Culford Connections Winter 2014

Connections Winter 2014

www.culford.co.uk

New Library Underway September 10, 2014 will go down as a red letter day for Culford School. After months of planning and hard work by the Culford Foundation, through The Campaign for Culford, and with the generous support of donors, Governors, parents and staff, Culford’s Headmaster, Julian Johnson-Munday, ceremoniously broke ground on the new landmark Library. This marked the latest stage of a £2.2m project that is set to transform the lives of all Culford pupils for years to come.

The Library will provide Culford with a suite of exceptional new study facilities, including: flexible study areas across the mezzanine and ground floor levels facilitating both group and individual study; a lecture theatre for talks from teachers, authors and visiting speakers, as well as for use by groups of pupils; over 10,000 books; and state-of-the art internet access to allow for online research and discovery.

Our aim is for the new Library to be an inviting space where pupils can study, share ideas, research and investigate; a place where they can fulfil their potential as independent learners.

The Library is due for completion by September 2015 and we will be posting regular updates on the Culford website and on Twitter. @CulfordSchool for the latest news.

Culford Connections is a termly newsletter for Culford School bringing together news from the Senior, Prep and Pre-Prep Schools

We Will Remember Them 1914-2014 Culford held their traditional Act of Remembrance at 11.00am on 11th November on the North Front. To mark the centenary since the start of the First World War the school also opened a Garden of Remembrance in the school grounds. The wooden crosses were kindly donated by current parents, Mr and Mrs Taylor.

Senior and Prep pupils, as well as members of the Culford Cadet Force, staff, Old Culfordians and parents, heard the Headmaster read out the names of those who died. One more Old Culfordian’s name had been rediscovered and 148 names were read out. A two-minute silence was observed after a trumpet salute and wreaths were then laid.

L-R Head Groundsman, Tom Atkinson, Prep Head Girl Chloe-Jeane Parsley, Head Boy Kieran Dibley, OC Don Dorling (1941-1948), the Headmaster, OC Neville Hibberd (1941-1947), Head Girl Emma Beardmore, Prep Head Boy Oliver Thompson and the School Chaplain

Senior: Excellent A-Level & GCSE Results Culford School celebrated another strong set of excellent A-Level and GCSE results in 2014. At A-Level 61% of all grades were at A*- B level and 83% were A*- C. At GCSE level 46% of all grades were A* or A grade and 96% of pupils attained at least 5 A*-C grades, although most performed considerably better than this with 24% of pupils attaining at least 8 A*or A grades.

Headmaster, Julian Johnson-Munday, said, “We are delighted with this set of excellent results, which are just reward for the significant amount of effort pupils and teachers alike put into preparing for these important examinations. The high number of very good individual results is very pleasing, as is the value added”.

Director of Drama Q&A Welcoming Maria Jackson, Culford’s new Director of Drama

Describe yourself in three words.

Optimistic, determined, empathetic.

Best part you’ve ever performed?

The lead part of ‘Penny Howson’ in a Film Four production called ‘Bye Bye Baby’ set in the 50s. The part was written for me by Jack Rosenthal. Juliet to Michael Sheen’s Romeo comes a close second.

How did teaching start for you?

I wanted a way to still be involved in drama that meant I didn’t have the nomadic lifestyle of an actress, so that I could be with my son.

Whose brain would you like to have had?

Mozart. It is a daily source of frustration that I am neither musical nor a genius.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

On this day ten years ago I was sitting in San Marco in Venice astonished that such a beautiful city could exist. I am still obsessed with all things Venetian.

If you could have written any play, what would it be?

Richard II. It contains the most beautifully lyrical language I have ever heard.

What is the single most valuable thing you have learned?

Do that which seems most difficult, even if the prospect scares the life out of you. Aim high.

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Senior School Pla y Senior: Our Country’s Good Culford’s Senior School play, ‘Our Country’s Good’ was performed to packed audiences in the Studio Theatre from 12 to 14 November. This play posed new challenges for the actors in the sense that they had to act in a naturalistic way; that they rose impressively to the challenge is much to their credit and to that of the new Director of Drama, Maria Jackson.

All agreed that Culford’s interpretation of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s 1990 play was another triumph with excellent performances from the cast backed by strong staging and technical support.

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Academic

Senior & Prep: It’s a Writer’s Life

Senior: Women in Science and Engineering Conference In November, nine Sixth Form girls headed to the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) conference. WISE promotes female talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from classroom to boardroom, and recently celebrated their 30th anniversary.

Holly Jaycock wrote “We started the conference with a short quiz which showed us how few girls there are in science and engineering. Statistics show that less than 20% of students taking A-Level Physics are girls. After the quiz we ‘busted’ some myths such as ‘women cannot think logically’ or ‘that you cannot be creative if you are a scientist’. It was really interesting to discuss these statements with other girls in our position and with female professionals in the industry. Overall, it was an amazing and inspiring experience.”

Pupils were treated to two author visits this term. In October, award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick, whose many successful books fall into the genre of young adult gothic fiction, visited Culford Senior School.

One of his biggest fans at Culford, Upper Fifth pupil Scarlett Neill, shared tea with Marcus and the school librarian, Lesley Martin, before his talk to Senior pupils.

It’s not often that pupils get the chance to have an English lesson with the author who wrote their set text, but this is what happened in November. Carnegie Award winning author Theresa Breslin took classes on her novel Remembrance, which they are studying, and also gave a lecture to Fourth Form and Upper Third pupils.

Prep: Author Visit Sparks Imagination Brother of Marcus, Julian Sedgwick, also paid Culford Prep School a visit this term. Pupils from Upper Second and Lower Third enjoyed listening to a talk about his three books; ‘The Black Dragon’, ‘The Palace of Memory’ and ‘The Wheel of Life and Death.’ The trilogy focuses on a young boy, ‘Danny’, who is born into a wild and wonderful new circus company.

The children were then able to take part in a series of fantastic workshops aimed at enriching their creativity by imagining their very own characters. The Upper Second and Lower Third pupils came up with some very interesting and imaginative ideas – so much so that Julian might use them in his future books!

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Senior: Pupils Visit Westminster Dr Palmer and Dr Byrne took twenty Sixth Formers to Westminster Hall, London, to hear a series of excellent political speeches. There were 2,000 Sixth Formers in attendance from across the UK. Speakers included William Hague, former Foreign Secretary, Nigel Farage, Leader of UKIP, Simon Hughes, Lib Dem MP, John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons and Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP. The pupils enjoyed hearing the diverse range of political speakers and seeing the MPs field questions on topics such as Europe and women in politics.

Watch Culford’s First Video About the School Our aim was to capture the essence of being part of the Culford family, what the school stands for and the breadth of our offering. We also hope we have managed to show just why an education at Culford is challenging, enriching and fun.

Visit www.culford.co.uk/video to watch it.

Prep: Norfolk Coast Field Trip Upper Third took a trip to the North Norfolk Coast as part of their Common Entrance Enquiry this term. The visit allowed them to complete their independent coursework, whilst exploring the new surroundings.

The enquiry asks how the methods of coastline sea defence affect the environment and tourism. In order to gather evidence the Upper Thirds’ visited Sherringham, Happisburgh and Sea Palling. In gathering evidence, the pupils made detailed sketches, took photographs and recorded their observations and opinions on an Evaluation Matrix. The sun shone and it was perfect to be learning outside the classroom on the beach.

Senior: Geography Trips Near and Far During October half-term, geography students and staff travelled to Iceland for five days. They spent their trip touring the south of that stunning country, dominated by volcanic scenery, waterfalls and vast landscapes. The pupils saw some of Iceland’s famous sites and took part in some great activities. This included swimming in the Blue Lagoon, a naturally heated geothermal pool, and a glacier walk using crampons and an ice axe.

Earlier in the term, Upper Fifth pupils observed some geographical features closer to home, in North Norfolk. The IGCSE fieldtrip involved learning important geography fieldwork techniques and learning about sustainable biodiversity, skills which will prepare them well for next summer’s examination.

Senior & Prep: Science and… Scholars’ Programme Starts Dr Brian Reid, who is a lecturer at the University of East Anglia and an environmental scientist, began Culford’s series of lectures as part of the 2014-15 Scholars’ Programme: ‘Science and…’. His topic was ‘Science and the Environment: Acceptable pollution, does the end justify the means?’ Dr Reid proposed three case studies: DDT; Agent Orange; and Nitrogen fertilizers. Leaving the audience to make up their own minds, he nevertheless gave enough guidance so that pupils were able to do so in an informed and cogent way.

Next in the programme was Dr Brian Ball, from the New College of Humanities, who gained his doctorate and lectured at Oxford. He delivered his talk on ‘Science and Philosophy: How does philosophy relate to science?’ first of all by giving basic definitions of the different strands of philosophy and then discussing theoretical philosophy. Dr Ball also discussed philosophy’s view of ordinary objects, as influenced by science. For example, a table is no longer a table but a collection of particles moving at some distance from one another.

Therefore, does the table exist or is it an illusion perceived by our senses?

The next talk in the new year will be on ‘Science and Medicine’ and all pupils are welcome to attend these lectures; you do not have to be a scholar to join in!

Dr Brian Ball with Dr Guntrip, Deputy Head

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Trips & Activities

Sixth Form: Freshers’ Adventure

Our new Sixth Formers arrived on Wednesday 3 September to embark upon this year’s Freshers’ Adventure. Culford’s new Sixth Form spend the first week of term getting to know each other through a day’s adventure training in Culford’s magnificent parkland, before setting off to the Peak District for three days of Freshers’ Week fun and team building.

During the week the students built rafts, traversed gorges and helped each other abseil down cliffs. They had a wonderful time making friends and bonding as a year group. This has got their first academic year as Sixth Formers off to a flying start and also began their development journey in the best possible way as many of the Freshers’ Week challenges focused on leadership and teamwork skills, which have been tested and enhanced.

Pre-Prep: Cookery Club This term Miss Harrison has been running a cookery club for the Pre-Prep pupils. The after school activity has been enjoyed by all, with the PP1 and PP2 children making several delicious dishes such as smiley pizzas. The children used vegetables and other toppings to make the happy face before eating their yummy creations at the end of the day.

Senior: Developing Leadership Skills Head Girl, Emma Beardmore and Head Boy, Kieran Dibley, attended the ‘Developing Pupil Leadership Conference’ in London.

The conference affords pupils in leadership positions the chance to meet their peers and be inspired by those in positions of professional leadership. Emma said “We joined around 200 other Senior Prefects and it was a great opportunity to compare and contrast our roles with similar ones at different schools. The day was truly valuable.”

Prep: Upper Third Visit Gressenhall Upper Third pupils had a real treat when they visited the Gressenhall Museum in Norfolk.

Their discovery of rural life in industrial Britain was experienced through a number of activities. Pupils were led through the building of Gressenhall by John, a master of the workhouse. He acted out his part with a firm discipline as he revealed how the poor were treated in the workhouse.

Prep: Lower Second Step Back in Time Lower Second recently stepped back in time to become Tudors for a morning at Kentwell Hall. Once their initial reservations about speaking like a Tudor were overcome, the entire year group enthusiastically took part in all the activities and displays on show and even managed a few ‘ayes, mayhaps’ and ‘Good morrows.’

Pupils saw blacksmiths, wool workers, bowmen, bakers and woodmen in action. They had a go at making butter and various potions, although none were too keen on the cure for a cough, and of course all sampled the world famous Tudor flapjacks!

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The final journey was around the museum itself as the pupils gathered the information they wanted to help them complete their project on Gressenhall.

Prep: Cadogan Fashions

Senior: Australian Exchange for Beth

Prep pupils had a fun fashion show in Cadogan Hall this November. The dressing up box was enjoyed by all, whilst some of the girls used the opportunity to put on their party dresses. Pupils were asked to provide their own music and organise the choreography for their catwalk session with the themes of Christmas, military, sport and ‘high fashion’. Edible prizes were awarded to two groups for their polished performances. The winners were Lola, Ella, Nandi, Edlyn, Helena, Blanca and Mencia.

Culford pupil Beth Keswick (U5) enjoyed a once in a lifetime exchange trip to Australia this summer. Renewing Culford’s links with Pymble Ladies’ College, Beth travelled to Sydney for one month on 24 July 2014. Beth spent the month attending the College and was looked after by her exchange partner, Georgia Henskens and her family.

Beth says “My host family in Australia welcomed me and kindly took me to the Great Barrier Reef and were my tour guides around Sydney. They even took me up the Sydney harbour bridge! Pymble Ladies’ College was very different to Culford and I experienced different lessons to the ones I take here such as Photography and Digital Media. I would definitely recommend the exchange to anyone who wants to live life how the Australians do for 5 weeks.”

On the 31 August, Beth and Georgia travelled back to England and Georgia began her adventure, spending a month at Culford. Culford hopes to continue this exchange in 2015 with an opportunity for more pupils take part.

Senior: Tenerife Scuba Trip Culford runs exciting scuba trips during the year for pupils to gain their scuba diving qualifications. This year, a group headed to Southern Tenerife in October half-term.

Pupil Annabel Heywood (L5) tells her story of the trip: “The party was a mix of experienced and more novice divers. Mr Arbuthnot had already qualified some of us, including Ellis Blackmore who had been trained up to Rescue Diver level on previous trips, and so there were four divers, including me, who were being trained for the first time.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXCHANGE TRIP, PLEASE CONTACT THE HEADMASTER’S PA, KIM HUDSON LEET: HMPA@CULFORD.CO.UK

Senior: Culford Students Strut for Local Boutique

The diving was absolutely amazing.

We sped out to sea each day on a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) and had fun doing backward entries into the water. All the novice divers passed their course successfully and Mr Arbuthnot also started an Advanced course with some of the more experienced divers.

We dived in some amazing wrecks and one of the highlights was swimming alongside a school of enormous rays which were 2 metres across and twice as long.

We were also followed by huge schools of barracuda and several octopi. Next stop is the Tobago trip at Easter where I hope to start my Advanced Diving Course.”

Culford Sixth Form students spent an evening in Bury St Edmunds to help local independent fashion boutique, Javelin. The students modelled clothes from the latest collections, as well as favourites from past seasons. The models then returned a couple of days later to put on pop-up fashion shows in the store and on the street outside.

Prep: Citizenship Day Culford Prep School enjoyed a thought-provoking Citizenship Day on ‘Positive Relationships in the Community’ focusing on themes of responsibility, diversity and community.

The day involved a range of hands-on activities with Form teachers and visitors. The Police Community Support Officers taught each year group how to contact the emergency services, the importance of e-safety and involved children in role plays to consider acting responsibly in the community.

Reverend Melville from St. Edmundsbury Cathedral and a team of volunteers from the Discovery Centre helped children to consider diversity and acceptance through: reflective story-telling and messy activities; the role of a vicar through a pretend wedding; issues of poverty; and positive messages found within popular culture.

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Charities Senior: Life-Changing Trip to Malawi

Culford’s charitable links with Malawi were renewed this summer as twenty Culford Sixth Formers gave their time to help improve schools, orphanages and day centres in the country. Working with charities such as the Char Char Trust, who promote literacy for life in Africa, and the Good News Orphanage, Culford’s pupils built toilets, taught in primary schools and gave radio interviews on the importance of literacy.

The team gave away 350 new books, funded through their own efforts and, as blood supplies are critically short in Malawi, twelve of the team also gave blood, adding 15 life-saving pints between them. The pupils taught in four Blantyre primary schools, and visited Nankhufi School where Culford volunteers have built classrooms during previous trips.

Pre-Prep & Nursery: Welly Walk for Farm Africa Culford Pre-Prep and Nursery have raised approximately £500 for Farm Africa after completing a sponsored Welly Walk.

As part of their harvest fundraising project, Culford PrePrep chose to do something different from previous years by completing the walk around the school’s beautiful 480 acre parkland. The three to seven year olds have been learning about farming in Africa in their lessons and this topic forms part of the Year 2 geography curriculum. The money raised will go towards helping African farmers to buy seeds and tools to enable them to become more self-sufficient.

The Nursery and Parent, Baby, Toddler group also took part in their very own walk, opting for a pushchair friendly route.

The pupils and teachers who returned from Malawi are supporting those participating in the 2015 trip during the next academic year.

Culford’s annual Malawi trip is just one of the fulfilling and rewarding experiences that make up Culford’s Sixth Form Enrichment Programme.

Pre-Prep & Nursery: PTA Disco for Children in Need

Walking and Baking for Macmillan On Saturday 28 September, teachers and pupils and their parents held a cake sale and walked around Culford’s beautiful parkland to raise £500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

On Friday 15 November the pupils at Pre-Prep took part in an after school disco to raise money for Children in Need. This was a fun event which allowed the children to wear their own clothes and dance the afternoon away.

Many of them chose to wear Pudsey themed outfits and enjoyed the music and light show organised by Sixth Form pupil, Ross McKenzie.

The children managed to raise £71.40 for the charity and thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon.

Senior: All We Can Week Culford School ran their first ‘All We Can’ campaign during November, a four day effort to raise funds for the Kailash Bodhi School, Nepal. Central to the fundraising was a ‘pop-up restaurant’ in Culford’s impressive Red Room. The restaurant was set up and run by pupils and served paying customers including staff, pupils and members of the public and it has raised over £1,400.

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Sport

International Tennis Star Joins Culford Culford are delighted to announce the arrival of a new international tennis star to its coaching staff, Andrew Richardson.

Andrew is a former regular of the British Davis Cup team who played on the ATP Tour from 19912001, achieving a singles ranking of 133 and a top 100 doubles ranking. As well as being a former Head Coach at the LTA High Performance Centre at Bisham Abbey, he’s been a hitting partner for former world number one Venus Williams.

Senior: Challenging Scottish Rugby Tour Following on from a successful tour in autumn 2013, the Culford 1st XV and U16 teams travelled across the border in October 2014 for a series of friendly matches. The 1st XV played Edinburgh Academy and Culford won the game 50-24 playing their best rugby of the season.

Both teams then faced the daunting challenge of reigning Scottish champions, George Watson College. In the 1st team’s match, Watson scored after three minutes to take a 7-0 lead, but a Kieran Pask penalty put Culford back in the game before a fine Michael Kimwele try from a scrum put Culford in the lead going in to half time. After the Watsonians pulled in front Culford fought back through a Tom Brown try and Culford were again within striking distance of pulling off an impressive win.

However, Watson countered and they scored two more tries in quick succession to give them the final victory.

Senior: Swimmers Meet Rebecca Adlington A team of West Suffolk (WSSC) swimmers, including 6 from Culford, travelled to Sheffield in October to compete in the Level 1 Robin Hood Open Meet at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre. Culford’s Emily Wood (U5) led the way, winning a total of 5 medals from the 9 events she entered. Charlie Whyte (U3), Taylor Bowen (F4), Chloe-Jeane Parsley (U3) and Hannah Brecknell (L5) also swam very well.

The weekend’s atmosphere was given added excitement by a surprise visit from Britain’s most decorated female swimming Olympian, Rebecca Adlington. Rebecca was on hand to share her experiences of growing up in the sport and have photos taken with a long line of swimmers keen to follow in her illustrious footsteps.

See p.10 for more Swimming news.

Senior: Netball Tour to Barbados Culford’s Senior U15 and U16 Netball Teams went on a tour of a lifetime during October half-term, when they flew to Barbados to compete against local sides, have some expert training and discover this vibrant Caribbean country. The girls were also particularly pleased to have been equipped with branded Culford netballs, generously provided by parents Mr and Mrs Farrant, and a smart new tour kit, sponsored by parents Mr and Mrs Luscombe. View a video about the trip, produced by Jemma Andrews, on the Culford website under Senior School News.

Prep: Badminton Champion Harry Wakefield (L2) is now a double county badminton champion at under 11s level. On Sunday 16 November he battled through 5 group matches, a semi-final and final to win the singles event unbeaten. He also repeated the feat in the doubles event. What a fantastic achievement; congratulations Harry.

His brother, Charlie (L3), meanwhile, won both the U13 Singles and Doubles in the County Badminton Championships later that month.

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Senior: U16 Girls’ Netball Champions After a half-term netball tour to Barbados, Culford School’s U16 Girls’ team played a series of impressive matches to emerge as the winners at the County Netball Tournament on Saturday 15 November. Culford’s U14 team also played well and finished third in their age group. The U16 team of Jemma Andrews, Katie Farrant, Abbie Farrow, Beth Keswick, Emma Lees, Liv Mayor, Isabella O’Brien-Miller, Marie Owino and Abbi Warburton won all five of their matches to go through to the Regional Finals as County Winners in January 2015.

Senior: Hockey Stars at Culford School Culford Sports Scholar, Lucy Holder (L6), who already plays for the England U16 team, has been selected for the England U18 provisional hockey squad. She is now a member of the squad which includes the 34 best young hockey players in the country. Lucy will train throughout the year both at home and abroad before the squad is honed to 24 players in preparation for the Four Nations Tournament in Spain in July 2015.

Also, pupils Maria Andrews (L6), Ella Dowling (U5) and Alex Blumfield (L6) have all recently gained selection for the England ‘Under 17 Tier 2 High Performance Assessment Camp’ squads.

Senior: Lizzie Near to Reaching Top 500 Culford’s latest tennis star is firmly in the ascendency.

Sport’s Scholar Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Pam (U5) has seen her junior International Tennis Federation (ITF) rankings rise from 1117 to 556 in just a few weeks, and the next milestone of breaking into the top 500 is now within her grasp. Lizzie has been recently playing – and winning – in tournaments all over the world.

Senior: Regional Tennis Finals The Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis teams took part in the competitive South-East England Regional Finals at Gosling Tennis Centre, Hertfordshire on 13 and 14 November 2014.

The boys’ team of Oscar Cutting (L5), Ed Pomeroy (L5), Martynas Jurkonis (L5), Daniel Tuerk (L5) and Gregor Hoehne (U5) first beat St Bede’s School, Hailsham in their first semi-final match, before losing to a very strong team from Reeds School in the Final. They therefore finished 2nd in the SouthEast region, a great achievement.

The girls’ team of Lizzie Pam (U5), Marie Owino (U5), Abigail Callaghan (L5), Carolin Minners (L5) and Anastasia Mozhina (U5) unfortunately lost their Semi-Final to Queenswood School and then lost a close match 7-6 against Orleans Park School, Twickenham in a tie-break to finish 4th overall, a result they can still be proud of.

Senior: Girls Make it to ESSA Finals In a first for Culford, Lower Fifth girls, Hannah Brecknell, Annabel Heywood, Lana Mo and Olivia Nicolai travelled down to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, for the prestigious 57th Annual Team Championships for Secondary Schools. The girls competed in the 4x50m Freestyle relay and 4x50m Medley relay. In the Medley they were placed 16th in the country, and in Freestyle they reached the finals, being placed 9th in the country.

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Senior: Girls’ Hockey First Team Celebrate Another Unbeaten Season Culford’s 1st XI girls’ hockey team completed a truly remarkable double this term by going two seasons without a single defeat. In the course of realising this amazing achievement, the team recorded notable victories over some high-quality opposition including, Bishop’s Stortford, Felsted, The Leys, Norwich School and the Perse. Collectively the girls have scored over 60 goals in the course of the last season yet only conceded 11, a statistic that underlines just how impressive their hockey has been this year.

Prep & Senior: Cross-Country Results During this term, Culford Prep and Senior pupils have taken part in the first two rounds of the Suffolk Schools cross-country trials. The first round, held at the Royal Hospital School, saw 28 Culford runners take part with a fantastic result for Charlie Wakefield (L3), who finished fourth in the Minor Boys’ Race. The second round, held at Alde Valley School in Leiston, saw some good results for Culford, including Olivia Allum (F4), who finished second in the Junior Girls’ Race. The third and final round will be held at Culford in January 2015.

Arts

Prep & Senior: Printmaking Workshop

Talented pupils from the Prep and Senior Schools took part in a workshop with artists from the Curwen Print Study Centre in September. After scratching designs from flowers to turtles onto small sheets of thin perspex, the pupils then rubbed in paint to cover the sheet. When the sheet had taken on enough ink they were helped to put their designs through the strong press. The resulting artwork was very professional in finish and the pupils can be proud of their creative achievements.

Senior: House Singing Raises the Roof!

Culford’s second House Singing Competition saw excellent vocals and healthy inter-house rivalry in action with Fitzgerald, Cornwallis, Edwards and Jocelyn houses all competing. Peter Burge, Director of Music, started the competition to help take singing further to the heart of musical life at Culford.

The singing was judged by an external vocal expert who praised the groups’ ‘enthusiasm’ and ‘brave solo performances’. Again the Fitzgerald girls impressed and went on to win the competition, followed very closely by Jocelyn, with Cornwallis and then Edwards following.

Nursery, Pre-Prep & Prep: African Drumming Workshop Pupils from Culford’s Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep Schools tried their hands at African Drumming this term. Rodgell Shadracke from world music specialists ‘Inspire Works’ led a drumming workshop which not only gave the children the chance to experience music from another culture, but also allowed them to learn about bass, rhythm and tone.

The highlight of the day was when the children played the African drums themselves – something they took to like ducks to water!

Senior: Concerts Galore This autumn has seen an array of excellent concerts at Culford. A TeaTime Recital at the start of October was followed by a Vocal Concert, where Esther Stocker sang Schonberg’s ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ to start and was followed by Scarlet Simmons, Ellen Farthing, Emily Hope, Sophie Jamil, Natasha Mead, Natasha Desmond and Natasha Horden. Male voices were represented by the talented Josh Cope and Robbie Day. Teachers took their turn in the spotlight at a Staff Concert in November.

This was followed by an Autumn Concert and a GCSE Concert.

The term ended with Culford’s traditional Carol Service at St Edmundsbury Catherdral.

Prep: Catherine Wows On Cello Musical talent Catherine Howells (U3) has recently gained a Grade 8 Cello with a Distinction and is a regular at Culford concerts. Recently, she performed at an AMBER Trust concert at London’s Theatre Royal where she wowed the audience in a performance of Fauré’s Élégie. The AMBER Trust is a charity that helps transform the lives of blind and partially sighted children through music.

Prep: Music Competition On Thursday 16 October, the Prep School House Music Competition finals took place. Pupils from all year groups played instruments or sang in front of the audience.

The competition was split into rounds, with all Forms taking part in separate heats to qualify for the final show.

All Houses took part in the finals and the winners are: 1st Form: 2nd Millie Hansgate (Newman) and winners - Archie Jones (Newman) & Lulu Surti (Honess). 2nd Form: 3rd Alice Wilson (Floyd), 2nd Arthur Wildish (Leigh) and winner Amelia Fox (Floyd). 3rd Form: 3rd Isabel Whyte (Leigh), 2nd ChloeJeane Parsley (Honess) and winner Catherine Howells (Leigh).

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Culford on Show

Pre-Prep and Nursery: Elegant Dance Show

Senior: Culford Takes to the Fringe!

The cast and crew of November 2013’s Senior School Production ‘The Press Ganged Fool’ headed up to the Fringe Festival in August 2014 to perform at Paradise St Augustine’s Theatre for three nights running.

The play was written and directed by two Culford teachers, former Director of Drama Maria Kane, and Housemistress of Jocelyn House, Jessica Kaye.

The show was a fast-paced kaleidoscope of theatrical styles which appealed to a wide audience, making it perfect for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Highland Ball Sixth Form Christmas Ceilidh at Culford

Wayne Perrin

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© 2014 Culford School Photo credits: Warren Page, Shaun Scott, Wendy Turner, DE Photos Editorial contact: communications@culford.co.uk © 2013 Culford School Photo credits: Warren Page, Wendy Turner, Andy Abbott, Peter Joarder Editorial contact: marketing@culford.co.uk