Salvo 2023

SALVO

WELCOME

What an incredibly busy, rewarding and fun year this has been!

It is with great pride I welcome you to this unique edition of Salvo. You cannot have missed the fact that 2023 is a very special year – one that marks the 175th anniversary of Elstree School. The following pages are, as ever, a vibrant account of the rich variety of an Elstree education, highlighting the endeavour of our pupils, staff and community. This year, Salvo is also a reminder of the wonderful celebrations that marked such a significant milestone – moments that I hope will be happy and lasting memories for us all.

It is a decade since Olivia and I joined Elstree and, as I commented at the start of the year, it feels like we are just getting started! There is so much that happens in any one year at Elstree – keenly fought battles played out on sports pitches, outstanding drama productions, the creation of impressive DT and art projects, Big Weekends in boarding, stirring church services in St. Peter’s Church, visiting charities, lecturers and musical concerts galore.

In between the co-curricular opportunities, this year has seen ambitious teaching, academic aspirations and the efforts of a

wonderful group of Year 8 children lead them to achieve fantastic Common Entrance results. They should all be deservedly proud to be going on to the leading senior schools in the country. Ten of these children were also awarded an array of scholarships and exhibitions in academics, art, music, DT, drama and sport to Winchester, Sherborne, Downe House, Pangbourne, Radley, Lord Wandsworth and Harrow – an outstanding achievement.

I often talk about the need for children to be resilient, to have the fortitude, character and skills to adapt to change. And so, as we bid

a fond farewell to some wonderful teachers and support staff who are leaving the good ship Elstree, and wish them the very best in their future endeavours, we look ahead to the next academic year with an eagerness to embrace change and an excitement to welcome new characters, talents, and role-models. As I reflect on my first decade at Elstree and look back on this last year, I am so incredibly proud. I am proud to be the Headmaster of a school steeped in history, traditions and values that still stand the test of time. I am proud of the staff team, their exceptional energy, dedication

Editor: Beth Davenport

Proof Readers: Olivia Inglis, Debs Burles, Alexandra Harrison, Nick Long and Steve Bates

Photographers: Olivia Inglis, Chris Shuman, Crispy Kidson, Beth Davenport, Debs Burles, Jon Bond and Tony Brown.

All sports teams photos have been reproduced with kind permission of Gilman and Soame Photographers and can be ordered online at www.gsimagebank.co.uk/elstreeschool/

With special thanks to all the staff, pupils and parents for writing articles and taking photos.

and particular insights in helping children flourish, whatever their talent. I am proud of our community who support the school with such tireless generosity and enthusiasm. I am proud to welcome so many new families who have chosen Elstree to provide a happy childhood for their children, one where ambition is encouraged alongside a fearless approach, from which mistakes are learnt and, having a positive mindset and a smile on one’s face, counts above all. I am so incredibly proud of the children and their achievements, and the wonderful characters who

make up our school. I am fortunate too to have the unstinting and close support of Olivia, who plays such a key role in the school.

We therefore look forward to the next decade and have every confidence that Elstree will continue to thrive for the next 175 years. We are certain that it will continue to be the happy, kind and successful school we all recognise and love today. We cannot wait to see who your children will grow up to become.

These are exciting times for Elstree.

Sid Inglis, Headmaster

Annemarie Gluck

VALETE, SALVETE, Hannah Pool

Andrew and Kate Pilkington

With sadness, we say goodbye to an incredible maths teacher, Assistant Housemistress, Head of West House, Elstree Award Coordinator, 1st team coach… the list goes on. Miss Gluck, Glucky… Annemarie.

It is a bittersweet moment as we say goodbye to someone who has played such an integral role over five busy and fulfilling years in the Elstree community. Her unwavering belief in someone’s capacity for greatness matched with her willingness to support them on their journey, ushered many pupils though their Common Entrance exams with great success. Even if it meant providing a gentle push through discomfort and adversity. The maths department will miss her greatly.

A cornerstone to the Hepburn reign over the boarding house, she was ever dependable and popular among the boarders and boarding team. Many hours spent on corridors, landings and trips with great humour and care were commonplace. She rallied the troops of West house as Head of House, championing the yellows all the way. She masterminded the Elstree Award and Year 7 camps with grace and expertise.

She is strong willed, dedicated, independent, and loving. We need look for no further evidence of this than in her gorgeous baby, Clara. We wish Annemarie and Clara every shred of happiness wherever your futures lead.

FAW

Hannah is known for her wonderful smile and endless enthusiasm. She is well regarded for going the extra mile to make her lessons creative and fun. Whenever you walked into Hannah’s classroom, there was always a sea of activity. Practical resources would be out on the tables to inspire the children and her pupils would be engrossed in engaging tasks. One such activity that stands out was finding Hannah’s Year 2 class covered in face paint one afternoon. It transpires that in their Rainforest topic, they were learning about different tribes. Instead of just looking at photographs in a book or perhaps a video online, Mrs Pool encouraged the children to design a tribal print and paint it onto a friend’s face.

Hannah joined Elstree as Miss Fitzgerald, teaching English and tutoring a Year 5 class. Whilst in the Prep School, she also coached hockey and ran the Gardening Club. After two years, she was drawn to the Pre-Prep and taught in Year 2 and then in Year 1. During her time at Elstree, Hannah married and became Mrs Pool and has had two lovely children, Ella and Freddie.

Mrs Pool is embarking on a wonderful adventure, teaching at The Rugby School in Thailand. We are really excited for her and her family and will try not to think of her too much on those long, dark winter nights here in England! Thank you to Mrs Pool for your inspiring lessons here at Elstree, you will be missed.

We say a fond farewell to the Pilkington family who are embarking on an exciting adventure in Dorset. Mr Pilkington is taking up a headship post in September at Castle Court School. During his seven years at Elstree he has worked tirelessly to develop and improve our academic offering, our teaching and learning, and the allimportant preparation for inspection. Achieving the best possible academic outcomes for the pupils has been his mission and our outstanding inspection report in November was thanks, in no small part, to his efforts. He has worked tirelessly to improve our departmental schemes of work and development plans and spearheaded the development of the Elstree Learner Profile ‘Practice’.

He has been an excellent Under 12 rugby coach, a dedicated form tutor, leader of the Headmaster’s Project, and an enthusiastic coach of the mighty Game 3 cricket and football teams. Mrs Westley has really appreciated his enthusiastic involvement in the bass section of the Chapel Choir, even if occasionally he sounds as if he’s in the West Stand at Twickenham! Kate Pilkington has also been outstanding as a maternity cover Maths teacher, and an emergency TPR teacher. Thank you. We wish them both, and Annabelle and Alfie, the very best of luck with their new adventure.

BRAVO

Iain and Lucy Hepburn

numerous boarding events, settled her fair share of new boarders (particularly the new girl boarders), hosted so many children in the flat for ‘Brews’ on Friday evenings and did a whole multitude of other jobs to aid the smooth running and experience of the Elstree boarding house.

We shall all miss the Hepburn family hugely: Iain, Lucy, Molly and Heidi, as they move onto fresh adventures at Port Regis, where Iain takes on the exciting role of Deputy Head Pastoral.

Lara HamiltonShaw

Iain and Lucy joined Elstree in September 2018 to run the boarding house; building on the values that make Elstree boarding such a special experience. Their child-centred approach quickly won the confidence of children and parents alike. They instantly made an impression with ‘Brews’ on Friday evenings, refreshing the soft furnishings in the boarding house to make it more homely, modernising the administration of boarding with iPads on each landing and updating the boarding activities offered as part of the evening routine.

Iain expected high standards of behaviour, good manners and a healthy sense of fun from the pupils and endeavoured to instil these qualities in the Elstree children under his care. His reassuring and kind manner also put many a boarding parent (and child) at their ease.

Iain taught Geography and more recently English in the middle part of the school. On the sports pitches, he used his skills on a number of fronts coaching the 2nd XI Football, U10b Rugby and U10a Cricket where he encouraged the children to always play to the best of their ability. This proved to be a winning approach more often than not!

In all these areas of school life, Iain has been wonderfully supported by Lucy, who not only made a great contribution in the Pre-Prep as a Year 1 teacher and more recently teaching History, T.P.R. and junior games to the Year 5s and 6s. She also supported

SCA

Josh Duarte

Josh Duarte joined Elstree in 2020 having taught at Ashdown House in Sussex. He quickly settled into Elstree life improving the Design and Technology (D.T.) department in both appearance and culture. Josh has created an environment in which children love their DT. and Josh’s relationships with the children, parents and colleagues will be his lasting legacy: a man who brightened a room with boundless energy and enthusiasm. Whether taking the Under 9 rugby and cricket or Under 11 football, Josh has always been encouraging and supportive and his positivity has made him a firm favourite with children of all ages. I know the Boarding House has benefitted hugely from his dynamism and reliability. Josh moves to London and Radnor House Prep to live with his girlfriend Polly and we all look forward to hearing of his future successes.

Lara Hamilton-Shaw joined Elstree Pre-Prep ten years ago, along with her three boys. In her first year with us, she assisted in Nursery. Lara was always very hands on with the children and loved exploring, creating, and imaging with them. During her time at Elstree, she attended a course about outdoor learning which she was so inspired by, she returned the school saying it was something we must do at Elstree. It is therefore thanks to Mrs HamiltonShaw that we have our wonderful Woodland Wednesday days and they have gone from strength to strength. After her time in Nursery, Mrs Hamilton-Shaw returned to a teaching position in KS1. Houses and homes, transport and the farm have all been topics that Mrs Hamilton-Shaw has brought to life for the children. More recently, Mrs Hamilton-Shaw has run a ‘conversation club’ for some children in the Pre-Prep and joined the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion working party. Although finding joy in each term, Mrs Hamilton-Shaw loves the summer term the most, especially being out and about in our wonderful grounds and cheering on the children during Sports Day and the end of term concerts. The pupils in her class say that they will miss her kindness, jokes, and help, whilst the teachers will remember Lara for her wonderful hair, sense of humour and love for the summer term. Mrs Hamilton-Shaw says she will miss all the Elstree Community but hopes to come back and visit in some capacity. Many thanks for everything you have given to us and the children in your care.

Penny Lavoipierre

The Lavoipierre family arrived at Elstree from South Africa in 2003 complete with multiple BBQs and two young boys who entered the Prep School.

Penny began her teaching at Elstree sharing the responsibility of Year 3 with Mr Schuman and then moved within the lower part of the school to Year 4 a few years later, working alongside Mr Smith. Always a strong team player, Penny was an experienced, calm and reassuring presence at the Junior end of the school, able to guide children and parents through the start of their Prep School experience. Rarely flustered, Penny took everything in her stride, having a particular eye for detail and always going the extra mile for the children and parents around her. She was the ultimate warm, caring, safe pair of hands.

Penny worked with four different headmasters and spent much of her time at Elstree as part of the Senior Management Team. Here she provided wise counsel with her ability to gauge the temperature of the Common Room and her skill in seeing things from a slightly different angle. She was always fiercely loyal to Elstree and had the best interest of the school at the forefront of her many contributions.

As a colleague, I know I speak for many when I thank her for her listening ear and generous support. She was always a reliable and safe sounding board and was often found in her classroom dispensing valuable advice to members of the Elstree community. Penny is unfailingly wise, kind and warm-hearted, and has a strong Christian faith. She was an active member of the Elstree prayer group and her faith underpinned many of

her special qualities, modesty being perhaps the strongest one. She had time for everyone and enjoying a moment chuckling with Penny over a cup of coffee was a real treat. There are so many memories of the lovely Mrs Lavoipierre, but some that stand out amongst these must be: Penny’s mastery of organisation within her classroom and pride in her displays, her control of the stationery cupboard, her love of Christmas with her little sparkly tree that appeared as soon as December was upon us, her annual position under the gazebo scoring on Sport’s Day, the many Junior plays she supported, her love of ‘Scalextric’ and ‘Lego’, her thoughtful and inventive weekend duty slots and her love and enjoyment of events such as Games Around the House, Boarders’ Carols in the Front Hall, Declamations and Convoy. She was so proud of all the pupils and loved celebrating their achievements, often following their lives and successes long after Elstree.

Penny made an enormous contribution to Elstree for over twenty years and her absence is strongly felt as a teacher, colleague and friend. We wish Penny and her family huge happiness for the next chapter in their lives and look forward to seeing them back at Elstree for a BBQ very soon.

SLA

Effie Andrews

Patricia LangfordThomas

Patricia Langford-Thomas taught at Elstree for over 20 years and spent most of her time teaching in Years 1 and 2. Mrs Langford-Thomas briefly left the Pre-Prep to join Mrs Attwood and her team in the Learning Development Department. Here, she helped pupils with some additional 1:1 support. Although teaching across the whole of the school, her passion was always working with the younger children. In 2020, Mrs LangfordThomas returned to the Pre-Prep department, teaching in Year 2. Mrs Langford-Thomas does not do things by half. She is well known for her arts and creativity, energy, and her enthusiasm, particularly when dressing up or embracing a royal event. A highlight for the staff and children was when she came dressed as The Blue Balloon from Mick Inkpen’s book. Somehow, as only Mrs LangfordThomas could, she managed to attach a huge felt ‘balloon’ to her body. It made for an interesting day of teaching when she could barely sit down or fit through the doors!

We have missed Mrs Langford-Thomas this year as she took some time out to undergo treatment. However, we have been so impressed with her positivity and optimism throughout. We wish Mrs Langford-Thomas very well as she retires, and we hope she enjoys some adventures with her husband, children, granddaughter and camper van, Minty!

Congratulations to Kelly Andrews on her new arrival, Effie Malee Edna Andrews who was born on 8th June 2023, weighing 8lbs 2oz.

Julia joined Elstree in 2021 as Head of Finance and was promptly promoted to Bursar. She turned the previously paper heavy Bursary upside down(!): quickly digitalising systems, tightening up budgets and streamlining all procedures to ensure maximum efficiency.

The role of a Prep School Bursar is broad and varied and Julia certainly threw herself into the many facets of the job – for example, overseeing the upgrading and redecoration of the Elstree Dining Room, as well as sourcing both the coffee van and Bluebell. She was always prepared to muck in and get involved. As Bursar, Julia’s role in the ISI inspection was pivotal, and thanks to her meticulous attention to detail, record keeping and systems, the inspectors found Elstree to be fully compliant.

Julia was happy to get involved in so many different areas of life at Elstree and always brought a sense of energy and fun with her. She was a stalwart supporting the Friends of Elstree and other parent groups with their events; from Bonfire Night to the Summer Social, the Gift Fair to the 175 Ball. Julia organised the brilliant Red, White and Blue Dinner on Lower to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee and managed the purse strings for the Elstree 175 Ball magnificently. Her bright and cheery manner were always appreciated as was her penchant for pink clothes... She didn’t even notice at her leaving drinks that all the staff were wearing pink! We wish her well as she returns to BCP but are delighted that she will still be involved at Elstree as Treasurer of Friends of Elstree and as Mum to Harriet and Felicita.

OSI

Mary Westley

Mary arrived at Elstree in January 2010, bringing with her a wealth of musical experience from her time at Crosfields. She was passionate about her subject and worked tirelessly to ensure that all children enjoyed their music-making in lessons, both in and out of the classroom. Who can forget her wonderfully creative lockdown lessons online! She championed the beginner through to the more expert musician in the many informal concerts arranged throughout the year, as well as encouraging the many groups and ensembles who performed in the more formal end of term concerts.

Olivia returned to the Learning Development Department last September in a teaching role after completing her Helen Arkell training in specific learning difficulties.

It was lovely to see her back at Elstree and she has been a super addition to our Learning Development team. On arrival, Olivia hit the ground running and quickly built up her pupil numbers at both the Pre-Prep and Prep School. The families who worked with Olivia benefitted enormously from the professional and dedicated approach she gave towards her specialist input and the pupils hugely enjoyed her fun, gentle teaching style.

Olivia always brought laughter and fun to any department meeting or event, and we will miss her as she moves on to pastures new.

Nancy Morris

Mary built up and developed the number of choirs and singers throughout the school and gained Elstree a strong choral reputation with the Chapel Choir undertaking a number of high-profile performances in London and neighbouring counties to great acclaim.

Mary will be sorely missed, by staff, pupils and parents alike and we wish her all the best in her retirement as grandmotherly duties compete with organ playing and ringing church bells! We will miss her noisy typing on the staffroom computers, her love of strong coffee and calorific cakes. Thank you Mary for all you have done to enrich the musical life of Elstree and come back and visit us soon!

SCA

Olivia Coghlan

SLA

Congratulations to Hannah and James on the arrival of Nancy Maeve Morris, who was born on 31st October 2022, weighing 7lbs 13oz.

VALETE, SALVETE, BRAVO

Julia Burnett

ACADEMIC

Elstree Book Fair

The Elstree Book Fair was held in the School Library from Monday 12th June to Friday 16th June. A brilliant selection of fiction and information books was supplied from The Travelling Book Company. The library was full of excited children choosing and recommending books to each other all week.

Popular books this year were A Secret of Birds and Bone by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die by Peter Lantos and There’s a Beast in My Basement by Pamela Butchart. We plan this popular event to encourage our pupils to make a great start to their summer holiday reading.

A total of 536 books were bought, and many of the children took advantage of the excellent 3 for the price of 2 offer. Book sales in Elstree Prep totalled a magnificent £2,3202.02.

School Librarian Mrs. Ruth Walker said, “It is a wonderful way to get our pupils even more excited about books and reading. Children ask me every term when the next one will be!”

RW

“It was amazing! There was a wide variety of books to choose from for all different kinds of readers and ages. I chose ‘Persuasion’

by Jane Austen and ‘Fire Becomes Her’ by Rosiee Thor.”

Naomi Chan, Year 7

“I think the Book Fair is very good and it is a cool way of getting books. My favourite book was ‘Diary of a Robox Pro’ by Ari Avatar.”

Rupert Chisholm, Year 5

Bula! Privet! Konnichiwa! Hallo!

The Modern Foreign Languages department has once again been bustling with activities and challenges.

In September we kicked off Languages Week with a record number of postcards sent from exciting places visited over the summer. Our assembly celebrated all languages as well as different traditions and diverse cultures. 6PAS did a brilliant presentation to the whole school which was followed by our House competition which included a flag quiz and a guess the teacher’s language challenge for Years 5 to 8. Years 3 and 4 also took part in the European food quiz. We were treated to a fabulous lunch including currywurst sausages, vegetarian Glamorgan sausages, una salata de castraveti, french fries and a delicious Naples’ ice cream sundae.

Other highlights this year included a fantastic immersion in French as our Years 7 and 8 pupils watched a brilliant French play called La Maison Hantée – or, The Haunted House performed by two French actors Clara Majman & Edouard Berchiche. The children loved the twists in the play, the acting and miming which was so energetic, it brilliantly supported their understanding of French.

The children also supported the Spanish (Mexican) Day “Día de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead). They prepared crafts including “papel picado” (bunting), the piñata, and learned new songs to understand how this important day enables Mexican people to remember their loved ones.

The children recreated an “altar” to honour those who have passed away with flowers, photos and things that they loved. We remembered Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and the children all agreed… we need a picture of a horse! Our Queen loved horses. In the Spring term, we celebrated Chinese New Year in style with a memorable meal. Boards in the Language department displayed details about Chinese culture and traditions, and in the Front Hall, bright Chinese Lanterns made by Year 5 in their STEAM morning were displayed for all to see.

PAS

Elstree School’s Book Week

We celebrated 70 Years of amazing books with a whole-school parade, a Readers’ Party and author talks. This special year we chose the theme, ‘The Time of Our Lives’ which was also the cultural theme of the 2022 Jubilee Parade in London.

We celebrated this by dressing up as characters from books that have been published in the last 70 years. What fun we had!

A beautiful autumn day meant we could parade outside Elstree as a whole school from ages 3 to 13, as well as most of the staff. It was a fabulous event for us all to share. Characters from How to Train Your Dragon, Paddington, The Explorer, Billionaire Boy, Private Peaceful and many others paraded and danced to tunes such as Sweet Caroline, The Elephant Parade, La Bamba and others.

A special Readers’ Celebration Party with hot chocolate, marshmallows, pizza, rocky roads and brownies took place in Elstree School’s fabulous Library. The reading party is planned to celebrate the enthusiasm pupils put into reading books over the summer holidays. Entry to the event is for those that have made a special effort with their reading and a magnificent seventy-one children were invited this year. Pupils and staff have the opportunity to have fun while recommending books to each other and sharing their favourite reads. The school were also delighted to tune into virtual performances as part of Henley Festival 2022 from authors Phil Earle, Patricia Burchart, and Emma Carroll.

School Librarian Ruth Walker said, “We had a fantastic Elstree Book Week again this year. Children and staff entered fully into the fun, and we were so impressed with the huge amount of reading the children have done in the holidays and at school. The school library and classrooms have been buzzing with talk of books, literature and reading which is fabulous!”

Well done everyone and a huge thank you to Mrs Walker for all her hard work in organising such a fun week.

RW

“Dressing up with your friends is really fun. It was exciting to see everyone’s different costumes and learn more about books.”

Annabelle De Souza, 4PNS

“I was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third. I loved my furry waistcoat and ankle things.”

Percy Norris, 3CMK

“I liked seeing everyone’s different costumes as it always helps me discover new books and the characteristics of each character. I love Elstree Book Week!”

George Johnstone, 8EGG

“The author told us all about her stories and that all the staff in them have hairy toes! It was funny.”

Jashn Sraw 4PJL

Year 4 Victorian Day

To round off their historical study of Victorian times, the Year 4 children were invited to come to school dressed up as Victorian children. During our lessons we had been discussing child labour and the social consequences of this practice. There were chimney sweeps, maids, pickpockets, street urchins and even bird scarers and rat catchers amongst the many outfits on show.

The Long Room at Elstree was transformed into a “ragged school” style classroom where various “strict” teachers took lessons in the three Rs – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. The children had to follow strict Victorian rules like sitting on their hands to keep still, bowing and curtsying and working in absolute silence. Girls and boys were not allowed to play together and each child had to pay a penny at the door to attend class. There was even a singing of “God Save the Queen” in honour of Queen Victoria’s birthday.

At the end of the day the children were delighted to be able to “return to modern times” and go outside and play rugby and football. However, there were lots of comments about how much fun it was and how much they had learnt. This was real “handson learning”, and the classes will now be able to complete a comparison of “schools now and then” very effectively.

Senior Debate

The debate was, I think, one of the highlights of the term for many pupils, certainly for myself. The three motions were: “This house believes that footballers’ pay should be capped”, “This house believes that prisoners in the UK should have the vote” and “This house believes that euthanasia should be legalised in the UK”.

The first motion was not passed, with many feeling that they deserve the money and use it well. The audience also seemed to think that prisoners should have the right to vote, and an overwhelming majority believed that euthanasia should indeed be legalised here in the UK. Though I did head into the McMullen Hall with my own views somewhat set, I learned more information from the experience, and it has caused me to reconsider what I previously thought. It was also interesting to see what others thought and had to say. Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable experience, especially while presenting my speech, which was for the legalisation of euthanasia in the UK.

Oscar Hargreave

Inter-House Maths Challenge

Our fabulous Year 7s put on a Maths extravaganza for the Years 4, 5 and 6 pupils. The boys and girls competed in their houses, solving puzzles, maths mazes, elaborate problems and whimsical tasks to eventually reveal the answer of 1,848,175. Which most pupils quickly realised is the founding year 1848 of Elstree School and the anniversary 175th year being celebrated this year.

Well done to all those who took part, especially to the Year 7s who ran the event with good grace, humour and energy. West came out as the overall winners with North in 2nd and South in 3rd.

Junior Debate

On a crisp afternoon Year 6 gathered in the Long Room with an audience of Year 5s for the Year 6 Debate. Each class had a topic, which two groups were either for or against and they built their arguments on facts they researched unbiased by their own opinion. 6PAS ‘s debate was whether technology had a negative effect on children; 6CLP ‘s was whether plastic should be banned and finally 6FAW’s

was whether animal testing should be banned. We all took it in turns to present our arguments, give facts for or against our motions (which we had all had chosen in previous English lessons with either Mr Owens, Mrs Payne or Mr Hepburn) and give a conclusion to our argument. The audience and opposite sides could ask questions in between and it was kindly chaired by Mrs Payne.

Henry Pritchard

FAW

Year 4 STEAM Project

Year 4 had a fantastic morning creating clay lanterns for their STEAM project. Pupils were put in groups and given a clay cylinder. The idea of the project was to create a lamp by cutting shapes out of the form without it collapsing. The most effective table lights would be the ones with more shapes cut out, allowing for more light to pass through. However, the more that is cut away, the higher the risk of the form collapsing. Pupils also created their own circuit to bring their clay structures to life. Each group showed great resilience, teamwork and creativity. The final results were beautiful. The pupils felt confident talking about their designs and how Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths were used in the making. Each light created some mesmerising shadows with the shapes reflecting on the surfaces.

Well done to all involved.

JRD

“I enjoyed carving out the different shapes. It was great fun.”

Lance Kneeshaw, 4PJL

“It was fun being part of a STEAM activity.”

Megan Roberts, 4PJL

“Carving the shapes to make them interesting was fun and seeing the shapes stand out when the lights were switched off was the best.”

William Cropper, 4PJL

“Designing the lantern was fun and watching the lights flicker at the end was amazing.”

Reuben Ruddick, 4PJL

“It was a creative morning. There was a risk when we were cutting the shapes because the lantern could have broken. I wish we could have fired them and painted the lanterns.”

Iris Yao, 4PJL

“STEAM is 5 lessons at one go. That was very good.”

Ned Rollo, 4PJL

“It was fun to see the lanterns when the lights were turned off.”

Sophie Singh, 4PJL

“I enjoyed making the circuits and learning a bit about electricity.”

Jonty Ridley-Day, 4PJL

Year 5 STEAM

Morning

Year 5 began their STEAM morning in the Art Department, creating a selection of gorgeous, marbled patterns. First, they created the gel-like substance called carrageenan which thickened the water to enable the paint to float on top of it. They then had fun creating a wide variety of patterns and designs.

The pupils went on to experiment with herbs, plants and vegetables to produce a variety of natural pigments and paints. They had fun chopping and grinding the ingredients and then had a go at painting a selection of impressive images inspired by the outdoors.

We completed the morning by creating a design on rainbow transparent paper inspired by the Chinese New Year. The children added cut-out card and used outliner paint to create the designs on their paper. They were later turned into lanterns in their Art lessons.

JWS

Year 5 Bradfield Science Challenge

Four of our Year 5 pupils represented Elstree at the Bradfield College Prep Schools’ Science Challenge. They were set various problems to solve for Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

For Biology, the pupils looked at maggot behaviour in light and dark conditions, in Chemistry they looked at temperature changes in reactions, and in Physics, they had to make a working speaker using cardboard and wire (Ed Sheeran never sounded so good!)

Finally, the Head of Chemistry entertained the pupils with a series of pops, bangs and whizzes!

It was a great fun afternoon for all the children involved.

AJB

Year 6 STEAM Project

Year 6 STEAM Project ‘Pinewood Derby Day’ is always a popular day amongst our pupils. The idea was for the pupils to work in groups of three to design, resource, build, test and decorate a pinewood car. Groups would then race their cars on the Pinewood Derby track. The races included the furthest distance and the quickest time.

Kinetic energy, friction, aerodynamics were all considered when designing and purchasing their materials. The scientific nature of the project was the initial discussion point in the groups. Should we add a light weight or a heavy one to make the car go faster? Should we have wheels with grip or use the smooth ones? All questions were considered in order to design the most effective pinewood car.

Each group had £20 to spend on materials. There were different prices for different materials which included pinewood, weights, wheels and axles. The pupils debated long and hard which items were worth spending more money on and what items would improve the cars’ performance. Each item from the shop could either enhance or diminish the cars’ performance.

Pupils marked their wooden block with their aerodynamic designs and started to cut and shape their cars. They shared out the cutting, sanding and joining phases of the build between each member of the group. Pupils were then able to test their cars on the track and make adjustments to their cars to improve them.

Finally, and just in time for the race, pupils decorated their model cars. There was also a prize for the best overall design, so this was an important phase of the build and allowed the teams to show their personalities in their design.

All of the Year 6 pupils were winners. However, Oliver Duffield, Jack Hedley and Toby Bi won the best design award. Eva Lockhart, Thomas Mitchell and Ana Ortiz de Urbina won the furthest distance race. Alfie Burles, Josh Singleton and James Marshall won the speed race. JRD

“It was interesting learning about the different weights and how it affects the speed of the car.”

Otis Pearey, 6FAW

“I enjoyed decorating the car. I loved how we all worked together to create our design.”

Jack Hedley, 6FAW

“I liked learning how to build a car and I want to do it again and improve my design.”

Eva Lockhart, 6FAW

Declamations

On Friday 27th January Elstree hosted our annual Declamations final. It was a pleasure to have the finalists perform in person to a packed-out McMullen Hall following the last few editions being restricted. The audience commented on the joy that was to be found in the vigour and enthusiasm on display from all the pupils. Several members of the audience, along with Mr Inglis, commented on the particularly high standard with a real variety of literature on display. Though a competition, this was a real celebration of the spoken word.

I would like to thank all the pupils and the teachers of English for their efforts. The school was lucky enough to have Mr John Carroll from Marlborough College to adjudicate. Thank you to him too. Congratulations to all the winners: Juniors: Harry Mills The Dentist and the Crocodile by Roald Dahl; Middle School: Leonardo Raphael The Lord of the Fores t by Caroline Pitcher and Seniors: Kitty Butler The World Was Wide Enough from ‘Hamilton’.

LJO

“I really enjoyed performing my poem. I loved doing the different rhythms and experimenting with my voice. I didn’t expect win it!”

Reuben Ruddick, 3CMS

“It was really scary, but I enjoyed it!”

Florence Allison, 5JRD

“Declamations is one of the highlights of my year and I cherish competing and listening to others.”

Arthur Ward, 8LJO

“It was really enjoyable to hear the other finalists’ hard work and take inspiration from their poems.”

Valentina Ridley-Day, 6PAS

“I was really pleased I got so many laughs!”

Isobel Clark, 5JRD

Portals to the Past

Our Year 3s came dressed as World War Two evacuees for their special day of history learning. We had some very stylish outfits this year and this helped transport the pupils back in time to the 1940s. The day was excellently led by Carl from Portals to the Past who taught the children so much about the war and in a way that brought it all to life. The children played games, worked on quizzes in pairs, became experts in bomb disposal, were given a good taste of rationing and played some games that would have occupied time in the Anderson shelters. The pupils also had the chance to see a variety of army clothing and weapons.

All in all, a great way to learn about the past and, hopefully, a day they will never forget.

CMS

“The big machine gun reminded me of my grandad who got hit by a grenade in the war.”

Harry Mills, 3CMS

“I liked it all as it was great fun. My favourite part was the code breaking.”

Alexandra Clark, 3CMS

“I found it very fun and learnt a lot. Everyone behaved very well as it was all so interesting.”

Amber Gearing, 3CMS

“Today was fun and I learnt a lot about World War Two.”

Fawn Salvesen, 3CMS

Year 8 Leavers

All the Year 8 pupils were accepted into their first choice of Senior School. We are incredibly proud of all their academic success both at Common Entrance and Scholarship level. We wish them every future success and happiness for the next chapter in their lives. ACTI

Oliver Anderson Harrow

Daniel Curto San Luis de los Franceses, Spain

Guillermo Curto San Luis de los Franceses, Spain

Hamish Fawcett Eton

Sebastian Francis Pangbourne, DT Scholarship

Alfie Hamilton-Shaw Bradfield

Oscar Hargreave Radley

Fergus Hoar Radley

Alexander Hoare Nairne Eton

Harry Hinge Bradfield

George Johnstone Sherborne, Drama Exhibition

Justin Jian Charterhouse

Leonardo La Corte Wellington

Oliver Irvine Winchester, Sport Exhibition

Derek Lee Harrow, Music Scholarship

Gabriel Islam Eton

Petra McKay Downe House, Creative Arts Exhibition, St Paul’s

Laurence Moore Lord Wandsworth, Sport Scholarship

Oscar Pritchard Winchester, Academic Scholarship

Pedro Rivera Runnymede College, Spain

Koichi Sakamoto Eton

Joshua Sameke Canford

Clara Schmidt Bradfield

Thomas Shaw Sherborne, Drama Exhibition

William Sideso Radley, Sport Scholarship

Louis Vere Nicoll Sherborne

Arthur Ward Radley, Drama Exhibition

Calvin Wu Winchester Nicky Xu Winchester

Max Venning Radley

BOARDING

Autumn Term

We had a wonderful time in the Boarding House this term and goodness, time whizzed by! Moving the girls’ boarding to Sanderson’s was a great success and I know that they have appreciated having a little more space to spread out in (as well as the swanky hairdryers in the bathrooms, of course!). A consultation to rename the girls’ dormitories more appropriately included boarders and staff and was spearheaded by Mrs Hepburn. The votes were counted and at the Boarder’s Christmas Party, we were delighted to reveal Thatcher, Nightingale, Austen and Seacole as the new names!

Big Weekends are highlights of every term and these were exceptionally well-attended. The Year 8s enjoyed a ‘Silent Disco’ with the girls of Downe House, and once everyone had got over some initial awkwardness, the children all thoroughly enjoyed it! The Year 7s enjoyed a cooking-themed Big Weekend, donning chef’s garb and competing to see which team could

produce the most appetising and tasty supper. The winners were treated to a slap-up lunch a week later where they feasted until fit to burst! The Year 6s honed their Bushcraft skills under the expert guidance of Miss Boyd and, for the first time, we organised a ‘mini weekend’ for Year 5 which was tremendous fun.

A long-standing Elstree favourite, Escape from Colditz lived up to all expectations, and on a chilly November evening, a record number of Elstree Boarders escaped the clutches of Colditz Castle and successfully managed to make their way from the shooting range, past the (somewhat hapless) guards to the airship moored in Park, and thence to home and safety!

We also enjoyed a super Boarders’ Family Quiz Night, where over 120 boarders, parents, staff and siblings competed in over 12 rounds of eclectic trivia for the title of Quiz Champs 2022!

The end of term heralded the Boarders’ Christmas Party with the

exciting magic of Elstree old boy, The Great Baldini. On the final night of term, we were delighted by a surprise visit from the ‘Man in Red’ at the Boarders’ Readings and Carols. A favourite of many, this intimate service in front of the fire in the Front Hall, with the Christmas tree twinkling atmospherically in the background, is always a very special way to end the Autumn Term.

IDH

Lent Term

It was another busy term in the boarding house and time flew by! The children were on top form and as ever, there was a lovely atmosphere upstairs. As part of the busy boarding schedule, The Year 7s enjoyed a brilliant Big Weekend organised by Miss Boyd. The theme was based around the 90’s game show “Crystal Maze” with the children all competing in teams to complete various mental, mystery, physical and skill-based tasks against the clock. All slightly madcap, but lots of fun!

The Boarders’ Murder Mystery Night is a firm favourite of the Lent Term boarders’ programme and Mr Attwood outdid himself with a wonderful evening set in a 1920’s American Speakeasy. Mrs Francis produced some brilliant costumes for the cast, and by the end of the night no one seemed to have a clue who the murderer was! Thank goodness for Detective Brown, whose perspicacious mental acuity came to the rescue and unmasked Mrs Goodbourn as the murderer! She was hauled off to the cells by the cops (the gappers) to hoots of delight from the audience. What fun we all had!

The Year 8s were thoroughly well looked after by the girls at Downe House for their Big Weekend, with pizzas, ice-cream factories and a talented DJ getting them all on the dancefloor. The children loved spending time with each other, and we are looking forward to returning the favour with our Casino Royale night next term! We held our Boarders’ Easter Party on the last night of flexi boarding for the term, and we had a terrific turn out with almost every boarder in attendance. Lara and her team cooked up a storm and the Greek theme was very well-received! Afterwards we all gathered in the McMullen Hall for egg and spoon races, duck, duck, goose and of course the obligatory Easter egg hunt in the dorms. Congratulations to Nelson who also located the ‘magic white bunny’ before anyone else, earning themselves an extra tube of Rolos each. Looking ahead to the Summer Term, the boarding house will be super busy with a record number of children wishing to board. Extra bunks are set up in order to accommodate everyone, and after a rather grey Lent Term we are looking forward to those long summer evenings in the nets, the pool and on the slippy slide more than ever!

IDH

Summer Term

The first few weeks of the term were rather cold and dreary, but this did not stop the boarders getting in the pool or the nets after supper! Fortunately, things perked up, and the warmer evenings started to make it feel much more like the summer term ought to! The children have been doing lots of kayaking on the lake, playing huge games of football on yard, riding their bikes, swimming, working on their skills in the nets or just shooting the breeze on the swings and slides. There has been a lovely, relaxed atmosphere after supper, and it has been so nice to wander around and see the children all having so much fun.

We have had two brilliant ‘Big Weekends’. The Year 8 children thoroughly enjoyed their last social at Elstree, which saw them all don dinner jackets and evening dresses to host the girls from Downe House to an evening of mocktails and fun at the Elstree Casino Royale. The McMullen Hall looked glitzy and glamorous as the children all placed their bets at the roulette wheels and poker tables around the hall. Everyone mingled beautifully and it was lovely to see some new friendships develop, as well as some old acquaintances reunited. The following morning, everyone enjoyed an epic game of laser tag around the school grounds before heading home at lunchtime, for a quiet afternoon of rest and recuperation!

The Year 6s were on parade the following weekend, and Miss Boyd and Mr Williams had great fun with the children building rafts out of cardboard, and trying to see who could paddle their home-made crafts the furthest. As you can imagine, there was much hilarity as boats sank, teams were sabotaged, and everyone ended up in the drink! Fortunately, the weather was balmy, and a hot chocolate soon warmed everyone up. On Sunday morning, the Year 6s were treated to some Zorb football on Bates which was great fun.

After a restful half-term, the second half of the summer term started at a canter, with the Elstree Award camp on the first weekend back. Fortunately, we were blessed with some wonderfully warm weather; though sticky tents made sleep elusive, and a very late night after marshmallows and fun and games on the lake was followed by an

extremely early start and some very tired campers! It did mean, however, that the walk was completed before breakfast and before the heat of the day really kicked in. Luckily, everyone had Sunday afternoon to recover, and returned to school bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Monday morning!

The full-boarders have been having lots of fun at the weekends and highlights have included trips to the Aqua Park at Caversham Lakes, endless swimming, cricket nets, huge games of football on Yard and the obligatory, and everpopular, trips to Poundland in Newbury!

As a final farewell to the boarders, we all enjoyed a fantastic ‘Big Boarding Brew’ on the last Friday of term. The weather was kind to us and a megabatch of Mrs. Hepburn’s rice crispy cakes, along with ice lollies and juice was wolfed down in record time, as the children chatted and chilled in the Rose Garden before heading up to the dorms to bed.

Finally, it is with mixed emotions that we say goodbye to Elstree after 5 very happy years in charge of the Boarding. Heidi and Molly were not even walking when we arrived, and they have loved having so many ‘big brothers and sisters’ in the Boarding house. We will miss everyone very much. However, we are also delighted to be handing on the reins to Mr and Mrs Morris, who will continue to champion Elstree boarding (albeit in a slightly different format) with huge passion and commitment. I have no doubt that the energy and enthusiasm they will bring to the role will ensure that Elstree boarding continues to grow and thrive. Lucy and I wish them every success and happiness in their new position.

IDH

DRAMA

What an amazing couple of evenings we were treated to at the end of the Lent Term…Way, way back, many centuries ago! Year 8 starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, keeping us all highly entertained.

From the very first moment the 12 brothers burst on to the scene, we knew we were in for an evening of riotous fun. Jacob, played by Derek Lee, looked a suitably weary father of his large troop of unruly boys (& girl - hats off to Clara Schmidt!)

Proud Jacob enrobed his youngest son Joseph, played by Leonardo La Corte, in his amazing technicolour coat, but it wasn’t long before those dastardly brothers had sold poor Joseph to be a slave. Leonardo’s haunting rendition of Close Every Door to Me was beautiful and poignant, with extremely effective lighting (Sophie Payne, Tilly Lloyd and Mr Wootten), transporting the McMullen Hall deep into a prison cell.

Potiphar, played by Oliver Irvine, with a fabulous entourage of fan-waving and attentive servants along with his wife, played by Louis Vere Nicoll, provided the audience with some great comedy moments. Thomas Shaw and George Johnstone were stand out performers who worked that photo shoot fabulously and, to our very own Elvis – Oscar Hargreave, that really was some costume!

Act 2 began with the Brothers having their comeuppance, facing starvation and ruin, from the backdrop of a dilapidated French Cafe – the brothers

donned their red berets and striped tops. Well done to Hamish Fawcett for leading Those Canaan Days, with a wonderfully passionate French accent.

Throughout the show, our three narrators, played by Petra McKay, Sebastian Francis and Gabriel Islam, did an outstanding job of navigating us from Canaan to Egypt. Petra in particular, is to be congratulated for such a confident performance… next stop, Britain’s Got Talent ?!

Before we knew it, the whole cast were reunited on stage celebrating the safe return of Joseph back into the family fold. As Mr Inglis so rightly commented when thanking the wonderful cast, everyone has their favourite Joseph song and there is no doubt that the many fabulous songs, lived on in our heads way after the last rousing curtain call.

The Band of course led the way with the music, a big shout out to Kitty Butler, who played the drums brilliantly, Nicky Xu on the bassoon and our very own jazz trumpeter, Mr Brown.

As with so many big school events, there is always a team of unsung heroes behind the scenes without whose time, energy and dedication, these wonderful moments simply wouldn’t happen: Mrs Storchak for fabulous 1970s style bell bottom jeans for the brothers, Liz Collins for directing the Music, Mrs Goodbourn, Mr Owens, Mr Wyatt and Mr Attwood for co-ordinating multiple logistics, Mrs Westley for support in rehearsals and Eagle House School for lending us their amazing array

of costumes. A standing ovation of course must go to Kelly Andrews and Anna Oliver for producing and directing such a wonderful, uplifting and fun show. No easy task!

Vanessa Fawcett, parent

DRAMA

Year 7 Play in a Day

Year 7 had their annual Play in a Day with the Watermill Theatre on Thursday 17th November.

The children started off by developing their ensemble and collaboration skills through a series of fun drama games. They were taught ideas on how to tell a story through movement and still images. Working in groups of eight to nine, they had to tell the story of a fairytale using only three still images.

In the second session the pupils were given a script outline based on the theme of History-Telling Stories. Through workshop and practical devising, the children fleshed out this script and performed the final 30 minute play to their parents - no small feat!

Well done to our creative, enthusiastic and confident bunch of Year 7’s. You did us proud.

Downe House Day of Musical Theatre

Our Years 5 to 7 girls had a fun day at the annual Downe House Day of Musical Theatre in February.

The theme for this year was The Song Book of Alan Menken, the composer for the music from Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Pocahontas, Newsies and many more. We were chosen to perform Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast. Though a familiar song to all families across the globe, it was not an easy one as the timings were quite tricky, however Elstree once again showed star quality and pulled off a fantastic performance. After playing several warm-up games, the girls learned the choreography for their dance which everyone picked up really quickly. Six other Prep Schools also rehearsed their individual numbers and at the end everyone came together for a finale song from the New York musical, Newsies.

Downe House pulled out all the stops on the day, which included a delicious themed lunch (the Naan bread was a particular favourite!) as well as a tea for our parent audience in the afternoon. Staff from the Downe House Drama Department were hugely complimentary about our girls and noted how “enthusiastic, energetic and talented” they were. We cannot wait to return next year!

“It was a great experience which I think all people should take part in. The staff were also very fun, kind and helpful.”

Kate Oliver, 7TDW

“I thought our choreographer had such great ideas - the dance was impeccable!

I also really enjoyed the food and had a great day at Downe House.”

Mila Tryon, 7TDW

Back to the Blitz

One of the many highlights of Years 3 and 4 is without doubt the anticipation of what spectacular “The Greatest Schuman” has in store for us at the end of the summer term and this year’s show, Back to the Blitz, did not disappoint!

An exciting time travel adventure for four children from the modern-day classroom to September 1940 at the beginning of the Blitz, via an expertly constructed old Anderson shelter and Elstree House as we follow their escapades trying to unlock the secret which will take them home to 2023.

A true comedy yet dealing with the big issues of war and senseless loss of life, the play was high tempo with group numbers like “It’s not fair” and “Back to the Blitz” whilst also peppered throughout with more sensitive, touching moments such as “Leaving from the Station” and “Missing you” sung by the talented Year 3 group as mothers, fathers and evacuated children and “Molly’s Song” sung so sweetly by Honour Yarrow, Sophie Singh and Megan Roberts. Every child on the stage had a part to play and what an outstanding performance each of them gave both nights! It really was such a joy to watch their infectious enthusiasm throughout.

A special mention to The Fab Four who led from the get-go belting out confident solos and nailing their lines - Reuben Ruddick as the cheeky yet loveable Jack, Gaby Caloia as the super intelligent Charlie, Harriet Burnett as mega bright Katie and Annabelle de Souza as the daring Georgina.

Their story weaved so much of the historical context to World War II along the way meeting a local Dad’s Army regiment, ARP Wardens, an East End Gang, 3 shady Fixers and some feisty members of the WAAF, WRNS and Women’s Land Army to remind us of the vital role women played during the war effort at home and on the front line. Fantastic performances by all!

Other highlights must include Alfie Steward with a fabulous solo as the wonderfully comedic “Potato Pete” attempting to excite the school

children about all things “potato” due to rationing and a characterful performance from Jonty Ridley-Day as the Elstree Headmaster during World War II – watch out Mr Inglis! Behind the scenes, so much work had gone into the impressive set design spearheaded by the multi-talented Louise Marshall and supported by many of the Year 3 and 4 parents. Costumes also played an enormous part in placing the children in character for the modern day and 1940s, all led by the amazing Mrs Kidson and Emma Vincent whilst hair and make-up were expertly co-ordinated by Clare Pannell and Amanda Salvesen. And finally, as parents, we are forever grateful for the supreme efforts of Mrs Oliver in directing and choreographing our children whilst the music and writing talents of Mr Schuman never fail to blow us away with every inspired script!

Looking forward to many more performances at Elstree from this talented bunch!

Karen Ruddick

DRAMA

Year 5 Drama Production

Year 5 pupils and parents had a most enjoyable evening of courtroomgoes-wrong in the Lent Term. Everyone showcased the scripted drama work they had done on Forum Theatre and performed a two-part play by Dana

Proulx-Willis, Fairy Tale Courtroom

Each form put a villain on trial and in the end, it was up to the audience to decide whether the Big Bad Wolf (hilariously portrayed by Harry Lockwood, George Mills and Charlie Utley) and the Witch (played by a very convincing James Fane) were innocent or guilty. A host of fairytale characters were questioned by the Defence and Prosecution, including a Flying monkey, three dwarves, Snow White, the Three Little Pigs, The Boy who cried Wolf and even a talking mirror, eloquently and poetically portrayed by Florence. Whilst Isobel Clark and Thomas Bevan showed promising signs of a future career in law, Inigo Barker and Rupert Chisholm were the cause of great frustration for their conscientious clerks, Lindy Zhang and Johnny Wu.

All-in-all, a very entertaining evening of laughter and celebrating our Year 5’s acting talent.

A Midsummer Night’s

Dream

Love was in the air at Elstree when mischievous spirits, Athenian royalty and a band of “hempen homespuns” from the present day performed an abridged version of Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Year 6 rose to the challenge of learning Shakespearean English and wowed the audience with their witty interpretations.

The ethereal set master-minded by Louise Marshall, created three separate worlds (or plays…in plays… in plays!) and, along with beautiful piano accompaniment from Lys Hayles and costumes created by Shelly Francis, stunning head-pieces by Nina Tryon and with lots of help from lots of our incredible mum volunteers, made for a magical show overall.

Brilliantly comical performances were delivered by Mide Sonuga (Bottom/ Pyramus), Kevin Hu (Flute/Thisbe) and Oliver Duffield (Snug/Lion), whilst Leonardo Raphael and James Marshall delivered excellent vocal performances. The four lovers (Eddie Law, Valentina Ridley-Day, Flora Napier and Bobby Blackwell) provided top class comedy entertainment, whilst Eva Lockhart (Titania) deserves a special mention for her stage presence and movement. Mrs O would like to thank the Year 6 parents for their fantastic support throughout the term, as well as their kind help behind the scenes. The children did all of us proud!

MUSIC

Autumn Term

When people ask me about my job, I never hold back in my response. There’s always so much to talk about; I think of it as bragging rights, the opportunity to share with people how brilliant Elstree is and how the children here are exposed to so much music that by the time they leave to go off to their Senior Schools, they really enjoy making music with others and carry that with them through the rest of their lives. So, what have I bragged about this term?

As the former Year 8s moved on over the summer, the Chapel Choir is reformed and their first trip for the year was to Burford to sing at the inspiring and intriguing venue of St John the Baptist. The careful preparations for the day paid off and the Choir offered up their best in a joyous act of worship. To top the day off, freshly-cooked pizzas and ice cream were mopped up by the children in the adjacent church café which was the best reward they could have asked for. This was the first of many events for this wonderful group of singers who had a busy Christmas programme ahead. The Rainbow Trust Carol Service, a real highlight in our choral calendar, provided special memories for all involved. We tripped to St Paul’s Knightsbridge to take the stage with a flurry of famous performers like old Elstree boy Sebastian Faulks and singer, Margaret Keys, who sang Rutter’s Candlelight Carol with us. The second Carol Service in the calendar was to raise money for the Charlie Waller Trust where our Choristers joined those of Bradfield College to sing a beautiful programme of music to a packed audience. Which brought us to the Elstree Carol Service at the end of term, back in the Abbey and so well-rehearsed that this end of term event was truly uplifting for all involved.

As well as the Choir, the instrumentalists and singers had a busy term of it too, with each year group hosting their own informal concert in the Long Room, and who can forget the Autumn Orchestral Concert which was a fabulous display of all the groups that spent the term playing together and enjoying their music on a social level. The Orchestra learnt to play the school song, the flute ensemble, Vivaldi’s Spring, and all the Choirs at the junior end of the school performed with real gusto. We are so lucky to have so many talented musicians at Elstree and it is wonderful to witness their hard work in concerts like this one.

What a fun packed term of music we have had – I look forward to seeing what we can achieve in the Lent!

KMA

Results of Music Exams

Autumn Term

Toby Bi Oboe Grade 5 Pass

Hamish Fawcett Singing Grade 3 Merit

James Fane Singing Grade 1 Merit

Jack Li Violin Grade 3 Pass

Sean Chen Piano Initial Distinction

James Marshall Piano Initial Merit

Hubery Yang

Piano Grade 1 Merit

Isaac Turner Piano Initial Distinction

Isobel Clark Clarinet Grade 1 Pass

Wilf Foulds Singing Grade 1 Merit

Alyssa Marianos Flute Grade 2 Merit

Isla Sanford Singing Grade 1 Pass

Mide Sonuga Cello Grade 3 Pass

Sophie Singh

Piano Grade 1 Merit

Lent Term

The Lent term was a special one, with some wonderfully refined performances from the children. It was kick started by an evening of entertainment from the Year 8 Music and Drama Scholars – the Performing Arts Soiree. As the frost settled outside, we were warmed by the fire and the welcoming words of our masters of ceremonies, Petra McKay and Arthur Ward. The Long Room was filled with laughter and tears as we were taken on a journey through poetry, moving scenes from plays, hilarious scenes from well-known stories and music that touched our souls. The atmosphere was electric and we felt lucky to witness these children who have been developing their skills during their time at Elstree having blossomed into brilliant artists.

The Middle Choir were invited to Heathfield Prep to perform in a competition with other Choirs. They performed A Million Dreams from the Greatest Showman and a Swahili setting of the Lords’ Prayer called Baba Yetu. Both pieces were well polished and all the children came home with a medal and a belly full of cake!

In the middle of the term, we hosted the annual Candlelit Concert in St Peter’s. The Choir sang eleven of their favourite and most beautiful anthems to a packed audience who joined us to sing two welsh hymns (in honour of St. David’s Day) and The Day Thou Gavest which rounded off the programme perfectly. Complete with an exquisite performance of Elgar’s Salut d’amour by Derek Lee and James Morris-Weston, and some confidently delivered readings, the evening nourished the audience with a rare moment of tranquillity.

The end of term would not be complete without a big Orchestral concert and this one did not disappoint! With every child in the school involved, the McMullen Hall was full to the brim, bringing our entire community together to celebrate our talented Elstree musicians. There was such teamwork on display, from the backstage crew to the performers and it was uplifting to witness all the children engaged in this event. The highlight of the concert was the grand finale where the audience were fooled into believing that Derek was playing Ode to Joy on the cello as a solo, when actually we were performing a flashmob. The Orchestra had learnt to play their parts by heart (and had rehearsed walking around and playing!) and all the other children in the school had learnt the English words to raise the roof and create a huge sound around their unsuspecting parents. We loved keeping this surprise, especially from Mr Inglis! What a wonderful way to end the Lent term.

Results of Music Exams

Lent Term

George Zhao Singing Grade 1 Distinction

Kweji Sameke Piano Grade 1 Merit

Arabella Pannell Flute Grade 1 Distinction

Leonardo Raphael Piano Initial Distinction

Alyssa Marianos Piano Grade 1 Distinction

Henry Singh Piano Initial Distinction

Charles Chen Flute Grade 3 Merit

Sophie Payne Piano Grade 2 Merit

Valentina Ridley-Day Flute Grade 1 Distinction

Kate Oliver Singing Grade 1 Distinction

Henry Allison Piano Grade 2 Distinction

Summer Term

The Music Department held the Grandparents’ Morning in the first week of the Summer Term and it was a great success. The McMullen Hall was full of an excited audience and the concert was enjoyed by all.

This was followed by the annual House Music Competition. Great excitement and a feeling of “competitive” spirit was felt around the school during the rehearsals leading up to the main event. There were children getting together to form “bands”, soloists practising their hearts out and choirs singing. The sound of music echoed in the McMullen Hall. The theme this year was choosing a song with “Whoa” in it! There was stiff competition, but South House won, with their song, “Viva la Vida”.

We were delighted to have a bagpipe demonstration. We already have one bagpipe player, and we are hoping to enlist more. Hamish piped us into church for our last church service at St Peter’s Church and he stood outside as the parents and guests arrived. It was very special. The beautiful chamber music could be heard from the Long Room on our Sports Day. How lucky we are to have such a resonant room for our performers and we are extremely grateful to the McKay family for their donation of a beautiful music stand for the Long Room. It adds both professionalism and elegance to the performances we have seen since.

Our 175th Summer Concert was fantastic. Such a variety of items, from Orchestras, Choirs, Jazz Bands and Flute Groups. It was presented in the Rose Garden and the children and parents sat under the trees and listened whilst the concert unfolded.

We had two full days of Associated Board exams in the last week of term. This is extremely encouraging. This goes to show how many budding musicians Elstree School has.

We had all the usual informal concerts this term, ending off with the Year 3 and 4 Informal Concert. There were 32 children performing in this concert which happened the day before school ended. I think we may have to make more room on the timetable for these concerts, as they are becoming very popular amongst our performers. Music is the food of Life!

AMP

Results of Music Exams

Summer Term

Dew Sakamoto Piano Initial Merit

Bertie Barton Trumpet Grade 2 Pass

Harry Clothier Singing Grade 4 Distinction

Jacob Gearing Singing Grade 2 Merit

Matilda Lloyd Flute Grade 1 Merit

James Fane Singing Grade 2 Merit

Gabriella Ajani Piano Grade 1 Pass

Valentina Ridley-Day Piano Grade 2 Pass

Quinty Xia Piano Initial Distinction

Henry Singh Violin Initial Pass

Edward Law Piano Grade 3 Merit

Sebastian Fowler Double Bass Grade 1 Pass

Gabriel Islam Violin Grade 3 Pass

Olivia Gaskell Violin Grade 1 Merit

Hamish Fawcett Singing Grade 4 Merit

Eva Lockhart Singing Grade 1 Distinction

Henry Dalton Cello Grade 2 Pass

Ethan Lockhart Saxophone Grade 2 Pass

Isaac Turner Piano Grade 1 Distinction

Johnny Ruck Keene Piano Initial Merit

Alyssa Marianos Flute Grade 3 Merit

Thomas Bevan Piano Initial Distinction

Isobel Clark Singing Grade 1 Merit

Megan Roberts Piano Initial Merit

Sean Chen Piano Grade 1 Merit

Laurie Hooper Piano Initial Merit

Sophie Singh Violin Grade 2 Distinction

Reuben Ruddick Singing Grade 1 Merit

James Fane Singing Grade 2 Merit

Henry Britton Cello Grade 2 Pass

ART

DT

TRIPS

Elstree Ski Trip

“Don’t tell my family, but that was the greatest day of my life!’ – quote from an unnamed pupil on the 4th day of the Elstree Ski trip 2023.

34 pupils and 5 members of staff jetted over to the French Alps for adventure and adrenaline! Quickly becoming a tight band of brothers and sisters! making sure to look out for the stray bit of lost kit but also eager to make some special memories.

A lovely little window into the ski trip world is that everyday folks at home are treated to a barrage of photos, videos, and a blog of all the day’s happenings. Here is a tiny snippet of one such blog.

‘Huge excitement as more snow had fallen overnight. The beginners caught the shuttle bus down to the bottom of the mountain with Mrs Payne and Miss Boyd. Everyone else flew down the mountain side; being the first to cut through all the fresh powder with the clear blue sky and glorious vistas the only distractions. The group caught the very first gondola up to the top of the mountain where they had a good chance to explore. Meanwhile the beginners worked on their snow ploughs and turning technique.’

‘Everyone had a fantastic afternoon doing jumps, whizzing down reds and the beginners were particularly proud of themselves as they managed to ski all the way down the mountain back to the hotel twice. The stop at the creperie for a celebratory hot chocolate was also a high point!’

‘Back to the hotel for some relaxing downtime, swimming and chatting with some of the pupils from the other schools over some melted cheese on toast before supper and a well-deserved sleep’.

Countless happy childhood memories were made on this trip; the pupils were fabulous all week. A huge thank you to Mrs Payne, Mr Smith, Miss Boyd, and Mrs Burles for all their late nights, long days, great humour, and help over the 8 days. Their support was invaluable.

FAW

Year 3 visit the Hawk Conservancy

Year 3 was treated to an unforgettable day at the beautiful Hawk Conservancy in Andover. Because of the calm, clean and orderly surroundings, one felt as if one was on a spiritual journey into the magical world of birds. There were tiny, cute owls, Peregrine falcons – the world’s fastest birds, the hilarious Secretary bird whose stamping on the head of the snake looked more like a ritual dance, the very majestic Egyptian vultures and Bald Eagles and the poor old vultures that get such a bad press but are so essential for the clearing up of dead animals.

The highlight of the day was, perhaps, the Wings of Africa Show, set against the backdrop of the African Savannah. All of this and more on a beautiful summer’s day with wall-to-wall sunshine!

CMS

“It was cool to see the deadly birds.”

Oscar Sydney-Smith, 3CMK

“It’s really cool when the birds swoop over you in the arena.”

Aggie Foulds, 3CMS

“The Masters of the Air Show was my favourite.”

Wilfred Shanks, 3CMS

“The Secretary bird was my favourite.”

Romilly Kayser-Booth, 3CMK

“I love the way the birds stare at you.”

Gabriella Ajani, 3CMK

“The Tawny and Barn owls were my favourites.”

Evie Addington, 3CMK

Year 3 Hindu Temple Trip

The Year 3s were taken to the Hindu Temple in Slough as part of their TPR lessons on Hinduism. In their classes the pupils had already learnt about the Hindu festival of Diwali and the story of Rama and Sita which is central to this particular festival. Once in the temple, shoes had to be taken off in order to keep the prayer hall clean and tidy. The children then sat on the carpet to listen to the Pandit (priest) talk about what it means to be a Hindu.

First, the Pandit ran through the names of all the gods in the temple and explained that although there are hundreds of different gods, they are all manifestations of the one god, Brahman. The children noticed that all the statues (or dolls, as some of them perceived them to be) were smiling. He then rang the bell to wake up the gods so that they could hear

the people’s prayers. He offered milk to the gods as a gift and so began the prayer session called “Arti”. A few members of the public came in to join the worship which fascinated the children. The children also sat through 15 minutes of prayers in Hindi which they responded to in just the right way – with respect, patience and with an enquiring mind. Lastly, there were some excellent questions for the Pandit to answer. The particularly deep and searching questions were from Fawn Salvesen and Evie Addington.

We are very grateful to the Hindu Temple in Slough for guiding us through the basics of Hinduism and for providing us with some welcome refreshments of chocolate biscuits, crisps and a soft drink at the end.

CMS

“The priest offered us some holy water which we tasted and also put on our foreheads and heads.”

Aggie Foulds, 3CMS

“At the end we were given chocolate biscuits, a packet of crisps and a soft drink.”

Hubery Yang, 3CMS

“The priest rang the bell in order to wake up the gods.”

Hubery Yang, 3CMS

“We felt both calm and excited in the Hindu temple.”

Alex Fowler, 3CMS

“In Hinduism there is only one god, but he takes on many forms.”

Siena Robinson, 3CMS

“We played a game which involved the priest ringing a bell. When the sound disappeared we could open our eyes.

In the second game we had to imagine the priest ringing the bell.”

Alex Fowler, 3CMS

Year 4 River and Rowing Museum

When Year 4 visited the River & Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, they were lucky enough to be one of the first schools allowed to visit the museum before it officially re-opened after refurbishment.

The purpose of the visit was to support the topic of rivers covered in Geography and habitats in Science. The first part of the morning was spent doing activities associated with the river: these included recognising features of a river, examining artefacts associated with the River Thames and Henley and learning how rivers and surrounding vegetation can help reduce flooding. A walk down the towpath to Marsh Lock followed where the children could see the features of the river as well as understand the habitats in and around the river and the type of animals who live there. After a well-earned lunch, we were given time to explore the ‘Henley’ and ‘Rowing’ galleries in the museum. A great day was had by all. PNS

Year 5 Warwick Castle

Despite no longer teaching Year 5 History this year, Mr Wyatt could not keep away from this popular yearly excursion! However, this was the best news for the rest of us newbies; admitting that he was now in double figures for his visits, our Head of History was now our own personal tour guide!

Despite the constant drizzle, the children were all in awe of the size of the castle when we arrived. The portcullis looming over us as we entered, with Mr Wyatt showing us where the ‘murder holes’ were and how, if we became trapped, we’d have hot sand and all sorts poured on us, followed by a flurry of arrows to finish us off. What a way to set the scene!

The rain continued to pour down, but spirits remained high as we scaled the original motte to magnificent views and a clear understanding of why this site was perfect. From there we could see the huge trebuchet on the ground below. Despite not seeing it in action the sheer size of the machine was jaw dropping. Just before lunch we watched an astonishing birds of prey show. Owls, eagles and Andean condors to name a few - lucky our sandwiches were hidden away!

After lunch we climbed to the top of the narrow castle turrets and along the castle walls. This was followed by a sword workshop down in the mill. All the children were shown the styles of defence used in battles and had to form ranks to discover the best way to survive. Mr Hepburn then assisted the castle’s sword expert in showing the children the best way to attack and defend in a sword fight. I’m not sure Mr Hepburn, or any of the girls and boys, would have lasted long in battle!

Just before leaving we managed a quick stop off at the ‘Gaol.’ Deep down in the dungeons, chains remained and the sobering ‘oubliette’ where prisoners were literally forgotten about left us all with some food for thought for our journey home. It was another fabulous trip where all the children were, as usual, great ambassadors for Elstree.

LAH

Year 6 Geography Trip to Dorset

Year 6 have been studying the topic ‘Coasts’, so a Geography Trip to the Jurassic Coastline in Dorset was a brilliant way to bring the learning alive.

The group set off at 11am to trek up the steep cliff out of Lulworth Cove along the magnificent coastline to Durdle Door. They learnt about how important rock type is and saw how the Purbeck Limestone has been left sticking out to sea while the chalk and Wealden clays have been eroded.

They learnt about the four processes of erosion and about longshore drift. After a packed lunch in the glorious sunshine, the pupils visited Stair Hole and ended up back at Lulworth Cove with a well-deserved ice cream on the beach.

What a day of wonderful geographical learning – hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, biological weathering, chemical weathering, caves, arches and stacks were all covered in one day! Together with stunning scenery, sunshine and ice creams, the pupils returned to school tired but happy.

Thank you to Mr Brown and Miss Boyd for helping Mr Pilkington run the trip so smoothly. AWP

Year 6 Science Trip

Our Year 6 pupils enjoyed a visit to Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium.

During their time there, they explored the stars and the planets of our Solar System. They also discovered the icy secrets of space in the exciting live Planetarium show, saw flashes and bangs in the Science theatre, and learned about a whole range of topics from sound to space to under the ocean in the hands-on Science centre.

Here’s what some of the pupils said about the trip:

“The best part of the science exhibition was when the bowling ball fell down a tube and it forced the air pressure out of the tube which in turn, pushed up the tennis ball.”

Willem Loader, 6CLP

“I liked the planetarium and learning about the different stars.”

Arabella Pannell, 6PAS

“I found out that Sonar navigation is the navigation of using your hearing”

Eddie Law, 6FAW

“It was interesting learning how cancer cells get in and out of your body and how doctors destroy all affected cells in your body.”

Leo Raphael, 6PAS

Year 7 Geography

Fieldtrip to Rushall Farm

On a very wet Friday at the start of the Summer Term, Year 7 enjoyed a day out exploring the beautiful Berkshire countryside and wading into the River Pang.

As part of their Common Entrance fieldwork, they set out to measure the river, studying its fluvial processes and landforms. The pupils had great fun collecting data including the river’s width, depth, wetted perimeter, velocity, sediment size and shape. The pupils braved the cold and wet day in high spirits, demonstrating fantastic teamwork, communication and collaboration skills. They also had great fun travelling around the Berkshire countryside on the back of a tractor wearing waders and exploring their local environment. All in all, it was a wonderful Prep School day out!

Thank you to Mr Brown and Miss Boyd for helping Mr Pilkington run the trip so smoothly.

AWP

Year 7 Art Trip to the V&A

The Year 7 Art Trip to the V&A in London was a truly funfilled day. The children had researched this world-leading museum of art and design before the visit, and excitedly discovered a wide variety of archives spanning over 5,000 years of human creativity. They also learnt that the V&A holds many of the UK’s national collections as well as some of the greatest resources for the study of painting, architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design as well as theatre and performance.

The children especially enjoyed the Painting Collection which included British and European oil and watercolour paintings as well as over 2,000 miniatures. The highlights included the Raphael Cartoons and major works by J. M. W. Turner and John Constable. They also thoroughly enjoyed the Theatre & Performance collections. The children got to dress up as some of their favourite characters but also spent some valuable time creating set designs on the computers within the exhibition.

We then went on to explore the comprehensive collections of jewellery and found they have over 3,000 jewels which tell the story of jewellery in Europe from ancient times to the present day. Highlights included a gold Celtic breastplate, jewelled pendants given by Elizabeth I to her courtiers, diamonds worn by Catherine the Great of Russia, jewellery by the art-nouveau designer, Réné Lalique, diamond tiaras by Cartier, and contemporary works by Wendy Ramshaw, Peter Chang and Marjorie Schick.

To conclude our trip we were treated to a tour of the temporary exhibition of African Fashion, which spanned iconic mid-20th Century to contemporary creatives through photographs, textiles, music and the visual arts through film which was projected throughout the tour. The exhibition explored the vitality and global impact of a fashion scene as dynamic and varied as the continent itself.

We all felt very inspired after visiting the many areas of the seven miles of stunning galleries and will continue to research individual pieces back within the Art Department.

“I really enjoyed the Art Trip. I especially loved the architecture as well as the painting galleries. The work around the museum was so impressive and very creative. The colourful glass and chandeliers were also stunning. I am looking forward to continuing with researching and working on our artwork back at school.”

Seb Black, 7TDW

“The Art Trip was so interesting and enjoyable. My favourite part was the African culture section and a close second was the jewellery section as well as the Japanese and China areas. We also discovered a lot at the Theatre and Performance area as we explored a wide variety of set designs, props, costumes, poster designs etc. including “The Lion King” and “Star Wars” memorabilia. A very busy day and I would love to go back.”

Edison Brown, 7AJP

Year 8 French Trip

What a brilliant trip to the Opal Coast of France with French immersion throughout!

We stayed at the Hotel Moulin aux Draps in Desvres where we enjoyed French cooking, the highlight being a daily petit déjeuner français with a ‘pain au chocolat, a croissant or a baguette’. What a start to the day! All of the pupils presented in French whether it was food, activities or excursions. The children had plenty of opportunities to fine-tune their listening skills and to practise valuable phrases during our stay. We completed our journal daily using the passé composé (perfect tense). The pupils’ level of understanding of French was getting stronger by the day. We were very proud of them and they worked superbly in smaller sized groups at the ‘marché’. They were keen to push themselves and we were delighted to have lots of lovely comments from places we visited about their level of understanding and their French speaking.

We had a wonderful, packed week visiting Le Musée de la Coupole which is a gigantic concrete bunker located where the secret launch was planned for the V1 and V2 rockets, Hitler’s deadly weapons. It has an impressive World War II Museum with great visuals to aid understanding of what happened on the site. The Nausicaa Aquarium, the largest in Europe has an impressive range of fish, this was an unforgettable voyage to the heart of the ocean with 1,600 species.

Our visit to the Desvres Market was a highlight with grouped pupils ordering their picnic which was judged on being a traditional French picnic as well as a French speaking presentation by each member. The boulangerie bread making session was very interesting with lots of French practised to finish with a tasty ‘pain au chocolat’.

We also enjoyed a History day with a real focus on World War I, starting with the Lochnagar crater on the Western front of which the explosion could be felt in London. Followed by Newfoundland Memorial Park which has remained untouched. Pupils were able to see both the trenches and front line and could picture what had happened in 1916. We also headed to the Thiepval Memorial where more than 72,000 British and South African forces are commemorated. Our guide was very dedicated and tailored the information to the needs of our pupils who showed genuine interest and had lots of questions. The Somme Museum was also such an informative place for our pupils, they got a great insight into what everyday life was like in the trenches during 1916.

On a more cultural note, we visited Boulogne sur Mer with its fortified 13th century city which is superbly preserved. We learnt a lot of French using the language available in streets, the walls, information panels, castle and turrets. Pupils were fascinated by the Egyptologist, Auguste Mariette, who has his own memorial with an Egyptian garden and pyramid.

We finished our visits with a high-rope experience which proved very popular!

Thank you to everyone who helped in making this such a successful trip.

PAS

“We got to spend time with our friends every day. It was nice to be speaking to people in French and they were very helpful. I very much enjoyed seeing the war memorials.”

Clara Schmidt, 8AJB

“I enjoyed being around the locals, being able to speak French and being understood. My favourite visit was La Coupole to learn more about the V1 and V2 rockets.”

Seb Francis, 8EGG

Year 8 Leavers’ Trip

After an intense week of Common Entrance exams, the Leavers gathered with a great sense of excitement and anticipation for our trip to beautiful Pembrokeshire. The weather forecast was set fair for the week and the journey to Preseli Venture went smoothly. On arrival we were given a delicious lunch, before splitting into groups and heading off to our first activity.

One of the highlights of the week was sea kayaking, where we explored the pristine coastal waters of Pembrokeshire. Equipped with kayaks and expert guidance, we navigated through breathtaking sea caves, arches, and hidden coves. The awe-inspiring beauty of the coastline, coupled with the sense of accomplishment from paddling across the open sea, gave everyone a real sense of appreciation of the natural world.

Coasteering was another hugely enjoyable activity that pushed our boundaries and filled us with adrenaline. Armed with wetsuits and helmets, we traversed the rugged shoreline, encountering towering cliffs, surging waves, and rocky obstacles. From leaping into the crystal-clear waters from great heights to swimming through narrow gaps and exploring hidden caves, coasteering allowed us to conquer our fears, develop resilience, and embrace the sheer joy of being immersed in nature’s playground.

The week also included an introduction to surfing, where we paddled like mad to catch the waves and experienced the exhilaration of riding the ocean’s energy. Almost everyone managed to stand up at some point, but there were some hilarious wipe-outs too!

Everyone also got the chance to explore St. David’s, although the local co-op and ice cream shop proved considerably more alluring than the beautiful cathedral! We also thoroughly enjoyed the boat trips, speeding round the coastline on a fast rib, while also taking in the beautiful scenery and abundant local wildlife.

In the evenings after supper the instructors led team building games, roasted marshmallows and we even managed a very chilly dip on a beautiful beach just 10 minutes walk from the centre.

Overall, it was a super trip, and we were blessed with glorious weather. The children were good company, and it was a lovely way to kick off their Leavers’ programme, and what we hope will be a memorable last few weeks at Elstree.

IDH

CHURCH

As our weekends begin, our services continue to draw us back to timeless truths and lessons. This year speakers have come from Bradfield, Downe House, Eton, Harrow, Marlborough, Pinewood, Radley, Sherborne, Sherborne Girls, St Edward’s, St Peter’s in Woolhampton, and Wycombe Abbey.

Prep School pupils are a tough gig. First, and most obviously, background knowledge cannot be assumed. They’re also at that super-visual age when their understanding fires through imaginative, physical illustrations. However, Prep School pupils have open ears and uncomplicated hearts, and they love good Bible teaching. We’ve been treated to a number of wonderfully thought-provoking sermons.

Reverend Andrew Anderson spoke as a grandfather on Grandparents’ Morning about the special value of ordinary service as he held up a wooden spoon, stirring us as we considered how something so commonplace and unremarkable can be used to make wonderful things, noting how Jesus came not to be served but to serve and give his life. On this particular morning it reminded us that educations such as that which Elstree provides are worth investing in, as they prioritise shaping character and unique usefulness for wider society beyond its walls. We also thank the Bishop of Carlisle and old-boy Rt. Rev. James Newcome for

his clarity on Jesus’ claims in John 14 to be the way, the truth, and the life, Jesus the compass and the map on our way. Of course, these messages were packed with wisdom and a sense of celebrating the simplicity of things.

We must mostly thank Mrs Westley as she completes 14 years of service to the school community as Head of Music and itinerant legend. She has led the music in the church with expert grace, and she along with Rory Darling and Andrew Pilkington have given the choir such a deep appreciation of choral music, nor forgetting their classics The Lord Bless You and Keep You and The Lord is My Shepherd (Psalm 23). We will remember those friends of Elstree as we continue to sing these songs. Thanks, too, to Oliver Irvine, Harry Hinge, and Max Venning for giving up so much time and always with a smile, and to George Johnstone and Tom Shaw for ringing the bells with Mrs Syckelmoore so beautifully. And of course thank you to Mr Inglis for leading the services and recruiting the speakers, and to Mrs Inglis for organising and preparing the speakers and readers.

Our church services are a mainstay and measure of our school, and we look forward to and pray for a 2023/24 where we can grow in knowledge of God’s love and a desire to love others, serving as those served.

AJP

CHARITY AND EVENTS

Act of Remembrance for HM The Queen

On 9th September, the Pre-Prep and Prep School children joined together with all Elstree staff for a thought-provoking and moving ‘Act of Remembrance’ for Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II.

Mr Inglis reflected that this was a moment in all our lives that we would never forget and asked for all present to join him in marking the occasion with appropriate respect and dignity. Prayers were said for the Queen, King Charles III and the Royal Family. Later, the headmaster commented:

“Thank you for your humility, loyalty and service. Thank you for your commitment to our nation and for the

joy and happiness that you brought to so many. From all the Elstree School Community”.

The following week, sports teams paused for a two-minute silence in memory of HM The Queen before the first matches of the season, and the players wore black armbands out of respect.

Mr and Mrs Inglis took a bunch of flowers from around the gardens at Elstree, to the Flower Tributes at Green Park. The card they left read as follows:

“The children were outstanding, and they gave the occasion the due deference and respect that it merited. I was very proud to be Headmaster of Elstree as we stood together as one community at a time of profound historical importance. As we all said a final ‘Long Live the King’, bright sun burst through the rather gloomy clouds and the front of the school was bathed in glorious sunshine.”

Cultural Diversity Week

Elstree celebrated Cultural Diversity Week with a focus on African and Caribbean culture, history and heroes.

Pupils learnt about people and events that have helped to shape our modern culture including Jamaican-born, British nurse Mary Seacole and the more current footballer, Marcus Rashford. Pupils discussed and reflected on subjects such as discrimination and racism; these themes were then developed and scripted by Mrs Oliver and her Year 5 Drama classes, with a performance and song by the Year 7 chapel choir staged for the whole school. Co-founder and NYC producer of STOMP, Carl Smith ran an exciting body and junk percussion workshop for all of Years 5 and 6. Using our theme of Diversity, Carl emphasised how the smallest sound can contribute to a creative whole. After a short introduction using body percussion including clicks, stamping, clapping and varied volume; children moved on to using brooms, buckets, plastic bags, pots and pans to create a rhythmic performance for staff and Years 3 and 4.

The finale of the week was an African Market Experience. Visiting workshop leaders Niyi Oduneye of Afrikidz Club and Giselle Idedia, founder of Little Genius Club handed out Food Passports to each child. These were used at different stations of African and Caribbean food where each child could smell, taste and touch a variety of freshly cooked root vegetables and starches including rice, yams, cassava and plantain – many of which were a novelty.

Finally, there was even an opportunity to learn a Nigerian dance from Mrs Akinola, who kindly organised this vibrant and unforgettable event.

Chapel Choir at Burford Church

What a wonderful Choir trip we had to Burford Church this week. After two years of planning (Covid delayed the original date) it was such a joy to get out and sing in the inspiring and intriguing venue of St John the Baptist. The sun shone, the arrangements worked faultlessly (Mr Darling was in charge!) and everyone enjoyed themselves –choristers, congregation, parents – even teachers!

Burford is one of the most picturesque towns in England with its famous High Street rising up from the church and river. Upon arrival the choir practised processing and a couple of hymns before heading off for a bit of retail therapy. They then returned to rehearse the parts of the service that make up a choral evensong – introit, preces and responses, psalm, anthem and extroit. After a quick tea and photo shoot (or a ring of the bells in Mrs Westley’s and Mr Darling’s case), it was time to sing the service to a full congregation of local residents and parents. The careful preparations and hard work paid off and we offered up our best in a joyous act of worship.

Then came what will most likely be the highlight for the pupils - freshly cooked pizza and ice-cream in the adjacent church café. Those still hungry mopped up the left-over sandwiches from the congregation’s tea!

Thanks must go the Burford team for their incredible hospitality, and to Mr Darling for his meticulous attention to detail (even down to the ice-cream flavour for each chorister!), ensuring everything went so smoothly that everyone could relax and enjoy the day.

As one parent commented “The choir sang beautifully and it was such a fantastic opportunity for the girls and boys to experience performing in such a historic setting.”

We will now turn our thoughts excitedly to carols…!

KMA

ISFA Under 11 Football Tournament

On a sunny and crisp afternoon in the Autumn Term, Elstree hosted the annual ISFA Under 11 regional tournament. The format was two groups of six schools with the top two from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. Elstree came second in their group with three wins against Cothill, St. Joseph’s and St. Neots and two draws against St. Andrew’s and Papplewick. Highlights from the group stage included Toby scoring (he is the team’s goalkeeper!) and Joshua’s hat-trick against St. Joseph’s. Elstree’s placing in the pool meant a semi-final against Summer Fields, the winners of their group, and in a nail-biting encounter Elstree sneaked through with a 2-1 victory. A final against Papplewick, the strongest side on the day in terms of overall results, was another dramatic match with Elstree leading 2-1 with only three minutes to play. Unfortunately, for the Elstree boys, Papplewick found two late goals, deservedly so, and won the day’s spoils. Elstree’s disappointment was tempered by the news that both finalists went on to play in the national finals at St. George’s Park, England Football HQ in the Spring. The team met England Manager, Gareth Southgate and had

Act of Remembrance

The Elstree Act of Remembrance was opened beautifully by Pre-Prep children singing We Will Remember accompanied by James Morris-Weston on the violin and Mrs Westley playing the piano.

The Headmaster, Mr Inglis addressed staff and children, calling on them to pause and remember all those who served and those who died fighting for their country in the wars and conflicts since 1914. The Last Post played by Mr Matthew Eckland and Harry Clothier rang out before the whole school observed a one-minute silence.

The Reveille was followed by wreath laying by our Heads of Houses: Sebastian Francis (South), Arthur Ward (West), Alex Hoare Nairne (East), Oliver Anderson (North)

a wonderful time playing on such a hallowed pitch. More important than any of the results was the boys’ exemplary application and attitude whilst wearing the famous pink and blue. Well done everyone and thank you to all our supporters and ISFA and Football Escapes.

and Tom Lloyd Harris, our oldest child from Pre-Prep. On behalf of all Elstree staff, Mrs Payne placed a wreath at the base of the flag which had been lowered to halfmast alongside the beautiful ceramic poppies made by pupils.

To close the assembly, Mr Inglis invited us to listen to Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen. It was a very moving and poignant week as we remembered those who have given their lives for their country. BD

Performing Arts Soirée

Potential Drama and Music Scholars in Year 8 wowed parents and staff at this year’s Performing Arts Soirée. Outside the frost was settling, but as the audience filed past the welcoming fire and beautiful Chinese lanterns in the front hall, the sound of a clarinet and chattering performers warmed the atmosphere. Parents were welcomed by our homegrown masters of ceremonies, Arthur Ward and Petra McKay who eloquently introduced their fellow performers. Hamish Fawcett set the tone for the evening by taking us back to the river to meet with Toad and Ratty, after which Derek Lee performed Beethoven’s Pathetique with astonishing flair. Of talented declaimers there was no short supplyMax Venning performed Empty House and Arthur Ward a poem he wrote himself, whilst travelling through Japan over the Christmas holidays (as you do!).

Beautiful woodwind music was delivered by Ollie Anderson on clarinet and Nicky Xu on flute. Nicky then went on to perform a monologue from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Next up we watched Petra perform her chilling rendition of Bird by Katherine Chandler; but our emotions were soon flipped high into the air by Leonardo La Corte’s version of girlfriend break-up in Lemons, Lemons. And the evening just continued offering more laugh-outloud moments- Seb Francis played the character of a Card who hatches a plan to overthrow other cards in the pack, and duo George Johnstone and Tom Shaw brilliantly portrayed two TV show hosts who kept getting it wrong on a baking show. Fortunately, Derek Lee managed to calm the room, and sensitively drew our programme to a close with his performance of J.L. Webber’s Elegie. Well done to all our talented and hardworking Year 8s and good luck on your next senior school ventures. Thank you also to our very talented Ms Andrews, as well as Laura and Charlotte for coaching and teaching the children.

Christmas Pantomime

In the run up to Christmas, the Elstree Staff surprised and delighted pupils with a spectacular performance of Cinderella!

It was a pantomime like no other with a fine array of acting, singing and dressing up on display. Mr Morris’ and Mr Owens’ portrayal of the Ugly Sisters was startlingly life-like. Mr Atwood delivered a fine performance as the Wicked Stepmother while Mr Pilkington’s deep baritone voice became slightly more shrill as the Fairy Godmother. Mr Brown was born to be Prince Charming but perhaps, Mr Williams as Cinderella and Mr Inglis as the Headmaster stole the show. There were memorable performances by the whole of Elstree staff, as they paraded as princesses, fairies, narrators and ladies in waiting, eager to see if the glass slipper would fit.

It was a lovely moment of fantastic Christmas cheer that the Elstree pupils loved – and the staff had such fun too. With a huge amount of laughter all round, special thanks go to Mrs Kidson and her team of helpers for co-ordinating such a brilliant show. BD

Ludgrove Relays

We got off to a flying start in this year’s Ludgrove Relays. William “Deadly” Hedley (captain of the team) got us into pole position in the Under 9s race but couldn’t quite maintain that lead, finishing his leg in a very respectable fourth place out of eight schools. Second leg was Jonty Ridley-Day who maintained our strong running. Third leg was Gaby Caloia who also ran an impressive race. Last leg was the incredible Akinniran Akinola who brought the team home in second place. We have never medalled higher than bronze at the Ludgrove Relays so this just illustrates what a talented bunch of runners these boys are.

The Under 11 race was a tough and gutsy event with some runners collapsing on the finish line. Our quartet of runners were: Jonty Shaw, Kevin Hu, Sat Li and Leo Raphael (captain). They ran well but couldn’t quite match the magic of the Under 9s and came in eighth place.

Our final race was the Under 13s, or Year 8s. This quartet comprised Hamish Fawcett who got us off to a strong lead. On the starting line he looked determined and quietly confident – two essential ingredients to a successful run. Oscar Pritchard ran equally well followed by the seasoned runner, George Johnstone. Oliver Irvine (captain) brought us home with his ever-reliable running but he had too much ground to catch up. At one point in the race we were hopeful of a medal. By the end, we were just out of medal contention.

Cross-Country running is a good metaphor of life. It combines the highs and lows together with some disappointments and exhilarations. All three teams ran their hearts out and supported each other brilliantly. I couldn’t have been prouder of our three teams and each and every one of our boys was not only a good sport during the afternoon’s proceedings but a great ambassador of Elstree School.

Many thanks to Ludgrove for hosting such a wellorganised, competitive but social event. The balance of competitiveness and fun was perfect and it was great that every boy was rewarded with a hot chocolate and bag of crisps at the end of their run, for some the highlight of the day no doubt!

CMS

Rugby and Hockey Tour to Dublin

A superb Tour to Dublin saw the boys’ Rugby and girls’ Hockey teams take their band of the respective games to some seriously strong Irish opponents.

Coming away with 2 wins and 2 losses shows how hotly the games were contested and, considering both sports are played differently in Ireland, the great ability both teams can produce.

All the Elstree pupils were fantastic tourists and great ambassadors. Soaking in as much of the culture of Ireland, a Gaelic games experience gave them a taste of Hurling, Gaelic Football and Handball. Getting to know and understand a slice of the importance of these strange games to the country and getting to know plenty about the history of Dublin was an important part of the Tour. Well played and toured everyone!

FAW

Music by Candlelight

Music by Candlelight in St Peter’s Church is always a memorable occasion and the programme of music, hymns and readings delivered by the Elstree Chapel Choir was no exception.

Eleven of our favourite and most beautiful anthems, complimented by three confidently delivered matching readings and an exquisite performance of Elgar’s “Salut d’amour” by two of our top string players made for a winning combination, that provided the large audience with a rare moment of repose and tranquility.

Two Welsh hymns (in honour of St David’s Day) and the popular evening hymn “The day thou gavest” rounded off the programme.

With spiritual appetites nourished, the audience made their way to the Long Room to satisfy their bodily ones in the form of wine and canapés, and the evening was pronounced a cultural and financial success, raising money for the church which is so dear to many people’s hearts.

This concert is now a firm fixture in the Elstree Calendar, and well done to the Chapel Choristers who gave of their best to the singing, and brought pleasure to so many.

Many thanks also to Mary Westley and Kelly Andrews for bringing the talents of our children to the fore and for giving us a most glorious musical and spiritual treat.

OSI

Elstree World Book Day

Elstree celebrated World Book Day (WBD) throughout the Prep School for a whole week with a range of reading activities. At the start of the week, each pupil could choose a free World Book Day book during their library lessons.

Alyssa Marianos (5JRD) chose The Case of the Disappearing Pearl by Robin Stevens:

them home afterwards to share with their families. As well as the news and sport, children loved the quizzes and crosswords in the middle of the paper. It was a great way of raising interest in newspapers and what is happening in the world.

A special free WBD book was issued for Year 8 and above children called Being an Ally. The book explores ways you can support others through using your power as an ally.

A popular activity during the week was kindly run by Mrs Syckelmoore in the Art Department. Pupils were excited to produce their own designs and words for a card to enter the National Book Token Competition. They also loved making bookmarks using a variety of media.

Finally, free copies of The i Newspaper were made available to every pupil and member of staff. These were used in lessons where relevant, and children were encouraged to read them at any other opportunity. They took

What a fun and inspiring week, and above all, a great celebration of books and reading. Thank you Mrs Walker. JCM

“Having one of the free taster books encourages you to read another one in the series.”

Alyssa Marianos, 5JRD

“It was interesting to read The i Newspaper and read what is happening now and to see what may happen in the future.”

Sebastian Black, 7JCM

“The book makes you think about a lot of things like racial inequality and doing the right action, even when the majority do a different thing.”

Derek Lee, 8LJO

Oratory Cross-Country

We were blessed with glorious weather for this annual event and our children ran their hearts out. The team captains warmed up their respective teams and then the Year 5 boys took to the start. Tristan AndersonWheeler, the captain, ran strongly and was in silver medal position at the half way point. He ended up being fifth, our best position of the afternoon. Not far behind was James Fane in 11th place, Sam Norris in 17th and Jack Sanford in 28th. There were about ten schools in all in the competition.

The Year 6 girls’ team was captained by Bella Tryon who finished in a very respectable 9th position, followed by Arabella Pannell in 21st and Flora Napier in 27th. Leo Raphael captained the Year 6 boys’ team and finished in a commanding 11th position, followed by Kevin Hu in 15th, Jonty Shaw in 16th and Sat Li in 20th.

As ever, the children were a pleasure to be with and were great ambassadors of the school. Congratulations go to OPS and Bishopsgate for winning the overall girls’ races and to Ludgrove for winning the boys’ races. Superb organisation by the Oratory Senior School which meant a relaxed and well-run afternoon of cross-country.

CMS

Grandparents’ Morning

Grandparents’ Morning at Elstree is always such a special and happy occasion. It is quite rare for the children to have the opportunity to spend time on their own with their grandparents, and to be in charge of showing them round.

We were so lucky this year to be able to welcome The Reverend Andrew Anderson, grandfather of Oliver in Year 8, to preach in our church service at St Peter’s Woolhampton. He brought with him a very special wooden spoon, which he used as a simple symbol of ‘service’. He asked the children to think about how they can serve in their lives, both here at Elstree and in the future. It was particularly special that Reverend Anderson and his wife Hazel were in church to witness their grandson Ollie being presented with his Head Chorister medal. We were so fortunate to be blessed with a beautifully sunny day… contrary to the forecast. They say that the sun always shines on Elstree!

The grandparents then headed back to the Long Room for some delicious sandwiches and cakes. After a welcome from Headmaster Sid Inglis, the grandparents set off on tours of the school with their grandchildren, all following slightly different routes around the classrooms, art room, DT, music school, library, dining room, boarding house… some even made it out to the far end of the pitches! It was wonderful to witness the children showing their favourite places to their grandparents and enjoying spending time together, chatting on the benches in the sunshine.

At the end of the morning everyone headed to the McMullen Hall for a beautiful Vocal Concert, with performances from the Year 5 & 6 choir, the Vocal Group and the Chapel Choir.

George Mills in Year 5 commented at lunchtime:

Thank you to all the grandparents who joined us for the morning. Please do come and see us at any time – you are always welcome!

OSI

“This is my best ever day at Elstree. I was in charge of showing my grandparents round all by myself and… it’s ice-cream for pudding!”

Prep School Coronation Celebration

In anticipation of the Coronation of King Charles III, the Prep School children were invited to get into the celebratory spirit and wear red, white and blue. Union Jack bunting joyfully festooned the school and with children cheerfully waving an array of flags and donning crowns, there was a real air of excitement for the weekend ahead.

In the build up to the weekend, Mrs Sykelmoore had been working with Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 pupils in her art department to create two memorable displays. One a huge painted banner with motifs and declarations of support and excitement for King Charles and Queen Camilla, the other a beautiful tile mural to mark the occasion. In the afternoon, the banner was wrapped around the Wellingtonia, and the mural laid out on a table on Yard for all to admire as part of the celebrations.

At 5pm the sun made a welcome appearance and shone down on the spectacular Coronation themed tea that Lara and her team had brilliantly created. We were thrilled to welcome our Elstree parents to our Coronation service marking the significance of the occasion. Once tea had been served and scones had been scoffed, the Prep School children arrived on Yard and proceedings were underway.

Hamish Ross opened the service with a fitting performance on his bagpipes, so poignant and stirring, setting the perfect tone for the afternoon. Mr Inglis welcomed the Elstree community and set the scene for the weekend –reminding us all that the Coronation of King Charles III would be an occasion we will never forget. Together we sang I vow to thee, my country and And did those feet in ancient time rang out across the beautifully green Elstree fields with real pride.

Head Boy Alex Hoare Nairne, Deputy

Head Boy Hamish Fawcett and Deputy Head Girls Clara Schmidt and Petra McKay read their readings with sincerity. After singing God Save the King, Mr Inglis closed the service with a robust “Long Live the King!” which was joyfully repeated by parents and pupils as cheers rang out and flags were waved in the spring sunshine.

Year 8s and Mothers’ Tennis Tournament

A group of our wonderful Year 8 mothers joined their children for the Year 8s and Mothers’ Tennis Tournament on a glorious sunny day.

The standard of play was very high this year. As last year, there were lots of encouraging words of advice from pupils to mothers throughout the afternoon as well as lots of laughter.

Congratulations to the Hargreaves who were the overall winners.

Thank you to all the mothers, who regardless of their ability, agreed to play with their children. A very happy and memorable day was had by all.

Year 8s and Fathers’ Tennis Tournament

The Elstree School Year 8s and Fathers’ Tennis Tournament is always one of the highlights of the summer calendar. This year we had nine fathers who gamely joined their children on Bates for a fun evening of tennis. All pairs played at least six matches of three games. The standard of tennis was extremely high once again this year, yet all the games were played in good spirit. The Hamilton-Shaws scored the most games overall, winning the tournament with a total of 12 games. Altogether, another successful event in the Elstree tennis calendar.

Restless Development Triathlon at Bradfield

Once again Bradfield College hosted another fantastic triathlon, the Knight Frank Schools Triathlon, in aid of Restless Development. Restless Development is a nonprofit global agency that supports the collective power of young leaders to create a better world. Every year they train, mentor, nurture and connect thousands of young people to use their youth power and lead change.

It was a beautifully sunny day, and the event was flooded with teams from Elstree who entered into the spirit of triathlon and swam, ran and cycled to raise money for this wonderful charity. Any money that each competitor raised over £50 is allocated to the charity of choice from each school, and this year Elstree have chosen the Charlie Waller Trust, a charity very close to Elstree. There were three different age categories (Years 3-4, Years 5-6, Years 7-8), all with different start times and lengths of swimming, biking and running.

One of our Year 4 teams, ‘Thunderbolts’, was the top Elstree team and was ranked 15th place amongst ALL 75 participating teams! Well done Jashn Sraw, Gaby Caloia, Bertie Barton and Alfie Steward.

A huge thank you to all the team at Restless Development and Bradfield College for such an impeccably organised event. And well done to all our triathletes from Elstree (and their parents!) for giving up a sunny Sunday to take part and raise lots of much-needed funds for these wonderful charities.

DMB

Parents’ and Childrens’ Golf Tournament

Yet again, we had another perfect Midsummer evening for our 2023 Elstree Parent and Pupil golf tournament, with eighteen pairs taking part, which is a record amount. Clearly word had got out that the Elstree Golf Course is one of Berkshire’s finest. The course was looking magnificent and a special thanks must go to Jay and his team of greenkeepers. Needless to say, the usual array of obstacles, including sightscreens, high jump mats, benches, scoreboxes, pavilions and shot-put nets, again provided a tough challenge for the competitors. The 8th hole in particular, had players hitting through the gazebo marquee towards the flag! Luckily no neighbours received any flying balls landing in their gardens this year, and all players suitably ducked when the numerous shouts of ‘Fore’ resounded around the course throughout the evening.

Rumours of morning practice sessions abounded (David W!), and clearly this paid off as the scoring was lower than ever before – with two pairs even managing to secure very rare birdies! Arthur Ward, our Head of Golf, was one of these, hitting his tee shot on the 8th to within 2 feet and then putting in. Some players even managed to use the facilities to their advantage. Tim P hit his tee shot off both the cricket net and the marquee, with the ball landing nicely on the 8th green. There were some outstanding long drives on the 7th fairway, and the prizes for longest drives were won by Harry Hinge (pupil) and Guy H-H (adult).

The 9th was the battleground for nearest the pin and with some very fine shots being played. Darcey Cox hit an incredible drive which landed only 2ft from the hole and secured her the pupil prize for Nearest the Pin. Andy R won this prize for the adults with another excellent drive.

All the players then returned to the Terrace for a welldeserved drink and some delicious sandwiches, where the talk was largely about the putt that just missed!

With all the cards in, the final nett scores were very close. The runners up this year were Harry and Bill Hinge, and the outright winners for 2023 were Laurence and Simon Moore, carrying off the very fine glass trophy. Well done to all the competitors for playing so well and for making it such an enjoyable evening.

We look forward to another fine evening next year.

CMK

Staff Cricket vs Bradfield

On a glorious evening on Pavilion, the Elstree staff took a well-deserved breather from marking exam papers and headed to Pavilion for this year’s cricketing battle against Bradfield College.

It was a pleasure to host Bradfield this year on such a stunning evening, with friends and family – as well as our faithful boarders – cheering on the Elstree Gents. With no clear record of the score, it was the sportsmanship, great company, cold beers and delicious food as the sun went down over Pavilion that made this a special evening. We look forward to meeting Bradfield on Pit next year.

JCM

Elstree Triathlon

The Elstree Triathlon involved the whole school whether it was swimming, cycling, running, marshalling, commentating or cheering the competitors on.

There was some great sportsmanship on show, and all the individuals and teams tried their hardest.

Well done to Hamish Fawcett who won the Cup this year and to everyone involved for making this such a fun event.

A special thank you to everyone at the Pre-Prep for their support and encouragement in cheering on the triathletes, and especially for their wonderful dancing!

JCM

Paters’ Match 2023

Fathers and Year 8 sons went toe-to-toe on Saturday 1st July in the annual Paters’ Cricket Match on a pristine Pavilion wicket. The boys looked unlikely to concede a strong opening position but there was always going to be a twist or two!

First XI captain, Alex Hoare Nairne’s display of characteristic power-hitting was matched by his partner Fergus Hoar to post 49 runs after the first four overs. The runs continued to flow with the whole team following the ‘bison ball’ philosophy which is inspired by Oscar Hargreave who hit his own dear father for a trio of sixes.

The dads’ bowling sometimes lacked edge and was complemented by what could only be described as reverse sledging – a technique where dads make excuses, in advance, for the quality of their bowling. Umpires Morris and Champkin were particularly amused by the variety and originality of these declamations delivered from the top of the run up… “it’s been twenty years since I last did this, blah, blah!”

In reply to 186, the dads started slowly but kept in the chase. Consistent pace and some swing from Laurence Moore and Hamish Fawcett were harshly dealt with as their fathers pushed up the run rate. Mr James Ward then appeared to be getting on top of Arthur Ward’s bowling with back-toback boundaries before his powerful drive back down the wicket was brilliantly tipped by Arthur onto the stumps for a miraculous run out at the bowler’s end. The boys celebrated with their characteristic togetherness.

Mr Rory Vere Nicoll then threw caution to the wind by discarding his helmet in exchange for a native American chieftain’s headdress. Some big hitting from Mr Nigel Venning brought the paters to within a shot of victory on the final ball of the day. A four to draw, a six to win. Up stepped Max Venning and clean bowled his father to take the match!

A fair result with some pride retained by the Dads who got close.

We really enjoyed the opportunity to play with this group of boys who have loved their Elstree cricket and always played for each other.

Thank you to all the staff for laying on a hugely enjoyable afternoon. Parents who came mainly for the mid-game

tea were not disappointed and further refreshments were enjoyed and appreciated on a glorious summer’s evening at the conclusion of the match.

Jeremy Fawcett

(pater of Hamish Fawcett)

Leavers’ Guest Night

The Elstree Leavers’ Guest Night is a firm favourite in the Elstree Leavers’ programme.

This is an opportunity for our Leavers to invite a guest of their choice for dinner and to host them at Elstree for the evening. Godparents, uncles, aunts, family friends, grandparents or even a favourite Elstree teacher join the Year 8s for drinks and canapés on the lawn before supper in the Dining Room. It is an evening to catch up on the year that has passed and to share the excitement that awaits our Elstree Year 8 Leavers.

The Year 8s were fabulous hosts and great company… and after a crash course (!), the Year 7s proved to be wonderfully attentive waiters and waitresses! As ever, Lara and her team

produced these most delicious canapes, main course and pudding. We also enjoy how vigilant our Year 7 waiters and waitresses are in keeping wine glasses topped up. Well done all for a happy, special and memorable evening.

OSI

Year 8 Leavers’ Celebrations

The end of the Summer Term is a whirlwind for us all –especially for our Year 8 Leavers. After sitting their exams, they can look forward to receiving their Leavers’ Hoodies, a sun-soaked and active Leavers’ Trip, numerous celebratory dinners and entertainments – a night of which they treated us to, with performances from Black Adder, Gogglebox, The Elstree ‘Oscars’ and much heartfelt singing. Receiving their ESA school tie and attending the final Leavers’ service at Douai Abbey concludes the celebrations, and what an emotional moment this always is for us all.

Well done to you our 2023 Year 8 Leavers - a very special group of children and we will miss you all enormously.

OSI

ENRICHMENT

Team Building

We always start the new academic year with a fun morning of team building activities, designed to help break down barriers after a long summer holiday and encourage new friendships. The girls and boys were split into year groups led by a number of staff. Here is a summary from our form tutors and pupils about the morning

Year 8

The Year 8 team building was a great spectacle to behold! The challenge was, in teams, to create a way of transporting safely some precious cargo (three raw eggs) from point A to B. As they were based in Park, the materials available to the pupils included sticks, leaves and foliage as well as a limited supply of string and tape. There were certain rules in place, such as keeping the eggs 2ft from the carriers and not being allowed to touch the eggs or use clothing which curtailed their designs. The contraptions ranged from complex to the inspired and simple. After the construction period, the timed race was on. Teams set off at intervals and had to complete the course without incurring penalties. The pupils did themselves proud and it was enormous fun to do and watch – well done Year 8! EGG

Year 7

Year 7 gathered in the Sports Hall for the River of Death! The floor was lava and had to be crossed by each team in their Form Groups using only two crash mats. The teams had to work at speed, chaperoning blindfolded pupils or losing the right to speak. Each form had to collaborate using a variety of communication styles.

Then followed a carousel of activities: the Three-Legged Water Race, Untangle the Tangle, Speedy Pictionary, and a Blindfolded Rope Assault Course. Common themes encountered with each challenge involved stepping up to lead, devising strategies quickly, and listening to everyone in the group. The year group showed great togetherness and desire to listen to each other – plenty of promise for the year ahead!

Year 6

Year 6 were tasked with climbing over an elevated tape without touching the tape itself. Then the children worked together to navigate an obstacle course whilst blindfolded, without touching their partner.

Next, small groups of children used their imagination to create shapes using only wool, then they used the wool to write French/English words. They all enjoyed a ball challenge which required them to keep their balance when throwing the ball at the same time as jumping and twirling around. The “be silent task” was also a success as children worked out their birthdays and heights in the correct order without talking.

The last task was for the groups to make an egg parachute using an assortment of recycled material. Gravity and air resistance was discussed at length. The effectiveness of their parachutes was then put to the test on the fire escape from differing heights. Amazingly, very few eggs were smashed! PAS

Year 5

Year 5 worked hard together to complete a range of different team building challenges both as a class and in smaller mixed groups. Their first task was to pass a tennis ball around in a circle as fast as they could without dropping it. Both classes worked hard, with 5JRD coming out on top with most passes within two minutes.

The next challenge was art themed. All the pupils lined up in single file with a piece of paper and they had to guess what the person behind them was drawing. This proved to be not only a challenge but also very funny. We next moved into the low ropes course where they had to work together to get their team safely over the bridge and over the ‘electric fence’. 5JSW conquered the electric fence while 5JRD conquered the bridge challenge. We finished off our morning by having a paper tower building contest. The aim was to build the tallest tower by only folding and cutting pieces of paper. There was a lot of amazing team work and out of the box thinking, and the tallest tower was 1.60m! What a fantastic morning.

Year 4

As part of their Geography Mapwork topic this term, the Year 4 children began the team building morning with a few activities which reinforced direction. They then enjoyed an orienteering task led by Mr Attwood which involved getting to know various parts of the school grounds by navigating with a map. The teams worked well together, encouraging each other to find the next ‘clicker’, ensuring the correct place was located and getting to know each other a little better in the process. A good morning was had by all!

Year 3

Year 3 were busy mining for minerals and semi-precious metals, creating gymnastic routines and designing their own assault courses - all carried out in small teams. The groups also demonstrated great patience whilst waiting to pose for photos!

A huge thank you to everyone involved in running the Team Building morning. There were certainly lots of tired but happy children at lunchtime!

CMS

ELB

PNS

Elstree Award

The Elstree Award focusses on outdoor education, outdoor skills, teamwork and leadership. Year 6 work on their Bronze Award, Year 7 on their Silver Award (which comes with the Governor’s Award) and the Year 8 finish by achieving their Gold Award.

The Year 6 children learnt how to build shelters, start fires, tie knots and, critically, elementary first aid. They were taught what to pack and wear when you go hiking, and they studied flora and fauna around the school grounds. As part of their charity work, the children helped out at the Autumn Term Gift Fair. They finished the year by completing a quiz and we are delighted to see that we definitely have some budding Bear Grylls out there.

In Year 7 the Elstree Award is based on The Duke of Edinburgh Award. The children have to complete charity work, learn a new skill, keep physically fit and camp outside. This group offer their support to local charity PALS, when they visit Elstree and they also helped at the Elstree Summer Fete as part of their charity work. In the Lent Term, the children put together a presentation on any topic they wanted. These were then judged, with the best one going on to be presented to the whole year group and their parents.

At their camp this year, the children had to complete a lot of challenges. We started with a first aid talk from Sister Cook. After this they had an hour to put up their tents. With teamwork and a lot of help from the Gappers it took less than hour for five 8-man tents to go up, and then the children moved in and made themselves at home. However, they didn’t have long to relax

before being split into groups and taking part in more challenges. These included kayaking on the lake, water safety in the pool and planning route cards for their walk the next morning.

After an hour of hard work, it was time to head back to our campsite and get ready for some well-earned sleep. Before bed, the children enjoyed /hot chocolate and marshmallows around the campfire. Eventually it was time to rest before they did it all again the next day. It was an early wake-up at 6am. Split into three groups, the children had to navigate using their route cards which took them from Elstree School, around Woolhampton and then back to Elstree. Each group had a teacher with them just in case they went off course. Everyone had an opportunity to lead the walk and test their skill at taking a bearing to ensure we got back to camp safe and sound.

Then it was back to school for breakfast before completing the challenges that hadn’t been finished the night before. Once these had been ticked off, it was time take down tents and head home for some real sleep. The Year 7s did a great job and showed excellent leadership skills and teamwork. The winner of the Elstree Award 2023 was Sebastian Black.

In Year 8 the children helped with Bonfire Night, which is great fun but always needs their careful assistance. These older children are always practicing great teamwork and demonstrating the leadership skills they learnt in earlier years, before they became Prefects, Librarians, Heads of House, Head of a Sport, Head of Music, Head of Choir and so many more responsible roles.

It has been another successful year for the Elstree Award. Well done to all the children.

ELB

Arthur Ward, The Pink

our scholars, our history and thoughtprovoking articles on AI and whether boarding school is good for children (scarily written by Chat GPT)! Crucially, those all-important questions that our Year 8 pupils have been desperate to ask Deputy Headmaster, Mr Attwood were also ticked off and at last, we now know exactly how tall he is!

A huge well done to Arthur for this incredible achievement – it is a wonderful magazine and a fascinating snapshot of our school. Let us hope this is the start of an exciting career for you in journalism – you should be very proud (and you are welcome to help edit Salvo any time).

BD

LAMDA Examinations

Autumn Term 2022

Toby Bi Verse and Prose Grade 3 Merit

Oliver Duffield

This year, Arthur Ward resurrected Elstree student magazine, The Pink. Raising funds for Mary Hare school, Arthur accepted donations for his magazine during the last week of term, and in return, Elstree pupils and parents were given a treat of a read! Having hosted several interviews with pupils and staff alike, Arthur’s edition of The Pink gives an insight into the world of Elstree’s Unsung Heroes, including Ed Mason our Head of Maintenance and Lara Grant, our Chef Manager. He also explores what it was like for the first girls who joined Elstree and how our overseas pupils get on boarding at Elstree, thousands of miles from their homes. There are useful gems of information about diversity at Elstree,

Combined Acting Grade 2 Merit

James Marshall Combined Acting Grade 2 Merit

Katherine Oliver Solo Acting Grade 4 Distinction

Ethan Lockhart Combined Acting Grade 3 Merit

Sebastian Francis Combined Acting Grade 3 Merit

Kevin Hu Verse and Prose Grade 3 Merit

Matilda Lloyd Solo Acting Grade 4 Distinction

Max Venning Verse and Prose Grade 4 Distinction

Arthur Ward Verse and Prose Grade 4 Distinction

Isla Sanford Solo Acting Grade 4 Distinction

Eva Lockhart Combined Acting Grade 2 Distinction

Kweji Sameke Combined Acting Grade 2 Distinction

Sebastian Black Solo Acting Grade 4 Merit

Hamish Fawcett Solo Acting Grade 4 Distinction

Sebastian Buck Verse and Prose Grade 4 Distinction

Harry Anderson Combined Acting Grade 4 Distinction

Thomas Utley Combined Acting Grade 4 Distinction

Spring Term 2023

Jonty Shaw Combined Acting Grade 3 Merit

Charles Chen Combined Acting Grade 3 Merit

Thomas Bevan Solo Acting Grade 1 Distinction

Felix Brims Combined Acting Grade 2 Merit

Akinniran Akinola Combined Acting Grade 2 Merit

Nicky Xu Solo Acting Grade 5 Merit

Wilf Foulds Combined Acting Grade 3 Merit

Harry Clothier Combined Acting Grade 3 Distinction

George Johnstone Combined Acting Grade 4 Merit

Tom Shaw Combined Acting Grade 4 Distinction

Sophie Payne Solo Acting Grade 5 Merit

Sam Norris Combined Acting Grade 1 Merit

Jack Sanford Combined Acting Grade 1 Merit

Fawn Salvesen Verse and Prose Entry Distinction

Summer Term 2023

Mide Sonuga Verse and Prose Grade 3 Distinction

Hamish Fawcett Solo Acting Grade 5 Distinction

Gabriel Islam Solo Acting Grade 5 Distinction

Bobby Blackwell Combined Acting Grade 3 Merit

Willem Loader Combined Acting Grade 3 Merit

Leonardo La Corte Solo Acting Grade 5 Distinction

Charles Utley Verse and Prose Grade 2 Distinction

Sebastian Fowler Verse and Prose Grade 4 Merit

Phoebe McEwen Solo Acting Grade 2 Merit

Flora Napier Combined Acting Grade 1 Merit

Isabella Tyron Combined Acting Grade 1 Merit

Amber Gearing Verse and Prose Grade 1 Distinction

Harry Haskell Horsey Combined Acting Grade 2 Merit

Mila Tyron Combined Acting Grade 2 Distinction

Year 8 Takeover Morning

Well done to our new members of staff – our 2023 Year 8 Pupils! At the end of June, these young and inspiring teachers were assigned to teach two lessons to the younger Elstree pupils. Lessons ranged from 3CMK Maths to 7AJP Latin. The Year 8 pupils selected their year group and subject matter by picking them at random out of a hat… no stone was left uncovered with Art and Music lessons on the agenda too! It was a wonderful morning watching our Year 8 Leavers pass on vital skills and knowledge… but perhaps best that teaching resumed as normal later that morning! AJP

PALS visit Elstree

PALS is a local charity that supports children and young adults who have physical disabilities. Several times a year, they visit Elstree and are supported by our Year 7 children in trying a range of activities.

This year, activities have included using Autumnal leaves for art, including laminating leaves to make a window display and covering them in foil and black paint, which was then scratched off to reveal the features of the leaves in shiny foil. Before Christmas PALS visited us and made some delicious mince pies. We also had a go at marble effect printing using shaving foam and water paints, which gave everyone foamy hands and caused a great deal of laughter.

In the Summer Term, we welcomed PALS for the traditional end of year BBQ. Unfortunately, the weather was not kind to us, so we enjoyed a tasty BBQ under the tent at the front of the school. We then moved into the Sports Hall where we had great fun playing parachute games, skittles, putting and basketball.

My thanks to those Year 7s who helped during the year and who I believe thoroughly enjoyed their time with the children from PALS. We look forward to seeing them again next term when the new Year 7s will be helping out. PNS

Life Skills Morning

A fantastic morning was had with the lovely Year 8’s. The boys and girls learned so many new skills including ironing, dog care, sewing, shoe cleaning, packing a suitcase, washing and cooking. They are all set up for life! Parents and pupils really enjoyed it.

Eco Day at Wychwood School

We boarded the Elstree minibus and headed to Wychwood School in central Oxford for a day of eco celebrations and initiatives. There were four other schools present and it was interesting to hear some of their comments about eco issues.

The principal speaker was Paul from the Ministry of Eco Education. He was clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about all things ecological, and he was able to steer us towards some solutions to the climate crisis without being too alarming.

The day ended with each pupil making a pledge to do their bit for the environment. Ethan Thiemert pledged to bike or run to school, Jonty Ridley-Day pledged to use less electricity, Iris Yao pledged to do more to save animals and to stop testing on animals, and Bertie Barton pledged to encourage the use of more electric cars at Elstree together with a charging point.

CMS

Jessica Betts, Parent

“It was wonderful. I particularly enjoyed hearing about trees.”

Ned Rollo, 4PJL

“I enjoyed discussing a variety of questions.”

Iris Yao, 4PJL

“It was interesting to hear about the rise in the world’s temperature, particularly in the last 50 years or so.”

Reuben Ruddick, 4PJL

“The best part was making a pledge at the end of the session. My pledge was to plant more trees and flowers and to walk more often.”

Raphaella Courage-Simond, 4PNS

Headmaster’s Project

Our curriculum at Elstree is varied and vibrant. Alongside our academic ambition, we actively encourage the individual pursuit of creativity and interests beyond core subject lessons. And so, in 2018 we began the ‘Headmaster’s Project’ which allowed us to carve out a 30-minute slot every Saturday morning for pupils to work on an individual project of their choice in Year 6. We believe that pupils should understand how to investigate curiously, plan methodically, create and evaluate ideas. Importantly, failing ‘is ok’ and part of the process.

The winning five projects below are a small snapshot of the 34 projects attempted by the pupils. These projects varied from film production to the construction of a long bow and arrows. Mr James Sunley, Chairman of Governors, kindly adjudicated the project and chose the winners.

1st Place – Bella Tryon: ‘The Lawn Line’ Film.

Bella wrote an incredibly detailed film script which was based around a train. Her neighbour kindly let her make a film which used the steam train in their garden. Bella invited friends over for the weekend and they all had so much dressing up and acting out roles to make the film. The creative and collaborative side of this project made it shine out. Bella’s film has been watched by many members of staff and has been rolling on the screen in the Science Atrium throughout the summer term. Congratulations Bella and the cast of this brilliant film!

2nd Place – Arabella Pannell: Climate

Change Book

Arabella wrote an informative story about climate change with beautiful illustrations. This book is a real triumph of Arabella’s creative writing and love/care for the planet. This is simply the best book ever made by a pupil at Elstree. Do have a look in the future, it will be in reception for new prospective parents to read.

3rd Place – Eva Lockhart: Jewellery Making & Flora Napier: Save the oceans plastic model

Eva created a lovely Jewellery Stand full of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. The work was detailed, creative and very inspiring. The presentation of her work was beautiful and so professional, which was incredibly impressive.

Flora created a stunning model of a shark being strangled by plastic. She spent hours getting all the different types of plastic and presenting it beautifully in a huge display. This is educational and inspirational.

4th Place – Henry Pritchard: Long Bow and Arrows

Henry sourced the wood for his lovely Long Bow. The hours he must have taken to sand the wood and to create such a pin point accurate bow is brilliant. Henry got his arrow heads from America sourcing the perfect weight required and feathered his arrows in a stunning manner with glue and thread. Seeing Henry fire his bow across the front lawn at school was brilliant. The design and detail of this project was truly unique.

Conclusion:

I am delighted with the creativity and craftsmanship skills that made these projects possible. The Headmaster’s Project has really shown what our young learners are capable of when they put their mind to something and develop an idea. I am so pleased I did not personally have to pick the top four projects this year because there were simply so many to pick from. Mr Sunley (Chairman) took a good long hour to decide his top four and he justified them nicely. Thank you again Year 6 for your brilliant ideas.

AWP

Enrichment Lectures

We have welcomed a fantastic number of speakers to Elstree this year. The rich and varied subjects have been brought to life by the incredible knowledge and first-hand experience of our guests. Enrichment lectures are always eagerly anticipated and so appreciated by the Elstree boys and girls. Here are a few from this year.

‘Leadership’ - Sir Mike Jackson: A fascinating talk about leadership in light of his wide experience on the world stage.

‘Canine Partners’ - Mrs Jo Hill: Talking about her assistance dog and the work of Canine Partners.

‘Smart Materials’ - Mr Andy Brown:

A practical workshop, talking about smart scientific materials.

‘Cuban Missile Crisis’ - Mr Ben Kingsley, Wellington College: Talking through the events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

‘Through Sand and Snow: 43,000 miles on a bike’Mr Charlie Walker:

Talking about his adventures on his long bike journey around the world.

‘The Great Baldini Magic Show’ Ex-Elstree alumni teaching the children magic tricks

‘Makaton’ – Mrs Holly Cannon-Taylor:

Teaching children useful symbols and signs to communicate without speech.

‘The Environment’ – Chieftain Nixiwake from the Amazonian Yawanawa:

Talking about how his tribe respect nature and the environment, with lessons for us all.

SCA

FRIENDS OF ELSTREE

Bonfire Night 2022

A gloriously dry, crisp and chilly Autumn evening set the scene for Bonfire Night, a favourite of Elstree occasions and as always, so brilliantly coordinated by our wonderful Friends of Elstree team.

In very high spirits, the Pre-Prep children and parents were the first to arrive and preview our fantastic stretch tent and all the wonderful stalls and goodies before the older boys and girls arrived and Festivities got fully underway.

With neon headbands, caps, glasses and wristbands on offer, the Elstree pupils were a luminously bright sight to behold. Festoon lighting adorned the stretch tent and stalls; together with the twinkling crowd the whole of Yard was lit up as children enjoyed hot chocolate, vintage sweets, popcorn and hot dogs. The Autumn Produce stall sold an impressive array of homemade jams and delicious winter chutneys. The ever-popular Tombola was a prize attraction and of course, The Grown Up Bar did a roaring trade with plenty of Spiced Apple Winter Warmer, Ramsbury Gold, fizz and wine to warm up parents.

Our Year 8 pupils were a fantastic support in the running of the stalls. With their commitment to the evening contributing to their Elstree Award, they remained calm, friendly and professional – no mean feat as their Elstree cohorts descended on Yard in a flurry of excitement and eager to spend their pocket money!

Mrs Syckelmoore had once again been busy in the build up to this big event. Her team of eager helpers had created a suave and debonair Guy who had enjoyed the company of Elstree visitors as he sat in the Elstree Main Hall, ready to take centre stage.

As excitement began to mount and the bell rang out to announce the lighting of the bonfire, the youngest child in the school bravely accepted the privilege of helping the Headmaster, Mr Inglis to strike the match! This year, Gabriella Ajani kept this long-lived Elstree tradition alive. Despite her pre-performance nerves, Gabriella was quick to announce, “That was the best night ever!” She did a wonderful job in getting the full blaze, fizz, crackle and bang underway!

Warmed by the bonfire, the crowd roared a countdown and timed it just right to see the first rocket light up the sky. Boom followed bang, firework after rocket and rocket after firework, it was a spectacular display that lit up the whole of Park and had the crowd ohh-ing and ahh-ing in glee.

Full of high jinx and chatter, Elstree pupils and families returned to our beautifully sparkling Terrace, kept warm and lively with music spilling out from the Long Room. Day pupils and their families waved goodbye and reluctantly, even the Boarders agreed they were suitably sleepy after so much excitement and fresh air.

All proceeds from the evening will be split between West Berkshire Food Bank and Friends of Elstree, to raise funds for a new jetty on the lake and the new electronic cricket scoreboard.

A huge thanks as ever to our groundsmen, who did an incredible job building the bonfire and organising the fireworks. We have such a stunning space to enjoy this occasion and they always set it up to such great effect. A special thank you again to Didi Walker and her Friends of Elstree team for all their generous support. BD

Gift Fair

With over 50 stalls located between the McMullen Hall, Dining Room and Long Room, the Elstree Gift Fair was a fantastic opportunity to make a start on Christmas shopping!

Lots of happy shoppers, excited children, hampers galore and delicious cakes and coffees were interspersed with beautiful singing and performances from the Elstree yeargroups and choirs.

We are so thrilled that the Gift Fair committee was able to offer 50% of all proceeds to the West Berkshire Food Bank and donate a cheque for £3,112.80. It was a pleasure to have Fran join us at the Fair and share so much about the fantastic work this charity does in our local community. As ever, a huge thank you to our wonderful Friends of Elstree committee who organised such wonderful hampers and generated such a flurry of bidding. This event is such a huge success, and it wouldn’t happen without your generous and loyal support.

OSI

ELSTREE 175

ESA 175 Cricket

In early June, a fine group of cricketers, their wives, children and dogs gathered round the Pavilion for the Elstree 175 ESA Cricket Match. The Headmaster had assembled a team of staff, current parents, former parents and Governors to take on James Sunley (the Chairman of Governors), with a team made up entirely of Elstree Old Boys.

It was such a happy occasion – the sun shone and much laughter was had. The 20:20 format ensured a fast-paced and exciting match.

OSI

ESA Day

In June, when Elstree always looks its very best, we welcomed current parents, former pupils, parents and staff, to a special ESA 175 Service of Thanksgiving at St Peter’s Church, Woolhampton. It was such an honour to welcome The Rt Rev James Newcome, (Elstree old boy and parent, and currently Bishop of Carlisle) to speak in our service. The choir sang beautifully with some rousing favourites as well as some more poignant tunes such as Clarior ex Obscuro. A new verse had been written for the School song by former Elstree teacher Janet Bass, especially for the 175 celebrations.

After some coffee and refreshments, everyone was given a tour around the school and the grounds before tucking into a delicious buffet lunch in the Long Room. It was such a wonderful opportunity for current staff and pupils to meet former staff and pupils. Much reminiscing was had and it really was a special day.

Thank you to everyone who visited us, and for those that helped with the tours, catering and generally making everyone feel welcome.

The thank you letter below captures the morning perfectly:

OSI

“The service, with the spectacular singing by the Choir, was a wonderful way to sit and remember one’s time at Elstree, with Bishop James’s sermon matching the Reverend Eddison’s best! Most important of all, was the sweet natured treatment of us by the boys and girls as we navigated the corridors with the wheelchair, all just standing aside, or holding back a door, helping politely: Elstree at its best.”

Elstree 175 Celebration Afternoon

The plans for the afternoon were kept a secret from the children until a few hours before, so when they were told that there would be a BBQ lunch with everyone gathering in their houses, followed by House Games and then a Colour Run and ice-creams, every pupil was understandably ecstatic!

Mr Attwood masterminded the day brilliantly and after lunch briefed everyone on plans for the afternoon. South dispersed onto the Yard, North to the Farmyard, West to Lower and East to the further pitches. Each House Parent and their team of merry helpers had organised some fun games for the children, with British Bulldog and Crocker amongst others. After a short break, each year group gathered by Bates for a quick dousing by Mr Westley before heading to the area where Mr Attwood, Mr Pilkington and Mr Morris were menacingly waiting with cups of coloured paint to throw over the children before they headed off around the games pitches. Arriving at the Dining Room, covered in paint but with happy faces, everyone was rewarded with a huge ice-cream in a waffle cone with sprinkles and other delicious toppings. The Pre-Prep had similar celebrations the following day and were equally thrilled with the messiness of the water and paint combination! Whilst the ice cream seemed a particular highlight, they were happiest running around the pitches covered in Elstree pink and blue paint. The smiles on the childrens’ (and staff’s!) faces said it all!

Thank you to Mr Attwood for masterminding such a fun day for everyone, and one that will stay in their minds for a long time to come.

OSI

Elstree 175 Summer Concert

The stage was set for the Elstree 175 Summer Concert – the children were excited and rehearsals for the concert had gone well. The only thing threatening to spoil things was the weather!

Parents and pupils sat on the grass by the rose garden and watched the concert unfold. The string orchestra conducted by Sally Riddex started off the concert with a lovely rhythmical rendition of Dangerous Dive. The School orchestra followed with the School song, Clarior ex Obscuro and The Great Escape. Mrs Punt was conducting when the wind took her orchestral score and blew it across the lawn. Fortunately, Mrs Westley came to her rescue and held the music on the stand for her!

Petra McKay was next, with her beautiful voice. She sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables. It was a stunning performance. The Year 3 and 4 Choir sang The Drunken Sailor whilst the audience sang along to the chorus. This was followed by Into the Blitz, a song written by our own Mr Schuman. The flute group played the Laundrette Blues with a real jazzy feel. This group was comprised of Alyssa Marianos, Arabella Pannell, Nicky Xu, Valentina Ridley-Day, Charles Chen and Matilda Lloyd. They were fantastic.

Next was the Year 5 and 6 Choir who sang, Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho and Don’t Build Your House. They sang with confidence and with a lovely tone. Leonardo La Corte sang Blackbird by Paul McCartney. His voice and playing were amazing. There was a Jazz Band afterwards, made up of staff and students, led by Mr Brown. They played Watermelon Man. Mofe Adeyinka played the drums and Harry Clothier, Leonardo La Corte, Sebastian Black, Ethan Lockhart and Gabriel Islam enjoyed being part of it, immensely!

Derek Lee played a Prelude by J.S. Bach. An excellent performance! It was wonderful to hear the cello resonating across the rose garden! Lean on Me was sung beautifully by the Chapel Choir with amazing harmonies and then a combined choir sang Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. To top it all was the winning House Song, Coldplay’s Viva La Vida sung by South House.

The weather didn’t deter our spirits and Elstree School put on a 175th Summer Concert to be proud of.

OSI

Elstree 175 Ball

Well, what a night! Olivia came up with the idea of celebrating 175 Years of Elstree with a Ball two years ago, and the last year has seen the 175 Ball Committee carefully plan and prepare every detail. With so much thought and care going into this event, it seemed almost impossible that hosting 450 partygoers, Elstree families and staff from the past and present and a veritable army of Old Boys and Girls could live up to expectations. But, as one kind guest said, “the collective outpouring of energy and joy” from the Elstree community defied all expectations – for those that joined us, we hope you will agree that it was a truly incredible evening.

The “dashes of pink” were proudly prominent, bubbles flowed freely, a delicious three-course meal was devoured, there was endless Whispering Angel, late night espresso martinis, ‘going home’ toasties and a band and DJ that kept the dancefloor well and truly buzzing – what an impressive display of moves from the Elstree Community!

The giant Disco Ball sparkled all night, a stunning new pink 175 bar kept those enjoying a more serene moment outside well refreshed, beautiful flowers adorned every table and in keeping with Elstree tradition, jars of 3 sweets were available for all. The 175 Ball Committee had thought of every detail and Lowers has never sparkled so spectacularly.

When it came to the end of the night, the calls for ‘just one more song’ at 2am tell their own story. This is a party that could happily have gone on all night. The extraordinary energy, creativity and hard work of the committee certainly paid off. With huge thanks to Didi Walker and the 175 Ball Committee for everything they did to make it such a success, and to those who joined us in making it a truly memorable event.

Elstree 175 Book

This year, we are thrilled to be releasing a new book, Elstree 175, Celebrating 175 years of Elstree School by author and royal biographer, Hugo Vickers.

Hugo offers a lively account of the Sanderson family who ran Elstree School for 100 years, the teachers who made it special and celebrates some of the school’s distinguished Old Boys. Having reached such a significant milestone, the 175th anniversary has provided an opportunity to reflect on the ethos of study, Christian faith, high sporting achievement and good manners. These are qualities that have stood the test of time and made Elstree enduringly special. We are thrilled that the story has now been brought right up to the present day and look forward to the public release of the book in September 2023.

BD

AVAILABLE FROM september 2023

PRE-PREP

Family Fun Day

At the start of term, the Elstree Pre-Prep Friends organised a wonderful fun day to reconnect with each other and welcome so many new families to the school. With welly wanging, face painting, beat the goalie, biscuit decorating, treasure maps and hook the duck, there was entertainment for all and everyone was well refreshed with delicious cakes and tea too.

A particular thank you to an Elstree Old Boy (and current parent) Ed Brims, for entertaining so many children with a brilliant magic show. AB

Reception Trip to Marwell Zoo

Reception had a wonderful day at Marwell Zoo. In class, we have been learning about animals from around the world and we had already ‘travelled’ to Africa, Asia and Australasia and looked at the animals that live there. The children were very excited and told us that they were hoping to see animals such as zebra, millipedes and even a snake-necked turtle! After lots of excited chattering on the minibus, we arrived at Marwell Zoo. The children climbed off carefully with their backpacks, ready to explore. As we entered the zoo, we saw some penguins gliding underwater and one even gave us a wave as they swam by! Next, we walked up the path and saw some zebra and a pygmy hippopotamus. Edwin spotted that the hippopotamus was eating grass and had very shiny skin. Arthur suggested that was because the hippo had just had a swim and was still wet! We walked a little further and peeked through a gap in the fence and we saw the giraffe munching on their leaves.

Next, we caught a glimpse of a tiger and Iris knew that this animal lives in Asia. We walked up the track and into the tropical house. It was extremely hot and humid inside and we managed to see some colourful birds, butterflies and giant millipedes. We were very lucky because we saw a sun beetle and they are often hiding away and not seen by visitors. In the cold-blooded area, we saw tortoises and the animal that Felix was desperate to see: a snake-headed turtle. He said that it was his favourite because it had a very, very long neck.

After lunch, we had a workshop with a guide called Sue, who let us touch some animal skins and look at lots of skeletons that were fascinating! Beetle said that the dolphin skeleton was her favourite and Hugo said that it looked like a swordfish. We learnt that flamingo feathers are actually white and they turn pink because they eat shrimp and the more shrimp the flamingos eat, the more pink they are. We saw some real turtle shells and thought that the inside looked like a superhero’s shield.

On our walk back to the minibus, we had a brilliant view of a snow leopard sat high on its shelf. This was Jack’s favourite animal because he said that he wants to be one!

We had a fantastic day at Marwell Zoo and we were lucky to see lots of the animals that we have been learning about in class.

Harvest Festival 2022

Our much-loved Harvest Festival took place on Friday 30th September. The children had been looking forward to the event, having spent the week learning about the relevance of the festival and preparing for it in their classrooms.

Just before lunch, each class walked to St Peter’s Church via the secret school door. In the children’s hands, were beautiful harvest creations they had crafted in their art lessons that week. Nursery and Reception wore stunning crowns that had been printed using fruits and vegetables, Year 1 carried Autumn Wreaths which were decorated with crunchy leaves and the Year 2 children arrived with origami pumpkins! Each class took it in turns to take their items up to Reverend Manley, who positioned them around the altar and front pews. Mrs Bond carried a huge, plaited autumn loaf that Lara Grant, Elstree’s catering manager, had kindly arranged for the Pre-Prep to have. Even before the service started, the church had come alive. Reverend Manley asked whether she could keep our harvest offerings to decorate the church during the weekend services that she had planned.

We were treated to two wonderful songs in the church and the children listened to a story all about carrots! We all had the chance to thank God for our favourite foods, whether that be doughnuts, juicy apples, or jelly! It was fabulous to see many visitors in the church too for our special celebration and we were very thankful to Reverend Manley for conducting the service for us.

Throughout the week, we also arranged a food collection for West Berkshire Food Bank. We couldn’t believe how generous everyone was and what an array of packets and tins were donated. A huge 205.9kg was collected which equates to an amazing 432 meals. Thank you to West Berkshire Food Bank for coming to collect it for us.

Year 1 STEAM Museum

There was great anticipation as the Year 1s travelled down the motorway towards the Steam Museum at Swindon. Our first activity of the day was led by Katherine who told the children all about George Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. They had great fun dressing as the different workmen who built the railways.

The children enjoyed the challenge of building bridges, viaducts and putting together an array of locomotives. We were then able to explore half the museum before lunch. There were a lot of opportunities for interactive displays and for the children to go into different carriages.

Once the excitement of the packed lunch was over, all the children were fascinated to walk underneath a steam engine.

Before exploring the other half of the museum, the children all enjoyed sketching the locomotive that they had been looking at all through lunch. It was a wonderful day and it brought to life some of the information that we have learnt about in topics this term.

HP

“I liked going into the dark black carriage.”

Louis Yao, 1SL

“I loved going under the train because I liked seeing the engine.”

Jake Sydney-Smith, 1P

“My favourite part was pressing all the buttons to see the train moving.”

Monty Higgins, 1P

Mini Olympics

Nursery and Reception had a wonderful afternoon in the autumnal sunshine at our annual Mini-Olympics. They arrived at Bates to be greeted by a sea of excited parents who had come to support. After waving hello, the children were arranged into small teams and welcomed by Mr Bates. From here, the children circulated in their groups, taking part in eight different ‘Olympic activities’.

Each activity was led by a different member of Year 8. These children did a fantastic job of explaining what each event was and how to take part. They spoke clearly and were very patient, helping all the athletes as they took part.

Standing back and looking around you could see smiling faces and hear squeals of delight emerging from every area! Some children were really flexing their big arm muscles to throw foam javelins as far as they could. Others twirled colourful ribbons through the air, making shapes and patterns as they went.

In another corner, children were trying the triple jump. It was very tricky remembering to hop, then step and then jump! The relay was great fun and the children enjoyed passing a grown up baton from one team member to the next.

Jumping over the hurdles was a new skill for many. It was fabulous watching the children negotiating these hurdles, which looked so small against a Year 8 but so big against the Nursery and Reception children! Some needed hands to hold, others gave it their best jump, and some decided it would be much easier to crawl underneath the hurdles instead!

After a wonderful hour of sport, we all retired to the Long Room for refreshments. Our visitors were given cups of tea and some nibbles, whilst the children had warm sausage rolls, fruit and a much needed drink.

It was a very happy afternoon and a taste of what might be to come in the future Olympic Games!

A special thank you to Mr Bates for organising the event and to our Year 8 helpers: Daniel and Guillermo Curto, Nicky Xu, Pedro Rivera, Oliver Anderson, Gabriel Islam, Oscar Pritchard, Joshua Sameke and Justin Juan. VT

Year 2’s First Football Match!

Just before half term, the children in Year 2 took part in their very first football match representing Elstree. They set off in the school minibuses with great excitement! It had been pouring with rain all morning, so the children were relieved to hear that Cheam were keen to go ahead and host us.

After a short journey, we arrived and were greeted by the teachers at Cheam. We went onto the wonderful pitches and got warmed up. Some of the children had butterflies!

The children each played four matches, so it was exhausting work! Some Year 4 boys from Cheam were the referees on each pitch and they did a wonderful job at checking who needed to do a throw in, and they kept track of all the goals. There were lots, and the Elstree teams played brilliantly! It was 5-a-side, and the children took it in turns to be in goal,

Reception Family Tea

In October, Reception held their afternoon tea for parents and grandparents. Reception started their preparations the previous day, by doing some baking. They combined flour, sugar and butter using their hands to create their delicious scones. This part was very messy, but everyone enjoyed mixing their ingredients together. After adding milk and pressing out their dough, Reception cut out their scones and placed them on a baking tray, ready for the oven.

On Friday afternoon (after a visit from some pet rabbits!) the adults started to arrive for our afternoon tea. Despite the rain outside, it was cosy and welcoming inside and the children greeted their adults at the classroom door with their tasty scones. The adults were treated to tea, coffee and cakes made by the kitchen at Elstree whilst spending time inside Reception class.

to be strikers and in defence. Time and again, the ball drifted down the pitch and into the Elstree goal! It was fantastic to have so many spectators supporting and cheering the children on, both for Cheam and for Elstree. Our hosts were very friendly and really looked after us. After the matches, the children were taken into the dining room for a hotdog and KitKat treat! They disappeared quickly after an afternoon of running around the pitches. We really loved our trip and think matches are very cool! We cannot wait to host Cheam at Elstree after half term.

It was lovely to see the children proudly showing their adults around their classroom and to hear the lovely conversations being had with their adults who came to visit our classroom.

“We kept scoring goals!”

Michele Caloia, 2B

“That was amazing!” Isaac Turner, 2O’N

“The hotdogs were delicious!”

Rafferty Addington, 2B

‘Bugs’ Outdoor Learning Day

On the 19th of October, the Pre-Prep embarked on their first Outdoor Learning Day of the academic year. For many new children to Elstree, it was the first time they had visited our school woods, so there was great excitement all around.

The Year 2s embraced the day with lots of outdoor Science and Maths! They started the morning off learning about right angles. Using natural resources, they were challenged to make right-angled shapes in the school grounds. Each child was then given a small envelope and they were tasked with collecting several leaves and decorations for their afternoon projects. After lunch, the children learnt about insects, in particular the names of the different parts of their bodies. Using their natural resources, they created insects, and some even went on to labelling their heads, thorax and abdomen! Following this, they made symmetrical pictures using the left-over items they had collected.

The children in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 were split into four groups and they completed four different activities. They made leaf people, collecting colourful leaves and adding arms, legs and even eyes to bring them to life! There was also the opportunity of creating a giant spider’s web! The children took it in turns to put wool behind trees in our woods, twisting and overlapping the string until they had an intricate spider’s web. Then the fun started when children became ‘spiders’ in the middle of the web and had to catch ‘flies’ trying to get across. Another activity was to create a bug hotel. Last year, Mr Duarte and the Year 8s created a nature frame for us. We took it to the woods and filled it with bark, logs and various other offerings. Some children thought it would be nice to add some feathers so that the bugs had pillows! The final activity was to build a mini den in teams to keep a finger puppet safe. In all the groups, it was wonderful to see the interactions between the different classes. The older children looked after the littlest and the Nursery children loved being grown up with the ‘big’ children. Once again, the Pre-Prep pupils demonstrated kindness and compassion as they helped one another.

A big thank you to our fabulous team of teachers for putting together special days such as these. We feel strongly that memories from days like today will be ones that last a lifetime.

AB

“Making the mini bug house was such fun. I put lots in.”

Constantin Hill, 1SL

“It was really fun trying to connect up the leaves to make my insect.”

Albie Williams, 2B

“I liked making the bug house best.”

William Michell, Nursery

“The spiders web was funny when the spider was getting me!”

Eliza Drury, RP

Football Festival

The Year 2 Independent Schools Football Festival was an eagerly anticipated event. The children had been talking about the festival for days. Snow stopped play for the previous tournament, and we were a little worried the wind and rain might interfere this time. However, the weather was kind! We even had a small show of sunshine as the afternoon drew to a close.

The children came into school full of enthusiasm and energy. The year group was divided into 3 teams and played 6 or 7 matches against teams from other schools. The children sorted out their positions, the whistle blew, and the first match began! They raced all over the pitch, had a go at tackling the opposition, kicked the ball as hard as they could, aimed for goal and defended bravely. There were some great goals and super saves. The children’s football skills had clearly progressed since the matches in October and it was good to see they displayed integrity in their playing and pitch behaviour. They took it in turns to change positions and at the end of each game, they shook hands with the opposition. They listened to the Elstree boys who were refereeing and obeyed the whistle! It was particularly heart-warming to see one of our children stop play to help a member of the opposition when his boot came off. It was an enjoyable afternoon for all and we were really proud of the Year 2s.

RB

“I’ve done so much running. I’ve got tired legs!”

Safiya Francis, 2 O’N

“I had to keep moving around really, really fast. I liked being striker.”

Albie Williams, 2B

Pre-Prep Christmas Play

What a treat the parents had when they were invited to ‘Mary’s Baby Shower’, the 2022 Pre-Prep Christmas play. The children were absolutely incredible, telling the Christmas story in a new way. The Year 2 children learnt their lines brilliantly and the duet sung by Mary and Joseph (Charlotte Rose and Rex Ruddick) brought a tear to all of our eyes.

The songs were all full of energy and enthusiasm, with some wonderful dance moves. In the run up, Pre-Prep was filled with pointy fingers and shouts of ‘You Should Have Booked!!’

A huge thank you to Liz Collins and Sian Bond who helped the children learn all their songs and master the dances.

SO’N

“I loved being a speedy star and running through the audience!”

Zac Champkin, 2 O’N

“The Nursery children were so sweet as little sheep”

Molly Hepburn, 1SL

“The jokes were so funny, especially Jasper the sheep saying baaaad joke, really baaaad.”

Michele Caloia, 2B

The Living Rainforest

What a fabulous day Year 2 had at the Living Rainforest! The children had already learnt what rainforests were like and where they were, so we all wondered how this could be recreated in Hampstead Norreys. As we entered the rainforest, we were amazed at the incredible plants surrounding us, the enormous leaves and dense vegetation. We needed to adjust our clothing as it was very warm and humid. Our guide started off by showing us a globe and explaining where the rainforests are. William Yarrow told the class that he was born in Singapore, which our guide had told us has a rainforest. He remembered that it was very hot.

Our guide knew that we were thinking about amazing adaptations and so we focused mostly on the animals. We started off looking at the snake. The children were asked where they thought the Emerald Tree Boa would live, Tom Lloyd Harris told us that it would live in the leaves of the trees because it would be camouflaged. Next, we moved onto the tarantula. After telling the class that he loved tarantulas, Johnny Ruck Keene explained that they are ambush predators which means they are animals that hide in camouflage and when their pray come past, they jump out and catch it. The guide told us that when it is scared the tarantula shakes so its hair comes off and they act as splinters hurting their predator. She showed us a picture of what had happened to someone’s eye who had got a bit too close!

We moved onto the poison dart frogs, which were definitely a highlight. Johnny knew that the frogs were such a bright blue colour to warn predators that they are poisonous. We learnt that this is the opposite of camouflage and is called aposematic.

We saw lots of different birds, but a definite favourite was Edwin the toucan. He was so friendly that during Covid, when the rainforest was shut, he became very sad. The staff had to put a screen in front of his aviary which showed children passing and talking to keep him company. Hermione Bond spotted the red spot on Edwin’s bottom and knew that this was to make predators think that he was dangerous and to leave him alone.

At the start of the trip, we were told that there was a sloth in the rainforest. She was called Cinnamon but was very elusive and had never been spotted on previous Elstree trips. We were all so excited when William spotted her as we were getting ready to leave - what a treat!

We all had an amazing day, our rainforest topic was really brought to life.

Year 2 Medieval Day

In the Lent Term, Year 2 learnt about castles. To bring the topic to life they all took part in a Medieval day. Ahead of the day they made shields and tabards to show which knightly house they were from. They wore them proudly as they learnt about medieval food, and then wrote their own medieval menu.

Jasper Turner couldn’t believe how much meat people used to eat and we all decided we wouldn’t like to try peacock or swan. Eel was a popular choice in medieval times and Florence Morse loved telling the class how her daddy had caught an eel when they went fishing together - they didn’t eat it!

Instead of a normal lunch the children were treated to a medieval banquet. Raffy Addington loved being able to eat with his hands!

After lunch the children spent the afternoon making swords, catapults and beautiful crowns. Charlotte Rose said she loved making the crown because they had so many gems to decorate them with. Rosie Shaw said that she loved making the catapults the most, it was tricky but she said she loved trying her best to make it work. William Yarrow also loved making them because he loved using his catapult to fling things. Rex Ruddick’s favourite thing was making the swords - he went home looking forward to having a sword fight with his brother!

SO’N

‘Wildlife’ Outdoor Learning Day

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 had a lovely Outdoor Learning Day in February. It was cold and frosty so there were plenty of rosy cheeks and happy smiles.

The children were split into groups and put into pairs from different ages before setting off to the woods and Plantation to begin a sensory scavenger hunt. They were challenged to find different textures, colours and items that could be used to make a musical instrument.

Another group was tasked with making birds’ nests. Each pair were given a small, fluffy chick to care for. They had to keep the chick safe whilst they collected twigs, moss, and feathers. The children couldn’t believe how tricky it was and how clever all of the birds are in the wild. After much determination, they got there!

The third group went to the woods to draw large outlines of animals and create natural collages. The children said it was such fun looking for things that were different shapes and sizes to bring the animals to life.

Whilst in the woods, our older Year 1s really nurtured some of the younger children, who in turn really looked up to them. The children loved having some free time to play together, a happy day was had by all!

LHS

Pre-Prep Poetry Performances

Over February half term, the Pre-Prep children were asked to learn a poem. Each class listened to the poems in their English lessons before the teachers chose the finalists – a very difficult task! The finalists were invited to recite their poems in the Long Room to teachers, parents, and Mr Owens, who came to watch and give some useful feedback.

What a wide selection of poems we listened to! From traditional nursery rhymes to poems about penguins, knights, the seasons and even aliens! Johnny (2O’N) had written his own poem with lots of rhyme and rhythm, which was fantastic to hear. One of the performers, Iris (RP), said that she felt a bit nervous before performing, but once she had finished, she would have loved to do it all over again!

Story Museum

The Story Museum in Oxford was to be the Nursery and Reception’s trip to complement their topic for the term on ‘Books We Love’. The children were so excited, not only about the upcoming outing but of course, the much-anticipated coach journey! After our lovely coach driver Tom introduced himself over the microphone, the all-important singing of wheels on the bus took place. Once we arrived at the Story Museum, the children entered their ‘Small Worlds’ section of the museum. It was a wonderful area set up with many role-play opportunities based around different stories. A huge bed was at the end of the room with a cosy story-telling corner with a lovely big armchair in it. The storyteller for our session was called Karen and she had the children captivated from the start of her story about a fisherman. After the story, it was time to explore. The children went on bear hunts, drove on buses and went under the sink in Traction Man’s kitchen, ventured into space and posted letters to all sorts of characters. The giant bed saw many children show great delight as they bounced on it together. Our session ended with another wonderful story where the children

Well done to all of the children who learnt and performed their poems,

joined in with a multitude of actions. Some lunch, and a short walk back to the bus ended our exciting adventure, with a few snoozing children on the way back to school! VT

you all did the Pre-Prep very proud.

Tiny Tots Ball Skills

Nursery and Reception were so excited to have an afternoon out on Bates practising some rugby and ball skills. With the sun shining and parents watching, they all had an extra spring in their step.

Mr Bates and some older boys and girls from Year 8 were there to give instructions and much needed demonstrations and support. The children were very engaged as they tried a range of different skills. They enjoyed catching and throwing, learning to tackle the shields and to dodge by weaving around cones and running away from a friend trying to catch them. Two nursery children even managed to exchange the rugby ball an incredible 13 times before it dropped!

It was an afternoon of great fun and even those who were a little reluctant at first had a smile on their face by the end.

CR

Year 1 Rushall Farm Trip

The Year 1s set off on a cold but sunny morning to Rushall farm.

The children had great fun feeding the chickens and collecting eggs. It was interesting to see how the eggs were different in size and colour, some even speckled.

The next activity was a bumpy tractor ride where we all had to hold on and dodge the overhanging branches! We then saw the farmer and his helpers weighing each sheep and marking their wool with bright paint. The children were amazed that the farmers used scales just like the ones they use in their Maths lessons. Some of the sheep tried to jump over the scales which the children found very funny.

Before leaving, we were taught all about ‘field to plate’ and the children sorted some different pictures of crops and the food they produce. It was a great day, and we look forward to returning next year.

CR

Pre-Prep World Book Day

Elstree Pre-Prep children and staff had great fun dressing up for World Book Day! The theme for the day was ‘bears’ but we had all sorts of fun costumes!

In Nursery and Reception, the children had a go at making their own teddy bears and foam planets. They had a very exciting Rocket Race, with their bears racing from planet to planet!

The children in Years 1 and 2 baked biscuits in the shape of teddy bears, coloured in teddy bears following careful instructions and made wonderful, collaged bear masks. Finally, they used their imaginations – and pastels - to create a scene where their bear’s rocket would fly to.

Throughout the day the children had plenty of opportunities to explore and hear different stories. They enjoyed telling their friends who they had dressed up as and why. It was a wonderful day for all. HP

Year 2 Trip to Windsor Castle

Our trip to Windsor castle was a day the children will always remember. The coach journey whizzed by and there was great excitement as we caught glimpses of the castle from the motorway. We arrived at the education centre and met Sophie who ran our workshop on ‘How to be a Knight’. Henry Singh started off by acting as a page and the children learned what jobs the page had to do for his knight. He practised his chivalry when he lay down his cloak, over a puddle for Lady Safiya to walk over! The children enjoyed looking at the mail armour and Jasper Turner modelled the head gear for us. Zac Champkin and William Yarrow had to hold up the mail tunic, which was really heavy! Johnny Ruck Keene was game to try on the sheet metal helmet, although we had no idea who was wearing it when the visor was closed! And Christabel Ridley-Day modelled a tunic that the lady of the castle might wear.

The children loved sharing the information that they knew about knights and Sophie told them lots of new facts too. We finished the session with each child being knighted!

At the end of our workshop, we had our packed lunch and then set off for a look around the castle. We saw a guard and watched him marching up and down. We went to St George’s Chapel and saw where the Queen was laid to rest. Then we went to look at Queen Mary’s Dolls’ house, which amazed us all. We did a walk through the state rooms and the children were all keen to visit St George’s Hall to see all the shields and coats of arms of every single Knight of the Garter since the order was formed in 1348! The children were particularly interested to see the shields on which the coat of arms had been painted out, because the knight had misbehaved! The tour was over all too soon and a tired but happy crew settled back onto the bus for our return to school.

We had a wonderful day. The children behaved beautifully, and we felt very proud of them.

RB

“I loved the dolls’ house. I wanted to see water coming out of the taps.”

Florence Morse, 2B

“I liked the armour best because I got to try on the helmet of Henry V111.”

Johnny Ruck Keene, 2O’N

“I liked seeing all the windows in the church.”

Raffy Addington, 2B

Pre-Prep Coronation Celebrations

We had a very special day to mark the Coronation of his Royal Highness King Charles III. The Pre-Prep had been decorated with flags and Union Jacks and there was great excitement from the children as they entered their classrooms.

Nursery and Reception embraced the Coronation for the whole week! They began their week by cooking some delicious crown biscuits and having a red, white and blue themed tea party. They enjoyed making some crowns, suncatchers and 2D shape palaces as well as attempting a few portraits of the King too! The garden was a hive of activities, with the children practising their guard skills by balancing bearskins, horse jumping and marching.

In Year 1, the children made some lovely crowns and enjoyed their own mini Coronation by gifting them to each other! Both Year 1 and 2 created Union Jack mosaics which they completed with great care. In Year 2, the children baked and decorated delicious biscuits and wrote a letter to the King. All were very excited by the prospect of the King reading the letters that they had sent.

The entire Pre-Prep were treated to a special Coronation themed lunch. The children feasted on Bucking-Ham plait with chips and a Coronation salad. We were very pleased to have a cupcake with the Royal Crest for dessert. A feast fit for a King! VT

Elstree Hour

‘Elstree Hour’ is a lovely idea which aims to give the Year 2 children a taste of life in the Prep School. This term they enjoyed an outdoor nature and art session with Mrs Syckelmoore, an introduction to Life in Year 3 with Mr Schuman and Mrs Kidson and making catapults in Plantation with Mr and Mrs Attwood.

For their final Elstree Hour, the Year 2 children were invited to the Headmaster’s Garden for tea and games. First, they played ‘Things Wrong in the Garden’ spotting objects hidden around the garden, which shouldn’t be there - scissors, a golf ball, a spoon etc..... the only one which was tricky to find was the dog treat... which we soon realised Nellie had eaten! Tea was a delicious spread of sandwiches, sausages, carrots, cucumber and tomato all washed down with a refreshing strawberry slushy and brownies for pudding. The highlight of the visit was surely The Egg Cup Game where, in the third and final round, Bruce had the pleasure of pouring the egg cup of water on Mr Inglis’s head! The Year 2 children were so polite and great company too - we can’t wait to welcome them into the Prep School in September.

OSI

Pre-Prep Firefighter Visit

Reception have been learning about ‘real-life superheroes’ and people who help us in the community. We were lucky enough to have an exciting visit from the fire fighters that work at Theale fire station. Firefighters Sam and Matthew came into our classroom and talked to Nursery and Reception all about the jobs they do as a firefighter, including putting out fires, rescuing animals and helping when there is a car crash. They taught the children what to do if they accidentally catch fire and Iris (RP class) remembered that you must “stop, drop and roll”. Matthew then showed the children the suit that he must wear when he is going out in the fire engine to help with an emergency. He wore his boots, trousers, tunic, gloves, and helmet and told us what each part was for. Next, the firefighters talked to the children about smoke alarms. When an alarm went off, Nursery and Reception walked calmly and sensibly to their assembly point and the firefighters were very impressed.

After this, all of the children in the Pre-Prep were invited out to have a look at a real fire engine and they were shown some of the tools that are kept there. All the children got a chance to go inside the fire engine and see where the firefighters sit. Henry (2B) and Bruce (2O’N) liked sitting in the seats and putting the straps on as their seatbelts. Nestor (RP) was lucky enough to sit in the driver’s seat and even honk the horn, which he said was the best part of the visit! Lastly, we said thank you to the crew from Theale fire station for visiting us and teaching us so much about their jobs and how we can stay safe around fire.

Den Building with Year 8

As part of their Elstree Award, our Year 8 pupils regularly join PrePrep events to share their skills and knowledge by helping to coach our younger children, they build their communication and collaboration skills, proving themselves to be worthy role models.

This Summer, our Nursery and Reception children were overjoyed to have some of the Year 8 pupils accompany them up to the woods for a Den Building masterclass with resident Elstree experts. It was a gloriously sunny day, and as ever, a joy to see Elstree boys and girls coming together and learning something new, whatever their ages. Needless to say, the Reception and Nursery boys and girls were in awe of what the Year 8s helped them to create!

Pre-Prep Grandparents’ Afternoon

You could feel the buzz of excitement in the Pre-Prep as the children busily prepared for our 120 special visitors. Nursery and Reception were enjoying making their own confetti to be scattered across the tables, Year 1 wrote and decorated menus for the afternoon tea, and finally, Year 2 used their floristry skills to create some beautiful flower arrangements.

The children’s grandparents and special visitors arrived in the afternoon and began to seat themselves in the McMullen Hall. Each year group performed two songs, some with wonderful dances to go with them. Reception’s second song even had all our visitors joining in with the actions! As well as the class performances, some children bravely performed solos, which included a Year 2 violin recital and a Year 1 piano performance.

Following on from the concert, the children led the way to their classrooms, where they proceeded to share their fantastic work. Whilst half of the group had the classroom tour first, the other half enjoyed their afternoon tea. Cucumber sandwiches, scones and jam and a selection of hot drinks were on offer. What a lovely afternoon we all had!

HP

“I loved it when Granny and Grandpa asked me questions about school.”

Christabel Ridley-Day, 2B

“I enjoyed listening to others perform on the piano.”

Arthur Stoneman, 1P

“I really liked seeing my grandparents because I hadn’t seen them since the beginning of the year.”

Henry Singh, 2B

“I enjoyed every second of it!”

Monty Higgins, 1P

Reception Den Building Day with Visitors

Reception had a wonderful day in the woods! The children eagerly awaited the arrival of their special guests and couldn’t wait to share the joys of Den Building in Plantation with them.

Having been in the woods every Wednesday throughout the year so far, the boys and girls were experts at making a good den. An extra splash of face paint helped to make the day even more exciting! The sun shone and the children set to work to make some wonderful creations. After their handiwork had been suitably admired, there was time for a game of hide and seek before heading back to the school. It is always lovely to share the spaces that the children love best with their families.

BD

Year 1 and 2 Coffee Concert

What a treat the parents were in for at the Year 1 and 2 Coffee Concert. The sun was shining over Farmyard and the children were really excited to sing in front of an audience. The concert started with Year 1 singing Poor King, with accompanying sound effects and actions. Rosie Shaw (2O’N) said this was her favourite part of the concert because she remembered learning the song when she was in Year 1. William Yarrow (2O’N) said, “I loved the Poor King song because it was so funny!” They followed this with Mirror, Mirror which was a lovely echo song.

It was then Year 2’s turn to perform and they started with Listen to the River which they sang beautifully. Johnny Ruck Keene (2O’N) said that this was his favourite song and favourite part of the concert. We were then treated to Watch that Space on the recorders. The children impressed us with their time keeping and remembering when to play their recorder and when to sing. Next came an African song, Amane Atoupe. Bruce Blackwell (2O’N) said that this was his favourite part of the concert because he liked the part where he had to raise his voice.

The finale of the morning was the Coronation Song, which Year 1 and 2 performed together, with huge enthusiasm. A huge well done to all the children for their fantastic singing and a big thank you to all the parents who were able to come. SO’N

Pre-Prep Sports Day

The children proudly marched out to We’re all going on a Summer Holiday, full of energy and excitement for the Elstree Pre-Prep Sports Day 2023. It was an afternoon of fun and happiness. All the races were connected to the theme of Summer.

Nursery ‘swam’ under the sea with great confidence, they loved their ice cream relay, the only downer was the lack of real ice creams, although this was remedied later! They managed to catch a huge number of ducks in their ‘Quack, Quack, Quack race’ and we were all impressed with their counting ability when it came to working out how many they had captured!

Reception is clearly full of surfing dudes, judging by the poses at the end of the race. They did a great job of packing their cases and watching them run down the track dragging their cabin cases was a sight none of us will forget in a hurry! The smiles on their faces said it all. The highlight of the Year 1 races has to be the sunbathing hurdles. The children’s trust in each other’s jumping ability was commendable, and there has clearly been plenty of towel folding practice going on! They did some fabulous donkey riding and managed to control beachballs while wearing oversized sunglasses!

Year 2 jumped waves and sprinted to the seaside. They loved their ‘Full Lap Relay’ and impressed us with their enthusiasm and determination. Each one returning from their lap with a massive smile of satisfaction that they had run their very best. Who could ask for more?

It was a hugely happy afternoon, one that the children will look back on in years to come as an exceptionally special memory.

AB

“I like running all the way around the track. I went fast.”

India Gayner, 2B

“Please can I run round the track again?”

Henry Barton, 1P

Pre-Prep 175 Celebrations

Not to be outdone by the Prep School, the Pre-Prep boys and girls enjoyed their very own afternoon of 175 Celebrations. It was a very hot afternoon so it came as a welcome relief accompanied by happy squeals and laughter to be sprayed with cold water by Mrs Bond.

Cooled off, the children then ran around the games pitches where teachers waited with cups of blue and pink paint which were thrown over the children. It has to be said, it was a much gentler treatment than the Prep school boys and girls had received!

Proudly covered in the colours of the school, the pupils sat in the shade of the stretch tent where they were rewarded with delicious ice-creams in a waffle cone topped with colourful sprinkles. The Pre-Prep children had so much fun taking part in this wonderful celebration, it was lovely to see their happy faces – even if they were covered in ice-cream!

LHS

SPORT

Boys’ Football 1st XI

towards the latter stages of the season.

Yet, to all those that played this year, it has been a pleasure to coach and see you develop. We always tended to be the better footballing side in our encounters, and they have been a credit to the Pink and Blue Stripes. Well done to you all.

TDW

Played 19 Won 9

Drawn 4 Lost 6

This season has been a thoroughly enjoyable one from a Coach’s point of view. Not because of a positive set of results, but because it meant working with a Team that embodied all that is hoped for from a Prep School 1st XI: the willingness to set high standards for others to reach; being honest in assessment of performance; acting on advice, buying into the process and most importantly relishing in the success of the whole group. There was a healthy competition for places amongst this group and this spurred the players on to some enjoyable performances. Most notable were the games where a result was not just down to scoring more goals, but rather having to demonstrate ‘footballing smarts’ to close out a game. There were some obvious highs along the way: New College; Papplewick; Summer Fields; Pilgrims, Cothill and Pangbourne. Also, some inevitable lows in a season: Lambrook; Ludgrove and Crosfields. Yet no matter the result, the Players made sure that the next training session was just as focused and competitive as the last.

There were two ISFA Cups as well. The Cup game against King’s House was a fantastic afternoon, despite going out 5-4 on penalties, it was a great bonding session and gave a glimpse into what this team were made of. At the time of writing, we await our 2nd Round Trophy fixture against Berkhampstead, but the 1st Round game against St Martin’s, was a real pleasure to watch with great interplay and plenty of goals.

Special mention should go to the two leaders this Season. Fergus Hoar, as Captain, had the misfortune of falling to injury for half the season, but never wanted to miss out on watching training and being ever present on the side lines home and away! He was ably supported by Alfie Hamilton-Shaw as Vice-Captain, leading on the pitch in Fergus’ absence, through his central mid-field role. These two were a great support during difficult injury decisions

Played 12 Won 4

Drawn 1 Lost 7

The 2nd XI has had a bit of a mixed season, with some excellent performances and then some that were not so good! An early season highlight was the game against Farleigh where everything gelled beautifully and we put on a superb performance of simple, yet effective football.

It is always very hard to achieve any sort of consistency when the team changes, materially, week on week, and there seemed to be more minor injuries than perhaps we would normally have over the course of the season. This meant that we hardly played with the same team twice, as our more talented players were regularly promoted to the 1st XI to provide injury cover. However, the team always worked hard and, importantly, never lacked for determination or effort. Gabriel Islam was superb in goal, and our back four of Hugo Cropper, Caspar Williams, Oscar Pritchard and Monty Robinson were generally pretty solid. Leonardo La Corte, Pedro Rivera, Lachie McGeoch and Harry Clothier all had their moments and Harry Anderson reads the game so well and shows great potential. A very enjoyable season and well played to all the boys.

Played 13 Won 9

Drawn 1 Lost 3

We played as we practised this season, with lots of smiles and hard work. The team moved the ball quickly and efficiently, finding good positions to receive the next ball. We kept our shape well and were difficult to break down. We probably only lost our three matches because we were not quite quick enough to move a hard-won ball to our attacking players.

Thank you very much to Mr Williams and Mr Attwood for helping out this term. Another great academy side, full of excellent young men with loads of potential and kind hearts. Max Venning (Captain) and George Johnstone, you were absolute stars!!

JRB

IDH

Played 11 Won 4

Drawn 0 Lost 7

The fascinating Fourth Team has had a season heavily focused on individual skill development and improving ideas around teamwork. Every player has made huge strides with their first touch, passing and movement skills this term. They have also explored ideas around positional play and the importance of the work one does off the ball in both defence and attack.

There were three close matches this season with the boys winning two of them, showing some gritty determination in high pressure moments. The binary nature of taking chances in a game lead to some unbalanced score-lines in both directions where the number of chances to both teams were actually more even than the score-lines suggest. Freddie Carlbom’s free kick, Jacob Gearing’s long range goal at Farleigh and Seb Fowler’s chip against Pilgrims were nice highlights. However, the development of players and plenty of promotions up into higher teams has been the best win of the season.

FAW

Played 11 Won 4

Drawn 4 Lost 3

‘The Academy’ did its job this season by allowing some players lots of ball time and opportunity to progress up the teams (like Sebastian Francis and Henry Dalton). It also gave some wonderful opportunities to those who had never played Football before like James Yun and Alex Wu. Jules Foxon had a successful end to the season in goal. Derek Lee and Nicky Xu scored plenty up front. Eighteen different players all contributed to the success of the team over the course of the season and plenty of players gained experience as the Captain. Another successful year for ‘The Academy’.

AWP

Played 16 Won 9

Drawn 1 Lost 6

The Under 11As had a pleasing season of progress and pitfalls. The season started with a sunny trip to Oxford against a New College side which enabled Elstree to build partnerships and confidence. Papplewick and Lambrook gave the boys necessary lessons in energy and skill before a run of five victories before Half Term showed the boys’ potential. Leonardo Raphael captained the side with maturity and poise and Oliver Duffield was a critical player in defence, often voted man of the match. The highlight of the season came in October when the boys reached the ISFA regional final having played 7 matches of knock out football with Joshua Singleton being voted player of the tournament. Elstree lost the final to deserved winners Papplewick but this tournament showed the boys their potential. Wins against Pilgrims and Horris Hill concluded a season of development, maturity and good fun.

Played 13 Won 3

Drawn 1 Lost 9

The U11Bs had a tricky season. However, I cannot fault their effort and determination when the going got tough. The boys showed great commitment in matches but also in training. The season tested the boys, and we came up against some strong opposition. But their skills and understanding of the game really did improve. Especially, their positioning on the field and understanding of making the correct decisions at the correct times. The team began to really gel as the season progressed and the boys understood each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how they might help each other during matches. A few notable performances were the wins at Sunningdale and Horris Hill. They boys played some lovely passing football and scored some great team and individual goals. Sat Li and Kevin Hu were both instrumental in our season. Sat never stopped running in the midfield and always gave of his best. Kevin showed great intelligence on the field and was organised and determined in defence. Mide Sonuga showed his shooting boots scoring many sensational goals including some devastating free kicks. James Marshall grew in confidence with each game, and he produced some amazing saves to keep us in matches. Eddie Law never gave up and showed great dribbling skills and pushed our team forward. Henry Pritchard was a rock in defence, and you could always rely on him to make that last ditch tackle. Dew Sakamoto controlled the wing and showed skill in threading passes through the midfield into the attack. Although the boys didn’t win many matches they improved tremendously throughout the season, and they should all be proud of how much they progressed.

JRD

Played 13 Won 4

Drawn 0 Lost 9

The U11C football team had a challenging yet enjoyable season, filled with improvement and some great individual and team performances. There were some tremendous performances over the course of the season including a huge comeback victory against Ludgrove despite being 1-0 down at half time. Despite enduring some loses, the development and improvement of the team has been superb, and I am incredibly happy with the team’s progress. It was great to see all members of the team thoroughly enjoying their time playing football as well as each player trying their hardest and putting in a lot of effort. I do hope that all the players enjoyed the football season this year as much as I did, and I wish them well for the future.

Played 11 Won 5

Drawn 2 Lost 4

This has been a very positive season for the U10A footballers and as the results suggest they have been challenged in matches as well as enjoying success. Having scored 40 goals and conceded 33 there have been some exciting games and some creative football played. With some new players in the year group, it has been interesting looking at the boys play in different positions to get the right balance and shape for the team. There is certainly lots of potential, skill and energy amongst the team making them an exciting group to coach. The Pilgrims game sticks out as a memorable game for me where there was some fantastic football played by both teams and each team had the upper hand for different periods of the game. The score fluctuated and finally finished in a 3-3 draw. Although some players moved positions in some games, a big well done to Jack Sanford who had a terrific season playing in goal demonstrating lots of natural talent, also Tom Bevan and Jasper Vere Nicoll who both defended with tenacity and determination. The midfield unit of James Fane, Inigo Barker and Charlie Utley worked hard in both attack and defence and demonstrated creative play providing plenty of opportunities. Sam Norris and Henry Britton both enjoyed playing up front as striker and finished some great goals as well as providing assists to other players. Well done.

BJC

The U10Bs have had such a good season. Starting off with good wins against New College and Lambrook, we had our first challenging match against Papplewick. What impressed me most was that this was actually when the boys really started to show a very good defensive mindset, along with a never-give-up attitude. Working on movement off the ball and passing into space, the team were soon adapting to their positions well and winning or drawing games that, had they not listened, trained and improved so much, might well have been draws or losses, especially against much bigger schools. Well done to all of them!

Played 9 Won 2

The U10Cs have had a season in which they showed much improved fitness and skills and have developed an excellent team spirit. As the training sessions unfolded, we settled into our positions. Both Ralph Weatherill and Harry Lockwood played in goal, exhibiting very different techniques which were equally successful. Our valiant defenders were Johnny Wu, who managed to run tirelessly all over the pitch to defend and keep the ball in the opposition’s half, and Quinty Xia, whose nimble feet plagued the opposition as he skilfully weaved between their legs to foil their attempts to gain ground. In midfield, we saw George Mills on the left wing and (when not in goal) Harry Lockwood; both midfielders learned to go in for tackles and act quickly when passed, passing the ball up the pitch to the striker. More often than not, Wilfred Ward was in the striker position and he developed his skills of dribbling the ball forwards towards the goal and his shots became increasingly accurate as the term progressed. Our dribbling, decision-making, and passing grew ever more quick and accurate which meant we started to have the ball in the opposition’s half much of the time, enabling strikes on goal. The support from parents on the side-line really helped the boys to play their best. It was a pleasure to coach them this season.

AJB

EGG

Played 10 Won 9

Drawn 1 Lost 0

This has been a remarkable season for the U9A football team. Not losing a game is a big achievement; scoring 34 goals and only conceding 4 in the whole season is also very special. The team has really worked hard for each other and understood their roles when playing an exciting brand of creative football. The team’s success was based upon a great goalkeeper in Ollie Lloyd, a solid defence with William Cropper and Gaby Caloia at the back winning the ball with crunching tackles. A creative, skilful and energetic midfield with Akinniran Akinola on the left, William Hedley in the middle and Jonty Ridley-Day on the right and Reuben Ruddick up front as a strong striker with a natural sense of where the goal is and always hungry to score goals. We played some very good teams who have been physical and skilful, we have solved situations in the game quickly and effectively to take the upper hand. The draw against Lambrook was exciting and a very well-matched game with both teams challenged with having less time on the ball. A key moment came when Elstree conceding a free kick, moments before the final whistle, just outside the area. Oliver Lloyd pulled off a full-length dive, one-handed and saved a shot that was going into the top corner to hold on to a draw! Other highlights are a fantastic 2-0 win against Ludgrove both goals from William Hedley, including a first-time thunderbolt shot coming from a corner. Also, a solid victory against Summer Fields who were a very strong, physical team. Well done to all who played on an unforgettable unbeaten season.

BJC

Played 9 Won 4

Drawn 1 Lost 4

The U9B team had an encouraging season full of growth and determination. After starting the season strongly with a 5-0 win over St. Andrew’s we then struggled when facing tougher oppositions that challenged us technically. However, even within these losses we still managed to contain the scorelines on many occasions to a single or couple of goals. This highlights how impressive we were defensively largely due to our two tenacious defenders Timi Sonuga and Sean Chen and our goalkeepers Bertie Barton and Alfie Steward. As a team, Mr. Doran and I were particularly impressed with how well we won the ball back and how we thwarted attacks before they had started. Our attacking also grew throughout the season with some excellent goals and assists from Jashn Sraw, Tom Mashall, Charlie Pannell and Zach Chabva.

We finished the season strongly with some commanding victories over Cothill and Horris Hill highlighting our phenomenal improvement throughout the season and showing how well we worked together as a team. Well done, boys on a great season.

BD

Played 9 Won 2

Drawn 2 Lost 5

If the success of a term was based on a team’s playing record, it may look as though the Under 9C team had not enjoyed a successful one: but that is not the case. Everyone who played for the team worked hard on improving their footballing skills in the regular games sessions and then they aimed to put it into practice in the competitive matches. The fact that every aspect of their play has improved: passing, tackling and their positional play on the pitch has improved, is a success. We played some very good teams but at no point did anyone give up, in fact quite the opposite, they kept battling until the final whistle. Their efforts on the pitch resulted in some well-earned victories and the joy on the boys’ faces when they had won, was so good to see. I do hope everyone who played for the team has had as much fun as I did, and I look forward to seeing how their playing and understanding of the game develops in future years.

Played 18 Won 7

Drawn 4 Lost 7

This term, the Year 3 boys have enjoyed a fantastic term of football and have worked hard in games sessions in order to prepare themselves well for matches and improve their general skills. The focus has always been on match play and giving the children as much opportunity as possible to succeed and/or make mistakes and subsequently learn from them. With regards to the fixtures against other schools, we started our season against St Andrew’s and enjoyed some good results across the board. What followed was our first ever Year 3 tournament at Summer Fields. Lots of short matches gave our children ample opportunity to put into practice what they had been practising in their games sessions. Next were matches against Thorngrove with our boys demonstrating an impressive ability to keep possession of the ball. This resulted in another encouraging set of results. Our next matches, against Cheam, proved to be a tough contest with all of our teams struggling against strong opposition. More close contests with Pilgrims and Crosfields ensured that we topped off a thoroughly enjoyable season for Year 3. I have been so pleased with how they have approached their football this term and I am unsurprised that every single one of them has noticeably improved. Well done to them all on what has been a thoroughly enjoyable term.

PNS

JCM

Girls’ Hockey U12

Played 10 Won 9

Drawn 0 Lost 1

The girls have had an amazing season this year. This season the girls’ skills, game play and teamwork have improved immensely, and it can be seen by the way they play their matches and during practices. The girls are always ready to work hard at each practice and always looking for ways to better themselves. Their positional play along with their teamwork, has made them a real fighting force out on the field and it has been great to watch.

They ended their season on a high by not only winning the Plate at the local Berkshire Tournament, but they also had an excellent tour to Ireland seeing them playing some older girls and playing some 11-a-side hockey.

All in all, a great season of hockey and I am very privileged to have been their coach. Well done, girls!

AMG

Played 13 Won 7

Drawn 0 Lost 6

The U11 Girls’ Hockey team have gone from strength to strength this season, playing a whopping 13 matches over the term. They started off on a solid footing, winning against Cranford House, and then at St. Neots in a triangular tournament. From there, the girls gained confidence and strength as the weeks progressed. Later in the term, they played a couple of tough matches against Cheam and Daneshill. However, this only helped to develop a tenacious spirit on the pitch, with the girls rarely ceding any goals without a fight. Arabella Pannell and Dariya Maximova shone in the centre. They were often at the forefront of an attack, whilst seemingly simultaneously assisting the defenders back in their own half - their work rate was second to none. Kweji Sameke demonstrated her lightning speed on the wing; Eva Lockhart was always one step ahead of the opposition, finishing the season as our top goal scorer. Bella Tryon was a determined force in defence; Seira Hayashi grew into her role as ’keeper, making some amazing saves in the latter part of the season. Pleasingly, the girls were successful in reaching the semifinals of the Berkshire Schools U11 hockey tournament at Reading Hockey Club in February. As a group, the Year 6 girls have come together to form an increasingly indomitable team; they now have a strong foundation in place for next year. What a fantastic season they have had. Furthermore, they have been a delight to coach.

KJS

Played 13 Won 7

Drawn 1 Lost 5

It has been lovely to see the U10 girls enjoying hockey matches at Elstree this term. The season started with a great afternoon at Hall Grove. It didn’t take long for the girls to find their feet on the hockey pitch, with some impressive play at both ends. Unfortunately, the Elstree girls weren’t quite able to make the most of their chances on goal and narrowly lost the match. The girls then played Cranford House. They were a lot more settled as they started the match and soon found their rhythm, winning 6-1.

This was followed by a friendly triangular fixture with St Neot’s and St Piran’s. The girls enjoyed a successful afternoon, leaving with one win and a draw. We then played a well-established Lambrook team. This was probably the most thrilling game of the season, with the ball travelling continuously from end to end with lots of excitement coming from the side-lines as well as on the pitch. Elstree took their chances well and walked away with a 5-4 win. A tough triangular with Farleigh and Daneshill was next, followed by some closely fought, narrow wins over The Oratory and Crosfields. By this point in the term, the girls were settled into their positions and had become reliable at their roles within the team. Their confidence was growing significantly and this helped them to achieve solid wins over The Manor and The Dragon.

Towards the end of the season the U10 team enjoyed an afternoon of hockey at Marlborough College and had their first experience of tournament play. The girls played 3 different schools, beating two and narrowly losing to the other. It was a great experience, and all the girls learned a lot from the afternoon.

U9A

Played 7 Won 4

Drawn 2 Lost 1

U9B

Played 5 Won 1

Drawn 3 Lost 1

The U9s had a fantastic hockey season and played some great matches. The team had several friendly matches where they were able to practise and develop the basic skills they were learning in practice sessions. Both the U9 teams had a strong season, with the U9A team winning convincingly against Cranford house, Cheam and Lambrook. Tougher matches were against Brockhurst and Marlston and Thorngrove but the girls held their own coming out with a draw in both matches. Unfortunately, The Oratory proved slightly too strong, scoring 4 goals past our strong defence.

The U9B had just as a good season, beating Lambrook 9-0 and drawing against Brockhurst and Marlston, Thorngrove and the Oratory. They faced a very strong Cheam side who got a few good goals past us resulting in the only loss of the season.

The girls all worked hard on their hockey skills and showed great improvement across all areas in hockey, and it was wonderful to see their game play and confidence increase with every match. Well done on an incredible season.

KJS

KJS

The U8 girls enjoyed a fun-packed term of hockey. The season began with a friendly triangular with St Andrew’s and Cranford House. This was, for the majority of the girls, their first match representing Elstree School. The girls gained a huge amount of experience from this and very much enjoyed the afternoon. This was followed by closely fought matches against Cheam and Thorngrove. The girls then played Cranford House for a second time and it was wonderful to see how much both teams had progressed. Their basic skills and also their knowledge and understanding of the game had significantly improved, and it was pleasing to see the A team achieving a 5-2 win and the B team enjoying a closely fought 0-0 draw.

This was followed by a very successful triangular with The Oratory and Marlston House. The matches were played in a friendly but competitive manner with the Elstree teams coming away with the most wins of the day.

The season ended with matches against Crosfields. On a bright, sunny afternoon, it was obvious to see the progression that all the girls had made throughout the season, both individually and as a team. The B team narrowly lost this match and the A team were involved in a thrilling 6-6 draw which was the perfect way to end their season. KJS

Judo

This year’s IAPS Judo Competition was held at the very majestic ACS International School in Egham. It was a beautifully organised event and the Dojo (judo hall) was a relaxed atmosphere where children could put their training to the test and perform to their very highest standards. This was very fitting as the definition of “judo” is “the way of gentleness”. The whole day had a festival feel to it with some spirituality in the mix.

All age groups were taken through a fun and creative warm-up by expert coaches. This helped all players focus their minds and psych themselves up. More importantly, it made them smile and relax which was important as the main aim of the day was to have fun and enjoy the occasion. Many of our judokas (or judo players) were a mixture of nervous and excited at first, but once they got started, nerves turned to concentration and skills flowed.

The Dojo (or judo hall) was reminiscent of the hall in the American film Karate Kid. Here, though, good sporting behaviour and a strict adherence to the rules was the name of the game and we witnessed a delightful display of strength, power and, of course, skill.

The following players came out on top and struck gold. Many congratulations to Timi Sonuga, Charlie Anderson Wheeler and Thomas Bevan for this amazing achievement. Monty Robinson and Mila Tryon received silver medals and our bronze medallists comprised Henry Pritchard, Kevin Hu, Otis Pearey, Zachary Chabva, Harry Mills, Mide Sonuga and Tristan Anderson Wheeler. Martin Small and I were extremely proud of every one of our young judo players.

CMS

Bella Tryon, Year 6

Mila Tryon, Year 7

Timi Sonuga, Year 4

Otis Pearey, Year 6

Henry Pritchard, Year 6

Kevin Hu, Year 6

Charlie Anderson Wheeler, Year 3

Zachary Chabva, Year 4

“It was the most intense thing I’ve ever done. I was so exhausted but also so elated.”

“It was amazing. I was nervous at first, then okay.”

“I was nervous at first but found it very enjoyable once I got started.”

“It’s a really fun thing to do but a really hard thing to do.”

“This was the best thing I’ve done this year!”

“This was the first individual gold medal I’ve ever won!”

Charlie Anderson Wheeler, Year 3

“It was nerve-racking but calming. When you’re focused in your fight, you stop panicking.”

“I felt quite nervous before the fight.”

Thomas Bevan, Year 5

“I had nerves and was excited, then I started to relax.”

“I won most of my fights. In one of them I thrashed my opponent!”

Rugby U13A

Drawn 0 Lost 0

It was clear from the pre-season sessions that this year’s U13 A team were keen to play an exciting and expansive style of open running rugby, allowing the coaches to try out various combinations and tactics before the season began in earnest. The boys responded extremely positively to these sessions. Training was approached with enthusiasm and commitment and a real desire to learn and improve. The side was ably led by William Sideso and assisted by Oscar Hargreave who both captained the side with maturity and determination, always leading by example and putting their bodies on the line. The only disappointment was that they were both not playing on the same pitch more often due to injury and unavailability.

Other players to mention were Oscar Pritchard and his strong running and even stronger tackling from second row or full back, the growing confidence of Laurence Moore at fly half who directed operations well and the strong ball-carrying and crunching tackles from Fergus Hoar and Sebastian Francis. Hamish Fawcett’s excellent reading of the game and roving support play was impressive and Ollie Irvine’s sniping runs and defence around the fringes caught the eye too.

We opened our account against a sizable Crosfields outfit, both sides were finding their feet, and we took a welldeserved narrow win to start the season, 4-3. We then found our feet against St Andrew’s in an enjoyable display of open running rugby with forwards and backs linking well to easily overcome our visitors, 6-1. Leo La Corte rounded off the match with a well-taken try from a cross-field kick from Laurence Moore.

We powered past an ill-disciplined Pilgrims side at home keeping our discipline and punishing their mistakes with a comfortable 10-0 victory. We showed plenty of passion and power again Cothill House and easily overwhelmed them, winning 11-0. Icy weather then put a stop to matches before play resumed against Cheam. This was a close and fiercely contested encounter between two wellmatched sides and we ran out worthy winners, 2-1. We ended our season away at Ludgrove and after a nervy start we ran out comfortable winners (5-3) in a fitting end to our season.

Our thanks as always goes to the loyal band of travelling supporters who came everywhere, even Ireland, to support the team. Our thanks also to LJO for his support and encouragement during the term too.

Played 6 Won 6

SCA/FAW

Played 5 Won 5

Drawn 0 Lost 0

Monty Robinson led the U12 A in a determined fashion this season, ably supported by Freddie Carlbom as Vice Captain. Undefeated, 205 points scored with just 50 against. This team had guts, determination and Harry Clothier steered the team from fly half brilliantly. Our forward pack learnt so much this season, James Morris Weston, Henry Dalton, Harry Anderson, Clement Chow, Seb Black and Julian Foxon. Rucking swiftly and working in pods worked a treat. Our full back Caspar Williams was incredible over the course of the season catching many a high ball and attacking space scoring frequently. Our finishing wingers of Mofe Adeyinka, Harry Goodbourn, Jacob Gearing, Ethan Lockhart and Hugo Cropper all played their part improving their tackling as the season went on. The glue of the team was Wilf Foulds at scrum half who had a standout season alongside the Captain Monty Robinson. The team also had a memorable Sevens tournament at Cothill making it to the final. Many happy memories and lots of learning on the way. These players will be a formidable force in their final year at Elstree next year.

Played 5 Won 5

Drawn 0 Lost 0

A real topsy-turvy season!

Having started the season off with a hard-fought win against St Andrew’s we unfortunately missed out on no less than six fixtures due to adverse weather conditions. When we did finally get back onto the field, the boys wasted no time in making up for it.

In a first for Elstree, we had to combine the U12 and U13B teams in order to have enough players on the field. The two sets of players quickly aligned so that they produced a series of impressive displays, each time improving tackling running hard and winning turn-over ball. The highlight of the truncated season was surely the win against a very strong, fast and well-drilled Ludgrove team, who had themselves been undefeated all season up to that point.

Well done everyone who played in the undefeated season!

AJB

Played 6 Won 1

Drawn 0 Lost 5

If you were to look at the playing record for the season, you could be inclined to believe the season was not a successful one. But results should not be viewed on their own. The commitment that everyone, who played for the team, gave was exemplary and one which they should be proud of. The team played some very good teams and although they may have found themselves a few tries down they never gave up and always tried to put into practice what they had learnt during games sessions. The more physical aspect of Under 11 rugby was one the vast majority of the team enjoyed and an area of their play that clearly improved during the season. Tackling has also improved but could still be worked on. Several of the team commented how much they had enjoyed their rugby this season and I hope they will continue to do so in future years. My thanks to all those who played for the team and to those who supported from the touchline. PNS

Played 8 Won 3

Drawn 2 Lost 3

This has been a season where progress and enjoyment have been the main focuses. The players all developed their skills across the rugby spectrum and all improved. It was clear that handling skills were the best part of this team, especially when the weather only allowed non-contact rugby. The matches were often close-run contests against suitably matched opponents.

There were some good speedsters in the team and break-away tries were their forte. A few players were keen tacklers from the start and one or two eventually joined them in the contact area. The highlight was definitely the ‘touch’ matches against Papplewick, where every player came off the pitch with rosy cheeks and broad smiles, due to two victories. Well done to all those Year 6s that played.

TDW

Played 5 Won 1

Drawn 1 Lost 3

The U10As have enjoyed a good season of rugby with lots of progress from start to finish. Frustratingly we lost about 5 games to the weather but managed to continue to work at our skills in this time and play lots of touch rugby. Despite playing some tough teams, we kept on battling and working hard to keep the ball and make tackles which is commendable. However, as a group the players definitely need to continue to work on their tackling and rucking techniques and build confidence in these areas. The highlights were a very exciting draw against Crosfields and a high scoring win against Cothill. Also, a very enjoyable tournament at Cothill where we played some schools from different circuits which is always nice. Well done to all who played.

Played 7 Won 2

Drawn 0 Lost 5

I always think the Lent Term is a tough one to convince those children who are perhaps not naturally inclined to rugby, to learn to tackle and ruck on a cold and muddy January afternoon! However, the U10Bs approached the task with great commitment, if not exactly relish! Over the course of the term, we saw some great running from Johnny Wu, Wilfred Ward and Ethan Thiemert, huge courage and determination from George Zhao, super support play from Rupert Chisholm and Ralph Weatherill and some determined attacking play from Harry Lockwood. George “The Missile” Mills and Quinty Xia, came on leaps and bounds, as did Ferdy Dugdale. However, the Player of the Season must go to Hayato Chiba who was quite simply outstanding! Well done everyone for all your hard work this term.

IDH

Played 5 Won 4

Drawn 0 Lost 1

The U9A Team had a thoroughly enjoyable season with some truly memorable matches against some strong opposition. Brilliant victories over Crosfields, St Andrew’s and Thorngrove paid tribute to how well the boys played as a team and how much they improved over the course of the season. We tried hard to develop a passing style of rugby that, coupled with strong tackling, would make the game fun to play. We had some tough days along the way too, notably in a battling defeat to Ludgrove. The boys had brilliant fun in the Brockhurst tournament, winning all their games, and really started to understand the importance of tackling low and binding their arms around the opposition player. I will look back at the season fondly and thank all of them for their good humour and hard work throughout the term. JCM

Played 7 Won 7

Drawn 0 Lost 0

The U9Bs had an incredibly successful and rewarding season. The boys played all their games with bravery and showed a great competitive spirit and a willingness to never give up. These efforts rewarded the team with an unbeaten season winning all seven games. From the beginning of the season we knew that the boys had tremendous talent when running with the ball. They showed great speed, power and agility. It was the tackling and passing which we as a team worked on. I can confidently say that all the boys’ technique and bravery when tackling progressed vast amounts. The boys were often completing their six tackle turnovers near the end of the season. The boys’ understanding and awareness of the game also improved, and it allowed the boys to look for the right pass before contact. This enabled all members of the team to score tries and grow in confidence. It was a real pleasure to coach this team and they certainly do have a very bright rugby future ahead of them.

JRD

Tag Rugby U8A

This has been a very encouraging season of tag rugby for the U8A team with quite a few players knocking on the door of A team selection on a frequent basis. The improvement has been massive from the start of the season to the end and they have been a very enjoyable group to coach. Having worked hard on our passing, tagging and defensive structure in training the boys have developed their skills to become useful young rugby players.

With a Home and Away fixture against Crosfields we had two great really close games winning one and losing one with some great play. We managed to play Thorngrove on Astro due to the frozen ground and again played really well in a close game. Defensively, the team made visible progress against St Andrew’s where we achieved turnovers at least 5 or 6 times which was great to see. Finally on a very wet day at Brockhurst we enjoyed their tournament and played lots of short games with a mixture of wins, draws and losses but had lots of fun! Well done to all who played.

BJC

We drew against Crosfields (11-11, at home) with an exciting exchange of tries. Whilst Harry “rocket” Mills scored many of our tries with his strong running, Hubery Yang was very much the new kid on the block, scoring about 50% of the time he received the ball. He has developed the ability to snake his way through the gaps and at great speed. We drew most of our matches at the Brockhurst festival, towards the end of February, which was a well-organised and fun event despite some torrential rain right at the beginning of proceedings. Wilfred Shanks is a player with much potential and arguably one of our best taggers. Tagging is an element of the game of equal importance as scoring tries. Theo Turford played some outstanding matches with the B Team before being “signed-up” by the A Team. Alex Fowler joined us for the St Andrew’s match in March (away) and demonstrated that he could outrun most of the opposition. Hugo KayserBooth already runs and passes like a pro and was an extremely valuable member of the team. The ever-reliable Percy Norris scored a couple of cracking tries. Finn Barran is on fire some of the time, Laurie Weatherill is perhaps the most-improved player of the squad, whilst Oliver Cross gave us not only solid performances but helped maintain the team spirit with his keen sense of humour.

CMS

Netball Seniors U13/12

The Oratory and Hall Grove B on the way. The girls were very proud to come home with gold medals. Our season came to an end with tough afternoons at Eagle House and Aldro, but the most memorable win was against Hall Grove A team. The girls had the luxury of playing on an indoor court and came back from being 5-1 down, to win the match 11-9. The grit, determination and teamwork that the girls demonstrated on court was superb and showed how much they have improved throughout the term. Well done, girls!

KJS

Played 10 Won 5 Drawn 2 Lost 3

The U12 and U13 girls have enjoyed a very successful term of netball. They began the season with a convincing win over Lambrook. For some, it was their first ever netball match, and it was great to see the more experienced girls settling into their positions and roles within the team. A very enjoyable afternoon was then had at Thorngrove, where the girls played in a round-robin competition with three Thorngrove teams and Leighton Park. The girls gained a lot of experience from this, as the huge amount of court time that they had, meant that most girls were able to gain experience playing in different positions. We came away from the afternoon with three wins and a very narrow loss to Thorngrove As. A frustrating couple of weeks followed, with a 1 goal loss to Cheam, and the cancellation of Thorngrove’s annual netball festival due to the cold weather. With many weeks of hard work and training sessions now under their belt, it was becoming apparent how much the girls were improving. Our defensive players were starting to work together as a unit and were beginning to communicate well, our shooters were hitting the target more often than not, and our midcourt players were moving and passing more accurately. The highlight of the season was winning the Hall Grove (B team) Netball tournament, beating St Georges Ascot,

Both the U11A and B netball teams have been a fantastic group of girls to coach this year. They were enthusiastic, punctual and determined to improve their game whilst also never giving up when finding themselves against a strong opposition. Playing the ‘High Five’ netball format has meant all the girls have had to hone their skills and become competent players in every position on the netball court. Our matches have been exciting and competitive, with a couple of close losses. Training has been fun and the girls have listened well, whilst also improving their passing and tactical play. Kweji Sameke and Eva Lockhart’s partnership, in our attacking third, will stay long in my memory. Arabella Pannell and Valentina Ridley-Day held our midcourt play together with superb leadership, tight marking and precise passes to the rest of the team. Dariya Maximova demonstrated dogged determination to never let an opposition out of her sight. The girls have been a delight to coach; a keen group of individuals whose confidence and skill, has grown throughout the season.

Played 5 Won 2

Drawn 1 Lost 2

The U10 girls have had a great netball season. The team consisted of Florence Allison, Alyssa Marianos, Lindi Zhang, Phoebe McEwen, and Isobel Clark. This five-member dynamite squad have gone up against many larger Year 5 teams. Due to their number, each member of this team has played the full length of every match with a smile on their faces. They began the season with a cracking win against Cheam. Their netball skills have come along well throughout the season. They worked on a number of key elements of their game including passing, marking, teamwork, and shooting. They won their matches against both Cheam and The Dragon School. They drew against Hall Grove and lost narrowly to Eagle House and St Helen and St Katharine. One key moment for this team was seen in their match against Cheam. Between them they threw about four textbook passes, effortlessly reaching the opposite end of the court. They ended this off with Florence and Alyssa working together to shoot a perfect goal. It was a full team effort. The girls were hospitable, confident and friendly when interacting with opposing teams. This team has done Elstree proud on all fronts.

RAB

The U9 girls have had a fantastic term of netball. They started off the season by playing a couple of friendly matches with Crosfields and Thorngrove to help develop their netball skills. They then had a more competitive match against The Dragon where they won 7-5. They then faced Cranford House where they won 10-2. Towards the end of the term the girls played Cheam, where they had a successful afternoon, winning their matches convincingly (14-4). The girls have had a great term and it has been wonderful to see how their confidence and skill out on the netball pitch have improved.

The U8 girls have had a brilliant term of netball. For some, this was their first experience of the game and netball is arguably one of the hardest sports to learn as a beginner. With positional restrictions on court, along with many different rules and regulations, the girls really had to work hard in the first couple of weeks in order to prepare for their first matches. They began the term playing 4-a-side matches across one third of the court. This format of the game enables girls to develop the basic skills of passing and catching, and also gives everybody a chance to practice shooting. Their first fixture was a fun and friendly afternoon against Thorngrove. The focus was on teamwork, skill development and gaining experience of match play. They then had a more competitive fixture against The Dragon where they played against much taller U9 girls. The girls didn’t let this affect their game and they played with confidence and enthusiasm. Towards the end of the term, the girls moved on to playing 5-a-side games. For these matches the girls played in specific netball positions and rotated positions every quarter. This enabled all girls to gain experience playing as an attacking player, a defensive player and a mid-court player. The girls ended the season with two competitive fixtures against Cranford House and Cheam, coming away with several wins and a couple of losses. I have been so impressed with how much work and effort the girls have put into their training sessions and matches, and it has been lovely to see some of the girls being able to demonstrate their skills in match situations. Well done!

KJS

ELB

Boys’ Hockey U13A

Played 3 Won 3

Drawn 0 Lost 0

The 1st VII have enjoyed a record-breaking season this term. As well as winning all three of the ‘normal’ school fixtures, we also managed to win the Berkshire School tournament for the first time in our history and followed that by winning the Plate at the South Regional Qualifier too.

Our season started with a hugely impressive 2-1 over Eagle House, a very strong hockey school. The early signs were there that our most valuable asset as a team was going to be our work rate. We were often able to win the ball back high up the pitch thanks to the tireless efforts of Hamish Fawcett up front. St Andrew’s were put to the sword in clinical fashion after our tournament win and the season culminated with a professional, mature performance against Lambrook. We won the game 4-2 but what impressed me most was the boys’ ability to manage the game well having scored a flurry of first half goals.

Most importantly, the season has been a huge amount of fun. Led brilliantly well by Laurence Moore, the team enjoyed one another’s company and success throughout; a real trait of successful sporting teams. Thank you all for your effort and to the parents for some fantastic support on the touchlines.

Played 4 Won 2

Drawn 0 Lost 2

The 2nd team played some excellent hockey this season, which was a joy to watch. Having developed their stick skills, passing and gameplay during Monday afternoon training sessions, the team made great progress and worked well together as a group.

The first match against Eagle House was a tough test against a strong side. However, the team put in a commendable performance and showed lots of determination. We then enjoyed some good victories against St Andrew’s and Crosfields and finished with a stern test against Lambrook. The team was solid in defence with Oliver Irvine and Tom Shaw who both distributed the ball well from the back. Jacob Gearing has really come on and did a great job in goal pulling off some important saves. Captain Alfie Hamilton-Shaw demonstrated great skill and energy as centre midfield creating lots of attacking opportunities for others. Harry Anderson, Monty Robinson, and Harry Clothier linked up brilliantly as the attacking formation and scored some classic goals. Well done!

BJC

JCM

Played 5 Won 5

Drawn 0 Lost 0

The 3rd Team Hockey had an excellent season, winning all their matches. The standard of hockey was significantly higher than in previous years and the boys played with an effort and level of skill which resulted in most matches being mismatched with their opponents. Special mentions to the captain, Oscar Pritchard who roamed the Astros of West Berkshire with power and control in central midfield. Koichi Sakamoto scored in the tens of goals and he felt a little too good for this standard, regularly skipping past opponents or dribbling with total control. A pleasure to coach and a rather good side. LJO

Played 4 Won 2

Drawn 1 Lost 1

In practice, we always mixed with the 3rd VII and were looking for low body positions, a swift transfer of the ball, good movement off the ball and playing the ball into areas that would pressurise the defence. Max Venning and Seb Francis were always dependable and solid in goal, we had great tackling from Justin Jian, Gabriel Islam, Guillermo Curto and Nicky Xu, who always tried to find the next player who was in space. Hugo Cropper and Harry Goodbourn did particularly well in developing the play and finding the free players, looking for the stick or open space for the runner. Joshua Sameke battled very hard up and down the pitch, scuttling and annoying the opposition and working so hard to win it back for Elstree. Harry Goodbourn, Caspar Williams and Toby Walker became better hockey players, not just because they were in attack and scored some goals, but because they began to think about where they needed to run for a better position in order to receive the ball and move it on to another player; they had to rely on their own intelligence and create opportunities for others – neither are easy, but their movement was impressive. Well done 4ths and a great finish to beat Lambrook 2-0 in the last match.

U13E & F & G

U11A, B & C

The fifth team have enjoyed a very successful season of hockey this year. All of the players have trained really hard on Monday afternoons since September, improving their skills and understanding of the game.

What is really good to see is the improvement throughout this time, which translated into some excellent performances against Eagle house, Crosfields and Lambrook. Games were very exciting but especially the final match against Lambrook which saw a hat trick of goals from Justin Jian and some brilliant defending from the team to secure a 3-2 victory to end the season on a high. Well done to all the players and I hope they all continue to enjoy hockey especially at their next schools.

BJC

This has been a season full of progress, culminating in a greater understanding of the game. Skills were built upon from last year, with an emphasis placed on individual skills within a team setting. Weekly practices became more and more competitive and laid good foundations for the season ahead. The A team reached the semi-finals of the Berkshire region in 2 Hockey tournament. The Bs and Cs had hard fought matches against St Andrew’s and Crosfields, too. A particular well done to the brave souls who volunteered to play in goal. Next season as they integrate with the Year 8s I expect that some will definitely feature in Game One. Well done one and all.

TDW

Played 3 Won 2

Drawn 0 Lost 1

The U10A Hockey team played in one hockey tournament and three hockey matches this season. A highlight of the term was the hard-fought battle against a very experienced Lambrook side. Our skipper, Inigo Barker (along with Henry Britton, Jack Sanford, Jasper Vere Nicoll and Ollie Cook) formed a powerful attacking midfield; Ethan Thiemert made some incredible saves throughout. It was a very exciting final game to end the season on. All was even until the last 5 minutes of the match when our striker, Cook, slammed two balls into the back of the net. The backs (James Fane and Sam Norris) were heroic in their defence of the Elstree half.

Over the season, the boys have demonstrated true grit and determination to improve their game, whilst also adapting well to playing in every position on the pitch. They have come together as a team; I am sure they will do very well in the future.

Played 3 Won 1

Drawn 2 Lost 0

The hockey season has whizzed by in a flash, and we’ve had terrific fun in the U10Bs! The boys really played as a team and supported each other brilliantly on the pitch. Hayato Chiba has been superb in goal and pulled off some incredible saves despite not being able to see very much through his ill-fitting helmet! George Mills and Ferdy Dugdale have been obdurate in defence and are particularly good at timing their tackles and then clearing the ball away from out ‘D’. Tristan Anderson Wheeler and Wilfred Ward have also played superbly, demonstrating a potent combination of pace, skill and determination which has left many an opposition player reeling. Most really successful teams will have a strong ‘spine’ and my goodness do the Bs have a good one in Thomas Bevan and Charlie Utley! Thomas has great skills and vision, and Charlie, wow, he really is a proper hockey player! Charlie has scored a hat full of goals for us this term, and with his supreme skills and killer instinct in the ‘D’, he is definitely my pick for player of the season! Well done, everyone, terrific stuff. IDH

House Cross Country

After a couple of weeks of biting Arctic conditions, the weather relented and the temperature rose to a much more pleasant 8 degrees, just in time for Elstree’s annual house cross-country competition. All pupils run in this event and every pupil’s score counts to the final mix although the winning house isn’t declared until the following assembly. Individually, Oliver Irvine (North), our captain of crosscountry, won the senior event with a very commanding run. Hamish Fawcett (North) was second and Wilf Foulds (North) in third position. Tristan Anderson Wheeler (East) won the intermediate race, way ahead of anybody else. Leonardo Raphael (East) was second and James Fane (South) third. The juniors’ race was won by William “Deadly” Hedley (North) with Akinniran Akinola (North) in second place and George Blakelock (West) in third place. The fact that William Hedley was only five seconds off the school record and in such muddy conditions speaks volumes for his sporting prowess. Special mention must be made of the following girls who made it into the top 10 in their respective age categories: Sophie Singh (West) 9th, Honour Yarrow (South) 8th, Aggie Foulds (North) 6th and Bella Tryon (East) 6th.

This year’s race was typified by good sportsmanship, good efforts all-round and, as one teacher put it, everyone coming over the finish line with a smile on their face. What more could you ask for? As is the custom at Elstree, slower runners are given lots of encouragement by their fellow teammates and are then given a cheery greeting or even a hug as they reach the finish line.

Juniors:

1st William Hedley (North)

2nd Akinniran Akinola (North)

3rd George Blakelock (West)

Intermediates:

1st Tristan Anderson Wheeler (East)

2nd Leonardo Raphael (East)

3rd James Fane (South)

Seniors:

1st Oliver Irvine (North)

2nd Hamish Fawcett (North)

3rd Wilf Foulds (North)

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Tennis Seniors

The Elstree Senior Tennis Team have had plenty of match practice throughout the term, playing in eight tennis matches and five school tennis tournaments. Bates has been a constant hive of activity over the last two months. The tennis team have shown a great depth of talent, and a squad of over 25 pupils battled it out for a place in the top eight slots each week.

This has meant that twenty of our finest players have been selected in at least one tennis match during the term.

I have been particularly proud of their fantastic team spirit. It has been rewarding to see the pupils improve steadily over the weeks and turn into confident tennis players.

The team’s collective mental strength was tested against Ludgrove and then again, against Cothill. They should all be proud of the way they have played this term; they are to be congratulated on their sportsmanship. CLP

Juniors

This year, we have been in the fortunate position of having a large squad of eager players from which to pick the weekly U11 team for Junior tennis matches. Our match squad has been led very well each week by Sophie Payne. We have played 8 matches in total - Cranford House School (14-2), Summer Fields (35-31), Crosfields (6-3), Thorngrove (3-2), St Andrew’s (10-2), Oratory Prep (1-0) and Cothill (8-1) winning 7 matches and losing only 1, narrowly to Ludgrove (6-10). Our U10 team has debuted on court in our final match against Cothill where they unfortunately lost (4-5) but gained valuable match experience for next year. We have tended to play doubles matches and have emphasised the need to support your partner and look past a losing point, ahead to the next play. I have been impressed by how well the children host the opposition, display sportsmanship on the court and conduct themselves well as ambassadors for Elstree.

A very successful season! EG

Athletics

The wet start to the summer term meant a number of athletics sessions were lost but this did not dampen the enthusiasm the children showed in those sessions that did go ahead. Unfortunately, the annual meeting at Caldicott fell victim to the poor weather. Later in the term a large team, some of whom were representing the school for the first time, attended the Radley School meeting. The revised format for the meeting was not ideal but everyone gave their all and achieved some personal bests. We again attended the West Surrey Area Championships in Guildford, which were held on a very hot day. Some fine performances were given by all of the team, but Mofe Adeyinka and Joshua Singleton deserve special mention as they both qualified in the 100m to take part in the National Prep School Athletic Championships in Nuneaton.

At the championships Mofe and Joshua both qualified for the 100m final and finished 4th & 6th respectively. A fantastic performance by them both, which they should be very proud of. Sports Day was a great success with Years 3 & 4 holding their own event on the Friday, during which they ran their first Inter House Relay. The scores from their sports day and relay were carried over to the Years 5 to 8 Sports Day on the Saturday. West won the tug-of-war but North came out as overall winners. All Sports Day medallists, Victor Ludorum winners, second and third place winners and their performances, can be seen later in Salvo.

Swimming

At the beginning of the Summer Term, I was chosen as the Captain of Swimming, which was tremendous to hear. The Elstree Swimming team has had a very successful season. Although being beaten by both Horris Hill and St. Andrew’s during the past few years, this season we have had two amazing wins against both schools. All Elstree swimmers have had high spirits throughout the season and always support and cheer each other on during competitions. As the term went on, I could see a massive improvement in all the boys’ and girls’ swimming. It was great to see the dedication people were putting in and the number of volunteers to fill in for races if someone was sick. I am grateful to everyone who joined this year.

Clara Schmidt

“As my time at Elstree slowly runs out, I can say I have enjoyed taking part in the swimming team and the galas that have come with it.”

Oscar Hargreave, Year 8

“I loved taking part in the swim squad, I really enjoyed it and am really happy about winning both galas against St. Andrew’s and Horris Hill.”

Kate Oliver, Year 7

“I love being in the swim squad each year. I enjoy going to galas and cheering on my friends.”

Arabella Pannell, Year 6

“Being in the swimming team is so much fun. We get to swim against other schools with the support of our teammates.”

Charles Chen, Year 6

“I have always loved swimming, but ever since I came to Elstree my love for it has grown even more. It is my favourite boarding activity.”

Lindy Zhang, Year 5

“I very much like swimming and the idea of winning a race because I enjoy competitions. It keeps you in great shape and you build stamina.”

Freddie Carlbom, Year 7

“The swimming at Elstree is very competitive, there is good coaching, and we have great swimmers at the school.”

Lachie McGeoch, Year 7

Riding

The Elstree School showjumping team has had a terrific year!

In May, Felicita Burnett, Phoebe McEwen and Gaby Caloia competed as a team at the NSEA Qualifier at Rectory Farm, Cirencester and qualified for Hickstead with a brilliant 6th in the team 40cm competition.

Gaby went on to complete a very speedy round in the 50cm class and come a close 2nd – only 0.12 seconds off the winner. This meant that Gaby also secured qualification to Hickstead as an individual rider! Felicita completed a beautiful clear round in the 50cm, but unfortunately missed going through the start and was sadly eliminated – which was a tough lesson learnt.

Gaby and Felicita competed in a very competitive 60cm class. This meant riding in the main arena against some much older children and over 60 competitors. Sadly, both picked up 4 faults, but rode their ponies brilliantly and learnt a lot from the experience.

Phoebe, Gaby and Felicita support each other brilliantly and they are always smiling – celebrating in successes and cheering each other on when things don’t go so well. New riders of any standard are always welcome to join in the fun of the Elstree School showjumping team.

We wish the team well at Hickstead on August 23rd and can’t wait to hear how they get on!

Golf

On Sunday May 21st 2023 we had 4 boys representing Elstree in the Prep Schools’ Golf tournament at Bradfield College Golf Club. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the course was in excellent condition, although the rough was very long and boys were advised beforehand to keep out of it as much as possible. There were 5 schools taking part this year, Bishopsgate, St. Andrew’s, Pinewood, Thorngrove and Elstree. We entered two U13 teams, consisting of Arthur Ward, our captain of Golf, Hamish Fawcett, Harry Hinge and Lachlan McGeoch.

Our boys played incredibly well against some very tough opposition. Their driving, pitching and putting skills were hugely impressive and I really hope all these boys will continue with their Golf in the future as they are all talented golfers for their age. Not only that, but all four Elstree boys were excellent company and very good ambassadors for the school. I was very proud of the way they conducted themselves both on and off the course.

The standard of play from all the those playing was particularly high and the boys from Bishopsgate School were the overall winners of the tournament this year. Hamish Fawcett however, took second place in the Longest Drive with his first ball of the match, and he also secured the Nearest the Pin trophy with a drive that landed less than a metre from the hole!

I would like to thank Bradfield College for hosting such a fun competition and for providing everyone with a delicious tea afterwards. I would also like to say thank you to the Elstree parents who very kindly supported the team and helped to score - and caddied for their sons too!

CMK

Cricket 1st XI

Played 8 Won 7

Drawn 0 Lost 1

The 1st XI enjoyed an unforgettable season this term and I want to start by thanking them all for their hard work, good humour and dedication to their school from start to finish. ‘You always get your money’s worth on Pavilion’ and this was to be the case during the very first game - a crushing win over local rivals St Andrew’s. Another comfortable victory over Papplewick followed and the signs were already there that this team had the potential to be brutal with bat in hand. An excellent, battling performance against Farleigh saw us sneak home by 6 runs having been dead and buried halfway through our batting innings. Our only taste of defeat of the season came in our next game against Summer Fields. We were not at our best and they

bowled extremely tightly to earn a deserved win. We then went on a run of four impressive wins against Cothill, Horris Hill, Pilgrims and Crosfields during which we found a very effective formula of winning the toss, choosing to bat, smashing it everywhere and then bowling tightly; not a bad recipe for success on a cricket pitch really!

The season finished with the annual Berkshire Bash, this year hosted at Elstree and a great way for the boys to end a fantastic season. The boys themselves should be proud of their achievements but also, and more importantly, what brilliant company they have been to Mr Champkin and myself.

I would like to thank Alexander Hoare Nairne and Hamish Fawcett for their leadership. I wish all the boys the very best of luck with their cricket in the future. Please do keep us updated as to how you are getting on.

JCM

Played 7 Won 5

Drawn 0 Lost 2

This has been a thoroughly enjoyable and successful season for this group of players. They all bought into the themes of collaboration and support. Each player looked to enhance their skills and support others to achieve overall success. Through the team: Harry Anderson, Leo La Corte and Harry Hinge led the batting unit from the front, with 100 partnerships and fifties on two occasions. Then came the all-rounders: Monty Robinson, Toby Walker, Jacob Gearing and Hector Crosthwaite, chipping in with useful runs, but also being key contributors with the ball, taking wickets at crucial times. Tom Shaw was a reliable Keeper who grew confidently into his new role, taking some ‘proper’ catches behind the stumps. The main bowling group of Kitty Butler, George Johnstone and Sophie Payne could be relied upon to collect the majority of the wickets and all returned match winning figures at times through the season. However, all of this needed juggling, encouraging, leading and congratulating and Max Venning, as Captain, was at the forefront of this. He led from the front as an opening batter, but always put the Team’s success ahead of his own. The results thus followed with wins against Papplewick, Cothill, Horris Hill, Pilgrims and Crosfields and they all played their part in achieving such success. Well done one and all and good luck to those moving on.

TDW

Played 8 Won 7

Drawn 0 Lost 1

This has been a productive and successful season for this squad of players, and they have played well as a team and harboured a real collective spirit. Thankfully we managed a nearly full set of fixtures, and it was clear that both the bowling and batting units were well stocked. It is a luxury to have a team which bats down to 11, just trying to get them all a bat is the hard part! A decent start against St Andrew’s winning by 38 runs, laid a good foundation and it highlighted how strong a bowling side Elstree were. The Ludgrove game was a close-run match with many players regretting their mistakes which ultimately led to the loss and ended the 15-game winning streak for the 3rd XI which spanned three years! The game against Summer Fields was a real highpoint as they were a very strong team, to win with four and a half overs to spare showed the team’s ability to learn from mistakes and develop their skills.

There were strong batting performances littered across the season, James Morris-Weston with a 35* and Caspar Williams with a 39* against Papplewick, Seb Black’s vital 25 against Cothill, Lachie McGeoch’ s 37* against Pilgrims and finally a great 50* for Caspar Williams against Crosfield’s. The bowling has been top notch all season most noticeably in the Cothill game protecting a total of 78 to bowl them all out for 68. It was a wonderful display of attack bowling and superb team spirit.

Those that were there were treated to a special game, even the daredevil air display going on above the pitch couldn’t take the players’ and spectators’ eyes from a thrilling game! Koichi Sakamoto took a total of 13 wickets over the season easily the pick of a wonderful bowling unit and quite a vital player for the 3rd XI. Our superb captain, Arthur Ward, has led his team well and in his last game for Elstree took 2 wickets for just 5 runs, a lovely spectacle. Well done to all those who made this a thoroughly enjoyable season, full of great cricket, good camaraderie, and a lot of laughs.

FAW

What an enjoyable season – we should cherish every moment of being outside together and playing social team sport again. The weather was poor at the start of term and so we missed three games then and sadly a school was unable to fulfil a 4th team fixture, so we missed another game.

The squad:

Leaders: Derek Lee (captain), Sebastian Francis (vice captain/ wicketkeeper) – both wonderful leaders who use both brain and heart in equal measure to talk and to listen and to respond. They wanted to do well but they also cared about the team and the match as a learning environment. How did we challenge ourselves today? What did we do to improve ourselves? How did we help players on the other team?

Anyone who says nothing is happening in cricket has missed the gladiatorial battle that takes place every ball when one sole combatant (batter) faces the marauding talent (bowler) at the end of his run-up.

Year 8 players:

Joshua Sameke, Justin Jian, Guillermo and Daniel Curto, Pedro Rivera – keen and able learners anxious to improve their skills, many of them trying to overcome the baffling complexities of bowling straight and hitting the ball. As they will say, it looks easy but it isn’t and it’s painful because if you make a mistake on the first ball, you are out of the game!

Next leaders or next players:

Harry Goodbourn, Freddie Carlbom, Seb Fowler, Jules Foxon, Alan Song, Harry Haskell Horsey, Clement Chow. Well done to my leading run-maker this year, Freddie, and my two leading wicket-takers, Alan and Jules. Also, to Seb who scored his first 50 and hit a cover drive at Crosfields like Zak Crawley. To the best catch of the year, Harry Goodbourn (who will score loads of runs soon!) and my two who came up in the last matches, Harry Haskell Horsey (3 wickets) and Clement Chow (a good catch), who should make big contributions next year.

But, who amongst them has the wherewithal to follow this year’s leaders – the brain and the heart to manage this great game?

Will anyone ever direct an opener to ‘reverse paddle’ the keeper on the first ball of the game or declare 5 overs early in a T20? I watched a boy in the 3rd XI this year finish the game with a reverse sweep through point (it’s a position!) – cheeky for sure but also technically correct and lacking fear to carry out an audacious finish.

Wouldn’t sport be great if we all played like that and did not mind the result. Watch out for ‘Elsball’ next year in Game 2?

JRB

5th XI

Isla Sanford captained the 5th Team superbly this season. She was enthusiastic, supportive and excellent at asking the fielders to walk in. Our top batsmen/women were Mila Tryon, Kate Oliver and Ethan Lockhart. Harry Haskell Horsey produced a stunning four wickets off four overs against Summer Fields and was our most improved bowler. He became our go to man in matches alongside Tom Utley who managed a few maiden wicket overs. Edison Brown and Nicky Xu also supported the bowling admirably all season. Tilly Lloyd, Clara Schmidt and Clement Chow were our stable fielders taking some great catches over the course of the season. We owe Ethan Lockhart a great thank you for being such an inspirational wicket-keeper. AWP

Played 8 Won 2

Drawn 0 Lost 6

The Under 11A cricket team enjoyed a season of significant improvement and progression. Captained by Jack Hedley, the children found the opening games of the season tricky with some challenging totals to defend during April’s windy and chilly afternoons. As the sun appeared so too did Elstree’s form with victories against Horris Hill and Pilgrims. Special mentions to Leonardo Raphael and Oliver Duffield for their 50s with the bat throughout the season and to Joshua Singleton who was the leading wicket taker for the summer. The children enjoyed an exciting tournament at Sherborne school and I thank them for their good efforts throughout the season. LJO

Played 9 Won 2

Drawn 0 Lost 7

Data doesn’t always tell the whole story, and surely it can’t. The team had some tough games along with some very narrow but disappointing losses, but it also saw some lovely achievements and hard-fought wins. A ‘win’ doesn’t tell a story any more than a defeat. And with that, losing seven of nine doesn’t feel right for a team who had a great time working on all aspects of their game and sharing some really special moments. The cold day at St Andrew’s feels a distant memory, and the losses against Papplewick, Farleigh, Summer Fields and Cothill gave us inspiration for improvement, but we fared best in the other matches – a tense loss against Ludgrove by 14 runs, a run-romp over Horris Hill, a 9-wicket win over Pilgrims, a drop fest loss against Crosfield – where we felt the margin to be favourable. Those ones are always the most memorable. Well done to the captains Bobby Blackwell, Henry Pritchard, Mide Sonuga, and Bella Tryon and to their excellent ability to set an aggressive field and steer a happy team spirit. They can tell the story of improvement, not least seen in one boy new to the sport who sported the longest run up and an ability to break a bail. As vice-captain on the final match, Hayato Chiba showed us what it looked like to want to win, and we celebrate our developments in the same way. A really happy term.

Played 7 Won 3

Drawn 0 Lost 4

The U11C team has had a cracking season. Each player has come on leaps and bounds in their own right. After an unfortunate loss against St Andrew’s, they bounced back to beat Ludgrove in style. During this match Flora Napier took two wickets, starting her season off with a bang! In their match against Farleigh, Willem Loader started the match off by smashing a six in his first over. Although we did not win this match, there was much improvement in the communication shown between the batters. Both Seira Hayashi and Willem Loader have alternated as the team’s wicket-keeper, rarely letting a ball get by. Hamish Ross showed a notable performance against Cothill House with many a boundary. During the same match, Alethea Whitall was on a roll. She took four wickets although not consecutively, it was a show of great bowling. High tens all around!

Both Ryan Wang and Jayden Pak have said that their match vs the Oratory Prep school was their favourite match. Ryan bowling all balls with a straight arm and Jayden taking his first wicket of the season! The team played Pilgrims’ School on Farmyard where Thomas Mitchell was very impressive, hitting many boundaries and placing the ball exactly where he needed to make some great runs. During the same match, Ana Ortiz De Urbina and Eva Lockhart shared an outstanding 30-run partnership in 3 overs. Both performances were rewarded with a tremendous win against this Pilgrim’s team.

We ended the season with a nail-biting win against Crosfields. Valentina Ridley-Day, although showing many excellent performances throughout the season, managed to take a crucial wicket in the last over, ultimately winning us the match! In the end, this fantastic young team won 3 of their 8 matches showing huge progress throughout the season. Whether it be improving their fielding, bowling, batting, communication on and off the field, or wicketkeeping, they have given it their all. They were a pleasure to coach. RB

Played 9 Won 3

Drawn 0 Lost 6

We have had such an enjoyable season in the U10As, and the children have been great company! Although we started off with a win against a weak St. Andrew’s side, it was clear there were a lot of the basics that the children would need reminding off. And so, over the next couple of weeks, we spent lots of time working on running between the wickets, learning to catch and all the different field positions; as well as dodging some pretty torrential rain showers! In fact, three of our matches in the first half of term were lost to the weather. Not ideal! However, there was also a gradual, yet noticeable improvement in the way the children were playing, which was great to see. Charlie Utley and Wilfred Ward have been the pick of the bowlers (though very different in character!) and they have been ably supported by James Fane, Sam Norris and Henry Britton. Jack Sanford has excelled with the bat and Oliver Cook and Jasper Vere Nicoll have also chipped in with important runs at different times this season. Ethan Thiemert, Thomas Bevan and Inigo Barker have all had their moments in the limelight, and who could forget Ferdy Dugdale’s magnificent innings, coming in at number 11 against Crosfields!? A super effort in the face of some exceptionally good bowling! Well done everyone and thank you for all the fun we have had. A memorable season, for sure!

IDH

Played 8 Won 4

Drawn 1 Lost 3

At the start of the season, I said to the team that it didn’t matter if we won, lost or drew, the aim was to have fun, improve and be great ambassadors for Elstree: we did them all!!

With Ferdie Dugdale, Florence Allison and George Zhao ably leading the team as captains and vice-captains from the front, all those who played for the Bs developed their skills during training and applied these in the matches, being able to do so in both hard-ball and incredi-ball matches.

Highlights included being able to get everyone in both the Bs and Cs at least one game for the B’s, all regular B players taking at least one wicket, all scoring runs, and starting to score regular “4s” by the end of the season. Finally, who can forget the 14-a-side game against the Oratory!!

Well done, everyone.

AJB

Played 7 Won 5

Drawn 1 Lost 1

The Under 9As had a incredibly fun and rewarding season. The boys grew from strength to strength in every match and their performances were fantastic. They showed great teamwork as well as a healthy competitive spirit. Everyone improved in some way. Whether it was the understanding of the game, shot selection and batting or bowling. The boys won almost every match which shows how strong they have been as a team. However, they were gracious in their one defeat and they learnt a lot from that loss. A couple of big highlights was of course the match against Summer Fields where Charlie Pannell and Reuben Ruddick needed 12 runs off the last over and with the last ball of the over they managed to win the game with two sixes being scored in the over. Another particular highlight was the last game of the season. The boys have been trying to reach a total of 100 runs and in the last game they achieved this. It has been a real pleasure to coach this great team and I am incredibly proud of all the boys.

JRD

Played 7 Won 3

Drawn 1 Lost 3

A season of learning and development for the U9B team this term. With a mix of keen cricketers and some who had never played the game at the start of the term it was great to see everyone supporting each other in games sessions and matches. Starting the season with a good tie against Papplewick we then struggled to find our feet in our next few games resulting in two losses in following weeks to Ludgrove and Crosfields. Our fortunes changed after half term and I was pleased to see that everyone had clearly got into the spirit of cricket and been practising either their bowling, catching or batting skills during the holiday. These improvements were translated into our match performances and culminated in us taking three wins out of four from our games after half term. Overall, a fantastic season and incredible improvements made by all. Well done U9Bs. ELW

Played 4 Won 1

Drawn 2 Lost 1

The U9C team have had a fantastic season of cricket. They have all worked incredibly hard on improving their basic cricket skills, especially their bowling, and fielding. Despite a very wet start to the season, they were able to play four matches. The first match was a tough one versus Papplewick which we lost by 29 runs. The next two matches against Crosfields and Summer Fields were much more evenly matched, and both resulted in a draw. The final match was against the Oratory, which we won by 8 runs. Well done to the U9C Team! ELB

Played 3 Won 2

Drawn 0 Lost 1

This season, the U8s have enjoyed a successful season and made great progress in learning about the game and developing their skills whilst playing pairs cricket. We have focussed on the three main areas of batting, bowling and fielding in skill development as well as playing lots of games in training.

The children have improved their knowledge of the game specifically fielding positions, running between the wickets and calling for a run, backing up, and how to value their wicket. We have played tee ball so when a wide or no ball is bowled, the batter still gets the opportunity to hit a drive off the tee to develop their hitting. For some, the bowling action with a straight arm has taken a while to perfect and more practice is needed, but this is a tricky skill!

Matches have gone very well despite cancelling the St Andrew’s game due to the rain and The Oratory because of New Pupils’ Day. We enjoyed some exciting matches against Crosfields and Thorngrove and overall, it has been a productive season. All players have enjoyed their cricket and made strong improvements, so we are looking forward to seeing how they progress as they go up the school!

My thanks to Mr Doran and Mrs Sanford and to all the children. Well done!

BJC

Played 3 Won 2

Drawn 0 Lost 1

The U8Bs have had an amazing season and really enjoyed their cricket this year. We have worked hard on the three areas of the game and made lots of progress. Many players have shown great passion for the sport and a willingness to get better. We enjoyed some exciting matches and continued to improve and play consistent cricket each week. Winning our first match against Thorngrove, all players learnt the key aspects of batting in a partnership such as loud calling to prevent confusion while running between the wickets and backing up at the non-striker’s end. In a very close finish we won our second match against Crosfield’s. Having learnt more at training we played a very consistent game of cricket where all players took full advantage of tee-ball hits while batting and bowling well with a clear understanding of what accurate bowling looks like. Despite a disappointing loss in our final match against St Andrews it was very pleasing to see positivity and encouragement from all players towards each other while fielding. Although we had some cancelled matches it was still a fantastic season. Well done to all that played!

TC

The U8C team have enjoyed a successful season of cricket. As a team, they have worked hard to develop and improve their bowling accuracy. This has really paid off and the number of wides and no balls that were bowled decreased significantly as the term went on. As well as making great progress with their bowling, the team have also worked hard on their batting technique. In matches, we have played tee ball so that when a wide or no ball is bowled, the batters have still had the opportunity to hit a drive off the tee and develop their hitting. Although we only managed to complete 3 matches over the term, this competitive environment was a great experience for the team, and helped to improve their knowledge of fielding positions and other specific elements of the game such as running between the wickets, calling for a run and backing up. The team enjoyed convincing victories against Thorngrove and Crosfields, but unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side for the match against Pilgrims, with play having to be abandoned after the first innings. We came up against a tough Oratory team for our final match of the season where their power hitting got the better of us, losing in the final over. Well done on a great season!

KJS

Junior Sports Day

The Years 3 and 4 Sports Day was held ahead of the Senior School. Good competition and superb effort were in evidence with each competitor giving their all in every event and earning valuable points for their house. There were plenty of close races, with the spectators giving lots of vocal support.

We also had ‘a first’ this year which saw the children competing in their houses for the ‘Grand Inter-House Relay’. The results of which were carried over to Saturday’s relay race for the remainder of the school.

At the end of the afternoon North had a healthy lead which gave them a great start for the senior events on the following day.

Many congratulations to all competitors and especially the medal winners. Miles Gordon-Smith was the winner of the Junior Victor Ludorum with William Hedley and William Cropper joint second. PNS

Sports Day 2023

Headmaster’s Speech

“Dear Mr Inglis. Thank you so much for showing us round the school last Friday. The family orientation and pride taken in enabling each child to reach their best potential in a happy and inclusive environment were evident in everything we saw and heard. It is exactly the learning environment we seek for our daughter.

We loved the emphasis on being ambitious for the pupils but also on good manners, humility, and valuing the importance of hard work and giving things a go. We are in communication with Mrs Harrison with the hope that Lucy (name changed) can start in Nursery with Miss Thornburrow for four days per week so that she can be with you from start to finish before senior school.”

By contrast, an email from the parent of a boy who left two years ago:

“Dear Sid. It was wonderful to return to Elstree for the 175 day. It meant a huge amount to us – the fractured end we had due to Covid had bothered us and we wanted to say a proper goodbye to you and your wonderful team. As a family we feel hugely emotional about Elstree. It gave Fred (name changed) such a happy happy time, set him on a path to success and built up his confidence.”

Two emails received yesterday afternoon from parents at the start and finish of their Elstree journey, who took the time to write to express their appreciation of the great work that the team here at Elstree do. I believe it sums up what we are all about and they are the type of emails that one wants to pin up in the downstairs loo, or keep safe for that day when things aren’t going particularly well.

Ladies and gentlemen, Governors, guests, families, boys and girls. Welcome to our Sports Day 2023. In case you hadn’t realised, this is a special year – our 175th anniversary. In the Book of Genesis, Abraham is said to have lived to be 175 years old. Former Headmaster and Elstree legend Syd Hill was born on the school’s 100th birthday. His support for Elstree has been remarkable, as a well-respected former Headmaster, Governor for the past eight years, parent and now grandparent. At the end of this year, Syd will step down as a Governor and I thank him hugely for his support for me and Olivia, and also for Elstree in general. Thank you Syd.

Continuing on the 175 theme… 175 is the fire emergency number in Lebanon. The angel number 175 apparently has a durable nature and adjectives associated with the number 175 are: loyal, stable, diligent, consistent, trustworthy, organised, patient – all adjectives that we would want to be applied to Elstree.

It is a pleasure to stand here to celebrate and reflect not only on the school as it stands today, but also to embrace the best of the school’s past and look forward to a bright future. It is said that a great school is one that maintains its relevance and place in an ever-changing world, and Elstree should be no exception.

I think you will all be familiar with the term Baz-Ball, the new style of English cricket under the leadership of Brendon McMullen and the mercurial and talismanic Ben Stokes –stressing an ambitious, fearless approach, the emphasis on providing entertainment, expressing oneself freely without inhibition, living in the present, having self-belief, not being too results driven and playing with a smile on one’s face. Anyone would think that this was some Headmaster’s advice to his departing Year 8s. In the words of Brendon McCullen himself:

“Prepare like you’re going to live forever, but live like you’re going to die tomorrow.”

A real emphasis on making the most of opportunities and not being afraid to make mistakes. Again, he says:

“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

Whilst this approach did not pay dividends in the recent Edgbaston test, it is a mindset that we would all do well to embrace, particularly as our world continues to be complicated and challenging for everyone, young and old. So, some Baz-Ball words of advice: they are Rooted in sincerity, they address a Broad range of themes and I Warne you, you must listen to every word… otherwise you’ll be like Lambs to the slaughter. Try not to be Curtley with one another, Dhoni be too tough on yourselves, whether you’re Steyn or going, Heather it’s day or Heather Knight , don’t Boycott your lessons and behave with dignity and Grace

These are exciting times for Elstree and the school is in very good heart. As you may know, our school theme for this term has been ‘Celebrate’ and today gives us the opportunity to congratulate and celebrate our current group of outstanding Year 8s as they come to end of their time at Elstree. Some have been here since the Nursery – over 11 years ago – and others for a shorter time, but each and every one of them, in their own way, has made an impact on the happiness and the success of the school. They have always been known as a wonderfully harmonious year group, with boys and girls who are hard-working, kind to others and super company.

They are departing to 13 different senior schools with some outstanding Common Entrance results and ten scholarship successes in academics, creative arts, DT, sport and drama. Well done to all of you and I am hugely grateful to the staff for

their support of your endeavours and the excellent preparation that they have given you both in and out of the classroom.

Rarely a day goes past at Elstree when the calendar reads ‘no events today’ and we encourage the children to be busy, energised and enriched by what we have on offer. Highlights have included the Coronation Celebrations, a talk from an Amazonian chief, the175 colour run, book week, parents’ golf and tennis, Casino Royale Big Weekend, Year 7 camp out for the Elstree Award, judo successes at the IAPs championships, Under 11 footballers reaching the ISFA finals and playing at St. George’s Park, Year 5 & 6 artists winning the Canford Centenary Art Prize, informal concerts, rehearsals for the junior play, inter-house Maths and Science challenge and trips to Lulworth Cove, Henley and West Wales.

We often talk about ‘Team Elstree’ and I feel hugely privileged to work with such impressive and hard-working colleagues. We see many examples throughout the year of times when the staff team go over and above. The teaching staff have been outstanding this year and every day I marvel at their energy, dedication to the cause and their telling insight into how to make children tick. Likewise, the support staff – the Bursary team, the wonderful office ladies, and admissions and marketing team, the cleaners, grounds staff, maintenance guys, and catering staff. A heartfelt thank you to you all. Of course, a particular thank you today to Mr Smith for masterminding another magnificent Sports Day. I am blessed with the best Senior Deputy Head in the land, the indefatigable Simon Attwood. A special thank you too to Olivia for all her tremendous support.

At the end of this term, we say goodbye to Mr Pilkington who is taking up a headship post in September at Castle Court School in Dorset. During his seven years at Elstree, he has worked tirelessly to develop and improve our academic offering, our teaching and learning, and the all-important preparation for inspection. Achieving the best possible academic outcomes for the pupils has been his mission and our outstanding inspection report in November was thanks, in no small part, to his efforts. He has been an excellent Under 12 rugby coach, a dedicated form tutor, leader of the Headmaster’s Project, and an enthusiastic coach of the mighty Game 3 cricket and football teams. I know that Mrs Westley has really appreciated his involvement in the bass section of the Chapel Choir, even if occasionally he sounds as if he’s in the West Stand at Twickenham. I must also mention Mrs Pilkington who has been outstanding as a maternity cover Maths teacher, and an emergency TPR teacher. Thank you. I wish you both, and Annabelle and Alfie the very best of luck with your new adventure.

We also say goodbye to the magnificent Lara HamiltonShaw who has been a first-class teacher in the Pre-Prep for over ten years – so many children have been fortunate to have been taught by her and to have been prepared so well for life in the Prep School.

After 18 years at Elstree, Mrs Langford-Thomas has decided to retire from teaching. She is a wonderfully caring, dedicated, supportive person who always seems to be cheery, even on the darkest days. A brilliant Pre-Prep teacher and much-loved colleague, we wish her well in her retirement and are delighted that she is responding so well to her treatment.

Talking of inspection, a short story to illustrate the joys of being a teacher:

Gervase Phinn, writer, poet and one time school inspector, recalled a visit to a Yorkshire schoolroom where he came across a piece of writing in small scruffy print: he asked the little boy if he had had any help with it. The boy shook his head. Well, it was quite a small masterpiece he had written, and the words were as follows:

Yesterday, yesterday, yesterday: Sorrow, sorrow, sorrow. Today, today, today: Hope, hope, hope. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow: Love, love, love.

“What a wonderful little poem”, Gervase told the little boy. The boy thought for a while, looked him straight in the eye and said: “Those are my spelling corrections, sir.”

Many congratulations too to Miss Gluck, not only on the birth of the gorgeous Clara, but also securing a fantastic job at St. Nicolas’ School in Fleet where she will be nearer family and friends. Miss Gluck is very much a ‘yes of course I can do that’ type person, often volunteering to cover absent colleagues and support the school. As a Maths teacher, hockey coach, leader of the Elstree Award, and brilliantly dedicated Assistant Housemistress, she has been a terrific member of the staff team. Thank you Miss Gluck and good luck.

We have had a busy and successful year on the sporting front with our teams from all age groups winning plenty of their matches but also, and importantly, developing their sporting skills. My thanks go to all those staff, led by Mr Champkin and Mrs Sanford, who are involved in coaching, encouraging and supporting our boys and girls in teams throughout the year. I always enjoy hearing feedback from staff about matches and then retelling each moment to the children in assemblies. A stunning catch for the 5th XI or a headed goal for the Under 11 Bs is celebrated as much as an end to end try for the 1st XV.

The boarding house has been absolutely buzzing this term, with dorms full and boys and girls loving the long evenings. There is rarely a better sight than seeing boarders whizzing down the slippy slide, splashing around in the pool, perfecting their off breaks in the nets or enjoying an evening set of tennis. I want to pay tribute to Mr and Mrs Hepburn for their wonderful oversight of the boarding house for the past five years.

There is always a lovely atmosphere on Uppers, Lowers and Sandersons, and they have led Elstree boarding with extraordinary commitment, dedication and compassion. It is a hugely demanding role with late nights on the landings, early starts on the emails and a mass of organisation to oversee with Big Weekends, evening clubs, duty rotas, rallying the boarding team and completing compliance paperwork; much of this work is often unseen by others. They have given everything to the cause. I am hugely grateful to them and wish them, and of course Heidi and Molly, the very best of luck at Port Regis School in Dorset where Mr Hepburn is taking on the role of Deputy Head Pastoral. It has been a busy year for the music department. Musical highlights this year include our regular informal concerts, the evening choral concert in St. Peter’s, the Charlie Waller Bradfield Concert, and the Rainbow Trust Christmas Concert in St. Paul’s Knightsbridge. There is a refreshingly diverse range of instruments being played and an increasing number of bands and music groups being formed. I know that the boarders are looking forward to joining Mr Brown’s Boarders’ Band next term.

As you will be aware, with Miss Andrews on maternity leave, we have been trying to persuade Mrs Westley to keep returning to Elstree to support Mrs Punt with the music and in particular the choir. The 175 church service at St. Peter’s two weekends ago will linger long in the memory and we have been blessed to have Mrs Westley leading Elstree music for the past 13 years. She has an extraordinary ability to get the most out of each and every child. We will never forget her flailing arms, expertly leading the choir and orchestra, her remarkable attention to detail and high standards, and indeed her skill at persuading Mr Attwood to find time for just one more choir rehearsal.

One abiding memory of Mrs Westley will be as an internet sensation during lockdown with her spectacular on-line music lessons which went viral. Perhaps also, on my very first day at Elstree, when, in the middle of our staff fire safety training, her car burst into flames, providing us with a live object to practise on. Mrs Westley – thank you for the music.

I am delighted that pupils continue to make excellent use of the Art and DT departments, with some impressive projects being created. Importantly children of all abilities are able to explore their creative sides. Do take a moment to view the Art and DT work on display around the school and in the McMullen Hall. After three excellent years with us, Mr Duarte moves on to pastures new at Radnor House School in London.

DT has never been as popular as it is currently and this is thanks largely to Mr Duarte’s energy, enthusiasm and cheeky-chappy style. Talking of style, we will miss his natty shoes, slim fit shirts and garish jackets. He’s been a terrifically positive colleague and friend, as well as a caring form tutor and Assistant Housemaster. Rumour has it that his audition for Love Island has been rejected and so he has decided to set up a boy band called ‘The Concrete Stools’ or ‘The Wonky Clocks.’ Good luck and thank you Mr Duarte. Somehow, we manage to squeeze in three main drama performances each year, as well as plays in a day and Lamda showcases. Mr Schuman continues to astonish us with his creative genius and we are much looking forward to the performances of the junior play Back to the Blitz next week. My thanks and congratulations also go to Mrs Oliver for the excellent productions of Joseph and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They will both acknowledge that putting on performances of this kind is always a huge team effort and I am hugely grateful to all staff and parents who assist with our drama productions.

Finally, I want to thank the magnificent Friends of Elstree team who have worked so hard to organise some fantastic events that have bound the school community together. Leading the team has been the inexhaustible and dynamic Didi Walker who has given so much of time and energy to support the school. We can’t wait for the 175 ball in under two weeks which we know will be sprinkled with your magic dust.

Last Friday was both a sad and an exciting day in more ways than one. It was the day when I had the joy of seeing each of our Common Entrance candidates to give them the news of their success. Tuesday this week was also the day when we welcomed our new September intake for our new pupils’ day – boys and girls full of that brilliant combination of nerves and excitement. Children who have so many opportunities ahead of them but who will undoubtedly face the highs and lows of life that we all face. What I do hope is that the Elstree values will remain with them always. I hope that they will meet each and every challenge with commitment, humility and good grace and I hope that they will appreciate the value of family, the power of good friendship, the beauty of their surroundings and the good fortune of the opportunities presented to them.

These are Diamond times for them. Times to celebrate the sweet nature of the school. Celebrate the 175. We should kneel down and be thankful for everything we’ve got. For those good times… Hold on… Mrs Westley… I think we might have a song here…. Kneel. Diamond. Sweet. Good times that have never seemed so good… so good… so good…

Sweet 175

Elstree began, 1848 it started

The school is always growing strong

Whatever the term, Autumn, Lent or Summer

The children are having so much fun

Music and Sport, DT, Art and Drama

Make the days pass with such cheer

Hard-working staff

Who will always encourage

Make the school a special place

Grounds, beautiful grounds

Elstree School, touching me, touching you…

175 (da da da)

Elstree’s never seemed so good

(so good so good so good)

We love it so (so so so)

From our heads down to our toes

But now we…

Look back to the past. We’ve got a lot to be proud of Many successes to celebrate

You children are fab, full of fun and laughter

From our Nursery to Year 8

Let’s give thanks to the staff, and to you as parents

The Elstree family is so strong

We can learn from the past, look ahead to the future

Singing the same old happy song:

Grounds, beautiful grounds

Elstree School, touching me, touching you

175 (da da da)

Elstree’s never seemed so good

(so good so good so good)

We love it so (so so so)

From our heads down to our toes

Prizes galore. Silver cups. Book tokens

Well done Year 8s, a cracking crew

Boys and girls, with so much class and talent

Good luck to you in your new schools.

One more time…

Grounds, beautiful grounds

Elstree School, touching me, touching you

175 (da da da)

Elstree’s never seemed so good

(so good so good so good)

We love it so (so so so)

From our heads down to our toes

We love our school.

Thank you all – parents, grandparents and friends for the support you give to your children and the school. I hope you have had a wonderful day. I now invite Victoria Hoare-Nairne, mother of this year’s Head Boy, Alexander, to present the prizes.

Sports Day 2023

Head Boy’s Speech

and I feel extremely proud to have been here. I think it is a bit of a gem, combining high academic standards with this glorious countryside. I am not sure you can put a price on a good education, but I would say that Elstree is worth every penny.

Today marks a sad, but also joyous occasion, in that we Year 8s are now at the end of our Elstree career. We are now ready to move on and face our next challenge built on the foundations we have gained here. Our year group has seen a lot of change and it feels a bit of an end of an era. When we started, the school was all boys, so we are virtually the last all boys’ year group. I think it is fair to say that us boys held out to the end! And credit to Clara and Petra for putting up with us! They’ve been amazing. Since then I have never seen such a huge rush of girls!

Good afternoon Chairman of Governors, Headmaster, Mrs Inglis, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls.

Thank you so much indeed for coming here today to this rather special 175 Sports Day. Thank you in particular to parents with children further down the school. This is by no means all about the leavers. You are the future of Elstree and your children will be receiving prizes in Year 8 all too soon! I wish them every bit of good luck as they pass through the school.

As you all know, this year marks the 175th year of Elstree – what an amazing achievement! I think that Elstree ranks as one of the oldest Prep Schools in the country. You can even find leather bound books embossed with the Elstree crest from former prize-giving days on antiquarian book websites! Elstree certainly has a considerable reputation nationally

As the quote goes: ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. Well, Elstree is that village. On behalf of all the pupils of Elstree Prep School and the Pre-Prep, I would like to pay thanks to everyone who has put so much into running this place. I think we would all agree that it is a huge privilege to be part of this beautiful house and grounds. It is hard to put into words but there is a lovely atmosphere here. It is not just a fantastic setting but also a very warm place, a very friendly place and a very happy place. I started in Year 3 with the wonderful Mrs Kidson and I have been struck as I have moved up the school by the dedication of the

teachers who in many cases go above and beyond.

We are incredibly lucky to have the Mr and Mrs Inglis at the helm of the good ship HMS Elstree (he has liked his ship terminology ever since he guided the Elstree ship) because they combine wisdom and experience with youthful

enthusiasm! They even find the time to teach Latin and French amazingly as well. I have been lucky enough to have been on Mr Inglis’s lunch table and he is such good value and a great conversationalist – even though sometimes his assembly stories make Mr Attwood start tapping his watch! I am so impressed that Mrs Inglis stands outside every morning in all weathers greeting pupils as they come in, always with a huge smile and some helpful words such as ‘tuck your shirt in’ and ‘have you brushed your hair’. Thank you also to Mr Attwood for all the myriad of things he masterminds. He has just put together an amazing Leavers’ Programme for us. He even organised that there was a heatwave for our trip to Wales so we were able to enjoy the most brilliant weather by the sea. Thank you also to every single teacher here, the matrons, gappers, kitchen staff and groundsmen. A special mention to Mrs Goodbourn who has been my form teacher twice.

What will we miss about Elstree?

Undoubtedly the sport – so expertly orchestrated by the ever-cheerful Mr Champkin (thank you for tirelessly arranging and rearranging matches due to rain, frost, heat). We have had a brilliant cricket season. Summer Fields was the only one that got away – Harry and Wilf please sort them out next year! Congratulations to all who have received a mini cricket bat! If you can master the highs and lows of a cricket match then you have mastered life! A brilliant example of this goes to my batting partner William, a talented sportsman who went from scoring a blistering 73, to having an operation on his knee. What is it about cricketers and their knees Mr Morris?

The church services have also been fantastic, always with an interesting visiting preacher. I think it is important for our generation to support our village churches so I hope we will take

that away with us. Other highlights are the fun games that are played at Elstree – Convoy, Fugitive, Round the House Games, Escape from Colditz and bat room cricket, but a definite favourite is the joy of unscheduled free time – half holidays and evenings when everyone is free to rush off, use their imagination and do what they love most around the school.

If I was to offer any advice to the boys and girls here, I would say really enjoy your time at Prep School and make the most of everything. Don’t worry at all if you don’t always get the accolades, colours or teams you want. It really doesn’t matter. If you can learn to deal with the odd disappointment it is not a bad thing and you will be more prepared for the ups and downs of life when you leave school. You can have just as much fun in a 6th team as a 1st

team. In fact, many people who didn’t do particularly well at school often actually go on to achieve great things, so your moment will come!

I hope you all have a wonderful summer ahead – enjoy The Ashes and Bazball, or you can come and watch the 1st XI’s Bisonball. Thank you so much.

Alexander Hoare Nairne, Head Boy

Sports Day Results

Winner Runners up