The Ocellus | Summer 2021 | Issue 46

T H E

Ocellus

Su Iss m ue m er 46 20 21

Front cover image: Cameron MacDonald (Upper Sixth, Queen Anne), Gemma Croker (Fifth Form, Gascoigne), Ella Cammack (Upper Sixth, Swift), Chloe Elliott (Lower Sixth, Vanbrugh) and Jamie Sherratt (Lower Sixth, Feilden).

Inside front cover: painting by Pippa Allen (Second Form, Harcourt).

HEADMASTER’S WELCOME to sense that the longer term is once again coming into view, especially as it pertains to health and welfare, to defence and, of course, to the economy.

Military historians often describe the distinction between strategy and tactics, dual policies in which great generals in history have displayed their mastery. But of course, the distinction is not just one for military leaders. Politicians, too, need to show that they have a sense of direction for the country, and that they are not just taking short-term decisions in response to unexpected developments. A country with a proper sense of purpose will develop a long-term strategy that embodies its core values. With relief from the current crisis in sight, we can begin

It is interesting to reflect on what we think core British values should entail, though I am more than happy not to carry the responsibility! But I am not entirely off the hook. The word ‘strategy’ also features in the lexicon of schools and education.

Headteachers are no strangers to the five-year plan that was once so beloved of leaders of the USSR. Inevitably you will be more aware of individual developments, such as new buildings and our cooperation with other schools, which are vital steps along the way. But they are part of a longer term strategy that seeks to capture the ethos and purpose of the School. We build Changing Rooms, which helps make room for a new Science Building, which frees space to create a better learning environment for our younger pupils, which in turn allows the Mansion to provide the best possible setting for the creative arts. What lies behind these steps is a vision for an educational provision that runs seamlessly from

age four to eighteen, and that helps develop young children into fully rounded adults. It creates a sense of community in which everyone is valued, and the skills and potential of each individual can be recognised and encouraged. This issue of The Ocellus will highlight a number of developments of which we are proud.

I hope you will enjoy reading about them, and that you will also see in them something of our strategy for Cokethorpe.

I wonder to what extent individuals should also have a strategy and to what extent we should encourage that for our pupils? In a way, most young people have it already, in the form of ambition. I hope they, too, can understand it as something holistic: that it should embody values as well as goals. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the ambition to be successful, but there should also be a sense of what one will go on to do with that success, what kind of person will emerge.

IN THIS ISSUE... cokethorpe conversations: The Co-curricular Programme

pages 6-9

Creating Spaces at cokethorpe

pages 14-17

academic showcase

pages 18-21

The view from the top

Pages 24-25

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Examining coursework

Mr Ladell-Stuart (Head of Maths), Miss Jackson (Head of English), Mr Capel (Head of Geography), Mrs Brown (Head of Design Technology), and Mr Hughes (Director of Music) Where should the balance lie in determining the appraisal of ability and the comprehension of subject matter under formal assessment?

The Director of Music and the Heads of Maths, Design Technology, Geography, and English share their thoughts.

What is the balance of your subjects in coursework and examinations?

In Maths we do not have any coursework at all. At GCSE, we have not done so for well over ten years now. At A Level, we did have a bit when the course was modular but when the transition to a linear structure was introduced by the national Government three years ago that was removed.

AGMLS In Geography A Level, we are required to do a minimum of four days of fieldwork and 20% of the A Level grade is the non-examined

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assessments, in other words, the project associated with the fieldwork.

In the GCSE, it is a two-day fieldwork requirement, though the assessment process here is centred around an exam-based series of skills questions; so it is a 100% exam-based course at GCSE, with 20% of the marks derived from the project skills questions.

JAWC In DT, the structure is 50-50, and that is true for both GCSE and A Level at the moment; pre-2017 it was 60-40 in favour of coursework.

HVB At GCSE in the English Language course, it is 60-40. On the English Literature side of things, we are now taking 100% exam only, choosing to drop the coursework option, and we do two terminal papers. At A Level, it is 20% coursework.

DCHJ

In Music, the structure is nearly identical at GCSE and A Level: 60% coursework, with 30% of that being performing and 30% composing. The remaining 40% is assessed through a listening examination, and it has been that way for a long while.

JEH Mr Ladell-Stuart, alluded to a change introduced three years ago, how has that affected your courses or, being in the independent sector, is that affect more muted?

From the perspective of Maths, we have appreciated the change, because coursework in Maths was a very repetitive or even regurgitative process. In essence, the question was the same year in, year out, there was one way to answer it and the teachers across the country became very good at training the pupils how to answer that question. It became an exercise in securing full marks. It was good for the teachers and good for

the students when it was dropped, because it gave a truer reflection of the individual’s ability and a more rigorous determinant of both that ability and, for we as teachers, of our combined achievement with the students. It also had an impact on the quality of the teaching, with a lot of time taken from studies that might have otherwise been used to further the students’ understanding of other topics.

AGMLS In Geography, we actually did a bit of a flip after 2017; we used to do a GCSE project that was worth a quarter of the final grade, and the A Level completed a skills-based paper. I think the new system is a better way of structuring it in that the students at A Level get more out of doing an extended piece of work. Having some form of assessment, other than just the examination, suits the course and benefits the learning more holistically in Geography at A Level.

JAWC And for those who have been required to make a change to the composition of the course, or will be doing so, has that had an impact on the style of teaching or the structure of lessons?

I think there is a significant difference between the absolute need for practical subjects, or subjects with a practical element to carry out these non-examined assessments and for some of our other subjects. In the English Department, for example, we have up to 100 pupils working towards a GCSE, that coursework is made up of two essays, so that is 200 essays, each re-drafted a number of times to get it as good as it can be, with a rigid structure about how much help and guidance can be given, of course. When you factor that against

a pupil’s understandable expectation of wanting support in generating the perfect piece and the limitations in a teacher’s allowance to do so there is certainly an impact on the time it has taken from the course as a whole. In such a case, it runs counter to our own beliefs in building those leadership traits, such as responsibility as well.

Certainly for English, this is a balance you always have to consider. This was a notable factor in why we came out of the Literature coursework, to balance or moderate that time detracted from exam preparation and building the broader understanding beyond the curriculum that is so beneficial when it is achieved.

DCHJ

will be periods when attentions are necessarily drawn elsewhere. That is where the School taking an objective approach and avoiding deadline clashes is so important, and it is something that we, thankfully, do not regularly have to contend with here.

The structuring of the timetable and of those deadlines has helped us and the pupils avoid such challenges. We also help ease pressures on pupils’ time with half-day workshops where there is a call for it. Equally, there is a requirement in DT for periods of reflection, so it is again about finding the balance. It is a system that has been developed and one that we are always honing.

HVB

Is there a broader impact for the pupils, where fewer assessed projects allows for a greater focus on those subjects where non-examined assessment is a more crucial measurement of ability and understanding?

Our project work goes on for such a long time that the focus can come and go in terms of the overall priorities. We spend two terms on the projects, so it is inevitable that there

In Music, with half of the coursework being a performance-based assessment, it comes down to the pupil’s own drive and, to a certain extent, how strong they are on their chosen instrument. That is not something that is assessed from the start of the GCSE or A Level syllabus being taught, rather from when they first picked up their instrument. There isn’t then such an impact on

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our taught time, or on the demands on the pupil within the wider School.

In any subject you do, of course, have to have put in work previously, but in studying Music at First Form through Third Form it is not enough to get the top grades at GCSE, you have to have the ability to play an instrument outside of those taught components.

JEH For those with the flexibility to choose, where the does the balance lie in determining the selection of terminal examination or coursework?

In our case it is a significant consideration. For coursework, the grade boundary is actually higher than through examination; if they sit straight examinations the pupils

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will actually need a proportionally lower mark to achieve the higher grades. Owing to our relatively smaller class sizes and the focus we can therefore provide to the individual’s progression, that is certainly a factor we take on board in our decisions.

DCHJ From the perspective of the exam boards, in those subjects where there is an element of support beyond what can obviously be determined in the assessment process, there is perhaps inevitably an assumption that pupils will benefit more from that in some settings, and the weighting of the grade boundaries is thus reflective across the board.

JEH

And does working in the independent sector make a difference to those determinations?

That factor of smaller class sizes is certainly significant; take the Composition element of the Music coursework, in a timetabled lesson with 30 or more pupils in a class, as some other schools might have, it could take several lessons to get around the whole group and provide that one-to-one support.

JEH When you think about project work and fieldwork in particular, independent or fee-paying schools are certainly at an advantage. We are more able to go away further from the school site, take a weekend, get buy-in from parents, and that gives us the flexibility and the willing to make the most out of those opportunities.

JAWC

sat counting for that bit more of the overall grade and, in our case, it could well be argued, as it is by the Government, that it is therefore more of a reflection of their work.

AGMLS

In terms of the assessment in your subjects, how do you think the chosen structures provide rigour?

For DT, the project work is an essential aspect in providing rigour to the course. Our approach in many respects mimics what happens in the real-world settings, product design being an obvious example. The skills developed using CAD software in our teaching of the course reflect the use of the very same software and processes in business. And the problem-solving process is by far the most significant aspect of that assessment; the final product is secondary.

HVB Similarly for Music, you cannot readily determine how well someone plays their instrument in a written exam; self-evidently, you have to hear someone playing to assess that ability.

You cannot really ask them to write an essay on the topic!

JEH I think the rigour in Geography and the fieldwork element is similar to what Mrs Brown describes for DT and

their project work: it is a keyhole view on what Geography looks like in the real world. I think the work can be fantastic when initiative is taken and an independent piece of coursework is embarked upon. Last year, I saw the best piece of work completed here in my entire teaching career that lived up to those hallmarks. In Geography, they are trying to embrace new technologies and new ways of learning as well. Rather than those old adages of the clipboard and a soggy piece of paper, the idea of having so much potential provided by, say, a mobile phone is quite an exciting development in terms of opening up the subject further for those real-world applications.

JAWC The change at A Level makes it very clear that you have to know the course to be able to achieve the marks, it is a subject in which demonstrable comprehension of the learning is crucial to its wider application. Everything can be tested, and it is now tested wholly by terminal examinations. It does put more onus on the student, with each examination

Aspects of both coursework and terminal examination have inevitably been impacted by centre assessed and teacher assessed grading in the last two years, how have those factors been reflected in the classroom?

In some ways there have been aspects that have been beneficial. Those opportunities and, to an extent, requirements for more independent work have highlighted that actually.

If we restrict ourselves down to performance in one setting for a day or a week it can, for so many factors, not be a true reflection of why they are doing an A Level or why we are assessing them in such a way.

There is an aspect from this that could be applied and incorporated into our usual course construction. For instance, this year we had intended to go away to a sand dune complex in northern France. In a group of say fifteen or twenty students across a year group, where before they would have come up with their own titles around that geographical aspect, could there be more opportunity for independence in their choice of subject and area of study? Geography is by its nature an evolving subject and this could well be the beginning of the next cycle.

JAWC

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Cokethorpe conversations Mr Sheer, Director of Co-Curricular, discusses the Programme.

When did you start at Cokethorpe and what was your role?

I joined the School in 2010 as the Housemaster of Gascoigne and a History teacher. I held the Housemaster role for two years before becoming the Head of Sixth Form.

From there I became the Director of Co-Curricular, in so doing establishing a new role.

In many ways that was a statement of intent from the School in 2016; there was a want to tie together different areas of our Co-Curricular programme, to ensure that there was coherence in what we were offering, and to really beef up what that offering was as well. My role has a broad remit, with responsibility for Sport, Music, Drama, Outdoor

meet the school: Mr hole What do you do at the School?

I am the Head Groundsman.

When did you start here?

I joined Cokethorpe in April 2010.

What is your favourite part of the School grounds and why?

I am a big Cricket fan, so it would have to be the First XI Cricket pitch.

My team work tirelessly to ensure that the square is ready for match days, and this area always looks lovely on a sunny summer’s day.

What do you enjoy most about working at Cokethorpe?

We have got beautiful grounds and our aim is to get them looking as good as possible.

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Who are your heroes and why?

My Dad, who died in a work accident six years ago. He was a Groundsman at a local football and cricket club, which led me into the industry, and ultimately to where I am today.

If you could add something to the School grounds, what would it be?

It would be lovely to have irrigation on the First XV Rugby field. This would allow us to maintain a better surface throughout the year.

What is your favourite way to spend a day off?

I play golf in my spare time… not that I have much spare time. My three boys keep me busy!

Education, the AOB programme, trips, and the School calendar, ensuring that the huge range of activities, events and trips, both academic and cocurricular, work seamlessly alongside the regular teaching timetable.

And before Cokethorpe?

This is my third school; prior to Cokethorpe I was Head of History at RGS High Wycombe for four years, before that I started my teaching career at a girls’ grammar school, first as a History teacher before becoming Head of Politics.

Coming closer to home, what is the AOB programme and how does it work?

Perhaps the trickiest element of defining the AOB programme is that it serves so many functions and, with over 160 activities, groups, clubs, sports, and societies per week, it is

one of the areas the School is best known for. At its best, the Programme provides pupils with the chance to try things that they would not ordinarily have an opportunity to do. What it also does is to support other programmes within the School.

Pastorally, for instance, it provides an outlet and a change to the means of expression, whether burning off energy or taking a moment to reflect in a Mindfulness or Yoga AOB. One of the first strategic deliberations I had in the role was around the onus and reach of the AOBs. The change we implemented was to re-write the timetable, with the AOB programme included in slots throughout the week. This had a dramatic impact on engagement. If you take music practice as an example, choir sessions used to take place in lunchtime and attracted only the absolute keenest pupils to participate. By making it part of the timetable, the numbers in the Choir more than doubled overnight.

It is about providing the stimulus and the framework for the pupils to engage positively in what is on offer, and as we know, there is an awful lot to choose from.

It also means that pupils who have an interest in those sports sitting outside of our major Sports programme have an opportunity to do both; they can play their alternative sport as part of the AOB programme, and in some cases represent the School, but they can also stay competitively involved in our main sports. It is a system that benefits everyone, as we are also able to field stronger teams and more of them, and for those pupils further down the School trying one of our minor sports for the first time, we can talent spot and nurture their development for the future.

On the subject of development, how does the AOB programme fit into moulding the Cokethorpean of 18, 25 or 30 years old?

I think there are those schools that present themselves as wholly academic institutions, or with a focus on the Arts, or Sport, or whatever it might be. At Cokethorpe, you will hear about the breadth of the offer. That is not to undermine the academic pursuits of the School by any means - they are of course at the centre of everything - this is more about the rounded educational model and the interplay between all areas.

It might be a cliché but that is what we are about as a School. Whether you are talking about the Leadership Programme, AOBs, Sport or engaging with life in a House, everything you see and hear about Cokethorpe speaks to providing the platform for the rounded individual to find their feet, to blossom, and for a wide range of skills to come to the fore.

The AOB programme inspires creativity, it evokes the spirit of curiosity in trying new things and moving pupils beyond their comfort

zone, and it delivers the opportunity for the practical application of some of those other core traits of the School, such as Leadership. Where the programme is at its best is when the activities are driven by the pupils directly – a prime example of grasping that opportunity to demonstrate leadership – whether they run them or whether they come up with them. Our ‘Build-a-Bike’ AOB, something that gained national press attention, was a completely pupil-led activity.

The tutors and teachers also ensure there is breadth and that a pupil is getting the right balance. If the AOB profile does not match that of an Academic Scholar, then there may be intervention and a suggestion to consider options that will ultimately be more beneficial to their objectives.

This is not to say we are applying limitations on the breadth, but a Biologist might be encouraged to consider Dissection Club over, say, Chess Club. Our desire is that the decision still rests with the pupil – we are looking to lead pupils to the path, it is their responsibility as to whether they go up it. We also encourage

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parents to engage with the process and take an active interest in those choices.

You mentioned the Sports programme earlier, how have things changed there?

Perhaps the biggest change is in the adjustment of mindset; going beyond the win-loss ratios and looking at the quality and competitiveness of the fixture and making sure our players are properly challenged and tested. I would argue that the players’ development is enhanced more readily by taking on a school that presents a true contest than a guaranteed victory.

We have a new Director of Sport in post who joins us from a professional team sports background. What we are looking to from Mr Walshe and his experience from that field is to be reflective and bring a constructive criticism with him; we have a solid foundation in what we do, and we deliver good outcomes, but where do we go to move that from good to excellent? That is what Mr Walshe and his professional playing and coaching background can deliver, and it is a process we should be excited about.

The formal establishment of Outdoor Education is another point of demarcation in recent years. What is the thinking behind the programme and where are we heading with it?

A lot of what now forms the core of the Outdoor Education programme we were already doing and have been offering for some time. Part of my role has been moving those sports out of the shadow of our major Sports programme and shining a light on the good things that are being done there. The purview of the programme actually goes beyond

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what would strictly be defined as Outdoor Education and includes what you might term a ‘country pursuits’ programme – it includes clay pigeon shooting and kayaking, for instance.

A way to distinguish may be to consider a person who is loosely represented as ‘outdoorsy’ but not from a team sports background maybe finding more of interest in an exploration of the Outdoor Education programme than they might in the Sports programme.

Our strategic vision lies in creating an interconnected approach to our

Sport. We are a relatively small school by numbers, how do we ensure that we are consistently punching above our weight in fixtures and competitions? One way is saying to that First XV Rugby player, rather than playing Fourth XI Football in the Lent Term, why not look at an option that benefits your core strength or your coordination? Have you considered representing the School at climbing, providing that added benefit to your wider development on the Rugby field?

The other strategic pathway to ponder is the possible commercial aspect of the facilities and the grounds, considering corporate functions and things of that nature. We are fortunate here that we have space, knowledge, and expertise, meaning that there are lots and lots of relatively straightforward opportunities to benefit from the site without compromising our educational offering. It also feeds into the School making better use of what we have; the golf course is a good example of that. By re-locating the course a

few years ago, we have gone from a facility that was available for perhaps one third of the year, owing to the position of pitches, to one that can be available year-round, which benefits our pupils as well as benefiting possible commercial opportunities.

Looking forwards, you have been working with Mrs Black on the Junior School Activities programme. What can we expect to see there?

Currently, the programme looks to introduce the children to lots of different activities but, by the nature of that, we tend to be scratching the surface. When you consider that we will have the vast majority of the children within the School for a long time, most going through all the way to eighteen, could we be looking to the Junior School Activities programme to provide something a little more meaningful for their ongoing development and to the end product of their endeavours?

If we take Dance as the example, it is something we can offer in School, but could we be delivering more from it for the children by moving it to a professional dance studio in Witney, for example? Equally, can we make an allocation in the day or immediately after it for sessions, whether Dance, Golf, or anything else, that give proper time and focus to match the exertions and the desire to progress. These are some of the areas to which we are currently giving some thought.

Mr Sheer was talking to Mr Griffiths, Head of Marketing.

meet the school: Mr Morrison What do you do at the School?

I am the Head of Junior Sport.

When did you join?

I joined Cokethorpe in April 2021.

What did you do before joining Cokethorpe?

I was the Head of Boys’ Sport and a PE Teacher at Cranford House School.

What are you looking forward to/ enjoying most about your new role?

Nurturing and unlocking the sporting ability of all pupils and creating more opportunities for everyone to flourish.

Are there any changes in store for the Junior School Sports programme?

The frequency and variety of Sport in the curriculum and Junior School Activities programme, and more alignment with the Senior School Sport.

Tell us something we may not know about you?

I trained with England Rugby back in 2017 at Twickenham in front of 15,000 fans.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

I enjoy playing loads of sport and general physical activity, and spending time with family.

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cokethorpe creativity Mrs Brown, Head of Design Technology, explains the pupils’ work with Computer Aided Design software.

In Design and Engineering, drawing boards have long since disappeared, replaced by Computer Aided Design (CAD).

CAD provides designers and engineers with a wealth of possibilities, from 3D animated simulations to stress analysis.

CAD is also used to control machinery – Computer Aided Manufacture. In the Design and Technology Department, we currently use Solidworks, a powerful CAD programme used in industry, enabling our pupils to not only develop solutions with accuracy but also create instant technical drawings.

Lucas Bennett (Fifth Form, Queen Anne)

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It is also possible to try out different renders for aesthetics, work out costings for alternative material choices, and allows them to use the CAM equipment in the workshop; this includes the laser cutters, milling machine and 3D rapid prototyping machines.

Below and right are some examples of work creating outdoor lighting from the Fifth Form.

Sam Sydenham (Fifth Form, Swift)

Rob Hoult (Fifth Form, Gascoigne)

Lockdown Art

Spaceman

By Leo Volynski (Fifth Form, Harcourt) Royal Academy Young Artist’s Show The Art Award Holders, Third Form Photography AOB and the Outdoor Media Filmmakers have been working hard to produce entries for this year’s Royal Academy Young Artist’s Summer Show. The pupils’ ideas were developed during lockdown and have now been completed back at School.

Two examples of the work produced are above and below.

Eliza’s Lockdown Mood

By Maddie Abbs-Woodd (Fifth Form, Gascoigne)

By Amelie Boyle (First Form, Harcourt) Inter-House Film Competition

The Animation Workshop

This year saw the launch of the Inter-House Film Competition.

Houses were given the theme of their House colour and Prefects launched the competition in House assemblies.

A wide variety of genres and styles were submitted. Harcourt came a close second with a film reflective of School life but the winning entry for the inaugural competition was Queen Anne. Lily Yang’s (Fourth Form, Queen Anne) film Green showed excellent skill in using digitally drawn animations, illustrating the awakening of friendship.

On Tuesday 9 February, the Junior School hosted their first Learning Symposium; a day away from their usual timetable in which the children chose from a menu of lectures and workshops around the theme of ‘Movement and Adventure’. As part of the day, the pupils worked with Head of Art, Ms Williams to produce ‘Stop Frame Animations’. After a demonstration, the pupils then used Lego, patience, steady hands, and lots of imagination to create their own animated adventures.

You can watch Lily’s film on the School’s YouTube channel, or by clicking on the image above in the digital edition.

You can watch a compilation of the children’s work on the School’s YouTube channel, or by clicking on the image above in the digital edition.

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the sporting connection There are other benefits, such as behaviour in the classroom. I strongly believe Sport and PE teaches pupils resilience by enabling them to develop skills, and allowing them to learn from the mistakes made rather than being afraid of them. As teachers, we try to instil a pride in what they do and encourage inclusion in all activities and tasks. This gives pupils the confidence to participate in a variety of activities that they may not normally be comfortable or confident in. We try to promote the ethic of learning from your mistakes, and the importance of grit and determination.

Whether the Joe Wicks phenomenon or the cessation of sports fixtures, from recreational to professional, the pandemic has put sport and healthy living firmly into the public’s focus. Miss Woodcock, Head of PE and Housemistress of Harcourt, discusses the relationship between sport, healthy living and academic success.

What are the benefits of exercise to academic studies?

The benefits of exercise to academic studies are well documented. The link between exercise and cognitive skills, such as concentration and attention has been widely documented. It was recently stated that a change in activity, partnered with an increase in the blood flow to the brain can aid children with focus and help to maintain motivation.

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The other obvious benefit of exercise is staying healthy and fit. This does not just mean participating in sport and being physically fit, but making sure children are healthy socially, mentally, and physically. Exercise also aids with regulating your body and improving sleep patterns which allows our pupils to be as productive as possible during the school day.

How do you teach diet and nutrition? Does this form part of the academic subject?

This is taught from the Third Form to Upper Sixth. Pupils learn macro and micro nutrients and what constitutes a healthy or unhealthy diet. Pupils are encouraged to think about nutrition and identify healthy and unhealthy eating habits for themselves rather than being given this information.

As we approach A Level, we start to study elite athletes and learn how they use diet and nutrition to enable them to compete at the highest levels of sport. We teach students about repairing muscles, improving muscle mass and different components of

fitness that allow performers to reach and maintain the high-performance levels they do.

We also study the nutritional needs of a wide variety of different sports and disciplines – from swimmers to ice skaters, rugby players to equestrian.

The physical requirements will be different for each discipline and will therefore require a different diet, which is important for our students to identify and also appreciate.

Are there translatable traits from the sports field to the classroom?

There are many. The world is made up of a variety of personalities and it is important our students understand how this may impact productivity in training and towards peak performance, such as extroverts and introverts working collaboratively together. Pupils are given the ability to play both individually and as a team, and as a Department, we try to reinforce the idea that both the sports field and classroom are safe places to get things wrong. We want to build pupils confidence and let them feel that they can make mistakes without feeling self-conscious.

We also pride ourselves in developing and creating role models and leadership is a very significant and translatable trait within the subject.

Our teaching links very closely to the School’s leadership traits and, as we cover different modules, we constantly reflect and promote these.

We are extremely proud of all our Sports Award Holders who are seen as an extension of our Department.

These students lead AOBs when they can and are encouraged to get involved with the sporting careers of

our younger athletes. When they are in their sports kit, they are not only representing the School externally but also internally as role models for the younger children in our community.

Loyalty, pride and commitment are fundamental qualities that are formed on the sports field. Taking your drive and passion into a team, into a sport and using that to motivate others to participate or simply raise the profile of that particular sport. Not all of our Sports Award Holders are in the ‘core sports’, we have a diverse range of sporting interests across the School.

How about the interplay between Physical Education and other academic subjects?

As the PE syllabus has grown, the subject is now seen as an extension of the Sciences. It is taken more seriously due to the extensive content that we now cover; we are not only PE teachers but biologists, delivering physiology and the anatomy of the body, psychologists, looking

at memory, learning theories and other factors that make elite athletes, physicians, studying projectile motion and fluid mechanics, researchers and historians. The content is always evolving, new studies and ideas keep us on our toes and it is an exciting subject to be a part of, it is constantly changing and developing.

How has the pandemic affected sport at Cokethorpe?

It has been extremely restrictive in terms of access and space. We have also had to reduce the numbers of pupils in sessions while in School and due to the year group bubbles we have not been able to mix age groups in sport either. However, there are a great deal of positives that have come out of the lockdown.

The PE Department have remained committed to providing PE lessons online and creating initiatives to keep pupils active.

Anything else to add?

The numbers of pupils at GCSE and students at A Level are only ever increasing. I think this is due in part to the popularity of the subject itself, but also the creative and imaginative ways in which it is taught. There is so much passion for the subject from the staff in my Department. I feel we all go above and beyond, we really do want our students to do the best they can and feel the same passion for the subject that we as teaching staff do.

We are also extremely proud that some of our students have gone on to study Sports related degrees, such as Sport and Exercise Science at some of the best universities in the country. Recently, students have gone to Loughborough, Bath and Exeter and some have secured contracts in a variety of sports such as Rugby and Netball. Many of our students stay in contact and it makes us very proud of what they have achieved.

trek to Tokyo As lockdown has hindered the completion of many House Sports competitions this year, the PE Department challenged pupils and staff to ‘Trek to Tokyo’. Pupils were able to log their runs, cycle rides, swims, treks on ponies, and walks and submit their distances to Miss Woodcock to contribute to an overall House total.

Each week, the Houses were updated on the total distance covered, creating a great remote competition and, once we returned to School, many Housemasters used their House Assembly to add to their total, keeping the competition alive. There were some fabulous and impressive submissions proving that the House spirit is as strong as ever. It was an extremely close competition which saw Harcourt and Swift tussle for top spot, but it was Swift that travelled the furthest as the School, with staff support, reached Tokyo after six weeks of hard work.

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creating spaces at cokethorpe In keeping with the School’s strategic objectives, work has begun on an ambitious development project that will neatly deliver progression to nearly every area of the School’s physical environment. In the first stage, the School is constructing a new, purpose-built changing room facility, with space for 220 pupils, a medical room and departmental office, and a design in keeping with the natural environs.

‘We are blessed with fantastic grounds and Sports facilities at Cokethorpe but investing for the future is hugely important. The new Changing Pavilion will give us a resource that will deliver tangible benefits for the new school year and beyond; it will be a great addition’, writes Mr Sheer, Director of Co-Curricular.

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Although bringing significant benefit in its own right, the construction of the Changing Pavilion marks the starting point for a series of transformational developments that will re-shape the School to best serve our pupils. With the Changing Pavilion’s completion, attention will turn to the subsequent phases, at the heart of which will be the creation of a state-of-the-art Science Building, providing ten laboratories and additional spaces for learning and scientific endeavour.

This will pave the way for the Junior School to take residence amidst the academic hub of the School, and alongside their Outdoor Learning spaces, in a rejuvenated Vanbrugh Building. In turn, the Arts will move to a new collective home in the Mansion House, with the wood-panelled spaces

offering fitting acoustical benefits to match the visually inspiring surrounds of their new quarters.

The Headmaster, Mr Ettinger adds, ‘the development projects will embody in physical form the aspirational and transformative intents of the School’s strategic vision. To ensure the security of our intentions, I am delighted to announce that we have begun the search for the School’s first Development Director to found and lead Cokethorpe’s Development function.

‘We as a School and as a community are entering an exciting period of growth and I look forward enormously to sharing the School-wide advantages these plans will bring with you all.’

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As part of the ongoing masterplan to enhance and enrich the educational and sporting facilities of the School, ADP have designed a new Pavilion to centralise all sports changing rooms so they are easily accessible from the courts, pitches and greens. The new building will enable the relocation of existing changing facilities, thereby unlocking a prime site at the heart of the School for the future Science Building.

The Pavilion has been designed to respond to the surrounding landscape, with timber cladding and a green roof. The elegant form has a simple oversailing roof which opens out to the parkland setting.

It is designed to minimise its impact on the School’s historic context, whilst meeting the latest environmental standards.

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Ben Russell Project Architect, ADP

Bidwells are delighted to be supporting Cokethorpe School with the Changing Pavilion development.

The project is the first phase of a wider masterplan that will greatly improve the already fantastic teaching and learning facilities the School offers its pupils.

The Changing Pavilion will not only offer enhanced facilities via its ten separate changing rooms but also

demonstrates the School’s drive for sustainability. The building will utilise a timber frame, something that drastically reduces the building’s embodied carbon, as well as a green roof, offering benefits to the local wildlife.

appoint a leading national contractor to carry out the construction. The whole Bidwells team is extremely excited to see the works progressing on site, and look forward to overseeing the successful completion of the building later in the year.

It has been a pleasure to work with the School to date, successfully collaborating to complete the design, secure planning permission and

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academic showcase Second Form Poetry The Joy of Life (Inspired by Edip Cansever’s Table) A girl, consumed with the joy of living Put her pens on the table, Put books of stories there.

She put bread and water there And then the light of dawn.

Sounds of footsteps but also Sounds of a sewing machine.

The joy of food she put there.

On the table the girl put Things that happened in her mind.

Her hopes and dreams for life, She put them there.

Those she looked up to.

And those she didn’t, The girl put them all on the table too.

Four times three make twelve, She put twelve on the table.

Up to the moon The girl put warmth on the table.

Now that’s what I call a table!

It didn’t complain about the load It wobbled and then stood firm.

She kept piling things on.

Emma Campbell (Second Form, Vanbrugh)

British Science Week Innovation for the future First to Fifth Form pupils were tasked with writing an essay during British Science Week. The theme for the writing competition was Innovation for the Future and the pupils were asked to ‘explain what innovation in science and technology you believe has had the most profound effect on humankind’. The winner of the competition was Claudia Woods-Cano (Fifth Form, Swift).

The competition was adjudicated by Director of Studies, Mr Uglow: ‘This essay included some interesting reflections on the potential challenges posed by AI. I felt that the author had engaged with the question well and had developed some interesting and well-researched ideas. Obviously, given the word restriction, they could barely scratch the surface – but there was a willingness to engage with philosophical ideas as well as simply the impact AI would have on day-to-day life.’

An excerpt from the winning essay is below. To read the full essay, please visit the School website.

AI: the innovation that could make or break society as we know it.

Inspirational Reads: Stories of Lockdown

By Amelie Boyle (First Form, Harcourt)

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AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is intelligence displayed by machines, not a natural organism like a human, or a cat. AI has been a prevalent topic in the media for years, ranging from the newest scientific discoveries to the post-apocalyptic landscapes of popular Hollywood movies like

The Matrix or Terminator. However, as this goal becomes more and more achievable in the eyes of modern science, so do the consequences.

There is no doubt that the age of robotics will be a world-altering change to that which we are used to.

However, it is impossible to know if it will be overly positive or negative.

The type of AI most seen in movies is those that mimic humans in their appearance. Examples include TV shows like Eve, and even real-life examples like possibly the most famous real robot, Sophia. At the moment, AI with intentionally human characteristics does not quite look like us, and can end up appearing quite disturbing. This is due to a phenomenon called ’uncanny valley’, suggested by Masahiro Mori. The uncanny valley is a phenomenon in which the likeability of a robot is dependent on how human they look.

For better or for worse, science will move forwards in the research of technology, and robotics will surely advance. No one can be truly sure what the consequences will be, but major changes will happen sooner than we may at first believe, and a real change in the world as we know it – akin to the Industrial Revolution, is upon us. The question is just how ready we are to face it.

Extended Projects Excerpts from the Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ).

‘To what extent has reduction in government funding of the Royal Navy impacted the economy of Portsmouth and its harbour?’

Tom Potter (Upper Sixth, Harcourt) It was not until April 1926 when Portsmouth was given city status by King George V. It was this point where Britain was at its height in terms of Empire size where Portsmouth played a key role in terms of being a port to what was then the largest fleet in the world. During the Second World War, Portsmouth underwent bombardment known as the ‘Portsmouth Blitz’ during 1941 which led to German aircraft dropping 140 tons worth of bombs on the city as regularly as almost every four weeks, causing notable damage to the dockyard as well as severely damaging the Guildhall. However, gone are the days where ‘Britannia rules the waves.’ Plans were made by then Defence Secretary, John Nott, in 1981 to close the Dockyard altogether but after campaigns by the city, it remained open but downgraded

Credit: photo by Mattbuck, UK Defence Journal

from ‘dockyard’ to ‘naval base’ status.

This proves that whilst the Falklands War perhaps marks the last moment of pomp for the Royal Navy (and by association Portsmouth) the reality is that the rot had already set in well before this.

‘To what extent is Thomas Hobbes’ view of natural anarchy accurate?’

Lauren Thomas (Upper Sixth, Queen Anne) Locke also outlines when it would be acceptable to break the social contract with a government. He argued that once a group in power ceases to preserve the life, property, freedom and well being of the people, that they are justified in refusing to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the government, because the covenant between the people and the governing body has been broken.

If tyranny is born from the executive power of a governing body, then they have returned themselves to a State of Nature, and therefore forced the people to declare a State of War against the corrupted government, thereby allowing them the same measures of self defence permitted

Credit: Image reference: RS-9550, The Royal Society

before the creation of society. Once a government or leader ceases to act in protection or in the interest of the people, or a king becomes tyrannical, then they no longer uphold their side of the social agreement, misusing their executive power over the majority. In this scenario, Locke believed that one has the justification, if not a duty, to refuse to obey the authority of such an imbalanced governance; he believed the individual social contract in question should be disassembled and political society rebuilt from a clean slate.

‘How do the texts Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf differ in the portrayal of masculinity?‘ Elen Moore (Upper Sixth, Queen Anne) The chivalric romance of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, dated around the 14th century, pales in masculine comparison to Beowulf, the earliest European vernacular epic from between 700AD to 1000AD, circulating around the perils and intrepidness of the eponymous hero Beowulf. Gawain conversely sustains his masculine identity throughout his conflicting battle between his sexual desires, and

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his aspiration to be chivalrous and faithful to the castle’s lord. This intense contrast between the medieval, valiant Beowulf and the more feminine, yet still dauntless Gawain demonstrates the evolution of the ideal masculine hero, both through a journey and conquest of sorts. To explore the meaning of both texts, both presumed to have been composed by a single poet, it is necessary to conduct research through multiple translations.

The understanding of ancient literature varies wholly by the thoughts and opinions of the translator, with the single existing manuscript of both texts inspiring entirely different versions of the same story. What is clear from all translations of both texts, however, is the importance of masculinity, and that its’ role, influenced by different historical and cultural influences, differs between the two texts.

Credit: Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, 1910 Historia/Shutterstock.com

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Wild Writing Day On Tuesday 2 March, the inspiring author and award-winning filmmaker, Matt Dickinson, joined the Junior School for Cokethorpe’s World Book Day. The children took part in tailor-made writing activities throughout the day, culminating in a writing competition which Mr Dickinson judged.

The ‘Wild Writing Day’ consisted of three live sessions; the first of which was for Years 3 and 4 entitled ‘Everest Speaks!’ It began with a presentation from Matt, followed by an introduction to his letter writing competition, producing letters from Everest. The Pre-Prep learnt about ‘Icy Animals Close-Up’, this session began with a presentation on Antarctica exploring the ice as humans, then looking at the type of animals which inhabit cold climates. The writing competition for the Pre-Prep was to write a letter from the perspective of a penguin or polar bear asking for care of their environment. Both of these groups also heard extracts from Matt’s book Popcorn Eating Squirrels Go Nuts on Everest.

Harriet Oldham (Reception Class, Gwyn) Writing Competition Winner

The final live session of the day was for Years 5 and 6 on ‘Travel Journalism and Filmmaking in the Harshest Environments’. Their presentation included discussions on photographic equipment and how it is affected by the cold, filming in bright lights and filming in dangerous places. Matt also included extracts from his Everest fiction series and discussions on tropical climates. Years 5 and 6 were given the same writing competition as Years 3 and 4, but advised on how to use descriptive writing to describe harsh environments and how to describe temperature through behaviour and body language.

The children all thoroughly enjoyed these creative writing sessions, and look forward to hearing the outcome of the fruits of their labour!

The competition winners were: Harriet Oldham (Reception Class, Gwyn) Eloise Young-Gale (Year 1, Symonds) Mia Beechey (Year 4, Symonds) Darcy Atkinson (Year 5, Baker) Katy Stiger (Year 6, Lockwood)

Take One Picture The National Gallery run an annual event for primary schools across the country. One picture is selected from their art collection with the aim of inspiring cross-curricular work for primary aged children, instilling a lifelong appreciation of art and love of learning.

Juno Bayes (Year 3, Symonds)

For this year’s ‘Take One Picture’ event at Cokethorpe, the whole of the Junior School looked at the painting Paris Through the Window by the Russian artist, Marc Chagall. The painting was a great inspiration and a fantastic starting point for many activities, focusing on themes such as dreams, love, colour and, of course, Paris, and the artists who lived there in the 1920s. The children produced paintings, drawings, collages and

mosaics inspired by this painting, as well as the work of the artists at this time. In Music lessons, Russian songs were sung, in RE lessons, traditional Jewish weddings were re-enacted, and in English lessons, the children composed very creative written pieces and poems.

Here are some examples of the fantastic work produced by the Junior School.

Bella Clarke (Year 6, Lockwood)

Monty Scott (Year 3, Symonds) Benjamin Morgan (Year 3, Gwyn) Xander Luckett (Year 6, Gwyn)

Luella Hickey (Year 6, Symonds)

James Miller (Year 1, Symonds)

Imogen Jones (Year 3, Baker)

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Fuelling endeavour

Miss Sheldon is the School’s General Services Manager, and has worked at Cokethorpe for the past nine years, whilst Mr Stone is the Chef Manager and joined the School in 2017. Here, they are talking with Mrs Williams about keeping the School well nourished and energised each day.

What part does nutrition form in choosing and creating a menu?

We balance the nutrition of the menu both over the course of every day, and over the week as a whole. All meals will have a portion of protein, so meat, fish or a vegetarian substitute. Each meal will also contain a mixture of carbohydrates and vegetables. We use lots of fresh produce; the majority of food is freshly prepared using raw ingredients, and not processed.

We use limited sugar and salt, and increase the flavours using spices and herbs. We do lots of batch cooking, and keeping the food fresh and hot forms a large part of the menu planning. We ensure vegetables are not overcooked to maximise the nutrients in our ingredients. It is also an important part of creating the

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menu to ensure that individual allergy requirements are met. Those pupils will have a separate menu, but we always try to make the dish similar so no-one would feel singled out for their allergy - (ie replacing cream with coconut milk if they have a dairy allergy).

sport we use more carbohydrates, and after sport we use more proteins to help the body to recover. The aim is to balance the food so that pupils have carbs before exercise which maximise the body’s ability to fuel exercise.

Protein after exercise helps the body to recover and muscles to heal.

How do you go about planning the menu for events?

When planning the menu for events, we first meet with the organisers to find out what their requirements are.

We cater for all the School community functions, working alongside the CPFA as well as organising the catering for external fundraising events. A lot of planning goes in to preparing for an event, including menu ideas and the location of the event. It is imperative that the correct storage and delivery of the food is safe and all the correct measures are in place.

What changes have you had to make to catering in the School due to COVID? We have had to feed pupils in their year group bubbles so service has changed quite a lot. We also have to serve more food directly, in order to prevent staff and pupils from touching utensils, etc. Food has all been pre-portioned, and desserts are all individually wrapped.

How do you adjust the menu before and after sport?

It is essential to make sure pupils have plenty of water to replenish their fluids, and we also provide lots of fruit. Before pupils participate in

We have now made the change to use reusable plastic; although the plastic we were previously using was compostable, it was not reusable, so this is a positive change to limit our waste that has inevitably increased following some of the changes that COVID have caused.

meet the school: Mr Walshe What do you do at the School?

I joined Cokethorpe at the start of the Summer Term as Director of Sport.

What did you do before joining Cokethorpe?

My background has always been in Rugby. I started my playing career at Harlequins, with Bath my last senior club in 2008, whilst I also captained the England A Team and played for my country along the way. I have been coaching since, including winning back-to-back Junior World Cups as Head Coach with the England U20s.

Was it a coincidence that you applied to work at Cokethorpe having worked alongside Henry Purdy (OC 2012, Queen Anne) whilst coaching at Gloucester?

It was just a coincidence, although I did talk to Henry about his experiences at Cokethorpe before I applied for the role. He told me what a great school it was, and that he had loved every minute of being here.

What are your ambitions and visions for the future?

I could sit here and say I want to be the best School at sport in the area or in Oxfordshire, but these are outcome goals. I need to make sure that we get the most out of the pupils, the staff and the facilities. The good thing about employing someone like myself as the Director of Sport, is that I have no preconceived ideas about working in a School. My priority is getting everyone focused and enthused, then of course I want our sports to be the best in the area.

You can read the full interview with Mr Walshe on the School website.

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the view from the top

Head of School, Sam Carter (Upper Sixth, Queen Anne) and Deputies Poppy Wehrle (Upper Sixth, Queen Anne) and Alice Woodwards (Upper Sixth, Swift) consider how their expectation of the roles have measured up to reality in changed circumstances.

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How did you feel when you found out you had been appointed in your respective roles?

I was very honoured to be given the role, it meant a huge amount to me.

It was definitely a little daunting, certainly the public speaking made me at least a tad nervous, but I was keen to take on the responsibility. The previous Heads of School were huge inspirations in terms of making the most of Cokethorpe’s opportunities, so I was extremely pleased to adopt the role.

SC

I felt so privileged to have been given this role and proud to have been recognised amongst my peers.

AW To be honest, I couldn’t quite believe it and probably didn’t come across well to Mr Ettinger and Mr Stevens when they told me because I didn’t know what to say!

PW What have been your main responsibilities?

This year has been odd in terms of responsibilities for all Prefects. Many of the normal responsibilities would involve the mixing of year groups helping run House events; doing duty in the Dining Hall, etc. - which could not happen with the bubbles system.

My role has mostly been around public speaking and giving input on

matters around the School during the Prefects’ meeting with Mr Stevens.

SC We have read the prayer in Headmaster’s Assembly, and been a part of some important meetings concerning School life with Mr Ettinger. I think it is important for the younger years to have other pupils to look up to, and it is important to take the role of setting an example seriously.

AW What has changed since being back on site?

I realised I definitely took being at School in person for granted, having lessons in person is definitely a better learning experience, made even better by additions made over lockdown, such as integrating OneNote and

Teams, which I have definitely appreciated.

It is also very nice to be back with the community and back in the School atmosphere.

SC Apart from being in bubbles and wearing masks, School still has the same positive atmosphere, and it is clear that everyone is glad to be back on site. We all seem more grateful for everything the School has to offer.

PW Over the course of my time at School, what I have always loved the most is those occasions when all year groups come together for House events or School competitions, for example Sports Day, House Music or even just House Assembly! Whilst the School have done a tremendous amount to try and at continuing this, it obviously cannot be exactly as it was for the time being - I hope it will return soon for the pupils in the younger age groups!

AW How do you feel the School has handled the pandemic?

The School has definitely handled the impact of the pandemic well in my opinion. I feel like they have implemented regulations to keep us safe smoothly and effectively, and I have felt like the School has been there to support us through what has been, for many, a difficult time.

SC Even before the first lockdown, it was clear that everyone was doing everything they could to ensure that things would run as smoothly as possible, and online learning, although not ideal, was definitely a success. The Cokethorpe community

seemed stronger than ever, and the little things, such as the biscuits sent to the Sixth Form when we were self isolating, were hugely appreciated.

PW

I have learnt is how to use computers and how to remain calm and composed when they are not working properly.

PW

I believe it has been handled exceptionally well. The switch to online lessons was brilliantly organised and they remained engaging. The Staff felt extra supportive, reaching out more, offering extra support or even just calling for a catch up!

The School has kept students and teachers safe thanks to what felt like excellent procedures being put in place.

Would you recommend the position of Head or Deputy Head of School to your peers?

I would definitely recommend the position. The responsibilities have taught me a lot, and, even though this year has perhaps been a bit of an unorthodox one for many reasons, being Head of School was nonetheless a definite highlight, and is something I will never forget.

SC

I was saddened that we would lose out on having the Sixth Form experience in full, but the School has made the effort to try and keep it as close to normal as possible.

AW

Definitely! It is a great way to give something back to the School and I hope that we have still managed this, albeit in a smaller way than we might have been able to in a normal year.

PW

What has your experience as Head and Deputy Heads of School taught you?

My experience has taught to be a lot more confident in public speaking, something which I had very little experience of outside of Drama. I also feel like it has made me more confident generally: I feel much more able to express my thoughts in a coherent way.

SC

Yes, definitely, even with the limited experiences we have had to make the roles our own this year, I would recommend the role. Especially when you consider how much more there will be on offer for future Heads and Deputy Heads of School, once the pandemic and the virus have less of an impact - there will be lots of opportunities to grasp!

AW

For me, I think it has given me more communication skills and, even in the unusual circumstances, the chance to taken on more responsibility.

AW A recurring theme of my experience is technology issues when trying to speak over Teams in Assembly (it only ever seems to happen to me!). So I would probably say the biggest thing

Sam Carter, Poppy Wehrle and Alice Woodwards were talking to Mrs Williams, Communications Officer.

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school news a journey through laughter and heartbreak.

Inter-House Drama The first rounds of this year’s Inter-House Drama competition were run remotely during lockdown.

Two volunteers from each House performed a monologue of their choice for the judging panel.

Jamie was subtle yet emotionally powerful as Jim from Chat Room who recollects the day he was abandoned by his father at the zoo and Lily rounded off proceedings with her dynamic and hilarious interpretation of Doreen from A Talk in the Park sharing her thoughts on dogs, the police and people in general.

The high standard meant the scores were very tight with Vanbrugh and Harcourt clinching joint third place.

The top two Houses then battled it out in the final which we were able to film when we returned to School two weeks later. Tom Orton (Lower Sixth, Swift) and Alice Woodwards (Upper Sixth, Swift) represented Swift while Lily Cannell (Fourth Form, Queen Anne) and Jamie Wehrle (Fifth Form, Queen Anne) stepped forward for Queen Anne.

The judge was professional actress and co-founder of ERA 50:50 Polly Kemp, whose vast and varied career includes Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Thick of It, EastEnders and This Time with Alan Partridge. She gave each performer detailed, personal feedback and spoke to the whole School community about the vital life skills Drama develops. There was a special prize for the best runnerup performer Ella Cripps (Fifth Form, Harcourt) for her portrayal of Donna from Taking Care of Baby, and the overall winners were Jamie and Lily for Queen Anne.

Tom gave an excellent, intense portrayal of Gus from Electricity, disclosing his fears about his heart complaint while Alice’s tragi-comic performance of Jill from Goodbye Charles, a woman desperate not be divorced took the audience on

Movement and Adventure On Tuesday 9 February, the Junior School held a Symposium Day exploring the theme of ‘Movement and Adventure’.

The children were joined in their morning assembly by Adrian Hayes a British explorer and adventurer. He spoke about some of his adventures and said ‘Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever’.

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He also gave the children three points to take away with them: 1. Write down your goals 2. Get into nature 3. Believe in yourself, be passionate and work hard to achieve your goals.

The children went on to enjoy a day filled with activities, including: Stop Motion Animation (see Page 9); mega maps; climbing-making knots; bird

feeders; French facts for creative minds; 1-2-3 Go Science; dancing; recorder playing; puzzle rooms; and making a maze.

After four weeks of online lessons, the day gave the children an opportunity to think a bit differently about learning. The different activities gave the children the chance to try something new and work with different people, year groups and teachers.

Holocaust Memorial Day On Wednesday 27 January, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Fifth Form pupils and a small number of Third Form pupils and Sixth Form students attended a talk online by Kenneth Appel about his life as a Jewish boy growing up in Nazi Germany.

We are very grateful to Mr Appel for his time, giving our pupils a very moving account of his life and escape from the Nazis on one of the final Kindertransports out of Germany.

His positivity after having suffered so much was enormously inspiring, as was his main message, promoting the importance of tolerance within society.

Millionaire Readers Club As part of the Cokethorpe Diploma, the First and Second Form have been taking part in the Accelerated Reader Programme. This allows pupils to record the books they have read for pleasure in their spare time, and awards them points for complexity and number of words read. Our most avid readers this year have become ‘Word Millionaires’ and special recognition goes to the following pupils, Ella Sharp (First Form, Vanbrugh), Sophie Sharp (First Form, Vanbrugh), Ella Hogeboom (First Form, Swift), Alex McGibbon (Second Form, Harcourt), Tijn Camoenié (Second Form, Harcourt), and Zach Wheeler (Second Form, Harcourt).

A Buzz at the Spelling Bee Pupils in the First Form were challenged with learning up to 150 words in Spanish or French for a Modern Foreign Languages Spelling Bee. Following two rounds internally (a class round and a year group round) in which all the First Form participants made a sterling effort to learn as many of the 150 words as they could.

The final round took place at the end of the Lent Term. Congratulations to Ella Hogeboom (First Form, Swift), Amelia Palmer (First Form, Feilden), Ella Sharp (First Form, Vanbrugh) and Chloe Wetherall (First Form, Swift) who have all gone through to the regional finals at the end of the Summer Term.

Chocolate Calculations Just before the Easter holiday, the children from the Pre-Prep were treated to a numbers lesson with a difference. They were presented with a range of problems to solve, with each one leading them closer to an Easter egg.

The children thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and worked together as a team to solve the problems and look for the answers. After some testing mental calculations and lots of hunting, they were rewarded with a very egg-citing Easter treat.

Mrs Brash

Yarn Bombing - Community Art This term, the Headmaster’s Plinth exhibit is a vibrant community art project. Pupils, staff, parents, and friends of Cokethorpe knitted and crocheted vibrantly coloured squares. These were then sewn together to create a joyful wool installation (#yarnbombing) that spilled over onto some of the trees. Special thanks go to Mrs Scaysbrook, Mrs Kenworthy, and Ms Dawes for helping Ms Williams sew together the squares and for their own beautifully knitted contributions.

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Themed Lockdown Days During Remote Learning the Pre-Prep teachers decided to hold two enjoyable themed days for the children to meet together virtually.

The first day was a Superhero Day where the Pre-Prep children, their teachers and helpers all dressed up as an assortment of Superheroes.

The children then went on to choose an Outdoor Learning activity to complete with their families, or a superhero workout!

We wanted the children to feel proud of themselves and recognise themselves as heroes, as they had all adapted so well to the challenges they faced when attending lessons online. We also discussed real life superheroes such as the NHS workers.

The second of the themed days was a space themed day called ‘Out of this World Day’.

Countdown to the Final The spirit of Inter-House competition was kept alive once again during the most recent lockdown in the UK. Those competitions took many forms, some, such as the Trek to Tokyo, tested the Houses in a physical capacity, whilst others warmed the neural pathways and tested the temporal lobes. The Inter-House Countdown Challenge was one such brain-teasing competition.

The children and staff had the chance to dress up as aliens, stars and space characters.

The Year 1 activities included describing their superhero and his/ her powers. They also turned wooden spoons into superhero puppets.

In Art, they made masks and drew backgrounds for their wooden spoon characters. In French, they enjoyed labelling the body parts of their superheroes.

In addition to the usual lessons, the children had a fabulous Lego Workshop led by our Gap Year students, where they had timed challenges, such as building vehicles, and houses for the superheroes.

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Split into two initial Heats of three Houses, and followed by a head-tohead Grand Final between the Heat winners, the format of the competition mirrored the style of the popular daytime television show.

In the first Heat, teams representing Feilden, Gascoigne, and Vanbrugh faced off, recording scores of 34, 37, and 43 respectively, with Vanbrugh thus progressing to the Final.

In English, the children had to design and describe their own alien. We were grateful to Dee Biles (Fourth Form, Gascoigne) for the lovely craft activity she created. She recorded a YouTube video with instructions on how to make an alien.

In the second Heat, another close contest saw Swift progress on 53 points, to Harcourt’s 42 and Queen Anne’s 45.

An enthralling Grand Final had Vanbrugh surging to an early lead though Swift stayed in the match and brought it back in the second half of the contest before solidifying the win 50-38 on the Conundrum.

Midweek Medleys Early on in the Easter 2021 Lockdown, the ‘Midweek Medley’ was launched; a weekly opportunity for Sixth Form students to come together, online, for a variety of talks and activities.

Two particular highlights were talks given by Hollywood Film Composer, David Buckley, and author and filmmaker, Chris Atkins. Mr Buckley talked through the process of putting music to film, with live examples from the piano and excerpts from the latest film on which he is working.

Paddle Power Our Kayaking programme has been going from strength to strength, despite the challenges we have faced with school closures, flooding of the Thames and some inclement weather.

Our pupils have been learning the foundation skills of paddle sport in our more stable Canadian canoes, journeying on the water, as well as learning about safe practice when travelling on the waterways.

Since the reopening of School in April, the Midweek Medley programme has taken a new turn: each week a selection of Sixth Form volunteers present on a subject of their choice, broadcast to the rest of the School via Teams. Subjects have included: Period Costumes, Collecting Rare Books, Working on Farms, Skateboards, Poison, Upcycling, Gliding, Ice Hockey, and Benign Violation Theory.

Mr Tolputt, Head of Sixth Form

On Friday 12 March, over 40 teams entered the first Virtual CPFA Family Quiz. The very talented quiz master (and Maths Teacher) Mr Bosse not only ran the event but also wrote all of the questions for the quiz.

The quiz began with a ‘Dingbats’ picture round, followed by a ‘Back to School’ round (based on a mix of school subjects, including some on Cokethorpe). This was followed by ‘sports’, ‘film and TV’ and finally a ‘music’ round.

Mr Atkins, who, in 2016, was given a five year custodial sentence for tax fraud in relation to funding for his documentary film Starsuckers, spoke about his experience in HMP Wandsworth, and reflected upon the state of the UK prison system.

By Chris Atkins - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94015592

The Last Virtual Quiz?

The pupils have made fantastic progress and in the last few weeks of term have progressed to being able to paddle our brand-new fleet of general-purpose kayaks, transferring their learning to the double blade, single person kayak. This fantastic work by our pupils, and supportive coaching from Mr Del Rio, has built a brilliant foundation for us to begin kayaking in our Marathon racing kayaks soon.

Miss Brigham, Head of Outdoor Education

The event was won by the Taylor Family who were presented with wine and Easter eggs as their prize.

Although the event was a little different in format to the annual CPFA Quiz, which is traditionally held in the Dining Hall complete with fish and chip supper, great fun was still had by all who attended.

The CPFA would like to thank Mr Bosse for providing the questions and compering, and to Mr Griffiths and Mr Ladell-Stuart for their help in organising the set-up of the quiz through Microsoft Teams.

Despite having a thoroughly enjoyable time, we are hopeful that the next CPFA event can be held in the grounds of our lovely School rather than another virtual event!

Mrs Priestley-Smith, Chair of the CPFA

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Survival in Enlightenment The Enlightenment Lectures in the Lent Term continued the theme of ‘How to Survive’. The monthly talks were provided by Amy Turner (OC 2012, Swift) who drew on her experience as a four-time British gold-winning kayaker to discuss ‘How to Survive and Thrive’, Professor Dawn Archer intrigued the Sixth Form on the subject of ‘How to Survive Liars’, whilst Dr Mary Miller spoke on the topic of ‘How to Survive Death’.

‘On Friday 29 January, we heard an excellent talk entitled ‘How to Survive and Thrive’ from Old Cokethorpean, Amy Turner.

She spoke about the importance of thriving, of being proactive rather than just reactive. She talked about the importance of planning for unfortunate circumstances through the context of her experiences in the GB kayaking team, which provided a practical example to apply her teachings. Her time as a sports psychologist was also relevant to her thesis, where she demonstrated the importance of a resilient mindset and overcoming adversity, particularly keeping calm in difficult situations, so that one is able to act decisively.

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Overall, the talk was very useful, and left us with a real sense of how best to thrive, especially given the current circumstances.’

Sam Carter (Upper Sixth, Queen Anne)

‘In our Friday WIT session we had a very interesting Enlightenment Lecture from Professor Dawn Archer, Professor of Pragmatics and Corpus Linguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University.

even if they do not have long left to live, and helping ensure that people die comfortably as far as that is possible.’

Dr Mary Miller

Back in the Flow at School

Her presentation, live from the North West on MS Teams, was entitled ‘How to Survive Liars’. It debunked some interesting myths about common traits that liars have and how they behave. It was an extremely interactive session, as she played clips of scammers deceiving people; we used the chat function on Teams to suggest what seemed suspicious to us.

I personally found it interesting that criminals are actually statistically better at spotting lies than professionals (notably the police!).

Within 30 seconds, a successful liar can gain access to someone’s private email and password, with the help of simulated sound effects. Finally, I was really impressed with the quality of the informative lecture; it was extremely engaging and the content was very interesting, and it will certainly be of use to us all.’

Sophia May (Lower Sixth, Vanbrugh) ‘I am a Consultant Physician and my specialty is Palliative Medicine. I was delighted to speak with Sixth Form students at Cokethorpe School on the subject of ‘How to Survive Death’ on Friday 14 March 2021. I explained that palliative care is focused on addressing the effects and symptoms of a disease, helping people live well,

In preparation for the return to the School site on Monday 10 March, the School coordinated a full day of testing on Saturday 6 March.

Whilst the Government had made provision for the staggered return of pupils, Cokethorpe was determined to have a seamless start to in-person lessons on the Monday following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

That first day of tests went incredibly smoothly and was followed by two further testing days during the first week. With the pupils increasingly well-versed in the art of swabbing, the average time out of lessons was eight minutes, meaning that disruption was kept to a minimum.

Young Musician’s Final In spite of the limitations brought about by the winter Lockdown, the Music Department was determined that the sixth annual Young Musician’s Competition would take place this year. Although featuring a slight alteration to the usual format, we were delighted that the event was able to take place at the end of the Lent Term in a manner that retained the usual spirit and character of the occasion.

With the first round taking place off-site, competitors recorded their performance at home and submitted recordings of their chosen piece to the Department staff for adjudication.

From over 70 performances, thirteen pupils from across the Senior School were selected to take part in the

final, which took place in The Shed in stages in order to maintain year group bubbles.

Each individual had one opportunity to record their piece which were then all edited together into a single concert recording by Mr Hughes, the result of which is available to view on the School’s YouTube channel or by clicking on the image to the right in the digital edition.

of the Opera, for her emotive and engaging performance, and natural stage presence, followed by Olivia Stacey (Upper Sixth, Swift) and Poppy Wehrle (Upper Sixth, Queen Anne) in joint-second place.

This year’s adjudicator, Alasdair Jamieson, was highly impressed by the quality of musicianship on display and noted the difficulty he faced in selecting a single winner.

After considerable deliberation he ultimately settled on Alice Woodward’s rendition of Remember Me from Lloyd Webber’s Phantom

Alice Woodwards (Upper Sixth, Swift), winner of the Young Musician’s Competition.

meet the school: Mr Robinson What do you do at the School?

I am the Head of Rugby and a Teacher of PE.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough ice-cream!

When did you join?

I joined Cokethorpe in September 2017 as a Sports Coach.

If you were a superhero, what would be your superpower?

Invisibility .

What made you want to work at Cokethorpe?

The beautiful grounds and playing fields.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

Professional actor.

What motivates you?

Coaching the Sports teams here and the thrill of competing on match day.

Which international Rugby coach would you most like to work with?

Shaun Edwards, the French defence coach.

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BACK ON THE COURT

pushed me in the right direction.

Milly Pittaway (OC 2020, Feilden) on her time at Cokethorpe, the pandemic and her budding sports career.

It has been hugely rewarding coming back to School recently as a Coach, and to be giving some support in coaching and training to those who have been so supportive to me whilst helping to develop my sporting career prospects.

During my time at Cokethorpe, I partook in every sporting opportunity available to me. The sporting spirit of the School is fantastic, and the level of competitiveness that is borne out through the Houses, friends, pupils (and teachers!) makes for such a good atmosphere to be in amongst.

Throughout my student sporting career, the School really helped me achieve the goals that I was striving to achieve, especially when I was playing for Saracens Mavericks U19s as a training partner. I am now playing for the Severn Stars U21s side, and recently was selected for the competition squad of twelve from twenty-three players. Playing for both the Mavericks and the Stars has given me more insight into the different styles of coaching that can be employed. This has really helped me to not only develop as a player, but it has also allowed me to develop myself as a sports coach and for my studies to become a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Gloucester.

During my time as a student at Cokethorpe, I had many ups and downs in my sporting career but teachers, support staff and the students were all so supportive, helping me strive ever higher and really building me up, whether through PE lessons and games sessions, or through giving me individual sessions to work on, it all made such a difference and really

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I think my personal highlights of my time at Cokethorpe were being named as the First VII Netball captain and receiving my full colours. When the Coronavirus pandemic hit, I was getting ready to sit my A Levels, making the necessary preparations to achieve the grades I required for my chosen university and course. It was a stressful time, as it was for everyone, so I was particularly thankful when I found out I had been awarded an unconditional offer from the University of Gloucester. It really helped me manage the pressures, especially when the lockdown started.

I still needed to work hard to get good grades, of course, pandemics and unconditional offers or not, it was not lost on me that life will go on and doing myself justice in assessments to get good qualifications was important.

After university, I would like to become a Strength and Condition Coach within an elite Rugby and/or Rowing set up. In terms of playing, I would love to be competing for the Severn Stars’ Super League side and be part of the England Roses Academy within the next few years.

AVE ATQUE VALE Mrs J A Dow

How has Cokethorpe changed since you first joined the school?

The physical side of the School has changed dramatically, but the heart and soul of the School remains. I consider myself extremely lucky to have spent 20 odd years in what I consider to be my second home. I will miss being part of Cokethorpe School, but the one thing I have learned from teaching is that change is so very important. Never averse to this, I have adapted my teaching accordingly. It is now time for my life to change and I’m feeling excited!

What will you miss most about working at Cokethorpe?

I will miss my Cokethorpe family, eighteen years is a long time to share with others. I have been part of, and witnessed, many positive changes that I am very proud of.

Miss L A Oliff

Lent and Summer Term Leavers

What are you planning to do next?

I am moving to Muscat in Oman as a member of the founding team for Cheltenham Muscat, the sister school of Cheltenham College.

Staff news Miss K E Fagan, Year 6 Class Teacher.

Mr P J B Rudge, Head of History and Politics.

What roles have you held at the School?

Junior School Teacher – KS2: Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 and Science Co-Ordinator.

Mr B Jogi, Physics Teacher.

Mrs J A Dow, Year 5 Class Teacher.

When did you join?

I first joined Cokethorpe Senior School in 1999, and taught Games and English.

Miss G L Fordham, Business Studies Teacher.

Miss L A Oliff, Head of Pre-Prep.

Mrs E C Riman, English Teacher.

What are your favourite memories of your time at Cokethorpe?

My time in the Mansion and all the fabulous pupil and staff events.

Who or what will be the hardest to leave behind?

The beginning of the new School year, when all my colleagues are back in their classes and looking forward to seeing their new pupils – no longer having a classroom to belong in.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to keep learning and try new creative things now that I have got a bit of freedom back, I am so used to living my life in blocks of time like terms and school holidays. I want to experience holidays during term time, and enjoy Sunday evenings, knowing I do not have to be anywhere on a Monday!

Miss C M Gardiner, WIT Coordinator.

Miss H J Brigham, Head of Outdoor Education.

What do you do at the School?

I am a Year 2 Class Teacher and Head of Pre-Prep.

When did you join?

I joined in September 2003.

What do you love most about working in the Junior School?

I love the atmosphere and the enthusiasm the children have for all the different activities that take place. I have enjoyed seeing so many children start in the Reception Class and continue through the Junior School and into the Senior School. I also really love the quirky nature of the Mansion House.

Welcome Mr N P J Walshe, Director of Sport.

Mr C J Morrison, Head of Junior Sport.

Mrs R Moore, Teacher of Spanish.

Mr A R T Fox, Teacher of Music.

Miss M Pittaway, Netball Coach.

Congratulations Miss R L Mitchell on the birth of her son, Samuel Arthur Matthews, born on 31 March 2021.

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Cokethorpe School Witney, Oxon OX29 7PU Tel: 01993 703921 Email: admin@cokethorpe.org The Ocellus | Issue 46 | Summer 2021 Edited and produced by the Communications Department. Published by Cokethorpe School.