Downe House School Magazine 2023-24

Our Year 2023-24

Our year

House Life 3 Academic Life 19 Creative Arts 36 Music 64 Drama & Dance 72 Sport 79 Founder’s Weekend 93 Beyond the Curriculum 105 Moving On 130 2024 Leavers 134 Awards & More 138

Message from our outgoing

Head & Deputy Head Seniors

As your outgoing Head and Deputy Head Seniors, we want to congratulate everyone on completing the school year! For some, this will only be one step in your Downe House journey and for others this is the end of the chapter - no matter who you are and what stage you are currently at, you should be proud of all the hard work you have put into your studies this year.

Looking back at these past few terms, we both hope you cherish the wonderful memories you have made with your friends at school, and that you continue to make many more in the future. We have both thoroughly enjoyed our time at Downe and couldn’t be more thankful to every single member of staff who has helped us through - the Downe House community is a beautiful one, with a strength that could only be likened to a sisterhood. Going forward, there is no guarantee that everything will be simple or easy but in the true nature of a Downe House Girl, always think to yourself - This Girl Can!

With all our best wishes, Shiloh Akintaju, Head Senior and Kimberly Gan, Deputy Head Senior

Downe House Magazine

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Message from the Headmistress The 2023/4 school year has seen our girls continue to push the boundaries of attainment in every area. We have all enjoyed reading excellent academic articles that they have researched and written for our in-house student magazines. We have been privileged to see them perform challenging pieces of theatre and dance routines; play excellent music; and apply their creative and artistic skills so successfully. They have debated with enthusiasm, engaged in the world around them through the mock election that ran alongside the UK General Election, as well as through giving talks at the Phoenix and Junior Phoenix Societies and participating in discussion groups and symposiums with other schools. They have driven forward our EDI and Sustainability agendas and have shown great leadership in all areas.

It is the development of these skills of leadership of which I am perhaps most proud. Understanding that leadership is about service and privilege lies at the heart of what we are trying to instill in tomorrow’s leaders, as it is our strong belief that every girl can and should have the opportunity to lead. They should have the confidence to present and promote their ideas whilst also listening carefully to and supporting others. This year we have introduced a number of new leadership opportunities for girls of all ages including our Lower Fifth mentoring our new Removes; our senior team players assisting with coaching of younger players; our Lower Sixth visiting Houses to talk to younger students about managing some of the teenage challenges they may face; and pupils of all ages taking part in a variety of committees. Our new House Investment Competition has given the opportunity for girls to develop their financial literacy and understanding but has enabled different girls to lead. I am also delighted this year that we have introduced two Senior (Prefect) roles for girls to encourage links with our local community and community service. Having the opportunity to develop and hone one’s leadership skills and style is, in my view, essential for our young women to succeed in and contribute positively to the world beyond Downe House.

I hope that you will enjoy this record of a year in the life of our very special community and I hope that you will find it as uplifting as I do. There is great cause to be optimistic about the future with such excellent young women going out into the world each year.

Mrs Emma McKendrick

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Our Year 2023-24

House Life

‘There have been so many occasions to make our first year at Downe memorable’

Downe House Magazine

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HOUSE LIFE

Hill My first year at Downe has been extraordinary. Activities like making bubble tea, joining clubs and going on school trips are always available. One of my favourite activities is playing tennis with my friends. You can always talk to House staff if you ever have a problem. One of my best days at Downe House was House drama where many people had to participate to create a sequel of the House’s chosen movie.

Next term, I look forward to going to Sauveterre, where I’ll make so many new memories with my friends. I’m sure all new students coming will have an equally amazing first year as I did.

Sofia Fassiola (Remove) My first year at Downe House was a time I will always remember. I met new friends for the first time which will last for a lifetime. I must admit that almost everybody felt nervous or uncomfortable at the beginning, as it’s very difficult to settle into a new boarding House so quickly.

However, the staff at Hill were extremely supportive throughout the year and helped us when we were upset. We made countless memories we will look back on in the future with special mention to our trip for our first residential! The staff are very thoughtful and designed numerous activities we could engage in at House, my favourites being fruit kebab and cake pop making. In conclusion, Remove was a very enjoyable year of new experiences and friendships.

Aleksandra Bekker (Remove)

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Our Year 2023-24

This has been a wonderful year especially as I started it in Sauveterre. Sauveterre is one of our exchange programmes for Lower School where we go to France for a whole term.

Joining in Sauveterre helped me mix with the others House and get to know new people that who I might have not met if I started in Remove. I learnt so much about French culture which helped a lot with my oral French. There was a wide range of activities in the day and on Thursday instead of going to lessons we would go on a sortie! When we came back to Downe House, we still had so many activities and after school clubs such as athletics in Newbury for me. I also had the wonderful privilege of going to National Schools’ Lacrosse this year, we managed to place second which I was very proud about. This year has gone by so quickly and I am so excited for another year at Downe!

Pandora Rycroft (LIV)

HOUSE LIFE

Hermitage The start of our first year at Downe House in September was a new and exciting experience, especially as most of us had not boarded before. Our House staff were very welcoming and helped us to get settled into our new dorms and we began to get to know our peers. On our first weekend we participated in a teambuilding day consisting of laser tag, woodland skills and team challenges which helped us bond across the year group. Later, we met our Lower Fifth buddies who gave us an insight into what to expect during the term ahead and we excitedly attended rehearsals for the House Drama competition which provided us the opportunity to meet the older girls in our Upper school Houses.

Studios! This year we all enjoyed a full-sized Funfair and roller disco at the start of the Lent term! At Downe we have several opportunities to interact with pupils from other schools and have enjoyed a WW2 academic enrichment day and ‘A Play in Two Days’ directed by Ian Murchie with Ludgrove School.

In Hermitage there are lots of different activities for us to participate in after supper, including arts and crafts, film nights and our firm favourite - baking with Mrs Hamisi!

These activities are run by our House team and after the first long exeat we were introduced to a wider range of CoCurricular activities and had the opportunity to attend taster sessions. There were lots of activities to choose from such as cookery, fun swim, dance academy, paddle boarding and silver jewellery making.

Looking back on the year it has certainly been busy with lots of fun and exciting opportunities for us to participate in. Most recently we returned from our residential trip to the Calshot Activity Centre where we got to cycle in a velodrome, learn to sail and attempt the high ropes which certainly enabled us to develop our confidence and embrace our adventurous side! Overall, there have been so many occasions that have made our first year at Downe House memorable. As we move into Lower Fourth in September, we are so excited to embark on our adventure to Sauveterre and we look forward to welcoming the new Removes into our Hermitage family!

Although we have busy school days, the weekends are a great opportunity to relax and have fun with our friends.

The Co-Curricular Department organise lots of amazing onsite activities and trips and our favourites include Pottery Painting, sliding about at the Lagoona Aqua Park, socials with Cothill and Elstree School and visiting the Harry Potter

Each year we decide on a charity to support, and this year have raised money for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Together with Hill and Darwin, we have organised several events including the Christmas fair, a charity bingo night, a sponsored dance-a-thon and most recently our Hermitage Bake Sale with all proceeds going to our chosen charity.

Isabelle Lawler, Amrit Kaur-Singh, and Philippa Marsh (Remove)

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HOUSE LIFE

Darwin When I started in Remove at Downe, I was quite shy and timid with few words to say. After settling down and making some good friends, I am now enthusiastic, confident and happy with even more friends. The best part of Darwin for me has been the activities that we do together as a House and spending time with my dormmates. My favourite memory in the first term was when we played a game where we put on a hat and gloves as quickly as we could and cut a piece of chocolate from a chocolate bar using a knife and fork, gobbling it down thereafter! By the end I felt a little sick as I am pretty sure I stuffed way too many chocolate pieces into my mouth! This final term has been amazing as I love my dorm so much, Darwin (the best House) won the dorm decoration competition and the other night I nearly cried from laughter doing my Dorm Musical!

Vedika Mehta (Remove) I have loved being a day girl in Darwin this year. There are so many opportunities and activities to get involved in. I have really enjoyed staying late and boarding on occasional nights and have been able to bond with my dorm as well as attend late clubs and the movie and tuck evenings in House.

I am so happy because although I am a day girl, I still get to participate in all of these things, so it still makes me feel really connected with my House and the people in it.

Sophia Toland (Remove)

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Our Year 2023-24

Life in Darwin as a day girl has been great so far; I have been invited to stay over on closed weekends and have chosen to board when some activities and clubs have finished late. We all get to celebrate our birthdays throughout the School year and enjoy these with cake, wacky b’s (presents) and celebrations. Overall, being a day pupil in Darwin has been amazing.

Abigail Kester (Remove) This has been my first year in Darwin, and I have loved the evening activities and the fun times we have had in the evening at check-in. Each evening, we have visiting staff join us to spend time with us and help us with activities. On a Sunday evening after our fun-filled weekend adventures, Mrs Houghton comes in to join us, and we often do some arts and crafts. We have made pom poms, and I really enjoyed colouring in rocks with all my friends. I have also made a flower that was pink and inside I wrote a review of a book I have read to be displayed in the House. More recently, I have really enjoyed playing badminton outside with everyone since the weather has been nice and sunny.

Vivan Bakewell (Remove)

HOUSE LIFE

Tedworth We've reached the end of another exceptional year for Tedworth. Despite thinking the last two years couldn't be topped, this has been our best year yet!

We began with strong House bonding, starting with a trip during the first weekend of the Michaelmas term.

Team-building activities solidified new friendships and allowed our Upper Fifth students to step up as leaders.

Climbing, problem-solving, and the giant swing fostered an atmosphere of support and joy. This trip also introduced us to our new resident tutor, Mr Lam. House Drama was the highlight of Michaelmas term, with students creating an alternative ending for La La Land.

Newcomers Mia McLennan and Marvellous Idowu-Titus (UIV) dazzled us, and Iris Owen and Freya Hanbury (LVI) excelled as writer/director and producer, respectively.

House Music, led by Isabella Hudson and Ruoxi (Jasmine) Yang (LVI) with support from Mr. Tostdevine, featured stunning performances. Violet Barker (UV) shone in her solo piano performance, participated in ensembles, and designed the program. House Gym and Dance showcased Ottalie Hay's (UIV) talent and the leadership of Violet-Rose Penney (LV), Phoebe Hanlon, and Audre Ovbiebo (LV).

Our students' enthusiasm in art workshops, essay prizes, debates, sports, and other activities is unmatched. Their ambition, kindness, and humor make us proud daily. We are especially proud of our outgoing Upper Fifth, the first group Miss Brown and I have guided through the Upper School. We look forward to hearing about their Sixth Form adventures.

We couldn't achieve our successes without the help of our Matrons, Mrs Edwards and Mrs Parsons, and our evening staff, Mrs Garfield and Mrs Stafford. Best wishes to our outgoing Head of House, Hannah Knight, and Deputies Ruby Dean and Anna Kurtser (2023-24, UVI) as they move on to new adventures. It's my pleasure to introduce our new Head of House, Freya Hanbury, and Deputies Muna Ubosi and Clara Rainsford (2024,25, LVI), to whom I now hand over for the final word.

“Our favourite part of Tedworth is the spirit and the sense of community, which are both experienced through the kind and welcoming atmosphere, which you feel from the moment you step into the House until long after you leave.

There are many clubs on offer, but everyone’s favourite has to be midweek munchies; chats and games with lots of yummy snacks, it truly does help us to get through the rest of the week!

At every House competition, we have the chance to come together and show our amazing teamwork skills, although we don’t always win, when it comes to spirit and determination, we are always the winners.

We all have our own individual journeys, but with the guidance and support from the House staff and our peers, every step of the way, you always have the chance to be the best version of yourself and you are always encouraged to seize every opportunity.”

Freya Hanbury, Head of Tedworth 2024-25 (LVI), Muna Ubosi and Clara Rainsford, Deputy Heads of Tedworth 2024-25 (LVI)

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HOUSE LIFE

Holcombe At the beginning of this academic year, Holcombe seniors and staff created three aims to work towards. Our first aim was to develop upon our charitable work. This year, Holcombe changed our overseas House Charity to Gauvansh Trust a charity that our Rhea (UV) has a close connection to. We have focused on raising money to sponsor a teacher at the school. So far, we have donated £320 through different fundraising endeavours, and we look forward to raising more during our Founders Week Fair.

Our second aim was to develop our In-House activities to help foster house spirit. This aim has had an overwhelmingly positive effect and brought the House together as it has led to the introduction of Holcombe Cocoa. Every Wednesday the House gathers in the common room for relaxed discussions and presentations led by teachers and students.

The House has enjoyed lots of talks, guessing each other’s baby photos and weekly quizzes with Miss Broom. Our final aim was to expand upon our wellbeing. This has been achieved through Holcombe’s Feel-Good Fridays a weekly evening activity for the girls to destress after a long week’s work. In total, Holcombe has had a very successful year not only through the achievement of our original aims but also through the dramatic, sporting and artistic accomplishments of the girls who have continuously worked and played hard.

Honor Harris, Head of Holcombe House 2023-24 (UVI)

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Our Year 2023-24

Over the last year in Holcombe, it feels like we have covered every type of entertainment possible! From pumpkin carving and Christmas parties, to using our newest House addition, the air fryer, to make chicken nuggets, chips and warm hot cross buns for evening treats! There were countless activities through the year bringing the entire House closer together, providing a much-needed breather from the busy school day including the weekly event of Holcombe Cocoa.

This year we have has speeches on multiple topics including Taylor Swift, our House charity and nail art just to name a few! We also came together and spent several nights painting lantern holders for Diwali in aid of raising money for the amazing Gauvansh Trust cause. My personal favourite however, is ‘Matrons Mystery Monday’ which add a muchneeded boost to each Monday evening and involved exotic and exciting events such as trips to McDonalds, chocolate fountains and (in my opinion, the best of the lot) homemade Pina-colada mocktails. All the activities put on in House have made this year so enjoyable and as always there is much more to come next year!

Alexa Nash (UV)

HOUSE LIFE

Aisholt Since taking on the role of Head of House, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing all the remarkable achievements of Aisholt House alongside the busy everyday life of a Downe House girl. There are always fun, informal activities for the girls to enjoy and be able to unwind and relax. The House staff have organised enjoyable events such as Baking, Dorm Dinners, Book Club, House Suppers, and Nacho Nights.

Additionally, we’ve had a wonderful range of CCA events, with January’s fun fair extravaganza and November’s Bonfire Night fireworks show being Aisholt favorites!

We've also celebrated huge successes in Inter-House Competitions this year. Aisholt convincingly won the coveted Sports Day trophy last summer. In the Lent Term, Teri Adesida, Tabisa Iakovleva, Imogen Daley, and Kateryna Kryvoruchko (LV) led their team of gymnasts to victory in House Gym. The annual House Debating competition saw Lorna Meyrick and Isabella Gharagozlou (LV) win the Upper School Competition with their well-thought-out and respectful arguments on the motion 'This House would under no circumstances fight for its King and Country'.

Furthermore, in February, Miss Hillier excellently organised a fantastic Aisholt@Home dinner supporting our House charity, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Many Aisholt families gathered in the MDR in Black Tie to enjoy a delicious dinner by the Catering team while hearing speeches and musical performances from our talented House. It was an amazing event, and I am so proud of how the House came together to support our charity.

Witnessing the growth and achievements of our girls over the course of the year has been immensely gratifying. They, and the House staff, have made my time in office nothing but fun and enjoyable. I wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

Miranda Harries, Head of House 2023-24 (UVI)

Mich Term kicked off with the much-anticipated annual House Drama competition. Over the summer, I spent much time contemplating the theme of ‘What Happens Next?’ and settled on Sherlock Holmes! The stakes were high, with everyone in Aisholt really wanting to win! It was a delight to work alongside the Aisholt girls, who always turned up on time and were prepared for the rehearsals ahead.

After just three weeks of intense rehearsals, it was time for House Drama weekend. The whole process of scriptwriting, directing, and collaborating with everyone in Aisholt to bring our vision to the stage was thoroughly enjoyable, and winning House Drama 2023 was simply the icing on the cake. Congratulations to the amazing Sophie Lambourne (UV) for her Best Actress win as the villainous Moriarty.

Hope Black, Head of House 2024-25 and Leader of House Drama (LVI) In the usual Aisholt spirit, every member showed enthusiasm from their energetic singing to their incredible commitment to their costume. The event featured an amazing piano solo from Mingxi Li (UIV) and an instrumental ensemble that performed a beautiful interpretation of ‘Young and Beautiful’

by Lana Del Rey. The winning vocal ensemble, made up of many Pitch Perfect lovers, delivered an entertaining and energetic a cappella performance. The whole House Song of 'Pink' by Lizzo showed the commitment of the entire House.

Another successful night for Aisholt, with so much pink on stage—even from the House Staff!

Thank you to all the wonderful girls, families, and staff of Aisholt for another superb year. Very sadly for us, we say goodbye to Miss Prentice as our Assistant Housemistress after three years of support, fun, and joy. We’re incredibly happy that she’s staying at Downe and wish her the very best of luck in her new role. Aisholt will miss her Disney singing, her encouragement to us all to read more, and above all, her boundless empathy and kindness. Goodbye and good luck to our wonderful Upper Sixth and Upper Fifth who move on to new adventures. We cannot wait to see what you achieve, and we shall miss you deeply.

Yasmin Aird, Head of House Music 2024-25 (LVI)

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HOUSE LIFE

AGN It has been an exciting year in AGN, full of a range of exciting activities and opportunities scattered throughout the year, we have seen many students shine in a range of academic and creative ways. It has been a year where purple has been championed, led by our amazing seniors Izzy Ashworth, Eliza Irving, Izzy Vir (UVI).

Michaelmas term brought the biannual AGN at home event which was a wonderful way of bringing students, staff and parents together. It was a pleasure to see the girls put forward a wonderful showcase of their musical talents which were apricated by all. The Upper Fifth were introduced to House drama...

This year’s House Drama production theme was to write a sequel to a popular film. AGN chose Dorian grey. Our tale was about what Dorians portrait went through as a character after the film and I think it really showed this wellknown play in a new light. As well as producing an intriguing play, House drama brought us together as a House including everyone from Remove to Lower Sixth. For some this production helped them to come out their comfort zone and try something new and for others an opportunity to improve their performance technique.

Trinity Parkes (UIV) Lent term allowed the AGN students to continue to show a range of talents. It was wonderful to see our Lower Sixth and Upper Fifth take lead during House music where we saw Christina Zhao (UV) take home 'Best Accompanist'.

AGN performed Libertango, a tango nuevo piece written by Astor Piazzolla for the instrumental, dooming and expressive Skyfall by Adele in the choral and the upbeat Green, Green Grass by George Ezra for the Whole House song.

I was very fortunate to be chosen to represent AGN in the solo playing the harp and was also a part of the instrumental and choral groups. We had a lot of rehearsals before the competition, working as hard as we could to win. The whole process from auditions to the stage were stressful, but was an enjoyable experience, and it couldn’t have happened without our amazing seniors: Zhi Ling (Lauren) Chu, Janice Lee, Alice Gillham (UVI), for leading our House.

Hitomi Yip Kotaka (UIV)

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Our Year 2023-24

Our award winning 'Best leaders' in Lower Fifth led House gym with ease. Lucie Mareschal de Charentenay (LV).

Estelle Alldis-Kervella (UIV), Natasha Hussain (LIV), Emma Kovalchuk, Madeleine Watkins-Ball, Emilia Lazenby (LIV) and Willoughby Wren (R) participated in the group routine.

It was carefully choreographed and neatly chaotic, with the help of everyone on the team chipping in with ideas. Luckily, our standby Sofia Faissola (R) came to every rehearsal and had seen the routine endlessly, so she knew the routine by heart when Willoughby injured herself just before the show. As well as a group routine, our soloist Emily Liu (R) performed her pre-choreographed routine perfectly, with grace and confidence. I’m so proud of everyone who participated and I’m glad I took part in this event as it helped so much with my leadership and creativity.

A special mention must go to Anna Pang (LVI) who won best chorographer at House dance for her wonderful portrayal of Jack the Ripper in the contemporary section.

It has been a wonderful year in AGN which would not have been possible without our fabulous team Miss Joice and Mrs Bowyer who have kept us going with toast mountain and the famous Mars bar cake!

Lucie Mareschal de Charentenay (LV)

HOUSE LIFE

AGS This year has such an enjoyable year in AGS, and a very successful one! As always, we began the year with our whole House trip, which included archery, rock climbing and other team building activities. We all thoroughly enjoyed this trip, and it was an amazing way to welcome all the new girls and staff into AGS! The main reason this year has been so incredible is because of Mrs Kingston, our new Housemistress, who joined Downe House this year. She has really made this year in AGS so enjoyable, whether that be 'Cuppa with Mrs K' on Fridays or House table tennis competitions! We also welcomed our new morning matron, Mrs Smith, who most certainly has experienced the very busy but fun side of AGS. Our weekly activities Middle Ground and Cookery with Miss de Trensé continue to be very popular. Shortly after the term began, House Drama rehearsals began with the Lower Sixth leading it. We performed a short production of 'The Truman Show'. It was a very inclusive and fun experience and an incredible way to bring the House together. It was enjoyed by everyone and finishing in second place made it very worthwhile! A real highlight of the Michaelmas term was our end the term trip.

We visited Oxford PlayHouse and watched Jack and the Beanstalk, it was a fantastic end to the term and put us in a very festive mood!

We started the Lent term with mock examinations, but this quickly led into House Music which was a muchneeded break from studying! Our vocal ensemble sang a wonderful rendition of ‘Stand by Me’ and Natalie Hui (LV) our soloist won a well-deserved award for Best Individual Contribution. House Supper was also a fun-filled evening with lots of games such as musical chairs. Everyone really enjoyed dressing as Disney characters with prizes for the best dressed. This year, we have introduced our infamous International Wednesday celebrations, it has been a great opportunity for pupils to celebrate and share cultures from around the world. We have tried food from all over the world, with one of our favourites being Paella from Spain made by Elsie Heath-Pampin (UIV). At the end of the Lent Term, we enjoyed House Gym and Dance, the gymnasts did a very upbeat performance choreographed by some of the Lower Fifth. We then moved on to House Dance where we enjoyed beautiful performances from all the Houses however in the end, AGS took the win!

As usual, the Summer Term is the shortest but always the busiest. There is always something going on in AGS, whether that is preparing for Founders Weekend or getting ready to introduce our new Upper Fourth in September.

For our Founder Weekend Stall, we will be selling sweets, which always goes down extremely well! We have chosen to fundraise for Prior’s Court School as our local charity.

This school is for young people with complex autism to be cared for and educated. With the school being just down the road, we are looking forward to visiting and volunteering very soon! We have also started to expand our garden in AGS and at the weekends we have been turning pallets into planters to grow herbs, this has been very entertaining and involved painting and sanding, which we all enjoyed.

Unfortunately, as well as it being the last term in AGS for the Upper Fifth, we also have our GCSE’s! However, we had a delightful evening at the Royal Oak where we celebrated and looked back on many fond memories of AGS. Lastly, on behalf of the whole House, we would like to thank our incredible Upper Sixth seniors who have led the House from 2023-2024. Martha Drew, Mimi Thistlethwayte, and Izzy Toogood (UVI), you have been such caring and considerate seniors, always ensuring that each and every one of us was ok, and would offer advice, care, and support wherever it was needed. You will be greatly missed, but we wish you all the best of luck for whatever you will go on to do. In saying this, we are so excited to introduce our new seniors: Gabriella Ford, Adekunbi Karunwi and Chantelle Eveleigh (LVI), who we know will lead the House wonderfully for the next academic year.

It has been another incredible year in AGS and one that will not be forgotten. We have loved our time and are so grateful for all the House staff have done for us to make it such a special place that we were able to call home for three years.

Jemima Gross and Daisy Mackinnon (UV)

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HOUSE LIFE

Willis The Upper Sixth year in Willis is a year of lasts. It has been a time for the girls both to look forward and back.

University applications, personal statements, interviews and entrance tests have been a time for girls to be able to start to picture their future beyond Downe House. It has been wonderful to hear their plans for university and for some, their gap years.

Final events have been a time to celebrate friendships old and new and something we have noticed, in particular, this year is the way in which the girls have not only really cherished and supported their closest friends, but respected and supported those whom they may not be best of friends with but who have shared the same experiences, both positive and challenging over the years. This sentiment was echoed in the Foundation Dinner, where reminiscences of Downe from Remove to Upper Sixth made for an emotional yet commemorative evening.

The Drama residency in February allowed girls to perform on a smaller scale and in a larger venue. The fabulous production of Marvin’s Room by the Drama Company was both moving and funny. Our very own Izzy Toogood not only starred in this but also in the same week appeared as Juliet in the fabulous disco extravaganza that was Juliet and Romeo.

The A Level production of Berkoff’s the Trial was stunning and disciplined and worthy of a place at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Speech and Drama pupils have continued to excel with several girls completing their Grade eight exams this year.

Music has continued to flourish with a huge variety of performances. The department has been ably led

by Olivia, Alice, Camilla and Charlotte and they have been instrumental in orchestrating a diverse and varied programme.

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Our Year 2023-24

We also must shine a spotlight on our fantastic Sports Captains, who have led their teams admirably over the last academic year. They have motivated their teams for early morning practice, and they have encouraged them to keep going on the cold winter afternoons. It was also a very successful year for Lacrosse with the 1st and 2nd XIIs both finishing in the top 16 at Nationals. It was also fantastic to see the Squash 1st team (Angela, Ilaria, Cecilia, Ella) who came fifth overall in the country for the second year running! The Upper Sixth also enjoyed many opportunities to compete against the teachers, most notably in the traditional dodgeball match in their Happy Day Costumes.

The Netball and Hockey teams have played well and several girls have represented the school in Badminton and swimming matches as well. Tennis has been trickier as most girls have focused on their work this term, although it has been lovely to see many girls playing for fun in the evenings now the days are longer.

We can hardly round up the year without drawing attention to our wonderful team of Seniors led dynamically, humorously and authentically by Shiloh Akintaju and Kimberly Gan. So many members of the House have presented on a variety of topics in assembly and have led from the front in their endorsement of Creative Art, promoted Global Affairs, while others have mentored and tutored younger girls or done duties in the Lower and Upper School Houses.

We would like to thank all of the girls for their company over the last two years, for their humour and energy and for their support of one another. We have very much enjoyed getting to know them and wish them well as they move on to the next stage of their lives.

Miss Georgiana Oldham Housemistress, Ms Victoria Ryan Housemistress

HOUSE LIFE

York Our first year of Sixth Form in York has been utterly unforgettable! The transition was truly flawless, and it could not have been possible without our amazing House staff.

Being able to settle smoothly was no small feat and we could not be more grateful for all the opportunities granted to us. Living with our whole year and welcoming new girls was such a jarring jump from Upper School but made easy with all the events that have kept us busy this year.

The year got off to a great start with a wonderful bonding trip to the Barbury Shooting School, where everyone got to know each other better, followed by House Drama, which was a huge success! All those involved did amazingly well, putting on remarkable performances supported by each other in our roles and working together as a year group as well as with our old Houses. Following the successes of House Drama, the Lower Sixth were then busy organising the Remembrance Service with the House staff and Reverend Platt, with moving readings, art and music performed by Serena Browne and others, making it truly beautiful and touching. Shortly afterwards, the Michaelmas Concert took place with unforgettable performances from so many skilled musicians from York, as well as the rest of the school. It was delightful to watch and satisfying to see everyone’s hard work pay off. Overall, the term was filled with many happy memories from socials York quiz nights or Book Clubs throughout the term. After having decorated the House and fabulous Christmas tree, the term was coming to a close and it was time for our end of year trip to Bath to have lunch together, explore the city, and especially enjoy the ice-skating and hot-chocolate.

night which would fundraise for our chosen charity-The Alzheimer's Society. Everyone contributed to raise over £900 and particular thanks go to the great organisation by Muna as we were able to enjoy an energetic and fun night full of song, dance, and tasty party snacks.

As the term finished, several girls in York were fortunate to earn senior positions of responsibility following a thorough application process. Huge congratulations to Emilia Lim and Anjola Bolodeoku, who have been appointed as Head and Deputy Senior, and all those who secured positions of responsibility; we are confident they will excel in their new roles!

Summer term has, once again, seen a whirlwind of activities, starting with our gratitude theme ‘Staff Shoutout’ to vote for teachers who have been especially helpful. This has been a lovely way of giving back to them. Many Lower Sixth also walked in this year’s really special Festival of Culture Fashion show, displaying the wide range of cultures we celebrate at Downe House. It was an unforgettable event with music, presentations and a vibrant atmosphere overall.

Our happiness this year could not have been made possible without the support of York’s House staff team. They were always available to listen and support us and on behalf of our whole year, we would like to say thank you for making our stay at York so special. Bring on next year.

Seyi Opaleye and Cathy Wang (LVI)

The Christmas holidays energised us to start the new year with a fresh mind ready to take on everything Lent term focused on. From crafts, gardening and baking. To January mocks which were less fun... Everything was so fast-paced but fulfilling too. The first big House event of the term was House Music’s unique repertoire of pieces specially chosen by our year group leaders with the overarching theme being ‘Colours’. AGS took the win for the year and again with House Dance and Gym! Following this, the charity reps of York House Council worked hard to put together a karaoke

Downe House Magazine

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HOUSE LIFE

Sauveterre

This academic year has been particularly special as it marked the first time that the LIVs came to France all together. It was a wonderful bonding experience for the girls already established at Downe House and a fantastic beginning for those new to the school.

The girls made the very best of the local environment. Our unique curriculum, supported by local trips to places of historical and cultural interest made for a very enriching experience. The first half of the term was packed with evening activities, time spent in the park enjoying nature and opportunities to get to know their peers. They also had much fun in the swimming pool, in the activities rooms, and on the sports pitches.

The second half of term appealed to those girls who love creating artwork and photography, or spending time in the snow, while our educational trips brought learning about the history of the local area to life.

One of the highlights of this year was the time spent at three local primary schools. The girls read to the children, created props for their stories, and spent time playing and getting to know the young children. It was a real moment of realisation for them of just how much progress they had made!

Madame Lauren Ponchant, Head of Sauveterre

PASTORAL LIFE The Pastoral Team at Sauveterre consists of a great team of experienced bilingual Pastoral Assistants who work in the mornings, evenings, and across the weekend to ensure that the pupils have a great boarding experience. They run a range of activities, such as cookery, knitting, or sports, and often accompany the pupils on the sorties at the weekend, when the pupils visit some of fascinating sites that the local area has to offer. The Pastoral Assistants also spend mealtimes with the pupils, engaging them in French conversation and getting to know them really well over the course of their time at Sauveterre.

Mr Neil Dix-Pincott, Head of Boarding & Pastoral Care TRIPS AND EXCURSIONS In true Downe House Sauveterre tradition, pupils enthusiastically explored the local community and its treasures. Starting in late summer, their adventures included memorable trips to an aqua park, local towns like Auch, Toulouse, and Carcassonne, and the Vert-en-l’air adventure park. They visited a local farm, historical sites such as Aurignac and WWII Resistance locations, and saw inventions at the Halle de la Machine Museum.

Their community outreach was impressive, involving storytelling in local schools, a circus workshop with a performance, and teaching Lacrosse to young Hip-Hop dancers. Throughout the term, pupils stayed active with sports, games, and a popular Wide Game.

Their journey concluded in December with a final trip to the Peyragudes ski resort, where they enjoyed sledging in the snow, contrasting with their summer photos from the Pic de Menthes summit.

Mr Eddie Stacchini, Head of Excursions and Enrichment

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Our Dance & Gymnastics competition, ‘So You Think You Can Move?’, provided a fantastic finalé to Lent Term.

We were thrilled to be joined by two phenomenal guest judges. Abi Miller started her gymnastics career when living in Australia before moving to the UK and competing here.

She has been coaching for the past seven years, specialising in women’s artistic gymnastics. Abi enjoys teaching the gymnasts and seeing them enjoy the sport. She has been a qualified judge for two years at County and Regional competitions.

Mike Fellows has danced from a young age, and competed in freestyle disco until he was 17, winning consecutive titles across the board including 3 three times World Champion. He trained at the Urdang Academy before working consistently in all areas of the performance industry including dancing in stadium tours, TV and film. Our thanks to Abi and Mike for their expertise in helping judge our competition.

The gymnastics portion of the contest was the first to take place and was expertly hosted by Miss Butler (Teacher of PE).

HOUSE LIFE

House Dance & Gymnastics

Each House was represented by a group routine and an individual routine which they had been working on with their Lower Fifth captains.

Next up, Mrs Cadle (Head of Extra-Curricular Dance), introduced the Dance portion of the competition. A group of pupil choreographers from each House worked hard to produce two performances: a large group piece and a small group piece.

The judges deliberated while the DH Dance Academy put on a spectacular show. The results were announced with Aisholt House winning the Overall House Gym Cup and AGS House winning the Overall House Dance Cup. The final award of the night was the combined cup with AGS being crowned the 2024 So You Think You Can Move? House Winner.

Congratulations to all the participants for the dedication and passion they brought to every aspect of the competition.

The collaboration and creativity shown on the evening really brought out tremendous House spirit for the whole Downe House community to enjoy.

Downe House Magazine

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HOUSE LIFE

House Debate

In March, girls in the Upper School and Sixth Form took part in our annual House Debating Competition. The girls tackled challenging and thought-provoking motions to see which House would be crowned best debaters. The competition was adjudicated by High Court Judge, Sir Michael Burton, GBE. He was extremely impressed by the standards achieved and took time to give frank and constructive feedback to each participant.

The competition opened with the Junior Round. Trinity Parkes (UIV, AGN) and Georgiana Sokol (UIV, AGS) argued the motion This House Believes that Religious Studies should be a compulsory GCSE. Both girls debated eloquently and persuasively, with Trinity taking the win for AGN.

The Intermediate Round saw the Lower Fifth tackle the motion This House would under no circumstances fight for its King and Country. Olivia Fane and Alice Bevan (Holcombe), Aleksandra Cork and Abigail Bowden (Tedworth), Phillipa Drysdale and Margaret Tam (AGS), and Isabella Gharagozlou and Lorna Meyrick (Aisholt) each argued with poise and passion on a motion which was originally debated at the Oxford Union in 1933. In the Downe House 2024 iteration of this motion, the win went to the Opening Government team of Bella and Lorna in Aisholt.

The Senior Round saw Hao Yin (Helena) Yuan (LVI, Aisholt), Hang Ki Katie Lam (LVI, Aisholt), Tanaya Budhwani (LVI, AGN), Isabelle Ashworth (UVI, AGN), Tacita Rhys Williams (UVI, AGS), Ju-Eun (LVI, AGS) represent the Sixth Form.

Margaret and Phillipa Drydale (LV, AGS) returned to take on a second debate. The Senior motion was The House believes Referendums are a flawed form of democracy.

It was a closely fought competition, but the victors were AGN in Opening Government, winning the Galbraith Cup for Senior Debating.

Congratulations also to Lara (Isadora) Pears Newton (Aisholt), Louisa Burges Watson (AGS), Charlotte Benson (AGS), all Upper Fourth and Rachael (Zion) Unachukwu (Holcombe) Lower Sixth all chaired the debates expertly.

The winners were Trinity Parkes (AGN), Isabella Gharagozlou and Lorna Meyrick (Aisholt), Isa (AGN) with Aleksandra Cork (Holcombe).

All teams argued with intelligence, clarity and conviction; however, there were stand-out performances. The award for best overall debater went to Aleksandra for her impassioned speech for Opening Opposition, in which she argued with flair and sophistication. We were all in awe at Margaret Tam and Phillipa Drydale (LV, AGS) who admirably stepped up to support the Senior Round, and they more than held their own! Following feedback from the judge in the Intermediate round to include a quote to make an argument more impactful, Phillipa closed her Senior speech with a quote from herself- it was witty, clever and really impressed our judge!

Debating is a key part of the Downe House enrichment offering, with a weekly club and various debates and workshops with Radley taking place throughout the year.

A huge thank you goes to Mr Matthews and Mrs Reichardt for the enormous amount of time and effort they dedicated to preparing the girls and organising the competition over the last two terms. Thank you also to Isabelle Ashworth and Tacita Rhys Williams who provided invaluable mentoring and coaching to younger years.

House Music

House Music is the annual, major music event of the school, which incorporates all elements of performance, and more importantly is a chance for every pupil; from all years and abilities, to create music in an informal setting, whilst displaying exuberant House Pride. Having led AGS to victory, as Co-Head Conductor alongside Alice Barber (LVI), it was a valuable experience in exchanging the usual role as a member of an ensemble, to leading from the front, by choosing repertoire, holding auditions and managing rehearsals. The programme for each House consists of a soloist, vocal ensemble, instrumental ensemble and whole House choir, of which the latter must relate to the theme given each year, which for 2024 was ‘Colours’. Some of these included; AGS’ ‘Black Magic’ by Little Mix, Holcombe’s ‘Mr Blue Sky’ and Aisholt’s ‘Pink’ from the movie ‘Barbie’, which were all accompanied by talented students and

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vibrant costumes. House Music is also a chance to showcase individual talent, not only in solo performances, which was won by Isabella de Arcangelis (Holcombe, UV); but also, through prizes dedicated towards excellent conductors, Ruoxi (Jasmine) Yang (Tedworth, LVI), best accompanist, Enyi (Christina) Zhao (AGN, UV) and most valuable contributor towards the entire House performance, Natalie Hui (AGS, LV). House Music was a brilliant experience, where I learnt many skills in directing and leading people, which I am sure Isabella Hudson and I will continue to develop together, as Heads of Music, in the following year.

Serena Browne (Music Award Holder, LVI)

There is only one way to begin the Michaelmas term at Downe House and that is with a supercharged creative fight to the proverbial death, otherwise known as House Drama.

Five houses, five new plays, three judges. One winner.

comprehensive and detailed feedback to each group and really highlighted all aspects of the pieces, from set design to scripting. It really left the students feeling validated and reinforced the fact that this is one huge team effort.

This year we asked our teams to answer the question of ‘What Happened Next?’, specifically at the end of iconic movies. So, I’m afraid there were spoilers aplenty, as each House began their performance by showing the last few minutes of a chosen film on the screen before imagining the immediate aftermath of that moment. By way of example, imagine if Thelma & Louise’s car had somehow survived the fall of the cliff - what might be their next move?

In the end, Aisholt were victors, with Hope Black (LVI) steering an extremely disciplined ship of theatre makers as writer and director of a follow-up to the original Sherlock Holmes film. The AV bonus moment was very much in evidence as their piece began with a lifesize ‘body’ dropping dramatically from the rig onto the stage below to kick things off.

We had a fantastic intake of new students into Lower Sixth this year and so lots of new faces were involved in the creative process – quite the baptism of fire. We also had the added element this year of a ‘bonus moment’ from our AV team, whereby each House could ask our professional specialists to execute one major technical moment that might otherwise be beyond the students’ skill set.

Our guest adjudicator this year was Pip Minnithorpe, a producer, director and dramaturg who was resident director for Harry Potter in the West End. Pip gave brilliantly

HOUSE LIFE

House Drama

All the pieces were really impressive and each House came away with a significant award in one category or another.

Parents were delighted, students from every year were inspired and the lower sixth production teams were suitably exhausted. Another great year for House Drama!

Mr Robert Castell, Head of Enrichment and Extra Curricular Drama

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HOUSE LIFE

Remove Spelling Bee During the Michaelmas term, all girls in Remove took part in a literacy project aimed at introducing girls to the core vocabulary that is required during the Remove year for English, Humanities, Science, French and Latin and Greek derived words, and ensuring that they feel confident using and applying these words.

In order to learn this vocabulary, all girls prepared for a Spelling Bee. They were provided with a booklet of Remove Core Vocabulary and learnt the words each week over the Michaelmas term, starting with ‘one bee’ (easier) words and progression to ‘two bee’ (more challenging) words, with the option of learning ‘three bee’ (super stinger) words too for those keen to push themselves even further!

The Spelling Bee itself took place on at the start of December and was a wonderful evening that saw girls raise the roof for their Houses. The Sixth Form also provided additional support and really threw themselves into the event with gusto and much admiration for just how accomplished the Remove contestants were at spelling some very tricky words.

Three girls each from Darwin (Taraoluwa Akeju, Sara Motyka and Uwailomwan Aighe), Hill (Aleksandra Bekker, Sadie Stepanek and AralolaOluwa Fatokun) and Hermitage (Victoria Davies, Cristina Manuel and Philippa Marsh) represented their respective Houses. Each girl had been nominated as subject specialists by academic departments.

The first round was an Inter-House buzzer round, and the second round was an individual round. Round three saw three teachers bravely take to the stage. Mrs Hughes, Mrs Michell and Mrs Hill courageously battled their way through some incredibly difficult words which also demonstrated to the girls that it is ok to make mistakes (Deoxyribonucleic acid- DNA-proved impossible to spell!) The final round was a whole audience blooket, which enabled the Remove and the Sixth Form to compete against each other and Mr Grant and Mrs McKendrick!

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Whilst all the girls were superb, the winning House was Hill. The overall best speller on the evening was (Taraoluwa Akeju from Darwin. ‘Worker Bee Awards’ in recognition of exceptional effort and progress through the term were also awarded to Uwekhai Okhai-Akhigbe, Laashja Pirathapan, Betsy Zammett, Jennifer Ford, Elizabeth Sutherland and Sophia Toland.

“Everyone has different starting points, and everyone’s journey to learning these words took different routes and time frames.

The aim of the Spelling Bee, both on the evening and in the lessons leading up to the final event, was to take the sting out of spelling and support girls in building skills in literacy both inside and outside the classroom.

Mission accomplished – the girls had a great time and were positively buzzing!”

Mrs Maria Reichardt, Director of Scholars and Academic Enrichment

Academic Life

‘A bright future lies ahead!’

Downe House Magazine

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ACADEMIC LIFE

English

The English curriculum, as always, offers a huge variety of texts to enjoy and explore. This year, students have studied, among others: William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Tatamkhulu Afrika, Nissim Ezekiel, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, J B Priestley, Jane Austen, Tennessee Williams, Adeline Yen Mah, Carol Ann Duffy, Margaret Atwood, Emily Bronte, William Blake and Owen Sheers. From this list alone it is easy to see the diverse nature of the English curriculum and it is a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage with such a range of writers and experiences.

Outside the classroom, the English department love nothing more than celebrating books. This year the department celebrated World Book Day on 27 March. We were treated to a delicious, themed lunch by our amazing catering department which featured Mr Bingley’s White Soup and ‘The Secret Life of Bees’ Macaroni Cheese. The Lower School dressed up and the costumes were a joy to behold, ranging from Fantastic Mr Fox, Barbie and Ken and even Shrek. Miss McLachlan compiled a collection of Downe House teachers’ favourite poems and Mrs West and Mrs Boswell entertained everyone at lunchtime by reading aloud in the Murray Centre.

In order to continue to encourage our students to read widely and enjoy literature, this year we launched Accelerated Reader with the Remove, Lower Fourth and Upper Fourth. This software suggests a range of books students may enjoy based on a questionnaire and then challenges them to complete short quizzes to review their reading. This year the girls have taken over 980 quizzes on Accelerated Reader, amazing!

The Upper Fifth enjoyed an inspiring day in Oxford hearing the poets they are studying for GCSE read and discuss their work. They were extremely fortunate to hear from Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage, Daljit Nagra, Owen Sheers, John Agard and Imtiaz Dharker. It was a pleasure to hear poets speak about their experiences of writing and encourage young people to write; a sentiment shared by the English teachers at Downe House who do their best to nurture creativity. A key feature of our year is the DHSA Short Story Competition and this year there were a staggering 110 entries from students across the School. Our students were asked to write a story inspired by an image of their choice and the results were superb, covering a range of genres and topics including space travel, coming of age, romance and murder mystery.

We were delighted to welcome the company Spot Lit twice this year to deliver revision lectures for our Upper Fifth and Sixth Form. The Upper Fifth had an informative session on Much Ado About Nothing and the Sixth Form covered A Streetcar Named Desire and Othello. In each of these workshops, actors performed key scenes which were then discussed. It was hugely beneficial, not just to review the key concepts, ideas and critical perspectives, but also to see the texts performed. At moments there were gasps as Othello lost control and shock at Stanley destroying a table, capturing the dramatic nature of these two texts. These sessions were a powerful blend of bringing the texts to life and engaging with them critically.

As ever, at the heart of the English department is a love of sharing texts we adore with the young people we teach. It is a huge privilege to share our love of literature with our students and the impact this has on them lasts far beyond their years at Downe House. When asked to reflect on their English studies across their time at Downe House some of our Upper Sixth students shared the following: ‘The incredible authors we have studied have shaken the foundation of what I thought I understood about being a woman and society in general. I will greatly miss sitting in my English lessons and look back on them with great fondness, both for my teachers, and everything I had the privilege to learn.’

Leila Magner, UVI 'English at Downe has truly changed my perspective on the real world I will soon enter, and I also gained valuable insight into the world of literature through the constant encouragement to keep reading. I don't see English as a subject I have to study, rather something I look forward to every week, something I credit the amazing staff in the department for.'

Hannah Hurd, UVI Mrs Joanne West, Head of English and Mrs Jessica Boswell, Teacher of English

This year in English our students have:

Read 2045 texts

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Our Year 2023-24

Written around 2780 essays

Completed 1140 exam papers

Borrowed over 2400 books from the library

Read and studied plays, poetry, novels and non fiction texts spanning nearly 500 years.

We are spoilt with external competitions when it comes to the world of Mathematics and, this year, we will have had at least (further rounds pending!) 210 UKMT competition papers entered from the Junior Maths Challenge through to the British Maths Olympiad, including the follow-on Kangaroo papers, Cayley Olympiad and the Maths Olympiad for Girls. Not stopping there, girls also took part in the National Cipher Challenge and the Southampton University Maths Challenges. Simply taking part is worthy of praise, yet the large number of awards from these competitions is evident in the steady procession of girls receiving certificates over a number of Whole School assemblies.

To highlight two successes in particular, Jia Chun (Upper Fourth) excelled in the Intermediate Maths Challenge and continued on to achieve a Distinction in the Cayley Olympiad, and similarly Ruihan (Apple) Sun excelled in the Senior Maths Challenge continuing to a Distinction in the British Maths Olympiad 1.

As part of the STEM Symposium, we invited boys from Radley to join girls at Downe in tackling a range of STEM problems. The maths tasks saw mixed groups tackling a collection of problems involving prime numbers (as you’d expect!), permutations and values in different bases, with

ACADEMIC LIFE

Maths

the aim of drawing pupils into accessible and intriguing topics yet away from the core syllabus. As an example, could you write π in binary correct to 10 binary places? It was great to see the enthusiasm and exploration of these topics from an initially unfamiliar position, whilst also benefiting from the social side of the symposium.

Every Maths teacher will be familiar with the question ‘Why do we need to know this?’ Of course, applying the maths to hands-on tasks is a great way of displaying the purpose of many techniques. Indeed, with about half of the Upper Sixth studying Maths for A Level, they will likely continue to apply their maths in the broad range of subjects that they are looking to study at university. Probably the hardest topic, on which to answer the question is Circle Theorems; however, thanks to Mrs Whitlam, the girls have ‘applied’ this topic with the help of decorating biscuits with their favourite circle theorems!

Mr Oliver Wills, Head of Mathematics

Downe House Magazine

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ACADEMIC LIFE

Geography

CONFERENCE WITH RADLEY In October, Downe House hosted the third annual event with the Geography department at Radley College. As hosts, we wanted to showcase the stunning school grounds we have through a fieldwork theme of ‘Geography in Action’. The day saw students from both schools collaborate academically on a series of fieldwork tasks.

In the woodland behind the Geography department, students were shown how to calculate the carbon content of a tree using trigonometry by Miss Rawlinson. Back in the classroom we used our data to estimate that the 21 trees we measured held 60 tonnes of carbon which was the equivalent of 29 car free years! In the Murray Centre, Mrs Compton-Ilott and Mrs Price taught students the art of field sketching.

Meanwhile in the outdoor classroom, Mrs Patrick discussed all things microclimate. All these tasks were overseen and supported by our wonderful Upper Sixth geographers. It truly was a triumph of collaboration. Mrs Robinson, Head of Geography at Radley College, said ‘the girls and boys collaborating academically is so powerful and it was great to have your Sixth Formers there as role models for all the Upper Fourth students.’

HODDER HAZARDS CONFERENCE In December we travelled to London to attend the Hodder Hazards conference. Here our Upper Sixth listened to five fascinating speakers who work in natural hazard research.

These included Emeritus Professor Fiona Tweed and Dr Jess Johnson, who spoke about their work out in the field.

Students particularly enjoyed the discussions about the imminent eruption of the volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula, which was threatening to destroy the town of Grindavik.

The conference brought the subject to life and showed the importance of understanding plate tectonic processes.

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JUNIPER HALL – GCSE FIELD TRIP In December the Upper Fifth travelled to Juniper Hall for a GCSE residential. Here the girls spent two days in ‘the field’ practising fieldwork techniques and collecting data which will be used in their paper three examination. On the first day the students surveyed the beach at Saltdean to investigate the impacts of longshore drift on the profile of the beach and on the sediment within the beach. On the second day we travelled to Leatherhead, where we investigated the difference in environmental quality between regenerated and non-regenerated parts of the town centre.

SLAPTON SANDS – A LEVEL FIELD TRIP Our time at Slapton Sands for our A Level Geography trip, was an experience that not only gave us support for our NEAs but was an opportunity to explore the coastline and have a look at the natural habitats. From the moment we arrived, we were surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the Devon coastline. During our time we explored various NEA techniques and methods. The Slapton beaches provided us with insights into coastal geography, and we learnt lots of valuable information which will also support us with our exam content. It was a great mix of fun and learning including a visit to both Plymouth and Totness, which we thoroughly enjoyed! Overall, it is an experience that we will remember forever!

Alice Aird, Rose Rollo and Emily Gray, (LVI)

We were delighted to welcome students from Radley College for the second iteration of the STEM Symposium.

This event presents students with the opportunity to work on tasks that involve content and skills beyond the curriculum. Challenges undertaken were designed in a way to ensure that collaboration was essential for success and included tasks such as seeing patterns in prime numbers, natural cures for scurvy, identification of ions and decoding encrypted messages.

Students from both schools threw themselves wholeheartedly into the tasks and understood the importance of teamwork to be successful. All students showed themselves to be incredibly adept at applying the new knowledge in order to solve the problems posed and seemingly enjoyed the process exceedingly. But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what our students thought:

ACADEMIC LIFE

STEM Symposium Participating in the STEM Symposium was an enriching experience that offered a blend of collaborative problemsolving and hands-on experiments. Working with my team to tackle maths problems centred around prime numbers sparked engaging discussions and encouraged us to explore various strategies to arrive at solutions.

The hands-on inorganic chemical tests provided a tangible application of the theory we have learnt in class, which was very satisfying. One of the most valuable takeaways from the symposium was the importance of effective communication. Being able to explain concepts clearly and succinctly to my peers not only facilitated collaboration within my team but also prepared me with a crucial skill for interviews and future endeavours in life after school.

Yuchen (Rebecca) Gao, (LVI) I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the STEM Symposium. However, I found the most exciting aspect to be encountering unfamiliar and challenging problems and working with my team to develop solutions. This experience has tested my critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and by collaborating with others, I have improved my communication skills when it comes to presenting my ideas effectively. I believe these skills will be invaluable in the future, particularly during university interviews.

Janice Lee, (LVI) We look forward to next year’s event with relish!

Mr Charlie Littledale, Head of STEM

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ACADEMIC LIFE

Science

BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP In early October, the A Level Biology students in the Upper Sixth went on a Biology field trip to Juniper Hall in Dorking.

We were very lucky to have sunshine and blue skies for the entirety of the weekend, which provided perfect conditions for carrying out our core practicals.

Juniper Hall Field Centre is a beautiful country house with large grounds, ideal for field work and lots of games of hide and seek. I think all of us would agree that the highlights of our trip were the many games of football, in which the teachers also took part.

On Friday evening, our tutors, from the field centre, helped us to set up some small mammal traps, and in the morning, we were all excited to see that we had caught a vole. The next day we walked up to the Gallops on the Mickleham Downs where we saw some examples of succession, and worked in groups to record data along transects. It was interesting to see the theory we had learned in lessons be translated into the natural world, and it was a nice change from just learning in the classroom. Afterwards we had a delicious lunch in the sunshine before heading back home for some statistics work, and of course, more football.

On our final day we headed out to the field again to take samples from a river. All of us enjoyed trying kick sampling for the first time and observing the small organisms that we found in the water. I think we all enjoyed Sunday’s activities the most as we got to try something new and get very hands on with the practical work. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the field centre and head back to school. We all thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, and are very grateful to Mrs Harrop, Miss Pugsley and Mr Kersley for accompanying us, and making our time there even more memorable.

Annabel Munnelly, (UVI)

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Our Year 2023-24

SCIENCE COMPETITIONS The Science faculty at Downe House has had an exceptional year, marked by remarkable achievements in various external competitions. These accomplishments not only reflect the dedication and hard work of our students but also showcase the exemplary standard of education imparted at Downe House.

In January, several Sixth Form students ventured into the challenging realm of the Chemistry Olympiads. Among them, Kaiyan Xiao and Eve Brown, both from Lower Sixth, clinched the prestigious Silver award, while Rebecca Gao (LVI) emerged triumphant with a remarkable Gold award, reaffirming the calibre of our Science students.

The momentum continued later into the Lent term with our participation in the Physics Olympiads. Moreover, a select group of four Upper School students had the privilege to compete in the renowned Top of The Bench competition held at Oxford University. Working in a university laboratory provided them with invaluable hands-on experience, nurturing their potential as future scientists.

In addition to the accomplishments in Chemistry and Physics, our Science faculty also made significant strides in Biology competitions. Our participation in the Biology Olympiads and the Biology Intermediate Challenge saw Alice Boyle (UVI) awarded a Gold Award in the Olympiads - a significant achievement. The enthusiasm of our younger cohort was equally commendable, as evidenced by their participation in the Bayer Lab ‘Design a lab coat’ competition in April. Amrit Kaur Singh and Kunkhanit Tejasen (Remove) showcased remarkable creativity and ingenuity.

As the academic year progresses, our focus shifts towards upcoming challenges, including the Analyst of the Year competition and the esteemed Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, both scheduled for the Summer term.

With these achievements, our students have not only brought honour to themselves but have also elevated the reputation of the Science faculty at Downe House to new heights.

ACADEMIC LIFE

Science

INSIDE THE UK SPACE DESIGN COMPETITION The UK Space Design Competition (UKSDC), held in London during the Michaelmas term, provided a dynamic, studentled platform where participants tackle complex engineering challenges. Teams were given a list of requirements for a space settlement and were tasked with coming up with a detailed design which they would then present to a panel of judges from industry, academia and business. Students were assigned to five key departments: Structural Engineering, Operations Engineering, Human Engineering, Robotics and Automation Engineering, and Business and Marketing.

Several of our Lower Sixth Science students took part in this challenge - in which they engaged in diverse tasks, from designing structural elements like roof-supporting columns to devising business strategies that ensure profitability for the space settlement.

Ka Ching Anna Pang (LVI), who joined the Human Engineering Department, emphasised the importance of inter-departmental communication: ‘All departments are ultimately aiming to design the settlement for the humans who would live there, which was something I actively did throughout the competition.’ Hao Yin (Helena) Yuan (LVI) passionately recommends the experience to all students, particularly those skilled in CAD, architecture, physics, maths, and creativity: ‘It's so fun! I really enjoyed it.’ Rebecca Gao (LVI), who was selected for the Operations Engineering team, highlighted her role in addressing airlock and pressure changes and calculating energy costs for the lunar settlement. She also added: ‘If I were to do again, I really would like to try doing some of the structural design as I found the job very interesting.’

All those engaged found this competition to be an invaluable experience as it pushed them to think creatively, work well in teams, and apply their skills to real-world situations.

Mrs Agnese Lyne, Head of Science Faculty

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ACADEMIC LIFE

History of Art In early December the Art History Society enjoyed a visit to London to see two exhibitions at Tate Britain.

In the morning, we saw Women in Revolt: Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990. This exhibition showcased a wide variety of art by over 100 artists working in the UK. Their radical ideas and rebellious methods helped to fuel the women’s liberation movement. They used their own experiences to create both individual and collective art projects with the purpose of fighting injustice. It proved to be invaluable context for one of the art historians’ key syllabus topics: studying 20th – 21st century art.

In the afternoon they were able to view the exhibition called Sarah Lucas: Happy Gas, which provided an overview of a controversial feminist artist who is featured in both Lower and Upper Sixth topics. Lucas is renowned for her bold and provocative pieces, questioning the use of language, imagery and symbolism in the depiction of male and female figures. It was a fantastic opportunity to experience her humorous yet challenging artworks first hand, and to discuss various differing interpretations.

Ms Diane Slocombe, Teacher of History of Art LOWER SIXTH ARTICULATION COMPETITION 2024 In January, the Lower Sixth took part in the ARTiculation competition.

This provides an opportunity to deliver a short presentation about a work of art, design, architecture or any visual media that really inspires.

Our Lower Sixth girls presented on a diverse range of artworks: Yi (Wendy) Wu – Song Dong’s Waste Not; Serena Browne – Female Power Portrayed in Art; Chen Wang – Ninjago Season 8; Sewon (Victoria) Min – Alexandre Cabanel’s Fallen Angel; Keren Feng – Gustav Klimt; Laurena Horatio Jones – Lois Van Baarle: Art & Emotions; Ophelia

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Fisher – The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine film; Padmajaraje Gaekwad – Raja Ravi Varma; Petchnapa (Nampetch) Bennett – Ari Aster’s Midsommar.

Serena Browne was highly commended for her historical knowledge, contextualising the work of Artemisia Gentileschi, and for her obvious passion for Gentileschi’s ground-breaking portrayals. Very well done to Sewon (Victoria) Min, who was awarded the runner-up prize for her detailed focus on one work of art, and why it presented such a challenge to both the 19th-century art establishment and today’s viewers. Congratulations to Keren Feng, overall winner for her subject knowledge, focus on unusual examples and her entertaining, bold essay, conveying great enthusiasm and passion. Thank you to all the competitors for working hard to create such an informative and entertaining evening!

HISTORY OF ART EXAM WORKSHOP 2024 In early March, the Upper and Lower Sixth took part in a special exam workshop, led by Daniel Greaney.

As a teacher of Art History and an examiner, Daniel led a workshop on exam technique, offering great advice and tips for success. Two sessions focused on all aspects of Art History assessment, including analysing questions and marking past candidate responses, to better appreciate how the Assessment Objectives can be met for the best possible marks. The following comments sum up how our students really appreciated the opportunity to focus on exam technique: ‘Overall, the majority was a general reinforcement of key important tips and techniques … however I like how he gave real-life examples so I could compare mine to the ones provided…’; ‘The examples helped me understand how and why I am marked a certain way and how I can do better’; ‘Overall it was amazing, really helpful!’

UPPER SIXTH STUDY DAY 2024

LOWER SIXTH REVISION TRIP 2024

In April, the Upper Sixth Art Historians enjoyed an intensive day of revision, focusing on their Renaissance, Pop Life, Identity and Nature topics.

In May, the Lower Sixth Art Historians enjoyed an intensive day of revision at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

They began the day at the British Museum, analysing the Benin Plaques, works by El Anatsui and studying context concerning their Japanese case studies. After lunch, they continued their revision at the National Gallery, focusing on Turner, Monet and Renaissance portraits, and ended the day at the National Portrait Gallery: ‘We got to see Marc Quinn's Self, a sculpture made out of blood, and we were able to understand the intricacies of the material which shimmered like mineral in the light.’ The Upper Sixth had a really focused day of revision: ‘Being able to see the actual size of the artworks allowed me to get a greater understanding of the proportions and how fine the detail was.’ ‘It was really useful to visit the artworks and I found it very helpful’.

They spent the morning revising key artworks from their Lower Sixth syllabus with Ms Slocombe and practising visual analysis skills with Ms Tomlin. In the afternoon, they were able to preview some of the work they will be studying in the Upper Sixth for their Nature and Identities topics and practise their observation skills in a scavenger hunt. ‘I most enjoyed being able to look at different architecture models as well as being able to observe closely some of our Renaissance case studies. I think I've found these most useful because I could consolidate my knowledge thoroughly!,’ ‘I enjoyed the comparison of the three Davids because it reminded me of the context’, ‘Being able to see the real life sizes of the artworks was really helpful so that we can properly understand their scale and make more effective judgements’, ‘I liked seeing the sculptures we had learned about in person because I could really take in the details’.

Ms Diane Slocombe, Teacher of History of Art, with contributions from Isabelle Ashworth, Rachel RaeburnWard and Aimee Wilson (LIV)

ACADEMIC LIFE

History of Art

Sewon (Victoria) Min, Keren Feng, Ophelia Bracken, Jin Vanasin

Downe House Magazine

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ACADEMIC LIFE

Business & Economics

As we reflect on the past year, it's clear that the realm of business and economics at our School has been marked by innovation, empowerment, and growth. From eyeopening field trips to transformative initiatives within our own community, we've witnessed first-hand the impact of engaging with real-world economic concepts and practices.

Let's take a closer look at some of the highlights that have defined this extraordinary year.

One of the highlights of the year was our unforgettable visit to BMW in Oxford. Our students had the incredible opportunity to witness modern manufacturing processes in action, gaining invaluable insights into efficiency, technology, and innovation. Seeing first-hand how a world-class automobile manufacturer operates has not only broadened our students' understanding of the manufacturing sector but has also inspired them to pursue careers in engineering, management, and entrepreneurship.

Another memorable experience was our visit to Boden Headquarters in London, welcomed by Johnnie Boden himself! Our students were immersed in the world of fashion and design, learning how creativity is transformed into successful products. From concept development to marketing strategies, they gained a deeper appreciation for the role of innovation and vision in the clothing industry.

This trip ignited a spark of creativity within our students, encouraging them to explore the context of the clothing industry which forms the main theme for our synoptic paper three in Business this year.

This year also saw the establishment of our Business and Social Enterprise initiative, led by Miss Cochran, where students have set up their own School businesses, creating a range of merchandise products for sale within our community. Not only have our students honed their entrepreneurial skills through this venture, but they have also demonstrated a commitment to social responsibility.

With profits going to charity, our students are making a tangible difference in the lives of others while learning valuable lessons about business ethics and philanthropy.

In addition to hands-on experiences, we've reestablished the Economics Society, providing a platform for our students to engage in lively discussions about the latest issues in economics. From global trade to environmental sustainability, our students are tackling complex economic challenges with curiosity and insight. This forum not only fosters intellectual curiosity but also encourages critical thinking and collaboration among our future economists and policymakers.

Furthermore, we've collaborated with the Murray Centre to develop an exceptional Business and Economics Resource Bank. This online platform provides our students with access to a wide range of resources, including electronic versions of esteemed publications such as The Economist and The Financial Times. By staying informed about real-world events and trends, our students are better equipped to understand and analyse the dynamics of the business world and the global economy.

As a department, we are proud to see the increasing interest and engagement in Business and Economics among our students. With each passing year, we attract more students who are drawn to the prominence of our discipline in the mass media and the opportunities it offers for deeper study and exploration. Many of our students have gone on to pursue further studies in Business and Economics, while others seek to integrate their economic knowledge into diverse fields such as STEM, Arts, and Medicine. Indeed, as we emphasise in our induction programme, Economics is Everything and Business is Everywhere!

In conclusion, this past year has been a testament to the vibrancy and vitality of Business and Economics at our School. Through experiential learning, entrepreneurial initiatives, and intellectual discourse, we are shaping the leaders and innovators of tomorrow. As we look ahead, we are filled with excitement for the continued growth and impact of our department, knowing that our students are poised to make a meaningful difference in the world of business and beyond.

Mr Michael Liggins, Director of Community Engagement & Head of Business Studies and Economics

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Our Year 2023-24

Our aim in the History and Politics department is to give the girls a truly global historical perspective; this year we have started to roll out the International GCSE in the Lower Fifth, and in the first three years they now follow a curriculum which includes a study of medieval Africa, the Qing dynasty in China, and the British Empire in North America, Africa, Asia and Australasia.

To start at the end of the year, we held a very successful mock election in the last week of term, with vigorous canvassing and imaginative party-political broadcasts on behalf of all the parties, and a high turnout! Another highlight was the talk by General Peter Williams to the Lower Fifth about his life as a Cold War spy in Berlin.

We have also had a number of trips this year. The History and Politics students had two interesting trips, to the Welsh Parliament and to a day-long conference in London where they were addressed by leading politicians of all parties.

In June we undertook our annual Upper Fourth trip to the battlefields of Ypres and the Somme.

‘On Friday 14 June, we departed on the History trip to Ypres.

Despite the early start the journey seemed to go by very quickly and we arrived in Sanctuary Wood that afternoon where we met up with our tour guide, Nigel, and saw Passchendaele Ridge. We also saw the grave of the oldest person to die in World War I before heading back to our hotel for the night. The next morning, we headed to France to go to see the Somme battlefield. We saw the Thiepval Memorial for lost soldiers where we found a soldier who lived in Cold Ash. We also visited the Lochnagar Crater which was very interesting as it is the largest man-made crater in the world. We saw the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian war cemetery which was fascinating because we saw how the British commemorated soldiers from the wider parts of the British Empire. We then headed into Ypres where we had dinner, visited a chocolate shop and then went to the Menin Gate for the 8 o'clock service. Minty, Grace and I laid a wreath, on behalf of Downe House, in the ceremony where they played the last post and read a poem. We then went back to our hotel to get a good night’s sleep.

ACADEMIC LIFE

History & Politics On Sunday we trailed the Ypres Salient where we saw where the Christmas truce took place. We also got the chance to visit some German trenches to see the comparison between those and the British ones. We then saw the largest British military cemetery as well as visiting one of the only German cemeteries in Belgium. After that we went back to Ypres where we toured the museum which was very compelling.

The final few stops we took were to the St Julien Canadian memorial, the place where the poem ‘In Flanders Field’ was written and to see the grave of one of the youngest soldiers to die in World War I at the age of only 15. After this we said goodbye to our tour guide and headed for Calais where we caught the ferry back to Dover and headed back to School for the night. Overall, it was a memorable weekend that I'm sure we will never forget.’

Alexia Walker, (LIV) Our Lower Sixth History students spent a glorious day at the Chalke History Festival near Salisbury. Designed to both educate and entertain, tents staging talks by leading historians share an idyllic site with reenactors and heritage stalls - punctuated by the firing of Civil War muskets and the growl of a Sherman tank in the distance. Talks by Dr Estelle Paranque on Tudor women and Professor Jonathan Phillips on Richard the Lionheart directly support the girls' A Level studies - but we want them to broaden their horizons! The students had the freedom to drop into talks by historians discussing topics as diverse as transatlantic slavery, and lesbian relationships in the First World War through to the Warsaw Uprising and French Revolution.

Finally, the Remove enjoyed their trip to the Hastings battlefield, where they were able to tour the whole battlefield and re-enact the battle, complete with crowns, swords and helmets!

Mr William Lane, Head of History and Politics

Downe House Magazine

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ACADEMIC LIFE

Higher Education

SCHOOLS INTERVIEW EXCHANGE The Schools Interview Exchange event culminated preparations for those of us in Upper Sixth applying to Oxford, Cambridge and medical school, including myself, applying for English. We were privileged to meet local students from five other schools (St Barts, Trinity, Kennet, The Downs and Park House), who much like us, were all in the midst of the application process.

Perhaps the most useful aspect of the event was the mock interview arranged for each student, with a specialist distinctly chosen for our subject, a teacher from a different school, who could mimic the Oxbridge interview style and had no preexisting information on us, except our personal statements.

It was an evening full of challenging conversations, which helped us to acclimatise to the inherent pressure that comes with interviewing. It was also very enjoyable being able to converse with other students and teachers who are as equally passionate about our subjects!

Thank you to Dr Atherton and the Futures team for arranging such a worthwhile event, it was not only useful for those of us going into forthcoming Oxbridge interviews but challenged all of us to think about our subjects on a more complex, profound level which will be demanded of us at university.

Camilla Hale, (UVI) INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY FAIR At the International University Fair in April, we were joined in the Murray Centre by representatives from 11 international universities including Columbia University, EHL Hospitality Business and Hotel Management School, Loyola Marymount University and Bishop’s University Quebec. Each organisation brought different overviews of what their universities can offer. We had the opportunity to talk to the staff about their curricula, student support and teaching approaches.

As well as giving us information and advice on why we should be keen to engage in experimental learning, we also learnt how, as well as focusing on academic success, we should also be aware of how important it is to do other enriching activities outside of academics to keep an open mind. This reassured me that education was more than computer- and classroom-based work, but also about personal growth. I can assure you that everyone who was present valued their advice and will follow it moving forward.

Nathalie Ross, (LV)

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Our Year 2023-24

APPRENTICESHIPS TALK In March, we were lucky enough to host Emily Rees for an insightful and informative talk on apprenticeships. We had a lovely dinner made by the catering staff, which gave us the opportunity to ask lots of questions regarding her past and how she found herself in such a fortunate position. She then gave an inspiring talk on apprenticeships; we found it fascinating how one application can open so many doors for career pathways. Overall, we are so grateful to Emily for taking the time to come and speak to us and we are now more open-minded on which future path to take.

Amelia O’Connor and Rose Rollo, (LVI) LVI OXBRIDGE EXPERIENCE DAY In June all potential Oxbridge candidates convened for the Oxbridge Experience Day which was organised by Mme Reichardt. After a brief outline of the day the students were asked to do some independent research. We were given a list of challenging questions designed to get each of us thinking in depth about our respective subjects. After a couple of hours we reconvened in small groups to present our research on our chosen question.

This session emulated an Oxbridge tutorial or a Cambridge supervision in that we learnt what it was like to present our own thoughts and work, whilst also having these ideas examined and broken down. It was a really exciting opportunity to think even more deeply on our topic and to be able to respond and adapt when our thought processes are challenged.

After these tutorial type sessions, we engaged in a critical thinking workshop led by Dr Florence Curtis, Junior Fellow of Oxford. This not only helped to give us an idea of what a seminar would be like at Oxbridge, but also helped us to build our interview technique and critical thinking skills.

We learned to think on our feet, and to be flexible, working with ideas and concepts most of us have not studied, for example in relation to AI. To round off this experience day, Dr Curtis gave us a Keynote speech followed by a Q&A. Within this Dr Curtis gave us further insight into the application process and what we could expect if we were (fortunate enough) to study at Oxbridge. The Oxbridge Experience Day has helped us to better understand what life at Oxbridge would be like. It was tremendously stimulating and left us with many new ideas and thoughts to consider and pursue further.

Lydia Isadora Dyer, (LVI)

HIGHER EDUCATION APPS The day began with some informative sessions run by Mrs Barnard and the Futures team as they helped all the Lower Sixth students set up their UCAS accounts and begin the initial stages of the university application process. We look forward to the upcoming sessions on writing personal statements as well as the exciting, yet nerve racking, process of applying to universities that is to come.

The second half of our morning consisted of a speech given

by James Darley, Founder and CEO of Transform Society, who gave us an insight into the job market and the different routes we can take once leaving school. It was filled with up-to-date statistics on postgraduate decisions. Although some of the statistics were shockingly low in terms of opportunities and success rate he gave us tips on how we can stand out from the rest of the applicants. It gave us perspective on the importance of early work experience and taking advantage of the multitude of opportunities provided at Downe House that help develop our skills.

We all agreed that the event was highly beneficial, as we were guided through all the steps to filling out UCAS, and all the sessions were very much appreciated. Thank you to Mrs Barnard and the Futures team for organising such a useful and informative event.

Clara Rainsford and Yasmin Aird, (LVI)

ACADEMIC LIFE

Higher Education

GAP YEAR FAIR The Gap Year Fair was an incredibly informative event, which was beneficial not only for the students who were confident in their decision to take a year off, but also for those who had not previously considered it.

All members of the Upper Fifth to Upper Sixth and their parents were invited to come along and explore the variety of options available. The Murray Centre’s auditorium was packed with around 22 different exhibitors sharing a plethora of opportunities available, ranging from volunteering in Thailand, skiing in Canada to language and cookery courses scattered across the globe.

It was extremely helpful, as it gave us all an insight into the different activities and options available to us outside of School that could help enhance our career paths and our university applications.

In particular, the Language Gap course was very popular among A Level language students. It provided wonderful opportunities to help improve your language skills while volunteering or completing training placements overseas in any interest area of your choice.

I was especially interested in the Ski le Gap programme, which offers an outstanding selection of social and cultural activities, alongside a course to obtain a Ski Instructor Qualification.

This was certainly an excellent Gap Year Fair which gave everyone many wonderful options to consider, not only when taking a gap year, but also during the holiday periods.

Thank you to Mrs Knight and the Futures department for hosting this fabulous event.

Alice Morgan, (LVI)

Downe House Magazine

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ACADEMIC LIFE

Computer Science

GCSE COURSE It has been another successful year with students actively engaged in learning the many advanced concepts of computer hardware and Python programming. We hope all the girls continue to grow the unique skills they have worked so hard on!

HOUR OF CODE All year groups engaged in one hour of code, following a series of short activities based on block-based coding. Hour of Code is an international website with pupils encouraged to complete a series of short tasks, resulting in awards at the end.

E-SAFETY The Remove spent a few weeks studying all aspects of e-safety, looking at how we should conduct ourselves online to avoiding phishing emails and other social engineering scams. We looked at case studies and various scenarios, with all students participating in group work and class discussion where we had some very interesting ideas!

UPPER FOURTH Towards the end of Summer term, we looked at stop frame animation, which meant demonstrating key themes of Computer Science through animated stories. Working in teams, and using plasticine models, to painstakingly take 15 frames a second! The girls presented some fantastic final presentations – edited in video, with audio and titles!

BEBRAS SUCCESS All girls took part in a national competition on problem solving and programming. These are a series of tough challenges set online by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in partnership with the University of Oxford. The whole test lasts an hour, with some very difficult questions. Postresults, we had five students in the top 5% nationally! Those students received gold awards and invitations into the next round. They should be very proud of themselves!

LOWER FOURTH ROBOTS! Students embarked on programming Raspberry Pi and Arduino robots, learning how to use Linux for command line operations and their skills in Python programming to create them. They worked in teams together building the various components to make the final robots and then produced the code for them to move and detect objects! All to be used on Founder’s Day.

PYTHON PROGRAMMING Lower Fourth were introduced to text-based programming, having developed skills previously in Scratch. It was great to see them getting into solving problems and producing workable solutions, collaborating on set tasks and activities.

We worked through all the common themes of Sequence, Selection and Iteration.

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Our Year 2023-24

MICRO:BITS This year Remove were introduced to micro:bits. The BBC micro:bit is an award-winning programmable device that allows students to get hands-on with coding and digital making. We used it to inspire our students to recognise the power of technology in the real world, it was a fantastic tool that sparked new interest for many of the students.

Mr Graham Bradshaw, Head of Computing and ICT

It is wonderful to step back and reflect on the last year in the Modern Languages department - not only has it been productive and great fun, it has also been full of individual and team successes.

Our first task of the year was to recruit our Languages Ambassadors. These are enthusiastic Lower Sixth linguists who are keen to have input in the development of the Modern Languages department at Downe House by sharing their passion for languages with the younger years. Such was the strength of this cohort, we recruited our largest ever team who have been particularly impressive in leading events such as the Remove Christmas Party and editing the departmental magazine, Lingua.

MFL-WIDE ACTIVITIES The European Day of Languages was quickly upon us in September. Alongside a delicious, themed lunch (which extended from Slovakian kapustnica to Swiss torta di pane) and special lessons exploring how languages can benefit almost every career avenue, there was also a competitive streak to the week. Scarlett Hayes, Totty Longe, Dhyaana Shourie and Amelia Whitbread (all Upper Fifth) managed to win the ‘guess the teacher and the language’ competition which celebrated the impressive linguistic diversity of our staff body.

In February, after a morning of exciting Chinese, German, Italian and Spanish taster lessons for our current Lower Fourth pupils, we were thrilled to welcome back current Durham University student and Downe House alumna, Alice Peters, who spoke to pupils about her experiences studying French and Italian at university as well as her year abroad spent working in Milan. The pupils loved hearing from Alice and had great fun finalising their Upper Fourth language combinations!

ACADEMIC LIFE

Modern Foreign Languages

TRIPS International trips are the lifeblood of the MFL department so we were excited to start the winter holidays with trips to the Christmas markets of Aachen, Germany and Andalucía, Spain. Delicious food, Christmas lights and some chatter in German and Spanish were the order of the day - the pupils had great fun getting into the festive spirit on the continent!

This academic year also saw the Upper Fifth jetting off to Château de Sauveterre in March for some last-minute French lessons twinned with bakery and market trips which allowed for plenty of speaking practice!

The French department led a Sixth Form French trip to Migrateful, a London-based charity, where pupils had the chance to cook Algerian food alongside an Algerian refugee who has trained as a chef with the charity. The experience took place exclusively in French and drew together a number of topics on the A Level syllabus. The Spanish department enjoyed bringing literature to life with a trip to the Cervantes Theatre to watch La Casa de Bernarda Alba, the A Level set play. More recently, the Lower Sixth pupils had the chance to experience Spanish history and dance much closer to home at the Newbury Corn Exchange where they also were lucky to hear Ladino, a rare language spoken by some Sephardic Jews. In November, the German department ventured out to the British Film Institute in London for an insightful study day on the legacy of East Germany in film. The Chinese department successfully brought Chinese learners and native speakers together with a mid-Autumn festival feast at Kung Fu in Newbury which went down very well with all! The Italian department was thrilled to find C'è ancora domani showing at a local cinema,and used this opportunity to immerse themselves in Italian cinema beyond the confines of the A Level syllabus.

Downe House Magazine

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ACADEMIC LIFE

Modern Foreign Languages

34

COMPETITIONS The intermediate competition of the United Kingdom Linguistics Olympiad was open to Lower Sixth linguists, classicists and mathematicians. With very little preparation ahead of the event, Nampetch Bennett, Seyi Opaleye and Hui Wang managed to secure bronze certificates. We are really looking forward to building upon this success with the competition open to more year groups in the future. The Upper Fourth Germanists enjoyed getting stuck into the Oxford German Olympiad this year and we have our fingers crossed for them. Finally, Audrey Ovbiebo (Lower Fifth) did a stellar job of representing Downe House in the ‘Chinese Bridge’ Mandarin Speaking Competition, making it all the way to the final in London!

LOOKING AHEAD The latter part of the academic year has been about looking ahead to the future. One of our aims is to increase opportunities for interaction with native speakers by building our links with schools abroad. The Spanish department have enjoyed the fruits of setting up a penpal project with a school in Spain, exchanging both letters and videos about daily life in British and Spanish schools.

We are delighted to have recently updated our Modern Languages book collection in the School library. The aim is to provide bilingual readers with short stories and children’s books for independent study so pupils will now find the likes of Harry Potter in Italian, fairytale collections in German and the Three Little Pigs in Spanish!

ACTIVITIES IN THE DEPARTMENT Mme Wallace and Frau Ashton kindly ran a Foreign Film Elective for the Upper Fifth in which they could marvel at the wonders of European cinema. The Remove Christmas Party involved a very competitive game of Kahoot on Christmas celebrations from around the world and a singing competition to see who could sing Vive Le Vent the loudest!

Next came Chinese New Year which saw pupils practising Chinese dance and martial arts alongside professionals before enjoying a Chinese concert. As we headed towards Easter, traditional German egg-decorating was enjoyed by the Germanists in the department and the Italianists have been decorating traditional Venetian masks as part of the classroom redecoration projects.

We are really proud of all that our pupils have achieved in Garden House this year and are excited to build on these successes with our plans for 2024-25!

Our Year 2023-24

Mrs Charlotte Sabnis, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

ACADEMIC LIFE

Exam Results It is always a moment of great pride when we receive the public examination results each year, and 2024 was no exception. Both GCSE and A Level results showed an increase in top grades, with many exceptional achievements for individual pupils. Most importantly, the girls move on to the next stage of their educational journeys equipped with the skills, knowledge and confidence required to succeed. Whether starting in Sixth Form or entering a top university across the globe, I am in no doubt that these young women will prove to be excellent students who are focused on achieving the very highest standards whilst maintaining balance in their lives. A bright future lies ahead!

Mrs Emma McKendrick, Headmistress A Level

I/GCSE

60% A* - A overall

-8 overa %9 ll 55

100% A* - B

ts

ea

9-7%

80

86 %

ce s

Eng

ie n

tiv e Ar

9-7 %

78

Sc

9-6

Cr

EPQ

3D Design & Textiles

es

Drama & Music

uag

Chemistry

81 %

9-7

9-7

Religious Studies

75% Lang

Minority Languages

44% 3 or more A* - A

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Where do our students go on to study?

87%

Preferred-choice universities

90%

20%

Russell Group universities

Oxbridge & Top London universities

11%

Overseas universities

Popular areas of study 34%

Economics, Management, Policy and Politics

24%

STEM Courses

11%

Creative, Digital or Performing Arts

11%

Medicine and Medical Sciences

12%

International Focus Inc. Study Abroad

Downe House Magazine

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Creative Arts

‘Here’s to another inspiring year of boundless creativity!’

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Our Year 2023-24

CREATIVE ARTS

Creative of the Month During the monthly Creative Arts report, presented in our whole school assemblies, our team of Creative Seniors proudly announce the winner of the 'Creative of the Month' award. This accolade celebrates the exceptional effort and achievements of students across all creative disciplines and year groups.

A huge congratulations to all the students who have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to the visual arts over the past academic year!

Mrs Kirsten Mortimer, Director of Creative Arts SEPTEMBER 2023

OCTOBER 2023

NOVEMBER 2023

Xin Yan (Annabel) Yang (LVI)

Joann (Minkey) Koo (UVI)

Thanaya (Hanna) Suvansarang (UIV)

JANUARY 2024

FEBRUARY 2024

MARCH 2024

Estelle Alldis-Kervella (UIV)

Sadie Stepanek (R)

Mimi Thistlethwayte (UVI)

APRIL 2024

MAY 2024

JUNE 2024

Amrit Kaur Singh (R)

Petra McKay (UIV)

Jing (Angela) Yang (LV) Downe House Magazine

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CREATIVE ARTS

Remove

Lower School Art

Remove explored architectural towers in preparation for their ceramic project. They learnt how to draw buildings using perspective and developed a mock-up card design before creating their ceramics using clay slab techniques. They explored relief and textural application and learnt how to apply oxides and glaze to their work.

Remove explored colour, composition and the work of Wayne Thiebaud during the Summer term. They developed their compositions of cakes using oil pastels.

Betsy Zammett

Betsy Zammett

Sadie Stepanek

Sarah Merson

UIV

Upper Fourth concentrated on portraiture, developing drawing techniques and understanding of proportion and tonal value. Following on from drawing, they explored portrait painting and the work of local Newbury based artist - Ellie Kerr-Smiley. Using a limited colour palette, colour mixing and application were developed to create portrait studies of eyes. These were framed with ceramic hand-made frames made by the students.

38

Cecilia Thomas

Imogen Colley

Cecilia Harris

Jessica Geffen

Muqing Yang

Zourui (Ray) Li

Fong Fan (Charmaine) Hui

Muqing Yang

Ngaihiu (Elisa) Wang

Sara Kamijo-Kinmont

Our Year 2023-24

CREATIVE ARTS

Lower School Art

Elizabeth Carter Shaw Anna Bareau

Natalie Luo

Gisella Perhar

Viveen Parker

Ava Mathisariyapong

Elizabeth Carter Shaw

Helen Foulkes

Madeleine Watkins-Ball

LIV

Lower Fourth looked at the environment as a theme, creating marine posters which they developed from drawing and digital manipulation.

Their final designs were realised using collage developed using gelatine printing techniques with additional drawn and painted imagery.

Isabella Lloyd George

Anna Bareau

Isabella Warr

Bugs and butterflies were also studied, developing understanding of drawing techniques, colour and painting skills.

Downe House Magazine

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CREATIVE ARTS

GCSE Art

Ai Lun (Ellen) Zhu

Camille Aird

Charlotte Longe

India Evans

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Our Year 2023-24

Amabel Baring

Yan Tung Cecilia Hon

Amabel Baring

Chada Laohapongchana

Hyunmin (Becky) Oh

Jasmine Durrant

Yichen (Lilian) Li

Lily Colville

Oluwakoyinsola Akeju

Sophia Zhu

Violet Barker

Violet Barker

Yichen (Lilian) Li

Yan Tung Cecilia Hon

Zimo (Emily) Huang

CREATIVE ARTS

GCSE Art

Yan Qi (Angelina) Shek

Yichen (Angel) Dai

Yan Tung Cecilia Hon

Downe House Magazine

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CREATIVE ARTS

A Level Art

Hannah Hussain

Clothylde Debray

Hannah Hussain

Clothylde Debray

Joann (Minkey) Koo

Lilias Hoare Narine

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Our Year 2023-24

Athina Lin

Joann (Minkey) Koo

Athina Lin

Lilias Hoare Narine

GENERATE EXHIBITION The second GENerate exhibition at The Base Arts Centre in Greenham was held in January and brought together work by schools within a 30-mile radius. All submitted pieces were subject to a selection process and Downe House was delighted to have the work of 11 of our creative students in the show.

Mrs Mortimer, Mrs Lamont, Miss Majerski and Mrs Jones took some of our award holders to the private view, where they enjoyed the array of work which spanned the creative disciplines. There is nothing like seeing artwork in the flesh and everyone went back to school brimming with ideas and inspiration.

The Lower Sixth visited the exhibition during an Art lesson and once they had viewed it, they went up to the art studios where they spent time talking to Ellie Kerr-Smiley, one of the resident artists, about her practice. The girls had worked with Ellie during their Lower Fifth year when they went to The Base to participate in a portraiture workshop. We are very proud to be linked to this fantastic local art hub and appreciate the opportunity to exhibit in a public gallery space.

GENerate 2025 has already entered the planning phase and should prove to be bigger and better than ever!

Mrs Kirsten Mortimer, Director of Creative Arts

CREATIVE ARTS

Exhibitions

THE BASE ARTS CENTRE In May, the Creative Seniors visited The Base Arts Centre near Newbury for a private view of the ‘Insight’ exhibition, which is part of the West Berkshire and North Hampshire Open Studios scheme. Each artist entered two small pieces or one large piece of work, in any medium, which encouraged the public to visit their Open Studio venues.

Additionally, it was amazing to see the exhibition feature a painting by an artist from Downe House, Sienna Jones, who completed her Art A Level last year. Whilst we were viewing the exhibition, we were lucky enough to meet the artist Ellie Kerr-Smiley and talk to her about the piece that she entered, and the process by which it was created. It had taken so long to produce that the paint was still wet!

Following this fantastic event at The Base, Downe House was an Open Studios venue for two days in July where members of the community came to see the Founder’s exhibition, which featured creative projects by our own talented students. The feedback was phenomenal and made us so proud of all that has been achieved in the last academic year.

Ophelia Fisher, Head of Creative Arts 2024-25, Xin Yan (Annabel) Yang and Astrid Davis, Deputy Heads of Creative Arts 2024-25 (LVI)

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CREATIVE ARTS

Exhibitions

FIRST FRAMED EXHIBITION In November and December 2023, we were proud to participate in ‘First Framed,’ an exhibition of regional school artwork held at Arlington Arts Centre. The exhibition showcased a diverse array of creative mediums, including drawing, painting, photography, textiles, 3D, and printmaking. Downe House was represented by 10 of our brilliant creative students.

Some of the Removes attended the private view, accompanied by Miss Lister, while Mrs Mortimer brought the Lower Sixth students to explore the exhibition during one of their lessons.

This event was a fantastic opportunity to appreciate the rich variety of artistic expression from different schools, gain inspiration, and celebrate the creativity of young people in our area.

Mrs Kirsten Mortimer, Director of Creative Arts

TOM CARTMILL’S EXHIBITION In May, the Lower Sixth A Level Art students were fortunate enough to visit artist Tom Cartmill’s studio which he opened as part of the West Berkshire and North Hampshire Open Studios scheme at Amners Farm near Reading. Tom is a mixed media artist who draws on canvas and paper, where visual perception and the role of memory are themes that underpin much of his work. It was an amazing experience as we got to look through his sketchbooks and listen to him talk about his process. It was really inspirational and informative seeing a practising artist’s studio and we were able to take away a lot of new techniques to experiment with in our sketchbooks. This year Tom had two of his pieces selected for the Royal Academy summer show, which is a fantastic achievement.

Tom was able to visit our Founder’s exhibition when we were an Open Studios venue at the beginning of July. He said that he was bowled over by the talent at Downe House, which was wonderful to hear!

Ophelia Fisher, Head of Creative Arts 2024–25 (LVI) CERAMICS CITY ARTS NEWBURY Selected competition entries in categories under 14 and 14-18 were exhibited at City Arts Newbury for the September Ceramics 2023 exhibition. Lower Fourth student Ziqun (Linda) Lu was awarded the prestigious ‘Exhibitors Favourite’ prize. Madeleine Watkins-Ball was awarded first prize for her sunken boat, Zara Sutherland was awarded second prize for her boat (with red ensign) and Mullinya (Ava) Mathisariyapong was awarded third prize for her boat too!

Mrs Alison Keeling, Teacher of Fine Art

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AWARD HOLDERS’ TRIP TO ST IVES Over the September Exeat Mrs Mortimer and Mrs Lamont accompanied 17 of the Creative Arts Award Holders, along with Upper Sixth artists and photographers, for several full days of artistic enrichment in St Ives in Cornwall.

On Friday morning, the group visited Tate St Ives for the first activity with land artist Greg Humphries. Greg took everyone through a series of drawing exercises inspired by local artists and other pieces on show at the gallery. The afternoon was spent exploring the town with Greg, studying the iconic rooftops of St Ives as well as making some observational studies of boats in the harbour which were developed into a large collaborative sand drawing.

On Saturday, we took a tour through the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens. We were guided by the owner Neil, which was a real privilege. It was fascinating to learn about how the art didn’t just reside in the sculptures, but in the landscaping and detailed arrangement of foliage and trees. Sculptures we saw came from all over the world including Japan, Dubai, Germany and America as well as locally. In the evening, we created Barbara Hepworth- and Cornish artist- inspired sculptures with Rowena Tarplee, out of bars of soap!

CREATIVE ARTS

Trips

EVELYN HOFER SHOW In September, the Lower Sixth Photography students went to London to visit the Photographers’ Gallery in Soho to see the Evelyn Hofer show.

Evelyn Hofer was a German-American photographer who worked mainly as a street photographer but rather than ‘shooting from the hip’ she would often interact with and engage with members of the public to create ‘environmental portraiture’.

She worked mainly in New York, but also lived in Spain and Mexico and worked extensively in Ireland at the height of the troubles. She has been described as ‘constantly seeking technical perfection alongside beauty, and to that end, her photographs are calm and totally balanced compositionally.’

After visiting the gallery, the Photography students set out to create some of their own street photography and shot work around Soho, Chinatown and the South Bank.

Miss Natalie Bloor, Head of Photography

On Sunday the group went to Porthmeor Studios to work with practising St Ives artist and Falmouth University lecturer, Camilla Dixon. The studios are situated on Porthmeor Beach and have an uninterrupted sea view – it was an incredibly inspiring place to work for the day! Camilla introduced the group to the style of drawing she wanted us to undertake before setting out into the harbour area of St Ives to do some sketching en plein air. Everyone worked in an abstract style focusing on line, shape, and overlapping forms. Camilla then kindly offered to give everyone a tour of her new studio at the St Ives Guild Hall – it was exciting to get to experience what a practising artist’s studio looks like and hear about Camillia’s creative journey.

Astrid Davis, Deputy Head of Creative Arts 2024–25 (LVI)

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Trips

THE BARBICAN AND THE HAYWARD GALLERIES At the end of term, the Upper Fifth Textiles students visited The Barbican and The Hayward Galleries in London. The exam title for the upcoming GCSE practical examination was 'Power' and the exhibition at The Barbican; 'The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art' enabled first-hand research into the works of 50 international artists. These artists defy traditional expectations of textiles, embracing abstraction or figuration to push the boundaries of the medium. They draw on its material history to reveal ideas relating to gender, labour, value, ecology, ancestral knowledge, and histories of oppression, extraction and trade. The students can draw on inspiration from chosen artists that would feed into their exam piece.

Miss Amy Majerski, Head of Textiles

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TATE TRIP In February, our Upper Fifth students participated in a trip to Tate Britain in London. The aim of this trip was to obtain inspiration for their exam unit that would enrich the development of their own work. They were fortunate enough to have tailored lectures, delivered by our outstanding Art History teacher, Mrs Slocombe, on pieces of work relevant to their specific themes – with a highlight being a very poignant talk on Chris Ofili’s ‘No Woman, No Cry.’ Students then had an opportunity to explore the gallery at their leisure, finding works of art that resonated with them, and producing studies of these for their sketchbooks.

Mrs Heather Lamont, Teacher of Fine Art

CREATIVE ARTS

Workshops ALBERT HARVEY WORKSHOP Albert Harvey is a printmaker who introduced the GCSE Textiles students to printing on fabric. The class were taught how to design and print their own bespoke fabric.

Albert taught the students how to skilfully carve their own unique designs onto lino to create blocks for printing.

He taught the class how to mix their own printing ink and how to use the block to create a repeat pattern. The bespoke blocks were printed onto a 100% natural linen/ cotton mix base cloth and are being made up into scatter cushions. The outcomes are beautiful and are unique to each girl.

Miss Amy Majerski, Head of Textiles AWARD HOLDERS’ SCREEN PRINTING, BERKSHIRE PRINTMAKERS Our younger Creative Arts Award Holders were invited to attend a workshop by Berkshire Printmakers who came into School with a wide range of fantastic geometric patterned silk screens.

The award holders each designed and cut out individual stencils.

Each stencil had multiple components that could be added or subtracted to show positive and negative space.

Layers of printing were built up using a range of vibrant colours and a squeegee that pulls the coloured ink across the paper. When the final layer has been applied the image is revealed.

Everyone had lots of fun and learned a new way of making artworks in the same way that Andy Warhol made his famous screen prints.

Mrs Tracey Jones, Teacher of Textiles and Fine Art

ELLIE KERR-SMILEY Over the years we have forged a relationship with local portrait artist Ellie Kerr-Smiley. Ellie is known for her intuitive creation process, unique compositions and the relationship between the artist, sitter and viewer. She also believes in painting ‘women for women’, something she feels passionate about, due to women historically being painted for the male gaze. Ellie has an outstanding ability to recreate flesh tones with colourful splodges and confetti-esque dashes and dots, which form rich, vibrant and visually exciting paintings. Knowing this, we asked Ellie if she would be kind enough to come into School to impart some of her wisdom on our Upper Fourth students.

Ellie came in on two occasions to work with our students, she inspired them with not only her work, but also by sharing her journey to becoming a practising artist.

She encouraged our students to use smaller paint brushes which allowed the skin they were depicting to have a rich, almost tapestry type appearance, and challenged them to question their preconceived notions of what a ‘flesh tone’ looks like in terms of colour. The results that followed this workshop were outstanding. For those students going on to study Fine Art for GCSE, these portraits, alongside the tonal drawings they produced in preparation for the day, can be used as a starting point for their GCSE coursework, where they will initially study portraiture as part of their topic ‘Everyday Life’.

Mrs Heather Lamont, Teacher of Fine Art Downe House Magazine

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CREATIVE ARTS

Workshops

EXPRESSIVE PORTRAITURE WORKSHOP Mrs Jones ran a Sunday workshop for the Creative Arts Award Holders in the Remove to Upper Fourth where they engaged with materials and techniques that formed the basis for an expressive portrait. Working from photographs, a variety of modern materials such as acrylic paint, marker pens, acrylic ink and gel pens were applied in layers to explore shape, colour, line and pattern in a gestural manner while retaining the structure of the face. The illustrator Natasa Kekanovic's work was discussed and examined, and informed the selection of materials and style of the final piece.

Students were encouraged not to depict reality, but rather discover a sense of fun through experimentation. Finally, detailed patterns and contour lines were applied using Posca Pens.

Mrs Tracey Jones, Teacher of Textiles and Fine Art FRANK STELLA AWARD HOLDERS WORKSHOP Some of our Award Holders from Lower Fifth to Upper Sixth took part in an inspiring reliefmaking workshop with Mrs Mortimer, drawing on the techniques of the artist Frank Stella. A relief artwork occupies a space between 2D and 3D, projecting elements from a flat background to create depth and texture.

Students cut and spray-painted foam board, combining it with decorated laser-cut wood, wool, wire, collage, stickers, and various scrap materials.

These elements fused to form dynamic and colourful compositions. Each piece was unique in design, resulting in a visually striking display when exhibited in the Murray Centre.

Mrs Kirsten Mortimer, Director of Creative Arts

GELLI AND CYANOTYPE Just before the Easter holiday, the Creative Arts Award Holders in the Upper Fourth to Lower Sixth attended an exciting workshop led by Mrs Mortimer and Ms Yarwood where we created pieces in corelation to our individual topics. The first new technique that we tried was gelatine printing or gelli-plate printing. This is a monoprinting technique that works with a plate made of glycerine and gelatine. The plate is rolled with paints, and impressions are made using stencils and various other materials. Paper is then laid on top of the plate and an ink impression is pulled off.

For the second technique of the day, we tried out cyanotype. This is one of the oldest photographic processes and has a distinctive blue colour. Cyanotypes are made by treating a surface — in our case fabric – with iron salts which then react to Ultra-Violet light. We drew our designs in black marker onto acetate then placed them over the treated fabric, which was then put under an Upper Fifth lamp for 10 minutes. The UV light sets the areas that are exposed, and the black design blocks the light from the lamp, so that when you wash the fabric the unset areas wash away leaving bare white fabric.

The day was lots of fun, and an amazing opportunity to experiment with different medias.

Ophelia Fisher, Head of Creative Arts, 2024 – 25, (LVI) 48

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CREATIVE ARTS

Workshops

IAN MURPHY WORKSHOP In the latter part of the Summer term, Fine Art students in the Lower Fifth were treated to a workshop run by practising artist Ian Murphy. Ian is known internationally for his heavily toned, dramatically lit, industrial compositions. He frequently travels the world in pursuit of new locations to draw inspiration from – many of our students were delighted to recognise scenes from their respective hometowns!

The day began with Ian explaining his artistic ethos and practice, as well as sharing many of his pieces of work including sketchbooks that the participants were able to handle. He then took the students through several different workshops using traditional drawing methods, alongside surface deconstruction and reconstruction – mirroring the physical evolution of cityscapes throughout the years. Pupils were encouraged to consider their composition, and to take risks by destroying their initial work to reinvent it. At the end of the full day session, a larger piece of work was started, which was left unfinished for continued development.

The day provided a fantastic opportunity to work with new methods, in a fast-paced environment; and I know that each student left the day with a lot of work as well as pride in what they achieved.

Mrs Heather Lamont, Teacher of Fine Art NICK MOORE WORKSHOP On Thursday 13 June Creative Arts Award Holders and some members of the Lower Fifth were treated to a workshop entitled ‘Exploring Black’ with artist Nick Moore.

We started by using charcoal, graphite and chalk to explore the contrast between the paper and the medium. We learnt to approach the pieces differently, by using both our left and right hands.

We continued to explore the contrast between black and white by tearing up card and collaging it together. We also experimented with inks, and it was fascinating watching how it interacted with water and the different ways in which it creates patterns.

Next, we experimented with Acrylics with and without water, discovering different textures and effects. We learned that ‘The way you use the materials makes a huge difference’ in terms of what can be achieved.

Personally, I found it really inspiring given the meditative nature of the exercises. Art can be an overwhelming and complex subject and it is really valuable to be able to appreciate smaller but equally important elements such as different mediums, textures, techniques and effects.

Ophelia Fisher, Head of Creative Arts, 2024–25, (LVI) OIL TECHNIQUES In a Sunday workshop, Lower Sixth Fine Art students learned to create a colour chart, how to mix oil paint using different mediums and how this lengthens or shortens the drying time.

Each student made a wide range of oil painting samples using different techniques such as Impasto palette knife painting, layering glazes on top of others, underpainting with complementary colour, sgraffito, blurring and blending. Once these samples were complete, each student began to create a sketch that demonstrated these techniques used in combination to form a dynamic composition containing surface interest.

Mrs Tracey Jones, Teacher of Textiles and Fine Art Downe House Magazine

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Workshops

PREP SCHOOL WORKSHOPS Throughout the academic year, it has been a delight to work with several of our feeder schools through one-day workshops organised by the Art department.

Students from Ludgrove, Thorngrove, and Elstree visited Downe House to participate in a range of engaging activities, including abstract mixed media, glass fusing, and lino printing workshops.

Additionally, Mrs Mortimer delivered four Venetian mask-making workshops at Hatherop Castle School as part of their Arts Week.

These collaborative efforts have fostered creativity and provided enriching experiences for all involved.

Mrs Kirsten Mortimer, Director of Creative Arts RADLEY COLLABORATION In November, Lower Sixth Art A Level students went on a trip to Radley to do a fantastic Art workshop held by a visiting artist. We were taught a useful printing technique where we created beautiful pieces made out of clay and plaster. It was really helpful to be taught by a professional and experienced artist outside of school and expanding our skill set when it comes to using different mediums in our art. We imprinted patterns into the clay using materials like dried flowers and seashells and had fun sharing our artistic experiences and advice with the boys at Radley. It was especially useful to learn about the different ways of starting artistic processes and during our break from art, we were given the opportunity to explore other sketchbooks from the students at Radley while diversifying our perspective of art by looking at how it was approached by different syllabuses. We were also lucky to be given the chance to not only look at their sketchbooks, but also to be given a tour by the Art teacher after our workshop ended: we were able to hear his expert explanations of the different meanings and concepts of the art that was chosen to be displayed in areas of the school. It was a really fascinating and helpful learning experience which really gave us a chance to open our eyes to fresh perspectives of art outside of our experience in school.

Xin Yan (Annabel) Yang, Deputy Head of Creative Arts, 2024-25 (LVI)

REMOVE POTTERY WORKSHOP In November, a selection of the Remove, took part in a pottery workshop. They learnt how to make an abstract robin using clay slabs and modelling techniques. Once they had completed constructing their robins, they decorated them using underglazes and oxides before they were fired and glazed.

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CREATIVE ARTS

Workshops

UPPER SCHOOL POTTERY WORKSHOP In February, a group of Upper School students took part in a pottery workshop. They learnt how to make a pottery jug from a clay slab, learning how to assemble, create a spout and attach a base and a handle. Once constructed, they were able to decorate their pieces using a variety of coloured slips before they were fired and glazed.

Mrs Alison Keeling, Teacher of Fine Art

WELLBEING POTTERY In June, Mrs Keeling held a throwing workshop. The girls learnt how to throw a clay cylinder on the electric pottery wheels.

The finished pieces were fired and ready for the girls to take home for summer!

Mrs Alison Keeling, Teacher of Fine Art

UPPER SIXTH LIFE DRAWING To reinforce our observational skills the Upper Sixth took part in a one-day life drawing workshop led by Mrs Jones.

First, we used graphite to make quick warm up drawings using line and tone, all the time being encouraged to look carefully at the life model. Next, we progressed to using charcoal in a gestural way combining mark making, and positive and negative space with light and shade. Following this, we tried drawing using both hands and drawing without looking at the paper - blind drawing.

After lunch everyone used feathers dipped into ink, pens that dripped combined with white chalk to suggest highlights to create bold pieces. Finally, we made continuous line drawings with three different colours to represent movement.

The emphasis was on experimentation using multiple media. At the end of the day students could select from these mediums and styles to generate several more refined pieces. It was a packed and enjoyable day, and the artwork we made will form part of a portfolio of work that can be used for A Level submission and creative courses beyond school.

We were very proud of what we managed to produce and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Clothylde Debray, Deputy Head of Creative Arts, 2023-24 (UVI)

UPPER SIXTH SCREEN PRINTING Screen printing was an amazing, immersive experience that the A Level Art and Photography students took part in. You may already be familiar with screen printing as it is how many graphic T-shirts are made today.

The Art girls started with drawing designs on acetate sheets using opaque pens and Indian ink and the Photography students selected one of their photographic images to work with. These were sent to a printing studio to be exposed onto screens, which is a mesh that is tightly stretched over a frame. This creates a stencil that ink can be swiped through, and a multitude of prints can be generated this way. The group created an exciting range of backgrounds with spray paints and acrylic over which to print. Some fantastic and interesting prints were made for our coursework and Art college portfolios, and these were also admired when they went on display in the Murray Centre.

Clothylde Debray, Deputy Head of Creative Arts, 2023-24 (UVI) Downe House Magazine

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CREATIVE ARTS

Remembrance 2023

Each year our Upper Fourth students produce a body of work for the Remembrance period in November. This year, the faculty decided to take a collaborative approach, where each discipline (3D Design, Fine Art, and Textiles) produced a range of 3D poppies that would be suitable to go on display outside Wakefield House. We were inspired by Paul Cummins’ stunning installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ where he, with the help of a team of several other artists, created a sea of clay poppies that adorned the grassy banks that once formed the moat outside the Tower of London. The installation was made up of 888,246 handmade red ceramic poppies, one for each life lost at the Front in the First World War. Whilst we took a collaborative approach, each department used a material suited to their subject.

In Fine Art, students used Paul Cummins’ traditional approach of creating poppies from clay. Each student created a unique template that was then used to cut petal shapes from clay slabs. The forms were then embellished

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using a range of decorative techniques, such as scoring, coiling and extruding to form the centre of the flower. These were then fired in the kiln and spray painted red, before the details were finished using acrylic paint.

In Textiles each student made a template from stiffened cotton, then added petals of gathered muslin. A range of brightly coloured red dyes were layered on to the fabrics to create variations in the petal colours. Once the poppies were assembled students embellished the surface with free machine stitching. A dark centre was added using beading and embroidery techniques to form a unique response to the artist. Whilst 3D Design used heat moulded plastics to create a stunning array of semi-transparent form.

Well done to all of Upper Fourth for producing such incredibly thought-provoking work!

Mrs Heather Lamont, Teacher of Fine Art

LUDGROVE COLLABORATION The Remove students enjoyed a day of creative collaboration at Downe House with boys from Ludgrove School, participating in a series of activities themed around the Second World War. For the Art activity, 90 students created lino prints of the iconic World War II staple, Spam, drawing inspiration from the repetitive prints of American Pop artist Andy Warhol.

Spam, which first appeared on shelves in 1937, became a crucial part of the Allied troops' diet due to its affordability and ease of transportation. While some jokingly refer to Spam as an acronym for ‘Something Posing As Meat,’ it is actually a blend of the words ‘spiced’ and ‘ham.’

The day culminated in a vibrant display in the Murray Centre, where hundreds of Spam lino prints were exhibited for all to admire.

Mrs Kirsten Mortimer, Director of Creative Arts

CREATIVE ARTS

Ludgrove & Pride

PRIDE The Upper Fourth 3D Design and Textiles students collaborated to create artwork to celebrate PRIDE month.

Each artwork includes their own fingerprint. This represents their own, individual identity whilst also highlighting our shared experiences.

The Textiles work is created by using students’ enlarged fingerprints, which were then transferred on to fabric using wax and dye (batik). They have been embellished with couched yarn, pleated ribbon and free machine embroidered stitched words relating to each student’s identity.

The 3D Design pupils created their fingerprint in 3D; they took prints of their own fingers, before scanning them in and using CAD to help to create the lines. The base plate was then laser cut to create channels along these lines.

Aluminium was then cut and shaped to fit into each line of the fingerprint. Pupils also learned how to weld to create the frame for their pieces. They were introduced to how to mark and cut steel, before having one-to-one teaching on how to use it safely.

Mrs Jennifer White, Head of 3D Design and Miss Amy Majerski, Head of Textiles

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Photography Joann (Minkey) Koo

Joann (Minkey) Koo

Mimi Thistlethwayte Mimi Thistlethwayte

Rose Wilkinson

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Rose Wilkinson

Sonya Leong

Ruby Dean

Sinling Damais

Venetia Knight

Sinling Damais

CREATIVE ARTS

Photography Ruby Dean

Yanci (Sophie) Chen

Venetia Knight

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Remove

3D Design

LIV

UIV

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LIV

UIV

UIV

CREATIVE ARTS

Dominica Prentice

3D Design Emily Regis

Georgia Ainscough

Sinling Damais

Tabatha Ridley

Yichen (Lilian) Li

Sinling Damais

Yichen (Lilian) Li

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Lower School Textiles REMOVE In Remove, the students learn how to block print and batik organic cotton fabric. These hand decorated fabrics are then patchworked and hand embroidered to create a case that can be used to protect their Microsoft Surfaces.

Sofia Faissola

Emily Liu

Shanmei Pan

Yicen Yong

Yuanyin Du

Vivian Bakewell

LOWER FOURTH In Lower Fourth, students have been asked to create a hand painted fabric canvas inspired by the work of Kurt Jackson. The students learn how to mix paint to create a defined colour palette and how to blend colours. The artwork is then adorned with soldered, and needle punched fabrics to add textured detailing.

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Anna Bareau

Bianca Squire

Elizabeth Carter Shaw

Eulalia Camilleri

Georgiana Sokol

Ziqun (Linda) Lu

Our Year 2023-24

CREATIVE ARTS

Lower School Textiles UPPER FOURTH A series of collaborative workshops took place across the year within the Textiles rotation. In the first rotation students made free standing fabric poppies that were exhibited within the Remembrance Display.

The second rotation looked at the creation of a Pride display. The Upper Fourth 3D Design and Textiles students collaborated to create artwork to celebrate PRIDE month. Each artwork includes the students’ own fingerprint. This represents their own, individual identity whilst also highlighting our shared experiences.

The last rotation gave students the opportunity to make a laptop case that included batik dyeing and free motion quilting. Students could choose their own theme and transferred these across to beautiful, intricate and challenging outcomes.

Elizabeth Stonor

Olivia Taylor

Victoria Da Costa

Cecelia Thomas

Isabelle Hsia

Jinhan (Katy) Yao

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CREATIVE ARTS

GCSE Textiles

Alexa Nash

Alexia Cheuk

Amelia Brake

Cosima Islef

Elisabeth Gwyn-Jones

Felicity Harris

Isabella Withey

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CREATIVE ARTS

GCSE Textiles

Jemima Gross

Natalie Sideso

Olivia Stewart

Poppy Pilkington

Scarlett Hayes

Tamsin Clegg

Tomi Olunuga

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CREATIVE ARTS

Freya Brown

Freya Brown

Sophie Scott

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A Level Textiles Freya Brown

Freya Brown

Freya Brown

Sophie Scott

Sophie Scott

Tara McCaldin

Tara McCaldin

CREATIVE ARTS

Sophie Scott

A Level Textiles

Tara McCaldin

Tara McCaldin

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Music

‘Every year the girls outdo themselves with their talent!’

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MUSIC

An outstanding year in music

2023/4 was another wonderfully musical year involving hundreds of musicians with nearly 40 concerts large and small, two competitions and a further 60 separate performances in assemblies and Chapel services!

We enjoyed two beautiful carol services and were paid many a visit by our wonderful Musician in Residence, Bob Chilcott!

The Music department are also incredibly proud of our girls who took over 100 individual music exams and achieved 90% Merits and Distinctions!

Mr Chris Gill, Head of Music Performance

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MUSIC

Young Musician of the Year

Amongst a dense musical calendar, the Young Musician of the Year competition is the culmination of solo performances in the Lent term. Much like any year, the Sunday began with a warm atmosphere amongst the contestants which is tactfully encouraged by the scope for entries on multiple instruments at any level in the competition. We commenced with the Music Maker and Rock and Pop rounds, then progressed onto the more technically demanding rounds, Maestro and finally Virtuoso.

The variety of styles over all categories was a highlight.

Merely within the Virtuoso round, we were treated to Baroque arias and romantic Puccini from our vocalists, ethereal harp numbers and many atmospheric as well as technically demanding instrumental pieces. I opted to play a personal favourite by Brahms on the piano - winning the competition was all the more special given it was my final year at Downe and sixth final in the competition. Our many thanks go to both the Music department for their support in everyone’s preparation for their performances and to our adjudicator, Joanna Tomlinson, who provided an immense amount of constructive and complimentary feedback.

Camilla Hale, Head of Choral 2023-24, Music Award Holder (UVI) BERKSHIRE YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR COMPETITION This year, the focus of the annual Berkshire Young Musician of the Year Competition was woodwind, piano, and voice.

The first round was by video entry, and five pupils from Downe House were fortunate enough to go through to the semi-finals on Sunday 21 January and Sunday 4 February 2024 at Bradfield College. Emily Liu (Remove) and Margaret Tam (LV) both made it through to the ages 12 – 15 semi-final category with their flute performances. There was some tough competition in this category, and although they didn’t make it through to the final on this occasion, both pupils performed to a very high standard and received some

constructive feedback. Well done!

Emily returned later that afternoon to perform in the ages 10 – 12 piano semi-final. Olivia McClintock (UVI) also performed in the ages 16 – 18 final. Again, the standard from all competitors was extremely high so it was great to see both pupils make it through to the final!

On Sunday 4 February, Gauri Langhae (UIV) and Lydia Isadora Dyer (LVI) competed in their respective age categories. There were three genres to choose from: Classical, Musical Theatre/Rock & Pop, and Folk Song. Both pupils made it through with their Classical performances.

Gauri performed an aria by Donizetti, and Isadora performed ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ by Puccini. It was great to see both pupils make it through to the final on Sunday 10 March at The Old Court in Windsor!

The singer final featured the best singers from across the county with three per age group being put forward. Again, the standard was very high, and it was great to see Isadora win her age category with her rendition of ‘Quia Respexit’ from Bach’s Magnificat. Isadora was presented with her trophy by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at a special awards ceremony the following week. Congratulations to her!

The piano final took place on Sunday 17 March. This was a busy day for Olivia since it also coincided with our St John’s Concert! It was great to see that Olivia could attend both, with her leaving very promptly after our concert in Newbury to zoom across to Windsor. Emily performed very well earlier in the evening and was able to support Olivia in her performance of Ravel’s Sonatine Third Movement by pageturning for her – thank you, Emily! All the rushing paid off since Olivia was fortunate enough to be crowned the winner of her age category. Congratulations, Olivia!

It has been fantastic to see our pupils take part in these competitions, and to hear other competitors perform. A lot of hard work takes place behind the scenes so special mention goes out to our amazing team of instrumental and vocal teachers for helping to prepare our students for these performances.

Mrs Susan Norman,

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MUSIC

Orchestral Fun Day

In October, Downe House welcomed over 200 musicians from 18 different prep schools to an exciting day of music making! The day began with a full orchestra rehearsal, led by Mr Gill. The theme of the day was ‘Ablaze with Music!’ and the full orchestra repertoire was Handel’s ‘Music for the Royal Fireworks’ and ‘Chariots of Fire’. After the full rehearsal, the orchestra split into large sectionals: The Phoenix Concert Band (wind, brass and percussion) and Red Hot Strings (strings only). The Phoenix Concert Band worked on an arrangement of Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ and Red Hot Strings worked on a medley from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The afternoon consisted of lunch (with a fire themed menu!) and small sectionals before coming together as a full orchestra again. Mr Tostdevine led a masterclass for some of the more advanced players on Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’, which they performed alongside the Downe House Symphony Orchestra in the concert.

The concert was well attended by visiting families and all the musicians played brilliantly! They made so much progress throughout the day and the end result was definitely something that all involved can be proud of!

Miss Helen Butcher, Music Events and Administration Assistant

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Minority Instrument Scheme In January, we launched our Minority Instrument Scheme for 2023-24, in which Remove pupils can take up an instrument not learnt by many other pupils. It is hoped that, in due course, the Remove pupils who take this opportunity will make progress on these instruments and play them in at least one of our School orchestras: Sinfonia, Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra.

The instruments that were on offer were bassoon, double bass, French horn, trombone and tuba. All Remove pupils were given the chance to try out all the instruments, under the guidance of Music teachers and older pupils already learning them.

Following these events, the following six pupils applied for the Minority Instrument Bronze Scheme, paired with a more experienced 'buddy' pupil who already plays the instrument: • • • •

TROMBONE - Elizabeth Sutherland and Abigail Kester (Buddy: Emmeline Anderson LIV) FRENCH HORN - Emiliya Pankova and Eloise Brennan (Buddy: Yuchen Liu UV) DOUBLE BASS - AralolaOluwa Fatokun (Buddy: Olivia McClintock UVI) BASSOON - Vedika Mehta (Buddy: Esmee Haefner UV)

The Bronze Awards were presented in a Lower School Assembly. Five pupils then continued onto the Silver Scheme until the end of the Summer term. On completion of the Silver Scheme, these pupils were presented with the Silver Award in a Lower School Assembly towards the end of the Summer term.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to witness our youngest pupils embarking on this exciting musical journey, and I hope that they will continue with their excellent progress on these instruments.

Mr Chris Gill, Head of Music Performance

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AWARD HOLDERS’ OXFORD PERFORMANCE On Thursday 14 March, seven girls from the Upper Fifth to the Upper Sixth travelled to the University Church of Oxford for an afternoon music recital. We arrived in the morning and quickly got into rehearsals before the main event started at 1pm. I started the concert off with a vocal performance of a Latin piece which is part of my diploma repertoire, quickly followed by a beautiful performance on the piano by Olivia McClintock (UVI), who went on to win Berkshire Young Musician of the Year later that week!

Camilla Hale (UVI) sang two German songs with her usual gorgeous tone and vibrato, and Alice Boyle (UVI) played as sensitively and delicately as ever, it was a truly ethereal performance. Chenxi (Thalia) Li, Ziyue Yu and Yan Qi (Angelina) Shek (UVI) all played their violins to perfection, Thalia with her signature musicality and tone, and Sophia with her impeccable technicality and style. Angelina concluded the wonderful concert by playing her violin with her usual character and stage presence, it was brilliant.

Thank you so much to Mrs Norman for accompanying many of us, and for taking us on the trip!

Special mentions go to our Upper Sixth Music Award Holders – Olivia, Camilla, Alice, Thalia, and Sophia. They have given so much to the Music department during their time here, and we wish them all the very best for their future endeavours.

Alice Barber, Chilcott Choral Scholar (LVI)

MUSIC

Trips & Workshops NYJO TRIP During the Lent term, one of our most unforgettable experiences was the trip to the National Youth Jazz Orchestra workshop. This was a workshop focusing on the music genre of jazz. For the entire afternoon, our instructor Mr Mark Armstrong and his other two colleagues taught us various skills of structuring jazz pieces, choices of chords, and even gave us the chance to create our own individual solos to perform. While working consistently toward our objective of recreating a jazz piece, we also had the opportunity to create friendships among different year groups, and other schools that also participated in this event.

At the end of the day, we were very satisfied with the results of our achievements, as we had not only concluded the day with a successful performance of jazz pieces but had also enjoyed this experience with our peers.

During the day, Mr Mark Armstrong asked us to play the melody on the instrument we are playing based on what he played on the trumpet. Compared to the sheet music we usually practise, this method is highly effective in improving our aural skills and allows us to be more engaged with the music and the jazzy vibe.

Lastly, we would like to thank Mr Tostdevine and the Music department for organising this eye-opening trip of a lifetime.

We understand how much effort you have put into the arrangements of this, and we would strongly recommend this opportunity to all passionate wood-wind students.

Xiaoyu Hu & Tiffany Ying (UIV)

Downe House Magazine

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MUSIC

Concerts & Carol Services

MICHAELMAS CONCERT The annual Michaelmas Concert was an amazing evening that showcased the School’s musical talent and dedication.

The programme consisted of an array of performances starting with Symphony Orchestra captivating the audience with ‘La rejouissance’ from the Music for the Royal Fireworks and then a crowd favourite; ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. This was then followed by several choirs; Once Removed, In Harmony, and Cantabile, which demonstrated the diverse musical talent throughout different year groups of the School, from the Remove all the way to the Sixth Form.

Cantabile moved the audience with their beautiful rendition of ‘I Say a Little Prayer’. The first half of the concert then concluded with a performance from Jazz band. After the interval, Sinfonia Orchestra performed ‘Chariots of Fire’ which impressed the audience with an array of musicians from some of the lower year groups in the School.

Polyphonix and Prima Voce then followed with a small string ensemble accompanying Prima Voce. Prima Voce always without fail delivers beautiful performances that entrance the audience with their exquisite melodies. The evening then ended with Chamber Orchestra playing a fierce ‘Hungarian Dance No.5’.

As a member of Symphony Orchestra, Jazz band, and Chamber Orchestra, I believe the evening was made truly unforgettable by the overwhelming sense of enjoyment that emanated from every note played and sung. It goes without

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saying that this concert would not have been possible without the continuous dedication and collaboration from all the Music staff and pupils. The commitment displayed by all the musicians during rehearsals ensured a beautiful concert with captivating performances, furthermore the Music staff’s tireless dedication and efforts ensured a flawless evening that ran perfectly.

The journey from initial rehearsals to the final crescendo was a testament to the hard work and perseverance of everyone involved.

The atmosphere in the Farr Centre was electric, brimming with anticipation and excitement. The collective passion for music reverberated throughout the space creating a magical atmosphere. I was deeply honoured to be awarded Musician of the Concert and being acknowledged among such exceptionally talented peers is a humbling and motivating experience that further fuels my passion for music.

The Michaelmas Concert was a celebration of artistic expression, unity, and the transformative power of music, and it stands as a testament to the extraordinary talent and dedication of our School's musicians. I think everyone who was present can agree that the array of wonderful performances demonstrated the magnificent amount of joy that music can bring to our lives!

Georgina Dawson, (LVI)

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT CONCERTS We have been fortunate this year to experience two excellent Music Award Holders’ recitals, and to welcome some new members to this cohort. There was a great deal of skill, technique and virtuosity on display across all disciplines and all year groups.

The first recital took place in November. There was certainly a buzz in the air as the audience enjoyed pre-concert drinks and nibbles before settling down for a fantastic evening of music making. The programme had an international theme featuring composers from the Baroque and Romantic era through to Impressionistic and Modern. Again, a wide range of disciplines was on offer with each orchestral family being represented! Special mentions go to Lydia Isadora Dyer (LVI) who transported us to the stage of the Royal Opera House with her performance of ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ by Puccini, and Margaret Tam (LV) for demonstrating her flute stamina and breath control in Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata – a piece originally written for the violin. Lydia Isadora Dyer also won her age category in the Berkshire Young Musician Singer of the Year Competition, so many congratulations to her!

Our second recital of the year took place in February. This recital showcased all of our new Music Award Holders joining us this year: Emily Liu (Remove) who went on to make it to the final of Berkshire Young Musician of the Year Competition, Noelle Hui (Remove), Jia Chun (UIV), Yujia Yuan (LVI), Xiaoyu Hu (UIV), Hitomi Kotaka (Yip) (UIV), Gauri Langhae (Upper Fourth) who also made it through to the final of Berkshire Young Musician of the Year, and Mingxi Li (UIV). Xiaoyu Hu, Hitomi Kotaka (Yip), Gauri Langhae and Mingxi Li also made it to the finals of our Downe House Young Musician of the Year Competition, so they’ve made a very strong start to their musical careers here at Downe House. Again, we were offered a broad programme of repertoire for strings, woodwind and harp, from Classical all the way through to Jazz. A most enjoyable evening was had by all!

Overall, the Music Spotlight Concerts this year have continued to be of an incredibly high quality and standard.

It has been my pleasure to accompany them all, and I look forward to seeing what they achieve next year!

MUSIC

Concerts & Carol Services

ST MARY ABBOTTS, KENSINGTON This year’s London Carol Service was as magical as ever, and a perfect way to start off the Christmas season. After weeks of hard work from our choirs, everyone got on a coach and made their way to St Mary Abbotts Church, Kensington. The afternoon consisted of lots of rehearsals, laughter and pizza before it was time for the service to start. Following the opening prayers, Camilla Hale (Head of Choral) beautifully sang the opening solo verse of ‘Once in Royal’. The choirs performed brilliantly. Prima Voce bookended the choral offerings with Todd’s ‘An Earthly Blessing’ and Stopford’s ‘A Christmas Blessing’. Polyphonix sang an exciting arrangement of Pentatonix’s version of ‘Mary Did You Know’ contrasted with the quiet and reflective arrangement by Huff of ‘O Holy Night’.

In Harmony sang ‘The Marvellous Birth’ by Chilcott and Once Removed sang ‘Sussex Carol’, arranged by our very own Head of Music Performance, Mr Gill. Cantabile, our pupil led choir, then performed a beautiful arrangement by Forrest of ‘The First Noel’. All of the choir items were interspersed with classic congregational carols, which were elevated by a fantastic professional brass quintet.

Our singers did themselves very proud, and a lovely time was had by all!

Mrs Susan Norman, Principal Accompanist ‘Aside from a beautiful selection of congregational carols and choir numbers, my favourite moment was the annual occurrence of happy shrieks from the choir (myself included) after processing out after the service. I think it captures what is always a particularly special event to conclude the School year and is something I will undoubtedly miss after Downe!’

Camilla Hale, Head of Choral 2023-24 (UVI) ‘The Carol Service is always so fulfilling and a great display of all the effort that we put into choral music at Downe House.’

Alice Boyle and Olivia McClintock, Heads of Music 2023-24 (UVI)

Mrs Susan Norman, Principal Accompanist

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Drama & Dance

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DRAMA & DANCE

Drama Scholars

The Drama Scholars’ production was a great success, the students worked exceptionally hard in rehearsals. The pupils from Lower Fourth to Lower Sixth were able to support one another with their lines, blocking and confidence. I was so proud of the achievements they made and how they all were able to grow as individuals. It was clear that the students, staff and parents enjoyed the whole Scholars’ event. The catering department created an outstanding Alice in Wonderland themed meal, which was a great addition to the Scholars’ play.

We really appreciate the extra responsibility that was given in the roles of student Assistant Directors and Design Directors.

It’s been interesting to learn about what goes into making a production happen at Downe House - it’s a lot of work! We have enjoyed looking at the design side of things, especially how lighting and tech play an important role in making a small production feel like you are at a theatre in London. We’ve learnt a lot from this experience, it was great to work with Miss Slaymark closely on how a production works and she taught us so much about managing a cast. The Scholars’ dinner aspect was amazing, we thought it was cool that the food was Alice in Wonderland themed. We will never forget this Drama Scholars’ event!

Harriet Slipper, Emilia Lim & Ophelia Bracken (LVI)

Downe House Magazine

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Greece Trip 2023

In my most adventurous undertaking yet as Head of Drama Enrichment, I took on the joyous but equally daunting task of taking 24 A Level students to Greece in October 2023.

Being a place of such immense history and wide-ranging areas of interest, it made sense for it to be a collaborative trip between the Drama, Classics & Religious Studies students and so we set off to the heart of the ancient world in search of classical inspiration (and some autumn sun).

With only two days and nights in Athens we had a busy schedule ahead of us and managed to take in (deep breath) a tour of the acropolis and museum, a trip to Plato’s academy, two drama workshops, a performance of a new play (in Greek without subtitles), two glorious Greek lunches and a hotel pizza party. A highlight for me was definitely watching our entire Downe House cohort – not just Drama students – participate in a workshop where they sang in Greek and recreated tableaux presentations of ancient sculptures, guided by professional Greek theatre makers.

I was also hugely impressed with how our team responded to the performance of On Bear Ridge, which started life at the Royal Court but somehow ended up in a fringe theatre round the corner from the Parthenon. It was a thrilling few days all in all.

From Athens we journeyed via the Corinth Canal down to the beautiful old seaside city of Nafplio, which was to be our base for the remaining three days. Nafplio is ideal given its proximity to famous historic sites, along with its gentle café lined streets and scattering of stony beaches where Philosophy students were free to muse on the meaning of it all. We had some good contacts there with the University of the Peloponnese who kindly allowed us to use their classrooms for study sessions. Students had some free time to roam the streets and do some crucial shopping for their parents, but the days remained busy with either study or tours. Smaro, our guide from Athens, reunited with us to show us the utterly enthralling spectacle of Agamemnon’s old Kingdom of Mycenae and the magnificently wellpreserved theatre of Epidavros (where you can literally hear a pin drop from the back row).

Nafplio also involved some excellent group meals out in the evenings, one of which ended in a Symposium of discussion about the Parthenon Marbles and the Nature of Love. The students travelled with such good humour, a sense of adventure and a keenness to learn and absorb as much as they could from the experience. We ate well, laughed often and Mrs Dakin developed an addiction to fried cheese. What more could you ask for?

Mr Rob Castell, Head of Enrichment and Extra Curricular Drama

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DRAMA & DANCE

Day of Musical Theatre The Day of Musical Theatre is always a brilliantly bonkers day at Downe and a great chance for us to get to know some possible future students as well as enjoy all the emerging talent that's evident in so many of our partner schools.

This year saw the Performing Arts Centre turn into something of a Mobster's Retreat, with the School overrun once again by hugely excited prep school students, this time roaring out all the hits from the cult classic Bugsy Malone. This year we decided to go entirely 'live' with the music which allowed for more freedom in terms of playing around with the songs and all I had to do was don a suitably garish sequined jacket and become the classic speakeasy piano player in the corner of the stage!

The students were fantastic as always, having done a huge amount of work ahead of time so that we were able to really pull things into great shape for our afternoon audience. I am so grateful to the Drama & Dance team for their support - we seemed to be in every corner of the School, teaching dances, vocal parts and putting scenes together. And the AV team were a fantastic creative force once again with video montages and graphics making the whole event just extra special.

The performance was joyous, with a wonderful moment when all five schools gathered together on stage at the end to celebrate the fun we'd had at Fat Sam's Grand Slam!

Mr Rob Castell, Head of Enrichment and Extra Curricular Drama

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DRAMA & DANCE

Drama & Dance Residency I love it when we get the chance to do a residency week in the Murray Centre. Really, it's an excuse to put on a mini arts festival and the space lends itself to such an ambition quite readily. An auditorium below, the collaboration space as a 'live lounge', the main space a beautiful naturally lit exhibition area - it all works perfectly. I am grateful too to Jenny Hill and team who are all such creative souls and who dare to say yes to even our most extravagant suggestions.

This year saw our usual red-carpet launch, complete with vox pops and staff cameos, followed by showcases and communication skills presentations during breaks when students came for coffee breaks and left feeling inspired.

The beautiful puppetry of Johnny Autin was on display in all its 13-ft high glory, roaming the grounds even in the rain. We had a wonderful industry event with Mike Tweddle (Artistic Director of Oxford Playhouse) and West End legend Christina Modestou, who got the crowd singing along with ‘Don't Lose Your Head’ from Six (where she originated the Anne Boleyn role). We had our Lower School secret cinema event which is now becoming a time-honoured tradition - this year it was High School Musical! The best moment for me came when Terrell the Artist delivered a spoken word workshop, resulting in several Upper Fourth students speaking their brand-new poems into the mic over the sounds of a mellow hip-hop guitar.

It was a wonderful week, rich in variety, meaningful in content and joyous in delivery. Thanks to all involved, especially the students who showed such an array of talents throughout the residency.

Mr Rob Castell, Head of Enrichment and Extra Curricular Drama

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This year marked the debut of the Downe House Acting Company's performance of Scott McPherson's Marvin’s Room in our auditorium. Comprised of a select group of students dedicated to furthering their acting skills alongside their academic and extracurricular commitments, the company was established in September 2022. Our aim was to provide students with insights into conservatoire and professional-level training beyond the standard curriculum.

Throughout the year, members of the company delved into the techniques of renowned theatre practitioners such as Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, Stanislavski, Berkoff, Laban, and Viewpoints. We also had the privilege of hosting visiting professionals who shared expertise in screen acting and improvisation.

Unlike our usual large-scale musical productions, Marvin’s Room strips away elaborate sets and focuses solely on acting and storytelling. This simplicity appealed to me as a director seeking a play for our talented actors to shine.

Throughout the production, the cast approached the complex themes with dedication and sensitivity.

The rehearsal process proved both enjoyable and challenging. The six actors demonstrated unwavering commitment, sacrificing their own time to refine their performances. Witnessing their growth as actors and the sophistication with which they approached the work throughout the year was immensely gratifying.

DRAMA & DANCE

Downe House Acting Company

The focus of our rehearsals centred on achieving authentic and truthful performances, prioritising active listening above all else. As their director, I maintained a rigorous approach, pushing them to embody this principle. There were numerous instances during rehearsals where I halted the action, reminding them to truly engage with each other, to notice subtle shifts in behaviour, and to ensure genuine dialogue exchange. It was common during rehearsals for phrases like 'let's Meisner this' (referring to an acting technique we predominantly utilised) or 'motive and cue' to be echoed, indicating their instinctive application of their training. This demonstrated a significant milestone, as it showcased how their training had become ingrained in their approach to acting.

We performed the play twice to an overwhelmingly positive reception. One colleague's comment, ‘it’s like they aren’t even acting,’ particularly resonated with us, affirming the authenticity of our performances.

Overall, leading the Acting Company has been a highlight of my tenure as Director of Drama and Dance. I'm immensely proud of the dedication and talent displayed by our students, and I hope this experience continues to enrich their artistic journeys for years to come.

Mr Chris Gould, Director of Drama and Dance

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DRAMA & DANCE

Romeo & Juliet

Performing with the Dance Department at Downe has always been an insightful and exhilarating experience. This time, we were incredibly fortunate to have had the privilege of working with a revolving stage, and although it presented challenges at times, it provided a valuable learning opportunity.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a romantic tragedy familiar to most, and being given such an iconic role to perform will undoubtedly remain one of the highlights of my dance journey during my time here.

Cheuk-Yi Cherie (Sage) Lau (UV) Being able to put on a production as iconic as Romeo and Juliet was an incredible process, and so playing Juliet in my final year, was simply an added highlight. The role of Juliet has been performed in so many dance adaptations across the globe, at professional level and also in schools, and being able to add my name to that list is really nice to reflect on.

Within the show itself there were lots of wonderful moments, but my personal favourite must be the opening duet between Romeo and Juliet. The duet introduces the two characters to the audience and being able to perform to such an upbeat song like Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton whilst also dancing on the revolve is something that I will never forget. The revolve itself, whilst daunting, was an extremely exciting piece of equipment for us to be able to use. I have been so lucky over my seven years at Downe to perform with a variety of sets – but I must say that the set for Romeo and Juliet, not only the revolve but also the balconies, has certainly been my favourite as it is unlike anything else I have used before.

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The show was amazing to perform in, and that is partly down to having such a fantastic audience on both nights.

The performance was, despite the tragic story, a very upbeat and happy one, for the majority of the show.

The audience certainly got on board with that, and girls, teachers and parents alike were clapping along through the party scenes, encouraging all of us on stage to perform to our best ability. A huge thanks has to go to Mrs Cadle, Miss Smith and Miss Cowgill for all their hard work on the show, and also to the incredible AV team, without whom, we would not have had such a fantastic set, including the revolve and balconies, but also such wonderful lighting!

My last seven years at Downe have been wonderful, and the Drama and Dance department have been key to that.

Every year I have been given the opportunity to perform in some way, and I have loved every second of it. I think it is so important for people between the ages of 11-18 to have something to focus on that is not academic work, and whilst Upper Sixth can be a busy and stressful time, having the opportunity to forget about it all whilst being in dance rehearsals, and performing, has aided me so much in remembering to take a break and continue enjoying the things that I love most. Dance will hold a special place in my heart forever, as it has done for so many years already, and that is without a doubt, due to the incredible Dance department at Downe, who have supported me in so many ways over my seven years here.

Isabel Toogood (UVI)

Sport

‘Victory is in having done your best. If you’ve done your best, you’ve won.’ – Billy Bowerman Downe House Magazine

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SPORT

Lacrosse

During the Summer holidays, 39 Senior girls went on a Lacrosse tour to the USA where they were able to experience some high-level lacrosse and bond as a senior squad. They were very successful in their matches and tournaments which set them up for a good season ahead.

It has been an incredibly busy and successful season across all the teams playing a wide range of matches and tournaments. Downe House started off strong with the 1st, U15A, U14A, U13A and U12A teams all winning the Berkshire Schools Tournament. The 1st team also secured silver medals at the Southwest Schools tournament and the Marlborough invitational tournament. The 3rd team had an outstanding performance at the Marlborough invitational tournament too, winning their section overall. The season ended with Nationals which was a great success for many teams. All the teams showed real dedication and commitment throughout the four busy days of the tournament. Our 1st and 2nd teams both came top 16 after many close and well-fought games. A very special mention to the U13A team who finished second in the country after having an unbeaten season which is an incredible achievement, particularly as they had been in France during the Michaelmas term.

There have also been many individual achievements throughout the year for lacrosse. We would like to specially mention the following:

Hong Kong Open 2024 Ka Yee (Kallie) Wong UV (U20 Hong Kong) Jinhan (Katy) Yao UIV (U20 China Development) Hong Kong Super Sixes 2023 Kexuan (Angela) Zou (UVI) (Senior Womens China) South East Invitational International Weekend Gabriella Ford (LVI) (U18 England National Academy Select Team)

England Regional Academy Representatives England Regional Academy – new selections Mia Corbett UV Lorna Meyrick LV Mia Olsen UIV Natalie Sideso UV Jinhan (Katy) Yao UIV Danielle Jibodu LIV Eulalia Camilleri LIV Ilaria Rosa LIV Isabel Elder LIV Madeleine Watkins-Ball LIV Emilia Lazenby LIV Pandora Rycroft LIV Ruby Grant LIV

International Tournament Representation U20 World Championships 2024 Ada Kurumlu UV (U20 Hong Kong) Ka Yee (Kallie) Wong UV (U20 Hong Kong) Kexuan (Angela) Zou UVI (U20 China, Captain) Yunyi (Michelle) Jiang (U20 China) U18 Home Internationals Festival 2024 Mia Corbett UV (U18 Ireland) Annabel Reeve UV (U18 Wales Performance) Jessica Geffen UIV (U18 Wales development) Amelie Perceval UIV (U18 Wales development) Louisa Burges Watson LV (U18 Scotland)

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We are so excited to see their progress through their time at Downe and in the future ahead. We are incredibly honoured to have represented Downe for the past seven years and to have seen lacrosse grow and develop in the School over the years. Thank you to all the teams and coaches for their endless support and encouragement for us all. These achievements simply wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s commitment to lacrosse throughout the season!

1st Lacrosse Captains - Kexuan (Angela) Zou, 202425 (UVI) and Gabriella Ford, 2024-25 (LVI)

This season of hockey has been one of dedication, teamwork, and notable accomplishments, showcasing the talent and spirit of all our players.

First and foremost, the U16s made history at Downe House after securing runners up in the Berkshire tournament. All pool matches were won leading to a penalty shootout in the semi-finals with a nerve-racking 4-3 win. This allowed them to qualify for the Berkshire Tier 3 South Central tournament in which they finished in fifth place.

Congratulations go to Evie Pilgrim (LV), Charlotte Benson (LV), and Poppy McClymont (UIV), who have been selected to represent Berkshire hockey. A lot of hard work and commitment goes into the county trials, and we are extremely proud of all of the girls’ efforts. Additionally, well done to Ruby Grant (LIV) for her remarkable achievements this season. Not only has Ruby been selected for London hockey but she has also been invited to trial for South Saxons this summer. We are thrilled for her successes and are excited to hear of many more!

SPORT

Hockey Lastly, but not least, the senior teams will sadly be saying goodbye to their Upper Sixth teammates. However, it has certainly been an eventful season with lots to celebrate.

Starting the year off with a bang, our Argentinian friends visited us from Balmoral College. After an intense match we celebrated the evening and even took part in a kit swap. The season was an overall success with the first XI winning the majority of their games. Commemorating this, we founded a new tradition of the annual Hockey Christmas Dinner to celebrate our accomplishments.

Beyond all of this season's achievements, we are so proud of everyone for putting in all the time and dedication despite the sweat and tears (Monday morning fitness) that defines hockey at Downe House. We would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Broyd and Mr Riddle for all of their commitment, making hockey a highlight of our time at Downe House.

We have loved being your 2023/2024 hockey captains and we wish everyone the best of luck for the upcoming season!

Fleur Williams and Cassiana Bennett Hockey Captains 2023-24 (UVI)

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SPORT

Netball

2023 – 2024 was an incredible year for netball at Downe House! Netball is enjoyed through the whole School and it has been amazing to see the participation, dedication and work ethic of everyone over the past season. The 1st team had a tough start to the season with some close matches.

However, with the arrival of Miss Gibbons as Head of Netball after Christmas, her enthusiasm and love for the sport was contagious. As we continued to work hard the season began to turn around rapidly and all the matches since her arrival were won, also resulting in the team placing well in both tournaments we took part in! Throughout the year we were led by our brilliant captain Katya Longden (UVI) (also receiving the players’ player award at the end of the year), who continuously inspired us.

The 2nd team had a completely unbeaten Lent term which was phenomenal and shared many laughs along the way!

They even won the Vase at the Charterhouse tournament.

They were captained by Alice Boyle (UVI) and coached by Mrs Lauder; their player of the season was Mwansa Banda (UVI) for excellent performances throughout. The 3rd and 4th teams also had great seasons, coached by Mrs Riddle and Miss Kirby, with massive wins, most notably against Pangbourne, The Oratory and Lord Wandsworth College and their players of the season were Anjola Bolodeoku (UVI) and Poppy Pilkington (UV) respectively. Both players were incredibly consistent throughout the season, committing to training and fixtures and providing some standout performances.

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Netball in the younger years has also been thriving and it has been exciting to see everyone developing and learning new skills, especially the Lower Fifth who are making the transition into the senior teams this year, something we are all very excited about!

At the end of the season, we also enjoyed our annual staff vs students match where the teachers faced a group of netballers from the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth for an exhilarating and close fought match, with the staff just coming out with the win. It was also the final match for the Upper Sixth, and we would like to thank them all for everything they have given to netball and we will miss them so much! We are now beginning to look ahead with training for the next season and feel honoured to have the opportunity to lead netball in the School over the next year and we can’t wait to see what it will bring. We are particularly excited about our upcoming tour to Dubai in October and know this will be a wonderful chance to improve our skills but also spend time getting to know one another better!

Harriet Manning and Chantelle Eveleigh, Netball Captain and Vice-Captain 2024-25 (LVI)

The girls have all had an excellent season from start to finish, winning 80% of their fixtures over the season. They started strong in September with a triumph over Bradfield by two points whilst also gaining a number of PBs from the outset. This set the foundations for a strong season. Next up was the Berkshire relays which was a new experience for many but again a very valuable one. The juniors placed fifth and third in the Freestyle and Medley respectively, the Intermediates second and fourth and the Seniors third and second. The teams then faced Newlands, St Helen and St Katharine and Queen Anne’s, gaining victories overall in all three competitions.

Next up was the four Schools gala where again some tight fought races and determination saw DH come out on top by a convincing 10 points.

The return after Christmas saw a slower start by the team with a narrow defeat to Bradfield, however, this spurred the girls on for the GSA gala, which is always a very tough competition. Here the Seniors managed to place second with the team placing third overall and finishing second in the Squadron relay.

SPORT

Swimming

A narrow win against Queen Anne’s in the return fixture and a narrow loss to the Abbey meant the girls started to push in training even more and have really started to increase their endurance over the 50m races. This showed when they won convincingly against Our Lady’s Abingdon as they headed into the Bath cup. This was an amazing day out at the London Aquatic Centre racing in the 2012 Olympic Pool. Isabelle Regis (LVI), Lauren Ting (LVI), Emily Regis (UV) and Selma Schmitt (UIV) raced fantastically to clock a PB and School Record in the Medley Relay of 2:23.86, an outstanding achievement.

The season came to a close with the Independent Boarding Schools relay gala, where our teams placed fourth, fourth and third overall. With these results the team managed to take the shield, winning the competition. This marked the end of an outstanding season where all the girls have trained hard and been committed to getting fantastic results with many personal bests along the way. Next year is looking just as exciting as the team culture and ethos continues to grow. We will see what the girls can achieve going forward.

Mrs Gillian Kearins, Teacher of Sport

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SPORT

Squash & Badminton

SQUASH Squash is thriving at Downe House. We saw a busy fixtures schedule from friendlies to national matches. Throughout the season we had seven teams competing in multiple rounds to qualify for the National Finals that take place at the end of the Lent term. We managed to get three teams through to finals with the U16B team winning the Plate and the 1st team coming fifth in the country with some tightly fought games. Special mention to our outgoing Upper Sixth who have shown such dedication to squash during their time at School, Cecilia Stone (Squash Captain,) Kexuan (Angela) Zou, Ella Snow and Ilaria Perhar (UVI) who was undefeated all year!

We have welcomed so many new players to the courts this season and it is fantastic to see the progress that everyone had made, keep up the hard work. More great things to come from squash in the future!

Mrs Katie Lauder, Director of Sport BADMINTON The Downe House badminton team has seen great success and growth this year. With frequent matches being played every Wednesday and Saturday and an increased number of new members at badminton club and TP practices, the team’s effort and accomplishments has been highly commendable. We played several schools including Bradfield, St Edward’s Oxford and St Mary’s Calne throughout the Michaelmas and Lent terms and our senior teams only lost one match overall by a few points.

Our new shuttlecock feeder machine has definitely helped improve our players’ smashes and movement across the court!

This year we have also seen the addition and continuation of the DH singles and doubles tournament. Players were split into four randomised groups to play round robin, with the top two of each group playing other winners - big congratulations to On Kiu (Mini) Ku (LV) who came first in both tournaments, impressively getting a clean sweep in the singles tournament. The highlight of the year was definitely the student vs staff badminton competition – where four of our top pairs played members of the Sports department. It was safe to say everyone had great fun and we can all agree on a collective draw. A big thank you to Mr Payne for organising all the matches and we wish the team the best of luck in the next season.

Janice Li and Kimberly Gan, Badminton Captains (UVI)

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Our Year 2023-24

VOLLEYBALL The volleyball team has made great strides this year, both in terms of their volleyball skills and their teamwork.

We've been working on our dig, set, and spike techniques every lesson and in the volleyball club every Wednesday evening. During these practices, we have been encouraging and supporting each other, even with new players who are starting to learn the sport. They've already learned how to spike and serve, and they've gained great passing skills. Team cheering is important in volleyball, and this is something I have encouraged everyone to get involved with. From this everyone gets involved and plays to the best of their ability. We have been learning that in games, no one will save your ball, so you must be prepared to play it yourself. The best thing about playing volleyball is playing matches, as it's the quickest and most efficient way of learning how to play. Throughout the year we have had some very successful fixtures. Our first fixture of the year was against the Argentinian school, Balmoral, which was hugely successful. Everyone enjoyed getting to meet each other and we had a pizza party after the games where we swapped PE kits which we will remember forever.

In the Lent term we played a three-game series with Newbury Volleyball Club, who are all very experienced players and very funny too. We had a great time playing games together and we made a lot of progress in our skills since we played those matches. So, thanks to the Newbury Volleyball Club for giving us the chance to learn and compete against players with a high skill set. We finished off the year with an outdoor tournament at Sevenoaks School in Kent. This was a great day out for us, we got the opportunity to play five other schools which we have never played against. Throughout the day we improved majorly in our skills but more importantly our communication. We worked well together to pass the ball and make hits which is a huge volleyball skill. Everyone played super well, and it was a great way to end the year for DH volleyball.

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Volleyball & Basketball

BASKETBALL This year the basketball club has continued to grow under the captaincy of Lucia Pérez-Escolar Moya (UVI). It has been wonderful to see the dedication of some of our younger players attending training each week and keen to improve.

We had six fixtures altogether, all of which involved first time players and provided a great experience and introduction to the game. We kicked off the season in September by hosting the annual Eton match with a round robin of four mixed teams of seniors. A lot of fun and good to see our girls holding their own against some very competitive boys! The senior team then had two more matches in the Michaelmas term against Newbury Club and Wellington College. Although we lost both, valuable lessons were learned which motivated our training sessions going into the Lent term. The Remove had their debut match against Kennet School in November which we won convincingly. We tried for a re-match in March but sadly the game was cut short due to injury by one of our players. Next year!

The highlight of the season was the U16 match v TASIS which provided a hugely exciting 30-22 win to us. Overall, a good season for growth and development and we hope to increase the number of fixtures for next year. Well played to all and a special mention to Qianya (Zoe) Zhou (LV), Alisa Belotskiy (R) and Sydney Dell (R) for their dedication and enthusiasm throughout the season.

Mrs Nicola Riddle, Teacher of PE

Miss Sarah Butler, Teacher of PE

Downe House Magazine

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Cricket & Tennis

CRICKET Cricket continues to flourish here at Downe. It has been brilliant to see the sport grow in the manner at which it has, something that it will continue to do, year on year. There have been large investments made by the School including the building of indoor nets (two lanes), a bowling machine and expanding our home matches to Chieveley Cricket Club.

Setting up local links has been vital in allowing us to not only add more fixtures to our calendar but also give more girls the chance to play week on week.

Our season began in January with the introduction of indoor nets. Netting in the winter allowed us to really hit the ground running when the season began in April and the extra practice was very evident, even at pre-season. There has been a big increase to the cricket fixture calendar, more matches for all age groups and all abilities. The 1st team have enjoyed a good, entertaining season. One highlight being the recent match against St Swithun’s, this included some fantastic bowling from Charlotte Benson (LV) and Amelia O’Connor (LVI and Cricket Captain), as well as some brilliant batting from both. Hetty Hack (LVI and Cricket Captain) kept very well, running out St Swithun’s best batter and starting the collapse of their middle order. A superb team performance all round and a real testament to the girls’ hard work over the course of the year. Other highlights have included the U15s against Bradfield in the first round of The Cricketer National Cup. A loss but so many strong individual performances with bat and ball, including Flora Hay (LV) not only keeping well but also batting fantastically and holding off a very strong Bradfield bowling attack. The U14s, U13s and U12s have also enjoyed their cricket season. They have faced the likes of St Helen and St Katharine, St Swithun’s and Wycombe Abbey throughout the season and have all showed real promise against some very tough opposition.

Overall, a very successful building year for all things cricket.

This will continue as nets are being introduced in September, giving girls the chance to net all year round. We are also looking at hosting a more competitive pre-season, including a morning of training followed by a match in the afternoon.

Very well done to all girls who have played cricket in lessons, attended extra practices, represented the School in matches and helped grow cricket at Downe. An exciting sport that is really starting to find its feet and flourish here at School.

Onwards to next season, more matches at School and Chieveley, more nets and more practice time.

Mrs Tash Dixon, Teacher of PE

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Our Year 2023-24

TENNIS This summer was brimming with Wednesday and Saturday tennis fixtures across all age groups, from our U12s to the Senior First Team. Our overall win ratio stood at 60%, marking a successful season for our tennis department and showing a slight improvement over previous years, highlighting our continuous progress.

The Senior First Team excelled, winning five out of seven Saturday fixtures with standout performances against Bradfield College and Cheltenham Ladies. A special highlight was the Merchant sisters, who completed the season undefeated against all opponents. With team members as young as 14, our Senior First Team looks exceptionally promising for the future.

Our Wednesday fixtures, typically reserved for LTA matches for R/LIV and UIV/LV,, also had a strong term. The 15A team narrowly missed a semi-final spot against St Mary’s Ascot, while the 15B team reached the final of Regional Division Two, set to play against St Mary’s Ascot in September.

The highlight of our summer season is the ISTA Championships at Eton College. This year, Merchant and Squire represented Downe House in the U15 event, performing exceptionally well and advancing to the quarterfinals, the furthest we’ve ever reached in this competition, ultimately losing to Repton College.

Tennis remains a key component of Downe House Sport, and we have exciting plans to elevate tennis within the School and our community. These include fixtures against local ladies’ club teams, mixed socials with Radley Boys, and a family tournament. We will also continue to coach our students during the Michaelmas and Lent terms in their private lessons and group squads.

Mr Josh Goodall, Head of Racquet Sports

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Athletics

The athletics squads 2024 have much to celebrate; with a number of very impressive team and individual performances. There were so many PBs set this season, such that one almost became disappointed if one did not achieve one at every competition! Three new School Records were set, along with six Sports Day Records, we were crowned U13, U15 and U17 West Berkshire Schools Champions, we had an athlete (Amelie Perceval, UIV) who placed at the Berkshire Schools Combined Events, both the Junior and Intermediate Track and Field Track Teams qualified for the Regional A final, and the Junior team missed out on a place at the National Finals by a single point! Twenty-six qualified to represent West Berkshire at the Berkshire Schools, a record five (Pearl (Ivie) Avwenagha (UV), Amelie Perceval (UIV), Desola Omonijo (LVI), Isabelle Regis (LVI), Yevedzo Wasterfall (LVI)) finished on the podium at the Berkshire Schools and Yevedzo Wasterfall went on to represent Berkshire at the U20 ESAA English Schools Championships where she finished fourth, agonisingly close to a place on the podium, only 6cm shy of third place.

The numbers at Wednesday athletics club have been very healthy especially among the Lower School, many of whom have taken pleasure from timing each other on the track or encouraging each other over the high jump bar for the very first time. Early morning running club has had over 30 different pupils attend, be it to leisurely jog around the track or push oneself through one of Miss Williams’ more challenging sprint or middle-distance sessions. And we have had a record number attending local athletics club, over 30, with more interested which is incredible!

New School Records 2024

School Athletics Captain, Desola Omonijo (LVI), along with Vice-Captains Adesola Odeyemi (LVI) and Yevedzo Wasterfall (LVI) set out this season to bring a supportive team spirit and camaraderie to Downe House athletics, and this they achieved. They led by example at meets and training and others followed suit. As a result, many pupils achieved things they could have only dreamed about. Veronika Reinl (LV) was particularly exceptional in supporting younger athletes at both training and competitions. While Emma Kovalchuk (LIV), travelling reserve for the Junior Track and Field Track team, had to step in last minute to the hurdles and could only have been able to perform so well feeling the full support and belief of her team in her.

Junior Shot (3kg) Danielle Jibodu (LIV) and Temiloluwa Akinkugbe (LIV) 8.38m

Intermediate Shot (3kg) Pearl (Ivie) Avwenagha (UV) 10.05m Senior Triple Jump Yevedzo Wasterfall (LVI) 11.19m

The athletics season always feels so short and intense, and success or heartache can often be decided by the smallest of margins, but that is something that makes it so unique.

It often becomes not so much a competition against others but a competition against yourself, and that is what can make it so addictive and satisfying at the same time! The growing appetite to not only discover one’s discipline of choice, but to then challenge oneself to be the best one can possibly be, has seen athletics at Downe House boom this year and there have been a record number of debutants competing as a result.

The competitive season opened with the Berkshire Combined Events and the exemplary attitude, grit, determination and fearlessness displayed by the four athletes (Amelie Perceval (UIV), Pandora Rycroft (LIV), Eulalia Camilleri (LIV) and Ruby Grant (LIV)) set the tone for the season. No one would believe from the technical prowess, power and speed displayed that Pandora had never competed in five disciplines before, and it came as no surprise that she went on to set the Junior 75m hurdles Sports Day record.

All the athletes have so much to be proud of, the future is bright, the culture is strong, and everyone wants to be part of Team Athletics. There is no reason why next season we cannot be even more successful!

Miss Charlotte Williams, Assistant Director of Sport

Downe House Magazine

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Cross Country The cross-country teams have continued to go from strength to strength this season. There are many team and individual achievements to celebrate, but what has been particularly pleasing this season is the notable increase in the number of pupils from all year groups, and of all abilities regularly attending early morning running club regardless of the weather!

The season started strongly with the ESAA Cross Country Cup – county round, at Blue Coat School, Reading. The Junior, Intermediate and Senior Teams finished sixth, first and second respectively and as a result the Intermediate and Senior Teams qualified for the Regional Round.

However, although the Junior Team - composed entirely of Remove, all of whom were all running for the very first time for Downe House - did not qualify the team demonstrated potential and it came as no surprise that many went on to excel not only later in the cross-county country, but also on the track in the summer. At the ESAA Cross Country Cup – regional round, both the Intermediate and Senior teams performed commendably and tackled the tough course with grit and determination, but alas neither progressed to the National Round.

The teams’ commitment to training and willingness to push themselves was rewarded at the Berkshire Schools Cross Country Competition. The U13A, U15 and U17 teams all placed third in Berkshire and individually, Daisy Aird (U13), Amelie Perceval (U15), Mia Olsen (U15), India Evans (U17), Daisy Mackinnon (U17), Louise Alldis-Kervella (U19) and Lauren Ting (U19) all placed in the top 20 in their respective age categories. Furthermore, Amelie Perceval (UIV) and Louise Alldis-Kervella (UVI) both qualified to represent Berkshire at the Southeast Inter-Counties Cross Country Competition based on their performances, the first time they had achieved selection and the first we have had two runners reach this stage! Both went on to run extremely well in a very competitive field, and Amelie was the fourth Berkshire U15 runner home. Amelie’s outstanding performance earnt her selection to represent Berkshire at the English Schools Cross-Country Championships where she came 189th out of 339 and sixth in Berkshire. An incredible achievement!

The Radley Relays, which is always a highlight of the season, was a particularly successful one this year! Running with the boys inevitably spurs everyone to produce their very best performance and all our runners ran exceptionally well on a challenging and very muddy 3.14km course. So muddy that we had two runners who completed the course carrying a shoe, and they weren’t alone! We came away with two medals, gold in the Junior (U14) Girls (Emilia Lazenby, Mia Olsen, Bianca Squire, Amelie Perceval) and bronze in the Intermediate (U16) Girls (India Evans, Alice Bevan, Amelia Karoly, Daisy Mackinnon), so it was a very successful afternoon! Our Junior B team and Intermediate B teams, which both included several runners running up an age category, both finished a commendable fourth place and our Senior Team placed fifth.

The finale to the cross-country season this year was the West Berkshire Schools Competition, hosted by Mary Hare, and what a way to conclude the season it was! Amelie was quoted as saying ‘Definitely the toughest course we have run all season! The hill was a killer, but I just kept saying to myself that I am not going to walk’. The U13 and U15 teams both finished first whilst the U17 team placed second, and it is no coincidence that we had a record number of girls doing additional training at Newbury Athletics Club this season. Special congratulations to Mia Olsen (UIV), who finished second in the highly competitive U15 race.

Cross-country running at Downe is in safe hands and it has been wonderful to see our more experienced runners, inspire and take under their wings our younger talent.

Miss Charlotte Williams, Assistant Director of Sport

Winners Remove - Daisy Aird LIV - Emilia Lazenby UIV - Amelie Perceval LV - Alice Bevan UV - India Evans LVI - Georgie Ritchie

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Our Year 2023-24

Junior Inter-House Holcombe Intermediate InterHouse - Tedworth Senior Inter-House Tedworth

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS’ SKI CHAMPIONSHIP RACES Our ski team went to Hemel Hempstead to compete in the Independent Schools’ Ski Championships. Our team competed in three senior categories, U19, U16 and U14. We went there just to have fun and gain more experience for the British Schoolgirls Races that we take part in during the winter, but it turned out to be a very successful competition for us! Due to the number of competitors (263!), prizes by way of medals and chocolate bars were awarded from 1st to 5th place in each category. Overall, seven out of nine of our competitors came out with prizes, these were: • Heidi Halestrap LV – Gold U19 • Flora Hay LV – Silver U19 • Lizzie Ford LV – Silver U16 • Alexandra Diez Sanchez-Tabernero UIV – 4th U16 • Ottalie Hay UIV – 5th U16 • Charlotte Ford Remove – 4th U14 • Jennifer Ford Remove – 5th U14

Also in our team were Carmen Ren and Ilaria Rosa in the LIV who came 9th and 15th in the U14 category, respectively.

In addition to the above, our B team (Alexandra, Flora and Ottalie) won the trophy for the best Senior Girls Team but were followed closely by the Downe A and C teams. All our times were close, ski racing is exhilarating in this way!

It was a very fun and exciting competition in which we made new friends from other schools and met many new people.

It was also really nice for younger year groups and older year groups to bond together. After a very joyful, but tiring day we finished it by going to McDonalds for dinner.

We would like to thank Mrs Lamont for making all of this possible and enabling us to get more exposure to ski racing and to Mrs Usmar for accompanying us.

We are very proud of everyone who went no matter what the results were and are all looking very much forward to our next adventure as a team.

Alexandra Diez Sanchez-Tabernero (UIV)

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Skiing

FLAINE In January the ski team headed to Flaine for the British Schoolgirls Races. We had new ‘Ski Team’ jumpers made for us, which we were excited to use, and made us look super smart at the airport! Once we arrived at Geneva airport, we had a long drive of an hour and a half to get to the resort; we were all very tired so after some delicious pizza, we went to sleep with a long day of ski training awaiting us the next morning. The next morning, once up, we geared up ready for training from 9:00am to 4:00pm, which was organised for our team by the School, with Kandahar Racing. Our coach Cam gave us plenty of useful advice and training! To keep us going, we had the amazing Mrs Lamont and Miss Prentice getting us breakfast each morning, as well as incredible lunches and dinners provided at various restaurants around the resort. After the second day of training, it was time for the races… and we smashed it!

There were two days of races which consisted of Slalom on one day, and Giant Slalom on the next – we also had some very fun tandem races on the last afternoon, where schools went head-to-head in a knock-out race! As I alluded to, we took home an abundance of silverware: • • • • •

Gold in the Non-registered Slalom (Chel-Ski Trophy) – A Team Heidi Halestrap (LV), Elizabeth Ford (LV), Carmen Ren (LIV) Gold in the Non-registered Giant Slalom (The Libby Salver Cup) - A Team Heidi Halestrap (LV), Elizabeth Ford (LV), Carmen Ren (LIV) Gold in the Non-registered Giant Slalom – A Team Heidi Halestrap, Elizabeth Ford (LV), Carmen Ren (LIV) Gold in the Non-registered Combined – Elizabeth Ford (LV) Silver in the Non-registered Combined – Heidi Halestrap (LV)

On the last evening, we attended a prizegiving to receive our awards, after which we went out for a celebration dinner as a team. Then the next morning we had an early start at 4:30am back to the airport and arrived back to School, home safe and sound with lots of awards!

Heidi Halestrap, Ski Captain (LV)

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Summer Festival of Sports House spirit was alive and kicking for this year’s Summer Festival of Sports! Over two weeks of highly competitive, yet good spirited inter-House sport competitions, the Houses battled it out, to be champions in cricket, tennis, football, and volleyball!

Every pupil from Remove to Lower Sixth was involved, bar the Upper Fifth, so everyone contributed!

The standard of competition was impressive this year, as too was the commitment to House faithful attire. The courts and fields were a sea of colour, from yellow high viz to red and purple tutus. With every match that passed the competitive spirit of each House intensified and so too did the level of cheering, but none so much as when the House staff came out to support! The House captains were excellent, they led by example and navigated the challenges of keeping everyone happy and motivated. Their contribution to each House’s success was significant and the final results were as follows. In the Junior section, AGN (tennis) and Holcombe (cricket) shared the spoils, whilst in the Intermediate section it was particularly even this year, with four different Houses feeling success: Holcombe (tennis), AGS (cricket), Aisholt (volleyball) and Tedworth (football).

In the Seniors AGS (tennis) and AGN (volleyball) were victorious. All that was left was to compete at Sports Day which concluded the two weeks of inter-House competition!

Miss Charlotte Williams, Assistant Director of Sport SCHOLARSHIP REPORT This has been another outstandingly busy year for our sports Award Holders, marked by their dedication, diverse achievements and contributions to the School community. They have shown such commitment for personal progress and have been instrumental in the sporting successes of the School. We have also seen many individual achievements outside of School including lacrosse and weightlifting international representation as well as many scholars playing for club, county and regions.

One of the highlights of the year was an inspiring workshop led by alumna Rosie Tapner on Sports Broadcasting. Her insights provided our scholars with a broader perspective on the sports industry, sparking interest beyond just athletic performance.

In addition to their own training and performance, the sports Award Holders play a pivotal role in supporting School events.

Many assisted with our annual prep school masterclass, and scholarship assessment days as well as weekly clubs or small sessions at School which all allowed them to develop their leadership and coaching skills.

Throughout the year, these Award Holders have shown excellence, hard work, resilience and sportsmanship and this was all rewarded with our scholars outing to watch the Bristol Flyers basketball team. We enjoyed a supper out in Bristol followed by a thrilling match, a well-deserved treat! We look forward to seeing and supporting their continued growth and success in the years to come, but a particular thanks to our outgoing scholars, we wish you every success and hope to hear all about your sporting achievements in the future!

Mrs Katie Lauder, Director of Sport

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Our Year 2023-24

Since its revival three years ago, the alumnae lacrosse match has now become a regular feature of Founder’s Weekend, and one that many now have as a regular event marked on their calendar. No less than nine alumnae on this year’s roster had appeared in previous editions, but such has been the success of the event, word has got out that this is an event not to miss, meaning that there were no less than nine debutants for the alumnae including Jo Avery (Lamplough, DH 2000), who had only recently returned from New Zealand, Jessie Robinson (DH 2014) an Alumnae Achievement Awards winner 2023, along with recent leavers Ella Snow and Cecilia Stone (DH 2024).

The Downe House team had a youthful feel to it, primarily composed of Lower Fifth, led by next season’s Schools Lacrosse Captain, Gabriella Ford, and Vices Jemima Booth and Georgina Ritchie (LVI). Whilst on the other hand, the alumnae team had a more generous average age and range, many having graduated pre-2002! Nevertheless, the alumnae were not going to let youthfulness and athleticism deter them, and once the first whistle went, they were quick to show that lacrosse is just like riding a bike and that age and experience are worth their weight in gold!

Vicki Scott (DH 1999) put on a draw masterclass for all to marvel at, which helped the alumnae win valuable possessions from the draw and take control of the game.

Nevertheless, it was a close affair from start to finish with some eye-catching moments of skills from both teams. Jo Avery showed just why she was one of the most feared attackers in the 90s with slippery C-cuts and pinpoint

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Alumnae Matches

accurate shots, whilst Jessie Robinson and Lara Harries (DH 2022) displayed some slick stick work and Heidi Marvin (Cooper, DH 1988) used all her game IQ to control the attack. The alumnae defence anchored by Charlotte Williams (DH 2001) was an impenetrable force. Time after time Ceara Bastin (DH 2022) or Tilly Bridgeman (DH 2022) would be seen surging out of defence with the ball, often after a Tamara Gall (DH 2001) block or Frankie Luke (Blackmore, DH 1999) intercept! Alumnae match regulars Cesca Major (Martin, DH 2000) and Laura Williams (Priestly, DH 2001) ran their socks off in the midfield to help transition the ball safely. In goal, Emma Stonebridge (DH 2016) and Sally Niedringhaus (2025) were brick walls and instrumental to the alumnae nullifying a late charge from the Downe House team as they searched for a late winner. In the end, after 60 minutes of end-to-end lacrosse only a single goal separated the two teams, and it seemed only fitting that the winning goal was scored by the alumnae’s Anna Neville (DH 2020), current Senior England International, who was off to the European Championship in a week’s time!

The alumnae team may have finished victorious on the field, and no doubt Downe House will be up for revenge next year. However, the biggest victory was off the field. Nothing can beat reminiscing and rolling back the years with fellow Downe House girls past and present over a legendary Founders Brunch. Roll on 2025!

Miss Charlotte Williams, Assistant Director of Sport

Downe House Magazine

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Sports Day Sports Day was a record-breaking success and lived up to its billing as being one of the highlights of the Downe House sporting calendar. No less than six Sports Day Records and two School Records were set, as our athletes rose to the occasion to produce performances of a lifetime to shine for their Houses. One of the standout performances of the day was by Eulalia Camilleri (LIV), who despite the heat, set out on a brave run to lead unchallenged from the gun all the way to the line to smash the Junior 800m Sports Day record that had stood for a staggering 11 years, by almost five seconds!

Sports Day Records

Junior Shot Put (3kg) Danielle Jibodu and Temiloluwa Akinkugbe (LIV) 8.38m

Intermediate Discus (1kg) Heidi Halestrap (LV) 22.77m

Junior 75m Hurdles Pandora Rycroft (LIV) 12.40s

Senior Long Jump Desola Omonijo (LVI) 5.20m

Junior 800m Eulalia Camilleri (LIV) 2m 40s

Senior Triple Jump Yevedzo Wasterfall (LVI) 11.19m

Regardless of ability, everyone entered into the spirit of the event, and whilst some had to step out of their comfort zone to fill a void for their House, others surprised themselves and discovered a new talent. Mrs Basnett led the commentary like a seasoned professional and the support from parents, staff, and girls alike created a warm buzzing atmosphere. At the conclusion of an action-packed morning of competition the section winners were Junior – AGN; Intermediate – Tedworth; Senior - Aisholt and Overall – Holcombe.

There were so many superb performances, however, our Outstanding Performance Award recipients recognising not only their outstanding Sports Day performances, but also their work ethic, sportsmanship and support of their peers were: Junior – Pandora Rycroft and Eulalia Camilleri (LIV) Intermediate – Amelie Perceval and Audre Ovbiebo (UV) Senior – Desola Omonijo (LVI) Well done everyone!

Miss Charlotte Williams, Assistant Director of Sport

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Founder’s Weekend

‘Well done to every pupil for showcasing their dedication and talent in such a variety of events.’

Downe House Magazine

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FOUNDER’S WEEKEND

Events & Activities

Founder’s Weekend is the highlight of the School year.

Months of planning, rehearsing and collaboration result in a spectacular showcase spanning two days for our Downe House community to enjoy.

Thank you to all members of our community – families, alumnae, staff and our local community – for joining in our celebration of the year. Well done to every pupil for showcasing their dedication and talent in such a variety of events.

Congratulations must also go to every staff member who collaborated as part of the Founder’s Weekend team. Their hard work ensured all our guests were well watered and fed, the School looked its best, and that the weekend was captured digitally to share with those who couldn’t make the trip to West Berkshire.

The weekend began with our annual Sports Day where our athletes showcased their skill in field and track events in the crowning event of the summer calendar. Well done to all the sportswomen who represented their House and to the onlookers who cheered their peers on in an excellent show of team spirit. A special congratulations must go to Holcombe House, who won the overall prize for Sports Day 2024!

The Founder’s Production is always eagerly anticipated and this year saw a cast and crew of talented Downe House students take to the stage in Amélie! A huge congratulations to everyone involved who perfectly captured the charming quirkiness of the iconic film, resulting in an uplifting experience for our audience to delight in. It was particularly special to have live music on stage throughout and to see months of work and collaboration come together resulting in a fabulous show.

Every year Founder’s Weekend gives the Creative Arts faculty free rein to transform the Murray Centre into their annual exhibition. The exhibition was curated to showcase how these disciplines intermingle, allowing our community to experience the breadth and depth of our students’ talents. The work on display came from our Lower Fifth to Upper Sixth pupils. A huge congratulations must go to all our talented exhibitors and a massive thank you to the dedicated staff who carefully built the exhibitions.

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Our Year 2023-24

The soundtrack to Founder’s Weekend is provided by a fantastic range of musical performances expertly put together by our passionate Music department. The Founder’s Concert saw nearly 200 young musicians exploring a range of styles from Elgar to Kate Bush. On Sunday, the Downe House choirs took to the stage to perform the beautifully optimistic ‘Gloria’ by Vivaldi. This concert also saw a special collaboration between the Music and Dance departments as they performed a selection of dances from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker Suite’. Another example of the fabulous teamwork that makes Founder’s Weekend so special.

To close the weekend, our musicians took to the Founder’s Festival Tent and showcased a varied programme which got the community up and dancing the night away!

We are hugely lucky to have such wonderful support teams to make the weekend happen, including a talented AV team who help to bring all of these creative visions to life through their sound, lighting and hard work so a huge thank you to them for all that they did to make the weekend look so spectacular. We are also fortunate to have such a superb catering team and our Founder’s Tea and Sunday Brunch were a wonderful opportunity to come together over some truly delicious food. Our marketing team make sure that tickets and programmes are easily available and help to make communication really smooth. Finally our estates teams make it all happen and help to give the weekend a real festival feel as well as helping us to keep on top of our commitment to sustainability.

Well done to each and every performer and contributor for making Founder’s Weekend so special.

Mrs Philippa Toogood, Assistant Head (Operations)

FOUNDER’S WEEKEND Downe House Magazine

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FOUNDER’S WEEKEND

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Dances & Vivaldi’s Gloria

Sunday’s afternoon concert featured Chamber Orchestra, Polyphonix and In Harmony, with a special appearance from our talented dancers. The first half of the concert showcased our Dance department with a wonderful collaboration between them and Chamber Orchestra with a selection of dances from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker Suite’. Olivia Cole (LVI), Philippa Drysdale (LV) and Amelie Perceval (UIV) kicked off proceedings with a performance to the March. Keira Chua (LVI) and Ka Ching Anna Pang (LVI) followed with their energetic and vibrant performance to the Trepak (Russian Dance). Special mentions must be given to Rosina Gill-Wagner (UIV) for her performance to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, accompanied by Mingxi Li (UIV) on the celesta. Kira and Anna were joined by Becky Oh for the Dance of the Mirlitons, accompanied by Margaret Tam, Xiaoyu Hu (UIV), and Tiffany Ying (UIV) on flutes. This half of the concert was wonderfully concluded by the Waltz of the Flowers, featuring Hitomi Kotaka (Yip) (UIV) on the harp, and Annika Last (LV), Iona Russell (LV), and Ka Ching Anna Pang (LVI) on the dance floor. Special thanks to Mr Chris Gill, Miss Alice Smith and all of the Dance department for masterminding this collaboration. We were transported

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to a magical balletic world and were all dancing along in our seats!

Following on from the success of St John’s Concert earlier this academic year, the second half of the concert featured Polyphonix, In Harmony, Chamber Orchestra, and staff in their performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’. It was great for the Chamber Orchestra to be joined by professional musicians (most of whom are on the Visiting Music Team at Downe House) playing alongside our advanced musicians and giving them an invaluable insight into professional orchestral playing. Special mentions must be made to our Lower Sixth soloists, Alice Barber, Lydia Isadora Dyer, Serena Browne, Isabella Hudson, and Alice Gillham for their beautiful performances. It had been a busy weekend for all of them being involved in lots of different events, however you wouldn’t have known from their composure, focus, skill, and giving their all in this concert.

Mrs Susan Norman, Principal Accompanist

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Amélie

As a director, you always want to think big and make a statement. And there are a huge number of fantastic musicals out there but the reality is that the same ones seem to come round again and again. So this year, we took a risk and went with the delightfully quirky fringe musical Amélie. I was keen to do something less well known because it demands that an audience comes into the theatre without the same prejudgments that they might have with Les Mis, for example. It’s also important for the pupils to experience the full breadth of the musical theatre canon and appreciate different approaches to such a wonderful art form.

Amélie started life as a modestly successful Broadway show and was then reimagined and brought to life again at the Watermill Theatre – just down the road! That production, which in my opinion has the more rousing and memorable score, transferred for a short run in London and then went on tour but in truth has since lingered in relative obscurity.

I was so impressed with the way the students took to the story and to the style of the show. It’s abstract in nature, we often don’t know whether what’s happening is real or imagined by Amélie, the characters are all magnificently neurodiverse, the songs are a hybrid of Celtic folk, French jazz and traditional musical theatre and of course I was very keen for the music to be live – I knew we had the talent to achieve it!

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All of this presented us with a number of exciting challenges, not to mention the fact that we worked across the years, with a cast drawn from Remove all the way up to Lower Sixth. The choreography was more contemporary in nature, everything in the show is really about creating atmospheres and bringing to life emotional moments rather than delivering the sort of ‘showbiz numbers’ one might usually expect.

I was delighted with the final result. The students told a story of connection and acceptance, they did it with full hearts, big voices and brilliantly expressive movement. They worked so hard as an ensemble and were kept very busy throughout, led by a superb cast with some exceptional lead performances from Alice Barber as Amélie and Emi Lim (LVI) as Nino.

My huge thanks go out to an incredible support team – the AV crew, backstage support, designers, extended creative team, logistics team and of course the amazing Drama department staff. Thanks as well to the School for supporting my crazy idea, to parents and the local community for being so warm and appreciative, and mainly of course to the cast who gave it everything and made us all so proud.

Mr Rob Castell, Head of Enrichment and Extra Curricular Drama

FOUNDER’S WEEKEND

‘Such a complex, challenging and quirky play… imbued with delight, humour and so much talent!’

‘It was joyous to see this thoughtprovoking musical celebrating neurodiversity, brought to life by the talented team of students’

Downe House Magazine

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Creative Arts Exhibition

The annual Creative Arts Exhibition, held during Founder’s Weekend, is a vibrant celebration of the extraordinary talent of Downe House students in Fine Art, Textiles, Photography and 3D Design. This year, the exhibition was a showcase of innovation and creativity, with a stunning display of work that captivated everyone who attended.

In the Murray Centre, a striking installation of multi-coloured, laser-cut lamps designed by Remove 3D Design students was suspended over the stairwell, creating a dramatic visual as visitors entered.

Across two floors, the work of Lower Fifth to Upper Sixth GCSE and A Level students was showcased, with pieces from different disciplines curated by theme, colour scheme and texture. This arrangement allowed viewers to fully appreciate the wide variety of materials and techniques the girls explore in their creative journeys.

Sketchbooks, the essential tool where students experiment with ideas and refine their concepts, were also on display, offering insight into the developmental process behind some of the large-scale outcomes.

A second exhibition in the Art Block featured an array of Fine Art, Textiles and 3D work by students from Remove to Upper Fourth, alongside a special display by younger

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Creative Arts Award Holders. This vibrant collection included wooden mobiles, wire sculptures, handmade laptop sleeves, drawings, prints, paintings and mixed media pieces—truly a feast for the eyes!

The exhibition space was awash with colour, creativity and bold imagination, and it was clear that many of the participants are destined for great things as they progress through the School.

Following Founder’s Weekend, the Murray Centre exhibition opened to the public for two days as part of the West Berkshire and North Hampshire Open Studios scheme. We were thrilled to welcome many visitors from the community, including a few VIPs! The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with comments such as ‘This is as good as, if not better than, a degree show’ and ‘The talent here is extraordinary!’

A heartfelt congratulations to all the girls for their hard work, dedication and remarkable talent. The range of creativity on display was truly outstanding.

Mrs Kirsten Mortimer, Director of Creative Arts

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Music for a Summer’s Evening ‘Music for a Summer’s Evening’ brought Founder’s 2024 to a joyful and uplifting close! The full range of musical talent at Downe House was on display – classical, pop, rock, jazz. Highlights included a performance by Margaret Tam (LV) and Miss Isla McLachlan with their flute duo, a Lower Sixth rock group featuring Rachel Yuan on drums, Astrid Davis on guitar, Cathy Wang on bass guitar, and Isadora Dyer on vocals, and a group of Lower Fifth GCSE Musicians, Charlotte Benson, Chloe Stewart, and Teri Adesida, performing a Bruno Mars cover. The event was wrapped up by Jazz Band, fresh from their performance opening the Founder’s Concert the day before. The event had a wonderfully supportive atmosphere, with lots of cheering, whooping and even dancing from the audience, including a few members of our staff! Congratulations to everyone who performed and helped make the event such a success. Special thanks to Mr Alex Tostdevine for coordinating the event.

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Always a highlight of any Founder’s Weekend, the Founder’s Concert very much lived up to expectations!

The programme opened with Jazz Band performing arrangements of Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’, and ‘Skyfall’ by Adele. Special mention must go to Isabella Hudson for her excellent solo in the latter.

Following this festival opening, it was time for Once Removed to take to the stage with their dreamy rendition of ‘Pure Imagination’, from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Sinfonia continued our journey through the movies with their energetic performances of ‘March’ from the King & I, and the rousing ‘Great Escape’ theme. In Harmony and our string quartet of Natalie Hui (LV), Tatiana Montanari (LV), Carmen Ren (LIV), and Cathy Wang (LIV) then performed the classic Beatles song, ‘Eleanor Rigby’.

Our Lower Sixth Prima Voce performed to their usual high standard with ethereal performances of ‘Be Like The Bird’ by Sarah Quartel, and ‘Silver Rain’ by B. E. Boykin. Special mention to Cathy Wang for her excellent cello solo. Polyphonix then joined these singers with two contrasting numbers, ‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush (featuring Eve Brown (LVI) on drums), and ‘Love Divine’ by Howard Goodall.

To wrap up proceedings, Symphony Orchestra, joined by professional musicians, gave an accomplished performance of ‘Nimrod’ from Elgar’s Enigma Variations giving us time to pause and reflect, before transporting us to a magical world of wonder with the suite from ‘How To Train Your Dragon’. Although we were slightly reduced in numbers with pupils from exam years on study leave, the sound made by this orchestra throughout both numbers was immense and powerful.

Congratulations to all that took part! What a fantastic way to kick start the musical offerings at Founder’s Weekend.

ORGAN RECITAL We were treated to a wonderful recital on our new Chapel organ on Sunday afternoon, featuring four of our organ students: Margaret Tam, Jia Rui (Kerry) Lu, Mingxi Li and Lin Yi (Emily) Meng (UIV). Margaret opened the programme with a performance of a Prelude and Fugue in G minor by Bach. Kerry followed this by another Baroque piece - a Prelude in A minor by Georg Böhm. Mia and Emily performed pieces from the twentieth century: ‘Arabesque’ by Louis Vierne (famous for being organist of Notre-Dame Cathedral), and ‘Tuba Tune’ by Craig Sellar Lang, showcasing our new organ’s reed registration. Yujia Yuan (LVI) closed the recital with her solo violin performance of Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor, accompanied by Mrs Norman on organ. It was lovely to hear the variety and breadth of registration options now available with this new instrument, further enhancing the spiritual life of Chapel. Special thanks go to Mr Ben Giddens, our inspirational organ teacher.

Mrs Susan Norman, Principal Accompanist

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Founder’s Concert

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Beyond the Curriculum

‘There really is never a dull moment!’

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Radley Partnership RADLEY COLLEGE RESPECT PROJECT The Respect Project, which brings students from Radley College and Downe House together on many mutually beneficial projects, has had another very successful year.

Many thanks to our core team of five Upper Sixth Respect Ambassadors – Zara Reeve, Alice Farquhar, Chloe Kate Miringu, Emilie Booth and Leila Magner (UVI) – for all their energy, ideas and leadership.

The Project provides pupils from across both schools with direct and meaningful experience of working with the opposite sex, preparing them for life beyond School while retaining the integrity and value of single sex education.

Relationships of respect are created through academic, cocurricular and social interactions.

A great deal has been achieved this academic year, which is the third year that the Respect Project has been running.

Some of the highlights so far this year have included: •

The first ever collaborative Modern Languages Symposium between the two schools, which involved pupils from the Lower Fifth and the Lower Sixth exploring topics well beyond the syllabus.

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New and expanded Symposiums for both the Science and Humanities Faculties.

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The first ever charity walk: this was a 10km hike along the Ridgeway National Trail, involving Sixth Formers from both schools. It raised £300 for the Thatchambased charity The Charlie Waller Trust.

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•

A wide range of social activities, including in-House dinners, Caledonian Society and bowling evenings.

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A fabulous Geography Conference for all Upper Fourth pupils in both schools, hosted all over the grounds of Downe House, including field work in our woodland.

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Downe House hosted many of the Radley boys at our amazing and extensive funfair which appeared on our campus and included dodgems, roller skating, rollercoasters and much more.

We are fortunate to continue benefiting from the involvement of Chloe Combi in the Respect Project. Chloe is a journalist, podcaster and Gen-Z expert who leads regular sessions with pupils and conducts research for both schools to help measure the impact of the project. She has also led staff training, empowering teachers to feel confident talking to teenagers about the challenges they face, many of which will be very different to those experienced by staff when they were young people. Chloe also helps to train and mentor Sixth Form ambassadors who meet regularly with their Radley counterparts to influence the development of the programme between our two schools.

Mr Matt Godfrey, Deputy Head

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The Murray Centre

THE MURRAY CENTRE The Murray Centre lies at the heart of Downe House life. Its central position on site very much mirrors the way in which it is used by all members of the Downe House community.

We are so lucky to have this place to come together – whether for a tutorial, to work on a project together, to study and borrow books from the library or just to meet with friends for a chat over a drink and a treat from the coffee shop.

It is hard to believe that the Murray Centre has been open now for almost six years! Over that time, it has become busier and busier as we realise just how versatile a space it is. The academic residency programme is a well-established part of our calendar now and we were delighted to welcome Religious Studies, Drama and Dance, Geography and Economics, and the Sports department to take over the Centre during this academic year. Not to forget its transformation into a Creative Arts exhibition space for Founder’s Weekend.

The year started with a display featuring prominent women of the past including some of our own alumnae. We then welcomed the Religious Studies department which includes both Philosophy and Psychology, who sent the girls on a pilgrimage around the school collecting stamps for their pilgrimage passport. We were also asked to ponder a philosophical question of the day in Thinkers Corner. There were lunchtime talks in the Collaboration Space and a display of artefacts and some puzzles to enjoy.

The Drama and Dance residency centred around a production of Marvin’s Room by Scott McPherson performed by our talented DH Acting Company (primarily made up of UVI Drama Scholars) which made very effective

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use of The Auditorium as a more intimate performance space. The week offered a rich and diverse range of events from pop-up dance and drama performances; visits from a giant puppet, a performance artist, West End musical stars and the Artistic Director of Oxford Playhouse; acting and musical theatre showcases; a Secret Cinema event; all topped off with a wonderful modern dance performance of Romeo and Juliet. It was a truly memorable week.

The Geography and Economics departments challenged us with their theme ‘Mind The Gap’ to consider the many inequalities within society with a particular focus on the gender gap and the economic gap between rich and poor.

Presentations from both outside speakers and our own students through the week were both interesting and thought provoking.

Our final residency of the year was from the Sport and PE department who chose an Olympic theme and provided us all with a wonderfully entertaining week of events, activities and guest speakers. These included our alumna, Rosie Tapner, now a sports commentator, who gave students the opportunity to try out their own commentating skills in front of a camera and Jack Buckner, the CEO of UK Athletics, who provided a fascinating insight into the preparation of Team GB for major sporting events, including the Olympics.

The Murray Centre was adorned with Olympic flags and there was an impressive array of displays on sports themes.

Interspersed between these events, the Murray Centre provides the backdrop for so much more – the weekly Murray Music Moments, showcasing our talented musicians, open days, the annual Gift Fair, Happy Day, the Festival of Culture and our recent Academic Conference on Maximising Pupils’ Progress. There really is never a dull moment!

THE LIBRARY The library, on the top floor of the Murray Centre, provides a peaceful haven away from the bustle of the floors below.

We house a collection of 14,000 books, plus a range of magazines and journals and provide important private study space for students with views over the chapel and woodland. In addition to the physical resources, we provide a range of online resources through our library system, Oliver. These now include PressReader which offers digital access to 7,000 publications from over 120 countries around the globe.

During the Michaelmas term, we welcomed a Scholastic Book Fair to School where students could purchase books from a range of exciting new titles and, in return, the School benefited by being given free books to enhance our collection. We marked Halloween this year by inviting our Remove for an evening of scary stories and poems read by Mr Castell, our Head of Extra-Curricular Drama and some of our Sixth Form drama scholars. A spookily fun time was had by all! In the lead up to Christmas, we ran a 24 Books for Advent event where we wrapped up a new book every day and hid it among the library shelves for the students to find.

Much fun was had hunting them down.

During the Lent term, we celebrated World Book Day. Lower School students (and some staff, too) dressed up following a theme of books turned into musicals. A parade of costumes was featured in their assembly with prizes awarded for the most creative outfits. We enjoyed book readings from members of the English department at lunchtime, a literary-themed lunch from our Catering department, a book exchange, lots of quizzes and a book scavenger hunt around the site. We also welcomed the author Fleur Hitchcock who gave an engaging talk about the inspiration behind her murder mystery books, the atmospherically titled Murder at Snowfall and Murder in Midwinter.

Reading for pleasure continues to be a key focus at Downe House. Its benefits, both in terms of academic success and personal wellbeing and development, are well proven and our students are encouraged in many different ways to continue their reading journeys throughout their time here. All Remove, Lower Fourth and Upper Fourth students come to the library every fortnight and, this year, we have introduced Accelerated Reader to help us to support and guide their book choices in order to maximise reading progress. Remove students were involved in the Bookbuzz Challenge, an initiative set up by the Book Trust in which they were gifted a book from a range of new titles by well-known authors. They took part in book group discussions and wrote illustrated book reviews with the best five being given book token prizes. Congratulations this year go to Remove students: Alexandra Try, Noelle Hui, Aleksandra Bekker, Charlotte Ford

and Sofia Faissola. The Upper Fourth Scholars’ Book Group have also met fortnightly this year to discuss and share good reads and enjoyed being judges for the Yoto Carnegie medal which is awarded to the outstanding book written in English for children and young people.

Lower School Reading Ambassadors have played a key role in supporting the library’s work and promoting a love of reading amongst their peers in House. Thanks go to our Literary Senior, Sophie Li (LVI), who helped us in many ways to promote a love of literacy throughout the school.

Congratulations go to Katherine Langworthy (LIV) who came to me with the idea of running a book drive for charity. Through the charity, the Children’s Book Project, we have been able to donate 350 books to a local School in Newbury.

Creative writing seems to be becoming ever more popular at Downe House. This was demonstrated by the fantastic response to this year’s DHSA (Downe House Seniors’ Association) Short Story Competition, open to all age ranges within the School. Students were asked to submit a word-limited story inspired by an image of their own choosing. The standard of the writing was commented on by our judging panel, making their job extremely difficult.

The deserving winners this year were: • Lower School – Winner: Ruby Grant (LIV) • Runners up: Eleanor Black (LIV) and Uwailomwan Aighe (Remove) • Upper School – Winner: Hitomi Kotaka (Yip) (UIV) • Runners up: Sophie Lambourne and Ameera Abubakar (UV) • Sixth Form – Winner: Charlotte Trew (LVI) • Runners up: Alice Barber and Chen Wang (LVI) Charlotte Trew, who was inspired by the story of Medusa, won the overall prize, the Clare Balding Prize for Excellent Writing, and was presented with our beautiful carved oak trophy. All winners and runners up were treated to a creative writing workshop run by alumna, Poppy Scales, and joined by the judging panel for a celebration lunch.

Our lovely new Murray Centre Assistant, Miss Vandenham, has also started a Lower School Creative Writing Club this term – it is good to know that story telling is alive and well here at Downe!

Mrs Philippa Toogood, Mrs Jenny Hill and Miss Grace Vandenham, The Murray Centre Team

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BEYOND THE CURRICULUM

Library

BEYOND THE CURRICULUM

CCA

FUNFAIR On the first weekend of the Lent term, the CCA department organised a funfair at Downe House. Everyone was here as it was a closed weekend, so we all got to have fun and enjoy the rides together. It was a lovely treat for the start of the term, and everyone enjoyed it so much. The rides started being put up on Saturday morning and it got us all very excited for the next day. The lucky Upper Fourth were the first to test out the rides during Saturday night's social with the boys from Radley College. By Sunday morning, the rest of the School was buzzing with excitement, having seen the funfair in full swing the night before! There were lots of rides including the Waltzer, Dodgems, Super Star and Star Flyer plus a rollerskating rink in the Farr Centre. After a tasty roast dinner made by the Catering department, it was the Upper School’s turn to start going on the rides. We all had so much fun exploring, playing fun games and eating delicious food.

On the Super Star, which was my favourite, and on the Star Flyer, you could get a beautiful view of Downe House as you were so high in the air. The Dodgems were really entertaining, especially when the teachers came on it with us. There were lots of fairground games that we could try and win prizes on! There was one game where you had to try and shoot at prizes and knock them down, and another where you had to try and throw a ring around your desired prize. It was a whole day of thrill and excitement and, with the weather being so mild, we could stay out most of the day to enjoy the rides. I found the roller skating in the Farr Centre very enjoyable too. It was great to have some fun indoors, especially if we were a bit tired or dizzy from the rides. We are all so grateful to the amazing CCA department for organising this event, which is definitely one of the highlights of the School year!

Isabella Gharagozlou (LV)

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WEEKLY ROUTINE Each School day starts with a House Meeting in the Common Room before breakfast. On Monday mornings, we have Whole School assembly where Mrs McKendrick hands out awards and then each week different girls show us a presentation and update us on all that is going on in and out of School including cultural exchanges, current affairs, sports news, etc. When lessons have finished, at 5.20pm, we return to House to relax with our friends before going to dinner. I do not have any activities on a Monday evening, so I often catch up with prep or play swing ball outside, but some girls do Fencing or Knitting Club. Tuesdays are fun because we have Once Removed choir rehearsal before dinner and afterwards, I get changed into mufti for my modern dance class. I have made lots of good friends through dance at Downe and really enjoy learning new choreography. Wednesdays are a bit different because lessons finish at 4.15pm to allow us to go to our afternoon matches. If I don’t have a match I usually relax in House before heading to Art Club at 6.30pm. I like having Art Club at this time because it means I get back to House in time for our film and tuck night! My Thursday and Friday evenings are similar to Monday’s as I have no co-curriculars, so I often chat with friends and enjoy eating what the girls bring back from their evening cookery session. We often have evening activities organised on Saturday evenings such as Bingo or pizza making in House but on closed weekends we have bigger events like the Charity Dance-a-thon. Sunday is the best day of the week because we have House breakfast and usually get a long lie in! If we are awake early, we can put a movie on or play some games with our friends. We usually get free time until lunch before going on a trip or doing workshops on site. My favourite Sunday activities so far have been: Harry Potter Studio Tour, pottery painting and laser tag!

Alisa Belotskiy (Remove)

RADLEY COLLABORATION Over the course of this year, Downe and Radley have kept up their partnership with a multitude of events, ranging from academic symposiums to Respect conferences, as well as more low-key events such as the charity walk, funfair, and Phoenix Society gatherings.

A major part of the collaboration between Radley and Downe, is the Respect Project, which involved a training session at the beginning of the year at Radley. The evening was filled with laughter and great in-depth conversations, and we even had a chance to hear the amazing singing from Radley in their beautiful chapel. We learnt about consent and stereotypes in relationships and had the chance to discuss specific scenarios in pairs with someone from the other school.

The Lower Sixth were also fortunate enough to have a series of resilience lectures at Radley, which included some inspiring stories which showed us what to do in the face of challenges and setbacks. Phoenix Society has also been one of the best parts this year, encouraging students to give presentations on specific topics of interest and current affairs.

An educational aspect of the project is the humanities and STEM symposiums which involved both the Lower Sixth and the Lower Fifth. These gave both schools the opportunity to discuss their favorite subjects thoroughly and beyond the curriculum. There was also a Sixth Form art workshop, teaching new techniques and giving the students the exciting chance to experiment with plaster and imprints.

However, the year's highlight was the funfair, an evening full of many memorable moments. It was the perfect opportunity to take a relaxing break from School after the January mock examinations and eat some delicious candy floss while flying through the air. Another relaxing event was the charity walk with Radley, held to raise money for the Charlie Waller Trust.

It turned out to be a huge success, and after walking eight miles, we managed to raise £300.

Clara Rainsford (LVI)

BEYOND THE CURRICULUM

CCA

RADLEY COLLABORATION AND SOCIALS Socials are a very fun aspect of School life at Downe.

Over my time so far at Downe, I have attended and most importantly enjoyed many collaborative events with a range of different schools including Radley College, Eton and Winchester College. The bowling socials with Radley are always good and we get to enjoy a delicious dinner and bowling together. Although some get quite competitive, we end up having a splendid time. The black tie socials with Winchester College have been another highlight for my year group. This year we had a Great Gatsby theme with the Winchester band performing, a sit-down dinner and mocktails designed to fit with the 1920s theme. The barbeque socials at Radley are also fun. At these socials we are welcomed into different Radley Houses, where they treat us to a delicious barbeque made by their amazing House staff as well as games in their House gardens such as football, rounders and cricket. This is an amusing and exciting way to socialise with the boys.

I have also taken part in more enriching and academic events with Radley College as part of our partnership. For example, last term I had the chance to attend the annual Humanities symposium, which Radley hosted this year.

My topic of choice for the symposium was History but there were many other subjects included, such as English, Geography and Religious Studies. In this event, we were paired up with a boy from Radley who was interested in the same subject as us, and grouped with someone who asked us interesting questions about our subject. I enjoyed collaborating with Radley on this event as I and many other people made lots of new friends, and learnt new facts and skills from this event which enriched our learning in a way that goes beyond the curriculum.

Lastly, a more recent collaborative opportunity I took part in was the CCF competition day. In this event, a group of girls in the Lower Fifth and Upper Fourth joined along with Radley to learn and try new activities which we do not do at Downe. This broadened many of our knowledge and skillsets with activities such as a gun run, where we learned how to assemble a cannon, archery and casualty evacuation where we had to run a distance with two stretchers. These collaborations with Radley have enabled us to do some things that Downe doesn’t currently offer here on site, which has benefited so many of us and has widened our abilities and knowledge hugely.

Willow Fisher (LV)

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CCA

RIDING I am really grateful to be able to go riding outside of School, despite being a boarder. I like to focus on flatwork or jumping during the longer sessions as we have more time. On Thursdays I get out of School at 5.20pm and ride slightly later. I take my horse, Geffy, for a ride around the countryside or sometimes up the gallops. This enables me to train or work on fitness for upcoming events and competitions either competing for the School or as an individual. On weekends I often compete in Eventing or Showjumping. Before I go to the stables, I make sure I have finished my prep or have scheduled time to do it after to make sure I keep on top of my schoolwork.

Jessica Geffen (UIV)

LUDGROVE COLLABORATION The ‘Play in Two Days’ was really fun and it gave us an opportunity to socialise and create something with people outside of Downe House. We had to audition right at the start and from this your roles were chosen. I was one of the bad guys, Bumble, who in the play is trying to ruin the main character’s plan. It was really easy to learn the lines and the producer was super relaxed, which made us feel a lot more confident in ourselves, especially in front of the boys. He used the phrase ‘happy mistakes’ from Bob Ross to show us that mistakes happen and that sometimes this directs creativity. I found this really helpful. It was also nice to work with the boys that we had met in Lent term on our WW2 Enrichment Day, on a second project. It was a great experience for everyone in our year and I am looking forward to more collaborative events.

Zhiya Yin (Remove)

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BEYOND THE CURRICULUM

CCA

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Duke of Edinburgh

GOLD DOFE RESIDENTIALS OFFERING DIVERSE EXPERIENCES Part of the Gold Award is completing a five-day, four night residential programme. It is always fascinating to see what each Gold candidate gets up to. From hands-on conservation work to exploring future career opportunities, these residentials provide a glimpse into real-world professions and personal growth. Here are just a few of the residentials that the Gold Award completers did over the past year.

Medical Residential: Dentistry at UCL, London: An opportunity to attend a summer course at University College London (UCL), focusing on the healthcare field of dentistry.

Religious Summer Camp at Forres Sandle Manor School, New Forest: The residential took a spiritual and physical route at a Religious Summer Camp held at Forres Sandle Manor School in the scenic New Forest. The camp offered a blend of daily religious activities, reflection sessions, and lively discussions around faith, all paired with sports and outdoor activities. The setting, surrounded by nature, added to the camp’s tranquil yet inspiring atmosphere.

Conservation Work in Somerset: In the heart of Somerset, eco-conscious students rolled up their sleeves to complete a John Muir Award by engaging in hands-on conservation work. Not only did students learn about the importance of environmental stewardship, but they also developed skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and outdoor survival.

The award, named after the famous naturalist John Muir, recognises their contribution to the environment while encouraging a deep connection with nature.

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Volunteering at a YHA Hostel in the New Forest: Here, pupils participated in renovation projects, improving the hostel’s facilities while also helping the staff manage dayto-day operations. Their hard work not only enhanced the hostel’s welcoming atmosphere but also taught them valuable lessons in responsibility and giving back to the community.

BRONZE EXPEDITION The Lower Fifth continued their expedition closer to home with a walk to Rushall Farm near Bradfield. The memorable experience continues to offer a unique connection with nature, far from the noise and distractions of everyday life.

A chance to unplug and enjoy the simplicity of life—walking through the woods, hearing the wildlife, stargazing at night.

When you are cooking in the open, resting your weary feet, it is hard not to bond, especially when you are cramped tightly into a tent together!

DOFE AWARDS With the majority of Downe House girls finishing a DofE Award, it is fantastic to see that more awards were achieved this year over last year. This achievement shows the commitment and dedication the girls have to their activities across the broad spectrum of School life. Thank you to the fantastic staff team for helping to make it all possible! Well done to all.

Mr Tony Riddle, Teacher of PE / Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator

GOLD EXPEDITIONS

Gold Cycle Expedition to Paris: "Five Girls, Four Days, and not enough Baguettes” Day one kicked off with five girls, five bikes, and a glorious tailwind that felt like a gift from the cycling gods. Riding along the English south coast, the wind practically pushed them forward, making the miles fly by as they soaked in the stunning views of white cliffs and rolling waves. Spirits were high, they passed a movie set at Salt Dean lido and if the breeze kept up, they could have been in Paris a day early. As they approached Newhaven, there was a sense of accomplishment, though their snack supply was already starting to dwindle.

That evening, they boarded the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe, settling in for an overnight crossing. Attempting to get some rest amid the gentle rocking of the boat and the occasional rumble of the engine is no easy challenge.

However, by the time they docked in Dieppe at the crack of dawn, they were ready to hit the road.

Day two began at the ungodly hour of 4:30am, with the girls groggily packing up and setting out onto the Avenue Verte. The early start was rough, but the promise of a full day in the French countryside kept them motivated.

And what a day it turned out to be! The Avenue Verte, a beautifully converted railway trail, turned out to be a cyclist’s dream—smooth, scenic, and easy to follow. The tailwind continued its magic, helping them clock over 70 kilometers in record time. They made swift progress, barely breaking a sweat as they zipped through sleepy villages and stunning landscapes. The real challenge began to emerge: the snack supply was dwindling faster than expected. They camped that night feeling like seasoned adventurers, their spirits buoyed by the day’s achievements.

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Duke of Edinburgh Day three, however, tested their resolve. Ignoring the meticulously planned cycle friendly route, they decided to trust Google Maps between checkpoints. What began as a promising detour soon descended into an unforgiving forest. The trail quickly turned, with narrow paths and muddy holes, leading to a few tumbles. Despite their fitness and determination, the forest threw everything it had at them.

The girls rose to the occasion, proudly fixing a few mechanicals along the way with impressive teamwork and resourcefulness. Thankfully they did emerge, tired, bruised, a little hungry but thankfully at a camp with a shower – albeit on a short timer!

Day four: They finally rolled into Paris, their legs aching but their spirits soaring. As they cycled through the city, they were a visible and lively group, still smiling despite the exhaustion. Their route took them past iconic landmarks as they pedalled around the Arc de Triomphe, posed for photos in front of the Eiffel Tower—now proudly sporting the Olympic rings—and marvelled at the Louvre. Every turn brought a new sight that made the entire journey worthwhile.

Lessons learned: Always bring more snacks, never trust Google Maps, appreciate a good tailwind, and even the fittest cyclists aren’t immune to the occasional tumble. And never underestimate the power of a well-timed bike repair.

In the end, every misadventure was worth it—especially when it ends with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

Mr Tony Riddle, Teacher of PE / Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator

Downe House Magazine

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Chapel Report

ROOTS It has been an absolute pleasure to lead the Roots Group this year. Every Wednesday evening, we have gathered in the comforts of the Helix to catch up on each other’s week, share support and prayer requests, read a passage from the Bible, and discuss its lessons for us.

In the Michaelmas term, we explored the theme of Grace the free and unconditional gift of God’s love for every one of us. In today’s busy and demanding world, we can often forget that we are enough (valued and perfect) exactly as we are. In the Lent term, we moved on to the theme of Parables- the stories that Jesus told his followers to illustrate the love that God has for us and that we ought to have for one another. Finally, in the Summer term, we have studied the theme of Miracles - Jesus’ miracles, the miracles carried out by his followers in His name, and modern day miracles too. The common thread that has woven each term and each meeting together, however, is the compassion that pervades our world.

It has been a true joy to get to know each one of the students who attend Roots. The friendship, support, and insight that they offer one another (not only in our meetings, but also throughout the week) is a real delight.

They are a blessing to me, to each other, and to the School.

‘But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.’ - Luke 8:15

Miss Ruth Prentice, Assistant Housemistress (Aisholt), Teacher of Religious Studies

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The life of the chapel at Downe is, to put it simply, a positive and safe space for all students and staff to utilise.

The chapel is open throughout the school day and is available for members of the School community to take time to reflect away from the academic side of the School.

Being Chapel Senior the past year has been a wonderful experience, and one from which I have gained many skills.

I have learnt how to support others and communicate well, which has certainly benefited me outside of School, as well as in my other roles. The chapel has been a key part of my time at Downe for the last seven years and attending a service at least once a week has been a real privilege not only for me, but also for so many others in my year group and so to finish my time at Downe as one of the Chapel Seniors has felt like a real treat.

Isabel (Izzy) Toogood, Chapel Senior 202324 (UVI)

Physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing are developed in so many ways at Downe House and our aim of maintaining a good balance across all four areas continues to be promoted to all students. The proactive, student-led Wellbeing Committee has had a busy year raising awareness of wellbeing issues and leading on creating a new Wellbeing Garden outdoor space. The Michaelmas term included activities to mark World Mental Health Day, Kindness Day and Self-Care Week with a range of activities on offer from giant collaborative mindful colouring to pamper boxes to enjoy in the Houses. We also launched a healthy eating art competition to encourage everyone to think about how to make their plate balanced to fuel their body effectively.

Lent term kicked off with Rainbow Monday where everyone donned rainbow colours to beat the January blues. This led into Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week where positivity was the theme and smiley face stickers, and positive mirror affirmations were spread around the School

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Wellbeing

to remind everyone to find a moment of positivity throughout the day. We also recognised World Sleep Day and a wall of top tips was created in the Murray Centre to help share advice on how to get quality sleep. The Summer term was dedicated to planning for an exciting new student-led project: a Wellbeing Garden. The garden will be located next to the Helix building, overlooking the woods, and aims to be a peaceful and serene space for all of the Downe House Community to be able to use. The venture will be a joint project with the Eco Committee, and we look forward to the official opening of the garden next term.

Mrs Ellen Llewellyn, Director of Pupil Wellbeing, Head of LFL, Senior Deputy DSL

Downe House Magazine

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Elective Programme This year has been another remarkable one for the Elective Programme, which has continued to inspire and encourage our students to explore topics beyond their standard curriculum. For the Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth year groups, we introduced several new and engaging electives, such as Ms Slocombe’s ‘Modern Masterpieces and Meta-narratives’, Mr Matthews’ ‘Time’s Arrow’, and a series of workshops by Mr Gould on Shakespeare’s original performance conditions. In addition, for the first time, an elective on French film was conducted by Madame Wallace and Ms von Mering-Ashton.

In the Lower Sixth Elective Programme, we were delighted to introduce Miss Tomlin’s ‘Virtual Curatorship’ and Miss Taylor’s ‘Geopolitics of Film’, in addition to continuing popular courses like Mr Reynolds’ ‘Dreams, Mythology and the Unconscious Mind’. Building on last year’s success, the Lower Sixth Elective Plus Programme, delivered by the Keystone Elective tutoring company, offered a series of law lectures for students interested in pursuing Law at the university level and beyond, covering areas such as constitutional, land and criminal law.

Looking ahead to the 2024-2025 Elective cycle, we are excited to welcome new teachers to the Elective Programme. I eagerly anticipate another successful year working alongside our talented students and dedicated Elective teachers.

Mr Tim Breeze, Teacher of Chinese, Head of Electives

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It has been another fascinating year for all things Learning and Research at Downe House. Many different activities and initiatives fall under this banner, but the fundamental thread that unites all of them is our desire to create the most effective learning environments possible for our pupils.

Whether working with teachers or pupils, the ambition of Learning and Research is always the same: to help pupils to learn more and better.

Whilst I’m fortunate that I could pick any number of activities to write about, here are just a few of my favourite Learning and Research highlights from the past year: The Enquiry This is our termly Teaching and Learning journal, which features a range of articles written by colleagues and pupils.

This academic year, we’ve featured articles on topics as varied as AI, retrieval practice, design thinking, assessment and marking as well as how departments support their pupils, collaboration, student motivation, CPD, and much more. It is always wonderful to read what colleagues are thinking about in their own practice and how this thinking filters down into the classroom.

Student Learning and Research Council Each year, a selection of pupils from Upper Fourth complete a small-scale action research project, looking at an area of their own learning that interests them. The hope is that this makes them reflect ever more deeply on their learning and therefore, hopefully, enhancing it. This year pupils have explored the impact music has on academic work, the best time of day to revise, the most effective learning strategies, and the impact of deliberate practice, amongst other projects. It is great to see students engaging so well in their own learning, and it provides an excellent opportunity to share their projects with their peers.

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Learning & Research Staff Learning and Research Council As well as students completing action research, we also encourage colleagues to do the same. Taking place across the whole year, interested colleagues identify an area of their practice they would like to improve and then investigate how to become ever more effective in it. The cycle occupies three stages: 1) Reseaching the relevant area; 2) Running a designed intervention; 3) Evaluating and sharing their results.

Design Thinking Design Thinking relates to the intersections between physical space (such as classrooms) and learning outcomes.

As a body of research, it looks at how improving space might improve student learning. Keen to operate at the cutting edge of this emerging field of study, we set up a working group this year to explore changes we might like to make in order to make our learning spaces as effective as possible. We’re excited to see the results of these discussions come to life in the coming academic year!

There is so much more I could share, but hopefully this offers a flavour of the energetic and vibrant discussions always taking place amongst colleagues and students at Downe House, conversations that aim, always, to make what we do the very best it could be.

Dr Andrew Atherton, Director of Learning and Research, Teacher of English

Downe House Magazine

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Academic Scholars

SCHOLARS The Scholars’ Programme aims to foster a culture of academic endeavour where enjoyment of learning is unlimited. Academic Award Holders have a wide range of choice and opportunities available to have their intellectual life enriched through stimulating and substantive academic endeavours, taking a lead in encouraging and sharing their love of learning with their peers. This year, the scholars have also had opportunities to bond across year groups through many informal events, including the annual Academic Award Holders’ Christmas dinner, various film and pizza nights (which are always a hit!) and termly book clubs with Eton College. The ‘Battle of the Scholars’ quiz night in Summer 2024 brought together not only the Academic Award Holders but also Creative Arts, Drama, Music, and Sports Scholars and was a hugely successful evening. Huge thanks must go to Tacita Rhys Williams and Jocelyn Yue (UVI) who took on the role of Head of Academic Scholars Senior and worked closely with Mme Reichardt to develop an even more diverse range of activities for Academic Award Holders. In the Summer term the Upper Fifth scholars were treated to a leavers’ tea party to mark the end of their scholarship journey at Downe House. It goes without saying that the scholars have worked hard throughout their years in the School to achieve excellence in their academic subjects, and they go into their A Level exams with some amazing university offers waiting for them at the other side!

Moreover, they have been amazing role models to the rest of the School, demonstrating a genuine love of learning, a natural motivation to explore and the ability to encourage learning in others. They have paved the way for next year’s scholars to continue to trailblaze.

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TWILIGHT LECTURE SERIES The Twilight Lecture series is one of many ways in which intellectually curious students are supported to think and learn beyond the curriculum. In the Lent term, Mr Chapman invited girls to take him on in an argument! What ensued was a brilliantly interactive, thought-provoking, and engaging evening that challenged girls to think critically and to understand the core principals of how to construct an effective argument. We were even treated to the iconic Monty Python sketch as an example of how not to argue!

We have also been lucky enough to hear the following teachers share their knowledge and joy for learning: Mrs Michell on Who Killed Philip of Macedon, Ms Palmer on How to Spot a Liar, Miss Tomlin on Iconography in Art and Mme Basnett on AI. Attendance at Twilights is compulsory for scholars in Remove to Upper Fourth, but open to all, thus ensuring the scholars’ community is an accessible source of academic enrichment where teachers, award holders, and the rest of the School can share in the joy of learning.

STUDENT-LED PUBLICATIONS Train of Thought is the Scholars’ magazine, produced and edited by Academic Scholars from the Downe House community. This year’s edition was put together by the Lower Sixth editorial team of Hao Yin (Helena) Yuan, Hang Ki Katie Lam, Ju-Eun Park, Charlotte Trew and Lydia Isadora Dyer (LVI). The theme of this edition was Courage. The contributors, Academic Award Holders across the scholars’ community, interpreted the theme in many ways to explore what it means to demonstrate courage.

The third edition of the Lower Fifth research essay magazine, Footsteps, was also published in Summer 2024. All the topics in this magazine were chosen by their author as an area of research that they were curious about and wanted to go into more detail about, ranging from colonising life on Mars to the impact of climate change on the spread of Vector-borne diseases. The collection of essays puts in print the ideas that were discussed in our Lower Fifth Scholars research essay seminars throughout the academic year. The Lower Fifth Scholars meet once a term to discuss prevalent subjects and invite healthy discussion and lively debate.

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Academic Scholars

ARCHIVE PROJECT ON INSPIRATIONAL DH ALUMNAE Our Academic Scholars led an inspiring Michaelmas assembly series on Inspirational Downe House Alumnae.

Having spent time in the Summer term researching the archives with the support of our archivist, Mrs CaigerSmith, and Mme Reichardt, they uncovered fascinating and uplifting stories of alumnae who embody the Downe House DNA (Rosemary Murray, Audrey Richards, Elizabeth Bowen, Amaryllis Fleming, Marigold Freeman-Attwood).

ANNUAL ENROLMENT OF SCHOLARS SUPPER The annual dinner to mark the Enrolment of Scholars took place on the last Friday of September. The evening is a chance to welcome girls and their families to the vibrant scholars’ community at Downe House and to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work, aspiration and determination that goes into the scholarship application process.

Our Award Holders play an important role in the life of the School, inspiring others to strive for excellence and sharing a culture of commitment and endeavour, whilst at the same time fulfilling their own potential.

We were delighted to welcome back alumna, Olivia Harrison (DH 2017), who gave an inspiring speech sharing how the life lessons she learnt at Downe House have stood her in good stead for life beyond School. Olivia read Spanish and Linguistics at Oxford and has just embarked on her legal career at Slaughter and May.

Mme Maria Reichardt, Director of Scholars and Academic Enrichment, Teacher of French

Downe House Magazine

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Global Schools Exchange As our Global Schools’ Exchange Programme proudly enters another year, a new cohort of pupils got to experience a very special opportunity to study and live abroad with a choice of 16 partner schools in 11 countries. We are delighted to provide a highly rewarding experience for the Downe House community of hosting visiting students from our partner schools – such a challenge offers huge social, cultural and educational benefits for everyone involved.

Educational benefits I gained include a deeper understanding of the Swedish education system, including the teaching styles and class structures. Cultural benefits included learning about Swedish daily life and the typical food they enjoy. Social benefits encompassed insights into how people in different countries express themselves and spend their free time with friends.

Nga Yee (Amelia) Tam (LVI) I gained a broader perspective on the world, experienced a new culture, and became more globally aware. Living with a host family with a different way of life required adaptation, but I adjusted quickly.

Amelia Karoly (LV) Through this exchange, I developed a sense of independence, managing myself during the trip without relying on my parents. I also learned about the Māori culture, which I hadn’t known about before visiting New Zealand. I was surprised by how deeply it influences daily life there.

Cymbeline Attwater (LV)

I actively participated in a school festival, which included flower arranging, a tea ceremony, and other activities. We had buddies in all our classes, and I especially enjoyed the trips to beautiful temples in Tokyo and trying traditional food. The calligraphy and music lessons were highlights for me.

I made the most of every opportunity, including playing cello in music class and engaging in group debates in History. I learned a lot from the respect and kindness everyone showed each other, and the students were all friendly and eager to interact with us, no matter their English proficiency.

Katie Beeson (UVI) I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, made new friends, and embraced every opportunity. This experience helped me build confidence and understand the differences between the two schools and cultures.

Amelia Voûte (UV) Educationally, I learned a great deal about Indian history, including colonization, which broadened my perspective.

Experiencing such a different culture from that of England opened my eyes to new ways of life, and learning about the Hindu religion made me reflect on other beliefs. Personally, the trip made me much more confident, as I had to socialize with new people while being away from my usual environment.

Daisy Mackinnon (UV)

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I thoroughly enjoyed the exchange and learned a lot about religion and daily life in India, which is very different from the UK. It gave me a new awareness of how others live, in a way that I could only appreciate through direct experience.

It was an eye-opening opportunity that I’m truly grateful for.

Anna Stopford (UV) One educational benefit I gained was reinforcing and expanding on topics I’d studied before, thanks to the new teaching approaches I encountered, like more group work and interactive learning. Culturally, I gained insights into social concepts like economic distribution and political values, which enriched my understanding of South America.

Socially, I learned to communicate even when language barriers existed, and I grew more confident in handling logistics like traveling solo.

Through this exchange, I’ve built global connections that extend beyond just one person. Now, I have contacts who could help if I decide to return. This experience taught me practical skills, such as managing language differences and adapting quickly to a new environment. Experiencing a different school system and discipline has also given me perspectives I can share with my peers at Downe House.

The friendships I formed have continued beyond the exchange, and we stay in touch regularly.

Desola Omonijo (LVI)

Maria Taraban (UV)

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Global Schools Exchange

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Global Schools Exchange

124 Our Year 2023-24

The Festival of Culture has always been a wonderful way to celebrate the diversity of the School and allow everyone to proudly showcase the traditions, art, music, garments and more of their culture. It also serves as a platform for cultural exchange and enrichment education on the beauty of each culture.

The Festival of Culture set off a Mufti Day, with everyone styled in items of clothing that best bring out the significance of their culture. There was an array of colours and garments adding vibrance and liveliness to the usual School environment.

In break times, many took part in various stimulating activities such as quizzes like flag naming or putting together a puzzle of the map of the world. Murray Music Moments was consumed by pieces from all around the world bringing out the magic and uniqueness of each culture through the music. There were performances of

piano, singing and dance with the performers spanning all years. It promoted respect and appreciation for the richness of each heritage through a beautiful art form. This was appreciated by many of those from the Downe House community as well as many from the local area.

The day finished off with all the Houses sitting down together to watch a series of short movies from all over the world presenting a variety of genres and voting on their favourite. This was a wholesome way to finish off the first day of the festival of Culture with everyone excited for the events to come in the days that followed.

Saturday embedded our ever-popular Henna designs and Fashion Show and Continent presentation videos.

Our models took to the catwalk and the presentations demonstrated varied information, from food to fun facts!

Yasmin Aird (LVI)

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Festival of Culture

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DH Links

A global network of alumnae and parents that provides invaluable careers based knowledge. Guidance and practical support to give pupils the toolkit needed for life beyond Downe House.

A wide variety of events took place during the past academic year that pupils, alumnae and parents were invited to participate in.

Each event was varied and offered something different to ensure our programme reflects the diverse interests and career paths of our school community.

GLOBAL CAREERS

Four keynote speakers were invited to talk to our Upper School and Sixth Form pupils in September about careers in a global world. The event took place online and was streamed into all the boarding houses around the school.

The panel was expertly hosted by Molly Tribe (UVI) and Leila Magner (UVI) who put questions to each of the panel members about their career paths. Dr Hon is based in Hong Kong, Dr Lim in Singapore, Ms Sirisant in Thailand and Ms Wu in China.

Do get in touch if you would like to host or attend a future DH LINKS event.

Our guest speakers that day included: Dr Ivor Lim (current parent), Frances Wu (current parent), Dr Johnny Hon (current parent) and Prae Sirisant (current parent).

CAREERS IN THE TV, FILM & THEATRE INDUSTRIES

ZOOLOGY

In September we welcomed six members of our alumnae back to Downe House to talk to Upper Fifth, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth pupils in the Murray Centre. The event was focussed on careers in the theatre, film and TV industries and each guest speaker can a short introduction on their own career path since leaving Downe House, before opening the floor up to questions from the audience.

Our guest speakers that evening included: Marianne Oldham (DH 2000), Sophie Goulding (Roberts DH 1996), Flora Montgomery-Jessen (Montgomery DH 1992), Anna Hewitt (DH 2018), Eliza Horn (DH 2018) and Emilie Cheung (DH 2018).

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In October Dr Lucy King gave a short lunchtime talk to pupils. Dr King is a Zoologist and Head of Human-Elephant Co-Existence Program at Save the Elephants, a research charity which is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Afterwards Dr King joined some pupils and the biology teachers for a lunch in the Main Dining Room followed by a tour of the science school.

Ms Megan Aubrey & Mrs Alexandra Barlow, External Relations Managers

In November, the Politics Society invited Wera Hobhouse MP into School to talk about politics in society today. Araminta Hervey (Upper Sixth) organised and led the event brilliantly and steered questions from her peers.

Wera commented: "I spent a wonderful evening at Downe House. We discussed every possible aspect of politics, from how to first get involved to the values that underpin our democratic system, to Proportional Representation, the present Israel-Gaza conflict and much more. I was truly impressed about the depth of knowledge from the students at Downe House and felt properly challenged, in a good way, by some of the questions. I came away inspired and hopeful that this group of young women will take their civic responsibilities seriously and get involved in public life."

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POLITICS SOCIETY EVENT

DH Links

EXPLORING CAREERS We concluded the series of the events in the Lent term with three current parents talking about their own career paths and exploring job opportunities outside of London.

In March, Mr Manning, Mr Ainscough and Mr Gross who are all based in the north of England, travelled down to Cold Ash and spoke to a group of pupils in the collaboration space of the Murray Centre about industries such as manufacturing, property development and finance. Each of the speakers highlighted businesses who have headquarters in Manchester such as Kellogg’s, Adidas and Siemens and explained why Manchester is perceived as the capital of the north of England and a thriving place for businesses.

Our thanks to each of them for sharing such interesting knowledge, advice and guidance to our pupils.

Our guest speakers that evening included: Richard Ainscough (current parent), Nick Manning (current parent) and Adam Gross (current parent).

INTRODUCTION TO SIXTH FORM WEEK In June we welcomed six of our parent ambassadors, Mr and Mrs Apps, Dr Langhae, Mrs Manson, Mrs Nisa and Dr Omonijo, to offer advice to the incoming sixth form. They shared their experience across a variety of professions and sectors, including the British Army, public health, academia, financial services, management consultancy, telecommunications, IT and change, data science and robotics, fine art, branding, communications and PR. Our guests had some common advice for our girls: to follow their passions and not worry too much about making the right or wrong choices, instead embracing everything as an opportunity to learn.

Ms Megan Aubrey & Mrs Alexandra Barlow, External Relations Managers

Downe House Magazine

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Charity

BUILDING COMMUNITY: DOWNE HOUSE'S YEAR OF COMPASSION At Downe House, we recognise the transformative power of education, not just for our students but for the communities we live alongside. This past year, our School has embarked on a journey of compassion and generosity, engaging in various charity initiatives aimed at making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Our commitment to community engagement has never been stronger.

At a local level, we've actively involved ourselves with the parish, welcoming community members to events such as Murray Music, our annual firework show, and Medley Lectures. Our Lower School pupils have been integral to enhancing our community, contributing proudly to the redevelopment of the Cold Ash Recreation Ground. This effort has provided a safe and vibrant space for local young people to thrive, fostering a sense of belonging and harmony among residents of all ages.

During the festive season, our hearts were warmed as we spread joy to the elderly members of our community through our Christmas parcel delivery program, sponsored

by Newbury News. Students and staff united to deliver special packages of festive cheer, brightening the spirits of over 80s who may have otherwise felt isolated during the holidays. The gratitude we received served as a poignant reminder of the importance of compassion and human connection.

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Beyond our immediate vicinity, we've extended support to Priors Court School for young people with Complex Autism, offering gardening services to enhance their outdoor spaces. This partnership not only improved the school environment but also provided valuable support to an institution dedicated to serving children with Autism, promoting inclusivity and collaboration within the educational community.

Our fundraising efforts for Morgan’s Message and the Charlie Waller Trust have helped spread positive messages supporting mental health and provided crucial aid for those in crisis. A sponsored walk and a lively Mufti Day raised valuable funds and spread awareness of the vital work these charities undertake.

Through acts of kindness and generosity, we've strengthened bonds within our community and made a tangible difference in the lives of others. As our forthcoming ‘Making a Difference Day’ where we involve the School community in coordinated acts of community giving shows, our commitment to community engagement remains steadfast and is developing year on year.

Mr Michael Liggins, Director of Community Engagement & Head of Business Studies and Economics

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Charity

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Moving On

‘Good luck, farewell and above all thank you.’

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MOVING ON

Moving On KATE TUTTLE, DIRECTOR OF HR I feel extremely lucky that Kate was our first Director of HR at Downe House. She established a professional and well-respected HR department which ensured that the recruitment, retention and development of our staff team remained a top priority for the School.

Kate had the unusual gift of being able to balance the day-to-day needs of the department with a strong strategic vision. She was responsible for the introduction and application of our core HR policies and procedures, including recruitment and performance management processes. She advised both the Leadership Team and the Board on key issues and, although this was her first role in education, she quickly got to grips with the diverse and often complex nature of a boarding school operation. This was largely due to her strong desire to understand, her ability to listen and her interest in the whole-School operation. She gave people time, attended many School events and was an excellent Tutor to girls and so learnt about what was important to the pupils too.

During the pandemic Kate worked tirelessly to ensure that staff were well supported and she brought in a number of staff well-being initiatives. She was also capable of delivering difficult messages with skill and compassion which was highly valued.

I could not have wished for anyone better to establish the HR team at Downe House. As well as her many professional skills and her expertise, Kate had a wonderful sense of fun, great energy and was always available if required whatever time of day or night. She leaves a legacy that would be the envy of many.

Emma McKendrick, Headmistress

CHARLOTTE EXON, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC It did not take long in Charlotte’s company to be enthused by her love of music and to recognise her commitment to education. Although committed to the very highest standards of musicianship, she pursued an agenda and ambition that everyone could and should have the opportunity to participate in the musical life of the School. To those who attended any concert or performances organised by Charlotte this was immediately evident.

Charlotte’s keen eye, vision and influence could be seen in all aspects of the musical life of the School. The results of the ABRSM examinations were excellent and she was always keen to support both our visiting teachers as well as the girls to optimise these outcomes without impacting on the girls’ enjoyment of music making. The number of those girls taking diplomas increased significantly during her tenure which is testament to her encouragement to the girls to reach for the musical stars!

Choral, instrumental and orchestral music all blossomed and girls were able to perform at a range of prestigious venues including the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and many more. Charlotte was able to get the very best from the girls and they enjoyed rising to the challenges she set them. It is no accident that Prima Voce won the Barnado’s Choir of the Year two years in a row prior to the pandemic.

Charlotte leaves a wonderful legacy behind her, and I know many girls will be forever grateful for the love of music she inspired in them. We thank her for all that she did during her time with us and wish her well for all that lies ahead.

Emma McKendrick, Headmistress

SUE LISTER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS During her time at Downe House, Sue’s talent, energy and creativity resulted in her being internally promoted to the role of Director of Marketing and Communications. Her service to the school has been outstanding; a highly professional marketeer, Sue understands Downe very well indeed and has genuine talent for communicating the spirit of the place to those who do not.

Her contribution to the growing reputation and profile of our school has been tremendous.

She has been very closely involved in so many school projects – and everyone involved in our busy school life has appreciated her ‘can do’ attitude as well as the creative spark and sense of style that she injects into all her work. “Thank goodness for Sue!” is a common cry from colleagues who oversee the organisation of school events.

We are fortunate to have been able to retain her services on a freelance basis as the organiser of our annual Academic Conference, which Sue has completed with her usual panache.

Sue’s work ethic and her forensic attention to detail are phenomenal; her sense of humour and fun, her patience and her humility mean she is hugely missed.

Matt Godfrey, Deputy Head Downe House Magazine

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MOVING ON

Moving On DAVID MCCLYMONT, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL DELIVERY AND INNOVATION David’s 18 years at Downe House mark a period of significant growth and development in the structure and use of Information Technology and Systems at the School. He played a significant role in this transformation firstly in his role as Network Manager and then as Director of Digital Delivery and Innovation.

During David’s tenure, he ensured we built a robust network that stood the test of time. He was the mastermind behind bringing in the Microsoft Surface programme across all year groups and staff and seeing the School achieve the coveted Microsoft Showcase status six years in a row. This meant that when the Covid pandemic hit, we were well placed to move seamlessly from in-person to online learning, thanks to David’s vision and drive.

David’s determination to make the very most of emerging technologies to support teaching and learning, as well as to support the running of the School, was his hallmark. He looked creatively for solutions to problems and sought out opportunities. It is perhaps no surprise therefore that Downe was an early adopter of VR to support interview practice for the Sixth Form.

David and his wife Sofie lived in AGS when she was Assistant Housemistress and then Housemistress and David played a full part in House life, fixing things that needed fixing, managing spiders that found their way into girls’ rooms and cooking a mean BBQ when required!

It was my privilege to have David on our Leadership Team. He was one of the most collegiate, loyal and dedicated members I have known. He leaves us to return to industry, but we are delighted to still have him as a parent in the community and as a friend to many. He goes with our very best wishes and sincere thanks.

Emma McKendrick, Headmistress

CHRISTINA PUGSLEY, TEACHER OF BIOLOGY Christina Pugsley is undoubtedly one of the kindest, most dedicated and hardworking people I have had the pleasure to work with. Her enthusiasm and attention to detail has become legendary within the Science department and allowed all who worked with her, or who were taught by her, to achieve their very best. Christina was always very generous with her time and no job was too big or too small; one eventful D of E trip, for example, found her willingly driving around the Dartmoor area to find walking boots for a Lower Sixth student who had thought that traversing Dartmoor in trainers was a good idea. Christina arrived as a full time Biology teacher in September 2005 and then went on to fulfil a number of roles including Resident Tutor in AGN, Head of Biology and Head of Science before leaving in December 2023 – over 18 years later! She played a large role in many journeys through Downe House and her pupils and tutees were very appreciative of her care and excellent teaching; always very pleased to find themselves in her teaching or tutor groups. She was a wonderful colleague to work with and is very much missed. Our loss, however, is Taunton School’s gain and we are so pleased she has moved to be closer to family. We miss you Miss Pugsley and wish you every happiness in the next chapter of your life!

Nadine de Chazal, Head of Biology

JANE CAIGER-SMITH, SCHOOL ARCHIVIST Jane joined Downe House in 2002 from Bradfield College and quickly became a familiar member of the Learning Skills department. Jane taught across all year groups, but her specialism was the Sixth Form at that time. Jane went on to become a Sixth Form tutor, a role she thoroughly enjoyed, and pupils were extremely fortunate to be under her guidance during this time. Jane also took on the role of Coordinator of the Outstandingly Able and led a fantastic programme of enrichment lectures and events for pupils to attend and take part in. She regularly led trips to Oxford Colleges, Radley College, debating competitions at local schools and masterminded the first Upper School debating competition at Downe.

Jane took over the running of the School Archives in 2015 and did a wonderful job of moving the Archives forward and developing a digital presence and working with pupils on showcasing prominent alumnae in Whole School assemblies and liaising with local historians.

Jane is someone of great integrity and always had the pupils at the forefront of her mind. She took great pride in ensuring that the values of Downe were reflected in all that she did. She was a wonderfully supportive colleague to all who worked with her in the Foundation Office. We wish Jane every happiness in her retirement and starting the next chapter of her life.

Mrs Alexandra Barlow, Director of External Relations 132 Our Year 2023-24

MOVING ON

Moving On KATHRYN RAWLINSON, HEAD OF GEOGRAPHY What can be said about Mrs Rawlinson? It would seem odd not to start with noting how much her students genuinely love her, her lessons and her unending support. Kathryn always talks with such faith about her students, about how they will accomplish more than they possibly believe. She enjoys being part of that journey, even if that journey leads to her standing behind a barrier on the M25 with a bus load of UV students. This story is always told through the lens of exemplifying Kathryn’s calm demeanour in a crisis, finding solutions and always putting the students first. Leading a department where the team is pulled in different directions by their roles in the School is never easy. But Kathryn has always made the most of the talents of those around her, holding the team together and calmly finding a way through the challenges thrown in her direction, even if those challenges are sometimes rabbit shaped.

Kathryn’s taking in of a rabbit found in the School grounds kept the whole-staff emails going for a few evenings earlier this year. Quite how long she waited for the rabbit to show itself we may never know, but the bunny was saved from a culinary fate suggested by other staff members. Kathryn will be missed by all in the School community and we wish her all the best in her northern adventures.

Hugh Grant, Deputy Head (Academic)

LOUISE HERBERT, OPERATIONS MANAGER Louise joined the School in January 2012, initially as a receptionist and then becoming part of the central administrative team. It was very clear from the start that Louise would be an excellent colleague – organised, personable and proactive, she showed her skills at managing a wide and varied workload. All of this made her the obvious choice to step into the Operations team, firstly as Administrator and then from 2018 as Manager, working to make sure that the day-to-day life of the School ran smoothly. Louise formed strong friendships with those that she worked with, her warmth and open-door approach meant that her office was regularly full of those seeking advice and support, sharing ideas and hoping that Louise could find a solution to whatever calendar problem had arisen. Louise developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the School and I will miss her willingness to go the extra mile for her colleagues and the girls, her ability to keep us all organised and most of all her sense of humour. Louise moves on to become PA to the Director of Finance and Operations at Elstree School and we wish her the very best for this new chapter in her career.

Philippa Toogood, Assistant Head (Operations)

SABRINA NATTA, ASSISTANT HOUSEMISTRESS (WILLIS VKR), TEACHER OF FRENCH Sabrina Natta is a valued member of the Sixth Form team and she will be missed by both staff and the girls. She is kind and generous and brings humour to all that she does, the girls clearly enjoy her company and have gained a huge amount from her support. Her commitment to the girls in House and as a tutor is fantastic, she has always gone the extra mile for the girls in her care. Her efforts don’t stop there though, her crochet skills are unmatched and she did an excellent Tango dance with a colleague in one of the Butterfly Lectures! She brings fun and passion to her Italian lessons and has supported many girls at a range of stages in their education. Staff and students have also enjoyed dancing with her at the Caledonian Society socials. Sabrina has brought a positive attitude to many aspects of School life and we wish her all the best.

Nadine de Chazal, Head of Biology, Induction Mentor

The staff featured on these pages have served Downe House for ten years or longer. Other members of staff who left the School in 2023/24 will be mentioned in Cloisters, our alumnae magazine.

Downe House Magazine 133

2024 Leavers

‘A Downe House girl can!’

134 Our Year 2023-24

HEAD SENIOR Shiloh Akintaju

HEAD OF DANCE Isabel (Izzy) Toogood

DEPUTY HEAD SENIOR Kimberly Gan

HEAD OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR DRAMA Eliza Irving

SENIORS Tundun Are Georgina Boucher Sinling Damais Tara McCaldin Annabel Munnelly Zara Reeve Clementine Ridley Cecilia Stone

HEAD OF CREATIVE ARTS Freya Brown

AISHOLT Miranda Harries (Head) Araminta (Minty) Hervey (Deputy Head) Claudia Pope (Deputy Head)

HEADS OF ACADEMIC SCHOLARS Tacita Rhys Williams Jocelyn Yue

AGN Izzy Vir (Head) Isabelle Ashworth (Deputy Head) Eliza Irving (Deputy Head) AGS Martha Drew (Head) Mimi Thistlethwayte (Deputy Head) Isabel (Izzy) Toogood (Deputy Head) HOLCOMBE Honor Harris (Head) Alice Farquhar (Deputy Head) Rachel Raeburn-Ward (Deputy Head) TEDWORTH Hannah Knight (Head) Ruby Dean (Deputy Head) Anna Kurtser (Deputy Head) HEAD CHAPEL SENIOR Isabel (Izzy) Toogood GAMES CAPTAINS Ella Snow HEAD OF ACADEMIC DRAMA Hannah Hurd

DEPUTY HEADS OF CREATIVE ARTS Clothylde Debray Sophie Scott CREATIVE ARTS PREFECTS Hannah Hussain Joann (Minkey) Koo

HEADS OF STEM Louise Alldis-Kervella Kexuan (Angela) Zou HEADS OF MUSIC Alice Boyle Olivia McClintock HEAD OF CHORAL Camilla Hale DEPUTY HEAD OF CHORAL Charlotte Mackinnon HEAD OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC Ziyue (Sophia) Yu

HEAD GLOBAL AMBASSADORS Leila Magner Molly Tribe GLOBAL AMBASSADORS Lavinia Auletta Armenise Juliette Bale Ziyue (Carol) Chen Natnicha (Dedee) Sethi Beier (Sissi) Xi HEAD OF WILLIS Emilie Booth HEAD(S) OF LOWER SCHOOL Emily Sideso Ella Spry LOWER SCHOOL SENIORS Eloise Cull Georgina Jackson Honor McNair Scott Natnicha (Dedee) Sethi Alexandra Tanner Rose Wilkinson LITERARY SENIOR Sophie Ewen Sophie Li SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHERS Mimi Thistlethwayte Rose Wilkinson

HEAD AMBASSADORS Katya Longden Ilaria Perhar

PRESIDENTS OF PHOENIX SOCIETY Tacita Rhys Williams Jocelyn Yue

AMBASSADORS Natasha Chanda Yanci (Sophie) Chen Georgina Jackson Venetia Knight Sonya Leong Clementine McDougall Isabelle Wessely Fleur Williams

ENVIRONMENTAL AMBASSADORS Cassiana (Cassie) Bennett Sophie Scott DIGITAL AMBASSADORS Xinrui (Sherry) Chen Claribelle Cheng Sion Ovbiebo

Downe House Magazine 135

2024 LEAVERS

School Officers 2023/24

2024 LEAVERS

Leavers’ Day Our Leavers’ Day is always a bitter-sweet time in the school year. It was a wonderful moment to celebrate everything that the Class of 2024 has contributed, to acknowledge the accomplished young women that they have become and to say farewell and thank you to them. An inspirational speech from alumna, Siobhan Hewlett (DH – 2024), encouraged them to embrace the opportunities that they have ahead, to face challenges boldly and bravely and to make a difference. Her motto was simply, ‘A Downe House girl can!’ Following the award of prizes, the Leavers’ Chapel Service and celebratory lunch, the girls gathered in the Cloisters where the confetti guns fired and we wished them well for their future lives ahead.

136 Our Year 2023-24

NAME

INSTITUTION

COURSE

NAME

INSTITUTION

COURSE

Charlotte Absolom

University of Bath (Deferred)

Sport (Sport Performance)

Chenxi (Thalia) Li

University College London (UCL)

Comparative Literature

Shiloh Akintaju

University of Southampton

Economics and Philosophy with Year Abroad

Sophie Li

University of St Andrews

English

University College London (UCL)

Biochemistry

Louise AlldisKervella

University of Bristol

Chemistry with Industrial Experience

Janice Li

Tundun Are

University of Manchester

Chemical Engineering

Athina Lin

University of the Arts London (UAL)

Graphic and Media Design

Isabelle Ashworth

University of Oxford

Classics

Katya Longden

Durham University (Deferred)

Geography

Lavinia Auletta Armenise

Post-qualification applicant

Charlotte Mackinnon

Juliette Bale

Post-qualification applicant

Leila Magner

University of York

Politics with International Relations

Gayatre Maran

University of Strathclyde

Biomedical Engineering

Tara McCaldin

IE University, Spain

Communications and Digital Media

Olivia McClintock

Durham University

Music

Clementine McDougall

Durham University

Combined Honours in Social Sciences

Post-qualification applicant

Katie Beeson

Durham University

Combined Honours in Social Sciences

Cassiana Bennett

University of Birmingham

Environmental Science

Emilie Booth

University of Bath (Deferred)

Internationial Management & Modern Language (French) with study or work abroad

Georgina Boucher

University of Bristol

Medicine - MBChB Standard entry

Honor McNair Scott

University of Glasgow

Classics and Mathematics

Medicine

Chloe Kate Njeri Miringu

University of Toronto, Canada

Social Sciences

Annabel Munnelly

University College London (UCL)

Human Sciences

Alice Boyle

University of Oxford

Post-qualification applicant

Freya Brown Natasha Chanda

University of Nottingham

Criminology and Sociology

Sion Ovbiebo

University of Manchester

Aerospace Engineering

Xinrui (Sherry) Chen

Imperial College London

Materials Science and Engineering

Lucia PérezEscolar Moya

University of Bath

Yanci (Sophie) Chen

University of the Arts, London, Paris (UAL)

Fashion Public Relations and Communication

Economics with professional placement or study abroad

Ilaria Perhar

IE University, Spain

International Relations

Liberal Arts

Ellen Phillips

King's College London

Ancient History

Claudia Pope

The Oxford School of Drama

Drama Foundation course

Rachel Raeburn-Ward

University of Reading (Deferred)

Ancient History and Archaeology

Ziyue (Carol) Chen

Boston University, USA

Claribelle Cheng

University of Manchester

Eloise Cull

University of Exeter (Deferred)

English with Study in North America

Sinling Damais

King's College London (KCL)

Film Studies

Mathematics and Physics

Ruby Dean

Post-qualification applicant

Clothylde Debray

Post-qualification applicant

Zara Reeve

Post-qualification applicant

Tacita Rhys Williams

Post-qualification applicant

Clementine Ridley

Durham University (Deferred)

Sociology

Sophie Scott

Newcastle Univeristy (Deferred)

Combined Honours

Jiayue Deng

University College London (UCL)

Arts and Sciences

Martha Drew

University of Exeter

International Relations

Natnicha Sethi

Durham University

International Foundation Year in IR and Politics

Post-qualification applicant

Emily Sideso

The University of Edinburgh (Deferred)

International Relations

Allegra (Issy) Edelsten Sophie Ewen

The University of Edinburgh

English Language and Literature

Ella Snow

Oxford Brookes University (Deferred)

Business and Management

Alice Farquhar

Durham University (Deferred)

Combined Honours in Social Sciences

Ella Spry

Lancaster University

Medicine and Surgery

Medical Innovation and Enterprise

Cecilia Stone

Durham University (Deferred)

Modern Languages and Cultures (with Year Abroad)

Camilla Hale

Post-qualification applicant

Alexandra Tanner

The University of Edinburgh (Deferred)

Chinese

Miranda Harries

Post-qualification applicant

Mimi Thistlethwayte

Drama

Isabel Toogood

University of Nottingham

English and History

Post-qualification applicant

Molly Tribe

Durham University

Modern Languages and Cultures (with Year Abroad)

English

Izzy Vir

University of Exeter (Deferred)

International Relations

Post-qualification applicant

Isabelle Wessely

University of Nottingham

Medicine

Rosie Wilkinson

Post-qualification applicant

Fleur Williams

Post-qualification applicant

Kimberly Gan

Honor Harris

University College London (UCL)

University of Exeter (Deferred)

Araminta Hervey Lilias Hoare Nairne

Durham University

Iona Hordern Hannah Hurd

University of Manchester

Liberal Arts

Hannah Hussain

University of Exeter

Business and Management

Eliza Irving

University of Exeter

Drama with Employment Experience

Georgina Jackson

University of the Arts London, Paris (UAL)

French and Business

Colette Jolley

Newcastle University

Combined Honours Post-qualification applicant

Hannah Knight Venetia Knight

Oxford Brookes

Real Estate

Joann (Minkey) Koo

University of the Arts London (UAL)

Fine Art

Anna Kurtser

University of Exeter

Modern Languages

Sonya Leong

University of the Arts London (UAL)

Fashion Marketing

2024 LEAVERS

Leavers’ Destinations

Post-qualification applicant

Aimee Wilson

University of Leeds

Business Management

Beier (Sissi) Xi

Durham University

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Ziyue Yu

UCL (University College London)

Biomedical Sciences

Jocelyn Yue

Imperial College London

Biomedical Engineering

Hanzhu (Jenny) Zhang

SOAS University of London

Business, Management, Economics & Law with Foundation Year

Kexuan (Angela) Zou

University of Manchester

Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry

Downe House Magazine

137

Awards & More

‘A Downe House girl can!’

138 Our Year 2023-24

AWARDS AND MORE

Congratulations to all our prize winners YEAR

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

Remove

Uwailomwan Aighe

Headmistress Biology English

Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Biology Excellence in English

Remove

Daisy Aird

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

Remove

Vivian Bakewell

Textiles Headmistress History MFL Physics Maths ICT Classics Headmistress Chemistry Biology Food 3D Art Geography Headmistress

Progress & Effort in Textiles Excellence in Examinations Excellence in History Excellence in MFL Excellence in Physics Excellence in Mathematics Excellence in Computing & ICT Excellence in Classics Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Chemistry Progress & Effort in Biology Progress & Effort in Food & Nutrition Excellence in 3D Design Progress & Effort in Art Excellence in Geography Excellence in Examinations

Remove

Aleks&ra Bekker

Remove

Eloise Brennan

Remove

Victoria Davies

Remove

Yuanyin Du

Physics

Progress & Effort in Physics

Remove

Jennifer Ford

Headmistress History Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize Progress & Effort in History Excellence in Examinations

Remove

Isabelle Lawler

Biology

Progress & Effort in Biology

Remove

Emily Liu

Music Biology Music u Speech & Drama

Excellence in Music Excellence in Biology Whitehouse-Vaux Cup (Most Promising Musician in the Lower School) Excellence in Speech & Drama

Remove

Jessica MacPhee

Music

Music Practice Award

Remove

Cristina Manuel

PE

Excellence in PE

Remove

Philippa Marsh

Remove

Tilly McClymont

Remove

Vedika Mehta

Headmistress RS ICT Food Headmistress Chemistry Geography

Excellence in Examinations Excellence in RS Progress & Effort in Computing & ICT Excellence in Food & Nutrition Independent Learner Prize Progress & Effort in Chemistry Progress & Effort in Geography

Remove

Francesca Mitchell

Classics

Progress & Effort in Classics

Remove

Uwekhai Okhai-Akhigbe

Remove

Sadie Stepanek

Remove

Elizabeth Sutherl&

Headmistress Speech & Drama Art Textiles MFL Classics English

Excellence in Examinations Progress & Effort in Speech & Drama Excellence in Art Excellence in Textiles Progress & Effort in MFL Progress & Effort in Classics Progress & Effort in English

Remove

Sophia Tol&

Drama

Progress & Effort in Drama

Remove

Willoughby Wren

Music PE Music Maths Drama

Progress & Effort in Music Progress & Effort in PE Ensemble Award Progress & Effort in Mathematics Excellence in Drama

Remove

Betsy Zammett

3D

Progress & Effort in 3D Design

Headmistress Geography History RS Headmistress ICT MFL Chemistry

Berwick Cup (Darwin) Progress & Effort in Geography Progress & Effort in History Progress & Effort in RS Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Computing & ICT Excellence in MFL Excellence in Chemistry

RS

Excellence in RS

LIV

Temiloluwa Akinkugbe

LIV

Emmeline &erson

LIV

Charlotte Ayliffe

132 Our Year 2023-24

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

LIV

Anna Bareau

Headmistress Drama

Excellence in Examinations Progress & Effort in Drama

LIV

Leya Bell

Music

Progress & Effort in Music

LIV

Eleanor Black

Physics

Progress & Effort in Physics

Art Headmistress Headmistress Classics Headmistress Headmistress Classics Speech & Drama Headmistress

Excellence in Art Lunn Cup (Hermitage) Gold Wakefield Award Excellence in Classics Excellence in Examinations Junior Mathematical Challenge - Gold Progress & Effort in Classics Progress & Effort in Speech & Drama Gold Wakefield Award

LIV

Elizabeth Carter Shaw

LIV

Hiu Ping (Michelle) Cheung

LIV

Isabella Filo

LIV

Helen Foulkes

Speech & Drama

Excellence in Speech & Drama

LIV

Anna Gomonova

Biology

Excellence in Biology

LIV

Ruby Grant

Headmistress

Gold Wakefield Award

LIV

Isabella Heveron

Biology

Excellence in Biology

Chemistry Headmistress Headmistress Maths English Headmistress RS Headmistress English Headmistress Headmistress ICT

Progress & Effort in Chemistry Independent Learner Prize Excellence in Examinations Progress & Effort in Mathematics Progress & Effort in English Excellence in Examinations Progress & Effort in RS Moore Cup (Hill) Excellence in English Excellence in Examinations Gold Wakefield Award Progress & Effort in Computing & ICT

LIV

Danielle Jibodu

LIV

Arianna Jolaoso

LIV

Emma Kovalchuk

LIV

Katherine Langworthy

LIV

Emilia Lazenby

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

LIV

Isabella Lloyd George

Biology

Progress & Effort in Biology

LIV

Kloy Lotharukpong

MFL

Progress & Effort in MFL

Art Music Music Headmistress Headmistress Food Headmistress Drama Maths Music 3D Music PE Biology History Food

Progress & Effort in Art Excellence in Music The Julia Dowson Cup Excellence in Examinations Gold Wakefield Award Progress & Effort in Food & Nutrition The Capps Cup – for contribution to, & excellent attitude at, the LIV camp Excellence in Drama Excellence in Mathematics Bronze Music Colours Excellence in 3D Design Music Practice Award Progress & Effort in PE Progress & Effort in Biology Excellence in History Excellence in Food & Nutrition

Textiles

Excellence in Textiles

Headmistress 3D Textiles Headmistress Headmistress PE Geography Physics Headmistress Headmistress ICT 3D Geography Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize Progress & Effort in 3D Design Progress & Effort in Textiles Gold Wakefield Award Excellence in Examinations Excellence in PE Excellence in Geography Excellence in Physics Gold Wakefield Award Excellence in Examinations Progress & Effort in Computing & ICT Progress & Effort in 3D Design Excellence in Geography Excellence in Examinations

History

Excellence in History

LIV

Tsz Yuet Natalie Luo

LIV

Rose Morgan

LIV

Gisella Perhar

LIV

Carmen Ren

LIV

Ilaria Rosa

LIV

Clementine Sanford

LIV

Georgiana Sokol

LIV

Zara Sutherl&

LIV

Madeleine Watkins-Ball

LIV

Catherine Yam

UIV

Estelle Alldis-Kervella

UIV

Beatrice Brooks

Downe House Magazine 133

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

Headmistress Biology Music Maths Music Classics RS Chemistry ICT Geography MFL Music Drama

Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Biology Excellence in Music Excellence in Mathematics Ensemble Award Excellence in Classics Progress & Effort in RS Excellence in Chemistry Excellence in Computing & ICT Progress & Effort in Geography Progress & Effort in MFL Ensemble Award Excellence in Drama

UIV

Jia Chun

UIV

Charlotte Cunningham

UIV

Anna Dawson Paul

History

Progress & Effort in History

UIV

Rosina Gill-Wagner

MFL Music Headmistress

Excellence in MFL Progress & Effort in Music Excellence in Examinations

UIV

Lara Hallas

Speech & Drama

Progress & Effort in Speech & Drama

UIV

Cecilia Harris

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

UIV

Mathilda Hart

Physics

Progress & Effort in Physics

UIV

Elsie Heath-Pampin

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

UIV

Isabelle Hsia

Food

Excellence in Food & Nutrition

UIV

Xiaoyu Hu

Music Speech & Drama Headmistress Music

The Elizabeth Pickering Prize Excellence in Speech & Drama Excellence in Examinations Ensemble Award

UIV

Marvellous Idowu-Titus

Drama

Progress & Effort in Drama

UIV

Sara Kamijo-Kinmont

English

Progress & Effort in English

Music RS 3D Classics PE Headmistress

Music Practice Award Excellence in RS Excellence in 3D Design Excellence in Classics Progress & Effort in PE Excellence in Examinations

UIV

Hitomi Kotaka (Yip)

UIV

Gauri Langhae

UIV

Mingxi Li

Textiles

Progress & Effort in Textiles

UIV

Zourui (Ray) Li

Art

Progress & Effort in Art

UIV

Poppy McClymont

Biology

Progress & Effort in Biology

UIV

Petra McKay

UIV

Mia McLennan

Chemistry Headmistress Drama Biology Food Food

Progress & Effort in Chemistry Deborah James Trophy Priestley Cup for Most Promising Young Performer Progress & Effort in Biology Progress & Effort in Food & Nutrition Food Technology Prize

UIV

Amelie Perceval

PE

Excellence in PE

UIV

Alice Reynolds

Chemistry Maths

Progress & Effort in Chemistry Progress & Effort in Mathematics

UIV

Elizabeth Stonor

Textiles

Excellence in Textiles

UIV

Nga Yan Tam

Classics English Headmistress

Progress & Effort in Classics Excellence in English Excellence in Examinations

UIV

Alexia Walker

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

UIV

Ngaihiu (Elisa) Wang

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

Speech & Drama UIV

Scarlett Wykes Headmistress Chemistry Physics Headmistress

Lynette Gridley Memorial Trophy for Outst&ing Contribution to Speech & Drama Independent Learner Prize Excellence in Chemistry Excellence in Physics Excellence in Examinations

PE

UIV International Sports Honour

UIV

Muqing Yang

UIV

Jinhan (Katy) Yao

134 Our Year 2023-24

NAME

UIV

Tiffany Ying

UIV

Gabrielle Yue

LV

Cymbeline Attwater

LV

Man Kei Au

LV

Charlotte Benson

LV

Alice Bevan

LV

Abigail Bowden

LV

Louisa Burges Watson

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

SUBJECT

AWARD

Art Music Headmistress Biology Headmistress MFL Headmistress Headmistress MFL Maths Headmistress

Excellence in Art The MacLean Prize Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Biology Excellence in Examinations Progress & Effort in MFL Excellence in Examinations Junior Olive Willis Prize Excellence in MFL Excellence in Mathematics Excellence in Examinations

Music

Music Practice Award

Headmistress Headmistress History Chemistry Physics 3D Headmistress Headmistress Headmistress

Junior Olive Willis Prize Foote Essay Prize – 1st Place Progress & Effort in History Excellence in Chemistry Excellence in Physics Excellence in 3D Design Independent Learner Prize Junior Olive Willis Prize Excellence in Examinations

PE

LV International Sports Honour

Headmistress Food ICT Biology Geography Headmistress Headmistress Headmistress English Speech & Drama

Independent Learner Prize Excellence in Food & Nutrition Progress & Effort in Computing & ICT Excellence in Biology Excellence in Geography Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Examinations Junior Olive Willis Prize Excellence in English Progress & Effort in Speech & Drama

LV

Margaret Chiu

LV

Sophie Chow

LV

Aleks&ra Cork

LV

Phillipa Drysdale

LV

Olivia Fane

Headmistress

Lucasta Partridge Hicks Trophy

LV

Clementine Flynn

Textiles

Progress & Effort in Textiles

LV

Isabella Gharagozlou

Classics ICT Headmistress Headmistress

Excellence in Classics Excellence in Computing & ICT Foote Essay Prize – 3rd Place Excellence in Examinations

LV

Maria Gomonova

Speech & Drama

Excellence in Communication Skills

LV

Eloise Harrison

Headmistress

Foote Essay Prize – 2nd Place

LV

Lahja Hart

Art English

Progress & Effort in Art Progress & Effort in English

LV

Natalie Hui

Music

Ensemble Award

LV

Constance Hutchings

3D

Progress & Effort in 3D Design

LV

Tabisa Iakovleva

Speech & Drama

Excellence in Musical Theatre

LV

Amelia Karoly

PE

Progress & Effort in PE

LV

Audrey King

Biology

Excellence in Biology

Drama Maths MFL Biology Maths Headmistress Headmistress

Excellence in Speech & Drama Elizabeth Anne Beel Memorial Trophy for Mathematical Endeavour Progress & Effort in MFL Progress & Effort in Biology Excellence in Mathematics Independent Learner Prize Excellence in Examinations

LV

Kateryna Kryvoruchko

LV

On Kiu (Mini) Ku

LV

Annika Last

RS

Progress & Effort in RS

LV

Tsz Hei (Maia) Lee

Headmistress

Excellence in Examinations

LV

Jia Rui (Kerry) Lu

Headmistress Speech & Drama

Independent Learner Prize Progress & Effort in Communication Skills

LV

Eliza Manson

Art

Bathurst Art Award

LV

Thitasa (Time) Marayat

Maths

Progress & Effort in Mathematics

Downe House Magazine 135

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

LV

Lucie Mareschal de Charentenay

PE

Delf Diploma

LV

Eloise McNair Scott

Speech & Drama

Progress & Effort in Musical Theatre

Headmistress PE Headmistress Music Classics

Junior Olive Willis Prize Junior Victor Ludorum Sports Cup Independent Learner Prize Progress & Effort in Music Progress & Effort in Classics

LV

Lorna Meyrick

LV

Tatiana Montanari

LV

Nina Mutton

Classics

Progress & Effort in Classics

LV

Audre Ovbiebo

RS

Excellence in RS

LV

Violet-Rose Penney

Geography

Progress & Effort in Geography

LV

Eimear Planner

Headmistress History Drama PE

Junior Olive Willis Prize Excellence in History Excellence in Drama Excellence in PE

LV

Scarlett Porter

Drama

Progress & Effort in Drama

LV

Veronika Reinl

LV

Ava Sparrow

Art Music PE Chemistry English

Excellence in Art Ensemble Award Progress & Effort in PE Progress & Effort in Chemistry The Gosse LV English Prize

LV

Camilla Spread

Physics

Progress & Effort in Physics

LV

Chloe Stewart

Headmistress

Junior Olive Willis Prize

LV

Margaret Tam

Music Headmistress Music

Excellence in Music Junior Olive Willis Prize Evelyn Barbirolli Woodwind Prize

LV

Natalie Teng

Headmistress

Junior Olive Willis Prize

LV

Jing (Angela) Yang

Textiles

Excellence in Textiles

LV

Oneira Yu

Food

Excellence in Food & Nutrition

LV

Qianya (Zoe) Zhou

Biology

Progress & Effort in Biology

UV

Pascale Ashley

Drama

Progress & Effort in Drama

UV

Pearl (Ivie) Avwenagha

MFL ICT

Excellence in MFL Progress & Effort in Computing & ICT

UV

Violet Barker

Classics

Progress & Effort in Classics

UV

Lucinda Boucher

Geography Headmistress Biology History

Progress & Effort in Geography Independent Learner Prize Progress & Effort in Biology Progress & Effort in History

UV

Zhi Yu Tiffany Cheong

Speech & Drama

Excellence in Communication Skills

UV

Tamsin Clegg

Textiles

Excellence in Textiles

Headmistress Speech & Drama PE PE

Doherty Cup (AGS) Progress & Effort in Musical Theatre UV International Sports Honour Excellence in PE

UV

Lily Colville

UV

Mia Corbett

UV

Isabella de Arcangelis

Music

Most Promising Composer

UV

Hedy Dong

Music Drama

The Eileen Fairbank Cup Excellence in Drama

UV

Melanie Ferretti

Maths

Progress & Effort in Mathematics

UV

Polly Fowler

UV

Alice Gilchrist

UV

Jemima Gross

Headmistress Biology Biology PE MFL Speech & Drama Textiles RS

Houghton Cup (Aisholt) Progress & Effort in Biology Progress & Effort in Biology Progress & Effort in PE Progress & Effort in MFL Progress & Effort in Communication Skills Progress & Effort in Textiles Progress & Effort in RS

UV

Rhea Gupta

Headmistress

Barnes Cup (Holcombe)

136 Our Year 2023-24

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

UV

Esmee Haefner

Music English History Speech & Drama

Ensemble Award Progress & Effort in English Excellence in History Excellence in Speech & Drama

UV

Rosamund Harris

UV

Yan Tung Cecilia Hon

Art

Excellence in Art

UV

Zimo (Emily) Huang

Chemistry

Progress & Effort in Chemistry

UV

Ada Kurumlu

PE

UV International Sports Honour

MFL Geography Music Biology Music Speech & Drama

The Maitl& French Prize Excellence in Geography Progress & Effort in Music Excellence in Biology Excellence in Music Excellence in Musical Theatre

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

UV

Joline Lam

UV

Cheuk-Yi Cherie (Sage) Lau

UV

Yichen (Lilian) Li

3D

Excellence in 3D Design

UV

Vernados Lin

ICT

Excellence in Computing & ICT

UV

Yuchen Liu

UV

Isabella Neill

Maths Physics Headmistress Headmistress

Excellence in Mathematics Excellence in Physics Gwatkin Cup (Tedworth) Independent Learner Prize

UV

Niamh Planner

Chemistry

Progress & Effort in Chemistry

UV

Annabel Reeve

PE Headmistress

UV International Sports Honour Independent Learner Prize

UV

Tabatha Ridley

3D

Progress & Effort in 3D Design

UV

Yan Qi (Angelina) Shek

UV

Dhyaana Shourie

UV

Liberty Spry

Music Music Classics RS RS English Chemistry Biology

Marjorie Gunn Music Prize Music Practice Award Excellence in Classics Overall Prize at GCSE Excellence in RS Excellence in English Excellence in Chemistry Excellence in Biology

UV

Serena Stewart

Speech & Drama

Progress & Effort in Speech & Drama

UV

Anna Stopford

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

UV

Imogen Thompson

Physics

Progress & Effort in Physics

UV

Amelia Voûte

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

UV

Ka Yee (Kallie) Wong

PE

UV International Sports Honour

UV

Enyi (Christina) Zhao

Headmistress

Austin Cup (AGN)

UV

Ai Lun (Ellen) Zhu

Art

Progress & Effort in Art

LVI

Alice Aird

SF Headmistress Business Geography

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Business Progress & Effort in Geography

LVI

Mwansa B&a

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Alice Barber

Art

The Power Carlier Prize for Artistic Endeavour in the LVI

SF MFL History SF Drama

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit) UK Linguistics Olympiad Progress & Effort in History Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Progress & Effort in Drama

Speech & Drama

Excellence in Musical Theatre

Biology Chemistry Headmistress SF SF Food Chemistry Maths Music

Excellence in Biology Progress & Effort in Chemistry Excellence in Examinations Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit) Excellence in Food & Nutrition Progress & Effort in Chemistry Excellence in Mathematics Ensemble Award

LVI

Petchnapa (Nampetch) Bennett

LVI

Hope Black

LVI

Anjola Bolodeoku

LVI

Jemima Booth

LVI

Ophelia Bracken

LVI

Eve Brown

Downe House Magazine 137

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

LVI

Serena Browne

Food Art History SF Speech & Drama

Excellence in Food & Nutrition Progress & Effort in Art History Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit) Progress & Effort in Speech & Drama

LVI

Tanaya Budhwani

LVI

Bernice Chan

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit)

LVI

Neriah Ch&a

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Zhi Ling (Lauren) Chu

SF Physics

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit) Progress & Effort in Physics

LVI

Keira Chua

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit)

LVI

Olivia Cole

Speech & Drama

Excellence in Speech & Drama

LVI

Georgina Dawson

Music

Music Practice Award

LVI

Isabela dos Reis Anselmo

LVI

Lydia Isadora Dyer

LVI

Chantelle Eveleigh

LVI

Keren Feng

LVI

Ophelia Fisher

LVI

Gabriella Ford

LVI

Yuchen (Rebecca) Gao

LVI

Alice Gillham

PE SF Headmistress RS SF History SF Music Art History Speech & Drama Classics Art English PE PE Sports Science 3D Physics Chemistry Headmistress Maths SF Music

The Cheung Cup for dedication to Volleyball Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Independent Learner Prize Excellence in RS Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) LVI History Prize Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Ensemble Award Excellence in Art History Progress & Effort in Communication Skills Excellence in Classics Excellence in Art The Rich LVI English Prize LVI International Sports Honour Excellence in PE Progress & Effort Prize in Sports Science Progress & Effort in 3D Design Excellence in Physics Excellence in Chemistry Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Mathematics Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Ensemble Award

LVI

Emily Gray

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Hetty Hack

Politics

Progress & Effort in Politics

LVI

Freya Hanbury

Food

Excellence in Food & Nutrition

LVI

Laurena Horatio Jones

Maths 3D

Progress & Effort in Mathematics Excellence in 3D Design

LVI

Isabella Hudson

Speech & Drama

Progress & Effort in Musical Theatre

LVI

Yunyi (Michelle) Jiang

PE

LVI International Sports Honour

LVI

Adekunbi Karunwi

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit)

LVI

Ammara Khurram

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Blanca Laidler

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Isabella Laing

History

Excellence in History

LVI

Janice Lee

Headmistress

Excellence in Examinations

LVI

Michelle Lee

Music

Progress & Effort in Music

LVI

Emilia Lim

SF Drama RS

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Excellence in Drama Progress & Effort in RS

LVI

Ciara Lynch

Psychology

Progress & Effort in Psychology

LVI

Harriet Manning

Headmistress Chemistry Biology

Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Chemistry Excellence in Biology

LVI

Zoe Mareschal de Charentenay

MFL

Delf Diploma

LVI

Alice Morgan

Art PE

Progress & Effort in Art Progress & Effort in PE

138 Our Year 2023-24

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

LVI

Iona Neville

Art/Photography

The Julia Newton Photography Award

Biology SF Business SF Food

Progress & Effort in Biology Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Progress & Effort in Business Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Excellence in Food & Nutrition

LVI

Ravisada (Aiko) Nivatanonda

LVI

Amelia O'Connor

LVI

Desola Omonijo

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Davida (Seyi) Opaleye

English MFL

Progress & Effort in English UK Linguistics Olympiad

LVI

Iris Owen

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Ka Ching Anna Pang

Headmistress

Excellence in Examinations

LVI

Ju-Eun Park

Classics

Progress & Effort in Classics

LVI

Chanidapa (Ham) Pitchayasaowapak

Headmistress

Excellence in Examinations

MFL MFL Classics Headmistress SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Progress & Effort in MFL Progress & Effort in Classics Excellence in Examinations Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Clara Rainsford

LVI

Isabelle Regis

LVI

Georgina Ritchie

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Rose Rollo

Economics Geography SF

Progress & Effort in Economics Natasha Butcher Cup for Geographical Research Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Amelia Simpson

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Nga Yee (Amelia) Tam

EPQ

Progress & Effort in EPQ

SF Biology EPQ Politics Headmistress Psychology

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Progress & Effort in Biology Excellence in EPQ Excellence in Politics Excellence in Examinations Excellence in Psychology

LVI

Lauren Ting

LVI

Charlotte Trew

LVI

Muna Ubosi

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Rachael (Zion) Unachukwu

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Jin Vanasin

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit)

LVI

Daisy Vincent

LVI

Cathy Wang

LVI

Chen Wang

LVI

Hui Wang

LVI

Ruoxi (Jasmine) Yang

Headmistress SF MFL MFL Geography SF SF MFL Economics English

Independent Learner Prize Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction) Excellence in MFL The Glanville Prize Excellence in Geography Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit) Sixth Form Mini MBA (Merit) UK Linguistics Olympiad Excellence in Economics Excellence in English

LVI

Hao Yin (Helena) Yuan

SF

Sixth Form Mini MBA (Distinction)

LVI

Yujia Yuan

Music

Ensemble Award

UVI

Charlotte Absolom

UVI

Shiloh Akintaju

UVI

Louise Alldis-Kervella

PE PE Headmistress Speech & Drama MFL Chemistry

Excellence in PE UVI International Sports Honour Head Senior's Prize Excellence in Communication Skills Excellence in MFL Progress & Effort in Chemistry

UVI

Tundun Are

Maths

Progress & Effort in Mathematics

UVI

Isabelle Ashworth

Art History Speech & Drama Classics

Excellence in Art History Excellence in Speech & Drama Excellence in Classics

UVI

Katie Beeson

History

Excellence in History

Cassiana Bennett

Food Food

Excellence in Food & Nutrition Leiths Award – Distinction & Book Prize

UVI

Downe House Magazine 139

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

RS Headmistress Headmistress Biology Headmistress Music Music Chemistry EPQ Biology Maths

Mary Midgley Prize Excellence in RS Stuart Alexander Charity Cup Excellence in Biology Commendation Award The Jo Butcher Prize Music Practice Award Excellence in Chemistry Excellence in EPQ Excellence in Biology Excellence in Mathematics

UVI

Georgina Boucher

UVI

Alice Boyle

UVI

Freya Brown

Textiles

Elizabeth Palmer Cup for Technology

UVI

Sinling Damais

3D 3D 3D

Progress & Effort in 3D Design Excellence in 3D Design UVI Product Design Prize

UVI

Ruby Dean

Art/Photography

The Russell Photography Award

UVI

Clothylde Debray

Art Biology Headmistress

Progress & Effort in Art Progress & Effort in Biology Independent Learner Prize

UVI

Alice Farquhar

Geography

UVI – Independent Investigation Prize for Geography

UVI

Kimberly Gan

Headmistress

Lilian Heather Prize

UVI

Camilla Hale

Headmistress Music Music

Commendation Award Excellence in Music The Bedwell Singing Prize

UVI

Miranda Harries

MFL

Progress & Effort in MFL

UVI

Honor Harris

English Headmistress Drama RS

Progress & Effort in English The Hill Cup for Leadership in Holcombe House Kate Edey Cup for All Round Contribution to Drama Progress & Effort in RS

UVI

Araminta Hervey

Politics

Excellence in Politics

UVI

Hannah Hurd

Drama Headmistress PE

Head of Drama Award Parsons Chapel Cup (shared) Progress & Effort in PE

UVI

Eliza Irving

Speech & Drama

Speech & Drama Cup for Overall Excellence

UVI

Colette Jolley

Art History

Progress & Effort in Art History

UVI

Joann (Minkey) Koo

Art

Excellence in Art

UVI

Janice Li

Maths

Excellence in Mathematics

UVI

Sophie Li

MFL English

The Owen Sixth Form Prize for French Excellence in English

UVI

Chenxi (Thalia) Li

Music

Ensemble Award

UVI

Katya Longden

Headmistress Geography Geography

The Ogilvie-Jones Head Ambassadors' Cup (Joint) UVI Prize for Geography Excellence in Geography

UVI

Charlotte Mackinnon

Music

The Steen Cup

UVI

Tara McCaldin

Textiles

Progress & Effort in Textiles

UVI

Olivia McClintock

Music Music Headmistress Food Food

Progress & Effort in Music Jennifer Davies Music Prize Commendation Award Excellence in Food & Nutrition Leiths - Distinction

UVI

Chloe Kate Njeri Miringu

Headmistress

Independent Learner Prize

UVI

Ilaria Perhar

Headmistress

The Ogilvie-Jones Head Ambassadors' Cup (joint)

UVI

Claudia Pope

Drama

Excellence in Drama

UVI

Zara Reeve

Classics Economics

Progress & Effort in Classics Excellence in Economics

UVI

Tacita Rhys Williams

Classics

Excellence in Classics

UVI

Clementine Ridley

Headmistress Speech & Drama

Parsons Chapel Cup (shared) Excellence in Musical Theatre

140 Our Year 2023-24

NAME

SUBJECT

AWARD

UVI

Sophie Scott

Textiles Textiles

Excellence in Textiles UVI Textiles Prize

UVI

Emily Sideso

Geography

Progress & Effort in Geography

UVI

Ella Snow

Sports Science

Progress & Effort Prize in Sports Science

UVI

Ella Spry

Chemistry

Progress & Effort in Chemistry

UVI

Cecilia Stone

MFL PE PE

World Languages Cup for Exceptional Linguistic Achievement Heidi Cooper Squash Cup Victor Ludorum Sports Cup

UVI

Mimi Thistlethwayte

Psychology

Progress & Effort in Psychology

UVI

Isabel Toogood

Headmistress History Drama Headmistress

Parsons Chapel Cup (shared) Progress & Effort in History Progress & Effort in Drama The Olive Willis Prize

UVI

Molly Tribe

MFL

The Salter Prize for French

UVI

Izzy Vir

UVI

Isabelle Wessely

Politics Drama EPQ Biology

Progress & Effort in Politics Van Oss Cup for Music, Drama & Musical Theatre Progress & Effort in EPQ The Margaret Gill Biology Prize

UVI

Rose Wilkinson

Business

Progress & Effort in Business

UVI

Fleur Williams

Economics Psychology

Progress & Effort in Economics Excellence in Psychology

UVI

Aimee Wilson

Business

Excellence in Business

UVI

Ziyue Yu

Music

Marjorie Gunn Music Prize (cup)

UVI

Jocelyn Yue

UVI

Kexuan (Angela) Zou

Maths Physics Physics Chemistry Headmistress PE

Sixth Form Maths Prize The UVI Physics Prize Excellence in Physics The Rippon Chemistry Prize The Camilla Farrell Cup for Academic & Sporting Excellence UVI International Sports Honour

Downe House Magazine

AWARDS AND MORE

YEAR

141

NAME

INSTRUMENT

GRADE

AWARD

NAME

INSTRUMENT

GRADE

AWARD

Remove

Charlotte Foulkes

SINGING

7

Merit

Imogen Aird

SINGING

2

Pass

Polly Fowler

SINGING FOR MT

6

Distinction

Elizabeth Apps

SINGING

4

Merit

Yuwen Ge

SINGING

4

Merit

Sofia Faissola

SINGING

2

Merit

Alice Gilchrist

SINGING FOR MT

6

Distinction

Cristina Manuel

SINGING

3

Pass

Sophie Lambourne

SINGING

5

Merit

Shanmei Pan

VIOLIN

1

Merit

SINGING

6

Merit

Kunkhanit Tejasen

SINGING

2

Merit

Cheuk-Yi Cherie (Sage) Lau Yichen (Lilian) Li

VIOLIN

4

Pass

Vernados Lin

PIANO

5

Distinction

LIV Temiloluwa Akinkugbe

PIANO

2

Merit

Vernados Lin

SINGING

4

Pass

Leya Bell

SINGING

3

Merit

Tomi Olunuga

SINGING

7

Merit

Hiu Ping (Michelle) Cheung

FLUTE

3

Merit

Olivia Stewart

SINGING FOR MT

5

Merit

Ziqun (Linda) Lu

FLUTE

2

Distinction

Anna Stopford

SINGING

6

Merit

Ilaria Rosa

SINGING

3

Distinction

Kayla Vela

SINGING

5

Distinction

Isabella Warr

SINGING

2

Merit

Sophia Zhu

PIANO

8

Merit

Sophia Zhang

VIOLA

1

Merit

Ai Lun (Ellen) Zhu

VIOLIN

5

Merit

Grace Brennan

SINGING

5

Pass

Alice Barber

SINGING

8

Merit

Anna Dawson Paul

CLARINET

5

Merit

Georgina Dawson

ALTO SAXOPHONE

7

Distinction

Lara Kendall

SINGING

2

Merit

Alice Gillham

SINGING

8

Distinction

Gauri Langhae

SINGING

7

Distinction

Natalie Hui

SINGING

6

Merit

Gauri Langhae

SINGING FOR MT

7

Distinction

Xin Yan (Annabel) Yang

PIANO

8

Pass

Zourui (Ray) Li

VIOLIN

5

Pass

Mia McLennan

VIOLA

1

Merit

Allegra (Issy) Edelsten

SINGING

8

Merit

Merit

Allegra (Issy) Edelsten

VIOLIN

6

Merit

SINGING

8

Distinction

UIV

Lin Yi (Emily) Meng

PIANO

8

LVI

UVI

Sasha Paterson

CLARINET

5

Pass

Sophie Li

Sasha Paterson

SINGING

3

Merit

Yuchen Liu

HORN

6

Merit

Olivia McClintock

SINGING

8

Distinction

Clementine McDougall

SINGING

8

Merit

Clementine Ridley

SINGING

8

Pass

Ella Spry

PIANO

6

Merit

Cecilia Stone

FLUTE

7

Pass

Ziyue Yu

VIOLIN

ARSM

Merit

Thanaya (Hanna) Suvansarang

SINGING

3

Merit

Alexia Walker

SINGING

4

Pass

Ziyi (Summer) Xu

CELLO

5

Merit

Ziyi (Summer) Xu

SINGING

3

Merit

Muqing Yang

FLUTE

2

Merit

Tanitoluwa Akeju

SINGING

6

Merit

Charlotte Benson

SINGING

5

Distinction

Sophie Chow

OBOE

5

Merit

Natalie Hui

SINGING

5

Merit

Natalie Hui

PIANO

4

Pass

Audrey King

SINGING

4

Pass

Tsz Hei (Maia) Lee

PIANO

5

Merit

Tsz Hei (Maia) Lee

CELLO

3

Merit

Thitasa (Time) Marayat

SINGING

4

Merit

Lorna Meyrick

SINGING

4

Merit

LV

ABRSM & TRINITY – THEORY NAME

INSTRUMENT

GRADE

AWARD

THEORY

5

Merit

Cymbeline Attwater

THEORY

5

Merit

THEORY

5

Merit

UIV Charlotte Cunningham

LV

Tatiana Montanari

SINGING

7

Merit

Flora Hay

Eimear Planner

CLARINET

5

Pass

Tsz Hei (Maia) Lee

THEORY

5

Distinction

Philippa Robertson-Kellie

SINGING FOR MT

5

Merit

Veronika Reinl

THEORY

5

Pass

Iona Russell

CLARINET

3

Pass

Natalie Teng

THEORY

5

Pass

Chloe Wang

THEORY

5

Distinction

Ottavia Ryan

SINGING

5

Merit

Camilla Spread

PIANO

5

Pass

Margaret Tam

ORGAN

4

Merit

Chloe Wang

VIOLIN

5

Merit

Qianya (Zoe) Zhou

CLARINET

3

Pass

Oluwakoyinsola Akeju

SINGING

6

Merit

Sophie Bartley

PIANO

3

Merit

Lucinda Boucher

SINGING

8

Distinction

Tabitha Brewer

SINGING

6

Merit

Clotilde Tillette de Clermont-Tonnerre

SINGING FOR MT

5

Merit

Josephine Cull

SINGING

5

Distinction

Hedy Dong

PIANO

8

Merit

Zimo (Emily) Huang

SINGING

5

Distinction

UV

Downe House Magazine 149

AWARDS AND MORE

ABRSM & TRINITY – PRACTICAL

AWARDS AND MORE

SPEECH AND DRAMA NAME

GRADE

EXAM TYPE

BAND

Remove

NAME

GRADE

EXAM TYPE

BAND

Tsz Yuet Natalie Luo

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Jennifer Ford

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

Gisella Perhar

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Sydney Dell

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

Ilaria Rosa

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Sofia Faissola

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

Ilaria Rosa

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Merit

Georgiana Sokol

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Merit

Bianca Squire

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Charlotte Ford Jennifer Ford

Grade 2 Grade 2

Acting Group Acting Group

Amaya Hyare

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

Madeleine Watkins Bell

Jessica MacPhee

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

Catherine Yam

Emiliya Pankova

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

UIV

Laashja Pirathapan

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

Ameerah Abidoye

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Sadie Stepanek

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

Grace Brenan

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Willoughby Wren

Grade 2

Acting Group

Merit

Grace Chassagne

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Imogen Aird

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Imogen Coiley

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Taraoluwa Akeju

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Harriet Cull

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Vivian Bakewell

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Victoria Da Costa

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Eloise Brennan

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Lottie Denman

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Alexandra Diez SanchezTabernero Mirabelle Edet

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Yuanyin Du

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Rosina Gill-Wagner

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

AralolaOluwa Fatokun

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Anya Goss-Custard

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Emily Liu

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Ottalie Hay

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Uwekhai Okhai-Akhigbe

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Marvellous Idowu-Titus

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Shanmei Pan

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Anna Keats

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Elizabeth Sutherland

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Lara Kendall

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Sophia Toland

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Zourui (Ray) Li

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Alexandra Try

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Petra Makay

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Cristina Manuel

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Mia McLennan

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Philippa Marsh

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Tee-J Mwenebungu

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Tilly McClymont

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Vedika Mehta

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Thanaya (Hanna) Suvansarang

Sara Motyka

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Yasemin Tatar

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Zhiya Yin

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Ngaihiu (Elisa) Wang

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Nuoyi (Lucy) Zhang

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Cecily Whitbread

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Baoyu (Rain) Zhang

Grade 2

Acting Group

Distinction

Muqing Yang

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Jinhan (Katy) Yao

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Tiffany Ying

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

LIV Efe Esiovwa-Thompson

Grade 3

Acting Group

Pass

Ziyi (Summer) Xu

Grade 4

Acting Group

Merit

Anna Gomonova

Grade 3

Acting Group

Pass

Morenikejimi Anjorin

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Mingwei (Cindy) Xu

Grade 3

Acting Group

Pass

Charlotte Cunningham

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Charlotte Ayliffe

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Lara Hallas

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Eleanor Black

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Cecilia Harris

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Elizabeth Carter - Shaw

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Isabelle Hsia

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Hiu Ping (Michelle) Cheung

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Xiaoyu Hu

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Sophia Darroue

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Trinity Parkes

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Viveen Parker

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Eloise Poland Bowen

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Camilla Parry-Williams

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Tess Prakittritanon

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Carmen Ren

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Ian Ng

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Zara Sutherland

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

Scarlett Wykes

Grade 4

Acting Group

Distinction

Isabella Warr

Grade 3

Acting Group

Merit

LV

Temiloluwa Akinkugbe

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Teri Adesida

5

Musical Theatre Pair

Pass

Emmeline Anderson

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Xavi Codet

5

Musical Theatre Pair

Pass

Leya Bell

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Maria Gomonova

5

Pass

Eulalia Camilleri

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Communication Skills Solo

Isabel Elder

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Yang (Queena) Hu

5

Acting Solo

Pass

Isabella Filo

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Xiaoyi (Naima) Qin

5

Acting Pair

Pass

Isabella Foster

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Jing (Angela) Yang

5

Acting Pair

Pass

Helen Foulkes

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Olivia Fane

5

Acting Pair

Merit

Niamh Hallas

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Jia Rui (Kerry) Lu

5

Merit

Danielle Jibodu

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Iona Russell

5

Arianna Jolaoso

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Yiling Shi

5

Communication Skills Solo Communication Skills Solo Communication Skills Solo

YiQing (Nancy) Ke

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Camilla Spread

5

Acting Pair

Merit

Emma Kovalchuk

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Tanitoluwa Akeju

5

Musical Theatre Pair

Distinction

Katherine Langworthy

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Saskia Andrews

5

Musical Theatre Pair

Distinction

Emilia Lazenby

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Oladunni Are

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Isabella Lloyd George

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Ojuolape Ayoola

5

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Kloy Lotharukpong

Grade 3

Acting Group

Distinction

Mia Bell

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

150 Our Year 2023-24

Merit Merit

NAME

GRADE

EXAM TYPE

BAND

NAME

GRADE

EXAM TYPE

BAND

Nibena Ben-Noi

5

Musical Theatre Pair

Distinction

Niamh Planner

6

Acting Solo

Distinction

Charlotte Benson

5

Musical Theatre Pair

Distinction

Annabel Reeve

6

Acting Solo

Distinction

Louisa Burges Watson

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Serena Stewart

6

Acting Pair

Distinction

Imogen Daley

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

6

Acting Pair

Distinction

Phillipa Drysdale

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Clotilde Tillette de Clermont-Tonnerre Isabella Withey

6

Acting Pair

Distinction

Isabella Gharagozlou

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Deborah Jibodu

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Sophia Zhu

6

Communication Skills Solo

Distinction

Tabisa Iakovleva

5

Musical Theatre Pair

Distinction

LVI

Rosie Ilott

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Hui Wang

7

Musical Theatre Solo

Pass

Eliza Manson

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Tanaya Budhwani

7

Acting Solo

Merit

Eloise McNair Scott

5

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Olivia Cole

7

Acting Solo

Merit

Louise Novatin

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Lydia Isadora Dyer

7

Acting Solo

Merit

Violet-Rose Penney

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Keren Feng

7

Musical Theatre Solo

Merit

Eimear Planner

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Iris Owen

7

Musical Theatre Solo

Merit

Scarlett Porter

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Anjola Bolodeoku

7

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Philippa Robertson-Kellie

5

Acting Pair

Distinction

Isabella Hudson

7

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Ottavia Ryan

5

Musical Theatre Pair

Distinction

Keren Feng

7

Communication Skills Solo

Distinction

Chloe Stewart

5

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Yi (Wendy) Wu

7

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

UV

AWARDS AND MORE

SPEECH AND DRAMA

UVI

Lina Anand

6

Musical Theatre Solo

Merit

Tanaya Budhwani

7

Acting Solo

Merit

Molly Bates

6

Acting Pair

Merit

Charlotte Mackinnon

8

Musical Theatre Solo

Merit

Tabitha Brewer

6

Acting Pair

Merit

Sion Ovbiebo

8

Merit

Lily Colville

6

Musical Theatre Solo

Merit

India Evans

6

Acting Solo

Merit

Sion Ovbiebo

8

Communication Skills Solo Communication Skills Solo

Charlotte Foulkes

6

Musical Theatre Solo

Merit

Isabelle Ashworth

8

Acting Solo

Distinction

Yuwen Ge

6

Acting Pair

Merit

Shiloh Akintaju

8

Communication Skills Solo

Distinction

Sophie Lambourne

6

Acting Solo

Merit

Honor Harris

8

Acting Solo

Distinction

Yasi (Mini) Li

6

Acting Pair

Merit

Eliza Irving

8

Acting Pair

Distinction

Ameera Abubakar

6

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Clementine Ridley

8

Musical Theatre Pair

Distinction

Izzy Vir

8

Acting Pair

Distinction

Izzy Vir

8

Musical Theatre Pair

Distinction

Yi (Wendy) Wu

7

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Oluwakoyinsola Akeju

6

Musical Theatre Solo

Zhi Yu Tiffany Cheong

6

Distinction

Wing Yu (Hailey) Chiu

6

Jemima Gross

6

Communication Skills Solo Communication Skills Solo Communication Skills Solo

Distinction

Esmee Haefner

6

Acting Pair

Distinction

Rosamund Harris

6

Acting Solo

Distinction

Cheuk-Yi Cherie (Sage) Lau

6

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Vernados Lin

6

Acting Solo

Distinction

Daisy Mackinnon

6

Acting Pair

Distinction

UV

Rosamund Harris

6

Acting Solo

Distinction

Daisy Mackinnon

6

Acting Pair

Distinction

Tomi Olunuga

6

Musical Theatre Solo

Distinction

Distinction

Merit

Distinction

LAMDA SHAKESPEARE NAME

GRADE

EXAM TYPE

BAND

India Evans

6

Lamda Level 2

Merit

Annabel Reeve

6

Lamda Level 2

Merit

Rosamund Harris

6

Lamda Level 2

Distinction

MUSIC COLOURS YEAR

NAME

AWARD

YEAR

NAME

AWARD

YEAR

NAME

AWARD

R

Yifei Chang

Bronze

UIV

Petra McKay

Silver

LVI

Georgina Dawson

Barbirolli

R

Noelle Hui

Bronze

UIV

Trinity Parkes

Silver

LVI

Isadora Dyer

Barbirolli

R

Emily Liu

Bronze

UIV

Selma Schmitt

Silver

LVI

Chantelle Eveleigh

Barbirolli

R

Tilly McClymont

Bronze

LV

Cymbeline Attwater

Silver

LVI

Alice Gillham

Barbirolli

UIV

Tsz Yuet Natalie Luo

Bronze

LV

Phoebe Hanlon

Silver

LVI

Linxin (Sophia) Guo

Barbirolli

UIV

Carmen Ren

Bronze

LV

Veronika Reinl

Silver

LVI

Isabella Hudson

Barbirolli

UIV

Jia Chun

Silver

LV

Kateryna Kryvoruchko

Silver

LVI

Janice Lee

Barbirolli

UIV

Charlotte Cunningham

Silver

LV

Eloise McNair Scott

Silver

LVI

Michelle Lee

Barbirolli

UIV

Xiaoyu Hu

Silver

LV

Veronika Reinl

Silver

LVI

Cathy Wang

Barbirolli

UIV

Ikei (Luciana) Jiang

Silver

LV

Chloe Wang

Silver

LVI

Chen Wang

Barbirolli

UIV

Hitomi Kotaka (Yip)

Silver

UV

Wing Yu (Hailey) Chiu

Silver

LVI

Hui Wang

Barbirolli

UIV

Gauri Langhae

Silver

LVI

Alice Barber

Barbirolli

LVI

Ruoxi (Jasmine) Yang

Barbirolli

UIV

Mingxi Li

Silver

LVI

Eve Brown

Barbirolli

LVI

Yujia Yuan

Barbirolli

UIV

Tiffany Ying

Silver

LVI

Serena Browne

Barbirolli

UVI

Louise Alldis-Kervella

Barbirolli

UIV

Estelle Alldis-Kervella

Silver

LVI

Zhi Ling (Lauren) Chu

Barbirolli

UVI

Katie Beeson

Barbirolli

UIV

Rosina Gill-Wagner

Silver

LVI

Olivia Cole

Barbirolli

Downe House Magazine

151

AWARDS AND MORE

SCHOLARSHIP & EXHIBITION AWARDS YEAR

NAME

SCHOLARSHIP

YEAR

NAME

SCHOLARSHIP

Remove

Noelle Hui

Music Scholarship

UIV

Gauri Langhae

Music Scholarship

Remove

Emily Liu

Music Scholarship

UIV

Mingxi (Mia) Li

Music Scholarship

Remove

Emily Liu

Sports Exhibition

UIV

Petra McKay

Creative Arts Exhibition

Remove

Cristina Manuel

Sports Exhibition

UIV

Mia Olsen

Academic Scholarship

Remove

Philippa Marsh

Academic Scholarship

UIV

Mia Olsen

Drama Scholarship

Remove

Amrit Singh

Creative Arts Exhibition

UIV

Trinity Parkes

Drama Scholarship

Remove

Sadie Stepanek

Creative Arts Scholarship

UIV

Muqing (Lucy) Yang

Academic Exhibition

LIV

Isabella (Izzy) Filo

Drama Scholarship

UV

Yichen (Lilian) Li

Creative Arts Scholarship

LIV

Emma Kovalchuk

Academic Exhibition

UV

Pollyanna Reynolds

Sports Exhibition

LIV

Gisella (Gigi) Perhar

Drama Scholarship

LVI

Alice Barber

Creative Arts Scholarship

LIV

Georgiana (Gigi) Sokol

Drama Exhibition

LVI

Serena Browne

Music Scholarship

LIV

Catherine Yam

Academic Exhibition

LVI

Lydia (Isadora) Dyer

Sixth Form Scholarship

UIV

Jia Chun

Academic Scholarship

LVI

Yuchen (Rebecca) Gao

Sixth Form Scholarship

UIV

Jia Chun

Music Scholarship

LVI

Harriet Manning

Sixth Form Exhibition

UIV

Imogen Coiley

Creative Arts Exhibition

LVI

Isabelle (Issy) Regis

Sixth Form Exhibition

UIV

Xiaoyu (Alice) Hu

Music Scholarship

LVI

Charlotte Trew

Sixth Form Scholarship

UIV

Hitomi Kotaka (Yip)

Music Scholarship

LVI

Siyu (Phoebe) Wang

Sixth Form Exhibition

UIV

Gauri Langhae

Academic Scholarship

LVI

Xin Yan (Annabel) Yang

Creative Arts Scholarship

UIV

Gauri Langhae

Head's Scholarship (Honorary Award)

LVI

Hao Yin (Helena) Yuan

Sixth Form Exhibition

LVI

Yujia (Rachel) Yuan

Music Scholarship

DofE Awards YEAR

NAME

AWARD

YEAR

NAME

AWARD

YEAR

NAME

AWARD

LIV

Gisella Perhar

Bronze

UV

Polly Fowler

Bronze

UV

Lydia O'Shea

Bronze

UIV

Alice Morgan

Bronze

UV

Yuwen Ge

Bronze

UV

Poppy Pilkington

Bronze

UIV

Varuni Rameshwar

Bronze

UV

Alice Gilchrist

Bronze

UV

Niamh Planner

Bronze

UIV

Mataia-Ramsden

Bronze

UV

Tingli (Tiffany) Gong

Bronze

UV

Dominica Prentice

Bronze

UV

Ameera Abubakar

Bronze

UV

Rhea Gupta

Bronze

UV

Emily Regis

Bronze

UV

Georgia Ainscough

Bronze

UV

Elisabeth Gwyn-Jones

Bronze

UV

Tabatha Ridley

Bronze

UV

Camille Aird

Bronze

UV

Esmee Haefner

Bronze

UV

Dhyaana Shourie

Bronze

UV

Oluwakoyinsola Akeju

Bronze

UV

Felicity Harris

Bronze

UV

Natalie Sideso

Bronze

UV

Lina Anand

Bronze

UV

Rosamund Harris

Bronze

UV

Liberty Spry

Bronze

UV

Rebecca Ang

Bronze

UV

Scarlett Hayes

Bronze

UV

Olivia Stewart

Bronze

UV

Pearl (Ivie) Avwenagha

Bronze

UV

Amelia Hicks

Bronze

UV

Serena Stewart

Bronze

UV

Emily Bailey

Bronze

UV

Yan Tung Cecilia Hon

Bronze

UV

Anna Stopford

Bronze

UV

Amabel Baring

Bronze

UV

Zimo (Emily) Huang

Bronze

UV

Maria Taraban

Bronze

UV

Violet Barker

Bronze

UV

Cosima Islef

Bronze

UV

Imogen Thompson

Bronze

UV

Sophie Bartley

Bronze

UV

Annabel Jackaman

Bronze

UV

Kayla Vela

Bronze

UV

Molly Bates

Bronze

UV

Hao Yun (Hedy) Jiang

Bronze

UV

Amelia Voûte

Bronze

UV

Lucinda Boucher

Bronze

UV

Jamal Kofarsauri

Bronze

UV

Charlotte Wheeler

Bronze

UV

Tabitha Brewer

Bronze

UV

Ada Kurumlu

Bronze

UV

Isabella Withey

Bronze

UV

Anna Brooks

Bronze

UV

Joline Lam

Bronze

UV

Ka Yee (Kallie) Wong

Bronze

UV

Zhi Yu Tiffany Cheong

Bronze

UV

Sophie Lambourne

Bronze

UV

Ai Lun (Ellen) Zhu

Bronze

UV

Tamsin Clegg

Bronze

UV

Cheuk-Yi Cherie (Sage) Lau

Bronze

UV

Sophia Zhu

Bronze

UV

Lily Colville

Bronze

UVI

Sonya Leong

Bronze

LVI

Hui Wang

Bronze

UV

Mia Corbett

Bronze

UV

Yuchen Liu

Bronze

UVI

Shiloh Akintaju

Gold

UV

Sophia Cork

Bronze

UV

Daisy Mackinnon

Bronze

UVI

Louise Alldis-Kervella

Gold

UV

Josephine Cull

Bronze

UV

Jemima McDougall

Bronze

UVI

Juliette Bale

Gold

UV

Yichen (Angel) Dai

Bronze

UV

Honor McMyn

Bronze

UVI

Cassiana Bennett

Gold

UV

Isabella de Arcangelis

Bronze

UV

Eloise Minson

Bronze

UVI

Eloise Cull

Bronze

UV

Hedy Dong

Bronze

UV

Alexa Nash

Bronze

UVI

Clothylde Debray

Gold

UV

Jasmine Durrant

Bronze

UV

Isabella Neill

Bronze

UVI

Kimberly Gan

Gold

UV

Melanie Ferretti

Bronze

UV

Sasha Novis

Bronze

UVI

Venetia Knight

Bronze

UV

Charlotte Foulkes

Bronze

UV

Hyunmin (Becky) Oh

Bronze

UVI

Ella Spry

Gold

152 Our Year 2023-24

NAME

INSTITUTION

COURSE

NAME

INSTITUTION

COURSE

Charlotte Absolom

University of Bath (Deferred)

Sport (Sport Performance)

Chenxi (Thalia) Li

University College London (UCL)

Comparative Literature

Shiloh Akintaju

University of Southampton

Economics and Philosophy with Year Abroad

Sophie Li

University of St Andrews

English

University College London (UCL)

Biochemistry

Louise AlldisKervella

University of Bristol

Chemistry with Industrial Experience

Janice Li

Tundun Are

University of Manchester

Chemical Engineering

Athina Lin

University of the Arts London (UAL)

Graphic and Media Design

Isabelle Ashworth

University of Oxford

Classics

Katya Longden

Durham (Deferred)

Geography

Lavinia Auletta Armenise

Post-qualification applicant

Juliette Bale

Post-qualification applicant

Post-qualification applicant

Leila Magner

University of York

Politics with International Relations

Gayatre Maran

University of Strathclyde

Biomedical Engineering

Tara McCaldin

IE University, Spain

Communications and Digital Media

Olivia McClintock

Durham Univeristy

Music

Clementine McDougall

Durham Univeristy

Combined Honours in Social Sciences

Honor McNair Scott

University of Glasgow

Classics and Mathematics

Medicine

Chloe Kate Njeri Miringu

University of Toronto, Canada

Social Sciences

Post-qualification applicant

Annabel Munnelly

University College London (UCL)

Human Sciences

University of Manchester

Aerospace Engineering

Katie Beeson

Durham University

Combined Honours in Social Sciences

Cassiana Bennett

University of Birmingham

Environmental Science

Emilie Booth

University of Bath (Deferred)

Internationial Management & Modern Language (French) with study or work abroad

Georgina Boucher

University of Bristol

Medicine - MBChB Standard entry

Alice Boyle

University of Oxford

Freya Brown

Charlotte Mackinnon

Natasha Chanda

University of Nottingham

Criminology and Sociology

Sion Ovbiebo

Xinrui (Sherry) Chen

Imperial College London

Materials Science and Engineering

Lucia PérezEscolar Moya

University of Bath

Economics with professional placement or study abroad

Yanci (Sophie) Chen

University of the Arts, London, Paris (UAL)

Fashion Public Relations and Communication

Ilaria Perhar

IE University, Spain

International Relations

Ziyue (Carol) Chen

Ellen Phillips

King's College London

Ancient History

Boston University, USA

Liberal Arts

Claribelle Cheng

Claudia Pope

Drama Foundation course

University of Manchester

Mathematics and Physics

The Oxford School of Drama

University of Exeter (Deferred)

English with Study in North America

Rachel Raeburn-Ward

Reading (Deferred)

Eloise Cull

Ancient History and Archaeology

Sinling Damais

King's College London (KCL)

Film Studies

Ruby Dean

Post-qualification applicant

Clothylde Debray

Post-qualification applicant

Sociology

Sophie Scott

Combined Honours

Natnicha Sethi

Durham University

Interational Foundation Year in IR and Politics

Post-qualification applicant

Emily Sideso

The University of Edinburgh (Deferred)

International Relations

Ella Snow

Oxford Brookes University (Deferred)

Business and Management

Ella Spry

Lancaster University

Medicine and Surgery

Cecilia Stone

Durham University (Deferred)

Modern Languages and Cultures (with Year Abroad)

Alexandra Tanner

The University of Edinburgh (Deferred)

Chinese

Martha Drew

University of Exeter

International Relations

Sophie Ewen

The University of Edinburgh

English Language and Literature

Alice Farquhar

Durham University (Deferred)

Combined Honours in Social Sciences

Kimberly Gan

University College London (UCL)

Medical Innovation and Enterprise

Honor Harris

Post-qualification applicant Post-qualification applicant University of Exeter (Deferred)

Araminta Hervey Lilias Hoare Nairne

Drama Post-qualification applicant

Durham University

English Post-qualification applicant

Iona Hordern

Post-qualification applicant

Newcastle Univeristy (Deferred)

Arts and Sciences

Miranda Harries

Tacita Rhys Williams Durham University (Deferred)

University College London (UCL)

Camilla Hale

Post-qualification applicant

Clementine Ridley

Jiayue Deng

Allegra (Issy) Edelsten

Zara Reeve

Mimi Thistlethwayte

Post-qualification applicant

Isabel Toogood

University of Nottingham

English and History

Molly Tribe

Durham University

Modern Languages and Cultures (with Year Abroad)

Izzy Vir

University of Exeter (Deferred)

International Relations

Isabelle Wessely

University of Nottingham

Medicine

Hannah Hurd

University of Manchester

Liberal Arts

Rosie Wilkinson

Hannah Hussain

University of Exeter

Business and Management

Fleur Williams

Eliza Irving

University of Exeter

Drama with Employment Experience

Aimee Wilson

University of Leeds

Business Management

Georgina Jackson

University of the Arts London, Paris (UAL)

French and Business

Beier (Sissi) Xi

Durham

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Colette Jolley

Newcastle University

Combined Honours

Ziyue Yu

UCL (University College London)

Biomedical Sciences

Post-qualification applicant

Jocelyn Yue

Imperial College London

Biomedical Engineering

Hanzhu (Jenny) Zhang

SOAS University of London

Business, Management, Economics & Law with Foundation Year

Kexuan (Angela) Zou

University of Manchester

Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry

Hannah Knight Venetia Knight

Oxford Brookes

Real Estate

Joann (Minkey) Koo

University of the Arts London (UAL)

Fine Art

Anna Kurtser

University of Exeter

Modern Languages

Sonya Leong

University of the Arts London (UAL)

Fashion Marketing

Post-qualification applicant Post-qualification applicant

Downe House Magazine 153

AWARDS AND MORE

Leavers Destinations

Be a Downe House girl Downe House, Cold Ash, Thatcham, Berkshire RG18 9JJ T. 01635 200286 www.downehouse.net @downehouse

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