Senior and Sixth Form Culfordian 2014-15

The Culfordian 2014/15 Senior and Sixth Form

Culford School, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6TX Tel: 01284 728615 Email: admissions@culford.co.uk www.culford.co.uk

Senior and Sixth Form

The

Culfordian

2014/15

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contents THE CULFORDIAN

Contents Common Room........................................13 Academic Achievements........................ 17 Visual and Performing Arts .................... 27 Trips and Activities .................................. 47 Culford’s Landmark Library.................... 56 Community Spirit .................................. 61 House Reports ........................................ 68 Sporting Achievements.......................... 77 Culford Foundation ............................. 104 Positions of Responsibility ................... 106 Editor: Lesley Martin Editorial Team: Jo Johnson-Munday and Hannah Walker With grateful thanks to all who contributed articles and photographs.

Front cover photo by Gavin Stewart of Gavin Stewart Architectural Photography www.gavinstewart.co.uk Designed and printed by The Lavenham Press. Tel: 01787 247436

THE CULFORDIAN valete

2014/15

Valete The following Upper Sixth pupils completed their education at Culford this year. We wish them all well for the future.

Brown, Ben Anyaegbu, Gloria Bayliss, Jez Beardmore, Emma Beasant, Jessica Blackmore, Ellis Blaga, Anastasiya Boreham, James Braithwaite, Molly Braun, Carl-Thaddeus Burge, Elizabeth Chan, Nathaniel Chirica, Kristin Clark, Sophie Cutting, Toby Day, Robbie Devlin, Kieran Devoy, Andrew Dibley, Kieran Evans, Ewan Ewan, Katie

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Fisher, Thomas Gan, Tracey Gavurin, Ciara Hall, Austin Harley, Alex Hawtin, Alicia Hinojosa, Beatriz Hogg, Megan Hopkins, Chay Horsnell, William Ingleton, Charlotte Irvin, Joshua Jaycock, Holly King, Rory Kingsley, Danielle Kl端ss, Robert Knowles, Michael Lok, Brian Long, Thomas

Mann, Harriet Mason, Molly Matta, Charlie McKenzie, Ross Mead, Natasha Milner, Ben Morrell, Ciara Ncube, Zola Norman, Zoe Northeast-Roffey, Georgina Pachmann, Alexander Pask, Kieran Patten, Henry Phillips, Elliot Powell, Aaron Randall, Harry Ratcliffe, Natalie

Reason, Mariella Riddleston, Jack Stanford, Thomas Stewart, James Suckling, Jessica Thurtle, Katie Tomilova, Daria Tong, Kelvin Torres Ramon, Eloy Wang, Miranda Weller-Poley, Eleanor Woolnough, Paige Yang, Constance Yu, Angel

speech day THE CULFORDIAN

2015

Speech Day

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ummer sunshine blessed Culford’s annual Speech Day on Saturday 23 May. The Guest of Honour was Old Culfordian, Mark Lowcock, Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Development. This red-letter day included: tours of the new library, a £2.2 million project which was under construction at the time; a golf competition with Culford’s new Director of Golf, PGA professional Lawrence Dodd; a musical concert; and the chance to try out a flight simulator with Culford’s CCF, together with many other events.

fixture against an Invitation XI. Guests were invited to explore the new library building, then in the final stages of construction by Suffolk based builders, Seamans.

Towards the end of the afternoon guests were able to enjoy a traditional strawberries and cream tea on the glorious South Front of Culford Hall.

Mark Lowcock left Culford in 1981 and is now the most senior civil servant in the Department for International Development.

Working on behalf of the UK government, Mr Lowcock has developed particular expertise in East Africa, which resonated with the charity work that Culford Sixth Formers undertake in Malawi each year.

There was also drama, music, debating, an art and design technology exhibition, a tennis tournament in the championshipstandard Indoor Tennis Centre and a cricket

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THE CULFORDIAN speech day address

Headmaster’s

Speech Day Address Chairman, Mr Lowcock, Governors, honoured guests, pupils. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to present my Headmaster’s report to you this morning.

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t is a delight to have Mark Lowcock with us both as a distinguished civil servant and an Old Culfordian. Mark and I are almost exact contemporaries; he was at Culford whilst I was at Norwich. I’m not sure if we ever played fixtures against each other but at least after school we both went on to make our parents proud; he rose to a pre-eminent position in the British establishment, and I stayed out of jail. We are, seriously, delighted to welcome Mark here today and we hope he very much enjoys his time with us.

In many ways, the last year has been an extremely good one. Academically, pupils achieved fine results at A Level with 61% of grades being A*-B and 82% being A*-C. At GCSE, 43% of all grades were A*-A and 26% of pupils achieved at least eight A* or A grades. That represents an enormous amount of hard work on the part of not only those pupils, but also the teachers who support them.

We had our ISI inspection in November and the subsequent report certainly spotted the correlation between pupils’ results and my colleagues’ efforts, declaring: “Senior School teaching is excellent.” They also noted that we had responded to the previous ISI inspection and, “embraced the recommendation to promote independent learning.” They went on to say that “Much teaching… is characterised by imagination, flair and creativity. The School believes strongly in pupil-centred lessons and the best teaching shows a light touch that sparks and facilitates learning.”

They noted our “very clear pedagogical guidelines” and our “rigorous programme of appraisal and monitoring” which in their view produces “challenging, well-paced and engaging lessons.”

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Outside the classroom they also judged us excellent in most areas: curricular and extra-curricular provision; moral and social development; pastoral care; boarding provision; leadership and management and, finally, governance were all judged excellent.

In seven out of nine areas, therefore, we received the best grade possible.

No school is, of course, the finished article.

Ambition to improve should be as much part of the fabric of our school as the stones of our very buildings. My pastoral colleagues

are taking a day away later this term to consider the theme ‘Beyond Excellence’.

Where do we go now, having had pastoral care and boarding judged excellent in every inspection since 2002? The answer, however phrased, is, of course, we go further. As Tennyson put it in his poem Ulysses,

I am a part of all that I have met; Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’ Gleams that untravell’d world, whose margin fades For ever and for ever when I move.

speech day address THE CULFORDIAN

Youth sees the world as a constantly moving horizon, rich with possibilities. The best schools capture that vision and sense of purpose and use it to drive themselves forward to match their pupils’ ambitions.

That, though, depends on the commitment of many people whom I need to thank.

I ask my colleague Elaine Boardley, our Finance and Operations Director, to take our thanks back to all those support staff who do so much for us in the grounds and gardens, the Houses and classrooms, the kitchens and the offices here. We know that what we benefit from is the work of many hands. We thank those colleagues.

We also always thank the Common Room who teach our pupils, but first we give personal thanks to those who are leaving.

Today, though, it would be wrong not to take a little time to remember a colleague who left us earlier this year through the saddest of circumstances. Mr Robbie Hamilton joined Culford in September 2012, relocating south from his previous teaching post at Gordonstoun. Before that he had been in the RAF, flying in Phantom and Tornado aircraft. Mr Hamilton passed away suddenly in February of this year after a brief

illness. It was testament to Robbie’s qualities as a teacher and, more importantly, as a human being, that, despite his brief service here, we felt as though we had lost someone completely central to our community.

Hilary Brearley has only been at Culford for a year covering for Mrs Glassbrook’s maternity leave but she stepped into her role with aplomb. It is not easy to take on classes part of the way through a course but she quickly gained pupils’ trust and prepared them thoroughly for their examinations, offering extra revision classes for GCSE and AS groups.

We thank her for that.

John Bauer has been our head of physics since 2013. Although he has not remained here long he has been not only a capable and reliable teacher with a genuine interest in his subject, but also a pleasant member of the Common Room, and his colleagues will miss him. He has done good things for our physics department and now moves to a post as head of physics at Woodbridge where we wish him well.

Regina Stevens joined our Learning Development department in 2010. Pupils have found her caring, supportive and always willing to go the extra mile to support them.

In Fitzgerald, the girls look forward to her nights on duty. Regina and her husband hope to relocate to the south-west to run a holiday cottage business, so perhaps those travelling that way will see her again.

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THE CULFORDIAN speech day address

Peter Massey also joined Culford in September 2010, in the mathematics department. He became second in the department a year later and has been a stalwart member of that team. He is also the Assistant Housemaster of Edwards and has contributed positively to the boarding life of Culford. It was always inevitable that Peter would wish to run his own department and he now has the chance, having been appointed head of mathematics at Harrogate Ladies’ College. We wish him well in his new role.

Cassia Alfaro joined Culford as long ago as September 2006 and took over as Head of Spanish in 2008. She has always been passionate about her subject and her pupils and will be much missed by those

she has taught and by colleagues in the languages department. Cassia is taking a position at a school in Cambridge and we wish her every success.

Today sees our traditional cricket fixture between the School and the President’s XI. It will be the last such fixture for Mr Marsh who retires at the end of term having been at Culford since 1988. Mr Marsh is not present, as he is already on the boundary, but it is right that I acknowledge his commitment to Culford over many years as a stalwart member of the P.E. department and a massive contributor to the sports of hockey and cricket. We will be saying a formal and full farewell to Mr Marsh at our cricket dinner tonight.

Joss Williams has been Deputy Head here since 2011. He has been an invaluable support to me over those four years, taking forward a number of initiatives and quietly 8

Pictured left to right: Kieran D’Lima, Jo Johnson-Munday (Foundation and Communications Director), Julian Johnson-Munday (Headmaster), visiting speaker and Old Culfordian Mark Lowcock, Professor Stephen Challacombe and Dr Tina Challacombe.

fixing a number of problems, and tying up loose threads wherever they were to be found. The role of a Deputy Head is probably about as thankless as that of a caretaker.

Indeed, whenever a caretaker is working there is probably a Deputy Head somewhere in the background supervising, organising and dealing with details. Joss has resolved that there are more important things in life and has decided that a return to his first love of teaching is amongst them. He leaves us to take a position in the English department at Gresham’s and we wish him well.

Mr Williams’ departure has led to a restructure of our leadership team. Dr Guntrip becomes our sole Deputy Head and Mr Reynolds takes up the position of Assistant Head Pastoral in recognition of the way in which his oversight of our boarding and pastoral work has grown, and the results his focus upon it has achieved. I will come to one other change a little later.

First though, I always thank all of the teachers who sit behind me. Funnily enough, finding new ways or reasons for doing so is never difficult no matter how many years I do this job. This year one of our Upper Sixth was in my office for a chat – and for those of you too old to realise, yes, actually a chat with the Headmaster can be a social occasion nowadays, not always a nightmare to which you are summoned. She told me what this place means to her and as I listened I realised that nothing she spoke of was about the buildings, the facilities, or the beauty of the park. It was all about teachers. She told me she felt a genuine debt to this place because of those teachers who had inspired her, pushed her, believed in her and challenged her.

speech day address THE CULFORDIAN

The only thing I could say was that any one of her teachers who had heard her speak would feel that the privilege had been theirs.

Our teachers inspire young adults like her and engender a love of learning in them. But it is also the same teachers who have made a young woman of just 18 mature, reflective and self-confident enough to sit at ease with a 53 year old Headmaster in his grand office and tell him how she feels. For giving all of our pupils those gifts, you as parents and I as the Headmaster will want to thank my colleagues roundly.

My other thank you is to our Governors.

They are as committed as anyone else to this School, but they get no reward other than the joy of being connected to Culford. They find time in their own busy lives to support us and I am truly grateful to them for that.

There will be an official opening next term, and dates and details will be communicated in due course. For now, however, there is an opportunity to see inside the library this afternoon and understand exactly how the new quad area will give us an academic hub to the School. I hope you very much enjoy seeing the new building.

My pun about preparing the ground also applies to the walled garden nearest our AstroTurf, where the archaeological dig has now finished and we are free to begin works on the installation of a new floodlit AstroTurf to give us a two-pitch facility. The pitch is being installed by Bury St Edmunds Hockey Club with whom we have had long links through alumni members and through their use of our current facilities.

I am delighted that this new project will bind us closer together and give us a facility

in the centre of East Anglia that will allow us to aspire to becoming the hub of hockey in this region; both for School hockey and, beyond that, the adult club game. I would thank Bury St Edmunds Hockey Club for their farsighted vision in making this development possible; it is a fabulous example of a joint initiative launched and succeeding through good will and positive ambitions.

Still on sport, the past year has also seen us working on the development of a golf programme at the School. The sport has always been popular here and we are blessed by our proximity to a number of attractive courses as well as an all-weather driving range. Continuing our aspiration to give pupils with all sorts of talents and interests access to the best teaching and coaching, we have appointed PGA professional Lawrence Dodd as Director of Golf at Culford.

Moving to the future, the last year has seen us take a number of decisions to prepare the ground, in some cases literally, for further exciting new developments to meet the aspirations of our pupils.

The Campaign for Culford achieved its target of support for our new library, ground was indeed broken, and the building is on target to be handed over to the School at the end of term. Internal fittings and books should be installed over the summer and we aim to be in and using it in September.

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THE CULFORDIAN speech day address

He is here this afternoon running a nearest the pin competition on the North Front. We have disqualified him from entering, so if you want to get a little feedback on your swing and possibly pick up a prize, please do go along to see him.

We have also appointed a worthy successor to Mr Marsh in Andrew Northcote who has played professional cricket for both Western Province and internationally for Italy. He already has plans to enhance our year-round provision of cricket and we look forward to further developments there.

Forgive me if I quote myself – but I am certainly the only person who ever will. Last year I told you that we were committed to the new library but that it could not stand alone as a building. I told you that we were considering the wider impact we should let it have upon our pupils’ lives and our teaching. The tennis centre revolutionised our approach to other sports as we learned from the programmes it saw us develop. We want to see the library have the same impact academically.

The ISI report noted that we have embraced the concept of independent learning. The new library offers us the opportunity to enhance that yet further for our Sixth Form pupils especially, giving them a university-style academic facility combined with all the support that a pastorally focused School can offer.

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The mezzanine floor will be an area reserved exclusively for the Sixth Form and we are installing a coffee facility as part of our effort to offer them an adult working environment.

It should be a first class environment for quiet thought or reading; for general conversations about academic work or the world at large; or for individual study and the production of work to reflect the outcomes of that introspection, reading and dialogue.

That, however, led us to consider the entire experience we offer our Sixth Form. We decided that we wished to create not just a university-style learning environment in our library, but also the sort of adult social hub

that some schools label as their sixth form centre. Having seen a number of these, it struck me that most focused on bean bags and widescreen TVs or table football and music. There is much to be said for all those things. But when I visit Student Unions at universities, I see students gathering over food and drink, socialising and discussing their studies; not so much escaping from their courses as bringing them to life amongst their peers.

To provide just such a space for our Sixth Form, over the summer we intend to strip out our current Sports Centre lounge and re-establish it as a commercial coffee shop

speech day address THE CULFORDIAN

environment. A new bar area will be built to provide a full range of drinks and snacks.

We intend it to be available to the Sixth Form throughout the day, but in the mornings and evenings I hope that parents dropping off their children or waiting for them will be able to benefit from it, as they should at weekends when watching matches.

It will also be a space we can use during the evening and by helping pupils develop their use of it, we will not only be able to give pupils a better experience of the Sixth Form as a whole, but also gain direct experience of helping to structure the use of a commercial facility.

We are pleased to be developing our new coffee shop in partnership with Paddy & Scott’s and our caterers, Edwards & Blake. Paddy & Scott’s are a Suffolk based company. They are coffee fanatics who want to keep their local links strong; and they pay their taxes here in the UK. Many of you may know their café on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds and, if not, I recommend it.

Our investment in these facilities will give our Sixth Form students not only the library as an academic hub in which to study without distraction and in comfort but also a space to socialise, discuss, explore ideas, or, yes, just relax away from the younger years.

All of this, however, means that we require a greater focus upon the Sixth Form. With effect from September, I have appointed Mr Stephen Arbuthnot as our new Head of Sixth Form. This will be a senior management role and see Mr Arbuthnot coordinating the journey our pupils make into, through and beyond the Sixth Form here. Other colleagues will continue to run specific elements of our programme, such as university applications and the like, but Mr Arbuthnot’s role is to ensure that the overall programme is right and to help every pupil receive a coherent and individual

experience in the Sixth Form that suits them.

Congratulations to him on his promotion.

I have said many times that the new library will change what we do and how we do it.

I think these announcements are promises of that even before the building opens.

As long ago as 2009, I told parents that we would be going through a long recession but that I was confident that we would weather whatever storms came and exit it at the forefront of schools in this area.

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THE CULFORDIAN speech day address

An ISI inspection that reported excellence in most of what it saw; a new ÂŁ2.2 million library nearing completion; a second floodlit AstroTurf being prepared for the autumn; a new golf academy; and new Sixth Form facilities to rival any school in this area.

I hope that as parents you feel a real sense of pride that you have chosen wisely.

Excellent teaching; excellent facilities; a vibrant, forward-looking, inclusive School set in glorious historic parkland. Clear values from the past and a clear direction for the future; Culford is indeed at the forefront of East Anglian schools.

I always thank you as parents for trusting us and that is heartfelt. We know you are

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more than customers, clients or secondary characters. You don’t just choose to send your children to us; you choose to bring us into your lives and your family and for that immense privilege I thank you.

I also always like to end by thanking our pupils. For me, they are the alpha and omega of all we do here. Many of them continue to believe that the best response to an approaching Headmaster is to walk a little faster; and, fair play, they are sometimes right. But often they respond in sharp and impressive ways. I spend five minutes most Wednesday mornings chatting to the whole School unscripted about something on my mind. Often my theme is suggested by an

interesting conversation with a pupil; and twice this term I have received emails taking me to task for what I have said, disagreeing and putting forward a different point of view. Each time it has made my day and been the first email to which I have replied.

So I do thank all of our pupils for their vitality, their passion and their positivity; it is what makes teaching a great career.

Which is why my final thanks is always to all of you for continuing to allow me to enjoy the privilege of leading this truly remarkable school.

Julian Johnson-Munday MA MBA Headmaster

salvete THE CULFORDIAN

Senior Common Room

Salvete Maria Jackson joined Culford as Director of Drama this year. Before joining the School she was Head of Drama and acting Assistant Head (Pastoral) at Sibford

School in Oxfordshire, where she taught for six years. Miss Jackson has an MA in Drama and Theatre Education from Warwick University and a Master’s level PGCE, also from Warwick. Maria started her career as an actress, and after training at RADA worked professionally in theatre, film and television for ten years, with lead roles in such series as Sherlock Holmes and House of Cards,

and Jack Rosenthal wrote the lead part of Penny for her in his biographical Film Four production Bye Bye Baby. She has worked in the education department of the National Theatre, and written teaching programmes for Active Shakespeare for the education department at the RSC, a process she found so enjoyable that it initiated her change of career from actress to teacher.

Nick Murray joined the Senior School in January 2015 as Head of International Programmes and a teacher in the Learning Development Department. After graduating from university, he worked in business and international sales before becoming a teacher. Mr Murray has worked extensively in London, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire and most recently at an International School in Spain. His main interests are writing, sport and the classics. From September 2015 Mr Murray will take up the role of Assistant Housemaster in Edwards House.

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THE CULFORDIAN valete

Senior Common Room

Valete In Memoriam

Robbie Hamilton Robbie joined Culford in September 2012 from Gordonstoun, where he had been a Housemaster for five years. Prior to his teaching career he had been a pilot in the RAF, being Chief Navigator for all Tornado aircraft. In his time at Culford he became a valued member of the mathematics department who could be relied upon to bring some Scottish humour to departmental meetings and to

the Common Room. He was an excellent classroom teacher and his groups valued his guidance and caring approach to their mathematical education. Mr Hamilton was also an excellent raconteur and often had pupils enthralled by his stories about his time in the RAF. He was a committed family man and his family always came first. He was an example to us all of how to live life to the full; he is greatly missed by all of us and he will always have a place in our memories.

John Bauer head of physics since 2013, was a highly respected teacher at Culford and fondly thought of by the pupils. He established an excellent environment within the physics department resulting in some outstanding exam results in recent years.

Mr Bauer also arranged a Sixth Form trip to CERN in Geneva, so that pupils could benefit from seeing a particle accelerator up close. In addition he was a stalwart of the CCF and Duke of Edinburgh programmes and the pupils involved will miss his input and support. We wish him well in his new role at Woodbridge School.

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Cassia Alfaro taught at Culford for nine years during which she led the Spanish department with much enthusiasm and panache. Ms Alfaro instigated regular trips to Seville and was always determined to give pupils confidence to use their language in meaningful contexts. She enjoyed great popularity as a French and Spanish teacher and was equally appreciated by her Sixth Form tutees in Jocelyn House.

We all wish her well with her new teaching position at Chesterton Community College in Cambridge.

valete THE CULFORDIAN

Janet Loco was a feature of Culford School for twelve years and provided the Spanish department with excellent subject knowledge and background cultural experience.

Ms Loco was single-handedly responsible for bringing Spanish as a foreign language into the Culford School curriculum and the success of the first few years paved the way to an increasing take-up at GCSE as the years went by. A popular tutor in Jocelyn house, Ms Loco had a presence that will be remembered by many for a lifetime.

She is now teaching foreign languages at King Edward VII Academy in King’s Lynn.

Peter Massey first started teaching mathematics at Culford in September 2010 and has been an effective and popular teacher ever since his arrival. In the mathematics department he enjoyed teaching across the ability range, being able to teach both the most capable Further Maths pupils who plan on studying maths at university, as well as those pupils who are targeting the much needed C grade at GCSE. He was in charge of running both the individual and team maths competitions and has been instrumental in helping both individuals and teams excel. He also regularly took pupils to maths inspiration talks in Cambridge, given by leading academics to encourage pupils to study maths or engineering at university. As Assistant Housemaster of

Edwards House, Mr Massey was a stalwart member of the boarding community. He was particularly proud of the five House concerts that he has organised, which were enjoyed by parents and pupils alike.

He doesn’t remember the House singing competition quite so positively! The boys will miss all the help they have had with their mathematics preps and their exam preparation, but they will perhaps not miss quite so much his slightly eccentric dog Bertie who always enjoyed acting as the House morning alarm. As a very able mathematician and enthusiastic teacher it was inevitable he would get promotion to Head of Department. He leaves to be head of mathematics at Harrogate Ladies College where he will without doubt enjoy continued success.

Andy Marsh joined Culford School in 1988 as a teacher of Physical Education. He worked in four Houses during his time at Culford: Cadogan, Robson, Edwards and Cornwallis. He became head of hockey in 1991 and continued in this role for twenty years. During this time Andy coached several players who progressed on to National League and International status and he also led teams on several tours and to National Finals.

Mr Marsh was also head of cricket and the 2015 season saw him complete his tenth year in this role. He enjoyed coaching some very successful cricket sides and being involved in helping squad members achieve their potential, both as individuals and as part of a team. Along with running golf activities for five years, Mr Marsh was involved in many trips and activities and enjoyed working with both pupils and staff. We wish him the very best in his retirement and thank him sincerely for his contribution to sport here at Culford over the last 27 years.

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Regina Stevens joined Culford in April 2010 as a Learning Development teacher having worked previously as Head of Dyslexia Support at Newham College for Further Education, and the Pupil Referral Unit in Tower Hamlets.

When she arrived, we were immediately struck by Mrs Stevens’ passion for the job, her expertise and her genuine kindness. She was highly respected by parents and colleagues and her pupils regarded her as a teacher in a million. We will all miss her warm sense of humour, especially her hearty laugh which used to resound around the School dining room, and we wish her well in her new role running a holiday letting company with her husband and son in Cornwall.

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Joss Williams arrived at Culford in September 2011 from Abingdon School in Oxford where he had been a Housemaster.

His role as Joint Deputy Head involved working alongside Dr Guntrip on both the academic and pastoral aspects of the School. His pastoral experience soon became apparent; pupils found him understanding but also firm with clear expectations. Common Room found him good-humoured, always willing to listen, and organised with good communication skills. Much of a Deputy Head’s work happens behind the scenes and Mr Williams, with his eye for detail and policy, enhanced Culford’s frameworks in a variety of areas, such as INSET, safe-guarding and trips. He also successfully oversaw a variety of major School events such as Speech Day and the Carol Service.

Mr Williams was a god-send to a Head of English; someone who was not just willing but eager to teach the lower sets at GCSE. It suited his temperament to approach the task in a methodical, orderly and rigorous fashion. He insisted on his pupils sticking meticulously to the process of learning and they felt confident that if they followed his advice, all would be well.

He showed great patience and was willing to give up his time outside the classroom to help individuals.

Beyond teaching and his role as Deputy Head, Mr Williams used his experience as a black belt in karate to run a karate club.

Being an ex-marine, he also often helped out with the CCF. Adept at public speaking, he contributed effectively at various events, such as Collective Worship, Sunday chapel and at celebratory dinners. Pupils visiting his office for ‘a meeting without coffee’, as he used to say, would often hear the phrase, ‘everyone is allowed to make mistakes – that is why cars have bumpers and pencils have rubbers.’ Another phrase saved for the occasional lazy pupil was, ‘the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.’

Mr Williams’ colleagues found him approachable, supportive and kind; he will be sorely missed. He always loved his teaching at Culford and now moves on to Gresham’s as an English teacher where he will be teaching not only GCSE but also A Level English Language and Literature.

Academic Achievements

THE CULFORDIAN academic achievements

Focus on

Examination Success A2 and AS

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his year results were very pleasing indeed. Many pupils gained a whole host of top grades and numerous pupils achieved excellent grades in terms of their ability level. Looking at individual results, it is readily apparent that ability is of course an important factor for exam success, but academic tenacity and ambition in conjunction with consistent work throughout courses are even more important.

At A Level 26% of all grades were A*-A and 56% were A*-B. Individual A Level pupil successes are outlined below, and in the context of exam boards yet again setting more difficult papers and enhancing grade boundaries, the number of pupils with top grades is very satisfying.

AAAB

Ellie Weller-Poley

AAA

Paige Woolnough

A*BB

Harry Connor

AAAC

Angel Yu

ABB

Siqi Fang

AAA (and A* – A2 Maths)

Anna Flynn

AAAB

Riana Harvey

AAAB

Charlie Holt

AABB

Chris Howells

AAA (and A – A2 Maths)

Hannah Littlechild

AAAC

Anna Matouskova

AAB (and A – A2 Maths)

Sophie Owles

AABB

Martin Sharples

AAB (and A – A2 Maths)

Scarlet Simmons

AAAB

George Terry

AAAA

Jack Veitch

AAA (and A – A2 Maths)

Luiza Walaszczyk

AABBB

When these results were published in August, the Headmaster, Julian Johnson-Munday, responded by saying, “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.”

The following pupils were our top performers: Molly Braithwaite

A*A*B

Carl Braun

AABCC

Elizabeth Burge

ABB

Nathaniel Chan

A*AAB

Kieran Dibley

AAB

Ewan Evans

AAB

Tracey Gan

AAB

Ciara Gavurin

ABB

William Horsnell

AAB

Josh Irvin

AAB

Robert Klüss

ABBB

Brian Lok

AAAC

Charlie Matta

ABB

Kieran Pask

AAB

Mariella Reason

ABB

Jack Riddleston

AAA

Jess Suckling

AAB

Eloy Torres Ramon

A*AAA

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Our AS results were promising and outlined below are just some of our excellent performers:

Miranda Wang

The Extended Project Qualification provides an opportunity for pupils to study beyond the A Level syllabus and prepare for university or their future career. Pupils can also use it to earn up to 70 extra UCAS points. Three Culford pupils successfully completed their Extended Project Qualifications this year.

Natalie Ratcliffe wrote about Literature and Painting of the Romantic period in England, whilst Kristin Chirica looked at how China’s economic reforms since 1978 have shaped their current economy. Kieran Devlin concentrated on recent changes in hockey stick design since the advent of AstroTurf.

All three pupils successfully presented their projects in the Spring Term after a year of research and study.

A very special result was from Siqi Fang, one of our top academic scholars, obtaining 117/120 and an S grade in a Maths Step 1 Paper. This is the first Cambridge entrance paper and is only taken by very able pupils intending to read mathematics at top universities. This mark puts her at the very top end of scores nationally and, even more impressive, she took the paper one year early.

GCSE Our GCSE results were extremely good this year and indeed up on last year; 51% of all grades were at A*-A level and 76% were A*-B. 94% of pupils achieved at least 5 A*-C grades with most doing significantly better. 26% of pupils attained at least 8 A* or A grades.

academic achievements THE CULFORDIAN

strongly: A*-A grades in Biology (70%), Chemistry (82%) and Physics (82%) were stunning. Another traditionally strong department, Maths (65%), also deserves mention and, taken together these results bode well for the study of sciences at A Level over the next two years. Drama has seen impressive results under the new Director of Drama Mrs Jackson’s leadership with 77% A*-A grades and 23% at B grade.

The following pupils performed very well indeed with a range of A*-B grades: (AM=Additional Maths) Freddie Allum

8A*, 2A (+AM-A)

Jemma Andrews

3A*, 2A, 3B, 1C

James Barley

4A*, 4A, 1B, 1C

Rebecca Beardmore 6A*, 4A Josh Chalfen

5A*, 5A (+AM-B)

Vivian Cheng

4A*, 2A, 1B (+AM-A)

Stanislav Chistyakov 3A*, 5A, 1B (+AM-A) Edward Chrispin

2A*, 3A, 4B, 1C

Natasha Desmond

2A*, 4A, 2B, 2C (+AM-B)

Joe Gilkes

5A*, 4A, 1B (+AM-B)

Natasha Horden

3A*, 3A, 4B

Beth Keswick

4A*, 4A, 1C

Harriet Kirby-Smith

2A*, 7A, 1B

Emma Lees

2A*, 5A, 1B, 1C

Sam Lucas

4A*, 3A, 2C

Max McCrea

8A*, 2A (+AM-A)

Matthew Mitcham

3A*, 5A, 1B

Scarlett Neill

7A*, 1A, 2B

Marie Owino

3A*, 5A, 1B

Tatiana Ruleva

5A*, 4A, 1C (+AM-B)

Ellie Rushforth

5A*, 4A, 1B

Charlie Schofield

7A*, 2A, 1B (+AM-B)

Lucy Scott

5A*, 4A

Isabella Taylor

4A*, 5A, 1B

Nuwan Wijenaike

2A*, 5A, 2B, 1C

Kweku Zuta

2A*, 5A, 1B, 1C

The Headmaster commented: “We are delighted with these excellent results.

Our top pupils achieved suites of A* and A grades and the value added achieved across the ability range, on an individual and group basis, was terrific.” He went on to say, “For more than half of our entries to be at the top level in a genuinely all-round school that nurtures the talents of all pupils is a striking testament to the success of our teachers in inspiring pupils and to the success of our pupils in following guidance and working hard to fulfil their potential.”

In particular, the hard science subjects at Culford continue to perform extremely

Every year, pupils who are not academic scholars but who do particularly well in their GCSE examinations are awarded Sixth Form Honorary Scholarships by the Headmaster. For the last few years, the benchmark for Honorary Scholarships has been 9A* or A grades. However, due to our top performers doing even better year on year, we have enhanced this to an equivalent point score of at least 4A* and 5A grades. New Sixth Form Scholars are Lucy Scott, who was already an academic exhibitioner, and Natasha Day, who was already a Jubilee Scholar.

In the Lower Fifth, our top mathematics set took IGCSE Mathematics a year early: 60% of grades were A* and 96% A*-A. These pupils will now go on to study Additional Maths in the Upper Fifth, a very challenging but rewarding course which is an excellent preparation for Maths and Further Maths at A Level.

In summary, the overall results are excellent, but it is always the individual pupil journeys and final individual grades that are fascinating. We have been focusing on developing pupils’ guided independent learning skills for a few years and this is important because the effectiveness of pupils’ studies beyond the classroom is pivotal to examination success. And now with our superb new library and, as the pupils themselves continue to say, with teachers always being on hand to help, Culfordians really do have all that is needed to enjoy and succeed at the wonderful selection of subjects they study.

Dr John Guntrip Deputy Head 19

THE CULFORDIAN academic achievements

Competition Maths Culford pupils have had another successful year in all the national mathematics competitions. In November, all pupils studying maths in the Sixth Form sat the National Senior Mathematics Challenge; in total 40 students were awarded certificates for their excellent results.

Science News Our GCSE results were extremely pleasing this year. Pupils who did Triple Award GCSE did particularly well: A*-A grades in Biology (70%), Chemistry (79%) and Physics (82%).

The following pupils achieved an A* in each of the three sciences: Freddie Allum, Max McCrea, Vivian Cheng, James Barley and Sam Lucas. Other pupils who did exceptionally well included: Rebecca Beardmore, Joshua Chalfen, Joseph Gilkes, Charlie Schofield, Scarlett Neill and Marie Owino.

This year we are delighted to announce our involvement in the RCUK School-University Partnerships Initiative with Dr Kay Yeoman at the UEA. This is a programme by Research Councils UK which facilitates partnerships between universities and schools. As a result, pupils will be able to access the departments at the UEA, be invited to lectures and attend workshops. This is an exciting opportunity for our pupils and we look forward to being involved with future initiatives.

Mr Darren Rees Head of Science

In February, it was the turn of the younger years where the top sets in Fourth Form, Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth all took part in the Intermediate Mathematics challenge.

31 pupils were awarded certificates for their excellent performances. Max McCrea, Celina Yan, Charlie James and Vivian Cheng all achieved gold certificates, with Max, Celina and Mary Grace Godfrey being asked to sit the follow on Kangaroo competition. They all did their very best and Celina gained a certificate of distinction, which means her performance was excellent by national standards.

Double Award Science GCSE also produced excellent results, with the following pupils achieving A*A*: Elizabeth Keswick, Eleanor Rushforth and Isabella Taylor; and the following pupils achieving A*A: Jemma Andrews, Harriet Kirby-Smith and Lucy Scott. At A Level, we were delighted with the performance of our pupils, with a number of them achieving top grades. Ewan Evans achieved A grades in both biology and chemistry, while A grades in physics were awarded to Kieran Dibley, William Horsnell and Eloy Torres Ramon.

In March 2015, some pupils took part in the UK Chemistry Olympiad, where Siqi Fang was awarded a gold certificate, Culford’s first gold in this competition, and Jack Veitch was awarded a bronze certificate.

In the Summer Term, we took 20 Sixth Form pupils to Oxford University for an Open Day. It was a very beneficial trip for the pupils who took inspiration from visiting a number of departments and colleges.

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Will Horsnell and Ben Milner were awarded gold certificates, as was Siqi Fang, who gained one of the highest scores in the country and qualified for the British Mathematics Olympiad. She sat this incredibly difficult paper, consisting of just six questions to be answered in three and a half hours, in November. Siqi managed to give complete solutions to three of the questions and in so doing achieved a certificate of distinction. She also teamed up with Eloy Torres Ramon, Lucy Hollis and Riana Harvey to take part in the Senior Team Mathematics Challenge. Here the pupils were tested on a wide range of mathematical puzzles such as relay problem solving and crossnumbers. They did very well to come 4th out of the 28 teams who attended.

I would like to thank Mr Massey for organising the entry of the School into all these competitions, and for helping the pupils prepare for the Senior Team Mathematics Challenge in particular.

Siqi Fang (L6) who entered both the Chemistry and Maths Olympiads

Mr Neil Tully Head of Maths

enrichment THE CULFORDIAN

Sixth Form

Enrichment Programme

E

ntering the Sixth Form is often a challenging transition, regardless of whether or not you are new to Culford. It is the point when you realise that there are new friends that you can make, that there are more experiences to be had, and that university is not so far away.

In short, entering the Sixth Form is…daunting.

The first opportunity for the Lower Sixth to integrate was during Freshers’ Weekend – three days of abseiling, rafting, hiking, rock climbing, weaseling (squeezing through tunnels and between rocks) and kayaking.

Freshers’ was invaluable in cementing new friendships and it brought us closer together as a year group. After all, it is always easy to talk with new friends and old about that time when your raft fell apart as your group tried in vain to paddle to a pontoon that was just a bit too far away, or that time when you got lost on the hills in the Peak District

because you thought that an ordinary hiker might be the rock-climbing instructor you were looking for. Countless memories were made on that trip, which allowed new pupils to assimilate into the Lower Sixth alongside those who had been friends for years.

The Sixth Form Halloween Party and the Highland Ball allowed us to get even closer.

Both events were organised by Prefects and members of the Lower Sixth, and enabled us to enjoy ourselves as a year group once again, dressed elegantly in smart black

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THE CULFORDIAN enrichment

suits and ties and beautiful dresses – or as vampires and zombie soldiers.

Throughout the year there were seminars on etiquette, note-taking, various ways to give a presentation and also a helpful day of learning how to relax where we tried Pilates, yoga, tai chi and even reflexology.

All of these events made our Sixth Form experience more enriching and rewarding.

One of the biggest worries for a Sixth Former is what comes afterwards. University. The next step. The Life after Culford week was crucial in helping to decide what the best options would be for us as we prepare for our next big challenge. We went to UCAS conventions and met people from our prospective universities, we asked questions on studying at university and about gap year options, and we began to learn how to write

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a competitive personal statement. This will no doubt all prove extremely useful as we begin making our applications next year.

I joined Culford this year as a new student and I can honestly say that I quickly felt a part of the Sixth Form and ready for the year ahead. I have made many memories and have made so many new friends.

I would recommend that pupils new to Culford and pupils coming from the Upper Fifth alike throw themselves into this programme whole-heartedly. In the end I am sure that you will feel the same way as I do heading into the Upper Sixth; all things considered, the Sixth Form was a much less daunting experience and much more fun than I initially thought it would be.

Riana Harvey Sixth Form Committee

Scholars’ Programme

enrichment THE CULFORDIAN

Science and…

Dr Brian Ball with Dr John Guntrip, Deputy Head

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he Scholars’ Programme is a series of seminars, tutorials and other events designed to inspire and challenge our most able pupils. The programme supplements academic studies and takes a variety of forms, from Oxbridge-style tutorials to debates, from lectures to seminars and challenging reading lists.

OC Claire Higgins

Each year the programme has an overarching theme, and this year’s was ‘Science and…’, allowing pupils to explore the relevance of science to a range of areas such as history, the environment and the teenage brain.

The Scholars’ seminars are given by invited speakers and our own in-house experts, and are open to any interested pupils or indeed staff and parents; you don’t have to be a scholar to benefit from the programme!

The 2014/15 programme began with Dr Brian Reid, a lecturer at the University of East Anglia, speaking on ‘Acceptable pollution: does the end justify the means?’

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In November, Dr Brian Ball from the New College of the Humanities addressed the relationship of science and philosophy, and the term finished with Lizzie Coyle from the Faraday Institute, Cambridge University, examining the sometimes controversial topic of science and religion.

Ms Coyle has a degree in evolutionary and behavioural biology including the history and philosophy of science and so was an ideal speaker for such a topic.

The Spring Term saw Old Culfordian Dr Claire Higgins (1993-2000), a lecturer in Tissue Engineering from Imperial College London, return to discuss medicine in her talk entitled ‘From Bench to Bedside’, which was attended not only by Scholars Termly debates between pupils and members of the Common Room enabled further exploration of the issues raised by the ‘Science and…’ theme, while tutorials and independent reading encouraged reflection and deeper thought. Tutorials also focused on UCAS preparation, personal statements and Oxbridge-style interview practice.

Head of Science, Darren Rees

The Scholars’ Programme is certainly proving a stimulating addition to the normal timetable of academic lessons; it takes pupils beyond the curriculum and encourages them to follow their intellectual curiosity and develop their own interests and passions of the mind. We are already looking forward to next year’s programme with the theme “Language and…” but also many aspiring medics from amongst the pupils. We then went in-house for our next lecture, ‘Science and History’, given by Darren Rees, our Head of Science, who also ran a Science Masterclass later in the term.

The teenage brain is a topic of utmost interest and importance in a school so we were delighted to welcome Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, a Royal Society Research Fellow and Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, to speak on the subject at our annual Scholars’ Reception. This was also greatly enjoyed by parents and our A Level psychology students.

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Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

valedictory THE CULFORDIAN

Upper Sixth Leavers

What Culford Means To Me Three members of the Upper Sixth reflected on their time at Culford at an assembly in their last term. people have come into their true colours with some going on to play at a national level at sport, others taking plays up to the Edinburgh Fringe or competing at a national level in academic competitions. It’s also been enlightening to see people leave their comfort zones and try out new things and grow as individuals. Every single person in this year is completely different now to how they were five years ago.

I

t is strange to think that it was 15 years ago when I started at the Nursery, going into Fieldgate with a Postman Pat toy under my arm. I have vivid memories of having teeth pulled by Mrs Stocker and doing spelling sheets with Mrs Bonnet, Andrew having to kiss Jessica’s hand in Sleeping Beauty, and being made to do “good toes, naughty toes” in ballet or they’d be eaten as “toes on toast”. I have been back to Pre-Prep recently and the playground has completely changed save for the climbing dome and little red tricycles. Some of us who were there for the 20th anniversary also celebrated their 30th with them – the School has changed as much as we have in the last 10 years.

Then came Prep School and we had to wear blazers and ties which seemed to be way too grown up at the time, and work got serious as we had to take exams. One memory that really stands out for me is the play in Upper Third, The Battle for Singe Hill. I managed to skip several scenes and cut the play short by about 20 minutes by saying the wrong line and missing out one of the important plot points. My starring role cut short … by me.

It feels like far less than five years ago that we moved up into Senior School. Robson was terminated for Fitz to expand, and we have all had to sit through over 150 Collective Worship services… but hey, who’s counting? It’s been Senior School where

And now we are here, through the Sixth Form and ready to head on to the next step. It’s been two years since we went on Freshers’ Week and roamed about the Peak District in the drizzle making rafts and abseiling. Since then we’ve had the Highland Ball twice,

Halloween twice, AS levels, people made Prefects, 20 or so of us went to Malawi, and Culford made its first promotional video. It’s been a great last year and we’ve still got our Leavers’ Ball to see us out.

I’m hoping that at least some parts of this report strike a chord with you and reflect to some degree what you remember about Culford. Perhaps not always, ‘Challenging, Enriching and Fun’ but hopefully something far more than ‘You win some, you lose some’.

You will undoubtedly find yourself reminiscing and rediscovering memories of what you and your friends got up to. When you look back on your time at Culford or you attend OC events, you will be reminded of stories and experiences that you shared with others, and hopefully do so fondly. Take with you those memories; but more importantly, good luck to all of you, whatever you may find yourself doing next year and in the future.

Elliot Phillips Reading Psychology at the University of East Anglia.

I

came to Culford four years ago in Lower Fifth. For those four years Culford gave me unforgettable memories and friends for life. One of my favourite memories is sneaking into Mrs Murray’s office during the night with Holly, Molly and Paige and filling it with over 200 balloons to surprise her for her birthday.

I was asked to talk today about what the opportunities to learn more and enrich Culford means to me, and the first thing myself, through lessons and the Scholars’ that came into my mind is one big family where we celebrate our successes together Programme. I also want to encourage the younger students not to be afraid or shy and also support and help each other like I was when I first during hard times. I want “I want to express my came but to make the to take this opportunity gratitude to Culford for most of what Culford can to express my gratitude all the constant care offer, whether academic, to Culford for all the throughout those years…” sports, drama or music constant care throughout or any of the other opportunities, because those four years; for all the challenges the years pass really fast and soon it might you made me face which helped me to be you talking in front of everyone about become a stronger and better person; for ‘What Culford means to you’. allowing me to help others and make a difference in their lives like you made in Kristin Chirica mine, whether through Peer Counselling, Reading Economics at the University the different charities we support or the of Southampton. different committees we have; and for all 25

THE CULFORDIAN valedictory

“…Proud to call myself a Culfordian”

A

s you some of you may be aware, I should not still be here. After my first year of Sixth Form I decided I enjoyed Culford so much I wanted to stay an extra year. It was also partially decided by the fact that I royally messed up my AS levels. It was an incredibly tough decision to come to, staying in school for an extra year; however it turned out to be a blessing

in disguise and I can honestly say it’s one of the greatest decisions I have ever made.

traditions of Culford are things that will stay with me for a long time.

Due to the support and guidance of the School I managed to pick myself up, brush myself off and start anew. Mr Arbuthnot, after a year in which I wasn’t even considered for a House prefect role and could be found playing FIFA in my room hours before my exams, still stuck by me, hopeless as I seemed, and guided me towards some very reasonable exam results, a position in the School Prefect team, and a clean sweep of offers from some of the top universities in the country.

I was also fortunate enough, having been a part of two separate year groups, to have the opportunity to get to know some incredible people. Although many of you I may never see again, I know that, during my time here, I have made friends for life.

I can now say, without a shadow of a doubt, that that second year in Lower Sixth helped me to mature and develop as a person more than any of the previous seventeen years did, and without the decision of this School to take a risk with me and give me a second chance, I would not be the person I am today. The values, principles, and certainly the

Having only joined Culford in the Sixth Form I don’t possess the number of years at Culford that some of you do, even if I have one more than I should have. However, I have had some truly memorable times: the Malawi trip, being part of the undefeated rugby season or just sitting on the bench in the quad. As cheesy as it sounds, this School will always have a large place in my heart, and I will always be proud to call myself a Culfordian.

James Boreham Reading Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Swansea University.

Leavers’ Destinations

O

nce again Culfordians met with a good deal of success in this year’s round of university applications.

A number secured places at Russell Group universities. Durham proved a popular destination with three applicants securing places: Nathanial Chan to read Economics with Management, Issy Davies to study

Anthropology and Tristan Rawcliffe to read Politics. Tristan, Nathaniel and Issy join a growing Culford northern enclave on the edge of the River Wear.

Closer to home, the University of East Anglia attracted an increased number of applications this year, with Elliot Phillips and Jez Bayliss planning to matriculate this autumn; Elliot to read Psychology and Jez to study Applied Computing Science.

As is to be expected Oxford is also attracting Culfordians’ attention. Although without Oxbridge success this year, three of our number secured places at Oxford Brookes: Daniella Kingsley (Law), Alexander Sparks (Business and Management), and Katie Thurtle (Equine Science and Thoroughbred Management).

Tennis Scholars: Tom Fisher, Henry Patten and Toby Cutting, pictured at the Summer Ball

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Loughborough also attracted three Culfordians this year: Jack Beaumont to read Sports Technology, Austin Hall to study Air Transport Management and Brian Lok to read Banking Finance and Management.

However, it was the University of Sussex that heads the table with four Culfordians securing places: Elizabeth Burge (English and Art History), Ciara Gavurin (Psychology), Natalie Ratcliffe (Art History) and Mariella Reason (Drama Studies and English).

Culfordians also met considerable success in their overseas applications. Henry Patten, Tom Fisher and Toby Cutting won tennis scholarships to the University of North Carolina, the University of Northern Arizona and Tiffin University, Ohio, respectively. Marissa Preston won a place at Leiden University to read International Studies and Arabic and finally Beatriz Hinojosa joins Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid, to read Psychology and Criminology.

These represent but a few of our successes.

Congratulations, of course, go to all of our successful applicants in the 2015 cycle.

Mr Dominic Tomalin Head of Further Education

Visual and Performing Arts

THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Art Report This has been another year of success, enjoyment and opportunity. Here are some of the highlights.

Tim Hall

E

arly in the Autumn Term we welcomed back the Curwen printmakers for a dry point etching workshop. Such was the success and enjoyment from the workshop held in the previous year that it was only right to invite them back to Culford.

Those new to the course were enthralled by the outcomes achieved and those returning to the process built on their previous success.

It was also wonderful to welcome the Prep School Art Plus pupils to the department.

Two of the Fourth Form art classes also had the opportunity to present art work to adorn the fencing surrounding the new library build site. Using the artist Barton Hargreaves as their inspiration, they presented silhouettes packed with images that referenced personal interests. These were a great success and there was certainly a buzz of enjoyment during their lessons as they saw their initial sketchbook ideas become reality. Thank you to Mr Hoggar and Katie Noorlander for leading this project.

In preparation for the Upper Fifth mock art exam, the pupils enjoyed a study day to The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

The opportunity to see art at first hand 28

is an invaluable way of gaining a greater understanding of how to place art in context.

Alongside the permanent collection, the Silent Partners exhibition was fascinating.

This was an opportunity to take primary photographs and record in sketchbooks the art work viewed, the beautiful architecture of Cambridge and the essence of the city; all to be developed further as a theme once back in the studio at School.

The beginning of the New Year and the Spring Term is the time that focuses our attention on exam preparation for the Upper Fifth and Sixth Form. The exam themes are eagerly anticipated and this year was no exception. ‘Apart and/or Together’ for GCSE, ‘Relationships’ for AS and ‘Flaws, Perfections, Ideals and Compromises’ for A2 were given much thought. A study day to the Saatchi Gallery to view the exhibition Post Pop: East

visual and performing arts THE CULFORDIAN

Alice Barkley

Natalie Ratcliffe at the Arts Presentation

Freddie Allum

Ciara Gavurin

meets West was thought provoking and an excellent opportunity to make visual links to the themes and to gather primary sources.

they begin courses in Product Design and Furniture Design at De Montfort University, and Photography at UCA, respectively.

The Summer Term begins with the annual Arts Presentation dinner to celebrate the achievements of all in the performing and creative arts. Congratulations to all those who were recognised for their outstanding contributions to art, drama and music.

It was a wonderful evening.

Looking forward, we are really excited about the proposed developments for the main studio. There is much planned and recent meetings suggest that 2016 will be another busy and exciting year.

I would like to thank all the staff in the art department: Mr Leigh Hoggar for his work in the Senior School, Mrs Helen Whiter for her work with the Fourth Form, and Katie Noorlander for all that she does for all of us.

Mrs Brenda Hunt Head of Art Michael Kimwele

Preparation time was then over and it was time for exciting, innovative work to be created for the exams. Speech Day showcases the work of our GCSE artists and the standard was high again this year. A special mention should go to Freddie Allum, who was awarded full marks for both units of work, and to Tino Charambamwe and Natasha Horden who were awarded full marks for their response to the examination theme. Later in the term, the AS and A2 artists held a Private View for family and friends; this too was a memorable evening. Congratulations go to all our artists who have given so much time and energy to generate such fabulous work. We wish Zoe Norman and Molly Mason success as 29

THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Jemma Andrews

Art and Design Technology

GCSE Gallery Ellie Rushforth

Cameron Fellows Freddie Allum

Joseph Gollifer

Natasha Horden

Freddie Allum 30

visual and performing arts THE CULFORDIAN

Moritz Moessler (Left) Ellie Rushforth (Right)

Ollie Beresford

Fred Mann Alex Burge

Juod Habib-Allah Tim Hall

Harriet Kirby-Smith 31

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Art and Design Technology

AS Level Gallery

Eve Holder

Mariella Reason

Emma Watson

Katie Thurtle 32

Ben Whittaker

Edward Harris

visual and performing arts THE CULFORDIAN

Louisa Fisk

Molly Mason 33

THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Art and Design Technology

A Level Gallery

Emma Beardmore

Lizzie Burge

Natalie Ratcliffe James Stewart

Molly Mason 34

visual and performing arts THE CULFORDIAN

Mariella Reason

Katie Thurtle

Ciara Gavurin

Mariella Reason

Daniella Kingsley

Kieran Devlin 35

THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Senior School

Drama Curricular Drama

A

nna Karenina was performed by the Upper Fifth GCSE Drama students for their practical option of Acting in March this year. Based on the novel by Tolstoy, the version that the pupils performed was an adaptation by

The Memory of Water

T

he Lower Sixth pupils performed Shelagh Stephenson’s The Memory of Water for their AS Level Acting examination. The plot is based upon three sisters, all of whom are diverse and complicated characters.

More accustomed to bickering and bantering than supporting each other, they are reunited one freezing winter to attend the funeral of their mother, Vi. The narrative revolves around the way each sister copes with bereavement, each revealing their strengths and weaknesses whilst they come to terms with losing their mother. They are united by memories of their childhood, some of which are pleasant, some not so, and all idiosyncratic to each sister and their experiences.

Vi is ever present during the performance and in this way, is privy to the conversations about memories.

Her ghostly, albeit glamorous, presence serves to remind us of the themes of the play: bereavement, camaraderie, lost chances, hope, dealing with the ‘here and now’ and dreams to come.

Pupils involved in this production were Scarlet Simmons as Mary, Phoebe Howe as Theresa, Eve Holder as Catherine and Sophie Jamil as Vi.

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the British playwright Helen Edmundson, who works in collaboration with the contemporary theatre company Shared Experience. Both the company and the playwright are renowned for taking classic texts and re-working them to focus not only on the plot as it unfolds in front of us, but also on the subtext of the situations and the characters’ experience.

Whilst largely a naturalistic text, the version the pupils developed used a stylised physicality to uncover and

highlight this subtext, allowing a glimpse into the minds of the characters and uncovering the true feelings that lie behind the spoken dialogue.

While the style was inspired by the work of Shared Experience, the staging and physical interpretation was the original work of the pupils and proved itself to be a very effective and moving piece of theatre.

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THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Senior School Play:

Our Country’s Good

T

imberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good has become a modern classic, much performed and much studied. One of the reasons for this is surely because it appeals on many levels. On its most basic, but perhaps most important, level, it is a gripping story of how a group of uneducated, underprivileged people gain self-esteem and a sense of altruism through drama. It also explores class attitudes, a topic of perennial fascination to the English. On a poetic level,

the play is about suffering and redemption.

As such, it is a challenging piece for a school ensemble, requiring mature acting and a real sense of togetherness, a challenge also faced by the convict actors of 1788 in the play. This play posed new challenges for the actors in the sense that they had to act in a naturalistic way, by far the most demanding of acting genres. That they rose impressively to the challenge is much to their credit and to that of the new Director of Drama, Maria Jackson.

Everything about the production was stylish and simple: the sound and lighting provided a suitable accompaniment to the varying moods and the set was spare but atmospheric. It is a truism of the theatre that the less there is to distract the eye, the more there is to engage the ear and this production placed a premium on language.

Indeed, one of the great themes of the play is the power of language, both to liberate and to enslave. In this sense, despite being set in the eighteenth century, the supposed Enlightenment, it is very modern. The period was, of course, one of revolution, of people around the world from France to America casting off oppression and learning the language of freedom. The convicts are given the opportunity to learn a new language through access to drama: the language of self-expression.

The acting was strong throughout the cast.

We have become used to witnessing powerful performances from the stalwarts of school drama and we were not disappointed on this occasion with Tom Stanford as Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark, who managed to

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bridge the gap between officer and friend with real poignancy, and Mariella Reason, who gave a chilling performance as the haunted Duckling. Ciara Morrell proved what a fine actress she is by drawing the audience into the imaginary world of Dabby Bryant with true skill whilst also managing to communicate the cheek and humour of the character with ease. Thomas Guntrip once again caught the eye with his soft and thoughtful delivery of the intellectual John Wisehammer. However, it was a real delight to see some new talent on display.

Alex Sanderson brought plenty of energy to his part and I was impressed by the work of Anastasia Blaga and Luiza Waraszczyk, neither of whom is a native English speaker.

This gave an added dimension to the theme of the transcendent power of language.

On the evening I attended, there was a fire-cracker of a performance from Anna Sutton as Liz Morden. She was seriously scary, a ball of menacing energy, and not afraid to live and breathe the emotional depths that this character offers.

It can be very challenging for an actor to be told by the director “Stand there and be normal.� The cast of this production rose to the challenge and produced a truly memorable performance. Culford drama looks to be in exceptionally good hands.

Dr John Byrne, Head of English

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THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Senior School Musical:

Little Shop of Horrors

L

ittle Shop of Horrors performed to packed audiences in Centenary Hall in March this year. This latest interpretation of Menken and Ashman’s award-winning 1982 comedy was a treat that had audiences laughing and cheering in equal measure. A combination of kitsch B-movie and 1950s sci-fi spoof, the musical tells the tale of hapless florist’s assistant Seymour, who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a gruesome craving. Smitten with his fellow florist the ditsy Audrey, he names the plant ‘Audrey Two’ in her honour. But Audrey Two has qualities which Seymour could not possibly have predicted…it grows into a bad tempered, foul mouthed carnivore offering fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite. The plot thickens as we discover just how far Seymour is willing to go to get the girl of his dreams…

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The staging, under the experienced eye of Culford’s Director of Drama Maria Jackson, was wonderfully lavish and brought the cartoon-like characters beautifully to life.

James Barley’s performance as Seymour was a triumph, and the energy with which he delivered his performance was impressive, as were his transitions from geeky nerd to romantic hero. Scarlet Simmons was a perfect Audrey. Her singing was sublime, with her rendition of ‘Somewhere that’s Green’ being beautifully pure and evocative.

A very skilled actress, Scarlet dominated the stage with ease and her comic timing and ditsy asides were a real highlight.

Mushnik’s florist, played by Ben Brown, was a hilarious pastiche and the vision of him and Seymour performing a Yiddish inspired tango was not to be missed. Audrey Two, voiced by the Headmaster Julian Johnson-Munday, was brought vividly to life. The Rhonettes, a gaggle of six sassy women who, rather like a Greek chorus, stood aside and commented on the action unfolding in front of them, were superb, dancing with precision and managing to create truly individual characters whilst working closely as an ensemble.

Credit goes to Ciara Morrell, Tash Mead, Phoebe Howe, Sophie Jamil, Eve Holder and Anna Sutton for their talent and teamwork.

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THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Perhaps the surprise of the production was Aaron Powell. Never having appeared in a school production before, Aaron created a masterpiece with his sadistic version of Orin the dentist, singing like a pro, manipulating the audience and stringing out the longest death in musical theatre, which saw him laugh himself to death having got stuck in a gas mask pumping laughing gas. The sight of him flailing about like an oversized dying fly on the floor of his dental surgery, long legs kicking and eyes rolling whilst trying to wrench off the mask left the audience helpless with laughter.

Heidi Stubbings’ inventive choreography was no doubt as much fun to perform as it was to watch and it was a pleasure to see so many young people on stage dancing with skill and with clear enjoyment. The young cast embraced the darkly comedic plot admirably and their voices soared through the songs, from the moving plea of ’Downtown’ to the light-hearted ‘Don’t feed the plants’.

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The orchestra was led by Director of Music Peter Burge, whose arrangements supported the vocals wonderfully.

The show enraptured its packed audiences, with one Tweeting, “Wow, what a show, Little Shop of Horrors. Outstanding performances.

Felt like a night at the West End!”

Culford’s Director of Drama, Maria Jackson, commented, “It was a real treat to work on Little Shop of Horrors with a bunch of pupils who grasped the humour and took it to another level – I thank them wholeheartedly for their talent, energy and commitment throughout. The accolades from parents and staff have been very touching, and I am delighted at the comments from the pupils themselves who have all said how much fun they had during the process of rehearsal as well as in the performances.

There were 71 pupils involved, either as performers, musicians, technical crew or stage management and the feeling of camaraderie and unity has been wonderful.

So many have said they already miss it and have pleaded to be involved in the next musical, which is about as good as it gets.

I’m delighted with the production on every level, and thank everyone for their hard work and dedication.”

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THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Music at Culford

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f variety is the spice of life then it is fair to say that the Music Department at Culford has seasoning for all. Rock, pop, jazz, classical, opera, choirs, orchestral, chamber music, competitions and concerts are all represented and it has been very encouraging to see more and more pupils committing to their musical pursuits this year.

Our termly Musical Calendar now highlights all of the key events. In addition to recitals and concerts we have featured an increasing number of workshops and professional

Helen Medlock, Head of Strings

concerts. We were delighted to welcome the accomplished piano duettists Anne Applin and Geoffrey Pratley to give a recital and coach our young pianists; they were pleased to be able to use our new Steinway grand piano in the Billiard Room and our new Yamaha C6 grand piano in the Studio Theatre. Of our own pianists Melody Lee impressed with her stunning performance of Mozart’s Sonata in C.

rehearsals behind the scenes and the whole contest was much closer. Cornwallis impressed by winning the ensemble class with their Barbershop quartet comprising Robbie Day, Christopher Howells, Aaron Powell and Tom Stanford. Jocelyn won the whole House song, but despite this they were just pipped to the post for the overall honours with Fitzgerald winning the title for the second year running.

The House Singing Competition, now in its second year, has already become one of the most fiercely fought over events of the Inter House calendar. Fitzgerald House won convincingly last year, but this year the standards of performance rocketed, there were feverish preparations and extra

This year saw the introduction of a Staff Concert. This was principally to allow our visiting music teachers to perform to parents and pupils. We spend our lives encouraging our pupils to perform in concerts, so it seemed only fair that on one evening of the year the pressure was

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back on us as teachers to do the necessary practice to perform to our pupils. I felt duty bound to lead the way with a performance on the new Steinway of Chopin’s G Minor Ballade and I was delighted that ten of our visiting music teachers also contributed with performances on the oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, violin, cello, acoustic and electric guitar, voice and drums. I hope this event will become an established part of our yearly musical programme and thank you to all of our wonderful teachers for their inspired performances.

I believe that singing is at the heart of all music making and it is with this in mind that I have been working hard to build up the choral singing at Culford. We have a number

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of talented singers with pupils such as Scarlet Simmons gaining distinction at Grade 8 and Sol Franklin being made Head Chorister of St Edmundsbury Cathedral. In the Senior School alone we have a Glee Choir, a Chamber Choir, a Girls’ Choir, a male Barbershop quartet and a mixed Senior Choir. Carols Choir continues to go from strength to strength for the Carol Service in the Cathedral and the Spring Term has become established as the term when all of our choirs come together to sing in a large-scale concert at St Mary’s Church in Bury St Edmunds. This year the Senior Choir was joined by the Prep School Choir and Culford Choral Society to sing Rutter’s challenging Mass of the Children and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

I started by saying that variety was the spice of life and it is the richness and diversity of the musical contributions of so many pupils at Culford that I believe best reflects a truly musically vibrant environment. Whether singing or playing in Little Shop of Horrors, performing in the Scholars’ Concert, rocking out in C2015, performing on stage before Opera in the

Park, or performing for the first time in a Tea-time Recital there are countless opportunities to explore individual musical interests and passions here at Culford.

Thank you to all who have contributed to such a musically inspiring year.

Mr Peter Burge Director of Music

Whilst music is an activity open to all, it is important to celebrate some exceptional individual successes. Hannah Littlechild gained her distinction on Grade 8 violin and was then made leader of the West Suffolk Youth Orchestra where she was featured playing a solo in the summer concert at Snape Maltings.

We wish her every success as she now auditions for the National Youth Orchestra.

Alex Harley, a grade 8 distinction saxophonist, was delighted to gain an A* in his Music technology A Level. He will now go on to study Creative Music Technology at the University of the West of England, where he will be joined by Robbie Day, a Grade 8 singer and accomplished drummer, who will be studying Audio and Music Technology.

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THE CULFORDIAN visual and performing arts

Summer Ball 2015:

James Bond 007

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his black tie event was open to Sixth Form leavers, their families and friends, and alumni and friends of Culford. The evening began with a champagne reception followed by a three course dinner, live music, and the opportunity to strike a pose with props in a photo booth!

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Trips and Activities

THE CULFORDIAN trips and activities

Trips and Activities Pre-Season Hockey Tour to Holland

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t the end of the summer holiday 18 girls went to Holland on a very challenging tour. We trained at world class facilities such as hockey clubs with nine all-weather pitches, and at a 5,000 seat stadium.

We also played at Blomendaal, which is considered to be the best club in the world, with Olympic Silver Medallist Tim Jenniskens and Dutch National Team player Glen Schuurman.

The four matches we played on tour were against some of the best sides in Holland and, therefore, the world.

Although we did not come out with a win we all learned a tremendous amount and saw how hockey was played at the highest level. Off the pitch we enjoyed some fascinating sight-seeing including a tour of The Hague, directed by the knowledgeable Kammeijer sisters, and visiting de Ridderzaal and the Dutch Houses of Parliament.

All the girls who went on tour improved their skills dramatically and the extent of what we learned on tour was evident when we came back to England and played Felsted in a pre-season match winning 9-3. We kept possession of the ball and scored some amazing goals from both short corners and open play.

We all believe that we are better players following the tour and we look forward to a season as successful as the last.

Thanks must go to Mr Copping and Miss Kammeijer for organising the tour matches, training sessions and activities for us. It was a tour none of us will forget.

Charlotte Ingleton Hockey Captain 48

Netball Tour: Barbados

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n October 2013, after a netball tournament had been rained off and postponed, we jokingly said to the U14 team that we would take them to Barbados if they reached the Regionals. A year later and there we were off to Barbados!

After a 3am start we arrived at Gatwick where we met another school, Highgate, also travelling out to Barbados. As they had done the trip before, they knew the ropes and on arrival in Barbados were first in the pool!

Our first match was on our first day, against Pine Hill School, St Barnabas. Our pre-match preparation consisted of a lot of pool time lounging in the sun; this proved to be an unsuccessful way of getting match ready.

Weary girls played their first game Bajan style and the physicality hit them, quite literally. The U15 team, playing under lights and on a 45˚ slope, lost 9-18 and the U16 lost 12-13. Although it was disappointing to begin the tour with two defeats, both teams learned valuable lessons. The next day we played Queen’s College, one of the top schools on the island, and the U15s were unrecognisable from the day before, winning 18-9. The U16s had a tougher game, but were also victorious. They had all toughened up, and although we had a few blood time outs we had two great wins.

The next day we had an island tour in company with Highgate School; we visited many churches and saw some beautiful views.

In one spot the driver switched off his engine and took off the handbrake to demonstrate how the bus was then pulled uphill: in fact he stood up and left the driver’s seat as we went uphill, which was worrying as we were travelling towards a steep downhill!

Apparently this is to do with magnetic fields.

Our next match was against Harrisons College, another of the island’s top schools, where we scored another two victories.

Finally we played Galaxy Start, a club team.

This would be our last match of the tour so we wanted two more wins, which we duly got. The girls played some outstanding netball and put into practice everything that they had learned. We then had an hour’s training with an ex-Barbados player and the girls learned how to train Bajan style; a definite highlight of the tour.

The group stayed across five apartments and one evening each took a turn at hosting part of a meal, with several delicious courses being prepared and served, including a surprise birthday cake for Mrs Reynolds. Barbados Tour ‘Oscars’ awards, charades and singing made a fantastic end to a great day.

Our final day epitomised saving the best until last. Mrs Reynold’s birthday treat was to go on a catamaran snorkelling trip with turtles! This was incredible and we also had an opportunity to dive on a ship wreck followed by lunch by the beach and swimming, despite torrential rain.

All in all it was an amazing tour with some amazing pupils.

Mrs Collette Reynolds

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Iceland

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n October last year Miss Mayhew and Mrs Murray accompanied 22 Culford pupils to Iceland to explore its breath-taking landscapes, learn about the importance of tectonic activity and take in local culture. On arrival our first stop was to swim in the famous Blue Lagoon. Set amongst a landscape of black lava, the water temperature in the geothermal pool averages between 30-40˚C, the perfect escape from an air temperature of about 2˚C! Over the next three days we visited many of the wonderful waterfalls like Gulfoss, Seljalandfoss and Skogafoss, ending one day on the black volcanic beaches of Reynisheverfi watching the sunset. Another fantastic afternoon took us onto a glacier; with crampons strapped to our hiking boots and ice-picks in hand we walked up the face of the Solheimajokull glacier, not far from the famous Eyjafjallafokull volcano which erupted in 2010.

importance of the natural energy production in Iceland. With around 90% of all energy produced geothermally, energy costs are low. Because of this, having a heated pool in every school, village and in many homes was commonplace, unlike the luxury it is viewed as in the UK. A final photo straddling the Mid-Atlantic ridge, where two tectonic plates meet, marked the end of a tremendous five days in Iceland. As ever, it was a pleasure to be in the company of Culford pupils abroad. Our tour guide Olle could only sing their praises and savoured their enthusiasm and good humour throughout the trip.

Miss Hannah Mayhew

With time to explore local towns and villages, we were able to experience and understand the cultures and traditions of Icelandic people. At the Skógar Folk Museum we looked at artefacts representing the historical and cultural heritage of Iceland collected from the Southern counties. The capital city of Reykjavik proved popular with the pupils who tasted the local foods and enjoyed going to the local swimming pools.

A tour around the Hellisheeidi geothermal power station, and eating eggs and bread cooked underground at Hverageroi geothermal centre highlighted the

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THE CULFORDIAN trips and activities

Science Trips

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n November, some Sixth Form girls attended the WISE conference (Women in Science and Engineering), at St Benedict’s School in Bury St Edmunds.

The event, sponsored by UK Power Networks, was all about informing and inspiring pupils to explore the different types of careers and opportunities available in engineering. Our pupils benefited from listening to and meeting women in leading positions in industry and had the opportunity to ask them how they managed to establish themselves in their careers.

In the Spring Term we took the whole of the Fourth Form to the Big Bang Young Scientists and Engineers Fair in the NEC, Birmingham. This annual event celebrates the best of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and aims to inspire and encourage pupils to

continue studying these subjects, perhaps leading to a career in one of these areas. The pupils had a very enjoyable day, spending their time visiting different stalls run by other school pupils, university graduates

1st XI Boys’ Hockey Tour to Barcelona

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ulford boys’ 1st XI squad enjoyed a fantastic pre-season hockey tour to sunny Barcelona as part of their preparation for the forthcoming hockey season. A squad of 17 boys left cold and rainy England early on the morning of 2 January to fly out for three training sessions and three matches in the iconic city of Barcelona. The squad transferred to the Olympic Park hockey stadium overlooking the city to train before

playing against Ardingly College in their opening game. They soon found their rhythm and started the game with great confidence despite not having played together as a squad before. The following day they travelled to the prestigious Real Club de Polo to watch some of the best Spanish men’s club sides play in a mid-season tournament, before heading off themselves to play against a Catalonian regional side at Terrassa HC.

and people from the industry. It was a very rewarding day, and the pupils gained much from it.

Mr Darren Rees, Head of Science

This proved a good test for the new team and in a competitive match they were just edged out four goals to two. The day culminated in a tour of the iconic Camp Nou, home of Barcelona FC, where the boys got to see the sheer scale of the 98,000 seater stadium and walk in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest footballers.

Another training session at the Olympic park the following day and a match against Egara HC saw more success for the team as they ran out 2-0 winners. After this the squad deserved some rest and a day off from hockey so a tour of Barcelona old town and the Sagrada Familia was organised, as well as some free time around the beautiful beach area of the city. It was a great way for the boys to soak up some of the culture of the city away from the sports field. On their final day, a training session at the Real Club de Polo was followed by watching the final of the men’s invitational tournament. The tour concluded with the traditional Culford game of football played out in the glorious setting sun in one of the world’s best cities.

Mr Matt Copping 50

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Diving Trip

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uring the Easter holidays, a group of Culford pupils ew to the island of Tobago to enjoy a week of diving in the Caribbean. We arrived on a beautiful sunny morning and headed straight to the pristine and crystal clear waters to refresh ourselves after the ight.

Tobago is the smaller island of Trinidad and Tobago, with a population of 62,200.

Everybody we met there was more than

welcoming, all with smiles on their faces.

On our dives we witnessed some of the countless astonishing creatures of the sea, from tiny to huge. Schools of little fish by the hundreds gathered around the coral beds and reefs. Beautifully coloured parrot fish scoured the reefs while grazing; barracuda shot past us at lightning speed; octopus lay in their dens showing off their tentacles; indeed fish of all shapes, sizes and colour surrounded us. Nurse sharks lay dormant under the reefs sizing us up to see who would make the best meal. Sea turtles greeted us with open fins and swam beside us as we dived in their wondrous underwater world.

After our last dive was over and we were on our way back to the dive centre, luck shone on us and we ran into a pod of wild

dolphins. Mr Arbuthnot asked if we could stop and dive in, and although the boat captain was not too sure, Mr A decided we would all be fine so we jumped right in and swam alongside the graceful creatures.

They swam among us and circled around us, coming so close we could almost touch them, showing off with an amazing display.

It was an awesome experience and one that we will never forget.

Our shared experiences and adventures brought us all closer together. It was an absolute blast, and we all came back with memories that will stay with us forever.

Thank you to Mr Arbuthnot and Miss Mayhew for giving us this opportunity.

Juod Habib-Allah

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THE CULFORDIAN trips and activities

Combined Cadet Force:

10th Anniversary

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ulford School CCF celebrated its tenth anniversary in September 2015 so it seems appropriate to look back over the achievements of those 10 years. It all started when I met the Headmaster on the stairs one morning in January 2005 and he said that “Culford really should have a CCF!� From there we contacted the military, carried out feasibility studies, came up with a model and by September were ready to go.

In the meantime I had recruited Mrs Schofield as a second Army officer, CSgt Roach as SSI

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and a bunch of Lower and Upper Fifth pupils as NCOs. The Army laid on a five day training camp for us over the Easter holidays so our NCOs would know the basics when our first batch of recruits arrived in September.

So what have been some of the highlights?

Our first weekend took place during a freezing November in 2005 but was a fantastic success.

All the cadets had a great time despite the cold, and the sense of camaraderie created by perseverance in difficult conditions continues to this day.

Every year we have our Annual General Inspection. I always enjoy the day as it is a chance for the cadets to show off their skills and ability and parents always tell me that they cannot believe that those smartly dressed, disciplined young people are their children. Our first inspection was by an Old Culfordian, General Sir John McColl, and it was a pleasure to invite back such a distinguished Old Boy. However, there have been other highlights too: Air Marshal Dick Garwood piloted himself here in a helicopter and then insisted that every cadet had a flight in it. General the Lord Dannatt

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had time for everyone he met and was an inspiration to staff and cadets.

One of my favourite weeks of the year is the first week of the summer holidays; not because I am on holiday but because we head off on CCF Central Camp. Camp is the culmination of the CCF year and has comprised all sorts of fantastic activities that have seen us abseiling down cliffs, raft racing, surfing and kayaking as well as doing all sorts of military activities run by regular troops at a level that cannot be undertaken in School. We have been all over the country from Cornwall and Dorset in the south to Cumbria and Scotland in the north. The CCF really comes together on camp with everyone pitching in as a unit. The highlight of any camp is the competition day where we all support each other and where we have had many successes over the years, always punching above our weight.

Competition in the CCF encourages us all to improve and when undertaken in the right spirit is a huge aid to training. Over the years we have entered many regional Cadet Competitions being runners up at Cambridge University OTC’s Cadet Stretch and also at Welbeck’s Cadet Leadership competition. We have also won the Suffolk Cadet Competition at Woodbridge School.

Our finest hour was winning the Military Skills Competition at Exercise Combat Cadet against 22 other teams from East Anglia 53

THE CULFORDIAN trips and activities

and the East Midlands including Norfolk and Suffolk ACF. This was a huge achievement considering the size of our contingent compared to an entire county of ACF cadets and the extent of the competition over 11 demanding stands testing all sorts of skills from First Aid to battlefield tactics.

The CCF is all about developing leadership and teamwork and this is often fostered by our cadets attending externally run courses.

Over the years numerous cadets have passed the Senior Cadet Instructor’s Course, the Cadet Leadership Course and the Air Cadet Leadership Course. These are all mentally and physically demanding five day residential courses where cadets mix with others from all over the country and from a variety of backgrounds. Our cadets have always conducted themselves very commendably on such courses resulting in them often being top cadets. Our three Senior Cadets this year, Sgts Martin Sharples, Anna Flynn and Kieran D’Lima, all received outstanding reports from either SCIC or ACLC last year.

Notable successes this summer were Cpl Sophie Owles going solo on her RAF Gliding Scholarship and Sgt Kieran D’Lima flying solo on his RAF Flying Scholarship Course.

Several former members of the CCF have found military success of one type or another since leaving Culford. David Hounsome earned himself a place at Sandhurst and an Army Sixth Form Scholarship (despite

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being in the RAF section) and is now 2LT Hounsome. Louise Barber is currently at Sandhurst whilst Jack Godden will be starting his commissioning course shortly.

Ben Long is on course to earn a place in the RAF and has flown solo with the University Air Squadron in Wales, and Matt Buckingham and James Abbott are serving with the Army and RAF Regiment respectively. James was our first Senior Cadet and recently came back to Culford to tell us about his experiences in Afghanistan.

For me the best thing about being Contingent Commander has been seeing pupils do things

that they thought they could never achieve.

The Three Peaks Challenge and Welsh 3000 Challenge were examples of just that. On both events cadets rallied around each other to keep themselves going as a team despite the fact that they were physically exhausted.

Fourteen 3,000 feet high mountains in 24 hours is no mean feat and in the process they raised over £10,000 for charities.

I would like to thank all the cadets and staff over the last ten years for making CCF such an enjoyable and rewarding part of my job.

Capt. G.E. Draper

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THE CULFORDIAN

The Campaign for Culford The Library Build: Progress in Pictures

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he new Library build started in September 2014 and was finished in time to open a year later, in September 2015. These photographs show key stages of the building process, from the first dig onwards.

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The first dig was made by the Headmaster and Head Prefects on 10 September 2014

Cranes lift the main structural beams into place in November 2014

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6

7 5

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“The Library will be a vibrant and engaging space at the academic heart of the school.�

The walls and roof were in place at the start of April 2015

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The Library was completed in early summer 2015 and fitted out over the holidays

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THE CULFORDIAN

The Official Opening Culford Unveils Stunning New Library

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he Campaign for Culford fundraising project reached a milestone on Tuesday 8 September when the new £2.2 million landmark Library building was officially opened. The library was built

by Suffolk-based Seamans Builders and with bookcases designed, donated and built by local specialist joinery company TMJ Interiors, owned by Culford parents James and Clare Taylor.

“An inviting, light and open space for our pupils to go and study.”

Headmaster Julian Johnson-Munday was keen to promote the Library as more than just a storage space for literature. He stressed that,

“This stunning new building offers an inviting, light and open space for our pupils to go and study and a place where they can fulfil their potential as independent learners.”

He praised the hard work of the Foundation team for overseeing the project, but also recognised the dedication shown by the alumni, parents and friends of the School who had contributed the funds that made the venture possible.

Almost exactly a year from the day that construction began, pupils, alumni, teachers and staff gathered outside the completed building to watch Old Culfordian and generous benefactor to the project, Professor Harry Watson, cut the ribbon and declare the library officially open. We were also delighted to welcome: the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare, Countess of Euston; Patrick Chung, Mayor of Bury St Edmunds; and the Reverend David Deeks, Chairman of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust. Professor Watson travelled from Australia with his wife Adrienne to attend the event.

Professor Harry and Adrienne Watson opening the new Library

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THE CULFORDIAN

Why did Culford build a new library?

The old Library was too small and poorly located in Culford Hall, away from the classrooms; the new Library is at the academic heart of the school, next to all the teaching facilities and nearer the Houses.

Almost everyone will have to walk past the Library every day!

Careful design and creative placement of furnishings means that the library can be zoned for different activities. Tablets, netbooks and bring-your-own-device capability combines with an excellent stock of some 10,000 books, DVDs, newspapers and magazines.

In addition to the physical space and resources, Culford offers a 24/7 virtual library through subscription databases, websites, e-book and audio book lending, accessed through the library’s online catalogue.

Mrs Lesley Martin, Librarian

“The new Library is the academic heart of the School.”

The building includes a social learning foyer, tea and coffee facilities, an 80-seat lecture theatre and a galleried mezzanine area, reserved for Sixth Formers. It is a vibrant and engaging space with flexibility to accommodate individual quiet study, collaborative work, class work, lectures, presentations, reading for pleasure and social learning.

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THE CULFORDIAN trips and activities

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme

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very D of E year starts with the enrolment of participants into the three levels of the award and very quickly we are into our first expedition of the academic year, the Silver Practice in the Peak District during October half-term. Once more it was with some trepidation that we watched the weather forecast in the immediate run up to this expedition. The weather was windy but only occasionally wet and all the participants coped well with the conditions. Mr Draper found great amusement in watching Mr Roach’s modern tent blowing almost flat in the high winds whilst his own rather old fashioned tent remained rock solid.

November to February is a relatively quiet time for expeditions but it is when

participants get the bulk of their Skill, Physical Recreation and Volunteering activities done. However, once we get to March the expedition season starts in earnest with Bronze Practice weekends in and around the King’s Forest. We quickly moved on to the Silver Assessed and Gold Practice expeditions in the Peak District, followed by Bronze Assessed expeditions during June.

Once Lower Sixth Formers had returned from AS exam leave we took our 13 Gold participants up to Snowdonia for the big one, their Gold Assessed expedition. We were delighted to invite Barry Thomas back as their assessor. The first day in Wales was taken up with revision of emergency

procedures and micro-navigation and also allowed us a trip up towards the Glyders, where we had fantastic views of Snowdon itself, and the areas the participants would be traversing on the second and third days of their expeditions. Day 1 of the expedition went smoothly but day 2 was extremely difficult for all the participants. Low cloud over the high ground meant visibility of only about 20 metres and necessitated excellent navigation skills over some very demanding terrain. Mr Roach and Mr Draper climbed up into the mist to meet the groups but encountered only one. It was, therefore, with a sense of relief and pride that they saw the rest of the participants descend from the cloud at about 7pm having had a very demanding day. The final two days of the expedition went smoothly with a gradual improvement in the weather conditions.

By the end of the year all our expedition groups at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels had been successful. My thanks go to all the staff who so willingly gave up their time to assist last year. They included Katie Noorlander, Mr Roach, Miss Smith, Mr Bauer, Mrs Byrne, Mr Massey and Mr Tomalin.

Mr Guy Draper

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Community Spirit

THE CULFORDIAN community spirit

Charities

Macmillan Walk in the Park

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ll charity activity at Culford is pupil led. Pupils suggest the charities that benefit and they put the hard work into raising the money. But fundraising is only one part of our work; we use the charity focus to build relationships and widen understanding of the needs of others.

Each House runs its own charity fundraising activities which in the past have included rowing to Holland and back (while never leaving the House), mass car washing and a midnight jog through Bury St Edmunds.

House concerts are also a traditional way of supporting the chosen charities. Members of staff have walked to the North Norfolk coast, grown moustaches and gone on sponsored diets, although not all at the same time.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said that we must “help those who need us the most, do all we can, in all the ways we can.”

In light of his words, this year we started a termly All We Can week, incorporating specific

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days to focus on Caring, Giving, Praying and Campaigning. For example in the Autumn Term we focused on Kailash Bodhi School, our partner school in Nepal. We have been raising funds for them since 1999, ever since a mountaineering expedition from Culford stumbled across the school on the India/Nepal border. Our fundraising has helped them pay for renovations to the school toilets, new classroom construction, the purchase of school uniforms, a new mini-bus, and school equipment, including their first computer in 2005. We also help to pay for school meals for the children.

Our annual charity restaurant is our main fundraiser for this cause and this year raised £1,500, serving delicious meals with pupils waiting on tables, doing front of house, clearing and washing up. A non-uniform day raised enough money to pay for 100 pupils at Kailash Bodhi to have school lunches throughout the year. For many this will be their only hot meal of the day. To encourage us to Pray All We Can,

pupils were given a suggested prayer and invited to write a short note to send to the children and teachers of Kailash Bodhi School with encouragement and good wishes.

For our Campaign focus, four teams of pupils spoke at each of the House assemblies about the need to become involved in global issues, and gave guidance about how to become active in campaigning.

Kailash Bodhi School is just one of the causes we support and overall the school raised over £60,000 for the people and charities that are close to our hearts. These included Cancer Research UK, East Anglian Children’s Hospice, St Nicholas Hospice and the George Pantziarka TP53 Trust for families with genetic cancer.

Did we do all we can? I think we did.

Rev Simon Crompton-Battersby Chaplain

A team of Culford helpers at Opera in the Park; the raffle raised £1,386 for East Anglian Air Ambulance

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C2015

C2015 once again saw pupils and staff displaying their musical talents. Proceeds from C go to Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, a very worthwhile cause that we have supported since 2005.

Thanks to everyone that took part and to Mr Fox, Mr Burge and their team for all their hard work.

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THE CULFORDIAN community spirit

Malawi 2015

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ur seventh trip to this beautiful but needy country proved to be one which challenged Culford School’s group of 11 pupils and four staff in an unprecedented way. The entire group left this dear nation with amazing memories of what had been achieved in the short time we spent there.

The pupils had prepared in advance for our projects which were centred on the excellent base at Fisherman’s Rest in the Lower Shire Valley. The causes ranged from education to building, water supply to orphanage care and, by far the most rewarding, a week of PSHCE teaching to dozens of eager teenagers at Kachere School, which formed the basis of Project My Girl and The Man Project.

The delight of the girls to receive these was a joy to behold as for many this will have secured their confidence in attending school on a regular basis. The boys were given wristbands which they cherished equally.

These lessons focused on menstruation, sexual reproduction, STIs, gender stereotyping and human rights. Many of the youngsters taught by our Culford Sixth Formers had very little accurate knowledge of these topics and many displayed superstitious, sometimes mythical beliefs about these sensitive areas. It was to the Culford pupils’ immense credit that they were able to present the facts in an interesting and compassionate way. At the end of the week the girls were each issued with a bag containing washable sanitary pads and underwear.

Our visit to Good News Orphanage was another highlight and the pupils made the best use of their time updating the library, gardening and distributing much needed blankets, clothes and games to the 120 orphans and volunteers. Singing and dancing have become a regular feature of our visits and it was great to see how everyone, including staff members Mrs Kemp, Mrs Ratcliffe, Miss Olley and Mr Deane let themselves go in the customary party atmosphere.

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The last two days included a river safari and game drive at Liwonde National Park’s premier retreat, Mvuu Camp, followed by a night at Makokola Retreat on the banks of Lake Malawi. As the sun set for one last time, the group were able to take in the life-changing experiences they had shared with their host country while reflecting on how they may best hand over the projects to next year’s group.

Mr Andrew Deane The Rosetta Trust sponsored our projects and we thank the Trustees for their generosity. Read on for more information about the individual projects.

community spirit THE CULFORDIAN

Tilitonse Community Centre The £1,500 pledged towards this centre’s amazing work was put to great use in furthering the provision of sports, games and IT equipment, as well as ensuring funds for daily porridge distribution to the wider community. It has also funded a new member of staff, Blessings, ensuring that there is adult supervision in the centre at all times. The centre is open to all in the Lower Shire Valley area and is a welcome stopping point for those who make the daily trip up and down the escarpment to the markets, often laden with heavy produce. Those children lucky enough to go to school are thrilled to visit the centre after classes have finished and further their learning and sense of community fun.

The centre has recently benefitted from an electricity line and this will make evening use a reality in the future, in addition to increased security. It is also wonderful to see that a new Craft Course is about to begin which will include the making of the packs given to girls as part of Project My Girl.

Christopher Howells and Edward Harris

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THE CULFORDIAN community spirit

Project My Girl and The Man Project These amazing PSHCE teaching projects spanned four days of our work experience and each day brought a new focus on a gender-related issue. Lessons and discussions on gender equality and the importance of good sanitation then led to a scientific look at human reproduction and sexually transmitted infections. There was a high turnout for each group with over eighty children attending the courses in total.

The £3,000 donated by the Rosetta Trust provided us with the opportunity to hand each girl a bag full of washable sanitary products and other essential items. It will also secure the project’s continued outreach to these remote communities who often rely on hearsay rather than scientific fact for their grounding in such knowledge.

The learners were enthusiastic and their confidence grew throughout the week. On the last day of Project My Girl, we assessed Kachere School’s current latrines and advised on some changes to ensure a safer, more comfortable environment for the girls to change during menstruation. Throughout The Man Project some of the boys’ more traditional views on women were challenged and at the end of the week there was a noticeable difference in their attitudes towards gender equality.

Bethany Deane, Eleanor Langley and George Callaghan

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community spirit THE CULFORDIAN

Madzi Alipo Water Project The focus of this project was to help fix a disused borehole at Mtemaumo School in the Lower Shire Valley. This was achieved by first disassembling and reassembling all of the parts of the borehole to allow increased volume of water and a more consistent flow. The money raised through the Rosetta Trust, amounting to £1,500, has enabled Fisherman’s Rest to purchase a brand new state-of-the-art biological and chemical water-testing kit, which is the first of its kind operating in Malawi. This has ensured that boreholes are not simply fixed but also that the quality of the water has not been impaired through biological and chemical pollution while the pump was disused. This will be vital to eradicate the threat of cholera, for example. This was a fascinating experience for the pupils currently studying A Level science, as it had a practical application to so many different areas within the curriculum.

Katie Collier, Emma Watson and Sophie Owles

The Maize Mill Project, Good News Orphanage As part of our support for Good News Orphanage, we visited the site of the centre’s future maize mill which will be made possible through the funding of £2,000 from the Rosetta Trust this year. The construction of the building which houses the mill has already begun and it was great to see how this village of 400,000 people (yes, it is still described as a village!) will benefit from this new business plan. The site itself is in the centre of the community near the main road and will benefit from the local electricity supply which will grind the maize.

now available for purchase from urban centres in Malawi which will defray the previously expected import costs from South Africa. The staff at Good News Orphanage envisage that the mill will be fully operational in the next few months, providing an operating profit of around 4,000 Malawi Kwacha per day which will provide the orphanage with greater financial independence. This will have a lasting impact on the centre as well as the wider community, who have suffered so badly from the horrendous flooding in January 2015.

Another positive development in this project is that the maize mill equipment itself is

Martin Sharples, Alex Sanderson and Hugo Von Bussmann

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THE CULFORDIAN house news

Cornwallis House Housemaster: Mr G. Reynolds Assistant Housemaster: Mr J. Fox Head of House: Michael Knowles House Captains: William Horsnell, Ben Milner, Kieran Pask

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verything has to come to an end eventually and, finally, all the Knowles dynasty has passed through Culford. In my time here Cornwallis has always had a Knowles, often two at a time. First there was Geoff, who was in Upper Fifth when I arrived and did a lot in terms of shaping my thinking about life in Cornwallis; he was then joined by Joe who offered me further direction; and, finally, my outgoing Head of House, Michael, who in his quiet and focused way offered me even more guidance.

Essentially the family community that is Cornwallis House has been shaped by these fine Cornwallians.

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Housemaster Gavin Reynolds and Waggy

house news THE CULFORDIAN

These three boys epitomise most Cornwallians: they have clarity of thought and will put those thoughts into action and they are keen to involve themselves in many things while also pursuing excellence. At their heart is a drive to achieve their academic potential, but the real value of being here is the confidence it gives the boys to take their part in the adult world, a fast paced and ever-changing world where young adults have to be adaptable and show more skills than ever before.

My outgoing Upper Sixth can take great pride in their achievements and are as fine a bunch of Cornwallians as have ever passed through the House. Fine but also eclectic: Head Boy, first team captains in hockey, rugby and cricket, all-rounders who have played in all three first teams, musical talent on the drums, guitar and on the computer, stars of school productions, tennis stars, car restoration enthusiasts, literary giants, Bavarian charm in the shape of a giant hockey-playing tree, and the boy who found himself, and love, in Jocelyn.

second funniest man in the School, Mr Fox, who took a stroll down nostalgia avenue. He talked about his experiences as a young man growing up, his passion for music, cooking and very long hair! We had the family football competition that went to a penalty shoot-out that was forgotten by the time the pizzas were delivered, but will last long in my memory as family groups joined forces. It is really special to see how the boys from different year groups bond together and are so supportive of one another. The House concert was as much fun as ever and allowed many to showcase their talent with a mix of music, comedy and variety acts, and occasionally an unintentional combination of all three.

The atmosphere in the House is generated by all who embrace the opportunity to be part of a genuine community and I would like to thank all who have contributed so much, pupils and staff alike. Our matrons, Fiona

and Carole, do much to support the boys and me, as do the cleaners led by Debbie Shaw and the maintenance team led by Mark Webb. The boys appreciate the support these people offer, and when given the opportunity do thank them generously.

Mr John Bauer has fled the Cornwallis nest and flown east for a new career opportunity at Woodbridge School and we wish him well in his new venture, as well as thanking him for all his contributions to the House, most notably the excellent support he gave to his Fourth Form tutor group.

Upwards and onwards into another exciting chapter of life in Cornwallis; the post-Knowles era begins, and it is time to get our hands on the House Cup once again! It has been gone for too long‌

Gavin Reynolds

All have faced their challenges, all have done so head on and all have surmounted them to achieve success and have exciting futures ahead of them. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them well and thank them for all they did in support of me and the House, especially Ham Thursday, a 10pm meeting to taste hams of the world and mull over the merits of a Wiltshire Crumb, a Parma and a Spicy Chorizo. A Housemaster’s life is never dull!

Life in Cornwallis continues to be vibrant and fun. The Formal Dinner was again a great success with a memorable speech from the 69

THE CULFORDIAN house news

Edwards House Housemaster: Mr S. Arbuthnot Assistant Housemaster: Mr P. Massey Head of House: Andrew Devoy House Captains: Elliot Phillips, James Boreham, Ross McKenzie

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dwards House has a motto: iustum ut agaumus, which roughly translates as “so that we may do the right thing.�

With this as our core value, we rarely have to rely on lists of rules, and it means the House is a friendly, happy and industrious place, one that the Arbuthnot family are proud to call home. And what a home it is; we share it with 105 boys! With so many characters it is important we all have shared values and I must thank our outgoing Head of House Andrew Devoy and the departing Prefects for helping to ensure these shared values are embedded.

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Stephen and Charlotte Arbuthnot

house news THE CULFORDIAN

New 2015 Fourth Formers at Induction Day in June

A record of the year shows it was another belter, and while we came second to Fitzgerald in the House Competitions, we have another important motto in Edwards … “It’s not the winning, it’s the beating Cornwallis that counts!” Job done.

and Alex Waterman were amazing, and it was fantastic to see less famous actors like Harry Davies, Juod Habib-Allah and Freddie Statham taking part. In total we had 21 Edwardians either on or back stage. What a tremendous achievement.

While the House Competitions are largely, although not exclusively, sports based, one of the highlights of the year had to be the Edwards contingent in the musical Little Shop of Horrors. With a few exceptions, Edwardians are not very well known for treading the boards, and so this year I set the boys a challenge. Lots of them signed up and it was a delight to see so many on the stage, not least James Barley in a leading role as Seymour. Regular thespians Joe Gilkes

We said farewell to Mr Massey, our Assistant Housemaster, and I am pleased to report he has had a very successful move to Yorkshire. Our new Assistant Housemaster is Mr Nick Murray.

Head of House job while getting 4 As in his AS Levels at the same time. What a good start and an excellent role model to the younger boys.

Stephen Arbuthnot

George Terry and his team of prefects took on the challenge of leading Edwards from the Summer Term. I know they will learn a great deal during their tenure and it was excellent to see George quickly pick up the

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THE CULFORDIAN house news

Fitzgerald House Housemistress: Mrs B. Murray Assistant Housemistress: Miss H. Mayhew Head of House: Holly Jaycock House Captains: Anastasia Blaga, Kristin Chirica, Miranda Wang

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his year Fitz are the proud winners of the House Cup as well as the first Girls’ House to win the House Quiz Competition.

At the beginning of the year we enjoyed the House formal dinner which enabled the girls to spend time with their House families, getting to know pupils of different age groups and their tutors. Mrs Recknell, our guest speaker, shared her vast experience with us and offered the girls very sound advice for the future. In particular our thanks go to Daniella Kingsley and Holly Jaycock for their superb organisation which ensured the event was a resounding success. As always, the House Concert was a wonderful evening, with the girls putting on a Fashion Show as well as performing a number of accomplished musical acts. Anastasia Blaga sang very movingly, as she also did in C2015.

Fitz is a House of very committed and talented girls, renowned for their hard work, both in the classroom and on the sports field, as well as in the creative arts. We were very proud of Siqi Fang who achieved the Best in School award for the UK Senior Maths Challenge and was later recognised as being in the top 100 in the UK.

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For the second year running Fitz won the Singing Competition. The whole House, led

by Scarlet Simmons and Hannah Littlechild, presented a moving rendition of I Dreamed a Dream and the ensemble entry of Scarlet, Hannah, Natasha Horden and Sophie Jamil singing Love Song was commended by the adjudicator for their close-knit harmonies.

Hannah also became the leader of the Suffolk Youth Orchestra and toured Slovakia and the Czech Republic with the group.

Housemistress Barbara Murray with Siqi Fang On the stage, Anna Sutton excelled in Our Country’s Good, while Scarlet gave a fantastic performance as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors.

Girls from every year group got involved and the musical was ably supported by Anna Sutton, Phoebe Howe, Sophie Jamil and Eve Holder as the Rhonettes.

One of our most exciting achievements was winning the House Quiz Competition. This was history in the making, being the first

house news THE CULFORDIAN

County Champions’ team. Kira also reached the semi-finals in the Under 19 event at the ISTA Independent Schools National Championships, although she is only 14, and the girls’ team including Maria Andrews and Kira finished 5th in the AEGON Team Tennis National Championships. Marie Owino qualified for the National Finals.

time a girls’ House has won. Congratulations to Holly Jaycock, Lucy Hollis, Ellie Rushforth, Katie Veitch and Anna Hutchinson.

Kristin Chirica was presented with the Rotary Award for Service Before Self at a dinner at the Cathedral. Mrs Byrne, Holly and I were proud to accompany her to this prestigious event and were impressed by the way in which she accepted her award, humbly thanking everyone else for her achievements.

Our swimmers, Hannah Brecknell, Emma Lees, Olivia Nicolai and Emily Wood achieved personal bests and Olivia and Hannah reached the national finals. The team also came fourth at the Bath Cup Championship while Emma made it to the finals in the Regional Championships. Olivia went on to come 14th in the Dutch National Championships in Holland.

In Hockey, Lucy Holder was selected to represent England in the U18 squad while Maria Andrews reached U17 ASSE hockey camps and represented East England. Both girls trained at England NAGS Academy for U18s. Lucy, Maria, Rosie Andrews, Jemma Andrews, Liv Mayor, Milly Haydon, Eve Holder, Holly Jaycock, and Ellie Weller-Poley played for the first team which had an unbeaten season.

The U16 netball team, dominated by Fitz girls, had a phenomenal season captained by Liv Mayor. Emma Lees, Marie Owino, Jemma Andrews, Abbie Farrow, Beth Keswick and Isabella O’Brien Miller made the National Finals, but unfortunately the team did not achieve a medal position. Also, the girls made excellent use of the Academic Mentoring

programme that was ably organised by Molly Braithwaite and Paige Woolnough.

We have all gained so much from the friendships of those who have passed through Fitz this year, and in particular from the way in which girls from so many nationalities have shared their experiences and their own unique culture with one another. The time they have spent together will undoubtedly enrich their lives and it is wonderful to know that so many of them will remain in contact as firm friends for a very long time. We wish all our leavers happiness and success in the future and I hope that they will keep in touch. In particular, I would like to thank all the girls for the commitment and humour that they bring to the school day and to Miss Mayhew, the tutors and the matrons for their hard work and support. Finally, I must say a huge thank you to Holly Jaycock, the Head of House, for the way in which she took an active interest in all the girls in the House, for her incredible organisation and for keeping me on my toes.

Barbara Murray

Other sporting achievements include tennis scholars Kira Reuter and Carolin Minners being part of the winning Year 9/10 Girls

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THE CULFORDIAN house news

Jocelyn House Housemistress: Miss J. Kaye Assistant Housemistress: Miss C. Olley Head of House: Jessica Beasant House Captains: Mariella Reason, Lottie Ingleton, Natasha Mead

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here have been so many fantastic events and activities in Jocelyn this year that it is difficult to know where to start. I could talk about our dazzling performance in the House Cross-Country, where we came first in every year group bar one and were overall victors, or our stunning (and unexpected) triumphs in squash and table tennis, where we emerged victorious much to our own surprise. I could mention the amazing formal dinner, where the decorations, food and speeches made for a truly remarkable night that everyone loved.

Then there was the House Family netball competition on a dark and stormy night, which everyone in the House participated in with great enthusiasm and some with great skill. Our narrow defeat in the House Singing competition will spur us to greater efforts next year, and the House concert showed off the girls’ amazing singing, dancing and musical talents. All these events were wonderful, and were a great opportunity to bring the House together and encourage everyone to feel part of a whole.

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Housemistress Jess Kaye with Jessica Beasant and Emma Beardmore

house news THE CULFORDIAN

My favourite event was our House Christmas outing. We headed off to Norwich where we ate together and skated on the outdoor rink. Some of the girls were super skaters and some had never skated before but all enjoyed themselves hugely.

It is memories like these that I know the girls will treasure; but Jocelyn is so much more than cool outings and House competition wins.

It is all the little kindnesses and interactions that happen on a daily basis that make the House what it is, from the Saturday night pizza-fest to the quiet knock on the door from one of the girls coming to tell me she is worried about another. It is the staff giving their time so generously to support their tutees and House activities. It is Jacky and Anita going above and beyond in their work as Matrons, chasing and helping and encouraging. It is the tone set by our wonderful Prefects, Head

Girl Emma Beardmore, Head of House Jessica Beasant, and our House Captains Mariella Reason, Lottie Ingleton and Natasha Mead, who put an enormous amount of effort into promoting the House and looking after the girls. I would like to thank them all for their hard work and determination to make Jocelyn the best it could be. They set the bar high for years to come. Our wonderful tutors also give their all, so huge thanks go to Miss Olley, Mrs Hunt, Miss Kirby-Smith, Mrs Long, Mrs Martin and Mrs Glassbrook.

A House is made stronger and better by the things we do together and the events and activities that punctuate a school year, but it is the everyday interactions, friendships and support that the girls give to each other that really make Jocelyn a special place to be.

Jess Kaye

Scarlett Neill with author Marcus Sedgwick 75

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Sporting Achievements

THE CULFORDIAN sporting achievements

Rugby U14 The team played nine games, winning two, with narrow defeats to Woodbridge School and Norwich School followed by major wins against Wymondham College and Wisbech Grammar School. The team consistently showed tenacious and committed performances, with Charlie Ives, Fergus Schofield, Alex Minns and Oscar Hamilton epitomizing this. Fine attacking performances from Tommy Freeman were key. The team’s willingness to learn was instrumental in their development and all players made excellent progress. Charlie Ives has been selected for the Northampton Saints Elite Player Development group and Tommy Freeman for the Leicester Tigers.

1st XV rugby team before their departure to Scotland

U15 Despite some narrow losses, the U15 are developing into good rugby players. Particularly good performances came from Frank Scott, Thom Smith, Jay Waller and Alex Packer.

Frank Scott has been selected for the Leicester Tigers Elite Player development group.

U16 The U16 had a fantastic season, losing only two games. The players are developing into fine rugby players and the future looks bright for Culford rugby. Tom Brown and Fred Mann

U15 XV Back Row (left to right): N. Butler, F. Scott, A. Packer. Middle Row (left to right): D. Kemiki, J. Waller, A. Robbins, W. Baines, S. Nash, C. Carter, A. Moulton, P. Hodgson. Front Row (left to right): J. Yueng, C. Milbank, J. Mathieu, L. Bovington, T. Smith (Capt.), O. Hart, J. Everitt, J. Vickers, E. Davis.

were selected for Eastern Counties Rugby.

In addition, Tom Brown was selected for the Welsh Exiles and made the initial Wales squad for the U16 Six Nations.

2nd XV The seconds played four games, winning one. Notable highlights were a victory over Ipswich School and a close game against Bancrofts. Particularly impressive in the seconds were Michael Knowles (Captain), George Terry, Harry Connor and James Spratt.

1st XV The 1st XV had a good season, winning 10 of their 15 games. The October tour to Scotland as always provided the ultimate test, with a hard fought defeat en route at York and a bruising, superb victory over Edinburgh Academy. The last game of the tour was against Scottish Champions George Watson’s College who defeated us 31-17.

U14 XV Back Row (left to right): C. Ives, R. Carr, G. Gillis, T. Hudson, O. Hamilton, H. Bertie, G. Carbajo, A. Minns.

Front Row (left to right): T. Freeman, A. Brayshaw, J. Walters, F. Schofield (Capt.), J. Asiama, J. Gibbs, F. Morrison.

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Credit must go to all players for rising to the challenge, consistently performing well and playing a fast, expansive and dynamic style of rugby. This season Will Horsnell has again been outstanding at the breakdown with excellent work also from Kieran Dibley.

sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

U16 XV Back Row (left to right): J. Barley, S. Chistyakov, R. Usaris, J. Le Grice, T. Hall, M. Blazys, B. Gomez-Pico. Front Row (left to right): J. Murray, K. Lovejoy, A. Faraj, K. Zuta, W. Burman (Capt.), C. Schofield, F. Mann, F. Allum, J. Habib-Allah.

2nd XV Back Row (left to right): J. Spratt, E. Blackmore, C. Braun, G. Terry, M. Sharples, Z. Ncube. Front Row (left to right): K. Zuta, K. D’Lima, J. Murray, M. Knowles (Capt.), A. Hall, A. Faraj, H. Connor.

1st XV Back Row (left to right): H. Davies, C. Southgate-Ash, K. Dibley, A. Sanderson, A. Devoy, T. Brown, R. Usaris, H. Randall, J. Sumner, J. Boreham. Front Row (left to right): Y. Kamishima, C. Matta, B. Brown, K. Pask, W. Horsnell (Capt.), W. Hammerton, B. Milner, E. Evans, M. Kimwele.

In attack, Ewan Evans, Kieran Pask and Will Hammerton have excelled, creating and scoring some fine tries. The team can be proud of their efforts and some of the individuals were rewarded with regional honours. Ewan Evans, Kieran Pask, William Hammerton and Andrew Devoy were all selected to play for the Eastern Counties U18 team.

Rugby Sevens Winners During March, April and May, the Sevens team entered several prestigious School Sevens competitions. Some excellent sevens rugby was played in all events and a quarter-final defeat at the Reigate Sevens and a semi-final defeat at Oakham paved the way for the team to win the Cambridge Sevens. Culford took the title with a great team performance and individual excellence from the captain Will Horsnell, Michael Kimwele, Tom Brown and Will Hammerton.

Bury St Edmunds Rugby 7s In May the team entered the prestigious Bury ULR International Sevens Competition.

The team played adult sevens teams and won the Bowl competition for the second

successive year, defeating the Irish Exiles B team – a great achievement.

Mr Mark Bolton 79

THE CULFORDIAN sporting achievements

Girls’

Hockey U14

U15

Throughout this season, the U14 teams have been developing their hockey, learning to use the whole width of the pitch as well as driving the attack down both the left and the right sides. Overall, the U14s may not have been on the winning side as often as they would have wished, but their matches against King’s Ely and Wisbech have been a credit to the team spirit and shown the potential that this team has.

The U15s have had a mixed season this year.

The Bs started with victories against Bishop’s Stortford and The Leys and this included several new players who worked with enthusiasm and determination to succeed.

The A team had a slightly frustrating first half of the season, losing matches by just one or two goals each game. However, through working hard as a team, they secured wins over Wymondham College, Woodbridge and

King’s Ely in the second half of term. Katie Farrant set the example as Captain by her tireless running in midfield and the defence improved their tactical awareness as the season progressed.

U14A Back Row (left to right): E. Howard, J. D’Lima, O. Allum, T. Blasdale, R. India, J. Neill. Front Row (left to right): E. Farthing, L. Clarke, K. Shea, M-G. Godfrey, A. Holt. In Absentia: E. Hope, A. Hutchinson.

U14B Back Row (left to right): M. Howarth, C. Clifford, J. McCall, H. Pym, C. Anderson. Front Row (left to right): O. Yannaghas, I. Sanmartin Arbones, P. Olivares, J. Soloveva, M-G. Godfrey, E. Oulton, L. Flynn.

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sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

U15A XI Back Row (left to right): L. Mo, H. Brecknell, C. Bottomley, C. Minners, A. Callaghan, B. Farrow. Front Row (left to right): G. Deane, A. Farrow, M. Luiza Kiryakova, K. Farrant (Capt.), H. Burley, O. Nicolai, I. O’Brien-Miller.

2nd XI The 2nd XI had a successful season overall for what was a young and inexperienced team. The team was ably captained jointly by Megan Hogg and Jess Beasant and the girls played an exciting brand of passing hockey throughout the term, built on a foundation of solid and committed defending in their own 25. Scoring goals was their one of their weaknesses however, which led to some games being far tighter than the general play would have suggested. The highlights of the season were wins over Royal Hospital School, Wisbech and King’s Ely and all those that played showed excellent commitment in training and matches. This really showed in their improvement as the term progressed.

U15B Back Row (left to right): C. Cox, M. Angulo, J. Blonder, A. Heywood, J. Hall, R. Day, J. Li, K. Shillitoe, B. Northeast-Roffey. Front Row (left to right): C. Yan, M. Lee, E. Yiu, F. Luscombe (Capt.), S. Gerry, E. Harris, J. Campbell.

2nd XI Back Row (left to right): R. Harvey, A. Hawtin, R. Walton, E. Lees, N. Horden, S. Neill, T. Ruleva, A. Warburton, H. Kirby-Smith. Front Row (left to right): H. Mann, A. Sutton, I. Taylor, C. Gimson, M. Hogg (Capt.), S. Owles, T. Charambamwe, M. Owino, G. Northeast- Roffey.

1st XI

1st XI Back Row (left to right): N. Walters, M. Andrews, H. Vickers, O. Mayor, E. Beardmore, L. Holder, M. Haydon, J. Beasant. Front Row (left to right): R. Andrews, E. Dowling, E. Holder, S. Simmons, C. Ingleton (Capt.), E. Watson, J. Andrews, T. Mead, E. Weller-Poley.

The 1st XI girls’ hockey squad once again made history this year by recording a second successive unbeaten season. The hard work and effort the girls put into each training session week in and week out paid dividends as the squad notched

up 60 goals in 12 games and conceded only 11 all season. The desire to score goals and win the coveted title of ‘top goal scorer’ was one of the hallmarks of the forward line who never gave up trying.

They were a dedicated, committed and talented group of girls with some truly outstanding players.

Mr Matt Copping 81

THE CULFORDIAN sporting achievements

Boys’

Hockey U14 The U14Bs performed well in all of their matches this season, gradually adapting to playing in the 11-a-side format. The U14A team also enjoyed a good season gaining victories against RHS, Woodbridge and Wisbech. The highlights of the season were the performances in the county and regional tournaments. At the county tournament the boys finished second with three wins and a solitary defeat to Ipswich in a hard fought match. At the regionals the team played some excellent hockey and although they failed to qualify for the finals their record of won one, drew one, lost one was very respectable.

U14A Back Row (left to right): N. Cutting, J. Gibbs, C. Ives, A. Minns, T. Freeman. Front Row (left to right): J. Walters, A. Cruickshank, F. Schofield, J. Asiama, H. O’Kelly, H. Bertie, J. Walton.

U15

2nd XI

The U15Bs played this season with a fair degree of success. They battled well for a 2-2 draw against RHS and were only narrowly beaten by Framlingham. The team are growing in confidence and put everything into training whenever possible. The U15A team enjoyed some good performances this season, largely due to the strength of their spine. Lewis Bovington grew into the role of centre forward and was always a threat, whilst Alex Packer controlled the midfield behind him. Max Whittaker played the role of sweeper very well, distributing the ball confidently, with a very dependable Thom Smith in goal. Frank Scott also made impressive strides throughout the season.

The 2nd XI enjoyed a successful season with returning veterans and an influx of young blood creating a good balance in the team. Throughout the season they played good hockey, putting into practice the lessons learnt in training and passing and moving the ball very effectively. Grabbing a last minute victory against Kimbolton started the season on a very positive note.

The team developed from week to week, gaining in confidence and understanding and played some excellent hockey in the last few games. They were a pleasure to manage and it was great to see the team working hard but at the same time enjoying themselves.

1st XI

U14B Back Row (left to right): L. Williams, H. Black, T. Day, O. Hamilton, F. Mason, T. Bowen. Front Row (left to right): J. Brown, A. Brayshaw, F. Morrison, G. Gillis, J. McCullough.

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The 1st XI have enjoyed considerable success this season winning seven matches.

After a great pre-season tour to Barcelona, the squad gelled together for the opening game of the season against the returning Old Culfordians team. A solid 5-1 victory showed what the squad were capable of and where they could improve. Highlights of the season included an excellent second half performance against Norwich which saw the team score six goals, a notable close fought 1-0 win over The Leys and an excellent second half performance against RHS to seal a 7-1 win. All members of the squad played a valuable role. With so many of the team in the Lower Sixth and Upper Fifth, the future is looking bright for Culford hockey for the next few years.

sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

Old Culfordians v Headmaster’s XI Boys Hockey

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he annual boys’ Old Culfordians v The Headmaster’s XI hockey match took place on a blustery yet sunny day on the school AstroTurf.

The OC squad comprised many former 1st XI captains including Jack Ferrari, Oli Ferrari and Elliot Smith and included several other Senior first team players from recent years with Dom Absolom, Callum Downing, Harry Reidy, Ben Long and Thomas Mitcham all volunteering to play. The Headmaster’s XI, fresh from their pre-season tour to Barcelona, started brightly and created several clear cut chances. The OCs’ defensive unit of Jimmy Hawkesworth, Philip Miles and Bradley Timmins were soon called into action, as was Callum Downing in goal who made some fine saves.

However, the pressure soon told and the Headmaster’s XI scored two quick goals from penalty corners to gain the upper hand in the match. The OCs responded well but failed to convert their open play chances and unfortunately found themselves 3-0 down going in to half time. After a brief water break and well-earned rest, the OCs came out firing on all cylinders with Elliot Smith involved in launching many attacks and the team managed to pull a goal back to give them a glimmer of hope. The superior fitness levels of the Headmaster’s XI and the large squad they had on the sidelines waiting to play began to tell in the final 15 minutes of the game as they scored two goals within a minute of each other to effectively end the contest. The match was played in the right spirit and was a lot closer than the 5-1 score-line suggested. The victory for the Headmaster’s XI is their third consecutive win, but the OCs hope to bounce back next year and win back the bragging rights.

U15A Back Row (left to right): J. Stephens, W. Baines, F. Scott, S. Nash, P. Hodgson, E. Davis.

Front Row (left to right): F. Devoy, L. Bovington, A. Packer (Capt.), T. Smith, J. Beasant, J. Vickers, M. Whittaker.

U15B Back Row (left to right): C. Milbank, L. Ellis, C. Carter, S. Shaw, A. Moulton.

Front Row (left to right): A. Nazkinov, T. Powis, T. Long, J. Davies, J. Everitt, O. Hart, S. Franklin.

2nd XI Back Row (left to right): A. Dhesi, W. Burman, K. Zuta, F. Mann, G. Terry, T. Guntrip, S. Woods.

Front Row (left to right): J. Atkinson, J. Barley, R. King (Capt.), R. Usaris, A. Hall, S. Lucas, C. Schofield.

1st XI Back Row (left to right): J. Atkinson, F. Allum, W. King, R. Klüss, C. Holt, E. Field, D. Corbett.

Front Row (left to right): H. Davies, B. Whittaker, K. Devlin, C. Matta (Capt.), M. Mitcham, A. Blumfield, M. Kimwele.

Mr Matt Copping

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Cricket U14 The team had a season hampered by the weather and by injuries, but when at full strength they were formidable. Alex Oxley was a welcome addition to the squad, and he captained his new team mates with great authority, with his century against Wymondham being a personal highlight. Jess Walters also scored a century against the same opposition. Alex Cruickshank performed consistently well with both bat and ball while Fergus Schofield and Riley Carr chipped in with vital wickets at crucial times.

The squad certainly improved during the term, and it was pleasing to see their fielding become much sharper. Many of these players should become excellent senior cricketers if they continue to work hard.

U15

U14 Back Row (left to right): N. Cutting, H. Bertie, O. Hamilton, J. Walton, A. Minns, A. Cruickshank. Front Row (left to right): J. Gibbs, T. Hudson, J. Walters, T. Day, F. Schofield. In Absentia: A. Oxley (Capt.).

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The U15s developed into a competitive team, and to be fair, they were frequently without their best players with both Alex Packer and Max Whittaker playing up for the first XI. Frank Scott enjoyed some good form with the bat while Charlie James bowled very well and also shows promise with the bat. Joseph Beasant has the potential to become a good senior bowler.

Cricket Season, Summer 2015

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U15 Back Row (left to right): L. Bovington, S. Nash, F. Scott, C. James, P. Hodgson, E. Davis, T. Long. Front Row (left to right): C. Millbank, F. Devoy, M. Whittaker, A. Packer (Capt.), J. Beasant, T. Powis, J. Vickers.

2nd XI They had an enthusiastic Captain in Ben Brown, and their bowling was consistently good.

Several had opportunities to play for the 1st XI later in the season.

1st XI The firsts played an exciting brand of cricket this season and results have been very good indeed. Highlights before half term included victories against MCC, Gresham’s, Framlingham College and The President’s XI. Three more wins and one loss saw us through to half term. Kieran Pask’s batting, and the pace with which he scored his runs, were highlights; his 97 against Gresham’s was followed by 31 against the Perse and 104 against Framlingham. Charlie Holt was also in fine form. The bowling attack was superbly led by Freddie Statham and Ben Milner. Charlie Holt and Ben Whittaker have also contributed, as has Dom Corbett with his off spin.

The OCs match was played in very warm conditions and the School simply proved to be too strong. A total of 245 from 30 overs with good contributions from Kieran Pask, Andrew Devoy and Matt Mitcham was a daunting run chase; good fielding and bowling restricted the opposition to 131, with Kieran Pask taking five wickets in his 86

final match. A draw against the Gents of Suffolk completed the season.

Many thanks as ever to members of both Common Rooms who helped with coaching and umpiring during the term; and to our head groundsman Tom Atkinson for preparing such superb wickets.

Mr Andy Marsh

1st XI Back Row (left to right): C. Braun, D. Corbett, A. Dhesi, C. Holt, M. Mitcham. Front Row (left to right): B. Whittaker, A. Devoy, B. Milner, K. Pask (Capt.), A. Hall, F. Statham, A. Blumfield. In Absentia: F. Allum.

sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

Netball

Netball Tour to Barbados 2014

U14 The U14s had an outstanding season with only three losses. The defensive commitment of Lucy Flynn was instrumental in preventing oppositions scoring highly and the attacking combination of both Tilly Blasdale and Katie Shea led them to success in many fixtures. The work rate of Beth Farrow and Emma Howard in centre court was instrumental all season and they fed the shooters exceptionally well.

The highlight of the season was the match against Wymondham where it went to the last few minutes for Culford to seal the win.

U15 The U15 team have talented, accurate shooters and determined defence, and the mid court players have superb endurance and agility. Throughout the season the U15s as a whole group worked on not just their skills as individuals, but also began to adopt more advanced tactical approaches to playing, which challenged the more able players. Players who were new to the game also showed a remarkable improvement and it was inspiring to watch them grow

in confidence and aspire to take on the more advanced players. The high point of the season was beating Gresham’s with conviction in the last match of the season.

U16 The U16s were worthy County Champions, advancing to the Regional Tournament which meant that they played together for most of the Spring Term in preparation for the Regionals. Liv Mayor continued to display superb timing in her movement and passing. Attacking play in the shooting circle led to some confident shooting from Isabella O’Brien-Miller and Abbie Farrow. The team went to the Regional Tournament in January

Isabella O’Brien-Miller and although a serious bout of ‘flu affected a number of the players, they persevered and produced some outstanding netball, gaining invaluable experience. Throughout both the Autumn and Spring Terms, Jemma Andrews was an amazing Captain and brought the best out of her team through her encouragement, grit and determination.

3rd VII This team had to play against some strong opponents in their matches and with many of the players new to the game they 87

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demonstrated great courage and always managed to enjoy playing, whatever the outcome. Miriam Braun and Riana Harvey approached the game with tenacity and enthusiasm and Georgina Northeast-Roffey displayed fine shooting technique.

2nd VII This was a great learning season for the team who showed enormous improvement against some strong opposition. There was excellent shooting from Gloria Anyaegbu, and Paige Woolnough demonstrated excellent skill and athleticism. Megan Hogg showed how a captain should be supportive both on and off the field.

U14 County Finals the sidelines cheering on her team. Emma Beardmore was the surprise of the season, performing in many positions and finally finding her strength in defence, combining with Ciara and Marie Owino to become a strong defensive unit. The outstanding match of the term was against Felsted, with both teams matching each other in talent and sportsmanship; Abbie Farrow and Isabella O’Brien-Miller were invincible against an outstanding Felsted defender.

Mrs Collette Reynolds

U16 County Finals

1st VII This was a difficult season for the 1st team, as many players who would have been selected for this team were playing for the U16s and training for the Regional Tournament. Ciara Morrell led with determination and encouraged her team to fight to the end, whatever the likely outcome. Ironically the team had their first win when Ciara was ill, but nothing was going to stop her from supporting the team and there she was at Ipswich on 88

U16 County Champions

sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

U14A Back Row (left to right): B. Farrow, A. Barkley, R. India. Front Row (left to right): O. Allum, E. Howard, L. Flynn (Capt.), M-G. Godfrey, K. Shea. In Absentia: M. Blasdale.

U15A Back Row (left to right): A. Callaghan, B. Northeast-Roffey, J. Hall, A. Farrow, F. Luscombe, N. Walters. Front Row (left to right): G. Deane, C. Cox, I. O’Brien-Miller, K. Farrant, K. Veitch.

U14B Back Row (left to right): C. Anderson, J. D’Lima, A. Messo, J. Neill, A. Hutchinson.

Front Row (left to right): L. Clarke, I. Sanmartin, E. Hope (Capt.), E. Farthing, A. Holt.

U15B Back Row (left to right): F. Luscombe, S. Gerry, C. Minners, J. Hall, H. Brecknell, J. Blonder, M. Angulo Anjenjo. Front Row (left to right): M. Lee, C. Bottomley, O. Nicolai, M. Kiryakova, H. Burley, K. Shillitoe, J. Li.

U14C Back Row (left to right): I. Soloveva, J. Yakubu-McCall, P. Olivares, M. Mejia Cardenas. Front Row (left to right): C. Clifford, L. Buisman, H. Pym (Capt.), O. Yannaghas, E. Oulton. In Absentia: M. Howarth.

U16A Back Row (left to right): E. Lees, B. Keswick, I. O’Brien Miller. Front Row (left to right): M. Owino, J. Andrews (Capt.), O.Mayor (Capt.), A. Farrow.

1st VII Back Row (left to right): M. Andrews, A. Flynn, M. Haydon, E. Watson. Front Row (left to right): E. Weller-Poley, E. Beardmore, C.Morrell (Capt.), K. Thurtle, L. Ingleton.

2nd VII Back Row (left to right): P. Woolnough, G. Anyaegbu, E. Knight, N. Horden, E. Gillis. Front Row (left to right): R. Andrews, A. Hawtin, M.Hogg (Capt.), G. Northeast-Roffey, B. Deane.

3rd VII Back Row (left to right): S. Neill, M. Braun, R. Walton. Front Row (left to right): I. Taylor, R. Harvey, T. Ruleva (Capt.), A. Sutton, G. Northeast-Roffey.

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sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

Cross-Country and Athletics Cross-Country

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he annual Inter House Culford 5km Challenge in September saw victory for Kieran Dibley despite pressure by Kieran D’Lima over the length of the race. Olivia Allum had an excellent run to be the first girl to finish, achieving 8th place overall, an outstanding result.

Cornwallis were the winners of the boys’ competition, with Jocelyn being victorious in the girls’.

In the Suffolk Schools series of races, Lottie Ingleton, Austin Hall, Kieran D’Lima and

Olivia Allum were all selected to represent Suffolk at Regional level.

Olivia had an excellent season – finishing as top Suffolk runner at the Regional event and being selected to compete at the National English Schools Championships in Blackburn.

At this National Schools event in March, she finished just outside the top 50, out of more than 300 of the best runners of her age group from across England.

Mrs Elisabeth Long

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Athletics

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thletics has continued to prove popular with pupils in the Senior School. For the first time for a number of years, Culford entered both Boys and Girls teams in the ESAA Schools Cup, giving Fourth Form and Lower Fifth pupils the chance to compete against schools from across Suffolk. For the girls’ team, it was good to see Nella Walters and Jevony Hall battling it out in the 300m race, whilst Freya Luscombe showed that training does pay off by mastering the triple jump technique.

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In the boys’ team, Charlie Carter was strong in both the high jump and the 300m, with Fergus Schofield and Charlie Ives both quick in the sprints.

Suffolk Schools Trials gave a number of athletes the chance to test themselves against others and to seek selection for the Suffolk Schools Team. Lottie Ingleton (long jump), Olivia Allum (1500m) and Fergus Schofield (100m) were all successful and spent a very wet Saturday in Peterborough in June competing for Suffolk.

Olivia Allum has gone from strength to strength this season, rising to number four in the UK Rankings for 1500m in her age group. She set a new Championship Record for the Regional Schools Event when competing at Peterborough, and now has a Personal Best of 4min 37sec for the 1500m.

She was selected to compete in the English Schools Track and Field Championships in Gateshead in July, the highest level of competition for school athletes.

Mrs Elisabeth Long

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Rounders U14 Due to poor weather, the girls had only one fixture this year, but showed a real commitment to training. They played really well together, with good communication and fielding decisions, which resulted in a victory in their match. Their batting is a strength and the girls are good at placing the ball into space and adjusting their position with ease.

U15 The U15A team had a frustrating season due to wet weather, managing only one match, against Framlingham, where they demonstrated what a talented team they are by beating the opposition 22½–5½. They produced some outstanding batting and managed to get Framlingham all out within a short amount of time. Hannah Burley was a great Captain and it was disappointing for her not to be able to lead her team in more matches.

Mrs Kerry Kemp

U14 Back Row (left to right): E. Howard, A. Holt, A. Hutchinson, J. Neill, L. Flynn, J. Soloveva, O. Allen, M. Mejia Cardenas, E. Farthing. Front Row (left to right): M.G. Godfrey, P, Olivares, E. Oulton, A. Barkley, M. Howarth, L. Buisman, I. Sanmartin.

U15 Back Row (left to right): J. Li, H. Burley (Capt.), C. Minners, A. Farrow, A. Callaghan, K. Shillitoe, I. O-Brien-Miller. Front Row (left to right): G. Deane, O. Nicolai, K. Veitch, K. Farrant, N. Walters.

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Tennis

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he Tennis programme has gone from strength to strength this year both in the number of pupils playing year round and also the quality of the programme and the results we have achieved. Culford has been selected as one of the LTA Grant funded programmes across the UK, with very specific funding allocated to the best prospects in the UK. We are now one of the premier performance programmes in the UK and the hub centre for tennis in East Anglia, working in partnership with clubs in Cambridge, Ipswich and Norfolk.

County Finals We had another successful day at this year’s event held at Framlingham College in June.

Culford Boys A team, comprising Oscar Cutting, Charlie James, Ed Pomeroy and Martynas Jurkonis beat Culford B team Noah Cutting, Daniel Tuerk, Tom Turner and Oscar Cobos in the Year 9/10 Boys County Championship Final.

Our Girls team of Kira Reuter, Carolin Minners, Abigail Callaghan and Julia Soloveva beat Framlingham College in the Final to become Year 9/10 Girls County Champions. This means that our Year 7/8 Boys, Year 9/10 Boys and Year 9/10 Girls teams all now progress to the Regional knock-out stage in the Autumn Term.

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ISTA Independent Schools National Championships We have a proud record in the ISTA National Championships over the past few years and were hopeful of another successful event.

In the Youll Cup, the Boys Under 19 Event, our boys lost to Eton College 2-0 in the quarter-finals, while in the Girls Under 19 event our two pairs of Lizzie Pam and Emily Sim and Hannah Vickers and Kira Reuter

played superbly to reach the Semi-Finals but unfortunately just fell short in their quest to reach the Final. Hannah and Kira came particularly close, losing a titanic match 6-4, 6-7 (6-10) to Reeds School.

Oscar Cutting and Charlie James reached the Under 15 Final but unfortunately lost to Westminster School, while Ed Pomeroy and Noah Cutting beat a strong pair from Millfield School and went on to win the Thomas Bowl Shield, awarded to the losing quarter-finalists.

All the players deserve our congratulations.

Sports Scholar Maria Andrews in the Championship-standard four court Indoor Tennis Centre

THE CULFORDIAN sporting achievements

AEGON Team Tennis National Championships Finals Our Senior Boys and Girls teams qualified again for the Aberdare Cup (Girls) and Glanville Cup (Boys) which are the most prestigious LTA Schools competitions in the calendar and involve the top 16 Boys and Girls teams in Great Britain. This year the event was played at Queenswood School.

We had a difficult preparation with injuries but the players were outstanding all week.

The Girls’ fifth place and Boys’ fourth place matched our achievement in 2014. The Girls defeated St Georges, Weybridge on the first day and then lost a very close match to Cheam High on a tie-break shoot-out after the match finished 3-3. We then defeated Repton School and Holmfirth High School to finish in fifth position.

This set up a Semi-Final with Millfield School, a repeat of last year’s match at the same stage. They were too strong for us on this occasion, however, and we lost 4-0. The final day saw a repeat of last year’s match against Merchiston Castle School from Scotland which unfortunately we lost 5-1. A fourth place finish is a great achievement nevertheless.

Very well done to all of our players: Maria Andrews, Hannah Vickers, Lizzie Pam, Kira Reuter, Emily Sim, Tom Fisher, Toby Cutting, Oscar Cutting, Charlie James, and Ed Pomeroy.

Senior Students National Finals The Boys and Mixed teams qualified for the National Finals at Bolton Arena in March and performed superbly to reach their respective Finals, unfortunately losing to Strathallan School in both events. The Boys Final was particularly close with the team losing by the narrowest of margins in a tie-break.

Very well done to Joan-Lukas Kumpers, Joe Foulger, Ewan Evans, Robert Klüss, Luigi Murton, Anna Matouskova and Marie Owino.

The Boys defeated UCS, London on a tie-break shoot-out after the match finished 3-3 on the first day and then repeated this with a similar nail biting victory over Cheam High School.

Senior 1st Back Row (left to right): O. Cutting, C. James, E. Pomeroy. Front Row (left to right): T. Cutting, T. Fisher (Capt.), H. Cutting.

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Senior 2nd Back Row (left to right): N. Cutting, M. Jurkonis. Front Row (left to right): R. Klüss, E. Evans.

sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

Girls’ Tennis 2nd Team Back Row (left to right): L. Keutmann, S. Fang, S. Neill.

Front Row (left to right): J. Andrews, L. Holder, M. Haydon, T. Ruleva.

Girls’ Tennis 1st Team Back Row (left to right): K. Reuter, H. Vickers. Front Row (left to right): E. Pam, E. Sim, M. Andrews (Capt.), M. Owino.

Hannah Vickers, Sports Scholar

U15 Back Row (left to right): M-L. Kiryakova, N. Walters. Front Row (left to right): E. Yiu, C. Minners, A. Callaghan, O. Nicolai.

Aegon Team Tennis Schools Senior Boys’ National Runners-Up

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Senior School individual Culford School Tennis Awards Dinner highlights • Tom Fisher represented the ISTA representative team against the All England Club for the second year running.

• Lizzie Pam reached a world ranking of 487 in the U18 age group and has been selected to play for Nigeria in a competition held in September.

This year we hosted our first ever Tennis Awards Evening. In front of an audience of 90 tennis players, coaches, parents and staff, Culford’s Director of Tennis, David Hall, and Head of Performance Tennis, James Yates, presented a range of awards. It was a fantastic evening and our hearty congratulations go out to the award winners and nominees. The Senior School award winners were as follows: Award Category

Winner

14 and Under Player of the Year

Tom Turner

14 and Under Most Improved Girl

Julia Soloveva

14 and Under Most Improved Boy

Warok Rai

16 and Under Player of the Year

Ed Pomeroy

OCs Tennis Fixture

16 and Under Most Improved Girl

Carolin Minners

16 and Under Player of the Year

Lizzie Pam

Our annual fixture against the OCs was a thoroughly enjoyable match and, as seems to be customary each year, was a closely fought encounter which was won by the OCs in the end. It was great to welcome back some familiar faces and the score of 50 games to the OCs and 46 games to Culford reflected a superb afternoon’s tennis. We thank OC James Swanson (2001-2008) for organising the event.

16 and Under Most Improved Boy

Gregor Hoehne

18 and Under Player of the Year

Hannah Vickers

18 and Under Player of the Year

Henry Patten

18 and Under Most Improved Girl

Anna Matouskova

18 and Under Strength and Conditioning Award

Joan-Lukas Kumpers

18 and Under Most Improved Boy

Joan-Lukas Kumpers

• Tom Fisher and Lizzie Pam won the Culford Senior School Championships in May.

James Swanson holding the OC’s trophy after the annual OCs tennis fixture

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David Hall, Director of Tennis

sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

Swimming Girls’ Relay Team at the Bath Cup

Bath Cup, London Aquatic Centre (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park)

F

ive Culford swimmers had an early start with a 6:30am bus journey down to London to take part in the annual 2015 Bath Cup swimming competition. This is a very prestigious competition and is open by invitation only to the top independent schools’ swimming squads in Great Britain.

This year was only the second time that Culford had taken part in the event with Emma Lees, Lana Mo, Hannah Brecknell, Olivia Nicolai and Emily Wood ready to do battle against 60 other teams from around the country.

The girls got underway with their first event, the 4x50m freestyle relay, competing in heat number 1 of 6. They got off to a blistering start from the lead off swimmer, Lana Mo, splitting a time of 28.86. Second in the water was Emma Lees who increased the team’s lead with a 27.3 split time. Olivia Nicolai was next in the water, maintaining the strong lead from the first half of the race, swimming a 30.0 split. On the anchor leg Hannah Brecknell further extended the lead with a strong closing swim in 28.8. The team dominated their heat with an overall time of

The afternoon saw the same four swimmers competing in the Medley relay. Hannah Brecknell swam on the backstroke, Olivia on the breaststroke, Lana on the butterfly and Emma on the freestyle leg. This time they were drawn in heat 4 and lane 0. The team again dominated their heat, with cautious takeovers and a 10 second lead over second place. A superb heat swim placed them 2nd going into the final. Split times for the swimmers saw Hannah swimming a 33.33 backstroke leg; Olivia 37.81 breaststroke leg, Lana 30.21 butterfly leg and Emma 27.91 on the freestyle.

The girls had the option of competing in the ‘small schools’ final, but after a phenomenal heat swim and being placed 2nd overall, the team chose to compete against the big hitters in the A final. Improving on their heat time in the final, the girls stepped up to a fantastic 4th position, finishing just outside the medals.

1:55.08. From the remaining 5 heats, there was only one team that swam a faster time – 2014 winners Guildford High School.

Unfortunately, when the results were confirmed, the Culford team had been disqualified for an early takeover, keeping them out of the final.

It was a great day in London and a fine performance from the team, with support from reserve swimmer Emily Wood. We are very much looking forward to the 2016 Bath Cup to get the swimmers on the podium.

Dan Pilbrow and Celia Almond

ASA Summer Nationals

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he ASA Summer Nationals got underway at the start of August in the 50m pool at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield.

Congratulations to Lana for qualifying and competing in this prestigious event.

Lana Mo also qualified for the ASA Summer Nationals in the Women’s 16/17 years 100m Breaststroke event.

The new changes to British Swimming competitions mean that swimmers compete according to their age at 31 December in that competition year.

With Lana being 15 at the time of racing, but 16 by the end of the year, she had to step up and compete in the double age band. After a strong first 50m, Lana faded slightly on the second length finishing in 16th place overall (7th 16yr old).

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Regional Youth Championships

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ineteen swimmers from West Suffolk Swimming Club (WSSC) travelled to Luton for the Regional Youth Championships, for swimmers 15 years and older. The competition was held in a long course pool (50m) over three days, with the best swimmers from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk battling it out for Regional finals and medals.

In the 16 years age group, Lana Mo finished the heats in 2nd place in the 200m breaststroke event, making sure of her place in the finals later on in the day. Olivia Nicolai also made it through to the finals with a strong performance in the 200m breaststroke event.

Lana made it back for the finals with a 6th place finish in her age group in the 50m freestyle splash and dash, with Emma Lees just falling short of a place in the finals, finishing in 10th place in the same event. Angus Robins stepped up to compete in his first Regional Championship, finishing 24th overall in the 15 years age group men’s 100m butterfly.

The second session saw the women’s 200m backstroke and Lana Mo swimming to an 8th place finish in the heats. In the 50m breaststroke Lana held on for second place, booking her place in her fourth final.

Annabel Heywood competed in the women’s 200m backstroke event, finishing in 19th place equaling her best time.

After a short break, it was back in the pool for the day’s finals. The finals comprised the 15 years, 16 years and 17 and over age group finals. In the 16 years final, Lana Mo swam to 8th place in the 50m freestyle.

Olivia Nicolai improved on her heat time by a further 1.2 seconds in the 200m breaststroke final to finish 8th in the 15 years. In the 16 years 200m breaststroke final, Lana won the silver medal, taking the 2nd place spot by less than half a second.

On the Sunday, the first girls’ event of the day saw Hannah Brecknell finishing in 8th place in the 50m backstroke 15 years age group.

Emma Lees again just missed out on making the finals, finishing in 11th place after her morning swim. In the 100m breaststroke, Lana Mo finished in 2nd place after the heats.

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Olivia Nicolai finished in 1st reserve after the heats, missing out on the final by one place.

In the 100m freestyle, Lana Mo made it back for the 16 years final, finishing in 8th place in the heats, while Emma Lees just missed out on a place in the 17 years and over final, finishing in 9th place.

The evening finals got underway for WSSC, with Hannah Brecknell finishing in joint 7th place in the 50m backstroke 15 years final. Next up was Lana, who added to the medal collection with a silver in the 16 years age group, improving by over a second on her heat swim. The last two individual swims also came from Lana Mo, finishing 8th in the 100m freestyle final.

57th Annual Secondary Schools National Finals REGIONAL ROUND On Friday 17 October eight Culford pupils headed to Watford to take part in the ESSA Secondary division regional round. Our intermediate boys and girls teams swam well; the competition was strong and the swimmers felt they could set a bench mark in this competition.

Girls Intermediate relay team Lana Mo, Annabel Heywood, Olivia Nicolai and Hannah Brecknell.

4x50m Freestyle – 2nd out of 28 schools.

4x50m Medley – 5th out of 28 schools.

Boys Intermediate relay team Fergus Schofield, Taylor Bowen, Jake Clarke and Charles Whyte.

4x50m Freestyle – 13th out of 18 schools.

4x50m Medley – 11th out of 18 schools.

All the regional rounds had taken place and the results were in: our girls had made it to the National finals, an amazing achievement for them.

NATIONAL FINALS The four Culford swimmers had an early start on Saturday 22 November, travelling down to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London to take part in the 57th annual team championships for secondary schools. This competition is very prestigious and open by invitation only to the top independent schools’ swimming squads in Great Britain. It was the first time the School had made it to Nationals and the girls went into the competition very excited at the prospect of racing against some of the fastest swimmers in the country.

At 1.30pm there was a parade of teams; Lana Mo was selected to represent the Culford team and the ceremony was opened with the National Anthem being played followed by the start of championships.

The girls got underway with their first event, the 4x50m freestyle relay, where they were competing against 20 other relay teams from schools around England. They were strong off the blocks and attacked the swim to the end coming in 4th place in the heat (1.57.56) with an overall place of 8th position in the event, which qualified the girls for the finals. They were very excited but knew the competition was going to be strong.

In the finals the girls regained their focus; they were strong throughout the race with some great relay change overs, coming in on a time of 1:58.29. The girls were placed 9th in the country for their 4x50m freestyle relay, an excellent achievement.

The girls’ second event was the 4x50m medley relay. Hannah started the team off with a strong backstroke, Lana Mo was quick off the blocks and gave a strong 50m breaststroke, Annabel swam an amazing 50m butterfly with a great change over from Olivia swimming the last leg of freestyle. The girls came in 7th place in their heat with a good time of 2:14.36 and an overall place of 16th in the country.

sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

Equestrian Report

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ulford started their venture into competitive team equestrian events on a very cold weekend in December.

Rhianna Walton and Lottie Ingleton, along with Millie Stennett from Prep School, were the first to represent the School as an Equestrian Team under the relaunched Culford School Equestrian Programme.

In a show jumping event held at The Jays as part of the NSEA (National Schools Equestrian Association) series of competitions, the girls rode as a team and as individuals in jumping classes of varying heights. Millie and Lottie were both placed as individuals, before being joined by Rhianna to compete as a team in the final class.

In January, Rhianna and Millie were joined by Claire Bottomley, and Frankie Sanderson from Prep School, for an Arena Eventing competition.

Arena Eventing involves a course of eight show jumps followed by a course of seven rustic-type fences, all against the clock, with penalties being added for poles knocked down. This course proved to be tricky with a number of the fences testing the nerve of the rider, with speed not necessarily being the best option.

Millie set the tone with individual wins on her pony Rhode Island Red in both the 70cm and 80cm classes. For her, speed is not a problem! Her achievement in the 80cm class helped the Culford team to be placed in

this class. Millie, together with Claire riding Spot on Zigzag and Frankie riding Daichristu Flight, all jumped clear to claim third team place in a class which attracted a large number of entries. Millie then went on to ride Doirlinn Mist to third individual place in the 90cm class, before she returned to winning ways in the 1 metre class, winning the individual prize. Rhianna on Alfie Moon overcame earlier difficulties to finish third individually in this class.

In March it was showjumping again. The Culford team of Millie Stennett, Lottie Ingleton

and Katie Collier all rode excellent steady clear rounds to finish in second team place in the 80cm class. Millie continued with her individual success for Culford, finishing third individually in this class. The best result of the day was in the 90cm jumping class, where Millie, Lottie and Katie were joined again by Rhianna. Beautifully judged clear rounds against the clock ensured success for Millie as an individual and the Culford girls as a team, resulting in first place in both categories.

Mrs Elisabeth Long 101

THE CULFORDIAN sporting achievements

Other

Sporting News

Tom Hudson

Top Culford Skiers

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ulford pupil, Tom Hudson, 14, had an excellent alpine season. British Ski and Snowboard, the National Governing Body for Skiing and Snowboarding in the United Kingdom, invited Tom to join the U14 Boys’ Team to race for Great Britain at an international competition in Abetone, Italy in March 2015.

At the start of January 2015, Tom came first in the Slalom for the Anglo Scottish Cup in Les Houches, near Chamonix, France. He was also 9th and 10th in the Giant Slalom races and 4th in both of the Super G races.

This was a great achievement, as he was competing against the U14 Team GB skiers and many racers who train on snow, whereas Tom trains on an artificial slope in Norwich.

Tom next competed in his first international race. He was one of six U14s selected from the British Ski Academy to race against 90 U14s drawn from Italy, Sweden and France.

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Inès Sanmartin Arbones Tom acquitted himself well in the Giant Slalom finishing mid-field amongst the other BSA boys. However, in the Slalom he excelled, finishing 10th overall and ahead of all the other Team GB skiers.

In other skiing news, Inès Sanmartin Arbones, 13, won a Giant Slalom race in her native Spain over February half-term.

Inès, who has been skiing since the age of three and competitively since the age of 8, took part in the Regional Competition in the U14 age group. Following that success Inès was selected to compete in the Championship of Spain during March 2015.

Sports Presentation Evening

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n Saturday 21 March, the Senior School sporting staff and pupils met for a formal dinner and awards ceremony to recognise the hard work and achievement by teams during the winter sporting season 2014/15.

For Girls’ Hockey, the Most Improved Player was Milly Haydon, the Players’ Player was Lottie Ingleton and the Outstanding Contribution Award went to Lucy Holder. The Player of the Year shield was shared by Lucy Holder and

sporting achievements THE CULFORDIAN

Inter House Swimming Gala

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ulford’s Senior Inter House Swimming Gala took place on Tuesday 28 April.

Many Senior School pupils took part and swimmers were cheered on as various swimming disciplines were represented. For the boys, Edwards House won with 62 points and Cornwallis House came in second with 57 points. For the girls, Fitzgerald House won with an excellent total of 68 points – the highest of the whole competition – and Jocelyn House came in second with 49 points.

Maria Andrews while the Captain’s Prize was given to Ellie Weller-Poley.

In Rugby, Mr Mark Bolton presented the awards for Most Improved Player to Kieran Pask, the Players’ Player was Ewan Evans and the Outstanding Contribution Award went to Kieran Dibley. The Player of the Year shield went to Will Horsnell while the Captain’s Prize was given to Andrew Devoy.

Mrs Collette Reynolds presented the awards for Netball, with the Most Improved Player being Marie Owino, while the Players’ Player was Emma Beardmore and the Outstanding Contribution Award went to Ciara Morrell. The Player of the Year was also Emma Beardmore while the Captain’s Prize again went to Ellie Weller-Poley.

Mr Matt Copping presented the Boys’ Hockey Awards. Most Improved Player went to Charlie Holt, the Players’ Player was Alex Blumfield and the Outstanding Contribution Award went to Charlie Matta.

The Player of the Year shield was Robert Klüss and the Captain’s Prize went to Kieran Devlin.

Olivia Nicolai competes at Dutch National Swimming Championships

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livia travelled to the Pieter van den Hoogenband swimming pool in Eindhoven to compete in the Dutch National Junior & Youth Championship. It was quite a daunting prospect to be at a major championship by herself without her coach but she was looked after by the coaches of The Columbiaan swimming club. Her major race was the 100m breast stroke. Olivia had qualified in 30th place for the finals but after a solid swim on Sunday morning, she improved her personal best and finished a credible 14th place in her age group. She was reserve for the finals in the 50 and 200m breast stroke.

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THE CULFORDIAN culford foundation

The Campaign for Culford News from the Foundation What is the Foundation?

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he Foundation department works hard to friend-raise and fundraise for Culford School. Set up in 2000, the Foundation seeks to raise funds for the development of facilities at Culford and for bursaries.

The Foundation team also works hard to maintain contact with all former pupils or Old Culfordians; we organise reunions, sporting and other social events throughout the year, including an annual drinks reception in London, a biennial Nostalgia Lunch and a stunning Opera in the Park event.

The Foundation team

The Campaign for Culford In June 2013 the Foundation launched The Campaign for Culford, a major fundraising campaign with the aim of building a new Library and develop other key areas of the School. We are thrilled that The Library has now been completed, thanks in no small part to the generosity of Old Culfordians, parents and friends of Culford who contributed more than £750,000 towards the project. Much refurbishment work has also been undertaken on key rooms in Old Hall, such as the Workman Library.

Foundation Events 2014/15 The Foundation hosts a series of fantastic events for Old Culfordians and friends of Culford throughout the year. Please see a selection of photographs from the past year below: London Drinks Reception 2015

What’s next for the Campaign?

The Art department is a special place at the heart of Culford. Pupils produce outstanding works of art and deliver some of the very best GCSE and A Level results. Since the opening of the Foundation Gallery in 2013, our students have had an outstanding space

Artist’s Impression of Refurbished Art Studio 104

in which to display their work. However, the Art department’s main Studio needs refurbishing and lacks the teaching and storage space which our talented artists deserve.

We therefore plan to refurbish this Studio into a light and airy teaching space with a new glass roof and French windows onto an outside garden area which looks towards Culford Hall, as well as providing comprehensive storage for art materials. In support of this project we are launching a programme of Arts events in 2016, culminating with a networking and fundraising dinner in September 2016. If you would like to be kept up to date about the forthcoming events, please email the team: foundation@culford.co.uk

OC Sporting Event

OC Netball East Anglian School for Girls Reunion

Opera in the Park

THE CULFORDIAN

Saturday 20 June 2015, South Front

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ulford’s second Opera in the Park took place on midsummer’s eve and the collective opinion of the 550 music lovers who attended was that it was a triumph.

Staged on Culford’s majestic South Front, Opera in the Park saw the acclaimed London Festival Opera perform highlights from Bizet’s Carmen in addition to other operatic favourites. A particular highlight for many was seeing former pupils Florence Taylor and Joseph Dodd perform.

Ambulance raised over £1,300, and profits from the event itself went to projects within The Campaign for Culford which will benefit children for generations to come. Culford’s Director of Foundation and Communications, Jo Johnson-Munday, commented: ‘It was a stunning evening. The sun came out just at the right time and London Festival Opera’s performance was exhilarating. It was especially wonderful to hear Old Culfordians Florence and Joe perform on the night. We’re already looking forward to next year’s event and hope we can raise even more for charity.’

Under sunny skies, guests enjoyed picnics, took the opportunity to explore Culford’s glorious gardens and even had the chance to test drive a range of new Audis courtesy of the event’s lead sponsor, Bury St Edmunds Audi, who had created a pop-up dealership on the North Front of Culford Hall.

As well as being an evening for guests to remember, Opera in the Park had its serious side. A raffle in aid of the East Anglian Air

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THE CULFORDIAN positions of responsibility

Culford Senior School

Positions of Responsibility 2014/2015 Head Boy Head Girl Deputy Head Boy Deputy Head Girl

Kieran Dibley Emma Beardmore Carl-Thaddeus Braun Eleanor Weller-Poley

School Prefects

James Boreham Anastasiya Blaga Kristin Chirica William Horsnell Charlotte Ingleton Ross McKenzie Natasha Mead Ben Milner Kieran Pask Elliot Phillips Mariella Reason Miranda Wang

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School Council Exec Chairs

Kieran Dibley Emma Beardmore

Pupil Academic Chair

Miranda Wang

Food Committee Chair

Michael Knowles

ICT Committee Chair

Ross McKenzie

Charity Committee Chair

James Boreham

Chapel Steward

Kristin Chirica

School Captains Rugby Girls’ Hockey Boys’ Hockey Netball Cricket Tennis

William Horsnell Charlotte Ingleton Charlie Matta Ciara Morrell Kieran Pask Maria Andrews Tom Fisher

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The Culfordian 2014/15 Senior and Sixth Form

Culford School, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6TX Tel: 01284 728615 Email: admissions@culford.co.uk www.culford.co.uk

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