Our Frensham - Summer 2012

Our Frensham

SUMMER 2012

Think, Create, Explore

Dates for you diary While the school calendar for the Autumn Term 2012 includes all dates for the remainder of this year, the following are those ‘open’ events that family, friends and OFs might like to note down in their diaries.

Further details about all of these will be publicised nearer the time.

7 September 11 September 11 October 13 October 4 November 13 November 14 & 15 November 29 November 1 December 5 December 6 December 7 December

Shakespeare’s Ladies Evening cello recital Live Music Gig World Challenge: Murder Mystery Evening Friends of Frensham Fireworks Evening Teatime concert for Pianists 3.2 Seconds Performance Dance Concert World Challenge: An Audience with Damon Hill Years 4-6 Christmas Concert Senior Christmas Concert Years N-3 Christmas Play

Parents’ evenings: Autumn Term 9 October Year 7 16 October Years N-3

17 October 6 November

Terrace Theatre Terrace Theatre PAC Music Atrium PAC PAC PAC Ballroom PAC Year 10 Years 4-6

Contact us The next issue will be printed in December 2012. If you have any news, suggestions or photographs for inclusion in Our Frensham, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: Our Frensham, Frensham Heights, Rowledge, Farnham Surrey, GU10 4EA Email: ourfrensham@frensham.org

“If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”

Get your own prospectus from individual@frensham.org

Benjamin Franklin

Frensham Heights Think, Create, Explore 2 | Our Frensham

AN INTRODUCTION Welcome to the new edition of Our Frensham – the first edition produced following the restructuring of our marketing office and the creation of the new External Relations department in January this year. It is also the first edition that is aimed at all members of the school community – pupils, staff, parents and Old Frenshamians alike.

This edition is unique in that it aims to reflect the range of activity that has taken place over the entire year, which is no small undertaking given how much has actually happened! From now on, there will be two editions a year.

Looking through this edition, I have been reminded of so many occasions and events of the last 12 months. It is a reflection of the wonderfully diverse and rich life of the school – a life that celebrates academic achievement but also reinforces how vital it is not to overlook the creativity, ingenuity and dedication of our students and staff, past and present. I hope you get a sense of the vitality that is so much a part of the school and that gives Frensham what I believe is a unique atmosphere – an almost indefinable buzz that reflects the cross-over between teaching, learning, creativity and children’s development for which Frensham has stood for so many years.

It has been an incredible year and one that ended with what has been an incredible experience working with our partner school, All Saints, in Malawi. We were able to share some wonderful experiences. Our students learnt about the incredible contrasts between our lives, that they could be courageous in the face of real challenge and that Africa is not frightening – it is a dynamic and extraordinary continent.

Frensham’s fundraising in the last year meant we could buy corrugated iron for the new classroom block, contribute science equipment and provide a photocopier and an additional 50 desks! The desks are one of their priorities because there are currently two classes with over 100 students – and they have nothing to sit on. One of the most unexpected and humbling moments was witnessing the removal of bandages following cataract operations – seeing an old woman rejoice as she would see the faces of her grandchildren for the first time. The trip made me so proud and I look forward to our continuing relationship.

So here you have it: a year in the life of Frensham!

Andrew Fisher

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FRENSHAM SUPPORTING OTHERS S

chool charities This year’s main focus of senior school fundraising has been to support the All Saints Community Day School in Malawi, while for Years Nursery to 6 it has been Momentum, a local charity that helps children with cancer and their families during their medical treatment.

Doughnuts, jams and charity stalls Fundraising efforts were kicked off in October 2011 with the sale of Krispy Kreme doughnuts in what has become an annual event. “The sale was once again a roaring success,” said Andrew Melbourne.

“The doughnuts were sold out in just 10 minutes!

Afterwards, we received a lovely email from Peter Stuart of Krispy Kreme UK describing our efforts this year as ‘phenomenal’ and ‘inspirational’ and saying our story would take ‘pride of place on the community board’.”

During the course of the academic year, there were several other fundraising initiatives from Alison Bruce and Andrew Fisher selling homemade jams and chutneys, to staff room 50:50 draws at the end of each term and a wide range of charity stalls persuading visitors to part with their money on Founders’ Day.

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Governor’s 50k run Frensham Governor, Tony Lawman, and his brother, Andrew, raised over £1000 for Malawi by taking part in the Original Mountain Marathon on the last weekend of October. Regarded as the UK’s premier event to test teamwork, self reliance, endurance and outdoor and navigational skills, the marathon takes place over two days. Participants are expected to carry all the kit they need to be safely out in the mountains in all conditions (it is deliberately organised at the end of October so that the weather adds further difficulties). GPS and mobile telephones are not allowed!

Change for Change As the Autumn term drew to a close, Andrew Melbourne had one more fundraising initiative up his sleeve – a coin challenge. The event was given an extra boost by also allowing students, and indeed some staff, to ‘pay’ for the opportunity to wear pyjamas on the day. So it was that Flottage drive witnessed students young and old sporting a huge range of night attire painstakingly laying out piles of copper coins in straight lines...all in aid of charity. The eventual winners, and delighted recipients of a tin of chocolates for their efforts, were 7DS.

School charities for 2011-2012 All Saints, Malawi

All Saints runs on a monthly budget of just ÂŁ100. With 500 students and just 12 teachers and six classrooms, the average class size is between 45 and 50, with four children sharing each desk.

Momentum

Staff and students in Years Nursery to 6 decided to choose a cancer charity as their main focus for fundraising in memory of the much loved colleague, Caron Hawkes. Momentum was founded in 2004 by parents whose own children have undergone cancer treatment.

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Whole school walk In support of their respective charities, students from across the school joined together for the annual Whole School Walk on 16 March. While the younger students set off on a shorter walk in the school grounds, students from Years 7 to 13, many in fancy dress and several taking their dogs with them, set off on a marked 10km route. The bravest challenged themselves to run the route while two groups, one of students and the other of staff, completed a log run – a competition the students were delighted to win! Those walking more sedately were treated to a hot dog lunch at the half way point. For the first time this year, students could also take part in a night walk on the evening of 15 March, following a route that took them to various check points through the woods.

Nic puts best foot forward for Momentum Unable to take part in the Whole School Walk because he was attending a conference on the day, Nic Hoskins, Head of Junior School, was determined to do what he could to raise more money for the Nursery to Year 6 charity, Momentum.

So it was that he spent the May bank holiday walking the 36 miles from Kingston, where the Momentum offices are based, to Frensham. Describing himself as ‘built for comfort rather than speed these days’, Nic put in hours of training and it certainly put him in good stead as he made a triumphant return to the school on the Tuesday morning – having brought the total raised to £2200.

First student visit to Malawi As students past and present and their families enjoyed the lovely atmosphere on Founders’ Day, one group of staff and students climbed on board a coach in the drop-off zone at the start of a long journey to All Saints School. They took with them a wide range of donated items, from stationery to sun glasses (vital for patients to wear after cataract operations). Excited and nervous in almost equal measure, they aimed to work with their peers in Malawi to improve the facilities for the students there. “The contrast is so stark that it is hard to explain,” said Andrew Fisher. “At times it literally leaves me speechless – but the change we can help bring about and the learning we will take with humility from this school and its members is profound and will enrich Frensham for years to come.”

Help for Heroes: Five Peaks Year 13 student, George Foster, marked the end of his studies by climbing five peaks in five nations in just 55 hours – to raise money for Help for

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Heroes.

George, who undertook the challenge alongside his close friend James Barrett, climbed Snowdon in Wales, Scafell Pike in England, Ben Nevis in Scotland, Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland and Carrantuohill in Southern Ireland – a staggering total climb of 17,373 feet! Their aim is to raise at least £3000 to help the charity provide direct, practical support for service men and women wounded in the line of duty.

“The challenge went well but was a lot harder than I was expecting,” explained George. “The weather in Ireland was particularly horrendous, with 100mph winds, visibility of 10m if lucky and waterproofs that did not remain waterproof!

We ended up walking about 70k and I ended up blister-free, which is quite an achievement!”

George, who is off to Durham University later this year to study for a degree in Chinese Studies, also managed to raise money for Help for Heroes in May by challenging staff to guess how many push-ups he could complete in a minute – and defied expectations by completing 64.

Help for Heroes: Tough Mudder Meanwhile, Jez Belas, who will take over from Andy Spink as Head of Sport in September, joined his two brothers, Ben and Oli, to undertake his own physical challenge by taking part in the first ever ‘Tough Mudder’ event to be held in the UK. Their aim is to raise as much sponsorship money as possible to donate to Help for Heroes.

Designed by British Special Forces to test participants’ strength, stamina, mental grit and team work, the Tough Mudder aims to be the hardest obstacle course in the world. “The 12-mile, 26-stage obstacle course took us two hours 50 minutes to complete and certainly lived up to its reputation,” said Jez. “It was a mix of high walls, burning hay bails, muddy half pipes, greasy monkey bars and electric shocks! Even so, it was a great day and I’ve already pre-registered for the 2013 event in Brighton.”

Prostate Cancer Charities Staff and pupils marked the end of Movember with a tongue-in-cheek competition to judge the best and bushiest moustache. This marked the culmination of a long month where several male staff and some sixth formers had been ‘perfecting’ their facial hair while raising awareness of prostate cancer.

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All those involved took part in a moustache parade on a cold but sunny lunch break in front of the whole school to have their efforts measured and assessed. Cupcakes decorated with sugar moustaches and false stick-on moustaches were also on sale, raising over £350 to donate to the Movember cause. Fighting off fierce competition, Andrew Fisher was finally awarded the somewhat dubious honour of champion moustache grower.

“It’s been great fun all month,” said a triumphant Andrew. “All the pupils have been encouraging us on but it will be a relief finally to be able to shave it off!”

Frensham’s roots lie in reaching out and helping others and I am deeply proud that our students today work so hard to keep that heritage alive.

Andrew Fisher

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1. Students put a Disney slant on the whole school walk.

2. Nic Hoskins finishes his 36 mile walk raising funds for Momentum.

3. Farewell party on the last day at All Saints School, Malawi 4. George Foster & James Barrett train hard for their Five Peaks Challenge.

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5. Hombre Matt Burns with official moustache measurer Richard Arthur.

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Bells Piece Frensham’s partnership with Bells Piece continued this year with students from Years 8 to 12 meeting once a week for two terms with residents of Bells Piece Home, a Leonard Cheshire home in Farnham that provides 24-hour support to 13 adults with learning difficulties.

Facilitated by Strangeface Theatre Company, the sessions allowed all those involved to work and relax together in an integrated environment away from the expectations and setting of traditional theatre. ‘The Waiting Room’ developed from the performers’ own ideas, with the theme of judgement and being judged very much in the foreground. With an emphasis on process, each performer had the opportunity to make and explore his or her own mask, which became a powerful leveller, making it impossible to distinguish the Frensham student from the Bells Piece resident.

The sessions culminated on 20 March in a thought-provoking performance of ‘The Waiting Room’. During the course of the evening, the audience of families and friends of all performers together with staff and students passed through three scenes staged in separate rooms, all of which challenged individuals to reassess both their perceptions and their prejudices.

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Frensham students who took part were: Fernand Chauffier Year 8 Will Lord Year 8 Emma Pateman Year 9 Alex Sherwen Year 9 Gideon Williams Year 9 Dean Able Year 10 Izzy Appleby Year 10 Elena Dode Year 10 Dami Oluwole Year 10 Naomi Green Year 12 Naomi Ruddock Year 12

FRENSHAM ON STAGE This year has been an exceptional one for performances by Frensham students – whether singing, dancing, playing music, lighting, recording, writing, directing, applying the make-up, preparing the costumes or simply just watching. So many staff and students have been involved in the spotlight and behind the scenes and every time the end result has been magical.

Junior concert December saw students from Nursery to Year 3 performing a classic nativity featuring old and new songs performed to a multi-generational family audience. The same week also saw our Lower School students put on a Christmas concert where they starred as Victorian children from both upstairs and downstairs, taking the ballroom back to its halcyon days as a late Victorian household.

The evening included songs, musical performances, monologues and poetry of the day.

In June, the First School students took part in a concert showcasing music learned both in the classroom and through individual music lessons.

This was followed by the Lower School Soirée performed for parents by students from Years 4 to 8.

Shortly before the end of term, Years 3 to 6 also undertook the Play in a Week: rehearsing for four days with a performance on the fifth. Written by Nic Hoskins, ‘The School’s Life’ took a traditional cantata and turned it completely on its head, telling the story of a year in the life of a school (not Frensham!) and featuring memorable twists on classic songs.

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James and the Giant Peach The key drama performances of the junior and senior schools are always a major highlight of the year...and this year was no exception. The younger students’ offering was James and the Giant Peach.

Performed over two nights on 7 and 8 February, the actors brought Roald Dahl’s classic and sometimes dark children’s book to life. It is a fantastical tale and the Frensham performances were equally fantastic. It is not an easy plot to recreate on stage but everyone involved pulled out all the stops to give the audience a truly magical treat!

Macbeth The senior school chose Macbeth for its main production. Auditions took place early in the winter term and in the end there were some 50 students from Year 7 to 13 involved both back stage and on stage. The final production, performed over three nights in December, was a superb interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s best known plays set in the glamorous yet murky world of organised crime. The action centred on the ‘Glamis’ night club in the 1960s, with the audience at the heart

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of the action sitting at the club tables – drinks in hand and entertained by club cabaret artists and a magician, they became as much part of the play as onlookers of the action. The play unfolded in an atmosphere at once unexpectedly intimate and wonderfully authentic – the latter reinforced by carefully sourced furnishings, props and costumes.

Another triumph!

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“The dance concert was one of the best in recent memory – it reflected why performance, opportunities to perform and inclusion of all talents is so important. The images, core power and fluency were a Andrew Fisher great joy.”

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Music and dance The PAC and the Ballroom have both hosted some wonderful music and dance performances during the year. Watching the seemingly effortless talent of so many students, it is easy to forget how much practice, rehearsal and dedication lies behind the final show. From the Music & Dance Christmas Show and the Evening of Music in the Ballroom to the Dance Concert in the PAC and the Better Get Jazz in Your Soul evening, and everywhere in between, every performance holds another surprise or brings another hidden talent to the fore.

Perhaps most important, though, is the wonderful opportunity the small and large-scale shows gives for new, emerging talent to shine alongside established musicians and dancers. So many styles, so many performers, such a range of ages – and such a delight for audiences.

Our commitment to fostering, encouraging and enabling talent on and off the stage is reflected in what will be the most ambitious building project the school has ever undertaken. The plans include

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to extend the Music School to include a performance and rehearsal space with storage and recording facilities and to provide a new building to give teaching and rehearsal space for Drama. The new building will also reflect the increasing popularity of, and success in, photography by providing teaching and darkroom facilities and, we hope, the opportunity to develop film facilities.

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1. Dance Concert.

2. An Evening of Music in the Ballroom.

3. Better Get Jazz in your Soul.

4. Practice makes perfect!

Debating success On a stage of a different kind, Frensham’s debating team led by Josh Watts with Lewis Brander and Selena Geerts excelled in November by coming runners up to Farnborough High at the Rotary Public Speaking event, beating off teams from Salesians, Weydon and The Royal School.

A group of Frensham debaters attended another event in March at St Georges, Weybridge, giving an excellent performance against 42 other schools. More recently, Josh Watts organised a debating event against Bedales in May, while in June Frensham hosted teams from Churcher’s College, Reed’s, King Edward’s Witley, Epsom and Bedales.

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FRENSHAM CREATIVE

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Students across the school produce wonderful works of art – whether designing a lamp or chair, forming models from clay or wire, capturing moments on camera or painting landscapes, the range of skills never fails to surprise. This year was no exception, with stunning art on display to be enjoyed by all throughout the year. Creativity in a different guise was equally evident when students devised and performed the hugely successful Frensham’s Got Talent fundraising shows literally in a matter of days.

Art exhibitions While art in all its forms is regularly displayed around the school throughout the year for students, staff and visitors, there are three set dates in the calendar when invitations are sent out, canapés are prepared and the school showcases its talent at the art exhibitions.

This year’s exhibition in February, entitled All About Me!, featured hexagonal paintings, luggage tags and decorated plates, all produced by students in Year 7. May saw an exhibition of Art in Action, featuring fine art, product design, graphic communication and photography work by Frensham’s GCSE students, while the A and AS exhibition, End State, was held in June.

The standard was very high, including stunning photography, innovative design and unique interpretation. Fellow students, staff, parents and guests from other schools were left in no doubt that Frensham and creativity still walk hand in hand.

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Frensham’s got talent Faced with the need to raise as much money as possible to fund their unique opportunity to take part in the Edinburgh Festival, sixth formers and staff have thrown themselves into a range of activities, from organising a jumble sale in March to Amanda and Sara putting on and starring in a one-act play, Henna Night in November to car washing on Founders’ Day.

Frensham staff and students will be able to see the play themselves in November when it is performed over two nights in the PAC.

Perhaps the highlight of it all, though, was the two-day spectacular that was Frensham’s Got Talent. Held at the end of February, this studentorganised, student-led festival of extraordinary and sometimes previously hidden staff and student talent (yes, Peter and Russell, we’re talking about you!) proved to be a stunning student success.

Simply brilliant!

The focus of all this creative fundraising is the performance of the play, 3.2 Seconds, devised

by Amanda Liddle, at the Edinburgh Festival in August. 3.2 Seconds: the time it takes to make a simple decision that can alter the course of a life forever. The audience is introduced to four characters with only one thing in common – the need to use a lift. When it arrives it’s crowded and the audience is asked to make a decision on each character’s behalf: to squeeze in or wait for the next one. The decision you make determines how the story unfolds.

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1. A familiar sight at Frensham in 2012.

2. Year 7 & GCSE exhbitions.

3. Frensham’s Got Talent.

4. The Edingburgh Festival play, 3.2 Seconds.

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Creative day Take one day in the school year, collapse the timetable, shuffle students into mixed groups across the years and present a range of challenges linked to the curriculum. This is what happened at Frensham on Tuesday 12 June.

The whole day was based on the theme of Water – although despite being June and ‘summer’, the unseasonal weather meant it was much more a case of ‘water, water everywhere’ rather than ‘nor any drop to drink’!

Nevertheless, the sun did attempt to shine occasionally as students from Years 7 to 12 got to grips with tasks indoors and out. Each group was allocated to four sessions, a logistic nightmare all its own, and then worked together throughout the day. Some went to the tree house to take part in creative writing, some went to the science labs to see how to float steel in water, others went to the Art and Design centre to create a group mural of rain drops. The maths department set a difficult challenge to work out how to carry as much water as possible across a short distance using only a sheet of A3 paper.

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The range of activities, which also involved IT, languages, geography, dance, music and outdoor education, was wide, imaginative and fun. Without doubt the wettest of all challenges, however, was the raft building organised by history, PE and design. Students had to work as a group to pick an historical theme, build a quality raft and then put it to the test by paddling the length of the swimming pool – a task undertaken with plenty of enthusiasm and lots of bravado...but little in the way of success!

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1. Students displayed a wide range of artistic talent when decorating individual water drops.

2. Students investigated some interesting properties of water in the science workshop.

3. Outdoor Education set a team challenge to solve a water-based conundrum.

4. How to carry water in a sheet of A3 paper!

5. Students had to prove the seaworthiness of their team-built rafts.

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1 & 2. There’s no pretence in the staff sports day they were playing to win!

FRENSHAM SPORTS Andy Spink, outgoing Head of Sport, outlines his key highlights from the year – a year that saw our new smart sports kit put through its paces.

Girls’ sports The U13s Hockey, Netball and Rounders teams have been particularly outstanding. Years 7 and 8 have shown great commitment to practice and are keen to improve on skills, quickly taking advice and coaching on board. They were impressive in Netball against Lord Wandsworth, showing great resilience and team spirit in a game where we were stretched on numbers and sustained an injury in our key shooter, Hannah Hay. They pulled together and came out with a convincing victory.

They have been scuppered by poor weather for the Rounders season, which inhibited their progress as they gained in confidence with some hard-fought wins against Ditcham and Alton but lacked practice and confidence to dominate in a challenging game against Edgeborough. I have high hopes for them in the future, particularly with such talented girls in Year 8, who will form some strong links with the talent of the current Year 9s.

Boys’ sports The obvious highlight of the year was the U15 cricket tour to Somerset, which included a wonderful victory over Millfield, arguably the strongest sports school in the country. As Jez wrote to parents: “What we got was the best sports performance I have witnessed as a PE teacher from any side, be it football, cricket, hockey or, well, anything! The boys were a credit to the school. Well done lads!”

Our U14s also deserve a special mention, having been unbeaten all season in Hockey and Cricket,

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including beating Winchester College in both, and the U16 Football was very strong, getting to the quarters of ISFA shield only to be knocked out by eventual winners, Chilton Cantelo. We were the only team to draw with them all season. Finally, the U13s came second in the annual Dunhurst six-a-side football tournament. This was a huge achievement, losing the final on penalties to Dunhurst, who were unbeaten all season.

Staff sports day While the weather may have prevented the serious business of the First and Lower School and Senior School sports days, the rain held off for long enough on 25 June for the spectacle that was to be the first, and possibly last, staff sports day. With several departments agreeing to bite the bullet to help raise funds for Malawi, staff gamely took part in time-honoured favourites, including the wellie toss, the egg & spoon race, the threelegged race, an obstacle relay and finally, thankfully, the tug of war!

The boys under 15 cricket team who played brilliantly during the Somerset tour.

The girls under 13 rounders team who achieved some hard-fought wins during the season.

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FRENSHAM NEW & RENEW t

The tree house

The Winter Term saw the opening of our stunning tree house classroom on 12 October by Lynne Elgy, former head of Outdoor Education who retired in 2011. As she cut the vine ‘ribbon’, Lynne explained how she hoped the new classroom might be used.

“I hope people will sometimes just sit here quietly and hear the wind in the trees, watch patterns on the walls and floor as the sun shines through the leaves, breathe in the rich mellow smell of the wood and share secrets and dreams together.

Treasure this place and treat it with the love and respect it deserves.”

The tree house has quickly and easily become an established part of the school. Already, it has hosted bat workshops, drama, drumming and poetry, not to mention a visit by Pudsey Bear and a book reading by OF Jenny Farrington (see page 32).

The library The library has been put to several uses since the school was founded in 1925 and actually started life as an art room but this last year has seen it undergo quite a transformation. This has included the arrival of a large three-seat leather sofa, two armchairs and two large beanbags that have become very popular and have helped encourage a quieter atmosphere. New signage has been provided courtesy of the Design and Technology department and helps clearly identify the different areas. The careers section has moved to a new bay, with about 40 new titles.

The October half term also saw more work on the library refit, with seven new computer work terminals inset into the shelving around the nonfiction area. These were quickly put to good use by students to carry on with their studies or get down to some homework. u

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Terrace theatre In the week beginning 5 March, the terrace lawn was subject to quite a lot of activity as the new outdoor terrace theatre was built in just two weeks. A small amphitheatre seating 70, it is made from oak and is a beautiful object in its own right. As it turned out, the theatre was completed just in time for staff and students to benefit from using it in the all too short window of glorious sunshine in April.

Since then, however, the theatre has been used as an outdoor classroom, a quiet area and somewhere that students can chat and relax. It certainly came into its own on Founders’ Day, where it was used as the venue for Frensham Poetry Reading and for a lively question and answer sessions for Old Frenshamians with Andrew. Luckily the sun shone then as well.

For Andrew Fisher, the terrace theatre was something of a personal achievement. “I saw a similar theatre some years ago and was determined that at some point we would have one here at Frensham,” he said. “It offers endless scope for performance, workshops, readings and music – in fact the only limit is imagination!”

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FRENSHAM ON THE MOVE “Our first impressions of the WWI cemetery were dark, eerie and depressing. There was a mass grave for 24,917 soldiers, of whom 7,977 remain unknown. This just shows the great sacrifice so many men made in the war.�

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School trips large and small have been a key feature of the last year, from skiing to horse riding, the Forest class having a day out in the woods at Alice Holt and students going to Battle Abbey to outdoor camps and Duke of Edinburgh weekends.

Drama students enjoyed a trip to Stratford and to Prague, while geography students travelled to Iceland. Those studying art, drama, music, dance and business studies had the opportunity to travel to New York over the February half term. Year 9 students went to see the World War One battlefields in March, while history and German students went to Munich and Berlin. Even some of the youngest

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1 students embarked on the Junior Music Tour to Belgium in May, which was open to Years 4 to 9.

Looking ahead, with the arrival of Johannes Felter as Head of Co-Curricular, there will be even more opportunities, such as hill walking and expeditions.

Equally important are the trips organised at weekends for boarders – whether ice skating, going to the cinema or simply shopping, these outings form an important part of the boarding life at Frensham – although we try to strike a balance between activities and the opportunity simply to relax!

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“The New York trip was the most incredible experience – one I will never forget. The art galleries were fascinating and the monuments were awe-inspiring.”

1. WW1 trenches, March 2012.

2. Duke of Edinburgh expedition.

3. Surf trip, June 2012.

4. Junion music tour to Belgium, May 2012.

5. Comedy club workshop, New York February 2012.

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FRENSHAM THE STUDENT VOICE A time to talk and a time to listen

Deputy Head, Becks Hobson, describes how students are encouraged to be involved in school life - and how the right to have a voice comes with an equal responsibility to listen to others.

When I was applying for my current post, one of my interviews was with the school council. As the interview came to a close, one of the students asked “Wasn’t that weird?” Coming from a school with a similar approach to student involvement in school life, I would have been more surprised if the students hadn’t given me a good grilling and it seemed perfectly normal for students to be touring me round the site and interviewing me.

To be honest, I think they were more surprised when, after some weeks at Frensham when I had dealt with several discipline and logistical issues, I plonked myself down in Roberts House with a poster saying ‘Becks will be here, feel free to come and chat - all questions answered’.

The phrase ‘student voice’ has been bandied around for a few years now and appears to imply a radical approach to education. In reality, Frensham has championed the role of the student voice for a long time and it is so ingrained in our way of working that it doesn’t really seem like a big deal any more. Looking back on my first year, I remain convinced that student involvement is a crucial ingredient in ensuring a positive learning and boarding community.

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There have been several examples of student involvement in action this year, including:

School council

The school council is a thoughtful and increasingly confident group who have instigated and reviewed the old ‘classroom conventions’ and replaced them with ‘classroom expectations’ that are appropriate to staff and students alike. They have moved away from using meetings as an opportunity to moan about the trivial and seem committed to getting their teeth stuck into some meaty topics.

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They instigated a ‘food committee’, chaired by a boarding student, which meets with the chef or catering company, Holroyd Howe, every half term to discuss what has worked well and to look at the next cycle of menus to identify what may work and what may need to be tweaked. The committee addresses small and large issues that affect students’ dining experiences both during the week and at weekends. Changes brought about over the year include a different variety of cold options at breakfast, fewer spicy foods and larger portions.

In return, Holroyd Howe has asked students for support and ideas on how to challenge and reduce waste.

House meetings

All boarding houses have regular formal and informal meetings. The 6th form committee, which includes both day and boarding students, has been a positive and dynamic group this year. A personal highlight was the care and attention to detail that went into the committee’s organisation of an excellent and successful Leavers’ Dinner for the departing Year 13 students. Other Roberts House examples include the introduction of cleaning rotas after boarding staff raised concerns that the domestic team was unfairly over-burdened, the installation of a projector and cinema system and, after regular reviews of its suitability, the studentinitiated ‘quiet time’ is still going strong .

IT development

One of the first challenges I faced was the level of discontent about IT provision in Roberts House.

Students were incredibly frustrated that they could not have filter-free internet access of a decent speed. I was handed a lengthy petition and a detailed list of sites and services that students felt they needed, some understandable, indeed sensible; others perhaps less so. What students in Roberts House, and indeed the other boarding houses, needed was reassurance that we knew it was a problem and that we were willing to investigate possible solutions. In the first instance, however, it was important that students understood some of the practical issues involved, such as the unchangeable fact that the school is in a particularly poor area for broadband.

These issues were explained to students in detail and, once these were clear, students were asked to complete an IT survey of their work and social media patterns. The feedback meant we could introduce some short-term technical solutions and present some more substantial proposals to the bursar and board of governors. As a result, we are now committed to investing considerable funds

to increase our broadband capacity and ensure we strike a balance between using technology to support learning and responding to the normal teenage needs of a boarding community.

Student conference

Next term will begin with the school spending valuable time re-evaluating our goals and why Frensham is a special place. The aim is that every member of our community feels they have been directly involved in defining what Frensham stands for and how it should move forward. We are even hoping that the discussions and individual involvement will be reflected in a unique piece of art (thanks to Alex Allan’s creative thinking) that will hang in the dining room as a constant reminder to staff and students alike.

Student survey

Towards the end of the summer term, students were asked to complete a survey detailing what they thought of various aspects of the school and invited to make any comments to support or address their answers. A similar survey was sent to current parents. We had an excellent response rate. Some results were heartening and reinforced that the school was ‘getting it right’ in many areas; others raised issues or perceptions that need to be addressed. This was not a desk-top exercise - we are committed to using the survey results to guide future developments.

One of the biggest challenges a school faces in encouraging students to use their voice and get involved is to encourage them also to use their ears and listen carefully, both to their peers and to the staff who are there to support and guide them.

Students at Frensham can ask all the questions they like but with that comes the responsibility to listen. There are times when teachers have to be teachers and need be in control of a situation.

Students may not like the ultimate decisions or consequences but if staff are committed to giving appropriate and valid reasons and explanations, I believe the school as a whole will be stronger, more cohesive and, ultimately, a true role model for getting student involvement right.

1. A new food committee has been set up by the School Council.

2. A very successful Leavers’ Dinner organised by the 6th Form Committee.

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FRENSHAM EXPANDING HORIZONS

Frensham students are actively encouraged to gain experience and understanding from as wide a field of opportunities as possible. Meeting new people, trying new things, researching new ideas – these are all key ingredients of a fulfilled education. The ECAs are a vital part of this but there are always further avenues to explore – such as this year’s Celebrate the Difference conference, the launch of the John A Society and the introduction of the Extended Project qualification.

Celebrate the difference On 25 June, Frensham hosted the Celebrate the Difference conference, an event jointly organised in recent years by Frensham and Bedales with the aim of sharing good practice and debating key issues relevant to progressive education.

This year’s conference, which was also attended by students from several local schools, focused on Models and Styles of Leadership, with workshops covering ‘Traditional methods of leadership within schools’, ‘The philosophy and research behind successful leadership’ and ‘Leading your learning’.

The key speaker on the day was Nick Vetch, who co-founded the Big Yellow Group in 1998 and has been its Executive Chairman since 2004.

Extended Projects The beginning of the academic year saw the introduction of the Extended Project Qualification, taken as a one-year course in the Sixth Form. Students choose something they are passionate about as the theme for their project and then plan, manage and review it through the year before giving a formal presentation. The standalone qualification is equivalent to half an A Level and worth up to 70 UCAS points at A*. Three Sixth Form students undertook the course, giving their presentations to staff and students on 20 April: It is also recognised by a growing number of higher education institutions: “The University recognises that some A Level students may also choose to offer the Extended Project. In such cases, some admissions tutors may make two alternative offers, one of which involves success in the Extended Project (eg either AAA at A Level or AAB at A Level plus Extended Project).”

University of Bristol

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The students who presented were: Alice Carlill How is Irish identity explored within Irish literature?

Ekaterina Kormilitsyna Is there a relationship between Soviet Union history and cinematography?

Haydn Pole To what extent has the increased use and availability of social media fuelled civil unrest in recent times?

John A. Society

Sixth-former Gabby Millington writes about the launch event for the John A Society, a new forum run for and by students to encourage a range of speakers to address smaller groups from Years 11 to 13. Since the launch, the Society has also heard a gripping and hard-hitting talk by army surgeon Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Connor.

On Monday 27 March, a group of Year 12 and 13 students joined together to enjoy an evening of drinks, dinner and a wonderful talk by John A. The whole aim of the John A Society is for us as a group to listen to other people’s experiences through interesting, stimulating talks and we were lucky enough to have a talk from John A himself to mark the inauguration of the Society named in his honour.

The focus of John’s speech was how we can all make a difference. He described how he could make a difference to people he had taught, demonstrating that it is possible to make a difference and that by helping one or two people and making a difference in their lives, we can, by extension, affect other people in their lives. John went on to counter this, by viewing the human race on a universal scale. His belief was that, given the vast expanse of space that is simply beyond human discovery and comprehension, we cannot possibly make a difference to the universe as a

whole. While this could have been a depressing or uninspiring outlook, hearing it from a man of such vast life experience, it seemed an entirely sensible viewpoint.

The latter section of John’s talk was focused on TED.com, a website that hosts hundreds of inspiring talks from inspiring people. He showed us some clips, including a talk given by Marco Tempest called The Magic of Truth and Lies in which he used iPods as screens and combined them with sleight of hand to create an awe-inspiring demonstration of his area of expertise: magic.

John’s talk concluded with a question and answer session, in which the Society was able to glean a great deal of information about John’s past, his views on religion and much more. Just from these answers alone there were enough stories, philosophies, even passing remarks to spark a dozen more talks and it is for this reason that it is so appropriate that the Society was named after him.

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FRENSHAM FOUNDERS’ DAY It rained the day before; it rained the day after; it was even raining in the early hours of the day itself...but in an almost impossible stroke of luck, the sun decided to shine from about 10 o’clock onwards on Saturday 30 June – Founders’ Day!

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Following the theme of Think, Create, Explore, the Founders’ Day programme packed in a Creative Arts Exhibition, a Music Festival, Interactive Workshops, a Q&A session with Andrew for OFs, a Performing Arts Showcase, a Poetry Reading, a Football Match and a Charity Fair – not to mention a barbecue, drinks stalls, picnics, an outdoor camp, visits to the allotments, tours of the boarding houses and so much more. In other words, a great day for students past and present, staff, parents, friends and families.

One of the highlights of the day was Andrew’s Review of the Year, after which we were delighted to welcome Sir Clive Gillinson back to Frensham.

Clive was at the school between 1955 and 1963 and today is Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall, one of the most iconic concert venues in the world. Clive explained how important an influence his nine years at Frensham had been on his life and career over nearly 50 years. He put much of this down to the sheer breadth of education he received at Frensham, not least in the arts and, through Bill Wills, in carpentry and some unique experiences that taught him the greatest risk is trying to avoid risk!

Clive joined the London Symphony Orchestra as a cellist in 1970 and eventually took on the position of Managing Director in 1984. His time at the LSO was characterised by innovation, transformation, education and accessibility. When the call came from Carnegie Hall in 2005, it was, Clive said, “impossible to say no” to the offer to join what he described as “the best concert hall in the world”. It was, after all, a venue that had seen some of the most famous artists perform, from Gustav Mahler to Leonard Bernstein, Sir Georg Solti to Count Basie and from Judy Garland to The Beatles.

Having given a whistle-stop history of the Hall, Clive went on to share the four fundamental principles that drive everything he aspires to at the Hall: Quality, Education and Access, Innovation and Values.

Quality By always aspiring to the extraordinary in everything the Hall seeks to do, and having a clear vision of what constitutes projects or ideas that “the world cannot be without”, anyone leading an organisation that relies on funding will have the best chance to find that funding. In other words, “money follows vision”. American investors want great, not just good, ideas and expect to be inspired by unique and quality proposals that aim high and challenge risk.

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Education and Access These lie at the heart of everything. Education is not just what you learn at school but about lifelong learning, so it is vital for organisations to reach out into the local, national and international communities. A good example is The Academy, a two-year fellowship programme for the best postgraduate musicians who spend at least one day a week for two years, working as a central music resource with students at a New York City public school, while also performing at Carnegie Hall and other venues across the city.

Innovation There is no such thing as standing still – if you’re not moving forwards, you’re moving backwards.

Carnegie Hall must keep moving forwards but the challenge when Clive started lay in deciding where to go next when joining an organisation that was already financially sound and its programmes superb. He felt that the key was to build on the remarkable history of Carnegie Hall.

Evolution, not revolution, and keep evolving to reflect the communities we exist to serve. This is where the commitment to quality and to attract financial backing means innovative evolution is not only possible but essential. Carnegie Hall has been a trail blazer in this, from Musical Connections reaching patients in hospital, prisoners and young people at risk, through to the introduction of national exams, the establishment of a National Youth Orchestra, hosting a series of major international festivals and introducing the online resource centre allowing key resources to be shared free of charge.

Values This is the most important principle of all because values underlie everything a person or organisa-

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tion does. Some key values, many of which reflect the previous principles, are: • Quality above all • Questions are always more important than the answers • Share everything freely (for example, Google is 98% free of charge and they make money – and quite a lot of it – from just 2%) • Never be satisfied – always seek to be better • Everything matters – anything less than 100% is much less • Always be proactive – we all can make a difference; don’t blame your circumstances for what you are – the people who get on in this world are the people who create their own circumstances • Ensue not pursue Clive finished by following his own advice and looking forward into the future. He said he believed it was a future of fascinating opportunities, where new and evolving technologies meant music could reach across the globe and where everyone across the globe could reach music; it is a future where classical music can grow from strength to strength – where 50 million children in China alone have piano and violin lessons; it is a future where education embraces creativity and the creative use of knowledge, where every individual is helped to fulfil their potential and where there is no doubt whatsoever that music can make a real contribution to people’s lives.

That is Clive’s vision and he is in no doubt that his vision will continue to attract vital funding for Carnegie Hall – and he reinforced that this is just as true of Frensham Heights and of the clear vision articulated by Andrew in his letter inviting Clive to speak.

FRENSHAM WELCOME BACK

Founders’ Day is an important date in the OF calendar and every year the school is delighted to welcome back former students from almost every decade of our history – and this year was no exception. Below are just a few of over 75 OFs we managed to photograph as they signed in at The Orangery. The atmosphere was wonderful, with a lot of laughter, catching up and revisiting old haunts – including a few who braved a nostalgic dip in the pool!

Clare Street (née Thomas) 1951-61

Robin Riddett 1954-61

Sam Roddick 1982-87

Dorothy Barker (née Woolley) 1954-61

Isaac Barry 1975-80

Jane Read (née Pomerance) 1958-63

Jon Stevens 1974-76

Jonno Suart 1971-75

Peter Pilley 1959-64

Jane Sollner (née Bowen-Roberts) 1962-64

John O’Shaughnessy 1961-65

David Gabriel 1960-66

Anthony Kedros 1959-62

Justina Curtis 1978-81

Sam Hedayati 1977-81

Anna Dodds (née Wheeler) 1977-80

Amy Marriott 1990-95

Julia BeschCornelius (née Cornelius) 1954-63

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FRENSHAM IN TOUCH Us Five On 20 October, the school welcomed a very special group of visitors: three friends who met for the first time at Frensham in 1947 together with close family. They came to dedicate a Magnolia Grandiflora in memory of Caroline Hill née Conran-Smith (1947-54), affectionately known as ‘Caramel’, who died on 25 September 2010.

Caroline was one of a group of friends known as ‘Us Five’, the other members being Anna Morrell née Richards (1946-53), Judy Wilson née Jenkins (1946-55), Louisa Creed née Nicholson (1946-53) and Sarah Gretton née McWilliam (1946-54).

The day chosen for their poignant return to the school would have been Caroline’s birthday. She is survived by her husband, Michael, her four children, Nicola, Emma, Sophie and Peter, and by six grandchildren.

“Caramel should be with us here today because we are at Frensham sitting so near the Cedar tree she planted,” said Anna Morrell. “We’d forgotten how stunning the view is from the school. How lucky we were. How Caramel would have loved today.”

Returners This year has seen several OFs coming back to revisit old haunts: In November, Anna Tanvir (1977-82) led a music master class for a group of Year 7 students. In May, Jenny Farrington (1988-93) gave a live reading of her new children’s book What a Lot of Twaddle! to students in Years 1 to 3 and to a number of fellow OFs: Rachel Turtle, Pippa Parry, Jamey Wallace, Rebecca Gould, Fiona Morris, Isobel James, Sophie Collins, Amy Marriott and Simone Sutton with their children, in the tree house. In the same month, we welcomed four friends – Rooksana Randeree (1974-81), Amanda Clare Brightwell (1977-79), Susannah Slattery (1974-81) and Mary Platt (1974-81), who enjoyed a nostalgic reunion with John Atkinson.

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The Cass Foundation Brendan Horstead, Head of Creative Art, writes about a student visit to OF Wilfred Cass’s Sculpture Foundation, a 26-acre park that is home to a wide range of sculptures.

A Level Fine Art and Product Design students spent a wonderful day visiting the Cass Sculpture Foundation run by Wilfred Cass (1936-41). With his wife, Jeanette, Wilfred has a passion for contemporary sculpture and a belief in the importance of supporting contemporary sculptors through commissioning new work. The day was lovely: sunshine filled the woodland clearings, providing an ideal setting to view the sculpture collection.

We felt particularly lucky to meet Wilfred on the day and were very grateful for his friendly welcome. He generously offered us the fantastic opportunity to visit the Foundation Archive, a restricted area where models for sculptural proposals are stored, along with drawings made by exhibiting sculptors during the development process. The students greatly valued the experience of seeing the preparatory work that informed the development of the sculpture they had just seen, sketched and photographed. The range of exhibiting artists reads like a Who’s Who of British sculpture.

There is no substitute for experiencing sculpture first hand. Our students came away buzzing with ambitious ideas and eager to explore these in the context of their own practice.

Year 13 Danae Marshall also gave her reaction to the visit: Every one of the sculptures made an impact and was individual. There were styles to suit everyone’s tastes. I particularly liked the piece in which there were about 50 iron cast figures standing in the woods like an army. They created a real atmosphere and were opposite huge white pieces by Ellis O’Connel, which contrasted beautifully with the green woods.

Seeing the archives was really special because it brought a new dimension to the work and showed us what would be expected of professional artists. Overall, it was a worthwhile day that left everyone impressed and inspired.

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Audio-visual archive project “He stood between me and the policemen and wouldn’t let them take me away; that’s the kind of man he was.”

These were the words of Professor Walter Elkan (1938-40), a pupil of Frensham Heights during the Second World War and a Jewish refugee from Germany. He was describing how Frensham headmaster Paul Roberts was prepared to take a stand to protect his pupil against the British government’s policy to inter all German nationals on the outbreak of war.

It was one example of the profound impact Paul Roberts had on the lives of the children he taught there – and it’s just one excerpt from a series of interviews being undertaken to catalogue an audio-visual archive of the experiences of pupils during the school’s formative years.

The experiences have been enlightening and captivating, ranging from Ann Gaudin’s (194248) remembering ‘such happy years’ to Barbara Machin-Cooke’s lasting fond memory of the smell of wisteria that used to bloom outside her dormitory window. Several have remembered the cedar tree, regularly climbed in the 1940s but sadly now disappeared from the grounds.

The war years themselves have produced heartrending stories of how Paul Roberts supported many German Jewish refugees as they began new lives in England. David Berglas (1938-42) told interviewer Georgina Windsor how one night, after a fight with another boy, he packed his bag and ran away, getting only as far as the cricket pavilion before curling up in the corner. When the search party found him, Paul and Enid Roberts didn’t tell him off but instead took him into their flat, gave him a cup of cocoa and settled him down to sleep.

It was typical of the humanity of Paul Roberts and the reason why his 1940s students still talk of him with such affection.

The project is ongoing but so far it has been a real journey of discovery and one that celebrates the rich, vibrant and life-affirming history of a unique school.

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1. Barabara Machin-Cooke recounts fond memories of Frensham Heights during her interview with Georgina Windsor.

2. Steven Frank, who survived the Holocaust, describes his experience of finding security at Frensham in 1949.

Those who have taken part in the filming to date are: David Berglas (1938-42) Walter Elkan (1938-40) David Falkus (1941-43) Steven Frank (1949-53) Ann Gaudin (1942-48) John Luchford (1940-49) Barbara Machin-Cooke (1934-43) Jean Megson (1938-43) Jenny Milner (1943-48) Claus Moser (1936-40) Elgin Ronayne (1944-45) Geoffrey Roughton (1935-47)

The bursary has been a real incentive to work hard. It’s been great for me but it’s also been good for the school because I know I’ve given something back too. I’m not looking forward to moment I have to leave – when you love something this much, it’s hard to give it up.

A bursary can change someone’s life completely. We are committed to helping as many students as possible to benefit from a Frensham education. This was one of our founding principles and we are proud of this heritage. With your help, we can do so much more.

For more information on how your contribution can make a difference, please contact Andrew Fisher on 01252 792561 or email on headmaster@frensham-heights.org.uk

Frensham Heights Think, Create, Explore

Founders’ Day 2012

Frensham Heights Rowledge, Farnham Surrey, GU10 4EA T. 01252 792561 E. admissions@frensham.org www.frensham.org

Frensham Heights Think, Create, Explore

Charity No. 312052