Heathfield School 120 Years Highlights

2019

2019 120th year

120 YEARS

Contents Academic................................02

Expressive Arts.....................20

Vision to transform the Sixth Form.................02

Summer 2019 exam results..............................03

Science Week....................................................04

Science, Forensics and Crime..........................05

Mathematical Olympiad...................................06

Sixth Form revision tips...................................06

GCSE Ecological Sampling Day ......................07 ARTiculation.....................................................07

Tycoons in Schools...........................................08

Psychology Workshop......................................09

EFL - Examination Success .............................09

Trips.........................................10

Careers & Outreach.........30

Rushall Organic Farm......................................10

International Netball at the Copper Box.........11

Spanish Theatre Trip........................................11 Florence............................................................13 Barcelona..........................................................13

New York..........................................................14 Swanage............................................................15

Cheddar Gorge..................................................15

Dover and Canterbury......................................16

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre...........................16

Ypres Battlefield...............................................17

New Forest........................................................17

The Living Rainforest.......................................18

Bath University.................................................18

Slapton Ley Field Centre..................................19

Knowledge Café................................................19

Question Time..................................................30 Speakers............................................................31

Dame Vivien Duffield.......................................31

Mandy Hickson................................................32

Dr Ann Schmiedekamp....................................32

Jac Reed............................................................33

Liz Felix............................................................33

Shakespeare Schools Festival...........................20 Art and Textiles................................................20 Higher Education Lectures..............................20 Art and Design Show........................................21 Fashion Show...................................................22 LVS Music Competition ..................................24 Young Musician Award 2019/2020.................25 Guest Artist Workshops...................................26 Pergolesi Stabat Mater.....................................26 Music Captain’s Concert...................................27 Photography Geography Competition.............28

Pastoral...................................34

WiseUp Team Building Day.............................34 Henfold Lake....................................................35 Youth Leadership Programme.........................36 Lily Ball ............................................................36 National Citizen Service ..................................36 Duke of Edinburgh...........................................37 Co-Curricular Highlights .................................37

Contents

2019 120th year

Community............................38

LAMDA ............................................................38 Dance and Ballet...............................................38 Charity Initiative Fresh Start ..........................39 Phab Club.........................................................39 Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.................39

Sport.........................................40

Lacrosse ...........................................................40 Netball..............................................................41 Hockey..............................................................41 Swimming.........................................................41

New School Records in 2019............................42

New House Records in 2019............................42

Activity Weeks..................................................43 Trampolining....................................................43 Fencing ............................................................43 Tennis...............................................................43 Athletics............................................................44 Taekwondo.......................................................44

Sports Day........................................................44 Polo...................................................................46 Equestrian........................................................47

Weekends..............................49

Halloween & Bonfire Night..............................50 Winter Wonderland.........................................51

Summer School...................52 Fellowship..............................54

Memorial Service for Laura Tatham................54 Fellowship Networking Evening......................55 Fellowship Day.................................................56 St Mary’s Wantage Reunion Lunch.................57 Fellowship Carol Service..................................57

Christmas...............................58

St Nicholas’ Stalls.............................................58 Christmas Cake Competition...........................58 Parents’ Christmas Drinks...............................59 Carol Service.....................................................60 Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper Day.60

A message from

Mrs Gardiner Legge Eleanor Wyatt founded Heathfield using Ruskin’s words that ‘they shall know what it is to see the sky’.

In this version of ‘Highlights’, a celebration of our 120th year, the same vision of ambition and the formation of a character education still shines on.

It has been a remarkable year packed with an incredible array of trips, events, speakers, competitions and academic enrichment. I am so proud that the girls continue to make the most of every opportunity and I never cease to be amazed at their talents, their hard work and determination supported by passionate and dedicated staff. It’s such a privilege to see their confidence and spirit grow whether in the debating hall, the polo field, the lacrosse pitch, the concert, the play, or even have a lively chat over lunch.

Heathfield is thriving. With record numbers of girls joining the School this September it is becoming increasingly clear that Heathfield’s ethos of a personalised, character education and a focus on confidence and happiness really strikes a chord with parents today. That personalised education based around the talents and aptitudes of every girl will continue; Heathfield is a school where every girl is celebrated and appreciated for who she is, and what she does and, I am absolutely sure, that despite the superficial changes Eleanor Beatrice Wyatt would still recognise the same school as the one she founded.

The role of a great school is to give the young people at its heart their own voice; here you will see and read the magic of every young woman who is finding her own voice, her own talents and her own abilities ready to take them out and unleash then on the unsuspecting world outside.

Come and visit and see the magic for yourself.

With best wishes

Mrs Gardiner Legge Headmistress

Welcome

2019 120th year

A message from the

Head Girl Team Our 2019/2020 Team comprises Minty, Head Girl and Deputies Amelia and Olivia. Minty and Olivia have been boarding since Form I and Amelia has been boarding since Form III.

events with neighbouring schools. They also want to adopt a Green Policy and become more environmentally friendly, by truly cutting back on the use of plastic and making sure all paper is recycled along with many other actions.

Minty, Head Girl, is an Academic Scholar and is a member of the 1st Lacrosse and Polo teams. She’s studying Economics, English Literature, Maths and Spanish A Levels, she is aiming for Oxbridge. Minty also enjoys Drama and is an International Young Leader for the OSCAR Foundation.

There are many new faces this year, so it is one of their key priorities to make sure each new girl feels welcome and included, visiting the younger pupils once or twice a week to check how they are settling in.

Amelia plays in the 1st Lacrosse team and loves other sports such as athletics and swimming. At A Level, she is studying Classical Civilisation, English Literature and History of Art. Amelia also takes the Leiths Food and Wine Course alongside SAT testing, as she would like to go to USC or Yale in America for university. She has a passion for helping others and is involved in a school for slum children in Bangalore and Bali which she has visited and continues to work with.

Olivia loves playing tennis and swimming and was previously the Swim Captain. Currently studying Economics, English Literature and History at A Level alongside online courses called MOOC. Olivia is passionate about helping animals and will travel to Burma in her gap year to volunteer in elephant sanctuaries. She aims to go to St Andrews or Edinburgh for university.

The Head Girl Team continues to build the bonds between year groups and sustain the sense of respect in school. They plan to widen the School’s social reach by hosting charitable

Boots, Sophia and Harriet 2018/2019 Head Girl Team.

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Vision to transform the Sixth Form Heathfield is embarking upon our most ambitious transformation of the Sixth Form. The project has been thoughtfully designed to provide a space dedicated to our life skills and mentoring programme, and to meet the study and social needs of all our students. The vision for our Sixth Form will be achieved in part by the provision of a newly built Sixth Form space.

Supporting each student to reach their potential is central to the Sixth Form experience at Heathfield. In addition to academic success, offering experiences for leadership and responsibility is an important part of our Sixth Form.

Over the last academic year there has been an increased focus on preparing each student for life, challenges and opportunities beyond the school gate, and this has included focusing on an internationally recognised set of skills that have formed the basis of the SPIRIT programme. The next phase is to introduce a more formal link between our Sixth Form students and Heathfield Old Girls as part of a life-long Heathfield bespoke support and mentoring programme.

Currently Heathfield does not have the physical space to develop and deliver our Sixth Form skills and mentoring programme. As the pupil numbers are increasing year on year, we will be in the enviable position of running out of space by 2021/22. The plan is to build a purpose-designed, two storey Sixth Form Centre in the underutilised space between the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth boarding areas.

The building has been architecturally designed and will be furnished with the skill-effect we need each space to inspire and enable. The new environment will enable each student to fulfil their potential and ensure they are fully prepared for the transition between school, further education and work.

The total cost of the Sixth Form Centre is £2.5m. As with all projects of this size, it will be financed by fundraising and the School borrowing to underwrite the generous pledges. The current pupils and alumnae spearheaded our fundraising campaign through their record-breaking efforts at St Nicholas’ Stalls 2019.

Heathfield does not have an endowment, and fee income is rightly applied to educating and nurturing the pupils of today. We rely on generous support to help us extend opportunities through bursary funding, or to carry out vital developments which enhance the pupils’ experience and keep us ahead of our competitors. Every major facility from which pupils benefit today, such as the Chapel, the sports hall, the swimming pool, the Performing Arts Centre, STEM building and recording studio, has only been made possible through the generosity of the School community.

Thank you to all our donors. If you wish to be involved and support Heathfield’s future and that of the Sixth Form students, please contact Mrs Marina Gardiner Legge, Headmistress, or Mrs Emma Boryer, Director of Development (development@heathfieldschool.net).

2019 120th year

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Heathfield celebrated another year of exceptional A Level results with nearly 40% of our students’ results securing A*/A, 65.6% A* to B and 82.2% A* to C. Over 50% of leavers went on to leading Russell Group universities to study a diverse range of subjects including Computer Science, English, Maths, Modern Languages, Biochemistry, Psychology, Politics and Art History. Heathfield students continued to excel in the arts and a number of award-winning students are taking their creative passions and talents in this area further at university to study Art, Photography and Music.

Academic

Summer 2019 exam results At GCSE, the ‘Added Value’ measure hit an all-time high score with results for every exam taken being at least one grade higher than expected, based on statistical predictions. In another year of stellar GCSE results, 45% of grades received by our students were in the top 9-7/A*-A category. However, the stories behind these grades are about character and confidence, which lead to achievement. The girls faced obstacles and challenges along the way, but with true Heathfield spirit persevered – and this resilience, work ethic and determination will stay with them for life.

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Science Week The theme for Science Week was Journeys and as part of our 120th celebrations, Science set an interhouse competition in which the girls were challenged to send 120 Pringles a distance of 120km by post and see how many of them returned undamaged. Austen House won the challenge by managing a total of 9 still complete Pringles!

Other 120 challenges included making 120 sided and faced shapes called rhombicosidodecahedron and disdyakis triacontahedra respectively. The whole School was called upon to model element 120 Unbinilium on the School field and an ice model of 120 molecules of water was made.

The Maths Department were keen to be involved and set a variety of 120-second Maths challenges. The Science

Department had set itself the challenge of completing 120 different experiments during Science Week, contributions from Open Day and Science Club all helped as well as a variety of practicals carried out across all the different years in the School.

These included setting off rockets, chemical painting, lighting whoosh bottles, making models of blood, performing heart dissections, building wind up cars, looking at the harmonics and the speed of sound and diffraction with a laser to name but a few!

All 120 experiments were achieved, and the week concluded with students being challenged to sample edible insects with the promised treat of liquid nitrogen ice cream on a stick with marshmallows, as a reward.

2019 120th year

Science, Forensics and Crime During an assembly in October, Mrs Whitton, Director of Pastoral and Boarding was dramatically murdered during a live feed interview from the Leiths cookery building. Form III were immediately summoned to examine the scene of the crime and found she had suffered a blunt force trauma to the head and then shot.

Pupils were tasked to spend the day investigating who was responsible for this heinous crime. This included a variety of forensic experiments including blood typing, analysing trace evidence for metal and non-metal parts of salts, fingerprinting, chromatography, handwriting analysis, pollen analysis and footprint tread analysis.

The girls conducted interviews with five suspects identified as having strong motives. Detailed forensic reports were written up and the concluding evidence revealed Teaching Housemistress, Miss Phillipa Sutton, as the murderer.

Academic

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Mathematical Olympiad for Girls

Many congratulations to all our students who took part in the UK Mathematics Trust’s biggest national maths competition with over 700,000 entries each year from 4,000 schools. The highest-scoring students were then invited to take part in follow-on rounds such as the Olympiads.

Congratulations to Adelaide, Eira, Lily and Maya in Form V who took part. The competition is a two-and-a-half-hour paper, comprised of five challenging questions, designed to identify students for the UK Olympiad team. The paper is normally sat by students in Upper Sixth, so it was fantastic to see these four girls keen to take on the challenge in Form V. A special mention goes to Maya who achieved a Distinction in the competition. This would be a phenomenal achievement for a student of any age, but especially for one in Form V. Maya achieved a grade 9 in iGCSE Mathematics at the end of Form IV and is currently studying towards a Level 2 Certificate in Further Mathematics. We look forward to seeing what the rest of Heathfield Further Mathematics classes can achieve in future UKMT competitions.

Sixth Form revision tips

Mr Anshul Raja, author of How to Ace your A Levels came to talk to the Sixth Form. He discussed revision techniques with the Upper Sixth and how gamifying revision can provide encouragement to keep revising. The Lower Sixth received the first in a series of talks. Anshul set them the challenge of trying his techniques for a one-month period. Lower Sixth talks continued over the course of the rest of the term.

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Form IV pupils took part in a GCSE Ecological Sampling Day. Measuring and monitoring of environments is becoming increasingly important to both global science and the employment market, and it makes up a key part of both the GCSE Biology and GCSE Combined Science courses.

We are fortunate to have large and varied grounds here at the School. This enabled our pupils to examine the effects of mowing on plant distribution, the change in species and population density over a distance, and the effect of light intensity on the height and leaf diameter of nettles.

Academic

GCSE Ecological Sampling Day Students were able to experience both systematic and random sampling, identify many plant species using detailed scientific keys, and measure light intensity, soil pH and soil moisture levels.

All the girls worked well in their pairs, supporting and encouraging each other, and completed their analysis booklets as their Summer 2019 assignments.

ARTiculation The ARTiculation Prize has been designed to give young people a forum in which they are able to express their ideas on art. ARTiculation gives opportunities for young people to gain work experience in arts organisations and to talk to professionals about career pathways. Students use ARTiculation to support their A Levels, Personal Statements, CVs, EPQ Awards, Arts Awards and Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The ARTiculation heat at Heathfield was adjudicated by Alan Kluckow, whose fine art gallery in Sunningdale promotes contemporary British and international artists. Three Lower Sixth History of Art students entered the competition and spoke about their chosen art: Tansy: J W Waterhouse’s Hylas and the Nymphs 1896 Harriet: Alexander Calder Lobster Trap and Fish Tail 1939 Amber: Tony Cragg Group 2012 Tansy (LVI) was chosen to represent Heathfield at the regional heats of ARTiculation at Roche Court Educational Trust. Judge Olivia Warham MBE praised Tansy for her skilled use of references, an in-depth look and the truly significant amount of edifying content.

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Tycoon in Schools

Business

Tycoon in Schools is a national competition launched by Peter Jones CBE of Dragon’s Den to encourage young people to become entrepreneurs.

Students bid for a start-up loan, set up then run their business, returning the loan when they have made enough profit to pay it back. They gain skills useful for when they enter the world of work, such as team working, negotiation and problem solving.

In 2018/2019 two Lower Sixth teams entered and were very successful. One team was on the leader board in first position, for profit made, for several weeks. The teams were invited to Entfest which is a one-day festival held at the University of Buckingham to celebrate enterprise. It brings together students, entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and innovators to network, learn and champion enterprise. The girls benefitted greatly from the workshops and gained an insight into how to improve their website as well as making new contacts. They also met Peter Jones who was very impressed with their stall and products.

For the academic year 2019/2020 four Heathfield teams entered - Form I, Form II, Form V and a Lower Sixth team. The students enjoyed the independence of gaining finance for their businesses from an outside source, mirroring how you would gain business finance in the real world.

2019 120th year

Psychology Workshop Karen Duffy is a Team Leader for a major examining body, author and an experienced Psychology teacher (Head of Psychology for 15 years with 100% pass rate). She currently works at Manchester Metropolitan University as a Senior Lecturer and is Chair of the British Psychological Society SCOPTE branch.

demonstrating past examination scripts and sharing examination strategy and tips. In the afternoon we opened the lectures in St Mary’s Theatre to welcome students from a variety of local schools. Here Karen focused more on upcoming examination papers one and two, highlighting the structure of shorter questions where students do not apply well and can lose marks.

Karen spent the day at Heathfield and during the morning, worked exclusively with our Psychology students,

The girls found the day extremely beneficial and gained invaluable advice to apply to their forthcoming exams.

EFL - Cambridge University English Examination Success Heathfield Schools’ international students all take extra English Language courses to enhance their academic prospects. Final year students Frida, Marina, Phoebe and Tatiana passed their exams in academic skills for The International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Torry (UVI) gained a very high pass in her examinations (7.5+). In addition, Juana (Form III) attained a Merit grade for her Upper-Intermediate Certificate assessment, while Maya (Form IV) scored an A-average across all her four papers. The greatest commendation goes to Heathfield’s International Prefect, Flavia (LVI) as well as Vasilisa (LVI) who were both awarded The Certificate in Advanced English from The University of Cambridge.

Maria (LVI) also completed this examination and secured distinctions across all five papers resulting in proficiency status—the highest possible level in English ability from the university’s examination board. Maria’s high grade from her five hour-long examinations tested language skills including Reading Analysis, Written Composition, Spoken Fluency, Listening Comprehension and her accuracy of Advanced Grammar and Vocabulary.

The Advanced Certificate provides rigorous evidence for native English fluency. Accepted internationally at universities and higher education institutions, Maria’s exceptional qualification is equivalent to a full pass at extension AS Level English Language.

Academic

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Form I

Trip to Rushall Organic Farm Form I visited Rushall Farm near Bradfield in Berkshire on a clear day in February. After a talk about health and safety the groups set off to investigate environmental factors which affect farming and took measurements of light, moisture and the pH of the soils in three different locations.

Pupils were shown how Rushall Farm is a mixed organic farm, where they grow cereal crops and sell sheep and cattle. Pupils learned about inputs, processes and outputs into the farm and about how little labour is required and the use of machinery.

A geographical highlight was the Chalk Pit with its geological cross section dating back 87 million years. However, the highlight of the trip for the pupils was the time spent in the barn enjoying holding the new arrivals of lambs and meeting the litter of eight piglets.

Form I used their notes and data to complete an independent project back in the classroom.

2019 120th year

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International Netball at the

Trips

Copper Box An amazing time was had at the Copper Box, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday 19 January.

Both matches, Australia v New Zealand and England v South Africa, were intense and exciting, even though England just missed out on the win. It was a great opportunity for the girls to experience live international sport.

GCSE & A Level

Spanish Theatre Trip Students studying Spanish GCSE and A level travelled to London in February to watch the play: La Casa de Bernarda Alba written by Federico GarcĂ­a Lorca (1898-1936). This was a great opportunity for A Level students in particular, as it is the same literature book they study in preparation for their examination.

Heathfield students participated in a question and answer session in which they had the opportunity to discuss the play with the director and the Professor of Hispanic Studies from Durham University. All the girls enjoyed the play and showed great interest.

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Photography

Cultural Trip to Florence What a fabulous experience for all involved! We had great weather and blue skies without a cloud in sight so there was ample opportunity for photo shoots across the weekend.

The visit to San Gimignano offered breath-taking views of the Tuscan countryside, and a medieval torture museum, whereas the central square of Siena, Piazza del Campo, gave us all a chance to rest and absorb the architecture and historical sights.

The must-see points of interest within the city of Florence itself were not missed and we walked to the impressive Santa Maria Novella, onto the Ponte Vecchio and followed the elevated Medici walkways – only at ground level as the ‘normal’ Italian people would have done in the 15th century!

A highlight for all our contemporary creative and fashionconscious girls was the visit to the Gucci Museum with its collection of stunning, eclectic and sometimes outrageous outfits.

The Galleria dell’Accademia houses Michaelangelo’s marble sculpture of David, set apart from other sculptures of the same subject as it is believed to be of David before the fight with Goliath. This is such an iconic, impressive piece of work that all girls have been encouraged to include this piece of work within their coursework projects as inspiration and influence for their own images. They have also included, within their independent plans for their own images, inspiration from Botticelli’s painting, The Birth of Venus, which we viewed at the Uffizi Gallery, an extraordinary building itself built for Cosimo I de’Medici to house the magistrate offices, hence the gallery name.

However, nothing quite beats the views across Florence from an elevated position. We treated the girls to a night view of the city, focusing on the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, or Duomo, that dominates the Florence horizon from the Pizzale Michaelangelo and later in the weekend experienced the climb of 414 steps to the top of the Campanile (Giotto’s bell tower) to look at the view of the city from the Duomo.

2019 120th year

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Barcelona Trip Form III visited Barcelona for a cross-curricular trip.

We landed in glorious sunshine and the girls were able to explore the coastal resort town of Lloret de Mar including a walk along the beach as the sun was setting.

Our first excursion involved some Geography at the Torres Winery where we learnt about the complicated process of viticulture and the hard work of many generations of the family to make the business a success.

We then travelled to the centre of Barcelona and visited Casa Mila, our first experience of Antoni Gaudi; the building included a wonderful roof terrace where the girls completed Art sketches of the unique chimneys and spectacular views.

The next day, we visited Gaudi’s magnum opus, Sagrada Famila, where the girls completed a Religious Studies assignment, tracking the story of Jesus’ death on the Passion Façade with all its subtle symbols. Afterwards we visited the Barcelona City History Museum where we went back in time to Roman Barcino, visiting the underground ruins and completing some Classics tasks. After some free time, the day finished with some friendly competition as we visited the local bowling alley; well done to Katrina for finishing with the highest points score.

On our last day students gathered data using tourism surveys at Plaça de Catalunya to be used in Geography lessons. The final visit of the trip was to the famous theme park Tibi Dabo including rollercoasters, log flumes and a haunted house before we returned home to Ascot.

Trips

Form III

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Sixth Form trip to

New York

Over the Easter holiday, the Theatre Studies and History of Art students experienced a wonderful cultural trip to New York.

The days were filled with visits to the amazing galleries of New York, including a morning at the impressive Metropolitan Museum of Art taking in an extraordinary variety of artefacts, ranging from Japanese temples, shrunken heads, African sculptures, Islamic art and the wonderful Impressionist paintings. We also explored the Guggenheim, MOMA, and the beautiful Frick Collection. We took in the sights and atmosphere of the city, ascending the One World Observatory, taking a boat trip on the Circle Line as well as the very poignant 9/11 Memorial and Museum and a brisk walk in Central Park.

One evening the students visited Broadway to see the brand new production of Beetlejuice. With ground-breaking set design and special effects, this comical musical filled the girls with energy and the cast inspired with their outstanding acting and vocal skills.

The girls also enjoyed two evenings at Sleep No More; the experience takes place in a five-storey warehouse where it is impossible to see even half of the action first time, hence going twice! The talented actors and dancers led them through a magical world with some lucky students discovering extra secrets about these characters.

The Theatre Studies students spent an interesting morning with multi award-winning Broadway producer Manny Azenberg, where they asked him many questions on the history of Broadway and how it has evolved and changed in recent years.

Meanwhile, the History of Art girls went to the hidden gem, the Neue Gallery. Devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design, students saw the Self Portrait exhibition, studied the German Expressionists style and made links with Schoenberg’s challenging compositions. They were also lucky enough to see the Secession artist, Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. The girls were blown away by his intricate painting technique and use of gilded gold and silver that made her shimmer.

2019 120th year

Trips

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A Level Geography

Form II trip to

Four days of compulsory Geography fieldwork was a daunting thought as Georgie, Lottie, Sophia and Zahra set off for Swanage on Tuesday 7 May. Arriving in time for lunch at the Swanage Centre, we quickly set off for site one of three to examine coastal management along Swanage Bay. Techniques involved field sketches, measuring wave energy and beach sediment along the beach.

Form II Geography set off for a day trip to Cheddar Gorge in Somerset to see the variety of limestone features that they have been studying in class. It was also an opportunity to visit a honeypot site and consider the attractions that brings visitors to the area.

Trip to Swanage

The morning of day two involved the human geography in Swanage, looking at proportions of clone shops to home shops and areas of social deprivation. In the afternoon, we braved the gusty winds on the sand dunes at Studland to measure effects of visitor pressure and the unique plant succession.

Wednesday evening was the real pressure point when the students had to confirm their investigation titles and plan their individual fieldwork for the next two days. With the help of our tutor from Geofieldwork Ltd, four excellent titles were chosen involving working on two of the three locations. On Thursday and Friday, girls collected their own data, helping and supporting each other with measuring, collecting and soil testing and each evening was spent undertaking statistical testing on the data being collected.

The girls exhibited great qualities of teamwork and perseverance - especially when working through statistical tests at 9pm after a day in the field! The work continued to complete a 4000 word investigation which counted as 20% of their final examination mark.

Cheddar Gorge

The first stop was a guided tour around the impressive Gough’s Cave where pupils were told about the skeleton of the 10,000 year old Cheddar man - the earliest complete skeleton to be found in the UK. They also saw stalactites, stalagmites, and the frozen river and heard about the Lesser Horseshoe Bats that inhabit the cave. Form II were surprised to learn that the Caves had been used for many years to mature the Cheddar cheese made in the area – the giant truckles spend a year in the Caves at the constant temperature of 11°C. The girls showed their knowledge and enthusiasm by their many insightful questions.

Next came the climb up the 274 steps of Jacobs Ladder to see views of the Gorge, the village of Cheddar and the surrounding valley. The girls practised their skills of drawing field sketches and trying to capture and label the geographical features.

After lunch, everyone experienced the 270° virtual tour looking at the stunning scenery as though flying through the Gorge.

The girls enjoyed the panoramic views of the plateau and learnt about the unique vegetation in this Site of Special Scientific Interest and the goats and sheep that roam the slopes.

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Form I trip to

Form II and III trip to

The History trip to Canterbury and Dover included more students than ever before and we set off in three minibuses that stretched out along the roads as we travelled down.

Form II and III English students enjoyed a wonderful trip to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to watch a captivating performance of Twelfth Night.

Having studied the play, the students were able to engage with the performance and appreciate the highly comedic and typically slapstick humour often provided at The Globe.

Dover and Canterbury

Crossing Canterbury on foot we met our guides and were taken around the Cathedral precincts and into the cloisters and the cool of the main church. Here, one guide regaled us with the story of Thomas Becket, a troublesome priest struck down by state-sponsored assassins at the hands of a power crazed king. More affecting and personal was the details of Thomas’ death and the revelation that his hair-shirt, that he had not changed for seven years, was host to lice that because they had sucked the blood of a holy man were eagerly invited by surrounding monks to jump onto their cassocks so that they too could partake of the saint. Different times in which cleanliness was certainly not next to godliness!

We then travelled to Dover Castle where the students ate their lunch. Then, forming a crocodile, we all proceeded to the castle keep which has been redecorated to reflect its pristine internal decoration. Students completed exercises logging their visit, then enthusiastically visited the castle shop purchasing historic souvenirs and ice cream.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

All the students were fascinated by the architecture of the building and thoroughly enjoyed looking around the structure, imagining how it might have looked in the 1600s.

2019 120th year

Trips

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Form III trip to

Form I trip to

The Form III History trip to Ypres in Belgium set off early on a sunny September day, bound for the battlefields of World War One. The emphasis of this tour was not merely the division between the two sides and the destruction wrought in the trenches.

There was a focus on remembrance when we laid a wreath before the Menin Gate in Ypres and when we visited the largest commonwealth war cemetery in the world at Tyne Cot.

Form I’s trip to the New Forest was an opportunity to introduce the girls to the delights of viewing the world through the eyes of a geographer and to work collaboratively. Starting as soon as we left School, the girls observed the route and the landscapes around them.

Ypres Battlefield

Such sites in honouring the sacrifices had thought it fit to introduce a measure of equality in their design. Yet it was clear that what draws people back to these sites is not a sense of equality or anonymity, an ever-present danger when commemorating the dead, but the stories of human individuals that cling to these sites.

At the Advanced Dressing Station (A.D.S.) at Essex Farm dressing station in 1915, it was the news of his best friend’s death that led John McCrae to compose a poem that has now become integral to Remembrance Day. At Langemark we heard the tale of a private who won the VC: one who had been accounted of little worth by those around him, a person of slow wits and few achievements, who won a medal through storming a concrete pill-box and saving not only his comrades but the lives of the Germans by giving them the chance to surrender.

New Forest

On arrival, pupils had to draw a field sketch of part of the Beaulieu River which has been dammed to create Mill Pond. From there, they conducted traffic surveys of the surrounding roads, taking care to consider the risks first, and then analysed and mapped the High Street to consider (later in the classroom) who the main target market is for the shops. All these activities were watched closely by the local ponies and donkeys which roam wild in the area.

The second stop was a picnic lunch at Beaulieu in the forest, the site of a railway station and the Sales yard where the commoners sell the ponies. In the afternoon Form I visited Lyndhurst Museum where the girls were able to visit the ancient Verderers’ Court and listen to a talk about the ownership of the land, its wildlife and its history as one the oldest areas of natural woodland in the country and one of the newest National Parks. This was followed by a short visit to the museum and the shop before the journey home.

Form I showed great promise as curious geographers, asking questions and recording data accurately.

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Sports Science trip to

Bath University

Form II trip to

The Living Rainforest In October, Form II set off on a combined Science and Geography trip to The Living Rainforest. They arrived with a good understanding of tropical rainforests particularly their characteristics, location, climate and the layered structure of the vegetation.

The focus of the trip was to investigate the amazing adaptations of rainforest plants and animals which Form II have been looking at in lessons.

The girls had a tour of the two large greenhouses and were particularly interested in the Blue Poison Dart Frog, Two Toed Sloth, Agouti and Six Banded Armadillo and a new addition named Bill. They were able to recognise many of the plant species such as the Rosy Periwinkle from lessons.

Form II were able to gain an understanding of the rainforest environment and they were particularly struck by the hot and humid climate experienced in the glasshouses. The girls then had time to complete their own research into animals and plants that they had not previously studied and created annotated sketches of them. The trip was an engaging and immersive experience for Form II to augment their knowledge of Tropical Rainforests.

In November, all academic PE students travelled to Bath University for a day of Sports Science. The day began by taking part in a strength and conditioning session, which was challenging and fun. Students were then taken into the Sports Science Labs to learn about the testing of a variety of different athletes; Cesca and Floria were used as subjects to take part in a VO2 max test and the Wingate Anaerobic test.

It was interesting to see how athletes are tested in different ways, suitable for their sport, as well as seeing how the results inform their coaches, nutritionists and support staff in order to improve their performance. The rest of the group were challenged with strength tests where Adelaide proved she was the strongest in the group!

They were then taken to a seminar room where we met Kirsty May, a double mini trampolinist European champion at the age of 20. None of us had heard of the sport before but after watching videos of her perform we were very impressed with her skill, commitment to training and achievements. The day was completed with a lecture on Sports Nutrition and its importance within performance and recovery.

2019 120th year

GCSE Geography

A Level History, Politics and Sociology students attend

Knowledge Café Slapton Ley Field Centre Form IV Geographers spent three busy days at the Field Studies Centre in Slapton Ley completing the compulsory fieldwork component of their GCSE course. They undertook a coastal and rural investigation which encompassed devising a hypothesis, exploring different research methods, choosing sampling strategies and presenting their data.

The girls worked extremely hard and late into the evening to finish their investigations. They showed great team spirit and resilience and even the rain didn’t stop them persevering through the fieldwork.

In November, Sixth Form pupils took part in a Knowledge Café run by the educational charity Cumberland Lodge alongside pupils from other schools. Participants took part in a series of short discussions in small groups, guided by staff from Cumberland Lodge, exploring the modernday relevance of accounts of the rise of fascism from people who lived in 1930s Germany.

Everyone was encouraged to relate the historic accounts to issues facing young people in current times, tackling questions such as:

• How can we address tensions between generations, in our own families or communities?

• How can we build resilience and protect ourselves and others from being swept along by populist movements?

• How can society meet the needs of young people who are searching for meaning, purpose and the best in life, in challenging times?

The discussions touched on pressing issues such as the rise of populism and nationalism, young people’s responsibilities in democratic society, and the role of inter-generational exchange in learning lessons from past experiences. The girls were buzzing after their Knowledge Café experience, having had the opportunity to think through their responses to the questions raised by Darkness over Germany. The opportunity to discuss thoughts and ideas with peers from other schools, encouraged by staff from Cumberland Lodge, will also be an experience that they will remember.

Expressive Arts Faculty Trips

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Shakespeare Schools Festival

Art and Textiles Stephen Lisseman, former Creative Director at Gucci and Karl Lagerfeld, shared industry experience with Heathfield Students.

Both Art and non-Art students enjoyed workshops and lectures from Stephen Lisseman in which he deconstructed his approach to presenting a pitch for a role at a leading Haute Couture House. Stephen discussed his inspiration, mood boards and design work, and impressed the importance of understanding a brand.

In addition, as preparations gathered momentum for the forthcoming Heathfield Fashion Show, students had the opportunity to explore a range of responsibilities within the fashion industry.

Higher Education Lectures As part of an on-going series of Higher Education Lectures, Forms V, LVI and UVI Art and Design students enjoyed meeting representatives from the Charles H Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy.

The Charles H Cecil Studios occupy the most historic Florentine atelier still in active use. Fine Artists George Clark and Isabella Watling discussed with students the rigorous training in the practice and tradition of drawing and painting from life.

We are proud of our association with the Charles H Cecil Studios and encourage those interested in pursuing a professional career as a portrait artist to consider the short and full-time courses that they offer. For more information, please visit: http://www.charlescecilstudios.com/

2019 120th year

Expressive Arts

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Private View GCSE and A Level

Art and Design Show The Private View of GCSE and A Level Art and Design work was open to parents, students, governors, friends from the community and prospective parents on a warm evening in June.

Work on display ranged from Installation, Textiles, Fashion, and Fine Art and celebrated the outstanding creative talent of all those at examination level. We are very proud that all students in the Upper Sixth will be continuing their studies at excellent institutions across the UK.

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120th Anniversary

Fashion Show The 120th Anniversary Fashion Show held on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 March proved to be a spectacular celebration of creativity at Heathfield.

The black-tie dinner held on the Thursday, welcomed leading professionals from the fashion industry including Karen Diamond, Owner of Models 1, Denza Fashion Recruitment Agency, and Stephen Lisseman, former Creative Director of Lagerfeld and Gucci.

This networking event cemented Heathfield’s place as a leading national provider for Art education.

The fashion show entitled Purpose presented the work of GCSE and A Level students, as well as our Designer in Residence Louise Holloway. “This year’s show was the best yet and exemplifies the importance we place upon personalised Learning and Teaching by working with individual interests and needs,” said Mrs Eve Feilen, Subject Leader for Art & Design.

“ It was the most spectacular show and everyone in the audience was incredibly impressed with the professionalism of all the designers and models.”

Parent of Upper Sixth Designer

“ I was extremely impressed with the level of creativity and the sophistication of the execution.

Many of the outfits were runway worthy far beyond the world of a student show. I find it fascinating the talent these girls have at such a young age.”

Parent of Lower Sixth Designer The Show on the Friday also presented the work of Forms II and III, who had produced wearable sculptures and Frida Khalo inspired tops in their Textiles lessons with Miss Smith. It was great to see such enthusiasm from all the younger students.

2019 120th year

Expressive Arts

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LVS Music Competition Piano performances

Vocal and Instrumental performances

Sonya

Form II

Gold Medal

Lucy

Form III

Gold Medal

Tina

Form V

Gold Medal

Sophia

LVI

Gold Medal

Vasilisa

LVI

Gold Medal

Lily

Form II

Silver Medal

Sonya

Form II

Silver Medal

Form II

Silver Medal

Tina

Violet

Form V

Silver Medal

Rosaleen

Sophie D

Form V

Silver Medal

Form I

Silver Medal

Tansy

LVI

Silver Medal

Vasilisa

LVI

Bronze Medal

Katrina

Form III

Bronze Medal

Yeonjae

Form I

Bronze Medal

Lara

Form III

Bronze Medal

Adriana

Form II

Certificate of Participation

Grace

Form III

Certificate of Participation

Alisa

Form II

Certificate of Participation

Lucy

Form III

Certificate of Participation

Bella G

Form II

Certificate of Participation

Jasmine

Form I

Certificate of Participation

Intermediate Rock and Pop Vocals Francesca

Form IV

Silver Medal

Advanced Rock and Pop Vocals Sophie

Form V

Gold Medal

Composing class Isabella

Form II

Silver Medal

Our final medal haul was an amazing 6 Gold, 10 Silver and 4 Bronze!

2019 120th year

Young Musician Award 2019/2020 Heathfield entered two competitors in the vocal category in the local heat and both girls came top of their class with Tansy (LVI) winning first place and Lulu (Form III) runner-up.

Geoff Horton, Chief adjudicator commended Tansy on her engaging personality and Lulu on the potential of her voice. Both girls went through to the District round at St Joseph’s College in Reading but unfortunately due to illness Lulu could not proceed.

In the District heats Tansy sang a selection of songs including my solo Fac Ut Portem from the Stabat Mater. Although Tansy did not go forward to the Regional Final, her successful performance has led to her being engaged to sing in two other concerts showcasing young talent.

Expressive Arts

The Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland

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Music Department’s

Guest Artist Workshops

The Music Department welcomed two guest artists to music lessons and workshops in the Recording Studio in the first two weeks of the Michaelmas term.

Dr Randy Mayfield, Missionary Pastor, and Musician began his day at Heathfield singing You Raise Me Up in Chapel and then continued as a guest teacher in the Music Department. Dr Mayfield is an accomplished singer and songwriter and the girls loved his lessons which included performances with a heavy dose of humour mixed with his musical talent and sincerity.

Later, Tom Worrall ran a Workshop in the Recording Studio. Tom is a dynamic musician who has played piano, keyboards, drums, and percussion in many West End shows.

He is also an accomplished Sound Engineer and Music Producer and taught the girls how to use and get the best out of all the equipment in the school’s own Recording Studio.

Pergolesi Stabat Mater

Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater was written in 1736, in the final weeks of his life, and achieved great popularity after his death at the early age of 26 from tuberculosis. The Senior Choir performed beautifully, eleven of the fourteen movements to a select audience in the Chapel on the Friday of Exeat in March.

Notable solos were sung by Lexi (Form IV), Sophia (LVI), Sophie (Form V) and Tansy (LVI), as well as the duet, Santa Mater, Istud Agas sung by Tansy and Sophia (LVI).

The choir gave very credible performances of the opening and closing movements as well as the 40-second long, Pro Peccatis Suae Gentis and the Top 12 tackled the very fast fugue entitled, Fac Ut Ardeum Cor Meum extremely well.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau praised the opening movement of the Stabat Mater as the most perfect and touching duet to come from the pen of any composer.

2019 120th year

Music Captain’s Concert Friday evening music concerts continued to amaze audiences throughout the year. Parents, staff and students come along to listen to all the talented performers.

Expressive Arts

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A Sustainable Future

Photography Geography Competition

The 2019 Photography Geography competition was launched in June to the School for pupils, new pupils joining in September and staff to enter a photograph showing what A Sustainable Future might look like.

There were exactly 120 entries for the competition (an interesting coincidence for our 120th year!) and a huge variety of interpretations of the theme. Well done to Form V who had the highest proportion of entries. The judges were most impressed by the quality of the photographs and the efforts made to link to the theme which made choosing the winners very difficult. Prizes ranged from books for the Form winners, cameras for the overall winners and the unique Photography/ Geography competition badge for the special categories.

Forms I - III Form I - Minnie

Form II - Faline Form III - Gabriela Overall winner Sasha

Forms IV - V Form IV - Romilly Form V - Adelaide Overall winner Lucy

Sixth Form UVI - Floria Overall winner - Ziyi

One to have on the wall

Nicole (LVI)

Most geographically interesting Louise (Form V)

Most photographically challenging Romy (Form IV)

Closest to the theme Aamira (Form III)

2019 120th year

Sasha, Form II

Lucy, Form IV

Minnie, Form I

Trawler image: Ziyi, LVI

Expressive Arts

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Question Time

written by Claudia, Form V Panellist It was thrilling to participate in Heathfield’s very own Question Time. I found it both exhilarating and useful to be able to have supper and mingle with those in the political arena, having many intellectual discussions surrounding current affairs and the role of the Student Council. Through conversations with many of the guests that evening I was able to broaden and expand my knowledge of politics and other topics such as: gender balance in parliament, having a female leader, the forthcoming election and of course the hotly contended subject of Brexit.

However, that evening was not just about politics, I learnt of many developments in our local community and even further afield, speaking with members of the Windsor Council. As

both a member of the School Council and a panellist, it was a uniquely eye-opening opportunity in which I was able to develop and hone my confidence in public speaking and networking skills. I also improved my skills of constructing clear and concise arguments with supplementary evidence.

I enjoyed answering questions and relished the chance to express my opinion in front of my peers, members of staff and guests.

I would strongly recommend this opportunity to my fellow peers as it extended my knowledge base and provided me with a sense of self achievement and pride. Overall, I believe that this was one of the most enjoyable opportunities thus far at Heathfield and I will most definitely participate again in the future.

2019 120th year

Careers & Outreach Sport

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Dame Vivien Duffield Philanthropist

Heathfield welcomed Dame Vivien Duffield, an old Heathfield girl and philanthropist along with eight other old Heathfield girls. Dame Vivien, Chair of the Clore Duffield Foundation, has distributed funds of over £176 million pounds through her various works, donating to places such as The Royal Opera House, South Bank Centre and The Natural History Museum. Her charitable work has been formally acknowledged by many institutions, both in the UK and in Israel. In February 2013 she was assessed one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK by Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4.

Dame Vivien talked about her life and career. After Heathfield, she gained a place at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, and because of her fine achievement, all Heathfield girls were awarded a half-day holiday to celebrate.

Dame Vivien spoke about the future and what future generations might possibly experience in terms of the new technology that is in the making and how it could affect them.

She explained why the creative arts are so important, and the reasons why she values them and spends so much energy, time and money to make sure that all generations can enjoy, learn and access the creative arts.

Answering many questions from the audience Dame Vivien talked about how important it is to do what you love and feel passionate about. The girls were left very inspired and we all felt honoured to have Dame Vivien back at Heathfield.

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Continued

Speakers Mandy Hickson RAF Pilot

Welcome to my office were the opening words from our Founder’s Day speaker, Mandy Hickson. The ‘office’ to which she referred was a Tornado GR4 aircraft, as Mandy was only the second women to fly a Tornado. She completed three tours of duty with the RAF and flew 45 missions over Iraq.

Mandy dreamt about becoming an RAF jet pilot since the age of thirteen. In an honest and humorous manner, she described the obstacles that she faced to realise her dream to become a fighter jet pilot. She shared with the students and staff the attitudes and behaviours she has adopted in order to succeed. These include the positive impact that a team can make, self-belief and the importance of trying one’s best, as well as leading by example. To use Mandy’s final words, we need to Dream it, Believe it, Do it.

Dr Ann Schmiedekamp Professor of Physics, Penn State University

We welcomed Dr Ann Schmiedekamp to Heathfield in February. Dr Ann is a Professor of Physics at Penn State University and an Ambassador for the NASA Solar Systems Program. She teaches introductory astronomy courses and astrobiology.

Dr Ann joined lessons and gave a Science Workshop to Form IV. She also enjoyed afternoon tea whilst talking to groups of girls about current and future missions of NASA. In the evening Dr Ann gave a presentation explaining how NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past Ultima Thule in the early hours of New Year’s Day, reaching the most distant target in history – 4 billion miles from the Sun. Heathfield students, staff and families learned how this NASA mission has begun a new era of exploration in this distant region of space. Reaching the Ultima Thule is an incredible achievement and could hold keys to understanding the origins of the solar system.

2019 120th year

Careers & Outreach

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Jac Reed

Liz Felix

At the start of Michaelmas term, Heathfield School welcomed ex CSI and forensic scientist, Jac Reed who was a CSI for the West Midlands Police for over ten years and now works as a forensic technician at the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies.

Milliner Liz Felix gave a fascinating talk about her work as a hat designer and creator. Liz trained at the London College of Fashion and her brand is best known for its range of unique and stunning occasion hats. Liz has been making hats for over 25 years and one of her main clients is Theresa May.

Forensic Scientist

Jac explained the significance of forensics and how forensics is the application of science to legal issues, and a comprehensive understanding of the world and its scientific makeup. She highlighted that every contact leaves a trace (Edmund Locard) and that this fact serves as a starting point for many cases.

Additionally, Jac highlighted the key points on how to find and prosecute a suspect; linking a suspect to the scene, and then the scene to the crime. Furthermore, the girls learnt about the various ways in which evidence can be collected from a crime scene, some of which include Entomology and its link to identifying the victim’s time of death, and fibres that have been left behind, and their links to the suspect, such as DNA. Jac explained about wildlife crime and her passion and commitment to the prevention of this lucrative industry. She talked about the extent of poaching and the smuggling of illegal products such as medicines made from animal features and ivory. This inspired the girls to really think about and to understand the severity of wildlife crime that is taking place around the world.

Milliner

Liz brought along a wide selection of hats which all the girls had fun trying on. They came in a great variety of shapes, sizes and colours so there was something to suit everyone. The girls had a wonderful time with Liz and gained an invaluable insight into hat designing and millinery.

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WiseUp Team Building Day

Form I and II took part in a team building day with a team from WiseUp. The girls took part in thirty-five different team building and problem-solving tasks.

After a presentation, the students were split into teams of ten and assigned a supervisor. They chose a challenge from the Hub Board before using a map to navigate to the equipment. After completing the task, they then returned the challenge to the board and repeated the process.

With help and support from supervisors, the students were encouraged to come to their own conclusions about the performance of their team and the scores they felt they deserved.

2019 120th year

Pastoral

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Henfold Lake

Form III Activity Day

At the start of the new academic year Form III faced the challenge of completing an obstacle course in deep mud! This was an opportunity for the girls to practice their teamwork and to show individual grit and determination.

After an initial warm-up of army crawling and pushing each other around in a giant wheelbarrow, the girls found themselves in front of what can only be described as a giant hole full of muddy water, with a cargo net on the other side to get themselves out. After much screaming and shock at the cold water, the girls all entered the pit followed by their intrepid tutors.

Two hours later, after many more mud pits, crawling through metal tubes, sliding down fireman poles and facing down many existing fears especially of heights, they reached the end of the course. The girls showed superb teamwork as they cheered each other on and helped each other out of the muddy pits.

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Form V

Youth Leadership Programme

National Citizen Service

Form V embarked on an eight week Youth Leadership training course led by International keynote speaker Leela Bassi. Leela was a member of the first all-women diversity team to trek 100km across the artic in temperatures of -40 degrees and winds over 80 mph.

Heathfield set up two workshops for Form V and LVI students with the National Citizen Service (NCS).

At the first workshop, the NCS explained in detail what it offers students, both in terms of personal and social development and as a valuable contribution to their CVs and Personal Statements.

The girls learnt about the invaluable life skills of public speaking: how to prepare and deliver a speech and how to present themselves. The course also instilled in them the confidence to deliver a speech to a group of people.

Ultimately the girls delivered some inspirational, emotional and humorous 3-minute speeches.

NCS is a government-backed programme designed to enrich, challenge and empower all young people. Young people who take part have an Adventure Week staying in an outdoor activity centre, a Discovery Week in university accommodation learning essential life skills and an Action Week devising a social action project in the local community.

Last year 100,000 young people took part in the summer programmes and NCS is the country’s fastest-growing youth movement.

Lily Ball This year the traditional Lily Ball for the Upper Sixth, their parents and staff was held at the Thames Rowing Club. A very enjoyable time was had by all with fine dining and dancing. Our thanks go to Mrs Tiff Beilby who did a wonderful job organising the event and to all who attended for making the evening so special for our leavers.

The second NCS workshop was a PSHE session where students participated in a lively and engaging discussion, demonstrating a strong grasp of current social and political topics. Whilst Heathfield girls generally have strong opinions, they also demonstrated the important ability to listen to other people with different opinions to their own.

2019 120th year

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Duke of Edinburgh The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme provides an opportunity for girls to challenge themselves, work as a team, learn new skills as well as give back to the community.

A wet and windy weekend in 2019 saw 14 intrepid Form III girls brave the elements to try out their skills as navigator and explorers.

The starting point for the expedition was Swinley Park where girls navigated through open heath and old ice houses. Once in Swinley Forest, girls had to navigate to Mill

Co-Curricular Highlights

Pastoral

Bronze Award

Pond, Lower Star, and Caesars Camp. Even though there are lots of designated pathways it was still easy to become disorientated.

The night’s camping was blustery and wet and not much sleep was had but girls woke early ready to start breakfast cooking and made hot chocolate.

On the second day, everyone was driven out to Windsor and the Long Walk. The students had to get to Ascot Racecourse through Windsor Great Park and eventually managed to cross the course to make a homeward trek.

Outside of the classroom, there has been plenty to keep Heathfield girls busy. Sports clubs and extra training takes place during lunchtimes and after school for Lacrosse, Swimming, Netball and in summer Tennis and Rounders, we even have swimmers training in the Heathfield pool before school. Other after school sports clubs that are popular are Fencing, Spinning and Trampolining.

Some of the girls had Personal Fitness Trainers working with them in the school gym as well as private Tennis Coaches on one of our six courts.

For the musical members of our school community, the band, wind ensemble and orchestra play an active part in life at Heathfield, performing in Chapel, concerts and musicals.

Other co-curricular clubs that have proved popular are Art and Textiles, Badminton, Cookery, Eco Club, Debating, Philosophy, Photography and Science.

Lunchtime clinics offer girls from all year groups support and help with homework, extra practice and specialised advice in Business, Geography, Maths, Photography, RS and Spanish.

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LAMDA Congratulations to everyone for an amazing set of results in their LAMDA exams. Heathfield girls taking exams in Acting, Musical Theatre, Speaking in Public, and Verse and Prose all passed with 100% Distinction/Merit.

Dance and Ballet The Natalie Vinson School of Dance (NVSDD) teaches RAD Ballet, ISTD Modern Dance, Contemporary Dance, Pointe, Street Dance and Pilates at Heathfield. Girls attended a Professional Dance Workshop with Kimberley Wyatt and enjoyed Dance Workshops with professional dancers from top dance companies including the Royal Ballet Company, StopGap Dance Co and BoyBlue Entertainment.

Charity Initiative

Fresh Start In December, Fresh Start made their first donation of just over 400 hygiene products to Ealing Food Bank. Fresh Start’s ambition started out only in September, as an idea by Alia (LVI) to fill the gap in the charitable industry through the collection and donation of essential hygiene products (i.e. toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary and shaving products etc.). These will be distributed to local food banks thus enabling them to provide a further service to those in need, not only providing them with the basic needs of food but making available hygiene products that most of us take for granted daily.

Fresh Start has been receiving generous amounts of donations from staff, students and parents at Heathfield and we are currently in the process of collaborating with Tesco, who will be assisting with the collection of donations from the local public community from January.

The Athena Society hope to gradually expand awareness of hygiene poverty through Fresh Start discussions and talks at local schools, communicating with the press and continuing to provide our local food banks and homeless shelters with essential hygiene products we feel should be available to everyone, no matter their circumstance.

2019 120th year

Phab Club Phab is a National charity that aims to bring together children and young adults with and without disabilities to work, play and learn together in an environment that is mutually enriching. Marking our 120th year, Heathfield collaborated with Eton College and Eden Schools to establish a Phab club that meets every fortnight at Eton College.

Heathfield girls receive training in health and safety and practical tips in interaction so that they can play host to a guest list of young people with a variety of disabilities.

Board games, pool, wii games, creative activities, karaoke to name but a few, have provided opportunities for all the young people to discover something about themselves and each other. It is a real privilege to observe the ease and warmth with which all the young people have embraced each other. One of our girls has gone on to take part in the annual Phab Summer Camp.

Royal British Legion

Poppy Appeal Our regular annual involvement in the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal continued this year with girls supporting the sale of poppies at nearby Tesco in Warfield.

Community

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Sport Lacrosse It has been a memorable year for Lacrosse at Heathfield. Our biggest achievement on school records at the National Schools this year, not only qualifying for the 1st Division but also winning gold!

A fantastic achievement by our 1st team and coach Miss Reynolds.

We continued our success at National Small Schools tournament winning a silver medal, once again a superb achievement for the girls - rounding off a superb season for the 1st team.

Inspired by the Senior’s, the U13 team went on to win silver at the South West Schools Tournament in the plate competition, where yet again the 1st team were unbeatable, earning another gold medal.

Heathfield players Auriel, Cesca and Scarlett are members of the England Lacrosse Pathway and were selected for the Regional National Academies. All three were all chosen for the SW counties team with Cesca’s team making the Counties final.

South West Schools’ Lacrosse Tournament – Division 1 Winners When most of their peers would have been in bed asleep on exeat Saturday, the 1st lacrosse team were busy making Heathfield history at the South West Schools’ Lacrosse Tournament held at St Swithun’s School, Winchester.

The morning’s round of matches is about ‘fighting it out’ for positions which determine the afternoon groupings and divisional play. After hard fought matches against St Swithun’s, Godolphin, Monmouth and Canford the team qualified for Division 1. Here they lost to Marlborough 2–5 and drew with St George’s 2-2.

As the team’s goal difference was better than St. George’s we went through to the semi-finals to play St Bart’s. A closely fought match saw us winning 3-2 and a rematch in the final against Marlborough College. The game did not start well, we went 0-3 down in the first eight minutes, things did not look good. However, the second half saw an early goal and a glimmer of hope in making a comeback for at least extra time.

Heathfield girls are made of strong stuff! Always up for a challenge and a chance to make their coach ‘suffer’ they fought back to level the match at 3-3. With 2 minutes remaining they took the lead and played intelligently maintaining possession to eventually hear the final whistle and a 4-3 win to become Division 1 Champions – a Heathfield first!

2019 120th year

Netball

Swimming

Netball at Heathfield continues to develop from strength to strength.

All our girls competed well in both Ascot Schools and Berkshire tournaments. Our U13s winning silver at the Ascot Schools.

With our new floodlit courts, we can offer more and more opportunities for the girls and our netball is rapidly improving as a result. Participation and involvement within netball continues to grow, inspired by our visit to the Copper Box to watch the International Quad Series.

We currently have over 35 girls in Form I and II regularly attending training sessions and competing in matches.

This year has been exceptional for Heathfield Swim Team. Winning Ascot Schools (U13) and competing in the Wycombe Abbey Invitational, our swim provision and opportunities are going from strength to strength. Swim Practice runs on a Monday and Wednesday after school, and Wednesday mornings from 7am. We have girls regularly training and competing with Windsor Swimming Club who train at Heathfield.

Hockey Utilising the experience and knowledge of our PE department, we are gradually introducing Hockey into the curriculum. Our older girls have played a couple of training matches against LVS and had a block of Hockey lessons in their curriculum games lessons. The girls are really enjoying it and we look forward to seeing our Hockey develop at Heathfield.

The U12 Swim Team of Allegra C, Birdie, Johanna, Laura and Olivia placed first in the Ascot Schools’ Competition and fourth at the Independent Schools’ Relays Competition in May – swimming up an age group.

Well done to Alice (Form III), Allegra C, Johanna and Olivia (Form II) who have all achieved qualifying times for Berkshire County Swimming Squad. Allegra and Olivia were also selected to represent the U16 Windsor Medley and Free Relay Teams at County Champs 2020.

Alice swims for Wycombe Swim Club and achieved nine county times in Freestyle, Butterfly, Backstroke and Breaststroke. Alice also competed in Frankfurt at an International Swimming Gala achieving two Silver and two Bronze Medals.

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New School

New House

Alice - Form III in U14 4 X 25m IM & 25m Butterfly

De Valois

Records in 2019

Records in 2019 Allegra C, Junior record in 25m Freestyle and 25m Backstroke

Allegra C - Form II in U12 25m Backstroke, U13 25m Breaststroke, U13 50m Breaststroke, U13 25m Backstroke, U13 50m Backstroke

Olivia, Junior record in 4 X 25m IM & 25m Butterfly Allegra C, Birdie, Clemmie and Olivia, Junior Freestyle Relay

Carina - Form IV in U15 25m Freestyle, 25m Breaststroke & 50m Breaststroke

Allegra (Form II), Auriel (Form V), Birdie and Olivia (Form II), OPEN Freestyle relay House record

Johanna - Form II in U13 50m Breaststroke Olivia C - Form II in U12 4 X 25m IM, U12 25m Freestyle, 25, Butterfly, U13 25m 4 X 25m IM, U13 25m Freestyle, U13 25m Butterfly, U13 50m Freestyle U12 Team Allegra C, Birdie, Laura and Olivia set a new 4 X 25m Free Relay school record at Independent Schools’ Relays competition – swimming in the U13 age group U12 Team Backstroke – Allegra C, Breaststroke – Johanna, Butterfly – Olivia, Freestyle – Birdie set 4 X 25m Medley Relay school record at Independent Schools’ Relays competition – swimming in the U13 age group U13 Team Allegra C, Birdie, Laura and Olivia set a new 4 X 25m Free Relay school record U13 Team Backstroke – Allegra C, Breaststroke – Johanna, Butterfly – Olivia, Freestyle – Birdie set a new 4 X 25m Medley Relay school record

Seacole Aisha, Emma, Floria and Georgina, Senior Freestyle and Medley relay House records

Somerville Anya, Emily, Johanna and Sasha, Junior Medley Relay House record

2019 120th year

Activity Weeks Fencing This year Miss Willimott has introduced Activity Weeks during PE lessons at the end of each half term. This is to encourage girls to try something new, and if they haven’t already, find a physical activity they are passionate about! So far, Activity weeks have consisted of Dance, Basketball, Hockey, Volleyball, Water Polo, Tag Rugby, Football, Ice Skating, Bowling and many more!

With six months of training behind her, Maia (UVI) became the first Heathfield pupil to enter a national competition in this sport. She had to compete against girls who had been fencing for many years, some of whom were county and National standard.

Trampolining

Tennis

South Region Trampolining Competition – The U14 Intermediate team qualified for the South Zonal Competition.

Alongside our Summer Term Curriculum lessons, girls played competitive fixtures with local schools.

Summer co-curricular tennis was very popular, and some girls opt to have 1-1 tennis lessons all year round to prepare themselves for the tennis season.

There are now eight girls who fence regularly twice a week and we hope to enter the Independent Schools’ competition for the first time.

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Athletics Four girls have been training and competing twice a week at Windsor Slough and Eton Athletics Club.

During the summer months the girls have been very successful at competitions.

Calia (Form IV) won Gold at Alder Valley Girls’ League (Javelin), Gold at Southern Athletics League Division 1 (Javelin), Gold at UK Youth Development U17 League Division South Premier (Javelin), two Golds at Southern Athletics League Division 1 (Javelin & High Jump) and Gold at Alder Valley Girls’ League (High Jump).

Sports Day On 24 June we hosted our annual Sports Day. Originally postponed due to weather conditions, we did not let it stop us! It was a fantastic afternoon where every girl represented their house, earning valuable points for their team.

Stand out performances: Jazzy (Form I) Junior 100m Winner (New School Record) and Junior 200m Winner, Junior Hurdles Winner, Junior High Jump Winner Milly P (Form I) Junior 1500m Winner Olivia (Form I) Junior Javelin Winner (New School Record) Alice (Form II) Junior 800m Winner Clemmie (Form II) Junior Long Jump Winner Joy (Form II) Junior Shot Putt Winner (New School Record) Tessa (Form II) Junior Discus Winner Katrina (Form III) Intermediate 800m Winner Adelaide (Form IV) Intermediate Shot Putt Winner Calia (Form IV) Intermediate Javelin Winner (New School Record) Intermediate High Jump Winner and Intermediate Hurdles Winner Cesca (Form IV) Intermediate 1500m Cup Floria (LVI) Senior Long Jump Winner, Senior 100m Winner and Senior 300m Winner

Taekwondo Adelaide (Form V) won two gold medals at the National Clubs Championships.

Georgina (LVI) Senior Discus Winner Immie (LVI) Senior 200m Winner Thank you for the enthusiastic support from parents, it was great to see so many of you cheering on the girls. After a tense wait for the results, Mrs Gardiner Legge presented De Valois with the winning House Cup.

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Polo Heathfield have two training days for Polo with Coolhooves at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club and HK Polo at Ranelagh Farm and Westcroft Park.

Heathfield v Eton In March, Heathfield Diamonds, Kiki (Form V), Minty (Form V) and Victoria (LVI) won 11-9 against Eton in their warmup for the SUPA Senior Nationals at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club.

SUPA Senior Nationals The Heathfield Diamonds, Kiki, Minty and Victoria took part in the SUPA Seniors National Arena Polo Championships at Rugby Polo Arena in March.

With 38 teams entered and constant play in two arenas, it was a very important day for our outstanding Heathfield players. 64 x 7-minute chukkas were played by the teams during the day, which includes a great deal of fast-paced polo.

Our girls were outstanding, playing against Millfield, Harrow, Milton Abbey and Wellington College teams. After a penalty shoot-out, which we won, Heathfield Diamonds were placed 5th in their Upper Intermediate Division of nine teams.

SUPA Girls National Arena Championships Despite challenging weather conditions of gale force winds and hailstone showers, 11 Heathfield polo players took part in the SUPA Girls National Arena Championships on Sunday 10 March. In the fantastic surroundings of the Black Bears Polo Club all players gave a great display of team play and

gamesmanship. Heathfield Diamonds came 2nd in the Open division.

SUPA National Junior Schools Arena On Saturday 24 March Heathfield entered two teams in the SUPA National Junior Schools Arena Championships at Black Bears Polo Club. The Heathfield Emeralds won their division, congratulations to Julia and Marley (Form I) playing alongside the coach’s son Hari, what a great result.

Heathfield Mix, Isobel, and Yeonjae (Form I) and Hari’s brother Kam were 3rd in their division. A great result for their first competitive match.

Copenhagen Shield Our first game in the 2019 Copenhagen Shield at Black Bears Polo Club was a hard-fought match and saw the Heathfield Diamonds take on the Eton A team. The first chukka saw Heathfield two goals up then Eton matched, up to six all.

In the final seconds of the last chukka Eton scored a lucky winning goal. The Heathfield team played magnificently against the brute force of Eton.

Sunday’s match at Guards Polo Club against Marlborough was another fantastic display of team play from the Heathfield girls, their skills gave the great result of a win to us 7-2. We were the only all-girl team competing!

SUPA Schools, Girls Arena Tournament A total of nine teams played in three divisions in the first official tournament of the winter arena season.

Heathfield Diamonds took second place in the hard-fought Open Division, losing by only one goal. Heathfield Rubies came second in the Novice Division and the Heathfield Sapphires took third place in the Beginners.

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Heathfield riders attend weekly riding lessons at The Berkshire Riding Centre in Winkfield where riders of all levels can enjoy themselves from beginners to advanced. During these lessons instructors cover everything from balance basics up to advanced show jumping.

Sport

Equestrian During 2019, two show jumping competitors regularly competed for Heathfield at national schools’ events. Calia (Form V) won the 90cm Just for schools and the 1m unaffiliated and finished 2nd in the Area 13 Tetrathlon (Junior girls 90-1m XC) Laura (Form II) was placed 4th in the 1.10cm NSEA Championships and is probably the youngest rider to achieve this.

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Weekends Weekends are always busy and fun at Heathfield, bringing pupils closer together and enabling friendships to grow and build. With sport fixtures on Saturday mornings, the weekend programme continues with a selection of diverse activities suitable for all age groups. This year, trips have gone out to aquaparks and trampoline centres, girls have enjoyed indoor skydiving, ice skating and sno-tubing. They have been covered in mud during gruelling assault courses, set themselves free from Escape Rooms and climbed high on tree top adventure courses. There have been outings to Christmas Markets, Bath, Winchester and trips to the London Aquarium, Winter Wonderland and to cinemas and the theatre. There have been leisurely walks in Windsor Great Park and outings with friends to the cafĂŠs and shops at the Lexicon in Bracknell, Windsor and Ascot.

At School, there have been plenty of other activities including roller discos, giant inflatables, human hungry hippos and of course lots of crafts such as making jewellery, baking and Easter egg decorating. Inter-House competitions have been closely fought in Singing, Dancing, Drama and Sports and bonded girls across the year groups. Girls have also enjoyed weekend socials with Eton, Harrow, Papplewick and Sunningdale Prep from BBQs to Scottish Country Dancing.

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Halloween & Bonfire Night For Halloween, Boarding staff transformed the Assembly Hall into a Halloween Games Room which included What’s in the box?, apple bobbing, pie face, dunking donuts, throw the ring on the witch’s hat, and a beanbag challenge. Lots of prizes were up for grabs and it was lovely to see Mrs Gardiner Legge getting fully involved, even though she ended up being covered in slime! At the end of the weekend, Form III were able to burn their versions of Guy Fawkes on the bonfire as Heathfield put on its annual fireworks extravaganza for family and friends.

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Winter Wonderland

Mid-December, Forms I to IV and Sixth Form all travelled to Hyde Park after school to visit Winter Wonderland. Girls arrived in high spirits, and practically sprinted through the gates! They all had the choice of going to watch Cirque Beserk, Paddington on Ice, or going on the Big Wheel, as well as having time to go on some of the many rides.

Paddington on Ice was a great hit, the motorbike display in Cirque Beserk was incredible, and girls could see miles across London from the top of the Big Wheel. They also enjoyed the chance to visit some of the diverse food stands, with girls spotted holding candyfloss almost as big as they were! It was a very festive trip and greatly enjoyed by everyone.

Weekends

Whole School Trip to

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Summer School Almost 200 Summer Campers from Britain were joined on our international courses by girls from all over the globe including Europe, the USA, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, la Côte d’Ivoire and Venezuela.

Together we celebrated this diversity in our summer theme, One World, in festivals, shows and sports tournaments.

Students also learnt about protecting the world, taking part in art projects, discussions and drama, one highlight being a Summer Camp performance entitled There is no Planet B. The girls, aged from seven to seventeen, enjoyed a range of activities from the calmness of yoga, cake baking, photography, origami and soap making to high energy activities such as spinning, street dance, water polo, cheerleading and workshops with The Majorettes, a fabulous world-record winning hula-hooping group.

All this, plus trips to places of interest and to leisure parks, as well as English lessons for Summer School girls, makes Heathfield a very busy place in July and August.

We welcomed prospective Heathfield pupils, daughters and relatives of Old Girls, and current or past pupils from the UK and around the world. Adriana first came to Summer Camp in 2015 after attending a London prep school and in 2018 joined main school for a year. Although she is now back in Spain, Adriana (age 13) is returning to Summer School again this year and writes: ‘Summer at Heathfield is unquestionably one my favourite times of the year. This is because of the incredible atmosphere all the staff create. I have attended camp for 5 years already and I intend to do so until I become staff myself! Each year is always even better than the one before. One of the great things about Heathfield is that you always make new friends every year. Every day is always a different day, with different activities, laughter and enjoyment. Thanks to this, I get to experience my passion for all sports in the best way possible. Heathfield Summer School made such an impact on me that I wanted to join the main school for a whole year! I cannot wait to go back next summer and live this experience again.’

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The community of Heathfield old girls

Fellowship

The Fellowship Committee is a valuable network which not only connects former Heathfield and St Mary’s Wantage pupils but plays an increasingly active role in supporting each current generation.

The Fellowship is run by Old Girls for Old Girls and the Fellowship Committee saw a change in the Chair this year with Deidre Egerton-Smith stepping down and Karen Hurt picking up the mantle. Karen aims to build upon the strengths of the current alumnae community: “Heathfield Old Girls, lovingly nicknamed the HOGs, have been a hugely supportive part in my life over the decades.

During my tenure as Chair of the Fellowship I wish to promote and develop the social and professional networks that Heathfield School provides its pupils both former and current”.

Memorial Service for

Laura Tatham The unexpected loss of a much-loved Heathfield Old Girl prompted a request for a service of remembrance to be held in the Chapel of the Ascension in her memory and we were delighted to hold this Memorial Service for Laura Tatham (Heathfield 1977-1983) in February.

Fr David welcomed everyone to Chapel and led the service.

Laura’s friends and family took the readings and prayers and the Top 12 sang Panis Angelicus and The Lord Bless you and Keep you. Sophia and Tansy (LVI) made this poignant service complete with a duet of Pie Jesus.

It was a meaningful afternoon of memories and laughter.

Over a delicious tea, family, friends, and those staff who had known Laura had time to remember her and their time at Heathfield.

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Fellowship Networking Evening Our annual Sixth Form Networking Evening was held later in March. We were very fortunate to have ten of our Old Girls return from a myriad of different careers. They brought their knowledge and expertise together with truths about the successes and pitfalls during their journey from Heathfield to current careers. They also offered advice about universities and future employment which was invaluable to our students as they approach the next stage of their education.

Thank you to Emily Broughton, Georgina Colquhoun, Suzie Cullen, Charlotte Faber, Julianna Hicks, Alice Orr-Ewing, Camilla Ridley-Day, Charlotte Sutherell, and Ilaria Valaydon Pyke who brought the Heathfield warmth and spirit with them, engaged our girls and helped bridge school with the outside world.

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Fellowship Day Fellowship Day dawned on 18 May with the arrival of over 100 Old Girls together with their husbands and children. We were delighted and privileged to welcome back so many of our Old Girls who brought happiness, spirit and fun to our 120th Celebration Day. With so many returning after several decades, emotions ran high as we witnessed happy reunions.

We were inundated with stories about life at Heathfield from the past 50 years, mostly hilarious, well peppered with misdemeanors, high jinx and eye-opening pranks. However, the most powerful message of all was the obvious strength and depth of the friendships created while they were pupils at Heathfield, and these had endured throughout their lives. A testament to the Old Girl network and their ability to support and depend on each other through the decades no matter what. Chapel remained at the heart of the day with many searching for their engraved names on the wooden pews and talking about their time as Chapel Prefects.

2019 120th year

St Mary’s Wantage Reunion Lunch In March, we held our second St Mary’s Wantage Reunion Lunch when we welcomed twenty-two Old Girls to Heathfield for drinks and lunch, followed by a Chapel Service with Fr David.

During the afternoon we were able to show the Old Girls the St Mary’s theatre and the STEM building. As both facilities were built from the generous funds from the merger of the two schools, it was a great pleasure to be able to show them the positive impact St Mary’s money has had on girl’s education at Heathfield.

As before, these Old Girls brought with them warm-hearted and spirited fun and were generous in their enthusiasm about Heathfield. As we continue to grow our bonds with St Mary’s Old Girls, we look forward to seeing even more Old Girls return to the next reunion lunch.

Fellowship Carol Service The Fellowship Carol Service was held on 3 December at the Chelsea Old Church in London. It was a joy to see 150 Old Girls joining this Christmas celebration, which was followed by a party afterwards in Petyt Hall with drinks and canapés.

Old Girls, some who left Heathfield just a couple of years ago, joined those who have been gone a decade or more to make this a very special occasion. Rev David Reindorp, Vicar of Chelsea Old Church, was greatly impressed by the ability of our girls to reunite with such enthusiasm.

Special thanks must go to Alice Orr-Ewing, Alice St ClairErskine, Emily Marr, Marina Gardiner Legge and Tom Cross Brown for their perfectly executed readings and the magnificent Chelsea Old Church Choir who brought strength and depth to the music and carols.

Old Girl, Georgina Stewart (1999-2006) held the reins this year and with her enthusiasm and ability arranged a particularly happy and successful evening. We look forward to welcoming Heathfield Old Girls again next year at this special Fellowship event.

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Christmas at Heathfield

St Nicholas’ Stalls

Christmas Cake Competition

Ask any Heathfield pupil, current or alumnae, about St Nicholas’ Stalls and their eyes shine as they recall stories of House fundraising, festive fun, games and grottos.

Leiths School of Food and Wine Students

As part of Heathfield’s 120th anniversary, the traditional and popular aspects of St Nicholas’ Stalls remained, however, a few significant celebratory changes were added. Most importantly, the Fellowship Committee organised and manned a stall alongside the current Houses. The Fellowship Committee’s stall held Heathfield memorabilia, badges, uniform, magazines, plus a luxury raffle to assist with the fundraising effort. And, for the first time, St Nicholas’ Stalls went global beyond the school hall via an online auction so all members of the Heathfield community could be involved with this symbolic St Nicholas’ Stalls.

And, as it transpired, the wider Heathfield community did support this special St Nicholas’ Stalls – there were donations, purchases and auction bids from several continents; and on the day of St Nicholas’ Stalls Governors, former Governors, current and former staff members, Old Girls, current parents, parents of Old Girls all supported the current pupils to raise money for Heathfield’s first Sixth Form Centre. The Chair of the Fellowship remarked St Nicholas’ Stalls 2019 was “a day of celebration, collaboration, joy and mutual care for our beloved school.”

Upper Sixth students taking the Leiths Food and Wine Course made some amazing cakes for our annual Christmas Competition. Staff voted for their favourite cakes in each category and the winners were: Most technically proficient: Sophia Most technically ambitious: Livvy Most creative: Clemmie Best Traditional: Eve Best Original: Emma

Sophia

Thank you to everyone who helped St Nicholas’ Stalls 2019 be a record-breaking success and spearheading the fundraising for the Sixth Form Centre.

Livvy

Clemmie

Emma

2019 120th year

Parents’ Christmas Drinks The festive spirit was truly overflowing at our annual Christmas Drinks at the Sladmore Gallery in Jermyn Street.

Joined by over 100 current parents and Heads of preparatory schools, it was a festive opportunity to mix and mingle.

Mrs Gardiner Legge’s speech reflected on the events of 2019 and spoke of the School’s ambitions and expectations for 2020 and beyond.

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Michaelmas Term ended in the traditional way with a moving and uplifting celebration of the Christmas story through readings and hymns.

Outstanding solo, duet and group performances from Lily (Form I); Sasha (Form II); Bella, Clemmie, Lily and Sonya (Form III); Frankie (Form IV); Alexandra and Tilda (Form V); Emma, Harriet, Sophia and Tansy (UVI) were greatly enjoyed by the parents, staff and pupils in the audience.

Christmas jumpers, tinsel and lights were worn by staff and students whilst they enjoyed a fabulous Christmas Lunch.

The traditional roast turkey was served with all the trimmings followed by profiteroles and mince pies.

The heritage of Heathfield was celebrated with songs that girls pass down through the year groups. Mrs Gardiner Legge dressed as an Elf and even the school dogs wore Christmas outfits. The tradition of the youngest girl in school dismissing the girls after lunch was performed by Bea in Form I.

The Heathfield Top 12 singers, Form I Choir, Form II Choir, Senior Choir and the Staff Choir all performed alongside the school band and orchestra. Mrs Dance and Miss Kong from the Music Department work tirelessly throughout the year rehearsing, arranging and nurturing all the musical talent we have at Heathfield.

Following the Blessing by Fr David the service finished with a rousing rendition of Deck the Halls.

Heathfield School London Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 8BQ, United Kingdom Incorporating St Mary’s School Wantage

T: +44 (0) 1344 898342 E: registrar@heathfieldschool.net W:heathfieldschool.net

Christmas

Carol Service

Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper Day