparently, a girl is responsible from the age of nine, but a boy not until fifteen years. There is quite a lot that could be pondered in that distinction, but I think I will leave well alone! Rather I thought I might just reflect briefly on the concept of responsibility, and what it may mean for those of us who are grown-ups, and for those who may have just learnt that they are considered to be ‘responsible’. Becoming responsible in early teens is an idea that is recognised in some religions. In Judaism, for example, those who assume the title Bar or Bat Mitzvah are thereby ‘sons or daughters of the law’, when they become accountable for their own actions. Indeed, I read that the ceremony includes a prayer from the father, giving thanks that he is no longer punished for his child’s sins!

Whilst I am not sure of the merit of tying responsibility to an age, clearly, in due time, children need to become responsible for their actions, and parents need to learn to let go the reins, albeit gradually. This all takes me back to developmental psychology, a compulsory subject for would-be teachers. I recall that Kohlberg suggested that children move from being motivated by reward and punishment, through being concerned about what their peers might think, to the heady heights of having their own values, and being prepared to stand up for them. Amusingly, one diagram I saw suggested this last stage might be achieved in early adolescence, whereas another commentator pointed out that they knew lots of middle-aged men who had not got there yet.

Seriously, though, among the many challenging tasks of educators, be they teachers or parents, is that we have the responsibility to help our children grow into independent, responsible adults. Children, for their part, must begin to steal themselves to be aware of the consequences of what they do, and be willing to accept both the praise and the blame. I, for one, welcome any thoughts on how we all go about that!

LEVELLING THE PLAYING FIELD: SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

Director of Sport, Mr Robinson, and Assistant Director of Sport, Mrs Naylor, discuss the approach and changes to the Sports Programme at Cokethorpe.

Mr Robinson, you have been in post for two years, what has been your focus?

To enable every pupil at the School to find something that they are passionate about in the sports programme at Cokethorpe. Whether that is at a participatory level, or to stretch them and aid their development to pursue a sport to be competitive at the highest level possible for them. Alongside this, regardless of that level of engagement, crucial to our approach is ensuring that the pupils are all enjoying their sport and having fun. In those two measures of passionate engagement with physical activity and delivering enjoyment through it, we develop a culture that allows the right attitudes to flourish. We want pupils to feel enjoyment and pride in representing their school, and this is a solid bedrock from which to build.

Although we consistently punch above our weight across our sports programme, including our successful Outdoor Education activities, I do not believe we should set our measures of success purely on our fixture lists and results, it has to be about participation, camaraderie, teamwork and enjoyment. We are a school programme and we want it to be for everyone, whether that is competitive or participatory, that pupils are getting something purposeful out of it is the measure that really matters.

And Mrs Naylor, you joined the School in September, what are you hoping to achieve here?

Developing that sporting culture Mr Robinson has just outlined right across the School and ensuring that every pupil, boys and girls, from Prep to Upper Sixth, are able and willing to engage fully with the sports programme. Another part of that culture is about understanding sports psychology, nutrition, and the wider benefits of physical activity for their personal development: resilience; confidence; judgement; teamwork; leadership; and their physical skillsets.

You have both mentioned participation as being a central focus, what are the tangibles?

You have to set some boundaries by way of the fundamental expectations. That might be wearing the correct sports kit, being punctual for each games session, or arriving with the right mindset, aiming to achieve something personally, learning and improving in every session. That is as true if you are representing one of the School’s ‘C’ teams on a Wednesday afternoon as it is if you are an ‘A’ team player.

One of the core approaches that we use to try and emphasise this is that we do not train as A teams, B or C teams, we train as one squad. This evokes a real togetherness among our pupils and ensures they all have access to the best coaches on each of the programmes. Pupils feel that they are all part of the greater goal for their year groups. We do not want to pigeonhole pupils as a ‘C Team’ or an ‘A Team’ player in each sport, we want each pupil to see that there is a path for them to develop and to progress and to give them the tools to assist them in doing so. We work closely with the Outdoor Education programme as well and have introduced sailing and shooting for our First and Second Forms this year, something we have not done historically. This exposes pupils to our Outdoor Education offering earlier than they have been previously and, for those pupils whose sporting passion might not lie within our traditional major sports, to have those experiences that underline our focus on fulfilling the discovery of a sporting passion through participation by showing them the breadth of what we have at Cokethorpe. They have more and earlier opportunities to find a physical activity that they enjoy and that they love doing. It also means our Head of Outdoor Education, Mr Slader, can identify those pupils earlier who have a real aptitude for these pursuits, and we can develop a pathway that helps bring them on as they go on up the school. We have sporting activities available through the AOB programme, and we have introduced Athletics as an option for the Summer Term alongside Cricket and Tennis and the various Outdoor Education options, which pupils are able to choose between from Third Form.

In all of this, setting a culture is about making it inclusive and uniformly observed and adhered to. Sport, in our minds, is a privilege and that mindset is what we are looking for in every pupil; we want them all to meet those expectations before we get anywhere near a sports pitch, a kayak, or a climbing wall. We have high expectations, and we want the pupils to have the same expectations of themselves, and it is pleasing

that they are meeting them. We can be aspirational for them, but they need to be aspirational for themselves too – they are attitudes not just for the sports programme, but for their academic pursuits, music, drama, or what they want to achieve in later life. It is all linked.

You are talking about the values of the School’s Leadership Programme?

Absolutely. The Leadership Traits are integral to everything that we do; they underpin our sports programme. There is not a day that goes by where our coaches are not reminding pupils about the expectations that we have for them to show leadership. Sport is a really powerful tool for demonstrating to children what leadership is really about; there are a lot of misconceptions among children about leadership, and many adults too, in fact. At Cokethorpe we are focused on developing the qualities of leadership in all our pupils. Leadership on the sports field does not have to be the ‘Roy Keane’ approach, shouting and hollering and leading in that sense. Every pupil can lead by showing the right qualities and attitudes, to show integrity, to do the right things all the time shows leadership, it shows responsibility, good judgement, and so on. Practical subjects and activities, like sport, or drama and music, allow pupils to practise leadership in a different way, and give them tangible experiences that they can apply in other environments. They know how to cope, how to approach different situations that they come across.

What is the nature of the relationship between Outdoor Education and the major sports programme?

The work we are doing is to try and remove that perspective that we are two separate programmes, there will be distinctions, but we are looking to work increasingly as one programme of physical activity, of Cokethorpe Sport. We want pupils to have a diverse appreciation for different skills. Taking pupils out of their comfort zone can be really

beneficial to their development; whenever you are competing, your opposition wants to win just as much as you do. If you are able to channel something that you have experienced in a different setting and bring that into your preferred sport, that is such a powerful tool to be able to harness.

It is also significant by way of raising the profile of the skills and attributes of the pupils on the Outdoor Education programme – it is not being thought of as an alternative option or something to do if you do not like the traditional major sports, it is seen by the pupils as an option in its own right. We have pupils who are enormously talented in these fields and they are getting the recognition they deserve among their peers and the wider school community alongside netball, hockey, football and rugby players.

Being a through school with the Prep School on the same site, we can collaborate from an earlier age?

Pupils from Year 5 upwards have games on a Wednesday afternoon together – it creates a huge sporting buzz around the School on those afternoons. They utilise the same facilities, watch each other playing and support one another, they are all part of that same sporting community. In Athletics this term we had a session run by Senior School pupils for the Prep School pupils to participate in, with a multi-discipline athletics event, the Senior pupils worked with the Prep pupils, demonstrating the skills for each discipline, and supporting their development. They are excellent opportunities to show the skills and attitudes of the sports programme and instil them from a younger age. Some of the Sports Awards holders spend time as one of their AOBs coaching and working with Prep pupils in various sports as well, and with Mr Baker being Head of Prep Sport and Head of Football in the Senior School, and many of our professional sports coaches working with both Prep and Senior pupils, there are lots of very visible links between the Prep and Senior

School sports which the Prep pupils can benefit from.

Participation is clearly a key facet of the programme; how do we progress those looking to representational honours?

The Elite Athlete programme has been running for a couple of years now focusing on the foundations of sports performance, and the reaction from the pupils involved has been impressive. The attitudes have been excellent. What started as an hour per week, is now up to three sessions, with a diverse range of athletes from cross-country to cricket, rugby, hockey, climbing, and more. We are starting to introduce some of our younger Sports Award holders into the programme from the First to Third Forms giving them exposure to strength and conditioning and that notion of sports performance at an earlier age and looking at the different perspectives that impact on performance, from nutrition to movement, gym work to sports psychology.

Mr Twine joins us from the University of Oxford and has had a significant impact on those pupils. His approach is a caring one, nurturing the development of our pupils’ understanding of what is involved in sports performance at an elite level, recognising that it is a relatively new concept for some of the pupils involved. It has been enormously beneficial and will only get better. We want to expose more pupils to sports performance on a regular basis so that that understanding builds collectively across all our pupils, really developing those attitudes we are looking to achieve.

Whilst participation is the focus, our pupils have had recent successes.

Of course – the focus on participation is an important one, but obviously it is also important to celebrate success when it comes. The U13 girls’ hockey team competed at Regionals this year, and they are not far away from going from competing to winning those tournaments if they continue to implement the right attitudes. The First XI and U16 boys’ football teams were both crowned national champions this term in the Society of Heads’ Cup. And we have lots of individuals across the School competing at national level, in dance, in tennis, equestrian pursuits, in cross-country and athletics. We have a pupil captaining the U16 Oxford United girls’ team next season, having captained the team this year as well. In sailing and kayaking too, we have had an exceptional year.

We have a well-established programme of co-educational sports at Cokethorpe and a very successful girls programme; are there further developments being planned for them? We are very conscious of wanting to deliver a sports programme for boys and girls at the School which delivers equal opportunities. We are equally aware of a growing move among independent schools for more mixed, competitive sports, for more opportunities to express themselves in a different sporting environment to what they might have traditionally experienced. For ourselves, we have been working with Mr Baker on establishing the girls’ football programme and really benefited from the visit of Lioness Claire Rafferty with the FA Cup

trophies last term. We are developing a fixture list and a full football programme for the girls that will help the sport build at Cokethorpe.

The vocal desire among pupils for more mixed sports has been really impressive too, it is a great expression of those leadership qualities coming through, arguing for more opportunities. We have lots of cricket going on in the School with mixed training. Next year, we are working towards having our first First XI Girls cricket side, following on from Izzy Kirby (OC 2023, Queen Anne) captaining the First XI cricket team last year, and U16, U15 and U14 girls hardball cricket teams this year. We have not had that before, and it is testament to the pupils’ attitudes that so much progress has been made in so little time.

We have benefitted from the profile of some of our sports coaches like Miss Jones (OC 2014, Queen Anne) - see page twelve - there is a mixed sporting profile of references for the pupils to look up to and recognition of pupils, boys and girls, in the School is on an equal footing now, again providing significant benefit to the growth of our mixed and girls programmes.

Before half term, we delivered WIT talks to the U13 and to the U14 boys and girls around the idea of men’s mental health and looking at how the boys regulate emotion, how they control it, how they understand what anxiety is and that idea of feeling vulnerable, and that it is okay to feel

those things, and self-esteem and how body can enhance it and improve body image and the perceptions we have of ourselves. We looked at sporting icons of both sexes and reflected these perceptions back on ourselves, considering how we can use positive affirmations to enhance confidence.

The progress being made globally for women’s sport is so significant, there are so many more female role models, across the media, across different sports, it is invaluable. However, we need to keep translating this into our school setups to ensure that girls sport is at the forefront of thinking, and is as widely celebrated as it should be, with the benefit that it provides to all by being on an equal footing.

Nearly 70% of female adults do not regularly participate in sports according to a recent survey. We want to ensure that our pupils in the future see sport as something that they want to continue into their adult lives. The co-educational sporting activities are really important as well, in that boys and girls can compete and participate collaboratively, celebrating each other’s successes. It is very rewarding to see. It is exactly the message that we want to see emulated, and there is a growing sense that it is not a girls programme and a boys programme, although they exist on paper and for competitive fixtures, the collective attitude is one of being part of the Cokethorpe Sports programme.

Director of Studies, Mr Uglow, with new academic appointees (from left to right): Mrs Mason, Assistant Director of Studies, Learning and Progress for Fourth and Fifth Forms; Miss Dodson, Head of Teaching and Learning; and Ms Semenzato, Assistant Director of Studies, Learning and Progress for First, Second, and Third Forms.

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENTS

There is a fine line between a dynamic feedback loop that generates forward momentum, and a process of reiteration that leads to stagnation and complacency. This is true in most walks of life – and certainly in education. Schools operate on an annual cycle. Yes, there are new pupils – but it would be easy to fall into the trap of pressing ‘repeat’ each September; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it However, just as we encourage our pupils to reflect and tweak, so it is incumbent upon us to do the same so that we can offer the best possible learning environment for our pupils.

Following a period of review, I am delighted to announce the creation of three new roles that will have a significant impact on the quality of provision at Cokethorpe. Following her successful completion of a MSc in Learning and Teaching from the University of Oxford, Miss Dodson has been appointing Head of Teaching and Learning. This hugely exciting role will bring renewed focus to our classroom practice with an emphasis on evidenceinformed interventions that are proven to augment and enhance pupil learning. Miss Dodson will work with teachers to shine a reflective light on classroom practice, ensuring that excellence is shared, collaboration encouraged, and innovation supported.

She will also work with pupils to encourage them to understand how they can affect change and improve the quality of their learning. We also have plans to extend this to parents to explain why we do the things we do, and how they might be able to help. Developments in cognitive science over the past few decades mean that learning is no longer a mysterious game of chance, and we will be leaning into this over the coming years.

Like many independent schools, Cokethorpe is a busy, dynamic space. Many of our pupils will be bouncing from academic lessons to the drama studio, then to the Music department and out onto the sports field. We encourage involvement across a broad range of activities because they offer texture and interest to the learning experience. However, as Director of Studies, my objective is to ensure that a keen eye is retained on academic progress, and that pupils and their teachers are held accountable for it. To this end, I am excited that Ms Semenzato will be joining the academic team to take on responsibility as Assistant Director of Studies, Learning and Progress, with a specific focus on First, Second and Third Forms. Mrs Mason will focus on the Fourth and Fifth Forms. Their roles will involve a relentless focus on learning and progress,

liaising with teachers, tutors, pupils, and parents in order that complacency is kept at bay and rigour is at the core of all we do.

Cokethorpe is a proudly mixed-ability school; many of our children will excel in the classroom, but others might feel more at home in the Art Studio, when playing the clarinet, or when ascending the new Climbing Tower at the Greaves Outdoor Centre.

Traditionally, the belief has been that the ‘most able’ children need challenging, whilst the ‘least able’ need support. I contest the premise of this position; all children need to be challenged and all children need to embrace the discomfort of tackling new ideas and concepts without the certainty of getting it right. The nature of this challenge will differ from pupil to pupil – but the principle remains the same; we want all children to be reaching forward rather than sitting back.

The introduction of the roles outlined above will provide opportunity to develop evidence-informed approaches to learning whilst also embedding a robust strategy to promote academic endeavour.

Exciting times lie ahead!

Mr Uglow | Director of Studies

MEET THE SCHOOL: MR STEVENTON

What do you do at the School?

Biology teacher, climbing instructor

When did you join?

September 2017

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

Before teaching, I studied, then practised medicine. When I was a doctor, I predominantly worked in secondary care (hospitals), completing various four month rotations e.g. medical admissions, gastroenterology, vascular surgery, geriatrics, oncology. Of these, potentially the most interesting was geriatrics - caring for elderly patients. Once you get to a certain age you rarely have just one medical problem, it is more likely that you might have multiple diseases, and you are on multiple different drugs, all interacting in unexpected ways. It is the doctor’s job to puzzle out the best path forwards, all without losing sight of the human at the centre of it all. That last little phrase is cruciala particularly memorable senior doctor on the ward would often spend an hour moving around the patients with dementia feeding them their lunch – of all the important tasks sitting on the to-do-list, for her that was near the top.

Practising medicine is often interesting and can be very rewarding but eventually I decided I wanted a career that was slightly more upbeat, where you built something rather than just trying to prevent deterioration. Having taught medical students from time to time, education seemed the obvious choice. After a year as a teaching assistant working with a blind student (and her adorable guide dog that unfortunately also went blind) I trained as a teacher.

As part of your role, you work with students who are applying for medicine. Can you talk us through the process? Applying for medicine is a pretty gruelling process for a number of reasons. The expected standard is high, a successful candidate will have predominantly 9s at GCSE and be expecting to achieve A grades at A Level. While maintaining this academic standard, they will also need to spend significant time preparing for the aptitude test (the UCAT) that they will take at the start of Upper Sixth, essentially an IQ test with a clinical twist. I have included a sample question from the ‘abstract reasoning’ section below:

There are a set of rules that define set A, and a different set that define set B. The ‘test shape’ either complies with all the rules for set A but not B, or vica versa, or neither. On average, you have thirteen seconds to answer the question.

If selected for interview, the applicant is likely to face a series of mini-interviews testing a range of skills. Potentially: five minutes of

maths; followed by an actor playing the role of a bereaved father who needs to be convinced to allow his son’s organs to be donated; followed by a panel quizzing the student on what skills they think are essential to a junior doctor.

I have not yet mentioned the tricky nature of getting a range of work experience despite the fact that you need to be over eighteen to get work experience in a hospital; or writing an individual personal statement that simultaneously ticks all the boxes. The truly challenging part of the process is that you might do all of the above to an excellent standard, and still not be successful.

How does your experience as a medical doctor help you in this role?

Various parts of the process require an insight into how medicine is practised in the UK, indeed one section of the UCAT explicitly tests decision-making skills within the context of working in the NHS. I think it is interesting and probably useful to be able to discuss real-world examples from my own experience. Beyond that, the process is an arduous one, I think it is useful to be able to sympathise and to be able to remind them once in a while what they are aiming for. It is easy to get lost in the application process and forget the goal.

Is climbing a passion as well as an activity in School?

Climbing is a fantastic sport – you can do it as a team or as an individual, you can choose your level of challenge, it is a puzzle that needs to be solved with delicate movement or brute strength, and it clearly demonstrates to you your own progression (not unlike a ‘personal best’ creeping up in athletics). At its core, climbing is finding joy in movement – to quote Chris Sharma ‘the best part of climbing is when it all clicks and gravity ceases to exist’. Climbing also taught me a lesson that did not come too easily – to be able to try hard but not care about the result, ie the important bit was the trying hard, not whether or not you won. So, yes, you could definitely argue that climbing is a passion of mine, but one fostered by the equally passionate climbers here at Cokethorpe, who genuinely cannot wait to go to the next inter-School competition or the next trip to North Wales.

PREP SCHOOL ACADEMIC WORK

George’s Marvellous Medicine

Emmy Theyer (Year 2, Symonds)

George made a marvellous, magical medicine so he could get rid of his grumpy grandma.

Grandma swallowed it, however, she didn’t know it wasn’t her normal medicine. Without warning she grew and grew and grew until she was enormous!

Mr Kranky was very excited because he could use George’s medicine to grow his animals and eat them.

My Imaginary World

Ben Crumlish (Year 2, Gwyn)

I curiously crept through the giant, iron door that was in the basement. As soon as I was through the door I saw five thick trees with birds on each branch and a beautiful lake with a dark, green, wooden boat.

I could smell a forest fire burning in the distance. I was happy I went through the new door because I got to see amazing birds and a wonderful new place.

Lost Rabbit

Jaden Orewa (Year 4, Lockwood) and Lucas Manson (Year 4, Gwyn)

Reward - $10

Have you seen my delicate china rabbit? Can you help me track him down?

Do you have any information about my lovely toy rabbit?

Background:

Edward is a unique toy rabbit, who was crafted in France by an expert, master, craftsman. It was Pellegrina (my grandmother) who had him exquisitely made.

Last seen:

Edward was last seen by two mischievous boys who were playing catch on the deck at approximately 7.00pm on the 21st of June.

Appearance:

He is about 3ft tall. He has bendable legs and arms. His eyes are painted a penetrating, intelligent, sapphire blue. He is almost entirely made of china. On his final outing on the ship, he was wearing his exquisite, luxurious, satin suit.

His eight-inch, real rabbit ears were last seen protruding through his classic boating straw hat. An expensive gold, handmade pocket watch was attached to the side of his smooth, velvet-red jacket. He has a jet-black nose.

Final plea:

Edward is my whole world, and I will be lost without him! He is my closest companion and I know he would be utterly distraught if he cannot find me. He thoroughly enjoys looking at the stars but is not interested in any conversation that does not involve himself.

The Digestive System

Jemima Diffey (Year 6, Lockwood)

Noah Vincent (Year 6, Gwyn)

Diagram of the Eye

FIRST FORM CASTLE BUILDING

As part of their studies on the impact that the Norman Conquest had on Britain, First Form pupils were challenged with the task of building a castle. The History Department were blown away by the quality, craftsmanship and ingenuity of the entries received.

Pupils demonstrated an excellent understanding of the features of different types of castles and were able to articulate how castles were used to consolidate Norman control over the English people.

Congratulations to the overall winner George Bains (Feilden) for his incredibly detailed and accurate ‘Motte and Bailey’ model. A special mention must go to Louis Francis (Feilden), Alex Regardsoe (Swift) and William Woodwards (Swift) for their fantastic castle creations. All pupils who took part should be incredibly proud of the time, effort and commitment they put into producing their models.

Winning Castle George Bains (First Form, Feilden)

SENIOR SCHOOL ACADEMIC WORK

Visiter le Sénégal!

Freya

Vincent (Second Form, Queen Anne)

Le Sénégal est un exemple parfait de la rencontre de la culture occidentale et de l’héritage Africain! Il y a beaucoup de monuments et de choses à faire.

Un peu d’histoire:

Le Sénégal est un pays tout nouveau et a revendiqué son indépendance le 20 août 1960. Sa langue officielle est le Français, bien que l’Anglais soit également utilisé, et la langue maternelle du wolof est également largement parlée. Il est situé sur la côte ouest de l’Afrique et est le point le plus à l’ouest du continent. Le soleil brille toujours aussi!

Nourriture:

Il faut mange le plat national du Sénégal, la Thiéboudienne [ceebu-jen]. Il se compose de filets de poisson fumés marinés dans une épice africaine unique appelée Nététou. Il est servi avec du riz et des tomates cuites à la vapeur, des patates douces et des carottes.

Qu’y a-t-il à faire?

Dans la capitale Dakar, vous pouvez faire une variété de visites. Nous vous conseillons de faire une visite de l’esclavage sur l’île de Gorée et d’en apprendre davantage sur l’histoire riche et brutale de l’île. Ne manquez pas non plus le monument de la Renaissance! Il représente l’indépendance du Sénégal et pointe vers la Statue de la Liberté en Amérique! Profitez-en pour apprécier la faune indigène avec un safari à l’intérieur du parc national ainsi qu’une expérience de nourrissage des lions! C’est fantastique et bon marché.

Rainforest Ecosystem

Emma Campbell (Fifth Form, Vanbrugh) and Alice Lines (Fifth Form, Swift)

Is it morally wrong to eat meat?

Sam Farr (Lower Sixth, Swift)

In this essay I will consider and compare the normative ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology in deciding if it is morally wrong to eat meat. I will do this by using Peter Singer’s argument for sentience in animals for utilitarianism, and for the deontological system, I will be using Kant’s theory of human exceptionalism, and what cruelty to animals may entail in treatment of fellow humans. From these examples, I will conclude which ethical theory is more favourable in judging how we should approach eating meat.

Peter Singer, a modern-day utilitarian, argues that if we kill animals because they do not have the capacity to wish to live, we must also admit that human infants are replaceable when thought of as barely conscious animals. What Singer deems to be the only circumstance in which meat can be eaten morally is when the animals have lived a happy life in which, after death, will see their position replaced by another animal who would not have existed if the first animal had not been killed. Singer arrives to the conclusion that ‘As long as we remember that we should give the same respect to the lives of animals as we give to the lives of those human beings at a similar mental level we shall not go far wrong.’ A foundational part to Singer’s philosophy is that he believes there are a negligible number of methods which allow for an entire cruelty-free – and therefore ethical – consumption of meat, hence why ‘vegetarianism is not obligatory for those who can obtain meat from animals that they know to have been reared in this manner.’ This is why Singer is a vegan: because the almost ubiquitous existence of cruelty in animal farming makes most meat-eating not permissible. The conclusion drawn is such that the only moral grounds on which the consumption of meat is ethical is when the animal has led a pleasant life, cruelty-free, by the owner which has reared it.

An objection is that Singer’s notion of replaceability – and overall quantifying of humans into units of pleasure – is that it blatantly disregards the inherent individuality of sentient beings. Moreover, Singer’s assertion of the replaceability of some people denies the agent from pleasure which his utilitarian philosophy relies on. Cora Diamond criticises Singer’s approach of ‘lining up’ all beings to judge their worth through sentience. She says that if sentience were the only factor, then there should be no issues with eating dead humans or amputated limbs. Therefore, in deciding moral worth, should not qualities such as agency – in which the capacity for freedom and self-determination are involved with – be considered instead of sentience alone?

Immanuel Kant, the pioneer of deontology, believed in human exceptionalism, as in the belief that humans are different from all other animals due to our culture, free will, and technology. His argument is that humans set their moral rules and beliefs through reason, which he argues animals cannot do. An example distinguishing between animals and humans is about hunting. When the animal is hunting its prey, it does not flinch and consider whether the other animal may have a loving family, or if they really want to kill it. Animals act upon instinct to ensure they will survive. If a human is deer stalking, they might begin to feel guilty about what they are about to do, might consider the animal innocent and ultimately decide that it is best to let it live another day. It is the human’s compassion based off moral rules founded empirically which distinguishes it from the animal.

Applying Kant’s system further, he gives an example about shooting a dog, saying that ‘he who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men.’ He also affirms his position as a human exceptionalist by saying ‘the dog cannot judge’ which allows us to formulate how Kant would respond to the question, as he emphasises how any cruel act towards animals ‘is inhuman and damages in himself that humanity which it is his duty to show towards mankind.’ He would be against any production of meat that involves cruelty to the animals being farmed – such as the battery farming of chickens – because despite the chickens not having any importance to Kant, the cruelty done to them by the agent can result in acting poorly towards mankind. We can see from this that Kant does not value the dog as an end in itself – as seen in his formulation of the humanity imperative – rather as a means to an end, as he only values it insofar that he can judge the human who abuses animals as a human who is more likely to endanger other humans. Considering the universal imperative, the idea of eating meat provides no moral contradiction for Kant, yet the cruelty to animals creates an imperfect duty. This is because a world in which humans are cruel to animals is logically imaginable, and therefore creates no perfect duty to never eat meat reared through cruelty. Despite this, cruelty to animals is undesirable to Kant because of how it may corrupt the agent. Therefore, Kant would have no qualms with eating meat provided that it has been farmed cruelty-free.

A criticism for Kant’s argument for human exceptionalism is that it negates any possible sentience an animal might have. Seeing as some animals – such as chimpanzees – have a level of sentience and autonomy above that of a chicken, does that mean they are deserving to be treated by Kant with the same worth (that being none?). However, this argument allows some tricky questions. Such as at what level do we separate animals which we would and would not kill? If there is a difference in worth between an ant and a chimpanzee, where is it? Must an animal have a certain brain-body mass ratio to be classified as having moral worth, and if so: if two animals – one the size of a tennis ball with eight limbs, and the other two metres in height with four limbs – were of a similar brain-body mass ratio, would we classify these two animals differently in their moral worth?

Both sides of the argument result in similar conclusions despite radically different reasons. Singer would object to Kant’s human exceptionalism, and Kant to Singer’s value of animals as beings of moral worth due to their sentience. Both of their arguments are indirect, insofar that they have no qualms with carnivorism per se – just that it brings with it something undesirable.

In conclusion, despite both ethical theories reaching a similar conclusion, I find the Kantian argument for eating meat more convincing than Singer’s argument against it because whilst the means to the conclusion (denying any animal sentience) may be flawed, it is still more useful in answering the question about the morality of eating meat. This is because the objections to Singer – outlined by the arguments against replaceability and sentience being the only judge of moral worth – detracts from the overall impact of his point, and thus makes the Kantian view of eating meat more favourable. Therefore, it is not morally wrong to eat meat as long as it is farmed cruelty-free.

Chamonix Travel Itinerary

Eva Graves (Third Form, Gascoigne)

6 July - Exploring Chamonix

As you have been here for a few days now, we think it is a good time to get to know Chamonix a bit better. Although its biggest attraction is no doubt the mind-blowing nature around the town, the town itself is quite charming and well worth experiencing. As your hotel is so close to the town center, we recommend walking in, especially as the weather is so pleasant at this time of year, but if you wish to go to many different museums on different sides of town, you may prefer to walk.

Chamonix is quite a historic town, and its museums are super interesting. Some we recommend are the Musée des Cristaux, which displays rock crystals found in this region on the alps, or the Musée Alpin, which focuses on mountaineering and Chamonix’s unique valley culture, history and art.

Other places worth paying a visit to include the Place Balmat square, which has a breathtaking alpine backdrop and the Arve River which runs through the center of the town. This river is fed by the Mont Blanc glaciers (including the one you visited on day one!) and you can sense the coldness of it even from a couple meters away. As it is Saturday, the Chamonix Saturday Market will also be open in the morning, so make sure to pay it a visit for an opportunity to get to know the local food and products such as bread, honey, cheese, fish, fruit and veg, and a range of cured meats.

For lunch, the streets of Chamonix are brimming with sidewalk cafes, bakeries, restaurants and artisanal food shops, where you should make sure to try some of the local Savoyard cuisine which includes Savoyard fondue, raclette, and tartiflette. Or, you could always bring a picnic or return to the hotel for lunch if you prefer, however visiting local café/restaurant will help to support the local economy and keep this beautiful town going so others can also visit.

Cost: depends on where you eat/visit.

7 July - Day at Lac de Passy

For your last day, although there are no places to swim in Chamonix itself, there is the Lac de Passy about a 30-minute drive away and offers a lovely, beach-like day.

Surrounded by mountains, this gorgeous lake features crystal clear water and a breathtaking view of Mont Blanc. At the one end, there is more organised, beach area that has toilets and a volleyball court. But the more eco-friendly, natural and calm place that we suggest visiting as it is not nearly as busy and just as pleasant. Pedalo boats can also be rented if you wish to explore the lake that way.

For lunch, bring a picnic.

Cost: free, unless you want to hire a boat

THERE AND BACK AGAIN: AN INTERVIEW WITH MISS JONES

Miss Jones (OC 2014, Queen Anne) is an OC who returned to School as a sports coach and is now a Teacher of PE. Miss Jones has had a successful career in rugby and talks to us about her incredible achievements and her pathway back to Cokethorpe.

How did you get into rugby?

I have played rugby since I was five years old. I started playing because I had an older brother who played rugby and I did not want to sit on the sidelines. Both my brother and I started out at Oxford Rugby Club, although there was no girls team at that time. I finished there at U13s and had to go to Grove because they had a girls team, then I moved to Wallingford, it was all down to my parents being fantastic and devoting their time to taking me everywhere. I played County Rugby for Oxfordshire, at the time there was divisional rugby (which has changed now) and I played for Southwest England as a forward. I followed the rugby pathway from grassroots upwards, I know there are girls here who play rugby, so it is great to see them follow that pathway too.

When did you join Cokethorpe?

I joined Cokethorpe in 2012 for the Sixth Form, following in the footsteps of my brother. One of the main motivations for me joining was because sport was still compulsory for Sixth Formers, at my previous school it was not, so I would not have been able to carry on doing sport alongside my A Levels. Personally, I need the balance of being physically active during the day to be able to sit in the classroom and focus, so that balance worked really well for me. My teachers were extremely supportive because they were aware of my commitment to sport outside of School.

What did you do after Cokethorpe?

I went to Cardiff Metropolitan University to study Education Studies, Physical Activity and Sport. Whilst at Cardiff Met, I got into the England U20s side playing in the Second Row. In my third year of university, I started to play some 7s, and was then offered the opportunity to go to Tobago to play in an invitational tournament. This gave me the bug for travelling, which I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do a lot throughout my career playing 7s. I also visited Ukraine, Japan, Spain, France, and Canada, all whilst I was still at university. I learnt a lot from the more experienced players but it was high pressure, it was a lot to cope with at a young age.

It became a balancing act playing sport for my club, the university, playing 7s in the summer and studying at university. I even missed my undergraduate graduation by a day as I was in Russia playing 7s for England.

My coach at university then offered me the opportunity to do a Masters at Loughborough as he was starting a premiership side – Loughborough Lightning. I did my Masters in Sport Management. After Loughborough, I did a season at Exeter Chiefs, then went back to Gloucester Hartpury for my final season. Winning the premiership was a wonderful way to conclude my rugby career.

What made you decide to come back to Cokethorpe?

My plan when I did my undergraduate degree was always to teach, I did my work placement at a school and really enjoyed it. I had applied to do a PGCE and but at that time I felt it was not right for me, as I would not have been able to maintain my rugby commitments. I then got a job which involved going into schools, here I realised it was being in the classroom that I really enjoyed.

Can we talk about the growth of the Women’s game? Do you think the recent success in the Six Nations and World Cup has helped raise the profile of Women’s rugby?

Definitely. They would never have got the crowd they got at Twickenham in the last cycle four years ago. There are also contracts now, it was not that long ago that there were not even paid positions so being a full-time rugby player was not even an option. Now girls can see players with full-time contracts and know that this is a career path that is open to them.

There are also more grassroots teams popping up now which makes the game so much more accessible. Historically, you had to travel much further to find the higher level of rugby.

Is there still a long way to go?

We do not want to imitate the men’s game because it is different, we play differently and I think that is quite exciting. We are now getting our own audience as well as those that are already watching men’s rugby. We do not want a carbon copy, but the men have laid a good pathway for us to see what we want to take from it - the participation, spectators, all those aspects of the sport.

Do you have any advice for your pupils?

I want pupils to realise that you are making choices not sacrifices. My career path has not been linear, I have come full circle and ended up as a teacher which is what I wanted to do in the first instance. I have been able to play at international level and then start my career again. Not all journeys are the same. Your pathway can be whatever you choose.

COKETHORPE’S PLANS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

As we approach our 70th anniversary year in 2027, Cokethorpe is embarking on a campaign to transform our educational offering, providing further benefit to our wider community in West Oxfordshire and beyond, ensuring a brighter future for all.

To achieve this, we are undertaking an extensive Transformational Campaign that will rely on partnerships and investment to realise our goals, enhancing our educational, community and commercial offerings. This bold plan will seek to reimagine our school site, providing benefit to all areas of what Cokethorpe offers, creating new spaces for Science, the Arts, and our Prep School, all the while being mindful of sustainable development and our commitment to becoming carbon neutral.

Core to the School’s strategic intents is the development of young men and women who will leave the School as true global citizens, ready to make their mark in a rapidly changing world. We will do this in a school environment that advocates sustainability by demonstrating how we will manage and develop our assets, from the use and purpose of our buildings to the careful management of our parkland.

The project will be approached in phases, with the construction of the new Science Centre the first element we will look to achieve. With the Sciences occupying their new, purpose-built space, the Vanbrugh Building (the current home of the Science Department) will be refurbished and repurposed as the new, expanded Prep School. In turn, the Mansion House will become a new Arts Hub, and an extension in Lower Quad will create a two-storey Arts Studio.

With support, by 2027 – 2030, we aim to:

• Engage significant financial investment to fulfil our transformational vision, which will be measured by the impact it has on our School, our community and beyond

• Be known for inspiring pupils who take science to new levels

• Have an outstanding Arts Hub that is accessible to a broad and diverse audience

Celebrate our role as custodians of the planet

• Ensure we are economically sustainable.

Preparing for our journey to a Brighter Future

The School is currently fundraising for an initial £1m of seed funding investment which will kick-start this Transformational Campaign, whilst continuing to put our pupils first, setting the appropriate example on sustainability and positive impact in our world as we embark on our journey to a Brighter Future.

By undertaking this substantive campaign, we will retain our relevance within the collective ambitions of Oxfordshire, whilst responding with agility to a rapidly changing world and support our work towards addressing the net zero challenge facing us all.

For more information or to discuss this campaign, please contact Ms Wynne, Director of Development, at naw@cokethorpe.org.

THE TRANSFORMATIONAL CAMPAIGN

Our Vision for 2027 to 2030 and beyond...

Phase 1

Phases 3 and 4

Phase 2

A REVIEW OF MATILDA THE MUSICAL JR

Summary, Overview, and Impressions

Well, thank the thespian gods for the Cokethorpe production of Matilda last week. If you do not know the story then, frankly, I do not know what you have been up to since Thursday 1 October 1998, when Roald Dahl’s late classic tale was first published by Jonathan Cope. It has never fallen out of print since then. Time magazine named Matilda in its list of the 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time and the musical was produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in November 2010. It tells the tale of Matilda. About First Form age, she is the clever, much teased, book-worm daughter of Mr and Mrs Wormwood, played here by the comic geniuses of Barney Hope (Second Form, Swift) and Atalanta Cannell (Second Form, Queen Anne) respectively. She is a bling-obsessed mother; he is a plausibly moronic second-hand car dealing father. They both hate reading. In the great British tradition of parents who find their off-spring irritating, they send her to a third-rate private boarding school. It is run by the autocratic TrunchbullXander Luckett (Third Form, Vanbrugh) - the ex-Olympian Hammer throwing headmistress. She is suffered by her timid but kind niece, the divinely, and entirely appropriately named Miss Honey, played to perfection by the perfectly cast Sofia Bell (Third Form, Feilden)

As with all good morally-centred Dahl stories, hyperbole ensues. Trunchbull’s discipline methods would make Ofsted weep. She bullies students, demands Stasi-like discipline, and delights in sending recalcitrant kids to ‘The Chokey’ - an experience about as terminal as the name suggests. An insurrection must ensue and Matilda is surely the person to lead it.

Music

Several things made this production hilariously entertaining, thrillingly dramatic and slickly performed. The music is surely the first amongst those things, and the arrangement makes full use of every instrument. In this junior version of the full score, composer Tim Minchin makes a dozen instruments sound like 25, blasting out kinetic, revolutionary numbers like Revolting Children to the sweetest of duets between Miss Honey and her muse, Matilda.

Credit must go to three individuals. Sofia Bell sang as her surname suggests, her anxiety and altruism brought tears to the corner of my eyes. Rudolpho played by Olivia Wood (Second Form, Harcourt), the hugely camp dance teacher of Mrs Wormwood, barely sings, but performs the most rhythmic cha-cha this side of Strictly Come Dancing

And the Ensemble… yes, it is not an individual I know, but stay with me: they operate as one supportive volumous body, and they fill the stage with revolutionary fervour. And the epically hippy librarian, (okay, fourth on the list, I will not go on) Mrs Phelps, played by Immy Harris (Third Form, Gascoigne), captures the true message of the piece, for she is the person who nurtures a love of reading for all the children, and story-telling as a way to escape the difficulties of the real world in particular with the long-suffering Matilda.

Where musicals tend to go wrong it is because the singers cannot actually sing. But this was no Karaoke squawk squad. Our Director of Music, Mr Wilson, comes from an illustrious choral musical tradition and gee did it show in performance. This was a very well rehearsed musical cast. Articulation was crystal clear; tuning was precise; harmonies resonated. Lottie Graves (Second Form, Gascoigne) as Matilda sang with angry passion and longing poignance; Cory Gardiner (First Form, Vanbrugh) as the much bullied Bruce thumped out revolutionary cries as he rose to lead the charge against Trunchbull; the coy and camp ‘Little Kids’ made us chortle, giggle then sigh, in even measure at their tribulations, for they truly are les miserables of the piece in the original French sense of the phrase.

Xander Luckett stole the show. We ‘hear’ his steroid-enhanced Trunchbull before we see ‘her’, for she is sat facing away from us in teacher’s chair before coming into the acting space. His mixed-gender performance worked brilliantly in the tradition of the pantomime dame. His voice was three tones of aggregates, a bundle of razor wire, and a bitter dose of standup comic all at once. At nearly six foot tall, dressed in a tinpot dictator army uniform, Xander’s Trunchbull towered and strode above ‘her’ charges. He flung children from the stage like a chainsaw through the Amazon rainforest; strutted about in classes and stomped in the playground, all the time complaining bitterly about the incompetence of her students whilst simultaneously insulting her niece, Miss Honey for being ‘nice and fluffy, like a wet cloud.’ Or something like that. His performance dripped with invective. The audience would probably have been genuinely relieved when ‘she’ was ousted, were it not for the fact that Xander was so funny. Literally, the audience roared with laughter. Those who have seen the professional show running in the West End can vouch for the fact that Xander Luckett was certainly better than the professional equivalent.

The sound was beautifully reproduced; the crew fast and efficient in getting sets on an off; the Headmaster’s congratulation speech rightly praiseworthy. Was there a lighting blackout too many as the sets were changed? Maybe. But no one minded, because this was a Northern Lights moment – awesome, brilliant, and of awe-inspiring quality.

Mr Elkin-Jones

PUPIL PERSPECTIVES: SPORTS TEAM CAPTAINS

We spoke to Molly Grinham (Upper Sixth, Feilden), captain of the First XI Hockey team, Alice Smith (Upper Sixth, Swift), captain of the First VII Netball team, and Ross Gray (Upper Sixth, Feilden) captain of the First XV Rugby team and First XI Cricket team about their roles as Captains, the importance of leadership, and how sport has evolved during their time at Cokethorpe.

Can you tell us a bit about the sports you do both in and out of School?

RG – I play cricket, football and rugby – although rugby is my main sport. I played for Oxfordshire U20s county side, Gloucester academy and Oxford Harlequins. I also played representative cricket.

MG – I play for Oxford Hawks Hockey Club in the Ladies team and in the Juniors. I also used to play for Oxfordshire County, but you are only able to do this up to age eighteen.

AS – I train at the Abingdon White Horse Tennis Centre, as a ball girl and a coach. I recently won an Oxfordshire Tennis Award as a Rising Star and was also Head Ball girl at an international wheelchair competition. I also play netball.

As a captain of sport, it is imperative that you have the leadership qualities needed to lead your team. How has your time at Cokethorpe prepared you for this?

MG – In the First Form we would rotate being captains, so would be the captain of the team in whatever sport we were doing for a week. This was really motivating for us, it gave us a taste of what it would be like to be the captain of a First team. This really helped with giving us the mindset and ambition to achieve our goals as we moved up through the Senior School.

RG – It is not just our skills and ability on the pitch during matches though, equally important is what we do off the pitch. We are responsible for organising teams, getting the kit together, encouraging the team to apply themselves and train hard. When it comes to match day, we are ensuring everyone is there on time and ready to play to their best of their ability. We need to keep the team motivated, communicating with them throughout the match.

AS – As a younger pupil, you also get to see the First team get up in assembly and shake the Headmaster’s hand which is such an honour.

Do you feel you have a responsibility to the younger pupils as captains? How seriously do you take this responsibility?

AS - We see ourselves as role models to the younger pupils, they see what we have achieved in becoming First team captains which motivates them to work hard and excel in sport like we have.

MG – In one hockey game this year, the younger players held up their sticks as we walked out onto the pitch, it was a really special moment for all of us. The younger years love watching the First teams play and cheering us on, it is fantastic for us to have this support, and great for them too.

RG – We definitely see ourselves as role models, inspiring the younger pupils is a key part of being a captain. We take that role very seriously.

Is it hard to manage your academic studies alongside your sport commitments?

RG – The School makes this so much easier for us. We have afternoons on a Wednesday allocated to playing sport, which gives us the freedom to play and train without it encroaching on our study time.

AS – Having that time gives us the break we need to clear our minds which helps us focus academically.

MG – If you organise yourself properly then its fine.

In what other ways has the School supported you?

MG – Staff support us by putting you forward for clubs and tournaments which has opened up so many opportunities for us.

RG – They also provide the opportunity for lots of additional activities outside of playing the sport itself, like additional gym sessions for example. Now we are in the First team, we also have analysis sessions where we watch the games back to see areas in which we can improve.

AS – They also celebrate your successes outside of School, sharing them in assemblies and publications.

MG – The AOB Programme also really supports us. Its gives us the opportunity to try out so many different sports and we can also choose AOBs that support the sports we are already doing.

RG - We had so many options from First to Fifth Form. In the Sixth Form, we have Games sessions and study time. This really helps to cope with the workload at A Level.

What is different for you now compared to when you joined the School?

MG – It is definitely much more competitive now!

AS – Another major difference, is that you are now playing with pupils with the same sporting goals and aspirations as you, they all want to be there, train hard, improve their game and win matches.

RG – You get much more sporting opportunities, like going to the Sedbergh 10s in Rugby or County tournaments for example.

THE YEAR 6 PREP PORTFOLIO

The current Year 6 cohort are the first to pilot the new initiative entitled the ‘Prep Portfolio’. As the name ‘Prep School’ suggests, we, as a School, aim to prepare our pupils in the most comprehensive way possible for Senior School, further education and indeed, life beyond. In line with this, the Prep Portfolio was devised for Year 6 pupils to support them alongside their academic endeavours following their entrance examinations for Senior School by fostering a greater sense of responsibility and independence for themselves.

The Portfolio presently covers six units:

• Multi-generational

• Financial Literacy

• Out of Your Comfort Zone

• Entrepreneurial

• Eco-sustainability

• Community Outreach

Over the course of the project, pupils will create a physical portfolio of evidence to support the work they have done towards each of these units. In doing so, pupils will earn themselves a Bronze, Silver or Gold certificate, dependent on the quality and amount of work pupils have done. The School provides the opportunity for all pupils to achieve the Bronze Award, it is then the responsibility of the pupils to go the extra mile to achieve the Silver and Gold certificates. One of the ways in which they can achieve a higher Award, is to demonstrate leadership qualities – one of the founding values of life in the Senior School. The more effort pupils put into the project, the more they will achieve. Pupils can accumulate a range of skills and receive recognition for their efforts which need to be evidenced in their portfolios, encouraging pupils to think creatively about the ways in which they can evidence these.

Each certificate rewards a particular skill or achievement. The multi-generational certificate recognises pupils who have demonstrated a commitment to helping others, particularly those from different generations. Examples of ways in which pupils can achieve this include volunteering at a local nursing home or mentoring younger pupils. The current Year 6 have already been busy setting up lunchtime clubs for younger pupils which they advertised with posters, including: cricket; art club; book club; football; and board games to name just a few.

The Outreach certificate recognises pupils who have made a positive impact on their community through involvement in outreach or charity work, such as organising a fundraiser for local charity or doing some voluntary work. Dr Flaherty and some Sixth Form students met with Year 6 to discuss the Outreach programme, hoping to inspire our young philanthropists.

The unit on Entrepreneurship aims to motivate pupils to think creatively in ways they could run their own business and demonstrate their entrepreneurial spirit, including creating their very own business plan. As part of their Financial Literacy unit, pupils now have a solid grasp of banking terminology such as interest, loans, mortgages, tax and insurance, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of debit and credit cards. In teams, the pupils very much enjoy solving the real-life, age-appropriate financial scenarios and dilemmas presented to them, giving them an insight into responsible spending and saving.

The Out of Your Comfort Zone certificate encourages pupils to try something new and recognises pupils who have attempted something they would not normally do. This may be participating in a public speaking competition, trying a new sport or activity, travelling to a new place, or meeting new people.

The Eco-sustainability unit recognises pupils who have demonstrated a commitment to environmental protection and sustainability. Pupils will be visiting ‘Wild Farmed’ on a school trip to learn about how they farm sustainably and look after the planet. A Lower Sixth student, who is a member of Young Farmers, will be bringing his tractor into School and giving Year 6 a talk about eco-sustainability and why it is important.

The programme has an overall certification with the same Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. It is a pleasure to see the pupils striving for success and pursuing those Gold Awards.

We hope that the Prep Portfolio will whet the appetite of the Year 6 pupils, inspire them to learn some new skills, be more independent, and encourage them to take responsibility for their learning.

COKETHORPE CREATIVITY PREP

Arthur Abraham (Year 3, Gwyn)

Scout Andreasen (Year 6, Gwyn)

Scarlett Miles (Year 6, Lockwood)

Avalon Harris (Year 6, Baker)

Jemima Diffey (Year 6, Lockwood)

Sophie Campbell (Year 4, Baker)

COKETHORPE CREATIVITY SENIOR

William Woodwards (First Form, Swift)

Benji Longman (Third Form, Vanbrugh)

Emilie Ayllon (First Form, Feilden)

Freya Richards (Second Form, Feilden)

Alex Regardsoe (First Form, Swift)

Freya Vincent (Second Form, Queen Anne)

Ella Allsop-Davis (Second Form, Vanbrugh)

MEET THE SCHOOL: MRS BOWDEN

What do you do at the School?

I am Housemistress of Queen Anne and teacher of Sociology and Psychology.

When did you join?

I joined Cokethorpe in September 2018 and introduced Sociology A Level.

What did you do before you joined Cokethorpe? Have you always been a teacher/wanted to be a teacher?

I usually explain my career in teaching as somewhat accidental! It was never part of my plan, although I cannot imagine another profession I would rather be working in. My sister also works in education as a headteacher of an Oxfordshire Primary School, so perhaps it runs in the family. Before I joined Cokethorpe, I taught in a large secondary school in Oxfordshire. I worked at the school for 16 years.

After graduating from reading Sociology with Criminology at university, I began working as a teaching assistant, supporting a pupil with learning difficulties in each of his lessons. As his key worker, I would ensure he organised his time and understood what was expected of him in terms of his learning, but especially with his behaviour. This was a thoroughly rewarding role for me and it was certainly a steep learning curve. The Religious Studies teacher at the time announced his future retirement and suggested that I would make a good teacher. This was an idea I had previously given very little thought. That said, a year later I completed my teacher training in Religious Studies to achieve Qualified Teacher Status. I taught Religious Studies to a range of age groups and later began teaching Sociology at A Level. During my time at the school, I taught other subjects including History, Geography, and Ethics and Philosophy. I later became a Head of House, and this role brought with it a new set of challenges!

What do you enjoy about being a Housemistress?

I have valued getting to know the pupils in Queen Anne and to witness the ambition they project. I like the variety of the role; no day is the same. One day I will be congratulating pupils on their achievements, and the next I will be supporting them through difficult situations. It is the spontaneity that I enjoy. The main drive is to watch pupils achieve their goals by providing opportunities for success in a welcoming and supportive environment.

The Crawford Relay has been won by Queen Anne for the last five years, and I feel proud to be a part of such a successful team. House competitions are always exciting, and I was inspired by the dedication of Queen Anne in their preparations for inter-House Drama. I am already looking forward to my first inter-House Music competition as Housemistress in the Michaelmas Term. I know that the pupils and students will shine when they perform on stage.

Any plans for the future?

My main goal as Housemistress is to foster a welcoming yet competitive environment for Queen Anne. I want to see each pupil make progress towards their goals, whatever they might be. I hope

that Queen Anne continues to be a successful team as we move into the next academic year.

Tell us about yourself! What do you do in your free time?

I have a busy family life outside of Cokethorpe, and my two children keep things lively at home. In my free time, I enjoy horse-riding. I began riding at the age of six and I hope I will be doing the same well into my old age. Being outdoors and active keeps me calm when life becomes stressful, and our family walking holidays in the Lake District or Eryri National Park play a big part in that.

SAILING

We spoke to Head of School and captain of the Sailing team, Dee Biles (Upper Sixth, Gascoigne), about sailing at Cokethorpe.

How did you get into sailing? What drew you to the sport initially? When I was in Year 3 in the Prep School, which was called the Junior School at the time, there was a club activity rota and sailing was one of the activities on offer on a Friday afternoon. I must admit, I really did not enjoy it the first time I tried it. However, I stuck with it for the rest of the term and ended up loving it.

Tell us about the Cokethorpe Sailing team?

Currently the team is mostly made up of Lower Sixth students but it has grown hugely over the last few years. When I joined there were four or five of us, now there are about thirteen, which does not include the younger years where there are an additional five or six and even more pupils who are currently taking the Sailing AOB. In training we have two squads - the racing squad and the development squad. The development squad are still learning their craft and are less experienced, the racing squad are the more experienced sailors who compete and race. In the current racing squad, there are now quite a few pupils who have progressed from the development squad which is great to see.

Can you talk us through the training you do?

We train at Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire now as a team, but competitions can be anywhere really. We have raced against Warwick Boys School so have been to their reservoir, but we have also competed in London at Queen Mary’s reservoir in bigger boats, called keelboats. We primarily train in firefly boats which are two-person boats, so you have your pairing and train within that pairing. You must learn to work together, so an important part of the training is getting used to working in that pairing and finding the most effective ways of communicating with each other. It makes sailing a fantastic individual, pairs sport and team sport.

What are some of the key skills you have developed through sailing, both individually and as part of a team?

There are different types of racing. You have two main types – fleet and team. In team racing you work together but within three different boats. To win races you need to use tactics and excellent communication skills. The other type of racing is fleet racing which you just do within your pairing.

To train effectively for both types of racing you need a mix of tactical and physical. During Friday games sessions we study theory. It is such a multi-faceted sport, it is both mentally and physically taxing. Most of our regattas are multiple days long, not a singular match. The Itchenor Sailing competition, for example, is several days long, which includes overnight stays and five hours of racing each day.

Do you have to do fitness training to prepare for such events?

Training covers most of it, sailing keeps you pretty fit anyway. Most of the team do other sports so fitness is maintained that way. On windy days you have to do something called hiking, which is using your core to basically hang out of a boat by your toes. You also have roll tacking and jiving where you throw yourself from one side of the boat to the other.

How do you balance training and competing with your studies?

It can be difficult, but School gives you allocated hours for sport so it does not interfere with studies, however, if you want to do more outside of that you can. We have sailing sessions within the school week and every other Friday we have theory sessions. There are optional evening sessions and Saturday training for a different type of boat or competition, so it really depends how invested you want to be.

Has being part of the Sailing team enriched your overall experience at School?

Yes, definitely. It has given me the opportunity to interact with other year groups across the School which I really enjoy. It is also nice to have the opportunity to go outside of the School grounds within school hours, I find it very freeing and provides me with a break from lessons which I think has been really positive for my mental health. It is a good stress reliever for me, particularly during exams as, when I am sailing, I am just sailing and that is all I am focussing on.

How has the School supported you and the Sailing team?

In the first instance they give us the time to train and compete. We also recently got funding for new Sails and for bibs for our team to use in competitions.

How did the Sailing team start?

When I was in the Prep School, there were individuals competing externally. Now if you sail outside of School you will join the team, but through the AOB there are now many more joining because they have tried it and got a taste for it.

What sort of a person would enjoy sailing?

Anyone! It is highly competitive and a very reactive sport, but there are so many elements to it. It is physical, tactical, and thrilling; you work individually, in a pair, as a team. It really does cover so many bases.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in sailing?

Give it a try. Trying it as an AOB option is a great way to see if you enjoy it. Farmoor also offers courses too. Within sailing, you have levels which are like the equivalent of grades in music, so you can start at Level 1 and work your way up.

SCHOOL NEWS

Society of Heads’ National Football Final

It was an incredible day for Cokethorpe on Wednesday 1 May, celebrating a double victory for both the U16 and First XI football teams who won their respective Society of Heads’ National finals held at Harborough Town Football Club.

Despite a close first half, the First team stormed through the second half scoring four goals, beating Concord College, Shrewsbury 5-1. In a nail-biting match against Oswestry, the U16s scored two goals in extra time, clinching their win 3-1.

Over 25 schools from across the country entered the competition, which was played in northern and southern sections, with the winner from each going on to represent the region in the final. This was a momentous achievement, and we are incredibly proud of both teams for the culmination of what has been a brilliant season of football.

Years 1 and 2 Trip to Science Oxford

Years 1 and 2 pupils visited Science Oxford for an inspirational and interactive day enhancing their STEM skills. The Science Oxford centre aims to inspire young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The first session was an outdoor ‘Water Explorers’ workshop. They set to work at the Water Lab eagerly creating dams, building boats and investigating which objects would float and sink. Pupils then went to the Exploration Zone where there were numerous STEM activities including microscopes, a spinning table, a scarf shooter and a curious camera.

This was an exciting day packed with plenty of opportunities to progress the pupils understanding of scientific concepts, as well as developing their enquiry and problem-solving skills. There was so much to see and do on this visit.

Senior School Skiing Trip

As the rest of the School packed up for the Christmas break, a group of sixty pupils from Second Form to Lower Sixth were busy packing their salopettes and skis, preparing to travel to Val Cenis for a thrilling skiing trip in the Alps.

Pupils and staff were raring to go and could not wait to get to the picturesque resort. The group arrived at their accommodation, conveniently located near the slopes, which allowed everyone to make the most of their skiing time. Luckily, there was plenty of snow and, after a week of tuition and a flurry of fun, everyone had honed their skills on the slopes and made the most of their time in the beautiful resort of Val Cenis.

It was not all salopettes, snow and slopes for our skiers though, they also had the opportunity to explore the charming village, go ten pin bowling and dust off their dance moves at the annual ski trip disco. This year, they even braved the Karaoke one evening, giving Adele a run for her money!

Sixth Form Inter-House General Knowledge Competition

The Sixth Form Inter-House General Knowledge Competition is always fiercely fought and feistily contested, and this year was no exception. Spread over three lunchtimes, the format was the same as University Challenge - including starters-for-ten, buzzers, and Paxman-style chivvying from the question-master.

The final was between

captained by AJ Rowe (Upper Sixth) It was neck-and-neck throughout but, in the latter stages, Harcourt pulled ahead and a final score of 270 to Harcourt and 230 to Gascoigne declared Harcourt the winners.

Microsoft Showcase Day

We were delighted to welcome 40 visitors from various schools across the country for our annual Showcase Day, supporting our status as a Microsoft Showcase School. Delegates travelled from as far as Surrey and Hull to hear from Cokethorpe’s teachers and gain knowledge of their expertise.

The focus of the day was the teaching and learning benefits of Teams and OneNote. Numerous staff across the Senior School were

Gascoigne, captained by Charlotte Griffiths (Upper Sixth) and Harcourt

involved, showing the breadth of experience in the staff body. The day was a huge success; feedback from the day was incredibly positive, and delegates left with a real buzz and enthusiasm.

Politics Conference

Sixth Form Politics students heard a packed and exciting programme of talks at the PolEcon Conference in Westminster. A Level students heard from voices across the political spectrum touching on many of the important issues and questions facing the United Kingdom.

The roster of speakers included: the Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting MP; Sir Jacob Rees Mogg MP; Leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice; and the Deputy Leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski. The event concluded with an appearance from the presenters of The Rest is Politics, Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell. The trip was hugely enjoyed by the students who took away lots of ideas and information to include in their Politics essays.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

In a magical blend of mischief and enchantment, the Year 6 pupils brought William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to life in a wonderful performance. The intricate web of love, mistaken identity, and fairy mischief unfolded seamlessly on stage, captivating the audience.

From the opening scenes to the final bow, the pupils displayed remarkable talent and enthusiasm. They also excelled in capturing the humour of Shakespeare’s language, delivering their lines with confidence and clarity, which reflects their enormous amount

of hard work both in and out of rehearsals. The magnificent costumes created by Mrs Wilkinson played a pivotal role in bringing the production to life.

Congratulations to Year 6 for delivering a charming rendition of the timeless comedy, which will leave a lasting impression on all who were fortunate enough to see it.

The Battlefields of Belgium

Third Form pupils embarked on an emotive and poignant visit to the First World War battlefields in Belgium. As they crossed into Belgium, pupils were reminded that the journey they were completing would have been the same route completed by soldiers arriving at the front during the First World War.

The trip began with a visit to the Passchendaele Museum at Zonnebecke which, with its interactive galleries, reconstructed trench bunkers and replica trench network, quickly captured the imagination of the pupils. They then headed for Ypres where they attended the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.

On the final day, pupils visited Essex Farm Cemetery and Langemark Cemetery which was followed by a visit to the Hooge Crater Museum and Tyne Cot Cemetery, where they paid their respects to the fallen as a group with a minute’s silence and Henry Nixey (Third Form, Gascoigne) reading Wilfred Owen’s 1917 poem Anthem for Doomed Youth

Spring Concert

The Spring Concert was a wonderful evening of music which saw musicians from the

Prep School through to the Upper Sixth come together to share their talents with parents and peers. Several ensembles performed throughout the evening, with a variety of repertoire including traditional Greek music, Classical music, and show songs.

Some highlights from the evening included the Clarinet Choir, the Prep Ensembles and the Senior Choir. The Orchestra played a piece of professional repertoire; Haydn’s Sinfonia No.82 Movement 1, a moving piece showcasing the talent of the musicians. This was a fantastic concert enjoyed by all who attended and marked a triumphant end to the Upper Sixth students’ musical career at Cokethorpe.

We were delighted to welcome the British ski-jumping legend, ‘Eddie the Eagle’, to Cokethorpe’s 2024 Charity Dinner, organised by Upper Sixth student, Alice Smith (Swift), to raise money for local charity, Helen & Douglas House, which supports families of terminally ill children.

The evening began with the CEO of Helen & Douglas House, Jane Long, and Head of Sixth Form, Mr Tolputt, sharing their stories, inspiring guests about the incredible work done by the children’s hospice. After a delicious dinner provided by the Catering Department, it was over to Eddie the Eagle (Michael Edwards) to entertain the audience with highlights of his illustrious ski-jumping career. Congratulations to Alice for organising such a wonderful evening, and a huge thank you to everyone who supported the event, donated prizes and gave so generously on the evening.

Prep School Sponsored Walk

The annual Prep School sponsored walk is always a popular event in the Prep calendar, and this year was no exception. Emulating the route taken around London during the Marathon, pupils looked for the landmarks of London as they followed their own route around the School grounds. This year, pupils were generously raising money for the fantastic NSPCC.

Eddie the Eagle Charity Dinner

Many of our enthusiastic walkers set off at quite a pace, making light work of the course. They marched round to the Tower of London, had a spin around the London Eye, and said hello to the animals at London Zoo. The money raised helped support Miss Freeman, who recently ran the London Marathon, whilst also raising money for this wonderful charity. Congratulations to Miss Freeman and all pupils involved.

Ancient School Room Experience

The Shed was transformed into a Romano-British schoolroom by the expert team from the Reading and Oxford Classics faculties for Second Form pupils on their Ancient School Room Experience Day. Pupils were dressed in Roman tunics, sandals and head bands, before entering the class to meet their teachers with a greeting of ‘salve, magister!’ (hello, teacher!), as was usual at the time. They were then given assignments in different subjects typical of a Roman school, including Mathematics and reading archaic poetry. Equipment included ‘styli’ (pens), inkpots, wax tablets and ‘tabulae’ (counting boards) with Roman numerals. This immersive experience really brought the world of the ancient school to life. Many thanks to the University of Reading outreach team for providing this fascinating glimpse into what life would have been like in a Roman school two thousand years ago.

GCSE and A Level Drama Examination Performances

GCSE and A Level Drama pupils showcased their exceptional talent, presenting their examination ‘Performance from Text’ pieces in front of a live audience and visiting examiner, in their respective year groups, over two consecutive nights.

There were thirteen performances from our Fifth Form GCSE Drama candidates, which included monologues, duologues, and group work. These were taken from extracts written by contemporary playwrights, which allowed pupils to create some wonderfully detailed characterisations. It was a very entertaining evening, showcasing some truly excellent performance, teamwork and creativity.

The following night, our Upper Sixth dramatists presented a monologue and a group piece in their ‘Text in Performance’ practical examination. Jasmine Hammond (Gascoigne) performed a hilarious piece from Alan Ayckbourn’s Confusions: A Talk in the Park for her monologue, and Bella Caffyn (Vanbrugh) gave a heartfelt portrayal of Valerie from Road by Jim Cartwright. The group gave superb performances in their darkly comic piece, Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood, ably supported by Tom Orton (OC 2022, Swift)

Prep Skiing Trip

During the Easter holidays, a group of pupils from the Prep School and First Form embarked on the inaugural Prep School Ski Trip to the snow-covered resort of Marilleva, in Italy.

Having arrived at the resort and settled into their rooms, pupils were issued with all the necessary equipment for the slopes. Once out on the mountain, the group met their ski school instructors, who spent five hours each day teaching them how to ski and were truly dedicated to getting the best out of the pupils. Many of the group started as beginners, but under the guidance of the experienced instructors, they quickly gained confidence. Each day brought new challenges, which were embraced with enthusiasm and courage.

The ski trip was so much more than skiing; pupils developed resilience, teamwork, and independence. They learned to support each other, overcome fears, and appreciate the beauty of the natural surroundings. The growth, laughter and camaraderie extended far beyond the classroom, and our young skiers will take far more than memories of the snowy peaks with them after this amazing adventure.

Chemistry Olympiad

Lower and Upper Sixth Chemistry students took part in this year’s Royal Society of Chemistry’s Olympiad. This was an exceptionally challenging paper, with over 1,000 schools taking part. The Chemistry Department was delighted to see students really applying their knowledge, showing real determination and true spirit.

Congratulations to Akil Jomy (Lower Sixth, Queen Anne), to Lower Sixth students receiving Bronza Awards: Simran Panesar (Queen Anne), Caellum Sharp (Vanbrugh), Patrick West (Feilden) and Nicolas Woods-Cano (Swift); to Upper Sixth students receiving Silver Awards: Flo Adepoju (Harcourt), Aoife Kirkham (Feilden), Freddie Murfitt (Queen Anne) and Rohana Saunders (Queen Anne); and Thomas Avery (Upper Sixth, Gascoigne), who received the Gold Award. Only 8% of all entrants were awarded the Gold Award so this is an incredible achievement. Many congratulations to all our talented Chemists.

Year 5 Residential to the Brecon Beacons

Year 5 pupils set off for an action-packed five day residential in Woodlands Activity Centre near the Brecon Beacons in South Wales.

The intrepid group of pupils and staff spent their days canoeing down the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, orienteering in the dark, climbing and abseiling, completing a breath-takingly high ropes course, walking through a disused railway tunnel in total darkness and, finally, climbing to the summit of Hay Bluff on an incredibly windy day.

It was a truly wonderful experience for the Year 5 pupils, who grew in courage and empathy, playing spontaneous games in their down time before evening meals together, embracing the joys of social commensality.

Bonds were formed, relationships deepened and personal discoveries were made a-plenty. Pupils returned exhausted but with lungs full of fresh air, pleasantly aching muscles, contented minds, and with excited anticipation of great tales to tell when they arrived back to warm hugs from family.

Social Science Fair

Upper Sixth Psychology and Sociology students presented their research findings at the annual ‘Social Science Research Fair’. Students have spent the past year planning, conducting and analysing their data.

Congratulations go to the overall winner Molly Grinham (Upper Sixth, Feilden) who researched whether different genres of music have an effect on heart rate; to the recipient of the ‘Students’ Choice Award’ Rachael Elliott (Upper Sixth, Feilden) who investigated whether women find men with dogs more attractive and to the recipient of the ‘Innovative Research Award’ Grace Gunn (Upper Sixth, Gascoigne) who researched attitudes towards women returning to the workplace after maternity leave. We would like to thank our judges for this year; Miss Gaertner and Heidi Robertson (OC 2022, Feilden)

Everest Challenge

To celebrate the opening of the fantastic new climbing facility at Cokethorpe, a challenge was set: to cumulatively climb the height of

Mount Everest. This challenge, not to be taken lightly, would require over a thousand ascents to reach the target of 8,848 metres.

Spread over a week to allow participation from a wide range of climbers, the challenge kicked off with Year 5 from Aston Primary School followed by contributions from Years 3 and 4 at Cokethorpe. Things heated up and turned competitive with the Senior Games groups. Particularly noteworthy efforts were seen from Patrick West (Lower Sixth, Feilden) and Luke Yesudian (Fifth Form, Queen Anne), who each completed over 100 climbs in a single afternoon, conquering over 800 metres of vertical ascent each.

In the House competition, Feilden took a clear lead by adding over 2,000 metres to the total. The final push to reach the summit was completed by key pupils from the Games programme who bravely tackled the last few climbs. Throughout the week, outstanding resilience, determination, and focus were on display by the over 100 people who took part.

Young Musician of the Year

Over 50 pupils entered this year’s Young Musician of the Year competition, representing a whole host of musical instruments and genres.

The culmination of the heats resulted in two finals: the Lower Grade Final and the Upper Grade Final. Both finals were awash with stunning music making, as pupils played and sang their hearts out, impressing audiences and the guest adjudicators alike. Every single performance was a triumph, displaying beautiful poise, phrasing, technique and emotion. They should be immensely proud of what they achieved.

The adjudicators had the most arduous and unenviable task of choosing the winners. The winner of the Lower Grade Final was the wonderful Ben Picking (Third Form, Vanbrugh) on piano, and the incredibly talented Anna Pratley (Upper Sixth, Feilden) was the winner of the Higher Grade final on clarinet. Congratulations to all our musicians.

Scholars’ Dinner

This year’s Scholar’s Dinner was, as always, a delightful event where our Scholars and their parents had the opportunity to convene as an erudite community for a night of great conversation and fabulous food. It also marked the successful publication of their articles in the recently published Scholars’ Journal. We were delighted to welcome Sir Ralph Waller, an eminent theologian from the University of Oxford, who - through various allegories - encouraged the audience in their academic endeavours.

Sir Ralph spoke passionately about his experiences and how life could be described as a game of snakes and ladders, full of ups and downs, luck and disappointment. He recounted how his journey led him to receive multiple honorary degrees from across the world and become the chair of the Theology Department at the University of Oxford. His inspiring words, the spirited conversations and the hard work of the Catering Department created a wonderful atmosphere of intellectual fervour and an immensely enjoyable evening was had by all.

Year 3 Ancient Greek Feast

Year 3 have been fascinated by the Ancient Greek myths and legends such as Achilles, the Minotaur and Medusa. They have learnt all about Greek history, including the origins of the Olympics in preparation for Paris 2024. As an end to the topic, we celebrated with a feast of feta and figs, fit for Odysseus.

SOCIETY NEWS

Chapel Preservation Appeal – Saturday 16 March

When entering the School grounds, it is difficult for your gaze not to be drawn towards the charming Chapel nestled within the parklands. Believed to predate the structures that later became the Mansion House, the Chapel served as the focal point of a small village, tragically wiped out by the Black Death.

The earliest documented mention of the Chapel dates to a Saxon Charter of 958 AD, where it was referred to as the Old Church, Eastleigh. In 1976, the Chapel suffered damage from a fallen elm tree and was deemed too costly for the modest parish to repair. Consequently, the church commissioners opted to sell it. Fortunately, in 1978, the Chapel was acquired as a gift to the School through funds raised by the Old Cokethorpean Society.

Over the years, the Chapel has hosted various School events, from alumni (Old Cokethorpeans) weddings to Christmas carol concerts and music lessons, endearing itself to past and present pupils alike. However, to ensure its continued use for generations to come, the Chapel now requires extra attention and enhancements.

Thanks to the drive and passion of Tony Baker (OC, 1964), former Treasurer of the OC Society during the Chapel’s acquisition in 1978, we are undertaking a Chapel Preservation Fundraising Appeal. His deep connection to the Chapel and the School positioned him perfectly to spearhead this Appeal. We are seeking funds for repairs and improvements, such as new guttering, roof plastering, lighting, improved seating, window replacement, wifi connection, and the installation of an eco-friendly toilet.

On Saturday 16 March, seventeen Old Cokethorpeans gathered at the School to join Tony in officially launching the Chapel Preservation Appeal. Blessed with favourable weather, the guests strolled to the Chapel, welcomed by the Headmaster and Tony, who shared their vision for the historic building. The event was followed by a lavish brunch, and everyone shared cherished moments of reminiscence in the Mansion House.

If you would like to contribute to the Chapel Preservation Appeal, please contact development@cokethorpe.org.

OC Visit – Thursday 18 April

On Thursday 18 April, we had the honour of hosting five Old Cokethorpeans at the School: Richard Brocklebank (OC, 1963), William Macgeagh (OC, 1964), Jeremy Lewis (OC, 1963), Bill Mackenzie (OC, 1963), and Tony Baker (OC, 1964). As they arrived, we witnessed a heartwarming reunion in the Mansion Entrance Hall as old school friends laid eyes on each other once again, some for the first time in 60 years!

The visit included not only a tour of the School but also a journey through the stories and memories of their time here. Each recollection sparked more uplifting and often amusing tales from the past. The Headmaster graciously welcomed Richard, William, Jeremy, Bill, and Tony into his Study, evoking a flood of memories from the era when Mr Peter Allen was Headmaster, between 1959 and 1976. The tour continued upstairs into the Mansion House, where a number of the dormitories were once located. It was a nostalgic journey for our Old Cokethorpeans, who vividly recalled their days living at the School. We are always happy to welcome all our OCs back to the School, please contact Ms Hodgkins, Alumni Relations Manager, if you would like to arrange a visit at ah@cokethorpe.org.

The

Cokethorpe

Society – New Committee Members welcome

The Cokethorpe Society is the association for former pupils, staff and governors, with members more affectionately known as Old Cokethorpeans or OCs. The Society is a global community consisting of thousands of people who have left Cokethorpe, from the 1950s right through to our most recent Upper Sixth leavers. When you leave Cokethorpe you will automatically become an OC and thus, remain part of the Cokethorpe Family.

The Cokethorpe Society Committee consists of OCs who work together to arrange events, decide on philanthropic fundraising opportunities, and remain a strong link with the School.

The Committee eagerly welcomes new members, particularly those who have more recently left the School, aiming to foster a diverse representation of former students who can propel the Society forward, ensuring its continuous growth and vitality.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the OC Society Committee, please contact us via society@cokethorpe.org.

Congratulations to Jamie Sherratt (OC 2022, Feilden) who celebrated receiving his Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Buckingham Palace, pictured here wearing his full colours Cokethorpe peacock tie.

After a year travelling, Jamie is currently studying an MSc in Marine Biology at Southampton University. Jamie spends most of his free time bouldering and climbing, a love of which was fostered at Cokethorpe.

Congratulations to Sam Phelps (OC 2023, Feilden) and Charlotte Kemp (OC 2023, Vanbrugh) who also visited Buckingham Palace to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.

OC Equestrian Success

Congratulations to Olli Fletcher (OC 2019, Gascoigne) for his incredible five-star win representing GB with pride at the Al Shaqab Equestrian in Doha, Qatar.

Upcoming Events

- OC and School Cricket Match – Friday 14 June 2024

- Reunion Event – Saturday 15 June 2024

STAFF NEWS

Births

Congratulations to Prep School Teacher, Mr Lewis, and his wife Kate, on the birth of their daughter Sophia Rae born on Monday 25 March weighing 7lb 3oz.

Welcomes

Ms S Funk, Head of Psychology (Maternity Cover)

Mrs J Gregory-Newman, Teacher of Business Studies

Mr T Kelly, Teacher of Science

Mrs A Prior, Teacher of Design Technology

Farewells

Mrs E Warren, Teacher of Music

Mr T White, Teacher of Design Technology

Miss L Ryan, Lead in Computer Science

Congratulations

Congratulations to Miss Freeman, Year 2 Teacher, for completing the London Marathon in support of the NSPCC.

Congratulations to Mrs Sheer for completing the Ribbon Walk raising money for Breast Cancer Now.

In the next edition... a focus on... The Arts

The Ocellus has been printed on Carbon Balanced paper. This will create 31.32 square feet of new Native Woodland here in the UK, and will capture 116 kilograms of CO2.